Rating: T+

Pairing(s): Adrien/Marinette; Nino/Alya; Felix/Chloe.

Genre: Romance; Superhero Action; Drama; Dark Themes.

Notes:

Hello everyone! Zancrowe here!

If you are new to this story, then nice to meet you, and I hope you enjoy your read. If you are one of the few returning readers (like Superfan44, who probably likes this story more than even I do), then you may notice something different here. I did a massive edit to this story, basically taking the first three short chapters, editing them completely and making them into one whole chapter proper. That's the new Chapter One, while this Chapter, in turn, has a little of what was left, and a bunch of new scenes to close it out. So, two thirds of this Chapter is new stuff, mostly everything after the Gala. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Don't own "Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir" or "Marvel's The Avengers".

The party had been going well, if not a little too safe, at least for Alya. Too much glamour, not enough personality, she noted, but then again, fashion was not really her thing. She had more simple tastes, and as she bounced from one spot to the next, chatting away with as many masked handsome strangers as she could, she begun to wonder how her new friend's romantic plan was working out. Marinette, she'd note, was way too trusting and nice for her own good. And what little she knew about the Agreste boy, he was probably the complete opposite. Opposites attract, or so she'd heard, but there was also a thing called incompatibility.

Then she spotted a familiar face, or rather, mask in this sea of strangers. She smiled. She wanted to talk to him too.

"Looking good there DJ," she teased, as she approached the boy that had been their DJ for a grand total of thirty seconds before he was rushed out for touching what wasn't his. Nino turned to her a bit perplexed at the approach, party drink in one hand and his smartphone on the other.

"Oh, hey," he greeted, still taken aback. He seemed to be blushing at her appearance, and a small smile from her only made the blush deepen. "You-You liked my little prank… well, not really a prank, more of a tease, and… um… we're in the same class, right?"

"I think so," the clearly enjoying his reaction Alya replied. "Do you also have an insufferable blonde in your class?"

"Ah, the little princess makes herself well known for all, huh?" Nino spoke with a light scoff. He then stammered a bit, before he fixed his lazy posture and extended his hand towards Alya. "Anyways, Nino Lahiffe. Nice to meet you."

"Alya Cesaire," she introduced herself back with a smile. "New girl in town. Wondering what life's like in the "city of love"."

"Oh, well, when you figure that out, let me in on the secret too," Nino joked, and she couldn't help but laugh a bit. He was charming, she'd admit, and way more real than pretty much everyone else at that party. Then, unexpectedly, someone quickly approached the duo, which Alya quickly assumed was that Felix fellow based on the quick glimpse she got off him, but she wasn't quite right. Nino corrected her assumption rather quickly. "Adrien, hey! I've been trying to find you for a while now. Where the heck where you hiding?"

"Trying to get away from my dad, didn't work. Now I'm heading to the stage, presentation's about to begin," Adrien said, brushing his hair back with his hand as he offered Alya a smile, while at the same time motioning to Nino to present them to each other.

"Oh, right," Nino added, realizing it. "Adrien, this is Alya, she's in our class. Alya, Adrien, Mr. Agreste's son."

"So that's why you look so much like… Felix, was it?" Alya spoke up as she smiled at Adrien. The boy seemed to laugh a bit at the comparison, clearly having heard it before many times.

"Yeah, Felix is my cousin. My now older by five years cousin… Still feels weird," Adrien said, muttering the last part a bit. He shook his head, smiling again. "Nice to meet you Alya, it's good to have friendly fellows as classmates," he then paused, turning to Nino. "Also, dude, if you happen to see, erm, a dark haired girl wearing a butterfly mask, would you tell her to wait for me until after the presentation."

"What, seriously?" Nino asked with a bemused look. "Too scared to tell her yourself?"

"Dad is very strict when it comes to appearances, he wants-"

"Wait, butterfly mask?" Alya interrupted, cocking her head a bit to the side, wondering. "She wouldn't happen to be called Marinette, would she?"

"Marinette?" Adrien repeated, pausing briefly. "Uh, no, her name's Bridgette. Didn't get her last name though. Why? Do you-?"

"Adrien," Gabriel Agreste called out, signaling his son to keep on moving, as he and several other prominent members of the night's gathering could be seen waiting. Adrien said nothing, merely politely nodding and following suit, but not before turning a mimicking himself being pulled by a collar at both Nino and Alya, who proceeded to laugh at his antics.

Nino turned to say something to Alya, but whatever it was, she never heard him, as no sooner had the Agreste family and their followers disappeared from their sights, than the first shot was heard. The gun's firing echoed throughout the gala, and everyone present seemed to freeze at the ominous sound.

Then more shots could be heard, and that's when the screaming started. Everyone felt fright, and begun to try and escape the area, without really knowing what was happening or where exactly was it coming from. Panic ensued.

Up on the roof, unbeknownst to all, sat Felix Agreste, his expression downcast, but upon hearing the first shot, his attention was brought back. Plagg materialized next to his ear, his expression one of worry. The little Kwami voiced his name, and Felix nodded, standing up, and placing his fingers over his perturbing ring.

"That can't be good…" Felix muttered as the black energy emitted from the ring and begun to envelop his form.

A little bit further from Felix, Marinette stood frozen in fear, her brain finally processing what was happening. Those were shots, coming directly from the inside of the gala. And those screams. Was someone hurt? Was someone…?

She viciously shook her head. She needed to get out, now.

"Move, Marinette, move!" she told herself, and despite having lost most feeling on her legs, she willed herself to walk and proceeded to reenter the stadium, peeking across the corner of the interior, most of her body still on the balcony.

The once filled halls were now completely empty, as all the guests had probably long run away. The screaming had not stopped, however, and it felt too close. Marinette gulped, her hand clenching the wall, as she pushed herself inside and forwards. She moved slowly, her eyes scanning her surrounding, her fear overtaking most of her senses, as every shadow seemed to lunge at her, and every scream seemed to be emitted from directly behind her. It was maddening.

'This can't be happening!' she screamed at herself, as she felt her eyes begin to tear up and she was utterly unable to keep her body from shaking. 'This can't be real. We've all suffered so much, this people can't handle more tragedy. T-There are so many kids in here, oh no, please let everyone be alri-'

Her thoughts were halted when she turned the corner, her eyes widening at the sight before her. There, on the cold, hard floor, was the body of somewhat familiar face. An older man, one which she quickly recognized as the kind gentleman she had bumped into moments prior. His body was sprawled across the floor, one arm to the side, another on his chest. His chest… his chest was bloodied, too much blood.

