Marinette stared at the screen in hesitation, only hitting the play button when Alya began looking murderous at the wait.
'I hope this goes better than I think it will.'
She felt a slight embrace from the inside of her jacket, and felt a newfound confidence at her kwami's presence.
She could do this.
She hoped.
Scene: KIDZ+ studio.
Alec: Welcome to the finals of our KIDZ+ competition! When today, one lucky winner will be announced as our brand new KIDZ+ weather girl!
(Crowd chanting Mireille's and Aurore's names)
Aurore Beauréal: Hi!
Mireille Caquet: (giggles)
Alec: We started off with 5000 contestants. But with the help of our audience at home, we whittled our talent down to just these two amazing young ladies! So, let's welcome our fantastic finalists! To my right, Aurore Beauréal, and to my left, Mireille Caquet! Who will be the lucky winner? Vote now! Text 1 for Aurore and 2 for Mireille. And remember, standard text messaging rates apply.
"Oh, I remember this day!" Rose chirped from her seat in the middle row. "Poor Aurore lost by a landslide!"
Marinette nodded tightly, a fake smile plastered on her face.
Scene: Dupain-Cheng House. Marinette is chasing Manon.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng: Come on, Manon, give that back!
Manon: But I wanna be a fashion designer too!
(Marinette falls on the sofa.)
Marinette: Manon, please, it's not finished! You're gonna ruin it!
Manon: (giggles)
Marinette: Huh? (crashes with the table) Ah! Nnnngh…
Despite the confusion permeating the room, the class took the moment to lightly chuckle at Marinette's antics. She could be so helpless sometimes.
Marinette: Hmmm... Huh? Ah! (giggles; walks to the curtain)
Manon: I'm gonna vote for Mireille, she's the best!
Marinette: Hey, my phone!
(Manon grabs Marinette's hat.)
Marinette: Ughhh... Why did I agree to do this again?
(Tikki appears)
Marinette: Stay low, Tikki!
Tikki: Don't worry. You know what? If you can handle Manon for a day, any villain here on out will be a piece of cake.
Adrien's eyes went wide as he turned to look at Marinette, who was trying to play 'Tikki' off as some sort of odd pet thing. He felt Plagg shift slightly from his position in his shirt.
Thatwas clearly a kwami.
(Doorbell rings; Tikki hides)
Marinette: Alya?
Alya: Hey, I got a huge scoop for you. Guess who's on a photoshoot in the park?
Marinette: Now? Adrien is in the park right now?
Alya: As we speak!
Marinette: Oh, gosh! What...what am I gonna say to him?
Alya: The same thing as usual: (imitates Marinette) "I... uhhh... dahee... wha... ahh..."
As a good amount of the class began to laugh good naturedly, and Chloe began to laugh scornfully, Marinette let herself slowly sink into her beanbag, hiding her face in her knees, begging for her past self to stop already, Adrien is RIGHT THERE!
Marinette: Stop it.
Manon Uh, who's she?
Marinette: Whoops! I forgot about this little detail.
Alya: And who's she?
Marinette: This is Manon, one of my mom's friends' daughters. I'm watching her all afternoon. (Gasps) Oh no! I can't go out!
Alya: Let me guess. Another "you couldn't say no" favor?
Marinette: No, I just couldn't... say... no.
"Girl, you gotta learn to turn people down every now and then." Alya said, placing an arm around Marinette's shoulders. Marinette smiled slightly in reply.
"But she really needed my help Alya, Mrs. Chamack was counting on me!" Alya's smirk softened a little, and she patted her best friend's shoulder slightly.
"Girl, you're too sweet."
Alya: Look, no problem! I'll look after your little detail for you.
Marinette: Thanks, but I'm responsible for her... Besides, I couldn't do that to you. She's... an absolute angel! (A crash is heard. Marinette screams and runs after Manon, who is carrying a pot and a spatula.) Manon! Put that down! Ugh! Come back!
"More like a demon." Chloe sneered at the screen, "Why can't this show hurry up and show us Ladybug! I don't want to watch the days of Maritrash's life!" The majority of the class turned around and shushed her. Chloe hmmph'd in response.
