First day on the job
This was bad. This was very, very bad. Marinette didn't want to be a hero, but now it seemed as if she had no choice. She couldn't let her new friend get hurt. The police were helpless against this thing, and according to Tikki, she was the only one who could stop him.
"Marinette, you okay honey?"
Marinette squeaked in fear when she heard her mother's voice. She quickly placed her foot over the wooden door of her floor, preventing her mother to entering.
"Uh, yeah mom! I was just, uh…watching some television is all."
"I just wanted to let you know it's alright if you don't go back to school right now. According to the news there's this gigantic monster rampaging through the city. We're closing shop early today, so stay in your room okay?"
"Okay!" Marinette replied, managing to actually sound calm. Once she was certain her mother was gone, she breathed in a sigh of relief…right before panicking again. "What am I thinking? I can't do this! But I can't let that thing hurt Alya, or anyone else. What would Bridget do? What would Bridgett do?"
Marinette paced back and forth pathetically asking the same question over and over until she stopped to look at her sister's picture. She stopped on her tracks as the memory replayed in her mind.
…..
"It's going to be alright. Mash potatoes wash off." Bridget said as she cleaned her little sister's face. Thirteen-year-old Marinette didn't even respond. She just sat there, letting her sister help her clean up after the humiliating episode that day. She had to return home early after that. She wouldn't even talk to anybody.
"Mari, it's going to be okay." the older sister said, wiping away a tear that escaped her sister's eye.
"They were right." Marinette finally said, "I am just a klutz."
"You are not a klutz! They're the ones who are making the biggest mistake. Anyone would be lucky to have you as a friend."
"Lila didn't think so. I should have known it was too good to be true. Like a rich kid would ever be friends with me."
Bridget lifted up the girl's chin, smiling her way. "That's her loss. Don't let Lila get to you. She doesn't get to decide who you are, nobody does. That's something you need to figure out yourself."
"I wish I was as brave as you, Sis. You're not scared of anything"
"Who said I'm not scared? I'm scared every day on the force."
"Then, why do you keep doing it?"
"Because I know what I'm fighting for. I remind myself of that every day."
….
Not only was that the day Marinette was humiliated in front of the entire school, and outcasted for so long, but it was also one of the very last meaningful conversations she and her sister had, because a month latter…she was gone.
But even so, the memory of her courage remained the same. Bridget placed the needs of others before herself. She knew what she was fighting for, and that was what motivated her. Now, Marinette had to do the same thing. Even if she was scared.
"Okay. I can do this….I hope." taking in a deep breath, Marinette slid the lid of the window on her roof, above her bed and walked out into her balcony, which was adorned with a few plants, a small wooden table, and a beach chair. She slipped out, not making a sound, and looked at the vast city before her, noticing a few broken buildings, lining in a trail. No doubt the creature would be easy to find.
"Okay, so I have superpowers now." Marinette said to herself. She pulled the rounded object from her waist, discovering it was a yo-yo. She arched an eyebrow in confusion. "And I have some kind of magic yo-yo…for some reason. Now, what was it Tikki said? It can be used as a grabbling hook too? Well, okay. Let's give it a try I guess."
With her heart beating fast against her chest, Marinette flung the yo-yo into the air, the rounded object wrapping itself around a gargoyle statue several blocks away. Marinette was astonished at the distance it went. A normal yo-yo could never do something like that.
"Wow! Okay, now what do I-WHOA!" after tugging on the string once, Marinette was suddenly pulled by the strong strong, holding on for her dear life and screamed upon seeing just how high up she really was.
(~)
Adrien walked on a long silvering staff, which extended from one rooftop to another, and he walked over it like a tightrope walker. The staff was his new magical weapon, which could grew as long as he wanted it to in order to leap over rooftops with ease. Adrien was especially astonished at his new enhanced reflexes and agility. He really was part cat now. His hearing and even smell had enhanced too. This must be how it felt for alley cats, being able to go wherever they wanted, whenever they wanted. He wished this would never end. He even managed to get the balance on the staff perfectly.
"I could really get used to this." he said to himself, smiling happily like an excitable child playing with his new toy. He abruptly stopped on his tracks when his new enhanced hearing caught the sound of someone screaming. He looked up, his new cat ears perking in curiosity, and saw what appeared to be a red human flying in the air…and heading straight towards him!
