In which Hawkmoth makes everything ridiculously complicated, and is ALWAYS to blame for everything wrong with life (except for Chloe, obviously).
And in which Chloe can apparently find new ways of wrecking lives, and trying to stop her might make it worse. Much, much worse.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything Miraculous related...other than a silly mask I made and then broke the string off of-anyway! This story was all for fun originally, then it spun out of control and started ruining my life. I lost so much sleep over the past year because the ideas would not stop tormenting me. It might be in your best interest to AVOID READING THIS MONSTROSITY, but, well, feedback would be nice, lol! (Please don't kill me for the Mary-Sue/wish-fulfillment character, I literally could not stop it from happening. Don't judge me.)
Also to be found on Archive Of Our Own under the same name.
Chapter 1: The Story Has To Start Somewhere
Sarah McCoy had been observing her new classmates for nearly three weeks. It wasn't hard, considering she was seated next to Nathaniel in the back of the classroom.
After a quick introduction on the first day, interest in her existence had easily faded away (partially in thanks to all the Akuma activity, and to a certain Italian girl who had recently transferred in, and then right back out of their school). She had quietly accepted her small niche with the kids at the back of the room: two comfortably subdued people that didn't question her, and a sweet, peppy little fairy of a girl that could hold a conversation for two on her own easily.
Everyone else faced forward. They didn't see her, but she could see them. It was a perfectly ideal situation for her, except now she had a problem. Well, two problems, to be exact. And it was really stressing her out.
It all stemmed from a bad habit of hers...she was too observant. She analyzed people just a little too passionately, as if to fill the void she believed she was. Others were always so much more interesting than her own dull self, and figuring them out to the point she could predict their actions always seemed to be her goal. She wasn't exactly great at it, but she sure enjoyed trying.
So after only three weeks, she knew a few interesting things about each classmate.
Nathaniel apparently shipped his alter-ego with Ladybug, and Chat Noir with Marinette, if his many, many sketches were any indicator. (She tried not to cringe whenever she happened to see them.)
Juleka wrote some really, really cool poetry...not that she showed it to many people.
Rose's bag often had glitter spilling out of it, and she smelled like an explosion of flowers.
Alix really liked snakes, and apparently had a Siamese cat named Viper at home.
Mylene was terrified of a lot of things, yet she could boldly kiss her boyfriend in public, no problem. Apparently "stage-fright" wasn't part of her vocabulary, even if both words separate could easily be identified with her.
Said boyfriend, Ivan, had an intimidating appearance for several reasons, yet he was probably one of the sweetest softies in the class. Not that he would go out of his way to show it, but the boy would literally tear up while watching kitten videos. Mylene had caught a good one.
Kim was one of the biggest sports nerds she had ever seen. Just, wow.
Max was pretty much exactly what he appeared to be. He didn't pretend to be anything else, even though he was certainly smart enough to fool people if he'd wanted to. Cool guy.
Sabrina was obsessed with spy novels, and had a new book in her bag almost every day. One had to wonder how she managed the time though, considering she dedicated herself to maintaining high grades not only for herself, but for her best friend too.
Said best friend, Chloe, the daughter of the Mayor, seemed to have no idea what diplomacy was, and was a terrible liar. (To clarify: her lies were so idiotic and transparent it was honestly horrifying to witness.)
Alya could never seem to sit still. She was constantly twitching or bouncing in place. This girl had so much energy, like a wild animal that was always eager to chase and pounce.
Nino was a natural strutter, and quite possibly the sassiest kid in class. It was a tough call, considering certain others in the room, and the fact that he was generally pretty chill about everything, but get him into an argument and boy could he be sassy (and over-dramatic, but Sarah was pretty sure a certain pig-tailed girl had him beat there).
Ladybug was so in love with Adrien it hurt to watch.
And Chat Noir was agonizingly oblivious.
Yup, there it was. In just three weeks, she had figured out what clearly NO ONE ELSE HAD FIGURED OUT, and she really, really wished she hadn't. Marinette and Adrien, the secret heroes of Paris, really should have been a little less obvious.
…
As soon as Sarah realized the heavy responsibility of knowing what she did, the girl had immediately scoured the entire Ladyblog in search of information. It wasn't enough though. She was no less terrified of becoming an Akuma, and being the end of Ladybug and Chat Noir. Not that she really expected to become some super amazing villain capable of defeating them in a mind-numbing display of power, but obviously Hawkmoth would immediately find out their identities through her.
So, she did the smart thing, and approached Alya while Marinette was with her. Alya knew a lot and would freely share anything she knew, and if she was wrong about anything a quick study of Marinette's face would probably give it away. (Marinette was a great actress, but only when she was trying.)
To Sarah's delight, Marinette made some helpful suggestions on the subject matter. Whatever came out of the Class President's mouth was most certainly something she could trust to be true (at least, concerning the specific questions Sarah was asking).
So, she felt confidant afterwards that she understood, as best she was able, the process by which a person became an Akuma, and how to avoid becoming one. Basically: stay positive, run away from spooky looking butterflies, happy thoughts, happy thoughts, happy thoughts, and don't give in to evil voices promising you anything you wanted in exchange for miraculous jewelry, if possible.
Sarah considered herself to be a difficult person to truly upset, at least to the point that seemed to be targeted, so she tried to assure herself that she'd be fine.
…
About two weeks later, Sarah's fears finally began to subside. She even began to enjoy being in on the big secret, finding it thrilling to be able to help the heroes keep their covers, even though they had no clue she was doing it.
