Hello people of the world! I'm so sorry for not uploading anything last week but I have a sort of valid reason? I don't know if you've noticed but these chapters are A LOT longer than the chapters from Late Night Chats so I'm not completely used to writing that much in one week. If I can't have a chapter done every week, I might upload a one-shot. I hope this is okay with you all?! Now that that's over, I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Being Scarlet Bug was more exhilarating than Chloe could have ever imagined. Paris adored her and fawned over every move she made. Admittedly, she didn't do much in battle but why should she do anything when Chat Noir was so skilled at fighting? Sure, he got hurt, but wasn't that part of being a superhero? And that was the problem. Chloe had thought being Scarlet Bug would allow her to take on a new personality and actually show her true emotions but she found herself being more and more like her civilian self, especially with her partner. Chat Noir had tried hard to be friendly but she had brushed off his attempts to make friends, calling him an alley-cat and her sidekick. She would never tell him but he was an exceptional superhero - much better than she was. Even Tikki was giving up on getting her to be nicer and it had only been two weeks. Could she be blamed? She wasn't taught to be nice or kind like Dupain-Cheng was. Like her mother had always told her: "Showing your emotions only shows your weaknesses. Let people see your weaknesses and they will know how to break you so don't let anyone break you."
After the newest akuma, she was stopped by Nadja Chamack, wanting another interview. "Don't be bemused, it's just the news! I'm here with the brand new saviour of Paris, Scarlet Bug!" She gestured to the superhero and she waved gladly. "So, Scarlet Bug, how does it feel to be Paris' new superhero? I'm sure lots of people would give their right arm to be in your position!"
Scarlet Bug grinned and gushed, "Oh, it's a dream! Everyone in Paris is so grateful and I can't believe how lucky I am to be the hero of such an amazing city! I love you all!"
"Aww, and we love you too! But could there be another that loves you just as much?" Nadja winked and gestured to Chat Noir, who was consoling the akumatized child.
"Ugh, that cat is so not my type!" she thought disgustedly to herself but replied to Nadja arrogantly, "Oh, that sidekick is far too destructive for my liking. I always have to clean up after that alley-cat."
Nadja smiled sympathetically and patted her shoulder. "Well, I speak on behalf of all of Paris when I say we love you Scarlet Bug!"
The superheroine beamed and when her earrings started to beep, she said, "I guess that's my cue to leave! Goodbye and stay safe!" She saluted towards the camera and swung off.
Addressing the audience, Nadja continued, "And there you have it Paris! Our brand new superheroes have their own love issues. Could they be more like us than we think?"
"She's amazing, isn't she?" Alya fangirled excitedly. She and Marinette were watching the news at the school library after school.
"Not really."
Alya was shocked by her best friend's dismissive tone and defended, "What do you mean 'not really'? She saves Paris from harm whenever there's an akuma and she's the sweetest person! Why aren't you giving her the credit she deserves?"
"You know who doesn't get the credit they deserve? Chat Noir!" she retorted back. "I've seen him numerous times doing most of the fighting while Scarlet Bug just sits by, hiding from the danger! She only shows up to purify the akuma and to do interviews. And even though she barely does anything," she continued to rant irritably, "She calls Chat Noir a sidekick and is super mean to him! If I were Scarlet Bug…" she trailed off and the thought of fighting next to Chat Noir brought a blush to her cheeks.
This didn't go unnoticed by Alya and her fuming expression was replaced by a teasing smile. "You would what, Marinette?" The bluenette buried her red face in her hands and groaned audibly. "It seems like someone has a crush on a certain cat!" Alya teased mischievously.
"No I don't, why would you think that?" she denied indignantly. "Why would I have a crush on someone who's cocky and flirtatious and weird and," her face turned dreamy and she rested her head on her knuckles. "Dreamy and handsome and kind and strong." Realising what she said, Marinette glanced at Alya and when she saw the brunette's smug look, she turned red.
"Girl, it's ok to have a crush on him, I ain't judging!" she held her hands up in defence. "Just don't overlook Scarlet Bug because you're so taken with Chat Noir."
Marinette rolled her eyes and murmured to herself, "One day, I'm gonna make you see who the real hero is."
As Marinette continued to do her homework, Alya pulled out a photo of Scarlet Bug and carefully cut out her face. "I wonder who she is under the mask?" She held up the photo to Marinette's face and snickered, "Please never get blonde hair, Marinette."
