Book Two: Chapter 5

Ataclysm-Cays

Ladybug's arm ached, but the suit protected it like a cast. After moving it around she suspected she'd bruised the bone. She knew Cat felt worse about it than she did, but she couldn't help feeling enviously impressed by him.

He'd found a way to hold his transformation through five Cataclysms and even throw one. Cat was agile, strong, intelligent, and protective. He used his destructive power like he'd been born with it and could both strategize and defend. Meanwhile she received two oddball items instead of one—sometimes.

Noise from the accident met them before they could see it. Then the heat from the fires made her exposed skin sting. Cat shielded his face as they landed together on the edge of chaos. She'd sent an alert to the others, but there was no telling if they'd make it in time.

"Destroy the cars, I'll get the people out."

They jumped into the fray. People called their names, some in relief, some in panic. The street was thick with onlookers, all of whom were too close to an overturned tank truck. Fire grew ever closer to it. If it blew there was no amount of Lucky Charms to save them all. Smoke blanketed her lungs and obscured their vision.

Cat disintegrated the first car. She wrapped her yoyo around the driver and yanked them back into the crowd, releasing with little attention to who caught them or how they landed. The next car had a woman in the front seats and two children in the back. One in a car seat.

"Cat, just the door." Ladybug skidded to a halt next to him, the fire making her feel sunburned. It seemed to be coming from an old defunct van that crashed into two others, but the flames were spreading out too fast. Cat's eyes glowed in the firelight, his pupils only thin slits against the light, but they widened as he nodded at her.

"Cataclysm!" He took care of the door, then the seat belt. He was getting sloppy, using too many Cataclysms for such small things, but no time to second guess. Ladybug cradled the whole car seat to her; the infant was asleep—at least she hoped the little one was only sleeping. The older child—maybe three or four—cried in great hitching waves, the sound piercing the roar of the blaze and the shouts of the crowd. The mother was unconscious, but with only half a nod, Cat destroyed the rest of the car and then caught her as the vehicle crumbled away.

They freed three others from two more cars caught in the wreck. Then there were only two more vehicles, the burning van and the oil transport.

"Cataclysm the tank?" Ladybug shot him a questioning look.

"I'm not sure it would destroy all the gasoline."

"How many have you used?"

"Three."

"Lucky Charm!" A fifty-pound bag of baking soda thumped into her arms.

"Ladybug!" Ryuko and Viperion arrived, skidding to a stop next to them.

"Ryuko, douse as much of the external area as you can in water, but don't put it on the fire. Viperion, wait until my signal to set your Second Chance."

Cat grabbed her wrist. She hid a wince. "How much of this will reset if you use your ladybugs?"

"I'm not sure. The cars will, but I can't restore everything from the accident. Worry about it later!" She jumped out, ripping open the bag as she went, but she needed a way to disperse it wide enough to cover the growing flames. "Ryuko! I need wind. Viperion, set your chance. When I give the signal, destroy the truck." She said the last to Cat. He nodded and got closer than she liked to the lashing flames. She wrapped her yoyo around two posts and pulled the string back like a slingshot; the open bag nestled inside.

"Wait!" Viperion interrupted. Ladybug paused. Carapace leaped down from a nearby roof and erected a shield around the civilians. "Cat," he continued. "You'll have to get next to it."

Next to it? She hoped he wouldn't have to go in there, but now wasn't the time to test his new range. She tried not to think of what Viperion had witnessed.

"Now!" Ladybug released the baking soda.

"Cataclysm!" Cat disappeared completely into the blaze. She couldn't swallow as she lost sight of him.

Wind whipped up around them. The bag rained white powder and swirled around the flames, smothering them before they could reach what had already spilled from the tank truck. Cat emerged a little singed, but still in one piece.

The fires died. Smoke hung heavy in the air, but they'd been too late to save everyone. Two had died from the fire or the smoke before they'd arrived. The van driver was so badly charred she couldn't tell if it had been a man or a woman. There was nothing left but bones and charcoal.

Cat put his hand over Ladybug's eyes and guided her face to his chest. She clung to him and realized she was shaking. Emergency services arrived, their sirens overwhelming her thoughts, their lights filling the darkness the fires had left behind. She tried to pull away, but Cat leaned down to her ear.

"There's nothing else we can do. They were gone when we got here."

"If I'd checked the van first—"

"I could smell it."

