A/N: I've had some struggles with writer's block and I just can't seem to write anything the way I want to. I decided to write this to try and remedy that and also because I really like Ladrien although Adrienette is still my OTP. Anyway, I hope you all manage enjoy this even though it's sort of rushed. 3
x•x•x
Ladybug hated to admit that she had such little control over the situation at hand. Mobs marched down the streets, armed with eggs, toilet paper, and spray paint, fueled by unnatural rage and the intention to destroy the property of their foes - which, if they'd been hit by Captain Honesty's truth-inducing boomerang, was practically everyone.
The only person they seemed unbothered was Chloé, who got a kick out of making everyone miserable with her overly saturated version of "the truth" that Captain Honesty's spell did little to affect her. Ladybug watched her strut down the street like a runway model, happily telling anyone she happened across how she felt about their ensemble.
Chloé's good mood only dampened when she told Rose she liked her top. She stomped her foot and raced away, leaving behind a very flustered but grateful looking Rose.
Ladybug made a mental note to thank Captain Honesty for that tidbit of entertainment after she located and de-evilized his akuma.
And, honestly, where was Chat?!
Marinette grimaced when she realized she was getting as bad as her partner with the punny quips.
Ladybug used her yo-yo to deflect Captain Honesty's boomerang at the last second. She leapt back, feeling a few unstable shingles shiver beneath her feet.
Captain Honesty chucked the boomerang at her again. It time it went to far. Knowing it'd circle back, she ducked down. The shingles finally gave out from underneath her and she slipped, hitting the sidewalk with a screech. Something popped in her shoulder.
"Honestly, Ladybug, do you think you can defeat me?"
Ladybug pushed herself slowly up from the ground. Her injured shoulder trembled. She managed to push herself up and used her good arm to swing the yo-yo, lowering herself into a battle ready stance.
She scrutinized every nook and cranny in the perimeter, hoping to detect even just a silver of her partner. She found not even a glimpse of black leather.
Without any other options, Ladybug started towards an alleyway, ready to use her lucky charm. What she saw in the peripheral of her vision stopped her.
Adrien was being dragged around by Nino. The two halted abruptly in their tracks when Captain Honesty, leaping from roof-to-roof without any trouble, tossed his boomerang in their direction.
Its shadow loomed over Adrien's form.
Without any time to second guess herself, Ladybug threw herself in front of him. She intended on ducking down at the last moment as she'd done before, but before she had a chance to even think about it, something dull smacked her square in the back.
She'd been hit.
Regardless, she had to get her friends to safety. "You two have to get inside one of these buildings! I'll hold him off. And don't come out until me and Chat Noir have defeated the akuma!"
Adrien and Nino nodded. Nino immediately headed towards the nearest shop, but Adrien lingered. Just as he was about to leave, and Ladybug about to turn back around to fight, she felt her hand grab onto the blonde's wrist. Her jaw opened mechanically and without her permission. Fear jolted up her spine.
"Also I think you look really, really handsome today."
The spell seemed to wear off, because she was able to snatch her hand back and use it to cover her mouth in shock. If a new akuma joined the fight that make her melt away into nothingness she'd be perfectly contented with that.
"I...wh-what?"
"I think you're really handsome today. Or everyday, really. You just...look nice. And smell nice. No wonder they made you into a cologne. I mean - I don't - I can't stop!"
She was the perfect image of possessed. Her mouth kept moving without any sign of stopping. Every time she held back one truth, a dozen more fell into its place. Ladybug - as a last resort - even tried to pinch her lips shut with her fingers, but her other hand grabbed her wrist and forced her arm down at her side.
Adrien watched her, his eyes swimming with a mixture of horror and ecstasy.
Suddenly, Ladybug yanked him to the side. The boomerang smashed into the wall behind him and ricocheted back into Captain Honesty's grasp. She threw the akumatised villain the dirtiest, most heated glare she could muster.
He was by far her least favorite akuma!
"Ladybug, the truth has sent you free!" She ground her teeth together when she heard Captain Honesty's smug quip. "Now it's your friends turn."
"I have absolutely no intention on letting anyone hurt Adrien. Not now, not ever!" Ladybug snaked her arm around his waist. She used her yo-yo to swing them away. Unfortunately, instead of hitting Adrien, the boomerang hit Alya - who'd been recording the entire thing, Ladybug realized with a blush.
She finally set Adrien down by the school. Most of the students had either taken to the streets or raced to class, this akuma having struck a smidgen earlier than usual - and by that Ladybug meant extremely early, as she had woken to the sound of her parents adamant confessions that morning with alarm.