"Oh, I won't," she chuckled. "Don't you think Scarlet Bug would have to be older than us? It's a lot of responsibility to be a superhero, one that a 14 year-old would struggle to handle."
Alya thought for a moment and then shook her head. "Nah. Scarlet Bug looks pretty young and her voice doesn't sound like it's broken." Marinette shrugged and continued writing. "Imagine if she was someone in our class!" Alya suddenly exclaimed. "Who do you think it could be?"
"Well, it would have to be someone with the same hair colour, right?"
"Of course! Who in our class has blonde hair? Rose and…" Alya's excited expression was quickly replaced by a disgusted one. "Chloe."
Marinette laughed and reasoned, "I doubt Chloe is Scarlet Bug."
"But what if she is!" Alya insisted. "The evidence makes sense, too! She's late to class whenever there's a supervillain."
"Probably hiding in her five-star hotel," Marinette muttered.
Alya took no notice and continued, " They have the same hairstyle and Chloe is always talking about how 'utterly exceptional' Scarlet is! Paris deserves to know who their superhero really is!"
Marinette rolled her eyes and advised, "You're probably just tired, Alya. Sleep on it and don't do anything hasty." She stood up and slung her bag over her back. "I'm gonna head back to the bakery. See ya, Alya."
Alya didn't say anything as Marinette walked away, thinking to herself, "Paris deserves to know and I'm gonna be the one to tell them!"
The next day at school, Alya was determined to find solid evidence of Chloe being Scarlet Bug. She knew she was right, she could feel it! She caught up with Marinette in the courtyard and huffed, "Marinette, I slept on it and I still think Chloe is Scarlet Bug."
Marinette rolled her eyes at her friend's stubborn ways and said, "Ok, believe what you want but don't do anything that's gonna get you in trouble." They linked arms and began walking to class.
Alya, with a determined glint in her eye, decided, "I'm gonna look in her locker for any evidence."
Marinette's jaw dropped and she fumed, "Did you not hear anything I just said?"
They arrived at their class and waved at Adrien and Nino. The blonde blushed and stammered, "H-hi Marinette. How w-was your light I MEAN y-your night?"
Marinette giggled and replied, "It was good, thank you. How was yours?"
Adrien turned redder and he babbled, "Uh, i-it was haha m-maybe…"
"What my dude is trying to say is that it was great!" Nino cut in, saving Adrien from social suicide. Adrien nodded helplessly and the girls just laughed, making their way to their seats. When they were a safe distance away, Nino slapped Adrien's arm. "Dude!"
Burying his red face in his hands, he groaned, "I know, I know! Whenever I'm near her, my brain goes all mushy."
"If you ever want to have a chance with her, you're gonna need to learn how to talk to her, dude." Adrien rested his chin on the table and sighed woefully.
Meanwhile, Alya was staring intently at Chloe's handbag. "There has to be some evidence in there! Maybe I won't need to go into her locker after all!" She was so focused on the bag that she didn't notice Ms Bustier asking her a question. Marinette poked her arm and she jumped, exclaiming, "Huh?"
Ms Bustier, patient as ever, repeated, "What was the topic in chapter 2 of France: The First Thousand Years?"
"Uhh, I don't know?"
The teacher rolled her eyes and advised, "Maybe if you paid more attention to what I was saying instead of staring at Chloe's handbag you would know the answer!"
Chloe snickered and Alya felt her blood boil. Luckily, Alya's staring didn't go unrewarded. The queen bee dropped her make-up bag in her purse and a tiny voice yelped, "Ouch!"
"Aha!" she thought. "That can't be normal!" She leant over to Marinette and hissed, "Cause a distraction, girl! I need to do something."
Marinette stammered, "Wait what? Why?" But Alya was already crawling towards Chloe's bag. "Uhh, look! It's Scarlet Bug!"
Everyone gasped and pressed their faces against the window. Well, everyone except Chloe. Rolling her eyes, she turned to Marinette and snarked, "Maybe you should get glasses Dupain-Cheng because-," She cut herself off as she noticed in her peripheral vision that Alya was sticking her hands into Chloe's handbag. Chloe snatched her bag back frantically and accused, "What is wrong with you?"