She gently pushed away from him, looking up into his green eyes, searching for answers. Then she walked to the center of the scorches. "Stand back," she cautioned the crowd. She picked up the empty baking soda bag. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

The magic restored cars and rebuilt the tank truck, even dried everyone who'd been soaked by Ryuko's ability, but it didn't fix damages done before they'd arrived.

"Viperion, Ryuko, Carapace, thank you." She hugged them each. She'd take fighting a Sentimonster any day over this. Her heart broke when she saw the mother they'd pulled free cradle her eldest, but the baby…

"Come on, I'm taking you out of here." Cat wrapped an arm around her and nodded to the others, then used his staff to launch them over the scene and onto the rooftops. Out of sight, he pulled her into a proper hug and stroked her back.

"We couldn't save them." She pressed into his chest and let the tears squeeze free.

"We aren't gods, M'lady. Even the Kwami have limits."

"The baby…" she couldn't finish.

"Fine, just fine. I can hear it crying."

"You can? How... how long have you been more...well, cat-like I guess."

He chuckled and went back to stroking her back. "I've been noticing it over the last couple months."

Her senses hadn't enhanced. Or her skills. Honestly all she had improved on was creating the power up potions and putting her own personal spin on them. She'd even made a volcanic power up which she was particularly proud of (even if it was probably useless).

"The worst part? I think I'm starting to understand what Plagg smells in Camembert." Cat wrinkled his nose, which managed to make her smile. Damn him, couldn't he see she was all set to mope for a while? Her arm was bruised, she wasn't as strong as everyone else, and they hadn't saved everyone. This was not a good day, but when he held her, she thought that maybe bad days could be okay as long as they were together.

He took her hand and squeezed it three times.

She gave four in return.

###

Cat could hear her earrings beep, but he wasn't about to break the moment between them. She did, though.

"I need to go."

"I'm coming with you."

"Cat, there's no need, I promise I'm—"

He kissed her. "It wasn't an offer."

They got back to her rooftop with time to spare. He examined the layout, thinking he'd put cameras above the hatch and atop the chimney, then wondered if that was more like spying on his girlfriend and decided maybe not. Ladybug's earring gave a final beep and the light revealed his lovely Marinette. She winced as the magic unraveled from her left arm. He ushered her inside, setting her on the lounge by her desk.

"I'll go get ice for that."

She jerked up. "No, my parents are home."

He winked. "Fur your information, I'm an excellent sneak." He opened her floor hatch and slid out of sight, returning a couple of silent minutes later with a bag of ice and a plate of snacks. She raised an eyebrow at the plate. He shrugged. "I left some money. Plagg, claws in."

Plagg and Tikki fell on the platter like two ravenous piranhas. Plagg ate all the cheese in one go, while Tikki munched on two cookies at the same time. Adrien sat next to the lounge and rest his head back on Marinette's lap while she set the ice on her arm. She combed her fingers through his hair, the slight scrape of her nails across his scalp making his shiver in a delightful way.

"You should get home soon."

"It's not that late." He checked his phone. "Oh, never mind it's almost two in the morning." Which did explain why he was feeling a bit worn around the edges.

She bent over and kissed his forehead. "Thank you for staying with me, but you have to go."

"In a minute." He joined her on the lounge, pulling out her arm and examining it. Where the Cataclysm hit had swollen and she winced as he brushed it, but she was right, it didn't look half as bad as he thought. "I really didn't mean to hit you."

"No of us knew you could do that; besides, it was kind of badass."

His snort turned into a laugh that hung on his lips. He kissed her nose, but her expression turned serious. "What's wrong?"

"We need to defeat Mayura. Soon."

"And we will." He searched her face. Plagg was right, she wasn't telling him everything. "Is something going on?"

Marinette bit her lip. "I'm worried she'll use me against you all."

"How? You defeated Hawkmoth."

"We," she corrected. He allowed it.

"And we will defeat her, too. But rushing leads to mistakes. The moment she slips up we'll take care of her, then..." Cat trailed off, the thought that had been pestering him since talking to Mother begging to be free. Now wasn't the right time.

She set her palm on his cheek. "Where'd your head go just now?"

He shook it off. "Nowhere. Just tired."

"Then go sleep." She kissed him.

"There's a bed right up there." He gave her his cockiest grin.

She narrowed her eyes. "Naughty. Go on, out with you. Shoo!" She leaned down and captured Plagg, tossing him at Adrien.

