Ladybug couldn't help but wonder for the umpteenth time where the hell Chat was. He was never this late to a fight, and quite frankly, she needed him. The petrified citizens of Paris were much faster than their clunky movements let on. Plus, the massive tree thing had slammed the heroine to the ground on more than one occasion. There wasn't even enough time to call on her Lucky Charm. She was getting tired of dodging the flailing tree branches and stone arms, and it was starting to show in her movements. Before she knew it, Ladybug was pinned up against the school building by the giant plant. Her yo-yo lay uselessly on the ground just out of her reach. Blackspell let out an evil cackle.
"Looks like the end of the line for you, Ladybug," she said. "Now, tell me what you did with my Adrikins!"
Ladybug fought against the vines holding her in place. "He's not your anything, Chloé!"
"I told you, my name is Blackspell now! And if you don't tell me where he is, I'll turn you into the slimy little toad you are!"
Not before you get her Miraculous! Hawkmoth hissed in the villainess' mind.
The blonde smirked as she reached for Ladybug's earrings. "I almost forgot. Hawkmoth wanted me to take these off your hands. Think of it as me getting back at you for stealing my groom, you little homewrecker!"
Fear spiked in Ladybug's chest. She shied away from the gloved hand, but was helpless as those fingers grazed her earlobe. All she could do was close her eyes and pray.
"Cataclysm!"
Relief washed over her at her partner's cry. The black-clad boy came down from above, landing on the tree monster. Decay spread along the branches from where his hand was placed, and in no time at all, Ladybug was free. Blackspell shrieked in anger. She fell through the dying plant and tumbled to the ground. Chat had enough sense to jump off before it gave way beneath him. He landed gracefully next to his Lady.
"Looks like your pet was all bark, your highness," he said with a snicker.
"Your late, Chat," Ladybug said as she dusted the debris off of herself.
Chat gave her a sweeping bow. "A thousand pardons, Milady. It was rude of me to keep you waiting." He took her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. Rolling her eyes, Ladybug shoved him away. Though, she couldn't help but smile at him. She had to admit; Chat had his own quirky charm.
"You stupid cat! Look at what you've done!" The duo's attention snapped back at their current foe. Blackspell stood in the rubble of her monster, her hair full of twigs and dirt. Ladybug chuckled ln behind a hand.
"That's a good look for you," she said, pointing to the golden locks.
Blackspell frowned before grabbing at her hair. Seeing the mess in it, she screamed, again. "My hair! Oh, that is it, kitty! I am going to skin you six ways to Sunday!"
"I'd prefer it if you didn't," Chat said.
The villainess fired a bolt of electricity at the pair. Both separated, safely tumbling out of the way. Chat rolled to a crouch before glancing at his partner.
"So, I'm thinking the purse, how about you?" He asked. Ladybug grinned.
"You've just read my mind, chaton."
"Then, maybe we should try our luck, Milady."
Her smile disappered as she scanned the grass for her yo-yo. She tsked when she realized the debris from Chat's attack had buried it. Damn that cat!
"I'm gonna need a few minutes," she called back to him. "Can you distract her?"
'Like usual,' the hero thought with a chuckle. Chat pulled out his staff and extended it. "Leave it to me, bugaboo!" He charged after the villainess with a battle cry. Blackspell snorted. With a snap of her fingers, her statues pounced on the feline hero in a dog pile. A smug smile curled across her face. It soon disappeared when the stone pile started shifting. Chat managed to force the statues off of him, scattering them about. He made a show of spinning his staff and tucked it under one arm.
"Is that all you got?" He taunted.
With a growl, Blackspell focused her magic to manifest a whip. She cracked it behind her, adjusting the strap of her purse as she did. "Beasts like you need to learn their place."
