Hey guys! I'm sorry for the late update, but I hope you all enjoy chapter four!
Edited: June 9, 2021
Chapter Four
Marinette Dupain-Cheng
Marinette turned angrily towards the cackling villain. Mr. Pigeon stared down at them, eyes gleaming.
"Give me your Miraculouses," he ordered, holding out his hand. Marinette swatted his outstretched hand away.
"Like we'd ever give up that easily," she spat, glaring at the birdman. Mr. Pigeon leaned back and tapped his chin.
"Well, if you two aren't willing to cooperate," he started, allowing the silence to hang in the air for a moment before continuing, "I guess we'll just have to do this the hard way." He turned to his pigeons and cooed. The pigeons bobbed their heads and flew into the air, creating a cyclone around the two heroes. Their feathers fluttered into the cage, causing Marinette to sneeze again.
"Chat Noire, use your Cataclysm!" Beetlebug shouted. Marinette nodded and raised her hand in the air, shouting the command between her sneezes and closing her fingers around the glowing ball of green and black energy. She reached out and touched the metal bars. The cage disappeared into a pile of dust.
But the pigeons were still flocking around the two heroes, making it impossible to see. Marinette felt Beetlebug's hand close around her arm, dragging her into the building they were standing on. Marinette's sneezes ceased as soon as they were out of the pigeon cyclone.
She glanced around, taking in the golden furnishes and the red carpet. She would have recognized this place anywhere.
"This is the Bourgeois hotel," she murmured.
Moments after the words left her mouth, Chloé's mom rounded the corner, confirming Marinette's statement.
"Ah, Beetlebug! Chat Noire! What a wonderful surprise!" The blonde woman wrapped her arms around the two heroes, pulling both of them into a tight hug. "You two are going to stop these pigeons...right?"
"Of course we are," Marinette said, smiling widely, but her smile became sheepish when she heard her earrings beep. "Er, before we do, I have an urgent need." She was bouncing up and down, praying Plagg could hold out for a few more minutes.
She definitely didn't want Mayor Bourgeois to realize she was Marinette Dupain-Cheng.
Understanding dawned on Chloé's mother, and she summoned one of the butlers over to her side. "Take Chat Noire where she needs to go and give her whatever she requires."
The butler nodded and started towards the elevator, motioning for the heroine to follow. She dashed into the elevator, her earrings beeping once again.
Please, please, please don't detransform yet.
Adrien Agreste
Chat Noire disappeared into the elevator, still bouncing up and down as if she was about to wet herself. It was pretty funny, and Adrien found himself smirking as he watched the heroine. Yeah, he knew the real reason she was hopping around, but that didn't make the situation any less entertaining.
When the elevator doors shut, Mayor Bourgeois turned her attention back to him.
"Here, come wait over here for your partner to return." She gestured to the lavish sitting area. "Is there anything we could get you?"
"Uh, maybe just some water," Adrien said, sitting in the proffered seat.
Mayor Bourgeois clapped her hands and sent one of her butlers to fetch some water. The butler bowed and hurried off.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng
The butler led Marinette to a lavish room. He opened the door and bowed, asking if there was anything else she would like.
"Uh, could I have some Camembert?" she asked, still bouncing like a maniac (as if her movement would slow her detransformation at all). The butler looked taken aback but nodded. As soon as he left, Marinette slammed the door. She let out a sigh of relief and opened her mouth, intending to release Plagg from her earrings, but was interrupted by three raps on the door. She threw it open to reveal the butler, holding a silver tray out to her. Marinette grabbed the tray and thanked him before slamming the door shut again. She set the tray on the nearby table and checked the door was locked before collapsing back on the bed. Her earrings beeped one last time, and she felt her costume fade away. An exhausted Plagg collapsed on the bed beside her, moaning about his cheese, as usual. Marinette smiled and pushed herself off the bed to retrieve the tray. She set it on the bed and stepped back, not wanting to have the smell of Camembert hit her full in the face when Plagg removed the lid. The Kwami pushed himself up and shoved off the top, smiling widely when he saw the cheese. He dove in, downing half the wheel in a matter of seconds.
