Who Needs You?
Episode 09
Frightningale: Sing Sweet Frightningale
Knock, knock.
Adrien stops in the middle of his piano piece and gets up from his seat, gesturing for Plagg to hide. The kwami flies right into his holder's pocket, and once fully hidden from view, Adrien walks over to his bedroom's door. He swings it open to reveal Nathalie looking down at him with her usual cold, apathetic stare.
"Adrien, your father is calling you," she says monotonously.
She turns around and heads for the stairs, while Adrien follows three steps behind. Nathalie leads him into Gabriel Agreste's atelier, where the man in question stands in front of his wide touchscreen tablet located near the late Emilie's portrait. Adrien frowns at the sight of his mother before turning his attention to his father, who clears his throat.
"The famous Clara Nightingale will be filming her newest music video in Paris," Gabriel states. "I just got off the phone with her agent, and we've just received confirmation that the Agreste Fashion brand will be a sponsor for her newest music video."
Nathalie walks over to Adrien and hands him a Chat Noir costume, complete with a belt, bell, and face mask. Upon realizing what it is, Adrien's eyes widen and he panics, "Father, wait—!"
"I'm not giving you a choice, Adrien. You're doing it and that's final," Gabriel says. "It will be an excellent promotion for the upcoming opening of our stores in South Korea and China. On top of that, I've been designing Clara's costumes since she started out. She was very pleased with my humble suggestion of using you. She's only seen you in our advertisements, but she does admire you a lot. I'm hoping you won't let us down."
"Of course not, Father…" Adrien says dejectedly, clutching the costume.
"Nathalie and your driver will take you to the Grand Palais now. You'll have your own trailer to change into. I'm expecting results nothing short of excellent," Gabriel says.
"Yes, Father," Adrien says, walking out of the room between his bodyguard and his father's assistant.
"Wow, great choice of fabric! And these seams? Amazing!" Plagg exclaims when Adrien gets his Chat Noir costume on.
"What do you mean amazing?" Adrien asks in a panic. "There's no way I can go out wearing this!"
Plagg places a paw on his chin and hums in thought. "You know what? You're right," the kwami says. "It's the bell. I always thought it was ridiculous, and now seeing it up close, it is much. Then again, the costume is based off of what you wanted deep down, so—"
"Plagg, I didn't ask you to give me a review on my costume," Adrien scowls. "I was talking about how everyone's going to know that I'm the real Chat Noir once they see me wearing this!"
"No way, people are blind," Plagg guffaws. "You need to relax. It's going to be fine."
Knock, knock, knock.
"Are you ready, Adrien?" the stagehand asks from the other side of the door.
"U-uh, coming! Just give me a minute!" Adrien exclaims. With his mask in hand, he turns around and stuffs it under a pile of folded clothes resting on a shelf. "If they see me with this mask on, they're all going to recognize me for sure. I can't wear it."
"I told you, people are blind!" Plagg groans.
"We can't be so sure about that," Adrien says. "I know that Ladybug's smart enough not to audition for her role, but if she so happens to be a fan of Clara's, she'd recognize me in a heartbeat if she watches the music video."
"Oh please, Chat Noir is so different from Adrien, it'll be hard to tell," Plagg says. "But if you're so scared, try to get out of character. Just be normal Adrien when you're playing as Chat Noir. Deliver the puns so horribly to fool them all."
"You know what? That's actually a good idea," Adrien nods. "And hopefully, they think that I'm so unfit for the role that they get someone else to play Chat Noir."
He urges Plagg to hide in his pocket and opens up the door to his trailer, gasping when he sees the two enormous lines of people by the colorful stage. One line is for those interested in auditioning for the role of Ladybug, while the other serves as a line for the extras.
Clara Nightingale suddenly hops out of the trailer in front of his and runs over to the stage, waving an excited arm in the air as she holds her microphone to her mouth. Everyone stares in awe at her signature pink microphone, complete with a sparkly silver star and glitter.
"Thank you for coming, all of you!" Clara exclaims. "This is like a dream come true!"
The crowd below her makes the auditorium echo with cheers and claps, which just makes Adrien gulp nervously and he slowly makes his way over to the stage.
Clara sees him coming from the corner of her eye, and then points a finger at him, grinning, "And now, meet our rising star; Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir!"
As Adrien walks over to the stage, he waves nervously at the cheering crowd, eyes widening when he catches Marinette in the line for the extras. She has on a confused and thoughtful look on her face, making him panic internally—Chat Noir's partnered up with Marinette in the past, so it wouldn't be a surprise to him if she grew a little suspicious.
Adrien turns away from her first and walks over to Nathalie, where she's standing at the bottom of the stage's stairs holding a tablet with his father on video call.
"The costume fits you like a glove, as I knew it would," Gabriel comments. "Where is your mask?"
"I couldn't find it anywhere," Adrien shrugs.
"I'll take care of it!" a nearby intern exclaims, sprinting to Adrien's trailer.
"W-wait—!" Adrien tries before getting cut off by Clara.
"No big deal, it's okay. We don't need the mask for try-outs anyway!" Clara says, pulling Adrien by the arm onto the stage. She then points to the line-up on her left, exclaiming, "Ladybugs, please make your way on stage!"
The first girl in line grins widely, but clumsily trips on her way up the stairs. Adrien quickly hurries to her side and helps her up, chuckling, "Well, you've certainly got Ladybug's clumsiness right."