Sure, she was slowly becoming a class clown with some of the stunts she pulled trying to divert attention, but her family was moving back to Ireland that summer anyway. She would survive the temporary mortification. Probably.
Unfortunately, her sudden activity had apparently taken up too much spotlight for a certain blonde's liking. And, thus, Chloe was Chloe, and the wealthy heiress managed to launch a verbal strike that hit right where it hurt the most.
Why try so hard for attention when you clearly weren't worth it, right?
Maybe Sarah shouldn't have taken it so hard. Chloe was a bully, she knew that. And Marinette, always the class hero, wasn't the only one to speak up and defend her from the verbal bashing...but maybe that made it worse. People were wasting their time, wasting their breath on her, and it was frustratingly difficult to focus on the positive side after someone managed such a critical hit on the ego.
Class was about to start, the teacher had just walked in, but Sarah just wanted out. Calling out a choked apology, Sarah made a mad dash out of there, ignoring any and all calls after her. She was already crying, and there was no way she was going back where everyone would see it. She just wanted to be alone.
The shadowy space between the bushes and the front of the school turned out to be her preferred hiding spot. The small curtain of browning leaves, obstructing her from view, yet also allowing her to see anyone coming, made her feel safer. It was a chilly fall day, but she was dressed warmly enough that curling in the fetal position kept her from shivering.
She heard and saw Marinette pass by, looking for her, but Sarah was just too mortified to answer. Soon enough Marinette left, either to continue looking elsewhere or head back to class, and in the peaceful quiet Sarah quietly cried against her knees.
She never did see the butterfly coming.
"Hello, Chameleon, I am Hawkmoth," a lulling voice called to her, "I will give you the power to become whomever you wish."
Sarah listened intently, the proposition harmonizing oh-so-perfectly with her desires.
"All you have to do in return, is bring me the Miraculouses of Ladybug and Chat N-"
"N-no!" her eyes suddenly widened, horrified as she finally realized what she had been about to agree to, "I-I don't want to! I won't help you! I won't!"
"...why not, my dear?" the voice recovered, though her reaction left him tense, "Are you really alright with staying the way you are? Hasn't it always been your dream to-"
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" she screamed, terrified and desperate.
The rejection was so fierce, so absolute, that not only was Hawkmoth startled, but Sarah herself was left huffing and wide-eyed as the butterfly suddenly popped out of her mood-stone bracelet.
She didn't really panic, not until after she hastily lunged and caught the butterfly in her bare hands, clumsily crashing down into the brush in the process.
After she managed to scramble back on her feet, she ran back to the classroom at full speed, and burst into the room. Everyone took in her roughed-up appearance, hair messy and tangled with leaves and twigs, clothes dirty and stained, and a wild look in her damp eyes as she first singled out Marinette, and then shakily turned to Alya instead.
"Sarah!" Mademoiselle Bustier was understandably concerned by the scene, "What is the meaning of this?"
"Please, please, please tell me you can contact Ladybug! Right now!" Sarah exclaimed to Alya in a panicked rush, completely ignoring the teacher, "It's trying to escape! HURRY!"
Alya left her seat, worriedly going over to her, but having no idea what the girl was going on about. Sarah shook her cupped hands in emphasis, gesturing desperately with her eyes and head, for she was honestly too terrified to actually say what she was holding.
"I-it tried to possess me! Please get Ladybug! Quick!" Sarah was already in tears.
Adrien beat Marinette to the punch, and with great urgency told Alya to post an alert on the Ladyblog. Alya quickly did just that, finally understanding what was going on. And while Marinette hastily slipped away, Adrien hurried over to Sarah, and helped her remember that breathing was a thing she should definitely be doing. Despite whimpering practically every time the butterfly moved, she tried to focus on happy thoughts, and to block out the panicked voices of the rest of the class as best she could, praying silently that Marinette would hurry.
And Ladybug did not disappoint. The entire class watched in awe as she arrived, Alya automatically whipping out her phone to record the interaction. Seeing her salvation had arrived, Sarah released the insect as if it was burning her, and would have collapsed to the floor if Adrien and Alya hadn't been there to catch her arms. As it was, they gently helped her sit down.
Ladybug purified the butterfly with ease, and then knelt down in front of Sarah.
"I can't thank you enough, mademoiselle. That was incredibly brave of you."
Sarah was immediately bashful, "...s-some really great classmates told me not to listen to creepy voices in my head...I don't really remember what I heard, but...I'm really glad they warned me."
She smiled up at Alya, who was slightly stunned at the glowing gratitude coming from her, before shooting the same smile at the girl she knew was Marinette, "Thank you, Ladybug. I really owe you one."
"Says the girl who defeated an Akuma for me," Ladybug replied with a warm smile, standing back up to leave, "Don't lose that courage, mademoiselle."
Soon surrounded by awestruck classmates, Sarah was helped to her shaky feet. Rose, followed by Juleka, began to fuss over her, quick hands brushing the debris out of her hair and off her clothes before she could protest. She was just arguing that she was okay now, really, when Marinette rushed back in.
"Girl, where did you go?" Alya questioned in bewilderment, as if just now realizing that Marinette hadn't been in the room with them.
"I met Ladybug at the entrance," Marinette huffed and puffed lightly, as if she had run, "I wanted to make sure she found the right room."
"Good thinking, Marinette," Adrien smiled at her thoughtfulness.
Sarah bit back a smile as she watched Marinette flush.
"O-oh, it probno lem-I mean! It was not a problem!" Marinette corrected hurriedly, laughing nervously at her mistake.
