Chapter Text
"The energy that witches work with, the energy that makes magic,
that powers spells, fuels rituals, and crafts a Witch,
is the energy of the Divine.
And the energy of the Divine is love."
— Phyllis Curott, Witch Crafting
A chapter in which everything goes wrong and Chloé probably needs professional help
This was a bad idea. Adrien knew from the very beginning that his rotten luck would cause him to suffer. And that’s exactly what was about to happen.
But like every other story this one has a start – well, actually this is the start, but I mean like a start start, you know? Oh, kids, storytelling is hard. Maybe I should think twice about becoming a stripper – Anyways back to Adrien.
It was his first sleepover with friends besides the forced sleepovers at Chloé’s when their fathers had important meetings. Imagine his first sleepover! At the age of 16! How crazy is that? It took Adrien three weeks of constant video chatting with his father to get the allowance.
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
Nino was his first and best friend at school. The boy thankfully looked over the impacts being homeschooled had on Adrien. Originally planned was a boy’s night – because no male teenager would ever call it a sleepover – at Nino’s. Movies, junk food and trying to stay up late.
But just as they planned the evening at lunch Alya had linked herself in the conversation. Since Adrien started going to school half of a year ago, the girl had become his third best friend right after Nino and Chloé.
Given the stubborn girl she is, Alya decided that she was definitely joining their best friends boy’s night. And then Chloé decided to eavesdrop. Adrien on a sleepover with a girl that wasn’t her? Impossible. Long story short – the blonde girl demanded to switch locations and organized the sleepover to her home.
And this is how they ended up in Chloé’s room. Knowing Chloé since they were three years old Adrien was no stranger to the private bedroom of his childhood friend but Nino and Alya were quite surprised - or rather annoyed? - by the amount of gold in this room. Two heartbreaking romances and half of a buffet later the boys practically begged for something to do that didn’t involve girlish things.
The whole day Chloé had complained about some weird book about witchcraft being sent to her mother and she was sure it was some kind of a sick joke since her mom died when she was little. Remembering the book Alya insisted on trying out some spells from it. Alya and Nino gathered everything they needed. “Witchcraft doesn’t exist so what can go wrong?” she had said after thirty minutes of discussion with Chloé.
The answer to Alya’s question was simple, everything.
Yes kids, here they were. Sitting in a circle with the strange book in the middle of it in a darkened room only lightened up by candles. This wasn’t what Adrien associated with candles. The only fantasy he had involving a room full of candles was the fantasy of his first time with his significant other he still had to find – sue him for being a romantic. On the other hand, he believed that some kind of magic existed, like spirits and so on. Adrien believed in it since his mother left them and was strongly believed to be dead.
No wonder this occult setting was giving his stomach an uncomfortable twist. “This is a bad idea,” he stated his opinion loud and clear for everyone to hear. But as always Alya didn’t listen to him, neither did Chloé – as if she ever really listened to him – or Nino for that matter.
“Let’s try to conjure a demon,” Nino said pointing at the conjuration for Astaroth which was – just to mention – one page before the conjuration for Lucifer. “Sounds cool and the circle is relatively easy to copy.”
‘Oh yeah, go for a probably high classed demon,’ Adrien thought kneading his hands. Was this what normal teenagers did on a sleepover? ‘Sounds totally safe for beginners.’
“So,” Alya said stretching the word as far as possible after studying the pages for several minutes. “Does anyone understands Latin or is able to read it out loud?”
Almost instantly all eyes were on Adrien. Being a homeschooled kid of a rich designer really never sucked more. “Why are you looking at me like that? I don’t sp–”
“Adrikins, I know you’ve learned Latin,” Chloé chimed, clinging to his arm like a dying man clang to his life. “And Spanish and Chinese if we’re at it.”
“I hate to agree with her but we know that, too,” Alya said, earning a high-pitched snort from Chloé.
“I still think this is a bad idea.” The model sighed and took the book in his hands, feeling the leather of the binding. The pages were turning yellow in the corners and the text looked like it had been written by hand. “It says that the thing – um, the demon is summoned to grant you a wish,” he read. To be honest, he only understood half of what was written in it but enough to know that you started off with the chant – “Astaroth, Ador, Cameso, Valluerituf Mareso, Lodir,…” – and ended by telling your name and your desire.
As he chanted on he imagined to feel some kind of electricity in the air but that was just what he imagined. “Amen,” he finished off and took a deep breath. “My name is Adrien Agreste and I want – ” Wait, what did he want?
“ – some pussy,” Nino interrupted elbowing his best friend.
