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Prologue
Black boots splashed through the puddles that were gathering on the Parisian rooftops, while the wearer of those boots was bemoaning his lack of time management skills.Why can’t I just arrive on time to these sorts of things, Adrien thought to himself as he vaulted over a chimney. Normally, Adrien’s schedule was managed for him, so he typically wasn’t prepared for the rare situations when he had to take the initiative with his timing.
Hopefully no one notices Chat Noir running across rooftops in the rain, with no Akuma in sight. I feel a little guilty using the transformation to boost my speed, but only a little.
Adrien grinned at the thought, and then he suspended his internal monologue as he picked up the pace. He didn’t want to be any later to the dance than he already was.
Chapter 1
Marinette suppressed the urge to anxiously smooth down the silky fabric of her dress yet again. The room around her was full of familiar people in fancy attire, with the girls showcasing bright, multicolored dresses and the boys begrudgingly draped in black coats and ties. Most people were gathered at the tables to one side of the wooden dance floor in the center of the room. Marinette was sitting with Alya and Nino, and periodically the three of them would glance at the empty chair at the table. Adrien was late often enough for them to save a seat for him out of habit. Marinette pouted internally.“So you’re sure he’s coming?” Alya asked for the second time.“Yes,” Nino sighed. “You get used to it.”“Well, you’d think he’d make an exception in this case!” Alya gestured to the dance floor, the buffet table (covered – for now), and the overall festive state of the room. “We’ve been waiting for this evening for weeks, practically.” Alya looked over at Marinette. “I’ll punch him for you if you want, Marinette,” she offered playfully.Marinette cringed at the mental image of Alya assaulting her boy-crush, and made placating hand motions.“No, there’s no need for that, but thank you for having my back,” Marinette said as earnestly as she could manage. But she couldn’t entirely hide her disappointment.The evening was supposed to be a dance, a celebration, held as the culmination of their in class studies that term –mostly focusing on recent European history-- because there’s no better way to celebrate something than to force a bunch of teens into formal attire and then herd them towards a dance floor. And since the Mayor’s daughter was involved, they whole class got their own ballroom in the hotel the Mayor ran. Nepotism wasn’t so bad on the receiving end.Over the last few weeks, most everyone in the class had been taking regular ballroom dance lessons after school so that they could have some semblance of competence on the dance floor. Not that anyone in the class had gotten particularly good at dancing, but they knew enough to keep from stepping on each other’s toes. Adrien, of course, excelled at it compared to everyone else. He’d said it was because he had been forced to take lessons as a kid.Personally, Marinette thought it was because he was dreamy and perfect and it wouldn’t surprise her if he could flawlessly tango through an untrimmed rosebush and come out the other side with nary a scratch. At which point he’d ask her to dance and of course she’d say yes and—Marinette’s meandering thoughts were cut short by her phone jingling in her purse. She pulled it out and looked at the screen.“Sorry guys,” she looked around the table apologetically. “It’s my dad, I should probably take this.” Alya nodded understandingly and turned to engage Nino in conversation.Marinette got up from her chair and grabbed her coat that was hanging on its back. She answered the phone as she was most of the way to the door. The signal was pretty bad inside the hotel, so she wanted to take this call outside, even with the moody weather.“Hi dad, what’s up?” she said as she exited the main doors. She made her way to a nearby covered bench, as it offered some shelter from the light drizzle trickling down.“Marinette! I was just calling to make sure you have everything you need for tonight.”Marinette sighed; she had known her dad would worry about the sleep-away component of tonight’s festivities.“Yes, dad. I think I have everything. And I’m sharing a room with Alya, so if I do need anything, I can probably borrow it from her.”“Are you sure?”“Yes, I’m sure dad,” Marinette said with more than a hint of exasperation. She surveyed the cityscape and drew a deep breath in. “It’s just one night in the hotel, what do you think is going to happen?” she said jokingly.“I’m just making sure my daughter is okay, that’s my job,” her father said affectionately.She was about to respond when she noticed some movement on the rooftops down the street. It looked like a black smudge against the overcast sky…The smudge became clear when it jumped one roof closer to the hotel, still about 3 blocks away. She’d recognize those cat-ears anywhere.“Weird…” she muttered to herself.“What was that, honey?”“Oh! Uhhh… Thanks for the call dad and I’ll let you know how tonight goes! Love you!” Marinette barely heard her father’s “Love you too!” before she disconnected the call. She peered out at the rooftops.What is HE doing here? She wondered to herself. She kept wondering until she saw him stop one building away, over an alley shielded from sight. She saw his head scan the street for pedestrians. Apparently satisfied, the blonde in the skintight leather outfit hopped down from the roof, out of Marinette’s line of sight.A bright flash came out of the alley, over quick enough that to blink was to miss it.Marinette didn’t blink.A few seconds passed.Then, Adrien exited the alley, whistling tunelessly. He walked casually towards the front entrance of the hotel, opened the main door, and vanished inside. And he never bothered to look over at the girl on the bench, who was staring openmouthed in shock.
