I'm so sorry for the delay but life has been pretty hectic. I had writer's block, I had a ton to study and tons of homework and only now found some time to write.
But at least I didn't update about two years later again, right?
Chat Noir's ears twitched again. "She's coming," he said to Marinette. Sweet Marinette. His best friend, the love of his life, his Princess, his whole world, his Lady. One and the same. He knew he had a lovestruck smile on his face, knew he couldn't keep his eyes from drifting over to her. She was here, right next to him, holding his hand. She was in full Ladybug mode, jaw set tight, her eyes calculating.
He wondered how he didn't see it sooner, how he didn't make the connection between his Lady and his sweet classmate. It was so obvious now, everything came together. It fit together like puzzle pieces.
He didn't have time to dwell on it for too long.
Marinette let go of his hand. Eyes narrowing, she glanced from him to Chloé. "Chloé. Are you ready?" She asked, hand going reflexively to her purse. Any other day Chat would have thought she did that because she was nervous but now that he knew who she was, he realized it was because she was reaching for her kwami.
Chloé nodded. "Yeah. Let's do this." She had a look of pure determination on her face, almost rivaling Marinette's own.
Chat Noir checked his baton. "Ladybug should be here any minute now," he said.
"She better be before I get back," Chloé replied, eyes shifting from Marinette to Chat before settling on the noirette. She walked over to Marinette, giving her a brief hug. "Be careful, Marinette."
"Uh..." Marinette blinked in surprise, returning the embrace. "Thanks. You too, Chloé." They pulled back and Chloé glanced over to Chat Noir.
"Um, good luck and... uh..." If Marinette's hug was brief, then Chat's was even shorter. He barely had time to reciprocate when Chloé already pulled back, smoothing her jacket over. "Uh, Marinette, by the way. I uh, I'm breaking up with Adrien today. It's not... how I thought it would be so..." She glanced from Marinette to Chat Noir and then back to Marinette. "So if you... either of you happen to see him before I do, let him know it's over."
"Ye-yeah. Yeah, okay." Marinette nodded. "I-I... we'll do that."
"Yeah..." Chat Noir agreed, hand shooting up to rub the back of his neck before he realized what he was doing and stopped. He let his arm fall back at his side, barely resisting the urge to take Marinette's hand in his. He had to remind himself it wasn't the best thing to do while Chloé was talking about his civilian self.
"Good. Yeah, good," Chloé murmured, more to herself than to the two other people there but Chat's enhanced hearing allowed him to catch it. "I should um, I should probably get going," she said, louder this time. "Mom doesn't exactly like waiting..."
As if on cue, Style Queen's voice broke the silence. "Chloé dear! Where are you? Maman wants to talk to you."
"Here goes nothing." Chloé took a deep breath and hurried over to where her mom's voice sounded from.
Thankfully, it had come from somewhere down the hallway so at least Marinette had time to transform. The moment Chloé disappeared out the door and she was sure the blonde was out of earshot, Marinette opened her purse. Tikki flew out in a flurry of red.
"Tikki, we don't have much time and I'm sorry for revealing my identity like that but I didn't know what else to do and I-I-"
"It's okay, Marinette. You didn't have much of a choice," Tikki said. She looked over to Chat Noir and gave him a smile. "It's good to see you in person, Chat Noir. My name is Tikki."
"Nice to meet you, Tikki," Chat said. "I suppose you already know who I am so introducing myself would be kind of pointless."
Tikki nodded then turned her attention back to Marinette. "Adrien. My chosen speaks often of you. Both as Adrien and as Chat Noir."
"Tikki!" Marinette squeaked, face heating up. "Don't tell him that."
Tikki giggled. "If it makes you feel better, Plagg told me Adrien speaks about you a lot. Both identities."
"Tikki!" This time the squeak came from Chat Noir, his blush visible even with his mask on.
Tikki giggled again. "Okay, I'm done. Sorry. You're taking this better than I thought, Marinette."
