Symbiotic Whiskers
Chapter 7
"Dark wings, fall."
Nooroo was ejected out from the miraculous, slightly dizzy feeling the whirl of emotions from both his master and Nathalie. Gabriel had been known to pull all-nighters, but his exhaustion seemed beyond that.
Nathalie was already de-transformed, Duusu the small blue feathered kwami waving excitedly to the fellow magical creature. The woman waited, her nerves shaken as she still couldn't believe what Hawkmoth uttered when his akuma returned without him summoning it back or Ladybug cleansing it.
"Gabriel." She reached out to his sleeve, pulling him from his shock. "Is she really-"
"Dead." The man took off his glasses, walking to the other side of the room to lean against the wall as he rubbed his eyes. He had witnessed death before, but never in the perspective of the person dying. The sudden darkness, the emptiness, until he was pulled back into his own mind to the rude awakening of how fragile mortality really was, with or without powers.
"How?" She demanded politely, Gabriel taking a calming breath as he wished to not remember how it went down.
"Antibug had Ladybug in her grasp, about to obtain her miraculous. Cat Noir shouldn't have been able to get to her in time without risking everyone's safety. He only had enough room for a single string to catch the back of Antibug's head and-" Gabriel blinked, and suddenly he saw Antibug's vision snap upwards before going out.
He had said enough, Nathalie gasping as she realized what their plan had brought about. "Chloe….what have we done?"
"What Cat Noir did." Gabriel corrected, never having intended to have anyone killed. Would it have mattered? How many would he trade to bring back his dear Emilie? The question never occurred to him, but for a girl like Chloe the world would rejoice from her exit. The only downside was how many akumas she was able to help him produce.
Nathalie felt her legs weaken, a horror beginning to dawn as her body couldn't summon enough strength to support herself. Gabriel was quick to notice, moving over with purpose to give her the support she needed. Once stable, she uttered out her revelation. "If they found out who you were, if they're willing to go that far-"
"I won't let them find us." The man's purpose and resolve hardened, because it was too late to back out now. The heroes have drawn first blood, and they might be willing to do the same to them. "We'll have to be more careful, watch our step at every move."
"And what if they kill someone else who's been akumatized?"
Letting her go once she regained her balance, Gabriel looked out towards the skylight, the windows slowly closing to seal off the moonlight. "Anyone we lost, we can bring back. All we need, are their miraculous."
Wherever they were, whoever had them, they would do everything to stop those dangerous individuals.
Awake
Adrien's eyes snapped open, his body immediately rushed with a short burst of adrenaline to chase any sense of tiredness away. Already his surroundings were planted into his mind like he had been watching them for hours.
The sky was a burning orange against the clouds, pigeons beating their wings past the windows of the bedroom. All around he could make out scattered items of fabric, half made outfits, a desk with an absurdly high number of photos of him on the corkboard. This wasn't his room.
Marinette's room, he was still on the cushion, under a blanket, with the girl right on top of him groaning as she buried her head further into his chest. He could feel her warm heart beating along his stomach, her fingers tightening their grip on his suit right along his collar bone. She smacked her lips, closing off the stream of drool coming from her mouth and onto him.
Good thing he was still wearing the suit, otherwise this would be a whole lot awkward….ok never mind this was pretty weird as is.
What time was it?
His tail moved out on its own, stretching out until it found a clock along the desk and spinning it towards Adrien's view. Almost six thirty…..ALMOST SIX THIRTY!
"Hey." He tried to shake her awake, only for her arms to slip under him and squeeze tightly as she shielded her face from the light.
"Too early." She must not be a morning person, but if he slept in for any longer then Nathalie was about to walk into a room without him in it.
"I need to get up Marinette."
With a low hum in recognition, her heavy eyes parted open enough to see past her dream. Rolling her head up, dragging her cheek up along his torso, Marinette stared towards Cat Noir for a moment, blinking slowly as she was finally starting to wake up. Once the rest of her dream faded, she was awake enough to realize who she was using as a bed.
"WAH!" Throwing herself back, Marinette exploded out from the blanket, her foot finding the corner of it just to make her slip backwards.
An arm shot out, catching her just in time as Marinette was left staring up at Cat Noir, resting in his firm grip.
"Sorry!" Marinette stood up ramrod straight, letting Cat Noir have some distance. "I-I didn't mean to sleep with you-ON you!"
She was about to explode into a wider rant, potentially doubling down on digging her into a deeper hole. Though he seemed distracted, and when she glanced back to her desk her hands launched out to try and hide her collage of Adrien photos. It was already bad enough when Cat Noir spotted her screensaver, but how was she supposed to explain all of this?! Last night she didn't have time or the thought to cover it up before Cat Noir's arrival.
"So uh, how are things going with this Adrien guy?" Cat Noir asked, making Marinette only feel more embarrassed by the whole thing. Great, now he would see that her 'crush' was more like an addiction.
"I'm failing." She slumped over, defeated as there was no point in hiding it anymore. "I keep getting every chance, he comes in every other day and he's so nice and caring and lately at school when he-"
Oh, oh no.
Adrien exploded at Chloe yesterday, and he might very well find out today that she was never coming back. He used to be friends with her, and while she didn't blame his reaction Adrien is going to be under so much guilt. Forget trying to handle a conversation with him, the moment she knew that Adrien was in distress she had to make sure he was taken care of in his moment of need.
