#but here have some yoyo ma

[47crayons]

so, you want to write a musician?

about me: i play viola and have experience in symphony orchestras, string orchestras, string quartets (+ a few other small ensembles), and solo performances. i've done some light composition, and have friends/family who play other instruments. while my musical history is extensive, by no means do i know everything or speak for everyone.

this guide will focus on classical music/how to portray classical musicians and things that aren't as easily researched.

quick overview of instruments in a typical symphony orchestra

upper strings (violin, viola), lower strings (cello, (double) bass; i've seen viola included here too, but it's more commonly classified as upper strings)

strings also technically includes harp and piano

woodwinds (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon)

depending on instrumentation, they may also have piccolo, english horn, bass clarinet, contrabassoon

saxophones are not traditionally in symphony orchestras due to it being a relative newer instrument! but this is changing because more contemporary composes are including sax parts

brass (trumpet, trombone, bass trombone, tuba, euphonium)

percussion (depends heavily on instrumentation, but common instruments are bass drum, timpani, snare, crash cymbal, xylophone, marimba)

some things you should research

where the hands are supposed to go!! i'd recommend you look at pictures of professionals in orchestra settings (ny phil, cso, berlin phil are all top tier). some musicians *coughs at yoyo ma* have less than perfect posture when they're performing solos (for the same reasons famous authors can break "rules")

necessary equipment including reeds, rockstops, different kinds of sticks/mallets, rosin, mouth pieces for whatever instrument you're writing

common misconceptions

loose/photocopied sheet music is not aesthetic—it's annoying and impossible to keep organized. folders and binders are fairly common especially when managing multiple ensembles.

original copies are often expensive and required to perform a piece (legally) for profit or otherwise (though i know a few people who have bent this rule)

not all performers are good composers (i myself have very little formal music theory training), but many composers have performance histories.

not all musicians can sing.

perfect pitch is both a blessing and a curse. notes can be slightly lower/higher but in tune with the context of the piece, which drives people with perfect pitch insane.

having perfect pitch does not guarantee someone will be a prodigy, and people don't need perfect pitch to be a talented musician.

drama in ensembles does exist, but it rarely gets in the way of rehearsal. same thing goes for good friends: if your characters have even a shred of common sense, they aren't going to be talking/messing around during rehearsal.

instruments (especially good ones) are extremely expensive. people very rarely store instruments on the wall or other displays for fear of falling.

instruments are very picky and require tuning every time. every time! it doesn't take long anyway. temperature and humidity can and will make instruments go out of tune or damage your instrument if not properly stored.

some people listen exclusively to classical music, but in my experience, that's definitely not the majority

like with anything, most musicians struggle with self doubt at one point or another.

musician culture

getting excited when we hear a piece we recognize

getting frustrated because we can't remember the name of the piece (after all, no lyrics to search)

being horrified when a non-musician actor is playing a musician. yes, we notice. yes, it's obvious.

if people are joking, it's likely to be about: violas (a quick search for "viola jokes" will tell you all you need to know) or trumpets (a reputation for being overly loud, playing and not)

putting stickers (places they toured, their orchestra, or just purely decorative) on cases is common, but not for everyone. same goes for pictures (of family, past concerts, or anything) on the inside.

scrambling for a pencil when the conductor says to mark something. pencils are a musicians best friend :D

asking (and forgetting) how to split double stops/two parts at the same time. sometimes one stand partner will play the top while the other plays the bottom, and sometimes this is split stand by stand.

this has NEVER resulted in a sexual top/bottom joke. please just. don't. also no g string jokes. it's just unrealistic.

awaiting the obligatory "it's one week before our concert, and you sound like this?!" lecture

not talking about music 100% of the time!!! they have lives outside of music (most of them, at least /j). especially to close friends, music is probably not going to be a conversation topic unless something is out of the ordinary (high stress, something funny from rehearsal, etc.)

bragging/talking about how often they practice is generally not welcomed. great, but other people don't need to hear it!

stages are hot and bright. there's no way a performer can see someone in the audience with the possible exception of the first row.

practicing

three words for you: love. hate. relationship.

slow practice (like really slow lots of people recommend half speed; good for focusing on the right notes, tone, phrasing, smooth transitions)

metronome practice (while playing, it's not annoying at all! it's helpful and requires a lot of focus; when NOT playing, it's annoying and loud because it needs to be heard over the playing)

drone practice (having a machine/website/another person play one note in the background; good for tuning and scales)

and too many more for me to detail

auditions

ensembles may have entrance auditions to determine who gets in and seating auditions to determine placement within the section.

adrenaline does not make us play better; it just makes us make mistakes. and then thinking about those mistakes causes more mistakes.

some instruments, especially those with less repertoire, have common excerpts that come up frequently (i can think of one in particular that i've played for three separate auditions this year).

stopping/starting over is not recommended ever, but if you do, it has to be 10x better. most audition judges aren't looking for perfection!! they want to see how your character can keep going after messing up.

sight reading (being given new music, having ~30 seconds to look at it, being asked to play) is never perfect. i don't care how talented your character is; if they think they nailed it, they aren't experienced enough to see all the phrasing/dynamics that they didn't incorporate. no one gets sight reading perfect!!!

perhaps most importantly, musicians are not all the same! they enjoy it for a number of different reasons and have diverse and interesting lives outside of music!!! more information about specific instrument groups under the cut :)

strings

callouses. with the exception of pianists, most string players (and especially professional ones) have callouses where they press down/pluck the strings. i also have one on my right thumb where i hold my bow. cellists and bassists might have them on their left thumb from playing higher notes in thumb position.

hickeys are also fairly common, though only some people get them. upper strings will get these by under their left jaw. cellists may have one from the wooden body resting on their sternum. some people (including hilary hahn and many many others) use a cloth for comfort and to prevent hickeys.

few people want a hickey, but it might suit a character who is constantly trying to prove themselves.

our fingers do not "glide" anywhere. you can get cuts/"string-burns" from pressing down too hard when shifting. cuts like those are the only reason someone's fingers will bleed, and it's rarer than you think.

upper strings are more prone to back/neck problems from the way they hold their instruments on one side. see also: shoulder pain.

finger cramps happen. they aren't too common, but most if not all strings have experienced at least one.

pianos require tuning every few years or else the chords will be out of tune. few pianists can tune their own instrument because of how complicated it is.

piano parts/accompaniments will have so. many. pages. a page turner may sit on the right of the pianist to turn the page.

woodwinds & brass

spit. so much spit. some instruments clean afterwards with a cloth; others have a spit valve which is as gross as it sounds.

proper embouchure, or how a musician uses the muscles in their face/lips, is tiring, and people actually get strong cheek muscles. they can also easily turn red, but it varies based on a person's facial complexion. see also: good lung capacity.

flute and piccolo are not dainty. piccolo requires as much air as a tuba. an old teacher of mine almost passed out playing piccolo when she was in college.

flutes and piccolos are high, but often not shrill depending on the level of the ensemble.

reeds last a few weeks (less if your character plays for hours a day) and can be expensive to buy.

keys and valves can get sticky especially on older instruments which can result in the wrong note or bad tone.

saxes, clarinets, flutes are more likely to "honk" on low notes.

oboes are more likely to feel "wispy" on high notes.

articulation comes from the tongue, especially for brass instruments, and conductors may ask for "tah" "pah" or "wah" sounds depending on the style of the piece.

percussion

callouses from the friction between hands and sticks/mallets.

there are so many types of sticks and mallets!!! make sure to take a look at what materials are good for what instruments/sounds.

cymbals, triangle, and bass drum are not easy to play, even though they look simple.

percussionists with the exception of timpani may play more than one instrument during a piece, and they're constantly moving around in the back during their rests.

percussion instruments are too expensive for most people to have everything they ever play. practice pads are very common in place of these instruments.

ability to play one instrument doesn't translate to different instruments. for example, many percussionists don't have experience playing set/drum set.

some of the things detailed here are heavily glossed over, so if you have any questions, i'd always be happy to talk about it with you; i may not have answers, but i will try to help as best i can!!!

since you read this far, have my favorite viola joke.

what's the difference between a violist and a large pizza?

a large pizza can feed a family of four :)

tagging some people who showed interest: @writing-is-a-martial-art @ashen-crest @kg-willie @owilder

#writing advice #writing resources #writing reference #music #wow this absolutely consumed me

[cornholio4]

Lukanette: Tales of Ladybug & Black Feline: Origins

Luka Couffaine went to Francois Dupont along with her smaller twin sister Juleka though they were in different classes. On the way to school he walked with Juleka he had found an elderly man struggling for directions and so he separated from his sister for the time being so that he could help the man. School had gone on as normal but to the shock of everyone there was a giant stone monster calling himself Stoneheart attacking the school and everyone was sent home for their saftey.

Luka and Juleka were now at their boat home the Liberty and Juleka was freaking out and was outside in the fresh air; watching their mother Anarka keeping the cannon in working order just in case they were needed if Stoneheart was to come their way. Anarka had to fight hard at City Hall to get the permit to be allowed working cannons on her home and truth be told Luka had no idea how she had managed to do so.

Though on the outside he was acting more calmly than his sister was; inside he was as freaked out and scared as everyone else. He was wondering if any of the Superheroes from the US were going to have to come here to Paris in order to take care of it. He decided to try and play a song that he had been working on and had went into his bag to take out the song sheet but at the bottom he noticed a black ring to his confusion.

Curiously he inspected it and put it on but was surprise to find a black colored mouse creature floating about with cat ears. "Hi there, I'm Plagg and I am going to be your Kwami. Do you have any camembert here because I am famished?" the creature asked as Luka was taking it quite well.

"We don't have camembert but we have sliced cheese in the fridge." Luka told him and Plagg groaned in response as he shook his head, "Kwami, is this like a spirit in the Ring? Plus what can you do?" Luka asked as Plagg looked hungry.

"Okay look, you have been chosen to gain powers which I can give you. Say 'Plagg, Claws Out' and I have to be sucked into your ring and you transform into a superhero. You get your own staff and if you say 'Catacalysm' you can do a punch that can pretty much destroy anything it touches. I have to warn you that doing so will pretty much give you a limited time before you transform back. Say 'Claws in' when you want to go back to normal yourself." Plagg explained as Luka thought it over.

"There is a monster attacking the city calling himself Stoneheart, do I use these powers to stop it?" Luka asked and Plagg nodded.

"The Butterfly Miraculous has been misused and its power has turned an unlucky person into a villain. He will be wanting your Miraculous and the one of your new partner's. Have to say you can't tell anyone about your powers." Plagg explained some more and Luka nodded thinking it will be good to know that he won't have to do this alone. He asked if he was ready to transform and Plagg replied "If we have to but later we must really talk about getting some decent cheese around here."

Luka sneaked out the window of the liberty and jumped over to the pavement, making sure that his sister and mother was not looking he went to hide an alleyway and transformed. He looked at himself in his new black suit and tried out his staff, using it as a tightrope to walk between buildings but then saw a screaming girl in a black and red suit crash into them and were entangled in the girl's yoyo.

The girl apologised saying that it wasn't on purpose, "So are you my new partner that Plagg told me about... I'm... The Black Feline..." Luka introduced himself as the girl got her yoyo free while stammering and it hit Luka on his head. The girl then saw a building being destroyed as the girl gave her name as Ladybug and asked if they could come up with a plan together.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was surprised at how everything worked out; everything went wrong when she wasn't able to purify the Akuma butterfly and it created so many Stonehearts. She was all ready to give up and give the Miraculous to her new friend Alya but had to take it back and they were able to fix her mistake and send a message to the villain Hawk Moth.

Black Feline it seemed looked like he will be a good partner; he looked determined to help and allowed her to take the lead when she thought of a plan to fix all this. Plus he was very encouraging saying that it was natural to make mistakes on her first day. Perhaps she will be getting the hang of this after all...

She was out in the rain sighing noticing Chloe Bourgeois hugging Adrien Agreste as he was going into his limo to go home. Seems that his father her idol Gabriel Agreste would be willing to let him come to school in her class and she was not really excited about that; the gum incident earlier and him being childhood friends with her school bully.

She fell down in a puddle groaning but was helped up by a taller boy who smiled at her which made her melt as he offered his jacket to her. "You... Don't really have to... How about you getting wet?" Marinette asked.

"Don't worry about it, you look like you need it more than I do. I'm Luka and do you come here?" Luka asked as Marinette's cheeks turned red as she nodded and stammered out her name. "Well nice to meet you Ma-Ma-Marinette." Luka told her and she smiled.

"Marinette, Luka?" asked Juleka coming over with her umbrella with Rose not far behind with Marinette blinking in shock. Marinette asked if Juleka knew him. "Of course I know him, he's my twin brother. Luka, Marinette here is in my class." Juleka explained and Marinette stared in shock as she glanced between the two of them a hundred times in a second trying to see any similarities or anything to suggest that they were twins.

"I will catch up with you later Juleka, Marinette do you think that I can help you walk home so I can get my jacket back afterwards?" Luka asked as Marinette stammered out yes and Juleka said she was alright with that. Rose and Juleka watched as they began walking on the sidewalk and Luka asked "I can feel the music in your soul Marinette and if you want i can play what it feels like later." Luka offered.

"So you play guitar, what music do you like? Because I love Jagged Stone..." Marinette stammered out as Luka said that he does as well.

"Oh my Juleka, Marinette and your brother... It looks like love at first sight!" Rose squealed as Juleka was grinning as well.

#cat Luka #kwami swap #miraculous ladybug #slight adrien salt #chloe salt #chat noir luka #lukanette #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #luka couffaine #juleka ships lukanette #luka x marinette #marinette x luka

[sassyduckqueen]

Miraculous: Rise of Anatis Shanghai Special

Finally! My Shanghai special is done!! Whoop!! I hope you guys like it because this was pretty fun to adapt. So chronically speaking, this is set after the NY special and before Truth. Also due to the recent episodes, I had work in some good lukanette/adrigami content so enjoy :D

Translations:

Nǐ hǎo, wǒ néng wéi nín fúwù ma? - Hello, how may I help you?

Móshù zhīzǐ- Son of Magic

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Miraculous World: Legend of Lady Dragon

Luka...  Luka gasped as he tossed and turned in his bed, making Tikki look over at him in worry. Ever since the Blackout incidents, he had started to have terrible nightmares. The akumas certainly didn't help but this seemed like his worst one yet. Normally, he didn't toss too much in his sleep but tonight seemed to be different. She floated over and gently placed her paw on his forehead, frowning as he felt extremely hot.

 "Luka?" She whispered as he gasped and flinched. She frowned deeply as he mumbled something that didn't make much sense to her. She flew out of his room and to the kitchen. She searched through the cupboard and found a little bowl that she could carry. She filled it up with some water from the tap and flew back over to Luka's room, placing it on the bedside table next to him before flying back into the kitchen and ripping a small piece of cloth from the dish cloth. She flew back over and dipped it into the water before ringing it out and gently dabbing Luka's forehead as he took short breathes, similar to how he was when he got possessed by the akuma. She frowned to herself and glanced over at his phone, thinking about phoning Master Fu if he got worst. However before she could, he suddenly gasped and sat up, making her jump. "Luka?"

 He ignored her and got up, walking over to his draw before opening it and taking out the notebook that he used for his ideas as Anatis. She flew over and watched as he wrote it in before gasping as she realized he was writing something in a different language. She couldn't quite read it but it looked like it could be Chinese. She looked up at him and blinked as she saw his eyes weren't his usual blue but silver. She frowned deeply as he continued to write.

 "Luka?" She asked as he suddenly stopped before he dropped the pencil and jolted, blinking as he did. He frowned and looked over confused before looking at Tikki. She frowned as she saw his eyes were now back to been blue. "Luka? Are you ok?"

 "I... what happened?" He asked, confused as she frowned before pointing to the notepad. He picked it up and looked at it before frowning. "Did I write this?"

 "Yeah," Tikki replied as he looked at it in confusion. "I think it's Chinese,"

 "But I can't writing in Chinese," Luka gasped, looking at her. "I can only say very basic phases that Master Fu has taught me,"

 "Then we should see Master Fu," Tikki gasped, making Luka look at the note. "He can speak Chinese so maybe he could translate it,"

 "That's a good idea," He replied, placing the note down. "We should go there now. Tikki! Spots on!!"

 He transformed into Anatis and picked up the notepad, frowning a little as he looked at it before closing it and placing it into his yoyo. He placed a couple of cookies in his yoyo for Tikki as well before opening the porthole and climbing out. He threw his yoyo up and wrapped it around a lamp post before pulling himself upwards and landing on it. He dived off it and threw his yoyo, swinging through the city before landing on in the alleyway, dropping his transformation. He caught Tikki and placed her in the pocket where the cookie was before walking into the building. He carefully made his way to Master Fu's apartment before lightly knocking on the door and opening it.

 "Master?" He asked, hearing a snoring noise. He glanced over and saw Master Fu asleep on the massage mat. He let out a sigh and came inside, closing the door behind him. He knelt down and gently shook him. "Master, wake up,"

 "Huh?" Master Fu asked as he woke up before blinking and sitting up. "Luka? What are you doing here? Is everything alright?"

 "Everything is fine, Master. There's no akumas or sentimonster," He replied as Tikki flew out of his pocket, making Master Fu frown. "And I'm sorry to wake you like this but..."

 He reached into his pocket and took out the notepad before opening it to the page he wrote on before handing it to Master Fu.

 "Can you translate this?" He asked, making him frown a little more before Master Fu took it and glanced at it. "Tikki think it's Chinese..."

 "She is quite correct," Master Fu replied as he read over it. "Interesting thing about Kwamis. They can speak any language in the world but they find it very difficult to read them,"

 "Really?" Luka asked, looking at Tikki who nodded. "Oh... can you read what it said, Master?"

 "Yes, I can. It appears to be some kind of riddle and instructions," He replied, making Luka and Tikki frown. "It reads as follows. Find the red dragon and locate it's pearl. Hidden deep within the Dragon's cave, there lies the secrets of the Phoenix,"

 "What does that mean?" Luka asked, confused as he looked at Tikki, who shrugged. Master Fu pulled a face.

 "Well, the red dragon happens to be a nickname for China," He explained, making Luka look at him in surprise. "I think it's telling you to go to China,"

 "But what about Hawkmoth? And what does the rest of it mean?" Luka gasped, moving near to him. "What does it mean locate the pearl? The pearl of what? Does China even have a pearl?"

 "Actually, it does," Master Fu replied, making Luka look at him with surprise. "If the red dragon is china, the pearl you must locate is Shanghai. You see it is known as the Pearl of the Orient but I do not know what the Dragon's cave is or what the secrets of the Phoenix is but maybe it has something to do with Master Feng. Did you have one of your dreams before you wrote this?"

 "Yeah..." Luka replied, frowning. "But I don't remember writing it. Do you really think it's linked to him?"

 "Yes. Master Feng took the name Hao Feng because of what it means," Tikki explained, making Luka look at her. "He thought it was suitable for him,"

 "Why?" He asked, frowning a little. "What does it mean?"

 "It means Good Phoenix," Master Fu explained as Tikki nodded.

 "Wait so the secrets of the Phoenix could mean Feng's secrets?!" Luka gasped, looking at them. "We have to find them! It could explain how I'm connected to him,"

 "But I do not know what the dragon's cave is," Master Fu sighed. "And we still need to worry about Hawkmoth,"

"Oh right..." Luka sighed, looking down. Part of him wanted to go to Shanghai and locate the dragon's cave but he also had to be here at the same time and it's not like he could be in two places at once. He let out a sigh, unsure what to do. Master Fu, however, smiled at him as he passed him a cup of tea. "What do I do?"

 "I think you should go there," Master Fu answered as he took a sip of his own tea, making Luka look at him with surprise. "But ultimately the choice is up to you,"

 "I think I should talk to Lady Noir," Luka muttered, finishing his drink and standing up. Tikki flew over to him and settled on his shoulder as Luka put the notepad into his pocket before he looked up at Master Fu. "Thank you for the help, Master Fu. Sorry for waking you up so late,"

 "It is quite ok, Luka," He replied, nodding. "If you experience anything else or come to a decision then please come by again and let me know,"

 "I will do," Luka replied, walking over to the door and opening it as Fu began to tidy up. "Good night, Master Fu,"

 "Good night, Luka," He replied as Luka left. He exited the building and re-transformed before swinging through the city. He decided not to go home straight away and made his way to the Eiffel Tower, setting on the top of it as he sighed. He ran his fingers through his hair before taking out the notepad and looked at the note he wrote. He traced his fingers over it as he frowned. It really was in Chinese but he barely knew it. He could say a number of phases that Master Fu taught him but that was as far as it went and he knew he definitely couldn't write it.

 "What is happening to me?" He muttered as he frowned. He put the notepad back into his yoyo before looking out to the city as the sun began to rise. Taking a deep breathe, he stood up and leaped from the tower, free falling as he did before he threw out his yoyo and swung through the city. He landed on the Liberty and flipped down before sliding through the porthole into his room. "Tikki, spots off,"

 His transformation dropped as Tikki reappeared, causing him to catch her before he gave her the other cookie. She grinned and took it as he gently placed her on his desk before heading outside. He carefully made his way past Juleka's room and climbed up onto the deck before scaling the mast and hooking his legs over part of it before letting himself fall backwards so he was hanging upside down before he began to start his workout as he thought about things. He really needed to get to the bottom of this. It was bad enough that Hawkmoth had been trying to target him and he didn't want to think about what happened with the press. He was just glad that today was the last day of school. He had a lot of plans for the summer holidays, both as Luka and as Anatis. He would be hanging out with everyone when they got a chance and he was going to try and track Hawkmoth as Anatis. Since Hawkmoth had made an appearance in New York, Luka had been trying to work out his identity more then he already had. He had investigated a couple of his suspects but so far nothing had turned up. Apparently, Hawkmoth had been taking precautions himself. Probably because if he didn't, the government would arrest him for war crimes and terrorism. As Anatis, he had also kept in touch with Jess and asked her to locate any clues that Hawkmoth may have left in New York. She was due to video call him and Lady Noir tonight. She had also informed him of the appearance of a native guardian whom she had began to work with to create a new generation of heroes. Luka had advised her to be careful in case of anything but he had yet to meet any of the new guardians himself. Gradually, he lowered himself back to his original position and took a deep breathe as he hung upside down with his eyes closed. The sound of the door opened, causing him to open his eyes as Juleka walked over to him.

 "What are you doing?" She asked, looking up at him. He smiled and grabbed on the beam, freeing his legs before sliding down the mast. Juleka rose an eyebrow as she looked at him. "You're getting weirder and weirder,"

 "I'm just working out," He replied, making her frown. "What? It helps with my flexibility,"

 "Right..." She asked, rising an eyebrow. "Are you trying to impress Marinette? Cause trust me when I say she's already impressed,"

 "Really? I mean... I'm not trying to impress her," He gasped, going a little red before sighing. "I'm just trying to make sure I can actually escape if akumas continue to come after me,"

 "Oh, right... that makes sense," Juleka nodded, frowning before looking down at the floor. "You know I'd protect you right?"

 "I know," He smiled, ruffling her hair as he walked by. Juleka gasped and shouted at him as he laughed and headed downstairs. He headed to his room and grabbed some fresh clothes and a towel before heading to the bathroom. He took a quick shower before getting changed. Once that was done, he headed back to his room and dried his hair before putting on his shoes and socks then packed his bag for the day. He opened his jacket for Tikki, who flew into his jacket before he headed into the kitchenette and made some breakfast for himself as Juleka sat down. "You ok?"

 "I just want today to hurry up and pass," She replied, looking up at him. "I'm so ready for the holidays!!"

 "Same here, Jewel,"

 ~Later That Night~

 "Dragon's Cave?" Anatis sighed as he tapped the pen against his chin. He was sat at on top of the Arc de Triomphe, trying to work out the last part of the riddle. He sighed and looked up as he saw Lady Noir land on the building and walk over to him. "Hey, Kitten,"

 "Hey, Annie," She grinned, sitting down. "So I checked the south side and west side. No akumas over there. What about you?"

 "North side and east side is clear as well," He replied, looking up and putting his pen away. Lady Noir rose an eyebrow as he closed the note book. "I'm trying to solve a riddle,"

 "Anything I can help with?" She asked, moving a little closer to him as he reopened the book and showed her. "Find the red dragon and locate it's pearl. Hidden deep within the Dragon's cave, there lies the secrets of the Phoenix... hmm so you've solved some of it I see,"

 "Yeah. Master Fu helped me with it but I don't get what the Dragon's Cave is," He sighed, making Lady Noir think.

 "Maybe it's a nickname for a place?" She asked, making him look at her. "I mean... Red Dragon is a nickname for China and the Pearl is a nick name for Shanghai so maybe the Dragon's Cave is also a nickname,"

 "That's a really good suggestion," He smiled, writing down 'nickname?' on the paper before putting it away. "I'll research it later,"

 "Ok," She grinned, looking up to the sky. "Think we're gonna get an akuma tonight?"

 "Probably not," He replied, lying down and placing his hands behind his head. "It's been pretty quiet for the past couple of days,"

 "Think Hawkmoth is planning something?" She asked, lying next to him.

 "Possibly," He replied before looking at her. "Do you ever have weird dreams?"

 "Like what?" 

 "Like of the past,"

 "You mean like when you dreamt about Bunnyx?" She asked, glancing over at him. He sighed and nodded. "Well.. sometimes I have dreams about past cat holders but they're very few and far between. Though I did once have a dream about been a princess in Ancient China once but I think that might have been my imagination. Why? Are your dreams getting worst? Do I need to be worried?"

 "No need, Kitten. I was just curious," He replied, making her let out a sigh of relief before he looked back at the sky. "For the record, I think you would be an amazing princess,"

 "Nah... too formal for me," She grinned, making him laugh. "I'd be like Hua Mulan. A totally badass!"

 "I see it," He chuckled before stretching and yawning, making Lady Noir laugh before he stood up and offered her a hand. She took and he pulled her to her feet, causing her to grin and stretch. "I'm thinking one more check around the city then home,"

 "Sounds good to me, Annie," She grinned before running over the edge of the building and diving off it. He chuckled as he saw her jump across to the other building before heading the other way and jumping. He threw out his yoyo and swung through the city but nothing seemed to be happening at all. Once he was satisfied, he headed back to the Seine and landed quietly on top of the Liberty before slipping through the porthole and dropping his transformation. He caught Tikki and gently placed her in her little bed as she stretched before handing her a cookie. She muttered a thanks and began to eat it as he got changed into his PJs before getting into bed. Tikki looked over as he sighed a little.

 "You ok, Luka?" She asked as he moved his hands behind his head.

 "Yeah," He replied, glancing up to a ceiling as he thought about what Lady Noir suggested. "A nickname huh?"

 "What was that?"

 "Something Lady Noir said," He replied, turning on his side so he could see Tikki a bit better. "She said that Dragon's cave might be a nickname for an actual location in Shanghai,"

 "That's a good idea," She replied, yawning. "But maybe google it in the morning,"

 "Yeah," Luka agreed, yawning as well. He leaned over and turned off his lamp. "Good night, Tikki,"

 "Good night, Luka,"

 ~Fuzanglong Waterfall, approximately 4000 Years Ago~

 "Hello?" The man shouted as he walked into the cave hidden behind a waterfall. He wasn't a young man but neither was he old. He had dark hair but it had began to turn silver and he had a few winkles across his face. His clothes were simple but well made and he had a blade at his side. He glanced around before noticing another man said in the middle of the room. His legs were crossed and his eyes were closed. He had his hands resting on his knees and appeared to be asleep. He was dressed in a dark gray hanfu with matching pants but had no shoes on. He was sat in the middle of the cave surrounded by a lot of colorful quarts crystals. The man gasped before getting down on his knees and bowing to the mediating man as he opened his eyes, revealing them to be silver in color. "Master Feng, it is a honor to see you again,"

 "No need for formality, Bao," He replied, getting up as Bao stood up. Feng smiled and hugged him, causing the man to gasp in surprise before returning the hug. The two men pulled part as Feng smiled. "It is very good to see you,"

 "And you," He replied, looking at him. "I see time has been kind to you. You barely look any older then the day we met,"

 "I have good genetics," Feng laughed, making Bao chuckle as well. "How is your school going?"

 "Very well thank you," He replied, nodding and smiling as he thought of his students. They were all full of honor and respect but he shook his head before turning to Feng. "But I have to ask... why are you here?"

 "I have a favor to ask you," Feng sighed, making Bao frown a little as he reached into the side bag he had one and took out a small wooden box. He placed it on the ground before taking out another box and something wrapped in cloth. Bao rose an eyebrow. "I need you to guard these two items,"

 "For how long?" He asked, making Feng sigh.

 "For as long as necessarily," He replied, making Bao frown a little. "I know it is a lot but I can't trust anyone else with this,"

 "Not even Piao and Hēi?" He asked, making Feng's eyes fill with sadness. "Feng?"

 "They are gone," He replied, frowning before blinking away tears. He sighed and gave Bao a smile as he looked at him. "I'm fine... anyway, this is more important. Will you look after them?"

 "Of course," He nodded, making Feng smile before he walked over to one of the walls and traced his hand around it. "But can I ask what it is?"

 "Something that could be very dangerous in the wrong hands," He replied before moving his hand back, causing the wall to crack as a small cave was created. Bao watched in amusement before Feng stepped inside. He opened the little box and touched the amulet inside it, causing kwami like creatures to appear but only he could see them. He looked at them as they looked back at him. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

 "This is for the best," The Dragon, Long Long, declared. "Mei Shi can test any human who seeks the Prodigious to see if they are worthy,"

 "As long as you are happy to stay here," Feng replied, causing Bao to give him a confused look before he removed his fingers from the amulet and closed the box, causing the creatures to disappear. He moved his hand again, creating a pedal of stone. He sighed and placed the box on the pedal before walking out of the cave. He glanced up over at an opening off the cave before moving his hand. The rocks began to move, creating a closing so a single of beam of moonlight was pointing towards the thing before Feng closed his eyes and held up his hands, muttering in a different language. The cave closed and a green seal appeared of it before  a flat circular stone rolled in the way of it before Feng walked back over to Bao, who was looking impressed. He had always found Feng's gift for magic amazing. He shook his head and looked at him as he held out a box. "This is the key to unlocking the seal. You can only use it on a full lunar eclipse. If you do, it will summon a dragon spirit called Mei Shi. Only he can open the cave and he'll want to test any who wishes to wield the Prodigious,"

 "I see," Bao nodded, putting the bracelet on. "I will guard it with my life,"

 "Thank you," He replied, picking up the item covered in a cloth. "I need you to watch over this as well,"

 "What is it?" He asked, making Feng look at it but he didn't answer. Instead, he just walked over to the other side of the cave and moved his hands again, creating a second cave. He stepped inside as rocks formed a second pedal. He placed it on it before walking over of the cave and lifting his hands, once again speaking in a different language, causing it to close. He finished his incarnation before taking off his glove and reached into his bag again. This time he took out a blade and slid it down the palm of his hand, making Bao gasp. "What are you doing?"

 "Blood magic," He replied, placing his bloodied hand  onto the wall before muttering the language again. This time, the blood moved and took the shape of a bird before glowing gold then disappearing. Feng sighed and held his good hand over his injured one, healing it as he walked back over to Bao. "It's a special seal,"

 "Are you sure sealing that is a good idea?" He asked, frowning. "What if you need it?"

 "The seal can be broken by the one who bears the soul of a phoenix," He replied, making Bao frown. "But it is safer here then anywhere else,"

 "Feng... are you in trouble?" Bao asked, making Feng look at him and smile a little.

 "I'm fine, Bao," He replied, placing his hand on his shoulder. "I'm just taking precautions that's all," 

 "You can tell me you know,"

 "I know," Feng nodded, placing the dagger back in his bag and placing his glove back on. "But now I must take my leave. It was good to see you, Bao,"

 "Are you sure you need to go?" He asked as they turned to walk away. Feng stopped and glanced over at the corner, smiling as if he could see someone there before leaving with Bao...

 Luka gasped as he jolted awake. He sucked in a breathe and let it out before getting up and heading over to the bathroom. He ran the tap and splashed his face with water before grabbing a towel and drying in face before looking in the mirror. He jumped as he saw Feng stood behind him before quickly looking over his shoulder. He frowned as he saw no one there before glancing back in the mirror. However, Feng was gone. He shook his head before walking back into his room and glanced at the time. 4am. He groaned and crawled back into bed, curling up on the side as he tried to get back to sleep. However, his mind kept drifting back to the cave so he got up and turned on his lamp before grabbing his notepad and wrote down his dream before going onto his computer and researching Dragon's cave in Shanghai but nothing came up. He groaned and shut down his laptop before getting back into bed and curling up again. This time he managed to fall back asleep but it was pretty restless sleep. Soon, his alarm went off and he got up, stretching out before getting ready for his day and the summer holidays. He had set up plans for it both as Anatis and as Luka. He would patrol a couple of times a day but also spending time with his friends. Since he wasn't at school for the next six weeks, he could work some extra shifts at his job. The summer holidays would be great. 

 ~One Week Later~

 "You want me to go with you to Shanghai?" Luka asked as Jagged played his guitar. He looked up and nodded. "Why?"

 "Because it will be rock and roll!" Jagged declared, standing up. "I'm doing a couple of shows there so I'll be there for a week and I figured we could use the chance to spend some father and son time together!! What do you think?"

 "I don't know, Dad," He replied, making Jagged frown as he put down the violin and flopped on the sofa. Fang crawled up onto his lap, causing Luka to pat his head. "Won't you be busy with set up on the show?"