'First that Ancient Ladybug person won't let me sit near my Adrikins, and now we have to watch Marinette Dupain-Cheng's life!? UGH!'
Alya: You're just a pushover, Marinette. I have to babysit my sisters all the time, which makes me an expert in dealing with angels.
Manon: Who are you, anyway?
Alya: I'm a mythical unicorn from the world of Rispa, disguised as a totally fabulous human girl. I grant magical wishes, but only to little monkeys who behave!
"I always knew there was something weird about you, Alya." Nino said, poking her in the side with his elbow. Alya rolled her eyes and bumped him in the side.
"Shut up, Nino."
Manon: (laughs) No, you're not! ...Are you?
"Wait...she believed you?" Alya smiled smugly at Nino, a superior look on her face.
"I've got practice Nino, lots and lots of practice."
(Alya grabs Manon in the air, and puts her on Marinette's shoulders.)
Alya: Okay, let's all go to the park!
Manon: Yay!
Marinette: Okay!
Scene: KIDZ+ studio. The new weather girl is about to be chosen.
Alec: This is the moment we've been waiting for! The viewers at home have made their decision, and the new KIDZ+ weather girl is...
(The votes are shown onscreen. Mireille has significantly more votes.)
Alec: Mireille!
Aurore: (Gasps)
(Crowd cheers)
Alec: (To Aurore) Man, she crushed you, eh? Better luck next time!
Aurore: Ughh... (leaves angrily)
Alec: What's the big deal? You only lost by half a million votes!
"How does he still have a job!?" Alya asked incredulously, the majority of the class just shrugged, they didn't understand how Alec didn't get fired for his optimistic rudeness either.
"I don't see the problem here, he was only telling the truth."
Chloe wasn't one of the ones who shrugged of course.
Scene: Hawk Moth's lair.
Hawk Moth: The vibrations are so strong, I can feel the eminent anger and sadness. The moment of weakness at my next victim... Such easy prey for my akuma. (He turns a butterfly into an akuma, and sends it out.)
Adrien, Marinette, and Alya all leaned forward in their chairs, trying to study all the lines and identifying features of Hawk Moth's face. Even if they were unmasked to their entire class, (and Marinette couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Chloe's face when it did happen) maybe they could at least get a hint as to Hawk Moth's identity.
Scene: KIDZ+ building. Aurore Beauréal enters the elevator.
Aurore: I should have won, I have the talent, the star looks, everything! But she took everything away from me. They took everything away from me! They-
(The power suddenly goes down)
Aurore: Uh? Ah!
(The akuma enters the elevator)
Aurore: (swinging her parasol) Ngh! Ah! (opens the parasol, and the akuma infects it)
(The power is up again)
Hawk Moth: So correct you are. You should have won. Yes...
Aurore: I should have won. Yes!
Hawk Moth: Stormy Weather, I am Hawk Moth. I give you the power to seek revenge on them as my weather girl. All you have to do is bring me the Miraculous. Can you do that?
Aurore: Yes!
Hawk Moth: That's my weather girl. Show the world who the best weather girl really is! (As he says this, the elevator doors open, revealing Stormy Weather.)
The majority of the class shivered, and Mylene was shaking like a leaf until Ivan placed a hand around her shoulders reassuringly, he smiled softly at her, and Mylene hesitantly returned it.
Scene: Park. Adrien is having a photoshoot.
Marinette: Come on. We're gonna stroll over there real cool as if we just happen to be passing by.
Alya: Then what?
Marinette: Then? I'll invite him out for a fruit smoothie at the end of the photo shoot! Then, we'll get married! Live happily ever after in a beautiful house and have two kids? No, three. And a dog! Maybe a cat? Nah, forget the cat. A hamster! I love hamsters!
Alya stole the remote and paused the episode as the class erupted in laughter and Marinette slowly but surely curled in on herself. She smiled reassuringly at her friend and pulled her into a hug before turning around and pinning the class in place with a murderous stare.
"Alright you guys, that's enough! Marinette's crush just got outed in the worst possible way, how would you feel if someone did that to you, huh?!" Most of the class flinched, while Nathaniel smiled understandingly at the both of them. Alya smirked in satisfaction and turned back around to her friend.
