Chapter Text
She hated this. She didn't want to be here anymore. She told her mom that she no longer felt safe at school. It should've been clear by the countless times that she'd beg her mother to let her skip class. And yet she was being driven to the source of her troubles. It felt suffocating. She felt trapped as she was walking down the long winding hallway. Following the same taunting path everyday felt like endless torture. One could call it hopeless, even. But her mom insisted that she was overexaggerating. That nothing she was feeling was as bad as what her mother went through in childhood. That (Y/n) was just being "dramatic". (Y/n)'s worries were being laid bare for her mother to see. It was a cry for help. She was begging to be seen and heard. But to her mom, (Y/n) was just a teenager with qualms that could never even match up to her own experiences. Each and every time (Y/n) was called "dramatic", the smaller she felt...
Each step further down the hall would just stray her further from her destination. What class was she heading to? Who knew... She could only focus on the floor and her sneakers as tall shadowy figures loomed over her. Their sharp glares were making her feel small and weak. Their murmurs rung softly through this pale hallway, repeating and echoing like a twisted chant. She couldn't make out what they were saying but she was sure that it must be unflattering.
"Hey, (Y/n) heads up!" She looked up and saw a flash of red fly towards her. The icy impact almost toppled her over.
Cold... Sticky... What is this? A slushy? Why?
The frosted sweet syrup stuck to her (s/c) skin as it dripped down her body. The red liquid seeped into her clothes, completely ruining them. The frozen drink against her skin made her shiver out of a natural reaction to the cold. But to the shadows around her, it looked like a tremble done out of fear. It was sickening how the thought of her panic would bring them some sort of satisfaction. Soon their laughter began to fill the never-ending halls. It was ringing in her ears and drowning out the pounding of her heart. Looking around, she found no escape. With nowhere else to go, she was trapped.
What did I do to all of you? Stop... Please, stop. I don't want this...
The walls suddenly felt like they were slowly closing in on her with each heavy breath she took. At some point her lungs felt like they were starting to burn. And so did her eyes. The panic tears that were threatening to escape felt hot and full of negative emotions. But alas, she won't cry. Not in front of them. She'll take any embarrassment. But she won't let them see her cry. Because that's when they truly win.
Her shoulders were shuddering as she hugged herself and began to curl up against the corner of the room, that magically appeared behind the girl, replacing the long hallway. Her (e/c) eyes darted around like crazy, unable to focus on the shadowy figures that were closing in. Their wicked smiles grew the closer they got to her. She couldn't look at them anymore so she looked down. But the sight of her sneakers turning blurry made her sick to her stomach. Oh god, she was tearing up again. So, she shut her eyes as she expected the worst.
"(Y/n)", the faux comfort in the way her name was said made her blood run cold. She looked up and saw a dark figure. One that looked just like the others but (Y/n) knew who this silhouette belonged to. She could never forget this voice, this confident pose, and that haunting laugh. And those greenish hazel eyes. It was her... The person that (Y/n) once thought she could trust. She was so familiar and yet so foreign to her. They kept a stern gaze on each other. Her (e/c) orbs wavered as she tried looking around one more time for an escape. She could no longer look at the eyes of someone who was now a stranger in her heart. The one who uprooted her life. "(Y/n)…" the girlish figure said in a mocking tone. The figure's semi-blank face now grows a wicked smirk.
Go away.
"(Y/n)!" It giggled. Her laughter merging with that of the others. But (Y/n) could single it out. She knew best who it belonged to.
I said go away! I have nothing to say to you!
STOP!
"(Y/n)", a voice whispered into her ear as a hand gently shook her shoulder. The (h/c)-haired girl sat up in her seat with a startle. Blinking away tears and sleep as she looked around the near empty seats of the plane and met the worried eyes of her aunt. "We're here. It's not our turn yet to get up but you should start waking up" she said to her niece, nudging her shoulder with her own as the adult stood up to grab their carry-ons from the compartment above their heads. During the process, the woman started making small talk about the long flight from the United States to France to her niece. Most of which the young girl zoned out as she yawned away her drowsiness. It was taking a while for the sleepy teen to process what her aunt was saying but she was listening... Sort of. (Y/n) took in a sharp inhale through her nose as she stretched, tilting her neck until she heard a satisfying crack. Inadvertently ignoring her aunt's concerned gaze while the teen took a moment to pull up the small window curtain to take a glance outside. The sunlight made the young girl flinch for a second, and the brightness of it just further highlighted her tired features to her aunt. She took note of the bags under the eyes, the slightly paler skin tone, dry skin texture, the stress acne, and chapped lips. Her aunt's worries just grew the longer she looked at her niece. Meanwhile, said niece was starstruck.
Oh wow. I really am in Paris...
(Y/n) didn't want to admit it. But... This was pretty exciting. She could even see the Eiffel tower in the distance just from the tarmac. She'd always dreamed of being here... even if just to visit. A soft "ahem" broke her out of her curious state and she turned back to see her aunt sitting back down, but now with her purse in her lap and (Y/n)'s backpack on the floor in between her legs. And with a cautious gaze now focused in her direction, (A/n) spoke. "(Y/n), you know... I can't guarantee things will be better. But I promise that I'll be here with you for every step of your journey" she hummed as she placed a hand over (Y/n)'s.
"I... Thank you. For everything really. I just wanted to get away, you know, and start fresh. So, you've already done a lot for me, auntie", the 14-year old mumbled before she turned and forced herself to smile at the young woman. Her aunt shared some traits with her niece, maybe she could actually pass as her older sister at first glance. They both had (e/c) colored eyes and a naturally soft gaze. That last trait showing itself with the way her aunt was looking at (Y/n). With the way she was analyzing the teenager, one would assume that she was carefully calculating her next response. "And, I know it'll take a bit for you to get used to..." she then gestured broadly to everything by spreading her arms in a small circle, "this. But I'll be your guardian for the time being. So, please come to me if you need help. Or... if you want to talk about 'it'." She said that last part hesitantly, and you could tell by the way she slightly squinted her eyes that she braced herself for a response. Any type of response really.
"Mmhm. Yeah, I will", (Y/n) replied curtly, as she obviously didn't want to dwell too much on her aunt's words. Deciding it best to just brush it off. After all, surely she had to have already spoken to her mother about what happened or none of "this", like how her aunt worded it, would be happening. An awkward silence fell upon the two as it was mutually agreed that referring to the 'incident' was a touchy subject. At least for now. (A/n) knew that her niece would come to her when she was ready to talk. And (Y/n) appreciated that, even if she was a bit awkward at expressing it. They only broke out of said awkwardness when it came turn for their row to exit out of the plane. Grabbing her backpack, (Y/n) followed her aunt down the aisle and politely smiled to the pilots and attendants that bid them farewell. Once out of the airport and with her luggage in hand, the two hopped into a taxi. Her aunt now speaking in fluent French to the older man driving the vehicle. Though not a native speaker, (Y/n) could still pick up bits and pieces of their conversation as she stared out of the window. She assumed it was just small talk. Or at least that's what she understood. Something about politics and the mayor. But who could care about that? They literally just passed by the Arc D' Triomphe!
Her aunt just glanced over and chuckled at her niece. (Y/n)'s eyes stared out the window with the widest eyes. "(Y/n), je sais que l'arc est belle... Mais tu avez l'air de une touriste." ("I know the arc is beautiful, but you look like a tourist" is the translation. Sorry, I'm not very fluent myself. All the French classes I took are just a blurry memory in my head.) Her aunt said, switching to her local Parisian side. Jokingly tutting her tongue at the American girl as she nudged her with her elbow, which made their driver chuckle to himself. The teenager rolled her eyes and playfully cleared her throat before turning around to face her aunt. Dramatically tutting to mimic her aunt and wiggling her finger, building up to the moment before she started speaking in French.
(Pretend the dialogue in French from now on :p)
"I'm not a tourist. I'm a guest. You have to show me some 'Parisian hospitality', miss", the teen said with a teasing smirk, playfully stretching her legs onto her aunt's lap. Only for said person to push her legs off and scoff jokingly. "Oh yes, would you like the 'ignore you' kind or the 'I'll scoff at your pronunciations' type? Cause I kind of feel like doing the second one" she jested right back. The cab driver just let out a little huff-like laugh at the banter happening in the backseat of the vehicle, shaking his head as he turned out of the roundabout and down the street. He glanced up at the rearview mirror just to shake his head at their laughter, turning back to his navigational app on his phone. “Americans and their energy, I swear” he mumbled to himself with a chuckle.
"Ah, hey! There's the bakery I told you about" her aunt said happily, wrapping an arm around (Y/n) to turn their attention towards the window. "Their croissants are to die for! And it's a mom-and-pop shop run by the sweetest couple..." (Y/n) focused her gaze towards the cute corner bakery, only for her gaze to accidentally connect with that of an old man's. He was short, Asian, and was wearing a red Hawaiian shirt. There was nothing impactful about him per say especially as he held his paper bag of bread. But... there was something about him. His stare felt like it peering into her soul, analyzing her very being. "(Y/n)?" Her aunt asked, breaking (Y/n) out of the trance she was in and making her glance back to her aunt. "I asked if you wanted to get lunch from there?" She asked her niece as she started to reach into her purse while the girl tried to turn her gaze back to the outside. "Oh, uh, maybe some other time.. I'm more tired than anything... so maybe let's head to your apartment so I can crash from the jet lag" (Y/n) said as she looked back to the window just to see that the old man was gone.
Weird...
Screeeeechhh! *Crash!*
The taxi came to a sudden halt as the sunny blue sky suddenly turned cloudy and gray, and all the vehicles in front of them stopped because of... a thrown bus?!?! Said vehicle was absolutely destroyed and smashed like a crumpled tissue paper on the road. And it looked like some vehicles weren’t so lucky in braking on time… (Y/n) never knew that she was so grateful for seatbelts until today... Jokes aside, what was going on? She looked around panicked and was surprised by how calm the driver and her aunt were being in this situation. Though worried, they weren't as shaken as (Y/n) was.
This must be a common occurrence here? … Oh, who was she kidding? What's going on?!
Her aunt and the driver exchanged a look as they both mutually agreed to something in a silent nod. An act which further confused the teen girl as the adults started to unbuckle their seatbelts and started to evacuate the vehicle. (A/n) just smiled nervously down at the girl and started to lead her away from the scene, “Don’t worry, sweetie. It’s just an akuma attack. Ladybug and Chat Noir will stop it and things will go back to normal soon enough. We just have to find somewhere to hide for now” she explained to her niece.
… “A what and who?” (Y/n) asked with a dumbfounded tone that further confirmed that she was super lost with what was happening. Her aunt took her hand in hers as they ran into an alleyway, making sure they were tucked away in the narrow space and comfortably hidden away in the shadows. With her back against the bricked wall (Y/n) could finally glance behind her and see that the people that were in the cars behind theirs also had the same idea to find refuge elsewhere for now. And with this slight moment of rest, (Y/n) could finally feel how cold the temperature was getting around them. Her breath was creating small puffs of vapor as she calmed her beating heart. The longer this went on the more worried she was beginning to get… Wasn’t it still the middle of summer? What threw that bus? What’s going to happen now? Are they going to be okay?
(A/n) just sighed in relief as it seemed like no more cars were being thrown their way and she could finally focus her attention on the anxious child in front of her. She placed both hands on her niece’s trembling shoulders and gently directed her niece’s attention towards her. (A/n) comforted the teen by wrapping her arms around her shoulders, slowly rubbing up and down her back. “Shhhh, shhh. We’re okay. You’re okay. I’m safe and you’re safe”, she whispered to the girl that didn’t even know she was trembling. A long warm moment of silence passed by as (Y/n) waited for her aunt to explain what was going on. She gently pushed away from the hug to look at her aunt’s expression. Despite how weird this whole thing was, there was a part of (Y/n) that thought maybe this was an elaborate joke. Maybe her aunt wanted to play a joke. A messed up joke that involved playing out a scenario where Paris was under attack. “Okay, so I didn’t tell you or your mother this…”, (A/n) started slowly as she thought of the best way to describe what was happening. “But there’s a villain somewhere out in Paris that corrupts innocent people, who turns them into evil henchmen with powers. Not to worry though, we have two superheroes that do everything within their powers to stop him and save Paris.”, she said with a semi-rushed tone as she came to the realization that the longer her explanation went on the more ridiculous this was beginning to sound.
Okay, she has to be playing a joke.
(Y/n) couldn’t help but make a face. Like was her aunt hearing herself right now? There’s no way that this was real. It’s like something that was pulled straight out of a magical girl anime. Enemies made from a bad guy corrupting them? Yeah, no. (Y/n) fought to control herself from grimacing. “They’re real!”, (A/n) said in a playfully exasperated tone. “There’s a website documenting most if not all of their adventures, interviews, and it has tons of pics to prove that what I’m saying is true” she said as she started sensing that her niece wasn’t taking her seriously. (A/n) reached into her purse to pull out her cell phone and started searching. After a few seconds of furious typing she finally found the website that she was referring to and shoved the screen in her niece’s face. (Y/n) was greeted with a bright pink webpage with a teenage girl in pigtails dressed in a red morph suit with black spots. “Ladybug, Paris’ own superhero… Protector of the weak and enforcer of justice?”, (Y/n) read the article title aloud with a raised eyebrow.
“They’re real, (Y/n). They’ve been protecting Paris for a while now. Just keep reading before you say anything else” her aunt deadpanned as she could sense the quip from a mile away.
“Uh huh, does she punish people in the name of the moon too?”, (Y/n) quipped smugly to her aunt, who was now pursing her lips and crossing her arms at the young girl. “Let me guess, she’s a clumsy heroine stereotype too that-”
Before anything else could be said, the two heard a crash and immediately looked into the street just to see… a girl??? She was floating along in the middle of a tornado, waving her umbrella and sending cars flying out of her way with strong gusts of wind. One car slammed against the wall of the building that they were hiding next to. (Y/n) couldn’t help but scream in surprise at the loud impact, curling up against the wall and her aunt while covering her ears. “Okay, very real! This is so very real!”, she whispered in a panicked tone to her aunt, who just protectively held her to her chest. “Shhhh, shhh. Don’t worry, Ladybug and Chat Noir will be here soon”, her aunt cooed to the scared child in her arms. Though slightly shaken herself, the older woman made sure to scoot them further into the alleyway to hide themselves. “While we wait for this to be over, let me tell you a story of how I got to meet one of Paris’ heroes. I’m sure that’ll take our minds off this, right?”, (A/n) whispered, her hand still rubbing up and down her niece’s trembling back. (Y/n) nodded as she subconsciously hid herself in her aunt’s shoulder. Her aunt gently rocked them back and forth as she started her story:
“I’ve always hated the color pink. I never knew why. I just do, you know. Like it’s a cliche color… Pink… Ew. Anyways. So, well, when my husband planned a spring ensemble that used a pale pink dress as the main focus… Let’s just say I was not happy. He was so dead-set on it… And I was so mad at him. Mad that he wasn’t listening to me. Mad that he wasn’t taking me seriously. I was so mad that I walked out on the photoshoot for our new lineup. Walking without a destination in mind, really. Just walking. I ended up walking through a park, stomping and huffing my heart out. I was so irrationally mad over a silly decision that I didn’t realize that there was a possessed villain approaching the area, throwing objects all around. I couldn’t even tell that they threw a trash can in my direction…”
(A/n) fingers slowly fidgeted as they started to brush through her niece’s (h/c) hair. Stopping to twirl a lock of hair before continuing her story, ”But, before anything could happen I was suddenly swooped up into a princess carry and carried away by THE Chat Noir! Haha, turns out a certain superhero was passing by as he was tailing the bad guy and noticed how out of it I was. He was so respectful to me, calling me ‘ma’am’ and even offering to drop me off at home.” She started to giggle to herself as she sat up, motioning for the young girl to do the same now that they were both in a calmer state of mind.
“As he was taking me out of harm’s way, we heard a crash nearby and I could swear that for a moment… He looked scared… Sort of vulnerable… I saw him waver for just a second but it felt like a long glimpse into this poor boy. But I assume, since he was in my presence, that he quickly straightened himself up and put on a confident face just to make sure that I wouldn’t be scared. It was sweet, really. To still worry about someone else when you can’t even say the same for yourself… If not for him, I would've been hurt or worse. And yet he was trying so hard to hide that he was scared too. He was so valiant. But so… tiny. He kind of reminded me of you. So young and small. Yet… so strong… I imagine it must be tiring to be so brave all the time…” She hummed as she took (Y/n)’s hand in hers to gently stroke her knuckles with her thumbs.
(A/n) slowly took in a breath before looking into her niece’s eyes, “I know it’s weird to compare you to a Parisian hero, but I think you are so brave… Talking to your mom about your issues. Asking for help. Coming with me to Paris. Moving to a new school. It’s a lot. And it’ll be a bit overwhelming at first. But I know my niece will be tough! Just like the brave and amazing woman she’s shaping herself to be. Taking on the world like a badass! And just know, that’s it’s okay to be a little weak in front of me.”.
(Y/n) couldn’t help but tear up at those sweet words. It was all she wanted to hear and more. She just wanted someone to be there. Through salty streams, she looked into her aunt’s eyes and smiled. “Thank you, auntie. Really. I know I thanked you earlier, but.. I really really mean it. You’re the best” she said as she embraced her once again.
“Ah! Look, it's them!” Her aunt exclaimed in a soft hush, making the young girl look up as well.
It felt like the world slowed down… The way their silhouettes shone through the gloomy grays of the weather…The smallest rays of sunshine that peaked through the clouds further illuminated the way the two stood out. Chat Noir’s golden hair… Ladybug’s deep blue locks… It was breathtaking. They were real life heroes! Ladybug’s dark blue hair stood out even more as it contrasted with her red suit. Her yoyo was spinning so fast it looked like a helicopter blade cutting through the gusts of the villain’s man-made tornado. It appeared that her partner was using his baton to mimic her movements and the two went for a full frontal attack, running up the buildings and using them to propel themselves forward.
Only for a gust of wind to send them flying.
“Well, no one said heroes had to be perfect…” Her aunt said, showing second-hand embarrassment for the heroes that she was so openly praising earlier. Making (Y/n) snicker softly, before she cut in with her own opinions on the two, “It’s okay. They’re pretty amazing, just like you said”.
The gloomy weather disappeared as pink and white swirls of ladybugs enveloped the chaos left behind by the villain. Apparently it was Ladybug’s power, her “Lucky Charm” as it says on the LadyBlog. It was still pretty weird to see Parisian people just act as if nothing was wrong after a villain attack… But I guess that’s the way they’ve adjusted to change. And nothing’s going to change until this Papillon guy is caught.. Oh well, this was going to be the new normal for (Y/n) so it’s better to accept it rather than fight it. After all, she wasn’t planning on going back to the States.
She sighed as she placed her luggage down in the semi-empty space that was going to be her room from now on. It used to be her uncle-in-law’s office and it showed that her arrival was a last minute wrench in their plans… There were still file cabinets in the corner of the room and rolls of fabric leaning against the closet. “Are you sure I can take this room, Uncle Aaron?” the girl asked warily, “Don’t you still use it?”
“No no, it’s okay. I can share an office with your aunt, I just have to condense my cabinets…” The half-Haitian man said as he picked up a box from the floor and walked off with it. “And, I still have to shred some old receipts, trash some scrapped designs, and take some boxes to storage…”, he left while mumbling to himself about all the other things he had to do.
“Don’t worry about him, he just procrastinated cleaning out the guest room. We’ve been preparing for your arrival for a couple of weeks now, so I’m not sure why he didn’t condense his paperwork when I told him to!” Her aunt said it loud enough so her husband could hear it from the other room. The only response she heard back was a dry laugh, making the woman shake her head. (A/n) grabbed a box of her own and started to follow her husband to the second office. “We’ll be back, we’re going to drop some stuff off at the studio and then grab some dinner on the way back. So while I’m gone, Coco’s in charge”, her aunt said with a playful wink before walking off.
“Coco?” (Y/n) waited to hear the front door shut before she wondered aloud to herself. Only to shudder in place and hold back a small scream at the sudden sensation of something hairy brush against her leg. She quickly glanced down and was greeted by the small “meow” of a snow white Persian cat with nicely groomed fur and a floral scarf for a collar. (Y/n) bit back a laugh. “Coco? Like Coco Chanel??” she said with a slight snort as she leaned down to pick up the chatty kitty. “Aunt (A/n) and uncle Aaron aren’t very original with their names, hm?” she cooed to the fluffy pet in her arms. Holding the cat like a toddler in her arms as she walked around the room that was soon to be hers. The room was very spacious despite it having been used as a storage room/second office for the designer couple. One could easily overlook the pile of junk in the corner and be enamored by just the natural sunlight that was peeking through the glass doors of the balcony. With Coco in her arms, she opened the glass French doors and stepped out to get greeted by the fresh air and view of a nearby park. “This is the guest room???” she said to Coco, who just hopped out of her arms to perch on the black metal railing. Purring up a storm as the cat kept an eye on the curious child that continued to explore the room.
A queen-size canopy bed? A personal bathroom? An antique desk with a roll-top cover? That closet better not be a walk-in or I’m gonna faint.
(Y/n) stomped over to said closet and pulled it open with a sense of urgency that could not be explained. Only to sigh in relief that it was a normal sized closet. (Y/n) already felt kind of guilty that her uncle had to move things around for her… Did they move rooms for her too? She knew Aaron and (A/n) weren’t amazingly well-off… Not rich, but not lower income. But to give a teen a room this nice was kind of excessive.
It was starting to make her feel like a burden…
Was this the master bedroom? Are they in a smaller room? Are they comfortable? Do they hate it? Do they hate that I’m here? Am I annoying them? Am I a bother? Do they hate-?
(Y/n) broke out of her thoughts as soon as she heard the door open, and her aunt and uncle walked in with bags of takeout. She decided to brush off the feeling. Forcing on a smile for the couple that were already doing so much for her.
“What’s for dinner?” (Y/n) said in a sickeningly sweet tone that made a sour taste bubble in the back of her throat.
(Y/n) woke up feeling pretty tired from the jetlag, but also from her thoughts keeping her up. That aside she ended up sleeping in and only woke up because Coco walked over her stomach in her sleep. Her aunt was at the kitchen table typing, probably finishing up an article. The woman glanced up and beamed at her niece. “Well good morning sunshine. I was just about to wake you up. You have to eat breakfast and get ready” she said with a pep to her step, shutting her laptop and getting up to get a meal ready for (Y/n).
“Get ready for…?” (Y/n) said confused, yawning as she leaned down to pet the cat that was headbutting her legs.
“Your first day at school!” (A/n) replied as she cut open a croissant and placed the halves in the toaster oven.
(Y/n) comically looked up at the clock on the wall and looked over to the time on the microwave. “(A/n), it’s 3pm”, she replied as if her aunt was speaking nonsense, “School’s almost over. And I’m still in pajamas”.
“I know, and don’t worry. It’s just an afterschool tour and a meeting with the principal so I can finish some paperwork. (Y/n), I’m not daft” her aunt huffed as she spread some mashed avocado on one of the toasted halves. She then sprinkled some sea salt and ground coarse pepper on the avocado before placing some scrambled eggs on it. Placing the other half on top to make it a sandwich of some sort, before turning around to shoo her niece away, “Now hurry along, get dressed and brush your teeth”.
(Y/n) nodded with an obnoxious dramatic open-mouth yawn that made her aunt cringe. “(Y/n) mind your manners! Cover your mouth when you yawn” she could hear her aunt’s scolding as she walked back into “her” room. (Y/n) quickly dressed up in the same attire she wore yesterday, thinking it too troublesome to pick out something flashy. “It’s just a tour. Who’s gonna see me?” she thought as she slipped on a zippered black hoodie over the graphic t-shirt she used for her pajamas. And with a pair of jeans and some sneakers her outfit should be fine she assumed.
Her aunt thought otherwise. “Nuh uh. You are not wearing the same clothes you slept in while on the plane”, she huffed, crossing her arms. “What? Why?? It’s clean, comfy, and low effort”, the girl argued back. “Sweetie, it’s your first day. Don’t you want to make an impression?” (A/n) tried to reason with her niece. “But it’s technically not my first day and…” (Y/n) started.
Making an impression is the last thing I wanna do. Standing out is why I’m even here.
But it’s not like she could tell her aunt that, so she threw in a different excuse, “and the hoodie makes me feel comfortable, you know…” she mumbled out the last response, starting to tug down on the sleeves of her hoodie to cover her hands. (A/n) swallowed back a response and stared pensively at the visibly nervous girl. With her lips in a straight line, she thought of a response and then started to smile, “Okay… I can work with this…” (A/n) said as she placed the plate in her hands on the table, wiping her hands on her apron as she walked towards (Y/n) and ushered her back into her room. Getting ready to work her magic on the teen girl.
Soon enough, the two stood in front of a full length mirror as (A/n) stood behind the girl. “(Y/n), I love you. And I want you to know that I always see this when I see you” her aunt started, as she brushed the girl’s hair back into a low ponytail with her fingers. Averting her aunt’s doting words, the girl played her slight embarrassment off with a quip, “(A/n), it’s my reflection. I know how mirrors work. I can tell you’re trying so hard to play fairy godmother…”. The snarky little comment made the older woman roll her eyes before continuing. “I see a pretty girl that’s too scared to realize that she already is a princess, and needs to be treated as such…” she teased, “even if she’s a little prickly to her beautiful and wise aunt”. Now that made (Y/n) roll her eyes.
“See, look. We kept the hoodie”, her aunt mused as she finished up the hairstyle. “A low ponytail should keep the hair out of your face and compliments the ‘low effort' look you were trying to achieve. But the high-waisted light blue denim shorts with the distressed details should bring out that edge of yours. Gotta really tune into that teen angst look that is trendy right now. But to keep up that modern street look that Parisians are known for, I have a classic solid white crew-necked t-shirt” her aunt started to ramble on about her ensemble. Stopping her train of thought to semi tuck in the girl’s shirt and to add a matching black belt. “And for your glass slippers… Some (f/c) high-tops with white borders for a pop of color!”
(Y/n) didn’t want to admit it, but she liked the outfit. Stylish but simple. Just the way her aunt thought clothing should be. Simple but can bring out the natural charm of a person. She felt comfortable but somehow new in this outfit. It may be composed of clothing from her own closet but the way it was coordinated felt groundbreaking.
“I like it” (Y/n) said softly.
“I’m sorry, what was that? I didn’t hear you very well… This fairy godmother has trouble hearing” her aunt said with a proud smirk on her face while she hugged (Y/n) from behind and rested her chin on the girl’s shoulder. Making the girl laugh softly as she pushed her aunt off of her, “I said I like it. Thank you, oh wise fairy godmother” she joked right back.
“That’s more like it. Now, eat quickly. We have a bus to catch. Aaron has the car today, he’ll pick us up later. With the sudden wardrobe change we’re a bit behind schedule” her aunt said with a hurried clap of her hands.
“And, this will be your homeroom starting tomorrow. Your instructor, Madame Bustier, will certainly have no issues in getting you situated. Many of our best students are in this class as well, be sure to ask them for any help you may need. But of course, my door is always open should you need anything else” the principal finished his tour by stopping in front of the classroom on the second floor. (Y/n) finished writing down the classroom number on the informational pamphlet she was given before looking back up to Mr. Damocles. Said man was waiting expectantly for any questions from the two. When he received none he then turned over to the older woman. Her aunt was beside her, taking notes of her own, only looking up when Damocles cleared his throat. “Huh? Oh, right. (Y/n), Françoise Dupont was the school that Aaron attended when he was younger. It’s also where he discovered his passion for tailoring” her aunt said with a smile.
“And that leads me to my next topic: Extracurriculars! Art, track, swimming, chemistry, robotics, journalism, fashion, cooking, and fencing… anything that you’d like to try, we have! All of our students are very passionate about their interests. I hope you find something that ignites your passion while you enjoy your stay in Paris” Monsieur Damocles said with a jolly laugh that came straight from the belly. Proud of his speech, she assumed. Well, not like it’s unheard of to have a principal jump at the chance to show off his school. The architecture was pretty, and the atmosphere was good too. The sun was starting to set and the school was nearly empty except for the kids that stayed for their extracurriculars, leaving a state of cozy silence. The halls were empty but the classrooms they walked by had the sound of chatter and laughter. It was nice. Warm. It was clear that for some students this school was a second home.
Three stories… A huge courtyard… Wow… Am I really going to be a student here?
(Y/n) marveled as the trio made it back to the door of the principal’s office. “Now… Madame Bernard, we still have other forms to go over and more things to discuss” he started, just for her aunt to nod, “Yes, of course”. (A/n) turned to her niece and got down to her level, “Mind waiting for me here while I do boring adult stuff?” she whispered to the young girl. Who, in turn, smiled back and gave her a thumbs up, “Yup, I can definitely do that, auntie”.
(Y/n) leaned against the wall for a moment, taking out her cellphone to check the time. Only to look up at the sound of metal clashing against metal. Curiosity brought her to the railing of the overhang and she looked down to the courtyard and was amazed by the sight. It seems like the fencing class had just started as students were paired off and sparring on the mat. “Wow, Monsieur Damocles wasn’t lying when he said they had fencing…” she thought to herself as she rested her arms on the handrail and watched them practice. One specific student was doing really well, instantly tapping the tip against every opponent’s chests. “Looks like they’re practicing foil fencing…” she mused to herself, letting out a low whistle as the instructor himself decided to spar against this kid. Obviously, the kid didn’t stand a chance against the teacher himself but it was impressive to think they were that outstanding that the instructor saw that potential in them. (Y/n) thought that the kid would’ve been disheartened to have been brought down a peg by the teacher, but to her surprise they stood back up and seemed to be asking the instructor for some pointers. It made her smile, “I guess everyone’s nice here…” she said to herself. Unaware of the student that was watching her through their mask.
Feeling someone’s gaze she immediately turned her attention back to the student from before. They may have a mask on but she could tell they were looking at her. Was she not supposed to be watching? What if it was a private lesson? She could feel sweat beads forming on her forehead as she awaited the scolding. “First day on campus, and I’m already going to be in trouble…” she worried to herself.
But they waved. A simple gesture, really. They noticed her admiration of the sport in front of her. And they appreciated her respect, choosing to acknowledge her presence by sending her a friendly display. Or well, maybe they just wanted to be nice. Who knows. But that didn’t stop (Y/n) from dumbly looking to either side of her and even behind her before testingly waving back.
You could see the way the student’s shoulders shook up and down. Clearly laughing at the girl.
“Okay, first day here and I’ve already embarrassed myself” she thought before sheepishly smiling and waving properly. She straightened herself up and went back to leaning against the wall and using her phone while she waited for her aunt. Wanting to stay out of view while her embarrassed blush died down. A few minutes went by and she was so immersed in her mobile game to notice the person beside her.
“Are you interested in fencing?” She heard a boy’s voice beside her, making her nearly jump out of her skin. She dropped her phone in the process, making the boy in the fencing attire scramble to retrieve her cell phone for her. But she also tried to reach for it, making the two accidentally bump heads. “Sorry! I’m really sorry for scaring you. And for the phone” he rambled.
“It's okay. How did you do that?” she asked as she rubbed her forehead where his mask bumped against. “You’re in full fencing attire and your clothes didn’t make a sound” she said with a chuckle. She gratefully grabbed the phone from his hand and smiled.
“I wasn’t trying to sneak up on you, sorry by the way” he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck through the gorget of his uniform, “And I think it’s because you were really into your game”. It almost sounded like he was teasing her. Just a bit though.
“Maybe, I was. Haha, it's a good game. And to answer your question, yeah sort of. Swords are pretty cool. I’ve hardly ever had the chance to see one in real life. I don’t think I’d try it personally, if you’re trying to recruit me for your club” she said as she inspected her phone for any damage from the drop.
“Oh. I’m not trying to recruit you, just thought I could find someone with a similar interest…” he said with an unreadable tone. Maybe he felt like she was accusing him of trying to scout. Or maybe he was disappointed that she wasn’t genuinely interested in fencing. “I just thought you were interested considering how focused you were on our practice…” he said as he sort of fiddled with his gloves.
He's trying to keep a distance...
“Wait, was that you? Winning left and right?” she asked him, only for him to shyly nod. “Dude, you were cool!” she said happily with a smile. “No wonder I couldn’t hear you, you have some light feet” she complimented, putting away her cell phone in her back pocket to fully pay attention to the boy in front of her. She couldn’t see his face but she could tell by his awkward stance that he wasn’t very used to praise.
“Thanks… Are you new here?” he chose to divert the topic to a different direction.
“Yeah, I’m (Y/n) (L/n). I start tomorrow” she said, sticking her hand out for a hand shake.
“I’m Adrien... Adrien Agreste,” he said, offering his hand and placing it in hers.
(Sorry, came back to edit it before I start on the second chapter. - 1/31)
(Oops, forgot to add minor crucial things. My bad. - 3/14)
Notes:
Here's the link to my Ko-Fi in case you wanted to support my work! Don't feel pressured, but anything's appreciated :) : https://ko-fi.com/shinyamour
Chapter Text
After the two introduced themselves to each other it wasn’t long before the two found themselves sitting on the floor with their backs against the wall. Their small talk had turned into a passionate monologue about the mobile game that (Y/n) was playing earlier after the boy asked her what she was playing. “And it’s an idle adventure game. You can make a little hero that does quests for loot while you’re not using your phone, but when you log back on you can do dungeons or boss rushes. It’s the kind of game you can get lost in when you grind for specific items” (Y/n) excitedly explained the concept of the mobile game she was playing, spam tapping the screen where you can see her little avatar attacking a red dragon with a sword. All while the boy just politely nodded and hummed out basic responses.
“Even though it’s convenient to have your character farm for items when you’re away from the game, it’s just for basic crafting items. It kind of brings you back to the adventuring part of the game by making rarer items be dungeon exclusives and-” she looked over to see his face or well lack of expression through his mask. “Ah, I’m rambling aren’t I? Sorry...” she stopped herself before she went on for too long. Her old ‘friends’ weren’t too fond of her ramblings. And expecting the same reactions as back then, she braced herself to hear a disheartening comment. But to her surprise, he just chuckled.
“It’s okay. I like hearing all the things you like about your game. It’s very passionate” he replied.
And his reply was all it took for the overbearing fear on her mind to disappear in an instant. Even if she didn’t even know that she had that fear to begin with.
“This Adrien boy is really easy to talk to. A bit reserved at first, but overall a good kid”, she thought as she was getting her first impressions. He was polite but seemed to apologize a lot. Though, (Y/n) didn’t know why he didn’t take his fencing mask off. It felt super awkward to talk to someone when you couldn’t see their face. “You can’t gauge expressions like this…” she thought to herself. And though she was enjoying their talk, a part of her was growing anxious.
He could be just pretending to find interest in our conversations… He does seem like the polite type.
“So, it’s a clicker game?” he asked, forcing her out of her thoughts to reply. “Most of the time, yeah. But you have other moves too. There’s some sort of combo to it, like when you wanna use your special move” she said as she moved her phone closer to him.
But the longer they sat there and the longer she kept talking, some part of her was slowly starting to realize that Adrien wasn’t that type of person. He showed no signs of discomfort. He didn’t sound annoyed. He wasn’t trying to stop her nor trying to force the conversation to change. In fact, he actually sounded too unsure of himself or at least he did during the occasional times he did talk. It was the genuine curiosity in his voice and demeanor that gave her those vibes. His interest didn’t seem to lie with the game she talked about but rather her opinion on it. Soon enough, she found that she didn’t mind the mask since she assumed it was just easier to keep it on than to take it off. She wasn’t sure as she wasn’t familiar with how the uniform worked. Or maybe he just felt more comfortable with it on. To each their own, you know.
The boy just kept nodding along to her rambling. “It looks like a fun game. And the art style is cute and I like that you can customize your hero”, he said with a nod that with the mask on it looked kind of comical. “I don’t normally play games on my phone. I’m more used to arcade machines and consoles…” he mused with an interested tone, leaning closer to her side to see the screen of her cell phone. His arm was practically a centimeter away from pressing against hers. He sat in silence for a bit, watching and analyzing how the game is played, taking some interest in it. Maybe he’d download it later, he thought to himself. “So, (Y/n) tell me about yourself. From the looks of it, I can assume you’re into video games and… I guess you like heroes?” He asked.
(Y/n) couldn’t help but tense up at the question. She didn’t really have good luck when being asked to talk about herself. But she shouldn’t really ignore his question…
Now that I think about it… I think I started playing more games after I started ditching class more…
Memories of countless days going by… All spent in her room… Hours spent glued to a screen… Yearning for connections and experiences that she could never get in her day to day life… Avoiding the outside world like the plague.
No, wait, gotta answer his question.
“Hmmm, I wouldn’t say I’m INTO video games per say… I like experiences… It’s like… I feel like I can experience new things when I read books or watch movies. I kinda put myself in the protagonists’ shoes. So, I guess I like games for that reason. Kinda like how I get to see what it’d be like to be a head chef by playing My Little Restaurant or how I get to be a musician by playing Guitar Pro. Maybe it’s more like pretending? But I obviously know it’s not the same, haha. Oh well, I guess I’m not explaining it very well” she said with a sheepish tone, starting to grow embarrassed from admitting that she plays games to fill a void in her life. She looked down and tapped the pause button on the screen with her index finger to avoid eye contact with him. Her face heating up by the second as she expected laughter.
He seemed to have gone quiet too. Taking in what she said. Staring off into the distance. It was making her a bit nervous, honestly. Especially when he was wearing a mask that hid his face. He started talking and that broke her out of her thoughts. “Nah, I get you. It’s a good distraction. I play games for the same reason” he admitted to her. “Sometimes it’s good to find an escape…” he mumbled the last part. But (Y/n) heard it, she turned to look at him. Again, hating that he was still wearing that mask. He sounded so distant. So lonely. The two sat in silence before he realized he was getting off-track and awkwardly started clearing his throat. “So, do you like heroes? You didn’t answer me before” he brought up.
“Oh, um”, (Y/n) thought about it.
Doesn’t everyone like heroes? They’re always the good guys. They’re the embodiment of good will and good morals. They’re always right.
She wasn’t well versed in her comic book knowledge to be able to say she liked superheroes. But she did suppose that she likes stories where the protagonist is morally good and would do what’s right. She also thought about how she liked games with knights as main characters. The kinds that would save kingdoms, rescue princesses, and would do quests for villagers.
Anti-heroes are fine too. Would that count? Oh but I guess “heroes” is such a vague term. In general, the term “hero” is used positively. But in theory, anyone can be called a hero if they do what they’re supposed to. A corrupt lawyer can be called a “hero” by their firm if they do their job right. But maybe that’s a pessimistic way of looking at it.
Before she could answer, the sound of a whistle made the two look up towards the direction of the courtyard. It would seem that the instructor was calling his students back. Now that she thought about it, Adrien was here with her for quite a while. It was likely that he was going to return sooner or later. “Oh. That’s the end of our break. I- uh, I gotta get back” he said as he stood up and dusted himself off. “You can tell me your answer the next time we see each other” he said, leaning down to offer the girl his hand to help her up. She awkwardly accepted and stood along with him.
“Yeah, sorry for not answering. I gotta think about a good answer” she replied with a meek smile, a little embarrassed that she zoned out at such a simple question, “and hey, maybe the next time we see each other you can tell me about yourself too”.
He suddenly stopped in his steps, going quiet. Again, she couldn’t see his face. So his sudden silence scared her. Did she say something wrong? Was he suddenly upset? Did he not want to see her again? She knew she didn’t do well when making friends. And truthfully, a part of her was afraid that Adrien didn’t want to see her again. But… She was surprised when she could practically hear the smile forming on his face as he nodded. “Yeah… I’d like that. I’ll see you around, (Y/n)” he replied with a wave as he started walking down the stairs to the courtyard. (Y/n) saw him off with a wave and a smile of her own, returning to her game once he had his back turned to her.
(Y/n) could feel her smile linger as she continued to tap at her screen.
I wonder if we’ll be in the same class.
After that, it wasn’t long before (A/n) finally stepped out of the office and motioned for (Y/n) to follow along. (Y/n) asked her aunt how the paperwork went just for the older woman to sigh but smile, making the younger one chuckle. The two started to walk back down the stairs but not before (Y/n) saw someone from the courtyard wave in her direction. Assuming it was Adrien, which she was sure it was, she waved back with a smile. Her aunt didn’t say much at the interaction as she was looking down at her cell phone, presumably texting her husband about getting picked up. Though once the two were past the front steps and were walking down the street, her aunt decided to be a little tease about it.
“Soo, who’s the kid? Already made a new friend?” she said with a little ‘hmmm’ at the end of her questions to push across the teasing. (Y/n) just rolled her eyes and shrugged with a smile, “Maybe… His name is Adrien. We talked about games and fencing”. Her aunt smiled and gave her niece a little side hug as they continued walking, “Good on you for making a new friend already!” The teen playfully pushed the arm off while saying, “We’re not friends yet… But I guess… That I’d kind of, sort of would…like to get to know him better…”
“(Y/n) (L/n), my sweet little princess, THAT is what we Parisians call a ‘friend~’”, her aunt said with an incredibly faux-French accent. Making even the American girl cringe. (Y/n) scrunched up her nose and playfully made an ‘ugh’ sound before rolling her eyes again,
“Okay, you’re definitely lying about being basically a local. You keep calling yourself a ‘Parisian; like it’s a common thing here” her niece deadpanned right back to her aunt.
“(Y/n), when you make a friend, you’ll always be getting to know each other. Aaron is my best friend and my husband, and to this day, I still learn new things about him” (A/n) said with a knowing smile, gently nudging the girl with her elbow, “Wanting to know more about them just means you want to be their friend”.
“Yeah, but that’s your husband…” the girl said with another eye roll. Making her aunt sigh and shake her head, “Yeah but my point is that we were friends first and foremost”.
“Yeah, uh huh, and what did your ‘friend’ say in his text?” (Y/n) said with a chuckle, trying to change the subject as they waited at a crosswalk, “I thought he was going to pick us up?” Her (e/c) eyes landing on the form of a construction worker hunched over and holding his head in his hands as he was waiting for the bus on a nearby bench. She was standing quite a distance away from him but she could see how his shoulders were trembling and shaking up and down. Her eyebrows furrowed in concern as she felt drawn to ask him what was wrong. But she was held back by her aunt’s hand grabbing (Y/n)’s arm to pull her along as the walk symbol appeared on the crosswalk light.
Her aunt felt a bit of resistance as she walked forward while keeping her eyes focused on her cellphone. But she waited until they were on the other side of the street to turn to her niece. “(Y/n)? What’s wrong? Don’t separate yourself from me”, her aunt asked as she looked up from her cellphone. (Y/n) turned forward to watch where she was walking but also to address her aunt. “I think that man was crying…” (Y/n) mumbled. Once at the other side of the street the two of them turned towards the bench where the man was, just to see him boarding the bus. Through the bus’ window, (Y/n) could see him wipe away tears with his sleeve and then donning a solemn look as he went to take a seat. “Well, if he was… I hope he’s okay” her aunt said with a sympathetic smile, patting her niece’s back as they started to walk down the street, “Now come along. You’re still very new here. I don’t want you getting lost. But if you do get lost, just remember-”.
“Remember notable locations because that’ll make it easier to describe where home is, yeah. I remember” (Y/n) finished her aunt’s sentence and just held onto the woman as they walked arm in arm. “I’m just saying it makes it easier in case you get lost. I don’t want to take any chances at least until we switch your cell phone service to international” her aunt said with a shrug as she decided to just call her husband.
Turns out, Aaron was currently stuck in a video conference that was lasting longer than planned so he texted (A/n) to tell her it was okay if the two of them went out for dinner tonight without him. And so, (Y/n) and (A/n) were deciding what to eat. Honestly, (Y/n) would’ve been fine with just going back to the apartment and eating leftovers but her aunt wanted to celebrate her enrollment. And at first, her aunt was gushing about a nearby place that had the “best” sushi in Paris. But with the sun setting, the two weren’t sure about how long it’d take to get back considering they still had to wait for Aaron to pick them up…
And so, now the two were sitting in a McDonald’s. (Y/n) sipping on her drink as her aunt sulked.
“I finally have you here in Paris with me, and we’re eating American fast food?” her aunt sighed as she shoved a fry in her mouth. (Y/n) chewed her food softly and swallowed before laughing, “The takeout from last night was good, if that makes you feel better”. Her aunt huffed and pouted, “It doesn’t. I wanted to take my adorable niece out to a nice restaurant…”. (Y/n) shook her head with a chuckle, “You can take me to all your favorite places some other time. We can sightsee too. You know, since I’ll be living here too” she reasoned with the childish adult.
Paris will be my home too.
Her aunt just sighed again before smiling, “You’re right… Here, take my card. Buy me a Vienna coffee and get yourself something sweet too” she said as she handed the teen her debit card. “It’ll be good practice for you to order yourself something, American girl” she teased. (Y/n) just rolled her eyes and grabbed the card before standing to walk towards the front counter. She waited in line and turned to the glass doors just in passing. Only to snap her head back towards the outside once she heard screams. In what felt like seconds, a moderately sized horde of people came rushing inside for shelter.
“An akuma!!”
“Get inside quick!”
“Watch out!”
She heard them exclaim as she was basically shoved around as people were scrambling inside like a stampede. Her eyes were focused on the outside as she saw cars falling from the sky, kind of like they were yesterday. Her heart’s pounding reverberated back in her head. She really didn’t like the loud noises. It reminded her too much of when they would slam their hands against the lockers around her.
I shouldn’t be remembering that right now… I gotta go back.
She should be getting back to (A/n). She started to turn back towards the dining area until a loud “Waaaaahhh!” made her stop in her tracks and turn around. Her eyes landed on the sight of a distraught child outside. Crying. Looking around frantically before rubbing his eyes as he sobbed out, “Mom! Mommy!”
She looked around inside and searched the crowd of strangers around and hoped to find an adult that would hopefully run out to grab the child. Or that maybe his mother would be around. But no one did. Instead everyone stood back, watching and whispering to themselves.
Just like the other kids back home.
“Oh god… Ladybug and Chat Noir aren’t here yet…” she could hear the people around her murmur. She won’t lie. It angered her to hear how all of these people chose to ignore the child after acknowledging him. Standing around like this didn’t concern them just because it wasn’t their kid. They’d rather be bystanders than to trouble themselves. But, she knew she was no better than them by standing here… But. She’s just a kid. And loud noises frighten her. She’s no hero… What can she do?
She looked up as she saw an old man approach the child in hopes of comforting him… That frail man with a cane, he’s so vulnerable and yet so brave.
That’s right… I don’t have to have powers to do something. I have to help!
She swallowed back her doubts as she pushed through people to run out towards the street in hopes to usher the old man and child inside. Only to look up at the sound of a deep laugh. There, right in the middle of a mech made out of construction equipment, was the man she saw earlier. But he didn’t look the same anymore. His skin was ashy gray like concrete, his eyes were pitch black minus the blue irises, and his suit had the pattern of a safety vest. He had on the most sinister smile as he used the mech’s left arm, which looked like it was made out of a hydraulic excavator to pick up a bus and fling aside towards the building they were just in. Trapping everyone inside as they were barricaded by the bus. She could hear the screams from where she was.
At first, she stopped in her tracks and contemplated running back. Her aunt was in there too, she stayed inside! But it’s not like she could move a whole bus. And she’s safe inside with the others. These people are vulnerable just staying out here like that.
“I am Wrecking Man! Bring me Chat Noir and Ladybug or I will destroy every building in Paris!” he exclaimed, grabbing a car this time and throwing it far. It looks like he was just making a mess to draw out the superheroes. She looked back to the old man and child, continuing to run to their sides. “Quick while he’s distracted, let’s hide!” she whispered to them. The two nodded and (Y/n) picked up the boy in her arms and started to run towards an alleyway. Just as her aunt did yesterday. But, she stopped when she heard a thud and a pained grunt behind her. She turned back expecting to see the old man right behind her, just to see him sprawled on the street with his cane a far distance from him. It seems like he tripped over the broken asphalt when she wasn’t looking. She hesitated for a moment.
Her heart was pounding in her chest. Thumping like a drum in her ears. She wanted to save him too. And at first, she inched down to try to- Wait. She looked down to the trembling child in her arms. Straightening her back and taking a breath, she stood up and turned back towards the alleyway. Running. Rushing to get her hands free again. What good could she be to the old man with her arms full? She placed the boy down and whispered for him to stay put. “I’ll be back… I promise” she reassured the little boy, crouching to be at his eye level, and he nodded despite being so afraid. “Good boy” she cooed as she stood back up and ran to the older man.
She was quick to pick up the cane and keep running at the same time, “I got you…” she whispered hurriedly, crouching to help up the man. “You came back…” he said in between pained coughs, gratefully taking the cane. “Of course, I did… I had to free my hands first. No one said my plan was uh- ‘concrete’.” she joked softly, making the man shake his head with a smile. “I’m not sure now’s a good time to make a joke” he mused as they started to speed walk out of there. Not moving very fast as she had to match the older man’s pace. “Nonsense, if not now then when?” she said with a shaky chuckle, turning back every once in a while to make sure the akumatized villain wasn’t following or focusing on them.
While (Y/n) wasn’t looking, the old man’s gaze was focused in her direction. Pensively narrowing his eyes before smiling to himself. The black and white charm of his bracelet flashing green for a split second. “Wayzz, settle down…” he whispered to his wrist. Making the girl turn her head back to him, “What was that?” she asked, genuinely thinking he asked her something. “Nothing, child. I’m trying to settle my heart… I’m far too old to be experiencing such excitement” he said among fake coughs. Raising an eyebrow, (Y/n) was about to ask something else but the sound of loud but slow mechanical footsteps made her blood run cold.
“You.” She heard Wrecking Man say as the footsteps drew closer. She didn’t even need to turn back to know what was happening. She looked the old man in the eyes and whispered, “Go…” And at first, he wanted to object. But then she pleaded, “Please, I need you to protect that boy for me”. And for a split second, he held a cold unreadable expression before nodding and continuing to limp towards the alley.
“Are you going to ignore me too? Are you going to pretend I don’t exist?” He said in his deep distorted voice, the clawed hand of his mech crushing the wall of a nearby building. The loud noise made the young girl jump and hold back a scream, much like she did yesterday. The sounds were so much closer to her this time. There were no alleys to hide in. No one’s shoulder to hide in. There was no escape.
For a moment, she contemplated making a run for it. Her hands were trembling. Her heart was racing in her ribcage. She couldn’t seem to find her voice anymore. This was it, wasn’t it? Retribution for not helping someone in need? Maybe not that extreme, but a part of her did wonder if it was punishment from the universe. What did she do to deserve this? She heard a whimper and turned to look over at the child she helped. He was trying so desperately to muffle his cries as he buried his little face in the old man’s Hawaiian shirt.
Right. They don’t deserve this either. I have to make sure he doesn’t hit any more buildings… There are people’s lives at stake… I just have to wait until Ladybug gets here… I gotta distract him.
Taking a deep but shaky breath, (Y/n) turned her head back towards the akumatized man, and with a trembling voice replied, “I… I-I’m sorry for not helping you earlier…”
Her reply seemed to anger him more, stomping and crushing the nearest vehicle. “You’re just like everyone else! A ‘sorry’ won’t fix the damage done to me!” He yelled as he punched another wall. After it collapsed, he turned the giant mech towards the girl and he suddenly started to stomp towards her, his heavy steps shattering the asphalt under the weight of the mech.
“Your ‘sorry’ won’t pay the bills. A ‘sorry’ won’t bring my family back together. A ‘sorry’ won’t fix what’s broken!” He yelled in his distorted voice, taking another step forward as she instinctively stepped back. Mentally prepared to run for it if he got too close. She looked up and saw the pained look on his face as he gritted his teeth. She noticed the way he shook his head and clenched at his chest as he panted. And the outline of a glowing butterfly appeared over his eyes. His eyes squinted shut like if he was bracing for some sort of impact? Why?
“Does… it hurt him?” She thought to herself. “Wait, what did (A/n) say?”, she remembered what her aunt told her yesterday about the villain that corrupts innocent people, who turns them into evil henchmen with powers and thought to herself that maybe… she could reach the real man inside that villain with reason. Surely, the real him was still there. He’s just lost and vulnerable… Poor guy… to be taken advantage of by a bad guy.
She looked down to her trembling hands… Slowly balling them into fists, before looking back up and raising her voice. “Look, you’re right! A ‘sorry’ won’t fix everything. Someone can apologize all they want and not truly mean it. But ‘sorry’ isn’t meant to be a solution. It’s the start of it” she said, while taking brave steps forward. “If you want apologies to truly have weight to them then they have to be accompanied with action! So, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t help you earlier… I’m sure you just wanted some compassion and I failed to deliver it. So…” she looked around for any sign of the heroes. “I’m here now! Talk to me! I want to help you…” she said bravely.
In the background, the old man was watching intently from the shadows of the alleyway. His firm hand rubbing circles of the back of the child he was soothing. “She might be the most reckless or bravest one yet…” he thought to himself while stroking his facial hair with his free hand.
For a moment, it looked like her words did reach him. His face softened. The arms of the mech slowly fell. And she could swear that his eyes gleamed with hope… But as soon as they did, the shape of the butterfly appeared on his face again and he started to convulse and writhe in pain. “GAAHHH! N-NO! I-I know! I don’t want to hurt-! Please! S-She’s just a kid…I can’t possibly-! Agghhh!” he violently shook his head as he clutched it between his hands, his fingers gripping at his hair. She could hear him arguing back with the person controlling him. His shining eyes were reverting back to the dull darkness that they originally were. He screamed in pain one last time before going limp.
Gasping in concern, (Y/n) made the foolish mistake of trying to come closer… His head jerked upwards and he grinned sinisterly, before making the mech charge forward. Balling up a fist with the excavator arm before leaping in the air and landing by punching the ground, making it crumble beneath the force of it and making the asphalt cave in. With his sheer strength he caused the formation of a crater in the middle of the street. (Y/n) screamed as the ground shaked and shattered beneath her, stumbling and wobbling as she tried to turn and run away only to end up falling and sliding into the crater along the crumbling asphalt. Her sneaker caught itself with the dirt and broken pavement as she was falling, causing her to trip and fall forward. Her bare legs grazed themselves on the rocks as she landed in the middle of the crater. She hissed in pain at the tender cuts on her legs, looking down at them and seeing scratches with beads of red starting to form. Her ankle was starting to feel numb too… It won’t be long before it starts to ache. She sat and looked up, caught like a deer in headlights, making eye contact with the man in the mech again. Watching in horror as he prepared himself to do another one of those leaping charge-up punches.
“I don’t need you to help me! Many have apologized to me and nothing has come from it. Empty promises, hah! Papillon has been the only one to provide me with the power to act! You can say sorry all you want. I WILL TAKE MATTERS INTO MY OWN HANDS. AS soon as I get Ladybug and Chat Noir’s miraculouses. And then, no longer will I be pushed around. No more weak ‘sorry’s to cover your mistakes. No one will ignore me ever again! Well, you, my wife, and my boss can ALL TAKE THOSE SORRY’S AND SHOVE IT!” He proclaimed mid-air, as the right arm of his mech transformed itself into a wrecking ball and chain, swinging it around as he charged it for a stronger impact. (Y/n) couldn’t help but brace herself. Her fate was sealed with this. There was no way for her to escape. She shut her eyes and expected a crushing weight… But instead, nothing? Well, no. She felt the ground beneath her shake from the impact of his landing. And her body semi-bounced up from the force of it. His hit just didn’t land. Did he miss?
She opened an eye and peeked upwards, confused by the sight in above her. It looked like his mech’s arm was suspended mid swing? The wrecking ball was being held back by a string? Her (e/c) eyes widened as she noticed the red yoyo with black spots. They’re here!
“Chat! Q-quick! I can’t hold him back for long! Grab the civilian!” She could hear a girl’s voice from afar.
Before she could sneak a glance at the superheroine, she was suddenly lifted into a pair of arms and being moved around as the figure in black jumped effortlessly out of the pit she was in. Jumping on the chunks of asphalt to escape. “On it, m’lady! I’ve secured the girl!” she heard him yell back from beside her. (Y/n) looked up and held back a surprised gasp. It was Chat Noir! Currently his facial expression was serious as he concentrated on getting them out of there. Not acknowledging the girl in his arms yet. Taking in his complexion, (Y/n) was awestruck at being so close to the hero that her aunt idolized. Unaware that she was staring.
His green eyes are so deep… His blonde hair looks golden in contrast to his dark suit… He might be wearing a mask, but he’s got a handsome face… (A/n) must be crazy to compare me to him. He’s even more amazing up close…
“You alright, miss?” she heard him ask and that broke her out of her thoughts. He still wasn’t looking at her but he assumed her silence stemmed from shock and/or fear. He still had a task at hand, and that was to bring her somewhere safe and away from harm. “Thank you for distracting him by the way, but please don’t ever put yourself in danger. You were brave enough to face him but trying to try to talk him down from the mech was a bad idea” he semi-scolded her as he hopped onto a rooftop.
“Oh, um, besides my legs… I’m fine and” she said meekly and honestly a little embarrassed that he had to bear witness to any of her prior actions, “I-I just wanted to help…”. God, she felt like a dork now that the adrenaline was starting to die down. Not too long ago she was making fun of all the magical girl tropes and now she was trying to stop a villain with her words… And to think she was making fun of Ladybug yesterday…
Ughh, I did what magical girls normally do… I tried to blindly reason with the villain…
The two were now a good distance away from the chaos as Chat placed (Y/n) down. Finally getting the chance to look at her, and then tensing up at the sight of her. His green eyes widened for a split second before he shook his head and suddenly bowed to the girl. A cheeky grin replacing the focused expression he had earlier, “Well, hello. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around~” he purred as he suddenly walked around her, inspecting her. Making the girl suddenly feel flustered and self-conscious, “I-I just moved here, so of course you haven’t seen me before…” she replied back. “Ah, you’re right! I’m sure I’d remember a brave girl like you if I’d ever met you” he replied with a smug smile, taking her hand in his as he stopped to stand in front of her. The girl was a bit shorter than him so she had to look up and meet his gaze as he suddenly brought her hand up to his lips! Before she could reply he suddenly kissed the back of her hand!!
“Well, since you’re new here. I must welcome you! Chat Noir, at your service!” he introduced himself with a wink.
(Y/n) was internally screaming to herself. Were all Parisian men just flirts? Her mom would always say that French men were good at wooing women… Ah, wait. But she can’t say that. Adrien was a really nice boy after all. She fought back the warm redness that was threatening to creep up her neck to her face. Anybody else would surely react this way, too. What teenage girl would ever be used to a superhero kissing their hand? She shyly cleared her throat, before introducing herself right back, “I’m (Y/n)... Um, shouldn’t you be going back to Ladybug?”
He blinked at her response, maybe a little disappointed at her lack of a reaction from the hand kiss but also somewhat surprised that she knew who Ladybug was. After all, she did say she was new to Paris. “My Lady can handle herself for a bit. I was entrusted to make sure you were secure before coming back to her side. And I want to make sure that you are okay before I leave you to ‘nail down’ this Wrecking Man ” he said valiantly, all smugly while holding a hand over his heart. Making the young girl blink just as he did earlier, but not before laughing to herself. Ah, she can see why (A/n) compared her to the leather-clad hero. “Pftt, you too?” she asked in between giggles. Confusing the cat-themed hero boy. Was his joke that funny? Normally, Ladybug would roll her eyes at him for joking around. He was a little caught off-guard at the girl’s delight.
“Hehe, I also like to make jokes when I’m nervous!” she said with a smile, catching the boy off-guard. “I like to ‘pave way’ with jokes to lighten the mood, if ya get what I mean” she said with a shake of her head, still letting out a few chuckles. His eyes seemed to brighten as he grinned, “Well, I’m ‘beam-ing’ at the thought of a new friend!” he replied to her silly pun.
The mood was much lighter now that the heroes had announced their presence, but there was still a villain to take care of. And (Y/n) knew that, as much as she’d like to joke around with Chat Noir… There were still people in danger. Her aunt was still trapped in the restaurant… And she left that old man and child back in the alley. “Wait, Chat Noir. I’m okay I swear but I need you to check on two people that I left back there” she pleaded as she stepped forward to point to the exact alley from before, only for her leg to buckle causing her to stumble and place all her weight onto her sprained ankle. Luckily the hero was quick to wrap an arm around her waist to support her so as to not fall.
“Whoa, there. There’s no rush. Don’t worry, Ladybug and I will take care of it from here. Where are they?” he asked, intently scanning her face for any sign of pain. The girl instead was focused on describing the two she helped earlier and pointing where they are. “She’s more worried about them than herself…” he thought to himself before gently interrupting her. “Well, it’ll be easier now that I know that little Miss Hero was around to keep everyone safe for us” he said as he stepped back to look down at her injured legs, “It’s my turn to get ‘scratched’ up” he joked with a wink, stepping back as he withdrew his baton. “I’ll be back to check on your injuries, Miss Hero” he saluted with another wink before jumping off and running towards the battle.
She gazed off to the distance, her eyes following his retreating figure as he got closer to the mech. Now that the excitement was somewhat over, (Y/n) felt the weight of everything finally catch up to her. Her legs felt like jelly and they ached like crazy. She was gonna be sore tomorrow. She plopped onto the ground and inspected her legs, sighing at how dirty and scratched up they were. Caked in dirt and dry blood… Her sneakers and white shirt were dirty too… Not to mention her right ankle was very swollen. She looked up to the sky, tired from today’s events. Wondering if Ladybug’s magic cloud of ladybugs can fix her up like it fixed the wreckage from yesterday… What are the limitations to it? If Ladybug can do that, then what can Chat Noir do? Speaking of Chat Noir…
That was new… Chat Noir was so much cooler in person. A bit of a dork, though. I can see why (A/n) looks up to him. He’s kind of childish for a superhero. Like how she’s a little childish for her age, hehe.
Wait, why does he keep calling me “Miss Hero”?
It wasn’t long before the dark sky was filled with swarms of magic glowing ladybugs. Buildings, cars, and streets were getting repaired. And buses were being teleported back to where they were before. People were meeting up with loved ones.
“Mommy!” the young boy from earlier cried as he jumped into a woman’s arms. Chat Noir standing aside as he watched the touching scene. Smiling, somewhat sadly, as he overlooked the safe return of the young boy. Keeping his word with (Y/n) but… He just couldn’t find the old man she described earlier. He approached the mother and child and got on a knee to be at the young boy’s eye level before asking, “Hey, were you with an elderly man? He was wearing a red Hawaiian shirt and had beige pants… Uh, facial hair and a black charm bracelet… I need to make sure he’s okay… I promised it to the girl from earlier”.
“The grandpa left to take care of something important… He made sure to wait until you got here first though!” the little boy said with a little nod. Acting shy in front of the hero.
Ladybug came up from behind Chat and placed a hand on his shoulder, “Everything okay here?” she asked. “Yeah, I was just looking for someone to make sure they’re safe…” he said with a sigh as he stood back up. “How’s the akuma victim?” he asked as the two walked away from any listening ears. “He’s okay… A little disoriented… But I gotta make sure he makes it home okay before my earrings-” she was interrupted by the sound of a man sobbing. The two instinctively turning around expecting danger but seeing the akuma victim crying as he had his arms wrapped around the mother and child from earlier.
“Charlotte… I’m so sorry… I lost my job… And I know, I’ve messed up in the past with the failed businesses… But I’ve realized that what I’ve most failed at was being a good husband and father to Malo… I’m going to act better and BE better for you, because I can’t lose you.. I love you” he proclaimed as he pleaded to his wife, tears in his eyes. The woman smiled through tears as she nodded, “Adam, that’s all I ever wanted to hear…”
Looking away from his wife’s gentle gaze, the adult man made eye contact with the heroes and approached them with a smile. “Thank you, Ladybug and Chat Noir. You two saved me from destroying the city and stopped me from hurting others” he thanked them and surprised them with a hug. Embracing both heroes at once and pulling away to look around, “But, where’s the girl? The one that talked to me…” he said worried, “I want to thank her too… I didn’t hurt her, did I? The voice in my head… kept telling me to crush anyone in my way… but I still remember what she said to me. I really hope she’s okay” His hand was trembling as he recalled the pain he felt when he was under control.
“Don’t worry, sir. She’s fine. Chat Noir made sure of it” Ladybug reassured the man, making him sigh in relief and retreat back to his family reunion. “I guess I don’t have to worry about escorting them back…” she said to Chat as she took out her yo-yo and started swinging it in circles to warm up to leave, “Can you make sure that girl gets home safe? I got two minutes before I de-transform” she asked. Chat Noir nodded with a smile, “You can count on me, m’lady”. He waved until she was out of sight and once she was gone, he sighed and looked down to his ring. He didn’t get to use his Cataclysm this time… So, of course he had to escort (Y/n) home. He knew that logically it had to be him, since he didn’t have to worry about de-transforming. And it’s not like he didn’t want to. He had just met (Y/n) today and he already liked her. You know, as a person. But… A part of him wished he could’ve spent just a little more time with Ladybug. He knew he shouldn’t be thinking so selfishly. Both he and Ladybug had to always prioritize their duties as heroes. They were heroes first and partners second. He accepted that from the beginning. But, he wished she would want to spend more time with him like the way he did with her. He sighed and started to take out his baton. He still had a job to do.
So as she guessed, Ladybug’s powers only heal at surface level… (Y/n) found that out the hard way. The cuts on her legs were gone. They looked good as new but still felt a little tingly, which was fine as long as she wasn’t bleeding. Her clothes looked new again. No dirt stains or scuffs on her sneakers. But… her ankle was still swollen though. After the cloud of magical ladybugs was done swarming around her. (Y/n) thought that it meant she was good to stand up and leave. It wasn’t. Her ankle throbbed at first step and she was forced to remain sitting.
“I wonder who makes the rules about their powers…” she thought as she looked at the sun as it was setting, the sky shifting from a deep orange to a light purple to a deeper blue. The skyline was beautiful… Ah, the Eiffel tower’s lights were turning on! And the boats along the Seine were also turning on their lights. She closed her eyes in relaxation, taking in the sounds and smells of Paris as the citizens just moved on. Hard to believe they were just attacked by an akuma… It was nice. The way life moves on for them. The way something so life changing can uproot their every day and somehow they can manage to get back up. A part of her respected that and yet she yearned to be like them.
“They’re strong people” she mumbled to herself, fighting the feeling of wanting to drift off.
“Aren’t they?” she heard a voice from behind her, making her jump up from where she was sitting with a comical “GAAH!” as she turned around wide-eyed. Seeing the superhero from earlier, waving sheepishly. Obviously he didn’t mean to startle the girl but he already scared her earlier today… Not like she knew that, though. “You startle easily, don’t you?” he teased her as he reached out a hand. The girl just narrowed her eyes playfully at him, “No, I just don’t usually have people sneak up on me” she replied as she took his hand. “It’s not like I wanted to sneak up on you. You seem to get your head stuck in the clouds a lot, huh, Miss Spacey” he jested as he pulled her up.
Miss Spacey???
Before she could ask about the odd nickname with snark, she felt the stinging pain in her ankle as she tried to stand. Making her wince and lift it as she balanced herself on the other leg. “Are you okay?” he asked, worried as he supported her with one of his arms wrapped around her waist. “Y-Yeah, just sprained my ankle earlier” she replied as she looked down to inspect her injury, unaware of just how close he was to her as she rested a hand over his chest. Maybe he was just naturally the type of person that lacked awareness… Or a natural flirt. But it’s not something she should worry about with her ankle hurting at every step. God, how was she going to get home? And what was she going to tell (A/n)? Oh, right. She still had to head back to (A/n). She must be worried sick.
Her cell service wasn’t set to work in the country yet. So even if (A/n) was trying to reach out to her there was no way for (Y/n) to receive any of the calls. So her best bet to reconnect with her aunt was to just head home.
“Um, Mr. Noir. Do you think I could get dropped off at my apartment?” she asked, looking up at him. Finally realizing how close his face was to hers, she turned away to hide her embarrassment. Luckily for her, he just smiled with an eager nod as he was ready to be helpful. “No need for the formalities, Miss Hero. Just call me Chat, unless you have another pet name for me~” he said that last part with a cheeky wink. “Okay, so a flirt” she thought to herself as she just humored him with a grimace and nod. “Where should I drop you off, Miss Hero? I’ll gladly escort you to wherever you need” he said as he was getting ready to hook his free arm under her knees to lift her into another princess carry. “Princess carries must come naturally to a guy like him” she thought to herself before waving her arms in front of herself, making him stop mid-stance with a confused expression. “Ah ah ah, wait. I was hoping for more of a… piggy-back ride?” she asked with an unsure smile.
His eyebrows remained in that confused scrunch until they slowly raised in realization. A smug smile now on his face as he teasingly leaned in, “Could it be that Miss Hero isn’t used to the princess treatment?” he purred. With a reddening face, (Y/n) backed up and avoided eye contact. “Yeah, I guess you can say that…” she admitted as she turned his face to the side by pushing his chin away with her hand. He pouted and got into position, crouching in front of her with his back facing her. Though awkwardly she managed to get behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he hooked his arms under her knees.
This is still so embarrassing. I can feel how warm his back is… He smells nice too! Damn it! Keep it together, (Y/n)!
“... to?” she heard him say something.
She shook her head and forced herself to push down her thoughts, “I-I’m sorry? I mean, yes?” she managed to answer.
“I said ‘Where to?’, Miss Spacey?” He asked, slightly turning over his shoulder to look at her. Right. Her address… “Rue Marjolin… I don’t remember the building number, but I remember it could overlook the nearby park…” she replied, somewhat embarrassed that she couldn’t remember her soon-to-be address. “Not to worry! I have great navigational skills. I’m sure finding your home won’t be too hard for me” he said with an understanding nod.
“So, where’d you come from?” he asked as he started to hop and run along the rooftops of Paris. Her answer was lost in the sight before her. The city just looked so vibrant and alive… It was a sight that contradicted the destructive scene from earlier. Her (e/c) eyes shining with wonder as she took in the new sight. Chat Noir moved with effortless grace as his boots landed semi-silently against the cobblestone rooftops. His footsteps sort of reminded her of a cat’s. No wonder he was able to sneak up on her…
Above them, the night sky stretched out like a canvas, adorned with a spread of twinkling stars that seemed to blend in with the street lamps. The warm glow of the city lights and stars appeared to become one, and it was like magic... The air felt alive with the gentle hum of the city, filled with the distant sounds of chatter as the citizens of Paris went on with their lives. It also smelled a bit like the butter of pastries… But maybe that was just (Y/n)’s stomach talking…
The world below them seemed to fade away, being replaced by a breathtaking sight of all of that Parisian scenery that (A/n) would try to sell to (Y/n). The sensation of the chilly night wind tickled her warm face as the superhero concentrated on jumping and running. (Y/n) felt light and unstoppable in the moment. She couldn’t help but want to close her eyes to savor the rush of freedom she was getting as they seemed to soar through the night sky. As they ran along the rooftops, (Y/n) fell into a comfortable sense of security, filling her with a profound sense of appreciation for Chat Noir and what he’s doing. Not that his actions were planned or meant specifically for her. But it felt special to her. It felt like a sight that only the two could share together. Chat Noir showed her a small glimpse into his world... A world she would love to be a part of… In that moment, surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of Paris, she felt truly grateful to be here, to be… alive… for once.
It’s been a while since I’ve felt like this…
“(Y/n)?” she heard him ask again, “You’re not asleep, are you?”. He stopped in his pace to glance over his shoulder to check on her. “Mmm, trying not to” she mumbled back as she opened her eyes and smiled sheepishly,“Sorry, what were you saying earlier?”. He lightly shook his head as he smiled and started to run again, “Jeez, you worried me for a moment. I thought maybe you had a concussion and that I shouldn’t let you doze off”. In her sleepy state she absentmindedly tightened her embrace around his shoulders fighting off the urge to bury her nose in his golden locks of hair. It just looked so soft and she was so tired… “Don’t worry, I didn’t receive any impact to my skull. Not today at least, haha” she joked. Though, Chat didn’t seem to find her joke funny at all. He narrowed his eyes and turned to glance at her, “Did you move here to stay out of trouble? Doesn’t look like it worked…” he said that last part to himself, but he clearly directed it her way. And she wasn’t going to lie, that last part kind of stung in a way she couldn’t explain. It was making her feel like she was a screw-up that was bound to make the same mistakes as before.
“Sorry. I… Just wanted to try again… Truth is, I wasn’t very comfortable back in my old school. And when my aunt offered to stay with her and to study abroad, I jumped at the chance to start over” she admitted. “Really? You’re telling me that a girl brave enough to stand in front of a mech moved countries because she felt uncomfortable? I’d assume someone as fearless as you would march up to the source and face it head on…” he hummed, feeling awkward at her change in tone. The last thing he wanted to do was to make her feel uncomfortable.
“It’s not that simple. Though, I wish it were that easy’ she replied softly.
It’s hard to be brave when you don’t know what to fight for.
An image flashed in her memories as she suddenly remembered about the old man and child from earlier, “Oh, wait. What happened to the two from earlier?” she brought up. She truly did worry for the two but she honestly also wanted an excuse to change the subject of conversation. And a part of the hero could sense that she was avoiding a much heavier conversation. Truth be told, he was curious. But he valued her and her privacy, so he chose to go along with her. “I found the little boy easily, he was right where you said he would be. Right in the alley. But… I couldn’t find the old man. The boy said that he left as soon as my lady used her Lucky Charm. I assume he’s alright and that he had to check on something urgent” he explained as he hopped onto another building, carrying her with ease it seemed since he wasn’t showing any signs that he was tired. “He left? Hm, maybe he had family to check on…” she wondered out loud, “Oh well, thank you for checking on them for me… I appreciate it. And again, thank you for everything.”
He smiled and suddenly started running faster, “Anything for you, Miss Hero~” he said happily, his demeanor appeared to have shifted after she thanked him. “Maybe he doesn’t get praised enough?” she wondered as she involuntarily held back a surprised scream as he cleared a wide gap between two rooftops! It looked like he was this close to missing the landing! How was he so calm? He was carrying a passenger! Oh wow, she didn’t notice it before but they were really high up now. What if they fell????
“Hold on tight, (Y/n)!” he said with a cheerfulness to his tone. Not that she didn’t trust that he wouldn’t drop her… but just to be sure, she wrapped her arms tighter around his shoulders and squinted her eyes so as to not accidentally look down below. “Miss Hero is afraid of heights, huh?” he teased as he jumped again, getting to a taller rooftop. Despite the anxiety she was feeling right now, she still had a stubborn side to her that did not appreciate the teasing. Powered by her pride, she cracked open an eye and accidentally made eye contact with the boy that was glancing over his shoulder. While somehow still running?
“Look ahead! Eyes on the road! What if we fall?!” she scolded, both (e/c) eyes now wide open as she feared that maybe she shouldn’t have trusted this cocky hero. He pursed his lips and suddenly grinned wickedly as he feigned the action of losing his balance over the edge of the roof they were on. “Aahhh!” she screamed, hugging him tighter and clenching her eyes.
To no one’s surprise, nothing happened. She slowly opened her eyes to see… a clear view of an amusement park? She squinted her eyes and could faintly see the lit outline of one of those rotating swing rides. The lights seemed to flicker like little flames from the distance but she could still hear the faint cheering and laughter from the people there. “Cat got your tongue, (Y/n)?” he teased softly, making her roll her eyes. “No, I just got a little distracted. And by the way now that I’m thinking about it, not everyone is accustomed to heights, Mr. Superhero!” she scolded him again, this time her fears getting blown away with the gentle night breeze. “It’s not like I was going to drop you, besides I always land on my feet” he said confidently as he started to move across the rooftops. The sights slowly became more familiar to the girl. They just passed the Jardin d’acclimatation… The Palais des Congres is right over there… Okay, she was starting to relax more now that she was getting close to home. Okay maybe (A/n) was right to tell her that remembering notable places would make it easier to remember where their home was. “Okay, what about times you don’t?” she teased back, “Don’t you ever think about how you’re just a whisker away from falling?”. She giggled at her own joke and it honestly made him happier to see her loosening up around and having fun.
“Oh? I’m glad to see you’re feline better, Miss Hero~” he said with a hum. Their conversation somehow became a cat pun contest. “Yep, I’m feeling pretty paw-some right now” she replied smoothly, just for him to throw in a joke about Scottish Folds.
“Get it? Because I don’t plan on ‘folding’ any time soon” he explained his joke to the girl. Who just replied with a snarky, “Yeah, okay, it’s just sad when you have to explain the joke”.
“Hey!” he replied playfully angrily before the two started to laugh at each other’s antics. Their laughter echoed across the rooftops as they lost themselves in each other’s company.
“(Y/n)! Sweetheart, you’re okay!” her aunt exclaimed as she and her husband ran up the teen girl. They appeared disheveled and exhausted, probably from running around and searching for her in the last hour. Aaron sighed in relief at the sight of the hero placing the girl down, seemingly unscathed, and he was quick to take out his cell phone to make some calls. Probably to tell the police and any other friends that their niece has been found. (A/n) on the other hand was tearing up, and immediately wrapped her arms around the girl and hugged her to her chest with all her might. Her trembling hands gripped the fabric of (Y/n)’s sweatshirt as she buried her face in her niece’s shoulder. Exhaling shaky breaths as if fighting the urge to cry. “Oh ohh, I was so worried… I don't know what I would’ve done if-'' her aunt rambled on as she pulled away from the embrace to inspect the girl for any injuries. But her niece cut her off with a smile and a hug of her own, “I’m okay. Ladybug and Chat Noir saved me. And Chat Noir brought me home” (Y/n) pulled away to reveal the hero that was standing behind her. He was honestly sure that they just ignored his presence in the heat of the moment, so he was surprised to be placed on the spot like that.
“Uh, hello ma’am. I made sure to escort the young lady home after the akuma was dealt with, I couldn’t let a lady walk home so late at night. Especially one as wonderful as your daughter…” he said, somewhat nervously with an awkward bow.
(A/n) blinked as she took in what he said, starting to laugh, “Ahaha, (Y/n) isn’t my daughter… She’s my niece. And yeah, she’s really wonderful isn’t she?” she said fondly, her eyes warmly analyzing the boy in front of her. “I just wanted to say. Thank you for saving and protecting my niece. And thank you for saving me before, though you probably don’t remember it. But I wouldn’t be here with my little family if not for you… You’re a brave boy and you’re doing a good job, don’t you ever forget that” she said as she gave the young hero a firm but quick hug. Surprising him, as he stood there stiffly.
Now, Adrien wasn’t a stranger to ladies wanting to hug him. It came with the fame, you know. Heck, neither was Chat Noir really. But this was the first time in a long while since he’s received an embrace from a parent-aged adult like this. It was nice, and it made him wonder if… this is what it would feel like to get hugged by a mother… His thoughts bringing him back to remember the touching scene from earlier when the little boy was reunited with his mom. (Y/n) chuckled at first at how stiffly the boy was reacting to the hug, thinking it was cute, but she was soon growing concerned at how his hands trembled and his green eyes glossed before reciprocating the hug.
“You’re very welcome, ma’am. I-” he coughed awkwardly as he started to pull away from the hug, “I have to go now. But it was a pleasure to have helped you and your family…” He said with a smile, maybe a little embarrassed that he wanted the comforting embrace to last a little longer. He started to withdraw his baton, but not before turning to stare at the sight of (Y/n)’s family one more time. There looked to be some longing behind those green eyes, especially as they lingered on the way that (A/n) and Aaron doted on the young girl. A part of him wished that that could be him. Not necessarily exactly in that situation per say but instead to be part of a family like that. Small and intimate. To be guided and supported, not neglected and forced to follow a path that isn’t his.
“But life doesn’t always work the way you want it to, huh?” he mumbled sadly to himself before retreating into the night.
(Y/n) was sitting at the edge of her bed, watching curiously as her aunt finished wrapping up her sprained ankle. The two women were now in loungewear as they were getting ready to settle down for the night.
“I see why you like him so much. He’s kind of clumsy. But he just wants to help” (Y/n) said as she rested her arm on her elevated knee while her aunt started to put away her medical supplies. “Ohhh, Chat Noir caught your eye, huh?” her aunt teased as she poked her niece’s side, making the girl roll her eyes and poke back.
“He’s got another fan that’s for sure” she admitted with a smile, in turn making (A/n) smile too. “Oh great! We’ll be a Chat Noir fan family! Aaron likes him too” (A/n) said with a happy hum as she got up to put the aid kit back in the main restroom. She stopped at the doorway to turn a glance over her shoulder, “(Y/n), by the way, I’m so glad to have you here with me. I just wanted you to know that. Good night” she gently reminded the girl before hitting the switch on the wall and closing the door behind her as she walked out.
(Y/n) let out the sigh she was holding. She knew (A/n) was being genuine with her words. She obviously wouldn’t have brought her here if she didn’t want her here. But. There was a part of her that just couldn’t help but to think otherwise. Afterall, if she was a burden on her mother… What’s stopping her from doing the same to (A/n)? (A/n) was nice. Too nice. She’d never tell her if anything was bothering her because it’d hurt her.
“Why am I like this?” she wondered aloud before flopping back onto her comforter. Only to sit up in pain as her head hit what felt like the sharp corner of a rock? She hissed softly and rubbed the tender part of her scalp as she looked around for whatever hurt her. “What was- Oh?” she mumbled as she felt around and her fingers brushed against what felt like a wooden jewelry box?
She squinted her eyes as she couldn’t see very well with the lights off. Maybe it was a pair of (A/n)’s earrings? “She probably left them here” she thought with a shrug as she placed it aside on the nightstand next to her bed. She stood up to limp over to her bathroom, hoping to brush her teeth real quick before bed. She stared at her reflection as she applied toothpaste onto the plastic toothbrush. She started to brush and scrub gently at her teeth as she noticed Coco behind her through the reflection of the mirror. Her eyes widening as she saw the fluffy white cat hop onto her nightstand, curiously sniffing the jewelry box from before. She spat out the toothpaste to be able to speak, “Coco… Nooo, don’t you dare” she softly warned the cat as she turned around to approach the cat, toothbrush still in hand.
The mischievous little thing just sat there with its tail swaying from side to side, staring back at (Y/n) with a blank expression, before bopping softly at the box. “Coco, bad kitty!” she scolded the pet as she stepped closer in hopes of just moving the box away again. But not before the naughty cat firmly smacked the box off of the stand.
“Ahh, seriously?!” she exclaimed as she tried to catch it as it fell. But she unfortunately was too late as the box slipped past her hand and made impact against the hardwood floor.
“Shoot, Coco what if you lost (A/n)’s earr-” she said as she got on her knees to pick up what she thought was going to be scattered earrings… but instead it was a silver hairpin? Slightly confused she placed her toothbrush back in her mouth as she attempted to gently pick it up to check for any damage. It was slightly cold to the touch and had the motif of a bee? (Y/n) was sure she’d never seen (A/n) own something like this…
And then out of nowhere a bright yellow flash of light appeared from the base of the bee-themed hair ornament! Surprising the girl and making her drop it out of instinct. Her (e/c) widening as she backed up as much as possible, her back hitting the edge of her bed. The light seemed to shrink as it condensed itself into an orb that was separating itself from the hair pin. Floating into the air before zooming around the room.
“What the-??!!” she exclaimed to herself, hoping not to alarm her aunt and her husband in the room across the living room. Okay, maybe it was uhhh a pin that shot fireworks? Okay, maybe not.
The orb stopped and flew up to (Y/n)’s eye level before the light started to fade and reveal a bee-thing????
“Greetings, your highness” it greeted her with a little bow.
(Y/n) stared back into its blue eyes before slowly blinking. “Oh wow… I must be super tired…” she said to herself, so sure she was dreaming. “Gotta go to bed” she thought as she stood to put away her toothbrush. Unaware that the bee creature was flying behind her, following her.
“Oh right, you must be exhausted after today! My apologies. Be sure to get your rest, my queen!” it said cutely with a smile as it followed the teen girl. (Y/n) didn’t acknowledge it, assuming it was just a figment of her imaginative dreams. Maybe this was… some sort of lucid dream? Yeah, that sounds right. Sounds plausible enough. Yes, let’s go with that. Maybe today was so stimulating that she invoked a lucid dream about something odd happening to her at home. She tried to convince herself as she slipped under the sheets and rested her head.
“Good night, your highness! We will continue when you are feeling better” It said cutely before retreating away, presumably back to the hairpin.
“Um, goodnight?” she replied back, closing her eyes once she heard no response back. She sighed. “Tomorrow will be a different day. Hopefully more mundane than today. Yeah, what happened today was just a rare occurrence. Tomorrow should be a normal day” she reassured herself to lull her to sleep.
She really hoped it would be.
Notes:
Sorry if my grammar is bad! Please don't be afraid to leave any comments or suggestions for me.
Here's the link to my Ko-Fi in case you wanted to support my work! Don't feel pressured, but anything's appreciated :) : https://ko-fi.com/shinyamour
Chapter 3: Bug Landing (Pt. 3)
Notes:
Haha, I honestly think I type too much. I had to split up the 3rd chapter into two separate ones. My bad. Let me know if you want long chapters or shorter ones.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
She looked down at her mud-stained sneakers and scraped knees as she sat in the nurse’s office. Avoiding the look of pity in the woman’s eyes for the most part. Holding an ice pack to her swollen cheek as the nurse inspected her for any more injuries. (E/c) eyes glanced up to gauge the nurse’s worried expression, bracing herself for the usual.
“(Y/n), are you being bullied?” they would always ask.
Like bile threatening to spill she swallowed back the burning truth and forced a smile.
“I’m okay. I just get hurt easily” she would answer happily, hiding the broken pain she felt inside. It hurt to keep this up. She just didn’t know what more she could say or do. She was lying to herself at this point. Believing it was just something that was bound to happen. Something that she deserved.
But she knew that wasn’t true.
She knew none of this was her fault. So why was it happening? What was so wrong about her that people felt the need to belittle her? Did she not deserve happiness? Why her? Why?
“You know why” she suddenly heard from behind her. She turned just to see that she was face to face with the figure from her last nightmare. The dark feminine figure stood behind her, the murky shadows that surrounded her mysterious frame stopped (Y/n) from being able to tell who it was. But she sounded familiar; she knew that much. Just a centimeter away. She wanted to pull away. But something held her down. Frantically she turned her head back to see that the school nurse had become a shadowy figure too and she was holding her in place. Her hands looked like claws as they dug into her shoulders.
“Look at me! Turn around, (Y/n)!” Trembling, she turned around and saw that wicked smile again. “It wasn’t my fault, right (Y/n)? You agree, right? It was all yours ... You should’ve done something. You should’ve been better. You did this to yourself” the figure taunted as it held her chin to force to stay in that position.
“M-my fault? How was it my fault?!” (Y/n) managed to stutter out, her eyes darting around for escape.
She felt the figure yank at the front of her shirt, “Yes, it was all your fault. It still is your fault. Everything. You disappoint everyone you care about. Your friends. Your mother. You should’ve done more and you know it. You ran away. But you won’t escape. It won’t be long until you do the same mistakes again”
Oh god, not again. I can’t breathe. It hurts.
(Y/n) clutched at the front of her shirt, trying to claw at the heavy suffocating feeling of her chest but also to release the hold on her shirt. Oh god, her eyes were burning. She shut her eyes.
“(Y/n). Look at me.”
(Y/n) suddenly opened and focused her eyes on the face in front of her. Seeing a flash of hazel-green again.
“Get away!”
“Meoww~” she heard from above.
(Y/n) woke up with a startle, her (e/c) eyes popping open at the sound, as she glanced down at her chest. Seeing a familiar looking cat. Coco stared down curiously at the girl while loafing with all her weight on (Y/n)’s chest.
Well, that explains why I couldn’t breathe.
“Coco, shoo. Off” she scolded as she sat up and yawned. She rubbed at her eyes and shrugged away the tears that she brushed against. The fluffy kitty just got off as told, going to scratch and mew at the closed door of the room instead. “Ah, right. You probably want breakfast” she thought as she scratched the top of her head. Holding back a yawn, (Y/n) threw her covers off of herself and kicked her legs over the edge of the bed. Her bare foot brushing against something solid on the floor.
“Huh?” she thought as she peeked over and saw a black box with red inscriptions on the floor? She leaned over to pick it up, confused as to what it was. Until bits and pieces from last night resurfaced in her head, “Ah right, the jewelry box…” she thought. “Something else happened last night… What was it?” she wondered as she brushed her fingers against the carvings on the wood. She gently opened it and saw it was empty?
“Ah, the hairpin!” she said to herself, proud to remember what she seemed to have forgotten. But clearly forgetting one crucial part of last night. She leaned over again and saw the silver hairpin on the floor.The one that she forgot to put away. But once her fingers grabbed at the cold metal, she was blinded again by a golden light. Just like last night.
“Oh crap!” she exclaimed in surprise, holding the pin away from her face.
“Good morning, your majesty!” she heard as she saw the yellow orb take form again, turning into the small bee thing from last night. But that was just in her dream… Right? There’s no way that it actually happened. So, wait if this thing is here… Then last night really did happen. No way. There’s just no way. “Like why is this happening? This has to be a joke. Bee creatures that talk? That can’t be real. Ah, but superheroes exist and villains appear every once in a while… Magic? It’s definitely not an alien. Gosh, someone just pinch me” she sat there lost in her rambling thoughts.
“Your majesty?” it asked curiously, flying closer to her face while (Y/n) was lost in thought. (Y/n) instinctively backed away, after all magic or not this was still a giant bee. “Okay, take a deep breath…” she thought to herself before suddenly pinching herself in the cheek. Gripping firmly enough that there was a threat of a bruise forming. It hurt like hell! And instead of waking her up, it made the bee creature look instantly worried as it flew closer to her, “My queen, what are you doing?! You’ll hurt yourself!” it said, grabbing (Y/n)’s wrist to pull her hand away from her face.
“You’re real” (Y/n) murmured in a daze, confusing the poor little bee. “Of course I’m real, your highness!” it said, letting go of her wrist to do another one of those formal bows it did last night. “I didn’t get to introduce myself last night and I apologize for that. I am Pollen! I am the kwami of the bee miraculous! And you have been chosen to be the next miraculous holder! It is nice to finally meet you!” It softly smiled and flew around her, analyzing and inspecting the girl that was bestowed with the title of the next “holder”.
…
“What?” (Y/n) dumbly replied as she tried to take in this new information.
“I heard so much about you from Wayzz and the Guardian!”
Somebody told her about me?? Who and when did they see me? How much do they know? What’s going on? Okay. Okay, wait a minute. One thing at a time, (Y/n).
“What are you again? A wami?” She asked warily, while rubbing at her sore reddening cheek.
It giggled softly at the way (Y/n) butchered the word, covering its mouth with its black hand to hide its laughter. “No, a kwami! A kwami is the spirit that resides in a miraculous! We live to serve and guide the current and next holders!” it explained. (Y/n) just nodded along, lost as ever as Pollen kept saying terms and phrases that further confused her.
“Okay…? So, I probably should’ve asked this first. But what's a miraculous?” she asked as she reached over to check the time on her cell phone. Sighing in relief that she didn’t sleep past her alarm, instead having woken up before it went off.
“A miraculous is a magical piece of jewelry that allows you to transform into a hero!” Pollen said, flying over to land on (Y/n)’s cellphone. “Like Ladybug and Chat Noir. They have their own kwamis and miraculouses to aid them in the fight against evil!”
“...Wait, so you’re telling me… that this Guardian person… picked me like they did with Ladybug and Chat Noir??? Yeah, no. Absolutely not. I can’t be like them” (Y/n) said with a shake of her head, placing the cell phone down. Looking distraught at the idea. Scared, even. “Oh but you are and you can! You’re more than perfect to be my holder. Wayzz told me all about how you bravely stood up to the villain yesterday to defend others!” Pollen reassured as she flew over to land on (Y/n)’s shoulder. (Y/n) sighed and started to stand up with Pollen still riding on her shoulder. Limping over with her wrapped up ankle, opening the door of her room to let the cat out but then closing it to start getting ready for her first day of school. Maybe if she moved on with her life and ignored it, this problem would go away.
“I just distracted him” she deadpanned, “Anyone else could’ve done so”.
“That may be so, but you did. (Y/n), you went back. You saved an innocent child and an older man. You remained calm even when an obstacle was thrown your way, and you saved them both. It may have been reckless to throw yourself in his path… But you have the heart to want to save others… (Y/n), you could’ve saved yourself and stayed out of the way. But you didn’t!” Pollen reasoned as (Y/n) started to walk to her bathroom. Turning on the hot water for a shower.
“Alright, yes. I didn’t want to stand by and do nothing. But I’m sure there are several other people who would do the same in the exact same scenario. Tell the Guardian to look in other places. It’s cliche to hand it off to the girl that just moved from a different country” (Y/n) huffed as she walked back into the room to grab some clothes but also to put the hair clip back in the box it came from. She grabbed the hairpin and the box from her bed and popped it open, only for Pollen to fly in front of her again. Staring into her (e/c) eyes with her blue pleading eyes, “My queen, please reconsider! You will do great, believe me on this. You are more than enough to be a hero. Paris needs you” Pollen begged, staring up at the teen girl with big pleading eyes. And in a different circumstance, (Y/n) would admit that this kwami was adorable. With her big blue eyes. (Y/n) sighed and placed the box down as she sat at the edge of her bed.
“Pollen, I’ll be honest. Look, I don’t know what this ‘Guardian’ told you but I’m not a hero. I’m not even hero material. I can’t do what Ladybug and Chat Noir do. I’m not like them. I’m not the person that you heard about. Pollen, I ran away from my responsibilities back home in the States. I moved. I’m a coward. I can’t even talk about what happened in my old home without breaking down… I’m sorry. But, I’ll never be a hero. I’m just not ‘heroic’ enough. I know I did something brave, but I don’t feel brave. I can’t be any good if I can’t even believe in myself. How I can trust myself to save others when I haven’t saved myself… I’m lost” she said sadly, bowing down her head in shame at the kwami returning the polite bow from earlier but with an apology.
Pollen stared sadly at the girl in front of her. But then she looked down and floated over to land on (Y/n)’s hands. “Alright… I understand. I will let the Guardian know. I don’t wish to bring you distress, my queen. I just thought that I’d like to serve a human like you…” Pollen mumbled, tugging at (Y/n)’s heartstrings, looking dejected. Gosh, are all kwamis this cute?
(Y/n) sighed and contemplated on what to do next. She looked around and let out another sigh as she rubbed the back of her neck. How was she going to return this miraculous? She obviously had no idea who this Guardian was or where they were. Maybe in a different universe she would’ve gladly taken this role. It’s every teen’s dream to be a superhero. But not hers. Not this time.
But Pollen was taken away from her other kwami friends to be brought to (Y/n)… She had a job to do. She’s supposed to help the next holder. But she has no holder to help. How can she just go home like this? Can she even go back? (Y/n) looked down at the downtrodden kwami and bit her lip as she thought what to do next. (Y/n) let the guilt take over.
“Um, in the meantime, you can stay with me Pollen. At least until I can figure out how to get you back to the Guardian” (Y/n) said with a nervous smile, not wanting to upset the kwami further, as if wanting to cheer up a crying child.
And it seemed to have worked somewhat, since Pollen’s drooping antennae twitched at the proposition. Pollen looked up and nodded with a small smile, “Okay, your highness. It’ll be exciting to be out in the world again! I want to see how much the world has changed since I’ve been gone”.
Wait, how long has this kwami been in the box?
Before (Y/n) could ask Pollen what she meant, the two turned at the sound of knocking at her door. “(Y/n)? Are you up already? I’ve made breakfast since (A/n) and I have to leave before you, make sure to leave early to catch your bus. We’re gonna start heading out” she heard the voice of her uncle through the door. “Uh, yeah. I’m up! I’m going to take a quick shower, be there in a bit! If I don’t get to see you off, bye!” she called back.
“Okay, Pollen. I’m going to take a shower and change for school. Can you wait out here by yourself? Or do I have to touch the pin again to keep you here?” she whispered to the kwami, waiting until she heard her uncle’s footsteps walk away from her door. “I’ll be okay. I should have some time before my physical form retreats back to the miraculous” Pollen said with a nod. “...? Do you need me here then? I know you dreaded being put back in the box but I don’t want you to be out in the open. So, the pin has a cooldown? It has to, since you disappeared last night, right?” she asked, confused by these new rules. the kwami in front of her just nodded. “I can maintain a physical form as long as you bond with my miraculous! If you needed me to, I could retreat back to the miraculous though” Pollen replied with a smile and a nod.
“Bond? Wait, you had a physical form last night and I barely brushed against the pin… Actually, nevermind, wait. I have to get ready first. We will continue this conversation when I finish getting ready” she said to the floating kwami. Pointing at her in the same way she pointed at Coco to stay put.
Once in the privacy of her bathroom, (Y/n) sighed and slumped against the closed door. Internally freaking out about this. It’s only been 3 days! 3 days since she landed in Paris! Why did this have to happen to her? Why?! She wondered if this was something that she could even refuse. Did she even have a say? Was… was she being a bad person by not wanting to do this? She was being begged to be a hero and to help keep the city safe, and yet here she was saying no.
“Okay, we will think about this later. Or I’m going to be late” she thought to herself as she stepped into the running water.
(Y/n) chewed at her toast as she watched with intense curiosity as Pollen sat on the kitchen table. The kwami was taking small bites from a cracker with strawberry jam and would place it down to take a sip from an apple juice box. (Y/n) would’ve offered her a cup of (tea/coffee) like what she was drinking but she didn’t have a cup small enough for her.
“Huh, so the bee kwami likes sweet things…” she thought to herself, amused at the sight of it eating really politely for a magical creature. Pollen even grabbed at the corner of a napkin to wipe her mouth. The dignified look really suited the kwami that kept referring to (Y/n) like royalty. It was so cute! A prim and proper little bee.
Other than breakfast, there was nothing else for (Y/n) to worry about. Coco was already fed and was sleeping on her cat tower. Her aunt and uncle left early for work. (Y/n) was dressed and ready. Her teeth were brushed. Her (f/c) backpack was ready and contained her new textbooks. She was finishing her breakfast and she was planning on taking the public bus to school, to walk less and place less pressure on her still injured ankle. She was pretty much good to go. But she just couldn’t shake off this anxious feeling that she was forgetting something. Like no matter what she did, she just couldn’t stop the restless feeling. But she knew that she didn’t forget anything. So, why was she so nervous? She wondered to herself as she sipped at her mug.
“Your majesty?” she heard the kwami say. “Yes?” she looked down to Pollen and her empty saucer, which they used as a plate for the small creature. Pollen was still sitting and pointed to the plastic roll of crackers, “May I have another?” she asked politely in her small voice.