"Thank you, Marinette," Sarah spoke up, kindly preventing any further stuttering, "You have no idea how grateful I am."
Marinette smiled at her, "Anytime, Sarah. I'm just glad you're okay now!"
"Me too!" Sarah laughed, smiling brightly in return.
"And I think it's pretty obvious that someone was dead wrong about you..." Marinette shot a glare at where Chloe remained seated.
The spoiled girl said nothing, only looked away with an irritated huff.
"Marinette's right, that was craziest thing I've seen since...well, okay, I see a lot of crazy stuff, but girl! You caught an Akuma! In your bare freaking hands! You rejected Hawkmoth! Way to go!" Alya praised, followed by several voices of agreement from the other classmates, causing the girl to suffer a rather thorough blush.
"Alright, alright, class is still in session," the teacher spoke, "Back to your seats, everyone."
As everyone began to migrate to their seats, Sarah breathed a sigh of relief.
"And Sarah," the teacher added, catching her unwilling attention, "While running out of class was highly inappropriate, I'll let it slide just this once, understood?"
The approving look she was given caused Sarah's receding flush to darken all over again, "Th-thank you, Mademoiselle Bustier..."
She paused while passing Adrien's seat, and shot him a grateful smile, "Thanks, by the way..."
He seemed surprised, and offered an abashed smile, "It was no problem, Sarah."
"I bet Ladybug was impressed," she winked knowingly, and mentally snickered at how he blushed.
Then she looked up at Marinette, who appeared confused by her interaction with the boy, and offered the girl another grateful smile, "You guys are seriously the best, I hope you know that."
Marinette blinked, then looked embarrassed, "I didn't do much."
"You did more than you know. Thank you," Sarah told her, turning to smile again at Alya before hurrying on to her seat, shooting slightly more abashed smiles at Rose and Juleka.
Not five minutes later, she was desperately praying that all the backward glances would die down soon. Really soon. Were they trying to strain their necks?
And she seriously wished she knew how she had even pulled off such an apparently gape-worthy stunt. She really, really didn't remember anything other than being terrified out of her mind, and it was rather frustrating.
All she knew was that Hawkmoth had pushed her too far and seriously ticked her off, and she never wanted him in her head again. Or anyone else's, for that matter. That manipulative creep had messed with...well, okay, she had nothing on him really, but she sure as heck wasn't going to let that stop her from wishing she did.
…
Despite Sarah's confusion on the actual occurrence, overcoming an Akuma possession was a pretty huge ego boost. She was now filled with a burning desire to see Hawkmoth stopped for good, and wanted more than ever to return the kindness she had received from the heroes. Thus, Sarah began to really plot ways she could help them.
Her first big idea was to commission Marinette for the most realistic, and functional, Ladybug costume she could afford. On top of standard payment, Sarah promised that in return she would, from that moment on, share any notes, from any class, for the rest of theyear, absolutely judgment free and with no questions asked.
Marinette was clearly hesitant, and worried as to why Sarah wanted such a thing, but the secondary offer was oh-so-tempting. Constantly borrowing notes from Alya, or whichever other classmate Marinette approached (on a discrete rotation to make it look less obvious), tended to make her classmates more aware of her numerous, poorly explained absences. Sarah had figured this was the case, and was not surprised when Marinette finally caved.
In the end, Marinette didn't charge a single euro, and asked instead for Sarah to promise not to use the suit for anything reckless. She never suspected that Sarah had guiltily crossed her fingers behind her back while promising.
Sarah then proceeded to blow her entire yearly allowance (begging for it in advance had been an interesting conversation, to say the least) on a custom, weapon-grade yo-yo (commissioned from a specialist that charged a pretty penny but delivered what was desired), and as many red smoke pellets as the pitiful remains of her piggy-bank would allow. (She tried not to think about all the snacks and outings she could no longer afford for the rest of the year...it was rather pathetic to get teary-eyed in class when other people talked about a new movie she'd really wanted to see...curse her attention to details.)
From then on, (once it was delivered over a week later) Sarah spent all her free time practicing with her new yo-yo. She lost count of how many times she bruised her head (and everything else) with the cursed thing, but after about a couple weeks of practice she finally (sort-of) mastered the "Lucky Charm" toss, the "Shield" technique, and a simple high-speed throw, meant to strike an opponent with a painful blow, that she mentally dubbed "Yo-yo STRIKE!" (which typically came back to bite her if she failed to dodge out of the way when it returned to her). Anything tangle related still ended horribly, and was not worth mentioning, ever. She wasn't even going to think about trying to swing from the accursed thing.
Her parkor training went a little better, which she mostly practiced at night to avoid being caught in the act (and it didn't hurt that she began a week before beating herself up with the yo-yo). Just sneaking in and out her bedroom window gave her a good warm-up (as it was on the third floor of an apartment complex). However, she had over a thousand nasty scrapes and bruises to show for it, as well as twelve or more pulled muscles, a sprained ankle and an almost sprained wrist, possibly a mild concussion, and four painfully broken nails (which somehow seemed to be the most painful of all her injuries. Go figure). And she broke her pinkie toe. She swore to herself she would never tell a soul how she had managed that last one. And yes, she did catch a cold over part of the All Saints Holiday from running around during one of the chillier October nights, but after the first two nights it was mild enough for her to soldier through.
Progress in martial arts was anyone's guess, since she had no one to train her or practice with (she'd almost made the mistake of asking one of her cousins over the Autumn Holiday, which probably would not have ended well), but she was positive she had the "throwing over shoulder" thing down. She was less confident about her punches and kicks. Hitting that punching bag at the gym hurt.
