The Mime

Adrian sat in his large room alone, in silence, like always. Games lined the walls and remained untouched, the piano he usually kept in the centre was locked away for the first time in a while and under his large bed stuffed with pillows he hated, he looked over Ladybug's notes. She sounded brave and kind from her story. Jumping into traffic to save an old man. An old man who may have been the same as the one he helped before being caught. It was not her story that caught his attention, though. It was something more worrying. She had included sketches of the black butterflies and Hawkmoth's Miraculous. Adrian pulled his shoe off and compared the logo that was plastered all over his Father's designs to Ladybug's sketches. His stomach did somersaults. Butterflies were very common. It could just be a coincidence. Yes. It was just a coincidence. Though come to think of it, his office had butterfly tiles too that looked like the Miraculous. That was...less common. It had been a while since he had gone in there. He was probably just remembering wrong...It couldn't hurt to check. He put his shoe back on and snuck out of his room. It was easy until he got to the stairs. Nathalie kept her calm exterior but kept checking her schedule and watch, indicating she was stressing about being late. She adjusted her glasses and made her way towards the kitchen. He took his chance. Adrian quietly rushed down the stairs and crouched behind a plant pot outside his father's office. There was a butterfly shape made out of the squares too. No. He was just seeing what he wanted to. That wasn't intentional in the design, surely. It was just a plant pot. And his father was just his father. He took a deep breath and lightly tapped the door. "Adrian?" The boy jumped to his feet and turned sharply. He smiled awkwardly and laughed nervously as Nathalie gave a questioning stare. "I dropped something. Got it!" he lied. She didn't believe him but an alarm pulled her attention away. "Go get ready. We leave in five minutes," she told him. Adrian waited a moment, expecting her to leave first so he could try and peek into the office but she never moved. He nodded and defeatedly left to hide the notes. There were butterflies everywhere in the house. His father just liked them. There was nothing more to it. Yet, he couldn't convince himself that he truly believed that.

Ladybug landed on the balcony of her home and transformed back into Marinette just a few seconds before Alya burst in excitedly. How did she get there so fast? Honestly, Alya might just be a superhero with how quickly she acts when there is news about them. "Girl, you will not believe what just happened to me!" she said, not even stopping to greet her, "So Ladybug had just saved a bunch of workers from a supervillain! There were like a gazillion reporters waiting to interview her and...that's when it happened!" Marinette feigned ignorance, asked, "What happened?" Alya thrust her phone in her friend's face. Marinette took a step back. It was always so strange to see videos of herself as Ladybug. She watched as she pushed through a crowd of reporters to talk to her friend then, just as quickly as she came, she left. "That was super!" she said, trying to match Alya's excitement. "So cool, right? Ladybug spoke to me! Over real reporters! My blog! She thinks it's awesome! Awesome! Awesomeee!" Marinette took the phone from her, worried her friend would throw it whilst her arms excitedly waved around. "Yeah, that's..." she paused, trying to think of the best word, finding it was the one Alya hadn't stopped yelling, "awesome." Alya didn't seem to mind, saying as she turned away, "Lemme go grab your laptop!" Marinette pressed the replay button, wanting to scan the video for any clues she may have missed. However, she hit it a little harder than expected, nearly dropping the device but just managing to catch it. She let out a little chuckle, relieved she caught it. Her eyes widened. Why was there a "deleted" icon? Where did the video go? She did not just do that! Alya would kill her! She began to flip through the phone, searching for a way to get the video back. "Marinette, you've got visitors! Get down here, girl, so I can show the video!" Alya shouted. Marinette looked at the phone. She screamed internally, her breathing becoming heavier and heavier. Once she calmed down a little, she made her way down to her room. "What did you say the name of the play is, Mr Haprele?" her mum asked. Marinette greeted Mylene and her dad silently as Mylene answered, "It's called "The Mime's Extraordinary Adventures", starring the most talented, amazingly awesome actor and mime!" Marinette giggled at her enthusiasm as she searched her desk for his hat. It didn't need much work done on it - just a pocket inside for some reason and a tear patched up. "Well, congratulations, you must make your daughter very proud," Marinette's mum commented. Marinette handed the man the hat who tried it on. "Thank you, Marinette! Saving me at the last minute," he said. He took the hat off and pulled a picture of Mylene from his wallet, placing it lovingly in his hat. "My good luck charm," he explained to the staring girls. Mylene wrapped her arms around him. His phone began to ring. "Hello, Sa- Yes, I had to pick up my hat! ...I know the bus is leaving in less than a half-hour. I'll be there!" Mylen began to pull him towards the stairs. Despite seemingly running behind, her dad stopped to say goodbye. "We can't wait for your show!" Alya called after him, her excitement from the Ladybug interview still fuelling her voice. As soon as he was gone, Alya turned to Mylene and said, "I got the coolest thing to show you!"

