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Chapter 10: Prime Queen Part 2

(Italics: Broadcast Feed)

With Ladybug and Chat Noir jumping across the rooftops, over in Marinette's room, Alya and Manon had recovered from their earlier shock of what happened at the end of the interview and were now channel surfing. But Alya's efforts were in vain when she couldn't find anything good to watch, and Manon started to be affected by the late hour.

"Ugh, my interview would've been so much better." Alya whined after finally turning Marinette's computer, Manon laying on her back as she started to doze off.

"Why can't we see Mommy on TV anymore? And where's Marinette?" Manon asked as her voice decreased in volume, followed by her yawning and soon falling asleep.

"I'm sure she'll be back soon before you can say super Mano- " Alya assured the five-year-old, only to see that Manon was now sleeping. Softly smiling at the snoring Manon, Alya gently picked the child up and carried her to Marinette's chaise, laying her down on the elongated chair. But the moment was interrupted when Prime Queen suddenly appeared on the computer screen.

"Welcome to a new show! Hosted by me, Prime Queen!" Prime Queen announced with an evil laugh, immediately catching Alya's attention as she turned to face the computer screen and see the latest akuma.

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Back on the rooftops, Chat Noir and Ladybug had just arrived on a rooftop across from one of the city's numerous jumbo screens and were greeted by the sight of Prime Queen. Upon seeing the new akumatized villain, the two heroes stopped running and were still shocked.

"Don't be bemused, it's just the news!" Prime Queen quipped to the audience at home before cackling, immediately giving her true identity away to Ladybug and Chat Noir.


"Nadja?" Ladybug and Chat Noir gasped in surprise, them and nearly everyone in Paris shocked by the revelation while still watching the feed.

"Tonight, Ladybug and Chat Noir disappointed all their loyal fans by refusing to admit their love for one another." Prime Queen accused before jumping towards the back of the studio she was occupying to let the monitor previously behind her show Chloe's room on its screen. "I've prepared some trials just to see how far they're prepared to keep the truth hidden from us." the akumatized news anchor proclaimed as she grabbed a coil of cable from the edge of the cameras' feed, the big monitor revealing a now scared Chloé before Prime Queen began her plan.

Turning to the monitor behind her, Prime Queen reached her hand into the screen, suddenly going through the screen and appearing in Chloé's room with a smirk. Upon seeing the akuma entering her room, Chloé couldn't help the whimper coming from her mouth as Prime Queen stood in the center of her room. But Chloé's fear didn't last long.


"Hey! You're not allowed to come in here!" Chloe shouted at Prime Queen, the heiress's complaint being responded to by the akuma tugging on the substitute rope in her hands. "Security!" the blonde brat called out, only for Prime Queen to throw her cable rope at her, the coils wrapping around Chloé before the akuma pulled her towards them.


"Let's welcome our very first guest, Chloé Bourgeois, who's apparently a personal friend of our two superheroes." Prime Queen announced once Chloé was in her clutches, turning to face the heiress's TV-turned-monitor to address the frightened audience watching her broadcast.


"I certainly am." Chloé claimed, adopting her normal holier-than-thou attitude despite her current situation.

But Chloé's claim and Prime Queen's belief in the said claim did nothing to impress Ladybug while she and Chat Noir still stood on the roof across from the jumbo screen in front of them.

"Just proves that you can't believe everything you see on TV." Ladybug remarked, both appalled and unamused by the scene she was witnessing. However, regardless of how she felt, Ladybug still kept watching simply out of necessity to understand what she and Chat Noir were getting themselves into.

"Well then, dear Chloé, let's find out if you really can count on them as true friends." Prime Queen said to the blond brat, snapping her fingers at the monitor and causing the screen to change to a subway car.

Seconds later, Prime Queen jumped through one of the screen displays on the subway, scaring the few passengers in the car with her before pulling Chloé through. Fortunately for the passengers, the subway train stopped at a station and opened its doors, prompting everyone to run out and leave the train empty. However, their fleeing was perfect for Prime Queen's plan, who quickly dropped Chloé to the floor of the now empty subway car, angering the heiress.


"Hey, watch it! You're wrinkling my clothes! Do you realize how much they cost?" Chloé ranted to Prime Queen as she changed the screen display to show the train driver, the blonde brat watching as the akuma did a few stretches before diving into the screen and leaving her all alone.

