"What am I supposed to do with this?!" Ladybug held up a polka dotted teapot. "I thought you said it was going to help us!"
"It will," Cat Noir said, shrugging his shoulders. "But you have to figure out what to do with it."
Ladybug rested her head against the cool clay of the pot. This was bad. This was bad bad bad. She thought it was going to be a weapon, not a puzzle piece! Oblivio was on the other side of those double doors, waiting for them, and she was supposed to do what? Serve it tea and crumpets?
"You'll figure it out," he said, his gentle voice pulling at her attention, "and I'll protect you until you do, Bugaboo!" He pointed to his chest when he saw she was looking at him, then winked.
Ladybug couldn't hide the blush that blazed across her face, and Cat Noir didn't even try to hide his confusion. He cocked his head like a puppy, then quickly spun away.
Why? Why would he be confused that I blushed at his silly flirt? Ladybug wondered. Unless... unless, before I lost my memory, he didn't know that I loved him?
Before she could figure out what to do with that theory, he pushed open the double doors that opened onto the tower's observation deck. Purple and black light made the whole roof glow eerily. Ladybug dove for cover while Cat Noir surged forward to attack Oblivio and draw its attention away. She needed time to think, but it was difficult when the object of her massive crush was fighting for his memories. Her earrings started beeping at her.
Cat Noir yelped, losing his balance as he dodged a barrage of Oblivio's attacks. He tumbled to the ground, and his baton clattered to the ground several feet away. Oblivio aimed.
Useless Lucky Charm or no, Ladybug couldn't stand there and do nothing. He'd told her to trust herself, so she followed her instincts and sent her yoyo flying. To her surprise, it went exactly where she sent it, wrapping three times around the odd gun on Oblivio's wrist. She pulled hard, dragging its aim away from Cat Noir.
Almost without effort, Oblivio jerked the line and sent Ladybug flying into the glass safety panels that enclosed the entire roof. Glass cracked and shook where she hit. The teapot rolled, and Oblivio kicked it away as it ran over to where she'd fallen. She groaned, unsure if all of the cracking had been the glass or if any of it had been her bones.
"Oh dear," Oblivio said, stretching up and pulling on the top of the panel. "A bug trapped under glass."
"No!" Cat Noir yelled, running to her rescue but too far behind Oblivio to help.
Ladybug tried to roll away, but she only managed to get herself onto her back before the panel flattened her. It was thick and heavy. Oblivio climbed on top of her and laughed, its dark outline glowing sharply, beating away Cat Noir's attacks with ease.
It was becoming difficult to breathe. The combined weight of Oblivio and the glass was crushing the air out of her. She twisted, hoping to find some way to free herself, but all she saw was the teapot laying on its side, much too far to reach. Her earrings beeped again.
Through the spiderweb cracks in the glass, she could see Cat Noir fighting for her, his image distorted by the glass and his own desperation. He swung and jabbed, circling around from all angles, but he looked unwilling to get closer. Climbing onto the panel would have only added his weight to Ladybug's suffering.
Oblivio shifted, and the glass panel tilted, easing the pressure off her torso and rolling it toward her legs. Gasping for breath, Ladybug suddenly had enough room to move her arms, and she tried to push herself free, but it was no use. She was as trapped as Oblivio had said. She turned to look at her partner, her only hope to escape before her timer ran out.
"All right. That's it!" Cat Noir shouted, ducking low to avoid another attack. "Cataclysm!"
The glass pinning Ladybug in place shattered. Above her, Oblivio lost its balance on its crumbling footing, but before it could collapse on top of her, Cat Noir dove toward her, rolling them both out of the way, protecting her from the ricocheting shards of glass with his own body.
Is this the man of my dreams? she thought as he climbed off of her and crouched defensively in front of her. Because I think he might be.
Oblivio took aim at them once again. There was something about its hands... they were so different from the rest of its body. The butterfly thing must be in the wrist blaster. All she had to do was break it and this would be over?
"Could you make it forget about me for a little while?" Ladybug said, getting a sudden idea. The pot was only a few feet away. If she could just get behind the akuma-
"I'm on it."
She scrambled away on hands and knees and slid along the walls, making sure to stay out of Oblivio's line of sight. Cat Noir was something else, that was for sure. She'd never seen anyone move with such grace or be so calm under pressure. Well, she thought she hadn't. She'd remember soon enough.
Oblivio braced itself for one final shot, legs spread wide for balance, and Ladybug saw her opening. She ran, sliding underneath the akuma, then jammed the teapot onto its hand.
"Cat Noir!" Ladybug said, getting to her feet while Oblivio tried in vain to wipe her memory, "use your power to break that... thingy!"
"Can't!" he said, running toward her, holding his baton like a baseball bat. "One-time use!" A loud crack split the air as the baton came down on Oblivio's wrist. The pieces fell, revealing a black butterfly.
Just like he'd coached her, Ladybug grabbed the little bug in her yoyo and let it go, relieved to see it was pure white.
"Aw, you didn't say it!" Cat Noir watched the butterfly flutter off into the distance. Even frowning, he was still handsome. It was completely unfair that he was this kind and brave and beautiful all at the same time.
"What?" she asked. "Did I do it wrong? Is it going to-"
"No, no, you're fine. I'm just weird and like our traditions. Speaking of which..." He held up a fist, and Ladybug became acquainted with a new butterfly, the one that was fluttering in her stomach. She gently bumped his offered fist, allowing herself to briefly get lost in his warm gaze.
"That was amazing," he said, letting his fingers linger against hers. "You handled everything ex-purr-tly."
Ladybug sighed. Not even Cat Noir could be perfect, though she thought he must be close.
Beside them, Oblivio split into two people. One, a girl, immediately pulled out a phone and aimed it at the heroes. The other, a boy, picked the Lucky Charm off the ground and brought it over, smiling sheepishly.
That was one danger gone. The orb above her still throbbed with eerie light. "What's going to happen now?" Ladybug asked.
"Just say the magic words, and your cure will fix everything the akuma ruined. Your memory should be perfect!"
"It'll be nice to have your competent partner back, huh?" she joked.
"Aw, My Lady, you were always right here!"
Ladybug was going to love him forever, she was absolutely certain. No matter what happened, or what she remembered. Truth be told, she expected she was going to remember a whole lot of daydreams and happy memories of this sweet boy. She couldn't wait to treasure every single one of them.
"Okay then. Miraculous Ladybug!" The teapot melted as she threw it, dissolving into thousands of ladybugs that whipped around the orb, flooded over the sides of the building, and swirled around her, blocking her last view of the Cat Noir she didn't remember.
The boy and girl, that was Nino and Alya! And Marinette was her name! It was a relief to know who she was. The ladybugs vanished as quickly as they had appeared, leaving her staring at Cat Noir, the boy she lov-
Ladybug's hand flew to her mouth. A little gasp escaped anyway.
Author's note: Imagine that butterfly/pigeon meme. Now imagine Cat Noir is the butterfly, Ladybug is the person, and she's asking "Is this the man of my dreams?" Because that's what I thought of when I wrote that line.
These kids are always so fun to write. She's always jumping to the wrong conclusions, and he just has no idea how to deal with girls. XD