Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Once upon a time, before even the stars lit the sky, there was a being only known as Null. A god of absolution.

The being of light shone in the void, splitting off into another. A red entity of creation known as Tikki.

Legends say that as Tikki flitted about, more and more began to fill the darkness Null resided in. Slowly, but surely, the supposed void they lived in began to feel like something else: home.

Now seemingly content, Null retreated into a hibernation-like state, their slumber undisturbed for what seemed like eons… until something changed.

Amongst the planets and stars lurked another force of nature born at the same time as Tikki: Plagg, the being of destruction.

That was where their rivalry began. As Tikki would create, Plagg would destroy. Back and forth, in a constant stalemate.

Their bickering grew so intense that Null stirred awake for the first time in ages, only for a moment to punish their two creations and tell them to cease their battling.

Tikki, not satisfied with the state of the universe she worked so hard to build, wanted to create allies if need be. So, she called out to Null one last time, asking for a fraction of their power. They accepted. 

Plagg, of course, was overcome with a envy so strong he’d disobey the order placed on him… and continued to destroy.

Time would pass and Tikki had made something she considered her magnum opus: the Earth. Everything had been meticulously planned out, and the result was perfection. 

Tikki would watch as what we now know as dinosaurs would roam the planet as life unlike anything she’d ever seen flourished… until one day…

A loud explosion echoed across the planet, enough for Tikki to hear as she crafted the moon from the stray debris of a previous attempt from Plagg to destroy the Earth…

He’d sent an asteroid crashing to the surface, the inferno resulting in life on the beautiful blue planet, at least for the time being, dying out completely.

Null was awoken once again, and they were furious. They awoke in a rage of blinding light rivaling even the sun, staring Plagg down as he stood confident and snarky.

“Those overgrown angry monsters were a bunch of wussies!!” Plagg laughed, shrugging off the anger his creator showed, making it burn even more.

“You have gone too far this time. Tikki has gone to great lengths to make sure life thrives here, and yet you continue to destroy it.” Null boomed, their almost apathetic voice echoing. “You will be punished for this.”

And punish him, they did. Plagg was put under a magic curse that would cause anything he touched to not just be destroyed, but spread misfortune. 

If he were to visit earth later on, disease and chaos would follow, deaths would skyrocket…

He’d be doomed to spread despair wherever he roamed, suffering the consequences of nature’s laws in silence…

“—And that is why you should always listen to your parents.” A man’s voice concluded, gently closing the book he had read to the four children who still had energy left to burn. “Now settle down okay? It’s time for bed.”

“Wait! But what happened next, Mr Bellegarde?” asked one of them.

“Yeah, Dad! What about Plagg? Did he stay that way?” chimed his daughter.

The man chuckled as he looked at the book’s cover, then to the four sets of childish eyes watching him. 

He got up, smiling warmly as they got properly comfortable enough to sleep. “You can make up your own ending, Allegra. Sweet dreams.”

After a few hugs goodnight, he left the door cracked behind him. The small group of kids pretended to sleep, before descending into hushed giggles as they knew Allegra’s father was gone.

One of the brown haired boys nearest to the door, Claude, shuffled around in the sleeping bag that made him look almost like a caterpillar. 

“That was so cool… what do you think happened, Alan?” He whisper-spoke as the others also began shuffling in a display of still lingering energy.

The question held there for a moment before Alan, the other brown haired boy in a sleeping bag, replied. “Hm…I think he kept on annoying Tikki anyway.”

The last of the boys, Felix, spoke “You guys are weird. They probably made up and he’s not cursed anymore… I think. I don’t know, he didn't even read the end!”

“Yeah, you’re probably right…” Claude replied, sounding defeated. “But it’s gotta be a happy one!”

They all mutually agreed on that, before another bout of movement transpired. Finally, the group of friends fell asleep.

— — —

The Bellegarde household grew still and quiet, Marcel’s footsteps echoing through the hall until he stopped at his office. The door was slightly cracked open and light spilled into the dark.

“Are they asleep?” A male voice asked him as he stepped inside, gently closing the door.

“Yes Richard, surprisingly it didn't take long either. All it took was a bedtime story.”

“Good, good.” Richard, the formally dressed man in a monochrome suit and tie, leaned back in his chair with few words to speak to his longtime friend. 

“Did you actually finish telling them the ‘fairytale’?” Richard asked, a sudden tenseness in his voice that was almost off putting.

“No, I didn’t… Why do you ask?” Marcel replied, arching an eyebrow.

“I’m…” Richard paused to gather the right words. “Concerned, about how much you’re deciding to reveal to them.”

“What’s the harm? The next generation needs to know of this important piece of history, and hey — maybe I can even give them all miraculous as a birthday gift from ‘Uncle Marcy’.” He said that last part mid chuckle, causing Richard’s back to stiffen.

That struck a chord within him that Richard himself didn’t begin to expect, and he cleared his throat. “I don’t think that’s a wise decision, oh ‘great protector of the miraculous’.” He replied, a sudden apathy overtaking his words towards the end.

“What’s got you so worried? They’re not some dangerous weapon! I’m sure the kids will be fine when they get older. Heck, you were only what, twenty two when I gave you the butterfly miraculous?”

Richard’s apathy burned away as quick as it had come and turned into seething rage. “Do you even remember a single thing that happened to my brother when he used the Black Cat ring?!”

“Niklaus couldn’t have known it was cursed!!”

“ You did, however. Now look where he is!!!”

“Two meters, Marcel. Two meters.” He spoke, his tone serious and expression dull. “Two meters underground.”

Marcel’s eyes hit the floor at the mention of his old friend’s fate. Niklaus Sphinx had been one of the bigger names to possess a miraculous in the last decade.

An actor whose fan-base lost their minds the moment he walked the red carpet not in a suit, but as Lynx Ombré. Many pictures were taken, and he wasn’t one to shy away from pleasing a crowd.

