Ladybug eyed this new 'hero' with wariness. She knew that Chat at least somewhat supported Queen Bee - his eyes had been firm and his voice even firmer as he told her over their call about how Queen Bee could be trusted. And honestly, Ladybug could see why Chat was so insistent that Queen Bee wasn't an Akuma.

Her gentle blue eyes were uncertain and wavered every few seconds, and even now, she was shaking a little and trying not to glance down the very intimidating height of the tower. Ladybug remembered how she herself had acted similarly, and in her heart, she knew she was already growing to like this new Miraculous holder.

"Well," Ladybug glanced around them. "The rain is still going, but not as hard as before. Chat, how much longer do you think you can stand it?"

Chat's tail lashed, and he grimaced, before looking at Queen Bee with slight worry. "I don't know, my Lady. Maybe two hours or so - although I want to go visit my Princess soon. I don't want her to be disappointed when her knight in shining armor fails to show up."

Ladybug bit her lift to stifle her giggle at Chat's genuinely distressed expression. She sighed affectionately and scratched him under the chin. "You can recharge in her bakery - I hear she has great pastries."

"Cheese?" He blinked.

Ladybug thought quickly, and she smiled when she remembered when Papa had recently baked some cheese bread earlier in the day. Perfect. "Absolutely."

"Well then," Chat's lips pulled up into a grin, delight in his eyes. He purred and turned to Queen Bee, "up for a quick patrol, Queenie?"

The black and yellow heroine jumped, and she nervously tugged on a blong curl streaked with black. Her wings fluttered. "N… Now?"

"Wouldn't want you hurting yourself during the next Akuma attack," Ladybug cut in. "It's best to see what you can do, and then we can set parameters to max out your strengths."

"Well," Queenie hesitated. "I can try. Pollen says I have a weapon, but… I don't know how to use it. She also said powers, but I - "

"Hey, hey," Ladybug chimed softly. "It's okay. Breathe, Queenie. We'll take this one step at a time, okay? Let's first start by getting down from here. Chat?"

"My Lady," Chat bowed, and he whirled out his baton. He grinned at Queen Bee. "My Queen." With that, he leapt off, and he yelled out in joy before extending his baton and vaulting himself onto a roof. He waved up at them cheekily.

"Show off," Ladybug huffed affectionately. She glanced at Queenie. "Ready?"

"It's high," Queen Bee said. Her eyes were wide and her wings were practically shaking from her nerves.

"And you flew up here," Ladybug assured gently. "Now c'mon - I say you live up to your new name, right, Queenie?"

Queen Bee took in a shuddering breath, but she straightened her shoulders and her wings stilled - the shyness in her blue eyes was still there, but Ladybug could see a spark of courage. She could see why she was chosen as the Bee; Queenie was timid, but within her, there was the flame of a leader.

Ladybug felt her heart warm at the sight, and after a nod, they fell.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Ladybug grinned as Chat yowled joyfully into the dark, rainy air, the sound traveling through the empty streets of Paris and echoing amongst the buildings. Beside him, quickly learning Queen Bee was running just as fast over roofs and porches, sometimes even faster by letting her wings flutter and increase her speed.

They soon stopped when they had slowly circled a good portion of the city and was heading back to the Eiffel Tower.

At the base, Queen Bee let out a shriek of success, twirling up in a whirl of rain water and glowing pink cheeks along with sparkling blue eyes. She continued to dance in the air, her wings fluttering gracefully, and Ladybug hung back from a slight distance to watch with almost amused eyes.

"You were right," Ladybug said softly. She turned to smile at Chat Noir, who was crouching beside her. "She'll make a great hero."

After a moment of silence, his lips parted, and his voice was at the same gentle tone as hers as he said, "when I met her, she said something to me. And when I realized that she really wanted to be a hero, I felt so… happy. Not only because she's a good person - and she is - but also because it means - " his eyes were glittering as he turned his head to meet her gaze.