Before Adrien could properly react, the human crashed into him, causing him to fall off of his staff and the yo-yo wrapped around it. Their bodies bounced in mid air for a few moments before finally stopping, now only swaying back and forth. Both humans were now tangled in the yo-yo's magic string.
Adrien took notice of the stranger who had crashed into him. A girl with cobalt colored hair wearing a ladybug outfit. Their faces were only inches away from one another as they dangled from the staff.
"Well, that's one way to make an entrance." he said lightheartedly.
"Sorry! I didn't mean to do it on purpose." Marinette replied, feeling her cheeks turn red in embarrassment. Even as a hero she was a flop. Marinette grunted as she tried to yank on the string in a desperate attempt to free them both, but to no avail.
"It's okay, I got it." using his new enhanced strength, Adrien managed to stretch out the string without breaking it and was able to get both of them out of the mess. The two cried out as they fell on the ground with a thud. They both groaned from the impact. Marinette rubbed her head, only to discover she was over the cat boy's over torso. Her cheeks flushed with red in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" she said as she stood up and tried to pull the yo-yo off of the long staff.
Adrien dusted himself as he stood up, once again noticing the girl's costume. "Wait, ladybug outfit? You must be the partner my Kwami told me about!"
"Huh? Oh, right! And you must be that black cat partner my Kwami told me about. Nice to meet you, mr…?"
"Oh, right! My name is…um." it was then, Adrien realized he had not come up with a proper super hero name for himself. He was so anxious to leave the house that little detail had completely slipped his mind. He tapped his chin in thought, thinking on the perfect name for his alter ego.
Well, he was dressed as a black cat, maybe "Cat Boy"? No, that was lame. or "Black Cat", no not too creative. Unless…
"Chat Noir?" he whispered to himself, sounding it out. It was the french translation to black cat, and he was a black cat superhero in Paris, his homeland. It definitely fit.
"Yeah, I'm Chat Noir! And you are?"
"Me? I'm Ma-" Marinette began as she yanked on her yo-yo, which finally untangled from the staff, causing it to shrink down to the size of a baton. However, the yo-yo fell and landed hard on Chat Noir's head.
"OW!"
"Oops!" the poor girl blushed even harder, which was hidden due to her mask, as she watched her new partner rub his head while wincing in pain. "I'm…maladroit. Very, very maladroit." the poor girl said, holding her hands together like a shy little girl, not daring to meet the hero's gaze.
"First day on the job too, hu?" Chat Noir said once he picked up his now shrunken staff.
"Yeah, and if there was another option I'd be fired right now."
"Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it." the boy said kindly.
Before Marinette could respond the ground began to quack, causing the two to loose their balance, and Marinette to trip, only to be surprised when her new partner caught her in the nick of time. She was about to apologizes again until she noticed the position she was in. Her hands were placed on his chest, which felt incredibly strong, while his arms kept her steady, his hands placed on both her arms. She looked up at her new partner, who's eyes slightly widened in surprise. For a moment, he could have sworn he had seen those eyes somewhere before. As for Marinette, she couldn't help but feel flustered as the boy with hair as bright as the sunlight itself and haunting green emerald eyes looked down upon her. She could feel his pecks against her hands.
A loud roar was heard in the distance, getting the teen hero's attention and saw a building not too far ahead collapse. The two parted, the attention turning directly towards the commotion. Chat Noir took action and extended his staff, using it as a vaulting pole. He held onto the tip of the staff, which retracted as he rose upwards, only to retract back once he landed on a rooftop. This amazed Marinette. She fell on her first attempt at using the yo-yo and yet this guy managed to master his new weapon in minutes.
"Hey, where you going?!" she called out.
"To save, Paris!" Chat Noir replied back, "Come on, Ladybug!" he said before leaping away.
Marinette blinked at the name he had given her. Well, it was better than no superhero name at all. Besides, what other names could be call herself aside from "Bug Girl"? Didn't really have much a ring to it, did it?
"Okay, you can do this Marinette. Remember what you're fighting for." she said to herself. She spun the yo-yo rapidly and flung it forward, allowing it to reach the rooftop. Giving the string a gentle tug, she allowed herself to be carried away and leaped over the rooftops like her new partner.