However, as was unfortunately common with the past black cats, that didn’t last. The accursed ring drained the man of his endurance…

Then his near perfect health…

Then finally… Niklaus drew his last breath, dying in his sleep. The ring slipped off his finger as if it wasn’t even stuck…

The memory, despite it being a month ago, stung deep within both the men’s hearts. Marcel lost a friend, Richard a brother… and yet despite their mutual grief, their looks at one another conveyed enough.

“Need I say anything more? The miraculous are dangerous, and should not be entrusted to just anyone.” 

He paced back and forth, his hands behind his back.

“Careless users who don’t follow the rules of magic, megalomaniacs who intend to manipulate the laws of the world...” Richard’s tone shifted to carry an almost smug air as he crossed his arms. 

“That is why these jewels shouldn’t be given away to people incapable of using them.”

Marcel was speechless again, slowly lowering his head and tightening his fists. 

“If that is what you truly believe…”

He sighed before raising his head and walking over to Richard, a cold look corrupting any empathy or restraint.

“Then I suppose you aren’t fit for one either.” He spoke, pulling the brooch off Richard’s jacket. There was no noise as the little gem was unclipped but to Richard… oh, it was the most painful thing in the world. His time basking in the light as a vigilante, as the butterfly holder, as Monarch… was ripped away from him.

He winced and held back an expletive as a glowing purple line between him and the miraculous to break in half. A fairy like creature resembling a butterfly materialized from the light.

“M-Marcel? What’s happening?” The little creature stammered.

“I’m sorry Nooroo… you deserve better than someone as arrogant as him..” Nooroo only looked over to his former holder, eyes wide from surprise.

The link between Richard Sphinx and the miraculous of the butterfly had been severed… and he collapsed to his knees, breathing shaky from a flood of rage.

“Your time as Monarch is officially over for good. Good night, Richard.”

“Y-you…!”

“Good night.” Marcel interrupted with a clearer harshness as he opened the ornate box containing nineteen of many powerful jewels.

“You—!!” He was getting closer to yelling.

“Good night.” Marcel cut in again, before putting the brooch back in its spot, locking the box shut, then leaving without another word.

Richard didn’t move, scanning the dark office. There was nothing left for him. His boiling anger was the motivation he needed to get up. This… couldn't be over…

No.

NO.

It was not over.

It would never be over until Richard Sphinx proved he was right.

— — —

The house was silent, allowing for the perfect opportunity to take action. It’s now or never.

Richard lay awake in his bed, the only thing keeping him from moving was his oldest son Nathan sleeping noiselessly on the small sofa near the door. 

No problem. He was seven, he’d probably fall back asleep in a few minutes anyways. Richard couldn’t mess this up. Not if he wanted Marcel to wise up and see his side for what it really is.

Richard slowly got up, sparing Nathan a tiny glance as he lingered by the door. A child like him shouldn’t be around this kind of thing. The miraculous are nothing but beacons of destruction… and it might stay that way unless he proves just how far things can go.

He quietly opened the door, leaving it cracked ever so slightly as to not make even the smallest noise in closing it, and silently made his way to Marcel’s office.

The door creaked as Richard left it open, Nathan stirring awake and rubbing his eyes in the process. “Huh…?”

When he received no response, Nathan threw his blanket off himself and jumped up to see where his father had gone.

Richard sifted through Marcel’s desk drawers, setting aside document upon document of past miraculous users, all of which gave theirs back or perished in the middle of their careers under the mask. Pathetic, truly pathetic…

Until he got to Niklaus’ document, making him stop just as the insignia on the miraculous box stared him in the face.

The picture of his brother paperclipped next to his profile caused Richard to wince. Long gold hair that he just absolutely refused to cut even when it reached his shoulders, a suave grin plastered on his face despite the bags under his eyes possibly from his cursed ring, and the fanciest of black and red suits.

Niklaus led life as if the red carpet would follow him wherever he walked, and was not apologetic about it in the least. He was the life of parties now lost to time, which became weaker and weaker just as his energy did…

No. Focus, Richard. Focus. No time for ruminating on the past.

He set his brother's document to the side, away from all the others as he took out the box. This is it. His hand lingered over the top, the locks already picked with one of his lapel pins.

He opened the box of miracles, a glare of malice focusing on the black cat ring for a mere moment before taking the locket brooch in hand.

He did it… he actually did it!

Nooroo appeared once more as he clipped the gem onto the shirt under his tie, slack jawed and wide eyed as Richard looked at him with a darkness unfamiliar to the little fairy.

“W-what hap—”

“Stop. I am your keeper now, and I make the rules here, Nooroo.” His tone carried a coldness rivaling even the harshest of snowstorms. “You're going to stay and help with my greatest project.”

“Father…?”

The tiny voice of Nathan nearly made Richard jump as Nooroo hid behind him. “What are you doing?” The question spoken so innocently twisted his stomach, before an idea came to mind.

“Don’t worry Nathan, I’m just…” Richard’s eyes hit the ground and put everything back where it was supposed to be. Everything, except…

“Claiming something that’s rightfully mine… ”

Chapter Text

Felix groaned as he rose in bed to the sound of his alarm going off at the absolutely delightful time of 6 am. Ugh, he’d never get used to this whole ‘modeling’ schedule.

He slammed his hand on the snooze button, hesitating for a few moments before moving again. Now, the only sound left to welcome the morning was the wince-inducing, obnoxious snoring of his older brother taking his extra time for granted.

Still half awake and yearning to cloak himself in blankets again, Felix dragged himself over to the walk-in closet he had no choice but to share. Like night and day, Nathan and Felix Sphinx being related would be hard to tell upon first glance.

Felix leaned more into formal attire, even if it wasn’t his first choice. The colors were muted and mostly cold, what few he was allowed to wear in public of course.

Settling on the basic black and gray suit, Felix got himself showered and dressed rather quickly and walked back out to find Nathan just now hit the snooze button on his own alarm clock.

“Finally,” Felix sighed, his school bag already over his shoulder. “You slept in again, and now we’re going to be late for breakfast.”

“Not everyone’s a morning person like you, dumbass.” Nathan replied, a half-groggy snarl laced in his tone as he got up.

