The Chase | Miraculous (complete)

c h a p t e r 5

Adrien had forgotten how to speak.

Or at least that's what it felt like. Whenever he tried to speak, he just sounded like Marinette every time she saw him.

Stuttering over his words, Adrien managed to get out a small, squeaky sounding 'What!'

Nino was looking a little worried and was keeping a close eye on Alya from across the yard.

However, an inspection of Alya never went unnoticed.

Alya looked up as Nino watched her intently before setting her mind and marching across the yard towards Nino and Adrien, Marinette close behind scribbling something down in her sketchpad.

Adrien looked up and on noticing Marinette gave a small squeak of suprise and covered his mouth, his eyes wide.

Alya and Marinette reached them. 'What's wrong, Nino? You look suspicious.' Alya stated as Nino tried to give her a smile. That's when Alya noticed Adrien.

'You okay, Adrien? You look like you're gonna be sick!' she cried.

Marinette looked up from the image she was drawing in her sketchpad.

'Nino?' Alya asked suspiciously. 'What have you done?'

'Nothing!'

Alya wasn't convinced. 'Maybe we should leave these two on their own for a minute.' she said smiling, as she indicated to Marinette and Adrien almost as if she knew what had gone down.

'Alya!' Marinette dropped her sketchbook in surprise, but Alya and Nino had left.

Marinette turned back around, panicking as she knelt down to pick up her sketchbook. However, Adrien had the same idea, and as he bent down, the black cord of his necklace came into view, and the black charm fell out with it from underneath his shirt.

And that was when Marinette noticed it. Adrien straightened up and held out her sketchbook but Marinette didn't take it. She just stood there and gently picked up the charm as it lay on his chest.

Adrien yelped as he suddenly realised what had happened. Marinette studied the charm with great intrest, and then pulled out her own. Other than its colour, it was identical. She held them up next to eachother for a second, nothing but shock on her face.

'A-adrien?' she stuttered, still staring at the black charm, her eyes wide in utmost disbelief.

Adrien didn't answer, just looked down at Marinette as she you fingered the two charms, then, without thinking or really knowing why, Marinette turned hers upside down, and fitted it next to Adrien's so that it formed a perfect circle.

Nothing happened for a second or two and everything was silent when suddenly there was a blinding flash of light that shone from the two charms, illuminating the school yard and bursting out all over Paris.

Marinette and Adrien looked around them in disbelief, then caught eachother's eye on either side of the beautiful white light coming from between them.

'Ladybug?' Adrien asked, his face breaking into a happy smile with disbelief.

'Chat Noir!' Marinette gasped. She was speechless, and suddenly she felt the tears fall down her face, her eyes blurring up. Adrien was Chat Noir! She HAD to be dreaming, right?! And all those times she had rejected him and he had been in LOVE with her!

She looked back up at Adrien. His eyes were full of tears also, but laughing tears of joy.

Suddenly there was a sound of wings flapping and everyone in the school yard looked up. From behind the school rose a gigantic swarm of beautiful white akumas. Adrien and Marinette watched, open mouthed as they flew into the yard and surrounded them in the pale, bright white light.

The air was filled with the sound of laughter as beautiful butterflies danced in the light of the school yard, surrounding the teachers and students. But the best bit? As the two charmed necklaces shone, they began to morph together, or rather something seemed to be forming out of it, something small and as bright as sunlight.

Everyone's eyes were focused on what was emerging between Adrien and Marinette as they waited with baited breath.

Soon the shape had started to become distinguishable. It was-

'A kwami?' Adrien and Marinette both said in unison with disbelief.

Plagg and Tikki both flew out from Adrien and Marinette's bag to watch what was happening as the kwami transformed into it's proper self.

When the transformation was complete, a silence fell over the school yard, the bright light disappeared and the white akumas settled on the ground.

'Nooroo?' squeaked Tikki in astonishment. Plagg gasped and the two kwamis went to hug their friend.

Adrien and Marinette watched in amazement with happy tears of joy still spilling down the cheeks when Adrien suddenly lunged towards Marinette and enclosed her in a hug.

Marinette was on fire. She felt so embarrassed that she froze on the spot. Then she remembered that this wasn't just Adrien. This was Chat Noir! Someone she trusted more than anyone else in her life and she hugged him back.

'I'm so happy to have found you, M'Lady!' Adrien cried desperately as he held on to her.

'I'm happy to have found you, too, Kitty!' Marinette replied. Honestly, she felt as if she would never be unhappy again.

And then a thought struck her. Every student in the school was in the yard by now, which meant that they all knew the identity of Ladybug and Chat Noir.

As if she had thought these thoughts too soon, all the akumas rose off the ground once more. Each one selected a person in the yard and morphed into something they were wearing, like when what happens when someone gets akumatized. But these were white akumas, and as soon as they had done this, they flew back out again, leaving their bearer confused and disoriented.

'They won't remember a thing.' Tikki whispered into Marinette's ear and Marinette smiled and broke her hug with Adrien to hug her kwami.

Before long, everyone in the yard had no idea what had happened and all the pearly-white akumas had disappeared.

'Tikki! Hide! Whispered Marinette.

Tikki, Plagg and Nooroo quickly dived out of sight as Alya and Nino made their way back over to Adrien and Marinette.

'Why are you crying, girl?' asked Alya, sounding concerned.

'Oh!' Marinette laughed. 'Oh, I just fell over and it was uh, very, uh...very painful! You know how clumsy I am!' Marinette lied.

Adrien laughed and hugged her and whispered quietly into her ear that no one else could hear. 'But I wouldn't have had it any other way.'

Marinette blushed, smiled and tilted her head up to face him.

Alya cleared her throat and the two quickly remembered that they were still standing in the school yard, and sprung apart and looked at Alya who was standing with her eyebrows raised and her hands on her hips.

'Care to explain?' she asked.

Nino didn't say anything, just blinked in confusion at them.

Marinette blushed and opened her mouth to speak but Adrien beat her to it.
'That's another story for another time,' he laughed. 'Right now, I feel like we should get some ice cream!'

Despite this odd request and sudden change of subject, the four of them went to André's ice cream and bought two ice creams to share between them. In short, Marinette finally managed to have her ice cream with Adrien,and honestly? She wouldn't have had it any other way.