#being a single woman who does everything alone.... i need backup yo

[umemiyan]

what if i just went full redneck and did open carry. bitches would think twice about standing in my way at the grocery store 🔫

[fantasyfandommaiden]

ML Counsellor AU: The Akuma, Part 3

The confrontation continues....

[[MORE]]

Chat Noir and Ladybug had hidden away in one of the many alley ways of Paris, catching their breath as they made their next plan of action.

“How... the heck...does she hit so hard?!” Chat winced, still clutching his side. It honestly felt like he had cracked a rib from that blow he took from the Royal Harmine, and he could only hope that Miraculous Ladybug would cure it before he had his photoshoot later today.

“She said she has formal fighting training. Mlle Regal isn’t one to lie, so we can only assume that she is telling the truth.” Ladybug stated, looking down at her Yo-yo’s screen which displayed the Ladyblog. It looked like Royal Harmine had left the school and was on the hunt for them.

“My Lady, I know we just started to fight, but I’m thinking we may need backup, or a plan at the very least.” Chat said, still panting. Ladybug looked at Chat and thought it over carefully.

“Not saying it isn’t a good idea kitty but she would probably expect use to call another hero to help.” Ladybug said slowly “She even said so as much, we need to do something that is unpredictable to get the ring off her.”

“Right... how are we going to do that exactly?” He asked, looking at his partner. They had never had to deal with an akuma item that was a ring before, and from what Adrien had seen earlier, Mlle Regal herself seemed to have a hard time getting it off.

“I’m not sure yet... but we need to think of something unpredictable, something that we’ve never done before, and would never do unless we were stuck...” Ladybug said, her eyebrows knotted together in deep thought.

Chat thought it over too, trying to think. He wasn’t much of a thinker, more of a doer really. Not that he couldn’t make things up as he went, ever the improviser, but long term plans or strategy were never his thing. Heck, even with his scheduling that was all done by-

