Chat Noir was no detective, as much as he'd like to fancy himself one. Occasionally he liked to imagine himself as a noir style detective (pun intended!), searching for answers. Specifically answers relating to the identity of a certain super heroine. He clicked through the different posts of the LadyBlog whilst imagining himself in an old black and white mystery movie.
The most recent piece from Alya was yet another speculation on the true identity of LadyBug. The wannabe sleuth read over each theory again and again. He knew they were supposed to keep their identities secret, he probably shouldn't have been looking in the first place. If LB ever found out would there be hell to pay.
"You know for someone who wouldn't even sneak a peek at her when she changed back that one time, you sure are persistent in finding out who she is," Plagg said as he lazily floated up to Adrien's level. "But what do I know, humans never make sense to me anyways."
Adrien sighed and pushed away from his computer. He collapsed his web browser and let it return to the home screen (partially so he could admire his computer wallpaper, who of course was a certain black and red clad heroine). "I didn't want to betray her trust like that…" he said holding out his hand so the little catlike demi god could rest on his palm.
"And obsessively searching for clues about her identity behind her back isn't doing that?" said demi god asked as he began to nibble on some cheese he had taken from his stash of camembert.
The pungent smell rose to Adrien's nostrils causing him to wrinkle his nose. "I mean, it's not like I'm really going to find out who she is this way."
"Then why even bother?" Plagg mumbled stuffing the rest of the cheese into his mouth while he spoke.
"I don't know." The boy sighed and slid his companion onto the desk so he could fold his arms and rest his head upon them. His eyes flickered up to his computer screen again. Ladybug always looked so dashing, her confident smile, her beaming bright blue eyes, that little cock of her eyebrow that drove him wild. Every little thing she did let loose a horde of butterflies in his stomach (all thankfully not of the akuma variety). "I feel like I'm never going to find out who she really is." He sighed and pulled his eyes away from the screen.
Plagg groaned and put a paw on Adrien's arm "Well not with that attitude. Besides maybe one day she'll get over this whole 'having a secret identity' thing. Till then you got your Ladybug dolls to keep you company." he said, floating over to stand near a shelf that housed a variety of Ladybug merchandise.
Adrien shot a icy glare up. "Action figures Plagg, not dolls."
Plagg laughed and leaned on a figure that was striking the pose LB did when summoning her lucky charm. "Right right sure 'action figures'" he laughed before he started to lose his balance, he quickly braced against the statue but only managed to knock it off its perch on the shelf.
"Plagg be careful-" the boy yelped as he lunged forward, attempting to catch the collectable, only managing to grasp air. A smash echoed through the room and Adrien winced surveying the damage.
The plastic version of Ladybug now lay in three pieces. Her fractured body was face down on the desk, her left leg flung to the edge of the surface and her right arm had flown over by his keyboard. "Aw no…." he groaned grabbing the dismembered figure. "Plagg this is why I tell you not to touch my collectibles." He looked over the damage and ran his thumb over where the limbs had separated, assessing how clean the break was and if he could repair it or not.
The little ball of bad luck floated down to the desk with a somber look on his face. "I'm sorry Adrien…" he said while picking up one of the fallen body parts and offering it up to his charge. "I didn't think it'd break so easily."
"It's alright. I think I'll be able to fix it, I got some glue around here somewhere," Adrien said feigning a smile and taking the arm from Plagg.
As he began to search through his desk drawer, a sudden BOOM from outside caught his attention.
"That can't be good." Adrien groaned peering through his window to see a brightly dressed man hurling exploding cupcakes at passers by.
"See you get on me about my taste in snacks, but at least mine aren't deadly," the Kwami said looking out at the chaos, frosting everywhere. Plagg gagged a bit at the site of so much overly sweet desserts.
"Come on Plagg, claws out!" Adrian called as he rose his hand to his face and clenched his fist. The demi god zoomed into his miraculous and in a flash of green the blonde haired model transformed into his alter ego, clad in black and cat ears.
