A/N: This chapter was quite fun to write up - well, the next few chapters are a delight to write up. I think you guys will see my enthusiasm bleed through the farther along we get with these next few chapters. Darker themes and action tend to get my imagination going and I guess it kinda fed into these upcoming chapters. I also put more of my own twist onto the original ABOI, completely twisting what happens toward the end of this chapter. Basically, a lot is gonna go down.

Anyway I'll stop blabbering on now and let you guys finally enjoy a slice of impending doom. Feel free to drop in a review folks - it costs nothing and does make my day!

Till next time,

D.L.D

Chapter 16: Meteor Showers

Marinette

The next morning, all Marinette could feel was cold solid dread. Shivering all over, she couldn't help but visibly convert her paranoia into anxious energy as she entered the school's premises. All morning she couldn't help but feel as if her entire world was going to change; stepping into the building, she couldn't shake the feeling of a million different sets of eyes fixed onto her every move. With how that post had blown up yesterday, it couldn't be helped. Not when Marinette was a chronic over-thinker.

All morning Alya had watched her like a hawk. Careful and definitely concerned in her observations as Marinette went about her day. Whenever he could, Adrien would stick by her side, trying to shake the remaining dregs of anxiety away with that wonderful charm of his.

"Are you ok?" He had asked between periods one and two, slipping his hand into hers with a gentle squeeze. Almost the entire class was watching them, baited breath not at all hidden as Marinette felt her cheeks flush crimson.

"Yep," She had breezily answered. Brushing anxiety to the side often worked; ignoring her tangent of complicated, improbable thoughts often made them go away. So today, she was trying - really, really trying - to bury them deep, deep down. "I'm just a bit tired."

Tiredness was the last thing Marinette felt. Buzzing with nervous energy, like a student hooked up to an IV of caffeine and sugar, she felt anything but fatigue. Every sense was on hyper-alert, every muscle was prepared to spring into action if need be. That surprise from Lila was yet to be revealed and Marinette was awaiting the moment when she would let the bomb drop, ruining Ladybug as well as the entire city along with it.

At one pint Alya had tried to break through, face scrunched with concern as she cornered Marinette during break. Waffle in her right hand and phone in the other, she looked extremely pensive as she took a bite from her mid-morning snack.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Carefully, she eyed Marinette, brow raised with the perfect precision of a well-vetted interrogator. "We can always say you're sick and deal with everything tomorrow. I'm sure a day off won't hurt, Marinette."

"That will only give her more time to prepare," Was her answer, hands balled into tight fists. Time was one thing that Marinette wouldn't give to Lila. Perfecting her evil plans was something that would seal everyone's fates. "I'll be fine."

"If you say so," Alya had muttered, shaking her head.

Then the conversation took a turn, redirecting from the topic of Marinette's overall apprehension to Alya's plans for after school. Vague as ever, she let no true details slip. Instead she simply filtered through the bread crumbs, instructing Marinette to bring a swimsuit and a towel with her. Too preoccupied to truly question Alya's intentions, Marinette had simply agreed and said that she would be there at the agreed time.

After that, break was over - a sharp ring of the tinny school bell. After that came the horrible trek to class, pushing through the crowds of different students and trying to navigate the hallways without tripping over stray legs or abandoned bags.

When they'd finally gotten to class, Marinette chose to zone out. Images flickered on the whiteboard, a few glass conical flasks clinked as Ms Mendeleiev demonstrated how to perform titrations. Chairs squeaked against the floor as classmates rushed to pick their partners and began to set up to perform their own titrations. All the while Marinette worked on autopilot, half there and half not as Nino puzzled over how to work the burette.

With the wonderful ring of the bell, Marinette finally awoke from her trance, collected her belongings and left the classroom. Long and flowing, a sigh escaped her system as she placed her books into her locker, finally alone. Going through the first half of the entire school day had been tough. Although there was still a few more hours left of school - and patrol as Ladybug - it was nice to know that she was halfway. Halfway without any altercations.

"There's only a few more hours left," Tikki piped up from her post within Marinette's bag. Comfortingly, a tiny hand patted at Marinette's side. "You can do it."

"I know," Marinette breathed out a small exhale as she shut her locker door. As she turned around, ready to face the rest of the day, she immediately faltered. Sinister smile, piercing olive green eyes: Lila Rossi. Confident and assured in her standing, definitely having her own ace up her sleeve, she walked with the confidence and grace of a slinky, smug vixen - no a snake. A slithery, sneaking snake. Flowing, entrancing... definitely not your standard school yard bully.

