The Honey Trap [An Adrienette Story]

Chapter 25

WHO'S BUGGING YOU?

'Mode Mania' has been inundated with reports of Ladybug swinging through the city of Paris in a less than desired way. Not only was she ignoring the calls of fellow citizens, and avoiding helping the police, she was seen to be flying erratically from building to building. One fellow citizen posted on their Instagram and Facebook page a video along with the following caption:

'[Ladybug] flew past my window, grabbed my underwear and used it to wipe her nose. It then seemed like she discarded it somewhere else in the city. If you read this Ladybug, you owe me €5.'

Ladybug's vigilante partner was nowhere to be seen which leads us to wonder, is there trouble in paradise?

The power couple haven't been seen together in at least three weeks, missing their regular patrols and sending other heroes out instead. Which makes us question whether Paris' number one couple is following down the same slippery slope as Adrien and Vivica Agreste? Has the city of Paris lost its romantic touch?

•••••

Marinette thought she was dreaming, that whatever had just left her partner's lips was nothing more than her mind playing tricks on her. Big, big tricks. Her body felt like it was swimming, submerged under a depth of water where she was trying her hardest to stay afloat, to fight against the feeling of being submerged into the deep water, and taken away from oxygen and the natural needtobreathe.

She was holding her breath. The quiet words egging her on to breathe in and out. In through the nose, out through the mouth. To hold her breath in and count slowly to five before releasing and repeating. His calm words of support bring her out of the water and back onto dry land, to safety.

"Marinette."

There was no way she'd misheard that. He had most certainly said her name. Not Ladybug, not M'Lady, definitely not Bugaboo...but Marinette. Her name. Her real name.

"If only it's all that simple, Marinette."

"Ma-Ma- Marinette? Wha- who is Marinette?"

"M'Lady, please."

"No you just called me Marinette! Do you know?"

He was silent for a couple of seconds before nodding, his eyes and shoulders lowered to the ground.

"W-w-what?" She pulled away from him, stumbling backwards, her back connecting with the wall behind.

"Marinette, please, don't freak out."

"D-d-don't freak out? I'm not freaking out. No way. Look at me, cool as a cucumber, actually no, I shouldn't be a cucumber because they scare cats. Maybe I'll be as cool as a refrigerator, because they're cool right? Like not too chilly, because I'm not chill, I'm just cool."

Chat stepped up towards her, his eyes keeping locked on hers. She knew he was watching for her to give him the yes or no to continue moving towards her, and she also knew her eyes were like a magic eight ball.

'Concentrate and ask again.'

'Reply hazy, try again.'

"Can I come closer?" His voice was smooth and soft, almost as though he was coxing a small, feral animal; his arms stretched out towards her in a way to see he meant no harm.

"Sure, I mean, why wouldn't I want you to come closer. You're Chat Noir, my kitty, my partner, you don't do anything to hurt me right? Apart from that one time when you blew up the moon, but that was in the past, we're now in the future and you don't blow stuff up now you're what? 24? It's so strange because that's the same age as me. We're the same age, it's like we could be friends." She let out a terrified laugh, one you would pass off to an axe wielder murderer that she was not going to run or scream. That she would be a good little kidnappie and just do as they asked.