Chat crept out his window and scaled his way up the building. From the roof he got a good view of the ensuing chaos as frosting flew everywhere and people fled from the streets. "Looks like he's got a talent for cooking up trouble."
Surveying the scene the superhero didn't see his companion anywhere. She almost always beat him to the punch. He pouted for a moment before squaring his shoulders and extending his rod. With a few steps back Chat leapt from the building and into the fray.
The villain let out a maniacal laugh as he beamed a cupcake at a screaming girl. Chat leaped in front of her, deflecting the pastry with his staff and sending it right back. The baker gone bad managed to dodge it and grinned. "Ah Chat Noir good of you to drop in, but I'm afraid you're no match for my delectable concoctions!" All at once dozens of cupcakes came flying.
As he pushed the civilian girl to safety (who he swore was making goo goo eyes at him) Adrien couldn't dodge the attack in time. The cakes exploded into giant globs of frosting on impact, covering him head to toe. The boy grimaced as he licked some stray pink cream off his face. "Delectable is not the word I would go with." he said "disastrous seems more accurate."
The man sneered "I, Copcake, am the greatest baker in all of Paris. Even if no one else sees the genius in my creations." he scoffed. The frosting around the cat began to harden and Copcake grinned with glee watching him struggle against it. "Now if you'd be so kind as to stick around here, I have some justice to administer before I return for your miraculous." The baker turned on his heels and started down the street "Tom and Sabines Boulangerie Patisserie, you will grovel under my baked goods of justice!"
"And I thought these villain names couldn't get any worse." Adrien groaned Wait, Tom and Sabines? I know that place. Marrienete! He instantly started to struggle against his frosting bonds. He had to free himself, he wasn't about to let a rogue pastry chef destroy his friend or her family's business. Adrien had very few friends (thank you ever so much homeschooling), he'd be damned if he saw any one of them get hurt thanks to his incompetence. His struggles seemed futile however, and produced nothing but sore muscles. Still, he wasn't going to even entertain the thought of giving up.
Finally his hand had broke free enough to get a firm grasp of his staff, he clicked a button on the handle and it extended, breaking open the hardening frosting in the process. As he began to dash down the street Chat really hoped Ladybug would be there. He didn't like doing these things alone and the thought of his friend defenseless against an Akuma made him worried enough as it was.
Chat tore through the streets at top speed, following his own memory of the Depain-Cheng bakery and a rather helpful trail of cupcake frosting. As he rounded the corner he saw the bakery, piles of frosting everywhere with the door smashed in. "Oh man this isn't good." he groaned running inside.
Inside the mess was just as bad, the gorgeous and delicious macarons of the Patisserie were strewn about the floor. His eyes followed the mess and the evil cackling to see Marinette squaring off against Copcake. She was lobbing eggs at the man and rather successfully dodging his attacks. Chat paused and puzzled over the sight for a second before snapping back into action.
"Marinette!" He yelped leaping in front of the girl. "I'm egg-static to see you" He said whilst grinning and spinning his staff, deflecting the incoming deserts of doom. "But never fear Princess, Chats here!"
"My hero" she said with a little role of her eyes, knowing Chat probably wouldn't pick up so well on the sarcasm.
And indeed he didn't as the boy turned around to give her a wink "As much as I love the praise, why don't you get to safety while me and LB take this guy out?"
Marinette nodded "Sounds good," she said while making a break for the exit, leaving the Akuma to Chat.
Before she could make it over the threshold Copcake spotted her. "Oh no you don't Miss Depain-Cheng" he growled hurling a cupcake at the bakery entrance, "You and your family think your bakery is so much better than mine do you? I don't care if you won that award or not, my baking shall reign supreme!"
Chat watched as Marinette dodged the attack, turning on her heels and sliding to safety. Wasting no time she scooped up a pile of croissants and used them as projectiles. Since when was Marinette this brave? He probably would have kept admiring her skill if her gaze hadn't snapped to him suddenly "Chat Noir watch out!"