The young girl screamed as she flew upwards, landing feet first onto the rooftop, finding her balance in a matter of seconds. She inspected her body, making sure all was still in tact. "I'm okay? I'm okay!"
"See? I told you it was easy." Chat Noir said, leaning against a chimney while twirling his 'tail'.
"Wait, you waited for me?" she asked in disbelief.
"Of course. A gentlemen always waits for a lady."
"This coming from the guy who left me hanging on the ground?" Marinette said sarcastically, while pointing which her hand where she once stood down bellow.
"My karate teacher always said; The best way to learn is by doing. That's how I managed my powers. Now come on, I know where the monster went!" Chat Noir ran across the rooftops of the apartment buildings, using his retractable staff to send him flying over them.
"This guy is full of surprises, isn't he?" Mari said to herself before following him. After a while, she was able to gain better control of her new abilities. In fact, it was actually kind of fun to run around at top speed with such ease, landing perfectly on her feet and moving at the speed of a ninja. It was unlike anything she had ever felt. She let out a happy cheer as she leaped up, using her yo-yo as a graveling hook every time.
"This is amazing!" she cried out, a smile grew on her face as the wind swept against her cobalt hair as Chat Noir ran beside her, now running on all fours like a cat. He too carried a smile on his face.
"I know, right?" he replied before giving a laugh as he speeded ahead. The two heroes gracefully soaring across the city in perfect sync. It was as if they were destined to work together.
Their joy quickly came to a screeching halt when they saw Stonheart smashing up the now empty cars of a parking lot. Not too far away from the park, Kim was on his way home, drinking a can of soda, only to suddenly spun round when he heard something roaring his name.
"KIIIIIIM!"
Kim's eyes widened in horror upon seeing a gigantic stone monster charming towards him. Finally, Stoneheart had found his victim.
"Who's the scaredy cat now, hu?!" the creature roared, causing Kim to scream even louder as he ran away in fear, the ground shaking with each step the stone monster took. One impact cause Kim to lose his balance and stumble.
Just as Stoneheart was about to grab him, a staff came in between him and his pray. Chat Noir came down, retracting his staff and resting it over his shoulder once he landed and helped the boy back up. "Get out of here!" he ordered. Kim nodded and ran as fast as he could, leaving only the hero and the monster. "Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?" Chat taunted with a smirk.
"You mean, like you?" Stoneheart roared and clenched his left hand fist, ready to punch the cat-like superhero. Chat Noir quickly jumped away from the impact. Stoneheart directed another punch but once again Chat managed to avoid it.
(~)
From his secret lair, HawkMoth laughed maniacally to himself, outstretching his arms in triumph. "Everything is going according to plan." he said to himself, his voice dripping with pride. "The Miraculous of the Black Cat and Ladybug have returned and have rushed to protect the innocent. With Stoneheart under my control, the ultimate power shall be mine!"
(~)
Stoneheart directed another punch, to which again Chat Noir avoided. Seeing his chance, the hero jumped up high, wielding his staff like a sword and striking the monster on his back. He flipped over and landed from behind the beast, who then began to glow a bright yellow, increasing in size, much to Chat Noir's shock. His hit only made him grow larger, and by the looks of it, stronger and angrier.
"Uh, Ladybug, whenever you're ready!" Chat cried out before once again jumping away from Stoneheart's attack.
From the rooftop of one of the apartments that surrounded the park, Marinette's knees trembled in fear. That creature was ginormous, not to mention powerful and scary. She had already mastered control over her yo-yo and new agility, but there was no way she could fight this thing. She may be stronger now, but she was still just a scrawny little girl.
"I can't do this, I can't do this…" she whipped, burying her face into her hands. She peeked through her fingers, witnessing Stoneheart pull off the the fountaint's statue of the goddess Aphrodite, and hurled it towards Chat. The statue missed and was aiming directly at someone else who had arrived at the scene, ducking from behind a park bench and recording everything with her cellphone.
Marinette's eyes widened in horror. It was Alya!