Throughout that time of vigorous self-training, she was left utterly amazed at what Ladybug managed. Sarah seriously hoped that, despite her intent to do anything she could to help, she would never have to fight anyone...because she would probably be smited.
…
Then, on the first day back from the two-week Holiday, of course a grouchy teacher (who apparently had had a stressful time during their break) had to get akumatized and then proceed to seal the entire class inside their classroom. And of course, Marinette was waiting for Chat Noir to save the day, while Adrien was waiting for Ladybug to do the same.
Boy were they lucky Marinette had finished the costume and given it to Sarah a few days prior, and that Sarah was actually wearing it under her clothes that day. She had debated wearing it to school because of gym (since it really would be a pain to change in and out of it in the bathroom stall, not to mention it raised questions) so they honestly were lucky she hadn't simply stuffed it in her locker that day.
Well, it was sort of lucky for them, but horribly unlucky for Sarah.
Sufficient to say, this really wasn't how she'd expected to first use the costume. "Transforming" in a locked room full of witnesses was obviously going to make them all think that Sarah was Ladybug (except for Marinette, obviously), and that was kind of a big deal. Well, that and if they didn't buy it she was going to be a complete laughingstock for the rest of the year. Yikes.
But nothing was going to happen if she didn't do something.
So, while everyone else was either trying to break down one of the clearly unbreakable doors, or watching the attempt, she quietly slipped back behind the back row of desks, and ducked down to "transform".
On top of wearing the basic suit, strategically concealed under her normal clothes, she had everything she needed stored ever-so-carefully in her bag. After slipping off her long-sleeved turtleneck, she went for the mask-wig combo (which was held together by a thin yet sturdy piece of fabric that matched her skin tone perfectly, thanks to Marinette's careful eye, and covered her face from her upper cheeks to the hairline of her wig). The earrings and then the gloves (which obviously she couldn't have hidden under normal attire without looking like a complete weirdo, and thus had asked for them to be made separate from the rest of the suit) went on next. Once she finished tearing off the rest of her outer layer of clothes, she grabbed her yo-yo and two of her red smoke pellets, checked her wig one last time, and took a deep breath.
It was now or never.
Throwing one of the smoke pellets against the ground, she managed to appear grandly from the smoke, standing at the top of the stairs with all the "Ladybug confidence" she was far too nerve-wrecked to feel. While everyone was still gasping in shock, she called for "Lucky Charm" as she tossed up her yo-yo, also discretely throwing her second smoke pellet to explode against the ceiling and praying the class wouldn't notice the difference. She then "caught something small" in her hand, blinked at it, and then cringed visibly.
"Okay, I need all of you to get as far away from the door as possible, and cover your eyes and ears. I'm about to light it up in here, and I doubt any of you want to go deaf and blind. Hurry!"
As strode down the stairs and over to the door, everyone thankfully did as she said. Alya quickly scanned the group, then gaped at her, obviously having concluded who was behind the mask, before ducking with the others. Marinette hesitated, giving Sarah a deeply concerned frown.
"You too, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng," Sarah ordered, channeling complete authority she definitely didn't have, "I'm not joking. Cover your eyes and ears now."
"I didn't know Lucky Charm could be an explosive..." Marinette said in a lowered voice.
This was a critical point in the ruse. Marinette could easily call her out, since she'd made the costume herself, so Sarah had to convince her not to.
Maybe she could have tried telling Marinette about her plan before initiating it, but...better to ask forgiveness than permission?
"It's like those ones you see in spy movies. Trust me, it'll do the job," Sarah promised, "Now please, take cover so I can do this, I have to go after that Akuma quickly!"
Marinette still did not appear convinced, but Alya suddenly pulled her down and hissed at her to stop fooling around. Sarah was relieved when Marinette finally let it go.
Once she was satisfied that everyone was doing as she'd said (and that no one was trying to record this on their phones), she carefully slipped over to pluck Adrien out of the group. Thankfully he had chosen to stand at the outskirts, as if thinking to act as a shield for the others. He looked at her in surprise, but held his tongue at her shushing gesture, and didn't resist being led back over to the door.
No one, not even Sarah, noticed a pair of indigo-blue eyes watching everything from a slightly ajar, light pink hand-bag.
"Alright, make sure your ears are covered, everyone!" Sarah called out loudly, grabbing a heavy book in her hands.
Then she turned to Adrien, and hurriedly whispered, "You need to use Cataclysm as quietly as you can, okay?"
"WHAT?!" he hissed back, clearly panicked, yet still managing to keep his voice down.
She gave him a look, "Now would be great kitty-cat, before they realize I'm a total fraud and turn around! And don't forget to go back to the huddle before they look!"
She raised the book high above her head, making her intent to smash it against the nearest desk crystal clear, and challenged him with her eyes.
Swallowing hard, and glancing back to make absolutely sure no one was looking, Adrien quickly and quietly did as she had asked. She tried not to gape at the rather stunning transformation. (She had known magic was involved, but holy cow!)
Indigo-blue eyes went wide, not that anyone noticed.
"Three! Two!" she called out, watching as Chat Noir used Cataclysm with a commanding whisper, immediately de-transformed (catching something small and black in his hands), and quickly hurried back to his spot with the others, "One!"
Sarah then hit the book against the desk with the loudest resounding thump she could produce.
"Okay! All clear! Let's get out of here!" she called out to them, hurrying to herd them out the messy doorway.
Adrien shared a look with her before rushing off, most likely toward his nearest cheese stash, not that Sarah had a clue about that yet.