She didn't even think anymore.

Marinette quickly threw herself on the floor, gently placing one of her hands on the old man's face, and the other near his wound. She did not know much about medicine, but she knew the basics at least. Such a wound, with such heavy bleeding, needed to be pressed against. To stop the bleeding. His hand was over the wound, but he clearly wasn't pressing against it, so she placed her hand on his and pressed for him.

"Please, hang in there," she told the wounded. "Please, someone help!" she screamed out, knowing that her doing so could end up with her getting the attention of whoever the shooter or shooters were, but she couldn't just leave him to his fate. "He's hurt! He needs attention, please! A man's been shot! He needs-!"

"Little one," his voice caught her by surprise, causing the still teary-eyed Marinette to turn to the old master with a shocked expression, as the gentle old man softly placed his free hand on her face, a soft smile on his bloodied lips. "What fortune I have, to be able to catch one more glimpse of you."

"I-I'll make sure you'll be okay," she told him, her voice quivering. "I-I, let's get you some help. If they won't come, I'll take you to them. Come. Let me carry you. If we can keep pressure on-"

He smiled even wider, then he closed his eyes. He never opened them again.

Marinette felt a wave of coldness hit every fiber of her being. She had never seen death up close, not like this. The closest had been when she saw half of her class vanish, and even then, she wasn't sure what she was seeing. But now? She didn't need to be a medical expert to know. Her tears, no longer being constrained, rained down her face. She didn't have any more strength to even move. As more and more screams filled the arena, with several more shots being heard, she felt utterly powerless.

Utterly scared.

Utterly useless.

Then her eyes seemed to catch a glimpse of something.

It was a dull sparkle, red in nature, causing the young girl to turn her head slightly. On the old man's hand were a pair of what seemed to be red and black earrings, very expensive-looking in nature, designed to mimic the pattern of a ladybug, red with black spots all over. It wasn't the fact that it was jewelry that caught Marinette's attention, but rather, that the man had just caressed her face with that hand moments prior, and neither he nor she had been holding onto those earrings. How did they…?

Then another scream echoed throughout, one which she clearly recognized.

"Chloe?!" Marinette voiced, and despite her relationship with the Queen Bee of their school, she very much did not want to see the blonde in the same state as the old man she failed to save. Swallowing her fear and despair, Marinette forced herself to stand and rushed towards where the screams were coming from, noticing that they were originating from the main hall of the gala, where mostly everyone had gathered originally.

She reached it within moments, and after pressing herself to the wall right next to one of the entrances, she peaked right in. It was somewhat worse than she had imagined.

Several bodies were thrown across the floor. All of them bloodied. Most party guests, thankfully seemingly unharmed, were pressing themselves against the walls, shielding themselves, their dates and their children from any stray fire. The police were thankfully not caught as off-guard as one would presume, as they quickly stood their ground, pistols drawn, aiming them towards a man in the center. Said man, seemingly unarmed, was barely paying attention to the police, but rather, had his eyes dead-set on the committee hosting the event, where several high profile individuals stood.

The Major, Andre Bourgeois, stood in the middle, shielding his daughter Chloe with his own body.

Arlette Thompson, the big boss of TVi Arlette, was also amongst the group, alongside several of the company's top reporters.

And of course, Gabriel Agreste stood there, seemingly unfazed, with Adrien Agreste close by, the latter being gently pushed back by the family's primary assistant Nathalie Sancoeur.

Marinette felt the wave of fear hit her even stronger now, as not only was Chloe directly in the line of fire, but so was the younger Agreste, although thankfully, as far as she could see, Felix was not in imminent danger.

Her eyes scanned the area a bit more, searching, and she was (somewhat) relieved when she saw Alya nearby, pressed against the wall alongside many other costumed guests. It would have been better if she had been able to escape, but at least she was not hurt.

"You're not winning this, you realize that buddy?" Lieutenant Lumiere called out to the suspect, pistol drawn and aiming it directly at the madman. "Your buddies all went down. So unless you want to follow suit, you better stand down!"

'Wait…?' Marinette thought, her eyes scanning the grizzly scene a bit more. 'Does that mean that those on the ground are bad guys? Is the situation-?'

"You can't hear him?"

The unarmed man standing in the middle of the gala had spoken, and his voice sent shivers down Marinette's spine. He had not even bothered to turn towards the police, rather, just spoke up. It sounded… off. Like he wasn't even supposed to be able to talk. But his question, it sounded genuine, like he was surprised to have to ask it. No. Not surprised. Disappointed.

"What the hell are you talking about?" The Lieutenant asked, his finger pressing on the trigger. "Hands up or you are going down! Last warning!"

"It's one of you, isn't it?" the pale man asked, and again, his voice sounded so off. He did, however, acknowledge the warning given to him to the officer, as he slowly extended his empty hand towards him. Then he mimicked a gun with it, index finger fully extended, turning his face briefly to meet Lieutenant Lumiere's. "…Bang."

Nothing was heard.

Marinette could only stare, as Lumiere's face seemed to open up, his right eye pushing itself inwards as blood gushed out; the Lieutenant's body falling as the back of his head exploded and human viscera stained the tables, chairs and back of the wall.

It took seconds for it to even register, for any of them to see that he had just died. Or, somehow, been killed. The screams began to follow again, and the other officers, despite how little prepared they were for any of this, retaliated. They waited no longer, and emptied their guns on the man before them, sending a barrage of bullets into him that caused him to fall back with a violent thud.

The shooting ceased, as did the screams. All that could be heard was soft sobbing from many of those present. Marinette still clung to the wall, her nails digging into the concrete, as she closed her eyes and allowed the tears to fall. How could this have gone so bad?

"…This is the power he offers."

Everyone felt their blood run cold, as the man who had been shot dozens of times stood right up, speaking softly, his voice still sounding so eerie. The would-be second-in-command of the police force, Roger Raincomprix could only stare, his eyes scanning their opponent, finding nothing to suggest he was wearing anything protective. Ironically enough, in a party where more than half of the guests were dressed like superheroes, he wore nothing more than the most basic of attires. Yet still, there he was, still standing, not a drop of blood on him.