A cupcake zoomed past the hero's head, grazing his hair and leaving a bit of frosting on the tips. "Aw come on man don't mess up the hair" he said while trying to get it out, only to have it harden instead. Another desert came zooming for him as he was distracted, hitting him square in the jaw. The awful stuff expanded over his face and began to harden over his mouth and nose. He heard Mari scream his name as he struggled against the suffocating frosting.
Marinette paused and looked around frantically. Then as if a light bulb had suddenly lit up over her head she sprung and rushed into action. She snagged a flour sack that had fallen on the floor and then in one fluid motion sent it flying towards Copcake. As the bag collided with the Akuma it sent him flying back, and filled the air with white powder.
While the villain coughed and shielded his eyes from the flour Mari sized her chance and pulled the suffocating Chat to cover behind one of the counters. He saw her hands fly to the hardened frosting on his face as she began to pull. "Come on help me" she pleaded, the frosting only barely budging under her efforts.
Adrien joined her, tugging with all his might on the mask of desert. It broke free all at once falling out of their grip and clattering on the ground. He took in a big gasp of air and heaved deep for a few seconds "T-thanks, that was a frostingly difficult situation-"
"Escape now, puns later!" the girl said, though Chat spotted the faintest of smiles on her lips at his joke. Taking his wrist again she started running towards the back of the shop, "There's an entrance to my family's apartment through the back of the bakery, if we hurry we might be able to beat him to it and-"
"Marinette" Chat cried as a torrent of cupcakes hit her all at once, the explosion of the frosting sending him back whilst it pinned the girl to the wall. He saw as she shielded her face with her arms before the frosting took hold, the desert enveloping her.
"No!" He sprung towards the heap, banging against the hardened surface "I'll get you out I promise!" he yelled, hoping his words would somehow reach his schoolmate through the thick barrier of frosting. Where on earth was Ladybug? He couldn't keep this up alone!
After several unsuccessful attempts to break the thing open, Chat raised his hand into the air "Catacly-" before he could summon his power Copcake rammed into him, sending the pair crashing through one of the shop windows and out into the street.
"Just you and me now you pesky feline," the akuma laughed, dodging an incoming swipe from Chat's staff.
"I don't have time for this." he growled, the image of Mari suffocating inside the frosting filled his head. He tried to shake it off and push forward, this guy was going down.
Chat rose his staff to strike, only to have Copcake grab it mid air. With one strong pull from the super villain Chat felt the rod slip from his hands. The baker sneered and tossed the weapon to the side.
As the staff clattered to the floor Adrien lunged towards it, seeing the incoming cupcake too late as it hit his legs. It didn't take long for the substance to harden around his lower body, immobilizing him.
"Now then," Copcake cackled slowly approaching while tossing one of his cupcakes in his hand. Hawkmoths insignia glowed around the akuma's face. "Time to take your miraculous" he said snatching Chats hand.
"Not so fast Copcake!" a voice called from behind him.
Chat's eyes lit up "Ladybug!" he called.
The sight of her made his heart soar (and not just because of his dire circumstances and need of assistance). Her head cocked to the side with a determined look and Adrian drank it all in during those few seconds of bliss while she swung her yoyo around. She smiled and sent her yoyo flying. It curled around Copcake and yanked him back away from her partner. "I think it's time you get a taste of your own desert." she said flinging him into one the hunks of hardened frosting.
Adrien had to shake himself out of his infatuation and bring his focus back. "I've had just about enough of this." he said, holding out his free arm "Cataclysm!" and with one touch his frosting prison disintegrated.
"Chat Noir! The akuma's in his hat!" Ladybug yelled as she deflected Copcake's projectiles with her yoyo.
