Hola chicos! Here is chapter 5 of Tales of Scarlet Bug and Chat Noir! I hope you are all doing okay as lockdown becomes more lax?! This one is kinda short (sorryyy) but I hope you enjoy anyway and if you do, feel free to leave a review! Not much of an intro today but I hope you like this chapter! :-)


Scarlet Bug looked around, bright white lights flashing in her eyes. Questions were being thrown at her left, right and centre and the large hand gripping her upper arm reminded her of what was happening. At one point, she met eyes with a scowling middle-aged man but she brushed it off. There would always be naysayers - why should that affect her? Once Scarlet arrived, the hand on her arm pushed her down into a chair and it seemed the white lights doubled in glare. Scarlet Bug was quite sure the entirety of Paris was watching her at this exact moment.

And she wouldn't have it any other way.

Nadja Shamack, who was sitting opposite her, smiled reassuringly before arranging the papers in her hand. The man standing behind the camera (his name was Keith? Kevin?) mouthed, "Three, two, one."

"Don't be bemused, it's just the news!" the news reporter announced cheerily. "Today, I'm here with Scarlet Bug for yet another interview! I think this is our 12th one so far!"

Scarlet Bug laughed loudly and replied, "Yes, I just can't stay away!"

"We've almost run out of things to talk about! Maybe you should just sit here and smile because I'm sure the people of Paris will love you regardless."

"I'm sure you're right."

"Anyway, since we've talked about everything there is to know about being a superhero, perhaps we can talk about your personal life?"

At this, Scarlet Bug hesitated. If there was one rule of Tikki she followed, it was to never reveal her identity. "Technically, you're not revealing your identity. Just disclosing vague details." Smiling confidently, the superheroine replied, "Of course! What do you want to know?"

Nadja beamed and questioned, "I'm sure I'm not the only one wondering about your real job? I don't think any job could ensure up to being a superhero!"

Again, Scarlet's smile faltered. "By revealing your job, or lack thereof, you're narrowing your age range," a voice that sounded suspiciously like Tikki whispered in her ear. "And if you lie, you'll only get caught out down the line." She smiled wryly at the reporter and apologised, "Unfortunately, that information can't be disclosed to the public."

Nadja's eager smile was replaced with a frown before she pressed on, "But you agreed to talk about your personal life! Do you really want to disappoint all your fans like that?"

"No, of course not!" Scarlet frantically replied. Sighing defeatedly, she conceded, "Fine. I don't-,"

Suddenly, a giant hunk of bricks and cement crashed into the studio and roared, "I AM DESTROYER AND I WILL DESTROY EVERYTHING!"

Scarlet Bug watched the camera crew and Nadja flee the scene before turning to glare at the monster. "How dare you! I was in the middle of something! Please destroy everything elsewhere so I can finish my interview."

The monster only replied, "NO! THE DESTROYER WILL DESTROY!" It jumped up and down, shaking the building.

Unfortunately, small bits of rubble and dirt fell into Scarlet's immaculate hair and she felt her blood boil. "That is the last straw." Scarlet stood up and growled, "Argh! I told you to LET ME FINISH MY INTERVIEW!" She lunged at The Destroyer, hitting one of its knees so hard that it stumbled back slightly. She continued her assault, roaring in anger and knocking the super villain back bit by bit. Not so far away, Hawk Moth was shocked at the usually absent superheroine beating his akuma mercilessly. He made a mental note to never attack during an interview again.

Eventually, Scarlet had The Destroyer temporarily tied up to a pillar when Chat Noir swung in. At the sight of Scarlet holding the akuma back, however, his jaw dropped. "S-Scarlet? H-how?"

She rolled her eyes and said, " Don't be so surprised alley-cat. Just because you don't see me fight doesn't mean I can't." The supervillain struggled against the yo-yo wire, almost breaking free. "Well, go on Chat! Where's the akuma?

Chat Noir blinked before shaking his head. He spotted a pin in-between two bricks. Calling for Cataclysm, the superhero leapt up to touch the pin, which disintegrated in his grip. The supervillain disappeared, leaving a man standing in its place. He shook his head, disoriented, and asked, "Wh-what happened?"

Scarlet Bug rolled her eyes as Chat Noir went to comfort the victim and swung away. When she had left the studio, she detransformed and stomped angrily towards Le Grand Paris. "I cannot believe that monster interrupted my interview!" she fumed to Tikki.

The kwami rolled her eyes and reminded her holder, "You should be happy! You were about to reveal a part of your identity to all of Paris! You need to be more careful, Chloe!"

