"There had been an incident right outside the bakery and we both just happened to rescue a baby together. I forgot his pacifier, so I went up to her balcony to get it…"

Adrien kept watching Marinette, waiting for the moment when she realized.

"She threw herself into my arms-and mind you," he gave an amused smile, looking at his audience for just a second, "I was still holding a baby-and told me she loved me just as her dad stuck his head through the trap door for the balcony."

The surrounding students started to giggle and laugh from the mental image. Marinette's eyes blew wide open. WHAT!? How in the world did Adrien know about that?! And why was he talking like he was Chat Noir?

A quick inhale from the girl in question told him he had just missed her realization and his eyes were instantly back on her. "Her dad kindly invited me to brunch the next day. Unfortunately, I really botched the whole thing and her dad wound up being akumatized" he said softly, keeping his eyes on Marinette. He took a breath and continued. "I hope you'll forgive me," he finished with his cat eyes, which, frankly, Marinette thought was wildly unfair.

The truth was sinking in and Marinette had no idea what to do. Adrien was Chat Noir. The boy she loved was her partner. The one she kept turning down. Only now she's professed her love for him on two different occasions, both in and out of the mask. Did he know she was Ladybug? Why had he just blown his identity? She felt like she was drowning in thoughts. This was…

"Ridiculous," Chloe said, "Utterly ridiculous. You are far too perfect to be botching things Adrikins, and if Dupain-Cheng has any sense at all, she's already forgiven you. Sabrina, let's get out of here." She flipped her ponytail as she stood up, "I have more important places to be." She took off, Sabrina hastily standing and chasing after her.

Lila, sitting mostly stunned, felt like she could hurl. That was sickeningly sweet and it TOTALLY backfired on her. How could she have misjudged so badly? She was sure Adrien hadn't been into Marinette. Maybe those two idiots were hiding something else. Furthermore, she'd just gone and handed the spotlight over to those two overzealous goody-two-shoes. Now Rose was fawning over the two of them in that simpering voice of hers. Ayla was acting as the grand inquisitor. Even Ivan and Nathaniel were crowding in on Adrien and Marinette to congratulate them. Her fingers curled in tightly. How could they? They had ruined her whole plan!

"Hello, Backfire," the soft voice of revenge whispered in her mind. "They might have ruined your current plans, but I can give you the power to ruin everyone's plans. And you will get an opportunity to make Ladybug's Lucky Charm backfire, too."

That was a no-brainer. "I'm in, Hawkmoth," Lila whispered, so as not to draw the attention of her too close classmates. She could feel the power washing over her. Interesting, this time her purse seemed to have turned into a silver cylinder with a button on it. This could be fun.

Lila pointed the pipe at Kim and pressed the button. He went from laughing to crying in a second. That was something to cherish indeed.

MLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLB

Marinette heard Kim's obnoxious laughter change into deep sobs and looked up, alarmed.

Oh.

Great.

Lila had gone and gotten herself akumatized again. She was wearing silver spandex this time. Her hair was standing straight up and appeared to be on fire. And she was holding what appeared to be a tail pipe. As Marinette took in the bizarreness that this akuma was, she was already shouting, "Run!" and matching her actions to her words. Adrien caught her arm and dragged her in the opposite direction-namely towards Lila. What was he thinking? Lila, however, was apparently busy checking out her new powers, shooting flames at random Parisians. A man drinking coffee suddenly dumped it out and sat down at a table, cradling his head in his arms. A woman trying to calm a crying baby started yelling at the baby. And in the chaos, Marinette and Adrien sailed right past Lila, skating around the corner of a chest high hedge.

"I'm sorry, Marinette," Adrien started, talking as he panted. "I really hope you will forgive me. But right now, I think Paris needs us, right?" His eyes pleaded. She wasn't really sure what for, because her mind was still on overload, but thankfully her body actually did something reasonable this time, and she nodded. Adrien slumped with relief. "Great. Plagg, Claws out!" Marinette watched as Adrien transformed right in front of her. Surely this day couldn't get any weirder, right? Chat Noir looked at her. "I think you'll be more helpful if you transform. Unless you have another plan?" he asked. Oh. He did know. Well, time was of the essence.

"Tikki, Spots on!" In a few short seconds, the two of them were peering over the edge of the hedge, trying to figure out how to stop Lila. Again.

"Where do you think the akuma is?" Chat Noir asked, watching his possessed classmate as she shot random people with her fiery weapon.

"I don't know, I should have been watching her." Ladybug sighed. "It's not like we didn't know she was up to no good."

"Maybe it's in those bands around her ankles? The look different," offered Chat.

Ladybug smirked. "Flare enough," she giggled. "Let's go!"

They jumped over the bush and attacked. Chat Noir was doing his best to keep her fire from hitting random civilians while Ladybug called her Lucky Charm. The Lucky Charm was a fishbowl and it was clear to Ladybug immediately how she could use it. She moved into position and

a burst of fire swept around her and she tripped forward, dropping the fishbowl.

Water splattered everywhere, Ladybug's trip causing her to slide right through the puddle.

"Chat Noir! Cataclysm her ankle bands," she called desperately, as Backfire approached, laughing at the fallen superhero.

Chat Noir vaulted forward, calling his Cataclsym, and was hit with a stream of fire. He fell towards the ground, his arms swinging around trying to catch onto anything when his right hand made contact with the flame thrower.

The flame thrower disintegrated into ash and a small purple butterfly flitted off. Ladybug purified the little insect and released it, much to Lila's increasing dismay.