"…H-How…?" Roger could only voice.

"He gets in your head," the man replied, "He offers you power. He knows your weakness. He knows of your daughter. Of your life. He offers everything. Then he makes you kill… I did not want to kill that man. He made me," he added, turning right back to the elite, as most of them could only flinch. "I want to hear all of you speak. I know he has to be amongst-"

Another shot was fired, hitting the assailant right on the head, causing the man to widen his eyes a bit, slightly surprised. It did not, however, cause him to fall, or to bleed. He merely turned, facing the scared cop once more.

"Valiant attempt," he praised, as he raised his index finger once again. "With your superior dead, I take it that makes you the new Lieutenant. For a few minutes, at least."

"Daddy! No!" Sabrina could be heard screaming out, as the villain took aim, but before he could "fire", a table flew across the room and slammed itself right against him, sending the pale man towards the nearest wall, shattering it upon contact. Raincomprix fell to his knees, his eyes still wide and his body shaking, as Sabrina ran from her cover towards him, right into his arms, crying her eyes out. He held onto her, as he turned to the side, noticing alongside everyone else who had just save his life.

Marinette's eyes widened, as it was the first time she had ever seen him.

Cat Noir.

"I'd make a joke about crashing a party," the cat announced as he jumped into view, landing right in the middle of the arena. "But we're dealing with a serious nut-job here, so I'll save it. You alright officer?"

Roger nodded, Sabrina still in his arms, as the other officers slowly approached where the pale man had fallen, weapons drawn.

"I'd advise against that," Cat Noir spoke out, approaching the bad guy himself. "If that dude could tank bullets, I don't much think a table could-" and he was interrupted the moment the pale man broke free of the debris, sending pieces of concrete flying all throughout, hitting a few of the guests nearby. The police began to fire on him again, but this did little more than inconvenience him, as he quickly moved to use his imaginary gun again, but Cat Noir quickly pounced and slammed himself against him.

Despite the difference in size, Cat Noir managed to topple the bad guy rather effectively, following it by punching him straight across the jaw, which did some damage, but didn't knock the guy out like he wanted. Seems like the man could take a super-powered punch after all. The pale man attempted to slam his fist into Cat Noir, but the boy was able to move out of the way, leading him to punch the floor, creating a massive crater where Cat Noir would have been.

Deciding that maybe slicing would work better, Cat Noir took out his claws and proceeded to slice right through his opponent, one scratch cutting the man right across the cheek, the first visible signs of blood appearing, and another, meant for his ribs, was blocked by the man's hand. Or rather, what the man was holding on his hand.

Actual sparks flew when Cat Noir's claws scratched against the metallic surface, but the boy couldn't help but notice there was nothing there.

"Does this guy really have an invisible gun?!"

Then they man took aim at Cat Noir, and the cat did not want to risk it. He dodged and avoided the would-be barrel of the imaginary gun, and just like that, without a sound, craters began to form everywhere the pale man took aim at, much to Cat Noir's amusement and horror (he wasn't sure which feeling was greater).

"Roger!?" one of the other officers called out to the still catatonic cop, who seemed to force himself to snap out of his trance. "Should we-?"

"F-Focus on getting everyone out first," he ordered, and the other officers quickly moved. As Cat Noir dodged all the upcoming "bullets" from the pale man, the officers began to evacuate the terrified guests, trying their best not to alert the madman and keep him fully focused on the spandex-wearing thief.

As the evacuation took place, Cat Noir began to try a different approach to his attacks, deciding to treat whatever the guy had in his hand like an actual gun, and as such, decided to "unarm" him. Another swift jump landed the kitty on the wall, his nails clenched to the concrete, holding him in place, before he pounced again and swiftly landed with both his heels on the pale man's solar plexus.

It managed to knock the wind out of him, effectively enough, and the cat did not waste the opportunity. Another swift strike, and instead of aiming for the "gun", Cat Noir sliced right through his hand, nearly slicing his fingers off and causing the killer to lose his grip on his weapon. Surprised, the pale man was unable to react to another swift spin kick from Cat Noir, which knocked him down once again.

Marinette just watched in awe, noting just how insanely awe-inspiring Cat Noir could be.

'This is the guy the tabloids keep dissing?' she thought to herself, almost out of breath, 'He's amazing. A bit… showoff-y, but still!'

She mentally smacked herself, since the time spent just watching the action unfold could be better spent trying to escape. Have one less captive for the police and Cat Noir to worry about, since she was clearly not helping anyone at this point. So she let go of the wall that had become her safe haven, and begun to move, until she noticed something was off.

The police had gotten quite the group of people out, and even the elite of the party was slowly ushering themselves away, but in the back, she saw it…

…a little boy, wearing a mask of the King of Wakanda himself, crouched down under a table.

He was hard to spot, the police had probably not seen him. Cat Noir neither. Hopefully, the man with the invisible guns had not as well. But Marinette had, and she had no idea what to do.

'He's in danger there!' she told herself, and despite the rational thing to do was to try and reach an officer and warn him or her, she knew that such an action could result in them being too late.

As if on cue, the pale man got right up, but instead of holding up a gun, he extended his arm, and opened his hand, aiming his palm at Cat Noir. His eyes blood red, narrowed into the most frightening of glares.

"Let me guess," Cat Noir said with a smirk, "This place is going to blow up in five minutes? Or are you trying to tell me-?"

Whatever joke the cat was going to say went unheard, as a massive pulse of energy was fired from the pale man's palm, hitting the young man across the torso and sending him flying backwards, through several walls, causing the roof to destabilize, with chunks of concrete beginning to fall all around.

Marinette looked on, eyes wide, as smoke could be seen coming straight out of the man's palm, and electric sparks filled the area, making even her hair, from this far away, stand on end.

The screaming began again.

"Get everyone out, now!" Roger screamed out, pushing his daughter Sabrina behind him. "Get my daughter out of here! Now!"

"But dad!" Sabrina tried, but one of the officers quickly grabbed hold of her, and pulled her away, despite her cries.

The rest began to fire at the pale man again, but like before, it was ineffective. However, unlike before, he paid them no mind. He turned towards the stage, where most of the elites were quickly escaping. He took aim at the entrance, and with one swift shot, collapsed the door and everything that surrounded it, trapping the last few members that were too late to escape. Amongst them, was Adrien and Chloe, the latter clinging onto the former as if her life depended on it.