 "A little bit yeah but since I'm only playing two days, we'll have like five days to do whatever we like," Jagged explained as Luka scratched Fang's chin. "I get it if you don't want to spend some time with your old man,"

 "It's not that, Dad," He replied, sighing. "I doubt even with my job I could afford a plane ticket plus I have commitments here,"

 "I'd pay for your ticket, expensive and we'll be staying in the best hotel in Shanghai!" Jagged declared with flair. "Fang will becoming with us and it's ok to get away from responsibilities from time to time you know,"

 "Alright... I'll think about it," Luka replied as his phone vibrated. He checked it and smiled, getting up before putting his jacket on as Fang moved over to Jagged. "I gotta get going. I need to meet up with Marinette,"

 "Tell the little lady I say hi!!" Jagged sung, making Luka shake his head before he rushed out and began to walk to the party where he would be meeting her. He thought about Jagged's suggestion. Feng's riddle pointed to Shanghai and now he's given the opportunity to actually go... but who would look after Paris while he was gone? Sure, he could trust Lady Noir but part of him wouldn't want to leave the burden all on her. He could talk to her on their patrol tonight and see what she thinks. Entering the park, he felt his worries melt away as he saw Marinette. She was stood by a tree, glancing in the opposite direction. Her hair was loose and she was wearing a pink summer dress with matching sandals and her signature purse. He walked over to her and cleared his throat, causing her to look at him and smile brightly.

 "Hey," She smiled, pushing a stand of hair behind her ear. "Ready to go?"

 "Whenever you are," He smiled, offering her his arm. She giggled and took before the two of them walked off, heading to the summer fair that the school was hosting. "I like your hair by the way. It looks beautiful like that,"

 "R-Really?" She gasped, blushing as he linked their hands together, making her giggle. "How was your time with Jagged?"

 "It was ok," He replied as she waved to her parents from their stall. Sabine waved back but Tom looked like he was about to burst into flames with how excited he looked. "He wants me to go with him to Shanghai for a week,"

 "Really?!" She gasped, making him look at her. "You should go!! We could arrange to meet up there!!"

 "You're going to Shanghai?" He asked, making her nod excitedly.

 "I was gonna tell you when we had finished looking around here," She replied, sheepishly as he smiled. "Uncle Cheng invited the family. Mama and Papa can't make it as it was too short notice so I'll be going on my own... which I'm a little bit nervous about but maybe we could arrange it so you and Uncle Jagged are on the same flight? If that's not too weird... actually forget it... it's too weird and I'm sure you probably have other things-"

 "Hey, it's not weird at all," He smiled, making her smile as well. "I wasn't really sure if I should go but... it would be nice to see a different city with you... I mean... um..."

 "You're adorable," She grinned, making him blush. "I'll be staying with Uncle Cheng so you and Jagged can come by. Oh we could visit his restaurant!"

 "Y-Yeah, that would be great," Luka smiled, making her grin. "Jagged's doing two shows so I could ask for some VIP tickets if you want..."

 "You don't have to," She replied, smiling again. "I'd just be happy to spend some time with you. Of course, if you want to that is. I mean Shanghai is a very beautiful city and I'm sure you'll want to do some sight seeing yourself..."

 "I'd be happy to spend some of my time with you," He smiled, making her blush before they heard their names been called. Marinette looked over and waved as Kagami and Adrien walked over to them. "Hey,"

 "How's it going?" Adrien smiled as Kagami said hi to Marinette. They were both dressed really nice. Kagami was wearing a black shirt with black tights and a red vest with a white jacket over it, causing Marinette to gush at how cute she looked where Adrien was wearing blue jeans and a green shirt that had a tiny little snake on it. One of Marinette's hero inspired tops. This one was clearly inspired by Aspik. Luka clapped his hand against Adrien with a smile as Marinette continued to gush over Kagami, making the girl blush a little.

 "It's good," He smiled as Marinette hugged Kagami. "How's everything with you?"

 "Same old, same old," Adrien sighed. "Father is going out of town for a week. He wanted me to go with him but Kagami and her mother convinced him to let me stay,"

 "That's good," Luka smiled, glancing over as Marinette took Kagami's hand and lead her over towards one of the stands. He smiled before Adrien grinned at him, making him look at him. "What?"

 "So you and Marinette huh?" He grinned, making Luka go red and nervously rub the back of his neck. "You a couple then?"

 "W-We're just see how it goes," He mumbled, going redder. "Like we're not like dating dating... but I guess you could say we're testing the waters?"

 "I see," Adrien grinned as Kagami came back over and took his hand. "Well, we'll leave you to it. Have fun,"

 "You too," Luka smiled as they walked off before he walked over to Marinette, who was still looking at the stall. "Everything ok?"

 "Oh, yes... sorry, I didn't mean to run off," She gasped, making him chuckle. "I just saw that,"

 She pointed to a bracelet made from silver and dark leather. It definitely wasn't her style and was more something he would wear. She looked up at him.

 "Do you like it?" She asked, surprising him but he slowly nodded. "Then I'll get it for you,"

 "You don't have to," He replied as she turned to the merchant. He nodded and gave it to her before she gave him a note. He turned his back and grabbed her change, giving it to her. She thanked him before turning to Luka. "Melody?"

 "I know," She replied as she took his arm and fixed it on. "But I want to,"

 "Thank you," He smiled, gently leaning down and kissing her cheek lightly. She blushed and smiled shyly as he looked at it. "I love it,"

 "L-Let's go on the carousel," She gasped, gently grabbing his hand and leading him to it as she continued to blush. Luka smiled softly as he followed her, glancing at his new bracelet with a happy expression.

 ~Later That Night~

 "So if we're both going away for a week, what do we do?" Lady Noir asked as she looked up at Anatis. She had her head on his knee and he was gently stroking her hair. "I mean I know Hawkmoth has been super quiet but still..."

 "We could test out some of the others," He replied, making her look up at him. "Culpeo would be a good idea since she can create an illusion of us and Abeille's ability would be extremely useful. I could take the Horse miraculous with me so I could teleport back to Paris as soon as there's an akuma alert,"

 "Oh and I could fly back here as Lady Cosmic!" She gasped, making him nod. "That's a good idea but will Master Fu let us do it?"

 "I think so," He replied, making her nod. "Plus it would be good practice for them,"

 "So it's settled then," She grinned, making him nod as he continued to stroke her hair. She closed her eyes and began to purr a little, making Anatis chuckle. "Do you think it's been weird how quiet Hawkmoth has been?"

 "Yeah, it is odd," Anatis sighed, frowning. "The last time he was this quiet, he attacked New York,"

 "I messaged Falcone," Lady Noir stated, looking up at him. "Apparently, everything is ok there but she said she would keep an eye out and let us know if Hawkmoth shows up again,"

 "That's good," Anatis nodded before stretching, causing Lady Noir to sit up and poke his cheek, making him look at her. "What?"

 "You looked tired," She stated, making him frown. "Bad sleep?"

 "Feng keeps on turning up in my dreams," He admitted, sighing. "I feel like he's trying to show me something but I don't understand what,"

 "Well, what are your dreams?" She asked, making him look at her.

 "I keep seeing this cave and Feng talking to a man called Bao," He explained, making her nod. "Feng is asking him to guard something but I can't remember what it is exactly. Like I've wrote down the dream but some of the details are hard to remember,"

 "What do you remember?" She asked as he sighed and thought about it.

 "The moon was red," He muttered, making her nod. "And there was a lot of colorful crystals in the cave..."

 "Anything else?"

 "He talked to something that looked like a kwami but wasn't a kwami," Anatis continued, making her nod. "And he loss someone... no, two people... he seemed sad about it. I think they died but that's all I remember,"

 "Well, it's better then nothing," She mumbled, making him nod before she looked at him. "Maybe you'll get some clarity from this journey?"

 "Yeah," He muttered, glancing down to the side. "I hope so,"

 "Speaking of journeys, we should go and talk to Master Fu," She replied, getting a nod of him and standing up. He stood up as well before the two of them dived off the building and made their way to Master Fu's apartment. They landed on his window seal and knocked, causing him to get up and invite them in.

 "Ah, Anatis, Lady Noir," He smiled, opening the window. "Come in,"

 "Thank you, Master," Anatis replied, helping Lady Noir inside. "Master, we have something to talk to you about,"

 "Go ahead," He replied, making them tea. Lady Noir looked at Anatis, who took a deep breathe.

 "Me and Lady Noir are going away for a week..." He stated, making Master Fu look at him with surprise.

 "Which is why we came here," Lady Noir gasped. "We have a plan to make people think we're still here,"

 "We want to give Culpeo and Abeille their miraculous for the week so Paris is defended," Anatis explained, making Master Fu frown a little. "I know you're not comfortable with other miraculous been out and about but this is something that can't be avoided for us. Our families are insisting we go with them but if we use Culpeo, she can create an illusion of us which will make it look like we've never left. I also would like to request the horse miraculous so I can travel back instantly if there is an akuma,"

 "This is risky..." Master Fu replied, frowning. 

 "Please!!" They both begged, surprising him. 

 "Hawkmoth and Mayura have been super quiet all week," Lady Noir gasped.

 "All the more reason to be careful," Master Fu replied, frowning. "Is there no way for you to say no to your families?"

 "I can't," Lady Noir sighed, frowning. "My parents are insisting I go and spend time with my other family so I can learn about my culture,"

 "I see," Master Fu sighed before glancing over to Anatis. "And you?"

 "My family is insisting I go as well," He replied. "Plus I think this trip might help me with those dreams I'm having,"

 "Oh... I see," Master Fu nodded, turning around and walking over to phonograph. He took out the miracle box and placed it in front of them. "In that case, I will allow Culpeo and Abeille to use their miraculous on a full time basis for this week and I grant you permission to use the horse miraculous, Anatis but you both must get back to Paris as soon as you can if there is an akuma alert,"

 "We will, Master," Anatis gasped, taking the horse miraculous and placed it in his yoyo before he took out the fox and the bee miraculous. "I don't leave just yet so I'll have Abeille and Culpeo shadow me for a couple of patrols. Lady Noir, if you can make it that would be great,"

 "I'll see what I can do," She replied, nodding. "I don't think we're leaving just yet though,"

 "Ok we can get them to shadow us for a couple of days then," Anatis replied, nodding as Master Fu closed the box and put it away. "Thank you, Master. We owe you one,"

 ~The Next Night~

 Anatis landed on the lamp post near where Juleka and Rose were. They had gotten themselves some ice cream from Andre's and were sat on a bench by the Seine. The sun was going down and they were bringing a romantic date to an end. Anatis whistled, getting their attention before he jumped down and walked over to them.

 "Sorry for interrupting but I require Culpeo and Abeille," He replied, holding out the box. Rose grinned and took her box as Juleka did the same. The two of them transformed into Culpeo and Abeille. "Follow me. We're meeting Lady Noir at the Arc de Triomphe,"

 "Ok!" Abeille declared as she and Culpeo followed him across the rooftops as he informed them of the plan. It was a very clever plan but they were a little surprised that he trusted them enough to trust them with this. However, it was also really nice that he trusted them as well. When they got to the Arc de Triomphe, Lady Noir was sat by the edge with her leg swinging down as she waited for them. She looked up and smiled as they landed on the building and walked over to her. "Hey, Lady Noir!!"

 "Hey, Bee. Hey, Kit," She smiled, jumping and walking over before looking at Anatis. "You informed them?"

 "Yeah," He nodded, turning to the two girls. "You two ok with doing this?"

 "I'm good with it!!" Abeille grinned before looking at Culpeo, who was holding onto her flute and looking panicked. Anatis gently placed his hand on her shoulder, making her look at him. 

 "You ok?" He asked, making her shake her head.

 "I d-don't know if I can do this," She gasped, looking at him. "I me-mean what if I mess up?"

 "Then we'll fix it but you won't mess up because you can do this," He replied, making her look at him in surprise. "You were made for this, Kit. I know you were,"

 "R-Right," She nodded, feeling a bit more confident. "I can do this,"

 "Sure, you can sweetie," Abeille grinned, hugging her. "And I'll be here so you won't be alone,"

 "R-right," She nodded again before looking at Lady Noir and Anatis. "A-Are you leave tonight?"

 "Not tonight," Anatis explained, making them nod. "We actually don't leave for another two days so we plan to use these two days to help you get use to the patrol thing,"

 "So tonight, Culpeo will be with me while I take the north and east side of the city while Abeille goes with Annie in the south and west of the city," Lady Noir explained, making the girls nod. "Once we've completely that, we'll meet back here then one more round of the city then home,"

 "Tomorrow night, Culpeo will be with me and Abeille, you'll go with Lady Noir," Anatis explained, making them nod again. "Any questions?"

 "How long does patrol normally take?"

 "Usually about an hour," Anatis answered, making them nod. "But we also use the time to discuss akumas and potential suspects for Hawkmoth and Mayura,"

 "Ooh do you have any suspects?" Abeille asked, making the two of them look at each other.

 "The list is really long," Lady Noir replied, rubbing the back of her neck as the two girls nodded. "Alright, let's getting go then! See you soon, Annie,"

 "Alright, Kitten," He smiled as she and Culpeo ran off before he turned to Abeille. "Shall we?"

 ~A Couple of Days Later~

 "This is gonna be rock and roll!" Jagged grinned, hugging Penny as they drove to Marinette's to pick her up. They had already picked up Luka so it was just Marinette they needed to pick up. She was gonna be staying with her uncle during the actual week where Luka would be staying with Jagged and Penny at a hotel. However, they both agreed with was perfect. They would be able to do their own exploring as well as meet up in the city later on. Jagged had also insisted on giving them tickets and VIP passes to his shows. The limo pulled outside of the bakery, causing Luka to undo his seat belt and get out, helping Marinette put her suitcase in the trunk next to his. She smiled shyly as she thanked him before the two of them got into the limo. "Mari!! Isn't this gonna be rock and roll?!"

 "Hi, uncle Jagged," She smiled as he grinned, causing Luka to shake his head as they begin to drive off. Marinette moved so she was leaning against his arm, making Luka look at her and smile a little. The drive to the airport didn't take too long and soon enough they were in the sky on Jagged's plane, watching a film together. Luka couldn't help but yawn as Marinette leaned against him. "You should sleep if you're tired,"

 "You sure?" He asked, yawning again before nodding. She smiled as he moved his arm around her and rested his head against her, closing his eyes. When he next opened his eyes, Marinette was curled up next to him and was also asleep. Someone had put a blanket over them as well. He smiled a little before glancing over at Jagged. Penny had fallen asleep next to him, along with Fang. He smiled before closing his eyes again. He was quite happy to sleep a bit more. He moved his arm around Marinette and closed his eyes again drifting into sleep again.

 Luka frowned as he looked around the little hut that he recognized as Feng's home. He had a few dreams like this since the first time but they were few and far between. He glanced around before walking over to the door and tried to open it. As usual, it was locked. He frowned and turned back round. He jumped a little when he saw Feng sat cross-legged on the bed in the corner of the hut. Luka frowned and walked over to him.

 "Why am I here?" He asked, not expecting an answer. He never answered. He waited but Feng didn't moved. "Can you even hear me?!"

 Nothing as usual. Luka sighed and walked over to the door again, trying to open it.

 "It's locked..." Feng's voice made him stop and turn around. The man was still sat on the bed in the way as before, making Luka frown before he opened his eyes and looked at him. "You haven't got the key yet,"

 "Key?" He gasped, running his fingers through his hair. "What key? What are you trying to tell me?! Why am I having these dreams? Let me guess! You're not gonna answer me?!"

 "Would anything I say make you understand right now?" Feng asked, surprising him before he shook his head. "No, I know it won't. You must come to the truth by yourself,"

 "Or you could just tell me," Luka sighed. "I want to know. I'm afraid and I don't understand what is happening to me so please just tell me,"

 "I can't," He replied, looking over at him. "I'm sorry, Luka but this is the only way. You must learnt the truth slowly,"

 "Why?" Luka sighed but he already knew the answer. It would be too much for him to find out straight away. He let out a small sigh before looking at Feng. "I know... but can you at least give me a clue?"

 "I already have," He replied, making Luka frown. "Find the red dragon and locate it's pearl. Hidden deep within the Dragon's cave, there lies the secrets of the Phoenix,"

 "Ok but seriously a riddle?!" Luka sighed, shaking his head. "I'm terrible at those,"

 "I find them entertaining,"

 "You would," Luka sighed, sitting down on the bed."So how do I get out of here?"

 "Wake up," Feng replied as if it was simple. Luka gave him a look, making him smile before he closed his eyes. "You should know that this isn't a dream by the way,"

 "If it isn't a dream then what is it?" Luka asked as Feng began to mediate again. "Feng?"

 He ignored him.

 "Feng?!"

 Luka jolted awake again, blinking as the plane shook a little before he stretched and looked over. Marinette was sat talking to a now awake Jagged but Penny was still asleep. She looked over and smiled at him, making Luka smile back before he moved the blanket and undid his seat belt. He stood up and stretched, yawning a little.

 "We have some good food over here," Jagged grinned, making Luka nod before he wandered over to the bathroom. Once done, he washed his hands and came back out, sitting next to Marinette. 

 "How long until we're there?" He asked, sleepily before reaching for some of the food and eating it.

 "About another 2 hours," Jagged replied, surprisingly calm but Luka figured he hadn't been awake long either. He stretched and grinned. "So what you two plan to do in Shanghai then?"

 "Well, my uncle Cheng has his own restaurant so I was hoping you guys would like to join us for a meal there at some point," Marinette smiled, making Jagged grin. "But in general, I'll be doing some sight seeing,"

 "I'll be doing my own sight seeing as well but we plan to meet up at some point during the week," Luka replied. "Not to mention your gig, Dad,"

 "Ooh yeah!!" Marinette grinned, making Jagged smile. "That will be so much fun,"

 "I'm looking forward to it as well," Luka smiled, making Jagged grin.

 "Young love is so cute!!!" He grinned, making them both go red. "I should write a song about it!"

 "Dad!!"

 ~At the Airport~

 "Uncle Cheng!!" Marinette grinned as she ran over to him and hugged him. He chuckled and hugged her back. "It's great to see you,"

 "Likewise, Marinette," He replied, making her grin as his french had improved a lot since they last spoke. He looked over as Luka and Jagged walked through with Penny. They had all changed into something a little more inconspicuous. Jagged was wearing a hat over his hair and sunglasses over his eyes while dressed in normal jeans, t-shirt and denim jacket. Penny was still in a suit but it wasn't her usual style. She also had sunglasses on. Luka had just switched his usual blue hoodie for a dark gray and was wearing a matching beanie hat, making Marinette giggle as he brought over her suitcase to her. Cheng frowned before he clicked his fingers. "I remember you. Mr Stone right?"

 "Ah, Chef Cheng, the world's greatest chef," Jagged grinned, shaking his hand before grabbing Luka and pulling him next to him. "This is my son, Luka,"

 "We've met before," Cheng smiled, turning to him. "I recall you were on the set of the world's greatest chef with Marinette,"

 "Yeah, I was sir," Luka nodded, making Cheng nod. "I was really honored to try your signature soup. It was amazing,"

 "Thank you," Cheng smiled as Marinette yawned. "We should head home?"

 "Yeah, it's been a long flight," Marinette nodded before turning to Luka and gently kissing him on the cheek, making him blush a little. "See you later kay?"

 "Right," He nodded, smiling a little as Cheng placed her suitcase in the boot before closing it and getting into the driver's seat. Marinette got into the passenger seat before doing up her seat belt and waving to Luka. He smiled and waved back as another car pulled up. Penny walked over to the driver and talked to them as Cheng drove off, causing Jagged wrap his arm around Luka's shoulders and grin. 

 "You two are so cute together!!" He grinned, making Luka blush as Penny walked over.

 "Leave the poor boy alone, Jagged," She ordered, making him grin before the three of them got into the car, along with Fang. Luckily, Penny had already explained to the driver about Fang.

 ~On the way to Cheng's Home~

 "I'm so glad you were about to come by," Cheng smiled as he drove them through the city. Marinette smiled and glanced outside. "I do wish your parents could have come by as well,"

 "They do too but they just can't afford to close the bakery for a week," She replied, making him nod in understanding. "Mama was worried you wouldn't get your present in time so I'm glad I was able to bring it with me,"

 "Ah, you're the best gift I could ask for," He smiled, making her smile as well. "Your mother mentioned you wanted to connect with your roots and learn more about your culture,"

 "Yes, I really do,"

 "It makes me really happy that you want to," Cheng smiled, making Marinette smile as well. "I have a lot of reservations at my restaurant this week but I cancelled them all so I could spend time with you. Thanks to you, I'm on holiday for the first time since... your mother left for France,"

 "You did all that for me?" She gasped, completely surprised.

 "Of course," He replied, nodding. "Family is sacred after all,"

 "You've made really good progress with your french since I last saw you," She smiled, making him smile back.

 "I have worked really hard and practiced often so I can communicate with you," He smiled, making her smile even more.

 "I've been trying to learn Chinese as well," She replied, making him smile. "I'm not very good at it but I can say a few more things then before,"

 "I'm sure you're doing well," He smiled before looking ahead. "I can tell you all the stories about our ancestors and we can visit Shanghai. Oh, I can teach all the traditional songs of our family!"

 "We have traditional songs?"

 "Yes!" He grinned, excitedly. "Oh and you can bring your boyfriend along,"

 "O-oh me and Luka aren't quite there yet," She blushed, looking to the side as Cheng looked at her. "We just kind of testing the water with our relationship and enjoying each other's company. Luka is very respectful and sweet,"

 "He seems like a kind and gentle boy," Cheng smiled before frowning. "I hope I didn't hurt you or him when I was Kung Food,"

 "Oh no! You didn't," She gasped, holding up her hands as they pulled into a parking space. "Luka actually went to look for you during that time as we were worried about you. Anatis ended up telling him to hide while he and Lady Noir tried to save you,"

 "Anatis? That's the ladybug boy, isn't it?" He asked as he killed the engine and got out. Marinette followed and got out as well before they opened the boot and took out her suitcase and the present for Cheng. "He seemed like a nice boy too,"

 "He is," She nodded as they walked over to a door. "Could you tell me more about our family?"

 "Of course," He smiled, unlocking the door and letting her inside. "Your great great grandfather would draw for Pekin's opera artists,"

 "Really?" She gasped, amazed. "I do fashion myself!!"

 "Yes, your mother has told me all about it," He smiled, putting the box down as a gray parrot flew over to her and flapped in front of her.

 "Marinette!! Marinette! Marinette!!" It cawed, making her jump before it flew over to Cheng and landed on his shoulder, making him laugh.

 "This is Bastille," He smiled, gesturing to the bird. "Bastille, I'm really proud to introduce you to my niece, Marinette,"

 "Delighted to meet you, Bastille," She replied, walking over to him and Cheng before noticing the pictures on the wall. She stopped in front of them and looked at them.

 "Bastille has been in the family for a long time," Cheng explained, pointing to the picture. "Look, he was already there for your Grandpa Yen and Grandma Chun and he was there for your mama, Xia Ping,"

 "Xia Ping?" Marinette asked, making Cheng nod.

 "Yes, she only named her Sabine when she moved to Paris," He explained, making her frown a little. It was sad that she felt like that she had to change her name to something that was more accepted. She looked back at the picture.

 "I've never seen this picture of Mama before," She stated, smiling a little in. "She looks so happy and beautiful,"

 "She was," Cheng replied, nodding before Marinette yawned.

 "Sorry," She gasped, holding up her hands but he chuckled.

 "Why don't we have some dinner then you can get some rest?" He suggested as Bastille said 'magic ingredient' repeatedly, making Cheng smile. "I already have one for today. You remember my style of cooking, don't you Marinette?"

 "Yes," She smiled. "You always improvise with something destiny sends your way,"

 "And today, destiny placed you in my path,"

 "But I didn't bring an ingredient," She replied as her phone vibrated. She took it out and saw Luka had texted her. She smiled softly before sending a text back then looking up at her uncle. "Should I find one?"

 "No need," He replied, smiling. "Sometimes improvising isn't about the ingredients but the chef themselves,"

 "You mean... I can help you cook?" She gasped, looking excited. He chuckled and nodded before picking up her suitcase and taking it to her room. Once that was done, the two of them headed to the kitchen and began to work on dinner. Once they had finished, they sat down for a meal before Marinette helped Cheng clear up then retired for the night. As she settled into her bed, she smiled to herself. Tomorrow she would go and explore Shanghai for a little bit.

 ~The Next Day~

 Marinette gasped as she looked around the city in amazement. Despite that he had booked the week off, Cheng had to go into his restaurant to fix something but promised to spend the rest of the day with her as soon as he had sorted out the issue. Since she was free for the rest of the day, she decided to explore the city center and had texted Luka. They had arranged to meet for lunch since Jagged and Penny were busy setting up Jagged's shows. She walked over to the traffic light as she headed to the shopping center but a girl knocked into her, causing Marinette to gasp.

 "I am so sorry!" She gasped, making the girl look at her in surprise. She realized that she probably didn't realize what she said so she just gave her a weak smile and when on her way. She stopped at the traffic lights and looked around as she waited. The girl who had bumped into her stopped nearly by and opened her purse, causing Plagg to go still. She frowned to herself when she only found her phone, a block of cheese, a weird cat plushie and Marinette's id. She turned back and looked at her before moving closer to her. The traffic was still going and the Marinette seemed lost in a day dream so the girl lifted her necklace from her, her earrings and her ring before turning to walk away but three boys gasped and began to shout at her. She backed away and ran from them, knocking into Marinette who frowned as the boys moved past her. "Oh no. That girl seems in trouble,"

 She ran across the road and followed them down into an alleyway before slipping into an alleyway herself.

 "Plagg, claws out!!" She shouted, punching the air but nothing happened, making her gasp. "Plagg?!"

 She glanced down and realized her purse was gone, making her gasp before she touched her ears and realized her earrings were missing as well. She quickly searched herself discovering all of her valuables were missing, including her phone. She gasped before shaking looking down at her hand and covering her mouth when she saw her miraculous was missing.

 "Plagg!!" She screamed, falling to her knees as tears filled her. She had somehow lost Plagg. 

 ~Meanwhile~

 Fei, the girl who had pick-pocketed Marinette, ran as fast as she could before suddenly tripping over. She frowned and quickly got up before disappearing into the crowd, away from the boys chasing her. She switched her hat for a new wig and looked at her before noticing a boy stood in the crowd. Like the girl who she robbed, he stood out and was clearly a tourist. She walked over and knocked into him, slipping her hand in his pocket but to her surprise, he suddenly grabbed her arm. She gasped and looked up at him.

 "What are you doing?" He asked as his clearly silver eyes bored int her eyes. It actually scared her and she quickly snatched her hand from his, stepping away before running off. Luka frowned as his eyes turned back to blue. He wasn't sure why he sensed that she was trying to pickpocket her but he did and something wasn't right either. He was suppose to be meeting Marinette for lunch but he had this nagging feeling that he needed to follow this girl. Deciding to follow it, he turned around and headed in the direction she had gone. He stopped at a stall and brought a baseball hat. He tore off the label and put it on before taking off his blue jacket and put it inside his rucksack. Tikki looked up at him from the hoodie with a confused look. "I'm following a feeling, Tikki,"

 "Ok," She nodded as he followed the girl. She didn't seem to notice him and seemed to be pretty clumsy for a pick-pocket. She walked into a number of things, tripped up a few times and even knocked into a lamp post. Luka frowned as she cursed at it before heading down some stairs, which she proceed to fall down.

 "Seriously!?" She gasped, getting up and dusting herself down before a phone began to ring. She took it out of a familiar phone and disconnected it, causing Luka to narrow his eyes.

 "That's Marinette's," He whispered, frowning before he gasped, causing Tikki to look at him. "If she robbed Marinette, she has no way to contact anyone or navigate her way around Shanghai. We need to find her,"

 "If that girl robbed Marinette then maybe she can't be far too away," Tikki replied, making Luka nod. "I also wouldn't transform just yet. If you find Marinette as Anatis, she might get suspicious,"

 "Good point," He replied, frowning as the girl came out of the shop, looking disappointed. "We could get Marinette's things back though,"

 "Is that a good idea?" She asked, making him frown. "That place seems bad,"

 "You're right but Marinette might not get her things back this way," He replied, moving from his hiding place. He walked into the shop and walked over to the desk as the man was trying to get something to work. It appeared that his till had broken down and a light was flickering in the back. He looked up at him, causing Luka to get a very deep shiver. Every part of his being was telling that this man was bad news. He took a step back but noticed Marinette's purse and phone to the table. The man moved his hand and gave him a dark smirk. 

 "Nǐ hǎo, wǒ néng wéi nín fúwù ma?" He asked, making Luka frown. "Oh, are you a tourist? I speak French and English if that helps,"

 "Y-Yeah..." Luka replied before pointing to the purse. "That purse and phone... how much for them?"

 "5000 yuan," He replied, making Luka frown. He knew that was over priced and he certainly didn't have that kind of cash at all. He frowned and sighed. "Ah you don't have that kind of money, do you? I'll tell you what. You give me those ear plugs and I'll knock the price down to 3000 Yuan,"

 "No," Luka gasped, glaring at him and causing the man to frown. "I'll leave it,"

 "Very well," The man smiled as Luka turned on his heel and walked out. The man smiled and clicked his fingers, causing a couple of his men appear. "Go and get what you can from that boy,"

 "Yes, sir," They exited the shop and caught up to Luka, causing him to frown as he noticed them.

 "Tikki, stay close," He whispered, turning down an alleyway. The men turned down it as well, making him frown even more. He was certain that they were following him now. He broke into a run and climbed onto a dumpster before scaling a building, pulling himself on a roof, causing the men to growl as he ran across it before jumping onto another one, running across it until he lost them. He jumped across another roof and leaned down before seeing Marinette arrive with the girl who tried to rob him. He frowned and knelt down. He wanted to get down and warn her but something was holding him back and he couldn't explain what. He just knew things would work out worst if he did.

 "Fei, look, I found my ring!" Marinette gasped, making the girl... Fei... move over to her. 

 "Oh, that is lucky," She gasped, making Luka narrow his eyes before the two of them grabbed the ring and disappeared into the shop. Luka narrowed his eyes. He was about to climb down when Fei and Marinette suddenly rushed out of the shop. He stopped and watched them as Marinette looked upset. She shouted something about getting her ring back but Fei suddenly put something in her hand.

 "My ring?!" She gasped, looking up at the girl. "You stole it back?"

 "Didn't you want it back?" Fei asked, making Marinette frown.

 "Yes but not like that," She gasped but Fei shook her head. "Stealing is very wrong!"

 "Cash was trying to con you," She gasped, looking down to the side. "He is not a good man,"

 "But-" She gasped but three men ran out of the shop, causing them to gasp. Fei grabbed Marinette's hand and ran off with her, causing the men to follow. Luka frowned but decided not to follow. Despite wanting to help Marinette, he had a feeling that staying here and waiting would lead him to her quicker then if he chased them. A few minutes later, the owner of the shop... Cash... came out and frowned before turning in the other way and walking. Luka narrowed his eyes and lowered himself down before shadowing him. 

 ~Back To Marinette and Fei~

 Marinette ran as fast as she could from the men that were chasing her and Fei. They seemed really annoyed but she had gotten her ring back. She glanced at it as a black blur appeared, making her gasp and smile.

 "Plagg," She gasped, opening her jacket and letting him fly in before she ducked into an alleyway and slipped her ring on her finger. "Plag-"

 "What are you doing?!" Fei gasped as she grabbed Marinette's hand and pulled her away from the Alleyway. "Those men are really dangerous and we need to keep running!!"

 "But those other guys who were chasing us were really dangerous as well?" She gasped, making Fei frown before she pulled her arm from her. "Fei, what is going on?!"

 "Cash was trying to rob you blind because he knew that ring was precious to you ok?!" She gasped as they looked around. However they had reached a dead end. To make matters worst, the men who Cash had sent after them turned up. Fei stood in front of her and took a pose. "Stay behind me, Marinette,"

 "Fei," Marinette gasped. "Let me help you,"

 "Marinette, these men will hurt you," She gasped as they moved closer. "At least, I know how to defend myself,"

 The men went to charge at them but before they could, the three boys that had chased Marinette came down the alleyway and gasped. 

 "What is going on?!" Marinette gasped, clearly panicked. However, the guys seemed to see the bigger guys as more of a threat and declared themselves as some sort of neighborhood watch. Fei told them to go home but they said something about not taking an order from a thief. Marinette looked between them but Fei shook her head and told her to ignore them. Cash's guys smirked to themselves and walked over to the young boys, causing Fei to grab Marinette's hand and run. They briefly saw Cash's guys trying to chase after them but the other set of boys jumped on them, allowing Fei and Marinette to run as fast as they could through the alleyways. Gradually they came to a stop as Marinette caught her breathe. "Where are we going?"

 "Somewhere safe," Fei replied as they began to move. Marinette nodded before following her to a burnt down school. She frowned as Fei entered it. "Where are we?"

 "It's my father's old school," Fei replied, looking down as Marinette glanced around. She noticed a bed and a small altar with a photo of a man. "I'm sorry it isn't much but it's home. I live here and now..."

 She walked over to a small little table and poured a drink before handing it to Marinette.

 "Sorry, I don't have much else to offer you," She muttered, making Marinette nod as she took the drink. 

 "It's fine, Fei," She smiled, taking a sip before looking around. "But why did you bring us here?"

 "I have to protect my father's heritage," She sighed, looking sad. 

 "But... your father..." Marinette glanced over to the picture of the man as Fei nodded.

 "He's dead..." She mumbled, frowning. "He died when this place went up in flames..."

 "Oh," Marinette replied, frowning. "I'm so sorry,"

 "They did everything to make us leave," Fei gasped, looking down as tears threatened to spill. "I mean everything. Intimidation, robbery... they took everything from us. Even the bracelet my father had entrusted me with. The jewel I told you about. I was as attached to it in the same way that you are to your ring but this jewel was something else. It had a sort of power,"

 "Oh," Marinette gasped, surprised. Did this girl have a miraculous? "These people you are talking about... who are they?"

 "That's the problem," Fei sighed, frowning. "I don't know. It was my quest to find them that put me in your path. I... I have something important to tell you... It was-"

 "Did you really think I wouldn't find you here, Fei?!"

 ~Back to Luka~

 Luka frowned as he followed Cash through the alleyways. Occasionally, he would stop and turn around but he never noticed Luka following him. Of course, he didn't think to look at the rooftops. Luka frowned as he came to a burnt down building and walked inside. Luka frowned and jumped downside, moving over to the window and glanced inside. Marinette and Fei were inside, making him frown deeply.