"You're overreacting. I still should have been allowed to finish my interview!" When she got into the hotel, she spotted her father anxiously stepping from foot to foot. "What's the matter, Daddy?" she asked boredly. "Did Jean-Philippe mess something else up?" She was still bitter about the 'Despair Bear' incident.

André answered frantically, "Chloe, you're late for the 'Best Head Chef in Paris' award ceremony!" I reminded you this morning to be on time! There are many important celebrities here that I need to support me!""

"Oh whatever, Daddy. I'm here now, aren't I?" She brushed off his concerns and strutted to an elevator with her father rushing behind her and her anger from earlier still bubbling under the surface. When she stepped into the restaurant, though, she was appalled to see, among the rest of the guests, Marinette, Alya and her parents all sitting at the centre table. "What are Dupain-Cheng and blogger-girl doing here?" the blonde fumed. Fortunately, or unfortunatly, she spotted Adrien, who was sitting next to Marinette. "Adrikins! At least there's someone worth knowing here!" She sauntered over to him and sat on his other side, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Hey, Chlo," he smiled half-heartedly, trying to carefully loosen her grip on him. He turned to Marinette and smiled sheepishly.

Andre, who was sitting at the head of the table, stood up and announced, "We are gathered here today to celebrate Marlena Cesaire on her success of being named 'Best Head Chef in all of Paris'!" The guests cheered and Alya hugged her mum, who was beaming from ear to ear. When they quietened down, the mayor continued, "Here at Le Grand Paris, we only hire the best so come up here, Chef Cesaire, and receive your plaque!"

The guests cheered again as Marlena stepped up to take her plaque, a giant grin stretching her cheeks. Taking a deep breath, she began, "I want to thank my family for always being so supportive of me and I also want to thank Mayor Bourgeois for giving me an opportunity to cook for so many people."

Everyone cheered again but Chloe rolled her eyes and hissed to Adrien, "I bet her food isn't even that good."

Unfortunately, she wasn't quiet enough and Marinette glared at her remark. "It's not her fault you don't have an ounce of talent in your whole body so stop being so bitchy," the bluenette retorted.

Adrien gaped at her in awe while Chloe fumed inwardly. "No one is treating me with a glimmer of respect today!" She frowned angrily as waiters placed plates of steaming hot food in front of them.

"Now, a meal cooked by Chef Cesaire!" Andre exclaimed gleefully.

Everyone began to dig into their meals gladly but Chloe could only scowl. When she saw Adrien laugh at something Marinette said and subtly move his chair closer to her, her scowl deepened. Maybe it was her interrupted interview, maybe it was the insult from Marinette, maybe it was the fact that Adrien had been paying less and less attention to her as the year went on. Chloe didn't know. But she knew that she wanted to let her frustration out.

And she was gonna do it now.

"DADDYKINS!" she yelled. Her father immediately rushed to her side but before he could ask what was wrong, she whined petulantly, "I hate this food. It's salty and I won't eat it!"

Adrien overheard her statement and accused, "Chloe, you haven't even eaten anything. How do you know you hate it?"

Surprised by Adrien's open accusation, Chloe blushed angrily before defending, "I just do!" The blonde stood up and pointed at Marlena, crying dramatically, "She clearly can't cook and I demand her award be …..revoked!"

At this, Alya stood up and hissed, "I know that you don't like me Choe, but can you please not drag my family into this?"

Flipping her hair, she retorted, "Don't flatter yourself, Alya. I'm simply delivering justice."

Andre chuckled nervously, "Uh, Ch-Chloe dearest, I don't think it's such a good idea to-"

"Fire her now!" Chloe demanded forcefully. "You don't want people to think that the Head Chef is a terrible cook, do you?"

Andre sighed defeatedly and turned to Marlena. "You're fired."

The distraught chef protested, "B-but, I've done nothing wrong! Why are you doing this?"

Chloe smugly cut in, "You heard my daddy! Leave! And take your pathetic daughter with you!"

Marlena stood up, holding back tears, and ran out of the restaurant, her husband, Otis, following closely behind. Alya also stood up and glared furiously at Chloe before running after her parents. Once the Cesaires had left, Adrien and Marinette rounded on Chloe. "How dare you!" they both exclaimed. "That's someone's livelihood you're ruining!" Marinette charged on. "This isn't some game, Chloe! How can you be so cold-hearted!"

Andre protectively held onto Chloe's shoulders and growled, "Do you realise who you're talking to? You must treat my daughter with respect and if not, leave!"

"Gladly," the bluenette muttered and hissed to Chloe, "I hope you're happy. I hope that made you really happy." She then stormed out of the room without a backward glance.