“Yeah, of course. Help yourself. You don’t need to ask me for permission, Pollen” (Y/n) said with a smile, reaching for the butter knife and the jar of fruit preserves. Grabbing a cracker and spreading the jam on it for the small creature.
“Why, of course I do. A worker bee must always show respect to their queen. I don‘t want to be seen as defiant” Pollen said as she gratefully took the cracker from (Y/n)’s hand. ”I am here to serve you, your highness!”
“Pollen” (Y/n) said softly, a little concerned that Pollen would refer to herself like that, “You and I are going to get to know each other. We’re going to be friends. At least… while you’re with me for the time being. So, I would assume there’s no need to ‘serve’ me. I’m not someone for you to serve, I’m just (Y/n), okay? And you’re not my subject. You’re Pollen.”
Pollen stared blankly up at (Y/n), trying to process what she said. After all, she’s spent so long serving the Guardian and the last bee miraculous holder. What is she without the bee miraculous? Is her purpose not just to serve others? But looking at this girl’s smiling face, made Pollen feel a little warm inside. How long has it been since she’s made a new friend besides the other kwamis? Pollen just nodded and smiled, “Okay, your majesty!”
(Y/n) giggled to herself, thinking that it might take a while for Pollen to drop the worker bee talk but a small step forward is a step forward regardless. Her (e/c) glanced up at the clock on the wall and to the one on the microwave, realizing she had to leave now or otherwise she might be late. She cleaned up the table and let Pollen finish her breakfast before the two left. But not before (Y/n) took a final look in the full body mirror behind the front door. Something that the designer/editor/model couple insisted on having behind the main door. Something about “a final check up before the big event”, so they say. She adjusted the hair pin to rest at the base of her low ponytail, enough to barely show the bee motif but enough to hide it from quick glances. She gave her outfit a final look through and smiled, it was pretty much the same as yesterday’s. Distressed denim shorts, white t-shirt, (f/c) high-tops, and her black zippered hoodie. Just this time her ankle was wrapped up and she had a backpack to match her shoes.
Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.
“Alright, let’s head out Pollen!” she said as the bee kwami flew to hide in the hood of her sweater. If the hood wasn’t enough to hide her, she was planning to use (Y/n)’s (straight/wavy/curly) hair as a cover should she need to.
“Okay, so let me get this straight. Once a human and a miraculous have formed a ‘bond’, which can easily be done when the human touches the miraculous, the kwami can maintain a physical form. In other words, as long as I touch the miraculous you can keep your physical form?” (Y/n) asked over her shoulder, while sitting on the bench of the bus stop.
“Mm hmm! When you touched the pin last night, you formed a ‘bond’ with me! The energy from a new holder must’ve given me enough power to maintain a physical form for a few minutes or so. But a bond can be strengthened by the connection between a holder and a kwami. The closer we get, the longer I can hold my form even if you aren’t wearing the miraculous! Ah, but you requested that I return back to the miraculous, so I retreated” Pollen explained.
Hmm, then a holder can force a kwami to retreat should they want to?
“Uh huh, but why were you so scared to return back in the box? Does it make a difference if the miraculous is covered by something physical?” (Y/n) asked.
“Mmm. Normally, something like a wall can’t physically hold kwamis back. We can phase right through. But truth be told, the boxes that I and the other kwamis are held in are crafted out of an ancient type of wood and a mystical blend of materials made specifically to cancel our magic out. It’s a safety measure, to ensure no one can just ‘bond’ with the miraculouses easily. If you had placed the miraculous back in the box and sealed it, then I would’ve disappeared too…” Pollen admitted.
“Then… You want to stay in your physical form?” (Y/n) asked curiously.
“Oh absolutely! Whenever the noble kwamis visit us they tell us so much about the outside world and the adventures they have… I thought maybe I could feel that again, to be of use, and be helpful to another holder” Pollen said, somewhat sadly near the end.
“Pollen, I’ll make sure your time out will be worthwhile. At least until I can return you back to the Guardian… We’ll make lots of good memories for you to be able to tell the other kwamis” (Y/n) said with a smile, “Though, I’m also new to Paris… We’ll experience new things together, okay?”
From within the hood of (Y/n)’s sweater, Pollen was smiling to herself, “Okay!” Curling herself up in the warmth of the hood and (Y/n)’s back. Closing her eyes as the tips of her antennae started to glow.
“Pollen, what do you want to do today after school?” (Y/n) asked as she turned her head, expecting an eager response. “Pollen?” And after receiving silence, she assumed the kwami must be sleeping.
She probably didn’t rest well after last night. I’ll let her nap.
(Y/n) sat there silently, smiling as she felt like she was able to persuade the kwami about just staying a normal girl. For now at least.
“Wait, where’s the bus?”
Adrien sighed as he swirled his tea around in his cup. Mornings were so quiet in his home. Painfully quiet. It was suffocating. Every tick of the clock in the dining hall was just a reminder of how slow the morning was going. He just couldn’t wait for school. He’d get to see his friends. He valued what little time he could spend with them. Especially now that he had a new friend.
“Adrien, here is your schedule for the upcoming week” Nathalie said as she handed a tablet to the boy. “Thank you, Nathalie,” he replied dryly, browsing the screen with his finger as he checked the digital planner. Internally grimacing when he realized it was all the same. Same schedule as always. Nothing new. He placed the tablet aside as he finished the last of his tea before standing up from the table, excusing himself to fetch his bookbag.
Once up the stairs and in his room, he was greeted by the strong scent of camembert. “Ugh, Plagg. Do you have to eat cheese this early in the morning? You’re going to make my clothes stink up!” he said with a tone of disgust. Plagg just comically tried to swallow the whole piece in one gulp, just barely chewing it. And with a mouthful, he proudly proclaimed, “See, I finished it! Now the smell won’t linger!” Instead Adrien just gagged at the sight.
“Can’t you just have bread for breakfast like everyone else?” Adrien asked the black cat kwami that was floating around the room, fetching the boy’s pencil case as Adrien prepped his book bag on his desk. “I can only have it with cheese, which is the best way to have bread, and anyone who says otherwise is mad,” Plagg said with a matter-of-factly tone, making the boy shake his head as he took the pencil case from the kwami’s hands to place in his bag. “Alright, let’s head out” he said to the kwami, slinging the strap of his book bag over his shoulder and holding it open for the kwami to hide himself in. “Do you want my cellphone to distract yourself today?” he asked Plagg. Despite how… unique… the black cat kwami was, Adrien would say that he cared about Plagg. Even if outwardly it just looked like out of obligation. So he was surprised at the lack of an answer, he looked down and saw the cat creature curled up with his eyes closed. The tips of his whiskers were glowing? “Plagg, are you okay?” he asked, worried for his friend. The kwami soon opened his eyes and smiled up at his holder, “Don’t worry, this is like a kwami phone call! I’m just chatting with someone else, so don’t worry about me. Just go to class like normal. I know you’ve been looking forward to seeing your new friend again!” he said the last part teasingly. Grinning like if he knew something Adrien didn’t.
“(Y/n)? Yeah, I have” he said oblivious to the teasing implications that his kwami laid out. Plagg just playfully shook his head, “Remind me again why this girl caught your eye again. You said she didn’t recognize your name, and you like that? You really seem to have a thing for difficult girls, huh buddy? I worry about you sometimes” he teased. Adrien’s eyes narrowed as he glared at the giggling kwami, “Oh ha ha. Good one, Plagg” he deadpanned as he started to walk to his door. Stopping when he glanced out the window, seeing gray clouds in the sky. “Huh, the weather didn’t say it was going to rain today” he thought as he pulled out his cell phone to check the news app. His fingers scrolled through all the updates to get to the weekly weather, only to stop when his eyes stopped on something that he wasn’t expecting to see this morning.
Flash News: AKUMA STOPPED, SOME METRO AND BUS SCHEDULES DELAYED FOR THE NEXT 12 HOURS
“What?” he murmured to himself as he clicked the link, getting led to an article page that contained a live video feed of this morning news broadcast.
There was Nadja Chamack, doing an impromptu wrap up of an akuma attack that happened just a few hours ago. “... And so with the help of Ladybug, the villain was stopped before he could finish destroying the Central Station warehouse where most of our city’s buses are kept. According to witnesses and close testimonials, it is believed that the victim was an unnamed worker that had been laid off in lieu of the most recent budget cuts for the Metropolitan system. Due to the stress and clear impending danger that employees faced today, the bus drivers for this morning have been granted a day of recovery. Unfortunately, that does mean delays for any riders today but worry not as a representative on behalf of the Metropolitan district states that they will-” Adrien closed the app and hit the power button of his phone to shut down the screen.
For a moment he stared at his own reflection, conflicted on how to react. “Ladybug… Didn’t need my help?” he whispered to himself. His eyes caught his gaze in the reflection. He stared back with an unidentifiable expression, a blend of pity and sadness in his green pools.
“Adrien, are you ready? Placide is waiting for you downstairs” he heard Nathalie say with a knock on his door, snapping him back to reality. Ah. Right. School. Yeah. He swallowed nervously and rubbed at his forehead as he tried to compose himself. “I’m ready” he called back meekly, straightening himself out and adjusting the strap of his bag. Sighing as he turned the handle to his door. He trudged down the stairs, each step making him feel worse.
Once in the car, he sighed as he rested his elbow on the armrest. Resting his chin on his hand as he stared numbly out of the window. “Ladybug just finished quickly. Yeah. That must be it. It was probably too late to get me. I would’ve slowed her down. Right. Yeah. She just didn’t need me… No, wait. She just couldn’t contact me unless I was already transformed. Yeah. That’s what happened. How could she contact me when I’m in civilian mode? Right? That’s probably what happened. Yes” he thought to himself. So lost in thought that he failed to notice the traffic in front of the vehicle. His driver/bodyguard just grumbled to himself as he backed them away from the crowd of vehicles and took a turn into a different street, having to find an alternate route to school.
“I can’t be there for every crisis. I definitely don’t expect Ladybug to wait for me. She has to act fast. It’s selfish of me to want to be there for every fight. I shouldn’t be upset that Ladybug didn’t need me…” he thought to himself, glancing absentmindedly out the window for a split second before reaching for his cell phone. Until his green eyes drifted back out of the window, catching sight of someone familiar. His eyes remained on the figure of a girl on a bus stop bench, recognizing the (h/c) hair and black hoodie.
“Is that (Y/n)?” he thought, “Oh, so she takes the city bus to school… Wait, does she not know that services are delayed today? She’s gonna be late for her first day even if she does manage to get on a bus”. Worried for the girl, he was planning on asking Placide to stop and give her a ride to school.
“Wait” he stopped himself with a single thought, “Does she even know what I look like?” Not only did she not recognize his name when they first met, he also had his face covered with his fencing mask. Truth be told, he approached her because he didn’t recognize her either. Curiosity got the better of him that day and he took the initiative to introduce himself to the transfer student. He kept the mask just out of fear that she’d act differently if she knew he was Adrien Agreste, the model. But… she was just normal. She was nice. Quiet at first, but a little chatty when it came to stuff she liked. Not that it was a bad thing. She was understandably wary of him at first, but then once they started talking about games her (e/c) lit up and she loosened up. And to his surprise she didn’t seem to bat an eye after he gave her his full name. He liked that. She let her guard down around him while he was himself. She wanted to talk to him again. She wanted to talk to Adrien Agreste, the boy, not Adrien Agreste the model.
So if she didn’t recognize his name and she didn’t get to see what he looked like… Wouldn’t it be creepy if some random guy asked you if you needed a ride? He didn’t want to scare her like that, especially after she just moved here.
He sighed as he slumped against his seat, “Great. I can’t do anything…” he thought sourly to himself. Visibly pouting at the thought that he couldn’t do anything to help his friend. Instead focusing his eyes forward, watching with dead eyes all the different streets Placide took just to be able to avoid traffic. The driver turned into a narrow looking alley in between two buildings.
*BRRR*
“Huh?” he snapped out of his mope at the sound of something making a mechanical creaking?
*CRRRRACKKK BRRRR TSSSTT*
The car started to shake and vibrate as it slowed down. Placide grumbled and grew angrier as he shook the steering wheel, probably cursing under his breath. He practically growled as the vehicle just stopped moving and it didn’t seem like it was starting either. He even had to step out to pop open the hood. Coughing as steam was released. Based on what happened it was more than likely that the car was now going to remain in this inconvenient location. And waiting for a tow truck was going to be a hassle… Adrien was definitely going to be late… Unless…?
With hopeful eyes, Adrien grabbed his bag before exiting the vehicle and approaching his bodyguard. “Placide, I’ll just walk the rest of the way to school!” he said almost happily. And immediately, the gruff adult shook his head in protest. Being a man of little words he was outwardly disapproving of the boy’s idea. “I’ll be late though! And we’ll be waiting for a long time if we call for a cab with all that traffic” he tried to reason with Placide. The man shook his head again, making the boy sigh and pout. An action that made the bodyguard falter as it made him feel guilty for not being able to complete his role of getting Adrien to school safely and on time. After a while of staring at the car’s inner workings and not being able to decipher anything, Placide just sighed and motioned to the boy. He closed the hood and walked to the driver’s seat to grab his belongings, using body language to imply that he would just simply walk him to school. An idea that, though plausible, Adrien wasn’t happy with. “Ah, but you have to stay with the car. What if the city tows it? Father probably wouldn’t be happy receiving a fine…” he reasoned, making the adult hesitate for a bit. He was right. Gabriel Agreste wouldn’t like the idea of him, of all people, to be presented with a violation from the city. It would mock him. Especially if it was due to one of his employees… After all, his perfect employees are a reflection of him as an employer.
“He’s taking the bait…” Adrien thought to himself as he watched the way Placide was contemplating, a little proud of his sneakiness. “Okay, now to reel it in~”, he thought. Adrien took out his cell phone and showed Placide that he had his contact on speed dial. “If anything bad happens or if I need your help, I’ll call you immediately. And I’ll even text you when I get to school safely! I promise” he pleaded, staring intently into the eyes of his bodyguard.
It was tense. The two practically glared at each other while Adrien waited for an answer. Staring into the man’s eyes as he held his ground and didn’t waver. It felt like it was going to go on forever.
So when Placide broke eye contact and gave Adrien a weak nod with a small sigh, Adrien was ready to cheer for joy. He gets to walk to school! Like a normal student! Well, not really ‘normal’. But hey, who’s going to care? He got what he wanted! He held tightly onto his bookbag with a bright smile and profusely thanked his bodyguard before running off. Each step of his felt lighter and he almost wanted to skip out of joy, but he still had something to do…
Once a good distance away, Adrien looked around and behind him before slipping into an alleyway. He leaned his back against the wall and unzipped his bag, “Plagg? Are you done with your ‘phone call’ yet?” he asked the kwami in his bag. Said kwami was sleeping. Comically snoring with his mouth open with a bit of drool in the corner of his mouth. Somewhat scrunching his nose in disgust, Adrien poked the black cat with his index finger to wake him up, “Plagg!” he whisper-yelled. It startled the kwami as it woke up with a little disoriented “Huhh?? Wha- What?!!”
“Plagg, wake up. I need to transform!” Adrien said to the kwami that was rubbing his eyes and yawning. Stretching like a cat would, Plagg grunted out a response, “Akuma?”
Adrien contemplated for a moment just telling Plagg that he was planning on picking up (Y/n) and taking her to school. One, because she was new to the city and probably didn’t know how to get to the school without the help of a map. Two, because the buses were running on an incredibly delayed schedule. And lastly, because she was his friend and he wanted to help her. But with that said, regardless of what he says, Plagg would probably just tease him about wanting to transform just to escort her to school. He could hear the teasing now. Imagining jokes about ‘picking up girls’ stopped him from revealing his true intentions.
“No, I’m running late and I gotta get to school on time” he explained, just for Plagg to stare up at his holder with an expression that screamed disappointment? That or disgust. “You WANT to get to school on time??? Even if you are late, your dad will explain it to the office… Besides, you’ve been absent because of shoots or appointments, haven’t you? You can’t be that much of a goody two shoes, kid” Plagg said with a slightly mocking tone, in the same way that friends can be playfully picking on each other.
Adrien rolled his eyes and glared at the kwami, “I’m not a goody two shoes” he argued back, making Plagg laugh at the annoyed expression. The kwami clearly got the reaction he wanted out of his holder, knowing how to stir up some trouble and how to push his buttons.
“Hehehe, joking! Okay, let’s transform” he said, now happy with himself, making Adrien shake his head as he held out his hand, “Alright, Plagg. Transform me!” he called out. Plagg’s form became just a shadowy blur as he got absorbed into the ring. After the flashy transformation, Adrien or well, Chat Noir was quick to use his extending baton to get himself to a higher ground. Running across the rooftops to get closer to where he wanted. He stopped and stood on a building that overlooked the street where he saw the girl sitting on the bench. That bench was now empty. Clearly (Y/n) just couldn’t wait anymore. He glanced around hoping for a sign of her (h/c) hair, starting to run along the rooftops and heading in the direction of the school. Maybe he’d see her walking in that direction.
“She couldn’t have gotten very far with her ankle…” he thought to himself. “She’s definitely not going to make it on time even if she did start walking there…”
He practically skidded to a halt as he finally caught a glimpse of that familiar looking hoodie from yesterday. Looks like she wore the same shoes as yesterday too. Even her bag matched them! “That’s definitely (Y/n)!” he thought, unknowingly feeling lighter in his chest at the sight of her. He assumed it was out of relief. He mentally prepared himself to approach the girl, watching as she was using her phone to navigate herself to school. Even from afar he could see the girl click out of the map app to check her mobile phone game. It was the same one she told him about yesterday. He laughed and shook his head with a smile at the silly girl. Not wasting another moment, he leapt off of the roof and towards her.
“It was really handy to download an offline version of the map, huh?” (Y/n) thought to herself, somewhat proud that she remembered to do this before leaving the apartment. Following the GPS of her phone as she took the quickest route that her app recommended. Though at the rate she was going she was definitely going to be late. Maybe if she could run it she could have a chance… But not with this ankle she wasn’t.
“Great. First day and I’m already late” she thought to herself with a sigh, just accepting her fate at this point. She felt a stir against the back of neck and back, “Pollen, you awake?” she asked softly over her shoulder. A thought popped in her head… What if she transformed to- I don’t know… maybe fly to school or something? Bees fly after all. “Wait, no. Definitely not. That’s dumb. And a shallow reason. I shouldn’t do that. It’d give Pollen false hope about me being a superhero. Transforming probably wouldn’t be any helpful with an injury either. Besides, Ladybug can’t fly. Why would being a bee make a difference?” she scolded herself for even harboring the thought to use Pollen like that, resisting the urge to sigh again. What was she going to do now? (A/n) and Aaron would be understanding for sure. Even in America the public transportation system was wildly inconsistent. But… She worried about the reactions from the teacher and students. It looks bad to be late on your first day. Would the kids think she’s some sort of delinquent?
She almost lost herself in her thoughts if not for the notification that popped on her screen.
~Treasure Found! Log in for an extra rare crystal!~
“Oh. I wonder what my character found…” she thought to herself as she quickly opened the game app. Might as well, since she was going to be late either way. “Oooh, I needed this!” she thought as she smiled at her loot pull from the farming expedition she sent her little character on. Scrolling through the reward list she was so distracted that she failed to notice the figure that landed a few steps away from her.
“Careful, Miss Spacey~ You might bump into someone” she heard, making her snap her head up in surprise. “Chat Noir?” she mumbled at first, recognizing his voice. I mean why would she not be able to recognize that voice that she heard up close yesterday. When he carried her away from danger and when he took her home.
There, leaning smugly against a wall, was the leather-clad hero. Smiling, almost smirking, as he looked like he was waiting for someone.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, reasonably confused at the sight of him. Chat Noir just playfully shook his head and gently pushed her phone down to motion for her to put it away while tutting. But mostly so she would pay attention to him. “I was out on patrol after the recent akuma attack this morning” he lied with the first part, “and I happened to notice a certain young lady walking around with her nose buried in her phone. Don’t you know it’s dangerous to walk without looking at where you’re going?” he teased.
She playfully narrowed her eyes at him, “Yeah, uh huh, I don’t want to hear that from the guy that was jumping roofs without looking forward. And with a passenger, I might add” she quipped at him, but still humored him by putting away her phone. Slipping it in her back pocket.
“Hey, I didn’t drop you, did I? Besides, cats always land on their feet. Hero girls don’t” he winked at her. “Are you out on patrol too, Miss Hero?” he asked teasingly. She stared at him with an incredulous look, thinking, “Uh, I have a backpack on. Like, hello? I’m clearly on my way to school”.He couldn’t help but to let out a small snort. Thinking that the girl showed her thoughts too easily. He honestly thought that her expression at that moment was really funny and he wished that he could take a pic of it. It was that amusing to him. He can now see why Plagg liked to push buttons.
What’s so funny?
Swallowing back her snappy comment, she shook her head and forced out a smile before replying with a, “I was on my way to school but my bus never showed”. And to her surprise, he seemed to brighten at her response.
“Well~ Lucky for you, Miss Hero. I happen to be available at the moment… I can give you a ride” he said confidently, bowing gracefully but then looking up and grinning with a waggle of his eyebrows. “Oh. I’d rather not impose on you Chat Noir. I’m sure you’re a busy guy. You know, saving the day and such…” she tried to decline.
“Right… Like if I totally did the saving today” he thought sarcastically to himself. He shook his head and took a step closer to her, “It’s no problem at all. How can I call myself a hero if I can’t even help out an innocent girl? Besides, I’m sure you don’t want to be late~” he said the last part in a sing-song-y tone as if to taunt her by holding something on a string. He was being very persuasive today.
Caught up in her thoughts as she weighed her options, she sighed and ended up agreeing, “Alright, but only if you’re sure I won’t be too much trouble…” she said meekly, admittedly embarrassed to be accepting more help from him.
“Alright! The Chat Noir taxi cab is at your service, Miss Hero~” he said with a chipper tone and an equally peppy smile. And in one quick movement, he scooped her up into a princess carry and somehow managed to use his baton to get them onto a roof. Out of surprise she squeaked and quickly wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding on tight. “Agghh! Not the princess carry!” she thought to herself, even more embarrassed now. But she couldn’t complain. He was doing her a favor by offering to take her to school.
“What school are you attending?” he asked, though he obviously knew where to take her but to keep up the second identity he had to act as if he didn’t know that about her. “ Françoise Dupont,” she replied, internally zoning out and staring blankly forward to hide her growing fluster at the lack of distance with this carrying position. “Okay, I know where to go now. Told ya that I had great navigating skills!” he replied before taking off in that direction. Whereas she was quiet and keeping a straight face, he was outwardly happy as can be. Doing nothing but smiling. Afterall, to some extent, he was walking with his friend to school!
“So, tell me, what was a hero like yourself doing walking such a long distance with a sprained ankle?” he asked, making small talk as he made his way to their school. “Like I said, my bus never showed. If my ankle didn’t hurt I would’ve walked to the train station and then taken it to the nearest stop to the school and walked just a bit. Today, I was hoping to do two bus transfers to walk less” she said, choosing to focus on their conversation. “Right, makes sense. But if you didn’t want to put any strain on your ankle, I don’t think walking to school was gonna help you out much. And with your eyes glued to your phone you probably would’ve fallen at some point” he said, definitely trying to tease her with that last part. She rolled her eyes, “So much for ‘helping out an innocent girl’... He’s just mocking me” she thought to herself. He was right though. But she didn’t want to admit that. She had some pride.
“I got distracted with my game” she replied guiltily whispering her response, as if not wanting him to hear her because he’d make fun of her more. Bad mistake. He pulled her body closer to bring her mouth near his ear. Saying, “Huh? What was that?” in a mocking tone. It was done in a dramatic fashion to mock her volume, or well lack of, but to her it was a killer heartthrob move that made her blush. “He’s so close!!! Curse this natural flirt!” she thought. “I-I said I was playing my game!” she managed to stutter out, albeit a little nervously as she tried to find her courage to speak again while her heart seemed to be beating a mile a minute. Her pulse was zooming in comparison to that of yesterday’s. And he pretended to almost fall with her on the roofs last night. So. Yeah.
Obliviously he smiled smugly at her reply, feeling like he had won. “So, Miss Hero likes adventure games? You have heroes protecting the city and you’re choosing to pay more attention to your game hero than your real life hero?” he joked, making her cringe at his inflated ego.
Oh wow. Does he even hear himself? How full of himself can he- Wait, how’d he know what kind of game I was playing?
She looked at him before curiously asking, “How’d you know what type of game I was playing?” Making him tense up, but just for a split second as he was quick to compose himself as to not cause any suspicion. Internally he was scolding himself for being so careless. He quickly donned a cocky grin, “Cats have good vision. I could see a reward collection screen from where I was before landing. I saw the swords and gold coins” he said with a casual shrug, acting as if he answered the world’s easiest question. But much to his chagrin, she narrowed her eyes and inspected his face, making him feel like he was sweating bullets underneath his mask. Thinking, “Oh crap. Did she fall for it? What a bad lie! Oh god, she knows who I am… What-” before being brought back by the sound of her chuckle. “So, you’re telling me you saw me from behind? Close enough to be able to see my phone screen? But still you chose to run up ahead to climb down and make yourself present by leaning against a wall??” she teased him with another laugh, “You really wanted to make an entrance, huh?”
Oh, she’s poking fun.
He blinked as he let what she said sink in, his eyes slowly brightening as he realized that she fell for it! She believed him! Oh thank god. He grinned and hopped over a roof, the school now within the viewing distance. “What can I say? I like being purr-ceived as the charming cat I am!” he said as he stopped to look for the nearest alley to drop her off. Surely she wouldn’t want to be seen being dropped off at school by one of Paris’ heroes. Just imagine the way the students would talk about the transfer student if he did. “Yeah, no ‘kitten’, Mr. Ego~” she joked, making him let out a “Ha!” at her attempt to make a nickname for him like he does for her. His laughter rumbling in his chest as he landed in an alleyway behind a dumpster, away from the public eye. He glanced around and placed her down, looking in her (e/c) eyes. Feeling like a weight has been lifted off his chest. He felt so much better than he did this morning. With a smile he bowed and took her hand in his, “Well, thanks for the new pet name, Miss Hero~ Alas, I must leave… Your school is right around the corner. Parting is such sweet sorrow… Goodbye, dear (Y/n)” he said dramatically with a forearm against his forehead and everything as he attempted to kiss the back of her hand like he did yesterday.
“What an actor…”, she thought as she just rolled her eyes and gently pushed him away with a smile of her own, slightly accustomed to his flirty advances at this point. “Hey, not a ‘goodbye’. It’s a ‘see you later’, drama queen” she teased softly, pulling her hand away to instead offer it as a handshake. An act of respect. But it was also the same thing she did when they first met. It warmed his heart, knowing that this girl was still the same. Whether as Adrien or as Chat Noir. She was (Y/n), his friend. He looked down at her with a hopeful smile before taking her hand and shaking it firmly. She gave him one last smile before starting to walk away.
“I guess… I’ll see you around?” he asked, almost as if wistfully whispering it to the wind. Not particularly with the intention to have her hear it…
But she did.
She turned over her shoulder, still smiling, “Yeah, see you around hero” she said.
His eyes remained on her as she walked out of distance until he could no longer see her. He held the hand she shook against his heart, balling it into a fist, still smiling.
“Oh, wait. I’m going to be late!”
Notes:
Here's the link to my Ko-Fi in case you wanted to support my work! Don't feel pressured, but anything's appreciated :) : https://ko-fi.com/shinyamour
Chapter 4: Crowning Jewels
Notes:
Oops, sorry that I took a while with this one. Work stuff delayed my time to be able to work on it... But I made sure to make the chapter longer to make up for it! As a heads up, I reference a poem from Paul Valery here but I use the original French version. I didn't include a translated version just because I thought it might take up space. I highly encourage everyone to listen to someone read it and to come up with your interpretations.
Anyways, please enjoy! And don't hesitate on letting me know what you think! And I'm sorry for any mistakes.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Adrien de-transformed soon after and sneakily blended in with a group of kids that were walking down the street towards the school. Perking up at the sight of one of the kids in his class, waving at Max and Kim as they were walking and chatting. It looked like Max was fiddling with a handheld console, playing a puzzle game with falling blocks, and Kim was cheering him on as the blocks fell at a faster pace. “Hey, you two! Morning” he greeted with a wave as he joined them on the walk to school.
They exchanged pleasant banter, with Kim pointing out that Adrien didn’t get dropped off today by the gorilla. Adrien gave him a shrug and casually explained that the traffic was so bad that he walked the rest of the way to school. “That aside, you appear to be in an awfully good mood this morning, Adrien,” Max pointed out as he pushed up his glasses. “Do I?” Adrien asked as he chuckled nervously. His eyes shifted from side to side as he tried to come up with a plausible response. He glanced down at the console in Max’s hand and suddenly remembered a certain mobile game. Maybe that’d be a good change for a conversation. Surely Max and Kim would appreciate talking about a good game. “Actually, I discovered this new game…” he started as they continued the walk up the steps to the entrance.
“... And it lets you be away from the game with little repercussions. The only setback is that your loot is generic and the currency output isn’t very giving. Though, it gives you common crafting materials” he explained using (Y/n)’s words from yesterday as Max was looking this game up in the app store. At some point while they walked through the courtyard, Kim was pulled away from the convo as he saw Alix, going up to her to brag about his recent lap record during his swim team’s practice.
“Not bad at all. It has online multiplayer too for raid battles!” Max said with a nod and an intrigued smile as he checked a video with gameplay. “You say you just recently discovered this game?” he asked Adrien. Adrien just smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck with a slight shrug, “I kind of had someone recommend it to me, and it caught my attention” he replied. “Nino?” Max asked. Adrien shook his head, “Nah, not Nino. Though, maybe I should get him into the game too. I heard he caught a nasty cold over the weekend. Maybe having a multiplayer game night should cheer him up” he said, smoothly changing the subject. “I actually heard several people caught colds from the Climatika incident. The drastic change in temperature must’ve affected a lot of people. Poor Nino” Max said with a shrug as the two started walking up the stairs to their classroom.
In the background, Alya and Marinette watched as the model boy and gamer kid walked up the stairs. Whispering to each other about how odd it was to see Adrien having appeared to have walked to school with Max and Kim. “You think his father let him walk to school today?” Alya whispered to Marinette, who was taking out her cellphone to look for the pdf of Adrien’s schedule that she made. “I doubt it. But it would explain why his drop-off time was later than usual. And don’t you think it was weird that his fencing lesson was on a Monday, when it’s normally on Friday?” Marinette whispered back.
“Uh, maybe it was a one time thing?” Her friend replied before Alya glanced down at the schedule and looked at her friend with a worried expression, “How long did it even take you to make this? Is that why you didn’t get much sleep last night?” she asked, pointing out the bags under the bluenette’s eyes. Marinette just laughed awkwardly as she tried to find a way to cover up the fact that she was woken up before dawn to stop an akuma from wrecking the city and that she hasn’t slept since then.
Before the pigtailed girl could think of a response to give to her friend, the two girls were stopped at the entrance to their classroom by their homeroom teacher, Madame Bustier who waved the girls over with the papers she was holding in her hand. She greeted the two girls with a ‘good morning’ and pulled them aside.
“I hope you two are doing well today, girls” She said with a smile. “I actually have a bit of favor to ask of both of you…”
“Sure, Madame Bustier. What is it?” Alya asked, glancing down at the papers in the teacher’s hands. It looked like printouts of past assignments. And a class schedule? Alya’s eyebrows raised and she suddenly asked with a smile, “Ah! Is it a new student?”
Madame Bustier nodded with a smile of her own, “That’s right. We have a transfer student from America. I’m afraid all of this might be a bit overwhelming for her so I wanted to entrust the both of you to watch over her” she hands Marinette all the papers in her hands. She starts to talk to Alya about the order of the assignments and starts to tell her about how this new student was semi-fluent so they shouldn’t have many issues. Marinette glanced down at the schedule and read the student’s name to herself, internally a little annoyed… Not that she should be. She was happy to meet a new student as much as anyone else would be. But this all seemed like more work. And it was. There was no doubt about it. This was something else for Marinette to juggle along with schoolwork, her social life, her family life, her personal life, and not to mention her Ladybug duties… Now she had to worry for someone else too.
“..nette?”
She knew it wasn’t the new student’s fault for this. It all seemed like a pain. It was just too much to do. But a part of her wondered if it made her a bad person for thinking this way…
“Marinette?” Alya asked, snapping her fingers in front of the girl’s face. “You okay? You totally zoned out on me.”
“Huh? Where’s Madame Bustier?” Marinette asked. Alya made a tight-lipped smile and shook her head at her friend, “She left to fetch the new student from Damocles’ office. You okay? You look really tired. And you must be, if you zoned out like that. Do you want to skip to the nurse’s office to sleep? I don’t mind handling the new girl by myself… Or I could ask Rose or Mylene… Maybe even Nino to swap with you? I’m sure they wouldn’t mind” she said, worried for the bluenette.
“Aw, Alya. That’s really sweet of you but I don’t want to leave you with all the responsibilities that Madam Bustier entrusted us with… Besides, I’m pretty sure I can handle it” she reassured her friend with a smile. Alya returned the smile and started patting her friend’s shoulder as they walked into the classroom. Starting to walk up the steps to their seats, noticing that there was someone missing in front of them. The two girls looked at each other, a little worried, before Alya leaned over to whisper to Adrien.
“Hey, where’s Nino?” She asked. The blond looked behind him over his shoulder and gently shook his head, before replying, “He’s probably at home. He texted me yesterday that he was recovering from a cold. I think he’s still sick”. Alya thanked him for the information before turning to smile excitedly at her friend.
“Marinette! This is your chance to talk to him today! Just say you need a clearer view for today’s notes and sit next to him!” Alya whispered to Marinette who just hastily shook her head as her cheeks started to warm up. “N-no, absolutely not! I wouldn’t be able to concentrate during class! Plus, I’d make myself look like an idiot if I can’t even greet him! You know how I get around him!” she argued back in nervous whispers..
“Well yeah. But Marinette you don’t know how it’ll go unless you try. Besides, how else are you planning to get close to him if you’re just watching him from afar? He can’t approach you unless he knows he can talk to you as a friend first” Alya gently coaxed. Marinette just bit her lip nervously and glanced over at the empty seat, imagining scenarios in her head where their hands would brush against each other, sharing a textbook, gently bumping shoulders… She just sighed dreamily, seemingly lost in her own world as she failed to notice their homeroom teacher walking into the classroom with a (h/c)-haired girl.
“Okay, deep breath (Y/n). You got a new look, new shoes, Pollen is here with me, (A/n) bought me a cute pencil case with pretty stationery, Uncle Aaron is picking me up from school and I have Coco waiting at home for me… If things go bad… Homeschooling…? Mom wouldn’t like that though. Maybe (A/n) would… Okay, maybe not. Then I can… just go to Italy next? Oh, who am I kidding? I can’t keep running… I can’t do this…! I just can’t! Just the thought of everyone looking at me makes me want to crawl into a ball and never leave my room again” she thought to herself, worried.
She was currently sitting in Monsieur Damocles’ office, across from his desk, where he offered her a tangerine to snack on. The girl awkwardly took it from his hand and thanked him, sheepishly saying she’d save it for lunch. “No need to be so nervous, Miss (L/n). You have nothing to be afraid of. Like I said yesterday, if you need somewhere to run to, my office is always open. I mean it” he said warmly.
His gentle tone made her relax a bit, “I- Thank you” she thanked him with a smile and he returned a smile.
He’s so much nicer than my last principal…
She took in a deep breath and glanced down at her bandaged ankle, “Um, do you know if I have a physical education class by chance? I don’t think I’ll be able to do much moving, Monsieur Damocles” she asked. “I believe you do, but worry not, your aunt called ahead and told us about the injury from yesterday’s akuma attack”, he replied as he typed at his computer before turning the monitor towards her. Showing her a pdf of her schedule. He told her she’d receive a physical copy later today.
Homeroom with Bustier then literature in the same class… Chemistry with Mendeliev, a break, then mathematics with Mendeliev too, history with Bustier, lunch break, physical education with D’Argencourt, Art with Monlataing, another break, and then English with Tautou, and then a self-study period. Cool, I like self-study peri-... Wait. English?!
“Um, why am I taking English???” she asked the bearded man, who chuckled at her visibly confused expression. “Well, admittedly it was the only foreign language class that had a space open…” he admitted as he turned towards the door at the sound of footsteps. (Y/n) turned too. Seeing the door open to reveal a pretty tall red-headed lady with striking teal-ish eyes who walked right in and asked Damocles if (Y/n) was the new student. He nodded with a closed eye smile and gestured with a “go right ahead”-type hand motion. The woman turned to the young girl and inspected her with a friendly smile, “Hello, I’m Caline Bustier. I will be one of your teachers starting today. It’s nice to meet you. Can you follow me to our class?” she asked, somewhat slowly just in case the transfer student had some trouble with the French language.
“Y-yes. I’m (Y/n) (L/n). Nice to meet you too” she replied nervously as she stood up, ready to follow the woman out of the office. Waving goodbye to Monsieur Damocles.
“I’m just going to have you introduce yourself to the class, is that alright? I don’t want to have you do anything you don’t want to or don’t feel comfortable doing.” Bustier asked the young girl as they walked side by side.
“Yeah, I assumed I’d have to at least introduce myself. It’s okay. It would call more attention to myself if I just walked right in and took a seat without saying anything” she said with an awkward chuckle, glancing around the halls to remember the class numbers.
Madame Bustier just chuckled back and stopped in front of a classroom door, looking down at the young girl, “Are you ready?” she asked gently.
(Y/n) looked down at her bandaged ankle and her clean (f/c) sneakers.
No mud yet…
She took in a deep breath and exhaled through her nose, before smiling nervously up at her new teacher, “I think so…” she said.
“Good morning, everyone! I have some great news this morning! We have a new transfer student joining us from the United States of America!” Madame Bustier said as she stood in front of her students, with a stiffly awkward (h/c)-haired girl standing next to her. Well, sort of next to her, she was kinda positioned a bit behind her.
The eyes of everyone in the classroom were glued to the girl. All curious and all non-hostile. Well, maybe the eyes of a blond girl in the corner were somewhat judgy but not anything that (Y/n) hasn’t really handled before… Did she like it? No. But not anything new. She glanced up and saw them all staring at her. Analyzing her. Taking in her awkward demeanor. She regretted looking up and quickly turned her attention back down to her sneakers. Unbeknownst to her, there was a pair of green eyes staring excitedly at her.
“(Y/n)? You can introduce yourself now” Madame Bustier whispered to the girl, gently resting a hand on her back.
“Huh? Oh. Right” she mumbled, taking a shaky breath before looking up.
These aren’t the same people. They can’t hurt you.
“Um, I’m (Y/n) (L/n). I-It’s nice to meet all of you. I’m from (Hometown). I like animated movies, video games, and… the color (f/c)? I hope to become friends with all you” she managed to stutter out as she glanced around the classroom again. Seeing a blond boy with green eyes smile and give her a thumbs up? She raised an eyebrow and awkwardly returned the smile.
“Good job, my queen! That was wonderful” she heard a small whisper come from inside her sweater’s hood. Seems like Pollen woke up in time to hear (Y/n)’s introduction. Making the girl’s tension disappear for a split second.
Great, now I’m not fully alone!
“Uh, Madame Bustier!” the blond girl from the front corner seat raised her hand. “Yes, Chloe?” the teacher replied. “If she’s from America, then why is her French so good?” the girl asked with a tone of disbelief? That, or annoyance…
“Chloe-” the teacher was ready to scold the girl.
But instead (Y/n) cut her off by replying, “My aunt’s a fluent speaker and whenever she’d visit she’d teach me a bit. I’m glad I finally get to practice my French with all of you” she said with an awkward smile.
(A/n) said the best way to shake things off is to act nice and polite. It throws people off.
“Ugh-” the blond girl scrunched her face in mild disgust. Clearly she intended for her comment to rile up the transfer student.
Before the blond girl could reply, every student in class started raising their hands as they thought they could also ask the transfer girl their questions. All she heard was a bunch of kids asking, “What’s it like in the US?”, “How old are you?”, or “Why Paris?” before the teacher placed her foot down and forced them to stop. She clapped her hands and told everyone to save their questions for (Y/n) and to ask her later. Madame Bustier placed her hand on (Y/n)’s shoulder again before saying to her, “I entrusted Alya and Marinette to be your guides for the time being. They’ll answer any questions you might have and they’re very nice, so I’m sure you’ll have no issues during your stay” as she pointed to a girl with reddish-brown hair and a girl with blue pigtails that smiled and waved gently at her. (Y/n) smiled back as they looked nice enough.
“Oh, since Nino isn’t here today… Maybe just for today you can take his seat to sit closer to Alya and Marinette!” the teacher said with a chipper tone, motioning for the girl to take a seat in the front. Right next to the blond boy from earlier.
(Y/n) did as told and took a seat, placing her backpack next to her on the floor. Hearing a gasp from behind her, both she and the boy turned around worried, seeing the blue haired girl looking down disheartened at her textbook? The reddish-haired girl was rubbing the other girl’s back and smiled sheepishly at (Y/n), “Uh, she dropped something?” she said with a shrug. “I’m Alya Cesaire and this is Marinette Dupain-Cheng” she awkwardly introduced them as the other girl was mumbling something to herself.
“Uh, I’m (Y/n)” she replied awkwardly, making the boy next to her chuckle. (Y/n) glanced over to him and wondered what he thought was so funny before she and the boy both turned back to face forward. “Sorry, didn’t mean to laugh. It’s just you already introduced yourself earlier…” he whispered to her, leaning in so she could hear him. Making her raise an eyebrow at his closeness, “It’s okay… I guess it was a little silly” she replied back, scooting a bit backwards.
The boy looked a little hurt at her distance. This wasn’t the way she was talking to him yesterday after all. He sighed to himself and forced himself to pay attention to the lesson.
Madame Bustier told everyone not to take any notes yet for their literature lesson, but to listen in silence as she read from the work of Paul Valery. “This is one of my favorite poems from Charms… Valery always wrote his prose and poems in ways that it felt like deciphering a puzzle.. Or like if someone was casting a spell… It’s called ‘The Bee’, just listen for now” she said as she stood up from her desk and cleared her throat before reading:
Quelle, et si fine, et si mortelle,
Que soit ta pointe, blonde abeille,
Je n’ai, sur ma tendre corbeille,
Jeté qu’un songe de dentelle.
Pique du sein la gourde belle,
Sur qui l’Amour meurt ou sommeille,
Qu’un peu de moi-même vermeille
Vienne à la chair ronde et rebelle !
J’ai grand besoin d’un prompt tourment :
Un mal vif et bien terminé
Vaut mieux qu’un supplice dormant !
Soit donc mon sens illuminé
Par cette infime alerte d’or
Sans qui l’Amour meurt et s’endort !”
Oh wow, hearing these poems read in the native language is so soothing. Bustier’s voice is so nice.
“Never knew a poem about a bee could sound so romantic…” she thought. Watching the teacher place her book down and start asking students about what the poem could mean.
There were some literal answers at first. Students interpreted that the poem was about the fear of a bee’s stinger. The damage of a bee’s sting. The fear of bees themselves. Bees being scary… With all the bee talk, an image of the bee kwami’s smile suddenly flashed through (Y/n)’s thoughts.
“Hey, Pollen... Don’t take what they’re saying literally” she whispered over her shoulder to her hood. Worried for the bee kwami that was hearing all the negative interpretations of the poem.
“Don’t worry, your highness! I’m not” she heard the kwami whisper back, sighing in relief.
“What was that?” she heard the boy next to her ask. Oh. He must’ve thought she was whispering to him, “Oh! Uh, um, I mumbled. Sorry. I said that people are taking it too literally” she lied sheepishly. Hoping to have fooled him or otherwise he’d go around thinking this girl talks to her shoulder.
He playfully raised an eyebrow, “Oh really, then what do you think it means?” he asked as he turned to face her. It sounded like he was trying to tease her? Almost challenging her?
Who is this kid?
In the background, Madame Bustier was at her desk assigning the students work from her desktop to their tablets. Remembering that (Y/n) had yet to borrow one from the school library, she stood up and told the students to discuss the poem with their neighbors while she was gone. (Y/n) and the blonde boy both failed to notice the teacher leaving.
(Y/n) coughed awkwardly to clear her throat before thinking of a good response. “Well, I think it’s a poem of longing…” She started, fiddling the corner of the page of her textbook. Avoiding eye contact. “I think that the subject is not the bee but rather the person watching the bee? They’re probably in love… but it’s fickle and shaky. The pain of waiting, not knowing, and longing is far worse than the sting of the bee that the person is afraid of. Because at least the sting is quick and painless at first. And if there is pain, it goes away. But the pain of loving a love that isn’t yet returned is long lasting. And the vermillion tint of the skin can be from a bee’s sting. But it can also come from the rush of blood. A blush. The rebellion comes not from the bee that stung without notice but the uncertainties of our feelings… The sting is that in which ‘love dies or sleeps’. But the ‘gold alert’ isn’t a bad thing. It’s a hard truth. The sting of reality.” she interpreted, smiling at her own words.
Good thing I had a high literature score back at my old school.
“Wow…” he said quietly. Taking in her words. Sitting in silence for a few seconds as he let her soft words sink in, “So, you’re a romantic? Never thought you’d be an idealist, (Y/n)” he asked with a smile. She felt her cheeks heat up at his innocent comment but at the same time she was a little offended by his forwardness. Did people already assume she wasn’t an idealistic person just based on her vibe? She wasn’t going to lie, she felt a little self-conscious now.
“Uh, I guess I am? I assure you I didn’t come here to be stereotypical and live in the ‘City of Love’ if that’s what you’re assuming” she joked weakly. Gosh, why was she being so awkward. And who is this guy and why does he keep leaning closer to her side??? He’s being way too familiar…
Only one way to find out…?
“Um, I don’t want to be rude. But do… I know you?” she finally asked.
He stopped smiling and stared at her with the blankest expression. Blinking once. “Does she not recognize my voice?” he thought to himself.
…
Suddenly it felt like time stopped in the room with how silent it got. You could hear a pin drop. She looked around and saw everyone staring down at her. Bustier was no longer in the classroom as she stepped out. Everyone was murmuring to themselves. She heard another gasp but this time from the blond girl from before, “Did you just say you don’t know who he is? There’s just no way! You have to be messing with Adrien! Is that just how Americans are? Rude?” she exclaimed as she stood up and marched over to stand in front of the desk.
“Adrien?” (Y/n) asked aloud. Suddenly the cogs turned in her head and the lightbulb lit up in her head. “Adrien from yesterday?” she asked the boy next to her as she turned to face him. He smiled meekly and nodded, “Yeah, I know you didn’t get to see my face yesterday… But I thought that you’d at least remember my voice…” he admitted.
“Oh man, I’m so sorry!” she apologized, “I- Well, you should’ve corrected me too! I bet I looked like a jerk” she said with a playful huff.
His sheepish smile was starting to grow into a genuine one as he was about to reply, now this was the (Y/n) he knew. He opened his mouth, only to get cut off by the blond girl. “You’re telling me you have no idea who Adrien Agreste is?! The supermodel? Son of Gabriel Agreste, the world famous designer?” she asked incredulously, in complete disbelief.
“Uh, no I-” (Y/n) got cut off.
“You must’ve been living under a rock. Well, you might as well have been since you came from (Hometown)...” the girl, presumably named Chloe, said with a nasty sneer. “You didn’t even come from somewhere cool like Los Angeles or New York… What slummy farm town were you even raised in?”
Adrien stepped in for a moment, “Hey! Chloe, that’s uncalled for! What does it matter where she comes from?” he defended. Just for Chloe to double down and further insult the girl.
Loud…
“And who are you to joke with Adrien like that? ‘You should’ve corrected me’ she said!” Chloe mimicked (Y/n)’s voice to an exaggerated degree, “A plain girl like you should be lucky to be even near a celebrity like him. Know your place for god’s sake. Is that why you moved here? Because you were too plain to make friends back in your own school?” she spat out the venom filled words.
Too loud…
“Chloe!” (Y/n) heard Adrien and the girls behind her scold the blond girl at the same time.
I can’t…
She could feel it. The beating of her heart reverberated back through her ears. (Y/n) toned out the arguing around her as her eyes darted around the room. Seeing flashes of dark figures and bright eyes mixed around with the eyes of her new classroom. It was understandable for everyone to be watching with sick curiosity as the new girl got verbally berated. Who would waste their breath on her? Was she worth the target on their backs? She’s just a stranger after all. She understood that. And, she could care less about being insulted like this… But the staring. Oh god, how she hated having all eyes on her. Pollen could feel (Y/n)’s pulse rise from nuzzling against her back, “Your highness, are you okay?” she whispered to the girl.
… Who was that? Oh, right… Pollen.
She blinked and came back to reality, focusing her (e/c) eyes on her hand. Watching the way her skin wrinkled as she flexed her hand, taking a deep breath. Feeling Pollen’s gentle nuzzle against the nape of her neck helped…
“Okay! Um, I need to use the restroom. I’ll… be back, yeah” she said abruptly as she stood up. Cutting off the people arguing around her, as she scooted out of her seat and walked towards the door. Unaware of the worried glances that a blond boy and blue-haired girl were giving her.
She stepped out of the classroom to find the nearest girl’s restroom. She walked in and leaned her back against the door for a second to sigh at the cool feeling of the metal against her back.
“My queen, are you alright?” Pollen asked as she flew out of (Y/n)’s hood and floated in front of her.
“I’m okay. Just… A little shaken I guess” (Y/n) admitted as she rubbed her arm, placing a hand on her forehead as she bit back an unpleasant curse word. Her shaken demeanor shifted to that of annoyance, “Ugh, why does this happen to me?” she asked the little kwami. The kwami just cutely tilted her head to the side and couldn’t find a response to give to the teen girl.
“I didn’t know Adrien was some sort of celebrity! How is that my fault?” she complained to herself.
“It’s not his fault either, though” she rambled to herself as she paced around, “Just my luck. I made friends with a celebrity and one of his fans now wants to kill me! Great! Ugh, and the kids here aren’t any better than the ones back home… Just standing by. Watching me with pity in their eyes” she groaned as she stopped in front of a sink to stare at her reflection.
There was color returning back to her complexion. Her (e/c) eyes looked brighter… But. The longer she stared the more she saw what hasn’t changed. The bags under her eyes were still there. The stress acne was fading away, but still there . The same (Y/n) was staring back at her. The same one as always.
That’ll never change. You’ll never change. No matter where you go. There will always be people who can’t stand your existence. I can’t pretend to be someone else. Who am I kidding? A new outfit? New hairstyle? No matter what I wear. I’ll always be the same old (Y/n).
“Why did I think moving to Paris would change anything? I’ll always be the same scared little girl I always have been… I’m not strong enough…” she mumbled to herself as she turned on the faucet to splash cold water in her face, looking back at her reflection as she reached for a paper towel to dry her face.
“(Y/n)...” Pollen mumbled sadly as she floated up to the girl’s cheek and nuzzled against it. Her little black antenna tickled at the girl’s skin. “I think you’re strong,” she whispered to console the teen girl, not caring if her little fuzz got wet.
“I just met you. What do you know about me?”, (Y/n) scoffed softly as she wiped her face. “You’re just saying that because you think I’d be a good holder for you” she spat out.
Only for her to gasp as soon as she realized what she said. “Oh, Pollen. I’m so sorry. No, I didn’t mean to say it like that. I just-” she rambled an apology only for the kwami to shake its head and give the girl an understanding smile.
“It’s okay, your highness. You’re scared. It’s okay to be scared. It’s a natural reaction” the bee consoled softly, rubbing (Y/n)’s cheek with her little hand.
(Y/n) just sighed again before resting her elbows on the sink and looking down in shame, “I just- I thought things would be different, you know? That I wouldn’t feel the same way as I did back home. Back home, I’d walk around with my head down, avoiding eye contact, too scared to even go to the restroom just in case I ran into anyone…” she admitted to the kwami.
“Your highness? May I ask what happened? Maybe… I can help you?” Pollen asked softly.
(Y/n) looked over to the little bee spirit and bit her bottom lip, tensing up and balling her hands into fists. The memories of her past experiences awakening some sick fight or flight instinct. But she couldn’t just ignore Pollen’s question. She knew the little bee just wanted to help. And being able to trust someone should help her heal…But it hurts to remember specific parts of her past…
Let’s just be vague…
“I-...” she took a deep breath. “I guess… the best way to put it would be that I was friendly with the wrong person…? I never thought much of it. I didn’t mind their company. I guess I liked them to an extent. I think I even considered them a friend at some point. And I thought I was their friend too. But something felt wrong. Something WAS wrong. They were calculating. Cold at times. They would make me feel guilty for things I couldn’t control. They acted as if they had a say in what I did,” (Y/n) said as she fumbled with the sleeves of her sweater.
“I think I limited myself a lot when I was around them. I was too worried about how I’d come across when I was around them. And I guess at some point, their opinion mattered to me. If they told me that my earrings were tacky, I’d take them off. If my arms looked too big in a shirt then I’d start wearing long-sleeves. If I was talking too much, I’d shut up. I don’t know when it happened but I lost sight of myself. The real me. I wasn’t (Y/n). I was their ‘friend’ first and foremost” she kept her eyes locked on her reflection.
“And then they got others involved…It suddenly became the ‘it’ thing to follow my ‘friend’s example. Everyone wanted to be in their graces. They wanted to be just like them. Even if it meant mimicking their… ‘actions’ towards me. It was to the point where it reached other classmates. It kept going until it reached my friend group. And before I knew it. I was casted out. I would feel isolated in a place that I thought I was once welcomed. I was alone” she said with a shaky tone, still staring blankly at her own reflection.
“And no matter what I would say or do… I got pushed around. Literally and physically. I was beaten down. I couldn’t look people in the eye because I knew that if I did… I’d be hurt. And I don’t know why… but at some point I stopped fighting back. And… I accepted it. I was the one at fault. Even if I knew I wasn’t” (Y/n) voice broke as she finished her story.
“I’m sorry- *sniff* I didn’t mean to start crying- *sniffle* I’m okay. You don’t have to worry about-” she tried to wave away Pollen concerns even as she sobbed.
Pollen was quick to hug the girl’s cheek. Rubbing and nuzzling against the girl even as her fuzz was dampened with the child’s tears.
“I’m okay” (Y/n) lied through her sobbing, hoping to get the kwami to stop worrying.
But Pollen didn’t move. Even if (Y/n) wanted her to, she wouldn’t.
“I’m just so weak!” (Y/n) cried, rubbing pathetically at her eyes. Crying like a child. “I can’t do anything! I don’t like this. I don’t like myself! I hate that I’m like this… I hate myself! I wasn’t like this! I want to be stronger! I want things to be different!”
Pollen waited patiently until (Y/n)’s sobbing faded into soft hiccups. Taking in all of her feelings and all of her worries.
“My queen- I mean, (Y/n). Things are already different…” the bee said as she flew in front of (Y/n), blocking her view of her reflection. Making her focus only on her blue eyes and her words. “ I met you, ” she said with a gentle smile.
I met you? I.. met you? She met me?
She met her. (Y/n). Plain old (Y/n). Weak little (Y/n).
Why is she saying that like I'm something grander than I really am? Is that so special? Is that such a good thing? Am I? Am I that important?
(Y/n) couldn’t help the tears that welled up again in her (e/c) pools, feeling unexplainable guilt but also warmth. She sniffled, “Why does that matter?” She tried to argue. Only for the bee to double down.
“(Y/n), I like that you exist. We may have just met but I already want to have you be part of my life” Pollen said sweetly with a smile. “You’re important to me. And to others. You encouraged me to be something more than a worker bee. You saved two innocent lives. You made two new friends! One of them being me. You did all that in two days! You can achieve so much in so little time. You’re not as weak as you think you are. Isn’t that different than before?” She reasoned with the teen.
I guess…
“And, you can always change! That’s what is so wonderful about humans! You can always grow and change!” Pollen said, “I’ve been around for thousands of years, trust me when I say that you’re capable of doing so. The old (Y/n) would’ve kept her head down yesterday during the akuma attack. Today’s (Y/n) was willing to hold onto a miraculous even if she didn't want to be a hero. Because she was afraid of what would happen to a strange spirit she just met… And look at what happened! We’re friends now!” She exclaimed happily, spinning in the air as she flew up. Buzzing around the girl before stopping to nuzzle against (Y/n)’s cheek, brushing away the dry tears.
(Y/n) wiped at her cheeks with her sleeve, holding back a nasally chuckle. “Pollen. That’s so sweet… a little corny. But sweet” she mumbled, looking at her reflection again. Seeing a smile.
“Do you feel better now?” The kwami asked softly.
(Y/n) nodded and nuzzled the kwami back.
“Yeah. I do” she mumbled with a tired smile, “Pollen, thank you. I’m really glad I met you”.
Pollen little blue eyes brightened and seemed to grow in size as a huge smile appeared on her face. “Me too, your highness!” she said happily, taking a seat on (Y/n)’s shoulder and kicking her little feet. It was so darn cute! (Y/n) couldn’t help but match Pollen’s energy.
“Phew… Nothing like a good cry, huh? Pollen, I think I’m ready to head back out…” she said to the kwami. Pollen just nodded and gave the girl one last nuzzle before flying back into (Y/n)’s hood.
Pollen, thank you.
“(Y/n)! Are you okay?” Marinette asked worried, meeting (Y/n) outside of the restroom and in the hall. She looked like she ran there as she was breathing a little heavily. And even though (Y/n) knew that she clearly looked like she had been crying, she still replied with a smile, “Yeah, I’m fine”. Marinette looked a little taken aback by her answer, glancing up and down (Y/n)’s figure almost as if she was inspecting her. What was she looking for? (Y/n) could only wonder. “Are you… sure you’re okay? You don’t happen to feel any different??” she asked the (h/c) haired girl.
(Y/n) stared oddly at Marinette, raising an eyebrow as she spoke, “Yeah? I think so. I feel better than I did before…” She subconsciously followed Marinette’s gaze as she was being analyzed.
Is she worried that I got possessed by Papillon?
“Hey, Marinette… Are you looking for something specific?” (Y/n) asked, “Because I mean it when I say I feel fine. And there were no purple butterflies if that’s what you're worried about”.
Marinette gasped and stopped in her act, stiffly and awkwardly looking around to avoid eye contact, “W-Why do you say that???”
(Y/n) just tilted her head, further confused by the bluenette’s actions. Was it not a common thing to worry about akumas? Or was it taboo to talk about it in the open? “Oh, I thought that’s why you’d be worried. I heard all about the Papillon stuff from my aunt. And from what I read in the Ladyblog I can assume that all the victims are people normally in emotional distress…” she admitted with a sheepish shrug as she rubbed the back of her neck. Not admitting that she personally had a run in with an akumatized victim yesterday.
“O-oh, you know about it?” Marinette asked, visibly relaxing now.
“Yeah, I actually saw a villain the day I landed” (Y/n) said with a smile, “I still can’t believe this is like an everyday thing for Paris. I’m surprised you still have to attend school with all the looming chaos...”.
“Tell me about it…” Marinette said with a faked tired sigh, “I’d love a break”. Making (Y/n) chuckle.
“But yeah, I’m okay. I just needed a good cry” (Y/n) said with an awkward shrug, trying her best to show that she in fact was not akumatized, “Thank you for worrying about me, Marinette”.
Marinette stared at her for a few more seconds before relaxing and smiling, “I see that. Sorry, if I was being weird. It’s just… It’s not really uncommon for people to get akumatized after interacting with Chloe…”
“Oh? Why’s that?” (Y/n) asked, starting to walk back to the classroom with the blue haired girl, “Nevermind, actually. I mean I could see why. She wasn’t exactly being a welcoming student… Is that normal for her? Shouldn’t the school do something if she’s the reason why students are getting akumatized?”
“Yeah, somewhat normal if you believe it. Almost everyday actually. She’s the daughter of the mayor. So, no one really likes to stand up to her because she’s quick to get her father to get her out of trouble. She always gets her way” Marinette explained.
“I can see that. So, was she mad that I took the attention of the class? She couldn’t handle it? With what you’ve told me, I guess that would explain the overreactions…” (Y/n) said as she glanced over to Marinette. “Then, is she close with Adrien because of her connections to the mayor? You know, since he’s a celebrity.” (Y/n) asked curiously.
Unexplainably Marinette seemed to stiffen up at the mention of Adrien’s name, an action that went somewhat unseen as (Y/n) looked ahead when she saw Alya leaning against the wall next to the door of their classroom. Marinette glanced at (Y/n), “Um, actually, how do you-” she started before getting cut off by Alya, who glanced up from her phone and ran up to them once she saw them. “(Y/n) You’re okay!” she said happily, stopping to give the transfer student a full body inspection.
Huh, was everyone expecting me to get akumatized?
“I’m okay. Just feel a little icky, you know, after crying” (Y/n) admitted with an awkward chuckle.
“Oh, don’t cry over Chloe! You just have to learn how to drown her out. Like white noise” Alya joked, making Marinette and (Y/n) chuckle. “Anyways, she just hates not being the center of attention. You’ll get used to it. And tired of it, real quick. And besides, Adrien pulled her aside to talk to her. He probably told her to take it easy on you” she said with a curious glint in her eyes as she analyzed (Y/n)’s expression.
He did that?
(Y/n) smiled softly and made a mental note to thank him. They had just met yesterday and he’s already being so nice to her.
I wonder why, though.
She was pulled out of her thoughts when she felt the two girls stare intensely at her, “Um, what’s up?” she asked.
“So, how do you know Adrien?” Alya asked, glancing to her side to look at Marinette.
“Oh, we met yesterday. We sort of had an encounter at his fencing practice when I was getting a school tour” (Y/n) replied, getting an underlying feeling that this conversation was about something deeper.
I probably shouldn’t pry…
“Why…?” (Y/n) asked.
God, I hope they’re not super fans either.
“Just wondering. It’s already a big deal to have a transfer student from America. And for you to already know the most popular guy in our school… It’s just a weird coincidence, you know? Maybe you’re famous too!” Alya said with a smile, gently elbowing Marinette. Why, who knows?
(Y/n) shook her head with a smile, “Nah, I’m just normal. Adrien and I just talked about video games. It’s not really anything special”, she said.
“You’d be surprised how hard it can be to just talk to him…” Alya mumbled in a mocking tone, while glancing at Marinette. Marinette just glared playfully at Alya before elbowing her back.
The girls’ banter was interrupted when Madame Bustier poked her head out the door, “Oh, (Y/n)! I brought you a tablet. It’s rented from the library so make sure to be careful with it. I assign homework and assignments to the online classroom so make sure to keep up with it” she explained as she motioned for the girl’s to return back to class. The three of them returned back to their seats as instructed.
Unaware of the intense analyzing stare that a blond boy was giving the transfer student as they walked in.
“Wow, fancy” (Y/n) thought to herself as she stared at the tablet in front of her. Meanwhile the boy next to her visibly relaxed as he began to stare at her with amusement in his green eyes. “I’m pretty sure I can guess what she’s thinking just by her expression… I guess she didn’t get akumatized… Good.” he thought to himself as he started to work on his assignment.
Class went by without any further issues afterwards as everyone was working on their assignments. (Y/n) got the hang of the online classroom and the stylus, and she managed to work on the assignment without any problem. Though at some point, she had to ask for help from Adrien to submit the assignment with the option for open editing.
He was friendly and practically beamed when she asked him for help. “Yeah, I can help with that. Here, this is what you do…” he said as he slid closer to her side to show her what settings to click. Their shoulders were practically bumping against each other with his lack of distance. And at first, (Y/n) was kind of thrown off. Now that she knew the boy next to her was the one she met yesterday she was no longer wary of him, but she still found it weird that he was so quick to be this chummy with her. She did remember that the two left off on her getting to know him better the next time they met… But he was acting too close too soon. Yesterday, he was so distant with her, right? And it’s not like she was going to tell him to back away. His eyes looked so earnest and bright… And he did stand up for her earlier…
Eh, what’s the harm I guess?
That was when she felt a pair of eyes staring at her, she turned her head just to see nobody was looking in her direction.
Weird.
She turned back to focus on the instructions Adrien was giving her, just to get the same feeling again. This time, she waited until she was done submitting her assignment before swiftly turning around again. Just to see no one looking her way.
Okay…? I definitely felt someone staring…
…
Adrien smiled fondly as he watched the American girl follow his instructions. “Ahem, so (Y/n), I wanted to ask about what we talked about yesterday” he brought up as she finished submitting her assignment and she was putting away her tablet in her bag.
“Hm? About…?” she asked, turning to face him.
“About… what you thought about heroes… Uh, I’m sure after being here for a couple of days you would’ve had some time to know about the heroes that protect our city” he scrambled to find a way to ask about her thoughts on ‘him’ without being too obvious. And a part of him did want to know what she thought of Chat Noir. Even if he was being a little narcissistic by asking her while in his civilian form…
“Oh. Like Chat Noir?” she wondered. His eyes brightened at the mention of ‘his’ name. And he didn’t want to admit it but… he was sort of pleased that Ladybug wasn’t the first one to pop out of her thoughts.
“Yeah! What do you think of him?” he asked, leaning in and unknowingly sporting a bit of a grin. Making (Y/n) somewhat flustered at his sudden closeness. But like a good friend, she took his question seriously. He truly wanted to know what she thought of ‘him’. Even though it was a little mean that she had no idea that she’d be inadvertently talking about ‘him’ to his face. She sat pensively for a moment.
“He’s… okay I guess?” she said.
Okay? Just okay? He was inexplicably disappointed with that answer.
“Okay?” he asked, feeling the messenger bag by his feet shake lightly as a certain black cat kwami was snickering to itself.
“Yeah? Is that not what I’m supposed to say?” she said, a little confused by his disappointment.
“You don’t think he’s cool?” he asked, feeling a little silly for how desperate he must sound to Plagg right now. He was sure he was going to get teased later.
“Hmmm, I think that he’s kinda dorky?” she answered honestly with a little shrug.
Oh, Plagg was gonna have a field day with him later for sure.
She gnawed lightly on her bottom lip as she seemed to struggle to put her thoughts into words, “But… He’s a good hero. And so is Ladybug. I really think they’re amazing. They’re carrying the fate of Paris on their backs. And yet, they’re always so strong. I could never do what they do… They’re really brave and I admire them” she said with a smile, sincerity in her (e/c) eyes, “Don’t you?”
Adrien swallowed back the breath he didn’t know he was holding. (Y/n)’s words just… caught him off-guard? Yeah. That’s what happened. He totally forgot the question he was going to ask her. It took him a while to shake off the dreamy feeling in his heart and he was just about to reply when he heard the bell ring.
Dang. Ah, right!
“What’s your next class?” he asked with an eager smile. Clearly excited to spend more time with his new friend. Besides Nino, when was the last time he had someone act so natural around him? It was exhilarating to the blond boy. Somehow being around (Y/n) made him feel normal. Even if just for a moment.
“I’ve got chemistry with Mendeliev… You?” She asked with a smile of her own, starting to relax around the boy now that she knew who he was, as she leaned down to grab her backpack.
“Me too! I can walk with you” he said happily, just to be cut off by an awkward cough from behind them. He turned around and saw Alya start to get out of her seat to stand next to (Y/n).
“Sorry, Adrien. Marinette and I were assigned to be (Y/n)’s guides today. So, WE’LL walk her to her next class. But I guess you can come with…” she said with a bit of a smirk, turning to look back at the blue haired girl that was still seated, “Right, Marinette?”
Marinette looked up at the mention of her name, a bit confused at first, but she seemed to understand what her friend was implying, “Ah, right! Y-yes. S-so you walk can with us…!” she scrambled, stuttering out a jumbled response.
It took a while for the boy to decode what Marinette said. Until he nodded in understanding, “You’re right. We should all just walk there together” he said with a small smile. Waiting for (Y/n) to get out of her seat, the three guided her to the next class. Though, most of the talking seemed to come from Alya and Adrien. Alya just pointed stuff out about the building and classrooms, and Adrien just chirped up here and there giving his own experiences.
“P.E. classes always take place in the courtyard! I think your schedule said you have D’Argencourt” Alya said to the transfer student. The blond boy chiming with a, “He’s also my fencing instructor, not sure if you remember him. The one from yesterday!”
Meanwhile, Marinette seemed to have been following quietly behind the three. She was frowning as she watched the way that Adrien seemed to be doting over the new girl. She couldn’t help but to compare. The day after they met and he shared his umbrella with her didn’t go like this… How were they this close already? Why was he being so friendly to this girl? “Marinette… Your jealousy is showing!” she heard a small voice say from her pink pochette. She blinked as she came to reality at the sound of Tikki’s voice perking up.
“But, Tikki… I-” she started. Only for the ladybug kwami to shake her little head, “Marinette-”
“Marinette?” (Y/n) asked, breaking the conversation between the ladybug miraculous holder and the kwami. Marinette turned her head up and saw (Y/n) was a few steps away, standing in front of the door to the chemistry classroom. The other two were gone and now probably in the classroom. Only the transfer student seemed to stay behind.
“Are you okay? Alya said you weren’t feeling well. We were already stepping inside the class when we realized you weren’t following…” The (h/c)-haired girl said with a worried tone.
“O-oh, I’m okay!” Marinette replied with a sheepish chuckle, “Where’d they go?”
“They’re inside. And Alya wanted Adrien to wait for you, but since I don’t have an assigned seat in this class I would’ve had to wait for Ms. Mendeliev anyways, I offered to come instead…” (Y/n) said with a friendly smile.
Marinette tried her best to return the smile even though she badly wanted to sigh. Alya tried to create an opening for her to be able to talk to Adrien. But just her luck, (Y/n) came instead.
(Y/n) was none the wiser about the inner conflicts of the blue haired girl and tilted her head confused as to why the girl wasn’t stepping inside the classroom with the rest of her friends.
“Are you alright? I-If you really don’t feel good, then maybe we should head to the nurse’s office… I can take you!” (Y/n) said worriedly, staring into Marinette’s blue eyes. The genuine worry reflected in her expression. Marinette could not find an ounce of dishonesty in the girl’s pool of shiny (e/c). Only for Marinette to let out a low chuckle and sprout a small smile.
“Yeah… (Y/n)’s just a good kid”, she thought to herself trying to cover her mouth to stop her giggles, “Sorry, don’t mean to laugh. It’s just that, haha, I don’t think you know where the nurse’s office is, hehe” she said happily.
“Oh. Right. You’re… You’re so right, dang. That would’ve been really embarrassing” (Y/n) admitted with an awkward chuckle, fiddling with the sleeves of her hoodie and looking down to hide her embarrassed blush.
Marinette just laughed softly, and was relaxing under the presence of the American girl. Ready to ask the question she’s been wanting to ask ever since she saw (Y/n) and Adrien interact.
*CRASH* SCREECHHH!
Was the sound of tables getting knocked over?
Both of them looked around and down to the courtyard in shock at the sound of screams coming from the classroom below them! Seeing children run out like a stampede as they avoided getting hit with what looked like crystals???
Marinette instinctively wrapped an arm around (Y/n)’s shoulder and pulled her down to crouch so the two could stay out of view of the akumatized victim.
“AAAHHHH! Akuma!”
“Everyone out!”
“Run!”
The top profile of a girl with her hair in high pigtails? Pigtails that stood straight enough to be sharp like fangs! Her hair was a light gray shade, shiny enough to look like pure silver! From this angle it was clear that her outfit seemed to have a tutu made of glass? It was shiny and reflective like gems!
The girl extended her arms and crystals flew from her hands like rainbow petals in the wind. As soon as one touched a student, he turned into a colorful stone? The first one turned red. The next one turned green, and then blue. Then yellow? “Oh, that’s a topaz!” (Y/n) thought to herself. The more students the girl hit the easier it was to tell that the students that were hit were to turn to a randomly colored gem.
“She’s turning them into gemstones? Why?” she could hear Marinette say from beside her, analyzing the situation. (Y/n), on the other hand, was more so worried about their vulnerability by being there. Holding back a breath, and pulling Marinette back as she sensed the akumatized was going to turn their way.
“Shhh, we have to get out of here”, (Y/n) whispered to the blue-haired girl.
“Right…” Marinette nodded, “Uh, you go warn Mendeliev’s class and I’ll try to warn the other classes!”
“What? Marinette, what if you’re seen!?” (Y/n) tried to convince her not to run near the danger.
“The more people we get out to safety the better… Someone has to get Ladybug’s attention, right?” Marinette reasoned.
“You’re-” (Y/n) was cut off as the two suddenly heard a sinister (but albeit cheesy) laugh ring out just across from them. Making (Y/n)’s blood run cold. There, floating across from them on the other side of the railing, was the akumatized girl! With a white ballerina outfit but with a colorful crystal tutu and glass pointe shoes. Her skin was porcelain white. Her twin pigtails looked like silver chains. And her irises were red like rubies.
“Ho ho! Ho ho ho ho! I see two girls that need some polishing! Hehe, you’ll be fine additions to my collection. My diamonds in the rough!” She giggled like an anime villainess and pointed her hands towards the girls. Instead of it being a multicolored flurry of crystal petals, it was a charging beam of pure white.
The two girls dodging away from her blast by leaping out of the way, the attack instead hitting the wall behind them, turning it into diamond. Marinette stood and was ready to grab the girl and lead her to safety. Only for (Y/n) to hiss in pain as she put pressure on her ankle when she attempted to stand.
(Y/n) glanced up in a panic and shook her head to Marinette. It was no use. She couldn’t run with her ankle like that.
The akumatized victim quickly took note of the injured girl, smiling sinisterly at the advantage she had over her, and readied herself to point her hand in the direction of (Y/n). And (Y/n) braced herself.
But Marinette was quick on her feet. Flinging her backpack at the crystal-themed ballerina. “Uh, h-hey! That’s unfair! Picking on the hurt!” she said. Said ballerina slowly turned towards the girl and readied her hand, only for Marinette to start running. The akumatized victim growled in annoyance and started to fly after her, shooting with her diamond beam and missing. Turning the impacted areas into little patches of pure diamond.
“Marinette!” (Y/n) yelled worriedly, forcing herself to stand and look over the railing to see Marinette safely running in a serpentine motion, dodging the blasts.
“It’s okay! Go warn the others! I’m gonna lead her away!” Marinette yelled back as she made it past the front gate.
“Fuck! I-I don’t know what to do! Marinette could be in danger! And it’s all my fault!” (Y/n) started to breathe heavily, blinking away hot frustration from her eyes.
“Calm down, your highness!” Pollen said worriedly from her hood.
“I-I gotta do something…!” (Y/n) said in a panicked tone.
Jumping when the door of the classroom she was supposed to attend suddenly opened and Alya stepped out along with the rest of the students in the class. All of them looked worried and some looked scared.
“(Y/n)! What happened?! We heard shouting and screaming. And then the wall turned into glass! And you and Marinette were gone for a while!” Alya said, scanning the area to look for Marinette.
“I-I… There’s an akuma! She’s turning people to gemstones! A-and… And Marinette ran off to divert the attention from me and to give me time to warn all of you!” (Y/n) managed to say staring guiltily in the eyes of Alya, Marinette’s best friend. “I’m sorry! S-she protected me and-!” Alya cut her off with a shake of her head and a confident look in her eyes.
“So we warn others like she wanted. We protect each other until Ladybug and Chat Noir can show up!” She said valiantly, patting (Y/n)’s shoulder. “Okay! I’ll make an announcement from Damocles’ office to warn the remaining classes! Everyone, go home!” she said, turning to the class before running to the principal’s office.
Wow. She’s so brave… I wish I could be like that.
The others started to scramble out of the classroom and started to rush down the steps towards the nearest exit. Spreading out to the other emergency exits as to not crowd. Adrien was the last to walk out of the classroom and he stopped to look worriedly at (Y/n).
“Are you okay? You should stay put for now. You probably can’t run or get very far with your ankle like that” he said as he held her shoulders, a serious look in his eyes. “You should hide in the restrooms or find somewhere to take cover for now. I’m sure Ladybug and Chat Noir will take care of the akuma. So stay safe!” he said as he started to run towards the main exit.
Wait! Why doesn’t he just wait it out with me?! … Wait, did I tell him about my ankle??
(Y/n) let out a shaky breath and glanced down at her ankle. Her eyes landed on the classroom that originally intended to attend, and she slowly limped inside and closed the door behind her. Hiding as Adrien instructed her to. She rested her back against the door as her knees buckled under the weight of today.
“Why can’t I get through a day without something happening?” (Y/n) mumbled to herself. Fully leaning her back against the surface, bringing up her knees to hug them close to her body. Resisting the urge to cry again.
“So much is happening around me, I-I’m so overwhelmed… Marinette and Adrien could be gems by now! And I’m here hiding! Like a coward. All they did was worry about me… They don’t deserve this. I’m so useless” she sniffled. Pollen flying out of her hood and flying around the classroom to inspect the situation at hand.
“My queen, it’s alright! Take a deep breath” the kwami tried to console the scared girl, starting to float closer to her.
(Y/n) looked over at the kwami and then glanced over her shoulder to stare blankly at the diamond wall. Turning to scoot closer to it, eyeing her reflection in the facets of the crystal. (E/c) pairs of eyes stared blankly back at her. Mocking her.
“... Hey Pollen… You shouldn’t be with me…” she mumbled.
“(Y/n)? What do you mean?” Pollen asked, floating in place.
“I… Like I told you earlier. I’m not hero material. You’re wasted with me… I really can’t seem to grasp what that Guardian saw in me… I’m weak. I’m always relying on others… And I put them in danger. That wasn’t very heroic of me…” she said, looking down to avoid looking at Pollen’s expression. She just knew the poor thing would look disheartened. “You should be with someone like Alya. Did you see how she handled herself back there…? That’s a hero in the making. I’m just… (Y/n).”
Though the girl was looking down, Pollen could tell that she was holding back tears as her shoulders trembled. Pollen slowly continued to float towards her.
“I like (Y/n). The (Y/n) that wanted to keep the responsibility of housing a kwami out of sympathy… The nice (Y/n) that gave me a little taste of freedom… The kind (Y/n) that lets me choose what we want to experience together…” she cooed to the trembling child, “ I like you even if you don’t like yourself ”
(Y/n) said nothing and kept staring down, fiddling with her sleeves once again.But her shoulders seemed to stop moving.
Pollen smiled softly at the progress she made, “That strawberry jam was yummy, but… I’d like to try apricot next…” she said, making (Y/n) chuckle. “...Do you feel better now?” she asked softly, flying up to (Y/n)’s cheek. Nuzzling it like before.
(Y/n) finally looked up and nuzzled weakly back against the fuzzy yellow bee. Sniffling as she replied with a “yeah”.
“I meant it… When I said you can always change…”, Pollen started. Only for (Y/n) to gently shake her head.
“Pollen… I can’t do it…”
“Why do you think so? Don’t you want to save your friends?”
“...” She held the thought for a moment. Pollen was right. She wanted to do something about her friends. Or else Marinette’s actions would’ve been for naught. She wanted to ensure Alya and Adrien were safe. It’s the least she could do for them after they worried for her… The only thing that was stopping her was that…
“... I’m scared” (Y/n) admitted in a small voice, looking over her bandaged ankle, “I’m scared I’ll mess up. I’m scared they’ll hate me. And I’m scared that I won’t be good enough… I’m scared that I’ll disappoint you…”
“People can only be brave because they are scared. When you’re scared you can either run or fight. You’ve shown that you choose to protect. You protected that man and child. You protected me. And you want to protect your friends. That’s why the Guardian chose you. And that’s why I chose you too.” Pollen said with a gentle smile, now beginning to understand why the girl was so against change, “I know you’re not perfect. And I can’t guarantee you won’t mess up. But that’s okay. Kwamis are there to guide their holders. But I’m also here to learn from you like you are from me. I’ll be here with you every step of the way. I promise.”
(Y/n) sighed softly and looked over her shoulder. Looking at her reflection one last time. Before taking a deep breath through her nose and scooping Pollen off of her shoulder and holding her in front of her in her cupped hands.
“Alright, Pollen. Let’s do it. Together.” Staring in her little pools of blue with eyes full of new found resolve.
Pollen smiled brightly and nodded, “All you have to say is ‘Transform me!’ and you’ll be just like Chat Noir and Ladybug”.
“... But my ankle?” (Y/n) brought up awkwardly.
The kwami just giggled, “It’ll be okay! Trust me!”
“Alright… I trust you. Pollen! Transform me!”
Notes:
Here's the link to my Ko-Fi in case you wanted to support my work! Don't feel pressured, but anything's appreciated :) : https://ko-fi.com/shinyamour
Chapter 5: Crowning Jewels (Pt. 2)
Notes:
Hey, everyone! Sorry for the wait! Work has been keeping me busy, so I can't post as often as I wish I could. But I will update once a month! And it might be late to clarify this now but, I will be referencing the original French version of the show. That's how I saw most of it while learning French in high school. So, Hawkmoth is Papillon. The holders don't have their English transformation phrases. It might be kind of awkward for those who watch the English dub, sorry.
But, I want everyone to know that once I finish a chapter I'm already starting the next one! ;)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Marinette was dodging blast after blast, somehow managing to get past her home and to the nearby park. Throwing herself onto the floor and ducking behind a nearby bench. The akumatized villain followed not too far behind. Deadset on catching the girl who humiliated her by flinging her bag at her. Her hands were glowing white, readying to shoot her with her diamond beam.
“AAHHH! AKUMA!”
“EVERYONE HIDE!”
“RUN!”
The civilians that were in the park began to panic and scramble, catching the attention of the crystal-themed ballerina who instead decided to focus on the people that attempted to flee. Probably thinking it to be more fruitful to get more common gems rather than to focus on one diamond to polish…
“ All of you will be wonderful additions to my collection! Ho ho! Even if you’re a bit rough around the edges… Not anything that I, Prismatica, can’t work with though!” She laughed as she started to point her hands towards the running crowd, releasing her crystal petals like she did earlier at the school. Turning all the fleeing people into a random assortment of gems.
Marinette sneakily crawled toward the trees and bushes. She stared in worry from her position behind a tree as a child got hit with a petal. Turning into ruby. She bit her lip and contemplated distracting her again, to draw the attention away…
“Marinette! Hurry! We have to transform!” Tikki called out from the pochette.
The kwami was right. She could only keep the akuma distracted for so long. Ladybug is going to have to defeat Prismatica to save these people.
“Tikki, transform me!”
Adrien ran out of the school and straight into the hidden alley where he dropped (Y/n) off, tugging at his white shirt and letting out his kwami. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one followed him. Plagg flew out and covered his little grin with his hands, “Were you trying to be ‘cool’ back there?” he teased. Making the blond boy roll his eyes.
“Plagg, there’s no time for this” he scolded, “Come on. Transform me!” He extended his hand for the kwami to get absorbed into the ring.
“You’re just mad she called you ‘dorRKYYY-’!” the black cat spirit yelled out as he got pulled into the ring.
Now transformed into Chat Noir, he used his extending baton to get onto the roof of the building and to scope out the damage. His green eyes trailed the gem statues towards the park, starting to run towards the source. He felt his baton start to vibrate. The green paw print on it was glowing too. Ladybug was probably calling him. He knew he should pick up… But a part of him was still sour from this morning.
“Oh. So now, she wants to reach out for my help” he thought with a roll of his eyes. He scrunched his nose and humored the idea of not picking up at all. Showing up when it truly mattered. Pull a show-off hero moment by swooping in and saving Ladybug in a time of need. To show that she truly needed his help and to not take him for granted again.
But, he just couldn’t. He loves her. He cared too much to just stand by. If he could be of use to her then that’s all that mattered. She was everything to him.
He sighed and pressed his gloved thumb over the glowing button, opening his baton like a cellphone. Ladybug’s agitated face appeared on the screen, “Chat Noir, where are you?” she asked, clearly dodging an attack in the background. He heard a posh villainess laugh echo in the area where Ladybug seemed to be. “On my way! What’s going on?” he asked as started running faster after seeing Ladybug dodge what looked like a white beam.
“Akuma. Is there anything else that needs to be said?” She said, somewhat annoyed. Well, who wouldn’t be if they’re constantly being shot at?
Chat Noir rolled his eyes but bit back the snarky response, “Okay, but what is the situation? Any idea where her akuma is?” he asked as nicely as possible while jumping off a roof and towards the park. He glanced around and saw all the aftermath, having just missed the akuma presumably. There were countless civilians, suspended in time as they were transformed into various gemstones. Their expressions were all of terror. Yikes.
A thought flashed in his head. A haunting thought. If Marinette didn’t divert the attention of the akuma… then (Y/n) would’ve been caught in the crossfire of the attack… unable to run away with her injured ankle.
He had to make sure to properly thank Marinette after. And to make sure (Y/n) was okay. It must’ve really shaken her up to be face-to-face with an akuma like that… The poor girl was so shaken up before he left.
“Ah, wait. She was face-to-face with Wrecking Man” he thought to himself. Chuckling at the realization that this wasn’t the girl’s first rodeo with an akuma.
When he first encountered her as Chat Noir, he was really surprised. That day, Ladybug and he had met up nearby and just followed the destruction. They happened to hear a scream, saying “He’s gonna crush her!’. The adrenaline following sent them both into overdrive. Making it just in time to see the akuma’s mech ready to stomp and crush a civilian with a wrecking ball. Luckily, his lady acted fast and held back the wrecking ball with her yo-yo. And he focused purely on getting the civilians out of harm’s way.
He never expected to see the girl he met earlier that day. She was on high alert. Standing stiffly but yet somehow kinda jumpy. She flustered easily despite trying to talk the akuma down earlier. He chuckled when he looked back at how she smoothly returned his jokes, even chiming in with a pun of her own. Matching his energy at first. Only to get serious when she wanted to make sure the others she encountered were safe. She seemed not to enjoy it when others put her before them…
Hard to believe the girl would be so afraid of kids her own age rather than a literal supervillain. He still had yet to wrap his head around that. (Y/n) said it wasn’t ‘that simple’... But she looked fine today. She cracked jokes with him just fine when he took her to school as Chat Noir. Though, she was very much on guard when she sat next to Adrien… Was he really that scary to her?
“-Noir!” he heard Ladybug’s exasperated voice still coming from his baton.
“Yes! I mean, yes?” he said, a little embarrassed that he was caught lost in his thoughts. He glanced down at his baton, trying to make out the landmarks behind Ladybug.
“I said, I don’t know what Prismatica’s intentions are but she’s turning everyone into gemstones. Be careful you don’t get hit by the crystal petals. Right now I’m at-”, she got caught off by the sound of villainous laughter.
“ Aha! Found you my little insect! I bet you’d shine brighter as a ruby!”
He gasped as he suddenly saw a flash of red on the screen and the sound of muffled yelling. “M’lady?! Where are you!? Ladybug! ...Shit!” he cursed as the call suddenly disconnected. He had to find her and quickly, he opened the map on the device and turned on the tracker. Pinpointing Ladybug’s location to the Arc D’Triomphe or at least somewhere near there. The little red dot told him exactly where he needed to go. He wasted no time in running in that direction. He clutched the baton in his hands as he sprinted.
Unaware of the yellow dot that appeared on the map.
Suddenly Pollen’s body began to be drawn towards the hairpin that (Y/n) was wearing at the base of her ponytail.
Holy crap, what’s happening?!
Pollen suddenly got absorbed into the miraculous, and suddenly (Y/n) felt like she was enveloped by a veil of golden light.
The ends of (black/yellow) ribbons sprouted like antennae from the hairpin. Sticking out. Her ponytail curled at the end. (Y/n)’s body slowly spun as a swarm of magical light bees covered her body and then suddenly disappeared as her body was covered in a yellow bodysuit. Shyly wrapping her arms around herself, black stripes began to appear like ribbons to hug her figure. She smiled as she placed her fists on her hips and stood on the tip of one foot, gleefully high-kicking the other foot out. Knee-high black leather boots with chunky yellow heels in the shape of hexagons began to appear. In glee, she covered her smile with her hands and then blew a kiss off of them. Black leather gloves began to extend from the tips of her fingers and stopped when they reached the middle of her biceps. With gloved hands, she covered her (e/c) eyes and playfully pulled them away from her face as if playing peekaboo. A (yellow/black) mask appeared over her closed eyes. When she opened them, she had flecks of gold like honey in her (e/c) irises. She pursed her lips in thought and with a clap, she had yellow hexagon-shaped knee and elbow pads sprouting over her boots and gloves. And also little yellow hexagon-shaped knuckle guards. With a second clap, a thin black belt wrapped around her waist. A black rapier sword with a golden hand-guard appeared from a little swarm of magical light bees. She gave one final spin before posing with the sword in hand.
When she opened her eyes after the transformation, all she could do was wonder what happened to Pollen. She dumbly looked around even though she clearly saw the kwami get pulled into the magical jewel. She turned towards the diamond wall and started analyzing her hero outfit. The suit covered up to her neck with a black turtleneck. She pressed a hand against the wall and stood up, expecting her ankle to ache. But to her surprise, it felt as good as new! She turned around and saw the embossed pattern of wings on the back of her colored leather suit…
Wow, these things have a lot of details…
She eyed the thin sword in her hand, “Is this supposed to be the stinger?” she wondered aloud. Trying to sheath it. But without a sheath, it was kinda hard. “I guess it automatically attaches to my belt?” she thought as she just pressed it against the belt and it magically attached itself. She glanced at her reflection one last time.
I can’t believe that… That’s me? I look… Like an actual superhero…
She couldn’t help the smile that was growing over her lips.
Okay, no time to waste! Gotta help Ladybug and Chat Noir.
…
Where are they though?
(Y/n) sighed and felt all her confidence leave her body with just a single thought. “Great. Where do I even start? Ugh, Pollen would’ve been better off with Alya…” she thought disheartened.
… Wait, Alya! That’s right!
The lady blogger must be tracking the akuma attack or at least be able to do some quick sleuthing on her phone! If she finds Alya then she should-
*Attention students! This is Alya Cesaire. There is an akuma nearby. Either please remain barricaded in your classroom or hurry home! Again, there is an akuma nearby!*
She began to hear Alya’s voice from the school’s loudspeakers. (Y/n) began to quickly start running towards Damocles’ office, her heels clicking against the floor. Magically, her body felt light… No ankle pain! Is this the power of the miraculous? What more could she do? She made it just as Alya started to leave the room, “Wait! Alya Cesaire from the LadyBlog, right?” she asked as she ran up to her.
Alya gasped and readied herself to run, thinking the brightly dressed girl was another akuma, but with newfound agility (Y/n) grabbed the girl’s wrist. “Ah, let go of me! Help! Ladybug!” she began to scream.
“No no, wait! Aly- I mean, Ms. Cesaire. I’m not an akuma. I’m here to help Ladybug. I was hoping you could help me” (Y/n) began to say calmly, trying to soothe the panicking girl.
Alya stopped screaming but still stared warily at the girl and still tried to pull her wrist away, but (Y/n) had a firm grip on it. “How can I trust that you’re not an akuma?” she said with narrowed eyes.
“Uh, I’ve read and watched your blog?” (Y/n) quipped.
“What’s that supposed to mean? You think Papillon wouldn’t read my blog?” she said with a slightly offended tone.
(Y/n) bit back a snort, “I’m just saying if I were an akuma, I’d care less about finding you specifically and instead getting revenge on whoever made me get akumatized. Plus, last time I checked on your blog you speculated that Papillon can’t have two different akumas out at the same time. As based on what you wrote in the Coeur de pierre article” she said, with a friendly smile.
Alya’s eyes lit up, “You did read my blog!” she said happily, reaching into her pocket to pull out her phone and start recording (Y/n). “So, are you like Ladybug and Chat Noir? What’s your name? Lady Bee? What are your powers? Why did you suddenly appear?” she asked excitedly.
(Y/n) gently placed her hand over Alya’s phone and pushed it down, “These questions can wait for later. I need your help tracking where the akuma could be. Or any leads you probably have. Please, I don’t have much time” she said firmly. She really didn’t have time to waste. Alya nodded and was quick to check people’s social media and local news websites.
“Well, based on what was posted recently… It looks like this Prismatica just passed by the Theatre de la Madeleine… and is following along Malesherbes… Not sure why though” she mumbled, showing (Y/n) someone’s story of Prismatica flying by their apartment’s window shooting beams angrily at who (Y/n) assumed was Ladybug or Chat Noir.
“What? Why? Where is she going?” (Y/n) asked. Taking Alya’s phone and going to the map app. Checking what was nearby…
Think (Y/n). Where would a crystal-themed ballerina go? Also, she can fly? Well, it would be really inconvenient to run in her glass shoes… Wait. Glass!
The Louvre Pyramid!
“I got it. Little ballerina wants to shine. Where better than a glass castle?” she said with a smile, acting the cheesy hero part. She gave Alya her cell phone back and prepared to run towards the entrance.
But not before giving Alya a pat on her shoulder, “You were very smart in warning everyone with the loudspeakers. And your blog is just so well done, it’s helpful. Be proud of your work. Thank you. This probably won’t be the last time I ask you for help” (Y/n) said with a gentle smile before saluting and getting ready to jump over the railing of the overhang. Gracefully landing on the courtyard even in her new heels.
“Ah, wait! What do I call you?!” she heard Alya yell, phone in hand.
She suddenly remembered Pollen’s voice, saying “Your Highness!”, “Your Majesty!”, or “My Queen!” and giggled to herself.
“Call me Queen Bee!”
And now came the fun part, jumping onto roofs.
(Y/n) looked down at her gloves and then looked around, seeing the silhouettes of civilians suspended in gemstone.
I hope Adrien and Marinette are okay…
And then, she took her first leap.
Ladybug cursed to herself, letting her guard down and allowing the akuma to hit her yo-yo with a single crystal petal. Now, what was she going to do?! She lost contact with Chat Noir and now she can’t even use her yo-yo to defend herself or get out of here. She clutched onto what used to be her yo-yo and kept running. Dodging the blasts and trying to lose Prismatica from her trail. Even if she managed to find the akuma, how was she going to purify it without her yo-yo?!
Prismatica giggled devilishly as she shot a sapphire beam ahead. Hitting a lamppost.
“You missed!” Ladybug called out, turning over her shoulder.
“No, I didn’t!” Prismatica taunted as the lamppost suddenly started to teeter before it fell into the street, shattering upon impact. Chunks spreading everywhere. With one wrong step, Ladybug tripped and rolled on the floor. Her back slammed against a parked car. She hissed and rubbed the back of her head. Looking up and watching as the villain drew closer.
“Now, give me your miraculous! It’ll be a fine addition to my jewelry box. Unless you want everyone in Paris to suffer the same fate as your dumb yo-yo!”
“Never!” Ladybug barked back at the ballerina.
“Very well. Have fun in my jewelry box!” She readied her diamond beam.
“Not on my watch!” A male voice called out. Before a silhouette in black ran out in front of Ladybug. Hitting Prismatica’s hand and redirecting her blast to a random building. Chat Noir stood valiantly in front of Ladybug and readied his baton to strike again.
“Took you long enough,” she said to him, getting up and dusting herself.
“You’re very welcome, m’lady,” he said dryly. “It’s not like I didn’t know where to go or anything” he tried to defend himself.
“Whatever, Chat. Don’t let her hit you or your baton with any of her attacks” she warned him as Prismatica floated in front of them. Getting ready to blast them both. Until she looked around at all the people in the streets. The sunlight glimmering off of the gems’ surfaces… She suddenly started to smile wickedly.
“Oh, where are my manners? I can’t leave my jewelry littered around like this, can I?” She said with a villainess’ laugh. Instead flying higher and towards the glass pyramid in the distance. All while laughing obnoxiously.
“We can’t let her get away!” Chat Noir said as they started to chase after her. “Use your Lucky Charm!” he said to Ladybug, both of them jumping over any obstacles in their way. Ladybug just rolled her blue eyes, “I would if I could! She turned my yo-yo into a rock!” she yelled sarcastically.
“Well, did you even try? We’re running out of options!” he said with his eyes narrowed, returning the mean energy. They halted to a stop as they had to either climb or run around a building.
She narrowed her eyes at him but sighed loudly. “Alright… Lucky Charm!” she called out as she threw her ruby yo-yo in the sky, only for nothing to happen. The item just fell back into her hands, “See, told you” she huffed, “I can’t use my yo-yo!”
“How are we going to purify the akuma then?” he asked.
“I guess we’ll figure it out after we free it first,” she said as he wrapped an arm around her waist and used his extending baton to get them both onto the rooftop so they could continue to chase after Prismatica. They stopped at the edge of a building to try to come up with a plan as she flew toward the tip of the pyramid. Giggling and spinning, she pulled a small jewelry box from her tutu’s pocket. She clicked a button and it opened, and music began to ring out from the box.
“I didn’t know glass tutus could have pockets!” Chat quipped as he readied his baton for an attack.
“Chat, there’s no time for jokes! That has to be where her akuma is!” Ladybug said as she readied herself for whatever was about to happen.
Pristmatica began to hum along to the music and continued to spin on the tip of her foot. A bright light began to shine from inside the box, “Ho ho ho ho! Come my pretties! Rough edges don’t bother me. Imperfect little things! You’re all mine now!” Colorful blurs began to rise from the streets of Paris and gathered in the sky like a beam of prismatic light all before getting absorbed by the musical jewelry box.
“She’s collecting everyone that she’s turned into gems!” Chat Noir called out as he got into position to use his Cataclysm on the glass building. “Cataclysm!” Maybe at least by knocking her down from the high ground should at least buy them some time. His gloved hand glowed with the magical black energy of his signature move. Behind him, Ladybug’s ruby yo-yo also began to shine as it was being drawn towards the jewelry box. Ladybug gritted her teeth as she tried with all her strength to hold it back.
“N-no! Without this, we can’t purify the akuma! C-chat, help me hold it back!” she called out to him only for the yo-yo to slip out of her hands as it pulled her body forward. Causing her to bump against his back. Shoving him forward and knocking him off the building. He screamed as he tried to catch himself by holding onto a nearby telephone pole. … Unfortunately wasting his Cataclysm. The wooden pole crumbled under his fingertips.
“AAHHH!” he screamed as he braced himself to land face-first into the concrete. He’d been thrown from farther distances and this fall wouldn’t kill him, but it’d still hurt. He closed his eyes and expected a hard impact. Only for it to never come, instead he felt his body be snatched out of the air. His shoulders were supported from behind with an arm and so were the back of his knees.
He opened his eyes and saw (e/c) pools with flecks of gold behind a (black/yellow) mask.
“I got you! Are you okay?” the person asked, gently placing him down from the princess carry. He blinked and was speechless for a moment. Who was this?? He took in the bee-themed superhero suit and the feminine voice. Quick to revert back to the confident hero act, he donned a charming smile.
“Why, thank you for coming to my rescue, miss…?” he asked as he bowed to her.
“Queen Bee. Aren’t you supposed to ‘always land on your feet’, Mr. Noir?” Queen Bee hummed with a teasing smile. She was referring back to when he escorted her home, but he didn’t know that of course.
