Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

TRIGGER WARNINGS for this chapter: discussion of rape and sexual assault: does not happen on screen, and does not happen to our main characters.

The actual descriptions begin with "met everyone's eyes with a stern expression" and ends with "it took an eternity". Discussions of the subject follow, but are not explicit.

Everyone in this fic is an Unreliable Narrator

ADRIEN DAY 1

Blinking his eyes open blearily, Adrien Agreste stared at the ceiling and wondered how his life had come to this.

"Oh my sweet Camembert, I adore you so, how could you ever believe that I wouldn't love you? We're meant to be!"

Somewhere in his cavernous room, Plagg continued to quietly seranade his cheese stash, apparently unaware that Adrien was awake and could hear him perfectly well.

"Camembert, there will NEVER be anyone that could replace you! Everyone thinks me and that sugarcube are involved, but it's a lie I tell you! Slander! Besides, we all know she's sweet on the flowerbud."

Rolling onto his side and smushing a pillow over his face, Adrien tried to fall back asleep; he still had like, twenty minutes before Natalie came to wake him up, right? A quick, furtive glance at his wall of windows confirmed that the sky was still the dark of pre-dawn.

Thank god.

Pulling the blankets over his head and doing his best to tune out Plagg's dramatic defending of his cheese's honor, Adrien drifted off to sleep again…

"Adrien, it's 6:15. You will have breakfast in the dining room with your father at 6:45." Natalie's clinical voice jolted Adrien out of sleep once more, and he thrashed in the blankets, momentarily disorientated.

Where did the akuma go? He was just fighting a giant cheese monster, wasn't he?

"You will then do your piano practice from 7:15, until you leave for school at 8:15." Natalie continued speaking from the doorway, either unaware of, or ignoring Adrien's momentary, sleep-induced distress.

Untangling the blankets from his legs finally, Adrien struggled to sit up and speak normally, "Okay, thank you, Natalie! Please tell my father that I look forward to our meal."

Natalie nodded curtly and shut the door behind her once more without a further word.

Hanging his head and letting out a sigh, Adrien placed a hand over his heart, feeling it pounding in his chest from the nightmare; it had been one that he had had quite a few times these last few months, and while the akuma usually changed each time, the end result was always the same:

He failed, and Ladybug was taken, vaporized, removed from the timeline, trapped in a photo, turned into a statue, eaten by a dinosaur, drowned in the flooded parisian streets… or in this case, turned into red, shredded cheese from an akuma's gratesword.

And each and every time, it was his fault.

Either he didn't react fast enough to save her, or his own stupid, selfish choices doomed her to fight and die alone.

25,914.

His arrogance, his stubbornness, his choices⏤ her death.

"Hey kid, you heard the babysitter, you've only got twenty minutes now to get ready," Plagg's voice said, appearing out of the darkness under his bed and zipping up to lounge on his pillow next to him, "Of course, if you were smart, you'd just sleep all day and eat cheese, like me. Who wants to go to school, anyways? Not me!"

Adrien, broken from his stupor, rolled his eyes at the familiar routine; Plagg encouraging him to be lazy and eat his stinky cheese with him⏤ and Adrien refusing to even taste it; he smelled like it constantly, he didn't need to deal with having the taste of it stuck on his tongue, too.

Ignoring his bad influence of a kwami, Adrien crawled out of bed finally and made his way to his bathroom, where he quickly showered and dressed for the day, making sure his Gabriel Signature outfit was perfectly pressed and straight, just in case his father really was going to eat breakfast with him⏤ he doubted it, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Glancing at the clock and seeing it was 6:40am already, Adrien cursed and sprinted to the dining room, racing down the winding corridors and stairs of the mansion, whose layout he had long memorized, trying to be as quiet as possible.

Sliding down the railing after a furtive look around, Adrien managed to reach his seat and sit down right as the ornate timepiece above the table chimed out 6:45am.

Natalie appeared in the doorway as if summoned by the chime. "Your breakfast will be out momentarily, Adrien. I'm sorry, but your father has just informed me he is busy with work and will be taking his own breakfast in his office."

The smile Adrien had pasted on his face cracked and fell, and he hung his head in disappointment as Natalie vanished again and the chef brought out his plate.

The next half hour, where he could have actually talked to his father if he ever bothered to show, passed excruciatingly slowly and boringly as he picked at his food, more interested in the coffee than the pastries, knowing the caffeine would be needed to keep him awake until lunch eventually came around.

When Natalie eventually came around again to collect his plate, Adrien hurried back to his room to do his piano 'practice', only sitting down to play for the first few minutes as Natalie glanced in on him once to make sure he was working.

The second her footsteps faded into the distant halls, Adrien nodded at Plagg, who gleefully set up his phone to play his current piece (Plagg was the one to originally give him that idea; his kwami was a genius for laziness) then got up and walked away from the piano as the music quietly filled the room for any prying ears to hear.

Dropping into his desk chair and booting up his gaming computer, Adrien opened up the Ladyblog in an incognito window as usual, knowing his father liked to check his search history randomly; anything that wasn't fashion or school-orientated was banned if he spent more than fifteen minutes on a webpage.

Scrolling to the top of the blog and hitting the 'news' section, Adrien browsed Alya's latest posts for awhile, rereading a few of her more interesting articles to while away the time as the sky behind him slowly began to lighten as the sun rose; he was just about to exit the blog entirely when the page refreshed, and a new article appeared at the top, marked Tuesday, 10/01/19 7:49am:

Ladybug gives interview to Ladyblogger, proves blogger right!?

Clicking on the link, Adrien squinted at the page, confused as a bunch of ancient egyptian hieroglyphs filled the page, part of a series of photos that were zoomed in on and blown up on top of the article.

Not seeing anything particularly interesting in them, Adrien scrolled past them to the written part of the post instead…

And stared.

Ladybug confirmed to be over 5,000 years old!?

What?

Staring at the headline, flabberghasted, Adrien felt his brain leave his body entirely.

What? What? WHAT?

Then his eyes trailed down the page, reluctant to leave the headline, and it got worse.

In an astonishing one-on-one interview with yours truly, Ladybug reveals that she is indeed thousands of years old; this reporter's second theory (see this page for my original, now-debunked theory) was correct!

As many of you are well aware, I, Alya Cesaire, was kidnapped by an akuma earlier this year known as Pharaoh, who was determined to sacrifice me to bring back his dead wife, as clearly shown in the ancient hieroglyphs above; the similarities between me and the failed sacrifice are shocking, but even more so was his absolute hatred of Ladybug!

Yes, folks, that's right! This Pharaoh knew Ladybug, and not as our resident hero, but as the dastardly fiend that stopped him from sacrificing an innocent woman some 5,300 years ago!

And here's the real kicker⏤ Ladybug admitted it was true! She even offered herself up as a sacrifice as reparations for her past actions, in a clever plot to trick the akuma and defeat Hawkmoth's latest ploy to take over Paris!

As you can see in the hieroglyphs above, Ladybug is clearly depicted with her signature spots and yoyo weapon!

While some of you may say that these could just have been coincidence, some alternate version of our hero's mantle, or part of her plan to defeat the akuma, this reporter was able to get an exclusive interview after the last akuma battle involving the newest superhero, Rena Rouge!

In this Ladyblog Exclusive, Ladybug confirmed, once and for all her age: 5,372 years old, give or take a year. She was around twenty years old when she first foiled the Pharaoh's plot to bring back his queen Nefertiti, and has been fighting villains the whole world over ever since, and succeeding!

So, fellow Parisians, let this be a message of hope: Hawkmoth is just the latest in a long, long line of villains, and:

Ladybug. Always. Wins.

⏤Alya Césaire, Official Ladyblogger, signing off.

Adrien stared at the screen.

The words stared back, swimming in his vision as his mind spiraled.

What?

"Whaaat?" Plagg drawled, floating into view, "What's got you looking like someone stole your cheese?"

Dumbly, Adrien pointed with a shaking finger at the article.

Plagg turned to look at the computer screen, and Adrien watched as the kwami's pupils shrank in reaction to the bright screen, before blowing wide as he read the headline.

"Whaaaaaat?" Plagg said, clutching his paws to his face as he hovered in front of the screen, staring aghast at the text, "No fair! She didn't even mention me! She promised she would!" He whined, loudly and dramatically.

Confused more than ever, Adrien waved his hand in front of his kwami's face, drawing his attention away from the mouse, which Plagg was frantically scrolling up the page with, "Plagg, what are you talking about?"

"Ladybug!" His kwami burst out, looking aggravated as he jabbed a finger at the screen, "Annnnnnd, she promised me she would give me a whhhhooooollle platter of camembert bread!" His fur fluffed in agitation, Plagg flitted about around the computer for a few seconds, before grumbling in annoyance and flying back to his cheese stash, apparently hungry again after talking about cheese so much.

Momentarily distracted from the reveal by his kwami's antics, Adrien rolled his eyes⏤ the only thing that Plagg ever thought about was his stomach.

Returning his gaze to the pictures that Plagg had scrolled up to, Adrien brought them up to full screen and decided to flick through them, wanting to see the images of his Lady that Alya had described.

The first few pictures were of hieroglyphs, with captions on the bottom giving a rough translation, courtesy of the Louvre; then, slightly more interesting, was a curious illustration of a creature with black facial markings and antennae.

Could that be Ladybug's kwami?

Glancing behind himself at Plagg, who was nearly invisible in the far corner of the room, Adrien compared the likeness of the two and figured it had to be; he'd only ever met one kwami other than Plagg, and that was Master Fu's Wayzz. Although they looked completely alien, even compared to each other, the large eyes, large head, flipper paws, and antennae seemed to be a common feature.

Wondering what Ladybug's kwami would look like in person, Adrien scrolled past the picture, lamenting his inability to bookmark it for later or download it to his computer⏤ things that would get his father's wrath for sure, although he could maybe say it was for a history project and get away with it.

The next few pictures were much the same: excerpts of hieroglyphs and their translations in the captions, with a few pictures of pharaohs or random egyptian citizens⏤ and then he saw it, not her, not Ladybug, but him?

"Plagg? Come here." Adrien said, staring at the screen. His voice sounded odd, even to himself, and Plagg was quick (for once) to listen to him.

"Whaaaaaaaaaat?" Plagg whined, flying over slowly, a huge slice of the goopy, reeking cheese clutched in his small paws, "Can't you see i'm eaaatttinnngg?"

"Who is that? Is that another Chat Noir?" Adrien demanded, stabbing his finger at the screen again; no longer was his hand trembling in shock, now it was…. Something else. Anger? Betrayal? Jealousy?

"P'shaw, no it's not another Chat Noir," Plagg scoffed, rolling his eyes like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Adrien's shoulders slumped in relief.

"No, you're the one that came up with that uncreative name; that's one of my previous wielders, Bastet."

Adrien jumped up like he was electrocuted, whirling his chair around to glare at Plagg.

"That's what I meant!" He shouted, annoyed at Plagg getting his hopes up, but quickly contained his anger, worried Natalie or Father would hear.

"Well geeze, you could have said that," Plagg grumbled, gulping down his cheese quickly so he could cross his paws in a huff, "Why do you care so much about her anyways?"

...wait, 'her'?

"What do you mean, 'her'?" Adrien asked, staring at his kwami in confusion; why would Plagg take a female wielder?

"What do you mean, what do I mean?" Plagg responded dryly, "You don't actually think I care about my wielder's gender do you? It makes no difference to me, and besides, it's only in the last few thousand years that I even understood gender; some of my wielders call me 'he', some call me 'she', and some just call me Plagg." He shrugged, and repeated,"It makes no difference to me."

Adrien stared at Plagg, and wondered what on earth that was even supposed to mean; how could you not understand gender? Why didn't Plagg care if someone called him a she?

Adrien shook his head, banishing the nonsensical thoughts for later; Plagg was just trying to distract him, probably.

"So you had a different wielder back in egypt?" Adrien asked instead, "A girl wielder? And you met THE Ladybug, my Ladybug?"

Plagg nodded, still looking slightly annoyed, before fluffing his thin fur out in an emotion Adrien had never seen him display before: "Yeah, she helped me out of a bind when Bastet got corrupted; if you want to know why Hawkmoth can't be allowed to get his hands on yours and Ladybug's Miraculouses, look up Sekhmet sometime."

"...Okay…." Adrien said, only half paying attention to his kwami's words, too caught up in the revelation he'd had when Plagg confirmed he was looking at an ancient Black Cat:

Ladybug was over five thousand years old.

Ladybug kept rejecting his advances.

Ladybug looked sad sometimes, when she looked at him.

And now Plagg was telling him Bastet was Ladybug's original partner…

Adrien felt a lump building in his throat.

Had Ladybug been in love with her first Black Cat?

Am I just one in a long line of Black Cats, always supplanting her lost love, only good for reminding her of what she lost and can never get back?

He shuddered at the thought, and stared at the screen, absorbing every detail of Bastet, what little he could see clearly on the ancient carving; her clear cat head, more stylized than his mask and ears, the scepter she held in front of her, and when he scrolled to the next picture, anxious to see more, he saw her, his Lady, front and center⏤

⏤but off to the side, blurred and out of focus in the photo, he saw what might have been two carvings facing each other, of Bastet and Ladybug exchanging a bouquet.

"Adrien? It's time for you to leave for school." Natalie's voice barely preceded her arrival, and by sheer superhero reflex alone, Adrien had reached out, stabbed the desktop tower's power button with his finger, dove out of the office chair, barrel-rolled his way back to the piano bench, jumped into place at the piano and paused the music just in time for Natalie to stick her head in the door.

Adrien turned, hoping his pounding heart wasn't evident as he answered her in the calmest voice he could manage: "Okay, Natalie."

As Natalie turned away at the door to glance down at her watch, Adrien bent down and grabbed his school bag, surreptitiously holding it open for Plagg to hide inside as he scooped it up and onto his shoulder. "Okay, Natalie, I'm ready. Will Father be there to say goodbye before we leave?"

He really, really doubted it, but he could never seem to stop getting his hopes up.

"I'm sorry Adrien, but he is busy with his work again, and will not be able to see you off to school." Natalie informed him, not showing a hint of emotion through her cool demeanor. He frowned as he followed her out into the hallway, clutching at the strap on his shoulder with clenched fists.

What was keeping his Father so busy anyways, that he couldn't even be bothered to see his own son?

Following Natalie down the large staircase below the grim family portrait his Father had commissioned when his mother first disappeared, Adrien fumed internally at his father's behavior.

He got it, he really did.

He missed mom, too.

But… that didn't mean it was right for his Father to treat him this way; it wasn't right for his father to hide away from the world at home, to ignore every thing except for his business. To ignore his only son.

No, I'm being unfair. Adrien forced himself to wave away his ungrateful thoughts, It's different for him. Isn't it? I lost my mom, but he lost his wife. He knew her for longer… what would I do if I lost Ladybug?

The thought gripped his heart in a cold fist, and he shivered despite the warming weather as the sun gradually rose into the sky above them.

"Thank you." Adrien said to his bodyguard on autopilot as the large, silent man held the door open for him; the man grunted in acknowledgement and moved around to the front of the car, pulling away from the curb with the usual quiet Adrien had gotten used to during his car escorts; Father did not want him listening to the radio, as it could broadcast songs he didn't approve of.

I don't know what I would do if I lost her. Adrien admitted to himself

I don't want to know.

But… but Ladybug already knew how that felt, didn't she?

She was thousands of years old.

She'd lost her Partner.

She'd lost ...countless Black Cats. Countless Partners.

I won't fail her, He vowed to himself, I'll be different. I'll be the Black Cat she can depend on, the one she doesn't have to worry about losing.

Master Fu, during their brief interactions, had remained frustratingly cryptic outside of telling Adrien what he needed to know to use the magic cheese he had given him to let Plagg transform into his different elemental forms, but one thing he had revealed to Adrien?

His age.

Master Fu was one hundred and eighty-six, going on one hundred and eighty-seven.

Wielding a Miraculous was not something that everyone could do safely; channeling the power of a Miraculous could have adverse effects on those not strong enough to endure it, and wielding two was known to drive men and women into insanity or straight into the arms of death.

But for those who were not weakened by wielding one, they would actually begin to absorb the power and grow stronger over time.

The wielder and the Miraculous would bond, become more in tune with each other; transforming often enough and remaining transformed for long, or using your powers enough would slowly but surely blend into your regular human half, granting enhanced strength, endurance, agility, and… longevity.

Master Fu had not explained his circumstances, but he had told Adrien that he had been transformed almost constantly, sometimes for days or weeks at a time during his first years as a hero; it was only in the last fifty or so years that he had been safe enough to remain untransformed for long, and as the decades went on and he remained untransformed, his true age began to catch up to him...

And so, when Hawkmoth showed his face, as a villain requiring a Miraculous hero, Master Fu had been physically unable to transform, and that was why he had chosen Adrien to wield the Black Cat Miraculous: he needed someone to partner with the Ladybug Wielder.

Already, Adrien spent a lot of time as Chat Noir, either battling Akuma or to escape the suffocating walls of his home, but now he would be religious about it; he would take every chance he could to transform, even it was just for a few minutes during bathroom breaks⏤ even if he had to carry entire, mini wheels of reeking camembert around with him to help Plagg recharge so often.

If wielding his Miraculous as often as possible would even remotely increase his chances of making Ladybug fall for him, he would do it.

The car slowed to a stop, and Adrien once again thanked his bodyguard as he exited the car, closing it behind him with an unintended slam, and realized if he was going to be going out of his way to 'evolve' faster by being Chat Noir more often, he would have to start watching his strength when he wasn't transformed.

Giving an apologetic wave at his bodyguard as he ascended the steps, Adrien made his way towards Ms. Bustier's class, wondering how soon he could get his hands on the extra cheese; some of the online ordering places did priority two day shipping, but already he was impatient to transform⏤ he usually wasn't able to stand the smell of more than a small portion of tightly-sealed slices, but Master Fu had given him that fully-stocked case of magical ones….

He would have to double check how many of each kind he had remaining, but he was pretty sure it would be safe to use at least one of each elemental 'flavour'; as long as he had one of each kind remaining in case of an emergency...

Reaching the classroom, Adrien found his seat and settled in to wait for the rest of the class and Ms. Bustier to arrive; unless there was a morning akuma attack, Adrien was usually one of the first to arrive, with his strict schedule.

Looking around the empty classroom, Adrien was tempted. Really really tempted…

But right as he was about to open his mouth to speak the words, Chloé burst through the door with her usual fanfair, followed by Sabrina.

Wincing at almost getting caught by his oldest friend, Adrien sat back down before Chloé could run over and hug him with her ever-present over affection, smiling and waving at her instead, before yawning dramatically as an excuse to not get up to greet her.

He loved Chloé, he really did, but there were times⏤ especially since his newfound friendship with Nino⏤ that he found himself angry at her and how she treated the people around her, or sad, because he could still see the little girl he had first met, devasted because her mother didn't want her anymore, only visible in rare moments of vulnerability when Chloé let down her scathing guard.

"Hey, Chloé," Adrien finally greeted, finishing his fake yawn, "Hey, Sabrina."

"Oooh, Adrikins, you've been so tired lately! Honestly, your father is working you too hard. You should take a break! You could come stay with me at my Daddy's hotel you know, just say the word! It'll be just like old times!" Chloé gushed excitedly, ignoring the other students that were filing into class after her dramatic entrance.

"That sounds nice, Chloé," and it did, "But I don't think my Father would approve. He has me on a very strict schedule already, but it's going to be even harder to have free time since he's beginning his new Collection for next year."

Or at least, that was the excuse his father had given him.

He hadn't even seen any of his father's new work in a few weeks.

Maybe the increased number of akuma attacks were distracting him with their chaos?

"Sup, dude?" A backpack being dropped unceremoniously onto their desk followed Nino's usual morning greeting, and Adrien smiled more genuinely at his best friend, glad to have a distraction from the temptations Chloé was offering him.

It would be so easy to sneak out as Chat Noir and transform back at Chloé's father's hotel, and just… relax with the Chloé of the past, the one she was only when she was truly alone with him with no prying eyes to see her rare kindnesses.

Adrien was just about to open his mouth to actually greet Nino when Alya appeared out of nowhere and excitedly leaned over their desk, "Adrien! So! What'd you think of the latest Ladyblogger Exclusive!?" Alya demanded, grinning madly in barely-contained glee.

"Oh my gosh, Alya, it was so good!" Adrien enthused, "How did you score that interview with Ladybug? Did you see Rena Rouge with her? And what do you think about Chat Noir, do you think he's thousands of years old, too?"

Adrien really was marveled at Alya's reporting skills, and was insanely curious⏤

Did Alya run into Ladybug before or after Rena had transformed? Was Rena still there, or had she vanished by the time Alya asked for an interview? Would Alya idly mention a civilian girl with Ladybug, and unknowingly reveal Rena's identity?

And more importantly: what did people think about Chat Noir after this reveal?

"Ooh, it was so awesome! I was waiting around trying to get some good footage of the akuma battle, when Ladybug and Rena Rouge came running up together! Rena ran off by herself, and I was going to try to follow her to get some clues about her secret identity, but then Ladybug distracted me and said she wanted an interview with her favorite reporter!"

Alya's voice had started out quiet and conspiratorial but grew louder and more fervent with each word, until she was practically shouting her glee, drawing the attention of all of the students that had arrived; everyone but Marinette was present, and everyone except for Chloé and Sabrina quickly gathered around to hear the scoop of the century.

Alya, finally noticing the crowd that had gathered, straightened up and tried to look more dignified as she continued her tale, gesturing dramatically:

"She said she'd had something she'd wanted to tell the public for awhile, that it was a secret she didn't think she needed to hide anymore, especially with the increased number of akuma attacks! She wanted to give some more hope to Paris in these 'dark times', and then she just… dropped the bombshell on me!" Alya exclaimed, before pausing dramatically.

She struck a pose and spoke in the familiar tones of their resident hero, doing an impressive imitation.

"'Alya Césaire, you are the first person I have told this to in a long, long time. I know you were really excited to think I was a girl your age, but I'm... not. Physically, I'm in my mid-twenties, but I haven't physically aged in over five thousand years. You were right, that was me in the hieroglyphs. I didn't want anyone to know then, because my partner was still new to all this, and I didn't want to scare him off. But you were right: I am thousands of years old.'" Alya mimicked, voice doing a surprisingly good imitation of the superhero's gentle but firm tones, taking up Ladybug's classic stance of one hand on her yoyo at her hip and gesturing with the other.

"'But why are you telling me this? Why now?'" Alya asked thin air, pivoting around so she was facing where 'Ladybug' had been, as if having a conversation with herself, adopting in a dramatic rendition of her own voice, "'Why are you telling me this now, when you wanted to hide it before?'"

She pivoted back into 'Ladybug' and mimed twirling her yoyoy idle, flipping her long red hair over her shoulder and cocking her hip as if she was about to swing away, "'Because, there's been so many attacks lately, at least one a day these past few weeks, and I've seen how frightened the citizens of Paris are becoming⏤ and I wanted to give them hope. This is not a sign that Hawkmoth is growing stronger, this is a sign that he is growing desperate. His time is almost up, and he knows it!" Alya crowed, throwing her hands in the air triumphantly.

Adrien was spellbound by her words⏤ he could almost see it himself as if he were there, and he idly wondered how long it had taken Alya to memorize Ladybug's speech; she had probably recorded the entire thing on her phone and watched it so many times she could lip sync to it.

There was a moment of silence around the classroom as everyone waited with baited breath for Alya to continue, but the girl gave them a confident smile, threw her invisible 'yoyo', and said, "'I can't wait to see your article, Ayla! Don't forget about the Pharaoh; Bug out!'" Alya mimed pulling on the string, then whirled on the class, no longer mimicking Ladybug, and practically slammed her hands onto the desk in her enthusiasm.

"Then she just swung away after dropping that reveal on me!" She exclaimed, drumming her palms on the desk in pent-up excitement. There was a beat of silence around them, and then the class erupted into noise: awed exclamations, gossiping, shouted questions all blended together in a mess, and all around the room, the click-click of phones being unlocked could be heard as everyone hurried to open up the Ladyblog article in question.

Breaking from his daze, Adrien remembered his earlier question: "But what about Chat Noir?"

Snapping from her own glee, Alya adopted her Serious Reporter Expression; tapping her finger on her chin in thought, and relaxing from her pose, Alya stared at the ceiling, obviously thinking over her response.

"Well, from what Ladybug said, he was still new to being a superhero when they first met, right?" Alya pondered, "So he can't be crazy old like she is? And⏤ she said she didn't want to scare him off, so he's probably a lot younger too. It'd be a little intimidating, having your first fight against a villain when your partner has been doing this kind of thing for centuries, right?"

Adrien nodded along, conceding her point that he probably wouldn't have been as easy going with her on the first day with Stoneheart if he knew she'd been doing this a lot longer than him⏤ so her odd behavior that day, was that all an act, to put him more at ease?

Was it all a ploy to make his transition into a hero more comfortable, thinking he had a peer his age at his side, who was just as new to it as he was?

Now that he thought about it, her abrupt shift in attitude that day had been really weird, but he hadn't thought much of it at the time; now, with hindsight on his side, he could see it for what it truly was: a mask, a facade, a feigned weakness, falling away to reveal her true self in the face of her hated enemy.

Adrien must have made a good impression that day, because Ladybug had never felt the need to put that mask back on around him.

Maybe if he had known her true age that day, he wouldn't have fallen in love with her; maybe she could have become his mentor, his teacher, someone to look up to as a role model⏤ instead of his comrade, his friend, and the love of his life, no matter how much she tried to deny that last one and kept him at arm's reach.

But he had fallen in love with her, and finding out her age, here, now, when he had already invested so much of his time and energy into his feelings for her⏤ it didn't change much, as far as he was concerned.

He still wouldn't let her down, he still wouldn't disappoint her, he still vowed to himself that he wouldn't leave her behind like all that other Black Cats had in the past⏤ he would still shield her from danger, still protect her, but now he would actually have to care about himself and keeping himself alive, something he was probably going to have trouble with⏤ she was his whole world, and taking a hit for her to spare her the pain was as easy as breathing.

And if⏤ no, when he was able to uphold his promise, when they defeated this villain, and the next, and the next, and the next, when they both traveled the world together, fighting crime as the years turned into decades and centuries⏤ what was a few thousand years between soulmates?

The human mind wasn't easy to change, but the heart even more so.

Yes, finding out her true age was shocking; it was frightening even, to try and imagine how many people she had met and lost, how many atrocities she had seen, how much more experienced she was then he⏤ how much more of the world she had seen and traveled before he was even born, and even now, his experiences were limited to the walls of the Mansion and only very recently Paris at large.

Had she seen the Eiffel Tower built? Did she scale it's heights in 1889 with the same ease as she did in 2019?

Is that why it was one of her favorite spots to go to in the very rare occasions where there was a false alarm on an akuma, or when she did not need her Lucky Charm to defeat a villain, and thus did not need to rush off to transform? She always seemed so at peace up there…

Maybe she was remembering sitting up there, watching sunsets and sunrises with another Black Cat? Reminiscing about sunsets she had watched in other parts of the world?

Did she see Chat Noir, when he sat next to her, offering her a rose she would refuse, or did she see someone else in his place? Another boy? A man? A girl? A woman?

Her first Partner had been Bastet; did she miss her still, to this day?

...Did she have loved ones buried in the Catacombs?

"Hey, dude, what's up with the long face?" Nino asked, and Adrien jumped, realizing he had forgotten where he was and gotten lost in his melancholy thoughts. "Isn't this like, the coolest thing ever?"

Forcing his mind back onto the current subject, Adrien forced a smile and nodded, "Yeah, it is! You're a really lucky reporter, Alya, that Ladybug chose you to reveal it to the world!"

Alya grinned at the praise and crossed her arms in a proud stance, "Oh course! Ladybug would only trust the greatest reporter in Paris!" She exclaimed, "Now, if only my bestie would get here so I can show her the news!" the girl said, throwing her arms up in the air in exasperation.

Checking the time on his watch, Adrien realized it was already 7:25, class was going to start soon, and Marinette had not arrived yet; the poor girl was probably going to be late again.

Marinette always seemed tired, either sleeping through her alarm or forgetting to set it the night before; some days, her parents had her up even earlier than Adrien was to help them open up the bakery, and there was more than one occasion where she would say that, and in the same breath inform them she had also been up really late as well working on a design!

It was crazy, how little sleep she seemed to get but still remain mostly-functional during the day⏤ At least according to Adrien's official schedule, he was supposed to be getting at least nine hours of sleep….

But unfortunately, his official schedule just didn't take into account his late-night battles as Chat Noir for obvious reasons...

"Good morning class! Did everyone get enough sleep last night?" Ms. Bustier's kind voice interrupted his thoughts once more, and Adrien looked up as his favorite teacher walked through the door. "I know that attack last night was very frightening, so today, if anyone needs a break, please let me know, okay?"

Huh?

Alya's hand shot into the air, "Ms. Bustier, that attack happened pretty close to Marinette's house, I don't know if she's coming into school today or not. She might have just overslept, but she hasn't texted me or anything." Alya informed quickly, looking worried, and Adrien shot her a worried, mystified glance.

What attack were they talking about?

He hadn't gotten any akuma alerts...

"That's fine, thank you, Ayla. If Marinette still hasn't arrived after our morning rituals, I'll be sure to check in with her parents before we start our lessons for the day." Ms. Bustier accepted, and Adrien was even more confused.

What was going on?

Slowly, tentatively as Ms. Bustier began calling pairs of students down to the front to begin their morning ritual of greeting and complimenting each other, Adrien raised his hand.

"Ms. Bustier?" He questioned politely, not wanting to ask Nino or Alya and risk looking rude for whispering in her class, while wanting to get information quickly. His heart was starting to pound again.

What had he missed?

"Yes, Adrien?" Ms. Bustier answered right away, pulling her attention from Ivan and Kim who were dutifully complimenting each other's hair and band-shirt, respectively.

"I'm confused, was there an akuma attack last night? I didn't hear anything about it on my phone. I usually get alerts for them. Was everyone alright? Is Ladybug⏤ are Ladybug and Chat Noir okay?" He asked, fighting for calm, almost forgetting to ask about his own super identity's safety.

Had there been an akuma attack last night, and he had somehow slept through it?

Had Ladybug had to take on an akuma single-handedly?

Did she win?

Did she… did she lose?

Was she okay!?

Ms. Bustier's usual, cheery smile vanished, to be replaced with a sad, serious expression he had rarely seen on her.

"No, Adrien, it wasn't an akuma attack last night, we're safe from that, for the meantime at least. No, there was a different kind of attack last night…" Ms. Bustier hesitated, and sighed quietly. "No, it wasn't a supervillain, it was a regular human being that did it." she repeated, before holding up her hand to gather the class's attention, gently interrupting Max and Juleka's compliment session.

"Class, could I have your attention, please? I don't like interrupting our morning ritual, but I did not realize not all of you were aware of what happened last night. Please retake your seats for me."

Once all eyes in the classroom were on her and everyone was back in their assigned seat, Ms. Bustier continued. "Okay class, can all of you close your eyes for me?"

Adrien obeyed without question, squeezing his eyes shut and staring at the shifting, colorful darkness behind his eyelids, wondering where this was going.

He could hear his classmates fidgeting around the room, the rustle of clothing, the breeze from the open windows, and very very faintly, Plagg snoring away in his bag.

"Okay class, keeping your eyes close, can you raise your hand for me, if you don't know what rape means?" Ms. Bustier's voice called out softly, and Adrien frowned in confusion, pondering the word.

He'd heard it before from some rude people in his game's online chat before Father disabled the multiplayer function, but from Ms. Bustier's tone of voice, it sounded a lot more serious than a video game insult.

Adrien quietly raised his hand, and heard some shifting around the room. He hoped he wasn't the only one ignorant to the word's meaning.

"Thank you class, please lower your hands, everyone. Okay, everyone take a deep breath, in through your nose... good... hold it... okay, and then slowly breathe out through your mouth... Okay, good. Keep your eyes closed, and keep breathing. Before I explain what it means, if anyone needs to leave the room, please feel free to wait outside, or in the art room if you prefer."

There was a distinct rustling of clothing, and then two⏤ no, three⏤ pairs of footsteps descended the stairs and vanished into the hall; Adrien couldn't tell for sure who left, but he was certain he recognized Rose's light footsteps.

Ms. Bustier's heels gently clacked across the floor, and with a quiet woosh and click, the classroom door slipped shut, silencing the echos of the retreating footsteps.

"Thank you for keeping your eyes closed, everyone. Go ahead and open them now." Ms. Bustier instructed, and Adrien blinked his eyes open, still confused about what was happening, but less panicked than before; Ms. Bustier was very good at calming anxiety in her students.

Looking around the classroom, Adrien discovered that Rose had indeed left the class, along with Juleka and… Ivan?

