Chapter 6:
Marinette just stood there, staring into his eyes with a soft smile, expecting to wake up any moment.
Alya was almost as bewildered as her friend, astonished by Adrien's sudden romanticism. Where is THIS coming from?, the perpetually inquisitive girl wondered. She cleared her throat loudly, reminding Marinette that traditionally, this would be her turn to speak.
"Oh! Yeah hi, Adrien! You…" Marinette felt herself being drawn into his eyes again as he returned her smile, and she sighed dreamily. "are perfect. You look perfect, I mean! How's your thing? AH! No, not your thing," Marinette felt her eyes inadvertently slide down his body. "I'm sure it's fantastic, but I—"
Alya sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose and shaking her head.
Marinette squeezed her eyes shut as a fierce blush claimed her face. She swallowed the lump in her throat, opened her eyes, and tried again. "I mean, how are things, with you? I was a little worried when you didn't show up for morning classes. And you do look fantastic." YES, finally, words!
Adrien just grinned, chuckling lightly. She was so adorable when she got flustered. "Yeah, sorry about that. I over-slept. I had a very… eventful night last night." He winked at her, surprising himself with the casual flirtatiousness of the conversation. Such an exchange would not be difficult for Marinette and Chat, but between Marinette and Adrien, it was almost unimaginable. He just couldn't help himself. He had never felt so at ease around anyone before.
Nino shrugged meekly upon receiving a ferocious glare from Alya. She was livid that Nino had made up the photo shoot excuse to cover such juicy gossip. Eventful night, eh? And Marinette is in on it? Do go on…
Marinette's cheeks had calmed to a rosy shade of pink, but refused to relinquish their heat completely. It was a pleasant feeling actually, warm and comfortable. Eventful indeed…
The group heard the muffled voice of Mr. Damocles welcoming the students from inside the venue, followed by applause.
"Looks like it's time! Let's head in and revel in the awesomeness that is my system set up!" Nino offered. As if on cue, the buzz-hum of bass picked up as he finished his sentence, causing a wide smile to stretch across his face. "YESSSSS!" he grinned.
Once inside, the loud music provided some privacy to Marinette and Adrien, who had chosen seats situated in a corner for that exact purpose. As Nino pointed out each individual component of the sound system to her, Alya repeatedly glanced at the far table, longing to eavesdrop on what she hoped was a budding romance.
Marinette was staring at her hands, struggling to find the right words. "Adrien, I… I'm sorry if I overstepped boundaries last night. I got… a little carried away. My emotions were running high, and… I didn't mean to."
His heart sank a little as he heard these words. "You didn't mean to? Because… " he had thought this through. He knew how he felt. "…I certainly meant to. I don't regret a thing."
He paused before continuing, working up the courage to lay himself bare.
"It's just… nobody else knows both sides of me. Nobody accepts all of me. Only you. Marinette, I…" love you his heart proclaimed. He swallowed the words, afraid of moving too fast, afraid of scaring her away, afraid of the words themselves. "…care about you. Last night was amazing, please don't tell me you're sorry it happened!"
Marinette met his eyes, and was surprised to see pain in them. "No! Not at all! Are you kidding?" She giggled nervously. She hadn't intended to put herself out there like this, but he had been so open with her, it felt natural to do the same. "I just didn't want to presume that you had… romantic feelings for me or anything. I didn't want to read too much into one kiss." Marinette was trying to explain her hesitation, but after his sweet words, even she thought it sounded a little silly. Maybe Tikki was right. Was she just oblivious?
"Two." Adrien corrected her, gently taking her hands in his, causing her heart to leap in her chest. "And if I remember correctly, it was more than just a kiss."
The couple's eyes locked as they were swept up together in a pleasant memory, she in his lap, pressing her body into his and emitting a soft moan as he tasted the salt of tiny beads of sweat that had begun to form on her neck.
He inhaled sharply, the detailed memory of the previous night causing blood to rush into his groin. His grip on her hands tightened, almost imperceptibly, as he bent his flushed face toward hers.
Her head swam as her heart pounded in her ears. She found herself leaning toward him, wanting him to claim her lips with his own, to claim her, blissfully unaware of the world outside the two of them.
Until a deafening crash rudely reminded them that the world was very much still there.
