Chapter 4: If You Have a Bad Day…

By Els Curtis

The man, the akumatized villain, moved his mouth, but Marinette could only hear one in ten words clearly. Her ears still rang from the blast. She needed to find some place to transform into Ladybug, but she also couldn't leave Adrien.

Looking around, she saw a shelter of tables that had been cluttered together during the blast. Unsteady and careful not to be seen, she dragged Adrien to the semi-protective barrier, a feat considering her right arm was injured. She was sure it wasn't broken, but it was definitely sprained. It was a good thing the akuma—whatever stupid name he was calling himself—hadn't focused on her. He seemed more occupied in destroying a map of the mall than targeting any people.

Dashing away, she found a hidden corner where she could let her Kwami out.

Tikki immediately started talking, her face lined with concern. Luckily, Marinette's ears had cleared enough to understand the magical being. "You're hurt. Marinette, if you turn into Ladybug, you'll still have those injuries."

Marinette sighed with relief at the sound of Tikki's voice. "I need to do something."

"You'll be going into this fight with a handicap. Perhaps you should wait for Cat Noir."

"I can't. He might not be close enough to help right now or have even heard about the attack. Whatever this guy's power is, he could hurt a lot of people. I have to transform."

"Be careful."

After they merged, Ladybug tested her yo-yo. Her arm ached. She could try using her left hand like when she fought the pixelator, but she wouldn't be as good.

"I'll just have to push through the pain," she told herself. Grimacing, she raced out of hiding with yo-yo spinning straight at the villain. Both her feet and heart nearly stopped as she saw he was setting up a device that looked like a home-made bomb, taping it to a pillar.

A bomb? Something about this akuma was different, almost wrong.

Throwing her yo-yo, she retrained one of the man's hands. "Get away from there."

"You can't stop me, Ladybug. Hawkmoth has given me the power to knock down these cold, corporate nightmares so that I can free the world of greedy capitalists."

Ignoring the usual spill, she yanked the man off his feet, wrapping the yo-yo string around and around his body. He hit the floor was a painful grunt.

A beeping sound came from the makeshift explosive. Was it about to go off? What could she do?

Looking at it, a timer blinked a number, but it wasn't counting down. He hadn't set it yet.

Ladybug placed a fist to her chest, relieved. Blowing up the pillar may have brought the second floor down.

Moving to the villain, she searched him for an object where the akuma was hiding. He had nothing in his hands nor did anything on him stand out. She searched his pockets, tearing or breaking random things, but no akuma appeared. Was the object not on his person? "Where is your akuma?" she shouted, more to herself than to the trussed-up man.

"I would never tell you, sycophant. Your days of serving a corrupt mayor has ended. Soon, everyone will be free."

Again, Ladybug had the feeling that things weren't right. This guy was acting strange, even for an akuma. And he hadn't mentioned once her or Cat Noir's Miraculous.

Her eyes caught a glimpse of flesh on his face where his cheek was touching the floor. A puddle of water from the destroyed fountain had seeped out, and the abnormal coloring on the man's face had washed away.

"Paint?" She wiped a finger down his face, leaving a streak behind.

"Unhand me, witch."

"You're not an akuma."

"Yes, I am. Hawkmoth chose me to be his lieutenant. I will make sure his will be done."

Ladybug stepped back, horrified at the man's fanatical ramblings. This was new and completely beyond her.

Time to call in backup.

Instead of dialing Cat Noir, she contacted the police, informing them of the situation and requesting for ambulances and a bomb squad. Then, she made doubly sure that the guy—whoever he was—couldn't break free.

Nervous about the live explosives mere meters away, she started directing anyone nearby to leave and help anyone who was conscious and could walk. Those who couldn't walk or were unconscious would have to remain where they were until the paramedics arrived. Luckily, not many citizens were close to the fountain since it was a little early for the dinner rush, and so far, everyone she found was alive, each pulse a gift.

As she did her job, she made her way to where she left Adrien, who was now awake and sitting up. Blood mingled with his blond hair which had dripped down half of his face.

"Are you alright, Adr—I mean—boy that I don't know?"

"Ladybug?! What happened? Is there another akuma attack?" He moved as if going to stand.

"Don't get up. Everything is alright. There's been an incident, and you've been hurt."

Adrien touched his head lightly, his fingers coming back red.

"You need medical attention. Stay here. I've called for the paramedics."

"I'm fine. There's a lot more people who need help."

Ladybug's heart fluttered at how gallant Adrien was, so selfless, so like a hero.

"I'm going to make sure you get out of here first. We need to clear the area for when the bomb squad arrives."

"Bomb squad?" Adrien's eyes widened as he took in the broken fountain. Then he searched the area, each second his face becoming more frantic. "Marinette?"