Marinette, without thinking it, began to crawl under the table, even if everything in her screamed otherwise. She aimed directly for the hidden kid, since the roof seemed to be coming down, and would likely hurt the boy severely, if not worse. She just hoped, prayed, that the villain would not notice her.

About five rooms away, a very annoyed Cat Noir sat back up, brushing the cement powder from his hair, sighing. Unfortunately, cement was not the only thing in his head, as his gloved hand was smeared with a little bit of blood, the scarlet color very visible in the white powder and black leather. The cat cocked his head to the side.

"That's new…" he mused, then he heard a voice, and he felt himself grow cold. "That's-!"

"Is this really necessary?" Gabriel Agreste spoke up, standing in the middle of the stadium, his arms pressed back, his posture straight, not a drop of fear to be seen in his features. He addressed he pale man as if he were addressing a disgruntled employee, not a loose murderer. The pale man seemed just as shocked as the others, but he quickly took aim at Gabriel.

But he didn't fire. He couldn't. His hand was shaking. He tried to speak, but words would not come out.

'His voice! It has to be…!'

Marinette managed to crawl all the way towards the miniature Black Panther, untangling herself as best she could under all the debris, and losing half her dress along the way. It… no longer really mattered. She reached the boy, pressing her arms against him, caressing him softly. He jumped, scared at the touch, but her smile quickly calmed him, as she whispered. "It's okay, I'm a friend. Come on your Highness. This is no place to die."

The boy, although reluctant, extended his arms and allowed Marinette to take him. She grabbed hold of him, little as he was, likely no older than five or six, and began to crawl back, which was now twice as hard with the added weight. Still, she had no choice. Luckily, the bad guy had stalled, for whatever reason, so she had not a moment to waste.

Several pieces of the roof, cement and steel pipes, continued to fall, one of which almost hit her, smashing itself onto the table she was under and forcing her to roll to the side alongside the boy to avoid being crushed. It worked, even if it took away her cover, but she was close enough. So she moved, then she realized she couldn't any more.

Her foot had been caught.

She squirmed, struggling against its hold, but despite the fact that it had not actually hurt her, she was effectively pinned. The young boy, seeing her distress, tried to help, moving towards the block of cement to try and push it off, but it was too heavy for either of them. She swallowed, taking a deep breath and bringing the boy in closer.

"L-Listen to me sweetie, just run, okay. We're close, so just run towards the policemen, okay?" she whispered into his masked ear, and the little Black Panther looked up, expression unreadable with the black mask, but she could clearly tell he didn't want to just leave her, so she added, "It's okay, just tell them to help me. You can do it, you're a hero remember. It's what Black Panther would do."

He nodded, still unsure she knew, but he began to crawl away, towards safety, as she resumed trying to get herself out. It was useless, she figured, but at any second another pipe could fall and skewer through her, so she was really out of options and out of time.

"Dad!" Adrien could be heard calling out, as Chloe held him back from getting closer to Gabriel, who was currently standing before a frozen criminal.

Marinette squirmed harder, but she could budge.

The pale man stood still, his eyes wide, his arm extended and aimed at Gabriel, but he did not fire. He could not fire.

"Well?" Gabriel added, and everything made even less sense, "You wanted us to talk, yet you've become mute all the sudden. I do suppose a proper… Mime should be silent, after all."

Before Marinette could even react, Cat Noir bounced right back into the fray, grappling the pale man into an impressive hold and twisting himself to slam him against the floor, seemingly snapping him out of his trance.

The villain that would in just a matter of hours be dubbed "Mr. Mime" took aim again, at the stage, but Cat Noir used his tail-like whip, wrapping it over the man's arm, and forcing it to point upwards. The invisible blast ripped through what was left of the ceiling, flying right out into the night's sky, causing a massive electrical surge to echo throughout the building.

"Is that supposed to be one of Iron Man's hand-cannon-thingies?" Cat Noir asked, as he noticed how his whip, while clearly holding onto something solid, was "floating" inches away from the pale man's actual flesh and bone arm. The man said nothing, save for extending his other hand, and aiming his palm at Cat Noir with it. "Oh, shit!"

Another blast was fired, and the cat-themed vigilante barely had enough time to dodge, as even he got partially hit by on the shoulder, sending him tumbling to the side. Mr. Mime then took aim at Gabriel with both his hands, murder in his eyes, as Gabriel seemed to take a step back, surprised.

"Dad!" Adrien called out again in anguish, breaking free of Chloe's grasp, who, despite her attempts, was held back by her own father.

"No! No!" Marinette tried, but the shockwave from the last blast had also broken through the floor, and she now kinda realized they were all on the second floor, as the floor beneath her feet began to crumble. She began to slide down, into an ever expanding crater that she clearly did not want to go to. On one hand, she was at least free from the debris, on the other, she was about to fall. Hard.

Despite her attempts, she fell, screaming at the last second and closing her eyes, but the fall never came. She felt a tug, and despite her quivering form, she opened her eyes, and was surprised beyond belief. Her trusty yo-yo, the childish toy she had been embarrassed to have been caught with, had caught on to one of the pipes, and had stopped her from falling to her doom.

"H-How lucky… How… sturdy…?" she noted, as she pulled on the string and slowly and painfully pulled herself back to solid ground. "How on Earth did this…?"

"You're welcome!"

"Wha-?!" Marinette blurted out, eyes wide, as she could have sworn she heard a little child's voice ring right into her ears, both of them at once. As if she were wearing headphones. She looked around, seeing no one near her, as she then pressed her hands against her ears, still shocked, only to feel something that shouldn't be there. "Since when…?" she voiced, her fingers softly caressing the foreign materials that had found themselves on her ears. "…Do I have these earrings?"

"I can help!" the voice called out once again, making Marinette squeal, as once again, she could see no one close to her.

"What? Who?" she called out.

"Just call out to me! Say: Spots On!"

"…Spots on?"

In the ensuing chaos, moments before the madman fired at Gabriel Agreste, Cat Noir slid right under him, extending both of his arms and grabbing hold on his opponent's invisible weaponry, since even if he couldn't see it, he could quite clearly feel them, so he managed to hold on tight to both arm cannons. Then he steeled himself. "Hope this works, Plagg. Cataclysm!"

