Hey everyone! Sorry this update took so long, but I've been busy with irl stuff and porting over my content to AO3. Don't worry, I'll update both simultaneously. I could never abandon the site that I first started on!

Special thanks to StellarStylus for beta reading this chapter! Go check his works out, he's got some awesome ideas cooking!


Chloé slaps four bills of fifty euros each in front of Nathaniel, which gives her the immense satisfaction of seeing the normally demure redhead's eyes bug out in absolute shock.

"C-Chloé, what…!?"

"You draw superhero crap, right, Tomato-head?" -she asks, knowing full well he's been drawing and posting some rudimentary comics based on Ladybug ever since she appeared.

He nods, numbly, still staring in shock at the money in front of him. As pre-Queen Bee Chloé was oh-so-fond of reminding him, Nath is one of the scholarship kids in Bustier's class, along with Rose, Nino, Sabrina, and of course, Marinette. Judging by the fact that he practically lives in François Dupont's reasonably well-stocked art room, he probably doesn't own the supplies he needs to really improve his craft. Two hundred euros - just to start with, of course - should go a fairly long way in getting him what he needs for his talents to truly shine.

Of course, her reasons are only slightly altruistic.

"I'm commissioning you. I need you to draw a character for me." -she basically commands. "Do it right - and keep it a secret - and there's more where this came from. Like, a lot more."

Nathaniel wrings his hands. "I...Chloé, are you sure? I can recommend way better artists than myself for whatever you need. Especially if this is your budget." -he says. "I'm just a self-taught amateur."

This, she expects - Nathaniel is nothing if not self-doubting. "If you don't want to do it, I suppose I could look for someone else." -she sighs, long-suffering. "But I'm trying to commission you."

The redhead quietly stares at the money for what feels like an eternity. He finally nods, shakily. "O-okay." -he says. "I've, uh, never actually had a commission before, so...what do you want me to draw, I guess?"

"You know that new heroine, Queen Bee?" -she asks, only a bit smug.

He nods, barely raising an eyebrow. "Yeah."

"Well, I want you to draw Marinette as Queen Bee."

The boy is perplexed, no doubt about it. It's a bit of a crazy idea, but Chloé can't help herself; the image of Marinette shouting 'Buzz On!' and becoming the Bee Holder, if only for a little while, has stuck with her since. She looked perfect, of course - almost like she was born to be a superhero - but she didn't even look at herself in the mirror before shedding the transformation. Marinette's birthday is a few months past, but...well, letting her see herself as Chloé did that night seems like a very good, if very late birthday gift.

It doesn't hurt that she'll get to keep a copy of the image for herself, of course.

In a surprising twist, however, Nathaniel frowns, and pushes back the money. "Chloé, I-I'm sorry, but...if this is some kind of p-prank…"

Chloé curses under her breath. As far as most of her classmates know, she's still kind of evil, isn't she? "Jesus, Kurtzberg, this isn't a prank. It's supposed to be a gift."

He scowls. "Why would you give Marinette a gift?"

She crosses her arms. "Look, not that you need to know, but she and I have an...understanding, now. Call it her being a good influence on me, or whatever. And...I guess she deserves me letting her know. Hence, the gift."

The red-haired teen evaluates her expression, still dubious. She groans. "Nathaniel, I know I've been a bitch for as long as you've known me, but...I'm trying to be less of one, and you are not making it easy on me."

"Alright, fine!" -he says. "I'm just...forgive me for not realizing you've done a complete 180 degree turn in the last couple of weeks, alright?"

Chloé smirks. She didn't know he had in him. "Smart-ass, huh? I can work with that, Nath."

"Right…" -he sighs. "Just...please, don't make me regret this. I don't want my work to upset anyone."

"Art will always end up upsetting someone, Kurtzberg. Better get used to it." -Chloé notes. "But I get it. You don't have anything to worry about, not from me."

"Uh-huh. I'll have some progress for you to look at by the end of the week." -he says, taking only one of the bank notes. "This is still a lot, but at least it's a bit more reasonable, for what you're asking. Besides, I, uh...don't have any change."

Chloé rolls her eyes, and takes back the cash. "Fifty now, fifty when you deliver - and don't you dare reject my money again. I don't care about reasonable, I'm rich."

The redhead nods, numbly. "I...thanks."

The blonde leaves the shocked artist be, and heads for the exit of the study hall. Her chest feel surprisingly full - she's not sure if it's the satisfaction of getting this little side project of hers on track, or the lingering effects of her heart to heart with Marinette, but she doesn't really care to find out.

