"Hurry, Marinette!" Tikki exclaimed as Marinette tore through the streets of Paris. "You're going to be late."
"I know, Tikki, I know!" Marinette rounded the corner to the steps of the school and ran straight into Adrien.
"Woah!" Adrien reached out and caught her under her arms almost on reflex, she was always falling down. "careful, you'll get hurt."
"Oh, my goodness." Marinette squeaked "I'm so sorry, Adrien I was in such a rush and..." she scrambled for something better to say but what do you say to a boy you fall into almost everyday?
"I'm used to it." Adrien smiled and helped right her.
"Oh no." Marinette grabbed her head and mussed her hair "I'm a total klutz, you're so used to it you expect it!"
"Relax, Marinette." Adrien laughed good naturedly "it's alright, I don't mind lending a friend a hand."
"Oh wow..." Marinette struggled to get her words out "that's really nice of you." Her cheeks turned bright red.
"Be careful, I'll see you later." Adrien patted her on the shoulder.
"Huh..." Marinette spotted his car at the end of the stairs. "but school just started."
"Last minute shoot," Adrien shrugged "got to do what Father says if I want to keep coming back."
"Oh, yeah..." Marinette stifled her sigh. "well I guess I'll see you after lunch then?" Marinette asked hopefully.
"Yeah, it shouldn't take long." Adrien started to walk away.
"Look out!" A giant ball came bouncing down the stairs right at Marinette.
"Ah!" Marinette tried to scramble out of the way but the ball smacked into her and knocked her backward.
Adrien looked back in time to see Marinette crash into her sending them both down the last few steps.
"Oh no!" Marinette exclaimed when she found herself sprawled across Adrien.
"I'm so sorry!" Marinette scrambled to her feet as Adrien's gorilla of a body guard rushed over to him.
"I'm so so sorry, Adrien!" Marinette knelt beside him "are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Adrien gave his head a shake "are you okay?"
"I'm fine, you're the one who took the hard part." Marinette exclaimed gesturing to the ground. Adrien bit back a laugh at the unintentional pun. Marinette offered a hand to help him up.
"I can't believe I've just bull dozed into twice in less than five minutes." Marinette whined as she pulled Adrien to his feet.
"No harm done, Marinette." Adrien assured her "besides, the second one wasn't your fault."
A grunt interrupted them as the gorilla placed his hand on Adrien's shoulder. Adrien offered Marinette a final reassuring smile "I'd better get going."
Marinette stammered for words but finally settled on a simple wave as Adrien slid into his car.
"Oh my gosh, Marinette, are you okay?"
Adrien shut the door, cutting the girl's concerns for Marinette off. Marinette was a magnet for bad luck he tried not to count himself into that category, considering he was basically bad luck personified, but then again, she was clumsiest around him. Maybe all her falling was his fault. Adrien brushed the thoughts aside and opened the middle console to expose a pile of camembert cheese.
"Hey, Plagg." Adrien opened his shirt to let his friend out but... Plagg wasn't there. "Plagg, come on, this isn't funny." Adrien threw his jacket off and shook it out a few times but the pocket was empty. "Plagg, where are you?" Adrien glanced back but everyone was gone.
"Please, stop, turn around!" Adrien exclaimed trying to open the door but they had gotten smart, child lock.
Adrien's driver grunted and shook his head, he had strict orders to take Adrien directly to his shoot and then straight back to school after lunch break.
"Please, I dropped something, I need you go get it." Adrien tugged on the handle in hopes his body guard would release the child lock. He grunts his refusal and drives farther away from the school.
Oh no, Plagg... please be safe, buddy
Marinette watched Adrien's car drive away.
"Geesh, you'd think that kid would take better care of me after all I've done for him." Plagg sits up and shakes himself off. Marinette stares at the small black creature as it lifts off from the ground and hovers up to her height.
"Oh my gosh!" Marinette exclaimed realizing what she was looking at. "You must be Ch—"
"Marinette!" Tikki hissed closing her friends mouth. "Someone is going to hear you."
"I'm sorry." Marinette squeaked.
"Names, Plagg." The black Kwami scratched at his ear with his back paw "and yes, I am Chat Noir's Kwami."
"Where is Chat Noir?" Tikki demanded of Plagg.