He blinked, a little taken aback by her teasing, and was readying himself to ask her who she was and why she was-
“Who are you?!” They heard a girl’s voice above them as Ladybug jumped off the building she and Chat Noir were on. She landed with a crouch and quickly stomped to stand in between Chat and Queen Bee. Staring down the new hero with a glare.
Queen Bee lifted her hands and tried to show that she meant no harm. “I totally understand the distrust but right now we have to stop this akuma. We can talk after,” Queen Bee cut in, placing her hand on Ladybug’s shoulder only for the red-clad heroine to smack it off.
“What do you think we’ve been trying to do?” Ladybug said with a cross of her arms, clearly agitated and offended by Queen Bee’s implication that the duo weren’t doing their jobs. Chat Noir couldn’t help but feel crushed under Ladybug’s intense aura right now. She had no yo-yo and was probably stressing, he had already wasted his Cataclysm just from a dumb accident, and now there was someone else here to add more fuel to the chaotic flame. He didn’t like this either. It was giving him a bit of a headache…
(Y/n) didn’t want to admit it… But Adrien was onto something. A mask definitely helps during these first introductions. No wonder he didn’t want to take off the fencing mask when they first met. It’s like a safety blanket.
It felt way easier to talk to others. Maybe it was because they were all wearing masks but (Y/n) felt comfortable responding to Ladybug’s clear aggression and even returning it. All three of them were miraculous holders, and by proxy, they were all equals. That or maybe the blood pumping from all the running and jumping she did earlier was working its charm. Adrenaline sure is fun.
“Okay, okay. I’m serious. I’m just here to help, not to criticize or whatever it is you think that I implied. Like I said, I don’t expect you to trust me” Queen Bee said with a sarcastic roll of her eyes. Further annoying Ladybug. Chat Noir could sense the hostility rising between the two, and he was quick to butt in or else he’d be stuck here mediating.
“We think the jewelry box has the akuma” he blurted out to the bee heroine. Ladybug turned around with a glare that screamed, ‘Why did you tell her that?!’, and made a ‘cut it out’ motion with her hand against her neck. He rolled his eyes and leaned in to whisper-yell to his lady, “Look, I already used my Cataclysm and I only have like five more minutes before I detransform. And you have no yo-yo to purify with! We are in no position to be turning down help”.
Queen Bee just politely stood aside and allowed them to have their little not-so-private conversation. She was amused by their bickering. Taking note that once the heroes use their special attacks they’ll only have a few minutes before losing their transformation. Instead focusing on the akuma that was laughing sinisterly as a flurry of colors continued to be absorbed into the jewelry box. Queen Bee raised an eyebrow as she tensed up. It appeared to be a slow process, almost as if she were charging the box-
Wait. The longer she charged the diamond beam from earlier the more damage it did…
Prismatica cut her pirouette short and suddenly closed the box, “HA HA! This should be more than enough to shut all of you up. Don’t want to give me your jewels? That’s just fine! I’ll just take them off your bodies!” She yelled before turning to the three, cutting their conversation short, and suddenly pointing her box at them. In one quick flash, she popped it back open and a huge beam was released from the jewelry box.
“Watch out!” Queen Bee yelled as she grabbed the heroes by their shoulders and pushed them forward with her entire weight, the rainbow surge just barely grazed her leg…
The three landed to the side and stared incredulously at the damage that the giant beam left. Everywhere that the attack hit was turned to prismatic crystal but it looked like it was crystalizing the nearby area, slowly spreading and turning everything it grazed into crystal.
“Okay, no time to waste!” Ladybug said as she got up and pulled up Chat Noir with her, “We only have a few more minutes before you detransform…” she said. With a sigh she looked down at the new hero and offered her hand, “Alright, what do you suggest we do?” she asked.
Queen Bee took her hand and pulled herself up, only to stumble and hiss as she felt something shackling her leg down. She looked down and saw a solid blotch of rainbow gem spread over her calf, slowly affecting the rest of her leg, and weighing her down.
Great. Just great. Even in hero form, I messed up my ankle.
The three of them glanced up and saw the ballerina winding up the music box. No doubt preparing herself to charge it again. Queen Bee looked the two in the eyes.
“Okay, game plan. We have to be quick. Look, Prismatica takes time to charge her attacks. Now that she ‘Godzilla’d’ us with that rainbow beam, I doubt she will try to charge it to full capacity again. So, she’s definitely going to keep trying to hit us with her barrage of weak attacks at least while she defends that music box” Queen Bee said as tried to balance herself over her crystalized foot.
“So, one of us needs to distract her long enough that she won’t have the time to charge her beam enough or so she won’t open it to release the beam” Ladybug chipped in, starting to understand where Queen Bee was going with this.
“Exactly,” Queen Bee said with a nod.
“I can distract her. Not to brag but I’ve been told I’m pretty light on my feet” Chat Noir chimed in with a grin.
Queen Bee shook her head and placed her hands on both their shoulders, “Look, I have to be the distraction” she said to both of them. Ladybug and Chat Noir both glanced down at her leg, watching as the crystallization was starting to reach her knee.
Ladybug frowned and shook her head, “With that weighing you down? You’re as good as caught!” she argued.
“That’s exactly why! Ladybug, you need that yo-yo back. At the end of it, you need to purify that akuma, and your Lucky Charm item is what we need to turn Paris back to normal. I’m 99% sure that if we break that box it’ll free every gem in there. Yo-yo included.” She reasoned with the red-clad girl, “You need to be near that box when it happens”.
“But, I’m more physically capable. It should be me, not you” Chat brought up with a cross of his arms.
“Chat. I’ve already been hit. This thing is already slowly turning me into a gem. I’m as good as gone if we don’t get that box. And you’re gonna detransform soon. If Prismatica hits you, and you’re weighed down… Your identity will be found out and there’s nothing we’ll be able to do. Papillon will see you through the eyes of the akuma” Queen Bee said with a serious tone. “If I get hit again, that’s it, yeah. But if one of you gets hit, it’ll be as good as over for you…” she pointed to Chat Noir, then to Ladybug, “or for Paris”.
The two remained quiet for a split second before they nodded. They stepped away from the huddle and stared up at the ballerina who kept laughing maniacally.
“I’ll bring her down from the pyramid. You two focus on that box and at my signal you charge, okay?” Queen Bee said, readying her sword.
Ladybug and Chat Noir shared a look and nodded. “You take one side and I take the other?” Chat asked with a confident smile. Ladybug returned the smile and readied herself to charge, “Yep! You ready?” she asked the cat-themed hero and the bee-themed heroine.
Queen Bee smiled and nodded at Ladybug. Chat Noir nodded at Ladybug before turning his head over his shoulder.
“Always~” he winked at Queen Bee.
“Hey! How about a pas-de-deux?” Chat Noir yelled out, getting the attention of the ballerina, who stopped winding the box. She growled and popped open the jewelry box in the direction of the trio. Quick on their feet, Ladybug and Chat Noir ran in opposite directions to avoid the blast. Queen Bee ran forward, ducking down under the prismatic beam. And as noted, it was weaker. She kept opening and closing the box as she shot rapid blasts from where she stood. Attempting to hit the fleeing heroes, only to miss and turn back to the one running straight at her.
“Ha ha, isn't it more like a pas-de-quatre?” Queen Bee joked as she dodged the blasts, getting a little too cocky. Regretting it when she almost tripped over her crystal foot. Stumbling out of the way of a blast, dodging it just out of pure dumb luck.
She straightened herself and sheepishly grinned at the villain, “Hehe, oops! Can’t say I know the moves to this dance… Haha…”
Prismatica rolled her eyes and shot again, only for Queen Bee to dodge it and even strike a pose with her sword. Internally Queen Bee was trying to hold back a nerdy grin.
Okay, maybe this is a little fun… I’ve never been this nimble before…
“Say, rainbow princess. You talk a lot of talk about gems and all but you need some polishing yourself’ Queen Bee taunted as she twirled mockingly on her crystalized leg. “Your pirouette was unbalanced,” she said with a tut, shaking her head.
I just need to get her off the high ground…
“Why don’t we share a dance~?” she offered with her gloved hand out, “Or are you afraid of embarrassing yourself?” She mocked.
The glowing outline of a purple butterfly appeared over the akumatized victim’s eyes, only for Prismatica to shake it off? She seemed to mumble something angrily under her breath.
Huh? They can do that? That didn’t happen to Wrecking Man…
“I’m not afraid!” Prismatica growled, breaking Queen Bee out of thought, and she pocketed the music box. In the background, Ladybug hid in an alley and Chat Noir perched himself on a nearby building. Waiting for Queen Bee’s signal.
“Oh yeah, prove it! Care to dance, miss two left feet?” She taunted, charging forward as Prismatica did the same.
I think I got her down! Just need to get her to withdraw that damn box again!
The villain’s hands glowed bright yellow as she jumped off the tip of the pyramid and floated down in front of Queen Bee. Dodging the incoming sword thrusts, acting disinterested and bored as she twirled and moved on her tiptoes. It was very apparent that Queen Bee was just swinging blindly like an amateur. Obviously, she had never handled a sword like this before… And Prismatica could tell.
“Are you done?” The villain fake yawned and suddenly grabbed the rapier with one hand, slowly turning it into topaz.
Caught by surprise, Queen Bee tried to pull the sword back from her grasp only for Prismatica to pull her closer, drawing her free hand up to the girl’s face. The villain’s palm glowed green as she threatened to turn her into a gem, “Is this the best you can do? Sending your friend to get sacrificed isn’t very graceful, Ladybug… Now if you want her back, then give me your miraculous!”
Ladybug watched impatiently from her spot as Queen Bee’s weapon was turned to crystal, like hers. “Ugh! What is she doing?! She’s going to mess up the plan! I knew we shouldn’t have trusted her to help us!” she thought, tapping her foot. Biting her lip, she tried to hold back from stepping in. Her worried blue eyes glanced up and met Chat Noir’s from afar. She held a firm gaze and nodded, only for him to shake his head. Trying to stick to the plan as they agreed. Ladybug frowned and with clear annoyance she rolled her eyes, “Do I have to do everything myself?” she thought. She made a hand motion for Chat Noir to follow her lead.
No longer able to wait for the bee heroine’s signal, Chat Noir and Ladybug ran out from where they were hiding. Running out from two different directions, each on Prismatica’s left and right side. Ready to attack her. Ladybug had her fist prepared for a punch and Chat Noir had his baton raised over his head. In one quick movement, Prismatica let go of Queen Bee to raise her hands and shoot point-blank at Ladybug and Chat Noir. In a flash of white light, the two heroes were caught in crystal restraints. Shackled from the waist down, in diamond. Diamond that was slowly spreading up their body, the same way it was for Queen Bee.
They struggled just for Prismatica to laugh evilly, “Hahahaha! You two couldn’t have made it more obvious! You risked yourselves for her? How preciously stupid of you!” She turned back to the bee hero, “Now, all that’s left is to squish this little bee!” Her hands began to glow again. The outline of the purple butterfly appeared again, this time Queen Bee was able to hear what was being said. “I know! I know! I’ll get their miraculouses, just let me outdo this little wench!” Prismatica argued with Papillon, before charging at Queen Bee.
Ladybug grunted as she tried to pull herself out of the trap. She looked up at Queen Bee with an angry expression. “You weren’t supposed to be caught, Queen!” Ladybug scolded.
“Yeah, well. You were supposed to wait for my signal! Why did you two come out?!” Queen Bee argued back, dodging Prismatica’s glowing green hand.
“You made such a buzz with this plan…! We didn’t expect you to get cornered like that” Chat argued, trying to calm the bickering bug girls. Looking down at his ring, watching as the third paw pad disappears. Two only remained. He looked up in a panic, “Not to rush you or anything, but how was this plan going to work?? I have two minutes left!”
Oh fuck.
Queen Bee looked around, panicking now that she felt the weight of the pressure get to her. Chat Noir had less than minutes. They still don’t have Ladybug’s yo-yo back…
Ugh, why didn’t they wait for my signal?!
Oh god… I don’t know what I’m doing. Why did I think I could do this?
See, Pollen. I was right. I’m just a mess up. I’m still just weak old (Y/n). Mask or not. I’m just-
‘Hey, watch out!”
She must’ve spaced out because she came to when she heard Chat Noir yell. Prismatica’s hand was just a centimeter away from her face. She was face-to-face with a glowing green palm and her survival instincts kicked in, moving out of the way. Prismatica’s nail barely grazed Queen Bee’s cheek, leaving a streak of green emerald to form on her face. Queen Bee stumbled as she tried to step back from the attack she barely dodged, nearly falling from balancing herself on her crystal leg. The crystallization now up to her mid-thigh…
Ugh, fuck! Damn it! I’m gonna fall and shatter this thing if I’m not careful!
Queen Bee glanced down at her topaz sword. Fighting the urge to let out a sigh. “Think! Think!” she mumbled to herself, eyes darting around as she dodged Prismatica’s hands. (E/c) eyes that started to burn with tears. Loving the desperation in Queen Bee’s voice, Prismatica wanted to take it further. Swiping a leg under Queen Bee’s feet and knocking her down. Stomping with each step closer to the bee hero, attempting to crush her crystalized leg. All Queen Bee could do was crawl desperately backward to avoid the attack.
“What? Giving up? Hahaha, you’re new, aren’t you? If this is all it takes for you to give up, then you’re pathetic!”
God… Pollen, I’m sorry. I let you down…
“You’re not as weak as you think you are!” “And that’s why I chose you!” “I’ll be here with you every step of the way” “I promise”
“You’ve let all of Paris down…” Prismatica stopped in front of Queen Bee, smiling deviously as she just watched the panic on Queen Bee’s face continue to skyrocket. This scene is all too familiar for (Y/n)... Until a clear realization fell upon her.
You know, Prismatica kinda sounds like… “her”. But…
Not as scary?
I guess I have changed…
“Never seen a hero be so weak!’
Shut up!
(Y/n) pushed herself up even if she wobbled a bit.
“You’re a waste of a hero!”
“Ugh, I said shut up!!” Queen Bee growled as she thrust her topaz sword towards the villainess, pushing her back with the tip of her sword. Prismatica grinned sinisterly as her taunt seemed to work. Getting a rise out of the bee hero. Queen Bee’s strikes were faster leaving trails of yellow with each swing of her sword. Turning the tables around, now making Prismatica dodge her attacks.
“Don’t like hearing the truth? Hahaha! Papillon just wanted the ladybug and cat miraculous but I guess I can take yours too! Even if it’s a cheap little trinket!” Prismatica giggled evilly.
“Don’t you call her that!” Queen Bee’s slashes became faster, overwhelming the villain a bit. Her glass pointe shoes chipped on the cobblestone floor as she stumbled. Queen Bee glanced down at the little shard of glass that fell from Prismatica’s shoe, her eyes brightening in realization.
“My sword skills may need some polishing… but you need to watch where you step, ballerina!” Queen Bee joked as she pushed Prismatica back with another poke of her sword, waiting until she stumbled to swipe her crystal leg under the ballerina’s feet. Prismatica fell on her bottom, shattering her crystal tutu upon impact!
“Haha! Why didn’t I think of that before? Her tutu’s made out of glass!” Queen Bee said with a gleeful laugh.
The music box fell out of the colorful shards. And tumbled over to a spot on the floor in between Ladybug and Chat Noir.
“Now!” Queen Bee yelled. Chat Noir nodding and extending his baton to swing it down with all of his strength, thwacking the music/jewelry box straight down. Shattering the lid.
Just like when Prismatica was collecting gems, a flurry of colorful streaks escaped from the box, and the lights escaped into the sky. Presumably it was the citizens returning back to where they originally were. All that mattered was that a single streak of red sped towards Ladybug, materializing in her hands. Her yo-yo returned back to its rightful place. Once the multicolored lights seemed to stop, a single purple butterfly escaped from the broken box.
Ladybug wasted no time as she swung her yo-yo, “Lucky Charm!” she called as a red and polka dotted bug net fell out of the air. It fell on the ground and Ladybug swung her yo-yo again, readying to catch the fleeing butterfly, “I’m freeing you from evil!” she chanted, capturing the akuma. “Gotcha! Bye-bye little butterfly” she said as she freed a now purified white butterfly from the yo-yo. Flying out as Prismatica turned back to a normal girl.
“One more thing to do” Queen Bee said as she picked up the bug net to hand it to Ladybug. Ladybug, probably still upset from earlier, just took it from her hands without saying anything. Ladybug threw it in the air and called out, “Miraculous Ladybug!” A swarm of magical ladybugs began to repair all the damage done from the akuma attack. Freeing the heroes from their diamond shackles, reverting Queen Bee’s leg back to normal, arranging the streets back to the way they used to be, and most importantly, turning everyone back to normal.
With one dot left on his ring, Chat Noir quickly said his goodbyes, “Sorry to shatter any hope, but I can’t stay any longer” he said with a wink to the two girls, offering a fist bump to Ladybug. Who just weakly returned it and glanced at Queen Bee. Queen Bee just smiled at him, “Good bye, Chat Noir” she said softly.
Oh god, she’s gonna chew me out isn’t she?
Queen braced herself for a scolding from Ladybug as she saw the leather clad hero leave with a wave. “Why are you here?” Ladybug asked, crossing her arms as she finally took a good look at Queen Bee. Making her feel small. The adrenaline from the fight was draining from her body just from one scrutinizing look from the ladybug hero. Feeling like (Y/n) again.
“I- I wish I knew. I thought you and Chat Noir were fine on your own… But I just got this miraculous… Next thing I know, a bee kwami is telling me that I got chosen to be a holder,” Queen Bee admitted, rubbing her arms as Ladybug analyzed her. Narrowing her blue eyes as she tried to find any sign that Queen Bee might be lying. Clicking her tongue as turned around.
“Well, there’s nothing I can do if you got chosen. But… next time, try not to mess things up” Ladybug said coldly as she swung her yo-yo to prepare herself to leave.
“Um, I’ll do better next time. I’ll polish my skills…Haha… Get it?” Queen Bee nervously added with a fake chuckle, shrinking away at Ladybug’s over shoulder glare.
And then, she left.
Wow… Well, that happened. I didn’t expect a warm welcome. I mean I’d be on edge too, we almost ran out of time… But I didn’t expect her to be this… prickly.
“W-where am I?” she heard a small voice from behind her.
Queen Bee turned and saw the akuma victim, looking disoriented and frightened. Out of transformation, Prismatica was a girl with brown braided pigtails and brown eyes. Queen Bee smiled gently and offered her hand to the scared girl. Helping her up and asking what happened.
Turns out her name was Ioana and she was doing a show-and-tell presentation about her family heritage. Showing off a musical jewelry box that belonged to her great-great-grandmother who used to be a famous dancer. One who would live lavishly being drowned in luxuries by men who wanted her hand in marriage. A real gem collector.
“And, then what happened?” Queen Bee asked gently, not blaming the girl for any of the damage that she did while transformed. Even though the poor girl kept apologizing.
“I was scared to begin with… And then a boy in my class… Made fun of my music box… He said everything I said was a lie… B-because I’m poor… That there was no way someone like that was related to a plain girl like me..” Ioana said sadly while looking down, “I didn’t mean to get this angry though! I-I swear I didn’t want to hurt anyone!” she said desperately.
“Ioana, it’s okay. I don’t blame you for anything. Papillon took advantage of your emotions. Don’t take it too hard” Queen Bee cooed, placing a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Let’s get you home, can you tell me where you live?” she asked, leaning down to pick up the now fixed music box and placing it in the girl’s hands.
She lived close to the school so it wasn’t too bad. It was a little awkward to jump from rooftop to rooftop while carrying someone on her back… Used to being the one getting carried.
“Miss Bee… How can I be braver?” she suddenly heard the girl ask. Queen Bee’s eyes widened at the sudden question.
Uhhh. I should be the last person to ask that to. And I wish I knew the answer to that… But…
“I’m not really sure. But, I think to move forward from your fears you need to accept that it’s okay to be scared. My friend told me that ‘people can only be brave because they are scared’. You can’t really learn to be brave. But there will be times where you can use your fears to drive you to act. You can either run, fight, or protect'' she told the girl, remembering Pollen’s gentle words from earlier.
“... I don’t want to fight… and I don’t want to keep running. What do I protect?” Ioana asked.
“Well, you tried to protect your great-great-grandmother’s legacy. And your family’s pride, didn’t you? You just got angry. I mean, I would’ve too. But, maybe you can turn that pride and admiration into something grander” Queen Bee suggested as they made it to an apartment complex, “Well, we’re here. Take some time to rest, okay?” she said as she placed the girl down. Turning around to leave, just for a hand on her wrist to pull her back. Ioana was holding her hand, looking down. But Queen Bee could tell by the red tips of her ears that the girl was embarrassed.
“Thank you, Queen Bee,” Ioana mumbled.
“You’re welcome, Ioana. I hope you make your great-great-grandmother proud, but most importantly make yourself proud” She said with a smile and a nod, before bowing and taking her leave.
Leaving a girl behind, whose brown eyes were filled with wonder.
Queen Bee landed on the roof of the school and heard a commotion come from the courtyard. She peeked over and saw Alya, Marinette, and Adrien yelling out for (Y/n). Looking for her. She smiled and waited until they were each in a different room to slide down and hop onto the nearest overhang. She glanced at the nearest door and poked her head through. The coast was clear and she stepped in.
“Detransformation” Queen Bee said softly, turning back to (Y/n) in a flash of yellow. Pollen popping out of the hairpin and onto (Y/n)’s palms.
“I think- I think I did it?” (Y/n) said somewhat shyly to the kwami.
“You did it!” Pollen said happily, flying up to (Y/n)’s cheek and nuzzling against it. Tickling the teenage girl.
“I really think I could’ve done better… I didn’t know how to use my weapon at all” (Y/n) admitted, only for Pollen to shake her head and fly in front of the girl’s eyes.
“You did great for your first time! And you’ll just keep getting better. Trust me, (Y/n)! You can always change!” Pollen said as she twirled happily in the air. Making (Y/n) chuckle at her enthusiasm. The two heard (Y/n)’s name get called out from outside the room, and Pollen was quick to hide herself in the hood of (Y/n)’s sweater.
Alright… Gotta go back out there…
(Y/n) had her hand on the handle of the door when it suddenly swung open, pulling her forward. “Woah!” she exclaimed as she collided with a warm chest. She looked up and saw pools of green, “(Y/n), there you are! You’re okay!” She heard a boy’s voice and felt a pair of hands hold her steady by her shoulders.
“Adrien!” She exclaimed happily, “You’re okay too! Where’d you go?” she asked the boy. Only for him to gently shake his head and smile.
“I could ask you the same. I didn’t expect you to choose to hide in Mr. Damocles’ office” he said as he gestured to where they were standing. (Y/n) dumbly looked around and racked her brain to find something to say.
Oh my god, he’s so right. Why am I here?
“Well, I thought I’d hide somewhere besides where we first encountered the akuma…” she lied sheepishly, hoping he’d buy that. “And what about you? You ran out of the school! The akuma could’ve gotten you too” she scolded, turning the question onto him, “Where did you go?”
“Uh-” he was cut off by the two girls that barged into the office. Both yelling “(Y/n)! You’re okay!” as they pushed Adrien aside and bombarded (Y/n) with questions.
“Are you okay? Where were you? How are you feeling?” Alya asked as she held the transfer girl’s face in her hands, inspecting her for any damage. Making (Y/n) laugh warmly.
Yeah… I definitely like it here better.
“I’m okay. I promise! I was crouched under Mr. Damocles’ desk” (Y/n) said with a smile. “How about you guys? I was really worried. Especially for you, Marinette” she said as she pulled Alya’s hands away and turned to the bluenette.
“I’m fine! I’m a fast runner. And besides, I wanted to make sure I protected you as your assigned guide” Marinette said with an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of her head.
“Nonsense! You were so cool!” (Y/n) said with a smile, looking down at her bandaged ankle, “I would’ve been a goner if not for you. Thank you, Marinette. Really. I- I was really shaken up at the idea that you guys got crystalized for me. I’m sorry to-” she admitted.
“There’s no need to apologize. We’re friends. We wouldn’t want anything bad happening to you either” Adrien cut off the girl’s apology with a hand on her shoulder.
Friends? Yeah. Friends.
(Y/n) failed to realize that she accidentally blurted her thoughts aloud. The three students looked at her with kind eyes. Alya couldn’t help but grin, wrapping her arms around her best friend and (Y/n). Pulling the two girls into a quick hug, “Yes. Friends!” she insisted as the three girls giggled.
The group of four started to leave the empty school since class was canceled due to the akuma attack. Something else for (Y/n) to get used to. Walking down the steps Adrien noticed that (Y/n) was struggling a bit to keep up their pace because of her ankle. And Marinette, who had her eyes locked on the boy, took note of the girl too.
“Was that when we dodged that blast?” Marinette asked worriedly. (Y/n) just nodded with a shrug and a sheepish smile.
“Yeah, I guess it got a bit inflamed… But don’t worry. My uncle is picking me up in his car so I don’t have to walk home” (Y/n) said with a nonchalant wave of her hand, “Speaking of which, can I borrow a cellphone to call my uncle?”
I got too used to the nimbleness that came with Queen Bee.
“Doesn’t it still hurt to walk down these steps though?” Alya asked, slipping her phone out of her back pocket to place it in (Y/n)’s hands.
“Eh, a bit. It’s just hard to balance myself” (Y/n) said with a little shrug. Pulling out her own phone to look up her uncle’s contact. Ignoring the worried green eyes that were staring down at her ankle, Adrien chimed in with a gentle ‘hey’ and broke (Y/n) out of her thoughts. Locking eyes with him with a “yeah?”.
“I can carry you down the stairs if you want,” he suddenly suggested.
A wave of silence came crashing over the teenagers as the three girls stared agape at the boy. Alya and Marinette were somewhat aware to a degree that Adrien was a sheltered naive boy with good intentions. And so was (Y/n). She knew that he didn’t mean anything weird by it and that he was trying to be genuinely helpful. But…
That’s so awkward!
Marinette stared between the two, trying to analyze the gaze that the blond and (h/c) haired girl shared. Alya sensed the weird tension that was starting to grow and cut in by elbowing the boy in the side with a “Whoa, hey!”. Holding back the urge to scold the boy. (Y/n) read the room and stopped the scenario from getting anymore awkward. She cut in with a fake cough.
“Oh um, I’m okay! I’ll just use you guys as my crutches!” (Y/n) said awkwardly, trying to be funny. She hooked an arm over Adrien and Marinette’s shoulders, “Haha! Onward!” she said with a fake laugh as she pointed forward.
Gosh, that sounded so dorky.
Fortunately Adrien seemed to have bought it and laughed. The same probably couldn’t be said for Marinette who just forced a smile and nodded. Alya looked at them with a strained smile and mouthed a “sorry” to (Y/n). Why? Who knew?
For now the blond and bluenette just helped the transfer student reach the ground level. They let go of her as she continued her task of calling her uncle. She politely excused herself to stand aside and talk to Aaron.
In the background, the three were waiting for her. Adrien was texting Placide to get picked up and Marinette was just staring at him. Alya elbowed her and whispered, “Why don’t you talk to him? Now would be a good chance!” Marinette shook her head, “I-I can’t! I’ll look silly!” she argued with her friend. Alya pushed Marinette forward and left them to check on (Y/n) and her phone.
Adrien looked up from his phone with a friendly smile and Marinette felt like she would thank the ground if it just swallowed her up, “What’s up Marinette?” he asked nicely.
“Um uh, well… You see… I-I well… How’s- How are you!?” she managed to stutter out, trying to act natural. His eyebrows rose in surprise at her volume but he still replied politely, “I’m okay. I’m sure the akuma spooked us all. How are you? (Y/n) told us about how you diverted the akuma’s attention to yourself to protect her” he said as he placed his phone in his bag to give Marinette his full attention, “That was really brave of you”.
Marinette felt her cheeks grow warmer at his compliment, “ Hehee, well… I- You know, I-I just acted… I wanted to make sure (Y/n) was okay” she said with a not-so-casual, casual shrug.
“Thank you for that,” he said with a smile.
Marinette’s smile faltered for a second. Why was he thanking her…? (Y/n) already thanked her. So, why was he thanking her on (Y/n)’s behalf? He was thanking her for risking her life for (Y/n)’s… Could it be that…
She was broken out of her thoughts at the sound of Alya and (Y/n) calling them over to the main entrance. Where they were going to wait for their rides. Marinette swallowed back her discomfort and silently followed along.
Adrien was the first to get picked up. His driver/bodyguard was already waiting for the boy outside of the school in a sleek shiny black luxury car. It looked new… The boy waved goodbye to the three girls and even offered Alya and Marinette a ride home but the two politely declined since Alya was planning on staying at Marinette’s. And the two girls planned to wait with the transfer student until she got picked up. And so, the three were seated on the steps. Making idle chit-chat.
Turns out Marinette lived close to the school. Her parents ran a corner bakery that was really popular. When she pointed at it (Y/n) excitedly mentioned how her aunt and uncle love that place. Only for Marinette to awkwardly return the excitement and nod politely. Both Alya and (Y/n) noticed the shift in the girl’s demeanor, (Y/n) withdrew her sudden glee and awkwardly stopped talking. Closing her mouth in a tight-lipped smile.
Just smile and nod, (Y/n).
Alya sensed the tension and clapped her hands together before she suddenly pulled out her phone. A familiar hero in yellow was on the screen, a pause button hovered over the footage, “Check it out! I got a little interview with the new hero!” she said excitedly. (Y/n)’s eyes widened and she couldn’t help but cringe at the sight of her hero alter-ego. She didn’t want to see that.
How embarrassing…!
Alya placed play and (Y/n) fought the urge to crawl into a hole and rot… She heard her own voice through the phone’s speaker and she could immediately tell that she sounded so… fake! So confident and proud! With a voice that came straight from her puffed up chest. (Y/n) instinctively hid her red face in her hands. Dying of embarrassment as the two girls watched Queen Bee confidently leap off the overhang.
As if the universe heard her little embarrassed pleas, the video was forced to pause as Alya received a call from a familiar number. “Oh, I think it’s your uncle!” Alya said as she passed the cell phone over to (Y/n), who was inexplicably red in the face.
It wasn’t long until there was a little red Volkswagen beetle pulling up in front of the school. (Y/n) grabbed her bag and said her good-byes to the two girls. Marinette returned the gesture but was still looking down, almost as if in shame? Alya shrugged and mouthed to (Y/n). It looks like she said, ‘I’ll tell you later’...
I wonder if I did something wrong…
“Don’t you want to give them a ride home?” Aaron asked the girl as she slid into the passenger’s seat. (Y/n) explained that Marinette lived close by and that Alya was going with her. She decided to not yet tell him that Marinette is the daughter of the bakers that he admires so much… At least not yet.
(Y/n) slid on the seatbelt and bit back a sigh, wondering what that was all about. Marinette was fine earlier when they were alone together…
I forgot how complicated it was to keep friends…
“I was going to stop by the market to buy ingredients for dinner, do you want to tag along?” Aaron asked with an awkward clear of his throat. Tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. “I could drop you off at home if you want to,” he added, but then fully turned to look at his niece, “You don’t have to come with me, if you don’t want to. I’m not saying that because I don’t want you to come with me… Okay?” he said with another awkward cough.
I think he’s trying to be conscious of me?
(Y/n) contemplated going home, thinking it’d be better for her to be away from people.
I mean, clearly just being here is making Uncle Aaron feel awkward… Maybe it was the same with Marinette…
(Y/n) sighed softly and tugged at her sleeves. Maybe she should just go home.
“A modern market! (Y/n), can we go?” she heard an excited voice say from behind her neck. Breaking (Y/n) out of her thoughts. “I mean… May we go, your highness?” she heard Pollen correct herself, trying to tone down her excitement.
(Y/n) glanced at her reflection on the side mirror and had a moment of clarity.
“Actually, I want to go with you. If that’s alright with you, Uncle Aaron…” (Y/n) spoke up and looked up to meet her uncle’s gaze. And to her surprise, he smiled gently, “Alright. Let’s go. I’ll buy you a treat because it was your first day” he said with a pat on her shoulder.
“Yay!” she heard a small voice from behind her. Making her smile and chuckle as she turned her gaze to the view of the outside as her uncle started to drive.
Things are already different.
(Y/n) placed her spread of snacks on the bed, letting Pollen choose which one she wanted to try first tonight. The bee flew over to a white bag of cookies, adorned with red borders.
Aaron said he’d buy her ‘a treat’. Singular. One treat. But he was a softy for his niece. It also didn’t help that (Y/n) was inclined to grab whatever snacks Pollen was drawn to. (A/n) must’ve been so surprised to see the two walk in with bags full of snack foods. (A/n) just wanted him to buy pasta and some vegetables for their dinner tonight. Aaron tried to explain to his scolding wife that he just wanted to let the girl try new things. French snacks included. Luckily, (A/n) bought it with a sigh. But made sure to give him an earful later.
“Wow, Pollen. You picked out a lot of sweet cakes and cookies…” (Y/n) said teasingly, grabbing a little baggie of shortbread cookies and ripping it open. The faint scent of butter and sugar greeted her nostrils.
“I can’t help it!” Pollen said happily, flying over to (Y/n) to take a cookie and take a big bite. Crumbs covering her stuffed cheeks. (Y/n) chuckled and gently brushed the crumbs away with her thumb. Pollen antennae suddenly sprung up as her little blue eyes widened, “Oh, wait. My apologies, your highness. I must look so messy and-” Pollen scrambled to find a napkin.
(Y/n) shook her head gently and booped the kwami’s forehead, “It’s okay, Pollen. I don’t mind a little mess. Besides… I’m just (Y/n). And I like when my friends are comfortable with me” she said with a soft smile.
Pollen blinked and then smiled brightly with her eyes closed, “Mm hm! But um, I’d still like a napkin please…” she added, making (Y/n) laugh as she stood to grab one from the kitchen.
While the girl stepped out of the room, Pollen stared in the direction of the door with a fond smile. The tips of her antennae glowing again. She closed her eyes and lied down on the bed.
Pollen was floating in an endless space. Surrounded by darkness. The only light seemed to come from the glowing white particles suspended in the air. Floating like droplets of rain that could never meet the ground.
“So, how’s your holder? Is she treating you nicely?” a teasing voice asked the little bee, “Is she warming up to the idea better now that she transformed?”
“(Y/n)’s so wonderful! She’s so nice. And sweet! She let me pick out our snacks!” Pollen said excitedly. “But… she doesn’t seem to see that about her. She’s really brave! I’m sure as Queen Bee, she was brilliant. But it worries me how she doesn’t want to put her needs first…” she added sadly.
“She’ll learn to love herself with time” a kind voice chipped in, “Mine is so amazing, kind, and talented. But I’m trying to guide her to be more responsible…”
“Haha, I’m trying to teach mine on how to live a little!” the first voice chimed in with a little snicker.
Suddenly a fourth voice joined them in the little chamber. “Master Fu wanted to check in on you, Pollen. You sure gave us both a scare when you told us that she denied the responsibility of the miraculous… How is she now?” the gentle voice asked.
“I believe (Y/n) will be a great holder. She’ll do just fine” Pollen said with a polite bow. “Please tell the Guardian to ignore this morning’s scare and that I apologize”.
“Very well, we hope that you can continue to guide her, Pollen,” the gentle voice added.
“I will!” Pollen said happily.
(Y/n) came back to see Pollen curled up on her bed, presumably sleeping. She smiled and cleaned up the crumbs and snacks as quietly as possible so as to not disturb the little bee.
“I guess transforming takes a lot of her…'' she thought to herself, gently covering her body with a corner of the blanket of her bed. She leaned back on the bed and stared up at the canopy, hearing Pollen’s little breaths. A flashback of her old room’s ceiling came back to her. Making her stiffen up. She remembered the sight. Ingrained in her head so well that when she closed her eyes she could still see them. The glow-in-the-dark stars. They were once brand new and bright. She loved them when she was a child. But by the time she was older, they just weren’t the same anymore. They were lackluster. Couldn’t glow as long as they used to. They were worn. And could no longer serve their purpose…
Just like me.
She sat up and walked over to the balcony door, opening it and letting in the fresh night air. She sighed and stepped out. Looking up at the dark sky. She reached behind her and took off the bee hairpin. Brushing her thumb against the metal.
“I don’t feel like I’ve changed much” (Y/n) mumbled as she looked up to the stars, miraculous still in hand.
“Yesterday’s (Y/n) is not today’s (Y/n)...” a small sleepy voice called out from behind her. Breaking her out of her thoughts.
“Oh hey, Pollen. Did you sleep well?” (Y/n) asked, hoping to change topics. Pollen glanced at the silver hairpin in the girl’s hand and flew over to sit on the balcony’s railing in front of (Y/n). Unfortunately, she was unwavering in her decision to address (Y/n)'s feelings.
“(Y/n). You may not see a change. But I do. And I’m proud of you for trying. Even if it’s small, a step forward is still a step forward” Pollen said as she beckoned the girl to come closer, “I know you’re not perfect. I don’t expect you to be. But I want you to at least see that you’re changing. Today’s (Y/n) fought an akuma! Today’s (Y/n) made friends! You introduced yourself to your classmates. You were brave! You did all of that! You, (Y/n). My friend” she said softly.
(Y/n) fiddled with the hairpin and glanced back to Pollen. Looking around. To the night sky. To the city. To her new room. And back down to Pollen. (E/c) locked on bright blue.
“Yeah. I know. Things are different. Because I met you, Pollen. None of this would’ve happened if not for you. Pollen, please continue to take care of me. Thank you, really…” (Y/n) said with a smile. Pollen smiled back and flew to (Y/n)’s hand to tap the hairpin miraculous in her hand. Suddenly the silver pin began to glow in the palm of her hand. The outline was still silver but the stripes were filled in with a shiny layer of (f/c) crystal. Its wings were now a clear crystal. The teeth of the comb now had crystal (f/c) drops on the tips.
“This is my present to congratulate you on your first day!” Pollen said gleefully.
Oh wow… It’s so pretty… She customized it? Just for me?
(Y/n) gently brushed her fingers along the new design. Lifting in the air to see the light shine through the crystal wings. In light it reflected a faint rainbow.
“Well, I don’t know how good of a present it could be… Truth is, the miraculouses can change their designs to better blend into civilian attire.. But I wanted to change it to something that suited you…” Pollen explained as she flew closer to the girl.
(Y/n) was quick to put it back on. Happily grabbing the kwami out of the air to nuzzle her cheek against hers. “Pollen, I love it!” she said with a little chuckle. She pulled the kwami away to kiss her forehead.
“Hehe, I’m glad!” Pollen said with a smile to mirror (Y/n)’s.
“Pollen, I’ll do my best. I promise to be a good miraculous holder for you. I’ll make you proud” she said to the little magical bee.
“You already make me proud, (Y/n)” Pollen replied naturally.
(Y/n) swallowed back the gushing response and bit back warm tears. This little adorable creature was going to be the death of her…
“Guess I gotta get more practice to start with… Pollen, can we…?” (Y/n) said as she looked at Pollen.
Pollen stared confused at (Y/n) and cutely tilted her head. Drawing a bit of a blank until she realized what (Y/n) could mean. “Oh! Yeah, we can transform! You don’t have to ask permission, your majesty”
“I just wanna make sure you’re fully rested after earlier” (Y/n) said sheepishly.
“It’s okay! If my energy ever feels drained I just need to eat! I tend to crave sweet things when I’m tired” Pollen said with a smile.
Oh, so that explains a lot.
“Okay, so one more time today… I’ll just take a lap for practice. Pollen, transform me!” (Y/n) said as Pollen became a yellow blur as she began to be absorbed by the hair pin.
Queen Bee’s heels clicked as she ran across the stone tiles of the rooftops. She leapt onto the next building with an excited cheer. The cold chill of the air tickling her warm face. Her (h/c) fluttering in the wind as she landed. The city beneath her felt small and muted as she kept her eyes pointed forward. Running to no particular destination. Not knowing where to go next. In theory, she was lost. But she felt free.
She could hear the murmurs of the streets below her, overshadowed by the pounding of her heart. Beating like a drum to her own rhythm.
She felt so light. So unstoppable. Bravely, she leapt from one building to the next via a nimble front flip, getting a running start and placing her hands on the cobblestone. Pushing her legs and kicking them out.
She missed the landing and almost fell on her back on the hard floor. If not for her using her rapier sword by jamming it through a fire escape, catching herself.
She would’ve felt embarrassed. Honestly, she SHOULD have. But instead she pulled herself up with her newfound strength. And glanced up at the night sky peaking through the buildings she was now in between. She stood on the railing on the fire escape and jumped forward towards the wall in front of her, using that wall as a platform to jump up. Wall jumping with a fire in her eyes.
She made it back onto the rooftops, happily cheering for herself. Something about being Queen Bee made (Y/n) want to try… The old (Y/n) would let herself fall and called it a day after the embarrassment. But Queen Bee wanted to get up again. She wanted to feel that rush again.
She took a moment to compose herself before continuing her run. Gracefully leaping from one roof to another.
Completely unaware of the pair of emerald eyes watching with amusement from the dark.
Notes:
Here's the link to my Ko-Fi in case you wanted to support my work! Don't feel pressured, but anything's appreciated :) : https://ko-fi.com/shinyamour
Chapter 6: Crowning Jewels (Pt. 2.5)
Notes:
Sorry for the delay! This chapter's a little shorter than normal. Work is yet again keeping me busy. Just know, I'm currently working on a longer chapter. But I'm a bit in a writer's block... And I didn't want to leave you guys hanging for this month. So here's an add-on to chapter 5! It's some of Adrien's perspective that I couldn't fit in the last chapter without making it too long. I was planning on including it in the next chapter but I'd rather save that extra writing space for a longer story.
That said, I know this is a semi-rewrite of season 1 (so far. other seasons will wait for now) and that I'm rewriting some of the episodes but I'm gonna be making a lot of original akumas and concepts. I'm sure you all have noticed that and it might be too late to say it now. But just wanted to make that clear! And I hope you all enjoy reading that as much as I like to write it! :)
Without further ado, here's chapter 5.5-ish. :3
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
[A little bit after the Prismatica fight, during the last chapter]
Adrien, or well, Chat Noir ran with all his might before hopping off of the building and into the alleyway where he transformed. He made it just in time as Plagg popped out of him and landed in his hands. The little kwami groaned and rubbed at his stomach with his small arms. “Adrien, you gotta be more careful… I’m so hungry from holding back your transformation for so long” he whined.
The boy smiled apologetically, “Sorry Plagg. And thank you for that. That was a close one” he said as he fished around his pocket and pulled out a slice of camembert. He handed it to the black cat kwami. Allowing Plagg to get a chance to eat before they left the alley.
“Mm, how was the new holder?” Plagg asked, mouth full of cheese. Adrien’s eyes widened as he stared slightly agape at the magical creature.
“You knew about her?” he asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at the kwami.
Plagg nodded as he shoved the last chunk of camembert in his mouth, chewing with cheeks full. He swallowed before grinning, “Of course, I knew! I’m a kwami. We keep in touch with each other. I just happened to hear all about it from her kwami”.
“Why didn’t you let me know there was going to be a new holder?” Adrien asked, slightly crossing his arms.
“Didn’t think I needed to. You were bound to meet her at some point. The Guardian chose her. Like how you were chosen. So, what do you think? I can give this feedback to her kwami” Plagg said nonchalantly, a knowing glint in his little green eyes. Almost as if he knew something Adrien didn’t. And Adrien wasn’t too fond of that.
“She was fine? Nice. Quick on her feet? A little clumsy… I guess…Maybe too reckless? We almost cut it close…” Adrien answered, lightly shrugging as he tried to find the best way to describe the new hero. “But I guess it was her first akuma, so it was totally normal for her to be like that. I’m sure I was cockier when I first started”
Plagg raised his eyebrows playfully, “Was? You mean you still are” he teased.
Adrien rolled his eyes, ignoring his kwami’s comment. “But she kept butting heads with Ladybug. And I just don’t get why my lady didn’t stick to the plan…” he wondered to himself.
“If not for Queen Bee’s quick thinking, I would’ve detransformed…” Adrien said grimly, looking apologetic as he explained to his kwami what happened—summarizing the entire fight to Plagg.
Plagg nodded along, with his little arms crossed. “Hmm… Maybe Ladybug felt threatened by a new hero? It probably affected her status quo. After all, it won’t be just you two anymore. It would explain why she ‘bugged’ out” Plagg joked with his last comment.
“What? No way. Ladybug would never do that. She’s already amazing…” Adrien tried to defend the girl he had feelings for.
Plagg playfully gagged, “Yeah, yeah. She’s amazing and whatever. But you gotta admit, she definitely didn’t take kindly to having someone else in charge, even if just for a moment”, the little kwami reasoned with the boy.
Adrien hummed with a tight-lipped expression as he couldn’t help but agree. What would’ve happened if Queen Bee wasn’t there? Yeah, they could’ve been fine. Maybe they would’ve purified the akuma. Or maybe they would’ve been trapped in crystal. Who could tell? But what was for sure was that the plan would’ve gone smoother if they just waited for the signal as they originally agreed on.
Adrien sighed before gently pinching the bridge of his nose, thinking about the looming tension between the two bug miraculous holders and how he was most likely to be caught in the middle of it. “Plagg. Do you know anything else about this new holder?” he turned to the kwami.
Plagg shook his head, “Not anything else I can tell you. Kwami to kwami confidentiality” he teased with a grin. Making Adrien roll his eyes.
“Great” the boy replied dryly, “Are you done eating now? I don’t have my bag. We still have to head back to the school and- Oh! I gotta check on (Y/n). She’s still hiding in the school!” he exclaimed, having forgotten about his friend. “Quick Plagg, we have to go!”
“I’m sure she’s fine,” Plagg said, “You’re being a worrywart”. He flew to hide inside Adrien's shirt before the blond boy took off running towards the school.
He made it to the front gate where Alya and Marinette were standing there, worriedly talking about the akuma. “Hey, girls. Did you two see (Y/n) anywhere?” he asked them. Alya and Marinette’s eyes widened as they also seemed to have forgotten about the girl they were supposed to be in charge of. The girls talked a bit amongst themselves about where the girl might be. Alya remembered that she last saw her by the classroom with the crystal wall. And so the three began to start their search there. When they saw that she wasn’t, Adrien told them that (Y/n) might be in the restrooms. Alya went to check the ones downstairs and Marinette searched the ones on the second floor. And Adrien checked the empty classrooms nearby.
“She couldn’t have gotten too far…” Adrien thought aloud, remembering how slowly she was walking this morning.
“I’m sure she’s somewhere around here, Adrien. Why are you so worried?” Plagg asked through the fabric of the white button-up.
“Plagg, you didn’t see it. The way she was trembling… I can’t just leave her alone after that” Adrien gently argued back as he checked the empty art room. Poking his head in and leaving after not catching a glimpse of the (h/c)-haired girl.
“Hmm… Sounds like you like her~” Plagg teased.
Adrien rolled his eyes, absentmindedly placing his hand on the handle of a nearby door and pulling. Not caring enough to think about where the door leads to, “(Y/n)’s my friend. It’s normal to worry about each other-” he said, cut off by the sensation of someone bumping into him with a small ‘oof!’. He looked down and saw (Y/n) gently rubbing at her chin before looking up at him.
“(Y/n), there you are! You’re okay!” he said, smiling and holding her shoulders. Subconsciously checking her for any other injury. She smiled back, looking to be in a better mood than earlier. Much more visibly relaxed as compared to earlier when she was shaking after encountering Prismatica.
“You’re okay too!” she matched his energy, also happy to see that he was fine. He couldn’t help the warmth he felt knowing they were worried about each other. “Where’d you go?” she asked.
Internally he was sheepish, it’s not like he could tell her that he was saving Paris. And that he helped stop the akuma. So, he instead turned the question onto her. Glancing around the room they were in. Didn’t he suggest she hid in the restrooms earlier? Why the principal’s office?
She smiled sheepishly, “Well, I thought I’d try to hide somewhere besides where we first encountered the akuma…” she admitted, looking embarrassed. Adrien smiled to himself, thinking that the girl could be a little silly. “And what about you? You ran out of the school!” she asked him.
His eyes widened. Oh. He didn’t think that far ahead. What excuse could he give her?
Luck was on his side as he was cut off by Alya and Marinette rushing in before he could try to make up a cover story. He stood aside and watched with a fond smile as the three girls talked. He even chuckled when Alya fretted over her, acting like the older sister she is. (Y/n) waved the worries away and thanked Marinette.
But he stopped smiling as he noticed the way that (Y/n) looked down. He held in a silent gasp when he started to notice that her shoulders seemed to shake lightly as she began to lift her arms to wrap around her frame. “I- I was really shaken up at the idea that you guys got crystalized for me. I’m sorry to-” she began to say in a small voice.
Before he knew it, he spoke up. “There’s no need to apologize,” he said. None of this was her fault. Why did she apologize? He didn’t like to hear her apologize for being protected. She should never apologize for needing help. They were friends. And he chose to help. So, did Marinette. “We’re friends. We wouldn’t want anything bad happening to you either” he added with a gentle smile and a hand on her shoulder. His gaze softened as she looked back up to the three teens.
“Friends?” she suddenly asked aloud. Her voice sounded so naive. So oblivious. Did she not think they were friends before? But then she smiled, “Yeah. Friends.” she agreed with a warm smile. Her shiny (e/c) eyes were now as soft as his. Making his heart feel light and fluttery like it did before.
He was at a loss for words. He suddenly couldn’t say anything. Thank god that there were others around them. Alya gushed over the sweet girl and pulled her and Marinette into a group hug. He couldn’t help but share in their gleeful laughter. (Y/n) had made some good friends today.
And he was one of them.
Adrien was subconsciously walking with a bit more joy in his steps as the four grabbed their belongings and walked out of the campus together. Alya and Marinette were behind them. They were walking down the stairs when Adrien noticed the way (Y/n) seemed to be limping. He only noticed because his green eyes occasionally glanced to his left side where she was standing. She was trying to hide it but he noticed. He saw the way she gently gritted her teeth and let out a small hiss.
He was about to point it out but Marinette beat him to it. “Was that from when we dodged the blast?” she asked (Y/n). At this point, Alya was now also worried.
(Y/n) nodded but tried to wave off their concern. Making him gently furrow his brows. Why was she not taking them seriously? If she’s hurt she should say so. He’d gladly help her.
“Hey…” he started. Watching as she looked up from dialing a phone number on Alya’s cell. “I can carry you down the stairs if you want,” he innocently suggested. (Y/n) suddenly stopped pressing the screen and Alya let out a low gasp.
What? He carried her before. This should be fine, right? Oh, wait. That was as Chat Noir though. Right! How could he be so forgetful? Adrien had never even hugged her, much less carried her. (Y/n) must be uncomfortable. That must be why Alya elbowed him for suggesting that. Right. They’re just not at that level of friendship yet. All of this was still relatively new to him.
He quickly withdrew his hand and awkwardly waited for (Y/n) to respond. She must think he’s weird… But of course, she wouldn’t. (Y/n) was nice.
“I’ll just use you guys as my crutches!” (Y/n) joked with a weird accent. Suddenly hooking an arm over Marinette’s shoulders and one over his. She must be referencing that knight game she likes, he assumed. Making him chuckle at her silliness. “Onward!” she added with a laugh. Making him laugh too.
It wasn’t long before they finally made it outside, where Placide was already waiting for him. Much to his dismay, it looked like his bodyguard managed to get a new vehicle. Judging by his frown, it was likely that he had been waiting for a while. Meaning he didn’t have much time to say his goodbyes. He sighed before turning to the girls.
“Are you sure none of you need a ride home? I’m sure Placide doesn’t mind dropping you girls off” he asked. All of them politely declined. Marinette lived within walking distance and Alya was sleeping over with her. And (Y/n) had called her uncle to get picked up.
He held back a sigh. He had hoped to have someone to talk to on the car ride home. But he smiled and waved goodbye at them. After all, there was always tomorrow. He’ll see them again tomorrow. He got in the car, lowered the automatic window, and stuck his head out.
“See you tomorrow?” he asked them. Marinette seemed at a loss for words. Flustered, she bit her tongue and stayed quiet. Alya gave a thumbs up. And (Y/n)...
“Yeah, see you tomorrow!” she said, waving goodbye with a smile.
During the drive home, Adrien couldn’t stop smiling. Placide was even glancing up, worriedly, now and then to see the boy’s reflection through the rear-view mirror.
Adrien made it home, greeted Nathalie, ate his dinner, and did his homework. All of which was part of his normal mundane routine, but for some reason, it was slightly more bearable.
Plagg watched knowingly from his spot on the coffee table, happily eating his camembert and even eating an occasional grape. See, he doesn’t always just eat cheese. Fruits work too. As long as they pair well with camembert, though. But he decided not to tease the boy anymore. Adrien was in a better mood than this morning. And he was smiling. He deserved this little moment of peace, the kwami thought.
Adrien finished scribbling down an equation and sat up from his desk. Stretching a bit and glancing over at the black cat kwami who was curled up on his pillow. He smiled and quietly walked over to poke at Plagg. His whiskers were glowing again. He must be contacting his kwami friends, he thought and went back to his desk. Deciding to wait for Plagg to wake up.
Adrien was in the middle of a passage in his literature book when he heard a loud yawn from behind him.
“Are you done with your phone call?” he asked, closing the textbook and standing up.
“Yep! Wanna know what it was about?” Plagg asked, stretching his little cat limbs.
“Oh, uh. Yeah!” Adrien said excitedly. Maybe today he’d get to know more about Ladybug! Why didn’t he think to do that? Who would know Ladybug better, than her kwami?
“Just kidding! You know I can’t tell you, even if you’re my favorite human” Plagg replied cheekily, flying over to ruffle Adrien’s blond hair. Snickering softly at the boy’s pout. He stopped chuckling when Adrien went quiet. Regretting his joke, Plagg was about to apologize. Until Adrien grinned, a teasing glimmer in his green eyes.
Maybe Plagg had rubbed off too much on Adrien…
“Well, guess I won’t tell you about my surprise for you…” Adrien trailed off.
“Surprise?” Plagg asked with a hopeful smile, thinking maybe Adrien got him some aged cheese. “Is it runny? Just the way I like it?” the kwami asked.
“Oh, it’s ‘runny’ alright” Adrien joked. Standing up with the kwami still sitting on his head. “It’s called ‘patrol time’, buddy. Plagg, transform me!” He said with a cheeky grin.
Plagg gasped and tried to hold onto Adrien’s hair to avoid getting absorbed by the ring. “Nooo, the last time we patrolled we were up all night!!!” he whined.
“Too bad!” Adrien said with a laugh, feeling like he won this time as the kwami got sucked into the ring and started to transform into Chat Noir.
Chat Noir watched curiously from the spot he was perched on. His green eyes followed the figure in yellow that just jumped out of an alley. Unaware of his presence.
He shook his head playfully as he could hear, with his heightened cat hearing, her laughing gleefully as she jumped and flipped to her heart’s content. Obviously trying to adjust and familiarize herself with her newfound powers. After all, he had done the same when he got his. It was refreshing to be the one with the most expertise here. He got to see a glimpse of what he was probably like when he first became Chat Noir.
Queen Bee was just like him. She was enjoying all the freedom that came with it.
He thought about what happened earlier today. And compared it to his first akuma attack. Coeur de Pierre. He had definitely gotten better since then. But he was definitely not perfect by any means. There are times when he and Ladybug butt heads. Times where he’s clumsy. Or too cocky. Times where he wonders why him. Why was he chosen? There are even times when he feels like he could do better. Even times when he feels like giving up. But would he ever give up being Chat Noir? Never. He’s himself when he’s being Chat Noir.
Maybe Queen Bee was the same.
He stared amused as she cheered as she cleared a wide jump. Laughing to himself.
“What a dork,” he thought with a smile. “I’m sure I’ll have fun working with her”.
He stood up to continue his late-night patrolling, but not before glancing one last time at the busy little bee. Watching her (h/c) ponytail flutter in the wind.
“See ya around, Your Highness,” he thought teasingly before jumping.
Notes:
Here's the link to my Ko-Fi in case you wanted to support my work! Don't feel pressured, but anything's appreciated :) : https://ko-fi.com/shinyamour
Chapter 7: Settling In
Summary:
This may be a slow one! Planning on having one more original akuma before getting on track with the canon episodes! Going by French air dates... that'd be Bubbler! So, look forward to that.
Notes:
I'm in the middle of editing the next chapter! If work and life don't get in the way, I can have it posted in the upcoming week. I promise I did not forget about this series. <3 Just super super busy. If I were rich, I'd have all the time in the world to finish this. A girl can dream, lol.
Also, * excitee= "horny" in French. So you all can understand the dumb joke.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
After running and jumping for who knows how long, as Queen Bee, (Y/n) returned to her room to do her homework before passing out. Pollen also stayed up with her. Or well, tried to. She sat on (Y/n’s) shoulder and stayed up with the girl to provide support and brush up on her current knowledge of human history. She stayed up as long as possible before sliding off (Y/n)’s shoulder. Fast asleep. The girl caught the kwami and placed Pollen on her lap. Quickly scribbling away to get to bed sooner.
She didn’t even remember when she got to bed.
(Y/n) awoke the next day with a startle, feeling her cell phone vibrate from its spot next to her pillow. Groggily she sat up and checked the time, sighing in relief once she saw that she didn’t oversleep. She placed her phone on the nightstand and flopped back onto her pillow. Glancing up at the bright white cloth of her bed’s canopy.
Last night felt like a dream…
She should’ve been exhausted after all that. But for some reason, she felt lighter.
It’s been a while since I’ve been able to sleep without an interruption…
She turned onto her side and saw the bee kwami, who made her fantasies a reality, sleeping soundly beside her. Curled up on the other pillow, using a handkerchief as a blanket. (Y/n) smiled and gently reached over to poke the little bee’s chubby cheek. Making Pollen stir under her makeshift blanket.
(Y/n) decided not to wake the kwami, sitting up with a stretch before carefully getting out of bed and heading to the kitchen where her aunt was humming while making breakfast. “Good morning,” she said softly to her aunt, who visibly jumped at the voice from behind her.
“Jesus, you scared me! Why are you being so quiet?” (A/n) said, placing a hand over her heart with a spatula still in hand.
“Oh, I thought maybe you were concentrating? Flipping an omelet takes a lot of work…” (Y/n) lied with a casual shrug of her shoulders. Can’t tell her she’s fostering a sleeping bee in her room, after all.
(A/n) just rolled her eyes at her niece and playfully tried to pat down the girl’s bedhead. “You look like you slept well” the older woman teased, turning back to flip the vegetable omelet she was making.
“I did. I guess I was really tired from yesterday…” (Y/n) admitted, trying to calm her morning frizz.
“I’m not surprised. First day of school plus an akuma attack? I’d be calling out the next day if that were me” (A/n) added, only to realize what she said.“Not that I encourage you to ditch or anything. You know what, don’t listen to me. I’m a bad influence” she added as she placed a plate on the table.
“Too late. Already took in all the advice. Now I’m gonna do just that” (Y/n) joked as she opened the fridge, taking out a pitcher of water. Pouring herself a glass and taking a long sip, “I’m a truant now” she said with a playful grin, placing her glass on the kitchen table.
“Okay okay, miss truant. Go fetch your uncle. He has a portfolio to deliver today” (A/n) said with a nonchalant wave of her hand. Sending the teen girl off.
(Y/n) did as told and knocked gently on their bedroom door. Hearing no response. She knocked a second time. This time calling out to her uncle. Not getting a reply back. She slowly turned the doorknob and was greeted by the sight of a messy room. Paper sketches were scattered everywhere. Sample cuts of cloth too. Hunched over a desk was Aaron, sleeping with his pencil still in hand.
“Um, Uncle Aaron?” she asked testingly. Gently tapping his shoulder. Getting no response. (Y/n) took this moment to look around their bedroom. Their bed was suspended in a loft, giving the room a second floor. Leaving the ground floor to be a mini-workshop. (Y/n) walked up to one of the mannequins admiring the black sequinned material of the dress. It was sleeveless and had a halter neckline. It was short. But with a long flowy lace train that just barely brushed against the hardwood floor. Extending out like a peacock’s feathery tail, at rest but always ready to show off…
Oh wow… It’s beautiful…
(Y/n) heard a small meow from behind her and she looked down to see Coco purring and brushing against her legs. Slowly approaching the mannequins…
Comically, Aaron sat up with a gasp and wiped away drool, “Ah! Keep Coco away from that! Her fur will get everywhere!” he said as he stumbled to sit up. Yawning loudly, having a sixth sense for his designs apparently.
(Y/n) was quick and scooped up the chatty kitty and tossed her outside the room, closing the door. “Uncle Aaron, it’s so pretty… Is it the prototype of one of the sketches in your portfolio?” she asked him, “It’s gonna knock them off their feet!”
He chuckled through a yawn and shook his head, “No, it’s actually for (A/n). Don’t you think it suits her? She’ll look stunning in this, won’t she?” he asked the girl.
The girl imagined her aunt with her dark hair in a bun, (e/c) eyes hidden behind a pair of long lashes, light makeup to bring out her natural mature charms, and a proud smile on her face as she modeled her husband’s work.
“She’d rock this outfit, Uncle Aaron,” she said with a smile.
“Good thing that we agree then. Your aunt… She’s my muse! The very reason that I create with these hands of mine… My light in the dark… My beautiful inspiration… The love of my life!” he began to ramble, getting cut off by the sound of a voice clearing their throat in the room.
The girl and her uncle turned to see (A/n) standing by the open doorway, holding Coco in her arms, “You know, I was wondering why you two were taking your time…” she mused softly, her face looking a little flushed.
“Ah, my love… My dear,” Aaron cooed as he greeted his wife with a kiss on the cheek, “I was showing (Y/n) my latest ‘gift’ to you” he said proudly.
“A gift? Oh, did I ruin the surprise? I’m sorry!” (Y/n) started to mumble out an apology just for (A/n) to laugh softly.
“Don’t worry about it. Aaron calls all of the items he designs specifically for me a ‘gift’. He started to do that back when we were in high school, I think. When I was just a senior and he was an exchange student… He gave me a hand-sewn scrunchie and a rose on our first date. He’s still the same cheesy guy that I met…” (A/n) said with a reminiscing smile.
“And you’re still as beautifully vibrant as the day that I met you~” he hummed, kissing her cheek and then pecking her on the lips.
(A/n) pursed her lips and contemplated on how to say what she wanted to say next, “Um… Sweetie, your morning breath…” she whispered to her husband. Who then fled the room in a hurry.
(Y/n) watched the sweet scene with an amused smile, “Then… You knew about the dress? What’s the occasion?” she asked her aunt, the two walking back to the main living area.
“Aaron’s hoping to convince our long-time business rival and old friend, E. Lavigne, to make a collaboration line with us. He’s taking a portfolio of our plainest winter clothing to her. She’s a bit of an eccentric. She doesn’t just say yes or no. She ‘accepts’ you if she invites you to one of her exclusive parties. Lavigne can be proud and stuck up at first, but she knows what she’s doing. So, it’d do us a lot of good to get that connection” (A/n) explained as she placed Coco down and started to prepare (Y/n)’s plate for her.
“So… The dress is for that party? But… you don’t know if you’re going to get in or not. And then, why promote the plainest clothing? He could be showing off that dress!” (Y/n) questioned as she took a seat.
(A/n) smiled and poured the girl a glass of orange juice, placing it next to her glass of water. “He believes the plainer the sketch, the more you have to work with. It entices your creativity, so he says. And he’s hoping E sees his vision too. Aaron’s optimistic like that. He always thinks of the bright future, first and foremost. He just thought of the most positive outcome and just let his hands go wild on the sketchbook. ” she explained with a small shrug.
“... But, won’t he be disappointed if he doesn’t get it?” (Y/n) asked worriedly.
“He might. And he has before. Disappointment is just a given in life, sweetie. But you get to choose where to look next” (A/n) said with a soft smile, reaching over the table to pinch the girl’s cheek.
(Y/n) fiddled with her fork and poked at the side salad, “But he might be crushed…”
Aaron barged into the main living area with a big smile, “Nothing can crush me! As long as I have my family and my creative spirit, nothing will keep me down” he said as if he was listening in from the restroom. “Thank you for worrying about me, (Y/n). But like (A/n) said, I look forward to the brightest future I can think of and work towards that” he said, as he patted the girl’s head and took a seat across from his wife.
Wow… Aaron’s so confident. I wish I could be like that…
“Okay, now eat you two! It’s getting cold” (A/n) scolded.
(Y/n) adjusted the pin at the base of her ponytail and grabbed her sweater, slipping it on so Pollen could have somewhere to hide. She was finishing getting ready as she told Pollen about her morning.
“Your aunt and uncle are so sweet! They truly love each other!” Pollen gushed as she sat on (Y/n)’s roll-top desk, munching on a croissant that (Y/n) snuck in. “And your uncle has a point, it’s better to prepare for the best than for the worst”
“What? No, isn’t it better to have a backup?” (Y/n) argued gently as she shoved stuff in her bag.
“You can do both but still choose to look only at the bright side!” Pollen reasoned, “You can think about all the bad things that can happen and prepare yourself for the worst, but you can always hope for the best!” The little bee kwami wiped at her mouth with a napkin and grabbed an eraser from the desk, flying over to (Y/n) and placing it in her bag with a ‘don’t forget this’.
“I guess… But wouldn’t you feel disappointed? You know… I can always be ready for anything, but still be hopeful. And still be let down” (Y/n) said with a gentle sigh. “Besides, I just hate seeing people I care about be crushed…” she admitted.
“Disappointment is a given in life! You can’t expect success to be handed to you. But also, you have to work for it! You can’t reach a peak without climbing!” Pollen said with a knowing smile. “I had my hopes for you! And look where we are! I’m sure your feelings will reach your loved ones just fine. You can always support each other, regardless of the outcome.”
(Y/n) couldn’t argue with that smile. Pollen was too cute and convincing for her liking… The girl sighed and smiled before reaching over to boop the kwami, “You’re right… I went in yesterday expecting the worst… But I had you by my side, and now I’m a different person than I was yesterday. Thank you, Pollen” she said with a chuckle.
Pollen beamed and happily flew around her, “I told you! You can always change!” she said happily. “I’m positive Aaron is so proud to have a sweet caring niece like you! I’m lucky to have you, too!”
Awww, she’s too cute!
(Y/n) caught the flying bee kwami and pressed her lips against Pollen’s forehead. “I’m lucky to have you too,” she said softly.
(Y/n) stood in front of the full-body mirror behind the main entrance. Adjusting her ponytail as she did yesterday, but this time with a smile. (A/n) must’ve noticed because she was watching as the teen girl fussed over her appearance, with a small smile of her own.
“School wasn’t that bad, I assume?” (A/n) asked as she approached the girl from behind, gently hugging her from behind. “Made some friends?” she hummed.
(Y/n) smiled and nodded, “Yup, you remember Adrien from the school tour? He’s in my class! And I made friends with two girls who are also in my class!” she said with a smile still on her face.
Well, kind of. I’m still not sure about Marinette…
“Ahh… The boy you insisted wasn't your ‘friend’?” Her aunt teased, stepping back from the embrace to fix the girl’s ponytail for her. Her manicured nails combed through the girl’s (h/c) locks, gently adjusting it at the base to make her ponytail stick out. Her aunt’s eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of a shiny (f/c) bee hairpin. “Oh! Is this a new hairpin?” (Y/n) heard her aunt ask curiously, making her face turn pale and her eyes grow like saucers.
“Um, yeah! I-I uh, got it before I left (hometown)... Thought it’d be a cute accessory to change up my look!” She scrambled to think of a believable lie.
“It’s cute! Can I-?” (A/n) started to reach her fingertips to brush against it.
(Y/n) looked around and quickly slipped out her phone, “Huh, oh wow! Would you just look at the time…! I gotta start heading out! I wanna make it to my bus this time…” (Y/n) rambled as she pulled herself away from her aunt’s arms and placed a hand over the door handle, “Gotta go, love you!” She pecked her aunt on the cheek before turning the handle and starting the walk down the stairs.
Her aunt poked her head out the door and called out, “Your cell reception should be good now, by the way! You’re on an international plan!”
(Y/n) responded with a thumbs up and continued to flee. Well, as fast as she could with a sprained ankle.
(A/n) watched with intense curiosity, resting her chin on her palm and resting her arms on the railing of the halls’ stairs. “She’s hiding something…” her aunt thought, narrowing her eyes as she watched the girl leave down the stairs.
Before smiling knowingly, “Must be about that boy, hehe. Why else would she care about her appearance like that? Ahh, young love” she said to herself.
“Are you fixing your phone, (Y/n)?” Pollen asked curiously, sticking her head out from behind the girl’s neck and resting on her shoulder. There was no one around them so it should be fine for Pollen to be there.
“I’m trying to… I still have no bars” (Y/n) mumbled as she waited for the white restart screen to pass. (Y/n) was sitting on the bus stop’s bench, fiddling with her cell phone. Restarting it didn’t seem to get her mobile data to kick in…
“Maybe if I take out the SIM card?” She wondered as she popped her phone out of its case. Pollen noticed the bus approaching and quickly retreated to the hoodie. (Y/n) sighed as she slipped her phone back into her pocket and got on the bus. Sitting in an empty seat by a window after tapping her pass.
She continued to inspect her phone and held back a groan when she realized that her SIM card was one of those tiny micro ones that needed the pointed key to pop open the slot.
“Welp, mobile data and cell reception will have to wait. Thank god for free wifi on buses,” she thought, opening her mobile game. Tapping away at the screen as she sped through the login rewards. Starting an online raid lobby. Waiting for random players to join in. She groaned as low-level players joined in, hoping to be carried by the higher-leveled (Y/n). She clicked ‘auto-battle’ and let the online raid pass by as she pulled up her bag. Unzipping it to grab a wireless headphone case, she opened it and let the Bluetooth connect. She placed a headphone in her ear and pretended to lean against the window to slip the other one into her hood.
“Here, Pollen! Let’s listen to music” she whispered over her shoulder. She could feel the kwami shuffle around behind her and even nod. (Y/n) smiled and hit mute on the game before opening her music app, shuffling a random playlist to listen to on the way to school. She hummed as she checked back on the app, seeing a few friend requests populate after the online raid. She scoffed softly at their low levels, feeling a bit of pride.
She could feel Pollen poke her head out through her hair to peek down to her cell phone, “Wow, (Y/n)! Your character is so strong!” the kwami whispered to the girl. (Y/n) just playfully puffed her chest out and smiled, “Yup! Rank 125 and 24th in the international leaderboard” she said.
At least, I can say that I’m confident here. It’s like the only thing I can say I accomplished.
She yawned and rubbed at her eyes. She kept herself busy as the bus kept on its route. It wasn’t long before she made it to the transfer stop. Keeping her eyes on the screen, she stepped out and went to wait at the next stop. She had her eyes locked on a particularly strong monster as she switched out of auto-battle to physically spam basic attacks and use her character’s special attacks.
Her attention was fully on her game, completely driven to defeat the 7 headed dragon/lion hybrid monster that stood guard in front of the pixelated chest she had her eyes on. She was driven and didn’t even glance up when the bus arrived. She just got in line behind the other passengers waiting to board. She’d just move whenever the line did. Keeping her gaze locked on the boss fight.
She seemed so in her zone, so focused on the task at hand, that she failed to notice the tall strong torso she walked into. “Oof!” She grunted as her face collided with someone’s shoulder blade. Her phone fell out of her hands.
“Oh, my god. I’m so so sorry! My bad I wasn’t looking where I was going and-!” She began to ramble as she apologized to the boy in front of her. Looking down as she was afraid to see what his expression would be.
“No sweat! You’re fine” the boy interrupted gently, leaning down to pick up her phone for her. He paused as he saw the game on the screen, “Holy crap, rank 125?” He asked.
Huh?
Well, that wasn’t what she was expecting. She looked up and took in his semi-familiar appearance. He was tall, tan, and had a muscular build. She assumed he must be the outgoing sporty type of guy. His dark hair was dyed a light brown at the ends. She swears she must’ve seen him somewhere. He looked familiar. She blinked and nodded with a response, “Yeah…? You play?” She asked softly.
“Oh, well. I barely downloaded the game yesterday. But I just got to rank 8… So, that’s impressive!” He said kindly, looking up from the screen to meet her eyes. “Oh! You’re the new girl!” He suddenly said, in a louder tone of surprise. She jumped a bit at his sudden volume change. She was subconsciously bracing herself. For what?
“Uh, yeah. I’m (Y/n)” she replied, taking her phone back. Feeling awkward at the attention being on her.
Good thing, the line started to move and the boy was taking his bus pass out. (Y/n) did the same and pressed her pass against the sensor.
“I’m Kim! Kim LeChien. We’re in the same homeroom class, with Miss Bustier” he said as he turned around to continue the conversation while he maintained eye contact. Catching (Y/n) by surprise since she didn’t expect him to try to keep the conversation going. He smoothly walked backward towards a vacant seat near the middle, waiting for her to take a seat first.
Surprisingly polite. Huh. What do you know?
She awkwardly did, not wanting to decline his offer. However, she soon realized her mistake as he took the seat next to her. Now she was forced to make small talk with her classmate. Yikes.
“Um, nice to meet you. I’m (Y/n) (L/n). I introduced myself yesterday” she replied stiffly, attempting to don a ‘friendly’ smile.
Oh god. How do I smile again? God, I’ve never been good at talking to guys like this…
She recalled the boys standing alongside her when they would corner (Y/n) back at her old school. She shuddered at the sudden memory and decided not to think about it for now. This boy was nicer… Friendlier. And he didn’t set off any alarms in her head. But, she was on edge. And it wasn’t his fault. It was her’s. And she felt guilty. It felt wrong to be afraid of him.
“So, you’re pretty good at this game” he started as he glanced at her screen, waiting for her to continue playing.
“Oh, I guess? I just spent a lot of time on it… I didn’t have anything better to do” she said with an awkward chuckle, looking down at her phone. Hoping to get to school quickly. Staring blankly at her custom character. Remembering the day she first downloaded this game…
Right. The day it started…
“Oh! Max! Here!” He suddenly piped up and almost stood to wave at a dark-skinned boy who got on at the next stop. She gasped softly as she blinked away the growing gloom, realizing that she almost got lost in her depressing memories.
You’re okay… You’re okay… I’m not the same scared girl I used to be.
She let out a shaky breath that she didn't even realize that she was holding. Feeling Pollen gently nuzzle against the nape of her neck. Probably because the kwami could sense the girl grow tense.
She glanced up from her phone and saw the two boys chat. Smiling when Kim offered his seat to his friend, choosing to stand and hold onto the overhead rail. She must’ve been staring for too long because the boy with glasses turned to look at her curiously, “Ah, the exchange student. Right?” he asked as he stiffly extended his hand for a shake.
(Y/n) nodded and awkwardly shook it back, “Yes, I’m (Y/n). N-nice to meet you? Haha, sorry. I’m not very good at introductions…” she said, glancing between his eyes and the phone in her other hand.
“Max, she’s good at video games like you!” Kim suddenly said with a chuckle, gesturing to the mobile game that was still running on her cell phone.
“Oh, I’m really not-” she began to say.
“She’s at rank 125 on that game that Adrien told us about!” Kim said with a warm laugh as if encouraging the girl to boast.
Adrien told them about the game that I play?
Before she could say anything else, Max snapped his head to her screen. “Really?” he asked, amazed.
“Oh, uh, yeah. But I was telling Kim that it’s not that amazing because it’s just a time thing… I’ve been playing this game for a long time and-” she began to ramble.
“Nonsense. Though one would assume that no skill is needed to play a clicker or idle game, we cannot ignore that this game has plenty of skill-based trials that require tenacity and accuracy” Max stated as he pushed up his glasses. “Time is definitely a factor as to why you have so much more experience, yes. But we cannot overlook your effort” he said with a smile.
My effort?
Kim tilted his head, a little confused as to what his friend meant, “Accuracy? I’ve just been tapping at the screen” he admitted.
“I’ve been researching the game, and though you can do basic damage by just tapping blindly, each monster has specific attack patterns that alternate to open up weak spots that increase your chance for critical hits!” Max said as he slipped out his cell phone to pull up the game. Logging in and showing the two his progress.
“Oh wow. Rank 15? You made it really far for one night” (Y/n) complemented, watching the boy attempt a solo raid against a slime beast.
“Maybe (Y/n) can do a raid with us!” Kim suggested with a smile.
“Oh I-” (Y/n) was cut off before she could agree.
“Absolutely not,” Max said, not looking up from his screen.
Huh?
“O-Oh…” (Y/n) mumbled, suddenly feeling the need to tug at her sleeves.
Kim sensed the shift in her demeanor and gently nudged his friend. Giving him a worried look, but then motioned to his face and made a smile. As if telling him to express his words better. Max’s eyes widened in realization as he cleared his throat, turning to the girl.
“Sorry, (Y/n). I didn’t mean to say that I don’t want to play with you. I just want to get better at this game by myself. And I don’t want to ride on your hard work” Max admitted. “I would like to play alongside you. But when I’m just as good as you. I get really passionate… And I don’t want to waste my efforts… I want to be at a point where I’m confident enough.”
Huh. Wasted effort… Is that why I play? Or am I really ‘passionate’?
(Y/n) brushed her fingers against the screen. Eyes locked on the character sprite but in reality, watching her reflection. It seemed like just yesterday she was shutting herself in her room, the only light coming from the screen of her cell phone. Dull (e/c) eyes looked back at her. It used to mock her. But now, she didn’t mind it. She smiled as she understood his feelings, “Yeah. Okay. We’ll play together when you're at a higher level” she said.
“Or when he’s better than you. You never know” Kim added with a cheeky grin.
(Y/n) smiled, “Haha, yeah. Maybe he will. But you’ll have to reach my level first” she added, trying to taunt.
“Ohoho, is that a challenge?” Kim replied with a bigger grin, “I’ll be aiming for your spot, then!”
“You have to catch up to me first” Max added with a smile of his own, teasing his taller friend.
(Y/n) laughed softly at their dynamic. Joining into their conversation. Placing her phone down on her lap, where it rested for the rest of the bus ride as she talked to her classmates. Kim asked Max and (Y/n) if it was possible to outrun a cheetah. The two obviously tried to talk sense into the athletic boy. Max used facts and numbers. (Y/n) just told him plain and simple that a cheetah wouldn’t be a good opponent. They asked her why. And she smiled.
“I hear they don’t play fair. Because they’re ‘cheetahs’,” (Y/n) joked.
The two boys stared blankly at her before laughing at her cheesy pun.
“Oh wow, that was so bad” Kim snickered, glancing up as the bus was nearing the school stop. (Y/n) felt herself blushing in embarrassment but also laughed along with them. Standing up with Max, the three of them got ready to get off the bus. Walking down the block together towards the school. It felt natural.
There were no cliques. No social hierarchies. Just friends. It was nice. (Y/n) could happily chat with a sporty-type and a bookish-type boy about video games and silly jokes. They played ‘would you rather’ on the way, exchanged friend codes, and even chatted about the homework.
It was just normal.
Who knew how long she’d been yearning for normalcy like this…?
The boys had asked for her phone number and she told them that she couldn’t get her reception to work.
“Oh, I can fix your SIM card issue. No problem,” Max told the girl. And that’s how (Y/n) found out that Max was a tech-wiz. And so, now she was standing by Max and Kim’s desk. Watching curiously as Max pulled out a little tool case. He even took a look at the loose charging port.
“Here you go,” he said as he handed the phone back to the girl. Waiting until the image of the reception bars appeared in the upper right corner of the touch screen, before fully placing it in her hand.
“Wow, thank you!” She said gratefully. “I owe you one pain-au-chocolat,” she said as she nearly cheered for her mobile data.
“Make it two. I introduced you to Max, and we’re best friends so… I think I deserve one too” Kim said with a smile.
(Y/n) giggled and playfully rolled her eyes, “Sure. Tomorrow, then. I’ll go back to my seat, thank you again” she said as she turned to walk down the steps to her seat from yesterday, Kim and Max waved goodbye as she walked away.
As she walked down the steps she saw a tanned boy in a blue shirt with glasses approach the same seat. He didn’t even glance at her since he had his eyes locked on his cell phone, bumping his head to the music in his headphones. He slipped his bag onto the floor next to him and took a seat. His eyes were still locked on his phone even as she stood before him. Unaware of her presence.
Um, what should I-?
“Oh, (Y/n)! Good morning!” Alya said cheerfully as she walked in and waved at her. Interrupting her train of thought but also distracting her. Eh well, that seat was temporary after all. She’ll worry about that later.
“Morning, Alya” she greeted back with a smile, “Guess what? My cell reception works now!” (Y/n) said happily, taking out her phone.
“That’s great! We can exchange numbers! I can send you all the videos I want now” Alya said, equally excited. Walking up the steps to her seat. (Y/n) taking a seat next to her and exchanging phone numbers. Borrowing Marinette’s seat for now until class starts to chat away about the literature homework from last night.
“Oh, that reminds me. I gotta make sure to remind Marinette to bring her textbook today” Alya suddenly remembered as she sent her friend a quick text, “She’s kind of forgetful” she explained to (Y/n).
Speaking of Marinette…
“Hey… You said you’d tell me something later… Was it about Marinette?” (Y/n) asked nervously. Instinctively fidgeting with the sleeves of her sweater as she began to avoid Alya’s worried eyes. “I-If it’s something I did then… I want to apolo-” she began, but only for Alya to cut her off with a smile and a hand on her shoulder.
“Hey hey, there’s no need to apologize. You did nothing wrong” Alya said softly, giving (Y/n)’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I don’t think it’s anything that I, personally, can tell you. I think she should tell you about it. She’s acting a little weird right now, I know. But just know that it’s not your fault,” she explained vaguely but honestly.
“I-Is it something bad?” (Y/n) asked warily, “Maybe something I should fix…?”
Alya laughed softly while shaking her head, “Nah, it’s not that serious. There’s nothing wrong with you. So you don’t have to fix anything about yourself. You’re fine just the way you are” she reassured, glancing up at the clock in the classroom. Noticing that class was about to start and taking out her textbook and other learning materials.
Oh… So it’s not something I did?
(Y/n) sighed with relief, smiling as she leaned down to grab her bag, “Yeah… Okay. I’ll ask her myself. I was just worried that Marinette hated me or something…” she admitted, standing up to move to a new seat.
“There’s no way anyone would hate you that easily,” Alya said with another shake of her head, “And I’m 100% sure what Marinette is feeling isn’t hate. She’s just… having some internal conflict right now. We like you. Promise.”
(Y/n) smiled and tugged the strap of her backpack over her shoulder, “Alright. Cool. I like you guys too. Promise” she said. Walking down the steps to make way for Marinette, who seemed to be running late. She took a step towards the classroom door, hoping to wait for Miss Bustier outside in the hall. Only to nearly crash into a blonde girl.
“O-Oh, I’m sorry-” she began to apologize.
“Ugh, watch it! Do you know how much this blouse costs??? You almost bumped into me with your cheap dirty hoodie!” Chloe sneered, cutting the (h/c) haired girl off before she could even finish her apology. Glaring sharply with her icy blue eyes.
“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t see where I was going” (Y/n) mumbled, looking down at her sneakers to avoid her overbearing gaze. Feeling small under her scrutinizing stare. The blonde girl opened her mouth to say something else only to hesitate and huff with her arms crossed. Almost as if she had second thoughts.
“Clearly!” Chloe scoffed, pushing past (Y/n) and walking inside with her nose in the air. A second girl also pushed past (Y/n) with a ‘wait for me, Chloe’, following behind Chloe. She had glasses and red hair.
(Y/n) just held her breath and waited until the two walked to their desk before looking up and just walking out of the classroom. After dealing with interactions like this for so long, she became an expert at just avoiding eye contact with aggressive people. It may have looked like she didn’t let the interaction affect her but…. It still does. She looked down at her shaking hands and sighed.
“Wow, that was surprising. She normally doesn’t back off that easily…” she heard a boy’s soft voice say. She glanced up and made eye contact with a red-headed boy with blue eyes.
“What do you mean?” (Y/n) asked with a tilt of her head.
“Chloe isn’t the type to let things slide like that. She likes to make a big scene and name-drop her dad. It’s her go-to” he explained, tugging his bag closer. “Consider yourself lucky” he joked dryly, walking inside after nodding a greeting to the new girl.
… Maybe it was because Adrien talked to her? I still have to speak to him about that. And I gotta talk to Marinette too. Ugh, having friends is hard.
As if the universe heard her, she saw the bluenette walking up the steps to their classroom.
Now’s a good time as ever.
“Marinette, morning!” (Y/n) greeted, forcing herself to don a smile. A strained smile. It’s almost like if she forgot how to smile naturally.
“Oh, hey. Good morning, (Y/n)” Marinette greeted, equally as awkward.
…
“So, hey. I wanted to ask-”
“I have a question-!”
The two cut each other off. They blinked at each other before suddenly smiling and giggling at their tandem awkwardness.
Yeah. I really do like these guys.
After the two finished laughing, (Y/n) looked at the blue-eyed girl with a genuine smile. A real smile. “Hey, I wanted to say… I’m sorry if there’s anything I did wrong yesterday. It’s been a while since I’ve made new friends… And I want to do it right this time… So, if there’s anything you want to talk to me about. I’m here.” (Y/n) said softly, maintaining eye contact with Marinette. Looking at her with (e/c)-colored pools as clear and true as her heart.
Marinette looked a little taken aback. She visibly stiffened up at the transfer girl’s sudden apology, and she lifted her hands in front of her. Frantically waving them around as she scrambled to return the raw emotional openness, “N-no! No no, you didn’t do anything wrong! (Y/n), if anything it was all me!” she managed to squeak out.
“Then… Is there anything I did that made things weird yesterday…? You kinda went quiet on us, well, mostly me… But I can fix-” (Y/n) began to say.
“Fix what?” The two girls heard a familiar voice chime in from behind them.
The girls turned and saw Adrien waving at both of them with a smile. Marinette gasped and visibly retracted herself from his range. Hiding behind (Y/n). Hiding her reddening face behind the (h/c)-haired girl’s shoulder.
Why is she hiding? And why is she turning red- … Huh.
Suddenly the cogs began to turn in (Y/n)’s head. Her (e/c) eyes brightened in realization. She smiled back at Adrien, “Fix… Fix my French! I still have some issues with my grammar… I said something close to ‘excitée’ rather than ‘contente’*... Haha, I still have so much to learn,” she lied with a fake laugh.
Marinette and Adrien both blinked, astounded by the American girl’s casual vulgarity.
“Huh?” They both said. (Y/n) tried not to laugh at their surprised expressions, both of them looked like their eyes were going to pop out of their skulls from how wide they got.
“Haha, nah. I’m just joking… See! I was asking Marinette on how to fix my French humor too… I’m afraid that I’ll make a joke like that one, y’know. One that’ll make someone uncomfortable” she continued the little lie, gently nudging Marinette. “Right, Marinette?” she asked.
“H-huh? Oh! Yeah? (Y/n) felt bad, because she made a joke that Alya and I couldn’t keep up with?” Marinette added, and it made her comment sound more like a question rather than a statement.
“Right!” (Y/n) chimed in, “And I just don’t want to embarrass myself like that, y’know? I wanna at least pretend I’m a local” she joked with a sheepish smile.
Adrien looked a little confused at their back-and-forth, nodding slowly even though he didn’t quite understand what was happening, “What was the joke? I like to think I have a good sense of humor” he said with a polite smile.
“Uhhhhh” Marinette mumbled, her eyes darted around as she tried to think of a good lie.
(Y/n) cut in, playfully covering her mouth with her hand, “No, it’s much too embarrassing to say… I’d simply die if you heard such a lame joke” she said dramatically, having taken a page from Chat Noir’s book.
“Besides, I also wanted Marinette to show me where the restroom was again… I couldn’t really find it yesterday during the akuma attack. That is why I ended up in the principal’s office… I didn’t want to admit it because I was afraid that I’d look helpless,” she easily lied, acting embarrassed to further hammer in the fake admission.
Truthfully she felt a little guilty seeing the way Adrien’s eyes wavered as he opened his mouth to say something. Still, he restrained himself, closing his lips and flashing an understanding smile, “Yeah, that’d be a good idea. And hey, remember. We’re always happy to help you. You’re not helpless” he said as he walked past (Y/n) and Marinette, with a gentle pat against (Y/n)’s shoulder before he walked into the classroom.
(Y/n) sighed softly, glad that she was easily able to shake him off but also guilty that she had to lie to him like that.
You’re already living a lie. Queen Bee is a secret you’ll have to carry from now on. You’re not in the clear yet. Get used to it.
“(Y/n)?” She heard Marinette ask. “You okay?”
“Yeah, just feel a bit guilty for that lie,” (Y/n) admitted rubbing at her arm through the sleeve of her sweater, even though she was sure that Marinette wouldn’t know what ‘lie’ she was specifically referring to. Which one of many? Who knows? “But, hey, now that he’s gone… Can I just ask you something?” She swiftly changed the subject. Not wanting to dwell on it too long.
Marinette visibly stiffened and stood straight as she braced herself for (Y/n)’s question, “Y-yes!” she replied.
“Do you… like Adrien? Like ‘like-like’ him?” she asked curiously. “Is that why you get all jumbled up?”
Marinette looked around and grinned nervously, “N-no…? Well, I don’t hate him. That is to say that- I guess I like him in that sense! Y-you know? Like a person!”
(Y/n) hummed and nodded, not really buying the generic excuses, and crossed her arms, “... Well, if you did, just know it’s not really a bad thing if you did…”
Marinette jolted with a ‘geh!’ and averted eye contact with (Y/n), “A-and if I did…?”
(Y/n) smiled, “Then I’m happy for you. He’s a nice guy.” she gently encouraged.
Marinette relaxed her shoulders at her words and let out a breath that she subconsciously held. Smiling softly as she adjusted her bag’s strap, “And… Do you? Do you um like him? You guys seem close…” she finally asked, almost as if afraid of the answer she might get.
…
(Y/n)’s eyes widened as a look of realization appeared on her face.
OH! THAT’S WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE?
(Y/n) couldn’t help the giggle that escaped past her lips. She didn’t mean to laugh but this was all just a giant misunderstanding. “No no, Adrien and I aren’t like that! We’re just friends. I don’t see him like that at all. We’ve only known each other for like 3 days. I just like him as a person. And I’m sure he doesn’t see me like that either…” she said with a casual wave of her hand.
“Oh. Wow, phew… I really thought that you two were like a couple or something” Marinette admitted, “He’s from a famous family so I just assumed you were his long-lost childhood friend or his fiancee!”
(Y/n) laughed at the silly scenario. “You make it sound like a drama! Or a shoujo anime!” she joked. Marinette joined in the laughter.
The tension dissipated between the two in an instant. Clearing the atmosphere with just a pure smile and fluttery laugh. Their friendship was renewed by a simple conversation. It made (Y/n) a bit sad to think that all it took was just one conversation to fix everything… Her thoughts flickered to her relationships back home and she internally shook her head.
Nah, it’s not that simple. It depends on the person after all… Marinette is different.
“Hey. I’m sorry that I let my imagination run wild. I jumped to conclusions and I acted weird. I want to be your friend too. And I want to work through any rough patches with you. It’s my part as your friend just as much as it is yours. Friendship is a two-person job. And I want to do it right, just like you said. So, friends?” Marinette said with a shy shrug and a smile.
So different.
(Y/n) didn’t say anything. Instead, she practically launched herself at Marinette, wrapping her arms around her neck. Surprising the blue-haired girl, who just stiffly stood as the transfer student clung to her in weak desperation. (Y/n) didn’t answer, just silently nodding against the girl’s shoulder. She just couldn’t come up with the right words to say. Her words were caught in her throat as she hugged the girl.
“Friends, yes” (Y/n) managed to say with a shaky voice after a few seconds of silence.
How long has she waited to hear that?
She couldn’t see it but Marinette smiled before gently patting her back.
Meanwhile, Adrien stepped into the classroom with a hardened expression. “Why does (Y/n) keep doing that?” he thought to himself, “She thinks asking for help is bad… Surely, she doesn’t believe that I’d think less of her if she asked for help… What happened to the girl that stood face to face with Wrecking Man?” He let out a sigh and just walked to his seat, green eyes widening in surprise as he saw that Nino was back. He smiled and slipped into his seat and poked the boy in blue.
Nino slipped off one of his headphones and smiled, “Dude, what’s up?” he greeted his blond friend with a quick high-five. Adrien returned the gesture, replying with an ‘I haven’t seen you in a while, how have you been?’ as he placed his bag down.
“Sick. Ugh, it was horrible. Since I was home all day my little brother kept bugging me to play with him. And he would throw the biggest fits when my mom would drag him away so I could recover. So I couldn’t really sleep well”, Nino complained with a wave of his hand. “Oh, by the way, thank you for sending me the notes while I was gone. Did I miss anything?”
“We had an analysis essay draft assigned yesterday… It’s due on Friday. There was an akuma attack yesterday…” Adrien listed off the top of his head. Nino didn’t even flinch when he heard ‘akuma’, which goes to show how used to it they kinda were.
“Right. The crystal dancer? I saw it on the news. Oh! I also saw the new hero. The bee girl? Lady Bee, I think, is what Alya called her on her blog” Nino added with an excited smile. “Think there’ll be more like her?”
Adrien internally grimaced and thought, “I hope not. I already got my hands full with the two bug girls…”. But he still pretended to hold his chin in thought, “Well, I don’t think that’s what her name was… It wouldn’t be very original to have a Lady Bee and a Ladybug at the same time” he chimed in.
“Her name was Queen Bee!” The boys heard a voice chime in from behind. It was Alya, eager to show off the footage from yesterday. She smiled and held her phone out for them to see. “She was cool! She watches my blog!!! Can you believe it? She said it was ‘helpful’! And she called me ‘smart’! She was so valiant! It almost made me swoon,” she gushed, fangirling to the boys.
“Right! She had a sword! Kinda like a knight!” Nino added with a nod, slipping off his headphones before class started.
“A sabre, actually” Adrien corrected, his green eyes kept glancing towards the door. Waiting for Marinette and (Y/n) to enter. Feeling restless, without knowing why.
“Eh, but isn't it called a rapier?” Nino asked curiously to his friend, who wasn’t even looking at him.
“Nah, it had a round tip. It’s not very sharp” Adrien said matter-of-factly, not even glancing at Nino and Alya. His eyes were locked on the door.
Alya and Nino both raised an eyebrow and shared a curious look. “Umm, how do you know that, Adrien?” Alya asked with a laugh.
“Huh?” Adrien finally looked back at the mention of his name. Oh, crap. He internally cursed himself for letting it slip that he knew more than he let on. “Oh well. I take fencing. There are different types of swords… It had a bell guard. So it’s definitely not a foil or epee” he explained.
“Wow, you could tell just from the video?” Nino asked, “Did you only focus on her sword?” He teased.
“Yeah? Didn’t you?” Adrien said with a playful scoff. Thanking the gods above when the final bell rang and he finally saw (Y/n). The relief he felt was almost immediate.
She walked in with a big smile. A smile that eased the worry in his heart in an instant. She was laughing about something with Marinette. She glanced in his direction, (e/c) and green met and the girl happily waved. He waved back. His smile unknowingly mirrored hers. “Guess there was nothing to worry about…” he thought to himself.
“Who’s that?” he heard his best friend ask from beside him. Curiously raising his eyebrows.
“Oh, her name is-” he began to just be cut off by Alya. The girl stood up excitedly from her seat and walked down to meet the two girls, “(Y/n)! Marinette!” She said happily, hugging them both. The three girls began to chat softly amongst themselves, laughing and smiling all around.
Adrien watched the heartwarming scene with a smile. However, the longer it went on… a nagging feeling started to build up in his chest. His smile curved downward and became a straight line.
(Y/n) just met them yesterday and yet, they were much closer to her than he was…
He was pulled out of his thoughts by Miss Bustier walking in and breaking their group apart.
“Oh, Miss Bustier. I um, need a new seat” (Y/n) brought up.
“Right, Nino’s seat was temporary… You can take a seat in the back next to Nathaniel” the teacher said with a smile, pointing with her hand towards the top next to the red-haired boy. To his surprise, the boy waved with a smile. Did they know each other? (Y/n) smiled back and started walking up the central stairs to her new seat. Even casually waving at Kim and Max. When did she meet them?
It was only her second day and she was already making friends. He should be proud. She was a shy timid girl when they first met and the second time she was on edge around him. Today though… She was friendlier. Not that he had a problem with that, of course. But he couldn’t help drawing comparisons. On his first day, everyone had assumed he was like Chloe. Everyone avoided him. And those who approached him only did it because they recognized him as Adrien Agreste, the model.
Could it be he was a little jealous? Maybe a bit resentful? Does that make him a bad friend?
“Dude? You okay? You didn’t answer my question” Adrien heard Nino ask from beside him, snapping him out of his thoughts.
“O-oh. Right. (Y/n) is an exchange student from America. You were absent yesterday so she borrowed your seat for the time being” the blond boy explained to his friend. The bitterness from before was still fresh in his mind even if he wasn’t aware of it. And it was showing. Adrien forgot to mention that (Y/n) was his friend. Nino’s eyebrow twitched at his friend’s discomfort, glancing back to see the (h/c)-haired girl making small talk with Nathaniel.
“Huh…” he hummed as he lightly adjusted his baseball cap, glancing back to the front warily.
“Alright, class!” Bustier clapped her hands and brought the class’ attention back to her as she pressed the button of a clicker. I hope you all enjoyed reading the passages I assigned yesterday!” A PowerPoint presentation loaded up on the screen behind her, signaling the beginning of the lecture and the beginning of their school day.
Nathaniel was a little reserved. And he seemed to have an independent “everyone sucks”-type of outlook. But he was helpful. He explained how the schedule changed by day. He didn’t make much idle chat, but (Y/n) didn’t mind that her seatmate was introverted. Not at all. Especially since she had notes to focus on. But… A part of her did miss sitting in the front with the rest of her friends. She felt her eyes drifting to the front a lot, wondering what Adrien, Alya, and Marinette were up to.
She felt a little lonely sitting back here with her chin resting on her hand. Especially when she saw Alya write something on Marinette’s notebook and saw the two laugh softly amongst themselves. Then she saw the boy in blue lean in to whisper something in Adrien’s ear.
He suddenly turned over his shoulder and made eye-contact with (Y/n). Her (e/c) eyes widened and she felt her face heat up as she got caught staring. But he smiled. She smiled awkwardly back at him, faking a yawn. He laughed softly and playfully shook his head, turning back to the front of the class. She swallowed back her embarrassment and went back to writing.
God, am I… being a clingy friend?
“So. How do you know Adrien?” She suddenly heard the red-haired boy beside her ask. Making her stop writing notes with her mechanical pencil, and glance over to him.