Chat Noir’s eyes widened as a thought hit him out of nowhere and he looked at Ladybug “Ladybug, I have a crazy idea...”

~~~~~

Nathalie was pacing outside of the car in front of the school. The family driver had gone, hopefully to look for Adrien and Nathalie was dealing with two very angry people on the phone.

“No I don’t know how she was Akumatized.” Nathalie insisted “I arrived at the school, and she walks out looking like some sort of steampunk inspired wannabe and runs after Ladybug and Char Noir!”

“Well that’s just perfect!” Thistle groaned on the phone, with Lloyd letting out a hum in agreement. “Let’s hope they can handle it.”

“Blaine’s plane should be landing in about an hour, so when this is over well all go drinking” Lloyd stated.

“If this is over!” Thistle insisted “Remember the last someone tried to get the jump on her? Poor dude had to be put in the hospital for three days, and she doesn’t even have super powers!”

“Oh trust me, this will end one way or another.” Nathalie stated darkly, thinking of what she would do that Gabriel if he didn’t release Carmine soon.

Nathalie jumped back however when she heard something land behind her and looked to see Ladybug and Chat Noir, looking at her expectedly. “... Thistle, Lloyd, I’m going to have to call you back.” She said, hanging up and looking at the two super hero’s.

“Nathalie Sancoeur, we need your help.” Chat Noir stated to her with the utmost importance.

‘I’m sorry, what?’ Nathalie thought, looking at her employers mortal enemies, with a blank stare. She felt the peacock pin in her pocket, she always kept it on her now, even if the just the thought of using it made her sick.

“... please tell me you aren’t making me a super hero.” Nathalie stated to them gravely.

“No.” Chat Noir stated “No, no. We need your help to come up with a plan to defeat Royal Harmine!” He said desperately, looking at her with pleading eyes that reminded her far too much of Adrien’s.

She couldn’t help her employers mortal enemies, she knew this, however said employer had also gone back on his word of never akumatising her friends... She remembered a conversation she had with Carmine a few years back, about things that hurt men the most.

Nathalie had said a kick to the groin, but Carmine said the true was to hurt a man was to attack his ego... Nathalie unlocked her phone and sent a message to Gabriel that simply read ‘I’m taking my lunch now, don’t bother me during my personal time.’ Before turning off her phone and looking at the two hero’s. “What do you need to know?”

“Does Mlle Regal actually have formal fighting training or was that a lie?” Ladybug asked Nathalie, to which the woman raised a brow.

“Carmine doesn’t typically lie, it’s one of the things I love about her. I do know for a fact that she has had formal training however, I believe her uncle taught her how to use a Bo staff and she still practices to stay in shape.” Nathalie stated truthfully. Nathalie noticed for a brief moment that Chat Noir looked surprised at the thought before Ladybug asked her next question.

“What are her weaknesses?” Ladybug asked quickly, and Nathalie looked at her with an even expression.

“If we were just talking about Carmine and not Royal Harmine, I would say tea.” Both super hero’s looked at her with a deadpanned expression at the statement “It’s true! She can never go longer than a day without having a cup of tea! We once had to-“

“We need something that is a bit more proactive than a tea addiction Mlle Sancoeur.” Ladybug interrupted her politely. Nathalie looked at both the hero’s before sighing, rubbing her temples as she thought of the best way to word this next sentence.

“Look, it’s not like Carmine has a super secret weak spot on her body you can hit and she’ll go down like a sack of potato’s.” She said to the two super hero’s “She won’t go down without a fight, I’m not exactly a military tactician here-“

“Ladybug!” They heard a voice yell and everyone tensed and looked over at the owner of the voice, only to see Chloe running down to them.

“Chloe, now is not the time-“ Ladybug began, looking somewhat annoyed however Chloe cut her off.

“I want to help! Please!” Chloé pleaded, causing Ladybug to blink.

“What...”

“Please! The Akuma is Mlle Regal, the school’s Counsellor, she needs help and I want to help her!” She insisted “She’s done so much for all the akuma victims and she’s always helping me, even though she really REALLY doesn’t have to, and-and...” Chloe looked at them pleadingly, clearly trying to stay calm “And the LGBT Club is meeting today after school, and we can’t have it without her, and we were going to talk coming out to family tonight...”

Ladybug continued to look at Chloe with a surprised expression on her face, surprised the girl wasn’t demanding that they bring the Bee Miraculous to her to become Queen Bee, but than again she couldn’t really do that with Nathalie standing there.

Nathalie was staring at Chloe, the gears turning in her head “Wait a second... I think I have a-“

“There you are~” a voice said in a sickly sweet tone. Everyone turned around to see Royal Harmine smirking at them as she began to walk towards them.

Ladybug and Chat Noir instantly went into offensive positions “You two run!” Ladybug said to Nathalie and Chloe as Royal Harmine suddenly ran forward towards the two hero’s.

Nathalie grabbed ahold of Chloe and ran off to the side of the building, even with the blondes protests “We need to help them!” She insisted to Nathalie.

The older woman looked at Chloe with a neutral expression “We will, but we can’t fight Carmine using brute strength. We need to attack her empathy, and I need you to do something first.” Nathalie said to her in a serious tone “First, I need you to make a group chat with all of the people Carmine and helped, than you need to type this message in...”

~~~~

Offensive wasn’t working for the Miraculous duo, so instead Ladybug and Chat Noir could only stay on the defensive as Royal Harmine repeatedly hit them with everything she had.

They had yet to land a single hit on her, having ended up on top of the schools roof, Ladybug and Chat panting heavily as Royal Harmine looked at them with a bored expression on her face. “Really, this is the best that Paris has to offer in terms of defence?” She asked coldly “You two have grown complacent. You think that just because you have beat every akuma thus far you don’t need to improve anything.”

Royal Harmine looked at Ladybug as she began to spin her yo-yo round and round and run towards her at full speed, only for the woman to duck out of the way and land a solid punch in the young hero’s diaphragm.

Ladybug let out a loud gasp as she landed on her knees, desperately trying get air in her lungs from that hit. Royal Harmine looked down at her sadly “Your yo-yo attacks are too predicable, and your movements are that of someone who watches martial arts instead of participating in them. That is why you aren’t able to hit me.”

“Ladybug! Leave her alone!” Chat Noir ran up as he snarled at the akuma, baton at the ready to hit only for Royal Harmine to bring up her staff to hit Chat’s hand hard, than grabbing said hand with her own, twisting it behind the hero’s back at a painful angle causing the hero to yell in pain.