Forcing a tense smile, Felix shot him a look and gestured to the bags under his eyes. “Oh trust me brother, I am not. ”

“Whatever. Go down there without me, we’re not children anymore and I don’t need to hold your damn hand every morning.” Nathan replied, his voice growing faint due to moving while he spoke.

“That’s not what I—” Felix interrupted himself by sucking in a breath to quell his irritation. “Fine. See you downstairs, then.”

When he received no response, Felix walked down to the kitchen and was met with the familiar sight of his father probably nose deep in emails again.

“Father,” Felix began, sitting nearby him in hopes of getting a response. “Just letting you know that Nathan might be late. He’s getting ready now, though.”

Richard’s response, if it could be called such a thing, was wordless and brief. Consisting of a slight nod and an impassive “Hm” noise, Felix felt the need to speak again.

“Are you still emailing those ‘important business partners’?” No reply. He continued on. “I want to know in case this new thing you’re planning affects my schedule in any way.”

“Mm,” Richard began, tearing his eyes away from the screen for a moment to make his point clear. “No, it will not affect you. It’s a personal matter that isn’t your concern regardless.”

“I see. Thank you for telling me.”

A familiar dull quiet enveloped father and son, the weak back and forth abruptly severed before it could grow into something, anything, resembling a true bond. Still, their distance would remain…

A silence, soon interrupted by the loud purposely fake yawning from none other than Nathan Sphinx. A silence that Felix held close to his heart as he refused to speak a single word. Because they’d fall. They’d fall onto ears that heard him, but refused to acknowledge.

The rest of the morning was of a similar feeling. Hollow and quiet, devoid of a warmth that Felix knew he was lacking, yet didn’t know the name for. Even as he passed a bakery on his way to a new school, the scents bringing back that unfamiliar nameless feeling, it died just as soon as he felt it again.

The Cheng Pâtisserie was bustling with activity despite the sun just barely peeking out of the horizon. Breakfast had been made and the daughter of the bakery’s owners, Marinette, still had energy to burn and a little time to kill.

“Are you one hundred percent sure you don’t need any more help, dad?”

Her father Sebastian, who had been lounging on the couch after Marinette had not so subtly taken over his morning preparations, snickered. “One hundred and one percent.” He corrected her.

She laughed, nodding as she turned her attention over to her mother Sabine, who was preoccupied with washing the dishes. “Do you need any help, mom?”

Sabine gave her daughter a kind smile, stepping to the side so Marinette had half of the sink. “Sure. I’ll wash them, you dry?”

Keeping with Sabine’s pace, Marinette hummed to herself as she dried the plates and the pan they had used for eggs.

“So,” Her mother began, a cheery tone carrying her words. “You’re finally in lycée, Marinette! Aren’t you excited?”

“Mhm! I hope things go as smoothly as collège did, but hey anything’s possible, right?”

Sabine’s eyes suddenly fell to the sink as the water drained. She paused for a moment, taking in a breath, then placed her hands on Marinette’s shoulders.

“Anything’s possible, but please… don’t try to grow up too fast, alright? Things may go wrong, but it’ll be okay… we’re here for you, we always will be.”

Marinette’s face fell for a brief moment as she let the somber tone her mothers words held really sink in. She had said before that she made a fair share of mistakes growing up, thinking it was the end of the world if things didn’t work out… but she never went into the why.

But… that was alright. Marinette didn’t want to know why, the why wasn’t important, not right now.

“Okay, I won’t. Don’t worry… I’ll be fine, I’m sure of it!” She replied with a smile, giving Sabine a brief hug before letting go. “It’s about time to go, right?”

“Yeah, it is…” Sabine’s gentle smile had returned as she handed Marinette her bag. “Good luck, and have fun!”

Giving her parents a final energetic wave goodbye, Marinette made her way to school. Oh, this was exciting! The excitement in her step nearly made her trip as she walked. New year, new Marinette, new friends!

This could not get any better!

The first class was homeroom, which she appreciated because that was peak socializing hours! The teacher, Mr. Bellegarde, was interesting too. He was straight to the point that this first class would be a day of introductions, to get to know one another. He even insisted that his students call him by his first name… Marcel. 

Oh, it was like he read her mind! This was perfect!

There was a moment before class started where he rushed out, and could be heard talking with someone. Pressing her ear to the wall for just a moment, she could just barely make out Marcel talking.

“They're going to love that you’re here!… Oh, I see… Well, just approach them when you feel ready… I’m sure they’d love to talk to you again.”

She couldn’t hear the other half of the conversation, bolting back to her seat when she heard his voice get closer.

Marcel walked to the center of the classroom, clapping his hands twice to redirect attention back on him and hushing all conversations.

“I understand all of you want to continue to get to know each other, but I’d like to take a moment and welcome someone special into our little ‘family’!” The class’ curiosity took form in ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ as Marcel turned towards the open door and gestured for someone to move forwards.

“Felix, please come in!”

Awestruck students almost automatically leaned forwards in their seats as if the center of gravity shifted. This person… he was famous! Marinette’s eyes shot up as she got an actual good look at him.

He was just as pretty as he was in the ads she occasionally got a glimpse of during small road trips. She had so many questions, so many in fact that when a new one came up one was forgotten. She actually got to see Felix Sphinx — the Felix Sphinx — in person!!

Marinette’s eyes darted around the room when she realized she had been staring… and that Felix had been looking at the ground then to the floor and back, clearly not enjoying being stared at this much.

Marcel cleared his throat. “Now, I know Felix is quite the celebrity, but please — and I cannot stress this enough — treat him as you would anyone else!” There was a brief glimmer in Felix’s eyes as he looked at Marcel, as if he said ‘Thank you’ without the need for words.

The chatter died down, if only for a moment, as Felix picked his spot. His gaze lingered on three people sitting together in one of the middle rows. 

A blonde haired girl with a braid and two boys, one with scruffy looking brown hair and blue eyes, and the other with dark almost black hair that was mostly covered by a green cap.

He looked almost… saddened, studying the small group for a moment before sitting right next to Marinette.

