Marinette looked in the mirror past herself at Chat. He stood against the door frame with his hands in his pocket and with deep green eyes full of concern. He continued to stare at her in pure silence as he had done for the last ten minutes after she had non-too politely asked him to remain silent. He had that look on his face, one that said it all. A look full of heavy warning, a tune he had sung since she'd come home.
"You need to-"
"Just stop." Marinette repeated softly as she turned to face him directly. She knew he was right. He didn't need to say anything more, it'd only cause the tension in the room to become thicker. They had done nothing but argue since she had come home, she would hate to start things up again.
Through slit eyes, he shook his head. She refused, absolutely refused to do the right thing. Just this once. She deserved to be selfish. In fact, it was far from selfish in her opinion, she was doing it for the sake of another. Why was it so wrong for her to give in this one time?
"You know what I'm asking is most reasonable," he whispered. Why wouldn't she just listen to him?
"What did you expect me to do?" She asked as she tried to keep her voice under control. He was baiting her, trying to get her to see just how wrong she was and it was completely unnecessary. Difficult was one way to describe it, but she wanted him to see things her way. She turned back to the mirror and began putting on blush.
He took careful steps towards her, knowing that he wasn't exactly her most favorite person in the world at the moment. Both looked at their reflection in the mirror. With a hand pressed to her shoulder and face close he said, "I expected you to do the right thing."
That simple statement had her blood boiling. With haste, she slapped his hand off of her shoulder and whipped around, "And what?! Ruin her chances?! Snatch it from her hands and run!?" Trying to calm herself, she sat once more and returned to putting on her makeup, "I asked you to stop, I won't ask again. This is supposed to be a happy occasion. I told you I would take care of it and I will." Marinette finished sternly, meaning end of discussion.
Did he think she enjoyed this? If she could do the right thing, she would've already done it. She knew she had no right to yell at him, but she just couldn't control herself. For years, she had worked towards this one goal. Now that it was in her grasp, she refused to let anyone ruin it. Not Chat, and certainly not any Kwami. Couldn't he see how much this was tearing her apart? All of the arguing they had done throughout the day was enough to last a year. With Chat making valid points and Marinette rolling her eyes and trying to think of a point, they had spent the day at each other's necks.
"I understand-" He began.
"If you understood then you wouldn't ask me to ruin that poor girl's chances when you know I can get it afterwards."
"And if you were in your right state of mind, you'd know that each second you wait, the longer you put innocent people in jeopardy for your own selfish gain." In his mind, the one thing she had really wanted to do was save people. The only thing she wanted to do more at this moment was present her designs and he found that to be completely selfish and in poor taste.
Rather than answering, Marinette continued to put on her makeup. What he said wasn't far from the truth. There were only but so many ways to say he was right and she had said all of them hundreds of times at this point. What more did he want from her?
"I honestly don't think anything will happen," she tried to convince herself as she spoke, knowing damn well that wasn't true. If that's the case, then why did I change my dress?
Underneath her robe lay a completely different dress from the tight gown she had previously picked out from her old designs specifically for this event. In case a battle broke loose, she wanted to be prepared and to have the utmost ability to kick ass if need be.
"I'm afraid that-"
Knock Knock Knock
Before Chat could try to convince her, knocking at the door broke through. It was Alya and Nino, ready to grab Chat before heading out. The group had agreed to the three lads going out for dinner prior to her show. Marinette stood and forced a smile. Despite their disagreement, she wanted him to know that she wasn't mad at him. Simply more so mad at the situation and just extremely stressed out with the decision she had to make. She grabbed his coat and helped him work his arms through the sleeves.
"Stay warm, it may be warm in here, but with it snowing out there it's pretty cold." She said softly. Grabbing his scarf, she wrapped it around his neck. "And don't forget to meet me backstage," Marinette rummaged through her drawer and pulled out a silver pass before placing it in his hands and straightening out his scarf, "I'm sorry."
She truly was. She couldn't even say what was happening between them was a disagreement. She completely agreed with him about doing the right thing. It was more so an internal conflict of interest. She just couldn't bring herself to do what was right.
He pulled her close, hoping to give at least some comfort to her. "I'll trust your better judgment."
"I'll see what I can do before the show."
Without a word, he stepped back and left.
At his departure, Marinette cradled her face in her hands. He really did trust her judgement at the end of the day. That's what I'm afraid of.
Was she asking too much? Just one day. She would've been happy if she had discovered a Kwami at any other time. But why now? Remembering her attempt at trying to take the Kwami caused her to cringe.
It wasn't until the last picture was complete that Marinette attempted to approach Chloe Bourgeois. Marinette knew who she was all too well and had made sure to steer clear of her during the three years of her being at Gabriel's. Chloe Bourgeois, the mayor's only and most precious daughter, had a clear dislike for her. Marinette had been in the same school system since moving to France which gave her the pleasure of growing up with the blonde-haired beauty. The only time Chloe had ever bothered with Marinette was on few occasions when making her the butt of a joke. Marinette abided to the saying, "if you don't like someone, don't bring them up", so as far as she was concerned, Chloe was just that one high school bully she could care less about. At some point within her high school career, Chloe had found a way to offend most people around her, so she figured she was just one of many Chloe had picked on.