If he just so happened to fall for her during that, then things would turn out perfectly.
"Look." Noticing her pause, Cat Noir had to make things quick because he really had to go. "I really think it's amazing how you're so committed to making things work with Adrien, but I think it's hurting you even more pushing yourself so far out of your comfort zone for so long. You've helped me a lot, and I bet you've helped Adrien without even realizing it and he would appreciate that."
Marinette couldn't tell Cat Noir she knew about Chloe, because officially she wasn't informed yet or if Chloe was gone. Her powers to fix everything might not have worked as well as some would hope, and in that case Marinette/Ladybug would have to live with the consequences, including everyone else in her life.
Adrien, and Cat Noir.
Stepping forward to give Cat Noir one last hug, she squeezed tightly to show her care for the hero. He never really said anything last night, and all he does is give her praise and thanks her efforts, more than anyone has given to the klutz she was as Marinette. "I hope you feel better."
"I do." He gave her a short squeeze around her waist before pulling away, and in a single hop was up on the ceiling opening the door to the rooftop. "Take care Marinette, I hope to see you again soon. And don't stress too hard about this Adrien guy, just your company is enough to bring up anyone's spirits."
Then he was off, maneuvering in a smooth twist of acrobatics before he yanked himself out to swing through the early morning air. She rushed to her window, face pressed against the glass to watch what she had seen in person hundreds of times as Ladybug.
He went from one thing after another, but still he persists to be a hero for Paris.
Cat Noir, was amazing.
"Ahem." Tikki, finally coming out from hiding the entire night had many things on her mind. "Marinette, are you sure it's a good idea to let Cat Noir visit you like this?"
"Like what?"
"The more he learns about you, the greater chance he might learn that you're Ladybug."
Ladybug, a hero praised by many but could hardly ever be there for her partner. Marinette wasn't a hero, but she was the one that Cat Noir could rely on when he needed help.
"I'm sure it's fine. To him Marinette and Ladybug couldn't be any more different."
Now how was she supposed to react if she goes to school and Chloe isn't there? On a normal day, Marinette would vocally rejoice knowing Chloe wasn't there. But if they revealed she could never come back, those words would come back to bite her and ruin her relationship with everyone else. If she said nothing, keeping her mouth shut until it was announced, then everyone would see that she knew something.
For the first time ever, Marinette hoped Chloe would show up to school.
Jumping in through the window to his own bedroom, Cat Noir quickly thwipped out a black string to snag the security remote and pull it into his grasp. As his suit retracted to reveal the boy underneath, Adrien hit the button to close the window. For all the security his father had installed in this place there sure were plenty of gaps.
Nathalie
He was just in time, because his father's assistant was at the door ready to check in on him.
"Adrien, are you awake?"
"Yes, come in."
She creaked open the door slowly, seeming more down than usual. "Ah, you're already dressed."
Usually he would be in his pajamas right now, but he didn't get the chance to change yesterday or last night and…The events flashed by his mind again, Adrien keeping a neutral face as he pushed down the storm inside to listen. "I'll be down for breakfast soon."
""I wanted to talk to you about something else." She gestured over to his chair, Adrien following quietly as he sat down keeping his hands from shaking as the dread of what she was about to bring was at the tip of her tongue. "Adrien, you remember Mayor Bourgeois, Chloe's father?"
"Yes." A cold thick wad was building in the back of his throat, a dull quivering already dancing down his arms.
"He called Gabriel early this morning. Chloe has-" Her voice shuddered, Nathalie holding up a fist to her mouth as she struggled to get the words out. "Chloe was found dead this morning in her room."
He knew it, he knew it this whole time and yet he had to pretend he was hearing this for the first time. He had to pretend like he didn't yell at her yesterday and accuse her of being so horrible. He had to pretend he was a good person, but the urge to throw up was very real.
"E-excuse me." Moving past the woman, his feet moved faster and faster until he was a few steps away from a sprint as he entered the bathroom. Falling over his toilet, he tried to get himself under control as his stomach kept falling deeper and deeper. Heaving in place, he expected to dump whatever was inside him into the bowl below but nothing came out.
His nausea was being pulled out of his mind, the shaking the tingling, all being muted as his mind became oddly clear. Glancing down to his black shirt, the boy could only guess what was able to manipulate his body like so. "Thank you."
"Your father is clearing your schedule as we speak." Nathalie didn't question his reaction, only keeping nearby in case Adrien needed someone. "If you want to stay home from school today-"
"Has anyone told them?"
"The Principal would have been informed, but as for the rest of the school I cannot say."
"Then, I'll tell them. They deserve to know." With a clear head, wishing to somehow take some responsibility, Adrien walked out and glanced by the mirror to make sure he was presentable for the school day.
While Adrien was picking himself up and deciding that his outfit wasn't fitting for the day, Nathalie managed to see a glimpse of his father in the boy. Both of them, handling such heavy news and problems with their head straight on their shoulders ready to do whatever it took to deal with it. She would learn from them, do the same and support however she could.
"Nathalie." Adrien spoke up, Nathalie shocked by how fast he had changed. The white shirt was gone, instead he was wearing a sleek double breasted black jacket with a high collar, his usual black shirt underneath there but instead it had two thin sickly green angular slits on the front running from the shoulders and down towards the bottom of his chest. She felt like they were watching her, but she glanced up to address the boy talking to her.
