Marinette glances at her clock, checking the time. 10 minutes wouldn't matter in the long run, especially since she is getting nowhere with her math homework. "Tikki, I think we should go out now."
The red kwami nods in agreement, rising from Marinette's computer.
"Tikki, spots on!" Marinette commands, the kwami following suit. Not a minute later, the Miraculous Ladybug swings her yoyo into Paris' illuminated night.
"No, Nino, my father won't let me," Adrien tells his friend over the phone. "There are so many things scheduled for this Saturday."
"C'mon, man. You work so hard. Isn't there anything you can skip?" wonders Nino.
"Sorry, I just-"
"Do you want me to try to talk to him again?"
"He might take me out of school if you do that. He doesn't know we're still friends." Adrien swivels in his chair, glancing at the time on his computers. His eyes widen at the sight. I'm going to be late! "Hey, Nino, I have to go."
"See you tomorrow?"
"Yeah, I should be there." Hanging up, he tosses his phone on his desk, looking around the room for his kwami. "Plagg?" There is no smell of camembert in the room, a rarity nowadays. "Plagg?"
There is a thud in the bathroom. Adrien winces, remembering he tricked Plagg in there—he likes trying to barge in on Adrien's conversations. Gingerly, Adrien opens the door, Plagg appearing, angry.
"You're out of cheese," he complains.
"You just had an entire platter," counters Adrien.
"You're still out of cheese."
"Can we discuss this later?" His eyes dart back to the clock. He doesn't want to keep his Lady waiting.
"But-"
"Plagg, claws out!" The black kwami is sucked into Adrien's ring, turning the boy into the superhero Chat Noir. "Let's go!" Throwing open a window, Chat Noir pounces onto a nearby lamppost, racing to the meeting place.
"Marinette! Why won't you pick up your phone?" Alya groans, throttling her throne. She sighs, staring at the night sky. From her peripheral vision, she sees a flash of red. "Ladybug?" Ladybug is what she'd been meaning to talk to Marinette about. Ever since Mylène turned into Horrificator, Alya's thoughts went into overdrive. It is only in retrospect that she sees the impossibilities: Ladybug got into the school when it was sealed, or at least right before it was. How did she know there was an akuma attacking the school? To top it off, she knew their names. This could be attributed to the amount of times she saved them from various attacks—especially with Chloé constantly under attack—but it doesn't make sense that she knew Mylène's lullaby. She could've chosen any lullaby, but she chose the one Mylène specifically mentioned before she ran off. Alya set off in the direction of the costumed hero.
Ladybug stands on the second story of the Eiffel Tower, lazily swinging her yoyo. The stars are bright in Paris tonight, but they are nothing compared to the light of the full moon. Where is that cat? As if on cue, Ladybug feels a small tug on her arm, swirling her around to face Chat Noir.
"Were you waiting for me long, my Lady?" he wonders, kissing her hand.
She rolls her eyes, pushing his face away. "What kept you, kitty?"
"I couldn't escape my family," he supplies. "Where shall we go tonight?"
Ladybug gazes at the empty courtyard below. The water is serene as no people remained out at such a late hour. "Maybe…" Ladybug hesitates. "Maybe we can just stay here?" She turns her face to the moon, watching the sky.
"Alright then, my Lady." Chat Noir sits in silence. Ladybug doesn't know it, but Chat's heart flutters faster than normal when the wind picks up, brushing Ladybug's hair aside. She sits on the tower's railing, legs swinging idly. Together, they remain in silence, enjoying each other's company.
Alya holds up her phone. She thought she spotted Ladybug ahead of her, but she can't see that far away. Aiming the camera toward the Tower, she is not disappointed. Hitting record, Alya pauses in the middle of the street. Her view of Ladybug is perfect. Why is she alone? Alya wonders.
Ladybug turns her head, looking behind her. Alya sees the unmistakable shake of her shoulders; Ladybug is laughing. At who? Panning the camera slightly to the left, she finds Chat Noir, but only barely. He blends in to the darkness too well. Alya smiles. Just as she is about to end the recording, a flash of light bursts behind her, blinding the area. There is an explosion, a nearby building spewing debris. A large piece of concrete knocks Alya over, her phone flying from her hand. It lands leaning against more debris, still filming.
Ladybug grips the railing, the explosion shaking the tower. Chat Noir grabs her hand before she can fall off, pulling her over the ledge.
"What was that?" Ladybug whips around, fixated on the light moving through the streets of Paris.
"Probably that," Chat Noir answers, pointing at the light in the distance. There is another explosion, spurring the heroes into action. Synchronized, they jump down, rolling. Breaking into a run, they screech to a halt, spotting a mess of red hair and a dark puddle.
"Alya?" Ladybug hurries to the girl's side, pulling rocks off her body. Chat Noir immediately begins to help, pushing away the stones far too heavy for Ladybug alone. "Alya!" The girl's torso is crushed, the right side caving inward. Blood seeps from various wounds on her. Ladybug cradles her friend's head, crying. "Alya! Alya!" She pleads for her to wake up, but nothing happens.
Chat Noir pulls Ladybug away. ""We have to go."
"We have to get her help!" Ladybug strains against his grip, trying to return to her friend's side.
Chat Noir spins her around, holding her close. She sobs into his chest as he strokes her hair. "There is still time to save her," he reminds. "We just need to stop the akuma, and we can save her."
Ladybug nods, wiping her eyes, somber. A third explosion rocks the city, followed by screaming.
"We have to hurry." Chat Noir leads, dragging Ladybug, not allowing her to look back. We can save her.
For the people wondering where OWM is, I'm sorry. I have become Ladybug trash. And yes, I'm mixing the vocabulary and colloquialisms between the English and French versions. I'm trying to write all of the ML Week prompts, and this sort of matches with "Affection," but it's not happy. –Z
She's not the only one. If you're new to the fandom and want to know more, look up the Miraculous Ladybug Wikia. I help out there. -A