Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Plagg stalked the city, searching for Nooroo. He knew the butterfly was in France.

“Oh Nooroo, what have you done this time?”

He sped up a bit to a light jog, searching every alleyway and looking into every window. A small butterfly would be much more difficult to find than Nooroo’s true form, but Plagg knew this was how it had to be. As he pranced on all fours, Plagg noticed a TV screen showing a large rock monster. He knew the only ones capable of creating something like that at this time would be Nooroo or…

No, he thought, It couldn’t be. It has to be Nooroo.

In a panic, he called out to Tikki. Luckily, she was nearby. Plagg was a bit jealous that she could still fly in her disguised form.

“Plagg, what’s- oh!” Tikki noticed the rock man, Stoneheart, on the news broadcast. “Plagg, do you know what this means?”

She started panicking. Even in her tiny bug form, the concern on her face was visible. Tikki rarely ever lost herself. Plagg could almost see into her little ladybug head and could imagine the chaos she was envisioning. They both knew what had to be done.
After finding an abandoned building, Plagg looked at Tikki.

“Let me do the talking,” she said.

Plagg knew what she was thinking. They hadn’t Chosen holders in about a hundred years. Well, until Nooroo apparently screwed it up. Plagg didn’t know what compelled Nooroo to Choose a holder after so long, but he and Tikki were going to have to clean up his mess.

Plagg and Tikki revealed themselves and began to speak in the ancient tongue. As Plagg recited the phrases with Tikki, he looked at her. It had been years since he had seen Tikki in her natural form and by gimmi, she was stunning. His distraction caused him to fumble the incantation a bit, prompting a stink eye from Tikki. She never once missed a beat. Plagg wondered how long it had been since they did this. Definitely over 200 years. Finally, the ritual was complete. A burst of energy erupted from where they resided, and a divine being descended from the heavens. Plagg hoped no one was around to see them.

Gimmi, 

Plagg barely recognized them, it had been so long, but there they were, as beautiful as ever. After a long, traditional bow, Tikki began the conversation.

“O Great One, Plagg and I fear Nooroo has done something drastic and sense he may be in danger. We request your permission to Choose holders so our powers can safely manifest to save Nooroo. We also inquire about the humans you would select for us, as we do not want to Choose incorrectly again.”

Gimmi gazed knowingly, then communicated telepathically. Plagg was not used to telepathic communication, as Gimmi was the only deity who practiced it regularly. It gave him an uneasy feeling, but he remained persistent.

I see all, I know all, I am all, Gimmi began, This is the first time since the monks, isn’t it?

“Yes,” Tikki laughed nervously.

You both know we cannot afford any more… they sighed, mishaps.

“Yes, O Gimmi, which is why we came to you for answers.”

At this, Gimmi sighed again and their nineteen eyes began to glow. Plagg knew he could not interrupt this. Gimmi stayed silently glowing for a second, then slowly their eyes began to return to normal, ending with the seven on their head. They returned their vision to Tikki and Plagg. Plagg knew they were looking at Tikki as she spoke, but he couldn’t help but feel at least a few of Gimmi’s eyes on him. They told Tikki her holder first; Plagg knew they were speaking telepathically. Then he heard their voice in his head. It was louder than before and different. It was as if he was listening to music inside his brain. He wasn’t sure he liked it.

Adrien Agreste

At this, Tikki thanked the god and they disappeared without a trace.

Marinette woke up late again. She knew she couldn’t be late for her first day of school though, and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast. Her headache had lessened a bit, but as usual, it was there. She tripped over her foot on her way down the stairs, landing at the bottom with a crash.

“Marinette! Are you ok?” Her mother asked.

“Yeah Maman,” she got up, “just a little bruised is all.”

Marinette smiled to reassure her mother and began to make breakfast. Of course, not without spilling a few things.

Mari ran to school, surprisingly not late for once. She sat down, recognizing a few familiar faces. Mylène, Rose and Juleka, Kim, and- oh. Chloé walked in with her typical smug face and demanded that Marinette leave her seat because of some Adrien kid.

Ugh, Mari thought, another one of Chloé’s dumb friends I have to deal with.

She went to sit next to Alya, a girl she didn’t recognize, and the two bonded instantly. During class, a large boy interrupted.

“Kim!”

He held a piece of paper in his hand and was visibly upset at Kim, a feeling Mari was all too familiar with. Unsurprisingly, he was sent to the principal for disrupting class.

Boring as ever, Marinette thought as Ms. Bustier droned on and on about French history. An earthquake shook the room. Marinette was about to get under her desk when she heard Kim yell,

“There!” pointing at the window. Just outside the school, a giant rock monster was causing the ground to shake with every step, unlike anything Marinette had ever seen.

“What?!” Adrien yelled at his father. He had been homeschooled his whole life, a straight-A student, but of course, public school was too low for the great Gabriel Agreste.

“It is clearly the better option for you to be homeschooled. Who knows what they would teach you?”

Adrien stormed back to his room. Luckily, he had a different plan. During his father’s 11:00 nap (he was such an old man), Adrien snuck out to try and catch a glimpse of what real school looked like. Right before he could get to the school, however, Nathalie caught him.

“Adrien, you know what your father wants.” She said, to no reply. She tried again, in a more lighthearted tone, “Am I really that bad of a teacher?”

“I just want to go to a normal school and make friends. Please don’t tell my father.” Adrien kept his head down, hoping to get some pity out of her. Nathalie took him home nonetheless. At home, Adrien sadly watched the television. To his surprise, a large stone man came on the news.

“Paris has been attacked by a real-life supervillain! He calls himself Stoneheart and only says ‘Kim,’” the news reporter said, “The mayor requests that everyone stay inside!”

“By god,” was all Adrien could manage.

After a bit, Adrien saw a black cat with strange green eyes in the corner of his room.

“Aw, you’re cute! I have no idea how you got in here.” Adrien beckoned the cat to his side, “They say black cats are bad luck, but I don’t believe that.”

“Oh, you better believe it,” the cat replied.

Adrien stood up. He didn’t know how to respond to a cat. Should he meow? Should he introduce himself? He decided on the latter.

“Um, hi cat, I’m Adrien.”

“I know. It’s Plagg, and I’m not a cat. You got anything to eat?”

Adrien ignored his question, asking, “So what are you, if not a cat?”

“A kwami in disguise. I’m kind of like a god, you humans might say.” He began to describe a lot of things such as a baton, a destructive power, and a partner. Plagg then asked Adrien if he was up for it.

“So you’re saying I’m like a superhero?”

“I guess.”

This answer from the cat was not very encouraging. He was still rummaging around in Adrien’s room looking for something to eat.

“Sure, why not?” Adrien replied, shrugging.

“Great, I’ll start the process.”

Adrien opened his mouth to ask a question, but Plagg suddenly began to float and glow a neon green color. Adrien saw the faint image of a large figure behind Plagg. It seemed much more divine and human. The figure resembled a cat, but sort of godlike, like something Adrien wasn’t supposed to see. It was honestly kind of scary, so Adrien kept his focus on the more visible figure, the cat. Plagg’s front paws parted and something appeared in between them, surrounded by colored dots. This was all very bright, causing Adrien to look away for a second, but it was all over when he returned his sight to Plagg.

“This is your ring, Adrien. It gives you your powers. All you need to do is say ‘Plagg, Claws Out!’”

Adrien immediately did as told, with a bit of resistance from Plagg, causing Adrien to wonder if Plagg had been meaning to tell him more.

Oh well, he thought, time to have some fun.

Upon finding a spot in the street, Adrien played around with his baton a bit, but was suddenly struck by a whirlwind of dots.

So this is my partner.

“Nice of you to drop in,” he remarked, hoping to get on her good side with a pun. The girl apologized furiously and Adrien couldn’t help but notice she was kind of cute. He asked her name, but all she said was that she was extremely clumsy.

“That’s ok, I’m new as well. I think I’ll go by Chat Noir. Has kind of a ring to it, no?” He held up his hand, showing her his Miraculous and winking.
The girl was about to respond, but a loud crash interrupted her. Chat immediately started running towards it.

“Hey, where are you going?” the girl asked.

“To save Paris!”

Marinette followed her new partner to the stadium, where Stoneheart was causing trouble. Tikki had not told her nearly enough information, and all the stuff she had said was blurring together. Chat Noir began fighting immediately, but Mari stayed behind. This was too much. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone. Alya! Seeing her here frightened Marinette, but luckily Chat Noir saved her. Mari knew she had to do something. Finally, she stepped into the stadium. Chat had gotten himself captured, so Mari tripped Stoneheart to free him. He thanked her, but almost immediately went back to fight again. Marinette stopped him, but not before he wasted his power. What an idiot, though he was kind of cute. Calling out her Lucky Charm gave Marinette a wetsuit.

Funny, she thought, I guess I figured I’d get to choose what to create. Nonetheless, she came up with a plan to get Stoneheart to release whatever was in his fist.

“Chat Noir, trust me on this one.”

“We just met!” he yelled as Mari flung him directly at the giant.

After way too much work, Stoneheart finally released a small rock from his hand, which Marinette stepped on, returning the boy back to normal and releasing a black butterfly. Marinette recognized the boy from her class.

“Hey, I don’t know what happened, but you can’t let it get the best of you. I know you’re stronger than that. What’s your name?” She encouraged him.

“Ivan.”

“Wow! A new superheroine in Paris!” Alya interrupted, “Who are you?”

Marinette thought for a second. “Ladybug. Call me Ladybug.”

Chapter Text

Ok, so apparently Marinette forgot something. All over Paris, Stoneheart replicas were appearing, but not moving. Tikki told her this was because she forgot to capture the akuma. 

“Oh Tikki, this is too much, I can’t do it. Isn’t there someone else you can pick?”

“Marinette, you have been Chosen. I can’t explain it right now, but I need you. Even if I wanted to Choose someone else, I would get in a lot of trouble.” Tikki begged Marinette to keep her earrings and continue being Ladybug, to which she gave in. It was hard to resist Tikki’s tiny, adorable ladybug face. For now, the stonebeings weren’t a threat, so it was unfortunately safe to go back to school.

Adrien successfully escaped the house before his father or Nathalie woke up. It meant he had to get up early, but he didn’t mind. He also had Plagg to help him this time. No one would bat an eye if Chat Noir was out and about. Chat vaulted around Paris, getting the hang of his new weapon and powers. He sat on top of the Eiffel Tower to watch the sunrise.

Wow, he thought, It’s beautiful. If only Ladybug were here with me.

At around 6:00, he de-transformed and went to check out the bakery across the street from his school. A friendly couple greeted him, around the same age as Nathalie. Ordering a pack of macaroons, he tried to feed some to Plagg, but the cat insisted on camembert. 

“Camembert?” Adrien asked, “Where am I supposed to get that?”

“Oh, wherever you can. I’ll also accept cheddar, brie, muenster…”

“Do you only eat cheese?” Adrien hoped he would say no. He would hate constantly smelling like cheese. Unfortunately, that had to be the case.

At around 8:30, Adrien walked to school. He could feel eyes on him, but nothing he wasn’t used to. Upon hearing a few girls mention “the Ladyblog,” he looked it up. A website full of pictures and information on Ladybug. Try as he might, he couldn’t stop scrolling. There was something about her, be it her brain, her humor, her looks; he definitely could feel a crush coming on.

“Adrichou!”

Adrien heard the voice of his childhood friend. They began catching up on their way to class, and Adrien was introduced to Sabrina, one of Chloé’s friends. Adrien took a seat in the front row and introduced himself to the other boy sitting there. He was unamused.

“So you’re friends with Chloé?”

“Yeah! We’ve been friends since childhood-” Adrien turned around and saw Chloé put something on one of the seats. “What’s that?” he asked.

“Oh, don’t worry about it, Adrichou. There were just a couple of brats here that need a bit of a reality check. It’s public school stuff, you wouldn’t get it.”

“Chloé, do you really think that’s necessary?”

Adrien knew Chloé could be a bit much at times, but he felt obligated to remove the gum she had put on the chair. He didn’t get very far though, and a pigtailed girl confronted him.

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” She asked, which induced laughter from Chloé and Sabrina. “Oh, you must be Chloé’s friend. Very funny you three.”

Adrien tried to explain himself, but the girl had made up her mind. The boy next to him, Nino, comforted him, and they became friends. Suddenly, Stoneheart burst in, grabbing Chloé and another girl. It was time for Chat Noir to make his second appearance.

Of course, Marinette thought, he returns now. She ran outside and saw Chat Noir fighting multiple stonebeings. I don’t know if I can do this… 

Alya appeared out of the corner of her eye. She was trapped, and Marinette knew she had to save her. Finding somewhere hidden, she transformed and freed Alya. Somehow, she ended up on top of Chat Noir again.

“Oh, hello Chaton. We’ve got to stop running into each other like this.” Ladybug giggled, lifting herself up.

“Meow! Not if it means I get to spend more time with you, M’lady.”

This interaction made Ladybug blush, but she brushed it off and led Chat to the Eiffel Tower to fight Stoneheart. The police, however, had an objection to this.

“Leave this to the professionals, little girl. You’ve already failed once.” 

He was right, and Ladybug knew it. This was her fault. Chat Noir must have seen it in her face, because he put his hands on her shoulders.

“Don’t listen to them Ladybug, we were Chosen for a reason. You’ve already saved countless people. I trusted you, now you have to trust me, M’lady.” 

Ladybug stared into his green eyes and felt herself blush. There was something about him so sincere, so trustworthy, she couldn’t help but fall in love. If Chat had confidence in her, she could definitely trust herself.

Suddenly, Stoneheart coughed up a cloud of black butterflies, which assumed the shape of a head. The head identified itself as Hawk Moth, the cause of all of this. It continued to speak, but Ladybug had heard enough.

Chat looked up at Ladybug. She was giving a speech about how the two of them would protect Paris, but all he could focus on was her. Her confidence, her beauty, and her trust in him. He knew they would make the perfect team.

“Wow,” he thought aloud, “whoever she is beneath that mask, I love that girl.”

After that, defeating Stoneheart was easy. Chat looked at Ladybug trying to think of something charming to say, but couldn’t. She noticed and took up the role for him.

“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” she giggled to herself a bit.

“You’re incredible.”

He saw her blush and couldn’t help but entertain the idea that she felt the same way he did. She returned the compliment and left, saying,

“Bug out!”

Adrien’s father had allowed him to return to school (not without a fight), and he tried to make it right with the gum girl, who wasn’t having it.

“Try again after school. You want to make friends, right?” Nino encouraged.

It rained after school, and Adrien saw the gum girl without an umbrella.

“Hey,” he started, but to no avail, “Look, I was only trying to get the gum off. I’m new to this whole school thing and I’m only trying to make friends.”

He stared at the umbrella in his hand, and in an unusual act, handed it to her.

“I’m Adrien.”

The girl blankly stared at him for a bit, with an expression Adrien couldn’t read, then coldly pushed his hand away.

“Marinette.”

She turned away from him and walked off in the rain. Adrien wondered what he had done wrong, but it was obvious to him that Marinette wasn’t going to be his friend anytime soon.

Chapter Text

“Thanks again for babysitting, Marinette.” Nadja Chamack said, dropping her “angel” off at Marinette’s house.

“Of course Mrs. Chamack!” Marinette never liked babysitting, but Mrs. Chamack and her mother had been friends since high school, so it was hard to say no. Plus the money was good. As soon as Mrs. Chamack left, Manon began running around and nearly broke a lot of things. She was such a handful sometimes, but Mari knew that she just needed something to burn off her energy until she could focus on a quieter activity.

“Marinette, you live next to the park, right?” Manon asked, practically jumping up and down.

“Yeah, do you want to go?”

This was perfect. Manon could run around as much as she wanted and all Marinette had to do was keep an eye on her.

At the park, Mari ran into Alya and her younger sisters, Etta and Ella. Manon knew Etta and Ella, so they had fun playing on the open lawn while Mari and Alya talked.

“Look, it’s Adrien from school!”

Alya pointed to the fountain where, sure enough, Adrien was posing for a photo shoot with some girl about their age.

“Ugh, seriously? It’s bad enough I have to see him at school.”

“Marinette, I don’t know what you have against that kid. If this is still about the thing with Chloé, he obviously didn’t mean any harm.”

Marinette couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Alya had fallen for his tricks!

“That’s just what he wants you to think! He’s clearly a serial liar, and you’ve fallen right into his trap. He’s friends with Chloé for crying out loud! And he’s always mocking me. He’s just another classist white boy who thinks it’s cool to make fun of people less fortunate than him. Eat the rich, I say.”

Marinette knew it wasn’t that deep, but she just couldn’t stand spoiled rich kids who thought they were better than her. She had enough of that with Chloé.

“Wow, Marinette, you’re getting pretty worked up about one prank.”

“This is more than school drama, Alya, this is political. Vive la révolution!”

As if on cue, a gust of icy wind rushed through the park, loosening Marinette’s pigtails and sweeping Manon off her feet. She hit the ground and started crying, to which Alya thankfully attended to. Marinette, however, was suspicious. Summer just ended, it shouldn’t be getting cold this quickly. Sure enough, an Akuma appeared, freezing Alya, Etta, Ella, and Manon all in one giant ice cube.

“I am Climatika! Ladybug and Chat Noir, come fight me if you dare!”

 Hawk Moth was starting to get on Mari’s nerves.

Photoshoots were always boring, but this one in particular. Adrien’s father had hired a new model recently, and this was his first time meeting her. She flirted with Adrien throughout the entire shoot and only stopped speaking to pose for the camera. Adrien had to admit she was naturally photogenic and very pretty, but still, there was something about her that rubbed him the wrong way. Don’t ask him for her name though, he had already forgotten. He was almost glad when Climatika appeared because it gave him a chance to see Ladybug again. It had only been about a week since they met, but Chat Noir knew that he would never forget her speech from atop the Eiffel Tower. She truly was incredible.

“Chat Noir, there you are. Give me your Miraculous and I can end this.” Climatika demanded. This was new.

“Why do you need our Miraculous?” Chat inquired. Come to think of it, he had never questioned the villains’ motives, he just knew they were hypnotized by Hawk Moth.

“Hawk Moth wants them.” She simply said.

“Why?”

“Uh…”

So she didn’t know. Interesting. A glowing butterfly mask showed up on her face for a brief moment, then she continued,

“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re going to give them to me!”

She sent ice and lightning toward Chat, but Ladybug pushed him out of the way just in time, rolling on top of him. Their faces were an inch apart. Chat could see Ladybug blush as she picked herself up.

From then on, every attack was countered with a burst of wind, pushing them right back where they started. They needed a better plan. Their fight landed them on top of a building, where Ladybug used her Lucky Charm. She began to cook up something that Chat had no idea of. He just Cataclysmed what she told him to, and by some sort of magic, Climatika turned into a normal girl. After using her Miraculous Ladybug, the storm was gone and all the damage was undone. A power Chat Noir didn’t even begin to try and explain.

Ladybug was wonderful, yet again, but Adrien had to return to his lame photoshoot. Vincent seemed to be getting upset though.

“Lila! You’re just not doing it right! Where is the artistry? I don’t care if Gabriel likes you! I need someone else!”

Lila, that was her name. She got very angry at this but managed to relax her face and smile.

“I understand, Vincent. Whatever’s best for the shoot! I know from my experience with Chanel, that whatever the photographer says goes!”

Vincent was not amused by her flex and searched for a new muse. He found it in Marinette.

“You!” He called, “Pigtails! I need you for my photoshoot!”

Adrien knew this wasn’t going to go well. Marinette already didn’t like him, and having to act like she did would make her dislike him even more. He could see her talk to Alya for a bit, then reluctantly walk over.

“Wonderful! Just sit right next to Adrien and act like you’re in love.”

“Ew, can’t you have that girl do it? She’s already here.” Marinette gestured to Lila.

“No, you have the perfect look! You have exactly what I’m searching for. I will pay you as well! What’s your name?”

At this, Marinette perked up and told him. She immediately got a bit closer to Adrien and did whatever Vincent told her to. She even kissed Adrien on the cheek, but not before whispering, 

“I’m only doing this for the money.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Adrien could see Lila impressively punch a perfect hole in a nearby tree.

Chapter Text

Finally the weekend, Adrien thought. After another week of trying to befriend Marinette (unsuccessfully), he was finally free to relax and watch TV. Nino was appearing on some TV show that Adrien forgot the name of, and of course, his father didn’t allow him to go in person. He sat on the couch and turned on the TV. Plagg soon curled up next to him and fell asleep purring. Adrien smiled. His father still wasn’t aware of Plagg, but he didn’t have to be. It was only a matter of time before he noticed the stray cat in his house though.

“Welcome to The Challenge! I’m your host, Alec, with a young DJ Nino.” Nino appeared on the TV. “Your challenge is to get the mayor of Paris to dance!” Nino won easily.

Of course, Adrien thought, Nino’s music is so good, anyone would dance.

A magician named Jacques Grimault took the stage and challenged… Gabriel Agreste? Adrien knew his father would never agree to something like this and prepared to see the magician humiliated. Sure enough, Gabriel appeared on call with the show and promptly hung up.

“Ooh, that means you’ve lost! Better luck next time!” Alec said as Jacques was escorted off the show.

Adrien almost turned off the TV, but an Akuma appeared and began to turn contestants into ducks. Plagg would not be happy about getting woken up.

Chat Noir arrived at the scene and began to fight, to no avail. He recognized a few people from the show, hypnotized into protecting Simon Says. Unfortunately, they were alerted and Chat knew he would lose the fight. Still, he figured he could buy some time before Ladybug arrived. He found himself pinned to the wall, unsure of what to do. With a hail mary, Chat called out,

“Oh, hey Ladybug,” hoping to distract the crew enough to loosen his grip.

It worked well enough, and Chat got rid of the people, running into Ladybug and Nino.

“Chat Noir! I’m so relieved to see you!” 

What did she mean by that? Relieved because she was looking forward to seeing him or because she needed his help?

“M’lady, Simon Says is looking for Gabriel Agreste. We should meet at his place.” Chat explained.

“Wait Chat, we have to take Nino to safety first.”

“Nah, I can stay and help! I know where Gabriel Agreste lives.” Nino interjected. 

Chat couldn't say that he already knew, and wanted to bring Nino to a safe place, but he could tell that Nino really wanted to help.

“I’ll recharge and meet you at the Agreste mansion later.”

Ladybug and Nino rushed to the Agreste mansion and Nino brought Adrien out of his room to let him know what was happening. Still no sign of Chat Noir. Gabriel, however, was waiting for them. Adrien tried to tell him about Simon Says, but he wasn’t listening, making Ladybug wonder if the designer was always this stubborn. 

After sending Nino and Adrien away, Gabriel showed Ladybug around a bit. She never once saw him take a breath to stop bragging about his son or his accomplishments.

“Isn’t he perfect?”

It took Ladybug a second to realize he was talking to her.

“Uh…” She looked at the photos on the wall, “Not really.”

Gabriel seemed a bit pissed but said nothing. For some reason, he reached out to touch her earrings in silence. While this didn’t harm Ladybug, alarms went off in her head, and she was relieved when Chat Noir called her.

“Quick, Mr. Agreste, engage the emergency self-defense system! They’re everywhere!” Chat Noir yelled upon finally finding an opening to transform. Surprisingly, Gabriel did as told. Chat was a bit put off by this; it may have been the first time his father had ever complied with a direct order.

“How did you know about the system?” Gabriel asked, causing Chat to pause. He hadn’t thought about this. He came up with a dumb excuse, but soon, Simon’s followers broke through the gate.

“Leave the remote with me and hide somewhere in the house. It’s too dangerous here.”

Of course, his father put up a fight.

“No one tells me what to do, not even a superhero.”

Chat Noir had had enough. His father always acted like he was above everyone else. He constantly ordered Adrien around, but somehow, Adrien always felt compelled to listen. Not this time.

Chat Noir told his father what he had always wanted to, “You’re in more danger than the rest of us, so stop acting so high and mighty. No one thinks you’re special because you’re rich and famous. Right now, you’re just another civilian.”

Gabriel was clearly taken aback by this, but he seemed to comply. Maybe he had noticed a part of Chat Noir that he recognized in his son. Or… his wife. Chat knew Ladybug was looking for Adrien, so he hopped into his shower. Sure enough, he heard a knock on the door.

“Adrien? The house has been broken into. It’s not safe here.”

“Ok,” He called back, “let me get changed first.”

He walked out to Ladybug staring at a picture of his mother. Emilie was so serene and beautiful, not unlike Ladybug.

“You have her eyes.” He remarked.

“Um, my eyes are blue.”

Adrien didn’t really think of this; he just noticed the similarities in their beauty. He blushed a little from embarrassment and stammered as he tried to explain himself, which made Ladybug laugh. It was a mesmerizing sound.

After Ladybug brought Adrien to safety, Chat Noir made his return, only to find that Mr. Agreste was nowhere to be seen. They knew where he had to be, so they headed to the TV station. Sure enough, he was there with Simon Says.

“Simon Says you are a butterfly.” 

Simon threw a card at Mr. Agreste and he began flapping around. It was honestly kind of funny.

“Chat Noir, we have to save Mr. Agreste!” Ladybug exclaimed.

“Do we, though? He makes a cute butterfly.” Chat giggled, leaning on his stick. He had never seen his father act so silly, thinking this behavior would have been useful when Adrien wanted to play with him as a child. Gabriel had never acted like this on purpose, and there was a sort of childlike charm to his flapping that Adrien had never seen as a kid. Ladybug gave him a frustrated look, which was so cute Chat had to agree. This wasn’t the time for laughter.

Chat Noir fought Simon while Ladybug tried to find his akuma. Ladybug called her Lucky Charm and received a yo-yo. Chat saw one of Simon’s cards fly straight towards Ladybug.

“M’lady, watch out!” Chat Noir yelled, pushing his Lady to the ground. He ended up on top of her, so close their lips almost touched. He backed away a little out of respect, but Ladybug just stared at him with wide eyes. He couldn’t help but wonder what this would mean under different circumstances, blushing at the thought and opening his mouth to speak. No words could come out. In their distraction, Simon hit Ladybug with a card, making her yo-yo useless. Chat realized something, terrified. She couldn’t neutralize the akuma. Ladybug fought Simon with her Lucky Charm yo-yo and Chat used his Cataclysm on Simon’s pack of cards. Finally, it was over.

After finishing up, Chat headed back to his room to find his father at the door. He was able to detransform before Gabriel walked in. He prepared for a lecture, a new rule, or something, but his father hugged him instead. Adrien was taken aback. This might have been the first time his father had hugged him since…

With this realization, Adrien leaned in. He still suspected his father had some punishment planned, but he decided to enjoy the moment while it lasted. He didn’t know when the next time would be.

Back at school, Adrien began to head to the cafeteria. He had never seen Chloé or Sabrina there and didn’t know where they went for lunch. He did see Marinette, however.

“Hi Marinette, Alya, right? What are you guys watching?”

Marinette seemed a bit irked that he was talking to them, but Alya was friendly.

“It’s Nino’s second appearance on The Challenge. Do you want to watch it with us?”

At this, Alya winced a bit as if Mari had hit her. Adrien was about to say yes when he heard his name. Or at least, kind of his name.

“Adrichou! What are you doing in this crusty place? Let me take you to our lunch spot.”

“Doesn’t everyone eat here, Chloé?”

“Not us, Adrien. We’re better than that.” Adrien looked at Marinette, who rolled her eyes. This was not helping her image of him. Nonetheless, Adrien hung out with Chloé and Sabrina for the rest of the day. After school, he woke Plagg by throwing his bag on the bed right next to where he was sleeping.

“Hey! What’s the big deal?” Plagg hissed.

“Sorry Plagg, it’s Marinette. I don’t know why she doesn’t like me when I’ve been nothing but nice to her.” Adrien explained bitterly.

“Maybe it’s not meant to be. You have other friends.” Plagg said this so nonchalantly it kind of got on Adrien’s nerves. He wasn’t going to give up so easily.

“No, I’ll befriend Marinette whether she likes it or not.”

Plagg looked at him.

“That’s not really how it works.”

Chapter Text

After a long day, Marinette finally got back home. Alya had dropped off her homework for her. She was such a good friend.

“What’s that?” Tikki’s tiny voice asked. She was walking on a sticky note from Alya.

“Call me ASAP, I know who Ladybug is?” Marinette read aloud. This frightened Tikki, and her cute little bug face was full of worry. Even though she was smaller than Mari’s fingertips, her expressions were somehow always visible.

“Impossible! Do you think she knows?”

“Don’t worry Tikki, Alya isn’t typically one to double-check her facts. In the month I’ve known her, she hasn’t once researched something she’s put on her blog. I doubt she actually figured it out.” Marinette said, sticking the note to her desk.

“Please call her just in case, Marinette.” 

As little as Mari believed Alya, she called her to show Tikki what she meant. She didn’t pick up, so Mari finished her homework.

Marinette woke up late.

“Tikki, what time is it?” She asked groggily. Tikki looked at the clock.

“9:45”

“Crap, I’m late!”

Marinette rushed to school only to find Alya missing. She asked Nino what happened.

“Dude, she was suspended for stealing from Chloé- I mean Ladybug!” 

Upon hearing this, Marinette exclaimed. She couldn’t believe Alya thought Chloé was Ladybug, but at least she didn’t know the truth. Adrien snickered a bit, which caused Marinette to sit back down. Why did he mock her like that? Alya had insisted that Marinette was crushing on him, but she couldn’t possibly dream of it. Adrien Agreste was clearly a self-absorbed rich boy whose only nutrition was social status. He hung out with Chloé all the time, how could he not be influenced? And he kept trying to talk to Marinette, which got on her nerves every time. She didn’t need another classmate making fun of her. Mari doodled Adrien with horns and a pitchfork. Ugh, this class was so boring.

Just then, an Akuma showed up on the projector. Lady Wifi, she was called, and Marinette knew instantly it was Alya. It was easy to escape the crowd in the chaos that followed.

Ladybug felt the breeze on her back as she overlooked the Bourgeois Hotel. She texted Chat Noir to meet her there. Lady Wifi would certainly go after Chloé, assuming she was Ladybug. Ladybug never knew why Alya thought that, but she didn’t doubt that anything could have convinced her. Why did all the Akumas have a vendetta against Chloé? Not that she blamed them. Her train of thought was interrupted by a text from Chat.

-okiii meet you there buginette <3

Of course, Chat texted in lowercase. He had come up with the nickname sometime during their fight with Simon Says. Ladybug would never admit it, but she loved it. She stared at Chat’s text thinking about all the times he flirted with her and wondering if he meant it. Somehow, her thoughts about Chat were usually how much she wanted to kiss him or punch him. This made Ladybug pause. Did she actually want to kiss Chat Noir? Sure, he was cute, flirtatious, and charming, but so was Adrien, and she definitely didn’t like him. Once again, she was interrupted by the one occupying her mind.

“Sorry I took so long, Buginette. I hope you didn’t miss me too much.”

Ladybug just watched silently as his deep green eyes shifted from her to the Bourgeois Hotel. Chloé was inside, dressed up as Ladybug. It was honestly a bit unnerving to see her bully cosplaying her, but this was clearly what made Alya jump to conclusions. Although she couldn’t help but be a little insulted that Alya would think of her as Chloé Bourgeois. Of course, Lady Wifi showed up soon to attack Chloé.

“We got her M’lady,” Chat Noir said, as he vaulted towards the hotel. He paused upon noticing he was not being pursued.

“You coming?”

To be quite honest, Ladybug hadn’t been paying attention to the hotel, only Chat Noir. She had come to realize she didn’t know how to feel about him.

Whatever, she thought, I’ll sort out my feelings later.

She nodded and followed Chat into the open window of the hotel. Lady Wifi seemed confused but immediately started throwing pause signs at them. Their fight soon led to the grand dining hall. Lady Wifi had somehow set up electronics on each table and teleported whenever she got caught. Laptop, tablet, cell phone. It was impossible to catch her. Ladybug thought it easiest to lead her to the kitchen, but Wifi locked the door behind them, trapping Chat Noir outside. Ladybug was doing well dodging attacks, but Chat’s voice distracted her.

“I’m coming, M’lady!”

In that split-second of hesitation, Wifi pinned her arms to the wall. Ladybug was trapped. Luckily, Wifi spent a few minutes talking to her camera, so Ladybug had time to grab something with her feet. She couldn’t reach anything but a pot, which she placed in Wifi’s walking path. Lady Wifi tripped on the pot, and her hands perfectly landed on Ladybug’s, unlocking them. She immediately took a swing at Lady Wifi, but she teleported away saying,

“I’ll get Chat Noir instead!” And Ladybug was trapped.

“Lucky Charm!” she called, and received a fork. She used this to explode a microwave in the kitchen and short-circuit the locks on the doors. She just hoped Chat Noir wasn’t trapped as well.

Thankfully, she found Chat and Lady Wifi fighting on the roof. Chat was able to Cataclysm the cell tower and render Wifi’s phone useless. All Ladybug had to do was break it, which proved easy without pause symbols constantly flying at her. Ladybug was about to detransform, but Chat grabbed her hand.

“Wait, Ladybug, who are you?”

This question stunned her a bit.

“If I knew your secret identity, we could protect each other and wouldn’t have to hide.”

Ladybug had been thinking about this, but she knew the kwamis would be mad at them. Not to mention it would be easier for Hawk Moth to find them if the two of them knew. As much as she wanted to tell him, Chat Noir couldn’t know her secret identity. As long as Hawk Moth was around, they could never truly know each other. She had been trying to conceal her feelings for the past month, always keeping this in mind. It was time to let Chat know.

“Chat Noir, I really like you, and as much as I want to be friends as civilians, you know it would only be a matter of time before Hawk Moth found out. Having the two most powerful Miraculous in circulation is dangerous enough, not to mention how anxious the kwamis would be. I’m sorry.”

Chat was about to protest, but Ladybug slipped into a closet right before her detransformation. She prayed he wouldn’t open the door. Marinette stared at the handle in fear as it started to move, but the door simply closed, and she heard Chat’s footsteps run out of the hotel.

Chapter Text

“So, what do we know?” Chat Noir asked his Lady as they sat atop a building eating two of André’s ice cream cones. He couldn’t help but notice Ladybug’s looked a bit like a black cat.

“Hawk Moth wants our Miraculous for some unknown purpose, so he sends akumatized villains to take them from us. He can do this using the Miraculous of the Butterfly, which he got a hold of… somehow. Plagg and Tikki need the butterfly Miraculous back for obvious reasons.”

“Right,” Chat replied, “So our main three questions are one: why doesn’t Hawk Moth himself show up? Two: where did he get his Miraculous? And three: why does he want ours?”

Ladybug put her head in her hands.

“Chaton, this is all so confusing. A couple of months ago, my main priority was homework. Now I have to protect Paris from supervillains?”

Chat Noir put his hand on Ladybug’s shoulder.

“Listen Buginette, we can handle this. We have each other, and that’s all that matters. Tikki and Plagg are counting on us for as long as we need. We’ll figure out how to stop him.”

Ladybug looked up at him, tears in her eyes, and hugged him. She clung on tight, and it was clear to Chat Noir that she needed it, so he pulled her closer. He wished he could comfort her in their everyday life, but remembered what she'd said in the Bourgeois Hotel. Their identities must remain secret.

Marinette was excited. It wasn’t every day that a fashion competition judged by Gabriel Agreste took place in her own school. Gabriel was the most famous fashion designer on this side of the Atlantic. He had always been one of her favorites, but his son, of course, was a different story. Mr. Damocles went on,

“Whoever wins this competition will have their derby hat presented in Mr. Agreste and Audrey Bourgeois’s summer collection worn by our very own Adrien Agreste!”

“Nepotism,” Marinette muttered under her breath. Alya elbowed her gently to let her know she heard. Nevertheless, Marinette was going to design the best derby hat the world had ever seen. Even if that meant having it modelled by Adrien Agreste.

After school, Marinette went to the Trocadéro hoping to find some inspiration. Her head was throbbing, as usual, but it was easier to ignore outside. Tikki flew alongside her.

“Ooh look at those pigeons, Marinette! Pigeons are so gorgeous. They remind me of my friend.”

At this, Tikki went silent. Marinette was cooking up an idea.

“Tikki you’re a genius!”

Tikki watched as Marinette designed a feathery derby hat with plumes, lace, and birdlike qualities. She was so engulfed in her work, she didn’t notice the akumatization right in front of her. Marinette did notice, however, when hundreds of pigeons flooded the streets, preventing her bus from going home. An Akuma named Mr. Pigeon appeared on the news.

“Ladybug, Chat Noir! Paris belongs to the pigeons!” He said and made pigeon noises.

My god, Mari thought, they get weirder every time.

Soon enough, Ladybug ran into Chat Noir, who would not stop sneezing.

“Chat Noir? Are you ok?”

“I’m allergic to feathers.”

This was fantastic. A lot of help he would be this time. Of course, Mr. Pigeon was not hard to find. All the pigeons were flying directly towards him. When they saw him, however, he called the pigeons to trap Ladybug and Chat, and soon they were in a cage. Mr. Pigeon came to gloat.

“Ahahaha! When will you two realize that Paris is better this way? Since the beginning of time, humanity has enslaved the pigeons. The modern city is no habitat for these poor creatures. Instead, thanks to Hawk Moth, we shall live as God intended, with pigeons on the top of the food chain! *pigeon noises*”

“I think this guy’s two pigeons short of a coop if you know what I’m saying.” Chat confidently remarked. This angered Mr. Pigeon, blowing his birdcall once more. The akuma had to be in there. With a sneeze, Chat Noir used his cataclysm on the bars, but Mr. Pigeon “flew the coop” as Chat put it. This was going to be a long day.

Mr. Pigeon was found at the Grand Palais (again by following the flocks of birds), where Ladybug’s Lucky Charm gave her a coin. She saw a vending machine with popcorn and knew exactly what to do. She had to act fast though, because Chat Noir was running out of time. Of course, all the pigeons flocked to the popcorn and Ladybug was able to catch the akuma. Getting her coin back took a bit of work, but with Mr. Ramier’s help, she was able to break the vending machine open and fix everything.

Marinette had very limited time to actually create her derby hat, but she knew designing it would be the hardest part. She had created hats in the past, and a derby shouldn’t be too difficult. Upon arriving at school, however, she was disheartened to see a very similar hat to hers. It was different though, while it had all the same elements, it seemed flatter, like it was made by machine. And of course, it was Chloé’s. Unfortunately, Mari didn’t have time to confront her about it, because Gabriel Agreste walked into the room. Well, not really. Nathalie, his assistant, held a tablet with him on Facetime. Marinette did expect Mr. Agreste to be in the room, but no matter. He would love her hat. Sure enough, Mr. Agreste could tell the difference between Chloé’s hat and Marinette’s, but her signature was what sold it for him.

“Marinette, you have won the competition.” 

Marinette had barely finished thanking him when Adrien came to bother her again.

“Awesome job, Marinette, your hat was my favorite. I can’t wait to wear it.”

There he went again, talking about his career as a model and reminding Marinette that he’d be wearing her creation. He’d probably break it at the summer fashion show.

“Thank yo-” Marinette was interrupted by a sneeze, “gesundheit.”

“Thanks, I’m allergic to feathers,” Adrien replied. Strange.

“Yesterday must’ve been a bad day for you then.” Marinette joked.

“You have no idea.”

Gabriel walked the long hallway underground, paying no attention to the white butterflies surrounding him, one of which had a red wing. He didn't notice. All he could look at was his wife. Finally, after a long walk, he reached her glass casket.

“Emilie, I know you’re not dead. Soon, we will be together.” Receiving no response, he kicked a bush.

“Emilie, speak to me!”

Silence. The last thing Gabriel wanted to hear. He broke into a small coughing episode, but it was over soon. He must have caught a cold, but no matter. He turned his attention back to Emilie.

“You’re shy, mi amor, it’s ok. Once I have what I need, we’ll be a family again. Won’t you like that?”

Emilie stayed dead quiet, unmoving, as she had been for almost a year.

“Shh, it’s ok, it’s ok, I know. Soon, my love. Soon.”

Chapter Text

As she was walking to class, Marinette felt a tug on her shoulder and turned around. It was Sabrina, and she looked very shy.

“Um, hi Marinette, can you do me a favor?” She looked very anxious and was constantly looking around. She held a blue present in her hands.

“Sure, Sabrina, what is it?” Marinette wasn’t sure why Sabrina was talking to her, but if it let her escape Chloé, Marinette was happy to help.

“It’s Adrien’s birthday today and I want to give him this scarf I made.” She blushed, and Marinette could tell why.

“Why not give it to him yourself?” Mari asked. Sabrina made a small squawk, kind of like a bird.

“Chloé would be upset because she didn’t get him anything. And she says Adrien’s off limits.”

Marinette sighed and agreed. Maybe this would give her a chance to see some of Gabriel’s work. Surprisingly, Sabrina hugged her very tightly. She was stronger than she looked.

“Thank you so much, Marinette! There’s a card inside so you don’t have to tell him it was from me.”

Adrien woke up, bittersweet. Today surely couldn’t be as bad as his last birthday. Still, Adrien found it difficult to be excited. Walking into the kitchen, he was surprised to see Plagg sniffing around.

“Plagg, what are you doing?”

“Joyeux anniversaire Adrien!” Plagg exclaimed and started puking gracefully.

“Ew, what the heck, man!”

He didn’t stop, though, and started to float and glow. Thank goodness no one ever joined Adrien for breakfast. This ritual reminded Adrien of when Plagg first gave him his miraculous. Plagg had the same look in his eyes and the same figure was behind him, but this time his fur glowed a very light, radiating green color. Adrien heard Nathalie scream.

“Nathalie! It’s not what it looks like!”

“It looks like you let a stray cat into our house!”

Adrien turned around and sure enough, Plagg had turned back to normal. At least Nathalie didn’t see him glowing. He knew his father wouldn’t let him keep a cat in the house.

“Can we keep him?”

“No!” Nathalie exclaimed, “Those things are full of fleas and rabies and it’s gonna track dirt all over the house! And you put it on the table too!”

“I can’t actually carry fleas or rabies or dirt,” Plagg remarked. Adrien turned to him in fear. “Relax, Adrien, she can’t hear me.”

“Ok,” Adrien said, “I’ll take him outside. Please don’t tell father about this?”

Nathalie sighed in agreement, and as Adrien walked outside, he swore he could hear her say,

“I don’t get paid enough for this.”

At school, Adrien ran into Marinette. She had a different expression on her face, one that was impossible to read.

She silently shoved a gift into his arms, mumbled “Bon Anniversaire” and walked away. How did she know it was his birthday? Why did she give him a present? Adrien knew Marinette didn’t like him, so what was up with this kind gesture?

Adrien decided not to question it, being his birthday, and replied, “Thank you!” a bit too enthusiastically.

Nino was also excited about Adrien’s birthday, more so than Adrien himself. He kept insisting on a birthday party, an idea Adrien was skeptical about. His father would never let him have a party at his house, but he thanked Nino for trying. 

Once Adrien got home from school, he saw Nino talking to his father. Again, Adrien thanked him but told him he wouldn’t be surprised if his father said no.

To this, Gabriel exclaimed, “Please go home, young man, you are a bad influence on my son. So help me god, I’ll never allow an adolescent party here as long as I live.”

“Come on Father, that’s not fair!” Adrien said. His father had decided to make Nino mad for whatever reason. He could’ve just said no.

“It’s fine man,” Nino said, clearly not fine, as Nathalie escorted him off the property.

After an exhilarating (not really) birthday lunch, Adrien found an Akuma right at his doorstep, joined by his whole class.

“Joyeux anniversaire!” They cheered in unison. This Akuma had Nino written all over him.

“I’m the Bubbler! We’re here to give you the best birthday ever! No adults allowed!”

Adrien went back inside. He knew he had to save Nino, but Plagg thought otherwise.

“What’s the rush?” He asked, taking his chance to prance around the house while the adults were missing, “He hasn’t done any harm. Besides, you’ll likely never have a birthday party again, thanks to your old man.” Adrien thought about it. Sure, it would be fun. The Bubbler wasn’t causing any property damage, and he wouldn’t mind making his father wait in a bubble in the air for a while. Plus it would give him a chance to take his mind off of… something else.

“Alright Plagg, I’m going. Have fun inside.”

“Oh I will,” Plagg remarked, mischievously eyeing a marble statue. Maybe letting him roam free wasn’t the best idea.

Adrien was surprised to discover that the party had moved inside his house. People were having fun for the first few minutes but got bored after a bit. Most people were tired, scared, or sad. The Bubbler sent anyone who fell asleep into the sky with his bubbles. Finally, Ladybug showed up. The Bubbler began tossing bubbles at Ladybug.

As Adrien went to transform, he thought, Man, these supervillains haven’t been very evil lately. Their powers are a little hyper-specific.

The battle turned out to be a little more difficult than Chat expected. The Bubbler had exploding bubbles? You’ve got to be kidding. But they prevailed, turning everything back to normal.

“Hey, Ladybug?”