Adrien scowled directly at Chloe and hoped she saw the disappointment and disgust in his eyes before rushing after Marinette. When he saw her walking towards the elevator, he called out her name. She turned at the sound and Adrien asked breathlessly, "W-will you be able to get home okay?"

She nodded gratefully at him before sighing, "Chloe is such a bitch." The blonde chuckled in response. "See you tomorrow?" she asked hopefully.

Adrien grinned and, with a fiery blush on his cheek, bent down to press a soft kiss to her knuckles. "Until tomorrow." He smiled bashfully at her before turning back in the direction of the restaurant.

Marinette stood, starstruck by the action and thought to herself, "What in the world was that?" A slight blush grew on her cheeks before she shook her head and stepped into the elevator.


When Marinette arrived home, she immediately got an akuma alert on her phone. Not needing to think about who it was, Marinette turned on her TV and opened the news channel to reveal a food-themed akuma destroying everything in her path. "Oh no, Mrs Cesaire!" Marinette cried. "A food-themed supervillain by the name of Chef Suprême has arisen and witnesses have stated that the victim is none other than Marlena Cesaire, former head chef of Le Grand Paris Hotel," Nadja Chamack reported. "Chef Cesaire was fired earlier this evening when Chloe Bourgeois, daughter of Mayor Bourgeois, claimed her food was disgusting."

Marinette spotted a small figure in a checkered shirt following behind the supervillain and her heart sank. "Alya must be trying to help her mum!" she rationalised. "I have to make sure she stays safe!" She stood up and was about to leave again when she noticed a small black box on her desk. "Huh? What's this doing here?" The bluenette picked up the box cautiously and examined the intricate markings. Marinette then opened it but the bright light that immediately shone out made her gasp in surprise and drop the box. When a yellow, small, bug-like creature with black stripes materialised in front of her, her eyes widened immensely. "AHHHHH!" she screamed and leapt off her wheelie-chair.

"Don't be scared, everything's okay!" the bug-mouse reassured. "I am Pollen and I am here to make you the holder of the bee miraculous!"

Marinette peeked out from behind her chair and whispered, "Wait, like Scarlet Bug and Chat Noir?" When Pollen nodded, Marinette came out completely and asked again, "So, I'll be a superhero permanently?"

Pollen nodded and informed, "But this is a big responsibility, Marinette! Do you think you can handle it?"

Marinette nodded determinedly and said, "Tell me what I need to do."


Chat Noir swung into the last place Chef Suprême had been sighted, in front of the Louvre, and was surprised to find Scarlet Bug already there. She seemed to be eating from a plate of delicious looking pasta. "What are you doing, Scar?" he asked tentatively.

She turned to him and snarled, "It's Scarlet. And what does it look like I'm doing? The chef woman came and left food so what am I meant to do, look at it?" She took a large forkful of pasta and bit into it, her eyes fluttering shut in awe. "Mmmm, this food is amazing. You should try some, it'd be a change to the usual slop you probably pick up from alleyways."

Chat rolled his eyes but caught sight of something. A woman on a nearby street took a bite of food she was holding and immediately began fighting the person nearest to her. "No, Scarlet, no!" he exclaimed, slapping the plate out of her hands.

The superheroine flared at him with unbridled anger and screamed, "HOW DARE YOU! I WAS EATING THAT!"

"I know! Chef Suprême uses her food to make people fight each other!" Chat explained desperately. Suddenly, Scarlet's fist threw a punch directly into Chat's jaw, the connection making him groan in pain. "Ugh, you throw a good punch."

Suddenly, said supervillain appeared behind Scarlet and cackled, "Since my food can't bring people together, it will tear them apart! Now I don't have to do anything because Bug Face will do it all for me!" She laughed wickedly again before leaping off to cause more terror.

"That wasn't me!" Scarlet cried in horror, beginning to throw more punches at Chat.

"Yeah, I know," Chat muttered, blocking most of them. "You aren't the best boxer."

"So, what, you're saying I can't fight because I'm a girl?"

"No, that is not what I'm saying! I know you can't fight because you never practice in patrol or battles or ever."

"I could practice in my civilian life, for all you know!"

"Yeah, I doubt that." Scarlet threw her knee into Chat's groin extremely hard and the poor superhero doubled over, groaning. "Ughhh, I prefer it when you show up after the akuma is released…" He rolled over onto the ground.

Scarlet frantically apologised, "Ah, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do that!" Before Chat could completely regain his balance, Scarlet's legs straddled Chat, pinning him to the ground. The provocative position made both superheroes very uncomfortable yet neither mentioned anything. Scarlet's hands held Chat's wrists down and when he tried to move, she head butted him in the nose. "Shit, are you okay?" she asked.