Although all instincts told Marinette to scurry away to safety - to find Adrien or Nino or Alya - she found herself rooted to the spot. Feet planted, legs solid, arms rigid, Marinette couldn't even muster them to move. All she could do, all she could manage to muster in the face of evil incarnate itself, was a firm expression, dark brows pulled inwards and cherry blossom lips fixed into an unwavering pout. Even if she was terrified, bone marrows melted to jelly, Marinette would not let Lila get the best of her - not today.

"Hey Marinette," Lila kick-started the exchange, casual as ever as she went to her locker. Pulling the door open, she began to rummage through it.

"Hey Lila," Marinette got out - albeit much more stiffly than the former. Part of her cringed at how tense she sounded, the high-pitched octave that broke her usually solid tone. "How are you finding chemistry? I saw you looking a little puzzled during Ms Mendeleiev's explanation."

"She's not a very good teacher," Lila responded, brushing aside the comment. Very quickly. Hand waving absently in the air, she continued, "But it didn't help that I didn't get much sleep last night. I just kept thinking about things."

"Oh really?" Marinette continued the breezy conversation - almost as if they were trading gossip. Really, she could feel her heart racing, her nerves twitching, from just the mention of Lila and her supposed thoughts.

"Well," Lila clicked her tongue, almost seeming thoughtful as she turned around to glance at Marinette. Face her head on. "A guy who I've been friends with for ages and ages wants to date me. However, my heart belongs to another."

Was she trying to make it obvious that she knew who Marinette was? Clearly this fabricated situation was mirror to herself and Adrien? It had to be! There was no way that Lila would feed such information - especially now - without having a motive. Everything to do with Lila, every single action and word and thought, always carried a purpose. Antagonizing Marinette would win her something. That something was what Marinette had to figure out.

"Really?" Faux shock clouded itself over Marinette's features as gasped. "That's such a hard position to be in. I remember when something similar happened to me."

"Oh, do tell," Was it just her or did Lila's eyes flash in that second? A cold glint, a dark glint, almost like a predator watching its prey graze in a field. This was exactly what she wanted. This was exactly what she needed. And Marinette could feel it.

"It happened a long time ago," Marinette brushed it aside, unable to hide the burning blood flooding her cheeks bright pink. Now it was her turn to casually wave a hand in the air. "So long ago that it doesn't really matter. I don't like either of them anymore."

"And that's because she's with Adrien," Chloe. Yes, it was Chloe, proud and triumphant as she emerged from the row of lockers behind Marinette, phone in hand and a steely look filling her eyes as she glared at Lila. "They're a thing - which you will never get the privilege of claiming to have, Lie-la. Get over it."

"Everyone already knows," Sabrina agreed, adding it on as if it were a well-known fact. Well, it actually it was. Posted all over the internet, spread on every feed imaginable, that picture from the day before had spread like the plague. "Adrinette is the number one talk of the town."

Although wonderful, flowing relief flooding Marinette's system, her face still felt bright with a warm blush. No doubt she looked as if she'd had her entire private life laid before everyone's eyes. Not exactly a lie because Chloe was still recording, the flash of her phone on and Sabrina acting as backup with own phone. No doubt this would be used in some way to keep Marinette in line; Chloe wasn't above turning on her teammates. At the root of it all, Chloe would always be... well, Chloe.

"I definitely can't wait to show Adrien this," Chloe continued, smug as she shook her phone. There was no doubt that she felt some sort of satisfaction from doing this. "Bad enough that you're a horrible liar, but housing an obsession for him when he has a girlfriend? Lila, you really should know better."

Then, with those final words, both Chloe and Sabrina left the locker room, a cacophony of giggles and laughs as they shut the door and left the room in silence once more. That footage would definitely reach Adrien. With two copies, one on Chloe's phone and another on Sabrina's - as well as the backups on the cloud - there was no way that anyone could intercept Chloe and her intent to bring Lila Rossi down.

More than anything, Marinette was relieved that Chloe had been there. Even if she had done little in the grand scheme of things. However, laying beneath the relief - far from dormant as it rattled and thrashed - her anxiety was building. Across from her, Lila looked irate. Possible to burst, ready to pop like a highly pressured balloon, red had climbed her neck and a dragging scowl made her lips turn down in the corners. There was no way that Marinette was making it out unscathed.