His cheeks were a pale rose and his eyes were wide and excited. "It means I can protect her better. Them better."

Ladybug felt a lump in her throat, and she swallowed in nervousness before saying, "them?"

"I thought my Lady didn't want personal information," he said almost teasingly, and his smile was lopsided and crooked. She felt her heart thump - she always knew that her kitty was handsome, but never before had he seemed so charming than lately.

"Maybe this one time," she chided just as good-naturedly, and she leaned forward to boop him on the nose slightly. He flushed a little before he sighed, and in his chest, a small purr began to rumble.

"Luka and Marinette," he said quietly. "I want to protect them. Plagg - my kwami - said that, that you and I are soulmates. And we are." His eyes turned back to her once more.

"And I have a feeling that Queenie's just as connected to us as we are with each other." His tail lashed, but it was slow, and there was barely a hint of aggravation from the rain as he finished with, "but I want Marinette and Luka to be mine, too. My soulmates."

Ladybug lifted her hands to her face, her eyes going wide and her face wildly red. Her heart screamed an unsteady rhythm within her chest, and she felt an emotion swell up so strongly in the back of her throat that she could only let out a strangled whimper.

"Oops," Chat grinned, and his cheeks were red as well as he peered at her. "Uh, said a little too much. Do you… think it's a bad idea? For me to pursue them?"

(Absolutely.)

(Please.)

(She wants it. She wants it so bad it hurts.)

"Not at all," she said, and her whisper was breathless, her cheeks rosy and her eyes sparkling with affection and endearment as she stared at her silly kitty. Her wonderful, amazing, selfless kitty who she loved and was ready to be in love with. She was on the path to it, on the road, and she could see the cliff at the end and she was so excited to jump off and free fall right into Chat's arms. (Into their arms.) "Do you… like them?"

Chat giggled almost nervously, and his ear flicked. "Almost too much, my Lady."

"Do you love them?" Her voice was a bare whisper by now.

Chat paused at that, and his attention slid back to Queen Bee, who was still twirling in the rain, her cries of joy echoing around them and mixing with the pitter pattering of the rain. He looked back at her. "I'm getting there."

And god, that was the moment Ladybug almost broke. She cradled her hands to her chest, holding them tightly as to resist the urge to just pull that cat over and kiss him. Her heart was overflowing and Chat was there, ready to catch every drop with the his perfect, crooked grin and playfully glinting eyes.

"Go see her," Ladybug said thickly, her voice almost wavering from her emotions. She blinked to get rid of the rising tears. "Chat, make sure Queen Bee is safe - but after, go see her."

"My Lady?" He looked at her, and there was worry in his gaze as his eyes darted around her face rapidly. "A-Are you… crying?"

Ladybug only shook her head and sniffed, before raising a spandex-covered hand and rubbing away any tears. She grinned, a big, toothy smile, and she spun out her yo-yo. "Your hour of playing in the rain is almost up, kitten. Make sure Queenie's alright on getting home, then go see Marinette, okay?"

Chat's brows furrowed, and he nodded slowly. "Are you alright, Ladybug?"

She laughed, and it was genuine and came straight from her heart - her stomach was doing flips while her chest felt like someone had dumped a shower of warmth and chocolate inside of her. She gazed at him with soft eyes, and she hoped that her endearment would reach him beyond the spotted mask she wore. "Never better."

Ladybug swung away, waving a bye to a fluttering Queen Bee. She made quick work, hastily rushing back in the direction of the bakery and not even minding the rain running off of the slick material of her suit. She dropped into her room from her balcony, transforming along the way and landing on her bed as Marinette.

"Better hurry, bug," Tikki said, already zooming away and out of sight. "Chat's coming soon."

Marinette beamed, and she set to do as Tikki said - she raced around her room, taking out her clipboard, sketchbook, several pens and pencils, and different fabrics. She flipped through her sketchbook and went red at the page where she doodled little hearts around a cat and guitar pick, but she sighed after only a little hesitance.

