"Fox is in the hen house! I repeat: the fox is in the hen house!"
Chat couldn't help but smile at the officer's words over the walkie. Both he and Ladybug had been given one in order to keep in touch with the men on duty, as well as to help track the thief's movements. On occasion, Mayor Bourgeois would give them updates from his station in the security room. From the angered tone coming through the crackling speaker, the leather-clad boy could only guess that Spades had proven to be more of a problem than they had anticipated. He switched to the communicator in his staff, smiling as his Lady's face filled the screen.
"Looks like our guest of honor's finally arrived," he said. He took a peek around the corner he was currently crouched at, making sure he didn't miss her in case she decided to run by him.
"Sounds like she's making a mess of things, too," Ladybug answered.
"Should we go out and greet her?"
"Not yet, chaton. I want to see how she reacts to the painting first. If we can catch her off guard, we may actually be able to hold her down."
"Got it." He went quiet for a moment before letting out a soft snicker. "Hey, bugaboo. I bet I know how our little intruder got in."
Ladybug sighed, knowing full well where this was going. "How, Chat?"
He snickered again and took a breath to finish the punchline. Gentle fingers snaked onto his shoulder, catching his breath in his throat. His body froze and hair stood on end as he felt the thief press against his back and speak next to his ear.
"Why, in-tru-da window, of course!" She said cheerily.
What happened next came in the blink of an eye. Chat instinctively grabbed her wrist with his free hand, and in one fluid motion, he flung the girl over his shoulder, slamming her into the ground. Spades drew in a painful hiss as she bounced off the wooden floor. Her arms were soon pinned above her head as Chat moved to sit on her midriff. His tail curled happily behind him.
"Well, that was careless," Chat said as he grinned down at her. Spades tsked. While she tried to regain the wind that had been knocked out of her, Chat took both her wrists into one hand and turned his attention back to his communicator. He smiled at his Lady like he'd just gotten all the cream in the world. "Guess what little birdie I caught, bugaboo."
"Keep ahold of her until I get there, Chat!"
"Will do!" He snapped his staff shut and set it on his lower back before returning both hands to Spades' wrists. "Gotta say, Spadesy. I was sort of expecting more of a challenge from you."
The thief smiled. "I'm only human, kitten. Though, if you wanted me on my back that bad, you could've just asked."
Chat couldn't help but notice just how strained that smile really was. He also took note of how her eyes moved beneath her goggles, scanning the room. Looking everywhere but at him. He snickered, making her gaze snap suddenly to meet his. "You're not nervous, now, are you?"
Spades forced a chuckle. "Let's just say I have control issues."
"Maybe a life of crime isn't all it's cracked up to be. Not too late to turn over a new leaf."
She tested his hold, but his grip remained firm. "Trying to reform me, kitten? You barely know me. Besides, I happen to like my job too much to give it up."
"Well, from where I'm sitting, you really don't seem to have much of a choice, anymore."
His tone was playful. Her reaction wasn't.
She went still beneath him; even her breathing seemed to stop. Her smile was gone, now, which made Chat's melt away, as well. What happened? When did it stop being a game? He wasn't actually making her nervous, was he? The thought made him loosen his hold on her just a fraction. Apparently, a fraction was all the thief needed. She suddenly broke free of his grip and surged forward, headbutting him in the process. Pain shot through Chat's face as he clutched his aching nose. Spades used his distraction to pull her legs out from under him. Her feet soon found their mark on the hero's chest, sending him flying hard into the nearest wall. The thief got up and ran, nearly crashing into Ladybug as she went. The heroine skidded to a halt, arms flailing to keep her balance. Still on an adrenaline rush, Spades rammed her elbow into Ladybug's stomach, drawing out a strangled gasp. She then grabbed onr of her opponent's flailing arms and swung her around. Ladybug was sent flying into her partner, landing on him rather painfully. By the time they both recovered, Spades was nowhere in sight.
"I thought you had her," Ladybug said, breathlessly.
"Sorry," came a quiet reply.
The heroine rubbed her now sore arm and stood. "Well, she's not fooling around, this time. That painting must be worth a pretty penny to her."
