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Alya didn't realize it yet, but Marinette was noticing her BFF eyeing a certain DJ at school or during their hangouts with Adrien and Nino at her parents' bakery. Marinette wasn't blind and she sure wasn't about to ignore an opportunity to play matchmaker with her BFF and Adrien's BFF.
All she needed was her partner to be on the same wavelength about it with her.
So she pulled Adrien to sit next to her before Alya arrived to take her typical seat, whispering into his ear, "Work with me, mon amour."
"Sure, princess. What's up?" he questioned, entirely unopposed, despite Nino's initial confused glance back at them.
Marinette slid her sketchbook in the way of Nino's view, hiding herself and her boyfriend behind it. "A date." For a second, she could see him pale and panic, before she took his hand and ran her thumb over his fingers. "Not between us. Unless you want to. I'm talking between the DJ and Wifi," she elaborated.
Understanding the picture immediately, Adrien nodded. "Where? And how?"
"Working on that bit, but if you think of something…" She let the rest go unsaid, seeing her boyfriend's smirk as a perfect sign.
"Erm… You mind?"
Both teens sat up straight as a hand brought down Marinette's sketchbook, Alya's glare the first thing they saw.
"Alya! Hi. How are you?" Marinette greeted, attempting to appear innocent in the face of her BFF's scrutiny.
"Great until I walked in and saw two of my friends plotting something," Alya drawled, her arms crossed over her chest.
"'Plotting?' Bah! You're assuming things Alya. Adrien and I were just… talking," said Marinette, looking to her boyfriend desperately for an out.
"About?"
And as smoothly as ever, Adrien smiled and said, "A date. A proper one this time. I already asked her out. She and I were simply trying to figure out where to go. Do you have any ideas, Alya?" He pulled Marinette closer with a casual arm over her shoulders, presenting her like a most treasured gift.
Gods, that was brilliantly smooth. She was definitely kissing him later for that.
Alya, deciding that was an acceptable excuse likely because Marinette was blushing beet red, relaxed. She mulled over the question for a moment before a lightbulb seemed to go off over her head. "I know. The zoo."
"'The zoo?'" Adrien repeated with uncertainty.
"My dad was telling me about the new panther that just arrived there, since he's one of their zookeepers. He set up her enclosure and everything all by himself expecting her arrival. He's… passionate about animals, if it's not obvious when you first see him," she explained.
"How passionate are we talking? Like you and that blog of yours passionate or…?" questioned Nino in a teasing tone.
"How about you and that music of yours levels of passionate?" Alya countered with a huff. Then she saw the spark of mischief shoot between Adrien and Marinette, dragging the former out of her seat by the ear. "I know that look in your eyes. Before you two try and play matchmaker, he's more like a brother to me."
"How would you know what that's like when you have three sisters?" Adrien questioned with a grin before he freed himself and hurried to his chair, on a similar disbelieving wavelength as Marinette.
"Yeah, and one of them is a kickboxer, Agreste, so if you like your pretty face intact, hush," Alya threatened, holding a ready fist in front of his face.
"Wait, am I missing something? Who's the guy they're pairing you up with?" Nino asked, confused.
Sensing an opportunity, Marinette blurted out, "Only the best for my BFF."
"A real cool dude," added Adrien, shoving Alya's fist away.
"Super cool."
"And loyal."
"Awesome guy."
"Never misses a beat."
"Would definitely fight someone if they insulted Alya."
"He's suave too."
"A lady's man."
"I'd wingman for him, but he doesn't need it."
The scattered explanation seemed to baffle Nino even more and made Alya roll her eyes.
"Nino, if I ever act like either of these two in a relationship, please tell me so I can beat myself up from sheer embarrassment," she requested as she fell back into her chair.
"Will do, dudette," Nino said, snapping finger guns at her.
Marinette wanted to facepalm, right then and there, for how oblivious he was.
"Fine. Marinette and I will go to the zoo, but only if you introduce us to your dad and his new panther, Alya," challenged Adrien, standing to lean over Marinette and Alya's table. He gave a knowing wink to Marinette, who tried to stifle a giggle as best she could when she realized what his full plan was.
"Oh, no. I'm not third-wheeling another date for you two. You're going by yourselves this time and keeping me out of it," Alya declared, holding a hand up to block Adrien from her sight.