"This proves...yet again...that you should listen to me," Chat whimpered, wanting to cradle his poor nose. Scarlet's left hand let go of Chat's left wrist but before he could move, her right hand deftly caught the free wrist. With both wrists pinned above his head, Chat couldn't move at all. His vibrant green eyes saw Scarlet's free hand start moving towards his ring and he began to panic. "S-Scarlet, no, stop!"

"I can't!" she exclaimed helplessly. "I can't stop it!"

Just when her fingers met the cool metal of the ring, a figure swiftly kicked Scarlet's side, knocking her off Chat's waist. Immediately, the black act superhero stood up and looked around, trying to see who had helped him. When he turned around, he saw a woman standing right behind him. She had a yellow skintight suit with black stripes, like a bee. Her pigtails also had yellow stripes, contrasting with her dark hair. There were fluffy cuffs on her wrists and ankles and she wore black heeled boots. Her face was partially obscured with a black and yellow mask, which made her blue eyes stand out even more. She held out a hand to him and introduced, "Hi, I'm Marigold. I'm a bee-themed superhero, which you can probably guess from my cost-"

Before she could continue, Chat pushed her back into the Louvre and pressed his baton into the bottom of her neck, not exactly strangling her but putting enough pressure for her to gasp for air. "Now I don't know who the fuck you are," he snarled threateningly. "But I really don't need another fake partner."

"I'm not fake!" Marigold defended. "I'm an actual superhero."

Pressing harder and lifting her feet slightly off the ground, Chat spat, "If you can hear me, Hawk Moth, I'm tired of your sick jokes."

"I w-wasn't sent by Hawk M-Moth! I p-promise, I'm on y-your side!" she choked out.

"Yeah, I don't buy it."

"I've been s-sent by someone called M-Master Fu…" At that name, Chat immediately released the pressure on her neck and watched in horror as she dropped down to her knees, coughing for breath. "Well, maybe I should've started with that," Marigold whispered hoarsely.

Scarlet Bug came up and asked in horror, "Who on earth are you? I don't need another useless sidekick! One is plenty, thank you."

The bee superheroine stood up and smiled tightly, "It's Marigold. And we aren't your sidekicks. Especially since you don't do anything."

Chat forced himself not to smile at this and turned back to Scarlet Bug. "I'm sorry, Scar, but…" With feline speed, he snatched Scarlet's yo-yo and began wrapping her wrists fairly tight together. "With your hands free, you're a liability to us all."

"Argh, how dare you!" she protested, trying to get free of the wire.

Chat ignored her protests and turned to Marigold. "So, what's your power newbie?" he asked gruffly.

"My power is Venom so when I release my bees, they swarm around whoever I want, leaving small pinpricks in their skin."

"Mm, that must really sting," Chat said absently. Marigold giggled at his joke but he took no notice of her. "I'm pretty sure the akuma will be in the plaque that she carries in her hat so…"

"I could use Venom on her and when she breaks free, I lift off her hat and you cataclysm her plaque?" Marigold suggested.

Chat glared at her and muttered, "Taking the lead before you've been here 5 minutes. Sounds like someone I remember." Marigold was about to protest but he cut her off. "Your plan sounds fine. Let's go."

He leapt off without another word. Marigold rubbed her arms pitifully and thought, "Not exactly the reception I was expecting but I'll take what I can." She jumped off the building, trying to catch up with one of her difficult partners.


Chat and Marigold had worked together extremely well, finding a rhythm quickly and moving together in sync. Once they had released the akuma, they brought it back to Scarlet and freed her from her prison. "Ugh, finally!" she groaned, rubbing her sore wrists. "Don't think I'll forget that anytime soon, Chat!" She cleansed the akuma but, instead of hightailing it out of there like she usually did, Scarlet turned to Marigold. "Hey, Maritrash or whatever, I don't know where you came from but there is only one lead female in this dysfunctional trio. Got it?" Marigold nodded, amused by how Scarlet was clearly threatened by her, and watched as the bug heroine swung off.

Marigold turned to face Chat and joked, "She is a real piece of work, right?" When Chat didn't even look up at her, she asked tentatively, "Chat? Are you alr-"

"I wanted to apologise," he burst out. "For what I did earlier. It was wrong, and stupid and you didn't deserve that."

Marigold cautiously walked over to him and asked, "Do you… wanna talk about it?"