The statue was about to crush her. Seeing this, Chat Noir acted fast and hurled his staff directly at the statue. The staff extended in length landing in between two park trees, the moment the statue hovered above Alya. The girl shielded herself with her arms, expecting an impact that never came. The statue bounced right off of the staff like rubber and smashed into the ground, breaking apart.
Marinette couldn't believe it. Chat Noir just saved Alya's life. He acted fast without hesitation. That was a true hero. She always appreciated a selfless act, and this boy most definitely showcased it. He was so…heroic, and brave, and strong and…kind of cute, despite his dark mask.
Marinette was awoken from her thoughts once Stoneheart grabbed Chat Noir in his powerful grip, ready to crush him. What could Marinette do? What should she do? Just jump into action and do what, show him a yo-yo trick? How could she use a yo-yo for a weapon to fight anyway?
"What are you waiting for, Ladybug girl?!" Alya called out from down bellow, grabbing Marinette's attention, "Your partner needs you!"
She was right, Chat did need her. It was then, her sister's words rang in her head. "I know what I'm fighting for." Marinette shut her eyes for a moment, focusing on ignoring her anxiety and fears before opening them again. Her eyes now filled with determination as she clenched her yo-yo. She was not about to let this monster hurt her partner.
Taking a step forward, Marinette leaped from the rooftop and hurtled her yo-yo at Stoneheart, directly at his feet, wrapping the string around them and surprising the beast as Marinette slid from underneath him, screeching to a halt, holding her yo-yo while smiling confidently.
"Didn't anyone every tell you animal cruelty is wrong?" she said, for the first time in her life, she sounded confident. She felt confident. She pulled on her yo-yo, causing Stoneheart to fall on his back, releasing Chat Noir in the process.
"Yes!" Alya cheered from the sidelines.
Ladybug turned her head, addressing to Alya. "You need to get out of here! It's not safe!" he ordered.
"No way! When am I ever going to get another chance to witness a real superhero fight?" Alya said, her eyes sparkling with interest as she aimed her phone at Ladybug, recoding her.
"If you don't leave now, you'll never get another chance for anything ever again!" Ladybug said seriously, to which Alya only crossed her arms.
"Promise me an interview afterwords and I'll leave." the girl said firmly.
"Okay fine! Just go now! I'm not asking twice!" even Marinette herself was amazed at how demanding she just was. Alya finally complied and wan away from the scene. Ladybug released Stoneheart, retracting her yo-yo back once Chat Noir came to her side.
"Nice use with that yo-yo." he said, pointing at the rounded object.
"Thanks. I think I'm finally getting the hang of it." she said with pride. The two gasped when Stoneheart roared and pulled a park tree from the ground, throwing it their way.
"Look out!" Chat Noir quickly pushed Ladybug out of the way, right before the tree made impact with the ground. The two rolled on the ground and once they stopped, Ladybug noticed she was once again on top of him, their faces only inches apart. Both of them blushed. "We really got to stop bumping into each other like this." Chat said, chuckling nervously.
Stoneheart roared once again, prompting the two teens to hurry back onto their feet, brushing the moment aside for now. Stoneheart clenched his left hand fist, ready to attack the two. Chat leaped away, while Ladybug just ran away. The fist collided with the ground, causing it to shake and Ladybug fell down once more. Stoneheart aimed directly at Ladybug once he saw she was down and readied to smash her with another tree he yanked off.
Chat Noir readied his stance, holding his staff, while Ladybug… froze.
As the fist came at them, time slowed still in her eyes. Marinette could feel the wind and the stone closing in on her face. The impact had yet to arrive and yet she could already feel the pain that would no doubt come with it once it did. This creature could no doubt end her life right here and there, just like…
The sound of gunshots sounded off in her head. The whaling cries of her mother when the last bullet was shot. Her vision became painted with red, she couldn't seethe rock fist anymore, all she saw was blood and death. Her vision became foggy, time speeded up, she knew she had to move but her body failed to respond.
Chat Noir once again stood in between her and the creature, using his staff to hold him off, angering the creature. "Ladybug, wake up!" he screamed. "Wake up!" only did his finally cry get through to her. Marinette rapidly shook her head, returning back to reality. He quickly grabbed her by the arm and led her away from the sight. He could feel the poor girl trembling against his chest. There was no way she could fight in this condition. He could continued to fight off the creature himself, but if he did he old no doubt be defeated. He was already growing tired and any strike he'd give him would only make him stronger.
