Spots Off 🐞 (A Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction)

40- The End of The Beginning

Cat Noir's POV

In a flash of green I'm wearing leather and cat ears, and I raise a hand to Tikki. "Give me the earrings. I'll keep them safe in my staff, and you can chill in my pocket if you want." Tikki drops the earrings in my hand and flies in my pocket as I open it. "Let's go save Marinette." Extending my staff, I leap out the window, leaping across a familiar way home across the city.

Marinette's house comes into view and I stop on the roof, staring at her balcony. A sneaky idea pops in my mind and I make a quick stop in her bedroom. Hopefully this will work.

After I'm done, I jump off her balcony and run home. It feels weird calling it that. I spot my house in the distance and jump off the roof, soaring and landing through the window into my bedroom. The house is quiet. That's weird. Am I sure Tikki's right? I open my bedroom door slowly and creep out of my room, making quiet footsteps as I walk downstairs.

Tikki pops up by my shoulder. So much for staying in my pocket. "Go to your father's office, Adrien."

I follow the kwami's instructions and jog over, peeking in the room before stepping in. No one. I close the door behind me. "Now what, Tikki?"

"The painting." Her red hand points at the portrait of Mom across the room. "Go to it. There's secret buttons you have to press at the same time."

I shake my head. "The painting? No. That's just covering a safe my father has."

"Adrien." Tikki glares at me. "You have to trust me if you want to save Marinette."

Marinette, yes. She's all that matters right now. "Right. Save Marinette." I take in a deep breath and walk up to the portrait, smiling at Mom. I wonder what she would think of all this. I run a hand over the painting and find the grooves of the secret buttons Tikki told me about and press them together, shocked when the floor opens up.

I look around, noticing I'm in some sort of glass elevator, and watch as it lowers down into a... basement? We have a basement? There's a bridge over a river, leading to a little garden with a silver container. "Tikki? What is this place?"

Tikki presses her face to the glass. "It looks like a basement, Adrien." She looks left and right. "I don't see Marinette anywhere."

The elevator stops and opens. Is it safe? I step out, waiting, and start walking across the bridge, listening for any sudden sounds.

There's a soft thud behind me and I spin around to see Hawkmoth standing there. "Word travels fast, especially when I haven't even sent it, yet."

It's hard to believe this man is actually my father. Angry, I ask, "Where's Marinette?"

"She's safe for now, Cat Noir." Hawkmoth extends a hand towards me. "I'm sure you have what I want, don't you?"

"What?" Opening my staff, I shake the earrings out into my hand. "You mean these?"

Hawkmoth's taunting smile fades. "Hand them over and you can have Marinette back."

I remember what Tikki told me. Hawkmoth will go against his word. I have to outsmart him. "Give me Marinette and you can have them."

"Am I not a man of my word, Cat Noir?" Hawkmoth asks, pretending to be offended. "Do you not trust me?"

"After what you've done to this city, I don't think I'll ever trust you again!"

Hawkmoth frowns. "Such a shame. Fine, how about this? I'll show you Marinette, you give me those earrings, and you can have your precious girlfriend back. Deal?"

Better than nothing. "Show me!"

As he snaps, a light turns on behind us, and I turn to see Felix standing with Marinette. Her arms are chained. "Marinette!"