Adrian sat at his computer with the ladyblog up, reading the Hawkmoth page. There was very little information on it, filled mostly with speculation and the various people he had vilified and when. There was nothing to tell him his father was not the villain but there was barely anything to say he was. The dates and times were all times his father was locked in his office working away. He was locked there most days, though. Ever since his mother died, his father kept to himself and intended Adrian to do the same. He sighed. Ladybug might have something. There just wasn't enough to prove his father innocent. A knock echoed in his quiet room, causing him to hurriedly close the tab. "Are you ready?" Nathalie asked. Adrian opened the door and forced a smile. He needed to find out soon.

Marinette and her friends were sat at the kitchen counter listening to Mylene gush about her dad's acting. She had masterfully guided the conversation away from the video but it was only a matter of time. Alya looked like she was going to explode! Their conversation ground to a halt when a loud ring interrupted them. "Hey, that's my ringtone," Alya told them, searching for her phone. Marinette had it. The girl looked at her when she realised the sound was coming from her. "Marinette? Gimme," Alya demanded. Reluctantly, she did as she was told, the ringing stopping as the device changed hands. "That was my mom. I'll call her back later. Hey, Mylene! You wanna see the most amazerrific video?" Mylene peered at Alya's phone and caught a glimpse of the time. "Oh, I gotta go. I wanna swing by my house to change before the show," she suddenly said. Marinette relaxed, tensing up again when Alya suggested, "I'll walk out with you and show it to you on the way." The two girls stood up and grabbed their stuff. If Alya tried to show that video, she would find out it wasn't there. Then she'd know Marinette deleted it. She would be so mad. She might even think it was on purpose! "Wait!" Marinette called out in a panic. She could fix it but not if Alya tried to show Mylene the video. How could she stop her? Alya had been dying to show it. There was no way Marinette could convince her. Why was she going to Alya's bag? Why did she take Alya's phone out of her bag! "Your bag was open. All good now," she lied nervously. What was she doing? Calm down! Alya didn't need to know. She could say she left it. Easy. Still, she stole her best friend's phone! What was wrong with her? It was too late, though. They were already gone. Marinette sat at the counter again. No matter how much she flipped through the phone, the video was gone and would never come back. That's when it hit her. She could stage the video! Alya wouldn't notice. She'd be too caught up by the fact Ladybug spoke to her over news reporters. It'll all work out.

In the black limousine, Adrian was waiting for everyone else to leave - specifically his father. Nathalie sat behind him and slammed the door shut. The limousine began to move, leaving his father behind. Adrian stared out the window until the front door was out of sight, then he turned to Nathalie. "My dad's flaking, isn't he? Let me guess. Something came up?" Adrian asked. Nathalie forced a smile and answered, "Yes, but he has reserved the best seats in the house for you, Adrien. Front row." He turned away from her, his eyebrows furrowing in anger and disappointment. "As usual. The best money can buy," he muttered. He could see Nathalie frown through the reflection in the window. "You're birthday is coming up. Perhaps you could have a party," she suggested to cheer him up. "Father would never allow it," he responded miserably. "I can convince your father," she assured him. A small smile appeared on his face. A birthday party. He could actually invite his friends. His house won't be empty. He won't be alone for another year. That was all he wanted.