Ms Bustier noticed the commotion and went to investigate. "Chloe, what's the problem?"
"This, this criminal just tried to go through my bag!" she pointed accusingly at Alya.
Alya tried to defend, "I didn- it wasn-"
"And now she's trying to defend her actions? Ugh!" She turned away dramatically. Chloe knew she was laying it on thick but she couldn't afford, at any cost, to let anyone find out her identity. Especially not the blogger-girl.
Ms Bustier, not having the energy to deal with such teenage hormones, huffed, "Alya and Chloe, go to the principal's office." Chloe dragged Sabrina along with her and Kim trailed behind. She didn't know why but it always helped to have more sympathy.
When they got there, Principal Damocles (A/N - poor owl) asked tiredly, "What is the problem, Ms Bourgeois?"
"This criminal just tried to steal from my personal handbag!" the blonde cried.
Alya defended, "I did not!"
Turning to Sabrina and Kim, she asked, "Was she not staring intently at my purse, waiting for the perfect moment to strike?" They both nodded surely. "And then she joined cohorts with the baker girl to distract me from looking at her. Oh, the outrage!" She turned and sobbed into Kim's chest. "She must be punished!"
"Alya, you have 1 hour of detention after school."
"Are my ears failing me? Did I hear you're giving one miserable hour of detention to a heinous criminal?" Chloe knew her identity was protected but why pass up an opportunity to teach Alya a lesson? She snapped her fingers and her trusty 'friend' Sabrina popped up beside her, holding a clipboard.
"The school rules clearly state that any student guilty of theft shall be suspended for one full week!" she read smugly.
"But Chloe, she didn't take anything!" the principal tried to protest.
Chloe pulled out her phone and threatened, "I'm sure my father wouldn't appreciate your reluctance!"
Backtracking, Principal Damocles stammered nervously, "Uh, th-there's no need to bother the honourable m-mayor, Chloe!"
Chloe blinked once and clicked 'call'.
Sighing defeatedly, he conceded, "You're suspended for a week, Alya!"
Back in the classroom, Marinette was fuming. "I told her not to do anything hasty! I told her not to do anything that will get her in trouble! Yet there she is, stuck in the principal's office!" she hissed to herself.
"Why was she snooping in Chloe's bag anyway?" Nino whispered up to her.
Marinette leant down between the boys, oblivious to Adrien's flustered face. "She was trying to find evidence that Chloe is Scarlet Bug."
"Huh? Chloe?" Adrien whispered. "Could she be the one I fight with? Wait no, the one I'm meant to fight with? It would make sense…"
"What?" Nino whisper-shouted. "That's crazy talk! Scarlet Bug is mega-cool and Chloe is mega-psycho. She's too self-absorbed to be as awesome as Scarlet Bug."
Marinette rolled her eyes and groaned quietly, "Ugh, why is everyone so taken by her? She's really not that cool."
"She's literally the coolest," Nino hissed.
"Well then I guess you don't pay any attention to Chat Noir because then you would know that he's way cooler than Scarlet Bug," Marinette fired back.
"You mean that sidekick?" Nino scoffed. "He's okay."
"Okay? He basically does all the fighting while Scarlet Bug lazes around and he always comforts akumatized civilians while Scarlet Bug gives interviews!" Ms Bustier's eyes flicked to them and she shushed them annoyedly. Marinette was starting to forget to be quiet but she didn't care. She was tired of everyone overlooking just how much Chat Noir did, crush or not.
Adrien was watching Marinette argue for his alter ego with awe. "Does she really think all that of me?" Summoning all the courage he could, he asked nervously, "S-so, you really like Chat Noir, huh?"
She threw her arms out and whisper-yelled (more yell than whisper), "Of course I like him!" She realised what she said and blushed intensely. "Uh, I d-don't like-like him, I just like him! He's a great superhero!"
The red blush coating her face told Nino otherwise but Adrien just grinned at his crush. "Woah, she's so amazing."
Unfortunately, Ms Bustier caught onto her less-than-quiet whispering and, already tired of her students, scolded, "Marinette, I've already told once, be quiet!"
"Sorry," she apologised quietly.
"Do you think they'd ever get together?" Nino wondered aloud. "You know, fighting side by side can bring people closer."
"What? No!" Marinette and Adrien exclaimed at the same time.