“Yeah?” She turned to him, concern in her big blue eyes.

“I just wanted to say that it’s been a rough day for me, and getting to work with you cheered me up a bit.”

“Oh, Chat Noir…” Ladybug began, but the beep of her earrings warned her of getting distracted. She ran off saying, “I hope you feel better!”

He couldn’t resist blowing her a kiss as she left. Chat got so caught up, he forgot about his ring, detransforming on the spot. Luckily, he was on a roof with no one around. This did mean he had to carry Plagg down ten flights of stairs though, with Plagg complaining the whole way down.

At school, Marinette was surprised to see Adrien running towards her wearing the ugliest scarf she had ever seen. Oh great, what did he want now? He put his hands on her shoulders and stared deep into her eyes. This was a bit off-putting, but oddly not uncomfortable.

“Marinette, I just wanted to thank you for the scarf.” He must’ve seen her confusion because he continued, “The scarf you gave me for my birthday? It’s perfect for fall, and if I’m being quite honest, I wasn’t having the best birthday.”

What, only got 600 presents from your rich parents and adoring fans? Marinette thought but didn’t dare say anything out loud. Adrien removed his hands from her shoulders.

“I don’t tell this to many people, but my mother went missing one year ago on my birthday. It was the worst day of my life. I just wanted to thank you for thinking about me, even if you didn’t know.”

“Oh, man, I’m so sorry.” Now Marinette felt bad. His mother disappeared on his birthday? Rough. “But I didn’t make this-” She looked at Sabrina, standing next to Chloé. Sabrina had a terrified look on her face, eyes locked with Marinette. She was practically screaming Don’t tell him! So Marinette sighed and said,

“You’re welcome.”

Then, Adrien hugged her. It was a weird feeling, and very awkward. He squeezed just a bit too tight, almost like he hadn’t received many hugs. Marinette was hesitant to hug him back, but when she started to, she was pushed away by none other than Chloé Bourgeois.

“Adrichou! Did you get my present?”

Marinette didn’t care to engage in a conversation with Chloé, so she simply left. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Adrien’s hug was a bit familiar. Whatever, as long as he didn’t do it again.

Chapter Text

Once again, Nathaniel got called out for drawing in physics class. Marinette couldn’t help but feel bad for him because of her shared love of drawing. She didn’t know Nathaniel that well, but all their interactions had been positive, and he was in her class last year. Mari had always wanted to be friends with him, but they never spoke. As Nathaniel walked to the principal’s office, Marinette saw Chloé stick her foot out and trip him. Chloé laughed as he fell on the floor, dropping his sketchbook. It lay open on the floor, full of drawings of Marinette.

“Look, Sabrina!” Chloé said, “It’s him as a superhero, and look who he’s saving! Aww, he has a crush on Marinette!” Chloé laughed in her obnoxious little voice. Marinette was a bit taken aback, but flattered by this. She felt horrible, but class continued nonetheless.

“You will be working in groups of four for this particle physics assignment. Your names were all randomly drawn out of a hat.” Mrs. Mandeliev began, “Marinette, Sabrina, Chloé, and Adrien.”

Just perfect. Why did Marinette always have the worst luck? She met up with Adrien, Sabrina, and Chloé after class. They were chatting away as usual and didn’t notice her.

“Um, hello?” Mari tried. Of course, they didn’t hear her. She was about to walk away when she heard Adrien call her name.

“Marinette! What’s up?”

“I wanted to talk about our physics project, but it looks like you guys are busy,” Marinette explained, half-heartedly. Chloé and Sabrina were still looking at their phones and giggling, completely unaware that Marinette had entered the conversation. Adrien got their attention.

“Ugh, what do you want, Dupain-Cheng?” Chloé asked with a scoff.

“I just wanted to work on our project,” Marinette grumbled, clearly frustrated. How can Chloé be so constantly annoying?

“Oh, don’t worry about it, Marinette. The three of us can do the work while Chloé prepares for the presentation!” Sabrina said with a bit too much enthusiasm. Marinette quickly had to explain why that was a bad idea and why Chloé shouldn’t get out of the work so easily.

“I have a better idea!” Surprisingly, Chloé chimed in, “Sabrina and I can do our part at my house, and you and Adrien can do the rest at your house!”

“That’s…” Marinette began, “Not actually a bad idea.”

“Great!” Chloé grabbed Sabrina by the arm and headed out. Still, Marinette couldn’t shake the feeling she was up to something. Even with this minute Chloé victory, Marinette still had Adrien Agreste coming to her house.

Oh well, she thought, guess you can’t win them all.

A little while after school, Marinette found Adrien talking to her parents. She couldn’t dream of what they had been discussing, but she faintly heard her mother say the words “marriage proposal.” Fantastic. Her parents were always jumping the gun when Marinette mentioned anyone. Having a boy in her room was definitely going to give them the wrong idea.

“C’mon Adrien, we have work to do.”

It was clear that Adrien got bored quickly. Not that Mari could blame him, however, it was particle physics. He tried to stay polite, but Marinette could definitely tell he was in need of a break.

“Here, why don’t we play a game? I can get some croissants from the bakery.” Adrien perked up at this, and when Mari returned with the snacks, he was exploring her room. Of course, he was nosy too.

Marinette left the room, and soon, Plagg appeared.

“How did you get here?” Adrien asked him.

“I’ll never tell.” He responded with a wink. Adrien had always wondered how Plagg got to him. Plagg had told Adrien that there wasn’t a limit to Plagg’s distance to transform, meaning he could be anywhere in the world and Adrien could still become Chat Noir. Still, Plagg always stuck around one way or another. Adrien couldn’t help but entertain the idea that Plagg was fond of him. Either that or Plagg thought he was untrustworthy.

“Nice place she’s got,” Plagg remarked, “though it could use some black.” Adrien was about to respond, but Marinette walked up the stairs, carrying a plate of croissants. Plagg meowed and scrambled to the balcony.

The two decided on Ultimate Mecha Strike III, a game both of them played in their free time. Upon opening Mari’s computer, Adrien was faced with a Chat Noir collage. He didn’t even know there were that many pictures of him out there.

“Woah,” He laughed, “you got a soft spot for the cat, huh?”

Marinette blushed irritatedly.

“So what if I do, who doesn’t?” she dejected. She grabbed her controller and faced away from him.

Maybe I’m not doing the best at making friends, Adrien thought.

Marinette was insanely good at UMSIII, to the point where Adrien couldn’t keep up.

“I don’t know how you do it, Marinette. I’m so bad compared to you.” Adrien sighed, leaning his head against the back of his chair.

“Come on, Adrien, you’re not that bad. You just kinda play as if you’ve never played duos before.”

“How did you know?” 

Marinette was a bit put off by this, and said, “You don’t play with Chloé?” 

Adrien scoffed, “You think Chloé plays video games?”

Marinette giggled a bit, but she still seemed upset. She pulled a little beaded keychain out of her pocket.

“Here, I like to think this is good luck. If anything, I have bad luck, so I keep it around,”

Marinette grabbed Adrien’s hand, a gesture which he found a bit more flustering than he typically would, and placed the keychain in it saying, “But I think you need it more than me.”

She then focused her attention on eating a croissant, but Adrien sort of wished she had held onto his hand for a little longer. His face flushed with embarrassment. He gripped the charm tightly in his palm, then put it in his school bag. Suddenly, an Akuma appeared on the news, erasing things around Paris. Adrien found his escape, then transformed.

The Akuma, Evillustrator, was drawing things to harass none other than Chloé Bourgeois. Chat Noir and Ladybug were able to get in his way before he followed her too far, though. He was somehow able to draw anything he could think of, trapping Chat and Ladybug in a glass box and running off. Chat cataclysmed the glass.

“How are we going to catch this guy? He could be anywhere in Paris!” Chat wondered. Ladybug, of course, had an idea.

“He seems to be after Chloé Bourgeois. Recharge and meet me at the Bourgeois Hotel.”

After detransforming and feeding Plagg, Chat found his Lady in Chloé’s room. Chloé was with Sabrina, who seemed to be doing some sort of homework while Chloé fawned over Ladybug.

“Ladybug, can we get a selfie?” Chloé asked, excitedly. Without waiting for a response, she grabbed her phone and snapped a couple of pictures. Ladybug was not smiling in either of them.

“What’s the big deal? It’s clear she’s just a fan.” Chat asked, curious as to why Ladybug was so upset.

“I’m a little camera shy. Sorry, but I’ve gotta go.” She bailed without further explanation, leaving Chat with Chloé and Sabrina. Sabrina was working on the same project as he was with Marinette. He decided to help her while Ladybug was god knows where. He got a text soon after. Attached was a photo of Marinette.

-I need you to protect Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She’s cute, no? The Evillustrator is going out with her and he promised not to hurt Chloé.

-what abt you m’lady?

-Secret mission.

Why did she have to be so vague? Oh well. Chat Noir trusted her, so he left Chloé and Sabrina to go to Marinette’s. Sure, Mari didn’t like Adrien, but she did like Chat Noir.

Marinette was waiting for him at the door.

“Bonjour Marinette, I’m Chat Noir. You might recognize me from TV or your dreams.” Chat began. Marinette giggled, though differently than she had with Adrien.

“Wouldn’t be my first dream of you. What are you doing here?”

“A little kitty told me that you had a date with the Evillustrator tonight, but don’t worry. I’m here to protect you, but I need your help.”

“Wow, me fighting crime with Chat Noir? What should I do?” Marinette sighed, a bit overdramatically.

“Just take his pencil away Purrincess, I can handle the rest.”

Chat kissed her hand, to which Marinette blushed. He bounded away, winking for good measure, and hoped not to trip over his stick and make a fool of himself.

Chat Noir found Evillustrator and Marinette on a boat floating down the Seine. It would’ve been quite peaceful, had it been a normal date. Chat found himself getting a bit jealous. Wait, jealous? No, it couldn’t be. It wasn’t as if he wished it was him singing to Marinette on a candle-lit boat as their lips inched closer together. Mari went in for a kiss, grabbing Evillustrator’s pen.

“Chat Noir!” Marinette yelled, throwing him the pen. In Chat’s distraction, Evillustrator caught the pen and left to attack Chloé. Marinette was understandably angry, but Chat Noir met Ladybug at the Bourgeois Hotel and they were able to defeat him. Chat wanted to apologize to Marinette, or maybe he just wanted to see her again, but he landed on her balcony. Marinette came up eventually, surprised.

“Hi Marinette, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You’re on my balcony, of course I’m scared!” She exclaimed.

“I just wanted to apologize for screwing up tonight. I got kind of distracted and didn’t see you throw the pencil.” At this, Marinette’s expression softened.

“Oh, that’s ok, you and Ladybug fixed everything anyway.”

“Still, I feel bad, and I’m sorry.” He kissed her on the cheek and went home, leaving Marinette stunned on her balcony.

Chapter Text

Adrien showed up to his fencing class, surprised to see a handful of new students enter the class. He asked Mr. D’Argencourt what was happening.

“Emmanuel left the team, so I need a replacement for the second semester.” He explained.

Among the newbies was Marinette, whom Adrien was surprised to see. He had been thinking about Marinette often, along with the kiss he gave her as Chat Noir in November. He was excited to see her, but he knew she didn’t like him. Adrien purposefully paired himself up with her.

“Hi Marinette, I didn’t know you liked fencing.” He began.

“It’s more of a hobby, but how did you know my name?”

Adrien realized he still had his mask on, so he lifted it. Marinette’s face fell a bit, which was disheartening, but Adrien thought she was warming up to him. They began fencing. Marinette was a natural, and Adrien could tell she practiced in her free time, even though she didn’t know all the rules. They were suddenly interrupted by a female masked fencer in red, who began speaking to Mr. D’Argencourt.

“I would like to join your team.” She began, without introducing herself. Mr. D’Argencourt decided to let her join if she could beat his best student in combat. Adrien didn’t like to brag, but everyone knew it was him. He stepped up to the machine, greeting the fencer in red with a handshake. They began the bout. It quickly became obvious that the fencer in red was a technical match for Adrien. They had the same fencing style, and each round, the buzzer went off at the exact same time.

“For this last round,” the fencer in red interrupted, “we should fight the old-fashioned way. Your machine is weighing me down.”

Adrien agreed, for he had always preferred fencing without the machine. This way, the audience could see how physically compatible the two were in combat. Their bout quickly strayed from the mat and up the stairs. The fencer in red was an aggressive attacker, thrusting and lunging whenever she could. Adrien had a feeling he knew how the bout would end, but when they ended up in the library, Mr. D’Argencourt was nowhere to be found. It was only Marinette watching. At a seemingly simultaneous touch, the fencer in red demanded,

“Who got the first touch? Who?” with a point at Marinette. Marinette was startled.

“Um, I don’t know… I think it was Adrien?”

The fencer in red sighed, clearly distressed. Her breaths were heavy, but she extended her hand to Adrien, who shook it. Adrien decided to challenge Marinette’s decision.

“I think she got the first hit, Marinette. I’m gonna ask for a rematch.”

Adrien followed the fencer in red outside, where he found her saber stuck into the ground. He picked it up and ran for her before she got in the car. He was able to stop her, but she took her mask off and Adrien froze. She was beautiful. Her hair was dark and shiny, and her eyes were a deep brown. Adrien could’ve sworn he saw tiny freckles dotting her rosy cheeks. He began to stammer.

“Let’s do… um… a decisive match?”

“What’s the point?” Her voice was mesmerizing, unobstructed by her helmet, “You won. In my family, there are no second chances.”

Adrien saw a tear begin to form in her eye, but she quickly got in her car and it drove off. He didn’t even get her name. Luckily, his bodyguard was there to take him home, so he asked to follow the red car. Suddenly, the car was split in half and Adrien flew out the front, reminding him to wear a seatbelt next time. A silver Akuma with a sword for a hand appeared on top of the remaining metal heap.

“I am Riposte. I’ve decided to accept your rematch.” She demanded. Adrien gasped.

The fencer in red… he thought.

Thankfully, Ladybug showed up and began fighting, using the fencer’s red-handled sword. She was able to distract the fencer long enough to grab Adrien and take him to the Louvre. Being so close to Ladybug, flying over Paris, was a dream for Adrien. He couldn’t help but look at her fondly. Ladybug hid Adrien in an empty sarcophagus, then went back to fight Riposte. Finally, Chat Noir made his entrance. He began to fight, being a significantly better fencer than Ladybug, but Riposte was able to figure out where Ladybug had hidden Adrien and destroyed the coffin. Ladybug was visibly confused at this but played it off as if Riposte had gotten it wrong.

“You really think I would hide Adrien in a place as obvious as that?”

With her Lucky Charm, a radiator, Ladybug and Chat were able to trap Riposte’s arm and break her sword. She screamed in pain. Chat felt awful knowing the sword was connected to her arm and they had basically broken one of her limbs, but as soon as the akuma left her body, she quieted and looked at her arm, clearly no longer broken.

“Where am I?” she gasped upon seeing them, “You are Ladybug and Chat Noir, yes? I’ve read about you.”

“Hawk Moth akumatized you, but you’re safe now,” Ladybug explained. Chat Noir left and detransformed to find Ladybug. She was relieved to see him.

“Where were you?” she asked.

“I was hiding in the bathroom. I don’t really like being locked up.”

At this, Ladybug sighed, “You should’ve told me you were leaving,” she paused, “but it worked out this time, so good job.” 

She left before Adrien could say anything else, so he grabbed the red saber and went to face the fencer in red.

“Excuse me,” he started, “you forgot your saber.”

“No, you can keep it,” the girl said, “I lost.”

Adrien tried to explain himself, “Listen, I personally think the point was yours.”

“That’s not what your friend saw.”

“Today was her first experience with fencing, I’m sure she didn’t mean any harm. But she’s not really my friend.”

The girl must’ve noticed Adrien’s change in tone, so she said,

“I take it you want to be friends with her?” she paused, “Or something more?”

Adrien blushed, “I don’t know. I kind of have a hard time making friends.”

At this, the fencer in red smiled and took her sword.

“I’m Kagami.” she introduced herself, implying that she would be Adrien’s friend.

“Adrien.”

He watched as Kagami got into her red car, looking back at him as she did. She blew him a kiss as she got in the car, making Adrien blush. Maybe it would be ok if Marinette didn’t like him.

“Kagami…” He let the name leave his lips as he watched her red car drive off.

Chapter Text

Marinette arrived at Juleka’s boathouse, La Liberté. She was lucky her birthday was so close to the National Music Festival so she and her friends could have a concert. Juleka had mentioned something about a twin who was also into music, so this date was perfect for them. Marinette tripped over something, spilling the box that was in her hands. Mylène helped her up.

“Just great,” Marinette said, “now I have more to clean.”

“Clean?” a strong voice interrupted, “We don’t do that on La Liberté. ” The tall woman kicked over all the boxes Marinette had stacked, leaving a horrible mess on the deck. Marinette was a bit pissed, but the woman simply laughed joyfully, causing Mari to lighten up a bit. She was interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Salut, guys!”

It was Adrien, the last person Marinette wanted to talk to. She tried to think of an excuse to get away, and luckily, the Captain provided her with one.

“Marinette, yes? Will you fetch Luka from his cabin? Now that everyone’s here, you can let him know we’re ready to start the show.”

“Yes, Captain, but who’s Luka?”

At this, the Captain laughed, “I assumed Juleka told you. Luka’s my son, and Juleka’s twin brother. He’s our guitarist.”

Marinette nodded and headed below deck to get him. Upon reaching the lower cabins, Marinette stumbled across a boy meditating. He looked to be about her age, with teal and black hair and a Jagged Stone t-shirt. Marinette felt her face heat up upon seeing him. A cute boy who also liked Jagged Stone? He looked up at her and smiled, startling Marinette, who tripped and fell right into his arms.

“Woah, are you ok, pretty girl?”

Marinette couldn’t compose herself.

“Pretty… ehehehe… girl… um…” she sighed, then started again, with a bit more success, “You’re Luka, yes? I’m um- Ma-Marimanette. The gloop- I mean group is waiting for you.”

“Yeah, I’m Luka. It’s nice to meet you, Ma-Marimanette.” Luka giggled and Marinette covered her face with her hands in embarrassment. What was making her act like this? Sure she’d had crushes before, but she’d never lost her words.

“Sorry,” Luka apologized, “I usually make more sense like this.” He strapped his guitar on and began to play, gesturing for Marinette to sit next to him. She couldn’t help but wish their bodies were a bit closer, with her in his arms like they were a second ago.

“It looks to me as if you have a melody like this right now.” Luka played a sullen tune, but with a few strange chords, which Marinette assumed signified her exasperation around him. It was beautiful.

“How did you do that?” She asked him.

“Music speaks to me. Every time I meet someone, I know what to play for them. You have… a uniquely beautiful melody Marimanette. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever heard.”

“It’s um… Marinette.” She looked down and blushed, wishing to change the conversation. Mari didn’t receive many compliments. “Wow, you like Jagged Stone?” She pointed to a poster.

“Yeah…” Luka began, his expression faltering a bit. He must’ve noticed Marinette reaching for his signed Jagged Stone pick because Marinette felt his hand on hers. He put the pick in her hand and closed her fingers.

“Keep it, I’ve got plenty,” he said with a smile, not letting go of Marinette’s hand. Marinette’s face got hot as she gazed into Luka’s eyes. They were still for a moment, Luka’s hands on top of Mari’s, then Anarka’s voice was heard from above deck.

“You scallywag!”

Luka ran upstairs first, Marinette still stunned by the moment they’d shared. Once she came back to her senses, she followed Luka upstairs, surprised to see Anarka arguing with… Jagged Stone? It was crazy to see one of Marinette’s idols in the flesh. Juleka and Luka just stood, shocked.

“You know you’re not supposed to be here, Eugene!”

A couple of kids snickered at this, prompting a reaction from Jagged.

“Nanarky, you know I don’t go by that name anymore! I legally changed it!”

“Oh sure, the one thing you’ve done legally. And don’t call me that, you hypocrite! You of all people should know I’m done with that part of my life!”

Nino interrupted, “Jagged Stone? You two know each other? What the hell is going on here?”

Anarka took it upon herself to respond, “This fleabag decided to stow away on my ship!”

“Come on, Nanarky, I only came to see my kids on their birthday!” At this, everyone was audibly appalled, even Luka and Juleka.

“P-Papa?” Luka’s guitar fell out of his hand. Jagged feebly turned towards the twins, opening his arms in silence. Juleka looked terrified, stepping back in fear, then running downstairs to the cabin. Jagged turned towards Luka, who stood in silence, mouth agape. When Jagged took another step, Anarka interrupted the solemn moment.

“Jagged Stone, get off my boat this instant!” She pushed him, eyes filled with rage, and with a shriek, Jagged left the boat and ran off.

“Luka, I-” Anarka started, but Luka surprisingly lashed out.

“He’s my father? And you never told me?” He took a step towards his mother, “You know how much I’ve looked up to him my entire life?” Luka looked around, realizing he was causing a scene. He sighed, “I’m gonna go lay down. Sorry guys, but I don’t know if I’ll be here for our concert.”

Luka slowly walked downstairs, leaving the guests in an awkward state. Rose spoke up first.

“Oh, I’d better go check on Juleka. Marinette, will you talk to Luka for me?”

Marinette found Luka the same way she had the first time, meditating on his bed, but this time with a slightly perturbed look on his face, eyes closed. He seemed to sense Marinette come in, and opened his eyes, sighing. Marinette sat on the bed next to him.

“Marinette…” he began, “I know we don’t know each other that well, but can I have a hug?” Marinette hugged Luka, who held on tight. Luka’s hug was much different from Adrien’s, though both of them clung to Marinette tightly. She could tell Luka really needed it.

“Sorry,” He said, releasing her.

“Oh, don’t be.” Marinette responded in a calm voice, “That was… a lot to take in I imagine.”

Luka nodded, “I’ve been a fan of Jagged Stone my whole life, and I’ve never known my father. The fact that he’s in Paris so often and never came to visit…”

Luka’s eyes watered. In an unusual gesture, Marinette wiped her thumb across his cheek, clearing his tears. She noticed Luka’s face get a bit red, but her thoughts were interrupted by a purple mass covering the ship, similar to the look of when a person was akumatized. As Marinette and Luka ran up the stairs and began escorting their friends out of the ship, Marinette wondered,

How is this happening? Is the ship akumatized?

The plank disappeared just as Marinette and Luka got the last person off the boat. They were the only two left. Finally, the Akuma made her entrance.

“I am Captain Hardrock! I will destroy Jagged Stone and all other music in the city!”

“Maman?” Luka gasped, helping Marinette realize this was Anarka. Juleka gasped from the bank of the Seine.

“No!” Anarka stomped her foot, “I am Captain Hardrock! Liberté, capture them!” 

Seemingly from nowhere, chains flew at Marinette and Luka, tying them together and pulling them below deck. Their backs were pressed against each other, unable to move an inch. Marinette felt something on her hand and saw Tikki crawling around. She violently shook her head, warning her not to transform because of Luka, but Tikki winked and flew into the lock instead, causing it to fall apart. Luka looked amazed, but Captain Hardrock walked in to check on them. Luka helped Marinette escape but got chained up again. Marinette silently thanked him and transformed.

When Ladybug got to the deck of the ship, Chat Noir was thankfully already fighting Captain Hardrock.

“Oh, welcome M’lady, I need to Cataclysm the ship.”

“Don’t!” Ladybug warned, “There’s a hostage below deck! He might get hurt!” The thought of Luka helplessly drowning, trapped in chains, gave Ladybug goosebumps.

“Ooh, good call Buginette. That’s why you’re the captain! I’ll distract her while you free the hostage.” Chat Noir saluted, then lunged back at Captain Hardrock. Ladybug smiled. In her infatuation with Luka, she had forgotten how much she loved Chat Noir. He was the perfect partner. Ladybug would have some feelings to sort out but now wasn’t the time. She ran below deck and sliced Luka’s chains open with her yo-yo. That thing was more powerful than she usually gave it credit for.

“Ladybug!” Luka exclaimed, “Have you seen Marinette?”

“Yes, she’s safe. She’s the one who alerted me.”

“Wow,” Luka said, smiling, “she’s so brave.” Ladybug blushed, then grabbed Luka’s waist, causing him to jump a bit.

“Come with me, I need to get you off this ship.”

Luka held onto her, making Ladybug’s heart beat faster. She swung out of an open window, dropping Luka off on the bank of the Seine. He thanked her, then Ladybug returned to the ship to let Chat know it was safe to Cataclysm. Ladybug’s Lucky Charm gave her a rope, which she used to tie up Captain Hardrock, kicking and screaming, and bring her to shore as Chat reduced the ship to ash. Her Miraculous Ladybug brought all of them back on the boat, reunited with the civilians she and Luka had saved earlier. 

Luka… Ladybug had to leave and became Marinette again so she could talk to him.

Upon re-entering the ship as Marinette, she found Luka sitting by himself in the corner as the rest of their friends (Kitty Section, as they called themselves) played, with Rose as a backup guitarist. Rose’s style was much different than Luka’s, she played her pink guitar harshly, fraying the strings and making an aggressive sound as she sang her heart out about unicorns. Marinette smiled at her friends’ concert, then went to talk to Luka.

“Hey, how are you feeling?”

“I don’t know,” he responded, “it’s hard to explain.”

Marinette took this opportunity to shoot her shot,

“Do you wanna talk about it over coffee tomorrow for your birthday? I get the sense that parties aren’t really your thing.”

Luka smiled, indicating that Marinette was right.

“I’d love that.”

Chapter Text

Marinette walked home from school with The Sleeping Beauty in her hand. She had always loved fairy tales and adored Mrs. Bustier’s Valentine’s Day unit. She couldn’t help but think of Luka on this day. They weren’t dating by any means, and she hadn’t seen him since their coffee date last month, but she still liked him and hoped she would run into him today. Her foot slipped on something and Mari fell directly on her face. Curse her stupid luck.

“Ow!” she exclaimed, picking up and opening the ball of paper that had tripped her. It was a poem.

Your hair is dark as night

Your pretty bluebell eyes

I wonder who you are

Beneath that strong disguise

Every day we see each other

And I hope that you’ll be mine

Together, our love could be so true

Please, will you be my Valentine?

“Wow! That’s a love poem if I’ve ever heard one!” Tikki exclaimed, flying to Marinette’s shoulder.

“It’s beautiful, Tikki, but who could this be about?”

“Obviously Ladybug! Who else could it be? Dark hair, bluebell eyes, strong disguise, it all points to you!”

Marinette was a bit shocked at this proposition but realized it wasn’t too far-fetched.

“Then it was probably written by…” Marinette’s cheeks flushed, “Chat Noir?”

Marinette’s train of thought was interrupted by the voices of Max and Kim. Max handed Kim a heart-shaped box with a brooch inside.

“Aww, Max, is Kim your valentine?” Marinette interjected.

“Ew, gross!” Kim responded, prompting an eye-roll from Max, “This is for someone special. I don’t know if she’ll accept it though.”

Marinette and Kim had had their differences over the years, but she decided to hype him up. It was Valentine’s Day, after all. With some encouragement from her and Max, Kim ran off to give the brooch to his crush.

At home, Tikki helped Marinette write the perfect card to give to Chat Noir. A ladybug flew onto the card from the window.

“Hello!” Tikki started, “My name’s Tikki!”

“Wait, you can talk to animals?” Marinette inquired.

“Well, only ladybugs.” Tikki looked back at the bug and blushed.

 “Oh!” she giggled, “I’m flattered, but I’m not actually a ladybug and I can’t fall in love.” At this, the little ladybug flew away.

“What did they say?” Marinette asked,

“He said I have eyes like a Shakespearean sonnet,” Tikki said, clearly embarrassed, “But he got confused when I told him I’m not actually a bug.”

“Poetry, Tikki, that’s it! I’ll respond to Chat’s poem!” Marinette was inspired. Who knew ladybugs were such poets?

Marinette had no idea how she was going to get her letter to Chat Noir and figured it was probably a bust, so she went on with her day. She ran into Alya on her way to the park, but Alya noticed the card in her hand. She gasped.

“Is that for Adrien?” She asked. Marinette was flustered.

“What? No! It’s for… someone else.” She realized she wasn’t going to be able to make a convincing argument without revealing too much. 

“Luka?” Alya guessed,

“Um…” Marinette blushed.

Alya smiled, asking to read it. Of course, Marinette gave in. How could she resist Alya’s cute face and puppy-dog eyes? Upon reading it, Alya declared,

“It’s totally for Adrien.” To which Marinette yelped. Alya continued, “Come on girl, hair like the sun? Gorgeous green eyes? This is hardly subtle.” She had a smug smile on her face, thinking she had figured it out. Though Marinette profusely denied and tried to stop her, Alya ultimately wrote Adrien’s address on the card and put it in the mailbox.

Oh my god, Marinette thought, Adrien’s going to think Ladybug's in love with him! My only hope is if I forgot to sign it!

Alya must’ve seen the look of horror on her face because she immediately started second-guessing herself.

“Oh no, M, did I go too far? I’m so sorry, I can get it back!”

It was probably fine. Marinette couldn’t remember signing the card, so Adrien would just think it was from another one of his fans. Plus, she didn’t want to worry Alya.

“Don’t worry about it, I forgot to sign it anyway.”

“Oh, bummer, he won’t know it was from you.” Alya’s face dropped.

“Yeah…” Marinette repeated sarcastically, “real bummer.”

Surprisingly, Marinette and Alya received a simultaneous text from Chloé. It was a photo of Kim holding his brooch out to the camera pitifully. His knees were wet from a puddle, drops of which were also sprayed all over his hoodie. A plastic chip bag had flown into his face. Marinette felt bad, but a sinful part of her wanted to laugh.

“Oh, poor Kim!” Alya said.

“I didn’t know he was going to give it to her !” Marinette panicked. Suddenly, Alya was hit in the back with something, and her lips became black. She pushed Marinette and began verbally berating her. Mari looked to where the attack had come from and saw a flying Akuma wearing Kim’s pin. 

Of course, he became an Akuma. She thought, running off to transform.

Ladybug approached the Akuma, who called himself Dark Cupid. She tried to talk to him, but he chased her away, and she found herself hanging from her yo-yo off a roof. Chat Noir found her.

“Falling for me already, M’lady?” He charmed. Ladybug giggled and started to tell him about the Akuma’s plans, but was shushed and pulled closer to her kitten.

“Shh, Ladybug. I promised myself I would tell you as soon as I saw you.” Ladybug looked at him, stunned, tense and hot from the closeness of their bodies.

“I…” Chat began, but interrupted himself, “Look out!” He grabbed Ladybug and turned to protect her from Dark Cupid’s arrow, taking it himself.

“Oh Chat…” she gasped, hoping he would be able to resist Dark Cupid’s hatred.

“I…” Chat continued, “I hate you! You mean nothing to me, and you never will!” He yelled, pushing Ladybug away from him. She was able to save herself using her yo-yo and escape, but Chat’s words penetrated her thoughts. 

He doesn’t mean it, she kept reminding herself, but his words stung. It was undoubtedly his voice, repeating in her mind. She swung across Paris, her mind ablaze. A tear left her eye and flew to the ground behind her. This was the first time Chat was struck by an Akuma. Would he give up his Miraculous? Would she have to physically fight him? How was she going to stop Dark Cupid without her partner? Not thinking properly, Ladybug crashed into a large building and landed at the entrance of the Bourgeois Hotel. Chloé and Sabrina were inside. Ladybug tried to redeem herself for that less-than-graceful entrance.

“Run! Your friend Kim has been akumatized and he’s after you!”

“Ugh,” Chloé responded, “Kim’s not my friend, and why would he be after me? Oh! I know! He’s jealous of this!” Chloé pointed to a golden framed portrait of Adrien, way too large than considered normal.

“Quick, Ladybug! You have to protect it!” She cried in desperation, pushing Ladybug towards the portrait and leaving her face-to-face with Adrien.

“Creepy,” she muttered, before Dark Cupid appeared behind the portrait, shooting arrows at her, Sabrina, and Chloé. He chased Chloé and Sabrina out of the hotel, leaving Ladybug with a black-lipped Chat Noir. The dark lipstick was gorgeous on him, bringing out the color of his eyes, but it wasn’t the time to admire him.

“Chat Noir, I don’t want to fight you.” Ladybug managed, stunned to see Chat so angry. He pouted adorably.

“Stop being so nice to me! It’s annoying!”

To be honest, Ladybug was relieved that Chat hadn’t given up his Miraculous yet, but she knew it was only a matter of time unless she could get him back to normal. Chat Noir lunged at her, which Ladybug dodged just in time. She ran from him, hoping Dark Cupid wouldn’t attack too many people while she tried to figure out how to cure her kitten. Then he said something shocking.

“Hate conquers all!”

Ladybug remembered all the fairytales she had been reading recently, Snow White, The Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast; in each one of them, the curse was broken by… true love’s kiss. Ladybug froze, allowing Chat to get a good punch in, rocketing her to the Fontaine du Palmier. Dark Cupid was waiting for them.

“I’ve always wondered what would happen if I Cataclysmed someone.” Chat mused, calling upon his power.

Ladybug decided it would also be a good time to use her own power, which gave her a sticky candy heart. She threw this at Dark Cupid, distracting him and giving her enough time to kiss- er- save Chat Noir. Chat attacked, Cataclysm still raging in his hand. Ladybug was careful to avoid this hand, but Chat landed conveniently on top of her, causing her heart to beat faster as she prepared for what was about to happen. With his non-dominant hand, Chat tried to take Ladybug’s earrings, but she was able to grab his face and pull him into a kiss. It wasn’t what she had hoped for, as Chat Noir refused to kiss back, but he strangely didn’t resist, though he was still under the spell. His body relaxed as the spell wore off, but Ladybug couldn’t bring herself to pull away. Chat bolted up once the spell fully dissipated.

“Where am I?” he asked, a bit startled. Ladybug’s face fell a bit as she realized he didn’t remember the kiss. Nonetheless, she instructed Chat Noir towards Kim’s pin, which he Cataclysmed, ending the fight. Ladybug was quick to run off, before Chat realized what happened, hoping he wouldn’t try to confront her about it when he inevitably saw it on TV.

“I kissed Ladybug??” Adrien screamed, possibly a bit too loud. Plagg laughed as Adrien stared at his TV.

“Not really,” Plagg countered, “more like she kissed you and you sat there like an idiot.”

“Why can’t I remember it?” Adrien whined. He held up his hand before Plagg could give a snarky, obvious answer. “Well, if it happened once it can happen again.” He remained optimistic.

“I’d prefer it if you tried not getting hit by the Akuma next time,” Plagg said, prompting a sad face from Adrien. “Hey, it’s not all bad. At least you got all these cards from your lady fans.”

Adrien looked up to Plagg holding a heart-shaped card in his mouth. Reluctantly, Adrien took it from him and opened it.

“Someone answered my poem? I thought I threw it away!”

“Ew, you wrote a poem?” Plagg gagged, “That’s really embarrassing.” Adrien ignored him and read the anonymous card.

Your hair shines like the sun

Your eyes are gorgeous green

I look at you and wonder

Your innermost thoughts and dreams

Yes, your Valentine I will be

Our love will be so true

Together for eternity

My heart belongs to you

“Plagg!” Adrien blushed, “Do you think Marinette answered my poem?”

Adrien had been terrified to admit his feelings but talking to Kagami had helped him realize something. He didn’t just want to be friends with Marinette, he wanted more. Adrien grabbed Marinette’s good luck charm out of his drawer, staring at it as he thought of her cute little laugh and the way she hugged him. He’d written her a poem, but couldn’t find the guts to give it to her, especially because he still didn’t know what she thought of him.

“No chance,” Plagg answered, stuffing his face with camembert, “It’s gotta be from Ladybug.”

Adrien couldn’t help but entertain the idea of Ladybug being in love with him.

“How would she get my address?” He began to rationalize when a ladybug flew in through the open window and walked around the card a bit before flying away. It had to be a sign. Adrien decided to throw out logic and fantasize for a bit.

“Oh well,” he said, “a guy can dream.”

Plagg retched in the corner, then settled his stomach with a slice of cheese.

Chapter Text

Adrien’s alarm went off, signifying the show, Face to Face was about to start. He was about to transform when Nathalie walked into his room.

“Adrien, you have a photoshoot tonight.” She said, sternly.

“Again? What time?”

“Right now.”

Adrien started in shock, “Can you postpone it a bit? I really want to watch the show with Ladybug and Chat Noir.”

“Adrien,” Nathalie sighed, “it’s more complicated than that. There are a lot of people involved with this shoot and your father really wants you in this one. Plus, you’ll get to work with Lila.”

Adrien was about to badmouth Lila when she appeared behind Nathalie.

“Salut, Adrien! Oh, it’s so good to see you again!” She hugged Adrien, who wondered what she was doing in his house.

“Please, can you guys get started without me? I have homework to do.”

Nathalie’s face faltered at this, showing Adrien that his excuse had worked.

“You haven’t finished your homework?” Nathalie exclaimed, “Of course, finish that, Adrien. We’ll just use Lila first.” Adrien was lucky Nathalie was such a control freak.

Chat Noir was pleased to find that, despite his setback, he was ten minutes early. Ladybug still hadn’t arrived. As the minutes counted down, Nadja Chamack visibly got more and more worried. Chat tried to comfort her, knowing his lady would arrive, but she was still reasonably stressed. At the last second, Ladybug burst in through, front flipping into a triple-axel and landing somewhat gracefully on the sofa, right next to Chat Noir.

“Wow, nice moves, M’lady.” Chat mused. 

Nadja started the show.

“Good evening Paris, welcome to Face to Face, I’m your host, Nadja Chamack, and today I’m joined by Paris’s protectors Ladybug and Chat Noir.” The interview was going well at first, Chat even managed to get a few puns in, but things went downhill when Nadja started accepting calls from the audience. Chloé was the first caller.

“Oh, hello Ladybug! I’m sure you remember me, your biggest fan!” She said in a rather irritating tone. Ladybug grumbled.

“How could I forget?” She managed, with a forced smile on her face. Chat still didn’t know why Ladybug disliked Chloé so much, but, then again, she had caused most of the akumatizations. Chloé said nothing of value, she didn’t even have a question, so Nadja switched to a different caller, one Chat didn’t recognize.

“Hello caller, state your name and your question.”

“My name is Jalil Kubdel, and I have a few questions for Ladybug and Chat Noir.” He said in a frustrated voice.

“Are there other Miraculous? How many are there? Where did you get your Miraculous? In studying ancient history, I’ve noticed what looks like a spotted superheroine thousands of years ago. How old are you, Ladybug?”

Ladybug’s eye twitched as she kept the smile plastered on her face. Chat could tell she was getting upset, so he decided to answer for her.

“Those questions are a bit too deep, Jalil; some of them we don’t even know the answers to. We can’t answer anything about our Miraculous at this moment. You never know who could be watching.” Chat winked at the camera.

Ladybug relaxed a little bit, grabbing Chat’s hand and causing his pulse to quicken. She squeezed his hand and mouthed thank you. Chat smiled. He looked back at Nadja, who was frowning at something on her wrist. She turned off the call and focused her attention on Ladybug and Chat Noir.

“So we know you two are partners, but a lot of fans have been speculating that you are partners,” Nadja laughed, seeing how both of their faces reddened at the same time, “if you know what I mean.” She smiled coyly. This could be Chat’s chance to confess to Ladybug!

“Well-” he began, but was interrupted,

“Nadja, that question is way too personal and very inappropriate!” Ladybug was flustered, but Chat couldn’t tell if it was because she liked him as well, or because of that embarrassing question. Nadja looked at her strange watch and smiled, which couldn’t be a good sign.

“How do you explain these photos, then?” she asked, to which a slideshow of images appeared on her TV. Most of them were of Chat or Ladybug on top of the other, but the slideshow also included a hug, hand-holding, and various other intimate moments. Ladybug’s mouth was wide. Chat stepped in.

“Sure, we’re close, but these photos don’t mean anything!”

“If that’s true, how do you explain the Akuma last week?” Nadja’s slideshow ended with the picture Chat Noir had found of Ladybug kissing him in the Dark Cupid fight. Ladybug panicked, but Chat knew what to say.

“Chat Noir, I can explain!”

“This was obviously to break Dark Cupid’s spell, this isn’t an act of love! It was necessary for defeating the villain!” Chat found himself getting worked up, and he knew why. He and Ladybug weren’t a couple, and they couldn’t be. No matter how hard he tried to seduce his lady, whether Ladybug loved him back or not, if they were together, Hawk Moth could easily hurt one of them and quickly reach the other. Not to mention the secrets they would have to keep to protect their identities.

“This interview is over!” Chat exclaimed, grabbing Ladybug’s hand and storming out. He brought Ladybug atop a nearby building and sat down, putting his face in his hands.

“Chaton,” Ladybug began, “are you alright?”

Chat tried to compose himself,

“I guess so.” Ladybug sat next to him and put her hand on his thigh. “It’s just- that question was kinda personal to me.”

“Me too.” Ladybug said solemnly, “She should’ve known not to ask such a weird question.”

“You don’t get it, Ladybug.” Chat said, a slightly bitter tone in his voice, “I love you.” Ladybug was silent for a second, then spoke up, putting Chat’s thoughts into words simply, but so perfectly.

“But we can never be in love.”

An Akuma, Prime Queen, appeared on a TV in front of them. She said Nadja’s catchphrase, causing Chat to think,

Of course, she was akumatized.

Prime Queen trapped Chloé Bourgeois on a subway traveling 120 km/hr. Ladybug and Chat Noir had to jump through the screen to save her. Of course, it was a trap. Prime Queen forced them to admit that they were in love to stop the train. They didn’t have a choice.

“Ok Prime Queen, you win. I’m in love with Chat Noir.” Ladybug declared. Chat Noir expected to enjoy hearing his Lady say these words aloud, but it just hurt knowing she didn’t mean it. A forced confession was as good as none. Luckily, Prime Queen kept her word and stopped the train. Unfortunately, she disappeared and reappeared at the Louvre, holding Alya captive in a sarcophagus.

“Isn’t this the Ladyblogger?” She mused, “She must be your biggest fan, no?” Prime Queen laughed sadistically, threatening to kill Alya. A portal opened, and Ladybug and Chat jumped inside.

They found themselves in a locked freezer, so Chat cataclysmed the door. Still, they were on the opposite side of Paris from the Louvre, with no way to save Alya. Ladybug’s Lucky Charm gave her a roll of tape, which she used to tape something over the TV so Prime Queen would be in the dark. With a bit of luring, Prime Queen stuck her fist through the screen, prompting the breaking of her watch. After they were done, Chat felt a pull on his arm from Ladybug.

“Look… about what I said…”

“No, I know,” Chat said sadly, “We can’t be in love as long as Hawk Moth is around.”

Ladybug’s eyes welled up and she hugged Chat Noir, gently caressing his body as her arms wrapped around his waist and her hands clasped right below his tailbone.

“I hope this is over quick.” She whispered, then stepped back, “Are you purring?”

Chat realized he was.

“I… um…” He stammered.

Ladybug giggled, wiping the tears off her mask, “It’s cute. Bug out!” She swung away on her yo-yo, leaving Chat wondering what she meant.

Chapter Text

As Adrien walked through the foyer to head to school, he heard his father yelling.

“Absolutely useless! That doesn’t match the sample garment at all!”

This wasn’t unusual for Gabriel, but Adrien decided to take a peek inside his office anyway. His father was holding a large, very old book and angrily shoved it inside a safe hidden behind the portrait of Adrien’s mother. Adrien gasped, causing Gabriel to look his way. Thankfully, Adrien stayed hidden. When his father left the room, Adrien walked in, being met with Plagg crawling in through a window.

“Adrien, you need to get me that book tout de suite!” Plagg was covered in leaves. Ever since Nathalie had found out about him, Plagg had to be more careful about when he was in the house. He usually spent most of his time in Adrien’s room, but apparently, he hid in the bushes today.

Adrien pushed the portrait of his mother aside, revealing a coded safe.

“I don’t know the code.” He said, helplessly.

“Obviously,” Plagg remarked. He began to levitate, something Adrien had never seen him do, even when they were alone. Plagg reached out his paw, phasing through the safe, and it flung open. He floated back to the ground.

“Adrien, grab the book! And do you see anything that looks like a blue brooch?”

Adrien took the old book and looked around, but there was no jewelry in sight.

“No brooch.”

“You need to meet with Ladybug ASAP! I have to talk to Tikki.” Plagg sounded exasperated. Just then, Adrien heard Nathalie walking towards the room. He quickly shoved the book into his bag.

“Adrien, are you in here? We have to go.” Adrien made up a dumb excuse and headed to school. He was met by Lila, who was being fawned over by all his classmates. He overheard her saying,

“Yeah, and Gabe, oh, I mean Mr. Agreste, selected me to be his personal model!” followed by “oohs” and “ahhs” from the crowd she had attracted.

“Salut, Lila.” Adrien made himself known. Lila immediately threw herself into his arms.

