Who Needs You?
Episode 06
Gigantitan: Like Taking Candy from a Baby
"Adrien likes Marinette."
"Alya!"
Adrien has a photoshoot scheduled that very day at the Trocadéro fountains, but after some miscommunication between himself and his photographer, he arrived about an hour and a half too early. He called up Nino, Max, Ivan, and Kim, asking them if they were free to meet up with him to help kill some time, to which they all said they'd be right there.
Nino and Alya had a breakfast date that morning, which explains the scarlet-haired girl's unexpected presence. Adrien didn't mind this, since she was a friend of his as well, but if he had known she'd come to expose his secret-but-not-so-secret crush on Marinette, then maybe he wouldn't have welcomed her with such open arms.
The mid-day sun shines bright this afternoon, the skies blue without a single white cloud in sight. The weather is warm with a slight breeze, making it the perfect day for a hang-out with friends, some alone time at the park, sight-seeing around the city—
—and of course, a date.
"Your crush on her is, uh, kind of obvious, Adrien," Ivan says in the softest way possible despite his gruff voice.
"Wait… really?" Adrien blanches.
"I am quite positive that everyone—save for Marinette herself—is aware of this attraction you have towards her," Max nods, pushing his glasses up.
"Hold up!" Kim exclaims. "Adrien likes Marinette?!"
Everyone minus Kim slap their foreheads, sighing in exasperation.
"And it seems Kim was oblivious to this fact as well," Max says, rolling his eyes at his friend.
"Does she know?" Adrien asks nervously. "Have I been indirectly rejected several times without even knowing?"
"Don't worry, she doesn't have a single clue," Alya laughs, slapping him on the back. "Trust me—I know everything about this girl. And that's exactly why you need me for today."
"What are we doing today?" Adrien asks, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"We," Nino says, gesturing over to the rest of the group, "are going to set you and Marinette up on a date."
"What?!" Adrien yells, throwing a hand over his mouth after realizing how loud his reaction was. "Are you guys insane?! She'll never say yes!"
"There's a slight chance she will!" Alya argues.
"I don't think any of you have realized this, but my friendship with Marinette is founded on a love-hate rivalry kind of thing," Adrien says. "I can barely have a normal conversation with her, what more when I ask her out on a date?"
"Then, we'll make it look like you two bumped into each other by coincidence," Alya shrugs. "You have photoshoots on Sundays, and today, she just so happened to invite me to meet her right at this very spot."
"And besides," Nino grins, fixing his baseball cap. "We have a plan."
"Oh, no," Adrien says, facepalming.
"So, here's what we're going to do," Alya says, clapping her hands together. "You are going to tell your driver to pick you up a little later so at least we know he'll be out of the way."
"That's doable," Adrien says.
"But just to be sure he doesn't come too early and hang around, Nino will go ahead and plant a No Parking sign," Alya explains. "Max will inform security of an illegally-parked car in the case this happens."
"And how will you be getting a No Parking sign?" Adrien asks, eyebrow raised.
"We have our ways," Nino says.
"So, Marinette and I are supposed to meet approximately ten minutes after your photoshoot. I'm going to call her and cancel last minute, so she'll be all by herself at Trocadéro fountains. That's where you come in, all like," Alya clears her throat and deepens her voice, "Marinette! What a coincidence!"
Adrien furrows his eyebrows at Alya's imitation of him. "I do not sound like that—" he begins.
"Oh! And then you both go all like I hate you, you jerk! and So do I, you klutz!" Kim mocks, earning laughs from the rest of the group. Adrien can only scowl at his friends.
"As I was saying," Alya continues. "Marinette and I had plans to hang out so I can help her find inspiration for her latest designs. You will be taking my place."
"Does that mean—" Adrien gulps.
"That you'll get to spend the whole day with her? Most likely. Just until she finds that inspiration," Alya grins. "While she's busy sketching, Kim, in disguise, will jump out of nowhere and swipe her pencil case. It looks like a wallet, so you won't have to worry about the whole thing looking stupid. You'll go chase after Kim—"
"Wait, wait, wait. Do you really think I can catch up to Kim?" Adrien asks, pointing at the jock. "He's the fastest runner in our class!"
"Obviously, he'll slow down for you so you can catch him," Alya laughs. "And that's where Ivan comes in. He'll be dressed as a police officer and take Kim away."
"You have a police uniform ready, too?" Adrien asks incredulously.
"Halloween costume shops are always super cheap in the summer," Nino says.