Following Prime Queen's jump, she arrived at the front cabin of the train and scared the driver into running away in fear at the sight of her coming out of his console screen. With the driver gone, Prime Queen grabbed the accelerator lever and pushed it up, causing the subway door to close before going at full speed, sending Chloé falling to the floor again.


"Ugh, this can't be happening to me! I never, ever take the subway train! It's so, so, not me!" Chloé whined from her new spot on the floor, only to find a wad of gum stuck on the jacket. "Ugh, gross." the blonde brat cried, followed by her trying to get back onto her feet and attempt to get the gum off of her jacket just as Prime Queen appeared on the subway's numerous screen displays.

"Welcome, to the subway of suspense! If it reaches seventy miles per hour, you can say goodbye to your precious little friend." Prime Queen illustrated to the viewers, the camera cutting to show the speedometer and how fast the subway was getting before the akuma looked at her ratings watch. "Well, well, look here, the ratings are rising! More and more of you want to know if our superhero friends will get here on time. The suspense is killing her!" the akuma proclaimed as she showed the slowly increasing ratings to the audience, followed by an evil laugh as the camera switched to show Chloé worriedly leaning against a support pole.

"Ladybug! Chat Noir! Are you willing to travel through the screen to save your darling Chloé?" Prime Queen threateningly inquired the two heroes, the camera switching back to her during her rant before going back to Chloé again/

"Ladybug, Chat Noir! I beg you to save my jacket!" Chloé begged, waddling towards the screens as she made her plead, all while the subway was getting faster and faster.

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Now well-informed on the latest akuma's powers and goals, Ladybug and Chat Noir were ready to face off against Prime Queen. Thinking fast, Chat Noir pulled out his staff and extended it to the screen in front of the two heroes, soon discovering that it could go through it as Prime Queen had done earlier. With the discovery, the feline retracted his weapon to its normal size and turned to his now skeptical partner.

"Ready to take the leap M'lady?" Chat Noir questioned Ladybug with a bow, which didn't do anything to put her worries at ease.

"What if it's a trap? I think I'd rather get there by my own means." Ladybug admitted, pointing out that the offered path seemed a little too easy for her liking.

"There are many, many subway lines in Paris, which means at least one hundred and forty miles of rails. If we want to get there in time to save Chloé, I don't think we have a choice." " Chat Noir lightly argued matter-of-factly, seeming to win over Ladybug's logical side and annoy her that he had a good point at the same time.

"Just admit you love being on TV." Ladybug replied in a slightly exasperated tone, even though she had to concur with his plan.

"I don't get stage fright, Bugaboo." Chat Noir teased, putting his staff away before they both backed away from the edge of the roof.

Once they were a good distance away, Ladybug and Chat Noir ran back towards the end of the roof, jumping off from it with a shout. Seconds later, the two heroes found themselves sailing through the air towards the jumbo screen, soon going right through it and disappearing from onlookers' sight.

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Their choice proved to be the right one when they ended up getting spat out into the subway train that Chloé is held captive in. Not wasting any more time in dawdling after their landing, Ladybug and Chat Noir drew out their weapons and stood at the ready, only to see Prime Queen nowhere in the vicinity.

"Ugh, finally, what took you so long? Hurry up and get me out of this underground nightmare!" Chloé demanded when she saw the two heroes, quickly responded by the train rattling around. "Woah!" the blonde brat yelped as she fell to the floor, revealing a laughing Prime Queen stepping out from one of the screens on the other end of the subway car.

"You're about to be the stars of the highest-rated show in all of TV history!" Prime Queen proclaimed to the two heroes after walking to the door between the two display screens, showing off the rising ratings on her watch arm and revealing her akumatized object.

"The akuma must be in that watch! I'll deal with Prime Queen." Ladybug whispered to Chat Noir, outlining her plan and earning his approval.

"I'll deal with the door." Chat Noir said before Ladybug started spinning her yo-yo into a shield so that she and the feline could advance on the akuma.

While Ladybug ran through the middle of the seating aisle towards Prime Queen, Chat Noir pounced across the seats towards the door. Once she was close enough, Ladybug threw her yo-yo at Prime Queen, only for the akumatized news anchor to jump back into the display to her left, forcing the yo-yo to crack the glass door of the car. Just as Ladybug cracked the screen Prime Queen escaped from, she spotted her face occupying all of the screen displays, Chat Noir reached the cracked door and tried to open the door, finding it locked.

