The fact that Chat was already out and about was lucky.

Especially since a civilian Ladybug was being held tightly by a twenty foot Akuma.

The chaos Chat saw in the distance when he made his way to Marinette's house made his stomach knot instantly; getting closer only confirmed his fears.

Now he knew who was under the mask, Chat could not unsee the determination in the young woman's face as she attempted to talk the akuma down while her parents looked on helplessly. They had been trapped in the rubble of what was the bakery, but he had to focus on getting Marinette free from the akuma's clutches.

Actually holding back and taking a second to think, Chat took a good look at the emerald being: It had a green glow emitting from its aura, and what could be described as hair, was poking out all over the place in a shaggy fashion. The akuma's back was still to the hero, so the blonde was unable to see its face, but the way the body was wrapped in a belt like bind with studded tentacles, gave him an idea of who it was. There was also a slightly rocker-esque feel to the being which was another major hint.

"You will only be hurt by him, Marinette!" The akuma's voice bellowed through the street, "he does not deserve your affections anymore."

'Well if it wasn't already obvious who's been targeted, then that's just confirmed it!' Chat thought wryly to himself.

"Chat Noir!" A tiny red being flew to his side before he could fly into battle. "Ladybug is-"

"Marinette," he sighed to the wide eyed goddess, "I know."

"How do you-"

"It wasn't intentional," he held his hands up apologetically under Tikki's chastising glare, "but I saw her, when I was coming to see her."

Tikki let out an assessing huff before turning towards the commotion, "fine, but you need to get her free, Luka's akumatised form hasn't been too violent yet, but that doesn't mean he won't be."

"What if I can't, y'know, before the akuma's released."

"Leave it to me." Tikki replied with a worried edge which Chat chose to not ask about, "just get her to safety. We'll talk about this later."

With a nod at each other in understanding, Chat launched himself into battle and Tikki flew to watch from the sidelines. 'I just really hope the side effects are not too severe…'

"I'm guessing someone's feeling a little green with envy…" Chat landed just to the side of the Akuma, forcing the being to turn and face him.

"Oh look!" The transformed victim observed sarcastically, "another blonde has come to join the party!"

"Well it's not much of one yet," Chat winked tauntingly at the green being, "but as soon as we've defeated Hawky, I'll be sure to send you an invitation!"

Ducking quickly, Chat avoided the akuma's belt tentacle that came at him unexpectedly. The black clad hero wasted no time in trying to tie up the weapons but they were surprisingly agile when they just kept coming. The blonde hero soon realised getting close to Marinette would be difficult, and he dived into the rubble to see if her parents could point him in the direction of where the tainted object was.

"Chat Noir!" Sabaine looked to have only a few scratches but was in otherwise good health, Tom on the other hand, seemed to have hit his head and was sat in a daze with his back against a crumbled wall. "Chat Noir, he's-"

"Luka, I know," the blonde sighed, "do you know where the akuma is please?"

"Where's Ladybug?"

"On her way." He took a panicking Mrs Cheng by the shoulders and tried to reassure her with his features, "we will save Marinette, heal your husband and fix this mess, but I need to know-"

"Buttons."

"What?"

"There was a packet of buttons that he gave her earlier," Sabine winced as a loud crash came from outside the rubble as the akuma taunted a concealed Chat to come out and fight. "Hurry, please, Chat Noir."

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

With a salute, the hero darted out of a small opening just large enough for him to squeeze his shoulders through: using his cataclysm would have been easier, but with his lady otherwise engaged, Chat did not want to call for it yet. Using his baton to vault from rooftop to window ledge while dodging the akuma's attacks, Chat was able to spot a small bag of buttons holding the belts in place around the akuma's body. Thinking quickly, he noticed Marinette struggling in one of the akuma's fists and how close she was to the object.

"Marinette!" Chat shouted, and flung his baton towards her in the hopes she would catch it, and sure enough, the unmasked hero caught on to her partner's plan. Extending his baton, the determined teen broke the tainted object and Chat launched himself-

"Cataclysm!"

-and caught the butterfly between his fingers.

Landing in a roll, the back clad hero used his cat-like reflexes to handspring back and catch Marinette as she fell to the ground while a purple mass enveloped the akuma and Luka was left kneeling on the floor. Keeping her in his arms bridal style, the blonde hero had to suppress a growl when a conflicted looking Luka shot daggers at him while Marinette clung to him tightly. Remembering himself, Chat placed his lady down gently and made his way over to begrudgingly comfort the young man in front of him. Luka however, gave the hero no chance as he turned on his heel abruptly and placed his hands over his face before jogging off into the night.

"No need to ask what that was about." Chat muttered as he spun around to find Marinette staring tearfully at her parents' crumbled bakery. "I'm sure we can fix it." The blonde placed comforting arms around her shoulders as the beauty dropped her head onto his chest and stifled a sob.

"Wh-what if I-Ladybug can't… what if-"

"I have every confidence in my partner's abilities, even if she does not."

