Pizzario screamed in utter rage. His creations; his dough army! They were being reduced to lifeless puddles on the ground. Even the giant mass of dough had begun to sag. The villain glared up at his foes. That spotted bitch! She was responsible for this. Ladybug had swung overhead, a small sack of some sort tucked beneath her arm. Before he knew it, a white dust filled the sky and came down like hail, coating his work into ruin.
He caught a whiff of the powder that still clung in the air. His teeth ground together. Salt. Salt! The little sneak sabotaged his dough!
As if to add insult to injury, Chat Noir called down at him. "Looks like your little minions just can't rise to the occasion," he said with a snicker.
Pizzario growled, low and menacing. He sucked in a breath and blew out a stream of flames pointed at the cat. Chat's eyes went wide. Extending his staff, the teen dodged in the nick of time. He hit the ground with a roll before throwing the villain a look.
"No need to get all salty," he jabbed. He glanced over at Ladybug as she landed beside him. "Since when can he breathe fire?"
"Well, you know what they say, chaton," his lady said. "Out of the frying pan..."
"Y'know, bugaboo, you're really on a roll with the puns, today," Chat said with a snicker. Ladybug leveled a small glare at him, silently telling him to watch it.
"That was an idiom, not a pun."
"Close enough." The boy flashed her a wink, making her groan.
"Do not'a ignore me!" Pizzario howled. He sucked in another breath, his stomach expanding from the effort.
"Not this time!" Chat shouted. He sprang forward, sprinting towards the villain. Before Pizzario could let out another fiery breath, Chat tackled him, knocking the air out of his lungs in a fireball. The villain raised his rolling pin, ready to beat the cat into submission. Before he could, though, Ladybug threw her yo-yo out, wrapping it around the item and yanking it out of his hand. The bug caught the weapon and snapped it over her knee. Sure enough, a black-winged butterfly emerged. Ladybug grinned in triumph.
"No more evil-doing for you, little akuma!" she said.
The creature didn't get very far before it was caught inside Ladybug's yo-yo. As soon as she released it, it fluttered away, its wings now pure white. Ladybug wished it farewell, then tossed the salt bag into the air with the usual shout. Soon, the sky was filled with a flurry of ladybugs. They scurried about, cleaning up and reversing the damage done by Pizzario. The giant dough-blob vanished as well, setting free the people of Paris.
The villain himself disappeared in a puff of black smoke. Where he once sat was now a normal looking man with a bushy mustache and a confused look. Chat and Ladybug turned to each other with a grin.
"Pound it!" the duo said with glee.
The once trapped citizens began to blink and look about in confusion. Upon seeing their heroes, the crowd began to cheer. Ladybug and Chat gave sheepish grins at the praise and politely waved. Soon, they began to converge on the duo. Phones found their way into hands, and pictures were snapped.
Amidst the mass of people, Luna stood on shaking legs. Chat frowned. Why was she here? Had she been swept up by the akuma attack? The way she was looking about seemed to say as much. Even so, something was just... off. Without a word, Chat weaved his way through the crowd towards his friend.
Luna was doing her best not to utterly freak out. Now that she was out of that... thing, she had the chance to get her bearings. She could feel another panic attack getting ready to set in. And she sure as hell wasn't going to let that happen. Closing her eyes, Luna began a slow count down from a hundred. She drummed her fingers against her leg and wished she had her puzzle cube on her. She desperately needed the distraction.
"Miss?"
If the sudden voice behind her didn't make her jump, then the tap on her shoulder did. Luna grabbed the wrist of the poor soul who had snuck up on her and drove her elbow into his stomach. It wasn't until she threw Chat over her shoulder that she even recognized the teen. He let out a yelp before hitting the ground. Hard. Luna quickly dropped his arm to cover her mouth. Her cheeks turned crimson as Chat blinked up at her.
"Nice throw," he said, forcing out a pained laugh.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Luna said.
"No harm done," Chat said as he sat up. He rolled his shoulder to stretch it.
Luna bit her lip, mentally kicking herself. She should've known better. Of course Chat would check up on her. She was in the middle of a freak out; who knew what that must've looked like to him. Her heart nearly stopped. What it must look like...
All too sudden, Luna realized the cheering had stopped. She looked around. Sure enough, the crowd had their eyes trained on her and Chat. A few of them had started to whisper to one another. The urge to run started to grip her, but her legs were frozen stiff. They were all watching. Judging. Shaming.
Someone- Alya? -called out her name, but she didn't quite notice it. She hugged herself as the world began to spin. Her chest grew tighter and tighter.
"Look at me."