Oh no… now it felt less like stares, but more like glaring focused entirely on her this time…

She glanced at the floor, then to Felix, who had silently pulled out a blank schedule book to write every class he had down.

“So…” Marinette began, trying to ignore the frigid staring of her peers. Dang it Marinette, think of something to say already!!

Felix looked at her first, a bit confused. “Hm?”

“Um… well, I’m Marinette! Nice to meet you!” She held out her hand to hopefully make a good impression, taken aback slightly when he accepted the gesture.

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Marinette.” The smile he returned to her was a bit awkward, but also kind of cute. Well, he is a model so that’s to be expected…

Marinette’s eyes drifted to her own book bag, and an idea crossed her mind. She pulled out a small sheet of stickers she’d finished the previous week, most of the designs being cute black cats with oversized witches caps, and cartoon ladybugs with goggles and lab coats.

She absolutely had to decorate her notebook for this class, and accessories were her absolute weakness!

“Where did you find these?” Felix asked, almost causing Marinette to flinch from the sudden question.

“Oh, uh, I didn’t find them anywhere. I made them myself!”

“They’re quite nice… it must’ve taken you a long time to make, though.”

Marinette smiled, giggling to herself at the compliment. It was the first time she really showed these off!

“Time flies when you’re having fun, right? Spend an afternoon making these, and the next thing you know it’s already dinner time!”

Felix’s response was a wordless, quiet, and brief laugh that made Marinette’s heart do a tiny flutter. A flutter that, no doubt, meant that he possibly wanted to be friends too? Maybe? That could be it! He seemed to like them, so that’s a good sign!

Marinette looked at his notebook, pondering something as her hand lingered over her sticker sheet. It was bare, save for his name in perfectly executed cursive.

“Here,” she said, handing the page to him with a smile. “Pick whatever you like and decorate your notebooks or something!”

The look he gave her was… indeterminable. He looked part surprised, part confused, but there was a twinkle in his eyes that seemed to dim when he actually looked at it.

“Are you sure…?” The inquiry sounded apprehensive. “I mean, I don’t want to take something you likely spent hours working on...”

“Oh, no it’s okay! What’s a creative project without sharing it with people?”

He looked down at the options before him, and nothing stood out to him quite like the sticker of a black cat with a star themed cape and witch hat.

The stars on the tiny decoration reflected in his eyes almost, and he looked over to her as if asking for approval. “Is this one okay?”

“Whatever you like!”

Felix peeled off the sticker and stuck it in the center of his notebook, appearing to relax at the sight of it. His smile, however slight it may be, was contagious and Marinette’s face brightened.

Turning her attention back to Marcel as he spoke about class expectations, Marinette found herself intrigued by her seatmate. Even with all the ads she saw in passing, he felt like a different person. She wanted to know more about him, wanted to get to truly know him, and Marinette knew exactly how.

Marinette had no doubt in her mind that Felix would hopefully be her first new friend.

The day passed by just like the gentle spring breeze, and Marinette was on cloud nine basking in the warmth of the sunlit park.

The minutes spent lounging on that bench were painted in the vivid greens and glistening yellow sun, letting each tiny moment of greatness soak in.

She would have dozed off, had she not heard an interesting noise break through the birdsong and distant chatter of children playing in the grass.

A camera clicking away every couple seconds, taking pictures at a rapid pace. Marinette leaned forwards in her spot, squinting a bit to filter out the sunlight obscuring the people ahead of her. 

The blurry figures in the park's center became clearer. The one that didn’t move as often turned out to be Felix, modeling a leather jacket and navy blue moon shirt pair.

Grabbing her bag, Marinette walked over to the set up, her eyes glimmering. Luck seemed to pour into the palm of her hand today, didn’t it?

“Felix!!” Marinette called, waving to him as he left his position near the park fountain for a break.

He was visibly startled at his name being yelled out, quickly turning around from the water cooler to face her with his refreshment in one hand and jacket slung over the other.

“Marinette,” he said, regaining his composure just as she came closer. “What are you doing here?”

“I was just passing by, then I thought I’d come see you again!”

“Oh!” He blinked in astonishment, taking a brief sip from his water so he wouldn’t have to properly answer right away. “Well, uh…thank you for your consideration…?”

“So, this is where you do photoshoots?” The question was genuine in a way Felix half smiled at, though for what reason he wasn’t entirely sure.

“Hmm, sometimes. It really depends on what I’m scheduled to model for. My father wants to capture a unique mood with each line. This one, though…” He rolled his eyes, planning to phrase this next part carefully as the staff were a few paces away. “Not my favorite, but it’s what’s in season.”

“That’s a shame. I really liked the jacket you had on.” It wasn’t meant to be flirty, not even close. This is what friends do, isn’t it? Show their support for their hobbies?

The comment made him momentarily stop, before stifling a laugh as he saw one of his bodyguards give both Marinette and him the side eye. “Haha… thank you.”

The main photographer stepped in between the two classmates, both literally and figuratively cutting their small talk short. He shot the model a somewhat stern look, tapped at the face on his wristwatch, and made a head tilt motion to get back into position.

“Oh, right…” At this, the blonde model frowned. “I have to get back to work. I’ll…see you at school, then?”

“Yeah! See you tomorrow!” Marinette replied, waving as Felix went back to the set up.

Alright, that went even better than she expected! Maybe… maybe they were friends now? She wasn’t sure… but it was a good start.

A good start to a potentially great friendship.

Across the park, a trio of friends shared an after school hang out, the warmth of the sun brightening all but one of their hearts. Today was… interesting for them. The three friends once inseparable from Felix Sphinx…

“I seriously didn’t expect to see him again!” exclaimed an overly hyped Claude. “Felix is back!”

“Yayyy…” Allegra groaned, rolling her eyes to accentuate the sarcasm bleeding into her tone. Her grip on her flute case’s handle tightened, eyes drifting towards the ground as her eye roll concluded.

“Something up, Allegra?” Alan asked, his hands behind his head as they continued their leisurely walk.

