Author's Note:

Hey guys! So this is my first time publishing a fanfiction and I'm so nervous and excited I could die :'D There are some things I want to note before you start reading:

Firstly, I am writing this mostly based on the English episodes airing here in America because I don't know the French language or culture, so please forgive me for my lack of knowledge (Google will be my best friend). There are obvious discrepancies between the French and English versions, such as "Chat Noir" and "Cat Noir," Adrien's and Marinette's catch phrases, their ages, and other things like that.

Secondly, there will be some profanity throughout this fanfiction as well as some some mildly suggestive or adult themes, although I haven't written that far in advance.

Otherwise, I think that's all I need to warn you about, so please continue and enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or its characters, only the plot of this work.

Chapter 1: The Initiation

It had been three years since Marinette first put on the Ladybug miraculous, and amazingly, she had been able to keep her real identity a secret from everyone, even her overly-enthusiastic, Ladybug-fanatic friend Alya. It had been difficult sometimes, but luck always seemed to be on her side.

Marinette and her friends had finally graduated from Dupont just a few months ago, and now she was considering going to university to continue her studies in fashion. Unfortunately, Alya would not be attending with her, since fashion wasn't her field of study. She was still busy with her Ladybug blog and had started working. Alya and Nino had started dating a little after their escapades in the zoo back in high school, so Marinette would see him every now and then. Their relationship got a bit rocky at times, so Nino would ask Marinette for advice and invite her out on double dates to help smooth things over when he had severely messed something up.

Fortunately, for Marinette, Nino was still best friends with Adrien, who was always the partner of choice when he asked Marinette to do the double dates. It still made Marinette extremely nervous to be around him—it was Adrien, for crying out loud—but the more interactions she had with him, the more she was able to speak to him without shoving both feet in her mouth. Of course, Alya was always there with her winks and nudges for encouragement.

Adrien was still modeling for his father's business, but he was also considering going to school for business, as goaded by his father. Even after all of this time, he still hasn't been able to stand up to his father's control over his life. Truthfully, Adrien didn't know what he wanted to do with his future if it wasn't something his dad wanted.

But, as Cat Noir…his alter ego had yet to be unmasked by Hawk Moth or the general public, and he planned to keep it that way. However, if Ladybug truly wished it, Cat Noir would show her who he really was. To his dismay, she ignored his advances, which, strangely, only encourage him more. It was fittingly like a cat and mouse game…but with a ladybug? As Cat Noir, and as Adrien Agreste, his heart was completely devoted to Ladybug. But there was little hope for that longing to be translated into some sort of future for them.

Marinette sat at a picnic table in the local park with a new friend, Charlene Legrand*, who she met while touring the university. It felt wonderful to meet someone with as much passion as Marinette for fashion design. Charlene was a fairly quiet girl, who hid behind thick-framed glasses and bangs. At first glance, you wouldn't assume that she is was into modern clothing design since she wore a very bulky and tattered grey sweater. Her hair was a mousy-brown and she stood with her shoulders turned inward, very guarded. Overall, she just didn't stand out. But she had an unexpectedly brilliant eye for color and appeal.

Marinette had invited her out to discuss the university a little more and maybe share their portfolios with their past designs. It would give Marinette a better idea of Charlene's style.

"Oh wow!" Marinette exclaimed, looking at her new friend with a smile. "These are amazing, Charlene! If anyone should become a designer, it should definitely be you."

Charlene shifted uncomfortably at the compliment. "Oh no, I think you're exaggerating…"

"No, I'm not. You're great at balancing colors. And the way you layer the pieces without making the looks too busy is amazing too," Marinette chirped.

"You really think so?" Charlene blushed a bit and gestured to Marinette's sketchbook. "Your looks are very bold. You'll probably be a trend-setter someday."

Marinette put a finger to her lip in thought. She had never considered that before.

In the distance, there was a group of girls strolling through the park. Centered in the pack was none other than Chloé Bourgeois and her right-hand enabler, Sabrina. Chloé was yammering on about frequenting the nearby malls and the feeble attempts other shoppers made at looking as good as her. A few giggles later, Chloé happened to see the two girls sitting at the picnic table. She immediately recognized Marinette and her eye twitched on impulse. It had been months now since she had seen her former classmate, but her dislike of the girl was as strong as ever. Of everyone at Dupont, Marinette was the only one who out rightly spoke against her. She was a threat to her authority and she detested that notion.