"And finally," Alya continues. "All you have to do is ask her what she's working on, and once she answers you, offer to tag along. She won't be able to say no after you got her pencil case back for her. And done! You have a date."
"I don't think I can do this," Adrien says nervously.
"How can you when it sounds so boring," Kim scoffs. "Why don't we have Adrien rescue Marinette from an incoming car instead? That always works in action movies!"
"Um, because we don't have a car? Or a driver's license? And because that's dangerous?" Alya says in disbelief.
"Then what about a runaway rickshaw?" Kim asks excitedly.
"No," Alya says flatly.
"Maybe you can sing her a song!" Ivan suggests before proceeding to screech, giving tribute to one of his favorite heavy metal bands.
"Ivan, we are not—" Alya tries, placing her hands over her ears to block out the noise.
"Nah, dude, your music choice isn't exactly the best," Nino tells Ivan, who huffs angrily. "This is what should be played!" Nino proceeds to take his phone out and blasts a romantic ballad, making his girlfriend want to tear her hair out.
"Nino," Alya scolds like a mother would her child. "Don't encourage this."
"Or perhaps you can present to her a lovely arrangements of flowers?" Max offers, scrolling through his phone. "It says right here that in a survey taken by two hundred women, eighty-three percent agreed that receiving flowers on the first date—"
"Woah, woah! Are you trying to scare her?" Alya asks. "Marinette may love flowers, but that's a little much."
"Yeah, that's why we should get Adrien to rescue Marinette from a runaway rickshaw!" Kim exclaims. "It's a lot more natural than some random guy stealing her stuff."
"Kim, how is a runaway rickshaw more common than petty thievery?" Alya asks, massaging her temples.
"I still think Adrien should sing her a song," Ivan chimes in.
"Why should he sing when there are thousands of songs to choose from on the Internet?" Nino argues. "Serenading her is even weirder than flowers and an orchestrated near-death experience!"
"Enough!" Adrien shouts, making his whole group of friends fall silent. "We'll go with Alya's plan, and that's that."
"But—" Nino, Max, Ivan, and Kim begin.
"No buts," Adrien says. "Alya is Marinette's best friend. She knows what she likes, so I trust her the most."
Alya smirks in triumph at the boys, who all grumble to themselves about how their plan is the better one.
Adrien phone suddenly goes off, and he answers it upon seeing the name Photographer Vincent. After a quick exchange of words, he shuts his phone and tells his group of friends, "That was my photographer. I've got to go, but I'll see you guys later when our plan goes into action. I trust you guys!"
With that, Adrien bids farewell to his friends and walks off to get his photoshoot over with. He meets Vincent by a ramp that offers a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower. After greeting each other politely, Vincent throws himself to the ground, making awkward poses as he looks for the perfect angle. Several minutes into the photoshoot, Adrien starts getting nervous when he catches a glimpse of the time on his photographer's watch. He might be a little late.
"Smile!" Vincent exclaims, snapping a photo when Adrien forces himself to smile even wider. "Brighter, happier! Like you're looking at the girl you like!"
At this, Adrien's face turns bright red, and his face falls into one that can only be described as a mix of flustered, bashful, and embarrassed.
"No, no! Not like that!" Vincent says, ripping his face away from the camera. He taps his foot thoughtfully, asking aloud, "We need a prop. But what—aha! A lollipop! I shall return!"
Vincent speeds off towards a candy cart, making Adrien laugh at his enthusiasm. A mother pushing a baby carriage walks by, and just as they're about to pass the model, a little baby pokes his head out to catch his eye. Adrien smiles and waves at the baby, who reciprocates the gesture.
"Here you go!" Vincent suddenly exclaims, shoving a pink and white-swirled lollipop in his face.
"Lollipop! Lollipop!" Adrien hears the baby chant.
"No lollipops for you, August," Adrien hears the mother say. "You get a nice bottle of milk instead."
"Now, the pictures will turn out perfect!" Vincent says, gesturing for Adrien to pose with the candy.
After a couple of snaps, Vincent goes through the pictures to see how they turned out. Adrien quickly checks his phone to find a series of texts from Alya.
Alya Cesaire
marinette's already here! wasn't your photoshoot supposed to be done twenty mins ago?!
your driver's here oh NO
ok nino and max are on their way to plant the no parking sign HURRY
Adrien gulps at the text, but he releases a sigh of relief when Vincent shuts off his camera.