"Hey, if Alya's going, can I come too? I want to check out the crocodiles," said Nino eagerly.
"No, Nino. You're just falling right into their--"
"Perfect!" Marinette interjected, slapping a hand on her BFF's mouth. "It's a date! Four o'clock this afternoon, right, Adrien?"
Her partner gave her the biggest pair of thumbs up in agreement.
"Sounds good to me," Nino replied, seeming entirely ignorant to the couple's scheme.
"I can't believe you two are dragging me into this charade," grumbled Alya as she pouted on the bench near the zoo's entrance.
"It's not a charade, Alya. It's a date," Adrien said before taking a sip of the coffee Marinette brought him as a gift from the bakery.
"A double date," Marinette corrected, handing her BFF a chocolate chip cookie from the dozen her papa made for her and her friends.
"You're setting me up on a date with a guy I don't even like that way because you're delusional." She pointed to Marinette, then Adrien. "And you're enabling her behavior!" With that, she snatched the cookie away and reluctantly bit into it.
Adrien scoffed and tossed his bangs aside dramatically. "I am a supportive boyfriend, not an enabler. I'm simply supporting my girlfriend's matchmaking endeavors because I love her to pieces and am totally not being bribed by her with kisses and sweets."
"Cookie, mon amour?" Marinette joked along with him.
"Yes, please." Eagerly and without a shred of shame, Adrien enjoyed the offered treat, melting into his girlfriend's touch like the chocolate in his mouth.
"You're horrible. You're both terrible, horrible, jerks for--"
"Oh, awesome, mec! Your girlfriend brought cookies?" exclaimed Nino as he arrived.
"I know, right? Isn't she great?" Adrien said with a laugh before taking his final sip of coffee and tossing the empty cup in the nearby trashcan with relative ease. "Perks of having an amazing girlfriend, I guess."
"Stay humble, Agreste," Alya muttered before being pulled off the bench by Marinette.
"Okay! Now that we're all here, let's go check out that panther," Marinette declared enthusiastically.
"Actually, dad texted me earlier that right now is usually her feeding time and since she's still getting used to her new enclosure, he suggested we check out the other animals for a bit before going over to see her. He thinks we'll stress her out if we head over now," said Alya, holding up her phone with the text messages from her father on full display.
"Fair enough," Nino said with a chuckle. "Crocodiles then?"
Adrien and Marinette nodded in agreement, dragging a reluctant Alya along towards their new destination.
When a pair of eagles flew over the crocodile exhibit, Marinette didn't think it was odd. She assumed that perhaps they were being allowed some freedom to fly and had a handler nearby to keep them safe. Then a pig suddenly hurried by squealing in fear and that's when she and her partner knew something was definitely wrong here.
"Dad never mentioned anything about regular pigs at the zoo," Alya said, worried.
"I don't think that was a normal pig," said Adrien, picking up something that had fallen in the swine's wake. He held up an ID card with a civilian's face on it.
"That looks like the zookeeper badge dad wears. You're not saying…"
"Bear!" Nino shouted, pointing to the animal charging towards them.
The four teens ran, Marinette and Adrien splitting off when the path did to jump into a bush to hide together.
"So we're certain it's an akuma, right?" he asked.
"If it had just been the bear and birds, I would have thought maybe someone released some of the animals, but that pig definitely screams akuma," Marinette concluded, opening her purse so their kwami could float out.
"Don't you mean--"
"No time for puns, Adrien. There are carnivores running around," Marinette interrupted, sounding annoyed. "Tikki, spots on!"
"Aw, fine. Plagg, claws out!"
Ladybug sprinted to their friends first, while Chat Noir bounded off towards the distressed pig.
"Ladybug! Help!" cried Alya from atop a tree as she and Nino avoided the bear swiping, snapping, and roaring at them below.
Spinning her yo-yo, Ladybug tossed it at the animal, its string wrapping around the bear's stomach, then pulled, forcing it back and away from the two teens.
The animal roared again, stumbling onto all fours and pointing its nose at Ladybug. As the hero retracted her yo-yo, it sniffed at her, then turned away, lumbering off to find something else to do.
"So cool," squeaked Alya as Ladybug helped them down, her phone recording like always.