Of course that's when the Akuma strikes.


It's...pigeons.

There's thousands of them, so many they seem to blot out the sun. The Akumatized villain - named Mr. Pigeon, because Hawk Moth is an unimaginative hack - wields them as weapons, constructs even. They form solid masses he can stand on and use to float, or throw as if to emulate a massive fist. It seems utterly ridiculous, but the goddamn flying rats hit like a truck. Chloé's pretty sure she got punched clean through a couple buildings the first time she got tagged.

He's not a very difficult Akuma, though, not like Stormy Weather or Stoneheart were. The pigeons are versatile, sure, but it's easy for her to take out huge chunks of them at once with some well placed honey globs. She's pretty sure PETA is gonna tear her a new one after all's said and done, but she'd like to see them come up with something better. Besides, the Miraculous Cure will take care of the downed birds.

The real highlight of this Akuma fight is that she's finally fighting alongside Ladybug and Cat Noir; the pigeon fleet hasn't done much in the way of destruction of public property, and Mr. Pigeon himself seems quite content with duking it out with the Miraculous Holders inside the Grand Palais, away from any potential civilian involvement, having been swiftly evacuated beforehand. The trio is, then, free to wallop away to their hearts' content, and it's like nothing Chloé's ever experienced. Not just the fighting - that's kind of like living out a comic book, but she's kinda getting used to it - but the absolute trust shared between the three masked heroes. She knows the duo has her back, and proves to them, in turn, that she'll protect them to the best of her abilities. Her only disappointment is that the fight is over before she can even think to use her Hive Mind ability.

Mr. Pigeon is brought down by being covered in popcorn and attacked by his own feathered pals. It's incredibly stupid, but...c'est la vie d'une héroïne.

"Bye-bye, little butterfly." -Ladybug coos, as her yo-yo releases the purified Akuma. Shortly afterwards, the coin she summoned and used to cover the villain in buttery popcorn is thrown into the air, whereupon it bursts into a billion magic ladybugs, and restores Paris to its normal state.

"Pound it!" -Ladybug and Cat Noir shout, in unison, bumping their fists together in celebration. The pair look to her, and offer to repeat the gesture with her. She rolls her eyes, but swiftly joins in.

Cat Noir smirks at her, his sharp fangs glinting in the sunlight. "We should do this more often." -he says.

"As well as that went, you probably shouldn't call for more supervillain encounters, kitty." -Ladybug gently chastises. "It's only a matter of time before he sends something stronger again."

Cat's ring beeps - he used his Cataclysm earlier in the fight, so his timer's nearing the end. "Guess that's my cue." -he says, then nods at the dazed-looking man that used to be a supervillain. "Shall I take him?"

Ladybug nods. "Take him to Trocadéro. I've seen him wandering around the place."

"Tell him I will bury him in honey if he keeps feeding the pigeons." -Chloé says, crossing her arms.

Ladybug raises an eyebrow. Chloé shakes her head. "Kidding, Ladybug."

The spotted heroine hums. "I'll talk to you later, Cat. I wanna chat with Queen Bee, here."

The feline-themed hero winks at the bluenette. "Sure thing, Bugaboo."

Cat Noir takes the confused, middle-aged twig of a man, and gives him a piggyback ride out of the building. Chloé snorts as the man's shrieks fade off into the distance.

Ladybug's earrings beep, too. "Sounds like you should be on your way, too." -Chloé says.

The bluenette crosses her arms. "I've got a few minutes."

"What did you want to talk about?"

"Do you know who I am?" -Ladybug asks.

Chloé frowns. "Uh...no, no idea."

"And Cat Noir?"

"Same deal."

Ladybug purses her lips. "Would you like to know?"

Well, fuck. Isn't that a loaded question.

"Where's this coming from?" -Queen Bee asks.

"I know who Cat is, under the mask. He knows who I am, too. And I've been thinking - maybe it's not very fair, you being kept in the dark. It might help us coordinate a little better. Cat wouldn't have known to come and help with Mr. Ramier if I hadn't known about the Akuma and told him."

Chloé shakes her head. "Didn't your Kwamis tell you to keep your identities a secret?"

"Mine did." -she says. "Cat's...not so much. But it couldn't be helped - I was forced to turn in order to save a friend, and Cat saw me do it." -she explains, and blushes. "I'm glad he's who he is. No one I'd rather have with me, through this."

Chloé sighs, dramatically. "There goes my chance to romance you, huh?"