The girl in question bit her lip. "There's an akuma on the loose so I don't really have the time to overthink this. Don't worry though, I'll have a proper freak out once we're done with Style Queen."
"You know what you have to do," Tikki said, deciding she'd teased her chosen and Chat Noir enough. For now.
Marinette nodded. "Tikki, spots on!" She felt the magic engulfing her and flowing through her veins as the transformation took hold. Moments later, when the pink light died down, she was Ladybug, determination settled on her face and jaw set tight as she glanced around the room, searching for an idea.
She noticed Chat's expression, something between complete awe and love, and she locked his eyes with his. He sobered up instantly, even as a smile spread across her lips.
"So, Bugaboo," he started, watching her as she walked over to the window.
"In a moment, chaton," she said, opening the window. Then, using her yo-yo, she smashed the window, leaving behind a hole big enough for someone to go through. When she was satisfied with her work, she nodded to herself and closed the window as if nothing had happened.
Chat opened his mouth to speak then closed it when nothing seemed to come out. He pointed at Ladybug then at the window, making a motion with his hand as if to ask 'what just happened?'
"Oh, right." Ladybug avoided the glass shards on the floor and came back to Chat Noir. "Ladybug needed to come in somehow," she explained. "The front door is out of the question for obvious reasons and her being already in the building would raise suspicions." She pointed at the window and smiled. "So, she did what she had to get in. Come in through a window."
"Good thinking, My Lady. But uh, are all your non-Lucky Charm plans always this complicated?" Chat Noir asked.
Ladybug shrugged. "Sometimes. It depends on what I need to do and what I have to use to get my plan going."
Chat Noir smiled and took her hand in his, kissing her knuckles. "Everyday I learn a bit more about you, My Lady."
Ladybug raised an eyebrow. "Today a bit more than usually, is it?"
Her kitty's smile only grew. "You took the words right out of my mouth, Bugaboo."
She flicked his nose. "Silly kitty." Then she grinned. "By the way, I have a message to deliver to Adrien. Chloé is breaking up with you. Thought you should know."
He laughed. "Well, that solves talking to her about that once the fight with her mom is over. Only my father left now." His face fell before he shook his head, pushing that thought aside. "And, after you purify the akuma, we can have a smooch of victory without either of us feeling guilty about it. Or one of us comparing themselves to Hawkmoth for, y'know, kissing the person they like while said person is in a so called relationship he doesn't want to be in."
Ladybug groaned. "Mon Dieu. Please don't remind me. Tikki is still teasing me about that to this day. Are you sure your kwami is the troublemaker one?"
Chat Noir shrugged. "Well, he does tease me for my feelings for you and I think he spent an awful lot of time teasing me about Chloé so yeah, I'd say he is."
"I think revealing our identities wasn't the best idea after all," Ladybug mumbled. Chat's head shot up and all the color drained from his face. Before he could ask her what she meant with that, she continued, "Tikki and Plagg are troublemakers in their own right. Together they will be worse, a truly unstoppable duo, good luck and bad luck and I guess it's a given we will be spending more time together outside of the suits now so... Oh, minou, don't get the wrong idea. I'm thrilled to know who you are under your mask and I'm glad you figured out who I am." She cupped his cheek in her palm, thumb rubbing across his skin.
"I know. Sorry. I don't doubt you, My Lady, it's just... today I find out the love of my life and the other love of my life are the same person and that Chloé effortlessly broke up with me, I mean, Adrien-me, while I've been trying to muster up the courage to talk to her about that for the last two weeks. It's a lot to take in, y'know."
Ladybug's expression softened. She pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "I just found out the guy I've had feelings for since the beginning of the school year and the other guy I've started started falling in love with for the last two months are the exact same, amazing guy. I know exactly what you feel."
Chat opened his mouth to respond but before he could, his eyes drifted to the door Chloé walked out of. He could hear two pair of footsteps, hers and, he hoped, Style Queen's. Ladybug followed his gaze and put some distance between them as Chloé's voice could be heard in the otherwise silent room.