"This is all your fault, Dupain-Cheng!" Lila growled, venomous and spiteful as she slammed her locker shut. Dangerous, ready to pounce, if she were a rattle snake her tail would be shaking like crazy, making the signature rattling noise.

"How is this my fault?" Marinette raised a brow, trying to maintain a calm voice. Rising to the challenge would only make Lila worse. Shouting would resolve nothing; shouting would make her even more intent on bringing Marinette down.

"If you didn't get between Adrien and me, then none of this would have happened!" Lila responded, the bubbling water finally boiling over within her system. Tense, definitely on edge, she walked toward Marinette with the skill and grace of a treacherous, purposeful witch. "You are the reason why everything has gone to shit."

Out of everything, Marinette had not expected to be slapped - full force. Across the face, right on her cheek, sending her head flying back into the locker with a deafening thud. Blood roared within her ears, her heart thumped within her chest. But, most of all, pain rippled throughout her face, her neck, exploding from her cheek and down into the nape of her neck. Stinging tears formed in her eyes, burning as they fell.

By now people had rushed into the locker room, alerted by the echoing thud of Marinette's head hitting the lockers. Before her Lila remained, smirking and triumphant in the face of Marinette's shock and the shaking hand cupping her now reddened cheek.

"Never get involved in a bitch fight, boys," Alya. Right at the front, holding Adrien back as she surveyed the scene. "Marinette's got this. Just don't get involved or it will get worse."

"But- "

"Dude," Nino shook his head, removing his glasses as he cleaned the lenses. "If you cross a line with Marinette, you can never go back. And from what it looks like, Lila has definitely crossed a line."

Knowing Adrien was there lit something. Maybe it was all of the frustration finally converting into true, blazing anger. Maybe it was the pain and fear mixing into a dangerous cocktail of pure, hard adrenaline. Whatever it was, it made Marinette feel a little bit more sturdy, her once jelly-like bones turning into something much more firm and sharp as she glared at Lila, glimmering tears still burning in her eyes.

"It's not my fault," Marinette spoke, the words forced from behind a firm frown. "I'm not to blame for your sad, pathetic existence."

"If the shoe fits," Lila responded, still confident and assured. Riling Marinette up was the first part of her plan. Getting her this far was exactly what she needed.

Taking in a deep breath, Marinette shook head head, "Ok then. But don't say I didn't warn you."

"Wha- "

One solid action. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth they say. Fairness came in getting what one can give. And so, in one graceful, almost beautiful movement, Marinette only did what Lila deserved: she gave them matching red marks, both sporting the red-handprint of shame on their faces like matching tattoos.

"You- " Surprise. Complete surprise.

"I'm not above stooping to your level," Marinette delivered, her voice a low hiss. Definitely not something a lot of people had seen. Only as Ladybug, frustrated and boiling to the brim at a particularly tough akuma, had she ever been this rough. "Be careful what you do."

Gasps filled the room - along with wide eyes - at her sudden outburst. To everyone else it wasn't like Marinette to be like this - and they all knew it, even Chloe. That gasp is what brought her out of the boiling anger and adrenaline, redness fading from her flushed face and neck and her pupils blowing her eyes wide. Everyone had seen it. First hand. Not a word could leave her mouth and Marinette rushed out of the room and escaped to her only sanctuary: the blessed girls' bathroom.

Thank god for privacy.

Marinette

"Marinette!" Adrien. How he had even got into here was a mystery but Marinette could always recognise his voice no matter what - even with an extreme amount of distress laced into it.

Locked up in the sanctuary of her own private cubicle, Marinette had cried away the rest of her lunch hour. Hiding away was always the best option after public humiliation. In the past the bathroom had been used to sob after Chloe had attacked her. Then, when Lila had first arrived, it was her sanctuary from her classmates turned judges in the face of Lila's lies. Now it was just the allocated spot of sobs and lonesome hugs, reserved for shitty days like today.

"I'm not coming out," Was Marinette's response, teary and definitely forced out. Had her voice always sounded like a woman's grated with sandpaper? "I've already made a fool of myself."

"You could never make a fool of yourself," Adrien insisted, his voice much closer now. If she had to guess he was right at the door, no doubt hoping that she was right there too - separated by only the thin material of a public bathroom door.

"I always make a fool of myself," Marinette mumbled, face buried within the squashed comfort of her tucked up legs. Tightly, her arms wrapped around her legs, scratching against the rough denim material. "It's better if I stay locked up here forever. Then I can't humiliate anyone else."

"Well, I'll just tell your parents that you're not sick anymore then," Adrien responded, light and offhandedly.