A massive surge of dark energy enveloped the criminal, taking him by surprise as he felt his powers begin to drain, and the arm cannons he had manifested for himself losing form and slowly decaying into nothingness. He was perplexed, but even still, he couldn't voice it. He did, however, noticed that his opponent seemed winded out, so he took his chance. He aimed one of the decaying weapons at Cat Noir, firing at the cat at pointblank range.

Cat Noir guarded, bracing himself as he was hit and sent flying back, but luckily, the arm cannons had lost most of their power, as he was barely injured by it. But, again, he knew he wasn't the actual target.

The criminal took one last aim at Gabriel. The very last shot he would be able to get out. And fired.

Before it hit, Adrien pushed his father out of the way, surprising the older man, as the invisible blast took aim at the boy.

Then Marinette jumped in the way, and the blast hit her across the back, sending her into Adrien, and sending both youths flying back, through the back wall, as Chloe let out a bloodcurdling scream.

"Adrien!" Gabriel called out, fear evident in his features.

"No!" Cat Noir also called out, forcing himself to stand back up, but pausing, as he sensed his powers beginning to waver. "Damn it, not now!"

The madman, cursing inwardly, tried to take aim once again at Gabriel, but a massive pain on his shoulder stopped him. He noticed only after the fact that he had been shot again, and this time, it had run clean through him. The man fell, gripping his wound, as the police tackled him and restrained him, with the man who had made the lucky shot, Roger, still a bit too shocked by the result to even move. As his body laid there, restrained, from his wound a little creature begun to stir. Wings formed, and slowly, a small moth crawled right out of the bloodied bullet hole, taking flight without being noticed by anyone present.

What was left of the crowd quickly went to check up on the wounded, as police and guest alike approached Gabriel, and then, rushed towards were the madman had sent Adrien and the mystery girl.

Some tried to reach out to Cat Noir, but like magic, he had vanished. They did manage to find Felix, who was bruised but okay. He also quickly turned towards where his younger cousin had been sent to.

Everyone reached the hole on the wall, fully expecting the worse, steeling themselves for the sight of two more corpses, but as they all took a look, and they were met by the opposite. Adrien was on the ground, unharmed, looking just as surprised as the others, at the sight before him. The girl, stood up, dressed in a fine leather-like outfit which covered her entire body, a very peculiar pattern of red with black spots throughout, a small mask covering her eyes, and a pair of bright earrings on display.

Everyone was speechless.

"A-Are you okay?" Adrien tried, his voice still trembling, at the sight of the super girl that had just taken a bullet for him. And who looked no worse for wear because of it.

"Yeah, I'm fine, surprisingly," she cheerfully replied, before she turned back, noticing the crowd. Dozens of photos were quickly taken of the costumed girl, and it was here she noticed that she was wearing a different disguise than the one she had walked into the gala with. "This… is new," she noted, as she examined her now completely covered hands and arms, noticing how the pattern of her new suit really resembled those earrings she had seen earlier. Could this be…?

"Oh my God, who is she?!" Chloe asked, as Sabrina managed to reach her friend. Sabrina tried to quickly playoff the new girl as nothing major, in order to save Chloe's image, but Chloe quickly added, "She's so cool! Look at her!"

"Oh… Okay, that's not what I… I mean, yeah," Sabrina couldn't help but agree.

Gabriel Agreste said nothing, his expression unreadable, but his eyes fixated upon the girl. Or rather, on the jewelry she sported.

Nathalie quickly ran past her boss, bending down and hugging Adrien, who softly placed his head onto her bosom. "Don't be so reckless," she told him. He nodded. Then she turned to Marinette. "Thank you… Whoever you are."

"Oh, I'm…" Marinette began, slowly realizing that people were treating her as if she were another costumed vigilante. Like Cat Noir. Or, even, like an Avenger. But, was she? She did take a massive hit and was still alive, even instinctively protected Adrien from both the blast and the wall, but again, both had still hurt. Not much, but still. She didn't think she'd be on the same league as Iron Man, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Thor or any of those guys.

"We should leave."

"Oh?" she heard the voice again, and recognizing it, knowing that it probably had the answers she needed, she decided it would be best to listen to it. So, she needed to leave, now. "I'm… just a friend. A friendly neighborhood… Ladybug, is all. One who really need to get going."

"Hey, stop right there!" another police officer called out to her, stopping her, as he signaled her to keep put.

"We really shouldn't get caught."

"I need to get going, now!" Marinette added, as she unheroically rushed right through the crowd and out of sight, so fast, that despite the officer's best efforts, he was unable to keep track of her. Within moments, the polka-dot themed heroine had vanished, and even after a complete search, the police found nothing.

They did find several hidden guests throughout the gala, some hiding in closets and the bathrooms, but none of them carried any costumes with spots on them.

Not even Marinette, who the police found hidden in the supply room and gently escorted her out.

-0-

Marinette had no idea how she got home really. She just knows someone escorted her, and when she got there her parents were basically crying and held onto her so very tightly. Especially her dad, who must have felt like he had lost his only daughter once again. She did her best to assure them that she was fine, and that she was tired, and despite their worry, they left her alone quickly enough.

She slept, had so many nightmares she couldn't count them all, and awoke feeling even more tired than she had when she went to sleep.

She also got reminded of the night before, as upon looking at herself on her mirror, she noticed the earrings which still adorned her. She pressed her hand on the glass, and the reflection did the same. Those earrings, that pattern, just like that suit.

She slowly discarded her clothing for a moment, since her body was feeling the night before and she was sore all over. She had her eyes still on the mirror, and just like how her pain indicated, her back was indeed bruised. Nothing major, but clearly noticeable. She frowned, wondering how she would even try to explain this to anyone who saw. What had caused that anyways? The invisible blast from the pale man, or the wall she flew right through?

"That hit really hurt, didn't it?"

"Ack!" Marinette screamed out, turning around and grabbing her discarded shirt, trying her best to cover her modesty. Being caught in only panties was not what she needed right now. Then she saw just who, or what, it was that was catching her in such a state.

A little bug? Or fairy? Red with black dots, just like the earrings, small and flying about, with big bright eyes and an even brighter smile. The little creature seemed amused at Marinette's actions.

"Are you still surprised by me?" it asked, seemingly trying to turn its head to the side but actually flipping its entire body sideways. Marinette just blinked.

