Exposure walked calmly and confidently down the street, watching people as they passed through doorways decked with her mistletoe. A self-satisfied smile spread across her face and the mistletoe stems surrounding her head danced in response. Though some passed the mistletoe unscathed, there was a growing number of people shivering and rubbing their arms in a futile attempt to warm themselves. She could even see a couple of statues frozen mid-step on the sidewalk.
"Éric look!" called a woman, attracting Exposure's attention. "All the shops have hung mistletoe! Why don't we stop for a moment?"
The man with her gave the plants a distasteful look, "Really? It's such a stupid tradition."
Pensively, Exposure stopped to watch, ignoring the staring people and honking cars. "Stupid tradition? Or perhaps you don't love your lady friend as much as she thinks, hm?" She reached down and carefully pulled a berry off of her mistletoe skirt and placed it near the ends of her fingers where it blended perfectly with her whitened skin. Palm up, she brought the berry to her lips and with a quick short puff, made it swell and pop, sending the mistletoe seed flying through the air to land on the man's hat where it promptly began to grow into a mistletoe sprig.
Seeing it, the woman smiled broadly and stretched up to kiss her companion. Exposure watched in amusement as he hesitated, then returned the kiss. Her smile grew as the mistletoe began sending out icy tendrils in response to the disconnect between his actions and feelings for the woman he was kissing. When the ice reached his lips, his partner pulled back with a start and screamed.
Exposure laughed, "Now that you know how he really feels you can stop wasting your time and find someone who actually loves you!"
The woman turned to look at her with panicked eyes before stumbling into a run and disappearing down an alley.
Exposure threw her arms wide, crimson cable sweater gleaming in the sunlight. "Anyone else want to know if their partner truly loves them?"
Suddenly, the glowing purple reappeared in her peripheral vision and her smile faded into a scowl. We have an agreement Exposure. Stop getting distracted.
"I have to get their attention somehow Hawkmoth. Don't worry," she said as a flash of black spotted red caught her eye, "I have a plan."
A few well placed sprigs of mistletoe later, Ladybug and Chat Noir were converging on the screaming citizens attempting to run from Exposure. Some had frozen limbs and rapidly spreading ice spidering across their bodies until they transformed into yet more statues scattered across the sidewalks and in doorways. With a flick, Ladybug released her yoyo from a lamppost and did a mid-air flip to land in front of her. Chat helicoptered in beside her, landing neatly in an attack stance, staff extended and at the ready.
Exposure smiled and spread her arms wide, "Welcome! Now that the players have finally arrived, let's find a playground shall we?" Ladybug's eyes narrowed, and with a laugh, Exposure leapt into the air, heading for the building she'd picked out before their arrival: a conveniently located college, sure to be full of students and doorways she could use to her advantage.
As she dashed up the stairs to the main door, Exposure spun and threw out her arms towards her pursuers, sending vines of mistletoe shooting at them from her hair and skirt. Ladybug and Chat Noir dodged through them easily, she using her yoyo to tangle them together and pull them out of her way, he using his staff to knock them from his path. Exposure slowly and carefully backed up through the door, glancing up as she did to ensure that her mistletoe was still in place and had berries to be activated. Sending out a few extra vines to slow Chat Noir, she was able to ensure that they both reached the threshold at the same moment.
Laughter bubbled up as the two heros came to an abrupt halt in the doorway, pausing to look at each other. "And what will the heros do now?" Exposure taunted, "One will freeze, one will not. Chat has always loved his lady, so will she kiss him to save him from the elements? But Ladybug does not return the sentiment, so will he abstain to save her?" Her eyes narrowed, "Either way, one of your miraculouses is mine!"
Exposure watched as Ladybug and Chat Noir exchanged a look. "I'm not a cat-sicle yet! And much as I would love some holiday eggsnog for Kissmas, a gentlecat never takes advantage of a Lady!" Ladybug hesitated, but Chat jumped forward, swinging his baton in a wide arc. A moment later, she was by his side, yoyo spinning to block Exposure's vines. Chat quickly retracted his baton and used it to launch himself into the air to attack from above.
A twist, jump, and another wave of vines sent him flying back towards Ladybug. "Ah, the self-sacrificing Chat Noir, as always." Exposure smiled fiercely, "I look forward to prying your ring off your cold frozen finger!"