"All right, all right! I'm going. Plagg, claws out!" With a quick goodnight kiss that he would have loved to let turn into something longer and slower, he hopped over her bed and through the hatch.

"Wait!" Marinette grabbed his tail and yanked him back inside. He landed in a graceless heap on her comforter.

"Not sure whether to complain or celebrate," he sat up. She still held his tail.

"You know I love you, right?"

"Purrincess, there's no way I'd accept any less." He kissed her and dislodged his tail.

In class on Monday, Marinette wore a wrap from her wrist to her elbow on her left arm, but she also demonstrated that the "sprain" she sustained on Friday by falling down the stairs was nearly healed.

The weekend had done her good. He'd convinced her to stay home and skip patrol, and both her body and mind seemed livelier from the time off. She shone with positivity. It was hard not to look at her, but managed to catch Nino's concerned concentration as he chewed on the end of his pencil.

"Nino, you okay? Nino?"

He jumped. "Sorry dude, lost in thought." When Adrien made a face, he continued. "Alya still isn't back and she's not responding to my texts."

"Do you want to go visit her after class? My shoot doesn't start until six, I could be your wingman."

"No, no. It's okay. What's the job this time?"

"Part of the collection my father's doing for Vogue."

Nino whistled. "You're really racking up a hell of a resume bro."

Adrien laughed. "Says the guy DJing one of the largest venues for the Techno Parade."

Someone cleared their throat and Adrien was stuck in a wide grin as he glanced up at Marinette, then he rearranged his expression back to neutral.

"Sorry to interrupt. I'm going to go visit Alya after class and bring her her homework, did you guys want to come?" She was careful to keep her attention on Nino.

Behind them a familiar voice scoffed. "Why would you waste your time?" Chloe examined her fingernails.

"Good thing I didn't ask you then," Marinette said without pause, then looked again at Nino. "I'm worried about her. Come with?"

"Yeah, that sounds good."

Right after class ended, Adrien, Nino, and Marinette walked the half mile to Alya's. Her two younger sisters answered. They'd grown a lot since he'd last seen them. Of course, that was years ago. They were thirteen now and built more like their oldest sister, Nora.

"Marinette!" The two said in unison and rushed at her. She hugged them back. They attacked Nino with similar gusto, then eyed Adrien with a little giggle.

"Hey girls, I brought Alya's homework. Can we come in?" Marinette hefted her books for emphasis.

They opened the door wider. "She's been so weird—"

"—and lame. She barely has a sniffle and she's—"

"—holed up in her room like she has bubonic plague," the twins said, switching back and forth.

Marinette stepped ahead and peeked behind a closed door. She shut it just as quietly behind her. "Can you tell her we stopped by? I don't want to wake her."

"Sure. Can you tell our favorite sitter we say hello?"

Marinette made a face, then sighed. "Yes. I'm sure Lila will be delighted."

Adrien felt his nose crinkle, too.

They left after watching Nino awkwardly hand over what looked like a love note. Adrien wondered if Marinette got his note from Plagg last week.

Love and duty are not mutually exclusive. He believed it, and he hoped she did, too.

The photoshoot that evening was long and hot, but the photographer was pleased with the results. Once home and showered, he suited up. Viperion and Ryuko had stepped up over the weekend to help give Rena and Ladybug a break, so tonight they deserved the night off. Besides, Marinette seemed ready to get back out there.

The night was blissfully quiet, the air still and warm, perfect for bounding across rooftops. Ladybug swung into view, so he caught her around the middle. She wiggled free, inviting him for the chase. She hadn't been this carefree in too long.

Her voice was suddenly in his ear. "I win."

He spun towards her, but she used his tail to capture his wrists in mock handcuffs, then kissed him. "If this is the penalty for losing, I vow never to win again," he said.

She smirked. "Come on, pretty kitty, time to head back." She slipped the cuffs free, so he grabbed her wrist instead. She winced and he yanked away.

"Sorry!"

She rubbed the spot he'd grabbed. "It only hurts if you hit the right spot."

"There's plenty of right spots I'd like to hit," he gave her a wide grin.

Pink worked into her cheeks and she glanced away. "What if we—"

Her yoyo beeped, as did his staff. Whatever she'd been about to say was lost as they checked the alert.

"Sentimonster. Over by Notre Dam." Ladybug clapped her yoyo shut and dangled it.

"Inconvenient timing," Cat mumbled and ruffled his hair.