"Okay, class, today we're going to be speaking about a sensitive topic, and as you can see, some of your classmates have left the room; I would appreciate it if you do not broach this topic with them, as it is something deeply personal and can be very upsetting. This is not a matter to take lightly." Ms. Bustier said sternly, before softening her expression, "For those of you that chose to remain, please feel free to leave as well if this conversation is upsetting to you."

Adrien's anxiety, which had been dying down, instantly ramped up again at Ms. Bustier's small speech.

What… what on earth had those PVPing trolls been shouting at his team that was so bad? Why had Natalie heard a single, half-sentence of the online chat and practically ripped the power cord out of the wall to turn it off, before storming off to get his then equally incensed Father?

What was so bad that Rose, Juleka, and Ivan had to leave the room before it was even talked about?

What had happened near Marinette's house?

"Okay, class, for those of you unaware, sexual intercourse, or sex, is an act performed between two consenting adults; there are different kinds of intimicy involved, performed between a man and a woman, a man and a man, and a woman and a woman, or different groups⏤ those you will learn about in your health classes, but please feel free to ask me after class, or your parents if you have questions." Ms. Bustier said, pausing to see how the class reacted.

"Specifically, we will be discussing penetrative sex performed between a man and a woman, wherein a man inserts his penis into a woman's vagina." She continued clinically, leaning against her desk and steepling her fingers in front of her as she let her words filter through everyone's ears.

Adrien blushed deeply at the mention of sex and seruptiously glanced around to see that, while most of his classmates were blushing and hiding sniggers, a fair portion had serious or concerned expressions.

Alya, when he glanced behind himself, looked pale behind her thick glasses.

She knew something he didn't.

Ms. Bustier looked around the room and met everyone's eyes with a stern expression. "Today, we're going to be discussing sexual assault, and rape⏤ which is when someone forces someone to be intimate with them without the person's consent. This is not a laughing matter." Her short, forceful statement effortlessly silenced the few guffaws coming from a few of the boys across from Adrien.

The class went silent, as Kim, who had been one of the boys sniggering at the mention of sex, went pale at the rare severity in Ms. Bustier's voice, especially when she directed what was the closest Adrien had ever seen to a glare at him.

Kim sat ramrod straight in his seat, staring at the desk. "Sorry." He muttered, so quietly that Adrien swore he was probably the only one who could hear it thanks to his super hearing.

Ms. Bustier smiled sadly at him nonetheless, seeing his apologetic body language. "Thank you, Kim. Again, class, please let's have everyone take a nice, deep breath... hold it... and then release. I want you all to continue this breathing exercise while I explain what happened; please do not interrupt, but if you need to leave the room, do not hesitate. Okay, class?"

"Okay, Ms. Bustier," Adrien parroted back as his classmates echoed his response around him; bracing his hands on the desk, Adrien tried to continue the breathing exercise as the heat finally left his face, though he was still anxious and jittery.

Ms. Bustier waited another moment, stood up straight with her hands folded, and slowly spoke. "Last night, a young girl around your age was sexually assaulted in public by her boyfriend. The man slapped her on the butt and kissed her despite her protests in the middle of a restaurant."

Adrien's mouth dropped open.

"The owners of the restaurant they were attending called the authorities to intervene with what they thought was a normal 'couple's spat' gone wrong, but they were unable to keep the man inside after phoning authorities; the girl fled the restaurant, and the man followed her out.

"By the time the police arrived, the man and girl had vanished, but their car was still parked in the lot. When police searched the nearby area, they heard a woman crying in a nearby alley."

Around the room, many of the girls gasped, but Adrien was still confused; when he glanced to the side, he saw Nino staring down at his clenched fists, and when he looked the other way, across the aisle, Chloé was leaning forward over her desk, elbows on the surface like she was bored, casually playing with the hair by her one ear⏤

⏤But Adrien knew her well enough to see how her fingers were repetitively twirling the same strands between her fingers in well-concealed anxiety.

Ms. Bustier paused again, and stared solemnly around the class once more. "The police found the girl with her pants and shirt torn off, and in the process of being raped. They apprehended the man, and paramedics brought the girl to the hospital."

Dead silence met this pronouncement.

Waiting a moment to see if there were any questions, Ms. Bustier continued, still stern and professional, but now with a lingering cloud of anger hovering over her shoulders. "This horrendous attack is something that should never have happened, but it did happen, and all we can do is support the victim, and do our best to ensure it never happens again."

It took an eternity, but finally, Adrien found his voice. Raising his hand, Adrien's ears burned as it felt like the eyes of his classmates were zeroed in on him at daring to ask a question.

"Yes, Adrien?" Ms. Bustier asked, some of her anger vanishing from her posture as she herself practiced breathing as she called on him; patience and sadness replaced the more vitriolic emotion in the set of her shoulders.

"Why… why would anyone do that? You said it was the girl's boyfriend that did it. How could he do that to her?" He asked, ducking his head as the stares locked on him became too much.

"Well, Adrien, that is a good question. Unfortunately, we live in a world where many people⏤ not just men⏤ think that because they are in a relationship with someone, that that person 'owes' them intimacy." Ms. Bustier explained, beginning to move around the classroom again, walking back and forth in front of the desks as she talked, apparently unable to remain still any longer, impassioned by her own speech.

"Truthfully, no one ever owes you intimacy⏤ and, class, please remember this, always: You will never owe anyone intimacy, ever. If someone asked you to do something that you are uncomfortable with, or even if you're just not in the mood, any reason at all, you are allowed to say no." She said fervently, and once again let her eyes travel over the class, trying to meet everyone's gaze to impart the urgency of her words.

"But what if you're married?" Kim asked hesitantly, hand raised only part-way, as if ready to snatch it back down at a moment's notice.

Ms. Bustier smiled kindly at him, not minding the question asked genuinely.

"Marriage should make no difference⏤ you are still owed respect for your wishes." She said, "You and your spouse could be together for decades, and you would still not owe them sex; or even, if you are happily having sex together, but they wanted to try something different, something you were uncomfortable with, you are allowed to not want it, you are allowed to say 'No', and so are they." Ms. Bustier scanned the room again, looking for questions, but continuing to speak when none were forthcoming.

"Sex can be an important part of a relationship, but it does not need to be an integral part of it; sex is something that can bring people closer, physically and emotionally, but only if it is something that both partners want; because sex is just that: it is a want, not a 'need', as you will hear some incorrectly call it; a need is something necessary for survival; you need food, you need water, you need shelter to survive; you do not need sex."

There was the rustle of cloth behind him, and Adrien peeked over his shoulder to see that Alya had raised her hand as well now, face no longer pale, but blushed, further darkening her complexion.

"Yes, Alya?" Ms. Bustier called, and Adrien hurried to turn back to the front, not wanting to embarrass his friend more than she already was if she noticed him staring.

"I'm a little confused, Ms. I get what you're saying, that you don't owe anyone anything, but isn't it… uh, biology? Don't all humans instinctively want..."

Alya hesitated, and Adrien stared intently at his desk, blushing again himself and only imagining how hard it would be to ask out loud.

"...Isn't sex an important part of making a relationship last? Don't all humans, if not need, then want sex?"

Moving closer to their side of the room, Ms. Bustier smiled at Alya, stopping in front of Adrien's desk, "I'm actually glad you asked, Alya. Biology is often brought up when it comes to sex, sexual attraction, and gender. But the truth is, while biology is an important part of understanding humanity and history, it should not limit us."

Stepping back and to the side until she was in the center of the two aisles again, Ms. Bustier instructed, "Class, if anyone here has corrective glasses or contacts, please raise your hand?"

Next to him, Nino immediately raised his hand, and Adrien heard Alya doing the same behind him; glancing around, he saw that Max and Sabrina had raised their hands as well⏤ and was surprised that, when he cast his gaze forward again, Ms. Bustier had her own hand raised with a smile.

"Thank you class. I myself wear contacts to correct my vision, and as you can see, if we let biology define us as strictly as some try to claim we should, then either we would be forced to go through life, unable to see⏤ or, we would not have been born with bad vision in the first place." She said.

"Biology and science are not the ultimate answers to life; biology is not some hard set rule for perfect beings with a few glitches thrown in the mix; we are all animals, mammals, and we are part of nature, just as much as the world around us."

Smiling brightly and tilting her head, Ms. Bustier gestured out the windows, at the trees dancing in the breeze, at the pidgeons flocking over the school, at the clouds covering the sun, making the otherwise-warm day slightly cool in the shade cast.

"Nature is chaotic and flawed, and that is why some people are born with near or farsightedness; that is why some people are born deaf or hard of hearing; that is why some people are born with different developmental disorders, such as ADHD or autism, or even physicals ones, such as dwarfism or not having fully formed limbs⏤ it's all a normal part of nature, because humans are not 'perfect', and we don't have to be."

"To answer your question more fully, Alya, while many people do experience sexual attraction and want sex, there are those who do not." Ms. Bustier said, "Just like some people can be natural math prodigies, other people naturally feel attraction to their own gender, both genders, or do not feel attraction at all."

It was Alix that raised her hand now.

"Ms Bustier, what do you mean some people don't feel attraction at all? I thought everyone did?" The girl asked, sweeping her bangs out of her eyes as she leaned forward, head cocked to the side in confusion.

Ms. Bustier smiled, "That is a common misconception; like I said, many people rely on 'basic biology' to insist that all humans must obey some 'rule' that they must only be attracted to the opposite gender. In fact, it has been a known phenomena since ancient times that, much like gay kings, bisexual queens, and transgender egyptians, there have been many famous figures throughout history that were asexual, meaning someone who does not experience sexual attraction."

Adrien stared at Ms. Bustier as she spoke, completely mind-boggled.

Huh? I've heard of people who are gay, or bi, but… how can you not like anyone at all?

"Some famous figures believed to be asexual, or 'ace', are names you might recognize: Sir Isaac Newton, the famous scientist, was most likely asexual and died a virgin, while Emily Bronte, the famous author, was believed to be someone with split attraction; asexual, while still experiencing romantic attraction."

"Dude," Nino muttered beside him, staring in fascination at Ms. Bustier, "That's so cool, I didn't know there were people like that!"

"Ms. Bustier?" Myléne asked, "I know a lot of people that are bisexual, and I actually saw an article awhile back that said that our generation is the most bisexual one documented, but what about asexual people? How many people are like that?"

"Yeah, I've never heard of it before, either!" Sabrina pipped up enthusiastically.

"Oh! Ms. Bustier! I know!" Max said excitedly as Ms. Bustier was about to respond; Adrien twisted around in his seat to see Max waving his hand in the air quickly.

smiled at his enthusiasm, knowing his love of math and facts. "Go ahead, Max."

"The original 1948 estimates for those known from the Kinsey Scale as 'Group X' were hypothesized to be 1% of the human population, but with awareness campaigns and more acceptance of LGBTQIA people, the number of known asexuals has risen, and the 1% estimate is believed to be much higher; even so, at 1% that means that at least 77 million people are asexual out of our current world population of 7.7 billion!"

Max spoke without hardly pausing for breath, and Adrien had to stare at him for a minute as his brain struggled to take in all that he had said, because only half of those words were familiar.

Adrien had never been good at math, but seventy-seven million seemed like a lot of people for being '1%'.

"That's correct, Max!" Ms. Bustier praised, "Many studies, especially ones from more conservative times, have much lower numbers and results then were true even for the time, as many people still viewed anything relating to queer identities as being taboo, and many queer people internalized their society's prejudices, and rationalized away their own orientations."

Ms. Bustier paused suddenly, blinked, then glanced down at her watch. "Oh! I'm sorry class, our conversation carried on a little bit longer than I anticipated; thank you everyone that participated in our discussion, and if you have any further questions, please feel free to stay behind after class, or join me during our lunch period today if you would like to discuss either of our subjects in more detail." She apologized.

Confused, Adrien glanced at the wall clock, and he saw that they had already gone a few minutes past the time they usually took for Ms. Bustier's morning rituals, and were now cutting into proper lesson time.

Ms. Bustier began moving towards the classroom door.

Placing her hand on the handle, she glanced over her shoulder and smiled at everyone.

"For now, let me see if the other students are feeling well enough to rejoin us, and Alya, I will contact Marinette's parents to make sure everything is⏤ "

Glass, flying everywhere.

Metal.

Concrete.

Wood.

Ripping through the door.

Ripping through Ms. Bustier.

A monster's wordless roar.

Ms. Bustier screaming.

His friends screaming.

Someone, tackling him to the floor.

Something icy cold, like dread.

It hit his hands.

Then⏤

Disorientation.

Darkness.

...Adrien struggled to open his eyes, vaguely aware of someone calling his name from far away.

His back hurt.

He couldn't feel his... fingers?

"rian! Adrien!"

Was that Plagg?

Why couldn't he see?

Oh. His eyes were shut still.

"Plagg?" He croaked, forcing his eyelids apart and trying to focus; all he saw was darkness around him, and panic nearly set in, until he saw two green blurs of light above him.

"Kid!" Plagg cried out in relief, zooming closer and more into focus; all Adrien could make out of his kwami in the darkness was the glitter of his acid-green eyes and the faint, internal purple glow when he opened his mouth in speech.

Everything else was just… black. Darkness, complete and utter.

His breathing sped up, and he could swear he could feel it bouncing back towards his face from some unseen barrier, closing in on him…

"Kid, it's okay, calm down, I'm here, we won't be stuck for long." Plagg quickly said, rare comfort in his voice as he darted forward to nuzzle against Adrien's face with a purr, "No time to explain. You gotta transform, Ladybug needs you."

That got his attention.

"Akuma?" He gasped out, and Plagg's eyes bobbed up and down in the air, nodding in the darkness.

Adrien narrowed his own eyes and pushed his rising claustrophobia away; he had a job to do!

"Plagg!" He shouted, "Claws out!"

Plagg's eyes vanished into the darkness and Adrien felt the magic of the transformation filling him, and winced as it built up in his limbs with an almost painful intensity.

Transforming into Chat Noir almost never hurt; the magic had its own, natural ways of channeling itself through his body harmlessly... most of the time.

Except for rare occasions, his Miraculous was able to pull his body into different poses and stances, directing the magic through his limbs, through his bones and veins and out, out into the air around him to form his suit⏤

But on occasions such as this, where he was trapped and unable to move, the magic of his transformation was equally trapped within him, burning through his limbs like fire instead of flowing like water.

Only this time, it was even worse, because something was wrong.

The burning magic, that usually began on his right hand, began and stalled at his right wrist, making it feel like it was being charbroiled.

Adrien bit his lip to keep from crying out at the pain, trying to force himself into Ms. Bustier's breathing exercises as the magic remained burning at his wrist for what felt like an eternity, before finally whooshing backwards instead of forward through his fingers, burning a path down his arm until the magic had crossed over his shoulders, up his neck and down his spine.

Something was wrong with his hands⏤ even with the pain of the confined transformation, he couldn't feel them.

His mask materialized across his face and he was forced to squeeze his eyes shut as the fire licked it's way up his head to form his ears, immediately heightening his sense of hearing, until his own breath and heartbeat was deafening in the confined space.

A ring of fire around his waist heralded his tail forming, and finally, with a green flash that he could see even behind his closed eyelids, the transformation finished, and all of the pain vanished as if it had never been.

Breathing out a sigh of relief⏤ the transformation had only taken three seconds, tops, but it felt like an eternity⏤ Adrien reached upwards to push whatever had landed on him away, and recoiled.

Cold, stiff, dead things were attached to his wrists, and when he finally peeled his eyes open to use his night-vision, he saw with horror that instead of his usual black gloves ending in sharp claws, his hands were now clad in pure white, with only his Miraculous remaining black.

Frantically, he tried to wriggle his fingers, but they stayed stiff and frozen, clenched into unmoving fists, and he could only just barely move his wrists at all to bend them.

What in the heck did the akuma do to him?!

And why? What was the point?

Heart pounding in his chest, Adrien at least had to admit it scared him, badly, to lose the use of his hands, especially since he had been hit as a civilian, and couldn't even remember it happening.

The last thing he saw was Ms. Bustier about to open the door; had there been an explosion?

Was anyone else hurt?

Ladybug needs you! Plagg's voice, distant and echoing from memory interrupted his panicking thoughts, and Adrien mentally kicked himself into gear: okay, he couldn't use his hands, but that didn't mean he was useless!

Wiggling his toes and glad he could still feel them, Adrien braced his elbows against the ground on either side, curled his back, brought his knees up to his chest, and kicked, straight up with all the force he could muster.

There was a loud snap! And the darkness around him exploded into light as something overhead flew up and over with the force of his kick.

Shielding his eyes against the bright sunlight assaulting his eyes, Adrien dodge rolled to the side the second he was able to, bouncing to the floor as he made sure to get clear of the trap.

Rolling clumsily across the floor until he thumped into something that might have been his desk, he squinted around, trying to see what had been holding him captive.

Directly in front of him was a large black box, the top of which was flipped open in the air on silver hinges; the inside had a rigid cushion he had been laying on, and the entire thing was lined with white and black velvet.

Still gathering his wits about him, it took him a moment to recognize the trap for what it was: an oversized wedding ring box.

Huh. That was a first, but certainly not the strangest thing he'd encountered from an akuma.

Dust invaded his nose, and he sneezed, trying not to look too hard at the destroyed state of the classroom; the wall of windows were completely gone, and shards of glass littered the floor, while the doorway Ms. Bustier had been standing in had been completely obliterated.

Bracing his elbows on the floor and heaving himself to his feet, he saw that identical wedding boxes were scattered around the room, no doubt holding his classmates prisoner. Dashing to the closest one, he tried to open it, but to his frustration he couldn't get any kind of grip on it to pry it up with his frozen hands.

Not hearing any noises from within the box, aside from some slow breathing, Adrien was forced to abandon his attempts, and could only hope his classmates would remain asleep within the traps instead of waking and panicking.

He also really, really hoped they weren't air tight.

A loud Crash! Echoed from the deserted hallways, quickly followed by a familiar voice shouting something unintelligible over the sound of battle.

Ladybug!

Leaping over the rubble that was all that remained the doorway, Adrien dashed down the destroyed hallway, dodging concrete debris and twisted metal as he followed the sounds of battle. By instinct, he pushed off from the floor with his feet with a bit extra power, leaning into his momentum, arching his back and extending his arms forward, fully intending on picking up extra speed by running on all fours.

Too late did he realize his mistake as the unnatural white of his gloves caught his gaze, but by the time he reacted to try to correct his angle into a roll, he was already crashing headfirst into the ground as his dead, frozen hands refused to support his weight.

Head and forearms slamming into the punishing ground with his enhanced momentum, Adrien had never been so grateful for the endurance granted to him by his Miraculous; if he hadn't been transformed, he would have had a concussion or broken arms from the impact.

Pins and needles still shot up his arms from the crash though, and he cursed his own stupidity as he struggled to his feet, trying to shake the numbness from his arms and praying it wouldn't spread from his hands to the rest of him.

"Chat Noir!"

With no more warning than that single word, something cinched tight around his waist and then he was being pulled, up, into the air, flying across the room as something slammed into where he had been lying, destroying the flooring and causing the entire section to collapse with thunderous roars like an avalanche.

Twisting in midair as he was flying, Adrien realized that Ladybug had lassoed him with her yoyo and pulled him to safety; she was perched on the wall across what used to be the second floor of the school's courtyard.

Instinct granted from his transformation surged through him and he angled himself to land feet-first, thankful for it, but at the same time trying to push away the part of him that wanted to land in a four-limbed crouch; he had learned his lesson from leaning too heavily on the Miraculous instincts.

Landing on his feet below his Lady, Adrien barely kept his balance as his hands seemed good only for being dead weight, ruining his balance as he flailed to stay upright on a small outcropping of rubble. Ladybug might be able to stand or walk on walls whenever she wanted, but Adrien needed to work up and keep momentum to do the same.

Leaning back against the wall so he wouldn't accidentally overbalance, he tried to place his feet on the largest bits of concrete that were all that remained of the previous hallway. Below him, straight down, he could see that much of the courtyard was buried in collapsed sections of the second floor, and would be very treacherous to traverse: they would have to get the akuma to a new area, or they would be in danger of having the entire school fall around their ears.

"Purrrfect timing, Buggaboo!" Adrien called gratefully, looking up to where Ladybug was crouched sideways on the wall, retracting her yoyo from around his waist now that he was safe, and immediately thwiping! It back out, knocking a huge, indistinct figure, no doubt the akuma, into the pile of rubble it had just created. The noise when the giant crashed to the ground was amazing, and sent up a thick cloud of dust, momentarily hiding much of the room from view.

"I may have nine lives, but I much prefer to spend them with you than as a pancake." Adrien continued as the dust began to settle, craning his neck to try to get a clearer glimpse of the mystery akuma, even as he winced at his attempt at a joke.

Crap. That was a bad pun. He knew the akuma's theme was rings, so why could he only think of breakfast?

"Chat Noir, where were you? I was calling for twenty minutes!" Ladybug snapped, dropping down from the wall to land gracefully next to him, perfectly balanced on the razor's edge of metal sticking out a foot from his own feet.

Adrien's ears flickered back against his will, and he cursed how emotive his transformation made him. "I'm sorry, my Lady," He said, and raised his right hand into her field of view, "I'm afraid I got hit when the akuma first appeared. My kwami was only able to wake me in the last few minutes."

Ladybug gasped at the sight of his snow white hand, which had finally loosened from a clenched fist, but was still completely immobile to his own will. Shaking his arm emphatically for the millionth time and watching his dead hand flap about limply, Adrien tried rubbing his forearms together to get blood flowing, despite knowing it wouldn't do any good; magic had made his hands cold and numb, and only magic would fix it.

"Oh, Chat Noir! Your hands!" Ladybug exclaimed, looking aghast, but also confused, "Are you okay? Everyone else that the akuma hit had their feet or shoes turn white, not their hands. They weren't able to walk or run away⏤ are you okay?" She repeated, leaning in close to peer at his hands.

Adrien stopped the fruitless waving of his hands so she could take them in her own⏤ his heart nearly melted as she so tenderly cradled his hands in her smaller but stronger ones.

Concerned blue eyes peered closely at his fingers as she gently maneuvered them into a more relaxed position, careful of his sharp white claws.

"Does this hurt at all?" She asked, flipping his left palm over and rubbing his hand between her own, trying to warm it; he saw her shiver at the contact and assumed they were as cold to her as they were numb to him.

He shook his head, keeping his ears trained on the stirring akuma below them; they didn't have much time until the villain was back on his feet and they were back in battle. "No, I can't feel them at all. It doesn't hurt, but they're kinda useless right now, I can barely even hold them up, they feel heavy, like lead weights." He explained. "Ladybug, I can hear the akuma getting up, we should get out of here while the school's still standing, and try to lead it away from here."

Ladybug nodded, releasing his hands, which he allowed to simply fall to his sides, useless as they were.

"You're right, we need to take him away from the populated areas. This guy's really into property destruction, but from what I've seen, the people he traps in those boxes are safely asleep." Ladybug said, straightening up and wrapping one arm around his back and under his opposite arm.

Smiling at the close proximity to his crush, Adrien grinned stupidly at her and slung one useless arm over her shoulder to reciprocate, tightening his grip as well as he could with just his forearm.

Ladybug rolled her eyes at his flirtatious look and tightened her own arm until it was nearly painful around his ribs and back.

"Don't let go, kitty," She warned with a playful smirk, and then she had cast her yoyo and they were flying through the air again, sailing over the head of the akuma below them. As the dust began to clear, Adrien finally caught a glimpse of him.

"Nice monkey suit!" Adrien taunted on the fly as they soared overhead, "Where'd you rent it from, the zoo?"

Below them, the huge akuma that was dressed in a black and white tuxedo glared up at him with the familiar, glowing violet eyes almost all the akuma victims seemed to gain.

The giant shoved rubble off of his shoulders with an incensed roar and tried to swat them out of the air, but Ladybug was already five steps ahead, dodging nimbly in the air with acrobatics that took Adrien's breath away.

As they practically danced in the air with every expert cast of Ladybug's yoyo, Adrien was grateful his own weapon was a baton⏤ he didn't think he would be nearly as good as his Lady at swinging from rooftop to rooftop; he much preferred the solid support of his baton or his own legs.

The giant man scowled at the sight of them gaining distance on him and skidded to a stop half a mile from the school, throwing clouds of dust and debris into the air as he planted his feet into the roads below, crushing cars that were hopefully empty.

"Uh, Ladybug?" Adrien called, fighting to be heard over the roaring wind as Ladybug continued with her acrobatic dance across the rooftops, still carry him under her arm, "He's stopping. I think we can too, this cat's starting to get a little motion sick."

But Ladybug just shook her head and adjusted her grip on him, "Sorry kitty, we can't stop until we're further away. He's not stopping, he's got a ranged attack." she explained, and Adrien looked behind him again at the sound of a thunderous BOOM!

Behind them, the giant akuma had dropped down to one knee in the street, shaking buildings around him with the impact, and was now reaching into his back pocket. Adrien squinted to see what he was doing, but his view of the object was blocked by the akuma's thick fingers.

Cocking his wrist at an angle, the akuma snapped it out in one quick motion, straight in their direction.

Oh crap.

"INCOMING!" Adrien shouted, and not a moment too soon: Ladybug released her yoyo's hold on the next building, and the two of them began to plummet, shedding altitude instead of climbing higher.

With a deafening crash, the projectile slammed into the building they had been aiming for; a deep roar like thunder filled the air, and Adrien squeezed his eyes shut and angled his head away from an impact that never came.

There was a sudden jerk, then he and Ladybug were changing direction once more, angling away from the building that was currently imploding in on itself.

Concrete, brick, and metal continued to rain down around them, but Ladybug had gotten them far enough away from the impact area that they were safe, for the moment. They only landed on a rooftop briefly, just long enough for Ladybug to taunt the akuma into pursuing them on foot once more, and then they were off, swinging from building to building with the grace and finesse only Ladybug could achieve at such incredible speeds.

Keeping one wary eye on the akuma rampaging across Paris in their wake, Adrien wondered how much practice, how many years it had taken her to achieve such grace.

He didn't know much at all about ancient egypt other than the general things everyone knew: pyramids and mummies.

...But he didn't think there would have been many places for her to swing from back then, unless she had been climbing the pyramids and sphinx, the way the climbed the Eiffel Tower?

I'll have to see if Father will let me take a trip to the Louvre again. He thought to himself, I'll actually pay attention to the tour this time, and I can see the mural where Alya got her pictures in person.

Maybe there will be something there that Alya didn't notice; something only a Miraculous Wielder would pick up on...

Seeing that they were gaining ground on the oddly-silent akuma, Ladybug finally alighted on a rooftop near the Seine. The akuma, which was rather slow for his large size, was now slowly but surely catching up to them, but at least at this point he was clearly too angry to aim his ranged attack properly and preferred to smash them into smithereens personally.

"Sooo…" Adrien said as Ladybug released her hold on him; he dropped to his own feet and shook out his hands again in vain, unable to quell the urge.

This whole hand thing was really starting to freak him out; he kept thinking i cant feel my hands they look dead, when I hit them against something they just feel dead, this is gross and freaking FREAKY AHHH'... and was fighting to remain composed.

"What's this guy's problem anyways? What's up with the cold hands?" He asked as casually as he could.

"Cold feet, actually," Ladybug corrected, "From what I gathered, he tried to propose in public, couldn't work up the nerve to speak, and just silently went down on one knee in the square. Everyone was cheering him on, applauding, then his girlfriend got upset and ran away."

"Me-owch," Adrien sympathized, "Well, I understand him being akumatized now. Poor guy, that girl obviously didn't love him enough, he deserves better!"

A public proposal was the most romantic thing he could imagine, how could anyone turn that down!?

"C'mon, M'Lady," He drawled, resting his head on Ladybug's shoulder and rolling his neck until he was looking at her adoringly, "Don't you feel bad for this poor guy? Getting rejected like that?"

But Ladybug just hip-checked him away playfully, swinging her yoyo up and down repetitively as she shook her head. "Getting rejected? Yes, I understand that feeling," She said, voice full of longing, before it hardened. "But proposing in public like that, with no warning? That poor girl was just put on the spot! You can't just do that, you're making it like she has no choice but to say yes, especially with crowds of people around cheering, like it's an unavoidable outcome!"

Adrien stared at Ladybug, mystified at her sudden vehemence. Where was this coming from?

"You can't just pressure people like that! Imagine how much stress she was under! No wonder she ran away!" Ladybug said ardently, stomping her foot on the roof hard enough that a few shingles shattered under the impact, and went skittering down the roof.

Blushing, Ladybug peered down at the road as the broken tiles shattered loudly on the sidewalk. "Oops."

Adrien sauntered up beside her to join her in looking down, "Well, at least your Miraculous Ladybugs cover property damage, along with everything else." He said, snorting in laughter.

Ladybug nodded resolutely. "Speaking of, we still need a way to trap this guy; I think the akuma is in the engagement ring, it's in that box he's getting his weapons from, the only problem is he just doesn't stay down or still for very long, and he only has it visible when he's throwing stuff at us." She pondered aloud, casually whipping her yoyo up and into a helicopter spin before Adrien had even noticed the chunk of road soaring in their direction; the asphalt splattered around them in tiny granules, practically dissolving under the onslaught of Ladybug's weapon.

"And it looks like he doesn't have a problem using his environment to his advantage, either." Adrien observed, futilely brushing chunks of road out of his hair and away from his sensitive cat ears. It was nearly impossible with his completely numb hands. "Maybe if we immobilized him when he's pulling the ring out again?"

Ladybug nodded, eyes narrowed pensively as she observed the akuma still charging at them, quickly gaining ground on their resting spot. "Let's see what my charm gives me." She said slowly, almost to herself,, "Something that'll be helpful for later, hopefully…"

Ears still twitching from the gravel irritating them, Adrien cocked his head to the side and furrowed his brow.

Something was off in Ladybug's voice just now, but he wasn't sure⏤ not quite able to put a finger on the emotion in her tone.

Heh. He should totally use that later, that was a good one.

Nodding again resolutely, Ladybug took a bracing step backwards and thwipped her yoyo up into the air overhead⏤

"Lucky Charm!"

And out of the pink flash that followed fell ⏤

"A window planter?" Ladybug questioned, looking mystified at the large, rectangular, polka-dotted plant pot, complete with real red flowers as it fell heavily into her arms..

Adrien leaned forward and gave the flowers an experimental sniff. "What are you going to do with these? Make him a bouquet?"

But Ladybug was staring at the plants, considering them with her head cocked to the side, bluebell eyes squinting in thought. "Rhododendrons?" She whispered to herself, before her eyes opened wide in realization. "I'll be right back!"

"WHAT!?" Adrien yelped, nearly inhaling a mouthful of pollen when Ladybug abruptly heaved the planter high in her arms, smashing several flowers into his face. Wiping frantically at his eyes to get the cloud of yellow dust out of his eyes with just his forearms, Adrien could barley make out as Ladybug slung the planter under one arm and prepared to swing away, yoyo already cast out to the next rooftop. "Ack," He coughed, ," Ladybug, where are you going!?"

"I'll be back soon!" Ladybug called out, and before he could even reach out to grab her arm⏤ not like he could do so, anyways, it would be more like flapping his limp hand against her wrist⏤ she was swinging up and away from the roof, "Just try to keep him distracted for me!"

⏤And off into the distance, quickly vanishing into the Parisian streets as she vanished over a distante building.

CRASH!

Ears flattening against his skull, Adrien turned around to see that the akuma had nearly reached the building he was perched on, and was continuing to hurl bits of road and empty cars at him.

Crap.

Ducking into an awkward dodge roll to avoid a particularly nasty bit of metal that might have once been a bicycle, Adrien awkwardly lurched to his feet, feeling oddly like a kid playing at being a T-Rex. He kept his hands curled up against his chest, not wanting to reach out to grab something by instinct and not remember his predicament until it was too late.

"That all you got!?" Adrien taunted, swaying from side to side mockingly, knowing that he needed to buy Ladybug as much time as he could, and that, at least until she returned from her mystery errand, he couldn't risk using Cataclysm.

If he used Cataclysm too soon, and ran out of time before she returned, he would be well and truly doomed⏤ unless he was able to find and take shelter from the destructive akuma while Plagg ate his way through the thin wooden box of camembert that Adrien wouldnt be unable to open with his dead hands…

Although maybe Plagg would be able to open it himself? He wasn't sure how strong kwami were exactly, but he knew how exhausted Plagg was when they detransformed back; he couldn't risk it.

The nameless akuma roared at him and continued advancing, each foot fall shaking the city like an earth-quake; out of the corner of his eye, Adrien saw that a few citizens still remained in the area and were quietly fleeing.

Knowing he had to keep the akuma's attention on him, Adrien upped the ante; "Come on, big guy, cat got your tongue?" He shouted, doing a little jig, waving his numb hands spastically in the air, trying to be as infuriating and distracting as possible.