At his words, the girl, clearly an avid fan of Adrien's, turns bright red and sprints off the stage and out the door hiding her face with her hands. Laughing awkwardly, Clara ushers the next girl to the stage, who presents an impressive routine with a toy yo-yo… if she didn't end up getting Adrien and herself all tied up. The next potential Ladybug performs a skit with a fake yo-yo as well; however, after yelling Lucky Charm! and throwing her yo-yo in the air, the item hits the lamplight above, making everyone cover their mouths in shock.
"Didn't I tell you Adrien looks a bit like Chat Noir?" Alya asks Marinette as they watch the next Ladybug walk onto the stage.
"I don't see it," Marinette huffs stubbornly, crossing her arms and closing her eyes. She lifts open an eye not too long after to take another look at Adrien, hating to admit to herself that he does look just a tiny bit like her superhero rival.
"Having fun checking him out?" Alya smirks, sliding into her view.
"I am not," Marinette scowls, shutting her eye once more. Alya can only laugh at her best friend's reaction.
Ladybug after Ladybug, Clara grows more and more frustrated at being unable to find the one. Before she knows it, the line for the Ladybug auditions dissipates, leaving her in disappointment. Clara glances over at the line of people wanting to audition as extras, smiling to herself when an idea comes to mind.
She rushes over to the snack bar and picks up the plate of chouquettes, making her way over to the line for the extras.
"You all must be starving from all this waiting, though we're not done yet," Clara says with a smile. "How about some chouquettes?"
Clara walks down the steps, making her way towards the crowd and flashing her fans a pearly-white grin. She passes some chouquettes to the auditionees in front, but while making her way towards the middle, she makes herself trip on purpose, face-planting the floor and sending the chouquettes flying.
While everyone simply gasps as she lies on the ground, Marinette rushes to her side to help her up.
"Are you all right?" Marinette asks, grabbing Clara's hands. "That looked like it hurt!"
Clara quickly jumps to her feet, startling Marinette, before ambushing her with a tight hug. Marinette nearly faints because she's just been hugged by one of her favorite artists, but she internally screams at herself to keep it together as Clara lets go.
"Everyone, listen up!" Clara exclaims, taking one of Marinette's hands and lifting it up in the air. "This is our Ladybug!"
"What?!" Marinette yells above all the cheers, gasps, and complaints. "W-wait—hold on—!"
"I choose you because what you did, Ladybug would've done the same," Clara grins. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your name?"
"Marinette," she answers.
"Marinette! Say it so," Clara says, letting go of Marinette's hand and clasping her own hands together. "Please be Ladybug in my music video?"
"I—you see, uh…" Marinette stutters, glancing down at her purse.
"Oh, right! One second, before we go too far," Clara laughs, taking Marinette's hand and dragging her up on stage. "We also have to see how our Ladybug fares with our Chat Noir!"
Clara pushes Marinette towards Adrien, who catches her before she can fall. Clara is aware of how often the real superhero duo argue, and she wants the exact same dynamic for the Ladybug and Chat Noir in her music video. Although aboard the Ladybug and Chat Noir ship, she's just about to take back her offer for Ladybug upon seeing the two holding each other a few seconds too long, when…
"Let go of me, you weirdo!" Marinette exclaims with burning cheeks, pushing herself off of Adrien.
"What?! That's the thanks I get for saving you from falling?!" Adrien asks in disbelief, ears bright red.
"You two know each other?" Clara asks them in surprise, breaking out of character for a moment.
"We're friends," Marinette quickly says, making what feels like a strike of lightning hit Adrien in the chest.
"Yeah," Adrien says in slight disappointment. "Can you believe I'm friends with such a klutz? She's always tripping over her own feet and falling everywhere."
"Hey! I didn't trip this time, I—" Marinette begins.
"Are you saying Clara pushed you?" Adrien smirks.
Marinette grits her teeth. "Why, you…" she grumbles.
"Wow! Your relationship is so similar to Ladybug and Chat Noir's, I'd love it if you two were the stars!" Clara exclaims, placing an arm around both Adrien and Marinette's shoulders and bringing them close to her face. "Please Marinette, won't you say yes? It would be simply the best!"
Marinette glances at her friends in the crowd, then at Tikki tucked neatly in her purse, and then she sighs, looking back into Clara's pleading eyes.
"I'm sorry, Clara," Marinette apologizes, making Clara's shoulders slump. "This is hard for me to even say because I'm one of your biggest fans, but… I came here to be an extra with my friends, and I want us to be all together as extras."
"I understand, I don't want to force you," Clara says, taking her hands off of their shoulders. "To choose to stay with your friends is very Ladybug of you."
Clara leads Marinette off the stage and gestures for her to sit on one of the chairs laid out in front of her trailer.
"Which ones are your friends?" Clara asks. Marinette quickly points over to Alya, Mylene, Alix, Juleka, and Rose, who wave over at them enthusiastically. "Perfect, I'll go get them. Just wait here for the makeup, all right?"
"Thank you so much, Clara," Marinette smiles.
"You're welcome," Clara grins. She then winks, "Oh, and if you ever change your mind, let me know! You're my first choice as Ladybug."
A few moments later, Marinette lets out a surprised yelp when her friends ambush her with tight hugs and giggles.
"You turned down the role of Ladybug for us?" Mylene asks, touched.
"We said we'd stay together, right?" Marinette grins, earning her yet another hug. "Besides, we all know I'm on Team Chat."
"It would've been like you were talking to Chat Noir," Rose laughs as they all turn to look at Adrien.
"Are you kidding? I wouldn't have been able to take Adrien seriously as Chat Noir," Marinette chortles. "Chat Noir is way cooler than Adrien."
"Thank you all so much for coming!" a familiar voice suddenly exclaims, making everyone turn towards the entrance. "You can all go home now, since we know who Clara's going to pick."