Ladybug laughs. "So forward! I appreciate that." -she says. "You'd be right. Cat and I have...something special. Promise, though, you'll be the first to know, should that change."

It's Chloé's turn to blush. "Talk about forward." -she mutters. "No, to answer your question. I don't wanna know who you are. I'm shitty enough at my own secret identity to be made aware of anyone else's. Besides, I think my, uh...performance against Blind Date should be proof enough that I'm the weak link, when it comes to Miraculous Holders. I'm not much of a fighter - not like either of you."

"Oh, Bee...you bring so much to the table, never forget that. I'm glad the Bee Miraculous chose you." -she tries to reassure her.

Chloé purses her lips. "Yeah, well. You might not feel that way, if you knew who I was."

"Have you killed anyone lately? Stolen from the poor, perhaps? Kicked a puppy?"

The blonde rolls her eyes. "What's your point?"

Ladybug places a hand on her shoulder, even as the earrings beep again. "You and I both know a Miraculous will never willingly bond with someone impure of heart. Hawk Moth corrupted his, somehow, but I don't feel that kind of stain on you - and trust me, I'd know. You may not be a model citizen, but I believe, same as your Kwami I'd bet, that you are, at your core, a good person."

Chloé allows herself a small smile. As much as she usually disbelieves this kind of pep talk, it's hard to deny, coming from this...paragon of virtue standing before her. "So I keep hearing."

"Must be true, then." -Ladybug winks. "Paris needs you. I need you. Contrary to popular belief, I can't do this alone."

"You have Cat Noir." -Chloé mutters.

"True, but you know he's not very objective when it comes to me. You've seen how many times he's tried to save me - usually, by sacrificing his own well-being. As much as I love and appreciate Cat Noir, I also need a partner with a clear head - someone who won't drop everything the minute I'm in danger."

Chloé recalls not just the times she's seen the pair fight together, but the rooftop conversation she had with the feline-themed hero. "You're not wrong. But he's right about one thing; if you fall, Paris falls."

She sighs. "I'm aware. And as the city's self-appointed protector, I promise to do everything I can to keep that from happening." -she vows, then crosses her arms as the earrings beep again. "But I'm also just a teenager, under all this. I can only take seeing him risk - and, god forbid, lose - his life for me so many times. I can't ask him to make the hard calls...so I'm hoping I can trust you to."

The blonde winces, the hurt in Ladybug's voice all too clear. "Fuck, Ladybug."

"Heavy stuff for a fifteen year-old to worry about, huh?"

"No shit."

Ladybug offers her a small smile. "I'm glad Cat and I have someone else to commiserate with." -she says. "So, can I trust you?"

"Depends on what you mean by 'hard calls'. I'm not about to go killing anyone." -she says, raising an eyebrow.

The spotted heroine purses her lips. "I don't know if Hawk Moth can Akumatize us when we're transformed, but I have no reason to doubt it. Given his megalomaniacal introductory boast, I imagine that, should he Akumatize me, he'd celebrate his victory by having me inflict as much damage as possible on the city and people I love. So, while I'm not asking you to kill me…" -she says, then looks her in the eyes, bluebell irises meeting golden ones. "Would you take my place? Take the earrings from me, and become the Ladybug Holder?"

Chloé's eyes widen in shock. "Take...that would expose you, for all of Paris to see! Hawk Moth would know, you'd never be able to become Ladybug again…"

"And I'd lose Tikki." -she surmises. "I know. Believe me, I don't even want to imagine losing her. But Ladybug's duty to the people of Paris is more important than my feelings. And Cat, even if I could trust him to take me down, can never become the Ladybug Holder - to even wear both of our Miraculouses could potentially destabilize the fabric of reality."

"Ladybug, are you sure? Isn't there anyone else in your life you'd rather trust with something so massive?"

Ladybug smirks, amused by some unheard joke. "No one who's already familiar with the Miraculouses." -she says. "Please, Bee. I need the peace of mind."

Queen Bee nods, after some time, offering her hand. Ladybug shakes it - and holy shit, she's even stronger than Chloé is, no contest. Chloé can't even imagine being that powerful.

All she's left with is hoping she never has to be.


As always, thank you for your attention! Make sure to comment or message me if you have any questions about this story. Look me up on Twitter as Darthkvzn or Tumblr as darthkvznblogs if you'd like - and on Ko-fi, as Darthkvzn, if you like what I do and have a coffee's worth of money to spare. No worries if not!

Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Until next time!