Chapter 10: All cards on the table

"Are you sure you want to progress like that, [Y/N]?", asked you Master Fu.

It was early morning, even before school, as you sat with the guardian of the Miraculous in his little massage parlor and were discussing what you should do next.

Plagg was taking a nap on your shoulder and Wazyy was drinking like you humans tea.

"After Adrien is now totally out of the picture, the only way to get the Miraculous Spellbook is to: a) Steal it, but we could get the Colletor as Akuma or b) wait till Lila comes into the picture because I know that's the day Mr. Agreste takes out the book from his safe and I can just say I saw him doing it and as a wearer of the Miraculous it's my right to have the book or a copy of it.", you listen again.

"And option B will mostly prevent an Akuma?", wonders Wazyy.

"Yeah, I think so. Mr. Agreste wants just to keep the original book I don't think if one of the superheroes of Paris asks him for a copy he will be upset enough…and if he will, then we have a candidate for being Papillion.", you remind.

Master Fu sipped thoughtfully his tea.

"An Akuma at our hands or a step closer to finding out who Papillion is…Both options are risky in their own way."

"That's way we need to have Marinette now on board.", you insist. "She needs to know about you Master so you can teach us both in the way of the guardians. Also, I think it's best she knows my full story, I'm sick of it of being hated by her as Chloe. If our partnership has to work no secrets. Secrets screwed over the canon partnership of the ladybug and the cat, we can't take this risk."

Wazyy hummed in agreement, while Master Fu locked like he bit into a lemon. You bet anything in him, his guardian training was screaming no at this plan, but he couldn't fight the logic.

You already knew Marinette's identity.

It was only fair she knows yours and learns the truth about yourself. It will make you a stronger team.

Then you two with Master Fu would decide who to give out the other Miraculous and train with them to be ready on Hero's Day.

Hero's Day was set to be the end of all this.

Papillion would curse the day he decide to come out of his hidey hole and with luck he would lead you straight to Mayura too.

"I see your points [Y/N]. I really do, it's just so hard for me to go against the rules of the order. I did it once and it ended in a catastrophe."

"Please Master, believe me, it's better this way. How you did it in the original timeline didn't work out."

Master Fu signed but nodded.

He trusted your judgment and knowing what had happened in the original timeline, he couldn't really disagree.

He promised he would send word to Marinette today. This evening all cards shall be laid out on the table.

You would be lying if you said you weren't a bit nervous. Would Marinette believe your story, would she see and accept the truth?

Accepted you?

For now, you could only thank Master Fu for agreeing with you and for the tea.

It was time to go to school to prevent another Akuma.

Reflekta.

Since she know Adrien and Chat Noir had been the same person…Marinette hadn't been the same.

She had sworn… sworn to herself that after what happened last year with Kim no boy would trick her again.

Like possessed she had tried to find out anything about Adrien. Her room full of pictures of him. Presents for years and years to come prepared.

But that all got destroyed as she saw the boy behind the mask.

Chat Noir had always flirted with her, never accepted when she said no, and continued, even calling her this stupid nickname she detested after she told him to stop.

He proclaimed to like her, love her, yet he didn't care how she felt about it and what she said.

Him been Adrien, who after all her research…no call it right Marinette, stalking had seemed like an angel from above was devastating.

Again she had been tricked.

And worse…she had become this crazy obsessed stalker because of him.

How could she have fallen so much all in the name of "love"?

Yes, she had a traumatic experience, but it didn't give her the right to act the way she did.

So after she had returned home that day, she ripped and burned all Adrien-related things and took a deep look into herself.

Marinette realized, that she was probably not ready to let in someone again in her heart. She didn't want to turn crazy Stalker again.

So she decides to take a break from all romantic things.

It was better that way.

Anyway, the good thing was that Adrien got out of his abusive home and Alya had not only cleared the Ladyblog of Chat Noir, but she also support Marinette in her healing.

Alya admitted too, that she had been an enabler. Instead of pointing out how sick her behavior was, Alya was so into supporting her ships that she didn't see the red flags also.

The two best friends had a long heart-to-heart after Lady Wifi.

The midnight black-haired girl had a feeling that her friendship with Alya had only deepened and transformed. It was an amazing feeling.

After all these crazy days it was a bit funny to take something like a school photo.

All were still reeling from Adrien being Chat Noir, then him going into forest care and his father would face a trial for child abuse, that hearing about Juleka and her supposed curse was a nice change.

Weird, right?

But Marinette took this change to help her friend.

After the photograph had arranged them to his liking, he took the photo and Marinette felt her heart light seeing Juleka's pretty smile of happiness.

Seemed like a curse was broken.

And she could help people without being Ladybug.

It was a nice feeling.

Then it was time for lunch. She was ready to eat with Alya and the other girls, as she felt how Tikki poked her through the purse.

Must be something important, since her kwami left her alone in school if an Akuma wasn't on the loose.

So she told her friends to go to the cafeteria without her because she needed to use the bathroom.

A lie, of course, but the only safe space she could talk with Tikki.

After she carefully closed the door to the bathroom stall she let Tikki fly out of her purse.

Her kwami floated before her with crossed flippers.

"Marinette, what I gonna tell you will sound probably really confusing for you, but it's time."

She frowned.

"Whatever it is I'm ready to hear it Tikki."

"That's good to hear. It's time that you meet someone special. The one who gave you the Miraculous."

The midnight black-haired girl thought she heard wrong.