She managed to ditch the group, including the extremely stubborn Alya who wanted answers pronto, and hurried back toward the classroom where her clothes were. Only, she found her path suddenly blocked by the real Ladybug.
"We will be having a talk about this later, mademoiselle," Ladybug promised, reprimand clear in her voice and posture, "In the meantime-"
"Lady-whoa!" Chat started as he realized there was more than one lady in red, "Uh...Milady, are you still mad about the Copycat thing? Because this is the third time you've done this to me..."
Ladybug rolled her eyes with a groan.
Sarah giggled in surprise (and made a mental note to inquire about his comment later, if possible) before turning back to Ladybug, "Don't worry, Ladybug, I have a plan that should work in your favor. For now, though, I'm going drop the costume and wait in this classroom until your fight is over. Oh, and sorry for the confusion, kitty-cat! See ya!"
She then dodged into the empty classroom, and let out a huge breath when she saw the duo leave. After fixing her appearance back to her normal look, she perched on her desk, and waited patiently for the door to be magically fixed by the Miraculous Cure. No point in ruining her opportunity to throw her classmates off the trail by letting someone see her and Ladybug at the same time.
Fortunately, Alya quickly caught up with the real Ladybug, and there was a live-stream on the Ladyblog for Sarah to watch on her phone. Alya even managed to catch some of the dialogue, which was awesome for the boredom aspect, but that also meant Alya was dangerously close to the action. Yay, Marinette was going to be extra cranky when she came after Sarah later.
And Alya declared that she couldn't believe that was her friend out there. On the live-stream. Yup, Ladybug was going to be super cranky now. If Sarah's plan didn't appease her...oi ve.
On another note, Sarah couldn't help but wonder how long Adrien had been waiting to use all those teacher puns. And captivity puns. It was a good thing he didn't use English puns, otherwise she wondered if he'd make the mistake of using his real name for one. That would be a painfully ridiculous way to be revealed. Good thing his main language was French. Bullet dodged.
…
Even after everything was back to normal, Sarah hesitated to leave the room. She really, really wasn't looking forward to facing anyone after this.
Alya was going to badger her for answers, Ladybug was not happy, and Chat Noir was no doubt still freaking out. Lord have mercy…
…
In the end, it was Mylene who came back to the classroom first. Apparently, she had forgotten something in her rush to escape. The girl gasped in surprise when she noticed Sarah waiting inside, and looked like she wanted to say something, but was hesitant to ask.
The two of them hadn't really talked much, and Mylene was a sweet girl who didn't like to pry. Even if she was dying of curiosity.
"So, I got busted, huh?" Sarah asked, smiling at her.
Mylene hesitated, then nodded shyly, "Yes, Alya figured it out, and she told us..."
"Well, it's a little more complicated than you guys think..." Sarah chewed her bottom lip, "...I guess I should explain things to you guys, huh?"
"Um..." Mylene remained uncertain.
"Is everyone back?" Sarah asked.
"Er, well, some of our class is by the lockers now..."
"Alright, I'll head over then," Sarah grabbed her stuff and hopped off her desk, "Walk with me?"
Mylene nodded with a small smile, and after quickly grabbing the thing she'd forgotten she followed Sarah out of the room.
It was sort of nice to air out some initial anxiety in the presence of such a gentle classmate, even if Sarah knew the worst was yet to come.
…
"Hey~! What's up, guys!" Sarah called out nervously before the first spotters could gasp at her arrival.
"Sarah!"
And thus began the mobbing and the questions. She let them get it out of their systems, trying to decipher the jumble of voices as she waited. Mostly it was a jumbling chorus of "you were actually Ladybug?!", with a whole bunch of other questions turbulently mixed in.
"Well..." she began, looking around to make sure everyone was listening, and swallowed, "...the truth is...I only became a Ladybug recently..."
"A Ladybug?" Alya asked, recording this on her phone at the front of the mob.
"Well, did you really think it was only one girl donning the mask?" Sarah asked, as if the question was ridiculous, "Wouldn't that be ridiculously hectic?"
Lots of gaping. Even Adrien and Marinette appeared startled by the claim. Nathaniel looked somewhat dizzy, not that Sarah would be surprised.
"So, there's...multiple Ladybugs?!" Alya gasped.
"Well, obviously I haven't been Ladybug this whole time, but...well, you all saw me as her today, so, well, isn't it obvious?" Sarah asked, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly.
"H-how many?"
"I'm sorry, but we don't share that sort of information with each other," Sarah explained with a shrug, "With the whole Hawkmoth threat looming over our heads, Ladybug and Chat Noir aren't allowed to share their true identities with anyone, not even each other."
She was sort of guessing on that one, since clearly Marinette and Adrien didn't know about each other for some reason or another.
"So, I don't know how many Ladybugs there are, nor who they are," she crossed her fingers fully behind her back, which was thankfully against the lockers so no one could see it. She truly hated lying, and couldn't really pull it off if she didn't do that, probably because of a superstitious belief formed during early childhood.
Having no clue that she was being deceived, Alya was pouting in disappointment.
"All I know is...it's magic," Sarah shrugged, "It changes you so you can become what's needed...I know I didn't become Ladybug for my physical prowess, you've all seen me in P.E., so clearly that's not why I was chosen...as far as I understand it, it's more of a "your soul was compatible" for whatever weird reason...otherwise, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been called to this...for however short it was..."
She looked down, sighing in dejection.
"What do you mean?" Rose asked, concerned.
