A cat-astrophe

Chapter 1 - Being late

It was a sunny afternoon.
There were a lot of people standing in front of the school - 2 classes. One was Miss Bustier's class, the one where Marinette belonged to. Everyone was waiting for further instructions since there were only 2 minutes left before the departure. It was supposed to be an educational trip to Florida, to learn about the sea life but most students thought of it as a vacation.
"Nino!" Alya ran to her boyfriend and hugged him. He hugged her back. They shared a kiss on the cheek. The ladyblogger then waved at Adrien, who was also going. He was just getting out of his limo and grabbing his stuff.
"Hey Adrien! You must be excited!" She beamed at the model.
"Oh, you bet I am. I can't believe father allowed me to go. Although, I had to pack some.. Questionable stuff such as a defibrillator and other medical supplies.." He scratched the back of his head.
"Yo, dude.. A defibrillator?" Nino laughed at that. He didn't judge his best friend, he knew that Gabriel Agreste could be.. Difficult, to say at least. It's surprising that he let his son go in the first place.
"Has any of you seen Marinette?" Alya then asked, looking around for her best friend. Both Adrien and Nino shook their heads.
Alya was starting to doubt. What if Marinette decided to not come after all..
And there she was! Running as fast as she could, holding her half-opened luggage. She was so close to them and then.. She tripped. Adrien quickly grabbed her and prevented her from falling. Marinette gave him a thankful look before stuttering.
"..Thank me! Ergh.. I mean no problem!... Uh.. Eh.. Tanks! Tanks everywhere! Ughhhhh.." Marinette's cheeks turned red. Adrien chuckled at that. The bluenette tried her best to avoid Alya's look. Her best friend was raising her eyebrows and smirking. She knew that her best friend would mock her about this incident later no matter what.
"H-hey... Everyone.." The bluenette smiled at everyone after catching her breath. Everyone laughed at her again. She only lived 5 minutes from school yet she was always late. Typical Marinette.. Wouldn't be on time even if her life depended on it.
"Alright students, please, everyone get into your designated bus, my class, go into bus number 1! Go have a seat, we'll do a last head count. Make sure you have your passports and ID cards ready!" Miss Bustier talked into a megaphone. The students did what she asked. Alya sat next to Marinette.
"I'm so excited, girlll!!!" She exclaimed.
"Me too.. I think. " Marinette nodded. She still wasn't sure about this.. Hawk Moth was in possession of all the miraculouses, except for hers and Chat's. And there she was, running away from her problems to some school trip. Alya noticed the concerned look on her best friend's face.
"It's going to be okay, girl!" Alya hugged the bluenette, who was hiding her panic.
"You'll get them all back, okay?" She held Marinette's hands.
"..I sure hope so." Marinette sighed.
"No. You WILL. Girl, you have been able to protect Paris for almost a year now. Lying to everyone, being late everywhere, ditching sleep, schoolwork, your own self just so you could protect the people of Paris. This is going to be a piece of cake for someone as incredible as you." Alya was supportive and Marinette was incredibly thankful for her best friend. She'd be a huge mess if it weren't for Alya. Maybe her best friend was right.. A small break won't hurt. She'll then figure out a plan.. Right.
The bus ride itself wouldn't take long, but the flight.. 10 hours. The bluenette was quite calm now, but still had one thing on her mind and she couldn't stop thinking about it.. What if someone gets akumatized in Paris? Gosh, this was so irresponsible of her considering the fact was Chat Noir had something as well, so he wasn't in Paris either. It was bad luck honestly. He wasn't in Paris when she was in New York and he won't be in Paris again.. Good that he informed her this time.
Soon enough, they were at the airport. They had some spare time so Marinette, Alya, Nino and Adrien decided to  order something and just chill in a restaurant.
"You guys have no idea how glad I am about this trip! Can't wait to party at the beach!" Nino spoke with excitement in his voice. He had brought as much of his DJ equipment as he could. He was so ready to party.
"Don't forget, this is supposed to be an educational trip." Adrien informed him, while cutting his pancake.
"Duude, I know..But it's a beach in Florida! I'm sure the hotel will be great and a little party here and there won't hurt." the DJ explained.
"Yeah! Don't you remember the one we had when we were in New York? With the magic hotdogs! I'm sure you and Marinette enjoyed your dance~" Alya joined in and eyed her best friend, who quickly stuffed food into her mouth so she wouldn't have to say anything.
"You're right. It was my second party ever and it was great. And Marinette is pretty good dancer. I hope I wasn't too clumsy! Didn't know you're such a good dancer, Marientte. You're full of surprises." The blonde model chuckled. The bluenette choked on her food which she had previously stuffed into her mouth, her face turning red both from the fact she was choking and from Adrien's words. She quickly stood up and ran to the bathroom.
"Is she okay? Did I say something wrong?" Adrien looked around. Alya replied with a smirk : "No. No, you didn't."
Marinette ran as fast as she could, barely making it. She coughed like crazy, but managed to swallow the remaining food. The bluenette then looked at her own reflection. There was a girl with big teary bluebell eyes, small nose and peachy lips looking at her. Her hair was a bit messy and her face was red.