"You have to trust me! I tricked Chat Noir. It was ridiculously easy, I just had to play the damsel in distress act and he ate it all up. He even called Ladybug here, to help me." Chloé's voice rang loud and clear, notifying the two heroes that she was returning.
"That still doesn't explain how you got away from them long enough to find me. And why they wouldn't be suspicious of you," Style Queen said.
"Well, I-I took advantage of when he was looking around and ran for it," Chloé replied as they finally walked into the main room. She swallowed nervously seeing the frozen faces of her classmates and of other people she didn't even know. That would be her fate if she didn't play her cards right. Which is exactly why she managed to hide her surprise when she didn't see Marinette anywhere. Either the girl had already run somewhere safer or in the few minutes she'd been gone to find her mom, one of the heroes had taken Marinette to safety then returned to fight Style Queen, and that just in time for the two of them to return... which didn't really make sense.
Or... No. Chloé didn't dare to think about the third possibility.
So she didn't. She pushed that thought aside, focusing instead on Style Queen.
"It seems that I underestimated you, Chloé dear," her mom said, pointing her chin at the two heroes. "You're better than I thought."
Chloé beamed at the prise, even though she knew it didn't really mean anything coming from an akuma. Her mom could always change her mind. "Does that mean you'll make me your assistant?"
"I'll see about that." Style Queen twirled her staff. "So you got my message," she said to Ladybug. "Nice of you to drop in." She glanced briefly at the broken window and grinned. "Some hero you are, destroying properties to get the villain."
Ladybug scoffed. "You're helping the man who has been terrorizing Paris for months. You're hardly the one to talk."
Style Queen growled and pointed her scepter at Ladybug, sending a wave of golden glitter to the two superheroes. "You two be so much prettier as statues," she said.
Both Ladybug and Chat Noir used their respective weapons to shield themselves.
The purple butterfly shaped mask appeared around Style Queen's eyes.
"Don't!" Hawkmoth growled in her head. "If you turn them into statues you won't get their Miraculouses. Do it once you get the jewelry."
Style Queen sighed. "You gave me this power. You should've thought better beforehand."
"I..." Hawkmoth hesitated then cleared his throat. "Your akumatization grants you close combat abilities. Use those to get me the Miraculouses. What happens to Ladybug's and Chat Noir's civilian selves is no longer my problem once you defeat them."
She nodded once and the butterfly shaped mask disappeared, though she was still distantly aware of Hawkmoth following her every movement through their telepathic link.
"Change of plans. You give me your Miraculouses and I might consider not turning you into gold statues." She twirled her scepter, taking a few steps towards the two heroes. They remained when they were, only turning their heads toward each other.
"Definitely no. Right, My Lady?" Chat Noir asked.
Ladybug nodded. "I don't know how or when but Hawkmoth will be the one giving us his Miraculous," she told Chat before turning her attention back to Style Queen. "We'll never give you our Miraculouses, Style Queen."
Style Queen smirked, advancing on the two teenagers. "Well then, I'll have to take them myself."
"Yeah, no," Chat Noir said. "I'd rather keep my Miraculous."
"Me too. In fact," Ladybug grinned, head held high as if challenging Style Queen. "I have a much better idea." She glanced at Chloé for a moment then returned her eyes back to the akuma. "How do you feel about a game, Chat?"
"Is this some sort of joke?" Style Queen asked, pointing her scepter at Ladybug.
"I'd love a game, My Lady," Chat Noir answered Ladybug, not even paying attention to Style Queen, which only made her more enraged.
"Good. Race you to the Eiffer Tower," she said to Style Queen then jumped out of her reach through the broken window and onto the street below.
Style Queen snarled and turned to Chat who gave her a two fingers salute and a wink.
"My Lady's waiting for me." He followed Ladybug out the window with a smirk.
"Mom-" Chloé started. She opened her jacket slightly, eyeing the gold rose her mom had given her to keep safe. How was she going to give it to Ladybug to purify the akuma if Ladybug had just taken off like that?
