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likethelastwoman · 2 years

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Last Strike - Chapter 20: Queen Bee II

A couple of wrecked cars later, Chat Noir arrived on the scene.

"At last!" Miracle Queen thought, although she understood that arriving too early would have raised suspicion.

The roundabout surrounding the Arc de Triomphe was a terrible shambles. There were smashed cars everywhere, two buses were upside-down, a bunch of road signs were bent into ribbons, and a couple of trash cans were on fire.

To be honest, Chloe had missed the power that came with a miraculous, and so she hadn't held back in the slightest.

Smashing things was the perfect way to release stress!

She was thinking just that when she heard a voice behind her.

“Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in," Chat Noir greeted.

As soon as she recognized his voice, she took a deep breath. “You can do it,” she reassured herself. “C’mon, Chloe, you can do it.”

So she squared her shoulders and turned around. Chat Noir was perched on a black sedan that had been turned over on the sidewalk, a shit-eating grin on his face. He was deep into the role already, it seemed.

It made it easier for her to yell, “I'm not Chloe, I'm Miracle Queen!”

She’d been practicing that line in her mind ever since she had started crushing cars. It came out so convincing it was Broadway-worthy.

“Whatever…" Chat waved it off, playing down her words on purpose. He then placed a hand over his eyes and looked around, lips pursed in concentration. “Where's my queen? And I mean my real queen, not… this cheap copy," he added, pointing up and down to Miracle Queen.

Had she not known it was all part of the show, Chloe would have been incredibly offended. So she pretended to be very, very offended.

“I am the rightful and only Queen of Paris! You're going to eat your words, mangy cat!” As she shouted it, she pulled a trash can from the ground and threw it towards Chat Noir, who dodged it by hopping off the car with a backflip and landed safely on the road.

“Don’t be such a cryba-bee, little flower,” he teased, leaning on his baton as if he wasn't taking part in a battle to death—and he wasn’t, but Hawk Moth couldn’t know.

Miracle Queen didn’t answer. Instead, she ripped the tire off a random car and threw it at him, but Chat dodged it effortlessly. Then she ripped off the other three and sent them in his direction as well, but none of them hit him. Not that she really wanted to hit him… but still, missing her target was starting to feel very frustrating. Chat wasn't even letting her get close.

“Stay still, you wingless bat!” Chloe shouted, half for real, half for the show.

“Don’t try to hide it, honey. I know you’ve been bee-witched by my charms. ”

“You think you are soooo funny, don’t you?”

“To bee or not to bee, that is the question! But on a serious note, can’t you return your miraculous and buzz off? Just look at this mess! Nobody taught you to bee-have, sweetie?”

Miracle Queen had to stop throwing things at him to make sense of what was happening. He had strung together four puns in a few sentences. FOUR!

Really, between the dodging and the puns, Chloe wasn’t having it. She had begun to try to hit him for real, out of pure frustration. She had to focus, but Chat wasn’t making it easy.

“What do bees like with their sushi?” he was purring, as he jumped from a bus to a traffic light, and from a traffic light to a lamppost. “Wasa-bee!

“Who says, zzub zzub zzub? A bee flying backward!

“Where do worker bees go on vacation? Sting-apore!”

At the fifth joke, Chloe froze.

Oh my gosh.

He was ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!

What kind of a knucklehead had chosen such a clown to be one of the main defenders of Paris?

“What's the matter, little bee? Have you run out of ammunition? Or have I left you speechless with my puns?”

Miracle Queen had to muster all her willpower to keep a straight face. She would never admit it, but between her own nerves and Chat Noir's ridiculous behavior, she was biting her tongue to avoid bursting out laughing.

“What would Ladybug do in this situation?”, she thought. The answer was obvious, so she replied: “Your flirting doesn't work on me!”

Chat flashed a smug smirk, quite pleased with himself. He dodged another tire and then leaned against the wall of the nearest building, crossing his arms behind his head and arching his back in a pose that wouldn’t be out of place in an underwear ad.

“Beauty is in the eye of the bee-holder. But in my case, bee-ing sexy is part of the job.” He laughed at the inside joke, even if Chloe wouldn’t appreciate it.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back.

If he didn't stop playing games soon, Chloe was going to have a heart attack, and not of the good ones.

She didn’t know how long could she keep the show going.

Chat must have sensed Miracle Queen's patience was wearing thin, because he suddenly straightened up and his mischievous grin turned to one of determination. He was letting her know that time had come for the real battle to begin.