"How should I know?" Plagg yawned "first he skimped on my breakfast this morning and then he just drops me and leaves me on the cold hard ground, talk about ungrateful." Plagg huffs.
"Plagg." Tikki exclaimed, "you have to get back to him, what if Ladybug needs him to fight with her?"
"Well, I could tell you who he is..." Plagg smirked at Tikki.
Tikki frowned at him "you know their identities must remain secret, even from each other."
"Well then," Plagg yawned "this is going to be harder than it has to be."
"Plagg." Tikki grabbed his hand and pulled him into Marinette's purse.
"It has to wait, Marinette has to get to class before she gets into anymore trouble." Tikki tucked Plagg beside her in the bag as Marinette sprinted up the stairs.
"You should have gone after him the second you fell out of his pocket." Tikki scolded her less than careful friend.
"He was talking to the girl and then he was gone before I even recovered." Plagg rubbed his head "She should be thanking me, I'm the one that broke her fall." Plagg laid back against the curve of the purse.
"Are you alright?" Tikki asked concerned.
"My head is killing me!" Plagg whines.
Tikki sighs "You need to be more careful, Plagg." She patted his head. "I'll wake you up when it's lunch time."
Plagg snored softly against the bag and Tikki shook her head you can be so careless sometimes, Plagg
"Focus, Adrien, Focus!" The photographer groaned.
"I'm sorry." Adrien sighed "I can't, if I could just run back to my school and see this thing—"
"No!" The photographer snapped "there is no time, I need you to be a professional right now." He snapped a few shots for emphasis.
"I can't without—"
"Adrien," The photographer sighed "the faster you get these shots right, the faster you may leave and find whatever it is that is keeping you so distracted."
"Okay, okay." Adrien sighed. "I can do this." He shook himself and fell into the routine, he hated to push Plagg to the back of his mind but if he was going to finish this any sooner then he needed to out his game face on.
please, be okay, Plagg, I'll be there soon. Adrien struck his poses channeling the well behaved model his father had raised.
"Yes, yes!" the photographer cooed "yes, perfect, Adrien Perfect!" he snapped picture after picture, Adrien felt cold inside. How can I be getting the shot right when I feel so cold inside. I'm so sorry, Plagg. He struck another pose and the photographer flashed away.
"Alright, Adrien." The photographer finally let his camera fall to his side. "That's all for today."
"Great thanks." Adrien tore off set and hooped into the car.
"Please, take me back to school now." Adrien begged. His body guard nodded and whipped out into the street.
"Thank you." Adrien breathed a semi relieved sigh. At least he was on the way back to Plagg.
Marinette scavenged the fridge for some cheese.
"Mom!" she called "do we have any camembert cheese?"
"Top drawer on the left." Her mom called back "don't use too much, your father wants to try it in a new cheese cake recipe."
"Okay, mom, thanks." Marinette called back. Marinette found the stinky cheese exactly where her mom had said it would be and ran it up stairs.
Plagg lay sprawled out on Marinette pillow snoring far too loudly for something so small. Tikki just shook her head. "How can you been sleeping at a time like this, Plagg?"
"Easy." Plagg stretched and laid across the pillow the opposite way. "like this."
"Plagg." Tikki scolded him.
"Whaaaat?" He whined. "A—"
"Here we go." Marinette pushed open the door to her room as Tikki jumped on Plagg to silence him before he could finish the name. "I hope this is enough." Marinette served the stinky cheese to the little cat.
"Be careful, they can't know." Tikki whispered to Plagg as she hovered up to meet Marinette at eye level.
"How are we going to get him back to Chat if I don't know who he is?" Marinette asked.
"It'll work out, Marinette." Tikki rested a hand on Marinette's cheek "you'll figure something out."
"I can't chance finding out his identity." Marinette tapped her fingers along her chin "maybe if I take you back to the place I found you and I'll wait right inside the school and if you need help you can just yell for me and Tikki can keep an eye on you and tell me if he comes back for you."
"That's a good idea!" Tikki exclaimed "I've already seen who he is and I trust you not to look, Marinette."
"Yours is as much of a goody two shoes as mine is." Plagg muttered scarfing down his cheese.