"You're coming with me." Style Queen grabbed her wrist and a moment later, she felt the akuma magic engulfing her. She screamed when she and her mom turned into gold glitter without any warning.
"What's going on?"
"Hush now, Chloé. I'm not playing by their rules." Style Queen took off in her glittery form, rushing to the Eiffel Tower.
"Wha'? Mom, mom. Slow down. Ugh, I think I'm going to be sick," Chloé complained. "I don't think this is the best way to get there before them."
"Luckily for you, I do think," her mom replied. Chloé would have frowned if she could. "Don't worry too much, Chloé dear. I know what I have to do. I will have their Miraculouses soon."
Less than a minute later they arrived on the top of the the Eiffel Tower with no sight of the two heroes. Style Queen reformed first Chloé, then herself, landing graciously while her daughter stumbled a little.
Style Queen scoffed. "And now I have to wait for them? Ridiculous, utterly-"
"Ridiculous," Chloé finished, overlooking the city below her. "Mom, what happens after? You defeat them, take their Miraculouses, deliver them to Hawkmoth. Then what?"
Style Queen hummed in thought. "I don't know. I haven't thought that far?"
"What happened to your 'I always think'?" Chloé sassed, one hand on her hip.
"Don't be insolent, Chloé!" Style Queen snapped. "I guess I'll be turned back. There'll be no reason for me to be an akuma once Hawkmoth gets the Miraculouses."
"I'll call my akuma back," Hawkmoth said in her head. "You'll be back to yourself once you get your job done."
Style Queen refocused on her daughter. "Hawkmoth gave me the same answer."
Chloé swallowed. "Do you... do you think you'll stay here with me? In Paris?"
Style Queen blinked once. Twice. "I-I don't know. I'll still have my job to worry about."
"Well, you could do the same thing in Paris. In France. I mean, there's tons of fashion designers in France, right?"
Style Queen spotted the two superheroes making their way toward her. "I'll think about that. They're coming. Protect the rose with your life," she said, twirling her scepter in warning.
Chloé nodded just as Ladybug and Chat Noir jumped over the edge, landing gracefully a few feet away from her.
"Looks like she beat us here, My Lady," Chat said as he twirled his baton, ready to fight.
"Don't worry chaton, it'll be us who are going to beat her now." Ladybug grinned, throwing her yo-yo at Style Queen to get a hit only for the yo-yo to go through the akuma. She frowned, face-palming herself. "Glitter. Of course."
Style Queen tried to hit them with her scepter but they jumped out of the way and behind her.
"New plan. Chat, distract her. I need to figure out where her akumatized object is."
"You know what it is?"
Ladybug nodded. "She was akumatized right in front of me. She had a rose on her hat."
They dodged another hit from Style Queen, moving gradually closer to Chloé.
"I remember the rose. I think she hid it somewhere," Chat said, paring a direct hit from her scepter with his baton.
"Stand still already!" Style Queen growled.
"Not gonna happen," Chat replied cheekily. He engaged with her, giving his Lady time to think.
Ladybug glanced at Chloé who pointed at her jacket then at her mom. The spotted heroine nodded but before she could do anything, Chat Noir was thrown her way and they fell into a tangle of limbs at Chloé's feet.
"Hey, be careful!" Chloé snapped, grabbing Chat by his wrist and pulling him up with surprising strength. "I'm going to kill you if you ruin my hair or clothes." She stopped him from going after Ladybug who had to defend herself from Style Queen's attacks.
"Let me go, Chloé. I need to help-"
"You need to shut up for a moment." Chloé's harsh whisper was enough to make the cat themed superhero close his mouth. "That's better. Now play along." She twisted his ringed hand behind his back. She looked at her mom who was currently cornering Ladybug. "Hey, mom!" She called out to get Ladybug the chance to escape. Just as predicted, the superheroine jumped away from Style Queen.
"I almost had her Miraculous, Chloé! This better be important."