It worked: the akuma, who had been turning his head in the direction of the civilians, snapped back to glare poisonously at him, and bared his teeth and ⏤ oh, wow, that akuma had fangs.

"Heh, that's what I thought!" Adrien called, dancing sideways on the roof, trying his hardest to look nonchalant while he put as much distance between himself and the akuma as he could without the use of his hands. "You can't even speak, can you? You couldn't even pop the question!"

He knew he was wading into dangerous waters, but sometimes, you just had to take the plunge.

Jumping to the next rooftop over and flailing wildly as he landed for balance, Adrien glanced behind him to see the incensed akuma still pursuing him. Continuing to run, he leapt from building to building, sometimes nearly overbalancing, but finding it getting oddly easier the more he leaned into his Miraculous' instincts; instead of repeating his earlier mistake of running on all fours and crashing, he seemed to be developing a more heightened sense of his body…

The more he ran, the more he leaped, the more blows he dodged without using his hands for balance, the easier it was; it took another five rooftops and three more balconies before he realized that his tail felt… heavier?

More… there?

It was odd. His tail had always just kinda… existed. Been there. Sometimes, very rarely, it would move on its own, reacting to his emotions⏤ but he'd literally removed it and tossed it to Ladybug to be used as a belt more than that had ever happened.

Now, though?

Now it was starting to feel like… an extension of him.

A part of him.

Six more rooftops, two more cars dodged, and a poor pidgeon run into later, he could feel his tail as it moved behind him, acting as a counterbalance to his leaps and bounds, even while sneezing feathers out of his face.

Perching on a balcony for a brief reprieve in his ill-fated game of cat and mouse, Adrien breathed heavily, panting; he didn't usually get tired during akuma battles, but allergies-aside, this one had been dragging on for so long, he was starting to get worried about Ladybug; shouldn't she have come back by now?

He wished he could use his baton to check the time; he didn't know when Ladybug left the battle with her Lucky Charm, but it felt like it had been forever ago⏤ When he glanced up at the sky in the middle of a long leap, he saw that the sun, which had just been reaching it's height in the sky when Plagg eventually woke him up in the akuma's trap, was now falling towards the horizon.

How long had he been racing over the rooftops, alone?

Where was Ladybug?

He didn't want to think about it, but a part of him wondered if somehow, the akuma had hit her as a civilian when she detransformed back from casting her Lucky Charm. Was she still nearby, when he dodged that purple car that trashed an alley?

Had she been on her way back, when he ducked under that chunk of concrete that went through a storefront window?

No, I can't think like that.

He had seen a brief glimpse a young woman clutching her arm and staggering away from a broken car, but he hadn't had the chance to stop, prefering to lead the akuma away than go to her aid and put her in more danger...

But what if that had been her?

Stop it!

Leaping to the next building, and the next, and the next and the next, until all of the rooftops were running together and blurring and⏤ had he been here already? That chimney looked familiar. That broken gutter, had than been from the akuma, or was it preexisting damage?

Lost and disorientated, surrounded by the wreckage of his city, Adrien forced himself to put on a burst of speed so he could rest on a balcony further ahead; he needed to do something to communicate with Ladybug!

Landing in the shade of an awning, Adrien twisted around and tried to fumble his baton from it's holster. Something that was as easy as breathing was now nearly impossible⏤ he couldn't feel anything with his fingers and they refused to budge an inch or apply pressure no matter how much he swore and grit his teeth in frustration.

Tail lashing in agitation, more animated than he'd ever experienced it, Adrien was about to leap to the next rooftop when a thought occurred to him. Twisting around once more to look behind him, he experimentally directed his mind towards moving his tail on command; it twitched behind him, sluggishly reacting to the directed commands, slower than the instinct that moved it wildly.

Grinning broadly at the small victory, Adrien awkwardly fumbled to pick the length of leather up in his numb hands, failing multiple times until he got exasperated and pinned in between his forearms instead of trying to use his fingers at all.

There!

He couldn't feel his fingers, but with his increasing awareness of his suit's tail, he could feel his fingers on his the belt.

It was like a switch had been flipped.

It was strange, creepy, even, to suddenly have this entire new limb become an… awareness in his head. He tried to move it, and with the increased tactile sensations from his hands, he was able to flex the appropriate… muscles, for lack of a better word.

His tail snapped from side to side, as easy as moving his arms!

Excited, he coiled it up and snapped it out, wiggled it, and gripped the railing as tightly as he could with it, testing the grip; it was freaking weird being able to direct and feel from a literal leather belt as well as any other part of his body, but this was good, it was amazing!

It was... miraculous!

Adrien's ears picked up the whistle of air, and he flipped off the balcony in a grinning barrel-roll, just as the akuma's fist smashed into it.

Hawkmoth must have been getting impatient; the akuma now had the signature butterfly mask hovering over his eyes, indicating the villain was communicating with his victim, and the villain's attacks were coming in quicker, more desperate, and harder to anticipate.

Smiling a cheshire grin so wide his face was starting to hurt, Adrien landed nimbly on a window sill, snagged a strip of curtain in his mouth, and launched himself higher, no longer feeling the need to wave his arms about for balance as the fabric ripped in his sharp teeth, trailing behind him whimsically.

Sending a cocky smirk at the akuma around the pink fabric in his mouth, Adrien spread his feet into a battle stance and with a quick flick of his tail, had his baton out of it's holster and caught expertly in the coiled length.

Snaking the new appendage over his shoulder, Adrien tucked the baton into the crook of his elbow, extending it out past his wrist in a line. Pinning the end against his body, he made quick work of tying a crude knot around it with his tail and teeth, holding it in place; he wasn't sure for how long it would last, but it was better than nothing.

Spitting the taste of dryer sheets out of his mouth (must have been laundry day), Adrien snapped open the closest end of the baton open to bring up his communicator, keeping a smirking eye on the akuma as it loomed.

"What's your name, anyways?" Adrien taunted, stalking along the edge of the roof with renewed confidence now that his baton was in his 'grasp' once more, albeit an unconventional one. He would have to be careful about his swings, otherwise he would probably rip the curtain right off and be disarmed.

On his communicator, the symbol for Ladybug was flashing and rapidly converging on his location.

The sun above them was falling well and truly now, and he didn't think he'd ever had an active battle drag out as long as this one had.

He just had to hold out a little bit longer.

After all, Ladybug always won, right?

The akuma growled at him and hurled another mangled bike his way; Adrien swatted it out of the air with ease, delighting in his newly regained sense of security and confidence.

"Come on!" Adrien shouted, "You can do better than that!" He sidestepped a blast of concrete, ducked under a piece of glass that shattered loudly behind him, and cartwheeled out of the way of the akuma's fist as it punched a hole in the building.

Abruptly, the roof disappeared from beneath his feet, and Adrien yelped as he began to fall; the akuma must have hit a load-bearing wall, now the entire building was collapsing!

Reaching out with his baton, Adrien tried to stab it into a wall to stop his momentum, but couldn't get the correct angle. Growling in frustration and fear, Adrien tried again, and when the end of it simply pinged off the wall he was trying to stab, he attempted to wedge it between some support beams, something that would surely rip his arm off if he tried to do it untransformed.

The support beams collapsed under his weight.

Cursing, Adrien wished he hadn't chosen such a tall building to taunt the akuma on; his endurance was incredible while transformed, but a 20 story drop would still be able to hurt him pretty badly.

Just as he was about to close his eyes, spread his arms, and go limp to reduce the damage of his impact as much as he could, something twipped! high above him.

Smiling before the vice even tightened around his waist, Adrien rolled over so he was facing up, and got to watch as Ladybug's yoyo snapped down to grab him in real time, moving almost too quick to see.

The ground was still rushing up to meet him, but just like when they were fighting the Gorilla, he had complete confidence in his Lady.

The yoyo head wrapped around his waist, and the line snapped taunt in the blink of an eye.

If he wasn't transformed at the moment, Adrien's spine would have snapped in half under the sudden pressure as his momentum was halted so abruptly.

Grinning like a loon as gravity reversed, he reveled in his Lady's determined face as she peered down at him, relief in her eyes when she saw his was unhurt.

"Nice timing, my Lady! I must say, you're reeling in quite the catch!" He quipped with a smile as she released him from the yoyo's hold, allowing him to land next to her with his newly practiced grace.

Ladybug rolled her beautiful eyes and rubbed her temple in exasperation. "Really, Chat Noir? Two in one?" She asked, swinging her yoyo in a short circuit around her hand, obviously still ready for the fight.

"Of course, m'Lady, I am nothing if not creative!" He said, before proudly gesturing at the crude strips of curtain holding his baton to his arm.

A familiar battle cry interrupted whatever Ladybug's response was going to be, and, shocked, ear's twitching madly, Adrien turned and saw…

Chloé Bourgeois?

Yep, yeah, okay, that was Chloé Bourgeois, currently delivering a roundhouse kick to the akuma's face.

"Queen Bee!?" Adrien gasped, excitement and pride for his first friend overriding even his relief at seeing Ladybug here to back him up, "You brought her back?!

Ladybug smiled slightly at his exuberance and nodded, thwipping her yoyo out to snag the akuma's hand as he tried to swat Chloé out of the air mid-leap.

"Of course, she is a fantastic hero." Ladybug said, pride evident in her own voice, even as she pulled on her yoyo's lead, forcing the akuma's trapped hand to slam into the edge of the roof, keeping it restrained as Chloé taunted the akuma from a distance, goading him into bringing out his akumatized object.

"I bet it's the ugliest ring in existence! No wonder she rejected you, you probably couldn't even afford one out of a cereal box! Hah, you think it's beautiful? Then prove it! Show me it, i'll be the judge of its beauty!" Chloé goaded, looking gleeful and she leapt nimbly around the akuma, dodging his swats and swipes, looking more like she was flying then leaping.

Adrien, mesmerized with his friend's rarely shown feats of agility and grace, was shocked when the akuma fell for it.

The nameless akuma growled in anger at her insults, before reaching into his back pocket with his free hand. Hawkmoth's communication mask appeared over the man's face, but he waved it away dismissively, retrieving the box from his pocket and proudly opening it up to show Chloé the glittering black ring inside-

And Chloé swooped in, brought out her spinning top, and Stung the akuma, freezing him in place with the ring out in plain sight.

Adrien stared at the frozen akuma, even as Ladybug cheered Chloé on, smiling broadly and waving Chloé over.

He'd been dodging this akuma, racing through the streets and rooftop for hours, for this guy to just go down…. That easily?

Where was the epic final showdown? Where was Ladybug's convoluted Lucky Charm plan?

Not going to happen, apparently.

"Good job, Queen Bee!" Ladybug praised, drawing his friend in for a hug, and Adrien found his incredulous disappointment disappearing in the face of Chloé's starstruck gaze as she looked at Ladybug, overcome at the simple show of affection.

Grinning at his friend and unable to resist the chance to get closer to Ladybug, Adrien sauntered closer and draped his free hand over Ladybug's shoulder, allowing his numb white fingers to flop down her arm and leaning his head against her shoulder. "Group hug!" He said cheerfully, "Now, M'Lady, what's your plan to break his object? Something cunning? Clever? Convoluted?"

Eying the frozen akuma in front of them, Adrien tried to count how many seconds had passed since Chloé used her power. He didn't think it had been a minute yet, but he knew they only had five minutes before it wore off…

"Nope!" Ladybug said, an odd cheerfulness in her voice, and Adrien his head, still resting on her shoulder, turned to look up at her, confused at the change in tone.

Before he could complete the (hopefully) suave move, Ladybug had reached up, gripped his forearm, and then he was flying through the air, whirling head over heels as she chucked him at the akuma.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Adrien tried vainly to deny that he had, in fact, just screamed like a girl, but the sound of Chloé behind him cracking up into laughter dispelled his illusion. Snapping his mouth shut and cutting the embarassing sound off mid-scream, Adrien quickly caught on to Ladybug's plan, slightly annoyed at her not telling him ahead of time.

Then again, that meant she trusted him to know how her mind worked, so was that progress!?

Yeah, he was going to go with that.

Spinning his tail to help him twist in midair, Adrien snagged the end of the crude knot tying his baton to his hand with his fangs and pulled it loose, then caught his baton in his jaws before it could fall. Biting on the control button, he allowed it to shrink down to a more manageable size and stretched his now free hand out in front of him.

"Cataclysm!"

Pure, destructive energy gathered and bubbled up in his right hand, originating at his Miraculous and spreading out like hot water to cover the tips of his fingers, palm and back of his knuckles. Black, poisonous mist gathered around his hand, sizzling ominously as he sailed through the air, leaving a trail of noxious bubbles in his wake.

Angling himself with the added help of his tail, Adrien slammed his numb palm down on the exposed engagement ring, disintegrating it and the black box around it into ashes.

Cataclysm spent, Adrien tried to catch hold of and cling to the akuma's arm, but with his hands still useless, he wasn't able to get a grip, and went flailing through the air.

Crap crap crap crap⏤ !

Then, behind and above him, he heard the best thing in the world:

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

There was a bright, almost blinding flash of light and then⏤

A swarm of beautiful, sparkling red Miracu-bugs washed over him, bathing him in warmth and comfort as their healing magic suffused his body. His exhaustion vanished and Adrien let out a celebratory woop as feeling to his fingers and hands was restored.

Allowing the little Miracubugs to leave him behind, Adrien grabbed his baton from his mouth and with practiced ease, extended the pole and used it to redirect his momentum, delighting in the return of his full mobility.

Twisting in an acrobatic vault that would hopefully impress his Lady, Adrien leapt from building to building, working his way back up to where Ladybug was talking to the victim: a young adult, who didn't look much older than himself was sitting on the ground, looking dejected.

"...sk her ahead of time what she thought about marriage?" Ladybug was asking, her voice gentle but obviously leading up to something.

The victim shook his head, "No, but… I wanted it to be romantic! I wanted to surprise her! It should have been one of the best days of my life! But then I just⏤ I couldn't work up the nerve to ask! I was already on one knee so I just⏤ I just shoved it into her hands!" The man moaned in despair, hiding his face behind his knees, clutching at the now-repaired engagement ring. "She's going to hate me now! I botched it up, I ruined it!"

"C'mon, Mr. Morau, I'm sure she doesn't hate you," Ladybug consoled, dropping down into a crouch so they were on a more even level, "In fact, I think you should go find her, and talk to her."

"You should apologize." She said, and Adrien, walking up, was stunned, freezing in place as he stared at her.

Was she…

Was Ladybug saying the akuma victim should apologize for becoming an akuma victim!?

Senses immediately on high alert, Adrien dropped his baton into a more battle-ready grip, subtly altering his stance, ready to pounce at the first sign of an akumatized object.

He'd obviously had the effects of the Miracubugs used on him, and even now he could see them traversing over the city, repairing all of the damage and injuries, traveling in a humongous swarm.

Could… Could Hawkmoth send out more than one akuma? Had he sent one out to wait until they were distracted, and akumatized Ladybug!?

She would NEVER blame an akuma victim for their akumatization!

Never!

Something was seriously wrong here!

Stalking forward but acting as casual as possible, Adrien sidled up beside his Lady and tried to be casual about scrutinizing her appearance, looking for anything black that was out of place.

"Why, for messing up my proposal so badly?" The man asked tearfully, but Ladybug shook her head.

"No, but you should apologize for not taking about marriage before springing it on her, in public no less. Marriage is a big step in a relationship, and if you feel you're ready for it, you should talk to your partner, and see if they're ready too." Ladybug explained gently, and Adrien felt his hackles lowering as he relaxed his stance.

Okay, so Ladybug wasn't victim-blaming, good.

That would have been totally out of character, and only someone like Hawkmoth would think it was believable for Paris' number one hero to act that way.

Sighing in relief, Adrien's ears pricked back up when he heard Chloé's Miraculous giving it's warning beep; his would sound soon enough.

Since he was close enough, Adrien glanced at Ladybug's earrings and saw the she had all five spots left⏤ and in fact, hers were not flashing at all!

Recalling the fight after Ladybug arrived, Adrien realized she had not needed to use her Lucky Charm a second time, and thus, did not have a timer! Darn it, this would be such a good time to ask her out! But how would he persuade her? He would have to run off to detransform, then run back, and hope she didn't have plans!

"Queen Bee, it looks like you're going to detransform back soon," Ladybug said, and that odd tone of voice was back, Adrien trained his ears on her again, observing her body language.

She looked… guarded.

Had she and Chloé gotten into an argument? It wouldn't be the first time, but he thought they were friends now!

"Here, Mr. Morau, I'll give you a lift back to the ground. You go find your girlfriend and talk to her, honestly, okay?" Ladybug suddenly said, odd demeanor vanishing into the air again as she helped the civilian to his feet. Ladybug slung her yoyo to a light pole and leapt from the building with the slightly more composed man clinging to her tightly, eyes wide as they descended.

"I'll be right back, Chat Noir! Wait for me, okay?" Ladybug called, and Adrien stared after her, confused but growing elated.

She wanted him to wait for her?

Usually, at this point she would be encouraging him to run away to keep his identity a secret!

Ohmygod he thought, dazedly, what if she wants to know who I am finally!?

His Miraculous let out it's first beep, and Adrien felt excitement building up in his nerves as he got to stand there and wait for Ladybug instead of fleeing.

Unable to hold still, Adrien condensed his baton again and started flipping it between his fingers, marveling at how dexterous he was once more with the full use of his hands back.

Grinning over at Chloé, Adrien practically pranced over to her, wondering if he would be able to reveal himself to her as well? But even he knew Chloé wasn't the best at keeping secrets...

Then again…

He wasn't sure now, how many people had been there, when Chloé first pulled out her Miraculous in public. How many people had caught a glimpse of Pollen, Chloé's kwami?

Not many.

His father might have some vague knowledge of what a kwami was, because he had that ancient Miraculous book for his inspiration, but Adrien wasn't sure⏤ he hadn't gotten a particularly close look at it, just enough to wonder where his father had gotten it from. Pollen's apparance had been so brief, many people might have forgotten about it in the excitement of Chloé Bourgeois transforming into a superhero in front of their eyes.

But… Chloé had never mentioned Pollen to anyone.

She had never mentioned kwami, or their existence, to anyone in the class during her documentaries, or any other time she was bragging about her heroics.

He knew that Chloé had found the Bee Miraculous at least a day before she transformed⏤ she knew enough about her powers, about the activation phrase, and everything that she must have sat down and talked to Pollen well ahead of time; Pollen must have impressed upon Chloé the need to keep kwami and the secrets of the Miraculous just that⏤ a secret.

"Sooo, Queen Bee," Adrien said, sidling up to where she was examining her nails as though they were visible through her suit; Adrien squinted to make sure they weren't, momentarily unsure if he was remembering right. "What do you think Ladybug wants to talk to us about?"

The look Chloé shot him, when their eyes briefly met, was one he had never been on the receiving end of.

Calculating and cold assessment, like he was just another fanboy looking to woo the Mayor's daughter, and she was wondering how to best use the situation to her advantage.

Then it was gone when she blinked, and Adrien stared, wondering if he had imagined the look.

"I'm so excited!" Chloé squealed, suddenly animated, lunging forward until she was gripping his shoulders and jumping up and down in place, "You'll never believe it, loverboy! And Ladybug wanted me to keep it a secret for now, but⏤"

"Queen Bee!" Ladybug said, sounding exasperated, as she appeared from the edge of the roof, landing lightly next to them. "I told you I wanted to tell you together." She chided, looking slightly amused, but once again, something was… off about her voice, or her body language, or both.

Adrien couldn't pin it down exactly, but something… weird was going on.

Ladybug interrupted his train of thought, holding out a small, wrapped something in his direction, offering another one to Chloé. "Here. Queen Bee, you can detransform back here, no one else is around. Chat Noir, there should be an empty building two streets in that direction," Ladybug pointed to his left, and he accepted the small package from her, mystified, "See the one with the red roof? That one, there. It's abandoned, but you can detransform back, feed your kwami, and then meet back up with us…"

Ladybug faltered suddenly, blushing slightly. Her hand dropped from it's imperious pointing and began to play with her hair instead, "I- I mean, if you're free, tonight, that is. I ⏤ I wanted to arrange a get together, for the three of us, I wanted to talk to you about some things but if you're busy we can totally do it another night⏤"

It took Adrien a moment to get his brain working again, and he was quick to interrupt Ladybug's rare rambling, completely and utterly spellbound by what she was suggesting.

She wants to spend time together, without akuma!? She wants to talk to me!?

"As if I could ever say 'no' to you, Buggaboo!" Adrien exclaimed, vibrating in excitement once more. He frantically cast his gaze to the red roof she had indicated, resisting the urge to leap away immediately; the sooner he detransformed the sooner he could transform back and spend hours with his lady! "Where did you want to meet up!?"

He looked back at Ladybug in time to see the tail-end of a grimace on her face, and realized he should probably dial down the enthusiasm a bit.

Crap.

I must sound so immature to her right now.

… How many times has she had to deal with this?

And...

...Am I the youngest partner she's had?

He tried to imagine having a twelve year old as his partner, and grimaced himself at the thought.

"Sorry, m'Lady, I'm still a little jittery from that akuma," Adrien said, forcing his voice to sound normal, and not show the bubbling of hysterical excitement building up in his chest. "See? My hands are still shaky!" He held up one of his hands, which was indeed trembly from a combination of some leftover adrenaline from the fight, but now he was Just! So! Pumped!

HE HAD A DATE WITH LADYBUG!

That… odd smile was back on Ladybug's face, but at least she appreciated his calmer tone. "That's okay, Chat Noir, that was a pretty long battle. You handled yourself pretty well without me." She said, waving off his apology. "Did you want to meet us at the Eiffel Tower in say, twenty minutes? That should give your kwami plenty of time to eat and recharge."

Nodding along while trying his hardest to look cool as a cucumber, Adrien grinned at Ladybug and held the hand-sized package she had given him gently to his chest. "Of course, m'Lady! I shall meet you and Queen Bee there shortly."

Backing away in a bow, Adrien slipped the soft package into his larger waist pocket before backflipping off of the roof with a woop.

Grinning like an idiot and feeling his face burning with a blush, Adrien quickly pole vaulted his way to the abandonded building Ladybug had indicated to him; pausing on a balcony adjacent to it, he examined the exterior before finding a suitibly broken window he could fit through.

Launching himself across the alley, he managed to slip through the window without breaking too much of the remaining glass, though it was a tight squeeze. Shaking some dust out of his hair as his Miraculous gave it's second warning, he glanced around the empty floor he was on, taking in the numerous cobwebs and dust floating in the air, disturbed only by his presence.

Deeming the area safe and empty, Adrien removed the slightly-squashed package from his pocket, dusted off a bit of the floor with his glove, and sat it down in the clean patch.

Straightening back up and raising his hand, Adrien cried:

"Plagg! Claws in!"

Green light flared around him as the transformation lifted away, spiraling up from his feet like an upside down shower, all of the warmth of the magic being sucked back into the ring⏤

And out zipped a dizzy Plagg, who groaned and would have fallen out of the air if Adrien hadn't caught him in time.

Huh?

Plagg lay practically limp in his hands, and the kwami's head was lolling from side to side, eyes barely able to open as he pawed at the air weakly.

Concerned, Adrien dropped to his hands and knees, cradling his kwami close to his face as he tried to examine him to see what was wrong; he always acted tired, but never like this!

"Plagg!? Plagg! What's wrong!?" Adrien demanded frantically, almost ready to start shouting and hoping Ladybug would hear him.

Could kwami get sick!?

"F⏤ foooood!" Plagg cried desperately, looking on the verge of tears as he clutched his tiny stomach, "I need food! Please! I won't do it again, I swear! Just please, I need food!"

Alarmed at his kwami's nonsensical rambling, Adrien was horrified when he realized that Plagg literally looked skinnier in the dim lighting, almost skeletal.

Panicking, Adrien patted desperately at his jacket pockets, before realizing he'd left his bag with the camembert at school!

"Plagg! I'm so sorry! I don't have anything with me!" Adrien said, starting to panic in earnest.

His kwami let out a small, barely-audible sob, and Adrien was on his feet in an instant. "Don't worry Plagg! Ladybug's nearby, she'll be able to⏤ "

Something soft crunched beneath his shoe, and Adrien jumped a foot in the air, scared out of his wits before he remembered the package Ladybug had handed to him.

Ducking back into a crouch and trying not to jostle Plagg who had gone eerily silent in his hands while still shaking like a leaf, Adrien cradled his kwami to his chest with one hand and frantically ripped through the brown paper wrapping around whatever Ladybug had handed to him.

Please be cheese, please be cheese, please be cheese!

When he finally managed to unfold the infernal wrapping with his shaking hand, Adrien discovered a…

Weird bread loaf?

It was about the size of his outstretched hand, and had checkerboard slits carved all around the edges, except for a round part in the middle, that looked like it had been scooped out and filled with melted⏤

"CHEESE!" Plagg cried, sounding slightly more energized as the smell of the camembert bread wafted up to him.

Before Adrien could even raise the cheesy bread up to Plagg's height, Plagg apparently decided he didn't want to wait for Adrien to move it for him.

Plagg rolled right out of Adrien's hand and dove at the food, attacking it with a ferocity Adrien had never seen.

Still freaked out by his kwami's weird behavior, Adrien tried to reach out and move the bread closer to his kwami⏤

And flinched back when Plagg hissed at him, pupils nothing but blank pinpricks in his large green eyes.

Feral green eyes.

Heart pounding deafeningly in his head, Adrien scooted back desperately on the dusty floor, staring at his kwami as Plagg's fur stood on end, jealously guarding the food as he scarfed it down frantically, barely pausing for air.

Lightheaded with a mixture of terror and confusion, it took Adrien a moment to realize he himself wasn't breathing, and he let it out in a quiet gasp. "L-" he croaked, "L-Ladybug!"

But his voice refused to raise above a choked whisper, and he realized she was too far away to hear him, even if she was still on that rooftop that now felt miles away.

What's wrong with Plagg?!

Hands shaking for real now, Adrien fumbled to his pants pocket, trying to find his phone, only for his heart to sink even further when he realized that it too, was left behind in the destroyed classroom.

I can't even call Master Fu.

Tears burned at the corners of his eyes as he watched Plagg eating so desperately, eyes roving each and every way as though waiting for someone to snatch it from him⏤ waiting for Adrien to snatch it from him!

He had teased Plagg about food before, but surely Plagg knew he would never take it from him?

Not… Not seriously?

Oh my god⏤ did he really think I would take away his food!?

Apparently so.

"Plagg?" He called tremulously, "It's ⏤ It's okay, no one's going to take your food away. You can eat as much as you want." He said, trying to keep his voice even, throat burning with remorse. He didn't know what had happened to make Plagg so hungry, so thin, so… starving, but he wanted to reassure him as much as he could.

Was this… was this because he was transformed for so long?

He had spent hours running around as Chat Noir today, probably the longest he had ever gone in one go, without recharging periodically after using Cataclysm.

Was that it?

Or was it because of the oddity of his tail?

Was the Miraculous… had it been bonding with him faster out of necessity, when he was handicapped?

He had never even considered his tail to be just that⏤ a tail⏤ he had always considered it to be something that was purely cosmetic until today, where, over the course of a scant few hours, it went from a cosmetic embellishment to a fully functioning limb.

Had he caused this?

Had he drained Plagg of so much energy by drawing on the power of the Miraculous too quickly? He hadn't even been aware he was doing it!

A sob escaped his throat before he could contain it, and guilt swarmed over his heart as the tears escaped, wracking his body as he sat huddled on the floor, coughing in the dusty air, smearing dirt across his face when he tried in vain to scrub the tears out of his eyes, squeezing them shut to block out Plagg's panic.

Was this something that would happen, every time he transformed from now on? Was his quest to 'evolve' faster going to make Plagg suffer like this, every time, or was today just a fluke? Had his handicap sped up the process temporarily, or was it going to keep doing this to Plagg?

Had he somehow damaged his Miraculous during the fight?

The sudden silence around him made his blood freeze, and Adrien's eyes snapped open, desperately looking for Plagg in the gloom.

His kwami was lying motionless on the floor, next to the empty brown paper wrapper.

"Plagg!?" Adrien choked out, and dashed forward on his hands and knees, heedless of the disgusting dust and dirt being ground into his clothes, nor the fact that Plagg could very well attack him in his fear. He didn't care.

If Plagg needed help, he was going to help him!

The closer he got, the clearer he could make out his kwami, and when he finally reached his side, he saw that Plagg was glowing softly in the darkness, as if lit from within.

The light smattering of what Adrien affectionately referred to (only in his head, of course) as 'stardust' freckles on his forehead was glowing softly in the gloom, well and truly looking like Plagg had a galaxy imprinted in his thin fur.

"Plagg?" Adrien whispered, and when there was no immediate response, he carefully scooped Plagg up in his hands, cradling him gently to his chest. "C'mon, bud, let me know you're 'okay'. I can take you to Master Fu, or Ladybug, but I don't know how I can get out of here by myself…"

Casting his gaze about desperately, Adrien stumbled to his feet and made his way to the window, trying to see if he could spot the tell-tale red of Ladybug anywhere, or if she had already made her way to the Eiffel Tower.

How long had it been since he detransformed?

Five minutes? Ten?

Close enough to the broken window that some one the twilight haze was filtering in, Adrien squinted down at his watch; it was 5:58pm.

He stared at the numbers, uncomprehending.

He didn't… he didn't know how long he had been unconscious for, he didn't know how long it had taken Plagg to wake him up, or what time, exactly, he had transformed. It was one thing to know the entire day had gone by, but another to see it in actual numbers and time.

The faintest whisper ghosted over his senses, then, more audibly, "...Adrien?"

"Plagg!" Adrien gasped, tearing his gaze away from the darkening sky, and looking down at his kwami; Plagg's unearthly glow had faded, and with the light gone his appearance was restored: no longer did he look skeletally thin, but neither had he regained his usual chubbiness entirely, either.

"H-hey, Kid. S-sorry about that, I was a little out of it for a bit, there." Plagg said quietly, floating cautiously out of Adrien's hands⏤ Adrien followed him with his fingers a distance below him, ready to catch him again if need be⏤ "Uh, you can… you can ignore anything weird I said, okay? I mean, if I even said anything."

"Are you okay!?" Adrien whispered, leaning into peer at his kwami⏤ but Plagg shied away from the close contact, like he always did.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, I just had a little too much energy used up today, that's all." Plagg said, waving his flipper paws about like it was no big deal that he was acting like he had been dying.

"You hissed at me." Adrien said dumbly, blinking down at his kwami, as tears pricked his eyes again, "You were guarding your food, like you thought I was going to take it away."

Plagg's eyes, still glowing brighter green then usual, widened, and the unease that filled the little kwami instantly was palpable.

Shivering and twitching his whickers, Plagg clutched his little paws to his chest and stared at the floor intently, avoiding Adrien's. "Oh. Uh, did I?" he asked weakly, "Are you sure you didn't imagine it? Maybe this is alllll just a baaaaad dream..."

But Adrien was having none of Plagg's deflections.

Crouching down so he and Plagg were at eye level, Adrien reached out and with just a fingertip, gently brushed it along the side of Plagg's face, making the little kwami close his eyes; either in a pleased response to the touch, or a fearful one.

The fact that Adrien couldn't tell the difference was heartbreaking.

How did It take me so long to see?

"You know I would never do that to you, right?" Adrien whispered, staring intently at Plagg's downcast eyes, watching as Plagg's fur was gently ruffled with the passing of his breath.

"And I promise, from now on, I won't joke about it, either. I didn't realize how upsetting it was, or how… drastic your exhaustion after transforming me was. I'm sorry." Adrien apologized, and then all of a sudden Plagg had tackled his chest in a hug, the surprising strength in his kwami's move almost knocking him backwards.

"Woah!" Adrien said, trying to keep his balance as the teeniest, tiniest purr in the world began against his chest. "Plagg, are you okay now?"

The purring stopped, and Adrien looked down in time to see Plagg hastily drying his eyes on his jacket, before spinning around and floating haughtily in the air, paws crossed in indignation.

"Of course I am! Now, are you going to go all mushy on me again, or are you going to go and meet up with Ladybug?" Plagg asked, turning his head to waggle his non-existent eyebrows at Adrien over his shoulder, "I heard you two have a date..."

But Adrien wasn't settled, just yet. "Are you sure, Plagg? You looked so tired before…"

He could still see it in his head, in nightmare HD: Plagg, nothing but skin and bones, too weak to move.

"Yes, yes, I'm sure, just… just make sure to take breaks between battles, okay? At least until the Miraculous has bonded with you more at a… slower pace." Plagg said, shivering despite his attempt at reassurance.

Adrien nodded frantically; he'd been right! It was because of that whole tail thing!

"And make sure you always have cheese with you! You're lucky Ladybug makes the best Camembert Bread in the world! It's been a few millennium since I had it that good!" Plagg scolded, eyes and tone going soft and dreamy at the mention of Ladybug's gift. "If you want to make it up to me, you can ask her for some more! Tell her she still owes me a platter-full!"