"On it My Lady!" Chat said, lunging for the deranged baker and tussling him to the ground. Multiple attempts to grab the hat failed, but he kept trying. They wrestled on the ground before Copcake managed to throw the hero off. He shook it off quickly and crouched, ready to try again. As he jumped up to attack, his eyes fell upon the bakery. He bit his lip, trying not to think about Marinette. Just hold on a bit more Mari . "Let's get some cupcakes to go and wrap this up!" he called out to Ladybug who nodded firmly.
Swinging her yoyo up into the air Adrien had to stop himself from swooning as she called out for her lucky charm.
"A baseball bat?" She mused holding the charm in her hand. It took her only a moment. Chat watched between dodging cupcakes as LB's eyes darted around the scene, a look of realization crossing her face. "Chat Noir! Go for the outfield, I got this pitcher!"
Copcake gritted his teeth as Chat sprung away, running past him. "You" the villain growled readying his next frosting bomb. "I'll get your miraculous!" he yelled while aiming and firing dead center for LadyBug.
"Batter up!" The heroine swung the bat, sending the cupcake right back at the akuma. It hit him dead center in the chest and exploded into a mess of pink frosting. As it hardened around him Copcake struggled but to no avail. Ladybug snatched the hat from his head and promptly tore it in two, a dark butterfly flying from the discarded object.
Chat heaved a sigh of relief as he watched his partner snatch the akuma and de-evalize it. The white butterfly freed from the yo-yo rose into the air while Ladybug tossed her lucky charm. A pure pink and white light enveloped everything, erasing all the frosting and restoring the bakery.
"Pound it." The girl smiled holding out her fist for her partner.
He grinned and returned the gesture "A bit late to the party this time huh?"
"I dunno looks like you were having plenty of fun without me"
"Well I had some help from… Oh no!" Chat felt panic run through him, replacing his adrenaline from the fight. The image of his friend trapped filled his mind in fear. "Marinette!" He darted back into the bakery. His eyes searched everywhere, the bakery was back to its pristine self and while all the evil frosting had disappeared, so to it seemed had Marinette.
"Marinette!" He called out again, searching high and low for her. Was he too late? Had they not saved the day in time? Where had she gone?
"Chat!" Ladybug called as she ran into the bakery after him "Its- It's fine, I freed her and she ran to safety."
Adrien turned to her and let his fear leave him through a deep sigh. "Oh! Phew I was scared there for a minute." In all the chaos he had nearly forgotten about Mari, he wasn't sure what he would have done if Ladybug had come any later. They hadn't had a chance to test what happened if Ladybug used her miraculous's restoration powers if some one was seriously hurt, or worse, during an akuma attack. Frankly neither was in a rush to find out either.
Ladybug gave a reassuring smile "No need to be a scaredy cat." she said. "I'm sorry I was so late this time."
Chat smiled, putting his hands behind his head and leaning on his heels "It's not a team without you bugaboo."
At nearly the same time both their miraculous began to beep, signaling that it was time to scram. "Well I'd love to stay and Chat, but I really must dash" he said. Ladybug only groaned at his pun, which made him grin from ear to ear "You love my puns, I know it! Till next time My Lady!"
And with that both dashed in opposite directions. Chat allowed himself one little look back. He saw a little flash of pink light from one of the alleyways. As much as the thought tempted him, he turned tail and kept running the other way.
Adrien wasted no time flopping onto his bed. His muscles ached all over and he groaned rolling onto his back.
"I need a whole mountain of camembert after today," moaned Plagg, as he was already in the middle of devouring a plate full of cheese.
The TV flickered in the background, showing footage of today's akuma attack. Adrien looked curiously on as images of him fighting with the super villain filled the screen (man he looked awesome on camera kicking bad guy butt). It seems the cameras only caught the fight once it moved outside, missing all of Marinette's rather brilliant strategies in fending off Copcake.
He tried not to think about Marinette encased in the hardened frosting. Since he hadn't had time to stick around after the battle, he waited to see if she would show up in the news broadcast. He once again seemed to have no luck as she was nowhere to be found in the report.