Chloé twisted Chat Noir's arm a little more. He clenched his fist with a very cat-like growl. "I got Chat Noir. He's not going anywhere."
Style Queen smiled slightly. "Very well, Chloé dear. Take his Miraculous. I'll deal with this annoying bug." She turned back to Ladybug who was calling her Lucky Charm.
"Those self-defense classes you take really pay off, don't they?" Chat Noir asked, grinning.
Chloé paused, raising a perfectly plucked brow. "How do you know about that?"
"Uh... never mind. Now what? You're still a civilian, I can easily overpower you."
"I know that, you mangy cat!" She got a bit closer to his ear. "I have mom's rose. She gave it to me after I promised her I wanted you defeated just as much as she did."
They watched as Ladybug used her Lucky Charm - a tube of glue - and a flag to attack Style Queen.
"Smart," Chloé commented.
"Chlo," Chat Noir said, easily slipping into his nickname for her from when they were little. "Want me to overpower you and take it?"
"Ew no. It's in my jacket. Superhero or not, you're not getting your paws on me."
Chat rolled his eyes, remembering all the times Chloé had touched his civilian self. She'd probably have a heart attack if she knew.
"Okay then. Give me the rose yourself and I'll uh, escape you one way or another."
"Open your palm," Chloé muttered, slipping her free hand into her jacket and grabbing the rose. She took it out and pressed it into Chat's palm. He closed his fingers around it and smiled. A moment later, he twisted around, grabbing Chloé's arm with his free hand and easily freeing himself from her grasp.
"Thank you for your assistance." He grinned and bowed at her.
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm awesome. I know. Now do your job."
"Hey, Style Queen!" Chat called out, making the akuma and Ladybug pause. "Look what I found," he teased, waving the rose.
"You traitor!" Style Queen growled at Chloé. "How dare you-"
"Cataclysm!" Chat called, watching as the rose turned to ashes in his hand and the purple and black butterfly flew out. Ladybug was at his side a moment later, catching the butterfly and purifying it. A moment later, the now white butterfly flew out.
"Good bye, petite papillon. Miraculous Ladybug!" She threw the Lucky Charm in the air, watching as the magical ladybugs restored everything to how it'd been before.
"Pound it!" She offered her fist to Chat Noir and they did their traditional fist bump. Smiling, Ladybug found herself unable to look away from her partner. She'd always cared for him and she'd come to realize that her feelings for him also grew over time. And now... she found out her best friend and her first love, the two most important boys in her life were the same person. She wanted to squeal in joy and sing and dance and celebrate-
"What happened?" Audrey's voice pulled Ladybug out of her revery and she realized she wasn't alone and she couldn't dwell to much on the new discovery.
With a sigh, she turned away from her chaton and towards Audrey. "You were akumatised," she said, offering the older woman a hand to help her up. "Are you alright?"
Audrey glanced up at her and accepted her help. "I... think so. What did I do?"
"Other than trying to get our Miraculouses?" Chat asked, resting a hand on Ladybug's shoulder. "Threatened to turn every single person from Paris into gold statues. Spent a lot of time trying to find your daughter to do the same to her. Turned My L-Marinette's parents into gold statues. And Gabriel Agreste's assistant. And-"
"Chat," Ladybug interrupted. "That's enough."
Audrey glanced at her daughter, standing behind the two superheroes and looking up at the sky. "Claude?" She tried.
Ladybug looked at Chloé, not missing her flinch at her mother not getting her name right.
"I'm fine," Chloé said, shifting until she was standing at Ladybug's side. "You didn't do anything. I offered to help you, to be your assistant. That's about it."
"Chloé," Audrey tried, reaching a hand for her daughter. "I-I... You know I didn't want to hurt you, right?"
Chloé shrugged, an unreadable expression on her face even as she was clenching and unclenching her hands at her side. "It doesn't matter. You were akumatised. I can't hold anything you've done against you." She frowned, adding in a quieter voice, "It's funny how you remembered my name at the time though."
