Chapter 2
The rest of the week had been icy on the Adrien front. What had been left of Tuesday was absolutely chilling and silent. Adrien took notes, participated in class discussions, and engaged Nino with stilted responses and one-word replies. By lunch time, Nino figured he would give Adrien the rest of the day to sort himself out.
The school day ended, and Nino's phone had no new messages.
Wednesday brought in the cold and Alya, who noticed that Adrien said nothing more than the bare minimum. As much as Adrien was acting like an absolute asshat, it was not his secret to tell. There were cuts and bruises, but Adrien's skittish gaze when he avoided Chloé's usual morning hug told Nino there was something more to it.
And Nino doubted it was just fencing. Wasn't Adrien supposed to be the best in the school?
By Thursday, Nino could almost believe that Adrien was back to normal, if he didn't deflect any and all mentions of The Trust Fall Incident, as Nino dubbed it. His apology sounded sincere enough, but Nino's irritation turned to simmering anger. Adrien stuck with his fencing story, and no amount of badgering made him budge. Now it was Nino who devolved into grunts and curt replies during conversation.
They were best friends. So why couldn't he open up about this?
Friday had Adrien leaving school early for a photo shoot (a real one this time). It wasn't until Saturday morning rolled in that Nino realized Adrien had never said if he was going to join him at Club République. There was text messaging, but the possibility of Adrien leaving him on Read was enough to make him put it off until later.
Nino was still waiting for the right moment as he walked the streets of Paris that night, phone in hand, jacket warding off the worst of the winter chill. A video finished buffering on the screen. Another akuma attacked earlier that day, and the heroes had agreed on an impromptu interview.
"We apologize for delaying this announcement. We would like to put rumors to rest." Ladybug shared a quick glance with Chat Noir beside her before facing the bobbing camera.
The pair were in some nondescript street in Paris. Thanks to the Cure, there was nothing that signaled that a battle had taken place. Neither of them sported any new injuries, though Nino couldn't help but think Chat Noir was uncharacteristically stiff.
Maybe that was just the paranoia talking. Even Chat Noir, flirtatious hero extraordinaire, could be serious when the situation called for an off-the-cuff interview.
Though perhaps interview was too lenient of a word. Nadja Chamack's eyes flickered from Ladybug to Chat Noir, as though she expected them to disappear the moment she let her guard down.
Ladybug's slow intake of breath echoed into the microphone held in front of her. "Volpina was not a Miraculous Wielder but an akuma controlled by Hawkmoth. She gained our trust and yours in order to get closer to our Miraculouses. Her akuma has been cleansed, and the civilian is back to living her normal life."
The microphone was shoved forward in anticipation, almost hitting Ladybug in the nose. "So what you're saying is," Nadja chimed in, drawing out the last word with a significant glance at the camera, "you did not have the experience at the time to distinguish heroes from akumas."
Chat Noir frowned darkly and stepped forward, but a sharp look from Ladybug closed his mouth. He seemed to consider his words before carefully answering, "Yes, we were inexperienced and did not question her claims further. Ladybug and I can assure Paris we will not make that mistake again."
A tall order, if future akumas continued to be as convincing as Volpina, but there was no denying Chat Noir's conviction.
Nadja turned the microphone his way. "What can we expect now that—?"
Two Miraculous beeps cut her off. Ladybug snatched the yo-yo off her waist and held it between herself and Nadja, her only barrier against another onslaught of questions. "We gotta go."
Nadja stammered, but Ladybug threw her yo-yo off-screen and pulled herself out of the shot. Chat Noir followed by extending his baton towards the roofs.
The camera switched back to Nadja. She smoothed down her frown, though her eyes lingered on the spot the heroes vacated. "There you have it. We now know the ending to the infamous Volpina Incident. Despite not having a new hero, we have the peace of mind that one less akuma is running around Paris. However," the camera zoomed in on cue, "we are now posed the question whether one year of experience is enough for our heroes to protect us from the threats Hawkmoth has up his sleeve. We will keep you informed on any latest updates."
The video ended on Nadja's final smile.
Nino exited out of the app. He skimmed through the rest of the recommended videos, but the interview from earlier that day was the latest one. Everything else had already been presented to him by Alya, commentary and all. No more distractions.