Rolling his eyes, but smiling gratefully at the return of Plagg's usual humor. "I'll make sure to pass on the message!" Adrien said, before holding up his hand, waiting until Plagg met his eyes. "If you're ready then?"

Plagg nodded, and Adrien gave one last glance down at his watch, before calling out:

"Plagg, Claws out!"

It was 6:15pm.

He might be a litttle bit late to meet Ladybug.

But it was worth it to make sure Plagg was safe.

Swooping through the broken window, Adrien hopped onto the adjacent roof and scaled it until the Eiffel Tower was in clear view, backlit by the falling sun.

From this great distance, he could just barely make out two little figures perched on the platform near the top: one red and one yellow smudge.

As he leapt away from the building, he heard a faint… rustling, almost a ...flutter?

But then he realized he had left the wrapper from Ladybug's gift behind in the abandoned building, and a breeze had followed him through the broken window.

Just paper, fluttering in the wind, that was all

"Here I come, m'Lady!" Adrien shouted gleefully to Paris at large, and started making his way to the Eiffel Tower, not bothering to look back.

Chapter Text

If Chat Noir had looked back:

'Fly, my little akuma, and evilize their wretched hearts!'

A butterfly, fluttering in the darkness.

Dust motes swimming in the air, following in its wake.

It's wings once purest-white, now coated almost entirely in a poisonous corruption of seething negativity.

The akuma flew through the building aimlessly for a moment, temporarily lost as the negative emotions that had drawn it faded entirely to be replaced with positive ones.

It briefly investigated a pastry wrapper, but the sad emotions briefly tied to it had been entirely overridden with the hope that had gone into it's making.

'Follow Chat Noir, my little akuma, this might be our chance to catch Chat Noir and Ladybug! Chloé Bourgeois is with them, this is the perfect time!'

Turning towards the open window, the akuma fluttered through the broken glass and followed Chat Noir as he made his way to the Eiffel Tower, not bothering to look behind him.

So much would have changed, if he had.

DAY 2

"Queen Bee, could you do me a favor?" Crouched on top of the Eiffel tower and waiting for Chat Noir to show up again, Chloé Bourgeois was pulled from her thoughts by the quiet voice of her role model.

Blinking her gaze away from the parisian skyline, Chloé turned, beaming, to look at Ladybug. "Of course! I'd do anything for you, Ladybug!" She simpered, leaning forward eagerly.

But Ladybug held up a hand to stall her enthusiasm. "I'm serious, Queen Bee. This is a favor, nothing more⏤ if you're not comfortable, feel free to say 'no'."

Hearing the seriousness in her hero's voice, Chloé paused, wondering what was on Ladybug's mind⏤ as far as she was aware, the akuma battle had gone off without a hitch⏤ Ladybug hadn't even needed to use her Lucky Charm again after she came to recruit Chloé!

Because Chloé was just that good.

Chat Noir had been tossed by Ladybug straight at the akuma, and thanks to her brilliant aim, he was able to Cataclysm the akumatized object and destroy it⏤ but only after Chloé tricked the idiot akuma into showing his object, then Stung him into paralysis.

After Ladybug had talked to the victim and reassured that lamer, the three of them had agreed (on Ladybug's urging) to meet up again after Chat Noir recharged.

Ladybug had something planned for after the battle, and she had been acting oddly around Chat Noir from what Chloé could see.

In fact, Ladybug had fetched her, not just to fight the akuma, but because she wanted Chloé's help with a secret mission!

Or, well, that's what Chloé was calling it in her head, anyways.

When Ladybug had freed her from that tacky ring box the akuma had trapped her in, Ladybug had told Chloé she needed her help with a personal matter after the battle.

Ladybug made an oddly specific request for Chloé to, at some point, run up to Chat Noir and act all excited about 'the secret' Ladybug was going to reveal later on, so that Ladybug could interrupt their conversation to sound amused.

'Uh, okay Ladybug!' Chloé had responded, and now, here they were.

"What do you want me to do?" Chloé asked, turning more fully to face her hero, observing how the city lights highlighted Ladybug's beautiful sky-blue eyes, and sent shimmers through her dark hair whose exact color Chloé couldn't quite put her finger on.

Ladybug was perched on the railing beside her, looking pensive and uncertain. She was staring down at her hands, which where curled up in her lap, with her feet swinging in and out against the railing quickly, over and over in rare, unhidden nervousness.

"I want you to flirt with Chat Noir."

Out of all of the words that could have come out of Ladybug's mouth, that was not what Chloé was expecting.

"What!?"

Ladybug clenched her fists at her response, and Chloé took a moment to remind herself this was Ladybug, and she always had a good reason for even the oddest requests, even if it wasn't immediately apparent.

"Why?" Chloé amended, staring at Ladybug's averted eyes, speaking in a quieter, hushed voice. "Do you think another akuma is out there?"

A pause, and Chloé had a moment of horror: "Do you think Chat Noir's an akuma?"

That got a laugh out of Ladybug, albeit a slightly hysterical one.

After watching her hero nearly topple backwards off of the railing laughing, Chloé reached out a hand to steady her, feeling the older woman still shaking with that weird combination of giggles and nervousness.

"No, no, nothing that serious!" Ladybug said, brushing her free hand over her face, and pushing her dark hair out of her stunningly blue eyes, "But, it is serious. It's something that's been bothering me for a little while, and I don't think anyone's ever told Chat Noir, really told him. Explained to him, really showed him. We've never had a chance before, to properly talk, outside of battle, because we always have to run off to transform. I… I also wanted another girl there, here, if possible, so I wouldn't have to involve a random civilian, I was going to ask Rena Rouge but my Lucky Charm told me to get you instead…"

Squeezing the red-spotted hand she was holding for comfort as the older woman spoke, and ignoring how her idol was rambling now, Chloé wondered where this was going.

Ladybug wanted her to flirt with Chat Noir, as a way of explaining something to him?

What did that even mean?

"But, what does that have to do with me flirting with him?" Chloé asked finally, after Ladybug had trailed off, the ancient hero gazing out at the sunset that was just beginning to paint the city with hues of orange and pink.

Tearing her gaze away from the skyline again, Ladybug let a small smile ghost across her face, the absolute softest expression Chloé had ever seen on her hero. "Did I ever tell you I'm in love with someone?"

Shocked at the proclamation, Chloé's brain immediately latched onto the 'someone' in that confession. "But not Chat Noir?" She asked to clarify, starting to see where this was going, "Everyone thinks you're a couple, though! Chat Noir said you were!"

Ladybug's smile slipped away, to be replaced with a pensive frown. She looked slightly sad, but more than that, she looked aggrieved.

Agitated, resentful.

Swinging herself around and hopping onto the small platform behind them, Ladybug slipped her hand out of Chloé's hold effortlessly and began to pace, teeth gritted and pulling on her dark pigtails as she stalked and spoke, starting quietly but gaining volume and vehemence with every word.

"Exactly, and that is the problem. I have told Chat Noir too many times that I love someone else, but he still flirts with me all the time, he still tries to kiss my hand or me! He still calls me buggaboo even though I hate that name, he still tries to tell everyone we'll be dating some day, that we should discuss our nonexistent relationship on live tv; he sets up this super time-involved surprise that I told him I would not be able to go to, and then throws a hissy fit during an akuma battle when I didn't show up! Even though I told him, I wouldn't be able to come to his surprise because I had prior obligations!"

Chloé watched Ladybug ranting, and saw past the obvious anger to see the hurt that lay beneath, she saw the tears shimmering in her hero's eyes, the betrayal.

"So, tonight, I'm going to tell him again. For the last time. But, while I'm telling him, when he arrives, I want you to flirt with him, I want you to insist on holding his hand, I want you to hug him, I want you to try to kiss him, and ignore him every time he tells you he's in love with me⏤ if you're comfortable with this act." Ladybug said, whirling to face Chloé and moving forward until she was the one capturing both of Chloé's hands, staring beseechingly into her eyes.

"You want me to do what he's been doing to you, to prove your point?" Chloé asked to clarify, and saw the relief in Ladybug's eyes at her understanding. "Ask no more, Ladybug, I've got your back! If you love someone else, he should respect that, or if he can't, he should respect you, and your wishes, if he supposedly loves you."

No sooner had Chloé finished speaking than they heard the familiar, distant clang of Chat Noir's baton as he vaulted himself across the rooftops.

Moving back to the railing in sync, Chloé and Ladybug both looked down to see Chat Noir expertly launching himself off of his baton, clinging to the side of the tower so far below them. Chat Noir clipped the shrunken weapon to his back, and then began bounding up the tower on all fours, leaping from railing to railing like a true cat.

Chloé envied his grace.

There was something odd though, about how he was moving… something different… something... off. More?

"I'm going to head up a little higher, before he sees me, that way you can have a moment alone to see how he reacts, but I'll keep an eye on you the whole time." Ladybug said, interrupting Chloé's thoughts, squeezing her hand once before swinging upwards with her yoyo and out of sight.

I wonder how Chat Noir moves so much like a cat, but Ladybug, who's so much older, doesn't really fly or anything? She's been a Miraculous holder for so long, shouldn't she have more abilities? Or maybe it's like that nerd of a Ladyblogger said, she doesn't want to embarass Chat Noir. I wonder, will I get any other powers the longer I'm transformed?

Seeing that Chat Noir was getting closer, Chloé pushed those thoughts to the side to ask Pollen or Ladybug later, and put on her Acting Face⏤ and not a moment too soon.

"Chat Noir!" She shrieked, rushing forward and sweeping the young hero up in a hug as soon as he stepped over the railing, "You were amazing with that akuma today! Oh my gosh, that was so brave, how you destroyed it! Ahh! You're my hero!"

Chloé leaned forward and up in his arms, puckering her lips and missing his as he turned his face away, kissing air instead as he pressed his arms between the two of them, gently pushing her away.

"Thanks Chloé! You were great too!" Chat Noir said happily, sleuthing his way out of her hold and maneuvering them until he was beside her, with one hand clapped on her shoulder companionably.

"Heyyyy!" Chloé reprimanded, pouting and waggling her yellow-tipped fingers at Chat Noir's face, which was smudged with dirt and dust for some reason, ew, "You have to call me Queen Bee when I'm suited up! It's unprofessional otherwise!"

Ignoring how Chat Noir was leaning out of her annoyed reach without effort, Chloé leaned into his side again, forcing him to slide his hand from one shoulder to the other, to stop himself from falling as she put her weight against him and batted her eyelids up at him in a swoon, "Of course, if you ever wanted to go out some time, off the clock… I'd be more than happy to let you call me Chloé, but only if you let me call you Kitty…"

Chat Noir's face stalled for a second as he processed her words, but almost instantly his face turned into a grimace and he frowned down at her, sad and regretful.

"Chloé⏤ Queen Bee, you know how I feel, I'm in love with Ladybug…" Chat Noir said, sternly taking a large step away from her. "You know I could never return your feelings, I've told you before, and I'm sorry if I'm hurting your feelings, but I… I don't love you."

"But you will, someday, don't you see, Chat Noir? It's destiny! We're both super heroes, no one else could understand me the way you do!" Chloé said confidently, crossing her arms and sauntering forward, "Someday, you'll fall for me, you'll see, that if you just gave us a chance, we're perfect for each other! It's okay that you don't love me back right now, because I know you'll fall for me, I just need to be patient."

Chloé smiled, all teeth, and said, "But until then, can you blame me for being dazzled by your brilliance and your bravery? How can I not want to be near you when my love for you is so strong?" Chloé reached for Chat Noir's hand, and seized it gently when he tried to pull it out of her reach.

"How can I resist telling you how dazzling your green eyes are, here in the sunset above paris? How can I resist your feline grace when I see you running on all fours across the rooftops with such agility?"

Pulling herself closer to him and ignoring how he tried to gently extricate himself from her hold, she pulled him into a hug, using a little bit of her enhanced strength as she rested her head on his chest, leaning against him a bit so she could tuck her head under his chin, listening to his thundering heartbeat. "Will you purr like a cat, when you realize the truth in my words? Would you hold me like this, when normal life is too much?"

"Queen Bee." Chat Noir's voice was sharp, almost breathy, and she could almost feel him shaking as she gradually reduced the super strength she was using, allowing him to push her away. She would have felt bad for scaring him and making him uncomfortable⏤

⏤But she had heard Ladybug's rant, and seen the evidence herself first hand how often he tried to kiss Ladybug, how often he held her hand long after pulling her to safety, how often he invaded her personal space, and how more and more vehement Ladybug had been getting in denying their relationship, in denying his affection, in insisting she did not love him back and there was someone else, please stop, I do not want you to touch me like that.

She liked Chat Noir, she really did. Not that way, but she really did consider them friends.

He was a good hero, too.

He just…

He just needed to get his head out of his ass, to put it bluntly.

"It's okay, Chat Noir, some day you'll love me the way I love you." She said as she allowed him to pull away, watching his eyes (avoiding hers, now) that were wide, and how his hands were trembling still, though the rest of his shaking was under control.

"I'm sorry, Queen Bee, but I… I don't feel that way. Where is Ladybug?" Chat Noir said, backing away until there was a distance between them and folding his arms protectively across his chest and looking away from her.

His voice, too, was shaky and uncertain, a far cry from his usual confident swagger, clearly very uncomfortable.

"She said she wanted to meet up. I thought I saw her up here with you up here, where did she go? I don't… I'm sorry but… I need to get home, if she's not coming. I⏤ I'll have to escort you to the ground, and return your Miraculous if she's busy. I⏤"

Apparently, Ladybug had decided Chat Noir had stewed long enough, and with a thwip! And the smallest of thuds, Ladybug had re-alighted on the platform from above, landing lightly on her feet next to Chloé.

"Oh, hey Chat Noir! Sorry, I didn't realize you were down here, I went up higher to keep an eye out, but apparently we missed each other!" Ladybug chirped, looking nothing less than chipper, and not like she been crying just a few minutes ago.

"Anyways, I'm glad you made it back so quick, I wanted to discuss a possible change in our line up. I was thinking of maybe bringing Queen Bee in more often, and maybe having the three of us pair up for different patrol routes?" Ladybug said, steamrolling ahead before Chat Noir could get a word in edgewise, "It could be me and Queen Bee one night, Chat Noir and me, and then Chat Noir and Queen Bee alone! That'll give us time to work one on one with each other, and help us keep an eye out for akuma before they start causing havoc! How about it? I was thinking you Chat Noir, and Bee could be the first to partner up, how about patrolling the outskirts of this area together? I know you two are friends, I figure you'll get along well!" Ladybug announced, beaming at the both of them.

Chloé actually found herself disappointed at this announcement; from the way Ladybug kept emphasising Chat Noir and Queen Bee being alone together, she was doing this as part of the plan, probably trying to see if Chat Noir would speak up about the 'encounter' he had just had, or if he would grin and bear it.

Saddened that she would not be becoming a full time hero, but determined to fulfill her promise, Chloé grinned brightly at Ladybug's announcement and moved towards Chat Noir, reaching for his hand, but making sure to move slow enough he would have plenty of time to dodge⏤

Which he did, immediately retreating to Ladybug's side and placing his hand on her shoulder.

Chloé saw Ladybug stiffen slightly before relaxing, and easily shrugged his hand off, as the practiced motion it had become.

The practised motion it had had to become.

"Oh, but Ladybug, whatever will you do without such a fine cat as myself? Wouldn't you rather paw-trol with the both of us? That way the three of us can purr-sue any villains that pop up!" Chat Noir asked animatedly, stepping once more into Ladybug's personal space until he was slightly behind her, using her as a shield from Chloé's presence whilst still flirting like everything was fine.

"I think you two can handle it on your own, are you feeling up to it, Queenie?" Ladybug asked, and Chloé beamed at the diminutive; she officially had a Ladybug approved nickname!

"Of course, Ladybug! Me and my boyfriend here are the dream team!" Chloé declared, and saw Chat Noir practically jump in the air in shock at her words.

"Wha⏤ we're not dating!" He protested hotly, dithering as if he were torn between backing away from her for more space and charging forward to emphasis his words. "You're not my girlfriend! I love Ladybug!"

"Yeah, I might not be your girlfriend now, but I will be." Chloé leaned in and conspiratorially stage-whispered to Ladybug, "We're destined to be together, I just have to wear him down."

Ignoring Chat Noir's spluttering, Chloé winked at Ladybug and turned to Chat Noir, offering him her hand. "C'mon, loverboy, we've got a date out on the town!"

Chat Noir shrank in on himself, tucking his hands close to his chest, crooked into claws defensively. Then he shook his head and stood upright, taller and shoulders spread wide. "No, I'm sorry Chl⏤ Queen Bee, I'm sorry Ladybug, but I'm not comfortable patrolling alone with Queen Bee at the moment." Chat Noir confessed, fiddling nervously with his Miraculous, spinning it idly around his finger.

Where he couldn't see, Ladybug smiled, and it was something that couldn't be described as happy.

Ladybug began to move as Chat Noir was still speaking.

"I understand how you feel about me Chloé, I feel the same way for Ladybug, but I…" Chat Noir trailed off in his speech.

Ladybug had come to stand beside Chloé once more, shoulders touching, a united front.

Against Chat Noir, who han't realized he was an enemy.

Ladybug spoke, and the transformation was so drastic from the moment before, that Chloé wondered how the evidence of her tears had been so invisible before. "You understand?" Ladybug asked, voice cold and hurt. "You understand how she feels, because you feel that way for me?"

Chat Noir was frozen across from them, apparently shocked and confused about Ladybug's sudden change in demeanor. His eyes flickered to Queen Bee's face, and stared at her as she let her love-struck expression fall away, leaving cold disdain behind.

"Yes…?" He whispered out, ears pinned flat against his head as he surveyed their position, how both Chloé and Ladybug's body language had changed so dramatically: Ladybug abandoning her cheerful obliviousness in favor of cold betrayal, and Chloé dropping her manic infatuation like it had never existed.

"Y-Yes," Chat Noir said again, more strongly, tail twitching with unease behind him, lashing from side to side,"Yes, Ladybug, I love you. What… What is going on? What's wrong?"

"You understand how Chloé feels, because you feel the same way for me," Ladybug repeated slowly, enunciating, "Yet here, now, when you stand where I stand everyday, you still do not understand how I feel."

Okay, even Chloé was a little lost on what she just said.

What? What was that even supposed to mean? Usually, her Miraculous would help her hearing issues, but either it was glitching or Ladybug was speaking as weirdly as she sounded.

"What?" Chat Noir asked, face screwing up as he tried to understand what she was saying, apparently having the same confusion, "What do you mean? What are you talking about? Why are you… are you mad at me? Why?" The beginnings of agitation, of anger, were slowly taking root in his tone, overcoming his uncertainty; he was going to go on the defensive soon enough.

"BECAUSE, Chat Noir!" Ladybug burst out, fists clenched at her sides and feet stomping into the platform below them with so much force that it dented, "You stand there! And you tell me you're uncomfortable with Queen Bee flirting with you! With her calling you her boyfriend!"

Ladybug could stand still no longer, apparently, as she began to stomp forward, one hand on her yoyo, the other pointing and jabbing accusingly at Chat Noir, who backed away, looking shocked as she advanced on him, back to pure confusion as 'his Lady' screamed at him.

It was like watching a volcano erupt⏤ pressure had been building and building, and it had finally found its release in an explosion of pain.

Blue eyes flashing with tears and dark hair becoming disarayed as she clawed at her hair with the passion of her speech, Ladybug shrieked, "You stand there, and say you don't feel comfortable or safe patrolling alone with her! You stand there, and say this, when I stand there every day, dealing with the same! Exact! THING!

"You stand there, and you say after five minutes that you don't want to be alone with her! That you're uncomfortable! But you! You, Chat Noir, YOU! What do you think you do to ME!?" Ladybug screamed, her voice echoing off the empty spaces around them, and Chloé could only be grateful she wasn't the target.

Chloé stayed back, letting Ladybug have the stage, but ready to leap if things got too out of hand.

"DAY AFTER DAY, NIGHT AFTER NIGHT, BATTLE AFTER BATTLE! YOU FLIRT AND HUG AND HOLD AND TRY TO KISS ME! YOU LITERALLY PUT MY LIFE, YOUR OWN, AND CIVILIANS IN DANGER BECAUSE YOU THINK THE MIDDLE OF BATTLE IS THE TIME TO CRACK A JOKE OR FLIRT!" By this time, Ladybug had stopped advancing on Chat Noir, who was staring with wide eyes at her as she stomped away from him and began to pace agitatedly, clawing at her own arms repetitively as she shrieked her pent up emotions to the fading sun, stars beginning to appear as the sky around them darkened, casting them in deepest shadow.

Ladybug's pacing was literally carving a rut into the platform below her, but as her fingers continued to claw at her crossed arms, Chloé was glad to see her suit was protecting her.

Turning from Chat Noir and slamming her hands down on the railing until it twisted under her fists, Ladybug screamed.

On it went, growing hoarser by the second, until she stopped, jaw clicking shut in the dark, and even then it echoed around them as she slumped against the damaged railing, panting but clearly trying to gather herself.

When the primal cry had finally faded, a tense silence fell upon the trio, filled only with Ladybug's ragged breathing.

"I…" Chat Noir tried to speak, looking pale and shell shocked after Ladybug's outburst, "Bugaboo, I⏤"

"NO!" Ladybug burst out again, rage rekindled in an instant at the familiar term of affection, she whirled around to glare at him, blue eyes blazing and tears tracing glowing trails down her face. "STOP CALLING ME BUGABOO!"

There was an almost inaudible…

Flutter?

The slightest movement, of black wings against black sky and⏤

A glowing purple mask flickered into view, framing Ladybug's face, highlighting the teartracks and bloodshot eyes, tinting her disarrayed, dark hair violet.

Heart stopping in her throat, Chloé felt all the breath leave her in an instant⏤

Chat Noir let out a strangled scream, a cry of denial, of despair⏤

Brain clicking into high gear, Chloé's eyes frantically took in Ladybug's appearance⏤

Trying to catch a glimpse of her earrings⏤

Of her yoyo⏤

To see what item was holding the akuma⏤

One of her hair ribbons! It was black! It was⏤!

With a feral snarl more terrifying than her screaming, Ladybug shook her head, dug her fingers into her mask like claws, and⏤!

"NO!"

"YOU WILL NOT TAKE THIS FROM ME!"

There was a flash of light, Chloé prepared herself to fight the hardest akuma she would ever fight⏤

Then there was a black butterfly, falling out of the air as though stunned before it steadied, flapping frantically to regain height and aiming for Chat Noir⏤

There was a snap, a click, a thwip, and Ladybug's yoyo flew out, snatching the akuma out of the air before it even got within a yard of Chat Noir.

The brief flare of pure white light from the purifying chamber before it snapped shut clearly illuminated the scene for a moment:

Ladybug, standing against the railing still, a look of pure determination etched across her face even as it was still puffy and flushed from her crying; her tears had dried, leaving her looking exhausted and spent as she stood triumphant, the rejected and captured akuma safe within her yoyo.

Chat Noir, crouched on the floor, halfway lunged forward, one hand outstretched still towards Ladybug, looking absolutely devastated as he stared at the now-full yoyo she clutched so tightly in her hand.

Silence echoed around the platform, filled only with the night-sounds of paris, seeming so far away…

Then there was another thwip! And the stricken Ladybug launched herself higher into the tower, leaving the two of them alone in silence.

After an eternity, Chloé found herself breaking that silence.

Weak kneed, Chloé fell to the dented walkway, clutching her heart through her suit. "OH! MY! GOD! THAT DID NOT JUST HAPPEN!" she shrieked, feeling as though her heart was going to pound its way out of her chest.

Hysterical laughter bubbled up in Chloé's throat until she was giggling uncontrollably, shaking in relief so strong it was like someone had suckerpunched her, her hands were shaking so badly from adrenaline.

Ladybug had been so upset, she'd been akumatized⏤

Ladybug was akumatized!

LADYBUG! HAD! BEEN! AKUMATIZED!

And Chloé would have had to fight her idol.

If not for Ladybug being able to resist Hawkmoth, Chloé would have had to fight her!

Tears burned the corners of her eyes.

Somehow, that thought upset her more than when her own mother was akumatized.

She wasn't sure that Queen Bee vs Akumatized Ladybug would be a fight she could win, but for Ladybug, she would move heaven and hell to prove to her that Chloé could be a better person, a good person, a worthy hero…

There was a mumble from Chat Noir's direction, and Chloé turned to look at him, fighting to get her hysterics under control. "What?" She gasped out, clutching her hands to her knees in an effort to hold the shaking at bay.

"It's not funny!" Chat Noir burst out, voice trembling so bad Chloé was surprised he could speak. "You shouldn't be laughing!"

Her hysterics cut off in a harsh gasp, and she crossed her arms defensively. "I know it's not! And you're one to talk! Making jokes in the middle of battle!"

Chat Noir flinched at the reminder of Ladybug's words, then scowled back at her, his wickedly-sharp claws shredding the platform beneath him in agitation, "I'm trying to keep the mood up! I'm trying to help!"

"Oh really?" Chloé bit out, "Then why is it that half the time you make jokes, you're distracting even yourself so much you get hit, and then Ladybug has to deal with not only fighting an akuma, but fighting you?"

"That's not fair! It's not my fault I get hit by akuma- I'm protecting people! I'm protecting Ladybug! I- You- You cause half of the akumas we fight!"

All of the breath escaped Chloé at once.

She stared, wide-eyed, at Chat Noir.

His words rang in her head...

It was like a slap to the face.

Mostly because he was right.

It had never hit her before; it had never been so personal as it was in that moment, with Ladybug's scream of denial ringing in her ears still.

She had told herself she been trying, ever since Ladybug had first confronted her after her big debut as Queen Bee; ever since she first had to confront an akuma she had instigated, Chloé had realized that she was… she was hurting the people around her, and it was wrong.

But she had told herself she was trying to do better since then.

And that. That was a lie.

She could see that now, in a newer light, even more sharply than when her Adrikins had threatened to not be her friend anymore.

She was hurting people…

Just like Chat Noir had been hurting Ladybug.

Ladybug, her idol, her mentor, someone who meant to her more than her own mother, had almost fallen victim to Hawkmoth because of Chat Noir…

And how many people had she bullied, shut down, disrespected and hurt, directly causing them to fall prey to Hawkmoth?

How many?

How many!?

…. She wasn't sure.

Too many.

Turning wordlessly away from Chat Noir, Chloé pulled out her Stinger top and extended the lead, mutely following Ladybug's example and climbing higher into the tower, wanting nothing more than to curl up in bed with Mr. Cuddly.

Leaving Chat Noir behind without a further word, Chloé ascended up from their destroyed platform, landing nimbly on beams no bigger than the span of her hand before launching herself again; usually the power and agility granted to her from Pollen was exhilarating; now it just felt like… nothing.

When she reached the highest part of the tower, Chloé found Ladybug perched high above the lights, staring down at the faintly glowing yoyo in her hands solemnly, face lit from beneath with the pure white light of her yoyo.

As she silently climbed up around the lights below her idol, Chloé could tell as she got closer that the akuma was still captive; not only from the glow, but some new instinct within her could sense the dark taint radiating out from Ladybug's weapon, safely contained.

Hesitating beside her hero, Chloé thought of all the things she could say: reassurances, changing the subject, asking her if she was going to release the akuma yet, telling her it was Chat Noir's fault, not Ladybug's⏤

But all that came out was: "Can you take me home? I… I have some things I need to think about."

Ladybug nodded, and Chloé could see in the dancing shadows that Ladybug's blue eyes had dried, and her face was red where she had scrubbed the tears away.

All that was left was resignation.

"Sure thing, it's been a long night." Ladybug said, and rose in a smooth motion, perfectly balanced on the thinnest point of the tower.

Casting her yoyo out an impossible distance to the closest rooftops, Ladybug waited until Chloé had cast out her own stinger top before pulling on her lead and flying out into the night as the string retracted with practiced force. Chloé followed close behind, feeling the wind rushing through her hair, but feeling no joy in the sensation.

As they left the tower behind, Chloé caught a glimpse of Chat Noir's green eyes catching the light, watching them leave him behind.

It seemed to take an eternity to reach her home, the tallest suite in her daddy's hotel, but with Ladybug's unerring sense of direction, it really took only minutes.

"Pollen, buzz off," Chloé whispered, and in a flash of light, Pollen had zipped out of her Miraculous, coming to a halt in front of her, bowing in the air before she was even fully visible.

"My Queen, I hope we shall meet again soon, I do so enjoy our time together!" Pollen said, before flying over to Ladybug and hovering by her shoulder. "And you, my Lady, I am very proud of you tonight. Aside from my Queen, you are the first to ever reject an akuma after it has taken hold. Tikki has a very special wielder indeed."

Ladybug gaped at the kwami, clearly shocked, before turning to stare at Chloé. "What? Wait…when… when did you reject an akuma!?"

But Chloé wasn't feeling up to bragging, not tonight. "Pollen can tell you all about it." She said hollowly, removing the comb from her hair and placing it on Ladybug's palm, turning her gaze towards her inviting bed, away from the amazed gaze of Ladybug.

In the grand scheme of things, what was one akuma resisted, when she was the cause of so many in the first place?

Tears burned in her eyes, but she refused to break down in front of Ladybug⏤ not again.

"Oh." Ladybug said, sounding uncertain, "Okay. Well...good night, Chloé."

Chloé could hear as Ladybug began backing away, to the edge of the roof. She heard Ladybug slipping the comb into her own hair for safe keeping, then the tell-tale slither of her yoyo extending idly. There was a hesitation, then Chloé heard the thwip as it was finally cast outwards.

"Thank you, Chloé, for everything, and I'm sorry you had to see me like that. I understand that I disappointed you; I should have been stronger. I'm sorry."

Wait, what?

But when Chloé whirled around to correct her hero, Ladybug was already gone into the night.

Chloé stood there for a long time, waiting, for what, she wasn't sure.

Eventually, the distant, familiar clang of metal impacting metal reached her ears, breaking her from her spiraling thoughts. What was Chat Noir doing now?

Then there was a brief, but familiar shout of pain, barely reaching her ears over the sound of the wind as it echoed around the buildings.

Chat Noir!?

Heart pounding anew, Chloé raced into her room and frantically tore apart her room, looking for her binoculars. Where were they!?

Finally, she found them underneath her chaise lounge⏤ how on earth did they get under there⏤ before racing back to her balcony.

Shivering in the cold breeze now whipping around the hotel's highest height, Chloé forced herself to ignore the chill and frantically scanned the skyline with the binoculars, squinting against the lights of the city to find the source of the noises still echoing, but growing ever fainter.

There! A flash of purple, or maybe blue, flashing between two buildings in the distance, near her school.

Squinting harder, Chloé examined the building as best she could, hunting for some further clue⏤But long minutes past, and there was no further glimpses⏤

And the noises of Chat Noir's baton had ceased entirely.

She waited for a long time, but no other sounds of battle reached her ears. Eventually, she retreated from the chill.

Crawling into bed fully clothed, Chloé didn't sleep at all.

She's not sure when Ladybug released the akuma and did a second Miraculous Ladybug...

...But when she woke up, there were no repair crews around the Eiffel tower.

Chloé assumed that Ladybug and Chat Noir had defeated whatever second akuma she had caught a glimpse of.

"Thank you, Jean⏤" Chloé hesitated, one hand hovering over the chauffeur's car door as she idled on the sidewalk. "Can you… Can you tell me your full name again?"

Chloé's butler looks surprised at her request, before smiling gently at her, as he always did. "Cetrlniay, Mdmesialeoel. My flul nmae is Laun Luc-Minoux."

Chloé was already habitually nodding agreement, before the information finished processing and translating in her head.

"Wait, WHAT?" Chloé exclaimed, staring aghast at her ever-patient butler, "Are you telling me I've been calling you by the wrong name this entire time?"

"Mdmesialeoel, I hvae konwn you since you were a little girl, I know your diflucity with naems and nemburs; it was so long ago that we were farmolly inrtodecud that I undorsteod when you mispruncouced my name, and over the yaers I just bamece used to it." Jean⏤ no, Laun said, still giving her his patented 'encourage Chloé to do better' smile.

"But," Chloé stuttered, "Why didn't you ever say anything?" Her hand tightened on the car door, and she was glad she was not currently Queen Bee, otherwise there would be a sizable dent in the metal.

She concentrated with everything she had on listening to his next words, determined to not miss anything; pushing all other distractions away, she gripped the car door as tightly as she could, needing something to focus on.

"There were a few occasions I tried to correct your pronunciation, such as during your party, but I knew you were already overwhelmed and would not remember it." Laun said.

