Miraculous Digi Adventure

Soothe The Beast

  "I'm a failure!" Adrien moaned lying face down on his couch daring the fluffy cushion to consume him. "I'm the worst partner ever, Ladybug is gonna replace me with Rena Rouge or Ryuko... or Chloé." Adrien sat up, terror his well modeled expression. "... No, even she wouldn't be that cruel."
  "I wouldn't count on it she made a pretty solid Chat Noir while you were perfumed." Plagg mused as he sat in a pot of fondue like a tiny hot tub.
  Adrien gave another groan and flopped back down on the couch.
  "What's got him so down?" Blackgatomon was snacking on some sardines as the other black cat floated over.
  "He's still mad about missing that Akuma the other day." Plagg snickered as he flitted through the air.
  "I missed the entire fight, she didn't even need me." The young hero slowly bonked his head into the cushions but gave up unsatisfied with the lack of pain.
  "Stop beating yourself up you still got a kiss on the cheek didn't you?" Plagg made some kissing noises as Adrien turned to leer at him.
  "Yeah out of pity cause I looked like a mess from sprinting across town to get there, that doesn't count." The model murmured.
  "There's no pleasing him is there?" Blackgatomon asked between bites.
  "Nah he's a spoiled rich boy he only knows one way." Plagg chuckled.
  "You guys both suck." Adrien tossed a cushion at the two cats but they nimbly avoided the half hearted throw.
  "Come on Adrien have some cheese and relax you'll make up for it soon enough." Plagg dangled some cheese near Adrien.
  "Yeah let's play some video games and relax." Blackgatomon struggled to handle a controller with his large paws.
  Adrien for his part was having none of it continuing to brood.
  "Maybe she'll replace me with Lady Dragon, she has like seven powers and a Miraculous and a Prodigious, whatever that is!" He stammered beginning to pace his room. "I don't even know! Nobody told me! I just ran in and suddenly there was a 50ft lion guy vaporizing Shanghai!"
  "Nice rhyme." Blackgatomon mewed.
  "You're just making it worse on yourself stop thinking so much on who Ladybug isn't gonna replace you with and just do better next time." The Kwami all but shouted. He did love his chosen like family but he also found him irritating like family.
  "Ugh you're right." Adrien sighed.
  "I usually am." Plagg snickered.
  "Somehow I doubt that." Blackgatomon grinned.
  "Nobody asked you digi freak!" Plagg snapped.
  "Cheese hound!"
  "Freeloader!"
  "Has been!"
  "Will you two stop arguing!" Adrien hollered as he gathered his things. "Blackgatomon could you dedigivolve please so we can go? We have to practice for Kitty Section." Adrien stated.
  "What's that?" Blackgatomon asked as the digivice beeped and suddenly thunderous cat paws were replaced by tiny puppy padders.
  "It's my friend's band, I play keyboard." Adrien explained as Plagg flew into his coat pocket.
  "That's nice but do I really have to go out in this form?" Salamon pouted.
"I can't very well walk around with a super hero's digimon." Adrien gave a smile as the puppy leapt into his arms.
   "Fine but if that house plant Lalamon makes fun of me again I'm gonna bite!" Salamon grumbled.
  "Huh? You know Marinette's digimon?" Adrien looked down quizzically.
  Salamon froze. "Uh that's uh." The digi pup's eyes spazzes around for an excuse. Plagg frantically waved a no go sign from the shirt.
  "Uh we uh met in the digital world yeah!" Salamon blurted quickly.
  "Oh yeah I guess that makes sense." Adrien smiled warmly.
   Salamon and Plagg silently thanked their chosen for being a blonde air head as they all headed out the door.
 