“Adrien! Oh, it’s so good to see you!” She continued with “do you remember the time” and “oh I loved when we,” to show everyone that she and Adrien were close. She kind of made it seem that they were closer than they actually were. Adrien had only ever thought of her as a co-worker. He looked around and noticed Marinette pouting in a corner, so he decided to stop by. Lila was thankfully held back by her newfound fans.

“Hey Marinette, what’s up?”

“Ugh, it’s the new girl. She’s got everyone wrapped around her pinky finger with brags that are obviously lies. She said she knew Steven Spielberg for crying out loud!” Marinette must have been too fed up to remember that she disliked Adrien, so Adrien took the chance to bond with her. After all, he had a bad feeling about Lila as well.

“Thank you!" Adrien responded, "I thought I was the only one! She works for my dad and won’t stop talking about how she’s done jobs with Chanel and Louis Vuitton.” Marinette laughed, which made him smile.

“She actually works with your dad?”

Adrien was about to confirm when he felt a soft hand with long fingernails wrap around his waist.

“Adrien! Since I missed the first semester, would you mind catching me up on history?” She then appeared to notice Marinette, although by the way she was acting, it was clear Lila was jealous.

“Oh! It’s Marinette, right?” Mari seemed shocked that Lila knew her name. “You’re the fashion designer? I’ve heard about you! Y’know, I’m actually very close with Audrey Van Belle. We worked together in New York while I was there as an Italian ambassador!”

There’s no way anyone believes her, right? Adrien thought.

He could tell Marinette was getting riled up, so he reminded Lila of their homework and she took him to the library. He glanced back at Marinette, mouthing help me, to which Marinette giggled and stealthily followed them. Lila left for the toilet, so Adrien pulled out his father’s book, hoping to get a better look at it. He gestured to Marinette to come see, wanting to spend more time with her. He hoped Plagg wouldn’t disapprove of Marinette reading this “important” book with him, but found him in another corner of the library playing with a bug of some sort. Perhaps it wasn’t as important as he had made it seem earlier. Marinette gasped when she saw the book.

“I know, right? It has a bunch of superheroes in it. I didn’t know there were more than Ladybug and Chat Noir.” Adrien said. Marinette’s eyes were wide.

“Me neither…” she responded slowly, “Adrien, where did you find this?” But before he could answer, they both heard Lila’s footsteps as she returned from the restroom. Marinette scrambled behind a bookshelf. Unfortunately, the book caught Lila’s eye as she returned. She strangely gasped, then sat down.

“Adrien, where did you get this book?”

“It’s my father’s.” He replied. Lila got to the page with Ladybug, then must have noticed Adrien’s enamored face, because her demeanor changed completely.

“You’ve got a soft spot for the bug, huh? You know, I happen to be very close friends with Ladybug. I even know her secret identity.”

Adrien was so surprised at this that he stood up. He was hurt. Ladybug had told someone her secret identity and he wasn’t allowed to?

“We can talk about it at the park after school if you want.” Lila continued, batting her eyes. Adrien knew this was a ploy to get a date out of him, but he couldn’t resist not knowing. Lila left, blowing Adrien a kiss on her way out. Marinette left her hiding spot, crossing her arms.

“Ugh, what a liar.”

“But what if she actually knows Ladybug?” Adrien’s thoughts escaped through his mouth.

“She doesn’t. Just another one of her lies.”

“I’m gonna meet her at the park just to make sure.” Adrien couldn’t help himself. If what Lila said turned out to be true, he would need to have a chat with his Lady.

For some reason, Tikki was very obsessed with Adrien’s book. So obsessed that she asked Marinette to follow Adrien to the park so she could look at it.

“Plagg and I have talked and we absolutely need that book, Marinette!”

“When did you have time to talk to Plagg?” Mari wondered.

“Doesn’t matter. That girl Lila stole it from Adrien and I need it back!”

“She stole it? What a brat.” Marinette remarked. She heard Adrien’s voice.

“Hi Lila,” He said. Lila looked nervous, her leg twitching and eyes darting around the area.

“Adrien!” She said, desperately, “I need to talk to you.”

“About Ladybug, yes?” Adrien confirmed. At this, Lila glanced at a nearby tree and sighed helplessly.

“Yes, about Ladybug.” She seemed to relax a bit, going into one of her usual unbelievable spiels. Then she said something that surprised Marinette.

“I’m the descendant of a superheroine myself, which is why Ladybug entrusted me with her secret identity. We used to work together until she got jealous of my power and took my Miraculous.” Lila sighed, rubbing her fox tail necklace between her fingers. Marinette noticed that Adrien didn’t seem as compliant as he had when Lila first brought this up.

Thank goodness, she thought. She didn’t know what compelled Adrien to believe this lie compared to the rest, as they were all equally improbable, but she was glad he'd come to his senses.

“So where did you get your Miraculous?” Adrien asked Lila.

“From my grandmother. She used to go by Volpina. One of my ancestors was Chosen by the god Trixx and the Miraculous has been passed down through many generations.”

How did she know so much? Marinette couldn’t stand hearing her blatantly lie to someone about this. She was about to step in as Ladybug when Adrien spoke up.

“I call bull.”

“What?” Lila was shocked.

“Some random fox superheroine shows up the same day I lost my book of heroes? Yeah, as if you didn’t just steal my book and make up a backstory. Where did you put it, Lila? This isn’t something to make jokes about!” Adrien was getting oddly worked up about this topic. It wasn’t as if he knew how important the book was. Then it was Lila’s turn to lash out.

“Adrien! Do you know how hard it is for me? Never being able to speak my mind? Never showing people how I really feel?” She grabbed Adrien’s wrists and fell to her knees, “I need you, Adrien! I’m being-” Lila collapsed to the ground, yelping in pain.

“Lila! Are you ok?”

Lila let out a blood-curdling scream, holding her stomach. As suddenly as it had come on, it stopped. Lila quieted, breathing heavily, still contracted on the floor. Adrien looked terrified. Marinette wondered if she should step in to help, but Lila got up, trying to compose herself.

“I’m fine, I just have… dizzy spells.”

Adrien jolted at this phrase, saying, “My mother used to have those.” He grabbed Lila, asking, “Are you sure you’re ok?” And Lila broke down into tears. Marinette decided to step in.

“Hey, I heard a scream, is everyone ok?” Lila looked up at Mari, winced a bit, then ran away without a word.

“Wh-” Marinette began, “what happened?” Adrien stood, just as stunned as her.

“I don’t know.”

After a while of unsuccessfully trying to find Lila, Marinette and Adrien saw a large comet headed straight for Paris. Mari easily lost Adrien and transformed, wondering how she could stop the comet. In horror, she realized,

I’m just not strong enough.

Suddenly, an orange blur flew through the air, stopping the meteorite and saving the city. She announced herself as Volpina, Paris’s only superhero. Ladybug wondered where she had heard that name before and where Volpina had come from. Chat Noir met her side.

“Wow,” he started, “she’s incredible.”

Ladybug immediately felt herself get jealous.

“Please, I could’ve stopped that meteorite.”

Chat gave her a knowing look, knocking Ladybug’s confidence down a peg. Volpina jumped to their side.

“Ladybug, Chat Noir, it’s nice to meet you. Especially you, Chaton. I’ve heard so much about you, but you’re even more handsome in person.” She cooed. Chat Noir blushed, meekly thanking her for the compliments, but Ladybug fumed. Chat was her kitten, and she wasn’t about to let some stranger get away with calling him Chaton.

“Chat Noir, I need to talk to you.”

“Great, Ladybug!” Volpina interrupted, “I’m so excited to be a part of your team!” Her voice was sickeningly sweet and somewhat familiar.

“I need to talk to Chat in private,” Ladybug grumbled. Volpina got angry at this and grabbed Chat’s arm.

“Whatever you need to say you can say to the both of us. We’re partners, right?”

“No, we’re not.” Ladybug countered, “I don’t know you.”

“Ladies, ladies, please,” Chat interrupted, cheeks flushed from all the flattery. He turned to Ladybug, “Why don’t you give her a chance? It seems like she’s trying to help.” Volpina scratched underneath Chat’s chin, making Ladybug red with anger and jealousy. She decided to just confront her.

“Fine. I don’t think you’re a real superhero.”

Volpina was aghast as if this was an impossible accusation.

“How would I stop that meteorite if I wasn’t?”

Ladybug was stumped at this, so she decided to quiz the girl, “What’s your Miraculous?”

“My necklace, of course.”

“What power does it give you?”

“Flight and super strength.”

“Two powers? That’s impossible.”

“Not at all!” Volpina answered sweetly, “Many Miraculous have multiple abilities such as the dragon or your own! Don’t you have the cleansing ladybugs?” At this, Ladybug was embarrassed. How could she forget one of her own superpowers? Volpina continued nonetheless.

“Plus, Miraculous holders can upgrade powers. I gained my ability to fly after proving myself to Trixx, my kwami.” She paused to look at Ladybug condescendingly, “Did you not know that?” Ladybug was about to lash out when she was interrupted by Chat Noir.

“No, we didn’t know that! Don’t you see, M’lady? This is huge! We can upgrade our powers!”

“Don’t believe everything you hear, Chaton, she could be lying-” Ladybug stopped herself. Lying. Of course.

“What did you say your name was again?” Chat asked, leaning on his stick.

“Volpina!”

Chat fell off his stick a bit. Ladybug finally remembered where she’d heard that name: Lila’s superherosona. Somehow, Chat Noir came to the revelation at the same time as Ladybug.

“You’re no superhero! You’ve been akumatized!” He threw his stick at Volpina in anger, but she dodged. After playing her flute, Volpina multiplied, causing Ladybug to wonder what her power was. The duplicates flew around Ladybug and Chat Noir in a circle, allowing the real Volpina to escape. As soon as Chat attacked one, however, the Volpinas disappeared.

“An illusion…” Ladybug realized, “Chat Noir, she has to be going towards Adrien Agreste’s house. I saw him confront her about her lies.”

Chat Noir was appalled by this, “You were spying on Adrien Agreste?”

Ladybug blushed, “Of course not! But when someone claims they know me on one of my most popular fan blogs, I tend to keep an eye on them.”

Ladybug found Volpina right where she had expected, floating outside the window of Adrien’s room. Adrien was inside, mouth wide open.

“Lila! You weren’t lying!” Adrien gasped. Lila nodded, stepping closer to Adrien and putting her hand on his chest. Ladybug knew this couldn’t be an illusion because she had touched Adrien. 

I guess she really can fly.

Lila continued to deceive Adrien, “With a kiss, you can become a superhero too. I can get Trixx, my kwami, to make another necklace for you. Once we get rid of Ladybug and Chat Noir, you and I can save Paris side by side.” She leaned in for a kiss. Adrien looked fearfully at Ladybug, so she took it as her cue to step in. Roping Volpina up with her yo-yo turned out to be useless, for Volpina simply created duplicate illusions of herself to distract Ladybug and escape. Chat Noir finally showed up, but Ladybug spotted Volpina taking Adrien away. She yelped in fear, but Chat Noir reassured her.

“That’s just another illusion.”

“Are you sure?” As much as she disliked Adrien, she didn’t want him to turn evil, “Adrien’s missing!”

Chat Noir scratched behind his head, but Ladybug decided he couldn’t convince her and chased after Volpina. She and Chat found her atop the Eiffel Tower with Adrien, who laughed.

“Ladybug, you’re useless! You couldn’t even save me! I’m joining Volpina!” Adrien declared.

“Oh, please,” Chat Noir muttered. Despite what he thought, Ladybug could clearly see Volpina and Adrien standing on the deck of the Eiffel Tower in front of them. Adrien kissed Volpina, causing a retching sound from Chat, and the two were engulfed in misty orange flames. When the smoke cleared, Adrien stood before them in a fox costume, wearing the same Miraculous as Volpina. His costume was a darker shade of orange than Volpina’s, but they complimented each other perfectly. He had a hood pulled over his head with long fox ears coming out of the top. Ladybug couldn’t help but think to herself,

He makes a damn cute superhero.

“Call me Reynard,” He declared.

“How will you fight the two of us?” Volpina cackled, conjuring copies of herself and Reynard.

“Quick, Ladybug, we have to find the real one!” Chat exclaimed. Ladybug’s lucky charm gave her a popsicle with a shiny wrapper. It blinded Volpina and she looked away, revealing herself. Chat Cataclysmed part of the tower so it fell on top of her, and all her illusions disappeared, leaving only the frightened vixen in her makeshift cage.

“So there was no Reynard?” Ladybug puzzled.

“Nope,” Chat answered, looking at Volpina, “Just another lie.”

Ladybug easily broke the cheap piece of jewelry, releasing the akuma and freeing Lila.

“Lila, are you alright? I get the sense that something’s wrong.”

Lila gasped, “Where’s my necklace? Did you lose it?”

Chat handed it to her, and Lila sighed in relief, putting it on. She addressed Ladybug,

“Ladybug, I really want to accept your help…” She looked over Paris, eyes landing on the Agreste mansion, “But I can’t. I can’t tell anyone. I’ll never be free.” Lila ran to the elevator and out of the Eiffel Tower.

“That poor girl…” Ladybug wondered what secret she could have. She could be lying for pity again, but her screams in the park seemed so real.

When Marinette got home, she was surprised to see that Tikki had somehow gotten Adrien’s book on her bed.

“Marinette, this is a bigger deal than I thought. Take pictures of every page, then return it to Adrien.”

“Every page?” Marinette groaned, “What about my storage? And why do you need this anyway? It’s all written in code.”

“I can read it, Marinette, and soon, you’ll be able to as well. I’ll explain it all later. You’ve proven yourself a perfect Ladybug, and you’ll make a great guardian someday. This is only the beginning.” Marinette just looked at her, confused.

“You’ve failed me.” 

Lila was scared. The voice of her master was always terrifying. Not at all what she had hoped for when they first met.

“I-I know,” Was all she could manage.

“Do you know the sacrifices I’ve made?” They slammed their foot down, causing Lila to jump.

“Please, Master, give me a second chance. I know I can do much more than you’re offering.” She begged, holding her fake Miraculous necklace in her hands. Her master snatched it violently, scratching Lila in the process. Her hand began to bleed a bit.

“I know you’re capable, Lila. But screw up next time and I won’t give you this necklace ever again.” Lila couldn’t stand that thought.

“Y-yes, Master.”

Chapter Text

“Wait,” Marinette recalled, “there actually is a fox kwami?” Tikki nodded. “And a mouse and a tiger and a horse?” Tikki nodded to this as well. Marinette scoffed,

“What’s next, a monkey?” Tikki stayed silent. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

“I told you, Marinette, this is a lot bigger than I made it out to be. I didn’t mean to dump all this information on you so quickly, but the Grimoire changes everything. I need to teach you to read this as soon as possible.”

Marinette scrolled through the scanned copy of the Grimoire on her phone as Tikki told her the history of the Miraculous.

“Many years ago, we kwamis Chose a group of monks who dedicated their lives to fighting crime across the world. They were based in Tibet, and we would always Choose monks to continue our legacy. But something terrible happened about a hundred years ago, involving a child misusing a Miraculous. He escaped, but the entire temple was destroyed and…” Tikki began to choke up, “We lost our cher Dusuu.”

Marinette hugged Tikki as well as she could for her small size, and Tikki seemed to cheer up a bit.

“But she’s not gone forever! We kwamis aren’t able to save her without a human who knows the ancient tongue. It’s hard to explain, which is why we used the Grimoire to teach the monks so many years ago, but it was lost in the accident. Until now, that is! Now you can speak in the ancient tongue and save Dusuu! As soon as we find the peacock Miraculous.”

“How will we find it?” Marinette asked,

“Plagg and I were talking, and we suspect that whoever had the Grimoire might have the peacock as well. They were lost in the same place after all. Either that or it’s still somewhere in the mountains of Tibet. I really hope it’s the former. You said Adrien had it?” Tikki flew directly towards Marinette, bumping into her nose and falling in her lap.

“Woah, Tikki, calm down! You’re getting a bit too excited, I think.”

“How could I not be?” Tikki exclaimed, “This could be our chance to see Dusuu for the first time in 105 years!” She flew around in circles, making Marinette giggle.

“And what about Hawk Moth?” Mari asked, “Is his kwami related to all this?” Tikki slowed down and hovered sadly in front of Marinette.

“No. We still don’t know where Nooroo is, or if he’s safe.”

“We’ll find him!” Marinette encouraged, “As soon as we’re done saving Dusuu!” Tikki squealed and flew around happily.

“So let me get this straight,” Adrien said, “Something horrible happened with the monks 105 years ago, leading to the disappearance of Dusuu, the peacock kwami. Her miraculous was lost along with my father’s book, the Grimoire, which he must have found in Tibet on his and Maman’s honeymoon. You and Tikki think that he might’ve found the peacock Miraculous as well because they were lost in the same place. With the Grimoire, you can teach me how to save Dusuu, providing we find her Miraculous. Is that right?”

“Yeah, pretty much.” Plagg responded, distracted by his camembert meal.

“My brain hurts…” Adrien complained.

“Hey, I get it, man,” Plagg mused, finishing his cheese with a bite bigger than his head, “I’ve never been very good at the lore stuff either. That’s kind of Tikki’s thing.”

“It’s too bad Father found out I took his book, but I’m glad Marinette found it so I could give it back. He was about to punish me big time.”

“The wonders of technology,” Plagg scrolled through the photos of the Grimoire on Adrien’s backup phone.

“Just be glad I’m rich enough to have a decent burner so my father doesn’t snoop through all these photos.”

“Your father looks through your phone?” Plagg asked.

“Yeah. I thought it was normal until Chloé showed me how privacy works. God, I feel so stupid for always complying to whatever he says, but at the same time…” Adrien made a goal on his foosball table, “I can’t help myself.”

“Nathalie!” Gabriel burst into her bedroom, Nathalie in her pajamas. She was startled. She really didn’t want to be interrupted today; her chronic headache was throbbing and she just needed some time to lie down.

“God, Gabriel, don’t you knock?” He didn’t respond.

“Ladybug and Chat Noir are onto me! The book is missing!” He was too worked up.

“Relax, Gabe, that girl found it, remember?”

“Ladybug and Chat Noir could have found it in the time that it was gone and realized it’s mine!” Nathalie sighed, putting her hand on Gabriel’s shoulder.

“You’re so anxious, just like your wife.”

Gabriel's face turned somber, “Nathalie, you need to akumatize me.”

Nathalie knew Gabriel couldn’t akumatize himself, so she figured it was only a matter of time before he asked her to give him extra powers. His ideas, however, were entirely too much. He asked for cataclysm, infinite creation, invincibility, and way more simultaneously. Nathalie decided that when he finally lent her the butterfly Miraculous, she would choose his powers. Nathalie froze, remembering the negative outcome of using the butterfly Miraculous. Something Gabriel was unaware of, that idiot. He was getting sicker by the day. But, no matter. She would let Gabriel have his fun and deal with her own consequences later. Besides, she already knew how to solve it. Nathalie put on the butterfly Miraculous, immediately transforming. She was in a long purple corset dress, complete with open shoulders and butterfly sleeves. It felt good, this power. She noticed Gabe staring, remembered his presumed infatuation with her, and rolled her eyes. Nathalie handed him a blank notebook as Gabe looked up at her. The Miraculous had largened her entire body, making her about a head taller than him, not to mention the heels.

“Wh- what should I call you?” Gabriel asked dumbly.

“Just call me Hawk Moth so Ladybug and Chat Noir don’t get suspicious.” Nathalie sent an akuma into Gabe’s sketchbook, allowing her to sense his feelings (mainly lust at the moment) and akumatize him.

“You are now The Collector. Fill up the pages in your book and treat yourself to Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Miraculous.” Nathalie explained. Before Gabriel went to terrorize Paris, he descended from the lair in his elevator, presumably to make Emilie the first page in his collection.

“What a creep,” Nathalie said to herself.

For some reason, Chat Noir was a bit worked up about the latest Akuma, The Collector. The Collector was acting a bit weird as well, seemingly annoyed at Hawk Moth whenever he tried to talk to him and not taking his role as seriously as the other villains. Ladybug didn’t have time to worry about this, however, because she had the Grimoire to worry about once this fight was over. With her being impatient, Chat being emotional, and The Collector being annoyed, this made for a very awkward battle. Nonetheless, they got through it with the fight ending in Adrien’s room, Adrien absent. Gabriel Agreste sat on the floor, holding his head.

“Ladybug? Chat Noir? What happened?” Chat was quick to answer.

“Hawk Moth took advantage of your anger and you were akumatized. Don’t worry Mr. Agreste,” Chat Noir stood up, “we’ll stop him soon.”

“Nathalie!” Once again, Gabriel stormed into Nathalie’s room. Nathalie began complaining again, but Gabriel wasn’t listening.

“It didn’t work…” He whined. Nathalie sighed. A lock of red hair fell in her face, Gabriel couldn’t help but notice. Nathalie was beautiful, especially as Hawk Moth. He desperately wanted to lend the Miraculous to her again, just so he could see her in that dress.

“I don’t know why you wanted to akumatize yourself, Gabriel. You have enough power as it is.”

“I did what was necessary to keep my secret.” He explained.

“Gabe, you can’t even be sure they were onto you.” Gabriel loved it when she called him Gabe, a nickname given to him by Emilie when the three of them were in high school. Emilie… Gabriel knew he could stop at nothing to get her back. He fell to the floor in a violent coughing fit.

“Gabriel! Tu va bien?” Nathalie rushed to his side.

“Nath… I don’t know what’s going on. I’ve been getting so sick recently.”

Nathalie sighed, “It’s ok. You’re ok. Just get up and move on.”

Gabriel took her advice. He had been noticing Nathalie in a different light recently. Sure, they had been friends since high school, but he had always loved Emilie. He must have been emotionally unbalanced in her disappearance. He decided to pay her one more visit before he went off to bed.

Chapter Text

As Ladybug fought Vanisher for the fourth time in two weeks (Hawk Moth was running out of ideas), Chloé appeared yet again, this time wearing a Ladybug costume. Chloé had shown up to every Vanisher battle and got in the way every time. Ladybug thought she would have learned her lesson by the second time, after Vanisher had thrown her into a wall and Chloé’s wrist was broken. She was starting to get on Ladybug’s nerves, and Chloé’s obsession with her was not helping.

“Ladybug! The akuma has to be in that brooch I gave her!” Chloé yelled, drawing attention towards herself. Why would she do that? Vanisher would obviously go directly to where Chloé was standing. Ladybug grabbed Chloé with her yo-yo while Chat dealt with Vanisher. As little as she’d like to admit, Chloé’s distraction had greatly helped Chat locate Vanisher, and he was able to get a few good hits in.

“Wow, Ladybug,” Chloé giggled, “we’re so close!” Ladybug spun Chloé away from her with her yo-yo, and Chloé yelped.

“Get out of our way Chloé. You’re just putting yourself in danger! Haven’t you learned your lesson?” Ladybug said, raising her voice and pointing towards the sparkly golden cast on Chloé’s wrist.

“But-” Chloé tried.

“No! Go hide in your room and wait for Chat Noir and I to handle this. You’re not a superhero, Chloé.” At this, Chloé’s eyes began to water, but she ran to her room before Ladybug could see a tear fall. Maybe she had been a bit harsh.

“M’lady!” Chat called. He had trapped Vanisher. Ladybug ran to him, pulling Vanisher’s purse off her shoulder and breaking it, to no outcome.

“But the akuma was in her purse the other three times…” She thought out loud. Vanisher kicked Chat Noir and escaped, but it was easy to find her with the glitter from the Lucky Charm Ladybug had used earlier. Ladybug thought about what Chloé had said and broke Vanisher’s pin, revealing the akuma. After cleansing everything, Chat asked,

“Why didn’t you believe Chloé?”

“Look, Chaton, she just gets on my nerves sometimes. She’s bratty, always acting like she knows better than us all.” Ladybug began.

“This time she did.” Chat pointed out, causing Ladybug to pause.

“Lucky guess.” She decided, then ran off.

Ladybug didn’t get far, however, until she heard a commotion back at the hotel. Another Akuma? Hawk Moth surely wasn’t wasting his time this week. Luckily, she and Chat Noir already knew how to defeat Vanisher.

After detransforming and feeding Tikki, Ladybug returned to the hotel to find Chat Noir tied up by a new Akuma.

“Oh no!” she said to herself, “This is what I get for making assumptions.”

The new Akuma was dressed like a ladybug with a costume similar to her own. There were differences, however, the main one being the suit was mostly black with red spots. She was putting her hand all over Chat Noir, threatening him with words Ladybug couldn’t quite hear. She did notice, however, when the Akuma’s hand reached for Chat’s ring. Ladybug flung her yo-yo, hoping for any sort of distraction, even though she was far away. Fortunately, her yo-yo hit the Akuma’s hand and caused her to turn towards Ladybug.

“Ladybug, there you are. You’re just in time for the show. Anti-Charm!” She received a hammer, catching it with her right hand. Ladybug noticed a mace-like ball covering her left hand, preventing her from using it.

How strange… She thought. Before she could react, the Akuma jumped at Ladybug, swinging her hammer and yelling.

“Who are you?” Ladybug asked.

“I am Antibug! Without me, you never could have defeated Vanisher! You never accepted my advice, always telling me to leave it to the superheroes. But guess what? Now, thanks to Hawk Moth, I am one!” She declared.

“Chloé?” Ladybug gasped. Antibug laughed, declaring she wasn’t Chloé anymore.

“Don’t worry, Ladybug, I don’t want to help you anymore, but I do still need something from you. Your Miraculous!” Antibug swung her red spotted hammer, barely missing Ladybug. Ladybug used her Lucky Charm, receiving a permanent marker. Antibug swung at Ladybug again, missing one more time. She pouted, calling another Anti-Charm. A sword fell into her hands and she laughed.

“How did you use it again?” Ladybug asked, eyes wide and genuinely curious.

“You idiot, I’m not bound to a Miraculous. I can use whatever powers Hawk Moth gives me.” She cackled again, “This is way better than being a regular old superhero.” Antibug ran towards Ladybug but was suddenly deakumatized right before Ladybug’s eyes. She turned back into Chloé Bourgeois. Ladybug was shocked, but not disappointed.

“Chloé, are you ok? Do you know what happened?” Chloé looked confused, but her expression hardened when she saw Ladybug. She turned away. Ladybug sighed and began to apologize.

“Look, I’m sorry for not taking your advice earlier. You were right, and we would have defeated Vanisher much quicker if I had listened. I was just so worried you’d hurt yourself again. I… kind of feel responsible for your broken wrist.” Ladybug held Chloé’s wrist in her hands, looking at her cast. Chloé blushed at the contact. She had one signature on it from her father. Not even Sabrina or Adrien had signed her cast. Ladybug looked at the marker in her hand and signed Chloé’s cast. She looked at Chloé and smiled. Chloé’s eyes were wide and watery.

“I just wanted to be a superhero like you.” Ladybug didn’t know what to say. This was a side of Chloé she had never seen before, especially not as a civilian.

“Maybe someday,” was all she could say, then, “Bug out!” and swung away.

Hawk Moth fell to the floor, coughing up blood. 

“D-darkwings fall.” He managed. His head ached and his lungs contracted with every breath. He lay there, stuck in fetal position as his blood pooled on the floor around him, coagulating in his hair and covering his hands in the sticky, red sacrifice. His vision blurred, but he could see one of his white butterflies now stained with a deep red wing. As he looked around, he saw multiple discolored butterflies, symbolizing his decreasing health. He hadn’t noticed until now. He could hear Nathalie’s voice as she came down the elevator.

“Sir! I saw the news! Chloé detransformed! Are you alright?” Gabriel couldn’t see her, but he knew when she entered the room. He soon saw her beautiful face looming over him, exasperated.

“Gabe…” She whispered. Gabriel relapsed into another coughing fit, more blood draining from his mouth with every violent exhale. Nathalie surprisingly lifted him up easily. She was stronger than Gabriel thought. The last thing he saw was the ground, an accumulation of blood adorning it. He didn’t know he had that much in his veins. Gabriel’s eyes closed as he fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter Text

Gabriel awoke in his bed in the middle of the night, Nathalie sitting next to him, looking over the Grimoire. He coughed, getting Nathalie’s attention. She sat up and put her hand on Gabriel’s face.

“Oh Gabe…”

Gabriel noticed that he was wearing an unreleased silk pajama set from his Spring 2006 collection, one of Nathalie’s favorite pieces that never made it into the public eye. Gabriel blushed upon seeing the cleanliness of his body and realizing Nathalie must have bathed him while unconscious. Adrien walked into the room.

“Nathalie, is Father awake yet?” Upon seeing his father, Adrien ran into Gabriel’s arms, hugging him tightly. Gabriel hugged back, not knowing how much time he would have left with his son. His life flashed before his eyes, realizing how little time he had actually spent with Adrien, the only piece of Emilie he had left. Gabriel’s eyes swelled up as Adrien pulled away.

“You look so pale, Father. Are you sure you’re alright?”

Gabriel decided not to address his condition, “Please, Adrien,” He begged, “call me Dad.”

Once Adrien left the room, Nathalie asked the question Gabriel had been dreading to answer.

“Are you going to tell him?”

He had thought about this long and hard. He really didn’t know what would be best, but he decided he couldn’t tell his son he was Hawk Moth. It would be too hard on Adrien if the last image he saw of his father was as a supervillain. Gabriel couldn’t bear the thought of his son distancing himself as Gabriel’s health declined. He slowly shook his head to let Nathalie know his thoughts, to which Nathalie sighed.

“Audrey will be coming over tomorrow morning to discuss the debut of your Summer collaboration.”

“Le Soleil Collection! I completely forgot!” Gabriel exclaimed, painfully sitting up. Nathalie gently laid him back in bed.

“Audrey will take care of most of the work, Gabriel. I won’t let you go to the runway this weekend in this condition.”

Gabriel’s body ached as he pictured Audrey Van Belle presenting his designs. She would certainly promote herself over Gabriel’s work, though they had worked on the collection together. Though he disliked the idea, he couldn’t move without pain and allowed Nathalie to take the lead, putting Madame Style Queen in charge.

Marinette stared at her derby hat, picking at the fake feathers and stitching on extra lace for more detail. She was insanely nervous for this weekend, having her work finally put out there with such big names as Gabriel Agreste and Madame Style Queen herself, Audrey Van Belle. Tikki encouraged her, but Marinette couldn’t help but panic. Her headache came back because of the stress, and Marinette lay down for a bit.

“Why do you keep getting headaches, Marinette? Is it allergies?” Tikki asked.

“I don’t know, Tikki,” Mari explained, “It’s just something I’ve always dealt with.”

She didn’t have much time for rest, because she had to finish sewing her dress for the ball. She only had a couple of days left. The dress code for the runway was black and white, to better display the colors of the garments. Marinette had started her own dress a couple months ago, and she was absolutely in love with it. It had taken her a while because she was also working on commissions for Mylène and Luka. To be completely honest, Marinette was ecstatic to see Luka again, as she really hadn’t seen him since March, when Juleka had a small houseboat party for Rose’s birthday. That hadn’t stopped her from thinking about him, though, especially when he texted her about an outfit for Le Soleil, Gabriel and Audrey’s Summer ball, showcasing their newest collection and featuring Marinette’s hat. Texts from Luka always made Marinette giggle.

-Why are you going? I didn’t take you for an upper-class fashion critic.

-Lmao i’m going to see my favorite designer

-Audrey Van Belle?

-You Marinette <3

Luka regularly complimented Marinette over text, and often checked in to see how she was doing. But this text was particularly flattering for Marinette, and she didn’t know how to respond, eventually forgetting to. Marinette hugged her finally finished dress, giggling as the sun rose. Tikki awoke with a yawn, lying on Mari’s desk.

“Marinette, did you stay up all night again?”

“Well, yes. But I’m finally finished!” Tikki looked at the dress in delight. It was short and puffy with a white lace trim and off-shoulder sleeves. It was simple, but everything Marinette had dreamed of. Tikki crawled around the dress, admiring every stitch and walking around the buttons and ribbon. She flew onto one of the slits in the black top layer, landing on the white tulle underneath.

“This is truly beautiful, Marinette! Mylène’s dress as well!”

“Thank you, Tikki!” Marinette had already finished and given Mylène her dress, but Luka’s suit still occupied her only male dress form. She wondered when Luka would stop by to get it. As if by magic, her mother called Marinette downstairs.

“There’s a boy here to see you!” Sabine called in a mischievous tone. Marinette walked downstairs, pushing her parents out of the room before they could ask Luka if he liked baking.

“Luka!” Marinette exclaimed. He was wearing a simple outfit, a ripped Crocoduo tee and black sweatpants, adorned with silver bracelets and rings. A guitar pick hung around his neck. Luka immediately went for a hug, and Marinette could smell his leathery cologne, a scent she recognized from the first time they met. Being in his arms was magical, and Marinette couldn’t speak.

“I have- your um- balls for the suit!”

Luka burst into laughter, Marinette beet red from embarrassment.

“Your suit for the ball.” She tried again, dejectedly. She invited Luka upstairs and he gasped.

“These are gorgeous, Mari!” he exclaimed, rushing to examine Marinette’s dress, “Will you be wearing this on Saturday?”

“Yeah,” Marinette said, blushing from the flattery.

“I can’t wait to see you in it.” Luka admired the dress, eventually turning to his own outfit, inspecting it as well. It consisted of a striped blazer with a dramatic lapel and collar, a tie embellished with silver chains, safety pins, and black lace, and a pair of baggy black jeans that Marinette had flipped, adding buckles and mesh bottoms to show off his boots.

“Oh, Marinette, it’s perfect,” Luka breathed, clearly in awe of her hard work. He handed her a €100 note. Marinette hated charging him for what she personally saw as a passion project, but the truth was she had spent a lot of money on Luka’s outfit, sewing the blazer entirely from scratch. €100 was what they had agreed on, but it had cost her a lot more to make. Mari didn’t mind, though, and accepted what Luka gave her. Luka tried handing her €50 more, but Marinette couldn’t accept a tip. She felt horrible for charging him in the first place.

“Do you…” Luka blushed a bit, which was really cute. Marinette hadn’t really seen him like this, but he kept his cool, “Do you need a ride on Saturday? Juleka’s getting a ride with Rose, so I have an extra spot on my bike.”

Marinette swooned at the idea, but had a problem, “I’d love to, but I have to be there early to give Mr. Agreste my hat.”

“I don’t mind waiting a bit,” Luka offered, “it might give us some time to get ice cream.” Marinette felt her face heat up as she clumsily accepted the offer, and Luka left.

Marinette awoke Saturday morning, terrified. She’d barely gotten any sleep that night. She was extra clumsy because of her nerves, tripping a few times on her way down the stairs and sweating through multiple shirts. Thank God her dress was sleeveless and her deodorant was strong. At 6:30, she took a long shower and changed into her dress. It was her first time trying it on fully finished. She went back downstairs to find her mother talking to Luka about whether or not he wanted to have children. Mari quickly put a stop to that conversation. Luka looked gorgeous in the suit. He had paired it with a Jagged Stone tee and black Demonia boots. He invited Marinette outside to his motorbike. It was bigger than she had expected, with blue decals and bumper stickers all over the back. Luka got on first, motioning for Marinette to join him. Marinette slowly straddled the bike behind Luka, putting on the helmet he gave her. That memorable smell filled her brain, engulfing her with thoughts of Luka. She found herself giggling like a child, unable to hold in her thoughts of spending time with him.

“Marinette, you have to hold on.”

Marinette was glad Luka couldn’t see her blush. Her shaky hands wrapped around Luka’s waist. Luka chuckled.

“Don’t be scared, I got you.” Luka started the vehicle and put on a Jagged Stone album, loud enough to annoy the other drivers. Marinette held onto him tightly, promising herself to never get a motorcycle license. All too soon, the ride was over, and Marinette had to let go of Luka. They quickly found Nathalie, as the event hadn’t started, and there weren’t many people in the venue. Nathalie eyed Luka conceitedly.

“That shirt isn’t allowed inside. Only black and white.” She demanded. Marinette and Luka both looked at his shirt. It was mostly white, but Jagged Stone’s logo was blue.

“Come on,” Marinette complained, “It’s barely noticeable.” Luka stopped her, not wanting to argue.

“It’s fine.” Luka took off his blazer, handing it to Marinette to hold. She wondered what he was doing, but Luka took his shirt off, dropping Marinette’s jaw. Luka wasn’t muscular by any means, but his body was soft and on the skinnier side, allowing his abs to show a bit. Marinette became red, almost dropping the blazer. Luka asked Marinette for the blazer, with his tie still on and his t-shirt in his hand. She numbly handed it to him, not knowing whether to look away or keep staring. Luka laughed a bit, then put his helmet back on, thanking Nathalie as he and Marinette got back on his motorbike and went to find André.

Luckily, André was nearby and the two of them got ice cream. 

Sweethearts ice cream, Marinette couldn’t help but think. The two of them talked, mostly about music, finding they had a lot in common.

“So,” Marinette asked, “How have things been with your dad?”

Luka sighed, “He hasn’t visited since we found out. I guess he has been busy, but I just figured he’d stop by since he’s in Paris.”

“Do you think he’ll be at Le Soleil? ”

Luka shook his head, “I doubt it. It’s not really his thing.” Luka’s head dropped, looking at his hands. Marinette put her hand on his back. Luka quickly ended the conversation, however, by declaring,

“It’s 9:45, we should get going.” Marinette wouldn’t have noticed the time had it not been for Luka. They headed back to the venue, where guests started to show up. They were walking up the red carpet when Madame Style Queen herself stepped out of a golden limo followed by a young blonde girl and… Chloé?

“They know each other?” Marinette asked in shock. Both of them were wearing extravagant glittering gowns, surely upstaging some of the designs in the fashion show.

“Step aside!” Chloé declared, “My mother deserves the red carpet all to herself!”

Marinette’s jaw dropped for the second time today. It made sense, but she just couldn’t believe it. The other girl stood next to Audrey and said nothing.

“Dupain-Cheng?” Chloé addressed her, “What are you doing here?” Chloé noticed Luka, looking at him with wide eyes and her face turning a light pink. For the first time, Marinette heard Chloé’s voice falter.

“Oh, um, hello.” She began to Luka nervously, “Who are you?” She was speaking in a breathy voice, glancing at Luka’s chest every so often. Marinette was incredibly jealous. Before Luka could answer, he was interrupted by Audrey Van Belle.

“Your dress…” She asked Marinette, in an unreadable tone, “Where did you get it?” She would surely hate Marinette’s dress. Mari was thinking up a lie when Luka stepped in.

“She made it herself. Gorgeous, no?”

Marinette made a small peep noise, then pulled Luka into the grand ballroom before Audrey could start berating her creation. After explaining how nervous she was, to Luka’s encouragement, Marinette finally noticed the grand ballroom in all its glory. It was huge, bigger than any event she had been in. She felt out of place until Luka held out his hand, inviting her to dance to the classical music on the ballroom floor. Her body was so close to his as they danced, glass ceiling above them and no one else dancing beside. She apologized profusely every time she touched his bare chest, red in the face the entire time. They danced for only one song, their bodies effortlessly moving as one. After the song, Marinette stepped away to compose herself. Had she fallen in love with Luka? She had always been in love with Chat Noir, thinking of his charming smile and his trust in her. Her thoughts were interrupted by Luka’s melodic laugh. She turned to see him talking to Chloé, who was getting closer than Marinette liked. Then, Luka held out his hand. As he and Chloé began to dance, Marinette’s breath sped up. She ran away, trying to find somewhere to be by herself, but ran into Adrien and fell to the ground.

“Marinette!” He said, surprised, “Are you crying?”

Marinette got up, wiping her tears, “No!” She said defensively.

Adrien had a worried look on his face that somehow comforted Marinette.

“Ok,” She admitted, “The guy I like was dancing with someone else. I know it’s stupid.” She decided to take attention off of herself, “Why aren’t you in your dressing room?” Marinette noticed that Adrien was in a Gabriel-branded bathrobe. He saw her looking and blushed, adjusting his robe.

“I, um, just heard my father can’t be here.”

“What?” Marinette was surprised, “It’s his own show!”

Adrien sat down on a nearby bench, “Not many people know this, but he’s been really sick recently. Like, bedridden sick. Nathalie took him to the hospital earlier today.” Marinette gasped. “I’ve been avoiding it, but…” Adrien looked away, “I don’t think he’ll survive much longer.”

“Adrien…” Marinette sat next to him, “Have you told Chloé or Nino?”

“No. You’re the first one. I don’t know why, I guess I just had to get it off my chest.”

Marinette surprised herself by putting her hand on Adrien’s chin and turning his face towards her, revealing tears streaming down towards his chin, with a red nose and cheeks. She wrapped Adrien in a hug as he silently sobbed all over her dress. She was a bit annoyed, knowing she’d have to clean it before the show started, but she felt awful and knew he needed it. A large poof of glitter appeared in front of the two, some getting in Marinette’s eyes. When she could see again, she noticed a tall woman made of glitter standing before her and Adrien.

“You!” She yelled, “Where is your father!”

Adrien scoffed, “Like I’d lead an Akuma to my father!”

The Akuma growled in frustration, then pointed her staff at Adrien, Marinette dodging just in time. After another glitter cloud, Adrien was a sparkly golden statue. Marinette ran off to transform, but before she could, she ran into a black cat.

“Oh no, I have enough bad luck already.”

“It’s about to get worse.” The cat said. Marinette was surprised, but Tikki spoke up.

“Plagg! Is Chat Noir ok?”

So this was Plagg, Chat Noir’s kwami. He was really adorable, looking just like a real cat, but with a little green stripe on one of his fingers.

“Short answer is no,” Plagg responded.

“Can you lend the ring to someone else?” Tikki asked.

“Short answer is no.” He repeated.

“Ohhh…” Tikki thought for a while, then decided, “We have to involve someone else, probably Pollen.”

“Unfortunately, I thought the same thing.” Plagg said calmly, “But I was thinking Kaalki.”

“I don’t know if she’d help us. Plus, she’s in London right now.”

“What the hell are you guys talking about? Chat Noir is missing?” Marinette exclaimed.

“Marinette, we need an ally, another superhero. Plagg will find Pollen, then she will Choose whoever you’ve selected. Pollen is obedient and normally follows us around, plus her power will be useful in stopping Style Queen since she’s made of glitter and can’t be hit.” Tikki explained.

“So I need to choose another superhero?” Marinette clarified.

“Indirectly, yes,” Plagg said.

“Ok, I’m going to say Alya.” Marinette decided after a bit of thinking.

“Last name?” Plagg asked, getting straight to the point.

“I-” Marinette realized, “I don’t know.”

Plagg grumbled.

“Marinette, think! We need a last name. Either that or you could describe Alya to us so Pollen knows who to Choose.” Tikki exclaimed.

“I don’t know!” Marinette was exasperated, “She’s wearing a black and white dress, glasses, and she recently bleached her hair so it’s bright yellow; you can’t miss it.” The sounds of screaming and explosions were heard in the distance.

“Hopefully that’s good enough.” Plagg said, scurrying away, “Now transform and hold her off until I find Pollen!”

By the time Ladybug arrived on the scene, Style Queen had made it to the Eiffel Tower. She held Adrien’s lifeless golden body hostage with a rose in his mouth. Chloé was there, terrified. Ladybug didn’t know how Chloé had survived so long, but she was very helpful once Style Queen had gone, letting Ladybug know where the akuma was. Style Queen was eventually beaten with no sign of Alya. Ladybug hoped Plagg hadn’t screwed it up.

“Where am I?” Ladybug was met with Adrien’s voice, “Is this the Eiffel Tower?”

“You were turned into a glitter statue by Style Queen,” Ladybug explained, “I can take you back to Le Soleil if you want.”

“That would be incredible.” Adrien was in awe. Ladybug held onto him, somehow thankful to be by his side without the tears. She’d come to realize she kind of liked Adrien’s company, no matter how often he bothered her. She still didn’t want to be friends, but she would be there if he needed someone to talk to. Something told her Adrien wasn’t very close with Nino, Sabrina, or even Chloé, though they had known each other for so long. Upon arriving, Adrien thanked Ladybug and ran to his dressing room, still wearing his bathrobe. Ladybug giggled and detransformed. She’d forgotten all about Plagg and Pollen.

As the show started, Marinette found herself sitting next to the blonde girl she had seen enter with Audrey Van Belle and Chloé. The two were sitting beside her in the same cross-armed position, with the mayor to the left of Chloé. Marinette introduced herself to the girl, who she found was named Zoé, and they talked for a while. Zoé was very kind, unlike her family, and didn’t like being in the spotlight like her mother. Marinette froze when Adrien entered the runway for the finale wearing a long feathered coat, an asymmetrical feathered sleeve, and her hat. He was stunning, Marinette had to admit. Adrien’s expression was sullen until he saw Marinette. It was subtle, but she saw his face perk up a bit before returning to his model face with a happier undertone. As Adrien reached the end of the runway, the lights went out. A limping, shriveled Gabriel Agreste stepped onto the runway in a hospital gown, very pale and hardly walking. Even in such a dire state, he was graceful and serene. The room was silent, most people’s first time seeing Gabriel Agreste in the flesh. He hobbled towards Adrien, who took a step back in fear. Then Gabriel embraced his son. Adrien froze for a moment, then hugged back, Marinette’s hat falling off of his golden head and floating to the ground.