“Um. We’re friends?” she replied. A little nervously. She had no idea where he was going with this.
“Hm… Friends with the most popular boy in our school? Are you also a model? Do you know him from work?” he asked, not looking up from his notebook.
…
“No? I just met Adrien on my first day, or well second. But yeah, we just talked and became friends. Why?” she asked, fully turning to look at the boy. A little on edge about these questions.
“Nothing special. Just… I wanted to know if you knew him because of connections. Like Chloe does” he added, tapping his pencil against his notebook.
“I’m normal”, she replied quickly. Not liking where this conversation was going.
“Normal enough to transfer to a school in another country? Your parents must be well off…” he mumbled the last part.
“I’m just a regular normal girl. Okay? I don’t have anything important like a mayor for a parent. If that’s what you're asking” she replied with a narrow of her eyes. He glanced over to see her stern expression and he awkwardly cleared his throat.
“I’m… Sorry. I think I asked my questions in a weird way. I wasn’t trying to imply anything. I’m just curious. It was done out of concern. You know, like I said earlier. Chloe always tends to turn things to the extreme… And I thought maybe you should be more aware of-” he brought up, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.
“Of my social standing?” she continued the thought for him.
“Yeah…” he replied with his mouth in a tight-lipped line.
This morning must’ve been a fluke. I guess these types of things still happen even here. Adrien is just a guy. And Chloe is just a girl. Do things really have to be this… superficial?
“Well… Thanks for your concern, I guess,” she replied dryly. Turning back to focus on the presentation. Feeling annoyed? Bothered? Was it really so hard to believe that a girl like her could be friends with a guy like Adrien?
But… Am I offended on Adrien’s behalf? He hasn’t done anything. He just exists and everyone around him is judging what he does. Can’t he just be a normal kid?
…Or is what little pride I have on the line?
(Y/n) sighed softly and chose to stay focused on her work for now.
Once the bell rang to indicate their first break of the day, Nathaniel made an awkward escape for the door. Presumably afraid of the transfer girl confronting him as he walked away with his bag and notebook tucked away in his arms. (Y/n) sighed to herself.
Great. He’s afraid of me now.
She stood up and grabbed her bag, slinging it over her shoulder. She stood at the top of the stairs and looked around. The kids in her class already had their groups formed. They all probably knew each other for a while. Maybe even longer. She was just a transfer kid. Maybe it was weird that she was able to be ‘friends’ with someone brave like Alya. Someone famous like Adrien. Or someone sweet like Marinette.
She felt a sort of isolation. A bittersweet uncertainty began to grow in her heart.
“Hey, (Y/n)!” she heard Adrien’s voice. Snapping her back to reality. She blinked and glanced down to see him waiting at the foot of the stairs, waiting with the boy from before.
She quickly slapped on a smile and walked down to meet him, “Finally, I was getting a little antsy back there. I like Victor Hugo and all, but Miss Bustier’s reading voice was lulling me to sleep” she said playfully.
Adrien smiled understandably, “Yeah, it was a long lecture. Wasn’t it, Nino?” he said, turning to the boy with the blue shirt and glasses from earlier. Who was disinterestedly looking down at his phone with a headphone over one ear.
Nino? Oh, the boy whose seat I was borrowing.
“Oh. You’re Nino! You were out sick, right? I hope you’re feeling better now. I’m (Y/n)”, (Y/n) added with a polite hand out for the boy to shake. But Nino didn’t take her hand.
Adrien raised an eyebrow, thinking it was weird for Nino to be so… standoffish.
“Yeah”, Nino said, not even looking up from his phone. “Nice to meet you”, he added dryly.
…
Adrien stared wide-eyed at Nino and then quickly elbowed his side. “Hey, man. What are you doing?”, he whispered to him, almost scolding him. Nino held his side and quickly defended himself, “Ah, sorry. I was picking a song!” he argued back before glancing back at (Y/n). The faintest trace of a scowl was evident on his face.
Ah, he’s telling me to back off… Guess I’m not wanted.
(Y/n) just awkwardly retracted her hand back and let out a forced chuckle, “Ah, well. I’m gonna find Alya and Marinette and ask for a tour of the school. I need to be familiar with the locations… And I wanted to see the library” she lied sheepishly, subconsciously rubbing her arm and tugging at her sleeves. Bowing her head and quickly excusing herself. Feeling shame?
Oh god… I feel like the old me again… I gotta get out of here.
“Ah, wait (Y/n)-” Adrien said, reaching out to try and stop her. His hand barely brushed against her sweater before she scurried out of the classroom.
Adrien turned to Nino with a small frown, “What was that about?” he asked. He knew his friend was a little shy at first. But to outwardly push (Y/n) away like that was odd, especially since this is their first meeting.
“What was what about?” Nino asked, playing dumb. Adrien wasn’t quite sure what was going on in his best friend’s head right now. But he didn’t have the time to let this sit in right now, he had to find (Y/n) and clear this whole thing up. He wasn’t sure why this first impression was off to such a rocky start but he knew he wanted his friends to be friends with each other.
“We’ll talk about this later”, he said to Nino, stepping towards the door.
Then all of a sudden, a crash and rumble was heard from outside.
“Bring me Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Miraculouses! Now!” A roaring voice called out in the distance.
It wasn’t long before the Principal’s voice was heard over the intercom. “Attention, students! There seems to be an akuma within the school’s vicinity. Please remain calm and follow the lockdown procedures that the nearby professors will provide!”
“Damn it”, he thought to himself.
(Y/n) kept speed walking down the hall ignoring and brushing against everyone as they hurried to the nearest adult. Pushing past all the kids that ran out of the restroom. She glanced down at every stall and made sure the coast was clear.
“Alright, you heard the man. Akuma time. Pollen, let’s transform”, (Y/n) called out over her shoulder. The bee kwami poked her head out of the girl’s hood and perched on her shoulder to stretch before fully exiting. Worry evident on her little face.
“Your Highness… Are you okay? You were so tense earlier. I heard what that Nathaniel boy said… I don’t think you should mind what he said so much. As long as you know in your heart that your friendship is real and true, who cares what others believe to be right?”, Pollen started as she was floating in front of (Y/n)’s face.
(Y/n) sighed and ran a hand through her hair, “I’m not doubting my friendship… It’s just- I’ve just been slapped with reality. I- Well, I don’t think I’ve changed much. You tell me ‘change is change’. ‘A step forward is a step forward’. And I get that. I really do. But I don’t know… When I’m near people, I just get a little envious? I don’t know how to explain it… I just feel kind of like a bad person. I have these little moments where I feel like I’m back home…” she explained.
Pollen nodded understandably, “That’s okay!”
“No! It’s not okay! I feel like a shit person. It’s normal for everyone around me to be happy and yet, I think… Why am I not like them? What’s so different about us? Am I the problem? I thought things were going to be better. I don’t know… Maybe it’s me. I was feeling fine not too long ago. And things were going fine. But then I ruined it… By being so negative… Like I always do” she mumbled.
“(Y/n)... “ Pollen said with a worried look in her eyes.
“Well, we can talk about this later… We have an akuma to worry about”, (Y/n) said with a sigh as she stood straight. “Transform me!” she called out as Pollen was pulled into her miraculous. Turning the girl into Queen Bee.
Notes:
Here's the link to my Ko-Fi in case you wanted to support my work! Don't feel pressured, but anything's appreciated :) : https://ko-fi.com/shinyamour
Chapter 8: Settling In (Pt. 2)
Summary:
Here ya go! Gotta head to work now, lol!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Queen Bee stood on the school's roof and narrowed her eyes as she scanned the vicinity. She crossed her arms confused as she didn’t see anything. Or anyone. Where did that crashing noise even come from? She normally had a way to know where the trouble was… Well, Alya. But she shouldn’t try to contact the girl while the school was on lockdown. It’s just impossible to do so without drawing attention.
“Should I head where I think it came from?” she thought to herself. A hand on her chin as she lost herself in her thoughts. (E/c) with golden flecks analyzed the sky for signs of a flying monster. It had to have been something big to make a roar of that caliber.
“Boo!” she suddenly heard a boy’s voice from behind her. Making her jump before she could scream. Her body reacted first before she could process what just happened. A flight reaction that was ingrained into her.
She stared wide-eyed with a hand clutching her chest at the owner of the voice. The jerk.
Chat Noir was standing behind her grinning and holding back a laugh, hands proudly at rest on his hips. He cleared his throat before bowing and taking her hand in his, “Good afternoon, Your Highness. Forgive my rudeness. I was running late. Fighting off fans. Being super cool. Looking for a damsel, you get it” he said playfully, kissing the back of her hand.
She narrowed her eyes and swiftly pulled her hand away, “Couldn’t find Ladybug? Where is she? And the akuma too, for that matter…” she asked, turning away from him and choosing not to humor him.
“Actually, wrong damsel...” he thought to himself as he raised his head. Playfully scratching the back of his head, he grinned dismissively. Choosing not to dwell too long on that thought.
He withdrew his baton, “Let’s take a look from higher ground, shall we?” he suggested but didn’t wait for her response. Suddenly wrapping an arm around her waist, “Up we go, your Majesty!” he said with a playful grin as he pressed the paw print-shaped button and had it extend as he pulled Queen Bee closer.
“Ah! Jesus!” she exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders to hold herself steady as they kept elevating to higher territory. She could feel his chuckles rumble in his chest.
“What’s so funny?” she huffed at him.
“Afraid of heights?” he teased. Knowing full well that he saw her jumping on rooftops last night.
“No! I mean, kinda? This is all so new to me! I’m not used to such a distance from the ground!” she exclaimed. “Oh really?”, he teasingly pretended to let go of her. Loosening his hold around her waist for a second with a small ‘whoops’. She gasped and scrambled to hold him for safety. He laughed.
“Ahh! You jerk!” She gripped his shoulders and frowned at him, “Ugh, why-”
He suddenly stopped laughing.
“Shh.” His leather cat ear suddenly twitched and he looked over in the direction of L’arc de Triomphe. In a direction opposite to where the sound originally came from. “There,” he said, his serious tone so close to her ear made her shiver and nod voluntarily.
With a press of his baton, it started to retract fast. Fast enough to the point where it felt like they were falling. Queen Bee wanted to shut her eyes from the wind hitting her face but she knew to keep her eyes open to control her landing. They made contact with the roof and nodded silently to each other as they started to run in the direction. Running in silence as they listened for anything out of the ordinary.
Until Chat Noir decided to break the ice.
“So, used to your miraculous yet?”, Chat Noir asked as they jumped from one rooftop to another.
“I wish I could say I am but I’d be lying” Queen Bee answered honestly, “As you saw from last time. I barely know how to use my rapier…” she said.
“Sabre”, he corrected.
“Right, this”, she replied with a sarcastic roll of her eyes. “I’m honestly not sure what I’m doing,” she admitted. “I just came home to a little box with a magical jewel… The next thing I know, I have a mini magical roommate who advises me. Haha. It’s a bit hard to get used to the idea that I was chosen to be a hero.”
“Makes sense. I had no idea what to do with mine. At first, I thought it was all fun. I treated it like a game. I was so reckless. I tried to cataclysm an akuma before… Haha, good thing I didn’t,” he said, his ear twitching as they got closer to the source of the disturbance. They leaped again, her eyes glanced down to her sword, and suddenly remembered that she had yet to fully ask Pollen about her own powers.
Cataclysm is his special move. Lucky Charm is Ladybug’s. What’s mine?
Distracted, she felt her foot slip on one of the tiles and she yelped in surprise. He was quick to hold her steady with a hand on her wrist. “You okay?”, he asked and waited for her confirmation. She nodded, brushing off her quickening pulse and assuming it was because of the near fall and not because of the boy’s close distance. He still found himself checking her for anything wrong before letting go of her and nodding toward their destination. Continuing their journey.
“Your kwami, are they helpful?” he continued the conversation.
“Yeah, she is. Yours isn’t?” she asked curiously.
“No no, he is. Just haven’t really asked about other people’s kwamis before” he said as they stopped in front of a trail of rubble. A scene of destruction lay before the two. Cutting their conversation short. A figure in red stood in the middle of it.
Does Ladybug not talk about her kwami? … I know she’s a little prickly but haven’t they known each other for a while now?
They hopped off the roof and ran towards her. “Ladybug, are you-!” Queen Bee started to ask.
“M’lady-!” Chat Noir exclaimed.
Only for the two to be interrupted by Ladybug’s frantic, “Don’t come closer!! Stay back!” she hissed, “I was fighting him… And I don’t know where he’s gone!”
“Who?” Chat Noir asked, slowly growing more and more tense as he sensed something was off.
The three stood silently, ready to strike, but alert as they looked around. “What is the akuma?”, Queen Bee asked, hand on the hilt of her sword. Ready to attack even if she was a novice wielder. The three stood in a spread circle formation, with their backs facing inward and towards each other. Ladybug’s back was closest to Chat Noir’s as Queen Bee was standing more outward.
“He’s-” Ladybug started. The left cat ear on Chat Noir’s head twitched and he turned to Ladybug.
“He’s here!” Chat Noir exclaimed.
“Ahaha! I got you right where I want you!” A voice was heard and the ground began to shake. Cracks in the form of a circle surrounded the three, before shattered beneath their feet. The concrete crumbled and gave out under them. Chat Noir acted fast by grabbing Ladybug by her wrist and pulling her out of the path of destruction. But Queen Bee wasn’t too lucky. Her left foot fell through and got caught in one of the cracks.
Agh, this is just like what happened with Wrecking Man!
She groaned and hissed as she got caught in the falling dirt and stone. Rolling down the dirt that flowed down into the ground like an avalanche. Her landing was just as rough as her back slammed onto the bottom of the hole. Coughing and squinting as she tried to make sense of her new surroundings.
“Queen Bee!” she heard the duo yell for her in concern.
Chat Noir readied himself to jump down there but Ladybug stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “What are you doing?” he asked. “Making sure we’re not walking into a trap”, she replied with a roll of her eyes.
“What? She’s alone with the akuma down there!” he replied firmly.
“And he wanted us down there! Calm down, I’m not saying that we should abandon her,” she reasoned, taking out her yo-yo and flinging it to wrap around a nearby lamppost. Tugging on it firmly to ensure it was wrapped tight. “This will be our lifeline. I’ll be out of a weapon but at least we can easily escape if we need to,” she said with a smile.
The two started their descent into the pit, which was surprisingly deep, and avoided any contact with the underground sewer system of Paris. Must be an abandoned train tunnel… Chat Noir was climbing down first and he broke the tension with a, “Never tried rock climbing before” making Ladybug roll her eyes. “Queen Bee, are you alright down there?” she yelled out.
“I’m fine! *cough* Ugh, what was that?” Queen Bee groaned, sitting up and rubbing her back. She glanced up at the source of Ladybug and Chat Noir’s voices and marveled at how deep this tunnel was. She turned back to look around her and analyze where she was. She could make the shapes of old rusted carbide lamps adorning the inside. None of which were working, of course. Or otherwise, there’d be more light than just the rays of sun that were barely reaching the bottom of the pit she was in.
Is this… an abandoned dig site?
Her golden/(e/c) eyes widened as she heard something heavy ‘clank’ behind her. Instinctively she withdrew her sword and stood up quickly. Still coughing and wincing, she tried to make out the creature/person that was in this pit with her.
“*cough* Who- *cough* are you?!” she asked firmly, squinting her eyes to make out the figure in the dark.
“Aw man, got the wrong one. Sorry, princess. Papillon needs the other miraculouses. Not yours”, a figure began as he stepped into the light that was barely poking through the cloud of dirt and dust. It was a lanky man. Probably around his early twenties. Standing menacingly as the sunlight reflected off of his scaly skin? His bright yellow eyes stared deeply into her eyes, even if hers were squinted she could feel the intensity radiating off the man. He was in a torn work jumpsuit. The sleeves were torn off to reveal muscles and more scales. The ends of the pants were also torn, probably from the large claws that were now on his feet. And probably the long mechanical tail that was protruding from behind him and dragging against the floor.
“What are you? *cough* A knock-off Spider-Man villain?” Queen Bee joked, hand tightening around the handle of her sword. She knew that taunting him was probably not a good idea. But the other two were nowhere to be seen yet. She had to buy time or defend herself.
“Funny, you know joking in times of peril in itself can be considered a defense reflex? You’re trying to distract yourself from the real danger”, he said with a growl rumbling in his chest, taking an intimidating step forward, “Are you afraid, little bug?”
She flinched at the sound of his sharp claw crushing a rock between the weight of his foot. “Me? I’m just peachy” she replied with faux confidence, “You know, I could be distracting YOU from the potential danger that I am,” she said with a grin.
“Lizards eat bugs, dear bee” he bared his teeth and leaned down to stare her down, “I could crush you with ease. Nothing says incompetence like overestimating your abilities”.
“Can you actually call yourself ‘Lizard’? Like legally?” Queen Bee said with a laugh and a wince, holding back a cough from all the dirt in the air. Backing away with every close step he took towards her, slowly stepping away from the light and away from the closest exit she had. Driving her into a corner.
“Joking to the very end, huh? I’ll commend your arrogance at the very least” he said with a deep laugh. Flexing his fingers and showing off his dark claws. Baring his sharp teeth and laughing boldly as the glowing outline of a butterfly appeared over his eyes, “Allow me, Excavagator, to crush all who stand in your way, Papillon!” His mechanical tail dug itself into the ground for a split second, pushing him using its newfound footing. Using the force of it to propel himself forward.
Ah, damn it.
Queen Bee quickly withdrew her sword as he charged at her, using the dull blade of her sabre to hold him back. Holding it with both her hands. One on the handle and the other supporting the blade. He growled and snapped his teeth wildly as he attempted to attack her in a frenzy. He was so strong that it was forcing her planted feet to be pushed against the dirt. Dragging her further into the darkness.
She gritted her teeth as it took all her strength to attempt to hold him back, “Excavagator? Thought you were the ‘Lizard’, haha! I’ll commend you on having an original name, though!” she teased with a pained grin as he backed her against a wall. Her back practically slammed against it.
Ladybug, Chat Noir! Where are you?!
As if they could hear her telepathic pleas, a bright streak of green and the sound of metal slamming against Excavagator’s side roughly pushed him off of her with a “Get off of her!”. Shoving him into the wall next to them. Sending dirt and dust everywhere, further cloaking their figures, and making them unidentifiable in the darkness. You could only make out the quick green streaks of Chat Noir’s movements, both from the brightness of his eyes and the swift swings of his baton. Queen Bee sighed in relief, flexing out of her tense position, and rubbing her back. It was pressed pretty firmly against the rocky dirt. It was almost digging into her. She glanced down at her hand and inspected her blade by squinting. Seeing little dents and teeth marks from how hard the villain was biting.
Gross.
“Queen Bee! Are you alright?!” She heard Ladybug ask as she appeared at her side, based on how close her voice was.
“I’m alright,” Queen Bee said with a nod, “I assume that was Chat Noir?” she glanced towards the dark figure fighting off the giant lizard akuma.
“His night vision should help him see better while we’re in this pit” Ladybug explained as she wrapped a hand around Queen Bee’s wrist, “Come on, we have to get out of here. We’re at a disadvantage here” she pulled on the bee heroine’s hand.
Ladybug suddenly tugged on what looked like her yo-yo and all of a sudden both of their bodies were yanked forward by the sheer force of the magical string. “Grab a hold of Chat Noir on my signal!” Ladybug yelled as they zipped by the battle between the cat boy and the lizard man. He was pinned on the ground, gritting his teeth, as he tried holding back Excavagator with his baton in the same way that Queen Bee was earlier. Through the sound of pained grunts and wild growls, it was clear that Chat Noir needed help. Using the speed and force that they were moving, Ladybug gave the giant lizard a swift kick in the face to knock him off of Chat Noir. “Now!” Ladybug said as her foot made a hard impact against Excavagator’s jaw. Sending him crashing into the same wall that Chat Noir sent him into. Forming a crater around his large shape. Cracks began to spread and grow from the impact.
The walls suddenly began to rumble and everything began to shake.
It was as if time slowed down for Queen Bee, in one quick swipe her hand wrapped itself around Chat Noir’s wrist. “Grab on!” she yelled. The boy did not hesitate and he trusted her. Wrapping his gloved hand around her wrist in return. And with him in her grasp, the three smoothly zipped out of there with the help of Ladybug’s retractable yo-yo even as the pit started to cave in.
The three landed on the concrete street. Not gracefully mind you, but at least they were in one piece. “*cough* *cough* We need a plan… He’s really strong” Chat Noir started as he stood up. Dusting himself before offering both girls a hand. Both of them took his hands and stood up to dust themselves as well.
“Yeah, it won’t be long before he tries the same trick again” Ladybug agreed, pensively placing a hand on her chin. “His big idea must be to drag us underground to attack us in the dark… He kept burrowing himself into the ground to avoid my attacks even as he ran away from me. But once I had my yo-yo wrapped around him, he tried dragging me with him. I managed to escape but when he heard the vibrations of your footsteps he fled. That’s when you two got here….” she explained.
… He must’ve been luring her to this area… And he was probably digging consistently to make this cave form. Pretending to run away but in reality, making the foundation of the ground weaker so they would fall for this pit trap.
“Well, we’re all here now. He can use his abilities to detect our footsteps, so we shouldn’t be sticking around together for too long… We have to split up,” Queen Bee reasoned.
“Wait, I should use my lucky charm first before we do something that rash” Ladybug cut in.
“Excuse me, ‘rash’???” Queen Bee said with a bit of a scoff, “You literally just said he can tell where we are based on our steps!”
“So, we’ll just get to the rooftops, duh!” The ladybug heroine argued. “The last time you had a plan, Chat Noir and I were caught in diamond shackles. Need I remind you that you got caught in his little trap? The further we are the better”
Wow. Okay. You CHOSE to step in that time. But you know what, I’m not gonna bring that up. This is here and now.
“I did not intend to get caught. Okay, but what if he decides to never resurface because he knows he’ll be at a disadvantage up here just as much as we are down there!” Queen Bee huffed with a hand on her hip.
“Guys, this is-” Chat Noir started, hands up as he stood next to the bickering bugs, ready to step in between them if he had to.
“Then we wait for him to do so!” She frowned at the Bee heroine, crossing her arms, “I’m not putting us in danger!”
“At least we can buy some time and throw him off our trails by separating while we think of something besides camping out and waiting for him!” Queen Bee argued back, stepping in front of Ladybug with a frown of her own, “We need to do what we can to lure him back up here! Handling danger is our job!”
“Have you always been this reckless?” Ladybug said with a bitter chuckle.
“Oh yeah, well have you always been so-!” Queen Bee was going to retort.
“GUYS!” Chat Noir yelled, cutting into their argument.
The ground beneath them began to shake again. Uh oh, looks like he found the trio. “Alright, to the rooftops! Now!” Chat Noir said with a frantic nod as the three made a jump for the nearest building. The floor underneath them started to give out right at the moment that they jumped. Just narrowly missing.
“GRAHHH!! COWARDS! KEEP FLEEING AND SEE WHAT’LL HAPPEN!”
His loud booming roar of a threat reached their ears and out of sheer confidence that they would stop him… and they knew that they would, they almost forgot one important thing. The constant movement of the ground would cause man-made earthquakes and shakes that would make the buildings around them move. On the edge of crumbling, if there was a big enough impact to do so.
“Seriously! What is wrong with the both of you?!” Chat Noir started to scold the two bug girls. “We do not have time for this! More buildings will collapse if we don’t do anything!”
Guh, he’s right…
Queen Bee grimaced and hung her head in shame. She glanced to her side and saw Ladybug looking away with her arms crossed.
God, why do I always have to be initiating these things…? I hate being the bigger person sometimes.
Queen Bee sighed and looked up with a forced smile, “Sorry, Ladybug… You’re right. Use your Lucky Charm. Please” she said through gritted teeth.
Ladybug let out the tiniest scoff, irking Queen Bee more but she decided not to let it show, but then did as told, throwing her yo-yo in the air with a “Lucky Charm” like always. The glowing yo-yo hovered in the air as an item that would help them out started to take shape. Meanwhile Chat Noir leaned into Queen Bee’s side to whisper, covering his mouth with his hand.
“Hey, I also think you’re right. He can’t catch all of us if we spread out like you said…” he encouraged the Bee girl. Queen Bee raised an eyebrow at his misplaced caution. She knew it was so another argument wouldn’t stem. But…
He should be able to say this out loud. Why shouldn’t Ladybug hear this? Is it so bad that someone else besides her has a plan? He’s not picking sides or anything.
Queen Bee pursed her lips in thought and watched as a red construction tool coated in black polka dots materialized out of thin air and landed in Ladybug’s arms. It looked like a jackhammer. But heavier and it had a flat end that looked like a curved metal board was attached to the end instead of the sharp pointed end that a regular jackhammer would have.
“Is that a jackhammer?” Queen Bee asked curiously.
“It’s a ramming tamper,” Chat Noir explained, “It repeatedly hits the ground to compact dirt and soil”.
“Oh! So we basically have to-” Queen Bee began, only to be cut off.
“This will disorient Excavagator and draw him out. But most importantly, it’s for masking our footsteps” Ladybug interrupted Queen Bee and finished the thought for her.
…
Queen Bee closed her eyes before she took in a deep patient breath and nodded, “Yeah. That works! Let’s do that!” she said with another strained smile.
The sooner this is over, the sooner I can leave.
Ladybug nodded with a satisfied expression on her face, pleased at Queen Bee’s compliance. “Great! We’ll lure him somewhere away from buildings with our footsteps, making him think he has us in his grasp. Then we’ll use the tamper to confuse and lure him out of the ground. It should also deter him from wanting to escape back to the underground. There’s no way he can hear us if all he hears is constant thumping. He’ll lose his advantage.”
“The only thing we have to worry about is his strength, then!” Chat Noir said with a nod and a smile.
His strength…
Queen Bee recalled the figure that she could make out in the darkness. And how thin and lanky he was. Yeah, the transformation gave him muscles that ripped his sleeves but there was no way it’d make him strong enough to pin the heroes like he did…. Ladybug was strong enough to hold back Wrecking Man’s mech attack with her yo-yo. So why did Chat Noir and Queen Bee both get pinned so easily? A guy that scrawny can’t be that strong, can he?
Her eyes widened as she had a thought. Queen Bee suddenly snapped her fingers and looked at Chat Noir and Ladybug with a triumphant smile, “The tail!”
“What?” the two jumped at her sudden ‘aha’ moment.
“The tail!” She said with a grin, “We go for the tail!”
Excavagator could sense the footsteps of two of the three heroes running in one direction. They must’ve taken his threat to knock down another building seriously and came down from the rooftop. But which heroes were they? There were three of them and he could only sense two. One of them must’ve stayed back. It has to be Chat Noir or Ladybug that stayed behind… After all, he needed both of their miraculouses. The trio was probably smart enough to think of that at least. He thought they would. And so did Papillon who could hear his thoughts.
“ It’s alright to ignore that bee girl, Excavagator. Her gem is useless to me. As long as you bring me one of Ladybug or Chat Noir’s miraculous, I promise to start fulfilling your dream” Papillon’s words echoed in his head.
“ As you wish, Papillon ” he growls affirmatively.
Once they stopped, he stayed underground. Waiting just in case this was a trap. But also, taking advantage of this time to start making his own pit trap. Just like the one he used before.
*THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP*
He stopped in his underground tracks. Confused by the loud echoes of a continuous thumping against the ground, it resounded everywhere and suddenly he lost sight of the two that he was following. He gritted his teeth and weighed his options. They clearly wanted him to leave the underground. Caught in between staying underground and risking losing them, or resurfacing and being caught in their trap.
He growled and swung his claws at the dirt in front of him to dig his way out, his impatience getting the best of him. “ HA! Where are you, you scum?!” He snarled as he popped out of the ground and landed in front of the heroes.His feet made contact with grass? He looked around the dark stadium, seeing the two heroes standing before him. It was Ladybug and Chat Noir! He readied himself to charge. Only to suddenly be flashed with bright white light, making him hiss and cover his eyes with his forearms.
A zipping noise brought him back to his senses for a split second and readied himself for an attack. He felt something wrap around his waist and he braced himself as he was suddenly flung into the nearest wall.
Queen Bee removed her hand off of the main lighting switch of the stadium they were in. Grinning to herself as Excavagator fell right into their trap. Now he’s at a disadvantage, both underground and above ground. Good thing Chat Noir suggested the stadium. Which originally was supposed to be the nearest construction site with Ladybug’s first idea.
“I’m sure going from the dark to getting blinded with lights would have him a little disoriented” he reasoned to the two girls.
This was a great idea.
And now, the lizard man was attacking blindly. Swinging his claws only to miss as Ladybug and Chat Noir dodged his sharp swipes. Dodging his heavy metal tail. Moving in tandem. Expertly moving around each other as they used their weapons with grace. Dancing in the same rhythm. It was honestly breathtaking to see in real life.
Queen Bee took a moment to watch, crossing her arms over the railing of the balcony where she stood. Pursing her lips as she had a little thought.
Do they even need me here?
“QUEEN! NOW!” Chat Noir yelled out over his shoulder as he deflected a claw.
She was snapped out of her thoughts as she climbed over the railing and used it to propel herself in the air, jumping off the balcony with her sword in hand.
Ladybug was holding the lizard man steady with her yo-yo wrapped around his arms and torso. Rendering him useless for a split second. Until Excavagator dug his tail into the ground, using it to push himself at the spotted heroine. Pulling the same move from earlier. He roughly shoved her aside to get her to loosen the bind around him. She landed on the ground with a grunt. She gasped as she looked up and saw the lizard man about to pounce on her with his teeth bared in a growl.
“Chew on this!” Chat Noir yelled as he suddenly appeared between the two, baton shoved in between his teeth to keep him at bay while his arms were held back.
“Where the hell is Queen Bee?!” Ladybug yelled impatiently, pushing against Chat Noir’s back to help him push back the akuma.
As if the universe perfectly timed it, the two heard a cheer. Much like the one that Chat Noir heard last night. “Wooo hoo! Sorry, but this is gonna sting!” Queen Bee called out with a grin, sword pointed down as she fell gracefully from the sky. She stabbed it downwards and right into Excavagator’s mechanical tail. Pinning it to the grass below them.
Time slowed down for her. The gold in her (e/c) eyes twinkled like fireworks in a dark sky. Her (h/c) hair fluttered behind her like a small cape behind her head. Perfectly framing her face. Her smile. Burning with determination. Chat Noir felt his gasp caught in his throat as he felt himself swept up in her bright confidence.
“After you, Mr. Noir!” Queen Bee said with a playful smile and a small ‘whoa’ as Excavator suddenly turned to try and bite her in return for stabbing his tail. She jokingly curtsied, “Ah right. Gotta act more like royalty, huh?” she said snippily to the lizard akuma.
“ I’LL GET YOU FOR THIS, PRINCESS!” He growled threateningly at the bee heroine.
“Now now, watch your tone in front of the Queen” Chat Noir said with a playful laugh, getting up and dusting himself. He held up his hand and called out a “Cataclysm!” before pressing his glowing hand against the large metal tail. The shiny chrome metal suddenly rusted in an instant and began to crumble. Revealing a fanny pack around his waist? But it was facing backwards. Papillon’s power must’ve materialized it into a weapon for the victim.
“Your turn, m’lady!” Chat Noir said cheerfully, swiping the belted bag from Excavagator and tossing it over to Ladybug who grabbed it out of the air and stood up with a tired sigh. She tore the fabric and released a purple akuma that started to fly away. She retracted her yo-yo back to be able to purify it. She dragged her finger against the top of the yo-yo to make it open its wings and switch to the purification mode. “I’m freeing you from evil!” she chanted as she swung the glowing white orb to capture the escaping butterfly. “Gotcha!” she said with a smile, freeing the now purified creature, “Bye bye, little butterfly”.
Ladybug went to fetch the Lucky Charm item to throw in the air to return everything back to the way it was.
“Hey, good job,” Chat Noir said with a smile and nudge to Queen Bee’s side.
“Thanks. Don’t know how to use the dang sword but at least I can make a good bee pun” Queen Bee said with a smile of her own, “I can take the akuma victim back to his home. You two used your special powers, after all” she said, returning his nudge.
“It was a good pun. Left me tingling after that stinger of a line” he joked, making her laugh and shake her head.
“Miraculous Ladybug!” They heard Ladybug call out. And suddenly the destruction from earlier began to slowly disappear as a swarm of magical ladybugs started to sweep the city. But not without enveloping the heroes caked in dirt, returning everything back to normal. Freeing the akuma victim from his curse.
“Good job!” Ladybug said with a smile as she walked up to Chat Noir, holding her fist up for a fist bump. But he didn’t immediately return it. Instead he glanced over to the bee heroine who walked past the two of them to check on the akuma victim. A young man who looked confused and scared. Queen Bee crouched to be at his level and she calmly explained things. Smiling gently as she tried to comfort the man when he panicked once he heard what had happened. She placed a hand on his shoulder and offered an ear. Helping him up as she continued to talk to him. Just talking to him.
“Chat? We don’t have much time” Ladybug called for him. Snapping him out of his thoughts.
“Huh? Oh, right. Shouldn’t we wait for Queen Bee?” he brought up.
“She’s busy. And I only have a few minutes left. Come on. You can wait for her if you want” Ladybug said with a little roll of her eyes. He weakly lifted his fist and the two exchanged their usual fist bump before Ladybug used her yo-yo to leave the stadium.
Chat Noir sighed to himself, “I got my work cut out for me” he thought to himself. Suddenly feeling exhausted after the events of today. He took out his baton and flicked it into the communicator mode to check the time. School was just about to be over. He had to head back before his disappearance roused any suspicions. And he still had yet to talk to (Y/n) and Nino. What a long day.
“Alright, I’m gonna head out. I have to make sure he gets home safe” Queen Bee said as she walked up to Chat Noir. Her eyebrow raised in curiosity as she saw his baton as a cell phone in his hand, “Whoa, it can do that?” she blurted out. He let out a laugh at that.
“Yeah, yours can probably do it too. Maybe next time I can teach you” he said with a smile and a nod. But not before placing a hand over his heart and bowing, “See you around, Your Majesty” he purred with a wink.
“Goodbye, Chat Noir” she replied with a smile.
He used his extending baton to leave before his detransformation caught up to him.
“Ugh! So tired” (Y/n) groaned as she threw her bag aside in her room. Slowly trudging over to her bed like a zombie before falling onto the soft covers. Landing in the fluffy comforter with a “ughhh”, face down to muffle her groans.
Pollen flew out of her hood and stretched her little wings and antennae. Flying around the room since it was just the two of them in the apartment. (A/n) and Aaron were still out for work and weren’t coming back until dinner time.
“Your Highness, are you okay?” Pollen asked as she floated to sit on the pillow in front of (Y/n).
“Mmngh?” The girl replied with a muffled hum, looking up and resting on her chin. “I mean, what?”
She was honestly socially drained. A little physically exhausted too. She had no idea what Pollen was referring to. What besides the akuma could she be-? Oh. Right. Today at school.
(Y/n) looked around and tried to find a way to better voice her feelings. After everything that happened today, she almost forgot about this morning. She started off great. Made new friends in Kim and Max, exchanged numbers with Alya, and made up with Marinette. But that talk with Nathaniel kind of opened the door to a side of her that she hoped to ignore. She thought all the positives around her would outweigh the negativity she felt and thought.
“Honestly, I’m doing better now. But I don’t know…” (Y/n) rolled to her side and then her back to lie down and stare up at the white canopy, “I just.. Feel empty? Even so, there’s so much to look forward to. I got you. (A/n), Aaron, Adrien, Alya, and Marinette too. You’re all so wonderful. And nice. And I don’t know… I can’t help but to feel like it’s all so... fragile? Like one wrong move and I’ll lose you all. And it’ll be my fault… Maybe that’s why Nathaniel’s words hit me so hard. I felt like I was the only one really putting my all into this. Friendships. This whole hero thing. I feel unwanted. But not by specific people per say. By me?”
“Am I being dramatic?” she whispered to Pollen.
That’s what mom would say to me right now. If she were here.
“Not at all!” Pollen reassured her holder, flying over to land on her chest, “(Y/n), you’re so brave! Telling me all of this. Truly revealing what you’re feeling. Being vulnerable to the people you care about is a step of courage! I appreciate you telling me this. Because now I can tell you myself, that I won’t leave that easily. Nothing you can do or say will make me abandon your side. You know why? Because I care about you. Like you do for me!”
(Y/n)’s (e/c) orbs began to gloss over as tears pooled over her eyes.
“Right. You’re so right” (Y/n) mumbled as she sat up. Sniffling softly as she rubbed at her eyes with a smile. “Gosh, Pollen. How are you so wise?” she joked softly.
Pollen smiled and floated up to nuzzle her cheek against (Y/n)’s, “I’ve been around for a long time, silly!” she said happily. “Now… I think you should let your friends and family know what you’re feeling. It’ll be scary. But I’ll be here with you, promise” she suggested.
“... Okay. But can we take a nap first?” (Y/n) suggested.
…
Pollen stared with a purse on her little lips, falling victim to the girl’s persuasion, “... Hmmm, okay. And maybe after dinner?” she added. Making the human girl laugh. Maybe (Y/n) was rubbing off on Pollen.
“Deal!” she said.
Dinner was great. (Y/n) opened up a little bit to her aunt and uncle. Letting them know how she was feeling at school. Telling them what happened. How she talked to Marinette all on her own. How she exchanged numbers with Alya. How she made friends with Kim and Max. But also how Nino kind of snubbed her.
“Mmm, maybe he just doesn’t like you?” Aaron said as he ate a spoonful of the pot-au-feu that they made for dinner.
“What did I do, though?” (Y/n) replied, confused.
“Honey, you don’t have to do anything to make someone dislike you. Sometimes some things don’t mix, you know? Like oil and water. I have plenty of haters” (A/n) said soothingly.
“Ah, but. Sometimes a perfect dish can make use of both oil and water. Maybe some common ground can help you two reach an understanding. I’m not saying to force yourself to tolerate him. If he’s being outwardly hostile, don’t just sit there and take it. But if you both are Adrien’s friends… then maybe it’d do you both more good to get along for him?” Aaron suggested.
(Y/n) thought about it. Recalling how hurt Adrien looked when she was leaving. He probably thought that the whole meeting would’ve gone better… He probably had his heart set on making his two best buds be friends.
“I’ll talk to Adrien…” (Y/n) said with a determined smile.
“Atta girl!” Aaron cheered softly for his niece.
“I’m gonna finish my dinner in my room while I call him, is that okay?” (Y/n) asked her guardians. The two nodded with a proud smile.
“Ah, but-” (A/n) started as the young girl grabbed a wooden carry tray to take her bowl of stew, drink, and bread roll with her. (Y/n) stopped her motions and looked at her aunt with an expectant smile. “Yeah?”
“You know… Nevermind. We’ll talk about it later…” her aunt said as she guiltily looked to the side and motioned for the girl to continue.
(Y/n) smiled and walked over to her guardians and excused herself by hugging them before leaving with her dinner. Closing the door to her room behind her.
“What’s wrong, love?” Aaron asked his wife. Worried.
“... It’s just that my sister called me to ask about (Y/n). And I wanted to know if the two have talked yet since coming here…” (A/n) began worriedly.
Pollen was sitting on the roll top desk. Happily dipping a torn piece of bread in the stew before munching on it with a big happy smile.
“Good?” (Y/n) teased, brushing some crumbs off the kwami’s cheek. She looked like a little chipmunk.
“Good.” Pollen replied with a beaming smile.
(Y/n) laughed softly and took a seat on her bed. Staring at the text log between her and Adrien.
* (Y/n)- Hey, it’s (Y/n). I got your number from Alya, sorry.
* Adrien- No, it’s totally okay!
* Adrien- I’m gonna save your number now!
She laughed softly to herself, thinking that even through text Adrien was really nice.
* (Y/n)- I’ll save yours too.
*(Y/n)- Hey, I know it’s a little late. But do you mind if we talk?
A long moment went by. He suddenly didn’t text back as fast as he originally was. (Y/n) had nothing to fear. Adrien was a sweet guy after all. Maybe he was just making sure he was somewhere private. Or maybe he was in the restroom. But, a part of her was thinking that maybe she scared him off.
No, give him time.
* Adrien- Okay. Is now a good time?
(Y/n) took in a deep breath. Before bravely pressing the phone icon next to his name.
“Hello?”
Notes:
Here's the link to my Ko-Fi in case you wanted to support my work! Don't feel pressured, but anything's appreciated :) : https://ko-fi.com/shinyamour
Chapter 9: Something's Abuzz
Summary:
Here's the intro to the last original akuma (for now) before Bubbler! Look forward to it! ;)
Also, I started a ko-fi! First time having one, kinda nervous. If you'd like to donate, that'd be wonderful! Don't feel pressured to, though! Here's the link: https://ko-fi.com/shinyamour
Enjoy!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Hey, (Y/n) are you okay? You disappeared after the akuma appeared” She heard Adrien’s voice. He sounded a little nervous.
She smiled to herself and exhaled the tense breath she was holding.
“I’m okay, sorry. I uh, hid in the girl’s bathroom the whole time. Then I kinda fell asleep?” she lied, a little confused by her own lie. Hopefully, he bought it. Or otherwise what other excuse could she use?
She heard him chuckle, “You fell asleep in the restroom?” he asked, almost teasingly.
She felt her face burn in embarrassment, but she put herself in this scenario. Just have to play it off. “Yeah, don’t tell anyone though. I’ll die of shame” she said with a chuckle. She watched Pollen finish eating, the bee stopped to wipe her face with a napkin and sip from (Y/n)’s cup with a straw, while (Y/n) heard shuffling on the other end.
Adrien must be in bed right now.
“Haha, I promise. It’ll be our secret,” he replied with a chuckle. A moment of silence passed before he asked, “Is everything okay? I mean, you fell asleep in the girl’s restroom. And well, I didn’t get to talk to you much after the akuma attack today. You honestly had me worried if not Alya texting me to tell me that you left once the lockdown was lifted”.
“I know and I’m sorry… I wasn’t feeling like myself today. Sorry about that” she replied, looking away from Pollen who looked up worriedly. Avoiding the expectant look the kwami had.
Adrien sounded like he hummed dryly before sighing softly, “Do you… always do that?” he asked.
“Do what?” she replied, feigning ignorance.
“Apologize for things out of your control? Act like everything is your fault?” he said. Finally bringing it up.
(Y/n) gasped softly. A little thrown aback by his honesty. He didn’t even sugarcoat it. Or step around the subject.
And, it must’ve surprised him too because he sat up from his bed and immediately apologized.
“Sorry, I stepped out of line. I didn’t mean to say that…” he rambled, sighing and rubbing his face as he sat on the edge of his bed. Plagg, who was sitting on a pillow next to the boy, was staring worriedly at his holder.
(Y/n) blinked before falling back onto the fluffy comforter and staring up at the canopy. “It’s okay. You don’t need to be sorry. You’re right. I do do that. A lot. More than I’d like to admit. I, uh, well… I don’t know how to explain this,” she started. Extended her hand up towards the ceiling and nervously flexed her fingers.
She swallowed nervously before continuing, ”But um, let’s just say I have some ‘baggage’ from home. And I really really REALLY want to leave it behind… And be able to move on. It's really bad. Because I have that ‘baggage’, I end up feeling gross. Jealous over nothing and somehow really scared. You know? I feel like I don’t deserve any of the good things around me. Like it’ll all go away and I wouldn’t be able to stop it” she admitted. And she waited for him to stop her. Interrupt her. Maybe even laugh at her.
But he didn’t.
He listened. He empathized. He could relate to feeling that murky fleeting sensation. He, too, feared how fragile it all felt. If he wanted to, his father could take it all away from Adrien. School. His friends. He often envied others. And he hated that about himself.
“A-And I know it’s not easy to do so. But I heard opening up to the people you care about is the beginning of the healing so… Yeah, I wanted you to know that. Because you’re my friend” she admitted with a soft smile.
He let out the breath he was holding and smiled. Knowing she cared about him, really warmed his heart. “Yeah. You’re my friend too. And I appreciate you opening up to me. I truly do. I- I have ‘baggage’ too. Ugly, heavy, and bothersome ‘baggage’. It’s really annoying. But you know, it’s right. You’re right. That opening up to someone else makes carrying that ‘baggage’ a little easier. I’m here if you want to talk about it. We can help each other. You know, carrying each other’s ‘baggage’. If you want to, that is” he said with a soft yawn, reaching over to stroke the purring Plagg’s head.
“I’d like that. I really would. But maybe we’ll leave it at that for now. It’s bedtime. Besides, I’ll talk your ear off with all the trauma dumping” she said with a hum. Her (e/c) eyes watched as Pollen flew over to lie down on a pillow. Smiling proudly at the girl.
“Hmm, I don’t mind listening. You know I once met a girl who gushed about a game for 15 minutes,” he teased. He hinted at their first conversation when she rambled and he just listened.
“I should charge you for all this audiobook content. I bet if I put it into words it’d be enough for a book. Someone would pay for my rambles,” she joked. Hearing his chuckle on the other end.
“How much do I owe from last time then?” he joked right back. Making her laugh.
A moment of comfortable silence passed between the two.
“Adrien, this is weird to say but I feel really comfortable talking to you. It’s almost like if I’ve met you before” she admitted sitting up and turning to lie properly on her bed.
His eyes widened, thinking, “Can she tell? Nah, I don’t think so. She doesn’t know I’m Chat Noir, right?”
“Haha, I-I feel the same way too?” he brought up nervously.
She smiled to herself, snuggling her head into her pillow and reaching over to boop Pollen on the nose, “I’m glad that I told you this. You’re right. It feels a little easier” she said with a yawn of her own.
“It does,” he said with a smile, “By the way… Can I ask you something?”
She hummed, her eyes half-lidded as she absentmindedly poked Pollen's cheek, “Yeah?”
“Do you… know Chat Noir?” he asked.
(Y/n)’s eyes widened and she sat up and almost scrambled out of bed, “W-what?! Hahaha, there’s no way! H-He’s a superhero and I’m just a normal kid! Why would you say that?” she forced out a laugh as she tried to brush it off.
There’s no way he knows right?!
“I kinda saw him dropping you off the other day” he lied smoothly.
“You saw that?” she asked, internally relieved that it wasn’t because he knew she was Queen Bee.
“Yeah, when I was in the car. Kinda saw him carrying you on the rooftops” he continued.
“Is that why you asked me what I thought of him?” She connected the pieces together.
But not really.
“Haha, yeah. Kinda wanted to see if maybe you were hiding any more interesting stories. For a ‘normal kid’ you’re living a really eventful life. Getting to meet one of Paris’ heroes” he said with a laugh.
Tell me about it.
She sighed softly and smiled, “I can tell you all about it then. Promise you won’t tell anyone else? I don’t want people to know-”
“Know that you're friends with one of Paris’ coolest heroes?” he added with a grin.
“No, that he’s a total drama queen!” she laughed. He was pouting on the other end.
“So, what happened was…” she started to tell him all about how she got to meet Chat Noir, how he escorted her home that one night, and how he walked her to school. He couldn’t stop smiling as she mimicked his flair and his lame jokes. From that, their conversation turned to that of heroes. Then about video games and movies they enjoy. Turns out Adrien liked that series of mech fighting games.
“Maybe we should play one day! I’m not good with combos like that, but I can definitely button mash” she added playfully.
“Sounds fun to me. You’d be surprised, button mashing goes a long way. I’m sure if we ask, Nino would want to join us,” Adrien said with his own smile.
Oh, right. Nino.
“Hey… Speaking about Nino. I don’t think he likes me very much,” she cringed out her honest opinion.
“What? There’s no way. He just met you!” Adrien said, shaking his head to himself, “He’s just… being a little protective of me… Probably?”
“A ‘little’? The guy was snubbing and glaring at me” (Y/n) deadpanned.
“Yeah, no, okay. I definitely saw that. But I swear Nino’s not a bad guy!” Adrien said.
“I’m sure he isn’t. He’s your friend after all. I think we’re just not gonna ‘click’, you know?” (Y/n) added as she shifted to her side. Watching Pollen sleep, curled under a handkerchief.
“I think he just needs some time to get to know you. He’s… wary of anyone who he doesn’t know personally. It’s not his fault. We just had some bad experiences with my fans trying to get too close to him or me just because I’m a model,” he explained.
(Y/n) thought about it. What would she do if she were Nino? Or if she were in Adrien’s shoes? She shuddered at the thought of having everyone’s eyes on her like that. Knowing that she felt a little sympathy for the two. Adrien wanted friends. Nino wanted to make sure that Adrien made true friends.
“Well… Hopefully, he and I can talk it out. He sounds like a great friend if he’s willing to look out for you like that…” (Y/n) said, stifling a yawn, “Besides, a friend of yours is a friend of mine? Or at least we should get along for you”.
“Hey now, you shouldn’t force yourself to get along with anyone for anyone’s sake but your own” he added with a smile, “But… you should be fine. You’re great. Just be yourself and the rest will fall into place. Nino is chill. He’ll learn that you’re just a nice girl. A nice girl who loves to ramble about video games and is great at analyzing poetry. And… just so happens to be a Chat Noir fangirl,” he teasingly added the last part.
(Y/n) pouted to herself, “Okay, but between him and Ladybug… I’d rather be a Chat Noir fangirl,” she said with a laugh.
“Hey now. What’s wrong with Ladybug? She’s beautiful, confident, and smart” he said with a laugh of his own. Secretly a little proud that she picked him over Ladybug, though.
“Sounds like the ramblings of a Ladybug fanboy to me…,” She teased, a loud yawn cut off her laughter.
“We should go to bed,” he mumbled, smiling against his phone screen as he lay on his side.
“*yawn* What time is it…?” she murmured, pulling her phone away to check the time. Her (e/c) eyes almost bugged out of her skull as she saw it was way past midnight. “Jeez! It’s past 2 am! We have school tomorrow,” she exclaimed softly.
He laughed on the other end, “Yeah, we should call it. It didn’t feel like we were talking for that long though. Time flies when you’re having fun, huh?” he said, his joy apparent even in his sleepy state.
“Yeah, *yawn* mm’ probably gonna need a coffee tomorrow since I have to wake up early to catch my bus,” she mumbled as she rubbed her eyes, yawning more frequently as she buried herself further in her comforter.
“How early do you have to wake up?” he asked curiously.
“Mm, about 6ish…? I have to leave by 7:30 am,” she said.
“Cause of the bus transfer, right? You know, I don’t mind asking if we could give you a ride to school while your ankle is like that” he offered.
“Sharing a luxury carpool seems kinda… too much? I appreciate it. Honest. But don’t you think it’d cause too much of a scene at school?” she replied.
“Yeah… a bit. But you’re injured,” he added worriedly.
“It’s okay, Adrien. Haha, ‘m not that worried about it. Besides, you've done a lot for me already... Thanks by the way,” she replied sleepily, murmuring her words against the fabric of her pillow.
“For what?” he asked softly, feeling his eyelids grow heavier after hearing her voice grow softer and slower. It was soothing to listen to.
“For everything. Making my first day so much easier. Talking to Chloe. Introducing Kim and Max to my favorite game. It probably wasn’t intentional. But because of you, I’ve had so much fun. So, thank you… for being you. For being my friend,” she replied, blinking slower by the second.
“...” he was silent on the other end.
“Adrien?” she mumbled. After hearing no response, she smiled and said, “Goodnight, Adrien” before hitting the red ‘end call’ button and plugging in her phone to charge before shifting back onto her side. Facing the sleeping Pollen.
“Goodnight Pollen,” she whispered before finally closing her eyes.
Adrien felt warm. After she hung up he just lay there staring up at his ceiling. Phone held tightly against his chest. Smiling dreamily.
“Thank you for offering your hand out to me…” he thought to himself before placing his phone aside and closing his eyes.
He couldn’t wait for tomorrow.
(Y/n) woke up early, despite the short amount of time she spent sleeping. She surprised her aunt and uncle with a simple breakfast. Pancakes with chopped fruit and a pot of extra strong coffee. Well, the coffee was more so for her but who was complaining?
Aaron was surprised but elated that his niece made this sweet gesture for them. He passed by the young girl to grab a mug but not before affectionately ruffling her hair. (A/n) passed by her as well to do the same and kissed her forehead.
“What’s the occasion?” he asked as he took a seat, adding a handful of blueberries and blackberries to his pancakes.
“Hmm… I thought about what you said. I want to be more positive. Like you, Uncle Aaron. So, I’m going to take on the day with a smile. And, this is hoping you and (A/n) get that invitation from E. Nothing like a good meal to start the day?” she said with an awkward but toothy grin.
Aaron smiled behind his mug, “Aha, I’m so happy that my niece looks up to me so. Thank you. Couldn’t have said it better myself. As long as you take the day with a smile, you’ll be fine,” he said, pouring syrup over his pancakes.
“I take the talk with Adrien went well?” (A/n) teased, using a spoon to scoop cinnamon apples on her pancakes.
“Mm hmm. I learned a lot. About how to navigate my feelings better. And, how I really don’t know a lot about being brave. There’s so much more to it. Yeah, I took the chance to come here when you offered. But really I just ran away…” she began as she absentmindedly stirred cream into her coffee mug.
“Hey now. Sweetie. Sometimes running away is brave in itself. I think you’re plenty brave,” Aaron said with a smile. “But what I think is bravest of all is that you’re telling us all of this,” he added.
Meanwhile (A/n) kept quiet, her eyes kept drifting down to her pocket. Where her phone was.
“Hey… (Y/n), have you… called your mother?” (A/n) asked, slightly squinting her eyes as she braced herself.
…
“Called? No, but I texted her. Now, that my service works and with the time difference…. I thought I’d let her know I’m okay. At the very least…” (Y/n) replied, glancing down at her phone. A little thrown aback by what seemed like a random question. “...Why?”
“A-ah, no reason! Did she reply?” (A/n) asked, nervously cutting into her pancakes.
“No? I think she was sleeping. She’s probably busy anyways… You know how much she loves to keep herself busy,” (Y/n) replied dryly, adding strawberries to her pancakes. Reaching for the honey instead of the syrup.
(A/n)’s cutting slowed down to a stop, “She hasn’t called you yet?” she asked.
(Y/n) shook her head, sipping from her mug.
An awkward silence settled at the table. Aaron awkwardly clapped his hands, “Well! Since my cute little niece made us breakfast I’ll just have to pack her a nice lunch to thank her! Now now, I’ll work on it while you get ready. Hurry along,” he patted (Y/n)’s back. Wanting to get the girl out of here so he could talk to his wife.
(Y/n) took her plate with her after finishing her coffee. She made an excuse that she’d finish it as she reviewed her homework. Once in her room, she took in a deep breath and sighed.
“Welp, so much for starting the day with a smile… I really didn’t want to be reminded of home so early in the morning…” she thought bitterly. She looked around the bright room and for a split second she thought she could see herself in her old room. Dark. Lonely. Depressing room. She sighed and leaned her head back against the door.
She was broken out of her thoughts by the sound of a little snore. She looked over to the kwami and smiled softly. Placing the plate on the desk and walking over to the sleeping Pollen. Rubbing her index finger against the top of the kwami’s head, affectionately ‘ruffling’ the bee fuzz on her little head.
“Mm? Your Highness?” the bee mumbled, slowly opening her eyes.
“Morning. Made pancakes with honey and strawberries, want to share with me?” (Y/n) asked with a soft smile.
“Yes, please,” Pollen said as she sat up and stretched, her little antennae stood straight as she did. Making (Y/n) chuckle. The teen girl sat at her desk and started to cut up the pancakes for them. Pollen flew to the bathroom first to wash her face and prim herself before joining (Y/n) at the desk.
It was quiet and nice. Sharing this breakfast with Pollen. Kinda like their first morning together. (Y/n) watched the kwami stuff her face with a fond smile.
“Good?” she teased. Pollen just nodded with a smile as she held a cut-up square of a pancake dipped in honey with her mouth full.
“Good. We have a full day ahead of us. I have to stop by a bakery to buy some pain-au-chocolat for Kim and Max. Something for us. And maybe something to share with Adrien and Nino too…” (Y/n) said as she stood to prepare her bag and clothes for the day.
“For Nino too?” Pollen wondered aloud.
“Yup. I think he just needs to realize that I’m not a threat to his friendship with Adrien. So, they say food is the quickest way to the heart, right?” she said with a casual shrug.
“I think so. Worked for me!” Pollen joked, turning back to munch on a strawberry. Making (Y/n) playfully shake her head and smile. She rubbed the top of Pollen’s head before heading into her bathroom to get ready for the day.
(Y/n) made sure to pet Coco as she walked by the busy couple. Looks like they were in the middle of an important speaker call with some guy she didn’t recognize. The two were getting ready as they talked. (A/n) was applying makeup and Aaron was buttoning a work shirt while he had a toothbrush in his mouth. To not distract them, she grabbed the wrapped lunch from the counter, swiped her keys, and mouthed a ‘goodbye’ to the busy adults. Locking the door behind her as she walked down the steps of the apartment.
“Alright, how fast do you think Queen Bee can get to Tom and Sabine’s bakery?” she asked Pollen over her shoulder with a cheeky smile.
“Pretty fast,” Pollen quipped from her spot in the hood, “Can I pick the sweets for us? Please, Your Majesty? Oh, please?” the kwami asked cutely.
“You got it! Now, let’s hurry along. Queen Bee’s got a tight schedule this morning!” (Y/n) said happily, walking down the street and hiding in a nearby alley. Before transforming in a flash of gold light.
Queen Bee was quick to wall jump out of the alley and onto the nearest roof. She smiled as she stretched, feeling fresh and unstoppable. Glancing around the sunny scenery of Paris. Before running in the direction of Marinette’s house.
Today will be a good day.
Marinette was stunned when she saw (Y/n) paying for pastries at the register of her parent’s bakery. (Y/n) just greeted her with a smile and sheepishly admitted that her aunt and uncle loved this place and she wanted to try these ‘famous’ pastries for herself. Tom, Marinette’s father, perked up at the praise and was quick to drop some freebies into (Y/n)’s paper bag. “You should’ve told us you were Marinette’s friend! Here, have some chouquettes and some madeleines! Can’t forget the macarons! You should drop by for lunch, I’ll whip up something even better!” he said happily.
“Dad!” Marinette whined in embarrassment, slipping on her bag to walk to school with (Y/n).
“O-oh, thank you, sir. This is too much, allow me to pay for-” (Y/n) began before Sabine, Marinette’s mother, cut in to hand both girls a paper cup with a smile. It smelled like espresso and milk.
“Nonsense, you’re our daughter’s classmate. And from what she told us, you’re her friend too. And besides, good children need to eat lots to grow big and strong,” Sabine cut in with a gentle smile as she pecked Marinette’s cheek.
“Mom!” Marinette whined and turned pink from having her classmate see how cheesy and doting her parents were.
(Y/n) smiled and politely thanked the two adults, walking out of the bakery with Marinette and to school. “Your parents are nice,” (Y/n) said with a smile, taking a sip from her cup. Waking up to the taste of sweet caramel and strong coffee. Pleasantly surprised.
“Yeah. They’re so embarrassing though! Ugh, it’s like they don’t reel back the ‘protectiveness’ even when they know someone who knows me is around” Marinette complained softly as they walked side by side down the street to their school.
“That means they love you and they’re not afraid to show it,” (Y/n) replied with a hum against the lid of her cup. Glancing down at her pocket, where her phone resided, “But… I guess I can see why it’d be embarrassing… Don’t worry, I won’t think any differently of you just because of something that small, “ the (h/c)-haired girl assured the bluenette.
“I know that… Just wish they’d let me be a little more independent…” Marinette sulked, sipping from her cup.
“... Marinette, Alya had to text you to remind you to not forget your textbook… Independence comes with responsibility and expectations. I’m sure your parents just love to dote on their daughter because they worry for you,” (Y/n) said with a teasing smile.
Marinette glanced over to (Y/n), “You sound so mature about this… Do your parents not embarrass you from time to time?” she asked curiously. Not a single hint of malice in her tone. She was asking an innocent question.
“Uh, well… My aunt and uncle are still in their ‘young and in love’ stage so they’re always a little cheesy and corny. But I’m not embarrassed by them in the slightest,” (Y/n) added with an awkward smile. Not wanting to bring up her mother. At least not yet.
Marinette probably sensed that it was a tender subject so she switched the conversation. Asking (Y/n) what her go-to order was at a coffee shop. And then her favorite pastry, then her favorite food. It was simple small talk until they reached the campus where Alya was waiting for them at the foot of the steps.
At some point, (Y/n) zoned out as she swirled her paper cup. Staring at the white lid. Remembering the white walls in her old home. The hardwood floor. The empty rooms. The pacing of her mother’s footsteps while she gushed on the phone to their relatives.
“Isn’t my (Y/n) so clever?” “She won an academic award!” “She reads at an advanced level!” “My daughter is so mature for her age!” “She basically takes care of herself!”
“I don’t have to do anything”
“You’re old enough to figure these things out!”
She felt heavy. Her heart felt heavy. She sighed softly and looked up to see Marinette and Alya staring intently at her. Startling her.
“Woah! W-what’s up?’ she asked nervously, hoping they didn’t catch her zoning out. Quickly pushing the thoughts aside. Repressing the bitter memories. Telling herself that her mother wasn’t there.
“We asked if you did the homework for chemistry?” Alya said with a smile and a shake of her head.
“Oh, yeah! I was uh, thinking about balancing equations?” (Y/n) lied sheepishly.
Marinette and Alya shared a look. A long look that looked like a telepathic argument. It went on for quite a bit before Alya playfully pointed at the transfer student, “Lies! Now, I’ll forgive you… if you tell us why you asked for Adrien’s number last night!” she grinned.
“You what?!” Marinette added worriedly.
Oh great. She did that on purpose! … That’s a sly way to get me to admit to something…
(Y/n) released the breath she was holding and laughed softly, “What?” she asked with a shake of her head. “One problem after another for me, huh? Look, I was home before I knew it and I forgot to bring something up to Adrien,” she admitted.
“Oh, yeah? Like what?” Alya asked with a curious look.
Both girls leaned in closer to hear what (Y/n) could mean by that. And taking a page out of Pollen’s book… She was open. And told them about her current dilemma with Nino. The girls were a little surprised at first but then they heard the summary of Adrien’s side. And they sort of agreed that Nino was being a little biased to the new girl for being, well, new.
“And so, that’s why you bought pain-au-chocolat and cookies from my parent’s bakery?” Marinette concluded.
“Yeah, I’m going for the heart through the stomach!” (Y/n) said in a playful tone.
“Okay, maybe don’t say it like that,” Alya deadpanned with a shake of her head and a smile, shifting her stance and placing a hand on her chin, “What if the ‘peace offering’ approach doesn’t work?” she asked.
…
“You know, I didn’t think that far ahead,” (Y/n) said with a shy smile.
The girl shook their heads at (Y/n).
“Ah, but. I… guess I’d talk to him after. Or try to. I was really afraid of speaking up and voicing my feelings… I’m quick to think about everything that can go wrong or what I did wrong. I always expect the worst when I should be trying my best. I would’ve not had the courage to talk to Marinette about a simple misunderstanding if not for a little push…” (Y/n) spoke up as she glanced down at her shoes.
No mud.
(Y/n) looked back up at the girls with a hopeful smile, “So, I’ll try my best before I give up. I want to try before I call it quits!” she proudly held up her paper cup like a trophy before tilting her head back and chugging her coffee.
Alya and Marinette smiled at the girl. But not before each of them hugged her and offered their support.
“Spoken like a true queen!” Pollen whispered to herself, smiling in (Y/n)’s hood. Hiding under her (h/c) hair to take a peek at her holder.
Easier said than done… Maybe I bit more off than I could chew...
(Y/n) thought bitterly as she tapped her pencil against her notebook. Most of the day went by and she had yet to make progress with the boy. That morning was a bust. After delivering the sweet bread to Kim and Max, she hoped to chat with Adrien as he got dropped off. But Nino beat her to it. Pulling the boy along. Not even letting the two interact. Maybe she should’ve accepted Alya and Marinette’s help…
She didn’t sit anywhere near the two during Chemistry. In fact, since there was an odd number of students she had to sit by herself at one of the stations. Far in the back of the classroom. And Miss Mendeliev was strict. Hardly even cared that she had an international student in her class. Just wanted to make sure everyone was paying attention. When the break began, Nino left to go ‘grab something from his locker’ but made sure to drag Adrien with him.
Then the rest of the day went by. Lunch was spent with Alya, Marinette, Kim, Max, and a girl named Alix. It was wonderful. The lunch her uncle made was lovely. She got to share the cookies with them at the very least.
Math went by the exact same way. Except they were made to work in groups. She thought it was the perfect opportunity to join them… Until they picked Alya as their third group member. Which was fine because she got to work with Alix and a boy named Ivan. Who was also really nice. Quiet but nice.
Before she knew it, the day was over. Adrien was picked up immediately for his Chinese lessons. She didn’t even get to talk to him. Or Nino, because he kept a watchful eye over Adrien. Like a guard dog. Once his job was done, he casually left. Headphone over his head. Blasting loud music to drown anyone or someone out.
No one ever said this was going to be easy, right?
Well, there was always tomorrow. Right?
…
Things went by like this for a week! Nothing really changed. Maybe expect that (Y/n)’s ankle finally healed. And she and Adrien made it a thing to do their homework together on call or through video call. Pollen discovered that she loved madeleines more than macarons, but loved sweets all the same. And… Nino still avoided her like the plague. Well, actually no. He sort of tolerated her now. Now that he knew that Adrien truly considered her to be a friend. Which was a start. But things were still very awkward. Nino was all smiley and friendly when Adrien would talk. But he would reply dryly to (Y/n). She had no idea how much longer she could take this.
She sighed tiredly against her crossed arms against the desk.
“Are you alright, Your Highness?” Pollen asked as she flew over to (Y/n), sitting on her shoulder.
“Pollen, am I just not trying hard enough? Or is now a good time to call it quits?” she mumbled against her arms.
“... Personally, if it’s causing you this much strife I believe you should stop before you get into any more problems.” Pollen replied honestly, “But, I think you should do what your heart tells you…”
“Honestly? I just want to be friends with Nino and Adrien. But not because Adrien’s rich or famous. But because… he likes to talk about games with me. And we argue playfully about what choquette filling is better. Or what we think the answer to a question is… More importantly, because he’s just a normal kid,” (Y/n) said as she sat up and glanced over to the kwami. “And if Nino is as cool as Adrien says he is… then I want to try being his friend too.”
Pollen smiled, “Then that’s your answer. Rather than trying to tell Nino these things, maybe you should show that you care for Adrien as much as he does”.
“How do I do that?” (Y/n) asked through a tired sigh.
Pollen playfully shook her head before zipping away to hide at the sudden sound of a knock against (Y/n)’s bedroom door.
“(Y/n)? Sweetheart, are you ready?” (A/n) called out through the door.
Oh right, forgot to mention that one other important thing happened throughout the week. (A/n) and Aaron got the party invitation from E. Lavigne. It was an impromptu party at E.’s penthouse to celebrate her partner’s successful business. The couple was invited but E.’s invitation said families were approved to attend. And so, here was (Y/n) in a simple short-sleeved party dress. It was knee-length with a ruffle skirt and a bow around the waist. Accompanied with tights and chunky kitten heels. Waiting for her aunt to do her hair and makeup before they left.
“Ready as I’ll ever be?” (Y/n) called out, staying seated at her desk.
“Good enough! I hope you followed my skincare routine once you got out of the shower… Or otherwise I’ll be very mad,” her aunt said playfully as she dragged in a small cart??? How many products did this woman own? (A/n) playfully cracked her fingers before reaching for a tube of primer and a brush.
“Shouldn’t you worry about yourself? You haven’t even started to get ready,” (Y/n) quipped.
“Shush shush shhhh, let fairy godmother work her magic!” (A/n) replied as she tenderly held her niece’s face.
(Y/n) just closed her eyes and accepted her fate.
(Y/n) smiled as she stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. The (nude/colorful) eyeshadow really made her eyes shine. The (black/brown) eyeliner accentuated the shape of her eyes. The mascara made her lashes flutter with every blink. The light blush made her face look healthier and vibrant. The concealer was blended so well that it hid her eye bags. And the tinted lip balm was a nice youthful touch. Natural and lightweight, but made her lips shine.
“My queen, you look beautiful!” Pollen complimented softly, trying to not be so loud since (A/n) and Aaron were in the other room. Borrowing the space for a group makeover session. Aaron was adding braids to (A/n)’s updo while she did her own makeup. Her uncle sent (Y/n) to grab hair spray and a comb from the main bathroom.
“Thank you Pollen…It’s a little embarrassing. I’ve never been called ‘beautiful’ before,” (Y/n) admitted shyly. Speaking of Pollen… (Y/n) made sure to slip off the bee miraculous but held it firmly in her palm, “I gotta make sure to hide you while Aaron does my hair… It’ll be easier at the party because I’ll take a purse. But hide in my pocket, okay?” she assured the bee kwami.
Pollen nodded with an understanding smile and flew into the dress pocket.
“(Y/n), are you ready to get your hair done?” she could hear her uncle call out.
“I’m ready!” she called out before stepping back into the room.
(Y/n), Aaron, and (A/n) all stood at the foot of the luxury building. (Y/n) heard that it was going to be full of famous people and people in the fashion industry. So, this was sure to be a fancy party. From the ground level, they could tell that the penthouse party was sure to be extravagant and luxurious. They could hear the loud dance music from their spot. If that wasn’t telling, the line of fancy sports cars lined up by the valet should have told them plenty. It was scary.
“Now, before we head in… Some ground rules,” (A/n) began with a gentle smile turning around to face her niece. Looking down at her since she was in tall heels with ankle straps. Along with the ‘gifted’ dress her husband made for her. Wearing it proudly.
“No talking to strangers?” (Y/n) joked, nervously tugging the strap of her purse closer to her. Feeling a twisted feeling begin to form in her stomach. God, this was a lot of pressure… Her aunt and uncle’s career depended on this… What if she made an ass out of herself? What if she tripped and accidentally ripped the train off her aunt’s wonderful dress? What if the guests called her out for being too simple? What if-
“One, don’t stray too far from us. Two, relax and have fun” (A/n) said with a laugh. Gently shaking her head before brushing a stray hair out of (Y/n)’s face.
“And most importantly, be confident but be yourself . You’re the niece of Aaron and (A/n) Bernard. Models, designers, hair/makeup artists, editors, entrepreneurs, and photographers. But most impressive of all… you’re wonderful and the sweetest girl. And you have the biggest heart I know. No one can beat you there. So you’re already so much more amazing than the stuck-ups we’re going to encounter tonight… Don’t you forget that? Okay?” she whispered.
Aaron coughed before chiming in, “And remember as long as you have your spirit and your family by your side…?” he started playfully.
“Nothing can keep you two down?” (Y/n) asked.
The two adults gently smiled at each other.
“No, honey. Nothing can keep you down” (A/n) corrected.
“Now, are you ready?” Aaron asked his wife and niece as he adjusted his tie.
(Y/n) took in a deep breath. Puffed up her chest and stood straight. Dramatically. Before releasing the breath with a smile and a gentle laugh, “Ready as I’ll ever be,” she said to her guardians.
“Alright, let’s do this!” (Y/n) said, taking (A/n) and Aaron’s hands to lead them inside. Squeezing their hands tight.
Notes:
Here's the link to my Ko-Fi in case you wanted to support my work! Don't feel pressured, but anything's appreciated :) : https://ko-fi.com/shinyamour
Chapter 10: Something's Abuzz (Pt. 2)
Summary:
I've had a lot of free time, lol! Enjoy!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Once inside, they passed a stoic thin man dressed in a tuxedo next to a bigger man, also in a tuxedo, checking a clipboard. Once Aaron and (A/n) handed in their invitation to the thin man, the man with the larger buff build checked the clipboard for their names. Double the security measures, probably. Suddenly the buff one pointed a pen in (Y/n)’s direction, making her jump and go into a defensive position. Holding up her hands as if she were some sort of martial artist. The Queen Bee reflexes kicked in for a moment. The bouncer blinked in surprise and then suddenly began to hold back a snort.
The adults around her began to laugh and even the expressionless one cracked a chuckle. Turns out the bouncer was just asking if the young girl was their plus-one-slash-accompanying child. Needless to say, (Y/n) felt silly as she walked by to the coat check with her aunt and uncle, trying to shrug off their teasing. Aaron kept calling her “little grasshopper” and (A/n) playfully pushed her forward, cracking a joke about her ‘feeling safer already’.
“I-I can’t help it, I’m nervous!” she pouted to her aunt. Trying to regain some dignity from almost trying to attack the bouncer.
(A/n) smiled knowingly and patted the girl’s back, gently flattening out any wrinkles on the dress she was wearing, “I know you’re nervous, sweetie. Relax, we’ll be in and out. Besides, if it gets too nerve wracking or you feel uncomfortable you can let me or Aaron know. And one of us can take you home if you want to. We don’t want you to feel like you have to be here, but we want you to know that we want you here for support. I feel so much more confident knowing my sweet little princess is here to keep me company” she cooed and pecked (Y/n)’s cheek.
“That’s right, we want you to see your cool aunt and uncle at work. Having you here makes us feel stronger. And with my darling wife here too… I feel like I can take on Papillon myself!” Aaron said goofily, holding up his fists to an imaginary foe, “Though… I could use some lessons from the little fighter herself,” he added teasingly, nudging (Y/n)’s shoulder with his elbow.
(Y/n) groaned, the blush she was wearing was much more noticeable as she burned with embarrassment, “You guys are never going to live this down, are you?” she asked the adults who grinned playfully.
“Never!” they said in unison, before (A/n) offered her manicured hand to her husband who took it happily and they walked hand-in-hand behind (Y/n) as they went inside the elevator to the penthouse.
Inside the penthouse, which was actually a duplex with glass walls and a huge balcony with an illuminated pool, it was ambiently dark with some multicolored lights adorning the ceiling of the first floor. There were sculptures tastefully placed around the room with spotlights illuminating their bases. There were some abstract, some realistic, and some head busts of people. The first-floor living area was cleared out to be a dance floor. There was even a DJ, playing bass-filled tunes. Sounded like mostly reggaeton and dance-pop. The marble counter space under the awning of the second floor was used as an area for mingling and eating. Servers kept walking in and out of the kitchen, which amazed (Y/n) that it had its own room, holding trays of drinks and appetizers.
The second floor had an open loft area where others used to talk as they overlooked the party.
“Wow…” (Y/n) mumbled in a daze. She didn’t even know where to start looking. This was someone’s home? This E. must be someone really impressive…
(Y/n) felt her aunt wrap a hand around her wrist, pulling her along to greet the hosts with her and Aaron. They walked up the steps to the 2nd-floor loft, a head of golden hair caught sight of them from his spot by the entrance, unbeknownst to (Y/n). They kept walking until they heard an excited squeal and a laugh, suddenly a woman in her late thirties came rushing up to (A/n) and Aaron and embraced them happily. She was pale, freckled, and had her eyes hidden behind a pair of round black sunglasses and a bright neon green pixie cut. She was wearing a black sleeveless turtleneck sweater, gray striped slacks that made her legs look longer, black pumps, and a large striped blazer over her shoulders like a cape. And lots of silver accessories. “Musey! Aaron!” she said with a laugh.
“Edith!” they greeted just as happily, pressing their cheeks against hers and sharing lots of bisous.
“How have you two been?” ‘Edith’ asked with a smile, “I’m so glad to see the both of you here! Haven’t seen either of you since you left my nest… You make mama bird so sad!” she said dramatically, grazing her hand against her tear duct as if brushing away a tear.
Edith? Is this E.? Didn’t (A/n) say she was stuck up? She’s so friendly. Though, I can see the eccentricity for sure.
“Haha, babies have to leave the nest at some point. To spread their wings and be free,” Aaron said with a laugh, wrapping an arm around his wife’s waist. “And to find true love, isn’t that right? Mon amour, ma vie, mon petit bon bon~” he said to (A/n), who rolled her eyes but smiled.
“Ah, speaking of which this is my ‘muse’...” Edith said with a fond smile, turning to call over a woman with caramel-colored skin and amber-ish eyes. She had the ends of her black hair dyed red… This woman's lips were bright red to match the red in her hair and her red fingernails. She wore a retro-styled dress with a strapless black top and a red pleated skirt with black polka dots. “She is Xochi Alavarez de la Cruz, mi amor, my love, mon amour, and the most hip up-and-coming sculptor that Paris has to offer! As you can see I spared no expense at showing off her work,” Edith gloated proudly.
Are they doing a couple-ensemble based on Ladybug and Chat Noir? Wow… They’re both so pretty and mature…
Xochi noticed (Y/n) staring in wonder and smiled, “Is that your child? Ay, que linda! Tiene tus ojos, (A/n)!” she said, interrupting the others who were talking.
The green-haired woman turned to face the young girl and let out another squeal, “No way! And to think just yesterday a little Aaron came to me gushing about finally meeting his muse!” she said, suddenly approaching the teen girl and wrapping her up tightly in a warm glomp of an embrace.
“No no, that’s (Y/n). (A/n)’s niece from the States. Let me introduce you two. (Y/n) (L/n), this Edith Lavigne. She used to be my mentor. And I was her apprentice,” Aaron gently pushed the two apart to let the young girl breathe.
“ ‘Was’? I never stopped teaching you, haha!” Edith said with a wave of her hand. Glancing down at the girl and smiling, “She is adorable. She could pass for your daughter! She’s much older than our kids… so I’m not going to lead you to the kid’s recreational room but I think you should run along while the adults have a talk. We have plenty of sweets and yummy foods!” She placed a hand on (Y/n)’s shoulder and gently pushed her to head in the direction of the stairs. “Go, have fun!”
“We’ll be up here if you need us, sweetie!” (A/n) called out, waving to her niece. Aaron nabbed two glasses of champagne off of a server’s tray for him and his wife. He smiled at (Y/n) and mouthed a “take care”.
(Y/n) assumed it was all just a lie to cover up the fact that they were going to gossip. And then possibly talk about work. Maybe. But she wasn’t going to argue with them and their logic. She was going to explore for now. Maybe nab something sweet for Pol- Oh right!
(Y/n) walked down the stairs and asked a staff member for directions to the restrooms. Once in the fancy room, (Y/n) checked every stall and the rest of the area to make sure she was alone. The bathroom was crazy luxurious too, with walls made of black granite and white marble sink tops. There were golden-looking faucets, glass jars with spare hair ties and bobby pins, and a tray with tons of name-brand perfume samples. (Y/n) was tempted to take a look, but Pollen came first. She fished out the bee miraculous from her pocket and carefully tucked it under her braided bun, close to the base so it’d be easy to hide from any eyes. Pollen poked her head out from the same pocket and flew out to stretch her limbs and antennae.
“Mmm! I was dozing off from how warm it was in the pocket! Hehe, but Edith’s laughter woke me up!” Pollen said playfully, zipping around in wonder before stopping at the sample tray. Sniffing all of the little scented sniff-stickers. (Y/n) smiled and made sure to check her reflection while they were there, washing her hands too before the two went out to sample all of the food! Eager to try everything with Pollen.
(Y/n) watched the bee hover over all of the floral-scented bottles. Maybe it was in her instincts… Or is that not how it worked? She wondered. She reached over for a Marc Jacobs bottle. It was a teeny version of the full-sized bottle. There were dozens of them! There was a little cardboard sign that said to take a sample. “Is there one you like? Says we can take a complimentary one…” she offered softly.
“... Can we?” the little kwami asked shyly, almost afraid to ask for permission.
(Y/n) smiled, “How about this? I pick one that reminds me of you. And you do the same for me. We’ll pick a scent that reminds us most of each other?” she suggested.
Pollen cutely gasped, her antennae perked up comically before she began to zoom around all of the little bottles. (Y/n) chuckled as she reached for a pink round-looking little bottle to take a whiff. A small tame breeze of floral and citrus greeted her nostrils but as she pulled it away she could tell it had a soft base note. Not that she wanted to pick the first one to hurry the little bee, but this scent just screamed ‘Pollen’. Sweet at first and then bubbly like a grapefruit soda, and then at the base of it all there was just a soft warmth that lingered.
(Y/n) took a glance at the brand of the vial and her eyes almost bugged out of her skull.
CHANEL?!!! How much money is this worth??? Can I really just have this?!
(Y/n) tightened her lips to hide her grimace. Should she be holding something this expensive? She glanced back at the kwami who was carrying a little yellow bottle with a black pearl topper with black and yellow wings, happily saying, “For you, your Highness!” She began to fly and placed it in (Y/n)’s palm.
Gah, I can’t just leave her hanging… Screw it, I’m going to do what (A/n) said and just be confident.
“Here… I think you’d like it. I hope so,” (Y/n) said with a smile, handing Pollen a small round bottle.
Pollen took a small whiff and smiled, “Ooh, I can smell… Grapefruit and jasmine… And a little amber. It’s lovely. Do I really seem like this to you, Your Highness?” Pollen asked. Looking up at (Y/n) with her big eyes.
(Y/n) smiled back, “Yeah… You really do,” she said with a hum. Bringing up the yellow bottle to inspect. It looked like… A bee? (Y/n) bit back a little chuckle, “Seems a little on the nose, don’t you think?” she lightly teased the bee kwami, “Here I thought Chat Noir was the self-absorbed one…”
(Y/n) popped the topper open and she was greeted with a gentle warm vanilla. And then orange. But most importantly at the end of it, there was a tender mellow sweetness that she just couldn’t identify… Maybe amber? No… Brown sugar? Probably not.
“I… give off this vibe to you?” (Y/n) asked curiously. “I mean, I love it. And I’m flattered. But I just don’t see myself this way…” she admitted to the bee that was smiling proudly.
“Yup!” Pollen said happily, “You’re always giving off these vibes!” she said, nuzzling against (Y/n)’s cheek before flying over to hide in (Y/n)’s purse. It was perfectly timed as some guests walked in to check their makeup.
(Y/n) just stood there for a moment taking in the little tenderness that stayed—remembering her aunt’s words.
“I always see this when I see you”
(Y/n) smiled down at the bottle and dabbed a bit on her middle finger to gently pat it against each side of her collarbone and a bit on her wrists. She took a deep breath, a new habit she had gotten used to, to replace the sleeve-tugging. She recapped it before she placed it in her purse.
With a little bounce in her step, she happily waltzed over to the food table. Mouth-watering at all of the yummy decadent scents that oozed off of the spread of dishes. She grabbed a plate and began to load it with finger foods. Tarts, macarons, crudites, fruits, cheeses, and canapes. When a waiter asked if she needed a beverage, she asked for juice, and they brought her a champagne flute with just orange juice!
“So fancy…” she mumbled in an amused daze.
She was definitely going to come back for more… But first, she needed to find somewhere private for Pollen and her. She snuck out of the main living room and walked out to the balcony. Relieved that it was much quieter since the guests weren’t using the pool but just sticking to the patio furniture for an area to chat. (Y/n) quietly walked to the furthest section away, a corner by some plants and a small standing table. Just far enough that she could still hear the music playing inside. She placed the plate down and looked around before opening her clasp purse, smiling down at Pollen.
“Now, something salty or sweet?” the girl asked the kwami with a mischievous smile.
“Both!” Pollen chirped back, making (Y/n) laugh softly before discreetly sneaking the bee a brie and apple tart.
(Y/n) and Pollen easily finished the food that they were sharing. Both were happy with their choices so far. Well, except for Pollen who seemed to hate the garlic confit canape. She pulled away from it and her antennae recoiled at the scent of it. Guess bees hated garlic. Who knew? Anyway, there was one more apple and brie tartlet left and the two decided to split it. (Y/n) broke it apart and slid the other half into her purse for Pollen. But when she was about to eat her half, there was a sudden, “Hey!” from behind that startled her and made her jump. The finger food slipped past her fingers and over the railing of the balcony. Falling onto an unsuspecting person below. Or the sidewalk. Who could tell from this height?
“Nooo!” she gently whined, turning around and expecting her aunt or uncle, ready to give them a piece of her mind. But her (e/c) eyes widened as she saw a familiar face. And a familiar head of blond hair. “Adrien????” she asked aloud, visibly confused to see the boy here.
He waved sheepishly, “I am so sorry that I made you drop your food. I forgot you startle easily” he gently teased, hiding a chuckle behind his friendly smile.
(Y/n) frowned playfully, “You, sir, owe me a perfectly good tart,” she joked, wiping her hand on a napkin before shaking hands with the boy. “What are you doing here? I didn’t expect to see you here today,” she asked.
“I wanted to ask you the same. You said you were going to a family party tonight? Are you related to Ms. Lavigne?” he asked curiously. She did warn him through text that she wouldn’t be able to join a call tonight.
“Oh no. My aunt and uncle used to work with E. I guess they’re trying to work out a collaboration now that my uncle has his own company,” she explained, rubbing at her arms as a breeze passed by them as they stood out on the balcony. She glanced over Adrien’s shoulder and saw a large gruff man staring in their direction. He looked strong and serious, like a gorilla… “Is that your father?” She asked innocently.
He glanced behind him and almost laughed, he turned back with a teasing smile, “Do we look alike?” He joked, but shook his head, “No, uh, my father is inside. He knew E. from long ago. I think he used to be friends with her older brother. I came along to um… I guess to be with him? He asked me if I wanted to tag along in passing and I don’t think he expected me to remember it…” He explained awkwardly.
“Oh? Maybe I should say my greetings to him-” she began.
“No! I-I mean. You don’t have to… My father’s not… very people conscious” he instantly replied with a meek smile. Almost as if he was a little nervous?
“Oh… Well, do you want to meet my aunt and uncle?” She asked with a smile.
She could sense he didn’t want to delve into the topic of his father. He has tiptoed around it in the past. When they would have their nightly phone calls he would avoid talking much about his life outside of school. One night, she started the conversation with something funny that happened at dinner with her and her guardians, and he was quiet. Yeah, he chuckled. And asked questions. But he had no comments about his home life. When she asked how his dinner went, he said there was nothing to talk about besides how the dish he ate was good. There were nights when they had no homework assigned in their shared classes but he would still call. Even if they didn’t share a class that day, he’d call. Maybe to hear her voice? Or maybe to fill the emptiness of his house.
“I’d love to,” he said honestly. “Oh, but let’s get you something to make up for that tart,” he added with a smile.
She smiled back, “Yeah. Let’s hit that food table. I’ll tell you what’s worth it!” She jokingly placed a fist over her heart, as if stepping up to a task, making him laugh.
He offered her his arm, looking into her (e/c) eyes with a pure genuine smile and a harmless gleam in his green eyes. Like he did when he offered to carry her that first day.
She smiled and softly linked her arm with his.
And the two headed inside with a smile. With the big burly man following behind them.
“So, what answer did you get for question 4 section B on the Chemistry homework?” Adrien asked, popping a cream-filled choquette in his mouth as the two sat on some stools at the kitchen counter. Sat close enough to the food table but far away enough that they could watch the party.
“... Are you for real? I don’t even remember what that question was about!” (Y/n) laughed, reaching over to take one from his plate, “I normally ask you for help, you goof”.
He laughed softly and reached to take a macaron from her plate. Chewing on it, he glanced over to the DJ as the song changed. While he looked away, she took the time to admire him in his suit. He had his fluffy golden hair combed more neatly, tamed a bit with some mousse presumably. He had on a black blazer over a white turtleneck and dark gray plaid slacks. He was wearing a bit of foundation to even out his skin tone and tinted lip balm. The low mood light illuminated his jawline and made all of his attractive features stand out. She wasn’t really surprised since he was a model, after all. He was really handsome. Pretty even.
“You look nice. I guess I forget sometimes that you’re a model,” she said with a smile, turning to watch the dance floor with him. Just barely missing the way he reacted to her words, glancing in her direction with a thankful smile.
“...Thanks. You look extra pretty today,” he replied smoothly, clearly used to throwing around nice-sounding vanilla compliments. “You’re wearing perfume today?” he asked, fiddling with the ring on his finger.
“Ah, yeah. You noticed?” she asked, a little self-conscious. Was it too much? Could he be thinking that she’s trying too hard?
“Yeah… It’s nice. It suits you,” he said, leaning over to nudge her as he grabbed his glass of water.
(Y/n) smiled softly and felt herself turn a little pink at his compliment. Pleasantly happy to know that Pollen was right. It suited her. This scent was hers. It reflected her. This is how people saw her.
After a silent moment of meaningful silence, (Y/n) spoke up, “You keep looking over there a lot” she noted to the boy. He tensed up a bit but forced himself to chuckle awkwardly as if trying to wave it off.
“Aha, well… I’ve never been to a party this… lively before,” he admitted, staring in his cup as he gently swirled it. His eyes seemed sad. Lonely.
“...” she watched him. At first, she struggled to find the right words to comfort him. She parted her mouth to try to say something. Anything. Just a small word of encouragement should suffice, she thought. But she didn’t. She couldn’t. She shouldn’t give false hope. What can she say? She stared at his sad but beautiful silhouette as the blue/purple lights illuminated his longing.
That is until an idea sprouted in her head, making her (e/c) eyes light up.
“Wanna dance?” she suddenly asked, smiling as if she just solved the world’s oldest equation.
“What?” he asked, confusion overtaking his sad expression.
“Do you want to dance? With me?” she asked simply.
His grip tightened around his cup as he looked up with a growing smile and bright green eyes. Until he glanced over to his bodyguard, who was standing nearby to keep an eye on Adrien. His mood seemed to have deflated just as fast as it was lifted. “Oh. Uh, I’d really love to but… I was told to avoid mingling too much with crowds, it’s why Placide is here with me. And to not embarrass my father…” he replied nervously.
(Y/n) could relate. To that feeling. Shame. Embarrassment. Afraid of what would be thought of him if he did this small thing. She knew well what it was like to be scared to do what you want to do. Afraid of what your parent would say. What they would think of you. Maybe it was dumb of her to try to comfort him this way. She was also in a rocky spot with her own mother… The blind leading the blind. But seeing him look so down wasn’t an option. He was her friend. And he’s been nothing but kind and friendly to her. Bringing a smile to his face was the least she could do.
“I don’t see your father around…” she gently coaxed, standing up and offering her hand. Staring in his eyes just as he did to her before. Smiling. Naive but purely trusting in him. All he had to do was take her hand. “Just one dance?” she asked.
His eyes glanced to her open palm and then to her eyes. He swallowed nervously and placed his cup aside, turning back to look into her pools of (e/c). He exhaled and smiled before gently reaching to place his hand in hers.
“Adrien! What do you think you’re doing?!” A man’s voice boomed from a few feet away. Startling the blond boy and making him retract his hand. He looked up panicked, “F-father…” he began as an older man in glasses and a pristine white suit came strolling up to the two teenagers. A frown was etched onto his otherwise expressionless face. (Y/n) straightened up and awkwardly looked down and away from his intense scowl.
“And so anyways, long story short this amateur brings me a corduroy jacket instead of a cashmere sweater. He just ruined my ensemble and he had the gall to blame my staff! Needless to say, I dropped that man as a sponsor…” Edith recounted her story, popping a cube of cheese in her mouth as she laughed.
“Haha, I made a mistake like that once… You had me go from staff back to intern in an instant, haha!” Aaron laughed behind his 3rd champagne glass. He smiled into his flute and swirled the contents around, “We’ve sure come a long way…” he said.
“Puh, please. You’re much too young to be saying that! Don’t act as if you’re going to retire anytime soon,” Edith said with a hum, glancing around as she sat next to (A/n) and Xochi who were chatting happily about some celebrity drama.
“Speaking of retiring… I’m surprised Gabriel hasn’t chosen to retire yet…” Xochi said as she overheard while she sipped from her wine glass, “And I’m even more surprised that he agreed to come to your party, amor. I heard he was a recluse after… well you know….” she whispered the last part.
“You know Gabriel personally?” Aaron asked, eyes widened as he stared at Edith incredulously.
“Oh non non, he used to be friends with my older brother and Andre Bourgeois. They were a great trio back when they attended university together. I assume he expected to see my brother here tonight,” Edith said with a wave of her hand.
“Ugh, don’t tell me you invited the Bourgeois’! I don’t have enough time to try to plan my escape from Audrey’s claws! And don’t get me started on Andre!” (A/n) added with a grimace, taking Aaron’s half-finished champagne flute and downing the rest. Looking upset at the mere thought of interacting with the director of the Style Queen magazine.
“Honey, you used to work for her. In fact, your friend asked you to write an article that was featured in that magazine not too long ago…” Aaron added with a playful shake of his head, raising his hand so a server would bring him another champagne flute. “Hm, and I think their daughter is in the same class as (Y/n)...” he added.
“What? This is the first time I heard about this!” (A/n) added with a surprised huff.
Edith and Xochi shared a look. Xochi looked away and Edith grimaced visibly with a toothy smile, “Yeesh, that can’t be easy for your niece. The last time I invited Andre and his daughter was a disaster. That little girl was demanding and a force to be reckoned with. It was like seeing a mini Audrey…” she recalled.
“Oh no, (Y/n) was never good with strong-willed people like that… You don’t think that girl is picking on our (Y/n), do you?” (A/n) said worriedly, pouting at the way her husband was chuckling to himself.
“My love, calm yourself. You’re being a worrywart… (Y/n)’s fine from what I can see. She’s been making lots of friends and she’s been getting better every day… that’s thanks to you,” he said softly, leaning in to kiss her temple.
“... I can’t help being a little defensive of her… She’s always been scared to say what’s on her mind… But I guess you’re right…” (A/n) agreed with a smile, “Speaking of which I should probably check on her”. She grabbed her purse and kissed Aaron on the forehead as she stood to find their niece.
(A/n) checked her reflection on her compact before glancing over the railing of the loft, giving the party a quick look over to try and see if she could find her niece. She caught sight of the girl happily eating macarons with what looked like a boy? Oh? (A/n) smiled at the scene, watching her niece talk and laugh with him. Guess she didn’t need to worry too much… That is until she saw Gabriel Agreste stomp in the direction of the children. Why would he-?
“Oh no, she didn’t tell me she made friends with Adrien Agreste. How was I supposed to know that the ‘Adrien’ she met was the son of the most difficult man alive?” she thought to herself as she hurried down the stairs and rushed to her niece’s side.
“F-father, I-” Adrien began as he stood to his feet.
Mr. Agreste raised his hand, making Adrien shrink, sit back down, and close his mouth. His father didn’t even spare a glance at his son. Instead, he focused his fierce gaze on the girl in front of him. The girl who couldn’t even raise her head to address him properly. Pathetic.
“Young lady. Who are you to my son?” he asked, his voice was so deep and cold that it almost made the music drown out in the ringing of her ears and pounding of her heart.
“I’m uh- I’m (Y/n) (L/n), I’m in your son’s class… N-nice to meet you, sir,” she began nervously, looking up only to flinch at his unblinking glare.
“... (L/n)? I don’t recognize that name… Who are you wearing?” he asked, keeping his arms firmly behind his tall stiff posture.
… Who? Not what?
She looked visibly confused and she looked down at her attire. She looked up and responded with, “Um, my aunt designed this dress… My uncle tailored it…” she answered, still slightly uncomfortable to look the intense man in the eyes.
He was unshaken by her response. “You seem too uncultured to be in this environment… Who are your aunt and uncle, then? Can you answer that question?” he asked harshly, making her wince and rub nervously at her arms. She knew Adrien and she did nothing wrong but… the way Gabriel was being so pushy about his bombarding of questions made her feel small.
“Aaron and (A/n) Bernard…” she replied, wringing her hands and immediately looking down to avoid the gazes of the people nearby who stopped to watch the girl be put on the spot and interrogated by the adult.
“Father! (Y/n) is my friend-!” Adrien stood on his feet to stand next to the girl. Gabriel finally looked in Adrien’s direction but with a frown on his face.
“Friend? I certainly never allowed you to mingle with a simple girl like this!” Gabriel raised his voice harshly, making the girl jump.
“I-I… Well, sir. Adrien is allowed to pick his friends,” (Y/n) began weakly, hoping to stand up for her friend if she couldn’t stand up for herself.
“Silence. This is a matter between me and my son. Stay out of this,” he barked.
(Y/n) flinched and shut her mouth, looking at her shoes. Feeling like the weak and powerless girl from America again. But also, feeling disappointed… She hasn’t changed at all, has she? The skin of her wrists was turning red from her nervous wringing. Normally the cloth of her long-sleeves would stop that from happening… Why did she decide to wear a short-sleeved dress again? Why would she come out of her comfort zone? What was she doing here?
I wanna go home…
“(Y/n)!” she heard the voice of her aunt call out for her. (A/n) came marching, her heels clicking as she practically ran up to the girl.
“(A-a/n)...” the girl’s voice wavered as her aunt instinctually wrapped her arms around (Y/n)’s smaller frame, protectively from the vulturous gazes of the nosy partygoers around them. Glaring at them.
“So, you’re the girl’s aunt? Word of advice… Please educate her about the fashion culture before you have her accompany you to one of these parties… It should prevent her from dragging the Bernard name further in the dirt…” he said, scowling even as he stared the woman up and down. Analyzing the cut and design of her dress.
“You, apologize. Now. Apologize to my niece,” (A/n) said, a protective fire burning in her eyes as she pushed the little girl behind and stood in front of her.
“Why should I apologize for simply stating the truth? Your niece approached my son. My son, Adrien Agreste, is a reflection of the Agreste name and legacy. She should’ve known better than to try to influence him,” he said coldly.
“They’re children, Gabriel! You’ve always been difficult like this but I could never imagine that you’d deny your son to make a friend like this…” (A/n) almost growled.
“... You’re very adamant that your niece befriends my son. She could easily stick to other children of… equal caliber… And yet, you’re choosing to insist that my son becomes close to your niece. She’s not even your daughter. And yet, you’re going this far?” He began, nodding his head at his bodyguard to guide Adrien out of there. Placide nodded, looking a little worried by the angry exchange in front of him, placing a hand on Adrien’s shoulder to guide the young boy out of there. Adrien could only watch sadly as (Y/n) hid behind her aunt. He felt so powerless…
“Equal caliber? What are you trying to imply, Gabriel Agreste?” (A/n) asked, crossing her arms and angrily exhaling as she was trying to control herself from slapping the man.
“I’m saying. Your husband’s company must not be doing as well… I heard about how he had to grovel for this partnership with Lavigne… Using your niece as a pawn to get closer to the Agrestes must have seemed like a grand idea I suppose…” he kept his eyes on her. Looking her up and down again showing no restraint in revealing his disgust, “Clearly, he needs more time to ‘polish’ his skills… Kindly tell Aaron to go back to the drawing board”. Turning around to leave with his son, sparing the woman a demeaning glance over his shoulder.
“How dare you speak about my family like that! You keep my husband’s name out of your mouth, you pompous jerk!” (A/n) hissed, stomping over to try to grab the man by the shoulder. Only for Placide to stand in between the two.