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Adrien released a breath as the door closed behind him, and he paused to brush some moisture off his suit jacket. Then, he squared his shoulders and strolled towards the ballroom. Plagg took this opportunity to poke his head out of Adrien’s jacket pocket.“You better hope they serve some good cheese at this banquet!” Adrien flinched at the unexpected announcement from his kwami. He then forcibly relaxed his shoulders and tried keep his expression mild.“Shhhh! I’m sure they won’t disappoint.” Adrien looked around the lobby to check if anyone picked up on that little exchange. Luckily, the only person he saw was the front desk attendant, half the room away and mechanically typing at the computer. He breathed out a sigh of relief and turned his head down to Plagg.“But don’t talk again unless you’re sure no one’s in earshot, you almost gave me a heart attack!” he whispered fiercely.“Sure, sure. But don’t assume that I am limited to your puny senses of perception.” Plagg settled back into the pocket. Adrien hesitated mid-step, reminded of how much he still didn’t know about the nature of his tiny companion.“Hey,” Plagg nudged him. “Cheese isn’t going to come to you! Get a move on!”Adrien shook his head and resumed his walk towards the ballroom with a smirk playing across his lips. After the door closed on Adrien’s back, Marinette stat frozen like a statue. As if there was a sculptor who was fond of depicting teenage girls wearing tragically shocked expressions. After a few seconds, the statue crumbled. Marinette slid down the bench until she landed on the ground, her blue eyes showing signs of panic.Tikki took this opportunity to escape from Marinette’s purse and floated out in front of Marinette. The little red creature hovered anxiously.“Did that just happen?” Marinette asked in a tremulous whisper. “Did I just see what I think I saw?” She looked at Tikki, hoping for reassurance. Tikki hesitated, and floated closer.“Marinette…” she said softly. “Just… breathe. It’s not the end of the word.”“Right.” Following Tikki’s advice, Marinette breathed in through her nose, held it, and then breathed out all in a rush.“What. The hell.” Marinette let out a rare expletive. She figured that now was an okay time to make an exception. “How is he Chat Noir? How is Chat Noir Adrien?!” She put her clenched fists on either side of her head.“Eraugh!” Marinette leaned her head back against the bench and stared at the overcast sky.“Well...” Tikki started.“Shhh. I’ll handle it, just give me a second.” Marinette interrupted, speaking slowly. Tikki nodded, and floated to rest on Marinette’s head.Marinette was silent for several moments. The drab clouds above offered her no help.“Okay, no. I can’t handle it.” Marinette pushed herself up. “I’m just going to… not think about it. Put it away. I’ll think about it later.” She breathed out forcefully, as if trying to expel the knowledge physically.“Are… Are you going to go back to the dance?” Tikki asked. Marinette nodded jerkily, and started towards the door.“I’ll just pretend that having fun at this dance is a Ladybug mission. Ladybug always manages to save the day.” Marinette said, gaining confidence as she reached the doors. She reached up to open them, and noticed her hands were shaking. She glared at them, then pulled open the door and strode inside.“Okay. If you think that’ll work.” Tikki murmured, returning to Marinette’s purse. Marinette didn’t respond. By the time she reached the ballroom doors, she almost felt comfortable with the smile she was wearing.As she entered the festive ballroom, Alya looked up and waved excitedly. Marinette waved back and headed over to the table. Alya nodded her head towards Adrien, now sitting down next to Marinette’s empty chair, and winked. Marinette responded with a thumbs up as she draped her coat on the back of the chair. As she pulled out the chair, Adrien looked her up and down.“Marinette, you look amazing,” he said, gesturing to her red and black dress. Marinette paused, feeling a slight heat creep into her cheeks.“Th- Thanks,” she said lamely as she settled into her chair.“I helped her pick out the dress!” Alya said proudly. “As you could probably guess, based on the color scheme.” She turned towards Marinette. “See, I told you I know what I’m doing.” She said, smiling smugly.“Oh, alright!” Marinette tossed her hands into the air. “I admit it, you are the Superior Dress Selector, and I bow to your selecting powers.” Marinette bowed her head sarcastically, trying to put the proper energy into her voice. Then, she leaned back and crossed her arms.“Really, if we didn’t have so much homework this past term, I would have made my own dress.” she said.“Right. You mean if we didn’t have someone at school get turned into a melodramatic super villain every other week, you’d have made your own dress,” Nino said cheerfully. “Personally, I like the added excitement. It breaks up the monotony of class.”“Right, you would,” Marinette responded. She was about to say more, but then she remembered who she had fought all those super villains with. Her eyes darted toward Adrien, and then she dragged her gaze away and leaned back in her chair with a huff.There was a short awkward silence at the table, before they were rescued by the announcement that the buffet was open. Adrien and Nino eagerly got up from their chairs, and there was a general rumble as their surrounding classmates did the same.Marinette failed to join the mass pilgrimage immediately. Alya stopped behind Marinette’s chair.“Hey girl, everything okay?” she asked with concern. Marinette sighed quietly. No hiding her mood from Alya.“Yeah, it’s fine. I’m fine.” Marinette looked up at Alya and smiled. “I promise I’ll be in the proper festive mood by the time dancing starts.” She got up from her chair to join the others.“You better!” Alya said, nudging her friend with her elbow. “We get to dance with anyone we want! It’s going to be great, just relax, okay?”“And besides,” Alya added. “You basically get Adrien all to yourself throughout dinner. If that doesn’t make tonight amazing, I don’t know what will!”“Right, amazing…” Marinette trailed off as she and Alya got to the end of the buffet line.“Oh no, don’t tell me you’re going to revert to being a doofus around him! I thought we got past that stage!” Alya said in dismay. “You can definitely have a real conversation with that boy; I’ve seen you do it.”“What? Pshh, that’s not it!” Marinette waved her hand dismissively. “It’s just… um, the call from my dad made me start thinking about some stuff.” It was a lame excuse, but it seemed to placate Alya.“Well, I think the only ‘stuff’ you should be thinking about is how awesome tonight is going to be! And since it’s going to end with a sleepover with yours truly,” Alya gestured to herself dramatically. “Then I know it’s going to be great. After all, I’m the most fun person you know!”Marinette couldn’t help but feel slightly better with her friend’s energy. She smiled, and prepared a sassy retort.“Right, if your idea of fun is geeking out about superheroes and looking at stuff on the internet. In that case you’re tons of fun.”They continued with similar back and forth as they moved through the buffet line. By the time they got back to their table, Marinette felt able to keep up a good conversation with anyone. She just had to keep talking. If she could keep talking, she wouldn’t be able to do any thinking. And thinking was the enemy right now.Sitting down, she even managed a half-genuine smile at Adrien as he was eagerly eating his plate. He hurriedly gulped down his current mouthful and smiled back warmly.