Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug

A Date

"Annette get down!" Her father screamed. Annette barely had any time to register her fathers words before she heard a loud band and something painful rip through her side.

She stood standing her eyes wide as she fell to the ground blood pouring deeply from the wound.

Her mother saw the blood and she turned to stare at the monster who shot her daughter. Bridgette stalked forward when a long staff appeared out of no where.

"I know you want to protect your daughter madam, but you should let me handle this" Chat Noir said. "I'm sure my partner will be here soon, and she will save your daughter."

Bridgette nodded and glanced at her daughter unwillingly, before she turned and left.

Moments later Ladybug appeared, malice in her gaze.

"Shooting an innocent child" Ladybug said as she stood in front of the girl protectively. "Your going to pay."

The battle was quick, but extremely painful for the shooter, as they went positively on the man who dared point a gun at their daughter. Only leaving him alone when he had fallen unconscious.

"Mom?" Annette said completely out of it. "Dad?"

"We're here sweetie" Ladybug said clutching her tightly. "We're here."

"You heading to race this afternoon?" Adrien asked. I shook my head.

"No, I have a date to go on" I admitted with a sigh pocketing my cellphone. "Which is quite a pity, I'd love to see that showboating dumbass, get his ass handed to him."

"Haven't you been trying to set Chloé and Kim up though?" Adrien asked I was put on a pair of earrings a pair of black rounded studs.

I shook my head. "Nope, I've been trying to get them to talk, complete difference." Kim had been keeping out of Chloé's way ever since the whole Valentine's day fiasco, and Chloé had been attempting to make amends, honestly if this kept any longer I was going to lock them in a closet and throw away the key.

"You going out with Nathanael?" Adrien looked confused. "Because I thought he was going to be at the race."

"Nope new boy" I said with a partial groan. "I allowed the guy one date, after which he swore to leave me alone."

Adrien raised an eyebrow. "Need me to 'talk' to him"

"In broad delight?" I shook my head. "Nah, after what happened last time the two of us were seen together, I think it would be best if Cat Noir wasn't seen around me that much, besides, I can handle myself against a powerless human, trust me, I'll be fine."

Adrien looked at me worriedly. "Are you sure?"

I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket. "You have my number; code word will be macaron" I said. "If you even see a partial spelling of that word, come looking, but really Adrien, you have nothing to worry about, we're going to the movies, I'm buying my own popcorn and drinks, I'll be fine."

Adrien breathed through his nose. "Father know?"

"Yeah" I said. "The one time I need him to do me a favor and actually ground me, he tells me it should be fine."

Adrien blinked at me. "Wow, you complaining about freedom"

I threw a pillow at him before checking the time on my phone.

"Want my ring?" Adrien asked holding his hand out. "J-just in case?"

I rolled my eyes. "Ok, now your taking it to far"

Adrien shook his head. "I know, I know, I'm just… getting some bad vibes here."

That almost made me pause, before I shrugged. Nicholas and I would be in a crowded area for pretty much the entire day. Neither of us had anything to worry about.

Nathalie knocked on my door, just as I pulled the purse strap over my red blouse. "Coming!" I said before giving Adrien a hug. "Don't forget to give me the play by play later ok?"

"Yeah, Yeah" Adrien said nodding.

I took one last look in the mirror. I was dressed in my usual attire. Red blouse, with black slacks and over my head were black shades with green lenses. I had a silver ring that matched Adrien's on my right hand and black studded earrings in my ears.

Giving myself on last look in the mirror I turned around and smiled. "Ok, I'm ready"

"Annette!" Nicholas said putting his cellphone back in his pocket.

I smiled at Nicholas. "Hey" I said shaking his hand. Making sure to keep as much a distance as I could without seeming rude.

Nicholas stared down at our intertwined hands. "Ready?"

I smiled keeping my hands in my pocket. "Umm, Yeah, We should go the movie starts at noon" I told him.

Nicholas nodded and we walked away.

"So… how are your classes so far" I asked mostly to just end the awkwardness.

Nicholas nodded. "Good, good, bit boring to be honest"

I nodded. "Yeah, me too" I said.

We settled back into awkward silences.

"How's your cousin doing?" He asked me.

A superhero who risks his life everyday, to save Paris. I smiled and shrugged. "Oh, you know, he's fine I guess." Tired mainly.

Annette looked toward Nicholas. "What about you? How's your family?" She looked at him.

"My parents were killed in a freak accident 3 years ago," Nicholas said almost bitterly. "My grandfather is the one raising me now."

My heart went out to him. "Oh, I'm sorry, I know how you feel, my parents passed away three years ago, too."

Nicholas stared at me and for a moment I felt self conscious at the stare but I didn't say anything.

He blinked and stared back down. "I heard, that must have been hard for you" I said his voice sympathetic.

I nodded. "Still gets to me sometimes, but It's gotten easier, what about you?"

Nicholas looked down. "I don't…like…to talk about it." He said softly.

I put a hand on his shoulder.

Nicholas went still his hand clenched as though attempting not to lunge at me.