A girl wearing a perfect replica of the Ladybug costume, all complete with a mask, wig, and yo-yo, makes her way towards the stage, cutting the line.
"Oh no," Adrien says, burying his face in his hands.
Seeing the reaction of her Chat Noir, Clara Nightingale turns back towards this mystery girl, jumping in surprise to find her standing right in front of her.
"You made quite the entrance, you surprised me," Clara laughs nervously. "If you don't mind me asking, who may you be?"
"Uh, your Ladybug?" she answers as if it were obvious. "Chloe Bourgeois. So, when does shooting begin?"
Taken slightly aback by this arrogant girl, Clara is just about to give her a piece of her mind, when Adrien speaks up for her.
"Chloe, everyone has to audition. You know that," Adrien sighs.
"Oh, of course! May I start now?" Chloe asks Clara, who moves aside to give her the spotlight. "Music please!"
When Clara's newest song blares from the speakers, Chloe opens with a pirouette and lands gracefully in a split, making everyone's jaw drop in surprise and amazement. She performs a series of expert moves, be it handstands, y-stands, or split leaps, and she does it all flawlessly with confidence.
Everyone cheers and claps after Chloe's audition, save for Marinette, who clutches her fists so tightly her knuckles turn white. Marinette tries to convince herself that she's just angry because she can't stand the idea of Chloe playing as her, but a tiny part of her feels just a smidge—dare she say it—jealous that Chloe would be all over Adrien throughout the shooting. She shakes away the thought, glaring daggers at her longtime school bully, who's currently basking in the glory of being praised by nearly everyone in the room.
"Eight years of private lessons with Aurelie Dupont from the Paris Opera made this possible! Thank you, thank you," Chloe says, bowing to the crowd. She then turns to Clara, asking, "So? Was that enough for you?"
"Hm… well, you've definitely got enough talent to me," Clara says, glancing over at Adrien. "But you and Chat Noir need to be a good match, you see."
"We're a perfect match," Chloe says, wrapping two arms around Adrien's neck. "Adrien and I have known each other since we were kids!"
"That's good to know, that would've been great," Clara says, laughing nervously. "If not for the fact that in their relationship, there's both love and hate."
"L-love?!" Adrien blurts out.
"It may not be obvious to all of us," Clara sighs dreamily. "But despite their arguments, there's care and trust."
Clara makes her way down the stairs and over to Nathalie to consult Gabriel Agreste, who's thankfully still on the line. "What do you think, Gabriel?" the singer asks.
"Artistically speaking, the young lady with pigtails would've been ideal… but it's time to start filming. We'll make do with Chloe Bourgeois," Gabriel nods.
"I trust you," Clara says, making her way back up on stage. "Everyone, give it up for our chosen Ladybug—"
"Wait just one second!" Clara, Chloe, and Adrien turn to the voice to find Marinette standing a few feet away, arms akimbo. She continues, "I've changed my mind. I do want to play Ladybug!"
Clara's face brightens up immediately, and she rushes over to her with open arms. After another quick hug, she exclaims, "This will be the greatest music video yet! Thank you so much, Marinette!"
"I'm sorry Chloe, she was my first choice," Clara apologizes to the fuming girl. "Would you still like to be an extra?"
"Me? An extra?" Chloe yells in outrage. "Never! I want only the best or nothing! Ridiculous!"
Chloe storms off the stage and out the door, making Adrien shake his head at her childish antics. She promised that she would try to be a little nicer, but it doesn't look like she's trying at all. He understands that it can take time, but it's been weeks now since the whole Despair Bear fiasco, meaning it's been weeks since she promised to change. He really does hope that he won't have to officially break off their friendship.
Marinette is escorted to Clara's trailer, where she's handed a perfect replica of the Ladybug costume and accessories. She gulps at the sight of it, shutting the door slowly behind her, and ready to be scolded by Tikki.
"Marinette," the kwami begins, shaking her head in disappointment. "You really went ahead to risk your secret identity all because you were jealous?"
Marinette's jaw drops. "I wasn't jealous!" she fights. "I just hated the idea of Chloe playing as me!"
"Whatever you say," Tikki says, turning away so that her holder can change into the outfit.
"Ugh, I really messed up this time," Marinette groans and she puts on the costume. Once done, she walks over to the mirror to examine herself and buries her face in her hands. "It's too well-done! Everyone out there is going to know I'm Ladybug the moment I put on this mask!"
"You need to find a way to get out of this, understand?" Tikki sighs.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Are you ready, Marinette?" the stagehand asks.
"Y-yes, be right there!" Marinette exclaims, rushing over to the door. She eyes the Ladybug mask in her hand and runs over to the shelf in the corner of the trailer, stuffing the mask beneath a heap of clothes.
Marinette swings open the door, only to be greeted by the cheers of all the chosen extras, including her friends, who all have their cellphones out to take pictures of Marinette and Adrien in their costumes.
"They really look like the real deal, huh?" Marinette hears Alya ask aloud, making her gulp.
Marinette makes her way back to the stage, joining a blushing Adrien and an excited Clara.
"You look wonderful, Ladybug!" Clara says, twirling Marinette around. She asks Adrien, "Don't you think so, Chat Noir?"
Despite the red on his cheeks, Adrien crosses his arms and turns his body, saying, "She could use a bit more work."
"You jerk," Marinette scowls, crossing her arms and turning her body the other way so that their backs would be facing each other.
Clara's more than thrilled upon witnessing their dynamic—she just knows she picked the perfect duo for the roles. Clara calls her choreographer up on stage, who shows Adrien and Marinette the dance moves for the music video. While Adrien memorizes the moves after just two practices, Marinette lags behind, having just a bit of trouble remembering the last bit of the choreography.
