Picture Day is here - and with an unexpected issue that has yet to be resolved.
A/N: I didn't want to go with the whole "Chloe ruins the picture for Juleka and gets her akumatized" angle this time - considering this is Adrien's photographer, I feel like he should have more of a chance to appear (plus he kind of annoys me, so as punishment he gets more screentime being annoying).
Ah, picture day. The bane of any self-conscious student's existence, the one day when you could practically count on finding a new blemish or pimple or scratch somewhere in the immediate vicinity of your face, the one day when you worried yourself sick about your school photo being ruined forever because you ran out of your favorite concealer or because you just couldn't get your hair to cooperate.
Dupont was no exception to this. Whereas the usual atmosphere of the hallways and classrooms was easygoing, today it was almost frantic. Girls rushed about with compact mirrors and combs and ribbons, boys made sure their shirts didn't look too wrinkled and swept back gelled hair, and it was in the middle of this chaos that Miss Bustier's class found themselves first to have their class pictures taken.
Rose looked around frantically before leaning over to whisper in Marinette's ear. "Have you seen Juleka? I can't find her anywhere!"
Marinette looked over in surprise before glancing around the group. "No… wasn't she just with us a minute ago? Maybe she left to check her makeup."
"She would've been back by now!" Rose whispered louder, causing the photographer to clear his throat impatiently.
"Everyone, look this way," he instructed.
As soon as all eyes were on him, he took the picture - and then he frowned, looking down at his camera.
"The battery's dead," he commented with an annoyed sigh. "Hold on a minute, let me replace it and then we can take the photo."
"Wait, sir," Miss Bustier finally spoke up, scanning the group as he rummaged through his bag. "I'm missing one of my students. Has anyone seen Juleka?"
Sabrina glanced at Chloe, but the blonde shook her head.
"She left to the bathrooms a minute ago," Max offered.
"Someone please go get her." The teacher's eyes fell on Marinette, and she straightened. "Marinette?"
"Got it," she answered, getting up from the bench and rushing away.
"Wait! I wanna go too, Miss," Rose hurriedly chimed in.
The redhead's brow furrowed. "I've already sent Marinette - I don't want to hold up the photo any longer than we have to."
The blonde slumped in her seat.
The noirette raced to the restrooms, but stopped short for a moment when she heard pounding from inside, followed closely by a panicked voice. A familiar voice.
"Juleka!" Marinette called as she entered.
"Marinette?!" The girl answered, and the stall door jiggled again. "Help me- the door's stuck, I don't know what happened!"
"I think I do," she groused as she pulled the chair out of the way with only a little difficulty.
As soon as the object was free of the door, it slammed open and Juleka leapt out with a startle as it banged against the stall, hinge creaking in protest.
"I- I came in here to check my hair and makeup, and then I started feeling nauseated so I…" Juleka trailed off with a shaky sigh as she ran a hand through her hair. "Is it over? Did I miss it?"
"If we hurry, we'll make it back just in time to take the picture." With a grin, Marinette grabbed her hand.
The two raced from the bathroom and down the hall. Juleka panted, gripping the noirette's hand tight. Since when was she so strong? She didn't think Marinette's grip had been that tight last year…
Skidding to a stop in the courtyard, Marinette and Juleka gasped when they noticed Madame Mendeleiev's class sitting on the bench, and not Miss Bustier's, while the photographer fiddled with his camera. Aurore and Mireille turned and waved, one with confusion, another with a smile.
"Girls, what are you still doing here?" Mendeleiev questioned, turning her narrowed gaze on them. "Bustier's class just left. You're late."
"J- just left-?! But…" Marinette exclaimed. "We- we were supposed to be in the picture! Why did nobody warn us?"
"The photographer's time is very valuable, Marinette," Principal Damocles reminded. "I'm sorry you missed the picture, but you can make them up on retake day next week, okay?"
Juleka slumped in her spot, and the noirette felt her chest constrict with anger. "Y- yes, Principal," she responded instead, trying to keep the venom off of her tongue.
Turning, the two began to walk away, Juleka's steps sluggish and despondent.
"I'm really sorry, Jules," the girl tried, resting a hand on the girl's back.
"Don't bother, it's fine," the goth sighed quietly, shrugging it off. "I'll… I'll see you later. I don't feel well."
Marinette watched her friend walk away before exchanging a desolate look with the Kwami peeking out of her purse.