He glanced at the car door before reaching out and taking her hand gently, having noticed her distress, uncaring of how hard she squeezed his hand. "Truely, Mademoiselle, I did not mind; you have always struggled to remember names, and the fact that you remembered even a part of my name from the first day, when all others you forgot, was something that brought me joy. It meant I was special to you, like your friends, Adrien, and Sabrina."

Laun released her hand with a squeeze and gestured at the school, "Now, Mademoiselle, I believe if you do not hurry along, you will be late for your first class! I am honored you asked for my name, so please do not fret over it, and do not let it cause you any trouble! Now, hurry along; Mr. Cuddly wouldn't want you to disrupt Ms. Bustier's class would he?"

And Chloé saw that he had Mr. Cuddly strapped into the passenger seat; she hadn't noticed when she took her usual seat in the back. Her heart melted at the sight of her beloved bear, especially when Lohn mimed Mr. Cuddly waving her along.

"Okay, okay, I won't be late, I promise!" Chloé said, finally shutting the rear door and hurring towards the steps.

"And you promise not to disrupt the class?" 'Mr. Cuddly' called out after her, and Chloé nodded quickly, making sure no one was around to hear it, before dashing into school.

As she ran lightly through the corridors, Chloé found herself wishing as she so often did that Mr. Cuddly could come to class with her, school would be so much easier with his soft fur to hold and distract her from her thoughts!

Taking the stairs two at a time, Chloé reached the top and slowed her walk to a more reasonable pace, idly noticing that she was not as out of breath as she would usually be after such an exercise; running on the rooftops and battling akuma as Queen Bee was really doing her stamina some good.

Approaching the classroom door, Chloé opened the door and was expecting to meet Sabrina waiting for her, but instead, she got the redheaded, glasses girl.

The Ladyblogger.

Ugh.

"Marinette I⏤ ! Oh, it's just you." The girl began to greet, before breaking off when she saw it was Chloé and not her nerd friend, making a face.

Chloé made one right back at her, "Ugh, as if I could ever be mistaken for the baker girl!" She snarked back on instinct, brushing past the nerd and marching over to her seat as the door closed behind her⏤ before freezing in place.

Sneaking a glance over her shoulder at the Ladyblogger, Chloé sighed in relief when the nerd didn't look upset at Chloé's words⏤ if anything, she was ignoring Chloé completely after rolling her eyes dramatically.

Phew.

It would have been just her luck to get the nerd akumatized first thing in the morning⏤ and she hadn't even been trying to be mean!

Continuing on over to her seat and walking past Rose, Chloé glanced surreptitiously around the classroom, trying to catalogue who had arrived. She already knew Mariloser, wasn't there yet-her nerd friend was still waiting for her to arrive, standing anxiously by the door.

Just like the day before, it seemed like the baker girl was going to be the last to arrive; almost everyone else was here; even Ms. Bustier was seated at her desk before class began, talking quietly with Rose, expression soft, with one hand on the girl's shoulder supportively.

A few feet away, Alix was bouncing on her heels, looking excited and ready to burst, but still waiting obediently for her turn to talk to Ms. Bustier.

Taking her seat and nodding at Sabrina in permission, Chloé settled in to her seat, watching out of the corner of her eye as Sabrina pulled out her favorite purple hairbrush and began to work on her hair for her.

Sabrina had been begging for permission to practice brushing Chloé's hair in public, and after last night's sleeplessness, Chloé was glad to let her.

After all, it made Sabrina happy…

And that was what being a hero was all about, right?

Oh, she wished she had Mr. Cuddly here with her! He would make everything so much simpler! But, she knew the class would no doubt make fun of her. It was so unfair!

"Ow!" Chloé yelped when something tugged on her hair too hard; she flinched away from Sabrina, who had been wrestling with the tangled ponytail holding her hair up.

"Oh, sorry, Chloé!" Sabrina cried in apology, raising her hands in surrender, "It's just, it was really stuck! I promise I'll be more gentle though!"

Sabrina's loud apologies had drawn the gazes of the rest of the class to their row; some curious, some glaring at Chloé already⏤ no doubt waiting for her to snap back at Sabrina like she usually would, and akumatized her best friend in the process!

Because that's what she would normally do, itsn't it?

Shrinking down in her seat with a blush and trying to hide from the gazes of almost the entire class, Chloé⏤

Wait...Almost the entire class?

Glancing around again, Chloé saw that the resident fashion nerd, Marinette, was still late, but of actual importance: so was Adrikins!

Waving her hand at Sabrina to continue, Chloé frowned in consternation and ignored Sabrina's attempts to tame her hair, no longer paying attention as she dug around in her purse.

Chloé pulled out her phone, (taking a moment to stroke the gold case again), before opening up her contacts and sending Adrien a text; he usually let her know ahead of time when he was going to be doing a morning photo shoot, and it was so out of character for him not to tell her!

Adrikins, its almost time for class! Are you coming in this morning? Youre dad is working you too hsrd!

Ignoring the typos, far too lazy to correct them, Chloé hit 'send' and settled back into her seat more comfortably, waiting for a reply as she gave in and removed her own hair tie for Sabrina, who was struggling with the tangled knots, ripping it out herself with more force than she would ever permit others to do.

Turning in her seat so she had her feet in the aisle with her back to Sabrina, Chloé played with the hair-tie, stretching in between her fingers as she waited for a text back, not making any other comment to Sabrina, even when she pulled too hard again with the brush, struggling with Chloé's messy hair.

It was Chloé's fault her hair was such a mess anyways.

She just couldn't find the energy to do anything about it when she 'woke up' that morning.

'Woke up' meaning she hadn't slept at all. All she could do was toss and turn, thoughts spinning dizzily through her head as the hours dragged on and on and on...

Waiting anxiously for her phone to give her a response, Chloé gave up on the rubber band and instead drummed her fingers on the desk, listening to her nails clackity-clackity-clacking against it, barely satisfied with the repetition. Glancing at her phone screen again for the fifth time in two minutes, Chloé saw there was just under ten minutes until class began.

At the front of the room, Rose, ever the sap, was giving Ms. Bustier a hug, and Chloé fought down a sudden fit of jealousy at the sight.

Why couldn't Mom ever hug me like that?

The urge to do something⏤ something petty, she wasn't sure what, but something to get revenge on Rose for hogging her favorite teacher reared its ugly head, like a snake about to strike in her heart.

There were so many things she could do⏤

She could steal Rose's special pink pen, she could hide her smelly erasers, she could forge a letter from the Prince, rejecting her friendship⏤

No. Chloé stopped those thoughts in their tracks through sheer force of will, I could do that, but I won't!

That's not something a HERO would do!

Forcing herself to clear the images of revenge on Rose from her mind, Chloé sat up straighter in her seat and instead moved her feet out of the way for the girl as Rose climbed the stairs back to her seat in the rear of the classroom.

"Thank you, Chloé!" The girl called in her gratingly high-pitched voice, sending a blindingly bright smile Chloé's way.

Chloé forced a smile on her face in reply, but wasn't sure if it looked more like a pained grimace than a grin.

At the front of the class, Alix eagerly hopped forward, planting her hands on Ms. Bustier's desk as she practically bounced on the spot. "Ms. Bustier! Is it okay if I stop in here during lunch? I wanted to ask you some more questions about that whole asexual thing!"

Ms. Bustier smiled delightedly, "Of course, Alix, you're more than welcome to drop by! With that attack yesterday going on as long as it did, we never got the chance!" Ms. Bustier replied, gesturing at the class at large. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I just need to pop over to see Mr. Damocles a moment before class begins, okay? I'll be right back."

Alix nodded enthusiastically, practically skipping back to her seat.

Ms. Bustier stood up from her desk and walked across the classroom. Chloé, who was watching her idly, sat up straighter when she saw a look of fear flash over her teacher's face.

Ms. Bustier was staring at the doorway, and the closed door, in barely concealed terror.

The doorway that she had been standing in, yesterday.

The doorway that she had been standing in, yesterday, when the hallway exploded.

The doorway she had died in yesterday.

Chloé had heard her teacher's screams of pain.

She had heard her stop screaming.

She'd even caught a glimpse of Ms. Bustier, pinned to the wall like a butterfly, eyes closed, head lolling on her shoulder, and Chloé had stared at the shrapnel that was stabbed through her abdomen, her once blue dress now crimson.

Chloé had been frozen in place for a precious second, blood coating her own face from glass that had exploded in from the windows, but then time sped up and the akuma was looking in through the door⏤ only visible as a pair of glowing purple eyes throwing things at her classmates⏤

Then the akuma had thrown something at Chloé, and the next thing she knew, Ladybug was waking her up.

Ms. Bustier's body had been gone, and in its place had been another battered ring box.

Ladybug had fixed everything, and Ms. Bustier had been brought back to life along with all of the other unfortunate bystanders, all physical wounds gone as if they had never been.

That didn't mean the mental wounds were gone.

Ms. Bustier was still frozen in place, staring at the doorway, the rest of the class oblivious to her struggle.

Chloé was just about to stand up and go to her teacher when Ms. Bustier took a long, deep breath, and let it out slowly, using her own calming exercises that she had taught the class.

She walked up to the door, ripped it open quickly like the doorknob would burn her if she held it too long, and marched out into the hallway, hands shaking at her sides, visible only for a moment as the door closed behind her.

Chloé smiled with pride, but concealed it before the others saw: if Ms. Bustier wanted them to know she was afraid, she would tell them. If she didn't want the class to know, then she wanted them to see her as their rock, their safe haven and support, and Chloé wasn't going to ruin it for her favorite teacher.

...Not like she might have done, even yesterday, before Chat Noir shouted those burning words at her.

Wondering if there was anything she could do to help her teacher, Chloé made a mental note to ask her daddy about reinforced doors for the school.

The seconds whiled away into minutes, and though it felt like an eternity, it had only been a minute or two after Ms. Bustier left that the resident clutz made her entrance, as dramatic as ever.

Marinette Dupen-Cheng came flying through the door in a mad rush, slid on a loose piece of paper as it fluttered out of her haphazardly-packed bag, and went sailing head over heels to the floor in a loud CRASH!

Snorting, laughter bubbled up in Chloé's throat and⏤

It's not funny! You shouldn't be laughing!

⏤and stayed there, choking her with the trapped air as Chat Noir's words ripped through her mind:

You cause half of the akumas we fight!

Was that what she was doing?

Is that what she would do, today?

Make Marinette Dupen-Cheng be akumatized?

Already, quiet sniggers were floating around the room from her other classmates. Marinette tripping was a common occurrence, and she had never gotten hurt, so it was funny, even to people that liked the nerd⏤ the only ones looking truly sympathetic were the Ladyblogger, Adrien's DJ friend Nino, and Rose, who of course, was a bleeding heart for anyone.

"Niiice one, Marinette!" Kim called out from a few rows back, and Chloé watched as the visible portion of Marinette's face turned red in embarrassment⏤ and, were the girl's eyes suspiciously shiny?

Chloé's bag went skidding across the aisle with a flump! as she was up and marching down the stairs, fists clenched at her sides stiffly. Glaring down at the baker girl, Chloé crouched down and… ew, offered her a hand.

"Are you okay?" Chloé forced out, watching the girl suspiciously, waiting for her to do… something weird, or rude, as usual.

Blinking stupidly at her offered hand, the baker girl's tired eyes seemed to brighten when she saw Chloé's face, "Thanks, Queen Bee!" before latching onto Chloé's hand and with surprising strength⏤ enough to almost make Chloé stumble⏤ the girl pulled herself up. "What would I do without you?"

Blinking at the odd form of address from someone who usually hated her guts, it took Chloé a moment to remember that Mariloser was the one that had finally convinced her mom to stay with her in Paris⏤ not that it meant that much, if anything, had changed about her home life⏤ so she couldn't be that bad.

Snatching her hand back and looking at the loose papers on the floor⏤ fashion designs from the look of it, with red and black designs briefly visible⏤ Chloé grabbed them all up and shoved them into a loose stack, before thrusting them at Dupen-Cheng, who accepted them with a fumble.

Stalking away from the put-to-rights baker girl, Chloé snarked at the Ladyblogger as she passed her, "At least Dupen-Cheng can show a super hero some appreciation!"

She was a superhero! It shouldn't be that weird for her to help people!

Chloé frowned down at her desk as she sat at the bench again, feeling Sabrina begin to attack her hair again with the brush, nearly finished. It really, really shouldn't be so shocking.

But I'm the one that made it shocking in the first place, aren't I?

Mariloser was tiredly making her way up the stairs to her seat, and Chloé watched her out of the corner of her eye as the girl dropped down next to the Ladyblogger, rearranging her design papers on her desk and sparking the Ladyblogger's interest.

"No way girl!" The nerd exclaimed, leaning over to peer at Mariloser's papers, "Are those Ladybug designs!?

Actually interested now, Chloé turned her head more fully to look at Mariloser, trying to focus her ears on their conversation; as much as she hated to admit it, Mariloser actually had some good designs, and she was curious about what the girl had designed for Ladybug. Was it just Ladybug themed clothing?

"O-oh, yeah, they are!" Mariloser stuttered, trying to cover up the papers with her bag to no avail, "Alya, they're meant to be a surprise! I was⏤ I was going to show them to Ladybug, if I got the chance. I wanted to see if she liked them." The girl explained, giving up on hiding her papers and instead sliding them over for her friend to see.

Oh yeah, so Alya was her name.

Alya, Alya, Alya. Chloé chanted in her head, determined to remember it this time; she was determined to do better by Jean-luc no, wait, no! What is his name!?

Jean?

Long?

NO!

Wait! Laun! Laun Luc!

That was his name!

Remember it this time!

Pulling a scrap of paper out of her bag, Chloé fished around for a maker and in all capital letters traced out L A U N, put a line under that, and spelled out A. L. I. Y. A. H. 

Glancing around the room, Chloé tried to put a name to the faces of her classmates, and was gratified to see she did remember everyone else's names at least; it was just the new girl she couldn't remember, even though she was hardly 'new' still; it had been a year since she started.

Triple checking with one last glance around the room, Chloé carefully folded up the paper so no one else would see her list and stuck it in the front pocket of her jacket.

Then she glanced down at her phone again.

Class started in five minutes.

And Adrien still hadn't arrived.

BZZT! BZZT!

WAIT! Her phone was buzzing!

Unlocking her phone eagerly, Chloé scrolled to the bottom of the text window, eagerly awaiting Adrikin's reply.

Yeah, Im coming in, sorry Chloe I forgot my dad had plans this morning, Natalie is calling in to let them know ill be a few minuts late.

Chloé read over the response a few times, eyes darting over the typos so unusual for Adrikins; he was usually very neat when it came to texting... but she shrugged, figuring he was probably in a rush.

Okay, Adrikins! I'll see you in a bit! 3 She typed back, putting a little heart emoji at the end with a smile.

Putting her phone back in her bag, Chloé reached up to assess her hair as Sabrina finally pulled the brush away, picking a few loose strands out of the bristles.

For one, her hair was much smoother, and a lot softer too. "Thanks, Sabrina," Chloé muttered, trying not to be loud enough for the entire class to hear.

Pulling the hair tie off her wrist, Chloé began to gather her hair back up in its ponytail, fighting back a smile when she saw how happy Sabrina was at the small amount of praise.

Ms. Bustier re-entered the room, and Chloé was glad to see she looked a little bit less skittish of the doorway, or at least, now she was hiding it better.

Then Chloé saw her propping the door open with a door stopper so it wouldn't close automatically, and knew she was just hiding it better. Ms. Bustier still barely touched the doorknob for a second or two before letting it go, like it would bite her.

"Ms. Bustier?" Chloé called, raising her hand; Ms. Bustier jumped a bit before turning and smiling at Chloé.

"Yes, Chloé?" Ms. Bustier replied, more composed, making her way to her desk and rearranging the papers sat on it.

"I just got a text from Adrien, he says he's going to be a few minutes late; his dad's assistant, Natalie is supposed to call to let you know." Chloé informed, not wanting their teacher to worry like she had yesterday, for Marinette.

"Thank you, Chloé, I will have to thank her, or have Mr. Damocles do so when she calls." Ms. Bustier said, before coming around to the front of her desk and doing a quick roll-call, obviously excluding Adrien for now.

Roll-call went smoothly, and the morning ritual passed without incident; Chloé and the Ladyblogger got paired up, and Chloé begrudgingly complimented the nerd on the article she had written yesterday about Ladybug's reveal⏤ playing it off like she had only heard about it through class, as she could never admit to the girl's face that she was an avid follower.

Chloé was surprised when, in turn, the nerd complimented her on the battle against the akuma from yesterday; the Ladyblogger had been trapped in a box with the rest of the class, and thus didn't have first-hand footage, but apparently someone nearby had gotten some video of her roundhouse kicking the akuma in the face.

The girl sounded genuinely impressed by how Chloé had handled herself, but even just the mention of yesterday brought any and all happy thoughts in Chloé's mind crashing down like they'd been shot out of the sky.

Eyes burning with unshed tears and suddenly barely able to breath through the lump in her throat as a void opened up in her chest, Chloé struggled to remain composed, sending a flagging grin at the Ladyblogger before practically sprinting back to her seat and burying her head at her desk before anyone could see the tears inexplicably springing to her eyes.

"Chloé?" Sabrina whispered in her ear after a moment, and Chloé squeezed her eyes shut as her friend placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, somehow the easy affection making it worse, "Are you okay?"

Welp, that set the water works off.

Biting her lip to suppress a sob, Chloé pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes, keeping her face hidden in the desk as Chat Noir's words raged through her head on repeat, over and over and over again⏤!

You cause half the akumas we fight!

You shouldn't be laughing!

You cause half the akumas we fight!

You shouldn't be⏤ Hey, Chloé, are you okay?

A familiar voice interrupted her spiraling thoughts, and Chloé jerked upright, shocked and confused for a moment before her brain caught up with her surroundings.

Why on earth would I think Chat Noir was in my classroom?

"Adrikins!" Chloé exclaimed, relieved to see him but also completely mortified that he had seen her crying⏤ that the entire class was watching her cry over nothing.

Chloé hurriedly scrubbed the tears out of her eyes and pasted on a scowl instead to shoot at the class in general, doing her best to ignore Ms. Bustier's concerned expression, before looking at Adrikins again, who was standing next to her desk, one hand on the strap of his bag like it was a lifeline, the other placed gently on her desk.

Adrikins… he looked tired.

Exhausted, even.

He had lines marring the perfection of his green eyes, tracing out the slightest impressions of bags beneath them; his eyes themselves were red around the edges, as if he had been crying, and his hair looked tousled, like he had been running his hands through it in stress.

"Hey Chloé, are you okay?" Adrikins asked again, and Chloé felt her heart softening at the familiar concern in his voice, and had to fight back a fresh wave of tears.

"Oh, I'm fine Adrikins, especially now that you're here!" Chloé said, forcing her voice to sound chipper as her hand automatically reached up and began to twirl around the loose hair by her ear.

Adrikin's eyes traced the movement, and he nodded finally, an odd look on his face. "Okay, well, if you need me, feel free to join me at lunch or something, okay? I don't want to le⏤" Adrien cut himself off, pausing, before shaking his head and backing away silently, moving down to his seat, looking even more morose.

Chloé watched him retreat and couldn't find a suitable response, that void still hovering over her heart from the reminder of Chat Noir's words.

Facing front and stoically avoiding Ms. Bustier's gaze, Chloé didn't bother to listen as the rest of the class went through the motions of complimenting each other, though when Adrien's turn came around and he had to compliment Alix, he seemed to be even more sad than before, and his compliments were over-the-top sappy.

Alix, I love your enthusiasm for all the dares and challenges you and Kim set for each other, don't lose that spark. I know you'll be great one day.

The words themselves weren't unusual, but the fervor in his voice was, getting so emotional that Alix actually came up to hug him, patting him on the back with an awkward expression.

"Uh, thanks, dude. I uh, love your positive attitude that you always bring to class? It uh, really brightens up our day?" Alix's compliment, that would have been true on any other day, rang hollow in the face of Adrien's weird behavior, and Chloé found herself watching Adrien like a hawk as he retreated back to his seat.

His Dad works him too hard. Chloé fumed, plotting ways she could have Daddy instate stricter child-labor laws that night, or maybe over lunch? She could spend lunch on the phone with him⏤ but wait, no, Adrien wanted to spend lunch with her! Oh, what to do?

Class officially began, and though Chloé tried to pay attention, she honestly did, she couldn't focus on anything productive. It felt like everyone in the class was staring at her still for her outburst earlier; it felt like there was a spotlight on her, for them to direct all their ire and rage.

And didn't she deserve it?

You cause half the akumas we fight!

Because… Chat Noir was right.

She had tossed and turned all night, fighting to fall asleep as tears soaked into her pillow, the images of all the akumas she had caused haunting her, all of them overlaid with Ladybug's anguished face, tears highlighted in violent violet from the butterfly mask hovering over her ancient blue eyes.

Her neck ached and her head felt infinitely too heavy to hold up; as Ms. Bustier continued her lesson at the front of the room, Chloé found herself slowly but surely slumping over her desk, trying to keep her head propped on on her hands but giving up, and laying her head on the desk instead.

Chloé struggled to keep her eyes open, blinking them rapidly as her vision blurred.

Ms. Bustier's voice was going in and out of focus more than usual, until even the sounds of the classroom had faded entirely.

I'm just going to rest my eyes for a second, that's all. Chloé thought to herself…

Falling…

Falling…..

Pollen was floating in front of her.

Chloé was on the ground.

Ladybug was in the distance.

There was an akuma caught in her yoyo.

"Are you sure about this?"

Chloé nodded.

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

A hand on her shoulder shook slightly, and Chloé was pulled abruptly from her fitful sleep.

Chloé gasped and jumped upright, confused and startled as the odd dream faded around her. It took her a moment to realize that she was back in class, and the room was empty⏤ Ms. Bustier was crouched next to her desk, gently shaking her awake, looking concerned.

"Chloé? It's time for lunch," Ms. Bustier whispered softly, kind eyes catching her own as Chloé's awareness finally started making its way back. "I thought you would want to get some lunch with your friends, Adrien seemed like he wanted to talk to you." Ms. Bustier said, straightening up slowly and offering Chloé her hand.

Oh my god I slept through both classes!? The thought sprang into Chloé's mind, and she froze in her seat as a fiery blush burned her face. No nono, Ms. Bustier's got to be to so mad…!

But Ms. Bustier just continued to smile and hold out her hand, which Chloé hesitantly took in her own. Allowing herself to be pulled up, Chloé bit her lip and glanced out the classroom door as an excuse to avoid Ms. Bustier's eyes.

"I'm really, really sorry Miss. I didn't mean to fall asleep!" Tears were burning in the corners of her vision again, and Chloé did her best to fight them off as her trembling hands worked furiously to pack away all of her unused notebooks and pens back into her bag.

She had slept for three hours and she was still exhausted.

"Chloé, Chloé, it's okay, it's fine." Ms. Bustier said softly, reaching out and catching Chloé's phone as Chloé fumbled it in her haste, "I didn't mind that you fell asleep; I actually told the others to let you be." Ms. Bustier admitted, and Chloé finally looked up at her teacher, confused.

"But… but why?" Chloé asked, flabberghasted.

Ms. Bustier smiled again, but she looked sad now, too. "Because you're a hero, and you needed your sleep. I saw that footage yesterday, too, and I think you were amazing⏤ it's just…" Ms. Bustier trailed off, then shook her head.

"It's just not fair that you're out there, being a super hero, fighting supervillains and saving the city, and then you have to come into school the next day like everyone else as if you didn't just physically fight a super villain." Ms. Bustier exclaimed quietly, voice full of disbelief and a little bit of anger, but even Chloé could tell her teacher was angry at the world at large, and not at Chloé herself.

Her face heated up in another blush, but it was a bashful, pleased one this time instead of one of shame.

"If I can help ease your burden at all, I'm going to do my best to support you in any way I can." Ms. Bustier promised, "If that means letting you sleep in class the next day, or handing in assignments late, or anything else, just let me know how I can help, okay? I'll always be here to talk if you ever need it, too. My door will always be open to the heroes of Paris."

"Th⏤ Thanks, Ms. Bustier. That… that means a lot to me." Chloé confessed, twirling the hair by as she spoke. "It's hard for me to focus sometimes, especially after a battle, but I still want to try harder in class."

Ms. Bustier nodded approvingly, "I'm glad to hear it, just don't over do it, okay? Just let me know any time that you need a break, a little extra help, or even just someone to talk to." Ms. Bustier said, holding out her hand.

Chloé slung her bag over her shoulder, then reached out and took Ms. Bustier's hand. "I will, I promise." She vowed, and they shook on it, Chloé unable to help the grin that had blossomed over her face.

"Now, you should get going, Adrien seemed a little upset today, but I told him I would send you his way when I woke you up; don't worry, it hasn't even been fifteen minutes since the lunch period started." Ms. Bustier said, and Chloé started, having temporarily forgotten that her Adrikins wanted to spend lunch with her!

Suddenly full of nervous energy, Chloé danced on the spot, unable to hold in her glee, "Oh, thank you, thank you! Thank you, Ms. Bustier!" Darting around her teacher with her purse strap clutched over her shoulder, Chloé made a beeline for the door.

"Oh, and Chloé?" Ms. Bustier called after her, and Chloé reached out to grab the door frame to slow her momentum enough to spin around.

"Yes, Ms. Bustier?" Chloé asked, toeing the threshold and trying to contain her sudden impatience to see Adrien.

"Next time you see Ladybug and Chat Noir, please tell them I said that invitation extends to them as well, will you? My door is always open to the heroes of Paris."

Chloé smiled brighter.

"I will! Thank you, Ms. Bustier!" Chloé repeated once more, before dashing out the door fully.

Clutching the strap of her bag with one hand, Chloé sprinted through the hallway and jumped down the steps two at a time, the crowd of students around her making room as she passed them by, and Chloé found herself forcing away the rude words that formed on her lips, such as 'Out of my way!' Or 'Move it, loser!' And 'Ugh, you're all so slow!'

Instead, Chloé forced her mind to think what would Ladybug do? And replaced the harsh exclamations with "Excuse me!" "Pardon me!" and "Thank you!"s As she wove her way through the crowd, sometimes having to turn sideways to squeeze past a group of students.

Adrien had said he wanted to have lunch with her, and his favorite place for lunch was either on the school steps, or in the park directly across the school⏤

And as she flew out the doors of the school, Chloé saw most of the class⏤ Sabrina included, she had been wondering where she vanished to⏤ was sitting in the park, everyone sitting on some ratty picnic blanket, eating and laughing together.

And there was Adrikins, too! He was sitting next to Mariloser, who was staring intently at a piece of cake as she carefully passed it to him, her face a bright red.

Chloé found herself smirking before she made the conscious effort to wipe it off of her face⏤ no, she wouldn't, couldn't embarrass Marinette, not now, not after last night had opened her eyes.

And especially after she had just helped her up that morning when she fell; how could she be a hero, when she was going from one extreme to the other constantly?

No, she would have to be a role model to her classmates, she would make Ladybug proud.

Skipping down the steps with glee, Chloé raced to the edge of the sidewalk and waited impatiently for traffic to stop and for the crosswalk's light to turn on.

Around her, a small group of other pedestrians had gathered on either side of the road, most of them texting or calling people while they had the chance to on their lunch breaks.

A little old man beside Chloé apparently didn't notice that the light was still red, as he moved forward slightly when there was a break in the traffic, stepping into the road⏤

⏤ And Chloé reached out and snagged the back of his ugly red shirt right as he was about to put his foot in the path of an SUV, jerking the man back onto the sidewalk with a quick, harsh tug.

The old man stumbled, and Chloé's brain caught up with her actions when the man turned to look up at her in shock.

"Be careful!" Chloé snapped, before softening her tone, aware that people were starting to stare at her now, "You have to wait until the light is green, okay? You almost got run over by that car!" She explained, incredulous that the old man didn't know how crosswalks worked. Then again, judging by the shirt, maybe he was a tourist?

The man appeared truly shaken, and he looked quickly from her face to the red street light hanging over the road. He squinted at it, then turned and look at her again helplessly. "I'm sorry miss, and thank you so much. I woke up this morning and couldn't s⏤ couldn't find my glasses!" The old man explained, then reached out with a trembling hand, "Please, could you help me cross the road here? I thought I could manage on my own until I found my grandaughter, but I can't see the light from here."

Chloé looked from the old man to the street light hanging not ten feet away, brightly lit and clearly visible.

Man, this guy's eyesight sucks.

Face burning from all of the people staring at her, Chloé took a deep breath and forced herself to relax.

"Okay, sure." Chloé forced out. Reaching out, she gingerly threaded her arm with the old man's and awkwardly waited for the light to turn green.

This is what super heroes did, right? Helped little old ladies cross the street? Well, little old men in this case, but same difference!

Am I going to find a cat stuck up a tree today too?! Might as well cross it off my Superhero list. Chloé thought to herself caustically.

The light finally turned green and the street traffic around them slowed to a stop: the other pedestrians began to cross, and Chloé followed them at a frustratingly slow speed, the old man barely moving at a turtle's pace.

The wind picked up, and Chloé shivered a little as she stepped up on the curb; while it was warm out in the sunlight, the shade cast by the trees made it seem like the temperature had dropped ten degrees.

"Thank you, miss." The old man said again, drawing Chloé's attention back down to him as he disentangled their arms. "I truly do appreciate your kindness."

Chloé was eager to run off and sit next to Adrikins, but the realization that this old man couldn't see ten feet in front of his face kept nagging at her, leaving her with unwanted guilt at the thought of leaving him alone.

"Are you going to be okay on your own? I mean, my Daddy's the Mayor. I can call one of my chauffer's to give you a ride to wherever your granddaughter lives." Chloé finally offered, hoping that Jean-luc wouldn't mind.

The old man jumped slightly when she spoke, before whirling to face her again. The old man squinted up at her face again, before his eyes widened, looking flabberghasted. "You're Chloé Bourgeois? I⏤ I didn't recognize you!"

Chloé nodded, smiling proudly as she exclaimed, "Know me better as Queen Bee, do you?"

Then her expression fell again.

Did she even deserve to be Queen Bee again, after all of the akuma she had caused?

"I do, actually." The man confirmed, and Chloé was surprised when he stood on his tippy-toes so he could reach up and pat her on the shoulder, barely tall enough to do so. "You are a great help to Ladybug and Chat Noir, miss, and you are a fantastic hero. I am a big fan of yours, Miss Bourgeois."

You shouldn't be. Chloé lamented.

The man cocked his head to the side, "Oh, any why is that, Miss?"

Oh crap. "I said that out loud, didn't I?" Chloé slapped a hand over her face, trying to hide her shame. "I don't deserve fans. I'm the worst superhero ever. I cause half the akumas Ladybug and Chat Noir fight."

"But are you trying to change that? Acknowledging the problem is the first step to solving it." The old man said, and Chloé felt a calloused hand gently take hold of her hand and pull it away from her face, squeezing it reassuringly.

"You just admitted you have caused a lot of akumas, but are you trying to change that? You could have refused to help me across the road, you could have told someone else to, or let someone else do it. You just now offered to call one of your personal assistants to help an old man you just met.

"Are you trying to rectify your mistakes?" The old man asked, staring up at her with kind brown eyes. "If so, you are already on the way to becoming a true hero."

Chloé nodded numbly, shocked that this stranger could have such faith in her.

"I have to go now, miss. My granddaughter will be meeting me here, but thank you for the offer." The old man continued, releasing her hand and turning to leave. "Oh!" The man exclaimed, suddenly turning back around, "Before I forget, could I have your autograph? My granddaughter will be so excited that I met you."

Still a little dumbstruck, Chloé nodded and reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out the little envelope she had shoved in there awhile back. Making sure the edges were still crisp and flat, she opened it up and pulled out one of her pre-signed pictures.

"Here you go."Chloé said, pulling out a purple sharpie, she paused, before putting a little drawing of a bee with a heart next to it on the back of the photograph, with the simple message: thank you.

Handing it over with a blush, Chloé fidgeted on the spot as the man accepted it with a smile. "Thank you miss, I will make sure to show this to my granddaughter! She is a big fan of yours. I must go now, but thank you again!"

The old man began to shuffle away with a wave, and Chloé found herself waving back, frozen to the spot before another cool breeze made her eager to leave the shade cast by the trees.

Casting her gaze forward, Chloé locked eyes on Adrien again, and, heart filled with new hope and determination from her encounter with the little old man, Chloé ran forward into the sunlight, adoring the warmth that swept over her as she stepped into the light and ran towards her class.

"Adrikins!" Chloé called, and saw Adrien straighten up, looking around before smiling brightly at her, but his eyes were still tired, and the smile did not reach them.

"Hey, Chloé! I'm glad you could make it!" Adrien said, looking relieved, "Ms. Bustier said we should let you sleep, but I was worried, you never fall asleep in class!"

Hurrying to sit next to Adrien, on the opposite side to Marinette, Chloé caught a glimpse of Sabrina grimacing at the reminder of her past akumatization, and how she had been haunting Chloé like a poltergeist.

