The Other Roommate - A Miraculous Fanfic

Time Turner

For a moment, Marinette had nearly convinced herself that Hawkmoth had jumped off the face of the earth. There hadn't been any akuma attacks for weeks, and just as Marinette was starting to settle, a butterfly, black as night, flitted past the window. 

And of course, it had to be during her science test. Nevertheless, duty called, and with a sigh to steel her nerves, Marinette raised her hand. 

"Yes, Ms. Dupain-Cheng?" The science teacher, Mr. Garreau, raised an eyebrow. 

"May I go to the bathroom?" She squeaked. "My stomach really hurts," she added hastily, noticing a brief flicker of disbelief across Mr. Garreau's face. 

Sighing, the teacher nodded, "go ahead. But leave your phone here." 

Marinette bit her lip. She hated the idea of leaving her phone in the classroom but it wasn't as if she had any choice. Mr. Garreau wasn't exactly being unfair with the demand, they were in the middle of a test, after all. There was no time to lose, as with each passing moment, the akuma had another moment more to take hold of a victim. 

Placing her phone on the desk, Marinette dashed out of the room, not even bothering to keep up the façade that she was in pain. The moment she reached an abandoned hallway, Tikki appeared. 

"Tikki, spots on," Marinette hissed.

In a matter of moments, Ladybug stood in Marinette's place, and not a moment too soon as screams were already rising from the streets beyond walls. Gritting her teeth, Ladybug launched her yo-yo through an open window, and disappeared into the daylight. 

***

Adrien nearly dropped the basketball he had been holding when he spotted Ladybug zipped past the gym window. Something was wrong, and he tossed the ball to Nino before dashing off to find the teacher, ignoring his friend's yells. 

"May I get some water?" Adrien huffed. "I forgot my water bottle today." 

Mrs. Martin barely looked up from the papers she was marking and nodded absentmindedly. With permission granted, Adrien dashed out of the gym. "Plagg, claws out!" He commanded, slipping through a door before rushing to join his lady. 

***

Like all the akumas before, the new supervillain wasn't hard to find. Unlike all the supervillans before, this one commanded attention, with a buzz of power that made Ladybug's gut twist with unease. 

He was standing in the middle of the street as the cars moved backwards slowly. There was no sound except for a soft, onimous hum, a little like the background noise of a fan, but with a deadly promise. 

He's moving back time, Ladybug realized, albeit rather slowly. It wasn't the first time Ladybug had to deal with a time-controlling akuma, but this one seemed different, and her nerves hummed with anxious energy. 

There was the soft clink of metal, and Chat Noir landed beside her. She could smell his scent, his signature cologne, as it wafted over her. A gut-wrenching longing took over as Ladybug glanced at her partner. 

Focus, Marinette, Ladybug chided herself. You can't let your feelings interfere with your duty. 

"So," Chat mused, leaning against his baton. "Who do we have here?"

"I'm not sure yet," Ladybug admitted. "I'm still observing. The only thing I've got so far is that he can turn back time, and besides that, he doesn't seem that dangerous." She didn't add how uneasy the supervillian made her feel, despite how passive he had been so far. 

The akumatized victim reminded Ladybug of a god of death, more precisely, the pictures of Hades, the Greek god of death, that she had seen in books. He looked rather young, no older than his mid-twenties, with ebony hair swept to the side and skin so fair it looked like porcelain. 

Robes of black hung from his frame, loose but somehow flattering. His eyes were orbs of obsidian, malevolent and secretive. In his hand, he held a flower, its petals red as blood with a stem so white it seemed to be crafted from fresh snow. 

"That must be the akuma," Ladybug realized, pointing out the flower to Chat. 

"Alright," Chat said, standing up. "Let's get down to business then. We'll have this taken care of in no time." 

Ladybug nodded grimly as she stood. "You distract, I'll go for the flower." 

"I always distract," Chat said from behind her, but as always, there was nothing but lightheartedness in his voice. 

Rolling her eyes, Ladybug turned and gave a gentle, playful push at Chat's chest. "Just get on with it." 

It turned out, that Ladybug and Chat had underestimated this new akuma, just as Ladybug had so secretly feared. 

As Ladybug approached the villain from behind, quiet as a mouse, Chat erupted in front of him, screaming and bringing down his baton. The cars around them stopped moving immediately, and with a lazy flick of the villain's hand, Chat froze in mid-air, his eyes wide with surprise, his baton still raised in preparation for a hit. 

Before Ladybug could even react, the villain turned on her. "I am Time Turner," he gasped. "And I'll be the death of you." 

That's what they all say, Ladybug thought wryly before his foot connected with her stomach, and he sent her flying.