He'd arrived.
Nino fingered his backpack strap and pointedly ignored the butterflies in his stomach. He'd been personally invited, after all. They were expecting him. Still his feet glued him to the sidewalk and refused to let him go. The front of Club République mocked him with its glowing, neon signs.
Club République was no stranger to him. Nino had fond memories of walking in and enjoying the music, before the itch had become too much to bare and he had talked with the DJs there in hopes of learning their secrets. Club République boasted new talent every week, and Nino dove into the treasure trove of knowledge whenever he managed to slip away on the weekends.
With the corners of his laptop digging into him through his backpack, Nino realized with dawning dread that he was the new talent this crisp, Saturday night.
"Are you going in?" the bouncer in front of him asked, raising an eyebrow and sizing him up in one calculated sweep.
Nino stiffened. He gripped both straps, forcing himself to nod. On the next, earth-rattling beat of the club, Nino walked through the double doors and left the streets of Paris behind.
The song continued, louder than ever. Toes and fingers tingled in sync, and the urge to tap along was almost overwhelming. Instead, Nino breathed in and settled his heartbeat to a less anxious cadence.
Crowds, colors, music, and laughter. They blurred together to an enticing concoction. Under the high-vaulted ceilings, club goers took advantage of the expansive dance floor in the middle, a checkerboard of flashing, glass panels that lit their faces from below. Clubgoers mingled, some with drinks, others with their phones held aloft. Against the walls lay nestled the booths. This early in the night most were empty.
Nino maneuvered himself between couples and groups on his way to the elevated stage at the front. Not the most coordinated person around, Nino came close to smacking more than one unsuspecting dancer with his backpack.
"Sorry," he muttered over his shoulder when he finally reached the stage's steps. Nobody heard him above the beats of the song. Nino thanked the world for small miracles.
Two hands clamped on his shoulders and spun him around with a, "Glad you finally got here, lazy bones!"
The world flipped and shifted, but when Nino finally straightened he saw Alya's shining face. She held him out like the newest spring outfit. Nino placed a hand over hers and just ogled how the fluorescent lights haloed her and brought out the red in her hair.
"I'm so glad you're here," he finally said when air returned to his lungs.
Alya brought him closer until he smelled her lavender perfume. Hands still behind his neck, her fingers played with the strands of hair that escaped his cap. "I wouldn't miss my boyfriend's DJ debut for anything in the world." She tilted her head and toyed with a thought. "Well, maybe only for another exclusive interview with Ladybug."
"You hurt me," he said with a hand to his chest.
They stepped apart, hands still intertwined. Five months after Nino nervously asked her for a coffee during lunch and she still made him feel like the luckiest guy in Paris. Screw the lottery, Alya was the true jackpot.
Nino peeked past Alya's shoulders. "And Marinette? She was kinda sniffly this week but—"
"Nino!"
There she was, the group's patented ray of sunshine. Marinette sidestepped people on the dance floor with surprising agility, her pink purse tucked securely against her chest. Before Nino knew could anticipate her tripping, she had her arms around him. It was a friendly hug, but it was warm all the same.
Marinette then backed up and squealed high enough to be heard above the music. She pumped both fists in front of her, skipping in place. "I can't believe you're doing this! Oh my God, Nino, you're going to be a DJ!"
Her joy was infectious, pure Marinette. Nino's heart grew in size just to fit it all in.
The music finally began to die down, the last beats settling at their feet and warming their bodies. Nino took it as his cue to start climbing up the stage. One of his hands led Alya up with him while the other grabbed his backpack strap to make sure that yep, everything was in place. Alya already had her phone out, recording it all.
There was the DJ of the night talking with— "Adrien?"
Adrien turned around with the brightest smile this week. While Alya's face had glowed with love, Adrien's radiated friendship and pride. "I thought I was going to DJ myself if you weren't going to show up."
"You? DJ? Where would you fit that in your busy schedule?" The words were out of him before Nino realized he was supposed to be angry with him. Wiping the smile off his face, Nino crossed his arms and landed back with a critical stare. "How did you manage to sneak out here?"