Pausing in her rush to Adrien's side, Chloé reached down and gripped Sabrina's shoulder and sent her what she hoped was a reassuring smile⏤ Chloé didn't hold her being akumatized against her, it had been Chloé's fault after all.

Receiving a smile in return, Chloé continued on and dropped down next to Adrien in the grass, too tired to care about the worn state of the blanket she was sitting on, and just glad it was protecting her clothing from grass stains.

"So, Adrikins, you wanted to talk to me?" Chloé asked, meeting his gaze as he turned to smile at her, still looking as tired as she felt. All around them, the class continued to eat and talk, all of them laughing and smiling in delight at the assortment of baked goods Marinette had no doubt brought in from her parent's bakery.

"Huh?" Adrien asked, blinking at her in confusion, "What do you mean?" His hand, that had been fiddling with his fork, stopped all together as he stabbed it into the slice of cake on his plate, turning to look at her more fully.

Chloé stalled, staring at Adrien in bafflement. "Uh, you said you wanted to talk to me at lunch this morning?" She reminded him, tacking on, "Ms. Bustier said so, too."

"Oh," Adrien said, shaking his head, "You must have misheard me. I was asking you if you needed to talk to anyone, and that I was free for lunch if you needed it." He explained, picking his fork back up and gesturing with it. "I just wanted to spend lunch with all my friends, and here you are!"

"And Marinette brought dessert for everyone!" Rose pipped up, "She made everyone's favorites!"

Peering more closely at the picnic spread, Chloé saw that there were a lot of familiar baked goods spread out across the blanket, with enough for the whole class.

There was even⏤ wait, was that⏤?

"Pain au Chocolat?" Someone asked, holding a plate in her direction, and Chloé blinked, focusing her eyes again to see Marinette had moved from her spot next to Adrien and was offering her the platterful of pastries. "I knew you liked the dark chocolates the most, so I was able to get a few bars of 85% chocolate that I used for the centers." Dupen-Cheng explained, extending a napkin forward when Chloé failed to react to her initial inquiry.

Squinting suspiciously, Chloé took the napkin, wondering where Dupen-Cheng was going with this. This girl usually hated her, didn't she? But, from how she acted that morning, and when she threw a party to celebrate her as Queen Bee ...

Maybe Marinette was a Queen Bee fan, and was trying to be nicer?

"Sure…" Chloé finally said, and watched as Marinette began selecting pastries with a pair on tongs, placing them on a paper plate and passing them to Chloé, who placed the napkin on her lap to catch any crumbs. "Thanks, Dup⏤ thanks, Marinette." Chloé stumbled over her words, almost calling the girl by her last name again, before realizing it wasn't polite to do so, especially when the girl had no problem calling her by her own first name.

"No problem, Chloé!" Marinette reassured her, setting the plate down in easy reach and moving back so she was sitting next to Adrien again, blushing furiously as she did so.

To help fight off her sniggering, Chloé took one of the pastries from her plate and bit into it instead, averting her gaze from Marinette's hilarious face so she wouldn't laugh herself to death by choking on a pastry.

Which, speaking of, was freaking amazing.

I'm going to have to have Jean-luc hire the Dupen-Chengs to make a bulk order of these, oh my god this is amazing!

The flakey pastry was buttery like the perfect croissant, and the dark chocolate blocks inside were just slightly melted, softening the bite while still holding their shape and texture.

Smiling around the pastry as she savoured the dark chocolate, Chloé turned to look at Adrien again, about to ask if his father was still scheduling him around the clock, or if he could come over to her Daddy's hotel tonight⏤

"I love you, you know." Adrien said to Marinette.

Choking on a mouthful of chocolate, Chloé coughed and stared at Adrien in bewilderment as all around them her classmates sputtered and cheered as Marinette's face went from beet-red to flaming.

"WHa- whu- huh?" Marinette stuttered out, eyes wide as she stared at Adrien⏤ Chloé was staring at him, flabberghasted, and Marinette briefly met her eyes as they both stared at Adrien between them:

Blue eyes met blue eyes, and Chloé broke out of her daze enough to force a grimace at Marinette, trying to be supportive despite her incredulousness in Adrikins falling in love with her of all people.

"I love all of you guys." Adrien continued, gesturing at the circle of classmates who were staring at him with bated breath, "You're all... the greatest friends I could ever ask for."

"Awwww⏤! " Rose said looking at Marinette with her sad, sappy eyes, her voice starting out clearly disappointed, but quickly upswinging in pitch when she saw Adrien looking at her quizzically, ""I mean, awwww! That's so⏤ thoughtful of you, Adrien! We love you too!"

Around the picnic blanket, the rest of the class was quick to voice their agreement, looking a little confused but enthusiastic nonetheless.

"Yeah!"

"For sure, man!"

"You're the best, Adrien!"

"Like, what brought this on, man?" Nino asked, and Chloé finally noticed that Adrien's DJ friend was sitting by the Ladyblogger, who was next to Marinette.

"It's…" Adrien hesitated, and Chloé swung her gaze back to him, focusing on him so she could catch all of his words properly.

Adrien looked sad again, more so than before, and the exhaustion that had weighed him down all morning seemed to be dragging his shoulders down, until he was sitting in an unhappy slump, cake forgotten on his plate.

As she waited for Adrien to continue, Chloé idly noticed the purple and white icing swirling around the edges of the dark chocolate cake, in neat little loop-de-loops.

"It's nothing, really, I just… I just wanted to let you all know. I don't think I ever really said it before, but you guys, you're my first ever classmates, and though Chloé will always be my first and best friend, I just wanted to know that I love and appreciate all of you, and everything you've done to make me feel welcome since I started public school."

Chloé smiled at his special mention of her, and saw the rest of the class laughing and smiling at his sudden announcement; only Marinette had a brief, disappointed from on her face, but she was quick to send a blinding grin in Adrien's direction when he glanced at her again, hiding her pain completely⏤

Chloé nodded approvingly.

Marinette was obviously disappointed that he wasn't confessing his love to her, but at the very least, she wasn't making her feelings his responsibility; she wasn't angry at him, or blaming him for not reciprocating her feelings.

Not like… not like Chat Noir did to Ladybug.

Shoving another bite of chocolate croissant into her mouth to distract her circling, uselessly repetitive thoughts, Chloé shivered again, glancing up to see if it had gotten cloudy again; it had been sunny just a minute ago, but now it was cold in the sudden shade⏤

A humanoid figure, high above, casting them in shadow⏤

Falling?

No, flying!

"DUCK!" Chloé screamed, instinct sending her heart abruptly into a terrified gallop.

Hurling herself forward and feeling like she couldn't breathe, Chloé tacked Adrien to the side, sending both of them crashing into Marinette and throwing the rest of the class into a domino effect of fear and terror.

The Ladyblogger went crashing backwards into Nino the DJ, shrieking as Marinette fell against her, and Chloé heard the rest of the class scattering and screaming around them as they finally noticed what she had:

The ghostly woman floating over the park, grey-skinned, the tattered remnants of a scarlet dress revealing a gaping, ragged hole over her heart and waist, her hair of ruby flames whirling violently in the breeze. In her hands that were nothing more than nightmarish claws, she wielded something.

Rolling to the side with Adrien clutched in her arms still, Chloé pulled her friend with her and shoved at Marinette and the Ladyblogger to get them moving faster.

"Go, go go gogogogo!" She cried, words slurring together in her haste, but Marinette at least had a good head on her shoulders, because the baker girl was already pulling the Ladyblogger and her boyfriend to their feet and shoving them to the relative cover of the trees.

"Chloé, c'mon, let's go!" Adrien shouted in her ear, and Chloé didn't bother to tell him she was already going. Her heart was pounding, and alien fear ate at her heart⏤

Would Ladybug and Chat Noir be able to fight together after last night, or would the strife pull them apart?

Would this be the day that Hawkmoth won?

Adrien wiggled out of her hold and surged ahead of her, racing in the opposite direction of the school.

"Split up!" Adrien shouted stupidly.

What!?

"Good plan!" Marinette called out, equally stupid, "She can't hit us all at once hopefully!"

What?! No! We don't even know what she does yet!

But Marinette and Adrien were already racing away from the group, sprinting for cover as half of the class was still running in circles or frozen in fear on the ground; by the time Chloé blinked, they had both vanished into the screaming crowds of people who had finally noticed the akuma.

"Citizens of Paris! I am the Red Lady, and you will leap to obey me! For too long have I been controlled, now you I shall control!" The woman called out, her voice echoing eerily over the city.

More screams came in response to this statement, and Chloé, blessed-anger now fighting its way through the fear in her heart, clenched her jaw shut and squared her shoulders in determination.

As the Red Lady began to hurl glowing daggers into the crowd of screaming spectators, Chloé grabbed the nearest student and pulled them with her as she jumped into the concealing shade of the tree and turned so she could see the rest of her classmates properly, dropping the girl⏤ who turned out to be Juleka⏤ to the ground beside her.

"Hide under the trees! She won't be able to see you from high up!" Chloé commanded, hoping her voice wouldn't carry to the Red Lady high above, who was still throwing her red daggers down at people.

Everyone that was hit by the glowing blades at first seemed like they weren't effected⏤ up until people began to mindlessly run into walls or continue to huddle on the ground, frozen, even as people shoved at them or nearly trampled them in their haste to escape.

Most of the class heard her, thankfully, and began to run for the nearest cover⏤

Ivan hauled Mylène off the ground and began to run with her tucked under his arm, like a football.

Max and Kim dragged Rose and Nathaniel with them as they stumbled towards a gazebo.

Nino and the Ladyblogger were racing towards Chloé, and behind them, sitting on the ground and staring up in shock and fear still was⏤

SABRINA!

Welcome rage filled Chloé, and she relished the red haze that tinged her vision⏤ casting her gaze skyward to spy where the akuma was flying, Chloé lowered herself into a crouch, one foot braced against the tree behind her, and when the akuma directed her attention towards the crowd of mindless people she had hit, Chloé tensed her muscles and launched herself out of cover.

Ignoring the Ladyblogger and Nino's confused exclamations as she hurtled past, Chloé sprinted full-tilt towards Sabrina and didn't even stop as she grabbed her friend's hands and hauled her upwards, surprising herself with her own strength as Sabrina exclaimed loudly at being so abruptly pulled to her feet.

Turning on a dime and nearly skidding in the grass, Chloé ignored Sabrina's confused, frightened noises and began to race back to the cover of the trees, dragging Sabrina bodily behind her, not slowing as the girl stumbled behind her.

"C'mon Sabrina! RUN!" Chloé commanded, but Sabrina had never been the most athletic⏤ nor did she handle akuma attacks very well. Sabrina was shaking in her hold, and it seemed like her knees were too weak to support herself properly.

"I⏤ I can't!" Sabrina gasped out, stumbling again, "Just leave me! Go, Chloé, save yourself!"

"No!" Chloé snapped, tugging harder on Sabrina's arms, trying to get her to move faster, but Sabrina let out a cry of pain at the action, jerking her face away from Chloé as she tried to get away from her hold.

Ice struck her heart, shattering the red haze of anger, and Chloé herself stumbled and dropped her hold on Sabrina as her friend struggled out of her hold and clutched her arms to her chest, where red marks were visible from where Chloé had been holding her so tightly.

Did I…

Did I do that?

Chloé stared at the developing bruises on Sabrina's arms and felt as though she were rooted to the spot.

I've been trying to be good, to be nicer all day, and then I go and do this?

What kind of hero hurts their friends!?

"Oh? What is this?" A ghostly, echoing voice asked, and Chloé whipped her head up to see that the Red Lady was hovering over her, head tipped to the side as she glared down at Chloé. "Someone who thinks they can bully and beat those around them into submission?"

Chloé opened her mouth to protest, and then snapped it shut again.

The Red Lady was right, after all.

Chloé was no hero.

Chloé met the akuma's eyes, and flinched when unnatural, blank white sclera met her gaze.

Messy black mascara was smudged around the akuma's eyes, tracing black tear tracks down her grey face, currently contorted in rage. Her burgundy hair of flames was dancing around her shoulders wildly, seeming to grow in size as she glared at Chloé.

Glowing red daggers appeared in the Red Lady's hand, and came soaring down faster than Chloé could blink, forming a glowing wall of metal between Chloé and Sabrina⏤ the daggers grew in size as they hit the earth, sending clouds of dust into the air, growing until they towered over her, showing a twisted, cruel reflection in their blood-colored blades.

Dancing away from the wall of glowing metal and trying to clear the dust and dirt from her eyes, unable to see the akuma or her friend, Chloé felt despair filling her heart.

Where are Ladybug and Chat Noir?

Are they not coming?

"No longer will you be subjected to her cruelty, my friend!" The Red Lady declared, pointing one bony claw at Sabrina, "Now, become my ally, and together, we shall punish the perpetrators of our sorrow!"

"Sabrina! Run!" Chloé shouted, trying to peer uselessly through the fog of dirt and debris that had enshrouded her friend⏤ but all she could see was the akuma above her and the ominous glow of the swords in the ground.

Then the Red Lady was raising a new dagger in her hand, aiming at the other side of the wall of blades⏤

"Hey, leave her alone!" Someone shouted, and Chloé whirled around to see the idiot Ladyblogger running forward, something clutched in her hands, with Nino not far behind, both of them glaring at the akuma.

A brisk wind blew through the clearing, and Chloé blinked as the worst of the dust was swept away with the wind⏤ and saw that the Ladyblogger was clutching a tree branch, obviously ripped off of the tree they had been hiding under.

The girl was brandishing her makeshift weapon at the akuma, while Nino was hefting something small in his hands, fists clenching around the object in obvious nervousness.

"Mortal..." The akuma tilted its head to the side, staring at the Ladyblogger in confusion. "That's a stick."

"I can improvise!" The Ladyblogger shot back, and immediately chucked it at the akuma like a frisbee.

Chloé yelped and dove out of the way as the large branch went sailing past her head, and the Red Lady didn't even bother moving as the stick flew past her, so far off target it wasn't even funny.

The akuma's head turned slowly, mockingly, as her blank eyes watched the projectile as it missed her by a mile. "Was that supposed to hit me, foolish mortal?"

"Nope!" Nino called, and Chloé barely had time to look back at the akuma before the Red Lady was exclaiming in pain and surprise as Nino hurled rocks at her, distracting her further.

Using the opportunity that the losers had created, Chloé pushed herself up off of the ground where she had landed in her haste to dodge the branch, and started crawling, heading for the end of the wall separating her from Sabrina.

She would… she would just have to watch her anger. She relied on it too much to fight off the fear.

Grass and churned up dirt was being ground into the knees of her pants, but Chloé ignored the digusting feeling of it as she snuck as quickly as she could along the ground, listening to the incensed akuma behind her as Nino and the Ladyblogger continued to pelt her with stones, distracting the ghostly woman from throwing her daggers properly.

"Sabrina!" Chloé hissed, trying to peer through the wall of blades separating them, but it was impossible⏤ she couldn't even hear Sabrina through all of the chaos going on.

Heart pounding, Chloé finally reached the end of the wall and carefully peered around the edge to look for Sabrina⏤ and almost crashed face first into her.

"Ow!" It was Chloé's turn to yelp as Sabrina's glasses jammed painfully against her nose and forehead; the shock of the impact had Chloé reeling backwards, clutching her head as pain lance through her skull⏤

Something warm trickled down her fingers, and she realized with shock that Sabrina's glasses had cut her forehead.

Wincing and biting her lip to keep from making any more noise, Chloé squinted in front of her and saw Sabrina, looking a little worse for wear, clutching her broken glasses in her hands with a look of dismay; the frames had cracked down the center of the nose piece, and one of the lenses had vanished into the churned up dirt below them.

Crap.

Now Sabrina was flying blind on top of being terrified out of her mind.

"Sabrina, we have to move!" Chloé whispered, and reached out to pull Sabrina, but froze at the last second.

Staring at her fingers hovering over Sabrina's hand, Chloé's eyes were drawn to the darkened bruises on Sabrina's wrists, and self-loathing filled her.

Maybe I'm not a hero, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying.

Seizing Sabrina's sleeve, Chloé pulled her friend closer, softening her voice until it was as gentle as she could make it⏤

"Sabrina, please, we have to move. Please, just come with me so we can get somewhere safe. Be strong for me, okay?" She whispered, gently placing on hand on Sabrina's fingers and taking the broken glasses frames from her hands.

Sabrina let her take her broken glasses out of her hands, and Chloé quickly stuck them in her front jacket pocket, feeling a piece of paper as she did so. Slinging her arm over Sabrina's shoulders, Chloé leaned in against her friend in a one-armed hug.

"Trust me, okay?" Chloé asked, and was gratified beyond measure when Sabrina nodded immediately.

"C'mon then, before the akuma notices us." Chloé whispered, and waited with bated breath until Sabrina slung her arm over Chloé's own shoulder, gripping her tightly.

Casting her gaze about frantically, Chloé looked for a place she could hide Sabrina, but only saw the tree where Juleka was still hiding; the Red Lady had not seen her yet, as she was still hovering in the air above the tree line, being pelted with rocks and becoming increasingly irate.

Chloé really hoped that the Ladyblogger and Nino had an actual plan besides make the akuma angrier.

Juleka's tree was the closest⏤ all of the other hiding spots were too far out in the open, and Chloé could see the rest of her classmates peering out fearfully from their own hiding places.

"Okay, Sabrina," Chloé said lowly, "We're going to make a quick dash… straight forward." Maneuvering them so they were at the right angle, Chloé continued, "I'm going to help distract the akuma, okay? When I shout to get her attention, run straight forward, and don't stop until you get to the tree, okay? Juleka is there too, she can help you get further away." Chloé explained quickly.

"But Chloé, what about you?" Sabrina hissed, squinting at her⏤ Chloé knew from experience that all Sabrina could see of Chloé's face, even at such close range, was a blur of yellow with a bit of blue from her eyeliner.

Sabrina had the worst vision in the entire class, and it been shocking when they were younger when Sabrina came over one day with her new glasses and stared at everything, (including Chloé's face) in wonder because she had never been able to see before, and didn't even realize it.

"I'm Queen Bee, you don't need to worry about me!" Chloé said, trying to inject some bravado into her voice that she wasn't really feeling, glad Sabrina couldn't read her expression at the moment, "I'm a superhero, and those nerds are going to need help! I'll be fine."

"If you're sure…." Sabrina said, still looking worried. Chloé sadly smiled to herself, glad she had at least one person that cared.

"I'm sure," Chloé lied, then scooped a big old clod of disgusting dirt up from the churned earth, biting the inside of her cheek to distract herself from how gross it was in her bare hands.

Ew ew ew ew eweewweewweewwwwwwwwwwwwww!

"Okay Sabrina, stay here until I start shouting at her, okay?" Chloé asked, and when Sabrina nodded uncertainly, Chloé turned and began to edge her way close to the Ladyblogger and Nino, who were dancing further and further away from Juleka's hiding place, clearly trying to lure the akuma away from the park and their classmates.

Cautiously sneaking forward, Chloé felt like her skin was crawling at the disgusting, cold, goopy mess she had clutched in her hands. There were bits of grass mixed it, and she nearly dropped it when something moved within the mass, but stayed her hand just in time.

Don't think about, don't think about it. It can't hurt you. Don't think about it, you're probably imagining things.

Maneuvering herself so she was at an angle to the akuma, Chloé saw that the Ladyblogger and Nino were running out of stones quickly, and that the ground where they were now arranged near the sidewalk wasn't torn like the grass around the blades were⏤ they were running out of ammo, and the enraged akuma was quickly closing in on them.

"HEY! FLAME FACE!" Chloé shouted, startling the akuma as she was hurling a glowing dagger at Nino, messing her aim up enough for him to dodge it; the Red Lady whirled to face her, and as she did so, Chloé heaved the clump of muddy, damp earth in her hands up and hurled it at the Red Lady's face. "You can't scare this bee away with all your smoldering!"

The mudball splattered as it impacted the Red Lady's face, coating her flame hair and extinguishing it on contact.

The Red Lady shrieked indignantly, clawing at the mud covering her face with her nails, scraping the disgusting mess away as all around them the zombies she had enchanted straightened up and turned to look at their master.

Nino and the Ladyblogger cheered loudly as the akuma was hit, and behind the Red Lady, Chloé saw Sabrina making a mad dash for the tree, where Juleka was waiting, one hand outstretched nervously.

"ENOUGH!" The Red Lady screamed, flinging mud everywhere as her hair re-ignited in a brilliant blaze of flames, burning white-hot at her scalp, "MY LOYAL FOLLOWERS! GET THESE MISCREANTS!"

The crowd of zombies around them let out loud cries and surged forward, arms outstretched as they rushed for Chloé, Nino, and the Ladyblogger.

Crap.

"RUN!" Chloé shouted, directing her attention towards Juleka and the rest of the class, hoping that the Red Lady wouldn't notice them, and that the class would take this opportunity to escape.

The wave of zombies from the school were crossing the road, surging up over the sidewalk and sprinting straight for them⏤!

"Woah, there, Ladies! No need to fight! What's a little mud under the bridge between friends?" A familiar voice called out, and Chloé whipped around to see Chat Noir launching himself off of the nearest rooftop, baton extended fully as he landed between Chloé and the akuma.

Whirling his baton in his hands like, well, a baton, Chat Noir spun in a quick circle, extending his weapon further and lashing out at the approaching zombies as though it were a baseball bat.

People went flying through the air like ragdolls as Chat Noir's weapon made contact, and screams and cries echoed as he batted zombies aside as they swarmed closer, keeping the crowd at bay.

A hand on her arm had Chloé nearly jumping out of her skin, and she whirled, hand raised and fingers crooked to claw at whoever had grabbed her⏤ but stopped just in time to avoid scratching the Ladyblogger across the face. The girl flinched back at the movement but quickly recovered, pulling Chloé closer into a protective huddle with Nino, who was standing with his back to his girlfriend, watching the horde of zombies warily.

Despite her disgust at the close physical contact, Chloé nonetheless found herself touched at the Ladyblogger caring enough to try to protect her.

...Now, what was the girl's name again?

Amy?

Allie?

...Something with an 'A'. She wrote it down earlier, didn't she?

...Didn't she?

"Thanks." Chloé said simply, and tried to ignore the surprised look on the Ladyblogger's face at the simple statement.

"YOU!" The akuma screamed, pointing one clawed finger at Chat Noir, "Who do you think you are, interfering in my work?!"

Snarling, the Red Lady summoned another dagger and pointed it at Chat Noir, who flicked his ears back against his skull in reaction.

Before the Red Lady could throw her dagger at Chat Noir, the purple butterfly mask appeared over her face, indicating that Hawkmoth was communicating with his victim.

Chloé felt the Ladyblogger pulling urgently on her arm, and allowed herself to be led backwards, away from the confrontation. The zombies had halted their advance when Hawkmoth started to talk to his akuma, and it seemed like the Ladyblogger was leading her to the thinnest part of the swarm.

But Chloé had her eyes glued to Chat Noir, anxiously awaiting Ladybug's arrival⏤ what was keeping her so long? Would the heroes be able to fight together after their fight?

Chat Noir was standing in a wary, ready stance in front of the akuma, facing the Red Lady with his baton raised, and his tail lashing behind him oddly.

His ears were slowly perking back up from their pinned state, the one on the right twitching sporadically as the Akuma stayed still, listening to Hawkmoth through her mask.

Seriously, did he have a bug in his ear, or what?

A sudden growl, echoing over the park interrupted Chloé's observations, and she snapped her attention back to the Red Lady to see her waving the butterfly mask away in agitation. "Fine, Hawkmoth! Where is Ladybug? I must have both of your Miraculous!" The Red Lady snarled at Chat Noir, one claw pointing imperiously at him.

"Right here, Red Lady!" A familiar voice declared loudly, and the Ladyblogger let out a cheer as Ladybug came swooping gracefully from the rooftops, much like Chat Noir had done.

Ladybug landed next to Chat Noir and sent Chloé and the others a reassuring, calculated look; Chloé knew her idol was trying to figure out how to get them to safety while keeping the akuma at bay once the fighting broke out again; the glimpse of her face only lasted a second, and then Ladybug was fully focused on the ghostly akuma again, chin tilting as she did a quick once-over of the akuma's tattered red dress, gaping chest, and black tears.

Chloé was glad to see that Ladybug didn't waver at all as she stood next to Chat Noir, standing tall and proud next to her partner, as though she hadn't been akumatized while screaming at him the night before.

Had Chat Noir and Ladybug met up and resolved their issues in private?

"Perfect timing as ever, M'lady!" Chat Noir said cheerfully, "What say you and I wrap this up quickly?"

"I'd say that was a good idea, kitty." Ladybug replied, readying her yoyo in her hand. "Red Lady, please, you know what you're doing isn't right; you're controlling all these people, the way you were controlled! Does that seem right to you?" Ladybug said slowly, keeping her arms up, nonthreatening, but keeping her yoyo readied nonetheless.

Still backing away with the nerds at her back, Chloé found it was getting harder and harder to see the details of everyone's expressions the further away they got, but there was something weird going on with Chat Noir's ears.

His cat ear was twitching every few seconds, as though he were listening to something only he could hear… but only on the right side?

Or maybe a bug just flew in his ear on the way here.

"Please, Red Lady, show us where your akuma is, so we can free you from Hawkmoth's control! Let us help you!" Ladybug pleaded, moving forward slowly, her expression hidden from Chloé. "What happened to you was horrible, but hurting others, hurting innocent people? It won't help. It will only make you feel worse."

But the Red Lady snarled, halting Ladybug's approach with a drawn dagger. "No! I'm not hurting anyone! The only one I will hurt will be him! He did this to me!" She screamed, using her free hand to clutch at the ragged collar of her crimson dress, over the black, tattered hole in her chest. "He stole my heart, he took it! He took everything from me, and he will pay!"

With the speed of a striking snake, the Red Lady moved almost too fast for Chloé to react:

Dozens of glowing red daggers appeared in a twisted halo over her head, and went flying in all directions.

Yelping, Chloé dropped to the ground, arms over her head as a dagger went flying her way, crashing to the earth with shocking quickness as her reflexes kicked in.

Behind her, the Ladyblogger and Nino had not been watching the akuma, and didn't have a chance to dodge⏤ the daggers pierced their chests without blood and vanished into their skin, and when they skidded to a wobbly halt, their eyes were pure white behind their glasses.

No!

All around the park, Chloé's classmates were hit with daggers, their eyes turning blank white as the red projectiles pierced their hearts.

Ladybug, yoyo whirling in front of her and Chat Noir as a shield, let out a broken cry as she saw all of Chloé's classmates getting akumatized⏤ Chat Noir simply stood, staring around them in dismay, ears twitching madly as he growled quietly.

The purple mask of Hawkmoth flickered into view over the Red Lady's face for a second, before vanishing once more.

The Red Lady pointed at Ladybug and snarled, "Let's see you stop me from getting my revenge now, Ladybug!" Rising higher in the air, the Red Lady spun in a circle and shouted, "Allies! Bring me Malcom Oleander!"

And then, before Ladybug could whip out her yoyo to snag the akuma in a lasso, the Red Lady flew straight up and into the skies, vanishing over distant rooftops as she cackled and continued to throw her daggers into the streets and buildings below her.

"No, she's getting away!" Ladybug shouted, aggrieved, and looked heartbroken when she looked around at all of the zombies the Red Lady had struck. "Chat Noir, we have to stop her⏤ do you have any idea where she could have gone? Or where her object is⏤ you were fighting her longer."

Surprisingly, Chat Noir immediately nodded. "Yeah! It's in that sash around her waist. It was hard to see with the way her dress is torn up, so you might not have noticed it." He supplied quickly, reaching up and pinning his twitching right ear down against his head for a moment; Ladybug didn't seem to notice.

"Then what are we waiting for? We have to defeat her! Let's try to find her!" Ladybug said, still looking upset; as she turned to go, Chat Noir reached out and grabbed her wrist⏤

"I know where she went, M'lady; right before you arrived, she said she knew this Mallory guy lived near the Les Invalides Museums." Chat Noir said in a rush, and Chloé stared at him, speechless⏤ and apparently invisible to the heroes in the crowd of shuffling zombies.

What? The Red Lady never said that!

"I can show you the way, I've been there a few times. I know a shortcut too, do you trust me?" Chat Noir continued, and Ladybug quickly nodded.

"Yes, Chat Noir, I trust you, now, let's go get this akuma!" Ladybug said, and before Chloé could say anything to alert them to her presence, the two heroes were off, soaring over the park, Ladybug swinging from building to building as she followed behind Chat Noir's leaps.

Chloé sat in the dirt, covered in grime and surrounded by shuffling zombies, and wondered what was going on.

Why was Chat Noir lying to Ladybug?

For a moment, all she could do was sit in place and stare at the horde of mindless citizens.

Then she noticed that all of the zombies, her classmates included, were now all walking in the direction Chat Noir and Ladybug had gone; they were ignoring Chloé completely.

Looking up and realizing that Nino and the Ladyblogger were both wandering away from her already, Chloé's eyes widened when she saw they were both about to waltz right into the river, completely unaware that the road didn't continue.

No!

"Stop!" Scrambling to her feet, Chloé stumbled in the uneven dirt and ran after the two of them, grabbing hold of their shirt collars and yanking them back from the water's edge. "Stop!"

It was a struggle for a moment to hold onto the both of them, as they continued to try to walk forward, even after she yanked them to the ground completely. They were struggling out of her hold, it being too chaotic to get a hold of them both while they moved.

But if she let go of them, they would both walk into the river, and drown!

It didn't matter that Ladybug could effortlessly bring them back with her Miraculous Cure⏤

What if today was the day Hawkmoth won?

"STOP!" Chloé screamed, putting her whole being into the shout, knowing it was useless but needing an outlet, even as her voice was breaking, "You'll drown, you idiots!"

And… incredibly, they listened.

Nino and the Ladyblogger both stopped their walking motions abruptly, and slumped to the ground at her feet.

"Uh…." Chloé goggled, staring at the two zombies as they stared right back at her with their blank, white eyes. "Stand up?" She tried, and jumped when the two immediately did so.

This is definitely weird…

...But I can work with this!

Scrambling up from her crouch on the sidewalk, Chloé wiped her hands on her pants in vain, trying to clear the worst of the muck off her hands as she turned around in a wide circle, shouting as loudly as she could: "ALL OF YOU, STOP WALKING AND COME TO ME!"

The effect was instantaneous: all of the zombies in hearing range stopped wandering around and instead turned on a dime and began walking in her direction mindlessly.

Seeing most of her classmates approaching, but with far too many people on the outskirts of hearing range continuing, Chloé squeezed her eyes shut and cupped her disgusting hands around her mouth to direct the sound better.

Ew ew ew ew

"ALL OF YOU, STOP FOLLOWING THE RED LADY AND COME TO ME!" Chloé shouted at the top of her lungs, the sheer volume of her shout startling even her as it echoed around the park, making her throat burn and her head light from expending all of her air.

Oh crap, I really hope that akuma isn't close enough to hear me.

Feeling the hairs on the back of her neck prickling with unease, Chloé said "Follow me!" to all of the zombies arranged around her and began to slowly make her way around the edges of the park, keeping a wary eye out for the ghostly akuma as she collected the mindless citizens in a group, all following her like lost puppies.

She made sure to snag Sabrina's sleeve and keep her close.

Okay, Okay, where can I go to get these people safe? The school, maybe?

Heart pounding in her chest with adrenaline, expecting to see the Red Lady appear around every street corner, Chloé cautiously wove between the abandoned cars in the street and jogged up the steps to the school. The thunder of footsteps behind her from the silent zombies was creepy in the extreme, but at least she knew they were obeying her…

...for whatever reason.

Jogging up the stairs to Ms. Bustier's room, Chloé was hoping beyond hope that her favorite teacher was unaffected by the akuma, and would be able to help her⏤

But when she approached the propped-open door, Ms. Bustier was sitting behind her desk, staring out into space with blank eyes; a broken window on the outer wall showed where the Red Lady had thrown her dagger from.

At least it was just a mind-control dagger this time…

"Follow me, Ms. Bustier!" Chloé said, taking Ms. Bustier's hand in her own; her teacher's hand was soft, but cold in her own, and though she was disappointed she wouldn't have her help, she was more than glad that she was okay this time⏤ as much as she could be.

She's not dead, so stop thinking about it.

Wincing as a sharp stab of pain lanced through her head, Chloé grimaced and shook the headache off.

Glancing around the room to make sure there weren't any random students still in the room, Chloé was surprised when she saw Alix in the back of the room, backpack in hand and facing the front.

Why was she here during lunch?

"Follow me, Alix!" Chloé ordered, then caught a glimpse of a brown paper bag on one of the front desks with a water bottle next it it. Glancing over at Ms. Bustier's desk again, Chloé amended her statement "And both of you, bring your lunches with you."

