Chapter Text
Between Sabrina not answering her calls (absolutely ridiculous); her parents getting into yet another fight over the phone (this time about Zoe's education. Apparently the girl couldn't read to save her life), and having woken with a horrible headache (courtesy of Chat dropping in to bemoan his existence late into the night), Chloe was having a horrible day.
The akuma that had appeared halfway through it definitely wasn't helping. Evidently Hawk Moth was running out of ideas, because a villain who insulted insecurities? Really? She had her mother for that, thank you very much. This mediocre nuisance barely even registered on her radar in comparison.
…Which, in hindsight, was probably the reason he had aimed directly at her the first chance he had gotten. She supposed striding along and decidedly ignoring the chaos around her hadn't helped much to hide her as well. But honestly, what had she done to deserve being targeted by some hack with a vengeance? (Actually quite a lot now that she thought about it)
"Come ON, do you have nothing better to do?!" she shrieked, dodging yet another projectile flung at her. Ducking into a nearby alley, she slumped against the wall, trying to catch her breath. (So what if she was a little out of shape. Sue her.)
At least the akuma seemed to have moved on, since he hadn't followed her into the cramped space, which she was starting to notice had a distinct smell of rot that surely only got stronger the deeper you went.Not that she was planning to do that. The great Chloe Bourgeois didn't do crawl spaces, simply as a fact. It was unbecoming, and besides, her outfit couldn't afford to get ruined, let alone her hair.
"Hmph." She straightened her necklace, stepping confidently out of the alleyway because there was just no way the akuma had stuck around for more than ten seconds. There were far easier people to pick off, after all. She glanced up at the sky only to freeze, hand reaching towards the safety of the wall behind her.
"You have got to be kidding me. SERIOUSLY?" the akuma only shrugged before launching directly at her. She staggered backwards before the world went dark with a sharp crack.
Chloe blinked awake blearily to the sound of soft humming from above and the vague sensation of being carried. Trying to open her eyes fully, she flinched, suppressing a small gasp at the spike of pain that went through her head at the attempt.
"Wouldn't try that if i were you. He got you pretty good, from the looks of it."
She knew that voice. Ignoring the pain this time, she blinked up to see brilliant green eyes staring back at her, head tilted like a curious cat. Which, well, she supposed he was. God, did he have to show up absolutely everywhere?
Trying to sit up, she pushed against his arms, but he only held on tighter, face twisting in disapproval. "Cut that out, would you?"
"What happened? Where are you taking me? I demand you put me down this very instant." (privately, she admitted to herself that she didn't mind being held gently, but she did have an image to maintain after all)
He shook his head, turning his attention back to the skyline. "Something tells me you're in no shape for me to do that right now. Just enjoy the ride, Bee."
Grumbling quietly to herself, she settled back down, resigning herself to the light steps of the feline hero moving across the rooftops of Paris. Her headache had gone down to a soft throbbing in the back of her mind, so she was able to enjoy the view of the sun setting. Deep oranges and blues streaked the sky, the bustle of the streets far below.
She frowned, trying to recollect why something felt off. She had been walking…the akuma…that was it. The akuma. He must have knocked her out. And judging by the looks of the sky, several hours had passed before Ladybug and Chat Noir had been able to take him down. (It was pathetically, really, that she had been knocked out that easily. She was supposed to be an ex-hero, for heavens sake, she should have known better.)
"This landing is going a little rough, so hold on tight" Chat said, glancing down at her quickly before looking forward again.
"Rough? Isn't your power literally smooth landings? Hey-" She cut herself off with a squawk as he leapt off the rooftop, skidding onto safe ground ten feet below. The descent jolted through her head, causing the pain to start anew.
He looked down in concern, carefully letting her down from her perch so she could stand. "Are you okay? The Miraculous Cure usually fixes any problems caused by the akuma."
"Well your stupid cure apparently didn't fix this one," she hissed, clutching the side of her head and stamping her foot for good measure.
His concerned facade cracked slightly as the corner of his mouth turned up in mirth. "Your injuries were probably worse when she found you if you're still feeling pain. You should try to rest up. Can't have you out of commission for our next movie night now."
Chloe just scoffed. "You're crazy if you think I'll let you trick me into a musical again. And wait- did you say she? Weren't you the one to find me?"
He shook his head, glancing down at his baton. "Ladybug found you passed out on the sidewalk, unconscious. And you're lucky she did, so I don't want to hear your grievances against her right now."
She pursed her lips, studying the feline. Honestly, she didn't think he was aware of her feelings about being kicked from the team. Maybe he was less stupid than he seemed. There was just one thing that didn't add up, though.
"Why would Ladybug rescue me? She hates me." She may not have outright said it, but it was incredibly obvious that her idol wanted nothing to do with her.
Now that got him to focus on her. "What? Ladybug is always impartial towards everyone. Why would she hate you?"
She threw her hand up in the air, keeping the other one glued to her headache. "I don't know, maybe because I've been horrible towards you guys and almost helped Hawkmoth win?"
She clamped a hand over her mouth immediately, turning away from his dumbfounded face. (She shouldn't have said that. Those thoughts were supposed to stay safe in her mind, where she could rotate them bitterly and beat herself up over it.)
"Chloe…" Chat's gloved hand grasped her shoulder tenderly, warmth spreading at his touch. She moved away, towards the entrance of the side street he'd landed them in.
"It doesn't matter. Forget it. Go play yarn or whatever it is you do in your free time." She left without looking back towards his heartbroken expression watching her leave. (She was worried that if she did, she might start to cry.)