 "Did you really think I wouldn't find you here, Fei?!" Cash growled, making both girls step back in fear. Marinette looked between the two of them.

 "You know each other?" She asked, confused.

 "Of course, I know her," He laughed, making Luka frown as he stalked over to them. "How do you think I ended up with your ring, Little girl? She stole it from you then she stole it from me,"

 "Y-you... stole from me?" Marinette gasped with tears in her eyes as she dropped her cup. Fei gasped and held out her hand.

 "I was just about to tell you I swear," She gasped but Cash laughed as Marinette's eyes watered.

 "Y-You saw how much it meant to me!!" She cried, making Luka's heart ache. "And you knew I would pay any price!!"

 "I'm sorry!!" She gasped, making Luka frown. "He said he would tell me who murdered my father but he was asking for a huge amount of money in return,"

 "There is always a price to pay," Cash grinned, making Luka grit his teeth. This guy was awful. While he didn't agree with Fei's actions, he could understand why she did it now that he knew she was trying to find who killed her father. "You can't get anything for free in this world, baby,"

 He turned and stalked over to Marinette, making Luka growl.

 "You are going to phone your uncle now!" He demanded, making Marinette step back as he shoved a phone at her. "And ask him for the money he owes me!"

 "I won't let you!" Fei cried out, knocking his phone out of his hand and moving in front of Marinette. "Marinette! Run!!"

 "I want my money!!" Cash shouted as Fei kept her pose. Luka narrowed his eyes. He had been trying to avoid transforming as he didn't have an excuse as to why Anatis would be in Shanghai but if this guy keeps threatening them, he would interfere without hesitation. "And you're gonna give it to me or you'll never get your answers!!"

 "Do you even know who killed him?!" Fei shouted back, making both Luka and Marinette frown.

 "The truth is if this girl doesn't get my money, you'll both meet the same fate as your father!!" He shouted, causing Luka to transform into Anatis without a second thought. He was about to jump in when Fei kicked Cash across the room before he heard shouting between the two girls. Marinette ran out a few seconds later, causing him to frown as she wiped her eyes. She looked over and gasp.

 "Anatis?" She asked, making him sigh. "What are you doing here?"

 "I've been tracking down Hawkmoth," He replied, making her gasp.

 "I just saw an akuma in there!" She gasped, pointing to the building. Anatis frowned and looked inside, just as Fei ran after something. He frowned and turned to Marinette.

 "Wait here while I go and deal with this," He ordered, making her nod before he walked inside. He took out his yoyo and ran out into the garden. However, he came to a stop as his eyes widen. He recognized the place but he didn't know why. He just knew he had seen it before. He snapped out of his surprise when he saw Fei flying towards him. She landed in a well, making him frown before he rushed over and lowered his yoyo, causing her to look at him as she tried to climb up. "Grab on to this,"

 She nodded and took hold of it, causing him to pull her up and out of the well.

 "Thank you," She muttered before looking at him."Who are you?"

 "I'm Anatis,"

 "I'm Fei," She replied, looking down a little before she looked back at him. "Are-Are you one of the good guys?"

 "Yes, I am," He replied, taking his yoyo and sliding it open as it vibrated. He answered it. "Perfect timing, Kitten. I was just about to phone you,"

 "Lucky me," Lady Noir purred as he chuckled. "So I was just checking in like I said we would,"

 "As I said perfect timing," He chuckled before going seriously. "I just found Hawkmoth, which is concerning. Can you get here quickly?"

 "I'll be there in a flash," She replied before they hung up as Fei hugged herself. Anatis turned to her. 

 "Did you see where a man in a purple suit went?"

 "He broke into the cave," She gasped before going to run towards it. Anatis, however, grabbed her arm, causing her to look at him. "I need to protect it!"

 "Rushing in isn't gonna help," He replied, making her blink before he smiled at her and ran across to the water fall with her. She blinked in surprise as he walked inside with her. "Hawkmoth is after something here. Do you know what it is?"

 "It's a bracelet," She gasped, making him look at her as they walked into the cave. "Is he... bad?”

 "Yes." Anatis asked, making her nod. "He’s called Hawkmoth and is very dangerous. We need to defeat him,"

 "We?" Fei asked but she jumped as another person joined them, landing next to them. This time it was a girl dressed as a black cat. "Who are you?"

 "This is my partner, Lady Noir," He replied before holding up his hand and pointing to the colorful quarts. The three of them hid behind a rock as Hawkmoth walked over to one of the walls. His akuma was stood nearby, making Anatis frown before he glanced up at the sky. The moon turned fully red, making the beam disappear and causing the circular stone to move, revealing a seal. Anatis frowned as Hawkmoth walked over and placed the bracelet against the seal, causing Fei to gasp. 

 "That's my bracelet," She gasped, looking at him. "H-He was the one... who took it,"

 "Does it have any special features?" Lady Noir asked, making Fei shake her head.

 "I don't know," She replied, frowning. "I was just suppose to protect the cave and the bracelet... but I failed..."

 Lady Noir frowned as Fei went to move but Anatis grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back down.

 "Stay down," He ordered as a green light came from it. It began to take a form, transforming it into a statue. Anatis' eyes widen as he looked at it. "Meishi?"

 "You know that thing?" Fei asked as it began to talk. Anatis frowned and shook his head, making both girls look at him with confusion.

 "It's complicated," He hissed as Meishi turned to Hawkmoth.

 "Human, are you ready to face the judgement of Meishi, the protector of the Prodigious," It stated, making both girls look at Anatis with surprise. He shrugged before continued to watch as Meishi moved aside, letting Hawkmoth walk into the cave and retrieve the Prodigious. Anatis narrowed his eyes as he walked out. "Put the the Prodigious around your neck, human, and prepare to face my judgement,"

 "I can't let him take it," Anatis gasped, moving away as the two girls looked at him. He glanced over at them as they went to follow him but he shook his head. "Stay here,"

 He slipped past the rocks as Hawkmoth walked out of the cave.

 "What makes you think I have the slightest intention of confronting you, Guardian," He replied, walking over to his akuma as Meishi looked take back. "Silver King, it is time for me to keep my end of our deal. Use your power on him and turn him into a gold statue that will be yours to do as you wish,"

 Silver King smirked and lifted his fan as Meishi gasped.

 "What?!" He declared, looking at Hawkmoth as he walked away. "You can't do that! I forbid you!! You don't respect the rules!"

 "Rules are for the weak," Hawkmoth replied, walking away. Anatis narrowed his eyes before throwing his yoyo towards Hawkmoth. It wrapped around his feet, causing him to yell out as Anatis jumped through a large hole in the rocks. Using his weight, he lifted Hawkmoth in the air, causing him to yell out and drop the Prodigious. "No! You!!"

 "Nice to see you too, Hawkmoth," Anatis grinned as Fei ran out and grabbed the necklace. "What are you doing?!"

 "I am going to complete my father's mission!" She declared, looking to Meishi.

 "So you shall face my judgement," He replied, sitting down as Hawkmoth growled.

 "Silver King!" He yelled, making Fei and Anatis look at him. "Get me that amulet!"

 Silver King smirked and charged at her, making Fei gasped 

 "Fei!" Lady Noir shouted, rushing out. She pushed Fie out of the way but Silver King knocked her into a wall with a lot of force before he grabbed her and threw her into Anatis. He let go of Hawkmoth and tried to catch her as best as he could. "Sorry,"

 "It's fine," He replied as the two of them jumped out of the way of Silver King's attack. Anatis jumped over him and threw his yoyo at Hawkmoth, wrapping it around his cane as he stalked over to Fei. He growled and yanked his cane free before swinging at Anatis. He blocked it but Hawkmoth came in with a blow with his cane before grabbing Anatis by the neck and slamming his head into his, causing Anatis to drop to the ground. Hawkmoth lifted his cane as if to stab Anatis but he slammed his foot into his stomach, causing Hawkmoth to gasp before he jumped up. Hawkmoth growled and threw his fists again as Lady Noir blocked Silver King's attack, causing Fei to frown. She looked down at the Prodigious before narrowing her eyes and putting on the Prodigious. One by one, it's dots lit up with symbols before a glow that resembled embers came from it. She gasped in surprise as she felt an energy surge through her before slamming her right fist into her left hand. The glow moved across her body, changing her clothes in a red and orange suit with gold detail. She moved her hands upwards and over her face, creating a red mask with a golden trim and turning her eyes to gold. Her hair changed color to a pinkish red and began longer as well. She moved her arms in kung fu moves as extra detail appeared on her suit before striking a pose. Once her transformation was completely, she blinked as the Prodigious glowed and a number of small creatures appeared.

 "Greetings to our new Renren!" They yelled in union as Anatis jumped out of the way of Silver King's attack. Lady Noir jumped over him and landed a kick to Silver King but he blocked with his fan. Hawkmoth charged at Anatis, causing him to jump out the way.

 "New what?!" Fei gasped in surprise, causing the other two heroes to look at her.

 "Renren," The Dragon like one stated, making her blink. "The person who wears the Prodigious,"

 "Who are you talking to?!" Anatis asked as he wrapped his yoyo around a rock and threw it towards Hawkmoth before jumping over to her, blocking Silver King's attack.

 "Only Renren can see us," One of them explained, making her nod.

 "It has a species of magical bugs but only I can see them,"

 "Useful!" Lady Noir shouted as she jumped and wrapped her baton around Silver King's neck, causing him to try and throw her off. "I guess these magical bugs are like Kwamis!"

 "They're Renlings!" Anatis replied, blocking Hawkmoth's cane before kicking him back as Fei rose an eyebrow and when to ask how he knew that. "Don't ask because I don't know but whatever they tell you, listen!"

 "What?!" She gasped as Silver King threw off Lady Noir and charged at her, under Hawkmoth's order. She jumped away as he went to swipe at her but Lady Noir jumped up and dived at him. He blocked her with his fan again before grabbing her leg and throwing her into a wall as Anatis went head to head with Hawkmoth. Silver King swiped his fan, causing gold spikes to come towards her. 

 "Your friend is right about our name," The Praying Mantis one stated, making her blink in surprise. "We are the Renlings and represent human values,"

 "Anyone of us can transform into a wild animal," The Snake one explained, making her nod as she listened. "Provided that you are worthy of the values we represent,"

 She jumped out of the way of Silver King as he tried to attack her again before slamming her foot down. He blocked and she jumped back as Lady Noir dived in front of her and began to engage with him as the Renlings reappeared.

 "For example if you want me, Tang-Tang the Renling of Patience, to transform you into a preying mantis, you have to be patient," Tang-Tang explained, making Fei sigh.

 "Thank you but I don't have time for patience right now!" She gasped as Silver King threw Lady Noir in Anatis before trying to hit her. She jumped out of the way and landed on the ground as the bear one moved in front of her. "Huh?"

 "Xung-Xung, Renling of Calm," They stated, making her look at them like they were crazy.

 "Of calm?!" She gasped. "How can I be calm?!"

 "Calm like a bear," Xung-Xung declared, moving their paws downwards. "Big and Strong like a bear,"

 Anatis threw his yoyo towards Silver King as he charged towards her but Hawkmoth intercepted it, grabbing it. He yanked it and kicked Anatis to the ground before placing his foot on his neck as Lady Noir went to jump at him. He grabbed her and threw her down, pointing his cane at her neck. She growled and when to summon her power but before pressed on Anatis' neck.

 "Don't even think about it, Cat," He stated, pressing on Anatis' neck even more, causing him to gasp for breathe and try to get Hawkmoth off him. "You summon your power and I'll break his neck. Silver King, get me that necklace!"

 Silver King grinned and charged at Fei but she took a deep breathe and calmed herself down.

 "Xung!" She declared, causing her eyes to turn purple as one of the symbols lit up before she glowed and turned into a bear, causing Silver King to look surprised before she swiped at him, sending him flying into Hawkmoth and knocking them both into a wall. Lady Noir rushed over to Anatis as he coughed, helping him up.

 "I'm ok," He muttered before Fei came over to them in her bear form. "Thanks... um...?"

 "Lady Bear I guess," She replied, making them both nod. "What's the plan?"

 "We need to get his fan off him and destroy it," Anatis replied, taking out his yoyo and throwing it up in the air. "Lucky Charm!!"

 A ball appeared out of thin air, causing Anatis to catch it as Fei rose an eyebrow.

 "What are you gonna do with that?" She asked as Hawkmoth and Silver King got up.

 "No idea. Mind distract them while I work out how to use this?" He asked, causing both Fei and Lady Noir to nod. Lady Noir charged at Hawkmoth as Fei took on Silver King, switching forms as she did. However, she failed to transform into the dragon, making Anatis frown. "What happened?!"

 "Normally, if I can turn into a dragon, I can use all of the elements," She gasped, slithering away in her snake form. "I'd like to hit his armor with some lightening but I can't use it!"

 "The power of the dragon is the most powerful of them all," Meishi explained as Anatis dived out of the way of an attack. Lady Noir jumped at Hawkmoth, kicking before he returned the attack as Anatis looked around. He frowned as nothing lit up yet. "Your intentions need to be just and noble for you to earn the right,"

 "My intentions are noble!" She declared as she dodged Silver King. Hawkmoth grabbed Lady Noir and threw her up onto a rock before hitting it with his cane, causing it to fall on her leg and trap her. "I want revenge on the man who ruined my life!!"

 "Revenge is against the dragon's value," Meishi replied, glancing over at Fei as Hawkmoth charged at Anatis, causing him to throw the ball straight at his face before using his yoyo as a shield. "Your intentions and your judgement are troubled,"

 "Isn't revenge and justice the same thing?!" She asked as Lady Noir tried to get the rock of her leg.

 "No, it isn't," Meishi answered as Anatis tried to get to Lady Noir but Hawkmoth hit him with his cane, causing him to fall on the ground before he dived at him. Anatis rolled out of the way and jumped up.

 "Then we'll find another way to defeat him!" She shouted before turning into a monkey. She jumped at him, repeatedly hitting him and biting his armor but he grabbed her and threw her into a deep puddle before slicing one of the pillars, causing it to land on her.

 "No!" Anatis shouted as it landed, apparently crushing her. Hawkmoth laughed and turned to him as Lady Noir continued to try and free her leg. Anatis took a step back as Hawkmoth and Silver King stalked towards him.

 "Your partner is trapped and your new ally has fallen," Hawkmoth smirked as Anatis' back hit a wall. "Who thought today would be the day I get your miraculous and the prodigious? Silver King, you know what to do,"

 Silver King smirked as Anatis felt something hit his foot. He glanced down and noticed his lucky charm, causing it to light up before looking up as Lady Noir freed her foot with her baton before getting up and giving him a thumbs up. She lit up as Silver King charged at him. He lifted his fan above his head, causing it to light up before Anatis grabbed his lucky charm with his foot, kicking it up and causing it to knock Silver King's fan out of his hand. Lady Noir dived down towards it, wrapping her hand around it.

 "Cataclysm!" She shouted, causing it to turn to dust before she landed in front of Anatis as he kicked the ball up and caught it before catching the akuma in his yoyo and releasing the purified one. Silver King stumbled back and turned back into Cash as Fei slithered from beneath the pillar, moving over to them as Anatis swung his yoyo around. Lady Noir took out her baton as Hawkmoth looked down. "You're alone against the three of us, Hawkmoth,"

 "It's over," Fei declared, turning into a bear but Anatis frowned.

 "Something isn't right,"

 "Always so prospective, Anatis," Hawkmoth declared as he lifted his hand. A second akuma landed on his finger, making the three of them frown. "I think it is over for you,"

 He suddenly threw the akuma away from him. Anatis threw his yoyo but just missed as it entered Meishi's orb, making them gasp.

 "Meishi!" He shouted, causing Hawkmoth to laugh.

 "Not anymore," He replied as the butterfly mask appeared on them. "Yan Woshi, I am Hawkmoth. You're certainly not going to let this little girl who thinks vengeance is the same thing as justice, be the holder of your prodigious, are you?"

 "Hawkmoth, no!" Anatis shouted, stepping forward before looking to Meishi. "Meishi, don't listen to him!!"

 "I will give you the power to reclaim the Prodigious," He declared, ignoring Anatis. "In return, all I ask is for you to help me squash this annoying bug and his friends,"

 "Meishi! Don't!!" Anatis gasped but his cries went unheard.

 "As the infernal demon Yan Woshi, I will sow carnage and destruction until she gives me back the Prodigious!" He declared, transforming into a hulking, red creature as the three of them stepped back in horror. The four of them ran out of the cave as it burst through it, causing Anatis to grab Cash and throw his yoyo up as Yan Woshi lifted himself up and swallowed the ball that contained his akuma, making them frown. He yanked on it and pulled them up to safety as Lady Noir and Fei landed next to him before rolling on the ground as Hawkmoth jumped over to Yan Woshi. Anatis jumped up and threw his yoyo, hitting Hawkmoth and making him look at him. "Tremble, humans!"

 "You idiot!" He shouted, causing Hawkmoth to look at him in surprise. "You don't know what you've done!"

 "Give me your miraculous and I-" He started before noticing Yan Woshi was heading towards the city. "Yan Woshi! I order you to destroy Anatis, not the city!!"

 Yan Woshi ignored him, causing Hawkmoth to growl.

 "Yan Woshi! Stop or I'll take back your powers!" He declared, causing Yan Woshi to turn towards him. He smirked and turned to Anatis, pointing at him as Anatis took a step back, gesturing for the girls to do the same. "Now, attack-"

 "I take orders from no one!" He shouted, firing at Hawkmoth with his red eye beam. Hawkmoth shielded himself but it was too late. He turned to Anatis as he gasped.

 "Anatis! Help me!" He shouted before screaming as he turned to red dust, causing the three of them to blink as Yan Woshi headed towards the city. 

 "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Lady Noir asked as their miraculous beeped, causing Anatis to frown.

 "We need to recharge and then we need to stop him. We have to find a way to get that ball," He declared before running off. He hid behind a rock as he detransformed and gave Tikki a cookie. He saw a blink of green light from a rock nearby before sighing and turning to Tikki, handing her a cookie before taking one for himself. He would need the energy. "How do we fight a dragon spirit that has been akumatized?"

 "You're gonna need help," She gasped as she ate a cookie, making him nod.

 "Fei will have to help us," He muttered, frowning. "Is this why Feng locked up the Prodigious?"

 "I don't know," Tikki frowned as he finished his cookie. "But it's a good job we came here. Imagine if Hawkmoth had gotten to Prodigious or unleashed that thing on the city,"

 "I don't want to," He replied as she finished her cookie. "Charged up?"

 "Ready when you are," She smiled as he swiped his earrings and transformed before jumping back over to Fei, who was looking down.

 "You ok?" He asked, making her jump as she looked at him before nodding as Lady Noir jumped over. Anatis frowned as her song was one of guilt and sorrow before turning to the two of them. "Ok, we're gonna need all three of us to defeat him,"

 "Right!" Lady Noir grinned, spinning her baton. "We need to get to the city fast,"

 "Space power ups," Anatis replied, reaching into his yoyo and retrieving a purple macaron. "We can fly there,"

 "Good idea," Lady Noir nodded, taking a chunk of purple cheese before the two of them ate them, transforming into Asteroid and Lady Cosmic. "Fei, you got a way to fly or do you need a lift?"

 "Oh," She muttered, frowning. "I can fly. Ying!"

 She turned into a bird before the three of them flew towards the city. Anatis frowned as Yan Woshi continued to destroy the city before pointing to one of the buildings. Lady Noir nodded and the three of them flew over before landing on the building.

 "Spots off," He declared as Lady Noir said Claws in, turning them back to their normal selves as Fei landed next to them. Anatis threw his yoyo, wrapping it around Yan Woshi before Lady Noir dived at him. However, he grabbed her and threw her into the floor before yanking Anatis towards him. Anatis yelled as he flew by before landing in a tree as Fei jumped off the building and turned back in her bird form. She flew over to Yan Woshi and transformed into a tiger. She landed on his nose and tried to scratch him but he grabbed her and threw her to the ground before firing his beam at her. She managed to turn into a horse and run from it before hiding behind a newspaper stand. She looked behind it before gasping and looking away.

 "This is all my fault," She gasped with tears in her eyes.

 "Give me back the Prodigious!" Yan Woshi declared, walking towards her as Anatis climbed down from the tree. He swiped back the stand, making her gasp as she stepped away. "You're not worthy of wearing it!"

 His eyes charged up but before he could hit her, Anatis grabbed a piece of metal and threw it at him, causing Yan Woshi to turn to him and fire his beam at him. Anatis jumped back but Yan Woshi slammed his fist down on the ground, sending a shock wave that knocked Anatis onto the ground before firing at him.

 "Annie!" Lady Noir gasped as she ran and pushed him out of the way, taking the hit.

 "Lady Noir!!" Anatis screamed as he tried to grab her as she screamed, turning to dust. He felt to his knees as tears filled his eyes before letting out a scream, his eyes turning silver as he did. Yan Woshi turned his attention back to Fei as his eyes charged up and fired at her but Anatis suddenly slammed his feet into his face, making him stumble and causing the beam to narrow miss her. She gasped and turned back into the bird, flying off as Anatis landed on the ground, looking up at Yan Woshi with glowing silver eyes. He jumped out of the way of the beam and threw his yoyo, pulling himself onto a building as Yan Woshi went back to destroying the city. He punched a wall before hearing a bird. He looked up and noticed Fei landed on the balcony below him before turning back into herself and curling up as she began to cry. 

 Talk to her.... He nodded and jumped down, de-transforming as she hugged her knees. She looked up and wiped her eyes before gasping as she looked at him.

 "Y-You," She gasped in surprise as he walked over. "Who are you?!"

 "Luka,"

 "But what are you doing here?!" She gasped. "You should try and find safety,"

 "Your song called to me," He replied, making her blink before he looked at the Renlings too. He was a little surprised he could see them but he would worry about that later. "And so did theirs,"

 "Y-You can see them?" She gasped as he nodded. "B-But how?"

 "It doesn't matter," He replied, sitting next to her. "You know this isn't the first time I've seen destruction like this. Back at home, we face things like this every day,"

 "Re-Really?" She asked, making him nod. "I caused this..."

 "How?" He asked, making her look at him.

 "I was selfish and took this to take vengeance on the man who ruined my life," She answered, showing him the Prodigious. "Instead, I messed up. I tried to rob you, I robbed a really sweet girl, I lied to her and everything that is happened is my fault. I can't do anything right. I can't even use the dragon's power right and it's what we need to get the ball but... Yan Woshi is right...I'm not worthy of it..."

 "I disagree," He replied, making her look at him in surprise. "Besides, he's an akumatized villain. He isn't in his right mind,"

 "It doesn't change that I'm not worthy," She replied, frowning. "My father would be so ashamed. I wanted vengeance on the man who took my father from me and destroyed my life, despite the fact that my father wouldn't want me to. He would have wanted me to do good but instead I've brought ruin onto Shanghai because I couldn't move on! How can I ever come back from that,"

 "By trying to do the right thing," Luka replied, making her look at him again. "People make mistakes but that isn't what defines us. What defines us is how we try to fix them. Yes, you messed up but you have a chance to change that. You can help save this city. You just have to accept that you made a mistake and try to fix it,"

 "You really think I can do that?" She asked, wiping her eyes as he placed her hand on her shoulder. She looked at him as he gave her a smile before nodding. "Thank you,"

 She smiled before looking at the Renlings but before they say anything, Yan Woshi walked towards them and glared at them.

 "My Prodigious," He growled, making them jump. Fei transformed back into her super form as Yan Woshi growled and fired his beam at the building, causing it to break. Luka jolted forward as the brickwork gave way and began to plummet towards the ground as Fei fell after him. 

 "Luka!" She screamed as she tried to reach him. She wanted to save him. She had to save him. Despite her trying to steal from him and barely knowing her, he believed in her. He believed she can fix her mistake. A complete stranger who had no reason to believe in her yet did. She would not let him die. "Long!!"

 She transformed into the dragon and flew towards him, weaving wind around him and stopping him from falling. She directed the wind to a building, causing him to land on there before she flew over to Yan Woshi. 

 Well done, Luka... Luka nodded as he watched Fei try to reason with Meishi and redirected water towards him while she flew around. He fired at her but she pushed it back with lightening breathe, making Luka step back. He hid behind a building and transformed back into Anatis before throwing up his yoyo.

 "Lucky Charm!!" He shouted, summoning a mink vase. He gasped and caught it before placing it down. "Really?"

 He shook his head before looking back over to the scene. Fei lit up then the water and finally the vase. He smirked and moved over to the edge, just as Yan Hoshi overpowered Fei. She flew away from him and used her power to wrap him in water.

 "Calm down, Meishi," She gasped. "I don't want to hurt you. I'm not here to destroy you or to satisfy my revenge. I only want to save you and bring you back to your senses!"

 "I am no longer Meishi!" He declared, breaking free from the water and running towards her. "I am Yan Woshi!!"

 He went to punch her but she flew out of the way. However, he turned around and punched her out of the sky, sending her fly as she scream. Anatis threw his yoyo and wrapped it around her, pulling him towards him before catching her and putting her down.

 "Anatis?!" She gasped. "You're alive?!"

 "Of course, I am," He smiled but she noticed his eyes were silver, just like Luka's. She frowned but decided not to say anything about it as he leaned onto the vase. "And I have a gift for Yan Woshi,"

 "Red with black spots?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "Funny design for a vase,"

 "That's because it isn't a normal vase," He replied, making her tilt her head, "It is our solution,"

 He suddenly jumped into it, surprising her.

 "As I said it's a gift for Yan Woshi," He smirked, pulling himself up as she gave him a questioning look. "Think of it as one big pill that requires a lot of water to swallow if you get my drift,"

 "Oooh... that's insane," She replied, making him laugh. "You're insane,"

 "Of course I am. How else would I get my crazy plans to work," He replied, making her laugh before he grinned at her. "Mind getting me to the river?"

 "No problemo," She grinned as her eyes glowed. "Long!"

 She transformed into the dragon before using the wind to move the vase into the river as Yan Woshi continued to destroy stuff.

 "Are you sure this will work?" She asked as she flew towards him.

 "I'm sure," He replied, disappearing into the vase as she called for Yan Woshi's attention. Once he was facing her, she flew around the vase at a high speed, causing the water to lift it up before directing the stream toward Yan Woshi, forcing it into his mouth and down into his stomach. Once in there, Anatis threw out his yoyo, hitting the ball and causing it to crack before the butterfly flew up and Yan Woshi threw up the water, along with the vase. Anatis stepped out of it and smirked. "Ta da! Now where's that akuma?"

 He took out his yoyo and opened it before catching the akuma with it. He freed it once purified as Yan Woshi turned back into Meishi before Fei flew back over and landed in front of him.

 "What happened?" Meishi asked before looking at her. "You mastered the powers of the dragon?"

 "Yes..." She replied, smiling before gesturing to Anatis. "With some help,"

 Meishi smiled a little before looking up and gasping as he saw the destruction of the city.

 "I did that?" He asked, causing Anatis to step forward. "I have failed my mission,"

 "No, you haven't," Anatis stated, making him look at him. "Hawkmoth took advantage of you but that's what he does.... and fixing this is what I do..."

 "Fixing it?" Fei asked as she looked at him. "You can do that?"

 "Of course," He smiled, lifting the vase as Fei watched. He smiled and nodded to it, causing her to help him throw it up into the air. "Miraculous Ladybugs!"

 The vase burst into the cure and flew around Shanghai, fixing the damage and bringing back the dead. It swarmed around one area before moving away and leaving Lady Noir in it's place. Anatis rushed over, tackling into a hug before she could even blink.

 "Annie!" She gasped, hugging him back.

 "Kitten," He gasped, looking at her as his eyes turned back to his normal color. "I thought I lose you,"

 "Nah, you can't get rid of me that easily," She grinned but he hugged her again, causing her to hug him back before they walked over to Fei. "Aww, Meishi's back,"

 "You overcame your mistakes and renounced your vengeance," Meishi stated, looking at Fei. "You have all the human values required. The Prodigious is in good hands with you, Renren,"

 "Thank you, Meishi," She smiled before he turned to Anatis.

 "And you," He stated, making Anatis to look at him. "The answers you seek are in Fuzanglong Waterfall, where the Prodigious rested..."

 "Oh! That's why it was called Dragon's Cave!" He gasped, making both girls look at him as Meishi bowed to them and disappeared into green dust. "It's a long story but we should head back to the cave regardless. Hawkmoth has probably gone by now but Cash is still there,"

 ~Fuzanglong Waterfall~

 "It is time for justice," Fei stated as she stalked over to him. Lady Noir and Anatis just stood there, waiting for her to do her thing.

 "W-Wait we can forget the past?!" Cash gasped as she glared at him. "Just tell me what you want? I'll give you anything!"

 Fei walked over causing him to panic.

 "Wait!" He gasped, flinching. "I swear I'll do whatever you want!"

 "You destroyed my father's school, made me an orphan then forced me to steal for you!" She growled as he looked at her with surprise before she stood up and turned back into her normal self. "Because of you, I renounced what my father had taught me to find the man who took him from me but it was you all along! You are the source of all my misfortune and for what?! Money! There is no words that describe what you are but today I have decided..."

 She turned around before directing a kick at him, making him gasp and hold up his fan. Not that it did any good. It broke from the impact of her kick, despite that it never touched him.

 "To let justice take it's course," She replied, lowering her leg as the two heroes grinned at her. She took a deep breathe as the Renlings appeared to her, congratulating her on been wise enough to let justice take it's course. She transformed back into Lady Dragon as she had taken to calling herself before taking the bracelet from the wall and putting it back on with a smile before it began to glow green before a small lion like creature appeared. It was dark blue with a light blue mane and red eyes.

 "It's not too late!" It declared, making the heroes gasp. "I was wondering if you would put it back on,"

 "Meishi!" The three of them gasped, causing him to smile.

 "You thought my mission was over?" He asked before shaking his head. "No, it's just begun,"

 "Anatis, Lady Noir," Lady Dragon smiled as she turned to them. "Thank you for everything... but Anatis... I'm not sure what you're looking for but Meishi said it was in here?"

 She turned back to him as he nodded before flying over to Anatis. 

 "Can you show me?" Anatis asked, holding up his hands so Meishi could sit in them. 

 "It's over there but only the one who has the soul of the phoenix can unlock it," He replied, making Anatis look over at wall. He turned towards it and walked over before placing his hand on it. At first nothing happened but then golden lines came from Anatis' hand and spread across the wall, forming the image of a bird before the wall cracked and opened. Anatis walked inside and picked up the item before unfolding the cloth, revealing a book with a phoenix drawn on it. He stepped outside before the wall closed as Meishi flew over to him. "So it was you I sensed,"

 "Me?" Anatis asked, frowning. "Wait sensed?"

 "I felt it as soon as you entered this cave," Meishi replied, making him frown. "You are something else, Anatis,"

 "I'd say," Lady Noir grinned, walking over and leading on his shoulder. "But I wouldn't change him for the world,"

 "Thank you," He smiled before turning to Meishi. "This... am I ok to keep it?"

 "It is yours, Móshù zhīzǐ," He replied, bowing to him. "Come, Renren. We have much to do,"

 "Right," She grinned, transforming into her bird form before she grabbed Cash and flew out, making him scream out before Anatis put the book in his yoyo.

 "Sorry for dropping in your holiday," He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

 "It's fine," She giggled. "I'm glad you were here...but I should get back to my holiday. See you later, Annie,"

 "Bye," He smiled as he waved to her as she ran out of the cave. "Well, time to get back to Marinette,"

 ~Uncle Chen's Home, A Couple of Days later~

 "Ah, Marinette, could you get the door?" Cheng asked as the door rang. Fei was helping set up the table and Bastille was helping Cheng. Marinette nodded and opened the door, gasping as she did.

 "Luka!" She gasped, hugging him before letting go. "Oh no! I didn't turn up to lunch!! I'm so sorry!!"

 "It's fine," He smiled before taking out her purse and things including her Kwagatama, causing her eyes to water a little. She took her purse and put it back on before putting the necklace back on.

 "I can't believe you got them back," She gasped, hugging him again. "Me and Fei thought they were gone forever! Oh, you haven't met her, have you?! Fei!!"

 She grabbed his hand and pulled him inside. 

 "Fei! This is my bo- I mean friend... This is my... Luka! This is Luka," She gasped, blushing as Fei looked at him in surprise. "Luka, this is my new friend Fei. We got off on the wrong foot but she's really cool. Thought you already know that cause it's you,"

 "She has a nice song," He smiled, making Marinette grin as Fei stared. "It's nice to meet you, Fei. I'm Luka Couffaine,"

 "L-Likewise," She nodded before Cheng came over.

 "Luka, it's good to see you," He gasped, hugging him.

 "Thank you, Mr Cheng," He gasped, smiling before turning to Marinette. "Dad said gave me an extra ticket so if you want we could bring Fei?"

 "Oh yes!!" She gasped, turning to Fei, who looked at her with surprise. "We've got VIP tickets to Jagged Stone's show. Want to come with us?!"

 "Really?" She gasped as they nodded. "Sure,"

 "Oh, I got this for you," Luka stated, handing Cheng a small gift. "Marinette told me it was your birthday yesterday so I hope you don't mind. It's not much,"

 "Not at all," He smiled, opening it. It wasn't much but it was a bar of rich dark chocolate, making Cheng smile. "Thank you, Luka. I can use this for one of my dishes. Will you join us for dinner? Marinette made most of it,"

 "I would love to if you don't mind," He smiled, making Cheng laugh.

 "Have a seat,"

--------------------------------------------------------------------

#lukanette #lukanette moment #lukanette is endgame #lukanette endgame #luka couffaine #Ladybug Luka Couffaine | Anatis #flustered luka #marinette dupain cheng #chat!marinette #cat marinette dupain-cheng | lady noir #shanghai #shanghai special #miraculous #miraculous world #miraclous ladybug #meishi #fei #fei miraculous #lady dragon #renren #renlings #jagged stone #silver king #hawkmoth is insane #hawkmoth is evil #hawkmoth fails #yan woshi #character death #fei needs a hug #uncle cheng

[mental-dilemma]

A Quick Meeting Part 4?