"We're trapped!" the feline fearfully exclaimed, turning back to face Ladybug and seeing Prime Queen occupying all the train's screen displays.

"The rules for my show are simple. Admit the truth live on TV that you're dating and in love and I'll stop the train!" Prime Queen outlined, giving her ultimatum to the two heroes.

"A superhero never lies! We won't admit to something that's not true." Ladybug replied, both out of her desire to not feed Nadja's fantasy and hopes to end any thoughts to the contrary.

"I want my scoop!" Prime Queen screamed from the screens, infuriated by Ladybug's denial while the train kept speeding up.

"I'll use my powers to destroy the door." Chat Noir decided, immediately standing ready to use it while keeping his eyes on Prime Queen to make sure she wouldn't try anything.

"No wait, we might need it for an emergency." Ladybug spoke up, halting Chat Noir from using his powers.

"Yeah, like right now!" Chat Noir exclaimed, which only earned a concerned glance from Ladybug.

"We have to lure her over here first or we'll never capture her akuma!" Ladybug explained, pointing out that they needed to focus on defeating Prime Queen; which would fix everything in the end. "So let's just play along with her. At least it'll buy us some time." the spotted heroine said, finally deciding to swallow her pride to defeat Prime Queen and leaving Chat Noir a little confused in the process.

"Meaning?" Chat Noir questioned, not sure of what Ladybug meant before she took a step forward.

"Okay, Prime Queen... you win." Ladybug announced, followed by her grabbing ahold of Chat Noir's hand and leaving him shocked. "I confess, Chat Noir and I are dating. Like you said. we are... in love." the heroine in red continued, triggering Prime Queen to stop the train immediately.

The sudden stop quickly resulted in not only Chloé falling over again, but also Chat Noir and Ladybug being thrown back to the end of the car. But as Ladybug was leaning on her partner's chest, she suddenly heard a rumbling sound coming from Chat Noir's body before it abruptly stopped seconds later. It was then that Ladybug could deduce the sound could only be one thing.

"Did I just hear you purr?" Ladybug asked Chat Noir in bemusement, lifting herself from his chest to give him a judging glare... even if she sort of found it adorable in private.

"Uh, no way!" Chat Noir nervously denied, hoping to cover up the uncontrollable cat behavior that slipped past his usual control.


"Our two heroic lovebirds are saving their fans' lives by admitting their true feelings. Our viewers are going crazy!" Prime Queen practically squealed through the screen, causing the two flustered heroes to look up at the screens just as a picture of them holding hands appeared. "But, our TV ratings haven't maxed out yet. You must do better!" the akumatized reporter declared, the rating meter on the side of the screen just starting to reach the bottom of the green section.

"Then come and join us, Prime Queen. You're the host and the star of the show after all. Then you'll have your ratings." Ladybug slyly remarked, hoping to draw the akuma out by using her hubris to her advantage. But while it intrigued Prime Queen, Hawkmoth decided to step in to prevent her from falling right into Ladybug's trap.

"Order them to give you their Miraculous!" Hawkmoth ordered, quickly cutting off the link to leave Prime Queen to her own devices once more.

"My show, my rules, Ladybug! To prove that your feelings are genuine, you're going to have to take off your masks. Which means you must both give me your Miraculous!" Prime Queen proclaimed, leaving Ladybug and Chat Noir immediately appalled by the idea.

"Not a chance, Prime Queen!" Ladybug snarled, not willing to comply with the request.

"Wait, I know how we can prove our feelings." Chat Noir exclaimed, followed by him gently grabbing Ladybug by the shoulders and turning her to face him. "Pucker up!" the feline cheered to Ladybug before closing his eyes and leaning in to attempt kissing her, Prime Queen watching in anticipation while Ladybug was giving him an unimpressed stare.

"Not a chance, kitty." Ladybug deadpanned, snapping Chat Noir out of his attempt and causing him to look down at the floor disappointedly. But he wasn't the only one disappointed seeing as a frowning Prime Queen turned off the screens, leaving them black and catching the heroes' attention.

"Is the show over?" Chat Noir wondered aloud, knocking on the screen while Ladybug's panic started to grow.

