Chapter Text
Chloé Bourgeois was not perfect.
Not that she’d ever admit that out loud, of course, but she had certainly thought it, especially on those particularly low days when she missed Pollen and had seen Ladybug and Chat Noir swinging around the rooftops of Paris and defeating akuma without her. Despite the outward image she projected, she was aware of what people said about her. Well aware, in fact. They didn’t try to hide it.
Selfish. Cruel. Obnoxious. Childish. Heartless.
And she couldn’t deny any of them. Not really. Even after trying to be better, a reputation like hers simply didn’t go away overnight, and while she hadn’t been the catalyst for an akuma ( intentionally or otherwise ) in a long time ( Like. Days. And she’d had a pretty long record going before Aurelie or whatever her name was got another butterfly in her umbrella ), she still heard whispers.
But why should she let that bother her? They didn’t know. Well, they knew she was Queen Bee, because everyone in Paris did, but they didn’t know that she was getting better, because they didn’t want to think it. It would be so much easier for them to just pretend she was going to be a spoiled rotten heiress forever, so they had someone to aim their disdainful looks at.
Yeah. Sure. It was a pretty thought. And certainly absolved her of any blame.
No matter what anyone said or thought, though, Chloé knew she was at least a good superhero. There’d been a rough start, sure, but that was in the past, and Ladybug knew that if she needed Queen Bee, Chloé would always be waiting for her, ready at a moment’s notice. She’d already proven herself with the whole Malediktator and Scarlet Moth thing, not to mention what happened with Miraculeur. Sure, she’d lost Mayura ( despicable bird ), but Ladybug knew that wasn’t on purpose. And it wasn’t as though Chloé hadn’t tried. The bottom line was that there was only one Queen Bee— her— and she was ready whenever Ladybug had need of her.
She hadn’t gotten that Bee Signal specially commissioned for no reason . Ladybug needed to be able to know that whenever a new akuma appeared, Chloé was waiting in the wings for her to show up with that beautiful red and black box, the comb and Pollen inside, waiting for her in turn.
Though, recently...Queen Bee hadn’t gotten a chance to shine much at all. And maybe that was simply due to the skills of her idol—Ladybug was absolutely amazing, and she always had that cat around, too—but Chloé could never stop that annoying pang of jealousy and hurt in her heart when a new Miraculous holder was seen. A new hero who wasn’t her.
Rena Rogue and Carapace didn’t really count, having come before her, but seeing them didn’t help much, either. It wasn’t like they hadn’t messed up in the past, too. Chloé could distinctly remember a few scarlet butterflies headed their way during the whole Day of Heroes fiasco: Carapace hadn’t even needed to get hit by one of those hatred-inducing arrows.
And seeing them involved in fighting whatever new akuma had shown up to try and ruin the day...it stung, too. Team Miraculous, back together...only without her. Because she was selfish. Cruel. Obnoxious. Childish. Heartless.
If she was honest, her parents getting dual-akumatized wasn’t really a question of if, but more when. Things between them had been rocky for years, even before Chloé herself had entered the picture: there was a reason Audrey spent so much of her time in New York, and it wasn’t just because of her work. The fact that she had stayed in Paris for such a long time was nothing short of a miracle, but not a good one. More in the sense of ‘it’s incredible to believe that even had the potential to happen’ .
Not that Chloé would have complained if she’d left for New York and didn’t come back. She was done cowing to her mother: she’d made that very clear. There were still appearances to keep up, and she didn’t want to completely break her father’s heart, but there would be no more attempts at emulating the woman for whom nothing could ever be good enough. And that was fine. Chloé had long since made her peace with that. But then Audrey didn’t leave.
