Who Needs You?

Chapter 02

Prime Queen: Be Bemused, It's the News

"Tonight, for our first edition of Face to Face, you'll have the opportunity of a lifetime—the chance to talk live with Ladybug and Chat Noir, along with me, Nadja Chamack. We'll be revealing jaw-dropping secrets about your favorite superheroes. Don't be bemused, it's just the news!"

"Jaw-dropping secrets?" Tikki asks with wide eyes as she floats in front of the computer screen.

"Can you believe it, Tikki?" Marinette asks from her corner of the room. The kwami flies over to its holder to see her sewing two pieces of pink and white polka-dotted fabric together. "An entire hour-long special about me and Chat Noir. Pretty exciting, don't you think?"

"Marinette, you're a superhero, not a superstar," Tikki says. "Everything about you has to remain a mystery to protect yourself from Hawkmoth."

Marinette holds her palms open to let the little ladybug sit on them. "Don't worry, I only accepted this because I want the people of Paris to know that Chat Noir and I will always do whatever it takes to keep them safe," she explains.

"Just be careful tonight, okay?" Tikki asks, floating up from Marinette's hands.

"What do you mean tonight?" she asks, grabbing her phone to look through her calendar. "I have babysitting, the show is tomorrow."

From her monitor at full volume, Nadja Chamack returns onscreen after the commercials. "Don't forget to tune in tonight. Face to Face with Ladybug and Chat Noir!" is the last thing she says before the program ends.

Marinette lets out a shriek, eye twitching as she repeatedly shifts her gaze from her phone to the monitor. She could've sworn the interview was tomorrow.

"Tonight? Tonight?" Marinette screeches. "But I have to be there as Ladybug!"

"Marinette!" a childish voice suddenly exclaims from beyond her trap door.

"And that's probably why you babysit tonight," Tikki says as she flies right into Marinette's purse.

Marinette shuts her monitor off, and turns around, only to catch Manon, who excitedly jumps into her arms. Nadja Chamack walks up into the room right after.

"Mrs. Chamack," Marinette begins nervously. "I, uh, I just saw that you have a show tonight."

"You did? I hope you do watch it tonight, it's going to be great!" Nadja says, handing her daughter's backpack to Marinette, who places it on her chair. "I've put a bunch of things for her in her bag and she's already had dinner. Thanks again for watching Manon, I'm so glad you were free tonight."

"Uh… right," Marinette sighs. It's too late to back out now—plus, Nadja looks really excited for the show. Marinette would hate to ruin it for her. "I had no other plans. None at all."

"I better get going. I've got a lot writing this interview. I need all of Paris in front of the screen tonight," Nadja says before turning to Manon. "Sweetie, just for tonight, you're allowed to watch some television with Marinette."

"Thanks, mom!" Manon exclaims, climbing onto Marinette's shoulders. "Mommy's going to be on TV with Ladybug and Chat Noir!"

"You'll do great, Mrs. Chamack. Besides, you already have two viewers," Marinette laughs, pointing at Manon and herself.

"Wish me luck and tell all your friends to tune in!" Nadja exclaims as she disappears beyond the trap door.

Manon jumps off of Marinette's shoulders, and runs around the room excitedly chanting about how great tonight's show is going to be. Marinette watches her jump around, having no idea how she can get out of this now. There's no way she can leave Manon all by herself for an entire hour.

With a sigh, Marinette takes her cellphone out and dials the only person who will be able to help her out.

"Uh… Alya? Are you busy tonight?"


Chat Noir finds himself standing on the roof of the TVi Studio, taking in the beautiful sight of the sun setting in the distance. The sky is a blend of purple and blue and pink, making him sigh in delight at how peaceful the city can be at this time of day.

He takes note of the wide screen hung up on a building nearby, and when it displays the time—showing that he only had fifteen more minutes before showtime—he jumps off the roof. He unclips his staff from his belt and throws it over his shoulder, watching as it extends and sticks right out an open window on the top floor. Chat Noir lands on the staff with his feet and performs a flip, flying right through the window and into the room.

He performs a series of impressive flips in the air before landing perfectly on the couch in front of a nervous news host looking through her tablet.

"Oh, I love chouquettes," Chat Noir says, making his interviewer jump in surprise.

"Chat Noir?" Nadja asks as he pops a chouquette in his mouth. "How did you get in here?"

"Secret door," he jokes. He then gestures over to the blank space next to him. "I see Ladybug's running a bit late, huh?"

"I-I thought you'd both arrive together," she replies in horror.