He had styled his hair down, shadowing part of his face from the world, hiding a part of himself. "I want you to tell me as much as you know, no matter how hard it is. I can handle it."
Marinette tapped her foot anxiously at her desk, her nerves tingling and each second felt like an hour. Sitting at her desk with the mostly empty class, Marinette was much earlier than usual. When she woke up earlier than usual due to a stray staying over, there was no way she could go back to sleep.
Cleaning her room, trying on several outfits and finishing some other projects, finishing the rest of her homework and helping her father open up the bakery, it was done in an hour and there was barely anything left to do but go to school. For the last twenty minutes since sitting in the class all she had done was sketch away some new outfit ideas while also trying to come up with some excuse not to talk about Chloe at all until she either showed up or the announcement was made.
"Wow." Alya stepped inside, sliding in next to Marinette. "How come you're so early this morning. And when did you become a fan of Cat Noir?"
"Huh?"
"The outfit, nice look but not as subtle as you think."
She was wearing the black skirt, the one she made that accidentally had similarities to the kitty with a lime green blouse and her standard charcoal blazer. "O-oh no, I just grabbed whatever felt right at the time."
"Careful." Alya teased as she jabbed her shoulder with the back of a pencil. "You might give Adrien the wrong idea."
Thinking of Adrien, Marinette could only imagine how bad today might turn out for him. Just in case, she did happen to bring gift thirty five to try and cheer him up but taking advantage of the whole thing just felt like a pile of goop in her head. Even if Chloe could hardly tolerate anyone, she still wanted Adrien until the end.
Adrien, the confusion the conflict….it was so much that she almost wished he didn't show up. Maybe Cat Noir was right, maybe she was stressing herself so much over it. She'll just be there to help if he needs it and see where things go from there.
"Anyways." Alya scooted closer, showing Marinette her phone and playing the video. "Last night Ladybug was fighting against Firework Caster and their fight ended up finishing in the Notre Dame. But as soon as I show up to try and catch Ladybug while she's leaving someone else enters, look!"
She saw it, the black suited individual with red spots moving in to kick Ladybug back inside.
"Two villains in one night!" Alya geeked over it, Marinette feeling a massive pit in her stomach. "Unfortunately I couldn't get in, cops are starting to keep a closer eye on me trying to sneak past their barriers and those bells were too loud to make out what happened inside. But I didn't give up, because Cat Noir ends up leaving with someone that was inside that-"
"Alya." Marinette couldn't handle anymore, pushing Alya's phone down face first onto the desk. "I thought I warned you about getting too close to these fights."
"I stayed behind the barrier this time!" Alya put her phone away as class was about to start. "Ladybug took care of it anyways. I'm thinking Cat Noir may have given up on Ladybug in favor of whoever was there that night. He was cradling her and everything!"
"Alya." Marinette begged, holding a hand over her quivering lip. "Stop, please."
"Wait." Her best friend got closer, her nose skrunching up as she examined Marinette a little closer. The outfit, the reaction, not bringing up Adrien yet, it was all piecing together in Alya's mind. "You're not, disappointed that Cat Noir possibly found someone are you?"
If it meant keeping Alya getting the wrong idea then fine. "Don't tell anyone ok?"
"Does that mean you're giving up on Adrien?" Alya gave Marinette her full attention, that was until it was stolen by the very boy who came into class with a whole new look. Everyone stared, Adrien keeping to himself with his hands in his pockets. Marinette's jaw was slack, because if there was something she didn't realize she needed it was the perfect boy to go bad.
"Holy crap man!" Nino got a front row seat to Adrien's new appearance. "You've gone all punk!"
"Yeah!" The cheerful small blonde girl that was a ray of sunshine was also a fan of it. "You and Juleka are like twins now!"
"Come on." Alix, the short tomboy incarnate kicked her legs up on her desk. "He's more punk than goth."
"Yeah!" Ivan, the big boy with a love for anything metal and rock. "Let's get a band together!"
"That sounds fun!" The chipper girl Rose readily agreed.
"Hey." Alya nudged Marinette, giving her one last test to see if she was ready to either make a move on him or move on. "You might be able to join, you're already matching pretty well with Adrien already."
Marinette didn't budge, completely entranced by Adrien's new look as she could only imagine how rough he could get.
"Careful." Alya closed the girl's jaw. "You're drooling." Guess Marinette still had it down bad for the boy.
The only thing to snap the love struck girl out of it was when Sabrina walked in, her hair hardly done and dried tear stains over her eyes. Adrien even took notice, immediately moving out of his desk to try and intercept her.
"Sabrina." He reached his hand in front of her, and when her sad eyes looked up at him it was clear to him. "They told you?"
She couldn't say anything, her body conjuring up more moisture that it didn't have to start pouring out. Adrien clung tightly around her, letting her soak his shirt as he guided her towards where he was sitting.
"Nino?"
While the others in the class weren't sure what was happening, Marinette was all too aware.
"Nino?" Adrien gently called out to his friend. "Would you switch seats with Sabrina for the day?"
Normally he would ask why, but given how serious Adrien was and how much Sabrina was unable to control herself he nodded and complied, moving out of the way so the two could be right next to each other in comfort.