“I hope your husband’s company does well, maybe with some time… And it’d be best if Adrien stopped seeing your niece… For both of our sakes…” Gabriel said, turning around to walk out of the party with Adrien.
Everyone around them started to whisper to each other. Seemed like the volume of the music was lowered just so everyone could hear what transpired. How twisted. These were adults reveling in the fact that THE Gabriel Agreste just burned (A/n) Bernard and her family. Even if he was a cold and harsh man, that still didn’t deny the fact that he was an important figure in the fashion industry, and what he said kind of mattered. He just insulted Bernard’s work… Who knew how this was going to affect their company’s reputation? Maybe he destroyed it within seconds of their altercation.
(A/n) gripped the compact mirror in her hand, glaring in the direction of where Gabriel had just stepped out. How dare he talk about her family like that? This dress was made with love. From her amazing and talented husband. What did he know? And how could he be so cold and mean to a child? (Y/n) did nothing wrong. The poor girl was just having fun. And now look at her, trembling and unable to make eye contact… Did he speak to his son that way? No wonder the Agrestes are all messed up! But, that Adrien… Why didn’t he say anything? If (Y/n) was truly his friend, he should’ve done something! What a cowardly child… Because of those Agrestes…
(A/n) broodingly waited until Aaron worriedly approached them. Checking them before hugging them. (A/n) brushed off his arms and slowly mentioned something about going to the powder room… Leaving Aaron to inspect the young girl.
“Are you okay, sweetheart? Do you want to go home?” Aaron cooed to (Y/n) who just nodded quietly.
“Let’s wait for your aunt… Come on, we should get our coats and-!” he began.
“AGRESTES!! I SWEAR I WILL MAKE YOU PAY!”
A woman’s deep distorted voice echoed in the penthouse. There was a sound of a record scratch before the music stopped. (Y/n) snapped out of her funk and stared in the direction of the restrooms. There was (A/n)?! Her skin was paler, her eyes were solid (e/c), and the flowy veil-like train of her dress looked like flat blades! Her compact mirror became a mirror shield. Her heels were sharp too!
Oh no.
“I am Trendsetter! None shall ever question my taste ever again! I will decide what is right! You will follow me!”
Screams began to fill the party as the lights were turned on. Blinding the akumatized (A/n) for a moment, people started to flee. Crowding any possible exits. But it was near impossible since they were on the top floor. And they had to wait for an elevator. How cruel.
(A/n), well, Trendsetter began to laugh gleefully as she squeezed the handle of her mirror shield. Powdery smoke began to leak from the mirror shield. Aaron and (Y/n) immediately covered their mouth, going to duck behind a counter. The powder slowly spread and filled the room. Making people cough as they begin to breathe it in. “Follow my orders! Stop and get in line!” She said, her voice so deep that it made a shiver run down her spine. To those who breathed it in first, they stopped coughing and suddenly looked up. Like in a horror movie, they looked like zombies. Pale. Emotionless. Just absentmindedly walking in unison. She then walked up to each of them, making them face the mirror. “Today’s trend… Flight!” One of them sprouted wings. “Super strength!” It seemed monotonous and lame…
Until Trendsetter called out, “Bring me the Agrestes! Now! Go!” And like strong flying zombies in matching silvery outfits, they started to leave.
Aaron wrapped his arms protectively around (Y/n) and pulled her closer, to hide her face in his chest, suddenly carrying her out of there and into the kitchen room, “Shush shush, shhh. We’re okay, kiddo…” he cooed to the girl, crouching next to her as they hid behind the kitchen’s island counter. “We have to hide until Ladybug and Chat Noir get here-” he began until the kitchen door was suddenly kicked open. He paled and suddenly motioned for her to stay quiet, placing a finger over his lips.
“Where are you… It’s time to show those snobby jerks how strong we are! I can’t get revenge without my family at my side…” Trendsetter’s sickeningly twisted voice sang as she looked around.
Aaron opened the island’s cabinet door and motioned his head to tell her to get in. Between the two of them only she could fit. But she didn’t want to leave him. Aaron grabbed (Y/n)’s shoulder and began to push her into the cabinet. He smiled, a weak attempt to try to comfort her, closing the door and diverting the attention to him by saying, “I’m here, my love!”
NOO! Aaron! Don’t!
“Ahaha! Don’t worry, my sweet! I need a prince by my side… Help me get those Agrestes to their knees and grovel! Justice needs to be served!”
She heard coughing, making her cover her mouth. She should be out there… Aaron didn’t need to do this…
But… she needed to transform. This needed to happen or otherwise… She covered her mouth to muffle her cries. Her aunt and uncle were the nicest people ever! They don’t deserve this! Nobody deserved this! Papillon is a monster! Queen Bee’s going to kick his butt! She swears on the miraculous on her head that she was going to get payback for this…
She waited until she heard her akumatized aunt and brainwashed uncle leave to release the breath she was holding.
“Alright… Pollen. We can’t just sit by. I need your help…” (Y/n) said as the kwami flew out of her purse. Pollen nodded with a stern expression on her face.
“My queen, are you alright?” Pollen asked, seeing the redness in the girl’s eyes and having been witness to everything that happened earlier. She looked a little sad to have been able to say anything sooner…
“I will be after we save Aaron and (A/n)! Pollen, transform me!”
Notes:
Here's the link to my Ko-Fi in case you wanted to support my work! Don't feel pressured, but anything's appreciated :) : https://ko-fi.com/shinyamour
Chapter 11: Something's Abuzz (Pt. 3)
Summary:
Get ready for Bubbler next week! I've been sick, so I've had a lot of time to write! Lots of free time when you're resting at home.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Father… (Y/n) meant nothing wrong with any of that! She just wanted to-” Adrien desperately tried to defend his friend only to close his mouth as Gabriel raised his hand and scowled at his son.
“Adrien, that’s enough! You should be grateful that I allowed you to accompany me to this work gathering… And you go and fraternize with someone beneath us!” Gabriel yelled at his son. Adrien frowned and clenched his fist, holding back explosive retorts. Not here. Not now. The boy exhaled and stared down at his shoes, there was no winning against his father’s wishes. Any angrier and he could pull him from school… He should be grateful for what he does have… He sadly glanced over his shoulder and saw (Y/n) looking down, gently trembling as she wrung her arms as if tugging at her non-existent sleeves. He sighed and looked away, allowing for Placide to guide him into the elevator.
“Make sure he gets to the limousine… I have to show my gratitude to the hosts, wait for me in the vehicle,” Gabriel said as he pinched the bridge of his nose and stepped out of the elevator at the last minute.
Adrien looked up and saw (Y/n)’s despondent expression, feeling guilty.
“I hope she’s okay… And that she doesn’t hate me after today…” he thought to himself.
(Seven years ago…)
“(A/n)! (A/n)! Look, look!” A seven-year-old (Y/n) called happily running into the house’s kitchen, holding a little certificate, “I won first place in the jump rope contest!”
A younger 18-19-year-old woman looked up from her laptop, sitting at the kitchen table while working on her college assignment. She smiled and leaned down to hug the little girl, “Wow, congrats princess! Go show your mom” she said. The small child nodded excitedly and went into the other room. (A/n) sighed softly and went back to her calculus work, contemplating her college career.
“Yeah yeah, that’s nice honey…” an older woman in her early thirties mused as she walked into the kitchen, shoving keys and a wrapped sandwich in her purse. Flattening her office uniform, she ruffled the hair of the girl following her. The mother turned to look at (A/n) and said, “Make sure she has dinner and goes to bed early”. The little girl deflated as the adult woman was looking away, not even sparing a glance at her.
“Mom!” she called out, a little surprised at the sound of her own volume. The little girl looked down at her shoes, expecting to be reprimanded for raising her voice.
But her mother didn’t look down. Instead, she adjusted her purse strap and started to walk out of the kitchen, stopping just to mutter over her shoulder, making the girl look up hopefully. The mother said, “Mommy has to work. She’s very busy. Tell your aunt about your hopscotch contest. Bye-bye!”
The little girl stopped smiling and defeatedly lowered her arms and the colorful certificate she was so proud of.
(Four years ago…)
“(M/n)... This is your daughter! What do you mean that you won’t be able to make it to her birthday party?! Why aren’t you here?! You of all people should be here first and foremost! Busy my ass! Leave work now and at least catch us here!” (A/n) growled into her phone, standing outside the arcade. She angrily sighed and rubbed her eyes as the voicemail tone ended.
Aaron stepped out of the arcade and rubbed his fiancee’s shoulder, “Mon amoure, everything alright?” he whispered, “Will she make it?”
“... No. I don’t think she will…” she replied with a sad sigh, turning to watch (Y/n) laugh with her friends.
The party ended successfully. They had pizza. Cake. Endless soda. (Y/n) won some prizes, broke some high scores, and received plenty of gifts and birthday money from relatives who couldn’t make it. It looked like she had fun. So why was she staring quietly out of the car’s window? Absentmindedly rubbing the ears of the bunny plush she won.
“(Y/n)?” her aunt asked, glancing at the girl through the rear-view mirror.
“Yes?” the 10-year-old replied, glancing away from the window.
“How was the party? Did you like it?” she asked gently.
“Yes. I liked it. Thank you (A/n) for being my chaperone. My friends and their parents really wanted to have a party at an arcade since they know I like games. It was very thoughtful of them, wasn’t it?” (Y/n) replied maturely but monotonically, looking down at her feet to glance at all the paper bags of gifts, “Thank you, Aaron, for coming too. I’m surprised you were able to fly over just to hand-deliver your gift. I appreciate it”.
“Hey hey, you call me for me kiddo and I’ll come visit in a heartbeat,” Aaron said with a smile.
(Y/n) should’ve been happy with that answer but she looked down.
“... Do you think if I ask nicely, Mom can come for next year’s party?” she asked softly.
It broke Aaron’s and (A/n)’s heart to hear such a simple request. A request that would continue to fall on deaf ears.
(A/n) took a step into the empty restroom and angrily flipped open her compact mirror, patting her nose with translucent powder and a sponge. She had to calm herself, for (Y/n). The poor girl hated crowds. How could she, as her guardian, be so careless like this…? And how could she have known that she befriended the son of the Gabriel Agreste? Sweet naive (Y/n) probably had no idea…. And now look at her… None of this was her fault…
(A/n)’s cell phone pinged making her take a glance at it. And if her blood wasn’t boiling before, it was now.
*(M/n)- I’m going to be in Paris sometime next month.
*(M/n)- For work.
*(M/n) is typing…
*(M/n)- If you wanted to bring (Y/n) to see me.
Did (Y/n) know about this? Why isn’t she letting her daughter know? When was the last time they talked? Has (M/n) even thought about (Y/n)?
(A/n) groaned and gripped at the edge of the sink as she attempted to calm herself. (M/n)... who selfishly avoided acknowledging her daughter. Adrien Agreste… who didn’t have the spine to stand up for his ‘friend’... And especially that Gabriel Agreste… How dare they treat her niece like this? She deserved happiness just as much as anyone else did! Who was Gabriel Agreste to say all of these things? To her? About (Y/n) and Aaron. She badly wanted to give that man a piece of her mind! Maybe even get a swift kick in there…
All of these thoughts continued to swirl until a black/purple butterfly flew out from an air vent and landed on the compact mirror in her hand.
Back to the present time…
Queen Bee carefully crawled out of the cabinet. Dusting herself and looking around.
“That powder shield of hers might be the biggest problem for us… Gotta warn Ladybug and Chat Noir somehow… God, I wish I asked how to get my communicator to work!” She thought to herself, sighing. “For now…” she reached over to grab a dish towel. She wrapped it around her mouth and nose like a dust mask.
She stepped out quietly. Looking around. Seeing a barren party room. The lights were off... Weird… Weren’t they on before? She could swear someone turned them on… There was a mess on the floor. But no sign of anyone. Maybe they all went out to fetch the Agrestes. She took one step forward and her heel crunched against a chip on the floor.
And suddenly the lights flickered back on!
“ Aha, how nice of you to visit us tonight, Your Highness!”
Queen Bee winced at the sudden change of brightness. Her instincts kicked in as she saw a dark figure run up to her in her peripheral vision. She dodged and flipped out of the way, withdrawing her sword. Her golden-flecked eyes widened at the sight of not Trendsetter but a brainwashed Edith. Her striped suit was all shiny silver and in her hand was a wooden cane she used as a sword. Judging from her stance, she had attempted to strike Queen Bee with it. Edith stood and cracked her neck, twirling the cane expertly in her hand before charging at Queen Bee.
“I don’t want to hurt anyone!” Queen Bee said as she parried the hit, making her stumble.
Queen Bee readied herself to charge at the brainwashed Edith until a pair of arms sneaked under her arms holding her back. Panicked Queen Bee turned to see a brainwashed Xochi grinning wickedly at her.
“Join in the trend, Queen Bee! Help us. And you’ll be unstoppable, let fairy godmother work her magic!,” Trendsetter called out sinisterly, stepping up to the balcony railing of the loft. Gazing down at the sight of the bee heroine trapped in the arms of her brainwashed friends. At the sound of Trendsetter’s voice, Edith remained at rest to wait for another order.
“Ugh, you look more like a wicked witch with these flying monkeys of yours!” Queen Bee grunted as she tried to wiggle in the woman’s restraint, “Seriously! (A/n) Bernard! This isn’t you!”
“STOP THAT! WHY DO YOU PEOPLE FEEL LIKE YOU KNOW WHAT’S BEST FOR ME?! WITH THESE POWERS I’LL BE THE ONE IN CHARGE FROM NOW ON!” Trendsetter growled, gripping the railing and sneering at the bee heroine. “Xochi, Edith, bring that insect to me for some pest control!” She ordered, readying her powder shield.
Xochi nodded and started to walk forward, yanking Queen Bee forward. The woman’s foot stepped on a crushed choquette, slipping on the cream, and Queen Bee’s eyes lit up with a quick realization. She used all her strength to push the brainwashed woman back, Xochi slid against the floor as she tried to retain her posture but she still slipped.
“Here, catch!” Queen Bee grunted as she swiped her foot under Xochi. Wrapping an arm around her waist and using all her strength to fling her at Edith. The green-haired woman stumbled with her lover in her arms. They looked up and gasped as Queen Bee reached for the sleeves of the oversized blazer that Edith was wearing. She yanked on them and quickly tied it. Restraining them both together. “There! See, no one had to get hurt!” Queen Bee said proudly with a smile. Pushing both women into the kitchen, where she was hiding. She secured the door and locked them in by shoving a chair under the door handle.
“Phew…” she breathed in relief. Unaware of the dark looming figure behind her who was holding the cane from earlier in his hand.
“Queen, watch out!” she heard a familiar voice call out behind her.
(Earlier in a different location…)
Adrien stared sadly at the screen of his phone, staring at (Y/n)’s contact. Should he call her? Text her? Nothing he can do can make up for what happened… (Y/n) was just trying to have fun… with him. It’s normal for teenagers to dance, eat snacks together, and talk together… Why can’t he do that? He’s a normal kid… At least (Y/n) makes him feel normal.
Placide held the door of the limousine for Adrien and walked around the vehicle to get himself seated in the driver’s seat. The downtrodden boy took a seat and continued to stare at his phone, contemplating what to do, when he suddenly heard screams. He looked up in a panic and saw people in silver outfits with wings jump and fly off of the penthouse balcony, soaring with incredible speed towards his limousine! Placide was quick to flick on the ignition and attempt to drive away when the pale hand of a man with wings and a silver suit reached in through the window and yanked the man out of the vehicle. Throwing him into some bushes.
“Agrestes! Must bring the Agrestes!” the brainwashed man chanted and looked at Adrien. Charging at him with all of his strength. Adrien glanced down at the partition window button and quickly pressed it to elevate and trap the man.
He scrambled out of the vehicle and looked up, seeing winged people in suits and dresses flying around the city!
“Oh no. Father is still in there! (Y/n) and her family must be in danger too…” Adrien called out to Plagg who was nestled comfortably in his blazer pocket.
“Plagg, wake up!” Adrien said to his kwami, running to hide behind a bush.
“Mnnn, are we home yet?” the kwami yawned as if he had not a care in the world.
Adrien rolled his eyes and called out, “Transform me!” The black cat was pulled into the ring and Adrien was enveloped in bright streaks of green and black, becoming Chat Noir under a veil of magical light.
Chat Noir readied his baton as he ran into the building, bulldozing through the silver guards. Dodging attacks and flipping people charging at him. The more people he sped through, the more he realized these were guests from the party… Someone in the party must’ve been akumatized… Oh no…
“Don’t tell me it was (Y/n)!” he thought as he made it to the elevator on time. Closing the doors just as a winged party goer was about to reach him, he kicked them out of the way of the doors just in time.
One impatient and awkward elevator ride was what it took for him to see Queen Bee already there. Tying two brainwashed women into a knot with a blazer before shoving them in a kitchen. He smiled in relief to see that she was here, knowing he wasn’t alone in facing the akuma was always a treat. His eyes widened as he saw a semi-familiar-looking man sneak up behind her with a wooden cane in his hand, raised over his head about to strike the girl.
“Watch out!” he yelled. Running as fast as he could to reach her in time.
Queen Bee gasped as she turned and saw a silvery Aaron, being held back by Chat Noir and his baton.
“F-fancy seeing you here, Your Majesty! Nice mask! Very fetching!” Chat Noir grunted out with a strained smile, using his strength to hold the cane from striking them, “Didn’t know people were throwing themselves for a chance to dance with the Queen!”
“Thank you. It works wonders for keeping dust out of my face. Felt like crashing a party tonight, Mr. Noir?” she joked behind him, “Pshh, tell me about it, they flock to me like flies to honey!”
She grabbed Chat Noir’s belt, pulling it off of him. “Sorry, gotta borrow this!” she said as she jumped above them and in the process wrapped the black leather around Aaron’s wrists. She yanked his hands away from Chat Noir and secured the belt around his wrists like handcuffs. Aaron growled and pulled on the belt, his ‘trendy’ strength making his brute movements have much more force. Aaron did as Queen Bee did earlier and flung her body away. Throwing her into Chat Noir.
“Ooof!” She exclaimed as her body collided with his. Chat Noir stood up before her to stand defensively in front of her. She hissed as she held her side, glancing up to see Aaron snap easily out of the leather restraint. “God, why are there always people following trends?! It’s lame!” she grumbled as she staggered to stand. Even being in this magical suit, she still felt pain.
“Unless I’m the one who starts them, haha! Your partner’s got two left feet, maybe you should let me lead!” Chat Noir said with a grin as he charged at the brainwashed Aaron.
“We gotta get Ladybug!” Queen Bee said with a nod towards Chat, “Do your communicator thingy!”
“Kinda busy, right now! Do yours!” He said, annoyed as he dodged a punch and swiped his feet under Aaron’s legs.
“I don’t know how!” Queen Bee said exasperated, glancing up to the balcony where Trendsetter was being unnaturally quiet. What was she doing? Her answer came in the sound of a laugh, she heard it echo from around until she glanced around and saw dozens of copies of Trendsetters ‘poof’ into existence with clouds of powder.
All of the Trendsetters began to speak in unison, “How do you like my current trends? ‘Powder copies’?” They laughed and began to take high-heeled steps closer to the heroes. One of these had to be the real one.
“Great! Get in line to dance! One at a time, am I right?” Chat joked, glancing over his shoulder to look confidently at the bee heroine. He half-turned when he heard no response from the girl who normally returned his energy.
Queen Bee swallowed thickly, gripping her fists. She didn’t want to hurt them. Not them. Akuma or not, these were Aaron and (A/n). Her aunt and uncle. Her family. The ones who have always been there for her. They have always loved her, even at her lowest.. Even if Papillon was in control, this was still (A/n). She felt sick to her stomach, knowing she had to fight them. She was able to avoid hitting Edith and Xochi earlier… But she didn’t know what to do now.
She was snapped out of it as Aaron managed to land a punch to Chat Noir’s jaw. Queen turned worriedly at the hero who stumbled and rubbed his swollen chin. While the hero was a little disoriented, Aaron reached for the baton in Chat’s hands and threw him towards one of the counters. Chat Noir exclaimed in pain as his back collided with the marble surface.
“That’s right! I’m not fighting them to hurt them. I’m doing it to protect others!” She thought as she readied herself to attack. She punched at a Trendsetter, reducing it to a wisp of powder.
All it took was one hit…
“Chat Noir! They’re made of powder! We need to trigger the fire sprinklers!” Queen Bee called out, “I know I got distracted, that was my bad, but until Ladybug gets here… We need to have each other’s backs! Are you with me?”
Chat Noir looked up with a pained smile, “I thought you’d never ask!” He said dramatically, sitting up and glancing around for something to use. While Queen Bee did everything within her power to fight off the powder copies, the residue of the brawl surrounded her in a cloud of makeup product. As a model, he was aware that not all powder makeup was flammable… But all the dust particles in the air like that made for a fire hazard! “Just need an ignition source…” he thought to himself, only to dodge a downward kick from the strengthened Aaron. The impact of his kick caused a crack to form on the marble. Yikes, just imagine how much that would’ve hurt.
He saw a candle centerpiece on the counter and a handheld lighter right next to it. “Yes!” He exclaimed, grabbing it as he used both of his feet to push Aaron back. “Care to see an old flame?” he joked, running to Queen Bee. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and brought her down to the floor, “Keep your head down!” he exclaimed, lifting his hand as he flicked the lighter on. Suddenly the dust cloud was set ablaze! The smoke reached the sprinklers and made them set off. Dousing everyone in the water. Making all of the powder Trendsetters disappear. Until one remained. The real one! She was distracted as her outfit and makeup were getting wet.
“Alright, to kill time until Ladybug gets here… My kwami taught me this!” Queen Bee called out as she and Chat Noir stood up. “Venom!” Queen Bee called out. The tip of her sabre started to pulsate to a heartbeat. Glowing bright yellow. The golden bell guard of her sword had black stripes beginning to form on it.
“I hope she’s not allergic…” Chat Noir joked. “Also, you know how to use your power now!” he encouraged.
“Thanks, hope it doesn’t sting!” She called out as she charged at the distracted Trendsetter. Ready to paralyze her with her miraculous!
“NOOO!” they heard the voice of a man exclaim.
Aaron jumped in between Queen Bee and Trendsetter. Taking the paralyzing move for his akumatized wife. Even while brainwashed, he strived to protect his wife… That was something that the akuma wouldn’t take from him.
Aaron’s body fell to the ground in an extended position as if he was suspended in the position he was stuck in. Queen Bee stared panicked as she realized she missed! She heard the beeping of her miraculous. Oh no! She had only a few more minutes before she detransformed!
“HOW DARE YOU INJURE MY HUSBAND?!” Trendsetter growled, “I’ll do the same to your housepet!” She readied her powder shield and smoke began to leak again from it.
“I’m not a housepet!” He replied angrily. He began to twirl his baton as a makeshift fan to push the cloud away. But it was proving useless as the amount of smoke was far too much and it was spreading around.
“Chat! Don’t breathe that in!” Queen Bee ordered.
“Easy for you to say! You have a mask!” He replied, annoyed.
“You both have masks!” A feminine voice called out in exasperation. Suddenly a streak of red and pink zipped through the room to grab a flower vase. Flinging it in the direction of Trendsetter, who instinctively blocked it with her shield. Upon shattering it released water, stopping the powder smoke for a moment.
“Now… Why didn’t either of you call me?!” Ladybug said from behind them, hand on her hip as she tapped her foot impatiently at the cat and bee hero.
“Oh, my lady! Fashionably late, I see!” Chat Noir grinned and waved at the spotted heroine. “Uh, we were a little preoccupied, so we couldn’t really walk away to take a call!” he said playfully.
“Thank god, you’re here…. I’m gonna detransform in about 5 minutes! Please, Ladybug… A Lucky Charm sounds really good right about now!” Queen Bee called out.
“... And you’re about to detransform because…?” Ladybug huffed, spinning her yo-yo and whipping it at Trendsetter. Pushing her back and away, distracting her from using that powder move.
“We literally don’t have time for this! Please Ladybug!” Queen Bee said with a roll of her eyes, dodging the bounce back of the yo-yo. Trendsetter stopped using the shield as it proved to be a stalemate, instead, she flared the train of her dress. Extending the blades she grabbed the corner of the hem and began to dance with her sword-like skirt. Fluidly dancing with her weapon.
“Maybe don’t waste your power!” Ladybug snippily replied, retracting her yo-yo and using it to move Chat Noir out of the way of Trendsetter’s blade skirt.
“Again… Hurry! Or do I have to grovel?!” Queen Bee growled as she parried a hit with a striking flash of yellow.
“M’lady, she’s right! We can work out the kinks later! There are people in danger!” Chat Noir said in a rushed panic, helping Queen Bee parry and stop any more attacks, “We’ll hold her back!”
Trendsetter began to spin like a spinning top, the speed and force of it overwhelmed both the cat and bee hero who could only do so much in deflecting it with their sword and baton combo. “AHA! Paris’ mightiest are just a bunch of weaklings!” Trendsetter taunted and laughed like a villainess as she spun dangerously with her blade dress. Stopping every now and then to swing at them.
“So sick of people who follow trends!” Ladybug muttered as she threw her yo-yo in the air, “Lucky charm!” A red and black dotted feather fan materialized. It was one of those huge ones that used to be in burlesque dancing. Ladybug glanced around and with her quick thinking, she rushed over to Queen Bee. With nimble fingers, she swiped the (yellow/black) ribbon from the base of Queen Bee’s ponytail. Using it as a string to wrap around the handle of the fan.
“Chat! Use your cataclysm on that chain holding up the chandelier!” Ladybug ordered, “And give me your baton! Queen, just keep Trendsetter there!”
Chat Noir nodded and moved out of the way, letting Queen handle the villain while he readied his cataclysm. After he tossed the baton at Ladybug, she tied the fan to the end of it.
Trendsetter laughed maniacally and started to high kick with her sharp heels, “Aren’t you tired of following someone else’s order? Sick of dancing to someone else’s rhythm instead of what your heart tells you to? Don’t you want to push people around instead of being the one getting pushed?” She said, kicking dangerously close to Queen Bee’s face. The tip of the sharp stiletto brushed against Queen’s cheek, leaving a scratch.
“You’re the one pushing me and throwing us around! Why should I listen to you? You’re just Papillon’s follower!” Queen Bee yelled out, deflecting a strong kick with her forearm. Close combat was not her strong suit but she’ll do her best.
“ So, you’ll be Ladybug’s follower instead? Come on… Let me work my magic…” She sang sinisterly.
Hearing that familiar phrase… From this akuma… Using (A/n)’s voice… It threw Queen Bee off, and that twisted feeling of guilt started to grow in her stomach again. The sound of creaking brought Queen Bee back to the situation at hand. Oh no, they’re under the chandelier… (A/n) might get hurt! She instinctively lunged forward and pushed Trendsetter out of the way.
“Queen! Why would you do that?!” Ladybug exclaimed, “We had a plan!”
Oh right… I’m Queen Bee now.
“O-oh, I’m sorry I just-” Queen Bee started nervously, only to be cut off by laughter.
“AHAHAHA, you’re too sweet for your own good Queen Bee! This mercy will be your downfall!” Trendsetter laughed as she stood and harshly grabbed Queen Bee’s loose (h/c) hair, yanking it closer to her. Queen Bee hissed in pain and stared panicked at her partners. Who looked equally at a loss. What were they going to do now? Trendsetter readied her shield and yanked the dust mask off of Queen Bee’s face.
“I’ll make you take the miraculouses off of your friend’s bodies!” Powder began to flow from the shield. Queen Bee took in a deep breath and held it in. She was not going to breathe it in! No matter what!
Ladybug thought quickly and used all her strength to fan the powder away, but it wasn’t proving to be very helpful. Her blue eyes realized that the fan wasn’t materialized for its original purpose… She clicked the green paw print on the baton and extended it to Trendsetter’s face, tickling her nose.
“What are you-?! AH AH, ACHOO~!” she sneezed, loosening her grip on Queen Bee’s hair. Queen Bee took the opportunity to use her shoulder to try to shove Trendsetter off of her, but Trendsetter’s hand was still gripping her hair.
“Use your head!” Ladybug called out.
My head? Oh!
Queen Bee reeled her head back and with all her strength she headbutted at Trendsetter, but Trendsetter was quick to use her shield to deflect it, seeing right through her. Her mirror shield caught the impact. “Aha! Nice try!” she taunted. Forgetting that her mirror shield can easily shatter.
“Check your makeup again!” Chat Noir teased.
A nasty crack began to form on the mirror. Split right down the middle. ”NOOO!” Until a black/purple butterfly started to wiggle out the shards, attempting to fly away.
Queen Bee released her breath and rubbed her forehead. Ouch. That was going to sting. Trendsetter fell to her knees and slowly reverted back to (A/n). Queen Bee was quick to get to (A/n)’s level, to check her for injuries while Ladybug purified the akuma and reverted everything back to normal.
“Are you okay ma’am?” she asked gently, worry evident on the young girl’s face.
(A/n) looked disoriented at first, looking around and down at herself, “Where am I? What did I-” (A/n) gasped and gripped Queen Bee’s hand, “Where’s my family?! Where are Aaron and (Y/n)?!”
They heard Ladybug’s ‘Miraculous Ladybug’ chant be called out. The swarm of magical ladybugs began to work their magic and fixed everything. Freeing all of the brainwashed partygoers and fixing all of the damage. Un-paralyzing Aaron and turning him back to his regular self. Getting rid of the bump on Queen Bee’s forehead.
“They’re okay!” Queen Bee cooed softly. Wanting to stay longer to ensure her aunt and uncle were okay before she left… But the second stripe of her miraculous was fading and she had one more stripe left. She had to leave now.
“Ladybug, Chat Noir. I’m about to detransform, will you be okay if I take off?,” she asked.
“Wait, why didn’t you stick to the plan?” Ladybug asked, not maliciously, but out of genuine curiosity.
“I could ask the same thing to you… Prismatica ring any bells?” Queen Bee teased.
“Hey! You’re so-” Ladybug hissed until Chat Noir cut her off.
“Queen, there’s still so much you don’t know about your miraculous. I know you’re headstrong, but you shouldn’t stray too far from our lead…” Chat Noir said playfully, booping the Queen Bee’s forehead, right where the bump was. Making her recoil slightly as she held the tender area. Ouch.
“Ugh, I know I know. I’m sorry… I got nervous! I should’ve called you when I had the chance, Ladybug… But I really don’t know how to do that communicator thing. And I’m not used to fighting…” Queen Bee admitted, rubbing her gloved arm.
“... I guess we can forgive you. You are new here,” Ladybug mused with a defeated sigh. “We didn’t have anyone to walk us through our powers… So, we should cut you some slack…” Being surprisingly understanding for once.
Chat Noir snapped his finger, “You know, we should train her!” he suggested with a toothy grin.
“What?” Ladybug and Queen Bee said in unison.
“You said it yourself, we didn’t have anyone to walk us through the powers, but we can walk her through it! It’ll stop another mistake like this from happening again!” he tried to persuade the two bug girls. “Think about it! Who better to train a new miraculous holder than the current experts!”
Ladybug grimaced, internally a little annoyed to have more on her plate. She had her civilian life to worry about and her superhero life… Now she had to babysit Queen Bee? But Chat Noir had a point… How could she complain that Queen Bee was inexperienced if she wasn’t offering her at least some guidance? Sure, she could be bitter about it since both she and Chat Noir had to learn through trial and error… But the easier this whole situation becomes, the better.
“If it’s not too much trouble,” Queen Bee asked with a small smile, supposing that some mentorship from the two would be very helpful.
“Certainly not!” Chat Noir grinned and suddenly reached to grab Queen Bee’s forearm, surprising her. He pressed his gloved finger against one of the hexagon-shaped elbow pads, releasing what looked like a compact attachment. “Here, I had a hunch from last time that this is where your communicator was!” he said.
Queen Bee took it from Chat’s hand and stared at it in wonder, before flipping it open. It was like a little flip phone! But with a touch screen and a bunch of apps waiting to be tested! She stared amazed at it.
“We’ll work out the details later! Just text us! The clock’s about to chime midnight for our Queen here,” he winked and walked out to the patio with Ladybug, who withdrew her yo-yo to get them out of there before they transformed too.
Ladybug nodded in Queen Bee’s direction as an acknowledgment, holding Chat Noir by his arm as he waved goodbye. They leapt off the balcony and like that they were gone.
Queen Bee was about to leave as well when there was a hand on her shoulder, “Miss! Our niece is still missing!” A panicked (A/n) said. Aaron appeared behind the woman and placed a tender hand on her shoulders to calm her down, “Honey, she has to still be here… I’m sure Ladybug and Chat Noir kept her safe”.
Queen Bee smiled and turned to gently squeeze both of their hands, “Not to worry, ma’am… Your niece was much more worried about the two of you than herself… She’s safe, I ensured she is, and she’ll be glad to see that you’re okay!” she reassured them, her last stripe started to beep.
She stopped on the railing and looked over her shoulder, seeing (A/n) and Aaron staring back at her and smiling gratefully.
“I’m sorry but I’ll be on my way now!” Queen Bee called out, running out of the balcony like the heroes did before her, jumping off and catching herself on the edge to swing herself to the balcony of the room below them. She ducked behind some of the decorative pots and suddenly turned back to (Y/n) in a flash of golden light. Pollen popped out the miraculous and glided around wobbly before she landed on (Y/n)’s lap.
“Phew… That was close…” (Y/n) whispered to her kwami, rubbing the top of Pollen’s head. Before reaching into her purse for an individually wrapped piece of candy, “Here, this will have to do until I can get you something to eat… I might need to carry snacks on me at all times from now on, huh?” She placed the fruit drop in Pollen’s hand.
“Now, you know how to use your ‘venom’! See how draining it is…” Pollen mused with a tired smile, sitting up and unwrapping the colorful paper and popping the hard candy in her mouth.
(Y/n) smiled back and sat back, leaning against the black metal railing. Taking a moment to rest after tonight’s events.
“Pollen. I think I’ve been a little too ahead of myself,” she admitted softly. “I got too used to how nice things have been for me.”
“Mm, but Your Highness-” Pollen protested.
“Not that it’s a bad thing. It means I’ve been getting comfortable. More vulnerable. I’m happy with what I’m becoming. Even if others don’t see it,” she hummed, “Even if I get hurt… I’ll at least have (A/n) and Aaron. They’ve always and will always be there for me… And now I have you!” she scooped up Pollen and brought her close to kiss her cheek.
Pollen smiled and nodded, “Yes!”
(Y/n) smiled back. Glancing to her side, watching the scenery of the city at night. She took in a breath through her nose and exhaled peacefully.
“We should head back upstairs…” She mused to Pollen, standing up with her kwami in the palm of her hands.
She glanced through the glass doors of the balcony and fortunately saw that it was just an empty room. However, her smile dropped when tugged on the handle and it was locked.
“Don’t worry, I got this!” Pollen said cheerfully as she phased through the glass.
Huh. Pollen wasn’t lying before. She really can phase through physical barriers.
“(Y/n)!” she heard her guardians exclaim as they ran up to her. Both of them sighed in relief as they hugged her. (A/n) had the faintest trace of tears forming in the corner of her eyes.
“Thank god… I thought I hurt you…” she sniffled as she wiped them away with the side of her index fingers.
“I’m okay… Queen Bee found me and tucked me away on a random balcony. She told me to hide until she gave me the okay!” (Y/n) lied effortlessly, smiling as she hugged them back.
In the background, Edith and Xochi looked around their home for any guests that remained. Offering them to pay for their cabs home. Giving them gift baskets. Expensive party favors. Offering apologies. Compensation. Anything to uphold their reputation. Being famous had its struggles. Though, they made it very clear that they weren’t upset with (A/n). “Who in Paris hasn't been akumatized once or twice?” They said with a smile and shrug.
“(Y/n), honey… I’m sorry I overreacted like that… I just, we get so protective of you because we’ve seen you grow up and we’ve been there with you through each step and-” (A/n) began to ramble. But (Y/n) shook her head and leaned up to kiss her aunt’s cheek.
“I know. I understand… (A/n) you’ve always been like a big sister to me. I’d get mad too. I’d wanna do everything I can to protect you and Aaron,” (Y/n) comforted the adult woman, who teared up at her niece’s sweet words. Aaron smiled at both the girls and rubbed his wife’s back.
“(Y/n) (L/n), was it?” They heard an older man’s voice behind them. The three looked up and saw an unhappy-looking Gabriel Agreste. Xochi and Edith stood behind him, looking apologetic as if they didn’t want this to happen either. Instinctively, both the aunt and uncle stood to shield the girl.
“What do you want, Agreste?” (A/n) practically growled at him.
“... I wanted to retract my statement,” he said calmly.
“W-what statement?” (Y/n) spoke up from behind her guardians. Yeah, Gabriel still scared her but she had (A/n) and Aaron.
“I remembered that my assistant mentioned something about a transfer student befriending my son. That our chauffeur noticed Adrien’s mood be somewhat lifted as of lately…” he continued.
“Y-yeah?” (Y/n) gulped.
“... And I suppose… if he wants to interact with a transfer student from America. Then, I shall allow it,” he said, looking down at the girl. “Under the grounds that it is temporary of course. You have a limited amount of time here. And so far, you’ve entertained my son. What kind of a parent would I be if I can’t allow him that?”
A really shitty one. I mean like shittier. If that was possible. He still won’t apologize for the hurtful things he said earlier.
“Are you kidding me, she’s not some foster pet!” Aaron spoke up firmly. Normally as the sensitive one, this surprised everyone.
“R-right!” (A/n) backed him up, taken aback by her husband raising his voice like that.
“Wait. I’ll agree…” (Y/n) spoke up, her voice unwavering even as she stared back at Gabriel. Her guardians were surprised and were ready to protest when (Y/n) spoke up, “I know I’ll leave at the end of the year. This was just for one school year. But, the time I spend with my friends and family in Paris is precious. I’ll take whatever chance I can take. For me. And for Adrien” she replied confidently.
“Very well…” Gabriel nodded and started to walk away.
“Wait, Mr. Agreste…” (Y/n) called out, almost chasing after him.
“Yes?” he turned.
“Just one more thing…” she said with a hopeful smile.
Adrien sat quietly in the limousine, looking down at his shoes, as his father sat silently next to him. The silence was killing him. He was used to it normally, but after everything that happened at the party… He expected the worst. It was due to happen soon… They arrived at home. Gabriel walked ahead of him once inside the mansion. He was a few steps ahead on the giant staircase when he stopped and turned to look at his son.
“... Your… ‘friend’ sent you this. She wanted to make sure you received one too” he said as he lightly tossed a paper bag in his son’s hands.
“Friend? Y-you mean-?” Adrien said hopefully.
“I’ll allow it for the time being… Now, if I hear any problems that arise from that ‘friendship’, then I’ll retract my offer,” he said, turning back to continue walking away.
“Thank you father” he heard Adrien say as he took another step.
But not before Gabriel felt a pair of arms quickly snake around his waist and legs, giving him a light squeeze, before hurriedly running up the stairs.
“What is it? What is it? Cheese?” Plagg asked excitedly as he waited for his holder to open the colorful paper bag.
Adrien, now freshly bathed and in his pajamas, sat in front of his coffee table and gently dumped out the contents of the bag onto the table. Out fell some fancy individually wrapped chocolates and candies, a gift card to a toy store, some cheap party favor trinkets like a toy car, stickers, and a vial of bubbles. Adrien was a little confused. (Y/n) wanted him to have this?
Out of the bag fell a rolled-up napkin? He reached for it and unwrapped it. Inside there was a choquette. It was light squished but still somewhat intact. He noticed a bit of ink on the inside of the semi-transparent paper. He took out the pastry and unfolded the paper to see that what was written on the napkin was: “Saved you one! :) ” He chuckled to himself when his phone buzzed.
*(Y/n)- You forgot your gift bag!
*(Y/n)- All the kids at the party were supposed to get one!
*(Y/)- It’s normal to receive one at the end of a party.
Normal…
*Adrien- Thank you.
*Adrien- I’m sorry for my father.
*Adrien- Are we still friends?
*(Y/n) is typing…
He stared at his phone. Watching as the blinking text bubble kept appearing and disappearing. Worry bubbling in the pit of his stomach.
*(Y/n) sent a voice message.
He swallowed thickly before pressing it.
“Of course we are. We’ll always be friends” he heard her voice confirm.
Adrien sat back on his couch with a smile, seeing Plagg eye the choquette in his hand. He playfully shook his head and handed it to his kwami, who swallowed it in one bite.
“Ew, Plagg!” He complained with a laugh. Looking back down at his phone. Thinking about calling (Y/n).
“Mnn, ish swheet!” The kwami whined about the sugary taste of the pastry with his little mouthful.
“... Yeah, she is sweet isn’t she?” Adrien replied, unaware that Plagg wasn’t referring to (Y/n).
Plagg swallowed the food in his mouth and grinned knowingly.
“Ohhh?” He hummed teasingly.
“... What?” Adrien turned to look at his kwami, innocently confused.
“Nothing~ Hey, I want some of that candy!” Plagg said, flying over to rummage through the treats on the table. Adrien laughed and shook his head, watching Plagg get distracted by the shiny toy car. He was definitely a cat kwami for sure.
Adrien just stood up, petting Plagg’s head in the process, walking over to his bed. He clicked the call button next to (Y/n)’s name as he lied down.
"Hey, (Y/n)"
Notes:
Here's the link to my Ko-Fi in case you wanted to support my work! Don't feel pressured, but anything's appreciated :) : https://ko-fi.com/shinyamour
Chapter 12: Bubbler
Notes:
Sorry for the late update, everyone! Life sure is full of surprises, haha. Didn't think I'd take so long just to publish. Still here, promise! <3
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Queen Bee sat on the ledge of the top of the Eiffel Tower, swinging her legs as she just watched the night scenery. She raised her arm and tapped the yellow hexagon elbow pad. With a small click, her communicator came loose and she flipped it open. She absentmindedly looked through all the magical applications. GPS… Search engine… Tracker… Camera… Gallery… It all looked pretty standard.
“Pollen said the miraculouses have been around for centuries… But it’s kinda odd to see that they acclimate to modern-day technological standards…” she thought to herself. Flicking through the basic functions of the phone-like compact.
She pulled up the group chat she had with the other heroes. And read it over again.
*QB- Hello!
*QB- When would be a good day/night to meet up for a training session?
Those messages were sent out the night she learned how to use the communicator—almost three days ago. And yet the only one who replied immediately was Chat Noir. He replied within the hour.
*CN- How about Sunday night?
*QB- Any night works for me! I have a super open availability.
*CN- Never heard of “super open availability” before. Is that a new hero?
*QB- -_-
*QB- So Sunday night? What time?
*CN- You have no appreciation for my humor.
*CN- 8:30 pm on the Eiffel Tower?
*QB- *thumbs up*
Read by Ladybug, Chat Noir
“Guess Ladybug won’t be here tonight…” She hummed. Leaning back with one hand, she browsed the smartphone-like apparatus with the other.
Queen Bee brought out a side in (Y/n) that she didn’t know she had. She was ambitious. Confident. Brave. (Y/n) was smart and creative, but nervous to show it. But when she’s Queen Bee she has no fear. That’s probably why it was so easy for Queen Bee to be honest. To be snippy. To easily return the attitude to Ladybug. In this mask, she was a hero like Ladybug and Chat Noir. They were chosen to be partners. They had to reach an understanding together at some point. Chat Noir was clearly the one warming up to Queen Bee the quickest.
But maybe that’s why Ladybug was so… prickly.
Maybe she felt like another hero being chosen meant she wasn’t doing her job well. That the Guardian thought the two needed backup.
(Y/n) read once in a book that the fear of a replacement/discomfort to a new addition stemmed from a lack of self-confidence in themselves or their abilities...
There was no way Ladybug, the Ladybug, was feeling that… Right?
“You’re early. Eager to spend some time with Chat Noir~?” She heard a voice break her out of her thoughts.
“I was taking some time to figure out my communicator. It’s like one of those fancy Japanese flip phones with good processors that can run up-to-date apps,” she mused, not even glancing in his direction as she played with the map application.
Oh wow. It loads up 3D floor plans??
“Kids these days… Tsk tsk” he sighed playfully, walking up behind her to take her communicator out of her hands. “They don’t want to train anymore these days, instead they have their noses buried in their phones,” he joked, grinning at her from above.
She craned her head to stare up at him unamused. “You do realize you took that from royalty, right?” She joked back, breaking out into a little smile. “Besides, you’re making it sound like I’m some sort of child,” she said as she stood up and tried to swipe the communicator back.
“You are. You’re a child in my eyes. Sweet innocent little baby bee taking her first steps as a hero. Her first flight!” he cooed playfully, moving out of her reach with her communicator in his hand. “Strays love taking things that don’t belong to them, Your Highness ~” he purred and grinned.
What a charmer… Bet the ladies love that.
She thought sarcastically. She sighed and stood up, “Yeah, alright. I’ll bite. Give it back,” she said politely as she tried to reach for it again. Just for him to quickly move out of the way. Waving it with a cheeky grin to taunt her. She was not amused.
“Ah ah ah, today’s lesson. You need faster reflexes! Be more… cat-like! Who better to teach you than the Chat Noir? Haha, now. Take it if you can!” He said, dodging her hand as she lunged forward.
“My reflexes are fine, thank you very much-!” She huffed only to let out a “WHOA!” When a red and black spotted yo-yo wrapped around her ankle with a quick zip. Pulling her to fall onto her butt.
“Not fast enough!” Ladybug’s voice said teasingly as she walked up to them, hiding a laugh behind her gloved hand, “Sorry, I’m late you two”.
Queen Bee narrowed her eyes and stood up with a pout, rubbing her bottom. “Okay okay, faster reflexes I get it! So, how am I supposed to learn this- Ah!” she dodged a yo-yo from Ladybug, it ‘thwipped’ past her head. Almost hitting the back of her head. “Hey! What if that hit me?” She turned and huffed at the red-clad heroine.
“That’s why you have to dodge it,” she teased. “Look, I get it… You’re not used to fighting. But there will be times when all you have is your wit. And sometimes you need to stay safe long enough to step back and think,” Ladybug explained, casually spinning her yo-yo.
“M’lady has a point. We have seen you in action. You have good potential, you’re quick thinking but…”Chat Noir began.
“But your reactions are slow sometimes,” Ladybug finished the thought.
“Oh, but you’re brave!” Chat Noir added.
“But too reckless,” Ladybug deadpanned.
“Okay, okay, I get it. There's no need to keep the compliment parade going,” Queen Bee said unamused, crossing her arms. “So? What will I be doing? I… Trust both of you. You’re the miraculous experts, so guide me. Tell me what to do.“
Ladybug and Chat Noir shared a look and smiled.
“Simple, dodge my yo-yo as you try to get your communicator, “ Ladybug said, flicking it toward Queen Bee’s feet. Queen Bee smirked and did a backward flip to avoid it, balancing herself on one hand. Showing off a bit.
Only for Chat Noir to poke her, throwing her off balance.
“Whoa, hey! I thought only Ladybug was supposed to attack!” Queen Bee complained, falling onto her back. Staring up at the two heroes while lying on her back.
“Hey, just teaching you a lesson to expect the unexpected and that I’m the only one allowed to show off here!” Chat Noir teased as Queen Bee glared at him. He stuck his tongue out at her and she readied to playfully smack him. Ladybug cut in and stopped the two from fighting like children.
“Now now, you two. Time for our lesson, I don’t have all day, I have an important ‘project’ to finish,” Ladybug said with a chuckle, clapping her hands to turn the attention back to her, much like a teacher clapping her hands to get the attention of her elementary students.
“She started it,” Chat Noir joked, grinning. Making Queen Bee roll her eyes and gently push him aside.
“Alright alright, bring it on!” Queen Bee said with a smile, standing up and getting into a stance.
(Y/n) woke up the next day feeling sore. Ladybug’s yo-yo packed a pretty punch. She was sure she'd have bruises if not for the Queen Bee suit. Each and every move she made her muscles ache. The rest of the day at school was sure to be torture. It didn’t help that she had physical education today…
She sat at her kitchen table, stirring a bowl of oatmeal around as she watched the morning news. Pollen was sitting on the tabletop beside her, chewing on toast with jam.
Aaron and (A/n) left early that morning so it was fine for the kwami to be out and about, even if there was a possibility that the cat might chase Pollen. Coco had a little rivalry going on with Pollen. It was her goal to catch the kwami.
“Huh, there’s going to be a new Egyptian exhibit at the Louvre…” (Y/n) replied with a hum, eating a spoonful of oatmeal. Her eyes were glued to the TV.
Pollen happily chewed the jammy toast when her antennae twitched, hearing a buzz coming from the cell phone charging in (Y/n)’s room. Pollen swallowed and wiped her mouth with a napkin before speaking, “Your Highness, your cell phone is ringing!” she spoke.
(Y/n) glanced over in the direction and sighed, she knew what it was. It’s been the same call for the past few days since the party disaster.
(A/n) admitted everything that night. How (Y/n)’s mother had been ‘trying’ to get in contact with (Y/n). How she was coming to Paris next week for a work conference. How she wanted to see her daughter. And (A/n) admitted how worried she was. How she had no idea how to bring it up without upsetting (Y/n). That all she wanted was to keep the young girl happy.
And it did. It made (Y/n) happy to hear that her aunt cared for her to that extent. But (Y/n) was open with (A/n). She truthfully revealed that she had no intentions to speak with her mother. At least not yet. She wanted more time to be comfortable and settle in. And (A/n) was understanding, even though she felt a little guilty for not telling (Y/n) sooner. But the two agreed that maybe at least meeting for lunch should be alright. Or otherwise, maybe her mother would have second thoughts about letting her daughter study in another country.
To be honest, (Y/n) was a little upset that her mother didn’t call her personally until (A/n) told her to. But her mother was always like this. Uncaring to her daughter until someone else called her out on it. Her mother’s intentions were always transparent. But that’s just how she always was. And she always will be.
(Y/n) learned that the hard way.
“It’s okay, Pollen. Let’s get ready for school,” (Y/n) cooed to her kwami, rubbing the top of the bee’s head with her index finger.
“Mm hmm, make sure to stretch for today’s Physical Education class!” The kwami chimed in. Making the teenage girl groan.
“Don’t remind me!” She complained and Pollen laughed.
“Come on Adrien. How about a pair of headphones?” Nino said to his blond friend as they sat on the steps to the school, playing around with the vial of bubble mix that Adrien gave him from the party favor he received.
“I have some!” Adrien replied with a small laugh.
“... Trendy sneakers?” Nino suggested.
“Already have the latest Agreste designs at home. Even the ones yet to be released,” Adrien said with a shrug.
“Ughh, there has to be something you want for your birthday! Come on, friend. Let your buddy, Nino, know!” Nino coaxed his friend with a smile, blowing on the bubble wand. Watching peacefully as they floated to the sky.
“Hmm… Let me think about it…” Adrien said with a smile, crossing his arms and closing his eyes in thought. “Hmmmm, I don’t really have anything I need…” he said, cracking an eye open.
“Not ‘need’ but want!” Nino said with his own chuckle, “I’m not trying to gift you socks or anything, dude”.
Adrien laughed and leaned back on his hands, looking to the sky. What did he want? Honestly, there was plenty he wanted. More freedom. Affection from his father. Ladybug’s love. Camembert that didn’t stink. Time to spend with his friends…
“Friends huh? I wonder where (Y/n) is…” Adrien thought to himself. Being reminded of the conversations the two shared after the night with Trendsetter. How he kept apologizing to (Y/n) on his father’s behalf. How he wished the party didn’t end like that…
“Party, huh?” he thought aloud, unaware that he spoke his thoughts. Imagining a party. A simple birthday party. With a homemade cake. Games. Snacks. Music. Friends.
“A party! That’s a great idea!” Nino said with a smile, wrapping an arm around Adrien’s shoulder and gently shaking him from side to side.
“Oh! I-I don’t think my father would approve of it…” Adrien admitted in a small voice.
“What? Why wouldn’t he? It’s a party for your birthday!” Nino said, still smiling. Getting a little carried away with his grand idea, “Just imagine it! We get a cake from Marinette’s, Alya will film the party, you’ll get tons of presents from our friends, and I’ll DJ! Doesn’t that sound so fun?”
In all honesty, it did. It was everything Adrien would want. A normal birthday party with his classmates. But there's just no way his father would allow Adrien to have a party. Gabriel already lost it when (Y/n) was just trying to dance with him. He’d call all of his friends bad influences and delinquents…
“Like I said-” Adrien began.
“Look, just ask! There’s nothing wrong with just asking him!” Nino encouraged.
Adrien grimaced internally, aware that it wasn’t going to be that easy. But… He was willing to try. The possibility of a party was greatly outweighing his doubts. The party represented so much more to him. It was about his childhood. Other kids his age had birthdays like this. Ones where the parents planned parties for them. Why couldn’t he have that?
Nino’s easygoing smile made it seem possible. Like it was that easy. Like it was just inevitable.
Adrien sighed before he smiled, “I’ll try. I’ll ask Father,” he said.
Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to ask. What’s the worst that could happen?
Adrien glanced towards the crosswalk across the school and saw (Y/n) walking with her nose buried in her phone. Probably playing that game she liked, he thought with a smile. Ready to get up and tease her, until he saw her make a face. Frowning down at her phone before sighing and answering a phone call.
“What happened?” he thought to himself, snapping out of it when he felt Nino tug him away to chat with Kim, Max, and Alix.
He kept glancing back at her, even as he tried to focus on what his friends were saying. She was pacing around. Listening intently but not losing the furrow of her brows and tensing of her jaw. It was as if she had a lot to say, but she was holding back. Who was she talking to?
“-ing. So, what do you guys think?” he heard Nino ask the group.
“Adrien’s birthday party? Count us in!” Kim said excitedly, turning to Max and Alix. Who nodded in agreement.
Adrien cut in with a ‘whoa, whoa’ and smiled sheepishly, “Nothing’s been decided. Besides, I haven’t asked Father yet” he said politely to his friends. But it was a tad bit too late to contain their excitement as they kept happily spitting out ideas and plans for the party that had yet to happen. If it even happened. Adrien couldn’t help but be swept up in their excitement, they were happy to celebrate his birthday. And it warmed his heart.
When was the last time he looked forward to his birthday?
Nino glanced at his best friend with a proud smile. Deadset on fulfilling his birthday wish. After all, Adrien deserved it. He was a good friend. A good student. A good son. The first-period bell rang and Nino wrapped an arm around Adrien’s shoulder, pulling him along towards the inside of the school. Unaware of the blond’s gaze lingering on the girl who stayed behind.
“That promotion means so much to me. I’ve been slaving away all these nights and I finally have it! Just imagine it. Your mother, now a Director of International Sales, is on her way to VP of the company! And it just so happened that our product conference will take place in the Palais des Congres. So I thought I could see what you were up to!” (Y/n) heard from the other end.
(Y/n) stayed quiet with her lips in a tight line. Closing her eyes and rubbing her temples. She hated it when her mother did this.
If you wanted to know what I was up to, you could’ve called anytime. It’s been almost a month, and you’re talking to me like an old coworker.
She held back a sigh and tilted her head up as she watched the sky. Well, she was late to her class now. With a saddened smile, she walked over to the school's steps, plopping down on a stone step.
Might as well be comfy.
“Uh huh…” (Y/n) mused softly, poking the hard stone with her fingernail. Placing her hand on the graininess of the flat surface. Focusing on the sensation to calm her emotions. “Mom… I kinda have to go now… It’s been nice catching up. But… I’m late to my class,” she brought up nervously.
But her mother’s rambling didn’t stop.
“Finally everything is looking up for me! Aren’t you happy for me?” Her mother asked.
She imagined herself. Suddenly, a child again. Waiting. Standing atop of a stage. Accepting an academic award. Looking to the audience, but she’s not there.
Happy for you?
(Y/n) steeled herself and calmly responded with a “Yes”. The tips of her fingers pointlessly gripping at the stone. Gripping with enough desperation to where it felt like the skin was tingling. Burning. Stinging.
She heard talking from others in the background of the call. Her mother was probably at work right now or out for dinner with her coworkers.
“Ooh! Looks like I have to go now. I’ll see you sometime next week! Bye!” Her mother hurriedly said, looks like she was getting pulled away by her friends.
“Bye, mom. I love- *click* you…” she finished the sentence despite the interruption. Closing her eyes, facing upwards, and letting out a shaky sigh.
She hung up.
Her (e/c) opened and she stared at the clouds as they drifted. The sunlight reflected off of the gloss layer of saline on her eyes.
“Your Highness? Was that-?” She heard Pollen’s voice.
“Yeah. It was,” (Y/n) said somewhat abruptly. Not wanting to be rude, but… She didn’t want to risk her voice breaking.
“... Are you okay?” Pollen asked, popping her head out from (Y/n)’s hood.
(Y/n) didn’t say anything. She just quietly nodded her head.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Pollen asked worriedly, nuzzling against the side of (Y/n)’s neck.
The girl swallowed thickly and finally looked down at her lap. Placing her hands on her lap. “Maybe later… I gotta go to class first…” she spoke. “I don’t want to think about this… Not right now.”
“... Okay. I’ll be here, (Y/n),” Pollen reassured, before starting her retreat back to the hood. Stopping when she felt the girl tremble.
(Y/n) inhaled through her nose and slowly exhaled through her mouth. She swallowed thickly before her lip began to tremble. “S-sorry, I lied. I’m not okay…” she gasped out, desperately trying to hold back her crying.
“Ohh, Your Highness… (Y/n)....” Pollen cooed, poking her head back out and nuzzling against (Y/n)’s cheek.
“I’m sorry, I tried. It's just. I-I hate this,” (Y/n) sobbed softly, covering her face with her hands.
“It’s okay… We don’t have to talk about it,” Pollen reassured.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m being silly. All you’ve done is listen to my problems. You’re much more than my private therapist, Pollen. I don’t want you to feel like you always have to fix my problems” (Y/n) rambled as she wiped at her tears with her sleeves.
“I don’t think that way at all! There’s no fixing. Just comforting!” Pollen said with a smile. “Just trying to cheer up my friend!”
(Y/n) continued to wipe away at her face as she tried to force herself to stop crying.
“Don’t apologize for crying. Crying is natural! As natural as breathing!” The kwami continued to comfort the girl. “Let out all your negative emotions to make room for the positive!”
…
(Y/n)’s lips curled into a smile. She chuckled through a sniffle, “I don’t think crying equates to breathing…” she added playfully. Wiping at her nose. Until she took off her backpack strap and rummaged for some tissue to blow her nose.
“It is!” Pollen argued gently. “Babies cry just as easily as they breathe!”
(Y/n) choked out a little laugh, hiding her smile behind a crumpled tissue. “Am I a baby to you?” She teased.
“No, that’s not what I mean at all silly!” Pollen huffed, pouting her cheeks. Making the girl laugh. She stopped and took in a deep breath again. Looking up, watching the clouds drift by.
“I know what you meant, Pollen. Loud and clear. And, thank you. It’s so… Warm and sweet. You know, back then, my mood would’ve been so soured after a call like this. I would’ve left. Retreated back to my room. I would’ve just hidden away from it all,” (Y/n) admitted as she looked down at her reddened hand. Brushing the palm with her other hand. “But, I guess all I needed was someone behind me,” she said with a smile.
“Maybe someone small enough to fit in my hood. Hmm, they need to have a big appetite too… Ah, but they have to be very patient. They have to guide this troubled girl, and help her see the positives,” she teased as she began to stand up. She stopped and turned to see Pollen, staring at her with glazing blue eyes. “Someone who has my back. And someone who I’m proud to call my best friend”, she said.
“Aww, Your Highness!!” Pollen cried tears of appreciation, hugging (Y/n)’s cheek.
“Cry all you want, it’s as easy as breathing,” (Y/n) joked, cupping Pollen’s small head and nuzzling back.
“That’s my line!” Pollen laughed through her tears.
“Here, you cry as easily as a baby,” the girl teased, using a clean tissue to wipe at the kwami’s cheek.
I’m sure I would’ve been saved if I had met you earlier… Thank you, Pollen.
(Y/n) stepped into the classroom, a little late but with puffy eyes and a smile. Madame Bustier stopped in the middle of her reading of a passage. Her teal-ish eyes widened in worry at the sight of the girl. But (Y/n) waved it off and walked up to her seat, smiling to herself as she took out her textbook and flipped it open to the section on Enlightenment and Descartes.
Nathaniel even stared at her a little weirdly. But he was far too awkward to ask her if she was okay. In his mind, she hadn’t forgiven him yet for his comments from their first meeting. So, he sat there with a tightlipped line of a smile. Only nodding in acknowledgement when she made eye contact with him.
(Y/n) paid it no mind. Jumping into the lesson. Ignoring the way a green eyed boy kept looking back over his shoulders.
Adrien was determined to talk to (Y/n). He waited until the end of the lesson to approach the girl, walking up the steps to her seat. Only to be stopped by a pair of arms sneaking around his shoulders.
“Ohh Adri-joux!!! Your birthday is coming up! I hope you’ll be joining Daddy and me for dinner that day!” Chloe’s voice rang out, catching the attention of everyone in the class. Suddenly it became talk of the class.
“Adrien’s planning on throwing a party!” Nino replied coolly to the classmates surrounding his best friend.
“Oh wow, a party? Hope you’re planning on inviting the whole class, Adrien,” Alya added with a wink, elbowing her blue haired friend next to her.
Feeling like all the attention was on him, he nervously shook off his childhood friend’s arms and smiled sheepishly. “Oh, no no. It hasn’t been confirmed or anything-” he tried to wave it off.
“I’m gonna DJ, and I’m hoping everyone can pitch in!” Nino went ahead and interrupted the blond boy.
“Nino-....” Adrien turned to look at his friend, almost as if wanting to tell him to stop with his eyes.
“I wanna help!” Rose pitched in with a friendly smile.
“Me too!” Juleka added in.
And just like that, it felt like it was out of his control. Out of his reach. He knew he should speak up but his friends were talking so happily. So eager to plan a party for him. Did he not want to crush their joy? Or maybe… he was just clinging onto the hope that this would work out?
Adrien sighed as he walked by a group of chattering students. Nino was in the middle. Surrounded by all of their classmates. Smiling as they continued to plan the birthday party. It was too late now. He couldn’t crush Nino like this. He grimaced to himself. Sighing as he walked to his usual spot, where (Y/n) was waiting for him.
(Y/n) chewed on a grape and snuck one into her hood. Copying down Adrien’s notes that she missed from the morning. He handed them to her and asked to meet up for lunch. She was a bit confused, since his lunch was usually spent with Nino. But she agreed. She was sitting on the steps to the second floor, picking at her lunch while she caught up on her classwork.
“How’s it going?” Adrien asked as he approached the girl and took a seat on the first step to the stairs.
“Good, just about done. Thanks again for the notes, I didn't think I missed that much from the lesson,” she added as continued to write, nonchalantly popping another grape in her mouth.
“Yeah, Madame Bustier played a video where we had to take notes. Too bad you missed it,” he added awkwardly, taking out a meal prepped container. He sighed defeatedly to himself, thinking it’d be bland like the other healthy nutritional meals Natalie had curated for him. He nervously tapped his finger against the lid as he tried to find a way to ask her what happened this morning.
“So…” he cleared his throat. “If not for that call, you would’ve been early huh?” he suddenly asked. Regretting his choice of words as soon as he said it.
“Oh… You saw?” she asked, still writing. Not looking up. Shrugging it off as she rummaged for a highlighter in her bag.
He swallowed nervously and nodded, “Yeah… Is everything okay?” he asked, turning to look at her. Earnestly, with sincerity and concern in his eyes.
She finally looked up and to his surprise, she smiled. “Yeah, everything is okay. Just a little nervous… My uh, my mom finally called me,” she admitted.
“O-oh, are you sure? We can talk. I’m here,” he added quickly.
She shook her head gently at him but continued to smile, “I know. She wants to uh, ‘visit’ me next week. See how I’m doing, you know… I’m not too worried about it”.
Her mom? He thought. She glazed over the subject of her parents for a while. But he had never questioned it, since she said her aunt and uncle were her guardians. He respected her silence on the topic, just as much as she did for him and his father.
He breathed in relief. He was worried, seeing her walk in with puffy reddened eyes… But he trusted her. In her words and her smile. Surely, she would reach out to him if she needed to. And he’d be there.
“So… Speaking of parents, is your father okay with throwing you a party?” she asked curiously. She encountered Gabriel. She got to meet the man and needless to say, she knew he wouldn’t be this encouraging of a party. Even if it was for his son.
Visually he deflated, like he let out a breath he had been holding for the longest time. He slumped in his seat and held his head in his hands as he looked down. “No! I haven’t even asked yet. I’m too nervous to ask!” he admitted.
(Y/n) pursed her lips, she thought as much. Gabriel Agreste sucked. There was just no way he’d agree to have his son invite his ‘simple’ classmates to their mansion for a party. “Then, why aren’t you stopping Nino?” she asked curiously.
“...Look at him. He’s so happy. He wants to do this for me. And, seeing him work so hard for me… It makes me so glad to have him as my friend. And, I’m too scared to admit to him that all of this… is for nothing,” he admitted softly.
(Y/n) glanced at the boy in question. Seeing Nino gives a thumbs up to a banner design that Rose and Nathaniel worked on. Asking the kids in the art club for materials for decorations. Talking to Alya about maybe having her mom cater. For a party that was probably never going to happen.
“Nino… He hasn’t met your father yet?” she asked warily, turning to see Adrien fiddle with a cherry tomato in his container. He shook his head.
Oh…
With a straight-lined smile, she nodded and stared down at her packed lunch. She took a bite from her ham and cheese sandwich, chewing as she tried to find the right thing to say. She swallowed, “Well, um, if your father made an exception for me, well maybe…” she brought up.
“Yeah, but you’re different. You’re a transfer student… My father’s okay because you’re… leaving,” he moped as he stabbed some vegetables and started to chew on it.
Suddenly the mood became a little heavier. It wasn’t unknown to anyone that her time here was limited. But it wasn’t a nice thought. Nobody wanted to acknowledge it. Not even her aunt and uncle. After all, at the end of the school year (Y/n) had to go back.
She placed her sandwich back in the plastic container. And scooted down a couple steps to sit next to him. “Hey, I’m just suggesting… If you asked your dad… and he were to say no. Maybe I can help you convince him too. The worst he can do is try to scare me off again” she joked.
But he didn’t think it was funny. “(Y/n). You were shaking. He insulted your family,” he reminded her.
He was right. But, after that night, she realized something. Threats and words aren’t as scary when you have someone waiting for you. Someone willing to stand behind you, to support you, when things feel or look scary. She had Pollen, Aaron, and (A/n). Adrien too. But Adrien needed more support. After meeting Gabriel, she realized that he too, had a parent that he was afraid to place his trust in. It must be hurting him to come home to an empty house, where he wasn’t even sure his father was waiting for him.
“Yeah, well… I’m a few days stronger now,” she said with a smile. “Besides, I’m sure Nino just wants you to be happy. And I do too”.
“How can I be happy when you two could get hurt?” he asked with a shake of his head.
“We feel the same way. How can we be happy knowing you’re not?” she argued back. “Besides, you’re asking a question. You’re not demanding total autonomy. I’m sure if we tried. Maybe we can reach some understanding…”
Adrien stayed quiet and continued to stare down his lunch. Blinking in surprise when (Y/n) thrusted a plastic box of grapes and crackers in his view.
“It doesn’t hurt to try…” she suggested, “No matter what, we’re still friends”.
He stared at her and sighed softly, “Since when were you this…” he trailed off.
“Convincing?” she asked with a teasing smile.
“No, brave,” he finished the thought with a smile of his own.
“I guess having a friend to share ‘baggage’ with sort of helps,” she said with a shrug, “Learned from the best after all”.
He playfully shook his head and took some grapes. The two ate their lunch in a comfortable silence. (Y/n) shared some of hers and talked to him about other random things. Classwork. Something funny Coco did.
And before they both knew it, lunch was over and they had to part ways.
“Oh wow, Adrien’s birthday! It’s been a long time since I’ve celebrated a human’s birthday!” Pollen marveled as she flew around (Y/n)’s head as the girl sat at her desk, gently braiding some colorful thread together.
“It’s been a while for me too,” (Y/n) admitted as she glanced up at the kwami.
“But what about your birthday? Or your friend’s?” Pollen as curiously.
Suddenly a flash of green-hazel eyes brought a shudder down the girl’s spine, “Uhhh, rather not talk about it. But when I was in elementary school, I’d always look forward to the gifts… Not because I wanted more toys but because it felt nice to have people think of me” she said with a shrug, threading a string over the other.
“We can celebrate your birthday this year!!! Oh, it’ll be so fun!” Pollen said excitedly.
(Y/n) smiled and nodded, “Maybe we can celebrate your birthday too!” she replied to the kwami.
“Oh, I don’t have a birthday. I can’t say I remember when I came into existence. Although technically, when my miraculous was forged was when I could first have contact with humans!” Pollen explained with a cute smile. Even though she had just unloaded a lot of information onto the girl.
(Y/n) blinked. “Wait, what? How old are you, Pollen???” She asked.
“Hmm, well I’ve been around since the creation of the universe! Long before there was life! But, I guess I didn’t have a physical form until more than 5,000 years ago?” Pollen said casually as she stopped flying and sat in front of (Y/n).
…
“You’re how old???” (Y/n) asked again, dumbly taken aback by this information. Making Pollen chuckle behind her hand.
Their laughter and banter was cut short as she saw her phone ringing. It was charging on her nightstand and suddenly began to vibrate.
Confused, she stood up and saw an unknown number on the screen.
Huh. Who could be calling me?
It stopped ringing. Only to light up again. A single text message on the lock screen.
*Unknown Number- Hey, it’s Nino. I need to talk to you.
Notes:
Here's the link to my Ko-Fi in case you wanted to support my work! Don't feel pressured, but anything's appreciated :) : https://ko-fi.com/shinyamour
Chapter Text
(Y/n) snatched the phone in a hurry and stared incredulously at her phone.
Nino?! What was he doing calling her? She bit her lip nervously and looked over to the kwami that was adding beads to a string. Happily making a bracelet, or maybe a necklace? Humming to a song that was playing on the radio in the room. She really didn’t want to get the kwami involved in her problems again… She took a deep breath.
Remember. You’re brave. It’s just Nino.
She exhaled softly and looked up, “Pollen. Can I step out for a call?” she asked.
Pollen nodded with a smile, “Of course, your Highness!”
Smiling back, she stepped onto the balcony with Pollen on her side. Tapping the call-back button.
“Hello?” she asked nervously.
“Noo!! One more game!” She heard the cry and whining of a little boy?
“Sorry, one sec!” Nino responded before the call was suddenly placed on mute.
Huh. Nino must have a little brother.
She leaned on the balcony railing and patiently waited, watching cars drive by and a flock of pigeons fly out of the trees in the nearby park.
“Sorry about that. My brother wanted to keep playing,” she heard his voice and the faint sound of a door closing. He probably went to hide in his room.
“It’s okay. I probably should’ve texted you first,” she replied stiffly. How did she talk to him again? Without Adrien here, it was super awkward…
“Nah, you’re good. I called you first,” he said.
… What now?
“Um, you said you wanted to talk to me?” she brought up nervously.
“Yeah. So, you probably heard that we were planning on throwing Adrien a birthday party… And…” Nino started.
(Y/n) stiffened up and gripped the railing of the balcony.
Oh, he’s probably going to ask me to do him a favor and not show up…
“I was hoping you could help me talk some sense into Mr. Agreste,” Nino brought up.
(Y/n) blinked, pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t what she thought… But suddenly conflicted by something else.
“Wait, wait. Adrien said he’d ask his father, didn’t he?” She asked.
“Yeah, he texted me that he already asked. And that his dad said he’d get back to him… But who knows how long it’s going to take for Mr. Agreste to respond…” Nino explained. “And… I’m sure Adrien would want you to be there.”
(Y/n) sighed and bit her lip nervously, “Nino, Adrien said he’d ask his dad. We should wait for what he says before we just waltz into the Agreste home… His dad’s not really kind to anyone but maybe Adrien,” she responded. Recounting her last conversation with Adrien. Though she confidently said that she would talk to Mr. Agreste, she respected Adrien’s decision to let him talk to his father first.
“He’s obviously not going to say yes, we both know that, (Y/n),” Nino said casually, “Adrien told me that you met his dad. And he ‘approved’ of you being his friend! So you know, you should help me convince his dad!”
“What?! Are you kidding me? It took an akuma for him to change his mind! And not to mention, he didn’t even apologize to my aunt for being the reason she was akumatized!" She was brought up. ”And we should respect Adrien’s decisions. He doesn’t want us to meet Gabriel for a reason…”
Nino went quiet on the other end before he responded, “...So. You’re just going to let him say ‘no’, (Y/n)? Adrien’s a good guy. He deserves a good party! It’s all he wants. Just a party!” he said, slowly getting upset.
“N-no, I understand you 100%! I agree! But Adrien-,” she began getting interrupted.
“Adrien’s not going to stand up for himself. He’s too nice! And he wouldn’t dream of defying his father. That’s why we should do it for him!” Nino argued.
“Nino… It’d do more harm than good! Gabriel Agreste would do everything within his powers to keep us away from Adrien if he wanted to… Adrien knows that! That’s why he doesn’t want to take any risks… Let him talk to his father first,” she pleaded.
“... Fine, but I thought you of all people would understand where I’m coming from…” He said angrily.
“No, wait Nino-! *click*” she began before he hung up.
She tried her best to call him back. But he wasn’t picking up her calls.
“Ugh! Dammit!” she exclaimed. How could she go against Adrien’s wishes? She wanted Adrien to have fun just like Nino did. But she understood Adrien’s hesitance in asking… If Gabriel berated her aunt in public just for (Y/n) trying to dance with his son, who knew what he’d do if Nino and her showed up at their home??
She had to talk some sense into Nino. And show she wasn’t just being negative.
(Y/n) couldn’t sleep well. How could she after her talk with Nino?
The guilt was eating her alive. To Nino, she was just a weak-willed friend. Someone unwilling to stand by him and his best friend. She wanted Adrien’s happiness just as much as Nino did. She understood wanting to grant the blond boy’s wishes… It wasn’t like Adrien’s wish for a party was unreasonable or impacting anyone…
What to do…?
She woke up groggy and blinking slowly. Worrying Pollen. The kwami flew around the girl as she sleepily brushed her teeth.
“Are you okay, Your Highness?” she asked worriedly.
(Y/n) blinked comically slow. One eye at a time. Mumbling with a toothbrush in her mouth, glancing up at the bee. “Hmmph…?” she grumbled and spat out the toothpaste and put away the toothbrush, unaware of her room’s door being swung open. “Yeah… Hm, yeah. I’m okay. Just couldn’t sleep well. I need to… figure out what to do…” she said as she leaned over the sink to wash her face. Dampening her face as Pollen hovered close to her with a small frown.
“What to do…?! Oh no, did you get the message too?” (A/n)’s voice said from behind her.
(Y/n)’s eyes and Pollen’s eyes widened as the girl stepped in front of the hovering kwami to hide her from sight. Uncaring that her face was still wet and dripping.
“W-what? What do you mean? Hahaha…” (Y/n) stammered out, motioning with her hand for Pollen to hide in the cabinet under the sink. Pointing with her index finger behind her back.
(A/n) stepped in, pursing her lips, and nibbling nervously at her bottom lip, “Sweetie, your mom gave us a date for lunch… And, you’re not gonna be happy…” she began. “It’s next Friday…”
“...” (Y/n) stared incredulously at her aunt.
“On Adrien’s birthday?!!!” she exclaimed, facepalming and groaning. “Just my luck…”
“... And anyways, I’m not good at knitting. But I think I got the scarf just where I want it. It’s so close to being done! No more late nights where all I can make are rejects!” Marinette said happily to Alya and (Y/n) as they sat in Marinette’s kitchen. Eating savory crepes her father made for lunch.
(Y/n) quietly poked at the cheese and spinach crepe. Sighing as she tried to come up with a good solution.
“...-ing. Did the string I gave you work? You wanted waxed cotton cord, right?” Marinette asked the girl spacing out. (Y/n) blinked slowly and shoved a bite in her mouth, nearly missing.
Maybe I should tell Adrien straight up… And start from scratch with Nino…
“(Y/n)!” Alya suddenly clapped in the girl’s face. Startling her and making her spill her orange juice on her lap.
“Oh my god, I’ll get some paper towels!” Marinette squeaked out as she stood up and began to rummage through the cabinets.
Alya and (Y/n) both stood in a panic. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you,” Alya apologized, using a nearby kitchen towel to pat down (Y/n)’s lap.
“N-no! It was my bad! I was spacing out. Sorry, I just couldn’t sleep well… My… uh, mom is going to be in town next week… And she wants to meet up on Adrien’s birthday… I won’t be able to spend any time with him at all and I don’t want him to be upset…” she admitted to the girls. “I don’t want him to think I’m a bad friend…”
Alya and Marinette shared a look. Frowning softly at their friend’s worry. “(Y/n)... Adrien wouldn’t think that way at all…” Marinette said as she brought over a roll of paper towels. “After all, he’s such a nice… sweet… and caring guy~” she said as she sighed dreamily. Almost dropping the paper towels, luckily Alya caught it with a roll of her eyes.
“What Marinette is trying to say is that Adrien is understanding. And I’m sure he would never think of you as a bad friend,” Alya comforted (Y/n) as she ripped out some paper towel sheets handing them to (Y/n) as the three cleaned the spill together.
“... Well, when you put it that way… Now I’m just worried about Nino…” (Y/n) thought with a grimace. But she smiled at the two girls who were willing to lend an ear to this girl who was once a stranger to them. Mentally grateful that they were here.
“You guys are right… I’m just worried, you know…” she said as she finished wiping the last of the juice.
“Why not reschedule the day with your mother?” Alya suggested.
“I tried that. My aunt and I both tried to call her about it. But my mom said that day worked the best because she’s busy every other day…” (Y/n) grumbled as she poured herself a new glass of juice, taking a long sip.
“Well, if you tell Adrien, I’m sure he’d understand…” Marinette said with a smile.
“Also, your shorts are wet now…” Alya chimed in with a tight-lipped smile.
(Y/n) looked down at her orange-stained denim and sighed. “Great. One more thing after another…” she grumbled.
“I have a skirt I made that you can try! You can model it for me. I can practice quick tailoring on your body type!” Marinette said excitedly, linking an arm with (Y/n). Alya took the other arm.
“Ooh, I have to see this!” Alya agreed with a smirk.
“What kind of skirt?” (Y/n) whined comically. “I get cold easily!” Making the other two laugh.
The next few days at school, (Y/n) tried to approach Adrien and Nino. Just for Nino to ignore her. Just like the day they first met. It was as she feared, he was treating her like an outsider. Again. All the progress she made in the past couple of weeks had been erased and decimated.
Now on a Friday before next week’s, she sighed as she slumped over her desk in art class. It was free brainstorming time. Their art teacher, Monlataing, had encouraged the students to take the class time to sketch ideas for their end-of-semester project. It was a personal project for them to work on when they didn’t have a specific lesson planned.
Alix was sitting next to her. Sketching a brick wall with an idea of graffiti art.
“So… Want to talk about it? I can’t say I can be good at comforting you but I can at least listen,” Alix said, not looking up from her sketch.
“No… I just want a moment to breathe… This week is exhausting me,” (Y/n) mumbled with her arms crossed, “But thanks. I appreciate it.”
“It’s not… ‘boy troubles’, is it?” Alix joked, poking the girl’s cheek with her pencil.
“No! I-I mean. Kind of? I just wish there were a soft reset sometimes…” (Y/n) complained, sitting up and swatting away the pencil, “Maybe Ladybug can work her magic on me…”
“There’s no reset. Just a respawn,” Alix said with a chuckle and a shrug, returning the girl’s video game lingo, “Ladybug’s powers just fix surface damage, not deep-rooted problems… It won’t fix what you want it to” she said with a shake of her head.
“A girl can dream can’t she?” (Y/n) sighed, finally picking up a pencil and writing down ideas for her project.
Well, at least she has just one more class for the day. Should be easy enough.
Right?
She took a step into Tautou’s English classroom and was taken aback by the sight of girls sitting so close to each other. It was as if they were surrounding the center desk… Which was Adrien’s desk. Where he was sitting with a smile, hands together, his bag next to him to reserve the seat next to his.
Oh god. Don’t tell me he reserved that seat for-
“(Y/n)!” he waved and smiled at her.
Suddenly the hawk-like gazes of several teenage girls were fixated on her. Their eyes were scrutinizing the girl as she slowly tugged her backpack closer to her. Looking down and avoiding their gazes. Taking a deep breath and slowly walking over to the boy. She sighed and placed her bag down.
Sometimes I forget he’s a model. But this is ridiculous.
She took her seat and tried her best to focus on the front of the class, where an older woman was writing out letters and common English syllables on the chalkboard.
“So Nino-,” Adrien brought up.
“W-what about him?” she interrupted nervously. The thought of Nino telling Adrien that she wasn’t willing to stand up for the boy had never crossed her mind until now. What if he told Adrien all about their phone call…?
Confused, Adrien continued, “Nino called me to ask me if I had asked my father about the party… Were you expecting something else?” he asked, a bit worried about his friend’s jumpy nature.
Nino didn’t tell Adrien about our call?
She sighed internally in relief, “No, it’s just- Never mind that. How did that go?” she asked, changing the subject and taking out her notebook and pencil case.
“As well as I thought it would… He said he’d get back to me with an answer. He said he’s busy… And that he’d consider it,” Adrien replied dryly.
(Y/n) grimaced. Normally when a parent says they’d think about it, it’s usually a “no” in disguise.
“But at least, it’s not a straight no. He didn’t shoot it down like I thought he would’ve,” Adrien said hopefully, “Maybe he’d treat it more like…”
“...Like my friendship with you?” she finished the thought.
“Yeah,” he smiled. “Just having you here is enough fact that my father can change…! Maybe he’ll at least let me spend a few hours with my friends.”
That was sweet. Hopeful. A bit naive, but a nice thought nonetheless. (Y/n)’s smile slowly turned into a frown as she had to shatter his vision.
“... Hey, speaking of your birthday…” she nervously brought up.
The ringing of a little handbell cut her admission short. “Attention students, my name is Abigail Tautou. The lesson will begin soon, so finish those last sentences of yours,” the teacher began to speak.
(Y/n) swallowed back her words. And sighed, focusing her attention back to the front of the classroom.
The lesson began and both of them were taking notes when a crumpled note was suddenly pushed in (Y/n)’s peripheral as she had her eyes on her paper. She glanced over to Adrien, who was writing with a smile on his face, not even glancing in her direction.
She opened the paper and smiled when she saw “Meet me after school :)” written on the paper.
She glanced over again at him and she swore she saw him wink.
Students were leaving the building, some excited for the weekend, and those who remained chatted with their fellow club members. Since it was Friday, Adrien had fencing lessons and Nino had to pick up his little brother. So, (Y/n) was free to approach Adrien without Nino being protective.
She waved goodbye to any classmates who walked past her. She was waiting at the front of the school, sitting on the steps as she waited for Adrien. Working on her art class homework. Gently scratching the tip of the charcoal pencil against the paper. Drawing a scene from her everyday life.
“What are you drawing, Your Highness?” Pollen asked, poking her head out to watch her holder draw.
“Well, Monsieur Monlataing said to draw what we see every day. The school should work just fine, right?” (Y/n) hummed, taking out a ruler to better draw the basic shape of the building.
“But… Isn’t that too simple?” Pollen wondered aloud.
“What? It totally counts! It doesn’t have to be anything extraordinary…” (Y/n) pouted playfully, and chuckled. “It’s not like I can draw Chat Noir or Ladybug,” she said with a wave of her hand.
“You’re going to draw Chat Noir and Ladybug?” They heard a voice from behind her. Nearly making (Y/n) scream in surprise.
Pollen quickly withdrew herself into the hoodie. And (Y/n) turned to see Adrien smiling behind her. A small duffle bag hanging off his shoulder.
“You need to stop sneaking up on me!” (Y/n) sighed in relief, playfully putting a hand on her heart to calm herself. “You’re going to give me an early heart attack!” she said as she scooted over so he could sit next to her as they waited for his ride.
He plopped down on the step next to her and laughed, “You scare too easily, (Y/n). I swear I didn’t mean to eavesdrop…” he teased.
“Yeah… I was uh, recording a voice message for Alix,” she lied, flipping a page of her sketchbook and starting a new sketch.
“Art class homework?” he asked, and she nodded. They sat together in a moment of comfortable silence. Adrien closed his eyes comfortably, listening to the sounds of the tip of her pencil scratching the paper and of the leaves swaying in the wind.
“So… about your birthday…” (Y/n) finally brought up. Stopping her pencil movements to look at him.
“Yes?” He asked, turning to look at her. Fully acknowledging what she was going to say to him.
“If there were a party, I wouldn’t be able to go,” she admitted sadly, “My mom wants to meet up that day after class”.
He stared at her, his expression visibly falling, but he composed himself. He placed his hands in his lap and looked down as if mentally readying himself to slap on a smile and say everything was okay. He had to. This was expected. How could he have expected any different? This was his life. People around him were just going to let him down, just like his father. The world revolved around empty promises…
“I underst-” he started, still looking at his hands. But then he felt a hand on his shoulder.
“I don’t know how long the thing with my mom will last! But I promise, I’ll make it up to you. I want to celebrate your birthday with you. In any way possible, Adrien,” she said with a smile. Emphasizing that at the end of it all, she wanted to be there for him.
“I’m sorry this happened… I swear if I had any say, I would’ve not picked that day or even gone. But… I have to. My mom probably wants to make sure that I’m doing okay… In her own way,” she said, looking down at her paper, rambling. “I’m scared she’ll want to take me back to the States… So, I have to go… And show her how much I’m improving here and-”
“I get it,” he cut her off. She looked up and saw him. Smiling. “I know what that feels like... Having to stand aside on what you want to ensure you can stay a little longer… So, I think you should see her.” He looked down at his hand and started to fiddle with his ring, before continuing softly, “After all, the last thing I’d want… is for you to leave. If what it takes for you to stay is just seeing your mom on my birthday… then, I can wait. As long as it’ll take.”
He looked up at the sound of a car honking.
“Looks like it’s my time to leave… I’ll see you later, (Y/n),” he began as he stood up. But he felt a tug on his bag, making him turn back to see his friend.
“Adrien, thank you,” she said with a smile.
The kind of smile that made it feel like time slowed down for them both. Her (e/c) eyes shined in the late summer sky, brimming with warmth and kindness that he hadn’t seen in a while. And he yearned for more.
Sadly, he had no idea what to call this feeling. But he knew, as long as she was by his side, that this warmth was okay to bask in.
He smiled back and waved goodbye.
(Y/n) walked into the apartment and was greeted by Coco meowing and rubbing in between her legs. She picked up the chatty kitty and kissed her forehead before walking to the kitchen. Placing the ball of fluff on the counter and calling out, “(A/n)? Aaron? I’m home!”
She shrugged at the silence and went to fish out something to snack on with Pollen. The kwami flew out of her hood and greeted the cat with a nuzzle.
“Your Highness has found some great friends!” Pollen said happily, flying over to the girl who was making herself a toasted cheese sandwich.
(Y/n) smiled as she spread some butter on the slices of bread, “Yeah, I’m grateful. For all of my friends. And my family. And for you and Queen Bee,” she mused, firing up the sandwich press.
“Are you going to tell your mother about all of your new friends? I’m sure she would love to hear all about your friends!” Pollen innocently said as she flew to the fruit basket on the counter. Grabbing an apple.
Hmm, I don’t know about that…
(Y/n)’s smile turned into a tight thin line, slowing her movements. Until she remembered Adrien’s words.
“I can wait… As long as it’ll take”
Right, seeing her mom might bring her mood down, but she’ll get to stay in Paris, where her friends are. It's her new home.
“Well, if she’ll listen then yeah… I’d be proud to talk about all of them. And you, if I could, of course” (Y/n) said with a genuine smile. “Now, blood orange or grapefruit?” she asked the bee kwami as she opened the fridge to grab a carbonated drink.
“Blood orange!” Pollen replied happily.
With a toasted sandwich, baby carrots, and a glass of soda on a tray, the girl and bee retreated to her room. Settling it on the floor as she took out (A/n)’s laptop she borrowed. Sitting with her legs crossed, she picked something to watch with Pollen.
“Sailor Moon okay?” she asked the kwami.
“Never seen it!” Pollen replied happily.
“Well, that settles it!” (Y/n) said with a giggle. Hitting play on the first episode.
That weekend was spent mentally relaxing before (Y/n) had to come face to face with a part of her old self. It was a little depressing to be reminded that at the end of the day, she was to return home by the end of the school year… But she had to do this. The longer she could stay in Paris the better.
Her weekend, she spent patrolling and training with Ladybug and Chat Noir. Though Ladybug left early… For what, who knew? She said she had something important to finish.
Most of the week went by as normal. Queen Bee helped an old woman cross the street right before class and was rewarded with a pinch on the cheek and a bag of cookies. (Y/n) was nearly late, but Pollen was happily munching on bon bon amidon in (Y/n)’s hood. Minus the superhero shenanigans and avoiding Nino… her Monday-Thursday were pretty standard. But there was a looming sense of dread that was bubbling in the pit of (Y/n)’s stomach…
After all, tomorrow was the day. Adrien’s birthday.
The day her mom wanted to see her…
(Y/n) stared blankly out the window of the bus. Riding it the way back home. Looking down at the phone in her hands. Remembering her last face-to-face conversation with her mother back in (hometown).
*flashback*
(Y/n) stared down at her muddied sneakers, as she was made to tilt her head forward as she held a tissue to her bloodied nose.
“(Y/n), sweetie, we need you to tell us. Please. Answer honestly. Are you being bullied?” (A/n) asked the girl, as she sat next to her and held the girl’s shoulder.
“... Does it matter?” (Y/n) asked softly.
“Of course it does!” (A/n) replied angrily.
“... No, I’m okay,” (Y/n) lied, standing up and going to walk away, “I just trip a lot on the field during P.E.”
“(Y/n), honey… You have to tell the school.” (A/n) ignored the girl’s lie and held her in place, her hand wrapped around her wrist.
“They won’t… I-...” (Y/n) took in a deep breath before continuing, “And, what? What control can a panel of adults, whose kids are also part of ‘it’, have over any of this?! It’s all pointless!” she suddenly yelled, pulling her hand away. Running off to her room and slamming the door behind her.
She retreated to her bed and threw herself onto it. Burying her face in the pillow. She was just lost. What happened? Why was this happening? Things weren’t supposed to be this way. The school year had a good start… Just where did she go wrong?
(Y/n) had no idea her aunt was going to be here today. This was the worst possible outcome. (A/n) looked so helpless. And (Y/n) must’ve looked so pathetic… Yelling like that. She should apologize for raising her voice to her aunt like that.
“Well, she’ll go back to Paris. Maybe I can just hide in my room until she leaves… Not like she can do anything…” (Y/n) thought to herself, grabbing her blanket and covering herself with it. Ignoring the knocking and talking on the other side of the door. Pulling out her cell phone and loading up her game.
Was it fun? Maybe. She can’t remember. But it passed the time. And she could get lost in it. And it was lovely to imagine a life like this. Full of adventure. With a party of heroes by your side.
“(Y/n),” she heard a voice. A stern voice she hadn’t heard in weeks. After all, her schedule never aligned with hers. “(A/n) called me. She said this was important. I left work early. Now, come out and tell us what’s going on.”
The girl’s blood ran cold. Her mother never left work, not even when her daughter would beg her to. Her hands trembled as she pressed the power button on her phone to set it to sleep mode. She stared back at her reflection. Puffy eyes. Eye bags. A bloodied nose.
Did she always look like this?
…When else would she get a chance to talk to both her mother and aunt like this…?
…
Another knock snapped her thoughts back to focus. She took a last glance at her reflection.
Maybe she can be a little brave today…
Just like her heroes.
“It was that small act of bravery that brought us together!” Pollen said happily. Flying around the girl as (Y/n) picked a nicer outfit than usual. She was going to leave school early today, right before lunch, to leave with (A/n). To… see her mom.
(Y/n) smiled softly, internally shaking her head at her kwami, “That’s… such a Pollen response to my sad story,” she joked, semi-bitterly, to Pollen.
“It’s a heavy story. But not sad. Because it was the beginning of ‘our’ story!” Pollen said as she landed on (Y/n)’s shoulder.
“Yeah…” (Y/n) smiled and nuzzled Pollen’s cheek with her own. “You’re right. So right,” she whispered, looking away embarrassed as she wiped away some tears of happiness. Laughing softly to herself, “You know, ever since you said crying is as easy as breathing, I keep finding myself shedding tears, Pollen,” she admitted to the bee.
“Must be because you’re so at peace in Paris!” Pollen replied simply.
Yeah…
(Y/n) smiled as she picked out a pair of (dark/light) jeans and a (white/black) short-sleeved blouse. To finish the piece, she threw on a (f/c) cardigan.
“Not wearing your favorite hoodie today?” Pollen asked as she picked out accessories for the girl.
“Nah… Not today. I want to be a little different today,” (Y/n) said with a smile as she slipped on the cardigan.
Pollen beamed as she flew back to the girl, holding a thin gold chain with the charm of a flower. Placing it in her hands. (Y/n) thanked the kwami and clasped it on.
“What do you think?” (Y/n) asked the bee.
“Beautiful!” Pollen chirped happily.
(Y/n) smiled bashfully and booped the kwami on the nose, “Not just done yet. I need a little good luck charm,” she said as she walked to her desk. Grabbing a familiar-looking little bottle of perfume. She opened the top and gently dabbled some on her wrists and neck.
“Ready, Your Highness?”
“Ready!”
“You nervous?” she heard a voice appear from beside her. It was Alya.
They were sitting on the steps of the entrance to the school. Waiting for Marinette. Apparently, she was up all night making sure her gift scarf to Adrien was perfect. Alya had to be on call with Marinette to talk her down from starting from scratch last night. Yikes…
“Yeah. A bit. But… Not really. It feels weird. I feel panicky and anxious. But I don’t know… I kinda don’t feel as scared as I used to…” (Y/n) explained, looking down at her bag. Where she had the skirt she borrowed from Marinette. She was planning on returning it today. And Pollen was also hiding in the bag since she didn’t have a hoodie to hide in.
Alya looked up from her phone and smiled, “That’s great! You’re getting stronger each day. You, uh, ‘leveled up’!” she said as she wrapped an arm around (Y/n)’s shoulder and playfully shook her.
“Pfft, you’re not using that right at all,” (Y/n) teased, “But, yeah. Guess I did. With the power of friendship… and all that cheesy stuff”. She joked, tickling the girl’s side.
Their light-hearted little banter turned into a full-blown tickle war.
“Wait- Ahaha! I gotta call Marinette to wake her up!” Alya said in between laughter.
(Y/n) pulled away with a light pout, “Excuses,” she teased.
Alya shook her head and excused herself to call the blue-haired girl. Leaving (Y/n) to wait patiently on the steps of the entrance Adrien to show up. She at least wanted to give him her gift before she had to leave for the day.
Nino arrived first, and it looked like he had the same plan as she did because he sat on the opposite side of the step from where (Y/n) was sitting, avoiding looking in her direction.
Guess that even on Adrien’s birthday we can’t call a truce…
They both waited for the familiar-looking silver luxury car to pull up and drop off their friend. It was nerve wracking… They haven’t really talked since their phone call. And honestly, she was a little intimidated by Nino’s protectiveness… But a part of her was more afraid of what Adrien would think of her.
Was that selfish? Was her ‘acquaintance-ship’ with Nino that surface-level?
But she’s had enough experience with a third-party ‘friend’ to know that opinions change easily… And she was the easiest to boot out. After all, she was the new addition. And Nino and Adrien had history. She was just (Y/n). Nothing worth fighting for…
She was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of a light honk. She looked up and saw Adrien stepping out of the car with Placide holding the door open for him. But he looked upset? He shouldn’t be looking so down… It’s his birthday.
She stood but was beaten to the punch by Nino. He walked up to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, pulling him away. But she wasn’t going to be stopped today!
“Wait!” she called out to them, running up from behind. Adrien was smiling expectantly at the sight of her. Friendly and accepting. But Nino had a pout and eyes that were saying ‘try it, new girl’... Or well that’s what it seemed like to her.
She reached into her bag and felt around for… Huh? She pulled it over her shoulder and peeked inside. Seeing Pollen stuck in a panicked position, she stammered, “What? W-where is it?? " She zipped it back up to hide her kwami.
She swallowed her words and looked guiltily at her friend. “Um, never mind… I guess I forgot my gift at home…” she mumbled in a fake sheepish tone to hide her disappointment, pretending to rub the back of her neck. “Haha… My bad…” She smiled, trying her best to keep the mood light.
Nino pursed his lips and scoffed, “Of course you did,” he mumbled mockingly.
…
Luckily the bell rang, cutting the awkward tension, and the boy pulled Adrien to their homeroom. But not before Adrien took a worried glance at (Y/n) over his shoulder. To ease his worry she forced a smile and mouthed a gentle ‘Happy Birthday’.
He didn’t buy it. But he would tell her later.
Fridays were full-schedule days. Packed with non-stop classes and smaller breaks in between. There was hardly any time to sit back and relax during this time. Not like (Y/n) could relax anyways. She glanced up at the clock and checked her phone, dreading when the-
*Will (Y/n) (L/n) please report to the main office?*
There it was… She gathered her things and began to walk out of the classroom, looking down to avoid the curious gazes on her.
Guess it’s time…
She left the classroom and walked to Damocles’ office where (A/n) was waiting for her, dressed in a chic pantsuit.
“Oh! You dressed up!” Her aunt gushed softly, “The necklace was a nice touch!”
“Thanks… A friend picked it out…” (Y/n) replied, fiddling with the charm, “And uh, I think someone once told me to dress the way I want to feel… And today, I want to be a little more confident…” she admitted bashfully, tugging her bag straps closer to her.
(A/n) smiled and placed a tender hand on the girl’s shoulder, gently squeezing it, as they walked to the car.
Before she got in the car, (Y/n)’s phone buzzed. She took it out of her back pocket and saw a text message from… Adrien?
*Adrien- Good luck :)
She smiled and replied with “You better look forward to my gift tomorrow, birthday boy!”
Adrien chuckled to himself at (Y/n)’s text. He knew she obviously didn’t mean to forget her gift for him. She must’ve felt really bad after this morning. Especially with Nino’s comment… He grimaced to himself, she must be really nervous right about now. He didn’t know much about (Y/n)’s mother… But her mother reminded him of his father… At least with the small snippets he’d hear every now and then.