"Definitely," Nino said in agreement.
"Don't thank me yet. You two need to find a place to hide or else. There's an akuma running around, likely turning innocent people into animals, and I wouldn't want either of you being turned or worse," Ladybug explained, pulling the phone down so she could look at both of them directly.
At the sound of a rooster crowing in panic, Ladybug turned around to find one running towards her. It had a sweatband around its neck that was definitely familiar. She picked it up as a panther bounded closer, growling.
"Dude, is that Kim?" Nino questioned.
Pretending not to know who that was, Ladybug handed the trembling rooster to him and prepared her yo-yo.
"Hand over the bird or I sink my teeth into you first, boy," spoke the panther, baring its teeth.
Alya nearly dropped her phone in shock at the voice. "Dad?"
Well, that explained about half of what's happening here.
"Dad's a bit busy right now, ma chère," the panther said, predatory gaze narrowed at Nino and Kim clucking in his arms.
"You two, take your friend and run to the nearest shelter. Now!" Ladybug ordered, keeping herself between the akuma and her friends.
"Not on my-- Argh!" The panther grunted as Chat Noir arrived, eagerly tackling the large cat.
Seizing the opportunity, the two teens ran off towards the zoo's entrance.
Ladybug sighed and sprang towards the action, only to be knocked back by Chat Noir's body colliding with hers.
In place of the panther was an upset gorilla, who huffed and beat his chest at them. "You two may call yourselves higher-intelligence animals, but from where I stand, you will always be lower on the food chain." He transformed back into a panther and slashed both paws at them, claws glowing a dark purple as he did. "And soon you'll learn, just like that boy will."
Whatever magic was intended to transform them didn't seem to work at first glance. Ladybug and Chat Noir were easily able to stand on two legs and ready themselves for another round. But the akuma transformed himself into an eagle and flew off before they could attack.
"Yeah, you better fly away, coward," Chat Noir shouted at the bird before nearly launching himself into the tree Alya and Nino had been in at Ladybug's shriek. "Wh-Whoa! What is it, my…" His question died on his tongue as he saw what made her scream.
Black antennae wilted on her head as she shifted what seemed to be two large, black, insect-like wings, shivering in discomfort.
Meanwhile, Chat Noir felt quite normal, but noticed immediately that his typically black suit sported new pale orange spots in various places and--
Oh, that was a lot more hair on his head than he remembered having.
"Okay. Let's not… panic, my Lady. This… We can work with this, right?" he said in an attempt to placate her nerves.
"No. No, no, no, no, no," she whined, rubbing her forearms. "W-We need to head home and turn back. I'm not-- Nope! I'm not a fan of this at all!"
"'T-Turn back?' The akuma's still out there and we don't even know what'll happen if we de-transform." Chat Noir saw his partner shiver again and shake her head. "What if it worsens and we fully become a ladybug and black cat? How will we save Paris like that?"
He watched his normally brave and bold counterpart shrink into herself, tears in her eyes. "I-I can't. It… They--" She flinched as he closed the distance between them, hugging her close and purring.
This was definitively not good.
His Lady was currently in distress, though thankfully clinging to Chat Noir as he grabbed her discarded yo-yo and extended his baton to its full length. Glancing down at Paris proper, he saw the retreating forms of Nino and Alya headed for the exact place Chat Noir intended to take his partner. He had no idea where the akuma was or why Alya's dad wanted Kim, especially now that the teen was transformed into a chicken. All Chat Noir understood was that the akuma was a shapeshifter, capable of turning others into animals as well.
Or half-animals, in his and his Lady's case.
"Hold on to me, my Lady," he whispered to her before he tipped his staff towards the Dupain-Cheng bakery.
Thankfully, the saying about cats always landing on their feet was true in this case, allowing him to drop onto Marinette's balcony with ease.
Ladybug whimpered as she detached herself from his side and booked it towards the balcony door, scurrying her way down into her room without a word to him.
Chat Noir understood that something about this change into a partial ladybug was entirely off-putting for his girlfriend. What he couldn't wrap his head around was just how severely irrational she was acting about the whole thing. What was it about this that she couldn't handle? He'd seen his Lady brave worse scenarios.
Scampering down the steps of Marinette's loft bed, he saw the pink light of her de-transformation and winced.