Damian’s an exchange student in Paris taking it easy until an Akuma attacks and he gets to meet ladybug. -----------------------------------------

Ok before everyone starts pancking: I am Emu-Lumberjack I just decided to create a Sideblog for all my writing so that way those who follow me exclusively for that don’t have to deal with the chaos that is my main blog

also I’m sorry it’s taken so long to post this but just between school and work and school and just general exhaustion it’s been hard for me to write.

and as always all credit to the Au goes to @ozmav 

pt.1 

pt. 2

pt. 3

“I don’t suppose I could bribe you to drop the matter.” Damian said sitting down in Tim’s office. He and Ladybug were situated next to each other while Tim was on the other side of the desk.

“Nope.” He turned to Ladybug, “I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself, making sure Damian didn’t disappear and all that. Anyway I’m Tim Drake, Co-Ceo of Wayne enterprises and Damians older brother.”  

Ladybug turned to Damian and quietly said, “So does everyone in your family constantly talk like they’re trying to impress a victorian lord?” Damian snorted. Tim, unable to hear what she just said, looked to the two agape.

“At least I have a reason.” Damian responded, this time loudly enough for his elder brother to hear. “Anyway Tim is in CEO mode right now, which is pretty rare. Usually he’s a bumbling zombie dependent on coffee to function. In fact I remember one time when Dick took the last cup he----”

“I’d suggest stopping right there or I’ll tell her about the batcow incident.” Tim interrupted.

 “Did you just say batcow? Because I understand each of those words separately.” Ladybug said, and even though her mask still concealed half her face Damian could tell she was really confused.

“Don’t ask. Just don’t.” Damian said quietly.

“Anyway. I never caught your name and considering the fact that your in a mask I assume you’re a hero. Which is surprising because none of us knew Paris had heroes.” Tim cut the two of them off before more could be said.

“Yes that’s becoming a common theme I’m finding,” Marinette began. “My name is Ladybug in the mask. I have a partner, Chat Noir, but he’s currently indisposed, something about paint in his hair.” Damian stifled a laugh as Marinette continued, “We have been operating out of Paris for the last few years, early on we tried contacting the Justice league but Green Lantern told us not to prank call him.”

“Oh did he now.” Tim said, leaning his head forward.

“Yes he did. Thankfully my power allows me to reverse all damage done during a fight. Including any lives lost or monuments destroyed.”

“That sounds like a very useful power. I'm sure that the heroes of Gotham would love to work with you.” There was a twinkle in his eye that Damian knew meant Tim was concocting some scheme. He was about to jump in, but Marinette got there first.

“Yes I’m sure you would but the issue is we currently have our hands full here although from what Damian told me you guys sound much more fun to work with. At least the villains have better costumes.”

Tim noting her wording turned to Damian, “Did you tell her the family secret? You know what Alfred will do if he finds out.”

Damian smirked “I’m not an idiot Drake this was all her. She could rival you for deductive reasoning.” Marinette just sat there looking innocent.

“Well that explains why the two of you were sneaking around together, Ladybug should I assume Damian knows your identity as well?”

“Yep.”

“Well this is going to be a nightmare. But this just means  I can formally invite you to Gotham at least. Ha just leave it to the Ice Prince to leak the identity on his first civilian trip abroad.” Tim leaned his head back, closing his eyes.

“Actually it was you guys who tipped me off.”

Tim suddenly opened his eyes and looked her straight in the eyes. “Come again.”

“Well it was the fact that no one had spied Robin around Batman while Damian was in France. Then the fact that you were patrolling rather than him tipped me off that Robin might be on a vacation..” Tim just face palmed.

“Of course that would happen, how did we not see it coming.” He muttered to himself. “Wait, that begs another question: how did you two meet.”

Damian blushed and before Ladybug could respond he said “not important, there was an akuma. Now do you need anything else.”

“Actually yeah. Ladybug you mentioned the video you sent to Green Lantern, well Batman found it and wanted us to investigate. He didn’t know Green Lantern had seen it or otherwise he’d be on his way back to Ooa healing from a scolding from Alfred. Dick and Jason wanted to come but Bruce needed someone he could send discreetly and who better than the Co-CEO of Wayne industries who could just be checking up on the Paris branch.” Ladybug was impressed by the scheming having Dick Greyson or Jason Todd come in would stir up villain or media activity but Tim the third son wouldn’t.

“Well if you want we can meet up with my partner later and you can formulate a list of questions. Plus it seems you and Damian have some catching up to do.”

“There was a reason I came to Paris Ladybug. Being forced to talk to Tim was not one of them.” Damian made to leave only for a yoyo to catch his leg. Ladybug smirked at him. “Maybe a five minute chat couldn’t hurt anyone. Family reunion and all that.”

“Great then as long as everyones in agreement I can set up a time with chat later this evening for all of us to talk things through and get a strategy in place.”

“Are you sure about this having the league involved is going to cause a lot of chaos and even more dangerous villains could target Paris.”

“Tim I have dealt with so much crap the last couple of years that at this point I will take Darkseid over Lila…… Oh crap. We forgot about Lila.” Marinette looked at Damian who was coming to the same realization she was. He called out Lila in the bakery, and outed himself as a Wayne.

“Do I want to know?” Tim said rubbing his temples. He did not miss highschool.

“Lets just say school tomorrow’s going to be interesting, and I think we’re going to have to put the meeting on hold till after it. Ladybug and I are going to need to deal with school tomorrow, and caffeine isn’t gonna cut it.” Damian said.

“Then again if we aren’t lucid tomorrow might not be so bad….” Marinette began

“Do not even finish that, you even more than me need sleep. Between fashion, school and heroing you function off an hour.”

“You.. have a point. I’ll brief Chat on the situation on my way home. In the meantime I’ll leave you too to the brotherly bonding I’m sure you need.” she pulled her yoyo from her pocket, “See you tomorrow Damian, and whatever plan you hatch up make sure nit doesn’t include killing anyone.”

“Goodnight Ma--- Ladybug. And no promises.” The boy caught himself before revealing Ladybug's identity. She gave him the look of ‘don’t fuck up my secret identity bird boy’ before jumping out the window to run from rooftop to rooftop.

“So. how long have you had a crush on her.” Tim pulled Damians attention, and Damian was sudden;y very glad he had said nothing about not killing his brother.

--------------------------------------

“Do you think they’ll actually help this time?” Chat’s voice rang over the phone, Marinette had stopped behind one of the chimneys to talk to him in private.

“I don’t know, at least now they are actually considering it rather than just brushing us off as children.” Marinette was tired but they needed to have this chat now, there wouldn’t be any chance to in class tomorrow.

“Yeah, just don’t get your hopes up. They left us to fend for ourselves for 3 years and are only doing this now because of Damian if you didn’t know him then none of this would’ve happened.  

“Ok but why does that matter that it’s Damian? They could’ve been doing it because of Jon too.”

“Oh please, you're more dense than our class sometimes. Jon would’ve noted it then forgotten to tell someone, but Damian told Batman right away. Why do you think he did that?”

“Chat I am too tired for this.” Marinette could feel Adrien facepalming through the phone.

“Oh I am not spelling this out for you, this time you get to figure it out yourself.”

“Fine. but next time you need help on your calc homework don’t come running to me.” Marinette hung up on him and made her way home. The parisian streets were nice and quiet for her, no akuma meant maybe another hour of sleep.

Once she was out of the suit she let Tikki rest and got right to work on the new piece she was making for Jagged, he wanted to somehow have the score of his newest piece sewn onto the pants for his next concert, and she had to brainstorm.

Twenty minutes went by.

Then an hour.

Then two.

Finally she put up her pencil and put on her pajamas, as she was falling asleep Adriens words kept replaying in her head, and the meaning slammed into her like a truck. Pulling out her phone she sent one message.

Oh fuck off

tag list: @clumsy-owl-4178 @pawsitivelymiraculous @yuulxd @smolplantmum @inarachi02 @notmycupoftea26 @laurcad123 @unknownvsworld @jeminiikrystal @megawhitleycalderonpaganus

#The dilemma writes #Maribat #damian wayne x marinette dupain cheng #Damianette #Damientte #Chat noir #Kwamii #fics #fanfic #myfic #damian x marinette #platonic ladynoir #platonic adrienette

[ao3bronte]

To Live Without Loving (is not really to live)

Also on AO3

Et vivre sans aimer n'est pas proprement vivre. - Molière

“Marinette!”

With a start, Marinette shoves her mobile phone beneath her pillow and grabs the novel beside her, opening it at random, “Oui, Maman?”

“It’s nearly 23:00,” Sabine announces, hoisting the apartment's trapdoor open and peeking inside, “Why are your lights still on?”

Marinette grimaces, “I have to finish this book by tomorrow and I’m still not done!”

Raising an eyebrow, Sabine climbs up the steps and gently pads towards Marinette’s bedside, “You’ve been at it for hours and you’re telling me that you’re still not finished?”

Marinette knows a lost cause when she sees one, “I may have gotten…distracted.”

“Hmm,” Sabine crosses her arms across her chest, “You have ten minutes, then it’s lights out.”

“But Maman…”

“Hush. Your brevet is coming up soon and I expect you to excel, as you always do. You need your sleep.”

Marinette groans, “Oui, Maman.”

“Doux rêves, mon coeur.”

Marinette returns the sentiment and watches as Sabine closes the trapdoor behind her. She listens, holding her breath as her mother’s footsteps carry down the stairs, leading into the bedroom. After a moment or two of quiet chatter, her parent’s bedroom door opens and squeaks shut with a click.

“Finally.” Exhaling, Marinette snatches her vibrating phone out from under her pillow and slides her thumb against it, illuminating the screen. An image of the infamous cabaret Le Chat Noir casts a shadow across her bedroom, “Allo?”

“M’Lady! I thought you had fallen asleep on me.”

Marinette rolls her eyes, “I got distracted.”

“Not distracted enough to leave me hanging, are you?”

“I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

“Until then, mon amour.”

Quickly, Marinette taps the end call button against her fingertips and slips from beneath her covers, eager to sneak out before it gets too late in the evening. She tugs on a pair of pyjama pants and crawls outside, crossing over to the potted plants hanging from the wrought iron railings enclosing her balcony.

“Ready to go?” Tikki asks, rising from the fronds. Marinette nods and fastens the zip of her sweater before allowing Tikki to merge with her Miraculous, bathing the balcony in scarlet light. Mask safely affixed to her skin, she slips out into the evening breeze and leaps across the rooftops, eventually plopping down onto their favourite meeting spot along the city-spanning river, the Seine.

“Bonsoir, ma chérie!”

Ladybug turns towards the source of the racket as Chat Noir drops onto the quai from above, landing in a crouch beside her. The lattice of the bench she’s sitting on trembles as he digs his claws into the metal, steadying his balance, “Hey Chat. How’s my favourite stray?”

Chat spreads his arms dramatically, “La vie est belle!”

“You seem like you’re in a good mood,” Ladybug smiles, relaxing against the backrest.

“My day improves exponentially each time I get to see you.”

“Really?” Ladybug is pretty sure that if she rolled her eyes any harder, they might just get stuck there, “It’s been, what, two days since we last crossed paths?”

“An eternity,” Chat replies, holding his hand over his chest, “It wounds me to be so close, and yet so far.”

Ladybug can’t help but snort, “I can’t say that I’ve missed your melodrama.”

“Forgive me M’Lady, but I’ve been forced into reading Molière for the past week and I feel it may be rubbing off on me.”

Ladybug hesitates before responding, having just left L'École des femmes sitting on her duvet not twenty minutes ago, “Let’s just get down to business, shall we?”

Chat smiles and opens his palm to the horizon, “Après vous.”

~

“Chat!”

Ladybug screeches to a halt and uses her momentum to launch herself against the buildings lining the boulevard, pulling a hard 180° turn. She flings her yoyo and it wraps around the base of a satellite dish, sending her flying back to Chat’s location, “Are you okay?!”

He’s lying in the base of a crater, the akuma having body slammed him into the concrete, “Never better!”

Ladybug drags her eyes from Chat’s prone body and focuses on the akuma instead. Its body is huge, not unlike the rock monster they encountered on their very first adventure together. However, this particular akuma is far more calculating and intelligent that she had initially assumed.

“Hey! Bonehead!” Ladybug hollers to distract the monster from squashing Chat again. She can tell from his wheezing that whatever the akuma did to him while she wasn’t looking, he would need a minute or two to recuperate, “Look over here!”

Using her yoyo, Ladybug swings back and forth, drawing the hulking mass of a monster towards her. She reaches the other side of the boulevard and runs down the length of it, leaping off of a bench and vaulting back up into the sky. The akuma lumbers towards her, its hands flailing wildly in her general direction, and Ladybug does all that she can to keep one eye on potential tools for a plan and the other on Chat.

“Alright akuma,” she mutters, “Let’s get this over with.”

Ladybug raises her hand above her head with a flourish, summoning her Lucky Charm. It’s a sledge and it doesn’t take long for her to figure out what to do with it. With the help of her yoyo, a cement truck parked up the way, a tandem bicycle and a clothesline, Ladybug effectively smashes the monster to bits and releases the black akuma hiding inside its abdomen. Ladybug reaches up to capture it, purifying its soul, and releases it to the mercy of the winds.

“Bravo!”

Ladybug is already halfway over when Chat starts pulling himself out of his Chat sized crater. He droops over the chunks of concrete, wincing when the hole corrects itself under Ladybug’s restorative magic, and rolls over onto his back instead.

“Are you alright?”

Chat blinks up at Ladybug, “My Lady, il le faut avouer, l'amour est un grand Maître.”

“Ugh,” she groans, running her gloved hand over her face as her Miraculous begins to beep at her, “If you’re well enough to recite love poems to me, then you’re well enough to get up.”

She offers him her hand and he takes it, brushing himself off as she hauls him up easily, “Excuse me for being well versed in the classics, M’Lady. I am a cultured cat.”

“You have a test tomorrow on Molière, don’t you?”

Caught, Chat glares at her sidelong, “It’s an in-class essay, I’ll have you know.”

“Well, don’t let me Horace you any longer.”

Chat gapes at her suddenly, his eyes wide, “Did you…did you just…?”

“Make a pun? Maybe, maybe not,” she smirks, batting him on the nose, “Now, it’s time to get going. You need your beauty sleep.”

“But—”

“Off with you,” she grins, gesturing at him to leave with a flick of her wrist, “À plus!”

~

It isn’t a particularly long walk to school the next morning, but Marinette spends most of it thinking about her in-class essay. It’s one of the very last assignments that will count towards her brevet at the end of the year; it’s also the third time since the beginning of the semester that Chat has mentioned having to work on a school assignment.

The same school assignment as her.

It’s been niggling at her thoughts for some time now, the fact that Chat may very well be a student in her grade. First, it was the same unit test in maths that had come up in their conversation and between the binomials and trinomials clogging her brain, Marinette hadn’t thought anything of it. But a few months later, it happened again and Chat was waxing poetic about a particular stream of science and the experiment he was completing in class…

...which was the exact same experiment that had blown up in her face that afternoon.

Armed with the sheer determination to ignore any and all comparisons between her life and his, Marinette stuck her head in the proverbial sand and promptly tuned him out whenever school came up in their conversations. That is, until last night.

Marinette tugs at her ponytails and racks her brain for clues. There are only two 3ème classes in Collège Françoise Dupont and she shares her age with only five other blond boys, one of which is shorter than her. There’s the twins in Mlle Mendeleiev’s class, but they both have much bigger noses than Chat. Then there’s Christien, and that would be impossible given his fairly distinctive Belgian accent which leaves the only other option as…

...Adrien Agreste.

She watches him duck into his locker from the other side of the room and wince as he holds his ribs gingerly, grimacing at another one of Nino’s terrible dad jokes. He’s quoting Molière again, favouring his left arm as he waves it around theatrically, making Nino roll his eyes in response.

Oh.

When she sits down, lined paper in hand and essay prompt at the top, she’s never been so sure of something in her life.

She’s going to fail this essay spectacularly.

And, Adrien Agreste is Chat Noir.

#miraculous ladybug #ladynoir #adrinette #ml fanfic #ml fic

[xhanisai]

SALTING AROUND AT THE SPEED OF SOUND

AO3 / FFN

Summary: Introducing!!!!

The! Ultimate! Salt! Fic! Ever! IN ZA WARUDO!

Featuring Dumb Noir getting taught a lesson about boundaries, Perfectnette getting friends and love interest(s), and LILA GETTING HER ASS HANDED BACK! HOW COULD YOU RESIST SUCH A WONDERFUL FIC?

(All in all, a crack fic on salt fics to bring our spirits up~)

Disclaimer - I've actually only read like one sentence of a salt fic and fucked off afterwards so everything I'm basing off in this fic is purely from exaggerated rumours and gossip about the salt corner THEREFORE if anything here looks familiar or if it seems like I'm taking the piss out of a specific story, it's all just one big coincidence. >:D ~(x)~ . . . Of all locations to settle on for the beginning of this amazing, wonderful, fucking fantastic story, it's established on the Eiffel Tower. Cliched but wonderfully ironic for the phenomenal heroes of Paris. On the beams, higher than the naked eye could see, Ladybug and Chat Noir were... Arguing. The feline hero had his partner's wrist clasped in an iron hold, digging those deadly claws ever so slightly into the soft flesh, piercing the supposed indestructible suit with a creepy grin- "Wait- hold up a second. I would never, NEVER hurt My Lady! Not even unintentionally! And what's with that face I'm making!?" Oh SHUT UP Shit Noir! Let me carry on writing my fucking story jeez! Stop breaking out of character and keep following the script! Anyways~ The skinny, pasty assed hero- "This script sucks..."- -TUGGED Ladybug closer to him, grin widening like he won the lottery as his demonic looking eyes perversely drank in the sight of the clearly uncomfortable looking heroine in his grasps. His face leaned into hers, only coming closer as she tried her best to lean back with a grimace. "Just one kiss Bugaboo~ one kiss won't hurt..." His grip tightened on the appendage, making the girl wince painfully. "Come on Chat Noir...let go! I have already told you, I'm in love with someone else. You seriously need to back off!" Ladybug whimpered, tossing away all her badassery and ability to suckerpunch a fuckboy in the face because hell yeah it ain't relevant to this sexy fic- "You're right Chaton, this script does suck lmao"- IGNORING WHAT THE CANON LB JUST SAID. Ehem. Like a defenseless little shoujou manga protagonist, Ladybug felt tears sparkle in her eyes and pure sadness washed over her frail body before Fuck Noir dipped her into a romantic pose and smashed his lips against hers with soooooo much passion and tongue and teeth and- . What. On. Earth. Oi you stupid cat! Watch where you're putting your hands on the girl! Yikes! What do they teach these Europeans!? Break it up already you hormone riddled boobs! "Oh Minou~ You're so daring~" "Just for you, My Lady~" STAY ON SCRIPT YOU BRATS! Hmph! Carrying on. Suddenly, herculean strength riddled through Ladybug's blood, falcon punching Bitch Noir off her and off the tower, thus HenchBug™ was born. Panting and wiping her lip with her thumb in a really really badass way (YOU KNOW THAT EPIC WAY THAT ANIME CHARACTERS DO TO WIPE THE BLOOD OFF THEIR LIP, RIGHT? RIGHT? ex deeeee), MachoBug swept towards Pussy Noir's broken twiggy body at the bottom of the tower. "You disobeyed me for the umpteenth time, Noir." BadassBug uttered cooly, keeping a blind eye to the growing crowd around her and the mangled up flesh on sticks at her feet. The black and yellow mess didn't respond. "Lo-oooool cos I'm dead!" WE'LL PRETEND WE DIDN'T HEAR THAT EITHER. Anger coursed through Ladybug's veins as all those traumatising memories and moments she had with her horrific partner flashed through her brain like an old window's movie maker AMV with Evanescence's 'Bring Me Back To Life' song blasting at full volume. The conveniently arrived Alya at the front of the crowd live streamed everything on the WadyBwog, babbling about ice cream scoops. "Every time we met up, you'd always make unwanted advances to me. You'd always force a kiss on me. You even slapped my thicc™ ass a few times- once to the beat of fucking Nyan cat!" The hive minded crowd surrounding them 'oooed' and 'aaahed', some snapped a selfie with what's left of the black cat. "Therefore," The sun auspiciously shone behind MariBug, giving her an ethereal, angelic look as she carried on her lecture. "I now deem you unworthy of the miraculous." BugBug fluttered her eyelashes with so much pain as if reciting those words killed her whole generation and their dogs and their hamsters. "Hand it over to me or else I'll force it off you." All of a sudden BuffBug™ was back, bitch slapping CryBabyBug away and menacingly placed one foot on the carcass.   "Wow I think she forgot that you're dead Chat Noir," THE HIGH TENSIONED MOMENT REMAINED UNBROKEN AS FAKEBUG- oof- Ladybug rolled her eyes with annoyance at the disgusting boy's silence and immediately knelt down to yank the miraculous off his bony fingers- "Never!" The catboy sprung back to life before anyone could breathe, clutching his hand to guard his ring ferally, froth seeping out of his teeth and fangs gnashing against one another- "Looks like I'm a vampire with rabies now, Bug." "Since when did you have fangs?" "Since two seconds ago-" OH MY GOD YOU TWO! SHUT UP AND LET ME WRITE! Zombie Noir leapt back with a hiss, faux ears and tail twitching with indignation and summoned the ancient destruction power whilst BossBug spun her yoyo around in battle formation, ready to call for her lucky charm anytime soon. Cat and Bug kept up the intense eye contact as that cowboy music from the good, the bad and the fugly played in the background (cheers Lahiffe mah d00d!). "You don't want to become my enemy, do you, Chat N00b?" The heroine spat, bones clicking in place as she stretched her fingers when she and the lad in black circled each other slowly. The crowd and Alya were casually chilling in the background, the latter still narrating about an epic ice cream scoop. "Heh, I won't need to be the enemy if you don't touch MY ring... Milady~"- "MON DIEU! C'EST 'MY LADY'! C'EST N'AI PAS 'MILADY'!" THAT'S THE POINT YOU STUPID CAT! Break out of character one more time and I'll castrate you and feed your teeny tiny *censored* to the dogs! "...My Lady? Is my *censored* small? :(" "If your *censored* was small, you'd never have been able to make me scream at night, Minou~ ;3" ":D" 

Regardless! The pussycat feinted to the left before dodging the razor sharp wire of his Lady's (not) yoyo, whipping out his baton (not the tiny one either) and swiftly used it to vault himself away like the coward he CLEARLY is. "You'll never get me alive, THOT!" Was the last thing that small dick energy minded cuck yowled and fled with his tail between his legs. BigBug let out a yell of rage™ and slammed her fist on the ground, branding the sloppy concrete job with a crater as the shockwaves caused the audience to let out a little 'DAYUMMMMMMMM'. "Lol I thought the geezer was dead hahaah! Yo Ladybuggy, mah homie, you and kitty cat did the shame shame already or nah?" Alya, the lil hoe, leant into the heroine's personal space with a crazed grin. She only received a middle finger from the annoyed Asian. (MMmm Mmmm yEAH YEAh trANSiTION so SEXYYYY) Now, it is conveniently time for Marinette's afternoon classes. The exhausted girl dragged her feet up those weird ass spirally steps that could break ankles JUST by looking at them and made it to her classroom, only to pause at the shouting she was hearing behind the door. "Oh boy, time to unleash the kraken..." Silence Adrien! You're not supposed to have appeared yet! Dumb ass blondes these days smh... "HEY! >:0" With a deep breath, the raven haired girl pushed the door open only to be met with what could be best described as a clusterfuck. Tears welled up in her eyes as the remains of her sketchbook (which looked like it had a trip in a paper shredder) was dumped all over the floor. She snapped her head back up only for her heart to literally shatter when she was met with a furious Alya Motherfuckin' Césaire. "Marinetti DupainGhetti. This. Is. Your. Punishment." Alya's glasses flashed sinisterly as her lips curled up into  d i s g u s t . The rest of the class mirrored a similar look, acting as if poor little Cheng vored everything they loved and cherished. All except two people. That witch BITCH Lie-la smirked secretly as she cowered behind Alya and the wimp, spineless little shitty Dumbdrien whimpered on his desk, pretending that nothing was happening. "P-P-Punishment for wh-what?" Babynette sobbed, clutching her shoulders as if to hug herself and make her look smaller than she is. She darted her eyes towards the model, begging him internally to say something, anything! Alas, Bitchdrien only looked away guiltily, his thin chapped lips sealed shut. Marinette couldn't believe her bad luck. First there was an akuma attack, then she was assaulted by her shitty partner for the millionth time and now this? "Punishment for bullying our lord and saviour, Lila of course! How dare you make such a sweet girl like her suffer!?" Alya roared, using the power of the seven chaos emeralds and twenty dragonballs to go super satan and pinned Sweetienette against the wall with an elbow. Her hair fizzed with animosity and her eyes gleamed in a demonic red colour- "Dieu...you just had to drag my best friend into this too, huh?" "You'd think this writer is sane enough to know that I'd cataclysm anyone that dared to harm Ma Princesse, non?" "The writer? Sane? Good joke."- IGNORING STUPIDNETTE AND BLOODYDRIEN- Alya snarled, bruising our sweet little angel's poor skin with her brute strength whilst the rest of the class watched without a question. The sausage haired wench munched on some greasy ass popcorn as she watched the show whilst Shamedrien became one with the floor, a perfect doormat for us queens to stomp on. "You tripped her all the time when no one was watching, aggravating her shattered kneecaps. You plagerised her designs, ruining what's left of her sensitive self esteem and dammit don't even get me started on all those rumours you attempted to spread about her, smearing her celebrity status! I've never hated anyone more than you, BITCHINETTE!" Alya harrumphed and then shoved Brokenette against the wall again, possibly snapping her spine and stormed back to her new bestie. "Mon Dieu your best friend just murdered you..." "Mon Dieu my best friend just murdered me..." Tosses a knife at the duo to make them shut the fuck up. Everyone else applauded the psycho journalist for putting Poornette in her place, even Stinkdrien cos he can't handle peer pressure- BAM! . . . "HOW DARE YOU HURT MARINETTE DUPAIN CHENG!" A tall, stern looking boy slammed the door open, scooping Deadinette in his arms and blew out steam through his nostrils like a bull. Everyone le gasped as the girl suddenly turned into Alivenette and embraced the stranger like he's her long lost lover (Aiyeeeeeeeeeeee mUH O-T-FUCKING-P! K Y A A  A! EVEN THOUGH WE KNOW JACKSHIT ABOUT HIM). "BELIX BRAGRESTE! You saved me~ Don't hurt my homiesexuals please- they're all brainwashed by the sausage haired girl..." The blackberry haired angel begged, tugging on Belix's sleeves. "I didn't do anything-" Uglydrien was quick to defend himself only to melt back down into a doormat by Belix's dark glare, ripping out what spinal tissue the model had left. "Damn straight you didn't do SHIT." Bragreste swiftly delivered a power-kick against Assgreste, yeeting him to the moon and then turned towards the rest of the f00king class, rolling his sleeves up. "As for you nerds...I'm gonna chop you all up into mincemeat and EAT you all with my spaghetti!-" "I'm here Marinette!!!" Another lad swooped in through the door, hips swaying to the beat as 'Luka Luka Night Fever' plays in the background and then posed! Why it's none other than the obviously best written, best character, best BOY in the world: RUKA COFFEE- sorry, I mean Luka Couffaine! He strummed his guitar a few times, nodding and humming as if he was conversing with the beautiful instrument whilst bokeh dots and pink sparkly glitter floated around him. "Ah~ my guitar said that everyone's being a bitch ass motherfucker to our beautiful designer! Come with my Mari~ Take my hand and I'll take you away from this school!" The lycee student didn't wait for her answer and grabbed the star struck girl oh SO romantically~ "No! She should move schools with me!" Belix Bananagreste snatched Nettie back possessively, just like a cat. It was then that the girl decided that when she managed to snatch the black cat miraculous back from the loser that currently wielded it, she was going to give it to Belix- "Ugh don't fuck with me..." "Shhh. You're supposed to have been yeeted to the moon, Chaton," "Marinette please just throttle the writer already-" AND THEN! SUDDENLY! Erm... Errr... AHA! Suddenly all these people from some furry superhero universe came flooding in through the door, yelling insults and real truths about LIE-LA and protecting my best girl Maribear like a boss! Heroes like Gamien and Dason Bob and that guy and err, the other guy and yeah AND THEN they all began to BEAT UP that BITCH LILA and then- "Oh no she's losing it, Adrien I don't think this will last any longer..." "No kidding!" THEN JAGGED STONE CAME FLYING THROUGH THE WINDOW, JAMMING OUT HIS LATEST SONG ABOUT HOW LILA IS SUCH A LIAR AND EXPOSED EVERY SINGLE THING SHE DID TO BEST GIRL MACHONETTE! THEN ALL THESE OTHER KIDS FROM THE SCRAPPED PV UNIVERSE CAME IN VIA A CONGO LINE AND MARINETTA DECIDED TO GIVE THEM THE OTHER MIRACULOUS COS WHY NOT!? AND THEN CHLOE BECAME MARINETTE'S NEW BFF COS HELL YEAH I LOVE VIBING WITH PEOPLE WHO BULLIED ME AND MY PEERS FOR FOUR YEARS STRAIGHT AHAHAAHAH QUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENS- "Adrien, I'm going to kill her. She needs to stop." "Go on then~" AND THEN! AND FUCKING THEN! SCEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW!!!!!! . . . [Error 404: The following writer has unfortunately met her demise through unknown means. We apologise for any inconveniences. Please keep scrolling as we clear up the mess. Have a good day.] . . . "Huh...that was anticlimactic...now what?" "You go off snogging my rejected predecessor and the guitar boy? >:(" "As if I'd go for anyone other than my silly kitty!" ":D" . . . ~(x)~ A/N:  I am never EVER writing anything this cursed AGAIN! How can you bash anyone but the villains in this series!? Damn! I can't even say I'm sleep deprived! This is the most fucked up shit I've written and I'm super alert oof!

#my writing #my fanfiction #ml fanfiction #ml crack #miraculous Ladybug #miraculous Ladybug and chat noir #ml shitpost #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #alya cesaire #chloe bourgeois #lila rossi #jagged stone #luka couffaine #adrinette #adrienette #this is the most amazing thing i've ever done for this fandom #i'm just mixing in cocaine in the salt #this isn't salt #THIS IS MY MASTERPIECE #AND YOU ALL SHALL TREAT IT AS SUCH

[ronoken]

Captain Cowgirl Rides Again

So...

I had an idea this week. And I ran with it. And I may have devoted more time to this than I should have, but this is what two days of frantic writing without any prereading or combing through looks like.

For readers of my work, you’ll be able to peg when this takes place pretty quickly.

Also... I’m open to changing the title. Maybe something with the words What To Do at the start...

Enjoy. Also, let me know what you think. 

*** 

In the far future…

 Caline M. Bourgeois, age 10, frantically ran down a fourth-floor hallway in the Grand Pairs hotel. She breezed passed a frozen housekeeper and scooted around a stuffy old man in a hat that was stuck mid-step before she skidded to a stop in front of a door at the end of the hall.

“Okay,” Caline said to herself as she huffed from exhaustion. She put her hands on her knees to catch her breath. She was dressed for the Fall, wearing jeans, sneakers, and a fluffy green sweater. Her sandy blonde hair was hanging loose to her shoulders.

Steel blue eyes looked to the room number on the door, 409. She reached into the pocket in her skirt and took out a key ring. With slightly trembling hands, she flipped through her keys as her mother’s voice echoed in her head.

‘Remember,’ her mother had warned her. Caline remembered the conversation vividly. ‘This key is only to be used in the event of an emergency. I’m serious, Callie-bear. You never, ever use this unless you have no other option.’

Caline swallowed down her nerves as she held up an unassuming silver key.

“Am I gonna get in trouble for this, Ziggs?” Caline asked, nervously.

Ziggy, the black and white goat kwami, floated out of her pocket to stare at the key with her. “Whelp, I reckon things can’t get any worse right now. If I were you, I’d go for it.”

“…And you don’t think she’ll be mad?” Caline asked.

Ziggy chuckled. “Yer mom used to use time travel to hook up with her boyfriend. Kiddo, she ain’t got a freakin’ leg to stand on in this instance. You go for it.”

Caline blushed and nodded. “Right then.” She slid the key into the lock. It was the only door in the entire hotel that didn’t have a keycard pad, instead offering a keyhole that none of the cleaning staff had any access to. Most of them thought it was used for money laundering or drug running, or that it was possibly haunted. Regardless, no one had access.

There was a good reason for that.

“Here we go,” Caline said as she opened the door and stepped forward into a white, glowing rectangle.

Behind her. The door swung shut with a click.

***

Caline blinked.

She was back in the hall.

“Huh,” she said as she looked around. “This doesn’t feel any different.”

Ziggy looked around and shrugged. “Maybe yer gramma don’t like to redecorate. Why don’t we head outside and get a move on? Can’t hurt anythin’.”

Caline frowned at the lazy kwami. “You know we have to be careful. We don’t…” She leaned in and whispered. “We don’t want to mess up the timeline.”

Ziggy shrugged. “Callie, you could march through that there door with a flame thrower and not do half the damage yer ma’s done. Trust me.”

Caline snickered, but only a little. After all, she was there on official hero business. And official heroes did not snicker.

It was true, her best friend Daisy had said so. Granted, she had been transformed into Lord Death Tiger at the time, and they had been playing Pirate Queens, but still.

“Focus, Ziggy. We need help, and mom always said that if I needed help, then this is where I’d find it.”

Ziggy looked around. “It looks like a hotel hallway,” he said.

“Well, like, not here-here. You know what mom meant. Come on,” Caline said as she headed to the stairwell. She’d played here enough to know the quickest way to the service entrance out back. And from there…

A few minutes later, Caline stood outside on the service dock and steadied herself. “Okay,” she said. “I can do this. I can totally do this.”

“Hey now,” Ziggy said. He put a hoof on her arm and looked up at her. “Don’t get all bent outta shape. Just focus, take some deep breaths, and believe in yourself. Y’all got this, partner.”

Caline looked down at him. “And I won’t get in trouble for using you?”