"I don't think this is the best place for this conversation," Ladybug said as her earrings beeped. "You can talk about this later. I'd like to have a word with Chloé first, if that's okay."
Audrey seemed to hesitate then nodded.
"Do you need help getting down?" Chat asked.
"No. I'll take the elevator. Chloé, I'll be waiting for you with a cab."
"You can go without me," Chloé said. "I'll call my chauffeur."
Once again, Audrey seemed to hesitate. "Are you sure, dear?"
Chloé nodded vigorously. "Yes. Totally."
Audrey nodded and made her way to the elevator, glancing at her daughter as the doors closed. Chloé waved at her until the doors were fully closed.
"What did you want to talk about?" She asked Ladybug once it was only them and Chat Noir, her tone harsher than intended.
"Two things. First, I'm sorry for your mom. I'm sure she loves you but just doesn't know how to show it," Ladybug said softly, giving Chloé an encouraging smile. "And I wanted to thank you for your help. You were really brave, lying to Style Queen like that and tricking her. So thank you."
"You did a good job, Chlo," Chat Noir agreed.
Chloé rolled her eyes. "Okay, that's enough, you two," she snapped. "Ladybug, can I talk to you for a moment? In private?" She asked, eyeing Chat who nodded and took a few steps away from her.
Ladybug shuffled a little as her earrings let out another beep. They needed to be fast. Chat Noir was running out of time as well-
"I can literally hear the cogs turning in your head," Chloé said. She got closer to Ladybug, making sure Chat Noir wasn't going to hear. "And I thought I told you to grow a backbone and stop apologizing for things that aren't your fault. Didn't I?" She asked, holding eye contact with Ladybug. She managed to pinpoint the exact moment the heroine realized what she was talking about.
Ladybug's eyes widened and she shook her head vigorously. "What? No, no, you never... I never..."
The blonde rolled her eyes. "Mon Dieu, you're a horrible liar, Marinette. How no one figured out who you are is beyond me."
"I-I don't know what you're talking about, Chloé."
Chloé sighed then massaged the bridge of her nose. "You literally told Chat Noir who you were. While I was there. You're not the most subtle. And then I leave Marinette with Chat Noir and when I get back, there's Ladybug and Chat Noir and no trace of Marinette. How stupid do you think I am? I'm amazed it took this long for me to figure it out."
Ladybug sighed. "You understand you can't tell anyone about this. It's a secret for a reason."
"Of course." Chloé scoffed. "As I said, I am not stupid. And while I'm still working on being civil with Marinette-you, I really admire Ladybug-you and everything you've done for this city. So no, I'm not going to tell anyone."
Ladybug smiled. "Thank you, Chloé. It means a lot to me. Really."
Chloé gave a small smile in return. "I may be mean but I'm not that bad, okay."
"That's true," Ladybug agreed. Her earrings beeped again. "I really have to go-"
"Does Chat Noir know who you are?" Chloé asked, glancing at the black clad hero out of the corner of her eye. Ladybug nodded. "Do you know who he is?" Another nod. "Is he Adrien?"
Ladybug chocked on her own saliva. She ignored Chloé's eyeroll and cleared her throat. "That's not my secret to tell."
Chloé looked at Chat Noir again, observing his very familiar stance. He didn't seem to pay them any mind, gazing off into distance at the city below them.
"Yeah, that's definitely Adrien," she said, tapping her chin in thought. "I'm still amazed I didn't see it sooner. It's ridiculously obvious."
Chat Noir crossed his arms, his posture becoming more closed off. "How did you figure it out?" He asked, not looking at either of them. He ignored his ring beeping furiously at him. Marinette had figured it out. Chloé had figured it out. There was no one else around for him to worry about.
"I had my doubts," Chloé started. "I started suspecting this past month when you'd disappear during lunch whenever there was an akuma. Marinette too. At first I played it off as a coincidence but now... And honestly, it was fairly easy. Especially after today. It was your mannerism. The way you looked at Marinette, both as Adrien and Chat Noir. How easy you worked with her. And you also commented on the self defense classes I take, which not many people know about. But uh, what really made me realize it was when you called me 'Chlo'. There was only one person who called me that."