It didn't remove the antennae or wings.
Before she could scream again, Tikki covered her mouth, motioning for Chat Noir to move Marinette's wardrobe trunk onto her bedroom door. After he did, the kwami of Creation floated off.
Instead of shouting, Marinette collapsed to the floor, her antennae seeming to disappear into her hair and her wings twitching uncomfortably on her back as she wept.
"Oh, Marinette, I'm sorry," said Tikki as she placed a tiny gentle hand on Marinette's cheek.
"Can't say it's really your fault," Chat Noir muttered, crouching down next to his girlfriend. He hesitated for a moment before deciding it was best to act in solidarity. "Plagg, claws in."
The first thing Adrien noticed when he stood back up and walked to Marinette's full length mirror was the unmistakable pair of real black cat ears on either side of his head, which seemed to blend perfectly with the strange new dark streaks mixed in his blond hair. Not to mention his hair had drastically lengthened to his shoulders.
Then there was the tail.
"Oh! Oh! I know what breed you are," said Plagg excitedly, tapping at Adrien's nose. "It's that orange and black one. What do you humans call it? A turtle cat?"
"T-Tortoiseshell?"
Adrien looked over to Marinette, who seemed to have calmed down somewhat and was staring at him baffled.
"Yes, that's the one. Thanks, pigtails," Plagg said, floating down in a small spiral to land happily on her head.
Kneeling to sit next to her, Adrien smiled. "Feline better?"
Despite a small, shaking laugh, Marinette shook her head.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, earning another shake of the head. He sighed, crossing his legs and feeling his tail slink across the floor behind him slowly. "Look. I don't know what you want me to say. I'm not exactly the best when it comes to comfort, since I'm already a complete mess myself. Last time I tried, you at least told me what's wrong so…" He scooted himself closer and took her hands in his. "I know I might not be a great boyfriend in that case, but you can at least give me points for trying, right? Right?"
At her lack of response, Adrien sighed again. "Can I at least get a hint as to what you're feeling, Marinette? I hate seeing you like this. There's an akuma out there setting wild animals loose, hunting for our friends, and turning other people into animals. Meanwhile, I just want to know what's shut you down this much that you won't even communicate with me anymore."
Gods, he loathed speaking so sternly like that. It made him feel like his father.
He felt her fingers tighten around his and the sense that something was crawling up his arms made his throat hitch.
"They still feel like they're there," Marinette whispered.
The question of what lingered on his tongue, but it was silenced as more followed, their tiny legs tickling the hairs on his arms until they rose instinctually.
"Adrien?" Tikki's worried voice pulled him out of the strange daze he found himself in, as did the tiny hand tugging at his cat ear.
Deciding then that he had no other options, Adrien let Marinette go and stood.
"No, no, no!" she whined, stumbling to grab him and falling into his arms. "Don't leave me. Please. I'm…" Her wings fluttered behind her and her eyes showed a wild panic so unlike what Adrien knew of his girlfriend; full of pain and heartache and…
Yet he knew that feeling all too well.
"Okay. Alright," he spoke softly, leaning close, intimately so, and making sure her eyes were on his. "But you have to promise me something, princess."
Marinette nodded, sniffling as he wiped a tear away.
"We're doing this together, okay? Defeat the akuma, Catch and purify the butterfly, throw up a Lucky Charm and fix everything?" Adrien raised an expectant brow, receiving an apprehensive second nod. "It won't be so bad, right? You'll lose the wings and antennae and that awful feeling will go away. Then we never have to speak of this ever again."
There was a snicker from Plagg. "Speak for yourself. I'm making fun of all this fur of yours for weeks, fluffy." The cat kwami disappeared into the long blond and black hair around the scruff of Adrien's neck with a mischievous cackle.
Adrien's cat ears twitched in annoyance, but perked up at the small giggle he heard from his girlfriend. He smiled. "Better?"
"N-No," she admitted, blinking away a few more tears before her antennae rose to match her resolute mask. "But you're right. We're the only ones that can do something a-and crying's not solving anything."
"Good enough," he said with a shrug. "Now let's move. This cat has a plan."
