Hey everyone! Wow, wow, wow! There is a lot about to go down so be prepared and be ready! 8000+ words! You've been warned!
Thanks to everyone for the reviews, favs, and follows! You guys are the best source of motivation this bug has! And a special thank you to my beta SunshineMLB for all of her hard work in working on this project with me!
Also I don't own the characters, just the plot! Enjoy!^-^
An Old Enemy Returns
They stood side by side, his hand firmly around hers as they watched the power tests being done; Rena having taken post at her other side.
Miss Bustier was having them bring out their powers at will, just to test their magic's strength to see if anyone was moving ranks. The test only happened once every six months, and unfortunately this was that month.
"Chat Noir." Miss Bustier called with a smile as Carapace finished his test.
He squeezed her hand and walked forward in silence, not bothering to glance at any of their other classmates who were still being idiot's. He fist bumped with Carapace on the stairs, making his way down to the center of the circle marked around the outside with ancient runes. He turned back around, instantly catching eyes with his Lady. She gave him a small smile, and he smiled back at her.
This was a test he had passed at a Captain's level since he was twelve.
"Full force please." Miss Bustier told him without fear.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting the magic inside of him rise until it burst out of him in a strong, steady pulse of static. He heard the tell-tale sign of the floor around him cracking from the Destruction he was releasing, the ground beginning to shake around them as he let the power rise further.
Miss Bustier told him quickly, "Thank you Captain, that is fine."
He let his magic settle and opened his eyes, seeing Miss Bustier's magic light up the outer circle and resetting the area.
"Queen Bee." Miss Bustier called as he hit the stairs.
Bee huffed as she passed him, "Idiot."
He didn't say a word, just took his place back as his Lady's side when Carapace moved to stand next to Rena.
Queen Bee's magic rose around her in a buzzing yellow spiral as she gazed bored at her nails. Her magic was bright and intense, no doubt the magic of a Captain.
Miss Bustier dismissed her and called up, "Miss Lady."
He answered for her, "Opting out."
Miss Bustier said it calmly, "Chat, everyone needs to be evaluated. It's standard you know that."
"It's standard in obtaining a rank for magic levels to be evaluated," he said easily, "given that she isn't in need of a rank at this point in time, there is no reason to subject her to this kind of scrutiny."
Queen Bee said it angrily as she reached the top of the stairs, "Afraid to let her akuma powers run loose?"
Chat hissed a hard sound, but to their surprise, Viperion spoke up, "You really think with three captains and four lieutenants present that it will be a problem?"
Bee huffed, "Oh please, as if a weakling like her would even be worth the effort."
Viperion smiled softly, "Then whether they run loose or not is irrelevant, isn't it?"
Bee stayed quiet and moved to stand next to Canis without another word.
Miss Bustier reminded them, "The circle contains all power inside of it. Otherwise testing someone like the great black cat would be unwise. There is nothing to worry about," she caught Lady's eyes, telling her gently, "I honestly just wish to evaluate the power you have been emitting, that's all. Dormant akuma or not."
Lady looked at Chat before whispering it to him, "Might as well."
He frowned, telling her softly, "Only if you want to."
She nodded and made her way down the stairs to the circle. She took place in the center and Miss Bustier told her gently, "Close your eyes, visualize your power like a balloon filling with air. Fill it as far as you can get it to go."
Lady did as she was asked, having already tried this technique with Chat earlier this week in preparation for this test. She hadn't been able to get anything to manifest before besides sparks in her fingertips, but he assured her that the magic of the circle was designed to draw out power. In nearly the same breath, he had also told her that she didn't have to show her power progress to anyone. She could opt of out the rankings, and she wouldn't have to take the test at all.
Though standing here now, she almost wished she had opted out of it all together. It was bad enough that most of their classmates believed she was housing an akuma in her, without showing them the feeble recesses of magic she actually had.
Still she tried anyways, barely starting to feel anything in her fingertips when the Akuma siren went off around them.
Miss Bustier said it quickly, "Captains! You are excused!"
Queen Bee, Tigerlilly, and Chat Noir all took off out of the room, Miss Bustier telling her softly, "That was enough. You can go back up."
She gave her a soft smile before heading back to the others. The sirens shut off and Carapace turned slightly, "Viper, you realize none of us want this right?"
Viperion sighed heavily, "I know, but he's not thinking with his head." He looked over at Lady, giving her a small smile, "I know you would never intentionally hurt him, but you do see where most of us are coming from right?"
She nodded, "I do. That's why I can't blame you guys for your reaction."
Four resounding beeps simultaneously echoed around them.