"Why would we?" Chat Noir asks, grabbing a handful of the snacks before him. "Not like we're partners or anything."

He fails to notice to suspicious look Nadja shoots at him.

"Oh, really…" she says as she scrolls through the pictures on her tablet. Her earpiece suddenly blinks, and after a few whispers, Nadja asks, "Would it be possible for you to contact Ladybug? We're on the air in ten, and we need both of you here for the special."

"Oh, sure thing," Chat Noir says, taking his staff out. After sliding half of it down, he presses a button and holds it up to his ear. After a couple of rings, he hangs up and tells Nadja, "Sorry, she's not picking up. I'll try again."


"Super-Manon to the rescue!"

Marinette watches guiltily as her best friend plays around with the little girl she herself is supposed to babysit. After setting her monitor up on the floor and piling up a bunch of pillows for them to rest on, Marinette takes a seat on the floor next to them.

"Glad you could make it last minute, Alya," Marinette says.

"Of course," Alya says as she tickles Manon. "It's way more fun to watch the Ladybug and Chat Noir special with my two favorite girls."

The program on TV ends, making way for a close-up picture of Ladybug and Chat Noir. An image of Nadja Chamach follows soon after as a commentator announces, "When we return from commercial, Nadja Chamack will be joined by Ladybug and Chat Noir for an incredible, exclusive interview!"

"That's my mommy!" Manon exclaims as she points to the screen.

"Why can't I get an exclusive interview like that for my LadyBlog and Miraculous Chat?" Alya huffs. "I have half a million followers on both blogs. That's enough of an audience, don't you think?"

"D-definitely," Marinette stutters. She takes a quick glance at the clock and immediately stands up, blabbering, "Oh, I forgot to, um, tell my bakery something; they're in the parents downstairs! Do you mind keeping an eye on Manon while I'm not here?"

"Don't you mean tell your parents something in the bakery?" Alya says as she laughs into her palm.

"Right! Um, it can take a while, and if customers come in, I-I tend to help them and," Marinette racks her brain for more excuses while on her way down her trap door. "Sometimes it gets super busy and, you know, they get stressed and I just want to help—"

"Marinette?" Alya says with a smirk.

"Y-yes?" Marinette stammers.

"Go!" Alya laughs. "We'll be right here. Try to make it before the show starts, so we can all watch it together."

"I-I will!" Marinette exclaims as she shuts the trap door behind her. Tikki flies out of her holder's purse, stopping at eye-level. "I feel like such a horrible friend doing this to Alya. I always leave her with Manon. But then again, she's a huge fan of Ladybug and Chat Noir—she'll be crushed if one of them failed to show up."

"It's your choice, Marinette," Tikki says.

"Then, I guess I'm going to have to leave her with Manon for a little while," Marinette says, flipping some hair away from her earring. "TIKKI, TRANSFORM ME!"


"Have you tried calling her again?" Nadja asks Chat Noir nervously as he pops the last chouquette in his mouth.

"No answer," Chat Noir shrugs. "But she's probably on her way here. You really think she'll let me have all the spotlight?" He laughs, but it does nothing to ease Nadja's nervousness.

She takes note of the red bar on her bracelet, wondering just how she can get the ratings to soar without both superheroes present. She'll surely have the Team Chat viewers

"We're on in fifteen, fourteen, thirteen," a staff member announces.

As he continues counting down, Nadja shuts her eyes, ready for the biggest fail in TV history, when the door suddenly busts open. Surprise by the sudden noise, Nadja opens her eyes and lets out a loud sigh of relief when Ladybug makes a flip in the air and impressively lands right next to Chat Noir at the very last second.

"I thought you decided to stand me up, My Lady," Chat Noir says with fake hurt as he jokingly holds a hand up to his chest.

"And let the audience down? Never," Ladybug smiles. "I'm sorry I'm so late, Nadja."

"As long as you're both here," the reporter grins.

"WE'RE LIVE!" the staff member announces, and Nadja gets right down to business.

"Good evening. I'm Nadja Chamack and this is Face To Face," Nadja begins. "For our first edition, I welcome the beloved heroes of Paris, Ladybug and Chat Noir!"

The camera pans over to the superheroes, and while Ladybug humbly waves, Chat Noir strikes ridiculous poses. When Ladybug sees him do so, she laughs into her palm, making Nadja grow more eager to ask them about the information she acquired about their relationship.

"Thank you so much for accepting this exclusive interview," Nadja says.

"We're honored to be here," Ladybug says.