Adrien sobered, burying his hands into his pockets. With only a light remix beginning in the club, their silence ran until Adrien averted his eyes to his shoes. "I pulled some strings with Nathalie to come." He peeked from beneath his bangs, model composure replaced with the slight pleading in his eyes. "I wouldn't miss my best friend's debut."
"I…" Nino closed his mouth and tried again. "I appreciate it. Thanks."
Adrien straightened. He smiled again, tentatively but genuine. "What are friends for?"
Friends didn't lie to each other, but friends were human. Nino took it all in and replaced the loud music, the colors, his friend and girlfriend, with the enclosed walls of his apartment. Nino loved his parents with everything he had, but they didn't understand his drive to DJ. These people in front of him did.
Nino stepped forward, sick of the awkwardness that plagued them all week. He was actually going to DJ at Club République, and Adrien was the one who made it all happen.
Aware that Alya and Marinette were waiting with bated breath, Nino grinned wide and true. Adrien hesitantly copied his expression, until Nino wrapped his best friend in a choking, one-armed hug. "Thanks for getting me this gig, bro! You have no idea how much this means to me."
"I have to use my Agreste connections for something, right?" Adrien wiggled out of his embrace and lightly cradled his arm.
Remembering Adrien's bruises Nino awkwardly tapped the sides of his jeans. Fencing or not, Nino didn't want—
But Adrien stopped that train of thought before it exited the station. "I'm okay. You think I would be here if I was seriously hurt?"
"No," Nino immediately shot back. He sensed Alya's stare on the back of his head.
Satisfied, Adrien clapped his hands together and rubbed them like a villain scheming his latest plan. "Then let's get this party started."
After Nino took out his laptop and headphones, the current DJ guided him through connecting it all while she gave him a rundown of the schedule for the night. Nino would start strong and loud, and that was his chance to showcase his own works. Then he would mellow out and showcase some of the classics from past DJers of Club République.
Nino took it in with all the brain power he could muster. He nodded, smiled, fingered the buttons and sliders to familiarize himself with the turntable and the billion and one functions his own didn't have.
"Got it?" the DJ finally asked, her smile bordering on teasing when Nino could just stare, wide-eyed.
"I'll do my best, ma'am."
She clapped a hand to his back. "Reggie," she corrected, "and you'll be fine. This isn't the Coliseum. The people just want to have a good time and don't mind a few hiccups if they happen."
Nino approached his laptop. He lets his fingers go through the familiar motions of adjusting the volume and bringing up his music program. He felt his friends' encouraging, but daunting stares, on the back of his head. They've heard his tracks multiple times by now but never on an actual stage.
"Did you start out here?" he asked Reggie.
She was packing up her own laptop and materials into her satchel. For a moment she looked over the Parisians on the dance floor, lost in thought. Then she gave him a grin. "Two years next month."
"Wow." Nino stared down at his trackpad.
"Go get 'em, Nino." Reggie took a seat at the back of the stage. She crossed her arms and leaned back, ready to be wowed and amazed. When he only looked back, she shot him twin thumbs up.
Nino took a steadying breath and held it for as long as he could. When it escaped between his lips, he forced himself to switch the music to the beats starting up on his laptop. There was a noticeable shift of eyes over to him, but Nino plowed through before he could chicken out.
He should have introduced himself first. Too late for that.
The beat climbed and released people back into their dancing. Nino fumbled with the turn table and eventually managed to gain control of the lights. Red, blue, and green danced alongside a hundred pairs of feet.
When the beat dropped a scattered cheer rose. Nino threw himself into the mood. There were no neighbors complaining about the noise. No parents to remind him that even though it wasn't a school night maybe he should go to sleep and be well rested.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Adrien playfully tug Alya down the steps of the stage so they could dance. When he stumbled Adrien shot Nino a look, but Nino just laughed and waved them off to have fun with one hand, while the other moved a slider to bring the bass to the forefront. Opting for safety, Marinette used the stairs to get down to enjoy the music.
So high Nino was on cloud nine that he immediately launched into an impromptu introduction when the last lights slid back onto the stage. "Nino the DJ here! I may be new, but my beats are fresh! Are you guys ready for an unforgettable night?" The cheers were all he needed to finish the speech before his mind remembered that he was on stage and addressing a club full of strangers. "Then stand back and give yourself enough room to dance the night away!"