Currently, he was taking his bag out of his locker. He was looking at his phone to dismiss a reminder that he had a photo shoot today. He sighed. So much for a birthday… He still had to tend to his normal duties as a model. At least he was able to skip fencing today.
“Have you told your friend about the party yet?” Plagg asked, chewing on Camembert as he sat on the locker shelf.
“... No… Not yet… Nino was really looking forward to my father agreeing…” Adrien said, looking down at his kwami.
Plagg hummed and suddenly tossed the cheese in the air and caught it with his mouth, chewing it and swallowing it nearly whole, “Well, at least (Y/n) will probably call you later!” he said grinning, trying to cheer up his holder.
Adrien nodded with a small smile, only for it to disappear as he grabbed the rest of his belongings to meet Nino outside. He still had to break the news to him…
“Seriously, man?!?!?” Nino gasped, blowing bubbles into the small wand. Looks like he still had the small vial of bubble mix that Adrien gifted to him. “Has your father always been this depressing? Besides, he should’ve told you sooner that he was going to say no…”
Adrien sighed, “Yeah, I really would’ve appreciated him telling me sooner too…” he said as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Sorry about that… I know you were really looking forward to it…”
“If you want to hear my opinion, I think he completely forgot what it was like to be young and to party…” Nino complained.
“Meh,” Adrien shrugged, “I’m sure he was always a stick in the mud… Even when he was young…” he looked down sadly, “Well, at least I can say I tried…”
“It’s your birthday, man!” Nino reassured with a smile, throwing an arm around Adrien’s shoulder. “Insist! Be a little more vocal” Trying to encourage his friend to be a little more selfish today.
If there was any day where he could be a little more selfish, it should be today.
“Nah, I think this is the best I could’ve done…” Adrien added.
Nino hated seeing Adrien look so down, “Okay, you know what?” If (Y/n) was able to change, Mr. Agreste’s mind… Then maybe… “I’m going to have a little chat with your dad,” Nino said confidently.
“No, never mind,” Adrien declined, “He’s not really the type to change his mind…”
But he did with (Y/n). Nino thought. If she could do it, then so can he.
As soon as Adrien left, he straightened his baseball cap and puffed his chest. He had a stern father to talk to.
That was the absolute worst! Nino growled angrily as stomped away from the Agreste manor. It was unjust! Unfair! How could a nice guy like Adrien have a jerk of a father like that?! And poor Adrien, why was he so accepting of it all? “It’s best to do as he says”? “It’s easier”, my butt!
And where was (Y/n) for all of this? What kind of a friend was she? Some friend… She wasn’t here to help him stand up for Adrien!
He needed to blow off some steam… He took a seat on a nearby park bench and took out his vial of bubbles… Glaring angrily as he saw a crying child be pulled away by his father…
“Bah… Adults…” he grumbled.
Unaware of the dark purple butterfly approaching him…
Well, it went better than expected… But also, not as well as they wanted it to…
“How could she cancel on us at the last minute?!” (A/n) huffed angrily, throwing her purse on the couch. Stomping over to the fridge and taking out a can of soda. Cracking it open and taking a long sip.
“... She does that…” (Y/n) said dryly, putting her bag down as they settled back into the apartment.
“We waited for hours at that cafe!” (A/n) said angrily, “Be more mad!” Kicking off her flats and sitting on the couch.
(Y/n) hummed and grabbed a can for herself from the fridge, “Well, I’m honestly… a little relieved,” she admitted, “And, besides, now I can see if Adrien’s dad let him have a party!” she reassured her aunt, who was much more mad on (Y/n)’s behalf than she was.
(A/n) stared at her niece and held a firm pout before admitting defeat. Suddenly sighing and smiling, “Well, guess we dodged a bullet today huh?” she said with a chuckle, “Maybe we can take you and your friend out for ice cream… You already dressed the part for an outing…” she suggested.
That would be nice…
(Y/n) smiled and went to take her bag to her room to free Pollen from her backpack. Only to hear the glass windows slam open! A large purple bubble pushed its way into the living room and suddenly swallowed up (A/n), turning green upon contact!
“(A/n)!!!” (Y/n) yelled.
“(Y/n)! Stay back!” her aunt warned in a panic, even as the bubble retreated. (Y/n) tried to chase it but she tripped on the coffee table and fell with a grunt.
“(A/n)!” she exclaimed, standing in a hurry, running over to the window and seeing her float up into the sky.
Damn it! It’s probably an akuma! She needed to get to Pollen and quickly!
She was about to pick up her bag but was stopped by the sound of a stranger’s voice. Making her blood run cold.
“Hello, (Y/n)”
She turned, eyes wide, seeing… a colorful boy standing on the balcony of her room, walking into the living room from her open door. How did he know who she was?? She swallowed nervously and analyzed his features… Despite the blue, red, and yellow… she could make out a round face… a mole? Brown eyes?
… “N-nino??” she asked warily.
“I’M NOT NINO ANYMORE! I’M BUBBLER!” he said angrily, shifting to grab the hilt of his… sword/bubble wand. Making her flinch and instinctively take a step back.
What happened? Why was he akumatized??
He saw her fear and suddenly growled, as he shook his head and let go of the hilt. He tsked. And looked around, “I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here for Adrien.”
Adrien???
“U-um, what about Adrien?” she nervously asked.
“Pft, for his birthday party of course!” he said with a sudden smile and laugh. The akuma was making his mood fluctuate depending on her responses… She needed to tread lightly… Or else she was going to end up in a bubble…
“... H-his party?” she asked, faking curiosity.
“Yeah, I’m sure you don’t remember it since you’ve been ‘too busy’... Haha, but as his best friend, I’ve got a great party planned for him!” Bubbler said with glee, hands on his hips and laughing joyously.
“And what does that have to do with me…?” she asked.
He suddenly stopped laughing and stared deadpan emotionless at her, “Are you serious?” he asked seriously.
“W-what..? I-”
“You’ve been a horrible friend. You could’ve gone with me to convince his father to have this party… He’s your friend and you did nothing!! You stepped back like a coward!” he growled and reached for his wand again. Making her flinch and brace herself.
But there was no attack.
She looked up from between her forearms, confused.
“But… He seems to really enjoy your company. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t invite you to his party?” he said, suddenly in a better mood, “It’s the least you could do!”
… He came here to tell me I’m a horrible friend… and now he’s holding me hostage…
“Now come on, we have a party to plan!” he said as harshly grabbed her wrist, pulling her to leave via her balcony. She looked past her bedroom door and saw her backpack still on the floor of the living room.
I gotta get to Pollen somehow…
“W-wait!” she exclaimed nervously, “Um… I need my bag!”
“... Huhh? What for?” he asked, staring deep into her eyes for signs of a lie.
“I-uh, I need to change!” she blurted out. He frowned and raised an eyebrow, letting go of her and crossing his arms.
“What bogus excuse is that?” he snarled.
“N-no. I just… It’s a birthday party! Adrien’s birthday party! And I want to look my best for him!” she tried to reason.
His frown loosened up a bit as he was getting what she was trying to say. ”Ooohhh! Why didn’t you say so?” he smiled.
“Y-yeah!” she nodded and pointed to her bag, “I was gonna wear this really cute skirt I got from Marinette! But it’s in my bag,” she lied effortlessly.
He grinned and nodded, arms still crossed, “Okay, but hurry! My bubbles are taking care of most of everything, but I still have to get my setup ready!” he said as he took a seat on her bed to wait for her but to also stand guard should she escape.
There’s no way I’m going to be able to leave as Queen Bee…
She looked around for a quick escape route but scurried away under the harsh gaze of the Bubbler. She smiled nervously as she grabbed a top from her closet and hurriedly took her bag into the bathroom with her. She was about to step in when he reminded her…
“You try anything funny… And I won’t hesitate bubbling you up. You’re Adrien’s friend but you’re certainly not mine…”
Okay, ouch!
She nodded firmly and stepped in, closing the door behind her and locking it.
She turned on the faucet to create some noise. In a rush she unzipped her bag and out flew Pollen, whispering in a rushed tone, “What are we going to do, Your Highness?!”
“You hide,” (Y/n) whispered back to the kwami, starting to change.
“But-!” Pollen began to worry.
“If I transform now, and walk out, Bubbler will know I’m Queen Bee! And then Papillon will know too… And I can’t really escape from a bathroom with a window this small…” she told the bee. “For now, I’ll go along with it… Besides, I doubt Ladybug and Chat Noir will let this go on any longer… I’ll sneak away when one of them gets here!”
“Are you sure that’ll work?” Pollen mumbled.
“It has to,” (Y/n) nodded.
We just have to wait and see…
Hurry Ladybug and Chat Noir!
Notes:
Here's the link to my Ko-Fi in case you wanted to support my work! Don't feel pressured, but anything's appreciated :) : https://ko-fi.com/shinyamour
Chapter 14: Bubbler (Pt. 3)
Notes:
Was hoping to have this done by Valentine's, yikes. Life sure likes to switch up your plans, huh? Well, enjoy! I appreciate you all so much for enjoying my fic. It really keeps me going to see all these lovely comments. Please don't hesitate to let me know if there's anything I can fix tho. I want to keep my amazing readers in mind, always <3
Thank you :)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Pollen was hidden away snugly in (Y/n)’s skirt pocket. Keeping quiet as Bubbler flew with (Y/n) in his arms towards the Agreste manor. She took the time to scope the damage in Paris, seeing children crying and teenagers soothing them.
Looks like all the adults have been taken… Just like (A/n)... Probably Aaron, too.
She lightly turned her head and inspected what used to be Nino’s face. What could’ve happened for him to be akumatized? He was just fine earlier today.
I guess Gabriel must’ve been just as mean as he was when I first met him…
…
He must have a pattern of getting people akumatized like Chloe does.
For now, I gotta keep up the act until I can get away!
“I hope Nino is okay…” Adrien thought to himself as he poked his lunch around. Unaware of the crisis happening outside. He shoved the last bite in his mouth and returned to his room to grab his bag. Well, at least he could head back to school for the rest of the day. That was always a plus. And he could always check in with Nino in class.
Yeah. There was nothing to worry about.
“Nathalie?” he called out. Confused when she didn’t reply back. Normally, she’d walk him to the car while Placide waited outside with the engine running. “...Father?” he called out instead.
Maybe his father wanted to walk him instead? Because it’s his birthday? No?
“Yeah, that’s not happening…” he thought and shrugged at the silence before walking out to head to the car.
The sound of clapping, cheering, and joyful whistling snapped him out of his downtrodden state. He glanced up and saw all of his classmates. They all had huge smiles and wished him a happy birthday. Confused, he looked up at the sound of a new voice.
“Hey, man!” The male figure covered in bright colors laughed. “Guess what? Daddy left!” He stood on a purple bubble, grinning, hands on hips. He pointed at Adrien and winked, “And when the cat’s away, the mice will play!”
The colorful boy looked awfully familiar… Even the color scheme reminded him of Nino's vial of bubbles.
It couldn’t be…
“Nino?” Adrien asked, taken aback by the sight of his akumatized best friend.
The akumatized victim laughed but didn’t deny the possibility that he could be Nino, and he corrected Adrien playfully, “The Bubbler here has gathered all your buds for your birthday with only one purpose- to party!!!” He cheered and raised his fist in the air. All of the teenagers mimicked the cheer and motions as Bubbler hopped off of the bubble and jumped onto a nearby stage.
“Let the party begin!”
Adrien took a step back and shook his head as if he couldn’t believe this, his green eyes glancing around the crowd of now-dancing children. He swore he saw a familiar head of (h/c) in the crowd, but there was just no way. (Y/n) She said she wouldn’t be able to celebrate his birthday with him and be busy.
He ran back inside his home. He needed to think of something, and fast. He leaned against the wall of his personal bathroom and tugged open his button-up to let Plagg out. He didn’t say anything at first. He just kept staring at his ring. He really didn’t want to fight his best friend…
“What’s your problem, boy? Come onn, relax~” Plagg said nonchalantly, flying around the boy to rest on his shoulder. Acting like the little devil he is. “You finally have the party you’ve always dreamed of!”
Adrien frowned guiltily. “But Nino got akumatized! I must help him!” he tried to argue back.
“You might not have an occasion like this ever again…” Plagg coaxed, “Come on, have a little fun while your father is away!” he flew over to the window that gave an angled glimpse of the front of the building and glanced around before grinning and turning to look at his holder. Shrugging his little arms and shaking his head with a relaxed smile, he said, “We’ll just save Nino by catching his akuma, and everything will be fine! Ladybug’s power will fix it as soon as the akuma is purified.”
Adrien looked worried, still not fully convinced.
“Plus, your friend is here~” Plagg said happily, spreading his arms in a ‘ta-da’ motion.
Friend? Adrien seemed a little confused as he stepped to the window to see what Plagg could be referring to. Only to see (Y/n). Standing by the stage, looking up at Bubbler. She was wearing a cute (dark/light) midi-skirt with a floral pattern and a black turtleneck shirt with short sleeves. And her favorite (f/c) high tops. It felt like a re-do of that night at Edith’s party. A chance to make it up to her.
He weighed his options. He could transform now and save Nino, but he’d never get the party of his dreams. OR he could just wait a bit longer and still save the day.
Why stop a party that hasn’t begun?
And, Plagg was right. Besides, when Ladybug and Queen Bee show up, that should be his cue to stop. He’s got this. Yeah, he’ll just dance to a few songs. Hang out with (Y/n). He won’t get carried away. Surely.
“... Okay,” he said to his kwami, “You’re right, this is probably the first day of my life where I can do as I please!”
“Come on, everyone!” Bubbler cheered, raising his hands in the air, “I brought you all here to party!”
His fake cheerful voice slowly turned sinister as he spoke, “Now either you dance, or you join the adults in the sky!” he threatened, his hands never leaving the turntable. If he weren’t serious, it’d be comical. But his voice was deep and scary, and his eyes were scanning the students. Just waiting for someone to defy him.
That’s definitely Nino on the turntables… I guess some traits transfer over to the akumatized victim, even if it’s a hobby huh.
(Y/n) thought to herself as she took a look around whilst moving her shoulders up and down to the rhythm of the music. It wasn’t the most graceful type of dancing, but it worked. Bubbler wasn’t bubbling her up even as he had his eyes on her like a hawk. It was almost as if he was waiting for her to mess up. But she needed to keep it up, even if Nino- well, Bubbler, wanted her to fail.
It won’t be easy to sneak away…
She smiled sheepishly at him, trying to act innocent, and continued to fake dance as she scoped the scene. Seeing literally all of their classmates in one place… Maybe except for Adrien and Marinette… Knowing how brave and reckless Marinette could be after the Prismatica thing, maybe Marinette got bubbled up… (Y/n) steeled herself at the thought.
Remember, the sooner the akuma is defeated, the sooner everyone will be saved… Can’t risk getting bubbled up. I need to transform, and soon.
She heard a sniffle from her side and saw Mylene dancing with a frown, slowing her movements as her eyes started to water. Suddenly, Bubbler’s eyes were no longer set on (Y/n) but now were shifted to the girl next to her who was bringing down the “vibe”.
Oh no.
“Mylene?” (Y/n) asked, wanting to warn the girl to reel it back a bit, or else she was going to get bubbled. But she didn’t want to stress her out any further.
Mylene’s eyes widened, and she turned, panicked, to face (Y/n). “S-sorry, I’m just so scared… My dad was bubbled-” Mylene sniffled and stopped dancing to wrap her arms around herself. Her hands were shaking as she tried to calm herself.
The record-scratching sounds stopped, and Bubbler’s hands slowly began reaching for the hilt of his bubble sword.
“Hey, hey!” In a panic, (Y/n) reached out and grabbed Mylene’s hands, “Uhh, dance with me!” she said in a fake cheerful tone. Mylene blinked away her tears and looked confused. (Y/n) glanced over to Bubbler, who was glaring in her direction, “Um, come on, let’s spin and put a smile on that face!” She awkwardly said as she suddenly pulled the girl closer and began to spin them. She intertwined their hands together as (Y/n) winked.
“Whoa whoa, wait-” Mylene almost stumbled. “Hahaha!” Mylene began to giggle and (Y/n) smiled, slowing them down and having them sway to the beat of the music.
They danced for a few more minutes until (Y/n) glanced over her shoulder to check on Bubbler. He withdrew his hands from the weapon and grinned instead as he made a catchy little mix of a song. No longer focused on the girls. (Y/n) stopped swaying Mylene along and motioned for them to lightly bump to the music, leaning in to murmur something.
“We gotta be more careful,” (Y/n) warned the girl in a whisper, “Or we’ll be bubbled…”.
“...” Mylene sniffled and let go of one of (Y/n)’s hands before wiping at her nose with her sleeve and smiling, “Thanks for comforting me… I-I cry easily when I’m scared…Which is often. I normally have to sing to myself to calm myself… But I would have to stop dancing to it, and I didn't want to get bubbled. Sorry…” Looking down in shame.
“I get it… I’m a sleeve-tugger myself, haha “ (Y/n) smiled and shook her head, “No need to apologize. Sometimes crying is as easy as breathing… Gotta let out the negative to make room for the positive!” she encouraged, letting go of Mylene’s hand once she realized the girl no longer needed the support. Giving her a small wave as she turned to try to continue her mission of finding a way out.
Only for (Y/n) to walk into a chest. She looked up and saw a familiar face smile at her. A pair of hands held her steady by her shoulders.
“(Y/n)!” Adrien said happily.
“Adrien??” she muttered, confused.
To her surprise, he looked happy? Glad even… Does he even know what’s happening? People’s parents are in bubbles… Her aunt. Her uncle. His father probably was, too. Is he… unaware of the state of this akuma? Does he know it’s Nino?
“What are y-” she began when he interrupted her with an excited laugh.
“Can you believe it? My first party, just for me! And it’s not business-related!” he said happily, further feeding her growing suspicion that he had no idea what was going on.
She grimaced and nervously bit her lip. She didn’t want to… not to be funny about it, but she didn’t want to ‘burst his bubble. ’ But she had to tell him. He had to know what this Bubbler was doing. He needs to know that his innocent wish was hurting people…
“Adrien…” She sighed and was about to spill the truth. After all, friend or not, under good conscience, he should know… “I- woah!” She was about to come clean with the truth of it all when he suddenly grabbed her hands and pulled her to the center of the dance floor with him. Laughing softly at her stumble but holding her steady and pulling her closer.
“We can finally share a dance!” he said cheerfully, smiling so brightly that she felt bad. She didn’t want to be the one to shatter his dreams. He seemed oblivious to it all. And… It was sweet that he just wanted to dance with her since he had never had the chance to dance with her at Edith’s party.
And she guessed that he could find out once the akuma’s purified. He can at least enjoy this for a bit.
She sighed and forced on a strained smile. “Yeah…! Just one dance, though. I kinda wanted to…” she trailed off as she thought of a lie. Glancing around, she saw Ivan stop dancing and go to the tables covered in sweets and other junk food. He was eating a handful of chips and keeping his eyes on the akumatized DJ, but Bubbler paid him no mind.
Huh… As long as it’s somewhat party-related, you won’t get bubbled…
“Uh, check out the snack table!” she hastily added.
Luckily, he just chuckled, “Of course you can! Haha, you and your love of snacks,” he said happily, holding her hands and closing his eyes with glee as he started to dance along to the music. Even akumatized Nino was playing some catchy remixes of some already great tunes, and (Y/n) couldn’t help but be swept up in Adrien’s joy.
Adrien looked so happy. It made her realize Nino was right… Well, not like she disagreed. But she saw it. All Adrien wanted was a party. Surrounded by his friends. Free of judgment. Free to dance to his heart's content. Free of the expectations placed upon him. Free to be a normal kid. Just like he wanted, and (Y/n) would be taking that away… Was this wrong of her?
She glanced around and saw everyone’s expressions of fear and discomfort as they danced. Max and Alix frowned as they moved to the cheerful music. Mylene forced herself to smile as she danced. No one was happy…
No. This is wrong. No one should have to suffer for the happiness of another. Even if this is for Adrien…
She strained a smile and fake-cheered as he genuinely laughed. Though at first she was stiffened with her guilt, it wasn’t long before she was swept up in his gleeful energy. He started by twirling her in place, which made her laugh in turn. It felt genuine. Real. He even let her do the same to him, even though there was a height difference. She danced a little offbeat, but she wasn’t embarrassed. Because it was him.
He tried to mimic her moves since he was a bit unfamiliar with teenage dances, only for her to laugh at his serious expressions. It was goofy. Awkward but fun. Everything a teenage party should be. It was as if the world around them was but a colorful blur. And they were just two kids having fun.
But it was fake. She almost stayed in this little fantasy with him if not for Bubbler announcing a song change and snapping her out of it.
Once the song ended and a romantic slow song began, she let go of him to reassure him with a fake smile and to excuse herself so she could ‘head to the snack table’ as she once told him. He wanted to protest and pull her back. “Hey, wait… One more song?” he asked, holding out his hand towards her. Much like she did to him back at Edith’s party. But she couldn’t take it.
She felt guilty as she shook her head and smiled apologetically, continuing to back away slowly. If they weren’t in a situation like this someday, maybe they could dance together for real.
To her benefit, Chloe approached him, saying, “Oh Adri-joux! Dance with me”. Throwing her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek, she wished him a happy birthday. (Y/n) took that as her chance to retreat despite Adrien trying to protest and pleading with his eyes for her to stay. But she still kept walking away. He sighed and looked down sadly.
He looked around and saw everyone’s defeated looks, and it confused him. Wasn’t this a party? Even (Y/n) was acting a little distant…
He turned to Chloe and asked, “Is it just me? Or is everyone acting a little weird?”
“Never mind that; let’s dance!” She said as she let go of their embrace and pulled him by his wrist.
Chloe should keep him busy.
(Y/n) sighed in relief. She was free now. Maybe she could sneak into the manor to transform… It still didn’t seem like there was a trace of Ladybug or Chat Noir, so Queen Bee needed to step up soon. Who knew how much longer these kids could hold out…. She pretended to take a look around the spread on the snack table. She glanced over to the front door of the mansion as she pretended to inspect a slice of cake. Once the coast was clear, she placed the plate down and started to walk in that direction when she was suddenly hugged from behind!
“(Y/n)! You’re okay!”
So close...!
(Y/n) stumbled and turned around to see a head of reddish-brown. It was Alya! She held (Y/n)’s face and inspected her for any injuries, making the (h/c)-haired girl laugh softly and pull away the older sister’s hands. “I’m okay! What about you?” she turned the question around on the Ladyblogger.
“I’m fine, I was worried sick for you and Marinette! Have you seen her?” Alya asked, crossing her arms and glancing over to Bubbler, who was focused on finding the person who changed his mix.
(Y/n) shook her head. “I haven’t seen her. I was… um, going to find a restroom? Maybe I can find her inside the mansion… Hopefully, she’s hiding,” she tried her best to come up with an excuse to separate herself from the party.
“What if she got bubbled?” Alya asked worriedly, rubbing her upper arms and glancing at (Y/n). Visibly frightened for their fate.
“Then we wait. Until the heroes get here and save the day. For now, we keep everyone calm. Ourselves included,” (Y/n) assured, smiling fondly at Alya and her concern for her friends, “Besides, Marinette’s braver than you think. I’m sure she’s fine, now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to head to the restroom”. (Y/n) added smoothly as she turned to the entrance again.
Only for Alya to wrap her hand around the girl’s wrist. “I’ll come with! Safety in numbers, you know. It’ll be safer for us to go together!” she said with a smile.
Sigh… Queen Bee’s gonna have to wait a little longer…
And so, the two girls went inside for a bathroom run. (Y/n) went inside the bathroom, closed the door behind her, and turned on the faucet for some noise. Alya said she was going to do some snooping in the meantime, but (Y/n) didn’t want to take any chances of someone hearing her talk to Pollen.
Pollen flew out of her pocket and sat on the marble sink counter. “Your Highness, what will we do?!” she asked.
“I… Don’t know… There are too many eyes on me right now… It’ll be hard for me to transform while we’re at this party… If I go out, Adrien could try to pull me into another dance. Alya’s scared and following me,” she groaned and sat on the closed lid of the toilet seat. “If only we could divert the attention…”
“My Queen, don’t worry. Maybe when Ladybug and Chat Noir get here, that should divert everyone’s focus, and then we can sneak away!” Pollen said with a nod.
“You’re right… No use trying to transform when I can’t. Besides, I shouldn’t ditch Alya while she’s genuinely waiting for me, and we’re looking for Marinette,” (Y/n) agreed and stood up while holding her skirt pocket open for Pollen to hide in.
(Y/n) washed her hands and walked out of the restroom. As expected, Alya was waiting for her, but with a smile on her face. Telling (Y/n) all about how she found where Adrien’s unlabeled gift was.
The girl chuckled, “You’re telling me she forgot to sign the scarf she’s been working on for so long?” she asked.
“Yep, sounds like a Marinette thing to do! Doesn’t it?” Alya said with a chuckle, trying to call the girl in question but to no avail. Further worrying her.
“Hey, I’m sure she’s here… Let’s look for her,” (Y/n) reassured her, patting the girl’s shoulder.
“You’re right- I think that’s her!” Alya interrupted herself and ran ahead into the crowd.
Relieved, (Y/n) turned to head back into the mansion. Only for Alya to return, to reach out and pull her along by her wrist.
Sigh.
Marinette was soon group-tackled/hugged by the two girls. All of them fretting over each other.
“Where were you? We were really scared something happened to you,” Alya said, loosening her hold on Marinette.
“Me too…” Marinette sighed happily in the arms of her friends.
“I’m glad to see you’re okay!” (Y/n) smiled and let go of both of them.
“Well, now I can rest easy knowing both of you are safe…” Alya said with a gentle shake of her head. “I’m sure Ladybug and Chat Noir will be here soon to save us. We can count on them!” she reassured the girls.
Internally, (Y/n) was a little sulky that Alya forgot to mention Queen Bee. Nonetheless, at least Alya was much more relaxed now that Marinette was here.
“Oh, by the way!” Alya perked up and motioned with her hand for Marinette to follow. “Come with me. I have something for you!”
Marinette stiffened up and raised her hands to protest, “Uh, but before that, I have something to do and-” she brought up just to be interrupted by Alya’s sing-songy voice.
“It’s about Adrien~!”
Marinette stopped mid-sentence and visibly gave up, sighing in defeat, with an ‘okay. ’
Alya glanced over to (Y/n) and asked, “Are you coming with?”
Good question. She could try to find a spare room to transform. But Alya or Marinette would surely question her disappearance and try to connect the dots between her and her alter ego. At least out here in the open, she could try to make a run for the front gate or the backyard.
“I, um, kinda want to stress eat. I’ll be out here, though!” (Y/n) lied, pointing to the snack table beside them. “You guys go ahead, and make sure to write your name nice and pretty, Marinette!” she teased with a wink.
“You told her?!” Marinette gasped at the giggling Alya as they walked away.
“Phew… Finally, just need to make a run for it while Bubbler’s distracted,” she mumbled to herself, glancing at the spread of sweets. She grabbed a macaron and wrapped it in a napkin, shoving it in her free pocket as she might need it in case Queen Bee used her venom today. Unfortunately for her, she left her backpack and purse at home, so she had no candy on hand to give to Pollen if the kwami needed to recharge.
A macaron or two should suffice… I just need to-
“Hey, you!”
She looked up, caught like a deer in headlights and mid-stance about to raise her arms in self-defense. But to her surprise, that yell wasn’t directed at her.
Ivan was standing aloof against the tall stone fence by the main entrance, frowning with his arms crossed. Bubbler had hopped off the stage and stomped his way over to the boy. Seething. “Why aren’t you having fun?!” The Bubbler demanded.
“It’s none of your business,” Ivan gruffed out.
Oh no. No, no, no. (Y/n) held back a gasp; redirecting the Bubbler’s anger to herself would be bad. But… When she saw the Bubbler begin to smirk as he reached for the hilt of his bubble wand sword…
“Okay then, in this case, it’ll become your problem!” He threatened as he unsheathed his sword, holding it over his head, ready to swing it and form one of his bubbles. Ivan gasped and flinched, ready to run, but his back bumped against the wall.
“Stop!”
Bubbler stopped his movement and turned to the girl behind them. (Y/n) was surprised at her own volume. She glanced over to the party and saw everyone’s scared side-eyes, dancing as if they were afraid of stepping on the explosive landmine that was Bubbler. Afraid for her but also trying to keep out of it for their own safety. And she didn’t blame them. After all, the Bubbler probably stripped their parents away from them and brought them as hostages. She just couldn’t take it anymore.
“Nino, you have to stop!” she exclaimed. “This isn’t you!”
“What did you just say to me?” He turned around to face her, letting Ivan escape while his back was turned. “Are you serious? After all you’ve done, do you think you have a say in who I am? You’re just like Adrien’s dad!” He growled, stepping up to stand before her. Threatening her with his taller-than-her frame and his withdrawn bubble sword.
“Nino, please. I know you want to stand up for Adrien. You want to protect him and make him happy, I understand. But this isn’t the way to do it! Do you think he’d be happy knowing you’re hurting others for him?” She pleaded, fidgeting with her wrists, clearly a little scared of him, but she wasn’t going to stand by any longer. Queen Bee and (Y/n) hated bullies.
“What would you understand? You left him on his birthday! You don’t make an effort to be with him during school. You just call him to talk about homework. You’re using him! You’re just a bad friend! Your existence is hurting him,” he sneered mockingly, free hand on his hip.
Okay ouch. He’s obviously just saying that out of anger and the powers of the akuma were just amplifying that negativity but, damn, if it didn’t hurt to hear what he thought of her…
She steeled herself and shook it off. “Alright, you’re right! I should’ve made a bigger effort. I should’ve gone with you. At least maybe then… You wouldn’t have felt so alone and powerless when talking to Gabriel Agreste. And you wouldn’t be doing this… I’m sorry”. She apologized and looked into his eyes. “Please, Adrien wouldn’t want this,” she pleaded.
His seething gaze never faltered even as the outline of a purple butterfly appeared over his eyes, “I know what Adrien wants! I’M his best friend, and I’m not powerless anymore! I’m the Bubbler! And I don’t need to hear this from you any longer!”
“Nino-” she began again. Only to flinch when he raised his sword wand.
“You’re too late (Y/n)!” He laughed menacingly, waving it as if slashing forward. Suddenly, she was encased in a green bubble hovering inches above the ground, suspended in the air. She gasped and banged her fists against the inside. “You’re not going to ruin this party!” he exclaimed, suddenly raising his hand and controlling the bubble to float up.
“No! Nino! Please don’t do this!” she pleaded, trying her best to break out. Her pleas fell on deaf ears; it seemed he was ignoring her as he returned to the party. She swore she could see Marinette scream out her name from the mansion’s 2nd floor window. (Y/n) tried to break out by brute force and slammed her shoulder against the bubble, but sadly, it did nothing. She bounced back.
Steadily, her distance from the ground was growing, and she gulped at the long fall she would take if the bubble were to pop. The mansion was but a small box in comparison. Or at least from this height. She paled at the thought of what would happen to her should she fall…
“Oh no, Pollen. What do we do?!” she asked the kwami. “I’m not strong enough to pop this bubble, but Queen Bee needs to be down there!”
Pollen flew out of the girl’s pocket and looked around, “Then transform now!”
“What?! This bubble’s indestructible!” (Y/n) argued in her panicked state. “What good is Queen Bee if she can’t escape?” she asked.
“Your venom can probably counteract the magic of this bubble!” Pollen said happily. Leave it to this kwami to still be smiling during a crisis like this. It was most likely an attempt to calm the holder. But it wasn’t working.
“Probably?!” (Y/n) squeaked out.
“Just try it, your Highness!” Pollen reassured her, “It won’t hurt to try!”
“Ugh, alright, alright! Pollen, transform me!” (Y/n) called out. The bee kwami’s form became a blur as her body was absorbed into the hairpin. And in a flash of golden yellow, (Y/n) became Queen Bee.
She grimaced as she readied her sword. “It won’t hurt to try… But the fall is definitely going to hurt… Okay, Venom!” she said to herself. The tip of her sword began to glow bright yellow and pulsate. She took a deep breath before thrusting her weapon forward. The walls of the bubble showed a little resistance trying to maintain its shape at first, but then it slowed its movement. Stopping and suddenly, little yellow vein-like marks appeared where the tip of the sword made contact. Spreading until it finally popped!
“Huh, what do you know? It worked-!” She said to herself and then comically looked down like some character in a cartoon. Her eyes widened as she soon fell.
“AHHHHH!” Queen Bee screamed as she began to descend at an alarming rate. The wind caused her hair to flutter behind her like crazy. She looked around for anything! Any solution! Maybe with her sword, she could-!
*crashhh* *rustle*
“Oof! Ah! Ouch! Son of a-!” she cursed as her body made contact with the foliage and branches of a park tree. Her head banged against a branch. Her hair got tangled in some leaves. She was caught like a stuck kite. Hissing and groaning in pain. Luckily, she wasn’t a crazy distance away from the ground, and she was transformed. The suit was made to lessen damage and keep them safe. But super suit or not, this still hurts. She swore she could see stars for a moment. She only snapped out of her daze because she heard beeping coming from her hairpin.
Good thing she thought to pack some macarons.
“Bubbler… I’m going to stop you!”
Adrien managed to free himself from Chloe’s arms. He wandered the party, looking for (Y/n). She smiled, but her eyes looked sad, as if she were hiding something behind her smile. Today was the day she was going to meet her mother. Maybe something had happened, and she was pretending to be happy for him on his birthday.
“Where are ya going, buddy?” He heard a voice and felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Bubbler standing behind him. Smiling with his arms crossed.
“Oh, Nin- I mean, Bubbler, I was looking for (Y/n),” Adrien replied with a nervous smile. Something about this whole situation was still wrong. A twinge of guilt passed through him. He was so swept up in the party that he almost forgot. This wasn’t Nino. The longer he was leaving him akumatized, the worse Adrien felt.
“She’s probably somewhere; don’t worry too much about her,” The Bubbler said with a roll of his eyes and a shrug.
“But-” Adrien tried to step past Bubbler.
“No buts on your birthday, man! Come, don’t you want to come onto the stage with me? The birthday boy should make a speech.” Bubbler suddenly wrapped an arm around Adrien’s shoulders, hand on one of them.
“Oh, but shouldn’t we wait for (Y/n)-” Adrien tried to say.
“Man,” Bubbler said firmly. The playfulness in his voice was replaced with coldness in an instant. And Adrien was reminded that this indeed wasn’t his friend. Nino was gentler. This was just a disgusting, manipulative use of Nino’s emotions for the benefit of one horrible Papillon. The grip on Adrien’s shoulder tightened for a split second. Before Bubbler laughed and gently shoved Adrien in an act of playful banter, “A host shouldn’t leave his guests hanging. It’s your first party, so you probably didn’t realize how rude that really is! Hahaha, rookie mistake. You don’t want people to dislike you, right?” Bubbler magically produced a mic from thin air and held it out to Adrien.
Adrien swallowed back his discomfort and looked around. Kids were still dancing. The music was still playing. Oh, right. He can’t look like he’s uncomfortable. He’s still got an image to keep up. He’s Adrien Agreste. He’s perfect. He never says no. He’s a good son. A good friend. And now, he has to be a good host.
“Right,” Adrien nodded, slowly reaching out to grab the mic.
“Hello, Paris!” Adrien greeted into the mic. “Is everything good?” he smiled and waved to the crowd. Holding the mic in the air. His smile slowly shrank as he eyed the frightened and worried gazes of his classmates. Why were they doing that?
He was unaware of what Bubbler was doing behind him. All he saw were his classmates clapping and cheering for him. He had no idea it was because Bubbler threatened them with a glare and a hand to the hilt of his sword.
“Bubbler!” A feminine voice called out from above.
Queen Bee stood on the stone gate of the mansion, her sword withdrawn. Soon after, a zipping noise later, and Ladybug stood beside her, frown etched on her face. The bug heroines looked around and shared a side glance.
“You seen Chat Noir?” Ladybug quietly asked Queen Bee.
“Nope, just got here,” Queen Bee replied with a slight shrug.
“Well, we’ll hold the fort until he gets here,” Ladybug said, turning back to face the akumatized villain.
“I’ll be your dance partner for now, LB!” Queen Bee said with a smile, readying her stance for battle.
Ladybug smiled and flung her yo-yo at the power cords that hooked to the stereo system. Abruptly shutting off the music. “Sorry, DJ Bubbles,” she taunted lightly, “Looks like the party’s over”.
“We got some complaints about the party getting a little out of hand,” Queen Bee said with a smug smile of her own, “We’re here to shut it down!”
Bubbler growled out, balling his hands into fists, “ Why must you two be such pains? Can’t a guy throw a party for his best mate?” he barked at the heroes.
“All of the adults disappeared because of you, that’s why! Hundreds of children were left defenseless!” Ladybug reasoned.
“This isn’t a party if no one is here willingly! You brought these kids here against their will, and you’re threatening them to keep having fun!” Queen Bee added.
“Yeah, and bubbling people for disagreeing with you? That poor girl!” Ladybug readied her stance and started to warm up her yo-yo by spinning it.
“I won’t let you ruin Adrien’s party!” Bubbler growled out before withdrawing his sword.
… Girl?
Adrien looked around and had a realization. He hadn’t seen (Y/n) in hours. Whenever he’d bring up her name, Bubbler would tense up. Nino and (Y/n)’s friendship was rocky at best… He couldn’t have… Right? Adrien looked around and saw nothing but relief on his classmates’ faces.
What was he doing? He should’ve known this was all fake.
He sighed and shrugged off Chloe’s arms and ran into the mansion.
Once in his room, he tugged open his shirt. Plagg hovered out, still dancing, smiling, and expecting to see his holder excited from all the freedom he got. But the kwami stopped once he saw Adrien’s frown.
“Plagg, I really messed up with this one. I was an idiot,” Adrien began.
“No, kiddo. I was the idiot. You need to save your friends,” Plagg said with an encouraging smile, a little guilty for convincing his holder to go along with it. He just wanted Adrien to be a little selfish on his special day.
“You’re right… Let’s save them both!” Adrien smiled weakly and held out his fist, “Plagg, transform me!”
Red bubbles were being flung rapidly in the girls’ direction. But Queen Bee’s sword and Ladybug’s yo-yo were faster. She swung the sabre, running ahead of Ladybug to cover her. Bubbler glared and stepped back to dodge Queen Bee’s attack, smugly sticking out his foot to trip her. She rolled forward with a “woah!”.
“You’re getting ahead of yourself, Bumbling Bee!” He laughed as she stumbled onto the stage.
“And you’re looking away, Bubbles! Ha!” Ladybug taunted, throwing her yo-yo at Bubbler. He retained the same smug face as he conjured up a bigger red bubble to bounce the yo-yo back at her. It was being returned to her with the same force and speed that she threw it with.
She gasped, and Queen Bee looked up at the sound of her partner’s distress, pushing herself up in hopes of reaching her. But she wasn’t fast enough.
Suddenly, a flash of black leather and golden hair passed by Queen Bee. He swung his silver baton and knocked the yo-yo out of course. He stood defensively in front of Ladybug. “Looks like I’m right on time!” he said confidently.
“Actually, you’re fashionably late!” Queen Bee quipped, standing up with a chuckle.
“Annndd, I was doing just fine!” Ladybug said with a sing-songy tone. Laughing behind her hand, when the yo-yo that was sent flying in the air bonked off Chat Noir’s head and landed back in her hand.
Queen Bee smiled at their dynamic, standing up straight and walking over to them with a casual hand on her hip. Though she did think Ladybug was being a little overconfident with that statement… She guessed that it came with the experience.
Bubbler growled and yelled out as he held his sword with both hands and used all of his strength to spin and send a flurry of little red bubbles in the trio’s direction. Chat Noir twirled his baton, Queen Bee slashed her sword, and Ladybug swung her yo-yo around to diver the direction of the smaller projectiles.
A scream made Queen Bee face away from the akuma. She noticed some of the bubbles were accidentally being blown in the direction of the kids hiding behind the stone handrails. Ivan stood protectively in front of the screaming Mylene. Queen Bee ran in that direction and knocked the bubbles out of the way, “Don’t worry! I won’t let him hurt you guys!” she said valiantly, standing on the stone.
A crisp snap and the sound of the gasps of the other students made Queen Bee’s head turn back to her partners and the Bubbler. They were caught in a hurricane of the now green spheres, and it looked like they were sticking to them until it all combined into a bigger green bubble. With them trapped inside.
“Guys!” She said worriedly, ready to charge back in, only for a hand to hold her back.
Mylene grasped her wrist. “Please, Miss Bee, protect us!” she said, scared for the fate of her friends.
Queen Bee was at a bit of a loss; she needed to help Ladybug and Chat Noir, but these kids needed someone to protect them…
“Give me your miraculouses before you run out of air!” Bubbler threatened lightly, smirking and holding his hand out.
“In your dreams, Bubbler!” Ladybug retorted angrily.
“Urgh, real pains. Just like adults!” He said exasperated, as if he were impatient.
“Kids need adults!” Ladybug tried to reason with him, “This is wrong!”
“You’re wrong!” He barked out. “Kids need freedom! To have fun! To enjoy life! Adults are just party poopers! They make kids feel small. And for what? For a little control?”
“You’re no better, Bubbler. Besides, adults take care of their kids! They protect and love them!” Ladybug continued.
Ideally, yeah…
Queen Bee thought dryly to herself.
“Well, most adults at least…” Chat Noir grumbled to himself before shaking it off and backing up his spotted partner. “You have to bring the adults back!” he yelled.
Bubbler hummed as if he harbored the thought, then he shook his head, “Nope. Never!” He waved his free hand. “And you know what? Since you miss the adults so much…” he smirked and pointed his sword at them. “Go ahead and say ‘hi’ to them for me!” he yelled, taking a step back before suddenly charging at them and swinging his leg behind him and kicking the bubble with full force. Sending it flying in the air at a rate much faster than when he sent (Y/n) flying…
Ladybug and Chat Noir’s distress could be heard as they were thrown into the sky. The kids could only gasp and scream in horror as their heroes were out of the picture.
A flash of purple over Bubbler’s eyes distracted him for a split second. But a streak of yellow snapped him out of his communication with Papillon. The striped heroine stood before him after he narrowly dodged her attack. “Don’t forget about me!” Queen Bee yelled firmly, holding her sword out in front of her and pointing it at him.
“I didn’t forget about you… I just didn’t think you were a threat! Papillon didn’t say anything about needing your miraculous!” He taunted and held out his sword in front of him, ready to accept her challenge.
“Well, bad idea, buddy! I’m just as much a threat as your little bubbles!” she taunted right back to provoke him.
He growled before running full speed at her, jumping before swinging his sword down. She smirked and caught the attack, holding it back before curling her spine and falling back. Foot on his chest as she brought him down with her, kicking him away with all her might.
He crashed into the stage with loud grunts.
“Payback, Bubbles!” she said as she laughed. She couldn’t defeat this akuma without Ladybug and Chat Noir, but she can definitely buy time for them to make their way back. She was certain they’d be back soon. For now, she needed to keep up the confident hero part. She readied herself as he pushed himself up and charged at her.
The crowd of kids all looked at each other, a bit unsure of this new hero… But she was clearly doing her best to stand up for them. They couldn’t help but cheer her on.
Bubbler turned to look at them, and with a single glare, they stopped cheering. He laughed at their cowardice and continued his sword duel with Queen Bee until a voice snapped them out of their concentration.
“Sorry we’re such pains, Bubbler!”
Ladybug and Chat Noir were perched on the arch of the main entrance, proudly standing and taunting Bubbler with their presence alone. It looked like they escaped just fine. Queen Bee sighed in relief, both at their safety but also because she couldn’t really do this on her own.
The kids behind them began to chant for Ladybug. Making their smug smirks grow as they looked down at Bubbler. “Looks like no one wants to party with you anymore, Bubbler,” Ladybug said with her hands on her hips.
Bubbler gritted his teeth and pointed his finger at the kids, “What is your problem, dudes?! Why are you all against me?!” His rage was further fed by the kids' flinching and avoiding his gaze. “I brought you here to have fun! To be free! And you want to go back to being bossed around by ADULTS?!” He suddenly couldn’t take it anymore. He yelled out in frustration and withdrew his sword, “Who needs you?! Join the adults in the sky! And don’t come back!” He swung it with full force. Intending to eliminate them once and for all.
“Nooo!” Chat Noir and Ladybug exclaimed.
Only for a streak of gold to hold his attack back, stopping the purple bubbles at the source. “Not so fast!” Queen Bee said, standing before him. “You keep forgetting about me, Bubbler! Not cool!” she teased with gritted teeth.
“You-!”
“Nice one, Your Majesty!” Chat Noir said with a laugh. “Our pupil is getting better each day, m’lady!” he said, standing up and nudging Ladybug with his elbow.
Ladybug smiled and withdrew her yo-yo, spinning it, “Let’s finish this! You’re outnumbered three to one, Bubbler!” she said as Chat Noir stood up from his relaxed stance, readying his baton.
Bubbler looked around. The kids were cheering for the trio. Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Queen Bee were surrounding him. His best friend disappeared. There was no music. It was over. The party had to end.
The outline of a purple butterfly flashed over Bubbler’s eyes. Reminding him that he had a job to do. Or else…
Bubbler dug his feet into the ground and used all of his strength to push back Queen Bee. “Graahh! Stay back! Or I’ll bubble all of the children of Paris too!” he threatened, kicking his shin into Queen Bee’s side. Sending her flying into the nearest wall. Taking this chance to run off and away from the mansion. Escaping in the direction of the Eiffel Tower. Probably for a better range to complete his mission.
Queen Bee landed on the floor with a pained grunt, holding where his foot made contact. “Damn it, sorry! I let him get away…” she apologized to no one. Or at least she thought.
Ladybug and Chat Noir probably ran off after the akuma, they don’t have time to stop for me. I’m slowing them down-
“Hey hey, none of that. Queens need to be poised and elegant. They should hold their heads up high!” She heard a male’s voice say from above her. She looked up and saw Chat Noir grinning, holding out his gloved hand for her to take. “Be proud,” he encouraged with a wink.
She reached out, unsure and shaky, but he calmly closed his fingers around hers and gently pulled her up. Not too fast in case she was still in pain. He was patient. And caring. And his hand was warm. She didn’t even realize she had a growing blush on her cheeks. The sound of a beep snapped her out of her little trance.
“Oh, oops. Forgot I used my Cataclysm to break m’lady and I out of the bubble,” he said with a sheepish chuckle, taking his hand back and rubbing the back of his neck.
“Oh! I should go after them and support her while you recharge!” Queen Bee said in a hurried tone, unsure why she was suddenly so nervous. “See you in a bit, Chat Noir!” She saluted with her index and middle fingers before jumping onto the stone wall. Running in the direction of the Eiffel Tower.
That was odd…
But she’d think about it later. Stopping the akuma came first. She could see explosions climbing up the length of the tower. Were Bubbler’s attacks this dangerous before? Surely, he didn’t have explosive bubbles… Maybe in an act of desperation, his attacks grew in strength and severity? Well, that just made Queen Bee run faster. Who knew what more damage he could do? And Ladybug was short two partners… Hopefully, she was okay…
Ladybug was dodging non-stop rapid firings of the explosive bubbles and using her spinning yo-yo to deflect any that got too close. The angrier and frustrated the Bubbler got, the bigger the explosions seemed to be. When the one recently released from his wand made the slightest contact with Ladybug’s makeshift shield, it almost sent her flying off if not for her keeping her feet steady on the ground. But it did drag her feet on the floor, making her wince and stumble.
“Where are they?” Ladybug grunted to herself.
“Hurts, doesn’t it? When you thought people had your back and then they leave you!” Bubbler yelled out, waving his bubble wand sword around to summon a flurry of small red bubbles. The explosive kind, most likely. He snapped his finger. Suddenly, the red bubbles began blinking and beeping. Like some sort of homing missiles, they began to follow Ladybug as she backed away and shielded herself with her yo-yo.
“That’s different! You were holding those children hostage! You threatened them! You made them feel small and frightened! You’re doing exactly what you say the adults do!” Ladybug said through gritted teeth, running away from them before they hit her from behind.
“Shut up!” Bubbler growled out, sheathing his sword for a few seconds as he watched Lady struggle to evade the flying explosives. He kept his hand on the handle, grinning as he swished the bubble wand around in the magical bubble mix.
Papillon’s voice suddenly resounded in his head as the purple butterfly outline appeared over his face, “Good job, Bubbler! Keep her distracted! Corner Ladybug! As long as you get me her miraculous!” he heard.
“You got it, boss! I know what’ll do the trick!” Bubbler laughed and withdrew his sword, the blue sheen of thick gelatinous-like bubble mix shone off of it in the sunlight. “Time to trap this bug!” he yelled out, swinging the bubble wand like a baseball bat.
A big blue bubble formed; it was heavy-looking and jiggling like a ball of gelatin. It moved stiffly but quickly in the air, like a ball of mud with one target in mind.
Ladybug, who was preoccupied with running away from the honing bubbles, gasped as she felt trapped by the sticky blue bubble in front of her and the barrage of exploding bubbles behind her. She thought quickly on her feet, though, using her yo-yo to latch onto the center structure of the Eiffel Tower, swinging out of harm’s way at just the right second. The bigger blue bubble trapped the smaller ones inside, where they detonated against each other.
She sighed in relief, landing on the ground, ready to use her Lucky Charm. She lacked backup, but she needed to do this now!
“Lucky-!” The sound of laughter cut her off before she could use her special power.
“You thought I made only one of those?” She looked up and saw a blue blob be flung with incredible strength her way. It was heavy! Weighing her down with its gelatinous texture. It felt like being trapped in extra-strength hair gel!
“Noo!” Ladybug grunted out. Her whole body was trapped in the jelly bubble. Her hand was caught mid-stance before she could even throw the yo-yo in the air. She was only free from the neck up. She grunted and gritted her teeth.
“Now… Time to get that miraculous!” Bubbler laughed, floating down from his higher ground to reach out and brush his hand against Ladybug’s left ear. Ladybug could only stare down his hand as it got closer. The outline of a purple butterfly appeared over his eyes.
Oh god…
Ladybug began to panic.
“Get away from her!” A feminine voice called out.
A blur of yellow and black stopped Bubbler from getting closer. He was kicked in the torso and pushed aside. In a split second, the blue bubble was sliced in half. Only a searing gold cut where it was split remained as it slipped off of Ladybug and landed on the floor with a loud splat. Queen Bee stood between Bubbler and Ladybug. Pointing her sword at him with a serious glare.
“Queen Bee!” Ladybug gasped, patting the side of her head to make sure her earrings were still there. “Where were you? And where’s Chat Noir?” She dusted herself of any leftover blue goop, sounding annoyed.
“Sorry, I struggled to find my way over here after I had the wind knocked out of me. And Chat Noir’s recharging,” Queen Bee said over her shoulder. “I’ll cover you. We need your Lucky Charm!” she said, not waiting for Ladybug’s possible snark. She dodged a sword thrust from Bubbler.
“You again! I’ll destroy you! Grahh!” He flung dozens of red bubbles her way.
Queen Bee dodged them at first, but she wasn’t as nimble or fast as Chat Noir or Ladybug! One of them just barely grazed the side of her face, exploding against the iron support columns behind her. The knockback of the explosion made her stumble, which Bubbler took as his chance to flee back to the higher ground. Starting on another flurry of red bubbles, sending them Queen Bee’s way with a gust. Luckily, she thought about climbing and jumping the crossbeams of the tower. Hiding behind some of them for coverage.
Ladybug wasted no time; she threw her yo-yo in the air, and from a swarm of magical ladybugs popped out a 30lb bag of… flour? It was heavy and inconvenient. She nearly toppled over when catching it. What was she supposed to do with this?
“Oh, flour! Nice! I like cookies, personally!” Queen Bee joked from her perch. Tucking her head back in to shield herself from a red bubble.
Ladybug ignored the bee heroine and looked around. Polka-dotted solutions appeared to her with her Lucky Vision. Her first instinct was to glance at an air vent and the screwed-in pipe. If only she could have something undo that screw… Why didn’t she get a wrench instead?
“Oh, are we baking something~?” A teasing male’s voice asked from above. Chat Noir soon landed with a striking pose and his baton in hand. Smirking. “I’m quite partial to macarons myself,” he added, almost losing his poise when a bubble was aimed his way.
“Chat Noir, great timing!” Ladybug said with a smile, “Now that you’re charged up, can you Cataclysm that vent screw?” She pointed to it.
“Sure can, m’lady!” he said with a toothy grin.
“Queen Bee, keep him distracted! When we give you the signal, we need your ‘stinger’!” Ladybug instructed the bee-girl, who was still hopping around and dodging blasts.
“You got it, LB!” Queen Bee gave a thumbs up from her spot above them.
Chat Noir raised his hand in the air and called for his Cataclysm. Crouching behind the vent, gently tapping the vent screw with his index finger, waiting for the destructive rust to erode the metal. It crumbled, and the vent pipe flew around wildly, almost hitting him if he didn’t wrap his arms around it to steady the strong wind coming from the pipe.
“What now, m’lady?” he asked, glancing over to Ladybug.
Ladybug smirked and tore open the top of the flour bag, gently folding it to create a small spout. “Aim at Bubbler!” she said, waiting for Bubbler to turn his head away and watching him angrily fire at Queen Bee. Chat Noir aimed the controlled gust of wind at the akumatized villain, and Ladybug began to dump out the powder's contents in the direction of the wind, creating a smoke bomb-like effect. “Now!” she yelled out.
“What the-?!” Bubbler looked around and began to cough. He squinted his eyes and could barely make out the shape of the heroes. He waved his hand around to fan it away, cursing out the heroes in between coughs. Out of frustration, he sheathed his wand. Swishing it around in the bubble mix. Once again, he was trying to trap them in the gel bubbles. “Ladybug, Chat Noir, your miraculouses are mine-!”
“Venom!” He heard but didn’t have the faintest idea where the voice came from.
He panicked and squinted one last time before he raised his arm at the figures he was struggling to identify.
Out of the cloud of smoke emerged a striped hero, thrusting her sword forward. The glowing tip poked his chest, and he hissed at the searing sensation. His anger slowly transformed to confusion as the venom seeped in, and suddenly, he couldn’t move anymore!
“Sorry to stop the party, but someone here had to be a buzzkill,” she joked, retreating her sword to her belt with a giggle to herself.
The zipping of a magical yo-yo parted the dust clouds and wrapped around Bubbler’s raised wand. Ladybug pulled it to her and broke it in half with her knee. A dark purple butterfly escaped from the broken plastic. Ladybug readied her yo-yo, caught it, purified it, and threw the Lucky Charm item in the air. Using her magical ‘status-quo’ power to return everything back to normal.
Bubbler fell to his knees. The evil magic trickled away, and he returned back to being Nino. Ladybug and Chat Noir shared a fist bump in the background before joining the bee heroine on the beam.
“Hey, kid… You okay?” Queen Bee asked gently, crouching onto her knees. Nino looked exhausted.
“Huh? Queen Bee?” He looked around, “Ladybug?! Chat Noir?! Where am I?” he asked, disoriented and lost. He glanced below and suddenly felt a little dizzy from the height.
“Whoa, whoa! I got you!” Queen Bee said with a chuckle. Holding his shoulders. “Do you remember anything?” she asked softly. Treading lightly so as not to stress him out after the long day.
“It’s fuzzy… But I was so angry. Frustrated… I um, was upset that my best friend’s dad was being controlling and stubborn,” he began, rubbing his arm nervously. “And, I was just so angry on my friend’s behalf… I swear I wanted to do good. And… I did some horrible things… Said some mean things… To some people who didn’t deserve it! I should apologize to every kid I terrorized,” Nino brought up.
“And then you got akumatized…” Ladybug finished her thought. “Ni—I mean, young man, it’s okay; you did nothing wrong…” she cooed.
Chat Noir looked down sadly at his, well, Adrien’s best friend. Feeling partially to blame for this. It was HIS father that made Nino upset to begin with. “Yeah, m’lady is right. Don’t worry too much about it…” he chipped in.
Queen Bee smiled and patted Nino’s shoulder, “They’re right. You shouldn’t worry too much… I’m sure your friends will appreciate your apology. But just remember, sometimes good intentions need to be said, or otherwise, you’re just acting on your own… No one will understand you better than yourself, but if you want others to understand, you need to talk to them…” she said. “I’m sure your sentiments alone would’ve made your best friend’s day…” she encouraged.
“I just wanted to make him happy,” Nino admitted. Chat Noir tensed up and held back a breath at those words. The cat hero’s lips curved into a tender smile as he crouched down like Queen Bee did. To meet the boy’s eyes.
“I’m sure you did… Our queen is right. Just knowing you cared about your best friend this much should make him happy,” Chat Noir whispered, patting the boy’s other shoulder. “He’s really lucky to have a friend like you,” he encouraged.
The sound of beeping from Ladybug’s earrings reminded them that they had to leave and soon. The three of them were going to detransform at varying times, but either way it was a bad idea to linger too long.
Chat Noir volunteered to take Nino home. Ladybug had to leave first because her earrings had two dots left. Queen Bee volunteered to check on any kids who remained at the Agreste mansion.
Nino looked at the heroes before softly apologizing, “Sorry again…” Even if this was technically Papillon’s fault, the villain had twisted his emotions and thoughts. And now they had to fix his damage and take him home…
The trio shared a look before they smiled at the boy.
“Hey… That’s very sweet. But Papillon should be the one who’s sorry,” Ladybug said with a hand on her hip.
“Oh, he will be sorry!” Chat Noir added with a cheeky smile, “Once we defeat him for good!”
“Don’t sweat it, kid. We’ll take care of everything. You just rest,” Queen Bee said with a smile. “Besides, you had a long day”.
The trio waved at each other before parting ways. It looks like it all came to a gentle resolve. Just a bit longer before the day was over.
Notes:
Here's the link to my Ko-Fi in case you wanted to support my work! Don't feel pressured, but anything's appreciated :) : https://ko-fi.com/shinyamour
Chapter 15: Bubbler (Epilogue)
Notes:
Here's a little epilogue! Was originally gonna call it "Milk Tea and Honey", but it worked better to wrap up the last chapter. :) Enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Pollen was sitting neatly on the desk in front of the laptop. Watching a princess in a light blue ball gown dance the night away by her Prince Charming. Gasping cutely when the clock tower chimed midnight. (Y/n) glanced over and smiled, lightly shaking her head as she went back to her gift-wrapping.
“Your Highness, she dropped her slipper!” Pollen said excitedly.
(Y/n) stifled a little chuckle, “Yep. How else would her true love find her?” she mused to the bee, sticking on a paper bow with tape. Knowing what scene the kwami was talking about, after all, she’d seen the movie dozens of times as a child.
“This movie is so wonderful!” Pollen gushed, “What are we watching next?” she asked excitedly. Reminding (Y/n) of a small child. Actually, ever since they had officially become friends, Pollen had grown comfortable around the girl. No longer afraid to be more than a faithful servant. She was free to watch and eat what she wanted. She was more than just a kwami with a role.
“Um, what do you want to watch?” (Y/n) asked, humming as she removed a pen cap from a fine-point pen with her lips. Writing down her name and a message on the gift tag.
“What do you want to watch, Your Majesty?” Pollen asked, turning to look up at her holder.
… Though it often ended up like this. Pollen just got a little overwhelmed with the choices, so she always ended up depending on (Y/n).
“I want to get a snack. How about you pick the next movie, and I get us something to nibble on?” (Y/n) expertly avoided answering the question, standing up to head to the kitchen. “Something sweet okay?” she asked the bee over her shoulder.
“Whatever you’d like, Your Highness!” Pollen replied happily, hovering over the keyboard as she browsed the streaming website. Earnestly reading all the synopses to pick the next film.
(Y/n) shrugged and walked to the kitchen, putting a kettle on the stove for something warm to drink and eyeing the bakery box on the table. She returned to her room soon after, leaving the water to heat up, with a plate of madeleines and strawberries in her hand. Which just so happened to be Pollen’s favorites. Pollen was waiting for her, eager to start the new movie. Another romantic movie, it seemed. This time it was about a certain mermaid…
With a small laugh, the girl readied herself to take a seat at the desk when she heard meowing and scratching at the glass door. Coco, the fluffy white Persian cat, had sat herself in front of the balcony door and looked at (Y/n) expectantly, as if asking her to open the door for her.
(Y/n) sighed and stood back up to let the kitty perch on the balcony. However, she regretted it as soon as she did. A gust of chill night air brought a shiver down the girl’s spine. “Brrr, ugh! So cold!” She exclaimed to no one except herself. Silently judging the cat that strolled past her legs to jump onto the metal railings. Purring contently.
Rubbing her arms, she took a step in the threshold of her bedroom, hoping to return to the warmth, when she suddenly felt a pair of eyes on her. She stopped mid-track and glanced around. There was no way… The streets around the building were empty. And surely there wouldn’t be two akumas in one day…
That’s weird…
She didn’t think anything of it. She didn’t see anyone. It was just paranoia… She was probably still on edge from everything else. Yeah, that was probably it. Yep.
But she had no idea that Pollen had had the same sense as her. The kwami’s antennae twitched, and she quickly hid herself in the comforter of (Y/n)’s bed.
The girl looked over to the empty desk, confused and suddenly worried. Where could the kwami have gone?
Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her. The feeling of being watched multiplied tenfold, as something or someone was behind her. A flashback from earlier today made her connect this with Bubbler. He, too, appeared in her room via her balcony. This could be another akuma! In a panic, she reached for the roll of gift-wrapping paper. It wasn’t as strong as her sword, but it would have to do. She turned around, a paper tube raised high in the air, ready to attack the intruder. She stopped when she heard a familiar laugh come from the balcony.
“Haha, you must be the lady of the house~” the voice cooed, followed by the loudest happy purrs from Coco.
(Y/n) poked her head out and saw Chat Noir???? Leaning casually against the railing, holding and cuddling Coco as if she were an infant. And Coco was just enjoying the attention.
“C-chat Noir?” she asked, pulling his attention away from the housepet to see the girl nervously standing by the doorway with a paper roll in hand.
His ears perked up, and he leaned down to place the kitty down before standing up straight and resting his hands on his hips. “Good evening, Miss Hero~” he bowed, looking up with a smile. “You can lower your ‘weapon, ’ fear not; it’s just your favorite hero!”
“I don’t understand. W-what are you doing here?” She propped the gift wrap against the wall and approached him, joining the hero outside on the balcony. “Did something happen?” she asked, worried.
He held his hands out in front of him. “Don’t worry. I was patrolling after the whole akuma attack today,” he explained. “I was in the area and happened to see you on the balcony and wanted to check up on you. All the kids your age were brought against their will to Bubbler’s party. I’m positive you were one of them… Are you okay?” he asked gently, standing up to lean his forearms over the handrail. Looking over the landscape of this area.
Oh…
(Y/n)’s worry washed away as soon as he voiced his concern for her. She smiled and stood next to him, mimicking his stance. “Don’t worry about me, Chat Noir. This isn’t my first akuma… Besides, you know I can relax knowing you and Ladybug will save me,” she assured.
He glanced to her side and smiled, “Your uncle and aunt okay? They were part of the adults that were taken too…”
“Yup. They’re fine, too. Promise. They’re just not here right now. They went out to dinner with some work friends to talk business over food and drinks,” she said with a small nod.
“Well, I can rest easy now,” Chat Noir said, jokingly placing a hand over his heart as if to calm it. He looked past her and at the gift wrapping she had been using as a makeshift weapon. “Wrapping some gifts?” he asked curiously.
“Ah, yeah. Re-wrapping something, actually. I forgot something,” she admitted with a smile, gently scratching the iron handrail to avoid his striking green eyes.
“A birthday gift? Or a present for your favorite hero~?” he asked cheekily, leaning in to meet her gaze, causing her breath to get a little stuck in her throat. She easily snapped herself out of her daze soon after.
“What makes you so sure you’re my favorite hero?” she teased right back. “Could be Queen Bee or Ladybug, you’d never know,” she said with a playful shrug.
“You wound me,” he raised his forearm to rest woefully over his forehead. “Was I not your first friend in Paris?” he asked with a pitiful pout.
She rolled her eyes. “Welllll, you’d be the second, actually,” she said with a small laugh. “Sorry to break it to you, Chat,” she teased.
“Oh, really? Who was your first friend? Who do I have to fight for the throne?” he joked.
“My first friend here was Adrien Agreste. I met him at school,” she explained gently. “You, sir, were a bit too late,” she joked with a little scoff, going back to watching the cars drive by below them.
But he didn’t return the playfulness. Instead, he was looking at her. Just looking at her . The moonlight had cast a pale shadow over her figure. He couldn’t help but be caught up in her. Her words had just settled in; even as she stood here in her pajamas, she never ceased to make him feel so light. So unstoppable. She truly did appreciate him. Both as Adrien and as Chat Noir. And it fulfilled him in a way he couldn’t explain.
“Friends”. It shouldn't have had as much meaning as it did, but somehow, it did. It was something… Something that felt like a weight lifted off his chest. It was everything to him. And she just said it like it came naturally to her. He was so lucky. To have a friend like her. And to have a friend like Nino. He appreciated them both so much.
“What a lucky guy…” he mused. To her surprise, it wasn’t said bitterly. Instead, it felt like the hero was genuinely happy for Adrien. “Hey, wasn’t he the birthday boy in question today? Best friend of the boy that turned to Bubbler?” he switched the subject, but also not at all.
“Yeah, about that… Don’t hold it against either of them. Nino just… wanted to make Adrien happy. Even if he and I don’t get along, I can see where he was coming from… After all, a kid should always enjoy their birthday…” she hummed, rubbing the small goosebumps on her arms. Staring wistfully at the streetlamps that were barely flicking on.
“Yeah? You like birthday parties?” he asked curiously, wanting to know more about her.
She shook her head. “Not really… I used to hate my birthday,” she admitted.
Her lips formed into a line as she held the thought. Memories of her last couple of birthdays, of an empty home and mailed-in birthday cards, suddenly flashed through her mind. Friends forgetting… Only sad, emotionless notifications from her game to remind her that she was alone on her birthday. She grimaced and instead thought back to more distant birthdays, perhaps when she was younger and smaller.
“Actually... When I turned ten, my aunt and uncle planned a last-minute birthday party at an arcade. I used to think it was one of the worst birthdays ever. My mom had promised me that she’d be there. And yet, she never showed up… Heck, I don’t even remember her wishing me a ‘happy birthday’. And it hurt so much. She was all I wanted that day. So much that I couldn’t properly appreciate the party around me,” she admitted.
“But then, I learned what it was like to have no one to celebrate with you. Now I see that I shouldn’t have placed all my hopes in that one person. I should’ve looked around. And seen how much the people that actually remembered my birthday cared about me… It’s probably one of my biggest regrets…” She gently gripped her upper arms as she hugged herself. For warmth but also to comfort herself.
“ So even though birthdays are for you, yeah… I think it’s more so a day for your loved ones to say ‘thank you. ’ I may not like my birthday, but… I want the people I care about to enjoy theirs,” she said with a smile, finally looking up from city watching.
“... ‘Thank you?’” he whispered, smiling warmly but repeating the phrase in light confusion. “Why thank them?” he asked.
“Yeah. Because I’m grateful. And I want to say ‘thank you’. You know, ‘thank you for being you.’ ‘Thank you for being here.’ ‘Thank you for being part of my life…’” she said simply.
Chat Noir felt his next words get caught in his throat. He had never thought of it like that before. He thought birthdays were there just for fun. A day where you could do what you wanted. And get what you want. But now, he understands why Nino was so adamant about standing up for him. It wasn’t about the party. He was truly cared for. It just took (Y/n) to realize that. She obviously had no idea how much weight her words had. He wanted to keep this moment secured. Tucked away delicately in his heart. She had no idea how much her words truly meant to him.
“Why don’t you tell him that? You know, the birthday boy in question,” he nudged her shoulder, thoughtfully looking her in the eyes. Encouraging her.
“Pssh, are you kidding me? That’s so embarrassing… I’m blushing just saying it to you. " She waved it off and shyly broke eye contact with him, but he kept looking at her.
“Yeah, if I had someone say that to me…” he rubbed the back of his neck, jokingly cringing. “I’d be embarrassed for them… Too sappy,” he joked.
She pouted and playfully frowned. “Way to ruin the moment. I bared my heart out, you jerk!” she gently shoved him.
A whistling noise brought their attention to the inside of the apartment. Reminding the girl that she had placed the kettle on the stove.
“You want a cup of tea before you leave?” she gently offered.
“Would love one, it’s cold out here!” he smiled.
He patiently waited outside as she returned with a wooden tray with a teapot, two mismatched mugs, a jar of sugar cubes, a jar of honey, and a small pitcher of milk. She had no patio furniture, so the two had to sit with their legs crossed on the balcony floor. She poured him a mug and gently handed it to him.
“Thank you!” he said with a grin, pouring himself a large amount of milk into his mug.
“I hope you like black tea,” she said as she added a few spoonfuls of honey to her mug. She then slowly poured in the hot amber liquid, stirring it in as it slowly melted the honey. She blew on the mug before taking a testing sip. She recoiled gently. “Too hot,” she hummed.
“Just add some milk,” he said, taking a sip from his mug. Making a little face at the bitter undertone that still remained. “I think you steeped it a little too long…” he teased,
“Why am I not surprised that the cat hero is drinking milk?” she joked, but taking his suggestion, she added a couple of ounces of milk into her mug. Mid-sip, she rolled her eyes at his complaint. “Add a little sweetener then, dork,” she said teasingly to him.
He pouted at the nickname, but still, he listened to her. He hovered his glove hand over the two options. Sugar or honey? He glanced at her enjoying her mug of milk tea and decided to mimic her. Stirring in a full teaspoon of honey in his drink before taking a sip.
He sighed contentedly. “Oh, that’s lovely,” he said, relaxed.
“It’s a perfect combo,” she added. She watched him lean back and rest on his hands, looking up at the sky. Appearing very relaxed. Hard to believe they stopped a villain today. Surely he must be exhausted… She certainly was. So why was he still here?
“Is it just you patrolling tonight?” she asked curiously.
He hummed and looked away from the night sky, locking eyes with her to give her his attention. He shrugged before answering, “M’lady is a busy bug! And Her Highness had to escort lots of kids home today. I wanted to let her rest.”
Ladybug wasn’t with him?
“Do you patrol often?” she asked curiously.
He took a sip and stared thoughtfully at her behind the mug, pulling it away from his lips with a smile. “Every night!” he said proudly.
“What?! That’s so tedious!” she said, placing her mug down.
He looked a little confused. “Hm, but it’s a hero’s job to keep the city safe?” he replied as if he thought this to be a rhetorical question.
“You should ask your partners for help!” she practically scolded him.
He looked at her expression and couldn’t help the tugging of his lips into a smile. “Surely, you’re not worried about me… Are you, Miss Hero?” he teased, flashing his perfect pearly teeth.
She fought to contain the blush on her (s/c) face. He was just avoiding the conversation. And he knew it. The shit-eating grin would say as much. “It’s a lot… Shouldn’t you, like, take turns with your partners? You have a new hero to help too!” she argued gently.
His grin shrunk to a small smile. “Hmm, well, at first, Ladybug and I patrolled together a lot. But over time, with each akuma and dangerous situation, the original plan shifted, though it was never official. Before I knew it, it was suddenly just me,” he admitted, absentmindedly stirring his tea or, well, what was left of it. “But I don’t mind at all. I have a lot of free time at night. And… It keeps me distracted. I like it. Makes me worry less about everything else around me, you know?” he said. His green eyes looked lonely in that split second. Reminding her why she related to him so much.
I do… I really do.
She smiled and scooted a bit closer. She raised her mug and gently clinked it against his. “Well, I wouldn’t want my favorite hero to burn himself out. Just…” she struggled to voice her thoughts. She had trauma dumped on him enough. “Take care of yourself, okay?” she asked softly.
He smiled and nodded. He tilted his head back to down the last of his warm drink. “Well, I think I’ve overstayed my welcome. Thank you for this… It was nice sitting down and talking to you,” he said fondly, placing his empty mug on the wooden tray before standing up.
“If you ever want another tea party, just stop by,” she offered, looking up at him with a smile.
He chuckled, “Don’t you know feeding strays will encourage them to come back?” he joked, withdrawing his baton.
“Guess I’m just that kind,” she joked right back. “Besides, a cup of tea in exchange for saving Paris? It’s no biggie”.
He laughed and shot her a wink. He readied himself to leap onto the nearest rooftop, but not before looking over his shoulder and saying, “Get inside, yeah? It’s chilly out here”.
She nodded and waved goodbye, watching his figure become smaller in the distance as he left.
A few minutes passed by, and (Y/n) began to pick up after them. Pollen poked her little head out, checking if Chat Noir had left. “I sensed the power of another miraculous and hid myself. Is everything alright?” she asked.
“Yup, the coast's clear! It was just Chat Noir,” (Y/n) said with a little thumbs up, balancing the wooden tray on her hip with a hand. “Wow, I really didn’t expect to see him again today,” she hummed, walking inside and closing the glass doors behind her.
“Why was he here?” Pollen asked curiously as she flew around the girl.
“He said he was in the area and saw me before dropping by,” (Y/n) said with a shrug. Taking the dirty dishes to the kitchen, the kwami followed close behind. Perching on the girl’s shoulder as (Y/n) washed the mugs.
Pollen tilted her head and pensively crossed her arms. Thinking with a hum. “Perhaps he wanted some company tonight?” she suggested.
He did say he had stuff going on that he wanted to be distracted from…
She remembered the way his eyes looked as he stared ahead. So deep. Yet so empty. Full of loneliness.
“Maybe…” she replied softly. She put the dishes on the drying rack before drying her hands and returning back to her room. Shutting the laptop and flopping onto the bed. The exhaustion from the day had finally caught up to her. She threw the blanket over herself and held it open for Pollen to join her.
“Good night, Your Highness!” Pollen said happily, nestling into the pillow next to (Y/n)’s.
“Night, Pollen,” she said in between a yawn.
Maybe it was the movie she had seen before bed… Or maybe the dance she shared with Adrien… Or the talk she had with Chat Noir… But she had dreams that night.
Of a green-eyed prince sweeping her off of her feet.
She had woken up feeling surprisingly refreshed despite the long day yesterday. Retaining not one bit of the dream she had that night. But it had to have been good for her to be this chipper so early. After a quick breakfast with Pollen, she made sure to shove Adrien’s gift in her bag this time before leaving for school. However, she had a different route to take today. Queen Bee had some quick errands to run.
A trip to the bakery later, she had made it to Françoise-Dupont. A bit out of breath even as she detransformed behind the school building. She had to make a quick pit stop before she could wait for her friends in the front.
Nino had made it to school after dropping off his little brother, Chris, at his elementary school. Despite the heroes telling him he was not to blame for Bubbler, he still couldn’t help but feel some sort of guilt. It was his emotions that started it all. After he had been freed from the akuma, he had time to think. To remember as much as possible about the things he did as Bubbler. All he could do was send apology messages to all of his classmates. All except one.
He had (Y/n)’s number. She deserved more than a single text. It would’ve been cowardly if he did. She deserved a proper apology. He should’ve called her. He didn’t, though. All night, his finger hovered over the green phone icon over her number. She was just a call away, it should’ve been easy. But he couldn’t summon the courage. He was scared.
The memory of his, well technically Bubbler’s, last conversation with her. He regretted the words he’d said to her. He didn’t mean to say those things. He didn’t want to threaten her. He didn’t mean to scare her. He didn’t want to hurt her. Yeah, he was upset with her but… No one should ever be told their existence is hurting others….
He felt the guilt eat him away, especially as he hesitated to call her. And, because he had found out later that night. That (Y/n) left school early to see her estranged mother. Adrien probably meant to ease into it and use it to make Nino understand the girl better. But when Nino heard that fact… He felt like a total jerk. A bully.
He just wanted to keep Adrien safe from the possibility of a fake friend. He looked back to all the times before when they’d interacted. And he realized he’d never truly given her a chance because he’d put up a wall between the both of them. He never meant to push her away like that.
Maybe, deep down, he was a little jealous. He had heard from Adrien that they had nightly phone calls with her. Adrien would even rain check online games or voice chats with Nino just to talk to her. She even got to see him at a fancy party. Now, he knew that it was a work thing for his father; he knew that much. But hearing Gabriel stand down for her made Nino think ‘Why her?’. It was a horrible thought. She had never done anything wrong. He just jumped to conclusions and thought the worst of her.
He sat on the steps of the school. Waiting to see that head of (h/c). Impatiently tapping his foot. Not even matching the beat of the song that blasted from his headphones. He was nervous. What if she was afraid of him? He was sure she never had an akuma so up close. She must’ve been terrified. What if she didn’t want to see him? He wouldn’t want to see him either if he were her. What if she hated him? … What if she wanted to stop being friends with Adrien by proxy? Because of him. What if he ruined everything?
He was broken out of his thoughts by a (f/c) backpack being placed on the step next to his book bag. He turned to his side and saw (Y/n) looking at him. Mouthing something he couldn’t hear because of his music. He blinked like a deer caught in headlights. It took him a moment to scramble out of his orange headphones.
“(Y/n)! W-what are you doing here so early, man?!” he squeaked out, placing his headphones on his lap.
She smiled and shrugged, “I had something to do before class. You?” she asked.
“Cool, cool… I dropped off my brother at his school,” he replied while nodding stiffly, politely smiling at her words. But then said nothing else after. He could only stare at her as she sat comfortably there in silence. Was she always this calm? Or… Maybe he never gave her enough time to relax around him… Wow, he really messed it up, didn’t he?
“You okay after yesterday?” she suddenly asked.
He stood up in a panic. His headphones fell onto the stone steps in the process. But he didn’t reach to grab them. “I-I should be asking you!” he suddenly blurted out. Surprising her, she blinked with wide (e/c) eyes. “You… I forced you to come to a party. Threatened you to stay. Forced you to have fun… Made you feel bad… Said some mean things. And I bubbled you when you disagreed. Aren’t you… mad at me?” he asked softly, physically deflating as he lowered his arms.
She let his words sink in before gently shaking her head. “No. I’m not mad. You and Bubbler are not the same, after all. If you had been more in control, I’m sure things would’ve not gone the way they did,” she reassured.
He stared back. A little disappointed in her response. He thought she’d be angrier. To be fair, he didn’t want to get hit or yelled at… But he expected something else. She should be angrier. “You’re not mad?” he asked in a small voice.
“Mm mm, why would I be?” she said with a smile.
He plopped down next to her. Fiddling with his hands. Sighing as he took off his red cap to rub nervously at his hair, “Because… I’ve been a real jerk to you. Snubbing you. Avoiding you. Keeping Adrien away from you. God… I’m no better than his father,” he vented.
“Well, I won’t lie. It sucked. But Adrien told me that you guys had a bad experience with a so-called friend… So I understand where you’re coming from. Sure, it doesn’t make the jerk-y things go away, but it made me realize that you weren’t a bad guy… Just someone with good intentions and bad ways to show it,” she teased with the last part. Looking over to the headphones on the floor, she stood up to grab them for him.
… Nino thought back to when Queen Bee said that sometimes good intentions need to be said, or otherwise you’re acting on your own. She was right. If he had just talked to (Y/n), all of this could’ve been prevented. He was just being stubborn and acting on his own volition, thinking it was fine because it was on someone else’s behalf.
He saw (Y/n) pick up his headphones. His. The guy who had been nothing less than unfriendly with her. And yet, she was being so nice.
She gave them back to him and took her seat. Looking up at the sky. “You know… You- well, I mean Bubbler said that I called Adrien to talk about homework,” she brought up. “And he was sort of right. Because, well, sometimes I avoid telling Adrien about myself. I think. ‘Wow, he’s a real nice guy. I can tell him everything. And he’d never treat me any different,’ but then… I think about myself. Who I am. And what I let define me,” she began, scratching at the grainy texture of the stone steps. “And I get scared. He says he’d be there to listen to my ‘baggage’. And I think that he’s so nice. But then I think, ‘What if it’s all fake?’... Everything. All of it. My friendships. This life. And I get scared to tell him, you know?” she admitted.
Nino inhaled deeply, slowly beginning to understand why Adrien connected with her so well. Because she was just like him. A kid scared of the fragility of their current life.
“I swear I didn't just trauma dump on him… I just find it easier to talk about menial things. Because it feels right. Normal. He’s a good guy. He doesn’t need to worry about anyone else’s baggage. And yet he does. He surprises me sometimes, you know,” she said, turning to look at Nino with a nervous smile. Taking a leap of faith. Awkwardly. But a risky step forward nonetheless.
She expected Nino to be confused. Cringing. Laughing. Anything. But instead, he broke out into a smile and patted her back. “Dude, I get you! He’s too nice of a guy sometimes! I worry for him!” he said with a hearty chuckle.
Oh.
(Y/n) flashed a smile of her own. This was his way of burying the hatchet and offering her an olive branch. “He really is, isn’t he?” she said.
Nino leaned back on his hands and stared up at the sky with her. “Sorry about everything before. I hope we can restart,” he said, softly turning to offer his hand out for a fist bump
She nodded and gently pressed her knuckles against his. “Likewise, Nino,” she said.
“A small step forward is a step forward, regardless”. For understanding. And for friendships, too.
“Well, now that we’ve started anew. I have something to tell you. It’s a surprise for Adrien,” she leaned in and whispered.
Nino nodded and leaned in to hear the plan.
“So what’d you get Adrien for his birthday?” Nino asked curiously.
“Hmm, you’ll see. He’s probably going to open it as soon as I hand it to him,” she said with a light shrug and a smile.
The two had shifted from sitting on the steps to standing on the ground level by the street to wait for Adrien to be dropped off. (Y/n) jumped when she heard someone screech from above.
“What do you mean ‘not before a week’?!”
Nino and (Y/n) looked up to see Chloe yelling at Sabrina. Something about a gift not getting delivered on time or something like that.
“It’s ridiculous!” the blond girl huffed. “Totally ridiculous!” she yelled out in frustration, stomping angrily into the school building. But not before accidentally making eye contact with (Y/n) on her way in.
“Oh wow, she totally glared at you,” Nino mused, nudging (Y/n) with his elbow.
“... So it wasn’t just me that saw that then…” she groaned. “Guess the ‘Adrien pass’ has run out now. No more free trials for me,” she joked.
“The what pass?” he asked.
“Oh, right, you were out sick that week. Adrien told Chloe to lay off since I was new,” she said simply.
“He what-?!” Nino said agape. Getting cut off by the sight of Adrien stepping out of the luxury car with a huge smile on his face. Wearing… Marinette’s scarf!
(Y/n) returned the smile, proud of the bluenette for this little accomplishment! She knew how nervous she’d get around Adrien… So this was a big win for Marinette!
“Snazzy scarf, man,” Nino complimented. Making Adrien chuckle.
“Hey, man,” Adrien greeted, giving Nino a casual fist bump. Though soon after, he looked at (Y/n), almost surprised to see her next to Nino of all people. She just casually shrugged and smiled off his concern.
“Hi, Adrien,” she greeted him with a fist bump of her own.
He smiled and returned it. Happy to see his two closest friends mend the broken bond and try again.
“Hey, nice scarf you got there, Adrien! Classy~” Alya said from afar, Marinette semi-hiding behind her but sporting a shy smile as she waved.
Adrien nodded and tenderly brushed his fingers against the material of the blue hand-knit scarf. He wore it even if it clashed with his outfit. It was sweet. But what he said next made the three girls freeze.
“Yeah, I still can’t believe my father got this for me…” he said happily. “Usually, he always forgets about my birthday and has Nathalie get me some random last-minute gift. Don’t you see?” he said hopefully, glancing back at his friends.
Nino just smiled and shrugged nonchalantly. “Wow, that’s proof that anyone can change!” he agreed. “Shows that even adults can be cool at times, huh?” he joked.
(Y/n) bit back a grimace, “Yeah… Actually-” she wanted to tell Adrien the truth. About who actually got him the scarf. Who spent weeks knitting a perfect scarf. Who the praise should actually go to. But then she looked over to the girls, seeing Marinette shaking her head and making an ‘x-shape’ with her arms. Mouthing ‘don’t’!
Why???
“Hey, speaking of adults… My father said you were a bad influence on me, and-” Adrien began, looking down with guilt. Only for Nino to cut him off with a smile and hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t worry, Adrien… Everything is fine.” Nino began to pull Adrien away and up the steps. “You and I, we’re best friends. Until death do us part,” he reassured him, slinging his arm over Adrien’s shoulder.
(Y/n) stood there, shaking her head with a smile at the boys. She turned to go with the girls like she usually did when she suddenly heard her name being said.
“Yo, where are you going? We’re waiting for you!” Nino said, arm still around Adrien, smiling and standing at the top of the steps.
“Oh, me?” she asked dumbly. Making Adrien chuckle.
“Yeah, you! Come sit with your friends, silly,” Nino added.
(Y/n) glanced over to Alya and Marinette, who just gave her thumbs ups and smiles. They were happy for her. She had finally broken down Nino’s walls. And he was calling her a ‘friend’.
Alya winked and mouthed, ‘we’ll talk later’.
With no time to mingle in between their classes she had to give Adrien his gift during their lunch period. She told the two boys to meet her then. And so she sat on the wooden bench next to Adrien, who was sitting between her and Nino.
“Here, it’s a little late but…” she handed Adrien a small flat box. Wrapped in black wrapping paper with golden polka dots. The wrapping was somewhat neat, except for the creases by the corners. It was obvious she struggled a bit to wrap it nicely. He chuckled softly before reading the note card under the bow.
Adrien’s breath hitched lightly. It said, ‘Thank you, Adrien :)’. Again… She had no idea that he knew what she meant by this. That she had bared her heart to him already. This sappy message meant everything to him, and she had no idea.
He pretended that it didn’t affect him as much, playing it off casually. He placed the note aside. Brushing his fingers against the clumsy wrapping before carefully ripping it from where the tape was holding it together. Plucking out the small white paper box. He removed the lid. Seeing a beaded bracelet…? Hand-braided with thick black waterproof cord… They had white beads with what looked like letters on them.
“They’re-?” Adrien began just to be cut off by Nino.
“Oh, friendship bracelet! Nice!” Nino said, shoving a chip in his mouth. Watch Adrien as the boy unboxed his gift.
Friendship bracelet? Adrien plucked one out and stared at the letters “A”, “N”, and “(your first initial)”, all of them separated by colorful beads. He smiled, understanding that it was the initials of this group. His friends.
“(Y/n)... I love it,” he said happily. Taking it out and clasping it around his left wrist. “You made it?” He asked.
“Wait, there’s more!” She said happily, reaching into the box to pull out the tissue paper. Revealing two more bracelets. “Ta-da!” She said proudly.
Adrien smiled and took them out of the box. “A matching one for you? And… Nino?” he asked softly.
Nino had choked on his drink at the mention of his name. “One for me?” he asked, confused. “But… Why? I’ve been a huge jerk to you. You didn’t have to!” He said, placing his drink down and looking at (Y/n).
She smiled, “I know. Sure, I didn’t HAVE to. But, after yesterday, I wanted to show you that even if we didn’t get along… that we could make an exception for Adrien”. She looked down at her lap, feeling awkward for being so sappy today, before continuing, “But now. There’s not really a need for us to make these exceptions since we’re starting off as new friends! This can be a symbol of a new friendship!”.
Adrien smiled at her words. Incredibly touched that she thought that way. She really didn’t resemble the girl he had first met that day. She was still a little shy and meek when it came to being emotionally open, but she wasn’t afraid to be the one taking the first step. It made him a little proud.
‘Well, that’s why she was re-wrapping the gift last night. She made the 3rd bracelet last,” he thought to himself.
He eyed the bracelets in his hand and turned to hand one to each of his friends. Nino just smiled down at it in his palm. Brushing his thumb against the beads before wrapping it around his wrist. “I love it, it’s our group ‘thing’!” He said excitedly.
“Group thing’?” Adrien repeated, a bit confused.
“You know! Some friend groups have a matching item or a secret handshake to further bond them together,” Nino explained. “This will be our ‘thing’!”
(Y/n) bit back a little laugh at the boys’ dynamic. Nino seemed to be Adrien’s guide through teenhood. Explaining things to him. Encouraging him to have new experiences. It was sweet. No wonder Nino was a little protective. Adrien was still new to a lot.
She put on her bracelet and slowly offered a fist bump with the same hand. “What if we have a triple fist bump with the hands that have the bracelets?” She suggested.
“Nice, I like that idea!” Nino said happily, lifting his hand up and forming it into a fist.
Adrien looked a bit confused but smiled politely through the whole explanation. He slowly lifted his fist and held it out. Nino and (Y/n) smiled as they reached in to fist-bump his hand together.
“Boom! Friendship status upgraded to trio!” Nino said with a grin.
Adrien and (Y/n) looked at each other and chuckled.
What a great start to an amazing friendship.
“Hey, by the way… Is the courtyard looking a little emptier to you guys?” Adrien asked, looking around. Seeing barely any kids from their class.
“Oh, right!” (Y/n) said, motioning Nino with her head. “Forgot to add that we had one more gift for you. It’s not anything special but…” she trailed off, standing up.
“We thought that no birthday is complete without it,” Nino added. Standing up and motioning for Adrien to do the same.
The trio walked up the steps to Miss Bustier’s classroom. Nino was gently pushing Adrien’s back, and (Y/n) was walking ahead. Holding the door to the class open for the boys.
“After you, birthday boy,” she teased gently.
Adrien chuckled and shook his head as he walked, “(Y/n), it’s not my birthday anym-!”
He was interrupted by the sounds of his classmates yelling in unison, “Happy Birthday, Adrien!”
He stopped at the entrance and stood agape. “W-what…? I don’t understand…” he began, a little confused. He looked around. It was everyone. Chloe too. Even though she was off in the corner brooding.
There were colorful paper streamers and tablecloths over the front desks, where an assortment of snacks and drinks were available. Light music came from the front computer. It was simple but nice.
Nino and (Y/n) shared a smile. “It’s a little birthday party!” Nino said, gently nudging Adrien with his shoulder. Guiding him to come inside. “For you, dude!”
“For me?” Adrien asked softly.
“Yup, for you!” (Y/n) nodded.
Miss Bustier came in soon after holding a cake. It was a stereotypical sheet-shaped cake with cream and fruit. With multicolored candles. Smiling as she gently placed it on her desk. Right at the front.
“H-how? I don’t understand,” Adrien began.
“Well, I got here early and asked Bustier and Damocles if it’d be alright to borrow the class for the lunch break!” (Y/n) explained happily.
“She got the cake, too,” Nino said with a hum.
“Yeah, but Nino did the recon. He texted everyone the plan!” (Y/n) added.
“And we distracted you while everyone got everything ready!” Nino explained with a smug smile.
“... You like it?” (Y/n) asked with a smile. “We did this back home when I was in elementary. We had little parties in the class, I thought it’d be best to-” she rambled off but was cut off by an arm wrapping around her and Nino’s shoulders.
“Guys… I love it…” Adrien mumbled against his friend’s shoulders. Nuzzling his face against them. Hiding his embarrassment as he hugged his friends. “It’s perfect…! Thank you," he said. Not looking up as he hid his expression.
Nino and (Y/n) glanced at each other and smiled before hugging back. “You’re being so sappy, buddy. Don’t tell me you’re crying?” Nino teased. Patting Adrien’s back.
“It’s okay if you are,” (Y/n) added teasingly.
“Haha, shut up,” Adrien laughed and let go of them. Smiling so happily.
“Alright, we have a little over a half hour left. Time to blow out your candles!” (Y/n) gently pushed Adrien to sit at the front so everyone could sing him ‘happy birthday’.
While sitting, Adrien took a look around and thought to himself, “Best birthday ever,” before leaning down to blow out the flames once the song was over.
Notes:
Here's the link to my Ko-Fi in case you wanted to support my work! Don't feel pressured, but anything's appreciated :) : https://ko-fi.com/shinyamour
Chapter 16: Pharaoh
Summary:
Got another slow one! I got Lady Wifi and Chronogirl mapped out, though! These next few chapters should be out quicker, haha! Look forward to it!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Queen Bee sat atop the Arc De Triomphe. Casually reading some article on her honeycomb compact. Swiping up to skim the contents.
It’s Finally Here: Pharaoh Tutankhamun Exhibit @ The Louvre!
“Huh, what do you know? I’ve been hearing about this for weeks,” she mused internally. Glancing at the top corner of her communicator, she checked the time. Her lips formed a straight line. She wondered where her mentors could be. They usually meet on Sunday nights at eight o’clock. It was currently a quarter past eight, and none could be seen. She would've gotten a call by now if it had been an akuma or another heroic duty.
Maybe she should head out… They were probably occupied.
Queen Bee stretched her arms over her head and swung her legs back onto the flat top of the monument. She stood up and held back a yawn, mumbling to herself, “Maybe I can go to bed early today or be able to join Nino and Adrien for an online raid”.
Like a sixth sense, she suddenly felt a pair of eyes and an oncoming presence. She turned her head and narrowly avoided a streak of silver. Her golden-flecked eyes locked on the attacker, holding down the weapon with her gloved hands. “Who are y-?!” she began to say firmly. Only for her breath to hitch as she frowned at her “so-called attacker”. She sighed as she shook her head, and a handsome face behind a black mask smirked at her.
Chat Noir let out a hearty laugh and pressed the green paw print on his baton, shrinking it in size. He casually tossed it up in the air so it spun, catching it with a wink. “Fine evening we have today, Your Highness,” he greeted and bowed. He took her hand and raised it up to his lips for a kiss on her knuckles.
She narrowed her eyes and took her hand back before he could press his lips to her hand. “What was that for, Mr. Noir?” she asked dryly, crossing her arms.
He smiled cheekily and then pouted at the cold tone she was using. “Mr. Noir? Ouch, I thought we were closer than that, Bee Bee. Using my surname as if I were a stranger,” he joked with the last part, pretending to clutch his heart through his suit.
“So did I. Trying to sneak up on a lady is not very gentlemanly, Chat,” she replied with a tut, shaking her head at him.
“Just trying to see if you got rusty over the week,” he said with a casual shrug. He looked around, his eyebrows lightly furrowed as he asked, “Where’s m’lady?”
Good question. If Chat Noir was late, then where was Ladybug?
“She’s not with you?” Queen Bee asked curiously. It didn’t have a second meaning, she was just curious. After all, Paris’s mightiest heroes were always a pair. A duo. It had always been Ladybug AND Chat Noir. It seemed a bit odd to her that Ladybug wasn’t present for this. Well… To be fair, these training sessions were Chat Noir’s ideas. And Ladybug was probably participating out of courtesy. However, it was odd. Ladybug liked to take charge and be the one making the shots. She had butt heads with Queen Bee enough to prove as such. So why wasn’t she here?
Chat Noir glanced back at the bee heroine and visibly deflated for a second. Disappointed? Maybe. His eyes looked out into the distance before looking back at Queen Bee.
In an instant, he plastered on a cheeky smile. Puffing out his chest and flexing playfully. “Well, looks like my lady entrusted me with making sure our little bee is in perfect condition. And why wouldn’t she? I’m the best teacher out there! You should be honored!” he said.
Queen Bee stared at him, not believing his change in demeanor for a second, but she sighed and rolled her eyes, “Yeah, yeah, I’m sooo honored. Sure, that’s totally why…”. She just decided to play along. She didn’t want to involve herself in Chat Noir and Ladybug’s ‘relationship’ as she could sense it was something tricky and messy.
“Don’t think so, oh ‘so majestic’ Queen Bee, Your Highness?” he said with a challenging look in his eyes. “Should’ve expected a prim uptight bee to be so proud,” he teased.
She stared back with a fire in her own eyes, “Prove it, tomcat”. She withdrew her sword and pointed it at him, challenging him to a spar. “I’m humble enough to admit defeat when it comes to it, but I have to lose first, of course,” she said confidently.
He grinned back. Pressing the paw print to extend his baton. The silver metal lightly clacked against her sword. “Shall we, Your Highness?” he taunted.
“We shall,” she replied with a smile.
Well, she lost.
Chat Noir taunted and gloated whenever she’d overstep her next swing, swiping his foot under her to trip her. And it infuriated her. How was he so… skilled! Not only was he smug, agile, clever, and handsome… He actually had the abilities to match his confidence! She stood up and charged at him with an overhead swing while he was distracted.
“Gotcha!” she cheered for herself.
Just for a quick flash of gold and green to lock eyes with her, before a baton knocked her sword out of her hands. The thin blade and bell guard clanged against the concrete of the structure they were on as Queen Bee landed defeatedly. On her hands and knees, looking down. At first, Chat Noir felt a bit of guilt for trying too hard for a simple spar… He was about to help her up and apologize when she looked up and surprised him.
“Dang it!” She huffed, wiping the sweat away from her brow, before laughing softly. “I’m so frustrated! Why are you so good?!” she complained through a smile.
He blinked before returning a smile of his own. “What can I say? I’m just the best. Was born like this,” he gloated, making her roll her eyes.
“Nah, for real though… You practice a lot?” she asked. “That’s amazing dedication….” she complimented.
He blinked again, surprised by the simple praise, feeling a bit taken aback. He rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of how to reply. He had only picked fencing on a whim as a child because he thought knights and sword fighting were cool. And here was his ‘apprentice’, so to say, looking up at him with admiration and pride. It felt nice… He hadn’t had someone look at him like this since… well, his mother.
“Well, to be honest… I have a lot of free time. I like to busy myself, you know,” he admitted, offering her his hand again. Even if his father picked out his schedule and all of his extracurriculars, he couldn’t help but be glad to be too busy to be at home. In a bittersweet way. He’d do anything to stay away from his empty home, where there was no one waiting for him. To ask about his day. To congratulate him. To comfort him. Somewhere along the line, being Chat Noir became one of those distractions. Guess he forgot that this wasn’t just some job or after-school activity.
He had Ladybug, yes. But it’s not like she humored him much. After all, she had no idea what was going on in Chat Noir’s life. And in turn, he didn’t know much about her. And it crushed him.
How often would he reach out to someone who won’t look back at him? He’s spent years staring at his father’s back. And Gabriel just distanced himself even more after his mother disappeared… He thought that as Chat Noir, he’d receive more. More what? Who knew. Attention, maybe. Meeting Ladybug made him realize that she was everything he wanted. Confidence, strength, charm, wit, and courage. All wrapped up in a pretty face with cute pigtails. He wanted to be more like her. People loved her. And so did he. And so, he kept reaching out to her.
Too bad, all he saw sometimes was her back to him.
“Well, I’m not one to judge. I get it. But… Because of that, you’re getting better each day. You should hold your head up high, Chat. Just like you told me,” she said with a casual shrug, taking his hand and standing up. “Because of that ‘skill’, you’ve saved hundreds of people. And they get to come home and see their loved ones. Even me. Thanks.”