"Chat wait!" at Ladybug's call, both Chat and Exposure turned towards her. A shiver passed through her body and Exposure was momentarily dumbstruck. Fortunately, Chat and Ladybug were far too busy watching each other to take advantage of her momentary lapse. "It's not quite that simple…"
Chat turned back to Exposure, suppressing his own shivering as he leapt forward again. "Yes it is milady. You can purify the akuma, I can't. Therefore you come first."
"Oh but it isn't," said Exposure gleefully. Her smile took on a predatory edge and she easily slipped around Chat before sauntering closer to Ladybug. "It seems I was wrong," she hissed as she circled the spotted girl while keeping a careful eye out for Chat Noir, "Ladybug does in fact return Chat's feelings." She laughed at the look of dismay on Ladybug's face, "Oh this makes it much more interesting!" Chat had redirected himself and was again headed straight for her. Exposure did a quick estimate of Chat's distance before snagging Ladybug's yoyo with a vine to pull her closer, "So will your pride turn you both to ice for me? Or will you kiss him and give me the perfect distraction to take your miraculouses? So many possibilities, so little time!" Exposure's laughter rang through the courtyard even as she released Ladybug's yoyo and reset herself to attack, "And they all end with my victory!"
Ladybug couldn't decide if she felt more embarrassed, angry, or guilty. She loved Adrien! How could the mistletoe possibly be affecting her like this with Chat Noir? She dodged a few more vine attacks and found herself next to Chat again. "Don't leaf me hanging LB, what's the plan? Lucky Charm and take her out?"
She turned towards her partner, mouth open, ready to answer and froze. Chat Noir was now constantly shivering and geometrical patterns of white ice were spreading across his suit. One particularly large spot on his cheek gave him a ghostly appearance. "There's no time…" she whispered. Another shiver wracked her body and she glanced down to see the same white patterns spreading across her own suit.
"We can do this Ladybug. I'm with yo–"
Ladybug wasn't listening. Despite her guilt over wanting to kiss another boy (and really, it's not like Adrien and I are dating!), and her confusion to discover that she was apparently in love with Chat Noir, Paris needed her. Paris needed them both, and Ladybug wasn't going to let her mixed-up emotions prevent her from doing her job. No sooner had she reached that conclusion than she knew what she had to do. Disregarding whatever Chat had been trying to say, Ladybug reached out to wrap her arm around his waist, pulling him in tight to her. He squawked in surprise, but her yoyo was already wrapped around the railling and pulling them to the upper level of the courtyard. She used her yoyo to slingshot them over the railing and land running, Chat's hand firmly in hers to ensure he followed.
"What are you doing milady? I'm not that c-c-cold yet," Chat teeth chattered and he twisted to look behind them, but Ladybug didn't answer or slow down.
When she was sure they were out of sight of Exposure, Ladybug wrenched open the nearest door and flung Chat inside, pausing only to ensure this room was empty apart from them. He stumbled when she released him, and she slipped in to silently close the door behind them. His eyes were wide as she stepped close to him. "Ladybug? Why is there ice on your suit?"
She didn't bother to answer. Instead, Ladybug grabbed Chat firmly by the bell and pulled him down to press her lips against his. The cold began to recede almost immediately.
Tilting her head, Ladybug leaned into the kiss. Chat seemed frozen beneath her, and she worried for a moment that she had been too late. Just as Ladybug started to pull back to check on him, Chat's arms came up to trap her in place. She felt a thrill pass through her, accompanied by a wave of warmth wherever they came into contact. Realizing quickly that his touch must be melting the ice on her, Ladybug released his bell and trailed her hands down his chest before sliding them around to his back in an effort to get rid of the ice coating her partner. Chat purred under her touch and one of his hands crept up to cradle the back of her neck while the other pressed against the small of her back, keeping her close. Not that she had any desire to pull away.
