Chloe sat down, rubbing the wrist Marinette had just freed. "You make it sound like a bad thing."
Marinette couldn't find the words, staring at Chloe open mouthed.
"I suppose," Chloe continued, "From your point of view it is. Or it would have been if I were the same as how I was when I was younger. Papagena's a strange costume choice by the way, must have been Luka's idea."
"What do you want?" Marinette finally managed to spit out.
Chloe's eyelids relaxed, her eyebrows slightly raised. "I knew you wouldn't trust me Marinette, you never have. I want a lot of things, but I'm not going to ask any of them of you. For now let's start with this, I'm never going to let Hawkmoth use me again."
"You can't know that Chloe, no one can. And now, thanks to you, I'm going to have to give up my miraculous-"
"Marinette! No!" Tikki's small voice piped up as she flew out from under Marinette's feathered hat.
"Tikki!" Marinette stuttered reaching out at her small friend as if she could pull her back into hiding. "What are you doing?"
"It doesn't matter now," Tikki said, "she already knows."
"So your name is Tikki," Chloe said walking up to the creature, "you don't have to worry about Marinette giving you up. That would be ridiculous, utterly ridiculous."
"What are you talking about Chloe," Marinette asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Exactly what it sounds like, dupain-cheng," Chloe said, pushing Marinette into a plush chair squeezed into the alcove, "you cannot give up being Ladybug. Who are you going to push it on to next? Alya? The girl who's always surrounded by a news crew? I'm sure that will last. A stranger? I mean, do you even have the confidence to choose one without regretting it? The only logical choice is me, since I know everything anyway, but I don't want the Ladybug Miraculous and you would never give it to me. No, the only option is for you to keep it."
"She's right Marinette," Tikki urged, "It's not time for you to give me up yet."
"Why did you reveal that you know?" Marinette asked, rubbing her temples, a small headache traveling to the front of her head.
"Because I want you to trust me." Chloe's voice was softer than normal, strangely childlike. Tikki met her eyes and smiled encouragingly. She took a shaky breath, "I want you to use me."
Marinette looked hard at Chloe and stood up. "No." She waved Tikki back into her hat, "No, I won't use you. You betrayed everyone Chloe, how can I trust you after what happened?"
Chloe sighed, stung but unsurprised. She had expected something like this after all. What she hadn't expected was for Marinette to look so, well, tired. The girl was slowly wearing herself down, unable to see just how much she had changed.
"You should tell Chant Noir about me as well," Chloe said before Marinette could leave, "put at least a little of your trust in someone besides yourself."
"I have plenty of trust." Marinette snapped, ducking out of the covered alcove.
"But you don't give it to anyone." Chloe whispered behind her, once again pulling the veil over her face. She took a deep breath, shoulders lighter. She had done it. She had let Marinette, let Ladybug, know the truth. From the looks of it Marinette needed an ally, even an unwelcome one. With this she was one step closer to becoming worthy of the bee miraculous. She stepped out into the crowded ball room again. Somewhere in this room Hawkmoth was looking for a victim. Chloe smiled to herself, it would not be caused by her, none of them would be from this moment on. She was better than her past.
Her parents finished their gimmick filled show and Chloe moved her way to the dance floor, hoping to dance her leftover nerves off. Who was Chat Noir anyway? Was he here? She scanned he room through her veil, turning with the music. Marinette was making her way out of the room followed by her feathery companion. Choe narrowed her eyes, was it Luka? He was nice enough, trustworthy enough, that she could see him being deemed worthy. She shook her head, twisting back around. Chat Noir was a famous blond, she couldn't imagine him with Luka's electric blue hair. Not to mention the cat's cheesy personality.
Her moves became sharper, more fluid, and the people around her started to back off. Soon she was in the middle of a circle, drawing the surrounding crowd's attention. A girl dressed as a mime stepped into the circle, challenging her. Chloe smiled beneath her veil. She had been taking dance lessons for years, she had this.
The pumping music guided each movement, her arms and hips building momentum. Her fortune teller garb flared out dramatically with each spin. Years of practice pulled at her joints, making them incredibly flexible.
'That's right,' she thought, relishing their gazes, 'Look at me. I am talented.'
Across from her the mime tried to keep up, but the eyes of the crowd slowed her movements. As the crowd watched her form became jerky and stiff, no longer in time to the pounding beat. The song ended and she fell, unable to keep her balance for her final pose. Around her the circle laughed a moment before moving on.
Chloe walked up to her and held out a hand. "Not everyone is as built for crowds as me you know, but your movements weren't bad. Mabey someday you'll catch up to me."
The girl batted away her hand, refusing help up, and ran away. Her face was bright red and embarrassed tears fell down her face. As she disappeared into the crowd Chloe spotted a shadowy butterfly following after.
"No, wait!" Chloe said trying to go after the girl, but it was too late and the crowd had already closed in blocking the path. "And right after I promised myself that I wouldn't cause any more akumaziations." She mumbled, biting her lip.
She pulled out her phone and darted through the crowd, flipping through her contacts. She slammed into someone and apologized quickly, deciding to stop while she looked at her phone instead. There was Marinette's name. She took a deep breath. Here's hoping they could work together from now on.
