Chapter Twenty
Blue Wing stood in the bathroom stall, his wings uncomfortably pressed close to his back– but he couldn't risk anyone coming in here and seeing him. His fan was tucked away at his side, a feather in one hand, a paper in the other.
With a sigh he closed his hand tightly around the feather, surrounding it with energy, before letting it go. Charged with power it drifted up into the air, now drawn to Emotions, allowing it to seek someone out. Blue Wing hesitated, before closing his eyes, knowing what he needed to do.
He slowly tapped into his empathic powers, and immediately Emotions flooded his senses, keen and powerful. He stumbled back, even as Duusu tried to sweep away the intensity, but nothing could truly muffle what he sensed. He could feel the panic that surrounded him, everyone fleeing in fear from the akuma– but there was another powerful presence as well. Anger, humiliation, frustration– driven to an intensity that could only be because of an akuma.
Blue willed the feather to lock in on those Emotions, and it drifted away.
He cut off the empathic connection as quickly as he could, now the only thing he was able to sense was the feather as it moved away from him. He looked down at the paper one last time– before he felt a presence in his mind, a glowing mask appearing in front of his face. It was like when he was Papillon, though blue in color– a telepathic connection opening up.
"And who are you?" Audrey's voice snapped in his mind, and he winced slightly.
"Style Queen, I am Blue Wing," Blue said softly. "I am here to give you an assistant to help you in this battle– who will be completely under your control, as long as you help Hawk Moth and I claim the Ladybug Miraculous."
Style Queen paused to consider. "Well, I fired my last assistant this morning, and I did hire Cleo as one to replace them, but a backup wouldn't hurt in case she fails. But if this one messes up too then you're fired, Blue Wing!"
Blue Wing closed his eyes, willing the Assistant to come to life. They weren't organic like his other avatars, but it was vaguely humanoid in shape. The Assistant appeared to be completely made from diamonds, joints being where the points of the giant diamonds met. Blue could feel as the Assistant came to life, right next to Style Queen– and for once completely out of his control.
"Assistant– gather up these golden useless statues!" Blue could still hear Style Queen through the Assistant, their senses linked when he focused, much like he had been with akumas as Papillon. "I'm going to go to Gabriel's pitiful shack and draw him out!"
With that Style Queen turned into a burst of gold, rushing up into the air and out the doors. The Assistant immediately got to work, moving towards the civilians that had been turned to gold, touching each one. Immediately they turned to a golden dust, being drawn within the Assistant, their clear crystalline body beginning to glimmer slightly.
Blue Wing felt himself choking– because this was the first time any of his creations had turned to attack civilians.
He cut off his connection with the avatar, not wanting to watch anymore. He crumpled up the paper in his hands, dropping it in the toilet and flushing it away, that being evidence that didn't need to be found anywhere near him. He opened the bathroom stall, cautiously stepping out, but was glad to spread his wings.
Time to go join the fight.
Style Queen couldn't seem to stay still– by the time Ladybug had arrived the akuma had rushed off to Gabriel Agreste's mansion in search of the man. Ladybug knew that she could have followed her, but instead she had gone to search for Master Fu instead, getting her hands on the Bee Miraculous before returning to the fight.
At that point, however, Style Queen had made her way to the Eiffel Tower, a favorite of many akumas, this time accompanied by a strange diamond figure that followed her every step. Ladybug first would have said Avatar– but yet there was no sign of Blue Wing anywhere. She would need to keep her eye out– no way she was letting him sneak up on her.
But first, she needed to find Alya.
Bee Miraculous in hand, Ladybug swung with her yoyo, people cheering for her excitedly as they saw her overhead, but she didn't pause. She knew that she wouldn't have to look far to find Alya, because her friend already knew that she was waiting for her. She spotted the ombre-haired girl making her way up the steps of the tower, up to one of the platforms. Ladybug glanced over head, and spotted a blue figure flying through the air. She gritted her teeth, watching as Blue Wing landed next to Style Queen, who turned to face him. Using the moment Ladybug threw her yoyo out, aiming for the platform she saw Alya on.