Bunnyx, Viperion, Ryuko, and Rena each pulled out their communicators before looking at each other, "Everyone?"
"That's, odd." Viperion said before looking over at Miss Bustier who nodded, "If you were called, you are free to go."
The four Lieutenants rushed out, and she wasn't surprised that Carapace stayed at her side, nudging her arm as she frowned, "Don't worry. If they are all going, it will be handled no problem."
Miss Bustier told them nodding, "Exactly. So until the situation is handled, why don't you all use this time to get some work done?"
Everyone mumbled okay's before trailing out of the room and splitting up. She and Carapace made their way towards the library, going straight to the back where they knew they would find a certain brilliant red kwami no doubt reading.
Lady smiled instantly, seeing Tikki floating just above a large book, "Tikki!"
Tikki instantly looked up and smiled brightly, "Lady!"
Carapace smiled to himself, seeing Tikki nuzzle Lady's cheek before asking, "How did the power tests go?"
"Uh," Lady started unsure, so Carapace told Tikki, "Well enough little dudette. You know power changes don't happen very often."
Tikki nodded knowingly, asking a little worried, "And you Lady? Did you opt out?"
She shook her head, "No, but I don't think I did very well."
"You sparked, that's something." Carapace said, knowing first hand that such a feat had been impossible for her just a few days ago.
"Sparked, fantastic." Lady said grudgingly as she laid her head on the desk, asking as it weighed on her, "You saw what Chat Noir did. All he did was stand there and," she snapped her fingers without lifting her head, "power, unmatched, undiluted, raw power."
"You know comparing yourself to him isn't going to help Lady." Carapace said gently as he sat down across from her, "Chat Noir is in a class of his own. He has one of the origin powers. The only one who will ever come close to matching that power would be,"
"Ladybug." She said heavily, looking at Tikki who said it sheepishly, "Unfortunately, that is the truth."
Lady nodded, smiling at her shyly, "I know Tikki. It's not you." She used a finger to rub the top of Tikki's head affectionately, "Destruction and Creation, the origin powers, the powers that marked the beginning and end of everything. Including the other Miraculous."
Carapace sat back, haphazardly balancing his chair on its back two legs without a care as he sighed heavily, "I almost wish the Giver had never been given his power. Then maybe things would be different."
Lady sat up slightly, having heard the others use that term before, "Giver, you mean the Butterfly Miraculous right?"
Carapace nodded, "Since the Miraculous gives power, though not in the way it's being used now."
Tikki said it calmly, "Every power has the ability to be used for the right, or wrong reasons. Power itself is never inherently good or evil, it's the heart of the holder who causes the scale to tip."
Carapace looked guilty, "I know it's just, we all still want to know how someone like Mothman got his hands on the Butterfly in the first place. If he never went through Ceremony, and didn't have the inner magic necessary to connect to the Miraculous in the first place, how is it possible that he is using it?"
Tikki sighed, saying it heavily, "He has to be a true holder. The Miraculous was destined to end up in his hands. How it got there on the other hand, that's something only he will be able to explain."
Lady asked curious, "But, how could he have gone through Ceremony to bond with the kwami and Miraculous the way he'd have to?"
Tikki hummed, thinking for a second before voicing her thoughts, "It makes me wonder if he found a way to have Ceremony performed. It's not all that difficult, but there are things that only a Guardian knows that complete Ceremony."
Carapace let his chair rest naturally again, flipping his hood off of his head so that he could run his hands back and forth through his hair, "But Master would have never completed Ceremony with someone who had dark tendencies. He'd never let the Miraculous be abused that way."
"No." Tikki agreed, "Which poses the question of who would have been able to complete Ceremony for him, and why did they do it?"
They all sat silent for a few minutes until Carapace shield pinged. He lifted it up and said it as he read the message, "I'm being called in. You'll be okay Lady?"
She nodded, "I'll just stay here with Tikki until you guys get back."
Carapace nodded as he stood, "You'll look after her right Tikki?"
Tikki beamed, "Absolutely."
Lady fist bumped with Carapace before he left the library quickly, making her sigh heavily.
Tikki asked gently, "It is still getting to you, isn't it?"
She nodded instantly, "It's not fair Tikki." She laid her head on her arms, "I want to help. I want to be able to fight with them, and I can't do anything except sit here and wait. This is the fourth big Akuma attack this week. I know that not everyone who is going out is fighting, they are watching, looking for anything that will help them pinpoint Hawkmoth but,"
"Waiting is a hard game to be trapped in." Tikki said, floating down next to her, patting her arm gently, "Your time will come. I know it." Tikki added it with a small smirk, "Especially if a certain black cat has his way."