"What can we do, Tikki?" She whispered, walking away from the photo groups so she wouldn't be discovered. "I feel so awful… I really did think we could break her curse this year."
"Don't worry," the little god reassured with a warm paw on the tip of her chosen's finger. "You have a second chance. Juleka seems like she needs to be alone for now."
By lunchtime, Juleka was still nowhere to be seen.
Rose fiddled with her hands as she sat at the table, glancing up from her food to the door every several seconds as if the girl would magically appear.
"Rose, you need to chill," Alix commented as she took a bite of her sandwich. "Don't worry about Jules. She'll be fine."
"I- I know, I just…" the blonde let out a tiny sigh. "This is, what, the third or fourth year in a row? She's always so worried about getting her picture taken. I wanted this year to be different, y'know? I wanted it to be a fresh start."
"Yeah," Marinette mused, poking at her pasta.
"Well, whoever that photographer guy is, I hope they don't bring him back next week - or ever. He's really pushy and rude." The pinkette rolled her eyes.
"I'm surprised Chloe didn't put up much of a fuss," Alya chimed in with a frown. "She didn't even have to do anything. He was so annoyed that he had to delay the shoot that he just said we could retake them if we weren't satisfied. Like, c'mon, Principal Damocles. At least throw your weight around."
"He's always been a pushover," Marinette commented dryly. "Good to know he's keeping true to form."
"I mean, he does have a point," Rose timidly spoke up. "I wouldn't like it if I had to wait five extra minutes for Chloe to finish doing her hair just for a photo. Isn't that why we have a retake day?"
The girls at the table looked at her, making her cheeks pinken.
"You're too nice, Rose," Alya said. "But you're right when you put it that way. It does feel better to complain though."
"Can't argue with that," Alix added, and Marinette nodded as she took a bite of bread.
"Once lunch is over, we'll have to go see her," she mentioned, and that made the tinier girl perk up with a smile.
"Can we stop by the bakery and get her something? That'll cheer her up," she offered. "I'll pay!"
One pit stop at the Dupain-Cheng bakery later, the two girls made their way to the nurse's office and almost ran right into Luka, who had just opened the door to step out.
His eyes widened minutely in surprise at the two smaller girls, then a smile crept across his face at Marinette's high-pitched 'eep'. "Oh, Marinette, Rose. You're here to cheer up Jules, right?"
"That's right!" Rose chirped, holding up the little wrapped pastry. "We even got her a chocolate cream puff! Extra dark!"
The older boy chuckled, and the deep sound reverberating through his chest made the noirette inch a little further behind her smaller classmate. "Sounds like you got it covered. I've got to get back to class, take care."
Luka reached out and patted first Rose's head, then Marinette's, and with a fond look towards the both of them, turned and sauntered away with his hand in his pocket, humming a tune.
Marinette let out a strangled noise and stepped away from Rose, to which the blonde giggled daintily.
"Don't tell me you're going to need a trip to Nurse Sissi's too!" She teased, elbowing her friend gently in the side.
"Mon Dieu," she wheezed in return, clutching at her chest.
With another tiny laugh, the two stepped into the office and the nurse smiled in amusement at them.
"Good afternoon, girls," she said. "Here to visit Juleka?"
"Yep! You don't mind if I bring in some food, right?"
"I don't see why not, just as long as you clean up afterwards." The nurse gestured to one of the beds, which had a person-sized lump underneath a thin white blanket.
The two made their way to their friend, and Rose stopped short of the bed and tapped her shoulder. "Juleka? I brought a cream puff. Do you want it?"
Juleka didn't move for a second, before she shifted around and squinted up at her. At the encouraging smile on her face and the enticing smell of dark chocolate and fresh pastry, she finally sat up and let the blanket drop from her shoulders.
"... Thanks," she murmured, voice a bit scratchy, as she took the pastry.
Rose sat down on the bed, careful of her legs, and Marinette sat next to her as they waited for Juleka to brush her bangs out of her face and bite into it.
After a moment of chewing, some of the exhaustion lifted from her face and she looked up at them with a soft expression and cheeks tinted pink.
"Are you feeling a little better now?" The representative asked kindly.
Wordlessly, the goth nodded, and she swallowed the bite and answered, "Maybe. Luka helped."
"That's good," Rose encouraged. "Are you gonna stay for the rest of the day?"
She shrugged. "I dunno. I don't think I can handle going back to class right now..."