Chloé changed her direction, heading directly toward Marinette and Charlene, the herd of Barbies following close behind. Marinette's back had been facing them and was only tipped off to the impending confrontation when Charlene's attention slid behind her. Marinette swiveled on her picnic bench, her nose instantly wrinkling at the sight of Chloé.

She sighed heavily and turned back briefly to whisper to Charlene. "We've got some trouble. Let me handle it."

"Well, Marinette, it sure has been a while," Chloé started, noticing the portfolios on the table. "Still trying to get your lame designs noticed? Those odds are pretty small."

"It may take some time, but I'm a patient person."

Chloé raised a brow. She had been hoping for a different reaction. She tried again. "No one would even look at your designs. They're outrageous. I mean, who designs pieces after fowl?"

Marinette rolled her eyes, replying, "At least I can say my lame designs are all original. You and your style look like they were already done twenty years ago. You probably stole those too."

Chloé's jaw slackened. The nerve of that Marinette, still defying her. Sometimes she struggled going toe to toe with her. Her eyes shot to Charlene, who immediately turned her shoulders inward. Chloé smirked. "Who's Meekly over there? Don't tell me you're swapping design ideas with that plain Jane." Charlene quickly averted her eyes as the rest of the herd cackled like the hyenas they were. "I mean, you look like a drowned rat that just crawled out of the sewer." More giggles were elicited from the group.

Distressed, Marinette took in the sight of her new friend curled in on herself. It angered Marinette seeing her like that, knowing that it was partially her fault for provoking Chloé. In the next moment, she snapped her head directly to Chloé, the blue of her eyes becoming icy. "Is that the best you can do? Unable to defend yourself because you have nothing comparable to us?" Marinette stood from her seat, approaching the blonde and forcing her to step back. "All you have is your dad's name to get you places. We're going to be adults soon, Chloé, and you have nothing to rely on but that. That's lame."

The Bourgeois girl took another step back, blinking and utterly stunned. She had never been talked to like that. The Barbies behind her, even Sabrina, were quiet. They really didn't know what to say to the remark. But after a few seconds, they were muttering amongst themselves, things like how it was kind of true. They also had money, but they at least were working or going to college. Chloé turned back to them, trying to reassure them of her worth. They looked at her doubtfully, and soon decided to part ways with Chloé and Sabrina.

"But wait! I still have plenty to offer you! We can go shopping, and I can introduce you to so many people!" She started to chase after them, but paused to turn to Marinette and growl. She spun around and left in the direction of the other girls, Sabrina tailing her.

Marinette huffed, going back to the picnic table and plopping down. "Had she really not noticed that until now?" She was looking back at Charlene's portfolio when she heard sniffling. She looked up to find Charlene crying. Her heart nearly broke at the sight. "Oh, Charlene. I'm so sorry. Are you okay? Chloé can be such a priss. You should really ignore her."

That was easier said than done.

Charlene sniffed again and wiped tears from her eyes before bringing them to meet Marinette's. "I'm…okay. I've been teased like that quite a bit. At this point in my life I should really get a backbone…"

"That…may be true," Marinette admitted, "but people like Chloé need to be shut down right away or they're just going to walk all over you." She crossed her arms matter-of-factly. "You're going to be far more successful in your life anyhow, so you should focus on you." An encouraging smile adorned her lips.

"I guess you're right." She offered back a small grin before returning her attention to the portfolio in front of her. A thought crossed her mind. "You're a bit dramatic in your declarations, Marinette."

Marinette scratched the back of her head and laughed sheepishly.

Chloé had chased down the girls that left her earlier, but they finally got annoyed with her trying to bribe them into hanging out with her. It was really rather pathetic. Then there was Sabrina who was following after her like a lost puppy, which only added to the laughable situation. Chloé, who didn't have the gumption to continue pursuing them eventually gave up. She groaned in irritation, whipping her head around and berating an innocent Sabrina.