Somehow, Chat doubted that. There was almost no way the daughter of a well known actor was hurting for money. Something else must've caused her panic. And now, he couldn't shake the feeling that he'd done something wrong. It was really killing his mood, too. Wasn't this supposed to be fun? He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he almost missed the hand extended out to him. Ladybug frowned at her kitty.
"Everything okay, Chat?" She asked, hand still stretched out for him.
The boy shook his head and grinned. "Purrfectly fine, Milady," he said. He took her hand and allowed her to pull him to his feet. He then gingerly touched his nose, wondering if it might've been broken by the blow. He caught a whiff of copper which told him that was likely the case. Yay. His Lady spoke softly to him which he was once again too distracted to catch.
"Huh?" He asked.
Ladybug crossed her arms. "I asked if you're sure. Chat, what's-"
"I'm fine, Milady, honest." He tried to laugh it off but her narrowing stare didn't waver. He scratched his cheek as he tried to think of how to reassure her. All of a sudden, Adrien felt strong fingers comb into his hair and gently pull him forward. Green eyes widened as Ladybug stepped closer, letting his forehead rest against hers.
"L-Ladybug?" He stammered.
"Close your eyes, chaton."
Heart pounding, the boy did as told. He tried to fight the blush coloring his face and was thankful that his mask hid most of it.
"Breathe with me," she instructed. "Three deep breaths."
He did his best to match her tempo. All the while, he focused on her presence. In and out. He felt her breath on his face and caught the faint scent of her perfume. In. Out. He focused on the firm fingers in his hair gently kneading his scalp. In...
When she pulled away from him, Adrien felt oddly lightheaded. Not dizzy, per se. Just... calm. Ladybug's hand fell to rest on his shoulder as he blinked at her.
"Better?" She asked.
He gave a slow nod. "Yeah..."
"Good. I need you to focus, now, minou. We still have a thief to catch."
As she ran off down the hall, Chat couldn't help but smile lovingly after her. His Lady never ceases to amaze him. She had grounded him in the span of seconds like it was nothing. And she was right; he needed to focus. He was one of Paris' heroes. Even if he was up against someone who he was beginning to think of as a friend, it was still his job to stop her. Whatever happened next, he needed to see it through to the end. Slapping his cheeks, Chat headed after his partner, giving a silent prayer to whatever god would listen that everything would turn out okay.
She needed to stop shaking. She knew better, goddammit! Why was she shaking?
Luna laid high inside the air ducts, doing everything she could to calm her breathing. She told herself over and over again that she was overreacting. He wasn't trying to hurt her. Hell, he was doing exactly what she dared him to do. None of it helped. Biting her lip, the girl took out her puzzle cube and began to toy with it against her stomach. She closed her eyes and focused on the familiar motions. Flick. Twist. Crank. Breathe. Turn it over... over... over... you're fine... you're safe... breathe...
The mantra played over and over in her head, and with each turn of the cube, her trembling began to ease. She laid still for a little bit longer. In... out... keep breathing...
Oh God, did I break his nose?
Luna groaned at the thought. Now that her nerves were somewhat cooled down, she began to notice the slight thrumming of her forehead. Yeah, there was no way he'd missed her mini freak out. He was gonna want an explanation. One she really wasn't comfortable giving. But if she didn't tell him something, things were going to get awkward between them. Hell, it probably already was! What self-righteous thief hangs out with the one guy with superpowers who's literal job is to stop criminals? Luna had to laugh at that. Good. Laughter meant progress.
She could still do this.
Spades checked her goggles, making sure they were still secure on her face. They were a little foggy but still in working order. She attempted to turn on the built in lights only to realize one side was now strobing instead of giving her a steady stream of illumination. Well, fuck. She did a quick overview of her inventory while doing her best to ignore the migraine inducing flashes. Her smoke bombs seemed to have gotten out of the scuffle unscathed. Check. Wires, throwing knives, check check. Once she made sure everything was accounted for, Spades flipped to her stomach in the small space the air duct provided. Moving called to attention how physically exhausted she now was. A couple more minutes would've been heaven to her, right now, but she had wasted enough time already. No doubt by now, the cat and bug had circled back to the painting and were waiting for her. That thought didn't make her feel as giddy as it did before.
'You brought this on yourself,' she thought. 'So make the most of it.'
Taking one last breath, Spades willed herself forward towards her goal.