"That's impossible, Chat Noir doesn't even like Scarlet Bug!" Adrien defended.
"Exactly! He deserves so much better too!" Marinette added.
Ms Bustier spun around and snapped, "Marinette, Adrien go to the principal's office!"
The two teens stood up and made their way out of class silently but when they got out, they continued arguing against Nino, who wasn't with them. "Can you believe what he's saying? Chat Noir and Scarlet Bug could never get together!" Marinette fumed. "He barely tolerates her because he's a gentleman but I can tell he wants to (shishtar) snap most of the time."
Adrien watched her, raptured, before asking, "Wait, how do you know so much about Chat Noir? You're not Scarlet Bug, are you?" Adrien didn't know how to feel if his crush was also his supposed partner.
Marinette's blush made a return and she stammered, "N-no, of course not! I-I guess I'm j-just a very observant person?
Adrien blushed and stuttered, "Well, I g-guess Chat Noir's your f-favourite superhero then?"
Marinette grinned dreamily, "Yeah. He's so cool and cuuu-," she realised that she wasn't with Alya and backtracked, embarrassed. "Cuuuuriously strong! Like, do you think it's his super-powers? Yeah, probably! I don't know why I did not think of that!" she babbled.
Adrien just grinned at her. "She's so cute." When they got to Principal Damocles' office, they were shocked to see him frozen with a pause button in front of him. "Do you think-," Adrien began before he was cut off by a video playing in front of them.
"I'm Lady WiFi, revealer of the truth!" a girl with a black mask and skintight bodysuit with a WiFi signal announced to the camera. "For our first exposé, your principal would like to have a little tit-bit with you!"
As the girl questioned Principal Damocles, Marinette noticed a ladybug charm handling off her phone. "Oh no, Alya!" she gasped in realisation.
Before she could say anything else, Adrien grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the office and down to the courtyard. "Marinette, make sure you get somewhere safe!" he demanded frantically.
She tried to protest, "But I need to help Aly-"
Ignoring the blush on his cheekbones, Adrien grabbed Marinette's shoulders and pleaded, "Please, make sure you get somewhere safe. I care about you, Marinette." The bluenette stared into his emerald eyes, feeling a slight blush on her cheeks. No one had ever been so worried about her safety like that except from family. A small smile grew on her face and she nodded slowly. As she ran towards her house, Adrien smiled at her retreating figure and ran in the opposite direction.
When he stopped in an alleyway, Plagg flew out of his bag and floated near his face, teasing, "Woah, lover boy, you managed to talk to her without stuttering uncontrollably!"
Realising his kwami was right, Adrien grinned, "I did! But there's no time for that now!" His expression turned serious and he called out, "Plagg, claws out!"
Chloe flopped on her chaise and pulled her phone out, opening her Instagram. Tikki flew out of her handbag and scolded, "Chloe, you know that there's an akuma so what are you doing here?"
Chloe groaned, "Ugh, I'll just leave it for the alley-cat to deal with. When he releases the akuma, I'll transform and capture it. Easy-peasy!"
Tikki crossed her arms and huffed, "I hope you're happy, Chloe, because you are by far the WORST Ladybug I've ever had the misfortune to be paired with!"
As she flew off, Chloe shouted at her retreating figure, "How dare you? Do you know who you're talking to? Stupid, bug-mouse!" Deep down, though, Chloe knew the kwami was right. She only kept the miraculous for fame and glory, when the one who really deserved it was Chat Noir. But what was she meant to do? All she'd known how to do her whole life was to be popular. If that meant doing nothing then who was she to go against it? Suddenly, a bright light shone from her phone. Chloe yelped, dropped it in surprise and a supervillain materialised before her eyes. "Ugh, who are you supposed to be?"
"I'm Lady WiFi and your time in hiding is over!" she swiped a pause button at Chloé and immediately, the blonde was frozen. "Now let's see if 'Scarlet Bug' will show up to save you, Chloe," she laughed maniacally. Swiping a video button in front of the frozen blonde, she began announcing to the people of Paris, "Well, well, well, look who it is! If my hunch is correct then Scarlet Bug won't be here to save little miss brat-face. Why don't we wait and see?"
Although Chloe was frozen, she could still think and see. "My secret identity could be found out! What have I done?"
