Ladybug arrived first, landing lightly onto the metal bars and checking her yo-yo. Two minutes past four exactly, meaning both of them were late. Not that she really cared, as it had been a long, tiring night and would undoubtedly be an even longer day. The girl was prepared to cut her partner some slack, but if he wasn't here in the next ten minutes, she'd be going over to the Agreste mansion and pounding on his windows. On second thoughts, pounding on the windows probably wouldn't do much. Knowing Gabriel Agreste, the glass would be as thick as her neck and completely soundproof.
Rubbing her tired eyes, Ladybug scanned the city for a small black dot leaping over the rooftops. To her disappointment, she saw nothing. She checked her watch and sighed, hoping Chat Noir would be here soon. It was nearing the end of February, which also meant it was nearing the end of winter. Marinette lived for Paris in the spring. It was just so bright and colourful and warm, and spring designs were her favourite. Plus, she wouldn't have to bundle herself up in coats and scarves everytime she wanted to go out.
There was a loud thud behind her, and the red-suited hero spun around to see Chat Noir crouching on the same metal beam, panting and trying to keep his takeaway coffee from spilling all over him. Ladybug stepped over to him. "Need a hand?" she asked lightly, stretching out her own.
"Thanks, my lady." Chat put his coffee down and reached for her hand. Ladybug pulled him up, and he bent down to grab his coffee, sipping it as he rose back into standing position. He glanced at her. "Want some?"
"Sure." Ladybug took the still-warm cup from him and pulled off the lid. She gulped down the sweet liquid, wrinkling her nose slightly as the swallowed. Chat watched her, tail swishing in the breeze.
"Something wrong?" he asked anxiously.
Ladybug shook her head as she replaced the lid. "No, it's just sweeter than usual. It's no problem, since it's not my coffee anyway. Thanks for giving me some, Chat."
"No worries," replied her partner, winking at the girl, who rolled her eyes fondly. "Now, shall we get down to business?"
"I suppose," yawned Ladybug. "You didn't happen to bring a notebook, did you?"
Chat blinked, then groaned. "Ugh, no. I wasn't thinking straight this morning."
"Same here," said Ladybug. "I'll duck home and grab one. Won't be a minute." The superheroine ran over to the edge and jumped off, swinging her yo-yo at the closest building. She moved more quickly than usual, all too aware of their deadline. Questions would be asked if they held their press conference while they were meant to be at school, and Ladybug's parents were sure to realize that she wasn't home in a few hours. Being bakers, they were usually up very early but would let Marinette sleep. She had a few hours, at least.
She landed as softly as she could on her balcony before swinging down onto her bed. She snatched a notebook and a pen from the shelf, then zipped away again, breathing heavily as she swung through the city. Within a few, moments, she was standing back on the Eiffel Tower next to Char, out of breath but otherwise fine. Ladybug handed him the notebook and pen, then straightened up and looked around. She wasn't looking forward to sitting on the cold metal of the structure for the next hour or so. She sighed and looked over Chat Noir, but before she could open her mouth he started to speak.
"Do you want to do this somewhere else?"
Ladybug smiled gratefully and nodded. "You read my mind, kitty," she said warmly. "Any idea where?"
The leather-clad superhero scratched his head, tousling his blond lock. "Nope. No library I know is open at this time, and we'd probably cause a fuss even if there was one. I would say my house, but if my father came in and saw us, he'd be absolutely furious."
Ladybug narrowed her eyes. She had never quite gotten over her suspicion of Gabriel Agreste. If she was right in thinking that he was Hawkmoth, then she was glad not to be going to his house. It was a risk she was prepared to take, but Ladybug would much rather they stayed away from the man altogether. World-renowned fashion designer or not, her first priority was keeping both her secret and her Miraculous safe. "Okay, so not your place. What about mine? My parents will be working in the bakery for the next few hours, and you can easily hide in my room. It'll be a perfect place."
Chat shivered, rubbing his forearms with his gloved hands. "If it's warmer than this place, it sounds good to me," he replied, teeth chattering.
Ladybug nodded, her pigtails bouncing. "I can guarantee it'll be warmer than here, Chat. Come on, we're running out of time." She grabbed her yo-yo and leaped off the structure once more without looking behind her. "Let's go, slowcoach!"
Chat grinned and followed her, his baton-twirling above his head.
MLBMLBMLB
Ladybug and Chat stood on the pink rug in the middle of her room. Chat had been there once before as Adrien, but was still scanning the place, his green eyes slightly unnerving.
"So, um.." Ladybug shuffled her feet. We should probably detransform. If my parents come up and see two superheroes, questions will be asked."
"Cool with me." Chat glanced at his partner. "Plagg, claws in!"
His suit melted away, revealing flannel pyjama pants and a black t-shirt. He smiled awkwardly at her. "Um, sorry for my outfit."
Ladybug shook her head. "It's no problem. Tikki, spots off!" Rosy light illuminated the room, and Marinette stood in front of Adrien, also in her pyjamas. They both stared at each other for a moment.