"What was that? You sound a little exaspurrated."

He glared.

###

The thought of heading back early with Cat had made Ladybug's toes tingle, but part of her was relieved they had an alert. She wanted to be with him, but she wasn't ready. She loved him, she trusted him—trusted him with her life, not just her body—but if they took the next step it would ruin her resolve to stay professional. She needed that distance. They both did. Her identity depended on it.

The Sentimonster wasn't hard to find. The news reported it at Notre Dame, and it happened to be in the shape of a giant pink squid—which would have been terrifying if not for the fact that it was knitted. There weren't a lot of people out for it to terrorize this late, so they were able to land in the courtyard and receive its immediate attention.

It spun towards them, limbs whipping wildly. They readied to attack, but then it just kept spinning.

"What the heck?" Ladybug spun her yoyo, but the squid didn't advance.

"Is this some kid's happy squid dream?" Cat scratched his head.

Then the squid bubbled away, and the feather floated free. It turned white before them as the Amok released.

"Well that doesn't bode well." Ladybug scanned the courtyard, ready for an ambush.

A low laugh echoed around the clearing in the quiet night. A man stepped out of the shadows dressed in a sort of robe bound with a thick sash. His hair was closely shorn, but she couldn't make out much more in the dark.

Mayura landed beside him, her signature fan half-covering her face, and her peacock dress flaring out in deep blues and purples.

"Who are you?" Cat thumped his staff end down and leaned on it, an air of disinterest thick around him, though she knew otherwise.

The new man bowed. "I'm Etan, a member of the Order of the Guardians."

"Oh shit." Ladybug slipped under her breath. Cat's eyes darted to her, then back to Etan.

"Ladybug, the time has come to return your Miraculous."

She swallowed audibly, but Cat spoke before she could. "Shouldn't you be taking hers instead?" He pointed at Mayura.

"Mayura agreed to assist me. She'll turn hers over in due time."

"Because you know she's responsible for exposing Master Fu," Cat continued. He took half a step forward.

"Your 'Master Fu' wasn't an official member. He was a traitorous child who destroyed the temple and doled out the most powerful Miraculouses to untrained and undeserving children."

"Children who have been saving Paris for five years." Ladybug found her voice.

"Your time is up, Ladybug. Return your Miraculous and the Miracle Box."

Cat retracted his staff. "You were warned?" He glanced sideways at her.

"I have until the end of the year." Ladybug ignored Cat's question.

"They changed their minds." The Guardian Etan raised his arm, fist out. Mayura plucked a feather and grinned.

"No." Cat stepped up. "She's done nothing but sacrifice for this city. You're not taking her Miraculous."

"Don't think we're letting you slide either, Cat Noir. We'll be taking them all back." Etan tossed something across the courtyard. It sounded like glass as it skidded to a halt. Ladybug knelt and picked up a cracked version of the fox Miraculous. She flipped it over and felt a tickle of familiar magic. It wasn't a copy.

"What did you do?" Ladybug spun her yoyo and clutched Alya's Miraculous to her chest. Cat went on immediate defense and held his staff at the ready.

"I'm not a match for you two, not yet, but I'll make sure the Miraculouses are inert until they've all been returned. Mayura?" Etan inclined his head to her. She released the feather from her hand. It fluttered up like a dry leaf caught in a gale.

"Better capture the Amok before it turns a nightmare into reality." Mayura half hugged the Guardian to her side and jumped up the building, disappearing from sight.

"We have to go after them, they have Rena." Cat half ran as he spoke.

Ladybug stayed on his heels. "Her Miraculous looks like a cracked glaze. What could he have done to it?"

"My ataclysm-cays could do that. Maybe he has another Kwami that destroys."

"Did you just use pig Latin?"

They sighted Mayura darting from building to building. He ignored her question. "They're heading towards Montparnasse."

"No, she's correcting too far south. Shit!" Something slammed into Ladybug, knocking her out of the air. She hit the pavement hard but rolled back to her feet. Cat whirled around, his staff slapping the shoulder of a flying monkey—like Wizard of Oz, except this one had four wings and the primary colors of children's playdough.

"Great. We don't have time to monkey around!" Cat yelled at the thing and hit it again.

It dodged and flew left where it was joined by three more.

"Oh no, you don't think—" Ladybug lost sight of Mayura and the Guardian, but instead gained sight of about fifty more flying monkeys.

Cat swore.