Lady felt herself smiling, "He is relentless."
Tikki nodded, "And reckless."
"And a giant flirt."
"And has the worst sense of humor."
They looked at each other and giggled, Tikki telling her brightly, "I'm glad he found you Lady."
She smiled, "I'm glad he found me too." She reached into her pocket, pulling out the little lucky charm she always carried with her.
She ran her hand along the string of six beads, stopping at the seventh one with a small smile. The last little bead was a beautiful onyx black, with bright green cracks running through it. She had always joked to herself that this was her 'little black cat' bead. She had always been stubborn about believing that black cats were bad luck, so she carried around the little charm to prove it wasn't true.
Not that her luck was great, but it was getting better.
Tikki was eyeing the string of beads in her hand strangely, "What's the matter Tikki?"
"May I?" Tikki asked, staring up at her.
She held the string of beads out to her and Tikki ran her small paws over it, stopping at the little black bead, "What's this?"
She smiled, "Oh, it's my lucky charm. I carry it around with me for luck."
Tikki's eyes snapped to hers, "Lucky, charm?"
She nodded, "I know it's silly but I've carried it around with me ever since I was kid. It makes me feel like everything is going to be okay. When I don't have it, things tend to take a turn for the worse for me, so I always have it on me."
Tikki smiled, pushing down her rising excitement, "That's amazing, and it works?"
She nodded, "So far so good. I mean, you know my luck isn't the best, but things could always be worse, right?"
Tikki nodded, "Very true." She asked slyly, "Does Chat Noir know you carry luck in your pocket?"
She blushed slightly, "No, I've, never shown it to anyone." She stared down at the little beads, "I don't want people to think I'm weird for carrying around something silly." She ran her thumb over the little black bead again, "Or make fun of me for my little black cat bead."
Tikki felt her stomach flip, "Little, black cat, bead?"
She showed her the black bead on the end, "This one. It has always reminded me of a black cat with green eyes, so I've always called it that." She smiled towards the door, "Then I met a life-size black cat with green eyes so it's even more true now."
Tikki asked curious, "You never thought carrying around a, black cat bead, would cause you bad luck instead?"
She instantly shook her head, "No. I don't believe that black cats are unlucky, they are cats like all the others whose coats just happen to be black. I feel like my little black cat bead fights the odds and brings me luck in a way nothing else could." She smiled at Tikki's shocked face, "I mean, it brought me and Chat Noir together, right? I couldn't be luckier than that."
Tikki smiled brightly, floating up to her happily, "You love him very much."
"Yeah," she started before going still as she realized what she had said.
Tikki looked like she was practically glowing, "It's okay,"
"I," she stuttered, "I-I-I, love him." Her hands flew to her face as her face warmed, Tikki watching amused as the realization hit her.
"Oh my god Tikki. I love him. I love Chat Noir. I'm in love with him." She said, staring at the little red kwami who was trying to contain her giggles.
"That's not a bad thing is it?" Tikki asked instantly, still smiling.
"No, no of course not I just," she felt the tears pricking her eyes, her heart flooding with happiness, "He means so much me Tikki, but I know he isn't," 'meant for me.' She finished as a whisper in her mind, shaking her head slightly, "He has a soulmate. I shouldn't feel this way."
Tikki said it gently, "You can't lock your feelings away."
"I don't want to but, Ladybug is always going to have a place in his heart. If she ever shows up," she looked down and Tikki reminded her, "You could be her."
"I can't even bring more than sparks of my power out consciously. Chat's power, he deserves someone better than me, someone who he doesn't have to feel is just a burden,"
"You are not a burden to him." Tikki said sternly, "You could never be a burden to him."
"He hasn't spoken to anyone in class besides me, Rena, and Carapace. He's not even talking to Viperion who is both his Lieutenant and one of his best friends, all because of me. I want him to be happy, not drag him down." She admitted.
"You make him happy." Tikki said quickly, "Your happiness brings him happiness. You should hear the excited way he talks about you, and how much he misses you when you have to go to work. You are the light in his darkness." Tikki nuzzled her cheek comfortingly, "He loves you too, even if he can't admit it just yet."
Lady felt her face warm again and put her hands up, letting Tikki sit at her eye level, "You think so?"
Tikki nodded with a smile, "I know so. I've been around for a long time you know. I know love when I see it."
Lady smiled a little brighter before asking, "But, what if I'm not Ladybug? What if the real Ladybug shows up and he,"
Tikki shook her head, interrupting her, "Cross that bridge when and if you get there. Trust your heart. It will never steer you wrong, even if your head tells you in a million ways that it is."
