Gotham's Own Ladybug

Twenty-Three

Marinette grabbed onto Robin's cloak - her fingers latching on like a vice until her knuckles turned white. He rubbed her back, providing a sense of calmness as she attempted to level the thoughts scrambling throughout her head.

Half a minute soon passed, in which her breathing evened until it became normal. Bluebell eyes lost their misty look. Her petite body stopped in its shaking.

Ladybug tilted her head to the side, meeting her gaze with Nooroo's. "A-All this time?" she stuttered, while a glint of betrayal shone in her pupils. "Why didn't you tell me?"

The kwami flew forward in a blur, bumping against her cheek as he hugged it with tiny paws. He exclaimed, "I am so sorry, Guardian! Gabriel forbade me from doing so before my miraculous was removed from him. There was no one who wore it after to undo his command and allow me to warn you of Chat Noir!"

She blinked, processing his words. A pair of hands - red at the fingertips - cupped him in their palms, then stroked the swirl atop his forehead to provide comfort. "It's okay..." the girl whispered. "I, as owner of the Butterfly miraculous, allow you to be free of all commands from your previous holder, Nooroo."

Damian's lips twitched up, as he watched the god cuddle up to his friend with fluttering wings. She giggled, giving it one last peck before glancing up at him. Pink dusted his features, making him turn slightly away out of embarrassment.

"I think I have a plan to save Chat Noir," she declared. "We have to break his bell, the akumatized object. That way we can capture the akuma, cast the Miracle Cure and bring him back."

His brows furrowed. "From my research on Paris, Hawk Moth was able to remove akuma of his own volition. Can you not do so, Angel?"

She shook her head. "I wish I could, but I haven't unlocked the full potential of the miraculous's power due to my age. The most I could do is create one, which is what I want to do. If you're still willing to get akumatized, of course. I won't force you."

He flicked his eyes between Nooroo and her, contemplating in his mind, then gained a resolute expression. "I'm willing, Angel."

Marinette smiled. "Tikki, Nooroo," she started, holding out her hands as symbols materialised at her sides. "Unify!"

~*~*~

"Uproar!"

Intricate swirls of orange and brown curled around Adrien's weapon, giving way to an object that manifested out of nowhere. It was an onyx plush, shaped in the face of a cat, that had two green buttons sewn in to represent irises.

A smirk formed on his lips as he stepped forward, holding out the item to the group of vigilantes in front of him. Batman narrowed his eyes, whilst himself and his sons pulled out several Batarangs and hurled them the teen's way.

He dodged skillfully, weaving between them with the grace of an animal, then proceeded to leap up - bouncing off of a nearby wall to increase the height he reached. Time seemed to slow down. In a swift move that none expected, Adrien threw the toy in his hands down below.

Pamela flicked her wrist, provoking a stray vine to snap into action and leave it to clatter onto the ground. What she didn't notice, however, was the magic that seeped into her plant and the ones all around, infusing them with chaos and mischief.

Chat, in his costume of browns and black, cackled from his perch on the rafters spanning the roof of the warehouse. "That worked out just as planned," he mused aloud. "Now I can get my Purrincess without any of you heroes interrupting."

Tim found his brows raising, as he scanned about in confusion. That was when his vision tilted, along with this whole body as he was slammed into a brick wall not even a few metres away. Sharp leaves danced across his cheek, threatening to draw blood. Splinters almost pierced the kevlar keeping him protected.