"Tikki, this is a catastrophe.." She mumbled to her kwami as she started putting some cold water on her cheeks.
Tikki just shook her head.
"Do you think he saw me like this? Or thought of me as a weirdo? Or even worse, what if-"
"Marinette!" The kwami cut her off.
"What! W-wait do I care too much? No, I don't! I'd act the same if it was.. Uh... Luka or.. Nathaniel!" The blue eyed girl stuttered, washing her face in an attempt to stop the redness.
"No, Marinette, it was an accident! I'm sure no one thought anything of it.. It could have happened to anyone.." The red kwami explained.
Marinette smiled at her kwami, Tikki smiled back at her.
"Well, well, well.." They could hear a familiar voice. Tikki quickly hid inside of Marinette's handbag.
"If it isn't my favorite classmate, Marinette the weirdo, talking to herself AGAIN!" Lila gave her a fake smile as she entered the restrooms. The bluenette tried her best to not roll her eyes.
"Hello, Lila. What do you want?" Marinette asked in a casual voice.
"Oh, nothing, my dearest classmate! I just came here to warn you. Don't touch Adrien." The green eyed girl continued, walking closer towards Marinette with a sly smile.
"Are you threatening me?" Marinette raised her eyebrows.
"Take it however you want. You know, I have some.. Interesting connections. I can turn anyone against you.. So I'd be careful." Lila then left with a wide smile. When she was gone, Marinette rolled her eyes. The bluenette checked herself in the mirror again before got back to her friends and told them about the encounter.
She then came back to her friends, when suddenly, they could hear a loud crash. The teens stood up.
"Attention, attention, everyone! There's an akumatized person present on the airport! We are awaiting the arrival of Ladybug and Chat Noir! Try to stay calm!" A voice from the speakers could be heard.
Marinette felt cold shiver on her spine. This was the first akumarized person she'd be dealing with ever since... She'd lost the miraculouses. She knew she had to do her best to stay calm even though she felt like cuddling up in a corner and crying.
The panicked teens looked at each other. Alya with Marinette, who had forcefully collected herself, exchanged looks and nodded.
"We should hide at the toilets! It is our safest option since we don't know what kind of an akuma and or sentimonster it is." Marinette started walking towards the toilets' direction and everyone followed her. Then, they got separated, the girls and the boys.
Alya and Marinette were standing in front of the stalls.
"If anything, I'll cover for you." Alya smiled at Marinette, earning herself a small smile back. The bluenette then looked at her kwami.
"Tikki, spots on!" Marinette transformed into Ladybug. Alya was still fascinated by this. Seeing her clumsy best friend become fearless and brave Ladybug was sure something. Ladybug was like the true Marinette..
"Watch out for any citizen who could be panicking or scared. I'll try to hurry." Ladybug warned Alya and ran out of the restrooms. She used her jojo to move faster and then she met.. Chat.
She couldn't have been any happier to see him at this very moment.
"Damn, M'lady! Same time, same airport..We really were made for each other!" Chat grinned at her, showing his pearly whites.
"Oh, Chaton.." Ladybug rolled her eyes playfully, keeping her cool.
"Maybe we even know each other without our masks~" The masked boy added with another smirk. He knew he had to be careful around her, knowing her, she'd become extremely hard on herself but Chat knew how amazing, incredible and smart she was and he knew she could do this. The minimum he could do was trying to enlighten the mood.
Ladybug shook her head : "I don't think so.. No one I know makes such terrible puns."
"Erm.. Rude? I'm sure you'd be charmed by me.." He continued, acting offended and hurt as they ran after the akumatized person.
"..Silly cat." The bluenette chuckled. Like genuinely chuckled. She did wonder about who could he be under his mask sometimes, but she always scolded herself mentally for it. They can't know, it's for safety.. But.. If she were to figure out his identity... Maybe it would be easier.. No! What was she thinking..  She had just lost all the miraculouses, she doesn't even want to think about losing Chat because of her curiosity.
"Your silly cat tho~" His purring and then cringing at his own line made her snap back to reaity.
"That was too cheesy." he stated.
"I know." Ladybug gave him an understanding look before seeing the akumatized person.
And there he was...
Mr. Pigeon. For the 127th time. It was surprising, Ladybug has been expecting some crazy powerful op villain, ideally with a sentimonster as a cherry on top..
Fighting Mr. Pigeon was as easy as always, the akuma was in the very same place as always..
It was easy, too easy..
Marinette gave Chat a confused look as she retrieved the akuma and de-evilized him.
Chat shrugged before doing their iconic fist bump.
"Mr. Ramier, did you give the charm to one of your pigeons again?" Ladybug asked the man.
"I indeed did. I'll do everything in my power to protect them from Hawk Moth." He replied.
Ladybug sighed as she handed him another charm, knowing he'll just get akumatized again because he's going to give it to a pigeon.
She then felt a light tap on her shoulder.
"As much as I'm curious about your destination, I have to go, M'lady. I wish you a safe travel and a purr-fect time." Chat kissed Ladybug's hand, beamed at her and left.