"Hello to all my fans," Chat Noir winks, blowing a kiss into the camera.

"I'm sure thousands have tuned in to watch you tonight," Nadja encourages.

"Please don't feed his ego," Ladybug says flatly. "Unless you want a cocky cat throughout the entire interview."

"Don't listen to her," Chat Noir scoffs. "Bugaboo's just a spot jealous."

"I am not jealous!" Ladybug snaps, face flushed. "And stop calling me that!"

"Why not, Bugaboo?" Chat Noir teases, chuckling at the annoyed and embarrassed look on her features.

"It's obvious you two are very close," Nadja points out, earning a blush from Ladybug and a raised eyebrow from Chat Noir.

"In a way?" Chat Noir answers. "We're very clearly rivals, so I guess all that time competing against each other did something to our relationship."

Nadja displays an even greater look of excitement at the mention of the word relationship. "People know you, but they don't really know you. We see you saving Paris all the time, but we don't know anything else about you."

"Well, we won't be keeping anything from you, Nadja," Ladybug says. "Besides the obvious, like our secret identities, of course."

"Of course! Now, how about we start a few questions from your biggest fans?" Nadja asks, gesturing over to the wide screen up on the wall. With a swipe of her tablet, a screen with Chloe Bourgeois filing her nails appears onscreen. Chat Noir smiles nervously, while Ladybug's face practically screams annoyance.

"Hello, caller," Nadja greets, and Chloe puts her nail filer away to wave at the screen. "State your name and your question."

"Seriously, Nadja? Surely, no one would be the first caller but me," Chloe scoffs, flipping her ponytail. This makes Ladybug roll her eyes. "I'm only the most prestigious Ladybug fan."

"Oh yes, of course. Hello there, Chloe Bourgeois. Daughter of the mayor of Paris—"

"And don't forget, my Daddy is the manager of the Grand Hotel of Paris, the best luxury hotel in the entire city."

"R-right… thank you for reminding us," Nadja says, making a nervous glance at her bracelet. "What is your question, Chloe?"

"Oh, I don't have a question. I just wanted to say hi because, as you all know, I'm such good friends with Ladybug and Chat Noir!"

"Yeah, right," Ladybug says under her breath.

"Uh, thank you, Chloe," Nadja says as she searches through her tablet. "Next caller."

"Hey, I'm not finished! Who gives you the right to—"

Chloe disappears from the screen and is instead replaced with Alya. Ladybug can only gulp nervously and panic quietly as the scene unfolds before her.

"Hi, Ladybug and Chat Noir!" Alya exclaims. "I'm Alya, and I was wondering if you'd do an interview for the LadyBlog and Miraculous Chat, since I probably have twice as many viewers as Nadja. What do you say?"

Offended, Nadja makes a sour face, and gestures over to Ladybug and Chat Noir to answer the question.

"Anything for my fans," Chat Noir with a wink, making Alya jump excitedly.

"I'd love to do that," Ladybug replies nervously.

"Thank you, thank you!" Alya exclaims.

"Are we on TV?" a little girl suddenly asks, pushing her face into the screen. She gasps, "Hi, Mommy!"

"Manon? Where's Marinette?!" Nadja asks in a panic.

"She had to tell her parents something," Manon answers as she waves at the screen.

"She's probably also helping them out, since it can get pretty busy down at the bakery," Alya adds with a nervous chuckle. "She'll be up soon, don't worry! It's all under control."

Nadja opens her mouth to say something, but she stops herself when her earpiece blinks. When the earpiece stops blinking, the reporter disconnects the call with Alya and Manon, and goes straight to the point, since the calling sequence has no doubt failed.

"Ladybug, Chat Noir," Nadja says, grabbing the heroes' full attention. "It's been speculated that you two are actually dating."

"WHAT?!" Ladybug and Chat Noir exclaim in unison.

"Fans think that the whole rivals thing is just to drive away all suspicion of your real relationship," Nadja says with eagerness and excitement dripping in her voice. "Can you confirm that you're dating here, tonight?"

"I'm very sorry, Nadja, but you've got it all wrong," Chat Noir says firmly. "Ladybug and I are rivals. Plus, there's no way I'd go for someone as clumsy as her."

"That's right—hey!" Ladybug exclaims, turning to Chat Noir to glare at him, while he just innocently whistles. She feels a slight pinch of pain in her chest at what he says, but shrugs it off to tells Nadja, "We're only here to ensure all Parisians that they're safe and that it's only a matter of time before we defeat Hawkmoth."