"Woah." Alya uttered, seeing how any lightheartedness in the class just died. "What do you think happened?"
Marinette didn't have to answer, because someone else came in.
"Class." With a heavy heart, their teacher Miss Bustier arrived without her normal warm demeanor. "Before we start for the day, I have some bad news. This morning, Chloe Bourgeois was found in her room….dead."
The news was so unexpected to them it came as confusion, their teacher remaining silent as their minds slowly processed the information. "There is still an investigation going on and police are trying to figure out what exactly happened, but they confirmed it wasn't suicide. I know many of you had a hard time getting along with her, but Chloe was still a member of this class. Please, it would mean so much to her family if you attended the funeral this Saturday. Think about it, all are welcome to show their respects."
Ladybug closed her yo yo, sitting atop the ferris wheel waiting for her messages to go through. During the day it was almost impossible to get the chance to talk to Adrien, so many of her classmates rushed up at the first opportunity to give their condolences to Adrien and Sabrina seeing how they were the closest to Chloe but had a falling out right before her death.
It must have been crushing for them, and since Marinette was Chloe's number one disliked person she was the furthest from being able to say or do anything. Who knows, maybe her thoughts about wishing Chloe wasn't around anymore were vocal every now and then.
"Ladybug!" One of the booths on the ferris wheel were field with a family, the children smacking their hands on the glass to get her attention. She gave a small wave, staying in place with a smile as the father took a quick picture of his children with her in the background.
During the photo he suddenly pointed towards her, the kids spinning around and spazzing out even more. The reason for that came in a guest arriving beside her.
"Hello Ladybug." Cat Noir poked his head from the underside of the booth she sat on as he sat upside down below her. "Your messages seemed urgent."
"There's no emergency." She patted the seat next to her, Cat Noir rolling himself up to place himself beside her. He gave a friendly wave to the kids as they ignored their father trying to get them to pose again for a photo but it was useless. "I wanted to talk."
"Just talk?"
"If you're not ready I won't force you, but are you willing to listen?"
With a silent nod, Ladybug was finally able to have a chance to talk to her partner. "Before anything, I have to say I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"You never should have had to do what you did, and you only did it because I got myself into a bad situation."
"Ladybug stop." Cat Noir demanded, grabbing her shoulder forcefully and turning her to face him. "This, is not, your fault. What happened, happened, and I was the one to do it."
He pulled away, sighing as he stared ahead at Place de la Concorde with the many lights and rides to entertain them. "I take full responsibility."
"Then at least accept this." Ladybug pulled him into a hug, not letting him go. "You saved my life that night, and I wouldn't be here without you. I don't care what anyone might say, you were my hero."
"Attention all of Paris." All across every jumbo screen, radios and televisions, the mayor himself began to broadcast far and wide with Ladybug and Cat Noir having front row seats. "We have lived in peace and safety these last months despite the recent battles between Hawkmoth and two heroes. In our hearts we had come to accept them and praise them, but last night, I awoke from this dream. As I went to show up to my daughters room to check on her, afraid that in a small moment of weakness Hawkmoth might take advantage of her. I don't know whether she was truly akumatized or not, but as I went to check up on her I saw that the self-proclaimed heroes had taken their action too far. I witnessed Cat Noir standing over my little girl's body, fleeing the scene."
All crowds below began to murmur between themselves, pulling out their phones to immediately capture videos and images of Ladybug and Cat Noir and reporting their location. The mayor's somber expression turned sour as he glared into the camera. "We know that any citizen of Paris can fall victim to akumas, but if Cat Noir has decided to either kill them before they are taken by Hawkmoth or after it does not matter. Unregulated powers have become a danger and a threat to our city, and I have issued an arrest warrant for both Hawkmoth and Cat Noir. Ladybug, if you are truly trying to defend Paris this is your one chance."
The two stood up, yells and cries below screaming for their attention to meet the demands of the public.
"Ladybug, turn in Cat Noir and retire from your hero work. If you do not, you will be considered an enemy of the city alongside these monsters."
"He can't do that!" Ladybug yelled out, but when she turned to her comrade to finally prove she was willing to stand by her side no matter what, he was already gone. Left alone, abandoned, Ladybug finally realized that it was too late. Time after time, Cat Noir needed Ladybug and she couldn't be there for him.
"Please." If he could still hear him, she wanted so desperately for her kitty to come home. "Don't go."
"Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous."
Yet again, her mother had to go off another rant about how horrible the service was because they didn't match up to her impossible standards despite her father employing the best in Paris for this service at his hotel emptied out for anyone in attendance to have a room to use.
The elegant woman wearing only the best of the best outfits, didn't care that she was standing out in the lunch after the funeral. A self entitled woman who belittled everyone around her, the woman that Chloe tried to please and copy in every aspect.
Zoe wasn't sure that was such a good thing in the end, especially by how her mother was treating everyone like usual. Her daughter, Zoe's half sister, was dead and Audrey Bourgeois didn't seem to even bother remembering Chloe's name.
Suddenly flying in from New York to visit Paris was a sudden announcement, but learning that it was because Chloe was dead? Zoe never really got a chance to see if her sister had changed after all these years, now she never will.
Asking her mom about how Chloe was doing was useless, and when she attended the funeral she tried to ask some people about who Chloe had turned out to be. Unfortunately there weren't a lot of answers, because a lot of the attendees came in support of her mother but mostly her step father, the mayor of Paris. It didn't seem like there were a lot of people close to Chloe, so she turned to the people who were her own age.