Sarah flashed her a small smile, "...well, rule number one: "keep your identity a secret"...and I kind of blew it. The "magic" knows it too. So how can I ever hope to be a Ladybug after this?"
Her classmates' enthusiasm fell quickly at that statement.
"...why did you out yourself like that?" Nino questioned, "Couldn't you have found a way to call Chat Noir so he could bust you out?"
Sarah cringed visibly, "...I tried...he...didn't answer...and I panicked...this was my first day on the job, and...yeah, I panicked..."
Alya sighed, "So, no more Ladybug Sarah?"
Fingers crossed tightly behind Sarah's back, she smiled sadly, "Yeah, I won't be Ladybug ever again...but hey, it's okay! I got to help out once, and that's more than I could've ever hoped for, you know? I mean, clearly, I'm not anything like the other Ladybugs...magical compatibility or not, I just don't have what it takes, you know? I'd hate to be a dead-weight."
"Come on! I saw you today! You were amazing!" Alya argued, backed up by several agreeing classmates.
Sarah flushed, mortified that she was being credited for Marinette's work but unable to outright deny it, "Uh...well...that was definitely more "magic" than me, I promise you...I tried training on my own, and I really kinda stunk at it...and the creativity part? I honestly had no idea what to do with that backpack Lucky Charm dropped. Magic knew what to do, I didn't."
Apparently, Marinette was "Magic" now, not that Sarah would feel inclined to really disagree.
"Really?" Alya asked almost sheepishly.
"Good thing too, I totally would have been obliterated in that battle if I'd gone out as myself," Sarah laughed, "It's no wonder Hawkmoth wants it. The Miraculouses are miraculous."
"So..." Alya considered it, "The Ladybug Miraculous switches users?"
"I'd tell you how if I could," Sarah said apologetically.
"And you don't know any of the Ladybug identities...or Chat Noir's?"
"Nope," Sarah's fingers were really starting to ache.
"And you were briefly Ladybug, but you've essentially gotten yourself kicked out of Ladybug Camp by exposing your identity?"
Sarah laughed at the expression, "Pretty much, yeah...I bet they're not too please with me about it too..."
"Can you tell me any more about the "magic" of the Ladybug Miraculous?" Alya inquired.
Sarah shook her head, "Even if I could, it's not safe for me to tell you more. The more mysterious the power of Ladybug is, the safer it will be from the hands of evil."
Alya pouted, "You sure? I'm dying to know more, and I bet my viewers would agree!"
"Sorry everyone," Sarah smiled sheepishly at the camera.
"Well, I guess that concludes our impromptu interview," Alya sighed again, turning the camera to herself, "This has been another enlightening documentation by the Ladyblog, your number one source for all things Ladybug and Chat Noir! Thanks for tuning in! Ladyblogger out!"
Sarah slumped slightly in relief, thankful there was no longer a camera on her, "Was that Live, or are you going to post it later?"
"I'm gonna post it now...unless you really think I shouldn't?" Alya asked, looking pensive.
"I think it's better you do, actually," Sarah told her, "You kind of claimed to know who Ladybug was during the fight earlier...I don't want Hawkmoth to target you for information you don't actually know..."
Alya looked startled, as did a few others.
"And really, I don't mind if people see the video," Sarah assured her, "Rumors have probably spread beyond control already, so it makes things a little less awkward, right?"
"I-I'm sorry, I think I was the only one who actually realized it was you-"
"Come on, that's not true," Sarah smiled at her, "You definitely weren't the only one who noticed, and I'm sure everyone else would have figured it out on their own even if you didn't say anything."
"Yeah, it was pretty obvious, Alya," Marinette set a hand on her friend's shoulder, "She became Ladybug in a closed space with several witnesses...there was really no helping it."
Sarah laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck, "Exactly...I should have waited a little longer for Chat Noir...sorry for getting you guys all excited with nothing to show for it..."
"You still helped us escape the classroom," Rose piped up, "Thank you, Sarah!"
Juleka nodded in agreement, "Yeah, it, um, was very helpful..."
Sarah blushed, startled by the positivity, "Uh...h-happy to help..."
"Yeah, if not for that, I wouldn't have gotten such up-close footage of an Akuma battle!" Alya grinned.
Marinette inhaled angrily through her nose, and Sarah winced, "Uh...you're welcome?"
"I-it really was a relief to be let out..." Mylene added.
Sarah smiled at her, "No problem. A Ladybug is supposed to take care of people, right? Just like the first one always has?"
Mylene smiled and nodded.
"I still can't believe there's more than one Ladybug..." Alya whined, "They all look exactly the same!"
"Magic~," Sarah did the jazz hands.
"Seriously, you don't look anything like Ladybug," Alix looked her over, then seemed to notice something elsewhere, "Marinette looks way more like her than you."
A few hearts may have stopped. This...this was bad. (Kudos to Alix though for using her eyes.)
"Oh, you're right..." Mylene saw it too.
Bad, bad, very bad. (Also, kudos to Mylene, but seriously?! HOW WAS THIS HAPPENING NOW?!)
"M-me? Ladybug?" Marinette pointed at herself in confusion, then laughed, "Are you serious?"
Thank goodness Marinette was a great actress.
"Well, if the magic could make a clumsy slow-poke like Sarah that awesome," Alix shrugged, "Maybe it could fix your clumsiness too."
Well, crap.
"Is there something you're not telling us, Marinette?" Alya asked, mostly teasing, but any moment she might start to piece things together-
"Okay, okay, so she does look a little like Ladybug, I can see it," Sarah said, shoving back her anxiety as best she could, "But even though I wouldn't have a clue who any of the other Ladybugs are, I'm pretty sure the "Magic" wouldn't pick two girls from the same class to be her. I mean, come on. That kind of makes it way too easy to blow the whole secret identity thing out of the water, don't you think?"