"Deny it all you want, but these pictures say otherwise," Nadja replies, swiping her tablet.

A picture of Ladybug kissing a red-eyed Chat Noir appears onscreen, making Ladybug shriek in absolute horror.

"YOU KISSED ME?!" Chat Noir screeches, turning to Ladybug with wide eyes and a dropped jaw. "WHEN? WHY?!"

"I WAS SAVING YOU, NOT KISSING YOU!" Ladybug answers, covering her face with her hands to hide the crimson blush on her cheeks.

Nadja continues to swipe at her tablet, making new pictures (that can be easily be misunderstood by the public) appear on the widescreen. One picture is of Chat Noir being held by Ladybug as she swings them across Paris, another is of Chat Noir jumping in front of Ladybug to take the blow instead of her, another is of Ladybug lying on the ground with Chat Noir on top of her, and another is of the two of them sitting over the edge of one of the Eiffel Tower's platforms at sunset.

Chat Noir's eyes grow wider and wider the more pictures Nadja displays on the big screen. What if Marinette sees this? He didn't want her to believe he was in love with Ladybug.

"It's so obvious that you're both in love," Nadja says.

"These are just a bunch of photos taken out of context!" Chat Noir says out of pure frustration. "I can tell you exactly when these pictures took place! We were only doing our job by saving the city!"

Seeing just how strongly he denied it, Ladybug can feel her heart sinking in her chest. Despite this, she adds, "He's right. We are not a couple!"

"Why won't you tell the truth?" Nadja pesters. "Come on, the audience awaits your answer!"

"It is the truth, Nadja," Chat Noir says. "Not only do you reveal a handful of pictures like that without asking us, but you're also trying to pressure us into saying something that isn't true."

Nadja displays a look of shock at his words.

"I was just…" the reporter begins.

"This interview is over," Ladybug says. "And, even if we were, this is private information. We don't need Hawkmoth knowing these kinds of things to try to use it against us."

"I wasn't trying to put you in danger, really," Nadja says in a panic when the two heroes get up from their seats and make their way over to the exit. "Please, don't go! The show isn't over yet! Your fans will be disappointed if they don't get an answer!"

"We already have, Nadja," Chat Noir answers before disappearing behind the door with Ladybug.

The two heroes make their exit through an open window and swing themselves onto the roof of the building. The air is awkward, and Ladybug so wishes she could just jump off the roof at that very moment. She didn't expect the studio to actually have a picture of that kiss.

It's quiet, and very, very eerie. But then Chat Noir breaks the silence, and Ladybug is more than grateful when he does.

"Some hour-long special that turned out to be," Chat Noir mutters, shrinking his staff.

"Nadja was willing to do anything to make her show a success," Ladybug adds.

"If you ask me, I'm more angry about the fact that she displayed all those pictures on the big screen for all of France to see," he grumbles.

"At least we explained that they were taken out of context," Ladybug says.

"I hope she didn't see them…" he mutters under his breath. He says it so quietly that Ladybug barely catches it, but she unfortunately does, and she it hurts a little more than she wanted it to.

She? Ladybug asks herself. Chat Noir already has someone he likes?

She should've expected it—they lived double lives; it shouldn't be a surprise that he found someone he liked in his civilian form. But Ladybug continued to hope that that wasn't the case. She continued to hope that he would like her one day.

She sighs.

At the end of the day, he only sees her as a rival.

"I should head home," Chat Noir says, snapping her out of her sad thoughts. "I wasn't expecting to get back this early, but I might as well get some rest before patrol tonight."

Ladybug merely nods and follows after him when he jumps off the building and lands on one of the roofs nearby. They run across the rooftops together, but upon meeting the edge of one, a bright light blinds them, making them stop in their tracks. When they open up their eyes to see what's going on, they gasp to find a wide screen displaying an android-looking woman with red hair and a face that may very well just be a screen.

"Don't be bemused, it's just the news!" she exclaims. "I'll be your host for tonight, Prime Queen!"

"NADJA?" Ladybug and Chat Noir exclaim in unison.

"Tonight, Ladybug and Cat Noir disappointed all their loyal fans by refusing to admit their love for one another," Prime Queen says. She then jumps back, making a screen appear next to her. By the looks of it, it appears to be Chloe Bourgeois' room. "I've prepared some trials just to see how far they're prepared to keep the truth hidden from us."

Chloe looks into the screen and shrieks upon realizing what is happening. Ladybug and Chat Noir close their eyes when bright light flashes onscreen, and when it ceases, they open them up again to see Prime Queen standing next to Chloe.