"Hey girl, it's alright. Everything'll be okay. Especially if this show shows you a lot, who knows maybe Adrien will fall for you then, huh?" Alya heard Marinette sniffle slightly, but she peeked her head up from her knees, determinedly looking away from where her crush sat right next to her.
'Oh god! He must think I'm such a creep! He'll hate me, or he'll embarrass me even more! Oh no, oh no, what do I do?! What do I do!?' Marinette's thoughts went into a frenzy, until she saw Alya's unimpressed stare, causing her to smile sheepishly.
"You good?" Marinette nodded meekly. "Good." Alya nodded, satisfied.
Before a smirk came over her features.
"You've already named your kids?"
Marinette let out a mortified squeak in response.
Adrien was determinedly looking away from her, an odd debate going on his head, two black haired girls warring over his heart.
Alya: Let's just start with happen to be passing by and see if we can get to that smoothie.
Marinette: (giggles)
Photographer: Magnifico! Super! Come on now, I want to see hunger in your eyes!
Marinette: Remember, cool! Just be cool…
Chloe snickered cruelly from her spot in the back. "That's your cool walk, Marinette? Oh please, you look like a dying penguin!" She cackled evilly, Sabrina joining in after an elbow to her stomach.
Alya: Um, we couldn't be more invisible.
Marinette: Okay, let's start over.
(Adrien sees them, and waves at them.)
Marinette: Did you see that? He waved at me!
Alya: Yeah, I saw it too. Pretty normal, since we're in the same class. (Puts Marinette's hand down)
Marinette once again hid sheepishly behind her knees, only Tikki's comforting presence and Alya's hand on her knee keeping her from fleeing in terror, or curling into a ball until she disappeared.
Scene: KIDZ+ building. Mireille enters the elevator. She exits and sees Stormy Weather.)
Stormy Weather: Hahahaha! I am Stormy Weather. The only weather girl who always gets the forecast right! And unfortunately for you, there's a freak icy front moving in right now! (attacks with her parasol and fires a blast of ice)
Mireille: Somebody get me out of here! Help! Help!
Rose shrieked in fright. "I hope she's okay!" She shivered slightly until she felt Juleka place a hand on her arm, offering her a small comforting smile. Rose gave her a tremulous one in return.
Scene: Park. The photographer is taking pictures of Adrien.
Photographer: (photographing Adrien) Bravo! That's it! Give me the smile when your mom brings in spaghetti! Okay! And now, Oh no! Mama dropped the spaghetti! And now, you have to eat the spaghetti off the floor! Oh yes, you're angry! Show me angry, yes, yes, yes!
Manon: (looks at balloons) Marinette, I want a balloon with Mireille on it! Can I? Can I? ...Marinette? Marinette!
Marinette: Ah!
Photographer: Ngh! Silenzio!
Manon: Come on!
Alya: Come on, small fry! I'll get you that balloon!
Manon: No! I wanna go with Marinette!
Marinette: Hmmm... I'll deal with it. I am her babysitter.
Alya: But what about Adrien?
Scene: Outside the KIDZ+ studio. Stormy Weather exits as the crowd chants Mireille's name.
Civilian: Where's Mireille?
Kim winced, "Ooh, wrong thing to say dude." Max nodded slightly in agreement.
"Quite, you would think that the people of Paris would recognize an akuma by now."
Marinette and Adrien both shook their heads in disbelief at the lack of common sense most Parisians seemed to have.
Stormy Weather: Ugh... For all of you who voted for Mireille, I'd advise you to move indoors. It's going to get very blustery! Oh wait... too late.
(She attacks with her parasol, sending the civilians away with a windy blast.)
Most of the class winced in sympathy, that had to hurt!
Scene: Park.
Marinette: Come on, let's go back.
Manon: I want to go on the merry-go-round!
Marinette: No, no, no, no, not right now, I gotta get back to Adrien...
Manon: You promised! You aren't going to break your promise, are you?
"Girl, you didn't promise her anything!" Alya protested, Marinette nodded in agreement.
"I know, but, the baby doll eyes Alya! I couldn't resist them!" Alya shook her head in amusement.
"Oh girl, remind me to keep you with me next time I babysit my younger siblings, that'll make you immune to that look in thirty seconds or less."