"It's all that Marinette's fault!" Chloé shrieked. They had entered a store where Chloé had decided to let her frustration out on her daddy's credit card. She stared down at the plastic with some malice. It stared back at her as if it were trying to prove Marinette's point. Her grip on it tightened as she growled some more. "Sabrina! Go home! I want to be alone."

"Oh, ah, yes, Chloé. You sure you can handle the bags alone?" The other girl asked tentatively.

The blonde glowered at her. "Of course I can, stupid. Now get out of my sight." Without so much as another word, Sabrina left quickly.

Chloé stormed off in the opposite direction, Marinette's words swimming around in her head and annoying her to no end. She huffed and reached into one of her shopping bags, muttering, "Nothing comparable…what does she know? She can't even afford the high-end stuff like I can." She found what she had been fishing for in her bag, pulling out her arm and with it a necklace. It was gold and had a small diamond charm dangling from it. She reached around her neck and fastened the clasp, adjusting the necklace and fiddling with it in her hand. She nodded her head in approval. Marinette couldn't compare her taste in style to hers. Marinette was so insignificant, but she had a real knack for disrespecting Chloé, especially when other people were present. Her popularity with her class at Dupont had plummeted as the years went on and Marinette grew rather popular. Even Adrien would praise her. Adrien was her childhood friend, not Marientte's. He was supposed to be dating her by now, and getting engaged by next year if she had had it her way. But that Dupain-Cheng had been turning everyone against her.

Chloé continued to stomp down the street when a voice rang clear in her ears.

"Isn't it frustrating? Knowing that girl keeps taking away all of your friends and making a mockery of you like that?" Chloé's blood began to boil. That mere dislike of Marinette turned into pure hatred, only fueled more by the eerie words. "I know you want your revenge against her, and I can help you in that endeavor. I only require a small favor in return."

Adrien hadn't seen Nino for a while, what with all of his photo shoots and college visits. But he thought he had it narrowed down to two or three that his father would approve of. He inwardly groaned. No matter how much time had passed, he was still putting his father's opinions and wants before his own. Frankly, it was pathetic. When was he finally going to grow out of it?

That was why he invited Nino out for the day. He was hoping he could give him a few ideas, things like how to confront his father and finding a place to live on his own. The latter shouldn't be too hard if he can find enough work, but he relied quite a bit on Gabriel Agreste's connections. If Adrien angered him while confronting him about his career and college plans, he might soon find it difficult to find those jobs.

"Maybe you can live on campus in the dorms," Nino suggested. "You can be around more people your age and make some friends."

Adrien nodded, liking the idea. But he knew his father would send those in his employ to fetch him, and that would make it awkward being on campus. He just wanted to be normal, not to stick out like a sore thumb. "Having father's employees always coming to campus would be inconvenient. Do you know anything about local housing? Maybe some apartments?"

Nino thought a moment as they walked. They entered a nearby park and headed towards one of the open benches. "I don't know of any offhand, but we can always research it. Do you think your pop will be down with that?"

"Eh, probably not, but that's why I was hoping you could help me come up with something clever to convince him it's a good idea." They made it to the bench and relaxed on it, surveying the area. It was a rare, peacefully quiet day.

"Ah, and all the while try not to piss him off," Nino said, rubbing his chin in thought.

Adrien chuckled. "Preferably not. I still need to work."

While brainstorming, something had caught Nino's attention. "Oh, hey, look. It's Marinette," he pointed out. She was sitting at a picnic table with a brunette girl in a gray sweater. "I wonder who that is with her."

Adrien craned his head over to where his friend had been looking. Sure enough, there was Marinette talking animatedly with another girl. They had some sort of books with them, so he could only speculate it had something to do with fashion. Marinette was always really passionate about her work in design. Adrien smiled to himself, about to say something to Nino when a flash of light shot at the table Marinette sat at, creating shockwaves all around.

"Whoa!" Nino exclaimed as rumbling noises echoed throughout the park. "What was that?"