She let it be on her desk before sprinting downstairs to sneakily steal (as in asking her parents and they of course say yes) a couple of cheese breads.

Only five minutes later, Marinette was in her room with a steaming plate of cheesy pastry beside her and her cheeks pink as she awaited her silly kitty. As if on cue, there were rapid knocks on her door, and she climbed up to her bed and opened it - a damp superhero jumped into her readily towel laden arms.

"Oh, poor minou," Marinette cooed as she started gently rubbing the towel around the shaking hero's body. His hisses were muted in the towels, but slowly, they became more quiet as a purr took over instead. "It must have been hard to deal with all this rain. I promise I'll have your coat done soon, then you can save Paris again, okay?"

At this, Chat's purr only grew louder, and she didn't know if it was on purpose or not, but his tail slithered over and loosely wrapped around her calf. He peeked at her from underneath the white towel, and he said, "as my princess demands."

Marinette felt her cheeks go pink at that, and she gently tsk ed her tongue as she gently patted him dry until he wasn't soggy. "I bet your prince would like that, too."

At that, the air stilled, and suddenly, they were staring at each other. The air crackled, and in that small moment, Marinette felt fear strike her heart. What should she say? This was a turning point in their relationship, and she could mess it up, even backtrack all the way - she moved to pull back. But something stopped her, and in the back of her mind, the sudden image of a kind smile and even kinder blue eyes graced her thoughts."You're an incredibly brave girl, Marinette."

She took a deep breath.

"It doesn't feel right without him with us," Marinette finally croaked. Her eyes were wide and uncertain as she gazed at Chat, at the cat she held in her arms and nuzzled very gently. Yet her heart still ached for another person - someone who'd grasp her firmly yet with a touch so delicate it reminded her of a warm summer breeze, for someone to mezmerize Chat and to enchant her.

"I wish he were here," Chat's eyes gleamed. "But you're here too."

Marinette couldn't help but smile at that, and she sighed, scritching him behind the ear and getting his purr to increase in volume. They'd have to talk about it more, of course, but later, when Luka was with them. Marinette's heart swelled. She didn't know if Luka would like the talk - hell, she doesn't even know if Luka likes them. But she knew that without him, she and Chat wouldn't ever be able to make a relationship without thinking about him.

"You said you loved Ladybug," she whispered.

"I'll always love her," Chat purred, and he inched closer, nuzzling his face into her tummy and his hands gently kneading her thigh. "But I like you,purrincess. You and Luka."

A hand flew to cover her mouth and the other rubbed Chat's ear fondly. (He chose her. Her. Marinette - clumsy, weird, not-a-superhero-Marinette. He didn't know it, but he liked her beyond the mask, and nothing had ever felt so thrilling .) After a moment, she moved her hand to reveal her shaky smile and the rosy blush on her cheeks. "Oh, you silly cat."

She leaned down, and she buried her nose into his blond locks, and cradled him gently as she murmured, "you've got your claws in me now, kitty. Don't let go. Let's catch ourselves a handsome prince, okay?"

"This cat's on the prowl," Chat muttered, and he pulled her closer, his arms gathering around her waist and tugging her closer. She curled into him, pressing herself into the smooth leather of his suit and then smiling as the vibrations of his purr soothed them both. The tail still wrapped around her calf squeezed gently.

They rested like that for a while, quietly content with each other, until Marinette spoke once more. "I used to like a boy in my class."

At this, he visibly perked, ears swiveling in her direction and his back going straighter. His green eyes were wide and almost unblinking as he looked at her. "R… Really?"

Marinette giggled, and she gently booped him on the nose - she felt a rush of giddiness speed through her as he flushed, eyes going slightly cross-eyed as he tried to follow the tip of her finger. "I think… I really liked him, but…"

He leaned forward, eyes sparkling with glee and lips pulling up to reveal sharp-canined teeth grinning. "But?..."