Marinette: Aw, please, please, not the baby doll eyes... You know I can't say no to the-
Manon: (with baby doll eyes)
Marinette: Aw…
Rose 'awwed' along with the Marinette onscreen. She couldn't help it! Manon was sooo adorable!
(Manon grabs Marinette by her hand, giggling)
(Stormy Weather is flying above, seeing banners of Mireille and a balloon of Mireille.)
Stormy Weather: Uhhh!
Civilian: Here's another one!
Photographer: (photographing Adrien, who appears to be tired) Oh no, no! The boy has eaten too much spaghetti! Ugh, we need more energy! More romance! We need...a girl! (runs to Alya) You! I need an extra!
Alya: Who, me?
Photographer: Sì! To pose with Mr. Adrien!
Alya: Hah! You don't want me, I... uhh... I think I'm having an allergic reaction to this apple. I know just the person you need! Hold that thought! (She runs to Marinette.)
Nino looked at the girl in amusement. "And you say Marinette is a terrible liar."
Alya slugged him in the shoulder.
Alya: They need an extra to pose with Adrien!
Marinette: What? Seriously?
Manon: Is that boy your boyfriend?
Marinette: What? No, I mean, yes? No!
"Of course she isn't! Marinette could never steal my Adrikins away from me!" Chloe yelled.
Adrien sunk into his beanbag chair, trying to hide from both Marinette and Chloe.
He really didn't know how to deal with this situation.
How do you reconcile the girl that you thought couldn't stand you with having a crush on you instead?
He silently sighed, his poker face only held together by sheer willpower.
Alya: Go on! What are you waiting for?
Marinette: But, what about Manon?
Alya: You take care of Prince Charming, and I'll take care of Miss Unicorn here. You don't know how to control her anyway.
Manon: No way, Marinette's my babysitter!
Alya: Trust me. Unicorns unite! Let's go to Rispa and find us some sad little village kids and grant those wishes! Yee-haw!
Manon: Yee-haw!
Rose 'awwwed' once again, she couldn't help it! Manon was just so adorable!
Juleka's hand on her shoulder brought her back from Lala land this time, her smile more amused at her friend's antics.
Marinette: Huh? (Sees Stormy Weather)
(Stormy Weather fires an icy wind at the civilians. The icy wind surrounds the merry-go-round and freezes it.)
Civilian: Run!
Marinette: (Runs to a bench) Time to transform!
[Transformation Sequence]
Marinette: Tikki, spots on! Yeah! (Marinette turns into Ladybug)
Alya grabbed the remote with lightning speed and paused it in record time before turning robotically towards her best friend.
"You're Ladybug?" Marinette nodded sheepishly.
"Yeah?" Marinette cursed herself for letting her voice waver like that. Alya's face seemed carved from stone for how unreadable it was.
"You owe me so many interviews girl." Marinette's eyes went wide with shock.
"You aren't mad? I thought you would be furious!" Alya shook her head, a small smile playing on her features.
"Nah girl, I've read more than enough comic books to know that you did it to keep your friends and family safe. I can't really be mad for my best friend wanting to protect me, huh?" Marinette's smile widened with relief as she was yanked into a hug by her best friend.
"Thank you Alya, thank you."
With that, the class erupted into sound.
"YOU'RE LADYBUG!? I TOOK SELFIES WITH YOU!"
Chloe's voice was the loudest of course.
Marinette was right though, the look on Chloe's face was priceless.
She silently hoped it got stuck that way.
Most of the boys looked at her with wonder, and some with very red cheeks, Ladybug was almost every teenage boy in Paris' dream. To learn that she was their Class representative caused quite a few blushes of embarrassment, mortification, or shyness to erupt all over the room.
After a few more seconds of yelled exclamations, or squeaks of excitement, or embarrassment, Marinette pulled on her courage and stood up to address the class.
"I promise that your answers will be most likely be given at some point during this show, there's no need to flood me with questions or anything, okay?" Most of the class nodded along, though Chloe was staunchly looking away from her, and forcing Sabrina to do the same.
"Thank you." Marinette sat back down next to a gobsmacked, but slowly grinning Adrien, and an equally shocked Alya. Rather than address the two, she simply pressed the play button on the remote.