"That's not a bad thing considering they're both super heroes." Tikki giggled watching her friend munch on his snack.
"It's settled then." Marinette opened her bag and waved the little Kwamis in "let's get going I'm going to be late if we don't leave now."
"So what." Plagg laid back down on the pillow "a little cat nap won't hurt."
"Plagg" Tikki grabbed her friend's tail and yanked him into Marinette's bag.
"Awe... but I want to sleeeep." Plagg whined.
"You can nap in my bag." Marinette smiled at the Kwami as she passed Tikki a macaron. "Eat up, Tikki, you never know when we might need to transform."
"Thank you." Tikki offered a smile before disappearing into Marinette's bag. Marinette grabbed her backpack from her bed and took off down the stairs.
"Plagg." Adrien whispered looking around the bushes, and the stair case, "Plagg, buddy, I'm sorry, please come out." Adrien shook out the bush and got on his hands and knees "Plagg." He whispered.
"I'm sure we'll get you home in no TIIIIME!" Marinette tripped right over Adrien half hidden under the bush.
"I'm sorry!" Adrien exclaimed jumping to his feet "oh, Marinette." He smiled and offered ahand to her.
"H-h-hi A-Adrien." Marinette stammered still on her back.
"Guess this one was my fault." Adrien grabbed her hand when she didn't take his and pulled her up.
"Thanks." Marinette smiled at Adrien.
"No thanks necessary." Adrien waved it off "I'm the reason you fell."
"Oh no!" Marinette exclaimed "you could never make me fall for you—I MEAN OVER YOU!" she tried to correct herself. Adrien just smiled, used to it.
"Anyway, are you alright?" Adrien asked kindly.
"Yes, I'm fine." Marinette nodded. "Hey, what were you doing on the ground?"
"Oh um... I dropped something before and I was thought it might have fallen out of my pocket when we took that trip down the stairs."
"Oh, maybe I could help you look for it." Marinette offered.
"Oh, no that's fine." Adrien blurted out "I think I left it somewhere else, anyway."
"Are you sure?" Marinette asked.
"Yeah, I already had a look around." Adrien said, "thanks though." He patted her on the shoulder and walked away.
"Okay, let me know if I can help." Marinette stood there and watch Adrien walk up the steps and into school.
"Marinette." Tikki whispered. "your plan."
"Not a good time." Plagg said, looking passed Tikki and Marinette.
"Why not?" Marinette and Tikki looked at Plagg.
"That's why." Plagg points behind them. Marinette gulps at the site of an obvious akumatized victim hovering over her. Her long pink hair sat in high pigtails. She wore purple and black striped leggings covered in a black dress reaching her mid-thigh. Marinette thought the outfit actually looked kind of cute but maybe now wasn't the time be thinking of fashion.
"The name is Jinx and now you're going to know what it feels like to be surrounded by bad luck." Purple glowed at the end of her staff as she swung it toward Marinette.
"Watch out!" Adrien crashed into Marinette and knocked her into the bushes. Marinette curled around the Kwamis so she wouldn't accidently squish them.
"Marinette." Adrien had his hands on either side of her, his face mere inches from hers. "are you okay."
"Wow, thanks, Adrien" Marinette was a bit surprised she half expected Chat Noir to show up and snatch her out of the way, although that was impossible because she had his Kwami.
"no sweat." Adrien helped tuck her back against the wall. "but maybe you should stay out of sight."
"Hey, where are you going?" Marinette caught his hand as he tried to leave.
"I'm gonna..." he trailed off when he finally realized he was not Chat Noir, he was Adrien and Adrien didn't battle akumas.
"Go to the bathroom." he finished lamely.
"Do you think now is the best time for a bathroom break?" Marinette asked.
"It's an emergency." He pulled away "just stay put, I'm sure Ladybug will be here soon."
"Yeah..." Marinette watched him run up the stairs "she will be." Marinette looked to Tikki.
"Tikki." She smiled at her friend. Tikki nodded, ready for battle "spots on!"
Red light surrounded the bushes and Ladybug came flying from the sky on her yoyo.
"Stop right there, Jinx!" Ladybug knocked Jinx's staff away from Kim and landed in front of him.
"Ladybug!" Kim exclaimed happily.