Ladybug sat crouched beside a sculpture stand, eyes peeled for any and all movement. By some stroke of luck, she and Chat had managed to get back to the painting before the thief got to it. She had fully expected to see Spades filing away at the iron bars with Paris' finest out cold at her feet. When they found that wasn't the case, the duo agreed to hide amongst the art in hopes to catch the thief by surprise. Even now, Ladybug wasn't entirely sure where her partner was hiding. So, now it was a waiting game, one that had the heroine on edge. The officers around her matched her tension. They were all waiting with baited breath for something, anything.
"Guys, seriously? That's total overkill."
Peeking around the stand, Ladybug caught sight of Spades standing in the entryway. The thief's typical smile was replaced with a deadpan. Ladybug smiled. If that brat wasn't happy with the way their night was going, then she was ecstatic. The heroine readied her yo-yo as Officer Roger stepped forward.
"I'll give you one chance to turn yourself over, young lady," he said proudly.
The thief batted her eyes and faked a pout. "But officer, I haven't done anything wrong."
Roger squared his shoulders, grinning confidently. "See, that's where you're wrong, little miss. We're currently looking at two counts of breaking and entering as well as evasion of law enforcement. Not to mention, you've garnered quite a rap sheet in other countries. Now if you come quietly, we can-"
"Gonna stop you right there," Spades said, holding up a hand. "See, the kitten's already tried that route twice. Pretty sure both times didn't end all that well for him, either." A cheshire grin grew across her face as she slowly made her way into the room. The men around her tensed even further, ready to pounce. "So in the interest of saving time and face, let's skip the pleasantries, okay?" She continued. "I'm here to take the Forest of Emerald Leaves. Which one of you is going to stop me?"
The officer's narrowed his gaze and took hold of his whistle. "Have it your way, then." The sharp trill of the whistle sounded, and a black tide of bodies rolled towards the young girl, crashing together like a sea. Spades leapt into the air and began to skip across their shoulders like stepping stones. She avoided the hands and batons that swung for her, all the while eyeing the painting trapped behind iron. How the hell was she supposed to get to that? She hopped down and rolled along the floor. One of the men got his bearings enough to put an arm around her neck. Both her hands grabbed his forearm as Spades kicked a nearby stand. The bust sitting atop of it tumbled towards them, prompting the officer to let her go in order to catch it before it shattered. Spades scuttled away from him.
As the thief stood, a shadow fell over her. She looked up just in time to see Chat descending from above. She raised her arms to block his staff. It struck where they crossed, and Spades managed to force the weapon aside and take hold of it. Before his feet touched the floor, Chat was thrown to the ground. Spades quickly disarmed him before using the end of the staff to strike a charging officer in the gut. She delivered two more blows to the next one to try his luck, but a familiar spotted yo-yo wound itself around the weapon. Ladybug yanked the staff out of the thief's grasp. Spades saw her and huffed. Staying in the background, as expected.
Chat recovered and swiped a clawed hand at the thief. She narrowly dodged it, backpedaling as she did. When he swung at her again, Spades deflected it with her forearm then directed a jab at the hero's stomach. Chat hissed. She wasn't pulling any punches, and it was starting to make him miss the taser. At least it wasn't his face this time. His dad was probably gonna kill him as is. Spades grabbed his arm and was about to throw him over her shoulder when Ladybug's yo-yo caught her ankle. With a tug, the thief and cat came crashing down on top of one another. Both of them let out a surprised yelp.
"Chat, grab her!" Ladybug hollered.
Green eyes caught the blue hiding behind yellow lenses. Spades was first to act, shoving the leather-clad hero off of her. She quickly untangled her leg from the toy and scrambled to her feet. Before she could get very far, however, Chat caught her by the waist and tackled her back to the floor. The thief glared up at him as she was once again pinned on her back.
"Getting real tired of this position, kitten," she drawled.
"Hey, it's not my fault you keep falling for me," Chat said with a smirk. Though if he was being completely honest with himself, he wasn't quite a fan of it anymore, either.