“You’re lucky they’re not charging for extra plates,” Marinette said lightly. “Because it looks like that would really add up for you, at this rate.” Adrien chuckled and cleared his throat.“You’re saying that to me? What about Nino?” He gestured to Nino’s already half-empty plate. “He’s eating less like a person, and more like a vacuum cleaner!” The vacuum cleaner in question gave him a dirty look, but didn’t bother to stop eating and give a verbal response.Internally, Marinette relaxed. The rest of dinner passed more easily, she allowed herself to be swept up in the flow of idle conversation. It turned out that Nino’s fast-paced eating was unsustainable, and Adrien ended up going back to the buffet table after Nino declared defeat. Alya spent most of her energy flirting/making fun of Nino. He gave just as good as he got, and the two of them exchanged sassy remarks for much of the time.So she was almost disappointed when the lights above the tables dimmed, and everyone looked over to where multi-colored lights pointed down at the dance floor. The shiny wood reflected the lights in a muted fashion, giving the whole thing an ethereal air.“Oh! It’s time for the real fun to begin!” Alya said excitedly as brassy tango music started playing from the speakers. “Come on nerd,” she got up from her chair and grabbed Nino by the arm. “You’re going to be my first partner!” As she practically dragged Nino to the dance floor, she looked back at Marinette and gave a thumbs up and a smile of encouragement.“Marinette,” Adrien said. She turned her head to look at him. “May I have this dance?” He held out his hand with a flourish. Marinette spent a moment considering him. With his well-tailored suit and green bowtie, he certainly cut a dashing figure. She mentally added cat ears and glowing green eyes.The accuracy of her mental vision caused her to snap out of her reverie. She smiled and took his outstretched hand.“Certainly,” she said. They headed over to the dance floor, hand in hand.
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After the first song, Marinette felt like she was being passed from hand to hand. Because as soon as one song ended, she had barely thanked her partner when one of the other guys in her class appeared and asked for the next song.Ordinarily Marinette might have been overwhelmed, but in this case she was grateful for the distraction. The constant push and pull, the silent conversation that each dance was helped keep her mind from dwelling on the Adrien revelation. And really, she did take a fair amount of pride in being one of the better dancers in her class, despite her relative inexperience.So when Adrien sought her out on the floor and asked for another dance, she smiled and walked easily into his embrace. He was one of the better dancers too. And as an added bonus, the closeness of the embrace he favored meant that Marinette didn’t have to look at his face. Or, more specifically, his piercing green eyes. She could look out at the dance floor over his shoulder, focusing on moving her body in tandem with his, gliding through the steps of the dance.As the previous song faded into silence, Marinette allowed herself to lean slightly against Adrien’s chest. She inhaled through her nose, savoring the moment of closeness.The next song started out with a solitary Spanish guitar, boldly strumming out the intro. Then, with a crash of percussion, the song took off.Adrien wasted no time, leading Marinette through a few iterations of the basic step. Their feet flew across the polished hardwood. Marinette could barely tell the difference between his movements and her own. She allowed her mind fall into the trance that allowed her to flawlessly interpret and follow his moves.He led her through a basic spin, and she flowed from one movement to the next. The bottom of her dress flared out as she twirled on the balls of her toes, and she re-entered his embrace. She smiled slightly. As Adrien navigated them around the other dancing pairs on the floor, he started to embellish further.As Adrien directed her movements, Marinette began to feel a heat spread throughout her chest. She had been dancing continuously for long enough to feel slightly tired, but this was different somehow.She finished a spin with her back to Adrien’s chest, her arms crossed in front of her. With him right behind her, she was keenly aware of the way her body fit with his. How the curve of her back hugged his torso.This only served to strengthen the heat in her chest. When he spun her back to face him, she noticed the way his hands slid lightly across the skin of her arms. She couldn’t help but lean in to his embrace, resting her head on his chest. She breathed in through her nose, inhaling his scent. This made the heat spread throughout her body, and she pressed herself closer to Adrien.As she strode across the dance floor, she could only focus on the heat of Adrien’s body in front of her. It made her think of a different kind of closeness. The pair spun on across the dance floor.Marinette had become attuned to the flawless communication between their bodies, so when Adrien increased his pace, Marinette increased hers as well. The finale of the song was upon them.The room blurred around her as Marinette spun rapidly. When the song entered its final, victorious chord, Marinette unhesitatingly released her weight into Adrien’s arms as he dipped her in a dramatic fashion.As the chord faded, the room experienced a brief silence. When Adrien pulled Marinette back on to her feet, she was breathing heavily from exertion. She finally looked into his eyes, and was immediately arrested by their emerald intensity.Oh crap. Marinette thought as she stood transfixed. His eyes glowed, seemingly lit from within by a feverish energy. She could tell by the way his hungry eyes strayed towards her lips what he was thinking about. As a bead of sweat slid down the side of her face, Marinette was struck by a vision. Her brain switched the formal suit and loose slacks on the boy in front of her for a skin-tight leather suit. Gloves were added to his hands, the muscles of his chest were hugged by the shiny black material. And a mask covered his face, with pure green and black eyes burning out from the center of it.Marinette gasped and stepped back in shock. The vision shattered and Adrien stood before her, dressed in the formal attire he had been wearing all evening. Confusion colored his face at her sudden reaction. Marinette’s heart hammered as she struggled contain her confused, roiling emotions. Conflicting urges pulled her in two separate directions, and breathlessly she turned around and headed towards the tables without a word.She needed to escape these feelings. She needed to escape the boy that was causing them. She barely restrained herself to a brisk walk.Adrien’s face twisted in confusion and he reached out as if to follow her. Then he clenched his teeth and let his hand drop. If she needed her space, he wasn’t going to crowd her. Even if he had no idea what he could’ve done to scare her off. He sighed as he watched her retreat from the dance floor, then he turned and walked the opposite direction. She needed some room? Well, so did he, after that reaction.