Ladybug placed Alya's phone precariously on a ledge with the Louvre in the background of the shot. Once she was ready, she waved at the camera and said, a little woodenly, "Hey, aren't you Alya, the girl who writes the blog about me? The... Ladybl-" she stopped. A black cat walked across the phone, ruining the video. "Hey! No! Get away!" Ladybug yelled. The cat jumped off the ledge and knocked the phone into a bin. "Ugh...that is so... Eww!" she muttered as she picked up the phone. She wiped it off, grimacing. "It's for Alya," she reminded herself. She set up the phone again. "Hey, aren't you Alya, the girl who writes the blug- Bluh! Blug? Urgh!" Her hand slapped her face. "I should never have touched her phone," she muttered to herself. As she set the phone up for another take, screams from behind stole her attention. The phone fell back into the bin. The black butterfly that caused so much fear gently fluttered into Mylene's dad's hat. He transformed before her and slashed a poster with an invisible sword. Ladybug swung to the other side of the Louvre so he was facing her. She put her yoyo away to help show she just wanted to help. In a loud, calm tone, she said, "You know, if something is ticking you off, we can talk about it." He mimed pulling something from behind him. Ladybug continued, "I can help you before you do any damage - before you regret-" An invisible arrow fired at her, forcing her to dodge. She looked at the mime with confusion. His power...mime...She pulled her yoyo out again, unsure what to be prepared for.

Adrian jutted forward as the limousine suddenly stopped. His bodyguard turned to them to make sure they were okay. Adrian nodded then peered out the window. Without looking away, he pressed the button to lower it. Ladybug. His cheeks grew red as her yoyo spun, shielding them from any attacks. "Get out of the car and find a place to hide, I'll cover you," she ordered. He stepped out and froze when her hand entwined in his. She finally turned to see him and froze herself. Could she hear his heart beating? Or was it his face being red that caught her off guard. Whatever it was, she snapped to and lead them across the plaza, leaving them when they were safely behind the Louvre. Nathalie and his bodyguard continued ahead, leading the way to a better hiding place. He broke off, though, and hid behind a pillar. Adrian looked at his hand. Ladybug held his hand! A loud boom pulled his attention away. Adrian poked his head out and, saw when the smoke cleared, Ladybug tied up with an invisible rope. Slowly, the mime pulled her closer and closer. Adrian glanced around before transforming. Cat Noir lept into action. With his staff, he whacked the Mime, breaking the illusion. "Keep those hands to yourself, clown!" he warned, turning to Ladybug, "It's okay, I've got this." Ladybug nodded and lowered her guard, allowing Cat Noir to take the lead. He ran towards the Mime only for him to mime closing and locking a door. After running into the invisible door, Cat Noir he felt around him, finding he and Ladybug were trapped in a cage. "Apparently, not seeing is believing," he quipped, finding the door again. The cage vanished when the mime created a car. "I did it," he joked. Ladybug walked over to the ruined poster and pieced it together. Cat Noir stood over her. It was a poster for the show he was going to see. "He is the lead actor," Ladybug told him, "I think he is going after the troupe." She stood up and threw her yoyo onto a nearby building. She offered her hand to Cat Noir and dropped him off on the roof, swinging beside the running hero in search of the bus.