"But," she retorted, and pinched his arm gently in retaliation. "A mangy alley-cat and a handsome prince caught my attention."

"How fortunate for me that such a lowly kitten could capture a fair princess' eyes," he purred. "I'm at your service now - call upon your bumbling servant whenever you need me."

"Bumbling servant?" She couldn't help but laugh, and she leaned in as well, her smile wide and her cheeks red with mirth as she said, "bumbling fool, more like."

"The audacity!" He gasped dramatically.

"Now, now," Marinette chided, and she gently pushed him away to hop down from her bed and head towards the fabrics she had lain out. "C'mon,chaton. We wouldn't want to disappoint Ladybug by just playing around all night, right?"

For a minute or two she just shuffled around, humming under her breath as she contemplated a fabric before deciding no and then moving on to the next one. She paused after she realized that she hadn't gotten a reply.

"Chat?"

Marinette turned around, only to see the hero crouching on her bed, his eyes wide with his lips turned up into a half-smile. She flushed as the silence stretched on, and finally, she sputtered, "what are you staring at?"

"You're beautiful." His voice was a whisper, but it was filled with emotion, and his tail waved lazily in the air as his neck went a slow pink.

Marinette's heart fluttered, and she again had to resist the urge to go up there and just take a kiss. Her head feeling like someone had stuffed her brain with cotton, she stuttered, "j-just get down here!"

She decided to ignore the gleeful smirk on his face, and she set to work.

The next three hours went by faster than a second - Marinette felt as if her face would be permanently red because of Chat's constant shower of praise and flirting. (She was enjoying it, a lot, but she'd like to keep some of her dignity, thank you.)

"Thank you for your help," Chat said, holding both of her hands in his as he readied on her bed to dart back out into the rain once again. His voice was earnest and his eyes even more so as he leant down and gently brushed the tops of her hands against his lips. The touch was feather soft and caused her chest to warm and her ears turn pink. "I'm in your service, my princess."

"Can't let a little minou suffer in the rain, now can I?" She said softly.

"No," his eyes were glittering. "You can't."

For a moment, they stared at each other, and Marinette felt herself practically sprinting down that road and towards the cliff. It was in her sight, and she was running at it, ready to throw herself off and laugh as she falls through the air. It was… strange, because he had been her partner for the longest time, but fear and doubt had held her back. But it wasn't now, and she couldn't be more grateful.

"Bye, Chat," she said. Marinette bit her lip, before saying, "be careful. I… I know the attacks have been getting a lot lately, so, so be careful. I don't want you to get hurt."

At this, his grin grew even wider, and he nodded. "Wouldn't want to disappoint such a pretty purrincess of mine. As you command! This kitty will keep himself safe. And besides," he winked, "I have a feeling we'll be getting a little help."

He was out in a flash, leaving Marinette on her own and on her bed, the warmth of him still there as she peered out and saw a blue-coated figure leap away from building to building, until the rain was too much and he was lost to the grey horizon.

She unknowingly let out a small, dreamy sigh, and a little weight landed on her shoulder. Tikki giggled.

"He's certainly a very romantic one," Tikki mused. "Haven't seen Plagg with a Chosen so charming in such a long time. Although I have to say that Luka enchants you just as much."

Marinette blushed, and she shook her head before looking down at Tikki. "Nevermind them now. Tikki, who's Queen Bee?"

At this, the kwami's face contorted, and she sighed before floating up and down back to a small plate of cookies. There was a slight frown on her face as she slowly nibbled on one. "I knew you'd ask."

"It's important," Marinette countered, walking up to her kwami. "Of course I'd ask. I didn't know there was another Miraculous holder aside from that small time with Rena Rouge."