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Marinette grabbed her purse as she swept past her chair. Her pulse pounded in her ears as her brain replayed the image of Adrien as Chat Noir. She looked back at the dance floor, expecting people to be staring at her swift retreat.In this, at least, luck was on her side. The vast majority of the dancers twirled on, oblivious. She caught a flash of Adrien’s retreating blonde head, and her gut clenched.I’m sorry, she mentally apologized. I just… She left the thought unfinished and turned away. She scanned the ballroom for a place where she could have some refuge from her confused emotions. No dice. She headed for the doors that led out towards the rest of the hotel.And she stopped after about three steps, because there was an impossible sight before her. There was a puddle of darkness spreading out along the whole of the back wall. It had already turned the wall’s initially elegant design into a dark, forbidding mass. As Marinette watched, it spread onto the floor and the sides, snuffing out the small lights lining the walls as it went.Why now?! Marinette despaired. Couldn’t you have waited to have an emotional breakdown until after I was done having one, you random person? She turned to track the progress of the blight across the ballroom. When it got as far as the dance floor, it surged suddenly, and snuffed out all the lights in the room. The energetic music was cut off with an electrical hiss.In the sudden dark, Marinette heard the scared outcry of the interrupted dancers. There was a shill scream that sounded like Chloe, who had a lot of practice at that kind of thing. Marinette stopped spotting and hurriedly opened her purse.“Tikki, we need to transform!” Marinette whispered fiercely.“Yeah, no kidding!” the little kwami replied. But before they could start the transformation, Tikki cried out and clutched her head in tiny hands.“Tikki! What’s wrong?” Marinette asked frantically. Tikki only moaned quietly. Marinette’s head jerked up as she noticed a light erupt in the middle of the room. It was the grand chandelier in the center of the ceiling. But instead of a warm yellow light, it emitted a sickly green glow.Right. It’s not an Akuma attack without pointlessly dramatic props! The back of her mind quipped.On the opposite side of the room from Marinette, a tall, masked figure was illuminated by the ominous glow.“For so many years, I have been forced to live under the heel of other people,” his deep voice reverberated throughout the room supernaturally. “But now, everything has changed!” He clenched his gloved fist like an anime protagonist: as punctuation.“Now you are under my control!” He waved his hands, a caricaturized tuxedo flaring out behind him. Everyone on the dance floor walked towards him mechanically, as if pulled by invisible strings. Everyone, that is, except one. Adrien looked back and forth as his classmates walked away from him like mindless puppets.Panic plain on his face, he whispered something into his jacket pocket. Marinette couldn’t hear what he said, but his action reminded her of her little friend.“Tikki! Talk to me, what’s wrong?!”“I’m fighting to keep his mind control powers from affecting you,” Tikki responded in a quiet, pained voice. Marinette’s eyes widened in shock. “I don’t think I’ll be able to transform you fully.”“Is there anything you can do?!”“Probably, just… give me a second,” Tikki replied. Marinette looked up towards the center of the room. She saw Adrien catch Chat Noir’s signature baton as it materialized in front of him. She saw the fear in his face, but he turned towards the villain anyway. Said villain picked up his monologue where he had left it.“I am the Hidden Hand!” he announced to the room at large. “And MY hand now directs your every move!” To emphasize his point, he raised his hands towards the ceiling as if slowly celebrating a sports victory.Adrien deliberately adopted a sassy posture, baton resting on one shoulder and head cocked to one side. Marinette watched as he took a few steps forward, away from her.“Damn, and I thought I had seen it all by this point. You put a whole new spin on the term ‘control freak’, bro. Have you met my father, perhaps?” Marinette put her hand over her face. Partially because of the ill-timed attempt at humor, partly because she could hear the slight catch of fear in Adrien’s voice. He stepped forward with exaggerated confidence, swinging his baton experimentally back and forth like a sword.“Are you having performance issues? I don’t feel any supernatural urge to do your bidding,” Adrien settled onto the balls of his feet, knees slightly bent. The Hidden Hand glared out from his mob of newly acquired minions.“So YOU are Chat Noir, little pest,” he snarled. But then his tone turned mocking. “But where are your claws, kitten?” he seemed to bite off the last word. “Maybe YOU’RE the one having issues today.” Adrien didn’t respond, his bare hands tightening around the baton. “And before you can get to me, you will have to get through them.” The Hand waved, and his mob started advancing on Adrien menacingly.Oh, you brave idiot, Marinette thought.“Can you even beat all of them with just a little stick?” The mob continues its slow approach towards Adrien. “And even if you could, will you? Will you go through your friends…” Adrien takes a step back, his eyes unsure. “To get to me?” The self-proclaimed Hidden Hand smiled widely, and with a wave, the mob broke into a run. Like a herd of angry bulls they all charged towards Adrien. “Tikki, now would be a really good time for something!” Marinette said. Instead of a verbal response, Tikki flew up into Marinette’s earring. Instead of the full-body transformation Marinette was used to, only her yo-yo materialized in her hand.This is all I can do for now, Tikki said inside Marinette’s head. Marinette considered the familiar yo-yo momentarily. Weighing it in her hand.
