This was supposed to be posted on Saturday so it could be another Swapped Saturday, but I was honestly way too excited to wait that long.
I completely forgot about this website as a whole until I logged into my email and found reviews and notifications waiting for me, so y'all can thank PercabethDramioneAdrinetteShip because it's her review that spurred me to start writing and updating again :)
My writing style has somewhat changed since the previous chapter's publication, but I'm trying my best to be consistent with its style and theme. That being said, I will definitely answer reviews at the end of the chapters following this one as I'm unsure what reviews were answered and which reviews were not answered (and I'm not entirely sure how many people will continue following this story as it's been about a year since I last updated).
Anyway, thank you guys again for all the love and support, and enjoy chapter seven!
Edited: June 9, 2021
Chapter Seven
Lê Chiến Kim
The final bell rang, dismissing the students from school. Sabrina was already stalking out the front door, Chloé, Kim, and Max hot on her heels. They had selected Sleeping Beauty as their fairytale, and Max was already trying to plan out their project.
"If we just do a PowerPoint, we won't get the full points," Max was saying while Kim nodded along in agreement. "Miss Bustier wants creativity. A PowerPoint won't accomplish that."
"What do you suggest then?" Sabrina snapped, not bothering to turn around.
"Perhaps we could make a video. Each of us could discuss an aspect of the plot that ties into the theme. That would extinguish the need to split the presentation portion of the project."
"Sure, whatever. Write up the scripts, and I'll review them. Kim and Chlo can just read whatever we assign them."
Max nodded, relieved to have figured that out, and slowed his pace. Kim, however, reached out and touched Sabrina's arm, causing the redhead to whirl around and jerk away.
"What do you want?"
"I, uh, was wondering…" He trailed off, glancing back at Max, who gave him a nod and thumbs up. Taking a deep breath, Kim returned his attention to Sabrina, who was standing with her arms crossed over her chest and her eyebrows raised as she impatiently waited for him to continue speaking.
"Well?" she prompted. "I don't have all day."
Kim dropped on one knee, landing in a puddle. He ignored the wetness seeping through his pant leg and focused on extracting the jewelry box from his pocket. He finally managed to wrench it free, but the force was too strong. The box went flying and landed on the pavement inches from the curb. Cursing, Kim reached towards the box. His fingertips brushed the edge of the box, but before he could pull it back into his grasp, a car drove back, its tire splashing into a nearby puddle and soaking Kim. He toppled to the ground, falling flat on his stomach. Sabrina burst out laughing, pulling her phone from her pocket and snapping a picture of Kim.
"Oh, this is priceless," she said, still chuckling. "Better luck next time, Kimmy." She turned, grabbed Chloé's arm, and disappeared.
Drenched and dejected, Kim remained sprawled on the pavement. Max padded over to him and knelt down, grabbing the jewelry box and offering his hand to help the jock up, but Kim shoved himself up and stalked away without a second glance at his best friend.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng
Marinette had been allowed to spend an hour with Adrien, Alya, and Nino at the Agreste bakery to work on their project, though they honestly didn't get much work done. Adrien was manning the bakery while his parents were delivering an order, so he had to continually excuse himself from the group to assist the customers. Eventually, they gave up trying to get any work done and began helping Adrien fulfill the orders.
Being the only one in their group with any real baking experience, Adrien took over operating the kitchen. Alya and Nino were left in the front half of the bakery to deal with the taking and distributing of orders, and Marinette had chosen to accompany the blond in the kitchen. She had tried baking a few times and had never been any good, but if her kitchen back home was as homey and warm as the Agreste bakery kitchen, she probably would have spent a lot more time in it, regardless of her inability to bake.
Marinette was currently balanced on the countertop, her ankles crossed habitually in the manner her mother had drilled into her. Her gaze followed Adrien's movements as he traveled from the oven to the cooling racks to the countertop and back again.
"You're really good at this," she said as Adrien grabbed a rack of snickerdoodle cookies from the oven and transferred it to the cooling rack.
"I've been doing this since I could walk," he replied. "If I wasn't good I'd be very disappointed."
Marinette laughed and hopped off the counter, wandering over to the cooling racks.