Miracle Queen got the message, judging by how she charged at Chat Noir like a bull.

They exchanged a couple of quick blows—they all missed, of course. At one point, Miracle Queen kicked Chat's staff, which flew out of his reach.

(Oh no, what a disaster!)

A couple of attacks later, Chat was "pinned" against the ground. Miracle Queen was straddling him and clutching his wrists. He pretended to struggle with her, but in reality neither of them were putting up much of a fight.

”You've lost, mangy cat!”

“Cataclysm!” Chat made sure to scream at the top of his lungs, so that both Lila (Ophidia) and Hawk Moth could hear him.

Immediately, his ring became charged with pure destructive energy and both Miracle Queen and Hawk Moth knew what would happen if they touched it.

So they could only wait.

As expected, Hawk Moth didn't waste a second before speaking to Chloe through their telepathic link: “Stay where you are even if Ladybug shows up. Ophidia will take care of her, and it's only a matter of time before Chat Noir's timer runs out. Then I'll finally get their miraculouses…”

“Roger, Hawk Moth," Chloe answered as she feigned a victorious smile.

She squeezed Chat Noir's wrists, not to secure her grip but as a way to keep her nerves in check. He allowed her to do so and even shot her—discreetly—a reassuring smile.

Then what they were both waiting for happened: a red lightning fell from the sky. Ladybug landed in the middle of the road like Superman, her yo-yo spinning menacingly.

“Let go of him, Chloe!” she roared.

She had barely finished the sentence when a greenish figure pounced on her.

Ophidia was getting fed up with Chat Noir's puns. When Miracle Queen finally seemed to start fighting back seriously instead of throwing whatever she could find in her way, Lila tensed up in anticipation, hoping to jump into action once and for all.

Her instructions were to stay hidden until Ladybug arrived and catch her off guard. Hawk Moth had forbidden her to intervene in the battle between Miracle Queen and Chat Noir because he didn't think Chloe needed any assistance.

Apparently Hawk Moth was convinced Chat Noir was useless without Ladybug and could not defeat Miracle Queen alone, but Lila had already underestimated that alley cat once, when she had lost sight of him being Volpina, and it had been precisely that mistake that led her to lose the fox miraculous.

As she watched the battle, however, Ophidia realized that maybe Hawk Moth was right. Perhaps because of her akumatization, Miracle Queen managed to overpower Chat Noir relatively quickly. Ophidia couldn't believe her own eyes when she saw her "partner" knock Chat Noir down with a shove and then pin him down to the ground.

My, my. Chloe had turned out to be a valuable addition to the team…

Of course, as soon as she saw her kitty was in danger, that stuck-up bug decided to jump in.

She landed as if she thought she owned the world and spoke to Miracle Queen as if she had the right to boss her around, when in reality she was nothing more than a disgusting bug with airs and graces, Lila thought.

Her hatred fueled the akuma that had corrupted the snake's bracelet and sent a wave of power through her limbs. Ophidia activated Second Chance as a precaution, only unlike her boring male version—Viperion—she didn't have a time limit, thanks to the akuma.

She cracked her knuckles. She was finally going to get her sweet revenge…

Not waiting a minute longer, she crept towards Ladybug from the rooftop where she had been hiding, and when she couldn't get any closer without being spotted, she pounced on her.

Ladybug's head spun in slow motion, her eyes widened, flooded with surprise and fear…

Lila broke into a satisfied grin—she had wiped that conceited sneer off the bug's face at last!

And then…

Ophidia phased through Ladybug's body and slammed face-first into the asphalt.

Before she could understand what’d just happened, before she was able to put a hand to her wrist and use Second Chance, four hands pinned her down to the road: Ladybug's hands… and Rena Furtive's hands.

As Ophidia recognized her former miraculous from the corner of her eye and connected the dots, her face contorted in a mix of rage and astonishment.

It wasn't possible... Hawk Moth had been watching Alya Césaire 24/7 to prevent Ladybug from handing the fox miraculous to her. There was no way she could have come into possession of the miraculous without Hawk Moth knowing about it. Did that mean the new Rena Furtive was someone else?

Ophidia turned to Miracle Queen automatically, looking for help. As soon as she spotted her though, she discovered Chloe had let go of Chat Noir and was even holding out a hand to help him up. A hand he took.

It didn't take long for Lila to understand what was going on.