“Well, didja get in trouble when ya tried me out at home?”

Caline shook her head. “But that was the only time we ever transformed. And that was in my bedroom.” She looked up at the buildings around her. “This is real.”

“Hey now,” Ziggy said, his voice soft. “Y’all been getting’ ready fer this since you were seven years old. I’ve been watchin’ over you, squirt, so I know. Yer every bit a member o’ yer family, and I am plumb honored to be assigned to another Caline.”

“For real?” Caline asked.

“You know it, partner.”

“But what if I mess up?” Caline asked. “Or, or what if something happens! What should I do, Ziggy?”

“Well,” Ziggy said as he rubbed his chin. “If something happens, you should handle it. Just remember all the times we played pretend. You’ll know what to do.”

“Well, okay, yeah. But what?”

Ziggy looked her in the eye. “The right thing, of course. Yer a hero, girlie. An’ today’s the day you discover it.”

“Really?” Caline asked.

“Really,” Ziggy said. “Like I said, y’all got this.”

“Yeah,” Caline said. She wiped her nose with the back of her sleeve and looked at the buildings around her again. “I got this.”

***

To her credit, Caline only crashed into a building once.

She was rotating between screaming in terror as she flew through the air with every launch of her Shepherd’s Staff and cringing as she effortlessly touched down on the rooftops of Paris. It took her roughly ten minutes to get her bearings, what with the combination of leaping and falling, and the pure adrenaline coursing through her veins, but she eventually got the hang of things. At last somewhat confident in her new abilities, she checked the GPS on her staff and turned towards her destination.

The Dupain-Cheng Bakery.

She landed right at the front door and quickly retracted her staff. Around her, people stopped and stared. With a nervous laugh, Caline tipped her hat at them and headed inside.

You read that right.

Her plan was simple. Talk to/meet her great grandparents, casually ask if their daughter was around, deftly avoid any hero-related questions, and then beg for help.

It was only after she wandered through the front door that she realized how difficult that would be while still transformed, but hey, cut her some slack. It’s her first day.

Caline froze, wide-eyed as she realized her goof. She was about to come up with some frantic excuse/backstory as to why a hero was in the bakery, but then she realized she didn’t need to.

In front of her were who she assumed were her grandparents, however they were currently ensnared in a sea of vines. The bakery looked like it had been taken over by an angry rainforest, and in the middle of it stood a green-skinned man in overalls and a straw hat. He was surrounded by vines that pulsed lazily with his movements, and he was yelling at the helpless couple.

“Foolish bakers!” The green man screamed. “I am Gar-Doom! If you don’t have any quality veggie-based treats for me, I’ve got a veggie-based doom for you!”

The man, whom Caline assumed was her great grandpa Tom, frantically mumbled something and tried to point to a display case, but he was too covered in vines to really do much. Also, his mouth was a bit covered with foliage.

Caline quickly turned around and left the bakery as fast as she could. She bolted around the corner and slumped against a brick wall to hyperventilate.

“That’s an akuma!” She gasped. “Oh my God, that’s an actual akuma!” She was shaking so bad she started crying. “I’m not ready for this! I don’t know what to do! I don’t know what to do!”

The front doors of the bakery burst open as Gar-Doom was carried outside by a squirming mass of gigantic green vines. All around, people were running and screaming as the akuma flipped a car over and started laughing maniacally.

“Yes, YES! Run, you foolish meat bags! Flee in fear from Gar-Doom!”

Caline watched, petrified. The akuma looked so big. He was right there, loud and violent and very real, and…

“I shouldn’t even be here,” Caline whimpered. “I want my mom. This isn’t right! I just…”

A steel pole shot down and slammed into Gar-Doom’s back, knocking the akuma to the ground.

“Forgive me for saying so, but I find it hard to believe you had a bad dining experience at that particular bakery,” a light-hearted voice called out.

Caline watched, wide-eyed, as a sleek black superhero descended in front of the screaming and writhing monster.

“Oh holy cow. That’s… That’s Chat Noir! The first one! Oh wow.” Caline was transfixed by the sight before her. She had heard stories about her grandpa, sat through endless debates between him and her Aunt Emmy about who wore it better, and of course she’d met Plagg before, but to actually see the legendary superhero in his prime?

Chat Noir retracted his staff and gave it a twirl. “It looks like someone needs a pruning.”

Chat Noir dodged a vine that swiped at his head. A second later, a yoyo cut through the air and sliced through the offending growth like a knife through butter.

“Let’s trim the gardening jokes back a bit, kitty. We’ve got work to do.”

If Caline was star-struck before, now she was positively reeling. Ladybug gracefully landed right next to her black-clad partner. She was smirking at the akuma and casually twirling her yoyo like it was a Tuesday at the park.

“Oh holy cow, she’s so confident!” Caline murmured. “Oh man.” Caline stared in amazement. “My grandparents were badass.”

Off to the side, safely tucked behind a parked car, Alya was busy recording the action and narrating on her phone.

“If you’re just joining us, a new akumatized villain has decided to attack the lunch hour crowd. This time, he’s targeted the Dupain-Cheng bakery! Renown for their macaroons and quality service, it’s anybody’s guess what caused this customer to flip. But that’s okay, as Paris’s heroes are on the scene!” Alya looked up from her phone at Ladybug for a moment, her eyes shining.

“So cool,” the reporter murmured.

And of course she’d seen Ladybug dozens, if not hundreds of times. And yes she’s a hero herself, but there’s just something magical about seeing your idol out and about and kicking ass. So, forgive her if she was taking a sideline approach for the afternoon.

Also, Alya couldn’t film and fight at the same time, so there was that.

And there was the other thing.

Honestly, once Nino figures out what she’s up to, he’s gonna flip his lid and probably hover near her for, like, a week. I mean, seriously? Who charges toward a giant tentacle monster to get some footage when they’re nine weeks pregna…

Oh snap. Getting ahead of myself. Sorry, not supposed to blab yet, but don’t worry. They’ll tell everyone at the barbecue this weekend.

Ladybug gave Gar-Doom a quick once over before nodding. “Right. I’m guessing the akuma is in his lunch sack.”

Chat Noir blinked and looked to his partner. “Seriously? You figured that out in five seconds. That’s… Wow.”

“It’s one of the many reasons you love me,” Ladybug shrugged and rolled out of the way as a vine slammed into the street where she had been standing. “He just burst out of a bakery. I’m guessing he didn’t like his order.”

Chat swatted a vine away and frowned. “Who wouldn’t like something from there? That’s the best bakery in town!”

Ladybug blushed as she dodged. “I think you’re biased.”

“So what if I am?” Chat bantered back. “The owner’s daughter is cute.”

Ladybug backflipped away from a series of vine spikes that peppered the road where she’d been standing. “Careful there. I hear she’s married.”

“If they’re so great, then where are the veggie snacks?” Gar-Doom hollered. “I mean, come on! It’s not that hard to offer a variety!”

Ladybug threw her yoyo at the demonic gardener. “It’s a bakery, you moron! Everything in there is vegetarian!” She yelled at him.

“They serve buttercream!” Gar-Doom shrieked. “I’m vegan!”

Ladybug groaned. “Then ask for the veggie brownies or the vegan macaroons! Mr. Dupain always makes a batch! They’re right freaking there!”

“I wanted strawberry!” Gar-Doom whined. “All he’s got today is chocolate!”

“Oh, for God’s sake,” Ladybug took aim and cracked Gar-Doom in the face with her yoyo. “Well, too bad!” She snapped.

Both heroes advanced on the crumpled akuma as he rubbed his face.

“Huh,” Chat Noir said with a smile. “This one was pretty easy.”

“I know, right?” Ladybug said as she reached for the bag at Gar-Doom’s side. “I don’t even think I broke a sweat. Say, are you free for the day?”

“I just got done early with work,” Chat said, smiling. “Where’s…?”

“With their Aunts,” Ladybug replied. “I needed the day to get some work done. Also, Cammy wanted a playdate with the girls, and since you were out goofing off…”

“Hey now,” Chat said, mock hurt in his voice. “I was out putting food on the table!”

“Really? Because last I checked, you were doing a charity shoot,” Ladybug reminded him. “To advertise for the local food pantry? For free? Remember?”

Chat blushed and rubbed the back of his head. “Oh yeah. Um, sorry?”

Ladybug rolled her eyes. “Don’t sweat it, kitty. It was really sweet of you. Now, let’s…”

Gar-doom suddenly blew a yellow cloud of pollen in both heroes faces.

“Ha!” The villain snickered. “Seriously? I can’t believe I was able to lure you in that easily! Enjoy my neurotoxin pollen, chumps!”

“LB?” Chat asked, his voice bordering on panic. “I, um, I can’t move!”

“Ne… Neither can I!” Ladybug said. She tried, but her body was completely locked up. They were both frozen on the spot.

“Don’t worry about it,” Gar-Doom said through a toothy grin. “Once I have your miraculous, you can get back to being the weak, worthless, squirming bags of meat you were when you got here. Of course, you won’t have your powers anymore…”

Caline blanched as she saw what was happening.

“NonononoNO! They’re not supposed to lose! They… They’re gonna…” Her eyes went wide. “They’re frozen.”

‘It’s happening again,’ she thought.

She was shaking with fear. Her mind raced with images of her family, her friends, all of Paris frozen in place. The horror on their faces, the look of panic. The look on her mother’s face…

Almost without thinking, she grabbed the retracted staff at her belt and gave it a squeeze.

“No.”

She suddenly felt calm, as if a cold bucket of water had just washed away her shakes. She could practically feel her heartbeat in her ears.

“This isn’t happening again.”

Caline took a deep breath.

‘The right thing, of course. Yer a hero, girlie. An’ today’s the day you discover it.’

Caline felt Ziggy’s words wash over her. She clenched her fists and felt strong. She suddenly felt confident. More confident than she had ever felt in her life.

“This is just like when we’d play in my room,” she said, her voice even. “I can do this.”

She looked to the monster attacking her family.

“No one hurts my grandparents.”

Gar-Doom was reaching for Ladybug’s ears and leering at the shiny red jewelry. Ladybug could only watch in a cold panic as she begged him to stop.

“Not happening,” Gar-Doom muttered. “I can’t believe it was this easy! I…”

A pole rocketed through the air and slammed into the akuma’s face.

Ladybug, still frozen, watched as the villain was launched off his feet and sent hurtling into the Dupain-Cheng’s glass storefront. The windowpanes shattered in an explosion of glittering shards as the akuma actually bounced off a cake display and crumpled on the tile floor beyond.

“What?” Ladybug asked, confused.

Chat Noir tried to shrug. “It wasn’t me,” he called out.

Gar-Doom scrambled to his feet and wearily stumbled out through the broken storefront. “Who did that? WHO DARES STRIKE GAR-DOOM?”

A breeze blew down the street. A plastic bag lazily tumbled by.

“That’d be me.”

Alya, shocked at this surprising turn of events, swung around to film the newest arrival. Standing in the middle of the street was a young girl, not even Ladybug’s height. She was sporting a pair of patterned leather boots, a white skintight suit, a lopsided belt, a black and white splotched vest, and atop her head, covering a pair of small horns, was a black and white Cattleman hat. Her bright, emerald eyes were slitted vertically, and her blonde hair moved with the breeze. Her thumbs were resting in her belt, and she had a piece of what looked like long grass in her mouth.

Upon closer inspection, it was a plastic straw.

‘Presentation matters!’ Her Aunt Alix’s words echoed in her head.

“Yer gonna stop harassin’ these heroes, Mister,” the young girl said. Her voice was shaking, which didn’t help her forced drawl. “If ya don’t, I reckon I’m gonna have ta get rough. I reckon.”

“Who the Hell are you?” the akumatized menace sneered.

The hero spit out the straw and reached for the staff at her hip. She extended it and gave it a twirl. The sun glinted off the steel rod as she slammed it into the pavement in front of her.

“I’m Captain Cowgirl.”

Alya nearly dropped her phone. “Oh, my God! A new cow themed hero has joined the battle!”

***

At that moment across town, Caline Bourgeois (senior) spit out her iced coffee as she watched the livestream footage on her phone.

“CHLOÉ!” She cried out.

“I’m busy babysitting,” the blonde replied from the next room.

“Someone new has Ziggy!”

Chloé was at her side in an instant. She was holding a squirming one year old in her arms as a little girl of no more than five years old drifted into the room behind her, a Ladybug figurine in her hands. Following right behind her was a slightly taller girl with light red hair and blue eyes. A Queen Bee figurine was in her hands. The two had been playing heroes vs dinosaurs. The heroes were winning.

“Huh,” Chloé said as she looked at the phone in her mom’s hands. She then looked to the baby she was holding. “Well, that doesn’t look like you, does it?”

She looked back at the livestream. “Can you turn it up?”

Caline fumbled for the volume.

“…A new hero has appeared, and she’s… Yes! She just called herself Captain Cowgirl! The Captain appears to…”

Caline tried to listen to the rest of Alya’s broadcast, but she couldn’t hear anything over Chloé’s hysterical laughter.

***

Gar-Doom stared down the diminutive hero in front of him. Grinning, he let out a low chuckle. “You’re just a kid. Why don’t you run home to mommy and daddy before I go and do something permanent?”

Caline turned her head towards the frozen heroes and nodded slightly. “You mess with them,” she turned to glare at the akuma. “Ya answer to me, varmint.”

Side note. Caline had no clue what the heck a varmint was, but she’d heard Ziggy say the phrase enough during playtime that she felt confident she was using it correctly.

“Is that so?” Gar-Doom asked. A mass of green tentacles started to swirl around him as he was lifted off the street. Caline had to look up to keep eye contact. “Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, flesh bag, but if you don’t clear out of here right now, Hawkmoth is going to get three miraculous today.”

Caline felt herself start to shake from nerves, but she swallowed back her fear.

“Hawkmoth isn’t getting anything but a punch in the kisser if she, erm, he bothers to show his yellow face around here,” Caline snapped. “Now, ya’d better hand over that there pouch on your belt before I have to get rough with ya!”

“Man, she’s really leaning into the cowgirl thing,” Chat Noir, still frozen, said from the sidelines.

“It’s like seeing Ziggy as a human,” Ladybug agreed. “Hey, I think I can wiggle my fingers. Chat! The toxin is wearing off!”

“I know,” Chat said, grinning. “I can move my hand. I’ve been trying to flex and get my body to loosen up, and I think I can get to my staff.”

“Who would have thought all that flexing in front of the bathroom mirror would have paid off?” Ladybug quipped.

“It’s not my fault I’m so pleasant to look at,” Chat replied with a wink.

“Foolish child!” Gar-Doom said as he brought his arms up. Around him was a virtual forest of vines, all protruding from his back like the tentacles of some nightmarish octopus. “I gave you a chance to run, but you’re apparently too stupid to save your own hide! You think you can stop me? I am the gardening menace of Paris! I just took down the two mightiest heroes in town! I’m twice your size and have giant tentacles! And what do you have? A pretty staff and some dress up clothes? You think I’m scared of some little kid playing cowgirl?”

Caline lifted her staff slightly as she looked down at the street beneath her. She remembered a trick she’d seen her mother try once and how unbelievably cool it had been.

‘Please work,’ she prayed.

“It’s Captain Cowgirl, you overgrown weed!” Caline yelled back. “And my staff can be pretty if I want it to be!”

With that, she slammed her staff down as hard as she could on the manhole cover at her feet.

“What?” Gar-Doom asked as the world went into slow motion.

The manhole cover flipped up like a coin from the impact. Caline spun with lightning speed and brought her staff around like a baseball bat. She cracked the manhole cover with all her might and sent if flying at the surprised akuma with the force of a cruise missile.

Thankfully, akumatizations provide superhuman strength and durability, otherwise young Caline would have accidentally performed her first decapitation. The manhole cover hit Gar-Doom in the face and sent him crashing through the brick façade of the bakery behind him, vines and all.

Caline stared, slack-jawed at the hole she’d made.

“Did I just do that?” She mumbled.

She nearly jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Ladybug standing beside her, smiling.

“You sure did, partner. Mind if we take it from here?”

Caline gave her head a small shake, her eyes the size of dinner plates. “You can do things,” she said.

“That I can,” Ladybug said as Chat Noir jumped through the hole. A moment later, he emerged with a bag in his hand.

“Hay, LB? You might wanna do the cure thing quick. This guy is looking a little, um, bad.”

He tossed the bag down to Ladybug, who ripped it apart. A quick swipe of her yoyo at the purple butterfly that emerged and one swarm later, and things were as good as new.

“So cool,” Caline muttered as the two older, taller heroes stood in front of her. She blinked as they extended their fists to her.

“Really?” Caline asked. She was nearly hopping up and down.

“Sure,” Ladybug said, smiling. “You totally saved our butts back there, newcomer.”

“You sure did,” Chat Noir said with a grin. “That was some fine shootin’, partner.”

Caline grinned and put her fist out with theirs.

“Pound it!”

***

Ten minutes later, the three heroes sat on the balcony of the Dupain-Cheng bakery, each with a complementary sweet and drink. Ladybug and Chat Noir had been hugged quite excessively by the owners, and then Caline felt the full force of the baker’s gratitude as they took turns complimenting her on her outfit and thanking her for freeing them.

“You were wonderful out there, dear,” Sabine said as she hugged Ladybug. “Are you okay? Did anyone get hurt?”

“We’re fine,” Ladybug said through a smile. She hugged Sabine back. “I’m just glad you two are okay.”

“You did great out there, son.” Tom was hugging Chat Noir and patting him on the back. “I’m so proud of you.”

“I, um, I really didn’t do that much,” Chat Noir said. He was blushing and hugging the gigantic man back.

“And who is this little hero?” Sabine asked. She turned to Caline and bent down to get a better look at her. Caline retreated a little to Ladybug’s side. “You really saved the day, didn’t you?”

Caline slipped her hand into Ladybug’s. Surprised, the red and black hero took it and gave her a gentle squeeze. “She’s new, apparently. This cowgirl just showed up out of the blue and got to work.”

Sabine stared at her for several seconds. “These silly magic masks always mess up the eyes, you know that? I’m sure she doesn’t have goat eyes in real life.” She glanced up at Ladybug. “Who’s her mother?”

Ladybug shrugged. “I honestly have never seen this one before.”

Tom leaned over to get a good look at her. “Well, she’s got our jaw, son.”

And such pretty blonde hair!” Sabine offered. She glanced up at Marinette and mouthed, “Camille?”

Ladybug shrugged. “We were, um, we’re going to head up to the roof to debrief, if, um, that’s okay with you?”

“Of course!” Sabine said. “Here, take these with you!” She frantically handed Ladybug a bag of sweets.

“And some drinks!” Tom offered. He handed Chat Noir two steaming cups. “What would you like, Miss Cowgirl? Apple juice? Grape?”

Ladybug cleared her throat. “It’s Captain Cowgirl, actually.”

The small hand she was holding gave her a squeeze as if to say thank you.

“I like apple,” the tiny hero said in a small voice.

“Here you go, then. One apple juice,” Tom said, smiling. He pulled a juice box out of a cooler from behind the counter and handed it to Caline.

“Thank you very much,” Caline said. “It’s, um, it’s really nice to meet you both.”

Sabine and Tom smiled at her. “Well,” Sabine said as Tom put an arm around her. “It was lovely to meet you, too. Thank you for saving my favorite heroes.”

Caline stared at the two of them for a moment. “You’re both so nice. This, um, thank you. This was, I wasn’t expecting you to… Thank you. This is really great.”

“Hey,” Ladybug said in a soft voice. “You wanna come up to the roof with us? Maybe see what snacks they put in that bag before Chat Noir eats them all?”

They glanced over at Chat Noir, who had already taken a pastry from the counter and shoved it in his mouth. “What?” He mumbled through the food. “I don’t eat enough.”

“You eat as many as you want, dear,” Sabine said. “You need to put some meat on you.”

“That’s not meat,” Ladybug said. “But you’re right, he could stand to gain a pound or two.”

“Mmmffmm.” Chat responded as he continued to chew.

***

“So,” Ladybug said as she took a bite from a cheese danish. She was sitting in her favorite pink and white patio chair and sipping a mocha. She’d insisted on leaving them behind when she moved out, as she still loved stopping by the balcony on patrols. “Forgive me for saying so, but you don’t look like the last person I gave Ziggy to. Is she okay?”

Caline blushed and took a bite of her dessert. She had picked a huge cherry danish and was devouring it with gusto. “Uh, yeah. She’s got another one, now. This is so good! Like, I’d heard stories, but… This is incredible!” She took another bite and looked to Ladybug. “This is so much better than mom makes! She never uses this much sugar. Thank you for this. And, um, yeah. Thank you.”

The two older heroes watched Caline with a look that the younger hero couldn’t quite place. It was somewhere between amusement, curiosity, pride, and love. It was something she was admittedly used to from these two.

“Captain Cowgirl, was it?” Chat Noir asked.

Caline nodded. “Yep.” She sipped her juice box.

Ladybug smiled at her. “You were really brave out there today. You handled yourself like a hero.”

Caline blushed and smiled. “Thanks. That, um, that was my first time, actually.”

Ladybug’s eyebrows went up at that. “Seriously? Well, you did a bang-up job. Our first time was a complete disaster.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Chat started. He saw the look on Ladybug’s face and deflated a bit. ‘Okay, yeah. It was pretty bad.”

“You’re first time, you say?” Ladybug asked, a smile playing on her lips. “You’re not from around here, are you?”

Caline shook her head no. She didn’t like to lie, and she honestly thought secret identities were kind of dumb. Especially when it came to family.

“No, ma’am. I’m from, um, later.”

“Thought so,” Chat said. He and Ladybug looked to each other and smiled. Chat crossed his arms and said, “So, how did you get Ziggy, Camille?”

Caline nearly choked on her danish. She coughed for a second and then said, “Camille? Excuse me?”

Chat nodded. “It’s okay. You’re not the first time traveler to pop up with Ziggy.”

“Oh,” Caline said as she put two and two together. “Oh! You think… No, I’m not… Aunt Camille doesn’t use Ziggy, she has Barkk.”

Ladybug looked the younger hero over again. “Wait. Aunt Camille?”

Caline nodded and wiped her hands on her tights.

Ladybug got up and approached Caline. She knelt down to look the tiny hero in the eyes.

“You know who we are, don’t you?” Ladybug asked.

Caline nodded again and bit her lip. “I, um, yes?” She looked from Ladybug to Chat Noir. “Is that okay?”

Ladybug thought about what Caline had said. “You weren’t expecting to get into a fight, were you?”

Caline shook her head no.

“But you came to the bakery looking for us?”

Caline nodded. “For you.”

Ladybug put a hand on the small hero’s shoulder. “What happened, sweetie?”

It had been a very big, very stressful day, and there was something about having your grandmother look you in the eye and speak in a kind voice that had an almost magical quality to it. Caline dropped her transformation and started to cry. She threw herself into Ladybug’s arms.

“Hey now, it’s okay,” Ladybug said, slightly surprised. The girl in her arms was shaking like a leaf.

Chat Noir knelt beside them and put a gentle hand on the young girl’s back. “You’re safe, love,” he said. “Whatever is the matter, we’ll help put it right. We promise.”

“They… They’re all frozen! All of them!” Caline blubbered. “Mom, dad, all, all the heroes… Everyone in Pa, Paris! I was, I was the only one who wa, who wasn’t…”

“Shhh,” Ladybug said. “Spots off.”

There was a warm flash of light, and Caline pulled back to look into the concerned, wide eyes of her grandmother. But it was wrong. Her face wasn’t wrinkled, and her hair was a rich, navy blue… She looked so young, but her smile was the same, and she smelled the same, and she was warm, and for a moment, Caline felt like she was home.

Caline let out a small, surprised laugh through her hiccupped tears. “Oh, wow. You, you look so pretty, Gramma.”

Marinette froze.

“Oh, my God,” Chat nearly whispered. “Claws in.”

Caline looked over at the young man kneeling beside her. “You both look so good!” She looked at Adrien for a second. “You don’t have your beard, Grandpa. This is so weird. I… I’m so sorry! I really didn’t know what else to do, but… But I was told if there was an emergency to come here, and, and I know I’m not supposed to use the door, but there wasn’t anyone left and…” She wiped her eyes. “Am I in trouble?”

Marinette pulled the young girl into a hug. “Of course you’re not, sweetheart.” She looked to Adrien, who was doing his best not to panic. He was also rubbing at his chin.

“Hey,” Marinette said as she pulled back to look Caline in the eyes. “Do you know the rules about time travel?”

Caline shook her head. “Only that I’m not supposed to do it, or Aunt Alix gets really mad.”

Marinette snickered. “Well, one of the big ones is to not reveal too much about the future, okay? I need you to tell us what happened, but when you do, try not to spill to much future stuff. Don’t tell us anything other than what we need to know. Can you do that for us?”

Caline nodded. “I can do that. Um, so, uh, I was playing in my room, and there was an akuma alert, and mom and dad said they’d be right back. I was watching the fight on my phone, and then there was this huge flash of light, and everyone froze.” Caline shuddered. “Everyone. Like, the whole city.”

Adrien frowned. “How come you didn’t get frozen?”

“Mom and dad said my room has magic shields that protect it from akumas and magic and stuff,” Caline said. “They said it was just built like that.”

“Don’t tell anymore than that,” Marinette said. “Okay, so you were in a shelter of some kind. That was clever thinking on your parents’ part to make your bedroom so safe.”

“It was mom’s bedroom,” Caline offered.

Marinette looked to Adrien. “Wanna tell me something about the apartment?”

Adrien shrugged. “Look, Chloé did a ton of stuff when we moved in. Maybe she shielded it?”

Marinette turned to Caline. “Sweetie, do you remember anything about the akuma they were facing? Anything that might help figure out what happened?”

Caline nodded. “He called himself Stopwatch. I think when mom broke this clock thing on his chest, it, um, exploded? And that caused, um, everything. I think.”

Marinette glanced to Ziggy, who was floating beside Caline. “Anything you want to add, Ziggy?”

“Mistress,” Ziggy said with a mid-air bow. “Might I say you are lookin’ plumb lovely.”

“Thank you,” Marinette sighed. “Ziggy, the akuma?”

Ziggy nodded. “Right. So, from what I could see on the magic talky glass, he was all defeated and such, but then he said somethin’ ta honk off yer daughter, and she landed a good hit right on his chest and from what I could gather, that’s when things went south.”

Caline looked to Marinette, her face a picture of worry. “Can you help?”

Marinette bit her lip as she thought. “I think so. Had… Was I… Huh. Was Ladybug there?”

Caline blinked. “Well, um, yeah. I just said… Yeah, she was there.”

“Had she thrown her lucky charm?”

Caline nodded. “I think so. I something on the live feed. I think it was a pair of scissors?”

Marinette allowed herself a small smile. “Right. How did you get here, sweetie?”

“The door at the hotel.” Caline leaned in. She cupped her hand to the side of her mouth and whispered, “the secret one.”

Marinette looked to Adrien. “Do you know anything about a secret door?”

Adrien shrugged. “Chloé never mentioned anything to me about one.”

“Huh,” Marinette said. “Would you mind showing me the door?”

Caline nodded. “I can do that.”

***

When they arrived at the Grand Paris, they were met with a flurry of questions. Caline Jr. was stunned as she looked around at everyone, and everyone in turn kept eyeing her.

It didn’t help that all three of them were transformed.

“Can I play with your staff?” Emmy asked, wide-eyed.

“How come you’re a cowboy?” Camille asked.

“She’s a cowgirl,” Emmy said.

“Wanna see my room?” Camille asked. “We’ve got dinosaurs.”

“You are so adorable!” Sabrina gushed. She had taken off work early to come up and mee the new hero.

“Ziggy, huh?” Chloé asked, smirking. She handed a fussy baby Gina to Chat Noir. “Here you go. This one needs changing.”

Chat frowned. “Ugh. You’re right.” He held his daughter on his hip. “Girls, give the Captain a little space, would you? She just got here.”

“Hey, kiddo.” Caline (senior) knelt in front of the shy hero. “You really leaned into the role, didn’t you?”

Captain Cowgirl looked at the redheaded woman with wide eyes. “Are you Ms. Bourgeois?”

Caline smiled. “That I am. Pleased to meet you, Captain.”

Caline junior swallowed. “I, um, Ziggy told me about you and how cool you were. I, um, I made this from the stories he told.” She looked to the older redhead. “Is that okay?”

Caline smiled and felt herself tearing up. “I think it’s perfect, sweetheart. You wear the suit well. Do… Am I allowed to ask if I know you?”

Caline junior shuffled her feet. “We, um, I…”

Caline, while not the instant connect-the-dots master Marinette was, had been exposed to enough awkward time travel nonsense that she was starting to put things together. “Are we, um, are we related?”

“Caline,” Ladybug said. “You shouldn’t ask that.”

Caline senior sighed. “Fine, fine.” She looked to the small hero again and thought about it, but didn’t say anything more.

Chloé leaned towards Ladybug and whispered, “I take back everything I ever said about Ziggy. This is comedy gold.” She spoke up. “Can I get a shot of the two of you? I’d like to have a picture of both Captains.”

Caline senior shot her daughter a withering look before sighing and dropping to one knee.  “Come here, partner,” Caline said as she patted her leg.

Caline junior looked to Ladybug, who smiled and nodded. “If you want to, it’s fine.”

Caline junior shuffled over and sat on the older woman’s knee as Chloé took out her phone and snapped a quick picture. “Perfect,” the blonde said, still smirking.

“So,” Ladybug said in her business voice. “We actually came by for work reasons. The Captain here needed my help with something and said the hotel had a, um, secret door?”

Caline junior nodded.

“What secret door?” Chloé asked, confused.

“NOPE,” A voice yelled from behind them. The group jumped and turned to see the adult Bunnyx standing there. She had a frown on her face and her arms were crossed. Marinette noted that her hair had some gray in it, and her mask looked like it was covering some lines.

“I was wondering when you’d show up,” Ladybug said.

“It took me a bit, what with the timeline turning itself inside out,” Bunnyx said with a chuff. She glanced down at Caline junior. “Captain. Care to tell me what you’re doing here?”

The small hero shuffled back to Marinette’s side. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

“She really came through for us today,” Ladybug said. “And from the sound of it, something big happened where she came from. Where were you?”

Bunnyx let out a small sigh. “Trying to fix things, but then someone did a hopscotch back in time and I’ve been trying to track her instead of cleaning up what happened.”

“I’m sorry,” Caline junior said. “I didn’t mean to do anything bad.”

Bunnyx rolled her eyes and messed up the young girl’s hair. “I get it. You’re not in trouble, kiddo. I just wish you’d waited, like, five more minutes.”

“So, is everything fixed?” Ladybug asked. “Can she go home?”

Bunnyx looked to Ladybug. “What, back in her time? Hell no. That era is stuck.” She eyed Ladybug. “We need a Ladybug to fix things.”

Ladybug smiled. “Well then, I think you’re in luck.”

“Can I come?” Chat Noir asked.

Bunnyx answered before Ladybug could. “You need to get your kids home before five.”

“Why before five?” Chat Noir asked.

“Because, um, I’m coming by with an offer to babysit so you two can go out to dinner?”

“You are?” Ladybug asked, confused.

“You are?” Chat Noir asked, a small smile growing on his face.

“Yep,” Bunnyx said with a nod. “One sec.” She slid out her pocket watch and opened it. The group watched as she frantically typed something on a holoscreen.”

“Yep!” Bunnyx said as she quickly closed the watch. “This time’s me will be there by five, so, um, go freshen up. Please. Now.”

Chat Noir sighed and nodded. “I get it. Come one, you two. Let’s get you home.” He looked to Chloé. “Were they good?”

Chloé nodded. “They were fine. They’re always fine.”

Chat Noir glanced at Chloé’s very round belly. “You good?”

“I’m here,” Chloé said. “Another two weeks, and I can lay down again.”

Bunnyx snorted.

“What?” Chloé asked. The annoyance in her voice was clear.

“Try three and a half,” Bunnyx said.

“WHAT?” Chloé snapped. A grinning Sabrina took her hand as Chloé fumed. “He’s going to be late? That’s…”

“Ridiculous,” Bunnyx finished. “Come on, you two.” She looked to the two waiting heroes as she opened a portal. “We’ve got a city to save.”

***

When the three heroes arrived in the future, Ladybug was a bit unsettled. Everything was quiet. More than that, it was still.

She shuddered. “This is slightly familiar.”

“Sorry,” Bunnyx said. “It’s why I didn’t want Adrien to come. I figured you’d associate this with the whole Chat Blanc thing. I didn’t think you’d be comfortable with, well…”

Ladybug put her hand on Bunnyx’s shoulder. “Thanks, Alix. I appreciate it.”

They walked a short distance to the Louvre, Caline’s hand firmly planted in Ladybug’s. When they got there, all three heroes took a moment to register the sight in front of them.

The heroes of Paris were stuck, some of them in midair, and all were pointed towards what looked like a green and purple man. He was tired up in a thin, black cord that was being held by what looked like Ladybug, who was stuck, mid-punch, with her fist shattering what looked like a giant clock on the colorful man’s chest.

Marinette drifted past the heroes that were present. Some of them looked extremely familiar, while others were brand new to her. She did her best to block them out, as the less she knew about it, the better. Instead, she focused on Ladybug.

Marinette put her hand to the young woman’s cheek. This ladybug’s uniform was inverted from hers, black with red spots. Also, she was wearing a red jacket, complete with metal shoulder clasps.

Marinette looked into a set of familiar green eyes that were peeking through a mask that was slightly covered by a mop of short, brown hair.

“Can you help her?” Caline asked. “Can you help my mom?”

Marinette leaned forward and kissed the frozen, angry-looking young woman on the forehead. “I’m going to, sweetie. I promise.” She looked down and saw a pair of scissors on the woman’s hip.

“I’m guessing you understood the charm?” Bunnyx asked.

Ladybug nodded. “Sewing scissors. I figured.” She looked to Bunnyx. “I was supposed to get a visitor today, wasn’t I?”

“Not saying one way or the other,” Bunnyx replied.

Ladybug just smirked as she threw the scissors into the air. A massive wave of Ladybugs washed over the city, and suddenly, everything was moving again.