Ladybug left as well, so she could detransform. She hid on restrooms on the other side of the airport and detransformed. Right as she got out, she noticed Chat Noir again, this time as Marinette. He seemed like he was looking for something or someone.
"Chat Noir? Are you looking for something?"
The girl asked. He looked at her.
"Yes, and I've just found it. I've noticed that your class left earlier and I wanted to make sure to get you to your plane on time." he continued.
Marinette looked around and he was right, her classmates were nowhere to be seen. Chat then grabbed Marinette and used his baton to move, apologizing to the people around, saying it's an emergency. The bluenette was pretty confused by this, but didn't say anything. It was nice of him. They then ran to the terminals, but all of them were off due to the akuma attack and no one was there.
"What now..?" Marinette asked. Her class was still nowhere to be seen. Chat looked around.
A tall man, who clearly worked there came up to them. He examined the duo carefully.
"Nice costume. Are you guys a part of the class who-"
"Yes!!" They said together and the man gestured them to a terminal. They thanked him and ran all the way there. The duo entered the plane together and Chat had to go to the restroom because his ring was on his last paw and kept beeping.
The blonde boy detransformed as soon as he locked the door. He sighed in relief.
"You do realize you'll have to spend 10 hours as Chat Noir now, right, kid?" Plagg, his cat kwami asked him. Adrien sighed again and fed the kwami some camembert.
"What was I supposed to do? I had to get on our plane somehow and then I noticed that Marinette did too.." Adrien mumbled.He was right, there was no other choice. Had he detransformed at the airport, he wouldn't get on the plane on time and same with Marinette.
"..Just say the words, Adrien.." The kwami said in a tired voice. 10 hours of Adrien being Chat Noir would be sooo tiring..
Adrien gave his kwami an understanding look.
"I owe you one, buddy.." He smiled thankfully.
"Sure you do."
"Plagg, claws out!"
Plagg then transformed Adrien into Chat Noir.
Chat soon left the restroom and looked around, trying to find any familiar face. Then, he noticed Marinette, who was sitting alone. He walked up to her.
"May I sit here, purr-incess?" He asked and winked at her. Marinette nodded silently. He decided to sit on the seat that's close to the aisle, leaving the middle seat free, just in case. However, that didn't last long because he had to move closer after an old woman demanded for him to move so she could sit.
"Kids these days.." She was really annoyed. Marinette chuckled at that remark and Chat crossed his arms.
Marinette's thoughts wandered back to Paris, Hawk Moth, akumas and the lost miraculouses. She shook her head.
"Where are you even heading to, Chat?" The bluenette asked after a while.
"Oh y'know.. America.." He answered carefully. The blonde boy had to be careful, especially in front of someone as smart as Marinette. He was sure that she could put 2 and 2 together in no time. Suddenly, Marinette's phone started ringing. It was Alya. The bluebell eyed girl picked up.
"Girllll!! Where are you at? We are about to take off! Don't tell me that you've changed your mind or we forgot you at the airport!" Alya's voice sounded worried. Marinette looked at Chat Noir and then laughed.
"No, no! I'm on the plane with you guys." The bluenette said in a calm voice.
"Oh, phew! I got really scared. Where exactly are you?" The auburn haired girl asked.
Marinette looked around again so she could tell her best friend.
"In the back. Like reaaaally far in the back." She then answered. She could hear Alya mumbling something.
"..Okay.. Don't freak out but.. is Adrien with you?"
Marinette's eyes widened.
"..H-he's not with you guys?" She asked after a while. Adrien wasn't the type to miss a plane..
"No.. We haven't seen him since we were on the airport. He isn't sitting with Chloe nor Lila, so we just assumed he's next to you but clearly not. He also isn't picking up his phone." Alya answered. She sounded worried.
"..I'll check for him in the back." Marinette said and ended the call. She then eyed Chat, as pale as a wall. He didn't like that expression.
"What's wrong, Marinette?" He asked, confused.
"I-it's my friend.. Adrien Agreste.. They can't find him and he's not picking up either.. Oh, Chat, what if something happened to him? He wasn't at the airport, was he? I'm sure he got on the plane with them, but I can't know that as we got on it way later and what if the akumatized person on the air-" Marinette was about to be paranoid when Chat cut her off.
"Don't worry. He got on this plane.."
"Did you see him getting on?!" Marinette asked with a pinch of hope in her voice.
"..Yes. He's okay, don't worry." Chat answered with a smile. His eyes widened when he felt Marinette's arms wrapping around him.
"Oh, what a relief.." She exhaled. It was then when she had realized she was hugging Chat Noir and pulled away.
"Where is he sitting?" Marinette stood up, earning herself a dirty look from the old woman, but she ignored it. Adrien was far more important than some old Karen.
"In the front. Don't worry, Marinette, just sit down, I promise you, he's okay." Chat calmed her down. The fact she cared about him and actually got scared warmed his heart. Chat gave her a small smile when he heard another sigh of relief. He watched her as the plane took off. She was trying to look around for him, for Adrien.. His small smile widened without him knowing. Or maybe he knew.. But having someone care about him just felt too nice.