"Uh… Okay," she said, still processing. "T-This can't be real. How hard was I hit? Am I really seeing a little… what are you supposed to be?"

"Oh! I'm Tikki, a Kwami!" the little Kwami replied with a smile. "The Master did say you would make for a great successor to the Ladybug Miraculous. And I agree! I mean, getting right in front of a magically powered blast like that wasn't too smart, but it worked! The boy's safe, and we're still alive, so props!"

"Wait, wait," Marinette said, as she signaled Tikki to stop, taking a moment to sit back on her bed, before her face flushed and she quickly put her shirt back on. "…Wait, Master? Do you mean…?"

"Yes! Master Fu Wang," Tikki replied, "He was most nice to us Kwamis. Took care of us for years. But he was worried, he knew his time was coming, so he was desperate to find a suitable replacement. He told us we needed to all be together now more than ever, especially since the Infinity Stones are no longer present."

"…Ah, yeah, sure, right," Marinette replied, still not convinced she was not having a fever dream. The little critter, cute as a button, seemed honest enough, but she just couldn't fathom how any of this could be real. I mean, she knew that magic was supposed to be real, what with Doctor Strange around, but even then, she had never seen it in action.

"So… Will you help keep us safe?" Tikki asked, and the Kwami's tone sounded like that of a pleading child, which made Marinette's heart melt, hallucination or not. She bit her lower lip, and despite herself, she nodded, and the very happy Kwami quickly rejoiced and threw herself at the girl, pressing herself against Marinette's face and hugging her cheek. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"Yeah…" Marinette mused, as she turned to look back onto the mirror, and her reflection on it just showed her, no magic fairy whatsoever. It did, however, show her cheek being pushed inwardly by some invisible force. It… disturbed her a bit, if the twitch in her eye was anything to go by, "So, um, Tikki, right?"

"Yep!"

"…Can you explain to me just what happened, like, at all," Marinette tried to put her utter confusion into words. She really needed at least some proof she wasn't going crazy at the moment, or worse yet, had died yesterday and this was all an extended dying dream. "I'm seconds away from just freaking out, if I'm honest."

"Ah, don't do that. I'll explain as best I can… even if I'm told I'm not the best at that," Tikki admitted, now floating upside down into view. She certainly was eccentric, Marinette would give her that. "We Kwami travel the cosmos regularly, meeting lots of interesting kinds, and we sometimes offer our powers to those worthy enough to help those in need."

"Wait, worthy?" Marinette asked, her eyes widening a bit. "L-Like Thor's hammer, the one I can never pronounce right? Are you guys bound to people like that?"

"I dunno," Tikki answered rather quickly, causing Marinette to pout. Fever dream or not, it would have been cool if she would have been deemed worthy by the Gods or something like that. Only the best of the best could have that honor, like the previously mentioned Thor, or Steve Rogers of course. "I do know Thor though!"

"Wait, what?!" Marinette quickly shouted, the excitement overtaking her doubt. "You know one of the Avengers, like, personally?"

"Kinda," Tikki replied, and Marinette titled her head a bit, still confused. "We met him and his family when we spent some time in Asgard, but that was a long, long time ago. He was still a kid back then. I've seen him in the news now, he's a fully grown Asgardian now. Not sure he remembers us anymore. But I'll never forget him. Or his little brother, who never quite managed to use our powers properly. It… made him mad."

"Brother? You mean… Loki?"

"Yep! That's the one!"

"Yeah, you kinda forget even the biggest of criminals was a kid at some point," Marinette mused. She, like the rest of the world, had heard of the Trickster God through the news, when his attempt at conquering the world started and was thankfully stopped in New York in what became the first appearance of The Avengers. It had been the biggest news for almost a year, until more and more incidents began to pile up, and with each news, trust in The Avengers began to waver, until the inevitable happened, and they lost.

Marinette herself hated that logic. Despite their powers, their technology, their gifts and sometimes just their bravery, they were still mortals. They could still die, and yet the risked everything for everyone. If someone deserved some slack, it was them. No one is invincible, no hero can take on a universe of problems and be expected to win every time.

"But you are indeed worthy of wielding my power, the Ladybug Miraculous!" Tikki exclaimed, extending her… arms? She certainly sounded super happy at the fact, and it made Marinette laugh.

"What's that supposed to even mean?"

"It means that you can now transform into the Ladybug Miraculous you used against that vile villain last night," Tikki explained, floating about all over Marinette's room. It felt so surreal, as every time she flew past a mirror, there was clearly nothing there, yet when she passed by the curtains, there was clearly something colliding softly against them. Magic is as magic does, Marinette supposed. "You get the suit you used, which made you look very pretty by the way, and you now have access to the Lucky Charm!"

"…The cereal?"

"...No," Tikki flatly responded. "I mean, you can get that too. I think. But that's not what I mean. I know! Try it, transform!"

"Can I just… just like that?" Marinette asked, confused, as Tikki quickly flew past her, and began to push her back, getting her to stand up. For such a little fairy, she sure had quite the strength in her. "Okay, okay… how exactly do I do this?"

"Just like last time," Tikki replied, still all smiles. "Just say "Spots On!" and I'll take care of the rest. Make sure you have enough room though, since you might spin around a bit and you don't wanna hit a wall, trust me."

"…Okay," Marinette noted, still utterly baffled but deciding that it was probably for the best to just embrace the weird. This was her life now, apparently. "…Spots on…?"

She instinctively closed her eyes, ready for the jolt she had felt before, but… nothing happened.

Marinette, confused, slowly opened her eyes, only to see Tikki pouting at her, clearly displeased.

"What?"

"Can you at least try to say it with some emotion?" the Kwami asked, and her tone sounded playfully annoyed, which was both adorable and insulting in a way.

"But this is how I said it last night," Marinette argued, and Tikki shook her head.

"Yeah, and last night was an emergency, so I let it slide," Tikki explained, and Marinette felt slapped. "I am the Kwami of Creation, my power is almost boundless… Least you can do is at least try and sound invested. Say it like me! Spots ON!" the little fairy screamed out a war-cry totally contrasting her cutesy appearance, and Marinette just stared, dumbfounded.

"Like that?"

"Like that!"