It wasn't until senior year that Marinette had given her a reason to dislike her. Entering one of the contests under Agreste Designs, Marinette with hundreds of other girls had worked hard to pass interviews, preliminaries, and eventually make it to the top. Amongst the top three finalists were Chloe, Marinette herself, and another young woman that no longer worked for the company due to plagiarism of another's work. Despite coming in second place to the other young woman, Gabriel had personally sought out Marinette and asked her to join his company. The main prize was being admitted to his business along with a few other perks that came with the title of winning. Chloe had come in third, leaving nothing for her to gain after investing much of her time in said competition. Unlike Marinette, who had basically won the most important prize that should've only been awarded to the first-place winner, Chloe had to finesse her way into the company while using her father's title and money to step even a foot in the Agreste building.
Chloe had believed Marinette had no right to basically win the first prize for a design she found to be under par with that of her work. She made it painstakingly clear after telling Marinette off once hearing about her award. Marinette could understand her not liking the exception of prize rules, but she had more than just earned her place at the Agreste label and Chloe had no right to fault her for that.
After nearly having her head bitten off, Marinette felt no need to even associate herself with the young lady. Until now that was. She exhaled heavily as she finished putting her jewelry back in its case. Not too far from her stood Chloe admiring her accessory.
"Hey," Marinette started as she walked up to Chloe. "Aren't we lucky?" Chloe slowly turned her gaze from her accessory to the shorter young woman. Feeling she had started the conversation off rather awkwardly, she gestured towards Chloe's choice of jewelry. "Your-your comb is absolutely beautiful."
Behind the glass enclosure lay one of the most beautiful hair pins Marinette had ever seen. With a sweet honey bee as the centerpiece, each wing was diamond encrusted with the teeth of the comb coming out of the back side. Marinette had never seen a comb like it and enjoyed seeing it up close.
"It is, isn't it?" She replied.
Wow, this had to be the most decent conversation they'd ever had.
"Yea…" Marinette said softly, already regretting the next thing she'd say. "Have you ever thought of switching your jewelry?"
"Excuse me?" Cerulean eyes turned to her with peaked interest.
"I just mean..." What do I mean? "It's absolutely beautiful, I just think that maybe there's another piece of jewelry you might like."
Even with the small suggestion, she knew it'd be nearly impossible to change at this point. Even if she willingly wanted to switch her piece, each accessory had to go through approval. Less than 24 hours to change was simply out of the question.
"No one asked what you were thinking," she said roughly, stepping between Marinette and her hairpin.
"It's just that-"
"If you're intimidated by my designs that's one thing, but don't speak out on that, it's pathetic."
Marinette took a step back, not sure of what to do. "It's not that, but…"
She could feel the Kwami and its warmness. It was like the Kwami could feel that she was there and that it was reacting to her. If only Chloe knew just how much danger they could be in. How could she convey this to her? "I just think that maybe a different piece of jewelry would suit your collection."
"And I think you should keep your opinions to yourself. Don't come near me or my accessories again," she spat as she strutted out of the room.
Marinette groaned. "At least I tried." She had nearly forgotten how unreasonable Chloe could be.
The same rudeness she had years ago was still evident, it was certainly an ugly color on the rather beautiful young woman.
Marinette shook her head, trying to lose the negative energy that came from the thought of yesterday. I can do this, nothing is going to stop me.
With each passing second she could feel a pulse that didn't match her own beat inside her. She knew it was the Kwami, but she just couldn't bring herself to willingly take Chloe's hairpin knowing that the trinket was the main piece of her collection.
Just two hours.
Surely, everything could wait until two hours were over and done with. The show would be complete, she could give the Kwami to Master Fu, and all would be good. After she finished getting dressed, she looked at the clock before standing. It's time for me to start heading back. All participants in the show were required to be back in the building by 6pm after working all day to prep for the show.
She clasped her hands together and made a silent prayer. Please dear God. Please let everything be okay.
xXx
Marinette exited the cab and looked at the building the gala was held in. With a gulp, another prayer, and a forced smile, she walked through the entrance. Her breath was immediately taken away as she took in the scenery. Gabriel had truly out done himself. She hadn't thought he could do better than the last winter fashion show, but here she stood in clear amazement. Numerous glass and ice sculptures littered the brightly lit room. Fancy glass chandeliers that most likely cost more than her insurance hung from the ceiling as spot lights danced around the room to create the illusion of snow. He had even managed to have fake snow falling from the ceiling that disappeared upon contact with any object. It was one thing to see the stage before everything had been set up, but now seeing it with hundreds of chairs for guests to watch their designs- her designs- had her shaking.
"This is it." Marinette whispered as she held out a hand and caught some of the snow. Despite this being everything she had hoped for and more, she was struggling with her decision. Who wouldn't?
She hugged her bag close to her chest as she continued walking. Tonight will go well. She chanted in her head.