Her gloved hands slid smoothly over his suit and Chat's delicious warmth chased all her thoughts away, leaving Ladybug wondering why she'd been pushing him away for so long. Soon that thought too was gone and she revelled in the sensation of Chat's lips moving against hers. Just like Adrien… She stiffened and the sound of someone calling her name finally registered. She hesitated, tempted to drift back into the pleasant haze of kissing Chat when something hard hit the side of her head. She pulled back and turned in the direction of the pain. A group of her classmates were standing in the room with them, staring, many with mouths agape. Front and centre, hand aloft and clutching a pen, Alya was glaring daggers. A quick glance down revealed another pen lying on the floor: likely the object that had hit her head.
"Don't get me wrong," said Alya, "I'm thrilled to see you guys together, but don't you think you should do something about the akuma?"
With a yelp, Ladybug and Chat Noir jumped a few feet apart, both turning bright red. Ladybug had to clear her throat a few times before she was able to speak again, "I'd uh… recommend you stay away from the mistletoe. It has some… side effects."
Chat moved to hold the door for her, "Shall we milady?"
She took two steps towards him before noticing the mistletoe in the doorway, "I think it might be best if we pass through doors separately for the time being Chaton."
He glanced up and a mild blush returned to his face. With a half-cheeky, half-dopey grin on his face, Chat turned back to Ladybug with a bow, "While you do look suc-cute-lent today, I think you may be right bugaboo." With a bound, he was through the door and started down the hall.
Ladybug counted to ten before approaching the door to be sure he'd be well outside the mistletoe's reach.
After the fifth time that Exposure managed to herd Ladybug and Chat Noir under the mistletoe together, Ladybug was getting fed up. She couldn't quite decide whether to thank Alya for tracking them down to bring them to their senses and get back into the fight, or to strangle her for interrupting. And what about Adrien? Ladybug quashed the thought before it could go further. Now really wasn't the time. It was time to change tactics.
As they peered around a corner, looking for Exposure again, Chat leaned closer to her, "While I love being close to you my lady, and I certainly have no complaints about the kissing, I think it might be best if we focus on attacking separately for the moment."
Ladybug nodded in agreement. Spotting Exposure halfway down the hallway, she gestured with her chin, "Near or far side?"
Chat flashed her a grin, "I'll circle around. It shouldn't take me berry long."
Ladybug suppressed a groan and he disappeared silently back the way they'd come. She sucked in a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before blowing it out in a long, steady stream while counting to ground herself. She had just reached twenty-three when Chat stepped out on the other side of the akuma, baton now extended and draped across his shoulders as a staff. "Did you miss-letoe me?"
Exposure spun towards him and Ladybug began to move silently down the hall. "Oh yes. Five times now." Ladybug grimaced and saw Chat's grin slip for a moment. "But I'll be happy to do it again." Exposure turned her head slightly as though scanning beyond him, "Where is your lady love? Did she tire of you already? No matter." Her hand reached down to her skirt and came up with a mistletoe berry.
The akuma must be in the berries of her skirt! Gripping her yoyo tightly in hand, Ladybug came to a halt. Throwing it high into the air she yelled, "Lucky Charm!" As she reached out to catch the item, something small struck her shoulder, jerking her arms backwards and causing her to miss. Ladybug glanced down to see a small mistletoe plant growing where the berry had struck. She tried to brush it off, but quickly learned that it was impossible to separate from her suit. She eyed it nervously for moment, but it seemed inert other than continuing to grow down her arm and across her back. Let's just get this Lucky Charm figured out so I don't have to worry about what happens next.
Ladybug bent down and scooped up a ladybug patterned hairbrush. Now what? She narrowed her eyes and everything faded into grey-tones. A quick scan of her surroundings showed Chat's belt, his hand, the ceiling sprinklers, and Exposure's skirt full of mistletoe flashing with the familiar ladybug pattern. Let's do this!
A flick of her wrist and Ladybug's yoyo snapped open into communicator mode so she could call Chat. When he answered the video spun and swooped. She glanced up towards the battling opponents to see that he was currently deflecting vines with his baton. "I hope you didn't just call to chat, I'm a little busy at the moment bugaboo." His face flashed across the camera screen, but he wasn't looking at her.
"I've got a plan." The baton spun back so his face appeared in the screen again, but it meant he was motionless for a moment too long, and Ladybug saw a blur of something in the corner of the image. "Chat look out!" He ducked immediately, but whatever it was still made contact with one of his cat ears. His ear flicked a few times in response and she stared in concern as mistletoe began to grow down from his ear and through his hair.
