Mistress Mysterious: Thank you!

So I was waiting to post this until after whatever weird virus ffn had got fixed, and I just heard it has been, so finally! The long-awaited finale to Chrysalis!

Danielle woke up surrounded by beige and white. Everything was crisp and pristine and smelled like sanitizer. She looked around, her eyes finally landing on Adrien, Gabriel, Nathalie, and the Gorilla next to her. "Hey..." she began slowly. "Where am I?"

"The hospital," Adrien answered. "Uncle Isaiah stabbed you and ran off, but Ladybug and I caught him before he could leave. Then there was the whole thing with the police thinking Father was the one who stabbed you and-"

"The important thing is that you're okay," Gabriel cut in. "The doctor will likely have you stay here for a few days so you can recover."

"Speaking of, I'll alert him of your status," Nathalie declared, getting up and leaving the room.

Danielle nodded slowly and pushed herself up, ignoring the sounds of alarm coming from her family. Something dug into her fingers, and she looked down to see a round, purple locket in her hand. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she tried to figure out why it looked so familiar.

"Boo!"

Danielle jumped, her eyes jerking to look at Nooroo as they flew up in front of her. Danielle smile and laughed, reaching out to support her kwami. "Nooroo! You're here!"

"And feeling better than ever!" Nooroo cheered. "I wish I could say the same for you."

"I'll be fine," Danielle assured them, waving her hand dismissively. "Where's Duusu at?"

The three others in the room frowned. "The peacock miraculous got lost in the chaos after you got stabbed," Adrien explained. "No one can find it or Duusu."

Danielle's face fell. "It's my fault. I should've been more careful, I should've-"

"Don't beat yourself up over this," Gabriel ordered. "There's nothing you could have done."

"I guess," Danielle whispered, sinking back into the pillows on her bed.

Nooroo flew up and nuzzled her cheek. "Just focus on your recovery."

A week later, Danielle's stomach was a mess of knots as she knocked on the door frame of Master Fu's shop. The door slid open to reveal Mireille, who greeted her with a kind smile. "Hey."

"Hey."

Mireille stepped aside, allowing Danielle in.

"I must say I'm surprised to see you, Danielle," Master Fu declared, getting up from his seat by the gramophone. "You should be at home resting."

Danielle nodded. "I'll go back after this," she promised. "I just... needed to return something." She pulled the butterfly miraculous out of her purse, the wings on display as a sign of her rejection.

Master Fu's forehead wrinkled up, a frown set on his face. "And just why are you giving me this?"

"You're the Guardian," Danielle replied like it explained everything. When neither Fu nor Mireille said anything, she continued, "You didn't give me this. I didn't earn it. I stole it from my uncle after he stole it from Hawk Moth and then- I took this to sell it for a ticket to Antalya."

"And yet you brought it back to me."

Danielle let out a breathy laugh. "Yeah, well I'm hardly gonna hock Nooroo." She extended her hand, waiting for Fu to take the brooch. Instead, he reached out and folded her fingers into her palm over the brooch. "Wh-what? What are you doing?"

"Choosing a new wielder," Fu answered. "You've come a long way from the angry little girl looking to ease her guilt, and in a very short time. I have faith in you and your ability to be a wonderful butterfly. We'll meet again when you've fully healed to continue your training."

Danielle smiled, tears in her eyes. "Thank you, Master Fu. I'll try to be worthy."

Master Fu winked. "You already are." He took the brooch and pinned it in Danielle's half-up ponytail, causing Nooroo to fly out. "Hello, Nooroo. I trust you'll get along well with your new wielder."

Nooroo looked to Danielle and grinned. "I think so," they replied. "Now... about those soft pretzels."

A laugh bubbled out of Danielle, and she shook her head. "We will go buy out the cart," she promised.

"Alright!" Nooroo flew towards the doors, Danielle trailing after with a smile on her face. Nooroo flew back to her and into her pocket, settling in comfortably. "Ready?"

"Ready."

Danielle walked out of the shop, calm and relaxed with Nooroo by her side. She purchased a pretzel from the first vendor she saw, then sat down on a bench and positioned her body to hide Nooroo so they could come out and eat.

"You know," Nooroo said between bites, "I think you might have one more stop to make. One with a certain blonde?"

A small smile worked its way onto Danielle's face. "Yeah," she replied with a nod. "I think I do."

With that, Nooroo swallowed their pretzel whole. "Ea'y 'en ooo aw!" they cheered, their response muddled by the food in their mouth.

Danielle laughed and shook her head. "Alright, Nooroo, wings rise!"

Leda felt her heart in her chest as she knocked on Chloé's balcony door. It opened a minute later, revealing a smiling Chloé.

"Hey," she said. "I-I didn't think you'd come back."

"What can I say? I just couldn't stay away," Leda replied.

Chloé blushed and stepped back, allowing Leda inside. "Thanks for coming. I've missed you."

"I missed you, too," Leda replied.

"You're wearing a new suit."

Leda looked down, realizing her outfit had indeed changed. Her jeans and tank top had been replaced with black leather pants and a formfitting purple jacket, laced up in the front and faded to black at the bottom. "Oh, uh... yeah, I guess it is." She let out a nervous laugh. "I got Nooroo's brooch back together, so I can actually transform now." A beat passed. "But, uh... that's not why I'm here."

Chloé's eyebrows furrowed together. "Then why are you here?"

"Because..." Leda's voice trailed off. "Screw it." She leaned forward, gently pressing her lips to Chloé's. After a moment, she pulled back. "Because that."

Chloé stood there for a moment, stunned silent. Then, she reached out, grabbed Leda's hand, and pulled her back in for another kiss. This one lasted longer, the two only stopping for air.

"Wow," Chloé breathed. "Um... God, now I can't talk."

Leda laughed, glancing down at her shoes- black combat boots. She looked back up, noting that Chloé's face was about as red as hers felt. "I've got a thing with my family I need to get to, but I'll... come by later?"

Chloé nodded. "Yeah, yeah, that sounds... I'd like that."

"I'll see you soon."

Leda slipped out of Chloé's room, calm and relaxed. Things were good, she thought. For the first time in a long time, things were-

An explosion shook the ground, forcing Leda to her knees and interrupting her thoughts. She looked up just in time to see a woman in blue jump up on a roof and throw a dart. It exploded on contact with the ground.

Slowly, Leda took in a breath, a smirk forming on her face. "Time to get Duusu back," she whispered to herself.