“And you, my dear little cat, continue to use the baton as if it were a sword. You are also reckless, and don’t think of what your actions will do after they are done. Your recklessness has often left Ladybug to fight by herself...” Royal Harmine looked down at the hero’s hand, his wrist firmly being held with her own hand. She saw the black ring right there, even as Chat Noir tried desperately to get away . “Like you are about to right now...” she said as her other hand gently wrapped around the ring and began to pull.

Ladybug’s eyes widened as she continued to cough and gag, trying to catch her breath, and Chat Noir tried to pull away with no sign of escape. This could possibly be the end.

Royal Harmine felt resistance as she tugged on the ring, however it wasn’t by some sort of magic that prevented the ring from coming off, but from her own hand refusing to move. Royal Harmine- no, CARMINE knew this was wrong, her eyes beginning to flash between the demonic shade of yellow to the soft ember they usually are whenever she used her magic. She knew she couldn’t just take the ring off Chat Noir, off of her student, she couldn’t let that mad man have the Miraculous!

Her fingers began to loosen ever so slightly before a wave of psychic pain went through her again, her ember eyes turning to that sickly shade of yellow as she grabbed on the ring and was about to pull again.

“MLLE REGAL!” Came a voice, and everyone looked to Chloe who stood just outside of the roof access door, panting as she looked at the group, clutching her phone tightly. “I desperately need to talk to you!”

Royal Harmine looked at Chloe with an annoyed look on her face “Chloe, if you haven’t noticed, now is not that time-“

“My parents are going to get a divorce, and if I find out that I have to leave to live with my mother, I will jump off of this roof right now!” Chloé said desperately.

Royal Harmine’s head snapped towards Chloe so fast it almost gave her whiplash. She still held onto Chat’s wrist tightly but her focus was now on Chloe “Chloe! That is not the way you deal with this sort of thing!” Royal Harmine said horrified.

“I don’t know what to do!” Chloe continued “Please!” Her eyes were filled with tears “A-also, Marc hasn’t told his parents that he is bi yet, they think he is going a book club!” She continued before looking at her phone again “And Mylene had a really bad nightmare recently and she thinks she relapsing into her fear of horror films! And you becoming an akuma is making Juleka have an anxiety attack!” She continued, looking down at the group chat as more and more people replied to Chloe’s earlier question that she posted, which was ‘What has been bothering you that Mlle Regal can help with?’.

Chloe let out another sob as she looked at Royal Harmine “Please, I just... I really need a hug...”

A purple butterfly mask appeared over Royal Harmine’s face which she scowled at “Shut up, I will get them when I am done with this!” She growled, dropping Chat Noir and walking over to the sobbing girl.

Ladybug let out another strained gasp as Chat Noir groaned, slowly getting onto his hands and knees. Ladybug let out a soft “L-Lucky Charm!” And bag of marbles appeared in her hands. ‘Seriously?!’ She thought to herself as Royal Harmine reached Chloe, taking her hands.

“Chloe, I know this is a lot-“ the butterfly mask appear and Royal Harmine turned her head to the side so she wasn’t looking at Chloe as she yelled “IN A MINUTE!” Before turning back to Chloe “I know a lot is going on, but I am here for you, and all the other students, I just have this to deal with than we will talk this all over, alright?”

Chloe let out a soft sniffle “I’m sorry...”

Royal Harmine smiled kindly at her “Chloe, I told you, you never have to apologies for your feelings.”

Chloe shook her head “No... not for that...” Chloe looked at Royal Harmine with a sad determined look on her face as she gripped the older woman’s ring finger “For this.” With all of Chloe’s strength, she bent back The woman’s ring finger, causing it to snap into an unnatural angle.

Royal Harmine let out an inhuman scream as Chloe gripped onto the ring and yanked it off with all of her might, the ring coming off with almost no resistance. Chloe looked at the Miraculous duo, making a split second decision.

“CHAT! CATCH!” She yelled, throwing the ring towards Chat. Royal Harmine turned around and began to run after it, however Ladybug, seeing the opportunity, opened the bag of marbles and threw them across the roof, causing the woman to slip and fall.

Chat Noir, grabbed the ring as he yelled out Cataclysm, the ring becoming destroyed as the butterfly appeared.

The butterfly was quickly caught and Miraculous Ladybug was casted, as the swarm of Ladybugs went over all over Paris.