Civilians: Oh no! Ahh!
Adrien: Uh? (He runs to a tree and opens his bag, but it's empty.) Plagg? Plagg!
Plagg: I'm not here! I'm sleeping!
(Adrien holds a piece of Camembert.)
Plagg: (Flies over to the Camembert) For your information, I can smell Camembert in my sleep. It's only one of my many talents.
Adrien: Great, but there's no time to talk cheese.
[Transformation Sequence]
Adrien: Plagg, claws out! (Adrien turns into Cat Noir)
Once again, the show was paused, but by Marinette this time. She turned slowly to look at Cha-Adrien, who was looking at her with sparkling eyes, and a smirk that reminded her far too much of her partner.
"So, fancy meeting you here, huh Bugaboo?" Marinette's cheeks went pink, then red, followed by white, before finally settling on pink once again. She took a deep breath and look her partner in the eye.
"We have to talk about this, Kitty. Later of course."
Adrien's smile widened, he winked at her in a manner that really made her question why she didn't notice it sooner.
"It would be my purrleasure, My Lady." He leaned in slightly, only to be pushed away by his nose.
"Down, Kitty."
Alya squealed.
Chloe let out a shriek of inarticulate rage.
A lot of the girls had blushes to rival the boys in the class as they pictured Adrien Agreste in a leather cat suit.
Marinette wasn't one of them.
Shut up.
Ladybug: Why did I leave Manon? I should have never done that! No. Alya's right. She's in good hands. I must trust her. (To Alya and Manon) I'll get you out of there! Let's wire cut this icy cake!
(Ladybug uses her yo-yo, but fails.)
Ladybug: Or not? On to plan B! (To Alya and Manon) Don't worry, everything's gonna be okay!
Manon: Where is Marinette?
Ladybug: She hasn't forgotten about you, Manon.
Manon: How did you know my name?
Ladybug: Ah! Uhh... Marinette told me! She's coming right back, okay? (Swings away)
Alya looked at the screen, then to her friend. "How did I not know!? You were nervous from a five year old asking a question! How dense am I?!" Marinette giggled.
"Very, very dense, Alya. I still wasn't very good at hiding my secret identity at that point."
Alya groaned in annoyance.
"I'm going to keep questioning my past self this entire time, aren't I?" Her best friend smirked.
"Probably."
Scene: City. Stormy Weather leaves the park
Cat Noir: Hey Ice Queen, what's with all the terrorizing? Why don't you pick on someone your own temperature?
Stormy Weather: My name is not Ice Queen! It's Stormy Weather!
Cat Noir: Listen. I'm feline more generous than usual today. So cool down and we'll call it quits, okay?
Nino groaned at Cat Noir's puns. "Are we going to have to put up with this, the whole time?" Adrien nodded and grinned maniacally.
"I don't see the problem with that." A smaller, more feminine groan followed.
"You all get to share my pain now, welcome to Hell." Adrien let out an overdramatic gasp.
"My Lady! How could you?! My puns are purrfect!" A teasing smirk was thrown his way, though Marinette's blush slightly ruined the effect.
"You keep telling yourself that, Kitty Cat." Adrien did the mature thing, and stuck his tongue out at her.
Stormy Weather: (fires wind at Cat Noir)
Cat Noir: Waaaaaahhh! (He flies a long way and lands in a nearby street.)
(Ladybug appears and lifts him)
"Dude! You're like a human pinball!" Nino laughed, sure his best bud was a superhero, but everyone has their secrets, he couldn't be too mad about it, could he?
"How are you not dead? Or crippled? That first impact alone should have broken multiple bones, and by the time you stopped, almost every bone in your body would be shattered." Max asked incredulously, Adrien smiled mysteriously as he looked up at Max, his eyes gleaming with hidden mirth.
"You could almost say it's miraculous that we're still alive?" He got a room full of groans, and a smack on the head from Marinette for his efforts.
"Bad Kitty."
Ladybug: I thought cats always landed on their feet.
Cat Noir: Why thanks, my lady, but I had it covered.
Ladybug: Huh? No time for your childish charms, Cat Noir. But you're welcome.
Alya turned to look at Marinette with an amused gleam in her eye. "You just turned down Adrien."