"You called me in sick?" Suddenly the door burst open and Marinette was more or less strangling a stunned Adrien within her tight chokehold of a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! That must have been so much trouble to go through."

"It wasn't any trouble, really," Adrien assured her, his laughter not at all masked. Most likely because he was relieved that she was still fine, able to muster a visible smile despite the tears in her eyes. "It was a little tough but I could tell that you felt a bit..." He trailed off, unable to find the words as he pursed his lips, "Well, I saw what happened and I thought that you could use a break."

"Thank you, kitty," A soft murmur, swallowed in the overwhelming gratitude swelling in her heart. Ultimately it was translated into a kiss on his cheek, leaving behind a slight flush of fresh blood.

Everyone was in lessons when they emerged from the bathroom. Hand in hand, tracking the almost silent halls of the building, they walked across the courtyard toward the principal's office. On the way Marinette peered into the locker room, only traces of the scuffle leftover. Printed into the lockers, like a large concave dip, was crater the half the size of Marinette's head. Clear evidence of what had occurred. Blushing at the memory, she turned away from the room and hurried up with her walk to the office.

Once they were there, Marinette immediately spotted her mother, concern pressed into her features as she rushed up to the pair. Lingering by the door was Mr Damocles, his thick brows furrowed with an unreadable enigma.

"Marinette, are you ok?" Immediately Sabine engulfed her daughter within her visible concern, motherly hands checking the red mark upon her daughter's face. "How did you get such a nasty mark? That is definitely going to bruise."

In the face of it all, Marinette could only sigh. There was no way to explain it. Splotchy cheeks, puffy eyes and redness were never things with good explanations.

"Take as long as you need to recover, Marinette," Mr Damocles spoke from his position at the door, thoughtfulness now replaced with alarm. "I hears about the incident that occurred earlier on and I recognise that it is highly unusual for you to react in such as manner. Therefore, the school is launching a formal investigation into what happened. Of course, we are nowhere near professional but we will expend every resource possible."

"Thank you for taking so much consideration, Mr Damocles," Sabine turned back to the principal, a thankful smile on her face. Turning back to Marinette, she carefully looped her arm with her daughter's, a hand cupping her elbow, "I think we'd better go home now."

"Of course," Mr Damocles replied and behind him Adrien was nodding, encouraging Marinette to take a break. "Like I said, take all the time you need to recover."

Lila

She had failed. That much was obvious to Lila as she walked home from school, eyes glued to her phone and awaiting the akuma alert that she been anticipating all day. Riling up Marinette - trying to get Marinette akumatized - had been a bust. A really big one. Instead of filling the insipid girl with negative spouts of self-doubt and anger, Lila had only succeeded in causing in the opposite. There was no new akuma; Marinette had not been crumbled.

Frustration growing in her system, Lila frowned as a new wave of notifications flooded her phone. All of them tagged her to a post by Chloe Bourgeois, showcasing the incident that went down in the locker room. Then there were the comments...

Stalking toward the centre of her secret room, Lila yanked out the whiteboard. Every face, all of them that linked back to the miraculous, were pasted before her. Now she just had to take the next course of action. Since Plan A had failed, Plan B would be have to be enacted in its place. But, to kick-start that, she would have to gain Hawkmoth's attention; the only way to do that was to feel so mad, so enraged, that he picked up on her negative energy.

What a good thing it was that her social media feed was buzzing with annoyances - just like tiny flies.

Suddenly, a violet butterfly landed on her phone, melding with the device to discolour it into a dark purple hue. Immediately Lila froze, already aware of the neon silhouette framing her face, indicating her telepathic link to Hawkmoth.

"Vixen," Smooth, charismatic - as all skilled scammers often are - the man spoke in a voice with a charming tone. "I'm giving you the chance to re-use Volpina's powers and finally seize your place in the spotlight. But in return I'll need Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculous."

"Oh I know," Lila responded. This moment was one she had been waiting for. Ever since the plan had first formed, photos pinned together by strings and meaningful words inked on the whiteboard with black pen. "But I can strike you a deal that has us both benefiting from this Hawkmoth. I'm no ordinary girl, you should know that from my previous akumas. I know exactly what you seek to gain from this and I know exactly how you can get it without losing anything."

"I'm listening," Hawkmoth answered, a ponderous hum in her ears.

"I know that you want your dead wife back," Lila said it outright, a smile stretching across her lips as the words left her mouth. "And I know that you require a wish to do so. But in return for that wish, instead of trading yourself, what if you trade someone else?"