Lady smiled, kissing Tikki lightly on the top of her head, "Thanks Tikki. You are the best little friend I could have ever asked for."
Tikki smiled, her eyes sparkling, "Everything will work out the way it's supposed to. I know it."
"I'm glad one of us has confidence." Lady said smiling.
Her phone rang and she smiled, answering it quickly, "Hey Kitty, that was fast."
"Yeah," he sounded out of breath, "I needed Cap to make the move I needed, but once he got here it was easy."
She heard the sound of wind rushing through the phone and asked with a smirk, "Are you running?"
He let out a breathless chuckle, "Maybe I have someone special I'm trying to get back to."
She instantly flushed and Tikki covered her mouth as she giggled again.
The wind died down and his voice was a little clearer, "M'lady, you okay?"
"Oh, y-yeah I'm fine. Tikki is keeping me company." She said, completely overlooking Chat's comment.
"Of course she is." He said somewhat bitterly, making her laugh slightly. She had been spending a lot of time with Tikki this week while Chat and the others took care of the Akuma's.
"Careful there Kitty, you don't want to start sounding jealous do you?" She teased.
He huffed, and she could practically see the grin on his face, "Jealous? Me? I'm a gentle-chat. I can share."
She rolled her eyes, "Gentle-cat, yeah, okay."
"Ugh," he feigned the sound of being hurt, "You wound me purrincess. How will I ever survive?"
"I didn't think my knight could be taken out so easily." She said lightly.
She heard him take a small sudden breath, making her ask concerned, "Chat, you okay?"
He sounded really happy for some reason, "Purrfect m'lady. Absolutely purrfect."
"Does everything have to be a pun with you?" She asked flatly.
"You love them. I'll get you to admit it one day." He said quickly. "And it will be a paw-sitively miraculous day indeed."
She groaned, making him laugh before he asked, "Want to meet me? I can go grab lunch and we can find a spot with a view."
She smiled, glad that she was already suited up, "A rooftop view I bet."
"Nothing less than the best. Give me fifteen?"
"Sure. I'll meet you where we had our first date?" She asked.
"Sound like a plan m'lady. See you soon." He said before clicking off.
Tikki was beaming at her, "You are going to go meet him?"
She nodded, "Yeah, we are going to have lunch." She said it sadly, "I wish I could bring you with me."
Tikki's smile faltered slightly, even though she tried to sound light, "I'll be okay. You go have a good time."
Lady reached into her purse and pulled out a small bag, holding them out to Tikki whose eyes widened, "Chat said you like sweets so, I made these for you."
"Oh wow, those look delicious!" Tikki said, taking the small bag from her, "I haven't had strawberry macarons in a long time!"
Lady beamed as Tikki pulled the bag open, instantly popping one into her mouth and closing her eyes happily, "These are so good."
"I'm glad. I can always bring you more, whenever you want." Lady promised.
Tikki nodded, "Anytime you want."
They shared another laugh before Lady left, carefully placing the little lucky charm back into her pocket as she did.
Tikki waited until she was sure Lady was gone to set the bag of treats down, her heart starting to hurt in a way it hadn't in a long time. "Please Lady, please be more confident in yourself. You are Ladybug I know it. You have to be." She sniffled slightly in the silence of the library, "And I really want to go with you too."
She held back her tears, closing her eyes as she lifted her face to the ceiling, hearing Plagg's subtle voice in her head, "Sugarcube?"
She smiled to herself, "I'm okay Stinky Sock, have a good lunch."
"It's not the same without you." Plagg whispered.
"Soon, I know it." She said, trying to will it into existence with her thoughts alone.
"I hope so Sugarcube. I really hope so."
His voice became strained and she knew Adrien had no doubt de-transformed to grab lunch. It made her sigh as she said it out loud, "Me too Plagg, me too."
...
He set the bags down on his desk at Gabriel and turned back around, rushing out of his office in annoyance.
Every time.
Every time he tried to see his lady, SOMETHING had to happen. He was really getting sick of all the outrageous, absolute LACK of luck he had.
He made his way angrily to his father's office, knocking uncharacteristically loudly before opening the door without waiting.
His father instantly scowled at him, Nathalie giving him a warning look as he asked not trying to hide his annoyance, "What was so important you had me rush down here? I finished everything you asked, I didn't have anything else on the schedule to do today, what could you possibly have needed me for?"
He saw a girl with olive skin and mischievous green eyes stand from the couch to their right, smiling at him in a seductive way that made his stomach turn.
