Work Text:
My name is Chloe Bourgeois. My father is the mayor of Paris, so naturally I’m always in the limelight. I don’t hate it, actually. It’s fun knowing people care about what I look like and what I’m doing. It makes me want to impress them, so I end up buying and asking for extravagant things. Not that I don’t want them, I do, but I feel like if it’s not the best no one will care. They’ll look to other people for the latest trends and I’ll be left in last year’s pile of who-cares.
But there is one thing, or rather, person, whom I want who just refuses to even consider liking me: Adrien Agreste. I’ve known him since we were kids, and I’ve always liked him, but no matter what I do, he never looks my way. He’s always looking somewhere far, far away, like there’s someone he likes but he can barely see her in the distance. He’s only getting glimpses. I wish he would stop searching for love where it obviously doesn’t exist and see me. It’s weird, I have everything I want, but I’m still empty. I don’t have Adrien, so I have nothing.
My classmates at school have always been jealous of me. Before I knew it, I ended up being mean to them for hating me. But it’s not my fault I’ve got money and power. If you’ve got it, use it. Isn’t that the way the world works? But no, everyone just gets in their own little groups without even thinking that maybe I’d like to join in. That’s when I decided to make their lives miserable. Complain about every little thing, throw words like darts at their hearts and laugh when I hit the bullseye. That’s how they’d pay for judging me and ignoring me and hating me before they even got to know me.
There’s one girl in particular whom I cannot stand. She decided the first time we met that I was too privileged to understand her. She’d always talk about her mom as if to make it even more obvious that I didn’t have one. She’d bring in her little creations and everyone would say, “Wow, you’re so talented!” But when I showed them priceless artifacts, they just turned the other way. Her name is Marinette Dupain-Chang. She always acts so innocent and perfect and good, but I know the truth--she's as manipulative as I am.
She tried to convince Sabrina that I wasn’t a good friend, but Sabrina came back to me a day later, just like I knew she would. Sabrina knows that she’s annoying to people who don’t understand her, so we struck up a deal a long time ago: she does my homework, and I’ll hang out with her and be her friend. I’ll give her things that she could never get any other way. Honestly, I thought my portion of the bargain was harder. I had to spend money on things for her, and I had to put up with her constant, high-pitched babbling. But now I don’t mind. Actually, sometimes I feel lonely without her. So, when Marinette butts in saying that our friendship isn’t real, I can’t help but laugh at her arrogance. She thinks she knows everything.
That’s why Marinette will never understand just how amazing Ladybug is. Ladybug is brave, focused, and strong in the face of danger, yet Marinette never joins in discussions about her. It must be because she doesn’t think much of her, which I will never understand. Ladybug has saved my life multiple times, so of course I’m a huge fan. I have a replica of her outfit, pictures of every battle she’s fought, and every piece of merchandise they sell. I’ve even met her a couple of times. Granted, it wasn’t for very long and she was on-the-job, but we still talked! She's incredible.
Want to know what's also incredible? Getting to meet royalty. And that's exactly what I'm doing today after school! Prince Ali from some kingdom far away has an important meeting with my father, but my father made sure to plan a meeting with him for me. Isn't my life great?
And even better, before my limo arrived to pick me up, I found a little red toy on the ground. It didn't look like anything I'd seen in a store, so I picked it up and took it home. I wouldn't normally keep something I picked up off the ground, but I thought, I can always give it to the Prince later and tell him it's a one of a kind from Kuwait or something.
Marinette tried to claim the little thing as my limo sped away; I didn't believe her for a second. I yelled out the window,
"Finders keepers!" and laughed as she ran after me.
I got home and started to fix my makeup. As I applied more blush, however, I heard a high-pitched cough. I turned around, but I didn't see anything weird. But then I heard a squeaky gasp. I realized that the noises were coming from that toy I'd pocketed at school. I went closer.
It exclaimed, "Chloe?!" and then was overcome with another fit of coughing.
I froze, terrified. It's alive?! Why does it know my name?! What is it?!
Finally regaining control of my body, I ran into my bedroom and slammed the door. I pulled out my phone and called Daddy, but he didn't pick up! I threw my phone onto the bed.