With a flourish of cascading lights streaming onto the dance floor, Nino started up his next song. He chanced a look over his shoulder and saw Reggie nodding in approval.
Nino lost himself in the music. A laugh broke through the haze and led his eyes down to Alya and Adrien. Alya caught his eyes and brimmed with pride. Nino's heart fluttered as it always did when he made her smile like that, and he made a few keystrokes to let the three minutes of the remix loop.
Done, Nino scurried down to join his friends. Adrien, ever the gentleman, broke free from his dance with Alya to allow Nino to sweep his girlfriend off her feet. She clasped her hands around his neck and tipped the brim of his hat back when she leaned to kiss the tip of his nose.
"You overachieving boy, you," she teased when the frames of their glasses clicked together and their eyes met.
Nino let her back down, one hand securely on the small of her back, the other at her waist. "Couldn't have done it without you, babe. Who else would listen to my horrible remixes, other than Adrien?"
"Please don't flirt with me," Adrien said from where he and Marientte decided to ogle. He held his hands up with a cheeky grin. "My heart is a fickle thing and does not belong to you."
"Bro, that cuts deep." Nino drew Alya closer and pecked her cheek. "But I understand. You can take Marinette."
He was no stranger to Marinette's crush, but her spluttering would have tipped off anybody that wasn't Adrien Agreste. Adrien simply mocked sighed and tried to take Marinette's hand for a dance of their own. Whether Marinette stayed on her feet for it was anyone's guess.
Nino would have loved to find out, but Alya turned his head back to her with a finger to his chin.
"Dance, DJ, dance." Alya intertwined her fingers with his and gave them a firm squeeze. She was ready to roll.
Nino let the rhythm of the song lead him. He was no dancer, never would be, but that didn't stop Alya from making him look like a goof whenever the chance arose.
He pulled Alya towards him until their chests touched, and she led him into a quick grapevine that had him sidestepping to give her enough room. One beat, two beats, then Alya nimbly sashayed back into place to his hands. Nino skipped back to avoid her feet, almost tripped, but Alya steadied him by leading one of his hands to her hip.
"Have you been practicing?" she teased once she helped Nino settle into a sloppy box step.
Nino interrupted his mental count to answer. "Babe, me, dancing? Just with you. I'm just a quick learner."
"Then I'm lucky my boyfriend will one day be talented enough to give Paris a performance." Alya laughed at his incredulous expression.
She led him closer to the stage. Nino kept up as best as he could, half-skipping, partly keeping to the beat.
As he was passing by, his elbow hit Adrien square in the ribs. Adrien's hand managed to grab the sleeve of Nino's wrist, Marinette grappled with Adrien's shirt sleeve, but he still fell backwards with a short cry of pain.
Nino was hovering over him a second later. "Who, dude, I'm so sorry!" He grabbed Adrien's wayward hand, Marinette the other, and they hauled him up.
Adrien tottered on his feet. Grimacing, he grappled for the stage's edge. Nino and Marinette let go, and Adrien immediately leaned back against the stage with an incredibly shaky step.
"You're not looking great, Agreste," Alya piped up. She came closer but stopped when Adrien waved her hand away. "You okay?"
Adrien managed to straighten up, one leg awkwardly out before him, the other propping him up. He tilted his head at her with the most innocent smile he could muster. "Me?" he yelled over the music. "Fine. Perfectly fine."
Nino narrowed his eyes and lightly tapped the side of Adrien's outstretched leg. When Adrien flinched back, Nino went up to him in one, heated stomp. "Okay, dude, enough lying. What's wrong with your leg?"
Adrien shuffled backwards until his back was ramrod straight against the stage. He crossed his arms and lifted his chin, seemingly defiant. "It's nothing."
Anger surged up and commanded Nino to say, "If it's nothing, then show me."
Alya shot him a quick glare, but Adrien obediently bent down and rolled up his pant's leg. A purple strobe light passed above them and illuminated the ghastly bruise that started at Adrien's ankle and twisted up to his knee. Adrien shifted so that the worse was in the shadows of the nearby columns.