As much as he hatted to admit it, they had to get out of there. If they stayed, Ladybug would either pass out or be helpless against the creature. He had to get her somewhere safe. Using his staff, he shot them both onto the rooftops, leaving Stoneheart to continue his rampage across the city.
Once he was sure they were in far enough distance, Chat rested his partner against a chimney. The girl was hyperventilating, her face was pale and her eyes were wide and her irises shrunken, as if she had seen a ghost or witnessed a horrifying display of violence. Chat Noir's first instinct was to try and sooth the petrified girl.
"Ladybug, calm down. It's okay, it's gonna be okay." he said, speaking in a soothing voice filled with compassion and sympathy.
"Stoneheart." she said in between her breathing, "He's…still…"
"Take it easy. Breath." he instructed her by breathing in and out himself, to which she slowly mimics, but her gaze was still frozen with her hand over her heart, feeling its strong fast beating. Chat placed his hand under her chin, lifting it up to face him. "Look at me, look at me." he said, gently lifting her gaze towards his.
Marinette noticed his eyes no longer looked like cat-slits anymore, but his irises increasing a bit, making his eyes look more human. He smiled softly, his kind gaze slowly putting her nerves at ease. She focused only on him, following his example in taking slow deep breaths. She blinked, her eyes returning to normal and her heart rate stabilizing again.
"It's okay. You're fine." Chat Noir said, placing his hands on her arms, gently rubbing them while moving his hands up and down. Once she had finally stabilized her mind went back to Stoneheart. He was still attacking the city, and all because of her. One punch and she was frozen solid. The reality of danger and death caused her to panic and cower yet again. She felt so humiliated. She finally broke her gaze at Chat Noir and looked down in shame.
"I'm not fine." she said in dismay, "I froze. I was too scared." tears rolled down from her eyes, followed by sobbing. "I can't do anything!" she cried out, hiding her face with her hands.
Seeing this poor girl be so frightened really tore Chat's heart apart. He hatted seeing people so broken hearted. His mother was same way, anyone suffering brought so much sadness to her heart just as it did for him. He didn't blame her for being so upset, she was just as new to all of this as he was, he shouldn't have expected everyone to react the same way he did when he got his powers.
"Take it easy, you didn't mess up, we can still win this." he said, smiling in reassurance, but Ladybug kept on crying.
"Didn't you hear what I said?!" she yelled angrily, tears still streaming from her eyes, "I messed up! Stoneheart is still out there and it's all because of me! Don't you see? I'm no hero, I'm not cut out for this! You be the hero, you're better at it than me!"
"Don't say that. The kwami's said we need to work together."
"The kwami was wrong! I never should have been chosen! I never wanted to do this!"
"Then why did you come in the first place?" he asked, more so curiously than anything.
Ladybug wiped a few more tears from her eyes. "I came to try and save my friend." she confessed, making Chat's eyes widen in surprise. He then remembered that girl from before. She must have been the friend she was talking about. She was definitely anxious about her leaving the scene, and she was the only other person left at the park.
"But I failed. I'm no hero, I'm a coward, don't you get it?!" Ladybug spatted once more burying her face into her hands, crying once more. "Just go on without me. Please."
Chat bit his bottom lip. He couldn't leave her like this, not just because of Stoneheart, but because he couldn't leave this poor girl to suffer. Her reacting so negatively and so powerfully to one slip up reminded him of when that girl Marinette left school in the middle of the day after just one accident. Maybe it wasn't the accident itself, but what it meant to them. Adrian couldn't help Marinette with her problem and it seemed he wouldn't have wanted his help, but Ladybug was now his partner. He knew he could help her. He wanted to help her.
Ladybug was rather surprised when Chat wiped away her tears, his hand brushing against her skin. "I'm not leaving you." he said. His words causing Marinette's heart to leap, but not out of anxiety. "You might not think you're a hero, but you're definitely more of one than I am."
"What are you talking about? You mastered your powers better than I did."
"I only put on this Miraculous because I wanted to leave my house." Chat said, showcasing his miraculous ring, "But you, you put on yours just save your friend. That's what a real hero does, placing others before herself."