As soon as the words were out, Adrien felt a shudder running through his body. The insides of his nose started to prickle.
“Nino!” Alya smacked him hard on the shoulder.
“Guys?”
Nino shrugged. “What? He deserves it!”
“Guys?” Adrien whined again as a sharp pain went from his ears to his scalp. A shiver ran down his spine. Wait, he was quite sure his spine should already have ended a few seconds ago. Why was that feeling still going on?
All faces turned to the whining model. “Help!”
Chloé gasped. “Adrikins…?!”
“Holy shit,” Alya exhaled dramatically. “Pinch me, Nino, I think I’m dreaming – OUCH not that hard, stupid!”
Adrien no longer had a grasp on what was going on. Why was everyone staring at him like he had grown a second head? Wait, had he grown a second head? Maybe he had. Leaning back on his arms he looked at the mirror on Chloé’s ceiling. What he saw made his blood run cold.
At first, everything looked normal. His face was still round, his eyebrows perfectly shaped, and his body still in a human form – except that he had some extra features. Two fluffy cat ears rested on top of his head – a touch confirmed that they were indeed covered in fluffy fur – and through the bird view of the mirror he could see a furry tail – furry, too – snaking out of the waistband of his jeans. But the most outstanding thing was his eyes. Fully green with slit pupils.
In shock, he pointed at his face and gave his friends a deadpanned look. “This is a joke, right?”
When Nino shook his head hell broke loose. How exactly was he going to explain this to his father? He was going to kill him. Media would be going to kill him. Adrien wasn’t a person to easily cry in front of others but his whole life depended on his image in the eyes of his father. To Gabriel Agreste, acne would already have been a catastrophe but transforming into a human with cat features would be the apocalypse. Adrien rested his forehead on his knees, hoping that this was just some kind of weird dream while Nino tried to comfort his best bud.
Meanwhile, Alya grabbed the book and tried to look for some remedy, almost ripping out the pages in the process. “Shit, fuck,” she cursed. Orange locks whipped the air as someone grabbed the book from her hands.
That someone was blonde, skinny and had perfectly manicured nails. Chloé. Her eyes glaring at Alya like she wanted to kill her. There was something in her eyes that definitely wasn’t human.
"Yes, Hawk Moth."
“Nino, Adrien,” Alya said slowly while crawling back. Adrien had been right, this was a bad idea. “Something’s wrong with Chloé. We need to leave right now!”
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ this is where chapter one ended in the first version Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
Despite her actions, Chloé knew that Adrien was uncomfortable having her near but that didn’t stop her from clutching his arm as hard as humanly possible. She wasn’t sure how to feel about the whole summoning a demon thing going on in her room. The company was horrible and she didn’t understand how Adrien could spend time with these people but she tolerated them.
That didn’t stop the jealousy from rising as she saw the way Adrien acted towards other girls during the day. The girls obviously liked him, he was a handsome model. A really handsome model. Why couldn’t he just like her? She was all he needed. Maybe if he wasn’t that handsome he would realize – no that was crazy.
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, Adrien started changing and growing catlike features. “Adrikins,” she gasped upon seeing her previous thoughts come true.
Poor soul, a voice rang in her head. Unrequited love hurts, I know that my dear. Look at him now. Do you like what I did?
‘No,’ Chloé thought trying to resist the warm feeling that came with the voice. ‘That is not what I wanted.’
But I don’t think that will stop the women from noticing his attractive body, the voice continued. My name is Hawk Moth and I can make it so that all the women stay away from him. Would you like that, dear?
Chloé shook her head. But the words tasted like sugar on her tongue.
You’d be the only woman for him. Doesn’t that sound wonderful, my love?
That sick bastard was playing with her mind and you know what was even worse? She was enjoying it. Those pretty images of her being with Adrien burned into her mind. ‘Yes, that sounds wonderful.’
I will help you and in return, you’ll have to give shelter to me. Is that okay with you?
Her eyes narrowed and the glossy lips curled into an evil smile. ‘Yes, Hawk Moth.’
Excellent. First, bring me that book; we’ll need it in the future. Would you do that for me, my dear?
“Of course, Hawk Moth,” Chloé whispered as her body reached out for the book that was currently in Alya’s hands. She felt out of control while still being in control. The sugary warmth from her tongue spread through her body as soon as she held the leather-clad book in her hands.
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
Alya didn’t know what it was but something about Chloé screamed danger. Usually, the blonde wasn’t that much of a threat even though she tended to be annoying – but this wasn’t Chloé. “We need to leave right now!”
Nino who had been sitting next to Adrien spread an arm around the boy in order to protect him.
