#I know it's Eiffel even if it doesn't look like my mental idea of him

[hephaestuscrew]

"With a goddamn harpoon": The significance of Minkowski's weapon of choice within the narrative and characterisation of Wolf 359

TL;DR: Despite its initial comic role, the harpoon becomes a important symbol of Minkowski as a character; it is particularly associated with her desperate need for control, her desire to keep her crew safe, her stubborn determination, and her occasional unpredictability. These associations add to the narrative significance when Minkowski kills Cutter with the harpoon. 

[Tagging people who said they wanted to be tagged: @browncoatparadox @captain-lovelace @goblincaveofvibes ]

~~~

Ep21 Minkowski Commanding

First appearance 

We first encounter the harpoon in Minkowski Commanding, which is a significant episode for Minkowski's characterisation because it's the first big departure from Eiffel's point-of-view into Minkowski's. It's arguably the most Minkowski-centred episode in the whole show, so it stands out when we think about her as a character.

EIFFEL (over comm) Um, Minkowski? Why is the armory wide open, and also, apparently, robbed? Where's the tactical knives kit? MINKOWSKI Don't worry. I've got that. EIFFEL Oh. And the M4 carbine? The, like, really-dangerous-in-space, select-fire M4 carbine? MINKOWSKI Yeah, I've got that too. EIFFEL And this empty rack I'm looking at right now with a label that says "harpoon" suggests that... MINKOWSKI Yes. I have it, Eiffel.

The harpoon is introduced as part of a list of over-the-top weapons that Minkowski takes on her plant-monster-hunting mission. It's initially just a funny moment to emphasise how seriously she's taking this mission. The weapons arguably increase in unlikeliness as Eiffel lists them, and it's a comic image to think of Eiffel deducing the situation from the empty rack labeled 'harpoon'. It could have been an entirely throw-away joke that was never brought up again. The M4 carbine never comes up again. The tactical knives kit is mentioned in Knock, Knock, but not in a plot-significant or symbolic way. 

'Goddamn harpoon' speech

So why does the harpoon become such an iconic part of Minkowski's brand (and I'm pretty certain it was seen as significant by fans long before the finale)? It's got to be because of the next time it's mentioned, when Minkowski talks to the plant monster in the same episode:

MINKOWSKI (getting psyched up) You wanna play with me, huh? You wanna run rings around me? The joyless, boring, predictable old Minkowski? She can't stop you, right? Not someone as smart and powerful as you. You've got her pegged. Good. Get complacent. Get smug. That's right when you'll find me waiting for you. With a goddamn harpoon.

There's so much to say about this speech and what it reveals her character. For one thing, it's all projection - we have no real indication of what (if anything) the plant monster thinks of Minkowski. We don't even really know how much understanding it has when listening to her talk. She imagines that this silent adversary would call her "joyless, boring, predictable". I suspect that these are all things that she's been called a fair bit in the past. (To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if they are all things that Eiffel called her at one point.)

But the harpoon is proof against - if not the accusation of joylessness - the idea that Minkowski is boring and predictable. Boring and predictable people don't opt for a harpoon for fighting on a spaceship when plenty of more conventional weapons available. A harpoon is unexpected, and there's a kind of power in that.

Another interesting thing about that speech is that the whole thing would make at least as much sense - if not more - if it was directed at Cutter. In Sarah Shachat's episode commentary on Minkowski Commanding (part of the bonus material available to buy here), she says that Minkowski "is really speaking to Cutter in this moment". It's made clear that Minkowski's behaviour in Minkowski Commanding is not just about the plant monster itself. She tells Eiffel, "I have to take it seriously! If I can eliminate one threat, just one, then we are that much closer to going home!" 

The specifics of the plant monster's location, abilities, and origin are mysterious, but - unlike many of the other forces threatening the safety of Minkowski's crew - it is at least tangible and harpoon-able and not light years away. Hunting the plant monster is a way for Minkowski to assert control when so much is outside of her control. It's an attempt to demonstrate that she is - as she puts it - "in charge of this disaster". Minkowski treats the plant monster as a physical symbol of all the threats her crew are facing, and so the harpoon becomes a physical symbol of her fierce (if sometimes misguided) determination to take control of the situation and fight back against those threats to protect her crew.

The line "you'll find me waiting for you. With a goddamn harpoon" is one that sticks in the mind, especially since - with one notable exception - 'goddamn' is about as potent as swearwords get on this show. And it's the harpoon that she uses to give specificity to the threat. 

Absurdity

A harpoon is powerful and threatening, which is exactly what Minkowski is trying to convey to the plant monster, but in this context - not only on dry land but on a spaceship - it's also kind of absurd. From the way we hear it fire in the finale, we can tell that it's more like a speargun than a hand-thrown harpoon spear, but it's still an out-of-place weapon for space-based combat. Minkowski's already been shown to have a penchant for archaic weaponry, after her drunken enthusiasm over the cannon during the talent show incident, which is largely played for laughs. Similarly, in the episode commentary for Minkowski Commanding, Sarah Shachat says that the harpoon was introduced mostly just because it was funny; "[including a harpoon] was me sort of embracing the Moby Dick of it all. And I had no idea at the time how much importance that silly harpoon would take on." 

Eiffel makes a Moby Dick reference himself ("10 days of Captain Ahab's Space Walkabout"). I haven't read Moby Dick so I can't properly analyse the significance of this reference, but the initial prominence of the harpoon (traditionally a whaling tool) enables that connection. It feels like a good example of the classic Wolf 359 thing where something comedic has the potential to take on a deeper significance. It conjures an image of Minkowski as a Captain with the potential to be consumed by a single-minded mission to destroy... A potential that she resists in the conclusion to Minkowski Commanding when she chooses to leave the plant monster alone. The harpoon also fits with the sprinkling of nautical imagery and language in Wolf 359 (e.g. the repeated use of the word 'boat'), as well as the retro-futuristic feel of the Hephaestus.

We never learn why there's a harpoon on the Hephaestus. It seems like yet another of those bizarre unexplained quirks of the station, like the items in the storage room where Eiffel finds Box 953. Even when the weird mysterious features of the Hephaestus are depicted in a comedic way, these features are still a demonstration of the fact that the characters are in an environment that they don't understand and that their surroundings have been shaped according to the whims of Command.

I think we can assume none of the members of the Hephaestus crew brought a harpoon up with them. For whatever reason, someone at Goddard Futuristics must have decided to put a harpoon in that armory. Like most things in the crew's lives, the harpoon is owned by Goddard Futuristics. So the way Minkowski uses the harpoon could be seen as an instance of reclaiming something from Goddard and their control over her surroundings (in a similar way to how her crew are able to utilise the maze-like structure of the Hephaestus to their advantage when hiding first from the SI-5 and later from Cutter and the crew of the Sol).

Other mentions of the harpoon

The harpoon doesn't actually make another physical appearance until the finale, when it truly comes into its own. But there are a couple of little hints before then that it has become a part of Minkowski's brand amongst the other characters as well as to the listeners. These mentions remind the listener about the harpoon, so we don't forget about it before its big comeback in the finale.

Ep27 Knock, Knock

EIFFEL [to Minkowski] Like getting rid of all the weapons, for a start. We should gather up all the guns, the tactical knives, your harpoon. Put it all in the arms locker, seal that sucker up, and put the key in one of Hera's service canisters.

