The Fox and the Ladybug

Part Thirty-Two: Pigeons In The Air

Sorry about so many Marinette POVs, I tried to make it even but realized that wasn't going to work with the plot so yeah.

Here's another video I recommend from One Topic, another one of my favorite Youtubers.

I have an announcement...

This will be the last chapter of this fanfiction! Whoooo! I can't believe I finished such a project, and with such amazing fans. I never thought I'd get this much support. Thank you all so, so, so much!

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Marinette's POV

5:19 P.M.

Lila and I sprinted towards where the screams of the citizens trying to escape the akuma were loudest. Annoying squawks of mischief travelled through the air, and small little birds flew above our heads and pecked at our ears.

Of course. Who would I expect to be akumatized on such a day if not Mr. Pigeon? On such a peaceful day, not many people would have the ability to feel negatively, especially people who spend the majority of their time outside feeding birds.

For an akuma attack day, the sun felt unusually bright and happy, and the leaves of trees rustled in the warm wind of spring. The sky was a bright blue that had fluffy white clouds like soft little freckles.

Despite the cheery aspects of the weather, Lila and I both knew Shadow Moth always found a way to interrupt our well-deserved weekends. It felt a little unfair, at times, to be robbed of my life sometimes. But it wasn't like it was something I could change. Someday, Shadow Moth would be defeated and I would be able to feel like a normal teenager once again, if I wasn't an adult by then.

For now, Shadow Moth was still out there. And we had to defend Paris.

For literally right now, we had to defend Paris literally right now.

Lila and I turned the corner where most people walking down the sidewalk fearfully fled, so it wasn't as hard to move around with bumping into strollers. Chat Noir was already on the scene, shooing an angry pigeon always from his golden locks.

He flashed me a grateful smile and Lila a forced one, then turned his back on us to focus on the slender man riding a flock of pigeons shaped like an airplane. The man cackled a comedic laugh that sounded straight out of a comic book, and jumped down from his pigeon airplane thing to face us on level ground.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir," Mr. Pigeon said in a hilariously wicked way. "Your miraculouses will be m-"

Mr. Pigeon was interrupted by a smack to the face from Chat Noir's pole. The black cat superhero was very obviously not hiding his unamusement with Shadow Moth's games.

Chat Noir broke Mr. Pigeon's unfashionable necklace quickly and patiently waited for me to capture the butterfly.

As the akuma flew away, I studied Chat Noir's face. His confident faded to an indifferent frown and his eyes had distinct bags. His hair looked a little less styled than usual, with a couple too many hairs askew for me to think he was doing okay.

"Hey, Chat Noir, can I talk to you for a second?" I asked, giving Lila an "I'll be back in a minute" motion with my hands. Chat Noir nodded flatly and skumped toward the alley.

I leaned against the cool brick of the alley with my arms folded and right leg turning up but with my foot still pressing on the wall. Chat Noir stood on the other side of the alley, fidgeting with my claws.

"Are you okay?" I asked worriedly. "You're acting a little...weird."

He returned the question with a slight smile. A sad one, though, with too little happiness built in the cracks to seem like a genuine one. "I heard you and Lila were dating. I had my suspicions, don't get me wrong, I'm just..." He gazed out of the alley at Lila, who was waiting patiently for me while looking up at clouds. I couldn't help but smile at her whimsical expression, but I squashed the feeling quickly. Not the time.

"I'll be okay, Ladybug. I promise," Chat Noir managed to say. I raised an eyebrow at him, then flung my arms around him for a hug.

"You're one of my best friends, Adrien. You'll always be my number one partner, no matter what, okay?"

"Thank you, Marinette. That means a lot." Chat Noir looked at Lila again, with a new sense of appreciation in his eyes for the girl. "She treats you well, right?"

I laughed softly. "Of course."

"Then I'll be okay with it. Someday," he responded. I smiled at him, who returned his emerald green cat-like eyes back to me.

"You should go. Your girlfriend's waiting for you," he pointed out. I gave him one last hug, and walked up to Lila.

"Hey, Bugaboo," she said teasingly, in that confident voice I've always loved. Not her fake one. Her real voice, full of laughter and light.

"Hey, Foxy," I said. "Why don't we go to your place tonight? Make some pie again?"

"You know I'd love that, Ladybug," she said, resting her forehead against my own.

"Then what are we waiting for?" I said, grabbing my hands with mine.

I looked into my eyes like I was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. "I love you."

"I love you too."

~The End.~