“Nino, get Adrien and get the fuck out,” Alya ordered crawling backward herself.
That was an order Nino didn’t need to hear twice. “Come on, dude,” he said and pulled the almost catatonic Adrien to his feet. “We need to get out of here, bro,” he tried to calm the blonde. “That bitch’s gone crazy!”
He somehow managed to get Adrien out of the door and out of the hotel as well.
Don’t worry, the voice calmed Chloé. We’ll get him sooner or later. First, we need to focus on taking down your rivals.
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
Half of an hour later the shaking mess once called Adrien Agreste was sitting in an alley far away from the Burgoise-Hotel. Nino and Alya were still out of breath sitting next to him. Any other day they probably would have laughed at the image of three teenagers running around in pajamas at four in the morning but things were different right now.
“You need to breathe, buddy,” Nino tried to calm Adrien. “Calm down.”
“How am I supposed to calm down, Nino?” The boy jumped to his feet, surprised by his new strength that almost sent him flying. His hands balled into fists and something pricked his hand – nice, now he was growing claws, too. “If you haven’t noticed, I am a monster!”
“Adrien,” Alya said, trying to soothe him.
“That’s entirely your fault,” Adrien continued in his rage. “I knew it was a bad idea! I knew it!”
Someone opened the window and shouted for the kids to shut up. At the same time, a slap filled the alley. A red handprint glowed on the side of Adrien’s cheek where Alya had hit him.
“Calm the fuck down! I think I know who can help us.” Her voice was merely a hiss, holding up something in her hand. A card? Yes, it was a card. A ladybug sign and the words “little witch shop” were printed on it. Alya huffed. “It fell out of the book after Chloé grabbed it. I’ll tell you what we’ll do, we’re going to get to my place, get a few hours of sleep and try to find this fucking witch who can turn you – and maybe Chloé – back to normal in no time. She’s the one who sold it, so she’ll be able to turn you back.”
Adrien didn’t even notice that they were walking towards Alya’s home. Damn, girls could be tricky. But still – “How am I supposed to sleep?”
Nino cleared his throat. “And what about your siblings?” Like hell, he would explain his best friend’s condition to Alya’s younger sisters. Nope. No way in hell.
“Don’t sweat it,” Alya said, grabbing her key from the pocket of her pajama pants and opening the door. “The older ones are at their friend’s house and my parents have taken the younger one on their little love trip. We should be alone for now.” Kicking her shoes off Alya went straight for the couch and fell face forward onto it. “And,” her muffled voice rang from under the pillow. “I don’t care if you sleep or not, Agreste, but we can’t show up at a witch’s house in the middle of the night. I don’t wanna get cursed too. You either sleep or make yourself useful and search for the right address online. We’ll go there in a few hours.” And with that, she was off. Her whole body relaxed and a light snoring filled the room instantly.
Still impatiently wiggling Adrien turned to Nino. His best friend just shrugged and slumped down right next to Alya. “She’s right, you know.”
“I know but,” Adrien responded, his shoulders hunched forward. A slight blush crossed his face. “I don’t know how to lie down with this “ – he pointed at his tail – ” thing.”
A pillow was thrown by Nino, who whispered a “curl up” and joined Alya on a first class trip to dreamland.
The blonde picked up the pillow and looked to the armchair. It was big enough for him to curl up on. But Adrien usually slept on his back which wasn’t possible with his new appendage growing out of his spine. Eventually, he did what was possible and lay down on his side with his knees to his chest.
Now that he was finally able to relax, Adrien started to notice his changes. A hand wandered to his backside and touched the furry tail. Adrien shuddered and made a mental note that it was sensitive. Second he touched his ears – yup, also sensitive as fuck.
There was something fascinating about them. Not only his normal ears were working perfectly fine but his new ones did so too. Adrien could hear Alya’s and Nino’s combined snoring from the couch, but not only that – a little rhythmic sound which he later on recognized as their heartbeats. Adrien closed his eyes in concentration.
There was more to hear. The dripping of water from the sink in the bathroom above, the woman next door hissing at her boyfriend because he was snoring too loud and a dog barking about three blocks away. Great, school would be going to be fun with these ears. Okay, he probably wouldn’t even go to school in his given condition.
“Just my bad luck,” he whispered before joining their friends in dreamland.
Hopefully, whoever they were going to visit was, would be able to lift his curse and also change Chloé back to normal (or at least her default state). Adrien was sure that his childhood friend was going through something supernatural as well, judging by the way she acted earlier.
Both of them needed help – maybe Chloé even more than he did.