Damn traitor!

Suddenly, Ophidia was cornered: Ladybug was immobilizing the arm on which she had the snake bracelet while Rena was keeping her other arm and both her legs pinned to the asphalt, face down.

Of course, Lila tried to free herself. She tried kicking and wriggling, and in fact, since an akumatized miraculous provided more strength than a normal miraculous, Rena and Ladybug wouldn't have resisted much if Chat Noir wasn't already hurtling towards them.

“Kitty, would you do the honors?” Ladybug asked, a smirk on her face that made Ophidia want to spit in her mouth.

Chat didn't have to be asked twice: he catalyzed the snake miraculous, which cracked as soon as it came into contact with his destructive power.

“NOOOOOOO!” Lila shrieked, pure hatred oozing from her, but her anger was useless, because she was immediately engulfed by a cloud of purple bubbles and she went back to being an ordinary civilian, although with a burning rage flaring up in the pit of her stomach. “You'll pay for this!” she barked as she struggled with Rena, “When I rewrite the world, I'll turn you into worms!”

None of the heroes took her threats seriously. Quite the contrary: all four rolled their eyes, as if to say "Here we go again". By now, Lila's threats were neither original nor amusing.

Not waiting a second longer, Ladybug took the miraculous off her wrist and then stood up. Rena Furtive, however, felt it was not yet time to let her go, given the tantrum she was having.

Just then someone planted two black boots in front of Lila: Chloe—or should I say, Miracle Queen.

Immediately, Lila raised her head and gritted her teeth as she saw the self-satisfied expression of that spoiled, backstabbing bitch. In turn, Chat took the liberty of draping an arm over Chloe's shoulders, as if to reaffirm which side she had sworn allegiance to, something that made her hold in an enthusiastic squeak. (Yay!, Chat Noir was acknowledging her!)

“Damn insect…" Lila spat out, still lying on the floor.

Still fangirling a bit over Chat Noir, Chloe looked down on her with disdain. How had she dared to claim Adrien as her own?! Adrien belonged to all of them! That was what she and Lila had agreed when they had teamed up against Marinette, something that Chloe now realized had been a mistake.

Chloe didn't like Marinette, but at least she played fair and square.

So Chloe lifted her chin and brought her arms to her hips in a cocky attitude, knowing by heart the words she was going to utter next: “My name is Queen B—”

Chloe's words were cut short by the horrible shriek that came from her throat.

Without a warning, Chloe felt as if her head was going to explode, as if two huge hands were crushing her skull open.

She instantly understood what was happening: Hawk Moth was trying to wrest the control from her.

“Chloe! Chloe! What’s happening? Is it him? Fight it!”

Chloe was vaguely aware of Chat Noir shaking her to bring her out of her trance, but Hawk Moth’s grip was too strong.

Her mind began to waver between consciousness and unconsciousness as the villain forced upon her some of her worst memories: a shadow in a huge picture hat disappearing behind the airport gates, her half-sister Zoe hugging the mayor as if he were her biological father, Adrien telling her that if she didn't manage to be a better person he would no longer be her friend…

Adrien…

No freaking way! She wasn’t going to give in!

Adrien was willing to give her a second chance, and Chloe wasn't going to lose him again. She couldn't lose him again.

So she countered the negative emotions that were assaulting her with her happiest memories: her teddy bear, her father watching the Harry Potter saga with her, role-playing with Sabrina, her sixteenth birthday when she had danced with Adrien…

She focused on the warmth evoked by those memories, mustered all her willpower and expelled Hawk Moth from her head with a push so powerful it exhausted all her energy reserves.

It worked.

The outline of a purple mask over her face burst into a thousand pieces, and Miracle Queen finally took on Queen Bee's colors again. Or rather, those of an exhausted Chloe Bourgeois who would fell on her butt had Chat Noir not been quick enough to take her in his arms before she hit the ground.

“It's all right. It's over," Adrien whispered softly to her ear, as he settled Chloe in his arms. And, forgetting he wasn't Chloe's childhood friend at that moment, he pressed a brotherly kiss to her forehead. “You've done a good job.”

Chloe was too tired to think clearly after getting rid of Hawk Moth's mega-akuma, but she was perfectly aware of how two strong arms lifted her up like a princess and held her tight. Suddenly she could feel the warmth of that ridiculous Adonis against her and couldn't help but tease him: “You’re definitely a kee-purr.”