"…Alright," Marinette noted, sighing and deciding if she was going to go along with this, she might as well go all in. So, taking a deep breath, and avoiding looking at herself in the mirror since she felt like the biggest dork around, she called out with all her might. "Spots on!"

She felt the jolt this time for sure, hitting her entire body all at once. All of her senses spiraled, as she felt an unknown force begin to envelop her. A bright light engulfed her, as she saw her clothes outright vanish and become replaced by that strange red and black polka-dot fabric suit, which fit her perfectly. A bit too perfectly, she self-consciously noted, blushing a bit, but as soon as it had started, it ended, and she felt her feet touch the ground once more.

She turned, her eyes on the mirror, and the girl looking back at her was not Marinette at all. It wasn't the shy, introverted, bullied girl she had known since forever.

No, this girl looked proud, powerful, and so, so pretty. Her eyes seemed to outright sparkle, and she was sure she wasn't imagining the little bit of light that shone from her very form.

"Oh, wow, this… this feels so awesome!" Marinette noted, dancing a bit. The suit made mobility so easy. It was so strange. It felt like wearing nothing at all while at the same time wearing armor. She didn't feel hot or cold either, but at just the right temperature. And not matter how much she moved, she didn't hear the leather suit make a sound. "What is this even made off? It so… comfy. And, wow, I feel great. I can't even feel the pain on my back anymore."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Tikki told her, slightly scaring her for a moment since she could no longer see the fairy. Instead, just like last time, she now heard her right into her ears. "Once we get better in sync you'll be stronger, so you won't get hurt so easily. Not bad for a first time though. Now, use your spiny thing!"

"Spiny thing?" Marinette asked, still checking herself out in the mirror. At least the suit itself was on the reflection, unlike Tikki. Would have been weird if nobody else but her saw the suit, and she went out on her PJs unknowingly.

"Yeah, that thing with the rope that I used to help you," Tikki replied. "I made that you into your… well, weapon I think you can call it. You can cast your Lucky Charm with it!"

"Oh, erm, well, I must have put it…" Marinette paused, wondering if she even had it anymore. After all the chaos from the night before, she wouldn't be surprised if she had left it back at the Gala. It would hurt if she had, since it was a very precious gift to her. But before she could sulk on it, Tikki quickly answered.

"It doesn't matter," she said. "Just think you have it your hand. That should be enough."

"What? Just think and-Oh!" Marinette exclaimed as just thinking of her yo-yo made it outright materialize right into her right hand, the string already tied to her finger, the ladybug logo imprinted into it, as if it had transformed alongside her. "This. Is. So. Awesome!"

"Right?"

"I can't believe I can do magic now!" Marinette cheerfully declared, bouncing up and down on her heels. In her excitement, she didn't even seem to notice that each bounce brought her closer and closer to the roof, but she stopped just before one more bounce would have made her crash right into it. Instead, she flung the yo-yo about, doing her usual tricks, which seemed so much easier to pull of now, as if the yo-yo could read her mind and knew exactly where she wanted it to go.

Marinette was smiling so fiercely, as the yo-yo began to glow and glow, and it all looked so pretty and so cool. She then threw it around, intending to do the "around the world" once more, this time without any pretty boys interrupting her mid-swing, but instead, the yo-yo's rope seemed unnaturally large this time around, as it went all around her entire room, before it smashed itself against her door.

And it took said door off its hinges.

And off the very ground.

It sent the door flying right out, through the hall, and causing it to crash into her parents' own door, breaking it in turn and smashing both doors into the wall, all with a thunderous, continuous, horrible noise that it made the super heroine-to-be freeze up on the spot. The yo-yo even froze in place, in the air, mid-swing.

"What was that?!" she heard her father cry out.

"Marinette!" then her mother. "Are you okay?! What was that noise?!"

"Oh no!" Marinette quickly cried out, calling the yo-yo back and trying to store it somewhere, but this suit didn't seem to have any pockets. "Of course, not even magic clothing for girls come with pockets, how useful," she muttered to herself half-jokingly, "Tikki, what do I do now? You think my parents will understand all this?"

"Master always advised against telling other people," Tikki responded, but didn't seem to elaborate on it much. "Quickly, call the transformation off!"

"How?!" Marinette barked, just as she heard footsteps rushing up the stairs. She had mere seconds before her parents walked in on her wearing this get-up, and without any explanation to offer at that. Not a plausible one at least.

"Say "Spots Off" obviously."

"What's so obvious about-?" she began, but noting how little time she had, decided to ignore it. "Fine, spots off!"

And the flash of light enveloped her once again. Her parents made their way to her now door-less room, expecting to find a tragedy, but instead, there was their daughter, just standing there in a simple t-shirt, giving them both a very nervous smile.

"…Hi Dad, hi Mom," she offered.

"…Marinette," her father spoke up, trying to get his heart back into place. "Are you… alright?"

"Sure am," she happily, forcefully replied. "That was quite the sudden earthquake, wasn't it?"

Her parents paused, with them both turning to the back, seeing how her door had been flung all across the house, right into their room, where it was now jabbed like it had been stabbed into the wall. The slowly turned back to their still smiling young girl, and despite all the evidence to the contrary, neither could actually come up with a more believable reasoning to it all than the one she offered.

And Marinette couldn't help but wonder if being lucky was another part of her new set of powers…

-0-

"…Yes, I'm really fine, no she fully protected me," Adrien spoke up on his smartphone, prancing around the dining room, trying his best to calm down the girl on the other line. At the table, watching the boy walk around, sat his unamused cousin, Felix, and the caretaker of the family, Nathalie. The latter quickly signaled at him to hang up the phone, lest his father come in and catch him behaving improperly at the dinner table. Adrien shrugged and signaled at the phone, mouthing an "It's Chloe" at her, before he tried, "Chloe, I've got to-No, yeah, I'm fine… Yeah, she's great… I don't think I paid much attention to her smell… No, for real-I mean, I gotta go, call you later, bye!"

And he hung up, hoping she wouldn't get offended by it, before he turned to the two others present, offering them a soft smile.

"Vanishing and returning didn't much fix that girl, huh?" Felix muttered with a mocking laugh, which made Adrien frown.

"She's just worried," he defended. "I was too. About her, and about myself getting thrown through a wall. You only got there after it was over, you have no idea how creepy that guy was."

"Truly," was all Felix said.