"Hurry, get inside the school." Ladybug instructed, Kim nodded and ran for cover.
"Just you and me, Jinx." Ladybug said, determination in her eyes.
"Bad luck versus Good luck." Jinx chittered "I LOOOOOVE IT!"
"You're not gonna love it when I've got your akuma." Ladybug dove out of the way of a purple blast and cartwheeled to her feet.
Adrien scrambled through the bushes on both sides of the staircase. "Plagg, come on." Adrien hissed "Ladybug needs us." Adrien dove into the bushes, careful to avoid the spot he left Marinette.
"Plagg, PLAGG!" Adrien yelled in frustration and concern for his pal.
"About time." Plagg hovered up through the bushes when he heard Adrien, finally able to get to his friend without Marinette seeing and Tikki scolding him.
"Plagg!" Adrien snatched the Kwami out of the air and hugged him "I'm so sorry, buddy, I'll never lose you again."
"eh," Plagg shrugged it off "it wasn't so bad, hanging out with Ladybug all day was pretty nice."
"You what!" Adrien exclaimed scowling at his friend.
"Yeah, I bumped into her this morning when I was trying to chase after you." Plagg was pretty sure Tikki wouldn't want him to tell Adrien exactly how he had gotten into Ladybug's hands.
"You've been with Ladybug all day and you couldn't just tell her who I am?!" Adrien exclaimed.
"Yep," Plagg scratched his ear with his back leg. "Against the rules."
"Now you care about rules?" Adrien snapped.
"Should we really be arguing about this now, Adrien?" Plagg asked.
"Yes, we're talking about this n—" Adrien flinched at the sound of a lamppost smashing to the ground nearby.
"Shouldn't you be helping Ladybug?" Plagg gave Adrien a smug look.
"Fine." Adrien growled, he let himself fall into the bushes.
"Plagg, claws out." Adrien raised his ring hand beside his face and Plagg was sucked into the ring to power Chat Noir's transformation.
"Enough, Jinx!" Ladybug jumped and rolled out of the way of another falling pole "You're not bad luck!" Ladybug tried to convince her. She could really use her own good luck charm about now. Ladybug dodged a balcony that rusted at the touch of Jinx purple blasts.
"She's right!" Chat Noir spun his staff and whacked Jinx's hand making her miss Ladybug with her next blast.
"but don't you know it's bad luck when a black cat crosses your path?" Chat landed gracefully beside his lady.
"Nice of you to drop in," Ladybug smiled at her partner.
"Woah, was that almost a pun, M'lady?" He smirked at her. "Careful, I'm rubbing off on you."
"Puh-lease." Ladybug rolled her eyes "if anything I'm rubbing off on you."
"Would you please?" Chat pressed his cheek to hers.
"Chat!" Ladybug shoved him back as a purple blast filled the space between them.
"Ladybug!" Chat exclaimed.
"I'm alright." Ladybug hopped to her feet. "Her staff, that's where the akuma must be."
"and what's the plan to get it, M'lady?" Chat dodged a purple blast as Ladybug flipped over the next one.
"Not sure yet." Ladybug flung her yoyo up into the air "Lucky Charm!" Ladybug yelled, the yoyo twirled and a large oval mirror fell from the burst of light.
"You don't need that, M'lady." Chat smiled at her "you always look purr-fect."
"I got it!" Ladybug turned the mirror toward Jinx. "Chat, get her to hit the mirror."
"As my lady commands." Chat danced around the barrage of blasts she threw at him.
"You're not bad luck!" Chat taunted Jinx "you're just a bad shot." He vaulted and quirk screwed through the air toward Ladybug.
"Hold still you dumb cat!" Jinx shot more blasts at him.
"Meowch." Chat faked a wince "that one was pawsitivly hurtful." He internally high-fived himself for the consecutive puns.
"Chat." Ladybug chastised him.
"On it, bugaboo." Chat Noir flipped across the mirror, Jinx aimed ahead of Chat. Chat narrowly dodged the blast, it struck the mirror and bounced back onto Jinx.
"No!" Jinx exclaimed stumbling backwards and slipping on a tin can. Her staff scattered across the ground and Chat pounced swiping it up. He stood over Jinx and smiled "looks like it's my lucky day."
"Give it back!" Jinx wailed. "it's mine!"