Spades rolled her eyes. "Oh, you...wish..." Her brow furrowed as something caught her attention. Chat frowned. As he studied her, a spark lit up in the thief's eyes, one he hadn't realized had been missing before. A small smile crept onto her lips as she breathed a small "ah". The hero followed her gaze, now curious. Beside them hung a painting of a flower vase. Chat's frown deepened. What was so interesting about-
Spades' knee connected with his diaphragm. He coughed and hissed. The thief broke free of his hold and took hold of a flash bomb within her belt pocket. Spades kicked Chat off of her, rolling in to a crouch.
Ladybug gasped. She saw what was coming. Frantic, she lunged for her partner, screaming as she went.
"Chat, get out of the-"
"Smile pretty for the camera, kitten," Spades said, tapping the side of her goggles. The lenses darkened, and she threw the bomb at her feet, enveloping them both in a blinding white light.
Ladybug shielded her eyes and collapsed. She blinked several million times before her vision returned. Looking about her, she saw that the thief had effectively escaped and hissed in anger. She glanced at the painting and smirked. Still behind bars. Spades must've given up. Everyone else seemed to be recovering from the flash, though some were worse than others. Her eyes landed on her partner. He sat wide-eyed and dazed on the floor, his ears pinned back. Ladybug went to Chat's side and laid a hand on his shoulder. He jumped, grabbing her wrist.
"Easy, chaton," Ladybug said. "It's just me."
"L-Ladybug?" Chat blinked at couple times. His eyes moved about as if searching for her.
The heroine grimaced. "Chat, are you-"
"I'm fine, Milady," he said a bit too quickly. "Just... give me a minute."
His grip on her wrist eased, but he didn't let go. Ladybug pursed her lips. Of course he'd be the most affected. He was closest to the blast. His cat-like eyes probably didn't help much, either. The crackling of the walkie jumped them both as Mayor Bourgeois' voice came through.
"Why are you just sitting there?! She's getting away!"
Ladybug took her walkie off the thin belt she wore. "We're still recovering from that stunt, Mayor Bourgeois. But it looks like Spades gave up. The painting-"
"No, Ladybug! She has it! She has the painting!"
"Wait, what? I don't..." She scanned the walls. Sure enough, one of the hanging artwork was missing. The empty display was just a few places down from the false one the mayor had set up. Ladybug's eyes widened as she realized the truth; they had hidden the real painting in plain sight!
"Go!" Chat urged.
"But I-"
"I'll be okay. We can't keep letting her one-up us like this. Hurry!" Chat rubbed his eyes as faint shapes started to return to him.
Ladybug allowed herself one more moment of hesitation before deciding her partner was right. She rocketed out of the room and, hopefully, towards the thief.
Holed away in a broom closet, Spades sat breathlessly as she cut the false canvas away with expert precision. Her giddiness had returned in full force at the sight of the deep greens hidden beneath. She had it. She actually had it! The sound of pounding feet reminded her to save the victory party for later. Taking out a cloth and strap from the pouch attached to her thigh, the thief quickly wrapped her prize. She then strapped the covered canvas to her back and placed an ear to the door. When she was certain the thundering feet had passed, she cracked open the door and eyed the camera above, waiting for it to finish its usual sweep. As soon as it passed her, she bolted. She kept low, ducking just out of the cameras' sights. Spades soon skidded to a stop as she rounded a corner. Her way was blocked by a line of riot geared officers. The thief let out a nervous laugh. Just her luck.
"Howdy, boys," she said, giving them a small wave. "I seem to have taken a wrong turn."
They all charged forth in unison. Spades turned tail and ran.
Thinking fast, the thief drew two throwing daggers in the shape of her namesake as well as a coil of thin black wire. She tied the wire to the daggers as she ran, daring a single look behind her. Fifteen meters and closing. She tugged the wire taught on her blades before spinning to face the men after her. In a fluid motion, Spades launched the daggers on either side of her with enough force to bury them both into the walls of the hallway. She didn't stick around to see the result of her handiwork. Though if she had, she would've seen all of the officers run into the trip wire head on, catching it against their chests and flailing backwards to the ground.
Spades found another route to her destination, and soon she was up the front steps and out of the glass pyramid entrance. The crowd greeted her with stunned murmurs. The officers greeted her with gritted teeth. She smirked. Tapping the charm on her neck, Spades once again activated the microphone she had inside.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you're ready for the grand finale!" Her voice boomed. "Paris' finest may have thought they were clever in hiding my prize from me, but I have what I came for!"