"Hey, you're not allowed in here!" Chloe thunders. She then turns her head towards the door, screaming, "Security!"

While she isn't looking, Prime Queen throws some rope in her direction, tying her up tightly. She then pulls the blonde towards her, saying, "Let's welcome our very first guest, Chloe Bourgeois, who's apparently a personal friend of our two superheroes."

"I certainly am," Chloe scoffs.

"Just proves that you can't believe everything you see on TV," Ladybug says flatly as Chat Noir heavily sighs at Chloe's answer.

"Oh, really?" Prime Queen smirks. "Well then, Chloe, let's find out if you really can count on them as true friends."

With a snap of the akumatized villain's fingers, Chloe's room disappears in the background, and is quickly replaced with what appears to be a subway train. After pushing Chloe to the ground, Prime Queen disappears beyond a screen and reappears in the driver's cart.

"Wh-who are you?!" the driver exclaims.

After stopping at the next subway station, the driver runs out of the cart, allowing Prime Queen to take control of the entire train. The villain pushes a lever forward, making the subway's regular speed of 40 kilometers per hour skyrocket to over 120 kilometers per hour. Ladybug and Chat Noir can hear passengers screaming for help in the background.

"Welcome to the subway of suspense! Let's see how fast this thing can go!" Prime Queen cackles. The watch on her arm suddenly blinks, and when she looks down at it, a grin creeps up on her face. "Well, would you look at that—the ratings are rising! More and more of you want to know if our superhero friends will get here on time. Ladybug, Chat Noir! Are you willing to travel through the screen to save your oh-so-precious friend, Chloe?"

Chat Noir takes out his staff and extends it, allowing it to go through the screen to see if they would actually be able to go through. Once he gets confirmation that they indeed can, he reduces his staff to its regular size and turns to his rival, bowing to her in a teasing fashion.

"Ladies first," Chat Noir smirks.

"What if it's a trap? I think it's better we get there through our own means," Ladybug offers.

"There are many subway lines in Paris, which means a hundred and forty miles of rails. If we want to get there on time to capture that akuma, I don't think we have a choice," Chat Noir says matter-of-factly.

"Fine, I admit you have a point," Ladybug huffs, backing up to make the jump. Chat Noir does the same. "But don't complain to me if it does turn out to be a trap."

"I'll take my chances," Chat Noir says.

After a quick count of three, Ladybug and Chat Noir run towards the edge of the roof and jump off the building, right into the screen.

After a flash of light, Ladybug is the first to land in the subway cart, and she actually manages to land perfectly. Chat Noir flies out of the screen not long after, knocking Ladybug right off her feet and landing right on top of her. Chat Noir rolls off immediately so as to not create another misunderstanding—he'd hate to see a picture of that on the news the following day.

"And I thought cats always landed on their feet," Ladybug smirks as she gets off the floor.

"Oh, shut up," Chat Noir says flatly, standing up and dusting himself off.

"Ugh, finally. What took you so long?!" Chloe shouts. Ladybug and Chat Noir give each other a look before turning back to the blonde. "Hurry up and get me out of this underground nightmare!"

The subway train suddenly makes a jolt, causing Chloe to fall to the floor, but neither Ladybug nor Chat Noir make an effort to help her back up.

"You're about to be the stars of the highest rated show in all of TV history!" a familiar voice exclaims. The two rivals look up to find Prime Queen at the other end of the cart, pointing at her watch after her announcement.

"The akuma must be in that watch," Ladybug says, twirling her yoyo.

"Definitely," Chat Noir says, charging forward.

Ladybug launches her yoyo and Chat Noir throws his staff at the villain, who dodges the attacks effortlessly. Without making a single attack, Prime Queen merely smirks and jumps through one of the screens, which Ladybug manages to break it immediately after. Chat Noir sprints towards the door and wiggles the handle in hopes of getting to the driver's cart, only to curse under his breath after realizing it's locked.

"We're trapped!" he yells in frustration.

"The rules for my show are simple," Prime Queen says from the screens. "Admit the truth live on television that you're dating and in love, and I'll stop the train!"

"Like we'd admit to something that isn't true!" Chat Noir shouts.

"I want my scoop!" Prime Queen yells back.

"Chat Noir, there's no way out of this unless we play along," Ladybug whispers to him.

"Play along?" Chat Noir repeats. His face then falls, and he groans, "Don't tell me you mean we have to fake being in love."