“I just… I don't get it… how you two can so easily accept that he’s in our lives again.”

Claude raised an eyebrow, shrugging. “I don’t see the problem. He doesn’t appear to hate us or anything, and we’ve got so much to catch up on!”

“Hold on, Claude. I think she has a point…” Alan, however, placed a hand on Allegra’s shoulder and looked at her with a mix of concern and sympathy. “What do you mean by ‘easily accepting him’?”

“I—” she stopped herself, gritting her teeth in an attempt to contain her sudden irritation. The dots hadn’t connected for them, but for her it did. “Don’t you see? Guys,he… he abandoned us!”

Claude’s jaw practically hit the floor. “What?! How could you say that?!”

“Oh for the love of— use your brain, Claude! We were practically inseparable as kids, but then he just— leaves us?! Out of nowhere?! What else am I supposed to think?!”

The rage the flutist radiated caught the attention of quite the oddity… a butterfly, unlike any other in the world.

Its body was cloaked in an insidious energy, the dark wings carrying it to Allegra’s flute like it were a flower supplying the corrupted insect with nectar.

“I-I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding!” Claude replied, stepping closer to try and console her. “He probably got really busy and couldn’t get back with us, or—”

“No.” Allegra’s response was cold. “He would never. He abandoned us , Claude! Nobody would just disappear like that without much notice!!”

“Allegra, I…” Alan joined Claude’s side, crossing his arms. “I think you’re overthinking this…”

“I…” her breathing became shaky yet quickened in pace. “I can’t believe you’re both so stupid... ”

It took one slight touch of the insect's wing for the butterfly to phase into it completely, the object adopting the same dark energy the butterfly carried.

Alan and Claude took a step back, exchanging looks of both confusion and horror. “What’s going on…”

“…A-Allegra? You okay?” Claude’s voice came out shaky and Allegra looked up, her expression blank.

The whites of her eyes turned into an ominous dark purple, the light in them snuffed out by her anger. The same darkness that corrupted Allegra’s flute case let out a burst of energy, taking her over…

“RUN!!” Alan and Claude immediately spun on their heels and sprinted away from the park, the sound of screaming and distant sirens echoing…hopefully they could get someplace safe and—

Wait a second… they couldn’t leave?

Claude smacked face first into what seemed to be nothing — there was nothing in front of him, at least.

“What the hell…”

A dome — part glass, part something expanded its influence from a point in the sky right above what used to be Allegra. Whatever was happening was definitely not natural…

They were trapped! What was going on…

Marcel watched in horror from his vacant classroom as a dome of magic energy encircled part of the city.

“The butterfly… has it been used?!”

He immediately ran to his desk, opened one of the bottom drawers, took out and unlocked the miracle box. The top layer was of priority in this case. The dominion of nurture, what humans learned as they used the miraculous…

Eighteen colored jewels met his eyes, with one spot lacking a miraculous: the butterfly brooch. The two in the center of the dominion were his focus. They had to be used. None of the others could do what they did. None could cure like them, none could destroy…

Marcel’s face fell at the sight of the Black Cat ring, its gem tainted an ominous crimson red. 

“Are you sure there’s no other way?” A tiny voice piped up from within a tealight candle holder. The stained glass decor on it mimicked a lion standing bravely at the top of a hill.

“We can only boost other abilities, Therra. I can’t risk going into this alone, I’m sorry…”

“Hey,” Therra, the little magical lion tinted the same orange as the unlit candle, floated up to her holder and lightly bumped his cheek repeatedly as if slapping him. “No saying sorry for things out of your control!! The good thing about this is that we have a lead!”

“A lead…?”

“To who stole the butterfly! Come on, it’s worth a shot even if we have to use… them.”

Marcel sighed, knowing Therra was right. It had to be done, no matter how much he didn’t want to do this. 

He exhaled, closed his eyes, and began to meditate along with his little partner. Alright… here we go.

Time to have a talk with Null.

Null was absolution. Null was infinite. Null knew all the universe in its cracks and imperfection, even that contradicting itself as the flaws of the world were meant to be.

They were a being of few words, and even fewer appearances to the humans below, yet… that did not apply to the overseer. The guardian. Marcel.

The entity turned around, their one unblinking eye focused on the man in charge of looking after their prized creations.

“Guardian,” Null began, their tone undefinable yet not harsh. “Is there a reason for your appearance in my realm?”

Marcel squinted, leaning forward to try and make eye contact with the deity. The ethereal glow of their form made it difficult when talking, he couldn’t tell which direction they faced.

“Yes, the people of Paris are in danger! The butterfly miraculous! Its power was used!”

If Null had blinked or not, Marcel couldn’t spot it due to the glare, but their formerly neutral expression turned somber.

“I see. I suppose there is no other option but to call them to aid humans...” their tone seemed almost irritated at the notion.

“Believe me I would if it were possible, but corrupted beings can’t be defeated by other miraculouses. Only they can, Tikki and Plagg both.”

A deep drone echoed across the void, no doubt Null sighing in agreement.

“Indeed… Well, I shall call them. You, as was the case ten years ago, will transport their jewels after they have selected a wishmaker of their own.”

“Yes, Null. I understand.”

“I feel it should be noted for the safety of humanity that you need to be more wary of Plagg’s quicker decisions. The last time he selected a wishmaker, said human died due to his curse.”

“Right… of…of course.” The response was solemn, memories of Niklaus and his brief time as Lynx Ombré coming back to the surface…

“Very well… it is done.” Null shut their eye, and flew up to what Marcel had assumed was the top of the void, lighting it up in a different way.

A rainbow of circular lights surrounded Null’s body, with four specific ones going into the circle to form a four pointed star, then two lights appeared on either side of them.

The eighteen Fae of nurtured behaviors flew through the light rings, floating in place as Null moved again.

“Tikki, Plagg,” Null started, regaining a tone of true neutrality. “There is a danger to the humans of earth, and…” they spared Plagg a glance before another low drone echoed. Another sigh from the tiny god. “And… both of your miraculous are required. It is urgent, so I advise you to select a wishmaker as quickly as possible.”