"And who would that be?"

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

Silence. Unwavering, lasting silence that rang like the thousands of church bells within the city of Paris hundreds of years ago. In that silence Lila could feel static ringing in her ears, the very thoughts of the man on the other side of the telepathic line being the only thing that kept her hoping that things would finally go her way. Hawkmoth was her key to success; using him to get what she wanted was all that she had left.

"If you can bring me the miraculous," Hawkmoth cleared the air first, clearing his throat. Always a business man first, he was no fool when it came to striking a deal. "Then we have a deal. Do not disappoint, Vixen."

"I never disappoint," Lila responded, smooth and quick as ever.

In that moment a dark swarm encased her body, intangible clouds of magic washing over her. Gone was her casual school wear, ankle boots and trendy jacket traded for sleek black thigh highs and a skin-tight costume that ran with the theme of a fox. Faux fox ears sprouted from the top of her head, tipped with white and rimmed with black. Long black gloves covered her hands, the palms stained with white.

Strapped to her hip was a single weapon - not a flute this time. Instead it was a sectioned staff, the joints smooth and well-hidden within the design of the entire pole. At the top was a ball of glowing light, almost like a candle flame, dancing with the image of Vixen's very first disguise.

A wave of laughter rippling in her throat, the akuma smiled, "Look out, Little Bug. Someone let the fox out and she wants to play."

Everything was finally falling into place.

Adrien

Something was off. Adrien didn't need to be a psychic to know that something just wasn't right. Sitting there, almost like a clammy, clinging feeling, he could sense something ominous drifting in the air - almost like the tingles that filled someone's spine whenever they sensed danger. Maybe it was because he was years into being a superhero. Maybe it was because Plagg's foreboding warning was still fresh in his mind. Whatever it was, it made Adrien restless - almost... on edge.

Yesterday - when he had seen a piece of her vulnerability - still rang within his mind. Earlier today - when she had seemed as fragile as a paper crane - was edged firmly within his memory. Above anything else, Adrien would always hold the most concern toward Marinette's well being. With overworked she could get, with how much she tended to forget about herself, someone had to do it in her stead. All too happily he would. All too easily, he did.

Maybe that was why he just couldn't dismiss it this time - not anymore.

Frowning, Adrien couldn't help but stay glued to his computer, wondering just what was making him so agitated. So far there was no sign that anything was going to happen. Aside from what went down earlier on, the echoing bang of Marinette's head connecting with the locker, everything else was calm. Dormant. Almost as if the world went on and people didn't brew and fester in their own negativity, everything was trying to pass off as fine. Perfect.

But Adrien knew better. That look - the absolute venom - that had filled Lila's face was something that didn't just fade away. No, it remained. Deeply rooted, spreading like the roots and stems of choking, binding weed, it would continue to seep until it consumed Lila whole. There was no trying to deny that anymore; she won't simply let it go - whatever issue she had with Marinette.

What was that issue anyway? Why was Lila so hellbent on targeting Marinette?

Answering his thoughts, the jarring buzz of Adrien's ringtone pierced through the air. Eyes wide, the blonde nearly jumped from his seat as he looked at the device, jumping on the white surface as it vibrated with every complete second. Light poured from the screen - Alya's image projected into the air, a wide, cheeky grin as she pulled a middle finger at the screen. Now that Adrien thought about it, it was probably targeted at him. That sounded on-brand for her. Ironically, such a picture sharply contrasted with the thoughts sitting in his brain.

Late night phone calls weren't a common theme between himself and Alya. Phone calls in general between them were sporadic and rare - often linked with a signpost beforehand. Nino and Adrien had a common phone call chain going; Marinette was slowly developing the habit of calling him often. But Alya... they had always had their own weird rules that they followed.

Frowning, Adrien answered the call. This surely can't be good news.

"Adrien," Alya sounded almost frantic as her voice sharply cut through the phone's speakers. Alarmed, full of panic - she definitely didn't have good news. Was she even breathing normally? "There's a new akuma."

"Ok I'll- "

"It's Lila," Alya cut him off. More puffs of air - sharp as pressurized steam - as equally harsh footsteps filled the background. "And she... she's got these new powers and - Oh god I've never seen anything like this before."

