"Chat Noir! Over here!" Marinette called out, waving frantically as the akuma approaches, stepping close with a haunting smile on his face.

She stepped back cautiously, not afraid, but stalling until her kitty could arrive. Marinette was, of course, lacking a way to defend herself without her miraculous, and hoped that Chat Noir could sweep her away, then find some excuse to transform and finish off this pesky akuma.

The akumafied citizen, Backlash, creeped forward, then launched himself at Marinette, hands outstretched to attack her. Marinette raised her arms to shield herself, closing her eyes and bracing for the impact, when suddenly she heard a dull thud of two people colliding. She opened her eyes to find Chat Noir on top of the akuma, pinning him down with his baton. With his signature grin, Chat turned to look at Marinette.

"Looks like I came just in time, huh?" he purred, winking.

Marinette lets out a nervous laugh, sweeping her hair to one side, heart hammering.

"Now if only my lady would come here soon … we can finish this one off."

Marinette's eyes dart nervously to the side, "Yeah, I'm sure she'll be here soon …"

Chat Noir straightened up, keeping his hand and baton on the akuma, who was struggling to break free.

"Well, right now, I need to get you to safety, Princess," he says, then quicker that Marinette thought was possible, he released the akuma, scooped her up in his arms and darted away, barely even giving Backlash a chance to stand up.

Once safe, Chat Noir dropped Marinette at her home, and giving her a two finger salute before leaping away again. Marinette watched his retreating back and sighed once before Tikki flew out.

"Tikki," she said, hopping down to her room so no one could see her, "transform!"

xxxxxx

After the akuma had been purified, Ladybug swung home quickly before her transformation could wear off. She landed on her bed just as the miraculous gave a final beep, and there was a flash, leaving Marinette sitting on her bed. She sighed wearily, worn out by the akuma, and flopped onto her chair, swiveling to turn on her computer. A few moments later, the collage of Adrien's face filled her screen. She smiled dreamily and propped her chin on her hand, gazing at her long lasting crush for her attractive classmate.

With a quick click of the mouse, Marinette opened her network browser and logged onto Facebook, preparing for her daily check in to see if Gabriel's fashion line released any new photos of Adrien. Just the one for today, a beautiful shot of Adrien at the park, leaning against a tree, sporting a clean polo shirt and faded jeans, cutting off neatly above bright red sneakers. Marinette eyed the picture, trailing over his well-worn smile, adorable nose, and his brilliant green eyes.

Marinette sighed and exited out of the picture and scrolled through her feed, glancing at the pictures quickly before scrolling away until – wait. Marinette scrolled back up and raised her eyebrows at the – admittedly – well taken picture of Chat Noir and Ladybug fighting side by side, photo courtesy to (who else?) Alya. The black haired heroine clicked into the picture and smiled softly at their serious expressions, determined to cleanse the akuma. She hovered over her Chat Noir's face. He's always been a good kitty, and a fantastic partner … Marinette squinted at the screen.

Chat Noir's face was framed in a thin square, and underneath were small words:

Do you want to tag:

Marinette sucked in a sharp breath.

Adrien Agreste?

Ladybug blinked once, then twice. Then she fell out of her chair.