Of all the ways she thought today would end up, Alya Césaire didn't think sitting in the Dupain-Cheng bakery with Nino Lahiffe holding a rooster that was technically one of their classmates while on what was essentially, as their two MIA BFFs put it, a 'double date' was not what she would have predicted in the slightest.
At least Marinette's parents were welcoming and understanding, even with the strange circumstances and happenings outside the bakery window. Sabine even offered some sandwiches for the two to enjoy. Alya tried offering a bite of bread off one to Kim, but the boy-turned-bird seemed far too anxious over the animal activity outside the bakery to care for food.
"So," drawled Nino to break the otherwise silent tension between them, "a double date, eh?"
Alya nearly choked, staring at the DJ in shock before swallowing. "You know?"
"Of course I do. I may act dumb, but I'm not actually that dumb," he said, seeming hurt by the implication.
"Oh… Well, I didn't mean--"
"Not that Marinette's exactly subtle in the slightest," he added before she could finish her statement. He took a bite of the ham and cheese sandwich in his hand as he glanced out the window into the chaos.
Though still somewhat surprised, Alya chuckled. "Yeah. She definitely isn't." She scratched the back of her head while looking down towards Kim, as if he'd be able to help her out of her unfortunately awkward situation.
"I'm kind of jealous of her, honestly," Nino admitted after finishing off the last bite.
"How so?" Alya asked, curious now. She watched him scrunch his nose before sighing and looking directly at her.
"Well, I'm jealous of Adrien more than her, really. Because he at least had the nerve to ask her out, you know?" Nino deflated somewhat. "I actually had a crush on Marinette last year and had trouble talking to her a lot of the time because of it. But after everything that's happened this year?" He shrugged. "I guess I missed my chance.
"But I'm also jealous that Marinette is able to show how much she loves Adrien right to him, instead of being shy about it all the time when they're alone together."
Alya saw his orange eyes shimmer with envy, which turned into acceptance. Then she grinned. "Fair enough, Lahiffe." She puffed her chest out playfully and fixed her glasses. "I'm not afraid to admit I also have a Marinette crush too."
"Glad you can be honest with yourself about that," he said with a laugh.
"Please. Cute shy girls that could probably lift me like a sack of flour?" Alya pretended to faint dramatically. "Absolutely floor me."
"Alright, alright. What about a guy crush?" Nino asked, a devilish smile on his face as he wiggled his eyebrows.
Pursing her lips, Alya thought about how she could answer honestly without also admitting the possible, small, totally inconsequential truth that it might actually, probably, maybe be the boy sitting across from her at the table. What could she even say? Besides the circumstantially obvious anyway.
"Dorks."
Okay, so besides the obvious and that.
"'Dorks?'" repeated Nino in confusion, at least finding a bit of humor in her response.
"Sure," she drawled to mask her uncertainty while also doubling down.
Nino seemed to mull over her answer, scratching at his chin. "So what you're saying is I have a chance," he said, eyes lighting up in excitement.
Alya was so thankful that Kim began clucking hysterically then as Chat Noir charged into the bakery, exuding confidence despite very distinctly not being a black cat. Half of his normally dark suit was orange in color while his typically short blond hair was far longer with stark black streaks in it as well as what looked to be actual cat ears. And his black belt tail was now literally a black cat tail, fur and all.
It was almost unnerving in contrast that Ladybug strode in after with bug wings and antennae looking to all the world like she'd rather be anywhere else doing anything else.
Considering her current circumstances, Alya couldn't help feeling similarly to her favorite local hero. If only because Alya was definitely dying of embarrassment, whether because Nino was actually starting to seem like viable boyfriend material or because she was reminded just now that her father was currently rampaging through Paris as an akumatized panther turning people into animals.
Could be worse. Could be herself earlier this week showing off her own akumatization to the whole of Paris and the entire internet at large. Not that she wasn't flattered by the fanart or any publicity that followed.
She held her phone up to record the encounter for the Ladyblog, since her standards could clearly be no lower than that.
"Hey, that's the chicken the akuma's looking for, isn't it, my Lady?" asked Chat Noir, pointing to Kim.
Ladybug seemed confused, almost dazed, blinking owlishly at him before nodding.
"Purr-fect," he said, his grin sporting an unnervingly long pair of fangs as he dropped down on all fours. "Here, pretty birdy. Come on." He curled a claw at the rooster in hopes of bringing Kim out from under the table Alya and Nino sat at.