"What?" Ladybug answered to her name automatically before her hands shot to her mouth. She tried to cover up her mistake. "What was that? Are you looking for someone?"
"My friend. She was sitting right next to me when…that bomb went off. She should be nearby."

"Oh, I think I remember her. Cut girl with dark hair, blue eyes and amazing fashion sense."

"Yeah, that's her."

"I told her to leave. She was very concerned about you, so I promised I would find you and makes sure you made it out safely. She's probably outside waiting for you."

That is if the police get here and take care of things so I can leave.

"All this destruction. It's hard to believe that it wasn't done by an akuma," Adrien said, looking depressed. His eyes fell onto the bomber who struggled to get free. "Is that…?"

"You don't need to see this. Let's go."

"That guy…what if…an akuma comes now?"

Adrien's words nearly stopped Ladybug's heart, and fears, both old and new, filled her. With all the suffering, all the negative emotions, an akuma would have its pick of victims. What if the bomber was chosen? Or Adrien? By his face, he looked scared. What should she do? Should she keep watch over the bomber? Or should she continue to guard Adrien? Her insides felt as if they were shaking, even though they weren't on the outside.

"Ladybug. Help! An akuma."

Immediately, both Ladybug and Adrien were on their feet.

It may have been a coincidence or perhaps Hawkmoth found an opportunity too good to pass up, but at the shout and a number of pointing fingers, Ladybug turned, her eyes scanning for a person with the tell-tale signs of being possessed. But the fingers weren't directed to a person but a dark butterfly circling the broken fountain.

Ladybug's fear spiked. Not now. Not in the middle of this chaos with Adrien hurt and her arm almost useless.

The butterfly stopped circling and dove toward her and Adrien, its speed surprisingly fast.

"Get out of here, Adrien" Ladybug ordered.

"I'm not leaving you."

Oh, Adrien. Why do you have to be so brave at this minute? I'd feel so much better if you left.

"Come on." She grabbed Adrien's wrist and pulled him along with her uninjured arm. As she ran, she reached for her yo-yo, finding nothing at her hip. Belatedly, she remembered it was still wrapped around the bomber. She was unarmed, and it was too late to go back; the butterfly was between her and where she left her weapon.

The dark insect pursued them relentlessly, even bypassing others to keep up the chase.

"It's following us. Let's go upstairs," Adrien suggested, pointing at the escalators that no longer moved, shut down because of the blast. "There should be less people there."

"Good idea. Stay with me. I won't let you be akumatized."

"Same here."

A startled gasp caught in Ladybug's throat. She? Be akumatized? The thought sent chills through her body.

As they climbed the metal steps, a group of police officers entered the building nearby.

"Ladybug. What's going on?"

"Stay clear. An akuma is following us," Ladybug shouted, gesturing violently. "Clear the building right now."

As she continued to run, she heard the officers splitting up to find all the injured. Hopefully, they would find the bomber guy. If they could put the villain in handcuffs and if she could keep outrunning the akuma, she could circle around for her yo-yo before the akuma could possess anyone.

Once at the top of the escalator, Adrien pointed down one side. "I'll go this way, and you go the other way. It can't follow both of us."

Are you crazy? Ladybug wanted to scream. Since she couldn't stop Adrien from coming with her, she wasn't going to let him out of her sight. "No, we stick together."

She grabbed his hand without thinking and pulled him along, picking a direction. It was then she realized what she had done, her face heating up as she concentrated on the sensation through her glove. With her mind on Adrien and not on running, she accidentally led them down a dead end.

"Oh, crap," she muttered, turning around.

Too late. The dark butterfly had already caught up, blocking the exit. They had no choice but to put their backs up against the wall and watch.

"Don't let the akuma get you," Adrien cried out, stepping in front of Ladybug.

"It's not after me. It's after you," Ladybug insisted, pushing the boy away so she faced the akuma.

"No, it's your fear that is attracting it."

Ladybug looked into Adrien's face and knew hers was a mirror. They were equally afraid.

"Get behind me. I'll protect you," Ladybug insisted.

"No. You're Ladybug. You must not get akumatized or all is lost."

Ladybug's heart quickened, her checks flushed. How could she be afraid when Adrien was willing to sacrifice himself for her?

Wait…

"The akuma is attracted by our negative emotions. We need to stop being afraid!"

"Of course. It won't touch us if it can't sense negative emotions."

Impulsively, Ladybug grabbed Adrien's hand, bringing to mind all the good memories she had with him. That day with the umbrella. Playing video games with him. How much he loved his birthday present. And today, how he bought her ice-cream, all the nice things he said about her drawings, what he said about Ladybug, how he wanted to protect her.

She felt him squeeze her hand, and her heart thrilled at the gesture. Fear no longer had its claws in her. She was so immersed in the memories and sensation of standing shoulder to shoulder with her crush that she barely reacted as the butterfly landed right on their entwined fingers…

…and in a flash, turned white.

