Chapter 2: Hawkmoth

Tikki was glad that her wielder discouraged Sabrina from trying to find out what Plagg was talking about. "Any more questions, Chloé?" The kwami of creation asked.

"Yes." Tikki's wielder answered. "Why were Sabrina and me chosen? I mean, I understand I'm beautiful, rich and fabulous but I don't think those qualities were factored in the decision."

"You and your friend were chosen because we need brave, caring and selfless people to wield our powers." Tikki explained.

"No offence to whoever made the choice but I'm not the first person to come to my mind when looking for people with those qualities, Tikki." Chloé replied.

"Don't sell yourself short, bug girl." Plagg reassured the new heroine. "You're caring enough to give me camembert and you're not even my wielder."

"Not everyone can afford to buy camembert every day, Plagg." Sabrina scolded her kwami and then turned her attention to her friend. "No offence, Chloé."

"None taken, Sabrina." Chloé replied. "This time. And thanks for the encouragement, Plagg, but I still think whoever chose me barely looked for better options and picked the first person he or she deemed good enough for the role."

"To his credit, he chose someone smart enough to figure it out on their own." Plagg commented, earning a glare from his sugarcube.

"Plagg." Tikki hissed.

"What's wrong, sugarcube?" Plagg asked Tikki.

"So, it was a 'he' who chose me to wear the earrings." Chloé said with a smile. "Probably Sabrina was chosen by the same 'he' and 'he' is the old man we helped earlier."

Plagg was about to say something when Tikki glared at him. "We will neither confirm nor deny anything. Right, Plagg?"

"No." Plagg was so scared of Tikki's glare he wouldn't say anything else.

"Okay." Chloé replied, making the kwamis relieved. "So, what do we tell the people?" She asked. "Without knowing what we know, everyone else might be in enough panic to be easily akumatized."

"Point taken, Chloé." Tikki was glad her wielder was caring enough to be more concerned about civilians than just fighting the akumas and fixing battle damages. "For starters, before we decide what to tell and what not to tell, you must know the basics about the Miraculous. Once upon a time, there used to be an order known as the Order of the Guardians, responsible for protecting the Miraculous."

"A whole order just for the two of you?" Sabrina asked. "Sorry."

"My sugarcube and I are far from the only kwamis in existence, Sabrina." Plagg answered before Tikki could make him stop.

"So whoever chose Sabrina and me to wield your Miraculous is guarding the others?" Chloé asked, eager to learn more about what she and Sabrina were getting themselves into.

"Chloé, whatever you tell the people, don't mention anything that could clue people to the fact there's a Guardian in Paris." Tikki pleaded.

"Okay, Tikki." Chloé agreed. "So, what do you know about the villain who turned Ivan into Stoneheart?"

"The villain has the power to darken butterflies that then look for people in a mentally vulnerable state and give them the power to vent their frustrations in exchange for whatever the villain wants." Tikki explained, not feeling comfortable enough with new wielders to let them know kwamis were basically their respective wielders' slaves. That she didn't need to cower Plagg into silence showed how serious that was.

Nearly half an hour later, Superbug and Catgirl were at the front of reporter Nadja Chamack's workplace and were approached by a guard. "Superbug? What can we do for you?"

"Catgirl and I heard that the media has questions about us." Superbug answered. "We came here to answer them."

The two superheroines were eventually led to a room where Nadja Chamack interviewed them. "So, what's your origin?" Nadja asked. "Bitten by a radioactive ladybug and a radioactive cat? Aliens from a destroyed homeworld? Magic?"

"The last part, Nadja." Superbug answered. "Our powers come from ancient artifacts."

"And why did you both run away after defeating Stoneheart?" Nadja asked.

"Whenever we activate our signature powers, we have a time limit before we detransform." Superbug answered, having already discussed it with her partner and their kwamis and agreeing that the villain would either figure out on their own or would already know.

"And how did you get your magical artifacts?" Nadja asked.

"We refuse to answer questions that might clue people to our secret identities." Superbug replied.

"So, are you and Catgirl just partners in heroism or is there anything else between the two of you?" Nadja asked, taking things to a level that diverted from what the heroines planned to stay restricted to.

"Nadja, as I said, we refuse to answer questions that might clue people to our secret identities." Superbug answered.

"Okay." Nadja hesitantly replied. "So, what would have happened had you not "de-evilized" that butterfly after turning Stoneheart back into whoever he was before transformation?"

"That butterfly would multiply and turn other people into other Stonehearts." Superbug said.

"And who's responsible for that transformation?" Nadja asked.

"A villain whose power can turn people in seemingly hopeless situations into monsters known as akumas." Superbug answered. "The people turned into akumas shouldn't be held responsible. The one turned into Stoneheart didn't even remember what he did as such."

"Thank you, Superbug." Ivan Bruel said while watching the news.

"Superbug, you're not also brave and amazing but also forgiving." Adrien commented as he watched the news from his family's mansion. "For a while, I thought you could be Chloé but, with nothing but a domino mask to cover your face, I'm sure I'd have realized it."

At that very moment, several butterflies entered the place. "Hide behind us, Nadja!" Superbug ordered. "I'm not sure if they're magical but we'd better not take any chances."