Ladybug landed on the roof of the Mime's invisible car, Cat Noir following suit. "Nice ride, but if I were you, I would have at least made it a convertible," Cat Noir said. The car sped up, causing Ladybug to lose her balance. Cat Noir grabbed her and used his clawed hand to grip the roof. The door opened and the Mime rolled out of his vehicle. Ladybug's eyes widened. "Where is he going? We gotta stop this thing!" she exclaimed. Slowly and carefully, she climbed into the driver's seat. "Hit the breaks!" Cat Noir yelled. "What breaks?" Ladybug shouted back, searching for the pedals with her feet. She looked up to see they were on course for a kid and their mum. Ladybug slammed on one of the pedals, coming to a sudden stop. Cat Noir flipped over and landed on the road ahead of the car. Ladybug was shaking. That was the last time she was driving! She froze, giving her body and mind time to process what happened. "You okay, Kitty?" she asked. He sat up and rubbed his elbow. "Not bad, for driving an invisible car," he said as he picked himself up. Ladybug fell to the ground. The car was gone. Frustrated, she groaned, "He's already off again! We gotta catch up with the bus before he does!" Cat Noir smirked. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked. He extended his staff, sending them high into the sky and joked, "Good thing you have friends in high places." She held him tightly and scanned the streets, requesting, "Please tell me before you do that next time." She pointed to the bus in the distance. She trusted Cat Noir but being so high up in his arms was a little unnerving. She preferred using her yoyo but she doubted she would have thought of searching from so high up. They began to tip forward, making her grip tighter to her partner. They landed on the bus's rooftop with a thud. "Where is the butterfly?" Cat Noir asked. The loud hum of a motorbike nearly drowned them out. Ladybug watched as the Mime weaved in and out of traffic, quickly closing the distance between him and the troupe. "His hat," Ladybug answered, creating a net with her yoyo to stop him. The Mime just jumped through it onto the bus. He mimicked a sword, swinging it at them like a professional. To Ladybug's surprise, Cat Noir stepped forward, using his staff like a sword too. As the two fought, Ladybug snuck behind the Mime. She ducked under a few attacks. When there was a chance, she reached out to grab the hat. It was going to be relatively easy despite the chase. Then she could shoot that video for Alya and get her day back on track! But it was never so easy. The Mime pulled the hat back on his head when he felt it lift up. He turned to Ladybug and swung his invisible sword down on her. Ladybug swung her yoyo rapidly, just managing to shield herself from the attack. Cat Noir whacked him with his staff, knocking the villain off the bus. Ladybug dove after him and grabbed his arm. The wind blew through her hair. She couldn't pull him up and hold the bus. If she let go of the vehicle, they would both fall. The mime's hand reached up. She thought it was going to grab the bus too so they could pull him up together, but it went further than that. He was reaching for her earrings! Ladybug leaned back, nearly dropping the man. She stopped. She either dropped him or let him take her earrings. Neither was an option she could take. Her grip loosened then tightened as she changed her mind. Cat Noir's arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her up. The suddenness caused her to let the Mime go. Cat Noir let her go and the two rushed to the edge of the bus again to check on him. He made his way to the roof of a car he landed on. "We've got to get the passengers to safety!" Ladybug said. "Can I lend a helping paw?" Cat Noir asked, clearly proud of his pun. "Cover me."