Chapter Text

Adrien stood frozen in shock at his father’s appearance. Gabriel walked onstage and hugged him in front of everyone. Adrien stole a glance at Nathalie, who fumed at Gabriel being out of his hospital bed. His father was quite the unholy sight, eyes dark and skin pale. He was much skinnier than usual and wore nothing but a hospital gown and branded slippers. Under normal circumstances, Gabriel would never leave the house like this. Or, at all. But Adrien had a feeling these weren’t normal circumstances. As he hugged back, he realized what Gabriel’s appearance meant. His father knew he was dying.

As Gabriel pulled away, his hands lingering on Adrien’s shoulders, Adrien looked into his bloodshot eyes with tears streaming from his own. He didn’t care that the public would see him crying. Not this time. Gabriel slowly returned backstage, leaving Adrien on the runway in a trance. He didn’t know what to do, so he did the only thing he knew how. He continued down the catwalk, tearing his cloak off to reveal the white peacock tail underneath. The mechanical arms within the tail rose behind his back, replicating the spreading of a peacock’s feathers. Adrien’s tears wouldn’t stop flowing, smudging his dark eyeshadow and mascara, a look that he decided the magazines would love. The peacock finale was a decision made by his father, though the hat and the rest of his look were made of pigeon and raven feathers. For some reason, Gabriel had insisted that the reveal had to be faux albino peacock feathers. Adrien heard gasps from the crowd as he turned around and walked back down the runway. He couldn’t help but glance at Marinette who gaped at him with wide eyes and red cheeks.

After the show, Adrien met up with his father being chewed out by Nathalie for escaping the hospital. He sat in a wheelchair which Adrien didn’t know the origins of. Audrey Van Belle came to address them, joined by her two daughters and André following close behind.

“Gabriel! I don’t know how you let yourself get like this! And appear on camera for the first time since Emilie's disappearance looking like a crackhead? I have no clue what’s gotten into you.” She sighed, “But it is good to see you, no matter how hard it may be to look.”

Gabriel smiled a bit, but Nathalie looked unamused. As the adults conversed, Adrien saw Marinette wave at him, and he went to talk to her.

“Adrien! That final look was incredible! Absolutely breathtaking.” Marinette gushed.

“I know, right? My father’s really outdone himself this season. He was so inspired by your hat, Marinette.” Marinette blushed, clearly unable to find the words.

Audrey addressed her, “You, teenager! I’m of the understanding that you created this hat?” She lifted it off Adrien’s head.

“Yes, madame,” Marinette said meekly. Chloé laughed at this.

“She thinks she’s a fashion designer! Look at this hat! Feathers are so out of style!” Chloé’s hand covered her mouth obnoxiously as she laughed, and Marinette turned her face towards the ground.

“It’s… exceptional!” Audrey exclaimed after a bit of silence, causing Chloé’s laughter to abruptly stop. “You know nothing about fashion, Courtney- I mean, Chloé. Feathers are so chic! They’re definitely coming back in style.” She raised her sunglasses, revealing piercing blue eyes.

“Marinette, right? I would love it if you came with me to New York for the summer. I usually start my season in May, but you still have plenty of time to join me before our Winter collection, taking place entirely in America! I haven’t seen this much talent since Gabriel’s early days.” Audrey looked at Gabriel fondly, “You should have seen some of his first works, they were so unique and avant-garde, I had to hire him as soon as we both came of age.”

“Wow, Madame, this is all so…” Marinette began, interrupted by Chloé.

“Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!” Chloé declared, as she often did, but there was a different tone to her signature phrase this time. “Maman, I’ve never been to New York with you and you’re taking the baker girl!?” Adrien felt a pain in his chest. Chloé’s mother had never taken her to New York?

Audrey replied coldly, “I’m taking her because she’s exceptional, Claudette.”

“I’m exceptional, too!” Chloé was practically screaming, tears falling from her eyes. Audrey simply scoffed.

“Please. You only have one working hand. The only thing exceptional about you, my dear, is your mother.”

At this, everyone silenced. The only thing that could be heard was Chloé’s heavy breathing and stifled sobs. Finally, Chloé spoke up.

“I’ll show you how exceptional I can be!” She pulled a yellow comb out of her pocket, to which Marinette gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.

“Clara- uh, Chloé, this is an ugly comb.” Audrey snipped, clearly unable to read the room.

“You’ll see, you’ll all see!” Chloé yelled, “Pollen, buzz on!”

Oh my god, Adrien thought, another Miraculous. as Chloé transformed into a superhero. She was decorated with yellow and black stripes and a fur collar. The cast on her left hand had morphed into what seemed to be a giant stinger. She jumped to where everyone could hear her.

“I am Chloé Bourgeois, but you will all call me Queen Bee! I am Paris’s newest superheroine!” Chloé shouted, still worked up from the fight with her mother. Upon noticing that Audrey was unimpressed, she swung away with her top. Adrien wanted to get away and see if Plagg had anything to do with this (he most certainly did), but Nathalie stopped him.

“Come, Adrien, we have to take your father back to the hospital.”

Adrien saw Plagg in the corner and gave him a desperate look as Nathalie walked him to the car and began helping Gabriel in. With Nathalie in the passenger seat, Adrien was right next to his father for the first time in a long time.

“I hope Chloé doesn’t do anything foolish,” He decided to start up a conversation,

“I’m not sure.” Gabriel said, “But Ladybug and Chat Noir will deal with her.” Adrien turned his head towards the window, noticing Plagg running on the sidewalk, somehow keeping up with the car. Upon arriving at the hospital, Adrien went to the bathroom to talk to him.

“What did you do, Plagg?”

“Woah, I didn’t do anything this time! Well, maybe. But it’s not as bad as it could be.” Plagg sat in the sink, tail swishing back and forth, “If anything, blame Pollen. She’s the one who got it wrong.”

“What the hell are you talking about? How did Chloé become a superhero? Did she get Chosen?” Adrien was beyond confused.

“Yes, but actually no.” Plagg began, “When you were mysteriously missing in the Style Queen battle, Tikki and I decided it would be best for Ladybug to get more help, so I enlisted the help of Pollen. Ladybug didn’t know the full name of the person she wanted to choose, so she gave a vague description which apparently applied to multiple girls.” Adrien felt guilty for not being able to help with Style Queen, but everything worked out. Well, not everything.

“I have to check on Chloé, I mean, Queen Bee.” Adrien rubbed his ring, glancing out the bathroom door in the direction of his father’s room. He didn’t know how much time he would have left. “Let’s finish this up, quick. Plagg, Claws Out!”

As Adrien snuck out of the toilets, he stole a peek into his father's room. He was so serene, lying peacefully next to his heart monitor, his chest heaving up and down.

Adrien whispered, "I'll be back soon, Dad, hang in there."

Queen Bee wasn’t hard to find, she was on every news station with reports of her trying to stop a runaway train. Chat Noir got to the scene quickly and he and Ladybug stopped the metro. Queen Bee really did nothing, as when they found her, she was stuck to the front of the train screaming in fear. When Ladybug confronted her, however, she was the confident Chloé Bourgeois that Adrien had known all his life.

“I saw the driver with a Venom sting in his arm! You paralyzed him to create this mess and make yourself look good!”

Chloé blushed upon being caught, “Who cares? We saved him and everyone on the train!”

“Chloé!” Ladybug yelled, “This isn’t a game! Give me your Miraculous and renounce Pollen so we can get this over with!”

Just as things were heating up, Nadja Chamack and a cameraman from the news station showed up, out of breath from running to the scene.

“Chloé! Uh, Queen Bee!” Nadja interrupted, “We’re on the phone with your mother. Audrey, is there anything you want to say to your daughter?” Chat looked at Nadja’s tablet, seeing Audrey Bourgeois coldly staring at the scene.

“I only have one daughter, and it’s not her.” Audrey hung up. Queen Bee stood still for a moment, eyes watering, then fell to her knees and sobbed. Chat Noir hated for all of Paris to see Chloé in this extremely vulnerable moment.

“Sorry,” He told the film crew, “but if you had any conscience, you’d know it’s a very inappropriate time to be filming right now.” And he Cataclysmed the camera. Nadja seemed upset but slightly considerate, and she and her cameraman left the scene. All of the train passengers were gone as well, leaving Ladybug and Chat Noir with a crying Queen Bee.

“Chloé-” Chat started, but Chloé once again masked her emotions with anger, a trait Adrien knew all too well.

“No, alley cat! I am Queen Bee! I am a superhero and I’m-” her voice caught as she started sobbing, “I’m exceptional!” Queen Bee ran away in tears, escaping Ladybug and Chat Noir. As they searched for her, Ladybug opened up.

“I feel really bad for yelling at her.”

“Don’t be,” Chat countered, “she deserved it. Putting all those people in danger; we have to get her Miraculous back.”

“Ugh, this is all my fault. If I had just told Plagg the full name…”

Chat put his hands on her shoulders, “Hey, we’ll fix this, like we always do. Just you and me.” Chat’s ring beeped, and he departed from Ladybug to find some cheese for Plagg.

“Nathalie…” Gabriel whispered desperately. Nathalie came to his side, “where’s Adrien?”

“He went to the bathroom, Gabe. He’ll be back soon.”

Gabriel sighed, “Good. I can’t let him see me like this.”

Nathalie started to speak, but Gabriel transformed, catching her off guard.

“Gabriel! Now is absolutely not the time!”

He knew that. But there was something more important at the moment. More important than his own life.

“Chloé…” He tried to explain to Nathalie, only one word able to escape his lips. Nathalie sighed in understanding. “This is… my last chance to save Emilie.”

“What’s the point in saving her if you won’t be there to witness it? How do you even know the wish will work, anyway? You’ve barely deciphered the Grimoire!” Nathalie was desperate, clearly opposed to Gabriel spending his last moments on one more Akuma. But Gabriel didn’t care. Chloé Bourgeois would be his masterpiece. The Akuma that would finally work. He knew Chloé’s mind, knew how she longed for her mother’s attention. She was the perfect prey. He didn’t waste time trying to explain it.

“Kiss me, Nathalie.”

Nathalie was appalled, causing Gabriel to wonder whether he’d misjudged her feelings for him. Nonetheless, Nathalie leaned down and gently kissed Gabriel on his dry, blood-coated lips. If Gabriel’s greatest wish couldn’t come true, at the very least he had her.

When Chat Noir left, Ladybug was met with a horde of wasps flying directly towards her. She heard a familiar cackle and looked up to see a darkly colored Queen Bee hovering in the air, wasp-like wings flapping vigorously. Her left hand was still unusable, with a sharp stinger replacing it.

“Chloé?” Ladybug gaped,

“No! I am Queen Wasp! Wasps, get her!” The cloud of wasps took the form of a torpedo, rushing towards Ladybug at lightning speed. She had trouble dodging them, but eventually escaped and found Chat Noir.

“Chloé was akumatized while wearing a Miraculous?” Chat asked,

“I guess so. I didn’t know that was possible.” Ladybug responded, “It just means we’ll have to be more careful not to get akumatized ourselves.”

Chat Noir looked sad, "I feel horrible. I had no idea her mother treated her like this.”

Ladybug didn’t know what had gotten into him, but she couldn’t deny that she also felt guilty for not knowing what Chloé had been through.

“It’s ok, nobody knew, especially not the public. It was just so sudden, us all being subjected to such intimate family matters.” Ladybug grabbed Chat’s hand, “By the way, I really admire how you called Nadja out for filming Chloé’s vulnerability.” Ladybug felt Chat Noir squeeze her hand, though he didn’t look directly at her.

“I just-” He started, “know what it’s like having a difficult home life.”

Ladybug was conflicted by this information. While she wanted to be there for Chat Noir, she knew she couldn’t truly help him.

“I’d love to talk about this, Chaton, but it’s dangerous for me to know anything about your civilian life. Is there someone else you could talk to?” Chat looked Ladybug in the eyes, then perked up.

“Yeah,” He said, “there is.”

“There you are!” Queen Wasp had finally found them. Ladybug pulled Chat, still holding hands, away from the wasps. Chat Noir pointed at the Seine and the two jumped in, escaping the wasps once again. Their respective weapons could be used as breathing devices, but they couldn’t stay in the water forever. Ladybug led Chat to the nearest boat, which happened to be La Liberté.

“Ladybug? Chat Noir? What are you two doing here?” A familiar voice asked.

Ladybug turned around to see Luka, wearing the same outfit he had when he came to pick up his suit. He was sitting on a large box on the deck, playing his guitar. As Chat talked to Luka, Ladybug called her Lucky Charm. She received a snorkel, but couldn’t focus at the sight of her two crushes meeting. Chat made a few puns, to which Luka laughed. Ladybug was in heaven. The sight of wasps snapped her back into submission. Queen Wasp appeared, landing on La Liberté.

“Mon ange!” She exclaimed. Ladybug was disheartened when Luka responded,

“Chloé?”

Queen Wasp grabbed Luka and tried to fly away, but Ladybug caught her with her yo-yo. Setting Luka down, Queen Wasp directed her wasps towards Ladybug, but, shoving the snorkel into Queen Wasp’s mouth, Ladybug jumped into the Seine. She was followed closely by Chat Noir and Queen Wasp, still attached to the yo-yo. After a quick underwater fight, Chat cataclysmed the Miraculous, freeing Chloé. They got her to shore, and Chloé held the broken Miraculous in her hands.

“Chloé…” Chat Noir began, “I know you did all this to impress your mother.”

Chloé immediately became defensive, “What? Why would you-” But upon seeing no one was around, she broke down. “Ok, I did. I’ve always tried to prove myself to her, but she doesn’t-” Chloé’s voice caught, “she doesn’t love me. She only loves Zoé.”

“I know how you feel.” Chat Noir replied, “I can’t talk about it much, but I sometimes don’t feel like my father loves me either.” He paused, “Why don’t you talk to your friend Adrien? He’s got some pretty serious mommy issues, too.” Ladybug kicked Chat, but Chloé chuckled.

“I guess his situation is worse than mine.”

Seeing Chloé in a better mood, Ladybug decided to ask the big question.

“Chloé, will you give the Miraculous back?”

Chloé held onto it, “You- you don’t think I can be a superhero?”

Of course not, Ladybug thought, but only said, “It’s not that. Everyone knows your civilian identity, including Hawk Moth. It would be too dangerous to have you working with Chat Noir and I.”

Chloé stood up defensively. She immediately defaulted to rage.

“How dare you! I can be a superhero! I am exceptional! No matter what anyone says, I will always be Queen Bee!” Chloé transformed and swung away. Ladybug was about to chase her, but her earring beeped, reminding her to detransform.

“Ugh, I’ve got to go. Chat, will you take care of her? You’re better with words anyway.”

“Sure, M’lady,” Chat responded.

With a, “Bug out!” Ladybug swung back home.

Chat blew Ladybug a kiss as she swung away. She was just so perfect. He extended his stick, flying through the air to follow Queen Bee. He had almost caught up to her, swinging through the rooftops, when a news broadcast caught his eye. It was Nadja Chamack.

“Genius fashion designer, Gabriel Agreste, dead at 42!” Chat Noir froze, losing Chloé. His ring beeped for the last time and he detransformed. Adrien couldn’t move. He tried to step closer to the large screen in front of him, a picture of his father, but couldn’t. Nadja continued talking, but Adrien couldn’t hear. His ears were ringing and his breathing sped up. Adrien couldn’t even bring himself to cry; he just stood on the rooftop in silence.

“Nathalie…” Nathalie heard Hawk Moth call her name as she watched the news broadcast of Queen Wasp being defeated. Gabriel detransformed.

“I tried…” He whispered, “I tried so hard.” Nathalie put her hand on Gabriel’s arm.

“I know, Gabe.” There were no hospital employees in sight, which was concerning considering Gabriel’s critical condition.

Damn doctors, Nathalie thought, so useless. She couldn’t blame them, however, they didn’t know how dire Gabriel’s situation truly was.

“Nathalie…” Gabriel repeated, “Where’s Adrien?” Come to think of it, Nathalie hadn’t seen Adrien since he left for the bathroom.

“He’s here, he just went outside for a bit.”

“I think…” Gabriel concluded, “I should have been a father instead of a husband.”

Nathalie had known this all along, but it was so heartwarming to hear Gabriel realize his biggest mistake in using the butterfly.

“Adrien…” Gabriel sighed deeply, and Nathalie heard his heart monitor flatline. Gabriel was still.

“Do you know why I called you here, Lila?” Nathalie asked,

“Yes, master,” Lila replied. When Nathalie was silent, she continued, “Gabriel is finally dead.”

“How dare you say it like that!” Nathalie demanded, “Gabriel was one of my closest friends!”

She couldn’t stand Lila’s audacity, practically celebrating Gabriel’s death. Nathalie thought of some of their last moments together. She couldn’t believe she’d kissed his crusty lips, but she wanted to make him happy in his final moments. While Nathalie never had romantic feelings for Gabriel, they had been best friends since high school, along with Emilie. She mourned his passing, but she had to move on as quickly as possible so Ladybug and Chat Noir wouldn’t suspect anything.

“Don’t fail me again.” She finally said, handing Lila Rossi the butterfly Miraculous.

Chapter Text

Hey guys! This is just an intermission, a place for me to answer questions and post artwork for the story once I finish drawing it lmao. There's gonna be an intermission in between every season, and they're the only chapters I'll update regularly after the story is finished, besides minor editing and rewriting. I'm planning on drawing a few pieces for this story and placing them in intermissions because I don't want to disrupt the chapters with an image. Any questions in comments sections throughout any chapter will be answered in intermission, so feel free to ask about anything! I'm also currently working on season 2, so if you have any story ideas I'll keep them in mind and credit you in the notes if I decide to use them. I'm seriously open to any contributions such as fanart or storylines. Thank you so much for all the support, I can't believe this already has three hundred hits after a week. I will have more Miraculous-related stories coming out eventually, but they're just in concept stages right now. Again, thank you so much for reading!! -3-

Questions

Chapter 11:

Q: SailorSun777 asked

does that mean Plagg can talk to Chat?

A: No, it's the same as canon, Plagg can talk to Adrien while out of costume, but as Chat Noir he is only aware of what's happening and can't communicate with the outside world.

Chapter Text

“Chat Noir?” Ladybug found him atop a roof sitting by himself, watching the sunset.

“M’lady…” Chat Noir said, his voice sullen.

“I got your text-” Ladybug began, suddenly wrapped in a tight hug by Chat Noir. She felt his tears run down her back. It killed her not being able to ask about it. She hugged back, face tightening. Hawk Moth was truly a villain. The secrets she had to keep from Chat Noir burned inside her every day. If only she could remove her mask and tell him it would be ok, that they could love each other freely without Hawk Moth’s curse looming over them. Even then, she felt the eyes of the butterfly watching them in this intimate moment. They hugged for what felt like hours, Chat finally letting go and wiping his tears.

“Sorry, just…” He looked out over Paris, so beautiful at this time of day, “Bad day.”

Ladybug wrapped her arm around his waist, resting her hand on his thigh. Oh, how she wished they could be closer, intertwined for eternity. Chat grabbed her head softly and leaned it against his chest. Once again, Ladybug could hear him purr.

As the sun sank below the horizon, Chat Noir stood up. He held out his hand for Ladybug, who took it, getting up. Chat Noir put his hands around her face, stroking her neck and landing on her shoulders. Ladybug leaned in for a kiss, but Chat turned away. He silently shook his head for a moment.

“We can’t.”

Marinette stood atop a roof, powerless. She reached up to find her earrings were missing. A cloud of butterflies accumulated to form the decapitated head of Hawk Moth, the same head Ladybug had seen whilst fighting Stoneheart almost one year ago. The head laughed and opened its mouth, revealing an akumatized Chat Noir with a completely white suit. His face was contorted, mouth stretched open and eyes as black as night. As Marinette stared at her deformed kitten, she was met with a completely black room, void of substance. Hawk Moth laughed behind her, passed directly through her as if she were a ghost, and slowly approached Chat Noir.

No! Marinette tried to yell, but her words caught in her throat, releasing tight air instead of speech. Hawk Moth grabbed Chat Noir by the neck, slitting his wrists with just the swipe of his fingers. Chat struggled for a bit, then hung limp. Hawk Moth spread Chat’s blood over Marinette’s hands as she stood paralyzed in fear, then disappeared. Mari was met with a crowd, gasping.

“How could she kill Chat Noir?” They said.

“No!” Marinette yelled, “I didn’t! It was-”

Marinette screamed, awakening on Alya’s couch.

“Woah, girl, you ok?” Alya asked.

“Yeah,” She responded, “just a nightmare.”

Marinette had had nightmares similar to this, but none so violent and gory. It just felt so… real.

“Are you sure, M?” Alya put her hand on Marinette’s shoulder, “You know you can tell me anything,” 

I wish I could…

They were interrupted by a crashing sound from Etta and Ella’s room. Alya had been having trouble with them all night. She yelled at them, marching down the hallway.

“That’s it! No amusement park! Don’t even try to blame this on the-” 

Mari could hear monstrous giggling and a loud crash.

“Sapotis?” Alya finished. Marinette looked down the hallway to find two little orange gremlins kicking Alya and causing mischief. When one of them ate something, it multiplied.

“So these are the Sapotis?” Marinette yelled over the monsters’ noises as they knocked her over and jumped on her, some of them escaping out the window.

“Oh, my sisters must have been akumatized!” Alya yelled back.

“Both of them?”

“There were two monsters, were there not? Plus, both of them are missing!”

Marinette didn’t know this was possible. She ran into Alya’s bathroom to transform.

Upon going outside to find Chat Noir, Ladybug noticed there were far more Sapotis than she had accounted for. She tried breaking a few of their hats, to no avail. She would have to find the two originals.

“Woah, M’lady. It’s been a while.” Chat Noir joked. Ladybug remembered the previous night, with Chat turning down her kiss. He had left somewhat coldly after that, leaving Ladybug alone on the rooftop. She didn’t know how to feel, assuming Chat still felt the same about her, but not being quite sure. Her emotions manifested in the form of annoyance.

“Yeah, let’s just get this over with.” She turned away from him, sensing Chat’s disappointment behind her. “We need to find the first two Sapotis.”

“But there’s so many! You’re saying we gotta catch ‘em all?” Chat posed, pretending to hold a Pokéball. Ladybug just turned away coldly.

“Yeah.” 

She swung away, violently ripping Sapotis’ hats off one by one. Chat followed on his stick, catching as many Sapotis as he could.

“M’lady, is this about last night?”

Ladybug stopped, letting go of the Sapoti she was holding, snatching its hat in the process.

“What if it is?” She asked, breaking the hat with one hand. Still no akuma.

“Come on, you know I didn’t mean it like that.” Chat tried to explain himself, “I just… it’s kinda hard not being able to fall in love with you.” He sighed, “I’m sorry I left you on the roof.”

It was refreshing to hear him apologize, but she couldn’t forget the feeling of being rejected on the roof last night. Ladybug knew she had to get back to business, though, so she gave Chat a quick hug and forgave him.

“I get it, Chaton.” She brushed her hand across his cheek, “Let’s get back to work.”

As they kept breaking hats, Ladybug couldn’t help but feel that something was off. She took a bit of a break to talk to Tikki.

“I need something to lure all the Sapotis to the same place. They like amusement parks, but we can’t exactly build one in the middle of Paris.” 

Tikki thought for a bit, then said, “Marinette, we need to get help from another kwami.”

“No way I’m letting you do that again! It worked so well the first time!” Marinette thought of Queen Bee, still on the loose. She hadn’t had time to confront Chloé since their last battle.

“But you know your friend’s full name now, yes?” Tikki asked, to which Marinette sighed.

“Yes, I do.”

“Good. With a first and last name, Trixx will be able to locate them wherever they are.” Tikki looked nervous. “I’m anxious about using Trixx because he’s so… unreliable. But his power will be the most useful in this situation.”

Marinette recognized the name Trixx.

“Trixx is Lila’s fake kwami, right? You’re saying he’s the actual fox kwami?”

“Yes,” Tikki admitted, “I don’t know how Lila knew his name; we’ll have to look into that. But we need his help right now. I think he’s in Paris…” Tikki bit her tiny lip, then decided, “I’ll go look for him. Hold off the Sapotis, Marinette.”

Marinette was about to object, but Tikki flew off quickly, searching Paris for her vixen friend.

Tikki returned after a while, Marinette having broken a few Sapoti hats in her absence. She was accompanied by a small fox with a mischievous grin.

“Oh, boy,” He started, “I finally get to Choose a holder!”

“No, Trixx,” Tikki sighed, “you’re only lending them your power. We can’t have you Choose them in case something goes wrong.” Tikki bit her lip again, “Like Chloé.”

Tikki must have seen Marinette’s confused face because she explained a bit more.

“We can lend holders our powers for one use, allowing them five minutes like you and Chat Noir, only the Miraculous will disappear after they detransform and they won’t be able to transform again for a week. It’s a safety precaution in case we’re afraid someone will get power-hungry.” Tikki paused, “We didn’t do it for Chloé because we didn’t think anything would go wrong.”

“Don’t worry, nothing will happen this time.” Marinette assured, “Tikki, Spots On!” 

Ladybug turned to Trixx, “Alya Cesaire,” 

The fox’s eyes glowed for a second.

“Got it!” He replied, “You won’t regret choosing me, Ladybug!” and he whisked away into the night. She sure hoped he was right.

Ladybug found her kitten fighting Sapotis and breaking hats. He was relieved to see her.

“There you are, M’lady! I was worried you wouldn’t come back.”

“I could never abandon you, mon Chaton,” Ladybug told him, to which Chat blushed.

Suddenly, an orange superheroine joined them. It had to be Alya.

“I did recruit some help, though.” 

Chat was confused, “I still don’t quite get how this whole ‘new superhero’ thing works.”

“That’s because you were MIA the first time, kitty.” Ladybug laughed. She could see the skepticism in Chat’s eyes.

“This isn’t gonna end up like Chloé, is it?”

“God, no,” Alya decided to step in, “I’m actually here to help. Ladybug’s told me all about you, Chat Noir. I’ve heard you’re quite,” she paused for effect, “hiss-terical.” Chat perked up at the fox’s pun.

“Ok, I changed my mind. I like you. What’s your name?”

She thought for a bit.

“Rena Rouge.”

Ladybug’s Lucky Charm gave her a unicycle, which she used in a contraption to take off the Sapotis’ hats one by one, luring them all to the same place using an illusion created by Rena Rouge. Chat Cataclysmed all the hats, collected into a large trash can. Rena quickly ran away to detransform.

“Do we have to get her Miraculous back?” Chat Noir asked,

“Nope!”

“This is all so confusing…” Chat complained. 

Ladybug laughed, “I’ll explain it all in a bit. I have to go now.” Her earring flashed, “Bug out!”

Chapter Text

“Luka! I got your text! What’s the emergency?” Marinette found Luka quickly, sitting under a tree watching the sunset. His text described an emergency, claiming Luka had important news and she had to meet him at the Trocadéro as soon as possible.

“Marinette!” He said, standing up. Luka grabbed Mari’s hands and pulled her close to him. Her heart beat faster.

“My father is looking for cover art for his newest album and he asked me to design it for him!”

Marinette was shocked, “It’s great that he’s finally reaching out, Luka, but I didn’t think graphic design was your thing.”

“It’s not,” Luka said, still excited, “I recommended you! I showed him some of your work and he’s in love with it!”

Marinette’s jaw dropped, “Me designing cover art for Jagged Stone?” She squealed, jumping into Luka’s arms. Her arms tightly hugged Luka’s upper body, with his own enveloping her waist. Marinette could smell his familiar scent, burying her face into his neck to soak up more of him. Luka lifted her off the ground and spun her around, with Marinette on cloud nine. When Luka set her down, he offered to buy her ice cream, as he had chosen the spot where André was that evening. They were his last customers for the day.

“Marinette,” Luka began, “Bob Roth will meet you at your house tomorrow afternoon to discuss the album.”

“Oh, Luka, thank you so much for this opportunity, but I’m really nervous. Will you come with me?”

Luka smiled and nodded, putting his hand on Marinette’s back to comfort her. He was so perfect. Marinette loved everything about him, from his incredible musical talent to his perfectly shaped body. She blushed, thinking of when she saw him take his shirt off at Le Soleil. Luka noticed, sliding his hand from Marinette’s back to her hand, effortlessly intertwining his fingers with hers. Mari gazed into his eyes, imagining his thoughts. He was impossible to read, always keeping his face calm, but he had a pink tinge in his cheeks, tainted by the cool olive tone of his skin.

“Pop quiz, Marinette,” Luka said, backing away but still holding her hand, “What’s the name of Jagged Stone’s first song?”

Marinette knew this easily.

“Oh, I know! Under the Moonlight By the Sea, Kiss Me !” Marinette suddenly realized what Luka meant, staring up at the moon, the sea being replaced by the large fountain in the Trocadéro. She turned back to Luka, face hot. Was this about to be her first kiss? Luka brushed a lock of hair from Marinette’s face, saying,

“If- if you want to, that is.” He was nervous, blushing and hands shaking. His eyebrows raised a bit, awaiting Marinette’s answer. Marinette leaned in to kiss him…

“Awesome solo!” A loud voice yelled in an American accent. Marinette would recognize that voice anywhere.

“Papa?” Luka spoke what she was thinking. Marinette saw a dragon flying circles around the Eiffel Tower, Jagged Stone atop its back, akumatized.

“I have to go to the bathroom!” Marinette said, angry at herself for having to leave Luka. She got up, pausing to look back at him. He still sat on the ground, smiling at her. Marinette sighed, realizing she would have to fight his father. She grabbed Luka’s face, pulled him into a quick kiss, then left, not daring to look back.

Ladybug’s face was hot as she ran to the Eiffel Tower, thinking of how she’d kissed Luka. She wasn’t even thinking, just did it impulsively. Her eyes had been closed, but she wished she could’ve seen Luka’s face. Did he feel the same way? Ladybug stumbled a little thinking of her first kiss (besides Chat Noir). It really wasn’t what she’d hoped for in kissing Luka, as she had to get away to stop Guitar Villain, but she was so happy that Luka had been her first (besides Chat Noir). Chat Noir kept slipping his way into Ladybug’s thoughts, reminding her of the kiss she’d given him to free him from Dark Cupid’s spell. She looked at him fighting Guitar Villain on the Eiffel Tower. He was incredible, causing Ladybug to question her feelings for Luka a bit. Why did she love Luka as Marinette, but love Chat Noir as Ladybug? The two of them occupied her mind as she realized she would eventually have to make a choice.

Chat Noir was having trouble avoiding Guitar Villain’s attacks, being so high up with nowhere to dodge. He was comforted by the sight of Ladybug roping up the dragon and mounting it to ride it, standing up. It was a glorious sight to see, Ladybug controlling the dragon, guiding it as it flew around the monument. Eventually, she trapped the beast within the bars of the Eiffel Tower. Chat was enamored, and froze for a second, giving Guitar Villain the chance to hit him with an “Awesome Solo,” knocking him into the hostage. XY was pushed a little farther off the plank Guitar Villain had set up to knock him over.

“Watch where you’re going!” The electronic singer demanded.

Chat could hear Ladybug use her Lucky Charm, then he felt her yo-yo wrap around his waist, pulling him to where she was standing. She’d pulled him a little too close and Ladybug’s eyes met his own, noses a millimeter apart. She awkwardly let go of him, allowing Chat to notice a bottle of hairspray in her hand. Ladybug sprayed Guitar Villain’s hair into his face, blinding him. Chat was about to Cataclysm the guitar when he heard XY scream at the sight of the wooden plank breaking. Ladybug saved him with her yo-yo, throwing him into the guitar and damaging it enough to release the akuma. Ladybug tried to leave quickly, but Chat stopped her.

“Wait, M’lady, we need to talk.”

“Chat,” She said sadly, “I only have four minutes.” 

Chat sighed, “Will you meet me back here?”

Ladybug sighed at this, deciding whether to talk to Chat Noir or go to bed. It was getting late.

“Of course I will, kitten.” She finally responded. Chat perked up, blowing her a final kiss as she left.

Chat Noir found some cheese at a small shop near the Eiffel Tower, then went back to the tower upon detransforming. He had to carry Plagg up several flights of stairs before the cat was finished eating and he could vault to the top. He sat, overlooking the city, singing a song he had made up.

“Little kitty on a roof, all alone without his lady…”

“Chaton?” He heard Ladybug’s voice.

“M’lady…” He clasped Ladybug’s hands in his own, “We have to talk about Chloé.”

They conversed for a while, Chat discovering the news about Pollen and Trixx and learning more about how Chloé was able to get the Miraculous.

“Chat Noir,” Ladybug paused, “I think it’s time we started looking into the identity of Hawk Moth. It’s been almost a year since his appearance and we still have no leads.”

She turned away from Chat Noir, “It hurts to see all these innocent people in danger, especially when we’ll eventually have to fight people we’re close to.” She looked up at him, eyes watering, “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I let you get akumatized, Mon Minou.”

This was a new nickname from Ladybug, and Chat loved it. He couldn’t keep himself from purring. He grabbed Ladybug, hugging her tightly, but sweetly. Her grip on him tightened as she buried her face into his chest. She giggled a bit at the vibration caused by his purr.

“We’ll find him. You have a copy of the Grimoire, yes?” He felt Ladybug’s head rub up and down his body as she nodded, “Plagg’s already started teaching me the ancient tongue, and I think I’ve figured out a few words.”

Ladybug sniffled but didn’t say anything. Finally, she spoke, releasing herself from Chat Noir’s arms.

“Yeah. Maybe the Grimoire will give us some answers.”

Chat kissed her forehead. Ladybug smiled, swinging away in the moonlight.

Chapter Text

Adrien heard Nathalie call his name, then he was greeted by the sight of Chloé and Lila standing in his foyer. Lila carried a large backpack, while Chloé was accompanied by her butler Armand, who carried multiple designer suitcases and various other luggage. Chloé glared daggers at Lila, who smiled at Adrien unknowingly.

“Adrien, Chloé and Lila will be sleeping over tonight. I’d like you to spend more time with your friends, and I need to discuss the Gabriel brand with Lila.” Nathalie explained.

Adrien’s eye twitched as he stared at the three of them, mouth open. Lila in his room? Chloé had invited herself over before, but he didn’t know why Lila was spending so much time with Nathalie recently. Apparently, she was a bigger part of his father’s company than he thought, working on designs with Nathalie and Chloé’s mom. Maybe she wasn’t lying about working with Chanel and Louis Vuitton.

“Adrichou!” Chloé quickly ran up the stairs, jumping on Adrien. He would’ve fallen over had he not been in such good shape from fighting supervillains. Chloé draped her arms around Adrien’s neck and wrapped her legs around him. Luckily, she got off of him pretty quickly, leaving her arms resting on his shoulders.

“I’m so happy I get to spend the night!” Chloé exclaimed. She began talking, but Adrien couldn’t hear. What if there was an akumatization? He got the feeling Lila and Chloé wouldn’t be able to give him a second of privacy. All he could do was tolerate them for the night and pray Hawk Moth was having a good day.

The sleepover turned out to be exactly as Adrien had pictured, with Lila and Chloé arguing and way more physical contact than he felt comfortable with. When Nathalie called Lila downstairs to discuss business, Chloé got a call from her dad.

“Chloé?” Adrien heard over the phone, “Where are you, ma cherie?” 

Chloé scoffed, “I’m at Adrien’s because you couldn’t get me the diamond phone case I wanted.”

Adrien heard André beg Chloé to come back home. André had never been the best father, always spoiling Chloé and never being strict with her. Adrien suspected his enabling was the main reason Chloé turned out to be such a brat since Zoé didn’t act the same way.

“No!” Chloé yelled, “You’re the worst father ever! You’re even worse than Adrien’s dad! And he freaking died! When I get home, I’m leaving for New York with Maman. You can stay here with Zoé 'cause you obviously like her better than me!” 

André began to protest, but Chloé hung up.

“Now, where were we?” Chloé asked, joining Adrien on his bed and holding his hand. 

Chloé rubbed her hands all over Adrien as she talked about how ridiculous her father was, but they were met with the sound of a helicopter at his window and an Akuma riding in it. The Akuma was joined by Audrey Van Belle who hugged and kissed him constantly.

“Chloé! There you are!” He said, “Now, as Malediktator, I have the power to make anyone do whatever you’d like! Look at your Maman!”

Adrien saw Zoé also in the helicopter, terrified. Malediktator hadn’t hit her yet.

“Daddy?” Chloé gasped, then processed what he had said, “Whatever I’d like?” She mischievously looked at Adrien, who took that as a sign to escape.

Chat Noir met Ladybug on the rooftops of Paris, where Malediktator was waiting for them. He shot controlling power out of his hands, much like Simon Says, which followed them around. Malediktator stepped on Chat Noir’s tail, provoking a yelp.

“By the power vested in me, I declare you are a cat!” He yelled, tossing a ball of energy at Chat Noir.

“No!” Ladybug jumped in front of Chat Noir, saving him and taking the bullet. She got on all fours and began to meow.

“Oh, M’lady, what have you done?” Chat whispered, eyes wide. Hawk Moth would easily take her Miraculous. Chat grabbed her and vaulted to an alleyway. He didn’t know what to do. Ladybug pranced around on her hands and knees, meowing happily. Chat Noir was freaking out. He needed the Lucky Charm to return Ladybug to normal, her not being able to produce it in this state. Not thinking properly, he detransformed so he could talk to Plagg. He just prayed Ladybug wouldn’t remember seeing him as Adrien. Plagg flew out of the ring and landed on the ground.

“Adrien, what’s going on- ooh…” Plagg winced upon seeing Ladybug playing with a rat, “That’s not good.”

“What should I do? I need her, Plagg,” Adrien said, desperately, “I need her Lucky Charm.”

“Well,” He said, “you could always take her Miraculous.”

“What.” Adrien was completely opposed to this idea.

“You know, so you could use the Lucky Charm and bring her back to normal.”

“She would kill me!” Adrien put his hands on his face, worried, “I would know her secret identity!”

“You can give her your ring so she’s still disguised,” Plagg said, matter-of-factly. Adrien thought about this. This might not be the worst idea. Sure, Ladybug would still be mad, but what choice did he have? With shaking hands, Adrien took off his ring, sliding it onto Ladybug’s finger. She looked at him, pupils dilated, and blinked slowly.

“Mrow?” Ladybug said, still a cat. Adrien kissed her hand.

“Alright,” Plagg declared, cracking his furry knuckles, “Here we go!” He backed up, then flew into the ring, forcing himself inside. It was a bit difficult for him, growling and grunting as he tried fusing with the ring. Adrien assumed this was because Ladybug hadn’t transformed herself. Plagg finally got into the ring, transforming Ladybug into a bug-cat hybrid superhero. She had three long braids and green, spotted eyes. Adrien noticed how cute she looked in green, complete with cat ears and a black, green, and red spotted suit. She was gorgeous like this, but Adrien needed the ladybug Miraculous. He took the earrings off of her with a scratch of her chin. She detransformed halfway, leaving her as a cat superheroine. This fit her new role a bit better, Adrien couldn’t help but think. She had green eyes and a black suit, and her cute little ears wiggled as she hopped around on all fours. Her hair had grown into a long braid, green highlights strewn throughout. She made an adorable kitten. 

“Adrien? What’s going on?” Tikki mimicked Plagg upon seeing Adrien.

“No time to explain, Tikki, Spots On!”

Adrien looked back at his Lady, realizing he would still need help. He now knew Rena Rouge’s identity, but he had no idea where Trixx was, and it would take too long to find him. There was only one person he could count on.

“Chloé?” He approached the window to his own room, finding Chloé inside laying sadly on Adrien’s bed with his pillow in her arms.

“Chat Noir?” Chloé said. Her cheeks were tear-stained and her nose red. Upon seeing him, Chloé asked, “Who are you?”

“It’s me, Chat Noir. Ladybug has gotten into…” He sighed, “A bit of trouble. Do you know what happened to your father?”

Chloé sniffed, then admitted, “I made him angry because he couldn’t get me what I wanted and I told him I would leave for New York with my mom. I…” Tears began falling from her eyes again, “I feel so stupid. This is all my fault. Now Daddy’s an Akuma and Maman’s hypnotized into being in love with him again. I don’t even know what’s happened to Zoé.” She buried her face into Adrien’s pillow, “I’m useless. Utterly useless.”

Chat Noir lifted Chloé’s chin with his hand. Chloé resisted at first, then allowed him to raise her head.

“Nobody’s useless, Chloé. I came here because I need your help, and I know you’re capable.” He gestured to the Miraculous on Chloé’s head, causing Pollen to fly out from where she was hiding.

“I’m a terrible superhero,” Chloé said, dejectedly.

“Well…” Chat started. Chloé turned away. “You had a rocky start. But I believe you can be better, Queen Bee.” 

Chloé looked back at him, eyes wide and watery.

“You really think I can do it?” She asked.

“I know you can.”

Queen Bee transformed with an extravagant, choreographed dance.

“Thank you for trusting me, Chat Noir.” She said. 

Chat smiled, “It’s Mister Bug now.”

When Mister Bug and Queen Bee found Malediktator, he had retrieved Ladybug and sat atop Notre Dame surrounded by guards. Ladybug sat next to him, licking her hand.

“Daddy!” Queen Bee shouted, ruining Mister Bug’s ambush. Malediktator, of course, noticed them right away.

“Stop being an Akuma! It’s utterly ridiculous! And fix Maman and Ladybug- I mean Lady…” Chloé cocked her head, looking at the cat superheroine grooming herself, “Noire?”

“By the power vested in me, I order you to give me your Miraculous!” 

Malediktator threw balls of power at Mister Bug and Queen Bee, who dodged long enough for Mister Bug to call his Lucky Charm. He received a laser pointer, knowing exactly what to do with it. He caught Lady Noire’s attention and, as expected, she began batting at the red dot and hopping around. It was adorable. Mister Bug pointed the laser at each guard individually, directing Lady Noire to tackle them. Queen Bee caught on quickly, paralyzing Malediktator with her Venom in the distraction. She really did make a good superhero when she wasn’t causing akumatizations or putting people in danger. Chloé was intuitive and street smart, no matter how rude and out of touch she may be.

Mister Bug neutralized the akuma and threw his laser pointer into the air with an enthusiastic,

“Miraculous Mister Bug!”

He had always wanted to do that. He held out his fist to Queen Bee, a tradition he and Ladybug had started when they first met. Queen Bee gasped, then fist-bumped him.

“Bien Joué!”

“Ch- Chat Noir?” Mister Bug heard Lady Noire’s voice behind him, clearly confused.

“What is she doing here?” Lady Noire demanded upon seeing Queen Bee. Chloé bowed her head and clasped her hands behind her back.

“Saving Paris,” Mister Bug simply said, causing Queen Bee to lift her head. He could see her catch her breath and blush at the sight of Lady Noire up close. She really was breathtaking as a cat superhero, but Mister Bug could feel himself become jealous upon seeing Chloé’s reaction.

“Chat Noir?” Lady Noire repeated, “Is that you?” 

Mister Bug nodded, “Yep, but call me Mister Bug. You got to be mon Minou for today.”

Lady Noire looked at her outfit, then returned her eyes to Mister Bug, infuriated. He saw this coming a mile away.

“Chat- er, Mister Bug! We need to talk right now!” She grabbed his hand, but paused, turning to look back at Chloé.

“Thank you,” She said slowly, then grabbed the yo-yo off his waist and swung to a nearby rooftop so they could talk.

“What were you thinking! You switched our Miraculous?”

Mister Bug decided to counter, “What were you thinking? You jumped in front of me and became a cat! I could’ve easily dodged that! You just put yourself in danger and left me to clean up the mess!”

Lady Noire sighed, “I wasn’t thinking. I just couldn’t fight an Akuma without you again.”

“I guess you forgot that I needed to use the Lucky Charm and Miraculous Ladybug to save you.”

Lady Noire grew red from embarrassment.

“You can’t sacrifice yourself for me again, M’lady. That’s my job.” Mister Bug stole a wink at her. Lady Noire changed the subject.

“You used Chloé? That was dangerous. Hawk Moth knows her identity.”

“I needed the power of the bee, Chatonet, and Chloé’s the one who has it.”

Lady Noire sighed, realizing that Mister Bug did what had to be done. His earrings beeped, reminding him to detransform. Lady Noire heard this as well, and grabbed Mister Bug’s waist to take him to the sewer. The two hid behind a column in the sewer and took off their respective Miraculous. As Ladybug slid the ring around the corner, Adrien couldn’t help but grab her hand.

“Chat- what are you…?” She asked.