Attempting to push it to the back of her mind, she checked in and went to the back of the stage to check on her models and designs. Things had gone smoothly, but by the time 6:45 had rolled around and Chat still hadn't come back stage, Marinette had worked herself up into an anxious wreck.
She paced behind the stage with a nervous hand pressed to her mouth. Where is he? At this point, Marinette's jitters were racking her body and nervousness set in as time waned on.
After dinner, Chat was supposed to meet Marinette backstage to assess the situation. He promised he'd be here. At seeing Marinette looking sick to her stomach, Juleka stopped behind her and rubbed her shoulders.
"Don't worry, tonight is going to be amazing. It's literally a dream come true."
Marinette nodded her head, but couldn't muster a smile. She wasn't too sure if it'd be a dream or a nightmare. The Kwami's presence was much stronger than before, it took over all of her senses and left her distracted. She wasn't sure if it meant the Kwami would activate soon or if it was just happy to have another member close by.
"You're right."
Marinette walked to the curtain and peeked out from behind it. Everything was beautiful, it looked like a dream. With all of the white decorations and people about, it made the room feel like a winter wonderland- it honestly looked like something out of a book. "You look beautiful." Marinette said as she turned back to Juleka, referring to her make up. Between the introduction, the orchestra, the main designer's presentation, and the rest of the designers presenting, Marinette had asked for her models not to put on her designs until the orchestra had started during intermission in order to give the models time to roam around freely.
"You look as just as beautiful."
"Thank you."
"No, thank you," Juleka said as she took Marinette's hands in hers, "you've managed to make all of your models feel like such a big part of your project. We were just talking about it. We know other designers are going to want to book with you for sure. So don't be nervous, everything will go well."
Juleka meant every word she said. Marinette had a way about herself that naturally drew people in. Her concept was so unique and true to herself that Juleka had no doubt many designers would knock at her door after seeing her presentation.
Marinette laughed as she gave her hands a tight squeeze, "I'm so lucky to work with you four."
She couldn't have asked for better models to create her image. It would only be ten minutes in the spotlight with eight pieces from her collection, but these were the most important minutes of her life.
"I'm going to go finish getting my hair done. Try not to look as worried as you do."
Marinette nodded her head as she watched Juleka walk around the corner. She took a deep breath trying to calm herself. Juleka was right. Today would be the best day of her life, she just had to start believing that.
"Marinette," at hearing her name she turned around and nearly cried tears of joy.
"Where have you been?" She whispered frantically as she gripped Chat's upper arms, all of the blood drawing from her knuckles. She hadn't realized just how nervous she had been until she noticed how she gripped onto him for dear life. Marinette quickly released him, not wanting him to see just how nervous she was.
"I apologize, dinner went on longer than we thought it would." His words slowly died out as he looked her over. He had told her she was beautiful countless times before, was now an appropriate time to say it again?
Despite her worried expression, she stood before him as nothing but a beautiful woman. Marinette was clad in one of her creations, modeling her own design. She wore a plunging low-cut peach champagne silk slip dress. The dress had a plunge that stopped in the middle of her breasts, allowing cleavage to show through. The top of the dress hugged her figure, though once it reached her hips it flowed freely before stopping at the mid of her thigh with a mini slit that showed a little skin. She paired it with faux suede platform heels, a gold chain her father's mother passed down to her, and a gold bracelet. Her hair was done in the softest of curls and her makeup was rather simple with the only addition of eyeliner and blush to highlight her features.
"You look stunningly beautiful," he commented. Not believing what he said matched his thoughts, he mentally slapped himself.
"Thank you," she replied softly, feeling herself redden under his gaze.
He gently placed a hand on her cheek. "You look stressed though."
She lay a soft hand on his, appreciating the warmth it gave off. "Beyond. I'm just glad you're here. You have to find your seat now though; the show starts in less than ten minutes."
Snapping out of his daze, he began to look around. "Where is the jewelry?" Her gaze dropped. "I told you I trust your better judgement and I meant it. Just enjoy your show." Slightly hesitating, he pulled her into a hug.
She was clearly distressed by the situation and he knew putting her between a rock and a hard place would only stress her more. If she honestly believed they could wait until the show was over, then they would wait, no question about it. Whatever she was feeling when she was near the Kwami was something he couldn't sense at all. That being said, he could only go by what she was saying. Chat could feel how nervous she was without words needing to be exchanged, she practically radiated nervousness. The only thing he could do now was wish her luck and take care of what needed to be done afterwards.
He pulled back from the hug and was glad to see a genuine smile on her face. "Thank you." To see those pudgy cheeks poke out and the softest of smiles on her face caused him to smile in turn.
Knowing that Chat was truly wishing her the best meant more than the world to her. "You'll do great, good luck." Placing a soft kiss of goodbye and good luck on her cheek, he left to find his seat.
She waved good bye, feeling much more relieved than she thought she would. Though she was still nervous, she felt at ease.
"Everyone get in position, we start in 5!" The stage director called everyone to their places as 7 drew near.