The groups faltered, a flurry of “what just happened?” “Did we just die?” And “Don’t do that!” screams all echoed around the courtyard.

Gina blinked as she stood in front of a restored security guard. “Um, did… Did I just cure you?”

“MOM!”

Gina, still surprised, barely caught the black and white blur that was her daughter as she was nearly tackled. “I thought I’d never see you again!” Caline sobbed.

“Ca, er, um, hey. What are you talking about?” Gina asked, bewildered. She piked up her daughter and hugged her. “What do you mean you…”

Gina glanced past the group for one second as a white light caught her eye. It was only for a moment, but she saw a familiar red and black hero smile and wave at her just before disappearing into a white portal.

“Was that…?” Gina half-whispered as Caline hugged her tighter. She glanced at her little girl. “What did you do today, sweetie?”

Caline looked to her mother and smiled. “I got to meet a whole bunch of people, and I saw Gramma and Grandpa, and, and I had my first fight. And I won! And… And I used the key. I’m sorry.”

Gina smiled and kissed her daughter on the forehead. “Well, if what I think happened just happened, you’ve got nothing to apologize about.”

Beside them, a yellow and black bee-themed hero stepped up and gave them a hug. “What’s this little one doing out here?”

“I think,” Gina said as she glanced to where the portal had been. “She just saved Paris. And us.”

“Well now,” Yellowjacket said, smiling. “What do we call you, Miss hero?”

Caline looked at her parents and smiled. “Y’all can call me Captain Cowgirl.” She tipped her hat.

André sputtered and buried his face in his wife’s shoulder. Gina started elbowing him while doing her best not to bust up. “Stop it. Stop it! You’re gonna make me drop her!”

“We, um, we need to call Gramma Chloé tonight,” André said. “Better yet, let’s swing by and visit. This is just perfect.”

“You’re terrible,” Gina scolded him. “And I agree.”

Caline laughed and hugged her parents as they did their best not to break down in laughter.

***

That night, after dinner, a visit to the Grand Paris, and so, so many pictures, Caline nestled in her bed as her parents kissed her goodnight and quietly shut the door to her room.

“Hey Ziggy,” Caline whispered.

“Ma’am,” Ziggy said from his small pillow.

“Thanks for today,” Caline said.

“Aw, shucks. I didn’t do anything. Y’all were the one who took out that varmint. I just provided the wardrobe.”

“You told me I could do it,” Caline said.

“Yeah, well, you did do it,” Ziggy said. “I ain’t never had a holder as young as you are, but I’ll tell you what; I ain’t never had one as brave as you, either. It took real courage to make that call and go back in time, and it took even more to face down that dumb ole’ plant guy. Yer every bit yer parent’s kid, and every bit yer namesake in courage.”

Caline smiled at that. “Thanks Ziggy.” She scooted to the small goat creature and smiled. “You did good.”

Ziggy started to tear up. “I… I did?” In a small voice, he asked. “Y’all think I’m good?”

“You’re the best kwami in the whole wide world,” Caline said. She leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead.

Ziggy blushed and made a small circle with his foot in the sheets. “Aw, shucks, ma’am.” He choked a bit on his words. T’weren’t nothin’.”

Caline settled in, her eyes on Ziggy. “Hey, can you tell me a story about her?”

“Shucks,” Ziggy said. “Which one do you want ta hear?”

“You pick,” Caline said as she yawned.

Ziggy leaned back and rubbed his chin. “Okay then. Well, there was this one time? A huge apartment buildin’ had caught fire. Anyway, yer Gramma Chloé had already charged over, but ole’ Caline, she just knew that yer Gramma needed help. So, she goes ta get me from restroom dungeon, and then like lightnin’ she charged right over and into the fire.”

Ziggy glanced over at Caline, who was already asleep. Smiling, he leaned back against his pillow and stared up at the ceiling.

“Anyway, ole’ Caline bursts in like a tornado and gets straight ta work. She just scooped up that Gramma o’ yours and this little gal that was hidin’, and like a comet, she just burst outta the building right as it was comin’ down. She plumb saved both their lives that night, as she was set ta do. On a count of her bein’ a hero.”

Ziggy glanced over and heard soft snores coming from his charge. He floated over and made sure her covers were pulled up to her chin.

“She was a right fine hero, just like you.” He floated up and kissed her on the forehead. He then glanced to the careworn reading chair beside Caline’s bedside.

For a moment he paused. He then smiled at the seemingly empty space.

“Sweet dreams, Miss Caline.” Ziggy said in the quiet darkness of the room. “You rest easy. I’ll keep watch.” He settled against Caline. “I promise. I’ll keep her safe.”

While the future is never set, Ziggy knew that come what may, he would do his very best for the young girl sleeping beside him. He knew there was nothing he wouldn’t do to keep her safe, and that he would never stop working to earn her trust.

She was his holder, and she had said he was good. She said he was the best.

And coming from Captain Cowgirl, that meant the world.

#fanfiction #captain cowgirl #miraculous ladybug #mamabug

[auspicious-lilana]

Two Cats, One Heart (Chat Noir x Reader)

Summary: Y/n Ross and Adrian Agreste are childhood best friends, they've been through thick and thin, including losing their mom, and dad. Since then Y/n's mom made her live with Adrian at his mansion and forever leaving her life. Watch as their lives Change as they become the new heroes of Paris alongside Ladybug and see how Romance sprouts between the two models.

Part 1  

{Y/n' POV}

Adrian and I were running down the street of our house trying to get to school on time. Why are we running to school in a rush when we could just take our personal driver? You may ask? Well, we aren't really allowed to attend school, so we snuck out of the mansion together with all our supplies and bags. We saw the School entrance and smiled at each other before starting to slow down and walk-in. "Adrien, Y/n, please reconsider! You know what your father and godfather want!" "This is what we wanna do!" Adrian said as I nodded and continued walking before we saw an old man lying on the road reaching for his crane. Adrian and I looked at each other and nodded before we took both sides of the old man and helped him up as I picked up his crane and gave it to him. "Thank you, young man and women" we smiled back at the old man before turning back to Natalie. "We just wanna go to school like everybody else. What's so wrong with that? " I said sadly. "Please don't tell my father about this" Adrian said as we sadly walked into the car and drove back to the Mansion we were imprisoned in. Unknown to us the old man we helped before stood in front of the mansion as we went in for our homeschool class, with two boxes that would change our entire lives. Adrian and I were in the middle of Natalie's history lesson as we listened to while we were still bummed out about the whole not going to school thing. "Who was the first president of the 5th French Republic?" "Everyone thinks it was de Gaulle, " Adrian started bored. "but it was actually René Coty before the first elections" I finished off for him. "excellent Adrian, Y/n"  I sighed as I saw my godfather aka Adrian's dad Mr.Agreste come in. "Give me a minute, would you, Nathalie?" Natalie nodded at Mr.Agreste. "yes, sir" Natalie left leaving Adrian and me with Mr.Agreste. "You are both NOT going to school. I already told you two"  Adrian and I stood up in protest. "but father/Sir!" "Everything you both need is right here where I can keep an eye on you two. I will not have you both outside in that dangerous world." "It's not dangerous, father. We're always stuck in here with nothing but each other and sometimes we can't even see each other. Why can't we go on and live life just like everybody else?" " Adrian said. "Because you are not like everyone else! You are my son and goddaughter! Continue."  Mr.Agreste left as Natalie came back. "We can leave it there if you have-" before she could finish Adrian and I ran back to our rooms, as tears rolled down my cheeks" "It isn't fair!" I yelled at myself as soon as I shut my door and threw myself on the couch. "why can't we live our lives as teens?" I wiped my tears before I turned on the TV not noticing the box right in front of me on the desk. "As incredible as it seems, it's been confirmed that Paris is indeed being attacked by a supervillain. The police have been struggling to keep the situation under control" I gasped at the news. "Super Villain?" After a second I noticed a strange black box on the desk in front of me. "huh? What's this doing here?" I opened the box as a grey light came out of it making me look away and drop the box to shield my eyes. "hey!" I looked at where the greeting came from to see...a grey floating fox?!?

I was about to scream before it flew quickly at me and covered my mouth. " Don't freak out! Please! I have had enough of new holders screaming whenever seeing me for the first time!" I nodded and grabbed the little grey fox and moved it away from my face. "so, are you like a genie? Do you grant wishes? Or are you just some small animal trapped in a-" I looked at the box to see a silver bracelet with a silver paw print in the middle. "really pretty bracelet." "I met him once, so what if he grants wishes, big bore. I'm way better than that guy" I looked at the little fox shook. "a genie... Exists?!" "so your surprised that exists but not questioning mines? Wow, I'm totally not offended" I chuckled nervously while I scratched the back of my neck sheepishly. "Sorry, it's just I read a lot of fairy tales of Genies, I never knew it really did it existed" "yeah yeah, whatever. Anyways the names Alpha" "I'm-" "Y/n, I know" "How did you know-" "I'm your kwami, of course, I would know your name" "What's a kwami?" I sat back down as Alpha stood floating in front of me. "A kwami is an ancient creature that grants the holder a special power, yours is the power of balance, you balance the power of destruction and creation, making sure there aren't too much of either of them." "what can I do, specifically?" "well, you wield a staff that can split into two like the ring miraculous and can take form into any weapon you like, except you have a different special ability called moon wolf when you say the word you can go invisible for 30 seconds only." "cool!" "but! There's a downside." "bad downside or is it not that bad?" I nervously said scared I might get severely ill or maybe I might get super tired every transformation. " it's not that bad, it's just you got five minutes until you detransform after using your special ability" "oh...thats not that bad I guess" I picked up the box and took out the silver bracelet and placed it on.

"So how does this work?"

"This is your miraculous, the grey fox miraculous. Using this would change you in to your superhero outfit complete with a mask and all that pizazz"

"Cool, how do I do that?"

"Just say, "Alpha, Tails out" then bam superhero"

"Okay, Alpha!-" Alpha covered my mouth again.

"Wait! before you do that, you need a hero name"

"right, but what should I name for myself"

"how about Lady Fox, like the last holder?"

"Lady Fox? I like the sound of that"

"Okay, now you can transform"

"Great! Alpha! Tails Out!" After I transformed I looked at my body mirror in awe.

"Now to test it out" I opened my window and looked around to see if anyone's watching before I hopped off and started jump building to building. I then saw a girl in a ladybug patterned suit as well as a boy in a black leather suit, both of them in masks. tied up in a yoyo string. I smirked as I stealthy walked over to them. "I'm guessing you two are my new teammates? they looked at me surprised. the red suit girl seemed nervous while the boy looked at me excited.  

"can you help us, g-get untied?" the girl asked. I nodded and pulled the tip of the string letting them free as they fell down. The cat boy came up to me and kissed my hand to which I blushed before I hid it and took back my hand.

"Thanks, umm"

"Lady Fox, you?"

"Chat Noir, at your service M'lady"  he bowed. So he's a flirty gentleman, I'll have to watch my back with him.

"I'm Ma... err... Mar... uhh..." The red suit girl pulled on her yoyo before it landed on Chat's head making me giggle as she looked at him apologetically.  " Madly Clumsy. I'm so clumsy."

"No sweat, clumsy girl. We're learning the ropes too." I nodded to Chat's reply.

"We can't be perfect at anything first try, right?" The ground began to tremble as we saw a building fall from afar. Chat and I nodded as we used out staffs to get up the building nearby from the ground.

" Hey! Where are you two going?"

"To save Paris, right?" I yelled back before Chat and I continued running. When we got to the source of the noise we saw the stone monster chasing a guy before the guy tripped. Chat extended his staff stopping the stone monster from reaching the guy. I used my staff to land next to the guy.

"Come on" I grabbed his arm and helped him up as I swung him to safety.

"Who are you?" He asked before I winked at him with a grin.

"Lady Fox" Before any more could be said I swung away to join to battle to see stone heart throw a net at a brown-haired girl who seemed to be recording. I gasped as I threw my staff to stop it from hurting her. "Are you okay, miss?" She nodded as she gaped at me in awe. but I soon got grabbed by the stone monster as did Chat as we got squished together. I looked at him with a blush creeping up as he grinned at me awkwardly before we looked away trying to move less so as not to get closer together. Ladybug soon came and used her yoyo to throw Stone monster down getting us freed.

"Animal cruelty? How shameful!"  I grinned at Ladybug's reply as I stood next to her next to a net. "Sorry it took so long, Cat Noir, Lady Fox" I nodded and smiled.

" It's cool, Wonderbug. Now, let's kick his rocky behind!" I sighed and grabbed Chat's tail.

"Hold on, kitty. Didn't you just see? he gets bigger and stronger with every attack."

"Lady Fox is right Chat Noir. We have to do something different"  

"Different how?" Chat asked as he rubbed his tail.

" Uhhh... I don't know." I thought about a plan while Chat noir decided to get cocky.

"Okay then. Let's use our powers. Cataclysm! Apparently I destroy whatever I touch."

"Chat wait-" I tried to stop him before he touched the net. great, that was his last shot. didn't he listen to his kawami? You only get one shot or time to use special powers.

"Cool. It's just you and me now! Time to rumble, soon-to-be rubble!" I face palmed as I sighed.

"Cat Noir! Wait!" Chat Noir either didn't hear or ignored Ladybug as he leaped and touched the stone monster, thinking he could still use his powers. Seems he finally realized that as he kept touching the stone monster.

"Uh-oh. I guess I only get one shot to use my power." Chat Noir smiled sheepishly before Stone Monster threw him back at us as I quickly got out of the way as he landed on the net.

"And you only have five minutes before you transform back. Didn't your kwami explain anything to you?"

"I guess I was a little excited about my new life."  

"Well, up to me. Lucky Charm!" A suit appeared in Ladybug's hands.

"Superpower?"

" My kwami told me I have to break the object where the whatchama-call-it... er, the Akuma is hiding."  

"Well, he's made entirely out of stone." Chat's right, he is entirely out of stone, I looked closely before noticing something. but his right hand is always shut. earlier when he took me, he avoided holding me and chat in the same hand, and held us both in his left hand. in fact he's been keeping his left hand to himself the entire time, like a Russian doll.

"His right hand, it's still closed. He never opens it. It's like the Russian dolls. The object isn't on him, it's hidden in his fist!" I exclaimed Ladybug caught on and nodded.

"Lady Fox is right"

"So what's your plan?" Chat asked. I smiled and stepped back for Ladybug to do her thing.

"This." Ladybug grabbed the hose under hoe and tied it to the suit. I looked at her as I soon realized what she was going to do and I nodded as she smiled. I turned my staff into a rope as I used to grab around Chat's legs.

"Don't resist. Trust me." I spun and around and threw chat into the stone monster.

"THIS GIRL'S CRAZY!"  Ladybug then ran.

"Catch me if you can!" Ladybug jumped making stone monster drop the item to grab ladybug. "Lady Fox! Now!" I nodded as I used my power.

"Moon Wolf!" I turned invisible so that the stone monster won't be able to try to touch me as I grabbed the item, making it look for it confused as I turned on the tap filling up the suit Ladybug had. letting Ladybug go. Once I was sure she was free, I threw the stone on the groundbreaking it. As we both watched it fly away as the stone monster changed back into a boy, making Chat fall.

"This girl is awesome, Crazy awesome" The broken stone pieces I had in my hand changed back into a paper as I smiled and walked the boy. Chat walked up to me and Ladybug.

"You two were in incredible, Lady Fox, and Miss uh bug lady, you did it!" I shook my head.

"No, We did it"

"Pound it!" We all said with a smile as Chat's ring and my bracelet began to beep.

"You two should get going. Our identities must remain secret."

"Farewell, m'lady. Let's do this again soon, okay?" Chat and I began to run, in the same direction home?

"Um, you live near here?"  I said as we made it to my home.

"Uh yeah" Why isn't he moving, doesn't he have to get home.

"um, shouldn't you get home?"

"What about you? I want to make sure you get home alright"

"No need, I-" My bracelet began to beep making me get nervous. I looked around before I thought out an idea. "Bye!" I ran all the way behind the mansion as I heard his footsteps leave. Strange how we ended up in the same place. I looked to make sure if he was gone before I ran back to my window as I heard my door knock as I changed back. I quickly hid Alpha who seemed tired as I sat on the couch casually.

"Come in!" I saw Adrian as I looked at him surprised. he never really came in my room before, after we became models we rarely have time for each other as we did when we were kids, it was like we were purposely being split apart. "Adrian?"

"Hey, Y/n. Long time since I came in here huh?" Adrian smiled as he laughed a bit making me grin.

"Yeah, I missed seeing you a lot. It's like we've grown apart"

"And now I want us to be together"

"What do you mean?"

"I missed you, and I need my best friend again" I smiled as I patted a spot on the couch for him to sit which he did.

"I missed you too, blondie" Adrian chuckled.

"It feels nice to see you call me that again" I smiled teasingly.

"oh you do? pancake?"

"Okay, now I think you're getting a bit carried away with the nicknames"  

"How so? Goldie locks?"

"Y/n...." We looked at each other before we both ended up laughing. "This time, nobody is ever going to separte us, not even my father"

"Pinky promise?" I stook out my pinky as he chuckled as he locked his pinky with mine.

"Pinky promise"

"Well, we can start with a sleepover later?" Adrian nodded.

"I'll go get my things" I smiled as he walked out. Alpha came out and tired walked over to me.

"Yyyyy/nnnnn!" He whined as I rolled my eyes.

"Yes?"

"I want brownies"

"I'll get my chef to bring some" I called in a chef with the com installed in my room as he brought the brownies quickly. I thanked him as I closed the door and gave him the brownies as requested. "Happy?"

"Very" I rolled my eyes as I turned on the TV.

"These victims transformed into stone beings are still like statues. The police are perplexed to what will happen to them. Will they come back to life or be frozen in time forever?

I looked at the TV confused. More stone beings? I thought we defeated it.

"Hey Alpha, I thought we were finished with that guy, why is it still going?"

"Did you capture the Akuma?" He said as he munched on a brownie.

" What's capturing the Akuma got to do with the other stone beings?"

"An Akuma can multiply, that's why it must be captured. If the boy's emotions become negative again, then the Akuma will turn him back into Stoneheart! He'll control all the stone beings and bring them to life to serve as his army!"

"Is there anything I can do about it"

"Well usually Ladybug has to do it, but you can too. You can use your staff as a net and catch all of them. but sadly you can't this time. It's all up to Ladybug."

"I can only come in when it's out of hand huh, well i hope Ladybug is up for it too"

"Me too Y/n, Me too"

(A/n: End of part one of Origins! I hope all my miraculous fans like this chapter!)

#Chat Noir x reader #Adrian Agreste x reader #x reader #Fanfiction #Miraculous Ladybug #Lady Fox #Kawami #marinette dupain cheng #alya.ladyblogger #chloe bourgeois #Sabrina

[miraculouslycool]

Your Strong Disguise - Part 3

Pairing - Adrienette/Ladynoir

Rating - PG

Chat Noir and Ladybug stealthily edged themselves towards him after sorting through the rubble.

The sentimonster was still unconscious on his back. He didn't seem to be breathing.

Chat took a few extra paces towards him only to get held back by Ladybug.

"What are you doing?" Ladybug hissed.

"I was going to check for a pulse-"

"No, he's not dead! Mayura is the only one who can get rid of sentimonsters, and we don't even know if he has his amok ON him!"

That was when Chat noticed something sticking out of his waist where his pockets should be.

"I don't know about you, but I don't carry around ballpoint pens wherever I go." He snarked, pointing to him.

"The pen? You think that's where the amok is?"

It was only then Chat noticed Ladybug hadn't let go of his hand.

"Look!" Ladybug prompted. He turned around and saw Mayura's symbol appear around his eyes. "She's talking to him!"

"Where's Ladybug?" They heard Alya yell from above them.

"What happened to Chat Noir, is he okay??"

"Where's the Akuma?"

SentiNoir began to stir.

"Oh no Oh no Oh no..." Ladybug muttered.

"Right here!" Guilt Tripper's cackling voice echoed as she swished in the air, causing the entire class on the floor above them to scream.

She was looking directly at them, though.

"Looks like Hawkmoth sent me an ally." She grinned, looking at Sentinoir who had opened his eyes.

"This was his plan?" Chat sputtered. "Get me out of the way so he can go after you?"

"Seems like it." Ladybug muttered.

Without warning, Guilt Tripper shot blindly at the class, causing a scream to erupt.

"No, stop it!" Ladybug demanded, glaring at her.

"Leave them alone!" Chat Noir growled as he ran at her, but he was promptly thrown back into Ladybug's arms by SentiNoir who decided to wake up just then.

Ladybug's earrings beeped.

"Chat, we can't continue this here! If he fights us he could destroy the balcony and everyone in it!"

Chat heard screams of anguish not unidentical to what he had experienced.

"Bathrooms." He said simply, grabbing her hand and running towards the right.

"You thought you got rid of me, didn't you?!" The sentimonster's furious grunt mingled in his ears with Ladybug's rushed breathing.

"Take care of them, kitty." Guilt Tripper preened over everyone's shocked exclaims of why there were two Chat Noirs.

Once they reached the male restrooms on the other side of the floor (he didn't want to go to the ladies's room, that was where Marinette was hiding!) Ladybug kicked the door open.

"Don't you come any closer!" Chat aggressively held up his baton in a defensive stance.

SentiNoir merely laughed. "Why would you want someone like him? After all, I am the much stronger one. I can actually stay transformed for one and-" his smirk became even more sinister. "-you and I belong together, m'lady."

Chat never realised how many times he had said those same words in the past. He had stopped when he realised he was crossing a line, but SentiNoir was performing circus tactics over it.

"She's not a possession!" He snapped at his look-alike, wanting nothing more than to rip out his throat instead of waiting for Ladybug to figure out her Lucky Charm.

"Yes, she is, she belongs to me!" He growled. "Don't you, m'lady?" He leered at her behind him.

Ladybug was having a plan about having Chat Noir cataclysm some of the water pipes.

She didn't need that anyway.

She furiously flung her yo yo around his waist, trapping him.

SentiNoir lost his balance and fell at her feet.

"Listen here, you cheap copy." She said, her voice dangerously low. "There is only one guy who can call me his lady, and you are not him."

Chat Noir was glad she didn't turn around, for he was positively swooning at her.

He was so distracted by her aggressive stance and powerful words, he almost missed the flash of purple flying towards them.

And when he did, it was too late.

Guilt Tripper fired at Ladybug before she could react, and she went flying into the bathrooms along with her yo yo, which conveniently freed the predatory sentimonster.

"LADYBUG!" Chat Noir yelled as he ran to her side.

"Not so fast, cat." SentiNoir grabbed his tail, preventing him from running away.

"Just lending a helping paw." Guilt Tripper said before he saw her fly away from the corner of his eye.

'No, no, she couldn't go through what I went through! This is all my fault! I should have been looking around my surroundings instead of being a distracted idiot! I could have taken the shot for her again! I would have been able to go through that pain instead of her a thousand times if I had to-'

'No, Adrien.' he thought determinedly. 'Think. Do what Ladybug would do." He said, unbuckling his belt and easily escaping from the sentimonster's grasp.

SentiNoir had fallen face first, not expecting the impact.

As he spun around to face him again, his foot knocked against something. He looked down to see the duct tape that Ladybug had dropped.

He grabbed it just as SentiNoir called, "Cataclysm!"

"Say goodbye, sucker." He said, lunging at him.

But Chat Noir had already lunged first, pinning him to the ground.

"Complicated plans aren't my thing, you know?" He said, taping his mouth shut with the duct tape. "There, now that your annoying motor mouth has been taken care of, I need to search your pockets." He said, pulling out the pen and thrusting it into SentiNoir's Cataclysm powered hand.

The amok flew out and Chat Noir caught it just before SentiNoir disappeared from underneath him.

--------

Marinette refused to open her eyes and give in to the voices hollering in her ears.

"You are such a terrible friend! How could you do those things to Lila?! How could you tell Ladybug to not give me the fox anymore?!"

Alya would never say that, would she?

"I trusted you, Marinette. But you have failed me as my student. You are the reason Hawkmoth took away all the miraculouses!"

She tugged at whatever was choking her neck but it wouldn't give way.

"You are not good enough. You're not kind enough."

"You didn't help me when I ask you to! What kind of a friend are you?!"

"I told you that you would end up all alone!"

"Lila was right about you. I'm glad I stopped you from exposing her. Some 'Everyday Ladybug' you are. I will never love someone like you.'

'Why are you coming crawling back to me?'

The last one. She recognised everyone else but recognising Chat Noir felt more painful than ever.

'I gave my everything to you. I told you I loved you over and over again and the one time you decide to tell me that again, is when I don't give you any attention anymore.'

The words stung. It hurt. Everything hurt. She couldn't move. She didn't want to move.

'You want nothing but attention. Like Lila. You're worse than her. You played with my feelings and when I decide I've had enough - you are not worth my time anymore, Ladybug. You are too late."

"Ladybug!" Another voice broke through Chat Noir's voice and everything stopped.

"Ladybug? Ladybug, open your eyes!" Someone was gently patting her cheek.

She moved her hand painfully to feel the arm and hand that touched her cheek.

She felt leather, and... claws, and....a ring.

She opened her eyes and sucked in a deep breath like she had escaped from drowning.

"C-Chat? You're - here? And - not in my head?"

"Ssh. It's okay. I'm not in your head, and whatever I or anyone else told you is just a bad nightmare. None of it is true." He soothed. That was when she realised he was holding her in his lap and using his thigh as a pillow. "I know what it's like."

"H-how?" She blinked.

"I got attacked by Guilt Tripper as a civilian before. That's why I couldn't meet up with you immediately. Plagg destroyed the necklace though!" He said as she grew frantic. "I'm fine."

Her eyes flashed to his wrists and sure enough, he was wearing the duct taped bracelets she made. Like he promised he would.

"C-Chat, what happened to the sentimonster?" She lifted her head and sat up.

"I defeated him." He wound an arm around her, keeping her steady. "I got the amok. I would have used my Cataclysm but I saved it to destroy the necklace that was trapping you." He handed her the feather.

Ladybug didn't bother to spin her yoyo. She threw the feather inside it and a moment later released it.

"Bye bye, little feather." She sighed, leaning her throbbing head against Chat's surprisingly broad shoulder.

That was when her earrings beeped.

"Oh no!" She snapped. "How many spots do I have left?"

"One." Chat Noir helped her up. "It's fine. We're in a restroom. You can detransform and recharge in one of the cubicles.

"Thank you for saving my life, kitty." She said, seriously, squeezing his arm.

"Eh." He shrugged, grinning at her as she ran into a stall and locked it just as her transformation gave way.

"Tikki!" Marinette said in alarm as her kwami dropped tiredly into her hands.

"I'm fine, Ma- uh, Ladybug!" She said.

"I'm so so sorry!" Marinette hugged her close to her chest. "I should never have gotten hit-"

"Ladybug, maybe you should take your own advice in not accepting responsiblity for things that are not your fault." Tikki said gently.

"You're right." Marinette sighed.

"Claws in." She heard in a distant corner of the restroom.

Yeah. She shouldn't take responsibility for things that aren't her fault. She had every right to not be in love with Chat Noir. She had every right to reject him.

And he had every right to move on, too.

Marinette squeezed her eyes shut as Tikki munched on her cookie.

She could shake off every single one of the accuses in her head, even Adrien's. And yet for some reason she couldn't shake off Chat Noir's.

Mostly because he was right.

The silly and loyal cat had somehow wound her way around her heart without even her noticing.

And finally noticing wasn't doing her any good either. It wasn't her place to confess her feelings now. He had moved on. He didn't tell her, but she could. She couldn't go and confuse him even more. She had her chance and she ruined it. It was too late.

"Kitty, are you still here?" She called, just to be sure.

"I'm never leaving your side, Bugaboo." She heard his reply.

She wasn't going to make that mistake again. His friendship was no consolation prize in the stead of his extinguished love for her.

Tags:

@gangstaluigi613 @winchestersoldiersblog @reyna-avila-ramirez-alreanaldo @gwennex @ariana-the-fangirl

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4 | Part 5

#miraculous ladybug #adrien #marinette #adrienette #ladybug #chat noir #ladynoir #your strong disguise #my fics #lila salt

[wasebasket]

desperada.

marinette friendzoned luka. DAMN IT. alya wanted to say "oh girl." so bad.

i wanted to be that fandub's hyppolithea so bad and just-

"i have been practicing guitar since i was in diapers."

alix, alya and mylene already ship lukanette.

"i've got a feeling that marinette likes luka. like, a lot." welcome to the herd, alix.

mr. couffaine, your boyfriend is showing.

the way kagami clings on adrien...

multishipper_scream.mp4

VIVICA APPEARED WITH NO AKUMATIZATION SEQUENCE.

marinette had officially fallen into a real love triangle. FUFU.

i love desperada's voice?

anarka please calm down ksjfksjfkdjf

jagged, i think you do not understand the situation-

kagami rushed forward to desperada, wow. protective much?

adrien hiding behind luka. WELL.

LUKADRIEN.

adrien saving luka by jumping on him. here is good food for multishippers.

the triple baka (lukadrienette) are doing the episode lol

luka is all cool still.

OH GOD. ASPIK? GOD. OH GOD.

adrien's fanboying ♡

aspik's transformation soundtrack.

"cat got your tongue? leave a message!"

"CALL ME ASPIK" in the most hoarse voice a TEENAGER BOY can.

guys i love when you flirt but please there is a mission on board. ksjfksjfks

so much ladrien with high nutritional value.

plagg's pout ksjfkskf BABY

poor adrien, he tried to save ladybug so many times yet he failed and gave up on his transformation.

HE REVEALED HIS IDENTITY AND THEN SHE DISAPPEARED BECAUSE OF DESPERADA KSJDKSJF

poor sass. feed him. IMMEDIATELY.

luka. le snake. VIPERION IS HERE LADS. and he is smooth liek a snake.

him being protective of his family.

plagg reassuring adrien that he can make it up to his lady as chat noir. i love.

the yoyo has a super zooming camera now.

MA BOI luka doin some good poses and playing harp...

vivica is pretty. UWU. she did not show her "liking" of chat noir. i am a little upset about it lol but okay.

sunshine and blueberry playing together again...

"i was wrong about you and luka, right?"

"hurry up and make your choice marinette."

SECOND CHANCE throwback. gahd.

kagami is spitting out some truths, you know marinette...

but now that i think about it. CHILL KAGAMI. a second chance is not the end of the world. quite a perfectionist behavior. like "i will have only one lover for the rest of my life"?

i would request an uproar of claps from all of the fandom for zag; squeezing adrienette, lukanette, adrigami and lukadrien in the same episode? TALENT.

#ml #mlb #miraculous #miraculous ladybug #aspik #desperada #my baby plagg is so sad #wow #lukanette #lukadrien #adrigami #adrienette #viperion

[emsylcatac]

😻😸💗😿☺️ love square (these emojis seem to lend themselves to Ladrien but I'm not picky)

Aha the whole lovesquare it is then ;) Gonna go with the “4 times + 1″ cliché trope here with “4 times Marinette/Ladybug almost told Adrien/Chat Noir she loved him and the one time she did”.

____________

1. 😿 

Chat Noir was crying. Ladybug didn’t know why she found it as shocking as she did. Maybe it was because she had technically never seen him cry before; maybe it was because the only time she did, he was covered in white. Or maybe it was simply that the idea of her partner looking so broken was foreign and almost unfathomable to her. He usually was her support; now she felt that she had to be his for once.

She sat down next to him and put gently an arm around his shoulder so he wouldn’t be startled by her presence. She couldn’t ask him what was wrong, not yet. Not when their identities were still a secret. ‘I love you’ she wanted to tell him. But she knew she couldn’t; she feared he might not take it in the way she meant it.

“You’re important to me, you know.” is what she said instead.

* * *

2. 💗

Oh god. Oh god oh god oh god. Her heart was pounding fast in her chest as she hold Adrien, taking him further and further away from the akuma as fast as her yoyo could allow. “Are you alright?” she asked him as his grip tightened around her neck and she could feel his breath so close to her ear.

“Hmm” he answered in an affirmative sound. She thought she would get used to carrying Adrien in her arms as Ladybug after all the times it happened, but the erratic beating of her heart was telling her otherwise. Once she felt that they were far enough, she dropped him gently on the ground.

“Thanks my La– Ladybug!” he said with a small smile.

“Of course!” she answered. “Go hiding somewhere and be careful, you’re important to me.” she said, trying hard not to let the blush on her cheeks be seen.

“I am?” he asked while tilting his head slightly, a small blush covering his cheeks that he couldn’t hide, and oh no – he was adorable.

“I… Yeah” she stammered. “I love yooo– aaaaALL the citizens in Paris of course!” she caught herself on time. He seemed to buy her answer and gave her a small nod of the head before disappearing – probably to hide somewhere as she asked him to do.

* * *

3. 😸

Chat Noir was still grinning. He and Marinette were trying to recover from an uncontrollable fit of laughter they just shared. They had learned each other’s identities earlier that day and everything was a mess in their head – at least in hers.

Which was why she had asked him to come once he would be done with his homework to talk about it. It was awkward, neither knew what to say, and they couldn’t look in each other’s eyes for more than 2 seconds (not that she counted in her head). At least he seemed to be overall more at ease than she was. 

Until they started sharing stories of all the times they most likely failed to recognise the other and ridiculous attempts and excuses to transform. Which led them to this moment, the both of them laughing louder than the other, awkwardness momentarily forgotten.

“And then Plagg thought it was his precious camembert and stuck his head in the bracelet - don’t ask me how he did it!” Chat Noir was retelling and they were back into giggling again.

While she watched him laugh and laugh, she couldn’t help but start to merge the two boys together. ‘I love you so much’ she thought while she caught one of his smile radiating happiness. She startled a bit at the thought but found it was right. However, it was too early to let him know now. They were barely adjusting to each other. So Marinette let the thought go wander somewhere else in the back of her mind, smiling at the prospect of it blossoming more and more in the near future to come.

* * *

4. ☺️

“Careful where you put your feet!” Adrien chuckled while holding Marinette in place.