Marinette nodded against her partner as she did not know what else she could do. Staring at the bakery, the unexpected mass of ladybugs working their magic caught the teen off guard, and Marinette hid her face as the ladybugs continued to swirl. She found the tightening of Chat's arms around her reassuring, and the secret heroine was just grateful that the damage and injuries were being repaired with her identity intact. Once the bakery was restored and looking better than ever, the tiny creatures continued on their way through the multiple streets of Paris, repairing more and more as they made their way towards the Eiffel Tower. Once they dissipated into the sky, Marinette stared in awe when the Parisian landmark gleamed in the moonlight after the years of weathering had been removed to reveal a brand new looking structure.

Marinette could not believe her eyes, but Chat pulled her attention to the park opposite the bakery and Marinette was in even more shock as the trees had grown to double their size and the tidy lawns had transformed to resemble a field of long grass. The weeds poking through the slabs on the pavements had also grown and taken over the concrete, and upon seeing her balcony, Marinette could now spot the way her plants had begun to spill out and over the bakery front.

'Ooops.'

Marinette felt the arms of her relieved parents as they both hugged her tightly. The yelp that came from her black clad partner told her he had not expected to be in the embrace, and Marinette found herself absorbed in how happy they were that everything had been restored and then some.

Finally managing to wriggle free, the teen watched her parents thank Chat Noir and gestured for him to meet her on her overgrown rooftop terrace. Excusing herself and heading inside to talk with Tikki, she left her parents trying to get Chat to come in and have some pastries as a way of thank you. After the awful way Luka had turned before being possessed by the akuma, Marinette was just looking forward to having some fun with her amazing partner.

Once Chat had finally managed to escape the gratitude of the Dupain-Chengs with a box of pastries and an invitation to stop by for coffee on the house, he found Marinette's trapdoor completely blocked. There was no way he was getting through there without using a well placed cataclysm, so he decided to drop his transformation and feed his kwami before deducing how to get in. His little black friend grinned at him mischievously while chomping down on his stinky snack.

"Well… kid…" bits of cheese spluttered out as Plagg spoke while Adrien grimaced with disgust. "I think," he swallowed, "that perhaps tonight, isn't the best night to tell her you know who she is."

Adrien twisted his lips as he thought about what Plagg said, "I think you're right," he sighed, "but when exactly will be the best time?"

"Maybe when she's not just been snared by an akuma… as a civilian of course." Plagg turned around to look at all the foliage taking over Paris, "I would like to check in with Tikki though," he gestured to the city, "this will have really taken it out of her. Give me five minutes?"

"Don't be seen," Adrien warned as Plagg zipped through the dense greenery and into Marinette's room.

Finding Tikki completely and utterly comatose after using so much of her energy was not surprising, only looking out of her window Marinette could see the luscious plants taking over Paris. Trying to open her trapdoor to the balcony was a feat in itself, and Marinette made her way back to the window to see if that would open.

The vines from above had not quite covered the frame, meaning Marinette would be able to get that open without much trouble when she heard Chat trying to get in. Making sure Tikki was comfortable in her cubby, the ravenette sat at her desk and set up the games console ready for her partner's arrival. After the day she had experienced, it was just a relief for it to be over, and Marinette rested her head on her crossed arms to enjoy a quick minute of alone time.

She began thinking about the attention that had unfortunately become a side effect of wielding her Miraculous and how much the pheromones had changed such a sweet person. It was clear from Luka's behaviour that he was conflicted by his actions just as much as she was, but Marinette had to wonder if the jealous person she had met tonight was truly not a part of him. Kim was always messing around, and after being reprimanded, he backed off and kept his distance. For the most part, since she had been wearing Chat's scent, the only person, apart from Luka, who had continued to show her attention was Adrien. Marinette found that interesting, as Chat's scent had definitely worked to a degree, and Marinette was required to wonder if Lila would act as impulsively towards Chat if given the chance.

'It's not like she was expecting me to be so appealing to her…" she shuddered with the thought, "maybe if she had been prepared for it, her reaction would have been different?'

And Marinette knew that Luka liked her, he had always been kind and patient with her, until earlier that is and he let his frustrations get the better of him. 'But he knows I have feelings for Adrien… Adrien, why is he still being so attentive…"

As Marinette drifted off into an exhausted sleep, she did not see the tiny black kwami drift over to check on her. The slumbering teen did not notice him unlatching her window and phasing through the glass either. The ravenette was even more oblivious to Chat coming into her room and placing her gently into bed, making sure to tuck her in before placing a sweet kiss to her forehead and wishing her sweet dreams.

No.

Marinette was dead to the world, the use of Tikki's power having the same draining effect on her as it did her tiny companion. Her parents would not wake her in the morning for school either: deciding that Marinette needed a well earned rest after the emotional toll the events of the past few days had taken on her.

Poor Luka, he just isn't having a good day is he? And Paris is now overgrown Tikki's unharnessed power having swept through...

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you for reading :)

Take it easy!

Lady Rhi X