It’ll have to be enough. Thanks, Tikki.
By this point, the mob was almost upon Adrien, a familiar snotty blonde face in the lead. Adrien was giving ground, looking for a way around them. Marinette bounced her yo-yo in her hand once before heading towards the mob. Obviously, Adrien would need some backup.It appeared that Adrien had no plans to wait for backup. He planted one end of his baton on the ground and gripped tightly to the top. Then he flew up as the baton stretched towards the ceiling. Dangling in the air, Adrien swung his legs forward. It looked like he planned on using his sudden height advantage to step over the mob and get directly to the Hidden Hand.Before he could tilt very far, the mob plowed into the base of Adrien’s baton, knocking Adrien’s support out from under him.Marinette’s eyes widened as Adrien dropped straight down into the waiting arms of the mob. She was still too far away to be much help. Without conscious thought, she called out.“Hey! Kitty cat! Catch!” Everyone in the room paused momentarily, the heads of the mob turning towards Marinette’s voice in eerie unison. Marinette flung her yo-yo towards Adrien like a pitcher delivering a fastball, and his hand reached up to catch it just in time.Marinette yanked on the sting of her yo-yo, ripping Adrien out of the mob’s clutching hands. He practically sailed most of the way to her, his torso twisting in the air to face his landing zone. Surprising no one, he landed on his feet and took a moment to regain his balance.It looks like some of that enhanced Ladybug strength is still available, she thought offhandedly. “Ladybug!” Adrien said excitedly as he brushed himself off and headed towards her. Then, his progress abruptly halted as he took in Marinette’s un-transformed state. His eyes were wide with shock. “What, Mari—!““There’s no time for that right now!” Marinette said exasperatedly, cutting him off. She closed the short distance between them and grabbed his hand. “We need to get out of this ballroom, and fast!” She pulled him forcibly towards the exit doors.Adrien stayed stiff for another half of a second, then shook his head violently and jogged forward with Marinette.“What the hell?!” he said as they advanced towards the wooden double doors. Marinette barked out a harsh laugh, remembering the exact same words coming out of her mouth earlier that evening.“Yeah, no kidding,” she replied as they across the carpeted floor. The Hand’s voice reverberated behind them.“Don’t think you can escape!” the Hidden Hand called out mockingly. “This entire hotel is my domain. You cannot get outside this building!” They ignored him, slamming through the ballroom doors, chased by his taunting laughter.
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In the seconds after exiting the ominous ballroom, Marinette had only one thought running through her head.
I am Ladybug. I can do this. I am Ladybug, and I can do this. I am LADYBUG, and I won’t let my confused feelings about some stupid BOY get in the way of saving the day!
She thought that very sternly at herself. It didn’t seem to help calm her racing heart any, but it gave her something to focus on.Okay, I’ll just take this one step at a time. What should I do next? She asked herself, just as the pair reached the expansive lobby of the hotel. Marinette slowed from their sprinting pace and quickly scanned the room.“Chat, do you see anything we could use to block the hallway?” she said hurriedly. “We should try and prevent the Hidden Hand’s mob from being able to move freely.” Adrien looked around the room as well, not seeing anything useful. Then, he turned and looked back down the hallway they had just exited.“Wait,” he said. “There’s no one following us.” He gestured to the empty carpet that stretched out behind them. Marinette looked back incredulously, seeing the distinct lack of anything resembling a mob.“What? Why isn’t he trying to chase us down?” She looked at Adrien, who shrugged helplessly. Marinette harrumphed and crossed her arms.“Well, I still don’t like being in this lobby, it feels too exposed,” she said, eyeing the multiple hallways branching out from the large, open room. “I’ll try the exit, just in case. But I doubt it’ll work.”Sure enough, when she pushed on the doors, they remained stubbornly unresponsive, as if an external force was holding them in place. “So what do we do now? What’s the plan?” Adrien asked, twirling his baton nervously. Marinette paused momentarily.“Keep moving for now; we don’t want to get pinned down.” Marinette responded. Her eyes scanned the room, weighing options. “Just because he isn’t sending anyone after us now doesn’t mean he won’t later…“Hmm…” she said, more to herself than to Adrien. She walked towards one of the hallways that led away from the ballroom. “This might not even work,” she said, taking off her formal shoes one by one. “But I’d say it’s worth a try.” She threw both of her shoes down the hallway. “And then I also don’t have to fight in those shoes! They’re pretty, but that’s all they are.”“Wait, aren’t we going to go back in there and take down this Akuma?” Adrien asked. Marinette turned around and gave him a fragile smile, her Ladybug façade cracking.“I don’t know about you, but I sure don’t feel at 100%,” she walked back towards Adrien. “Right now, I just want to find a place where I can get myself together and figure out a plan. Sound good?” she asked, stopping next to Adrien.“Sounds good to me,” Adrien said, his eyes scanned Marinette as if he was trying to mentally fit her into the Ladybug suit.