Adrien brought her hand up to his lips. It was the first time his lips touched her soft skin, and Adrien figured it would be the last until Hawk Moth was defeated. Her hand had the familiar scent of strawberry-hibiscus lotion.

“Spots On,” he heard her say, then transformed himself. Chat Noir hugged his lady, then climbed out of the sewer and went home.

“Lila!” Nathalie yelled. Lila detransformed, ready for a verbal attack. She knew Nathalie was just mad that she hadn’t ordered Optigami to follow Chat Noir when he took the hypnotized Ladybug away and swapped their Miraculous. Nathalie created Optigami as a nannycam for Lila but occasionally used it to spy on Ladybug and Chat Noir. As Nathalie berated Lila, she couldn’t help but wonder why she had gotten wrapped up in this mess. She knew how, of course, but why did it have to be her? If only Lila could have a normal life. She knew she’d be able to if Nathalie would just let her go. She would be able to get a job, go to school, possibly even do some of the things she had lied about doing earlier. Nonetheless, fate had brought her here, standing in front of Nathalie as she yelled angrily, spit flying out of her mouth.

Chapter Text

Chat Noir sighed, thinking of his lady. The rooftop date he’d set up was beautiful and romantic, just like her. It was the perfect spot, overlooking Paris and facing the sun as it set. When he asked her, she’d said she couldn’t come, fearing for her secret identity, but a part of him hoped she would show up anyway. As the evening turned to night, Chat began blowing out his candles. How could he have been so foolish? Of course Ladybug would say no. Their love was forbidden, safeguarded by the secrets they kept to protect each other from Hawk Moth. Chat Noir was angry. Hawk Moth. How could someone be so cruel? Preying on innocent civilians, keeping Chat Noir from his lady. In his rage, Chat Cataclysmed one of the roses he’d set out for her and detransformed, holding the fragrant ashes in his hands. Adrien fell to his knees, tears dripping onto his thighs and staining the jeans his father had designed. His meltdown was interrupted by a familiar sob. Adrien looked to where it had come from and saw Marinette, crying on her balcony with her face in her hands. She had a chair, but sat on the floor with her knees up. She couldn’t see Adrien, so he transformed (to the disappointment of a hungry Plagg) and jumped over to her balcony, sitting on the railing and facing her.

“Marinette?”

She looked up, eyes red and puffy.

“Chat Noir?”

He was about to respond when Marinette stood up and ran to him, hugging him and bursting into tears. He almost fell off the railing.

“Do- do you want to talk about it?” He offered. Chat wasn’t very good at making friends, and Marinette already disliked him as Adrien.

“There’s-” Marinette sniffed, “there’s a boy I’m in love with, but I can’t be with him. I can never be with him!” She managed to say before violently sobbing again.

“I know how you feel.” Marinette was strangely in the same position as Chat Noir, though her situation was just teenage drama and his was thanks to Hawk Moth. How Chat hated Hawk Moth. He swore to carve out his heart, just as his own was being destroyed every day.

“I-” Chat began to tell Marinette, “I’m in love with Ladybug.”

“You’re in love with Ladybug?” Marinette was shocked at this information, “But I thought- you were so adamant about it on Nadja’s show!”

“Yeah, Nadja’s question made me angry, but there was no way she could’ve known that Ladybug and I can’t be together,” Chat looked away so Mari wouldn’t see the tear falling from his eye, “No matter how much I love her.” His voice cracked a bit, so he assumed Marinette knew he was crying. So much for looking cool.

“Chaton…” Marinette began. She reached out her hand, almost revealing her secret identity in one word. Chat Noir quickly batted it away.

“Don’t call me that!” He snapped in a raspy, choked voice. Marinette realized she’d almost said too much. Chat Noir was crying hard but managed not to make any noise as his tears streamed down his face, dropping from his chin.

“I’m sorry,” Chat apologized quietly, “I’m so sorry, Marinette.”

Mari knew he was no longer talking to her. His voice was so genuine, she almost thought he knew he was talking to Ladybug. She grabbed Chat’s waist and pulled him off the railing onto her balcony. Chat was caught off-guard by this and stumbled into Marinette, grabbing her arms for balance. Since they were so close, Marinette pulled him into a hug, which Chat desperately reciprocated. 

Finally, he let go, saying, “Let me show you something.”

With a grab of Marinette’s waist, Chat Noir took her to a rooftop decorated with candles and roses. Mari could hardly move at the romantic sight.

“You… set this up for Ladybug?”

She turned to see Chat leaning on the railing, staring at a rose in his fingers.

“You really love her, don’t you?” Marinette said sadly. She’d never realized how much Chat cared about her. Sure, he flirted with her, but Mari was always afraid it was a joke, like everything else he did. She thought she fell harder than he did, but seeing Chat Noir act so vulnerable caused her to rethink what she’d understood about him. She’d never seen him so sensitive before. Chat Noir said nothing. He stood up, glanced at the red rose in his hand, then handed it to Marinette. She gasped at the small gesture. Of course, Chat wasn’t in love with Marinette and had no idea she was Ladybug, but she allowed herself to let go for a second and accept the romantic gesture from her kitten. She reached out to take the rose, but a giant snowman made of ice cream interrupted them, singing a song about making ice cream for couples. He noticed the two of them, and Marinette grabbed onto Chat Noir in fear. Glaciator saw this and left them alone. There was no way it wasn’t André Glacier. He got upset any time someone single came to his ice cream stand, so no wonder he was akumatized. Chat Noir shoved the rose into Marinette’s hands and quickly kissed her cheek, saying,

“I’m meowt of here! Cat-ch you later, Purrincess!”

Marinette had no idea how he’d managed to fit three cat puns into eight words, but once he left, she transformed so she could fight Glaciator with him. Chat Noir, however, was a bit sullen, making very few puns. Ladybug knew that this was because of last night, and she felt horrible for standing him up. When they got a bit of escape from Glaciator, she began,

“Chat Noir, I didn’t want to leave you last night, but you know I couldn’t come.”

“I know, M’lady.” Chat said, avoiding her eyes, “I’m not mad at you. I’m just frustrated.”

“Chaton, he doesn’t attack couples.” Chat hesitated at this, predicting what she was about to say, “So we could pretend-”

“To be in love?” He interrupted, finally locking eyes with her, “Pretend?”

Chat was about to get angry, then collapsed to the floor.

“You know, you can just tell me if you don’t love me, Ladybug.” His voice was shaky, clearly afraid of Ladybug’s answer. She didn’t know what to say.

“Chat Noir, I-”

“There you are!” Glaciator had found them. Ladybug quickly grabbed Chat’s arm, kissing him on the cheek. Glaciator hesitated, saying,

“They’re… in love!”

Ladybug laid her head on Chat’s arm, feeling the vibrations of his purring. She loved it when he did that.

When they were close enough, Ladybug wrapped her yo-yo around Glaciator and pulled tight. Surprisingly, the yo-yo sliced through the ice cream and captured something inside. Ladybug called her Lucky Charm and received a giant fan. She instructed Chat Noir to attach the fan to a motorcycle to power it, as she was still holding onto what she assumed was André inside the ice cream monster. Sure enough, the fan blew away the ice cream and André was inside, dropping his ice cream scoop, which Chat Noir Cataclysmed. Once André was cleansed, he stood up, excited.

“So you two are in love! I knew it ever since I saw you deny it on TV.” 

Chat Noir had begun to leave but stopped when he heard André say this.

“Sorry, André,” Chat muttered, facing away from them, “She’s just a friend.”

Ladybug approached Chat Noir as he cleaned up the romantic rooftop setting. He paused when he noticed her, but didn’t turn around.

“This is beautiful, Chat Noir,” Ladybug said desperately, a frustrated undertone in her voice.

“I’m glad you got to see it.” Chat Noir said half-heartedly.

“Chaton, I…”

“No, I know. You’re right. It would be dangerous for us to be in love.”

“That’s…” Ladybug sighed, “Not what I was going to say.” 

Chat looked up at her, and Ladybug could barely look him in the eyes.

“I love you, mon Minou.”

“As a friend, I know.” Chat turned away, not wanting to face the answer.

“Chaton…” Ladybug couldn’t put it into words, so she held his face in her hands and kissed him. Chat Noir was paralyzed for a second, then kissed back, his hands resting on Ladybug’s lower back. Her hands fell from his face to his shoulders as the awkward kiss continued, Chat’s soft lips on hers. She wished this was how it could be. Ladybug’s eyes opened for a split-second, catching an akuma headed straight for the back of Chat Noir’s head. 

“Chat Noir!” 

Visions from Ladybug’s nightmares flashed through her brain. Her little kitten, dressed in white with eyes as dead as night. Hawk Moth laughed, clenching his neck tightly as Chat’s head hung limply from his hand.

Quicker than she ever had before, Ladybug removed her yo-yo from her waist and flung it at the akuma, transforming it back into a white butterfly. She breathed heavily, unable to keep Chat Blanc’s lifeless body from her mind. Chat Noir just paused, helplessly gripping the railing behind him.

“Ladybug…” he managed, “Was that an akuma?” Ladybug nodded solemnly, unable to look at her kitten.

“We have to be more careful.”

“I-” He didn’t know what to say, “But I wasn’t being negative!”

“They can attach to any strong emotions,” Ladybug looked out at Paris, still seeing Chat Blanc, as Hawk Moth called him in her dream, “Even love.”

At this, she swung away, managing not to look back at Chat Noir in fear of what the sight of him might do to her.

Chapter Text

"Joyeux anniversaire, Marinette!” Tikki exclaimed, waking Marinette up.

“Tikki…” Marinette said groggily, “Isn’t it a bit early?”

“Not at all, Marinette,” Tikki said, “It’s nearly ten! You slept in again!”

Marinette knew why she was so sleepy. She’d been up till midnight fighting Glaciator, then she’d gone to the rooftop and… Marinette put her hand over her mouth, gasping.

“Tikki! I kissed Chat Noir!”

“Uh, yeah,” Tikki was confused by the change of topic, “We still have to have a talk about that by the way.”

“You don’t get it! I actually did it, Tikki! My first kiss was with Chat Noir!”

“Marinette, that wasn’t even close to your first kiss.” Tikki rolled her eyes, “Your first kiss was while fighting Dark Cupid, then you kissed Luka. This was your third.”

“But it was my first real kiss,” Marinette explained, stars in her eyes. Tikki obviously didn’t get it. She couldn’t fall in love.

“Marinette, you can’t keep doing this. Last night was a perfect example of why you can’t be in love with Chat Noir. It’s dangerous.”

“I know…” Marinette groaned, “But it was just a kamiko.” Marinette had been focusing her studies of the Grimoire on Nooroo, learning that a positively charged akuma was called a kamiko.

“I don’t care, Marinette!” Tikki flew directly at Mari, hitting her nose to show her she was serious, “If Chat Noir had been kamikotized, he would be at Hawk Moth’s mercy! It would only be a matter of time before he got angry and Hawk Moth started to manipulate him!” 

As little as she wanted to believe Tikki, Marinette knew she was right. They were interrupted by the doorbell, which Marinette ran downstairs to get. It was probably Alya coming to get her for her surprise party. Upon reaching the kitchen, Marinette was met with her Nona.

“Marinetta!” She exclaimed. Gina was excited to see Marinette on her birthday, though she was a bit confused. She took Marinette to the park and a carousel, laughing the whole time. Mari didn’t have the heart to tell her she wasn’t having fun.

Soon enough, Alya called to take Mari to the “dentist.” She knew her friends were planning a surprise party for her, so she asked her Nona to give her a ride to the park. Sure enough, her entire class was there, the park decorated with balloons and banners. Eventually, the party led to presents.

“Bon anniversaire, Marinette.” Adrien said, handing her a tiny box. Marinette didn’t know who invited him, but truth be told, she wasn’t opposed to him being there. She’d found that she sort of liked spending time with Adrien. 

“La Befana comes at night

On her shaky broom in flight…”

Marinette heard a raspy voice from above, seeing an Akuma crashing her birthday party. She was joined by Sabine, who flew alongside her with white eyes and golden wings.

“Marinetta you naughty girl! Why didn’t you tell me you didn’t want to hang out with me?”

“Nona?” Marinette realized.

“Not anymore, little devil,” she replied. Marinette’s heart broke at this. Her Nona always called her a fairy. 

“I am Befana now! Naughty girls get coal!”

She pointed some sort of gun at Marinette, who ducked. The gun’s ray found Mylene behind her, who turned into a coal statue. As Marinette’s friends tried to protect her, they were turned to coal one by one, with Rose and Nathaniel becoming fairies for being “nice.” Mari tried to find a place to transform but was met with Chat Noir.

“So, we meet again, mon Princess.” He extended his hand, Marinette remembering the kiss they’d shared last night. As Chat Noir took Mari across Paris, leaving her at the Eiffel Tower, Marinette held back her tears. She knew he was only saving her as a civilian, and of course, they couldn’t be in love as superheroes. He set her down, almost leaving, then said,

“Oh, I almost forgot!” He ran back to Marinette and kissed her cheek gently, “Bon anniversaire, Purrincess.”

Why did he have to be so cute? Ladybug jumped across rooftops to where Befana and Chat Noir were fighting.

“Oh, Chat Noir, you’re so noble. You’ll look great in white!” Befana declared.

An image of Chat Blanc flashed in Ladybug’s head, causing her to trip on her foot and fall off the roof she’d been on. She caught onto Chat’s stick, however, before she hit the ground, and he pulled her up.

“I prefer black!” He announced, “It brings out the color of my eyes.” He winked at Ladybug, but she was still disheveled. Chat Noir did look good in white; that was the problem.

As the two superheroes dodged Befana’s fairies and candies, Ladybug saw Befana refill her gun with a little round candy container. She used her Lucky Charm and got a large tuba, which she shoved over Befana’s head, trapping her. Chat Noir Cataclysmed the candy box, releasing the akuma.

“Chat Noir…” Ladybug wanted to tell him about her dream, but Chat interrupted.

“Can’t talk now, M’lady, I have to check on Marinette before I detransform!”

Ladybug had forgotten she was supposed to be at the Eiffel Tower. Chat hurried away and Ladybug stealthily followed, making it to the Eiffel Tower just as Chat Noir did.

“Princess?” She heard. Chat Noir squatted on the railing like a cat.

“Chat Noir!” Marinette hugged him, “Thank you for saving my Nona.”

Chat Noir smiled, “It’s what we do.”

Back at her party, Marinette was approached by Adrien after the cake was cut and everyone started eating.

“Hey, Mari! You didn’t get to open my present.” Adrien had cake all over his face. Marinette laughed.

“Adrien, you’ve got a little…” She gestured towards her mouth, but he didn’t understand. Marinette wiped her thumb across Adrien’s cheeks with a giggle. Adrien was startled and dropped the little blue box. Both of them bent over to pick it up, bumping heads. They apologized at the same time. Adrien ultimately handed it to Marinette, his face very red. Inside the box was a blue and yellow charm, very similar to the one Mari had given Adrien.

“I never got the chance to give this back,” Adrien explained, holding out said charm, “So I thought I’d make you one too.” Adrien stammered and looked down, fiddling with the little beaded charm.

“Adrien, this is so sweet!” Marinette hugged him. She could hear Adrien’s heartbeat speed up and he made a small squeak. Adrien didn’t know what to do, so he ran away to talk to Nino.

After the party, Tikki wished Marinette a happy birthday.

“Joyeux anniversaire, Marinette. I didn’t get to give you my present earlier because you were too busy thinking about… something else.” Marinette blushed at this, embarrassed to remember talking about Chat Noir. Tikki began to cough, then started to glow a pinkish hue, still coughing. Marinette was scared.

“Tikki, are you ok?”

Tikki hurled a small object out of her mouth, bigger than Tikki herself. Marinette wondered how it fit in her tiny body. The little charm fell right into Marinette’s hands, covered in glowing goop.

“Uh… Tikki this is…” Marinette didn’t know what to say, “I have no words.”

“This is a kwagatama, Marinette! Made from the hair of every single ladybug holder in history! You can use it to contact your predecessors! It’s a sign of friendship between kwamis and their holders!”

“Tikki, this is so sweet!” Marinette exclaimed, hugging Tikki as best she could. She knew exactly what to do with it, attaching it to the charm Adrien had given her. As she stared at the charm in her hand, she thought about how Adrien had reacted while giving it to her. Maybe he wasn’t as bad as she thought.

Chapter Text

“So, Marinette, this reads ‘a branch from the dragon king’s garden,’ then the text moves across what we’ve already read and goes diagonally to the bottom right corner,” Tikki explained. They had finally begun to study the kwamis’ extra powers, which a human had to activate. Marinette hoped Chat Noir was working on the potion as well so she wouldn’t have to try to explain it to him.

“Ugh, this is so much harder than French.” Marinette complained, “Even Nooroo’s page was easier to read.”

“That’s because these powers can be dangerous in the wrong hands, Marinette. It’s important that they’re locked away.”

“Ok, well, I’m gonna start on the riddles. ‘A branch from the dragon king’s garden…’”

Marinette’s thoughts were interrupted by her parents screaming downstairs. She quickly ran to the kitchen to find water flooding the house and her parents gasping for air, floating towards the ceiling. They managed to swim to the stairs.

“How did our house flood?” Marinette wondered aloud, “The windows are open and we’re on the top floor.”

Marinette took her parents up to her room and out onto the balcony, where she was met with water as far as the eye could see. She could see people standing on top of every nearby building and a few bodies floating face down on the surface of the water. This was a nightmare. Up until now, Marinette didn’t think there were any natural casualties because of an Akuma. She hoped her Miraculous Ladybug would bring them back.

“Oh, heavens!” Sabine exclaimed, “This is horrible!”

Marinette threw her lawn chair over the balcony, relieved when it floated. She hopped on.

“What are you doing, chérie?” Tom asked.

“I’m gonna go check on my friends. I have to know if they’re safe!”

“Be careful, Mari!” Her mother wished her well as Marinette swam off on her chair. Tikki soon met up with her.

“Oh, Marinette! I didn’t know we’d need the water potion so quickly!”

“It’s ok, I kept most of the ingredients on my balcony, so I brought them with me.” Marinette gestured towards a few small jars, to which Tikki sighed in relief.

“All I need is the dragon’s branch, which I think is seaweed, a secret kept in a shell, and a tear of joy.”

Tikki had told Marinette that the kwamis weren’t able to maintain memories of the power-up ingredients so that whoever was concocting them, typically a Guardian, would be able to prove themselves worthy and create the mixture. Whenever Marinette figured out an ingredient, Tikki would immediately forget what she’d said. Marinette transformed, then swam to a grocery store to pick up some seaweed. She spent some time thinking about the secret kept in a shell, then ultimately decided it was a pearl. In a moment of genius, Ladybug swam to her local jeweler and took an authentic pearl necklace. She found a nice rooftop to sit on, then began prying the pearl out of the metal jewelry when Chat Noir found her.

“Hello, M’lady, I see you’re working on the water power-up as well,” He was holding various ingredients for the potion, “Though I got stuck on the ‘secret kept in a shell.’ I assume you figured it out with that big brain of yours.” He gently hit Ladybug on the head with his stick. Ladybug rubbed her head, pouting at him, then giggled. She popped the pearl out of the necklace.

“An oyster pearl,” She said, handing it to Chat.

“Genius,” He whispered, dropping it into the small pot he was carrying in his arms. Chat Noir sat down next to Ladybug as the two of them mixed together their ingredients, creating a perfect green blend.

“All we need is the tear of joy,” Ladybug explained, furrowing her brow, “But I don’t know what it is.”

“Easy! Why do you go to bed at night? Because the bed won’t come to you!”

Ladybug laughed at this but didn’t know why Chat was cracking jokes. He continued to make her laugh until her sides hurt, a single tear falling from her eye. Chat Noir smiled at Ladybug, gently rubbing her cheek with his finger to pick up the tear. He dropped it into the pot. Green smoke emerged from the concoction, bursting into the sky and leaving the pot glowing green with flames and sparkles settling in the liquid.

“Of course!” Ladybug exclaimed. Leave it to her Chaton to complete the potion by making her laugh.

Chat Noir drank the potion first, transforming with green liquid surrounding his body. His suit was missing, simply leaving a black fish tail with green fins and a green shimmer from the scales when they caught the light. His body was still covered in a suit-like pattern with black and green scales all over his chest. The collar was been replaced with protruding gills. A long, green translucent fin traced his back all the way down to the tip of his tail, and his ears were spiked like a siren’s. He flopped on the ground, not being able to stand with his newfound tail.

“Chaton, you’re a mermaid!” Ladybug exclaimed, laughing. 

“Call me Catfish Noir,” Chat Noir smiled smugly and handed her the potion. 

Ladybug drank it with pink-tinted water flowing around her body, turning her legs into a tail. She figured she looked similar to Catfish Noir and noticed her pigtails had significantly lengthened.

“Aquabug,” She decided.

“Meow, I like it, Buginette,” Chat kissed her hand and Aquabug slipped a little, giggling.

The two of them dove into the water, looking for an Akuma. They eventually found her where the pool had been. She was a female siren with pink skin and dark freckles all over her body. Cuddled up next to her was a male siren with a bad haircut and orange skin. Aquabug immediately identified the orange siren as Kim; she would recognize that faux-hawk anywhere.

“Hey, lovebirds-er, fish,” Catfish Noir provoked them, “Sorry, but we’re gonna have to break up this cute little date.”

Catfish lunged towards the pink siren and began to fight her off. Aquabug swam to Kim to ask him about the siren.

“Kim, right? Do you know what happened?”

Thankfully, he was still friendly. Or at least, as friendly as he was before.

“It’s not Kim anymore, it’s Mariner! I love you and Chat Noir’s new outfits by the way. What do I call you, Waterbug?”

“Focus, Kim! Who is this and where’s the akuma?” Aquabug was getting a bit frustrated, but she couldn’t really expect much from him.

“Oh, that’s my friend Ondine, but she goes by Syren now. I guess she got sad 'cause she’s in love with me and I’m in love with Chloé!” Mariner sighed, “It’s a shame, really, my insane charisma is too much to handle for most females.”

Aquabug bit her tongue, trying to keep her thoughts inside her head.

“Do you know where the akuma is?” She tried again,

“Yeah, it’s in a bracelet Syren’s wearing.”

Mariner kept talking, but Aquabug didn’t want to spend more time around him than she had to. She was afraid of losing more brain cells.

Aquabug’s Lucky Charm gave her a car key, so she grabbed Catfish Noir to look for the car it belonged to. Upon finding it, Aquabug teased Syren a bit so she would follow them into the car. Catfish hit the car with his stick, activating the airbags, and Aquabug closed and locked the doors. Once trapped, it was easy for Catfish to Cataclysm the bracelet and release the akuma, which flopped around helplessly under the water. Aquabug was able to purify the butterfly, but not before it drowned. Syren turned back into a normal girl, one Aquabug had seen at the pool before with Kim. The three of them swam to the surface, landing on a rooftop.

“Miraculous Aquabug!” Aquabug declared. She hoped the spell would still work if she didn’t say Ladybug; she wanted it to match her new name. Luckily, the magic ladybugs flew all around the city, cleaning up the water and putting everyone back on their feet, even reviving those who’d drowned. Catfish picked Ondine up, with the tiniest bit of struggle.

“Damn, you’ve got some muscles, big girl!”

Ondine stammered, face red. She managed a, “Thank you,” 

“I bet you could pick me up, Sireine,” Catfish grinned, then continued to compliment and flirt with the smitten girl.

Aquabug fumed with envy. She could tell Ondine was falling for Chat Noir. This shouldn’t be a problem for her, after all, she knew plenty of girls had to be enamored with him. He was basically a celebrity. Nonetheless, it still hurt to see her Chaton flirting with another girl.

“Bug out,” Aquabug said crudely, returning home to work on more of the power-up potions and get her mind off of her jealousy.

Lila took her brooch off to detransform, sensing Nathalie’s eyes on her. Nathalie wasn’t always in the room during an Akuma, but she was always watching through Optigami.

“Lila, Ladybug and Chat Noir have new powers.”

“I- I can see that, Master.”

“Don’t be coy, Lila!” Nathalie yelled, raising her hand. Lila flinched, but Nathalie simply sighed and dropped her arm to her side.

“How did they get these powers? It has something to do with this, right?” Nathalie held up the Grimoire. Lila didn’t know why she expected an answer from her, she was just a pawn.

“I think so, Master. But we’d need the kwamis to decipher the Grimoire. You don’t know how to read the ancient tongue.”

“My sweet, naïve child,” Nathalie cooed, stroking Lila’s face, “I can read the Grimoire.”

Chapter Text

Adrien watched Alya and Nino dance to the TV in the Cesaires' living room. They danced so well together, getting so close, then retracting with a blush. Adrien had known they were crushing on each other for a while, but neither of them was aware.

“Oh my god, they’re so cute,” Adrien said, sitting right next to Marinette on the sofa.

“I know. If only they’d tell each other. They’re obviously in love.” Marinette leaned forward on her hands, watching as they finished up the dance. Adrien gazed at her gorgeous, jet-black hair and thought about how it shone blue in the sun. He was so thankful they were friends, or at least that Marinette didn’t hate him anymore. Nino had invited Adrien to hang out with him and Alya because he had a huge crush on her and was afraid of being alone. Apparently, Alya had thought the same thing, bringing Marinette. Adrien always loved spending time with Marinette, though he didn’t know why. It was probably his desire to make more friends.

“Boom, first round, total knockout, baby!” A large woman in wrestling gear barged into the room, shadowboxing in victory, “As usual!”

“Nora?” Alya said. This must be her older sister. Alya had mentioned that Nora tended to be a bit much at times and she might be home before they left for the ferris wheel.

“It’s Anansi, petite soeur,” Nora demanded, “Like the spider.” She made an epic pose, reminiscent of Spider-Man. Adrien was in awe. She was so cool. He found he’d always admired strong women.

“Maman didn’t tell me you were going to have friends over,” Nora said skeptically as she drank milk from a carton. Adrien could tell Alya was annoyed.

“Why would she? You don’t even live here.” Alya crossed her arms, “But if you must know, we’re going to see the World Cup fireworks show from the ferris wheel!”

Nora spit out her milk, spraying it all over the floor. Alya fumed, knowing she would have to clean it up.

“Oh no, you’re not!” Nora declared, “I see what’s going on here. Two boys, two girls, this is obviously a double date. Not on my watch!”

Adrien looked at Nino, who pulled his cap over his blushing face. Adrien was embarrassed himself. A date with Marinette? Try as he might, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Alya was flustered as well.

“It is most certainly not a date!” She yelled, a bit too loud for Nora to believe her. Nora raised one eye.

“Alright, how about this?” Nora rested her elbow on the table, “You can go on your little date if your boyfriend can beat me in an arm wrestle.”

Sensing the eyes on him, Nino glanced at Nora, “Me?”

Nora nodded, prompting the red-faced Nino to step up to the table. It was clear he would lose, so Adrien took it upon himself to push Nino’s hand down when Nora wasn’t looking. She began complaining, but Alya spoke up.

“Nora, I absolutely can’t with you! We won your stupid little challenge, and we’re going to the ferris wheel! You’re not my mom!”

Nora didn’t know what to say, so Alya grabbed Nino’s wrist (to which Nino blushed) and stormed out of the house, followed by Adrien and Marinette.

Adrien and Mari hung a bit behind Nino and Alya, allowing them to chat a bit. They were laughing the entire walk to the ferris wheel.

“This is so great for them,” Marinette said, “It’s about time they got together. Alya’s been yapping about Nino ever since we met.”

“Same here,” Adrien mused, looking at the two walking ahead of him. Nino glanced back at Adrien, worried, to which Adrien responded with a wink. He could see Nino exhale, then slip his hand into Alya’s. She twitched a bit, then relaxed, intertwining her fingers with Nino’s. Adrien heard a squeal from Marinette, whose hands were balled into fists on her cheeks.

“They’re so adorable!”

“I know. I wish I had someone like that.” Adrien couldn’t help but look at Marinette, hoping he wasn’t being too obvious. 

Wait, why am I thinking about her? Adrien thought, I’m in love with Ladybug! 

But, of course, he couldn’t be with Ladybug. Not as long as Hawk Moth was around. Adrien remembered all the time he’d spent with Marinette as Chat Noir, thinking of her reaction to him. She was clearly a fan, and Chat Noir’s harmless flirting had turned into something more. Maybe it was time for Adrien to step into her life.

As the four of them reached the ferris wheel, Alya and Nino got in one car, and Marinette and Adrien into another. This was sure to be one awkward ride.

“So,” Adrien started, then sighed, deciding to get straight to the point, “Marinette, I know you hate me.”

Marinette scoffed, “I don’t hate you,” She said slowly, “But you are kinda rude sometimes.”

“When?” Adrien tried to think of a time he’d been anything but friendly to Marinette.

“The first day of school was the worst. And you laugh at me during class and you interrupt when me and Alya are talking.”

Marinette looked down, ashamed to admit her feelings to a person she’d seen as her bully for the past year.

“It kind of hurts my feelings.” She finished. Adrien hated making her feel this way. He reached out to put his hand on hers.

“I’m sorry, Marinette, I… I don’t really know how to make friends. When I laugh, it’s because you did something cute.”

Marinette looked up at Adrien.

“And I don’t know how to start a conversation with you so I’ve been butting in on you and Alya. And the first day of school…” Adrien sighed, “I swear I was only trying to get the gum off. Chloé put it there and I know she’s… difficult at times.”

“Difficult? She’s put roaches in my locker and tacks on my seat!” Marinette got a bit angry, “She’s bullied me my entire life. I don’t know how you could be friends with her.”

Adrien was a bit startled. Chloé had done that? She’d never been cruel to Adrien or Sabrina, but he didn’t know what she was like with someone she considered her enemy. Adrien thought of Queen Bee, how Chloé had paralyzed the train driver and put all those people in danger. Maybe he’d been looking at her through rose-colored glasses.

“I’m so sorry…” He continued, holding Marinette’s hands in his own, “I didn’t know she was so awful to you.”

“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me,” Marinette said quietly, retracting her hands and wrapping her arms around her body.

Suddenly, the entire ferris wheel shook. Adrien immediately stood up, taking a defensive stance, then remembered that Marinette was in the car with him and sat back down. Marinette got up and looked out the window.

“Adrien, look!”

A spider-like Akuma was crawling up the ferris wheel, leaving trails of web wherever she went.

“Creepy…” Adrien said, eyes wide with fear. He hoped he could get out of the car to help Ladybug.

“It… it’s ok,” Marinette whispered, also terrified, “Chat Noir will save us.”

“What if he can’t?” Adrien stared out the glass doors of the car they were in, wondering why Marinette had so much trust in him.

“Adrien, I’ve met Chat Noir. I have full faith in him.” Mari joined Adrien at the window, staring off into the sunset, “He’s incredible.”

Adrien blushed. Marinette was a really big fan, he couldn’t let her down.

“There you are!” The Akuma exclaimed upon reaching Alya and Nino’s car at the top of the ferris wheel. Adrien heard Alya scream. The ferris wheel shook violently as the Akuma ripped the box off the wheel and jumped off, loosening the screws and sending the entire ferris wheel rolling to the ground. Marinette screamed as she and Adrien helplessly plummeted along with the other passengers. Right before they hit the ground, Adrien dove at Marinette, wrapping his body around her to protect her from the shattering glass around them. The impact sent them flying away from the ferris wheel, with Adrien getting torn up from the glass and twisting his ankle as they landed. He made a small yelp in pain.

“Adrien, are you ok?” Marinette asked. She wiped a bit of blood off Adrien’s face from where a glass shard had lodged itself into his forehead.

“I’m fine,” Adrien winced, “See if you can find Ladybug.”

Once Marinette ran away, Adrien limped into an alleyway, pulling the pieces of glass out of his skin.

“Yowch,” Plagg came running up to Adrien’s side as Adrien collapsed on the ground. He began licking Adrien’s wounds. Adrien smiled.

“It’s ok, the Miraculous Ladybug will fix it. I just have to hold off until then. Plagg, Claws Out.” He managed.

When Ladybug found Chat Noir, he was in bad condition.

“Oh, Chaton! What happened?” She gasped.

“I had a run-in with the spider.” He simply responded, holding his ankle. Ladybug picked him up easily. She was so strong, Chat just stared at her perfect face as she carried him across the city like a princess.

“Don’t ask me how I know this, but I think the villain’s name is Anansi. We should employ the help of Rena Rouge because I’m pretty sure Anansi is her sister.” Ladybug explained

This made sense. Chat Noir agreed with using Alya, after all, she had the strongest connection to Anansi. But when Ladybug caught up to Anansi, Alya was trapped in a giant web spanning across the Arc de Triomphe. Nino was there, swinging punches at Anansi.

“Let Alya go! She’s the sweetest, prettiest girl I’ve ever met! I’d do anything to save her!” He yelled helplessly.

“Aww, Nino, that’s so sweet!” Alya said, smiling. Anansi lifted Nino by the neck, with him grabbing at her hand and kicking his legs. 

Alya screamed, “Nora! Let him go!”

Anansi dropped Nino but glared at Alya. She began quickly crawling towards Alya on all eight of her limbs, eyes turning from white to black.

“I’ve told you a million times, sis!” She yelled, “It’s Anansi!”

Anansi opened her mouth and shot sticky webbing at Alya, covering her from head to toe in the web.

“No!” Nino yelled. He fell to the ground as Alya’s spiderweb form became still. Rena Rouge would be of no help this time.

Anansi laughed. Ladybug swung her yo-yo at Anansi, but with insane reflexes, the spider turned, grabbing the yo-yo and flinging her towards the giant web, trapping Ladybug along with the clump of web formerly known as Alya. Ladybug squirmed around for a bit, but upon realizing she was stuck, called out to Chat Noir.

“Chaton! We need different Wayzz to get ourselves out of this sticky situation!”

Chat Noir knew of Wayzz, the turtle kwami, from the grimoire. His power would be perfect for Anansi, and he knew just who to give the Miraculous to.

“I understand!” He yelled, limping from the scene, “Love the pun by the way!” He blew her a kiss as he vaulted around a corner and detransformed to talk to Plagg.

“Yes, I know where Wayzz is! Try to get Ladybug out while I go fetch him. The good news about all these Akumas is that they brought most of the kwamis to Paris. Who should I tell him to Choose?”

“Nino Lahiffe.” Adrien decided. Nino would be a great superhero, though he wasn’t very good at keeping a secret. Good thing this was only temporary. Plagg pranced away quickly, leaving Adrien to go back to Anansi.

“Nino! What’s going on?” Adrien asked, wincing at the pain in his ankle.

“Dude, you look awful. But Nora’s been akumatized and she killed Alya and trapped Ladybug and Chat Noir’s missing! I literally have no idea what to do!” Nino sniffled.

This was the first time Adrien had seen Nino cry. It was clear to him that he truly cared about protecting Alya and the superheroes. He was definitely the right choice for the turtle Miraculous.

Anansi crawled up the Arc de Triomphe, finally reaching Ladybug.

“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug called, but Anansi grabbed the yo-yo as it flew off her waist, throwing it behind her. The yo-yo and a pair of boxing gloves were left at Nino and Adrien’s feet. Adrien quickly picked up the yo-yo, knowing how to use it from his time as Mister Bug. He hit Anansi with it, causing her to turn around.

“Hey, cockroach!” Nino yelled with the boxing gloves on his hands, “Come here and let’s settle this like men! Or are you too much of a flyweight to step into the ring?”

Nino was having a bit too much fun with this. Adrien hoped Anansi wouldn’t absolutely pummel him. She growled and began crawling down, but Adrien saw Plagg out of the corner of his eye. Once he got Anansi as far away from Ladybug as possible, he grabbed Nino with the yo-yo and ran away as fast as he could on his hurt ankle.

“Hey, I can take her!” Nino complained. 

Anansi laughed in the distance, “Who’s the flyweight now?” She turned around again and began crawling back up to Ladybug.

Nino kept complaining but tripped on a turtle as he ran. Adrien knew this was Wayzz, so he pretended not to see in order to successfully lose him and transform.

“Well well well, Anansi,” Chat Noir teased, getting Anansi’s attention right before she took off Ladybug’s earrings. He had gotten the boxing gloves from Nino and had Ladybug’s yo-yo around his waist, which had somehow camouflaged itself black since Chat Noir was using it.

“Looks like you need someone to knock some sense into you.” He held out his fist but then took the gloves off, “But don’t worry, I won’t be the one fighting you. You wouldn’t last a chance.” He said slyly, holding the gloves.

“Who else is there, pussycat?” Anansi seethed. A green superhero front-flipped over Chat Noir’s arm, swiftly grabbing the boxing gloves as he flew through the air.

“Carapace!”

Chat was glad Carapace had picked up on his cue. He would’ve hated to get beat up by an Akuma he’d personally challenged. Ladybug cheered from the web, but her earring beeped, reminding them to hurry.

Chat Noir wrapped Ladybug’s yo-yo around the four pillars of the Arc de Triomphe, creating a makeshift boxing ring. Carapace executed the plan perfectly, dodging Anansi and causing her to punch all four pillars, strong enough to damage the structure. It was easy for him to dodge, because although Anansi was extremely strong and had three times as many arms as him, she was huge. She was almost twice Chat’s height and extremely muscular, which made it hard for her to move quickly. Anansi punched the pillars, only attacking them out of anger, which began to collapse. Carapace grabbed Chat Noir and jumped up to Ladybug and Alya. He used his Shell-ter to break their fall as the entire structure crashed to the ground.

If only he was here when the ferris wheel broke, Chat Noir thought.

“Alya!” Carapace yelped, calling off his Shellter and ripping through the webbing that encased her. Alya gasped for air.

“Wh- where am I?” She asked,

“Don’t worry, gorgeous, you’re safe,” Carapace said, holding her in his arms. Alya blushed.

“Um, sorry, but there’s this guy I like and we’re kind of talking. Things are going really well; I hope he asks me out.” Alya sighed. 

Carapace looked disheartened, “What’s his name?”

“It’s, um, Nino.”

Carapace perked up at this. Ladybug must have noticed and realized his identity because she said,

“Ok, Carapace, we’ve gotta go! You only have five minutes and I’m on my last one!”

“Oh yeah!” He exclaimed, handing the boxing gloves to Ladybug. He jumped off, not before winking at Alya. Chat Noir laughed, then handed Ladybug her yo-yo back, which immediately returned to its original red and black spots upon contact with her hand.

“You’re pretty good with a yo-yo, Chaton.”

“I learned from the best.”

As Ladybug left, she asked, “Will you take care of her?” Pointing at the rubble. Chat remembered they likely killed Anansi in the crash and felt horrible. He nodded solemnly and Ladybug fled the scene quickly to re-transform.

Chat Noir dug through the rubble, hearing Alya’s voice above him.

“Is she gonna be ok?”

“Yeah,” He said, though he wasn’t sure, “She’ll be fine once Ladybug uses her cleansing power.”

Eventually, Chat Noir found Anansi, lying still amongst the debris. Her eyes were open, dust falling into them, and her skin was gray. Blood poured out of her mouth and ran down her face, the only part of her Chat Noir could see.

“Oh my god,” Alya whispered, covering her mouth. Chat was also shocked. They had never killed an Akuma before. Alya knelt to the ground, tears falling onto Anansi’s lifeless body. She closed her sister’s eyes.

“C- Cataclysm,” Chat Noir said, painfully. He knew what Alya was going through, remembering the feeling of losing his mother. Only, that time, it was permanent. Chat Noir gently touched Anansi’s helmet, which Alya instructed him towards, and the akuma was released, leaving Nora buried in the remains of the National monument, with all the same wounds she’d had as an Akuma. She remained lifeless.

“Miraculous Ladybug!” Chat Noir heard behind him. A flood of magical ladybugs covered the two of them, lifting the Arc de Triomphe back into its place. A swarm engulfed Nora, bringing her into the air and setting her gently back onto her feet.

“Ladybug? Pussycat? Alya? Where am I?”

Alya ran into her sister’s arms, tears still streaming from her eyes.

“Oh, Anansi! I thought I’d lost you!”

“You- you called me Anansi…” Nora whispered, hugging her sister back. Nino and Marinette soon met up with them, reminding Chat Noir to detransform so he could make up an alibi for Adrien. When he got back, the four of them were all laughing together.

“So, Alya, um,” Nino started, face reddening by the second, “Do you want to get ice cream tomorrow?”

Alya blushed, “Can we go next week? I want to spend some time with my sister. Plus, I don’t know if she’d like us going out by ourselves.” Alya giggled, looking at Nora. Nora sighed.

“I guess I’m not Maman. It’s fine if you two want to date. I just-” She bit her lip, “It’s hard seeing my little sis grow up.” She looked up at Alya, tears in her eyes, “I guess you’re not so petite anymore.” Alya hugged Nora tightly.

“I’ll always be your petite soeur.”

Chapter Text

Chat Noir completed an impressive sequence of flips, landing at the foot of the covered statue in the park. The audience clapped.

“Merci, merci,” Chat went around, signing autographs and kissing the hands of his fans. This statue was the most exciting thing he’d ever been a part of, and he had done some exciting things. Chat flirted with girls in the crowd, calling them things like “Darling” or “Sunflower,” but none of them were his Princess. He’d hoped to see Marinette there, after all, he knew she was a Chat Noir fan and the statue was being unveiled right across the street from her house. Maybe he would go see her afterward. A few girls got a bit grabby with him, so he hopped away from the crowd, going to stand next to the sculptor.

“Oh, hey Chat Noir, do you know where Ladybug is?” The sculptor, Theo, had a salty tone in his voice. He was definitely not a Chat Noir fan.

“No, she should be here by now. I’ll text her.” Chat said, sending a quick text her way, “But she’s usually late so I wouldn’t hold your breath.” He smiled at Theo, hoping to get on his good side. Theo just grumbled and looked away.

“Ladybug is incredible! She’s so brave, the way she saves everyone. And she’s smart, too!” Chat could see a sparkle in his eyes. The sculptor was in love.

“She’s perfect.”

Chat Noir could feel his blood boil with jealousy, trying to contain himself, but Theo kept praising his Lady.

“She’s just so beautiful. I was hoping she’d sign my main reference for the sculpture. And… I want to tell her how much I admire her.”

Ew, Chat thought, How old is this guy? He was about to lash out, but Mayor Bourgeois started the ceremony.

“Mesdames et Messieurs, thank you all for attending this ceremony! It is only proper for Paris to pay homage to those who have protected us from evil for exactly one year today! We may not know who they are, but we know they are heroes with and without the mask! So many of us aspire to be like them, and we thank them for keeping us safe every day. Please put your hands together for Ladybug and Chat Noir , by Theo Barbot!”

Chat Noir was touched by the speech. He couldn’t believe it had been a year already. But his mood changed when the mayor swiped the cloth off the statue with a flourish. The statue of himself was squatting, one hand in the air in a landing pose, with Ladybug flying above him, attached to his back. It sort of looked like Chat Noir was only there to elevate Ladybug. She was clearly the center of attention. Ladybug was beautiful, carefully sculpted with a slim waist and perfect proportions, down to the spandex pattern on her suit. The face was gorgeous, looking like Ladybug, but tweaked a bit to Theo’s liking, making her more traditionally beautiful. It was perfectly symmetrical, and Chat hated it. He’d always found Ladybug’s face gorgeous just how she was, with her button nose slightly leaning left, big, round ears, and acne scars dotting her face like tiny ladybugs. The sculpture removed anything that made her unique, turning her into just another pretty face. The audience loved it of course, but as they cheered, Chat Noir noticed the sculpture of himself. He was significantly smaller than Ladybug, which was fine for an amateur artist, but the details caused Chat to wonder if Theo had done this on purpose. There was no texture in his suit, his stick was completely missing, and his face had little to no defining features. Theo hadn’t even bothered to get his nose right. Chat Noir had seen some of the work Theo had done with an even shorter deadline; it was clear that he just didn’t care about Chat’s sculpture, putting all his effort into Ladybug’s. Normally, he wouldn’t be that offended, but if he was being honest, hearing Theo talk about how much he admired Ladybug made Chat jealous.

“I really thought she would be here…” Theo said sadly as the crowd dispersed. The ceremony was over.

“We would’ve talked. She would’ve realized how much we have in common.” Theo touched his lips, avoiding the lollipop that lay between them.

Super ick, Chat thought to himself.

“Hey, man, Ladybug isn’t looking to date anyone right now. And, between you and me,” Chat leaned on Theo’s shoulder to make him mad, whispering into his ear, “Ladybug and I are kind of a thing.”

Chat knew it was wrong to play with Theo’s feelings, but he was just so hurt seeing how Theo had changed Ladybug’s appearance to his liking as if she was a toy. His Lady would never stand for this, and he wouldn’t either. His way was just a bit more fun.

“Oh, and I don’t really look like that.” Chat narked, vaulting away on his stick.

Chat wished he could visit Marinette, but he had fencing. He spent the entire time thinking about her.

When Adrien’s class was over, he picked a small flower from a bush, then transformed to meet Marinette on her balcony. Marinette came up in her pajamas when he knocked on the hatch.