As Chat rushed her again, Blackspell spun. Her whip danced about her like a black ribbon. Chat ducked under the first volley, but had to use his staff to catch her weapon as it lashed down at him with blinding speed. Big mistake. With a smirk, Blackspell yanked the staff out of his hands and threw it behind her. It bounced off a statue's head with a metal thwang. Chat stared at it for a moment, then glanced back at Blackspell. His false ears flattened as he flashed a nervous smile. The villainess smiled sweetly back at him.
Yeah, this was going to hurt.
Ladybug dug through the ashen tree pieces. How hard could it be to find a stupid toy?! She mentally cursed Chat again, then cursed herself for losing it in the first place. Finally, she caught sight of something shining in the debris. Grinning in triumph, she dove for the speck and wrapped her fingers around her yo-yo. A loud cry soon caught her attention. She looked up just in time to see her partner flying overhead and slam into the school wall. He hit the ground with about as much grace as a cannonball. Ladybug winced. She glowered at the woman laughing maniacally.
"That's it! No more fooling around! Lucky Charm!" Light beamed from her yo-yo as she tossed it into the air. What landed in her hands afterward was a red and black spotted boomerang. She frowned at it. "Okay, now what?"
Chat stood up beside her. He shook off the blow like he had so many times before. A loud beep came from his ring, making him look down at it. He was just in time to watch the second spot on it fade away. He grimaced as he sank back into a fighter's stance.
"We'd better figure that out quick. This cat's about to get declawed."
Her eyes scanned the area, looking for some sort of hint. Blackspell's whip and purse drew her attention. As she looked back at the boomerang, a plan began to form in her mind.
"Think you can get that whip away from her, minou?"
"That's hardly a question, Milady," Chat said, cracking his knuckles.
"Try not to go flying this time."
The blond gave her a small pout before sprinting towards the villainess, again. Blackspell grinned at his approach.
"Someone's a glutton for punishment," she said. With a snap of her fingers, her hoard came to life once more. Each statue dove after Chat, one by one. He easily weaved and leaped his way through them. Going wide, Chat spotted his staff on the ground and grinned. He swooped low to grab it then launched it at Blackspell like a javelin. The villainess sidestepped and lashed her whip at him, catching his arm. She grinned as his ears flattened. They both knew what was coming next.
This time, Chat was ready.
Taking hold of the of the whip, he weaved around one of the statues before she could pull him off his feet. One solid yank brought the weapon out of Blackspell's hand. Growling, she lifted her hand to fire her magic at him. Her wrist was caught by Ladybug's yo-yo. The heroine held her tight while her free hand readied the boomerang. She threw it at the villainess with all her might...
...only to have it fly right over her head.
"Hah! You missed!" Blackspell called out. She raised her free hand toward Ladybug, purple sparks snapping at her fingertips. Her purse dangled loosely on her arm; the perfect target for a returning boomerang. It hit the purse clean off Blackspell's outstretched arm and sent it flying. It landed at Ladybug's feet, who quickly picked it up and tore it to pieces, releasing the black butterfly inside.
"No more evildoing for you, little akuma," Ladybug said. She retracted her yo-yo and ran her finger over it, opening the wings and releasing a white light. She spun the toy before swinging it to catch the akuma. Pulling it back into her hand, Ladybug opened her yo-yo once more to let a pure white butterfly flutter away. "Bye bye, petit papillon."
She grabbed her boomerang and tossed it into the air, summoning a swarm of little ladybugs. "Miraculous Ladybug!" She shouted.
The swarm spread across the whole of Paris, fixing all the damage the attack had caused. All of Blackspell's victims were returned to normal. They blinked in confusion, wondering what had happened to them. Chloé was released from Hawkmoth's hold, as well. She looked about her for a moment, then she began to shrink into herself, almost as though she knew what she did. The blonde pulled her knees up and sighed.
The heroic pair shared their typical victory fist bump before Adrien noticed his friend. He kicked himself for cheering. He still needed to fix his mistake. Ladybug noticed his ears droop and followed his gaze. She frowned. As much as she couldn't stand Chloé, she couldn't stand seeing someone so genuinely upset. The red-clad girl made her way to Chloé's side and knelt down.