Wow that was convincing, and wow they all bought it!
Marinette looked stunned.
"Makes sense," Nino said, "Two heroes hiding their identities from each other in the same classroom? How could they not figure it out?"
Sarah struggled not to appear amused, "Well, anything is possible, but even Ladybug's luck has its limits, right?"
"Okay, okay, I guess you're off the hook," Alya teased, elbowing playfully Marinette.
"Like there was ever any doubt," Marinette threw back with an easy grin.
Whew, that was way too close for comfort. Sarah and Marinette both discretely wiped away the sweat from their palms. Could you blame them for sweating bullets after such a close shave with disaster?
"Well, um, if we're done...I should probably head over to the library and catch up on my homework...I'd rather not be sent back to Ireland early because my parents think I'm just fooling around all the time, you know?"
"That would be awful!" Rose gasped.
"Yup, so I'm gonna try studying a little harder, so maybe if they find out about my recent behavior they won't...be quite as mad?" Sarah smiled sheepishly.
Everyone in the room winced.
"Girl...good luck," Alya told her seriously.
"At least they don't read the Ladyblog," Sarah tried to lighten the mood, "Anyway, later, guys!"
…
It really didn't take Adrien long to find Sarah in the Library. She smiled up at him when she noticed him standing awkwardly nearby.
"Here to help me study?" she joked.
"Uh, um...I could?" Adrien supplied.
She snickered, "Take a seat."
So, he did, and both of them looked around to see if anyone was nearby to listen in on their conversation.
"...so...you're probably really confused, and really freaked out by all that, huh?" she finally spoke in a hushed voice.
He laughed uncertainly.
"Well, let's see if I can remedy that...for starters, I've kind of known you were...you, after about my third week here," she explained, still keeping her voice down.
He gaped at her, "You...for that long...?!"
She nodded, "Ever wonder why I started acting like a clown almost every time someone said there was an Akuma during class?"
His eyes were bugging dangerously, and his voice failed him. There was a suspicious sound from Adrien's bag. It sounded a lot like someone was laughing. Sarah decided not to let whatever that was distract her.
"...so, yeah, I figured it out, I've known for a while...and after that psychopath tried to brainwash me with a butterfly, I just got a little more...into helping?" she tried, "I commissioned Marinette for the suit...yeah, she is so not happy I did this, but I have a good story that won't implicate you, and I know she'll buy it, so don't worry, okay?
"Anyway...so, I had the suit, and I figured I could use it to act as a decoy one of these days if you guys really needed it...and then today happened, and I panicked because you were stuck in a sealed room, and I was worried Ladybug could be in the same predicament...but, well, looks like she was fine after-all, huh? And I'm gonna have to deal with her too because she caught me running around in the suit...and of course, she'll see the Ladyblog...so, yup, I'm gonna have to face some music, but I know what to tell her, so, again, don't worry, I'm not going to blow your secret, I promise."
"...whoa...okay...um..." Adrien ran a hand through his hair, "...how did you figure it out?"
"I can see a lot from the back of the room...and I kind of pay attention to things," she shrugged sheepishly, "Little things just started to add up...I paid closer attention...I asked some questions...and voilà, you kept proving my theories right, so I just knew it had to be you...or I was crazy, but, well, I've seen more conclusive evidence since then...and I just saw you transform earlier, so any possible doubt is completely gone now."
He bit his lip, "...and you haven't told any-"
"I wouldn't dare," she replied promptly, "Why do you think I was so desperate to avoid being Akumatized? I know full well it doesn't matter how trustworthy a person is. All that will fly out the window if they lose their mind to Hawkmoth. So, no, I'll never tell anyone, and I swear to you I will avoid butterflies, and Akumas that could potentially control me, like the plague."
Adrien began to relax a little, smiling softly, "And we've both seen what happens when an Akuma tries to possess you..."
"And I seriously still can't remember for the life of me how I did that," Sarah grumbled, "For all I know it was a fluke...so I'm just gonna be extra careful not to let anything upset me like Chloe did that day..."
"I doubt he'd try to come after you again after failing once," Adrien told her, "And if you ever get that upset about something, you can call me...if you think it would help?"
She blinked at the offer, then smiled softly, "Well, since you know I know now, I think being in contact is a good idea...though I was thinking more for the sake of keeping people off your tail..."
His turn to blink, "...you...you don't have to worry so much, I-"
"I worry," she dead-panned, "If I figured it out, someone else could too. I don't want to sit back and let that happen if I can actually do something to prevent it. Besides, I'm only going to be here for this one year. I don't mind if my reputation here in Paris is a mess, since I highly doubt anyone back in Ireland is going to care. Use me as an alibi when you need it, it's okay. You have no idea how much of an honor it is to be helping such an important cause."
He said nothing. She said nothing. It was slightly awkward. She scribbled her phone number down on a scrap of paper, and slid it over to him. He took out his phone, and saved her contact info.
Then she felt her phone vibrate, and pulled it out to check it. An unknown number had sent her a text, though she had a pretty good idea who it was.
Unknown Number: [Soooo what should I call you? Dopplebug?]
Sarah felt her lips twitch into a smile.
Sarah: [*gasp* Its like you read my mind! You must be Psycat! :O]
Reading her reply, Adrien snorted, and just like that they were laughing.
"So, some-bug-y likes puns?" Adrien inquired finally.