“Chat Noir?”

“Salut, Purrincess, I was in the area and I thought I’d stop by.” Chat Noir offered the flower to Marinette, but she backed away.

“Didn’t you just steal the Mona Lisa?”

“Huh?”

Marinette pulled out her phone, showing Chat Noir a recording on the news of him marching into the Louvre, flirting with a few girls, beating up the security guard, and walking out with the Mona Lisa. No doubt, it looked exactly like him, just with a lollipop in his mouth.

Ugh, why couldn’t the sculptor have been this accurate? Chat thought. The sculptor, of course! Chat Noir began to explain himself, but Marinette put a finger over his lips.

“I know you didn’t steal the Mona Lisa, Chat Noir. I’m sure there’s some sort of explanation for this.” Marinette whispered. She took the flower and kissed Chat Noir on the cheek. “But for now, go find out what’s happening. I’m sure Ladybug will meet up with you soon.”

Chat Noir smiled, “I think I have a pretty good idea.”

Marinette transformed, following Chat Noir.

“I saw the news, Chaton,” She played into it, “You didn’t really steal the Mona Lisa, did you?”

“Of course not, M’lady. I think the sculptor from this morning was akumatized. It’s partially my fault.” Ladybug looked at him, causing Chat to admit, “Ok, entirely my fault. He was talking about how he was in love with you and I told him we were together.”

“Chat Noir, you can’t just blatantly lie about our relationship status whenever you get jealous.” Ladybug sighed. She didn’t know the whole story, but it was wrong to mess with someone’s feelings. She knew that from experience.

“It wasn’t just jealousy! It was more complicated!” Chat huffed, “If you’d been there you would’ve known what I’m talking about.”

Ladybug froze. She still couldn’t believe she’d slept through the entire event.

“I’m sorry, Chat Noir, I was busy.” She lied, “You know I can’t talk about it.”

“Yeah, I know. But it really broke that guy’s heart.” Chat paused, then realized his mistake, “And I kind of played with it. I’m sorry, M’lady.”

Ladybug sighed. She could never be mad at him. And, to be honest, she would’ve done the exact same thing.

Ladybug eventually followed Chat Noir to Theo Barbot’s workshop, where the Copycat was waiting for them. He was staring at a purple-tainted photo of Ladybug. That must be the akumatized object. He put it in his pocket and greeted them.

“Ladybug, mi amor!”

“Ew, how old are you?” Ladybug asked.

“Why do people keep asking me this? I’m seventeen!” Copycat stamped his foot, lunging at Chat Noir. They argued as they tussled.

“What does she see in you? You’re just a mangy alley cat who doesn’t do any of the work! Ladybug’s the real superhero!”

“Ladybug trusts me! While we may not be a couple, she’s the greatest partner I’ve ever had!”

Copycat slid back at this, separating himself from Chat Noir, “You’re not even together? You lied to me, fleabag! Cataclysm!”

As the two kitties fought, Ladybug couldn’t help but notice how adorable Chat looked while fighting himself.

“Two Chat Noirs? I’m in heaven!” Ladybug giggled, “Lucky Charm!”

She received a spoon, which she bent into a U shape, attaching it to her yo-yo and Chat’s stick to create a makeshift fishing pole. The Copycat was on top of Chat Noir, trying to take his ring, but Chat winked and unzipped The Copycat’s jacket pocket as Ladybug hooked onto his belt with the spoon. The Copycat helplessly flew into the air, kicking his feet, and the photo fell to the ground. Chat Noir picked it up, looking at it as Ladybug held The Copycat in the air with her fishing pole.

“Well?” She asked. Chat gently ripped the paper in two, releasing the akuma. As Theo was deakumatized, he fell towards the ground, and Chat Noir caught him.

“Gotcha!” He said. Theo grumbled a bit.

“Look, Theo,” Ladybug said after everything was cleansed. She was about to continue when he interrupted, jumping out of Chat Noir’s arms and throwing himself on Ladybug.

“Ladybug! I’m a big fan.” He held out his photo, “Will you sign this for me?”

Ladybug autographed it, saying, “I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to the unveiling this morning. I’m sure it was lovely.”

Theo grabbed Ladybug’s hands and leaned in close to her.

“I poured my blood, sweat, tears, and other bodily fluids into this!” Theo said, to which Chat gagged, “Will you go out with me, Ladybug? I know we have a lot in common. Forget about Chat Noir, he’s worthless anyway.”

“What the hell, man?” Chat shouted. Ladybug stood up. This guy was being super creepy and she wasn’t about to let him get away with disrespecting her Chaton.

“Chat Noir is not worthless! He’s the greatest partner I’ve ever had! I definitely wouldn’t be the same Ladybug without him. He’s sweet and caring and handsome; I don’t even know who he is under the mask, but I trust him more than I’d ever trust you.”

Ladybug grabbed Chat Noir and swung away. Her earring beeped, reminding her to detransform.

“I’ll be right back, Mon Chaton. Meet me at the park? I want to see the statue with you.” Ladybug winked, escaping to her house. Hopefully, she wasn’t followed. Marinette fed Tikki, then re-transformed and met Chat Noir at the park. She had to make a circle around the park so he wouldn’t see her coming from the bakery, but it was worth it. Chat Noir was already there, looking at the statue.

“Wow, this is really impressive for a high school student, Chaton.” Ladybug mused.

“I-” Chat began, “I asked the mayor to take it down.”

Ladybug was appalled, “Chat Noir! Why would you do that?”

“Take a closer look.”

Ladybug inspected the statue, noticing that Chat Noir’s face was all messed up. His statue’s proportions were all wrong, his arms were way longer than his legs, just to make them reach the ground. There was no detail in his clothing, face, or hair. It was all just smooth. Ladybug, however, was different. Her statue was extremely embellished. The hexagonal texture of her costume was evident and almost every strand of hair was crafted individually. She didn’t know how, but she felt like she could see the colors of her spots, though the statue was completely bronze. The statue had a perfectly shaped body, with curves and a tiny waist, prompting Ladybug to instinctively wrap her arms around her body. She had never been skinny, per se, she was simply small in stature and her waist reflected that. Then Ladybug saw the face. Its jawline and cheekbones were sharp, but it still had Ladybug’s round facial structure, making it seem like a version of her with less baby fat. Its nose was perfectly straight, causing Ladybug to think of her own small, crooked nose. The statue didn’t have any acne scars or chipped teeth like Ladybug did. It was just… perfect.

“Wow,” Ladybug finally said, “I’m beautiful.”

“You sure are.” Ladybug turned to her kitten, who gazed into her eyes. It was clear he wasn’t talking about the statue.

“Why can’t I look like that?” She whispered.

“No, no, no,” Chat grabbed Ladybug’s shoulders, “You look perfect, M’lady.”

“I don’t have clear skin or big boobs or a tiny waist like that statue does! I’m just… average.”

“Ladybug, I fell in love with you because you’re everything but average.” Chat kept his eyes focused on Ladybug’s, unblinking, “That statue is unrealistic for anyone, including you. I love you just the way you are.”

Ladybug hugged her Chaton, eyes watering.

“That’s why I asked to take it down. I can’t stand for young girls to see that thing and think they have to look like that because Ladybug looks like that.” Chat Noir removed himself from the hug, keeping his arms resting on Ladybug’s shoulders, “The truth is, no one looks like that. Not even a superheroine.” Ladybug smiled. 

“Well that, and my statue looks like crap.”

Ladybug laughed, wiping her wet eyes on her arm, “You’re a good person, Minou.”

“I know. Happy anniversary, M’lady!” Chat said, then fled off into the night.

Chapter Text

During fencing, Adrien couldn’t focus. His thoughts were full of Marinette, remembering the moment she’d kissed his cheek the other day. He wasn’t thinking, just reminiscing. Because of this, Kagami bested him multiple times, though they were usually very similar technically.

“What’s going on, Adrien?” Kagami asked after practice, “I usually enjoy defeating you, but you’re not trying today.”

“Kagami…” Adrien started with a smile on his face, “There’s this girl,”

“Ugh, I knew it.” Kagami simply said, sitting next to Adrien, “Love is a waste of time, Adrien. I’ve honestly never understood it.” She thought for a second, “But I’ll listen if you want to tell me about it.”

Kagami held Adrien’s face in her hand, turning his head towards her. Adrien blushed at the gesture.

“Um… It’s Marinette.”

Kagami sighed, smiling, “Of course it is. Adrien, you should ask her out.”

“I thought you said love was a waste of time?”

Kagami laughed. Adrien had never heard her laugh before, but it was a beautiful sound. Kagami’s voice was so intense, but with a smooth cadence to it, easing his nerves around her. He understood why some people were scared of her, though.

“I did say that. However, I can tell you really like her. You should go for it. Take her to the ice rink.” Kagami grabbed Adrien’s hand, “I can even come with you if you like, that might make it less awkward.”

Adrien stood up, “Oh would you, Kagami? This is great! I can finally spend more time with Marinette! Maybe she won’t even dislike me anymore!”

He heard Kagami giggle as she stood as well. She kissed Adrien’s cheek, causing him to blush again.

“Text me, d’accord?” Kagami said as she walked away.

“Hello?”

“Luka, this is a disaster!” Marinette practically yelled at her phone as soon as Luka picked up her FaceTime call.

“Woah, calm down, Mari,” Luka giggled, “Tell me what happened and we can fix it.” He was always so optimistic.

“Adrien just asked me on…” Marinette glanced around her room to check that no one was there, speaking quietly, “a date.”

Luka laughed melodically. Marinette loved his cute, silky voice. She’d always wondered what it would sound like if he sang. His voice was so contrasting to the raspy tones of both of his parents, better matching himself and his music style.

“Are you going?” He asked, smiling.

“I already said yes,” Marinette admitted, head on her table. Her phone was in her hand in front of her, only showing Luka the top of her head. Luka laughed again.

“Well, good luck. You might have more in common than you realize. Who knows? Maybe you’ll even find a partner.” Luka said, winking slyly.

“Luka, you can’t let me do this by myself! Will you please come with me? It won’t be a date if you’re there.” Mari begged. She couldn’t stand the thought of being on a date with Adrien. He had gotten nicer recently, but he just annoyed her so much. Her mind flooded with the thought of Adrien skating alongside her, trying to hold her hand or wrap his arm around her shoulder. Marinette shuddered at the thought.

“Alright, I’ll come with you.” Luka gave in, to which Mari sighed, “But I won’t get you out of talking to him for at least some of the time.”

Adrien and Kagami got to the ice rink at the same time as Marinette. She looked so cute in her little pink sweater and white skates hanging over her shoulder. Marinette offered her hand out to someone inside the car. As they stepped out, Adrien froze.

Luka?

Of course, Marinette brought her handsome, silky-haired guy friend to make Adrien jealous. Or was it so she would be less nervous about being alone with him? Adrien remembered Nino and Alya’s date from a few weeks ago, how they’d brought friends to be more comfortable. This was probably just another situation like that. He hoped.

“Adrien!” Luka waved. Adrien waved back, talking to Luka about skating. He noticed Kagami and Marinette catching up as well.

When the four of them got inside, they were immediately bombarded by an energetic force of a man, who asked them to sign up for skating lessons. They politely declined, heading to the locker rooms. It was awkward, Adrien being alone in a room with Luka. He’d suspected that Luka also liked Marinette, but maybe that was just his anxiety. He decided to bring it up.

“So, um, Marinette invited you.” 

Luka laughed like a birdsong, “Yeah. She was nervous to be alone with you.” He winked. Adrien didn’t know what to make of this.

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

Luka just laughed again and went out to the bleachers to meet up with Marinette. Adrien followed him out, going up to where Kagami was sitting. She giggled.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

“Um, tell anyone what?” Adrien was nervous.

“That you don’t know how to tie your laces.”

Adrien looked down at his rented blue skates, sloppily tied together into a loose bow. Kagami gently pushed Adrien onto the bleachers, sitting him down. She reached for his shoes, lacing them up tightly around his ankles. Kagami held out her hand, but Adrien hesitated, looking at her. Kagami really was gorgeous. She had deep brown eyes and small deer freckles all over her face. He remembered the first time they met and the bout they had fought. They really did have a lot in common. When Kagami realized she wouldn’t get a response from Adrien, she took his hand and hoisted him up. It was hard to stand, and Adrien fell into Kagami’s arms, almost falling directly into her face.

“This is supposed to be a date with Marinette, remember?” Kagami smiled.

Adrien groaned, “She obviously doesn’t like me, she brought Luka!”

“And you brought me. It doesn’t mean anything.”

Kagami forcefully pushed Adrien towards Marinette. Adrien screamed. He didn’t know how to stand in skates, so he fell into her and the two of them toppled to the ground. Adrien landed on top of Marinette.

“Désolée!” Adrien immediately started apologizing, trying to get up. Marinette just chuckled lightly.

“You can’t skate?”

Adrien shook his head. He thought Marinette would be mad at him for running into her, but she just brushed it off. Maybe she was warming up to him after all. Out of the corner of his eye, Adrien saw Kagami and Luka get onto the ice rink. Marinette helped Adrien stand.

“It’s ok, I’m not too good myself.”

Marinette helped Adrien onto the ice, holding his arm and back. This was really embarrassing, but at least Adrien had an excuse to get close to Marinette. As soon as he stepped onto the ice, he slipped, falling into Marinette. She caught him, laughing.

“Ugh, this is so embarrassing” Adrien mumbled, blushing.

“It’s ok, nobody’s watching.”

Kagami skated by, grabbing Adrien and sweeping him off his feet. He yelped, afraid he would fall, but Kagami held onto him firmly.

“You can’t skate? Why would you ask her here if you couldn’t?”

“It was your idea!” Adrien protested.

“You could’ve told me you didn’t like it. Don’t let people walk all over you, Adrien. Marinette won’t like you if you keep being such a pushover.”

Adrien thought about the moment they shared before Kagami barged in. 

“I guess.”

“Adrien Agreste!” The owner of the ice rink once again interrupted the kids, asking them to sign up for lessons, “I can make you an amazing figure skater! If you sign up with me, your fans will come running and my ice rink will be saved! And from the looks of it, you could use a few lessons!” 

He laughed a bit. Adrien became red, not knowing what to say. Was he really that bad at skating? He knew the answer, but Kagami responded for him.

“Please get out of his face. We’re trying to enjoy ourselves and we don’t need someone milking us for pity. Adrien doesn’t want skating lessons, and it’s very rude to insult his ability when it’s clear he’s a beginner. Adieu.”

Kagami held Adrien’s hand firmly, leading him away from the man. Kagami was an incredible skater, teaching Adrien everything she knew. They even managed the dirty dancing lift, Kagami lifting Adrien above her head. She was so strong, mentally and physically. Adrien blushed while in the air, and Kagami took him down. By the time she was done with him, Adrien was a pretty decent skater.

“Alright, Dimples, now go get your girl.”

As Kagami flew past, grabbing Adrien, Marinette couldn’t help but think,

That was rude. Couldn’t she see we’re in the middle of something?

Luka smoothly skated up to her.

“Wow, what’s her deal?” He asked. Marinette blushed a little, both at talking to Luka and at what she was about to say.

“I- I think she likes Adrien. I guess she got jealous seeing us so… close.” Marinette was embarrassed about being so close to Adrien, even though she was just helping him skate. Luka giggled a bit.

“You’re starting to like him.”

“Of course not!” Marinette dejected, then realized, “Maybe as a friend…”

“That’s the spirit! I knew you couldn’t hold a grudge forever.” Luka giggled again. Marinette loved his laugh. It was hard to explain, but Luka’s voice matched his musical style perfectly. Luka held Marinette’s hand and skated along, performing spins and jumps. He was a great skater, holding Marinette and leading her in an icy dance.

“You have a beautiful smile, young man!” A desperate voice interrupted, “And you’re a good skater! With lessons from me, you could be a star!”

Luka frowned, “Thanks, but I don’t really want to be famous. And my life is already filled with music. Skating is just for fun.”

As the man sadly skated away, Marinette saw Adrien skating with Kagami. They looked like they were having fun.

“What’s on your mind, Marinette?”

“Oh, they just look cute together.” Marinette gestured towards the two. 

Luka shrugged, “I don’t think they’re dating.”

They both watched as the owner of the rink skated over to Adrien and Kagami, bothering them.

“How could they not be? They spend so much time with each other. And have you seen the way he looks at her?”

“By that logic, that would make us a couple.” Luka countered. Marinette didn’t know what to say to this. She didn’t think she was Luka’s girlfriend, but they had been on dates, and… Marinette hesitated, remembering the kiss she’d given him. It wasn’t much, but she knew Luka remembered it.

“Um… that’s different.”

Luka laughed, covering his mouth with his hand. He slipped his other hand into Marinette’s, causing her to stumble a bit as they skated in circles.

“Is it?”

Marinette blushed, face hot and palms sweaty, her hand sliding out of Luka’s because of the lack of friction as the two of them came to a halt on the ice. Luka placed his hand on the back of Mari’s head, brushing it down to her neck. Marinette’s heart raced. Luka gently pushed her head towards his face, bringing her lips closer to his.

“Marinette?”

She heard Adrien’s voice as Luka dropped his hands to his sides. Startled, Marinette fell over, bruising her tailbone on the ice. This was so embarrassing. Marinette had completely forgotten that this was supposed to be a date with Adrien. He would be so hurt seeing her with Luka. Marinette looked up to see both Adrien and Luka reaching their hands out to help her up. Mari’s instinct was to take Luka’s hand, but something strange told her to accept Adrien’s help. She didn’t know why, she hardly liked Adrien after all. But something was there, something she felt was bigger than herself, telling her that she and Adrien were more connected than she thought.

“Get up,”

In Mari’s indecisiveness, Kagami skated over, forcefully grabbing Marinette’s hand and hoisting her up.

“I sense your hesitation,” She whispered, “You’re gonna have to make a decision soon, or your options will depart from you. I never hesitate.”

Marinette was hurt by this, mostly because she knew Kagami was right. She watched Kagami skate to the exit, jumping off the ice and sliding effortlessly onto the bleachers to untie the laces of her black and red skates.

“Marinette?” Adrien asked again, “What did she say to you? I can go talk to her.”

“It’s nothing, I think I’m done for today. Thanks for inviting me.” Marinette overheard the mayor talking to the man who had been bothering them all day.

“See, Phillipe? None of these young people want to sign up. Now I can turn this place into a gym for my lovely daughter- uh, I mean city.”

That must have been why he’d been so adamant about sign-ups. Marinette skated to the exit, heading towards the bathroom. Luka caught her hand gently.

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I’m fine, Luka.” Marinette snipped, “I just need to be alone right now.”

As Marinette sat in the bathroom thinking, she heard Adrien’s voice.

“Marinette, watch out!”

The room around her began to turn to ice.

“Oh, Tikki!” Marinette called, to which Tikki flew to her side.

“Do you have the potion, Marinette?”

“Of course not! It’s at my house!” Mari began to freak out. She’d made all the potions already, but she hadn’t had time to feed any of them to Tikki. She made a mental note to have Tikki drink them all at home so she’d be ready for any future transformations. Marinette transformed and broke out of the bathroom stall, slipping and sliding on the ice. She hoped she could get to her house before all her stuff froze. Thankfully, Ladybug reached her house just as the school was freezing over and the ice was spreading her way. She had to act quickly, grabbing the ice potion just as her room froze. Upon detransforming, Tikki took a sip, leaving some for Chat Noir, and transformed herself into StalacTikki, with cute pointy antennae and hexagonal spots. It was better for Tikki to drink the potion than Ladybug. Marinette remembered reading that if Tikki ingested it, she wouldn’t have to drink it again in order to transform later, unlike Ladybug would if she’d drunk the potion.

“StalacTikki, Spots On!”

Marinette transformed with a fur collar and hexagonal spots, complete with ice skates attached to the bottom of her feet. She decided she’d be called Lady Glace, then went to find Chat Noir. She found him sliding around the icy streets of Paris, trying to maintain his balance on the slippery ice.

“Chat Noir, there you are.”

He sighed, “Thank god you finished the ice potion, M’lady. Got any left?”

She handed it to him saying, “Go feed it to Plagg. That way, you’ll be able to transform again without drinking it.”

Chat Noir slid away while Lady Glace tried to find the supervillain behind all of this. She eventually spotted him atop the Eiffel Tower, looking for her and Chat Noir.

“M’lady?” She heard Chat Noir yell, then saw him with his new power skating figure eights around the Eiffel Tower, looking for her. The Akuma, Frozer, jumped at him, to which Lady Glace pushed Chat out of the way, grabbing his hand and leading him away from the Eiffel Tower.

“That was a close one, Chat Noir, you have to be more perceptive.”

“It’s Glacier Noir for now, Lady Glace,” Chat said, smiling at their new names, “and thank you.”

Once they got away from him, Lady Glace called her Lucky Charm and got a bag of salt to melt the ice. She had to place it strategically, though, because she only had so much. She and Glacier Noir unfroze a ladder, propping it up so Frozer could be thrown off of it and into the air, allowing Glacier Noir to Cataclysm his skates. Lady Glace found Frozer, then provoked him, performing skating leaps and turns for him to copy. She was lucky the ice potion had improved her skating skills. Eventually, she made her way back to the ladder where Glacier Noir was waiting. Frozer followed her down the ladder, which Glacier Noir pushed over, Cataclysming Frozer’s skates as he fell through the air. Of course, the akuma was in there.

“Miraculous Lady Glace!” Lady Glace called after purifying the akuma. She and Glacier Noir watched as Paris unfroze.

“After I have Tikki drink all the potions, I’ll meet you at Notre Dame to give you the rest. I already have the recipes, so I can recreate them if we ever need more, but Plagg and Tikki should be able to transform if they’ve already drunk the potion.” Lady Glace explained.

Glacier Noir sighed, “I don’t know what I’d do without you, M’lady.”

“Me neither, mon Chaton. Bug out!”

Chapter Text

On the first day of school, Marinette found her childhood friend, Marc, writing in his journal underneath the staircase, like he usually did. This was the first year they had classes at the same time, as Marc was usually in class during Mari’s free period. Marinette and Marc’s mothers had been friends since high school, so the two were very close, even though he was a year younger.

“Marc!” She wrapped him into a tight hug, to which Marc squeaked. He’d always been extremely shy, never wanting Marinette to introduce him to any of her friends.

“Salut, Marinette.” He said, hugging back, “Why are you still here? Isn’t your class over?”

“I could say the same to you,” She giggled, “I’m going to the art room, will you come with?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Marc hesitated, “I don’t really do art…”

“This is art, Marc!” Marinette pointed at the journal, which Marc immediately covered with another squeak, “Don’t worry, dummy, I won’t read it.” She laughed. With a bit of force, Mari dragged Marc out from under the stairs, but he slipped away and ran to the bathroom.

In the art room, Nathaniel was talking about his latest superhero sketches.

“So, this is Ladybug and Foxtail fighting Queen Wasp!”

“Who tf is Foxtail, Nate, you can’t just make stuff up.” Alix teased. Nathaniel threw a paper ball at her.

“Alix! Language!” Mr. Monlataing reprimanded, “But yes, Nathaniel, who is this?”

“Foxtail is me if I had the fox Miraculous!”

Marinette always loved seeing Nate’s drawings and how he interpreted her superhero life. It was always fun when he threw in original characters and drew her in different costumes.

“See, this is Foxtail with the water power-up!”

“Wow, Nathaniel, you’re really into superheroes! You should team up with a writer and make a comic!” Mr. Monlataing was always so encouraging.

“I’d love to, but I don’t know any scriptwriters.”

As if on cue, Marinette saw Marc peeking in through the doorway. She decided to call him out.

“Marc! Come in! I’d like you to meet everyone!”

Marc made a small noise, then reluctantly entered the room. After Mr. Monlataing introduced him to everyone, Marc immediately went for Nathaniel.

“I- I’ve seen your work on tumblr! Wow, I can’t believe the artist was in my own school this whole time. Your Ladybug drawings are a huge inspiration for me!”

Marinette heard a familiar laugh, one so obnoxious that it was burned into her brain forever.

“Please! All he ever draws are superheroes! If you ask me, I’d say he’s into that kinda stuff.” Chloé pointed at Marc, “So if you want a chance with this loser, you’re gonna have to wear the skimpiest leotard you can find!”

Chloé laughed again, causing Marc’s face to turn red as he ran out of the room. Mari trusted her friends to take care of Chloé, so she ran after Marc. She saw him run into a pole, dropping his journal. Marinette picked it up, losing him.

“Le journal de Ladybug?”

She went somewhere she knew Marc wouldn’t follow her, then she began to read to Tikki, who sat patiently on her shoulder.

“Foxtail helped Chat Noir and I again today in defeating Anansi. He’s really an incredible superhero, to be honest, he’s doing better work than Rena Rouge. I’ve been thinking about telling him about the mission the kwamis gave me to find the long-lost Phoenix Miraculous, but Chat Noir would be jealous. The truth is, I’d rather bring Foxtail with me than Chat Noir. He’s everything I’ve ever wanted in a partner, but I’m too shy to ask him out on a normal date. This mission could be my chance! Who knows, maybe he could even borrow the Cat Miraculous…”

“Wow, Marinette!” Tikki exclaimed, “This is such a cute story! You’re such an inspiration!”

“All I could think about while reading it was Nathaniel’s drawings! Oh, Tikki, they make the perfect match! I’ve gotta do something about it.” Marinette decided.

Mari found Marc frantically digging through his locker for his notebook, which she handed to him.

“You didn’t read it, did you?” He asked.

“Well…” 

Marc covered his face with his hands, “Oh my god, it’s so lame, I’m gonna kill myself.”

“Marc, don’t say that! It’s really good! I loved reading it. You should make that comic book with Nate! I really think his style would go with your work!”

“Nathaniel?” Marc looked up at Mari, then returned his face to the floor, “No, no, he’s gonna hate it.”

“We don’t have to tell him it’s yours. Then if he doesn’t like it, it doesn’t affect you!”

Marc hesitated, then nodded, “D’accord, but if he finds out, I’ll never speak to you again.”

The next day, Marinette tapped Nathaniel on the shoulder in the art room.

“I’ve got a present for you! Someone special gave it to me, but I can’t tell you who it is yet. Read it, then talk to me!”

Upon meeting up with Marc, the two watched Nathaniel read the notebook, a huge smile on his face as he looked up at the sky.

“He likes it!” Marc exclaimed, blushing. Marinette nodded, then went to talk to Nathaniel.

“Hey, you want to meet the author?”

“Is it… Ladybug?” Nathaniel asked, excitedly.

“What?” Marinette was confused. She didn’t tell Marc, but she was sure Nathaniel would guess it was him.

“Of course not. How would I get Ladybug’s diary?” Marinette laughed nervously, hoping Nathaniel wouldn’t read into it. There was no way he’d realize she actually did have Ladybug’s diary, considering it was her own.

“Oh,” Nate was a bit disappointed, “Then who is it?”

“I can’t tell you yet. Meet them at the Place des Vosges at two o’clock,” Marinette punched him in the arm playfully, “Don’t be late!”

At 2:00, Marinette sat on her balcony, watching Nathaniel walk up to Marc and begin chatting. Marc looked super nervous, but the conversation seemed to be going well. Then, Marinette saw Chloé taking pictures with a tired photographer. She could hear her loud voice even from such a distance.

“You guys are here too? Aww, I should’ve guessed you were on a date! Lemme see this.” She grabbed the notebook out of Marc’s hands, “Ew, this is so embarrassing! You actually wrote a Ladybug fanfiction! Careful, don’t drool on the pages, Nathaniel!”

Marinette heard Nate swear at Chloé, but she ripped the notebook and strutted away. Maybe Chloé wouldn’t make a good superhero.

Marinette ran downstairs, hoping to get to Marc before anything happened, but by the time she reached the park, Mari could see a purple butterfly outline on his face. He held his notebook in his hand, which had become a purple pulsing mass. He threw it on the ground, to which it floated and grew into a giant paper plane. Marc mounted the plane, transforming into a black and white supervillain. As she ran to him, she could see the Akuma hold Nathaniel’s face gently. He said nothing, just stared at him.

“Are you going to hurt me?” Nathaniel asked timidly. 

The Akuma’s face remained unchanging, then he kissed Nate softly on the lips and flew away. Marinette ran back to her house to transform, leaving a red-faced Nathaniel alone in the park.

Ladybug found Reverser flying over Paris, headed towards the Bourgeois Hotel. She grabbed him with her yo-yo, to which he threw little paper planes at her. Ladybug didn’t know what they did, but she didn’t want to find out. Reverser flew away, dragging Ladybug along with him. With her dangling through the air, it was easy for Reverser to hit her. Ladybug still didn’t know what happened, but she felt no different. She felt Reverser turn slightly and Ladybug fell towards the Seine. She was caught by Chat Noir, who lifted her onto the Pont des Arts and began trash-talking Reverser.

“Nice costume, too bad we’ll have to tear it up!”

“Chat Noir-” Ladybug began, then tripped on her foot and fell onto a bench.

“M’lady?”

Chat looked back, allowing Reverser to hit him with a paper plane, causing him to become terrified and jump into Ladybug’s arms. This, of course, made her fall over the bridge’s edge.

“Tikki, Power Up!”

“Plagg, Power Up!”

They became Aquabug and Catfish Noir as they fell into the Seine. Aquabug was glad she powered up because there was no way she’d be able to swim like this. Even with her heightened swimming abilities, it was hard for her to control her tail and move anywhere at all.

“Ok, so I think his power is to reverse peoples’ personalities. I’m usually agile and now I’m clumsy, and you’re usually confident and now you’re…” Aquabug looked at Catfish. He held his arms, hugging himself.

“Oh, this is so scary…”

Aquabug tried to use her yo-yo, but it tangled with her tail and sent her spinning towards Catfish Noir. He let out a little squeal of fear and swam out of the way.

“This is gonna be difficult without help. I don’t know how, but we need to talk to Rena Rouge.”

“I couldn’t help but overhear…” A little voice said. This startled Aquabug, and Catfish yelped, swimming away a bit. He returned timidly. Trixx had spoken to them underwater. How was he always nearby? Maybe he followed them around because he wanted his Miraculous to be used again.

“Alya Cesaire again?”

Aquabug nodded. Trixx swiftly swam away, then Aquabug and Catfish got out of the water (with some difficulty) and powered down.

“Ok,” Ladybug said, sitting on the ground, “I think Reverser is going after Chloé Bourgeois,”

“What? You want to fight him again? He looks so mean…” Chat Noir replied, hugging himself, “And the hotel is so tall…”

Ladybug sighed, “It’s ok, mon Minou, I’ll help you. And Rena Rouge is coming too, so she can fight the bad guy for us.”

Chat Noir hesitated, then nodded and tried to lift Ladybug off the ground. She took his hand, but tripped on her tangled yo-yo and fell again.

“We’re not out of the woods yet…”

“Woah,” Ladybug was met with the voice of Rena Rouge, “You guys don’t look so good.”

“Rena! We need to get to the hotel!” Ladybug said urgently, tripping as she tried to stand up.

“Alright, I’ll take you guys. Ladybug, can I borrow your yo-yo? My flute isn’t really suited for transportation.” Ladybug handed over the unraveled yo-yo, which Rena Rouge untangled, grabbing Ladybug and Chat and swinging towards the hotel. She talked to them as they flew through the air.

“I’ve been practicing and working out because I figured you guys would need me again. This is so exciting, I wish I could be a superhero all the time! You could really use my help!”

“It would be nice to have you working with us, but the more Miraculous are in circulation, the more likely it is for Hawk Moth to get his hands on one of them or find out one of our identities. It’s simpler this way.” Ladybug explained. Chat Noir screamed for the entirety of the trip, closing his eyes and hugging Rena Rouge tightly. Somehow, Rena was able to carry both of them. Upon arriving at the hotel, they found Chloé tied up on the roof.

“Ladybug! There you are! Ugh, why did you get that fox’s help instead of me? I tried to transform but Pollen wouldn’t let me!” Chloé demanded.

Ladybug was glad Pollen was such an obedient kwami, not allowing Chloé to cause too much trouble when she and Chat Noir couldn’t keep an eye on her. She didn’t have time to respond.

“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug called. Luckily, the yo-yo automatically flew into the air without Ladybug having to throw it. She didn’t think she’d be able to conjure it herself. It gave her a scooter and an idea.

“Chat Noir, I’m gonna need your help with this one.”

“What? I don’t know if I can… he’s so scary…” Chat Noir whined.

“We can do it, Chaton. You and me against the world.” Ladybug kissed his cheek, causing Chat to calm down a bit.

“You’re right M’lady. We may not be ourselves at the moment, but we can defeat him.”

“That’s the spirit!” Rena Rouge chimed in, “Ok, Ladybug, what’s the plan?”

After hearing the plan, Rena created an illusion of Ladybug and Chat Noir doing flips and running around, and all three of them hid, for Reverser hadn’t spotted them yet.

“Joke’s on you, Reverser! We got our confidence back!” the illusion of Chat Noir declared, “You want our Miraculous? Come and get ‘em!”

“Wow…” The real Chat whispered, “I wish I could be as brave as that.”

“How is that possible?” Reverser roared, chasing after the illusions as they ran away, being followed by Rena, Ladybug, and Chat Noir on the scooter. Ladybug held on tightly to Rena’s waist so she wouldn’t fall off, and Chat gripped Ladybug, closing his eyes.

“We’re going too fast!” He squeaked. Ladybug shushed him. They had to be as quiet as possible so Reverser wouldn’t notice them, but he was angrily chasing the illusions. Eventually, the illusions slipped into an alleyway, and Rena Rouge and Ladybug hid behind a corner. Chat tiptoed towards Reverser. Reverser cautiously stepped off of his paper plane to follow the illusions down the thin alleyway, and once he had gotten far enough ahead, Chat Noir timidly Cataclysmed the plane. Reverser detransformed, and Rena Rouge helped Ladybug throw the scooter into the air to use her Miraculous Ladybug. Finally, she felt like herself again, being able to skillfully swing her yo-yo and capture the akuma like she always did.

“Marc!” Ladybug heard Nathaniel’s voice as he ran towards them. He bent over, putting his hands on his knees and breathing heavily from running.

“Nathaniel! Oh, I’m so sorry. Maybe making a comic book is a bad idea…” Marc stammered. Nathaniel grabbed his face and kissed him quickly.

“Thanks for… earlier.” 

Marc was flustered, his face bright red, “Oh, I don’t remember… It probably… um…”

“Was that too forward?” Nathaniel put his hands over his face, “Ugh, I’m sorry, I’m not really romantic.”

“I don’t know…” Marc whispered, avoiding eye contact, “Do… you want to come over to my place?”

Ladybug gestured towards Rena and Chat Noir, and the three of them left Marc and Nate alone.

Chapter Text

Adrien sat in class with nothing to do. Mrs. Bustier was talking about something, but he didn’t really hear it. He looked behind him at Marinette’s empty chair. She lived across the street, how was she always late? Adrien hoped she wasn’t absent today, he loved seeing her. It was too bad she sat behind him so he couldn’t look at her too often. Marinette barged in, tripping on her foot and falling to the ground.

Chloé laughed, “Making out with the floor again, Dupain-Cheng?”

Marinette grumbled as she got up and handed Mrs. Bustier a late pass. Ever since Mari called it to his attention, Adrien had noticed how awful Chloé was to her. He hated himself for being so ignorant. Chloé stuck out her foot, causing Marinette to trip and spill the contents of her backpack.

“Marinette, if you’re gonna be late, please come in quietly.” Mrs. Bustier said. She wasn’t normally strict, and Adrien suspected she was unable to tell when someone was being bullied.

“Dupain-Cheng!” Chloé teased, whispering so Bustier couldn’t hear her, “Don’t get too handsy with the ground, it’ll end up pregnant!” Chloé and Sabrina laughed obnoxiously. While Mrs. Bustier’s back was turned, Adrien went to help Marinette up while Alya picked up her stuff.

“Thanks…” Mari whispered. Adrien winked, then glared at Chloé. She rolled her eyes and looked at her phone. He could see her giggle, and then make a call. Of course, Bustier wasn’t looking. A few minutes later, the fire alarm rang. Mrs. Bustier left first, followed by all the students. Chloé stayed sitting, calling, “Marinette! Am I invited to the baby shower?”

“So, some smart aleck decided to call the fire department.” Principal Damocles announced to all the students in the courtyard, “Since I can’t find out who it is, you’ll all have service hours instead of your free period as punishment.” 

The class groaned.

“Service hours?” Adrien asked, “What’s that?”

“It means we’ll be doing chores instead of hanging out!” Alya said, annoyed, “Though I have a feeling someone’s gonna find a way out of it.”

Sure enough, during the class’s free period, Adrien saw Chloé sitting on a bench, laughing at her phone instead of sweeping the courtyard like everyone else. He walked over to her.

“Adrichou! Don’t you love this? We get to hang out instead of taking class!”

Adrien came to a realization, “Chloé, did you call the fire department?”

“Of course I did! Isn’t it nice seeing all these people working? I feel like a queen!”

Adrien sighed, “Chloé, how long have we been friends?”

“Since we were adorable little tots, Adrichou!” Chloé made a kissy face at him, causing Adrien to internally shudder.

“I don’t think I can be friends with you anymore. Now I’ve seen who you truly are.” Adrien walked away. He knew Chloé could be a good person, maybe this would just give her a push in the right direction.

Marinette had invited the girls over to her house for a sleepover. It was the perfect Friday night to celebrate the beginning of their last year in middle school.

“I got a text from Chloé!” Rose sat up, wearing her cute frilly nightgown. Juleka opened one eye, lying in Rose’s lap. All of the girls’ phones began buzzing as they received texts from Chloé one by one. Alya opened hers.

“It’s a… party invitation?”

“What? Chloé invited you guys to a party?” Marinette frowned at her phone, knowing she wouldn’t be invited. It hurt to be left out, even if the invitation was from Chloé.

“Oh well,” Mari declared, “I wasn’t gonna go anyway.” Suddenly, her phone vibrated. She squeaked and threw it, knowing what the text said. Alya caught it and read it.

“Girl, no way!”

“Why would Chloé invite us to a party?” Mylene asked.

“Maybe she’s turned over a new leaf!” Rose suggested optimistically.

Alix laughed, “I doubt it. She probably just wants us there to pretend she has friends.”

“I still wanna go…” Rose admitted. The general consensus was to drop by Chloé’s party and return to Marinette’s after it got dark.

“We’re in our pajamas,” Juleka mumbled. Marinette opened her closet door, revealing some of her finished dresses and a few that she’d thrifted. She’d amassed quite the dress collection and was happy to lend them to her friends. While she wasn’t looking forward to the party, she appreciated the opportunity to have her friends wear her creations. Who knows? Maybe there would be a few designers there.

Upon arriving at the party, Alya immediately left the group to talk to Nino. Mylene went to talk to Ivan and Max, and Alix joined Marc and Nathaniel. Eventually, all of Marinette’s friends dispersed, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

“Salut, Marinette!”

Marinette jumped at Adrien’s voice behind her.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I didn’t know you were coming! Isn’t this nice of Chloé to throw a party? I knew she had some good in her!”

Mari was still skeptical, “I don’t know, I still think she has some other reason for doing this. It’s not like her to throw a party.”

Adrien chuckled, “I’ve known Chloé a lot longer than you have, Marinette. She can be a good person sometimes. Remember when she helped Mister Bug and Lady Noire?”

Marinette thought about this, remembering the time she saw Mister Bug and Queen Bee fist bump after they defeated Malediktator. She hadn’t seen the fight, but according to Mister Bug, Chloé had pulled it off.

“Adrichou!!”

Speak of the devil. Mari saw Chloé run up to Adrien and jump on him, kissing his face multiple times.

“Isn’t it so nice of me to throw this party? You still want to be friends, right?”

“Uh, salut, Chloé,” was all Adrien replied. A few more people approached Chloé to kiss her in greeting, but Chloé paused in front of Marinette.

She’s not seriously going to kiss me, is she? Mari couldn’t stand the thought. Thankfully, Chloe just pushed her aside and left.

As the party continued, Marinette somehow found herself talking to Adrien on multiple occasions. He was friendlier than she’d remembered, and he was a nice distraction from Chloé. Eventually, a slow dance came on. Marinette thought of Luka, wondering if he’d been invited. She’d seen many people there that she had no idea Chloé was friends with, so she had a sliver of hope for Luka’s presence. As she looked around, she was once again met with Adrien’s voice.

“Hey, do you wanna dance?”

Marinette froze. Adrien held out his hand with the other behind his neck. He blushed and looked away from her. He was actually kind of adorable like this, it was obvious he was flustered. Mari assumed he’d never danced with a girl before. She smiled and took his hand, putting her other on his shoulder. Adrien shivered a bit, then led Mari onto the dance floor. Marinette had never been a good dancer, but Adrien was somehow worse than her. He was very cautious with his hand placement, sort of hovering his left palm above Marinette’s waist. 

She laughed, “Adrien, you have to touch me.”

“Um…” 

Marinette could practically feel the warmth emanating from his body. He was so nervous. Marinette giggled, then placed Adrien’s hand on her hip. After a bit of dancing, they got comfortable with each other and fell into a slow rhythmic sway. They didn’t glide or waltz across the room like Alya and Nino did, but Marinette could feel a connection. She looked at Adrien, who still couldn’t meet her eyes. He was attractive, but not in the way that Luka was. He was cute in a Chat Noir kind of way, more charismatic than anything. Adrien finally turned his face towards Marinette, then his expression relaxed a bit. Adrien let go of Mari’s hand, his right hand slipping behind her back and interlocking with his left, resting right on her tailbone. Marinette didn’t know what to do, so she did the same, grabbing her wrist behind Adrien’s neck and leaning on his chest. She could hear his heart beating quickly and became flustered. This might’ve been the closest she’d been with a boy, apart from Chat Noir.

“Dupain-Cheng!”

Marinette could hear Chloé’s abrasive voice pierce the air near her.

“How dare you dance with my Prince?” Chloé was about to attack physically, but her butler stood in the way. He held up a worn stuffed bear, telling Chloé that the bear wouldn’t be proud of her if she beat up Marinette and she’d been doing such a good job tonight. It was kind of cute, Marinette thought, but of course, Kim had to ruin it.

“Is that your teddy bear, Chloé?”

Many people in the room started laughing at Chloé, and she ran away, almost brought to tears. Marinette felt awful, but a part of her was happy to see Chloé get her comeuppance. This probably wouldn’t teach her any lessons, though.

After a bit of silence, the DJ turned the music back on, but a livelier song.

“Thanks for dancing with me, Marinette, but I think I’m gonna go check on Chloé,” Adrien said, worried. Mari didn’t blame him, but Adrien stopped before he could get to the elevator. Chloé was back already, and Sabrina was chasing her with a weird look on her face.

“Sabrina! What has gotten into you?” Chloé demanded, running away. Mari examined Sabrina, seeing a little purple bear plushie wrapped around her ankle. The bear jumped off and Sabrina immediately stopped running. When the bear attached itself to Kim, his eyes glowed green. Marinette ran off, transforming.

Ladybug and Chat Noir arrived, searching for the little bear. Random civilians kept attacking them, but the bear escaped before either superhero could catch it. After a bit of cat and mouse, Ladybug lost the small Akuma. She felt Chat Noir grab her hand, more roughly than he usually did.

“Chat Noir, do you see it?”

“I sure do, M’lady.” Chat opened his eyes, revealing that his usual catlike eyes were replaced with green glowing eyeballs. Ladybug looked down, and sure enough, the bear was wrapped around his ankle. She reached for it, but Chat Noir grabbed Ladybug, maneuvering her into a hold. He blankly reached for her earrings but was pulled down by something. Ladybug turned to see Chloé holding onto Chat Noir’s tail.

“Paws off, kitty! Stop being hypnotized!” She said. 

Chat fell backward and the little bear flew off of his leg.

“Hey, that was really nice of me, wasn’t it?” Chloé praised herself. Ladybug used her Lucky Charm and received a fork, but before she could think about it, Chloé grabbed her with glowing eyes. This little bear was too quick. Ladybug threw Chloé off of her, returning her to normal, but the bear was nowhere to be found. Chloé complained a bit about being thrown, but Ladybug saw the bear running up to the roof and followed him with Chat Noir. On the roof, the bear hypnotized Chloé again, who had followed them upstairs for some reason. It was unusual of her to get herself into trouble while trying to help. Maybe she was changing. Chloé leaped at Ladybug, who was able to snag the fork onto a thread of the bear as she held Chloé off. Chloé was a natural fighter, and, under the control of the bear, made a worthy opponent. Ladybug just imagined what Chloé could do as a superhero if she wasn’t so… awful.

“Chat Noir!” Ladybug called, tossing him the fork. Chat unraveled the little knit plush and snapped the string. The akuma was released and Ladybug cleansed it, as well as repairing the damages with her Miraculous Ladybug. 

“Ladybug?” Chloé sat on the ground after her fight with Ladybug, looking up at her, “Did I do good today?”