Chat nodded. "I didn't mean to. The time spent together over the last few weeks reminded me of when we were little. I really didn't realize I called you that only after I did."
"I'm not telling anyone," Chloé declared. "That's a promise."
Chat nodded again but remained quiet.
Ladybug's earrings beeped their warning one more time before her transformation ran out and Marinette stood before Chloé. Tikki flew out, looking worriedly between the two girls.
"This is fine," Marinette said, not really sure if she was trying to reassure herself, her kwami or Chloé. Maybe all three of them.
"It is," Chloé agreed, her eyes trained on Tikki. "What... or who are you supposed to be?"
"This is Tikki, the kwami of creation and good luck. She's the who gives me... Ladybug-me powers," Marinette explained as Tikki flew closer to Chloé.
"Hello, Chloé," she greeted. "I trust you to not tell a soul who Ladybug and Chat Noir are."
"I promised, didn't I?" Chloé frowned, studying the kwami. "Hey, I've seen you before. That time when Prince Ali was visiting-" she cut herself off with a sigh. "You pretended you were a toy. And Marinette told me you were hers. God, I almost gave you to Prince Ali. I could've left Paris without Ladybug."
"To be fair, you didn't know," Marinette said.
"But what you did was wrong," Tikki added, floating to her holder's shoulder. "Even if I was a simple toy, you were ready to steal something belonging to someone else."
Chloé looked down. "Marinette did it too," she mumbled.
"And I don't condone it for either of you," Tikki replied, pointedly looking at Marinette.
"This doesn't matter now," Marinette said. "What matters is this: I trust you, Chloé. Me and Chat Noir, we trust you to keep your promise and keep our identities a secret. Can Ladybug and Chat Noir count on Chloé Bourgeois with their identities?"
The girl in question looked up and nodded, surprised at how Marinette's voice channeled her Ladybug self so easily. Meeting Marinette's eyes, she was taken aback by her likeness to her favorite hero. Really, how hadn't she seen it before?
Chat approached the two girls, his footsteps cutting through the silence. His ring beeped one more time before his transformation fell right as he reached Marinette's side. Adrien nervously ran a hand through his hair, watching their reaction.
Chloé sighed. "Knowing who you are and seeing it are two different things," she said softly. "My oldest friend is a superhero. My oldest... enemy, now turned... somehow a friend, is also a superhero. And she is my idol. And I'm rooting for them." She shook her head. "Today didn't go as I thought it would."
"Not even close," Marinette said at the same time as Adrien. They smiled at each other. Adrien's hand found Marinette's automatically and they entwined their fingers together.
"Ugh look at them being disgustingly cute together," Plagg complained, perched on Adrien's shoulder. "Is this how you're going to be from now on?"
"Plagg!" Tikki chastised.
"What? You know I'm right."
"No, no, he knows what he's talking about," Chloé said. "Plagg, right?"
Plagg grinned and flew over in front of Chloé's face. "The one and only god of destruction and bad luck," he said, doing an exaggerated bow. "And you're Chloé Bourgeois, the one and only stuck up br-"
"Plagg!" Adrien chastised.
Plagg rolled his eyes. "I didn't say anything that wasn't true."
"Plagg!" This time it was Tikki, her arms crossed.
"You too, Sugercube?"
"Now is not the time, Stinky Socks."
"It never is," Plagg sighed dramatically. Then, "Is no one going to give me cheese?"
I already have the ending planned. Now I only need to figure if it's going to be one more chapter or two. Aside from that, I know how I want it to go and I'm excited to write it.
Also, I'm working on another fic, probably a one-shot, a fix-it for Chameleon. Going with a Chloé reveal and Adrien sticking up for his friends. Might either post it before I finish this fic or after.
Bug out :)