Chat stopped and sighed heavily before turning to the superheroine. He sat down next to her before beginning. "Do you remember Volpina a while back?" Marigold thought for a moment before nodding. "When she first arrived, she said she was on our side and here to help me since Scarlet barely does anything. When she revealed her true colours…" He clenched his fists in his lap. "I was so angry. But also so hurt. I thought there was finally someone to be on my side so I didn't have to face akuma's day after day all by myself. When you came, I thought it was the same thing but…" Marigold's hand covered Chat's clenched fist and he turned to smile slightly at her. "I really am sorry for...almost choking you. And being so hostile."

Marigold grinned, a light blush on her cheeks and waved her hands, joking, "What's strangulation between two friends, am I right?" Her expression turned serious before she continued, "You shouldn't allow all that hurt and anger to build up in you, though. You can't really go around strangling people."

Chat chuckled bitterly, "I guess you won't let me live that down…"

Marigold grinned at him and teased, "I guess not everyone can say they were choked by their favourite superhero when they first met them."

Chat blinked at her in disbelief. "I'm your… favourite superhero?" Marigold's cheekbones turned slightly red and she nodded sheepishly. "Well, that makes me feel a whole lot worse." Suddenly remembering something, Chat asked her, "Wait, you know the rule about-"

"Yes, keep my identity secret or I'll die a slow and painful death," Marigold joked.

Chat chuckled and stood up, pulling the bee superheroine up with him. "I guess I'll see you at patrol tomorrow, partner?" he asked bashfully, holding out a fist.

Marigold also grinned, bumping her fist against his. "See you tomorrow."


The next day at school, all anyone could talk about was the new superhero, Marigold. Walking into class knowing people were unknowingly talking about you gave Marinette a sort of giddiness that she couldn't explain. Once she sat in her usual seat, Alya pulled out her phone, excitedly whispering, "Look at this!" A video of Nadja Chamack reporting came up. "Don't be bemused, it's just the news! I'm Nadja Chamack and it seems there's a new superhero in Paris that goes by the name 'Marigold!' This bee-themed superhero wasn't given the kindest welcome, though, as civilians claim to have seen Chat Noir pressing his baton against Marigold's neck! When asked to comment, one civilian commented, and I quote, "Chat Noir has some serious issues - that's why he doesn't like Scarlet Bug or Marigold." Could there be some underlying sexism here? Or is this alley-cat just afraid to share the attention? I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

Marinette scoffed, unimpressed at the report and muttered, "They really will come up with anything to paint him in a bad light."

Nino, who had also been watching, defended, "Yeah, but, you can't deny that was violent of the dude. He strangled her!"

"I have to admit, I'm with Nino on this, girl," Alya reluctantly said. "Chat was wrong to do that to Marigold." At her words, Adrien dropped his head into his hands and groaned quietly. Alya raised an eyebrow at this and asked, "You alright, Adrien?"He only grunted in response. "Okay? Anyway, Marinette, what do you-"

"I think you guys need to put yourselves in Chat's shoes," Marinette suddenly snapped. "Sure, it wasn't fair he did that but think about this : remember Volpina from a few weeks ago? She pretended to be on their side before turning on them. Now imagine you have been fighting akumas by yourself again and again while your so-called partner is doing interviews or whatever. Then someone comes and says they're here to work with you, but turns out they're not on your side either. Would you be so trusting if someone else came, claiming to be on your side? I don't think so."

Adrien gaped up at Marinette when she was done and thought to himself, "She hit that nail right on the head."

Alya sighed, "I guess you're right. But I think you're only defending Chat because…" She trailed off, a teasing smile on her face. Marinette blushed and pushed her best friend's arm lightly.

Adrien looked suspiciously between the girls and asked, "Because what?"

Alya grinned and said, "Nothing, Adrien. Anyway, enough about Chat. What do you think of Marigold, girl?" the brunette asked. "Do you think she'll be as bad as Scarlet Bug?"

Adrien scoffed, "I don't think that's possible."

Nino rolled his eyes and said, "I still don't see why you three dislike Scarlet so much. She's perfect."

He stared dreamily into the distance and Alya rolled her eyes. Turning to the blonde, she fired, "What about you Adrien? Think Marigold will be cool?"

He nodded and replied, "I think it'll be better for Chat Noir because now at least he has a partner."

Alya, satisfied with his answer, turned back to her BFF. "I'm still waiting for your answer, girl."

Marinette shrugged noncommittally and murmured, "I think Marigold is okay. But Chat Noir is still, and always will be, my favourite."

Adrien felt himself die a little.


P.S. I changed Venom because ObeliskX and I felt the original power was too strong and wanted to focus on Marinette using brains as much as brawn. Did you like the chapter? ;-)