"It's the only way to lure her in here for one of us to get close enough to capture her akuma," Ladybug reasons, holding her hand out. After a moment of hesitation, Chat Noir takes her hand, making his rival's face turn a very obvious cherry red.

"Alright, Prime Queen, you win," Ladybug says, pulling Chat Noir closer to her, who tries his very best to hide his discomfort and annoyance. "We're in love."

"Say that one more time," Prime Queen demands.

Ladybug looks over at Chat Noir longingly, and says, "I love Chat Noir."

The train slows down, coming to a sharp halt, and making Chloe fall over the umpteenth time that day. The two rivals fall forward, resulting his Chat Noir being backed up against a wall, and Ladybug smashing into his chest. After realizing what just happened, Ladybug looks up and after seeing just how close they are, her face turns an even darker shade of red.

"…Are you okay?" Chat Noir asks with a raised eyebrow. "You're seriously heating up."

Ladybug jumps a whole meter back. "I-I'm fine," she replies as she plays with her bangs.

"Our two heroic lovebirds are saving their fan's life by admitting their true feelings," Prime Queen announces, clasping her hands together. "Our viewers are going crazy! But—our TV ratings haven't maxed out yet. We need more!"

"Come and join us, then," Chat Noir replies. "You're the host and the star of the show after all. Maybe then you'll have your ratings."

"I'm afraid not," Prime Queens shakes her head. "To prove that your feelings are genuine, you're going to have to take off your masks, which means you must both give me your Miraculous!"

"Not a chance!" Ladybug exclaims.

Annoyed by their insubordination, Prime Queen shuts off the screens, making them all fade to black. Chat Noir walks over to one of them, humming questionably when he knocks on it a couple of times and nothing happens.

"Is the show over?" he asks.

The screen turns on again, making him jump back and take his staff out to get ready to attack. The superheroes gasp when they see Prime Queen standing in the middle of the Egyptian exhibit at the Louvre.

"My dear viewers, you are in for the reveal of a lifetime!" she cackles, walking over to a sarcophagus. She opens it up to reveal Alya tied up and wiggling around to try to break free.

"Ladybug, Chat Noir, help!" Alya screams before the sarcophagus shuts in her face.

"Oh wait, isn't this the girl who started the famous LadyBlog and Miraculous Chat?" Prime Queen asks, holding a hand up to her mouth. "The first one who ever filmed our two heroes?"

"Alya!" Ladybug exclaims in horror.

"Next trial, hand over your Miraculous or else your biggest fan will be mummified!" Prime Queen announces.

The screen Chat Noir knocked on earlier suddenly lights up, and he nearly falls over since he was leaning on it. He pulls his arm back, making the screen go static.

"Guess this is the only way out," Chat Noir says.

"Hurry before she shuts it off again!" Ladybug exclaims.

With a nod, Chat Noir jumps through the screen, and Ladybug follows him right after. It's only after they go through the screen that they realize they left Chloe in the subway train, and that they realize how gullible they were to believe that Prime Queen would actually take them to the Louvre.

Ladybug and Chat Noir fall out of the screen, automatically grabbing their arms to warm themselves up from the cold. Rather than taking them to the Louvre, Prime Queen teleported them to what appears to be a restaurant's freezer.

Chat Noir jumps to his feet and tries to pry the door open, but to no avail. A screen lights up next to them, revealing Prime Queen laughing maniacally.

"Why are there even screens in here?!" Chat Noir yells.

"The time has come to push those ratings sky high! Let's try this again," Prime Queen says, pulling the sarcophagus into view. "Reveal your secret identities to the world or watch your biggest fan drown."

Prime Queen snaps her fingers, making one of the many screens near her light up to reveal the Seine. She pushes the sarcophagus into it, stopping halfway through and smirking upon hearing the two rivals gasp.

"Hurry up, you two. Don't want to keep your audience waiting," the villain winks.

"You're right," Ladybug says, taking her yoyo out. "LUCKY CHARM!" She throws her yoyo in the air, and after a flash of light, a tape roll falls into her hands instead. "A tape roll? What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Normally I'd day something sarcastic, but I'm more confused as to how you were even able to throw your yoyo with the freezer being this cramped," Chat Noir says.

Ladybug looks around the room, following the ladybug-printed pattern with her eyes, and her face lights up when she realizes what she has to do. She rummages through the shelves, shoving back potatoes, frozen meat cutlets, and stacks of butter. After frantically pulling out a couple of more tubs, she sighs in relief after taking out an empty box of pizza.

"Got a delivery?" Chat Noir asks when Ladybug throws it to him.