"I'm sorry to drop in like this Adrien. I never meant for you to have to go out of your way." The far too familiar girl said, folding her hands in front of her as she looked down.
He didn't believe that act for a second.
"Lila. I didn't know you were back from Italy." He said trying not to cringe.
His father said it hard, "Lila will be here for the next week, and you will accompany her while she is."
He saw her start to smile before he whipped his head around to his father with wide eyes, "What? Why?"
"I don't want to be a bother to Adrien, Mister Agreste." Lila said sadly.
"It is no bother Miss Rossi." Gabriel said quickly before staring at his son hard, "You will do this, because I am telling you to." He slowly picked something up off of his desk, staring at it with a frown, "And I am more than well aware of you finishing your work. I'm sure my Mouse has had something to do with that. Especially after seeing the final copies of your shoot from last week when they ended up on my desk this morning."
He flipped the paper in his hand, revealing a photo that made his heart drop.
It wasn't just any photo.
It was THE photo. The one where he and Marinette had almost, when they had gotten just, just a little too close.
He said it trying to downplay what anyone could clearly see, "You wanted 'Night of Love' didn't you? You wanted me to be perfect, well there you go. Perfection to the point where even you believe it."
Gabriel asked instantly, "You think I can't see past the nonsense? You really want to try to tell me that you don't feel something for her?"
His voice was hard, trying not to let this turn into something it wasn't, "She's YOUR Mouse. She did me a favor standing in for that photo shoot and that's all. She's just a girl who works here. Of course I don't feel anything for her, don't be so ridiculous." He hated himself for saying it the second it left him, "She doesn't mean anything to me."
Something heavy dropped behind him, making him turn to see Marinette standing in the doorway, her tablet on the ground in front of her. Hurt bluebell eyes were glistening as she stared at him, her lower lip trembling.
"Mouse," he whispered shakily, tears falling down her face as she bolted down the hall away from him. His heart dropped as he ran towards the door, "MARINETTE WAIT!"
"I thought she didn't mean anything to you?" Gabriel snapped as he froze at the door.
He stayed silent, his fists clenching at his side as his father said it instantly, "By all means, go after her Adrien. The second you step foot outside of that door, she is done here. It's a conflict of interest and one I will not have going on inside my company."
He turned back to his father, his voice no more than a whisper, "You wouldn't. You wouldn't dare give up a talent like hers to another company."
Gabriel said it unremorsefully, "No I would not."
His stomach knotted, his voice coming out louder in her defense, "You can't BLACKLIST HER! Designing is her life, her dream! You would take that all away,"
"Without a moment's hesitation." Gabriel interrupted him coldly.
He shouldn't have been this shocked that his father was ready to blacklist a designer that could take over for him one day. If she wasn't going to be at his father's side to bring more fame to Gabriel, she wouldn't bring fame to anyone.
And his father had the power to do it.
He asked heavily, "Please, don't do that to her. She doesn't deserve it." It left a bitter taste in his mouth, "I'll do whatever you want just please, leave her out of it."
He took a small step back from the door, his father saying it lighter, "I thought so. As of right now, you will keep your distance from my Mouse. She is not your friend. She is my employee, my protegee. If I find out you have had any contact with her outside of work for any reason, you will be the one to tell her that her dream of being a designer is over. Have I made myself clear?"
He stared at the ground, trying to contain his anger before he did something he would regret. His voice was even, without emotion, "Yes father."
"Good. Nathalie has your schedule for the afternoon with Miss Rossi." His father said, turning his back to him.
He barely glanced over at Lila, already having forgotten that she was in the room. All he wanted to do was run out after Marinette, to apologize and try to even begin to explain why he had said what he did. But he knew his father would find out if he did, and the last thing he wanted to do was be the reason her dream was taken away from her.
Lila walked up to him, bringing him out of his self-hatred and clinging to his arm as if nothing had happened, "I really missed you Adrien. It feels like ages since I've seen you. We have so much to catch up on. You wouldn't believe what happened to me while I was in Italy," he tuned her out as she pulled him out into the open and down the mostly empty corridors. He knew from experience that no matter what was about to come out of her mouth, it was a lie.
He had never understood why his father hired someone like her in the first place. He'd known since lycée that she lied the way she breathed. He had even been the center of some of her lies, which he had immediately kept in check without completely calling her out on it. People like her, they always got what was coming to them. Their lies always found a way of catching up to them.
Lila hadn't hit that point just yet, but she would one day.
Big time.
Her vice grip on his arm made him uncomfortable, making him wish he had never answered the phone as he caught the end of what she was saying, "I'm a descendent you know, but you have to promise not to say anything. I'd hate for any of those Akuma's to come after you just to try and take my magic."