"If we can't get to her, we'll never be able to capture her akuma!" Ladybug panicked, her hands reflexively going to hover around her head before the screen suddenly turned back on and revealed Prime Queen once more.


"My dear viewers, you are in for the reveal of a lifetime!" Prime Queen proclaimed through the screen, laughing as the camera zoomed out to show she was in the Louvre Museum before opening a sarcophagus with Alya tied up inside.


"Ladybug, Chat Noir help me, please!" Alya pleaded through the screen; struggling with ropes before Prime Queen slammed the sarcophagus lid close.


"Oh wait, isn't this the girl who started the famous Ladyblog? The first one who ever filmed Ladybug?" Prime Queen rhetorically asked in a mocking tone, knowing full well who she had captured.

"Alya!" Ladybug cried in worry, panicking even more at the sight of her best friend captured.

"Next trial, your Miraculous! Or else your biggest fan will be mummified!" Prime Queen threatened with a cackle.

After she did, Prime Queen commanded the screen Chat Noir was leaning his hand against to become a new portal, which caused him to almost fall through before catching himself. But a second after pulling his hand back from the portal, the screen was quickly filled with static to block their destination from view.

"Let's leap in before she runs!" Ladybug exclaimed, hoping to quickly defeat Prime Queen to save Alya as soon as possible. But regardless of their inability to see where they would end up, Chat Noir nodded and they jumped through the screen... leaving a still-tied-up-Chloé behind.

"Hey, wait! What about me? Someone get me out of here!" Chloé whined when she saw that Ladybug and Chat Noir had left her, hopping along the train car floor on her knees in hopes of getting someone's attention to help her.

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Unfortunately, Ladybug and Chat Noir's luck in traveling through the screen portals didn't continue from the first one, resulting in them landing at a location other than the Louvre. When they recovered from the fall, the two heroes found themselves inside the Le Grand Paris's kitchen walk-in freezer, leaving them worried.

"We're not at the Louvre..." Chat Noir observed as he and Ladybug rose to their feet, his hands immediately going to his arms to retain his rapidly declining body warmth.

"It was a double-cross!" Ladybug growled in fury while she stepped to the door and tried to open it, only to find it bolted shut even after she pulled on the handle. But the sound of a laughing Prime Queen appearing on the newly placed screen in the freezer caught both hers and Chat Noir's attention, causing them to face the akuma.

"Uh, is now a good time to use my powers?" Chat Noir asked, offering to free them from their confines while Ladybug mimicked him and placed her hands on her arms to keep herself warm.

"There's no point! We're probably far away from the Louvre! By the time we get there, it'll be too late to save Alya!" Ladybug ranted in frustration, her panicked state rising in intensity by the second.

"So, a kiss then?" Chat Noir slyly suggested, followed by him moving close to Ladybug for a kiss.

"Still not a chance, Chat Noir." Ladybug deadpanned once more, still unimpressed by Chat Noir's attempt to steal a kiss from her. Shot down yet again, Chat Noir pouted as he looked down at the ground in disappointment... which was short-lived when Prime Queen decided to continue with her plan.

"The time has come to push those ratings sky-high!" Prime Queen proclaimed, fully catching the heroes' attention once again. "Let's try this again. Remove your Miraculous and reveal your true selves! The whole world is watching you!" the akumatized news anchor demanded while showing off the rapidly rising ratings on her watch, earning another visit from her butterfly-themed benefactor.

"The perfect plan, Prime Queen. They're cornered! Their Miraculous are mine!" Hawkmoth declared, his whole demeanor buzzing with excitement due to how close the Miraculous was within his grasp. With that said, he cut the link off and left Prime Queen to continue her plan.

"There's no use looking for a way out!" Prime Queen maliciously assured the captive heroes, spinning and pushing the sarcophagus holding Alya captive to the ground.

"Ow!" Alya yelped from inside the sarcophagus after being tossed around, all while Prime Queen adjusted the sarcophagus to lay across one of the numerous screens in her lair.

"Unless you want to see your biggest fan in deep water." Prime Queen threatened before snapping her fingers, the screen in front of the sarcophagus changing to display the Seine and shocking Chat Noir and Ladybug. From there, the akumatized reporter placed her foot onto the end of the sarcophagus and pushed it through the screen, the container slowly creeping off the edge of the screen and towards the river.