"Quickly undo the box and hold it over the screens," Ladybug says, pulling the tape. With a nod, Chat Noir does as he's told, and they both take a step back to admire their work.

"What's happening?" they hear Prime Queen says in a panicked voice.

"You win, Prime Queen," Ladybug says. "We'll remove our Miraculous. The whole world will see us without our masks!"

"Such a shame you're missing it," Chat Noir adds.

"If you're lying, you're going to regret it," the akumatized victim says.

Prime Queen's fist suddenly pops out of the screen, punching a hole through the pizza box. Ladybug reacts immediately by pulling her into the freezer with them, and Chat Noir breaks the two screens with his staff to erase any chance she has of escaping.

"And now, you're stuck with us," Chat Noir grins.

Prime Queen charges at Ladybug and tries to punch her, but the superhero moves out of the way at the last second and performs a series of wrestling moves to pin her to the floor. Ladybug then grabs the arm the watch is on and smashes it against the floor, making the akumatized item crack and release the black butterfly.

Ladybug successfully catches the akuma with her compact, painting it white as snow. "MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!" she yells, throwing the tape roll into the air, and releasing a series of magic dust and ladybugs to bring everything back to normal.

Chat Noir places a hand on the freezer's doorknob, smiling to himself to find it unlocked. He opens it up, letting the white butterfly fly away as he mocks Ladybug by saying, "Bye bye, little butterfly."

"You're never going to let that go, are you?" Ladybug groans.

"I'll be making fun of it until we're old and gray," Chat Noir says as he childishly sticks his tongue out.

A black and violet cloud envelopes Prime Queen, and when it fades away, Nadja Chamack sits in her place, holding the sides of her head to ease the painful pounding in her head.

"What happened?" Nadja asks as Ladybug and Chat Noir help the reporter back on her feet.

"You were akumatized by Hawkmoth," Ladybug answers, and watches as Nadja gasps and hang her head low.

"All because I tried to force you both to admit to something that's not true," Nadja says guiltily. "I'm sorry, both of you. I just wanted to attract more viewers."

"I may have a way of helping you with that," Ladybug says.

"You do?" Nadja asks hopefully.

"Just leave it to me," Ladybug nods.


"Don't be bemused, it's just the news!"

A few days later finds Marinette and Alya sitting on the couch in the former's living room, holding the latter's phone after getting a notification that the newest episode of Side by Side has been uploaded online. Manon pops out from behind the couch to watch the video with her two babysitters.

"Hi, I'm Nadja Chamack, and this is Side by Side," Nadja says into the camera. "Today, I'm joined by Alya Cesaire, creator of the LadyBlog and Miraculous Chat! Together, we'll be looking back over Chat Noir and Ladybug's greatest feats."

"Hello, Nadja! Hello, fans!" Alya exclaims as she waves to the camera. "So, first of all, I have to set the record straight. Ladybug and Chat Noir are not dating. Well, not yet at least. We can always hope!"

"Hey, that's you with Mommy!" Manon exclaims while pointing to the screen.

"You got it," Alya winks.

"Now, everyone's going to know about your blogs!" Marinette exclaims.

"Want an autograph?" Alya asks jokingly.

"Of course!" Marinette laughs.


It's one, almost two in the morning, when Ladybug finds herself hopping from roof to roof to meet up with Chat Noir for patrol. They're meeting up a little later than usual, and she knows that she's going to have a hard time staying awake in her classes the following morning, but if sacrificing a little bit of sleep is what it takes to spend a little more time with Chat Noir, then she'd do it any day.

From where she stands, she can trace Chat Noir's silhouette under the shining moonlight. She makes it to the top of the Eiffel Tower with the help of her yoyo, landing right behind her rival.

"Sorry I'm late," Ladybug apologizes. "I had a few things to take care of back at home. Ready to go?"

"Have a seat," Chat Noir says, gesturing over to the spot next to him. He doesn't turn around, and instead continues looking straight ahead. "We can sit here for a while before going for patrol."

"Oh, uh," is all Ladybug says as she sits about a meter away from him. "Did you want to talk about something?"

"I do, actually," Chat Noir says, turning to look her in the eye. "During our first interview with Nadja… Mind telling me what that kiss was all about?"

Ladybug's face turns a bright shade of red, and Chat Noir's eyes widen when he notices this.

"Um, are you all right?" he asks, moving closer to place a hand on her forehead. This just makes Ladybug blush even harder. "You're really heating up."

"I'm fine!" Ladybug exclaims, smacking his hand away. She then proceeds to cover her face with her hands to hide her blush for the second time that day.