Everyone would probably appreciate having something to eat when Ladybug defeated the akuma, and she knew Ladybug would appreciate the sentiment.

Okay, so the school is already vulnerable to attack, I can't let the zombies stay here, the Red Lady could get them again.

...What about Daddy's hotel? The Red Lady can get through windows, but what if I bring everyone to the basement, or close the curtains and turn off all the lights, so it looks like the place is empty?

Glancing around the rest of the school and seeing its woefully open design, Chloé knew the hotel was her best bet; the school's design was just not meant to defend against attacks like these.

At least it's a relatively small school, Chloé thought to herself as she jogged a quick circuit around the upper floor of the school, flinging open doors and gathering the zombies inside into her quickly growing horde.

Panting slightly from a combination of exertion and anxiety as she made her way down the narrow metal steps, Chloé was mindful of Sabrina's proximity and cast a worried look at the skies as the echoes of so many people tromping down the steps filled the empty school with noise, putting her teeth on edge.

Chloé was almost to the bottom of the staircase, only a few steps away from the courtyard, when a THUD! BANG! BANG! Rang out like a gunshot behind her.

Chloé's heart stopped in her chest and her blood froze in her veins. Jumping in fright as a small, unwanted shriek escaped her lips, it was only her grip on the railing with the hand that was not holding Sabrina's sleeve that prevented her from pitching forward down the last steps, head-first.

Stumbling foreward, Chloé pushed Sabrina behind her defensively and whirled around, ready to drop to the ground or dodge to either side in case a dagger came flying her way⏤

But there was no sign of the Red Lady or any kind of Sentimonster; all of her collected zombies continued to stream down the stairs, and at first, with the hustle and bustle, Chloé couldn't tell what had happened, or what was wrong.

Then she caught a flash of pale skin and dark hair trapped between the metal of the stairs and the feet of dozens of uncaring people.

Eyes widening, she realized that Juleka had tripped coming down the stairs, and the rest of the zombies were continuing to walk all over her while the girl remained silent. Juleka continued to struggle to her feet as the other zombies continued to push and shove her around, trampling her with no regard.

"STOP IT!" Chloé screamed in horror, and the zombies all froze in place. Racing up through the throng, Chloé ran to Juleka's side, "GET OFF HER!" and knelt down next to her.

Pain lanced through her skull again, but Chloé paid it no mind.

"Juleka, can you stand?" Chloé asked, throat burning as she saw the girl's battered state⏤ bruises were developing all over her body, there were bloody scrapes on her arms, and some of her fingers didn't look right.

No, no no, this is all my fault!

Juleka began to stand, but wobbled dangerously on her feet⏤ Chloé was even more upset to see that her left ankle was bruised badly, and was probably sprained or even broken!

What do I do what do I do!?

Chloé's heart was pounding a mile a minute in her chest and head, making it hard to think through her panic. Tangling her fingers in her hair, Chloé pulled at the loose ends, trying to focus through the fear galloping through her system.

What do I do, what do I do What do I do, what do I do ⏤

⏤wait, what would Ladybug do?

The thought was like a bright ray of clarity in the dark panic, and Chloé bit her lip as she looked around the horde of zombies waiting for her command.

Kim was near the top of the stairs, and Chloé knew he was plenty strong, but would he be strong enough to carry Juleka without hurting himself?

"Okay, zombies." Chloé called, clapping her hands twice out of habit to get their attention, "You are going to follow me, but you are going to be careful! You will not hurt yourselves, OR others, and if one of you falls or gets hurt, whoever is nearby has to help them, okay?" she said loudly, appreciating the echo of the schoolyard making her more audible, even as it made her nervous about the akuma coming back.

"Don't hurt yourselves or others." She repeated sternly, before turning and pointing at Kim. "Kim! I want you to help carry Juleka, gently. Ivan, you too. Take turns helping her so we can all get to my Daddy's hotel safely, got it?" Spinning around to survey the rest of the horde, Chloé added "And if any other zombie needs help walking, other zombies, make sure you help them, too!"

Team work makes the dream work, as Ladybug likes to say.

Waiting as Kim and Ivan (carefully) waded through the crowd to reach Juleka's side, Chloé leaned against the railing to support her unsteady knees.

Her heart was still pounding in her chest, and didn't seem like it would slow anytime soon; too much adrenaline was coursing through her veins than was probably healthy.

She desperately wanted to rest for a few minutes, but even that thought was scary; especially in such an open, vulnerable location.

Hopefully Ladybug takes care of that akuma soon.

It looks like she and Chat Noir were getting along okay, but…

Why did he lie to her?

Did he, even?

Or did I just miss something?

Anxious, unable to trust her memories with how distracted she had been, Chloé pulled at her hair, impatient to get going again.

Finally, finally, Ivan and Kim had arranged themselves around Juleka, with Ivan holding her in his arms bridal-style, keeping her hand with the broken fingers elevated out of the way.

"Okay zombies, let's go! Carefully!" Chloé called, jumping away from the railing and anxiously skittering forward; the horde followed her obediently, and Chloé charged ahead of the group, keeping one ear trained behind her for any other stumbles in the group.

Jogging across the open expanse of the courtyard, Chloé ducked behind the large doors of the school and scanned the skies for a moment, keeping an eye out for the Red Lady.

A shadow passed over the sidewalk leading up to the school and Chloé nearly died on the spot in fear.

Then she whipped her head up and saw it was merely a cloud passing over the sun, and her heart started up its new gallop, seemingly even faster than before. Frustrated, terrified tears burned in her eyes,

Turning and thudding her head into the door for a moment to try to get her breathing under control, Chloé struggled to breathe past the lump in her throat, but after an eternity of a minute, gave up on regulating her breathing.

Every inhale and exhale seemed impossibly loud in her ears, easy bait for the waiting Red Lady.

Squeezing her eyes shut as she steeled herself, Chloé sucked in the biggest breath she could, braced her hands on the door and-

Then she was sprinting, down the stairs, across the cold pavement, weaving around the abandoned cars in the road, jumping over upturned wastebins, eyes focused only on reaching her Daddy's hotel four blocks away.

The scenery whirled by in a blur, and all Chloé could hear was the thunder of the horde behind her and the impossible drumbeat of her heart in her head, pounding out louder and louder until all she could hear was a dull, distant roar.

Her knees could barely support her now, and she wavered as her feet slapped loudly on the pavement, blinking furiously to clear the black voids that seemed to be blooming in her vision, but nothing helped; she could barely breathe, and it felt like some thing had a vice that was slowly tightening around her head, unbearable pressure building within her skull.

Her feet carried her blindly with a mind of their own as her vision distorted; the entire world around her was just a blur of colors and darkness as the pain in her head and chest became all she could comprehend, but she pushed herself further, gasping out encouragement to the zombies behind her, even if the words were unintelligible even to her own ears.

"Mdmesialeoel!?" A garbled voice exclaimed, and something grabbed Chloé's arms, halting her forward momentum.

She wanted to struggle; she wanted to scream and fight back with tooth and nail, but she felt like a puppet whose strings had been cut; her brain disconnected from her limbs with an almost audible flash of yellow across her vision and she fell limp to the floor, limbs feeling like lead weights.

Someone caught her in their arms before gravity could pin her to the floor, gently lowering her until she felt cold tiles under her arms. Over head, someone was speaking and more voices were joining in, the unintelligible words turning into screams of terror as the horde of zombies that had followed her poured in through the doors, only seconds behind.

Wait, Chloé struggle to say, wanting nothing more than to fall into sleep, but knowing she had to stay awake.

Forcing her numb fingers to move, Chloé struggled to gain feeling back in her limbs as she tried to speak.

Whoever had lowered her to the floor before had grabbed her again around her shoulders, and was trying to drag her away from the zombie horde; the pressure on her arms helped orientate her senses. Focusing on the grip on her arms, Chloé blinked her eyes open to a blurry mess of colors.

"St'p 't," Chloé slurred out, head lolling back on her shoulders, so she could stare up at her would-be rescuer, "Th'y'r safe. H'lp them, not me!" She managed to get out, each word feeling like it was trying to stick to her tongue, which was leaden in her mouth.

The terrified screams around her were continuing, and the zombie horde was still following her previous command of 'follow me!'

So, of course, whoever was trying to rescue her thought they were trying to like, eat them or something.

A snort of laughter that was more a gasp of air than anything else made its way out of her mouth, and even just that action woke her up a little more from the weird, scary stupor trying to pull her into the ground.

What is wrong with me?

This isn't normal!

"W't! Wait!" Chloé gasped out, suddenly more awake, straining her eyes to open wider so she could clear her vision; she caught a glimpse of Jean-luc above her trying to pull her to safety, and when she swept her gaze back to the zombie horde she caught a glimpse of her Daddy trying to wade through the crowd of fleeing citizens to get to her side, eyes wide with fear as he took in her weakened state.

Shaking her head to focus and immediately regretting it as a wave of pain coursed through her, Chloé zeroed in on the obedient zombie horde still flowing through the doors, Sabrina, Nino and the Ladyblogger at the forefront, with Kim carrying Juleka in a piggy-back style right behind them.

"Zombies! Stop following me! Go⏤ uh, go to, uh..." Brain still rattled, it took Chloé a moment to find a suitible place for the zombies to gather without terrifiying the citizens around her, and an even longer moment to remember the word.

"Go to the waiting area! Sit in, like, the chairs or on the floor!" She called, voice gaining strength for a moment even as the pounding in her head grew more painful. "Without squishing each other!" She remembered to tack on, and on her word, the horde stopped following Jean-Luc and instead streamed over to the reception area and began plopping into chairs and the plusly carpeted floor.

All in eerie, choreographed silence.

"Mdmesialeoel, waht is giong on? How aer you contlorling tehm?" Jean-luc asked something in a hushed voice, barely audible over the roar in her ears.

Struggling to stand, Chloé locked her knees and reached up for Jean-luc's hand. He immediately switched positions, moving around so he could help steady her on her feet instead of pulling her up from behind.

"Chloekins!" Her Daddy called frantically, pushing his way through the now quieter-crowd, reaching her side and pulling her into one of his signature, crushing bear hugs.

Chloé melted into the familiar warmth, drawing strength as her Daddy held her tightly, feeling tears on the top of her head as her Daddy exclaimed, "What's going on, what's happened? Are you okay? Where are you hurt? Oh, sweetheart, I was so worried about you!"

"I'm okay, I'm okay," Chloé repeated, finally drawing away from the hug, revitalized and feeling her headache lesson a teeny bit, even if her heart was still pounding a mile a minute in her chest. "We need to turn all the lights off, lock the doors, and make it look like the hotel is abandoned," She said quickly, looking up at her dad urgently. "Quickly, before the akuma gets here!"

Daddy nodded curtly, raising one hand and snapping his fingers imperiously. "You heard my daughter! Hop to it!"

All around the room, the staff jumped into action and quickly began to bustle around, closing curtains, locking the entrance, and dimming the lights.

"Daddy, we should have everyone go to the basement!" Chloé said, gratefully taking hold on his hand when he offered it to her and using it to steady herself from her wobbly knees; she wondered if he could feel her racing pulse from her wrist⏤ surely everyone in the room could hear it pounding away?

"An excellent idea, Chloé my dear!" Daddy said, nodding before looking around the room again and calling in his clear, authoritative voice, "If our esteemed guests would like to make their way to the basement, my staff will remain here!" He proclaimed, gesturing to an out-of-the-way door by the elevator.

Chloé stared at her father, feeling like she was a step out of sync as he lead her to the door. "Why would the staff stay up here?" She questioned, rubbing at her temple with her free hand, wishing she had some ibuprofen to help with her headache; maybe she could think more clearly once the pain in her head went away.

"To guard us against the akuma, of course!" Daddy said proudly, shooing Jean-luc towards the locked entrance doors, tossing an umbrella his way for him to use as a weapon.

Chloé stopped in her tracks, then stumbled as her father continued to pull her, forcing her to follow in his footsteps. "What?" She exclaimed, aghast, "No!"

"'No' what?" Her father was oblivious, continuing to pull her along, "Darling, I can get you a million umbrellas like that later, after Ladybug takes care of the akuma!" He said blithely, waving her concerns away.

Dizzy, knees wobbling as she was dragged along behind her father, Chloé cast her gaze desperately around the room, seeing that all of the hotel's guests had already rushed into the basement, leaving the staff and the zombies to wait in the dark, alone and vulnerable.

No, I worked so hard! I'm a hero! I did all this to protect the zombies, they're⏤ they're my classmates! They're innocent! They're hurt! I can't just leave them here after all this, and what about the waiters and the servers? What about Jean-luc?

How can Daddy just leave them here?

How can⏤

How can Daddy be so cruel?

The thought burned like a brand in her mind, and Chloé shook her head, trying to dismiss it, to deny it.

"No, Daddy, I don't care about any umbrellas! We have to take everyone to the basement! The staff can't do anything against the akuma, they're not superheroes! And we have to protect the zombies, too!" Chloé cried, straining her free hand towards the horde she had so carefully protected and guided from danger. "See? Juleka's hurt! We have to help them too, Daddy!"

But her Daddy didn't even spare a glance at the politely waiting horde, instead tugging even firmer on her hand. They were almost to the threshold of the basement, and he was retrieving a set of keys from his pockets⏤ he was going to lock all of the staff upstairs, away from their only hope of shelter.

No, nonono no!

"Ladybug will solve everything with her Cure, same as usual!" Her Daddy said, pulling her closer so he could usher her down through the door first, towards the long flight of emergency stairs leading into the deep, dark recesses of the hotel basement, "We mustn't worry ourselves with those who are beneath us, Chloé."

Stumbling on the stairs with her jelly legs, Chloé felt despair taking over her.

All that work, all that effort, and for nothing!

Daddy's just going to leave them up there to… to.. Be zombified!

No... not if I have anything to say about it!

Clenching her fists tightly on the security railing, Chloé turned unsteadily to glare at her father, who was busy sorting through the myriad keys on the keyring, trying to find the one that would lock the door.

"Daddy, you have to let the staff and zombies down here with us." Chloé said firmly, squaring her shoulders.

"Now Chloé, enough of this nonsense; I don't know how you were able to get them to listen to you earlier, but those zombies are a threat! And I will not allow you to be in any more danger!" he said sternly, trying and failing to insert a key into the lock; it scrabbled against the metal, and Chloé saw that his hand was shaking as he dropped it and tried to select the next one.

"No, Daddy, letting them stay up here, and making the staff stay up here is a threat, and putting us in more danger! If the Red Lady finds them and zombiefies them, she can order them to show her where we are!" Chloé pointed out, wanting to stamp her foot for emphasis but not sure she could keep her balance if she did so.

"And if this so called 'Red Lady' were to order them from afar to attack us all while we're hiding?" he countered, fumbling the keyring entirely and sending it clattering loudly to the floor⏤ Chloé scrambled forward, falling onto her hands and knees as she tried to get to it first, ignoring her Daddy's startled exclamation as she did so.

Scooping the keys off of the dusty floor and holding them protectively to her chest, Chloé glared up at her father from the dirty, rarely-traveled floor. "Then she would have already done it! Now, let the staff and zombies in!"

Her Daddy's frustrated, frightened expression melted away, and he stared down at her blankly, before blinking slowly, expression gaining clarity once more.

The headache that had been pounding away in Chloé's head abruptly reached a new, unbearable height, making her vision blackout entirely as a strangled gasp escaped her lips at the pain.

Unable to sit upright as agony consumed her, Chloé dropped the keys and clutched at her head, falling backwards against the wall, the sounds and smells world fading rapidly around her as it felt like the ground was opening up underneath her to swallow her whole.

Gravity pulled her body down against the wall, and as she slipped sideways to crash to the floor, Chloé barely registered words being spoken before she lost all clarity:

"If it would please you, my Queen."

The world was dark for a long, long time.

Chloé floated through the darkness, feeling weightless, as though she were underwater. Her eyes were closed, but even so, she could see that she was floating out in a deep abyss, little, far-away lights dancing in the distance, like stars all around her.

Pinks, greens, blues, purples, reds, yellows, oranges, every shade of color imaginable twinkled in the sky, but one star shone the brightest, and the closest; a bright yellow one, with brief flashes of blue and white.

The star started out close enough to touch, warm light spilling across Chloé's face, drifting downwards in tandem with her, keeping her company as time passed them by…

But the longer Chloé floated, the further and further away her little star got, leaving her alone and cold as the yellow and blue light got farther away.

Lost whispers started to echo in the dark, disembodied voices without meaning.

She could barely see her star, shining in the distance, glowing in a little constellation of fifteen, when⏤

She opened her eyes, and bright, mechanical lights chased the last of the haunting dream away.

The room she was in was dark, save for the little flatscreen mounted on the wall, bathing the crowd of hushed spectators in an eerie, off-white glow.

Sitting upright slowly, Chloé struggled to remember what had happened. Her stomach growled, feeling hollow.

Why was she so ravenously hungry?

Why had she been sleeping on a…

...a glance downward showed she had been asleep on a supply crate of all things, with someone's coat tossed on top for cushioning.

The room around her went tense and silent as a quiet voice droned from the television, and when Chloé flicked her gaze from person to person, she saw everyone around her, most of them complete strangers, were watching the TV with bated breath; no one had even noticed her waking up.

Unwilling to break the strange, tense silence, Chloé followed their gaze, turning her ears into the voice buzzing from the screen.

"⏤dja Chamack here, with the latest on the latest Ladybug and Chat Noir fight! Chat Noir has once more been put under the control of an akuma, and has been seen pursuing an injuried Ladybug through the streets!"

The familiar voice of Paris' most famous newscaster became audible as Chloé focused, and she was eternally grateful for the black and white subtitles scrolling across the screen, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to understand a word the woman was saying.

As she listened and read along with the subtitles, bits and pieces of memories were stirring loose from the fog in Chloé's mind.

Sitting in the park being attacked by the Red Lady; Chat Noir showing up and acting weird⏤

Ladybug showing up, and Chat Noir lying to her.

Had he been under the Red Lady's influence from the start?

"A bystander on the scene was able to capture video of the chase a few hours previous, and were able to stream the video as of moments ago! And, oh, oh no, viewers, this is… this is… disturbing. Please, citizens of Paris, be aware, some viewers may find the following video upsetting. James, can you roll the warning?" Nadja narrated on the screen, voice starting out excited as she listened to a voice off to the side, before turning concerned as she previewed whatever clip they were about to roll.

Across the screen, a large black box with red text appeared, the ominous words stamped across it sending a chill down Chloé's spine.

WARNING: The following video contains graphic images. Viewer Discretion is advised.

Whispers in the dark exploded out, before abruptly quieting once more as the warning faded out, to be replaced with a shaky video.

Chloé's heart began to beat a little faster, speeding up from its resting pace, but thankfully nowhere near as fast as it had been earlier. Leaning forward on the crate, Chloé braced her hands on her knees as she watched the scene cut in.

Gasping breath could be heard loudly over the speakers as who ever was filming ran down the street, jerking the camera this way and that, details of destroyed, darkened streets barely visible as the person continued to run, obviously terrified, darting from street lamp to streetlamp.

Night had fallen, and storm clouds brewed darkly in the sky.

A familiar voice cried out, sounding tinny in the recording, and Chloé gasped as the person filming skidded to a stop, sending the image whirling, before abruptly focusing on Ladybug.

But something was wrong.

There was too much red on her face.

Ladybug was crouched on the sidewalk by a sparking, toppled streetlight, one hand braced on the ground, the other clutching her forehead.

Alien red erased the black spots on her suit's gloves as she grimaced, painting macabre lines down her face as it dripped from her hairline.

No.

The person filming had gasped, and lowered their camera uncertainly.

No, that's impossible.

"L-Ladybug?" They asked, stuttering, and Ladybug's gaze snapped their way, showing blazing blue eyes looking fierce, like a cornered predator, before softening just the slightest. "Ladybug, are you okay?" The filmer asked.

She's never bled before, none of us have.

"Oh, Milady~? Where are you?" An eerie, sing-songing voice rang out, shockingly loud in the recording, and the camera fell to the ground with a crackling clatter, jolting the screen and showing thunderous, black skies overhead, for a moment, and then⏤

The suit should have protected her! Her Miraculous should have protected her!

Chat Noir landed on the edge of a roof, his green eyes glittering like emeralds in the darkness.

He grinned toothily down at Ladybug, lifting one hand in a mocking wave down at her⏤ his claws seemed to be longer, sharper than usual, and something dripped darkly down them, spattering on the golden bell at his throat.

"Chat Noir, stop this before more innocent people get hurt!" Ladybug shouted, flapping her hand behind her back oddly,her figure barely visible in the frame⏤ it was only as the kid who had been filming ran away that Chloé realized Ladybug was shooing the civilian to safety.

"Oh, Milady, you wound me so! I'm not going to hurt anyone 'innocent'!" Chat Noir said, feigning offense as he extended his baton to the ground, vaulting closer and forcing Ladybug to dodge backwards, out of his reach.

Rubble bounced off the camera screen as Chat Noir stalked closer. "The only thing I'm going to do is break your heart, the way you broke mine." Chat Noir hissed coldly, baring his teeth in a disturbingly fake grin as he loomed over the phone. "I think I'll enjoy playing a few games with you first though, the way you did with my heart!"

Then he was lunging forward, and his steel boot came crashing down on the phone, ending the feed.

Nadja Chamack appeared on the screen again, looking pale, and Chloé sucked in a deep gasp of air as the tightness in her chest made itself known⏤ she had forgotten to breathe.

"Citizens of Paris, we are still monitoring the situation, but please, we urge you: stay safe, stay quiet, and stay indoors. It seems like this current akuma is stronger than the others, and as Ladybug has still not captured the Red Lady, we do not know how long this battle will last. If you see any Mindless people in the streets or around your shelter, try to stay hidden.

"Hopefully, Ladybug will have this all cleared up soon. We will keep her in our prayers here at the studio, and wish her luck. Ladybug, if there is anything we can do to aid you, please, do not hesitate to ask."

Chloé stared at the screen as it went to a generic list of instructions and warnings for akuma situations.

Inside her head, her thoughts were at war with each other, chasing the tail of one in endless circles.

Was Ladybug okay?

No, she was hurt!

And that akuma is still out there!

AND she has to deal with fighting Chat Noir now, too!

Chloé flinched at the reminder of her own words, shouted at Chat Noir what felt like an eternity ago⏤ but she didn't take them back, even in her head.

Why does Ladybug have to deal with not only fighting an akuma, but fighting  you?

She needs help.

She needs help⏤ she needs me!

Chloé tried to stand, stretching her legs the scant distance to the floor from the crate, but the second she began to rise, it felt like a wave washed over her, darkness rising in her vision and lightheadedness making her feel like her head was floating away from her body.

Chloé gasped again, and it felt hollow as she stumbled backwards, falling loudly against the crate as she lost her balance, the hunger that had been haunting her making its presence known with a vengeance.

Her vision had gone entirely black, and the roaring was back in her ears. When someone grabbed her arm, gently, she couldn't even hear the words being spoken to her, though she could feel their breath on her face, urgent.

Her stomach⏤ it didn't even hurt. It was just⏤ it was hollow; the feeling was all-consuming, a desperation filling her that she had never felt before.

She was starving.

"F-food!" Chloé gasped out, "Please, I need food! I'm so hungry!"

Clutching her stomach, Chloé didn't care that she was sitting on the disgusting basement floor, or that she still had grass stains on her clothing, or mud under her fingernails, or that she had an audience of strangers to her outburst⏤ all she felt was that aching, desperate hunger.

There was movement in the crowd around her, bodies shuffling quickly, jostling her and the person holding her upright, but then there was a smell, barely noticeable, approaching quickly.

Chloé's head turned of its own accord, and her eyes snapped open (when did she close them?) to see Jean-luc approaching, a covered dish held close to his chest, protecting it from the jostle of the crowd.

Instinct took hold, strange and alien, unfelt before, and Chloé jerked out of her father's hold (when did he get beside her? Was she remembering wrong, or had he really been acting strangely on the stairs before she passed out?) and lunged at the covered platter in Jean-luc's hands as he lowered it down towards her.

The metal cover went flying with a CRASH! CLANG! That seemed distant over the roar in her ears, but caused the crowd around her to jump in fright⏤ but only half of them. But Chloé didn't care, because the tantalizing smell had registered with her brain, and she was ravenous.

A half dozen chocolate truffles vanished in a second as Chloé descended on the plate, gulping them down before the flavor even registered on her tongue; the first bite was heaven, and as she snatched the rest off of the plate she could feel the hunger and exhaustion fading like it had never been, in fact, she felt stronger, stronger than she had ever been.

The fog was clearing from her mind, and with its absence, Chloé realized what was wrong with the crowd around her: only half had reacted to the scene she was causing; the other half were the zombies⏤ the Mindless, as Nadjia Chamack had called them.

Her father had listened to her, and let not just the service staff, but the horde of zombified classmates into the basement as well.

Had her father changed his mind?

Or… had she changed his mind?

Had Chloé somehow controlled her father like she had the Mindless?

How was that possible?

And what was that dream about?

That star, it felt… familiar.

Could she use her new power to get control of Chat Noir away from the akuma, and free him from the Red Lady's influence?

I have to find him and Ladybug, first.

"I need to get to the roof!" Chloé said urgently, "I need to turn on the bee signal! Ladybug needs my help!"

"Chloé, please, slow down!" Her Daddy said, and Chloé realize he was one of the people clutching her shoulders, "You've only just woken up! You were unconscious for hours, and it's too dangerous out there in your state! You almost fainted again, and we don't know why!"

Chloé opened her mouth to argue, but Jean-luc beat her to the punch, pressing a crinkly bag into her hands as he crouched down in front of her and spoke.

"Your father is right, Mademoiselle. You have been in an odd state since you arrived with your Mindless classmates in tow. You were nearly insensate when you ran in, and twice now since then, you have collapsed. We do not know how you were able to control the mindless, but it seems to be taking a rather steep toll on your health." Jean-luc explained, before gesturing at the bag he had passed her.

Confused and frustrated in equal measure, Chloé peered down at the bag in the dim lighting, trying to see the label. Annoyed at the lack of proper lighting, Chloé pawed at the plastic, trying to find the opening, and sent multiple somethings scattering over the floor in her sudden, inexplicable annoyance.

That scent hit her nose again, and Chloé's eyes widened when she realized chocolate candies had been scattered along the floor; her mouth watered and she realized she was still hungry, and was tempted to eat the chocolates off the floor.

But… why?

"Something's wrong with me." Chloé realized, staring down at the tempting silver wrappers scattered around her on the dusty, damp floor.

"Exactly, Mademoiselle. Until we can find out what is going on, I think you should stay down here, where it is safe."

"But⏤ but I could help Ladybug!" Chloé protested, "I could use this new power, and I could⏤ I could control Chat Noir, if he's a Mindless!"

"And what if the Red Lady got hold of you?" Her father countered, "Or what if you controlled Chat Noir and collapsed as you did on the stairs? Chloé sweetheart, I can't bear to lose you!"

"You're not going to lose me!" Chloé argued, "Not unless Ladybug loses! That's why I need to go out, and help her! You saw that video! She was hurt, Daddy!" Chloé pleaded, clenching the bag tightly in her hands and hearing the chocolates rattling around inside.

"And I don't want you getting hurt as well!" Her father argued back, "Besides, even if you put up the bee signal, who's to say Chat Noir and the akuma won't find you first? If Ladybug doesn't come, what would you do then? Would you try to find her? How could you? That video is from hours ago! No one has seen them since!"

Her father fired questions out, one after the other, barely giving Chloé enough time to process the words⏤ She was getting frustrated, getting angry, desperate. Didn't her father realize that was exactly why she had to go help Ladybug!?

Chloé opened her mouth to retort, but froze as a sensation like a warm breeze swept through the enclosed room.

Gasps rang out from the people around her as, simultaneously, the Mindless who were standing around were swallowed up by black and purple smoke, boiling around their forms for an instant before collapsing like water to the floor and vanishing out of sight.

Confused, alarmed exclamations rang out as the Mindless blinked their blank eyes to reveal they were back to normal, fear still clouding their expressions, caught up in the moment of terror when they had been struck by the Red Lady.

The former-Mindless were staring around in confusion and panic still when the first cheer rang out; loud and jarring, a woman whooped with joy near the television, her enthusiasm nearly hysterical.

The spell of silence was broken, and the cheers spread around the room until it was nearly deafening.

"YES!" Someone screamed joyously, "Ladybug defeated the akuma!"

"The Red Lady was defeated!"

"Ladybug won!"

"What's going on?"

"Ladybug saved us!"

"Where'd the akuma go!?"

"Ladybug beat her!"

"Oh, thank god, I thought we were going to be stuck in this basement all night!"

"Hey, where are we?"

"What did I miss?"

"Where are my glasses?"

"Ladybug saved us once again! I knew she could do it!"

"Dang it, my lunch is ruined!"

"AGH! OW! It hurts! AH!"

"Oh my gosh! Juleka! Are you okay?"

"Ah! Ladybug hasn't used the cure yet! Someone, help!"

"Juleka's hurt!"

"Someone, quick! We need help until Ladybug uses the cure!"

"Someone's hurt!"

"Quick! Where are the medical supplies!?"

"Here! Here!"

"AHH!"

"Shh, it's okay Juleka! Ladybug will use the cure soon, don't worry!"

Chloé clamped her hands over her ears, trying in vain to block out the cacophony of noise as people screamed in celebration, terror, and panic, voices overlapping one-another until it was all jumbled together; people surged around her in the dark basement, people fumbling in the dark as they ran about embracing friends and family or backpedaled away from the crowds, one person tried throwing an old first-aid kit across the heads of the crowd and ended up hitting someone by accident in the dark instead.

An indignant screech rang out as a woman was hit with the kit and the crowd in that corner of the basement seemed to finally catch on that someone needed help; the shouting grew to a crescendo as random people tried to ask what was going on or offer different advice, until a voice shouted out, "EVERYONE STOP! I'M A DOCTOR! PLEASE, GIVE HER SPACE AND PLEASE KEEP YOUR VOICES DOWN SO I CAN WORK!"

Immediately, the cacophony of noise died down, and Chloé cautiously peeked out of her arms and uncovered her ears, ready to cover them again if the noise level rose again.

"See, Chloé? Ladybug can manage just fine without your help." Her father said, kneeling down next to her again and placing a hand on her shoulder, drawing her into a hug. "I told you it was better to stay here, where it was safe."

But Chloé didn't hug her father back, because unease was sitting heavy on her heart.

"Why hasn't she cast the cure yet?" The Ladyblogger asked from nearby, voicing the question Chloé didn't want to speak out loud. The nerd girl was standing next to Nino, looking worried as she shone her phone's flashlight over the crowd to see better.

"Where's the lightswitch!?" Someone shouted, frustrated, drowning out Nino's reply as he and the Ladyblogger whispered together, brows drawn together in worry.

Chloé wiggled out of her Daddy's hold and he let her, standing up so he could go pacify his expensive guest. As her father worked his way through the crowd, Chloé stood and gingerly made her way closer to the Ladyblogger and Nino.

Crap, I forgot her name again. Didn't I write it down or something!?

Chloé paused, standing out of the Ladyblogger's direct line of sight as Chloé transferred the bag of chocolates to one hand and fished around in her jacket pocket; her questing fingers encountered the envelope of autographs and the mini sharpie, and then⏤ gotcha! A flimsy, folded piece of paper.

Drawing the crinkled note out of her jacket, Chloé squinted at it in the darkness, trying to make out what she had written

The lights flickered on as her father finally located the lightswitch, blinding her for a moment; when her vision cleared, the names Laun and Aliyah glared up at her in thick, accusing lines.

Oh my god, I l forgot Laun's name again and was calling him Jean-luc this entire time!

Biting her lip in frustration, Chloé was glad that she hadn't said the wrong name out loud at the very least.

Folding the paper back up and shoving it safely back into her pocket, Chloé moved closer to Alya and Nino, intent on seeing if the Ladyblogger had any updates about Ladybug.

"Oh! Chloé! There you are! I was worried you were hurt, like Juleka!" Nino exclaimed as she came into view, and Chloé grimaced, still feeling guilty about the girl's injuries, but trying to push that worry out of mind, since she had a doctor working with her now.

"Yeah, did you escape, or did the Red Lady get you too?" Alya questioned, adjusting her glasses where they were perched precariously on her nose; at least one of the arms was crooked and bent out of shape.

"She missed me when she hit you two," Chloé supplied quickly, "As Queen Bee, I was able to control all of you guys when you were mindless zombies. That's how I got all of you here⏤ but anyways, enough chit chat, do you have your phone? Has anyone messaged the Ladyblog?" Chloé urged, trying to get the relevant information out of the way to avoid time-wasting questions.