She gasped, lifting hers and Adrien's hand up so that the butterfly was at eye level. It lingered before flitting away.

"How…How did you do that?" Adrien asked, wonder in his voice.

"I don't know."

Perhaps it had been his head wound, but Adrien hadn't thought of hiding away and using Plagg to transform. During the whole akuma incident, racing through the mall, his main thoughts had been to stay with Ladybug. He realized later that he had acted very much like Cat Noir—without the puns—as he raced by her side. And when Ladybug told him to stop being afraid, he concentrated on the strongest, most positive emotion he had. With fingers entwined with hers, his heart continued to sprint, but his fear ebbed.

Now with the transformation of the butterfly, his heart still pounded an allegro rhythm.

Even after the purified insect disappeared, they remained as they were, with backs against the wall and hand still clasped. He wanted to stay that way as long as he could, only letting go when Ladybug did.

They remained in silence. Adrien couldn't know for sure what Ladybug was thinking, but he was certain it was the same thing he was. He contemplated the implications of the purification of Hawkmoth's messenger without the need of Ladybug's yo-yo.

"I think…" Adrian hesitated to say anything. After all, he wasn't Cat Noir. As Adrien, he didn't have the insights that Cat Noir would. If he speculated, would she guess who he was?

Did it matter? After all, most information about akumas was public knowledge.

"I think," he continued, emboldened, "that right as the akuma landed on our hands, our positive emotions outweighed the negative."

Ladybug nodded. "Without any negative emotions to merge with, it was purified, just like what my yo-yo would do."

Despite his injuries, Adrien felt happy. So happy, he forgot he wasn't in costume. He hugged Ladybug, feeling comfort that she was still there. Realizing he was Adrien and not Cat Noir, he pulled away quickly. "Wow…I'm just so glad you weren't akumatized."

Ladybug lowered her head, looking demure. "Yeah, you too."

Was it his imagination or was she blushing?

"And this is amazing. We now know something new about akumas. Positive emotions don't just drive away those butterflies. We have a way for citizens to fight them. We need to tell everyone."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Maybe it only worked this one time because I was with you. Maybe I don't need my yo-yo to capture akumas."

Adrien almost asked what would her Kwami think of the situation, and once again caught himself before giving up his secret identity. As much as he loved working with Ladybug as Adrien, it was kind of confusing.

"I think it would be best if we kept this a secret. At least, until I can do some research and talk to Cat Noir about it."

Adrien agreed. "You're right. If the theory is no good, it would upset a lot of people. But even if it only works on you, that's all it matters. As long as you are safe, Paris is safe, Ladybug."

Once again, he caught a glimpse of a shy Ladybug, a side of her he wasn't used to. Could she possibly be an…Adrien fan? Just the thought of that made him giddy, but he didn't ask.

Adrien felt they were close, closer than strangers would feel comfortable being. But they weren't strangers? He was Cat. He belonged at her side. He wished she could see that. Similar to Schrödinger's cat, he was a stranger and a friend.

After several moments of standing just looking at each other, Ladybug finally spoke. "We should probably go. I can hear the ambulances coming. You need to get that head wound looked at."

"Oh…yeah…" He couldn't feel it, at least, not until she mentioned it. Then it throbbed.

Ladybug stayed at his side as they went through the empty mall, their words limited to mere directions. At the food court, they separated, he going outside where the medical personel had gathered, and she to talk to the police and retrieve her yo-yo.

He felt as if he missed something, a moment that should have happened but didn't. Was it because he wasn't Cat Noir or because he didn't take a chance?

The paramedics gave him a blanket and a cup of cocoa as they took his vitals and bandaged his head. They wanted to take him to a hospital for observation since he might have a concussion. They called his father—or rather Natalie—since his phone was broken. He wondered where the Gorilla was, maybe still waiting at the school.

"Adrien!"

He had been so wrapped up in thoughts of Ladybug and the day's events, he didn't notice the girl until she was hugging him.

"I was so worried. Are you okay?"

"Marinette." He felt bad. After Ladybug told him that his friend was fine, he hadn't thought of her since. "I'm sorry. I was one of the last ones out of there."

"I'm just glad that you're fine." The she pulled away quickly, looking embarrassed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to hug me. I mean—I didn't mean to bug you—hug you."

Adrien smiled. "It's okay. That's what friends do, don't they?" Besides Chloe, he rarely got that kind of human contact. He realized that Marinette gave good hugs, soft and warm. Just what he needed.

At that time, the paramedics were loading up a woman on a stretcher as well as a man with a suspected broken arm. They told Adrien that they would be leaving soon and wanted him in the ambulance.

"Um…you better go. I'll find Alya and Nino and tell them you're okay. If you're still in the hospital tomorrow, is it okay if I come visit you?"