"Ladybug," Alya said as she landed, looking a bit tired from her climb. "There you were, I was worried when you didn't show up."
"You weren't thinking of going and taking on an akuma all on your own?" She replied teasingly– and suddenly Alya's eyes widened.
"Can't resist catching a scoop for the Ladyblog," Alya said with a nervous laugh, eyes locked behind Ladybug, and she realized they weren't alone. "Wasn't planning on getting this close though."
Ladybug turned, yoyo spinning about, keeping the Miraculous tucked out of sight. Her eyes turned towards where Style Queen had been standing– but she only saw a trail of gold as the akuma launched herself away. Ladybug turned again trying to keep her eyes trailed on them– only to feel someone crash into her.
"Look out!" Alya cried, slamming into her right as Style Queen reappeared– firing her beam of energy immediately. Ladybug would have been caught in the blast, but instead Alya had knocked her away to take the hit instead. She crashed into the ground, yoyo and box tumbling from her hands.
The yoyo she was able to get her hands on right away, but the box with the Bee Miraculous kept on rolling, tumbling off of the tower.
"No!" Ladybug cried, but there was no way she could dive after it– not without leaving herself vulnerable, or hinting at what could have fallen. "That was a cheap shot, Style Queen!"
Her voice came out with a slight waver as she turned, yoyo spinning to block the next blast.
"Says the one walking around in that monstrosity of a suit!" Style Queen barked, and Ladybug threw her yoyo at her– only for the weapon to go right through her, glitter crumbling about. Style Queen let out a laugh as she began to rematerialize. "Ha– I am invincible Ladybug, you would do well to learn that!"
There was the sound of clinking filling the air, and the diamond avatar came, leaping down from the higher beams. As it landed on the platform Ladybug stumbled back, but the avatar's focus was only on the statue of Alya.
"Assistant!" Style Queen barked. "Go on, gather more energy."
The Assistant reached out, touching Alya, who began to dissolve. Ladybug let out a gasp as she watched the golden powder be drawn into the Assistant, the avatar's legs completely gold thanks to Alya and the other civilians it had targeted. Ladybug began to spin her yoyo as the Assistant turned towards her, only to hear the flapping of wings.
She glanced over her shoulder, and saw Blue Wing landing on a beam above her. He watched her with an emotionless expression, fan in hand.
"You're surrounded Ladybug~" Style Queen mocked. "Why don't you hand over those little earrings?"
"Listen to her," Blue Wing said, voice soft. "I'd rather not hurt you."
"Ugh, so soft," Style Queen sneered at her ally. "You're useless like that." Blue Wing glanced at Style Queen, but said nothing. "Anyways, enough chit chat– you're fired, Ladybug!"
A blast of gold was launched her way– and Ladybug nimbly dove out of the way. With no back up coming she would have to face this on her own– three to one. She swallowed hard at the idea, but knew she had to get to work. She kept dodging the repeating blasts, trying to get a sense of her surroundings.
Staying inside the tower was safest. Style Queen had the advantage of agility no matter where they went, but within the tower Ladybug could use the beams and platforms to move about, while they hindered Blue Wing's movements. The Assistant didn't seem to be the fastest, and so as long as she moved quick enough she should be safe, even three to one.
She ignored the thought in the back of her mind telling her that those numbers could change any minute, and it wouldn't be in her favor.
"Assistants, after her!" Style Queen barked, and immediately Blue Wing dove at her, and Assistant charged towards her. Gritting her teeth, Ladybug ran up the side of a beam, yoyo swinging to dodge any incoming blasts.
She leapt and she banked about, and she was able to weave between Style Queen's attacks– but that was all she was able to do. Every time her yoyo was thrown it went right through Style Queen, or bounced off of the Assistant, or was blocked by Blue Wing's fan. She was able to spot two possibilities for where the akuma was hiding– either the rose on her head or the scepter in her hand, not that she had a chance to grab them.