Droning, empty dial tones met his ears. Ominous signs. Never a good sign. Horror movie one-oh-one, action movie one-oh-one, always dictated that a cut off phone call never meant any good - and they hold some aspect of the truth within them. Otherwise, why would Adrien feel so unsettled after that call? Why else would his gut - tripled in its contents of anxiety - twist and knot in a way that threatened to make him upchuck his entire day's worth of food?

Yep. This wasn't good.

Never before had he been so fast to transform. Rain pouring from the sky, sheets of it, complete buckets of it, Chat Noir bounded across the slippery roofs with a fervor that he had never contained before. Screw the baton. There was no time to extend it and maneuver about. Not right now. Doing so would draw too much attention, would make him much slower, and right now the last thing he needed to do was waste time.

By the time Chat Noir reached the bakery, drenched the bone with icy rainwater, only a few minutes had passed. Rivers and streams of rain raced down the window panes, connecting into larger pools as they dripped from the sill. In their fractured reflections, he could spot himself - bright electric green eyes framed by a overwhelming shadow of darkness. Behind the glass Marinette was asleep, thick quilt pulled over her tiny body and a mountain of pillows stacked by her side.

Peaceful, tranquil - something she rarely ever was. There always was an interruption. There always was a reason to disturb her. Tonight was no different, guilt and acid building in the hero's throat as he knocked on her trapdoor.

"Chat Noir?" She'd opened the trapdoor almost instantly, poking her head out into the pouring sheets of rain. Dark hair clung to her forehead, becoming scraggly curls and tangles of midnight. "You're here late. What happened?"

"Sorry to disturb your cat nap, my lady," A bright beam, he hoped, something to soothe her skyrocketing anxiety. "But there's a new akuma on the prowl."

That was all he needed to say. One second she was Marinette and the next - in a brilliant, bright flash of pink light - she was Ladybug, scarlet suit glittering crimson in the rainy moonlight. Many expressions and thoughts passed over her face in that moment. Above all was the dissatisfaction, sure and certain on the pinch to her brow and the turn to her lips as she closed her trapdoor and joined him on the roof.

"You know, this is my least favourite way to spend a Monday night," Ladybug stated, a complete deadpan as she threw her yo-yo toward a nearby building.

"You don't enjoy my company?" A shake of the head as Chat Noir followed her movement, both of them heading toward the north of the city.

"You're the only bonus," Ladybug responded, a small smile on her rain-speckled face.

That was the most he'd probably get tonight. Tight-lipped as she always was - even recently after finding out who the other was - Ladybug would always keep her own secrets up her sleeve. Being secretive was just how she was. Something that Chat Noir just had to accept and get used to. Taking what he could get was part of their dynamic; Ladybug being a stubborn person was something that intrigued him anyway.

"Where exactly is the attack taking place?" Ladybug probed, frowning as she scanned the streets below. Bright streetlights burned like a combusting stars, a blur of sparkling amber in the night within the scattered showers.

"I'm not sure," Chat Noir responded, just as fixed on focusing on signs of an akuma. Every sense was alert, every nerve heightened. "Alya was cut off before she could say anything else."

Somber silence. Only the rain broke their stillness, the gentle yet slicing pitter-patter of the drops being a welcome distraction. Far below, on the streets, engines thrummed away, joined by the calamitous beeps of horns and shrill squeaks of car brakes. Signs. Blaring, obvious signs. There was no expert needed to identify the cause of such an abrupt interruption - especially during the middle of a rainy night in Paris.

Immediately both heroes headed toward the crash. Thundering ahead, almost glowing in the darkness, was Ladybug, ready to announce her arrival and finally take down Hawkmoth's latest creation. Nothing new for her. Nothing new at all. Maybe that was why Chat Noir didn't act. Maybe that was why he let her go ahead - their usual norm - because he felt no need to overtake her. Ladybug could handle herself; Ladybug could handle herself better than he ever could.

"Careful," A reflexive action - just in time.

Baton in hand, tense and tight and slippery in the rain, Chat Noir glared at the offending attacker. Behind him was Ladybug, wide-eyed and almost pale. Before him was Rena Rouge, equally as wide-eyed, foot raised into the air, ready to deliver a powerful blow.

"Chat Noir?" She blinked. "Ladybug?"

Relief was evident but so was the overwhelming shock. Shaking her head, the heroine dropped her leg. Tears were in her eyes, melding with the pouring rain as she wrapped them both into a tight hug, choking the air from their systems. Over Rena Rouge's shoulder, Chat Noir shared a look with Ladybug. Directed right back at him was her own stare, filled with an equally weighted gaze. Clearly there was a lot they missed out on.