Marinette groaned.
"No, I turned down Cat Noir."
"Who happens to be Adrien."
Marinette's groan was far more annoyed this time.
Stormy Weather: We should be expecting lightning storms like right NOW! (She uses her parasol to create lightning. The sky turns dark.)
(Cat Noir lands on top of Ladybug. He pulls himself up and grins. Ladybug turns his head toward Stormy Weather.) Cat Noir: You just won yourself a cat fight!
"Do you two flirt all the time?!" Alix groaned from beside Kim. She looked annoyed already.
Marinette pointed a finger at Adrien. "He started it, I just happen to finish it."
Adrien smiled flirtatiously at Marinette, who felt a rush of heat in her cheeks. "From what I've seen here, My Lady, you'll be more than happy to start it, now, huh?"
"I- Yo- NO- Ye? I- don't know!"
Adrien smiled at her stammer, and winked at her before turning back to the screen.
Alya snickered and gave her best friend a fist bump.
Stormy Weather: Black ice! (She uses her parasol to turn the street to ice.)
Ladybug : Gotcha!
(Stormy Weather sees a screen with Mireille and blasts it.)
Cat Noir: A little Cat Noir will take the wind out of her sails!
Ladybug: (grabs Cat Noir by his tail) Whoa, kitty kitty. You better think before you leap.
Alya grinned at the screen, "So, Marinette, how's it feel to manhandle Adrien?"
Marinette glared at her.
Cat Noir: You got a plan?
Ladybug: Just follow my lead.
Stormy Weather: Ugh...
Ladybug: Hoaaah!
Cat Noir: Uhhhhh!
Kim and Alix stared, slack jawed at the scene.
"YOU'RE ON MY TEAM IN GYM!"
The two glared at each other heatedly.
"I CALLED THEM FIRST!"
"NO I DID!"
This continued for a few seconds before Marinette stood and walked between them.
"How about this, Kim? Adrien is on your team, and I'm on Alix's?" Adrien looked at her with a wounded expression.
"My Lady, so eager to get rid of me?"
"Were it so easy, Cat, were it so easy."
He pouted.
Marinette tried very, very hard not to look at that expression on Adrien's face.
Stormy Weather: Not you again! (Fires a windy blast at them)
Ladybug and Cat Noir: Ahhhhhh!
Ladybug: Huh? (sees a bus about to crash into them) (Ladybug uses her yoyo as a shield. Her yoyo cuts a circular hole on the side of the bus, saving Ladybug and Cat Noir. The yoyo stops spinning and falls on Cat Noir's head.)
Cat Noir: Ow!
Ladybug: (giggles)
Alya and the rest of the class broke out in raucous laughter.
Adrien pouted harder.
Scene: Park. Alya is playing with Manon while trapped in the frozen merry-go-round.
Alya: Lemonade, crunchy ice, hit it once, hit it twice, freeze!
Manon: Hey, no fair, you always win, uni!
Manon: (hears ice cracking) What's that?
Alya: It's... the big goblin king! He ate too much and split his shirt! Wahahaha! (chases Manon) (The ice cracks again) Alya: Wanna hear a story? (leads Manon under the carousel)
Marinette smiled thankfully at her friend for keeping Manon calm. Alya returned the expression with a nod.
Scene: City
Hawk Moth: (To Stormy Weather) You showed them all who the real winner is, my weather girl. But now is the time for you to fulfill your part of the agreement. And here's my plan.
Ladybug: Maybe she's got some anger issues!
Cat Noir: Or she didn't pass her driving test!
Stormy Weather (from the cracked screen) Hello, viewers! Here's the latest forecast for the first day of summer. Looks like Mother Nature had a change of plans. Summer vacation is officially over!
Cat Noir: Already? But I look so good in a swimsuit. (smiles and wiggles eyebrows at Ladybug)
Ladybug: The cat suit will do, thanks. At least now we know where to find her. Stormy Weather: (from the screen) Prepare for the worst weather in history!
"Have you changed your mind on that now, Bugaboo?" Adrien asked, waggling his eyebrows. Marinette groaned at his flirting, then squeaked when she remembered that Adrien was Cat Noir.
She really needed to pull it together, Cat would never let her live this down!