"You did well today, Adrien," Vincent grins, satisfied. "Your father will be most pleased with these photos! Good day to you!"
"Thanks! Good work today, bye!" Adrien exclaims, rushing off to meet with Alya.
While on his way there, he catches the mother from earlier struggling to get her baby carriage up the steps. She lets out a groan when her cellphone falls out of her purse's pocket, and despite his own phone vibrating nonstop, Adrien rushes to help the woman out.
"Hello," Adrien greets as he bounds up the stairs. "Would you like some help?"
"Yes, thank you so much," the woman says.
Adrien hops down two steps, lifting up the other half of the carriage. "Hi there, little baby," he greets.
The baby takes his bottle of milk out of his mouth and exclaims while pointing at him, "Lollipop!"
"That's right, I was the one holding the lollipop," Adrien chuckles as he and the woman carefully carry the carriage up the stairs.
Once they've reached the top, Adrien and the mother set the carriage down. No longer able to ignore the onslaught of messages he's receiving, Adrien says goodbye to the mother before running off to meet with Alya.
"Finally!" she says. "We've been trying to reach you!"
"Adrien's there?" a series of voices ask through Alya's phone. They'd made a conference call to keep in touch at all times—a good idea, Adrien thinks.
"Took you long enough!" comes Kim's boisterous voice.
"Sorry, sorry," Adrien says, panting as he rests his hands on his elbows.
"Why is your driver already here?" Alya asks while looking through her binoculars. "Did you tell him to pick you up later?"
"I did, but since the photoshoot ended late, he technically did come later," Adrien groans. "I'll go talk to him—"
"No!" Alya exclaims. "Once he sees you, you might be forced to go home. Don't worry, the plan is still ongoing. Nino's on his way to plant the No Parking sign right now."
From where they're hiding, they both see Nino place the sign right in front of Adrien's car before sprinting off to hide behind a pillar.
"Perfect," Alya says through her binoculars. "Now, we'll just need Max to tell the police officer about the car. Come in, Max."
Silence.
"Uh, Max?" Alya asks, pulling her cellphone closer to her mouth. "Are you there?"
"Present!" Max suddenly exclaims, surprising everyone on call. "Apologies. I will be there in approximately seventeen minutes."
"Wait, what?" Alya says. "Where are you?"
"Buying a bouquet of flowers for Adrien to present to Marinette," Max says, making Adrien and Alya's jaws drop. "I really do believe that Marinette would be pleased with such a gift."
"Max, we never agreed to that," Alya scolds. "We need you here right now. Someone has to tell the police officer about the car!"
"Hey, no fair," Kim says. "If Max can do that, then I can perform the runaway rickshaw act!"
"What about the song?" Ivan asks.
"Okay, everyone quiet," Alya says, trying to calm the ruckus. "Change of plans. Nino, you go tell the officer."
"Fine," Nino says, marching right out of his hiding spot to head on over to the police officer.
"Hey, dude—Sir!" they hear Nino greet.
"Oh, hello there," comes the reply of the familiar Officer Roger. "Is there something I can do for you?"
"Uh, yeah, I couldn't help but notice that there's an illegally-parked card over there," Nino says awkwardly, pointing over at Adrien's car.
"Thank you, young man," Officer Roger says before a loud whistle goes off.
Nino looks up at Alya and Adrien to give them a thumbs-up, which the two return. The three of them watch the exchange between Officer Roger and Adrien's driver, and not too long after, Gorilla gets inside the car and drives off.
"Now, that that's out of the way," Alya says. "Anyone see Marinette?"
"I see her," Ivan says. "She's passing through the square in just a bit."
"Perfect," Alya says, turning to Adrien. "Give it your best shot. Good luck!"
With that, she pushes Adrien towards the stairs, encouraging him to go. He takes in a deep breath and hurries down the stairs, bumping right into Marinette as he turns the corner.
"Marinette?" Adrien says, feigning surprise.
"Adrien?" she says, shocked herself. "What are you doing here?"
"I had a photoshoot," he replies. "I just finished. What about you?"
"I was supposed to meet Alya here today, but she couldn't make it last minute," Marinette explains before holding up her sketchbook and pink pencil case. "So, I decided to do some sketching."
"How's that going?" Adrien asks, nervously looking around for a disguised Kim. Shouldn't he have stolen her pencil case by now?
"Not so great," she replies. "I can't find any inspiration."
"O-oh, then in that case…" Adrien starts, deciding just to go for it. "Would you—look out!"