Luna blinked, suddenly seeing green. It took her a moment to recognize Chat standing in front of her. He had his hands on her shoulders as he studied her, worry clear in his eyes. Luna opened her mouth to speak but couldn't utter a sound.
Meanwhile, Adrien was doing his best not to freak out, himself. This wasn't Luna. This wasn't the cheeky, confident girl he had gotten to know; was still getting to know. No, the girl in front of him was far too fragile. She looked ready to fall apart. He had almost been too afraid to touch her just for that reason. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a concerned Alya. The blogger looked like she wanted to help but was afraid to. Or maybe she thought Paris' hero knew what he was doing. Like hell he did. This was way over his head.
Luna was scared. And that scared him.
What the hell was he supposed to do?
Distract her. He wasn't quite sure if it was Plagg whispering to him, and he didn't really care. It was all he could think of.
A flash went off, catching Luna's attention. She turned towards the source with wild eyes. They're taking pictures! They're taking pictures that will end up on the internet and they're going to recognize her! Just like before! Just like-
"No, look right here," Adrien cooed, cupping her face. He gently guided her focus back to him. "They don't exist, okay? Stay right here with me."
Tears started to well up as she met his gaze. Adrien wiped away the ones that fell. He tried to think of what to do next. He needed to calm her down, somehow. Luna was already hyperventilating, which was good and bad. She was remembering to breathe, just not how to breathe.
And then, he knew. Adrien took a breath, drawing out the exhale. He could hear Ladybug talking him down, again.
Three deep breaths.
"I need you to breath with me, alright?" he asked. "In and out, nice and slow. You're going to match your breaths with mine. Can you do that for me?"
It took her a second, but Luna gave him the barest hint of a nod. Adrien leaned forward, touching their foreheads together.
"Breathe with me, now," he whispered to her. "In... and out..."
Luna followed along with him. At first, her breaths were ragged and shaky, but each one steadily grew stronger and more sure. She closed her eyes and focused on the boy in front of her. She let him ground her, again. Little by little, the panic loosened its hold on her, giving way to fatigue.
"Chat, your ring."
The sound of Alya's voice made them pull away from each other. Chat glanced at his ring and saw a single paw pad left flashing. A curse left his lips. He needed to go, and fast. His eyes found Luna's, again. He was torn. He could tell she wasn't one hundred percent herself yet, but he was already risking his identity. Even so, Adrien couldn't just leave her.
Ladybug laid a hand on his shoulder. "Chaton, you have to go. You can't let anyone see you."
Chat pressed his lips into a hard line. She was right, as she always was. He gave a quick nod before taking out his staff and launching himself into the air. His form disappeared over the rooftops, followed by a bright green flash. Ladybug heaved a sigh. He was out of sight, and his secret was safe for another day.
She turned to her friends. Alya had started to rub small circles into Luna's back. The actress refused to look anywhere but down at her feet. Her face was slightly pink, and she looked like she was trying to shrink in on herself. Ladybug's face sombered. Slow and careful, the heroine laid a hand on Luna's arm, making the girl look up.
"Let's get you out of here, okay?" Ladybug said with a soft smile.
Luna sniffed and rubbed at her cheek with her sleeve. Her eyes took in the crowd, again. They were still watching. Waiting. She hugged herself tighter.
Alya drapped an arm over her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. "Come on, girl. Mari's waiting for us. We'll all go have hot chocolate at my house."
Luna leaned into the embrace, giving her friend a nod. Ladybug shared a quick glance with Alya, who also gave a small nod. She was going to be alright. And despite the guilt eating away at her stomach, Ladybug had to believe that. So, the bug turned to face the crowd, ready to lead them through it.
Please understand that I myself have never had a panic attack of any sort. I may have a few things wrong with this scene for any number of reasons. That being said, the notion to write only what you know is a terrible one. You should always reach beyond yourself, and trying to see through a character with such a disability is my way of doing so. I'm not trying to offend anyone with my ignorance.
On another note, I'm giving you all fair warning; this may quite possibly not end well. Writing this chapter has brought me to a few conclusions, none of which are ideal. I apologize in advanced for the oncoming rage.
Now, onto reviews!
Pacman: So don't I
Typicalbooklover: Thank you for making mine with your review
Alex: I've been meaning to tell you this: you're a riot!
Awesomeness3013: You'll have to wait and see
Blueluna12: Dunno. Would you give it up after all that?
Davey: I think a lot of people like to write Chloé off as just a bitch character, but I doubt she's that shallow a character.
Sayer Rose: I'm glad you're enjoying it!
That's all for now, guys! See you next time!