"Just be glad we're all okay, you two," Nathalie added, her eyes shifting from looking at Adrien towards Felix, as both boys said nothing, merely continued to eat their breakfasts is silence. Said silence did not last too long, as soon enough the head of the family entered the dining area, accompanied by his ever faithful servant, bodyguard and chauffeur. The large man said nothing, merely taking a spot to the side, arms behind his back, likely irked that he was not present during the gala's events. Gabriel, on the other hand, simply took his seat at the table, and without a word, placed the day's newspaper on it.

"Father…?" Adrien voiced, worried that something was wrong. His father looked up towards him, and offered the boy a soft smile.

"Eat up Adrien, it's usual to lose one's appetite after such a… serious event, but it is not healthy," Gabriel told him, before he turned to Felix for a moment, "And I'm glad you are safe, although I would have appreciated it if you had answered any of my calls. You can imagine how worried we all were."

"I told you Uncle," Felix responded, "I was… busy, everything happened so fast. One moment I was trying to meet up with Clara, the next, bang, all that commotion. I just hid."

"Not saying that wasn't smart," Gabriel replied. "Just saying a simple "I'm alright" text could have made such a dire day just a little bit easier on us all."

"Sure, sure, sorry," the young man added.

"Hey dad, is that?" Adrien asked, turning his head to try and mimic the position of the newspaper, noticing something familiar in the front page. His father gave the piece a look, before he lifted it to allow his son to get a better look. The smile on Adrien's face was something else. "It's her!"

"Seems the little Miss has become quite the sensation," Gabriel announced, as he showed how the front page of the paper had a very flattering photograph of the polka-dot clad heroine after she stood up after her daring rescue of Gabriel Agreste and his son. She looked stunning, Adrien noted. "I really wish she would have stayed behind a little bit longer. I owe her my thanks after all," Gabriel added, "No thanks to that fool of a guard who decides to go after the one who helped stop the guy they were utterly incapable of handling moments prior."

"To be fair, hot as she is, and trust me, she is," Felix interjected, as his eyes glanced up and down at the full-length picture of the heroine in her very form-fitting attire. Adrien was not that amused by his stare. "Cat Noir was the one who kinda took care of things, wasn't he? Where's his picture?"

"The press don't like him as much it seems," Gabriel replied, flipping the newspaper's pages. "He does get mentioned, a lot, so it's not like they rewrote what happened."

"Any idea who that guy was?" Adrien asked, and even Felix turned to face his uncle, also curious. Gabriel just shrugged.

"Wish I knew," he said, "We'll probably know more once the police decide to hold a briefing. Nothing we should concern ourselves with, at least."

"That said," Nathalie quickly cut in, before the boys could ask anything further, as she motioned forwards and took the paper from Gabriel's hands, earning herself a rather perplexed look from the man himself. She offered him a smirk and a wink, before she flipped the newspaper open and showed another article to Adrien. "While the heroine and Cat Noir might have gotten the first page, guess who made page eight?"

Adrien's eyes widened at the sight, as right smack in the middle of that page was a photograph of him at the party, moments before the shooting began, talking privately with the mystery girl he had dreamt of last night. "That's…!"

"Romance in bloom," Nathalie read the title, with a soft smile on her lips. "Seems there was another girl in your mind that night. Care to comment on that, Adrien?"

"I-I mean, we only talked, those people really take this stuff way too out of proportion sometimes," Adrien defended, which caused Felix to loudly scoff, which did not amuse the younger cousin. Nathalie teased him a bit more, which only caused the boy to blush, but as the conversation slowly shifted to something else, something more proper, Adrien couldn't help but stare at the picture of him and "Bridgette". She was stunning, beauty and grace all in one. Just like…

"Bridgette…?" he muttered softly, for his ears only, as realization hit him. "There's no way she could be…?"

And his eyes widened again. It couldn't be her… right?

-0-

It had sounded like an easy enough job at first. And besides, Paris was indeed a very beautiful city. So much so that he had jumped at the chance to get away from the States and, even more so, away from those damn Avengers. The Ant-Man and The Wasp in particular. So, ever the business man, Sonny Burch quickly took the first deal offered to him. Sell his serum around to the highest bidder, and spread it all across the city. But, unfortunately for him, said highest bidder had followed him all the way from the States, and as he found himself seated in front of his desk, Sonny couldn't help but sweat. A lot, at that.

"You lost the shipment," a gravelly voice told him, belonging to the man who owned this small, little, creepy office. Said towering, albino man who could break him in two without much effort.

"…I-I didn't quite lose it, Cat Noir-" Sonny tried.

"-Is not even an Avenger," the boss corrected, and Sonny felt himself sink further into his seat. Next to them was a squad of very well armed men, but none of them saw it even necessary to aim their guns at Sonny. That's how little a threat he was right now. "And by the look of things, said serum… My serum, is now in the hands of a captive criminal. The one at the Gala. His bullet proof skin proves it."

"Ah, well, Mr. Lincoln, I assure you-"

Sonny then felt to rather large hands take hold of him by each shoulder, "softly" pressing down on him, causing him to widen his eyes since he thought he was going to be killed right then and there. "You will refer to him as Tombstone, unless you want yours erected sooner rather than later," the head of the squad of goons surrounding the office warned, and Sonny nodded fiercely.

"No need for that," Tombstone voiced, turning to face Sonny, who inwardly squealed whenever he saw this monstrous man. "Sonny here is a man of his word, a part of our group. So he will help us get our shipment back. Right?"

"O-Of course!"

"See," Tombstone noted to the group, before he took a seat on his desk. "My boss will not be pleased if we return empty handed, so we need to get to him, before word gets out. We'll attack the police station, where that unknown assailant is being held, and we'll drag the truth right out of him."

"T-The police station," Sonny stammered, "You want us to attack there…?"

"I will be joining you of course," Tombstone replied, and Sonny wasn't sure if that was meant to be reassuring or not. "What kind of leader would I be, if I did not lead by example? Surely, the Kingpin would be disappointed in me were I to fail. So we move tonight, and if anyone gets in our way, be it cops, civilians, the Devil of Hell's Kitchen himself, or any other costumed freak, we murder them, is that understood?"

With a firm, bloody cheer, the group all agreed, and Sonny just prayed that things went smoothly at least just this once. At least this city did not have its own bug-themed hero… right?

…Right?

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