Song of Our Lives

Chapter 8: You're Lucky You're Cute

A/N: Updates may slow after this chapter. Just a warning. But onwards to our first fight where Ladybug and Chat Noir know each other's identities!

As Ladybug and Chat Noir swung into the center of all the chaos, Ladybug noticed something off about the streets.

"There are a lot more trees than usual," she observed. "Like, a lot."

Chat extended his pole from the ground to get a full view of the city. "Looks like people are being transformed to trees. Talk about a leafy situation."

Ladybug looked at him strangely. "You never stop with the puns, do you?"

"You know you love it," Chat teased, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Ladybug shook her head.

"Focus," she commanded. She pointed to a man in a green suit throwing flower buds and seeds at people, transforming them to various plants. "Looks like that's the akumatized villain."

They swung towards the man, perching on top of street lamps.

"Hey Mother Earth!" Chat called. "Over here!"

The villain whipped around. "Ah Ladybug and Chat Noir. Come to give me your miraculouses?"

"In your dreams, tree hugger!" Ladybug yelled, shooting her yo-yo towards the villain, who easily dodged it.

"The name's Global Goblin," he introduced, pulling out a glowing flower bud from his pocket.  "And it's time to pay for the environmental destruction you have caused."

"What are you going to do?" asked Chat, jumping down from the lamp and leaning away from his pole, cocking a hip. "Attack us with petals?"

Global Goblin sneered and threw the bud at Chat, who barely dodged it. It brushed his arm and a vine wrapped around it, tightening until his arm went numb. He clenched his teeth and turned to Ladybug as the vine continued to grow, now dangerously close to his neck.

Ladybug's eyes widened and she shot her yo-yo so it wrapped around the vine and pulled. The vine snapped in half and Chat sighed as the feeling returned to his arm.

"He's powerful," he warned. "Really powerful."

"No kidding," Ladybug realized. "Where's his- CHAT LOOK OUT!"

A green orb flew towards an oblivious Chat, shattering against his back. Ladybug watched, powerless, as leaves surrounded him until he was nowhere to be seen. Her eyes widened and she ran up to the bush, sticking her hand inside. "Chat? Chat! Can you hear me?"

There was no response.

Ladybug turned back to Global Goblin, her features contorting into a death glare. "You'll be sorry for what you've done," she threatened, her voice as cold as ice.

Global Goblin raised his eyebrows, an amused sneer on his face.

Grinding her teeth, Ladybug shot all her anger into her yo-yo and fired it at Global Goblin's chest, knocking him onto the asphalt. In defense, he threw orbs and buds at her, but she dodged them with little effort. It wasn't until she had backed up against a vine-covered wall that she realized she was cornered.

"Lucky Charm!" she called out, not knowing what else to resort to. A red-black spotted rope fell into her hand. She scanned the area, her eyes landing on Global Goblin's ankle and a nearby tree. Her panicked expression morphed into an all knowing one. She could do this.

Clenching her fists around the rope, Ladybug threw it at the tree, watching it securely wrap around the branch. Then, still holding firmly onto the rope, she slid between Global Goblin's legs and wrapped the rope around him, leaving him hanging by an ankle from the tree. With a smile, Ladybug grabbed the branch from him and snapped it over her knee.

"Time to deevilize!" she called as the akuma flew out and she cleansed it with her yo-yo. Throwing the rope up in the air she yelled, "Miraculous Ladybug!"

The pink sparkle rushed around the city, returning everything back to normal. The transformed civilians turned back to humans and Global Goblin reverted back to the environmentally conscious guy he was before and...

Chat reappeared from the bush.

Ladybug immediately ran up to him and threw her arms around him, swallowing the lump in her throat. "You idiot! Don't ever do something like that again! I thought- I thought I was going to lose you."

Chat wrapped his arms tightly around the trembling superheroine. "My lady, are you alright?"

"Do I look alright?" she demanded, breaking away from his embrace and punching his shoulder. "You have to be more careful!"

"This isn't the first time I've risked my life for you, LB, and it isn't going to be the last," Chat reasoned. "Now come on, we have an akuma's victim to attend to."

*~*~*~*

"Oh no," Ladybug muttered. "Here come the reporters."

Chat laughed. "You weren't afraid of them before. Why now?"

"Because now they know I'm Marinette!" she explained. "And now they'll probably ask me a bunch of questions about my civilian life and about us and honestly, after a big fight, that is the last thing I want."

"Fair enough," Chat agreed. "But we have to give them a show." With that, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in, pressing his lips against hers. Ladybug could still feel him smiling as the cameras clicked all around them.

When they broke apart, still red-faced, Ladybug shot her yo-yo to a nearby building and jumped towards it, careful not to face any cameras. When they were out of sight, she turned around and smacked Chat's arm as he detransformed to Adrien and she to Marinette.

"Are you serious?!" she shrieked. "You realize that was broadcasted all over Paris... In front of our parents?!"

Adrien smirked. "Please, you enjoyed it."

"I- I- you-" she stammered, her face burning. "For goodness sake, Adrien."

"Okay, okay," Adrien relented with a laugh. "How about I make it up to you?"

Marinette raised an eyebrow, classic Ladybug style.

"I'll take you out to lunch," he suggested. "Right now. Our first date."

Marinette smiled. "Fine. You're lucky you're cute- I'm letting you down easy."

Adrien placed a hand on his heart. "Oh you flatter me, my lady." He took her hand. "It's about time for our first date, don't you think?"