  "Just checking in how are things going internationally?" Marinette said with only a slight strain in her voice from keeping her phone pressed firmly between her head and shoulder as she carried boxes of costumes onto the Couffaine's house boat.
  "We had some problems at first in New York with Digimon messing with Uncanny's systems but we think we've patched the issue." Jess aka Eagle said boredly. Marinette could only guess what she was doing but she heard the squeak of fingers on guitar strings.
  "And Shanghai?" The guardian questioned her other compatriot.
  "We've been experiencing some odd seismic activity that I'm looking into." Fei said a little worriedly. "But so far the Digimon haven't caused many problems, of course it helps to have two of them on my side." The keeper of the Prodigious laughed.
  "Ah what you get two? No fair!" The Eagle squawked irritably.
  "Good karma coming my way I suppose." Ladydragon chuckled, the others could practically hear her smirk.
  "I wonder if the quakes are related to the vines here in Paris." Marinette grunted as she hefted the box the rest of the way across the gang plank.
  "Who knows, nothing like that here in New York... well except that weird noise that's been coming from Ellis Island." Eagle noted.
  "Weird noise?" Marinette questioned.
  "Yeah like clockwork every morning the sound of cathedral organ, the United Heroes have been at a loss to figure it out but it's not hurting anything so."
  A brief silence shrouded the call.
  "Whatever it is I'll keep you posted." Jess finally stated.
  "Same also tell sister Marinette I said hi!" Fei added as well.
  "I will, gotta go, thank you both." Marinette set down her crate of supplies and only fumbled for thirty seconds to keep her phone from falling into the river before catching and pocketing it. Baby steps Marinette told herself. She then promptly took one step and tripped into a pair of waiting arms.
  "I know I made a song so you'd fall for me." Luka gave a gentle smile as he caught the clumsy girl. "But you really take things too literally sometimes."
  Marinette felt her face go through the five stages of grief and then some before relaxing into a smile of bliss.
  "Thanks Luka." She answered with only a small squeak as he helped her back to an upright position.
   "Who were you talking to?" Luka asked gesturing to her phone.
  "Just some friends over seas, making sure they're ok with all the craziness going on." Marinette giggled.
   "That's very thoughtful of you Marinette. You're the nicest girl I've ever met, like a hymn given human form just to make people smile." Luka gave a light nod then took the costume box to Marinette's side and walked off to change.
  Marinette stared after him for a moment still trying to absorb that statement.
  "Marinette dear we try to keep that part of the deck dry so try not to drool too much." Anarka called from nearby.
  Marinette spazzed like she'd been electrocuted and rushed to grab her supplies and get them sorted.
  "If you don't marry that boy I might." Lalamon stated floating next to her.
  "Don't you start too! I have too many people messing with my relationships, I don't need Digimon to get involved." The heroine sighed.
  "How can I not comment on your relationships when you have so many? I'm starting to wonder if you don't have a harem." The Digimon hummed.
  "I have no idea what you're-
  ~Marineeeeette~
  Oooph!- talking about." Marinette felt the air squeezed out of her as Chloé latched onto her from behind.
  "I'll just leave you alone." Lalamon floated away.
  "This means nothing!" Marinette wanted to shake her fist at her digital partner but was too busy untangling her limbs from the heiress of Paris.
  "Hi Chloé how are you?" Marinette gave a struggled smile.
  "I'm fantastic of course, everything you asked has been arranged." The blonde smirked proudly.
  "Wait for real?" Marinette gawked.
  "Cat Pals or whatever they're called has the front of the Eiffel Tower booked as their performance location for the festival this weekend." Chloé showed off the paper work with as much pride as though it were the Declaration of Independence.
  "That's amazing Chloé."
  "And your end of the bargain?" Chloé narrowed her eyes.
  "The back deck of the ship has been cleared for you to tan and we have fresh Lemonade ready, Sabrina is already there with a giant fan... I didn't ask her to do that last part it's apparently her first instinct." Marinette said the last part with only slight annoyance.
  "I trained her well."
  "You're the devil."
  "Flattery will get you everywhere." Chloé gave a wink and walked off.
  Marinette sighed deeply and wondered if maybe she could escape to the digital world when this was all over, then another came to rest next to her leaning an arm on her shoulder.
  "One day you're gonna have to tell me how you tamed Chloé." Alya gave her own smirk, less smug but more warm and knowing.
  "Trade secret." The baker girl grinned.
  "You have no idea do you?"
  "Do I ever?"
  The girls laughed as above a limo pulled up and Adrien and Kagami joined the event.
  "Remind me again what occasion this group is playing for?" Kagami asked as they descended the stairs.
  "The city is throwing a sort of mini festival event this weekend to welcome the Digimon and try to boost morale and stave off Hawkmoth for a while. Music, games and tons of delicious food." Adrien summed up the festivities.
  "The food is the important part." Salamon gave a grin to Ryudamon as they plodded along next to their tamers.
   "You already ate enough cheese and tuna to knock out a fleet of cats how can you still be hungry?" Adrien held back a chortle.
  "A digimon's stomach is never full." Salamon answered.
  Adrien set up his keyboard with the other instruments and practice began, the band premiering a new song written just for the occasion.
   Marinette braced herself for the warmth that filled her at the scene. Adrien smiling brightly as Rose belted out another line. Luka, Ivan and Mylene playing their hearts out. Her gal pals enjoying drinks on the deck nearby as the sun shines high in the air. The Digimon ran around playing and dancing as the music resounded down the Seine. Marinette chanced a peak at the stage and locked eyes with Luka as he gave a smile the designer could only describe as beautiful.
  Life was peaceful.
  BOOOM!!!
  Life was suffering.
  Marinette felt her good mood sour a little too quickly. Like that meme of a dog sitting in a room on fire. This is fine. Why would anything be wrong. This is just how life is when you're a super hero. She might not be in the best mental state to go easy on a villain right now so let's hope the villain is Lila, or maybe Gabriel Agreste. She could blow off some steam on him all day long.
   Marinette and Adrien made themselves scarce as the other passengers of the boat headed below deck to hide.
   "Spots on!"
   "Claws out!"
   "Digivolve!"