"I'll never understand how you eat that so fast," Marinette said, watching as Plagg popped another piece of cheese in his mouth, "but I'm glad you do because we have to get back out there."
"Not yet," Plagg said, shoving two more pieces of cheese in his mouth.
"Beetlebug is waiting for us, and pigeons are still messing up the city. We don't have time to laze around. Plagg, claws out!"
Plagg was dragged back into her earrings, dropping pieces of cheese in the process.
"I'll get you more cheese when this akuma is defeated," Marinette said, though she had no idea if Plagg could even hear her from inside the earrings.
Adrien Agreste
One thing Adrien learned while waiting for Chat Noire to arrive was that Mayor Bourgeois could talk. Thirty minutes had passed since Chat Noire had disappeared into the elevator, and Mayor Bourgeois had talked the whole time. She didn't seem to run out of things to talk about, and she kept trying to get him to reveal clues as to who his civilian self was.
Needless to say, Adrien was overjoyed when his partner sauntered out of the elevator, eyes alight in amusement when she saw his expression.
"Ah, Chat Noire! Beetlebug and I were having quite the conversation while you were gone," Mayor Bourgeois said, rising from her chair. Adrien scrambled to his feet and strode out of the room, grabbing Chat Noire's arm and dragging her along behind him.
"Yes, it was great talking with you, Mayor Bourgeois, but we have some pigeons to deal with," he called over his shoulder, refusing to look back. Once they were back in the halls, Chat Noire yanked her arm away, doubling over in laughter.
"You should have seen your face!" she gasped out between laughs. Adrien crossed his arms, scowling down at his partner.
"Well, if this is how you're going to act, remind me to never be happy to see you ever again." But, despite his semi-harsh words, he had a smile on his face as he watched his partner. After a few minutes, Chat Noire finally managed to compose herself. She stood up, wiping her eyes as the last remaining chuckles escaped through her lips.
"Okay, okay, I'm done," she said, turning to Adrien, who was tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for her to calm down.
"Good. Those pigeons won't deal with themselves. Now, do you have any idea how to get out of here?"
"As a matter of fact, I do."
It took only ten minutes for them to reach the hotel's front door, but those ten minutes felt like an eternity to Adrien. How much damage were those pigeons causing while they traveled through this labyrinth of hallways?
"It's too quiet," Chat Noire said as soon as they stepped onto the sidewalk. Adrien nodded in agreement. The last time they were outside, the pigeons had created a cyclone, and all they could hear was the flapping of thousands of wings. This time, however, there was only silence.
"This can't be good," Adrien mumbled, scanning the streets. "Let's get to the roof. We'll be able to see the city better from up high."
But, even from up high, the city was eerily still.
"I don't understand-"
"Beetlebug, look!"
Adrien turned to his partner and then followed her gaze.
"Nice work. Kitten," he said, not even realizing he had just given her a nickname. Chat Noire blushed and stuttered out her thanks, but Adrien was too focused on figuring out a plan to realize his partner's strange behavior. After a moment, he turned to Chat Noire, his expression brighter now that he knew what to do.
"Okay, here's the plan…"
Marinette Dupain-Cheng
The two heroes raced along the rooftops as quietly as they possibly could. Beetlebug's plan could only work if they managed to take Mr. Pigeon by surprise, and Marinette could only hope her newly discovered feather allergies didn't screw this up.
But, of course, just seconds after they reached the Grand Palais, there was a tingling in Marinette's nose. She clamped her mouth shut, trying to shut down the sneeze, but it was useless.
"ACHOO!"
Mr. Pigeon whirled around, his eyes narrowing as he searched for the source of the sneeze.
"You two again? I thought my pigeons had dealt with you already," he huffed. "Oh, well, I guess we'll just have to have a bit more fun. Pigeons, attack!"