Tikki shook her head and an antenna flicked almost nervously. Her blue eyes were troubled as she swallowed her bite of pastry. "No, there hasn't been until very recently. I… suspect the Guardian chose a holder not too long ago. The Bee Miraculous - I haven't seen Pollen in a very long time."

"But why is there another Chosen?" Marinette pleaded. "I thought that it was dangerous to let more than a few Miraculous to be active?"

"It is," Tikki quickly assured. "It is. But Marinette, you have to remember that recently, Hawk Moth's been too much. The Guardian gave the Bee Miraculous to this Queen Bee because he knew it'd balance things out once more."

They stared at each other, kwami and wielder, before Marinette said, "can I trust her?"

At this, Tikki tipped her head to the side, and she seemed to be contemplating Marinette with eyes that spoke beyond simple wisdom. They were the eyes of a god, and inwardly, Marinette felt herself shrink a little. Finally, after a minute of silence, Tikki spoke. "She's as malicious as you or Chat." She smiled. "Queen Bee is here as your teammate, Marinette."

Marinette sighed, and she cupped her hands. The little god floated down and sat within them, and Marinette walked over to her window to look outside at the rain once more. She frowned faintly at the drops of water running down the glass. "Chat said he feels like Queen Bee is connected to us. Is that true?"

"All the Miraculouses are intertwined." Tikki's was soft as a tiny, red paw patted Marinette's thumb. "Pollen has awakened and has a worthy Chosen, I'm sure of it. She's a part of your future now, Marinette."

"Well," the girl finally said after a moment. "I guess we'll have to see."

Tikki's smile was calm while her eyes glittered with pride. "We will."

XxXxXxXxXxX

"That was unbelievable," Chloe whispered as she quietly passed the little fairy-like god another pastry that was sticky with golden honey. The kwami smirked tiredly and gorged on her snack.

"Didn't I tell you?" Pollen winked, and she lapped at some dripping honey. "And Ladybug and Chat Noir don't hate you - Tikki nags and Plagg's annoying, but they're both wise. They can tell you're not corrupted."

Chloe stared in awe at the little god she currently held in her hands - this tiny creature had granted her that power. The rush of the wind in her hair, the unimaginable strength running through her veins, the freedom that had greeted her as soon as she yelled for transformation and leapt out her window.

Chloe glanced at the comb that sat innocently on her desk. It was plain-looking and just like any other comb, but Chloe knew she'd have to keep it safe and never let anyone truly know its worth. She got up from her chaise and gently picked it up, the metal cool under her touch and glinting slightly in the dim light of her lamps.

"They're going to ask where I'm going," Chloe muttered. "Daddy always has bodyguards around me."

"You were chosen because you outstand from other humans," Pollen said in an almost amused voice. "Use what you have. The Guardian has told me about about you - you know how to direct people and take control."

"But I don't want to control people," Chloe almost hissed, and she lifted her foot in a small stomp of retaliation. "That's Hawk Moth. I want to help people."

Chloe waited for a reaction - maybe anger, exasperation, or even mocking, but Pollen merely looked up at her from her hands with the most fond blue eyes and a small smile on her face.

The kwami floated up and rubbed her cheek gently against Chloe's. Her voice was sweet and low as she said, "you'll make a wonderful Queen Bee, honey."

And the words were simple, definitely not the most complex praise she had gotten, but to Chloe, it felt like she had suddenly been given a plate of fresh fruit and delicious veggies when all her life she had been eating exhausting amounts of steak - good at first, but slowly came to taste like nothing more than sawdust overtime.

Chloe felt tears prick her eyes, and she cupped Pollen into her hands as she curled into herself and brought her hands to her chest, close to her heart. "Thank you." She whispered.

She cried quietly through the night, soothed by Pollen's presence nuzzling silently into her chest.

XxXxXxXxXxX

*Whistles innocently*

Just sayin', my AO3 and tumblr are a lot more consistently updated than here.

You can find me at both places with my username being redyarns.