He instantly stopped walking, pulling his arm out of her grip as he asked shocked, "What?"
She frowned slightly, "You don't believe me?"
He asked instantly, knowing he couldn't outright call her on this lie in particular either without giving himself away, "You said you are a descendent, of what?"
She said it proudly, "Of magic silly. I'm not supposed to tell anyone but I just wanted you to know that if any of those Akuma try to hurt you, I'll be here to protect you."
He tried not to glare at her, "You are descendent of magic, like, one of those people who have been running around the city?"
She nodded instantly, "Exactly. I'm just like them, only my magic is stronger so they don't call on me unless it's absolutely necessary. When I saw what happened last week, that's why I really came back so suddenly. There would probably be less of those Akuma's around if I had been here to take care of them myself. The others are barely picking up the slack."
He felt Plagg tense angrily in his pocket and forced a practiced smile on his face, "Wow, that's amazing. I never thought I'd actually come face to face with someone with magic."
He asked instantly, glad to see that she believed that he believed her, "So how does it work?"
She smiled innocently, "I already told you enough. I can't give out all of our secrets, now can I?"
He returned the fake smile, "No I understand. Your secret is safe with me."
Lila pulled her phone from her purse and smiled wider, "Oh! It's almost time for our photo shoot together! I can't wait! I've been looking forward to it all day!"
She grabbed his arm again and rushed him down the hall as he scowled at the back of her head.
This was going to be the longest afternoon of his life.
...
Marinette barely made it down the street from Gabriel when her phone started to ring. She ducked into a side alley, answering shakily as she tried to clear the tightness in her throat, "Hello?"
"Marinette, are you still here at the office?" Nathalie asked in her usual professional tone.
"N-No, but I'm not, far." She managed to get out, hiding most of the shaking in her voice despite the pain she could feel all over.
"You are understandably upset, but Gabriel needs to speak with you in person. The matter is still urgent." Nathalie told her again. It was the reason she had gone to Gabriel in the first place. She had texted Chat that she was running by work really quick and that she wouldn't be too long, but hadn't heard back from him.
She'd give anything to see him right now.
"Y-Yes ma'am I'll, I'll be right there." She said as the tears filled her eyes again.
Nathalie clicked off and she fell back against the wall, closing her eyes and letting the pain take over for just a minute.
She was over him. Really she was. They were friends, at least, she had thought they were.
His angry voice echoed in her head, renewing her tears.
It shouldn't hurt this much.
She shouldn't feel this way just because she didn't mean anything to him.
But her heart still hurt, and the tears kept falling.
Because it did hurt.
She had always known that Adrien would never have feelings for someone like her, but hearing him say it out loud had been too much.
She wiped at her eyes, furious with herself for this reaction.
It shouldn't matter.
So why did her heart feel like it was breaking?
It wasn't fair.
She made her way back to Gabriel, forcing herself to calm down. She had to get herself together.
She hardly made eye contact with anyone as she walked in and made her way back to Gabriel's office. She heard the whispers, people already trying to figure out what had happened that had caused her to be so upset. She just didn't care this time.
She knocked softly on the office door before poking her head in, seeing Gabriel standing at his large touch screen off to the side.
He barely glanced up at her before going back to what he was doing, "Good, you've returned. Sarah and Jessica are both ill and I need you to go do a last-minute refitting in their place. It shouldn't take long, no more than an hour with your skilled hand."
She nodded, "Yes sir." She added it softly as she hesitated, "I, I'm sorry I,"
"Your apology isn't necessary Mouse." He said instantly, still focused on his work, "I've had a serious conversation with my son about his behavior and I assure you it will not be repeated. If he, at any time, approaches you with something that is not work related, please inform me and I will have it taken care of."
Gabriel stopped for a few seconds, giving her the smallest of smiles even though his tone was even, "He may not see your worth, but I have seen it since the moment I met you."
She felt herself tearing up, but cleared her throat to say it, "Thank you, that, that means a lot to me."
He nodded, his attention going back to his screen, "The refitting Mouse. See it gets done and then you can enjoy the rest of your evening."
"Yes sir. I'll get it done." She said quickly, grabbing her tablet from her desk and finding the note from Nathalie on where the refitting was to be done.
She headed a few floors up and found the room easily, walking in to a familiar crew, "Little Mouse! What are you, what's the matter?"
Jean Luc walked over to her quickly, a giant frown on his face. She smiled as brightly as she could, "Nothing, it's nothing I'm fine. I'm here to do a refitting."
