Breathless

By the time she made it back to her classroom, Marinette was fuming. Alya tried to ask her questions about her time with Felix, but she waved her friend off. She was in no mood to talk about that insolent cad. She couldn't understand how someone could be so rude, callous, and infuriating, let alone how he could be of the same blood as her beloved Adrien. Sure, they shared many physical attributes, but that was where their similarities ended. Felix's arrogant face popped into the forefront of her mind, and she huffed quietly, earning a sidelong glance from Alya. She was so absorbed in her agitation that she didn't notice the question in her friend's eye - or how pensive and withdrawn the boy in front of her had become.

Marinette just wanted the day to be over. A good match of Ultimate Mecha Strike III with her dad, her mom's home cooked dinner, and a bit of work on her new designs sounded like heaven to her, and it all awaited her once school was out. The thought put her in a better mood and made the rest of the day bearable.

Before she knew it, the final bell of the day had rung, and Marinette leapt from her seat. She waved cheerfully to Alya and sped for the entryway before her friend could stop and question her. She was looking forward to going home so much, she almost didn't notice the akuma right out front.

Felix's eyes squeezed shut. The smell of exhaust flooded his nostrils, and the rumbling vibrations rippled through the sidewalk and into his frozen feet. The sound of the powerful engine grew louder as the truck drew closer. His entire body tensed.

A long moment passed, and... nothing happened? Felix cracked an eye open. The truck was in front of him, but it wasn't moving. Something was holding it back. His eyes opened wide, and he gaped at the feminine figure standing between him and the truck. A tight red and black-spotted bodysuit covered her lithe form from her neck down to her toes, and two red ribbons fluttered out behind her blue-black pigtails. She strained, pulling on a thin black string with both hands. The string was wound between a lamppost and a post on the sidewalk, crisscrossing to form a web that held the truck back. She turned her head toward him, and bright blue eyes shone from beneath a mask of the same material and color as her suit. "Get out of the way!"

Felix stared at her. His brain yelled at him to move, but his body refused to listen. So he just stood there like a fool. She must have seen the inner conflict in his eyes because she shifted the string in her hands, freeing one, and held it out to him. "Quick, take my hand!"

The truck's engine revved viciously, and the heavy metal frame pressed against the webbing. The feminine form before him strained, wincing. It was as if seeing her in pain jumpstarted something in Felix, and his body finally decided to comply. He placed his hand in hers, and with a tight grip on him, she yanked the string sharply. It retracted, pulling them along like a pair of marionettes. As they rounded the lamppost, the masked heroine let go of the string, throwing them to one side, clear of danger. A loud crunch of metal hitting metal resounded through the air as the string released the webbing.

Felix lost his footing and stumbled to the ground, pulling the girl with him. She landed on top of him with enough force to knock the air from his lungs. A yoyo landed on the ground next to them. Her face hovered mere centimeters above his, brilliant blue eyes wide in surprise. For a brief moment, irritation flashed across her features, but it vanished before Felix could even fully register it. She scrambled back to sit on her haunches next to him.

"Are you ok?" She still had his hand in her gloved one and pulled him up to a sitting position.

He struggled to catch his breath and answer, but all he could do was gasp. That's when he saw it. Behind the masked girl, one of the spikes on the wheel of the truck fired through the air, headed right for her back. "Be...hind..." was all he could manage.

The girl whipped around. She sat between him and the projectile, and Felix knew she could easily move out of the way. Whether he could or not was an entirely different story. He could barely breathe, let alone jump to one side. The girl didn't even hesitate. Rather than dodge the spike, she braced herself, arms crossed to cover her face. Without any time to grab the yoyo that sat useless on the sidewalk behind Felix, she was defenseless. Unable to move, Felix could only stare incredulously at this masked heroine who was putting her life on the line to save a complete stranger.

When the spike was nearly upon her, a metal pole crashed down on the spike, knocking it out of the air with a loud crack. A pair of black boot-clad feet landed on the pavement in front of them, and a pair of black gloved hands spun the metal pole with a flair in front of them. Covered from neck down in a textured black body suit, the boy before them also wore a mask of the same material over his eyes and nose. Two leathery cat-like ears topped wild blond hair, and a belt wound around his waist with a long end trailing behind him like a tail. Dark green cat eyes stared at Felix with an odd expression before flicking to the girl between them. With a little bow and a wink, the boy offered a hand to her. "Need a paw, milady?" he asked in a flirty tone.

Her body relaxed, and she let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Great timing as always, Cat Noir," she said as she took his hand and allowed him to help her to her feet.

"You could say my timing is paw-sitively purrfect?" The black cat grinned cockily at his own joke.

The girl rolled her eyes and reached back for her yoyo. "C'mon, let's go use that timing of yours on the akuma before we run out of time." Her gaze shifted back to Felix. "Take shelter inside the school. I don't think your ride will be going anywhere anytime soon." She gestured toward the twisted wreckage that had once been his father's car. His bodyguard must have jumped from the vehicle before the crash because he stood unscathed in the middle of the street staring blankly at it.

She cast a small, sympathetic smile at Felix then tossed her yoyo toward another lamppost. It secured itself around the top, and with a little tug, the girl swung away after the truck as it rounded the corner at the far end of the street. The black-clad boy looked from the girl to Felix with that same odd expression before bounding off after her. Felix just sat on the sidewalk and watched them disappear around the corner with a dumbstruck look on his face.

"Phew, that was a close one!" Shade flew out of Felix's vest pocket and hovered near his face, following his companion's gaze. "I'd bet a wheel of cheese that's the Ladybug you've been looking for."

Felix kept his eyes fixed on where the two superheroes had vanished from view. "She's..."

"Pushy, annoying, strange." Shade ticked each word off on his tiny, shadowy claws and added with a slight wince, "Heavy."

"Incredible!"

The little dark creature crossed his arms over his chest and nodded sagely. "In-" He stopped short, violet eyes going wide. "Incredible?!"

The blond composed himself and stood slowly, brushing the dirt off his slacks. With a quiet cough, he backpedaled, "You have to admit, Shade, not everyone would risk their life for a stranger. And she held off a truck with a yoyo!"

A knowing smile spread across Shade's hazy features. "Hmm, if I didn't know any better, I'd say whoever that girl is, you love her," he teased.

Felix said nothing, but he couldn't hide the color dusting his cheeks as he gazed off in the distance where the masked girl had disappeared.

A/N: As always, thanks for reading. I had grand plans to have his posted a week ago, but it sat half written the entire time. My proofreader, aka my partner, my very own Cat Noir, snarky comments and all, was out of town, so getting anything done at all was next to impossible. Anywho, next segment will be up much quicker! Until then, spots off!