"Smart move, Superbug." A voice commented as the butterflies grouped together, forming a face. "I am Hawkmoth, and Stoneheart was just a sample of what I will unleash upon Paris until you and Catgirl give me your Miraculous." Hawkmoth said. "Refuse, and the next akumas will be your fault."

"Blaming your actions on your victims?" Superbug asked in outrage. "What kind of school bully are you?"

"One that Chloé Bourgeois probably took tips from." Marinette muttered from her family's bakery.

"Marinette, this isn't a nice thing to say." Her mother scolded her.

"You might say that now, Superbug, but do you speak for the people of Paris?" Hawkmoth asked, hoping enough people will pressure her into giving in.

As if on cue, Nadja's phone started ringing. Several people were voicing their support for Superbug and Catgirl. Some of whom, to the superheroines' surprise, were people their civilian selves knew. "Hawkmoth, or whatever your name is, you won't intimidate my family." One of the civilians said.

'Is that Tom Dupain's voice?' Superbug wondered.

"We're also getting video calls." Nadja commented. "You're on the air."

"Adrien?" Superbug asked in shock but quickly added "Agreste?" After all, she shouldn't clue people to the fact her civilian self knew him on a first-person basis.

"Superbug, you're my hero!" Adrien exclaimed. "I trust you to defeat that villain!"

"A public figure supporting us?" Superbug asked while looking at Catgirl out of fear her partner would feel neglected. "Awesome!"

"And it seems he's not the only one." Nadja commented. "You're on the air, Mayor Bourgeois."

"Thank you, Nadja." The Mayor politely replied. "Hawkmoth, our town doesn't negotiate with terrorists. I'll do my best to keep Paris safe from you even if it means asking for help from foreign superheroes."

"Well, if anybody wants to reconsider, just announce it." Hawkmoth said and left.

"That's all." Superbug said. "We'd stay longer but Catgirl and I are needed elsewhere."

After the two superheroines left, each one went back to their own home. Superbug quickly changed back into Chloé after reentering her hotel room. "I think it went well, Tikki." She commented. "By the way, are you aware of what happens around me when I'm Superbug?"

"To some extent, Chloé." Tikki answered. "I felt a magical presence other than Plagg."

"Some magical butterflies showed up and formed the villain's face." Chloé explained, assuming Tikki would understand it better than she did. "He called himself Hawkmoth and demanded my earrings and Catgirl's ring. What could he want with them?"

"And that's why Plagg and I would rather have wielders who don't know each other's identities, Chloé." Tikki replied. "If our Miraculous are combined, whoever does so can wish for anything but there's a price."

"An equivalent exchange?" Chloé asked, thinking about stories with wish-granting.

"Precisely." Tikki answered.

"So, no wishing for any dead people back to life since it'd kill an equal number of other people, right?" Chloé asked Tikki.

"Right." Tikki replied. "Just for curiosity, who were you thinking about bringing back?"

"My friend Adrien's mother." Chloé answered. "She disappeared nearly one year ago and I'm not even sure if she's alive or not."

"Whatever happened to her, will happen to somebody else if you use our power to wish her back." Tikki quickly replied, still afraid her wielder would misuse the power.

"And you and Plagg cannot avoid it, wanting or not, right?" Chloé asked just to make sure no stone was left unturned.

"We must keep balance, Chloé." Tikki answered.

Meanwhile, Sabrina's Dad, Officer Raincomprix, returned home. "Daddy's home!" He announced and felt something. "What's this smell?" He asked.

"It's camembert, Dad." Sabrina answered. "Chloé gave me some.

"Alright but don't get used to it." Officer Raincomprix replied and went to the bathroom.

"Some people have no respect for the finest things in life." Plagg commented.

The next day, Chloé and Sabrina were approached by Alya. "Chloé, do you know what people have been saying about you?"

"They've seen me on my worst days." Chloé dismissively answered. "So, have you seen Superbug and Catgirl on TV?"

"Yes!" The way Alya spoke her answer made her seem more of a giddy fan than Adrien. "Superbug was so fantastic! And already has a fan in your friend Adrien!"

"I know, right?" Adrien asked as he revealed himself.

"Adrien." They heard Marinette calling him. "Thank you for letting me borrow your umbrella last night." She said and returned the umbrella back to him.

"How romantic." A blonde girl who wasn't Chloé commented with a dreamy face.

"Ridiculous, Rose." Chloé complained. "Totally ridiculous. Dupain-Cheng was just returning something Adrien allowed her to borrow."

"Y-yeah, it was just that." Marinette's reply was so unconvincing only Adrien bought it. Everyone else just played along.

The four of them then went to their seats. Marinette and Alya were seated together; Chloé remained seated next to Sabrina as usual; and Adrien sat near Nino. "Chloé, Adrien's birthday is in a few days, right?" Sabrina asked her friend.

"Thanks for reminding me, Sabrina." Chloé replied. "I'll order a gift right after class so it'll arrive on time."

"Actually, Chloé, I was worried about what'd happen if his Dad doesn't let him have a party and he ends up akumatized over it." Sabrina explained.

"I can visit him to offer some comfort." Chloé suggested.

"Ugh." Plagg commented to himself. "That talk is too cheesy and not in the good way."

End chapter.

Author's Note: The title of this fic was inspired by the comic book series "Justice League: The Nail".