Cat Noir: (Sees a poster of Aurore) Hey! That girl reminds me of someone!
Ladybug: It's her! The akuma must be in her parasol!
"You can recognize an akuma that doesn't look like her normal self, but you can't recognize each other out of the masks?" Alix asked, a single incredulous eyebrow raised. The two looked at each other, then the paused screen showing their faces, and blushed lightly in embarrassment.
"In our defense, we weren't actively looking for each other." Marinette pointed out, Alix shrugged.
"You do see each other every day though, so that's not really an excuse." Marinette sighed.
Stormy Weather: (from the screen) In Stormy Weather's world, it's winter wonderland FOREVER! (Ladybug and Cat Noir enter the studio, but they see no one)
Ladybug: It's a recording!
(Stormy Weather laughs and fires a lightning bolt at a light. Light goes out in the building.)
Hawk Moth: This is all going wonderfully according to plan. Soon their Miraculous will be mine. Bring them to me!
Cat Noir: Frosty the Snowgirl's getting away!
(Ladybug trips and falls)
Cat Noir: Oh, do I hear a damsel in distress?
Ladybug: Some of us don't have night vision... Whoa!
Cat Noir: No need to bug out. Just trust me!
Marinette watched the screen avidly, studying the way her partner's powers worked.
Scene: Park. Alya is telling a story to Manon.
Alya: Then the cyclops monster picked the princess up in his hand and said, "Look into my eye!"
Manon: (laughs)
Alya: Then, Gluck! She stuck a finger right in it! As soon as she took a bite of the cursed potato, the poor princess fell into a deep, deep sleep.
"What story were you telling her?" Marinette asked incredulously. Alya shrugged.
"Heck if I know, I make most of my stories up as I go."
(An icicle breaks through the top of the carousel.)
Alya: Hurry up, Ladybug... (hugs Manon)
Scene: KIDZ+ building. Ladybug and Cat Noir are looking for Stormy Weather, using Cat Noir's night vision.
Ladybug: Okay, that's enough. I think I can manage to-
Cat Noir: Duck!
Ladybug: -follow your lead on this one.
(Ladybug and Cat Noir finally reach the top of the building.)
Stormy Weather: You airheads! You fell right into my trap! (makes a whirlwind appear with her parasol)
Hawk Moth: The time is now! Bring me the Miraculous!
Stormy Weather: There's no way out! Party's over, fools!
Ladybug: We're just- (sees Cat Noir holding her hand)
Cat Noir: Heh-heh…
Marinette felt her face heat up as she was reminded once again that Cat Noir was Adrien Agreste.
She had been holding hands with her crush.
At this rate her face would combust by the end of this episode.
Alya smiled knowingly at Marinette.
Ladybug: We're just getting started, Stormy! Lucky Charm! (Ladybug's Lucky Charm superpower gives her a bath towel.) A bath towel? What am I supposed to do with this?
Cat Noir: Great. So, we're about to be obliterated, but... At least we'll be dry.
Ladybug: Just hold your whiskers.
Stormy Weather: Hail! (A hailstorm appears)
(Cat Noir uses his staff to make a shield and protect Ladybug from the hail.)
Cat Noir: So what's the plan for getting the akuma back? My arm's starting to get a cramp!
Ladybug: (She uses her Lucky Vision. It shows her an HVAC tube, the bath towel, and a sign.) See that sign over there? Check it out!
This time it was Adrien studying the screen, always happy to see the way his partner's powers worked, it only made her more and more amazing.
"Is that how your power actually works, Marinette?" He asked curiously. Marinette turned towards him, and after a second, answered.
"No, I definitely do not get helpful highlights pointing out my plan to me, unfortunately." Marinette shrugged, "It's mostly intuition, honestly." Adrien nodded.
With every new thing he learned about his Lady, he could feel himself fall harder and harder.
Cat Noir: All right. Cataclysm! (To Stormy Weather) Hey, Coldilocks! Is that all you got?
To Adrien's delight, that pun actually got a chuckle or two out of the audience, just as he began to swell with pride though, he felt a hand smack him atop his head.
"Don't let it go to your head Cat, the last thing I need is a partner with an even bigger ego."
