Heels Over Head

Chapter Six - "The Waiting Game"

"You're lagging behind, kitty!" Ladybug calls to Chat Noir who's trailing in back.

"That's intentional, LB: I'm just enjoying the view!"
She scoffs to herself at his audacity before landing about a block away from the Arc. A moment later, Chat sidles up next to her.

"I just realized that made it sound like I was looking at your butt—I promise I wasn't looking at your butt."

Marinette teasingly pats his back, "Okay buddy, whatever you say. We have more important things to worry about anyways."

The jarring sound of crashing comes from the direction Ladybug had deduced Stoneheart would be. She starts running that way, Chat close behind. They poke their heads around a corner to try and see what they're working with.

Just as expected, the akuma is wreaking havoc on the already havoc-full intersection; throwing cars, cracking pavement, and scaring pedestrians out of their minds. Of course, in a very Parisian fashion, most of the cars continue driving around the large circle as usual, occasionally honking when debris flies their way.

"We need to find where the akuma is. Though chances are it's in the same place as the first time: in his hand," Ladybug says.

"What's the game plan, then?" Chat asks.

She simply shrugs before throwing her yo-yo in the air, "Lucky charm!"

A polka-dotted orange falls into her hand, "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Never heard that line before," He gives her a playful smirk, "We should probably get to it whether we know how to use the orange or not, though."

"Right," She says, struggling to find a place on her costume to keep the orange. She settles for just holding it in her hand and using the other for her yo-yo.

  Chat Noir is ahead of her. Already having learned his lesson a couple years back about hitting this particular akuma—he'll only grow bigger and stronger—he goes for some regular old taunting instead.

  "Hey you big lug!!" He shouts, cupping his hands around his mouth, "Those are street lamps, not toothpicks!"

  That gets Stoneheart's attention enough for him to take the lightbulb end of a lamp out of his mouth and start heading Chat's way.

  "Yeah buddy, keep comin' this way," Adrien says to himself, fairly confident that if he distracts the akuma enough, Ladybug will find a way to use her lucky charm.

  "Chat Noirrrr," Stoneheart says in his deep, rumbly voice.

  "That's right! Come get me!"

  In a miraculous feat for a monster of his size, the akuma takes off in a sprint towards him.

  "Oh..." Chat says before running away in the opposite direction, "Shit!"

  Having eight foot long legs is conducive to running at the same speed as Usain Bolt, so Stoneheart quickly catches up with the cat and grabs him in his large fist.

  "Ladybug!" Chat's voice cracks as he yells to his partner, "College-age Ivan is stronger and much more crush-happy!! Maybe use that lucky charm of yours before he squeezes my intestines out?"

  While Chat was running for his life, Ladybug found the perfect use for her Miraculous orange.

  "Ivan! Over here!" She draws his attention her way, waving her arms wildly above her.

  "Stoneheart!" The akuma booms.

  "What? Can't handle a little name-calling, Ivan?"

  He rushes towards her, both fists at the ready; Ladybug's yo-yo and citrus also at the ready. Stoneheart lunges at her, bringing his fist down with the force of a skydiving elephant, and just barely missing when she dodges. While his fist is on the ground, Ladybug runs up his extended arm, ripping the orange in half, and quickly squeezing the juice into both of his eyes.