Chapter Text
The display at the mall’s electronics store had a bunch of phones in a neat row, prices climbing steadily from left to right. Marinette stood near the far left end with her arms crossed, staring at a phone that wouldn’t completely devour her savings.
"Maybe this one," she muttered to herself. "Or what about this one? I just need it to make calls, send texts, and run basic apps. That's all I need."
A store employee stood nearby, unsure whether to approach. Marinette didn't blame him. She'd been standing there for ten minutes, looking back and forth between phones.
"Can I help you with anything?" he finally asked.
"I need the cheapest phone that can run social media apps," Marinette said. "My old one kind of… exploded. Long story."
"This model has a special deal," the employee offered, tapping the display case. "It comes with a protective case and screen protector. It’s basic, but it’ll run any social media app with no problem."
"Perfect, I'll take it."
Before the employee could begin ringing her up, a certain blonde-haired individual made her appearance.
"Oh my gosh. Is that seriously the phone you're buying?"
Marinette closed her eyes for a second before turning around. Chloé Bourgeois stood a few feet away, holding a phone box in front of her with pride. The box was gaudy. It probably cost more than Marinette made in 3 months working at the bakery.
"Hello to you too, Chloé."
"That thing looks like it's from the freaking stone age," Chloé said, wrinkling her nose at the phone in the display case. "Does it still have buttons? Like physical ones?"
"You can clearly see it has a touchscreen, Chloé."
"Barely." Chloé held up her own box smugly. "Meanwhile, I just upgraded to the newest one. Multiple high performance cameras, insanely fast speed, and the latest AI available."
"Wow, AI," Marinette said flatly. "I'm sure the thing that’s destroying the environment will change your life."
"It will. I won’t need to wait for Sabrina to finish my homework when I can just tell it to do it in a few seconds." Chloé turned the box over, admiring it. "You should really consider saving up for something that doesn't look like it belongs in a museum."
"Some of us don't have an unlimited allowance, Chloé."
"That's not my problem." Chloé's eyes flicked back to the budget phone in the display case. Her lip curled. "Honestly, it's kind of embarrassing. You're going to walk around school with that? People are going to think you found it in a gutter."
Marinette felt her jaw tighten. "The phone works. That's literally all that I need."
"Sure, if you don't mind looking pathetic."
"Okay, you know what?" Marinette turned fully to face her now. "Not everyone needs to spend a fortune to prove something, Chloé. Some of us have better things to worry about than how good our phones are."
"Oh, please. You're just mad because you can't afford better."
"I'm not mad! I'm just tired of you turning literally everything into a chance to brag."
"Maybe if you actually had something to be proud of you'd understand the appeal."
"I have plenty to be proud of, thank you very much!"
"Please. The only thing you can be proud of is being the best at being late and clumsy." Chloé tossed her hair back. "Honestly, Dupain-Cheng, I don't know how anyone stands looking at your face for more than five minutes. It's exhausting."
"Excuse me?!"
"You heard me. Your face is exhausting with, like, a permanent kicked-puppy expression." Chloé smirked, clearly pleased with herself for the insult.
"Oh, that is it!" Marinette jabbed a finger toward her. "You are without a doubt, the most insufferable—"
A scream interrupted her, shortly followed by several others. Both girls froze mid-argument, popping their heads out of the store entrance into the rest of the mall.
"What was that?" Chloé asked, her eyes scanning for the source of the problem.
More screams soon came. They heard the sounds of glass shattering and merchandise toppling. An akuma stepped out from a nearby store, speaking with a loud, theatrical voice.
"Behold your futures, Parisians! I am Futuresight, and I will show each of you exactly what is coming, whether you want to see it or not!"
Marinette groaned. Of course there would be an akuma. She was already in a bad mood due to Chloé, and now she had to deal with this?
"I need to go," she said, already moving away. "I need to uh, find a bathroom."
Marinette didn't wait for a response. She bolted out of the electronics store, weaving between panicked shoppers who were sprinting the opposite direction, toward the exits. She didn't get far before she heard footsteps right behind her.
"Chloé, why are you following me?!" Marinette shouted over her shoulder, not slowing down.
"I'm not following you!" Chloé shouted back. "I happen to be going the same direction!"
"Toward the bathroom?!"
"I was already thinking about hiding in there before you said anything!"
"Find a different bathroom! There are, like, four in this mall!"
"Why should I have to find a different one? You find a different one!"
"Because I saw it first!"
"Well, I have been coming to this mall since I was three, so technically I saw it first a long, long time ago."
They turned around a corner together, nearly colliding with a fallen directory sign, both of them glaring at each other without any sign of relenting.
"This is not the time, Chloé!"
"You're the one who is being weirdly protective of a bathroom!"
"I'm not being weirdly protective of a bathroom. I'm trying to save people’s lives, which apparently means outrunning both a supervillain and you!"
"You’re going to save people by hiding in the bathroom? Are you listening to yourself? Nothing you’re saying makes any sense!"
A beam of violet light blasted past them, so close that Marinette felt the heat of it against her face. It struck a display of handbags, and the whole thing dissolved into nothingness.
"Struggling with each other in the present instead of worrying about the future?" boomed the akuma, hot on their tail. Both of its hands were radiating with the same violet energy of the beam it had nearly blasted them with. "Let me help you see what is to be!"
"Move!" Marinette grabbed for Chloé's sleeve, but Chloé yanked away, still glaring at her.
"Don't touch me, I don't need your help!"
The beam hit them both at once. Marinette tried to resist its effect, but it was too powerful for her to overcome. She fell to the ground alongside Chloé.