Adrien gasped over dramatically.
(Stormy Weather attacks Cat Noir with lightning, but he dodges. He uses his Cataclysm to make the billboard fall down, its aim toward Stormy Weather. She blasts a hole in it and Ladybug wraps her yo-yo around Stormy Weather's ankle. Ladybug takes off running under pipes and against a crane before jumping over an HVAC. Opening the towel, Ladybug soars in the air, pulling down Stormy Weather. The speed at which she falls and the angle of the crane cause her to lose her parasol. Cat Noir catches it, tossing it to Ladybug.)
Ladybug: Get out of here, you nasty bug. (Breaks the parasol)
(The akuma flies away from the parasol.)
Ladybug: No more evildoing for you, little akuma. Time to de-evilize! (She captures the akuma and purifies it.) Gotcha! Bye bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug! (The miraculous light fixes the damage caused, and turns the weather back to normal.)
The class cheered as Ladybug fixed everything on screen, and Marinette couldn't help but sit up straighter from the praise, or take pleasure in the fact that Chloe was one of the loudest ones.
Scene: Park. The glacier the merry-go-round is trapped in melts.
Alya: And after defeating the three-headed dragon with...Huh?...Taekwondo...
Firefighters: Yeah!
Alya: Princess kissed her Prince Charming and...
Manon:They lived happily ever after?
Alya: Uh, sure. Until they had a dozen or so little monkeys like you who drove them crazy!
Scene: KIDZ+ building. Stormy Weather turns back into Aurore.
Aurore: Uh, what am I doing up here?
Ladybug and Cat Noir: Pound it!
Adrien and Marinette timed the reaction with the screen perfectly, not noticing it until they saw all the people looking at them knowingly.
Alya waggled her eyebrows at Marinette.
Scene: Hawk Moth's lair.
Hawk Moth: Someday, a Miraculous will be all mine. I don't care how many enemies I need to throw out to win, but I will be VICTORIOUS!
Marinette snorted.
"At least he's persistent, I'll give him that." She said, earning a chuckle from her partner.
Scene: Park.
Tikki: Hey, there's the photographer and Adrien waiting for you!
Marinette: You don't think it's too late?
Tikki: Come on, Marinette. You saved Manon, and the whole world for that matter. Have some fun!
Manon: Marinette!
Marinette: Huh?
Manon: I know what your secret is!
Marinette: (Shocked) W-w-what secret?
Manon: Ladybug is your best friend! That's how you both always know what the other one's gonna do!
Marinette: Huhhh... Phew! (She hugs Manon)
Alya's facepalm could be heard throughout the room. "How. Did. I. Not. Notice. It?!" She grit out, holding her face in her hands. "You were far too nervous about something a five year old said."
Manon: Can I have a lollipop? Can I? Can I? Can I?
Marinette: No, Manon. I have something important to do. Alya, you'll watch her, yeah? I'm ready for the photoshoot!
Photographer: Wait. Who is that angel? (Looks at Manon)
Manon: Haha!
"Oooh, beat out by a five year old, that's gotta sting Mari." Nino laughed, Marinette stuck her tongue out at him.
Photographer: (takes photos of Adrien with Manon) Hohoho! Stupendous! Magnifico! Perfecto! ...
Marinette: Ughhh... (Alya pats her.)
THE END.
As the credits began to roll, Marinette paused it, then stood up to speak to the audience. "If you need snacks or a trip to the bathroom, now would be the time to do it, I've got to speak to my partner, and I doubt it will play until I get back." With that, she stood up and waved for Adrien to follow her, taking him into the kitchen where they would be alone.
Marinette shut and locked the kitchen door before finally sighing and turning around to look Adrien in the eye, this time without a hint of a blush on her face.
"We need to talk."
A/N: Hello, my friends! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! I'll see you next time, with the Bubbler!
Since I mention BlackMysticalWolf's "Watching the Show" fanfic on chapter 1, as it was the main inspiration for this fic, I feel the need to mention another, not as good, but still entertaining fanfiction that helped me write this.
dolphinandwater's "Watching the Show Miraculous Ladybug" on AO3, it's not as good as "Old Stories, New Discoveries", but tat doesn't detract from how much it inspired me to write one of these.