A gasp of shock escaped her and Ladybug looked down to see that everywhere the mistletoe had reached on her suit was now covered in a layer of ice. The cold was biting and spreading quickly. All thoughts of her Lucky Charm fled as she looked back to her yoyo to meet Chat's eyes. "I need you now! Follow my tracker, don't let Exposure follow you. And hurry!"
She snapped her yoyo closed and took off back down the hallway, hoping he would be fast enough.
Chat stared at the blank screen of his baton for another second before instinctively rolling across the floor to avoid Exposure's vines. Coming to his feet he turned to give the akuma a taunting look, "Another miss-letoe. Care to try again?"
Exposure smiled widely, "No need. It appears that your love bug has left you to the elements. You'll be a pretty little kitty statue soon enough."
"How about we skip the cat statue?" he said, "Cats are much more interesting when they're awake."
With the press of a button, Chat separated his baton into two pieces and threw them at Exposure. She dodged easily with a contemptuous look, "And you were talking about me missing?"
Chat gave her his best smile and spread his arms wide, "Ah, but you're forgetting a basic lesson learned from a classic children's song: Cats always come back!"
Exposure scowled and opened her mouth to reply when the first piece of his baton hit the back of her knees, causing them to buckle. The second piece ricocheted off the back of her head, sending her pitching forwards to the ground. Chat leapt forward, using her back as a spring board to snatch the two halves of his baton out of the air and snapped them back together before landing with a roll.
As soon as he was up on his feet again, Chat was running down the hall where he'd last seen Ladybug, pulling up the map on his baton as he went. Seeing her marker at the far end of the school, Chat pushed himself to run faster. Clicking filled his ears and he reached up to find that his hair had frozen into strands which clicked together as he moved.
Approaching Ladybug's marker, Chat slowed down and carefully checked to be sure that no one had followed him. When their dots were side by side he glanced around, spotted a door and reached out to open it. No sooner had he turned the knob when it was wrenched out of his hand to reveal a dark room, followed by an icy white hand snagging his wrist and pulling him into the room before slamming the door closed and locking it behind him.
"Ladyb–" His words were cut off by icy lips being pressed against his own and he recoiled slightly in surprise. Recognizing Ladybug's hairstyle (though it was streaked liberally with white) and her now very icy suit, he relaxed and kissed her back.
Remembering their previous kisses, Chat quickly began to stroke his hands across any and all parts of her suit that felt cold, trying to chase away the ice. He quickly noticed that there was a different feel to this kiss. Unlike their previous ones, this one had an edge of desperation to it that had them clinging to each other, both striving to get closer to the point that Chat wasn't quite sure where he ended and Ladybug began.
A purr rumbled in his chest as Ladybug's hands reached up to tangle through Chat's hair, pulling him down and warming his head. Wanting her to share the soothing feeling of fingers massaging his scalp, Chat ran his hands up her back to thread one through her hair while the other settled between her shoulder blades. She tilted her head to the opposite side to deepen the kiss and Chat's arm slipped out from under hers so he could slide it up her neck and cup the side of her face before tracing the outer shell of her ear. When his thumb brushed over her earring it felt as though he'd received an electrical shock and they both pulled away, breathing hard.
Wide blue eyes stared up into his own and Chat realized that not only could he hear a persistent beeping sound, but he had been hearing it for a while. He stared at his lady in confusion for a moment, then she was grabbing him by the shoulders and spinning him towards the door. Before he could protest, she had unlocked it, opened it, and given him a shove through the doorway. He stumbled, arms windmilling until he regained his balance, partially turned towards the door again.
Chat stared at the closed door, dumbfounded. It wasn't until a flash of pink light came through the edges of the door that he realized what the beeping had meant and why Ladybug had pushed him out of the room so unceremoniously. With a breathy laugh, Chat stumbled to the nearest wall and slid down it until he was sitting on the floor with his head between his knees.
He allowed himself thirty seconds to slow his heartbeat and regain his equilibrium before forcing himself to his feet again, while feeling very grateful for the wall at his back. He stepped back towards the door and briefly rested one hand against it. "I've got your back milady. You recharge, I'll go keep Exposure out of trouble until you're ready."
Her reply was muffled, but unmistakable, "I'll be there soon kitty."