"Hey, are you okay?" She asked in a gentle voice, albeit a bit awkwardly.
Chloé glanced away from her, shrugging. "Yeah... I'm fine."
"You don't seem fine."
The heiress felt her eyes sting and shook her head. She wasn't going to cry again. Not in front of her idol. The hand that touched her shoulder made it all the harder to fight those tears.
"Chloé, you can tell me," Ladybug said. She tried to find the blonde's eyes, but she still refused to look at the heroine. Chloé let out a sniff.
"I, um... I-I got in a fight... with someone close to me..." She wiped a stray tear away. "I'm pretty sure he hates me, now."
"He doesn't hate you."
Both girls looked up at Chat. He blinked before he realized that he did, in fact, say that aloud. He scratched at his head as he rushed to recover from his slip-up.
"I mean, well, you're friends, right? I doubt one little fight's gonna make him hate you." He let out a nervous chuckle, hoping they bought it. Unfortunately, his choice of words just made Chloé feel worse.
"He said he couldn't stand to be around me," she said, feeling small.
It felt like a ton of bricks hit Chat right in the gut. Yeah, those were his words. Way to go, Agreste. Best friend of the year.
Ladybug rubbed the girl's back. "I'm sure he didn't really mean it."
"What if he did, though?" Chloé said. Try all she might, she couldn't help but let a few tears fall. "I just... he means so much to me, and... what if I pushed him away?"
Chat knelt in front of her, taking her hands in his. "So, talk to him. Tell him how you really feel, and apologize for whatever stupid fight you had."
"But... what if he doesn't want to listen?"
He ran a thumb over her knuckles. "It's still worth a shot, right? Who knows? Maybe he wants to apologize, too." God, did he want to apologize. Adrien would've given almost anything to be able to take those words back.
"Chat's right, Chloé," Ladybug said. "You'll never know until you try."
An incessant beep sounded from Chat's ring. He glanced down to see one dot remaining. His time was up. With a sigh, he placed a gentle kiss on Chloé's knuckles. "I have to go, now. No more tears, okay? They don't suit such a lovely girl."
Chloé chuckled a bit, wiping her cheek. Chat smiled. It was progress.
Standing, he gave his partner a nod. "'Til next time, Milady."
Ladybug nodded back. "Better get going."
The hero gave one final salute before grabbing his staff and vaulting upward, disappearing amongst the Parisian rooftops. Ladybug stayed with Chloé for as long as her Miraculous would allow. Soon enough, though, she had to pull away from the still hurting girl. And just like that, Chloé was alone. She took a deep breath and stood. Even if she wasn't a hundred percent, she still felt better. Her makeup was probably atrocious, though. Finding her purse, the heiress dove inside it for her compact and checked the damage. She was so preoccupied with cleaning her smudged mascara that she didn't hear someone approach.
"Chloé?"
The blonde jumped at her name. She turned to see a very awkward Adrien standing a few feet away. He rubbed his neck, one hand tucked in his pocket. His green eyes kept shifting between her and the ground. A few seconds of silence stretched out before he finally spoke.
"Hey..." he said, softly.
Chloé wiped her cheek again before sighing. "...hey..."
"...I am so sorry-"
"Don't." She folded her arms. "You were right. I'm a pretty terrible person."
He shifted on his feet, trying to find the right words. "... you didn't use to be. There was a time you were actually pretty cool."
She shrugged. "I don't know how to get back to that."
Adrien gave her a small smile. "Maybe I can help you figure it out."
She smiled back. "I think I'd like that."
He stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. Chloé buried her face in his neck. As they held one another, relief filled them both. No, things weren't alright just yet. There was still a lot to make up for. But for the first time, Chloé knew without a shadow of a doubt she didn't have to do it alone.