"Your dances moves need to be synchronized," Clara laughs. "Maybe it'll help if you hold hands?"
"Hold hands?!" Adrien and Marinette exclaim at the same time.
"Wait, wait, wait," Marinette says, waving her two hands. "Chat Noir would never hold Ladybug's hand. Isn't that a little out of character?"
"It might be so, but I don't think they'd mind if it's just a music video!" Clara exclaims, grabbing their hands and making them intertwine their fingers together like lovers do.
Adrien and Marinette's faces turn a deep shade of red, and they steal a quick glance at each other before turning away shyly. A camera flash suddenly goes off, ruining the moment, and making the two look to the bottom of the stage to find a sheepish Alya behind her cellphone.
"Oh, my bad. Carry on," Alya deadpans, turning off her flash to snap another picture.
"Alya!" Marinette thunders, which only makes Alya, Mylene, Alix, Rose, and Juleka laugh into their palms even more.
Forced to hold hands for the rest of the dance practice, Adrien notices that he likes the feeling of being able to hold Marinette's hand. As for Marinette, part of her wishes she was holding the hand of her superhero rival, but maybe, she thinks, holding her civilian rival's hand isn't so bad after all.
When Marinette makes a little mistake near the end, she apologizes nonstop to Clara and her choreographer, telling them over and over that she promises she won't make the same mistake again during the real thing.
"No need to worry, I know you'll do well," Clara tells her before walking over to the extras to give them some final instructions.
"I'm such a klutz," Marinette says to herself, using her free hand to place it over her face.
Adrien suddenly squeezes her hand, making her freeze. She looks up at him to find him smiling down at her. It wasn't a teasing smirk, or a stifled laugh, but rather, a supportive smile that he so rarely gives.
"Don't think about it too much," Adrien says softly. "You'll do fine."
Marinette looks up at him with wide eyes. She and Adrien may have established this whole rivalry between them from the beginning, but lately, he's been so kind to her, she just can't ignore it. While she claims her heart is set on Chat Noir, slowly, she can feel her heartstrings getting pulled just a tiny bit whenever Adrien does something so sweet for her.
And that thought alone scares her.
Before she could think more of it, Clara approaches the two.
"You can stop holding hands now," she winks. Adrien and Marinette let go of each other's hands, making frantic arm gestures before placing their arms behind their backs. "Now, it's time for your final task. Ladybug, Chat Noir—put on your masks!"
"Mask?" Adrien and Marinette ask in unison.
"U-uh, you see, I was given the costume, but the mask was nowhere to be found," Adrien says quickly.
"I-I was told that the masks would be distributed later, so no mask for me!" Marinette says in a panic.
"Oh, I see," Clara says, tapping a finger on her chin. "Well, good thing we have extras!"
Adrien and Marinette audibly gasp when she ushers for an intern to go fetch an extra Ladybug mask and an extra Chat Noir one. The intern runs in not too long after, waving the two masks in hand before gently placing them in Clara's hands.
"For you," Clara says, giving Marinette the Ladybug mask. "And for you," she grins, giving Adrien the Chat Noir mask.
Adrien and Marinette look down at the masks in their hands, both feeling their respective kwamis shaking in their pocket. The room suddenly goes quiet, everyone in the auditorium holds their breath as they watch Adrien and Marinette, ready to see them in full costume.
To Adrien, the silence was deafening. To Marinette, all she could hear is the rapid beating of her heart, along with her own panicked breathing.
This is it.
This is how everyone in this room will find out that they're Ladybug and Chat Noir.
With a deep intake of breath, Adrien and Marinette slowly raise their masks to their faces, and just as the masks are a mere three inches away—
"Halt!" someone exclaims, making Adrien and Marinette put down their masks and turn in the direction the voice came from.
Mayor Bourgeois is by the entrance of the venue and he makes his way over to the stage while holding a stack of papers while his daughter follows two steps behind, a smug look on her face. Chloe still has her Ladybug costume on, but this time, without the mask and wig.
"My administrative staff just realized you never submitted permit A38 as stipulated in the circular B65 that one can only get at counter C, third floor of City Hall, which is, alas, closed for renovations until August, which means you don't have a permit to shoot here… or anywhere in France, including Paris," Mayor Bourgeois finishes, dropping the pile of papers in Clara's hands.
"I… I don't understand," Clara says, voice trembling.
"It means no more music video!" Chloe answers for her, climbing up on stage to go face-to-face with the celebrity. "You can't shoot it in Paris. Maybe try Milan?"
"No! The video needs to be shot here," Clara says in distress. "Here… in Paris, the city of love. The city of Ladybug and Chat Noir."
"Well, I may be able to do something about it on one condition," Chloe says, making Clara's face light up.
"What condition?" Clara asks.
Chloe swipes Clara's signature microphone from her hands and says into it, "That I play Ladybug in the music video."
Upon hearing her request, Clara's jaw drops. People in the crowd whisper amongst themselves, some glare at Chloe, and others shake their heads in disbelief. Chloe's face remains smug, feeling absolutely confident that the role will go to her, when Clara proves her wrong.
"I'm sorry, but I can't do that," Clara says, standing her ground.
"Excuse me?!" Chloe gasps.
"You heard me," Clara says, setting the pile of papers down. "Ladybug would never do what you just did. You may have aced your audition, but your attitude just goes to show that you will never be even remotely close to Ladybug. You would be my last choice for the role."
"How dare you?" Chloe rages. "Who do you think you are, saying things like that to me—"
"Chloe, enough."
Chloe turns away from Clara to find Adrien making his way over to her.
"Adrien! You've come to defend me?" Chloe beams.