"Ladybug, are you okay?" Adrien's cheeks were simmering, but his jade green eyes yielded nothing but sincere concern.
Her heart fluttered.
She told him that too.
"I'm...sorry, this is awkward!"
"No, it's fine. You can't help it. Plus I don't think I've received so many...uh, compliments before." His hand comfortingly squeezed her shoulder.
"O-oh! We-well, thank yo-you. I-I kindness appreciation! I ap-appreciate it, kindness! Iappreciateyourkindness!" Ladybug mumbled something bitter under her breath. Instead of waiting for Adrien's response (he looked too over-the-moon to be conscious enough on earth to formulate a response, anyway) she turned her back towards him and, before she could gush about how much she liked him, called for her lucky charm.
A megaphone fell into her hands.
"A megaphone?" She muttered quizzically. Her gaze looked around for nearby objects that she could use this with, but nothing stood out to her. Not until she turned around and spotted Adrien smiling in her direction and rocking back and forth on his feet. When he registered her intense stare, he blushed even more.
Ladybug grinned, perhaps borderline diabolically as a plan shifted into place.
"Adrien, I think I know where his akuma is, and I have a plan."
x•x•x
Ladybug trusted him enough to be her partner in the wake of Chat's absence. Although he was technically both her partner and Chat, it was still flattering to know that she trusted his civilian form nearly as much as his superhero one.
And that she thought he was handsome.
And smelled good.
And made her heart flutter.
This was his favorite akuma yet!
Although he had to admit, every time he watched her bluebell eyes flare with anger and frustration, he felt nothing but sympathy. He couldn't imagine if he was forced to be honest around Ladybug.
He'd probably eagerly tell her that he was Chat Noir and was absolutely obsessed with her and even had some particularly flattering pictures of her saved on his computer (which he found on Alya's Ladyblog). She'd probably be so unnerved by his confessions that she'd probably never regard him as anything more than a stalkerish fanboy ever again.
Adrien shook his head. Ladybug gave him her thumbs up. She was hiding across the street on a balcony, cleverly using a fortress of houseplants to conceal her vibrant red-and-black speckled costume.
He positioned the megaphone by his mouth. "The sky's looking a little green today! I think Paris is going to get hit by a tornado! Ladybug is the best akumatised villain! Captain Honesty likes to tell lies to small children when no one is looking!"
He marched in the proximity. If he strayed too far, he'd put himself and the plan in jeopardy. Stray too close and it'd all fall apart anyway.
"The Moon is brighter than the sun! Global warming doesn't exist!"
Suddenly, Captain Honesty materialized on the rooftop to Adrien's right, his eyes burning red with rage. "How dare you spread such falsehoods?!" He raised his arms up. Adrien ducked, although in his vulnerable position it wouldn't exactly do much to help him.
Just as he threw the boomerang, Ladybug's yo-yo wrapped around it, and she yanked it back with the seasoned flick of her wrist.
"I'm going to be honest here, that was much easier than I anticipated." Ladybug threw the boomerang to the ground. Adrien didn't see her stomp on it, but he knew she must have because a delicate black butterfly fluttered up from the ground.
Captain Honesty collapsed onto the ground in a fit of despair as Ladybug purified it.
x•x•x
Chat made certain that he was extra early to meet for their patrol. Ladybug found him pacing on roof the butcher's shop a few blocks down from her bakery. His ear twitched, and when he turned around, his eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets.
"Milady," He dipped his head. "Sorry I couldn't come to help you today. I couldn't find the time to transform."
"Don't worry about it you pesky tomcat. Your replacement did quite well."
"Oh, really?" Chat quirked up a brow. "You can't tell me you didn't miss me even a little, Bugaboo."
Ladybug took a big step forward. Her hands fell onto her hips. "I can't lie: I missed you just the teeniest bit."
"As they said, the truth will set you free, Milady."
And that night both the heroes took their time on their patrol. Chat had to do his route three times, each time missing minuscule details he would have otherwise caught if he weren't so distracted with his newfound knowledge: Ladybug was a big fan of Adrien Agreste and it was a beautiful thing.
On the other hand, Ladybug kept replaying it in her head. The moment the akuma was defeated and Adrien looked so deeply into her eyes he swore he could see beyond the mask and whispered, "I think we make a great team!"
(She also still hoped the universe would swallow her whole after she basically confessed her attraction to Adrien, but the next day at school when he heard him gushing to Nino about how he helped the Parisian super heroine save the day, she forgot all about that. Captain Honesty really was the best akuma ever.)