A part of him wanted to be bitter about her statement. To reply dryly with a ‘what loved ones’ or ‘yeah, an empty home’. But he held back. He stared down at the bee girl with a soft smile. Something about her words made him remember (Y/n)’s.
“... It probably wasn’t intentional. But because of you, I’ve had so much fun. So, thank you… For being you…”
“I’ve saved you before?” he asked, taken aback by the new info. “When?”
“If I told you, you’d have more info on my personal life. We have to keep our personal lives secret, besides… Technically, I’ve saved you, too,” she added playfully. “I do recall sweeping you off your feet on our first meeting. Like a scared kitty, you clung to me,” she teased. Referencing when she caught him from falling face-first into the ground off a building.
He playfully narrowed his eyes. “Normally, I have ladies falling for me. Never the other way around. Well, you caught me. And now you’re stuck with me,” he added with a wiggle of his eyebrows.
She laughed softly to herself. “Well, I guess I’ve always had a soft spot for strays,” she joked right back. She looked around the empty streets. “It’s getting late… And, um. Hey, if you ever want company or a shift change for patrolling, you can let me know,” she offered.
Huh? How did she know he patrolled alone at night? Did she somehow notice him that night he saw her jumping off roofs? Before he could ask, she picked up her sword and attached it to her belt. Turning over her shoulder to send him a smile his way, she said, “See you next week, same time for our training!” She waved and leapt off the monument. Leaving him to stand there.
Alone.
It was the worst part of this. Chat Noir. Adrien Agreste. It didn’t matter who he was; at the end of it all, he’d always end up by himself. He looked around and took out his baton. Checking the time. It was close to midnight. He should head to bed. Maybe he could catch Nino and (Y/n) for a bit on the group chat before they called it a night.
“Wonder when I’ve saved Queen’s civilian self, though…” he thought to himself before shrugging and using his baton to leave.
(Y/n) ran to the bus stop. Out of breath, she pressed her bus pass to the sensor before flopping onto the nearest empty seat. She woke up late. Not late enough to be tardy to class, but late enough that she only had time to eat a banana while she ran for breakfast.
Staying up to complete a last-minute raid battle was a bad idea. But she genuinely felt bad for blowing off the guys to train with Chat Noir. The least she could do was stay online for one match. Too bad Nino suggested they try the boss rush event for more rewards. They were practically up all night, inevitably waking up late. The boys probably did, too.
Speaking of Nino, ever since the Bubbler incident, he’d been somewhat careful around her. He invited her to do everything he and Adrien were doing. If they were playing an online game? He’d text her to see if she’d join them. If they were going off the school campus for lunch? He’d look for her to ask. It was endearing at first, since he was awkwardly shy about it. But slowly it became less awkward as he grew more comfortable. It was natural.
And it was because Adrien was there. He was the one to suggest the three play as a party on her favorite game. The one that Adrien introduced Nino to. The one that (Y/n) originally introduced to him.
It wasn’t a long transition for the three of them to officially become a party.
“(Y/n)! How far did you get on the boss rush?” she heard someone ask before taking a seat next to her. She looked up and saw Max holding his phone, eager to show off his rare rewards from the limited-time event.
“The guys and I got to floor 36. You?” she asked, smiling, taking her phone out and loading up the game.
“37!” he grinned, showing her his home screen. Pointing at the side emblem that showed his current rank, “I’m catching up to you!”
She laughed, “Dang, Kim wasn’t joking when he said you were aiming for my spot!” She nudged him with her shoulder. “What armor do you have?” she asked.
“Currently, I have the Obsidian Shadow armor. But I was trying to grind for the Star Ruby armor,” he said, clicking through his character customization screen.
“Oh, that side quest takes forever! I barely had enough star pieces for the helmet!” she complained playfully.
“Tell me about it… I want the full set. But I’m too busy training for the UMS tournament,” he replied, showing her his progress so far.
“UMS?” she looked up.
“Ultimate Mecha Strike! You know, the fighting game about mechas that transform into different phases depending on the energy they consume from the damage they deal in combos!” he explained with a smile, pushing his glasses up. “You should really think about playing. If you can memorize the attack combos for this game, I’m sure you’d have no issues with the button combos in UMS.”
“Oh, well, I’d love to. But I’d get too overwhelmed with remembering combos and knowing when to use them in a match against another person. I usually button mash,” she admitted with a sheepish shrug. “I’ll happily play with you if I get the game, though. It’s on its 4th installment now, right?” she asked.
“Technically not yet. Players data mined and leaked a celebration event on the current online patch of the 3rd game. And they’re speculating that the developers are going to announce a new game after the UMS tournament! Which I plan to be a part of and win!” he announced proudly. “I will bring our school a new trophy!”
“Wow! Dude, that’s awesome! I’ll come cheer you on,” she added with a smile.
“I expect no less from my rival,” he added playfully.
“Rival? I could never reach your-,” She was suddenly interrupted.
The sounds of gasps and murmurs from the other people on the bus cut off their conversation. They stood and crowded the nearby windows. Confused, (Y/n) and Max turned to see a helicopter fly close to the buildings. Hovering dangerously close to the ground. It was out of control! She instinctively stood only to feel a hand pull her back down.
“Careful, (Y/n),” Max warned, “You’ll fall when the bus moves. Don’t worry, look!” he said as he pointed to a heroine in red zipping past them to attach herself to the wild helicopter.
She sighed in relief, relaxing into her seat. At least Ladybug was on it. Phew.
“Um, what were we talking about again?” she asked the boy.
(Y/n) took a step into the classroom. Seeing her classmates glued to their screens, some of them were even sticking together to watch whatever it was. Confused, she placed her bag down and turned to Nathaniel, who jumped once he felt her eyes on him.
“What’s everyone watching?” she asked curiously.
“Uh… The morning news, I think there’s a recap about the runaway copter…” he responded nervously. He lifted one end of his sketchbook to hide what he was drawing but also to physically set a barrier between the two.
She took the hint but still walked past him with a ‘thanks’.
I should apologize to him for scaring him… Well, maybe when he’s less on edge.
She walked down the steps to meet up with Alya, who she saw walk in, grinning as if she had won the lottery. Alya was holding her bookbag close to her chest, protectively even. Alya’s bright brown eyes widened as she saw (Y/n). She approached her excitedly with an impatient hop to her step.
“(Y/n)! (Y/n)! Guess what?” she whisper-yelled, motioning with her hand for (Y/n) to lean in and listen to her whisper.
“What?” (Y/n) asked happily. Trying to match her friend’s excitement. Surely, whatever had her this chipper should be worth noting. She leaned in closer.
“I think… I may be a step closer to discovering who Ladybug is!” she said.
…
“What?!” (Y/n) accidentally slipped out. Quickly, she covered her mouth once she realized that she had blurted that out loud. Her (e/c) eyes glanced around and saw everyone staring at her worriedly. She grinned sheepishly and placed her hands on Alya’s shoulders, gently ushering her out of the classroom.
She guided them out of the classroom and down the hall to the upstairs restroom. She glanced around to make sure there was no one else with them before turning around to acknowledge her friend.
“Alya… You can’t be serious?” (Y/n) asked worriedly. After all, what did Alya see or find? Surely… she didn’t happen to see Ladybug detransform… right? What if she saw Ladybug’s kwami? Even she would be unable to help out Ladybug. If she were to try her best to cover for the spotted heroine, she’d be putting a huge mark on her back. She’d open the door to the possibility that she knows more than she should about the heroes.
“Yep! Look!” Alya said excitedly, completely unaware of (Y/n)’s change in demeanor. She reached into her bookbag and suddenly shoved a textbook in (Y/n)’s face. (Y/n) gently took the book from the girl’s hand and stared at it. Albeit a bit confused.
… Was this a joke?
“Alya. It’s just a textbook. A history textbook,” (Y/n) deadpanned.
“I know that! But hear this… Ladybug dropped it!” Alya explained, taking the book back and pacing back and forth. She waved her finger around as if she were Sherlock Holmes, pointing out serious clues and hints in her investigation. “I was walking to class when that runaway helicopter flew above me! I was trying to get footage of the heroes in action and saw that Ladybug was attached to the landing railing of the helicopter, trying to climb up her yo-yo to reach the cockpit! And she dropped this!” She pointed at it excitedly.
“... Uh huh…” (Y/n) replied with a slow nod, beginning to feel less anxious now. “Alya, we’re friends, right? And as a good friend, I need to tell you the truth…”
“You know who Ladybug is?!” Alya cut in with a smile. “Because last time I checked, no one has a lead this big! And everyone on the Ladyblog will be the first to see it!”
(Y/n) placed her hands on Alya’s shoulders and looked her dead in the eye before saying, “We have the same history book. It’s a 9th-grade level textbook!” She playfully pretended to plead with the girl, “Alya, did the book fall on your head? Do you need medical attention? How many fingers am I holding up?” she joked.
Alya rolled her eyes and pulled the girl’s hands away. “No. No. And none right now. But think about it (Y/n). Maybe with this, we can narrow down who it is!” Alya reasoned.
Suddenly, the door to the restroom opened, and a head of blue popped in. It was Marinette, seemingly looking for the girls. “Hey guys, what are you doing here?” Marinette asked with a smile, tugging her backpack forward to take something out of the pink bag. “Oh, by the way, here. Something new my dad’s working on and wanted you guys to try!” she said happily, handing the girls small white boxes filled with an assortment of colorful macarons.
“Ooh, nice!” (Y/n) thanked the girl and took the box. Leaning in to take a little sniff, “Mmm, mango?”
“Yeah, the yellow ones are mango and cream-filled!” Marinette replied with a smile. “Good catch!”
“Marinette. We can gush about your dad’s baking later…. Tell him thank you from us, by the way. But you have to be on this too!” Alya said, shoving the box in her bookbag and pushing the history textbook into Marinette’s hands. Marinette looked confused before her eyes widened in realization. Something that was unknown to the other girls.
“It’s-!” Marinette began.
“That’s right! It’s evidence!” Alya said matter-of-factly, taking the book back. “(Y/n) here doesn’t believe me that it’s a step closer to discovering who Ladybug is! Since this book is used as a reference for 9th graders… We can only assume Ladybug is a 14-year-old girl!”
Marinette’s breath hitched in her throat. Unable to say anything else. Oh god, was this it for her? Why did she have to drop that book?! Her blue eyes darted around nervously, she gripped the strap of her pochette. “What am I going to do now?! I’m so dumb! So clumsy! Why did I try to stop that helicopter after going back for my school work?! Nice going, Marinette! What a great Ladybug you are!” she thought bitterly to herself.
“Orr… She just so happened to find that textbook?” (Y/n) suddenly cut in.
“What?” Both Alya and Marinette looked at (Y/n), one more surprised than the other.
“Yeah. What if Ladybug happened to pick this up and was hoping to return it to the owner?” (Y/n) suggested with a casual shrug. “Heroes can do small acts of good, too, y’know. Queen Bee helped an old lady cross the street that one time. And I think you covered something about Ladybug and Chat Noir signing a petition to have the city switch to clean energy.”
Marinette never thought of that… And clearly neither did Alya.
“Well… Maybe! But what IF this was Ladybug’s?” Alya tried to argue her point.
“And what if it isn’t? That book might not even have a name written in it,” (Y/n) argued back with a smug little smile.
The bell suddenly rang. Signalling that the three had to go to their homeroom. Alya pouted and shoved the book back into her bag. “You’ll see. I just need to do more research! As soon as I edit that Ladyblog vid and post it, I’ll have so many other people agreeing with me!” Alya huffed as she started to walk away. “And just to prove how sure I am… I’m not gonna open it until I do my research and have both of you here to watch the suspenseful moment~!” She walked out with a little ‘hmph!’.
(Y/n) shook her head with a smile, going to follow the girl when she suddenly felt a hand hold her back. She turned to see Marinette looking down nervously. “S-surely, you don’t believe her, do you?” she asked. “I’m worried Alya will take it too far. She’s always been too brave for her own good,” Marinette said, letting go of (Y/n)’s hand.
“Pshh, of course not!” (Y/n) replied. “I’m just worried, you know… Throwing such an idea out there leaves room for speculation. And I’m scared that someone like Papillon will use this idea of hers to go snooping after the wrong people. What if he targets schools… or the owner of that book? Or even Alya, y’know?” she said softly, crossing her arms in thought. “He might be the kind of guy to do anything within his power to trap Ladybug.”
“R-right… We should try to convince Alya not to open that book…” Marinette said with a nod.
“Well, she might be too stubborn to hear us out right now…” (Y/n) said grimly, shrugging before going toward the exit. “You coming?” she asked the bluenette.
“N-nah. I gotta use the bathroom before class. Catch you at lunch?” Marinette said with an awkward smile and a wave.
“See ya!” (Y/n) smiled back and left.
Marinette waited for a minute or so before rushing into a stall. Taking a seat and freeing Tikki. “What do I do?!” She begged the kwami for answers. “Can the Miraculous Ladybug return the status quo? Can I make it so Alya never found the book?!” she asked the ladybug kwami. Basically pleading for a solution.
“Marinette… I told you to stop transforming for small things like forgetting your textbook or homework… I know it coincidentally aligned with the helicopter incident, but still!” Tikki scolded with a small shake of her head, flying out of the bag and crossing her little arms. “Nope. Your powers can do no such thing!” she deadpanned.
“Ughhh!!! What am I gonna do?! Everyone’s going to find out who that book belongs to!” Marinette groaned, dragging her hands down her face.
“Sometimes, you have to live with the consequences of your own mistakes! You’re supposed to learn and navigate through it! It’ll help you grow and become a better Ladybug!” Tikki replied with a smile. Flying around the girl and tilting Marinette’s chin up with a giggle.
“Ughhh, why did the Guardian pick me?” Marinette whined, “There could have been so many better options!”
“Because he saw potential in you for growth! Success isn’t determined by your current skill set but rather by your capability to adapt and grow! You have plenty of potential!” Tikki encouraged.
Marinette stared blankly at the color of the stall, humming in thought, “... Are you sure you still want a Ladybug like me?” she asked softly. Turning to look the kwami in the eyes with a slight pout.
“Of course!” Tikki replied happily.
Marinette held her palms open and waited for Tikki to sit on her hands, bringing the kwami closer to her so she could nuzzle her cheek against hers.
“Well, for now. I gotta find a way to take that book back before Alya opens it!” Marinette said with newfound resolve.
The late bell rang soon after, and Marinette had to scramble back to class.
“Sigh, easier said than done,” Marinette thought to herself. Alya would never put the bag down. And anytime Marinette would be alone with Alya, she was afraid she’d make it too obvious that it was she who took it. What was she going to do?!
“Alright, girls, I’m gonna take my lunch in the computer lab. Gonna get a head start on my video editing!” Alya said happily as the three walked down the steps to the courtyard. “You guys have fun at Marinette’s house for lunch!”
Oh no. What if she took a peek at that book? Ugh, why did she have to write her name in that book?!
“Uh, wait!” Marinette chipped in. “Can we come with?”
(Y/n) and Alya looked confused. “To sit with me while I quietly work on the computer?” Alya asked with a chuckle. “Nah, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. You guys don’t have to keep me company while I work. Go have fun,” she insisted.
“Oh, b-but we’re really interested in watching you edit your videos!” Marinette suddenly blurted out.
“You are?” Alya asked, gently raising her eyebrows in surprise.
“We are?” (Y/n) asked softly, confused as to what was happening. She thought they were going to Marinette’s for lunch.
“Yes! We are!” Marinette nodded and linked arms with (Y/n). “We would very much like to see your work process!” she said with a smile.
“Oh, uh, sure?” Alya blinked. “I didn’t know you guys were so interested in video editing!” Alya replied with a smile and her hands on her hips.
Suddenly, a voice from above brought their attention to the second floor. (Y/n) glanced around and saw the boys walking out of the library. Nino had looked down and waved to (Y/n), “Yo, (Y/n)! And girls! Wanna come to the cafeteria with us?” he asked over the handrail of the awning. Adrien had poked his head out and waved to them.
“Sorry, boys! The girls wanna come with me!” Alya replied back with a laugh. Nino just shrugged with a smile, and Adrien waved goodbye as they walked off in the direction of the mess hall.
(Y/n) turned back to the girls and cut in. “I’m, uh, interested, yeah. And I’d love to see you work, Alya. But maybe not right now. I’m pretty hungry since I skipped breakfast. I’ll just go eat with Nino and Adrien. If that’s cool with you guys?” she asked politely.
Alya nodded and just linked arms with Marinette, who glanced up like a sad puppy, probably a little disappointed she missed her chance to eat with Adrien. “Guess it’ll be just us! See ya later, (Y/n)!” Alya said happily, walking off with Marinette.
(Y/n) had managed to sneak herself next to Nino as they stood in line waiting for a tray.
“What’s up?” (Y/n) greeted with a smile.
“Man, where were you? Thought you were going with Alya?” Nino asked, nudging her with his elbow.
“Well, I don’t know. I guess I was. Marinette wanted to go with Alya to the computer lab to learn how to edit videos,” (Y/n) mused with a shrug. Grabbing a tray. Grabbing a main entree. Then, a side dish and a side salad. Then, a fruit and a dessert, the three made their way out of the line and to the nearest empty table. “But after staying up so late, I completely missed breakfast this morning. I’m starving!” she said happily, stabbing at her side salad and shoving in a mouthful of crispy lettuce, carrots, and cucumbers.
“Ugh, my mom was so mad that I didn’t wake up in time to take Chris to school. She made me use my allowance to get us a cab,” Nino complained, choosing to eat his apple first. Crunching it and chewing on it as he brought up, “Mmm, but the new exclusive weapon set was so worth it! What are you guys using your materials on? I’m thinking of maining a hammer!” Nino pretended to hold an imaginary one, swinging it like a baseball bat.
Adrien chuckled behind his hand, reaching over the table to pour himself a glass of water from the pitcher. “I don’t know yet. I kind of like the lance… But the spear looks cool!” Adrien said as he absentmindedly put the empty cup down and realized there was only one on the table. Without thinking, he gave his glass to (Y/n) and stood up, but not before pouring the water for her. “Be right back! Gonna ask for two more cups,” he told his friends, passing Nino with a pat to his back.
Nino watched the exchange curiously, raising his eyebrows at the way Adrien was being very gentlemanly to (Y/n). Now, Adrien was a good guy. He would obviously hold doors open for anyone and did not/would not discriminate against anyone. But now that he was good friends with both of them. He was noticing something slightly off. He suddenly asked, “Why’d you uh, want to come with us, (Y/n)?” He leaned in with a knowing glint in his eyes.
“Hm?” She looked up from her main dish. Chewing and swallowing, tilting her head as she was a bit confused. “Um, to eat lunch with you guys?” she replied as if asking a question, unsure of what Nino wanted to hear.
Nino blinked, and suddenly, the curiosity in his eyes began to fade. “Huh. You and Adrien are just… friends, right?” he asked.
Innocently enough, she just nodded with a smile. “Yep! Good friends,” she said as she took a sip of her water.
“Very interesting…” Nino thought to himself.
Thanking Adrien when he returned with more cups. Watching the boy and girl interact like a hawk. Watching the way Adrien offered (Y/n) grapes first before offering some to Nino. Seeing how locked Adrien’s eyes were on her when she was recounting a story. “Besides Chloe, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Adrien have a close female friend… Does he not notice how he looks right now? Is it on purpose? Or was he doing this subconsciously?” he wondered.
(Y/n) and Adrien were none the wiser.
“And anyways, Alya and I are having a little argument,” (Y/n) recounted what happened this morning.
“What? You girls never bicker,” Adrien replied with a chuckle.
“Well, it wasn’t really a ‘bicker. ’ It’s just she thinks she found something of Ladybug’s,” (Y/n) said with a laugh. “I want to believe her, but surely heroes are more careful, y’know. I don’t think the path to Ladybug’s identity is that easy”.
Suddenly, the table went quiet.
(Y/n) looked up from her plate. “... What? Don’t tell me you guys believe it?” she asked with a teasing chuckle.
“Well, I just think it might be cool to figure out who it is, you know,” Nino said casually, with a shrug. He pursed his lower lip in thought, gently drumming his fork against his tray to absentmindedly create a little rhythm.
Adrien, on the other hand, was looking down at his cup as if avoiding eye contact with his friends. “Well… Uh, what was it that Ladybug dropped?” Adrien asked curiously, focusing his interest on the brim of his cup.
“Oh no. Wait. Hahaha, I forgot you’re a Ladybug fanboy ,” (Y/n) teased, doubling down on her train of thought, “There’s just no way it’s that simple of an answer? If I were a hero… And I dropped something that seemed personal like a wallet or a phone, why would you think it might be mine?” she reasoned. “I think Ladybug’s more careful than that!”
“Uh, well… I mean, is it wrong to wonder like that?” Nino replied with a smile, “Think about it. Wouldn’t you want to know who’s behind the masks?” he leaned back in his seat and stretched his hands out to emphasize his opinion. “Could be anyone!”
“Yeah. That’d be nice, but I mean. Would you agree with Alya? She thinks Ladybug is a girl our age!” (Y/n) said, pointing her fork at Nino with a smile, “If we’re going by your logic, anyone of us could be her,” she argued, reaching over to stab a piece of pineapple from Nino’s tray. “Maybe Ladybug’s a guy?”
“Ladybug’s a girl for sure,” Adrien brought up. Suddenly, really invested in the conversation. “She’s referred to herself as a ‘she’ and a ‘lady’ often. Besides, what’s wrong with trying to know?”
She glanced at her friend and saw his slightly serious expression. Deciding it's best to switch gears. Any longer, and it’d look like she’s being pushy about secret identities. “Oh, right. We should stop, or we’ll upset Adrien here,” (Y/n) joked.
Nino chuckled and nodded, “You’re right. He’s the number one Ladybug fan here,” he teased.
“Wha-hey! I am not!” Adrien tried to defend himself, turning a bit pink in the cheeks.
“I bet he’s got a shrine to her,” (Y/n) said with a giggle, making Adrien pout.
“Nah, he just has a celebrity crush on her,” Nino teased, nudging Adrien.
“Wait for real???” (Y/n) asked, playfully gasping. She even dramatically covered her mouth with both hands to emphasize her joke.
“You guys are the worst,” Adrien mumbled, covering his reddened face with his hands. Making his friends laugh.
“If it makes you feel any better, I’m pretty sure you’re not the only one.” Nino patted Adrien’s back.
“Yeah, I happen to know a guy who’s infatuated with Ladybug,” (Y/n) added, using a plastic spoon to eat the yogurt they were given as dessert.
Adrien kept hiding his face behind his hands. He knew exactly who she was referring to. A certain cat hero. And it was still him! Ugh, how embarrassing.
“Oh, wait. I have snacks to share!” (Y/n) brought up, “Will that cheer you up? They’re macarons!”
“.... Maybe,” Adrien replied after a moment of silence. Making (Y/n) and Nino laugh.
The trio disbanded with a triple fist bump. Each of them walked to their next class. (Y/n) waved at them before heading to her art class. Adrien waved back with a smile before he was suddenly pulled aside. Nino had wrapped an arm over his shoulders and walked with him.
“Soo… You and (Y/n), huh?” Nino brought it up casually. “You guys are real good friends, huh?”
Adrien was confused. After all, Nino was his friend, too. They had literally just finished eating lunch together, the three of them. Why was he asking this? “Yeah?” he replied warily. “... why?”
“Oh… No reason,” Nino replied with a hum and a nod. Internally, he was confirming his theory. Adrien was too sheltered and naive to comprehend how his actions would appear socially. Not that what he was doing was bad. He cared for both (Y/n) and Nino after all. “Guess he doesn’t have feelings for her,” he thought to himself with a shrug. Letting go of Adrien and exhaling playfully.
“You’re not jealous, are you, Nino?” Adrien teased his friend.
“Nah, just thought you’ve been extra doting to her since your birthday,” he replied casually as they walked up the steps to their next class.
“Well… I just worry about her. She never really told us how the thing with her mother went,” Adrien replied with a sigh. “She doesn’t normally say what’s troubling her, and I think she’s avoiding it. And she should come to us if she feels like that. She’s a good person”.
“Yeah, she’s gotten a lot bubblier lately. But that doesn’t necessarily mean she’s just acting like that. I think that’s the real her,” Nino replied, turning to glance at his best friend, “She’s getting comfortable enough to tease you about your crush on Ladybug, man. She’s fine, and I’m sure she’d come to us if things aren’t,” he said, gently bumping Adrien’s shoulder with his fist.
“Yeah… You’re right. And by the way, how did you know about my… uh, crush?” Adrien asked, side-eyeing Nino.
“Remember that time we worked on a project at your place?” Nino asked, waiting for the blonde to nod. “I dropped our craft supplies, and some rolled under your bed. Andddd, I kind of saw your stash of Ladybug pictures?” he said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck as he admitted this little secret of Adrien’s.
… It took a while for the information to sink in. Adrien suddenly turned red and groaned, covering his face. Great… Now, he needed to find a new hiding place for those. Well, good thing Nino never saw his desktop…
“Want me to tell (Y/n) about them?” Nino teased with a grin.
“Oh god, please do not. She’d never let me live it down,” Adrien grumbled.
The next day…
“Ugh, I got an art project due soon… And we have a history test tomorrow that I almost forgot about,” (Y/n) grumbled to herself, reaching over to grab a chip from the bowl in front of her as she reread paragraphs from her history textbook and paraphrased main points in her notebook. Her hand barely grazed the bowl since she wasn’t looking up.
Pollen had made herself comfortable on (Y/n)’s shoulder, reading some of the material for herself to catch up on human history. The bee had noticed her holder struggle and flew down to physically hand the girl a potato chip while chuckling to herself.
The girl shoved it in her mouth and thanked the kwami while chewing. “Thank you, Pollen,” she mumbled, scribbling down the last remnants of the chapter. She swallowed the food and leaned back on her chair with a little sigh. “Don’t know how we got an ancient Egypt curriculum when we started with learning French history….” She mused.
“I think Madame Bustier just wants to broaden your knowledge! It’s best to be familiar with the histories of other cultures besides your own! Wisdom is a tool that knows no bounds, after all. Everyone can benefit from the past,” Pollen replied with a hum.
“Yeah, I guess so. I just wish I could learn history another way besides from textbooks with thousands of words…. It burns me out after a certain time,” (Y/n) replied honestly, reaching over to take a sip from her juice box.
Pollen nodded and crossed her arms diligently. “Hmmm, that is a predicament… Maybe a documentary could work! I’ll watch it with you,” Pollen suggested with a smile.
“Oh, true! You’re right. Maybe a video would be easier to digest!” (Y/n) said with a snap of her fingers, pushing her rolling desk chair over to her bed to grab the laptop. Flipping it open as she pushed herself back to the desk.
(Y/n) began to type in the search bar when she suddenly had an email pop-up in the right corner of her screen.
LadyBlog: New Video! Ladybug… Is a schoolgirl??!
“Oh no…” She thought to herself, clicking on the pop-up. Leading her to the pink website. She immediately clicked the most recent post. And just as she thought, Alya had finished editing the footage already. And in the video, she saw exactly what she had been told. Alya was walking down the street to school, and Ladybug had passed by, being dragged by the runaway helicopter, when the heroine just so happened to drop a textbook. One that looked just like the one used in class. Again, (Y/n) didn’t think anything of it. It was just a book.
“It’s a 9th-grade history book! And I’m in a good position to know, I have the exact same one at home! Could our favorite masked vigilante be a high schooler in her real life? Wow!” Alya’s voice said in the video.
“Your Highness, isn’t that your friend?” Pollen replied happily, munching on a chip of her own. “That book looks like yours!”
“Yeah… That’s exactly what I told her too,” (Y/n) sighed. “The quest for knowledge really drives people crazy, huh?”
“Well, some people consider knowledge to rival strength!” Pollen hummed.
“Yeah, well… What good will learning who Ladybug is do?” she asked.
“None! Well, maybe just to Papillon,” Pollen said, taking another bite from the same chip.
“I thought the same thing! What if announcing to the world that this book belongs to some random girl puts a target on her back, even if she is or isn’t Ladybug?” (Y/n) groaned softly, sinking back into the chair with a sigh. “What if we take that book?” she suddenly asked aloud.
“My Queen, you’re surely not suggesting we steal it?” Pollen said with a little gasp.
“To be fair, it’s not really Alya’s book to begin with, and we would be interfering with potential danger!” (Y/n) reasoned. “So, why not?”
“Yes, but should you be caught… Queen Bee can be labeled a thief!” Pollen said with a little shake of her head.
“Ughh, why are you always right?” the girl said. “So, what then, we let it all run its course?”
“Mm hmm! Actions always have consequences!” Pollen replied with a smile, “You can’t always prevent chaos! It’s unpredictable! Like the noble kwami of destruction!”
“You mean Chat Noir’s kwami?” (Y/n) perked up curiously, “Speaking of which, can I ask about-?!”
*Ping!* …. *Ping! Ping!*
The girl looked down at her cell phone and read a message to her group chat with Alya and Marinette:
*Mari- Hey! You guys wanna check out the new exhibit at the Louvre? We can use our student IDs for discounted passes!
*Alya- Pass. I have to finish my script for my next video! *smirking emoji*
(Y/n) looked at her phone, a bit confused. A museum exhibit? Today? Guess she could ask (A/n) for permission. She does have an allowance, too. But she had homework to do.
Pollen floated over to look down at the chat log, her antennae perked up happily. “Oooh, an outing to the museum! This might be what you needed, Your Highness! We can see the art gallery for inspiration for your art assignment, and the ancient Egypt exhibit will be the perfect way for you to ingest some new information,” she suggested excitedly.
“Huh, I guess so… And it does give us an excuse to sightsee. It’ll be perfect for you, too,” the girl replied with a smile. Typing in a confirmation in the text box when all of a sudden.
*Ping*
*Mari- I think I heard someone say the Tutankhamun exposition has a connection to Ladybug!
“What?” (Y/n) said aloud. Pollen floated over to read the message. “Is that even possible?” She asked the bee over her shoulder.
“It can be!” Pollen said with a smile, “Miraculouses have been around for centuries!”
“Okay, now we for sure have to go!” (Y/n) said, getting up from her chair to get ready after texting back in the chat.
*(Yn)- I’ll meet you guys there! *grinning emoji*
(Y/n) stood in front of the entrance, checking her phone for any messages from her friends. Feeling a bit uneasy… Her heart was beating faster. Her fingers were nervously fidgeting. It felt like time was passing by slower than normal. In her head, her thoughts were arguing with each other.
What if they never show up?
Marinette and Alya would never do that.
What if they did this as a prank? To lure me out here and make me wait forever? To laugh at me?
That’s cruel. They would never. They’re your friends.
That’s what we thought with them. Our old ‘friends’ back home. And they left you. They abandoned you. For someone better.
She swallowed nervously and looked down at her sneakers. Avoiding eye contact with the Parisians who walked around her. In her mind, they were mocking her. They wanted to see her suffer. They were eating her alive with their gazes. Though in reality, they were just going by their days.
“Your Highness!” A voice snapped her out of it.
(Y/n) exhaled a shaky breath that she had no idea she was holding in. She looked down at her shaky hands, relaxing when she saw the familiar-looking bracelet poke out from under her sleeve. Her friendship bracelet.
“(Y/n), are you alright?” Pollen asked worriedly, from inside the hood of the girl’s sweater.
“Y-yeah… Yeah, I’m okay. I just forgot that waiting for someone would make me so nervous… I thought I was over it, guess I’m not,” (Y/n) said sheepishly. “It’s scary waiting for someone who might never show up, huh?” She asked somewhat quietly near the end.
“Well, then… If waiting is so scary, I’ll wait with you!” Pollen said cheerfully. “Then it won’t be so scary!”
(Y/n) laughed softly, thinking it was so “Pollen” to take her words literally like that. But it was sweet nonetheless. Pollen was right. She shouldn’t be scared. She’s not alone anymore…
“Thank you, Pollen,” she said happily.
It wasn’t long until the girl looked up and saw the two girls crossing the street from the bus stop. They spotted her and waved. She waved back excitedly, walking up to them and greeting each of them with a hug.
“Hey (Y/n), how’d you get here so fast?” Alya said with a laugh. “Could you be Ladybug?” she teased. Unknowingly, Marinette stiffened up and squeaked out a fake laugh.
“Oh yes… I, ‘Ladybug’, got a ride from a kind citizen in their car,” (Y/n) joked dryly.
“Your uncle dropped you off?” Alya replied with an equally serious tone. But not before they broke away from the deadpan expressions with a laugh.
“Oh, good one! HA HA, cause none of us here could possibly be Ladybug!” Marinette chipped in awkwardly, fake laughing as she pushed the two girls to go purchase their passes.
Once inside, they walked down the glass-railed spiral staircase, guided by the signs to the Pharaoh exhibit. (Y/n) couldn’t help to look up and around in wonder. She’d seen the building tons of times but had never been inside. She was sure the bee kwami was doing the same from inside the hoodie.
“Did you guys see my last video?” Alya asked excitedly.
“Yep!” (Y/n) said with a thumbs up. “Liked it too.”
“Thought you didn’t think the book could be Ladybug’s?” Alya teased with her hands on her hips.
“I still don’t. But I wanna be supportive,” (Y/n) with a laugh and a shrug.
“You really think you’ll find out who Ladybug is with a textbook that every 9th-grader in the city has?” Marinette asked.
“Exactly my point!” (Y/n) agreed.
“But that’s where you two are wrong!” Alya said proudly with a smile, “Because with my research, I discovered that our school is the only one in Paris to use this book, haha!” She gently squeezed Marinette’s shoulders.
“Wow, you must’ve been doing some serious research,” (Y/n) said with a surprised nod, “Did you sleep?”
“Haha, nope!” Alya shrugged it off as they continued to walk down the stairs. “So, all I have to do is figure out which 9th-grade girl in our school lost her book last week!”
Holy crap. Alya can be kind of scary, haha.
Marinette stayed a bit behind as she was processing this new information.
“There are 43 girls in our school, excluding me,” Alya said casually.
“Er, 41!” Marinette scrambled, running after the two girls as they walked into the new area. Which was surprisingly empty for a new exhibit… “Excluding you… And (Y/n) and I…” Marinette replied with a smile, pointing to herself and the girl she mentioned.
Alya leaned in with a scrutinizing hum, staring down at the two of them. (Y/n) was unmoving but smiling, crossing her arms. But Marinette was sweating bullets.
“I’ll have you know that yesterday, a certain Marinette didn’t have her textbook in class!” Alya said with a singsongy tone, walking further down the themed exhibit. (Y/n) following along as she looked around.
“I-I-I forgot it at home! You know I always forget my stuff!” Marinette said with a shaky smile.
“Hmm,” Alya pretended to inspect the blue-haired girl before laughing, “Just pulling your leg, Marinette! Well, you’ll be crossed off the suspect list as soon as you bring your book back to class!”
The three continued to walk down the hall, looking around. But not before (Y/n) asked, “Wait, why am I on the suspect list?! I brought my book to class!” she huffed playfully.
“Because you’re trying really hard to keep the identity of the book’s owner a secret… Maybe you’re secretly Ladybug!” Alya said with a giggle.
“That makes no sense!” The girl laughed. “Ladybug’s been around longer than I have!”
“Okay, okay! 42, then?” Alya playfully tried to negotiate with a wink.
The three laughed and walked up to the center of the room. Looking around in wonder. The sarcophagus that presumably belonged to Tutankhamun was sitting in the center against the wall. There were papyrus, artifacts, and interactive elements. It was well organized.
The person directing it must be really passionate…
(Y/n) thought with a smile as she walked closer to a vase in a glass display, reading the informational card. Looking back, she heard rushing footsteps and the girls' gasps. She saw a guy throw himself onto the floor to grab something. She rushed back to them, “You okay?” she asked them, ignoring the man on the floor. Presuming he was fine since he threw himself to save something from colliding with the ground.
Before they could answer, the man responded with a, “It’s okay! It’s not broken!” holding up an amulet.
“Uh, hello? We’re okay too! Thanks for asking,” Alya replied angrily. Placing her hands on her hips.
The man glanced back at the girls and hurried to stand up, “Oh, sorry! Didn’t see you two! I tend to get tunnel-visioned when I think about my research,” he pushed up his glasses and looked down at them. “Hey, you’re in Alix’s class, aren’t you?” he asked, somehow recognizing them.
“Yes?” Marinette replied, confused.
“I’m her big brother, Jalil Kubdel! She’s told me about you and shown me pictures of her classmates! I recognize you!” He said happily. Had he not bumped into the girls at first, surely he’d appear kinder. Alya was a little grumpy at the man. “Are you three also interested in Akhenaten?”
“Who?” (Y/n) asked, before Jalil looked up from the three of them and ran past them again with a hand raised and an excited, “Oh, Dad!” His thoughts were all over the place.
“Well, isn’t he an odd one…” Alya mumbled to the two girls. She turned to the bluenette, “So, Marinette, are you gonna tell us why you brought us here? This exposition has something to do with Ladybug? Seriously? How?”
“I’m here for homework purposes, by the way,” (Y/n) chipped in.
“Uhh uhh,” Marinette struggled to find her words, glancing down at her pochette.
“Gonna take some notes while I’m here!” (Y/n) said, taking out her notebook from her backpack. Walking up to the nearest display with a pencil in hand, Alya followed behind.
“Doing homework? Seriously?” Alya teased, standing next to her as they gazed at a staff.
“Yes. Watch me do my own ‘research’, haha,” the girl teased right back.
“Yeah, it’s over here!” Marinette said, running over to Alya and grabbing her by the wrist to pull her in front of the huge papyrus.
(Y/n) shrugged and continued to write.
Meanwhile, with Adrien…
He had finished watching Alya’s latest video. Leaning forward excitedly in his chair, “That’s crazy!” he exclaimed, “What are the chances of us having the same book?! Maybe Ladybug’s a student in the same school!” he turned in his computer chair and looked at Plagg.
The black cat kwami just chewed at his Camembert before swallowing, “Don’t you think you would have noticed if that were the case?” he said as a matter-of-fact-ly, before taking another bite, “Why are you bothering yourself with girls, when you can be filling yourself on this ?” he said, holding up the piece of cheese as if it were sacred and amazing.
“For your information, girls smell a million times better than your cheese,” Adrien replied smugly, “And they look a lot better too”.
“As you wish, but it’s your loss!” Plagg said before tossing the cheese in the air and catching it in his mouth, chewing with a huge mouthful. Making Adrien gag at the sight, smell, and sound of it.
“The only thing I’m losing is my appetite…” he groaned, turning back to look at his computer.
The black cat kwami swallowed his cheese and teasingly flew over to Adrien, “What if it was your lovely ‘friend’ of yours?” he said, flying over to rest on Adrien’s shoulder.
“(Y/n)?” he asked. Suddenly, an image flashed in his head. Of his friend. The one who’s been so kind and nice to him. Being his Ladybug.
He didn’t know why, but the thought of it was making his heart race. He shook it off, unknowingly pink in the cheeks, “There’s no way! Besides, she had been there when Chat Noir and Ladybug were around. She can’t be in two places at once!”
Plagg snickered behind his hand, “That’s true… Besides, if that were true… You’d be able to tell right?” he teased.
“That’s right! (Y/n) would never keep a secret from me!” Adrien boasted, taking out his cell phone and texting the girl in question.
*LadybugFanboy- Are you Ladybug?
*Sir(Y/n)- What? No, I’m bored, haha.
*LadybugFanboy- Okay, ‘bored’. When did you change my user???
*Sir(Y/n)- When I was bored studying for our test tomorrow. *shrug emoji*
*Sir(Y/n) sent a picture*
He received a selfie of her crouched in front of a sarcophagus?? She had her notebook and pencil on her lap.
*Sir(Y/n)- I’m studying at the Louvre with the girls. Wanna pull up?
*LadybugFanboy- I can’t. My father is out with Placide. And Nathalie is watching over me :(
*Sir(Y/n)- Figured. Well, I’ll call you later so we can study a little more before the test tomorrow!
*Sir(Y/n)- *waving emoji*
Adrien sat back in his chair, smugly smiling at his kwami, “See! She’d never lie to me!”
The kwami smirked to himself, keeping quiet for now.
(Y/n) had long finished her notes. She was waiting for Alya and Marinette to be finished looking at the papyrus. She wasn’t just going to leave without them. She held back a yawn and looked around, taking a picture of the giant black cat statues. Thinking they were cute.
She only looked away when she heard a deep, stern voice yell. She looked over and saw Mr. Kudbel walk away, frowning disapprovingly at his son.
“... I’d lose my job right away! It’s a priceless artifact, not some toy!” he reprimanded Jalil, presumably for wanting to take the scepter. He clutched his clipboard and continued to walk down the walkway, walking past (Y/n).
“Come on, Dad! We have to try the spell! We can’t say it doesn’t work unless we try!” Jalil followed and pleaded with his father. “What if Akhenaten had found a way to bring people back to life?!”
His father turned around and stomped up to his son, “Listen, Jalil, that’s enough!” He raised his voice and pointed at his son, “Stop with your bewildering theories! And focus on the real world! Ours!” he said angrily, turning himself around and walking away from the conversation.
As much as Jalil was being pushy, he didn’t deserve to be humiliated like that. Here. And in public, surrounded by the subject he loved. Being stared at by all of these strangers. He looked down in an attempt to hide his tears, dropping his papers on the floor.
“His father wasn’t wrong… But he could’ve sent his message across in a gentler way,” Pollen mumbled from behind (Y/n)’s neck.
“Yeah… That’s the thing about parents… They think learning the hard way is the best way,” (Y/n) whispered back. As much as she wanted to do something, what could she do except spare the man some dignity and pretend she didn’t hear this…
She saw him wipe at his eyes with his sleeves before starting to walk away.
“Wait!”
He turned around and saw (Y/n) clumsily pick up his papers to hand back to him.
“You, um, forgot your work,” she said awkwardly, handing it to him.
He looked down at her hands and sighed softly, taking them back with a forced smile. “Thanks… Not like I need this silly research of mine anyway,” he said, crushing the papers in his hands as he turned around again. Walking up the steps and tossing them on his way out.
(Y/n) sighed, “Well, that didn’t help at all…” she mumbled.
“Nonsense, the smallest acts can leave the biggest impacts!” Pollen reassured.
“I hope it did… Well, the girls are still at the papyrus… Let’s just head to the art gallery…” (Y/n) mumbled, feeling like she could’ve done more…
She made sure to warn the girls where she was going to be before leaving. It wasn’t far from them, and they made sure to come up with a meetup spot to meet in less than an hour.
She scribbled on her paper. Absentmindedly scraping the charcoal pencil against the same stroke over and over, sighing when she couldn’t quite focus on the painting in front of her. She was trying to copy it in sketch, but she just saw nothing. Her (e/c) eyes just kept darting away from the points of focus.
She impatiently tapped her pencil on the sketchbook. “Gahhh, you’re absolutely sure I can’t do anything else, Pollen? I feel bad…” she asked softly. Placing her bag and sketching materials on the bench, she sat on.
“You did what you could. That’ll always be enough, your Highness!” Pollen comforted her.
“But… I don’t know… I just saw a bit of myself in him, you know?” she admitted. “Is it so wrong to want to dream of the impossible?” she asked.
“Not at all, but chasing after dreams can sometimes blind you to what’s really around you,” Pollen said with a nod.
(Y/n) sighed and placed her elbow on her wrist, resting her chin on her hand. “You’re right…” she mumbled.
“Besides, I’m sure Jalil will understand that his father’s intentions weren’t to hurt him. There must have been some love in his father’s warning, even if they weren’t exactly gentle,” Pollen said.
Some love, huh…
“Well, I just hope they can reconcile…” the girl said with a hopeful smile, turning over her shoulder to make eye contact with the kwami who was poking out from her hoodie.
“Me too!” Pollen smiled, but then her blue eyes widened and her antennae began to stand straight. “There’s the power of a miraculous nearby!”
(Y/n) stood up straight and looked around. “What?!” She whisper-yelled. She left her bag and sketchbook behind as she rushed over to the nearest vacant spot.
“I sensed the power of a miraculous! It might be an akuma!” Pollen whispered to the girl. “You need to transform, my queen!”
“Alright, alright!” (Y/n) said with a smile, rushing to an area that was roped off. She found a statue that was covered in a dark tarp, and she tucked herself under it. It wasn’t graceful. But there was no one around, and the restrooms were too far.
“Pollen, transform me!”
Notes:
Here's the link to my Ko-Fi in case you wanted to support my work! Don't feel pressured, but anything's appreciated :) : https://ko-fi.com/shinyamour
Chapter 17: Pharaoh (Pt. 2)
Summary:
Lady Wifi will be next! Look forward to it!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Queen Bee had a good idea of who the akumatized person nearby was. She jumped over a glass display, and her heels skidded on the wooden flooring as she ran to the ancient Egypt exhibit. She suddenly heard the security alarms ring, feeding her suspicion that it must be someone stealing from the exhibit.
Must be Jalil… He probably came back for the staff to complete his ritual!
She gasped in surprise as she was stopped by some metal bars separating her from the entrance and the inside, where she saw Ladybug talking to a… walking, talking Pharaoh statue?? She grunted, trying to separate them with her bare hands, but it was no use… Maybe she could disable them somehow…
Ladybug began to spin her yo-yo and turned to shoo someone away?
“Oh my god, Ladybug just waved at me!” she heard an excited voice say from inside. She looked over and saw the LadyBlogger hold her cell phone with a big old smile as she presumably recorded what was happening.
Is that Alya?! Why isn’t she hiding?!
Alya squealed and happily held her phone to her chest, “ Me ! Can you believe it?!” she said.
“Oh, for the love of god, hide!” Queen Bee whisper-yelled to the girl. Alya turned over her shoulder to see the bee heroine and smiled even brighter, as if she were unaware of the danger she was in. She turned the cellphone in Queen Bee’s direction and continued to record.
“Queen Bee is also here! Wow! Can you believe it? I’m in the presence of some of Paris’ heroes!” she said excitedly.
Queen Bee was not focused on Alya, since she saw Pharaoh easily grab Ladybug’s yo-yo when she threw it at him. He gripped it in his hand and began to spin with it now in both of his hands. He grunted as he threw her like a shot put with all of his strength against the wall of hieroglyphics. Ladybug groaned as she slid down and landed on the floor.
“Ladybug!” Queen Bee shouted. Getting Pharaoh’s attention on her.
He tilted his head and let out a low chuckle. “Lucky me. Ra has graced me with his tears… Sekhmet, give me strength!” he shouted, raising his arms at his sides. His head glowed in a flash of white and morphed into a lion’s. He stomped in the direction of the bars. He stared down at Queen Bee.
“If you think I’ll let you go free, you’re mistaken! Venom!” Queen Bee readied her sword and thrusted it forward, poking his chest through the metal bars. But to her surprise, it reflected off of his chest with a plink! The area glowed yellow for a split second and quickly faded. “What?!”
Comically, she poked a few more times, just to get the same result!
“Ha ha! Sekhmet gave me the power to protect myself. She, who is the Goddess of Healing, can easily stop the sacred sting of a worker bee!” He said with a laugh, using his bare hands to spread open the metal bars separating the two. He reached forward and grabbed her by the collar of her suit. She dropped her sword in the process. She attempted to pull herself away, gripping at his wrist and punching at it.
“Let me go!” Queen Bee growled out.
He just scoffed and lifted her. Throwing her back into the hallway. Her back hit one of the pillars, and she landed on the ground. She hissed in pain, he threw her so fast she had no time to brace for landing. She stared him down as he tried to walk past the metal bars to finish his fight with her.
“How kind of you two to hold the door open for me~” a cocky voice said she heard footsteps running past her.
Chat Noir ran at Pharaoh at full speed, gaining momentum as he raised his baton over his head. Jumping up to strike the akumatized villain. Just for Pharaoh to grab the shorter hero by the head with his whole hand. Holding him up as Chat Noir kicked his legs around and flailed the baton around. He couldn’t even see with Pharaoh's huge hand covering his face.
From this position, Queen Bee couldn’t see, but she heard Chat Noir’s scream fade as Pharaoh threw him further into the exhibit. “Down, kitty!” He laughed evilly, walking back out with the papyrus and staff floating beside him. Except he stopped. Why?
Queen Bee waited until he turned around to force herself to hide behind a large vase. Her hairpin was beeping. Probably from wasting her power, even if she didn’t use it.
“Hands off me, you big oaf! Ladybuggg!”
That must be Alya’s voice.
“Let her go right now!” She heard Ladybug say.
“Using an innocent person as a shield… You’re just a coward, Pharaoh!” She heard from Chat Noir.
Pharaoh turned to face the two heroes, and Queen Bee took that as her chance to sneakily run to a pillar and hide behind it. Watching as Pharaoh laughed.
“I am much more powerful than the two of you!” He said, bending the bars back into place. Making the heroes gasp and run up to them, pulling on them as they watched Pharaoh walk away with Alya.
“And don’t forget! All the latest and behind-the-scenes are on my blog!” Alya called out, winking to them as Pharaoh kept walking.
Queen Bee sighed in relief as he was out of earshot. She ran up to the bars, “You two okay?” she asked worriedly.
“We’re okay!” Ladybug said, grunting as she pulled at the bars one more time. Frustrated.
“She’s courageous, this Alya,” Chat Noir mused, hands on his hips. “Promoting her blog even when she’s being kidnapped.”
“If by 'courageous', you mean rash, imprudent, and reckless, then yeah! That’s her, alright!” Ladybug listed off her complaints, “I told her to get away!”
“Well, if she knew she was going to be kidnapped, I doubt she would’ve kept recording in the face of danger,” Queen Bee sighed. She suddenly heard a series of beeps come from her hairpin. Oh, right! “Speaking of danger, I gotta recharge real quick!” she said to the heroes, who just nodded in return. Queen Bee waved at them and began to return back to the art gallery where she left her backpack. She had snacks in there just in case this happened.
“Wait!” Ladybug called out.
Queen Bee stopped in her tracks, turning to show she was listening.
“Pharaoh summoned some magical bubbles that slow down time to trap some civilians,” Ladybug warned. “Be careful. He might use them to trap us”.
Queen Bee nodded and gave a thumbs up, “Got it. Watch out for bubbles. Thanks!” She said hastily, turning around and running out of there.
“Alright, come on, Chat Noir. Hurry and get us out of here,” Ladybug turned to face the cat hero.
The cat hero raised his hand to call out his power. He brushed his hands against all of the bars, instantly turning them to brittle rust. They landed on the ground, as Ladybug and Chat Noir ran out of the exhibit they were trapped in.
“How will we find them?” Chat Noir asked.
“Alya broadcasts live on her blog!” Ladybug said.
(Y/n) sighed and quietly mumbled a ‘de-transformation’. Her kwami soon popped out of the miraculous, but not before (Y/n) caught her with her hands. Placing Pollen down on the cushioned seats of the benches in the art gallery.
“Huh? What happened?” Pollen asked. Looking around. They were back in the art gallery and (Y/n) was crouched on the floor rummaging through her backpack.
“My venom was wasted on Pharaoh. I guess it won’t work when he’s in his invincibility mode… It deflected off of him! I needed to recharge before I went back in,” (Y/n) said with a sigh as she pulled out the white box of macarons from yesterday. Luckily, she had two left.
“Chocolate with ganache or strawberry with cream cheese?” she offered the bee.
Pollen grabbed the chocolate one and began to munch on it. She must’ve been tired from holding back the girl’s detransformation for so long. Pollen went straight for the sweetest and most decadent option, ignoring her favorite flavor. Poor thing.
“Let me know when you’re ready!” (Y/n) whispered to the bee, closing the paper white box and placing it on the bench.
Pollen nodded, chewing with her mouthful. Concentrating on recharging.
Suddenly, the two heard footsteps come closer, and Pollen flew into (Y/n)’s hands after shoving the rest of the macaron in her mouth. The girl quickly hid the kwami behind her back. Behind her, Pollen was climbing into the girl’s hood.
“(Y/n)?!”
It was Chat Noir?!
What was he doing here? Did he follow her? Did he see? And if he did, how much did he see?!
“What are you doing here?” he asked her, holding his fist close to his heart but also covering it with his other hand. Muffling the beeping of it. He was detransforming! But he probably didn’t want to tell her that. Civilians probably shouldn’t know that the miraculouses had a cool-down nerf. Therefore, (Y/n) shouldn’t have this knowledge.
“Um, well. I was studying with my friends here. And I suddenly heard the security alarms go off while I was sketching here… It startled me so much that I left my stuff,” she clumsily explained. “The Pharaoh exhibit was locked off, and I was worried about my friends! So I came back for my phone to call them and see if they’re okay.” Internally, hoping he bought her lie.
He opened his mouth to say something, but a loud beep from his ring interrupted him. His green eyes widened in a panic and he ran up to the girl. Grabbing her shoulders and pushing her out of the art gallery.
“No time to waste! There’s an akuma! Hurry along to safety, quickly!” He scrambled as he kept pushing up to a certain point where she was no longer in the gallery with him. He turned and ran back inside. “Oh, and please don’t follow me! I’m, uh, indecent!” He called out.
“But, my stuff!” She called out.
“No time!” He yelled out.
(Y/n) laughed to herself, covering her snickers behind her hand. Pollen poked her head out and looked around. “Is it safe to come out?” She whispered.
“Yeah, you heard him. He’s ‘indecent’.” She repeated teasingly. She glanced around and saw the sea of murky bubbles… Must be those time bubbles Ladybug warned them about. “Well, you ready?” (Y/n) asked, starting to walk to a vacant area to transform. Luckily finding an unlocked janitor closet.
“Ready, my queen!” Pollen replied.
“Alright, once more! Pollen, transform me!” The girl called out, and in a flash of golden light, she became Queen Bee again.
Oh, I forgot to put away the last macaron. Oh well!
Plagg popped out of the ring with a loud groan, “Need cheese now… Adrienn,” he whined at his holder. Rubbing his little hands over his tummy in a dramatic fashion. He stopped when he realized the boy wasn’t responding to his whining like he normally does. Adrien stood by the entrance, making sure (Y/n) didn’t follow him in.
“She’s still in the building… We need to stop that Pharaoh and quick,” he mumbled to himself, looking down at his ring.
Plagg just watched, amused, with his eyes slightly narrowed. Thinking to himself, “How dramatic, hehe,” before flying over curiously to a spot on a bench. Sniffing the air and grinning happily as he dove into a white box. Phasing through the cardboard. Soon enough, there were munching noises coming from within.
Adrien looked up and gasped, frowning disapprovingly as he ran over to a familiar-looking (f/c) backpack. “Plagg! Hey! That’s not yours!” he scolded, grabbing the box and opening it.
The black cat kwami had already eaten more than half of the pink macaron that was left in the box. Swallowing and grimacing, “Bleh, too sweet!” he complained.
“Why’d you eat it then?! That was (Y/n)’s!” The blond scolded, pointing his finger at the kwami. Before grabbing him by his… scruff? Do cat kwamis even have scruffs?
“It smelled like cream cheese…” Plagg mumbled like a child caught in the act of disobedience. “It was just cream cheese icing…”
Adrien sighed and sat down, kwami in his hands. “I can just get her more… But that was very bad of you. No taking things that don’t belong to you,” he lectured Plagg. “Well, was that enough to charge you?”
“... No… I want cheese,” Plagg huffed, crossing his little arms. “Sugar doesn’t recharge me as well as it does for others.”
“Then, why eat it?” Adrien said with a little chuckle, rummaging in his pocket for his emergency camembert. In hindsight, may no one ever find out he has backup cheese in his pockets. Ever. He handed the piece, which was neatly wrapped in cling wrap, to the kwami. Placing him down next to him.
Adrien sighed and leaned back, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for Plagg to finish eating. He looked down beside him and curiously reached down to grab a sketchbook. Must be (Y/n)’s.
“Mmf, thought you said not to take things that don’t belong to you,” Plagg said with a mouthful of cheese.
“Yeah, well, I was curious. Besides, I’m not eating this,” Adrien huffed, flipping it open. Seeing rough-looking sketches of head busts and sculptures. Presumably from class. He flipped it to the most recent one. A slightly smudged and amateurish recreation of the Mona Lisa. He smiled to himself, not wanting to laugh at her hard work but… In the bottom right, there were little squiggles, pencil dots, and doodles of little Egyptian cats. Much like the statues from the beginning of the ancient Egypt exhibit.
He should warn her somehow that his kwami ate her snacks…
Good thing he knew where his friend kept her pencil case.
Queen Bee ran out of the closet, ready to head outside, when she heard sniffling. She stopped and looked down the hall. Confused as to what she was hearing. But then she heard it again, this time accompanied by a loud and deep tired sigh. Suddenly, the door in front of her flew open, and Mr. Kubdel stepped out, looking down as he tried to rush out of there. He nearly crashed into her if not for her placing her hands on his shoulders to steady him.
“Whoa! Are you alright, sir?” she asked worriedly.
He looked up, eyes pink and puffy, in surprise before frowning and pushing her hands aside. “You’re one of those ‘heroes’. No wonder my son thinks he can follow some silly fantasy with so-called magical vigilantes like you,” he scoffed, straightening his posture and holding his clipboard to his chest.
Well, I suddenly don’t feel like worrying about you anymore…
She thought dryly to herself before sighing, “Sir, I just want to make sure you get to safety. There’s an akuma… And the lobby is full of dangerous objects. I’ll need you to return back to your….” She glanced behind him and saw a desk, “office. And keep shelter until we stop the danger-”
“What about my son?!” he suddenly cut her off in a panic. “Is he safe?!”
She blinked in surprise and had her mouth agape as she tried to think of something to say.
“I saw the news! There’s a pharaoh, isn’t there? My foolish son might try to do anything to take a look at him. He’s always rushing in and never thinking before he acts! I’m afraid he’ll hurt himself!” Mr. Kubdel began to panic. Trying to run past Queen Bee as if he were going to stop the akuma himself.
“Sir… Wait!” She reached out and grabbed his shoulder before he could run headfirst into danger’s way, but he harshly tried to pull himself away. In the process, he dropped his clipboard. Papers scattered around. She glanced down and her (e/c) eyes widened as she recognized the papers. They were crumpled. But flattened as if someone tried to fix them.
He was about to respond angrily when she suddenly knelt. Gently picking up the papers. She glanced them over and read the handwritten notes of Jalil. They were messy. Organized in a way that only the writer would understand. There were arrows, circles, and scribbled on footnotes. But you could tell there was time and care put into them.
“Sir, your son… He was the one akumatized,” she admitted.
“My Jalil! I- I,” he began to panic, kneeling down with her. Hastily taking the papers back, holding them to his chest with shaky hands. “I shouldn’t have yelled at him… Oh, my son… I’m sorry,” he began to sob.
Queen Bee gently reached over to place a hand on his shoulder, “Mr. Kubdel… Your son is a passionate man… Driven by curiosity and respect for the past… That passion of his must be because of you. You might think he’s a fool for clinging to these ideas, but he just wants more. More from the history he loves so much. He cares for it much like you,” she said softly. “I saw your exhibit. It was beautiful… So well put together that you could tell that this is your passion,”
“Yeah, I got to live my dream… But it was never enough… Since my wife passed, I’ve struggled to raise my kids with what little I earned. I don’t want the same for my son,” he replied. “I don’t want him to be like me,” he admitted, tears silently falling from his eyes and onto the papers in his hands.
“But that’s what Jalil wants… I think he wants to be like you. A man who gets to live his dream every day. The kind of guy that can say, ‘You see that? I did that’ with pride,” she explained. “He surely is proud of you”.
“I-I just want what’s best for him… I worry for him like any father would…” Mr. Kudbel sobbed out. “I never meant to hurt him like that… He can do great things as long as he focuses. He’s a good man. A bright boy. So intelligent and complex. ”
“And he is. Jalil is a smart guy. A guy smart enough to find out for himself what’s best for him. And when it comes down to it… He just needs someone there for him when it gets tough. And that’s what he needs,” she said, standing up and carefully helping him up. “If you need to be honest, you can. Just talk to him.”
Mr. Kubdel stood up, looking down at the bee heroine. Swallowing back his pride and sobs, before nodding, “I… suppose you’re right… I should’ve had a conversation with him long before today. When I first had my concerns…” he pushed up his glasses as a way to wipe at his eyes.
“Well… I must go. I promise we’ll save your son so you two can talk,” Queen Bee said with a gentle bow and a nod. Turning to run out of there.
“Thank you, hero,” he said aloud.
She didn’t turn around, though. She just raised her hand in a wave to acknowledge his words.
“Ladybug, it’s Alya, I just learnt that Pharaoh wants to offer me as a sacrifice to the sun god! Please, save me!”
Queen Bee was watching the livestream as she ran back into the lobby. Her feet skidded to a stop before she almost got herself trapped in a time bubble. Keeping her eyes on her communicator as she ran faster. Alya was in danger.
“Whoa, whoops. Not gonna break myself out of a bubble again,” she thought to herself, looking around, heading to the spiral stairs where she came from. Maybe Ladybug and Chat Noir were already up there waiting for her. Her heels clacked on the marble steps as she skipped a few of them to climb faster. She poked her head out of the entrance. Surprised to not see or hear anything. Where are they?
As if they could hear her thoughts, they suddenly popped up beside her. Ladybug was to her right, and Chat Noir was next to Ladybug.
“You see anything?” Ladybug asked.
“Not at all,” Queen Bee replied.
“Let’s check the stream,” Chat Noir said, taking out his baton and switching it to communicator mode. Tuning in to Alya’s livestream. Watching closely as the three retreated back inside for now. He squinted his eyes and then came to a realization, “They’re outside of the main patio!” he said.
“We gotta get to higher ground then!” Ladybug said to the two.
Queen Bee nodded and pointed to the emergency exit. “Let’s climb the next-door building. We’d stand out on the Louvre.”
Chat Noir and Ladybug nodded before they all ran out of there.
Once on the roof, Chat Noir leaned over and pointed exactly to where they all were. “Look there! He’s got an army of mummies,” he said, scanning over the scene. Internally, counting how many more enemies there were.
“He must’ve turned the civilians nearby into his servants,” Ladybug said with a frown.
“What can’t his powers do?” Queen Bee complained.
Alya could be seen struggling to pull herself away from Pharaoh. Phone in her mouth, probably to keep recording. Pushing at the hand he kept wrapped firmly around her wrist. She stopped, though, when the floating papyrus floated by her line of sight. From their spot on the roof, they could see her focus and squint at it before standing and asking Pharaoh something.
“What is she asking him?” Chat asked curiously.
“Check the stream,” Queen Bee told Ladybug, who already had her yo-yo in hand.
Ladybug flipped the yo-yo open, and the three looked down.
The camera was slightly shaky, but it was focusing on Pharaoh. You could hear Alya asking, “Who is this goddess with black dots drawn on your papyrus?” Before the camera zoomed in on a spot on the floating paper. Where a spotted woman was drawn holding what looked like a yo-yo? And across from it, there was a drawing that looked strangely like a kwami?
“The ladybug goddess, my sworn enemy…That filthy little bug managed to stop me from completing the ritual 5000 years ago. But this time, she won’t be able to stop Nefertiti’s return!” He growled before grabbing the papyrus with his free hand. Gripping the fragile paper angrily, he recounted his last encounter with his sworn enemy. It crumbled and became shreds that got pulled along with the gust of wind.
“A ladybug goddess?!” Alya’s voice was heard again. “Like Ladybug? 5000 years ago!”
“What the-?” Queen Bee mumbled to herself. Guess Marinette was right about the exhibit having something to do with Ladybug… But hey, wait a minute…
“He was just a regular guy when he got akumatized, right? How could he know the memories and struggles of someone from 5000 years ago?” Chat Noir asked.
“I was just thinking the same thing?” Queen Bee said with a nod, glancing down at the scene of the mummies preparing for the ceremony. Keeping lookout while Ladybug and Chat Noir came up with a plan.
“Maybe he read it from the papyrus…” Ladybug murmured as she eyed the livestream in disbelief. “... Wow, it’s true that we all have a lot to learn from our past…”
“Aw, don’t worry, you look barely 3000 years old!” Chat Noir teased with a grin.
Ladybug frowned for a bit before smiling back cheekily, “Now you know why I’m way more experienced than you!” she replied smugly, making Chat Noir pout.
Queen Bee watched them with her eyes narrowed, holding back a sigh.
Is this their flirting? Didn’t they get their miraculouses around the same time? Gross.
Chat Noir’s ears perked up, signalling Queen Bee to look back down. The Pharaoh had his hand hovering over the floating scepter from earlier as it began to glow. Queen Bee narrowed her eyes and had an idea.
“Oh, sacred Ra, god of the sun! I, Pharaoh, offer you a young and pure soul as a sacrifice for the return of my Nefertiti!” He yelled out, roughly letting go of Alya. She fell onto the floor and looked up, afraid as a group of mummies surrounded her and began to close in. The scepter began to spin as the light grew brighter. “I kneel before you and present you this gift!” A beam of magical light shot at the Louvre, and then a stream of dark swirls shot up into the sky. Beginning to look like a portal. “Accompanied by my mummies, we pray to you that my dear princess Nefertiti soon returns! Wake up, Nefertiti!” The portal grew in size until it became a big, dark vortex. The three heroes could only watch in horror, while Pharaoh raised his hands and started to chant. “Wake up! Wake up, Nefertiti! Wake up!!!” The mummies repeated the chant monotonously but obediently.
The mummies that cornered Alya lifted her in the air, restraining her arms and legs as they started to carry her towards the pyramid. She looked around desperately and yelled out, “Ladybug!!!!”
“We need to save her quickly before he completes the ritual! Otherwise, Alya will be lost forever!” Ladybug said to the other two.
“But what should we do?” Chat Noir asked.
Ladybug stood up and smiled at her partners, “You two distract the mummies while I take care of the Pharaoh,” she said, casually pointing her thumb at the source of the commotion.
“What? No!” Queen Bee said with a frown, crossing her arms. “Just use your Lucky Charm.”
Ladybug sighed exasperatedly, “I can’t just waste it! I need to use it when the time is right!” she explained to Queen Bee as if she were explaining her powers to a child.
“Oh yeah? And when will that be? When Alya’s halfway through the portal?” Queen Bee retorted.
Ladybug frowned and stepped closer to the bee heroine. Chat Noir stepped in and somewhat agreed with Queen Bee, “Why is it my job to distract the mummies while you sneak in easily from behind??”
“Because I’m the only one able to capture his akuma!” Ladybug explained in an irritatingly simple way.
“What? So, just because you purify things, you think you’re a leader?” Queen Bee asked from behind Chat Noir.
“Yeah, I have the most important job if you haven’t noticed yet,” Ladybug said with a shake of her head. Not angry but slightly annoyed at this pushback while there was still danger. “And I’m not a leader. Chat Noir and I are partners,” she explained. Walking closer to Chat Noir, placing a red hand on his shoulder, “And besides… You’re the bravest of us two!” she said playfully to convince Chat Noir to go along with her plan. She winked and ran off to yo-yo off of their hiding spot.
Queen Bee groaned, pretending to gag. Only to roll her eyes when she heard the leather-clad hero mumble to himself about Ladybug not really thinking that way, but he was choosing to act as if she did.
Queen Bee sighed and stared down at the scene. Keeping her golden-flecked eyes on the scepter. It reminded her of a projector… Consistently lighting up the pyramid to keep it in perfect condition.
“Maybe the akuma’s in there… Jalil was adamant to have it…” she thought to herself, walking up to the edge of the roof and getting ready to jump down.
“Wait, where are you going, your majesty?” he asked her, making her glance over her shoulder. For some reason, she didn’t feel like looking at him right now. Not after his attempt to play mediator.
She grinned, “Gonna put my training to use. Wanna kill two birds with one stone, kitty?” she asked with a nod of her head.
“Uhhh, I don’t think we should break away from the plan,” he replied nervously.
“You mean the plan we all didn’t agree on? Well, suit yourself!” she deadpanned before jumping off the building.
“Ughhh, I never knew catfights sucked this much,” he joked to himself before jumping after her.
Queen Bee was hidden behind the wall of the building they were just on, waiting for a good opportunity to take that scepter. Without it, there’d be no ritual. And maybe the akuma was inside. But even if it wasn’t… Alya would be safe longer. If she had Chat Noir’s help, maybe they would’ve played ‘keep-away’ to distract the mummies… But destroying it was the better option.
She just had to wait for her time to swipe it.
Chat Noir, meanwhile, had perched himself on a lamppost. Taunting the mummies, getting them to chase him as Pharaoh ordered them to. It was funny to look at, since Chat Noir was just casually jumping from lamppost to lamppost. Until Pharaoh realized they were baiting him.
“Wait, this looks like a trap!” he yelled out in hopes of getting his mummy army to retreat. He looked around frantically until he spotted the spot-covered heroine. She warmed up her arm as if she was going to fast pitch a baseball. She threw her yo-yo to wrap around the stone railing of the building across. She tugged on the yo-yo and swung down with her hand out, grabbing Alya, who was smiling with her hand flexed in turn. She pulled Alya along and grabbed hold of her securely, taking her away from the mummies who were going to sacrifice her.
Pharaoh growled and wrapped his arms around himself before shouting, “Horus, give me wings!” he raised his arms as his head morphed into an eagle’s! He flew after them, not wanting to let go of his sacrifice.
Now!
Queen Bee ran out while the mummies and Pharaoh were distracted, running up to the still-floating and spinning staff. It was at an awkward height for her to reach. What was she going to do now? She didn’t think this far ahead.
“Psst!” she heard a male’s voice. A familiar one.
She looked around for the cat hero. He was waving his arms around for her to notice him without redirecting the attention from the mummies to her. He mouthed ‘baton’ and then winked! He swiftly grabbed his baton from his belt and threw it at her.
He was helping her!
She caught it with a jump. Smiling his way as she pressed the button to make it extend. “W-whoa!” she said shakily as it lifted her in the air. She didn’t even want to look down or think about the physics of it, balancing her. She stopped holding it down when she had the staff within reach. She swiped it, and to her surprise, the ritual didn’t stop. The beam of light was still honed in on the pyramid, even if she moved it.
She slid down from the pole, and surprisingly, it shrank back down to a manageable size. Huh, how nifty. But it shrank too quickly, it slipped from her hand and landed on the ground with a loud clank.
Chat Noir sighed and facepalmed while she paled as she scrambled to pick it up.
Unfortunately, a mummy spotted her and pointed at Queen Bee. “The scepter!” it groaned out.
Damn it!
“The scepter! The scepter!” the other mummies mumbled as they repeated after the first one. They all turned around to look at her. Beginning to run at her like the zombies in a videogame she once played.
“Haha, sorry!” She said playfully, before running in the other direction. “Yikes!!! This is scary in real life!” she said to herself, booking it the hell out of there.
“First time being bait? Haha!” Chat Noir could be heard teasing her from afar.
“It worries me that it isn’t your first time!!!” she retorted, looking around and looking down at the silver baton in her hands.
“Chat! Chat!” She stopped, holding the scepter above her head. The mummies stopped as they worried about her dropping it. “Want a laser pointer?” she asked, hoping he got the hint.
“Love those!” he said back, jumping off the lamppost and holding his arms open. Waving them around.
“Okay then, catch!” She flung the baton with all her might. The mummies just followed it dumbly, unaware that it wasn’t the magical staff. Chat Noir caught his weapon and swiftly extended it to sweep it under their feet. Making them fall back.
“Thank you, my queen!” he winked.
“Nice one, Chat! Now, my turn!” she said as she held the scepter on both ends, using all of her leg strength to snap it in half with her knee. It broke in a flash of light. The glass sphere on the top slid from its place, shattering upon contact with the ground. Queen Bee sighed in relief as the light that emitted from it stopped powering the pyramid.
Unfortunately, there was no akuma.
“Damn, I thought that was going to-” Queen Bee was cut off by a roaring voice.
“My ritual! You dare stop a reviving ceremony, sacred bee?!” Pharaoh yelled, suddenly flying from his spot on the roof. Alya tucked under his arm. He approached her with full speed, extending out a hand and grabbing her by the collar like he did earlier.
She grunted in pain and held his wrist weakly with both her hands as he flew off towards the pyramid with his sacrifice and the bee heroine!
“Let go, you jerk!” Alya yelled out, punching at his side with her arms, but it did nothing.
“Now, I need to begin the ritual with a new power source!”
“Excuse me, what?” Queen Bee stopped struggling to attempt to kick at his stomach. But he felt nothing. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Oh, sacred Ra, god of the sun. I offer you a vessel in exchange for a gateway to the dead. Bring back my Nefertiti!” He flew over to the tip of the pyramid. Placing both of the girls on it. Suddenly, the Louvre began to pulsate with light. Much like a heartbeat, incredibly similar to when Queen Bee would use venom. “What better than a honey bee? The jewels of the desert sand. Your tears, sun god. The very symbol of life! Resurrect, my dear princess!” A beam of light shot out from underneath Queen Bee and Alya. Wrapping around their waists so they couldn’t escape and lifting them off their feet. Alya wrapped her arms around Queen Bee’s shoulders for safety. Pharaoh backed away from them so they wouldn’t hold onto him any longer.
“Are you kidding me?!” Queen Bee yelled out in frustration. “I broke the damn scepter!” Looking around for an escape.
“Whoa! You’re connected to Ra?!” Alya asked the bee heroine.
“Of course not! Bees are said to be the gifted tears from the sun god, but I’m not!” Queen Bee huffed, narrowing her eyes as she saw Ladybug fling her yo-yo at Pharaoh. Wrapping it around his body. Just for Pharaoh to jet out of there.
“Whoa!!!” she screamed out as he flew around wildly.
Great. Just great! Who knew all he needed was a new power source for this damn pyra- Wait!
Queen Bee looked around. Looking frantically around for the cat boy. She found him being backed into a wall by the mummies he was keeping busy. She inhaled deeply before yelling, “CHAT! THE PYRAMID! USE YOUR CATACLYSM!”
He looked up in surprise and then at the Louvre. Nodding his head, before twirling his baton around with all his strength to push back the mummies crowding him. He managed to slip past them, forcing his way out. Running full speed at the pyramid, hand at his side as he yelled out, “Cataclysm!” Pushing his glowing palm against the structure.
It began to rumble as it was coated in the destructive rust. The beam slowed to a stop. Flickering like a lightbulb that's about to give up. Before fading away in a snap. But so did the building. The glass shattered, and the metal frame began to fold into itself. Alya screamed as both she and Queen Bee started to fall from the air. “Chat Noir, catch the girl!” Queen Bee ordered, wrapping an arm around Alya’s waist and throwing her at the cat hero so she’d reach him faster.
“But what about you?!” he said, panicked.
“I’m okay-! Ack!!!!” Her words were caught in her throat as Pharaoh flew into her. Grabbing her by the front of her suit again.
“Your Highness!” Chat Noir gasped out in worry, but still he ran up to catch Alya.
“You!” He growled. Making them fly in a loop de loop, still pulling along Ladybug, who was trying to climb the rope of her yo-yo. But Pharaoh was flying like a maniac to have her let go somehow.
“Who, me?” Queen Bee taunted him through a cough, since he practically knocked the wind out of her.
“You’re a tear of Ra! Why aren’t you helping me resurrect my loved one?!” he asked, suddenly stopping so they could float above the air.
Queen Bee looked down, making sure Ladybug was still climbing. She saw a flash of pink light materialize an item in Ladybug’s hand. She used her Lucky Charm! Guess now was the “right” time.
Well, first of all. I think Akhenaten died before Nefertiti.
“Because… Bringing her back by exchanging the life of another is wrong,” she said firmly. “Nefertiti died loving you. Her feelings for you would never die. She’d be ashamed of you for doing such a cowardly thing!” Her eyes glanced down, hurrying Ladybug with her eyes. She could only distract the man for so long before he realized there was another bug for him to take care of.
“What do you know? How could you ever know what it’s like? Have you ever felt the pain of losing what you love most?! I can’t live without her!” He shouted in her face, his sharp eagle beak getting dangerously close to her face.
“You can! Live for her!” she pleaded. An outline of a purple butterfly appeared over his eyes for a second.
“I’d rather YOU die for her!” He said with a sinister laugh, suddenly using a hand to wrap around her neck. Holding her up as she strained to breathe.
Hurry up!!!!!
As if the ladybug heroine could hear her. Ladybug popped out from behind him, cutting the leather cord of the medal around his neck with what looked like a red and black dotted pair of scissors.
“H-heh, not happening,” she struggled out. Pointing down.
Pharaoh gasped and looked down, seeing his medal halfway to the floor. “NOOOO!!” He yelled out frantically, harshly throwing the Queen Bee aside and shaking Ladybug off as he dove down for it.
Ladybug quickly grabbed Queen Bee by the waist and threw her yo-yo at a stone railing, “Hold on!” she said to the bee heroine. Swinging them to safety.
And unfortunately for Pharaoh, the medal slipped past the tip of his fingers as it made contact with the concrete floor. Shattering it to pieces. And releasing a purple butterfly.
He fell to his knees and yelled out to the sky, “NOOOOO!!! MY LOVE!”
Once on the floor, Ladybug swiped her finger on the top of the yo-yo and let go of Queen Bee to catch the fleeing akuma. “Gotcha! Bye-bye, little butterfly!” she chanted. She threw the magical item in the sky with a “Miraculous Ladybug!” to summon her swarm of ladybugs to fix the damage.
With a tired sigh, Queen Bee rubbed at her neck. Seeing all the mummies revert back to being human. She felt relieved as Jalil emerged from a wave of purple energy.
“You okay?” Ladybug asked the Bee heroine. Even if they didn’t like each other much, it must’ve hurt to be choked like that.
“Yeah… Luckily, with your magic, it won’t leave a bruise, but the feeling’s still there,” Queen Bee admitted. “And it’s okay, as long as everyone else is safe,” she added with a smile.
“Boy, what a long day…” Chat Noir said with a teasing smile, walking up to his partners. “It’s been ages since we’ve gotten together like this!” he joked.
“Ugh, don’t talk to me about ages,” Ladybug grumbled, walking up to Alya to return her cellphone. And she turned to leave after bidding farewell before she detransformed.
“Wait! I wanted to ask, how old are you really?” Alya asked excitedly, holding up her phone. Presumably recording or livestreaming again for her blog.
Girl, you almost died! Put the phone away!
Queen Bee thought with a sigh. Chat Noir, though, suddenly appeared at Ladybug’s side. Excited to hear the answer too.
Queen Bee rolled her eyes and readied herself to leave.
I'm surrounded by Ladybug fanboys. Isn’t he worried about detransforming? Oh well.
With a shrug, she ran out of there.
(Y/n) went back to the art gallery for her bag before she went to meet back up with the girls. They were probably looking for her. Maybe she could lie and say she was mummified… Or she got trapped in a time bubble. Yeah, that one works better.
She walked in, hoping to give Pollen the last macaron to recharge. But to her surprise. The pastry box was empty. Laid out neatly on her sketchbook. Which looked open? She was so sure she closed it. She picked up the trash, wondering what happened to the last sweet. She looked down at the page it was open to. It was her rough sketch of the Mona Lisa? It looked incomplete and amateurish, but it was just a quick sketch that she never planned on refining. Which is why she doodled on it. In the bottom, where her doodles were… There was writing!
“Thanks for the snack. I really needed it! - From your favorite hero :3”
And underneath, there were little paw prints.
“The noble kwami of destruction must’ve eaten it!” (Y/n) heard from behind her neck. Pollen was poking her head from the girl’s shoulder. “That’s his signature,” Pollen pointed to the little paw prints.
“Chat Noir’s kwami?” she asked, “He must’ve used it so they could recharge…”
“Oh, he wouldn’t!” Pollen replied.
“Huh, why?” (Y/n) asked, putting her stuff away in the bag.
“Plagg hates sweets!” Pollen replied with a hum.
Huh. So his kwami’s name is Plagg.
“Pollen, when we get home… Can I ask you some stuff about, you know, everything?” she asked nervously.
“I’ll tell you whatever I can, your highness!” Pollen replied with a smile.
“Thanks, Pollen. Now, let’s find Alya and Marinette,” She said, tugging on her bag.
Alya followed the two girls along with a groan and a sad pout. Holding onto the strap of her bag as they walked up the steps of the Louvre.
“My book…” Alya whined.
“Ladybug must’ve taken it back to return it to its rightful owner,” (Y/n) concluded with a hum. Not feeling as down as her friend. Not surprised the book disappeared. If she were Ladybug, she also would’ve taken the book back.
“Probably after catching up with modern history,” Marinette joked, suddenly in a much more chipper mood than earlier. “She has to keep her mind sharp while being 5000 years old”.
(Y/n) laughed softly to herself as the three walked out of the Louvre. But not before (Y/n) saw a familiar-looking father and son.
Sitting side by side. On the stone border of the water fountain outside. Mr. Kubdel was listening patiently while Jalil talked and spoke his mind. Mr. Kubdel didn’t say anything. He just placed the papers from earlier in his son’s lap and said a few more words.
Granted (Y/n) wasn’t good at reading lips but… It looked like he said, “Your mother and I are proud of you”.
Jalil broke down in tears and embraced his father, who returned the action with trembling hands.
The sight brought a smile to her face.
“So, (Y/n)? You taking the bus with us?” Alya asked.
“Yeah… I want to stay with you guys a little longer,” (Y/n) said, looking away and at her friends.
A glimmer of loneliness reflecting in her (e/c) eyes.
Notes:
Here's the link to my Ko-Fi in case you wanted to support my work! Don't feel pressured, but anything's appreciated :) : https://ko-fi.com/shinyamour
Chapter 18: Lady Wifi
Summary:
Enjoy! Posted this one in a rush, lol. Might come back to edit.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
(Y/n) sat cross-legged on her bed. Bathed and in her pajamas. Her study call with Adrien and Nino had just ended. She was sitting across her kwami. A plate of cookies rested between them, and they shared a mug of hot milk tea. Just a snack to calm the nerves while (Y/n) got to ask her questions.
“So, let me see if I get this straight. A kwami is born when a new concept or emotion is brought into the universe… The miraculouses were forged so kwamis can be seen by the human eye…” (Y/n) recounted the information, reaching over for a shortbread cookie and biting it.
“Mm hmm, but also to help regulate our powers!” Pollen said with a nod, patting the corner of her mouth with a little napkin. “Some of our powers are too unmanageable without an owner or a separate vessel to try to control!”
“And you’re the kwami of Subjection?” (Y/n) asked, astounded by this new information. This little tiny bee that shared a room with her and was currently eating cookies with her was somehow an embodiment of subjecting??? That’s crazy! Pollen was too sweet to be connected to such a concept.
“Yup!” Pollen said proudly. “Worker bees live to serve the Queen after all,” she explained.
“Yeah, no, remember Pollen. No serving,” (Y/n) scolded softly, popping the other half of the cookie in her mouth. Chewing as she tried to think of her next question. “Then, Ladybug’s and Chat Noir’s kwamis are…?”
“The noble kwamis of Destruction and Creation!” Pollen said, floating over to the cookies, beginning to arrange them in a circle. Two cookies are placed directly in the center. “They’re the most powerful of us kwamis. Plagg, the black cat kwami, is the being of chaos and ruin! He can destroy anything with just so much as a simple tap!” she said as she pointed to one of the cookies in the center.
“... I can see why you guys needed your powers to be contained…” (Y/n) said with a grimace, “You’re telling me Chat Noir is the holder for that kwami??? Is he aware of how dangerous Plagg is?”
“Hmm, Plagg, though powerful, isn’t too fond of the restrictions and rules that come with our miraculouses since the miraculous gave him less freedom to use his powers. I say he’s become a lot more docile than he once was, though, but he loves to stir up trouble for entertainment!” Pollen explained with a giggle.
“Boy, did I luck out…” (Y/n) joked, after hearing the little troublemaker that Chat Noir was paired with.
“And, the noble kwami of Creation is Tikki!” Pollen said with a big smile. “She was the first kwami born. She’s the being of restoration! What was once broken can be salvaged with her powers. She can create just about anything! And she’s very kind! Like our big sister!”
(Y/n) smiled, reaching over to take a sip from the mug of warm tea. “You sound excited… Is Tikki your friend?” she asked curiously.
“I love all my kwami friends! But… The Guardian would always joke around about the bug miraculouses having a natural kinship. He would say the three of us were inseparable,” Pollen explained, her voice slowly getting lower and sadder as she recounted her story. “I always got along better with Tikki and Nooroo…” she mumbled, gently grouping three cookies together.
“Nooroo?” (Y/n) asked softly, placing her mug aside.
Pollen didn’t meet (Y/n)’s eyes. “Nooroo is the kwami of Transmission. The kwami that resides in the butterfly miraculous. He… gives abilities to those with strong emotions. He can possess an item to transmit powers unimaginable for humans to have… To make the one possessed stronger, faster, or smarter so they can be the wearer’s champion. He was meant to bring out the good in people…” she mumbled.
(Y/n)’s eyes widened as she slowly came to realize what Pollen was trying to say. “So… Papillon has Nooroo… His miraculous is the butterfly’s. He’s taking advantage of Nooroo’s powers,” she finished Pollen’s thought. “Oh wow… I-I, Pollen, I’m so sorry. We have to get that miraculous back!”
Pollen just nodded softly, “I miss Nooroo… He and Tikki never teased me for being a worker bee. They were just like you. They encouraged me to be my own bee,” she recounted with a smile.
“The other kwamis tease you?” (Y/n) whispered.
Pollen looked up with a sheepish smile, “Not in a mean way, of course, but whenever I got teased or jokes were made about me needing orders, I would feel self-conscious. I’m a being of subjection. My very existence was born from following orders,” she explained. “Mullo and Kaalki would say I was like a baby. Waiting for someone to tell me what to do. That I would take everything too literally. But I didn’t know. All I can do is follow; if not for that, I wouldn’t exist,” she explained, for once looking lost.
The bee kwami that had been guiding and comforting this girl for nearly two months was lost. Empty. Wondering what her existence meant. If she wasn’t a follower or a subject, then what was she?
(Y/n) reached forward and cupped the kwami in her hands. “Pollen, you’re so much more than that. You’re not my subject. But I guess, if you need to follow someone, then do it. You can need guidance in the same way that I do… You told me that you were there to guide me in the same way that I’m guiding you! Following blindly is no good, but there’s nothing wrong with following the ones you trust… You follow to learn. So one day you can lead others,” she explained to Pollen, gently poking the bee’s fluffy chest with her index. “You guide me every day, if anything, I’m your subject!” she joked.
“Nonsense! You’re my queen!” Pollen said with a gasp.
“Nonsense, you’re my friend,” (Y/n) quipped back softly, smiling and bringing Pollen closer so she could kiss the kwami’s cheek.
Pollen just wrapped her arms around the girl’s cheek and hugged her with all her might. “Thank you, (Y/n)...” she mumbled.
“You’re welcome, Pollen,” she said with a soft chuckle. The bee’s fuzz tickled her cheek, and she could swear she felt Pollen nuzzling her tear-stained cheeks against her. But she didn’t want to tease the kwami.
A week had passed since the event of Pharaoh. Things were comfortable once again. Though there was a little nagging feeling in the back of (Y/n)’s head. That something was amiss. She walked to her next class with Alix. Wondering what that feeling was. And what was causing it.
“So anyway, my dad and brother are extra in my business now…” Alix was recounting a story from the weekend. Something about their father sitting both of them down for a talk. To remind them that he’ll always be there for them. Alix acted as if the act was too saccharine sweet for her, but (Y/n) knew that deep down, Alix was just too embarrassed to admit that it was nice.
“Yeah? They’ll be okay with you and I meeting up next Saturday to work on our art assignments together?” (Y/n) asked with a teasing hum.
“Why would they not be?” Alix replied with a laugh. “Besides, they’ll get their time with me just fine. Since we’re going out for a birthday lunch.”
“... About that. You sure you want to spend your 15th birthday doing something like homework?” (Y/n) asked as she held the door open to Mendeliev’s class for both of them.
“What? Of course! I prefer to treat it like any other day. And we have a family trip planned for the next day. Besides, as long as I get to spend the day with friends and family, I don’t mind,” Alix said with a smile, “AND, you can treat me to boba afterwards!”
(Y/n) chuckled to herself. “I can do that any day- Ah!” She was cut off by an arm suddenly wrapping around her and Alix’s shoulders.
“What’s this about boba?” Kim asked as he leaned in to be included in their conversation. Grinning cheekily at them.
Alix frowned and shook off the arm, “(Y/n)’s buying me boba for my birthday, not for you”.
Kim pouted playfully, “What, why don’t I get boba?” he whined as (Y/n) slid from his grasp.
“Sorry, Kim. Alix gets boba privileges for her birthday, “ (Y/n) teased.
“What if… I got a better score on my history test than you guys?” He offered, reaching into his bag to pull out a crumpled page with their graded test scores.
“What?” Alix shook her head. “There’s no way!”
Before (Y/n) could say anything, Kim cut her off by leaning in closer to Alix with a grin, “Oh yeah? Wanna bet?” he taunted.
“Guys-” (Y/n) began, attempting to stop this from getting out of hand.
“You’re making a bet you’re gonna lose, Kim,” Alix taunted right back.
“Oh ho, scared of losing? How about this? Whoever’s got the highest score gets to be treated to boba?” he replied with a smug smile, crossing his arms.
“Alix, he’s just provoking you, don’t fall for it,” (Y/n) warned her in a whisper.
Alix, with her fiery pushback, reached into her backpack for her test. “Oh, I’m gonna enjoy making you buy me one with all the toppings! On three?”
Oh no. (Y/n) just sighed and stepped aside for anyone else to walk by her. Class was due to start in less than 5 minutes, and Ms. Mendeliev was not going to be happy if she saw her students like this.
“One!” They started in unison. “Twoooo….”
(Y/n) was somewhat used to Kim’s habit of turning everything into a bet. He was naturally competitive and brave, which is evident in his involvement in sports and athletics. But since he was surrounded by people not as sporty as him, he would find other ways to be competitive. He had challenged Nathaniel earlier during the week to see who could finish their test faster. And he tried challenging her, too. He bet he was faster on foot than Max and (Y/n), who take the bus to school. It was becoming a bit of an annoyance…
“Three!” They yelled out. Shoving their tests at each other.
(Y/n) just sighed and walked away to her seat, not wanting to be involved with this.
“That’s it!” Alix said firmly as she walked up to Max and Kim’s table at lunch. “No more bets!” she said angrily.
“Ho ho, is this because you owe me an extra-large milk tea with all the toppings?” Kim taunted with a smug grin, leaning back on the legs of his chair.
(Y/n) sighed from her spot at a nearby table, where she was sitting with Marinette and Alya.
Not this again…
“I wanna make the bets of all bets!” Alix said angrily, crossing her arms. “If I beat you in a race… You need to stop challenging people for the rest of the school year!”
“Oh yeah?” Kim said uninterested. “What makes you so sure I’ll lose?”
“I bet I’m faster than you,” Alix said with a light shrug, smiling as she saw the way his shoulders twitched.
“With your little legs, no way!” he said, laughing and still not looking at her as he poked at his lunch.
“Of course not on foot. But with my skates!” Alix said right back, laughing heartily and placing her hands on her hips, “Scared of losing?”
“Psshh, I’m way faster than your dumb skates!” Kim retorted, finally facing her and smirking, “Besides, you should be the scared one. Your skates are no match for my well-trained muscles. You’re the one silly enough to challenge an athlete.”
“Sounds like you’re scared to me, man,” Alix continued to taunt him.
(Y/n) thought this all so dumb. Though the others around thought otherwise, they were all suddenly interested in the conversation happening in the cafeteria. All eyes were on Alix and Kim. Watching and waiting to see what he’ll say. He looked around nervously, but his eyes seemed to linger on where Chloe and Sabrina were sitting. Chloe was disinterested, looking casually at her manicure, while Sabrina was the one invested in the little commotion.
Somehow, it looked like he was watching to see how she’d react. IF she’d even react at all…
Does he… like Chloe?
He swallowed his response and cleared his throat before laughing, “Alright then… If I win, I get your skates!” he suddenly proposed.
What?? But those are her favorite ones!
(Y/n) felt the need to say something. This was a bit out of character for Kim… He may be a bit mean and cocky, but that was because he didn’t know when to stop. He tested people’s boundaries, but he always made sure to step back and apologize if he crossed a line.
But she saw the way he smiled brighter… She turned to see that Chloe’s blue eyes were suddenly on him. Smiling devilishly as if she were mildly amused by this little display of wickedness. Ah. That makes more sense.
He wants her attention.
Suddenly, Max stood up, pushing up his glasses and holding up a page that he ripped from his notebook. On it, there were terms and conditions already written. With blank spaces for the two challengers to come up with a day, and to print and sign their names.
“Next Saturday, Alix and Kim will participate in a challenge of speed and endurance! At Trocadero, they will run approximately 500 meters to see who is the fastest!” Max declared to the spectators around them.
Next Saturday??? Why on her birthday?
“You guys think I should make a banner to show our support?” Marinette asked the girls as the three walked back up the steps to Madame Bustier’s class. Marinette walked behind Alya and (Y/n) as they walked ahead.
“I like that. Shows we’re unbiased and impartial to both sides, considering how dumb I think this all is…” (Y/n) mused.
“I’m on Alix’s side. I hate Kim’s dumb bets,” Alya chipped in, not looking at them, instead looking down at her phone as she browsed through what seemed like pictures of Ladybug. She only kept ones that seemed of higher quality, or ones that had repetitive areas.
“... Still snooping around to figure out who Ladybug is?” (Y/n) asked, glancing over to take a peek at the girl’s phone. Which, unfortunately, had a nasty crack from the last time she tried to tail the three heroes when they stopped a bus hijacking. She dropped it while riding a bike to the site where the news crew was.
“I can’t stop while I’m this far ahead!” Alya said with a pout, “You guys doubted me the last time!”
With a laugh, (Y/n) held the classroom door open for her friends. Alya stepped in, with Marinette following quietly behind. (Y/n) shot a wave to Adrien and Nino before walking up to her seat next to Nathaniel. The boy she still had yet to make progress with.
… “Gonna go to the challenge on Saturday?” she asked awkwardly, hating the sense of distance between the two of them. She played with her stylus, scribbling random waves on her digital notepad.
“... Yeah. Alix’s my friend so… Yeah.” he responded just as awkwardly, looking down at his tablet.
….
They sat in silence, both waiting for Madame Bustier to walk in and save them from the crushing discomfort.
“Um, I was going to say-” she was cut off by their teacher walking in and clapping to get the class to focus on her.
Sigh, maybe another day.
Huh, Marinette’s taking a long time in the restroom… Is she having ‘those troubles’? She might have forgotten to pack extra supplies… Should I ask her if she needs anything?
(Y/n) looked away from Bustier’s PowerPoint to fish out her cell phone to text the blue-haired girl. Maybe she needed an emergency pad or pain meds. Suddenly, she felt Pollen shift behind her neck. Surprising her in the moment.
“Psst. Your Highness… I sense the power of a miraculous nearby!” she could hear Pollen whisper.
What?! Now?!
(Y/n) glanced down at her phone. Contemplating how she was going to escape… Her eyes lit up as she realized something! She raised her hand. And their teacher smiled and pointed in her direction.
“Yes, (Y/n)?” Madame Bustier asked.
“May I be excused to take a phone call from my guardian? It may be an emergency!” (Y/n) lied, even throwing in a worried glance at her cellphone.
“Oh, but of course, you can be excused for a bit,” Madame Bustier said calmly, “Though hurry, we only have 10 minutes left for the class”.
Can I even make it back in 10 minutes…?
(Y/n) nodded with a smile, “I’ll try to be quick, Madame Bustier!” she said happily, rushing down the steps of the classroom without her belongings.
Once outside, Pollen poked her little head out as (Y/n) ran into the janitor’s closet. Luckily, there was no one around. “What if we don’t make it back in time?” the kwami asked.
“Well, my stuff should be safe in the classroom… Besides, Queen Bee would be more worried for the well-being of others than her homework!” (Y/n) whispered to the bee on her shoulder. “Alright, then. Pollen, transform me!” she called out.
In a flash of golden light, Queen Bee crawled out of the small window in the janitorial closet. It wasn’t very graceful, but it was the best escape route.
Queen Bee stood around on the top of the school, gazing around for the source of the conflict. She squinted her eyes before an imaginary light bulb popped out in her head. She reached for her communicator, flipping it open, tapping the camera app, switching the settings, and turning it onto its side. Using it like binoculars.
She looked around and saw a news helicopter in the distance, floating into the air and flying towards the Eiffel Tower.
She smiled and turned the communicator back to the normal position, opening the group chat she had with the other two heroes.
*QB- Something’s going down at the Eiffel Tower! Meet you guys there!
A few seconds went by when she suddenly received a text back from Ladybug.
*LB- Already on my way over! Be here soon!
Queen Bee sheathed her communicator and began to run in that direction.
It became more apparent the closer she got that there was someone climbing the tower… From her position, all she saw was a head of striking red hair. But a few feet closer was all it took for her to make out what she was seeing. Looked like a… smaller frame. Weaker build.
It was-! A child! She gasped and tried to run faster. What if they fell? Poor thing! She jumped off a roof and landed a couple of blocks away from the Eiffel. She ran towards the base of the tower. Holding her arms open as if trying to catch the kid. Just to be stopped by a yo-yo wrapping around her waist and pulling her back! She was yanked back into the street, pulled down by a hand on her shoulder to hide behind a car.
“Oof! What the-! LB? What was that for?” Queen Bee complained to the spotted heroine behind her.
“Shh! Look,” Ladybug said to the bee hero, pointing up.
The news helicopter that she saw earlier was circling around the tower, trying to get a clear view of the heroes at work, but also to coax the child down. The poor girl looked frightened, but then locked eyes with the copter. She inhaled deeply before yelling, “I DON’T WANT TO COME DOWN! GO AWAY!” Visible glowing red rings of sound erupted from her mouth, pushing the helicopter back with the sheer force of the volume. It staggered and retreated… But the damage from the sound waves alone made Queen Bee realize what was going on…
The concrete below them was already cracked. Cars were dented and unaligned with the sidewalk, meaning anyone who approached was forced back—and apparently, many had tried before them.
“Akuma, I presume?” Queen asked rhetorically, looking around. She saw a couple of ambulances pull into the street.
“Seems like it…” Ladybug replied dryly, with a roll of her eyes.
“NOOOO!!!” The little girl shrieked. Aiming her scream beam at the vehicles that got closer to them. Cracks sprouted from the point of impact, causing the drivers to swerve out of control. But only one of them was able to brake in time before the wheels got caught in the cracks of stone. The other one, unfortunately, broke too late, and it caused the vehicle to move out of control. It was moving too fast that the backside swung before spinning towards a building.
“Shit!” Queen Bee cursed as she and Ladybug could hear the paramedics inside scream.
Before the two heroines could act, the floor began to shake again. The girl, now, was screaming at a police car. Aiming the beam downwards again.