Before Marinette knew it, the once noisy crowd had quieted and the orchestra had started their intro. From the flat screen tv, all of the designers and models crowded to watch. The dark room lit dimly with white light as Gabriel Agreste walked onto the stage. Wearing his own creation, he sported a sleek silver suit, with a black collared shirt, and silver tie to match. Marinette admired how he stood tall with his head held high, looking very prestigious and elegant in turn.
"Everyone, thank you for attending the fourth tri-annual Winter Gala." Looking over the audience, a soft smirk came to his face. "Each gala is different, I see new faces, I have new faces to show. Time has sculpted these models and designers to bring them here today at their best, but nowhere near their peak. We have hand-picked each model and designer specifically for this night. Again, each gala is different, each year is an improvement. I have no doubt the talent that we've picked for tonight will leave you speechless and in pure fascination. I ask you to watch this show with the idea of wonder and the question of 'What'. This is a chance for our designers and models to showcase their ideas through the accessories of their choice. So think, 'what may have inspired them', 'what have they gone through to set foot on this stage', 'what is their goal' and lastly, 'what can they do to inspire others'. Keep these thoughts in mind not only for them, but for yourselves as you watch this show and even after you set out into the world this night. These leading questions are guidelines to create a goal, put steps in place to achieve said goal, and to inspire others. My goal of the night, is to inspire each of you to take steps in a new and unexpected direction. Thank you."
The audience applauded as Gabriel bowed and the lights dimmed. Marinette clapped from her position backstage. Yet again, Gabriel had given another short, but amazing speech. She reminisced to the first speech she had heard during the first gala, the one that had inspired her to achieve her dream. She hoped that she could do as Gabriel said and that her message to all that watched was conveyed. The spotlights danced around the room, before the main light flashed on and the first designer stepped up to the stage to begin her speech.
Marinette tried her hardest to pay attention as best she could, but she could feel the Kwami having a fit. The once pleasant feeling the Kwami had given off was replaced by a much harsher sensation. It was a small and tight pain in her stomach that she had believed to be nervousness or a bad reaction to the sushi she had eaten the night before.
I don't understand. She thought as she stood.
Believing it might just be nerves, she waited for thirty minutes, trying to concentrate on the beautiful designs, but it proved difficult as her condition worsened. This feeling was so different. What happened to the warm feeling the Kwami had given her before? She felt like she was borderline between period cramps and labor pains. Clearly something wasn't right if she was feeling the Kwami's essence this much. With the gala officially started, the backstage was noisy with models, designers, and directors running all over the place to make sure everything was in order. Marinette tried pacing back and forth to see if she could walk off the feeling, but that didn't help in the slightest. The pain she was feeling wouldn't go away and seemed to be increasing with time.
I'll check up on it during intermission. And so she waited patiently for the rest of the designers' collections to pass. She couldn't really focus on the beauty in front of her, but she took mental notes on what the audience liked and didn't like as the night went on. As soon as intermission was called, she jumped from her seat and began walking to the jewelry's quarters. The orchestra started playing their harmonious tunes and people scattered around to talk about the show and eat hors d'oeuvres. She had a good forty minutes before it was time for the interns to showcase their designs.
Before Marinette could even set foot behind backstage she was stopped by Nathelie Sancouer, Gabrielle's assistant. The business woman asked her to help her models get into her designs. Along with her request she placed the main piece of Marinette's design in her hand. Marinette eyed Nathelie's hands, trying to see if Chloe's hair comb was in the mix of jewelry, but the only remaining piece was the last intern's anklet. She must've already given Chloe her jewelry.
"Of course," Marinette said as she turned on her heels and went to where her designs were. She cussed internally. Everything was virtually done, but as she knotted bows for Dany's suit, and tied the straps of Juleka's dress, the nagging feeling of the Kwami still nipped at her.
Marinette sighed as she buttoned the back of Juleka's top. "Alright, here is the revealing moment." She looked at Juleka's reflection in the long mirror in front of them.
All of her models were finally dressed and ready to go, Juleka was the last to be completed. Marinette couldn't help but smile. True to her word, Marinette refused to let any of the models see what they'd be wearing until the day of the show. With the gala finally here, Juleka was going to see what she had modeled numerous times for the first time.
She gently grabbed the loose ends of the purple blindfold shielding Juleka's eyes.
"Okay, three, two, one." Marinette took off the blindfold, allowing Juleka to see the top and skirt Marinette had given her.
Instantly, Juleka brought a hand to her mouth, tears springing to her eyes. She might have actually shed a tear or two had it not been for the fact that her makeup was already completed and flawless. Juleka wore a deep black Catalina paparazzi crop top. A soft skin toned mesh was placed underneath to keep it slightly modest. Upon close inspection, there was a Chantilly lace pattern embedded into the top.
Adorning her petite waist was a black skirt that flowed and trailed behind her with the same Chantilly lace patterned design. The only pop of color was Juleka's hair, her gray nail polish, and the main piece of Marinette's collection, Juleka's grandmother's hand harness. With her grandmother's light blue hand harness adorning her wrist, she shined. Juleka didn't hesitate to pull Marinette into a hug.