Tikki flinched at the news, looking back at two of the Fae in the star formation, Longg and Wayzz, who both gulped.

“Are you sure the Celestial Agents can’t deal with it?” Tikki asked, somewhat desperate.

“I am afraid they cannot, for the danger is that of corrupted humans from the lost butterfly miraculous. The Celestial Agents are strong indeed, but are not necessary for a threat such as this…”

“Oh…”

“Once again, I must advise being quick. We can’t allow this to continue, not while Nooroo is still missing and used for evil. I will let you leave with him and Therra, and you may choose your wishmakers. Go over basic things with them, and perhaps the guardian may teach them at a later point.”

Tikki nodded, then glared as Plagg snapped to attention as if he wasn’t just casually floating on his side pretending to sleep.

“If there aren’t any oppositions, I’ll send them on their way.” The rings below Tikki and Plagg glowed again, and as they descended down to the guardian, Null gave a slight nod. “Good luck, you two.”

The fae of creation and destruction made themselves known to Marcel, who patiently stood below the council of deities. The circles the two stood under reappeared, this time in front of them, as a window to the human world.

It zoomed in on Paris, within the forcefield, and with that… the choice was theirs.

Marinette made a run for it the moment she saw the sky break as if it were made of glass, forgoing her school bag and everything else for the sake of escaping. So much for a perfect day…

She kept running, until she came across two young boys batting at what seemed to be the air with sticks and stray rocks, only for the objects to bounce off and hit the ground.

“Hey!!” The two boys turned around mid throw as Marinette ran over. “You guys have any ideas what’s going on?”

“We’re as clueless as you are!” Claude replied, holding his left arm to conceal a bruise from trying to break the force field. “Our friend got possessed by a weird magic butterfly out of nowhere!”

“So,” a voice said from behind, the sound freezing the two boys in place. “You were going to abandon me too, weren’t you?!!”

The owner of the voice was dressed in something fit for an orchestral theatre, the red tailcoat and her braid tapering off into eternally lit flames.

“A-Allegra?!”

Their former friend raised a flute-like staff, the tip of it bursting ablaze as she thrust it forwards in their direction.

“Get down!” Marinette tackled the two boys to the ground, avoiding the now felled tree by the skin of her teeth. “Let’s get somewhere safe so we can call the fire department!”

Words weren’t needed as the trio fled, leaving the fiery villain fuming just as her staff was.

“That one! The human who saved the two other ones from the tree!” Tikki exclaimed.

Looking to where the little ladybug was pointing, Marcel’s eyes widened. Not from shock, but more so confusion. “Marinette? But she’s only sixteen!”

Marcel felt a couple pokes on his cheek, Therra settling on his shoulder. “And you’re what, forty something? You could start over and train her to be a better hero than—!” She cut herself off the moment she felt her holder chuckle.

“Sure…” he smiled, looking over to Plagg. “Well, little buddy? We’d better make it quick!”

“Shh! I’m looking, I’m looking!!”

Felix snapped out of ‘work mode’ the moment he smelled smoke, his bodyguard ushering him away from the area… until, in the midst of the crackling fire that spread across the park, he heard the distressed cries of a child.

Looking over to the small playground further into the park, Felix’s blood chilled as he saw it. Whatever thing was causing this contained firestorm had summoned flames mimicking music notes.

“Felix, quit standing around and get inside! We need to call the police!” The lead photographer shouted, but he wasn’t in the headspace to listen. Not right now.

His eyes were focused on the child, who upon looking a bit closer, had a scraped knee and wasn’t moving.

“Come on!!” He shouted again, going unheard for the second time as Felix made a beeline for the playground. He grabbed the child’s wrist and they ran without any semblance of where they’d end up.

Felix’s mere presence was reassurance for the little boy, who pointed to an elementary school that thankfully hadn’t been burned to ash.

The action was enough of a reason to keep moving towards it, a few staff members outside bringing in children who were presumably at recess.

Thankfully the teachers welcomed him in, now sequestered in a random classroom and safe from whatever this… anomaly was.

Safe, and who knows how many meters away from his photo crew who were calling for him.

The thought terrified him, if only for a brief moment before he realized that… Well, would it matter?

His father would be nose deep in emails, Nathan would continue to belittle him, and he’d continue to be a walking advertisement for all of Paris to gawk at. Such things were constants in his life, after all…

“Hmmm…” whether it had been long, the group wasn’t sure. Then, someone caught Plagg’s eye and he gasped. “This one!”

“Felix?!” Marcel exclaimed. “He’s also sixteen, and… and his uncle, he died because of the—”

“No no no, trust me on this one! I think I got it right this time!”

Marcel narrowed his eyes. “I…don’t know. Will you consider him a plan B?”

“Nope! I’m picking him.”

After a moment, Marcel asked one last thing. “Okay… are these two your final decisions?”

They gave a nod, and Marcel exhaled… returning from the mental realm, and back to earth.

When he opened his eyes again, the sunshine from the class’ window no longer glowed with golden light. The sky looked… broken, as if a stained glass mural took the place of the radiant blues. Some of the buildings warped into the balconies seen in theatres, the park reshaping itself into a stage…

Staring at the earrings, the ring, then the two magical beings before him, Marcel transformed into a hero bearing the heart of a lion, Regulus.

Time to deliver some miraculous.

“Felix?” One of the teachers began, bringing him back down to earth. The sound of his name was jarring, but then again who didn’t know his face at this point…“Could you check if there’s any other kids outside? I’ll keep watch here.”

He agreed, poking his head out of the door to see the fires gone, but the sky broken yet glimmering like a rainbow geode.

“I should’ve stayed home…” Before he turned back, he saw a box on the ground that had a strange emblem on the cover. “Huh… could someone have left their jewelry here?”

Looking around, the city was a barren wasteland, with only the crackling of fire to sing the assailants praises…for now, at least. He pocketed the box, walking back in the school to hopefully see what it was.

Couldn’t hurt, right? It’d help pinpoint where it was from so he could return it later.