Even less options, making Zoe wonder if she had missed every opportunity to learn about her half sister while she was alive. Moving to the back of the room, Zoe wanted to distance herself from the superficial crowd and just enjoy a drink in solitude before her mother inevitably wanted to pass on a 'piece of advice'.
Right behind the table of snacks and beverages, Zoe stopped as she was briefly stunned to see someone's hiding behind the table looking off into the crowd. They were so focused, Zoe almost didn't want to interrupt.
It was a girl her age though, and if she was here then maybe Chloe did have a friend.
"Excuse me."
"EEP!" Marinette ducked farther from view of the crowd, but Zoe was already hovering over the girl. "OH um, hi there? Finding everything ok?"
"I guess? What are you doing down there?"
"Oh nothing just, inspecting this finely stitched tablecloth. Take a look at the embroidery!" Marinette pulled up one side of the cloth to show it off, Chloe sort of seeing where she was coming from. While she was focused on that, Zoe began to take notice of the details behind the simple black dress this stranger was wearing.
"Are you into fashion? Your dress looks well made." Zoe tried to start off light, successful in easing the mood.
"Oh this? Yes actually." Marinette stood up to her full height, letting Zoe get a proper look at the dress. Wow, she wasn't as good of a critique as her mother but she had learned the difference between lazy work and well made art.
"That's really well done. I think you might even have a chance to impress my mom."
"Thanks. Who's your mom?"
"Audrey Bourgeois."
The name dropped like a bomb, the mood gone as Marinette just like anyone else connected the dots. "Oh, oh I'm so sorry for your loss."
"Thank you." It was the first time anyone sounded genuine about it. "I hate to admit it, but I wasn't all that close with Chloe. I haven't seen her for years. Were you friends with her?"
The avoidance of eye contact, the biting of her lip, it was very telling. "Guess not."
"Sorry." Marinette couldn't lie, hanging her head in some form of shame. "I just, still felt bad. Chloe was never really nice to me but I still don't think she deserved this."
"I'm not too surprised to hear that." Zoe grabbed herself one of the many drinks, looking back to spot her mother happily laughing with some random adults who probably didn't ever meet Chloe. "She tried to be a lot like my mom, and she is….very difficult to understand, or work with, or be in the same room with sometimes."
"That makes sense." Marinette added without a second thought, before that second thought reminded her it was rude. "No wait, I'm so sorry I didn't mean-!"
"It's ok." Zoe calmed the girl down, unoffended by the statement. "So did Chloe have any friends?"
"Well." Taking a second look around, Marinette was able to spot some certain faces around the crowd. One she had been watching this whole time, not that she would care to say to someone she just met. She pointed over to where Sabrina was at, her father in full dress uniform while talking to the mayor. "Sabrina actually enjoyed being with Chloe most of the time. Sabrina did whatever Chloe wanted and said, and Chloe provided presents. But just before Chloe, passed, they had a falling out."
"Oh." Zoe took another look at the girl Marinette pointed out, how despite being dressed up was huddled directly against her father the whole time, unable to bring her head up to talk to anyone. "She doesn't look like she's very ok."
"No." Marinette only ever saw Sabrina cry ever since the news, remaining silent no matter who was talking to her or what they were saying. "She's been taking it really rough, same with Chloe's dad, or I guess your dad too-"
"He's my step dad." Zoe clarified. "And Chloe is my half sister. My name's Zoe."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Marinette." They both gave smiles as they greeted one another, the first real ones all day.
"Does anyone else come to mind?" Zoe looked around for others their age. "I want to know who Chloe was from someone who possibly got to see the best side of her. No offense."
"None taken." Taking another look around, Marinette's senses were always attuned to where and what Adrien was doing. He was on her mind all day (everyday but this was purely out of concern). It didn't take long, Marinette spotting him standing with his massive bodyguard right behind him as he was over looking at the photo albums Chloe's father had made from just about every single photo of her. It was a lot given the amount of selfies and attention she craved, even jumping on live tv on occasion. "There is, one boy that I-"
"Adrien!" Zoe's mind rushed with nostalgia as she spotted the boy. She can't believe he was still around Chloe after all these years! He was always so kind and sweet that it was hard to imagine he stayed near her sister. "Can't believe I didn't see him earlier. Thanks Marinette, you're a real help."
Adrien seemed a little different, obviously taller and filling out the dark suit he wore with the black button up shirt underneath. She never figured for him to be the kind of boy that would style his hair all emo like. Still, if he was half as nice as he was back during those short moments they met then he would be pleasant company.
Before she could introduce herself, Adrien perked up to her approach and made sure the massive gorilla of a bodyguard wasn't going to throw her out a window for daring to get close to him. "Hi there, your Chloe's sister right?"
"Yes, Zoe. It's been a while since we talked so I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't-"
"I remember." Adrien, wow he sure had a perfect smile despite the mood (or what should be the mood at the funeral). He was a model so it made sense. "It's been years since I've seen you. Are you still living in New York?"
"Yes, things get a little crazy over there sometimes but it's manageable. Paris got its own superheroes, but it doesn't sound like it's staying that way for long."