“ DON’T TAKE ME AWAY! I DON’T WANT TO GO!”
A huge crack emerged beneath the left side wheels of the out-of-control ambulance. Causing it to lean.
“Don’t worry! I got it!” A male’s voice called out from the top of the building.
The two looked up and saw Chat Noir! He leaped off and threw his baton ahead of him. The silver weapon extended once it made contact with the floor. Bouncing up in time to stop the vehicle from colliding with the building, catching it and holding it in place while it remained leaning. With a hand on the baton, he caught himself and pressed his back on the wall. He used his leg strength to push the ambulance upright.
He grunted as he used all of his strength to push the heavy object back to a safer position. “Phew, that was not easy,” he said as he playfully wiped his brow, while the two girls ran up to him.
“Chat, that was awesome!” Queen Bee complimented.
He smiled bashfully and rubbed the back of his neck, “Thank you, Your Highness!” His meek act made Ladybug roll her eyes and cross her arms.
“Hmph, as long as it’s a bug, you don’t care, huh?” Ladybug said with a pout.
Chat Noir’s eyebrows shot, surprisingly pleased with her reaction, “Ohhh, is m’lady jealous? How sweet, don’t worry. You’re the only bug for me, Ladybug~” he purred, reaching for her hand to place a kiss on it.
Outwardly, Queen Bee pretended to gag. But, on the inside, (Y/n) felt tense? She wasn’t particularly annoyed, per se. She and Ladybug didn’t get along, yeah, but she always put that aside. Besides, this whole flirting-but-not-flirting act was part of their dynamic, and she knew that. That’s how Ladybug and Chat Noir were. But for some reason, she didn’t feel right. It was like her stomach flipped a bit. Maybe she was restless because of the situation at hand. Yes. That must be it.
Speaking of which, she ran over to the driver's seat door of the ambulance. Yanking the door open, to see a woman looking nauseous. Green in the complexion, but safe. Queen Bee sighed in relief, “Are you and your partner alright?’ she asked.
The woman nodded, holding a hand over her mouth as she swallowed back a gag. Her partner emerged from the back, handing the woman a paper bag. They both gave Queen Bee a thumbs up. She sighed in relief and stepped back, and walked towards her partners.
“So, what’s the plan?” Queen Bee asked.
“I don’t know… I have no idea where the akuma could be,” Ladybug said, looking up at the girl on the tower. Determined to get her down. “I already tried zipping up there… Her scream threw me back, though… It’s rough on the ears,” she explained.
Chat Noir looked in the same direction, “Maybe, she just doesn’t want to go home. I bet the akuma’s in a toy or something…”
“Do kids get akumatized often?” Queen Bee asked the two. To her, it seemed extra scummy to be targeting children who had no control over their emotions yet. To exploit that, seemed lower than low.
“... It’s happened before, yeah,” Ladybug replied, with a serious tone. “It’s usually a toy,” she agreed with Chat Noir.
“Huh, but if she was holding onto something, then how would she climb?” Queen Bee asked.
“Could be jewelry? Or their glasses?” Chat Noir suggested.
“It’s not like she’ll let anyone get close enough for us to see… She knocks back the news helicopters, and she has her back to everything. She’ll only turn around to scream. And I have no idea what her goal is… Akumatized villains normally want to take our miraculouses. But she’s not moving!” Ladybug said, grabbing her yo-yo and looking at it in her hand. “Maybe I should just Lucky Charm early…” she mumbled, her free hand on her chin as she tried to come up with something.
“We might have to,” Chat Noir agreed.
Meanwhile, Queen Bee stared at the smaller frame. She saw the little girl climb into a little spot, take a seat, but then hug her knees to her chest. Making herself appear smaller. Tucking herself away. It looked like she was wrapping something around herself…
Huh.
Queen Bee glanced over to her partners. An acoustic megaphone made of red and black spotted plastic was now in Ladybug’s hands.
“With this, we’ll distract her… Chat Noir, you climb up and go for anything you think might be the item, just-” Ladybug began, just for Queen Bee to ignore them, taking the megaphone. Walking calmly ahead of them. “Wait, where are you going?! Come back here for the plan!”
Queen Bee turned over her shoulder with a smile, “I can distract her. I’m gonna make a new friend!” she replied with a wink.
Ladybug and Chat Noir stared at her, confused, and turned back to look at each other. “Why doesn’t she follow my lead? I wanted you to be the distraction,” Ladybug whispered to Chat Noir.
“Maybe she has something else in mind,” he replied with a shrug.
“It’s reckless!” Ladybug huffed, “But well, I guess it doesn’t matter who does the distracting…” she said with a sigh.
“Hey!” Queen Bee called out through the megaphone.
The girl poked her head out and inhaled deeply, puffing up her cheeks as if charging her beam.
Queen Bee held up her hand in a “stop” motion, “Wait! I’m not here to take you away! I just want to talk!”
The girl swallowed back the attack. Frowning, while keeping her round cheeks puffed up like an angry chipmunk. It was cute. “ You’re lying! Liars are bad!”
“You’re right! They are bad! But I’m not a liar! I’m a queen!” Queen Bee said with a hearty laugh, hiding her smile behind her fist. She knew she needed to work fast, but you can’t rush these things. “Royalty aren’t allowed to lie, did you know that?” she said with a teasing tone.
Well, maybe historically they have but… Eh, why focus on the details?
The girl took the bait, pouting, “Uh, yeah! I-I knew that! But how can I make sure you’re a queen? You have a sword! Knights have swords!” she argued back.
Queen Bee smiled, placing a hand over her heart, “My apologies, dear…?”
“Emma!”
“Oh my, forgive my rudeness, Lady Emma.” Queen Bee lightly bowed her head, pinched at an imaginary skirt, and gave a little curtsy. She used her free hand to grab her sabre from her belt. Holding it in front of her, before dropping it at her feet. “You’re right, how silly. My knights should be armed, not I…”
Emma stuck her head further out, staring curiously at the striped hero letting her guard down now that the hero was unarmed. Unbeknownst to her, the cat and ladybug hero were climbing up the other side. Trying to sneak past and behind her without the little girl knowing. “Are you really a queen?” The little girl asked.
“Yes! I am the majestic Queen Bee! It’s an honor to meet you, Lady Emma,” Queen Bee said kindly. “Are you the ruler of this castle?” she asked the little girl.
“No! This is my… um, pa-... palace!” The little girl replied, as if having forgotten the word. With her head sticking out, the sunlight reflected off her bright red eyes to match her hair. Upon further inspection, she was wearing a raggedy cape with sewn patches and a paper boat hat. And a paper airplane in her hand.
“Oh ho… I’ve never been inside a palace before! May I?” Queen Bee asked.
Before Emma could say anything, the sound of a yo-yo zipping caused her curious expression to shift into one of fear. Emma screamed as the yo-yo knocked the paper boat hand off her head. “AHHH, Y-YOU LIED! YOU’RE ALL BAD! LIARS!” Shaky red rings of sound were shot around wildly as Emma aimed at Ladybug.
Ladybug gritted her teeth. Her yo-yo was wrapped around a steel beam, but she was using all of her upper body strength to keep holding on even as her body was flailing around. “CHAT, IT MUST BE THE PLANE!” She yelled through the noise.
Chat Noir nodded and lunged at the girl, just for Emma to turn and yell out, “YOU’RE SCARY!”
He was stunned. His cat ears gave him enhanced hearing. And normally, it was a great help. But right now, it was his biggest weakness. He had spirals in his eyes as he was disoriented by the sound. He just couldn’t help but clutch his head. Groaning in pain. The force of the sound waves blew him back towards the trees of the Trocadero. “Whooaaa!”
Oh, my god. That’s far!!
“Wait!” Queen Bee called out.
“You lied!”
“I apologize,” Queen Bee bowed her head. “I’ll retract my… my knights!
“Your what?!” she could hear Ladybug protest. Queen Bee shot the spotted hero a look. A sharp side-eye that said, ‘shut up and follow my lead!’. And surprisingly, Ladybug stayed in her spot. Though, tapping her foot impatiently.
Queen Bee cleared her throat. “I… just want to talk. May I? May I have the honor to converse with you, Lady Emma?” she asked, placing the megaphone down. Holding her hands up, showing that she was completely at her mercy.
The outline of a purple butterfly reflected over the girl’s eyes. She held the side of her head and began to whimper, “Nooo nooo! I don’t want to! I’m not a bad girl! I don’t wanna be taken away!”
Queen Bee took that as her chance to jump up the Eiffel Tower. Wasting no time in reaching the girl. “Are you okay? Is he hurting you?!” Queen Bee cooed, now at Emma’s side.
“Nooo. He’s saying mean things!” Her eyes began to water, “I’m not a bad girl! I just want to stay with mommy! The scary voice said that I would be taken away if I didn’t behave.”
I’m going to break Papillon’s nose, I swear!
Queen Bee gently reached forward. And at first Emma flinched, but the warm, gentle look in the bee heroine’s eyes eased her into accepting the touch. Queen Bee gently brushed a tear away. “Emma, you’re not a bad girl… You’re scared. Being scared is tough. I get it.” she whispered.
“... But I hurt all those people,” Emma began to cry. “Waahhh! That makes me bad!”
“A bad kid wouldn’t be feeling guilty… You just have to say sorry. It’s never too late to say sorry,” Queen Bee encouraged gently.
“... Really?”
“Queen’s honor,” Queen Bee said with a smile. Poking the girl’s heart over her chest. Before sneakily tugging on the edge of the toy cape. Loosening it so it fluttered down. Ladybug swung down, caught it, and ripped it. Freeing the akuma and purifying it. Throwing the megaphone in the air.
It wasn’t long before the girl reverted back to normal. Still had a stunning set of red locks. But her harsh red eyes became a gentle brown. And her complexion returned back to a healthy rosy shade.
“Who are you?” the little girl asked, rubbing her eyes. Looking disoriented. Confused. Sleepy. Tired.
It must’ve taken a lot of energy…
“Shh shh, I’m gonna escort you back home to your mother, Lady Emma,” Queen Bee whispered, bowing with her hand over her heart.
Queen Bee and Chat Noir stayed by Emma’s side while Ladybug was being interviewed. They were crouched at her eye level. The poor girl didn’t want to be left alone with the paramedics, as they were strangers in her eyes. But the heroes were okay, they were safe. Emma kept holding onto Queen Bee.
“You were very brave. I know it’s scary, but the paramedics just want to make sure you’re healthy before you see your mommy!” Chat Noir said to the girl, as she was sitting on the edge of the door, covered by a blanket.
“He’s right. You’re very brave, Emma,” Queen Bee said with a grin. “You might make a good queen one day!” she joked.
“Or a good metal vocalist…” Chat Noir joked under his breath, but Queen Bee heard and she elbowed his side. He rubbed his side, pouting at her.
“Emma!” A woman’s voice called out, as another head of red hair came into view, and an older woman embraced the little girl.
“Mommy!” Emma cried back as they hugged.
That’s our cue to leave.
The two stood up and waved goodbye to the little girl. Turning to join Ladybug. Just to see her waving sheepishly, smiling awkwardly as all the bystanders clapped and cheered for her.
Queen Bee rolled her eyes and turned towards the direction of the school. She didn’t have time for this. She needed her stuff so she could do her homework.
“Wait, Your Highness!” Chat Noir called out to her.
She didn’t say anything, instead just turning to look at him.
“How’d you know it was her cape?” he asked.
The cape was old and worn. Littered with clumsy sewn-in patches. It looked more like a mini quilt than a cape… But wrapped around the girl’s shoulders, Queen Bee knew… It was more than a cape. It was her “shield”.
“I guess I related too much,” Queen Bee thought before replying with a shrug, “Just a hunch.”
First, Jalil and now Emma. She saw herself too much in others. Maybe that was her weakness. Or her strength.
With that, she left.
(Y/n) groaned as she finally made it home. By the time she got her stuff and took the later bus back to the apartment, she was spent. She closed the door to her room with her shoulder and flopped onto the bed.
“My queen, your homework!” Pollen said.
“Huh? Oh, right,” she mumbled, muffled through the bedding. Forcing herself to turn onto her back, taking out her phone, to text Adrien and Nino about what she missed. Just to notice that she had a voicemail from Alya. And a missed call.
(Y/n) hummed before clicking the voicemail. Sitting up and placing it on speaker as she casually stood to change into her loungewear.
“(Y/n)! You won’t believe it! I found another lead!” Alya’s voice could be heard.
The girl scoffed softly as she slipped her head through the neck-hole of her shirt.
“I think Ladybug… is Chloe Bourgeois!”
(Y/n) sighed.
Oh god. Not again… I sense trouble with this one.
Notes:
Here's the link to my Ko-Fi in case you wanted to support my work! Don't feel pressured, but anything's appreciated :) : https://ko-fi.com/shinyamour
Chapter 19: Lady Wifi (Pt. 2)
Summary:
Work sucks sometimes haha. Next chapter's past halfway done, just need the time to finish it! Look forward to it!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“(Y/n), sweetie. We made flatbread pizza for dinner!” (A/n) called out from the other side of the door.
“And Edith dropped by to gift us a fancy cheesecake~!” Aaron said in a sing-songy voice, hoping to help his wife coax their niece out of her room.
Unbeknownst to them, (Y/n) was freaking out inside her room. Pacing back and forth as she tried to think of something to throw Alya off. According to her phone call with Nino, Alya swore she saw something in Chloe’s locker that proved the blonde was Ladybug. And, with that. (Y/n) just had a single thought in her head. Well, multiple actually.
If Alya’s right. Then, Pollen sensing the power of a miraculous nearby… Was because Chloe was transforming…. Into Ladybug. Chloe did leave the room for a bit to pick up something from her butler. But that could’ve been a cover-up!
Huh. If Chloe’s Ladybug, then that would explain a lot. Why we butt heads. Why she can be difficult to work with. Why she’s so stubborn. Why she had to be the one leading this group. She might see us as lackeys.
But! Alya could be wrong. And she might get herself into a bigger problem if she is. She might stick her nose in dangerous places! She’s the type to put herself at risk for a scoop. She might even announce her theory on her blog. Putting a mark on her and Chloe.
“Your Highness, maybe you should join your family for dinner? It’s been a while since you’ve sat with them for dinner; they’ve been busy,” Pollen brought up, sitting on the desk as she watched a news recap from this morning. “Maybe sitting with them might be good for you. You’ve had a long day!”
“Pollen… You’re right…” (Y/n) replied with a soft sigh. “Thinking about this too much is stressing me out. Maybe her investigation will end before it even begins… And it’s not like I can say or do anything…”
“You’re right, Alya is smart! She might be at home right now, realizing that it might not make sense!” Pollen agreed. “Besides, once an identity is discovered, the Guardian will revoke their miraculous rights! I’m sure Ladybug is very careful!”
Pollen said that last piece of information as if (Y/n) already knew that.
She didn’t.
“That’s the first I’ve ever heard of that!” (Y/n) exclaimed, quickly covering her mouth once she realized how loud and high-pitched that came out.
Unfortunately, her aunt and uncle heard. Taking that as a sign that their niece wasn’t napping, and was actually awake.
“Heard of what, honey?” Aaron asked, with an amused tone, through the door.
“Uhhh, that you get free armor vouchers in the game I play with a giveaway code!” (Y/n) replied, not as smoothly as she thought she was, as she gave Pollen a look and mouthed, ‘I’ll be back’ before opening the door and stepping out.
“How’s school been, (Y/n)?” her aunt asked as she placed an empty plate in front of (Y/n). Going to the kitchen island to use wooden utensils to toss up a salad, keeping her back to the girl. Her husband was taking out a tray of flatbread pizzas from the oven, wearing a comically adorable apron with a white cat pattern that resembled Coco.
“Good! I got an A on my Literature essay!” (Y/n) replied calmly as she poured herself a glass of water from the glass pitcher on the table.
“Oh, that’s nice!” She replied with a hum. Still not turning around.
Being oddly… quiet. And that unsettled the girl. Normally, her aunt was a supportive and kind woman who would never turn down the chance to praise her loved ones. Not as boisterous as Aaron, though.
“What about history?” she asked calmly. And from where (Y/n) was sitting, she saw the way her uncle flinched.
?
“Good? I passed my last history test with an 86?... Why?” (Y/n) took the bait.
“You wouldn’t happen to know why I got a call today from a Madame Bustier, then?” (A/n) asked. Turning around, she looked serious, and her eyes screamed ‘anger’ as she placed the salad bowl in the center of the table.
This was a setup!
Sweat began to build over (Y/n)’s brow as she nervously tried to play dumb. “Oh, uh, maybe to let you know how good I scored on my essay?” she stuttered out, avoiding eye contact. “She IS also my literature teacher, y’know!”
(A/n) frowned and pursed her lips, pretending to humor the girl for a bit. “Oh, I didn’t know that…” she replied. “I also didn’t know that I called you today. And made you step out for so long that you forgot your bag in the classroom!” she said, crossing her arms. “Did you?”
“I-I um, forgot too? Haha.. ha…” (Y/n) stuttered out, looking down and avoiding her aunt’s gaze.
(A/n) held the stern gaze for a while longer before sighing and taking a seat across the girl. Scooting her chair closer, and reaching over the table to flick the girl’s forehead. To get her attention, but also in a way to scold her and show her how frustrated her aunt was. Not necessarily a punishment, but rather a form of grounding her in reality.
“(Y/n), honey, sweetheart, you know I love you. But why did you do that? Your teacher was worried that you never came back, and I would’ve been, too,” (A/n) calmly explained.
(Y/n) knew that the school knew about her and her past school experiences. Some teachers like Mendeliev would act normally and not let their sympathy for the bullied victim affect the way they teach her. But Madame Bustier was always extra careful with (Y/n). It made sense that the caring Bustier would freak out when (Y/n) never returned.
But Queen Bee had places to be.
“I-I… can’t tell you,” (Y/n) admitted.
Immediately, (A/n)’s eyes widened. And she replied with a panic in her tone, “Are you being bullied again?” she asked, a bit frantic.
(Y/n) replied with a quick shake of her head, “Oh, no! No no no! I’m not. I swear!” she squeaked out, holding her hands out in front of her. “I, just…” She tried her best to think of something.
She looked over to her aunt and uncle, who were patiently waiting for her. But it was clear in their eyes that they were worried for her. And they would do anything to protect her. But she wanted to protect them, too. How could she tell them the truth? That she was Queen Bee.
In another world, she’d drop everything to tell the people she loves most the truth. But she has too much to lose.
There’d be no more Queen Bee. Paris would lose a hero. And she’d lose Pollen forever. She’d lose her best friend. And she’d lose that side of her. Pollen and Queen Bee were the reasons she was able to change.
She took a deep breath and looked at them with a smile. “I’m having so much fun… So so much,” she started, fiddling with her cutlery, finding it hard to lie to them. Thinking, maybe she should be honest. Just a bit.
“So much so that I don’t believe it. I feel like it’s all a dream. I’m so happy and cared for. You two give me so much, and yet you somehow still give me space for my independence, and it’s so wonderful. Because I’m here, I’ve learned so much about myself. And met amazing people,” she began as she placed a hand over (A/n)’s.
Her uncle had left the tray of flatbread on the stove and joined the two at the table. Smiling as he watched the way his wife’s expression softened when their niece began to praise them. He’d seen the two of them grow into their own since he first met (A/n). And he was glad to see that (Y/n) was slowly returning to the happy and loved little girl he once met. Though obviously she changed as she aged. She was much more emotionally mature and independent. But Aaron and (A/n) were never going to stop doting over her.
“And it’s because of you two and my friends that I feel so safe. But sometimes, I feel like I woke up in a place I don’t belong in. That I don’t deserve any of this. That deep down, I’ve never changed. And that I’m just pitied…” (Y/n) admitted, “I’m happier. But that doesn’t mean that these thoughts and insecurities of mine have disappeared. I… see kids happy with their parents. And it makes me feel guilty. I see people happy and I feel shittier for even comparing. Maybe I’m just greedy like that.”
And well, she wasn’t wrong. Seeing Emma and Jalil. Uncovered some deep feelings, she didn’t realize she still had. Was she lonely? Jealous? She had no idea.
“Sometimes, um, I just need to step outside. For a breath of air. Or a splash of water to the face. I’m… sorry. I just wanted to escape for a bit. I didn’t want to show that I was a little overwhelmed, you know…” (Y/n) finished off looking in her aunt’s eyes, “I don’t want to trouble you guys… I want to fix myself all on my own.”
I want to escape sometimes. Being Queen Bee helps.
Ah. (A/n) had a thought. They were back in America when they last had a conversation like this. In the kitchen, sitting in front of each other, but every time the girl would speak… (Y/n)’s eyes never met (A/n)’s. Her eyes were always looking down in shame. But now, things were different. Their eyes met.
“(Y/n)... I’m sorry I didn’t notice…” (A/n) said, hand over her heart. Tears began to well in her (e/c) eyes. “I-I…” So many emotions were surging through the older woman. She was proud. Touched. Happy. Amazed. And somehow, saddened and lost. But loved. She had no idea what to say. “I love you so much… so so much. I want you to be happy. I want you to live life to the fullest. And I’ll always be proud of you. Always and forever!” she blubbered through her tears. Sobbing out words as she shakily squeezed the teen’s hand.
Aaron wrapped an arm around his wife’s shoulders. Sighing playfully while she sobbed, “What she means to say… Is that we trust you, and we love you. If you want to take time for yourself, to sit back and breathe… We understand. But just know, we’ll always be here for you. Always.” he said with a smile, rubbing his wife’s back and looking earnestly in his niece’s eyes.
(Y/n) smiled back, laughing softly at her aunt but using her free hand to rub away the saline eyes that built up in her (e/c) eyes, “And that’s more than enough… I love you two just as much if not more,” she said with a breathy laugh.
(A/n) sniffled with a smile, “Nuh uh, we love you way more!” she managed to say as she stopped herself from crying more.
“I can’t hear you, (A/n),” (Y/n) teased, reaching over to playfully flick her forehead.
“Alright, alright. How about we have dinner and then watch a movie with our dessert?” Aaron suggested as he stood up, fetching the bowl of salad and the now-warm tray of homemade pizzas.
“Yes, please!” the aunt-niece duo said in unison.
Pollen was right. This was well needed. It was nice. They ate and talked about their days. And then they watched a movie together in the living room. It was a kids’ movie that (Y/n) remembered adoring when she was younger. One about a masked phantom thief who would steal for good, capturing the heart of a young princess as he stole back an heirloom that proved the current king was secretly evil. It was the first piece of media that inspired her to learn French like her aunt.
(Y/n) turned to her side, smiling at the sight of her aunt and uncle cuddling. Having fallen asleep right after the big chase scene. She knew that they were exhausted. This week was busy for both of them. But they still took time to have at least one dinner with her. So she wouldn’t feel so alone.
She looked down at her hands. Sighing sadly as she remembered that she still lied to them. They want her to be safe and happy. She wanted the same for them, too. But she was Queen Bee, and that wasn’t going to change. She wants to protect them. She wants to protect everyone.
She slowly stood up and turned off the television. She threw a blanket over the couple as she kissed both of their foreheads.
She picked up the plate with her leftover cheesecake for Pollen. She had only eaten half so she could save the rest for her kwami. She glanced at her guardians one last time before returning to her room.
Thank you. It’s my turn to keep you guys safe.
“So, Alya thinks Chloe is Ladybug because of the yo-yo?” (Y/n) asked as she wrote down her answers to the worksheet that Bustier handed out today. Nino just sent her a picture and told her to write her answers on a separate sheet.
“Yeah, she swears she saw it in her locker!” Nino’s voice could be heard coming out of the girl’s phone.
Huh. That’s weird. Normally, after you detransform, your weapon goes away too.
(Y/n) tapped her pencil against her notebook. She wondered if this was some secret to the miraculous that she didn’t know yet. In the background, Pollen was using a little popsicle stick as a spoon to eat her cheesecake.
“And so what now? Don’t tell me she has some crazy plan?” (Y/n) asked her friend.
“... She wants me to distract Chloe so she can snap a pic of her locker…” Nino said guiltily.
“What?! And you’re going along with it??” (Y/n) asked, almost scolding the boy.
“Well… I mean, I want to know too… Wouldn’t it be wild if Chloe were actually Ladybug? And Alya makes it hard to say no!” Nino tried to defend himself, but in hindsight, he saw that maybe this was a little silly.
“That’s like an invasion of privacy! Chloe may be hard to get along with, but Ladybug or not, that’s her private space….” (Y/n) said with a shake of her head.
“B-but! Come on, she’s like an evil incarnate!” Nino whined playfully, “And, she’s more likely to be Papillon than Ladybug, you gotta admit! And if we succeed, we can prove that!”
“Nino… You can do whatever you’d like, help Alya if you want, but I won’t help you guys even if you beg me to!” (Y/n) said with a huff, reaching over to grab a highlighter from her bag.
“Funny you should say that… Alya said you probably wouldn’t want to help her. But that she’d prove you wrong anyway. That Ladybug really is a girl our age,” Nino said with a dry laugh.
Ugh, this girl. I swear-
Suddenly, a third voice joined the call, “Hey guys! What’s going on?” Adrien’s voice asked.
“Oh hey dude! Alya thinks she got a lead on Ladybug’s identity!” Nino said casually.
“I’m just trying to do my homework, don’t mind me!” (Y/n) said with a dry tone, laughing to herself when she glanced over to her bed, seeing Coco and Pollen cuddled up on the covers.
“Oh?” Adrien tried his best not to sound too interested. But (Y/n) held back a laugh at his clear curiosity.
“Don’t listen to him, Adrien. What answer did you pick for question 4?” (Y/n) asked to switch the topic.
“Do you think that there’s a chance Chloe can be Ladybug?” Pollen asked from (Y/n)’s hood.
“Nah, besides, I think Alya’s just seeing what she wants to see. She loves superheroes, so maybe it’s easier for her to believe that Ladybug can be someone like her. It’s probably her way to find hope,” (Y/n) replied with a shrug, holding back a slight yawn as she stepped off the bus and walked towards the school.
She walked right down the sidewalk, seeing a limousine pull up to drop off Chloe. Sabrina had run out of the school, excitedly running up to the door to hold it open for the blonde girl.
Ah, speak of the devil.
Chloe felt the eyes on her, turning to (Y/n) with a sneer. “Ew… Sorry to break it to you, but the tired-just-woke-up look only works on zombies, new girl,” she laughed at her comment and whipped her ponytail to the side as she kept walking. Waving at other students and casually ridiculing their fashion choices.
“Don’t you know Halloween is next month? Haha!”
“That necklace looks nice! For a knockoff…”
“I applaud you for trying, but that’s last year’s design.”
Well, it could be worse.
(Y/n) thought to herself, but was still subconsciously checking her reflection in her cell phone. After all, she was still a teen girl with her own worries and insecurities.
“Hey, don’t listen to her, you look fine,” she heard a voice from beside her. A higher-pitched but bubblier voice. “Your hairpin is cute! It matches your shoes!” It was Rose. A girl she hadn’t interacted with much. But she knew they were classmates.
“Thanks…? I like your dress, the wings are nice,” (Y/n) replied awkwardly. But Rose beamed at the girl’s words. She was just a cloud of positive vibes. Waving goodbye to (Y/n) after dropping a compliment, running up to the shy Juleka. To presumably do the same to.
What a lovely pair.
(Y/n) smiled to herself and saw Nino and Alya scheming together behind one of the pillars under the building’s awning. Suddenly, she was reminded of their plan. She needed to stop this. The uneasy feeling in her gut from the other day was slowly resurfacing. And now she knows why. Alya’s need to uncover Ladybug’s identity was just a disaster waiting to happen. And today was the day it was boiling over.
“Guys, you seriously can’t be-!”
“Oh, (Y/n) great timing! I need you to stand guard!” Alya’s voice chimed in as she grabbed both (Y/n) and Nino by their shirts and dragged them into the locker room.
Nino looked over to his friend and leaned in, saying, “Told ya, it’s hard to say no to her,” he whispered to her.
Ugh, I need some stomach meds for this ache…
(Y/n) thought to herself, but as much as she didn’t want to be part of this… Alya wasn’t going to stop until she got her answer. And (Y/n) can’t tell her the rule of the miraculouses and their holders’ identities or else she’d mark herself too. What was she going to do?
Once she grabbed her textbook from her own locker, she went outside. She tapped her foot impatiently, pretending to wait “casually” for her friends outside the locker room. Listening in case of danger, or if something went very wrong.
She should be fine… Right. Yeah, Nino’s with her. He’ll be discreet, right? Right?
She watched as others left. Counting in her head who was missing. Chloe was still in there. Sabrina wouldn’t leave without Chloe. Kim was waiting for Max. Nino was with Alya. So far, so good. But once she saw Max leave without Kim, she should’ve gone inside.
Maybe she could’ve de-escalated the situation at hand.
Or maybe-
“Chloe! Alya took a picture of your locker!” She heard Sabrina’s voice from inside.
Maybe it was all doomed from the start.
(Y/n) stepped inside right as Kim snatched Alya’s phone to hand to Chloe. Oh no. Chloe smugly scrolled through the photo gallery of Alya’s unlocked phone and displayed the most recent photo for all to see.
“Who’s a ‘dirty liar’ now?” she replied with a hum.
“N-now wait a moment, let’s all calm down!” (Y/n) said, standing between the two girls. Giving Kim a ‘dude, what the heck’ look.
“(Y/n)’s right! Maybe Alya was taking a pic for reference? Yeah, that-- that makes sense!” Nino tried to add to (Y/n)’s excuse.
“Without asking for permission? Wait, until my father hears about this!” Chloe replied with a ‘hmph’ before starting to walk out of the locker room. Alya’s cell was still in her hand, and Sabrina and Kim were following close behind her.
“Wait, give me my phone back!” Alya yelled out, reaching forward and grabbing Chloe by the wrist.
“No! This is evidence!” Chloe growled back, pulling at her arm to take it back. But Alya wasn’t letting go, and it slowly turned into a tug of war over the cell phone. Kim and Sbarina “tried” to help pull them apart by holding onto Chloe, whereas Nino and (Y/n) did the same but with Alya.
“Let go!”
“No, you let go!”
“Hey, you’re tugging too hard!”
“OW, my hair!”
“You’re stepping on me!”
The commotion must’ve been loud to those walking by. It wasn’t long before a teacher walked in. And to their dismay, it was Mendeliev. She stood by the open door, arms crossed, as she stared at the teenagers.
Not a single one of them dared to speak back to the angry teacher.
“Principal’s office. Now!” she yelled at them.
Ah, great. Just great!
Chloe’s entourage stood behind her as she was seated in front of Damocles’ desk. (Y/n) and Nino stood behind Alya. Nino was quietly waiting for a punishment, sweating up a storm as he dreaded what the principal might say.
“I hope he doesn’t call our parents…” he whispered to (Y/n). “My mom will kill me!”
Well, after last night (A/n) and Aaron might be mad at me too.
“Shh, we’ll have to wait and see-!” (Y/n) began, only for her to be interrupted by Alya.
“Monsieur Damocles, Nino and (Y/n) were just there to be good friends… I put them up to this… Don’t punish them!” Alya said, looking down at her hands in her lap.
It surprised both (Y/n) and Nino. They were touched to see her shift the blame entirely on herself. Even if in a way, it was all her fault. She was willing to take the full punishment to atone for her own mistakes. She was taking 100% of the responsibility.
Damocles sighed and looked at both of the teens, “Very well, you two may go back to class…” he said.
Nino patted Alya’s shoulder and started to walk out, but not before looking back to see if (Y/n) was following. (Y/n) smiled and shook her head. Wanting to stay with Alya. Even if Alya was being brave and responsible by facing the consequences of her actions, it must be scary to be sitting here. Chloe had backup with her, too.
I can’t leave Alya to face this on her own…
“I’ll wait for Alya, Monsieur Damocles,” (Y/n) said, looking at their principal, who just nodded and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Well, now that that’s settled… Ms. Cesaire, tell me your side now that I heard Chloe’s…” Damocles began after Nino left, trying to be the best mediator by hearing out both sides.
“What?! She’s obviously going to say the opposite of what actually happened to defend herself!” Chloe huffed, crossing her arms in her seat.
“Everyone deserves a chance to explain themselves… It’s only fair!” Damocles said sternly.
“You weren’t there, Monsieur Damocles! It won’t be fair since you didn’t get to see what happened!” Sabrina tried to bring up.
“She’s guilty!” Chloe added. “Of course, she’ll try to ‘explain herself’!”
“And what exactly is she guilty of?” Damocles replied with a tired sigh. Clearly, this wasn’t the first time he’s had an experience like this.
“She’s guilty of invasion of privacy! And I can prove it!” Chloe said as she slammed down Alya’s phone onto the desk. The picture from earlier was still on the screen, proving that Alya did, in fact, take a picture of Chloe’s locker.
The action and disregard of her personal belongings angered Alya, “Ugh, seriously?! It’s just a picture! All I did was take a stupid picture!” Alya replied, motioning at her phone with her hand.
“I’m sorry, Chloe, but I can’t punish a student for a simple picture of a locker. All I can do is have her delete that picture,” Damocles explained with his hands folded in front of him.
Alya huffed but replied with a nod, “And I can do that,” she said, clearly upset but understanding of why she was here. She was willing to accept the minimal form of punishment for the minimal crime she committed.
Chloe, who was clearly unhappy with the lack of a severe punishment, scoffed and looked around the office. Was she crazy? Or were the others crazy? Why was no one taking her seriously? “But-!” she swallowed back some choice words. Or maybe she was trying to hide that something else was upsetting her. She frowned, “She broke into my locker!” she insisted.
“What, hey-” (Y/n) began.
“I did no such thing! That’s not true, I didn’t even touch her locker!” Alya argued back, “It was already open!”
“So, in other words. Nothing was stolen? No property was damaged? It’s just a picture,” Damocles repeated the information given to him. He was slowly burning out from this unnecessary back and forth. He rubbed a hand down his face and glanced at the transfer student. (Y/n) just quietly nodded.
Chloe side-eyed the interaction and sat up, “She stole a part of my soul!” She placed her hands on the desk, “My locker… is my private garden! Whoever gets forcefully into it transgresses my intimacy and corrupts my very essence!” She argued, suddenly stomping her foot down. Her bottom lip trembled before suddenly breaking down into ‘tears’, covering her face and crying into Kim’s chest.
Oh my god! I can’t even come up with something that complicated! What an actress! And covering your face as you cry is the oldest trick to fake crying. Seen plenty of those.
But what surprised (Y/n) the most was the fact that Kim ate it up… He looked down sadly at Chloe, full of sympathy, and rubbed her back. Holding her shoulders and suddenly glaring at Alya.
Damocles held back a sigh and turned to acknowledge Alya, trying his best to hide his guilty expression, “Very well… Then in that case, you’ll have… an hour detention today Alya,” he said, then looking down at his hands to avoid the look of betrayal in Alya’s eyes.
“That can’t be classified as ‘theft!” (Y/n) brought up.
Alya raised her hand and shook her head at her friend, “...Fine. I’ll accept the punishment,” she said in a firm voice. Turning to smile at (Y/n), patting the girl’s forearm to calm her.
Alya knew she had messed up. And that was admirable. But this sucked. All Chloe should’ve received was an apology, and then the picture should’ve been deleted. That simple. But Chloe wasn’t known for her love of simplicity.
Chloe immediately turned around, crossing her arms, and for a split second, she flashed a smirk before it turned into faux shock. “Surely I didn’t hear you correctly? Don’t tell me you’re just going to give her a ridiculous little hour of detention for a-- A heinous crime!” She turned and snapped her fingers over her shoulder with a smug smirk, she was hiding from Damocles’s view.
But Alya and (Y/n) saw.
Sabrina stepped forward and magically brought out a clipboard, reading directly from a copy of the school rules, “Any act of vandalism will be punished by one week of suspension or longer, depending on the severity of the act,” she read aloud.
“What?! Monsieur Damocles! Surely you won’t consider this vandalism!” (Y/n) pleaded.
Chloe scoffed, “I don’t know how ‘vandalism’ is classified in your country… But we take these things seriously here, (L/n)!” she sneered at the American girl.
First of all, have you seen the news lately? And second of all, bit-
Damocles sighed and shook his head, trying to remain calm and composed despite the fact that he went against his own resolve by even giving Alya detention, “Certainly that would be the case, but we can’t speak of vandalism in this case…” he started to reason.
Until Chloe decided to lay down her final card. “I’m not sure my father would share your point of view… “ she said, bringing out her cell phone. Slowly, she dragged her manicured nail against the screen to drag out the action. She was looking for her father’s contact.
Like any reasonable adult, Damocles wasn’t scared of the empty threat. “Chloe, we’re not going to bother your father with this. He’s a busy man. A mayor with much more important things to-” he began. And that’s where he messed up.
Chloe did not like that he implied that this wasn’t important in any way.
“Well, surely he can make some time to talk about more 'important' things like budget cuts , don’t you agree, Monsieur Damocles?” she said with a mocking little hum. Suddenly, her threat felt real.
She can’t do that!
Chloe pressed the green call button on her phone.
“W-what I meant to say was- I-!” he looked around. Frantic before sighing, “... You’re suspended for a week, Alya,” he said defeatedly.
Chloe hummed in approval and suddenly hung up, turning around to smile wickedly at the situation. Alya stood up defensively, “What?! That’s completely unfair! I’ll tell everyone on the school’s blog and website that the administration is making exceptions for the children of the elite!” She put her foot down.
(Y/n) had no idea that Alya even ran the school’s blog. But wow, she really is strong. Even through all of this, she was still putting up a fight.
“Yeah, and I’m sure the school board wouldn’t want to know that the mayor is making biased changes to their budgets!” (Y/n) hopped in with a smile to Alya. Letting her know she had her back.
But unfortunately for both of them, all Chloe had to do was mockingly wave her phone in front of the principal. Threatening to call her father. And Damocles added to the punishment, “The blog… will be shut down for the duration of your suspension until we decide on new management of the school-owned website,” he said while looking down.
What?! No, that’s bull! You’re going to revoke Alya’s position on the school blog?
Alya was too angry to think; she curled her fists and glared at Chloe and her entourage. Mumbling to herself. (Y/n) couldn’t hear it properly, but she was sure she heard Alya say, “Talk about a superheroine…” before she turned to storm out of there, but not before swiping her phone off the desk.
(Y/n) turned to follow the girl just for a voice to stop her.
“And what about her?” Chloe’s voice asked.
(Y/n) turned around and shot a glare at the blond girl, “What about me? I haven’t stolen anything, especially what little is left of your ‘soul’” she mumbled the last part.
“Ms. (L/n), I suggest you return back to class unless you wish to share in the punishment with Alya Cesaire,” Damocles said firmly, looking down at his hands.
“...What? But Alya-!” (Y/n) tried to argue.
“Now, unless you’d like me to call your aunt,” he said in a much sterner, imposing tone. To assert that he was being serious.
That’s just… not fair!
(Y/n) felt helpless. But defeated. She turned over her shoulder and glared at Sabrina, Kim, and Chloe. Before speed walking out of the room, quickly typing and sending ‘are you okay?’ texts to Alya.
Alya’s strong. She’ll be okay. Besides, I’ll just go look for her during lunch. Yeah.
She’ll be okay.
Alya ran so fast out of there. The tears stung her eyes; she couldn’t even see where she was going. But even if she could, where was she going? She can’t go home like this. Her parents would be so upset at her. She can’t go back to school.
She was so mad! So hurt. So betrayed by the school system she thought she could trust in.
Her legs brought her to the Seine. It was work and school time for everyone, so no one would see her. Nor would they bother her. She sadly walked down the steps to the pedestrian walkways along the river. Not even bothering to take a seat on the benches of the Berges de Seine. She pressed her back against the wall and slumped down with all her weight.
Curling up into her knees as she tried to stop herself from crying out of frustration.
She felt so alone.
She brought up her cracked phone and used a trembling finger to unlock it and browse her contacts. She can’t call (Y/n) or Nino. They were in class.
Maybe Marinette was still at home? Sleeping in. Waking up frazzled and panicking that she was late. Showing up with an innocent and sheepish smile.
She sniffled and held back a small smile, “Good old Marinette. She never changes…” she thought as she pressed the call button. Expecting to hear her best friend’s voice.
Just to be greeted by the cold, empty dial tone of a voicemail.
“It’s Marinette, leave a message. Beep!” she heard mockingly.
Alya couldn’t hold it back anymore. She curled further into herself and started to sob, unaware of the little purple butterfly approaching her.
(Y/n) stepped in, looking lost and saddened. Like a guilty puppy. Nino and Adrien looked worriedly in her direction. Nino made a motion with his hand as if asking the girl where Alya was. (Y/n) just sadly shook her head and sighed, walking up the steps to her seat.
(Y/n) felt guilty and heavy as she tried to pay attention to the lecture.
She could’ve done more. Poor Alya.
She was lost in thought, unaware that Marinette had snuck in right after her. Marinette was late, but confused as to where her best friend was. She leaned in and started asking Nino questions.
“WHAT?!” Her voice was loud and crisp as she sat up in surprise.
Snapping (Y/n) out of her thoughts. And apparently everyone else too, as they all looked at her.
“Marinette, when we come in late for class, we avoid drawing attention to ourselves!” Bustier replied, scolding the girl. But then turning around to write with chalk on the board.
Marinette mumbled out an apology. But then leaning in to ask Nino another question.
“WHAT?!” she repeated herself again.
This time, Bustier had no patience left, and she pointed towards the door, “Enough, Marinette, principal’s office. Now!” she ordered the blue-haired girl.
Marinette sighed and nodded defeatedly, grabbing her bookbag and pochette. Slowly walking down the steps to the door she had recently stepped in from.
Great, now both of them are in trouble…
(Y/n) thought to herself as she saw Adrien asking Nino for a rundown of what happened. Unlike Marinette, he didn’t jump up in surprise when Nino told him Alya’s theory about Chloe being Ladybug. She saw his head turn in her direction, looking at her in disbelief.
Suddenly, there was crackling from the classroom speakers! The lights in the class flickered for a second before the projector flashed on. Bustier had to step away, startled, from the board. Watching as a familiar face was projected on the chalkboard.
“I am Lady Wifi, uploader of truth! Discoverer of injustice! You asked and I delivered some mind-blowing scoops!”
“Alya!” (Y/n) gasped at the sight of her friend. Wearing a full black bodysuit with a white WiFi logo over her chest, white gloves, and a black mask. All that everyone could do was watch in fear as the akumatized Alya carried on with her plan.
“Scoop number one! Your principal has a little secret to confess to…” The camera panned out to show Lady Wifi standing next to a frightened Damocles.
“So, Monsieur Damocles… It seems you wrongly suspended a student named Alya today? Isn’t that right?” she asked, when he didn’t respond at first, she asked again. “Right?”
“I…” He looked down in shame, “Yes, it’s true…” He admitted in a voice so small that he sounded remorseful. And he was right to feel as such, he was one of the reasons his student was akumatized.
“Aha! So you admit you were biased? Arbitrary? Completely unfair?!” She raised her voice and threateningly rested an arm on the man’s shoulder.
“... Yes. I admit it… “ he replied, “I was wrong… Ms. Cesaire, you got what you wanted. I’ll take back this act of injustice. Just don’t hurt the students,” he continued in a shaky voice.
“I won’t stop! For my next scoop, I’ll take you all to meet the girl hidden behind Ladybug’s mask!” Lady Wifi announced to the camera.
“Wait-!” Damocles tried to reach out to his student. Just as Lady Wifi used her now magically fixed cellphone to fling a glowing circle at the principal. A ‘stop’ symbol appeared over his chest where the circle landed. And it was like the man was suspended in time.
“Stay connected~!” Lady Wifi said wickedly.
A heavy moment of silence rested among the students after the stream faded to black before disappearing from the board.
Bustier, in a panic, made sure to announce to everyone, “Listen! For your safety, go home immediately! And don’t forget to read chapters 4 and 5!”. All of the students scrambled to grab their belongings before running out of the classroom.
Everyone began running home or calling their parents.
Nino and Adrien waited for (Y/n) in the courtyard.
“You didn’t tell me Alya was akumatized!” Nino said to her as the trio began to run to the main entrance.
“Well, I didn’t know that was going to happen!” (Y/n) said with a roll of her eyes.
“Alright, you two. How are you getting home?” Adrien asked his friends.
“Bus,” (Y/n) replied.
“I’m walking home,” Nino replied.
“I have to contact Placide,” Adrien said, looking around and then realizing something. “Oh, man. I- uh, I left my phone in the classroom!” he said with a sheepish smile.
“Want us to come with-?” Nino began before Adrien interrupted him with a shake of his hand.
“Nah, don’t worry. You two head home!” he said before running back inside, looking like he was in a hurry but also not really?
Okay… Odd?
But who had time to question it? Queen Bee was on a time crunch. (Y/n) and Nino shared a nod and a wave as they both ran in opposite directions. She played off going to the bus stop to hide in a nearby alleyway. She looked around to make sure the coast was clear.
“Alright, Pollen… Come on out,” she said over her shoulder.
The kwami flew out and stretched her arms and antennae. “Your highness, your friend…” she said with a sad pout.
“I know… But we can’t do anything until we save her. So, Pollen. Transform me!” (Y/n) called out.
Notes:
Here's the link to my Ko-Fi in case you wanted to support my work! Don't feel pressured, but anything's appreciated :) : https://ko-fi.com/shinyamour
Chapter 20: Lady Wifi (Pt. 3)
Summary:
Oops, sorry for the long wait. I don't really have a set schedule for when I upload but I just try to type when I can. And trust, it has been hard to find time recently, haha.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Queen Bee perched herself on top of the roof of the school building. Using her nifty communicator as binoculars, looking around to see where Lady Wifi might’ve gone. She remembered hearing the akumatized victim say something about revealing the girl under the Ladybug mask.
Based on what happened today, it had to be Chloe that she was targeting.
But (Y/n) had no idea where the rich girl lived. A mansion? Some penthouse?
But Queen Bee had a feeling that Lady Wifi didn’t know that information either. So, she thought trailing Chloe would be the next best idea. As long as she stayed close to the girl, Queen Bee might be able to find Lady Wifi. She was going to watch the girl like a hawk. Even if currently, Chloe and Sabrina were just waiting for their rides.
Her golden-flecked (e/c) eyes locked on the white limousine that pulled up to the front of the school. It had only been a few minutes since the school was evacuated, so whoever Chloe contacted was fast. A cop car pulled up soon after, and Sabrina got inside?
Maybe one of her parents is a cop….
When the limo began to drive away, Queen Bee began to follow close behind. Jumping from one roof to the next, and even patiently waiting for the street lights to turn green, at least while it was under a bridge. Looking around at the near-empty streets, wondering if the livecast from earlier reached everyone else. If so, that meant every Parisian was in lockdown.
I should probably send Ladybug and Chat Noir a text or some-!
Suddenly, in her peripheral vision, she saw movement. Her eyes shot to the sky on her left side. A group of glowing purple discs was floating up into the sky like a swarm. Hovering like drones before spreading out and scattering themselves. She ran towards the edge of the building to inspect them at a closer range. It looked like the disc Lady Wifi flung at the principal earlier… She could not make out their designs from this distance.
She had no idea what they were for…
Queen Bee looked down at the street below and saw civilians. Suspended in time with the same pause logos from earlier, like the one on the principal. Lady Wifi must’ve gotten to them… All of them had shocked expressions and their empty hands stretched out, but their fingers curled slightly with the thumb pointed up as if they were holding their…!
Their phones! She must’ve taken their phones!
Her assumption was correct as she suddenly heard the nearest store alarm go off. Queen Bee hopped off the roof and ran into the luxury tech store. The glass sliding doors were stuck in an open position. And the fluorescent lights inside were flashing like crazy. Queen Bee glanced inside and saw a guard. Suspended in time with a pause symbol on his chest, but with his hand on the nearest alarm. On the floor, there were empty boxes. All of them once contained the latest models of phones. The trail of them all led to the center of the store. Where Lady Wifi was in the act of shoving said phones into… her own phone? It was glowing like some magical inventory space, much like Ladybug’s yo-yo.
“Some discoverer of injustice you are… Stealing’s considered a crime, buddy. Don’t you know that?” Queen Bee said loudly as she calmly waltzed in. Walking closer to the villain, sword in hand.
Lady Wifi turned immediately with a vicious scowl. Clearly she didn’t like the topic of theft.
“Oh look, the Ladybug rip-off,” the akumatized victim tried to taunt the striped heroine to distract her. Lady Wifi shoved the last display phone in her magical cell. But as she reached to deposit it, she reached in and pulled out a long white… charging cable?? It was rolled up like a whip. And it looked like she had taken every charging cord in this store and just tied them together.
Bracing herself, Queen Bee stood with her feet slightly apart.
She’s probably going to try to take this sword from me…
In one quick movement, Lady Wifi flung her wrist forward as she jumped back to avoid a possible strike, and she whipped it at Queen Bee. To Queen Bee’s surprise, Lady Wifi aimed for the other arm. Evading the reach of the cord, she moved out of the way. But Lady Wifi aimed again. But this time at Queen Bee’s face.
But Queen Bee didn’t dodge it, she didn’t react fast enough, instead she blocked her face with her forearm. The cord wrapped around her wrist.
“Says the girl named Lady Wifi,” Queen Bee taunted right back, using her free hand to angle her sword to somehow cut the pesky cord. “A whip, seriously? It’s kinda like the yo-yo-! AGH-!!!!”
Suddenly, an electrical current began to run through it! It wasn’t painful at first. But then it was hot! Searing even. And then numbing. Until the muscle of her forearm began to spasm unnaturally, painfully locking her in place. She couldn’t even scream. Her jaw locked as she grunted, trying to reach for the cord in a weak attempt to pull it off.
She wasn’t trying to disarm her! The damn charging cord had a purpose! To trap and immobilize her enemies. At least the ones she wanted to harm.
Lady Wifi’s laughter was the only thing grounding her right now as she was being electrocuted by the charger. It suddenly stopped, and Queen Bee fell onto her knees. Not yet collapsing. Her fingers were lightly twitching, her focus was a bit spotty, and her head was barely registering the pain she was feeling. She could only breathe in small panicked gasps as her heart beat like crazy.
“How do you like my bug zapper? Thank you for letting me test it on you, I’m sure it’ll work wonders on the other two!” Lady Wifi laughed and walked up closer to the bee girl to inspect the damage. “Looks like the suits are meant to protect the wearers... It doesn’t even look burnt! You still feel pain, huh? But hey, you still have some ‘byte’ to you, haha.” She began to type in her notepad app, ignoring the hero in front of her, even casually joking.
Fuck! That hurt!
Queen Bee panted, her skin was cold with sweat. Looking up to glare at the villain.
“Aw, well, I guess I could unmask you while I have you here. For fun!” Lady Wifi said with a wicked giggle, finally looking down as she attached her phone to her belt. Much like how Ladybug would with her yo-yo. “Maybe some more ‘fast-charging’ will fry you~”
Lady Wifi slowly cupped the bee heroine’s face, inspecting the mask. But Queen Bee weakly lifted her hand and wrapped it around Lady Wifi’s wrist. “Try it, and you’ll hurt yourself too,” she threatened shakily. Intending to take the villainess down with her.
Lady Wifi just smiled smugly at the bee heroine, suddenly becoming a spark. A small digital particle as she zapped into the nearest TV display. It flickered on, and her image appeared on the screen.
“You can’t touch me, dumb bee! Hahaha! Lady Wifi can’t be stopped!” Her laughter rang throughout the store as she moved from the TV display to the screen on one of the working registers to the display tablets. Moving around in quick flashes.
Queen Bee swallowed nervously as she forced herself to stand. Holding her still-shaking forearm, unwrapping the charger cord from it. Internally, she was scared that it was going to shock her again.
I’m in over my head…
She thought nervously, but didn’t let it show. She glanced around, her (e/c) eyes stayed glued to the image of the villain. Watching. Analyzing. Could she cut the power? Does wifi power her? Or electricity? Which was it? What was she going to do? Maybe retreating would be the best… She took one small step backward, accidentally slipping on a discarded phone box. Still a bit unstable from the electrocution, she held onto the white counter display. Suddenly, the screens and lights stopped flashing.
What in the…?
Something wasn’t right…
Queen Bee turned to her side and realized Lady Wifi was unsuccessful in taking the display phones that were attached to the table.
Didn’t she take all the phones?
In a bright flash of white light, a hand emerged from a cloud of pixels. Popping out of the phone in front of her. Grabbing hold of Queen Bee’s suit collar. Yanking her forward, almost as if trying to slam her face on the table.
“What the hell?! Ugh!” Queen Bee grunted out, pushing against the table to stop it from slamming her into the flat surface. Unbeknownst to her, the phone next to her also lit up. A second hand reached for the heroine’s hair.
But this time, she reacted quickly. Once the hand brushed against her ponytail, Queen Bee turned and grabbed the gloved wrist. To stop it. Only for laughter to ring out around her.
Fading away into pixels, the hands were gone. Absorbed into the-
Screens…!
Queen Bee gripped her sword. Using the blunt end of the handle to bring it down against the display phone before her. Shattering the screen.
“What are you doing?!”
I knew it!
Queen Bee kept her back to the big TV screen behind her. Lady Wifi wouldn’t risk being in one of these tiny screens, especially now that they were being shattered so easily by the hilt of the sword. But she wasn’t going to let Queen Bee get away with foiling her escape routes, was she?
“Stop it! You pesky-!” Lady Wifi shrieked.
“Bug? Insect? Bee? I’ve heard them all! Look up some new ones!” Queen Bee taunted, shattering a tablet in half with her pommel. Grabbing one of the halves to fling at a flashing register screen. Currently, it was on a loop playing little ads. But Lady Wifi thrived on Wi-Fi-powered anything. As long as it is connected to the internet… It was a tool for her.
Queen Bee readied herself to throw the second half at the 2nd and last register. It was out of service, clearly, and she knew it since there were no looping ads, just a generic screen. But Lady Wifi didn’t. It all came together when she saw movement behind her.
I got her now!
Queen Bee turned and flung the other half at the TV. A nasty crack split down the middle. Just as Lady Wifi had popped out of the flatscreen.
Lady Wifi looked around with a scowl on her face. She had been lured out. She attempted to ‘spark’ into the last standing register, but it didn’t work. It was offline.
“It’s just you and me, Hotspot!” Queen Bee said with a smile. Readying to lunge at her. Just for Lady Wifi to jump back with her personal phone in hand. Lady Wifi began flinging glowing purple discs at her. Queen Bee swiped her weapon at them. Most of them disappeared upon a slash from her weapon. Into little purple clouds. Slowly backing the villain into the wall with the broken flatscreen.
“ Grrr! That’s not my name!” Lady Wifi hissed, looking around and down for an escape. Looking behind Queen Bee, hissing at the fact that she left her whip on the floor. Suddenly, her phone pinged, and she looked down at it. Expertly dodging the attacks while typing on her cellphone. She suddenly looked up with a smile. “My eyes in the sky found her!”
Huh? Her what?
“Gotta go! I got bigger bugs to zap! Bisous!”
“Oh, no, you’re not!” Queen Bee yelled out, “Ven-!” Queen Bee readied to thrust the tip of her sword against Lady Wifi’s chest.
Lady Wifi pointed her cell phone at the ground. Flinging a glowing disc to the floor. A purple circle with the “vibrate” symbol appeared on the ground. Suddenly, the disc expanded into a bigger circle before disappearing. The floor began to tremble like a mini-quake, making the bee heroine lose her footing. The heel of her boot caught in the plastic packaging littered on the ground, slipping backwards onto her bottom.
Panicked, she saw the akumatized villain type in something in her magical phone. The screen lit up, and Lady Wifi smirked. But not before flinging another disc at Queen Bee’s feet. It expanded into another huge circle. Suddenly, a purple fire wall burst from the glowing outline, trapping the heroine in her spot.
“Now that’s what I call a ‘hotspot’, see ya!” Lady Wifi said with a wicked giggle, she waved. Hand happily on her hip.
“No no no, wait!” Queen Bee looked around before she readied to throw her sword like a throwing knife. “Veno-!”
“SHH!”
She couldn’t finish her command as Lady Wifi flung another disc at Queen Bee’s face. A small ‘mute’ symbol appeared over her lips. Queen Bee patted desperately at her mouth, trying to take it off. But her fingers just faded through the disc of magical light.
Queen Bee yelled. But no sound came from her mouth.
“That should keep you from buzzing! HAHA! Try warning your friends now. Though… You might be too late, maybe I’ll unmask Ladybug by then!” She said proudly with a laugh. Since she couldn’t zap into her own phone without leaving it behind, Lady Wifi took out a random cell phone from her magical inventory. She casually placed it on the floor, taking her whip back, and shot a wink at the Bee hero before disappearing into the screen of the stolen phone.
Queen Bee growled behind her digital muzzle, punching the floor in an act of frustration. Squinting her eyes as she looked around for an escape.
What now? She was trapped in this ring of pixelated fire…
Wait. Pixelated?
Queen Bee lifted her hand and, testing, hovered the back of her hand near the purple flames. It wasn’t hot at all… Slowly, and very carefully, she brushed her fingertips against them. A ripple of pixels surrounded her fingers. Proving her theory. It was a digital wall. Not real fire. She rolled her eyes and stood up. Calmly walking through the purple fire wall.
Somehow angrier knowing that she fell for this trap. She stomped on the cell phone on the floor.
I gotta contact the other two!
She flipped out her communicator and began to text their group chat. Just to be cut off mid-text by the image of a green paw print with a black background, with a green phone symbol interrupting her.
Adrien had known Chloe all his life. There was no way she was Ladybug. She was too… different. Their personalities didn’t match at all. There was just no way that the girl of his dreams was really his childhood friend… Right?
To be fair, was his personality like Chat Noir’s in any way? As Adrien, he wasn’t as… risky. Or as confident. Or cocky. Could Chloe be the same way? If she were Ladybug, then… could it mean that all the good in her was just hidden behind a troubled facade? Was she like him? In that he could freely explore sides of himself as long as he was behind a mask?
He just couldn’t stop thinking about it since Nino had told him about Alya’s crazy theory. At first, he doubted it. Since he, himself, saw Chloe be saved by Ladybug during the Coeur de Pierre akuma attack. But there was a nagging feeling in the back of his head. He remembered (Y/n)’s theory that it really could be anyone behind the mask, even a guy.
Is Chloe being Ladybug really that outlandish? Maybe the Ladybug miraculous, at some point, had been handed to a new holder? Queen Bee was a new addition that proved that the miraculouses could be handed to anyone. Not in a mean way, of course. Just, literally, to any civilian. Any person could hold a miraculous.
He blinked out of his thoughts as Plagg floated into his face. The kwami grinned, “If Alya’s right, that means you’re in love with Chloe!” he teased.
Oh, right, he had retreated to the bathroom to transform. Adrien shook his head and smiled at the black cat kwami, “Plagg, if Alya really does think Chloe is Ladybug, then she’ll be headed to her house. Transform me!” he called out.
Chat Noir leapt out of the bathroom window and made his way towards Chloe’s home in the luxury hotel. He landed on the street and began running towards the hotel. Luckily, as Chloe’s long life friend, he had her address memorized. Though he slowed in his strides as he noticed flying discs in the sky above him.
“What in the…?” he mumbled as he extended his baton to get to higher ground. He squinted his eyes as the swarm of them began to disperse and spread out in different directions. One of them suddenly jerked in its motion, suddenly diving downwards and zooming towards him!
The glowing disc slowed down and began to float in circles. Hovering around him as if inspecting the hero. “Chat Noir found! Location sending…” The disc said in a monotone robotic voice. Sounding eerily close to that of a famous digital assistant… In the center of the glowing ring, there was a logo that looked like a pair of eyes behind sunglasses.
Wait a minute!
Was this sending his location to Lady Wifi???
Chat Noir swung his baton at it. Making it disappear, but not before it rapidly flashed between red and white. Like an alert. Before it exploded. Chat Noir had to brace himself with his arms over his face.
“What did it do?” He wondered, inspecting himself for any possible damage, lowering his arms.
His question was answered as a bunch more of the discs appeared in the sky, all repeating the same actions as the first one. Stopping but then diving towards him, this time they were all flashing red and white. Chasing after him like homing missiles. He dodged them to the best of his capabilities and even used his baton to deflect them. But there were too many! One of them managed to impact his side. The force of it knocked him onto the asphalt.
He rolled onto the floor, hissing at the discomfort. He turned onto his back, and his green feline eyes widened as he watched the rest of the discs circle above him like vultures.
“Oh shit,” he mumbled under his breath. He began to pat around his side and above him like crazy, feeling around for his baton. In the nick of time, he grabbed it and expertly spun it around to stop the explosions from directly hurting him. However, the knockback from them was pushing him to the ground. To the point where it hurt his back. They felt endless.
“Where are they coming from?!” He thought, glancing around in a panic.
He squinted his eyes. Seeing a bunch of them suddenly emerge from a rooftop. He grinned as he found their spawn point. Quickly, he used his back strength to jump onto his feet while still spinning his baton. He pointed the baton down to his feet, pressing the paw print button twice. Making it shoot upwards at a quick pace, with him holding onto the top. The drones followed behind him. He tilted forward and landed on the roof. Smirking when he saw the new swarm fly at him at full speed, with ease, he ducked.
The drones from earlier and the new ones collided. Exploding upon contact.
He stood, cheekily dusting himself off, and looked at the ground. Seeing a phone with a purple screen, with the same logo from earlier, but with a loading percentage bar under the image. He just crushed it with the heel of his boot before the loading bar could complete itself.
“That should stop those from spawning,” he said proudly to himself.
With this minor setback out of the way, he got right on track to Chloe’s house.
He got to the hotel, looking around for any traces of his partners.
“I guess I should call them,” he thought, flipping open his communicator. He perked up at the sight of a texting bubble in their group chat. It was Queen Bee! He clicked the call logo in the upper corner of the screen. Pressing the baton up to his ear.
*beep*
“Bee, I think I know where Lady Wifi is heading!” He said into the call.
“....!” He heard a very faint mumbling from the other end. Confused, he looked down at the screen. He should be calling the right person, since he saw a yellow background with a black bee logo in the center.
“... Yes?” He replied, unsure of what was happening.
He heard a quiet, frustrated nasal sigh from the other end. Before a request for a video call appeared on the screen. He accepted it. And was greeted by the sight of a frowning Queen Bee. She pointed her gloved hand to her lips. A glowing circle with a logo of a speaker with a line going through it was placed over her mouth.
She made a motion with her free hand. Opening and closing her hand, making her fingers and thumb meet every time, to represent talking. Then a fist, waving it around, and then she made a texting motion.
“... You were fighting Lady Wifi, and she… took away your ability to talk?” he deduced from the little motions.
Queen Bee beamed and nodded, giving him a thumbs-up. In the background, you could see her running out of a building and out to the streets.
“Wow, you and I should play charades more often, my queen!” He teased, exiting from the video call but not the audio call. “Anyways, I heard from a ‘source’ that Lady Wifi is after Ladybug. And I think Lady Wifi wants to unmask the Ladybug of her theories. And if I’m right, then she’ll be going after Chloe Bourgeois. I’m here now. I’ll send you the location!”
He could hear her heels land on a roof from the other end before the call ended.
Now he waits. He switched his call app on his baton to the camera one. Zooming in on Chloe’s room.
He knew it was an invasion of privacy but… He was curious. Could you blame him? He wanted to know if his childhood friend was living a double life. And, truthfully, he was nervous. What if Chloe were Ladybug? Would that mean he was really in love with her? Or the idea of her? Would it change his feelings? Was his love fickle like that? Did the person under the mask really matter as much as the hero they were portraying on the outside? What if it were the same for her? Would Ladybug still love the person he was under the mask? She didn’t seem to reciprocate his advances as Chat Noir… If she couldn’t love him at his freest… this side of him that he loved and would even want to say was the real him… then could she truly love all of him?
He was snapped out of his thoughts as he saw a scene that nearly knocked the wind out of him.
There, in the middle of her room, was a blond girl. In a Ladybug suit. Practicing with a yo-yo.
Shocked, he gasped.
“What?!” He said to himself, then mumbling as he swallowed nervously. “That can’t be true…”
“You know, it’s not nice to spy on people,” he heard a voice from beside him, making him jump. He turned in surprise and saw the real Ladybug. Casually, looking in the direction of Chloe’s room. Amused that she scared him, she turned to him.
“Phew, Ladybug, it’s you…” He lowered his baton and then glanced forward and back at her, “But…”
Ladybug scoffed playfully, “Wait, you weren’t seriously thinking she was the real Ladybug?” She flipped out her yo-yo and used her camera to spy on Chloe, to further prove her point. Chloe flung the yo-yo forward and accidentally tied herself up in it.
Chat Noir glanced at Ladybug’s yo-yo, sighing in some mixed relief, “No… Of course not,” he mused, standing up.
“Honestly, who’d be stupid enough to believe this girl is Ladybug?” she said with a laugh. “She’s most likely just a simple admirer. Kinda like you, you know?” she teased the cat boy.
Chat Noir pursed his lips, somewhat upset. He wasn’t oblivious. Chloe could be cruel and unreasonable at times. But she was still his friend. His first friend ever. He knew that deep down, she was dealing with her own stuff and had problems being vulnerable… But in a way, though he didn’t want Chloe to end up being Ladybug, he was a bit offended on her behalf.
But he shook it off, smiling at his Ladybug. “If you say so!” he added. He shouldn't show Adrien’s feelings as Chat Noir.
Ladybug looked around, “Where’s Queen Bee?” she asked.
Chat Noir was about to explain to Ladybug what had happened to their bee friend when, all of a sudden, there was a flash of light in Chloe’s room that could be seen through the balcony window.
“That’s it! We got her!” Ladybug said, pointing to the light, “We’ll have to start without Queen Bee. Let’s go!” She started to wind up her yo-yo, wrapping an arm around Chat’s waist to get them both onto that balcony.
Queen Bee kept running, occasionally looking down at her communicator. Watching her yellow dot on the GPS get closer to the red and black dots on the map. She leapt onto a roof, breathing deeply before she readied herself to jump onto another. Her golden-flecked eyes caught sight of something bright on the rooftop. She slowly walked up to it. Warily. It… looked like a phone with the flashlight on the highest setting…
What the…? Is this one of the cell phones Lady Wifi stole?
She looked over to the other roofs, squinting, and she could see that there were other phones like this. With the screen facing down, and the flashlight on full blast. She was about to pick it up when the light grew in brightness, shooting up like a laser. She backed away and covered her eyes. She looked around and saw that other cell phones that were scattered along several buildings were doing the same. Suddenly, the pillars of light tilted and began to point to the sky.
“Breaking news! I caught the bug!” A huge projection of Lady Wifi appeared in the sky, with smaller ones spawning from the multiple beams of light and projecting the “truth” to every citizen.
Lady Wifi was standing in a room. Her figure hid a red spotted one behind her.
“You all think the one hiding behind Ladybug’s mask is a nice girl… But I’m here to tell you, you’re all wrong!” She stepped aside to reveal a blonde girl, dressed in a familiar red bodysuit with black spots. She was suspended in time, a pause mark right over her chest. And her expression was stuck in a mix of fear and panic.
There’s no way! Ladybug is…!
Lady Wifi gripped the edge of the mask and ripped it off! “Ta-da! Chloe Bourgeois!” She grinned wickedly to the camera, posing with her arms extended in an ‘ta-da’ motion. Lady Wifi glanced back behind her, mockingly staring ‘Ladybug’ up and down.
“ What a shame, huh?”
Queen Bee swallowed back the prickly anxious feeling in her throat. Her lungs tightened in a sharp inhale. Her muscles tensed as she curled her fingers into a fist.
“What a shame…” ?
Queen Bee couldn’t explain it, but… She was angry. At what? Who knew?
She continued to run. At full speed. Until she could feel the evening’s chill air begin to sting her lungs. She cleared the long distance between the two buildings, jumping onto a fifth-floor balcony. She rolled onto the carpeted floor, pushing herself back up into a running stance.
Her brows quirked downwards into a frown. She didn’t like this. ‘Ladybug’, no matter who they were under that mask… They were doing their best. Some part of her felt extra protective of that fact. She may not like Ladybug. Or Chloe for that matter… But nothing can change the fact that Ladybug had saved her. Saved her friends. Her family. Saved thousands, if not millions, of people. And is the only one that can purify the akumas that plagued this city.
Ladybug is this city’s hope.
And Queen Bee needed to protect that.
Glancing down at her communicator. The UI had switched from a map layout to a 3d schematic, kind of like the ones in those free-roaming adventure games. It made it easier for her to find her friends, but it also reminded her of those guardian temples she’d explore in such games. She put away her communicator and pushed herself into a stairwell, running up towards the red and black dots. Taking short, steady breaths as she kept running. She’d worry about resting after she got to the top floor. Ladybug/Chloe needed help.
Unaware that those same dots were running towards her.
Her heels clacked on the steps as she ran up, skipping a few steps every now and then.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps beside her own. She stopped, trying to figure out her next move, when she suddenly felt the force of two bodies collide with her own. And then she and the others were tumbling down the stairs.
“Ooof!”
“Ow!”
“What the-!”
“Watch the claws!”
The three bodies rolled into a wall. Queen Bee sat up, holding her spinning head steady. Her golden flecked (e/c) eyes widened in surprise as she saw Chat Noir and Ladybug. One of them was clutching his side, and the other was pushing themselves up.
Happily, Queen Bee mouthed, ‘It’s you guys!’.
“Ouch!” Chat Noir chuckled with a pained smile. “That stung!”
Ladybug pushed herself onto her knees and stared inquisitively at Queen Bee’s face, specifically the glowing mute mark over her mouth. “What happened to you?” She asked, groaning softly as she stood up. “Where have you been?” she asked, offering a hand to Queen Bee.
Queen Bee began to talk, but no voice came from her lips. Comically waving her hands around as she spoke. She stopped trying once she saw Ladybug’s confusion grow the longer she tried to explain herself. She silently sighed but smiled, reaching for Ladybug’s hands.
‘I’m glad you’re safe, Chloe!’ she mouthed slowly so Ladybug could easily read her lips. Smiling.
Suddenly, confusion turned into annoyance. Ladybug grimaced and scrunched her nose in disgust. “Chloe? I’m not Chloe!” she huffed, taking her hands back. “Why does everyone think I’m Chloe Bourgeois?!”
Queen Bee tilted her head in confusion, ‘You’re not Chloe?’ she mouthed.
Chat Noir laughed as he stood up, pretending to dust himself off. “You must’ve tuned out of the livestream right before the big reveal,” he joked. “Ladybug and I swooped in at the last minute to save Chloe!” he said with a proud grin.
Queen Bee sighed in relief.
Chloe’s safe. Ladybug’s identity isn’t at risk. And Paris is not in danger anymore. At least by much. Phew.
Queen Bee looked at them and around. Where was Lady Wifi?
“We were hoping to lure her down to the basement, where there’s no reception!” Chat Noir answered, as if he knew what Queen Bee was thinking.
“But… Doesn’t seem like she’s following us anymore…” Ladybug said as she stared up at the gap between the stair rails.
“She probably caught onto our plan,” Chat Noir said. “She must’ve gone back into the hotel…”
“We have to go after her!” Ladybug said with a nod. Only to be stopped by Queen’s hand wrapping around her wrist. “What? What’s wrong?”
Queen Bee opened her mouth. But again, no words. Frustrated, she groaned silently, taking out her communicator and typing. After a minute of quick typing, she raised the screen and showed it to her partners.
Both of them leaned forward, squinting their eyes to read the text.
“ ‘Lady Wifi’s phone has more than just pausing powers. It has a magical storage unit. And she has a whip for a weapon. Careful, it shocks. And it hurts.’ ” They read in unison. Confused by what the bee hero was talking about. To them the bee girl was just rambling.
Queen Bee started typing again. Flipping it back so they can read the rest.
“ ‘She’s probably setting a trap with the cell phones she stole from the city?’ ” Ladybug read, but then asked, “Wait, she stole phones??”
Queen Bee nodded, starting to type again. Just for the sound of crackling to gain their attention. The three looked up and saw the security cameras in the stairwell starting to glow with purple electricity. The camera locked in on them.
“Found you! You can’t hide from me forever!”
They began to beep like crazy before charging up and beginning to shoot lasers at the three of them. Forcing them to scatter.
Jumping around and flipping to dodge the beams.
Learning from her past mistakes, Queen Bee looked up and flung her sword at one of them. Shattering the little glass dome. Ladybug and Chat Noir caught the hint and did the same with their weapons.
“We can’t waste too much time here! We have to move,” Ladybug said to her partners, using her yo-yo to pull out the sword and baton that were stabbed into the walls.
The two nodded after getting their weapons back. But Chat Noir cleared his throat. “Wait… I actually have an idea…” he mentioned.
Ladybug hummed and readied herself to run back up the steps.
But Queen Bee wasn’t having this. She pulled Ladybug back by the wrist.
“Ow, what? He can tell us after we find Lady Wifi!” she tried to argue.
Wow, and she called me reckless! She’s too hyper-focused on Lady Wifi that she’s gonna run straight into a trap! How impulsive!
Queen Bee gave Ladybug a deadpan expression and nodded towards Chat Noir. Letting go of Ladybug to cross her arms.
“... Fine. You know, I like you better this way. Less talk back,” Ladybug said with a mocking smile.
Queen Bee sighed silently and rolled her eyes. Urging Chat Noir to continue. Before she could even try to think about smacking the spotted heroine.
And I liked you better when I had never met you.
“Well… While I was running here, I noticed a lot of service towers on roofs… Maybe we can bait her into thinking she’s tricking us. One of us leaves, either through the front door or maybe the roof, and disables the nearest towers. While the other two lure her into thinking we’re disabling the hotel’s wifi. They probably have a server room! We’ll take out the local wifi and any cell service that might give her data coverage!” he explained, a little nervously.
“That…-!” Ladybug began, but Queen Bee suddenly grabbed both of them by their shoulders. Smiling encouragingly and nodding. “Wait! I was going to say it could work. But what if she thought of that already?” Ladybug tried to counter the idea.
Queen Bee pursed her lips in thought, but also to frown at Ladybug. After all, her ideas have always been executed just fine. Ladybug just had the habit of trying to argue against any plans that weren’t her own.
With a gloved index finger, Queen Bee pointed at Chat Noir. Smiling and giving him a thumbs up. Mouthing ‘You got this!’.
“You think I should be the one to destroy the towers?” Chat Noir asked, but then nodded, returning the bee girl’s smile. “As you wish, Your Highness,” he bowed before running up the steps.
“Wait, I didn’t agree to this!” Ladybug yelled out, following behind him. Queen Bee was also right behind her.
The three ran all the way back up to the top floor. Destroying any and all security cameras to make sure the plan went as smoothly as it could. On the way up, they noticed that all doors were locked except for the second floor. It was so clearly a trap.
Lady Wifi clearly wanted to lure them in.
Chat Noir made sure to warn them to be careful before he left to contribute to his side of the plan. And Ladybug and Queen Bee made sure to do their part, too. Playing bait.
“Now, where would the server room be?” Ladybug wondered aloud as they walked into the second-floor room. Walking into what looked like a dining room. With dozens of tables covered in white tablecloths and an odd rectangular centerpiece right in the center? It almost looked like a bunch of phones!
Queen Bee narrowed her eyes as she saw one of them flicker on. Quickly dodging back an incoming attack from Lady Wifi as she ‘pinged’ out of the phone in a cloud of pixels. She stood proudly on the table, playfully blowing away at her phone as if she were blowing smoke away from an old pistol.
Ladybug whipped her yo-yo at Lady Wifi’s wrist. Tugging on it. Making Lady Wifi laugh as she disappeared. Her laughter began to ring throughout the room as she began to tauntingly teleport from table to table. Kind of like what she did to Queen Bee in that cell store.
Ladybug smirked and began to use her yo-yo. Flinging it around as she destroyed the cell phones with ease. Walking closer to Lady Wifi, hoping to corner her. Following Lady Wifi into the kitchen.
Wait!
Queen Bee took a step forward just to be pushed back by a glowing disc being flung at her point-blank! It exploded upon contact and disappeared in a little purple cloud. But the knockback sent the bee girl flying back.
By then, it was too late. The double doors of the kitchen were locked with a big symbol of a lock on them.
Damn it!
Queen Bee ran to it and pounded her fist against the closed door. Sighing and looking down, then looking up. Squinting her eyes at a white square device with rounded edges and four blinking green lights, a blue Ethernet cable was connected to it.
That… Looks like a router? It must be an access point! The server room must be nearby or on the floor above!
Alright… Hang tight, LB!
Chat Noir had finished destroying the last reception tower. The only one left was right on the hotel roof. He wiped sweat from his brow and checked his communicator. Frowning at the lack of activity from his partners, the red and yellow dot looked to be stuck on the same floor.
“Come on, girls!” he mumbled in a slightly impatient tone before heading in the direction of the top of the hotel.
Suddenly, a beam of light sprouted from the top of the hotel! A giant digital screen materialized from it. Displaying a scene that no hero would hope to see.
Lady Wifi had Ladybug pinned to the wall. Her wrists were bound to the wall behind her. Trapped behind a glowing disc with a lock logo on it.
“Who is Ladybug, really? Is she a superhero? Or a supervillain behind a dotted mask? How can we trust her when we don’t even know who she is?” The camera zoomed in on Ladybug’s panicked expression, which grew helpless the closer Lady Wifi’s hands got to her mask. “We have the right to know!” Lady Wifi said with an angry growl at the end of her sentence, tugging with a little too much force at Ladybug’s mask.
Ladybug could only wince and hiss as Lady Wifi pulled with all her might.
“Why won’t it come off?!”
“Because it’s magic?” Ladybug replied with a nervous laugh.
Lady Wifi growled and looked around before reaching into her magical phone and taking out a familiar-looking whip.
“You won’t tell us? That’s fine! I’ll get the information I need in another way!” Lady Wifi threatened, and suddenly the whip began to crackle and spark bright purple. “I’ll fry you! Like I did your little bug friend! Let’s see how much damage that suit can take!”
Ladybug gulped and pressed her head back as much as humanly possible, sweating nervously as Lady Wifi got closer.
Luckily, the outline of a purple butterfly halted Lady Wifi. She stopped approaching Ladybug. Listening to what Papillon was saying to her. Intently. Before grinning wickedly. She put away the whip. Turning to the camera with a cheerful smile.
“It’s been brought to my attention that I didn’t need to waste all that energy!” She clapped her hands together like an elementary teacher trying to regain the attention of her students. “Listen, everyone! I just found out what their weaknesses are!” She stepped closer and closer. And the camera zoomed in. Slowly dragging out the moment until her gloved fingertips brushed past Ladybug’s hair. Towards her earrings.
Or at least that’s what it felt like to Ladybug. Her heart was beating like crazy in her chest, and her blood pumped like fire through her veins. Every inch of her body was telling her to run. But she couldn’t. She felt helpless.
Oh god! Please!
Please stop!
Ladybug clenched her eyes. And turned her head away in a last attempt to put distance between the two of them. Clenching her fists.
Until she realized her hands weren’t bound anymore. Ladybug blinked and looked up. Seeing that the glowing camera disc had just “blipped” out of existence.
“Huh, what do you know? His plan worked!” Ladybug mumbled.
“What are you looking at?” Lady Wifi turned her head to see what Ladybug saw.
Big mistake. Ladybug’s fist collided with Lady Wifi’s jaw as soon as she realized she was free, and Lady Wifi looked away.
“I’m looking forward to your downfall, Lady Wifi! Lucky Charm!” Ladybug readied herself in a fighting stance after grabbing the lucky item that fell from the sky. It looked to be a pair of rubber dish gloves. She clutched the gloves in one fist, holding both up.
Lady Wifi hissed and rubbed at her chin. Looking down at her phone, “What happened?! Where’s the wifi?! Ugh! At least I have data!” She typed a few things and pointed her phone at Ladybug’s feet. Flinging a disc at the ground.
The image of a vibrating symbol spread underneath the red heroine.
“What the?!” Ladybug complained as she stumbled, accidentally dropping the gloves. Looking around for somewhere to yo-yo to.
Lady Wifi raised her phone and grinned as she pointed it right at Ladybug. Aiming before swiping at the screen to pick what to use. A pause logo was what she decided on before flinging it with her index finger.
“Put a pause on that!” Lady Wifi taunted.
But no disc shot out of the cellular device.
“What the-!” The villain looked down at her phone. Seeing a line through the faded wifi logo. Watching in horror as the bars of her service quickly depleted.
The glowing circle on the ground disappeared, and so did the giant lock on the door where Chat Noir came rushing in from. Out of breath and sweating.
“M’lady! Are you okay?!” He asked, hand clenched around his baton. Ready to jump in.
“You! What did you-!” Lady Wifi pointed at Chat Noir, fist raised as she readied to jump at him.
“Boop!” A familiar voice cheerfully pitched in from behind the villain.
Suddenly, Lady Wifi’s eyes widened behind her mask as she felt a stinging sensation on her left shoulder blade.
Queen Bee popped out from behind the villain, who seemed to be suspended in time. Happily holding her sword, as the effects of her Venom slowly faded from the weapon and it left her hairpin beeping.
“That was a close one!” Chat Noir said with a sigh of relief.
“Tell me about it! I struggled to fit in the dumbwaiter to sneak up on her,” Queen Bee said with a laugh, pointing casually behind her.
“That was a pretty good plan, Chat Noir,” Ladybug said with a smile. Walking over to give the boy a pat on the back, then walking past him to step up to Lady Wifi. She plucked the cellphone right out of her hand. Casually tossing it to the ground before stomping on it. A purple butterfly emerged from the cracked screen. She spun her yo-yo, ready to capture it.
Chat Noir smiled to himself. Clenching his right hand, he fiddled with his ring.
While Ladybug was purifying the akuma and cleaning up with the lucky item. Queen Bee took some time to nudge Chat Noir, “Good one, Mittens,” She complimented.
He frowned playfully, “Mittens? Wow, I knew you were bad at pet names, but jeez,” he scoffed.
“Common cat name. Thought it’d be funnier than Tomcat, and there are fewer implications too,” she explained with a casual shrug.
“Implications?” He narrowed his eyes, “Oh. Ha ha. Very funny,” he said dryly.
“Safely neutering and spaying pets is no joke, Mr. Noir,” she said in a fake stern voice.
He shook his head with a laugh, standing in silence. Watching as Ladybug tended to the disoriented Alya.
“No but… Thank you. For backing me up,” he whispered. Smiling as he stared forward.
“Anytime, Mittens,” Queen Bee said, nudging him one last time.
With everything that happened, the next day of school was canceled. At least, while the faculty figured something out. And Damocles had a proper sit-down with the mayor. Alya was the first to reach out to the girls, taking the extra day off to meet up and talk. And maybe do some homework together after.
“Guys… I think I pushed it too far…” Alya admitted with a sad frown. Looking down in shame as she sat across (Y/n) and Marinette in the Dupain-Chang’s kitchen.
The other girls shared a look but then turned to smile at the Ladyblog owner. “We know,” they said in unison.
“I-,” Alya started.
“But hey. Papillon was just amplifying your negative feelings. Your actions were controlled by the akuma that possessed you,” (Y/n) comforted the girl, reaching over to gently pat Alya’s hand.
“We know you didn’t mean to do those things. And we’re really sorry we weren’t there for you when you needed us…” Marinette added, looking down.
“No! You guys have been doing more than enough! I should’ve listened to you guys back during the Pharaoh attack…” Alya said with a frown. “I really appreciate that you two try to ground me… I’m just so bad at reeling it back. I wanna find out who Ladybug is… but not if it does this much damage…”
Marinette and (Y/n) both stared quietly at the girl. Solemn. Quiet. Pensive. Oddly grim. But none of them knew why. Their silence disappeared the second Tom showed up with a tray of fresh croissants for the girls to enjoy.
“... I got a new phone. You guys wanna see how good the new camera is?” Alya spoke up with a smile.
“After food?” Marinette suggested playfully.
“After food.” (Y/n) agreed with a nod.
“How was getting escorted by Chat Noir?” (Y/n) asked, as the three girls walked up the foldable stairs to Marinette’s rooftop.
“Actually, not bad at all. I was always under the impression he was a big flirt. But he was very respectful. He asked me lots of questions about school. He even wanted to speak to my parents to explain everything that happened,” Alya explained with a bit of a chuckle.
“Guess he can be serious when he wants to be,” Marinette said with a slight roll of her eyes and a smile.
“Well, being a hero is his job,” (Y/n) added.
Alya whipped out her phone and began to show them the camera quality by using the zoom-in feature to take videos and pictures of things far away. They even took a few selfies.
“I think this will be super helpful when I have to capture footage for the blog,” Alya said, scrolling through her gallery. Swiping casually when a picture of Adrien showed up on the screen.
Marinette gasped and held Alya by her wrist. “And what are you doing with a picture of Adrien on your phone?” she said with a playfully interrogative tone.
“He’s a model. I’m sure there are hundreds of people with his pic on their phone,” (Y/n) deadpanned. “I have pics of all of you on my phone”.
“Yeah, what she said. And, after last night… I thought. What if Adrien’s Chat Noir? They look similar. The green eyes and the gold hair… He could be living a double life!” Alya said, swiping to another picture of Adrien. This time it had a crude drawing of a black suit over his frame.
(Y/n) took the phone from Alya’s hand. Staring at it, and admittedly, the similarities were there. But…
“There’s no way!” Marinette suddenly cut in. “They’re too different!”
“After yesterday, Chat Noir really reminded me of Adrien!” Alya said with a pout.
“Don’t you think their costumes hide their eye color or their hair color?” (Y/n) asked, interrupting the two bickering girls. “You did think the blond rich girl from our class could’ve been the blue-haired Ladybug. And Queen Bee’s eyes have gold in them, don’t they?” The girl suggested.
Alya and Marinette stared agape at the girl. Before Alya sighed tiredly, “Ugh, why are you always right?” she complained playfully.
“I don’t know, born with it?” (Y/n) said with a shrug. “And Adrien’s schedule is way too packed. There’s no way he’d be able to do it. Poor guy.”
And I’d know. Right?
Notes:
Here's the link to my Ko-Fi in case you wanted to support my work! Don't feel pressured, but anything's appreciated :) : https://ko-fi.com/shinyamour
Chapter 21: Lady Wifi (Epilogue)
Summary:
Here's a bit of what happened after Lady Wifi. And more of my rewriting!
Personally not a fan of the Order of Guardians and Master Fu's backstory and how the butterfly and peacock miraculous were lost. Gonna write it my way, lol. Also, gonna rewrite some motives so you're all aware.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Well, that was… A tough one…” Chat Noir blurted out.
The three heroes were resting after the aftermath of Lady Wifi. Standing in the lobby of the Bourgeois hotel, discussing what they learned from the fight. Though one of them was waiting for Alya to finish her phone call with her parents before escorting her home.
“So, any information that Papillon knows… He can share with his victims,” Queen Bee said solemnly.
“Thanks to that livestream… All of Paris now knows my earrings give me my powers…” Ladybug said with a sigh, tapping her foot as she looked down. “And know it’s my ‘weakness’...”
The three silently look down.
“Papillon must know about our miraculouses… And what they are. Where they are…” Queen Bee started, reaching back to gently brush her hand against her hairpin.
Chat Noir and Ladybug looked at her, silently gulping as they also brushed their fingers against their own miraculouses.
“Well, that just means we have to be very careful. We can’t afford to lose any of our miraculouses,” Chat Noir mumbled, fiddling with his ring.
“Yeah… The Guardian will make sure of that…” Queen Bee mumbled with a soft scoff, “Well, I’m glad none of your identities were discovered”. She looked over to her partners with a tired smile. “It wouldn’t be the same without you guys,” she said, hoping to lighten the mood.
Just to be confused by the lost look in the heroes’ eyes.
“What are you talking about?” Ladybug asked, looking around to make sure no one was around to hear their private conversation.
“... Did your kwamis not tell you?” Queen Bee asked, genuinely baffled that the heroes, who have had their miraculouses longer than her, have never heard of this piece of information. “Once your identity is discovered, the Guardian will revoke your miraculous rights…”
A moment of heavy silence fell upon the heroes. Only broken when the sound of Ladybug’s earrings beeped. Signalling she had only two dots left. Reminding the other hero that she had three stripes left on her hairpin.
“I’m confused… Tik- I mean, my kwami never mentioned that to me…” Ladybug mumbled, wrapping her arms around herself. “The Guardian? Do you know who he is?”
Queen Bee shook her head, “My kwami can only say so much… The Guardian wants to remain hidden as much as possible. They guard the remaining miraculouses. And they know who we are…” she replied.
“Then that means… We can’t even tell each other?” Chat Noir asked. “What if something happens… and I need to trust one of you with my miraculous?”
“That’s for the Guardian to decide… Right?” Ladybug asked Queen Bee. Who nodded sadly.
Queen Bee’s hairpin beeped. Marking the near end of their conversation.
“If I learn anything… I’ll let you guys know,” Queen Bee said with a polite nod, readying to leave. Walking away, her heels clicking lightly on the marble floor of the fancy hotel. She heard Ladybug’s earring beep faster, causing her to stop and turn around out of concern.
But she kinda wished she didn’t.
She saw Ladybug rush into a nearby closet. Chat Noir, who didn’t use his special power, tried to plead to her. To let him see her. As she was. The real person under the mask.
“Wait… Stay!” he said to her, holding the door open. His hands lingering close enough to hold her own if he let her. “I won’t tell anyone who you are…” he placed his hand over his heart. “Cat’s word…” he said breathily with a smile, hoping to lighten the mood and ease his way into Ladybug’s heart.
“No one can know who we really are… Not even us,” she said to him with a shake of her head.
How melodramatic…
Queen Bee thought. Frowning. Feeling a bit out of place while the hero duo were in their own world. She turned back forward. After all, this had nothing to do with her… This was them and their decisions.
Who cared what they were doing? And why should she care about them…?
She turned over her shoulder just to spare a glance. Seeing a conflicted Chat Noir let go of the door handle before finally leaving.
Not sure what to feel, she left too.
(Y/n) brushed her teeth, quietly staring back at her own reflection in the bathroom mirror. She spat out the toothpaste and rinsed off her plastic toothbrush, before putting it away and joining Pollen in the bedroom.
“Pollen, I know you won’t say much about the Guardian… I know it’s to protect the other kwamis and the Guardian’s identity. But… If they have been the one to guard and distribute the miraculouses, then does that mean I’m not the only one to have wielded the bee miraculous?” she asked as she slowly climbed into the covers of her bed. Holding it open so Pollen could join her. The kwami flew in and snuggled into the pillow next to (Y/n)’s.
“I’ve had many holders. They were all temporary, though,” she answered simply.
“Really?” (Y/n) asked, lying on her back. Staring up at the canopy. “Why?”
“Miraculouses are far too dangerous to be kept in one place. They’d be liable to misuse by the wrong hands…” Pollen replied.
“And they’re all here in Paris?” (Y/n) asked the obvious.
“Actually decades ago, there used to be a faction led by strong-willed and wise people to protect and responsibly handle the use of the miraculouses. The Order of the Guardians…” she explained. “They guarded them and kept them safe for when they were needed. They were only handed out when their powers needed to be borrowed”.
“So there’s more than one Guardian?” (Y/n) asked, surprised, turning to look at Pollen.
Pollen quietly shook her head. “Not anymore. The current Guardian… Is the only descendant that remains to uphold the duty of the Guardianship,” she replied solemnly.
“...What happened to them?” (Y/n) asked.
“An apprentice…” The kwami began before stopping. “Actually, I don’t think I should be the one to tell you,” Pollen said softly with a shake of her head.
There was only silence. Nothing needed to be said for (Y/n) to understand the gravity of this whole situation. The miraculouses can’t ever fall in the wrong hands… And (Y/n) was involved in all of this…
The girl cleared her throat. “So, what were the other holders before me like?” (Y/n) asked softly in the dark room.
Pollen giggled softly. “Well, miraculouses were only given to people who were pure of heart and brave,” Pollen began to say, turning to face the girl. “They were all handpicked by the Guardianship. So, they were all brave.”
“Just that?” (Y/n) teased, urging the kwami to say more. Lightening the mood by gossiping a bit. “You can tell me, Pollen,” she said with a hum.
“There’s nothing to tell. I liked them all. Though… The Guardian did say that sometimes kwamis resonate better with their holders if they get to choose them,” Pollen said with a laugh. “But he never lets any kwami do so…”
(Y/n) smiled and turned onto her side, “Oh yeah? Did any of the kwamis pick their owners? Who picked who?” she asked curiously.
“Tikki and Plagg got to sneak into the Guardian’s bag when the Guardian was testing the new holders of the miraculous of creation and destruction! Plagg convinced Tikki to come with him, hehe!” Pollen admitted.
“Hmm… Did you pick me?” (Y/n) asked softly.
Pollen shook her head, “No… The Guardian did! But Wayzz, his kwami, helped! But I’m sure I would’ve picked you in a heartbeat! I just know it!” Panicked, concerned that (Y/n) would be upset with not having been selected.
(Y/n) smiled and leaned in to kiss the kwami’s forehead. “I would pick you in a heartbeat too…”
“You’re the only holder that I’ve gotten to know personally! They were all kind. But it was always just a task for them all. Once the job they were assigned was completed, they had to return the miraculous. Mifeng was the only one who held the bee miraculous for a long time,” Pollen recounted, holding back a yawn.
“Mifeng? How were they like?” (Y/n) asked as she lifted the comforter up to Pollen’s chin to tuck her in.
“He was very quiet. Dutiful. He took his job very seriously. He was strong. Brave. Well-liked. He loved his family and his home,” Pollen said with a smile. “He was greatly admired by a lot of people. It didn’t matter if the job was big or small, he’d always help out. I… was just part of the job he was given. We didn’t converse much. But I remember the tea he brewed for me was the best. He’d brew floral ones. Just for me.”
“He never talked to you? That’s kind of mean, isn’t it?” (Y/n) said with a frown.
Pollen shook her head, “I was still fresh as a kwami. My experiences with holders were minimal to none. I would only speak when spoken to. I followed orders. But Mifeng was nothing but kind to me. A really respectful boy. I wish I got to know him better…” she said with a bit of regret in her voice.
That means that Mifeng’s long passed…
(Y/n) lifted her hand and gently brushed her thumb against Pollen’s cheek, “Mifeng probably thought the same,” she whispered with a small smile.
Suddenly, the two yawned in sync. They chuckled to themselves.
“We should go to bed, huh?” (Y/n) asked with a giggle.
“You have a test tomorrow,” Pollen reminded her.
(Y/n) nodded with a hum and nestled into the bed. Slowly closing her eyes when she suddenly had a thought pass in her head.
“Wait, if you knew that Tikki and Plagg picked their holders, then by chance, does that mean you know who Ladybug and Chat Noir are?” (Y/n) asked.
“... Yes?” Pollen replied nervously.
The girl sat up in a rush and looked down at the kwami. “WHAT?!” she exclaimed silently.
“Do they know who I am?” (Y/n) asked in a panic.
“Don’t worry! Just Tikki and Plagg know. And the Guardian. Oh and Wayzz!” Pollen explained.
“So, you know who Ladybug and Chat Noir are under their masks…”
“Their kwamis know your identity too. And in turn, they know each other’s holders’ identities…” Pollen explained.
“Can you tell me?” (Y/n) blurted out.
“(Y/n)!” Pollen scolded softly. “It is against our binding to the miraculous to tell anyone the name of our holders, and to reveal the identity of another,” she said with a little huff. “The spell makes sure we don’t. Their and your name cannot hold the intent to be exposed. I cannot reveal yours or anyone’s identity or I’ll speak backwards and spill bubbles from my mouth…”
“Then, how do you tell each other…?” (Y/n) asked.
“In our spirit calls, we can telepathically speak with each other. Never physically… I can tell them your name in call. But not in person…” Pollen said.
“The spell is weird… So, casually you can say my name if it comes up? But if you’re saying it in any way that connects us to the alter ego…” (Y/n) concluded.
“Then… the spell kicks in,” Pollen finished the thought.
“So, no one can ever tell who is who…” (Y/n) mumbled, lying back onto her pillow. “Then!” she sat up again. (E/c) eyes bright, “Nooroo can tell you who Papillon is! And then you lead me. No need to say anything!” she said.
But Pollen didn’t share in the excitement. “We’ve lost contact with Nooroo since the day his miraculous was lost… And a kwami can’t join a spirit call unless they’re allowed out of their miraculous…” Pollen explained softly.
(Y/n) was reminded of the day of their first encounter:
“Okay, so let me get this straight. Once a human and a miraculous have formed a ‘bond’, which can easily be done when the human touches the miraculous, the kwami can maintain a physical form. In other words, as long as I touch the miraculous you can keep your physical form?” (Y/n) asked over her shoulder, while sitting on the bench of the bus stop.
“Mm hmm! When you touched the pin last night, you formed a ‘bond’ with me! The energy from a new holder must’ve given me enough power to maintain a physical form for a few minutes or so. But a bond can be strengthened by the connection between a holder and a kwami. The closer we get, the longer I can hold my form even if you aren’t wearing the miraculous! Ah, but you requested that I return back to the miraculous, so I retreated” Pollen explained.
Hmm, then a holder can force a kwami to retreat should they want to?
(Y/n) swallowed thickly. Realizing the amount of control a holder truly had over their kwami. Papillon was limiting Nooroo’s contact with anyone. Forcing the kwami to never leave the miraculous.
“... That’s why it’s hard for us to find out where Nooroo is…” Pollen finished the thought.
“Nooroo… I-... Then, what are we going to do-?” (Y/n) asked worried, looking down at her hands. Disgusted by the idea of commanding a kwami like THAT. Angry. At Papillon.
Pollen smiled softly and leaned over to poke the girl’s cheek, “Nooroo’s going to be okay. We’re gonna get him back, remember? You said we would. And Queen’s never lie,” she comforted the girl.
“I-...” (Y/n) sighed softly, releasing some of the stress. Unable to remain angry in the presence of this bee. “You’re right… As long as I have you. And Ladybug and Chat Noir are helping me. We’ll do everything we can to save Nooroo. I promise.”
“I know you can, (Y/n),” Pollen said with a gentle smile. “Now, let’s sleep. You need to rest after today”.
“You’re right. Good night, Pollen”.
“Good night, my queen,” the kwami said before burying herself in the covers.
But it wasn’t that easy for (Y/n) to fall asleep.
The thoughts of poor Nooroo filled her head. That and an unspoken fear had surfaced.
What'll happen when (Y/n) goes back home….?
What if she CAN’T save Nooroo?
Would the Guardian take away her miraculous if she’s not doing a good job?
Am I good enough?
Notes:
Here's the link to my Ko-Fi in case you wanted to support my work! Don't feel pressured, but anything's appreciated :) : https://ko-fi.com/shinyamour
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