"This is ridiculous," Marinette muttered under her breath. She tapped the end of her straw impatiently against her leg as her eyes darted from one end of the hallway to another. She met the eyes of another person lying in ambush and they gave each other a sheepish smile. Next to her, Alya also had her back pressed up against the hallway wall, as close to the classroom's door as possible without being seen from the inside. Gentle chatter flowed out of the classroom. "They're never going to come out."
"Don't think like that. They've gotta grow careless at some point," Alya replied, her voice equally as low as she used her phone to sneak a quick picture of the classroom. The girl retracted her phone just as fast before anyone could notice it and pulled up the picture with a frown. Marinette didn't even bother glancing over.
"Okay, they're done eating lunch. Or at least they pushed it to the side." Alya said quietly. Then she added, "Maybe they'll want to go to the restroom to pee or something now that they're done?"
"At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if they pulled out bottles and peed into those instead."
Alya elbowed Marinette. "Gross. And be a little more optimistic here. They can't avoid us forever."
"They avoided us this morning," Marinette pointed out. Despite both girls staying outside their targets' classroom for the better part of an hour before school officially started, the two girls they were after stuck together like glue and absolutely refused to leave. Neither of their targets had showed even the slightest bit of interest in leaving the room to hunt for their own targets. They just...sat. Alya had even tried to get Nino to lure at least one of them out earlier in the morning but both had seen right through the trap and turned their noses up at him.
Alya scowled. "Yeah. That must be their plan. They're going to wait the game out until it's only them and a handful of other people. That also explains why my previous target wished me 'good luck' when I killed her. Dang it."
"So what are we going to do?" Marinette asked. "Plan B?"
Plan "B," which Alya had actually named "Plan Bombardment," was their last resort. The plan was rather simple—each girl took a door and rushed in brandishing her straw, hopefully causing enough panic among the students in the class to corner their actual targets. It was somewhat [of a] crude [method], but it wasn't bad. The biggest downside of it was that it would, without a doubt, let their targets know exactly who was after them and any sneak attacks after that would be much harder if they failed.
Alya chewed her cheek. "I didn't want it to come down to that, but we might have to, at this rate. Lunch is over in fifteen minutes. Maybe give it another five and then move onto plan B?"
Marinette nodded. "That sounds good."
A few seconds passed.
"You know what, to heck with it. Let's just do it now."
Marinette let out a chuckle. "What happened to waiting five minutes?"
"Ain't nobody got time for that, girl. You take this door, I'll get in position over there. Countdown from three with your fingers and we'll go in together on your mark."
Marinette gave a thumbs up and after a brief nod, Alya straightened, pushed off the wall, and casually strolled past the classroom door, eyes down at her phone to throw off suspicion. To any passing glance from inside the class, she looked just like another student returning to her classroom after lunch. It wasn't until she was out of sight once again that she pocketed her phone and pulled her straw out from her sleeve. The boy who was already there quickly made room for Alya, putting his straw away as a peaceful gesture. They exchanged a few whispered words and his face lit up. He pulled his straw out again and Alya turned back into position.
She looked at Marinette, her stance tense.
Wordlessly, Marinette held her own straw primed in her right hand and used her other hand to hold up three fingers. She began counting down with them.
Three.
Two.
On one, both girls, along with the guy right behind Alya, simultaneously swung from their places on the wall and into the classroom, each menacingly brandishing their boba straws.
The effect was immediate. Like their targets, about half of the class was also still in the game and had sought shelter in their classroom. Naturally, most of them had also kept a casual eye on the doors so that if anyone decided to stroll in, they'd be able to react just as quickly. It was a standard tactic, one that nearly everyone had learned to adopt. And yet, it was largely thanks to this that Plan Bombardment worked.
The students closest to the doors instinctively shoved themselves away, some of whom did so right into their bench partners who either yelped or simply fell off the edges of their seats. Others who were not quite as panicked leaped to their feet and raised their straws in defense as their eyes darted around for a possible exit. And those who had not been as vigilant stared around in confusion before hastily scrambling to their feet. Luckily for Alya and Marinette, neither of their targets fell into the first two groups. Anna, Marinette's target and the taller of the two friends, flew clumsily out of her seat, nearly dropping her straw as her friend, Irene, awkwardly followed her more out of panic than anything. They were trapped right in the middle of the room.
Their new temporary ally made the first move. The guy who followed Alya into the room, a brunette whose name Marinette quickly recalled to be Jacky, lunged forward at the closest girl who let out an unholy screech and all but threw herself away from him. Her scream jump-started the rest of the room into action and soon, everyone was climbing over their desks and benches, most of whom were either laughing, screaming, or both.
As the room was thrown into chaos, Marinette spotted Anna weaving through the throng of bodies heading towards her with Alya's target following close behind. Alya, noticing this, narrowed her eyes and began to make her way towards them. Anna glanced back, taking note of Alya's sudden determination and grabbed her shorter friend's arm and yanked her forward, away from Alya.