"Wait, how did you⏤ you know what, never mind. I have my phone, but I can't get a signal down here!" Alya lamented, turning flashlight mode off with a click and showing Chloé the screen, where the Ladyblog header was visible with a loading symbol below it. "I can't get it to load enough to even get to my messages."

"What if we went up higher?" Chloé asked, "Or would it help if I gave you the wifi password?"

But Alya shook her head, "No, my mom gave me that awhile back when she started working in the kitchen, it doesn't connect this far down. If we went higher, I could definitely get a signal." Alya agreed.

"Okay, good." Chloé said, hushing her voice. Standing on her tippy-toes and feeling a small rush of light-headedness, Chloé tried to find her father in the crowd, and saw him and Laun, (not Jean-luc!) standing over by the doctor, who was holding Juleka's hand comfortingly in a small clearing on the other side of the room. "Let's go!"

Grabbing Alya's hand and feeling the dried mud acting like a barrier between their fingers, Chloé made a beeline for the door, hearing the Ladyblogger grabbing hold of Nino as well and dragging him with them.

Reaching the door, Chloé opened it and stepped out as casually as possible, keenly aware of the dozen or so civilians watching her. Squeezing through and pulling her classmates with her, Chloé heard a few of the adults behind her asking "Is it safe to leave? Should we follow them?"

"Uh, should we STOP them?"

"Shut the door!" Chloé hissed, and Nino complied, clicking it back into place and silencing the murmurs from the adults; the light was plainly visible under the door, and Chloé felt a moment of forboding, wondering if she should duck back in and tell them to turn it off again for safety.

No, then my father and Laun would see me, and stop me from helping Ladybug again.

Hit by a spark of inspiration, Chloé sat the bag of chocolates down, then shucked off her jacket and folded it sideways, before crouching down and laying it in front of the door, maneuvering the sleeves for a moment until none of the light was visible; the yellow jacket itself was nearly invisible in the dark stairwell, as the only light souce was the emergency exit sign at the very top.

Satisfied, Chloé straighted up and swayed on her feet as flashing lights and blobs of darkness swarmed over her vision again. A hand on her shoulder steadied her, and she turned to barely see the Ladyblogger's red hair highlighted by the red light above them.

"Hey, are you okay?" Alya asked, sounding really worried, but Chloé tried to shrug her off, debating if she wanted to risk grabbing the chocolate bag off the floor, or if she would fall over in the attempt.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine but could you⏤ could you hand me that bag of chocolates? I'll feel better once I eat some. But I can do it on the way!" Chloé asked, gritting her teeth at having to ask for help.

"Sure thing, dude." Nino said quickly, moving in the darkness. Chloé heard the tell-tale crinkling of the bag, and then his hand was bumping into hers. Opening her palms, Chloé cupped them together and felt Nino depositing a few of the chocolate kisses into her hands.

Closing her hands over the chocolate, Chloé heard Nino folding the bag up and was glad he was choosing to hold the bag, since she wasn't sure she could handle eating, holding the candies, and holding the bag at the same time. "Thanks, Nino." Chloé said, moving towards the stairs once more as she shifted the candy to one hand and worked at the wrapper of one with the other.

Leaning against the railing for balance as they ascended, Chloé inelegantly ripped the silver foil off of the first chocolate and shoved it into her mouth, chewing quickly instead of savoring it like she usually did.

Just like the truffles from before, strength flowed back into her limbs as she ate, and a feeling of invincibility overcame her again⏤ but she knew it was a lie, this time.

Ignoring the energy beginning to buzz in her veins, Chloé continued to rip the wrappers off of the chocolates and shove them into her mouth as they climbed the steep staircase, hoping she would be able to make it to the roof without fainting again.

"Low blood sugar?" Nino asked from somewhere behind her, and Chloé furrowed her brows.

I have no idea what that means.

Chloé shrugged and muttered, "Something like that…" making a mental note to look it up later.

"Let me know if you need more, and hey, don't be afraid to ask for help, no one would make fun of you." Nino said, sounding strangely sincere and earnest.

"Seriously Chloé, we won't tell anyone if you don't want us to, but you should let the class know; if anything ever happens at school, people would know how to help you better!" Alya said from in front, dropping down into a crouch as they reached the top, "But for now, shhhh."

Chloé, who had been opening her mouth to ask what on earth these two were talking about, snapped it shut again, wary of alerting any potential enemies.

Kneeling on the stairs and putting her palms on the landing, Alya leaned in, putting her ear to the floor as she peered under the door frame, the thin light casting eerie shadows across her face- None of the shadows moved, thankfully, and after a moment the girl pushed herself upright again to press her ear against the door instead, listening carefully.

Chloé's heart was beginning to pound in her head again, not just from the exertion of the stairs, but from the growing anxiety that fluttered like akuma in her stomach.

Because Ladybug still hadn't cast the Miraculous Cure.

"Coast is clear, c'mon, guys." Alya whispered, reaching up and opening the door slowly, revealing the darkened hotel lobby, bringing with it the sound of rain, and low, distant peals of thunder.

"Any signal yet, babe?" Nino whispered to Alya, who shook her head, peering down at her phone, where a loading symbol was visible, circling endlessly on the Ladyblog's homepage.

"No, maybe something happened to the cell tower? We should try to get to the roof, see if I can't get a signal up there." The girl sighed quietly, sneaking a wary glance around the dark and forboding room.

Chloé shivered as she followed the Ladyblogger's gaze, imagining blank emerald eyes peering out at them from every corner.

"Let's go then, and quick." Chloé said, creeping out of the door and edging her ways towards the elevator, keeping an eye out for any movement, but the first floor was silent as the grave, save the sound of the steady rain driving down from the sky, plinking against the glass and obscuring the streetlights from clear view.

Nino and Alya followed Chloé's lead, and Chloé was glad when she saw the elevator buttons were still lit up. Pressing her hand to the up arrow, she winced as the speaker let out a soft, acknowledging beep.

"Yo, is it safe to use the elevator? Shouldn't we take the stairs? This is an emergency, after all." Nino stage-whispered, but Alya waved him off before Chloé could reply.

"Yeah, but time is kinda of the essence here, and this hotel has a million floors. The lights are still on, so we still have power, and if it hasn't gone off yet, then I doubt it will in the next few minutes." Alya said, "Especially since the battle is most likely over now, anyways."

Chloé nodded in agreement, then jumped as the elevator chimed it's arrival.

As the doors began to open of their own accord, Chloé and the others both skittered off to the side, none of them willing to be in the line of fire of anything potentially lurking in the elevator⏤ but as a few seconds passed and no threat appeared, Nino drew in a deep breath and walked over to the elevator door and slowly peered in.

Nino's sigh of relief drained some of the tension from Chloé's shoulders, and she followed him into the elevator quickly, Alya keeping pace with her as they boarded.

"Top floor it is." Alya said, trying to inject some cheer into her voice as she reached out and tapped the button that lead to Chloé's suite.

As the doors slowly closed, Chloé glanced out, towards the front door of the hotel, trying to see through the rain, to see if the destruction in the video had reached this street; but the rain obscured most of the details.

The only thing visible was the closest lamp, casting a bright halo of light down onto the sidewalks across from the hotel, backlighting an oddly shaped shadow in front of the doors, keeping the details in darkness, blurred by the pounding rain.

The hair on the back of Chloé's neck began to stand on end.

The silver elevator doors slid shut, but not before the shadow in front of the lobby doors moved.

Chloé gasped, and the warped reflection on the doors mirrored her terrified gaze. Skipping backwards, Chloé hit the wall behind her, staring at the elevator doors in horrible anxiety, realizing they would not be strong enough to stop anyone or anything determined to get in and hurt them.

"WOAH! What is it? What's wrong!?" Nino shouted, jerked away from the doors like he had been burned, taking a single, long stride across the enclosed space until he had one arm around Alya, pulling her away from the control panel as the elevator lurched.

"What did you see!?" Alya demanded, sounding strained, leaning into Nino's embrace as they both joined Chloé as far from the doors as they could get, subtle tremors shaking their frames from the adrenaline, "What was out there? Who was it?"

Chloé clenched her fists together and brought them to her hair, uncaring that she was getting mud in the already messed-up strands; she wished with all of her heart that she had her Miraculous with her; suddenly, her plan of wrestling control of Chat Noir away from the akuma while being a normal human girl didn't seem like such a bright idea anymore.

"What did you see?!" Nino asked again, his eyes looking around the enclosed space wildly, looking for a threat, but all they could see was their terrified expressions mirrored back at them from all sides.

Chloé sucked in a breath, realizing her lungs were burning, and released it, dread making the words guttural and broken, rasping against her throat: "Chat Noir."

Alya and Nino froze, going still beside her, and Chloé saw their expressions in the mirrored doors as they fell into confusion.

Chloé's words meant nothing to them.

They had not seen the video, they didn't know Ladybug had been fighting her partner, they didn't know he had hurt her.

"...Why is that bad?" Nino finally ventured, relaxing out of his ready stance, looking at Chloé in confusion.

Chloé's voice shook as she spoke, "Because, the akuma was controlling him. He was attacking Ladybug. He drew blood. She was hurt, badly, and that was hours ago."

Alya gasped, one hand flying to her mouth, "What? But that's impossible! Her Miraculous should have protected her! I thought the suits made us⏤ uh, uh, you guys invulnerable to attacks!" Alya demanded, stuttering over her words in her haste and tripping herself up.

Chloé nodded, keeping her eyes glued to the door, waiting for black claws to pry it open. "They're supposed to, an Akuma has never been able to hurt me before, unless it was a magical attack. The Red Lady must have done something to Ladybug to weaken her. That's why I'm so worried, she still hasn't cast the cure, and she was badly hurt. Can she cast the cure, or did something happen when the Red Lady let all of you go? Was that Ladybug defeating the akuma, or did the Red Lady need to focus all of her power on someone else?"

Alya's mouth dropped open at Chloé's grim pondering, and her eyes turned to meet Nino's, horror filling both of their eyes to finally match Chloé's.

"Then, if Chat Noir is here, and Ladybug hasn't cast the Cure yet…" Alya whispered⏤

"Then he could still be under the Red Lady's control, and Ladybug is out there, all alone and hurt." Nino finished, voice dark.

Chloé nodded slowly, "He thinks Ladybug is going to ask me for help, or that maybe she'll ask one of the others, but Hawkmoth already knows my identity. I don't know who the fox and the turtle are, let alone the snake or the monkey, so I can't ask them for help." Chloé lamented, glancing over at Alya and Nino to see them trading helpless expressions.

"...Are you sure it was him you saw?" Alya whispered finally, hopeful.

Hesitating, Chloé nodded finally. "I don't want to take a chance on being wrong. Even if it wasn't him, we need to be careful, because he could still be out there."

The next minute or so was spent in grim, fearful silence, the three of them staring at the elevator door, wondering if, when they came to a stop, Chat Noir would be on the other side to greet them with his glittering emerald eyes and blood-spattered claws.

When, finally, the elevator announced their arrival with a small lurch and a chime, Alya and Nino both held each other's hands, and when Alya reached out to Chloé, she was grateful for once for the physical contact.

The three of them took in deep, reassuring breaths, and stepped out of the elevator together, braced for impact.

But none came, and Chloé let out a small breath as she peered around the familiar furnishings of her room. Nothing seemed to be out of place, and all of the windows were shut against the pouring rain; lightning flashed, making the three of them jump, but no evil attacked from the shadows, so Chloé allowed herself to pull out of Alya's hand.

"Do you have a signal yet, babe?" Nino whispered again, and Chloé was disheartened to see Alya shake her head once more. "Maybe it's just the storm effecting it." He added, hopefully.

"C'mon you guys, can you help me check out the balcony? That's where the cell tower for the hotel is." Chloé said, creeping closer to the sliding glass doors that shielded her room from the driving rain. As the door slid open smoothly on it's tracks, the wind whipped and whirled around them, sending stinging rain into Chloé's eyes despite the awning that would usually protect her.

Struggling out into the storm, Chloé was soaked within seconds, and had to squint to see the cell tower that dominated the skyline on the opposite side of her secret hideout; red lights blinked lazily on the side of the tower, and as she sloshed her way closer in the flooded area, Nino appeared beside her, shielding his glasses from the rain with one hand as best he could.

A particularly rough gust of wind rushed over them, making the bolted down tables and umbrellas rattle ominously, and Chloé glanced worriedly at the tower as it seemed to sway dangerously in the wind.

"Are we sure the akuma isn't Stormy Weather again!?" Alya shouted behind them, standing safe and dry behind the glass door, keeping her phone in front of her as she kept dragging her finger down the screen repeatedly, the red webpage putting eerie highlights over her face as she stared worriedly down at it.

"I think if it was, we'd have been swept off the roof already!" Nino shouted back to his girlfriend, leaning in close to peer at the tower as they finally reached it. Chloé looked over the cell tower desperately, squinting in the pounding rain to see if she could spot what was wrong with it; she knew the red lights on the side would usually be green, so what had happened?

"Over here! Right there, do you see it?" Nino suddenly called, and Chloé tried to see what he was pointing at. A flash of lightning struck nearby, making her cringe at the proximity, but the brief light did finally illuminate an open panel about halfway up the tower, where a loose cord whipped wildly around in the wind.

Crap.

"That's probably it," Chloé conceded, wiping moisture off of her face and accidentally smearing mud across her face instead; she grimaced, but was glad the freezing rain would probably wash it away quickly, "But how are we meant to plug it back in? It's too high up, and we'll probably electrocute ourselves!"

Beside her, Nino let out a growl of frustration, staring up at the power cord as it seemed to mock them.

Whirling around to survey the balcony, Nino jogged away, leaving Chloé to huddle under the tower, wondering if she could or, should set up the Bee Signal; would it do any good, or would it just put Ladybug in more danger?

Something scraped loudly against the concrete, and Chloé whirled around, heart in her mouth, only to see Nino was trying to drag one of the heavy chairs away from the tables. "What are you doing!?" Chloé asked, flabberghasted as the boy tried to drag the wind-proof furniture closer to the tower.

"I need to be able to reach the plug, and these chairs aren't made of metal, so they'll be safer!" He called back, heaving again at the chair and almost sliding on the rain-soaked pavement.

Groaning, Chloé darted away from the tower and joined Nino in pulling at the chair, and together, the two of them got it to move a foot or so before the effort became too much, jerking to a stop.

"Babe, come help us move this quick, then see if you can find anything made of rubber in there!" Nino said, and Alya complied, sitting her phone safely on a dry section of floor before joining them in the rain. The three of them made better progress than just the two of them, and within a minute, they had the chair right up against the tower.

"Now, we just need to find enough things made out of rubber so we can be insulated!" Nino called over the roar of the wind, and made a dash for the doorway; Alya and Chloé followed him, and Chloé shivered as they stepped back into her room, soaking the carpet.

"I have towels in my bathroom, let me grab those quick; I have some rain boots over in my closet too, would those work?" Chloé inquired, clutching her arms to her chest as the chill from the rain seemed to seep into her core, making her fingers numb.

"Good idea, do you have more than one pair?" Nino asked, and Chloé pointed him in the direction of her walk-in closet as she hurried to her bathroom, peering warily through the door before she pulled out a stack of the fluffiest, warmest towels she could find.

Tossing one of the ultra plush hair towels over her head, as she focused on rubbing down her outer clothes to stop them from dripping, Chloé gathered the rest up into her arms and followed Nino and Alya's trail of rainwater into her closet. There, she found the two of them staring, flabberghasted, at her vast collection of fashion rain boots and other apparel.

Annoyed at their staring, Chloé chucked two of the towels at them and stuck the rest on top of free space on the shelf. "Here, dry off before you ruin the carpet. Also, Nino, what exactly are you planning on doing? I'm pretty sure rain boots aren't going to protect you from being electrocuted while it's raining!"

Catching the yellow and black towel as it hit him in the face, Nino chuckled nervously as he tousled his hair dry before wiping the surface water off the rest of his clothes. "I know that, but, it's important that we be able to communicate with Ladybug! I figure, I can wear rain boots on my feet so I'm not grounded, and I can also like… put them on my hands? I can probably plug the cord in if I can catch it facing the right way..." He said, skeptically eyeing the pair of dainty, calf-length rain boots sat in front of him.

Alya sniggered a bit as she looked from Chloé's boots to Nino's sneakers and back again. "You sure about that? I think they're a littttle bit too small for you, Nino." she said, before taking one of the boots off of the shelf and comparing it to her own foot. "Crap, and they're too small for me, too."

Chloé snatched the other boot off of the shelf, toed off her shoes, and pulled on the rubber rain boots. "Give me the other one," She ordered, trying to keep her new power out of her voice, lest she collapse again.

Alya blinked at her and passed her the boot, looking worried. "Hey, seriously, this could be dangerous. Are you sure about this? Like, I was worried enough when Nino was suggesting it, but with your blood sugar issues, this could be even more dangerous for you!" The girl said, obviously anxious.

Chloé still didn't have a clue what blood sugar was supposed to mean, but it was obvious this was something she would have to do. "I'll be fine, I'm a super hero after all!" Chloé said, trying to inject some bravado into her voice, but wasn't sure how well it went over; she instead focused on pulling the boot on all the way, then turned to search out a suitable pair to wear on her hands for this ridiculous mission.

The thought of being shocked by the cell tower, let alone being struck by lightning made her pulse pound and her hands shake, but they needed to be able to find out what was going on in the rest of the city, and if this didn't work, they were going to have to go back to the ground floor and set out on foot if they wanted to help Ladybug.

Giving the hair towel over her head one last ruffle, Chloé tossed it into the corner and selected the biggest rainjacket she had hanging in her closet, one that went to the floor and would hopefully keep her as dry as possible. Pulling it on, Chloé did all of the fastenings as tight as she could get, and then tossed two more over to Alya and Nino, who pulled them on with only a minor struggle for Nino to get it around his shoulders.

Pulling out the second pair of rubber boots, Chloé considered them for a moment before moving to the opposite side of the closet and grabbing the thickest pair of mittens she could find. Pulling them on her her teeth, Chloé figured the more cloth between her and the boots, the better. "Help me put these on, so we can get this ridiculous plan over with." Chloé said, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

Alya and Nino both nodded and helped her shove her mitten-clad hands into the calf-length boots she had chosen, pulling the rain jacket's sleeves back for her so they could pull it over top of the boot's opening as it just barely reached her elbows, making it as waterproof as possible.

As the sleeves were re-tightened into place, Chloé glanced in the floor-length mirror and groaned at her appearance. "I look absolutely ridiculous!" She bemoaned, "Nino, this plan of yours better work!"

Her disgruntled, fearful reflection gazed back at her, swimming in a black and yellow rainjacket that was cinched tightly at the hood, waist, and sleeves, with black boots poking out of the sleeves and ridiculous bright blue rain boots barely visible at the hemline.

What was visible of her face was pale, her makeup was smudged, and on her forehead, she was surprised to see dried blood matted to her forehead, mixed in with the brown mud. Cautiously poking her her head with her clumsy, boot-clad hand, Chloé remembered that Sabrina's glasses had sliced open her forehead, but she couldn't feel any pain⏤ except when she jabbed herself in the nose with the heel of the boot.

"Only a little bit, and it's for a good cause!" Alya pipped up, trying to be reassuring, "Just imagine what Nino would look like if he could fit in your shoes!"

The mental image did make Chloé laugh a little, and Nino himself chuckled nervously as he fidgeted with the green rainjacket she had tossed to him. "Well, no time like the present, let's get out there, and get this done, so we can help Ladybug!" He declared, pulling his green hood up and cinching it tightly around his face, struggling for a moment until he realized the hood had a built in visor.

"Yeah, let's do this!" Alya declared, pulling her own orange hood up and zipping her jacket tightly. As Chloé let Alya's enthusiasm lead her out of the room, she considered grabbing an umbrella, but quickly dismissed it, as it would be torn out of their hands in seconds with the crazy wind. She did grab the stack of clean towels though, and placed them by the door, next to Alya's phone, so they could use them immediately when they came back inside.

Keeping her booted hands clutched close to her chest, Chloé peered out at the rain-swept balcony once more, praying that the rain would slow or stop entirely, but luck was not on her side; if anything, it seemed like the wind and rain had increased in the past few minutes.

"Okay dudes, we run on three, okay?" Nino asked, holding up three fingers. Chloé and Alya nodded, and as he raised his hand into the air to start the countdown, Chloé fixed her gaze on the cell tower and it's blinking red warning lights.

"One," Nino said, and thunder roared.

"Two," Nino counted, and wind rattled the windowpanes.

"Three!" Nino shouted, and as lightning flashed, the three of them dashed into the storm, sprinting through the lashing rain, their feet slapping loudly against the concrete.

Almost crashing into the tower and feeling like her heart was going to pound out of her chest, regretting not eating more of the chocolates when they were still inside, Chloé scrambled onto the back of heavy chair, feeling Nino and Alya's hands on her back and legs as they tried to help her keep her balance. From this high up, Chloé could see perfectly over the balcony's wall, straight down to the street so far down below, where she caught the barest glimpse of something black in front of the hotel doors, twisting and turning in the storm.

Wind roared past her ears and she squeezed her eyes shut in fear as it felt like she was going to be blown off of the rooftop⏤ but Nino and Alya's hands clutching at her legs and jacket remained firm, and she retained her balance.

Breathing out shakily, Chloé slowly reached out with the rubber boots and tried to trap the loose plug in between the soles as it whipped around in the rain; Lightning flashed nearby and she couldn't stop the small scream that escaped her, but was strangely glad when she heard the two behind her also exclaiming in fear; instead of making her fear worse, it eased it a bit, reminding her she wasn't alone.

She was a superhero, this was her job; she couldn't let the civilians or Ladybug down!

Hardening her spine, Chloé bit the inside of her cheek to help herself focus and reached out once more with the clumsy boots, swiping at the cord over and over until⏤ finally! ⏤ she was able to catch it between the boots. "I got it!" She shouted victoriously, but the storm swept her voice away.

Feeling dizzy from the adrenaline, Chloé did her best to rotate the cord in the correct direction without letting go, then brought it down to the open outlet⏤

⏤ and opened her eyes, dazed and confused, two pairs of hands hauling on her shoulders as rain soaked onto her face, cold and shivering as pins and needles swept through her body, thunder booming ominous and low, far too close, so close her bones seemed to vibrate with the noise.

"What happened?" Chloé demanded, and her throat burned, but she could not hear her own words. She couldn't even hear the pounding rain, only feel it as it stung the exposed skin of her face. Her eyes widened and she tried to struggle out of Alya and Nino's hold, catching a glimpse of their terror-stricken faces before the weakness in her limbs caught up and she slumped back into their hold. Their dragging sped up, and Chloé became aware that her hands and feet hurt, in fact, they were burning.

Did something explode?

No… wait..

Her thoughts were muddled, and all she could do was let her head lull and gaze at the cell tower, looking remarkably unharmed, despite whatever had hit her. The two lights on the top of it were already halfway cycled back to normal; the bottom was green, while the top flashed orange, the way it normally did when it was booting up.

Eyes slipping closed as exhaustion pulled on her once more, Chloé smiled.

Mission accomplished.

When she opened her eyes again, it didn't seem that much time had passed; her head was just passing the threshold of her room, and the carpet under her was much softer to be pulled across than the wet concrete. Alya appeared in her field of view, eyes looking big and frightened behind her chunky black glasses. Her mouth was moving quickly, but all Chloé could hear was a faint ringing in her ears, so distant, but somehow managing to drown out the world around her so thoroughly.

After waiting a few seconds to see if her brain would cooperate, Chloé weakly waved a hand at Alya, sending that dumb boot flopping around before the other girl gently removed it along with the singed-looking mitten. "I can't hear you," Chloé tried to say, but wasn't sure if the other girl understood.

Flexing her sore fingers, Chloé fumbled with the hood of her jacket until Nino moved in and helped Alya extract her from the overlarge rain suit. Once free of its confines, and with the other boot-mitten combo taken off, Chloé repeated her words again, slower and pointing at her ear before gingerly shaking her head.

Her vision swam at the motion and she stopped immediately, holding as still as possible to let her head settle; when the spots cleared from her vision once more, Nino and Alya were still pale and scared.

"Do you have a signal?" Chloé asked, loudly and slowly, and saw Alya jump, like she had forgotten what Chloé had even done this stupid stunt for.

The other girl quickly scrambled across the wet carpet back towards the sliding glass doors, which she shut with a visible slam, making the glass flex oddly in the frame and nearly bounce back open. Alya slammed it shut again, looking harried, before she quickly scooped her phone and a haphazard stack of towels from the floor, which she ran back towards them with, shoving the towels at Nino, who handed one to Chloé.

Burying her stinging hands into the soft cloth, Chloé gingerly wiped her face off, trying to get the worst of the dirt and blood off as Alya turned her phone on and began to frantically type. Nino was kneeling beside her, using one of the larger towels to gently drape it over her shoulders, like a blanket, layering the towels over her knees as he helped her sit upright, propping her up with hastily-pulled out couch cushions.

Chloé was glad they were letting her stay on the floor, she wasn't sure she could take the vertigo of being lifted up onto the couch.

Alya waved her phone in her face, and Chloé squinted against the light to see what she was trying to show her; a texting app was pulled up, and in the little chat window, ARE YOU OKAY!? was typed out, but not sent.

Chloé nodded, and gestured for the phone; Alya handed it to her carefully, and Chloé cradled it in her hands, mindful of the red welts developing on her fingers. Typing out her message as legibly as she could, Chloé accidentally hit enter and felt the phone vibrate as it sent the message. Worried, Chloé glanced up at the contact and saw that it was just open to Nino's phone, so no random person would get her text, thankfully.

Turning the phone around so Alya could read the screen, Chloé watched as Alya read the message out loud for Nino's benefit, who had vanished somewhere behind her.

My ears r ringing 8 my fingers 8 feet hurt but othr thn dizzy i feel fine Fingrs make t hard t type thats all Im cold 2

Something heavy and soft joined the towel around her shoulders, and Chloé glanced around to see that Nino had grabbed her large comforter from her bed. Smiling gratefully, Chloé gestured for the phone back, and Alya was quick to relinquish it.

Glancing at the top corner of the screen, Chloé saw that the phone still had no signal, but a quick pull-down of the menu showed that wifi was turned off. Tapping the icon, Chloé watched it light up blue, then quickly opened up Alya's internet browser to see the Ladyblog, still empty. Pulling down on the screen to refresh, Chloé pushed Ayla's phone back towards her, gesturing for her to log in.

"...ah yeah I know, I'm checking, I just wanted to make sure you were okay first!" Chloé heard Alya grumble, as if from underwater, and grinned brightly at some of her hearing returning. Her ears were still ringing, but it seemed to be slowly fading away now.

Gesturing for Alya to come closer, Chloé patted the floor next to her, "Come sit beside me so I can see!" She said, probably too loudly, but didn't care as Alya quickly complied, scooting next to her so that Nino, on Chloé's other side, could both see the screen as the login-page flashed by.

The homepage for the Ladyblog popped up, actually loading this time, with the main article from yesterday about Ladybug being five thousand still the last update.

Up in the corner, however, under the Akuma Sightings tab, a glowing purple icon had a text bubble with 17 in it.

Alya quickly tapped on the butterfly icon, and everyone leaned in closer to peer at the small screen.

A lot of the messages were the usual, with some people sending out their location with pleas for help, some listed out where they had last seen the akuma, and some had a few details about the akuma's powers and appearance; the ones closest to the top were in all capital letters, and some had so many typos they were almost illegible.

LADYVUF IS HURT WERE ALL GOING TO DIE

CN IS ATTKING LB SHES HURT WHAT DO I DO

I SAW HM! I SAW HIM!

Someone please help me, I'm by the eiffel tower! I woke up here and I think my leg is broken! I don't know what's going on! Please send help!

LADYBUG SAVED ME BUT SHE GOT HURT! THAT WAS HOURS AGO! HAS ANYONE SEEN HER SINCE?

I've seen a lot of people who were zombies waking up! People are starting to go back to business! They don't realize the akuma is still active!

People are SHOPPING at a time like this!?

HEY, guy with the broken leg, did you call emergency services yet!?

Yeah, the don't realize anything's wrong! They think the attack is over! I saw a crowd of people at the market by the school!

I tried but the phones are busy!

GUYS, I JUST SAW CHAT NOIR CHASING HER! SHE WAS ALL BLOODY BUT IT LOOKS LIKE SHE FOUGHT BACK HARD, HE WAS MISSING HIS TAIL AND BELL AND HIS EARS WERE ALL RAGGED.

What? WHERE?

BY THE MARKETS, WHERE ALL THOSE PEOPLE ARE!

OHMYGOD CHAT NOIR JUST WENT RIFHT BY MY WINDOW! IM HAVING A HEART ATTACK!

DUDE! GET SOMEWHEE SAFE!

I AM

GTG WML!

DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE EYES ON LB OR CN? FROM A SAFE DISTANCE?

I DO!

I CAN SEE CN, HES ON A BUILDING A FEW BLOCKS FROM MY HOUSE

HES LOOKING AROUND

OH **** HM IS WITH HIM!

I REPEAT: HM IS WITH CN!

****!

hOLY ****** *****! WERE DOOMED

****! wHERE'S LB? iS SHE SAFE?

CAN YOU SEE HER ANYWHERE?

NO I DONT

Chloé, Alya, and Nino all stared at the live chat in horror, watching as chat bubbles popped up as multiple people continue to give updates live, most of them grim and full of panic.

WAIT

**** YES!

WHAT!?

I SEE THE CURE!

Chloé gasped as she read the words. Hope filled her chest, and she stared at the screen, hungry for updates, laughing gleefully as censored swears of relief flooded the chat box.

No ****!? **** yEAH I knew she could do it!

****** **** WE'RE SAVED!

Leg guy, the Cure is coming!

CC, my apartment!

CC, my leg! Thank god for Ladybug!

CC, my mom just came back from TOS!

CC, My cat is back from TOS! Thank you so much, Ladybug!

CC, my son! My baby boy! He's back from TOS! Ladybug if you read this, know I am forever in your debt!

Alya's hand was shaking so much as the Cure Confirmed Alerts rolled in, one after the other that Chloé could barely read the screen; she glanced up in time to see tears coursing down the girl's face, then the warm wave of healing Miraculous Ladybugs was washing over the room from the elevator shaft.

As the Miraculous Ladybugs suffused her body with healing warmth, Chloé felt all of her aches and pains, all of the lingering exhaustion and dizziness leaving her body, being pulled out and absorbed like a sponge by the healing powers of Ladybug's Miraculous.

The Miraculous Ladybug flew out of the room as soundlessly as they had arrived, and when Chloé opened her eyes, the lights were on and nothing hurt; even the million towels, rain jackets, and rain boots that had been scattered on the floor had returned to their proper spots, and her comforter had reappeared on her bed. She was warm enough without it though, with the lingering warmth of Ladybug's powers, and Chloé surged to her feet with a cheer, dancing on the spot as the excitement and relief was too much to handle.

"Alya! Send in our CC!" Nino cheered, flapping his hands excited by his ears, jumping up and down on the spot and joining Chloé in her dance. Nino stooped down and pulled Alya up into his arms, hugging her and spinning suddenly, causing her to laugh and shove him away playfully.

"If I can type for five seconds, I will!" Alya giggled, swatting lightly as his face as she wrestled to see her phone; Nino obligingly released her and she quicky typed out her message, reading it out loud as she hit 'send'.

"CC, from yours truly, the Ladyblogger! All injuries fixed here, thankfully no one to bring back from TOS this time!"

Da-Ding!

Da-Ding!

Da-Ding!

Da-Ding!

Da-Ding!

Chloé listened, hearing fully restored, as Alya's phone was flooded with notification chimes as people sent in more and more CC's, Alya watching her phone screen with a bright, nearly blinding smile.

Da-Ding!

Da-Ding!

Da-Ding!

Da-Ding!

Da-Ding!

All was right with the world.

Da-Ding! Da-Ding!

The the smile on Alya's face cracked and fell.

Da-Ding! Da-Ding!Da-Ding! Da-Ding!

Alya's face grew pale, and her phone slipped out of her fingers to land on the carpet, face up, with a thump.

Da-Ding! Da-Ding!

"Babe! What's wrong!?" Nino cried, pulling Alya in close to stare at her eyes, looking confused and worried.

But Chloé's gaze had tracked the phone as it fell.

Da-Ding! Da-Ding!Da-Ding! Da-Ding!Da-Ding! Da-Ding!

Da-Ding! Da-Ding!

And as the notifications flooded in, Chloé saw one message repeated over and over again amidst the CC's, saw one message repeated over and over, until the entire group chat was flooded with censored swears and demands for more information, frantic questions being thrown out into the dark, hoping that someone, anyone, would have an answer.

CN IS STILL EVIL!

CN AND HM ARE STILL CHASING LB!

CN IS STILL EVIL!

HOW!?

CN IS STILL EVIL!

HM IS STILL THERE!

GOD HELP US ALL, CN IS STILL EVIL!