She was so engrossed in their conversation that she hadn’t seen the basket ball forgotten in the middle of the playground and tripped on it. Naturally, Adrien caught her in time before she would hit the ground.

“Thank you.”, she told him with a small smile once she was back steadily on her feet. He chuckled again while taking her hand and starting to walk towards the school exist.

“Of course!” he replied with a soft smile and an almost imperceptible blush gracing his cheeks. “You know I’m always there to catch you, even if it means that I’m not letting you fall for me!” he added with a wink. Marinette bit her lips and looked to the side, pondering whether she should tell him now or not.

“Well”, he said after a pause and dropping her hand, “better get going since the Gorilla is already there! I’ll see you tomorrow Marinette!” he told her, all the while looking at her with the softest expression that made her fall in love with him in the first place, making her insides melt on the spot. She watched him go to his car while waving him goodbye.

“I love you already, you know…” she whispered once he had closed the door.

5. 😻

This was it. She wouldn’t back away this time; it had gone for long enough. Ladybug was pacing on the roof, waiting for Adrien - for Chat Noir to arrive. She hadn’t picked the same one where he had made her his surprise all those months ago. She wanted something different. After debating on what to do, she decided to go for something simple (well, Tikki convinced her something simple would be the best course of action more like).

The small macaron was still intact in her palms. She idly wondered how it had not turned into crumbed yet but she was thankful. Suddenly, she heard someone dropping behind her and she turned around.

“Good evening ma Buguinette!” Chat Noir greeted her. “What did you want to discuss?”

“For you!” she said, presenting him the macaron and shoving it into his hand. His eyes widened a little, not excepting it.

“For me?” he said surprised. “What is the special occasion?” he asked after having recovered and bringing the macaron to his mouth. “Hm.. Passion fruit, my favourite! Thank you so much!”

Ladybug took a deep breath. “It is because… It is to say thank you.” she said with a soft smile. “Thank you for being you. For always supporting me. I’ve always…” she marked a pause and took another breath. “I’ve always felt that you were more than just a partner to me and… With everything that happened since our reveal… I’ve slowly come to understand why.”

If his eyes were wide before, it was nothing compared to how they were now.

“Does that mean… Does that mean that you…” he trailed off, not sure whether to believe what he was hearing or to hope or to understand the meaning behind her words.

“It means that I love you, Adrien.” she finished for his ears only smiling and with the beginning of tears forming in her eyes. A huge smile slowly formed on his face and his eyes were fixing her with so much love that she could almost see his pupils taking hearts shape.

“I love you too…” he whispered before they both met in a sweet kiss.

____________

…. Me when I thought of this game: let’s write a very short funny shitty thing around 10 sentences long emojis inspired hahaha

Me finishing this one: LOLOL guess who wrote 1200+ words of love drama while not even being a writer and having never really writen a fic in my life? 🤡

Aaaaaanyway. I hope it turned out all right (I was about to say not too cheesy but who am I kidding, not Plagg that’s for sure).

Thanks for the ask haha ♥

Send me your last 5 emojis and 2 characters 😊💩😱😻👀 (I honestly already have a lot to do but if some of you want to receive emojis and join my silly fun you can reblog the post on the link! I’ll gladly send you my latest emojis)

#ask #alexseanchai #ask game #myshitwriting #emoji ml story #can't believe i wrote that much #i'm such a clown #it was supposed to be SHORT #now i understand the writers struggle #when they say they want to write something short #but end up with a deadass long fic #hahaha #anyway #ladynoir #ladrien #marichat #adrinette #ladybug #chat noir #adrien #marinette #long post #also i hope i didn't make to much english mistakes

[lnc2]

Runaway Wedding

Summary: The invitations are sent, the caterers paid, and the date set.  Now if only Marinette could locate her groom.

A/N: This is a commission for the lovely @crazyfanatic97 who requested a wedding reveal.

AO3

Of all the ways Marinette thought she’d be spending the morning of her wedding, the one hundred and one thousand disasters she anticipated and prepared for, somehow she missed the most obvious catastrophe of all:

“What do you mean you can’t find Adrien?”

Alya, already dressed and a vision in red, shot Nino a scathing look.

“What part of ‘don’t tell Marinette’ was unclear to you?”

Nino backpedaled. “It’s not like he’s gone gone.  He’s just… not where I thought he’d be.”

But Marinette wasn’t listening. 

Already she could feel the stays of her corset tightening as she struggled to breathe.  Oh god, she was going to be one of those people that got left at the altar. Hell she wasn’t even going to make it that far.  Marinette could see the headlines now: Former Teen Model Adrien Agreste Finally Comes to His Senses.

Oh god.  How was she going to tell her parents?  And the guests? What were they going to do with all the food ? What would happen to–

Alya’s hands, warm and firm clasped her shoulders and squeezed.

“Hey, M, breathe, honey. Stop it.  I’m sure everything is fine.”

“But what if–”

“There is no scenario in the world you could run through your crazy little head that results in Adrien Agreste not showing up at that church today.”

She bit her lip. “Alya, I don’t want to marry him if you have to threaten him.”

Alya’s grin was almost feral. “Who said anything about a threat.”

Despite her rising panic, Marinette laughed. “You’d have to get behind me first.”

“I promise you, if it comes down to it, you’ll get the first swing.” Alya squeezed her shoulder again and smiled. “But M, I’m sure there’s a logical explanation.  That man is crazy about you.”

It was true.

Somehow, some way, about three years into lycee Adrien Agreste noticed her.  Like, noticed noticed her. It was unlooked for and surprising and such a shock to her teenage heart that Marinette actually laughed the first time he asked her out.

“No really, Marinette,” He said, all limbs and nerves and awkward teenage insecurity. “If you’re interested I’d really like to take you out.”

And really, lingering college crush aside, how could she say no?

The answer was she couldn’t. 

Marinette took his offer running and never looked back.

Until now .

She fussed with the skirt of her princess gown.  It was a Gabriel original, just for her, an ivory dream with gold and silver thread creating soft, illusory roses throughout the fabric.  The underskirt a pink ruffled fall that shushed as she walked.

She’d never felt more beautiful when she first tried it on.  Now it felt like a chiffon chafing trap.

“Don’t worry, Marinette.” Tikki whispered as Alya and Nino had it out in the dressing room. “Adrien loves you.  I’m sure he’s around here somewhere.”

He better be .

Just as her thoughts turned more bloodthirsty Alya’s phone chimed out in a familiar, red alarm wail.

Marinette’s eyes snapped to her maid of honor who abandoned berating her boyfriend to check the alert.

“An akuma at the Trocadero.  It looks like Chat Noir is already on the scene.”

Oh for fuck’s sake .

Her hands fisted in her skirts and she felt Tikki shifting beside her.

Why today ?

Bad enough her groom was missing– now she had to find away to escape Alya and her cousins and her mother long enough to defeat the akuma.  And dammit, she’d already done her hair .

Miraculous Ladybug better be as good at fixing makeup as it was at restoring city blocks or there would be hell to pay.

“Alya,” She said, stealing herself to play the distressed bride. “You should go help Nino.  I think– I think I need to be alone for a while.”

________________________________________________

Adrien was going to kill Hawkmoth.

Of all the days to send out an akuma he had to choose the morning of his wedding.  Never mind he had to convince Plagg to once, just this once , go without camembert so he didn’t smell like stinky cheese or the fact that Nino had earnestly asked him if there was such a thing as a formal baseball cap.

No, instead of spending a few quiet hours preparing himself to marry the love of his life Adrien was forced to exchange his tux for leather and play supernanny to an akumatized toddler.

Needless to say, he was feeling a little rattled.

Fortunately, this akuma seemed more preoccupied playing with cars like Tonka trucks rather than causing untold mayhem.  It left Chat running interference with said car’s occupants and waiting for his lady to show up to take care of the situation.

She didn’t disappoint.

Twenty minutes after he first appeared on the scene he heard the familiar whirring of her yoyo as she swung up and landed beside him.

“Let’s make this quick,” She snapped, calling on her lucky charm. A small, pink rubber ball dropped into her hand.  Ladybug met his eyes as if to say what the fuck do I do with this?

In the back of his mind, Chat noticed that she seemed to be more done up than usual.  Her hair was arranged in an intricate knot, with glitter dusting her fringe like a halo.  Her eyes were brighter, lips rosy pink, and he wondered about the special event she had planned today that left her rejecting his own wedding invitation.

“Sorry LB.  That’s your area not mine.”

She huffed, shook her head, and shot off towards the akuma.

Inspiration eluded her, however, and minutes passed as they flitted around the akuma and her makeshift racetrack.  He could hear the occasional beep as Ladybug’s miraculous ticked down, down, no closer to solving the riddle of the rubber ball than she had been before.

“Chat, I’ll need to recharge!”

Or at least, that’s what she was going to say before a pair of grasping, chubby fingers caught her out of the air midswing.

“Ladybug!” He cried.

The akuma cooed happily. “Dolly!”

Panic, tight, gave way to terror as his partner squirmed, helpless, her miraculous giving out its last warning before engulfing her in bright pink light.  Frightened by the sudden flash, the akuma let out a cry and stumbled back, dropping its prize and sending a detransformed Ladybug falling.

Chat didn’t hesitate.

Using his baton he sprung forward, retracting it mid-leap to catch her, and cradling her close as they tumbled to a nearby roof.  He winced as his back slid against the tiles, hoping his lady would be able to repair any damage and lingering soreness. He really didn’t want to limp his way through his first dance.

“Nice catch,” Ladybug breathed.  His pained laugh was cut off by her startled shriek.  Chat’s eyes snapped open only to see a blur of black and pink and ivory as she rolled off and away from him.  “Oh my god. Oh shit, oh holy fuck .”

“LB?”

Distraught, Ladybug whirled, her dress– her wedding dress – swirling around her feet in the process.  But it wasn’t the dress, lovely and stained though it was, that sent Chat Noir into a shell-struck daze.

“Ma– Marinette ?” He squeaked.

Marinette’s head snapped up and her kohl lined eyes went wide.

“No. Oh no, no, no, no, no. ” Another round of curses escaped her mouth and wow, yes, this was definitely his fiancee.  Unfortunately he didn’t have too much time to dwell on that particular revelation as the akuma regained its bravery and was waddling towards them again.

“Sorry my lady.  Looks like we’ll have to take this freak out to-go.” Chat scooped up his partner in his arms and took off running.

Marinette’s arms wrapped tight around his shoulders as she buried her face in his neck.

“Alya is going to have a fit.  It took her and my mom like an hour to get my hair right.”

“I think you’re beautiful no matter what.”

Marinette snorted. “Flatterer.”

“Besides,” He said ducking into a nearby alley. “Miraculous Ladybug will put everything to rights.”

“It better,” She grumbled, squirming until he set her down. “My father-in-law will have a conniption if this dress is anything less than pristine.”

Chat winced. “Tell me about it.”

Marinette frowned up at him. “What?”

He was saved from answering however when Tikki poked her head out from one of the many, many layers of satin.

“Did you remember to bring any cookies?”

Marinette shook her head.  “I’m sorry, Tikki. I didn’t want to get any chocolate stains on my dress.”

The little kwami looked to him.

Chat shrugged.  “I have some cheddar if that’s okay.  Plagg can handle sharing for one day.”

“Thank y-OU what are you doing ?”

Marinette’s question ended on a shriek as he dropped his transformation.  She squeezed her eyes shut, hands smacking wildly for his face.

“ Orw, Merhneh, schtop irt,” He said through her fingers. Adrien attempted to pull her hands away only for her to press into him harder.

“Chat Noir you put your mask back on right now!”

“No can do, bugaboo.” He said, gently grabbing hold of her wrists and removing them from his face.  Her eyes were squeezed tight, irritated pout on her lips. Adrien’s heart flipped over itself with joy.

Marinette .

He placed a kiss on her palm. “How will I explain a black eye to our guests?”

Marinette’s eyes snapped open, then opened further still as she took in her wayward fiance.  Tux Agreste pristine and hair a windswept Chat Noir mess, shock and relief and irritated affection threatened to overwhelm her.

“I guess this explains your disappearance.” She murmured, hands reaching up to tame his hair.   Adrien shrugged, sheepish, but didn’t pull away.

Realization, hot and quick, sliced through her.

“Adrien.  Oh my god, Adrien .”  Marinette’s hands fell from his hair to cup his face, panicked. 

Confused, cheeks squished together, he murmured, “Yerh?”

She let go and whirled away, skirts swirling around her in a frantic show of pink and ivory and– he froze.

“I’m not supposed to see you before the wedding!  It’s bad luck!”

“Chat I swear to god–” Marinette laughed, slightly hysterical. “We have to be at the church in an hour .  Hell, we’re supposed to be there now .”

In the distance, the sound of car alarms and sirens echoed.

“I guess we better get moving then.” He said, passing Tikki a wedge of cheddar and calling back his transformation.  “I have a date I really don’t want to be late for.”

Marinette waited for Tikki’s signal and transformed.  Chat inwardly preened as his fiance turned lady met his gaze with a wry smile.

“What?”

Ladybug shook her head. “I just can’t believe you were right.”

“Technically,” He said, grinning as he pulled her close, mask meeting mask.  “We both were.”

#miraculous ladybug #lnc2 writes #adrinette #marichat #ladynoir #identity reveal #post relationship pre reveal #they're dumb #real dumb #commission #crazyfanatic97

[chat-noir-always-here]

I rewatch Miraculous—The Bubbler

Okay here we go time to dive back into French Sailor Moon aww hell yeee

(J.K. I’ve never sat through a single episode of SM in ma life)

•Tikki’s face when Mari is trying to kiss the Adrien collage wallpaper is low-key funny

•plagg lacks toe beans

•how do you “accidentally” come across your childs emails when cleaning their room? Mari’s mama is devious.

•Adrien is that a cookie keeping your breakfast crescents company? Just like Adrien to have cookies for breakfast.

•Adrien’s pained expression after Nathalie tells him happy birthday😭😭😭poor cinammon roll child

•nino: “You’d think he at least remembers to be young and wanna party a little!”

Adrien: “No Im pretty sure he was a downer back then too.”

LOL roast him, Adrien. Here Gabriel have some ice for that burn.

•Why does Nino’s shirt remind me of Goofy’s Monsters inc. appearance from Kingdom Hearts 3?

• “Am i seeing what I think I’m seeing? Dont tell me its Adriens birthday!” Girl you been his friend since childhood you cant remember it on your own?

• “Dont be a pushover! Literally!” Yeah that goes for Sabrina and Adrien too. You two let Chloe do whatever she wants with you? Yeesh.

• “Ring the doorbell.” Yeah for real ring the doorbell thats what its there for. 🙄🙄🙄

•Mari been forgetting to sign notes since episode one

Facepalms

•Bitch please you cant buy your own son a birthday present instead of bullying Nathalie into stealing Mari’s???

•that fucking painting hanging on the wall right where the staircase in Agreste Mansion forks. Can we just... Can we just burn that painting? Reduce it to fucking ashes. Seriously how can people look at it and not call the French CPS that piece of “art” is the most distubring piece of possessive B.S. i have ever had the displeasure of seeing. My brain hates my eyes for seeing it every time its visible in the show

•Im sorry Nino. Im sorry this dumbass bitch said that to you. (For real tho were you expecting anything different?)

•”Adults ruin everything all the time.” Kiddo your about four-five years from being an adult maybe check yourself

•for real check yourself cuz Gabriel is an ass and said that to you just so he could akumatize you

WORST.

PARENT.

EVER!!!

•i havent played with bubble wands since i was like ten. Are tbey more popular in Paris or is it just Nino’s thing?

•Nino’s akumatized form is so ridiculous, still. First time around it nearly drove me away from this show.

•something else i found ridiculous first time around is bubbling the adults. Its a bit more frightening though when you think about how they only have so much air in their bubble. If LB and CN failed to free them they would have all suffocated to death and Paris would be populated solely by orphans.

•LB you seriously just gonna entrust a couple of kiddos to a stranger? I know you dont really have a lot of options but still. If this were a crime drama or a D.C. movie those kids might not have faired as well.

•”Wow. That was a birthday lunch break to remember. Yaaay.” Kiddo you sound so sarcastic i love it. 🤣🤣🤣

•that little pompom or whatever the hell on top of akumatized Nino’s head jiggles a little every time his head moves and im just. Ugh. Cmon couldnt they have given him a better outfit or at least something less uncomfortable????

•Plagg is literally that little devil Kronk from “The Emperors New Groove” that sits on Kronk’s shoulder and tells him to do bad things. Or in this case, sits on Adrien’s shoulder and tells him to do bad things. “Its fiiiiine shirk your responsibilities for a hot minute and dance with your buddies. Its not like theyre here under suspicious circumstances or anything.”

•Adrien, honey, if you dont want her to kiss you you should say something. I mean i get cheek kisses mean something different in France but Adrien looks really uncomfortable.

•MAAAARRRIIII you just wasted a good deal of transformation time in a fit of jealousy for what i wish i could say was the first and last time 😩😩😩

•Tikki being a good guide and scolding Mari 🙏🙏🙏

•ugh are those storebought cookies? I can practically taste those things. I hope for Tikki’s sake they’re homemade or at least warmed up.

•”You were right Tikki i never should have waited this long.” In other words you shouldve fixed the problem the first time around not wasted your transformation in a fit of jealousy like you did? Correct.

•upon hearing the truth from LB, Adrien immediatley runs off to transform. Good boi didnt know how serious the situation was, is all.

•that look LB gives CN after her yoyo bounces off his head. Giirrrrrl he boyfriend material you knoooowww itttt admit itttt~~~~

• “Kids need adults!” The way Mari says this makes her sound like such a goody two shoes, i really cant stand it for some reason. Oof am i channeling Lila?

wipes my hand on a towel then throws towel away

• LB: “Adults keep children safe and protected! They care for their kids, they love them!”

CN: “Most adults do anyhow.”

Behold the difference between their respective households summed up in two seconds. Poor Kitty boi....😿😿😿😿

•Aww the way LB is hugging her kitty as he tries to kick at it ❤️❤️❤️

• “couldnt you have said that 500 feet ago?” Sarcastic chat noir is wonderful

• LB: “we cant stay stuck in this bubble together forever!”

CN: flirty looks

In other words theres something they could do together in their bubble.

asdfghjkl🤣🤣🤣

•the kids’ bubbles look smaller than the adults bubbles. So they are more cramped and have less air. Unfair much?

• “pound it!” Theres a joke in there but i wont. F.Y.I. In French they say something like “good job” so the joke is lost in that version teehee

•”did my son like his gift?” Again bitch PICK IT OUT YOURSELF

• “hey nice scarf Adrien! Off the chain!” Alya honey where DO you get your phrasing from? The late nineties?

• “can you believe my dad got this for me? Its so awesome he’s given me the same lame pen for three years in a row.” What the hell kinda parent gives their child a flipping pen for his birthday??? F.Y.I. In French Adrien says that his father forgets his birthday every year and gives him nothing.

Annnnnnd that wraps up episode one. Ill do episode two some other time.

#miraculous ladybug #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #adriennette #bubbler

[tsuki-chibi]

Blackberries (Adrinette April) Day 16: Rejected Heroes

Or see it on AO3: Blackberries 

--------

Zombizou wasn't difficult to find. The Eiffel Tower had collapsed, taking several buildings with it, but Zombizou had not left its location. Instead, she'd taken to standing on top of the collapsed tower and laughing to herself. Just seeing her mirth at the situation was enough to make Tromper twitch, but he controlled the urge to punch the akuma in the face with a reminder that this wasn't technically Zombizou's fault. Their anger should be reserved for Hawkmoth; the occasional purple outline that flashed over Zombizou's face was enough to tell Tromper that Hawkmoth was still in control.

He glanced over at Miel, who was crouched down and staring at the situation with narrowed eyes. Her suit was mostly yellow, with black stripes from her hips to her calves. Her black ankle boots were striped with white, but her wrist-length gloves were solid black. Her mask was all yellow and the antennae on her head were black. Tromper actually thought the antennae were pretty cute, but when he reached out it was to touch the end of Miel's hair. It was gathered back in a low ponytail, not her usual pigtails - perhaps out of a desire to make sure people didn't recognize her as Ladybug.

'I miss your pigtails,' he thought.

'I'll have them back soon,' Miel thought, flashing him a smile that faded all too quickly. This moment was bittersweet for both of them: they’d spent the last few days broken hearted after being rejected as heroes, yet here they were again.

'Not soon enough,' Tromper thought, forcing himself to look away and back down at Zombizou.

"So... what's the plan?" Coccinelle said, a little too loudly. Tromper quickly shushed her. The element of surprise was going to be a huge factor here.

"You need to cast your Lucky Charm. We won't be able to figure out a plan without it," Miel said, backing away from the ledge. She only straightened up once she was out of view. "And we'll have to move fast once you have, because you've only got five minutes until you detransform."

"Then shouldn't we wait until we're already down there?" Lynx said.

"A Lucky Charm can totally change a plan on the fly, and we can't risk that right now. It needs to be now," Miel said decisively.

Coccinelle didn't look convinced. "What if I detransform mid-battle?"

"You'll have your warning system," Tromper said. He tapped his ear when she looked at him blankly. "Your earrings will start a countdown. Five spots for five minutes." Just how little had Tikki actually told her?

"Just throw your yoyo overhead and say Lucky Charm," Miel instructed.

"Alright, cool. I can do that," Coccinelle muttered. "Lucky Charm!" One dull flash of red light later and Coccinelle was yelping in alarm and ducking away from the sizeable object that fell, leaving Lynx to leap forward and catch it before it hit the ground.

"What is it?" Lynx said, holding the red, black-spotted object at arm's length.

"It's a boombox," Tromper said, eyebrows furrowed. Sometimes the Lucky Charms gave out the strangest objects. They all looked expectantly at Coccinelle, who blinked.

"What?" she said.

"You're supposed to figure out what to do with it," Tromper told her.

"It's a boombox? It plays music?” she said uncertainly. "What else would you do with it?"

"It's supposed to help us beat the akuma," Tromper said, his exasperation deepening. Ladybug had figured out her first Lucky Charm in a matter of seconds, saving Chat Noir from being crushed in the process.

"So what, we're supposed to turn it on and hope Zombizou starts dancing?" Coccinelle said, putting her hands on her hips. “That doesn’t sound very likely…”

"No, it sounds flat out stupid," Lynx interjected.

Miel was glancing around with that look in her eyes that meant her brain was moving fast. "No, she's right," she said suddenly. "Not about the dancing part, but about turning it on. I think I know what we have to do. Tromper, you need to cast mirage so that Zombizou is confused. Create a bunch of copies of Lynx and me if you can to cover us. Coccinelle, you have to turn on the boombox to cover up the sounds of us moving. Zombizou has good hearing and she might be able to hear us coming otherwise. Then I'll sneak up behind her and paralyze her, giving Lynx the chance to grab her lipstick and use Cataclysm."

“Wow,” Coccinelle said. “How did you get all of that out of a boombox?”

Tromper felt a rush of pride. "That's my lady,” he said. “She always comes up with the most un-bee-lievable plans."

Said lady shot him a look. "Obviously, you're feeling better if you're back to making puns," she said, but her tone was at odds with the soft relief coming through their bond.

"But wait, what happens once I use Cataclysm?" Lynx said.

"Then Coccinelle has to catch the akuma in her yoyo and purify it. Once she does that, she can cast the miraculous cure. It will put everything that happened back to normal." Miel turned to Coccinelle. "That is incredibly important. You must not let the akuma get away, or Ma - er, the victim could be reakumatized."

"Right," Coccinelle said, wrinkling her nose in concentration. "Catch it, purify... got it." She swung her yoyo too hard to be casual, looking sideways at Miel as she did.

Tromper wasn't at all sure that she did, but there was a bright, excited look in Coccinelle's eyes that suggested his doubts were wrong. At any rate, they didn't have much more time to stand around talking about it. They needed to stop Zombizou as quickly as possible before the whole city fell under her, and by extension Hawkmoth's, control. He took his flute off his back, running his fingers along the length of the instrument. He was far more versed in piano than any other instrument, but he had played the flute a handful of times just for fun.

"Let's do this," he said grimly.

'Good luck,' Miel thought, beckoning to Lynx. The two of them leaped off the building just as Coccinelle's miraculous gave its first beep. She jumped and clasped a hand to her ear.

"I've still got four minutes, right?" she said anxiously.

"That's right," Tromper said. And sometimes he thought even that was nebulous. The five-minute countdown sometimes seemed to pass by in a flash, while at other times it could drag on for twice that length of time.

"Okay," Coccinelle said, her expression smoothing out into determination. She grabbed the boombox and hefted it. Tromper took that as a sign that she was ready. As soon as he received word that Miel and Lynx were in position, he put the flute to his lips and blew several notes that came to him like magic. A shivery feeling ran through him as the flute glowed with orange light.

"Mirage!" Tromper called out, snapping the flute out and down. The light followed the flute, forming into a ball that continued in the flute's trajectory. It hit the ground in front of Zombizou and exploded, forming at least a dozen Lynx's and Miel's. Zombizou looked utterly baffled.

Coccinelle hit the button on her boombox and extremely loud rock music rattled out of it, loud enough that Tromper winced. His fox ears lowered, but he tried to ignore the loud music in favor of watching what was happening below. He could see Miel - the real Miel - stealthily making her way towards Zombizou, who was preoccupied with the illusions. Every illusion that Zombizou touched faded away, but there was a lot of them. Miel came right up behind her without her notice and took her spinning top into her hand.

"Venom!" she shouted, stabbing the tip of her top into Zombizou's thigh. Zombizou screeched in surprise and froze, then toppled forward onto her face. Her lipstick flew out of her hand and went spinning across the pavement. Tromper tracked its progress, watching as it rolled under some debris. Lynx ran after it but lost it, looking around frantically.

"Lynx, there!" Tromper shouted, pointing. "Beneath the concrete, Lynx, hurry!"

Lynx fell to his knees and looked beneath the debris. Then he stretched a hand underneath and said, "Cataclysm!"

The debris dissolved, along with the lipstick. A purple akuma fluttered free, flying up into the sky.

"Now, Coccinelle!" Miel shouted, looking up at them.

"Uh - I purify you!" Coccinelle shouted, throwing her yoyo out. Nothing happened.

"You have to open it first!" Tromper said.

"Oh!" Coccinelle quickly reeled her yoyo in and ran her finger over the back of it, then threw it out again. Tromper didn't dare breathe until the yoyo had snapped shut around the akuma; she pulled her yoyo in again, then touched the back to open it again. A white butterfly fluttered past her fingers.

'It worked,' Tromper thought, his knees weak with relief. Below them, Miel visibly sagged.

'Thank god,' she thought. 'Now tell her to do the miraculous cure.'

"Right. Now throw your Charm up and say, Miraculous Ladybug," Tromper ordered.

And Coccinelle grabbed the boombox and threw it up in the air as hard as she could, shouting, "Miraculous Ladybug!"

#miraculous ladybug #marinette dupain-cheng #adrien agreste #soulmate au #bee marinette dupain-cheng #fox adrien agreste #coccinelle #lynx #zombizou #blackberries #adrinetteapril2020

[ao3bronte]

🐞Little Lady Paws🐾

1 | 2 | 3

Ladybug gets into a “hairy” predicament when an akuma capture goes wrong.

A collaboration between @ao3bronte​ and @yamina20-blog​ 💕

Carefully clinging to Chat’s wrist with all her strength, Chat flies passed the buildings and rooftops of the 4ème arrondissement on his way over to Master Fu’s. Ladybug tries her best to stay focused on the skyline but she soon gives up and just closes her eyes in an attempt to keep herself from getting sick to her stomach. How did Chat get around the city like this? The jarring ups and downs of his baton on the concrete below made her head spin!

Finally, Chat slows his momentum and lands in a crouch. Feeling safe enough to open her eyes, Ladybug watches from behind his thumb as Chat crawls through Master Fu’s kitchen window and somersaults over a small pile of dishes.

“Back for more tips in Mandarin, Chat Noir?”

“Not exactly,” Chat replies, setting his baton in its holster as Master Fu walks through the threshold of the room, “We have a problem.”

“I can see that,” Master Fu says, peering outside the window at the menagerie of animals blocking traffic on the streets, “I presume Ladybug has found herself in a hairy situation?”

Chat snickers, unfurling his fingers, “She's a hamster.”

“Oh deer,” Master Fu responds with a wry smile of his own, stroking his beard, “There's not much we can do about this, to be perfectly honest.”

Nothing we can do?!

Master Fu glances down at Ladybug and offers up his palm, “I'm afraid not, although we should all be very lucky you didn't turn into an actual Ladybug. That would have been much worse.”

Ladybug pads over to Master Fu’s palm and sits gingerly, her little shoulders slumping forwards. How is she going to cure the damage done by the akuma if she couldn’t be changed back? How is she going to save Paris when she’s stuck like this?

Chat nods in agreement and follows Master Fu into the main parlour, “Is there any way I can cure the damage? There’s got to be something I could do.”

“The Black Cat Miraculous is capable of many things, but Ladybug’s Cure isn’t one of them,” Master Fu sits down on the bamboo mat and invites Chat to follow suit, “The fact that her yoyo let you capture the akuma is a miracle unto itself. It goes to show that you trust each other enough to allow each other to use your weapons intrinsically, which isn’t always the case with each pairing. However, I’m afraid that’s where the sharing ends.”

“So I can’t purify the city?”

“No, and neither can she,” Master Fu sets Ladybug down onto the mat and waits for her to situate herself, “She’s far too small to hold the crowbar herself. If she had been turned into an ape maybe, or a tiger…”

Chat grimaces, “So we need to find a way to make her bigger?”

“I don’t think that’s even possible,” Master Fu says with a sigh, glancing down at Ladybug’s frowning eyes. “Your best bet is to keep her close and hope that Le Papillon creates another akuma that can help you in some way.”

“I can’t say that we’ve ever found an akuma helpful,” he shrugs, drawing a claw across the bamboo mat, “But I guess we don't have a choice.”

“No, we don't,” Master Fu reaches out and lightly rubs the pad of his finger between Ladybug’s little ears. It's a strange sensation, but not a bad one, and she leans into his touch, “These things have a way of solving themselves sometimes. This is hardly the first time a Ladybug has found herself in a bind.”

Ladybug chirps, drawing his attention to her paws as she rolls them in a circle, “You want to hear more?”

Ladybug nods eagerly and Master Fu smiles, “Before my time, I heard of a Ladybug who was turned into a stone statue. It took the entire team to find a solution, but they did in the end. The Peacock Miraculous is particularly good at bringing a person's needs to light if they’re in a tough situation and using her feathers, she and the other Miraculous that were active at the time brought her back to life.”

“It’s nice to know that the Peacock wasn’t always used for evil,” Chat says with a frown, fiddling idly with the cuffs of his boots, “But I guess we don’t have that luxury now. Are you sure you don’t have a potion or something that could help us?”

Master Fu shakes his head, “I’m sorry to the both of you. As I said, you simply have to be patient and hope Le Papillon takes advantage of all of the strife taking place in the city.”

Ladybug sighs and it comes out as a squeak. How am I going to tell my parents?

Master Fu gives her another scritch between the ears, “We’re going to have to find a way to communicate with you. Any ideas Chat Noir?”

“A mobile phone or an iPad?” he suggests as Ladybug turns to face him. She glances down at her paws and nods, “Alright. I’ll find you one to talk on once we get you somewhere safe.”

“You won’t be able to go back to your parent’s home looking like this,” Master Fu says, pointing to the red and black earrings still adorning her ears, “It’s a risk letting anyone see you with your Miraculous still active.”

Chat Noir continues to fidget, “Will she detransform at some point?”

“I doubt it, but you never know,” he responds, “Which is why we need to keep her someplace where she can stay out of harm’s way.”

Chat looks just as puzzled as she feels, “跟我一起吗?” [Gēn wǒ yī qǐ ma? - With me?]

Rubbing her ears, Ladybug spins around and glances between the two of them with wide eyes. Did she just lose the ability to understand French all of the sudden? Or did they just…

“我 觉 那 最好.” [Wǒ jué nà zuì hǎo - I think that would be best.]

HEY! She stomps her foot and chirps up at the two of them, heedless to their guilty expressions. Speak in a language I can understand!

“Chat Noir is going to bring you to a trustworthy friend of his for safekeeping,” Master Fu explains, clasping his hands together, “You’ll be safe with him and Chat Noir will retrieve you when the time is right.”

Ladybug cheeps indignantly, What about school? And I don’t want to stay with Chat Noir’s friend! I want to go home!

“I’m sorry Ladybug, I really am,” Chat Noir’s lips twist into a grimace, “But I promise, my friend is really nice. You’ll be safe there, I know it.”

Facing no other feasible option, Ladybug slumps onto her haunches. How long would she be stuck like this? And why did this have to happen to her?

“Keep in touch,” Master Fu says to Chat Noir over her head and Ladybug has never felt so small, “I will be keeping an eye on things in the meantime. If you need any help, do not hesitate to call.”

“Yes Master,” Chat Noir climbs back onto his feet and scoops her up into his palms once again, “See you soon.”

They’re back out under the setting Parisian sun before she knows it and she clings desperately to him, drawing on all of her rodent strength as he zips through alleys and cantilevers over rooftops. He senses her distress after a minute or two and deposits her onto his shoulder, “Would it be easier for you to hold onto my collar?”

Ladybug hopes her newly acquired fur covers her blush of embarrassment as she settles against the warmth of his neck, blinking as she gets her bearings. She digs into his mardarin collar with her paws and maneuvers herself until she’s more or less straddling his zipper, her haunches resting on the top of his bell.

“Comfy?” he laughs nervously and Ladybug shivers as his voice rumbles through his chest and Adam’s apple, the sound tickling her fur. She squeaks a reluctant affirmative and he's off once again, at a slightly less breakneck pace, much to her relief.

His untamed hair grazes her own from time to time and Ladybug finds it easier to just bury her face in the notch between his collarbones and hold on for dear life. She'd be thoroughly embarrassed at the closeness of her position but she's already so out of her element that she just can't handle another blow to her ego and simply prays that Chat Noir's friend is a nice enough person and will treat her kindly while she's forced to stay with him.