"I might find them a-mew-sing," Sarah replied with a grin, "That "taking roll" one you used today was hilarious, by the way."
"You saw that?" he blinked.
"Alya got ridiculously close while recording, so, yeah, I heard a lot of your banter," Sarah explained.
Adrien sighed, shaking his head, "You'd think she'd learn to stay a safer distance away after nearly being sacrificed by mummies..."
"If that didn't scare her off, maybe nothing will," Sarah sighed too, "She's going to give someone a heart-attack one of these days...do you think we should make her carry around a defibrillator?"
Adrien perked, then feigned consideration, "That might be dangerous...I'd hate to be de-fibbed by a reporter."
Sarah gaped at him, then nearly banged her head against the table as she clutched her stomach in laughter, struggling not to laugh loudly in the Library.
"Oh my God, I didn't even think of that!" she gasped for breath, tears in her eyes as amusement continued to shake her, "Oh mighty Pun Master, teach me your ways!"
He grinned at her reaction, feeling quite accomplished, "Well, if you can recognize true genius, then you're off to a great start."
Chuckling, she managed to straighten in her seat, "Okay, okay, genius recognized. Hap-..."
That was when she noticed a pair of brilliant, ocean-blue eyes widely watching them from behind a bookcase. Close enough to observe, but far enough away she couldn't have heard what they were saying. Realizing she'd been noticed, Marinette zipped out of sight.
"...crap," Sarah winced, aware of what things just might have looked like.
"What?" Adrien blinked, worried by the change.
"...looks like Marinette is waiting for me to talk to her..." Sarah cringed, "Do you mind if I...?"
"Oh, yeah!" he said quickly, "Go on!"
"Thanks!" Sarah flashed him a smile, quickly pulling her books together so she could chase down Marinette, "Can I text you later?"
"Yeah, absolutely!" Adrien grinned.
"Sweet, later then!" Sarah smiled at him again before rushing off.
Marinette was no longer behind the bookcase, but it didn't take Sarah long to find her. The girl was walking slowly down the hallway, looking a bit depressed by the slump of her spine.
"Wait, Marinette!"
The girl turned to look in surprise, "Wha-ah, yes?"
"Okay, I know you just saw me being all silly with Adrien, but it was not what it looked like, I swear!" Sarah told her quickly, "I mean, sure he's cute and super likable, but it was just a friendly chat, okay? I'm not into him, and he's definitely not into me, so don't worry about it, 'kay?"
Marinette looked startled, blushing slightly, "Uh-um, I...I-I wasn't worried?"
"...look, I know you're crazy about him, so I just didn't want you to get the wrong idea, that's all," Sarah explained.
Marinette looked flustered, but also somewhat touched by the sentiment.
Then Sarah took a preparatory breath, "...besides, we both know he's head-over-heels for Ladybug, right? I mean, the real Ladybug, obviously. Not a dopplebug like me."
"Uh, oh...w-wait, he's what?!" Marinette flushed.
"Well, technically that means he's in love with you, but he hasn't quite figured that out yet, huh?" Sarah tossed out with false nonchalance.
Neither of them heard the small gasp from Marinette's purse.
"W-well, sort o-...y-wha-e-ya?!"
Marinette immediately began a "spastic fish out of water" impersonation, with only unintelligible squeaks making it out of her mouth.
"Aaaaaand soooooo...now you know why I pulled the costume stunt..." Sarah chuckled nervously, then flashed an overly bright smile, "Bye!"
Sarah then ran as if her life depended on it, and it just might have.
"SARAH MCCOY, YOU GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!" Marinette's screech echoed throughout the school as she tore after the brunette.
"Eek! Where's an Akuma when you need one?!" Sarah wailed as she ran faster.
She did manage a hasty salute to Adrien, who had just opened the door to the Library entrance and gaped at her as she ran past. He gaped even wider at the half-crazed Marinette that didn't even realize he was there as she shot after Sarah.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Sarah wailed as she heard Marinette gaining on her.
Sarah never made it past the courtyard.
…
Chapter End
I do believe it will be LILA sitting next to Nathaniel in Season 2, but hey, till that's proven I can still have a little fun, right? (Please don't hurt me!)
To clarify, in this AU, I have Lila exchanging to the school for a couple of weeks at the beginning of the year (2016/2017 school year) before transferring right back out, for reasons you can probably guess. That's not to say she'll never show up again, but...it might not be as big of a role as you're hoping for. I'll say no more, lol.
And yes, that means I'm assuming that most of Season one occurred during the 2015/2016 school year, and that a new year has begun. I even tried to get accurate dates for the school breaks and such, like the "All Saints Holiday", or "Autumn Break" that was mentioned in this chapter (there are three other 2-week breaks after it before Summer Break), and according to what I've read they will not have class on Wednesdays (only 4 days of class per week), and they have an extended Lunch Break (as we have in fact observed). I'm not even going to TRY and understand what actually goes on during class time though...I NEED SLEEP, OKAY?! XD
And yes, I realize I am SERIOUSLY cheating by pretending they finish their secondary education (with all the same classmates and teachers) in the same building as the middle school they go to in canon...I am literally incapable of writing everything to obey the laws of reality in this case, so...forgive me?
Also, this is the third time Chat's seen two Ladybugs at the same time. Time-traveler Ladybug & Chloe cosplaying (Lady Wifi episode) were the previous "dopplegangers". I figure anything from the Antibug episode doesn't quite count, lol.
Anyway, if you're curious enough, please, continue reading.
Hope you won't regret it~! ^_^