"No," he answers curtly, making Chloe shiver from his cold stare and reply. "You're causing trouble for everyone here. You have to learn to stop ruining things for all of us because you didn't get what you wanted."
Chloe nearly stumbles backwards.
Adrien's never been so cold with her. Even when she took things too far, he was still so warm and gentle with her. Maybe that's when she started taking advantage of him—she never faced any consequences for her actions, and so took his kindness for granted.
"I-I…" Chloe starts. "Adrien, I…"
Her mouth opens and closes, but no words come out. Is that how Adrien sees her? As someone who always ruins things for others? Once upon a time, he said that she always made things better for those around her. How much did she change for him to think of the opposite now?
Chloe looks over at Adrien's face to see that the scowl on his face never left, and she sinks in her spot, her confidence vanishing in a mere instant. If she keeps disappointing him like this, even he might leave her and abandon her just like…
Without uttering another word, Chloe runs out of the building with Clara's microphone still in hand, and Adrien does nothing but sigh tiredly and run a hand through his hair from the stress. Marinette, on the other hand, can't seem to stop glancing over at him. She didn't expect him to talk back to Chloe, especially in front of all these people, when he knows just how important his image is. And yet, he didn't care about looking bad or disrespectful to the mayor or his father—he did what he believed was right, and she admires him in that moment for it.
"I'm sorry about that, Clara," Adrien apologizes to the singer. "Chloe's a childhood friend of mine. I knew she'd only stop if I said something."
"For you to go up against someone you've been friends with for so long just proves to me that you're the perfect Chat Noir," Clara grins, making Adrien's eyes widen. "You aren't afraid to speak your mind despite the harsh truth, and," she nods over to Marinette, "despite being in some love-hate relationship with Ladybug, you wouldn't hesitate to side with her when the time calls for it."
Adrien can't help but smile at her words because it reminds him a bit of what Master Fu has told him in the past. He's Chat Noir with or without the mask. It isn't the costume that makes him a hero, it's his heart that does.
Just as they're about to continue practice, a glowing whip suddenly strikes Clara Nightingale, and a pinkish aura appears all over her body.
"Sing, dance, or rhyme, or you'll be frozen in no time!" exclaims a voice.
Everyone in the auditorium looks up to find a woman in a flashy full-body unitard standing on one of the beams near the ceiling. Her blonde hair is tied back in a high ponytail, with two strands of hair framing her face; one strand fading to red at the tips, and the other strand fading to blue. The starry microphone in her hand serves as a dead giveaway, and it takes but a few seconds for everyone to realize that Chloe's been akumatized yet again.
"Could it be? Is it you, Chloe?" Clara rhymes, making Chloe click her tongue.
"Oh, I so hoped you'd fail at rhyming, you," Chloe shakes her head, whipping an extra in the crowd. "I wanted to turn you into a statue! And from now on, the name's Frightningale. Remember me because I'll soon have you frozen, Clara Nightingale!"
When the stranger who got whipped fails to make a rhyme, everyone watches in horror as they get turned into a shiny, pink statue. All those present start running for their lives, but some unfortunately get whipped and fail to sing, dance or rhyme, sealing their fate as another statue in Chloe's collection. Clara rushes out the door knowing that she's the one being targeted, and so Frightningale follows after her with a smug smirk on her face.
Grabbing the opportunity, Adrien sprints back into his trailer, calling for Plagg to transform.
"But you're already wearing Chat Noir's—"
"Not funny."
"I was just saying—"
"Plagg."
"Fine. Just say it."
"Plagg, transform me!"
A flash of green later, Chat Noir waits until the coast is clear before bursting out of his trailer, baton in hand. He makes his way outside to find Ladybug already trying to talk some sense into the akumatized victim, joining in on the fight by tripping Frightningale before she could lay a finger on his rival. He dodges the frozen pink statues on his way to them, stopping just a few feet away as Frightningale growls at him for making her fall to the ground.
"Mind if I join the dance?" Chat Noir smirks, twirling his staff.
Scoffing, Frightningale gets up and leaps onto the top of the Grand Palais and stands over the edge, arms akimbo. "Do you really think the two of you can win this battle through and through?" she taunts.
"Don't get so cocky," Chat Noir smirks as he runs towards the Grand Palais.
Ladybug follows behind, scampering up the columns so as to reach Frightningale at the very top. It's two against one on the roof, but Ladybug accidentally flings her yo-yo at the same time Chat Noir jumps at Frightningale to hit her with his staff. Seeing the opportunity, Frightningale moves out of the way at the last second, making Ladybug's yo-yo wind up entangling Chat Noir and his staff.
"You klutz!" Chat Noir twitches, wiggling his body to try to get the strings loose.
"It was an accident!" Ladybug huffs, pulling on her yo-yo and making the string come undone.
"Watch where you're throwing that thing, will you?!" Chat Noir grumbles as he gets back up on his feet to dust himself off.
"I already said it was an accident!" Ladybug shoots.
In the middle of their argument, Frightningale strikes the two of them with her whip, making them glow pink auras. While Ladybug looks down at her hands in disbelief, Chat Noir places a hand over his eyes and groans.
"For our heroes, I make a curse. You'll go from rivals to partners, for better or for worse," Frightningale grins, believing she's already won. Chat Noir and Ladybug are known for their rivalry, a partnership will be sure to make them trip on their feet. "Surely, I'm not so easily beat, for only teamwork can lead to my defeat!"
"Teamwork?" Ladybug echoes, looks over at her rival, who turns to face her as well.