"Yeah, that would be great." As he was about to climb in, something occurred to him, something he needed to tell Marinette. It was important, and it wouldn't break his promise to Ladybug, but it needed to be said so that this whole stalking charade could stop.

"Wait a minute, Marinette," he called, stepping away from the medical vehicle. "I want to tell you something important. While I was in the mall with Ladybug, an akuma appeared. It might have been after me because I was so afraid."

Marinette's eye grew wide.

"It didn't get me because Ladybug was there. Nobody was akumatized. But it made me realize, we need to be there for each other, so that our negative emotions don't take us over. That's the best defense against them. And we'll be stronger together."

"Together?"

"Yeah. And I know you have Alya and your parents, but I want you to know that if something is wrong, like if you're having a bad day, you can always come to me. You can talk to me about anything, okay?"

Marinette blushed as she was prone to do. He had accepted that the half-Chinese girl was easily embarrassed, but he was never sure why.

"Will you come to me, too? That is, if you're having a bad day?"

"I will."

The paramedics wouldn't let him talk anymore, so he climbed in. "Marinette, I had fun with you today. We should do it again, but next time, without all the danger." He waved good-bye, seeing both laughter and tears in his friend's eyes.

After Adrien's ambulance disappeared, screaming down the road, Marinette did just as she promised and looked for Alya and Nino. They were in the crowd kept back by police barricades, yelling her name once they spotted her.

She told her friends all she could about the incident, which was short considering that as Marinette, she saw next to nothing except what the bomber looked like. Alya had been disappointed that she hadn't been nearby to take pictures.

Yeah, Alya, too bad you missed out on such a terrifying event.

Because her phone had been busted, she borrowed Alya's to call her parents. They closed the bakery just to come pick her up, relieved that she wasn't hurt. When she got home, she told her parents all she wanted to do was rest. She ate a small dinner, showered and collapsed onto her bed in a clean pair of PJs.

Her arm still hurt, but Tikki had assured her it wasn't broken. And unfortunately, the Ladybug Miraculous couldn't repair anything that hadn't been damaged by magic, so she would have to baby it for a while.

"Are you really okay?" Tikki asked. Dark blue eyes were so close, their foreheads touched.

"I'm fine. I'll heal quickly."

"That's not what I meant," Tikki gave her a meaningful look. "You survived a bomb explosion. You were lucky to survive. Not only that, but you could have been akumatized as Ladybug."

Marinette nodded. It had been a lucky day. Lucky she wasn't seriously hurt. Lucky that Adrien would be going back home tomorrow. Lucky that nobody died. Lucky she hadn't been akumatized and hurt anyone.

"Yeah, I think I'm okay." Marinette hugged her knees. "That was…crazy. That guy, why would someone act like that?"

"There are some dark people in the world. Some even darker than Hawkmoth," Tikki said wisely. "Which is why the world needs people like you."

"I wish there were more Ladybugs in the world. I could have used the help today. I wished that Cat was there." She hugged her knees tighter.

"I didn't mean Ladybug. The world needs people like you, Marinette."

"Me? But…I wouldn't have been any good against that psycho, not without Ladybug."

Tikki sat on Marinette's knees, their faces inches apart. "You don't realize how scared I was that you would be akumatized. We came so close to losing everything. If Hawkmoth got you, then he would have won."

"Then…what happened today?"

"You purified his corrupt powers with your feelings. It wasn't because of Ladybug or the power of the Miraculous. It came from you. And Adrien."

"Our positive feelings."

"Yes, but not just any positive feelings. The most powerful feelings of all: Love."

Marinette blushed but didn't deny it. "So, you're saying that if I tried a different emotion like joy or happiness or courage…"

"It may not have been strong enough; the akuma would have just turned away to find a different target," Tikki finished. "But you purified it with your feelings of love for Adrien. And his for you."

Marinette blushed profusely, waving her arms around. "No, no, no. Adrien doesn't love me. I mean, I wished he did, but that's not what happened."

"I heard what he said while you were eating ice-cream," Tikki said with a wink. "He's obviously in love with Ladybug. The two of you together, your love was so pure, that it was able to undo Hawkmoth's power."

"It almost sounds like a fairy tale." Marinette smiled and laid down, her face still red. "Do you really think Adrien loves Ladybug?"

"Trust me. When you get to be as old as I am, you can tell." Tikki giggled.

Marinette yawned, her sore muscles and bruises becoming a dull pain, her eyelids drooping. "I hope that one day, he'll see those Ladybug attributes he admires in me."

Tikki smiled as she pulled a blanket over the teenager girl and turned out the lights. "I'm sure he will."

The End

(Author's End Notes: This was just a short, sweet story. Sorry that it's not more complicated. I hope that you enjoyed it. Just a reminder, I haven't seen any episodes beyond the second season, so if something I wrote is contrary to later seasons or is similar, I didn't mean to do it that way.)