"Thank you so much!" She pulled back from the hug and looked in the mirror. Juleka felt absolutely beautiful in the design.
"Did you expect any less from me?" Marinette asked with a nonchalant shrug. She tried to play it cool, but honestly seeing such happy results from all of her models made her happier than anything in the world.
Juleka rolled those sweet copper eyes of hers and examined the hand harness. "She would be so proud."
Marinette offered a small head nod as she looked at her work. Just as Marinette had hoped, Juleka was beyond satisfied. She knew this moment meant more than the world to her. The woman that had always supported Juleka, her grandmother, had passed soon after hearing the news of Juleka being accepted into the fashion show. Juleka had wanted nothing more than for her grandmother to see her succeed, knowing that she was watching her from a better place was enough to keep her striving to achieve her goals.
As the orchestra's music stopped and the lights dimmed on stage, Marinette could feel her stomach drop and her heart speed pick up pace. In just mere minutes, she would have to give the speech she had practiced thousands of times. It was nerve wracking for her to speak with her voice rather than letting her designs do the talking in the beginning. Gabriel had specifically wanted every intern to give their speeches before showcasing their designs for two main reasons. One being that it was a competition in a sense. Two, seeing as it was a competition, no matter how good their designs may be, if they can't appeal to the people they're trying to book with and sell to, their designs might as well be shit. She couldn't argue with that logic. From a customer's point of view, she wouldn't buy from anyone she felt had a nasty attitude, even if they had the perfect ensemble.
"Places everyone!" The stage director hollered as he guided people to their designated locations.
Marinette, along with the other two designers stood in line, ready to go onto the stage after Gabriel finished his speech.
Chloe Bourgeois in front, the other designer in the middle, and Marinette at the end. They stood patiently. Marinette looked at the back of Chloe's head as she leaned to the side. Despite her nasty attitude, she had to admit Chloe looked absolutely beautiful in the sparkling silver dress she designed. She may have even told her that if she thought the mayor's daughter would appreciate the compliment.
One by one, each designer presented their speech until it was Marinette's turn.
"Now, presenting Marinette Dupain-Cheng, with her collection, Chronosynchronicity." The announcer introduced.
Marinette took in three deep breaths as she held her head high and walked on stage. The audience clapped as she approached the microphone. Seeing the audience, having that sweet and pure light on her and only her, and knowing her friends and family supported her made it easier to stand confidently. She had made it. She had earned the right to set foot on this stage.
With a curve of her lips and gleaming eyes, she began her speech. "Tonight, I have achieved the goal of showcasing my designs. I have a story to tell, we have a story to tell. It all started with a visit to my father's during Winter before my mother and I moved to France. I couldn't speak English at all, but I could understand beauty in all of its greatness and that was what I watched that fateful night. Years later I was able to move to France and was allowed to see all sorts of styles and patterns I didn't even know existed. I've been given opportunity after opportunity that I have taken hold of every time to make it where I am today."
She took a deep breath. "With the cultivation of my friends and family, I stand before you presenting my first collection. From living in China, to moving to France, to learning the ins and outs of the fashion world, I am here. Chronosynchronicity is the name of my collection. It means to present all stages of a person's life in a single piece. While the selections do not present all stages of our lives, it is certainly representative of an important stage. More important than the designs I have created are the models who wear them. It is not just my story to tell tonight, the faces behind the clothes have worked just as hard to make it here today. We are here together. Each set of jewelry chosen for this showcase is important not just for the show, but to the people that adorn them themselves. I have asked each of my models to bring an accessory that is most important to them. You will see accessories such as their wedding band from their most special day to prayer beads passed from each monk in their religion. Even a precious bracelet created by their very own son to my centerpiece, a grandmother's parting gift. Each model has their own story to tell and tonight it will be told. I hope that each and every one of you understands our story that creates Chronosynchronicity." With a bow, she turned on her heels as the lights dimmed.
Once behind the curtain, Chloe's models poured out. Marinette gave a sigh of relief that quickly turned into pain as she hunched over. I can't take this much more. She was downright ready to pass out at this point. Marinette was surprised she was even standing straight, let alone being able to walk with the pain she was in.
Luckily, Chloe's first model was the one wearing the hair pin. The main model was only wearing one of Chloe's designs while the other two wore the rest of her collection. As soon as the model stepped behind back stage, Marinette quickly followed her.
"I need the hairpin," Marinette said as she cornered the young woman.
Zella, the shortest model they had in all of the Agreste label, turned around. Marinette considered her to be a friend seeing as they grabbed lunch together every now and then and would talk whenever around each other. At 4'9, she stood with wavy shoulder length hair she was blessed with from her Laos blood. With naturally tan skin, and a beauty mark below her right eye, she had become a popular model in Gabriel's collections after five years of working under him. She was a relatively passive and a kind girl that Marinette genuinely liked being around.
Confused brown eyes looked her over. "Don't I need it for the final picture after the show?" She asked as she took said hair pin out of her hair and looked at it.
Marinette practically wheezed in front of her. "I'll give it back, I only need it for a few seconds."
"I knew you would be trouble." Chloe said from the door frame with a hand placed on her petite hip.