When a few seconds pass, Ladybug is surprised to find that Chat Noir didn't say anything about it. Normally, he would whine and complain, dive head first into action to try to snatch his tally mark, or tease her for being too much of a klutz to be his partner.
But instead, he gives her a small smile, and says, "Well… if it's what it takes to win."
Chat Noir gasps when he sees his arm slowly turning into shiny pink, and so he quickly adds, "Uh, and when we do… we can grin?" The pink fades away as soon as he finishes he rhyme, making his let out a sigh of relief.
"Sing, dance, and teamwork, I've already won," Frightningale laughs. "At the end of this match, the cat and bug will be done."
"You underestimate us, we can work arm-in-arm, " Chat Noir sings, linking his arm with his rival. He gives her an expectant look, and Ladybug's face lights up when she understands what opportunity he opened for her.
"That might be tricky, so I'm calling my," Ladybug throws her yo-yo in the air, "LUCKY CHARM!"
A pair of ladybug-printed handcuffs fall into her hands, confirming that teamwork would indeed be needed for this mission. Ladybug looks over at Chat Noir, who nods, letting her know that it's all right with him. With a grin, Ladybug wraps one handcuff around her right wrist, clasping it shut before doing the same to Chat Noir's left. Once done, she wraps her yoyo around her right leg and Chat Noir's left, linking them as one—the ultimate form of teamwork indeed.
"Connected, we're one; our movements are synched," Ladybug starts.
"So, let's get a move on because we are linked!" Chat Noir finishes, rushing them forward.
In a panic, Frightningale whips at them, but the heroes easily block the attack, and throw a punch at the same time with their linked wrists. Frightningale falls to the ground at the impact, scrambling to get back up on her feet, only to fail and resort to crawling back inside the Grand Palais. Once inside, she jumps back to her feet, striking her whip blindly as Ladybug and Chat tread closer.
"You can't bend the rules, that's cheating, you fools!" Frightningale roars, stomping a foot on the ground childishly.
"When someone's akumatized, we don't compromise," Chat Noir shrugs as he and Ladybug follow her up the stage.
Chat Noir and Ladybug perform a series of fighting moves that might as well be a couple's choreography, making Frightningale panic the closer they come. But it's a synchronized kick for the duo that catches her by surprise, and her microphone goes flying out of her hands.
"Like a guest at a wedding catching a bouquet," Chat Noir grins. "Whoever catches it gets the tally mark, what do you say?"
"I like that idea, it's only fair," Ladybug laughs. "Hopefully one day, you'll propose we share!"
Chat Noir and Ladybug leap at the akumatized item at the same time, but Chat Noir, seeing how excited she looks at trying to catch it, reels his arm back just a little, making Ladybug the one to win the tally mark. Upon landing, Ladybug excitedly cheers and makes a little dance, and all Chat Noir can do is smile to himself at her silly, yet cute, antics.
"Well, the point goes to you, and that's completely fine," Chat Noir says. "But you better watch out; next time, the tally mark will be mine."
"Yeah, yeah, we'll see about that," Ladybug laughs. "No need to tell me twice, you stray cat."
Ladybug slams the microphone to the ground, crushing it, and releasing a black butterfly as the two expect. However, before cleansing the butterfly of evil, Ladybug unclasps the handcuffs and uses her Miraculous Ladybug to return Paris to its former glory and unfreeze those who've turned into pink statues. While the magic ladybugs do their work, Ladybug unties her yo-yo from her and Chat Noir's ankles, trapping the black butterfly and painting it white once more.
"Pound it?" Ladybug asks, lifting up her fist.
"Fine," Chat Noir says with a smile and a roll of his eyes, bumping his fist with hers. He then stretches his arms and says, "I sure am glad that's over. Imagine me having to be linked to you every mission? A total nightmare."
"What?! We worked well together, didn't we?!" Ladybug huffs.
"I'm just kitten," Chat Noir smirks, ruffling her hair. "You know, I half-expected you to trip on something and send us falling to the floor. Glad you proved me wrong."
"Listen here, I'm much more than just a klutz, you—!"
A black and violet cloud suddenly envelopes Frightningale, revealing a confused Chloe once it disappears. Ladybug notices Chat Noir's face immediately grow cold at the sight of the blonde, and he says nothing as he walks up to her, offering a hand for her to take. Embarrassed, Chloe takes his hand, and gets back up on her feet, looking to her side to avoid eye contact.
"I'm guessing I got akumatized again?" Chloe asks, guilt evident on her face.
"Take a guess," Chat Noir replies coldly, making Chloe flinch and turn red from the shame and embarrassment. "Chloe, you need to be careful. Hawkmoth's influence is very dangerous."
"I know, Chat Noir, I just…" Chloe begins sadly. "It won't happen again, I promise you."
"I hope you keep your word," Chat Noir says.
Ladybug watches the scene unfold before her in surprise. Just a few weeks ago, Chat Noir was so nice to Chloe, but now, he just looks tired and absolutely disappointed. With Chloe being a huge Ladybug fan, you'd think that Chat Noir would try to get her on his team, but he doesn't seem to care about that anymore.
A warning beep suddenly resounds from Ladybug's earrings, and Chat Noir takes that as his cue to leave as well.
"Stay safe, Chloe," Chat Noir says in such a tone it almost sounds like a command rather than words of worry.
Chat Noir and Ladybug flee the scene, the former on his staff, and the latter with a tug of her yo-yo. Chloe can only watch them leave before Clara Nightingale climbs to the stage to approach her.
"Chloe? Are you all right?" Clara asks.
Chloe turns around and tries to apologize, but her words get caught in her throat. Instead, she makes a sigh of disappointment for her own behavior, and looks to the ground, slumping her shoulders.