Cat Noir watched the mime as Ladybug left to warn the passengers. The villain stood on the car's roof and mimed a chainsaw, cutting into the vehicle. He climbed in and forced the terrified driver to speed up. Cat Noir held his staff at the ready. The villain stood up once more and began to fire invisible arrows at him. Despite the danger, Cat Noir couldn't help but be impressed by the actor's skill as he deflected arrows. The mime smirked and lowered his bow. An arrow fired. Cat Noir quickly extended his staff and deflected the arrow. He hadn't noticed the second one that had been fired off. It hit the wheel, causing the bus to spin out of control. He had to stop it somehow. Only one thing came to mind. Cat Noir ran to the front of the bus and jumped off. There wasn't even time to think about what he was doing. Before he even landed, he was turning to face the bus and extending his staff. It got lodged between two streetlamps. The bus came hurtling into his weapon, smacking him in the process and throwing him back into the crowd. Cat Noir skidded to a stop. It was true what they say. Cats always land on their feet...Most of the time. He took a step forward, pain rippling throughout his body. A hit like that, even with his powers, would hurt like hell and take its time to heal. Time he wasn't allowed. He had to push through despite the agony because the Mime was now running along the bus roof towards him. The hero grabbed his staff and once more prepared for a fight. There wasn't one. He was too hurt. As soon as the Mime struck him, he was on the ground. The Mime pinned him down. The purple outline of a butterfly appeared around his face. Ladybug ran to his aid but the Mime simply put his hand out like he was holding a sword pointed at her. She stopped. It was up to him to escape. Cat Noir wriggled as he tried to break free, cringing at his pain. The villain grabbed his hand. Before he could take the ring, Ladybug's yoyo wrapped around the villain's other hand. She yanked on her yoyo, forcing the man off him. "I don't know what's made you this violent, but I don't think your daughter Mylene would approve!" she tried. Ladybug knows Mylene? It was a coincidence. It had to be. Mylene was a popular name. Cat Noir pulled himself up. He was getting better. His powers were healing him. In their scuffle, Ladybug and the Mime had swapped places with Ladybug being in front of Cat Noir. The Mime had enough. He mimicked pulling a pin out of a grenade and threw it at the heroes. Ladybug managed to use her yoyo to shield them, but the impact still threw them back. "He sure brings a whole new meaning to silent but deadly," Cat Noir quipped. "Kitty, you think you're good enough to jump back in?" Ladybug asked, picking herself up. "I'm ready for a round...three?" he answered. He hit more bombs away as Ladybug yelled, "Lucky Charm!" He quickly glanced behind him and saw in his partner's hands a red and black polka-dotted shoe box. "There better be some explosive boots in there, M'lady." The Mime ran towards the bus. Cat Noir leapt in front of him and started another fight. This time, he was not going to lose.

Ladybug searched around for any ideas. A shoebox? It had to be the most useless thing. Wait, where were all the posters for the show? Ladybug looked around once more and saw no adverts for the play at all. She was sure they were everywhere before. Then it dawned on her. The mime had been destroying all the posters he saw. And the shoebox made sense. "We have to make him really angry! Blow his fuse!" she yelled to her partner. "You don't think he's angry enough?" Cat Noir asked, blocking another attack. Ladybug ignored him, searching the bus for a poster. When she came off, walked over to a woman wearing glasses from the troupe. She remembered a class project where they made a projector using pretty much everything she had in her hands. She made the projector and held it near the sun's reflection on the bus. A large projection of the poster appeared in front of the Eiffel tower. The Mime pushed Cat Noir away. His attention was pulled away when the crowd began to marvel at the projection. He ran towards it and tried to slash the poster. Over and over again he attacked it but couldn't destroy the thing. Ladybug held the projector steady as she tried to signal to Cat Noir to take the hat. He looked between her and where her head jutted to before deciding he was going nowhere near him again. Using his staff, he carefully lifted the hat off the villain and brought it to Ladybug. She pulled the picture out, seeing the purple filter over it confirming it had been akumatised. She tore it in two and purified the butterfly that came out. Once the now white butterfly floated away, she threw her yoyo in the air and reset the damage caused. Her earrings rang, telling her she had to go. If she hurried, she could do the video more authentically and Alya would be none the wiser. "Hey, Ladybug," Cat Noir said. It caught her by surprise. "Sorry, Kitty. Not now. We'll talk next time!" she told him, throwing her yoyo to a nearby building. "Ladybug, I need to talk to you. I have information!" Her earring rang again. "I promise Kitty! Next time!" She swung away, only just catching his desperate, "Meet on the tower next Wednesday at midnight!" With two dots left on her earring, Ladybug landed at the Louvre and found Alya's phone again. She had to hurry! She was about to transform back! She clicked record and swung before the camera. "Hey, aren't you Alya, the girl who writes the blog abo-" Her earring rang one final time. She had no choice now. She had to tell Alya. Ladybug grabbed the phone and ran home, just in time to transform back into Marinette. She can make it up to her. After the show, of course.