Nino gaped like a fish out of water. He held out his hand, meaning to point at Adrien's latest injury, but merely toyed with the brim of his hat in utter shock.
"It's not as bad as it looks," Adrien broke the silence.
He lifted himself straight and began to limp over. Alya gently, yet firmly, grabbed his arm to hold him in place. Her other hand went to his shoulder. "Adrien, you should just go sit down."
"Why do you keep lying?"
Both Marinette and Alya's jaws dropped.
Nino hadn't meant to say anything. Adrien was human. Humans made mistakes. Yet there was only so much his heart could take. Adrien continued to get hurt, and Nino had no idea why. Nino, too busy gushing about a stupid lanyard, didn't know his best friend was one trip away from a fracture.
Nino uncurled one hand long enough to motion to Adrien's leg. "Couldn't you just have told me about this for once?"
Adrien righted himself enough to thrust his chin up in defiance. Even when the music dared to shake him off his feet Adrien stood tall and strong. "So you could just blow it out of proportion again?"
"Because fencing, right?" Nino plowed on despite Adrien's rising defense. "Or was it basketball this time? Or did you fall from your rock climbing wall again?"
He was losing his cool. Nino could hear it in his voice and feel it in the heat on his face. He was dragging them back to square one, and he didn't know how to stop it.
Nino groaned low and ripped the hat from his head. "Damn it, Adrien. You've said it all before. Are any of them true? Do you even trust me?"
And just like that, the wind was punched from his sails. Adrien folded in on himself. He didn't answer and instead pushed himself off Alya to hobble off to the entrance. Marinette followed him until it was clear that Adrien didn't want her help. So she stood there on the edge of their little dance floor, fingers twisting into the fabric of her coat.
Nino wrung his hat until the anger settled hot like rocks in his throat. When the first pang of guilt wormed its way into his heart, Nino stalked up the steps of the stage and put on his headphones. Hands on the turn table, the next song came loud and fierce.
Alya stepped up to him. "You were an ass."
Nino glanced at her scowl and figured he couldn't lie about not hearing her above the music. Huffing, he turned back to his laptop. "Adrien was the ass. He keeps lying and lying, even when he says he isn't. I'm tired of it."
Alya shifted her weight beside him, crossed and uncrossed her arms. Finally she settled for planting one hand on the table and leaning in so she could meet his eyes from underneath the brim of his hat. "Still, you didn't have to call him out like that. You don't know what happened."
"Because he won't tell me."
There was a lull in the song. Nino's fingers strayed and let the leftover bass settle in his bones. It didn't dispel the nauseating, cocktail of emotions, but it was a good enough distraction.
Alya chose the moment to heave a great sigh. "We all have a right to our secrets. Nino, I know you're worried about Adrien, but he's not ready to tell you whatever he's up to."
Nino chewed on his bottom lip. "Adrien and I are best buds. Secrets like that shouldn't be secrets."
Alya gave him one last look and slipped away to dance with Marinette. Nino settled back to his music. He brought the bass back and let the lights illuminate the people below him.
One particular light searched for Adrien, in case he hadn't left, in case he stuck around to tell Nino once and for all why he kept showing up with bruises and hurt legs. When no Adrien was found, Nino let the light trail back. Then Nino found his eyes wandering and his mouth forming the words of a conversation that wouldn't happen now.
Sorry I lost my cool.
Sorry that I just can't let this go.
Sorry I never noticed you getting hurt in the first place.
Nino roughly adjusted his headphones. Still, Alya's words echoed in his ears and moved his lips. Had he been too angry? Too bitter?
A slider went up to move the lights back to the edge of the stage. A clack, and then a stronger explosion that catapulted Nino off his feet and flat on his back. Yells replaced the dying music. Nino scrambled to his feet, his headphones clattering to the floor, and he held on to the turntable as another blast rocketed Club République.
"How pleasant! So many dancers, so many unsuspecting victims," a single, lone voice echoed above their heads. Nino tried to spot the akuma, but the lights were too bright, unnaturally so.
