Chapter Text
Algernon was getting on Marinette’s last nerve. She and Chat had been trying to find some way to fight Hawkmoth’s most recent akuma and had so far come up with nothing. The akuma towered over them, a mass of grey smoke with arms branching off in every direction. Algernon was shielded from attack on all sides, and while it didn’t appear that he had a face, his arms always seemed to stop them no matter what direction they approached from. Neither she or Chat had managed to hit the cloud of grey smoke, but Ladybug was really hoping there was something solid in there because she didn’t think her Lucky Charm would give her a vacuum large enough for all the smoke.
Neither of the duo had used their power yet, Chat didn’t have anything to actually touch, and Ladybug had been trying to figure out where the akuma’s object was but she was starting to lose her patience. Her yoyo had been slicing through air for the past few minutes and she couldn’t find anything solid. Swinging her yoyo at the akuma’s central mass one more time, Ladybug was shoved backwards as Algernon solidified one of his arms and hit her in the chest.
“That’s it, Lucky Charm.” Ladybug yelled. Throwing her yoyo into the sky, a brilliant flash of pink light covered the area and a gramophone fell into her arms. Marinette almost dropped it in shock. Algernon was still attacking Chat but Ladybug knew what this meant.
After the difficulties surrounding Queen Bee and the public knowing her identity, Ladybug, Chat and Fu had sat down and seriously discussed the next steps in the fight against Hawkmoth. Akumas had been becoming more difficult to battle and the strain on Chat and Ladybug had only increased. They had all agreed that should the situation call for it, one of them would have to choose a new permanent hero to help against Hawkmoth. Marinette had had a few ideas for a permanent hero, potentially considering bumping Rena or Carapace into permanent heroes, but Fu had urged her to reconsider. Queen Bee’s identity had been known by all of Paris, which included Hawkmoth, and he had used that against them, trying to akumatize Chloé on different occasions and using her desire to have the miraculous to try to utilize her in his evil plans. Ladybug had made the decision to retire every temporary hero who’s identity had been compromised.
Almost all of the current temporary miraculous team’s identities had been revealed to someone at one point or another. Chloé had decided to reveal herself to the world, Luka’s identity was known by Adrien, and Adrien was known by Luka. Nino and Alya knew each other's identities, and Kagami had been discovered by Hawkmoth in her first transformation. The only heroes who hadn’t been compromised were Kim and Max.
Marinette had gone to every hero who had fought beside her and explained that they could no longer wield their miraculous. She didn’t want a repeat of Queen Bee, telling someone they couldn’t use their miraculous only to bring them back again. It had been hard to hurt her friends by telling them they couldn’t help any longer, but it was for the best. She had even gone to Chloé to tell her exactly why she couldn’t use the miraculous again, but that had gone poorly when Chloé started to get angry and Marinette had ended up snapping at her and had called her entitled and unworthy. She felt kind of bad after that, but tried to rationalize her actions that it was Chloé and she deserved some harsh truth every so often. That had been months ago, and no temporary heroes had been needed since.
Marinette cleared her mind, focusing on heading towards Fu as quickly as possible while still taking precautions to still cut through alleys and disappear before dropping her transformation. Arriving at Fu’s massage shop, she tried to rush through the process. Fu told her to pick the Miraculous that spoke to her, as this would most likely be their new permanent hero. Marinette had no idea who she would pick, but her eyes were drawn to the Turtle, and she knew the Miraculous of Protection was the one they needed most.
Marinette ran outside as fast as she could, worried about leaving Chat Noir alone for so long. Transforming, Ladybug began jumping across the rooftops, mind racing, as she tried to find a solution quickly so she could rejoin the akuma fight. She needed to decide who she could trust as a permanent hero. Kim and Max were still completely uncompromised, but while she trusted them with being temporary heroes, she didn’t know how either of them would handle the Turtle Miraculous and being a permanent hero. She had no idea who she would have made a permanent hero before, let alone now that she had to pick a new permanent Turtle. Part of her wondered if she should pick someone entirely new, like Ivan who was already so protective, or if she should give the turtle to someone who has already had a miraculous, like Luka or Kagami.
Mid leap between buildings, a sharp yell pierced the air, and she looked up in time to watch a black shape go flying away from the akuma. Knowing it had to have been her partner, Marinette had just enough time to ready her yoyo before her next leap took her sailing over the akuma. He used one of his many arms to grab her leg and throw her towards the ground.
The Turtle Miraculous box was held loosely in her hand as she jumped and dodged the akuma’s swings. Marinette knew she needed to escape, but the akuma’s advance on her was relentless. His every strike kept her on her toes, taking all of her concentration to avoid being hit. Marinette’s mind was split, half of her focused on the fight at hand looking for an opening, the other half trying to think of who Fu had meant when he told her a new turtle would be the permanent holder.