"We're almost there," Chat Noir cradles her for a moment and Ladybug peeks out from behind his collar, spotting a familiar mansion on the horizon.

Where are we going?

"See that big home to the left, Ladybug? That's where my friend lives."

WHAT?!

"He's a really big animal lover," Chat Noir chuckles, hovering on the cusp on his baton so she can get a better view, "But his father would never let him get a pet so I think he'll be really happy to see you."

BUT THAT'S—

"You already know who he is, you've saved him a hundred times from akumas. And he's a really big fan of yours too so you'll have lots of things to talk about."

CHAT NOIR , I DEMAND YOU PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!

"I promise you're going to have a great time. Adrien Agreste has wanted a hamster ever since he was little."

They land with a gentle thud on a familiar eave beside a wall of floor to ceiling windows and Ladybug feels the breath leave her lungs.

"He's not home right now, but I'm going to leave you here anyway. When I find him, I'm going to explain everything that happened so you won't have to worry! And I promise that I'll come by to visit everyday to let you know what's going on."

Slipping in through an open window, Chat somersaults inside and walks towards the bed at the far end of the room. Ladybug's heart begins to patter in earnest, the realisation on whose bed she's about to be dropped on dawning before her eyes.

"And here you are. This will be home for the next couple of days...I'm sure it won't take any longer than that for Le Papillon to make the next move," Chat looks around for a moment before bending down to her level, his elbows making little divots on the mattress before her, "Take it easy on Adrien, okay? I know you're not happy, but like Master Fu said, it could have been worse!"

He smiles and it's so genuine that Ladybug's indignance melts, if only a little.

"I better get going," Chat straightens and waves at her one last time, "Adrien will be back before you know it! À plus!"

Chat Noir disappears and suddenly Ladybug finds herself alone.

In Adrien's bed.

As a hamster.

ಠ_ಠ

#miraculous ladybug #ladynoir #lovesquare #master fu #ml fic

[xhanisai]

Selflessness

Summary: No one should know about this secret. Not her parents, not Tikki and certainly not Chat Noir. No one should know that the cleansing light never heals Ladybug. (Or, AU where the Miraculous Cure heals everything but Ladybug herself)

(Can be read on AO3 and FFN)

~(x)~

. . . Slender, pale fingers stroked the head of the sleeping red kwami with tenderness, causing the little Goddess to smile and nuzzle into the soft pillows. Marinette couldn't help but let out a quiet giggle at Tikki's antics. However, a frown took over her face as her dilemma reared its ugly head back into the game. Assured that the kwami was fast asleep, Marinette moved away from the bed and snuck down the stairs so that she can make way to her wash basin. The fairy lights upstairs illuminated the room enough for Marinette to decently see her reflection in the mirror. With a dreaded sigh, the French-Asian tugged off her long sleeved top, wincing midway and then assessed the damage. Her milky white skin was absolutely cluttered. Bruises ranging from an angry red to a horrifying black littered her rib cage and shoulder blades. Stinging cuts scattered across her shoulders and below her collarbones. Scars stained her once, unblemished (well, as unblemished as a klutz like her could be) torso and upper arms. The girl didn't even want to think about the state of her legs once she gets to that stage. Regardless, the main issue was the ginormous gash that reached just above her belly, in a diagonal clean cut. Currently, it was covered in a makeshift bandage Marinette created by tearing up a stray bedsheet she found when she had to detransform mid battle. A souvenir from the latest akuma she and her partner had just faught, Mme. Ciseaux. Probably the most dangerous minion Le Papillon has had the pleasure of akumatising. A young seamstress unfairly fired over cutting the fabric at the wrong length despite having worked for the company for over five years. It didn't take long for her to terrorise Paris with giant scissors and tossing crafts knives like a frisbee. Marinette bit her lip to avoid any harsh whimpers from escaping her throat as she properly redressed her wound, sanitising the gash and stitching the skin back up. The memory of the blade slicing through her stomach would probably haunt her dreams for years to come. Heck, even the akuma gaped horrifically at the wound, allowing the heroine to swing away faster than she could blink. She was damn lucky that Chat Noir was busy saving innocent civilians from the flying knives to see her get hurt. That damn cat would have ripped the akuma apart to shreds regardless of the victim underneath and deposited the red-clad hero to the hospital himself. Barely a month into the superhero job and he already wanted to stick to Ladybug like glue. Marinette shook her head fondly, ignoring the way her cheeks heated up at the thought of her partner, focusing on sewing. Tikki's reaction to the wound when she detransformed midway only made her stomach sink and enforced her decision. The girl couldn't handle Tikki's tears any longer, immediately suiting up again so that the magical material covered any traces of the wounds on the outside. She did get an angry lecture from the kwami after the battle but it was oh so worth it if Mari never had to see such a distraught expression on her tiny friend again. Once more, she thanked her luck that she managed to hide the wound from everyone despite the sheer pain echoing throughout her body. No one should know about this secret. Not her parents, not Tikki and certainly not Chat Noir. No one should know that the cleansing light never heals Ladybug. 'Only thirteen years old and I already know how to stitch myself back up. Isn't that pretty lame?' Marinette smiled wryly to herself and only paused when she heard the sound of rustling on her bed. She didn't dare to breath. Thirty seconds went by and the sounds of faint snoring filled the silence again, allowing the girl to exhale in relief. It was getting harder and harder to hide her wounds these days and the fights were getting more and more gruesome. Tikki was starting to suspect that something's up but Marinette refused to let those thoughts of the Goddess' to wonder. Introducing new flavours of cookies and other delicious sweets seems to do the trick. Same couldn't be said for Chat Noir. The boy was already dangerously curious for his own good and knew her very, very well. Perhaps immediately yoyoing away wasn't the smartest thing Marinette has done and probably worried her partner but if the girl stood there a minute longer, she could have sworn she'd have collapsed in pain. "This is for the best..." Marinette hissed to herself, finished with dressing all her wounds, gulping down some painkillers and hid the first aid kit in the drawer. "He takes enough hits for me already and I don't wanna see that increase..." Slipping a pair of warm pyjamas that covered her appendages and torso decently, the raven haired girl crept back to bed, praying that the pain will be much bearable tomorrow. She has school after all. ~(x)~ 'If the fashion thing doesn't work out, I should probably try out the make up artist career instead,' A freshly dressed and relaxed Marinette mused to herself smugly as she walked to school. She woke up ten minutes before her alarm rung and immediately freshened up in the shower, followed by using numerous concealers and foundation to cover up her bruises and injuries that could potentially peak out of her clothes. She couldn't do much about the gash on her stomach and the pain was still pretty terrible despite all the medication but it was a much better result than Marinette could have ever hoped. Her period cramps were much worse anyways. Ish. Maybe that's an exaggeration. Nevertheless, her bright mood seems to have rubbed off on Tikki, illusioning the kwami into thinking that everything is just fine and it's a brand new day. Exactly how it should be. 'And it will be,' Mari sighed to herself. Suddenly, her stomach throbbed with immense pain, causing Marinette to gasp and trip over the steps to the school building. She braced herself by bringing her arms forward to soften her fall and clenched her eyes shut as all her wounds stretched achingly- "Careful!" Instead of the blunt, gritty concrete, Marinette met warm, strong arms enveloping her body against a firm chest, stopping her descent. The pain did nothing but flare up like a blowtorch but a month of acting like her abrasions don't exist enabled her to mask the hurt by gripping the collar of her saviour's jacket and hiding her grimace against his chest. A beat went past. Slowly, Marinette pulled away and tipped her head up ever so slightly so that she can peek through her lashes. She was met with a pair of green eyes crinkled in concern and a worrying frown sculpted on his lips. Of course. Of all people to catch her whilst she was most vulnerable, it's Adrien fucking Agreste. The love of her fucking life. "Marinette? Are you okay?" On any ordinary day, Marinette would have swooned over his troubled tone, fretting over lil ol' her. Right now, her injuries were screaming like a bitch and the girl internally marvelled at herself for how she carefully pulled away from his grasps with a smile faker than plastic. "Ye-Ye-Yes! Fine- I mean- erm...I'm fine, thank you," She forced her hands behind her back to discourage herself from making any more exaggerated movements as her wounds were aggravated enough already. Plus, Tikki was very much awake and most likely listening in to the conversation; Marinette didn't spend all this time in the morning hiding her injuries only to be busted by her clumsiness. "...are you sure? I could have sworn that you looked like you're in a lot of pa-" "I'm fine! Honest, see?" God, he must have thought that she's so rude with the way he flinched when she cut him off animatedly. She gave a little twirl and gestured to herself to emphasise her point and thankfully, the boy smiled. "I...erm...I do ma-make the strangest expressions when I'm thi-thinking, ehem, according to Alya that is." His smile only widened at the rouge that bloomed on her cheeks and the way she meekly connected her pointer fingers together. 'She's so cute,' He purred internally. "If you say so, Marinette," Gathering some of the Chat Noir charm, Adrien hooked his arm with hers, leading them both to the school entrance like a gentleman. "It's a surprise to see you here early these days, let alone on time. We could hang out before registration," The boy babbled excitedly, happy to latch onto a rare bonding session between him and the tight lipped girl. She was slowly coming out of her shell when it came to him and the model was eager to pull her out whenever he had the opportunity to do so. Even if it meant he had to give her a little push and initiate all interactions. He wanted to know everything about Marinette Dupain-Cheng and hoped that they could get closer. He's observed her in her element and the awe never seemed to cease. She's so smart, so kind, so brave, so sassy, so talented and such an amazing person! Just being in her presence brightens up Adrien's day. The girl on the other hand was stuck between giggling like a lovesick teen and howling in pain. The medicine has worn off and the throbbing of the wounds were like fire on her skin. Yet, she'd gladly walk on a path made of glass barefoot just to see him smile. "I'd love that," The petite girl replied in a strained voice. Adrien's eyes shone with warmth and he placed a hand on her upper arm which was interlocked with his other arm. He gave it a squeeze and his smile softened. "I'm glad." Yes, Marinette would joyfully leap into Hell back and forth just to see that wonderful, bright smile on the lonely model. Her wounds be damned! ~(x)~  "Oh no...o-ooooohnononononoo..." The crimson, slick liquid simply dripped between her fingers. The blood poured out from the wound on her forehead, cascading down her face and onto the floor. Finally, she registered the pain as she stood up, collapsing against the dirty alleyway wall whilst the dizzy spell shocked her for a few moments. The high pitched ringing she's being hearing ever since she received the blow accumulated into a sharp screech, threatening to burst her eardrums. The lights and the bright colours surrounding her made her eyes feel like they're about to explode so she forced them shut. She was standing in a pool of her own blood. Her blood. Everywhere she looked was tainted in that dirty scarlet colour. This was so much worse than the scissors akuma a few months back- "Marinette..." The Asian froze. She blinked her eyes back into focus, gasping as she saw Tikki float up to her face with a horrified expression. The little kwami gulped, tears escaping her large, violet eyes as her paws brushed away a few strands of Marinette's fringe. Apprehension filled Marinette's body from head to toe till the blood loss got to her and she collapsed to her knees, deaf to her kwami's cries and leaned against the wall. How was she going to hide this now? Everyone must have seen Ladybug take that blow and it wouldn't take a genius to figure out the clues if Marinette steps out in the public eye drenched in blood. 'Oh my God...even Chat Noir saw...no wonder he screamed my name and chased after me when I ran off...everything was caught on camera and everyone must have seen how I was still injured after the cure so now everyone knows how weak I actually am and-' Her spiralling thoughts were halted by Tikki's soothing paws on her cheeks. "Breathe, Marinette. Breathe." The Goddess ordered. So, the girl submitted to her. As per Tikki's instructions, Marinette breathed in and out in a comforting pattern, clearing her mind up ever so slightly despite the persistent hurt. Her ears were no longer ringing as loud and her eyes weren't throbbing as much. "Tikki...I'm sorry..." Marinette whimpered but she was only shushed sweetly. "It's not your fault, Marinette...the cleansing light has never helped you from the start, has it?" With all her strength, Marinette mustered a nod to Tikki's question. The little Ladybug only cried more, pressing her forehead between Marinette's brows. "Why didn't you tell me?" "I...I wanted to prove that I can help...even if I got hurt..." The teen trembled, forcing her tears to stay back. Tikki gave a sweet kiss on the brow and then smiled tearfully. "You are one of the most strongest Ladybug that I've ever had the honour of working with, don't you ever forget that, my sweet, little, Marinette," Her pacifying tone filled the raven haired teen with energy, bringing the girl back to her feet. She still leaned against the wall for support, clutching her head. "Thank you," From that day on, Tikki vowed to protect and encourage Marinette even further no matter what. Judging by her shy, quiet show of gratitude, Marinette doesn't seem to understand her own value. The kwami swore to change that. "I have enough energy for you to sneak back home. You can quickly clean yourself back up and I can help you dress your wounds. You'll have to come up with a decent excuse of how you hurt your head to your parents though. I think you might be concussed." With an agreeable smile, Marinette transformed back into Ladybug, instantly noting how the transformation has numbed the pain and made it easier for her to maneuver around. Now, she has to somehow sneak back into her house without anyone seeing her. Especially that frenzied tomcat. Ladybug groaned as she envisioned their next interaction. He's gonna be so damn pissed. ~(x)~ It was an hour before midnight. She was late for the designated rendezvous with Chat Noir by no more than half an hour. In Ladybug's defense, she had barely managed to get her fussing parents off her trail and escape. The wound on her forehead was bandaged with a clean gauze and her reflexes were slumped and heavy. She looked like shit. Yet, she didn't want her poor partner to worry any longer than he already has. Meet me at the tower, 22:30 sharp. - C.N The short, blunt message she received on her yoyo from him was more than an indication of how pissed he was and that only caused the dread to build up in the pit of her stomach. It's not that she's scared of his anger or anything like that. Chat Noir is her partner, her best friend, her literal other half; it takes a lot to get him angry and he's the last person she ever wants to disappoint. Ladybug has never seen him lash out until today, when the akuma bashed her head and sent her flying, crashing into a building with a hideous splatter of blood within the crater. She didn't remember anything but the intense rage in Chat Noir's scream and the way his eyes glowed so dangerously, almost demonic. She caved in to the darkness and the sounds of the world was drowned away by a piercing ringing. When she finally came to, she saw the corrupted butterfly flutter away from the unconscious akuma and didn't acknowledge the tense figure of her partner standing with his back towards her, heaving heavily and fists clenching and unclenching back and forth. Relying on muscle memory, she captured the butterfly and summoned her cleansing light in a trance, all whilst leaning against what seemed to be a different wall to the one she crashed into. 'Huh...Chat Noir must have placed me here...' She thought to herself in a daze. Suddenly, Noir whipped his head around, facing her, evoking her whole body to freeze like a deer in the headlights. His eyes were so acidically green, it was almost yellow. His pupils were constricted to the point where they were just mere daggers. His feral like teeth unclenched and then twisted into confusion before settling to terror. "Why are you still bleeding?" His unanswered question created an unsettling silence in the area, a tension so thick that it can be cut with a knife. Ladybug flinched when he took a step forward, glancing around and noting how other straddlers and citizens were gaping at her too. She faced Chat Noir again and almost choked at his horrified face. "Ladybug!?" Her mind was sent to overdrive and before anyone knew it, she sped away. "LADYBUG!!!" "You're late." A voice snapped the girl out of her stupor when she reached her destination, instinctively clutching an iron beam of the tower to stop her from falling off. Finally regaining her bearings, Ladybug gazed forward and gulped. Chat Noir stood before her, only a breath away from her own body. He probably raced towards her earlier on to catch her when she lost her footing, disregarding any of his feelings beforehand. Always putting her first. A moment went by according to time. But to them? It felt like years. Fiery, bright green eyes bored into calm, uncertain blues as neither of them attempted to move or change their position. That was until the older of the two raised one of his clawed fingers and brushed the red heroine's fringe away to reveal the bandage. His fingers gently trailed where the wound was underneath the gauze, knowing exactly where she got hurt. Where she never got healed. His lips tightened and his hand dropped to hers, grasping the red fingers with his own in an iron grip. No more running away until he got his answers. "Why?" His voice took on a gravelly tone. The tension from the battlefield returned by ten folds and the urge to runaway once more burned through Ladybug's being. "W-What?" Her attempt at playing dumb instantaneously caused the feline to narrow his eyes with burning rage and his teeth gritted under his scowl. "Don't fuck with me. Tell me why you didn't tell me about the cleansing light never healing you." His stoic, icy voice sent all of Ladybug's nerves to the edge and she internally screeched. She could handle yelling and lectures, yes, no problem, cheers Maman and Papa. She could handle insults and sneers, absolutely, thanks to a certain Bourgeois for the four years of experience. She could even handle tantrums and getting chucked against walls or tossed into La Seine, kudos to the akumas for that. But this? This? A cold, seething animosity that sends unpleasant shivers down your spine and freezes you to the core? A low, intimidating voice that caused the hairs on the back of your neck to prick with unease? A pair of piercing, soul searching eyes striking through your body like a knife? Of course her loveable, goofy Chaton would possess the most scariest and intimidating anger in the whole fucking world! Just her damn luck! And of course she's the one who has to be on the receiving end of it. 'So much for being the lucky one of the duo,' Ladybug grimaced to herself and then decided to bite the bullet. It's not like she could do anything else. Chat's tail has woven around her waist, the hand that was clutching hers was now holding his baton which stood on her side like a barrier and his other hand laid limp on his side. Nowhere to run and hide. So, she told him. In a steady, sure voice, she told him about how she hated when he took the hits for her. How she refused to be treated like a fragile piece of glass. How she just wanted to prove that she can still protect the city and fight by his side despite the handicap. How she didn't want him to worry about her. He didn't take the last part well. "You ran off all beaten up, bleeding, with wounds that should be treated at the hospital after every akuma battle without telling me, all because you didn't want me to worry?" Chat's faux ears twitched and his heated eyes countered his Lady's resolute pair. His knuckles whitened under his gloves as he gripped the metal weapon with inhuman strength. "All this time, for months!?" "Yes. See, you're overreacting. I'm fine. That's why I didn't-" "You were CONCUSSED! An alleyway nearby has been taped off by the police because it's completely covered in YOUR BLOOD! Don't even get me started on when Mme. Ciseaux attacked and the only way I found about her tearing through your stomach was through a shitty video in the DEEP WEB!" He slammed the baton down, impaling the beam they were standing on, leaving behind an ugly sound of metal tearing through metal. The sounds that followed were the heavy breaths of the hero clad in black and the heartbeat ricocheting inside the hero clad in red. Abruptly, Chat Noir gripped Ladybug's shoulders, shaking her as he spoke. "Now tell me again that I'm overreacting. TELL ME." Ladybug merely responded with silence and her lips were sewn shut. "You think it's fucking fair that only you can worry about me but I can't do the same for you? Huh? What the hell were you even thinking!?" He shook her shoulders again. "You didn't even tell your kwami! You didn't tell anyone!" On spur of the moment, tears welled up in Chat's eyes and Ladybug couldn't do anything but stare flabbergasted. She found that her eyes followed suit without any prompting. "You didn't tell me..." Chat's voice turned quiet, hoarse and whispery. His earlier front was torn away, revealing a defenseless, lonely, scared boy. His tears ran down his cheeks and his hands cradled Ladybug's jaw with such gentleness. "I'm your partner, I'm supposed to be there for you, to protect you, always...how am I supposed to do that if you don't let me?" "...I just didn't want to see you get hurt anymore, Minou." Ladybug cried out and then brought her arms around Chat Noir's neck, crushing him into a tight embrace and it didn't take him long to return it. That night, the duo cried away their sorrows to the moon, unaware of the gleeful cackles that echoed in a garden below the Agreste mansion where a despicable father and holder of the butterfly miraculous celebrated the reveal of Ladybug's weakness... ~(x)~ "Did they run a DNA test on the blood in the alleyway?" "They did. Turns out magic is mixed in our system, making us untraceable. That's how everyone concluded that it was yours, Bug." "Everyone...huh..." "...yeah," "I wouldn't be surprised if Le Papillon knows now." "Mmhm..." "Hm..." "I'll protect you from him, I promise. He's not gonna touch you, not if I can help it." "I know, as long as you let me protect you too, okay?" "Mmhm." "That's not a promise." "My Lady..." "...please..." "...on one condition." "Anything!" "For the rest of the week, no patrolling for you. You're resting at home and taking care of yourself." "But my parents already forced me to take a day off school tomorrow to rest. I'll go crazy..." "My Lady." "Fine." "Good...get home safe, LB. Text my baton once you've reached your place." ~(x)~ Adrien slumped against his bed on the floor, glowering at the barred like windows as if they're the ones who have taken away his mother. The ticking of his watch was the only noise breaking the asphyxiating silence. He replayed the conversation he had with Ladybug over and over again yet he found no solace. A huge part of him still mourned with guilt and self-deprecation. He knew there was something off. Something wrong going on. He knew he should have pushed further, prodded deeper. Yet, his fear of losing Ladybug as a friend blinded the red flags. She almost died twice. And he couldn't save her. What a shitty hero he was. "...kid...I can hear you thinking from here," Adrien's ears perked up and he immediately turned around to see Plagg floating towards him, landing on the foot of the bed. The teen gave a reassuring smile but the kwami simply raised a brow at the gesture. "Just can't sleep..." "It's four in the morning. If you do another all nighter, you're gonna look like crap and your shitty excuse of a dad will lecture you again through a tablet." Plagg received a playful nudge from Adrien's finger. "Plagg...father's not shitty..." "You're right. He's very shitty." Eventually, a smirk broke out on Adrien's lips and the God of destruction let out a cheer, getting another nudge from the boy. The happiness died down quickly, much to Plagg's dismay. Melancholy and regret weighed down on Adrien's shoulders afresh and the boy did nothing but exhale through his nose. "Plagg?" "Yeah?" Adrien fidgeted with his fingers and then sighed in defeat. "Do you think I was a bit too harsh on Ladybug?" For the first time, the model witnessed the little God deep in thoughts. A reminder of who Plagg really was and what he's lived through since the beginning of...everything. "No. In fact, I couldn't be more proud of you than I am now, kid. You gave the little bug a good wake up call," He landed on Adrien's hand with a smile. "Also, she deserved that." "Plagg! No-" "Yes. She scared the ever loving shit out of you and had you tearing through the entire city in pursuit of her. Still can't believe you threw up after seeing the alleyway," "...there was just so much blood...I thought she was dead..." Adrien whispered the last part so quietly that no one with an ordinary ear would have picked it up. "Adrien, she's okay. If she wasn't, I'd have gotten Tikki to force a detransformation on her so that you could whisk her away to the nearest hospital." Plagg purred, nuzzling the boy's cheek. "Wow, you guys can do that? That's pretty neat." Another hour went by with Plagg and Adrien conversing. Whilst the teen nibbled on some bread, the kwami greedily devoured his cheese rigorously. Soon, the sun began to rise and it was then that fatigue plagued Adrien's body. "Hey Plagg?" The boy yawned again. "What?" "Why do you think the cleansing light doesn't work on Ladybug?" Silence filled the room reiteratively except this time, the early birds outside filled the area with their chirps. Adrien observed the black kwami with hope for a proper reason. Plagg thought hard and then answered. "Your Ladybug is the most powerful one we've ever had. None of Tikki's previous bugs' miraculous cure fixed as much as present Ladybug. The most that the previous ones were able to do were fix certain items and healed very few people. If another miraculous is being used in a corrupt manner, the cure was able to fix more damages. But..." "My Lady's cure fixes everything that the akuma has destroyed, including their item itself..." "That's right. If an akuma manages to damage the entire country, there's no doubt that your Ladybug would be able to fix it. Anywhere in the world. She's a powerful one alright," "Everything but herself." Adrien added sadly. The duo stayed quiet after that with crestfallen expressions. No matter how hard Plagg tried, he couldn't find an answer to Adrien's question nor find a way to cheer the boy up. The teen was genuinely miserable and was probably itching to run out and grab Ladybug back into his arms to protect her from the world. Like a selfless knight. All of a sudden, Plagg's eyes widened as he cracked the code. "...I think that's why she's so powerful..." Adrien snapped out of his misery, peering at the awestruck kwami of destruction. His eyes widened attentively, beckoning Plagg to spill. "She must have unintentionally traded away her protection..." . . . ~(x)~ . . . "...in order to save everyone else and fix everything back to the way it was..." Tikki finished her explanation with a heavy look, never moving away from her spot on Marinette's bed. The girl herself didn't budge from her downcast pose, head still bowed down solemnly and fingers gripping each other whilst deep in thought. Her eyes soon stared forward, a storm evident in the deep blues. "I don't regret it...is that bad? If I had known back then, I'd have still done it. Chat Noir and Paris and the people will always come first to me, no matter what. I love them all." "You're too good for this world, my little bug..." ~(x)~ Two days later, Marinette was allowed to leave for school after her parents finally deemed her well enough to go. Though, they rathered that she stayed home for a week longer or so because according to them, it's been ten years since she's concussed and the first one had her hospitalised for weeks. It took some pleading and promises but Marinette managed to reassure them that she's fine and they finally let her go, along with a bag full of medication, bandages and freshly baked sweets to share. The bandage on her head was replaced with a plaster as the wound was healing nicely. It was easier to hide under her fringe and no one would know it's there unless they looked very closely. That didn't apply to Alya, Nino and Adrien as they pretty much knocked her over in a group hug as soon as she made way to the classroom. "Holy shit Marinette! Don't scare me like that again! Is that a plaster? I thought you had a big ass bandage wrapped around your head, you klutzy idiot!" Alya pushed the boys away and hugged the giggling girl tighter. "Only you would trip over the stairs to your bed and crack your head open on the floor because you were distracted by a pigeon outside your window! Only you!" "Alright Alya, lemme hug her now, I gotta give my lil' sis my best bro hugs," Nino nudged Alya off who gave a whiny protest and brought Marinette into his arms. The brunette and the blonde melted at the sight. "It's okay, I'm fine," Marinette sighed but nevertheless hugged back. "Dude, your parents were freaking out on the phone and screeching about all the blood dripping down your face! You gave me nightmares when the same thing happened when we were like three!" Marinette winced at the way Nino's tone faltered and she didn't dare to move. It was a rushed idea when she came home that day, letting her blood spill on a specific part on the floor, quickly changing into different clothing and chucking the current ones away but also letting some blood get on her fresh clothes to make the accident more believable. Maybe she should have cleaned her face properly before venturing downstairs and scaring the living daylights out of her parents? "Move over Nino, it's my turn," Adrien brushed off Nino's incredulous 'B-Bro...' and wrapped his arms around the petite girl. The blonde buried his face into the crook of Marinette's neck, deaf to everyone else's awes and coos. His heart fluttered happily when he felt the teen melt in his arms with a content sigh and brought hers around his torso, returning the cuddle. Truth be told, when he arrived to school yesterday and found out about Marinette from Alya's and Nino's cries, his whole world shattered and he was sent in a spiral of panic. He couldn't remember much but he figured that the whole class was in an uproar, wondering if the girl was alright and some (mainly him and the bespeckled couple) begged Mme. Bustier to let them see Marinette or even call her parents to see if she's okay. Everyone was already on the edge from the news of Ladybug's mortality breaking out but Marinette's accident was just the icing on the cake. "I'm so glad that you're okay..." Adrien whispered. He inhaled deeply and squeezed tighter. Why was it always the important girls in his life that always suffered? If it was up to him, he'd have them wrapped around in a protective cloud that cushioned their every fall. "Sorry for making you guys worry," Marinette smiled sheepishly. She received another squeeze from the green eyed teen and both her hands were held by Nino and Alya. "I'll be more careful next time, I promise," "There won't be a next time because we've all decided to chaperone you until you get better." Adrien grumbled, combing his fingers through her hair which was tied in a single ponytail. If Marinette was an ordinary teen, she'd have blushed joyfully at the declaration. However, that's not the case. 'If they're stuck with me all day, how will I get away to transform if an akuma attacks!?' ~(x)~ "Bien Joue!" Ladybug and Chat Noir bumped their fists in victory with a relieved smile on both of their faces. The akuma they had just fought was brutal, albeit not as bad as the last one but it did give them a good run for their money. Neither of them were terribly hurt but Chat Noir managed to get bruised below the jaw and Ladybug's head wound was bleeding again from all the stretching and strain. With a nod, the heroine launched her miraculous cure, returning all the buildings back to normal and alleviating the poor citizens that got caught up in the excitement from their lacerations. Despite his bruise disappearing, Chat Noir's smile dropped as the magic ladybugs departed, revealing his partner who was still injured and dishevelled. Her fringe was matted with blood, flushed against the skin. The plaster that was sealing the injury was gone. Blood dripped down her head only by a bit, gathering on the arch of her brow below the mask. Yet, the girl beamed at him like a Goddess. Like all is right in the world. Letting his impulse take over, Chat Noir meandered towards her, catching her off guard for a split second. Carefully, he brushed her bangs to the side, and used his other hand to wipe off the excess blood surrounding the wound on her forehead. "I've spotted some friendly Parisians leave out first aid kits and snacks outside their windows for you. I suggest you quickly nab them before you detransform." He kissed the side of her head affectionately and let her hair fall back when he stepped away. The last thing he saw was an imprint of his lips on the bloodstained skin under the fringe and a bewildered look on the girl's face. Her cheeks reddened as she tried to splutter with some sort of comeback. He couldn't help the shit eating grin that grew on his lips. "Why you! Ugh! Run along now you stupid cat- you have only what? One minute left before you power down into a fugly pumpkin? Shoo!" Noir cackled at the way her voice reached high pitches from being flustered. He could use that as teasing material once she's recovered enough for them to patrol together. With a salute, he vaulted away. ~(x)~ "I don't know where she's disappeared to Adrien! Alya is losing her mind looking for her and I can't stop thinking of the worst case scenarios man- please help us find Marinette!" Nino's voicemail echoed in his mind like a mantra as Adrien sped through the alleyways and scoured every nook and cranny. He hissed at his poor kwami to hurry up and recharge out of desperation so that he could transform and find the blue eyed girl quicker. All Adrien could hear was his blood rushing through his ears and his vision blurred from the tears gathering in his eyes. If anything happened to Marinette, he'd never forgive himself! His lungs burned as they begged for him to stop running and just breathe. His legs ached and stung as they cried for rest. His ears burned as the blood rushed louder. Yet, Adrien never stopped running. "Achoo!" The teen skidded to a halt, crashing into a nearby wall but immediately steadied himself with his arms as his eyes darted towards a dark passageway between two derelict buildings. Hope flooded through his chest and in one last push, he ran towards the source of the sound. "Marinette! Is that really you-" His mouth clamped shut and his fingers dug into the crumbling walls. . . . He found Marinette alright. Yes. However, he didn't expect to see a red kwami holding his classmate's bangs back as the girl held an open first aid kit in her lap with a cookie in her mouth. What shook him to the core was an imprint of a pair of lips on the side of her head as she eyed him in surprise. The two didn't dare to move for a good few seconds, completely mind-blown for various reasons. "Er...meow?" The kwami spoke tentatively and then instantly hid when Marinette looked up at the little being with an incredulous glare. That did it for Adrien. He collapsed on his knees, laughing with utter relief, confusing Marinette even further as she couldn't decide whether to approach the insane boy or transform and swing away. "My Lady...it's you!" He took the initiative and advanced, getting to his knees, gathering the designer up in his arms. Marinette's brain short-circuited whilst Adrien's muscles relaxed against her body. Finally, he found his amazing, wonderful, beautiful partner! And the best part? The best part was that she's the amazing Marinette Dupain-Cheng- "What's a lady?" With a confused sound, Adrien pulled away far enough to see her face but kept his grip on his Princess. Her lips were pursed innocently and her eyes twitched. The model raised a brow. "Erm...you?" "I'm not your Lady, I'm Chat Noir's-" This time, his smirk caused Marinette's words to falter and finally, understanding filled her mind as realisation dawned upon her. "Oh...O-Ohhhhhhh..." Plagg, the little devil of a kwami peeked out of Adrien's jacket with a matching smirk and cheekily waved. "Ah." "'Ah' indeed, Princess. Indeed," His fingers brushed her fringe away, touching the kiss imprint and his eyelids lowered as his entire being filled to the brim with smugness. 'My Princess, all mine,' "Couldn't you have answered my kid's calls or glasses one or two's, you idiot? They were all worried sick again! I swear you're going to give Mr. Crybaby a heart attack one of these days!" Marinette winced at Plagg's scolding who in turn was chastised by Adrien. "Sorry...my phone broke...again." Mari pointed at the broken device a few feet away. The bad luck duo cringed at how it was nothing but a pile of smithereens, speculating how she managed to get it in that state. Shaking his head, Adrien gave a soft smile and cradled one of her cheeks with his hand, brushing his thumb on the bone. "Let's go home, Marinette," ~(x)~ True to his promise, Chat Noir never treated his Lady like she's helpless. Instead of taking the brunt of hits and attacks for her, he now pushes them both out of the way and fights back harder. True to her promise, Ladybug was much more careful, improving on her speed and dodging techniques so that she didn't come home with injuries that could have been easily prevented. No matter how strong and reckless Le Papillon's akumas were, they were always beaten. The handicap that Ladybug possessed did nothing to affect the way the duo fought nor brought her guard down. Plus, with the addition of Rena Rouge, Carapace and Queen Bee, the team was unstoppable. Meanwhile, the friendly, grateful Parisians always left out medical kits and delicious food for the heroes once they were sighted. The mayor even appointed a special team of paramedics for the heroes if they've taken a fatal blow. So yes, not once has Marinette ever regretted or mourned the fact that she chose the people over her own safety. And neither will she ever do so. . . . ~(x)~ A/N: This. Was. Too. Long. How did I even manage to waffle so much??? I wanted this to be a tragedy but sleep deprived 6am me somehow turned this into a happy ending and 10pm me has no choice but to follow through. :'(

#my writing #my fanfiction #ml fanfic #miraculous Ladybug #miraculous Ladybug and chat noir #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #nino lahiffe #alya cesaire #plagg #tikki #adrinette #adrienette #ladynoir #ladybug #chat noir #blood mention #mentioned blood #light gore