It obviously wasn't working.
"You, um… You need some help there, mec?" Nino said worriedly.
"If you don't mind," Chat Noir accepted the offer eagerly, tail wagging in delight. "My Lady and I believe that rooster is what the akuma's truly after, so we're using him as bait."
Nino froze mid-crouch, Kim tilting his head in a mix of confusion and fear.
"You're what?" Alya questioned, mortified. She really didn't want to believe she heard that correctly.
"Whoa, okay. Maybe a rough choice of words. We don't intend to let your friend actually be eaten or anything. I just know that the akuma must be using scent to hunt down his prey, being an animal and all. What better way to lure him to us than to pretend to give him exactly what he wants," Chat Noir explained, holding his hands up in his attempt to stave off their concerns.
"Mon chaton, that's… extremely risky," Ladybug said, regaining some of her voice as she grimaced at the idea.
"It is, but what's a good plan without risks?" he said with a blasé shrug.
"A better plan?" Nino replied dryly, earning a snicker from Alya as he pulled a frightened Kim into his arms again. "Besides, you can just use the sweatband he has, if you're thinking with scents."
Alya was almost impressed by Nino's alternative plan.
"Okay, but just because the akuma can shapeshift into different animals, doesn't mean it only has the intellect of a wild animal," Chat Noir pointed out. "There's a human behind the powers Hawkmoth gave him, isn't there?"
"Uh, yeah. My dad actually," admitted Alya, trying not to show her humiliation at that fact. She wasn't living this down just as much as her livestream comments weren't letting the actual cat-man on their screens go unnoticed.
Both heroes looked at each other as if speaking mentally to one another, Ladybug's antennae twitching curiously while Chat Noir's tail swayed mischievously.
"Alya, right?" Chat Noir said, seeming to recognize her as he stared directly into the camera of her phone. At her tentative nod, his Cheshire smile returned twofold. "Brilliant. You're grabbing the rooster and coming with us."
Oh, she did not like where this was headed in the slightest.
Nino held a hand out, silently offering a trade of Kim for her phone.
Reluctantly, but thankful, Alya tried her best to handle the ruffled bird in her arms as she followed the duo out of the bakery and onto the streets full of animals, wild and formally human alike. Alya was rather concerned with how easily her own father turned half of Paris into animals and chased the other half into hiding indoors. She knew her dad was a fan of animals, but this was far too much.
A strawberry scent wafted through the air and she turned to see Chat Noir scrunching his nose as Ladybug sprayed him once more with a red and black polka dot freshener from their hiding spot behind a pair of cars.
"It's your plan," Ladybug hissed back at him as he stuck his tongue out at her.
"Yeah, but I don't smell that bad, do I?" Chat Noir said, seeming offended as she hit him with another spray.
"Tell that to the overwhelmingly disgusting camembert scent basically burned into the back of my nostrils, kitty."
If Alya wasn't busy holding Kim out like she was serving him on a silver platter, she'd totally be gushing over how absolutely married her two favorite heroes sounded. It wasn't fair that she was so close to her idols right now and couldn't even interview them like she'd wanted so badly to do. Nino could only do so much in recording their actions from inside the bakery. Alya knew though that by the end of today, once this whole akuma situation was done, she was telling every Ladyblogger that cared that no matter what either hero said, she knew deep down that Ladynoir was so, so canon.
And if it wasn't, surely someday it would be.
The cry of an eagle startled Alya out of her shipping thoughts. She shrieked and ducked as one swooped down to try snatching Kim from her arms.
"Let him go, ma chère! That boy needs to be taught a lesson in humility!" her father yelled, flying down once more before dropping onto the street as a panther and circling around them.
Was that why her dad became an akuma? Kim bragging too much?
"Not happening! I don't know what my classmate said to upset you, dad, but becoming an akuma and turning him into your next meal is definitely not the solution!" Alya shouted, holding tighter onto Kim as he trembled.
Otis growled, sharp gaze narrowed at her and the rooster in her arms. His dagger-like front claws glowed purple for a moment before he shook his head and the power faded. "I don't want to hurt you, Alya."
