mind over mask

nine

I hadn't come close enough to Paris's heroes to see what they used, but I knew they weren't normal. I hadn't analyzed endless hours of film like Drake does, it's too impersonal. It's easier to watch what happens in the moment, and what's not caught on camera.

Ladybug yelled, "Miraculous Ladybug!"

Her magic flowed through the city, and everything was back to normal.

As normal as normal could be.

"Bye bye little butterfly," she said, waving goodbye. Chat Noir and Princess Honey leap away, knowing that they had defeated Hawkmoth once again.

I watched as she carefully comforted the baby, and gave him back to his mother. She offers a few words of comfort, before a beeping noise goes off.

Ladybug looks over her shoulder, looking in my direction. Fearing she has spotted me, I freeze. She tries to look harder, but gives up. Ladybug quickly turns and leaves, leaping off into the city.

I follow her.

꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂

Marinette's POV

I'm exhausted.

I've had way too many late nights, and too many early mornings for me to be fully functional. I swear I needed to drink something stronger than tea.

After fighting Gigantitan, I just want to scream. It's only the second week of school, and I'm starting to fall behind on homework and commission orders.

Besides, while fighting the akuma just minutes ago, I felt someone watching me.

Someone was there, I was sure of it, so I played it off.

They were probably tailing me the second I met up with Chat Noir. But why?

Something is going on in Paris, and I didn't know what it was. And I don't think it was a good thing.

I've circled the city once, pretending to be on patrol, oblivious to the shadows following me.

I drop down into the alley, relaxing myself. The figure is on the rooftop, observing me, I can almost see it just as well as if I had eyes on the back of my head.

Faster than lighting, I turn around, and throw my yo-yo at the person who's been tailing me. It wraps perfectly around the figure, ensnared in my one type of trap.

He starts to fight back, but with all my strength, I pull him off the rooftop. He slips, and I take it as the perfect opportunity to hang him upside from the streetlight.

I study him, he's cursing in Arabic of all languages, but it doesn't stop me from wincing at the degree of insults being thrown at me.

He's in assassin styled costume, but instead of being subtle and black, it's red, yellow, and green.

"Are you akumatized or something, or did you willingly choose to be a traffic light?" I sneered, offended by his uniform choice.

He silences immediately, glaring at my rude comment.

After what he said about me, I don't regret it. But luckily, he assumes that I don't know what language he was speaking.

"Not going to talk? That's fine. I can just leave you hanging here all night. And with my magical yo-yo, you can't cut it with any substance found on Earth, so you might as well stop the knife behind your back." He immediately stops trying to saw through the wire.

His eyes widen in shock, but then turn to slits. If I'm not careful, Hawkmoth will come back for round 2. But honestly at this point—

There's another one.

"Tell your friend to come out too," I said, gesturing to the earpiece he has one, partially hidden by his hood.

Another spandex covered man drops into the alley, and I crouch down into a fighting position.

I don't know if I was ready to fight a vigilante like this, and keep another at bay, but luck was in my favor.

"Wait!" The black and blue clad vigilante yells. "We're not here to fight, we're here to talk."

"Then why was your buddy over here tailing me for the last hour and a half. I noticed the second he followed me on the rooftops." I say defensively.

Instead of taking it as an insult, he grins and looks at his friend hanging from the streetlight. "Looks like you've met your match, Robin."

"Robin?" I question, because that was a girl's name. Why would a vigilante—OH. OH.

"Wait, if he's Robin," I pointed to the teenager hanging upside down, "that means you're—"

"Nightwing, at your service." He says with a deep bow.

꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