Marinette sighed, drumming her fingers on her leg as she sat in the ice rink. This wasn’t exactly the ideal shelter but it would do, strength in numbers and all that. The two boys she helped out seemed to stick around too, so that was pretty comforting. She could’ve sworn she saw them in class earlier too!

“Thanks for saving us earlier!” Claude said, extending his hand. “I’m Claude, and this is Alan!”

She accepted the gesture, smiling. “Marinette! Nice to meet you.”

Well, this wasn’t how she intended to make her first couple friends. Hiding from a crazed fire witch from the looks of it definitely wasn’t on that list. They couldn’t exactly call this a perfect safe place though, and Marinette wasn’t sure the ice rink had any snack bars or effective weapons. Probably not…

“We might be here a while… you guys think there’s anything to eat?” 

Claude shrugged, leaning back in his chair as if the cold didn’t even bother him. “I don’t know, but I’m sure as hell not going back out there.”

Alan scowled, lightly punching him on the shoulder. “Well, I’m not going either, so it’s up to you!”

Marinette watched her new friends squabble, grimacing slightly and wondering if she should open her mouth and say something.

“Um…!” Marinette opened her mouth, eyes widening a little as her friends halted their arguing. “How about we draw straws? Whoever gets the smallest has to go out.”

“Sounds good to me.”

The three of them stood before the closed door as Marinette held a few straws of unknown lengths that all of them had picked. After scrambling the straws, each of them were to close their eyes and chose one.

“Okay, you guys ready?”

“Yup! Prepare to lose!” Claude squawked playfully and picked a straw, elbowing Alan who rolled his eyes fondly.

“I wouldn’t be too sure. Sorry in advance, Claude.” Alan grabbed the leftmost one with a shake of his head.

“Okay,” Marinette sounded a little unsure  and glanced towards the rink. She picked a straw.

“And…” they all pulled away, opening their eyes a moment later.

“Yes! I’m not going!” Claude cheered victoriously, brandishing around the longest straw like it was a wand with an obnoxious grin. “Sorry, Al!”

However, his celebration was short-lived. 

Alan snickered. “Nice try.” 

He held up the medium length straw.

Marinette looked at her palms, realising she had drawn the short straw. Her heart sank.

She shot a look at Claude as she heard him fighting back a wheeze at the results.

“Not funny, Claude!!” She exclaimed, turning her attention back to the door.

“You want some help?” Alan asked, concern creasing his forehead as he joined at her side.

“No no, it’s fine! I’ll be okay! You guys stay safe!” Marinette swallowed slightly, looking at the door as her grip tightened on the straw. She sucked in a deep breath even if she could feel her stomach sinking. 

It was her idea in the first place— she had to keep her word. Tentatively, Marinette twisted the door knob and into the ruins where her home used to stand.

She practically shrunk back into her jacket after only one step outside. The noxious fumes of fires burning eternally choked out her previous determination, Marinette shuddered in place and turned around. 

The door being quickly shut sent her heart spiraling into an abyss of her own creation. This wasn’t possible! She couldn’t do this!

But… but they were waiting. They had faith in her, at least she hoped they did.

Marinette spun on her heels, dashing across the sidewalk that was ravaged by cracks and fallen rock, dodging the debris by the skin of her teeth and rushing into her parents' bakery.

It wasn’t ideal, but it was the best she could think of when the sky was hazy with smoke and ember.

“Marinette!” Sebastian exclaimed from behind the counter, his heart evidently racing as he spoke at a frenzied pace. “Thank god you’re okay!! Now hurry and get behind the counter, there’s something really dangerous out there!”

“Dad, I have to—” Denial clenched her throat, cutting her response short as she looked out to the ashen sky and street impaled by fire-cloaked rocks. She was just barely able to see the ice rink through the haze and destruction, and Marinette exhaled. “I-I know someone out there, they might be in danger if one of the—”

Sebastian raised a hand, interrupting her. “There’s nothing we can do about it now, Marinette. Let’s just hope the authorities take care of this…” the last part made his face melt into a grimace. “Or the ‘long lost butterfly user’…”

Butterfly… Claude! Claude mentioned the butterfly being magic, so… could the butterfly user have done this?! She’d only heard rumors of ‘Monarch’ saving the day in the past but he hadn’t appeared in years! Where… where was he now?

A rumble, followed by an ear splitting crash, hushed their argument. Another meteor, closer than the one before, turned the entrance to one of the hotels across the street into nothing but rubble.

“Dad, I-I’m not kidding here! My new friends are in danger and I need to make sure they’re okay!! Please, I— I promise I’ll come right back!” Marinette’s plea came out more adamant than she intended, but it got an unexpected result…

A nod, and Sebastian’s hand on her shoulder. “Okay… but please, please watch yourself. Be careful… I don’t want you getting hurt.”

She returned the gesture and tightly hugged her father before letting go, taking some of the baked goods from the display as supplies in case she got separated from them. 

Taking in a breath, Marinette turned around and ran, hoping that somehow this was a nightmare she just hadn’t woken up from yet. 

Felix sat in the elementary school’s library, tracing his hand over the box. The school had gone into lockdown sometime after he got back inside, but the library had yet to close up. Thankfully nobody was still out there…

Still, this box… it piqued his curiosity in such a way no normal book could.

Scrolling through his phone though, he was puzzled. No jewelry store in Paris, or in France for that matter, held the emblem on the box’s lid. 

So, he had to wonder… was it okay to open it, take just a little peak?

Giving the library a once over, Felix snuck into one of the staff offices to make sure nobody saw him.

“Let’s see what you’ve got here…” he said quietly to himself, and cracked open the box. What he saw was… interesting, for lack of a better word.

A ring, black and accented by two green gems parallel to one another, along with a single red diamond in the center…

It definitely didn’t look like any ring he’d seen before, and the emblem on the box showed no sign of a brand. Felix could only stare at it in wonder, then something odd happened…

A glow from the jewel eyes of the ring transfixed his attention, blinding his already frozen expression as the light coalesced in one point above it, clearing a moment later to reveal… a tiny cat?