"What good is a phone if you don't answer it!?" I yelled.
I kept hearing coughing. Maybe it's ok, I thought after a while. It hasn't attacked me yet, and it's had plenty of chances. So I opened the door, slowly, and peeked out.
"Help... me." It squeaked breathlessly.
"What are you?" I asked from my room.
"I'm a... kwami. For Ladybug. I give her her powers.
"So you're telling me that I have to take you to some kwami doctor because you're sick, and he'll return you to Ladybug, hopefully before Papillon decides to akumatize someone else?"
"Please, Chloe. You're the only one who can right now." Tikki pleaded.
"Why can't you just tell me who Ladybug is? It would make this a whole lot easier for me." I did still have to meet the Prince, and I might as well meet the real Ladybug while I'm at it.
"I can't tell you Ladybug's secret identity." Tikki said as yet another coughing spell came and went.
"Well then, it looks like I can't help you." I went back to touching up my makeup.
Tikki stayed quiet. Suddenly, a large boom sounded outside. I ran to the window and saw Chat Noir fighting a villain who fought with what looked like perfume.
"Please Chloe!" Tikki begged. "Ladybug can't fight without me, and I can't fight like this."
"Hold on. You want me to walk outside and put myself in grave danger?" I couldn't believe my ears.
"Please! You don't understand what will happen if Ladybug doesn't purify the akuma!"
"It can't be worse than a bad hair day." Now I know it probably would be, but this might be my only chance to find out who's the real Ladybug. I can't just pass it up! "Besides, Chat Noir's there. He'll purify it."
"Only Ladybug can do it!" Tikki squeaked.
"Ok, well... I'm still not going out there."
After a pause, Tikki said, "But if you do it, Ladybug will be forever indebted to you..."
I thought about this. Helping my idol defeat a super villain? Talk about instant fame and praise!
"Alright, where first, Dikki?" I asked eagerly.
"It's Tikki. And first we need to go to Master Fu's to heal me."
So little whatever-its-called guided me to a sketchy-looking massage parlor slash acupuncture clinic.
"You can't be serious." I said looking around the area. "I feel gross standing here."
"Just go in!" Tikki exclaimed.
Inside was cleaner than I expected. There were green pillows on top of tatami mats on the floor and bamboo wallpaper covered the walls. There was a gong in the corner of the room, along with a chest of drawers on which a record player quietly played traditional Asian music.
An old man approached me with a small smile. "How may I be of service?"
I held Tikki up and said, "This said you could heal it. Apparently Ladybug needs it to transform."
"Ah yes," the old man said, taking Tikki over to the corner of the room. "Now, where is Ladybug?"
"I don't know! Obviously not here. I found that on the ground at school." I said. Did he really think I'd know? Ugh, old crazy people annoy me so much.
He laid Tikki on a pillow. I wondered what he had to do, maybe recite a long Latin phrase and make it drink a potion. Would there be a big light and a rush of air? I started to get excited. Then, he grabbed the gong and hit it and--
That was it.
Really?
Tikki started flying around, saying, "I feel so much better!"
"Wait." I said. "I came all the way here, dodging the akuma's minions, getting my hair messed up, skipping out on a meeting with a prince, for you to hit a gong?!"
Tikki and the old man looked at each other, then back at me. He shrugged.
"Ugh!"
I stormed out of the room, just to run into the one person I least expected.
"Marinette Dupain-Cheng?!"
"Chloe?!"
We stared at each other. We asked in unison,
"What are you doing here?"
I decided to let her know first that I was here doing a good deed. "I was helping Ladybug! She lost her magic-thingy, so I came here to get it healed. But I guess you wouldn't know because you aren't a big fan of Ladybug."
Marinette seemed to deflate for some reason. Then she said,
"Thanks, Chloe."
I was completely caught off-guard. Why is she thanking me? Before I could ask, however, she ran into the room I had just left.
I decided I didn't care. I walked home, and turned on the tv. The newscaster said,
"And after a long day, the akuma has been defeated. When asked what took her so long to appear, Ladybug replied with an apology and a promise to never let it happen again. She did not give a reason for her tardiness."
And I smiled, knowing that I knew something they did not.