Work Text:
Ladybug is a fantastic, strong, dependable hero.
Chloe...
Is akuma bait.
Wait.
Rephrase.
Chloe is a girl (wait no, she's 22 now).
Chloe is a young woman, who growing up had difficulty with understanding... certain cues that everyone else seemed to know without being taught--
Chloe. Is trying.
It's been a lot of time since Monarch first showed up and started akumatizing her classmates and friends and family and even people she was rude to on the street.
All because she just couldn't figure out how to kindly say that that dress makes you look fat Marinette. Or you look like a fucking vampire Juleka. Or Kagami why would Marinette be your friend when you're so creepy sometimes.
She just... never managed to say what she meant.
And Monarch took advantage of it.
And now Chloe considers herself akuma bait.
And she's been working on it .
Because Ladybug, for some reason , believes in her.
And Chloe doesn't want to let her down!
So when she sees Marinette again looking like death warmed over, instead of saying "wow you look like shit", Chloe slides her coffee over to her without looking away from the blackboard.
So Chloe never sees the soft and grateful smile Marinette shoots her.
Chloe does however see the tired sigh Ladybug makes later that day when she's saving Chloe from a pissed off akuma.
At least Chloe had the decency to use their akuma names and not their real names when yelling questions about what the hell she did this time to piss them off?
Really, there were only about four people in all of Paris that knew the identities of basically every akuma.
Monarch, because he made them.
Ladybug and Chat Noir, because they often took the defeated villains home once they de-powered for the moment.
And Chloe. Because she was so often the reason for someone accepting Monarch’s powers.
She was so often the one that watched as someone like Marc or Juleka or Luka was engulfed in the choking purple miasma.
Watching them claw at their throats.
The fear racing to their eyes as they realized in that moment that they should have said no.
And the smirks they all had once the fog got blown away in the wind.
She didn't stay still anymore whenever she saw the akumas flying in. She only stayed long enough to see if it was her fault.
If it was someone she had just been talking to.
This time it was Ivan and she really should have run faster because he was a big boy now.
And he was throwing rocks.
And she was a tiny squishy human and oh my god Ladybug please help.
"Chloe..."
"I'm sorry!"
"You know it's not me you have to apologize to."
"I know that, and I'll apologize to Ivan later, but I just added another villain you and Chat have to fight."
And it was true.
Maybe in another world she could apologize to Ivan and that would be that. But in this world... unfortunately, once a monster, always a monster.
Stoneheart would end up joining one of the gangs of akuma villains roaming the streets. Using the powers gifted by Monarch to cause trouble for the city's heroes.
Because the powers never went away. Not unless the villain in question became consumed by their powers.
But that hasn't happened in years.
"Ivan? Brunel? The one who just lost-- Chloe , what did you say?"
Ladybug put her hands on Chloe's shoulders, pleading for an explanation. Everyone knew Ivan wasn't in a good mood right now. Who would be? He lost the love of his life barely a week ago.
"Please, please, please tell me you didn't say anything about Alix."
Chloe stayed silent.
Ladybug pressed her forehead against Chloe's and sighed.
"Chloe..."
"I know."
"You can't keep doing this..."
"I know, Ladybug."
"I... I can't right now, I have to help Chat."
"Then go, I'll stay safe."
"You better."
Ladybug flew away, not daring to wait another second.
Chloe watched, voice soft.
"Stay safe, Marinette."