Adrien grabs Marinette and dives to the side, saving them from getting run over by a… rickshaw?
Eyebrow raised, Adrien looks back at the driver to find a man wearing a familiar disguise. Adrien's left eye twitches when he realizes just who that was.
"…Are you going to let go of me or not?" Marinette asks flatly.
Adrien freezes for a second before looking down to find himself still hugging Marinette's petite frame. He quickly lets go of her and backs up, making her hit the ground and let out a yelp of pain.
"You did that on purpose," she grumbles, dusting herself off.
"Wow. This is the thanks I get for saving you?" Adrien asks, standing up and offering a hand to help her get back up on her feet. "Unbelievable."
"I could've managed on my own," Marinette says, reaching out to grab his hand. Adrien retreats his at the very last second, making her fall forward. "Adrien!"
"Didn't you say you can manage on your own?" he smirks, offering his help for real this time.
"Ugh, fine. Thank you," Marinette says, grabbing his hand.
With their hands intertwined, an obnoxiously loud voice starts singing heavy metal, completely ruining the moment. Adrien looks behind Marinette to see Ivan dressed as a police officer singing as loud as he can from behind one of the Trocadéro pillars.
"Do you hear that, too?" Marinette asks, looking around to try to find the source of the singing. "Where's that coming from?"
Adrien screams internally as Ivan continues, only releasing a sigh of relief when he sees Nino poke his head out from a pillar, mouthing him the words, "I'll take care of this."
Just when Adrien thinks that Nino's going to put an end to this madness, the bespectacled boy instead adds fuel to the fire and blasts a romantic love ballad. Adrien resists the urge to slam his own head against one of the many pillars. He wouldn't be surprised if Alya tore out all her hair by now.
Adrien quickly realizes that he's still holding onto Marinette's hand, and so he retreats. Maybe that's why his friends thought it fitting to add some background music.
"Hey, you! Stop right there!" comes a loud voice and the sound of a whistle. Adrien and Marinette turn to find Officer Rogers chasing after another police officer, whom the former knows is Ivan. Marinette seems oblivious to this fact, thankfully.
Adrien sees Gorilla park his car right in front of the No Parking sign once more, and he asks himself just how did it all go so wrong?
Adrien and Marinette watch as Ivan rips off his police uniform top, revealing his regular everyday clothes underneath. He throws the costume behind him, making Officer Roger tumble to the ground when it covers his face.
"Is that Ivan—?" Marinette begins.
"No," Adrien says, grabbing her shoulders to turn her towards himself. "You're seeing things."
Behind her, Adrien sees Gorilla exit the car, annoyance on his face as he's waited much too long for the blond. Ivan rushed past the driver, throwing off his police officer cap, making it land perfectly on Gorilla's head. Adrien's face contorts in panic when Officer Roger manages to get the police uniform off his head to find Gorilla right in front of him, the cap still on his head.
"You again?! That's it, I'm writing you up!" Officer Roger thunders, taking out his ticket pad and writing in it. "Disruption of the public due to noise, impersonating an officer, running away from an officer, parking violation, non-compliance with orders, and infuriating a usually cheerful police officer! These are your fines!"
Gorilla angrily grabs the tickets being waved in his face, the paper crumpling under his tight grasp. He walks away from his car, looking left and right in hopes of spotting Adrien.
And that's when Adrien sees it—a black butterfly flying towards his driver.
"Uh, I've got to go, see you tomorrow!" Adrien tells Marinette before rushing over to Gorilla, worry evident on his face.
Once Gorilla lays his eyes on Adrien, he smiles from both happiness and relief knowing that he's safe. Adrien sighs in relief when the black butterfly changes course, hopefully gliding through the air to get back to Hawkmoth.
"The photoshoot ended even later than I thought, I'm sorry for making you wait," Adrien apologizes after jogging over to his driver. Gorilla merely shakes his head—his way of letting Adrien know it's all right—the smile never leaving his face.
All of a sudden, a gigantic cloud of violet and black forms meters behind Gorilla, soon vanishing to reveal a giant baby clad in lilac, magenta, and lime green. Adrien immediately notices that it's the baby of the mother he helped out just moments ago—this is confirmed when the mother yells, "August!"
Gorilla makes a protective stance, showing his devotion to keep the blond safe from the akumatized victim.
"Lollipop!" the baby cries, his high-pitched voice echoing throughout the entire Trocadéro.