“Good,” Marinette said. She paused momentarily, considering his roving green eyes. Then she shook herself and turned towards the door to the stairwell. “The room me and Alya were supposed share tonight is on the 5th floor. It should be out of the way enough to give us time to come up with something. Come on,” she jogged lightly towards the stairs. Her dress rustling quietly as her bare feet padded across the carpet. Adrien followed close behind.They ascended in silence, Marinette darting a worried glance towards each door they passed on the way up. She tried to make her brain work on a plan, but it felt as if her normally swift thought process was stuck in a rut. She kept seeing the image of Adrien as Chat Noir on the dance floor.In the back of her mind, she was berating herself. How had she not seen it sooner?! And why did it have to be him, of all people. It would have been so much easier if Chat was just some random person.Surprise! He’s in your class! And on top of that he’s the one who you have a crush on. Obviously, fate was laughing at her right now.They reached the 5th floor and Marinette pulled open the stairwell door cautiously. She poked her head out into the hallway and checked either direction. Finding it empty, she stepped into the hallway and motioned for Adrien to follow her. She dragged her mind out of its contemplative rut and tried again to focus on the moment at hand.It was getting harder and harder to do.The hallway was eerily silent; the only sounds Marinette could hear came from herself and Adrien. They crept along the wall, passing the identical hotel doors. It felt like forever, but eventually they reached Marinette’s room. Marinette pulled her room key out of her purse and inserted it into the door.Her tense shoulders relaxed when she opened the door and ushered Adrien inside. She checked the hallway one last time, and then closed and locked the door behind her. Adrien had turned on the lamp between the two twin beds.There was a moment of stillness.Marinette let out her breath with a whoosh and let her back hit the door. The panic and confusion she had been fighting for the past several minutes took the moment of peace to worm their way back to the front of her mind.All the confidence and determination she had projected as Ladybug drained out of her. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it would pound its way out of her ribcage. She put her hands on either side of her head, her breathing accelerating. Anxiety threatened to overwhelm her. The orange lamplight outlined the planes of her face.What. What is this? Where is this coming from? She struggled to control her spinning thoughts, gut twisting.“Ladybug—Marinette. What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Adrien stepped closer to Marinette, his voice concerned. Marinette laughed harshly (as much as anyone who is on the verge of tears can laugh harshly) but failed to respond out loud.Do I look okay? She hoped he got the message without her having to give voice to her rampaging thoughts.Adrien picked up on her unsaid response. He hesitated for one single moment, indecision written across his face. Then, he stepped forward and enfolded Marinette in his arms. She laid her head on his shoulder, holding onto his torso like it was keeping her afloat in a storm.“Just breathe,” Adrien said the only thing he could think of. Marinette took a shuddering breath in, and that seemed to unblock her voice.“Why am I like this?” Marinette burst out, voice quiet. “Usually, when I’m Ladybug, I can push aside my feelings. To get the job done. Because people need me. Because I can help.” Her voice cracked on the last word. Adrien’s eyes widened, but he didn’t move from their current position.“Why is this time so different?” she asked helplessly. She breathed in and out a few times, trying to regain control of herself.When she resumed, her voice was quieter.“You know,” she continued in a slightly more even voice, “if I wasn’t so off-balance, we might have had a chance to beat this Akuma back in the ballroom.”“Really? How do you figure that?” Adrien asked gently, grateful to get her talking about something less tumultuous. Marinette smiled wetly, grateful to have something else to focus on.“It’s simple, really. One of us distracts the mob, and the other goes straight for him.” Her shoulders tensed back up. “But I didn’t react fast enough. I only thought of that plan just now,” words poured out of her in a rush.“I didn’t think fast enough back there because I was hung up on you. I got caught up on my stupid crush!”Adrien remained silent through all of this. Conflict, surprise, and worry occupied him in equal measure as Marinette’s chest heaved in his arms. He held tight to Marinette for a few seconds after she stopped talking, then he chased away all of his internal conflict.He put on a confident face and stroked Marinette’s hair.“We can’t go back and change the past, the best thing we can do now is figure out how we can get out of the situation we’re in now,” he said softly. Marinette nodded against his chest, most of her emotional energy spent.“I know,” she said, her voice calmer. “I guess I just needed to get that out, I felt like I was going to burst.” She smiled slightly and pulled back to look into Adrien’s eyes.“How did we end up like this? Normally I’m the stable one,” she managed a weak laugh. Adrien smiled back at her.“I figure you’re allowed the odd emotional moment,” he said, trying for deadpan. “After all you’re only human.” He hesitated, then rushed into the next words.“Besides, I just found out that the amazing, beautiful Ladybug that I’m in love with has been in front of me the whole time! And better yet, she likes me back!”Marinette’s eyes widened as Adrien jumped through his confession, and then laughed delightedly. The last of the weight she had been struggling under lifted from her chest. She hugged Adrien close again, this time with a wide smile on her face.“Thank you,” she said simply, hoping the depth of her emotions was conveyed by her voice.Adrien hugged her back fiercely, heart beating after his confession.“I’d do anything for you,” he said quietly into her hair.They stayed like that for a few moments, breathing in each other’s scent.Then, slowly, Marinette pulled back and looked up at Adrien. She considered his face.He looked back at her, his green eyes staring at her blue ones. His eyes drifted towards her lips and he leaned forward slightly.The faintest hint of anxiety held him back, but months—no. Years—of his emotions pushed him forward. His hand caressed Marinette’s cheek.He closed his eyes.Marinette closed the last of the distance between them, her lips meeting his. They started out slowly, just the slightest pressure between them.Almost incredulous, Adrien pushed further. He tilted his head to one side and his hands slid down her back, gliding over the satin surface of her dress.Marinette responded. Recovering from her previous breakdown, it felt natural to weave her fingers into Adrien’s hair, exploring its silky texture. She drew blonde strands through her fingers. She deepened the kiss hesitantly. Then, not so hesitantly.After a breath, she released herself to the sensuous feelings of their embrace.Adrien, feeling Marinette’s response, wrapped his arms tighter around Marinette’s waist, almost trying to crush her into him. He wanted to be as close to her as possible, he wanted this to last