"What is going on?" The model asked, looking between the two.
"Zella, she's just trying to ruin our chances in the competition."
"What do you mean?" The model asked as she held the accessory close.
"That's not true!" Marinette instantly defended, "the show is basically over with, and your designs have gone."
"Then what reason do you have for taking it?" Chloe asked with folded arms.
"You just have to trust me." The pain was growing with each passing second, trying to think of a false explanation that would get her out of questioning would take too much time and she didn't have the stamina for that.
"Let's just hear her out, Marinette's a reasonable person. There has to be a reason that she needs it." Zella tried to help her friend out.
"Shut up, Zella." In Chloe's eyes, if she wasn't going to help aid her point, then there wasn't any reason for her to be talking. "I paid over $1,000 for that hairpin. She'll so much as even glance at it over my dead body."
"Chloe, this isn't a game!" Marinette shouted as she looked at Zella's hands. The Kwami had begun emitting a slight glow, she seemed to be the only one that noticed.
Before the Kwami could do any damage, Marinette snatched it from Zella and ran out of the room. As she ran, she could hear Chloe cussing Zella out from behind her and felt horrible.
"Rather than chase me, she'd take her anger out on that poor girl." Marinette thought with a shake of her head as she stopped running.
She looked down at the hair comb, instantly all of the pain she felt subsided and was replaced with that same warm feeling she had felt when she first saw the Kwami. "You just wanted some attention, didn't you?" Marinette asked with a giggle.
Her laughter was cut short as a scream in the background broke out. "Zella!" Tucking the hair pin into the pocket of the shorts under her dress, Marinette began running back to the room. "There's no way Chloe could've been…" Marinette figured she'd be mad enough to get akumatized at this point. She hoped she was wrong.
She slid into the room and stood stunned at what she saw. Chloe cradled her arm as Zella hovered above her. With eyes that glazed purple and long curly hair that fell to her ankles, she had a look on her that could kill. She wore a beautiful dress whiter than snow and had a pair of angel wings on her back, giving her the appearance of a snow angel.
Marinette ran in front of Chloe. "Zella, stop! "
"My name is Beauti. If you're with her, then you're against me." She said calmly as she raised her hand to attack again.
"Chloe, run!" Marinette grabbed Chloe's uninjured arm and pulled her out of the room.
Chloe looked behind her, "What happened to her?!"
Ignoring the question, Marinette tried to think of a plan. Zella easily caught up as she flew above them, aiming her hand at the two.
"Look out!" She shoved Chloe with all of her might as a beam of light shot from her hand.
Marinette screamed as the beam made contact with her right leg, instantly burning her and forcing her to the floor. Marinette groaned in pain, as she looked at the burn mark on the back of her leg. Luckily, she had managed to avoid most of the blow, but her leg had suffered a bit of damage, nothing she couldn't walk off afterwards.
"How could you help her! ? After years of her talking down to me, you try to save her?"
Marinette stood and turned to Chloe who was trembling on the floor. "Go! Warn everyone to evacuate!" Without another word Chloe ran. "It's just you and me now. Miraculous!"
Her yo-yo materialized and dropped into her hand. She didn't hesitate to throw the yoyo at the victim, wrapping it around her ankle. She yanked it forward, causing Beauti to crash into the floor. Marinette stayed in her position, looking the girl over to find anywhere the Akuma might be located. Before she could find it, Beauti sat up and dashed towards Marinette. Grabbing Marinette's arm with one hand, she slammed her against the wall before bringing her face close.
Lowly she whispered, "I'll take care of you after," before throwing Marinette into the other room. Marinette flew through the air before her body connected with one of the mirrors.
With an aching sigh, Marinette stood shakily as glass fell around her. "At least Chloe got everyone out of here." There wasn't a soul in the back room, and she could hear people screaming in the main room.
After gathering her bearings, Marinette ran out onto the stage to see Beauti hovering in the air, aiming her hands at any and everything. Most people were out of the room, but few stragglers were attempting to run out in sheer terror.
"Where is Chloe!?" Beauti screamed, looking every which way.
From her position on stage, Marinette could see Chat on the other side. He aimed his staff at a chandelier closest to her before extending it, causing it to shatter. Beauti moved out of the way before the glass shards could cut her and took aim at Chat. Marinette tossed her yo-yo and wrapped it around her arm before the beam of light could hit Chat and yanked it so that the ray burned a table rather than her partner. Using her other hand, Beauti went to burn the string of the yo-yo but Marinette quickly yanked the yo-yo back into her hand. Seeing that she was distracted, Chat jumped from table to table, leaping towards her and tackling her to the ground.
"Where is it?" He yelled towards Marinette, hoping she knew where the item they needed to save the akumatized girl was. As he straddled her and examined her up close, he had absolutely no idea where it was on her body.
"I don't know," Marinette said as she started running to where he was.
Before she could make it, Beauti threw Chat off of her and into Marinette causing them to go crashing into an ice sculpture.
"Remind me to kill Zella when all of this is over and done with." She had been thrown one too many times at this point.