Adrian stumbled around in the dark until he found his seat for the show. A smile grew when he saw Alya and Marinette beside him. "Ah, hey. You're here too. Cool. Thought I was gonna end up sitting by myself," he said, trying to hide his disappointment that his father wasn't there. "Did you bring my phone?" Alya asked Marinette. Marinette didn't respond. She was holding something out to him, mouth agape like she was trying to speak. Cookies. "Thanks," he said as he took one. Alya shook her head and forced Marinette's mouth shut. A bright light from the stage stole his attention. Instead of one mime as the show advertised, two walked on stage. and took a bow. For just a few hours, Adrian could be normal and forget about his problems. Only for a few hours.

After the show, Marinette and Alya walked together home in the cool night. "I don't know which I loved more. The show or sitting next to Adrien!" Marinette sighed dreamily, dancing along the pavement. "Maybe you should give him a call and ask him out to a movie," Alya suggested. Marinette stopped dead in her tracks. A-ask Adrian out? She was not there yet. She could barely even speak to him half the time. She looked at the building they had stopped in front of. Her heart was in her throat. Slowly, she handed Alya her phone back, not letting go until she confessed, "There's something I gotta tell you, Alya. I...accidentally erased your Ladybug video on your phone." Alya's eyes widened with shock before they narrowed with rage. Marinette added before anything could be said, "And then, when I tried to fix the problem I dropped the phone in a dumpster and now it stinks. Like bad. Like really, really bad. I'm sorry, so, so, so sorry! I know how much that video meant to you." Alya was silent for a moment. Marinette could swear she was trying to shoot lasers at her. "Marinette!" she yelled, "How could you? You stole my phone? You deleted the video? You should've just come clean and told me in the first place! You're lucky I uploaded the video onto my Ladyblog before I showed it to you!" All Marinette could do was lower her head and apologise again. Hopefully, she looked up and said, "I planned a surprise for you...to make it up to you." Alya raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "There's something inside for you, on the stage," Marinette told her, pointing to the building they were outside of. Alya entered cautiously. Marinette pretended to wait outside but had snuck in behind her, transformed into Ladybug and got into position. The stage was set. A warm light hung over them and two comfy, red seats were set out opposite a table. Ladybug sat in one and waited for Alya to make her way to the stage. When her friend appeared, she greeted her, "Hello! Alya, right? Last time I saw you, I was in a hurry, but I've got a bit more time now if you want to interview me for your Ladyblog." Alya squealed. Ladybug squinted at the sound but couldn't help smile widely as her friend excitedly squealed, "No... Seriously? Do I! Do I!" She jumped up and down and danced around until Ladybug said, "Have a seat." Alya did as she was told and pulled her phone out. "You don't know me, but FYI, this is like the biggest moment of my life," she told her idol. Ladybug nodded. She was glad she could make it up to her, at least. When the interview was over, Ladybug waved Alya off. Her friend stopped as she fiddled with her phone. Seeing she was distracted, Ladybug left and waited outside as Marinette. Alya exited the building, head still buried in her phone. Marinette peered over the screen, Alya pulling away. "Can I see?" she asked. "Let me post it first," Alya warned. She didn't sound as mad. "There. Thank you. I wish you just told me but...I appreciate you going through all this." Alya hugged Marinette, making the latter feel safe and warm in her arms. "I'm sorry," Marinette said once more. "I know," Alya replied, "I forgive you, girl."

The house was silent and dark, with Adrian being the only thing awake. Quietly, lighting his way with his phone, he found Ladybug's butterfly drawings and crept down to his father's office. It was empty for once. The butterflies were everywhere - his floor tiles, his sketches, his signature, even, was simply a butterfly. Everywhere, but a large painting of Adrian's mother. He stood before it, studying her kind eyes and gold hair and gentle smile. She would disapprove of this - breaking into his father office and suspecting him of being a villain. Now, he realised his father was simply a broken-hearted man who missed his dead wife and wanted to protect his son. Adrian's heart ached. What kind of son was he? Tears flooded his eyes. Slowly, he reached out to his mother, almost expecting her to hold his hand and pull him into a hug like she used to. He stopped. His hand hovered, waiting for her. It would wait forever if he hadn't lowered it to dry his eyes. He no longer believed his father was Hawkmoth.