Marinette was watching the scene unfold on her TV. Shaking her head with determination, she said, "I can't sit here while my friend is in danger!" She grabbed her backpack and some of her savings from working in the bakery and snuck past her parents, who were watching the news intently. When she got outside, she pulled out her old bike and began pedalling to a nearby supermarket. When Marinette got there, she searched frantically for a Scarlet Bug costume. "I doubt Chloe really is Scarlet Bug - she's probably just busy doing absolutely nothing. I've got to trick Alya into doubting her theory!" She managed to find one in her size and rushed to the till. The cashier looked curiously at her purchase and Marinette blushed, embarrassed. "It's for my sister?" she chuckled nervously.
The cashier shrugged and scanned it. "That'll be 15.99."
Marinette eyes widened immensely. "I really hope this works. That's almost half of my savings! I'll probably just return it after." She handed over the money and stuffed the costume into her backpack. Marinette then began her journey to Le Grand Paris.
"Oh, for Pete's sake." Chat Noir grumbled to himself as he leapt into yet another elevator and Lady WiFi froze the door. Again. There were only two left: the top floor and the ground floor. When he got to the top, he sped to the ballroom and began smashing all the phones, which he had done to all the floors. At least now, her movement was more limited now. "Where the frick is that Bug? Probably at a shoe sale somewhere."
He ran into Chloe's room, breathless form all the dodging he'd been doing. When he got there, though, he was shocked to see another Scarlet Bug but with dark blue hair. "Chat Noir, you're here!" she exclaimed, rushing to greet him. "There's no time to waste! Lady WiFi could get here any second."
Suddenly, Chloe's phone lit up and Lady WiFi materialised in front of them. "Speak of the devil and she will appear."
The other Scarlet Bug hissed into his ear, "Just follow my lead!" She then walked confidently towards Lady WiFi and taunted, "So I guess your theory has lost connection?"
"But, I was sure she was Scarlet Bug!" the supervillain fumed gesturing to Chloe. Then an evil smirk appeared on her face and she hissed, "I guess I'll just find out who you are, then!" She swiped a pause button at Marinette but luckily, Chat Noir leapt in front of her, making a barrier with his spinning baton.
"Any idea where Scarlet Bug is?" she asked.
"Nope so I guess you can be my Scarlet Bug for today," he grinned flirtatiously at her and Marinette blushed, giggling at his antics. "I'm fairly sure the akuma is in her phone but I can't seem to get it!" he continued with frustration. Suddenly, Lady WiFi materialised behind them and swiped a pause button directly for Marinette's back. With cat-like reflexes, Chat Noir wrapped his arm around Marinette's waist, spun them around and extended his baton so it hit Lady WiFi in the stomach. She staggered back, giving Chat enough time to run to the stairs, pulling Marinette with him. "You got a plan, newbie?"
Marinette thought for a moment before remembering something. "The cell tower! Go and cataclysm it!"
Chat grinned and praised, "Great idea! I didn't even think of it!"
Marinette blushed as she stared into his vibrant green eyes and pushed his nose away. "Go!" Lady WiFi began to advance on them so Chat Noir sped off. Marinette shakily turned to face the supervillain. "Are you gonna get me or what?" She taunted, sounding more confident than she felt. The outline of a purple butterfly covered her eyes and Lady WiFi nodded once, before lunging at Marinette. Fearing for her life, Marinette took off as fast as her legs could carry her. "Come on, Chat Noir!"
She managed to run 2 flights of stairs before slowing down slightly. "Aha!" Lady WiFi declared triumphantly. "I've got you now, Scarlet Bug!" She swiped a pause at Marinette, freezing her in place, and also swiped a video button. "So, Paris, it seems like I was wrong in my earlier hunch but now, we have the real Scarlet Bug! Let's see who she really is, why don't we?" Suddenly, the violet buttons faded away and Marinette fell on her face. "Huh? Oh, that Chat Noir! You both are gonna pay for this!" She tried to phase up to the top of the tower but she couldn't. "Argh!" She ran up the stairs, Marinette following slowly behind her. When they got to the top, Chat Noir was sitting on the rooftop, smirking playfully. "Oh, you think this is funny, you mangy cat?"
Offended, Chat Noir stood up and argued, "How dare you? You think I'm beautiful, right Scarlet?" Marinette blushed and giggled nervously, nodding her head. Grinning happily, he jumped down in front of the supervillain and lunged for her phone.