"Hurry up, you two. Don't wanna keep your audience waiting." the evil news anchor taunted the two heroes, pushing the sarcophagus even further off the edge of the screen. Seeing how close Alya was to being drowned, Ladybug finally had enough of standing by and doing nothing.

"You're right! Lucky Charm!" Ladybug proclaimed, summoning her powers and receiving... "A tape roll? What am I supposed to do with this?" the spotted heroine wondered aloud after the object had landed in her hands. But true to form, Ladybug quickly started looking around the freezer for things to work with for her plan, leading to all of the storage tubs lighting up in her mind and giving her the inspiration she needed.

"Of course!" Ladybug cheered, followed by her running to the storage tubs and pulling out the drawers in search of what she needed.

"Hurry up, she's about to push Alya in the water!" Chat Noir anxiously reported to the searching Ladybug, standing off to the side as he watched his partner work.

"Give me one minute!" Ladybug told her partner, still running around the freezer and going through the tubs.

"That's too long!" Chat Noir cried, his worry rising higher with each passing minute.

"Listen to the cat." Prime Queen suggested, her pushing the sarcophagus even further through the screen adding emphasis to her words as the heavy container leaned over the edge and towards the river.

Feeling the weight of Prime Queen's threat, Ladybug continued to frantically pull out tubs in the hopes of finding something to use in her plan. Her efforts were rewarded when she came across a storage tub with a frozen pizza box inside.

"Voilà!" Ladybug cheered in accomplishment, quickly removing the pizza from the box and giving it to Chat Noir before taping the box onto the screen, making it go dark on the other side. At the sight of her view of Ladybug and Chat Noir taken away, Prime Queen pulled the sarcophagus back from the screen edge and ran to the newly darkened screens.

"What's happening?" Prime Queen wondered as she knelt next to one of the screens that were connected to the one in the walk-in-freezer, not liking that she had no way of seeing her foes.

"Fine, you win, Prime Queen. We'll remove our Miraculous. The whole world will see us without our masks!" Ladybug announced from behind the black screen, cheekily tossing the tape roll in her hands while Prime Queen listened agitatedly.

"And we're about to kiss! Shame you're missing it!" Chat Noir taunted alongside his partner behind the black screen, both him and Ladybug flanking the covered screen in preparation for Prime Queen's arrival.

"So unlucky!" Ladybug teased, adding the final nail in Prime Queen's coffin as the akuma looked at the halting ratings on her watch. Right there and then... she made her decision.

"If you're lying, you're going to regret it." Prime Queen threatened before punching through the box, her hand suddenly getting grabbed and pulled on by Ladybug, bringing the akumatized news anchor through the screen. Seconds after Prime Queen landed on the freezer floor, Chat Noir used his staff to break the screen, making it go dark in its newly shattered state.

"And now you're stuck with us." Chat Noir proclaimed before Prime Queen jumped to her feet to try attacking them.

The akuma tried going for Chat Noir first, who merely dodged her punches before she moved on to Ladybug instead. But that proved to be the wrong choice when Laddbug ducked from her punch and grabbed Prime Queen's arm, slamming into it so that she could tuck it under her armpit and kick at the akuma's legs. Once Prime Queen was taken off balance, Ladybug jumped up and flipped the akumatized reporter to the ground, subduing her so that Chat Noir could use his staff to destroy her watch, letting the akuma escape. With the akumatized villain taken care of, the hero in black could finally use his...

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir shouted, calling on his powers and using them to destroy the freezer door, freeing them in a shower of ash. "Ladies first!" the feline said with a smile, bowing to Ladybug as he figuratively held the door open for her.

"Thank you, kitty!" Ladybug replied as she walked out of the freezer, quickly spotting the akuma fluttering away from them. "No more evildoing for you, little akuma." the spotted heroine exclaimed as she opened her yo-yo to reveal the sparkling pool of cleansing energy inside of it.

"Time to de-evilize!" Ladybug shouted before she threw her yo-yo toward the akuma, catching it within her yo-yo and pulling it back to her. "Gotcha!" the heroine in red cheered when the yo-yo was back in her hands. A second later, she released the purified akuma, setting the white butterfly free.