Another blast. Nino hunkered down, even as his laptop fell on its side. Without his headphones, the screams were louder, closer, and terrified.
Alya.
Nino half-crawled, half-stumbled down the steps of the stage. Getting to his feet he frantically searched for the familiar bush of red and brown hair. People pushed him aside, knocked him down, but he kept on going with Alya's name tearing through his throat.
"Oh, don't run!" the akuma crooned, loud and clear with the familiar edge of hysteria. "Don't let little ol' me ruin your Saturday night."
Nino shoved past a frozen group of people and ran straight into Alya. She tumbled right into his chest. Nino held on and buried his face into her hair. "Oh God, I found you!"
"Or I found you," she mumbled into his collarbone.
They broke apart, and Nino saw the growing chaos reflected in Alya's glasses. She gestured around her while still glued to him. "I saw Marinette run to the entrance. I think she got out. I'm not sure about Adrien."
Dammit. Best case scenario was that Adrien managed to limp out the doors with Marinette.
They were running hand in hand to the entrance. Their hands slackened but remained together at the sight of a mob of people banging on the closed doors. Nino pulled Alya back, to the shadowed lengths of the walls. He kept his eyes peeled for his friends, but there were too many bodies crushed together under the sputtering lights of Club République.
And there, finally, they saw the akuma floating above the mass of clubgoers. She was scantily clad in bright, neon clothes. They outlined her chiseled thighs and hourglass figure. Bare feet paced the air, the multitude of rainbow anklets and bracelets clanging in time with the flickering lights overhead.
"Why do you want to leave when the best act has just arrived?" The people kept their backs to her, banging, and crying against the sealed doors.
Lights brightened, and the akuma slammed the heel of her foot in the air. Stage lights stuttered, then flared anew on her. "Look at me! Look at Radiance and bask in my glow!"
The lights burst into a rainfall of glass. Everybody screamed but ceased their running and pounding to peer up. Radiance stood still, surveying each of their faces. Again she paced, long ponytail swishing behind her like a live wire. Nino hunkered down with Alya melting into his side.
"Are you ready to party now? Ready to marvel at my moves and rhythm?" she asked of them.
A weak, subdued cheer built up. Nino held Alya closer and began to slink against the wall, back to the stage and its shadows. If they could get underneath it, they could avoid the worst of it all until help came.
If it came at all. They were trapped inside a building instead of one of Paris' tourist spots.
"Join me as my backup dancers!" From a bracelet on her arm, light exploded and enveloped a clump of people huddled in one of the booths. Their cries turned to ecstatic cheers. They waved off the lingering magic and climbed up the tables with inhuman agility, clad in their own neon wear.
Radiance flicked her wrist. The victims danced like puppets, their cheers looping like scratched vinyl. A hushed silence blanketed the people at the doors, and even Nino and Alya paused their escape to watch.
"Mhmm, let's tone that down." Radiance flapped her hand and dimmed the glowing neon of their suits. "Now grab them."
Pandemonium exploded into life. Clubgoers broke free of their numbness and rushed in all directions. Nino tightened his hold on Alya's wrist and bounded towards the stage with reckless abandon. Radiance laughed over their heads, and flashes of light exploded in his peripheral. The bitter smell of shatter, fluorescent bulbs mixed with the lingering scent of spilled drinks.
Nino pulled Alya behind a column when a backup dancer jumped down from the rafters, landing on all fours without a sound. They huddled together, trying to make themselves as small as possible. Blue and pink pulsed just feet away and eventually faded back into the swarming crowd of people.
"Not the debut I imagined," he muttered, holding Alya close, her head in the crook of his neck.
A crash broke through the screams. "I hope I'm not late to the party!"
Ladybug.
Nino peeked around the corner and saw her drop down from one of the skylights, Chat Noir right behind. They landed in the middle of the dance floor with weapons pointed at their target.
Radiance growled low and deep in her throat. Her face clouded with the growing brilliance of her suit. She raised her splayed hand high above her head, and the club's lights grew in intensity. "Of course you're on time! You're on the guest list!"
Light shot out of their bulbs. Ladybug and Chat Noir dodged to their rights, yo-yo and baton spinning and deflecting the beams.