He frowned even more, glancing towards the dressing rooms, "It's completely unnecessary is what it is."
She noticed the stage had been set up similarly to the night she had worked with Adrien on the photo shoots.
Jean Luc said it hard, "Those photos were flawless perfection. It was exactly as I envisioned but NO, we have to reshoot with no explanation as to why." He huffed out a hard breath, "I don't like this, at all." His voice dropped as he whispered it to her, "And she doesn't hold a candle to you, obnoxious thing."
She frowned, confused by what he was saying, "To me? Why should that matter?"
He looked at her stunned, "Mouse, you, you don't know? The shoot we are redoing is, 'Night of Love'."
Her eyes widened as she looked over, seeing a very familiar girl with olive skin and shining green eyes walk out in the very dress she had worn with Adrien that night.
This had to have been her worst nightmare come true.
The girl's voice was tight, "I thought someone was coming to fix this?"
Jean Luc huffed at the girl, "She's already here. You were the one hiding in the dressing room. Mouse, meet Lila." He looked down at her softly, giving her a wink as he whispered it, "Poke her a few times for me huh?"
She gave him a small smile before walking over to the hateful girl, knowing that there was no way this day could get any worse.
Lila looked at her, a wicked glint in her eyes, "Well, what do you know, I never thought you'd actually make it this far."
She flinched, staying silent.
Lila let out a low laugh that made her cringe, "Are you still pining after my Adrien after all this time, little mouse?"
The heat rushed to her face and Lila smirked, "I guess so, even after hearing for yourself what I always told you was the truth."
She asked trying not to let this evil girl get to her, "Where does it feel too tight?"
"It's not too tight moron. It's too loose. Whoever wore it last was easily two sizes too big." Lila said, enjoying the look of horror shining in her newest targets' eyes.
Marinette looked over the dress quickly, not seeing almost anywhere where the dress fit too loose. Still, she pinned it slightly tighter in some places, just to keep Lila quiet.
"Change out of the dress and leave it in the dressing room. I'll have the alterations done by the time you get done with hair and makeup." Marinette told her.
Lila lifted her head slightly, "I seriously doubt that. They aren't adding much makeup because I'm already flawless, and the girls love my hair for the dress as is."
She didn't say anything and Lila whispered it to her with a triumphant smirk, "Adrien is mine, try not to forget that this time."
Lila walked back towards the dressing rooms and Jean Luc appeared at her shoulder, "Obnoxious thing, isn't she?"
She nodded in silence, Jean Luc asking again, "Mouse, really what's going on? I have never seen you like this."
"Nothing." She whispered, "It's nothing."
She waited until Lila crossed the doorway towards the makeup room before going to the dressing room to do the alterations. She had never felt her hands move faster in her life, and true to her word the dress was done before Lila was done with hair and makeup.
She left the dress hanging in the dressing room, rushing out only to hear Adrien's voice, "It's not like I did it on purpose."
Jean Luc was scolding him, "If you weren't fiddling with it, it wouldn't have come off."
"Jessica can fix it. It's just a button." Adrien said, not sounding at all like his usual self. "She's still here, isn't she?"
"Sarah and Jessica are both sick." Jean Luc was telling him as she reluctantly walked over to them.
"Mouse, here to save the day as usual." Jean Luc said happily.
Adrien turned instantly, guilt all over his face as he stared at her. She could feel him staring, but couldn't meet his eyes. She held her hand out in silence for the button, which he gave her without touching her hand.
She could feel her hands shaking as she sewed the button back into place, the tension between the two wasn't lost on anyone. The photography crew had seen how well they worked together, how close they were, and now there was no mistaking the wall that separated them.
"Marinette, I," Adrien started softly, his voice heavy when he was interrupted by a far too happy voice, "Adrien! You look amazing as always. What do you think?"
Adrien barely turned to look at Lila, Marinette managing to avoid looking at her completely.
"Are you ready? I want to get this pointless reshoot over with." Adrien asked Lila, ignoring her question.
Lila was all smiles, "Of course. I'm ready whenever you are. You can go seamstress," Lila said waving her off, "we don't need you here anymore."
She turned to leave, not wanting to be here any longer than she had to be anyways. Jean Luc and most of the crew was frowning as she disappeared into the hall.
Adrien was practically seething, waiting until he was sure Marinette was out of earshot, "She's not your servant to be bossing around."
Lila said it innocently, "I didn't tell her she had to go, I just told her she could. She was the one who left on her own." Lila huffed, "She's extremely rude. She didn't even say goodbye."
Jean Luc said it quickly before Adrien could react, "Into positions, we've wasted enough time."