The pigeons flooded forward, shoving the two heroes straight into the bars of the giant birdcage Mr. Pigeon was using to hold the park keepers hostage. Marinette glanced at Beetlebug.
"Now would be a good time to use that Lucky Charm."
Beetlebug nodded and tossed his yo-yo in the air. There was a flash of red, and then a red and black coin landed in Beetlebug's hand. Marinette turned her attention back to the pigeons as Beetlebug scanned the area.
"Cover me!" he shouted a moment later, drawing Marinette's attention back to him. Beetlebug bolted left, coin outstretched in front of him. Marinette followed, batting away the birds when they came too close to her partner. Beetlebug slammed the coin into a vending machine, pressing one of the buttons and fending off the pigeons as he waited for his snack to drop out.
What is he doing? Marinette wondered, batting away more pigeons. Her sneezes were becoming uncontrollable, but she couldn't leave her partner to fend for himself, no matter how crazy he was acting right now.
A package dropped out from the vending machine, and Beetlebug turned back to the akumatized villain. In one swift movement, he slid under Mr. Pigeon, jumped over a support beam, grabbed the package of food he had released from the vending machine, and threw it in the air.
"Chat Noire! Your staff!"
Understanding dawned on Marinette. She jumped up, extending her staff and popping open the bag. Popcorn exploded into the air, surrounding the akumatized villain Beetlebug had hung upside down. The bird calling slipped off his neck when he lifted his hands, batting away the birds pecking at the food. Marinette and Beetlebug jumped at the whistle simultaneously, but Mr. Pigeon had realized what was happening. Beetlebug had dropped his yo-yo when the whistle had fallen, meaning Mr. Pigeon was free (and much closer to the whistle than either hero). Their hands landed atop the akumatized object mere seconds apart, but Mr. Pigeon's hand was at the bottom of their stack. He grinned at the heroes.
"Looks like your plan failed, Bugger."
"I wouldn't be so sure," Beetlebug said, grabbing hold of Marinette's arm and smashing her hand on Mr. Pigeon's. The whistle crumbled, releasing the akuma into the air.
"No!" Mr. Pigeon wailed as his costume melted away. Beetlebug jumped up and used his yo-yo to purify the moth, releasing the white butterfly back into the air and then tossing his yo-yo in the air. The mini ladybugs began restoring the damages; Beetlebug turned to his partner, arm extended for their victory fistbump.
"Pound it!"
"Well, I hate to leave you to deal with the victim all by yourself, but I gotta go," Beetlebug said sheepishly as his ring began to beep.
"You can't be the only clean-up crew around here," Marinette teased, waving her partner off. Beetlebug laughed and then dashed away, shouting "Bug out!" over his shoulder as he disappeared down the street. Marinette smiled and then turned back to the victim, kneeling beside him.
"You okay?" she asked. Mr. Ramier looked up, rubbing his head, and then nodded.
"Y-yeah, I think so."
Marinette nodded and handed him the newly repaired birdcall. "I believe this is yours."
Mr. Ramier smiled and took the whistle from Marinette's outstretched hand. "Thank you, Chat Noire."
"You're welcome," Marinette said with a smile. She stood up and walked away, leaving Mr. Ramier in the care of the officers who had just arrived on the scene.
Another victory for Beetlebug and Chat Noire.
Adrien Agreste
Adrien clicked through his photos. The photography contest was today, and he still had no idea what he was going to do. He sighed and flopped back on his bed, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to come up with something, anything, to help him win the competition.
That's it!
He scrambled up and grabbed his camera, dashing out the door.
Nino Lahiffe
The competition was today, and the school was abuzz with conversation. Each photographer had created a portfolio and had pasted their photos on a poster board. Many of the posters were decorated, with the photographer's name in big letters along the top or bottom or side. A few posters were blank, minus the scribbled name in the corner and the photos scattered across it.
Nino was pacing by the door, waiting for Adrien to arrive. He glanced at his watch and then at the door. Marinette would be arriving soon. Today was really not the day for Adrien to be late. Minutes ticked by, and Nino became more and more anxious.