forever.He turned his torso, meaning to press her up against the wall. They were both caught up in the heat of the moment. So, of course, their legs tangled up in the small space and they fell onto the nearest bed.They both gasped in surprise as they hit the soft mattress, before laughing in unison and coming together again. They took advantage of their new horizontal position, Adrien running his down Marinette’s sides and down to her legs.Marinette wrapped her leg around his torso, her dress draping across them both. She pushed her hands under Adrien’s formal jacket, feeling the material of his shirt against his chest. Pulling him closer, she lightly bit his lower lip, pulling on it with her teeth.He groaned softly in the back of his throat. In retaliation, he broke from her mouth and pressed his lips to the base of her neck. Marinette breathed out in a rush and tilted her head back.Adrien’s mouth wandered over Marinette’s skin. A kiss on her pulse, lips tracing up one side of her neck. She allowed her hands to explore his torso more freely. Adrien pressed his mouth to the hollow formed by her collar bone, then lightly kissed his way back up her neck. He moved his hand up the outside of her thigh and pressed her hips closer.He kissed her along the edge of her jaw before coming back to her lips. Rather breathless, Marinette’s lips latched onto his. She breathed in through her nose as she pressed her full body along his, arms wrapped around him. It was just so much and she wanted more. In the back of her mind, she wondered if this would have happened so easily without the added stress of the Akuma. Then, she decided she didn’t care just now.She shifted her weight as if to roll on top of him. Sensing her intent, Adrien’s hands went around her waist and he moved her over him. They maintained the kiss though out the maneuver.Which is why, eyes closed and face impassioned, Marinette flung out one hand to steady herself at the end of the roll. And came into crashing contact with the lamp Adrien had turned on earlier.The hotel lamp bounced off the nightstand, jerked out of its wall plug, and crashed to the floor. The room was plunged into complete darkness.They froze, Marinette straddling Adrien in the pitch black.Adrien broke the silence, laughing almost incredulously. After a second, Marinette joined him, realizing the ridiculousness of the situation. Then, looking towards where she knew his eyes to be, and idea dawned.“Hey, Adrien,” she said down to him, mirth still in her voice. His laughter subsided to chuckles, but didn’t quite stop.“Kitty cat, listen to me!” she said louder, confidence suffusing her voice. Adrien swallowed his remaining amusement and looked up at her raptly.“You still have your night vision, right?” she almost purred. Invisible to her, Adrien’s expression turned quizzical.“Yes…?” he responded.“Wonderful! I have a plan, but you might not like it,” Marinette responded, a grin forming.“Try me,” Adrien said challengingly, his white teeth appearing out of the darkness in a Cheshire grin.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Adrien poked his head out into the lobby. He turned his head to the left: low couches and the empty front desk. To the right: more chairs and an empty bar. All clear. Alright, step one: draw out the mind-controlled mob. Adrien jogged lightly across the lobby, looking down hallways as he passed them.Where the heck is the mob?? He wondered as every hallway he checked looked inconveniently clear. You’d think the overdramatic villains would be more accommodating.So Adrien was almost relieved when he heard a door slam around a corner. He looked around the corner and smiled widely when he saw a small cluster of his classmates moving down the hallway, checking each hotel room they passed.Adrien stepped into the middle of the hallway in front of them and struck a pose, hands on hips and shoulders back.“Wow, looks like having mind control powers doesn’t make you any smarter!” Adrien shook his head in mock disappointment. “I thought you would’ve been at least to the second floor by now.”“Chat Noir! Miserable little stray, where have you been hiding!?” The group of students spoke as one, their voices sounding like the Akumatized man who was probably still in the ballroom. “Your Miraculous WILL be mine!” The small mob broke into a run towards Adrien.“You’ll need more people than that to capture me,” with that, Adrien took off, running at a speed that no normal person could sustain. He laughed at the angry howl behind him. The chase was on.Adrien sprinted through the hallways. Every so often, he would pause at an intersection and check behind him. The mob kept growing, but they couldn’t really keep up. For the plan to work, however, Adrien would have to let them capture him. He went back to running; he had to gather as much of the mob as possible.It’s embarrassing really, the fact that I’m the one who would be most believably captured. Adrien sighed at the thought. I mean, it’s true. I just don’t like it.Adrien rounded another corner and had to jump and push off the wall with his feet to maintain his momentum. If one has to run away, run away with style. That was just a matter of personal pride.“Chat Noir, you are cornered! Your fate is sealed, there is no escape!” In front of him, there was about half of the mob that had been chasing him. He skidded to a stop on the carpet and turned around. There rest of the mob was at the corner he had just turned.“Oh no! It looks like I am well and truly trapped! I guess this is it for Chat Noir!” Adrien fought to suppress the grin that was trying to spread across his face.“At last, you realize your defeat! Now—““Wait! I have one last request!” Adrien cut off the melodramatic speech he knew was coming.The mob seemed to stall, and then everyone around Adrien straightened and crossed their arms.“Hmph, very well. Out with it! I can afford to be gracious in my victory.” The unison voice of the mob sounded both grumpy and satisfied, a difficult combination.“I just request that you take my miraculous by you own hands, oh Monsieur Hidden Hand,” Adrien bowed dramatically and chuckled at his own word play. “It’s only natural, after all, that you should complete your victory over me yourself.”“…Indeed. I will bring you to me, and then I will complete your defeat personally!” The mob surrounded Adrien and the two nearest to him grabbed his arms. As a single unit, they marched towards the ballroom.Adrien didn’t even try to hide his satisfied smile. So far, so good.