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“Miraculous Ladybug!”
The trademark swarm of magical ladybugs flew around the sky, fixing all the damage that had been caused during the fight—returning the city to its proper state, and un-paralyzing all those who had been frozen by the bite of Queen Wasp’s little minions. Ladybug had to admit, she was a bit more partial to her own group of insects. But speaking of Queen Wasp—
“POLLEN!”
The spotted superheroine’s attention moved from the last remaining ladybugs to Chloé, who had immediately set down the now-restored Miraculous and grabbed the little bee kwami into a hug against her cheek. The poor thing looked a bit dazed ( Ladybug couldn’t blame her; not only had her Miraculous been infected by an akuma, it had also been cataclysm-ed ), but returned the gesture after only a moment, nuzzling against Chloé’s cheek.
Were those… tears in Chloé’s eyes?
“I’m so sorry!” she cried, running a thumb over the top of Pollen’s head gently. She let go, allowing Pollen to back away a bit, and looked down at the Miraculous in her lap, shame in her eyes. “That must have been horrible— an akuma was in your comb, and then Chat Noir destroyed it, and…I was so worried about you! I thought…I didn’t know if you…”
It was hard to tell from where Ladybug was standing, but it looked like Pollen’s expression softened as she moved closer once again. “My Queen, I am alright. That was certainly an experience, and I’m sorry for worrying you—”
“No!” Chloé exclaimed, a horrified expression on her face. “Don’t apologize to me! This was all my fault…I used your comb just to show off to my mother, and got akumatized after all that…I’m so glad you’re okay, but you have nothing to be sorry for!”
This…had to be some kind of dream, right? In all her years of knowing her, Marinette had only ever seen Chloé willingly take the blame for something once, when Mlle. Bustier had turned into Zombizou. She glanced over at Chat Noir, who had a strange mix of surprise and…was that pride on his face? What was even happening right now?
Meanwhile, Pollen had gone back to reassuring Chloé. “Well…I forgive you, My Queen. However, you mustn’t blame yourself for what Le Papillon is doing—in the end, this is his fault, and I do not blame you for what happened while you were under the influence of that vile man.” Chloé sniffed and wiped at her eyes before carefully bringing the kwami close for another hug.
While Ladybug had never met Pollen personally, she seemed very sweet, and the gesture unfolding in front of her brought memories of Tikki comforting her in similar ways. Even the way Pollen was held close to Chloé reminded her of herself and her kwami. An uncomfortable feeling was beginning to settle in her stomach; similar to when she’d first asked Alya for the Fox Miraculous back. She hadn’t expected Chloé to bond with Pollen so quickly—especially since they weren’t even supposed to meet.
Still…she couldn’t just let Chloé keep the Miraculous, even discounting what had happened today. Master Fu was counting on her to return it. She cleared her throat quietly, prompting both Chloé and Pollen to turn and look at her. After a moment, Ladybug held out her hand.
“I need you to give me the Miraculous back, Chloé.”
Chloé drew in a sharp breath, glanced at Pollen, and took the Miraculous in her hands from where it had been sitting on her lap. “Give me a second chance, please!” She was practically begging, and Pollen looked distraught as well, though mostly resigned. The uncomfortable feeling in Ladybug’s stomach twisted, but she kept her hand out.
“Chloé. It isn’t my call to make whether or not you get to keep it.” Before Chloé could say anything, however, a news van pulled up beside them. How had they even gotten that thing DOWN here by the bank? It wasn’t like this path was a road…
Nadja Chanmak stepped out of the van’s door, and Ladybug had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. Honestly…of all the times for the media to show up. The last thing she needed was for all of Paris to figure out exactly what the Miraculous were, or worse, to start hounding her for one of their own. Pollen disappeared conveniently out of sight into the Miraculous, and Chloé stared at it sadly.
“Audrey Bourgeois,” Nadja began, holding a tablet with the fashion mogul on screen. “Tell us live how you feel about what just happened?”
“According to me, Chloé just clearly demonstrated that there is nothing ‘ exceptional ’ about her.” Audrey sneered, turning away from her end’s camera in disgust. Ladybug’s fist curled into a ball—how could this woman talk about her own daughter like that? While Marinette was definitely not a fan of Chloé, it was easy to see why she was like this, if she’d tried to emulate her mother all her life. But before she could snap back at her for being a hypocrite, Chloé stood up and glared at the tablet, murder in her eyes.
“You know what? No. I messed up today. I get that. I hurt people, both civilians and those I care about. But I’m not going to cow to you for one more minute, Mother! I’ve been…a horrible person. I have hardly any friends, and I treat the people around me terribly. I’m aware of that. But I was only ever trying to impress you! My mother, who walked out when I was a child. I don’t want to hear anything you have to say. Not anymore.
“I’m done apologizing to you. I’m done trying to win your approval, because I know now—I’ll never be enough for you. I am sorry. But not to you. ” She turned on her heel, facing Ladybug and Chat Noir, and Chloé’s expression softened. “I’m sorry, Ladybug. Chat Noir. And to the people of Paris I’ve hurt with my actions.”
She glanced down at the comb in her hand once more and took a deep breath before handing it to Ladybug. “I’m not asking you to forgive me, but I hope you can tell that I’m sincere. Please… take care of her for me. She deserves a better queen.” The request was murmured softly, and Ladybug couldn't tell if it was to prevent the cameras from overhearing, or because of Chloé's emotions.
The spotted superheroine stared at the comb, all sorts of conflicting emotions running through her. Chat Noir put a hand on Chloé’s shoulder thoughtfully. “I know you only did the things you did to impress your mother,” he said quietly.
Curling her fingers around the comb, Ladybug nodded. “Anyone can make mistakes, even a superhero. What matters is how you fix them.”
Chloé, who’d previously been averting her gaze, met both heroes with a determined expression. “Alright. I’ll do my best.” With one final glance at her mother, she turned and began walking away. Ladybug and Chat Noir watched her for a moment before running off in the opposite direction. They were both on timers, after all, and Ladybug had to make a return delivery.