Bug Bites

Chapter | Twenty-Nine

A year for Chloe in New York seemed like nothing as it passed by in a blur. Adrien and herself got settled in rather quickly in her apartment, almost as quickly as Marinette moved her things out to make room for Chloe, Adrien and Nino. Chloe would admit, this past year Marinette had grown more as a person and as her friend she was proud to watch Marinette grow more sure of herself. Nino dubbed her as the mini version of Stephen Strange, but the important part was that she was happy. 

Often times she would come over the apartment with Peter, baked good in hand and a smile on her face. If Chloe was honest, she'd never seen her friend so sickeningly content. Not even in Paris, and she knew it was because of Peter Parker. Somewhere in the awkward boy, Marinette had found her other half. They have had multiple game nights, including Ned who often teamed up with Nino. Now those two were two peas in a pod, and Chloe would never let anyone tell her otherwise.

Adrien though, he surpassed the high school GED exam, thanks to Tony Stark helping him along the way and was now enrolled at Columbia University. Chloe would have to give it to Adrien, he was excelling at all his classes. Chloe herself was taking a few classes in business, wanting to get her degree. At first she wanted to take on Style Queen, but the name was already tainted because of her father. No, she would build her own empire and hell it might not even be about fashion. She was still exploring her options.

The morning was peaceful, and Chloe did what she did every morning. She sat at her table with a cup of coffee in hand as she looked over her phone. That was until the whole building shook, and in the distance she heard Adrien curse and fall in the shower. Frowning, the blonde stood from her spot in the table to look out over the window. 

Smoke and destruction was what she saw, and a ship? An alien ship?

"Adrien, I think the alien came back!" Chloe yelled, her fingers already finding Marinette's contact name and getting voicemail. The same with Peter's.

Plagg flew next to her, "Ahhh aliens."

"Do you think the guardian is out there?" Pollen asks.

Plagg had almost as hard of a time with the loss of Tikki like Marinette, if anything he took it harder. He missed his other half, they did spend many millenia together. It was the first year in his existence he spent without Tikki, but he was trying. Marinette always brought him cheese, but he knew she felt guilty as much as he missed Tikki. He never wanted to make Marinette feel guilt, but a part of him did blame her.

"No doubt." Plagg says, green eyes watching the ship. "Anything that threatens the balance is her business, this is one of those things."

"Shouldn't we be helping?" Pollen asks, looking at the kwami of destruction. 

Plagg's eyes narrowed, "Do you feel the power in the air?"

As he said that, a portal opened in the restroom and Adrien once again yelled. "Nino!?"

"Dude why are you naked!?"

"Why are you in my shower!?"

"WHAT THE HELL?"

"Yo idiots!" Chloe called again, "Did you not hear me when I said alien spaceship?!"

Nino shook his head and walked out the restroom while Adrien scampered to get dressed, rushing out behind Nino with his hair as a mess. His green eyes followed the other's attention span, and he gaped at the space ship. 

"Please don't tell me she's on that." Adrien muttered, shaking his head.

"No, last she was fighting in the streets with Stephen, Wong and Tony against two aliens." Nino says, a frown on his face. "Bruce Banner came back today, and apparently this bad dude named Thanos wants the Infinity Stone. Right now they are after Stephen."