"You can take that one from the bottom and bring it over here," Adrien said, nodding towards the rack furthest from the oven.
"This one?" Marinette asked, reaching up to close her hand around one of the trays.
"No, not that one!"
But it was too late. The contact of the hot metal on Marinette's fingertips caused the raven to jolt back.
"Ouch!"
Adrien rushed to her side, wrapping his hand around her wrist as he studied the burn. "It doesn't look too bad. Just come run it under cold water for a moment." He guided her to the sink and turned on the facet, and she obediently held her fingertips under the cold stream.
"Thanks," she murmured. "I guess I'm not a very good baker."
Adrien shrugged. "It takes a lot of talent to be a baker."
Marinette laughed, pulling her hand out from under the water and turning off the faucet. "Talent I apparently don't possess."
Adrien grinned. "Well you can't be completely perfect."
Adrien Agreste
Adrien flushed the moment he realized what he had said, stumbling over his words as he attempted to backtrack. How could he have been so stupid? That phrase was as obvious as if he had blurted out "I love you."
Somehow, Marinette didn't seem to grasp the conspicuous message behind his statement. Perhaps it was because she had been locked away in her mansion all these years or maybe she was feigning incomprehension for his sake. Whatever the reason behind Marinette's imperceptive response—which was a smile and small shake of her head as she stated that she was "far from perfect"—Adrien was grateful. At least now he didn't have to continue to humiliate himself by rambling apologies.
The kitchen was silent now, so silent that Adrien could clearly hear the jangle of the bell on the front door as customers entered and left. Snapping back to reality, he turned back to the cooling racks and removed the tray of cookies he had meant for Marinette to grab. The heart-shaped red velvet cookies were always a favorite around Valentine's Day, and this year wasn't proving differently. This was the third batch he had made in the past hour, and the display case was still running out.
Adrien had just stepped through the swinging doors separating the kitchen from the bakery when all hell broke loose. Screams and shouts erupted from the dining area; the bell jangled as patrons dashed into the streets. Alya was ducked under the countertop, covering her head. Crumbling heart-shaped cookies were scattered across the countertop. Nino was nowhere to be seen.
Marinette dashed out from the kitchen as Adrien set the cookie tray on the countertop.
"What happened?" she asked, glancing wildly around the bakery. She gasped when her gaze landed on Alya, kneeling beside the trembling brunette.
"Alya, are you okay?"
Alya nodded and sniffled, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose and taking a deep breath. "I-it's Nino. H-he was hit with this black, heart-shaped arrow, a-a-and he just went...crazy."
"Crazy how?" Adrien asked, kneeling so he, too, was eye-level with Alya.
"H-he started yelling, saying he hated me, saying we were never friends, telling me he never wanted to see me again. And then he shoved the tray of cookies from my hand and ran out the door."
The only logical explanation behind Nino's actions was an akuma, but Alya had said that Nino was hit with a black, heart-shaped arrow, not a black and purple butterfly.
He needed to investigate.
"Can you two watch the bakery? I'm going to try to find Nino."
Alya nodded, but Marinette caught his arm.
"Wait. Let me go with you."
Adrien shook his head. "You need to stay here and watch Alya."
"I'm fine," Alya interjected. "Whatever hit Nino could hit you too. I think it would be safer for you guys to go together. Watch each other's backs. I'll clean up this mess."
"Fine," Adrien conceded, knowing there was no way he was going to win this argument. Marinette grinned triumphantly and jumped to her feet, grabbing Adrien's hand and practically dragging him from the bakery.
Every inch of Adrien's skin was lit on fire the moment Marinette's hand grasped his, but he tried his best to push the butterflies and redness away and focus on the task at hand: finding Nino.
Of course, he'd be able to accomplish that a whole lot faster if he was Beetlebug, but he couldn't quite breathe with Marinette's hand in his, much less think up a plausible reason for them to split up.
Thankfully, he didn't have to. The moment they were outside, Marinette stopped, dropped his hand, and suggested they part ways.
Adrien nodded, then turned and dashed into the nearest alleyway. Once he was sure he was out of Marinette's sight, he released Tikki from his pocket.