His eyes furrowed, Adrien suddenly deep in thought to himself after Zoe mentioned it. "We'll see."
She stood there, unsure of where to take the conversation while also waiting for him to continue it. Running her hand around the rim of the glass, Zoe never felt so weird talking to someone before. Was it just the topic? Catching up with a super old acquaintance? Or the fact that they were doing it at a funeral?
"Do you help your mom with her work?" Adrien brought up finally, relieving the tension.
"I've tried." Zoe's shoulders fell as she recalled the countless times she tried to appease the woman. "I stopped actively involving myself in her work after the hundred and fiftieth time of getting fired."
"High standards?"
"So high I don't think she actually expects anyone to meet them." Glancing at the woman, Zoe felt a little bad talking behind her back, but compared to what the woman would say to people's faces it was acceptable.
"I know what you mean." Adrien pictured his own father, who was supposed to show up to the funeral but ended up canceling at the last minute. Instead Nathalie was holding a tablet so his father could video chat in when he had a moment.
"You're still modeling, yes? I think I recall seeing a billboard or two in Times Square with you on it. You just look a little more different than how they depict you."
"We're trying a new look." He paused, noticing his grammar before correcting himself. "I'm trying a new look. Something to separate all the work from me trying to live my own life. It'll be nice now that I have a few more days off from anything my father has planned."
"I totally get that! The clothes I wear in my down time are nothing like this." She gestured to her own straight black gown, her hair and make up neatly done and shoes her mother made her wear that could probably be sold for a few years of groceries. "But I end up with a lot more downtime than I know what to do with."
"We could do something if you'd like." Adrien offered, glancing back over to where the waiters were grabbing a few more trays of fancy snacks and drinks to bring to the guests. His eyes lingered on someone he had been aware of the moment they arrived. "I could try and invite some other classmates that are here, but I don't know how many are willing to join us."
"Oh!" Zoe glanced back to where Adrien was looking, seeing a dark blue head of hair dip down behind it. "I actually met this one girl we can invite. Marinette!"
"Sounds great." Adrien agreed rather eagerly. "But uh, maybe you'd have more luck asking her to join us. She keeps me at a distance."
"Any reason?"
"Not sure, but while you talk with her I'll go try and ask Sabrina. I doubt she'll come along but I want her to know that she's not alone in this."
Yep, the same old thoughtful kind Adrien. Finishing up her drink, Zoe made her way to the not so subtle hide out of Marinette. "Hey Marinette-"
"Sorry so sorry!" The girl didn't bother to hide anymore, instead scrambling everything she had and making a hasty retreat over to Alya waiting outside (Who was promptly kicked out the moment she tried to do a one on one with the mayor about his recent decision with superheroes). "I overheard but unfortunately I already have plans of my own, see ya!"
"Um, sure." Zoe watched her go off, nearly stumbling three times as she left. She seemed upset some way, but that wasn't the case earlier. Did she really have some issue with Adrien like the boy said? Or was it something else that he was oblivious to?
Either way, she hoped she got the chance to meet Marinette again.
"How did the mayor ever come to that conclusion?!" Alya kicked a trash can along the street, waving her hands in the air to allow her body to expel as much building anger as it could. "Ladybug and Cat Noir saved so many lives that Hawkmoth put in danger. Hawkmoth was breaking the law in the first place, and we saw how incompetent the police were to handle it that's when the two showed up to save us!"
Marinette held her piece, listening patiently as the two were walking one another home. "Do you think Ladybug would turn in her partner?"
"No way!" Alya denied in full force, kicking another trash can that wobbled at her abuse. "Ladybug is loyal, helpful, friendly brave and kind! No way she would work with someone as dangerous as the mayor believes Cat Noir to be. Also, why does he think Cat Noir killed her? Does he have proof or-oh my gosh was she was the one he was carrying out from the church?!"
Scrolling through her recordings, walking without looking as Marinette tugged her around a lightpost, Alya zoomed in to the few frames she got of his departure from the previous night. "It is, but that means she was akumatized! She attacked Ladybug in the start, but we don't have anything to prove he did it. For all we know she just fell."
"And, what if he did?" Marinette proposed, asking not just for herself but her alter ego.
"He's a fighter." Alya deduced, pulling up some other harsh moments in Cat Noir's career. "But he never crossed that line even when he had every chance to. The fact that Ladybug was there and met up with him after words in the open at the ferris wheel proves that she stands by his decision. And if Ladybug does then so do I."
Marinette was always impressed with Alya's firm resolve, and her undying faith in the superheroine. Lots of people checked in on the ladyblog, and if they agreed with Alya then perhaps Paris might just give the kitty a break.
"Anyways." Alya slipped her phone back in her bag, kicking another bin they passed by just for the fun of it. "Sorry I kind of made a big fuss at the funeral but…UGH he's so stupid! Did you get a chance to be a shoulder for Adrien?"
"U-Um, well the thing was-"
Shaking her head, Alya was continually disappointed but unsurprised with the lack of development. "You've got to get a grip girl. The moment I think you're about to admit defeat you just fall for him all over but you won't do anything to win! You're just lucky there's not any competition in our class anymore."
Wincing at how bad that sounded, Alya bit her tongue out of some self punishment. "That's not what I meant, besides Adrien never seemed interested in her that way. It was never going to happen."