This shoot lasted twice as long as the first time they had done it with Marinette. Lila wasn't happy with the shot unless she was practically hanging off of him, no matter how many times Jean Luc told her that she didn't have to be that close.
Well into the evening, Jean Luc had enough and called it frustrated, "I'll find something that works, we are done. Adrien, a moment before you change."
Lila tried to cling to him and Jean Luc shot her a hard smirk, "It's business and none of yours."
Lila smiled brightly, "Of course. It's no problem at all." She walked back to the dressing rooms, and Jean Luc asked him hard, "What the hell is going on Agreste?"
He sighed heavily, "Too much to explain."
"And Mouse?" Jean Luc pressed, "I have never seen her that upset, and the tension between the two of you was suffocating."
Adrien flinched, "It's, nothing. I'm going to find a way to fix it. Somehow."
Jean Luc warned him, "You better, before you can't."
Adrien just nodded, sneaking a glance at a few of the photos Jean Luc was uploading. They all looked so, just so, awkward. His father wasn't going to be happy with these.
In a way he didn't care though.
Maybe it would force him to go back to using the ones with him and Marinette.
He walked back to his dressing room, instantly digging in his bag as Plagg told him, "Lady's been texting you, and calling. She stopped about two hours ago."
He grabbed his phone and saw the six texts and four missed calls. He called her back instantly, but her phone went straight to an automated voicemail.
Plagg was frowning at him, and he said it quickly as he texted her back, "I don't need a lecture Plagg."
"I'm tired of lecturing you. If you don't want to learn your lesson, it's not my problem." Plagg huffed.
He went to try to call his Lady again when Alya's number flashed on his phone instead. He answered it quickly, "Hey Fox."
"Chat, thank god. You need to come back to Dupont whenever you can." Alya told him quickly, a slight panic in her voice.
He asked instantly, "What's going on, what's wrong?"
She sounded upset, "I don't know. Lady showed up a few hours ago. She barely walked into our room before she burst into tears. She won't say anything to me about what's wrong. I even went and got Tikki to try and talk to her, but Lady only started crying more."
He started changing quickly, "Give me a few minutes. I have to try and sneak away but I'll be there as soon as I can." He told her quickly, "Put her on the phone, tell her it's me."
He heard shuffling until it was replaced with soft sniffles and hitched breathing that broke his heart, "M'Lady." He whispered, feeling his heart squeezing in his chest.
Her voice was a broken whisper, "Ch-Chat."
He told her softly, "I'm on my way. Everything is going to be okay, I promise."
She didn't say anything, the only sound was another soft sob before Alya's voice came back over the line, "I've got her, just get here Chat."
"As fast as I can." He promised her before hanging up. He changed quickly, glad that Plagg had already silently zoomed into his jacket when the dressing room door opened and Lila stood there smiling, "Great you are all changed, let's go get dinner I'm starving."
"I have an emergency I need to deal with. You'll have to eat on your own." He said quickly, trying to get past her but she stood in his way, a sternness entering her voice, "Don't make this hard Adrien."
"Then don't make it hard." He told her matching her tone, "I know how you play your game. This redo photo shoot was no doubt your idea when you saw the original photos, and I probably just lost one of the only real friends I've ever had because of you." She didn't look the least bit guilty and he knew it was the truth, "You want to monopolize my time fine, but the last thing on the schedule was the photo shoot. You'll have to plan a little better next time because right now my time is mine, and I have an extremely important person to go see, urgently."
He walked past her and she said it lightly, "The second you go check on that worthless little Mouse, your father will hear about it."
He turned back just to smirk at her to hide his anger, "I never said I was going to check on Mouse. I'd never do anything that would ruin her chance of achieving her dream." He couldn't help himself as he added it, "And for the record, she's not worthless. She has more talent in one finger than you do in your entire body." He asked her, glad to see the anger in her face, "It's funny how the fashion world works don't you think? Versace, Chanel, Prada, Gabriel, have you ever noticed what they all have in common?"
He only waited a few seconds before telling her, "They are the designers, not the models. Mull that over for a little while."
He turned and headed out of the room, heading straight for the stairs to the roof as he sent a text to Gorilla and Nathalie, "Heading to school to use the library so I don't fall behind on work, will sleep there tonight. I'll make my own way there. Have a good night."
Plagg floated up next to him as they reached the rooftop, "Plagg, Claws Out!"
He transformed and was taking off within seconds.
The only thought on his mind now was getting to his Lady.
Thanks for reading! More is coming soon so don't fret!
As always feel free to comment or review! I love hearing from you guys!
Au Revoir for now!