"Wait a second?! Does it mean it wasn't yourself who choose me to be Ladybug?"

"No it was the honorable Guardian of the Miraculous…and he will meet you and Calamity today in his home."

Speechless couldn't even describe what Marinette was feeling.

The world…it was changing so fast.

As Calamity, you sat again at Master Fu's tea table and enjoyed a nice cup of tea, only now it was evening.

You were happy that no Reflekta Akuma happened, and also that Juleka's "curse" or whatever had ended.

One day, if things would be going well, she would be your sister-in-law. Also, you liked her, it was nice seeing a problem being resolved without the need for superheroes.

All in all a good day.

Still, you wonder again why Papillion didn't make another Akuma today. Someone at least in Paris had to have a shit day. It was a big city!

Or…was he occupied with other things?

If he was who you thought he was then he was surely searching for a really good lawyer and trying to get Adrien back in his grabby hands.

But could he really be Papillion? Were the creators of the show so without fantasy, they just made the dad of one of the superheroes the villain?

…Well, Miraculous Ladybug had crappy writing, honestly, it would be shocking if it was someone else.

Yet, could it be so simple?

Maybe….you should just tell Fu after Marinette was on board and all, that you should just start swinging at Gabriel Agreste and see what happened.

You could find a reason why you attacked him surely.

You just wanted to end this show and then live a nice happy life in this world without stupid Papillion around.

Maybe some competent supervillain would appear, so you could use your powers really for the good of humanity.

You already have told Fu, that after Papillion and Mayura were done, you would hunt down Feast, defeat him, and get the Miraculous Order back.

Then maybe scream at them for an hour or so since their teachings were shit. In what world was it a good idea to take children from their homes and practically force them to become guardians?

So no wonder one day one child, Fu, snapped.

You still don't get what sense it made to not eat for 24 hours and protect the Miraculous Box. What showed this test?

Whatever you would cross this bridge when it was time.

Right now you heard how the door behind you opened.

Every so calm Fu greeted Ladybug.

You turned also around.

Marinette was indeed transformed, skeptical looking around the little Massage Parlor. After she saw you, she seemed to relax more.

You gave her a reassuring smile.

Hesitantly she smiled back.

Master Fu invited her to sit with you guys.

"So you are the one who choose me as Ladybug and…Agreste as Chat Noir.", it was not a question, she just stated things.

The master gave her a tiny nod, which made her frown.

"What made you think me and especially Agreste were the right ones for the job? What kind of method did you use to pick us?"

You had to bite your tongue to stop yourself from laughing. You kinda told Fu the same.

Of course, the master remembers how you have called him out and can't help but smile a bit at Ladybug.

"Calamity asked the same things before I made her the new black cat. I assure you I thought at the time, that my test was sufficient, but I realized now that it was really flawed. With you I had luck. You are a good person, in and out of the suit, Ladybug. Chat Noir hides his true color well, even from me.", he admitted.

Ladybug huffed crossing her arms. She said that she was glad that you all were at least on the same page now.

The Master apologize to her for the mess he had made, which Ladybug accept after a few seconds.

She was too good of a person to hold a grudge.

At least if your name didn't rhyme with liar, but Lila was crazy smart and evil, so she had a right to hold a grudge against her.

If all worked as planned, Rossi would never give you trouble, as she did in the canon timeline. If she tried, you had already a few plans to counter that.

Then it was time to tell you her story.

You hoped all would go well.

Ladybug admitted…she wasn't sure what to think of all that.

Her life, in another dimension, been a television show for kids?

How some misogynist dude and his posse gave her trauma over trauma and practically worshipped the ground Agreste had walked?

The universe was really against her, she been the punchline for many stupid jokes.

Your face as you told her about an Akuma named Backwarder had been really something. She didn't want to think that she could have embarrassed herself so much in the future.

Then this Kwami Dime and Khee who had a sadist pleasure to let reborn people from other dimensions here, living the life of another, till it ended in suicide?

You been reborn as someone she hated?

It was all so…crazy.

Yet a part of her, who got bigger with any revelation and Master Fu telling her that this hadn't been the first time nor would it be probably the last, started to believe.

Then you transformed back and her chin meet the floor.

Now all made sense!

"You are Chloe?! That's why she changed so much, you live now in her body!", she shouted, pointing a finger at you.

You smiled crookedly.

"Yeah…you guys weren't far off with the alien theory."

"You heard that?"

"Yep."

This was mindblowing.

"So who are you?", asked Ladybug curious.

You told her how when you were Calamity, that this was your true body, besides the cat accessory obviously, and told her as much as you could about yourself and your old life.

After that, she was quiet for a while.

You, Fu, Plagg, and Wazyy looked at each other.

What would Ladybug to next?

Well, she detransformed holding a hand out to you and told you smiling: "It's nice to meet you [Y/N], thank you for helping me already so much and being on my side. I hope we can be friends."

It was like a huge weight got lifted from your chest.

Marinette, and also Tikki it seemed, since the little kwami smiled cutely at you, seemed to accept you.

You took her soft hand and shook it.

"The honor is all mine, Marinette. I always wanted to meet you… Being your friend is like the greatest gift you can make me."

That made her smile prettily, a cute blush on her face.

Yeah, suck it Dime and Khee, you were winning at life!

Support me on Ko-Fi!

/empressofthesun

Join my Tumblr for updates and news!

blog/empressofthesunslittlecorner

Join my TikTok for Images with your fav characters!

empressofthesunwriter