And for a while, it looked like Audrey was content—well, as content as she could be with anything—in pushing around her husband and firing random hotel staff. But of course, things had boiled over eventually ( part of Chloé believed that Gabriel Agreste had made that thing so hideous on purpose, though she couldn’t think of a reason why . Honestly, what was it even supposed to be? It didn’t look like any cloak she’d ever seen. It looked more like that ‘get-along-shirt’ thing she’d seen while scrolling online ), which was why her parents were now traipsing around Paris, finding any love they could and gobbling it up.
She’d barely escaped with her life, thank you very much, and while it was easy to admit that there was hardly any love for her parents these days ( especially what they’d become, and she didn’t mean the akuma ), there were some things—some ones —that she still loved, very dearly, and she couldn’t risk becoming an appetizer before she finally got the chance to act on that love.
However, when she got to the roof, her Bee Signal was ruined. The cord had been cut, preventing her from turning it on and getting Ladybug’s attention, and the spotted superheroine was clearly having trouble with their newest foe. She was swinging around all over the place, trying not to get zapped, and when she finally used her yoyo to swing by the Palace, Chloé was quick to get her attention. I’m waiting for you.
It only made sense, right? Queen Bee could stun their opponents if she got the hit with Venom ( and with her amazing skill, there was no way she’d miss ), and from then on, getting the akuma would be easy. Ladybug would see what an amazing hero she was, and maybe there could even be talk of her keeping the Miraculous permanently. Or, at least, receiving it on a more regular basis.
Minutes passed. Nothing. Time was always a tricky thing to measure during akuma fights, but it certainly wouldn’t take Ladybug that long to get her Miraculous and bring it back to Chloé. A flash of red and black moved in her peripheral, and Chloé preened, ready to accept the comb—but then there was another red and black figure, jumping rooftops alongside Ladybug.
Another new hero. Who wasn’t her.
Chloé had never seen this dragon-girl before, but just the sight was enough to cause anger to boil in her stomach. What did she have that Queen Bee didn’t? What could she do that Chloé couldn’t? This was ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!
Her fist pounded on the balcony’s iron rail, pain barely registering as tears started to prick at her eyes. Great. Now she’d have runny make-up, too. Way to rub salt in her wounds, universe. She didn’t understand. She just didn’t understand! Why...didn’t Ladybug trust in her?
The Bee Signal—stupid, useless thing—was kicked over, and her head placed firmly on the railing. She didn’t want to see this. She didn’t want to see anything.
“Chloé Bourgeois,” said a low, familiar voice from behind her. Blue eyes widen as she turned around—she’d only ever seen him once, and he’d disappeared quickly after that. The man holding Paris hostage. Hawk Moth, standing right in front of her. He continued, towering over her. “Rejections hurt. Your talents deserve to be recognized. Ladybug and Chat Noir’s reign has gone on long enough. It’s time for Paris to have a new queen. And the queen on my chessboard is you.”
Her fists clenched at her sides, and she stood up straighter. Like hell she was just going to let him think he could intimidate her, please her with pretty words that didn’t mean anything. She’d had his voice in her ear before, and beaten it. Now wasn’t going to be any different. She...She is a superhero.
“You akumatized my parents! If I had my Miraculous, I’d—!”
A purple-clad hand is held up, cutting her off ( and oh, if that doesn’t make her burn even hotter with anger...who does he think he is?! Negative emotions around him are certainly risky, but she can’t help it. Not to mention she’s rejected his smooth promises of power before. Nice try, old man ). “You’re right. But I did it for one reason only—so you would finally realize that Ladybug will never give you the Bee Miraculous again.”
A sharp pain in her chest, like she’s been stabbed. Talk about knowing where it hurts. But...it’s only because it’s dangerous, right? Obviously Hawk Moth already knows who she is. He knows how to get to her. He’s already akumatized her parents, and now…
“I, however, always keep my promises,” said Hawk Moth, holding out a hand. Chloé’s blood ran cold, a stark contrast to her fiery anger. That was her comb. Pollen’s miraculous. In the hands of this evil man. No way. This was a trick, or a lie, or some kind of illusion to get her on his side.
“This isn’t real!” She said, certainty lacing her words. “How do you have it?”
“Try it,” he offered. “See for yourself.”
Her gaze flicked back and forth between villain and Miraculous as he kept talking. “You’re Ladybug’s greatest fan. You’ve helped her. You’ve trusted her. And what has she done for you in return?”
A growl rumbled low in her throat, hardly benefitting that of a queen. Her fist curled into a ball, nails digging into the soft skin of her palms. If she dug any further, there would be crescent-moon-shaped divots in her skin.
And then an idea occurred to her.
“Nothing,” said Chloé, voice hard. “She couldn’t care less about me. I’m done with her. She’s irrelevant. Utterly irrelevant.”
A hand shot out to grab the comb before another thought occurred to her. Her glare was still vicious: if looks could kill, Hawk Moth probably would have spontaneously combusted. “I want you to de-akumatize my parents .”
“Whatever you say, My Queen,” he practically purred, with the tone of a man who knew he’d won. She had to physically prevent herself from noticeably shivering. That was Pollen’s name for her, and hearing it come out of his mouth…
“Don’t call me that,” she snapped. He appeared a bit taken aback, but nodded nonetheless. She finally grabbed the comb from his hand and wasted no time in positioning it among her blonde locks, right below her sunglasses where it belonged. The spark of yellow and gold glimmering light appeared from the jewel, and Pollen appeared, looking more scared and apprehensive than Chloé had ever seen her.
“Majesty—”
“Pollen. Are you alright? Has he hurt you in any way?” Her words were still clipped, but she carefully took the little kwami into her hands, as though examining her for injuries. Pollen blinked, her fear replaced with confusion, and Chloé could see Hawk Moth raise a brow from under his stupid cowl as well. He clearly hadn’t been expecting such an open display of affection from Chloé for a being who wasn’t herself, but that showed what he knew about her.
“No, My Queen, I am fine, but—”
“Good. Now, you’re going to do exactly as I say, alright? Do you trust me?”
“Of—of course I do, but Chloé, please— ”
“Alright. Pollen, transforme-moi!”
Any other protests the kwami had were abruptly cut off as she was sucked back into the comb, and while part of Chloé felt bad about that ( she was just concerned, and worried about her holder… ) the heiress could not risk losing the Miraculous again. The feeling of power enveloped her, and while there were no flashy gestures—not this time—she was still very much Queen Bee. Hawk Moth looked on her approvingly and nodded.
“Kwami can sometimes be annoying little creatures, but we do need them to power our Miraculous,” he said, as though he was speaking from experience. For a moment, Queen Bee wondered what his own kwami went through: if they were anything like Pollen, they were probably being enslaved into doing Hawk Moth’s bidding, rather than out of any sort of willingness, but she pushed the thought away. Not now.
Instead, she merely nodded. “Now. De-akumatize my parents.”
A twisted grin appeared on his face, and he snapped his fingers. Instantly, she knew the deed was done: wherever Ladybug and the others were during their fight, it wasn’t that far from the Palace, and all the sounds of the struggle abruptly stopped. Queen Bee could see ( and feel ) Miraculous Ladybug’s power as the swarm of ladybugs flew around the city. Ladybug’s use of Lucky Charm meant she had roughly five minutes before she detransformed, taking the new girl’s Miraculous with her. Queen Bee had to act fast. It didn’t look like Cataclysm had been used, which meant Chat Noir wasn’t on the same timer, but she wasn’t as concerned with him.
She stared out into the city skyline. Behind her, Hawk Moth piped up. “I’ve kept up my end of the bargain. Your parents are free. And now—” He reached for his cane, inside the globe where she knew another akuma was hidden.
“Wait,” said Queen Bee, holding up a hand. A flash of irritation appeared on the villain’s face, but disappeared just as quickly, replaced with inquisition. “Mayura. Is she around right now?”
His confusion only seemed to grow before he nodded, turning his head to gesture at a nearby rooftop. Immediately, Queen Bee could see the peacock from where she was perched, hidden near a chimney, and with her boss’ gesture, she made a leap to the balcony to stand at his side. There was a smile on her face, but it looked smug—much more fitting that of a snake than a bird.
“We’re so glad you’ve finally come to your senses, Chloé,” said Mayura.
“You will refer to me as Queen Bee. Nothing else.”
Mayura’s head tilted upward in a soft indignation before she dipped her head again. “Very well. Queen Bee. You will do fantastic work with us—leagues better than anything Ladybug could dream of.”
“Uh-huh.”
Hawk Moth’s hand brushed over the top of his cane once more. “Now, Queen Bee, if you’re ready—”
“Wait. One more thing,” said Queen Bee, standing as tall as she could. Three minutes, and that was if she was lucky and Ladybug hadn’t already fled the scene. Any pretense of playing along was gone on Hawk Moth’s end, and he looked truly annoyed now. Queen Bee took a deep breath.
“You know, I really can’t thank you enough for this opportunity, Hawk Moth. I was worried I would never get to be Queen Bee again, and I don’t think I can imagine many things that are worse than that. I’ll give you credit where it’s due: you’re very good at making people want to impress you. You’ve got lots of pretty words, and I’ve fallen for them more times than I’d like to think about.”
Both villains’ brows furrowed as Queen Bee continued. “But now, I think it’s time to finally prove myself to the person I actually care about impressing. Venom!”
Four things happened in rapid succession. Queen Bee’s spinning top glowed as it retracted back to her hand from its place on her hip, growing its trademark bee stinger and enveloping her right hand. She jumped forward as quickly as she could, aiming for Hawk Moth in an attempt to immobilize him. However, Mayura jumped in front of him, right in the path of Queen Bee’s Venom strike: the point disappeared into her chest, leaving the bird immobilized. Hawk Moth’s eyes widened, as did Queen Bee’s, but she could work with this.
With Mayura stuck and Hawk Moth still shocked, she had maybe two seconds before he came to his senses and fought back, so she swiped the brooch off of Mayura’s chest and jumped backwards into the air, swinging her top so it connected with a nearby building. If he didn’t want her ( or anyone else, for that matter ) to find out Mayura’s identity, he would grab her and book it: she was still frozen, and would be until Queen Bee’s transformation dropped. A bright blue light enveloped Mayura’s body, and Queen Bee squinted—when the light was gone, so too were the villains, having disappeared completely. Part of her chastised herself. Finding out who Mayura was ( or, at least, having a face to watch out for if she didn’t know the name, which was entirely possible: Paris was a huge city, after all ) certainly would have helped in the long run, but for now…
Queen Bee looked down at her hand and smirked at the peacock brooch laying in her palm. It had reverted back to its glamoured state: though, if you asked her, it was still a little bit too conspicuous. Honestly, how many people would wear peacock brooches in the first place?
Two minutes to find Ladybug, if luck was with her. And now, she was on her own timer. Getting as far away from the Palace as possible was also a good idea: Hawk Moth still knew who she was without the mask, and would no doubt be on the lookout for her, both as a villain and a civilian. Ladybug...had been right about that. There was still danger waiting for her because he knew who she was.
Well. He hadn’t known as much as he thought, had he? To think, he actually believed that she of all people would betray Ladybug. Her acting skills were much better than he’d ever suspected, and she’d certainly made him sorry for underestimating her. Him and that despicable bird.
The wind felt amazing as she soared through the sky: she never thought she'd feel it again. Normally, Chloé would make some sort of fuss about it messing up her hair, but right now, she couldn’t have cared less. She held onto the brooch as tightly as she could, scanning both the skies and the streets for that unmistakable shade of red.
As she passed over Place des Vosges, a pair of pigtails caught her eye, and she immediately dove down as quickly as she could. “Lady—!”
However, as she made contact with the ground and the pigtails’ owner spun around, Queen Bee’s jubilance faded: ugh. It was just Dupain-Cheng. Who looked absolutely shocked to see the fabulous Queen Bee in front of her. Her eyes were blown wide, and her mouth was slack-jawed. Queen Bee might have laughed if she didn’t have more important matters to attend to.
“Chlo—Queen Bee? What—how—?”
“Ugh, I don’t have time for twenty questions, Dupain-Cheng! I was looking for Ladybug, but your stupid pigtails distracted me.” A chirping sound rang just above her ear, and the superheroine groaned: she had less than a minute left. Grabbing her top once again, she was going to toss it in the other direction and swing away when there was a tugging sensation , and she found herself being dragged away by Marinette Dupain-Cheng, of all people, towards the probably-disgusting merry-go-round. What on earth was happening right now?! Of course, if she really wanted to, she could easily break the other girl’s hold on her, but she’d been taken by surprise, and—much as she disliked Dupain-Cheng—Queen Bee was well aware that she gained a strength boost when powered up, and didn’t want to accidentally break Marinette’s hand or wrist.
Marinette shoved Queen Bee into the empty merry-go-round control center ( honestly, who did she think she was? ) and sat the two of them down, looking more serious than Chloé had ever seen her. “Chloé ,” she said, and Queen Bee was too taken aback to correct her. Before she even got the chance to respond, her timer finally ran out: a bright yellow light zipped up her entire body and gathered to form Pollen, who would have fallen to the ground had Chloé not held her hands out and caught her. Concern immediately replaced any irritation with Marinette she might have had. Pollen had looked really worried and scared before she’d gone back into the comb, but now Chloé could reassure her that everything was alright.
“Pollen! Oh, no: I don’t have anything for you to eat right now, I’m sorry!” Given their relationship, she’d never actually had to feed Pollen after detransforming before, but she knew that she would need food of some kind in order to get her energy back up. Queen Bee would need to return ASAP, but right now, Chloé’s concern was with her friend’s well-being.
The poor little thing was clearly exhausted, but she managed to blink up at Chloé with a small, absolutely relieved smile. “My Queen...you...you didn’t…”
“Shh, save your energy. We’re going to need you in top shape soon, okay?” Chloé said softly, holding Pollen close to her cheek in the kwami / human equivalent of a hug. Chloé didn’t have a bag on her for Pollen to rest in ( though, glancing over at Dupain-Cheng, maybe a little coin purse like that wouldn’t be a bad idea, especially if she could convince Ladybug to let her be Queen Bee permanently ), so she instead gently placed Pollen on her shoulder. The kwami had enough strength to hold on, at least, which was good.
Turning her gaze back on Dupain-Cheng, the other girl...didn’t seem surprised. Sad, maybe, or...a little fond? Of course, Chloé hadn’t really expected her to be shocked—she had been there when Queen Bee had first made her debut, so she ( along with the rest of Paris ) knew who the heroine really was. But that didn’t really explain that weird expression.
Actually...the more Chloé thought about it, the more ideas began to form in her mind. Dupain-Cheng didn’t live far from here, she was pretty sure. And Hawk Moth had no reason to look for her either at the Dupain-Cheng house or with the girl herself: it was common knowledge that they didn’t get along at all, not to mention Dupain-Cheng was a total nobody. There was no way Hawk Moth would try to look for her there, and—though she shivered at the thought—maybe she could borrow some clothes to work as a disguise until Queen Bee was able to meet up with Ladybug somehow. While the spotted superheroine was mostly only seen during akuma attacks, Chloé ( obviously ) knew that she sometimes did patrols, too, and she could always try and use her top to contact Ladybug as well.
Well. That settled that, then. Chloé stared at Marinette, trying to put all of her focus into looking as serious and heroic as possible. “Dupain-Cheng. I, the heroic Chloé Bourgeois—ugh, I can’t believe I’m saying this...I need your help.”