"Bye, bye little butterfly," Ladybug said as the butterfly flew away, right before throwing the Lucky Charm up into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!" the superheroine cried out, summoning the cleansing cure and the magic ladybugs. The resulting blast of energy quickly turned everything back to normal, sending Chloé back to her home, and Alya back to Marinette's house. It also restored the Louvre to normal and turned Prime Queen back into Nadja once more.

"W-w-what just happened?" Nadja stammered, rubbing her head in confusion before she noticed Ladybug and Chat Noir standing nearby.

"Pound it!" Ladybug and Chat Noir cheered, doing their celebratory fist bump at their job well done.

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Meanwhile, in Hawkmoth's underground lair, the resident super terrorist was currently seething about his latest defeat, not happy to be thwarted by his enemies again.

"Prime Queen turned out to be bad news." Hawkmoth observed in quiet anguish, barely holding back his anger while the surrounding butterflies flustered around him. "But soon, I'll be broadcasting the end of Ladybug and Chat Noir!" the madman proclaimed as the lair window closed up, leaving him in darkness with his numerous butterflies yet again. Here's to hoping that he will be more successful next time... NOT!

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Back over in Marinette's house, a newly freed Alya had taken to watching over the sleeping Manon, only to be pulled out of her sentry duty when Marinette came up the stairs.

"I'm so sorry Alya! I had no idea it would take so long to talk to my parents!" Marinette apologized as she climbed back into her room, prompting Alya to stand up and walk over to her.

"You won't believe it, I was taken hostage by a supervillain!" Alya exclaimed, grabbing Marinette's hands in her excitement/disbelief.

"What? You're kidding!" Marinette gasped in fake surprise, already fully aware of that little tidbit since she helped save Alya in the first place.


"No joke! You missed everything!" Alya griped, letting go of one of Marinette's hands in her rant. "Luckily, Ladybug saved me!" the reporter added, so wrapped up in her recount of events that she missed Marinette's relieved smile before she hugged Alya.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't here for you." Marinette apologized, feeling bad that Alya was involved in the crossfire with this akuma.

"No biggie, girl." Alya assured Marinette, pulling out of their hug to pat the designer on the head. "But the next time we decide to spend an evening together, you're not allowed to go anywhere near your parents." the bespeckled girl declared before pulling Marinette into a hug, making the designer laugh before hugging her bestie back.

"Deal." Marinette replied, happy to compile with Alya's demand.

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Well after Alya had fallen asleep and Nadja had picked up Manon, Marinette had taken her phone and climbed up to her balcony so that she could partake in her usual video call with Jim and Toby. While she was always happy to talk to her brothers, the designer knew they would have seen the Face-To-Face disaster alongside Prime Queen's livestream and would be all for pestering her about it. So she would rather deal with it head-on and get through it in the limited time she had to talk to her brothers before going to bed, seeing as she had school the next day. Fortunately for Marinette, she didn't need to wait very long after the clock struck 9 pm for her phone screen to notify her that Jim was calling, prompting her to answer it.

"Hey guys! I see that Blinky, Aaarrrgghh!!! and Draal are with you guys." Marinette greeted her brothers as she sat in her balcony's sling chair, spotting the three Trolls sitting behind the two boys as they sat in front of Jim's computer.

"Care to explain what the heck happened on your end with Nadja and Prime Queen!?" Jim asked with a questioning eyebrow raised at her in intrigue, unknowingly playing into Marinette's expectations for how the video call would go.

"Nice to see you're focusing on the lingering issues, Jim." Marinette sighed with a fond roll of her eyes, mentally preparing herself for the conversation that was about to take place.

"Can you blame us, MariFairy? The fact that it seems like the majority of Paris is shipping you and Chat Noir, it's no surprise that Jimbo's only bringing it up now." Toby revealed, both he and Jim surprised that so many people were so invested in the love life of Marinette's alter ego. "Quite frankly, I'm surprised that he hasn't talked about it." the rounded boy admitted, a slightly amused pout occupying his face as he looked off to the side in thought.

"In any case, I don't think I need to fill you in on what happened with Prime Queen. Right?" Marinette asked, which was responded to by the whole group nodding to confirm her query.

"Nope. But could you clear up a little debate between us?" Jim questioned in the hopes of settling an ongoing matter between him and the rest of the basement-dwelling group, earning a nod from his sister.