For a moment, Marinette could have sworn she had heard something similar before. Her sister. She always placed others before herself. Then again, look where that made her end up. What if the same happened to her as well?
Marinette opened her mouth to speak, she was silent for a moment before replying. "I'm scared."
"I know you are, to be honest, I am too. All I really know about superheroes is from comics books, but this isn't a comic. This is real. And we're a real team, and teammates never leave each other behind."
"You…you really think we're a team?"
"Of course. The Miraculous choose us for a reason, and I believe it. You know, someone I care about always used to say; "No greater love is he who gives his life for his friends."
Marinette was now at a definite loss for words. Chat Noir truly was a hero in her eyes, not because of his costume or powers, but because he went out of his way to take her away from the danger zone just to make sure she would be alright. He sacrificed the mission to tend to her needs. No one else aside from her family has ever done that for her. She could look into his eyes and she could tell his words were true. Her mind went back to Stoneheart and all those people still in danger. She couldn't let them all suffer. Suddenly, the desire to protect those innocent people overwhelmed her. Chat Noir was willing to make a sacrifice, now she had to do the same. Maybe they were meant to be partners after all.
"Just trust me, okay?" Chat Noir waited patiently for her reply.
Ladybug smiled. "Okay." she nodded her head and Chat Noir helped her to stand back up.
"Whenever you get scared, just know I'm right there beside you." said Chat while holding Ladybug's hand as she stood up. She gazed into his eyes. His warm, emerald green eyes that radiated with honesty and compassion. He truly wasn't like any other guy she had ever met.
Regardless of the fact that he hid part of his face, Chat Noir didn't seem to hold back from being honest. Whoever was behind that mask, Marinette knew she could trust him.
(~)
Stoneheart continued his rampage, and Alya followed him on her bike. She may have told that ladybug themed superhero she would leave the park, but she never did say she'd leave entirely. Leave it to Alya to be incredibly sneaky in order to get what she wants.
The two heroes followed the monster, who was tossing over various empty busses. Stoneheart lifted one of the busses over his head. "KIIIIIM! SHOW YOURSELF!"
"Kim's not here right now, can we take a message?"
Stoneheart turned his head to see Chat Noir and Ladybug standing before him. Chat smiled at his cheeky remark, resting his staff over his shoulder, while Ladybug spun her yo-yo, her eyes looking sternly at the beast.
"You again?!"
"Aww, miss us already?" Chat joked once more.
"Is this going to be your thing?" Ladybug asked with an amused smirk, "Making jokes left and right."
"Only on a good day." he replied with a wink, only to wince once they felt the ground shake as Stoneheart threw the buss at the two.
"Let's just hope this is one of them!" Ladybug cried out right before the two ran ahead, both taking opposite directions and meeting up again behind the creature. "Any ideas?"
"All I know is that we can't hit him." Chat explained, "Any impact he takes just makes him bigger."
"Good observation. We need to think of a different approach." she said, right before the two jumped out of the way from another incoming car. The two leaped away and hid behind an empty car. "My kwami told me we need to break the object that has his Akuma in it. It's what turned him evil."
"Okay, but I don't see anything on him. Do you?" Chat said as Stoneheart roared.
Ladybug poked her head from behind the car, squinting her eyes. As she observed, she noticed something she never did before. Stoneheart only used his left hand for most of his attacks, and not his right. His right fight remained closed all throughout the battle. The object must be in his fist, what other explanation could there be?
"Chat, look at his right hand. He's keeping it closed, he never once opens it. The Akuma's not on him, it's hidden in his fist."
"Looks like I'm not the only one with a good eye." he said. "And I know just what to do. I've waiting to use it all day!" Chat smiled confidently, raising his hand upwards, the grown paw print on his ring glowed brightly as he cried out, "Cataclysm!" a black energy spear appeared on his palm before he closed it, and black particles swarmed around his left hand. "Pretty cool right? It allows me to destroy anything I touch. Check it out!"
"No, Chat wait!" Ladybug exclaimed, but it was too late. Chat had already used his ability to destroy a nearby lamp post. Upon his touch, the object turned gray and crumbled to pieces.
"Cool! Time to say goodbye to the Walking Rock!"