A bit shocked, Adrien's eyes traced back to the source of the flash. On the other side of the park, a figure stood, clad in a black, white, and yellow jumpsuit. The figure was female, with blonde hair, a black mask covering half her face, and tons of jewelry, including bracelets, rings, a necklace, and a crown. Oh yeah, she definitely had "akuma" written all over her.

Drawing his attention back to Marinette, he sprinted for her. "Marinette!" he called. Nino tailed him, keeping a worried eye on the villain.

Marinette and her friend laid unceremoniously sprawled on the ground. She groaned and sat up slightly, cradling her head. It was throbbing. She must have hit it really hard on some rocks or something. She was still a bit dazed when she heard someone calling her name. "Ugh, who…?"

A hand rested on her back, attempting to help her sit up. "Are you alright?" the voice asked. It was familiar, very warm and smooth like honey. Her eyes widened in realization and raised up to meet a pair of green ones.

"A-Adrien?" she sputtered. "W-what are you doing here?"

He shook his head and turned his gaze in front of him. "I can explain later. Right now, we need to move away from here."

Marinette looked around her for the first time. People in the park had run screaming away from the scene, an unconscious Charlene was also on the ground being propped up by Nino, and across the way stood a girl in a spandex jumpsuit, who had stayed suspiciously quiet until now.

"You," she glared directly at Marinette, spitting out her name.

The boys looked at Marinette, who merely blinked in confusion. "Uh…I don't understand why…" she murmured more to herself than anyone else. She attempted to stand up, but struggled and needed Adrien's help.

"You!" the akumatized girl spat again, pointing her finger at Marinette. "You keep taking everything from me! Why do you act like you're entitled to everything?" Marinette shook her head and started to retort. "Don't try to make excuses! You think you've got everyone wrapped around your little finger, you bitch. I bet you even think that my Adrikins has a thing for you!"

Marinette, Adrien, and Nino recoiled in shock again.

"Chloé?!" they all said in unison. She was the only one that used that pet name. Adrien started to feel a bit sick, as he always did wherever Chloé was concerned. They may have been childhood friends, but her pushiness had only become more and more of a turn off as the years went by.

"Wrong!" the girl exclaimed. "These days I'm going by Queen Bee*, as I have always belonged at the top of the totem pole. And you, Marinette," she said, looking right at her, "belong under my foot." Another flash of light bolted at the group. They barely had a chance to dodge it before it struck the ground where they just were. The grass and dirt blackened with traces of smoke rising from it. Queen Bee said aloud, "I will make everyone hate you!"

Adrien risked taking his eyes off Queen Bee to look at Marinette. "What exactly did you do to her?" He highly doubted it was actually her fault. She never really liked getting involved with typical girl drama. But Chloé was always an instigator.

Marinette looked almost hurt as she moved out of the way to avoid another flash of light. "M-me? It was Chloé that had started bullying Charlene!" she shouted over to Adrien, only confusing him without the rest of the story.

"Uh, guys," Nino interrupted. "We've got a problem here." He had been holding onto Charlene, who still hadn't moved since the first flash of light. He held out a hand from behind her head to show fresh blood on it.

Shit, Adrien thought. They had hit a rough patch in the dirt earlier. She must have nicked her head on a sharp rock.

He looked back at Marinette to see her jumping out of Queen Bee's path a few more times. She was unexpectedly fast. He needed to transform into Cat Noir to help her, but he couldn't just leave so obviously in front of everyone there. Just then, Marinette took off away from the park, leaving them behind. "Hey!" He grit his teeth and chased after her and Queen Bee. "Where are you going?"

Marinette shouted over her shoulder. "I'll lead her away! Please get Charlene some help!" She kept running without as much as a glance back.

Adrien skidded to a halt. He was torn between following after her and turning around to help Nino. He looked back at the boy and girl, reluctantly going back to their side. He asked Nino, "Have you looked more closely at the wound?"

Nino shook his head and propped Charlene up. She was beginning to stir, so that was a good sign. They moved her hair away from her scalp to get a better look. There was quite a bit of blood, so it was hard to tell just how serious it was.

"Call an ambulance," Adrien told Nino and stood up.

"Dude! Where are you going?" Nino demanded. "You can't just leave us here."