Knowing just what she wanted to say, Clara walks up to the blonde and places a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Chloe looks up to find Clara smiling down at her kindly despite all the ruckus and trouble she's caused, and in that gesture alone, Chloe understands that she's been forgiven.
"Well, I still have some room for one more extra?" Clara offers.
"Thank you, but I'd rather not after what I did," Chloe says with a frown.
Adrien and Marinette walk up to the stage, now clad in their every day clothes, and approach them slowly. Chloe's eyes immediately go to Adrien, but all he does is shake his head and turn away from her.
"Clara, if you don't mind, I have a suggestion," Marinette says. "Since picking out a Ladybug caused so much trouble, how about we not have a Ladybug or Chat Noir at all? Instead, how about we gather all the extras and have each of us wear a mask of our choice?"
"Actually," Clara says thoughtfully. "That could work. Alright, let's do it!"
"Adrien?"
Adrien turns at the call of his name to find his childhood friend looking down while rubbing an arm nervously. He gives her but a disappointed look before turning away, ready to head out. A hand finds a place on his shoulder, causing him to stop and turn to see watery blue eyes. He sighs, running a hand through his hair before turning his body to face her.
"What, Chloe?" he asks harshly. Chloe winces at his tone.
"Are you mad?" Chloe asks quietly.
"What do you think?" Adrien sighs. "You knew exactly what you were doing when you got your father involved. We're lucky that you were the only one to get akumatized and not Clara Nightingale as well. Ladybug and Chat Noir have enough on their hands."
"I know, I just…" Chloe frowns. "I was just so angry that Marinette took my place. I was so angry that the one time I finally have you to myself, it's taken away from me."
"You had me our entire childhood, Chloe. Maybe I'd like to make friends, too," Adrien says.
"But that's the thing… besides Sabrina…" Chloe says, each word getting quieter and quieter. "I only have you."
A pang of hurt and guilt hits him at once, and Adrien realizes in that moment that the loneliness she felt while they were children never truly left. From her mother leaving Paris, to her father barely having any time for her due to his duties as Mayor, to being disliked by her entire class each year, she really only had him.
"So, I just wanted to say that I'll do better," Chloe says, looking down in shame. "I promised you I'd try harder at being kind to everyone, but I really do mean it this time. I won't let Hawkmoth take control of me again."
"Like I've said before, actions speak louder than words," Adrien says. "I'll have to see you actually work on it in order to decide whether or not our friendship is worth fighting for anymore."
Chloe's stomach drops at his words.
She desperately grabs his hands, pleading, "Don't give up on me just yet!"
"Don't worry, I still have faith in you, Chloe," Adrien says. "But please don't let me down. I might not forgive you the next time you slip."
"I won't blame you," Chloe says, pulling him in for a hug.
Adrien hugs her back.
In the distance, Marinette purses her lips at the sight of Adrien and Chloe hugging. This does not go unnoticed by Alya.
"What're you looking at?" Alya asks with a smirk.
"The, uh… Eiffel Tower," Marinette lies, directing her sight towards the monument. "You know, I never really pay mind to it because we live in Paris and see it every day, but when you let yourself actually look at it—it really is quite beautiful, and now I see why so many tourists are drawn to it."
"Uh huh. Sure," Alya says, making Marinette glare at her.
Marinette makes a sideway glance in Adrien and Chloe's direction to find the latter waving goodbye to him before entering her white limousine. Once the vehicle leaves the premises, Adrien turns around to join them, but upon having eye contact, Marinette merely huffs and turns away. Adrien's left eye twitches at her action as he's left to wonder just what he did to make her react in such a way.
Clara Nightingale jumps out of her trailer with a white tote bag in hand. "I'll be handing out Ladybug and Chat Noir masks to you all! Just let me know which mask you'd prefer!"
Marinette asks for a Chat Noir mask in a panic so as to get one before they run out. Adrien asks for a Ladybug one (which surprises her), and the rest of her class ask for the mask of the superhero whose team they're on. Right before rehearsal can begin, Juleka comes rushing over to the celebrity, placing her hands on her knees as she tries to catch her breath.
"I, um, brought my brother along…" Juleka mumbles.
At this, Marinette looks behind her, surprised to find a boy with teal hair. He appears to be a year or two older than Juleka, and he's about half a head taller than she is. His attire consists of a white Jagged Stone shirt, an airy blue jacket over a black hoodie, ripped black jeans, and high-top Converse shoes. Marinette is at first shocked to see him because she never knew that Juleka had a brother, but her breath gets caught in her throat when he turns around after having received his Ladybug mask.
He has the most gorgeous teal eyes.
"Someone caught your eye?" Alya asks, nudging her.
"Juleka has a brother?" Marinette asks.
"I didn't know either," Alya says. "Rose and Ivan definitely did, it seems."
Marinette looks over the people blocking her view to see Rose and Ivan chatting with the new boy animatedly. Clara Nightingale suddenly interrupts, clapping her hands to grab everyone's attention.
"Thank you all so much for volunteering to be in my new music video!" Clara exclaims. "I'll now be splitting you all into groups of three to five. Each group will be paired with one of my choreographers—you'll all be learning a thirty-second part of the song, and each group will be filmed in front of one of Paris' most romantic spots!"
As Clara starts grouping people together, Marinette notices that everyone has gone except for her and—
"Adrien Agreste! My original Chat Noir," Clara exclaims. "With Marinette, and the new boy!"
"Th-the new boy?" Marinette stutters. She turns around to see Juleka's brother walking towards them, and her face immediately grows warm. Adrien does not miss this.
"Thanks for having me," he smiles at Clara. "I was originally just here to support my sister, so I really appreciate it."