Ladybug paused. Chloé had bullied her earlier as Marinette, then called the fire department and got the whole school in trouble. But she also threw a party and helped Ladybug when Chat was mind-controlled. She was so unpredictable. Ladybug could only dream of the day she told Chloé that she’d been bullying her celebrity crush. Then she came to a realization. Chloé wasn’t evil, she was just an attention-seeker. When Ladybug really thought about it, she saw how Chloé craved validation from people like her mother or Ladybug and Chat Noir and acted out to get their attention. But, of course, she’d gotten used to picking on Marinette and did it even when her idols weren’t around.

“Yeah…” Ladybug simply said, hooking her yo-yo onto something in the distance, “You did good, Queen Bee.”

Chapter Text

“Lila!” Lila heard Nathalie call her name, coming down the elevator into the lair. Lila got out of her sleeping bag. There were so many rooms in the house, but of course, Nathalie only let Lila stay in here.

“I’m hungry…” Lila made the mistake of complaining. Nathalie slapped Lila across the face. It stung a bit.

“Silence! You are my property!”

Immediately, Lila shut up, unable to speak.

“You’re failing me. Every time I have to work with you, my sickness gets worse. You can only heal so much, Lila. I don’t know how much longer I can keep you around.”

Lila drew in her breath. This was her greatest fear. She’d always known that one day Nathalie would be done with her, whether she failed or succeeded.

Adrien couldn’t speak, he just held the Chat Noir costume in his hands.

“Clara Nightingale was your father’s student in his first class in New York. He’s been designing her costumes forever. She’s a fantastic singer, I don’t know why you don’t want to be in her music video.” Nathalie looked up from Gabriel’s desk, which she’d taken as her own, “Your father made this costume himself before he passed. This has been planned for a long time, Adrien.”

Adrien looked at the costume. It was accurate, possibly a bit too much so. Why couldn’t Nathalie have at least told him earlier? This was so sudden. He wasn’t good at acting; he knew this was just a business endeavor to promote the brand. Adrien tried to come up with a way to tell Nathalie he couldn’t do this, but he couldn’t think of anything that didn’t reveal his identity. Eventually, he gave up, taking the costume to his room. It really was nice. He thought about what Nathalie said. Did his father actually hand-sew this costume? He rarely did anything himself.

Maybe my father did love me, Adrien thought, In his own way.

When the time came to hold auditions for Ladybug, Adrien put on the costume. Plagg was waiting for him in his trailer.

“Wow, looks just like the real thing! The jacket, the belt, the boots, everything is just like we made it in the first place! Except you should get rid of the bell, it’s kind of tacky.”

“Plagg, what if people recognize me?” Adrien asked nervously.

“Nah, the Miraculous costumes are made to disguise the wearer! You’ll look completely different as Adrien.” Adrien was disappointed by Plagg’s insufficient answer, so he put the mask on, showing him how accurate the costume was.

“Ooh,” Plagg responded, “that is kind of recognizable.”

“Ok, I’m just going to hide the mask. Without it, I still sort of look like Adrien.”

Adrien left his dressing room to find a huge crowd of extras beside a long line of Ladybug auditionees. He scanned the crowd, unable to suppress the hope that Ladybug was actually there. Marinette was, however, and Adrien hoped she was trying out for his Lady. To be honest, Adrien thought Mari would make a great Ladybug after getting to know her a bit. She really was kind, she’d just misjudged Adrien when they first met.

As the auditions proceeded, Adrien was met with dozens of girls, some of whom were too starstruck to act. The audition choreography consisted of a small pas de deux, then a Ladybug solo, lip-syncing and dancing to the song. Adrien really wished Nathalie had asked him about this first because he was an awful dancer. He was definitely strong enough to lift all the girls, but a lot of them used way more physical contact than necessary, resulting in Adrien’s discomfort and mistakes in the dance. The entire time, Clara looked on in disappointment. After a bit, the line was gone with no Ladybug in sight. Clara began offering some more snacks to the extras, who had been waiting in line. She tripped and fell, spilling the chouquettes on her plate. Adrien was about to go help her up when Marinette stepped out of line to lift her off the ground.

“Finally! My search is through! For Ladybug is you!” Clara exclaimed, wrapping Marinette in a hug. 

Clearly flustered, Marinette responded, “What? I don’t know what you’re talking about! I’m not Ladybug!”

“Of course not, mon chou, you did what Ladybug would do! My excitement can’t be contained! What’s your name?”

To the response, Clara replied, “Marinette! Please accept! Will you star in my featurette?”

Marinette gasped. Upon some encouragement from her friends, she accepted. The audition began with Marinette and Adrien staring at each other. Marinette didn’t have to put the wig on because she already had pigtails, but Adrien couldn’t help but notice that she wasn’t wearing the mask either, though all the other girls had worn it. She was simply in the clothes she’d entered with, flared leggings and a polka-dotted top. Even in the simplest outfit, Adrien couldn’t help but stare. She was small in stature, similar to Ladybug, and the tight clothing showed off her cute little body, her tummy peeking out from beneath her camisole. They looked into each other’s eyes for a second, but Clara prompted them to start dancing. Like at Chloé’s party a couple of days ago, Adrien had trouble putting his hands on Marinette. She was so small, he was afraid he’d break her. Marinette took his hand, beginning the combination. Even though she wasn’t originally auditioning for Ladybug, she knew the choreography pretty well. She and Adrien danced well together, and the lift seemed effortless. Adrien could tell that Marinette made him a better dancer. As they inched closer, Adrien blushed. He didn’t pull away, and for a second he felt that their lips might touch. Marinette’s solo music began, but she didn’t move. She just stayed in Adrien’s arms, so close he could feel her hot breath on his neck.

“Dupain-Cheng?!”

Adrien turned around, seeing Queen Bee standing at the entrance, livid. He wanted to tell Chloé that Queen Bee wasn’t in the music video, but he felt it wasn’t the time.

“I warned you at my party, whore!” Adrien gasped at Chloé’s language, “Keep your filthy baker paws off my Prince!”

“Chloé, I’m not your prince! And what the hell is wrong with you? I thought you were a superhero.” Adrien pointed at Queen Bee’s costume, knowing his words would leave a mark. As he suspected, Chloé went silent, then ran out of the building. Adrien turned back to Marinette, but she’d stepped back, looking at the floor. Clara Nightingale was also distressed but returned to the audition.

“Marinette, you dance very well. You will be my coccinelle! May it be so opportune, please dance with the costume!”

Before Mari could speak, an attendant handed her a Ladybug costume. Adrien couldn’t wait to see her in it, but upon returning from her dressing room, Adrien saw that she wasn’t wearing the mask. He hadn’t seen the volunteer give it to her, so it must have been lost. Funny how Adrien’s alibi had become the truth for Marinette.

“Oh, just a simple task, put on the masks!” Clara declared. Adrien began to panic, talking over Marinette, but suddenly a volunteer appeared with both masks. Adrien should’ve hidden it better. Luckily, Chloé reappeared before Adrien could reveal his identity, this time in her normal clothes. She was accompanied by her father, who declared Clara couldn’t film in Paris because she didn’t have a permit. Adrien couldn’t believe it. He really thought Chloé was changing. She was being so two-faced recently and Adrien didn’t know which side was the real her. He began to argue with Chloé, not noticing Clara Nightingale run backstage with tears flowing down her face.

When Frightningale appeared, turning people into statues, Marinette ran behind a corner. As she transformed, she couldn’t get her mind off of her dance with Adrien. Why hadn’t she started her solo? For some reason, she hadn’t been able to escape Adrien’s arms. She knew she wasn’t falling in love; she wouldn’t allow herself to. But there was something about Adrien that quickened her breath every time he was near.

Ladybug fought with Frightningale, getting butterflies when Chat Noir showed up. Why was she meeting so many cute boys? Adrien, Chat Noir, Luka, it was as if Gimmi was making up for the bad luck she’d had her whole life. Ladybug watched Chat swing his stick, avoiding Frightningale’s whip.

“M’lady, watch out!”

Ladybug turned her head, seeing the glowing whip coming straight for her. It struck her, leaving a painful red gash across her face and a pink hue circling her body.

“Sing, dance, or rhyme, or else you’ll be frozen in no time!” Frightningale laughed. Ladybug began to move a little, trying not to speak without rhyming. Chat Noir continued to fight, somehow quipping at Ladybug while staying focused.

“Chat Noir, how do you do that? You’re flirting with me during combat!” Ladybug was proud of herself for the rhyme, trying to take shots at Frightningale with kicks and leaps.

“Being in your presence always makes me smile, you make everything worthwhile!” Though he hadn’t been hit, Chat Noir was still rhyming, “That and Plagg kind of helps me stay calm.” He stole a wink at Ladybug, striking Frightningale with his stick. Chat always knew what to say.

“This will do her harm, Lucky Charm!” Ladybug received handcuffs. She pulled Chat Noir close to her with her yo-yo. Upon noticing the handcuffs, he said,

“Woah, it’s not the right setting for that, don’t you think?” Chat Noir grinned slyly, causing Ladybug to roll her eyes. He then noticed Ladybug’s injury from the whip.

“Woah, M’lady, are you ok?” He touched her cheek softly as she gazed into his eyes. Ladybug wanted to say something, but couldn’t find the words, especially not in rhyme.

“I’m ok, Chat Noir, it’s just a little scar. Mind if we take a chance, mon Chaton, may I have this dance?”

Chat Noir smiled, then kissed her hand, attaching it to his with the handcuffs.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

Thankfully, Ladybug was able to work around the dancing rule when attached to Chat Noir. The handcuffs helped them move in sync, like a dance. Chat was a much better dancer than Adrien.

“Cataclysm!” 

Chat grabbed Frightningale’s whip, destroying it. After the cleansing spells, Clara Nightingale got up, excited to see the two of them.

“Ladybug, Chat Noir! This is a dream come true! Oh, how ecstatic I am to see you two!”

“I heard about your video,” Chat Noir began, “and I think I have a different idea.”

The music video turned out amazing, with Marinette and Adrien playing Ladybug and Chat Noir as civilians. It was mainly set in a ballroom, in which Mari got to wear a beautiful red gown with ladybug wings as a cape. Chat Noir had offered to perform some stunts to break up the ball, to which Ladybug happily agreed. It would help civilians differentiate between the two if Marinette played herself in the video. As a thank you to Marinette, Clara had put all her friends in as extras in the ballroom scene, where they got to choose their partners and pick amongst many gorgeous Gabriel suits and gowns. Everyone was overjoyed to take part in it, and Clara was pleased with the outcome. At the school’s watch party, Alya announced,

“Hey, you two made a really good Ladybug and Chat Noir!”

“Oh, I don’t think so, I don’t think I look enough like her!” Marinette stammered, desperately trying to get Alya off her back.

“Yeah, I’ve met Ladybug. I don’t think she looks like you at all!” Adrien chimed in. Marinette didn’t remember asking for his opinion. What made him think she didn’t look like Ladybug? Even though she knew Adrien’s statement was harmless, she wondered what made him speak up.

“Yeah, and you don’t look a thing like Chat Noir either. He’s way hotter.” Marinette scoffed, poking fun at Adrien. Kim laughed at her, but Alix punched him and defended Marinette. Adrien frowned a bit but eventually started to laugh with Mari. The truth was, Adrien didn’t look like Chat Noir, but there was something about him that connected the two. It was probably because Marinette spent so much time around Chat, but she really saw him in Adrien. Maybe that’s why she was falling for him.

Chapter Text

Marinette got to school early, bringing a cake for Mrs. Bustier’s surprise party. Her gift was small, but she felt that the cake made up for it. The class had agreed to each get Mrs. Bustier a gift and bring decorations for her birthday party. Marinette was a little later than the agreed meeting time, but she still arrived before class started, entering the school with Lila.

“Lila, hey! It’s been a while! How’ve you been?” She asked. Lila was notorious for skipping school, claiming injuries or sickness. Marinette knew she was lying, so at first, she’d tried to inform teachers, who always sided with Lila. Mari assumed she had a personal reason to skip so much, so she left it alone. After a while, Mari just became concerned.

“Oh, I’m alright…” Lila began timidly. 

Marinette noticed she was wearing her Volpina necklace, even after Ladybug showed the world the truth. Maybe she just liked the jewelry.

“Just some family drama.” Lila looked away, unable to speak. Marinette felt horrible.

“Well, if you need someone to talk to, I’m here.” She offered, placing her hand on Lila’s shoulder. Sure, she and Lila were on bad terms, but she felt the need to comfort her, even if she was lying about this, too.

“Chloé!”

Marinette heard Alya’s voice from inside the classroom. She and Lila exchanged a glance, then rushed upstairs to Mrs. Bustier’s room. When they got there, they saw a team of well-dressed attendants hanging up gold and black party decorations and many framed photos of Chloé and Queen Bee. Chloé laughed, then Adrien walked into the room. Strangely, Marinette hadn’t heard him come in behind her.

“Adrichou!” Chloé exclaimed, “Don’t you know what day it is?”

Chloé threw herself onto Adrien. Behind her back, Adrien inaudibly gasped and put his hand over his mouth.

“It’s… your birthday…”

“Ooh, good boy Adrichou,” Chloé tapped his nose, making Marinette red with fury, “Where’s my present?”

“Well, I um…” Adrien stammered, “I left it at home!” He cracked a small smile. It was clear that he’d forgotten, but Chloé was none the wiser.

“That’s alright, darling, I’ll just start with this one!” Chloé began ripping Mrs. Bustier’s gifts out of the students’ hands, calling them all ugly and insulting them for being cheap. Just as Mari was about to go off, Mrs. Bustier walked in. Marinette smiled a bit to see her in her birthday dress. She’d told them it was a gift from her mother and she’d worn it on her birthday every year since kindergarten.

“Oh! What’s all this?” 

Luckily, the students stuck to the plan.

“Joyeux anniversaire, Madame Bustier!”

One by one, students snatched their presents from Chloé and handed them to Mrs. Bustier. She thanked them all, but Chloé was furious. Mrs. Bustier lit up at Marinette’s gift, a tube of her favorite lipstick. 

When Marinette began to bring out the cake, Chloé stuck out her foot, tripping her. The cake flew onto Mrs. Bustier, covering her dress in frosting and flinging the lipstick out of her hand. It broke upon impact with the ground. Mrs. Bustier gasped, covering her hands with her mouth and looking down at her dress. She slowly walked to the corner and picked up the broken tube that she’d dropped.

“Madame Bustier! I’m so sorry…” Marinette began, glaring at Chloé.

“No, It’s not your fault, Marinette…” She responded, “I’m sorry, I have to use the toilet. Class may start a bit late today.” Mrs. Bustier left the room, tears forming in her eyes. She’d always been sensitive, if not a bit ditsy. Mari knew she’d grown up wealthy and hadn’t worked for anything as a kid, which prompted her ignorance towards bullies. But her heart was pure, and Mari hated seeing her so upset. She went to follow her but was met with an Akuma that shared Mrs. Bustier’s dress and lipstick.

“Madame Bustier?” Marinette asked in horror.

“No, sweetheart, Zombizou! You’ve always been a good student, Marinette. I won’t hurt you, you’ll just feel the love!” Zombizou blew a kiss at Marinette, releasing a floating pair of lips that inched towards her. It was hard to dodge, but the kiss eventually landed on a wall.

“Ew, gross!” Mari exclaimed, running off to transform.

When Ladybug arrived, Zombizou was nowhere to be found, but most of the class still resided in Mrs. Bustier’s room, staring limply at the floor.

“Oh, thank god you guys are still here! Did you see where she went?” Ladybug asked. Upon hearing her voice, the students turned, all with purple irises and kiss marks on their necks.

“Bisou…” They said in unison, stretching their arms out and limping towards Ladybug. She yelped, then escaped. Ladybug looked all over the school, but Zombizou was nowhere to be found. She did run into Chat Noir, however. He was harboring a group of students, all of which Marinette recognized. The escapees consisted of Alya, Nino, Marc, Nathaniel, Lila, Chloé, and Chloé’s sister whom Ladybug had forgotten the name of. To be honest, she was a bit disappointed not to see Adrien in the group, picturing him getting kissed by Zombizou and turning into a monster. When the group left the locker room, even more zombie students were in the courtyard. How did Zombizou get around so quickly? Flying around town, Ladybug couldn’t see a single civilian, only zombies. They eventually found a roof without any of the monsters.

“M’lady, you’ve gotta see this,” Chat Noir held out his stick, showing a news broadcast on the tiny screen. It showed zombies infecting civilians by kissing them on the neck, sort of like vampires.

“They’re contagious…” Ladybug whispered, realizing how the disease had spread so quickly.

Zombizou appeared on the news last, demanding Chloé along with Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Miraculous. A small part of Ladybug was glad Mrs. Bustier realized that the cake this morning was Chloé’s fault, but she couldn’t let Chloé get attacked.

“L-Ladybug?” Chloé interrupted her thoughts. Recently, Ladybug’s thoughts on Chloé were wavering, not knowing whether to trust her or not. She seemed to help Ladybug but hated Marinette. Ladybug just hoped the kind version of Chloé was the true one.

“I’m…” Chloé looked around for the other students. Upon noticing they were with Chat Noir, she admitted, “I’m scared.”

Ladybug held Chloé’s hand, to which Chloé looked up and blushed. She gazed into Ladybug’s eyes longingly.

“Don’t be scared, Chloé, you’re a superheroine. You’ve done so much for Chat Noir and I.”

“They all hate me.” Chloé looked at the other students on the roof, a few of them stealing salty looks at her, “Do you hate me, Ladybug?”

Ladybug could see the pain in her eyes as she hesitantly asked the question.

“Of course not! You’re an inspiration for so many people, Queen Bee. You’ve come so far, you can’t give up now.”

Chloé met Ladybug’s eyes, so close that Ladybug could feel her warm breath and smell the vanilla perfume in her hair.

“Thank you,” Chloé whispered.

Ladybug heard Marc scream, noticing a zombie had made its way up to the rooftop, grabbing his ankle. The zombie pulled Marc to the ground, violently kissing his neck and leaving a small bite mark on the left side.

“Get off of him!” Nathaniel kicked the zombie off the building, leaving it to plummet to its death. Ladybug turned away, hearing the crack of the zombie’s back as it hit the ground.

“Marc…” Nathaniel whispered, hands over his mouth.

“I’m fine…” He lay on the ground, “Just go.”

More zombies were making their way to the rooftop, prompting Chat Noir to lead everyone to a nearby bus, Nathaniel with some difficulty. Ladybug grabbed Chloé last, holding onto her waist. Chloé blushed, wrapping her arms around Ladybug’s neck.

“Chat Noir!” Ladybug called, “Meet me at the Eiffel Tower!”

Ladybug felt responsible for Chloé, especially since Zombizou was after her. As they swung across the city, Ladybug felt Chloé bury her head into her chest, squeaking a little. Her hands gripped Ladybug’s neck tightly.

They met Chat Noir and the others at the base of the Eiffel Tower.

“We… lost Nathaniel.” Chat solemnly admitted.

“Chloé, I’m so glad you’re safe,” Chloé’s sister exclaimed, hugging her. 

“Z- Zoé…” 

Ladybug had never seen Chloé so vulnerable as she hesitantly hugged back. 

Zoé then turned to Ladybug, whispering, “Thank you,”

Of course, zombies surrounded the Eiffel Tower as well, and they ran towards the ever-decreasing group. Alya was caught by one of them, and Nino stayed behind like an idiot.

Why did he do that? We need his help! Ladybug smacked her forehead, eyes watering. She couldn’t stand to see so many of her friends get zombified.

The three remaining civilians began to panic, looking around for hiding spots in the tower. They eventually hid in Gustav Eiffel’s office. Ladybug heard Lila’s scream as she turned in terror, seeing a zombie on top of Lila. The zombies had made it to the top floor. Zoé became terrified at this, frozen in fear, allowing Lila to bite her neck. 

“No!” Chloé screamed. She reached for her sister, but Chat Noir held her back, tears streaming down Chloé’s cheeks. By the time they’d gotten back out of the office, several zombies waited for them atop the tower. Zombizou herself was nowhere to be found. Ladybug fought off zombies one by one, but it became increasingly difficult to avoid their purple lips and sharp teeth. She called her Lucky Charm, but in that moment of hesitation, a zombified Zoé leaped towards her. Ladybug didn’t know how to dodge, but Chloé appeared in front of her as if by magic.

“Save us from this nightmare, Ladybug. I know you can.” Chloé stole a small wink, then locked herself with Zoé and Lila in the office of Gustav Eiffel.

“She’s… a hero,” Chat Noir realized. As little as Ladybug wanted to admit it, she had to agree. This was proof to her that there was good in Chloé. Good that they would help bring to the surface when the time was right. Ladybug heard the sweet but menacing laugh of Zombizou behind her and Chat Noir.

“It’s just the three of us now, Ladybug and Chat Noir. Soon you’ll feel my love as well!”

“This is so creepy,” Chat Noir managed while fighting off zombies, “My least favorite Akuma yet.”

Ladybug finally got the chance to take a good look at her lucky charm, which was a bottle of makeup remover. It was clear to her that she’d have to take Zombizou’s lipstick somehow. Zombizou finally entered the fight, blowing kisses towards Ladybug and Chat Noir whilst trying to kiss them with her own lips. Between her, her kisses, and her zombies, it was nearly impossible to dodge everything. Zombizou got frustrated, letting out a small grunt, then she punched Chat Noir, sending him flying to the ground. Zombizou advanced like a hawk. Ladybug shouted, running towards them and flinging her yo-yo, but in her panic, she missed, allowing Zombizou to kiss Chat Noir on the cheek and escape to the other side of the tower.

“Chaton…” Ladybug finally reached Chat Noir, seeing a purple bite mark on his cheek, dripping blood down to his chin. Zombizou had cut deep. Ladybug quickly kissed it before he could infect her, hoping it would do anything, but the wound was still there, leaving Ladybug’s lips stained with his blood.

“It’s ok, M’lady, you’ll save us like you always do.” Chat Noir tried to sit up, but ultimately failed, laying back onto the ground. It was dead silent for a beat, the only audible sound being Chat’s heavy breathing.

“Cataclysm,” He finally said, “in case you need it.”

As Chat Noir went limp, Ladybug stood up. She had to reach Zombizou before Chat woke up. Sure enough, Zombizou was waiting for her on the other side of the tower, making that sick laugh that Ladybug recognized from all her years in school. It sent shivers down her spine to hear the sweet sound in such a horrid circumstance.

“Done crying over your kitten?” Zombizou teased, “Don’t worry, love, he’s still with us.” 

Zombizou gestured behind Ladybug, where Chat Noir stood with purple lips and eyes. The puncture wounds remained on his cheek, more red and infected than just a few seconds before.

“Bisou…” He numbly said, Cataclysm still active.

“And you’ll get to join him soon!” Zombizou finished, blowing kisses at Ladybug. She’d been able to apply the makeup remover to her yo-yo on her way around the tower, and the kisses disintegrated on impact. With a final swing, Ladybug wiped the lipstick off of Zombizou with her yo-yo but felt a chill run down her spine as she felt Chat Noir’s sharp teeth on the back of her neck.

She pushed him away and reached her hand up to the place he touched. To Ladybug’s horror, she felt the wounds as her blood began to trickle onto her bare fingers. She had to act quickly. Zombizou reached for her lipstick, which Ladybug knocked out of her hand with her yo-yo, catching it and throwing it at Chat Noir. He instinctively held up his hands, making contact with the lipstick and Cataclysming it. Ladybug quickly purified the akuma but felt her body heat up. She became lightheaded, moving slowly as the world around her spun. Ladybug collapsed to the ground. Upon opening her eyes once more, she saw Mrs. Bustier place the Lucky Charm in her hand.

“M-Miraculous Ladybug…” Ladybug managed to whisper as she passed out.

Ladybug awoke to a swarm of magical ladybugs, thankful that her cleansing spell had worked before she was zombified.

“Ladybug!” Chat exclaimed, embracing her tightly. He held out his hand for a fist bump, but Ladybug couldn’t think properly.

“Chaton, could you try to not get hit next time? I know you like to sacrifice yourself and be a hero, but what if I fail one day? I-” Ladybug faltered, “I wouldn’t be able to bring you back.”

“I do these things because I love you, M’lady,” Chat kissed her hand, “And I know you’ll never fail me. But I’ll lay off the sacrificial lamb stuff for now.”

Chat Noir fled the tower on his baton, saying, “Miss you already!”

Upon returning to the lair, Lila found Nathalie waiting for her as usual. Her arms were crossed and she stared daggers into Lila’s eyes.

“What were you thinking, Lila?” Nathalie exclaimed, “Getting captured by your own Akuma? Be grateful that Ladybug and Chat Noir saved you, or else you would’ve been gone. I sure as hell wouldn’t have rescued you.”

Lila just dropped her head. Nathalie ripped the necklace off of Lila’s neck, scratching her a bit. Nathalie’s nails were long and sharp, causing a small gash to appear on Lila’s collarbone.

“I need the Miraculous, Lila! Don’t fail me again!” Nathalie lashed.

“You don’t care about me, all you care about is your stupid wish!” Lila refuted, “You don’t even know if it'll work; you haven’t deciphered any of the riddles in the grimoire!” Lila stepped closer, angrily, “All you’re doing is putting me in danger! I’m human, too!”

Lila feared that Nathalie would strike her, but she just sighed, “I’m trying something different. Tomorrow will be my biggest risk yet. Prepare yourself.” Nathalie began to walk out of the lair, but paused, not looking back, “Oh, and Lila, you’ll never be human.”

As Nathalie calmly departed through the elevator, Lila fell to her knees. She coughed a bit, noticing droplets of blood falling from her mouth. Taking care of it, Lila was able to stand up again, perfectly healthy. She stared at the empty elevator where Nathalie had left her.

“I’m more human than you’ll ever be.”

Chapter Text

Lila stared at the entrance to the school, fiddling with her foxtail necklace. She fixed her wig, then stepped inside, wondering why Nathalie was so hell-bent on Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Miraculous. She was sure there were alternatives for Nathalie’s wish, even if she didn’t really understand what Nathalie wanted in the first place. As Lila entered the classroom, Mrs. Bustier welcomed her, not knowing that Lila had been there yesterday.

“Class, Lila is back from Abu Dhabi! Nino, will you move to the back? Lila needs to sit in the front to catch up on all the homework she’s missed.”

Lila saw Adrien groan. If she was being honest, Lila had developed a pretty big crush on Adrien, but because of Nathalie, he just saw her as a liar. Lila noticed Optigami in the corner of the room, invisible to other students. Of course Nathalie was watching her. She’d been using Optigami a lot more frequently as of late, especially after her failures with Volpina and Malediktator. Mrs. Bustier started her lecture, but Lila wasn’t paying attention. She answered all the questions correctly, knowing she wouldn’t retain anything after class. She gazed at Adrien, noticing him doodling a little picture of Ladybug. Lila pulled out her phone, googling pictures of him and Ladybug together. Every photo showed Adrien in her arms, enamored by her. Lila discreetly slipped her phone back into her bag.

At lunchtime, Lila was bombarded with fans of all kinds, asking if she could sign stuff for them or introduce them to a celebrity. She needed a way to escape. Luckily, Marinette helped her.

“Come on, guys, can’t you see that Lila's overstimulated? Please leave her alone, she’s got enough to deal with as it is.”

The crowd slowly dispersed, and Lila thanked Mari.

“Wow, thanks, Marinette. I can’t believe they listen to you.”

“Oh, yeah, I’m class representative this year so they kind of have to,” Marinette stuck out her tongue playfully, “Do you want to come sit with me for lunch?”

“No, thank you,” Lila responded, glancing at the pair of eyes watching her from the corner of the room, “I have somewhere to be right now.”

Mari was understanding, and Lila truly believed they could be friends if Lila was herself. Nonetheless, she had business to do, and went to the bathroom to transform.

Lila took her wig off, hanging it on the stall’s hook. She fixed her hair with a compact mirror. Nathalie made her wear a wig to lose suspicion if she was ever discovered as Hawk Moth, but Lila didn’t think it was necessary. The Miraculous magically concealed her identity anyway. An image of the Grimoire appeared in Lila’s head. She knew Nathalie was able to read it, but for some reason, never utilized its power. There were riddles in the Grimoire that Lila suspected led to additional abilities, but Nathalie just couldn’t figure them out. Lila put her Miraculous on, transforming without a word. She closed her eyes, able to sense feelings all over Paris. Searching for a powerful one, Lila found it in Audrey Bourgeois. Gabriel had akumatized her already, but it shouldn’t blow her cover. After all, Gabriel akumatized Sabrina four times.

Once Style Queen was re-akumatized, Lila had to begin phase two, the hardest one. She and Nathalie had done a lot of planning for this and decided that Adrien was her best candidate since Nathalie suspected he was Carapace and he would be easiest for Lila to get close to. She found him at Chloé and Sabrina’s lunch spot before all the chaos started. She had to act fast before word got out about Style Queen.

“Hey, Adrien, can I talk to you in the library?”

“Sure, Lila!” Adrien was a bit enthusiastic. Maybe he just wanted to get away from Chloé and Sabrina.

In the library, Lila asked about the Grimoire, telling Adrien she saw it in his house.

“Lila, why did you lie about being a superhero?” Adrien suddenly asked. Oh, how desperately she wanted to tell the truth. Lila glanced at the small pair of eyes attached to a nearby library book. Nathalie was always watching.

“I’m sorry, Adrien. The truth is…” Now this part wasn’t a lie, “I just wanted to get to know you better. If I’m being honest, I’ve had the biggest crush on you ever since we met. But it’s ok, I know you’re in love with Chloé.” Lila hated being so manipulative to him, but she’d figured him out. She knew this would work.

“Chloé? I’m not in love with Chloé!” Adrien practically shouted.

“You’re not?” Lila asked innocently.

“I swear on my dumbass dead parents.” Adrien held his hand to his chest, to which Lila laughed.

“Prove it.” She leaned closer with a playful look on her face, knowing Adrien’s next move. Sure enough, he kissed her. It was an interesting kiss to say the least. It was, of course, Lila’s first kiss, but she knew what she was doing, forcing herself not to transform right away. It went on longer than planned, their lips catching and releasing rhythmically as Lila inched closer to him. She felt his hand grasp the foxtail necklace on the back of her neck, almost wishing he would take it off.  She grabbed his shirt collar to pull him closer, but Adrien turned away.

“Lila… I’m sorry.” He slapped his hand to his forehead, “Ugh, I’m so stupid. I never should’ve done that.”

“Don’t be sorry, Adrien.” Lila stood up and walked to the door, “You’ve given me everything I need.”

Oh my god, why did I do that? Adrien couldn’t believe what had happened. He kissed Lila? If anything, he figured Lila would kiss him. He sat in the restroom for the rest of the period, not wanting to face Chloé, Marinette, or worst of all, Lila. Plagg soon met up with him and he began to talk to Plagg, pretending he cared.

“Plagg, what is this? Did you see that?”

“Yep, saw it.” He responded, “You two were kind of getting into it, too.”

“What the hell? Why did I kiss her? Was it because I wanted to prove a point? Did I wish she was Ladybug?”

“All great questions.”

Adrien suddenly noticed himself glowing. In a panic, he threw his ring off, assuming this had something to do with an Akuma and not wanting to get captured again. Plagg picked it up in his mouth, watching Adrien. He suddenly felt his body morph a bit. He got a bit shorter and could feel himself changing in ways he didn’t want to describe. When he finished glowing, Plagg just stared at him.

“Give it to me straight,” Adrien’s voice was higher, “What’s the damage?”

“Um… I think you’re gonna want to see for yourself.”

Adrien burst out of the stall and looked into the mirror. Lila stared back at him, and Adrien screamed.

“Ok, calm down, it’s probably just an Akuma. All you have to do is find out who it is and stop them.” Plagg comforted.

“I’m… Lila!” Adrien cried, feeling his face. Plagg almost responded, but Ivan entered the restroom.

“Uh, this is the men’s toilets, Lila.”

“Right, sorry!” Adrien scrambled away, finding someplace to hide while he waited for Plagg. Unfortunately, Marinette found him.

“Lila, school’s canceled! Style Queen is back! You can hide out at my place, it’s right across the street.”

Style Queen? She didn’t have any body-morphing powers, but maybe her powers were different. Adrien pulled Lila’s phone out of his pocket. He didn’t know the password, but her Face ID worked. Turning on the news, he saw Style Queen dressed in black feathers, the latest trend as of last summer. Marinette grabbed Adrien and brought him to the bakery. Adrien just hoped Plagg could find him there. Marinette began reassuring Adrien, thinking he was Lila, but for some reason, Adrien couldn’t bring himself to tell the truth. There was something about the way Mari spoke that made him warm inside, something unlike her voice when she spoke to Adrien. It was clear that she genuinely wanted to befriend Lila, which made Adrien disappointed. He wished Marinette talked to him like that. Finally, Mari left the room to talk to her parents, and Plagg crawled through the window. Adrien quickly scrambled to the balcony before Marinette came back and put his ring on.

“Do you think I’ll still look like Lila?” Adrien asked nervously,

“Uh… nah…” Plagg’s voice was not comforting, “The Miraculous kind of has a mind of its own. Since you’ve transformed before, it should remember you.” 

Luckily, Chat Noir became his regular self upon transforming. It was nice to finally be in his own body again, and he left to find Style Queen. 

When Ladybug met up with Chat Noir, the two of them found a building covered in feathers with Style Queen’s head perched tackily atop it. Upon reaching the building, they realized there was no way in.

“It’s impossible, M’lady,” Chat explained, “This thing is a fortress. I even used my Cataclysm; it only destroyed one feather.”

“Well…” Ladybug didn’t want to use this, but it was the only option, “There is one way we could get in, but I don’t know how I feel about using such drastic measures when the two of us are still capable.”

“The horse Miraculous?” Chat Noir asked, “But Kaalki could be anywhere! She’d have to use her power to get to us in the first place!”

“I know,” Ladybug sighed, “But my Miraculous Ladybug should fix any damages she causes by teleporting.”

The research of the Grimoire was really coming in handy for the two of them, they were able to read up on almost all of the Kwamis by now, learning their respective powers and Miraculous.

“Do you have a holder in mind?” Chat asked.

“Yeah,” Ladybug realized, “I do.”

Upon detransforming, Marinette told Tikki to contact Kaalki telepathically. It took a lot out of her, but she was able to do it. Tikki told Mari that telepathy was difficult for all Kwamis except The Great Gimmi and “the one that shall not be named.” Marinette almost asked, but decided against it, considering they were not to be named. Tikki required a lot of cookies and healing rituals after that, but eventually, she was ready, and Ladybug met Kaalki at the Agreste mansion. Luckily, Adrien was there, so Ladybug left him and Kaalki to go talk to Chat Noir.

“How’d it go, M’lady? I recharged while you were gone.”

“Alright, I think. Kaalki’s power hasn’t affected anything in Paris yet, but she just came from London. I hope they’re alright there.”

Chat Noir looked at the ground, “Yeah, I hope so. I have family in London.”

“Oh, Chaton, I’m so sorry!” Ladybug immediately hugged him, “I would’ve tried something else if I’d known! We’ll get through this quickly.”

He smiled a bit, then they were met with the sound of a person landing behind them. It was a horse superhero, which Ladybug knew was Adrien.

“Ah, Chat Noir, meet…”

“Equestrio!” Adrien declared, striking a cute pose. Ladybug giggled and Chat Noir complimented him for the punny name.

“Voyage!” Equestrio declared, opening a portal into the building. They entered, but Equestrio encountered a problem. “Ladybug, Kaalki just lent me her power. I won’t be able to help again.”

“Crap!” Ladybug had forgotten about this precaution, knowing the only way to fix it would be if Kaalki Chose Adrien before the five-minute period was up. “Chat Noir, keep her busy. I need to talk to Equestrio.”

Ladybug brought Equestrio to a random room, explaining the Choosing rules. Did she really trust Adrien enough that she was about to let Kaalki do this? The last person they’d Chosen was Chloé, and that ended awfully. Equestrio detransformed before time ran out, but the clock was still ticking. Ladybug knew they’d only have about three minutes left. 

Suddenly, Chat Noir flew backward into the room, with Style Queen following close behind.

“Is that a horse?” Style Queen was appalled. Ladybug began to hyperventilate. This may be the first time a Kwami was seen out in public as far as she knew. Chat Noir gasped, then ran off for some reason. There was no way Kaalki could Choose Adrien now that his identity was revealed, but Kaalki began the ritual anyway. It was very similar to Tikki’s, but Ladybug was simply stunned, horrified. Suddenly, Lila Rossi burst into the room. 

What? Ladybug thought, I thought I left her at my house!

Lila ran towards Kaalki and Adrien but was pushed back by a burst of light. Once it was over, Kaalki returned to normal, Adrien standing beside her.

“That’s not Adrien!” Lila declared, “I am!”

“What?” Ladybug was obviously very confused at this. She could see Adrien in front of her and the person speaking was clearly Lila. Chat Noir was of no help; he wasn’t even in the room.

“Look, I don’t know how it happened, but Lila and I swapped places. You gave the Miraculous to the wrong person.”

Ladybug still didn’t know what was going on, but at those words, she froze. Surely she couldn’t have given the Miraculous to the wrong person again.

“Now that you mention it, after Ladybug told me to lend my power to Adrien Agreste, I was sent to you instead of the boy. I figured I was seeing things, and I knew what Adrien looked like, so I found him on my own.” Kaalki explained, glancing at her hooves nonchalantly.

“You didn’t think to tell me?” Ladybug reprimanded, “I can’t believe you just ignored your locating power! You of all people should know that it’s reliable! It’s magic!”

Kaalki’s eyes glowed for a second as she located Adrien, then she pranced over to Lila. “Yeah, I hate to tell you, but this is Adrien Agreste. Oops.”

“So then,” Ladybug looked at the person she thought was Adrien, “Who are you?”

The Adrien doppelganger sighed, then glided across the room to Lila, pulling her into a kiss. Ladybug couldn’t help but feel jealous seeing Adrien kiss another girl, no matter the circumstance. Wait, she couldn’t possibly be falling for Adrien, could she? Yet the weight in her chest felt so real as she saw their lips lock, if only for a moment. Almost immediately, Lila and Adrien switched places, proving the theory correct.

“Lila Rossi?” Ladybug gasped, wondering what such a morally ambiguous character would do with a Miraculous.

“Kaalki, full gallop!” Lila transformed, “It’s Valkyrie.”

“What a scene!” Style Queen interrupted, taking in the information. Ladybug began to panic, wondering what Hawk Moth would do with all this new Miracu-Lore. He would surely be more powerful now that he knew there were more kwamis in Paris and Ladybug had tried to appoint yet another superhero. 

“Now I get to take home three Miraculous!” Style Queen shot feathers out of her staff directly at Ladybug and Valkyrie. Hopefully, Lila will cooperate today.

Chat Noir returned soon after, and the three of them defeated Style Queen, ending in a triple fist bump. Valkyrie could hardly think while fighting, dreading the moment she came home to Nathalie. She’d done everything right; it was Nathalie’s fault for assuming Adrien wouldn’t get involved after seeing himself on live TV.

“Valkyrie?” Valkyrie heard Ladybug call her new name. “I’m sorry, you did great today, but you can’t hold onto this Miraculous for much longer. Hawk Moth knows your identity and he could easily hurt the people you love. You have to renounce Kaalki.”

Valkyrie didn’t know what to say. Frankly, there was no way to tell her that she was Hawk Moth and the only person she truly loved was Adrien. Valkyrie wasn’t in any real danger, not to mention Nathalie’s plan.

“Also,” Ladybug continued, “Do you know anything about the body swap?”

Valkyrie had to make something up. Fortunately, that was one of her strong suits.

“I think I’ve been akumatized or something. A blue butterfly called Optigami approached me and put a mask on my face, but it was different from an akuma. It told me I could turn into anyone I kissed if I took your Miraculous. I have a lot of body image issues, so I wanted to change myself…” Valkyrie bit her lip, hugging herself, “but I couldn’t resist kissing Adrien. I had no idea you wanted to give him a Miraculous, I swear! I didn’t say anything because being a superhero is my dream! I’ve always admired you, Ladybug, that’s why I lied when I first arrived in Paris. Optigami left once I detransformed in front of everybody. I don’t know where it went.”

There was a lot of truth in Valkyrie’s statement. Optigami was controlling her, she did want to be a superheroine, she did admire Ladybug, and… she enjoyed kissing Adrien. Her thoughts returned to those few seconds in the library, a moment she knew she’d never forget. His lips were softer than her own and his hands were long and smooth. Valkyrie became warm as she remembered the feeling of Adrien’s hands on her neck, wishing she was his.

“Well, in that case, Chat Noir and I have work to do.” Ladybug looked directly at Valkyrie, snapping her back into reality. Valkyrie’s heart rate sped up, imagining what Nathalie would do to her after what she was about to do.

“Kaalki, I renounce you.” The glasses instantly disappeared and Kaalki returned to Ladybug’s side. Optigami became visible, flying out of the glasses.

“That’s it! That’s Optigami!” Lila cried.

Ladybug tried to capture it like an akuma, but nothing happened, so Chat Cataclysmed it and it dissolved into ash.

“Oh, thank you so much, Lila,” Chat Noir held Lila’s hand, “If only it were that easy with Chloé.” 

Lila giggled, and Ladybug left, saying, “Bug out!”

Chat almost followed her, but paused, still clasping Lila’s hand. She couldn’t ask what he was doing before Chat Noir kissed her on the cheek. Lila was speechless. She’d never thought of Chat Noir as anything more than an acquaintance. What was he doing?

“I think you should talk to Adrien,” Chat said with a wink. Lila tried not to think of the implications of this, but couldn’t help herself. Was Chat Noir… Adrien Agreste?

Sure enough, Nathalie was waiting once she returned to the lair. She threw Lila to the ground, demanding,

“Why did you do it, Lila? Why? We almost had her!”

“Did you want me to blow my cover?” Lila yelled, “I had to! I had to do this to protect myself! To protect you! You don’t know how much I’m sacrificing for you!”

Nathalie kicked Lila in the chest, knocking the wind out of her lungs. Lila barely had time to catch her breath before Nathalie snatched the fox necklace off of her and reached out her hand. She slowly curled her hand into a fist, inflicting pain with every little movement. Lila writhed on the ground, feeling her insides turn as Nathalie tortured her without even touching her.

“Please…” She whispered, feeling blood drip from her nose and eyes as Nathalie stood a few feet away. Nathalie released her hand, and Lila gasped for the air returning to her lungs.

“Clean this up.” Nathalie spat, then left the room.

Painfully, Lila sat up, then took her hand off her throbbing face to heal herself. As the orange gusts of magic shot from her hand and around her head, Lila felt her body returning to normal. She could see the blood evaporate from the floor and her clothes. Suddenly, Lila touched her collarbone, her heart sinking as she felt the bare skin. Nathalie had taken her necklace. Lila sat silently, lip quivering. She was no longer in any pain, but the tears fell by themselves, soaking her clothes and the floor and replacing the blood.

Chapter Text

Marinette looked at the blood on her hands.

“How could she kill Chat Noir?” The civilians gasped.

Marinette tried to explain herself, surrounded by civilians, their heads slowly morphing into purple, wide-eyed moths. She glanced down at her arms to escape it, but was met with Chat Blanc’s lifeless body, his dead eyes staring blankly at the sky. His head creaked towards her and his void of a mouth began to speak.

“Marinette… you did this to yourself. You did this to me. You did this to her.”

Chat’s mouth contorted into a very clear letter E and began swallowing Marinette whole. 

She woke up in a frenzy, a short yell escaping her mouth. Tikki flew over to her, but Marinette couldn’t speak. She was sure this was the last letter. She was quick to open her diary, flipping frantically to the page. Mari attached a quick E to the word Chat Blanc had been spelling in her dreams for the past week. Holding her diary up in front of her face, Marinette wondered if it meant something important.

P A O N N E

“Chat Noir, I don’t know what to do. Hawk Moth released two akumas at the same time yesterday if Optigami even was one. It didn’t look like an akuma and I couldn’t capture it. What was that thing?” Ladybug put her face in her hands, describing her fears from the other day. Optigami had been on her mind for the past couple of days, and hopefully, she and Chat Noir would get a break from Akumas to do some research.

“Hey,” Chat grabbed Ladybug’s hand and held it close to his chest, causing her to look up at him. “I Cataclysmed it, so it’s gone now, whatever it was.”

“But what if there’s something still out there? How are you so calm regarding a completely new threat? I know it sort of looked like an akuma, but we know it wasn’t.”

“Let’s go over what we do know,” Chat shifted closer to Ladybug, not letting go of her hand. “It acted like an akuma, able to control Lila and give her the power to swap places with anyone she kissed. She kissed Adrien Agreste and swapped places with him, then you gave her a Miraculous. Optigami gave up control of Lila, but attached itself to the Miraculous, which disappeared when Lila renounced it.”

Ladybug began to panic again, and Chat Noir moved his hand to her shoulder, pulling her into a hug.