Finally, the doors banged open. Nino whirled towards the sound and then deflated when he saw Marinette standing in the doorway rather than Adrien. Marinette had a woman standing beside her. The woman turned to Marinette and asked her something. Marinette nodded and walked briskly towards the principal's office, the woman following behind. They disappeared into the room; Nino turned his attention back to the door, willing Adrien to burst through.
Marinette and the woman emerged with Mr. Damocles a few minutes later, and Nino deflated once again. Adrien was going to miss the whole competition!
"Hey, you okay?" Alya asked, appearing by Nino's side. Nino whirled towards her, eyes wide, and then relaxed when he realized who it was.
"Oh, y-yeah. I'm just waiting for Adrien."
"He's still not here?"
"Well, he's almost always late. I'm just worried he'll miss the whole competition. He was so excited about it—"
The doors banged open; Alya and Nino whirled around just as Adrien dashed in.
"Did I miss it?"
"Not yet, but you better hurry. They're almost done judging," Nino said, gesturing towards the makeshift gallery. "They started on that end, so I'd suggest pinning your photos on this end."
Adrien nodded and dashed off in the direction Nino had instructed. He hurriedly taped up his poster and stepped back, trying to calm his racing heart as he waited for the judges to reach him. Nino and Alya had gravitated towards his poster, studying his photos as they waited for Marinette and the woman, who was introduced as Nathalie and informed the students that Sabine Dupain-Cheng would be judging their work via the tablet Nathalie held in her hands, to reach his portfolio.
"What an interesting take on the theme," Sabine said once they had reached Adrien's poster. "You made the focal point of each photo a pigeon, but met the requirements with the background of each photo."
Adrien nodded his head, wringing his hands as they scrutinized his work.
Sabine studied his work for a moment longer and then nodded at Nathalie. "I'm ready to decide."
Nathalie turned and walked briskly back into the principal office, followed by Mr. Damocles and Marinette. Nino and Alya stepped closer.
"Dude, your photos are awesome. No one is going to be able to beat those."
"I wouldn't be so sure, Four-Eyes," Sabrina's shrill voice cut through the air as she marched over to them. "My photos are obviously the best."
"Come on, Sabrina. You obviously stole those off the internet," Nino said. "You didn't even bother taking off the photographer's signature!"
"How dare you—"
"We have come to a decision!" Mr. Damocles boomed as he emerged from his office, followed by Nathalie and Marinette. "Ms. Dupain-Cheng, would you like to give the final verdict?'
Nathalie stepped forward, the tablet balanced in her hands. Sabine cleared her throat; the students clustered together.
"We have decided that the winner of the competition is…" she paused, her eyes scanning the student's faces, "...Adrien Agreste!"
"Did you hear that, dude?" Nino said, shaking Adrien excitedly.
"Nice job, Adrien!" Alya congratulated him, wrapping him in a hug.
"That can't be right!" Sabrina screeched, crossing her arms and stamping her feet.
Marinette rushed down and dragged Adrien up to where Nathalie was standing.
"Congratulations, Mr. Agreste," Nathalie said. The tablet was dark now, meaning Sabine had hung up. Nathalie tucked the device under her arm and handed Adrien a packet of papers. "Your training begins next week. This is Marinette's current modeling schedule. We will contact you if anything changes."
Adrien nodded and took the papers, still unable to believe he had won. Nathalie shook his hand once more and then turned and left the school as briskly as she had walked in. Mr. Damocles waved his hands, quieting the students.
"Thank you all for your participation. Please make your way to your first-period class. Your first-period teacher will explain today's altered school schedule."
Adrien and Marinette joined the flood of students making their way to class. Adrien glanced down at the papers in his hand, smiling widely. He had won. He would be spending a month with Marinette.
This was, by far, the best day ever.
Review Responses:
Mistress-Mysterious and BlueMonica, thank you so much!
GuardianAngel1234567, just wait! Sabrina's time will come!