"Then turn back to normal! Fight Hawkmoth's control!" Alya suggested, hopeful. "Ladybug and Chat Noir can help you if you need it, but acting like an animal and putting yourself on the top of the food chain isn't proving anything to anyone."
The akuma seemed to consider the idea until his grey eyes turned that same sinister purple and he froze.
That must be Hawkmoth!
While he was paralyzed, Alya scanned his current form for an akumatized object. He wasn't sporting his zookeeper badge like his coworker had, but she doubted he cared as much for that as he did one other accessory on his person. It caught her eye instantly; that shark tooth bracelet, usually gleaming white and proud, was infected violet with Hawkmoth's influence as clear as day.
Alya looked to where the heroes were hiding, finding Ladybug alone with an expression of concern and confusion. Trying to indicate to her where the butterfly should be, Alya rolled her right wrist and motioned to the akuma as subtly as she could.
"Give me that boy!" roared Otis, thrown out of Hawkmoth's spell with renewed rage. He turned to lunge, grey eyes narrowed at her and Kim, only to be countered by Chat Noir pouncing onto him, claws raised.
Both cats tumbled across the street hissing and scratching at each other until her dad transformed into a gorilla and grabbed the scruff of Chat Noir's neck, tossing him into the wall of a nearby building. Otis huffed and glowered at the black cat hero, then padded closer to Chat Noir, likely in an attempt to take his Miraculous for Hawkmoth.
"No!" Alya shouted, echoed by Ladybug.
Fear and trepidation melted away by urgency, Ladybug ran out from the hiding spot. She threw her yo-yo at the akuma, the string wrapping around the gorilla's torso, and pulled back.
Alya's father grunted as he was forced to stumble back on short legs and heavy arms. Thinking quick, he transformed, this time back into an eagle, which slipped through most of Ladybug's trappings until they caught around one of his feet. Despite the setback, he soared up and away, taking Ladybug with him.
Chat Noir groaned as he sat up, shaking debris off his head and searching for the akuma for a round three. When he saw Ladybug being carried off, he gasped. "Ladybug, no!" He brought his baton out and extended it to staff length, about to throw himself at Otis again to bring him and his partner down.
Instead, the wind caught on Ladybug's wings and they fluttered.
The momentary resistance made the eagle waver in its flight.
Again, her wings beat and flittered as determination screwed itself into Ladybug's expression. The akuma's flight was no longer the dominant force pulling the line. Ladybug tightened her grip and grit her teeth, arm muscles flexing beneath her suit until she gave one final tug, the bird suddenly slammed into the pavement in the culmination of her strength.
It was absolutely marvelous… and intimidating.
Alya wasn't sure what to say when Chat Noir purred in delight at the sight.
He skipped towards the akuma with a smile, spinning his de-extended baton and humming a tune as he grabbed the shark tooth bracelet.
"Cataclysm," he chimed out in the same silly rhythm and pitch, crushing the tooth. "And Catch!" The butterfly disappeared as quickly as it appeared, his collar bell ringing loudly and almost twisting his tail with its annoying tone.
When the eagle transformed back into her father, Alya smiled, let Kim go, and hurried over as Otis sat up in confusion.
"What… happened? Where am I? What am I doing here?" he asked, looking around before his gaze landed on Alya. "Ma chère? What's going on?"
"Miraculous Ladybug!"
Chat Noir, back to his normal all-black cat superhero self, held his arms out right before his Lady, now without antennae and wings, landed in them. "Have I ever told you that you look good enough to eat?"
Her earrings began to beep.
"Never mind. That's my cue." Chat Noir turned to Alya, her father, and an approaching Nino and Kim. "My Lady and I thank you for your assistance, but we must bid you adieu until next time Hawkmoth rears his ugly head." The bell chimed again, as if hearing the comment and responding angrily with Hawkmoth's offense. With that, Chat Noir carried Ladybug away, still as cheerful as can be, despite his partner's eye roll.
Gods, they were so married!
"Mec, that fight was awesome," said Nino as he stopped recording and handed Alya her phone back.
"Speak for yourself," Kim said, finally no longer a rooster. "You weren't being chased around like meat on a stick and used as live bait the whole time." He looked down at Alya's father, guilty as could be. "Sorry for annoying you and stressing out your panther. I should've listened the first time you warned me." He held out a hand, offering to assist Otis to his feet and hoping for forgiveness.