Marinette grinned. Anna's new bid to protect her friend from Alya had put herself in a near run straight for Marinette. She braced herself, ready to swipe at Anna as they tried to pass her.
But just as the girls started to get within range, Anna shoved Alya's target ahead, straight into Marinette.
Taken by surprise, Marinette barely had time to even register what happened before Anna's friend crashed into her, effectively unblocking the exit. Just as quickly as it happened, Anna dragged her friend back up to her feet again and both were out the door as Marinette regained her balance.
"No!" Alya cried, dashing after them. She grabbed hold of Marinette's arm as she passed, towing her out as well. "C'mon, our targets are getting away!"
Leaving the disheveled class behind, Marinette snapped out of her momentary daze and began sprinting down the hallway, easily matching Alya's pace. Anna turned to look at them again, her eyes widening as she realized how quickly the gap between the pairs of girls was closing. Unfortunately for Anna, it was just then that someone stepped out of the classroom ahead of them and right into her path.
Marinette's heartbeat skipped she as realized who it was, and without thinking, blurted out, "Nathaniel! Stop them!"
The artist seemed to freeze, her eyes widening as he turned and, just as Marinette was afraid that he was going to remain frozen for too long, he threw his arms out in a makeshift, unsteady barrier. He caught Anna first, his sketchbook and papers flying out of his arms and onto the hallway floor as one of his arms hooked around her. Alya's target, who was a second behind Anna, twisted away at the last moment.
"Go, Irene, go!" Anna yelled, struggling pointlessly. She nearly pulled Nathaniel to the floor with her in all her flailing, but once she turned to see just how close Marinette and Alya were, the fight drained out of her and she gave a pout. This change in events didn't deter Alya, however, and the girl sprinted past Anna and Nathaniel, determined to catch up to Irene. Within seconds, both girls had turned the corner, a few curses escaping Alya as she nearly barreled into a couple students.
Marinette came up to Nathaniel in a job, barely out of breath.
"Thanks Nathaniel. Sorry I dragged you into this," Marinette said apologetically as she flicked her straw out, giving Anna a gentle poke in the shoulder, immediately after which Nathaniel quickly dropped his hold on the girl. Nathaniel shook his head.
"It's no problem…" he mumbled, glancing down the hall in the direction Alya and Irene disappeared. "Is Alya…?"
"Yeah, she's chasing her target," Marinette confirmed. "We finally caught them outside of their class."
Anna smiled wryly, digging into her jacket pocket for a bit before producing a folded slip of paper. "You mean you forced us outside of our class. And I thought we had a good chance of winning this year too."
"You did. Until you got me and Alya as your assassins," Marinette replied with a grin as she took the offered paper. She didn't open it yet and instead slipped it into her own jacket pocket. Anna shook her head.
"Yeah, well, at least I'm not the only one with bad luck this year. I had fun while it lasted. I guess I'll see you later, um…?"
"Marinette," she said quickly, smiling. "And yeah. You guys gave us a hard time. It was nice meeting you."
Anna nodded, her short blond hair bobbing. "You too. I'll see you around then, Marinette. Nathaniel," she said, the corner of her lips twitching upwards. Then she turned around and began walking back to her classroom. Marinette turned to Nathaniel.
"Sorry about that. I didn't think that you'd just appear like that. Are you okay?" Marinette asked, slightly worried. She crouched down, picking up the papers that flew out of Nathaniel's arms earlier. He joined her, hastily picking up his sketchbook first.
"Y-Yeah," he said distractedly, hurriedly gathering his papers together, many of which were various sketches and doodles that have flown out of his book. A few were references, mostly Ladybug but also a few cartoons and anime characters. These, he gathered first.
She handed him the papers that she gathered, which he took gratefully, before standing up once more. Nathaniel stayed crouched down, his head turned towards the way that Alya disappeared. His face was angled away from her.
"Nathaniel?"
He tensed slightly at his name. Almost subconsciously, Marinette found herself tensing as well out of habit. It was this reflex that very well may have saved her when not a moment later, Nathaniel spun on the balls of his feet and swung at her legs, his boba straw missing by a mere inch as she stumbled backward in surprise.
There were, undeniably, more than a few physical perks that came with being a miraculous holder. As Ladybug, she had a physically stronger body, agiler. As a civilian, she didn't exactly lose these perks completely, but it wasn't like she could gracefully land from a three-story building without getting a few fractures, or run on walls while simultaneously dodging an akuma attack. Or, in this case, simply keep her balance as she panicked.
Before her brain could fully process this turn of events, Nathaniel was already springing at her, his mouth set in a determined, yet slightly apologetic, line. She let out a yelp and barely dodged. But that was the most that her balance could take and she fell backward, landing painfully on her backside.