"Not for long, Spades!"
All eyes looked to the pyramid's top. Ladybug clung to the glass right by where Spades had gotten in. Cheers erupted as she leapt down to land just a few feet away from the thief. Spades grinned at her, lowering her stance.
"Come now, Spots. Just admit you lost. Nobody likes a sore loser."
"In order for you to win this bet, you need to actually get away with it, thief." Ladybug folded her arms. "Not my fault you got caught grandstanding."
Spades smirked. "Night's not over yet, lovebug. I still have plenty of time to get away from you."
The heroine spun her yo-yo behind her. "Let's see you try it."
"Oh, I love it when you're feisty."
Ladybug had to fight a gag. Dear god, she was worse than Chat! She lunged forward, flinging her yo-yo towards the thief. Spades ducked the blow, drawing a smoke bomb from her belt. She threw it at Ladybug's feet and smothered her with white, sweet-smelling smoke. Ladybug coughed a bit before using her yo-yo to scatter the smoke away from her. As it cleared, a sharp kick landed on her stomach, sending her flying backwards. Ladybug managed to stay on her feet, though she couldn't help her glare.
"Cheap shot," she spat.
The thief giggled. "You didn't expect a criminal to fight fair, did you?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Spades felt another presence fast approaching her from behind. Apparently, the officers had gotten tired watching Ladybug fight alone. One swung his night stick at the thief, which she safely ducked under. Spades grabbed the man's weapon and slammed her elbow into the joint of his arm. Once he was disarmed, Spades kicked his leg out from under him. Two more came swinging at her. She dodged the first, then used the night stick to block the second. A hand took hold of the canvas and nearly pulled it off the thief's back before she kicked Ladybug away from her. Turning back to the officers, Spades leaped onto the back of one as he dove for her and sprung up off of him. She cleared the mob of men and ran as soon as her feet hit the ground. Ladybug was quick to recover, and soon, she was hot on the thief's tail, muttering a small apology to the men she used as stepping stones.
Spades only managed to get a couple of feet away before she had to defend herself against that stupid yo-yo. Raising the night stick, she gritted her teeth. This had gone on long enough. When the toy wrapped around the stick, Spades grabbed hold of the string and yanked the bug forward. Once she was close enough, the thief spun and swept Ladybug's feet out from under her. The heroine landed on her back with a loud oomph. Winded from the blow, she let go of the yo-yo, allowing Spades to safely toss both weapons away. Taking out her pocket grappling gun, the thief smirked down at her foe.
"Don't know why you ever doubted me, Spots," she said as she aimed and launched her wire towards the top of a nearby building. It found its mark and held steadfast while she clipped the device to her belt. Ladybug scrambled to push herself up as the thief flashed her a wink. "That's checkmate, lovebug."
Why the idea popped into her head, Ladybug will never know. Hell, she wasn't even really thinking at all. The only thing that crossed her mind was how much she wanted to wipe that smug smirk off the thief's face. So before she could stop herself, Ladybug launched herself forward. Spades was just about to hit the recoil button on her device when the heroine grabbed hold of her. Her eyes widened as their lips met for the second time. Shock washed over everyone. Many cameras were on them, but Ladybug couldn't bring herself to care. Because in that moment, she took hold of the painting on Spades' back. Her other hand was on the thief's waist, and she quickly hit the device she had on her belt, sending her flying up into the air without her prize. Spades yelped in surprise. She soon found herself dangling on the side of the far off building, blinking down at the heroine in disbelief.
What the actual fuck?
Ladybug smirked up at her and gave a mocking salute. She then lifted the canvas over her head, enticing a roaring cheer from the crowd. She had won. Spades let herself hang for a moment longer before laughter bubbled forth. Unbelievable. Done in by her own trick. She righted herself and placed her feet against the building's side. Licking her lips, she looked to catch Ladybug's eye again. She gave the heroine a small bow, then began her ascent to the roof to once again blend into the night.
Woohoo! Longest chapter yet! Once again, this one took longer than I wanted it to. Action scenes aren't really my strong suit, so it was a bit of a struggle for me. We also got into some deeper stuff that I wasn't really expecting to see pop up so soon. Either way, thank you guys for your continued support, and I look forward to seeing you all in the next chapter.