"Okay, but make it quick. I've got school in the morning and I want to go to bed at a reasonable time after tonight." Marinette replied, a yawn passing through her lips alongside an accompanying free arm stretch towards the end of her sentence.

"Fair enough. We won't keep you too long." Toby assured, not looking for them to be the reason for Marinette turning into a zombie the next morning.

"Great. So what's the argument about?" Marinette inquired, hoping to settle the matter quickly.

"Before Prime Queen first appeared, Master Jim and Tobias were in a heated discussion of whether or not you are in love with Chat Noir." Blinky began, which only earned Marientte face-palming herself in exasperation when hearing about the recurring argument.

"Oh god... not this again." Marinette groaned, dragging her free hand down her face before narrowing her eyes at her two brothers. "Let me just set the record straight for everyone here... Chat Noir and I are not dating!!! I only said that to pacify Prime Queen and lure her to me and Chat Noir." the designer announced, making sure to make sure her words couldn't be taken in any other context to be misinterpreted.

"Not in love?" Aaarrrgghh!!! wondered out loud, a frown appearing on his stoney face for the second time that night.

"No, Aaarrrgghh!!!. We aren't in love." Marinette confirmed, her face adopting its own pout at the sight of the suddenly melancholy Troll.

"Awww..." Aaarrrgghh!!! sighed, his shoulders sagging as he looked down at the ground in disappointment.

"Sorry, big guy. While I know you are impartial in this debate and a big softie, I can't admit to something that's not true just to please everyone else." Marinette explained, seeming to have worked in cheering Aaarrrgghh!!! a little bit if him looking back up at the computer screen again was a sign of his improving mood. "By the way... I've been meaning to ask something." the pigtailed girl admitted, catching her brother's and Trolls' attention.

"Go on, sis." Toby encouraged, wondering what she had to say.

"I'm aware of Blinky and Aaarrrgghh!!!'s views on this particular matter. But admittedly, I'm wondering what Draal thinks about this." Marinette admitted, recalling what Jim had told her after Despair Bear and causing the group to turn and look at the crystal-backed Troll in anticipation of his answer.

"In all honesty... I'm starting to side with your brother on this matter." Draal revealed, immediately causing Jim's face to light up with excitement and earning a displeased groan from Toby and Marinette

"FINALLY!!! ABOUT TIME SOMEONE HAS MY BACK ON THIS!!!!" Jim cheered, throwing his hands into the air in his celebration while Marinette could only shake her head at Draal's answer.

"While I'm glad you're being honest, Draal, I can see that I totally walked into that one, didn't I?" Marinette questioned aloud, knowing that she wouldn't have been subjected to Jim's response to Draal's answer if she hadn't asked in the first place.

"It would appear so." Blinky replied, a small wince occupying his face while Jim turned his attention back to her.

"Hey, no one else has sided with me on the matter of your love life... of course I'm excited!!!" Jim exclaimed, his smile now permanently adhered to his features now that he wasn't alone on the 'Pro Chat Noir' Train.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah... too bad it's not going to happen." Marinette replied, a tiredly fond head snake accompanying her eye roll at Jim.

"We'll see about that." Aaarrrgghh!!! muttered, earning a surprised glance from her, Blinky and Toby.

"I thought that you were impartial, Aaarrrgghh!!!." Blinky spoke up, eyes wide at Aaarrrgghh!!!'s words while the large grey Troll merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Support both sides!" Aaarrrgghh!!! replied, a bashful smile on his face while Marinette pinched the bridge of her nose to stop a headache from forming.

"You know, I'm starting to wonder why everyone is so invested in my love life." Marinette voiced, once again earning the group's attention. "Jim and Toby I can understand for obvious reasons, but I didn't expect you guys to be so involved." the red-tipped-haired girl admitted, intrigued by the Troll's deep involvement in her love life that could and would certainly rival that of the City of Love's devotion to it.

"Marinette, you are one of the first Miraculous Holders in nearly 200 years. And us Trolls have had our kinds' Miraculous Holders frequently develop what you humans call 'romantic feelings' for each other many times." Draal spoke up, diving into a little bit of lore regarding his mother's teammates in the hopes of explaining Blinky, Aaarrrgghh!!!, and his recent interest in Marinette's affairs. "It is to be expected that us Trolls would be interested in whether or not history repeats itself." the crystal-backed Troll continued, prompting Blinky to nod at his words.