"No need to slap so hard," Chat Noir grumbles, shaking his hand. When the blush on Ladybug's face goes down, he tries again, "It happened during Dark Cupid, didn't it?"

"Y-yes…" Ladybug replies. "When he hit you, he reversed your feelings for me. You were saying a bunch of things like how you loved me and how you wanted to become partners."

"Oh, that sounds terrible," Chat Noir says. "And I'm guessing the only way to break the spell was a kiss?"

Ladybug nods, looking down at her hands to avoid eye contact.

"Well, if that's the case, thanks for saving me," Chat Noir says, leaning back. He then smirks, "Even if that meant I had to be kissed by a klutz like you."

"Stop bringing it up!" Ladybug screams as Chat Noir stifles his laughter at her reaction. "Ugh, if I knew you were going to be like this, I shouldn't have saved you at all!"

"Like I've said before, we're not partners, so there was no need to," Chat Noir says. His face softens, however, and he scratches the back of his head as he says, "But… thanks anyway."

"What?" Ladybug blinks.

"Thanks for saving me even when you didn't need to," he says, giving her a smile.

Ladybug smiles back, and her heart makes a flip in her chest. "Thank you, too," she says.

"For what?" Chat Noir asks.

"You've saved me multiple times…" As both Ladybug and Marinette, she wants to add. "It was about time I did the same thing for you."

Chat Noir says nothing and merely shoots her another smile, making Ladybug feel so lucky to have seen him smile so much in one evening—and for her. Minutes pass as they sit in silence, but while Chat Noir is admiring the city that's still bustling with life even at this late hour, Ladybug rocks nervously in her seat as thoughts run through her mind nonstop.

She knows that it's technically none of her business, but after hearing Chat Noir whisper to himself a few days ago about a girl, she just wants to know if she heard right. It's definitely going to break her heart if he does in fact already have someone he likes or someone he's dating, but… she just really wants to know.

"Um, Chat Noir?" Ladybug asks, breaking the silence.

"Hm?" he answers.

Ladybug takes a deep breath. "Well, I, uh… A few days ago, after we walked out on the interview with Nadja, I kind of overheard you say… something while we on the roof."

"What is that something?" Chat Noir asks.

"You said something about hoping she didn't see the pictures of us Nadja put up on the big screen," Ladybug finally says after a moment of hesitation.

Her question is already answered when Chat Noir's face turns a bright shade of red. "Y-you heard that?" he stutters, attempting to cover his face with a hand. "Wow, I should really keep my mouth shut."

"Is she… your girlfriend in your civilian life?" Ladybug asks quietly. Chat Noir is too busy freaking out to notice her shoulders droop in defeat.

"What's gotten you so interested all of a sudden?" Chat Noir asks after calming himself down.

"I just wanted to know," Ladybug says. "There's no use hiding it now, since your reaction gave it away."

"Well, if you really want to know," Chat Noir begins. "I don't have a girlfriend… but I do have someone I really like."

"Oh," is all Ladybug says. She pushes away the pain for now, clutching her fists and standing right up. "We should go around for patrol."

Chat Noir looks up at her, taking notice of her weird behavior. But he doesn't question it, and instead, he just nods.

"Let's go."


"He already has someone he likes," Marinette says as she plops onto her bed and buries her face into her pillow.

Tikki flies over to her and gently pats her head. "It's alright, Marinette," the kwami assures her. "You still have a chance."

"I have no chance, Tikki," Marinette says, turning around to frown at the little ladybug. "I see him every day, but I can't even get him to look at me as more than just a rival."

"You just have to keep trying, as Marinette and as Ladybug," Tikki says.

"You're right, I can't give up now," Marinette sighs. She takes a quick glance at the calendar on her nightstand, and asks, "Do you think… he'd come to dinner if Ladybug asked him?"

"It's worth a try," Tikki smiles.

Marinette grabs the calendar, eyes glued to a date exactly five days away.

"Yeah," she says softly. "It is."

end card


A/N: I'm sure we all hoped for Ladybug and Chat Noir to talk about the kiss at the end of the Prime Queen episode. I was pretty sad it never came up again. ;A;

I decided to end this chapter by giving you all a little tease to what's coming next: Glaciator! It's definitely going to be interesting, since it's reversed. Rather than a MariChat moment on the roof, get ready for a Ladrien one!

Thank you for reading!

Akuma Capture:
Ladybug: 1
Chat Noir: 2

Next Episode: Glaciator