"Actually, I don't know how close they are, but….Chloe's sister from New York was there and, she and Adrien seemed to really hit it off."
"...You've got to be kidding me."
The ringing across the street alerted them, Marinette yanking Alya out of direct sight as they spied towards Marinette's home aka her parent's bakery. Adrien and Zoe were leaving, heading over to his car that his bodyguard was opening the door for. They both were smiling, sharing sweets together, Adrien and Zoe, alone, together, happy, all without Marinette. She couldn't fulfill her promise, but someone else did for her.
"He took her to your parent's bakery." Alya uttered in utter shock as the two girls watched the car pull away. "Marinette, you better act fast, very fast if you still want a chance because your window is closing."
It was a new experience, because Adrien had never had others in his room before that weren't his father or his staff. It was clean, everything put away and nothing embarrassing left out, but when he arrived with Zoe just to have the rest of the day to hang out he was suddenly very self conscious about everything she looked at.
Including the rock wall/basketball half court/skating ramp.
"That looks really dangerous." Zoe commented, pointing up towards the climbing holds going up past the hoop. "You just climb that without a harness?"
"When I feel like it." Adrien felt relieved that this was her only gripe about his room. To demonstrate his ability to not hurt himself, still in his dress attire he hopped onto the wall and in just a few movements he was already at the top, holding himself upside down with only three fingers keeping hold inside the plastic grip. Not that he actually needed it.
"Careful!" Zoe called out to him, scared for his wellbeing. "You don't even have a harness and you're over twelve feet away from the ground, if you slip you'll-"
She gasped out in sudden fear as Adrien dropped head first, the boy flipping himself mid air before easily landing on his feet.
"See?" He patted his shirt to show that he hadn't hurt anything. "I know what I'm doing."
"That was amazing!" Zoe gave a few claps for the boy, who gave a deep bow in response. "Do you climb in your free time a lot?"
Hours everyday, but as Adrien he had only used that wall maybe thirty times in his whole life. "Not too often, mostly during my spare time I'll play a game or two."
He gestured to part of his bookshelf above his room, where hundreds of games rested in cases on one of his shelves that wasn't for productive learning. "Of course, I barely put a dent in it. Usually too busy helping my dad by modeling his outfits or doing other personal studies like classical music lessons, fencing, Chinese, English, and brushing up on a few other languages."
The blonde looked around the wide expanse of his room, seeing so many things to entertain any kid for a lifetime. Adrien in his whole life hardly got to use any of it, always waking up to see but hardly touch. Looking over towards the large television with the gaming console, she went over to pick up one of the controllers. "Since you actually have some time, why don't we try and make a bigger dent on that collection of yours?"
"I'd love to, if I had a second controller." It's not that he had the money, it's that his father never expected Adrien to have any friends over given how rigid his schedule usually was.
"What about some crossplay games?" She gestured over to the impressive computer setup. "I have more experience with keyboard and mouse anyways."
Relieved that Zoe was so relaxed, and willing to entertain him for so long, Adrien moved over to the computer as he booted it up, typing in his passcode to allow her access to it. Meanwhile Zoe was looking around the drawers to see if she could find a headset that might be stored away or to get a look at what kind of beast of a computer she would probably be using. Not that she played video games much, but when she lost a lot of her friends she had explored all sorts ways to keep herself entertained.
Opening the bottom drawer, Zoe paused as she saw something out of place. A small black hexagonal box with unusual crimson designs running alongside it. Picking it up, she hoped she wasn't intruding too much. "What's this thing?"
"Hm?" Adrien glanced over, completely forgetting that little box's existence. "Not sure, but if you want you can have it."
"Really?" Zoe, if she wanted could have several things but it had been so long since someone she might consider her a friend gave her something. "I know we just started getting caught up but please don't feel obligated to give me anything."
Adrien stepped back from the computer as he got the game selection open, reexamining Zoe to see if she was the genuine article. It was horrible to think ill of the dead, but Zoe was exactly the kind of girl he wished Chloe would have become. "Yeah, I just found it lying around in my room one day. I have enough stuff as it is."
Zoe smiled back down to the box, clutching it closely to herself as she accepted a genuine gift even if it wasn't anything special. It might not even be anything rare or expensive, her fingers finding the edge of it as she was about to open it to find out.
"So?" Adrien hopped back over to the couch, grabbing the controller and looking back over the cushions. "Any game you have in mind?"
Zoe tucked the box in her pocket, sitting down and ready to have some simple fun with someone she dared to think of as a friend.
After a day of relaxation, fun, and a new friend Zoe waved over towards Adrien. He even bothered to come with her when his bodyguard dropped her back off at her father's hotel. Seeing him give one back as the man pulled the vehicle away, Zoe's heart dropped. She had so much fun, and it was because she decided to not try and act like Chloe. This was supposed to be Chloe's day, to remember her and the good things she did for the world.
Only after talking to some people she couldn't find anything, and the thought of her dying and having no one at the funeral have a single good memory of her was eye opening. As much as she wanted to be loved by her sister, her mother, she could never be like them even if that risked not gaining their false affection.
Stepping inside, Zoe didn't see anyone waiting for her. No father, no mother, not even a butler. Walking up to the front desk while checking her phone, Zoe didn't see a single message waiting for her inside it. Disappointed but not shocked, she got the attention of the employee sitting behind the counter.