"You know…" Plagg began between mouthfuls of cheese "That girl was pretty good."
Adrien smiled. "Yeah she was." He sighed, flicking the TV off once the news broadcast ended. With a heave he sat up. He paused for a moment, remembering he had one other source of information regarding the days Akuma attack. As soon as his butt hit the seat of his desk chair he hastily directed his browser to the Ladyblog, there had to be something. Afterall, Alya was a friend of Mari's, if anywhere mentioned what happened to her it would be the blog.
As he refreshed the page there were no new posts to be found. A pang of worry struck through him. His eyes drifted to the broken Ladybug figure, still laying in pieces on the desk. LB was strong, and it's not that Mari wasn't, but he suddenly felt guilty for allowing any harm to come to his classmate.
"Adrien?" Plagg floated over, landing on his shoulder. "Are you upset or somethin'?"
Adrien gnawed on his lip. As tempted as he was to shake his head at the question he couldn't quiet muster the assurance that things were all ok. "It's… I dunno Plagg, just thinking about stuff."
"If it's about the figure, I'm really sorry." The demi god said again, hanging his head in shame "I know how important all your Ladybug stuff is to you."
Adrien gave him a reassuring smile and a little pat on the head "Nah don't worry about that. I'm just thinking about Marinette still. I kind of wish the news cameras got there while she was fighting off that baker with me. I didn't know she had it in her!" He leaned back in the desk chair and looked out the window, he could just see the roof of the Patisserie from his room. "She's always so shy and nervous when I see her at school."
Plagg snorted "She wasn't shy today!"
The boy frowned "I wonder why she never acts like that around Adrien- I mean uh me. She never acts that way around me."
"Hmm. Wonder what her deal is." Plagg mused. "You going to try talking to her on Monday?"
Adrien paused. His eyes glanced from his current view down to his phone. He could wait until Monday… She was probably fine, he knew that. I mean Ladybug's miraculous does a pretty good job setting everything right after an akuma attack. But he still felt his hand creeping towards his phone. "I think I'm going to call her." He finally said, grabbing his phone and musing through his contacts.
It took him a minute to find her number. As the phone rang he strummed his fingers against the desk. "Ah, hi Marinette?" He asked when he heard the click of the call go through.
"A-adrien? Ah um… hi!" He heard the voice on the other end say timidly. "Why uh…. What's up?"
Adrien frowned, he wished he could talk to her so easily as his normal self as he could as Chat Noir. Just the same he let out a happy sigh hearing her voice. "I heard about what happened to your family's bakery today, I uh wanted to call and see if you're ok."
Plagg floated up and hovered around the phone. "Oh! Yeah wow that was really something. Cupcakes everywhere. I'm uh, really glad Ladybug and Chat Noir were there."
He couldn't help but smirk a little bit "Oh yeah? I bet it was pretty cool fighting alongside Chat Noir." He paused for a second before continuing. "I'm really glad you're ok. I guess it was good they were there to help save the day."
"Y-yeah it was! Wait..." the girl on the other end paused for a second "How did you know I fought alongside Chat?"
"Oh um I … I saw it on the news!" Adrien stammered. "Yeah they talked about the whole thing."
"Oh, I didn't get to see the broadcast." she said. An awkward silence hung in the conversation for a moment before she continued. "Thanks for checking up on me Adrien… it's really sweet of you."
"Yeah no problem! Like I said I'm glad you're ok." he said, "I'll uh see you on Monday then?"
"Yeah, um… have a good weekend Adrien. Thanks again. Bye!"
Click.
Adrien pulled his phone away from his ear and looked it over, Marinettes contact picture still lit up on his screen. He shifted his eyes from the phone to his computer where he still had his background of Ladybug up. After a moment he put his phone down and stood up, grabbing the figure and her broken parts. "Come on Plagg let's get that glue and fix this up."