Chat rubbed his now bruised side. "That good ole' lucky charm would be great right now."
"Lucky charm!" Marinette tossed her yo-yo into the air and was thoroughly surprised when a knife pointed dart pin landed in her hand. "I'm not even sure what to do with this," she said as she clenched it in her fist.
He patted her shoulders with a smile. "You'll figure out what to do."
Before she could roll her eyes, another beam of light was sent their way, causing them to split.
"Cataclysm would be great to buy us some time, don't you think?" Marinette called out as she jumped from the end of the stage and onto a table to avoid another beam. Minus Beauti's throwing skills, her only real power seemed to be a light beam that burned upon contact which was relatively easy to avoid.
Chat looked around for something to use cataclysm on, but there was nothing within reach. Only the ground was of potential use, and that was virtually useless considering she was flying above them.
Rather than wasting his cataclysm, he decided to play tag with her and tried to use his staff to hit her while she tried to hit him with her beams.
While she was distracted, Marinette took the time to think of use for the dart. How can I use this? She looked around, pointing the dart in different directions. Maybe…
Now that she was looking for a specific object to aim the dart at, she noticed a fairly thin wire holding up a spot light dangling above them. If she aimed with perfect precision, she might be able to hit it and cause it to hit Beauti's wing, stopping her from flying. She had a few seconds before Beauti would move and she wasn't sure how else to use it after that. Hastily, she aimed and threw the dart, hitting the thin wire and cutting it, causing the stage light to fall.
Before Beauti could react, the light clipped her right wing. She spiraled before crashing into a table and splitting it in two. Standing almost uninjured, she glared at Marinette. Without hesitation, she aimed her hand at Chat, sending him flying back. She charged at Marinette, leaving her no time to dodge. Beauti grabbed Marinette as tightly as she could around her neck, leaving the poor girl to claw at her hands as she tried gasping for air. Her face purpled as her vision began to blur.
"You're lucky, I like you." She said before throwing Marinette to the side.
"No!" Chat couldn't react in enough time to catch Marinette.
Her body flew into the wall within seconds. It was as if the room had gone silent to hear the sound of her body connecting with the concrete wall. She crumbled to the floor and slumped over non-to gracefully.
"Marinette!" Chat ran to her as fast as his legs could carry him before stooping to her side. He placed a hand on her cheek to assess how bad the damage was. "Marinette?"
She lay completely limp and unresponsive.
"Wake up, Chat whispered softly as he gently shook her. No matter how many times he shook her or called her name, she refused to open her eyes. With shaky hands, he set her body down. He had never seen her like this, it was almost as if she were… He brushed a hand over a cut on her lip. She was breathing much to his relief, but she was definitely down for the count.
He could feel his blood boiling. This monster had injured his partner. Standing, he turned to Marinette with one last glance. Bruises littered her body, and yet she still looked beautiful. It was as if she were merely sleeping. He tried to convince himself that sleep was the closest thing she resembled rather than the latter.
"You're going to regret that," he said calmly as a smile grew on his face. He couldn't contain himself. Seeing Marinette hurt made him see red. A laugh that didn't match his own escaped his lips.
A new feeling coursed through his veins as he stood. His claws grew much larger in size, leaving them sharp and ready to cut upon contact. His once emerald eyes, turned a deepened shade of green and a snarl escaped his lips as new-found strength filled his body. Any bruise he had, he no longer felt. Any form of mercy inside of him had disappeared. He was ready to kill.
Seeing the sudden change in his demeanor, she aimed a beam of light at him in hopes of defending herself.
A slight grunt escaped his lips as the beam made contact with his shoulder, but he made no move to dodge it. After the beam died down, he looked down at his now charred skin, grin doubling in size. He looked absolutely cynical, almost as if he'd enjoyed the pain.
Within seconds, he was next to her, sending a punch her way and her flying into the wall across from them. Before she could stand, he jumped and landed next to her, picking her up by her wings and bending them back. Beauti shrieked in pain as she tried crawling away, but he only tightened his grip as he slammed her into the ground. He picked her up by her broken wing and clenched his hand, causing his claws to pierce through the feathered skin before holding her up against the wall.
"Stop, please!" She cried out in agony.
A sinister laugh escaped his parted lips, "Lights out," he pulled his arm back, "Cataclysm." Seeing the bubbly foam form in his hand pleased him. "I've always wondered what would happen if I used this on people."
As he thrusted his fist forward, his ears twitched as they picked up sound behind him. Instantly, he dropped the wounded victim before his fist made contact with her and turned around. Behind him, Marinette stirred. It was the smallest of sounds, but he could hear her quite clearly. Seeing her move from his position across the stage, he felt himself calm down. Claws retreating into his skin and eyes returning to normal, relief set in his heart. He ran to the other side of the room and dropped to her side. "Marinette!" He helped her sit up.
Her hand drifted to her head to stop the world from spinning. "Chaton?" Marinette's vision slowly came into focus and was drawn to his burned shoulder. "Your shoulder!" Blood was oozing out of his raw skin.
"I'm fine," he said waving her off, "how do you feel?"