"Excuse me, I'm Zoe Lee. Is there a reservation under my name that my father or mother left?"
"Yes." The man hurriedly typed something into his computer while grabbing some keys. "Your luggage is already put away inside. Do you have a form of ID?"
"Oh yes." Finding a student ID, it was sufficient enough for the man as he snapped over for a bellman to assist her. There was nothing to carry, but the man showed her up to where she would be living while they were in Paris for who knows how long.
"If you need anything just dial zero." The bellman informed as Zoe tried the keys on the door. Once it was opened, the lights inside were already on to give Zoe the best impression it could for her first time here. It was bigger than she expected, something she wished wasn't the case. All this empty space just made her want to fill it up with noise and clutter, but she was still grateful for the hospitality.
"Thank you." Zoe went inside the lonely chamber, looking around to see how she was going to find herself comfortable inside. It wasn't a question of if the sheets were soft enough or the bed big enough, it was how long she could tolerate her own company. Maybe she could invite Adrien, and if she got another chance Marinette.
Stepping over towards the glass balcony doors, she looked out towards Paris' wide expanse of city lights. Without skyscrapers to block her view, she could see on for miles and miles with the whole city waiting for her. Maybe the answer was out there, a new purpose, a new life, something better than the one she had been faking this whole time.
Pulling out the sign of this potential, she held the box Adrien had gifted her. While she was there she didn't have the chance to open it yet, but now that she had nothing to do she would see what was inside.
Once she cracked open the lid, a bursting light rose up forcing her to shield her eyes.
"Oooooohhhh yeah." A small voice spoke up in front of her, Zoe lowering her hand to see a small black kitten hovering in the air stretching its limbs. "Hm?"
The cat looked at her, and she looked at it, both staring until finally the kitty's stomach rumbled.
"Got any cheese?"
PLAGG IS RELEASED INTO THE WORLD!
Just not with Adrien.
Zoe has arrived with her mother earlier than in canon, the mayor is on a manhunt for Cat Noir to avenge his daughter, and Gabriel rethinks his strategy.
In case you didn't notice, Adrien has taken on a new look similar to when Toby Maguire's Spider-Man was under the influence of a symbiote. Slowly he is starting to try and find his own individuality and with that a renewed confidence that Adrien can take control of his life.
Many things are to come with the cat miraculous coming into play while Cat Noir considers his options. Will a new feline superhero enter the scene to replace him, join him, or challenge him?
And how will Ladybug, Tikki, Master Fu, Hawkmoth and all of Paris react?
Planar-Walking-Entertainment: I never really liked Chloe, but I also understand how harsh death can be especially when someone you didn't necessarily like passed away.
Kamen Rider Sentry: Why don't you private message me with your idea and we can talk about it.
AmazingBran: The biggest change that's happening (besides Bully Adrien) is Zoe's early arrival and her impact to the developing dynamic.
AlterInk: I'm glad you appreciate what I'm doing with this story and how it stands out from the rest. I too, really hated Chloe but I also realized that I could use her death in a way to actually develop this story into something greater.
I actually pulled a few elements from different spiderman movies into the last chapter, including where Cat Noir dropped off Chloe's body in a fashion similar to OG Spider-Man bringing Norman Osborn back and Harry catching him.
SSJB312: One of the main goals I wanted was for Adrien to find a common ground with the symbiote because in some instances I've thought 'why didn't spider-man just lay out some rules for the symbiote if it's so desperate to be with him?' As for Chloe's dad it's sort of both that you guessed, but also the first one. Yes he wants answers but he feels he needs to act immediately. He can't wait around for answers and solutions otherwise he's left feeling useless.
I think a big moment for Adrien to really expand his abilities is when he sees that someone else has the real cat miraculous and not him. That will let his mind be more open to figure out the exact nature of his powers and what the true limits are.
Fire turtle: The only reason Chloe isn't considered racist is that she believes everyone is underneath her no matter their skin color. I do have a name in mind for the symbiote, and will reveal it later on.
vipoluxtor: While there are many akumas to use, I want to also use my own. I also didn't want to just drag the first season out too long because I wanted to have the story take a new direction.
Morijingod: A few things about that, because I did study French for a few years and was interested in why some parts of the Ladybug fandom refer to him as Chat Noir instead of Cat Noir.
I noticed right away when I started actually looking into the show was that if translated directly, Chat Noir became Black Cat.
Obviously that name is boring, and since America media already has multiple Black Cat characters they needed to change it up. Since we do use Noir in some of our film terms, that's where Cat Noir comes in.
The show producers decided that for American audience, he would be Cat Noir. It's in the title, the credits, the subtitles, even the wiki spells it as the show does. There's even a point in season 5 that I spotted where Marinette is repeating his name, she even says 'Chat Noir' in the proper French accent once but never again.
So there's a clear divide between how the English and the French version is spelled. If I kept it with the French spelling, then that means I would use the French names of everybody. Including Hawkmoth, whose French name is "Le Papillon" which translates directly to "The Butterfly". Let's be honest that's lame, showing why they changed it in the translation including Cat Noir/Chat Noir.
Not sure why a chunk of the fans are so stubborn about referring to Cat Noir as Chat Noir despite how the English show spells it. But since I am writing this fic in English I will be using his English name, which is Cat Noir.
To top it all off, you misspelled Noir.