August starts walking around the square, nearly trampling all over innocent bystanders running for their lives. He eventually makes it over to one of the statues and rips one out to shove into his mouth, only to take it out not too long after. After making a sound of disgust, he throws the statue over his shoulder and starts crying, huge drops of water sliding down his face.
Adrien watches the statue fly in the air, gasping when he sees Max on his way to the square, completely oblivious to the chaos as his head is looking down to admire the arrangements of flowers neatly tucked in the crook of his arms. Adrien sprints over to his friend and tackles him to the ground—two seconds later, and they would've been crushed.
Adrien catches a glimpse of Gorilla running towards him before being picked up by August, who shoves him into his mouth, having mistaken him for a lollipop, too. This ends with a saliva-covered Gorilla getting thrown into a tree, making Adrien gasp in horror.
"What's going on?!" Max cries, ignoring his stinging elbow from skidding across the ground.
"Akuma attack! You've got to hide!" Adrien says, grabbing his friend's wrist and dragging him behind one of the pillars. Out of surprised from seeing the enormous baby, Max drops the bouquet of flowers, much to his chagrin.
"Where are the others?" Max asks worriedly.
"I'll go and check, you stay here!" Adrien says before running off and turning the corner.
Once the coast is clear, Adrien lifts up a front of his shirt, allowing Plagg to fly out of his inner breast pocket.
"That looks like a big problem," Plagg says, gulping down a slice of Camembert cheese.
"It does, but trust me," Adrien stifles his laughter, "it'll be like taking candy from a baby."
Adrien and Plagg snicker at their dad jokes before heading right into action.
"PLAGG, TRANSFORM ME!" Adrien exclaims, punching the air.
A flash of green later, Chat Noir extends his baton to get himself on the roof of the Trocadéro Palais. Up there, he sees the baby attempt to grab Alya, Nino, Max, Ivan, and Kim, who are all screaming in fear as they run away. Chat Noir looks around in hopes of finding something that could turn August's attention away from his friends—and that's when he remembers the little bell strapped to his collar.
Chat Noir flicks it with his fingers, making it jingle.
This catches the baby's attention, who turns to face him and flash him a bright smile while repeatedly exclaiming, "Kitty!"
"Hi there, big baby," Chat Noir greets with a wave. "How about a game of Catch the Kitty?"
Chat Noir proceeds to jump onto August's forehead and then to the ground, waving both arms around to get him to follow him.
"That's right, catch me if you can!" Chat Noir grins, leading the akumatized victim towards the Seine.
While leading him away from the Trocadéro, Chat Noir gets pulled back by his tail, making him let out a yelp of surprise. August wraps his hand around the hero, exclaiming, "Lollipop!"
"What?! No, no, no! I'm not a lollipop!" Chat Noir yells desperately, words getting louder the closer he gets to the baby's mouth.
"Not much of a natural with kids, are you?"
Chat Noir and August turn to the sound of the voice to find Ladybug standing a few feet away, arms crossed with a smirk on her face.
"Are you kidding?" Chat Noir says, giving her a smirk of his own. "We were playing Catch the Kitty and August here won the game."
With August distracted by Ladybug, his grip loosens, and Chat Noir takes this as an opportunity to escape. He extends his staff, releasing his from the baby's grasp before landing right next to his rival.
"I'm going to take a guess and say that the akuma's in his bracelet," Ladybug says, hurling her yoyo at the baby, and making it wrap around the arm holding the accessory.
August reacts by throwing his arm back, launching Ladybug into the air and onto the Trocadéro roof.
"Looks like you're not much of a natural with kids either," Chat Noir teases when he joins her on the roof.
"I'll have you know I've never babysat anything heavier than ten tons," Ladybug says, moving out of the way before August can grab her with his hand.
"Kitty?" August whimpers, trying to reach a little further.
Ladybug quickly notices the bracelet in his hand and immediately goes for it, resulting in her getting launched into the air a second time. Just as she thinks she's about to hit the hard concrete, Chat Noir comes to her rescue, catching her bridal style.
"A little eager today, are we?" Chat Noir asks, putting her down.
"Okay, change of plans," Ladybug says, clapping her hands together. "Baby's being cranky? We put him in a playpen!"
"And exactly where will we find a playpen his size?" Chat Noir asks.
"The Eiffel Tower! We'll pen him up in there with my yo-yo string. Sing him some lullabies, read him a bedtime story, then when he's getting sleepy, we take his bracelet!" Ladybug exclaims, proud of her plan. She then shrinks and quietly says, "U-uh, it requires a bit of teamwork, so…"
"We can give it a try," Chat Noir says, making Ladybug jump in surprise.
"Wait… really?" Ladybug asks. "You're fine with teaming up?"
"It's not that I want to," Chat Noir says stubbornly. "I just want this battle to be over with. I had big plans for today."
He jumps off the roof with that last said, and Ladybug follows, unable to stop herself from chuckling into her palm.
"What are you laughing at?" Chat Noir asks when they reunite on ground-level.
"Nothing," Ladybug grins. She then waves her hands in the air, exclaiming, "Over here, big baby!"
August shifts his attention to the superheroes, exclaiming gibberish as he takes baby steps towards them. He suddenly stops in his tracks when he catches sight of a familiar pink truck, and he kneels down to take a peek at its display. His face noticeably brightens when he sees the display of swirly, pink and white lollipops.
"Lollipop!" August exclaims, reaching into the truck to try a grab the candies inside. However, out of excitement, August accidentally crushes the truck into the wall behind it. "Lollipop?"
Realizing the error of his actions, August starts crying hysterically, his screams making Ladybug and Chat Noir throw their hands over their ears. Chat Noir is the first to step forward, making the crying baby look down at him in curiosity.
"Don't cry!" Chat Noir says, extending his staff so that he's at eye-level with August. "We'll get you a lollip—ah!"
Chat Noir lets out a scream when August backhands him, sending him crashing into a store display window. Luckily, no one was inside the shop when he got thrown inside.
"Chat Noir! Are you all right?" Ladybug asks worriedly as she runs over to him.
"Do I have to answer that question?" Chat Noir asks flatly, thankful that he wasn't cut by some glass. He looks around to find that he crashed into a gift packaging store. His face lights up when he catches sight of wrapping paper with a swirly, pink and white pattern.
"What are you looking at?" Ladybug asks.
"I'm calling for another change of plans," Chat Noir says, getting up and dusting himself off. "The baby's looking for a lollipop, right? He'll be in for a big surprise, then."
Chat Noir sighs as he turns to face his rivals.
"I may need some help," he says, making Ladybug's face brighten.
"I'd be glad to offer mine," she grins.
"Over here, big baby!"
August rubs the tears away from his eyes to find Ladybug performing flips to try to cheer him up. The baby claps at her stunts and starts crawling towards the heroine, who tries to lead him towards the Seine.
Right at the start of the bridge, August gets distracted by the sound of a car horn beeping, causing him to turn around and change track.
"No! Not there!" Ladybug panics, hugging a lamppost in an attempt to get him to stop crawling away. She resorts to wrapping her yoyo around the baby and pulling him with all her might, but there's only so much her tiny figure can do to a ten-meter tall baby. "I said, not there!"
August shifts his attention back to Ladybug after hearing her raise her voice at him, eyes lighting up when he sees her holding onto a lamppost.
"Lollipop!" August exclaims for the umpteenth time that day, picking her up along with the streetlamp.
"Stop!" Ladybug says, squirming within his grasp. "There's a lollipop right over there! It tastes much better than this one! Stop, stop, stop!"
All of a sudden, a jingle resounds from afar, catching both August and Ladybug's attention.
Their heads turn towards the bridge to find no one in sight besides a lamppost fashioned to look like a lollipop.
"Lollipop!" August grins, letting go of Ladybug and walking towards it.
August picks up the lamppost and unwraps it, revealing Chat Noir in a crouching pose with one hand emanating the familiar dark glow of Cataclysm.
"Playtime's over, kiddo," Chat Noir grins, striking the bracelet with his destructive power.
The bracelet crumbles into pieces, and a butterfly dark as night flutters out of it. Chat Noir captures it with nothing but a twirl of his glowing staff, turning it white and letting it roam free.
"MIRACULOUS CHAT!" he exclaims, hitting one end of his staff against the ground.
Magical green dust travels through the air, and many Parisians cheer as all the damages come undone, restoring all to its previous beauty. Once done, a cloud of violet and black blankets the baby, returning him to his normal size, albeit a good ten meters up in the air. Chat Noir catches August before he can hit the ground, who does nothing but laugh and play with his bell.
"Kitty!" August exclaims, jingling the bell nonstop.
"Okay, so maybe you are a natural with kids," Ladybug laughs, poking August's nose.
"August!" a voice calls out.
Chat Noir looks up to see the baby's mother running up to them, arms outstretched and face relieved. She scoops her baby out of the hero's arms and hugs him tight, crying tears of joy to find him safe and well.
"I cannot thank you two enough for saving August," the woman says.
"Don't worry about it. We're just glad that he's safe," Ladybug says.
A warning beep resounds from Chat Noir's ring, and both heroes take this as their cue to leave. They bid the mother farewell before hopping onto the rooftop of a nearby building.
"Phew, I was really scared that I was going to end up covered in saliva," Ladybug laughs. "We did well to follow your plan."
"My plans never go wrong," Chat Noir grins cockily.
"Of course," Ladybug says, rolling her eyes while chuckling. She holds up a fist, asking in a hopeful voice, "Pound it?"
"Fine," Chat Noir chuckles, bumping his fist with hers.
Ladybug's smile is genuine, and despite it reminding him of his mother's, the bitterness is no longer there. He tries to think back to when the pain stopped, but he's unable to pinpoint an exact moment. And so he thinks, maybe being nice to her isn't so bad after all.
"See you tonight for patrol, then," Ladybug says, taking out her yoyo. "Don't be late!"
She throws an arm back, ready to hurl her weapon into the air, when Chat Noir raises a hand to stop her.
"Ladybug, wait," Chat Noir says almost desperately.
"Something wrong?" she asks, putting her yoyo away.
"Uh… you're a girl, right?" he asks awkwardly, making Ladybug's right eye twitch. Seeing her reaction, he quickly continues, "Forget I asked that. What I meant to say is… you see, there's this…"
"Might want to hurry it up, your transformation's going to wear off soon," Ladybug says, pointing at his black ring.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but," Chat Noir begins. "I need some advice."
"…Who are you and what have you done to Chat Noir?" Ladybug asks, making a fighting stance, annoying her rival. "You're asking me for advice?"
"I am," Chat Noir says, eyeing his beeping ring. "I was wondering… how would you, as a girl, like to get asked out on a date?"
Ladybug's heart drops.
"Oh. You're… asking that girl you like out on one?" Ladybug asks quietly.
"Maybe," Chat Noir says, looking away to avoid eye contact. "Can you just answer the question? I'm dying of embarrassment here."
"Well, I personally would prefer it if the guy just went straight to the point," Ladybug answers, a sad smile on her face. "No beating around the bush, no convoluted plans. Just a simple would you go out on a date with me?"
"Just like that?" Chat Noir asks.
Ladybug nods. "Just like that," she says.
"Huh. Thanks for the advice, I'll be sure to follow it," Chat Noir says, eyeing his ring one last time. "I should get going. See you tonight for patrol?"
"As always," Ladybug says, waving goodbye as her rival takes his leave.
She makes her way back to Trocadéro to retrieve her belongings, wondering if she'll ever get Chat Noir to see her as more than just a rival.
Adrien eyes the bouquet of pink, purple, and white flowers on the ground, sighing as he picks it up and cradles it in the crook of his arm. What was initially planned out to be the perfect day turned into one of disaster thanks to a group of perseverant friends, his own inability to ask the girl he likes out on a date, and an enormous baby. Eyes cast downwards, he starts making his way back to the car, where Gorilla waits for him, all ready to drop them home.
"Adrien!"
Adrien turns his head at the call of his name, surprised to find Marinette walking towards him with her sketchbook in hand.
"M-Marinette?" Adrien stutters as she approaches him. "What are you still doing here?"
"I lost my sketchbook amidst the chaos, and came back to look for it. I'm super relieved it wasn't stolen," she answers. "And you?"
"I'm meeting my driver here," he replies. "Any luck finding inspiration in the end?"
His eyes catching his friends peeking from behind a pillar, and it takes all his willpower to stop himself from slapping his forehead.
"None," Marinette sighs. "I thought I had, but the designs I had in mind just weren't—" She stops mid-sentence, then asks after a brief moment, "What are those flowers for?"
"Uh…" Adrien shifts his eyes over to his friends in a panic, who each play charades, hoping he'd use one of their ideas. He quickly decides on Nino's suggestion, who's acting like he's snapping a picture with a camera. "I was using them for my photoshoot. It seems my photographer dropped them while trying to get away from that giant baby."
"They're pretty," Marinette comments. Her face then brightens, and she hurriedly opens her sketchbook, flipping over to a page with a blank asymmetrical summer dress. "Of course! Flowers!"
"Flowers?" Adrien echoes.
"I was wondering what kind of design to add to the dress I'm designing. These flowers specifically are perfect," Marinette answers, showing him the various pattern drafts she drew earlier that day. Clouds, anchors, candies, polka-dots, stripes, gingham; despite all these ideas, none of them left her satisfied, as confirmed by the large x crossed over each one.
Adrien looks down at the flowers, and smiles.
"Here," Adrien says, presenting the bouquet to her. "You can have them."
"…What's the catch?" Marinette asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Is everything I do linked to bad things?" he sighs exasperatedly.
"Yes," she says, but there's no bite behind her words.
"Take them," Adrien smiles, holding the bouquet out for her to take.
"Thank you, Adrien," Marinette says, accepting the flowers. Once cradled in her arms, she adds, "You've been awfully nice today. It's weird."
"I'm always nice," Adrien says, eyebrows furrowed.
"Sure you are," Marinette says, laughing into her palm.
She looks away from the colorful bouquet to smile up at him, and Adrien can't help but smile back. They relish in that moment because for once, they're not at each other's throats, for once, they're exchanging kind words, and this side of Marinette reminds Adrien why he likes her so much. She's kind, she's never afraid to express her gratitude, and she always looks for the best in people even when they've given her plenty of reasons to make her think the worst.
"S-so, um," Adrien starts, nervously shifting from one foot to the other. He thinks about Ladybug's advice, taking in a deep breath as he continues, "If you're not busy, would you—"
Beep. Beep.
Adrien and Marinette jump at the sound, turning their heads to find Gorilla honking the car horn. Adrien droops his shoulders at the lost opportunity, fully believing that luck just wasn't on his side today. It must truly be a curse to wield the Black Cat Miraculous—it seems like bad luck follows him wherever he goes.
"Better not keep your guard waiting," Marinette says, nodding over at the car. "I'll see you at school tomorrow?"
"See you," Adrien says, turning around to walk to his car. He pulls open the door, but he doesn't get inside just yet. He turns back to Marinette and says, "We can give you a ride home if you want."
"Thanks, but," Marinette starts, and Adrien's face falls slightly as he knows a rejection will follow. "I'm probably going to stay out a little longer. Especially now since I have these flowers for inspiration. But thanks for asking."
Adrien nods. "I'll see you tomorrow, then," he says, casting one last glance at his friends (who each give him a thumbs-up) before entering the car and driving off.
Behind the pillar, the group of five friends all watch as Marinette smells the bouquet of flowers in her arms with a smile on her face. She then turns around and walks off most likely to look for a good spot to continue sketching.
"Things didn't exactly go as planned today, but I think it all worked out in the end," Alya smiles as she watches her best friend disappear around the corner.
"I agree," Nino nods. "He even got to give her the flowers."
"Pink camellias, white gardenias, and lilacs," Max says.
"Pink and white what?" Kim asks in confusion.
"Those are the names of the flowers in that bouquet Max got," Ivan informs Kim, who thanks him for his answer.
"Pink camellias mean longing for you, white gardenias mean close friendship and secret love, and lilacs," Max smiles knowingly, "mean growth."
"Looks like you picked out the perfect bouquet for those two," Alya laughs.
"It's confirmed that Adrien likes her, but what about Marinette?" Ivan asks. "Does she like him?"
"Not right now, but maybe she will someday," Nino answers. "We'll just have to wait a while."
Alya nods.
"A little while."
end card
A/N: Quick update because I was too excited to write this chapter!
I really hope I did this episode justice when replacing Marinette's girl group with Adrien's guy group (plus Alya). It was lots of fun trying to think of how they can mess things up, and I can only hope that Nino, Max, Ivan, and Kim were in-character in this chapter. I was really sad about not adding Nathanael into the group, but I thought that adding him would be too mean considering his crush on Marinette, which I honestly believe he's still not over. I'm sorry if you're a big Nathanael fan!
Get ready for the next episode! Not only will Kagami be introduced, but I'll be making it a Ladrien team-up! I actually really like Kagami as a character (she had so much potential!), so I was pretty disappointed that the show ended up making her just some other girl with a crush on Adrien. I'll be re-writing her character into the one I wished she had become instead. :) Stay tuned!
Thank you again for the favorites, alerts, and lovely reviews!
Thank you for reading!
Akuma Capture:
Ladybug: 2
Chat Noir: 5
Next Episode: Riposte