Ladybug arched an eyebrow. "Seriously? You're using that reference?"
"They can't all be winners." Chat said right before running towards Stoneheart and leaped at the monster, using his staff as support. He landed right on his head, and placed his hand right on Stoneheart's right arm. But, nothing happened. Chat's cat ears lowered in horror and Stoneheart grabbed him and threw him against the car he and Ladybug hid behind. The cat boy groaned, feeling delirious.
"I'm guessing it's a one time thing." he said before shaking his head rapidly to regain full consciousness.
Ladybug walked out to help him back up. "You can only use your special attack once. After that, you only have five minutes before you change back. Didn't your kwami tell you this?"
"Must have slipped his mind." Chat said, making a mental note to confront Plagg about this.
"Okay then, my turn." Ladybug threw her yo-yo into the air while shouting, "Lucky Charm!" her yo-yo spun around above her head, releasing a ray of pretty red hearts, then out of thin air a red and black object appeared, landing on Marinette's hand. It was rather small and round. She flipped the lid to find the reflective surface within. She arched an eyebrow.
"A makeup compact?"
Chat looked at it curiously, "Uh, you sure you said it right?"
"I'm pretty sure." Ladybug said, though even she didn't know what she would need a compact for. And now she had to think fast, not only was Stoneheart approaching, but she now only had five minutes before she reverted back to normal. She looked at Stoneheart's fist, she knew the Akuma was in there, she just needed to get him to open it, but how. She looked over at Chat Noir, then back at Stoneheart, noticing the hand he mostly used. The gears in her mind were working overtime and she finally came up with an idea.
"I got it! Chat Noir, I'm really sorry."
"What are you so sorry abo-Whao!" before Chat could properly reply, Ladybug wrapped her yo-yo around his legs, much to his surprise. Then, using all of her newly acquired physical strength, she spun the boy around rapidly before sending him flying toward Stoneheart, who grabbed him in his left hand. Ladybug leaped onto a lamp post, noticing the shadows of the day, trying to find the right angel from which to stand. Once she had it, she leaped forward, "You'll never catch me!" he called out, observing as Stoneheeart opened his right hand, releasing the purple object which contained his Akuma. At the right moment, Marinette used the compact to reflect the sun's rays at Stoneheart, causing him to shield his eyes from the light, releasing Chat Noir in the process. Seeing her chance, she rushed over to the purple object, smashing it with her foot. A black colored butterfly emerged from the object and Ladybug quickly squashed it against her hands. However, the butterfly did not die but rather its wings became torn as it flew away like a weakened moth.
Black ooze surrounded Stoneheart's body, the rocks crumbled and fell to the ground to reveal Ivan, rubbing his head, looking delirious. He had no memory of the events that happened. The broken purpled object also became covered in black ooze before turning back into a crumbled piece of paper. The rocks around Ivan disappeared into thin air.
"Wha…what happened?" Ivan asked, looking at the two heroes before him. "What am I doing here?"
"You don't remember anything?" Ladybug asked.
"No, I don't." Ivan rubbed his head as he stood back up and headed towards the still in tact cafe to get himself a drink of water.
A smile grew on Chat Noir's face and he jumped for joy, ponding his fist into the air. "Whoohoo! That was awesome! You were incredible!" he said to Ladybug, acting like an excitable child, "That was some serious fast thinking you came up with there, I can't-I mean-wow! We actually did it! We stopped a villain!" Ladybug blinked when Chat started doing a victory dance and moon walking. "Oh yeah! We did it, we're awesome, we rocked it, we-"
Chat quickly stopped once he noticed Ladybug blinking, standing perfectly calm while he was jumping up and down and talking like an excitable little child. Most of the time he had to act composed and dignified to maintain that flawless super model image, but now he was taking every chance he had to express himself. He blinked and quickly composed himself, feeling a tad embarrassed to be acting this way in front of a girl. "Uh, sorry. Got a little carried away there."
A smile grew on Ladybug's face and she started laughing. At first, it was soft and quiet, but then it grew louder and she tilted her head back, laughing out out. Chat was rather taken by surprise by her reaction. He was sure she'd think he was acting like a dork, but she…actually found it funny? Did he…actually make someone laugh? A few moments ago, this girl was paralyzed with fear and now she was enjoying herself, even if it was at his expense. But he really didn't mind.