“It’s ok, you’re ok. We know a lot about this thing already. It acts like an akuma, fusing with objects and controlling people, but it’s something else entirely.” 

Ladybug pulled Chat closer, yearning for his comfort as she realized Hawk Moth was becoming more powerful.

“We’re ok, we’ll figure it out. You and me against the world, M’lady.” Chat Noir kissed the top of Ladybug’s head as a tear fell from her eye. She knew Hawk Moth had more power than he realized. It was only a matter of time before he utilized his true potential.

As the swarm of magic ladybugs flew around the Eiffel Tower, Ladybug noticed a bright light in the sky. It was the bee signal, something Chloé used to tell Ladybug and Chat Noir that she wanted to help. It had been showing up a lot more recently, especially after Style Queen’s akumatization last week, but Ladybug had decided that it was too dangerous.

“M’lady, why didn’t you get Chloé this time? Rena Rouge and Carapace were here.” Chat brought it up after the other two heroes were gone, “Destructor was a difficult villain and we really could’ve used the bee’s power. We might not have even needed Rena and Carapace.”

Ladybug sighed, “Chat Noir, you know that it’s dangerous to use Queen Bee. Everyone knows her identity, including Hawk Moth! We’ve been lucky so far, but he has so much information that he could use, especially on Chloé.” She paused, hitting her forehead. “Ugh, you’re right though. The bee’s power is so useful, we really do need it.”

“Could you talk to Chloé? She doesn’t know she can’t be Queen Bee anymore, and we need the Miraculous back.” Chat Noir asked. Ladybug was about to protest, but Chat added, “You know she won’t listen to me. Please tell her?” Chat Noir held Ladybug’s hand gently, and Ladybug sighed.

“Ok, I’ll let her know. Not today, though, I’m about to detransform.”

During a passing period the next day, Marinette saw Lila talking to Adrien. She was glad Lila had been coming to class more recently, and she seemed to be doing better. She began to walk over to the two of them, but froze when she heard Adrien mention “the kiss.” She knew Lila and Adrien had kissed, thanks to Optigami, but it stung to hear Adrien admit it. Mari felt a pain in her chest, wondering why she cared so much. Marinette and Lila were friends, Marinette and Adrien were basically friends, so why did it hurt so bad that Lila and Adrien were… Mari hid before either of them could notice her. She could feel her blood boil as she watched the two of them hold hands and laugh. Was she… jealous? Suddenly, Adrien noticed her, and she began to get up and leave until she heard him call her name.

“Hey Mari, I didn’t see you earlier. How’ve you been?” Adrien began, feeling Lila’s presence behind him. He hoped he hadn’t hurt her feelings by telling her he was in love with Marinette. He’d only revealed that because he didn’t want to lead Lila on and was afraid of what the kiss meant to her. Marinette mumbled something, then Lila spoke up, embarrassing Adrien.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize you two were a couple! I’ll leave Adrien alone!”

“We are absolutely not!” Marinette yelled, catching Adrien off guard. It hurt to see her so opposed to the misconception.

“So you don’t mind if Adrien and I keep talking?” Lila said, winking at him. Marinette hid her face, blushing.

“N- no, I don’t mind. Do whatever you want. I don’t care.” She quickly stumbled away, narrowly missing a pole and running into a student on her way out.

Adrien was discouraged, but Lila was happy. He really hoped she wouldn’t ignore his boundaries, but Lila said something he didn’t expect.

“Oh, this is great, Adrien! She likes you back! She’s just in denial.”

“But she just said…”

“I know what she said, but it’s not about that.” Lila giggled and touched the tip of Adrien’s nose, “It’s about what she meant . Trust me, Adrien, I know a lie when I see one.” With a wink, Lila left, following Marinette to their next class.

While it hurt hearing Adrien tell her he wasn’t interested, Lila enjoyed playing matchmaker for him and Marinette. After class, however, she felt a sharp pain in her head and looked around for Optigami 2.0. After the defeat of Optigami, Nathalie had created a new one that more resembled an akuma, just in case Ladybug and Chat Noir found out about it again. The little butterfly flew up to Lila once she had hidden in an alleyway and began speaking to her in Nathalie’s voice.

“Lila, you know what’s next. Don’t screw it up. I’ve said this many times, but this truly is your last chance. If this fails, you know what I’ll do with you.”

Lila shuddered, imagining the pain she would go through if she didn’t complete her final plan. As Optigami flew away to find Ladybug and Chat Noir, Lila pulled her Miraculous out of her bag and put it on. She waited for Nathalie to begin the plan and thought about the only thing on her mind: Adrien. Was he actually Chat Noir? Now that the thought had been placed in her head, she couldn’t imagine an alternative. There were so many similarities between the two, especially now that Lila had gotten to know Adrien better. She couldn’t ask him about it, of course, because Optigami watched her every move. Lila was brought back to reality when she heard the large footsteps of a giant sentimonster. The plan had begun.

Ladybug arrived at the park to find a large, humanoid amalgamation of lollipops rampaging around the area. Surprisingly, it said nothing when she and Chat Noir arrived; it just attacked them.

“Please, just work with us and we can end this!” Ladybug told it. Still, the lollipop monster only replied with angry grunts and growls, much like a wild beast. Chat Noir attacked with his staff, but the monster was extremely sticky and the weapon just attached itself to its skin. This made the monster angry, flinging Chat across the park. Ladybug called her Lucky Charm and got a bottle of water, which she used to loosen her yo-yo enough to trap the monster.

“Chat Noir! The pacifier!” Ladybug called, having noticed a purple pacifier attached to the monster’s sticky mass of a leg. Chat returned, easily broke the pacifier, and Ladybug found herself falling. She glanced around frantically for an akumatized person, but found nothing, causing her to land with a thud.

“Oh, you found it!” A concerned mother approached Chat Noir, carrying a stroller. She took the pacifier and gave it to the baby inside, who had been crying at the sight of the beast.

“So, was this little guy akumatized?” Ladybug asked, catching up to them.

“No, he’s been with me this whole time,” The mother replied, just as confused as the superheroes, “I just saw a blue feather merge with his binky, and that… thing appeared in front of us.”

Ladybug’s blood ran cold.

“A feather?” Chat Noir asked, turning back to the place where they’d seen the monster. Ladybug could hear the apprehension in his voice. Sure enough, a little blue feather floated into the air behind them. Ladybug captured it with her yo-yo to get a closer look but stopped in her tracks when she saw it. The feather had turned white. She’d… purified it.

“It’s an…” Ladybug couldn’t finish the sentence. Amok . 

“The peacock Miraculous…” Chat Noir whispered. He took a step back to sneeze. The peacock Miraculous was in Paris. Someone in Paris held the long-lost peacock Miraculous and had begun to use it against them. Trying not to break down in front of the mother and child, Ladybug looked up into the sky, noticing the bee signal right before it went out. 

Chloé… Ladybug completely forgot to talk to her. She heard Chat sneeze again, which turned her face towards him.

“Chaton, I’m gonna go talk to Chloé. Meet me back here in five? We need to talk.”

Chat nodded, but a new threat interrupted them, laughing.

“Ladybug! You’ve rejected Chloé one too many times! You’ll pay for what she did to me! This is all your fault!” The pink-haired villain yelled. Ladybug’s heart broke hearing the pain in her voice. Chloé had certainly lashed out at this girl after not being invited to the most recent Akuma attack.

“While I’m glad you have nothing against me, we do have to stop you. Who are you again? I don’t recall you ever saying.” Chat Noir quipped.

“Chat Noir, I don’t think-” Ladybug tried to explain that she didn’t think this was any ordinary villain, but she interrupted.

“I’m Miraculer! You took Chloé from me! She’s the only friend I’ve ever had, and now she doesn’t want anything to do with me. It’s all because of you!” Miraculer was screaming at Chat Noir. She held a police-like baton, somewhat similar to Chat’s, and thrust it at him, who combatted with his own stick.

“Chat Noir, I’m about to detransform!” Ladybug shouted over the violent cries of Miraculer. At Chat’s nod, she departed. Miraculer was certainly more emotional than most of their other villains, comparatively to Volpina or Queen Wasp. She was definitely Sabrina, considering how she’d said Chloé was her only friend, but Marinette just wanted to know what Chloé had done that ruined her so badly. When Ladybug returned, she saw Chat use his Cataclysm but watched in horror as Miraculer touched her baton to his hand, removing his power altogether and importing it into Miraculer’s weapon. Her suit gained spots that resembled Chat’s green paw logo.

“What’s the word again? Oh, right! Cataclysm!” Miraculer declared, charging her baton with the destructive power. Chat Noir’s eyes became wide as he dodged her attacks, the dark energy noticeably missing from his hand.

“She stole my power?” Chat exclaimed, fighting Miraculer with his staff. 

Ladybug decided against using her Lucky Charm in case Miraculer got to her first, but the villain simply laughed and leaped over Ladybug, touching her with her baton as she flew through the air.

“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug yelled, hoping what she feared wouldn’t be true, but nothing happened. She watched the small ladybug logos appear on Miraculer’s suit, complimenting the green paws.

“Oh, this is gonna be fun,” Miraculer declared, calling a Lucky Charm and catching the weapon it gave her. Ladybug braced herself for a fight, but Miraculer left the park, heading in the direction of the Bourgeois Hotel. Ladybug gasped, realizing Chloé would be in danger, and she and Chat sped towards the hotel. 

Upon arriving, Chat stated, “That’s weird, we got here before her.”

Sure enough, Miraculer was nowhere in sight. Ladybug shook it off and found Chloé sitting on the rooftop.

“Ladybug? Why are you here? To gloat about me not being able to transform?” Chloé snipped, clearly angry. Pollen flew next to Ladybug, waiting for instructions.

“Chloé, I-” Ladybug began, but Miraculer appeared in between them, facing Chloé and cackling. An image appeared in Ladybug’s head of Sabrina’s past akumatization. The scene of her throwing Chloé into a wall played through Ladybug’s mind, and she couldn’t help but feel responsible for Chloé’s injuries. She could only imagine what Sabrina would do this time, clearly angrier and craving violence.

“Cataclysm!” Miraculer cried.

Ladybug yelled, “Chloé, transform!” and Chloé quickly followed instructions. For some reason, Miraculer left her alone while she transformed, leaving Queen Bee to do her pretentious choreography. As soon as Pollen entered the comb, a blue blur leaped up from behind Chloé, immediately snatching the Miraculous out of her hair. As they landed, Ladybug gasped. A beautiful blue-skinned girl held the charged bee Miraculous tauntingly. Ladybug looked the girl up and down, a tear almost escaping her eye. Her identity was concealed, she wore a blue feathered dress, and most definitively, the peacock Miraculous rested itself upon her breast, begging Ladybug to come take it.

“The… the peacock…” Chat Noir whispered, eyes wide.

The peacock holder laughed, “Don’t you hate having Ladybug tell you what to do, Chloé? How long has it been since you were truly Queen Bee? Ladybug doesn’t love you, she’s just using you because she knows you’ll be more powerful with us. Join me, Chloé. We want the same thing, don’t we?”

Chloé stared at her, “A- and what’s that?”

“Revenge.”

“Who are you? Where did you find that?” Ladybug angrily swung her yo-yo at the peacock holder, but she simply caught it and threw it aside.

“Don’t worry, sweet bug, you’ll get your turn. I am Pavonette.”

The word seemed to trail off into silence as Ladybug realized. This was what she’d been warned of in her dreams. Chat Blanc’s voice, the letters spelling “peacock,” all the blood on her hands, it all led up to her.

“Don’t worry, Chlo,” Miraculer walked up to her, tracing Chloé’s chin with her finger, “I won’t hurt you, pretty girl. All you have to do is submit.”

Chloé didn’t move, her face becoming red. It was clear she didn’t know what to do. 

Miraculer smirked, “I’ll give you some time to think about it.” She turned towards Ladybug and Chat Noir, calling a Lucky Charm hammer and charging it with Cataclysm.

Suddenly, Rena Rouge and Carapace appeared seemingly out of nowhere, pinning Pavonette and Miraculer to the ground. With the Lucky Charm, Miraculer first freed herself, then her partner. Still, Ladybug was incredibly thankful to see them there and was grateful that the kwamis had Chosen them, realizing they could help. They would need the whole team to defeat Pavonette.

As she fought Pavonette and Miraculer with her team, Ladybug couldn’t think. She’d lost her Lucky Charm, Chat lost his Cataclysm, and they couldn’t deakumatize Miraculer without the Miraculous Ladybug. This fight was impossible without her power. She glanced at Rena Rouge and began formulating a plan, but out of the corner of her eye, Ladybug saw Chat Noir fly past and hit a wall, clutching his stomach. She was about to run over to him when she noticed Pavonette and Miraculer sneak by her and swiftly snatch the Miraculous off of Carapace and Rena. Thankfully, the two of them were close to the elevator, so they hopped in and quickly closed it. Ladybug realized they would reveal their identities to each other, but that was way less important than the bigger picture. Pavonette now held the charged fox and turtle Miraculous, able to use them at her will. Ladybug was paralyzed, but Chat Noir ran towards her. Miraculer touched the two Miraculous to gain their powers, then created a Shell-ter around her, Pavonette, and Chloé, who had been hiding behind a plant.

“Chloé! Have you made your decision? We have five Miraculous for you, and Ladybug and Chat Noir have none. How long will it take you to realize Ladybug doesn’t care about you!” Miraculer yelled. Her voice cracked and a tear fell from her eye, “Ladybug doesn’t care… I do. I love you, Chloé. And every time we hang out, Ladybug gets in the way! She abandons you, so you abandon me! And you’ll both pay for what you’ve done to me!” Pavonette watched nervously as Miraculer lost control of her emotions, clearly afraid of what she would do with all these powers. 

Miraculer screamed in anger, yelling, louder than she had before, “CATACLYSM!” 

She ran towards Chloé, extending the baton at her, the fatal Cataclysm attached to the end of it, but she stopped right before reaching her, laughing sickly. She said nothing, she just stood in front of Chloé, laughing and crying, with the baton hanging limply from her hand. She ran back to Pavonette, pointing the Cataclysm at the bee Miraculous.

“No!” This was the first Chloé had spoken in a while, her voice dry from holding in tears. Chloé fell to the floor, the sobs finally escaping her throat, “Don’t- don’t do it…”

Miraculer slowly walked over to Chloé, knowing Ladybug and Chat couldn’t interrupt, having no way to destroy the Shell-ter. Miraculer squatted down to Chloé, then lifted her chin. They looked into each others’ eyes, and for a moment, Ladybug thought they would kiss. Miraculer made a small sound, then dropped Chloé’s head and stood up. Pavonette made her move quickly, picking up Chloé, who barely resisted. Ladybug assumed an attack position, knowing that the Shell-ter would have to be removed for them to escape. She faltered a bit, however, fear flooding her mind now that the stakes were so much higher. Ladybug had actually become fond of Chloé, seeing vulnerability and strength in her that was invisible to the public. She would have been an incredible superheroine. The Shell-ter was taken down, but Miraculer created a Mirage of darkness, covering Ladybug and Chat’s view. Ladybug helplessly flailed her arms and swung her yo-yo, hoping to hit the illusion or its creator.

“No! This isn’t-” She heard her voice catch as she realized she had nothing left to say. The darkness finally cleared and Chat Noir was the only one on the roof with her. Ladybug fell to her knees, unable to stop the tears from flowing. Chat quickly knelt to her side, putting his arm around her. He began to speak, but stopped himself, not knowing what to say. Ladybug couldn’t find the words either. Finally, Ladybug spoke up,

“What are we gonna do?”

“I… don’t know.”

Ladybug was left hopeless by Chat’s answer. He usually found the right words to make her feel better, but both heroes knew this was so much bigger than the two of them. The discovery of the peacock Miraculous was cataclysmic, putting into perspective just how much power its user held and how weak Ladybug and Chat were against the ability to create life itself.

Chapter Text

Pavonette leaped through the air alongside Miraculer, holding Chloé in her arms. Every so often, she looked at Chloé. She didn’t move, she just clung to Pavonette helplessly. She could only imagine the thoughts occupying Chloé’s mind. She had to deal with Sabrina’s akumatization, the defeat of the superheroes, and the decision to help Hawk Moth if it meant becoming a superheroine one last time. Not to mention her kidnapping. In a way, Pavonette felt bad for her. She knew what it was like to feel trapped.

Landing atop the Palais de Chaillot, Pavonette set Chloé down, who curled up on the floor.

“Don’t cry, pretty girl,” Miraculer gently lifted Chloé’s chin, revealing tears streaming down her cheeks, “It’s ok, it’s me, Sabrina!”

“Y- you’re not Sabrina!” Chloé pulled away. Her voice reflected the dry state of her lips. Miraculer stood up, looking away.

“I know I look different, but I promise you, everything I’m doing is for you, for us.”

Chloé looked up at Miraculer, who offered out her hand. Slowly, shakily, Chloé took it and began to stand.

Kissing her hand, Miraculer continued, “All I want is for you to be happy, Chloé. I know what you need.” She pulled the bee Miraculous out of her pocket. Chloé flinched when she saw it.

“Your greatest desire.”

Miraculer slowly brought both of her hands to the Miraculous, standing on her tiptoes to insert it into Chloé’s hair, right above her ponytail. Chloé became Queen Bee instantly, not needing Ladybug’s permission since Pavonette had taken the Miraculous while Pollen was inside. Pavonette could sense Chloé’s doubt leave her body as she became Queen Bee, one final tear escaping as a smile cracked on her face. Miraculer could see it too as she slid her hands into Chloé’s.

“Welcome back, Queen Bee.” Miraculer smiled, raising to tiptoe once again to place a soft kiss on Chloé’s lips. Chloé’s face became pink, then she quickly turned away, gazing upon the Parisian skyline.

“Ladybug…” She whispered.

Realization flooded Miraculer’s face, soon replaced by anger. Pavonette finally understood the reason Chloé had been so hesitant to betray Ladybug. She’d never loved Sabrina. Only Ladybug.

“Ladybug doesn’t care about you!” Miraculer screamed, frightening Queen Bee, “When will you finally realize it? She’s never given you your Miraculous and she never will!”

“She- she would have!” Chloé tried, her voice shaky. Pavonette could tell she was close to breaking.

“Use your goddamn brain, Chloé!” Miraculer continued, “Your own mother was akumatized just last week! You finally could’ve had a chance to make things right with her, and Ladybug took that from you!”

For a moment, Queen Bee was silent. Her face was turned towards her feet and her arms hung limp by her sides.

“You’re… right.” Chloé realized, then collapsed into Miraculer’s arms. Pavonette looked up to see Nathalie’s akuma headed straight for the Miraculous on Chloé’s head.

“Chat Noir…” Ladybug’s breaths became short and heavy. She fell to her knees and grasped at the ground. Chat spoke, and she snapped her head up to look at him.

“It’s alright, Buginette, we’ve got this. Sure, the peacock Miraculous has been found and its owner is working with Hawk Moth, but a new villain isn’t something we can’t handle!”

“Sentimonsters, Chat Noir,” Ladybug mumbled, raising her voice, “literal life forms, does that not scare you? We could be up against an invincible monster entirely controlled by someone who wants to hurt us! Not to mention our powers are gone, how are we supposed to stop a senti when we can’t save Chloé and Sabrina?”

“Easy now,” Chat knelt down, rubbing his hands on Ladybug’s shoulders, “Let’s go inside and talk about this.”

Upon finding an empty room in the hotel, Chat Noir sat next to his lady where she lay on her back in the king-sized bed. He tried not to let his mind run wild as he lay down next to her.

“Let’s focus on the task at hand. Miraculer and Pavonette took Chloé along with the charged bee, turtle, and fox Miraculous and our own powers.”

Ladybug laughed a little and covered her face with her hands, which Chat Noir took as a sign to keep going.

“We need something to last us until we get our powers back, and Rena and Carapace can’t help us.” Chat inched a little closer to Ladybug, holding her hands and helping her sit up. “The way I see it, we have two options. Either we go in with thoughts and prayers or we ask two more kwamis to lend us powers.”

“Chaton,” Ladybug rubbed her eye, too stressed to lash out at him, “There’s no way I’m involving two new kwamis that could also get stolen.”

“But unless you have something else, the alternative is basically fighting as civilians. We don’t have superpowers, including our agility, strength, and resilience. We’ll die without some sort of protection.”

Ladybug rubbed her head, then fell onto Chat Noir, who hugged her tightly.

“I think we should talk to the kwamis if they’re still here. I really don’t know if they’re tied to our Miraculous or our power.” She admitted.

“I’ll go to the bathroom to talk to Plagg, just knock on the door when you’re done with Tikki.”

Adrien detransformed, and to his pleasant surprise, Plagg flew out of the ring and into the bathtub.

“Plagg! Oh, thank god you’re here, I need your help.” Adrien exclaimed, running over to Plagg. The cat hissed and backed into the corner of the bathtub.

“Plagg? Do you not remember me?” Adrien cautiously stuck his hand out, which Plagg sniffed. He rubbed against Adrien’s fist and started purring when Adrien began to pet him. Adrien almost asked another question, but Plagg meowed before he could. 

So the kwamis are powerless too, Adrien thought. Plagg was just a normal cat. 

Crossing his fingers, Adrien said, “Plagg, Claws Out!” and thankfully, Plagg returned to the ring with a loud screech of fear. When Chat heard Ladybug’s soft knock, he opened the door. She held her arms and rested her head on Chat’s chest again, silently sobbing.

As Chloé transformed, Pavonette felt Optigami 2.0 bristle against the side of her head. She knew what it wanted, Nathalie had made it very clear that she would only lend Lila the peacock Miraculous for as long as it took to make Ladybug and Chat think she was the holder. Nathalie was obnoxiously protective of her Miraculous, though Lila had only seen her use it twice, begging Lila for healing after every usage. She was terrified of the Miraculous shortening her lifespan or making her ill, yet she was so hesitant to give it or the butterfly away. Pavonette quickly brushed Optigami away and focused her attention on Miraculer and Queen Wasp, who was yelling and crying.

“Ladybug never loved me! She never gave me my Miraculous or let me join her team! My relationship with my mother is ruined because of her!” Chloé screamed, looking at her hands.

“Easy, gorgeous, we have to establish ourselves before we get our revenge.” Miraculer sweet-talked her. She held up her baton, eager to give Chloé the power she’d always wanted. This time, Chloé accepted both powers obediently. Pavonette watched the red and green streaks disperse throughout her hair and costume. Queen Wasp opened her eyes, the scleras black as night, but one iris spotted red and one green. Her costume was quick to react, littered with red spots and green stripes, all complimenting her black leotard. She was clearly no longer Queen Wasp.

“I am Miracle Queen, the most powerful woman in Paris!” Chloé declared, infected with power.

Miraculer stared at her in awe, but quickly returned to the task at hand, offering Pavonette the choice between two Miraculous. As Pavonette looked at the fox and turtle in Miraculer’s hands, she made an easy decision. Soon, Optigami began bothering Pavonette again, reminding her that Nathalie was the one truly in control. She groaned, excused herself, then swiftly made her way to the Agreste mansion, making sure she wasn’t followed.

“Give my Miraculous back, Lila!” Nathalie demanded upon Lila’s arrival. Pavonette quickly removed the brooch, causing her to detransform. Nathalie quickly attached it to her chest, inadvertently fusing the butterfly and peacock. She closed her eyes, smiling at the energy coursing through her veins. This frightened Lila, so she cleared her throat and asked for the butterfly back. Nathalie quickly returned to reality and handed over the Miraculous.

“Remember the plan, Lila. Fuse the fox and the butterfly, then create an illusion of Pavonette. Make sure she has the fox Miraculous so Miraculer doesn’t get confused.”

“Yes, yes, I know,” Lila hesitated, somehow finding the courage to ask the question she needed most, “Can I have my necklace back?”

Nathalie scoffed, holding up the faux fox Miraculous, “What, this? Of course not. This is my biggest Akuma yet, Lila. I can’t take any chances.” Nathalie scowled at Lila as she sent her away. Lila would have to be more careful to fly under the radar. Nathalie didn’t know everything about her.

Reaching the Trocadéro, Lila found a spot where she could hide while maintaining a clear vision of the scene. She stared at the fox Miraculous in her hands. She imagined Volpina flying through the air, reaching the Agreste mansion and slitting Nathalie’s throat. She imagined the illusions she could create to make Ladybug trust her and make Chat Noir fall in love. So many opportunities came with this Miraculous. If only she had the fake one…

“Hurry up.”

Lila heard Nathalie’s voice coming from Optigami. She rolled her eyes as she turned to it and aggressively put the Miraculous around her neck. Being charged, the butterfly Miraculous immediately fused with it and Lila could see the orange and white fur embed itself in her costume. An orange and purple flute appeared in her hand, giving Lila everything she needed to fulfill her dreams. Or Nathalie’s. With a sigh, Lila conjured an illusion of Pavonette with the fox Miraculous, making it talk to Miraculer and Miracle Queen and naming it Pavonix. She heard Miraculer say,

“Hawk Moth agreed to re-akumatize me with the turtle Miraculous, so I’ve been waiting for him. Ladybug and Chat Noir still haven’t shown up yet.” She laughed, so Lila took it as a cue to deakumatize her. Sabrina looked shocked, and the Miraculous she was wearing kicked in as soon as the akumatization wore off. Her confusion and fear of Miracle Queen were enough to re-akumatize her. Miraculer’s costume was mostly the same, but with a muted green color instead of pink, and scales lining her white skin. Once everything was in place, Miracle Queen sent out the wasps.

As Ladybug and Chat Noir swung around the city, searching for kwamis, Ladybug couldn’t help but feel dumb. Chloé, Miraculer, and Pavonette were waiting for them with multiple Miraculous while she and Chat just wandered aimlessly. The threat seemed so much scarier than Chat was making it out to be.

“Wait,” She told him, stopping on top of a building. Chat’s momentum caused him to falter, and he fell onto the roof, hitting his head on the rail. He cursed, rubbed his head, then gave his full attention to Ladybug. He was so cute, so optimistic and hopeful, completely the opposite of her. It was admirable in a way.

“What are we doing, Chat? I feel so stupid looking for disguised kwamis while Pavonette does whatever she wants to Chloé. It feels like we’re abandoning her…” Ladybug wrapped her arms around herself, wincing at the thought of Chloé helplessly begging Miraculer and Pavonette for her life.

“I’m sorry, M’lady, I just don’t know what to do. Unless you have another idea,” Chat offered.

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but I believe I can help.” A soothing voice interjected. Ladybug looked down to find a teal snake wrapping itself around Chat Noir’s ankle. It was long and bright, and Ladybug noticed the vague shape of a kwagatama at the tip of its tail.

“I am Sass, kwami of Intuition. I’d be happy to assissssst. Many kwamis are in the area and I’ll gladly lead you to them. We are all looking for you as well.”

“This is perfect!” Chat exclaimed, turning to Ladybug, “Sass is so powerful, he’ll be able to help!”

“I hate to admit it, but I haven’t read much about you,” Ladybug said, looking at Sass, “Yours is the power of second chance, yes?” As the snake nodded, Ladybug returned her eyes to Chat Noir, “You’ll be perfect for him.”

Chat was appalled, “M’lady, you want to give me the power to turn back time?” Ladybug said nothing, causing Chat Noir to continue anxiously, “That’s so dangerous! I… I don’t know if I can handle the idea of failing over and over again.”

Ladybug held Chat’s hand and turned his face towards her. Chat Noir finally met her eyes, his own filled with the fear of defeat.

“Sometimes we need to fail in order to succeed, Chaton. Mistakes are part of the journey. And as much as I need to learn that myself, it’ll be good for you to relax a bit and let fate run its course.” Ladybug truly meant what she said. Chat Noir had always seemed more of a free spirit, but a part of her was relieved to see him facing the same anxiety she was.

Fear still flooding his expression, Chat smiled and pulled Ladybug into a tight hug. He said nothing, just held onto her as she gently rubbed his back.

“May Gimmi guide you two,” Sass said as Chat Noir pulled himself away from his Lady, “I will lead you to Longg, for she is closesssst in proximity and we are running out of time.”

Chat Noir gently lifted Sass off the ground, then followed his instructions, leading the two superheroes to Longg, disguised as a small, red lizard. She and Ladybug got along well, but meeting other kwamis scared Ladybug. The more Miraculous were in orbit, the more Hawk Moth could take from them. Despite this, Sass and Longg both had full faith in Ladybug and Chat Noir, graciously giving them their Miraculous when asked.

“Be warned, Chat Noir,” Sass said, “This Miraculous is not foolproof. The concept of ssssecond chance is inherently flawed, and there is always a posssssibility that one timeline will differ from the ressst. Time is not linear, and each variant has choices to make, promisssing that no two timelines are the same.”

“Wh- what do you mean?” Chat Noir was clearly confused.

“Every time you use the Miraculous, you are ssssent to another, almost identical timeline. After the five minutes are up, any changessss you’ve made will apply to our current timeline as if you did everything correctly the firsssst time.”

Chat Noir looked at Ladybug, clearly scared and confused. Ladybug put her hand on his shoulder.

“I trust you, Chat,” She reassured, “Nothing will go wrong.”

“Be careful though,” Sass warned, “once your Miraculous are charged again, you will have more power than holderssss are meant to wield. Two Miraculoussss should be fine, but never use more than three at a time. It will weaken your powersss and greatly affect your health.”

The idea of so much power made Ladybug sick to her stomach. She winced as Chloé slithered into her mind. She truly hoped Miraculer and Pavonette would be wise when dealing with the Miraculous. Chloé was genuinely making an effort to be kind, even if her methods were a bit unorthodox.

Ladybug and Chat Noir completed the unifications, adding Longg and Sass’s powers to their costumes and themselves. It was refreshing, Ladybug found, to feel in control of herself again, just as agile as she was before her powers were taken by Miraculer. She knew very little about the Dragon’s power, and she had trouble remembering when she saw Chat Noir fuse with Sass. Teal scales laced themselves up his suit as his body glowed with the turquoise color. The fusion ended with his hair, which lengthened into a mullet of sorts, teal dye infusing with the blonde. Chat reached up to feel the hair on his neck and noticed Ladybug looking at him. He grinned, showing off his sharp fangs, even longer than Plagg made them.

“How do I look?” He winked.

Ladybug quickly turned away to hide her red face. Still, she couldn’t keep herself from stuttering.

“F-fine. Let’s just get going,”

She was interrupted, however, by a huge swarm of wasps, something she and Chat were prepared for. The two quickly made their way to the Seine and powered up. Catfish Noir looked even better with the snake fusion.

“Chat Noir…”

“Mamba Noir, since I have the snake,” Chat winked again, “Though I may need to come up with another name for the water power-up.”

He must’ve seen Aquabug turn away because he swam up to her quickly and hugged her. The suppressed words escaped Aquabug’s throat.

“It’s really happening, Chaton, the wasps are here. How many Miraculous are Queen Wasp wearing? Do you think she took our powers? I’m such an idiot for getting us caught, I’m sorry.” She sobbed. Chat was immediate to comfort her,

“Hey, we’ll fix this. All we have to do is get to her.” He extended his stick and used it as binoculars, spotting Queen Wasp, Miraculer, and Pavonette on top of a building in the Trocadéro. When he passed it to Aquabug, her blood ran cold. How were they supposed to fight three villains with brand-new Miraculous?

“It’s ok, Ladybug. The Seine goes right to it.”

As she gazed into his teal eyes, Aquabug gained a sense of confidence she hadn’t felt in a while. Maybe it was adrenaline, but something about his warm expression gave her hope. Just her and her kitten against the world.

“Call me Dragonbug.”

“Water Dragon!”

Mamba Noir exploded out of the Seine, quickly engulfed in Dragonbug’s water bubble, which splashed the three villains as it surrounded them and warded off wasps.

“Ew, now I’m all wet!” Chloé stamped her foot on the ground.

Mamba got a good first look at their opponents. Pavonette had taken the fox, Miraculer the turtle, but Chloé was the most terrifying, her costume representing the powers of the cat and ladybug.

“Second Chance,” Mamba declared, “It’s over, Chloé.”

Chloé’s pale grey skin turned red with anger, “I am Miracle Queen, wielder of the powers of Creation and Destruction! Cataclysm!”

Miracle Queen wasted no time, lunging at Dragonbug while Miraculer took on Mamba Noir. She fought purely with rage, making her easy to defeat, but as soon as Mamba looked away, he saw Miracle Queen take Dragonbug’s earrings, leaving her solely with the dragon Miraculous. 

“Second Chance!”

This time, Mamba took on Miracle Queen himself, dodging her Cataclysm and Lucky Charms. Miracle Queen caught him multiple times, causing him to reset. After a few tries, he knew her routine. Mamba instructed Dragonbug with Miraculer, but as Dragonbug pinned her to the ground, Chloé spoke up.

“Wait!”

Everyone froze. Chloé said nothing. For a moment, Mamba didn’t know whether to attack or back off. Suddenly, Miracle Queen lunged at him, knocking him down. He almost reset, but then he felt something. A wave of energy surged through his body, making him hyper and causing a slight headache. As he stood up, Mamba looked at Chloé, seeing the green streaks missing from her hair and costume.

“Cataclysm?” Mamba tried. Sure enough, he felt the energy pulse down his arm and out through his fingers, creating the familiar mass of destruction he had come to love. He turned his head, seeing Miraculer’s fist rush toward his face at an insane speed. The punch sent Mamba flying, barely missing the ground with his Cataclysm hand.

“No, no, no!” Miraculer yelled, “Shell-ter!”

Dragonbug ran towards her, but the Shell-ter covered Miraculer, Miracle Queen, and Pavonix before she reached them.

“What the hell are you doing, Chloé?” Pavonix yelled. To be quite honest, Chat had completely forgotten that she was there. She hadn’t used the fox Miraculous yet and hadn’t joined in on the fight, almost like she wanted to fly under the radar. Mamba almost Cataclysmed the shield, but Dragonbug stopped him, shaking her head.

“I don’t want to help you! Ladybug trusts me and I want to give her power back!”

“Son of a bitch, Chloé, I don’t want to fight you,” Miraculer’s voice grated.

“I know you don’t, Sabrina. Lucky Charm.” Chloé caught the spotted pair of handcuffs that she received, “Just let me help you.”

Chloé slowly walked towards Miraculer, but she instantly fought back. Miraculer threw punches and kicks, Miracle Queen dodging them, eventually maneuvering Miraculer’s hands behind her back, cuffing her.

“Relax,” Chloé whispered, ripping the turtle Miraculous off and crushing it under her foot.

With the Shell-ter gone, Miracle Queen gave Dragonbug her power back and she captured the akuma. Then, Chloé took the bee Miraculous off her head, deakumatizing and detransforming her. Pollen buzzed out, and Chloé fell into Mamba’s arms, exhausted. He was careful to avoid her with his Cataclysm. When she came to, Dragonbug sighed,

“Chloé, I don’t think I can give you this Miraculous again. At least, not for a very long time.”

Chloé stood up, hanging her head, “I… I know.”

“Chloé,” Dragonbug placed a hand on her shoulder, “you are exceptional.”

Chloé scoffed, “My mother doesn’t think so.”

“Screw your mother,” Mamba interrupted, “The whole world knows it.” He pointed at the news helicopter flying above, Nadja Chamack waving when she noticed they were talking about her.

“You don’t need a Miraculous to prove it, Chloé, I know you are. But…” Dragonbug paused, causing Chloé to look up at her, “If you don’t mind me asking, why do you do it? The train, the bee signal, everything.”

The area was silent. No one was around, and the helicopter was too far to catch audio. Finally, Chloé spoke up.

“I… I’m in love with you.”

Mamba tried to contain his jealousy. He knew this was an important moment for Chloé, but the silence was killing him. Just as he was about to chime in, Chloé continued.

“Pollen, I… renounce you.”

The process was just as, if not more magical than when Chat had seen it with Lila. Chloé’s eyes glowed yellow as the bee Miraculous floated over to Pollen, merging with her and dissolving. When it was done, Chloé’s face was turned. Dragonbug walked up and kissed Chloé on the cheek.

“Thank you, Queen Bee.”

Mamba Noir tried to focus on Chloé and Dragonbug, but something was wrong. Pavonix still hadn’t done anything of value. She didn’t touch anyone or say anything, and she stayed almost completely unmoving once Chloé started speaking. Almost like… an illusion. Mamba quickly extended his stick at Pavonix, who instantly disappeared.

“Dragonbug, Pavonix is still out there!”

Dragonbug almost responded, but a small pair of eyes caught her attention. They seemed to be embedded in the ground, and when she and Mamba spotted them, they disappeared and an akuma-like butterfly flew out of the ground. Dragonbug tried to capture it, but it simply flew out of her yo-yo. Mamba used his active Cataclysm to destroy it.

“Optigami?” Dragonbug whispered.

Suddenly, a masculine laugh was heard from a nearby roof. A tall man in a purple suit stood laughing.

“Is that… Hawk Moth?” Mamba gasped. He immediately chased him, leaving Dragonbug behind to talk to Chloé.

What is happening today?

Lila couldn’t believe it. Mamba Noir just destroyed Optigami. That gave her just enough time to end this before Nathalie made a new sentimonster. Ideally, Lila could just run away, but Nathalie would find her. Lila quickly conjured an illusion of Hawk Moth, then ran to a location Ladybug and Chat could follow her to. She created another, larger illusion overtop of the Trocadéro of Ladybug and Chat Noir doing what they usually do so that stupid pink-haired news lady wouldn’t catch on. This ends now.

As he ran after Hawk Moth, Chat Noir could feel the snake’s power leave his body as its effects wore off. His running immediately slowed a bit and he felt winded and fragile. While he knew he was still Chat Noir for five minutes, he felt weaker than he ever had as a superhero. He could see how multiple Miraculous could get addicting. Ladybug caught up to him quickly, speaking in between breaths.

“What if it’s another illusion?”

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take, Buginette. Worst case scenario, he leads us to Pavonette and we get to kick her ass.”

Ladybug giggled, swinging after Hawk Moth, side by side with Chat Noir. Even though he didn’t have a second Miraculous, Chat felt a sense of euphoria that he hadn’t while wearing the snake. It was a natural burst of energy, a feeling fueled by simply fighting alongside his Lady, catching Akumas one by one. Ladybug must have sensed it, too, because she looked at Chat and smiled. Whether or not they were actually chasing Hawk Moth, the two felt a quick burst of speed, causing them to catch up with him and land in an alley. Sure enough, Ladybug swung her yo-yo at Hawk Moth and the illusion disintegrated.

“Alright, Pavonix,” she declared, “We fell for your trap, now show yourself.”

Chat heard a female voice laugh quietly, so he took up a fighting stance. The girl that walked out was someone he and Ladybug had never seen before, but on her breast lay the butterfly Miraculous.

“Who are you?” Ladybug squeaked, “Where’s Pavonette?” Chat Noir looked to find the fox Miraculous hanging around her neck. She created the illusions.

“I’ll explain everything, but I don’t have much time. I am the holder of the butterfly Miraculous and I have been for about five months. I also acted as Pavonette, but the real peacock holder is much more dangerous. Here,” The girl took off the fox Miraculous and handed it to Ladybug, releasing Trixx and returning her costume to solely purple. She was somehow more terrifying like this.

“This Miraculous means a lot to me, as I’m sure you remember.” She smiled at Chat Noir, and he couldn’t help but feel that she could see into his soul.

“Lila?”

The girl nodded. Before Chat could say anything, she continued, “I want to thank you for killing Optigami. That, along with the one you found while I was Valkyrie, was just a nannycam for the peacock holder to keep an eye on me. It did not have anything to do with my powers.”

“Wait, so that was just a sentimonster? What about the kissing and shapeshifting stuff? And how did you make more than one illusion?” Ladybug frantically asked.

“I can already shapeshift and… technically I’m an adult. The power restrictions don’t apply to me.”

“You can shapeshift? How?” Chat asked. When she looked at him, Lila smiled.

“Oh Chat Noir, there are some things about me that you’ll never know. And… I know something about you, too.” Lila winked.

Chat Noir’s eyes widened. No… It couldn’t be. She knew his identity? Before he could speak, Lila slammed Chat’s body against the wall and kissed him. A strange part of Chat Noir wanted to kiss back, so he did. Something about her body, her lips… Somehow, Lila had a way of making him fall for her. Just as Chat felt her hand shift to his waist, Ladybug’s irritated voice brought them back to earth.

“Guys, we’re kind of in the middle of something here.”

“Right, I’m sorry,” Lila faced Ladybug, “I don’t know how much I can say, but-”

Suddenly, Lila choked up, then forcefully skidded backward out of the alleyway. She grabbed at her neck and moved aggressively, seemingly by an invisible force. When Chat and Ladybug tried to follow her out to the street, Lila was nowhere to be found.

“Dammit!” Chat exclaimed, punching a brick wall and subsequently holding his fist in pain, “At least we got the Miraculous back.”

“What the hell, Chat Noir?” Ladybug exclaimed, “You found out she knows your secret identity so you made out with her?”

“Well, I-”

“You can’t talk about it, I know. But if you had an evil terrorist girlfriend you should’ve at least said something!”

“She’s not my girlfriend! And I’m not sure she’s evil either.”

“She’s been akumatizing people for five months, I’d call that evil.”

“But she said she wasn’t in control, the peacock holder-” Chat desperately tried,

“This is Lila Rossi, Chat Noir. How can we believe anything she says? Optigami was a sentimonster for crying out loud. She’s clearly not afraid to lie about Miraculous things we’ve never heard of.” Ladybug’s face was red and dripping with sweat.

“I…” For once, Chat didn’t know what to say. “You’re right. We should look into it. But that was no doubt the butterfly Miraculous, so we’ll start there.”

Ladybug didn’t respond, she just flung her yo-yo off towards a roof and swung into the sunset.

Finally face to face with Nathalie, Lila stood in silence, apart from her heavy breathing. She’d practically revealed Nathalie’s plan at this point, though she’d forgotten to say her name. Soon, Adrien and Ladybug would put an end to this madness. Hopefully, she would still be alive to see it. Lila braced herself for pain, though she couldn’t imagine anything worse than what Nathalie had already put her through. Nathalie was a sociopath, and Lila was glad she was about to get what she deserved. Nathalie said nothing, so Lila took it upon herself to break the silence, eyes red with anger.

“If you’re gonna hurt me, do it now.”

After a brief pause, Nathalie responded, “Come with me.” And turned towards the painting of Emilie. They got into the small elevator, but Lila didn’t see the point of returning to the lair. It would just be stupid for Nathalie to give her another Akuma. However, the elevator descended past the lair to a place Lila had never seen before. It let them out in an enormous room filled with white butterflies and bushes for them to nest. A long bridge paved its way across the vast ocean of sewage that covered the floor. Nathalie began walking along the bridge, so Lila followed close behind. At the end was a large glass coffin, causing Lila to catch her breath. Inside lay the deceased Emilie Agreste. Nathalie opened the coffin and planted a kiss on Emilie’s cold, dead lips. Lila gagged.

“Lila,” Nathalie instructed, “Heal her.”

“She’s dead…” Lila managed.

Nathalie looked at Lila, silently telling her she had the power to raise the dead. Lila didn’t know what to say. Even Gimmi didn’t have this power, it was reserved to… “the one that shall not be named.”

Lila slowly stepped up to the glass, extending her hand and letting the miraculous energy flow from her fingers. The orange gusts lifted Emilie into the air, setting her delicate body upright. Her eyes opened.

“Nathalie? Where am I?”

Nathalie pressed her index finger on Emilie’s thin lips, then motioned towards Lila. Lila healed Nathalie of any damages caused by the peacock Miraculous, a process she was familiar with. She thought Nathalie was being dramatic, having Lila heal her after every use. Surely the Miraculous wouldn’t kill her right away. Hell, Gabriel got almost a year, and Gimmi knows how much he used it. After Lila finished the healing, Nathalie stepped away, not facing Emilie or Lila.

“Lila, you’ve failed me one too many times. I think I need to start taking matters into my own hands. I have no use for you anymore.”

This was it. The day Lila had always dreaded.

“Wait! I can heal you! Without me, using the peacock will kill you! And who will use the butterfly?” No response. “I’m not restrained like those teenage superheroes! And I can shapeshift! There’s so much more you can use me for! Please just give me a chance!”

“I’m just not sure I need to keep you around…”

“I- I know Chat Noir’s identity!”

Nathalie faltered. It killed Lila to admit it. She had to think of a lie, quick. Nathalie turned to face her.

“It- it’s your nephew,” Lila looked at Emilie, “Felix Fathom.”

“Impossible. He lives in London.” Nathalie interjected.

“He can travel quickly with the Miraculous. Look, I’ll help you find him. I can do so much more! I’ll even help you locate your father!”

Nathalie’s expression grew cold. Lila had messed up, badly.

“Don’t ever speak of my father again.”

Nathalie snapped her fingers, and Lila screamed, engulfed in an excruciating mass of blue and black feathers, then disintegrated just as quickly as Nathalie had created her.