“What the hell…”

The thing spoke before he could ask any questions. “Here we go again…” it turned around and floated close to his face. “Greetings, human! I’m Plagg, and I’ve got a deal for you: the ultimate power of destruction will be yours, but you’ve gotta stop the akuma out there and retrieve the butterfly miraculous in return! All you gotta do is put on the ring, so…We got a deal?”

What…?!

Felix could only meet Plagg’s staring with his own, more disbelief than the eagerness the cat had. This ring was magic!?

Thinking about it further, Felix caught onto the sneaky thing’s plan, and his face knit together in irritation. “I know this trick… so, what’s the catch, cat?”

Plagg puffed up his cheeks in mock offense “Firstly, rude. My name's Plagg. Secondly, there’s no catch! Just don’t level Paris to the ground, and we’re good.”

Felix blinked, staring back at the open box. Where did this thing come from? Why him? What kind of cosmic force in the universe decided he should have this thing…

The universe gave no answers, except in the form of a tiny black cat.

Felix sighed, closed his eyes and came to the conclusion that if he ever wanted answers to this entire mess of an afternoon, he had to accept.

He looked Plagg in the eye and nodded, slipping the ring on his finger a second after. “…Deal.”

“Great! Glad to work with you—”

“But,” He raised a hand and cut Plagg off. “But you’ve gotta tell me what’s going on.”

“Sure…Oh, uh, by the way you’re now stuck with me until you can get a kiss from the ladybug miraculous wishmaker! Glad we were on the same page!”

Felix’s face paled as he looked down at his hand.  “WHAT.”

“Come on rich boy, we don’t have all day!” Plagg was resisting laughing. This… this mangy, stupid cat! He was tricked after all!!

“WHAT?!”

It happened before he could react. A burst of dark energy pulsed from the ring, reacting to his sudden outburst and knocking over about seven books from their shelves, a choir of crashes and fluttering paper to drive the embarrassing situation even further in.

Felix swallowed, paralyzed from fear as he looked at the unintentional collateral damage.

“L-Let’s say I actually believed you…would anyone know it’s me?”

Plagg circled his new wishmaker’s head, intent on making him dizzy but doing so to himself instead. “Nope! If you wanna show your identity you can, but it’s on you! You’re the master of your own superhero identity, kid!”

“Hmm…” He bent over to pick up the fallen books, putting them back where they were as he gave his circumstances more thought…

If he were a superhero, what would his name be… hmm…

Black cat… Chat Noir? That sounded mysterious enough, even if it’s just a literal translation.

Finished with his damage control, Felix turned to one of the windows in the office and cracked it open, wincing at the smell of smoke and ash.

“Well?” came Plagg’s exhausted voice, half yawning as he spoke. “Can we get going? You’ve got a job to do.”

The annoyance etched itself back into Felix’s expression, rising in intensity as he held up his ring hand. “Let’s just get this over with…”

Plagg wordlessly phased into the miraculous Felix denied was his own, transforming him into something he only saw on comic book covers he never really got to enjoy…

This ring, this miraculous… even despite its circumstances, it appeared to be the only thing he had control of…If he could use it to get away from his schedule, then… why not?

Marinette avoided more debris, nearly tripping over a stray metal beam wedged into the ground as she made her way back to the ice rink. She faltered again, this time unable to regain her footing and tumbled to her knees on the sidewalk, her eyes clenched shut.

“Ow…” she muttered, staggering to her feet and continuing her trek back to the ice rink. The smoke and debris clouded her vision as another wave of fire struck the city. Marinette skidded into a somehow undamaged alleyway and collapsed to her knees.

This… this was too much. She couldn’t do this! She wouldn’t make it.. was she going to die here…?

The crackling of embers and smell of death became an afterthought as Marinette curled into herself and fought back tears.

“D-don’t panic, ok? Everything’s going to be fine!” A voice called out to her, a light thud from atop the roof above breaking her out of the spiral.

A figure clouded by smoke tossed something down that landed in her hands. A jewelry box…

“Who… who are—?”

“I’ll answer your questions later, Marinette! Please, open the box! Paris depends on it!!”

The figure bounded away before she could scream out more questions that would, of course, receive no answers.

‘What… what am I supposed to do with this?’

The inquiry gone unspoken was answered… just not in the way she thought.

Two scarlet and gold gem studded earrings met her eyes the moment she opened the box, accompanied by a red glowing light that gathered at Marinette’s eye level before clearing up…

Marinette flinched back and scrambled to grab a broken wooden plank to sway away the thing, which looked kind of like a ladybug, but also kind of like a fairy too.

“It’s going to be fine, Marinette! Calm down!!” The creature spoke, smiling kindly. “My name is Tikki. I’m the faerie of good luck and creation!”

“Whaaa…?” Marinette could only muster a half exhausted, half in disbelief squeak.

“Everything will make sense eventually, you just need to stop the akuma first!”

“I… I don’t know if I can, I…”

A rumble surged through the ground, and Marinette could only stare as she saw her father run out to the street, horror burning in her mind as the long retired vigilante Sparrow spread his wings again..

“No… No, don’t!!!”

Marinette’s blood froze as Sparrow got smacked into the ground as soon as the thing burning Paris to nothing saw him, and she could barely hear his screams of pain… but she knew they were there, and it made her heart hurt.

Taking a moment to regain her composure, Marinette inhaled then exhaled, and turned to Tikki and the box.

“…I’ll do it.”

Tikki’s eyes glimmered as Marinette put on the earrings, and her wishmaker looked up at her with slight confusion.

“So… how am I supposed to stop all this?”

“You have to transform! It’ll make you almost invincible, so you won’t have to worry about getting hurt as much!”

“Okay… so how do I transform, then?”

“Fae like me can mentally synchronize with our wishmaker! You just have to imagine it, and then you become it!!”

“Hmm…” Marinette took a fraction of a moment to think, the urgency of the moment catching up with her as the earrings began to glow. “Let’s do this, Tikki!!”

And with that, Marinette— Ladybug, leapt away, and into the heat of battle.