Numb (FINISHED!!)

Chapter eighteen

Upon arriving to the zoo Marinette had been pulled closer into both boys various times, making Nino and Alya almost fall over laughing, and she was fed up with it. Both boys now followed silently behind her, both nursing the matching bruise on their arms that she had given them after promptly telling them to be nice to one another or else she'll go home. Adrien wished she'd go home, he wanted to have her all to himself.

Suddenly Marinette stopped dead in her tracks while looking at some posters and banners glued onto the gate and walls surrounded the zoo. Her eyes quickly flashed to Adrien's and he recognized something in them. It was the same look Ladybug gave him when she needed him to distract an akuma. "Hey guys, you wanna go look at the ostrich? Come on, let's all go look at the ostrich!" He yelled out nervously, pushing his friends and Luka towards the large creature and as he pushed past Marinette she whispered, "Lose them, we gotta go." She said pointing to the poster where it showed, in large bold letters, "Ladybug and Cat Noir will be present!"

Shit! He thought to himself incredulously. How could he have forgotten? He had been thinking about losing Luka in the zoo all day and seeing the new exhibit with her! "Okay cool ostrich right? Yep, very cool. I'll go buy snacks!" He yelled out and rushed as fast as he could to the bathroom, transforming quickly and then walking out casually before being met with the sight of a tall, spotted, blue haired, Ladybug. "Hello there Chaton, seems as if you had forgotten?" She teased him as he walked with her, children gasping and running up to them, only to be pulled back to their parents sides and told to leave the two superheroes alone.

"Actually I did! I had a friend remind me that-" he went to say and then looked away sheepishly. "You had a friend?" She asked with a smirk, her arms crossing as she tipped her head up and looked over at him. "Y-Yeah, lookI'msorryItoldmyfriendwhoIcallPrincessandI'msosorry-" he quickly said, causing his partner to take a moment to decipher his words and leave him in wonder as to what she's thinking of.

"That's okay Chaton. I hope to see you wear that hoodie to school tomorrow." She says with a wink, leaving him speechless for reasons unknown to him, as they arrive at the new exhibit, seeing their friends walking over from the ostrich. Closing his open mouth and hiding it with a grin, he remembered he had work to do. Work first, Ladybug second, and Marinette above all.

Strutting over to the new statue, made to look like all of the superheroes that had appeared in Paris posing in mid battle with winning smiles in their faces, he saw Ladybug talking to some children who stared at her adoringly. They had explained to the public that the heroes Carapace, Queen Bee, and Rena Rouge all could not make it. Luckily this was true! Ladybug had informed him that she had visited each of the temporary, but slightly more permanent than other, miraculous holders and informed them that he and herself would be giving them as much of the credit as they could make clear.

She had explained to her friends, cough cough and Chloé cough cough, that they were not permitted to let them use the miraculouses unless it was an absolute emergency. Everyone seemed this fitting, except for Chloé who now had a happier Ladybug picture as her screen saver and would soon be strutting around the school with it. "Now unfortunately our friends and fellow superheroes could not make it to the event but they have earned their place on this statue ten fold compared to Chat Noir and I! They deserve ten times more credit than we do, that's why we are more than ecstatic to share a place in this new statue with them! With that said, let's get these animals a home!"

So they started giving away all of the stray animals, who had been vaccinated and fed and cleaned and adorned with superhero themed collars, to new families. Marinette loved this "exhibit". It brought awareness to the city of her friend's hardships and also saved so many adorable animals! It brought a warm breeze to her shivering heart.

"Thank you Ladybug!" A little boy, and also the last person besides her friends, said as he held his new calico kitten. "Salty? What a peculiar name." Chat Noir said, hearing the child's now out of ranged voice. "What? Not a fan of salt?" The girl asked, crossing her arms and smirk at him. "Nope, I'm meowr of a sweets fan mewself." He combats rubbing his neck and looking around the crowd.

"Hmm, I guess my Princess went home then." He mutters sadly, rubbing his arm and looking around. "I wouldn't say that, maybe you aren't looking hard enough?" The bluenette said, pushing him slightly and startling when a sudden bark comes out from inside of a cardboard box behind her. "Hm? Oh, it seems like one of them was left over from the give away." She says, peeping over the box and finding herself looking at a grey and brown mixed Border Collie puppy. The puppy wore a Chat Noir themed collar, which the cat himself found ironic, around his fluffy neck. One bright and majestic eye shined as it saw the superhero before them.

The other eye was closed, two scars on top of the eyelid and one below. Barking, the pup scrambled to get out of the box and to get over to Ladybug, eventually succeeding after flipping over the box and getting trapped in it. "Oh, well hello there puppy. Chat Noir what do we do? She's," stopping herself and then checking the puppy, "he is the only one left." The spotted heroin said sadly.

"I know a girl that would take care of him. I don't see her here but I could stop by her house tonight." The cat said cluelessly, his thoughts being filled up with Marinette's reaction of him bringing her a puppy. "Chat Noir you clueless cat," turning to everyone that was left, with was her group of friends and the rest of the zoo workers, "Anyways, thank you all for participating! We have to go now but have a great day and thank you again for giving these animals wonderful homes!" And with that she nods to Chat Noir, who holds the puppy, and they both take off.

A/N: Apologies for this chapter taking so long, I had a bad case of writers block and was trying to draw a good photo of what I imagined the doggo to look like, have a great day/night!
Buhbye~~~