"He's right, Lady Marinette. Especially when Draal is the byproduct of such a pairing, even if his father was only the Trollhunter." Blinky added in agreement, recalling such incidents from the Trolls's extensive past with the magic jewels. " Not to mention how these pairings have proven to be stronger when fighting together rather than alone. It's in our kind's best interest to see if our protectors can work together when needed, despite their affection towards each other." the six-eyed Troll finished, leaving Marinette to nod in thought from the explanation she had heard.

"Okay, fair enough. But I can tell you with absolute certainty that Chat Noir and I will not end up together." Marinette sternly assured them all, followed up by a pointed glare directed at her brothers and the Trolls sitting behind them. "And I don't want to hear another word on this debate you guys have going, okay?" the designer questioned, causing everyone on the other end of the call to nod in agreement to her terms, Jim's a little less eagerly however.

"Jim..." Marinette drawled out, sending a heated glare in her blood brother's direction and prompting him to sigh in relent.

"Fine... I'll try not to bring it up anymore. But I make no promises if it brings itself up." Jim promised in the hopes of appeasing his sister. Fortunately for him, it seemed to have worked.

"At this point, I'll take what I can get." Marinette sighed, even though she was glad he was going to try not to go on about it for the sake of her sanity. "So other than what happened tonight... how have things been going since finding out about NotEnrique?" the pigtailed girl asked, hoping to redirect the conversation onto her brother's side of things now that the matter was resolved... for the time being.

"Not too bad, actually. But we did have an incident down in Heartstone." Jim replied, reflecting on what happened the previous day before they all joined up to watch the live stream.

"Oooh! Do tell!!" Marinette squealed, excited to hear the story so that she could take her mind off of Prime Queen once and for all.

"With pleasure!" Toby declared, happy to go into heavy detail about the aforementioned incident that had occurred while Jim was down in the Hero's Forge for training. From that point on, the video call consisted of a humorous recount of the accident they all later agreed to never speak of again before Marinette finally went to bed, happy to sleep off the recent akuma attack.

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(Time Skip)

The Saturday after Prime Queen's akumatization, Marinette, Alya and Manon had gathered at the pigtailed teen's house so that Alya could show them her latest video. Once they were in Marinette's living room, Alya wasted no time in playing the first episode of Nadja's new show; Side by Side, excited to share it.

"Don't be bemused, it's just the news! Hi, I'm Nadja Chamack, and this is Side by Side." Nadja greeted the audience at home, the camera focusing on her after the opening titles. "Today, I'm joined by Alya Césiare, who created the Ladyblog! Together, we'll be looking back over Chat Noir and Ladybug's greatest feats." the news anchor elaborated as the camera panned over to Alya as she sat on the other end of the couch she and Nadja were sitting on, neither she nor the audience aware of Arlette praising her through her earpiece.


"Hello Nadja! Hey, fans!" Alyq welcomed, glad to be on the show. "So, first of all, I gotta set the record straight. Chat Noir and Ladybug are not a couple!" the aspiring reporter announced, hoping to finally set the record straight on that particular subject.

"Well... not yet at least. Sorry to break the news." Alya added with a small laugh, knowing that there would be a few people unhappy with the news.

But that didn't matter to the girls watching the video-considering it had already happened- while Manon climbed onto the back of the couch, only stopping when she saw the video playing.

"Hey, that's you with my mommy!" Manon squealed, pointing to Alya's phone before the reporter passed it over to Marinette.

"That's right, small fry!" Alya confirmed, lightly booping Manon's nose while Marinette smiled at the display in her hands.

"Well done! Now everyone's going to know about the Ladyblog!" Marinette praised her best friend, glad that Alya would be getting the recognition she deserved and happy that the misunderstanding about her and Chat Noir's relationship status was put to bed.

"You want an autograph?" Alya asked as she pulled out a notepad and pen from her bag with a smirk, amusing Marinette and exciting Manon.

"Of course!" Marinette cheered, all on board for supporting her best friend's progress and boosting her ego a little.

"Me first! Me first!" Manon practically begged as she waved her hand in the air, leaning over the crest of the back of the couch in her excitement and causing the two teens to laugh. All in all, it was a good day for both Marinette and Alya. But with Marinette's birthday the next day, who knows what would happen?

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