Adrien had been the object of Chloe's affections all his life, but for some reason, having that comment directed at Chat Noir and not Adrien made him blush. When he processed what Chloe had said—or rather, how she had said it—they looked at each other and immediately burst out laughing. (Though her laughing was weak and sleepy.)

Barely two steps away, Rena Furtive and Ladybug exchanged a look of disbelief. Since when had Chat Noir and Chloe become so close?

However, Ladybug forced herself to quell the uncomfortable tingle she definitely shouldn't be feeling to approach Chloe and claim her miraculous. “I'm sorry, Chloe, but you can't keep it.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You take it yourself, I'm going to take a nap…" Chloe muttered, and snuggled further into Chat Noir's arms, who had the audacity to snicker and showed no signs of feeling uncomfortable.

The withering look Ladybug shot at both of them made Chat feel like he had screwed up big time, though he'd really just wanted to keep Chloe from falling asleep in the middle of the road.

To make matters worse, Ladybug took a breath as if suppressing the urge to kill them both, but Chat interpreted her attitude as Ladybug's (justified) dislike of Chloe, not as... ahem... jealousy.

Ladybug reached an arm out to pull the comb off Chloe's head, and Chloe muttered a nonsense that could have meant either "five more minutes" or "fuck off."

She had fallen asleep.

“I think I should… um… take her home," Chat Noir stammered rather uncomfortably. He felt stuck between two tigresses, even if one of them had been knocked out. “I guess you and Rena have a lot to talk about, or have you done so already?”

Ladybug flinched. To tell the truth, she hadn't had that particular conversation yet. She had been distracted due to Chat's sudden secrecy and her own wariness toward Chloe, so she had given the miraculous to Alya, explained the mission, and Alya hadn't asked any question.

However, she couldn't avoid that conversation any longer. It was going to be hard, it was going to be awkward, and it might leave a permanent scar on their friendship, but it was inevitable. Marinette had to refresh Alya on the rules, and she would have to prove that she was willing to follow them…

…if she wanted to become a permanent holder.

Because Ladybug had decided to give her the fox miraculous back.

She hoped it was the right decision…

So Ladybug gave Chat Noir permission to take Chloe home and then turned to her best friend. She discovered Rena was still pinning Lila to the ground—Ladybug had completely forgotten about her—and was now looking at her as if asking for permission to let her go.

Ladybug nodded and Lila was finally free again—free to run back to Hawk Moth with her tail between her legs, Ladybug guessed.

Indeed, Lila scrambled up from the ground with burning rage.

Her first reaction was to glare daggers at Rena and Ladybug, clenching her fists tightly and gaping as if she was going to say something. But she must have been too embarrassed to come up with a good retort, because in the end she broke into a run before letting the heroines change their minds about letting her go.

Just when Lila got out of their sight, Rena’s miraculous beeped a warning. Ladybug noticed and motioned Alya to follow her toward a nearby alley where they could have some privacy. After all, Ladybug had to summon her Lucky Charm and use it to repair the snake's miraculous, and it was too risky to do it out in the open.

Averting Rena’s gaze, Ladybug sighted. The conversation was certainly going to be awkward.

And then…

Then Mayura fell from the sky.

Something was off. Something was very off.

Chat was halfway to Le Grand Paris when he began to feel an uneasy tingling behind his cat ears, as if a storm were approaching. Except it wasn't a literal storm, but a figurative one—he knew because he’d felt the same tingling before: during Heroes' Day, just before Strike Back…

Something was off… and whatever it was, he didn't want to leave his lady all alone in the face of danger.

Only he couldn't leave Chloe either, alone and unprotected. Especially since she was so sound asleep it was impossible for him to wake her up.

Therefore, instead of turning around, he gathered all his strength in his legs and sprinted what was left to Le Grand Paris.

He still had a long way to go and was cursing under his breath when he spotted a familiar hairstyle and stopped dead in his tracks.

He came down from the rooftops of Paris, hopping from balcony to balcony, and hurried towards the guitarist who was playing on the banks of the Seine.

“Luka!” Chat yelled.

The boy turned his head around and as soon as he recognized Adrien—or rather, as soon as he recognized the unconscious body in his arms—his heart leaped.

“Here. Take care of her. Thank you!”

Not waiting for his answer, Chat laid Chloe on the bench next to Luka and darted off towards the Arc de Triomphe as if his life was at stake, because he had a hunch that, indeed, his life was at stake.

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