Nino ducked back against the column. Alya was already bringing out her phone to record, but he tugged her forward. "Sorry, babe, we gotta hide."
Alya fumbled one-handed with her phone. She followed, but her eyes searched the crowd for Ladybug and Chat Noir. "Oh just one small shot."
Ladybug and Chat Noir were their heroes, their protectors, but right now they added to the cacophony and chaos. Radiance called on more lights and turned them into the shadows in the hopes of striking the hidden heroes down. Nino sharply turned them away from a toppled booth and led them through a group cowering by the bar.
Someone collided with them. Nino crashed to the floor, and his fingers lost their hold on Alya. He turned and caught her wide-eyed stare before a group ran between them and took him along for the ride. Nino rolled and tumbled, arms over his head to deflect the worst of the blows.
Somehow he managed to army crawl his way back to the open. Nino curled himself against the stage, each breath a marathon, each second feeling like an eternity. Shakily he stood up and scanned the heads of the crowd.
Alya.
Nino clambered up the steps of the stage and scanned again. Oh God oh God. Where was she?
Nino found himself under a pool of light. He glanced at the untouched turntable then up to the rafters to see Radiance baring her teeth at him.
"You will not out stage me!"
The ground grew hot. Nino flinched away from the light. He had to run, but his knees locked into place. Radiance floated closer, daring him to move. Nino squinted up at the light and wondered what color his neon suit would be.
"Oh no you don't!"
A black blur knocked the light away and redirected it to the ceiling. The blast knocked rafters loose and sent it raining down. Chat Noir hooked his staff between two light fixtures on the ceiling, swung himself once, and kicked Radiance in the chest with both feet.
Nino took that as his cue to jump off the stage. He spotted the opened doors of the entrance and the rubble that blocked it. People scrambled up and over, even as they were picked off by backup dancers. He hoped Alya was smarter than that and found a nice, dark corner to huddle in.
Were Ladybug and Chat Noir getting any closer to defeating Radiance? Their hits were landing, but Radiance seemed as cocky as ever.
Nino scrambled behind an overturned set of booths. Radiance laughed somewhere behind him. Ladybug replied while Chat Noir quipped something back.
Nino laid his head against the booth, eyes screwed shut. Every bone and muscle strained to run, escape. His heart beat raced painfully in his chest. When the sensation became too much, Nino bowed his head and breathed in, then let it all out in a rush of hot air.
The though of Alya trapped somewhere threatened to send his body catapulting to the nearest crowd of people in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, she was there. It was reckless, so he dugs his fingers into the denim of his jeans to keep him rooted in place. He had to be smart about this.
Hearing the sounds of battle shift farther away, Nino uncurled himself and balanced on his haunches. A lull in the battle might be enough to allow him to run to the doors unseen.
Nino peeked out from his hideout.
Crouched on the steps of the stage, Ladybug twirled her yo-yo above her head and threw it. Radiance dodged, but the yo-yo swung around and wrapped her arms tight against her body. Chat Noir jumped from the ruined dance floor and clawed for the blue bracelet on her wrist.
A backup dancer dropped from the ceiling and landed on Chat Noir's shoulders. Chat Noir slammed onto the dance floor hard enough to shatter the glowing panels. He somersaulted back and landed a kick to the jaw. The dancer scuttled away from a wayward punch. Chat Noir scrambled to his feet, staff in hand, and extended it to launch himself up.
Where Radiance had a light cannon ready.
"Chat!" Ladybug cried too late.
Chat Noir let himself fall, but the light hit him squarely in the chest, rocketing him to the column right beside Nino. The sound was deafening, muffling Chat Noir's cry. Nino watched in morbid fascination as the coveted ring escaped his finger.
The column collapsed in a waterfall of concrete. Chat Noir tumbled, basked in a wash of green light.
And hit the ground as Adrien Agreste.
Here we have the first cliffhanger of the fic. Bask in it! I'll update within the week, though, so you won't have to wait too long.
Any guesses on how this will turn out? Pretty sure Nino didn't expect his night to turn out like this, of all things.
And lastly, can you spot the Kingdom Hearts 2 reference I totally forgot I had written there like three years ago?
Enjoy and feel free to comment!