"Whatever caused Nino to go nuts must be related to Hawkmoth, right?"
Tikki nodded. "The akumatized villain could have the power to turn love into hate and friends into enemies."
"A heartbreaker on Valentine's Day," Adrien mused. "This is a job for Beetlebug."
Tikki grinned. "You know what to do."
Adrien returned her smile and held his hand up. The red and black ring glistened in the sunlight.
"Tikki, spots on!"
Marinette Dupain-Cheng
Marinette remained rooted on the pavement, watching Adrien disappear into the alleyway. Plagg floated up from her purse and perched on her shoulder.
"He'll be fine, kid."
Marinette pursed her lips. "I hope you're right."
"I know I'm right," Plagg retorted. "Now go transform before we miss all the action!"
Shaking her head in amusement, Marinette changed directions and slipped behind the bakery. The dumpsters shielded her from the rest of Paris, creating the perfect environment to transform. Marinette pressed her back against the wall and pushed her hair aside so the black and silver pawprint earrings were visible.
"Plagg, claws out!"
Instantly, she was clothed in the leather supersuit she adored. She stepped out and used her staff to propel her into the air, landing gracefully on the nearest rooftop.
Since she wasn't entirely sure where to go, she picked a random direction and began running along the rooftops, glancing around now and again for any sign of Beetlebug or chaos.
"Oh, Beetlebug! Thank goodness you're here!" Sabrina's shrill voice echoed from the courtyard. "Some rude Cupid cosplayer just flew past here and shot poor Chloe with one of his awful arrows, and my poor best friend went absolutely crazy! She told me I'm mean and horrible and manipulative! Can you believe that?! After everything I've done for her, this is how she repays me!"
Marinette resisted the urge to roll her eyes but changed directions nonetheless. For once, she was grateful for Sabrina's loud, obnoxious voice because, without it, she'd have no idea where Beetlebug was.
Pausing at the edge of the rooftop, Marinette ducked into the shadows, scanning the courtyard. Sabrina was standing on the steps of the Bourgeois Hotel, a pile of ripped and crumpled photographs littered at her feet. A flash of red caught her eye, and Marinette changed directions once again, slinking down the rooftops until she spotted her partner pressed against the wall. Reaching down, Marinette extended her staff to form a makeshift tightrope a few inches above Beetlebug. She dropped gently onto the staff, then cleared her throat.
"Need a hand, Seigneur?"
Beetlebug jumped and whirled around, relaxing when he saw her.
"How long have you been there?" he asked, taking Marinette's proffered hand.
"Oh, not long." When Beetlebug was safely situated on the staff, Marinette rose to her feet. "So what exactly are we dealing with? I heard something about a 'rude Cupid cosplayer.'"
Beetlebug laughed. "So that's how you found me."
Marinette shrugged. "Miss Redhead is a little loud."
"Well, she's not wrong about the Cupid part. Our akuma victim is dressed like some evil, dark Cupid. Actually, that's what he called himself. Dark Cupid. And his arrows seem to have the power to change love into hate and friends into enemies."
Well, that explained Nino's change. "Any plans on how to defeat him?"
"Well, we'd have to find him first, and considering he can fly…"
Marinette's gaze shifted from Beetlebug to the approaching figure behind them. Dark Cupid was back, floating a few yards away from them, drawing back an arrow on his bow.
An arrow aimed for Beetlebug.
"Look out!" Marinette shouted, shoving Beetlebug behind her and shielding him with her body. The arrow disappeared into her chest, dissolving the moment it touched her suit. A sickly sweet feeling overcame the heroine, and a tingling sensation tickled her lips as magical, black lipstick appeared.
"Kitten?" Beetlebug stepped forward, reaching out to touch Marinette's arm, but the heroine whirled around and glared at him.
"Don't call me that," she hissed. "Stop pretending you care about me when you clearly don't."
Beetlebug furrowed his brow and stepped back. "Kitten, I do care about you."
"No, you don't. And I don't care about you either. In fact, I hate you! You mean nothing to me!" She lunged forward, grasped his arm, and reached for his ring. Beetlebug yanked his arm back, shoving her away from him with his other hand, and swung away on his yo-yo. Gritting her teeth, Marinette retracted her staff and clambered up to the roof of the Bourgeois Hotel.