"Marinette!"
"Nathaniel! Stop them!" Marinette shouted, panic lining her voice.
For a second, Alya was sure that he would stay frozen for too long, but his eyes flickered from Anna to Irene. He threw his arms up just in time to catch Anna, but Irene escaped him. Alya's eyes narrowed. No, she didn't just escape him. He let her escape him. Anna crashed into his right arm, with Irene heading straight for his left. But Nathaniel immediately started pulling his left arm in right before Anna even made contact with him. Now that alone wouldn't be enough to ring any alarms, but what really bothered Alya was that he maintained eye contact with Irene up until Anna crashed into him.
Nathaniel letting her target escape right in front of her? On purpose? Rude. Alya almost wished Nathaniel was still in the game. That way she could have a shot at getting revenge.
Anna's shouts barely registered with Alya as she sprinted past Nathaniel. Irene was so close; with her straw outstretched, Alya felt like she could almost graze the other girl's back with the tip. But just as the distance began to close, Irene turned sharply to the right, effectively escaping without even realizing just how close her game over had been. Alya let out a short growl under her breath and prepared to force herself faster after the turn.
At least, that was the plan before two students turned the corner before she could.
Letting out a stream of curses that she was confident would land her into the principal's office if there was a teacher within earshot, she shoved past them, intending to apologize later in the day. Irene was no athlete, but adrenaline proved to be a powerful hormone and by the time Alya turned, her target had already doubled the distance between them once again.
Alya doubled her efforts, her own adrenaline giving her the boost she needed, and tackled Irene from behind just before the next turn. She firmly poked the smaller girl with the tip of her straw as her arm wrapped around Irene's waist, keeping her upright after the tackle. The handful of students pressed against the wall to avoid the chase looked over with mild interest before continuing walking.
"If it makes you feel better, you were my hardest target so far," Alya said, releasing her hold on Irene with a wry smile. "You okay?"
"Y-Yes. Yeah. I'm fine," Irene said shakily. She turned, shaking her head slightly before her gaze fell upon Alya's straw. Then she groaned. "Dang it."
"Yeah. Sorry. Your target? Or my target now I guess?" She held out her hand. Irene nodded quickly, reaching into her back pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. She handed it to Alya. Irene sighed.
"He's not going to be happy about this."
"Who?" Alya asked distractedly, straightening out the folded slip of paper in her hands. "Nathaniel?"
Irene's eyes widened. "How did you know?"
"I can tell. So are you two friends or…?"
"Not really…" Irene trailed off, watching Alya as she unfolded the piece of paper. Alya's eyes widened.
"No way. Are you serious right now? But how—why?"
Irene let out a nervous laugh. "I am, uh, a huge sucker for fanart."
"Hang on. Nathaniel, this Nathaniel," Alya pointed at the face on the piece of paper. "Bribed you? With art?"
Irene turned red. "It's good art! And plus, no one really draws OCs in my price range so…"
Alya held up her hand. "Wait. Not judging, by the way, but hold up a second. Nathaniel told Marinette that he's out of the game. He had her convinced. I would have heard about Nathaniel trying anything and—" Alya broke off.
"Oh my goodness. Nathaniel is being shadier than a oak on a bright summer day right now and I just left him with my best friend. Marinette!" Alya shouted the last part, already turning around and running back the way she came.
Nathaniel heard the shout as well, his head turning back to Marinette after instinctively looking back at the direction of Alya's voice. He tightened his grip on his straw and bit his lip.
"Sorry—"
"Marinette!" Alya yelled out again, all but slamming into the wall from the force of her turn as she came barreling down the hallway again. Her cry startled Nathaniel and he looked up again, giving Alya, who couldn't quite manage to slow down, just enough time to run right into the artist. Marinette let out a yelp, scrambling backward to avoid the two as they stumbled towards her from the force of their collision.
"Death to the tomato!" Alya said triumphantly, stabbing Nathaniel in the arm even before they had a chance to regain their respective balances. Nathaniel fell forward, awkwardly crashing onto the floor next to Marinette with a wince. Alya on the other hand, straightened up, a wide smile still on her face. Nathaniel groaned.
"I was about to get my first kill," Nathaniel huffed. He wore a small pout. "Ever."
"Okay, I kinda sorta feel bad about that but—wait, 'kill'?" Alya narrowed her eyes at Nathaniel. "Is Marinette actually your target? Was your target? Is my target?"
Nathaniel bit his lip, not answering. Alya groaned loudly. She turned to Marinette.
"You're my target. Run."
Author's Note:
Huuuuuge thanks to my amazing beta reader shamelesslyromantic who has been wonderfully patient with me and helped edit this chapter and the next :) Almost dropped writing for the summer if it weren't for this amazing person! Next chapter should be up relatively quickly as I honestly legit thought I posted this a while ago because of a very vivid dream... As always, thank you for reading!