"You're supposed to be helping me, not annoying me!" Style Queen shrieked as she crashed into Blue Wing's wing. "Ditch the feathers, boy, they are so out of season!"
"They're kind of a part of me," Blue Wing muttered, but glided away from Style Queen. Ladybug was right about the Eiffel Towering hindering him– he had no chance to get any air in the tight confines.
A heavy force crashed into Ladybug, the Assistant painfully knocking her to the ground. She tried to stand, only for a pointed diamond leg to slam into her belly, pinning her down. Ladybug threw her yoyo, but the string just slipped off of the Assistant's sleek sides when trying to wrap around it.
"Ah, finally," Style Queen said. "Someone useful around here– good job, Assistant."
"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug cried, knowing that it was her last chance– and found a tube of glue crashing down. She caught it in her hand, eyes flashing about, but she had no idea what she could do with it.
"Bye bye, Ladybug!" Style Queen declared, aiming her scepter at her, and Blue Wing looked away. Ladybug's panic soared as she watched the gold energy form.
A blur of gray rushed in front of her, a flute swinging about, knocking the golden blast away from Ladybug. Silver Paw stood there, huffing as he stood above her defensively, the tailcoat of his suit swaying as if it were real. His ears were flat against his head as he turned, slamming his flute into the Assistant. The crystal creature stumbled back, and Ladybug let out a pained gasp as the leg was no longer planted against her stomach.
"A nasty bug and a sneaky fox, how wonderful," Style Queen snapped sarcastically. "When's that horrible wasp going to show up?"
Silver Paw glanced back at Ladybug knowingly, before scrambling back. "Stay away from me."
The Fox holder scowled slightly. "Look, I'm pretty sure I'm the only backup you're going to get– so let's just take care of this akuma, alright."
"Like I'd trust you!"
"Silver," a soft voice said, and eyes turned up towards Blue Wing, who was watching the Fox holder uncertainly.
Silver Paw swallowed. "Sorry Blue– but I'm not letting Hawk Moth win."
"Ugh, you'll just be turned to dust like everyone else!" Style Queen snapped. "Feathers, you take care of that furball, I need to squash that bug!"
"I–" Blue Wing's eyes were wide, looking down at Silver Paw, hesitating. Silver Paw gritted his teeth, before turning and leaping at the Assistant instead– flute banging against crystal. His attacks didn't do much but fill the air with clinking, but it gave Ladybug the opportunity to let her eyes sweep about, the tube of glue still in hand.
Her gaze settled on the French flag that jutted out near the pavilions– and lunged towards it. She immediately whipped about, ready to block herself from the four attackers, but instead only saw two coming her way– Blue Wing having dove down the same moment Style Queen rushed forward as a blizzard of glitter. The two clashed, and with a shriek, Style Queen reformed.
"I told you to get the Fox!"
"I–!"
"You two seem awfully cozy," Style Queen mused, eyes narrowing. "Well, I can't have an assistant who's loyal to the enemy– you're fired!"
With that Style Queen aimed her staff straight at Blue Wing– turning him into a golden statue before he could even reply. Ladybug's eyes widened, startled at the brutal attack of the akuma's own ally... but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't glad that the numbers were a bit more in her favor.
"No!"
Silver Paw clearly didn't share that sentiment, eyes wide as he stared at the golden form of Blue Wing, his wings spread out as if he were an angel. Immediately Silver Paw abandoned his fight with the Assistant, racing towards Style Queen and the frozen Blue, flute raised– but it went through Style Queen with ease, who just cackled and zipped away, reforming by the avatar.
"How could you?!" Silver Paw screamed.
"What?" Style Queen said. "He was useless."
"Not you!" Silver Paw cried, and Ladybug was startled to see tears in his eyes. "Hawk Moth, I'm talking to you! How could you– how could you do that to your own son?!"
Son? Ladybug blinked at this, eyes turning back towards Blue Wing. The boy was frozen with wide eyes, blinding to look at in the sunlight. It made sense, that someone helping Hawk Moth would be family... but still she was surprised.