"Like I've been thrown into a wall." She said as she attempted standing. Realizing the lack of fighting, she quickly turned to Chat, "Where is Zella?" Both looked across the room. They walked to her before Marinette covered her eyes. She hadn't expected to see her in such battered shape. Wings broken and bones popping out disgusted her. Beauti was unconscious from all of her pain, which somewhat relieved Marinette. She wasn't sure she'd want to be awake if she had that many broken bones. "What happened to her!?"
"...I don't know…" he replied honestly, "the last thing I remember was seeing you crash into the wall."
It pained her to look at the broken girl, but Marinette dropped to her knees and began searching the young woman. "We need to find the item quickly to put her out of her misery."
The two searched the woman for five minutes before they found a letter in her pocket that bubbled with the same purple and black matter that resembled an akuma. Marinette opened the letter, but stopped reading after the first sentence for the sake of the young woman's privacy.
"It's a letter from her boyfriend wishing her luck on her performance. He's in the military and couldn't be here tonight. She told me about him, she must keep this letter with her for good luck." Marinette ripped the letter. Holding her yo-yo in one hand, she tapped the shell before catching the butterfly that flew out.
"Bye-bye papillon," Marinette whispered as the pure white butterfly flew out. She tossed the letter in the air before a burst of light spread over the building.
As she watched everything repair itself, she turned to Chat with a sad smile "They didn't make it to my collection, did they?"
He put an arm around her shoulder. "I am sorry. They were only partially through the second collection when everyone was told to evacuate."
Marinette shook her head. "This was my own fault. You were right, I should've done something about the Kwami before it got out of hand…" Hearing police sirens outside, she grabbed Chat's hand and began leading him to the back entrance. "We should probably leave."
With one last parting glance, they left.
xXx
Sitting in bed, Marinette looked at the time.
3:00AM blared back on her clock.
She just couldn't sleep. After coming home from the battle, the two took to showering and tending to their wounds. The rest of the night had been a complete bust as they ended with watching nearly every news report on the chaotic gala over the rest of the night. Much time was spent trying to convince her parents she was fine after they had watched the live show from her small town, while the later portion of the night had ended quietly. With time waning on, the day's earlier events seemed like nothing more than a distant memory.
Sighing, she looked over the hairpin she had held tightly in her hand since sitting in bed. This small piece of jewelry. This tiny trinket holds a Kwami. It holds so much power and danger.
It amazed her. She flipped it in her hand before setting it on the dresser next to her bed. Tomorrow, she would give it to Master Fu and be done with it. Despite being done thinking about the night and probably one of her hardest battles, she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep anytime soon. Why was this how she felt after such a victory? Shouldn't they be celebrating? Another heavy sigh escaped her lips. With both hands free, she resumed to playing with Chat's hair. He had fallen asleep long ago, fatigue hitting him around 11pm after everything that had happened. They had both had a long day and both deserved to sleep in a comfy bed- especially with the bruises they had.
He leaned into her touch as his snores persisted, bringing a slight smile to her lips. He was such a peaceful sleeper, it calmed her to look at him.
"I don't know what I'd do without you," she honestly meant it. Without the kitten eared lad there to keep her calm and help her battle these demons, she couldn't picture where she'd be. After arriving home, she had tried her hardest to hold it in, but she ended up breaking down and crying after everything had set in. She was glad they had caught their very first Kwami, but at what expense? Not a single person would book with her without seeing her designs, and she wanted this moment ever since she could remember. Fueled with those thoughts, tears fell endlessly as her and Chat sat on the couch earlier. Not once did he say I told you so; he only wrapped her in a tight embrace and offered her words of comfort while holding her. He even managed to get her to laugh with a few lame jokes he had heard. She lightly giggled thinking back to one of his knock-knock jokes.
Leaning over the bed frame to turn off the light, she snuggled into the sheets and attempted to close her eyes.
One down, three more to go.
Yay! I'm officially 22! :D
Arc 2 will start next week, BUT after that I'm afraid I won't be able to post until after February 10th :( Sorry, i'm really running myself ragged trying to study, breathe, write-edit, write essays, take tests, etc .
Also if you like reading fanfics through youtube (interactive style with background music and sound effects), I attempted to do this once haha. Feel free to check it out.
Type: Circles & Cycles. Chapter 1.1 (Miraculous Ladybug AU) by Sha chan into the search link. I can make more if people like them~~ (^-^)
My Reviews on Reviews:
TheNovelArtist:
Haha thank you. I'm happy for even one person to read it c: . Hopefully, I can keep improving my writing style. Thank you so much for this kind review, this really boosted my spirits (: This was honestly soooo sweet.
Kariellechan:
Thank you for the kind wishes and kind words, it really means a lot (^-^). And thank you for even reading! I hope I can continue to make you happy with these chapters!
Artemis7558:
That's actually very interesting, wow. As a person that studied Spanish for one year and now knows absolutely nothing about it. I can still read certain things and have it make sense, but I can't think of the sentences on my own if I were to speak in Spanish.
PrincessGlitter:
Thank you for reading and reviewing c:
