Chapter Text
Searching for and choosing the next Miraculous holders was not a task to be taken lightly, especially when it came to the Ladybug earrings and Black Cat ring for the sheer power they represented, nor the great danger they presented if abused. Even so, after finding an excellent Ladybug candidate first thing that morning Fu was in a rather pleasant mood. Not that he could get complacent, Fu still had to find a potential new Black Cat before he could start patting himself on the back.
On that thought, Fu slowed down as he approached a crosswalk. He had toyed with the idea of swinging by the nearby school to the left, but he ending up taking too much time to get here and classes had already started, meaning it was already too late to really find anyone there. He’d have to wait until the students were let out for lunch if he hoped to test for worthy candidates.
With the butterfly miraculous in evil hands, he didn’t have the time to waste in fruitless searches. At this time of day, he’d be better off trying a different area. He can try coming back in a few hours if he didn’t find anyone.
With a shrug, Fu turned to the right.
~*~*~*~*~*~
“So you can grant ANY wish? I can ask for anything at all and you could give it to me?”
“Absolutely. After all, if you only get to have one wish it’s only fair you have the chance to use it for your deepest, greatest desire. I am asking you to take on a heavy duty in exchange after all."
“Wow, that sounds…way too good to be true, actually. What aren’t you telling me?”
“What I say is true, and I’m telling you everything relevant. If you have a specific question, you need to ask it.”
“Ughh. Fine. Okay, so are there any limits on what you can grant? Like, in Aladdin the Genie couldn’t bring back dead people, make people fall in love, or kill anyone. Do you have any rules like that?”
“A very good question. I don’t normally go into that because I don’t want girls to unnecessarily restrict their wishes, but there are rules I have to follow. Mainly, I can’t bring back someone who has already died and I can’t overrule free will. That being said, a well worded wish can work around such restrictions, and even if a girl doesn’t word it just right I will still do my best to fulfill the wish to the fullest extent possible.”
“Like how?”
“I can’t bring back the dead directly, but I can grant a wish to allow the girl a chance to save the person themselves. I can’t make a person fall in love, but I can draw their attention to the girl so she has the chance she might not otherwise have to win their affections. These are just examples, there are many other ways this could work. However, I’m also not allowed to suggest a wish so the girl would have to figure that out on her own.”
“In other words, to make sure I get what I really want I have to be careful about how I ask for it.”
“Something like that. As I said, I will grant any wish to the fullest extent possible, but I’m not omniscient; I can only grant the wish you make. I can give you anything you want, but I can’t give you what you don’t ask for.”
~*~*~*~*~*~
Marinette appreciated Tikkis faith in her, she really did, but considering they had just met and Tikki surely had no idea what better options where out there yet, Marinette couldn’t help but take it with a pinch (or pile) of salt. Still, Paris needed help, and even if she wasn’t the best choice she remained the only choice available right now. Marinette simply could not sit on the sidelines when she had the power to help her home city.
But a chance to practice a bit before she had to throw herself into a supervillain fight would have been nice. Work out the kinks and figure out her powers and limits rather than find herself falling out of the sky screaming and flailing.
Like she was doing right now.
“EEEEYAAAAAAAAAAH!”
Marinette was sure she was going to end her short-lived super heroine career as a red-and-black spot on the pavement, until something black and silver flashed in the corner of her eye and the last of her breath was knocked out of her by something wrapped around her stomach. The next few moments were a confusing spinning mess of blue sky and grey concrete and black something until she came to a rolling stop on a nearby roof.
Marinette took a second to breathe and recover before her brain caught up to process a few important details:
- She was alive and unhurt,
- The black thing was a person, and
- The person was still on top of her, one arm around her waist and the other wrapped protectively around her head.
“Are you alright?” A low, soft voice asked right next to her ear. The question was enough to snap Marinette out of her shock.
“Get off!” She yelled, pushing the other person away.
The person - a boy, she could see now - leapt away like she was on fire, holding his hands up placatingly.
“Sorry! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, I just heard you and, well, I didn’t know what else to do. I couldn’t let you fall, but…”
Marinette sat up as the boy rambled and trailed off. Now that she wasn’t in confused panic mode she could actually absorb what she was looking at. The boy was wearing an all black, leather-like suit that clung to his form, with a bell at the collar. Poking out of his black and teal colored hair were a pair of black cat ears, and half his face was covered by a black mask that served to make his blue eyes (with vertical slit iris’s, what the heck) pop out like sapphires.
Something clicked in Marinettes head.
“Are you the partner my kwami told me about?” She asked eagerly as she stood. The boy perked up with a grin.
“I don’t imagine there are too many people running around with masks and kwamis, so I’m going to assume yes.”
The boy moved to stand as well, but paused as Marinette offered her hand. He took it gingerly and allowed her to pull him to his feet. Standing he was easily head and shoulders taller than she was, but his smile was so kind and expression so gentle Marinette couldn’t feel the least bit nervous.
“Well, thanks for catching me. And, sorry for yelling and pushing you away,” Marinette said, a sheepish note at the end. The boy rapidly shook his head.
“No no, don’t worry about it. I was trying to help, but I’m still a guy you don’t know grabbing you like an octopus. My name’s…” at this he frowned in contemplation. “Actually I’m still working on a super hero name. I’m thinking Black Cat to keep it classic, but I’m not sure I like how simple it is. I’ve never been very good with words.”
A crashing, explosive sound thundered in the distance, and both teens whipped their heads around in its direction.
“We’ll have to finish introductions some other time when we don’t have a super villain running around,” Marinette said, taking out her yo-yo again as Black Cat(?) took out a silver baton.
“I’m right behind you."
~*~*~*~*~*~
“Okay, so, I know I want to become a Magical Girl because OF COURSE, but I’ve already got just about everything I want, and anything I don’t have I can already think of ways to get on my own. The wish is kind of just a means to an end for me, but I don’t want to waste the wish either. Honestly you’re lucky that you had it super easy.”
“Right. Lucky is exactly the work I would have used for myself. Okay, how about this; if you already have everything you want, then why not use it to help others? Wish to end world hunger or something?”
“Why? What would that do for me? I want to get what’s mine.”
“Right, silly of me to suggest it. Look, I can’t tell you what you should wish for. No one can tell you that. But before anything, I think you need to commit to either being completely selfish, or completely selfless.”
“Um, it’s my wish, so I’d be using it for myself anyway. Why is that even a question?”
“Because you’ll be putting your life on the line with every Witch you fight. You could make a wish today and die in a Labyrinth tomorrow. Can you think of ANY wish you could make for yourself right now that would be worth that?”
“….”
“I didn’t think so. Look, some girls do make purely selfish wishes and are happy with them, but you have to decide if it’s something worth possibly dying over. On the other hand, many girls instead choose to make a wish to help other people, friends and family, people they love. That means if they die, the wish lives on and the people they leave behind can still live better lives. They find comfort and fulfillment in that.”
“I’m sensing there’s a ‘but’ coming.”
“But they have to make the wish purely selfless, because no one is ever going to know what they did. They’ll never be thanked, they’ll never be acknowledged, the person they made the wish for might even leave someday, and they’ll have to be okay with that.”
“…Yeah, I already know I would not be okay with that.”
“At least you’re self aware enough to realize that right now. Some girls try to make a selfless wish, and end up regretting it because they used up their one wish for someone else’s happiness rather than their own. There’s nothing wrong with a selfish wish, I think. Mine was purely selfish, and I don’t regret it.”
“Like you could have ever wished for ANYTHING else. Ugh, this wasn’t as much help as I’d hoped.”
“I don’t know what you were expecting me to tell you, other that don’t make a wish you’ll regret later.”
~*~*~*~*~*~
The last couple of days had been quite the learning experience for Black Cat - that super heroes and villains were real, that he was capable of far more than he realized, and the importance of learning to communicate with words since a battle plan cannot be shared via music.
Most recently, Black Cat learned that he didn’t know true terror until Stoneheart threw his hostage from the Eiffel Tower.
Before his mind could even catch up to what was happening, his body had already launched himself forward. The two collided mid-air and Black Cat flipped forward once more to land gracefully in a crouch, the infamous Chloé Bourgeois in a bridal carry in his arms looking justifiably terrified.
“That didn’t count!” Chloé yelled in his face, much to Black Cats bafflement.
“What?”
Chloé didn’t answer of course, already leaping out of his arms and running to her relieved father. Black Cat had to put it out of his mind to focus on the current crisis, and to give Ladybug the support and encouragement she needed to become the amazing hero he already knew she could be.
Ladybug was spectacular of course, and as she assured the people of Paris that they had protectors now Black Cat found himself grateful to have a partner with the charisma and confidence to touch hearts so honestly.
And hey, Ladybug introduced him to all of Paris as Black Cat, so that name was going to stick now. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that.
Black Cat made sure to exchange a few words with Ivan and Mylene to make sure they were alright. They appeared no worse for wear from the experience, and if anything seemed almost deliriously happy now that Ivan was finally able to confess his feelings (unorthodox as it was). Ladybug quietly gushed, and Black Cat had to admit the pair were cuter than a box of kittens when they were together.
But when he suggested doing the same for Chloé, Ladybug seemed oddly disinterested in doing so. To be fair Chloé seemed okay, her father keeping a comforting arm wrapped around her shoulders as reporters and their cameraman came running. And, really? Andre Bourgeois was going to throw his daughter in front of the news NOW?? Not give her a bit more time to recover before putting her under a spotlight?
He mentioned it to Ladybug that it seemed a bit insensitive, but she dismissed it saying “Chloé always has to be the center of attention. Trust me, she’s enjoying every minute of it.”
Ladybugs utter unconcern for Chloé, a sharp contrast to the care she showed for Mylene and Ivan, rubbed Black Cat the wrong way at the time.
When he watched the news later that day he did have to admit that Chloé appeared to handle herself well and was answering questions with confidence, so maybe Ladybug knew what she was talking about. Even so, he couldn’t help but feel like he was watching a performance, even though he knew Chloé didn’t have a chance to practice her answers beforehand. It was actually kind of painful to watch.
That feeling didn’t leave him even hours later as he tried to pluck his guitar and process what’s been happening. Plagg ended up smacking him in the face and telling him that if he wasn’t going to shut off his brain and go to sleep then he should just go and see Chloé for himself. “Maybe then you’ll see she’s fine and you can let us BOTH go to sleep!”
Plagg may not have been abundant in sympathy, but he was proving to be good at giving a kick in the pants when it was needed.
Which is how Black Cat found himself standing on Chloé Bourgeois patio deck a little after 10pm, gently rapping on the glass door and quietly muttering “This is so stupid, why am I doing this, she’s going to think I’m a creeper, this is the dumbest thing I’ve ever done, Plagg is going to be a terrible influence on me.”
He stopped when he heard movement inside, followed shortly by the girl herself tying a robe around her. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw who was standing on her patio, mouth agape in shock. Black Cat sheepishly waved and briefly wondered if it was too late to just throw himself off the building.
Chloé was quick to recover, marching over and opening the glass door. She stepped out and defiantly met Black Cats eyes, arms crossed.
“This ought to be good,” she said by way of hello.
“I’m sorry to bother you so late,” Black Cat said, putting his hands behind him. “I wanted to come by and check on how you were doing, after everything you had to go through today.”
“Hah!” Chloé barked, tossing her hair over her shoulder with a well practice motion and lifting her chin with a self-assured grin. “You clearly don’t know anything about me. It’d take much more than one comic-book wannabe villain to scare me.”
Black Cat gave her a long steady look.
“Chloé. There are no cameras, no paparazzi, no witnesses, no one listening in and no one who knows I’m here. There’s no one you need to put a show on for.”
Chloé narrowed her eyes. “Your point?”
“You could have died today. It’s okay to not be okay.”
The teen girls eyes widened and her head reeled back. She stared wide eyed at him for a few seconds, as if he had just suggested something crazy and impossible, before she let her gaze drop to the floor. Black Cat waited her out, letting her get her thoughts in order, and after a small eternity she finally spoke again.
“It’s not okay for me,” she admitted quietly, crossing her arms. “I can’t…being weak isn't an option, because someone is always watching, waiting for that slip up. I have to be strong, I have to be someone who can command attention and respect all the time and be exceptional. If I’m not I’m…I’m just…”
Chloé trailed off, jaw clenched, fingers digging into her sleeves, shoulders beginning to hunch forward, eyes burning a hole in the floor.
Black Cat felt his heart going out to the girl before him. His sister had shared a few stories about Chloés cruel and callous nature, and they both dismissed it as a result of being spoiled and pampered. While that was likely still true in part, he felt he discovered a deeper layer as to why she was the way she was. Being denied the right to be vulnerable? Having pressures and expectations foisted on her she never asked for?
He had the advantage of being able to take off his mask and go back to being a normal kid. When did Chloé get to escape? When did she get to take off the mask?
Black Cat stepped just close enough to lightly touch Chloés shoulder. Her head snapped up, but she didn’t move away.
“Not here you don’t,” he said quietly. “Not now you don’t.”
Chloés stared back at him for a long moment, eyes wavering as if between hope and disbelief.
“It was…”
She stopped. She started again.
“I really thought I was going to die and…I didn’t mean for…”
The tears began.
Black Cat gently pulled her in and let Chloé cry softly into his shoulder, mutterings of she didn’t mean to and she didn’t know and she was so scared. Slowly her arms came up to return the hung, and then she was gripping him like he was a lifeline. He ran a comforting hand over her back like he used to do for his sister when she was feeling low and sad.
They stood there for what felt like an eternity, until Chloé finally ran out of tears. She took a deep breathe and a step back, wiping her face with the back of her hand.
“You tell anyone about this, I WILL hunt you down,” Chloé threatened, though the bite was completely lost. Black Cat smiled at her.
“I will take this to my grave.” He promised with a hand to his heart. He sobered and added “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can stay any longer before I’m missed.”
Chloé’s expression fell slightly, but she nodded in understanding. Black Cat turned and started to lift a foot to the railing when he felt a touch on his elbow. The touch was featherlight, but it rooted him to the spot. He turned back to see Chloé determinedly looking anywhere but at him, a blush creeping across her face.
“I get the whole super-hero thing means you probably can’t have a whole lot of civilian friends,” she said to the left wall. “But in case you ever feel like getting a decent meal or need a place to nap or someone to complain about crap with, knock whenever. Alright?”
Black Cat blinked, before giving her the widest smile yet.
“I can’t promise anything, but I just might take you up on that if I can.”
Chloé met his eyes for a brief moment before she was looking away again, still blushing but now with a smile starting to break through.
Black Cat leapt from the balcony, the smile stubbornly refusing to leave. He really shouldn’t indulge, but behind the sharp jagged edges Chloé covered herself in he realized there was a girl worth getting to know.
He was rather looking forward to it.
~*~*~*~*~*~
“This has been a rather intense couple of days, hasn’t it?”
“Congratulations, you just won Understatement Of The Year Award. Here, have a ribbon.”
“…”
“What?”
“Aren’t you going to tie it on for me?”
“…Fine.”
“Have you decided on a wish yet?”
“GOD you’re pushy!”
“My apologies. I just thought after yesterday, you’d want to become a Magical Girl as quick as possible. I can’t imagine how horrible it must have been, being completely helpless and unable to save yourself. Completely and utterly dependent on outside rescue that may or may not arrive in time.”
“…”
“As a Magical Girl, you’d have the power to save yourself, protect yourself whenever Akumas appear again. You’d have to use good sense so as not to expose yourself, but at least you could rest assured you had that ace up your sleeve should you find yourself trapped or being held hostage again. And considering your position, it’s a question of when, not if. Isn’t it better to take measures to protect yourself sooner than later?”
“You’re not wrong, but I’m still working on my wish. I think I’d rather wait a little longer and see how all this plays out. Having a wish ready to go may be the ace I need.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Not to discount what Alya did for her as a fantastic supportive new friend, or how knowing she had someone like Black Cat backing her up helped, but once Marinette accepted the mantle of Ladybug it was amazing was a boost to her confidence it was. After facing Stoneheart and showing Hawk Moth she would not to be cowed by him, not to mention swearing to all of Paris to be its protector, a school bully seemed so small and petty in comparison. Standing up to Chloé and holding her ground, something that once seemed impossible now seemed so easy.
Getting to see Chloé’s expression of barely restrained fury was quite possibly the funniest thing Marinette had seen in her life.
As a cherry on top Adrien Agreste hadn’t come back to class either, so she didn’t have to worry about Chloés posse expanding, at least for now. She hadn’t heard much from the boy since he denied planting the gum on her seat (yeah right), but being an old friend of Chloé’s did not indicate good things for his character anyway.
However it did not escape her notice the way Chloé was constantly glancing to the empty seat and the door, as if she was expecting him to walk in any minute. Nor did she miss how the longer the day went, the more Chloé would fidget; drumming her nails, tapping her foot, playing with her hair. That last one caused Marinettes eyebrows to raise. If there was one thing anyone knew about the blonde, it was the pride she took in her perfectly styled hair. If she was messing with it absently, something must have been seriously bothering her.
Marinette couldn’t recall ever having seen her seem so agitated, and for as much as she despised the bully the odd behavior still raised some red flags.
Chloé appeared to have reached a breaking point about three hours in and asked for leave to go to the bathroom. She barely waited long enough for Ms. Bustier to grant permission before she was out the door.
Alya leaned in and quietly asked “Is Chloé usually that twitchy, or is she being weird?”
“Definitely weird.” Marinette whispered back.
“I don't trust this. I say someone needs to keep an eye out and see what she’s up to.”
After a discreet game of rock-paper-scissors, Marinette was the next to ask for a bathroom pass. Marinette was out the door and at the railing just in time to see Chloé disappear into the gym. Marinette was quick down the stairs to follow. If she had to guess, Chloés ultimate destination was the girls locker room if her goal was privacy.