In this quote, Eiffel refers to it as "your harpoon" - the only weapon he ascribes ownership to here. He sees it as something she's laid claim to. He also thinks the harpoon is worth mentioning specifically, which suggests that he thinks that Minkowski would reach for it first if she was feeling particularly violent. This reinforces the idea that the harpoon has become a symbol of Minkowski's character. This connection is also strengthened by the fact that the harpoon is also never mentioned in relation to anyone other than Minkowski using it.

Ep45 Desperate Measures

LOVELACE [to Kepler] Yeah, right. Nobody knows this station like Alexander Hilbert. He knows every nook, cranny, hidden room - everything. And as back up he's got the only woman's who's ever turned outer space monster hunting into a recreational sport. You'll never see them coming... until all of a sudden there's a harpoon in your face, and you end up on the operating table of the finest medical sadist that Goddard Futuristics ever produced.

Lovelace mentions the harpoon and specifically refers to Minkowski's plant-hunting exploits, even though she didn't witness them. So we know that someone has told her that story. And what she's taken away from hearing the story is an emphasis on Minkowski's harpoon and an admiration for her determination. I don't think Minkowski was the one to tell Lovelace about her plant-monster-hunting mission, because I don't think she's necessarily proud of it. I suspect it was Eiffel who told her - he's the most natural storyteller of the group. In Mutually Assured Destruction, soon after meeting Lovelace for the first time, he says "Nobody's told you about the Plant Monster yet? So, funny story..." And I believe  Eiffel would have told the story of Minkowski's plant monster hunt in a way that conveyed both the ridiculousness of her behaviour but also a kind of awe at her boldness and persistence.

The tone of "all of a sudden there's a harpoon in your face" is pretty similar to "That's right when you'll find me waiting for you. With a goddamn harpoon". Once again, the harpoon is portrayed as something that the Hephaestus crew's adversary won't expect, something that will play a key role in that adversary's defeat. You might almost think something was being foreshadowed here…

Characterisation through Weaponry

When we think of the harpoon as a symbol of Minkowski as a character, it seems worth drawing a comparison with the only other Wolf 359 character who I think has a form of weaponry as a big part of their brand: Jacobi and his explosives. While a harpoon certainly has a lot of potential for violence (a potential which Minkowski utilises), it is targeted and intentional in a way that bombs don't tend to be. It's harder to have collateral damage with a harpoon, and I think that reflects a difference between Minkowski and Jacobi's approach to conflict.

A harpoon isn't really designed for combat - it's for hunting whales and other marine animals. It feels significant that Minkowski's key weapon of choice - the one she threatens the plant monster with and kills Cutter with - isn't the weapon of a soldier. She took an assault rifle with her to hunt the plant monster, but that wasn't the weapon she held onto. She's not a natural soldier, even if she'd sometimes like to think she is. 

Maxwell's Death

When Minkowski kills Maxwell, it's with a gun, not a harpoon. She's trying to be a soldier there. She's trying to do what she has to. I don't know much about how a harpoon is fired, but I've a feeling that there's less uncertainty about whether a harpoon was fired deliberately than a gun; the ambiguity around Minkowski's agency in Maxwell's death is a key part of the story that wouldn't work with a harpoon. But perhaps more importantly, I don't think there's meant to be a sense of victory or relief in Maxwell's death, unlike Cutter's. The harpoon - as a weapon that has become strongly identified with Minkowski as a character - is saved for moments when Minkowski is asserting her power in an active way that she isn't conflicted about. 

Ep61 Brave New World

About a third of the way into the finale, there's another indirect mention of the harpoon:

RACHEL Y-yes, sir… Umm, we also picked up some chatter on their weaponry supplies… Firearms, explosives, something about a harpoon…

This is a nice little reference which reminds the listener of the harpoon in anticipation of its big moment later on in this episode, while once again playing with its incongruity in a list of more typical combat weapons. Given that Minkowski and co. have guessed that they are being listened in on here, their choice to talk about the harpoon might be seen as their way of having a bit of fun, or it might be seen as their way to imply the same threat that Minkowski made to the plant monster. Cutter had warning, but he didn't heed it.

Which brings us, of course, to the harpoon's most significant moment:

Cutter frowns. Then he hears it: CLA-CLUNK! His eyes widen.  MINKOWSKI Let's see you catch this.  FWUUUMP! An ENORMOUS THING IS SHOT. A moment later, Cutter COLLIDES AGAINST THE WALL, IMPALED.  MR. CUTTER ... a... harpoon? That's not... how this is... supposed... to... He struggles for a few more moments...and then he stops.

This scene is a classic instance of Wolf 359 utilizing the audio medium to leave a significant element of the situation unknown to the listener until the right moment. We don't know that Minkowski is carrying the harpoon. We don't know that she's readying it as Lovelace talks. When we hear something fire, there's a moment where a listener might or might not have realised exactly what just fired. It's Cutter who delivers the glorious revelation. It gives the moment an additional burst of triumph that Cutter's final words are an expression of shock, not just that he has been defeated but at the weapon with which the killing blow was struck.

Human unpredictability 

It's not just that Minkowski kills Cutter with a harpoon; it's also that she wouldn't have been able to kill him without it. He can catch bullets after all, so Minkowski and Lovelace's guns are basically useless. Cutter thinks he's therefore invincible, but he hasn't accounted for the possibility that Minkowski might have a less conventional weapon on hand, one which fires larger projectiles that he can't catch so easily. The fact that she's carrying an unexpected weapon - a weapon that might have seemed ridiculous - is what allows her to defeat Cutter and therefore to survive. 

It's a repeated theme in Wolf 359 that the protagonists' strength is not that they are the most powerful or they behave in the most logical ways, but that they are complicated and human and unpredictable and very much themselves - all of the things that Cutter and Pryce don't want in their 'ideal humanity'. When Minkowski kills Cutter with the harpoon, it's a victory for human unpredictability and individual idiosyncrasies.

Making good on her promise

Thinking back to Minkowski Commanding, we can see that the threat Minkowski made to the plant monster absolutely came true with Cutter. He got complacent. He got smug. (I'd argue that smugness has always been one of his key attributes.) And he found her waiting for him, with a goddamn harpoon. The return of the harpoon for this moment suggests the defeat of Cutter is a culmination of some of the motivations and traits that Minkowski showed when hunting the plant monster, now channeled in a more suitable direction. She continued trying to get them "that much closer to going home". Her - sometimes absurd - determination provides a throughline from an episode that was mostly comedic (Minkowski Commanding) to a dramatic emotionally powerful finale. As Sarah Shachat put it in her audio commentary, Minkowski "makes good on her promise [that she makes in her harpoon speech in Minkowski Commanding]. That's why she's a hero."

It's significant that Cutter dies from an unlikely weapon that is so strongly identified with Minkowski. It makes that moment feel like truly hers (although she is of course right that she couldn't have done it without Lovelace - that's called being part of a crew). 

As the Commander, it feels apt that Minkowski is the one to kill the long-standing 'big bad'. Pryce is arguably the same level of antagonist as Cutter, but he's the one that we've been aware of since we became aware of larger sinister forces at work in this narrative. 

And if Minkowski has a personal nemesis, it's Cutter. He's the one who recruited her into the hellscape that is the Hephaestus. He played on her ambitions to get her where he wanted her. She trusted him the way she trusted the official chain of authority at the start of the mission. And that trust was extremely misplaced.

The significance of Minkowski being the one to kill Cutter is highlighted by the fact that she kills him with a weapon that only she uses, a weapon that links us back to her behaviour 40 episodes earlier. The sense of control that she was desperately seeking in Minkowski Commanding might not be completely within her grasp by the end of the finale, but she's reclaimed a piece of it by defeating the man who has been exerting control over her life for so long. And she did it with that goddamn harpoon.

#It's harpoon time!! #Honestly I think there's probably still lots more to say #but this is plenty to be getting on with #Feel free to share your own thoughts #Wolf 359 #w359 #Renée Minkowski #The stuff about human unpredictability was inspired a lot by conversations with my friend @commsroom #so she'd be in my bibliography if I had one #Something that didn't really fit in here but feels relevant is the way that fans #(particularly podcast fans who don't have canon appearances to go off) #will use certain characteristics/ objects/ clothing choices to make a character identifiable in art #Like if I see art of a Wolf 359 character with some combination of cigarette/ headphones/ Star Wars t-shirt #I know it's Eiffel even if it doesn't look like my mental idea of him #And the harpoon is definitely part of that shorthand for Minkowski #because no one else would have it #so lots of Minkowski art features the harpoon #which strengthens the associations that I'm talking about in this post #And that's interesting to me #because it's an unintended way in which fandom has the potential to influence how people perceive a character #but I think in this case it just adds further value to things that are already implied in canon #Renee Minkowski #Commander Minkowski #w359 spoilers #wolf 359 spoilers #the empty man posteth

[4aloysius-porteu]

i really wish i hated you || tsukishima kei

masterlist | 1 | chapter 2  | 3

pairing: tsukishima kei x f! reader

sypnosis: It was an accident that (Y/N) met a certain tall, blonde male; a memory she isn't fond of remembering, but it is where it all started. And ever since, she magically makes her to his path. The image of the bespectacled man dwelled in her mind more than she thought. Tsukishima pushed away his softer emotions and denied their existence, or at least that's what he told himself. But then, he couldn't believe that this girl he labeled as a clumsy, unlucky creature who smashed his glasses is slowly bringing these strange emotions back to him. She might be irritating and dumb sometimes, but he couldn't get himself to completely hate her. Either that destiny was stupid, or he was blessed or cursed.

genre: fanfiction, fluff

wc: 1881

(Y/N) stopped her tracks upon hearing his voice and turned around to confirm, but it was true, much to her dismay. He held his black-rimmed glasses with its left lens and frame cracked. The girl's mind went blank. She hesitantly glanced at him a few times, hoping that he would forgive her or let the incident smoothly slide.

He hissed, "Don't think you can get away with this, miss."

She sighed in defeat. The kids approached her with worried looks. She patted her heads, accepting their sympathy. "Well, playtime's over."

"But we haven't finished the game!"

"Do you still want to play?"

"Yes!"

"Next time, when you see me again at the park. Onee-chan has to go now."

She bade goodbye to the children and walked towards the guy she hit with his friend. She looked at his broken glasses again and couldn't help but to let out an exhale with anxiety. This is the result of my stupidity...

"W-What do you want me to do?" (Y/N) slurred.

" I don't know, maybe you should fix it right here and right now." The blonde guy crossed his arms and frowned.

Why don't you just get to the point?

"Replace it."

Of course, she will have to replace it. What a question to ask. She mentally rolled her eyes.

"I'll check there out if there's an optical store, I guess you will have to keep an eye on me so that I won't escape?" She pointed to the nearby mall, walking distance from the park.

"What else? Nobody trusts a stranger."

They reached the town's mall and saw an open optical store, but (Y/N) remembered her wallet. She wasn't sure if there's enough money for her to buy glasses.

"On the second thought, can I buy the glasses tomorrow? I don't think I have enough money."

"No." He instantly replied.

"Tsukki," His green-haired companion interrupted, "Maybe we can give her a chance? What if she's telling the truth?"

"I need my glasses in my everyday life, and if she doesn't have the money, I'll be happy to spare her some, but she'll have no choice to be in my debt."

How merciless. It's not like (Y/N) could blame him, but if the same thing happened to her, she would treat them nicely. She looked around the store to find a pair of glasses exactly like his, as he demanded, with his friend helping her for 30 minutes. After she gets the correct measurements and eye grade, she emptied her wallet to pay for the damn thing,

"Here." She held out the new glasses in the case. "Take care of them, it costed my LAST savings."

He took them and wore them immediately, "I am taking care of my glasses, it's just someone 'accidentally' kicked a ball on my way and knocked them off. Thank you for the horrible experience."

He excused himself and walked away. His friend stayed to talk to her.

"I'm sorry for the way he acted, he's like this most of the times. Please understand," He bowed, shyness evident in his voice.

"It's okay, it was completely my fault, so I don't mind."

"It was an accident, though. Thank you for your generosity." He soon followed the blondie that headed first.

"That was mandatory, though." (Y/N) lightly chuckled to herself.

She got out of the mall to take in the fresh air, but her soul almost left her body when a bolt of lightning strikes a tree near her, setting it on fire.

"Oh, my fucking- Did the sky just attempted to finish me?!" She said, calming herself down and looking up. The clouds were much darker than earlier.

As the townspeople bombed the burning tree with water, she ran to her apartment before it rains. There, she dropped her things on the couch and flopped to her bed, thinking what happened on this day because of her own stupidity. She groaned when she held her now empty wallet.

"Argh! Why am I so unlucky?!"She threw her wallet in frustration.

"That tall, blonde, asshole! He didn't need to embarrass me in front of people! I didn't mean it! He could've waited for tomorrow for me to replace his glasses! He's so unforgiving!" She complained, hating the thought of the said guy.

She sighed, cringe, anger, and embarrassment filling her head as she hugged her pillow.

"May karma comes to him sometime," was her last words before drifting off to a nap.

A few days passed, she went out of the house again to buy food supplies in a convenience store. It was almost nighttime. The chilly wind blew to her face and the sweet scent wafted in the store. She picked up some junk food and meat first before stopping by the confectioneries section. While choosing what shortcake flavor to pick, she bumped into something that almost made her fall to the floor, if she hadn't retained her balance.

"Oof, I'm sorry..."

Or rather, it was a person she bumped into.

She looked up and recognized the face of the man. It was the guy she's kind of mad at, but this time, he didn't have his nice friend with him.

(Y/N) took a step back, "You!"

The male looked back at her, tilting his head, observing the girl. He spoke with a monotonous expression, "Do I know you?"

Her eye twitched in irritation, "He doesn't remember me?!"

"I was the girl in the playground three days ago! I... I replaced your glasses!" She said, hesitating on the next sentence.

"Oh." His eyebrows raised, "Did the midget learned her lesson not to play a sport she's bad at?" He mocked.

"I'm not even a soccer player to begin with! What are you doing here?"

"What? Am I not allowed to buy food in a convenience store like a normal person?"

"I've been buying stuff here and I've never seen a similar face I've met twice in a week or month. That's sus."

"Maybe you are following me."

"What do I gain by following a huge, mean person like you?" (Y/N) retorted.

"Perhaps you want to get back at me after what happened days ago even if it's your fault. I don't know. Ask yourself." He took his eyes off her to choose among the sweet desserts.

She paused, analyzing his comment, "Well, you aren't completely wrong..."

"So, I am being followed? What a stalker."

"Of course not! What you said might be possible, but it's not the case right now!"

Both of them have set their eyes on an item and surprisingly the same one. A strawberry shortcake in the middle of the section. Their hands both grabbed the object before staring at each other in annoyance.

"Let go." They chorused.

"I chose it first." Said (Y/N).

"I do not see your name in it. You let go." He replied.

"How about no?"

They glared at each other for a few minutes before (Y/N)'s brows creased deeper in the middle, knowing well that this guy won't back down. "Whatever, you take it. I don't care anymore."

"Wow, thanks." He subtly rolled his eyes then walked away.

It was very awkward in the cashier where she had to wait behind him. Damn, he's so tall. Does he play any sport? Is he human? Or probably just a walking, mean tree?

What happened in the park flashed in (Y N)'s mind again. The impact of the ball might have been so painful to him since he wears glasses, where it cracked. What if the shards got into his eyes? Her wallet isn't ready for more payments, but that isn't the issue right now. She was worried about his well being. Both of them got out of the convenience store and she called the blonde male before he could get away again.

"Uhh, hey!"

He looked over his shoulder a little, "What?"

"Are your eyes okay? I mean, your glasses cracked... shards could've got inside your eyes..."

"Yes, they're fine, fortunately."

(Y/N) let out a sigh of relief. "That's... good to hear."

"But if something happened to my eyes, I will not hesitate to find you and make you pay for an eye surgery."

"You're exaggerating."

"It's not impossible. Now, go home. Elementary school students shouldn't go past the curfew."

She frowned. If only he wasn't a stranger, she would've kicked his ass to hell.

"Oh, gladly. I wouldn't want to stay near a bootleg Eiffel Tower any longer. Have a good day for you."

The blonde male left without any more words. (Y/N) sighed again in mental exhaustion, having to finish a lot of things this night. She was walking straight to her home while thinking of ideas to put in her current project when she realized that he was still walking ahead in front of her.

Where is he going?

She made her footsteps lighter, not wanting him to think that she was following him. She was thinking where does this guy live or why is he walking the same route as she does. It's not wrong to know where does this asshole stay, right? This continued for a couple of minutes before he turned around.

"Will you stop following me?"

Her eyes widened, not expecting him to know that she was behind him, "Excuse me? I'm just walking to my place?"

"Really?" He narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

(Y/N) looked around to find a way to escape. There, she saw her house that she almost missed because her mind was occupied, "Oh, look. It's my house. I gotta go!"

She waved goodbye to the blonde stranger, ran to her apartment, and slammed the door, dying from the awkwardness. She proceeded to the kitchen to drop the food supplies and to cook for herself as well. The salt in the cupboard reminded her of the rude, four eyes that she just met again minutes ago. That's when she realized, she kept calling him either insults or his evident physical features when he probably has a name. She could've asked for his name earlier, but shrugged the idea off, thinking that he will never give her his name.

The common thing to do after graduating junior high is to find a decent high school. (Y/N) is scheduled to have her entrance exams next week, so she has to spend time reviewing her notes these days. She opted to go to the prefectural library the next day to get further references as she isn't satisfied with the books she has. It was Wednesday, thus it was full of people who are also preparing for their entrance exams. With her stature, it'll be easy to pass in this crowd of people but she will have to ask for help because she can't reach the books at the top of the shelves.

After wandering around the crowded library, she found an unoccupied table to quietly study. She made her way to it, carrying the heavy books she needed that was luckily located at the bottom shelves. As she set the books on the left side of the table, someone did the same on the opposite side. She looked up to see who the stranger is, only to find out that the person isn't a stranger to her anymore.

"Oh, the midget stalker is here." 

©4aloysius.porteu.2021. please do not repost, copy, or edit. plagiarism is punishable by law.

#haikyuu!! #tsukishima kei #haikyuu tsukishima #haikyuu fanfiction #haikyuu angst #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu fluff #kei tsukishima #tsukishima x reader #tsukishima kei x reader #haikyuu headcannons #haikyuu x reader #tsukishima headcanons #tsukishima imagine #tsukishima scenarios #tsukki

[phoenixplume117]

Today's Decisions, Tomorrow's Consequences Chapter 14

Alya called for Trixx while Nino dialed Max's second line. To be expected, it just rang, as Pegasus was fighting on the live feed of France 24 from Paris. Suddenly, he grabbed his head and started screaming. Queen Bee rushed to him, and they fled.

Suddenly, the scene switched to Nadja who looked… off, "This is Nadja Chamack, TVi anchor reporting for France 24 international news. Thank you for tuning in. This is an Emergency report; please stay inside and take cover. The akumatized victim known as Painreign has invaded Paris once again."  She looked intently at the camera as if reading a teleprompter.  “Painreign's akumatization is psychic in nature; he telepathically makes his victims believe they are hurt.  He does not physically harm them, however, some doctors believe if the pain is strong enough, it could lead to seizures or heart attacks.  I cannot stress the need for Parisians to stay indoors!  As you can see, Pegasus has been rescued and taken from the battle by our Queen Bee.  So far the list of victims has been Forte, Monkey King, Viperion, Fidélité, and now Pegasus.  We still have not seen Ladybug or Chat Noir." Her iris' shifted the slightest bit and herface implored the camera, "Chat Noir, Ladybug where are you?  Please, come help us!" She looked like she was about to say something else, but suddenly, the scene shifted to three anchors behind a desk.

"That was live from Paris. This is France 24, international news from France, for live coverage of the attack on Paris.  Thank you Mme. Chamack," the North Asian woman in between the men said and snapped the pile of paper in front of her on the desk.   "We will be returning to Mme. Chamack after a word from our sponsor." Suddenly, a Renaun zipped across the screen, taking the anchors with it and showing a race track.

Nino tried calling Pegasus again, but no answer.

Adrien transformed while Marinette called Queen Bee.

"Marinette!  Where the hell are you!?"

Ladybug looked at everyone else, "I got QB!" She spoke back into her phone, "Are you still with Pegasus?"

"Yes!  I'm trying to get him as far away from Painreign's influence as possible.”

"Just find a safe place and take off his glasses."

"What?"

"Trust me, I know you already know who he is," she could hear them in the background.

"It's okay, Max, it's okay. I promise, you're not actually hurt. LB said to take off your miraculous."

Marinette couldn't hear what he said, but she did hear the anguish in his voice.

"Give them to me, or I'll take them off you myself.  We don't have time for this bullshit.  I don't care what you're wearing."

Marinette heard laughing and grumbling.

"I'm sorry, but next time, put something on. Thank god it's summer."

Marinette couldn't help herself, she had to ask, "Um, is he naked?"

QB's laughter came through the line but Max's deep voice cut her off, "NO!"

QB snorted, "He's wearing boxers and a white t-shirt."  Max groaned.

Kaalki had had enough of the Bee torturing her chosen and flew close to the phone, "Ladybug, as always, Max is fabulous. I only need to know: if he transforms again, will he be fine or…" she let the sentence hang.

Marinette smiled. It was terrible timing. but Chloe and Max needed this, they never really healed after their breakup.  "I'm not sure. I hate to make him try it.  Kaalki can you hear me?"

"Yes, of course I can, I have superb hearing, who do you th-"

"Kaalki, focus. Are you hurt?"

Kaalki seemed to be assessing herself, "No, I don't believe so."

"Alright then. I would say try. Chances are he should be fine."

Max transformed, and for a moment, everything seemed fine. Then the screams started again, and Queen Bee snatched his Miraculous off his face, abruptly tearing his transformation from his body and pulling Kaalki from the Miraculous.  QB wasn't laughing anymore as she leaned over and tried to comfort Max. She spoke into the phone, "Did you hear that?"

Ladybug nodded and spoke softly, "Yeah… I did.  Now, I'm going to have to ask you to do something you aren't going to like."

"It's fine, I already knew you were going to," Queen Bee said. Handing the phone to Max, she held his pince-nez glasses to her face as she called out, "Pollen-"

"Chloe?  Don't detransform," came the tinny voice over the line.

Queen Bee's hand touched her miraculous.  "Okay?"  She said unsurely. After all, only Adrien and Marinette were actually capable of powering multiple Miraculous without being too overwhelmed.  

Max's voice came through loud and clear now; he was obviously holding the phone now, and his voice seemed to carry a world of worry, "Ladybug are you sure?  Couldn't it cause brain damage or something?"

Marinette honestly didn't know what it would do, but she had a sneaking suspicion Chloe could handle multiple miraculouses. She knew if Kaalki was carrying the compulsion that Max believed he was hurt, then Chloe would need Pollen to combat it.  Ladybug's authoritative voice reassured him, "The best we can do is try, but I have the utmost belief in Queen Bee's abilities." She turned to Adrien who had transformed while she'd been on the phone, "I need the coordinates for this location," she said and was about to say more but heard Queen Bee in the background.

"Kaalki,transform me!"

"How is she?" Marinette asked Max.

"Woah," he said.

"Max!" she insisted.

"I'm fine!" Chloe replied.

"Alright, then Royal Rider, come get us at 45 Boulevard De La Garoupe, Antibes," Chat said.

"Uh," came Chloe's voice from the background.

"It doesn't work like that," Max said, "Do you have the coordinates?"

"7.137133 by 43.561014," Chat said looking down at his stick's GPS screen. 

"Give me that," Royal Rider said and suddenly her voice was louder. "Go home, get some rest, I'll check on you later, okay?  Actually, we're really close to Kim's; go there."

"Are you kidding?" Ladybug heard in the distance. "He'd never let me-"

"Enough!" Ladybug interrupted, “We don't have time for this. Max, stay wherever you are. If you want, Rider, come get us. Carapace and Rena are here too."

"Hold this," there was some background shuffling then, "Okay, I'm here, where are you?" 

Carapace, who'd been tapping his foot impatiently, looked at Rena, who had been avidly watching the news. Rena saw Nadja, who was back on screen, slowly and emotionally deteriorate before her eyes.  "She's here," he said holding his hand out to her.

Rena held his hand and stood as they all ran up the stairs and out of the house. Chat called out a verbal command for the alarm to engage.   "Guys," Rena called out as they ran through the garage, "I think Nadja was hit! When we get there, I'm going to take care of her first."  

Ladybug nodded, "Sounds good.  I can tell you from experience, though, journalists will usually fight you."

Rena blushed, "Sorry," she said as she shut the external garage door.

Royal Rider stood arms crossed, tapping her fingers on her opposite bicep, looking at the Mediterranian waters.  Her suit was very similar to Pegasus' with one exception, all the leather straps were gold.  Her black hair was braided the way Chloe always wore it now, across her head falling in front of her shoulder.  What was most stunning was the tiara of gold horseshoes at her brow with Pollen's comb proudly in the middle of the crown, acting as an anchor and holding it into Rider's hair. While Pegasus had short wings at his ankles, Rider had thin gold folded wings from heel to knee.  Her venom filled spinning top was strung from shoulder to hip while her fighting horseshoe was on the opposite hip. Most noticeable, though, was her skin. She was white.  Not human white, but paper white. As Queen Bee, she was black from her hair to her toes with only three stripes of yellow around her middle and one stripe through her hair and completely blue sclera with yellow irises. Her appearance showed people where she stood even if it were dark.  It had been necessary when Ladybug gave her a second chance at the bee miraculous, and it worked; no one realized the black hero was Chloe.  Chloe hoped with the pince-nez sunglasses, people still wouldn’t guess her identity. She spoke up when she felt everyone had investigated her suit long enough, "Took you long enough.  Chat, you guys really need to repaint your fence. When was the last time it was painted, the 90's?  You're going to bring down the property values.  'Very tacky,' " she finished in English.

Rena, who'd been about to compliment her or at least thank her, rolled her eyes, "Seriously?  Let's go!"

Rider put her hands on her hips, cheeks warming. "I have a little problem; I'm not Max, and I can't just calculate locations in my mind. Even with the miraculous' abilities, I can only get the basic idea of Paris' coordinates. I have no idea how to get down to the specific location."

Chat sighed with irritation, pulled his stick out and snapped his GPS app open. After a few moments, he gave the coordinates of the Eiffel Tower.

Rider opened the portal, and Carapace hopped through first, running to help the civilians crippled with pain, followed by Rena who ran to help Nadja. Chat turned to Rider, "Are you okay?"

She nodded, "Yeah."

He nodded back and walked through the portal.

Ladybug looked her up and down. "I need you to tell me the truth, are you hurt or tired?"

Rider shook her head and laughed, "I'm seriously fine. Let's go; Paris needs help."

Ladybug looked unsure, but looking through the portal, Chat was staring at her with a worried look on his face, so she hopped through to him.

Rider walked through last and the portal snapped shut behind her.  

"Ladybug! I missed you!" Painreign said, floating over to them.  

He was dressed like a horror version of a doctor.  Most terrifying was the replacement of his head mirror with a rusty rotary saw blade. Suddenly Ladybug realized he must have had negative experiences with mental healthcare before they met the first time, because this had been his costume the last time, too. After he'd been de-akumatized, he'd been taken to Saint Anne's and diagnosed with acute schizophrenia with moments of paranoia and delusions of grandeur.  She never thought about the fact that he had probably been diagnosed with something before their first encounter.  She didn't think she could hate Hawkmoth more before, but this.  This was horrible. Who could do this to someone so deeply and mentally ill?

Hawkmoth stood behind a chimney with Mayura by his side.  "Those fools!" he said, "They should have just stayed away!"

Mayura peeked around his shoulder and around the chimney, "Do you really think getting closer will make a difference?"

Hawkmoth reached down and held her hand, "Him having that akuma is pointless. I can't control him, and he has no intention of bringing me their miraculouses."

Mayura nodded, but he still hadn't answered her, "Do you-"

"Yes, I believe if I get close enough, I'll be able to rip the akuma from him since I wasn't able to pull it away before or even communicate with him."

"Have you tried communicating with him?" She asked.

He tried again, but it was like standing in an empty room filled with white noise. He shook his head, "Nothing."

Mayura shook her head, "How did he get the akuma?"

Hawkmoth looked down at her, "It was supposed to go to nurse who was tired of being used as a weight lifter by everyone in the building." He sighed, "He wasn't even in the building; he'd left for the day. I'm just out of practice.  That or this man's will was just that strong.  I just thought it was a perfect opportunity-Adrien would be safe since he was out of town."

Mayura nodded; she'd thought that before.  If people wanted an akuma, they would go to them regardless of if Hawkmoth had intended that person to be the original user or not.

"How are you?"

Mayura, who'd been staring off into space as she thought, snapped her attention to his face, "I'm fine," she said, and she was. Now.  It had taken a while for her body to fully heal, but since Gabriel had fixed Duusu's Miraculous, she was fine when she used it.  It never kept him from worrying, though.

Hawkmoth looked down at her deciding if she was telling the truth. He settled on yes. Yes, she was telling the truth based on her posture and smile.  "Okay," he said. He turned back to the man and commanded his akuma to return to him, but nothing happened.  He tried again, but no positive result.  He tried to communicate with the akuma, and yet again, even though he felt like he was speaking to no one, he spoke anyway, in case his commands would be heard.  "Painreign, do you hear me?!"

Mayura held his hand tight as if somehow she could lend support to him and strengthen his connection to the man.

He shook his head.

"Nothing?"

Chat held Ladybug tight, feeling her shivers and hating that they'd been forced to come; she wasn't ready to be here.  She probably wasn't even over last night's ordeal, and now, she was supposed to do this?  He leaned forward, "I'm right here, Ma- M'Lady."

She nodded once, and in her head, she repeated, We're not alone, We're not alone, We're not alone. Maybe if she repeated it enough. the memories would fade.  He was one of the most intelligent villains they'd ever gone up against.  He'd used his ability to make her think her arms were broken in different places to prevent her from using her yo-yo.  Ultimately, she'd done it but the pain had been astronomical.  And he'd 'broken' one of Chat Noir's femurs, literally forcing him to bow to him.  Once incapacitated, he'd easily been able to tie them up and take one of her earrings.  But he didn't know how to work the screw backs, and he'd eventually just ripped it out.  Ladybug's eyes glazed over at the memory that woke her up sweaty and chilled at the same time for months after.  She had to treat him fairly. She had to say to herself, remember he is a victim! Desperate to keep the tremor out of her voice she spoke, "Painreign, this is not the way to get my attention.  You are hurting the people of Paris."

He spoke as if he never heard her, "Ladybug, may I have your earrings?" He floated toward her as if on a magical zipline.

Ladybug's reflexes were slow. Chat jumped down from the tower and slid down his pole with her in his arms, but Painreign was faster and was ready to meet them at the bottom. Chat quickly extended his pole again, and they quickly jumped to another level, running apart from one another along the side of the tower. They were grateful they occasionally climbed the famous landmark for fun, giving them the advantage of knowing the structure's design.

Painreign screamed his fury and flew up toward Ladybug, but suddenly, a fog engulfed the level Chat and she were parkouring through.

Chat suddenly heard a cry. "I can't keep up," Ladybug said as she fell. She had managed to throw her yoyo and safely dangled from it a little over a meter from the level below.

Chat scooped her up and continued running and leaping, trying to assess the situation but not finding any clues. His mind raced. Just seeing the man made him see blood, so much blood, Mar- no, Ladybug had been covered in blood the last time they'd seen him.  Seeing him didn't make him angry; it made him scared.  He didn't want her here. He wanted her far away and safe.  Once he'd taken care of the situation, then she could come. That would be much better.  He never wanted to see her suffer like that again. 

"Ladybug, do you have any ideas?" He asked.

Ladybug looked over his shoulder at Painreign, trying to assess him and watching for any type of clue, but she didn't get anything from the man. 

She shook her head, "None." 

Everywhere Painreign looked, there were Ladybugs.  He reached for the closest, "Gotch-" but she disappeared in a poof of smoke.  He spun around; she'd been real, he knew it!  He'd seen it!  He saw her again and flew after her. "Ladybug wait!  I won't hurt you," he said reaching for her hand as she ran from him, but once he touched her she blew away.  "No!" He yelled then twisted and ran for another, but every Ladybug disappeared as soon as he touched her, and soon, he was screaming. 

He saw Chat Noir at that moment.  "You!  How dare you touch my Lovely Bug!"

Chat started moaning with his lips pressed together.

Ladybug looked over her shoulder. "What did he do?  What hurts?" She jumped out of his arms, not paying attention to the greater threat.

"LB!" Chat yelled at the same time she felt Painreign's hands at her ears causing her to stiffen in fear.

"I'll be gentle this time. I know how to take them off properly. Or if you like, you can take them off," Painreign offered reasonably.

Before she could say anything, Chat crawled around her legs and panted up at him, "No, stop, don't, you can have my ring. Stop, just stop, touching her!" He gasped between nearly every word.

Painreign shook his head, pitying Chat who was beginning to sweat. "I don't want your ring, silly." He turned to Ladybug, "I want 'the pretty bug,' and I will be Mr. Bug!"

Chat looked up to Ladybug with a stunned look in his eyes; he'd been Mr. Bug only a handful of times, but it was kind of shocking that it would be anyone's life goal.  She looked terrified.

"How's your back, Kitty Cat?" Painreign asked with a wicked look on his face, clearly punishing Chat for touching the woman he loved.

Chat tried to remember he was fine, that it was all a trick. Unfortunately, he kept remembering an article he'd read that said there was no such thing as mind tricks when it came to pain. Pain was part of the nervous system which was powered by the brain.  So no matter what, the pain was real. This was why addicts who needed pain killers were never lying about their pain.  Thinking that way wasn't helping him at all, but he couldn't help it. He tried to remember how in some countries, people would get up and walk home after having a major surgery.  Pain was literally all in the mind, or at least the nervous system.  After their last battle with Painreign, he'd researched pain and nerves.  Everything he'd learned just made the situation worse.  

"It's fine!" he gritted out, but by now, he was laying on the floor at their feet, watching Ladybug's eyes fill with tears of fear.  Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a brown leather suit with yellow stripes coming, and then, her venom filled top shot out.

Suddenly, Royal Rider was on her hands and knees screaming, and her top fell uselessly at Ladybug's feet.  Rider's head was hanging down, and she was looking at her legs as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.  

Chat twisted the best he could with his "broken back," and saw the look on her face, "Thighs?"

She whimpered and nodded. "I can't move."

"He did the same to me last time."

"And you carried her?!"

Chat would have shrugged if he could have.

"Must be love," she said between whiny breaths.

Painreign snuggled Ladybug, holding her arms down and preventing her from using her lucky charm. "Here we are, darling. Now as I was saying, please let me have your earrings.  I did say 'please'."

Ladybug shivered she saw a flash of purple from the corner of her eye, then heard Hawkmoth's commanding voice.

"Painreign, you're in grave danger! You've had that akuma too long, and it becomes poisonous to the carrier after so many hours. You must let it go."

Painreign looked at him, "No! You're trying to trick me!" But the last time he'd only had the akuma for an afternoon, this time he'd had it over a day already.  What if he was right…?  Painreign let go of his tight grip on Ladybug to scratch his arm.  

Ladybug threw her arm up shouting, "Lucky Charm!" and her yoyo came down with a purple purse. "Huh?!" She'd never gotten anything other than red polka dotted items.

Ladybug looked at Hawkmoth. He had a frown on his face, but then he smiled. "Mayura, get their miraculouses!"

Mayura jumped from out of nowhere on top of Chat, and Ladybug kicked her in the side.  She grunted from the impact, then bounced back, going for Ladybug's ears. 

Ladybug twisted, hitting the woman with the purse.

Hawkmoth went back to persuading Painreign that the Akuma was slowly poisoning him.  Logically, he knew it was the best way to set off the man's paranoia, but it made him feel ill to hurt someone already so mentally ill.  He told himself he was doing it because if he didn't, the man would harm more people.  The unfortunate truth was this, something needed to be done.  "Painreign?  Are you starting to feel itchy?  That's not a good sign."

Painreign looked at him with fear and he felt like a monster, "Get it out!" the man screamed and clawed at his arms, but thankfully, the white lab coat saved his skin.

Ladybug had Mayura tied up with her yoyo and brought her over to Hawkmoth, "I believe this belongs to you."

Hawkmoth looked at the purple purse trying to figure out what clue the purse was pointing to. He knew it was meant for him, but all he could think of was that it looked like the old pockets he'd learned about in college when he'd taken fashion history.  He turned to the lab coat and realized lab coats had double pockets.  Exactly like historical pockets.  He kicked the man, but the akuma had made Painreign quick.

Painreign whined, "Why isn't this working?!  Why aren't you hurt?"

Hawk Moth laughed, "I am the one who owns those powers. They won't hurt me unless I give them permission and I didn't."  While he spoke he kicked out again intentionally missing but following through with his cane and hitting his mark, stunning him long enough that he was able to reach into the lab coat's pocket where he found a puzzle piece. He tried to gently pull the akuma from it, but it wouldn't budge.  He tried again, this time without being gentle. He imagined ripping it from the cardboard side with a force strong enough the wings could tear off the butterfly, yet it still didn't work. He turned to his enemy in red and held up the puzzle piece to her, shocked at his own action. "I can't get it out."

Ladybug looked at him as if he'd grown a second head. "Are you helping me?"

"Give me Mayura."

Ladybug snapped her yo-yo back and pushed Mayura to Hawkmoth. He threw the puzzle piece at her, and she picked it up and snapped it in half all the while watching Hawkmoth distrustfully. He had his arm around Mayura's waist and bent to pick up Painreign. Before Ladybug could stop him, he'd picked up both of them and jumped from the tower.  Ladybug cleansed the akuma before Hawk Moth could call it back, then she looked at Chat and Rider, who were still in pain. Would the purple Lucky Charm work as compensation?  She looked down at the purse and tossed it high, hoping for the best as she yelled, "Miraculous Ladybug!" She nearly wept with relief when they swept across the city, starting with Chat and Rider.  

She fell to her knees and kissed Chat Noir. "Thank god."  She felt his hand on the back of her head and his arm around her back, and wrapped herself around him. She could faintly hear Rider speaking to her.

"I hope you know the whole world is watching," Royal Rider said plopping onto her back and laughing in joy at not being in pain anymore. She looked at the drone recording the embracing heros and snapped her top at it, causing it to crash to the ground beneath the tower. She smirked; the world would never catch her making out with her boyfriend while they were in disguise.

Nadja Chamack was being carried away from the Eiffel Tower in Rena's arms as fast as she could run, trying to get the reporter outside of the circle of influence.  Apparently Nadja had suffered multiple "injuries."  Yesterday, Painreign had 'broken' her leg and today he had 'broken' both of her clavicles, which was why she was in tears and why her hands were in her pockets.  She told Rena she had refused to go home last night, saying she didn't want to scare her teenage daughter. Nadj stayed at work and when she'd been hit with another psychic blast today, she refused to go off air, telling her cameraman to put her hands in her pockets for her. 

Rena kept running, listening to the story in awe of the woman.  This was what she wanted to do.

"Aaah!" Nadja sighed in relief and went limp. Apparently, they were out of Painreign’s area of influence.

Rena looked down. "No more pain?" she asked.

Nadja shook her head. "I feel fine now," she said.

Rena set her down. "Okay, I'm going back to help," she said and turned back to run toward the tower.

Nadja chased after her.

Rena turned around, "No pain at all?"

Nadja looked up and said, "Ladybug must have fixed everything."

Rena agreed and bounced forward.

Nadja yelled, "Can you take me back?"

Rena turned around running backward, "Sorry! One way trips only; I'm not an UBER."

Nadja jogged toward the tower irritated with the heroine.

Ladybug pulled away from the kiss and rested her head on Chat's shoulder, running her fingers through his unruly hair.

"It went a lot better this time," Chat said.

A laugh burst from Ladybug's lips, and she nodded against his shoulder.

He ran his hand up and down her spine, calming her frayed nerves. 

"Let's get out of here guys.  I'm about to lose Kaalki and I don't know how it affects Pollen," Rider said, jumping up and tossing her top to let it pull her away from the tower.

Chat looked over the side and saw Carapace arguing with the news crew. He called down to his friend to notify him they were leaving.  Ladybug wrapped her arm around him and tossed her yoyo after Rider, following her to wherever she'd left Max.

On the street below, Carapace watched the footage of Ladybug and Chat Noir's embrace being broadcast on France 24's international live feed.  "You cannot broadcast that!"

The cameraman laughed, "We've been waiting 10 years for something this juicy!"

Carapace groaned, "They haven't even been fighting crime for 10 years."

The cameraman laughed with joy at being the first to catch the couple in a romantic situation in years.  "Besides, it has already been shown."

"Once!" Carapace shot back. "No one needs to see it again!"

The cameraman shrugged. "The feed is saved at the office. Sorry, Man," the cameraman said without remorse.

Carapace looked up seeing Rider and Ladybug leaving, "Sorry not sorry is more like it," he said, then ran after them.

The cameraman shrugged and replied to no one, "True."

Rena watched the Paris rooftops as she ran toward the Eiffel Tower and once she spotted the two women's cords pulling them in the other direction, she turned to follow them.  After a couple streets she caught up with Carapace.  "Oh, babe, what happened?"

"You won't believe it."

"I'm sure," she said, scooping him up and bounding up structures until she was on top of the buildings where she could more easily catch up with the rest of the group. "Nothing surprises me anymore."

Carapace wrapped his arms around her neck like a princess. "Dude, trust me. You will not believe what happened today."

"Carapace!  What happened!"

"Hawkmoth saved the day."

She would have stopped, but she needed to get wherever everyone was regrouping before she lost her powers.  She'd created a field of Ladybugs before she ran to help Nadja, hoping she could do it all in her allotted 10 minutes, but her time was dwindling down.

"Rena?" Carapace asked.

She kept running, "Why?"

"The only thing I can think of is guilt."

"Guilt?! The man has terrorized this city forever!  He's akumatized babies!"

Rider yelled, "Rena! Over here!"

Rena jumped two buildings then set Carapace down. Looking around to see if it was safe, she pushed past her friends and stood against the chimney, feeling her disguise fall and along with a disgruntled Trixx into her awaiting hands. "A little close, don't you think?" the kwami snapped.

"Sorry," Alya said checking her pockets realizing she had nothing for her exhausted friend. 

Everyone else looked guilty; looked like no one was prepared or had spare.

Ladybug sighed. She listened, but her earrings hadn't started beeping yet.  She tossed her yoyo skyward using her second Lucky Charm hoping for kwami goodies. "Lucky Charm?" The yoyo came down with a box from her parents' bakery, and once she opened it,Trixx zoomed inside, tearing into a pink macaron.  

Moments later Ryder's pince-nez sunglasses and tiara beeped their final warning, and Kaalki and Pollen both went directly to the treat box, ignoring Chloe who blushed as she was exposed, wearing her pajamas after torturing Max. 

"Nice outfit, Chlo," Max commented.

"Shut up," she replied not unkindly, feeling her face warm, and she crossed her arms.  "I was with Zain, we were watching a movie." 

"If you say so," he replied.

Her head snapped up, and she turned to him, "You know what I was doing!  You came and got me!"

He burst out laughing then reached into the box, but Kaalki snapped his fingers with her tail, "Not for you," she said after swallowing a bite of Les Galettes d’Avoine.

Chloe smiled at him, and said in a haughty voice, "Those are only for real heros.” She reached forward for a treat but was interrupted.

"No, my queen," Pollen said nibbling a croissant that smelled like honey.

Max smirked. 

Suddenly, someone climbed up the side of the building. "Oh, my gosh, are you guys alright?!  Chloe, Max, where are your clothes?" Fidélité asked. She was Barkk the dog kwami's chosen.

Chloe smiled at her old best friend, "Yeah. Are you alright now?"

She nodded then looked at Ladybug and Chat. "Everyone saw that, you know?"

They both looked confused.

"The kiss."

Ladybug blushed and said, "It was bound to happen eventually."

Alya spoke up, "Yeah, but was it bound to happen days after Marinette went to a ball with him?"

Chat spoke up then, "There weren't any cameras inside."

"Plenty of people were there though,"  Max said.

Ladybug shook her head, "Marinette danced with Adrien too."

Max turned to her, "That makes it worse Marinette, not better."

Ladybug swallowed. It was one thing to be told everyone knew, but it was another to have it confirmed.  "Maybe everyone will think he's cheating on her?" She said in a small voice.

Chat looked at her a bit hurt; she was throwing him under the bus, but was it the only way she could save her identity?  "How is that a solution?"

Chloe looked at him, "How isn't it?"

Alya nodded, "He's right. Chat Noir might be a flirt but he has good character.  He'd never cheat on his girlfriend."

By this time, Ladybug's earrings were beeping insistently, and she was looking around for a place to escape to.

Chat whispered in her ear, "Might as well let it go. Everyone already knows anyway."

She turned, finding comfort in his features, but she just couldn't agree. "Guessing isn't the same as knowing."

Chat shook his head, "You know Alya and Nino will confirm it."

Her shoulders fell, and she nodded once, letting him hold her as she told Tikki to de-transform her.

"Told you," Chloe said to Max.

"I didn't disagree. I just said, ‘she was a statistical anomaly,’ " he replied.

"Can you speak like a human?"

Tikki looked around at all the people then back at Marinette. "Are you sure this was a good idea?"

Marinette shrugged her ignorance. "If it's bad, I'm sure Bunnyx will yell at me. But honestly, they already know, and I'll be gone soon anyway."

Tikki sadly floated down to her friends and grabbed a macaron, settling down to listen to the latest kwami gossip.

Max turned to Chat Noir and said, "I suppose you actually are Adrien then?"

Chat shrugged without answering.

Max smiled, "Kind of hard denying it considering the four of you were at Adrien's house."

Chat smiled, "Mari invited me since we're dating."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Nice try, Adrikins. I heard you verbally lock your house on your way out, and I know Gabriel has all his homes set up with biometrics.  If you weren't Adrien, you couldn't have verbally locked down the villa."

Chat narrowed his eyes at the blond. "Who do you think you are telling Zain about us?"

She looked surprised then a little ashamed, but she did have her reasons. "It's sma-"

He wasn't finished, yet. "No! You don't get to make those choices, and you certainly don't get to make them alone.  No one is allowed to make choices without the group taking a vote, and I'm sorry if you guys don't like it, but LB’s vote and mine will have more weight."

Everyone looked surprised, and most of all Marinette, as she took a step back out of his arms but still holding his hand.  His face showed a frustration born of years of being left in the dark, just expected to soldier along.

Trixx nudged Alya's shoulder, and Alya nodded.

Chloe nodded to Chat. "I understand; I should have discussed it with you two first.  You're right, but when he told me he'd been chosen, or whatever, since he doesn't have a kwami, my first thought was, ‘He could help us!’ "

"How?" Chat replied. "He's in the US, we're in France, and there's an entire ocean between us."

Chloe held one arm toward Max and the other toward Kaalki who was still enjoying her oat cakes with Tikki.

Chat blew out a frustrated breath. "Chlo, why?  You lost your miraculous once because of this, why would you tell him?"

Chloe shook her head, "He knew."

Chat was taken aback, "How?"

Chloe shrugged, "He said he always loved superheroes, and when he found out Paris had real ones, he followed the stories.  When we first met, he knew I was Queen Bee."

Marinette shook her head, "That's not possible."

Tikki swallowed, "Actually it is."

Chat looked at the red kwami, "How?"

"The reason no one here knows isn't because your suits are such good disguises. It's because there is a magical glamour that prevents people from guessing your true identities," Tikki told him.

Fidélité looked as confused as the rest of them felt. "So why did he know?" she asked.

Tikki looked up at the redhead. "I think he lives outside our circle of influence.  I'm not sure how big it is, but that is the only thing I can think of."

Fidélité looked at Marinette and Chat, "That's not good, especially with France 24 broadcasting us internationally. It doesn't matter for most of us, but Chloe and Adrien are all over the internet. Chloe yawned and said, "So are Nino and Alya, and now Marinette is going to be all over the internet."

Pollen smacked her sticky lips and turned to Tikki and Kaalki. "We should do this again."

"Indeed," Kaalki said, taking another nibble.  She was so ladylike that she took forever to eat.

Tikki nodded and watched Pollen float to Chloe.  "Pollen, what did you think about Chloe's decision to tell him about us?"

Pollen smiled and said, "I trust him.  He reminds me of Wang Yong, remember him?"

Tikki nodded. "Ziggy's chosen, that was a long time ago."

Pollen agreed, "I would say more, but I don't think Chloe should hear it."

Tikki hummed her agreement, then said something in their language.

Pollen replied, and they conversed back and forth for a few moments.

Tikki looked thoughtful, "We really need to talk to Sass and Plagg about this."

Chloe looked at the two kwamis, "What, can't I know? What's that supposed to mean?"

There's more on AO3

#miraculous ladybug #ladybug #chat noir #ladynior #marichat #marinette dupain cheng #queen bee #tikki #kaalki #nadja chamack #akumatization #nino lahiffe #alya cesaire #rena rouge #carapace #hawk moth #mayura #Pollen #Trixx