Adrien Agreste
"I hate you! You mean nothing to me!"
Those two sentences cycled through his mind, making it impossible to concentrate. No wonder Alya was so shaken up when Nino turned dark. It didn't matter that he knew Chat Noire didn't mean what she had said. Her words were still tormenting him.
Shaking his head, Adrien shoved all thoughts of Chat from his mind. The only way to get his sweet, selfless, feline partner back was to defeat Dark Cupid, and he couldn't do that if he didn't focus.
Taking a deep breath, Beetlebug dropped to the ground and dashed past Sabrina into the lobby of the Bourgeois Hotel. Sabrina followed, begging and pleading for his help in getting her best friend back.
"Please, Beetlebug. If I don't have Chloe, I have no one. You have to make her love me again."
"Shh, Sabrina, please. I can't help anyone if you keep revealing my position to Dark Cupid."
Sabrina wrapped her arms around herself and nodded. "Okay, I'll be quiet."
But it didn't matter how silent Sabrina was. She was Dark Cupid's original target, and, somehow, he knew exactly where to find her.
"Sabrina Raincomprix." Dark Cupid's voice was singsongy as it echoed through the lobby. "You can't run from me."
Sabrina froze, turning to face Adrien with wide eyes.
"Run," Adrien said just loud enough for her to hear him. When she didn't move, he dashed forward and shoved her away from Dark Cupid, who was standing in the doorway. "Run!"
Snapping out of her daze, Sabrina turned on her heel and dashed further into the hotel. Dark Cupid cursed and flew after her, the breeze from his wings knocking Adrien off balance. He quickly regained his footing and flung his yo-yo out, but Chat Noire tackled him to the ground before he could zip away. They rolled back into the center of the lobby, Chat on top of Adrien. Pushing herself up, Chat straddled Adrien's hips and began tracing his face with her gloved fingertips.
"Hmm, you're not really as attractive as I thought," she mused. "And don't even get me started on your personality. That good guy act isn't getting you anywhere."
"Why are you so angry?" Adrien asked, trying to ignore the effect her sensual tone was having on him.
"Oh, don't you know? Hate conquers all."
"I think you mean love," Adrien countered. "Love conquers all."
And, just like that, he knew exactly how to get his partner back.
Chat, seeming to sense his sudden realization, rose to her feet and dashed away. Adrien muttered a curse under his breath and jumped to his feet, hot in pursuit. Unfortunately, Chat knew the hotel's halls a lot better than he did, and soon he was lost in the labyrinth, and Chat was nowhere to be seen.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng
Having finally lost Beetlebug, Marinette doubled back and made her way to the roof. Dark Cupid had finally cornered Sabrina, but the redhead was shouting at him and stamping her foot.
Marinette didn't care what the girl was saying. She just wanted her to shut up.
"Oh, Sabrina," she said, drawing the redhead's attention to her. "Maybe if you weren't so cold-hearted, people would love you."
Sabrina gasped. "I am not cold-hearted!"
"Aren't you? I mean, why else would you continually steal from your classmates and ridicule your 'best friend'? You have more hatred in your heart than both Dark Cupid and I combined."
Sabrina's face reddened, and she stomped over to Marinette, pointing her finger accusingly in her face. "You take that back right now."
"Make me," Marinette taunted, smirking.
Screaming, Sabrina lunged forward, intending to rake her fingernails across Marinette's face, but Marinette grasped Sabrina's wrist and clucked her tongue. "Fighting off pure emotion is never wise. You don't think, and you always end up in sticky situations like this one. See, I don't have much of a choice here. You attacked me, so I have to defend myself. And the only way to do that is…" Marinette released Sabrina's wrist and shoved her backward. Sabrina stumbled until the back of her calf hit the ledge of the hotel's roof, forcing her to topple over the edge.
"Problem solved," Marinette said, turning to Dark Cupid with a devilish grin. "Now, let's go find Bug Boy."
Another cliffhanger for you lovely readers! Thank you for your love & support! I'm thankful for y'all!
The next chapter will be posted sometime between now and December 12 so stay tuned :)