Ducking under a wild arm from her left, Ladybug threw her yoyo up and called for a second Lucky Charm and caught a bell before rolling out of reach from the akuma. One hand swung the yoyo to shield her from the akuma while the other rolled the small silver bell around her palm as her eyes cut from building to building looking for anything she could use to help her against the akuma. Think, Marinette, think, she knew there had to be something but the akuma was taking too much of her concentration. There was nothing for her to use.
Two seconds before Marinette was going to throw the bell at the akuma in frustration, Chat Noir dropped from a rooftop and readied his baton, his golden bell glinting in the light. A dawning moment of understanding had Ladybug shifting the turtle miraculous to her dominant hand, while still trying to avoid the akuma.
“Chat!” Ladybug yelled, before throwing the box as far as she could in his general direction, hoping he understood what she meant and found someone to help them.
Ladybug didn’t see if he caught the Miraculous, but she did see a black blur jump towards the rooftops before the akuma yelled and struck at her with more speed than before.
As Chat Noir got further away from the sounds of battle, there were two things he knew. One, Ladybug always had a plan and his complete faith in that plan, and two, the choosing of a miraculous was serious and not something Ladybug had ever trusted him with before. Adrien wanted to pick someone as serious and dedicated as his Lady, someone that would impress her and the citizens of Paris, someone like Marinette, but his heart was leading him elsewhere. This would be the turtle’s second hero chosen, a second chance of sorts for the miraculous. Adrien would love to have Marinette fight by his side again, but a deeper part of him told him where to go, he just hoped Ladybug wouldn’t be too mad at his choice.
Adrien pushed himself through his city. He faltered briefly above the Dupain-Cheng bakery, but pushed himself forward. Extending his baton, he threw himself higher into the air, before landing on a familiar balcony. In front of him on a pool chair, leaning over her phone, sat Chloé Bourgeois. He could faintly hear the sound of Nadja Chamack’s voice relaying the battle.
Chloé looked more startled than anything that he was there, “Chat Noir?”
For a moment he felt ridiculous, how did Ladybug normally do this? Then he remembered the pinky promises and heartfelt declarations from his and Chloé’s past, and he knew what to say. “Chloé Bourgeois, this is the Turtle Miraculous, which grants the power of protection. You’ll use it to protect those you love, and all citizens of Paris while you fight alongside us. Do you want this second chance?”
In all the years he had known her, Adrien had never actually managed to render her speechless. Her phone had fallen from her hands to the ground below her, still playing live footage from the battle, and one of Chloé’s hands had begun to reach out towards him before faltering.
“Does Ladybug actually want me using the miraculous?”
“Who do you think gave me the miraculous in the first place, Queenie?” Adrien decided that what Chloé didn’t know couldn’t hurt her, just as it wouldn’t hurt Ladybug.
Chloé still took a moment, her eyes gazing at the miraculous box in his outstretched hand. Just as he was beginning to think she wouldn’t take it and he had left Ladybug alone for no reason, Chloé grabbed the box and smiled at him. There was a determined look in her eye as she said, “You can trust me.”
Adrien never really got to focus on how people look when transforming, though he had the general idea of how he looked thanks to his mirrors, but watching Chloé transform made him feel clumsy. The transformation washed over his friend as she spun with an elegance he didn’t think he possessed, and when the green light faded moments later, he was sure he had made the right choice. Where his friend had stood moments before was now a confident superhero with a determined glint in her eye.
He took a moment to appreciate her costume. It was different from Carapace’s, but it also didn’t remind him of how she had looked as Queen Bee.
Chloé’s hair was free of her usual ponytail, instead hanging freely around her face. Her mask was simple, the same colour as her costume. A darker green coloured her ballet shoes, knee pads, the shell design on her chest, as well as her gloves and the two stripes on her arms. Chloé had baggier pants and a sash tied around her waist, with her shield attached to her back.
Chloé looked happier and, in his opinion, ready to kick some akuma ass.
Chat Noir smirked. “Let’s Go.”
Marinette was going to throw Chat Noir off of her roof the next time she saw him. She had been flipping around and dodging Algernon the entire time he had been gone, occasionally trying to hit him, but also occasionally being hit. She only had a few minutes until she transformed back. As she was picking herself up from the collapsed roof of a car, wondering where he could possibly be, when she saw green. Standing between her and an arm of the akuma was the new Turtle wielder, a tall figure covered in green with shocking blonde hair. For a moment, Marinette froze, wondering if Chat Noir had chosen Adrien as their new partner, but then the Turtle turned, and Marinette saw blue eyes and a female figure.
“Ladybug, meet Khelone!” Chat Noir yelled as he landed somewhere off to her left, and Ladybug took a second to regroup. She needed to take a moment to think. The akuma’s arms weren’t solid unless he was attacking, but there did seem to be a part of him that remained solid, an area in the center of the smoke she had nicked with her yoyo. Ladybug saw her plan form in her mind and knew what needed to be done.
“Khelone, call for Shellter, try to make him mad and draw his attention to you, Chat get behind him and aim for his centre.” Ladybug didn’t wait for them to listen, she just leapt into the air and swung towards the akuma, ready for round two.
Although the smoke akuma didn’t have a face, Ladybug definitely felt that throwing her yoyo at him from above had led to all eyes on her. From her vantage point, she could see Chat disappear into the background, trying to avoid the akuma’s attention while waiting to strike and she could see Khelone had brought up her shield, slowly advancing closer to the centre mass with the arms striking harmlessly against her shield.
Ladybug continued swinging above the akuma’s head as more and more of his arms focused on Khelone. The akuma’s ‘back’ only had a few swinging arms guarding it, meaning Chat Noir would have an open shot soon.
A smile crept across Ladybug’s face as they fought. She and Chat Noir had always been fantastic partners, but their new addition was working with them seamlessly. Any apprehension about a new permanent holder started to ease as she realized the fight would be over soon. Until things started going wrong.
Despite Shellter being an almost impenetrable shield, the dozens of arms assaulting the shield had led to the Turtle beginning to struggle. Two of the akuma’s arms had somehow started fighting their way through the shield, inching closer to the new hero with every flail and halting the forward motion she had been making. The arms that had been uselessly smacking against the shield began mimicking the two breaching the shield, and cracks had begun to appear. The akuma had lost interest in Ladybug, and was now solely focused on Khelone. She saw Chat Noir shake his head and knew he didn’t have a shot to take out the akuma’s centre.
Brief panic flashed through her mind as Khelone was forced to one knee due to the strain of keeping Shellter active and the arms from fully entering the circle. Clenching her hand, Ladybug felt the silver bell that she was still holding.
Three things happened in quick succession. Ladybug released her yoyo and fell towards the akuma while shaking the bell, the akuma’s focus seemed to shift to her, and the Turtle released shellter and rolled backwards while throwing her shield at the akuma’s mask.
Two arms reached towards Ladybug as she fell, but neither reached her as the akuma was flung backwards out of his smoke towards Chat Noir. She hit the ground and rolled as Chat Noir crushed sunglasses under his baton.
A little black butterfly fluttered harmlessly into the air until Ladybug snagged it with her yoyo. “No more evil-doing for you little akuma.” Ladybug smiled as she finished her usual post battle sayings and felt the familiar rush of energy as the Miraculous cure swept out into the city.
Striding over to join Khelone and Chat Noir, Ladybug raised her first. “You did great today, Khelone. Pound it.”
Khelone looked shocked at the outstretched hand but still slowly raised her own fist to meet Ladybug and Chat Noir in a three-way fist bump.
Earrings beeping in her ear, Ladybug glanced at the new Turtle before looking at Chat Noir. “Eiffel Tower, usual time. Bug out!”
Normally not one to save the day and run, Ladybug figured Khelone would forgive her for being basically out of time. Jumping to the nearest rooftop, Ladybug was almost going to jump into the alley when a hand at her wrist stopped her.
Chloé knew Ladybug had to run, and she knew she only had a minute at most, but returning the miraculous was at the forefront of her mind. She had followed Ladybug to the roof as quickly as she could, dropped her transformation and slid the Miraculous off her wrist. Then she had quickly grabbed Ladybug before she could disappear because Chloé knew a second chance didn’t mean Ladybug trusted her to hold onto the miraculous until it could be collected.
Eyes wide, Ladybug looked confused, until her eyes focused on Chloé and somehow got even wider.
Chloé heard soft footsteps behind her and Chat Noir’s quiet, “Woops.”
Ladybug pulled her arm free, her eyes flicking between Chloé and Chat behind her. Her expression shifted from shock, to anger, to guilt, to something more neutral. Chloé didn’t know which emotions were directed at her, but she had a sinking feeling that Ladybug had no idea that Chat was giving her the Turtle Miraculous.
Chloé stood in front of her hero and watched as she stepped towards the edge of the roof, fire in in her eyes, and jumped away.
When she turned to face him, Chat Noir looked sheepish. Chloé was thankful for the second chance, but mostly just wished it had been Ladybug’s idea. She wanted to prove to her that she could do this, that she was worthy enough to fight beside her when needed, but now she felt like Ladybug would never give her a chance again.
The Turtle Miraculous hung limp in her hand and for a brief moment thought about throwing it at Chat Noir, or finding some way to go back in time to stop herself from accepting the Miraculous in the first place.
“Can you give the Miraculous back to Ladybug? I know she was out of time but I don’t want to hold onto it any longer than I have to.”
Chat frowned. “Chloé, I gave you the Turtle because I thought you would make a good permanent hero.” Chloé assumed she misheard. There was no way Chat Noir was trying to tell her that she was going to be a permanent holder, and there was especially no way this was happening if Ladybug didn’t agree. He sighed, “Her reaction wasn’t ideal I know, but I’m going to talk to her tonight and then everything will sort itself out.” He ran his hand through his hair before beginning to walk to the other side of the roof.
“What am I supposed to do with the Turtle? What if Ladybug wants you to take it back?”
His crooked smile was not reassuring her. “Keep it ‘til tonight, then I’ll come by and tell you it’s yours for real.” And then he jumped off the roof leaving her standing alone on a rooftop with her new kwami.
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Chloé hadn’t actually known when the ‘usual time’ was for Ladybug and Chat Noir to meet was, but after arriving back at the hotel she had spent the first hour pacing, before settling outside on her balcony to watch the city and wait for Chat to come collect the miraculous. The breeze grew colder as she watched the city start to rest, and the longer she waited the more she considered she should wait inside.
Depending on how she thought about her situation, Chloé figured her second debut as a hero was going better than her time as Queen Bee. She was keeping her identity under wraps this time, not actively seeking recognition for her work in costume, and she was willing to give the miraculous back as soon as the mission was finished. Arguably already a more heroic effort on her part, but there was something that felt wrong about her use of the miraculous. Ladybug hadn’t actually wanted her on the team, she hadn’t been chosen. Chat had told her he had chosen her to wield the Turtle as a permanent member of their team, but how could she deserve to fight beside them when Ladybug had told her how undeserving she was when she had the Bee.
Chloé rolled the miraculous between her fingers. She hadn’t noticed after she had dropped her transformation, but the bracelet had changed shape. The miraculous was now a golden band, with a larger section on two sides engraved with a shell. A simple golden bracelet was more her style than a shell on a string, and was also more likely to blend into her normal accessories and be overlooked, but the change made her time as a hero feel more permanent than she knew it would be. Wayzz had tried talking to her, but she hadn’t been in the mood, instead sending him inside her room to eat the fruit she had gotten for him.
The sun had long since set, but Chloé still sat on her balcony. She would wait all night for Chat if she had to, but she didn’t want Ladybug to think she had run off to try and keep the Miraculous for herself. Almost as summoned by her thoughts, Chat Noir landed silently near the edge of her roof, smiling as he began to approach her.
“Guess which city now has two stunning blondes to protect it.”
Her heart felt as if it stuttered in her chest. “What?”
“Welcome back to the team, Queenie.” His smile grew even larger as he looked at her dumbfounded expression. “Don’t thank me too much, I just reminded Ladybug how good you were in that fight and how no one knows you as Khelone so there’s no need to worry.”
Standing to pace, Chloé tried to hear the trick in his voice. Tried to detect whatever reason he had for lying because why would Ladybug trust her a second time when things had gone so poorly the first. Chat Noir tracked her with his eyes, leaning on his baton as his smile never wavered. Chloé knew liars, and unfortunately for her he seemed completely sincere.
“So I’m the new Turtle? What if Ladybug decides I shouldn’t have a second chance anymore?” She wasn’t about to show Chat Noir that she was nervous and his answer would make or break her, but she felt like he could tell anyways.
His smile seemed to soften, less cool, more gentle. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Just show Ladybug how much you deserve it by being a good hero like I know you can. You’re the new Turtle, you’ve just got a bit of a trial run period before Ladybug realizes my choice was right.”
His faith in her made her chest feel lighter and her pacing slowed until she stood overlooking the twinkling city below. “Okay.” It was mostly for herself, a small reassurance, but Chat still called out ‘good luck’ before bounding away and leaving her alone again.
Chloé moved towards the edge of her balcony and leaned against her railing, Turtle Miraculous still hanging from her fingers. Wayzz floated through the closed door, coming to rest near her elbow and looking at the city with her. “Chat Noir has made a wise choice in picking you to wield the Turtle. I believe we will work well together.”
A small smile spread across her face as she glanced at her tiny companion. Chloé would miss Pollen from the brief moments of getting to know each other, but she was looking forward to getting to know Wayzz. Maybe he was right and they would work well together. Chloé went back to staring out at Paris, and slid the Turtle back onto her wrist.