"Okay!" said Marinette cheerfully, trying not to blush. "You still have the notebook and the pen?"
The blonde boy held them up. "Sure do."
Marinette walked over to her desk and sat down, patting the swivel chair next to her. "Get over here," she said, smiling. "We've got some work to do."
MLBMLBMLB
Harsh light illuminated Alya Cesaire's face as she sat in front of her computer screen, the glow from the device brightening the dark room slightly. Outside, a different source of light was beginning its slow journey through the sky, staining the Parisian skyline in gorgeous pastels. Despite the beauty of it, Alya remained focused on her task. Last night had been absolutely exhausting, and for some strange reason it was hazy in her mind and Alya was unable to pick out details. She couldn't remember what clour tie Nino had been wearing, or the flavour of the punch, or the song of the first dance. It was disappointing, as she'd been looking towards the dance for a while, but it couldn't be helped. She needed to focus on the task at hand, which was updating the Ladyblog. As dedicated as she was to it, Alya had promised herself that last night would be a break, and she wouldn't be focusing on it at all.
Unfortunately, that led to her being up at the crack of dawn to scour the internet for Ladybug news. This seemed especially important after the superheroine's mysterious call late last night. Alya hadn't been awake for long and was just typing Ladybug's name into the search engine. With a click, she hit search.
Nothing could have prepared her for the dozens of headlines that popped up. The bespectacled girl stared in shock, mouth gaping. How was this possible?
Chat Noir Akumatized, Ladybug Fights Alone, screamed Paris Today.
Hawkmoth Wins- Chat Noir Under His Control, blared French News.
Chat Noir Joins The Dark Side, The Express. Concerns For Ladybug as Chat Noir Turns Against Her, The Daily. Chat Noir To Make Official Appearance After Terrorizing Parisians, The Paris Courier.
"Oh my god." Alya gazed at her screen in disbelief, seemingly frozen. After a few moments, she reached out a shaky hand and clicked on The Paris Courier's article, scanning it quickly. There was a picture of Chat Noir standing next to Ladybug at some event. He looked happy and smiling, and so did Ladybug. Beneath was a blurry, grainy image of the two again. Chat Noir was standing against a wall, eyes glowing purple and a sneer on his face. Ladybug stood back from him, yo-yo out and hair messy. The photo didn't show her face, but Alya could imagine the mingled looks of determination and fear on her face.
Scrolling down further, Alya saw that the second photograph had been taken by a name that sounded familiar. Louis Lemaire, who also attended the dance. Alya could vaguely remember ticking his name off a list somewhere. As she continued to read the article, the girl discovered that the picture had been snapped at the school dance, and she had absolutely no memory of it.
"Chat Noir was present at the Francois- Dupont College event last night, according to witnesses," Alya muttered, vaguely conscious that she was reading out loud. "He had reportedly used his Cataclysm on several students before Ladybug arrived at the scene, and once she was there, threatened to "eliminate" more. Witnesses said the famous superhero seemed to be enjoying the students' terror, and was nothing like his old self. Ladybug appeared to be terrified, but bravely protected the students and the city." Alya gulped and took a deep breath, skimming over the next few sentences. "The Mayor of Paris announced this morning that the superhero pair will hold a press conference tomorrow morning, in front of the town hall. Paris eagerly awaits the explanation of Ladybug and especially her disgraced partner, Chat Noir."
Alya leaned back of the chair pushing away from her desk and raising her eyes to the ceiling. After a few minutes of thought, she sat up again and turned her attention back to the computer. She scribbled down the time and place of the press conference, then glanced at her watch. She still had ages until the conference began, but she had some serious work to do. She desperately needed to update the Ladyblog, and this was going to be her prime feature.
MLBMLBMLB
Adrien groaned and let his head fall into his hands. "This is impossible," he said, his voice muffled. "How the hell would anyone forgive me after hearing that?" He pointed to the sheet of paper in front of him, an expression of disgust on his face.
Marinette took the paper and scanned over it. "It's not that bad, it could just use some improvements," she said comfortingly. "Get up, Adrien. No one will forgive you if you have to tell them that you don't have a speech at all."
Adrien sighed. He wanted to apologize for his actions, he really did. But this was so much more difficult than he had imagined it to be. Normally he was good at this kind of stuff, but now, when he was really in the wrong, it seemed impossible. Had he been by himself, he would have given up, and he was sure Plagg wouldn't have done anything about it.
Marinette stood up and pulled him to his feet as well. Hard. Adrien stumbled as he was tugged into standing position and opened his mouth to complain, but shut it. There really wasn't much point, as Marinette would simply ignore him.
"Okay, I want you to imagine that we're transformed," she said, pulling at her phone and tapping on it. "The journalists are in front of you, and the people of Paris are watching you. What do you want to say to them?" She hit the record button on her voice memo app and waited.
Adrien swallowed and stared at his feet, deep in thought.
"An explanation, maybe?" prompted Marinette. "Then an apology?"
He took a deep breath and began to speak.