The akuma appeared as a young, well-endowed woman with long, golden hair, floating effortlessly in the middle of the room, unscathed despite having crashed through the glass pyramid above. She was clad in a single, long piece of pearlescent silk, draped over one shoulder and fastened over the hips with a pair of ornate, matching brooches, with one breast covered only by the flowing curls of her hair. She was laughing maniacally as the glass of the Inverted Pyramid crashed to the ground around her. Students were scattering in all directions, some trying to pull their injured friends from the fallen glass. To Marinette's horror, some students could be seen under the piles of broken glass, bloodied and moaning in pain. Inexplicably, many of the male students stood staring at the akuma, still as statues, even as wickedly sharp glass rained down upon them, cutting, slicing, and sometimes impaling them where they stood. As the akuma glided through the room, she would drag her hand adoringly across some of the men, converting them to her legion with her touch.
Adrien and Marinette both shot to their feet. He looked at her, fear evident in his eyes.
"Marinette, I need to get you out of here!" he grabbed her hand again.
"No, Chat, you need to go, NOW. They need you. I'll be fine, just GO! And don't let her touch you!" Her eyes shone with determination.
After a moment's hesitation, he nodded. She is absolutely incredible. "Please be safe," he said, planting a quick kiss on top of her head. Dashing behind a decorative pillar, he called, "Plagg, claws out!"
Marinette turned on her heels and ran, diving behind a pile of rubble that she guessed had once been one of Nino's fabled speakers. Opening her purse and freeing the red kwami inside, she wasted no time in her own transformation: "Tikki, spots on!"
As Chat Noir emerged from behind the pillar, he was relieved to see that Marinette was nowhere in sight. The only ones left in the room were the akuma victim, a dozen or so male students (and the dozen more injured, or worse), himself, and—"Ladybug!"
She ran up to him, her yo-yo spinning at her side. "Good evening, Chaton, imagine meeting you here!"
"Of course, M'Lady! I would never skip out on a date to the prom with you," he winked, smiling his Chat-grin.
"Well that's sweet, but I'm afraid I'm here for someone else," she replied without missing a beat, nodding toward their foe.
"Well, uh, I can certainly see your attraction," he smirked, raising an eyebrow at the half-naked woman floating before them. "You know, I don't look half-bad wrapped in sheets either."
Ladybug rolled her eyes. Had she expected him to behave differently? He was still Chat Noir, after all. Adrien's words echoed in her head. Nobody else knows both sides of me. Only you. I care about you. And yet here he was, flirting shamelessly with Ladybug as if he wanted to be with her.
Now is not the time, Marinette, she scolded herself. Focus. These people need Ladybug, not love-sick Marinette.
"Hello, my loves!" called the akumatized woman, addressing the bewitched students. "I am Aphrodite! You men, without true love in your hearts… you who use women as your playthings, your empty hearts now belong to me!"
The mesmerized students nodded slowly in agreement. "Yes, my love…." They answered in unison.
Suddenly, the pink outline of a moth appeared in front of Aphrodite's face, and she paused briefly. "Yes, I understand!" she replied to an unheard voice. Chat and Ladybug looked at each other, knowing what was coming next.
"Now then, whichever of my suitors loves me the most will bring me Ladybug and Cat Noir's miraculouses!" Aphrodite giggled lightly. "I meant now, please!"
At once, all the students turned to face the two heroes and ran toward them, arms outstretched. Some pushed others out of the way, sending them face down into the broken glass, but this did little to slow their advance; the injured would simply stand and run again, as if they did not even notice their injuries.
Ladybug looked around in a panic. The large, empty room with smooth marble floors and walls provided very few anchor points for her yo-yo, severely limiting her mobility. She felt a strong arm encircle her waist, holding tight.
"Need a lift, Bugaboo?" Chat asked gallantly, extending his staff into the ground and propelling them both into the air. Tucking into a backflip, he landed safely on the other side of the room, placing her back on her feet.
The horde of zombie-boys changed course, skidding and sliding on the glass, coming back toward the heroes again with surprising speed.
Chat took up a fighting stance, bracing himself for the onslaught. "Well LB, if you've got a plan…"
Author's note: The Prom chapter was WAY too long and had to be split! Chapter 7: Prom (part 2) will be coming in the next few days :) Thanks for sticking with me, I hope you like it, I'm having a blast writing it! -Floof