"Not so fast, kitty-cat!" She swiped his feet from under him and he fell flat on his back, groaning in pain. Before he could jump back up, she pressed her knees against his sternum, causing him to cough tightly. "Time to take the cat out of the bag!" She pinned his wrist down with her foot and reached for his ring. Chat struggled but couldn't get free and she slid the ring lower and lower on his finger. Suddenly, her arms were yanked back by two small hands. Marinette pulled Lady WiFi back by her arms and wrapped the flimsy yo-yo around her wrist partially impairing her movement. "Urgh, get off me you stupid bug!"
Marinette snatched the phone from her hand and tossed it to Chat Noir, shouting, "Chat Noir, the phone!"
The leather-clad superhero extended his baton and smashed the phone under it. A small black butterfly flew out and Chat Noir's eyes widened. "The akuma!" But before it could fly away, Marinette grabbed a mason jar from her bag, which was resting on a table, and caught the akuma. Chat Noir sighed in relief and watched as purple blobs covered Lady WiFi, leaving Alya behind. Walking up to the confused brunette, he asked softly, "Hey, are you ok?"
Alya blinked and smiled, nodding her head. "That's good." Marinette appeared beside Chat. She continued, slightly more serious, "But you should really stop trying to figure out Scarlet Bug's identity. It could put you in a lot of danger!"
Alya sighed and nodded. "Thank you."
She stood up and walked back towards the hotel. Once Alya was out of earshot, Chat turned to Marinette." "So, Marinette." He heard her gasp quietly. "Did you really think I wouldn't be able to figure out who you were?"
Chuckling nervously, Marinette replied, "Yes?"
Chat Noir sighed and put his hands on Maeinette's shoulders. The action made a strange sense of deja vú wash over Marinette. "You could've gotten really hurt. Why didn't you leave it to me?"
Marinette meekly met eyes with him and murmured, "I couldn't stand to watch my friend in that state. I'm sorry."
"Don't apologise. I was just worried about you." A light blush dusted both the teens' cheeks and they stared, mesmerised, into each other's eyes. Suddenly, a loud beep filled the air and burst the bubble. Chat Noir looked down at his ring frantically and muttered, "Where is that stupid bug?"
Fortunately, the real Scarlet Bug swung in moments later. "I'm here! Did you miss me?"
Chat turned to Scarlet, an irritated look on his face and snapped, "No, actually. I had a partner who actually works with me today."
Scoffing, Scarlet asked, "What's got your knickers in a twist?"
"You! You never help me fight, you only ever show up for publicity and you treat me like crap! Can't you at least try to be a good partner?"
Scarlet Bug blinked for a second before laughing evilly. "Oh, you are so pathetic! You are my sidekick which means you do the dirty work! Don't act as if you're the better one in this shtick because all you are is a destructive, useless cat that no one cares for!" She opened the mason jar and captured the akuma, purifying it before snarking bitterly, "Got it?" She swung away without another word.
"How dare she!" Both Chat and Marinette were shocked to see Alya standing near the phone. "I came back up here to get my phone, not to witness my favourite superhero shouting down her partner!" She spun on her heel and stormed back down the stairs.
Chat's face was emotionless before he scowled angrily and held Marinette by her waist. "Grab your bag." She did so and held on to his neck tightly as he extended his baton. He vaulted them over the rooftops until they landed on Mariette's balcony. Running his hand through his hair, frustrated, Chat grumbled, "I'm sorry, Mari. She just always finds a way to get to me!"
Marinette slowly walked towards him and hesitantly wrapped her arms around his torso. "She doesn't deserve you," she murmured into his chest. "You're far better than she'll ever be."
After a moment, Chat also wrapped his arms around Marinette petit frame. "Thanks, Marinette."
They stayed like that for a few moments before Marinette pulled away and chuckled, "Erm, not to be a bother but we forgot my bike back at the hotel."
Chat grinned, "Alright, princess, I shall retrieve your trusty steed."
He bowed dramatically and Marinette giggled at his antics. "He's such a dork."
"Good night, fair princess!" He saluted her and vaulted off her rooftop.
"Good night, Chat Noir." She smiled to herself and changed into her pjs, snuggling into her giant white cat.
I hope it was worth the wait?