Her dad, seeming to understand what was happening, smiled and took the offer, laughing heartily once he was back on his feet. "Not a problem at all, son. I'm thankful you're humble enough to apologize, despite my irrational behavior."
"It's not your fault, dad. Hawkmoth took advantage of you," Alya said in his defense.
"I'd say that's no excuse, but you're the expert, ma chère," he joked, patting dirt off his legs. "I'd better make my way back to the zoo and explain what happened to my boss before I get an earful." He turned to Alya, giving her an affectionate kiss on the cheek. "Tell mom and the girls dad's sorry if they found out, okay?"
"Yeah, sure. I'll totally tell Nora so she can chew you out at dinner tonight," she teased, earning a chuckle from him as he left and snickers from Nino and Kim in the peanut gallery. Watching him leave for a moment longer, part of her wondered why she felt as though she was forgetting something.
Wait…
"Oh my gods, we left Adrien and Marinette at the zoo!" Alya slapped her forehead, then grabbed Nino's hand, hurrying to catch up with her father's retreating form.
From the bush, there was a distinct purring followed by a soft giggle and a flash of pink light, then green. Adrien poked his head out of the bush, green eyes scanning for anyone watching, then he disappeared back in for another moment. Finally, Marinette strolled out, dragging her laughing boyfriend with her.
"I will say, long hair does look appealing on you. You should grow it out," she commented as they walked casually down the path past the re-contained bears.
"Are you kidding? Père would sooner have it all shaved off before he'd let me leave it that long," Adrien said, weaving his fingers through hers.
"But if you could…"
"In a heartbeat, mon amour."
"I also find it interesting that you weren't turned into a total black cat, but a tortoiseshell of all things," she continued, resting her head against his shoulder.
"Wouldn't it be because of our Miraculous blocking some of the akuma's magic? Like how the Pharaoh wrapped us in cloth when he hit us, but didn't turn us into mummies?" Adrien suggested, uncertain.
"Hopefully, because if I know anything about tortoiseshells, it's that male ones are really rare and typically--"
"Adrien!"
"Marinette!"
Rushing towards them, Alya crashed into Marinette and gave her the tightest hug. "I'm so sorry, girl! We totally ditched you guys after that bear chased us away."
"Yeah, mec," Nino said, placing his hands on Adrien’s shoulders. "You should've seen the craziness we were a part of though. Ladybug and Chat Noir totally beat up Alya's old man and everything.”
"Don't worry about it," Marinette assured as Alya let her go and pulled out her phone. "Adrien and I were actually transformed." She panicked when Adrien crooked a brow at her, realizing the implications of what she said. "I-Into a mouse and a… um…"
"Rabbit."
Confusion struck her as Adrien slipped out of Nino's hold and seemed to wrap an arm around her waist. Then she heard what sounded like paper being crumpled at her side and flinched.
Not again.
"A mouse and rabbit? Dudette, your dad really did turn everyone into the bottom of the food chain animals,” said Nino to Alya as the four began walking, both of them oblivious to Adrien and Marinette's shared annoyance.
"Why are you acting like that's my fault? He was the akuma," Alya replied.
Marinette and Adrien trailed a little further behind as their friends argued and Adrien passed off the note to Marinette, letting her be the one to smooth it out to read.
"Quite a hair-raising adventure! And another connection made. A splendid job taming the wild hearts within and without. For now, obscure your worries lest your secrets unfold before the others. Eagerly watching your progress as always, your favorite Long-Tailed Rabbit."
"I don't know who this rabbit is," Adrien whispered, "but I hate how smug they are."
"Another note with inconsistent handwriting." Marinette sighed and slipped the note in her purse with Tikki and Plagg. "At this point, I'm assuming these are all written by different people. The way some of these notes write their A's, dot their I's… It makes no sense."
Subtly moving to catch up with Alya and Nino, Adrien noticed something. He squeezed Marinette's hand holding his, then motioned towards the duo walking in front of them when she perked up from her train of thought.
Nino had his arm draped over Alya's shoulders, an act that she didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, she was laughing and blushing at whatever he had said before Marinette and Adrien reached earshot.
To say Marinette rushed over to cheer about this matchmaking development was an understatement.