"Of course! The more the merrier!" Clara exclaims. "I've assigned you all to dance by the Eiffel Tower—Paris' most romantic spot—and Ladybug and Chat Noir's midnight meet-up spot! Have fun!"
After exchanging a few words with the choreographer and cameraman, the group of five start making their way towards the Eiffel Tower. Before Adrien can say anything to Marinette, she rushes over to Juleka's brother's side.
"U-um, hello," she greets shyly.
"Hey," the boy greets with a friendly smile.
"So, you're, uh, Juleka's brother?" Marinette stutters. She resists the urge to slap herself for being so awkward.
"That's right, older by one year," he nods, politely holding out a hand. "I'm Luka. And you?"
"Oh! I'm Ma-Ma-Marinette," she stammers, shaking his hand.
"Nice to meet you, Ma-Ma-Marinette," Luka chuckles, releasing his grip on her hand.
"As you can probably tell, I trip over my words a lot," Marinette groans. "I'm such a mess."
"I think it's cute," Luka smiles, making her ears grow warm.
"So, are you a fan of Clara Nightingale, too?" Marinette asks.
"Not really. I only came to support Juleka, but Clara let me be an extra. I'm actually more into Jagged Stone," he says, pointing to his simplistic graphics shirt of said artist.
Marinette gasps. "He's my favorite artist!" she exclaims excitedly.
"No way! Which album's your favorite?" Luka asks.
As Marinette and Luka continue chatting amongst each other, Adrien follows behind, glaring daggers at Luka's back.
"You're burning with so much jealousy, I wouldn't be surprised if you melted my cheese," Plagg says from his place in Adrien's shirt pocket. Adrien ignores his kwami's comments before butting in between Luka and Marinette.
"So, what are you guys talking about?" Adrien asks.
"Adrien," Marinette says in annoyance, and he simply reacts by grinning at her.
"I don't believe we've introduced ourselves," Adrien says, holding out a hand. "I'm Adrien. Nice to meet you."
"Luka. Likewise," Luka replies, shaking his hand. "You're that famous model, right?"
"It's a little embarrassing to say famous, but yes, I'm a model for my father's brand, Agreste," Adrien says humbly, rubbing the nape of his neck.
"We're here!" Clara's choreographer exclaims. "Quick! Get into positions now! It's best to film now while it's golden hour!"
The filming goes by quickly, since their group was assigned just two lines in the entire song. They manage to get it perfect at the sixth take, and after graciously thanking the professionals, the three teens return their Ladybug and Chat Noir masks. The choreographer and cameraman start heading back, leaving Adrien, Luka, and Marinette by themselves.
"I should probably head back to meet with Juleka," Luka says. "It was nice meeting you both."
"It was really nice meeting you too, Luka," Marinette says. "I'll see you soon?"
"Definitely," Luka smiles. "See you, Adrien."
"See you," Adrien says with a fake smile.
Adrien and Marinette wave goodbye to him as he leaves, and the former eyes the girl next to him when she waves goodbye a few seconds too long.
"Wow. You really develop crushes this fast?" Adrien asks out of both curiosity and jealousy.
"Don't be ridiculous," Marinette shoots. "It's only the first meeting. I hardly know anything about him."
"But there's potential."
"I don't know. Maybe? Wait, why am I even telling you these things?!"
"Beats me."
The sun has finally set in the distance, and the sky is slowly turning from a soft orange to a dark blue. Adrien checks the time on his phone to see how late it's gotten, and even though his father would disapprove of him coming home past curfew, he doesn't care.
"I'll walk you home," Adrien says.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Marinette says.
"No, it's not safe," he argues, walking ahead.
Marinette tries to fight the smile from forming on her face, but ultimately fails.
"Thanks, Adrien," Marinette says when she catches up to him.
Adrien smiles.
"Anytime."
As the two make their way towards the Dupain-Cheng Bakery, Adrien can't seem to shake off the awful feeling in his chest.
The awful feeling that he might be too late.
end card
A/N: IMPORTANT: THIS FIC'S TITLE WILL BE CHANGED TO "Maybe I Do". I'd like to give a huge thanks to GirlNextDoor01 for coming up with it! I just loved the idea of this fic's title answering the prequel's title, "Who Needs Love?" Thank you so much again! It will be changed after the release of the next chapter so that most people will be able to see this update and not get confused.
So, rather than Clara getting akumatized, it's Chloe! The reason I decided on this was because I was honestly bored of Miraculous Ladybug using random people or people I don't really care about as akumatized victims… Most of the time, they're there for the episode, and then never to be seen again. So, I thought it'd be more interesting to have Chloe akumatized to one) help with her character development and two) help me plant some seeds for future chapters. On top of that, I added that LadyNoir teamwork bit to showcase more of Chat Noir's development and to further my plans for the love square. What did you think of these changes? Let me know in a review!
I also introduced Luka early on because I personally think that the show introduced him too late! I also added him in to take advantage of the goof they made when they accidentally added him to the music video when he hadn't even been introduced yet.
I also think that his role in this story is much more important because he actually acts as a foil to Adrien. Adrien is shy about his feelings and mean (in a teasing way) towards Marinette, while Luka is straight-forward about his feelings and kind towards her. In the actual show, they're both a bit too similar. It just doesn't look good from a storytelling standpoint to me, so I was so glad that Luka turned out to be a really nice guy because he fit perfectly in my puzzle. Now, there's some serious urgency on Adrien's side to try to get Marinette's attention!
Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews! I really, really appreciate it.
Thank you for reading!
Akuma Capture:
Ladybug: 4
Chat Noir: 6
Next Episode: Gorizilla