"Not anymore." Chat threw it to Ladybug.
"Awe a gift." Ladybug hugged the staff "our anniversary isn't until next week." She snapped the staff over her leg releasing the dark butterfly.
"No more evildoing for you, little akuma." Ladybug powered up her yoyo and swiped it out and caught the akuma.
"Our anniversary is next week?" Chat whispered mostly to himself I've got to get my bugaboo a gift.
"Bye bye, butterfly." Ladybug set the insect free and waved. She threw the mirror into the area and a swarm of ladybugs swept over the city putting everything back to the way it was.
"Where am I?" the akumatized girl shook her head, she was only about ten years old in purposely tattered jeans and she had similar purple dipped hair to another girl Marinette knew.
"Kella!" Jueleka wrapped her arms around her younger sister. "Are you okay?"
"What happened?" Kella asked looking to Ladybug and Chat Noir.
"Pound it!" The superhero duo fist bumped in celebration. Ladybug's earrings beeped
"oops," Lady bug threw her yoyo out and winked at Chat "bug out." She swung away.
"Until next time, M'lady." Chat Noir smiled as his partner swung away from him. Once Ladybug was out of sight, he knelt down in front of Kella and Jueleka.
"You're not bad luck." Chat extended the toy baton that had held the akuma.
"I am too." Kella sniffled "I ruined my baton twirling show and I knocked my best friend off stage, what do you call that?" she demanded of Chat. Chat smiled at her "you're talking to a black cat." He said, "my power is to destroy things." He looked at his hand "do you think I'm bad luck?" He asked her.
"Of course not!" Kella explained. "You're a hero, Chat Noir, you're my hero." The little girl blushed a little. Chat hesitated, he hadn't expected that. Everyone always noticed Ladybug first, he didn't mind, she was worth noticing. He noticed her first too.
"You are what you choose to be." Chat said to her "we all have to choose, but you have plenty of time, you're still small." He tousled her hair "keep practicing, okay, Kella?"
Kella nodded "I will, I'll practice and practice and then you can come to my next show!" Her voice squeaked with excitement.
"Sure thing, squirt." Chat nodded "I'll be there."
"Bye Chat Noir!" Kella yelled after Chat as he vaulted away on his staff.
"Plagg, claws in." in flash of green Adrien was himself again and Plagg plopped down into Adrien's hands.
"Need cheese." Plagg groaned. "in a minute," Adrien tucked the Kwami securely into his pocket "I need to check on Marinette."
"Ladybug didn't make me wait for cheese." Plagg grumbled. Adrien narrowed his eyes at the cat hidden away in his shirt.
"Marinette." Adrien ducked under the bushes and found Marinette just where he left her.
"Adrien." Marinette reached for the hand he offered her. "You were gone, I was worried about you." Her concern for him momentarily pushed her anxiety of talking to him to the wayside.
"I ended up getting stuck inside." Adrien helped her out of the bushes "are you okay?" He asked her.
"Oh, yeah, Ladybug and Chat Noir took care of everything." Marinette felt her anxiety creeping up on her now that she knew he was safe.
"Good, I'm glad you're okay." He smiled at her, her legs turned to jelly but she refused to fall, no way was she going to fall on Adrien again today.
"Me too—I mean you too—I mean, I'm glad you're okay too." She finally stammered out.
"I'll see you later, Marinette, be safe on your way home." Adrien patted her shoulder as he walked by her. he opened his jacket when he was far enough away and scowled at Plagg.
"So you spent all day with ladybug... without me!"
"Yeah, she's great." Plagg only half taunted, he just couldn't figure out how Adrien couldn't see that the girl behind the mask sat behind him every day in class.
"Plagg!" Adrien exclaimed "you have to tell me about her."
"Can't" Plagg yawned "against the rules." He curled up into Adrien's pocket, he was really missing Marinette's spacious purse.
"have you ever thought about wearing a purse?" He asked Adrien.
"Plagg!" Adrien groaned "please, just tell me a little bit about her, is she everything like she is as a hero?"
"Way better." Plagg taunted. "but seriously, a little bag that hangs on your shoulder just for me."
"Plagg!" Adrien exclaimed as Plagg drifted offinto his afternoon catnap.