"Are you…laughing?" he asked, making sure he wasn't just seeing things.
Once she realized what she was doing, Ladybug quickly covered her mouth, "What? No! I mean-yes, I was but, at you-I mean, no not at you, I mean-Wait, why am I stuttering?"
"No, no it's fine!" Chat said, raising his hands up to ease her worry. "It's just I've never made anyone laugh before. I-In a good way, I mean." Chat could feel his face blush as he scratched the back of his neck nervously. Ladybug found this gesture incredibly adorable and let out a giggle. The cutest giggle Chat had ever heard.
"I like hearing you laugh." he said out loud, which only made Ladybug blush harder. Chat shook his head rapidly once he realized what he just said. "Did I say that out loud?"
"Thank you, Chat." said Ladybug, walking a bit closer to him while rubbing her arm shyly. "Thanks for not giving up on me."
"Hey, no sweat. We're partners now, right?"
"Right!"
Partners. She liked the sound of that. She liked it a lot. The two clinched their teamwork with a fist pump, only to realize that Chat's ring was already blinking, showing he only had one pad left on his green cat paw, indicating his time was nearly up.
He really wish it didn't have to end. He didn't want to say goodbye to his new friend just yet, and neither did Ladybug. But it won't be long before her time runs out as well.
"You should go." she said, trying to hide her disappointment. "Nobody can know who we are."
"Not even…us?" he asked, rather hopefully.
Should they know who they are behind the mask? They had only just met, and personally Marinette wasn't ready for him to know who she was, at least not yet. And Adrian wasn't too keen on exposing who he was either. He wanted Ladybug to like him for him, not his rich name and status.
"Maybe it's best we don't." Ladybug finally said.
"Yeah. You're probably right." Chat then took Ladybug's hand and kissed the top of it, making her heart skip a beat. "Until we meet again, My Lady." he gave her a princely bow before running off to leap over the building of Paris like the hero he was.
As she watched him leave, Marinette held the hand he kissed close to her heart, still feeling his lips against it. She sighed dreamily, still looking in the direction from which her dashing black cat had disappeared to.
"Till we meet again." she said in a soft whisper, practically swooning. The sound of crumbled paper against her fingers snapped her back to reality and she opened the paper, reading the words out loud. "You're not even man enough to tell Mylene how you really feel, you chicken…"
The sound of a bell made Ladybug turn her head to see Ivan walk out of the cafe with a bottle of water, looking so depressed. Marinette's compassionate heart compelled her to walk on over to him. The saddened boy sat on the sidewalk, surprised to see the heroine from before. She showed him the piece of paper he had been carrying this whole time.
"Who wrote this to you?" she asked.
"It was this guy from my class, Kim. He's always making fun of me."
Ladybug sat beside him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. She knew better than anyone how it felt to get teased over practically anything. This must have been what caused Ivan to get Akumatized. "You know, you don't have to get yourself worked up over this." she said kindly. "There's nothing wrong with liking someone, and telling them how you feel. Besides, Kim doesn't get to decide who you are, nobody does."
"How did you know his name was Kim?"
Ladybuy's eyes widened in horror at her slip up. She laughed nervously until another familiar voice was heard.
"Unbelievable, incredible, fabulous!" Alya stood there, recording with her phone, "I saw the whole thing! You were kick-butt amazing! So, does this mean you're Pari's newest superhero, or are you just here on important hero business? Where did you get your powers from? Were you bitten by a eradicative ladybug?"
The moment Marinette heard the beeping sound coming from her earrings, she knew that was her cue to leave. "Um, I'd really love to stay and answer your questions but I really should be going. Important superhero business and all that." she said with a light chuckle as she made her leave.
"Wait! Can we at least know your name?"
Marinette turned around and smiled. She knew exactly what to say. "Ladybug. Call me Ladybug." she said with a wink and a salute before throwing her yo-yo and leaping across the rooftops just like Chat.
It seemed fitting to keep the name he gave her, since she probably wouldn't have been able to stop Stoneheart if he hasn't saved her first.
She really hoped she would see him again. Soon.
(~)