Style Queen leaned against her scepter with a laugh, and Ladybug used the opportunity to spread her glue across the flag. A mask appeared across Style Queen's face, who paused to listen as Hawk Moth spoke in her mind.
"The Butterfly man has a little deal for you, fur coat," Style Queen said, leaning forward. "Help us get the Ladybug's Miraculous– and we'll let the little Peacock go free, what do you say?"
Silver Paw's eyes swept back and forth between Ladybug and Style Queen, and Ladybug held her flag out as if it were a weapon. Silver Paw gripped his flute tightly, closing his eyes for a moment, and Ladybug wasn't at all surprised as the Fox holder leapt straight at her. She swung her flag about to block him, but the Fox tackled her to the ground, his voice a mutter as they crashed into the ground.
"Mirage," he muttered, a brief golden glow at the end of his flute– and he rolled off of Ladybug as quickly as he had knocked into her. Ladybug scrambled to her feet, mouth opening, but Silver Paw pressed a finger to his lips.
She glanced over her shoulder at Style Queen– but was surprised to still herself and Silver Paw fighting instead, the akuma watching in amusement as the two Miraculous holders clashed. Ladybug looked back at the real Silver Paw, confused at the illusion he had summoned. He had shakily risen to his feet, hands held up.
"I don't want to fight you," he said– no, mouthed– moving towards her. "I want to stop the akuma. You need to trust me on this– because Abeille isn't coming, is she?"
Ladybug gritted her teeth, hearing her earrings beep in her ears. Silver Paw was on a timer too– but hers would run out sooner.
"What's your plan?" Silver whispered. "Where's the akuma?"
"...Rose or scepter," she muttered after a moment. "I'm going to use the glue on the flag to keep her from reforming."
Without the Fox she would have lost this fight. She didn't trust him, she wouldn't say that, but considering that he hadn't taken up Hawk Moth's offer, his only way to get the Peacock holder back was with her Miraculous Ladybug, so she was sure that he was going to help her at least summon it.
Silver gave a sharp nod. "You attack, I'll go for the item."
Ladybug just had to pretend that the Fox was Rena Rouge– and with Style Queen still distracted by the fight the Mirage had created– they both ran forward to strike. The illusion shattered as they did so, but Style Queen didn't have time to react. Ladybug swung the glue-covered flag at her, and Silver Paw leapt over her with a giant bound, snatching the rose from her head.
Style Queen turned into gold, zipping away. "Traitor!" She screeched as Silver Paw. "Liar! You can never trust a fox, you can– no! What have you done!"
Her side now had a gaping side missing from it, golding glitter raining down from it. The glitter stuck to the flag which Ladybug swung about mockingly, and glanced back at Silver Paw to see what he was doing.
Silver had ripped the rose in half– and Ladybug watched as a black butterfly and a blue feather came drifting from it. The feather was darker than usual, and Ladybug didn't like the energy that was coming from it– so she sent her yoyo flying out at both of them, snatching them as they drifted through the air.
Behind her dark energy bubbled around Style Queen, leaving a confused Audrey in its wake. Behind her the Assistant dissolved, leaving only the glitter it had gathered behind. So Ladybug kept her eye on Silver, the only threat left as she purified the Butterfly and the Feather– both of them pure white as they came out from her yoyo.
Then she picked up the tube of glue, throwing it up into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!"
Pink light burst out, sweeping across the tower and the city in moments. Where it touched gold figures reformed, and Ladybug felt herself letting out a sigh of relief as she saw Alya among those appearing, the only other person she recognized in the group being Chloe. She couldn't kept her gaze on Alya though, instead falling to Silver Paw.
The Fox was a blur of gray as he lunged forward, arms wrapping around Blue Wing as gold turned to flesh. Ladybug opened up her mouth to say something– but she had no chance as Silver Paw jumped off of the side of the tower, cradling Blue Wing in his arms. Ladybug didn't go after them, not with her earrings beeping.
And most importantly, she had a Bee Miraculous to find.