***Marinette’s eyes had been glued to the screen of her very multi-purpose yo-yo for the past 5 minutes, watching as Adrien’s little green symbol ran laps around the first floor of the hotel.When he finally stopped, and then started slowly moving towards the ballroom, Marinette snapped her little contraption back into yo-yo form and emerged from her hiding place.She kept her footsteps as silent as she could, head on a swivel looking for any remaining mind controlled students. As luck would have it, she spotted two students leaving the hotel lobby just as she entered it.Looks like Monsieur Hidden Hand isn’t satisfied with just capturing Chat Noir. After a few years of dealing with the overdramatic villains, Marinette had some trouble taking them seriously.After waiting for the two mind-controlled people to get a good distance away, Marinette ran towards the ballroom. It was time to wrap up this little situation.She reached the doors of the ballroom and pressed her ear against them. There was a muffled deep voice ranting on the other side. Yup, the villain was in full monologue mode.As quietly as she could, she focused on her yo-yo and brought her trump card into play.“Lucky Charm!” she called out quietly. By now she knew that the enthusiasm with which she called out the name of the spell did little to affect its outcome, but old habits die hard.An air horn dropped into her hands.She giggled. This was going to be fun.As quietly as possible, Marinette turned the handle on the ballroom door. She opened it just wide enough for her to slip through, and then closed the door silently behind her. The ballroom was basically in the same state she’d left it.It was gloomy, the only light coming from the corrupted chandelier in the middle. The green glow gave the whole scene a redundantly supernatural vibe, as if mind-control and superpowers were just too subtle.The penchant these Akumatized villains had for trying too hard in the drama department was going to come in handy. Marinette waited for the perfect moment to use her distraction.“… And so, once I have taken YOUR Miraculous, Chat Noir, not only will it be child’s play to take Ladybug’s Miraculous, but I will also have more power to do it with! Nothing can stop me now!!”Oh hey, look. The perfect moment.Marinette blasted the air horn right as the Akumatized man finished his grand speech. Everyone in the room froze momentarily, including Adrien.“Damn it Chat! That was your distraction! Come on, get with the program!” Marinette blasted the air horn again, just to emphasize her point.Adrien broke out of his shock with her reprimand. He ripped his arms free and planted his baton on the ground. With the press of a button, he shot up towards the glowing chandelier.“Cataclysm!”A dark energy sparked from his right hand. He clawed his hand across the chandelier as he rose past it. When he reached the very top, he cut the chandelier from the ceiling with a final swipe.The large light fixture crashed towards the ground. The room was plunged into darkness as it shattered.In the sudden darkness, Adrien saw everything clearly. Everyone in the mob was cowering with their hands over their heads, but it looked like they had avoided being crushed. And the Akumatized man was looking back in forth, obviously disoriented from the abrupt lack of light.Adrien leapt down from his perch and landed next to the Hand with a muted thump. The villain turned towards the noise, but was unprepared for sudden tackle Adrien launched directly at him.Thoroughly subdued, the Hidden Hand lay dazed on the ground. Adrien ripped the white gloves off of the villain’s hands and tore them in half with ease.The black and purple butterfly that emerged emitted an eerie glow in the pitch black room.Seeing the sudden spot of light, Marinette came over and cleansed it with a practiced motion. Everyone in the room was passed out on the ground, with the exception of the two heroes.Marinette was just about to use her lucky air horn to release the miraculous cure, as usual, when Adrien stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.“Wait, Ladybug—I mean—Marinette.” She paused, listening. Adrien took a deep breath.“What are we going to do about… this?” he gestured between the two of them. “Now that the secret’s out, at least between us?”“Well, first of all, we make sure no one else finds out,” she said with a smile. “And then everything else we can figure out later. How about we get lunch sometime, talk it out?” A hint of nervousness crept into her voice.“Sure! It’s a date,” Adrien said with his best Chat Noir grin. Marinette smiled and didn’t bother with her usual deflections. He stepped back and she threw her lucky charm into the air. A blinding light swept out, repairing things as it went.By the time the light cleared, Adrien and Marinette were back among their friends, pretending to look disoriented and confused like everyone else.Lights came back on like normal and there was a general murmur of conversation.“What happened, why am I on the floor?”“Who’s that guy over there?”“Did an Akuma just attack?”Slowly, everyone got their bearings. As usual with these things, everyone was a little spooked. Parents were called, rides were arranged, and everyone went their separate ways. No one wanted to stay at the hotel after all that.Adrien looked back towards the crowd gathered outside the hotel as he got into the backseat of the car that had been called for him. He found Marinette already looking at him, her eyes locked on to his.He caught himself staring, mind going over all of his thoughts about Ladybug. The night had been such a rush that most of his thoughts hadn’t had a chance to catch up with him. So when he saw her clear blue eyes in the crowd, it jolted him a bit.That’s Ladybug. I know who she is now. Over the years, the mystery of Ladybug’s civilian identity had faded somewhat from his mind, but the reveal still managed to make his head spin.His driver coughed, and Adrien unfroze himself. He gave a smirk and a wave to Marinette and folded himself into the backseat. The car’s engine purred as the driver pulled away from the hotel.For once, Adrien wasn’t disappointed to be going home. He was busy with the single thought that kept spinning through his head.I knew Ladybug, I knew her the whole time. And then, one more thought joined the first.
We’re going to talk it out. We can make this work.
For the first time in a long time, Adrien smiled as he headed home.