"Marinette is all by herself with that akuma after her," Adrien said. "I can't just leave her alone, and there's nothing more I can do here anyways."

"But what are you going to do?"

Adrien looked in the direction Marinette ran off. "I'll figure it out. Just call that ambulance." With that, he ran off down the street.

Once Adrien was out of their line of sight, he transformed into Cat Noir and took to the rooftops. He spent ten minutes scoping the city for any signs of Marinette or Queen Bee. Along the way, he could hear voices from down below. They bellowed Marinette's name, along with strings of curses and promises to avenge their queen. From that, he could only assume that Queen Bee had some sort of ability to brainwash people into hating Marinette.

Some flashes of light in the distance told Cat where Queen Bee was. On all fours, he flew across the rooftops catching glimpses of red with those sparks of light. Ladybug soon came into view, taking her shots at Queen Bee with her yo-yo, knocking her hand away and causing the sparks of light to be misdirected. With another hit from the yo-yo, Queen Bee got knocked back. She shrieked in frustration and ran in the opposite direction. Ladybug started to tail her.

Cat landed on the street near her. "Oh my. My Lady should never look this worn unless I'm the reason for it."

Ladybug sighed, rolling her eyes as she spun on her heel to face him. "What a dirty kitty. What took you so long?"

"I had some citizens to take care of first," he easily answered. He looked around. "Where's the girl named Marinette? There are some angry people chanting her name about to get out their torches and pitchforks."

"A riot, huh? Queen Bee has been enslaving them to attack her, so I had her hide in a building where no one could get to her."

Cat nodded in acceptance. "So, have you figured out where the akuma is?"

Ladybug shook her head. "I'm sure it's a piece of jewelry, but she has so much on, it's ridiculous. It could be any one of those things…"

Cat put his hands on his hips as he thought. She was right. They could try each piece of jewelry at a time, but that could take forever, let alone be difficult just to get them off Queen Bee. "How about that crown she's wearing?" he supplied.

"I don't think so," Ladybug said, shaking her head again. "Items that contain the akuma have almost always been ordinary objects. I don't know about you, but I don't walk around every day wearing a crown."

Cat shrugged. "Only when I'm feeling sassy. But then that leaves us…" He counted on his fingers. "Two bracelets, three rings, and one necklace."

"Right. Well, then maybe we can try ruling out some of our options."

Thundering booms came rolling through the city just then, shaking the ground under them. Multiple flashes lit up buildings about two miles away.

"Maybe we can discuss that on the way," Cat suggested, starting toward the nearest building and scaling the side up to the roof. Ladybug followed suit, using her yo-yo to swing up to him. The chants from the citizens on the streets were growing larger in number and signs of violence began to pop up. Cars had been overturned, windows and doors had been shattered and broken down…and the people were still calling for Marinette with venom on their lips and ill intent in their eyes. Cat's brows remained furrowed, and he prayed that his former classmate had remained safe in the midst of this rampaging.

A/N:

So? Did you like it? Like I said, I'm so nervous! I haven't written in so long! And I am terrible at writing antagonizing dialogues, so please forgive me for that bit of garbage lol

Just to let you know, I am a college student and I work two part time jobs, so I am quite busy. It literally took me six hours scattered throughout this past week just to write this first chapter. I won't be guaranteeing any weekly updates or anything like that. I will keep a status on my profile to let you know if I am on a hiatus for exams or work or anything. Reviews/likes/faves are definitely encouragement for me to sit down and crank out this stuff, so please let me know what you think!

'Til next chapter!

-Ram 2/3/2016

UPDATE:

I have made some edits to this chapter since I first published it. For those of you that want a quick synopsis, all that changed was that Adrien didn't help Nino take Charlene to the hospital. Instead, he leaves to pursue Marinette and Nino and Charlene end up waiting in the park for an ambulance.

*Charlene Legrand- This character has a sketch on DeviantArt! My username on DeviantArt is tayram. I have a whole folder (entitled "Vanish") dedicated to this fanfiction for you to look at character sketches.

*Queen Bee- This character also has a sketch on DeviantArt!

-Ram 7/7/2016