One moment Blue Wing had been blinded by a burst of golden light– and the next thing he knew he was surrounded by a pink glow as the world spun about him.
He clutched at the person holding him– wings flaring out as he felt himself falling, but he didn't have time to catch himself. He caught a glimpse of Silver Paw as they landed on a beam, tucking them away onto one of the lower beams of the tower. He was breathing heavily, and Blue found himself dizzy as his mind tried to catch up to what had happened.
Silver Paw brought him into a crushing hug.
"Heh... what did I miss?" Blue Wing asked uncertainly.
"Style Queen attacking you and your f-father... being a horrible human being," Silver Paw clutched him tighter, and Blue Wing realized that the boy was more upset than he had realized. He carefully returned the hug, arms wrapping around him, and then his wings.
"Akumas can be hard to control," Blue explained softly. "Sometimes they can defy orders."
Silver's arms merely coiled around him some more, and Blue didn't know what to do. He hesitated, before closing his eyes, and focusing on his Miraculous. Slowly, he allowed his empathic abilities to unfurl, giving him a glimpse of what those around him were feeling.
Relief was the strongest in the city– with the Miraculous Ladybugs having come, and the akuma battle over. However, that was not what Blue Wing wanted to know. So he tried to block everything else out, the clamor and the roar his new sense was showing him, and only focus on the one in his arms.
Guilt. Sorrow. Worry. Pain. Love. Frustration. Panic. Exhaustion. They all ran through Blue so quickly, so strongly– and so he cut off the connection at once. The glimpse was all that he needed to see to understand what Silver was feeling, and he leaned his head against his shoulder.
"This wasn't your fault," he said softly.
"No," Silver agreed. "This... this is all just one big mess."
They stayed like that for a moment longer, wrapped in each other's arms, before Blue folded his wings against his side. The two carefully pulled away, settling on the beam, looking at each other. Silver swallowed, before turning away, eyes scanning the stairs below. Blue Wing blinked in confusion, but moved next to his side, looking as well. He didn't see anything at first, and gave his friend an uncertain look.
"What are you looking for?"
Silver swallowed, hesitating. "...The Bee Miraculous."
Blue Wing's eyes widened. "Wh-what?"
"...Ladybug dropped it earlier," Silver muttered softly. "Right when Style Queen attacked her and it went over the edge. I would have grabbed it then, but she was out numbered, and I..." He closed his eyes. "I need to get it back to her."
Blue Wing's heart pounded. The Bee Miraculous was here. Unguarded. Out in the open.
But as his eyes joined Silver's in the search below, he couldn't help but feel guilty. He couldn't bring himself to stay focused, eyes that kept flickering away. Silver jumped down a few beams, despite his necklace beeping, and Blue followed him– his brooch doing the same.
"Oh no," Silver Paw muttered. "...That's not good."
"What?"
Silver pointed towards a figure descending the steps, a blonde that Blue recognized right away– Chloe. His oldest friend... and one he hadn't been able to see for a long time. Chloe was looking at a box in her hand, turning it over in confusion.
"That's the Miraculous," Silver whispered. "Trixx's was in the same box. I... I have to get it back, but I just can't go after a civilian..."
Blue Wing shifted to move forward, but Silver held out his arm, blocking him. They stood there in silence as Chloe continued down past them, unaware of the two watching her above. Once she had vanished out of sight Silver sagged against the beam, closing his eyes as he tried to think.
"...I'll have to get it from her another time," he muttered under his breath, mostly to himself. "When she's not aware. Grabbing it right from her hands now... she won't stay quiet. It will just make this a bigger mess."
Blue Wing said nothing, eyes locked on where Chloe had been.
Silver turned towards him. "My timer is going to run out soon... I have to go. Please, be careful getting home. And... and come and see me soon, will you?"
"...Of course," Blue said, meeting Silver's eyes, who smiled. With his necklace beeping faster, he couldn't stay, and started to leap down the beams of the Eiffel Tower. Blue opened his wings as if to leave, before his eyes turned towards the stairs.
Then with a single flap, he rose up into the air.