"Well, if you do, I'll make sure to get your homework." With a smile, she stood from the bed. "Rest up, okay?"
Marinette looked up at her before slowly getting to her feet as well. "Are you okay by yourself? Do you want company?"
"I… kind of want to be alone," she admitted softly, finishing off the pastry and wiping her fingers on the napkin. "My battery is…"
"Say no more, I get it." With a smile, Marinette patted her hand and brushed off her jeans. "Rose and I will come get you after classes."
Nodding, Juleka bid them goodbye with a small voice and watched as they left the office. Once the door shut behind them, she lay back down, curled onto her side, and tugged the blanket back over her shoulders.
"I feel so bad," Marinette huffed as she flopped onto her lounge chair. The late afternoon breeze was crisp against her face, gently mussing up her bangs.
"At least she was able to avoid an akuma," Tikki mused. "Luka... was it? Her brother? I wonder if he's Miraculously inclined..."
Marinette sat up at the mention of the boy, tilting her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"
The little god shrugged her shoulders, coming down to rest atop a flower pot. "For as long as humanity has existed, patterns have emerged that tells us, the Kwami, about which ones would be best to entrust with a Miraculous item. It's not so much their personality, or their ability to act in crisis, that we look for - rather, first, we look into their soul. Certain things jump out to us, for example whether or not they would be able to withstand using an Item in the first place. When the Guardian chose you, he chose you because we sensed that you had the strength to wield a Miraculous."
"So... what does that look like? Er- feel like?" Scrunching up her nose, the girl leaned in. "Is it like...?"
With a kind smile, Tikki elaborated, "It's a little hard to explain, let alone to one so young. I haven't had a user younger than fourteen in..." she trailed off, a faraway, almost pained flicker of emotion moving past her eyes. After a moment of silence, she seemed to remember the human sitting patiently before her and shook her head lightly. "... Well, let's say it's been a long, long time since the Ladybug and Black Cat have had to be active."
"As for what it feels like... it's a sort of pull." She made a tugging motion with one paw. "Almost like someone's pulling on your shirt, or your hair, but for us it's like something is pulling on our souls. Not every human has the might to use our power and live. Should the wrong person use a Miraculous..."
Marinette guessed she could figure out what that end result might be. "Oh," she said dumbly, swallowing.
"It doesn't happen often," Tikki reassured her, hovering closer to put her paws on the girl's hand. "Part of the job of the Guardian is to commune with the Kwami and hash out the best plan for what human can be trusted with what Miraculous. That's how I picked you."
Marinette paused, looking upon the little ladybug god with an indescribable face. "You... you picked me?"
"Believe me, it was a hard decision for the poor Guardian," she laughed, the sound making her chosen's shoulders minutely relax. "So many of my friends wanted to meet you, but only two were determined to be the right choice to send out - the Cat and I. Honestly, the Cat would've chosen you had he not been pulled towards another first."
"But you chose me," the girl repeated softly. "You... you thought I was the right choice? Out of two million people?"
Tikki's eyes grew soft towards her, and she nodded. "It's not often I find someone with a soul that resonates as brightly as yours, Marinette. Let alone someone with the mind to use my power effectively."
A lump grew in her throat, and before she knew it the Kwami was brushing a paw along her bottom lid, gathering moisture that had welled up at the corner of her eye.
"But I'm... I'm Marinette. I'm a normal girl, with what's supposed to be a normal life. If you chose me, and the Cat chose someone else... does that mean Hawkmoth...?"
Tikki's gaze hardened. "No. Hawkmoth - the Butterfly - may have the power to withstand the immensity of the Miraculous, but he has gone too far in his villainous ambitions. The reason I chose you is because I believe - no, I know - that you and the Cat can take him down. The Miraculous is a powerful thing, Marinette. Misusing its power is... it's unforgiveable. Kwami are bound to our items for as long as we pledge a pact with their users. The will of a Kwami - as well as the wrath of one - is something no human should trespass."
Marinette's mouth fell open in surprise. "So... so the Butterfly... could he have once...-?"
Something moved. In an instant her eyes caught the shape of it on the other side of the balcony.
A shriek ripped through her throat, hastily dampened by a shimmering, translucent arm.
A/N: Aaaaaand more lore ahoy! I've been wanting to get into the whole deal behind the Miraculous and the Kwami. Sorry about the cliffhanger - there won't be many of them like this, but I just think it's fun :3c
Please tell me what you thought!