I slowly pulled my hand away and looked down at my cell.

Not a 'macaron' yet, but keep an eye on your phone. I texted to my cousin quickly, I swallowed and shook my head, I was being paranoid and probably blowing things way out of proportion. Might be nothing.

I half expected him to reply so I was confused and slightly worried when he didn't.

"Everything ok?" Nicholas asked me.

I smiled at Nicholas. "I was checking up on my cousin, but he hasn't answered yet"

Nicholas stared at me. "He's probably just having fun with friends," Nicholas said with a shrug.

I took one more look at my phone before putting it into my front pocket. "Yeah," I said "Your probably right."

I took a deep breath. To one who didn't know me it probably did seem a little overbearing. I nodded toward Nicholas. "Shall we continue?"

We walked for a few more blocks until we hit the theatre. I looked up at it my mind going back to the last time I was there with my parents.

The bang of the gun, pain bursting in my side. I blinked for a moment and shook my head and smiled and Nicholas and I entered the theater.

The movie was a thriller that I had had my eye on for a while. Nicholas in trying to apologize to me I guess, had me pick the movie; so, I picked the most anti romantic movie I could.

We both ended up laughing through out the entire film and when we left the theatre our spirits were entirely higher then they had been before.

"Want to have dinner now?" Nicholas asked his eyes bright and happy from the movie we watched.

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah sure!"

"Wrong, you have got to be out of your mind" I said with a laugh. "Come on Attack on Titan is amazing!"

Nicholas shook his head. "It's a snore fest!" he shouted. "Every single episode, has them debating the point of fighting these monsters. It's boring!"

"They've been under the control of these monsters, and their scared, it's realistic"

"They're soldiers" Nicholas said. "I'd expect them to be braver then they're portrayed in film."

"The fight scenes are still awesome"

"When the characters aren't talking" Nicholas Muttered before he perked up a little. "Personally, I prefer Blue Exorcist"

My eyes widened. "No way… you watched that too?"

"Duh, less talking about hopelessness, a lot more fighting, it's awesome" Nicholas said. "And the last episode of the anime was awesome."

"Totally, especially when the Okumura brothers…"

"Put the sword into gate of Gahenna!"

"And the flying!"

"Now, that was awesome" Nicholas said. "And we had moments like that throughout the anime. They're weren't any 'is this worth it?' moments. No, It was 'there's a giant monster wreaking havoc, kill it, kill it now.'"

"True…" I said with a laugh.

"To be honest I didn't think a girl like you enjoyed Anime, it seemed… too beneath you?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh, Trust me there is a lot you don't know about me."

Nicholas smiled. "Ditto" His phone started to vibrate and he took a look at it, his face looking a little miffed before he smiled at me.

He and I talked a lot on the way home.

"I had fun tonight" He said leaning against the gate separating us from the mansion.

I nodded pressing down hard on the call button. I waved at the camera that shot out of it's hiding spot and the gate opened before me.

"Do you… think that… maybe we could try this again sometime?"

I paused and turned to him. "I agreed to have one date" I reminded him. "And to not get your hopes up for another one"

Nicholas nodded looking a little down trodden. I sighed.

"The truth is, I like someone else." I admitted to him.

Nicholas looked up. "I'd be cool with being the rebound"

"But I wouldn't be" I said. "Sorry Nick but the answer, for the foreseeable future, is no."

With that I turned and headed inside.

"How was the date?" Adrien asked me once I was inside.

I shrugged. "It was fine, talked about Anime for pretty much the rest of the time"

"Oh yeah? Which one's"

I scoffed. "None your interested in."

Adrien groaned. "If your talking about Attack on Titan and Blue Exorcist, their both creepy the main characters sound exactly like me"

"And your deaf, they sound nothing like you, your paranoid." I waved him off.

Adrien glared at me. "Whatever Annette, was he okay? I got your message."

I nodded. "Yeah, there were a few bumpy moments but things seem to be fine now." I said sitting on his bed. "I'm fine."

"Going to go out on a second date?" Adrien asked. I hit him with a pillow.

"Nah, I'm happy with what I got" I told Adrien. "I'm more interested in who one the race."

"So" Myléné asked with a giggle. "How was the date"

I looked at Nathanael who was just scribbling away in his book. His grip on the pencil tight as he and he seemed to be pressing down so hard I was afraid he'd break the pencil, or rip the page, or both.

I shrugged. "Fine I guess, but I decided that I wouldn't go out with him again, the click just wasn't there." I said with a shrug. Nathanael didn't look up but his grip on the pencil did lesson considerably.

Myléné looked from me, to Nathanael suspiciously.

"Is there something going on with you two?"

Nathanael and I looked at each other. "No" We said together.

"Right…" Myléné said suspiciously but by then class had started and we were forced to pay attention.

Another relatively short chapter, I hope it's forgiven since the episode this chapter takes place during, is technically cut in half, since half of it is erased due to the whole Time Travel thing.

So yes, the above flashback, does have a purpose, I'm not having her in pain for the sole purpose of her being in pain there is a reason for it.