Her suspicion was confirmed when she cracked the door open and heard Chloé’s voice on the other side of the row of lockers. Marinette couldn’t make out words yet, but the tone was unmistakably sharp and acidic. Marinette swung the door open the minimum she could and crept in even as she listened in.
“No, YOU don’t get it! This is the only thing he’s ever asked for, and you can’t even give him THIS much!” Chloé snapped. Marinette couldn’t hear any response, so Chloé must be talking on her cell phone. Marinette took a position against the locker row that, from the sounds of it, Chloé was on the other side of.
“Then hire more body guards!” Chloé continued angrily. “Have a driver take him to school and pick him up! Get armored transport if you have to! You’re richer than God, you can’t tell me you can’t make it work! Adrien doesn’t need to be locked in a castle, he NEEDS to be in a school with people!!”
Marinette frowned. Apparently there was more going on with Adriens absence than she had assumed. The implications of what she was hearing were…unsettling.
“And maybe Godzilla will show up next and step on your house!” Chloé snapped, exasperated. “You can’t keep him locked up because of what might happen! He’s already started making friends here, you can’t-”
Short pause, then Chloés released an aggravated sigh.
“Fine, then I’ll bring kids over instead. He can have more friends AND still be in that super-ultra safe house, so everyone wins.”
Pause. When she spoke again, her voice was low and shaky.
“What?”
Marinette edged closer to the edge of the lockers, straining to catch every word.
“No. No. You can’t DO THAT, I’m the only friend he has, you can’t keep me away too, you CAN’T DO THAT TO HIM!”
Marinette felt a sick weight settle in her stomach and fervently hoped it wasn’t what it sounded like.
“HE’S NOT A PRISONER YOU CAN KEEP LOCKED UP! I’LL CALL DADDY, I’LL CALL THE POLICE, I’LL CALL WHOEVER I HAVE TO! I WON’T LET YOU DO THIS!”
Heavy breathing. A long, pregnant pause. Marinette was flat against the locker, holding her breath and for once praying Chloés ‘Daddy Card’ would work.
A low sound that crescendo’d into a heart wrenching cry was the only answer, and a phone thrown at the window, leaving a huge spiderweb crack at the point of impact and breaking the phone to pieces. Marinette nearly jumped out of her skin and slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a yelp.
There was a few seconds where the only sound was Chloés heavy breathing. Suddenly Chloé was stalking right past her, and Marinette was utterly frozen as if being still would save her from being seen.
It seemed to have worked, as Chloé was either too distracted or too focused on her new objective, because she threw the locker room door open with so much force it hit the wall with a loud BANG. Marinette would honestly not be surprised if she found a dent in the wall later.
Marinette stayed where she was, hands still over her mouth, as her eyes followed Chloé run past the windows from outside and out the school gates. Only when she was gone did Marinette dare to move again.
How strange. Chloé has seemed so petty and small just that morning, but only now after seeing true, genuine fury Chloé suddenly seemed so much more frightening than Stoneheart ever was.
When Marinette got back to the classroom, Alya’s eager expression morphed to concern upon seeing her friend. Marinette waved off her questioning look and quietly promised to explain later. Chloé never returned to the classroom that day, and Marinette wondered if the blonde was off staging a rescue for her friend.
Perhaps Ladybug should consider a rescue mission tonight as well.
~*~*~*~*~*~
“You promise this will work? You’ll be able to save him, for real?”
“Of course. You have to power to change his fate for the better. All you have to do is make a contract with me, and become a Magical Girl.”
“Alright. Alright. Okay then. Just give me a second.”
“When you’re ready.”
“I wish…”
~*~*~*~*~*~
Searching for and choosing the next Miraculous holders was not a task to be taken lightly, especially when it came to the ladybug earrings and black cat ring for the sheer power and potential they represented. Even so, after finding an excellent Ladybug candidate first thing that morning Fu was in a rather pleasant mood. Not that he could get complacent, Fu still had to find a potential new black cat before he could start patting himself on the back.
On that thought, Fu slowed down as he approached a crosswalk. He had toyed with the idea of swinging by the nearby school to the left, but he ending up taking too much time to get here and classes had already started, meaning it was already too late to really find anyone there. He’d have to wait until the students were let out for lunch if he hoped to test for worthy candidates.
Then again, it wouldn’t hurt to swing by anyway. Sure, at this time the only young people he’d likely find were late comers, but maybe he’d get lucky and one would be worthy.
With a shrug, Fu tuned to the left.