"I'll only reverse the mayor if I have Cat Noir and Nathaniel. Then I'll reverse Nathaniel, and he'll have no choice but to make a comic book with me!"
The four teenagers stood beneath the Eiffel Tower with the sun setting behind their backs. A ground-prone Ladybug and blanket-bound Cat Noir were staring up at the supervillain in dismay, both at a loss for words. The girl in red looked over at the boy in question, who had his head ducked behind the Lucky Charm she had called moments before. She seemed to be at a standstill, her eyes narrowed.
The short teen girl beside her quickly grabbed onto her wrist. "You can't send them up there!" She said, voice lined with worry. "There's no way he'll keep his word!"
Ladybug took a glimpse at the worry in her eyes, giving a small sigh. "I know, it's risky. But my Lucky Charm relies on this. There isn't any other way while we're in this state."
"Then let me go too! I can't let him do any more damage."
"No, it's too dangerous for a citizen, Alix!"
Cat Noir looked at Ladybug, his wide eyes nearly brimming with tears as the ears on his head dropped downwards. "M'Lady, please don't make me go. I-I can't do this, I know it'll only get worse."
Nathaniel also looked over, lowering the stack of bamboo he held. "And I don't want to be reversed. I-I didn't mean for this to happen, I swear, but I don't want to work with him like this."
Ladybug's mask furrowed where her eyebrows were, glancing around in desperation. She knew this plan was her best shot, but she couldn't just send them as hesitant as they were. It wouldn't be right, but she didn't have the time to debate this.
"What's it gonna be, Lady-Klutz?" The black-and-white villain called out, a wide smirk on his face as he crossed his arms from atop his giant paper airplane. "The city, or two people?"
Ladybug growled, lowering the traffic cone she used as a megaphone- just to have it slip from her hands and topple to the ground. She stood in annoyance and frustration, her hands to her temples as she thought. She looked upward, the twinkling of oncoming trashcans growing in the dimming sky. To the villain, who was only a shy author who wanted to try something different that morning. To her partner, who feared for his life more than ever. And to Nathaniel, who was only here because his dreams got in the way of reality. He didn't want to hurt anyone, he was just tired of being hurt himself. He was tired of it. No one pulled him from it. No one, but...
Ladybug gasped. She quickly held up her yoyo, nearly dropping it in the process, and pulled up the message feature, typing quickly while Alix held up her traffic cone once again to let Ladybug verbally confirm the agreement with Reverser. She didn't want to have it come to this. Not to a rookie, and not this soon. Not this direct to a villain with a power so devastating. But she didn't have a choice.
[(Y/n), meet back at the Eiffel Tower. We need your power after all.]
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"Ladybug's Diary?!"
Earlier that day, Nathaniel sat beside his friend during their shared Lunch period, with the girl leaning over his shoulder in surprise. Nathaniel looked at her with a bright smile, nodding furiously.
"Isn't it amazing? I can't believe Marinette got her hands on it!"
"That's so cool!"
She grinned as she skimmed some of the pages that went into detail about Ladybug's frustration with Cat Noir's puns and the Lucky Charm she used that day. Everything was detailed so well that it had to be true.
"I'm so happy for you, Nate," She continued, looking at the boy. "You've been wanting a chance to get to know her for so long. Who knew it would be so easy?"
He looked at her with reverence, humming with a closed-mouth grin. "I can hardly believe it myself. Every adventure she had, every story from the Akumas up until now, it's all here. I... I can't believe I have something like this."
"Did Marinette say where she got it?"
He shook his head. "She said she wanted me to finish it first. Then she would talk to me about it. I want to hurry so we can talk, but I also don't want to put this down yet."
"I know, but it's okay. After all, you've seen these adventures before. You're just getting a personal experience!"
While his eyes were bright and hopeful, his smile did falter just a little. He looked at his friend. "You... You don't think this could be some kind of sick joke, do you?"
"It's Marinette," She assured, placing a hand on his shoulder. "She would never lie to you."
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"(Y/n) (L/n)?"
The girl who had ducked underneath the school stairs looked up at the spotted Heroine, slowly stepping out.
"What happened to Nathaniel?" Was the first question she asked, eyes narrowed toward Ladybug with her hand gripping her phone. She had just gotten a text from the boy, a long message saying how everything he had read was a lie. Every word in that book belonged to someone else. He had his hopes up for nothing. And now that Ladybug was out, she could only assume the worst.
Ladybug sensed where she was going with her question, and she held up her hands.
"Nathaniel wasn't the one Akumatized."
This gave (Y/n) some relief, and her expression eased just a little.
"But the boy he met with did. He's got a dangerous power and is after Nathaniel and a girl named Marinette. He's fast and attacks suddenly, so it might not be long before he finds them."
(Y/n)'s heart sank, her eyes widening as she gripped the rail of the stairs. She held up her phone to ask where he was and if he was safe, only to be stopped by Ladybug's hand holding onto her wrist.
"Do you want to help?"
(Y/n) froze mid-sentence, a small gasp escaping her as her fingers hovered over the screen. She looked up at the bug hero, only now noticing a small brown box in her opposite hand. She looked her in the eyes as Ladybug gave a reassuring smile.
"You're Nathaniel's friend, right? I know you must be worried, and I know how much you care about his feelings. I've been told by other students he couldn't wait to tell you about whatever he had found today, and how happy he seemed to share it with you. I think if anyone can help protect him, it's you. But only if you want to."
(Y/n) heard about stuff like this. How Ladybug recruited holders whenever she felt like she needed to. But now, her? It would have been much cooler, much more thrilling, if not for the circumstances. Her friend was in danger. She couldn't stand by. She tucked her phone into her pocket and gave a firm nod.
"If it's to protect Nathaniel, then I'll do it."
Ladybug smiled. She held the box to her.
"(Y/n) (L/n), here is the Miraculous the Bee, which gives you the power of Subjugation. You will use it for the greater good, then return it to me once the job is done. Can I trust you?"
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Two long ribbons of black and gold from the headband of the bee-themed hero trailed far behind the leaping girl. Building after building, street after street, no area was left unturned in the search for her friend. Her original mission was clear: Find Nathaniel while Ladybug and Cat Noir distracted Reverser, then keep him safe until the Akuma was free. Use her power if he approached, to give her and Nathaniel the opportunity to escape. As simple as the wording was, the actual action was much less so.
She had no training. She had no idea where Nathaniel went as she was too insistent on joining the heroes in their fight. She must have searched half the city by now. People were confused, some tripping on nothing while others yelled and cried on the sidewalks. Everything she could possibly find in an Akuma like this, she did, except for Nathaniel.
Once she felt the subtle buzz of her top, she stopped on a roof, twisting it open to observe the inside screen. A text from Ladybug.
[There's been a change. We found Nathaniel, and we only have minutes to stop Mayor Bourgeois's space dumpsters. Reverser wants us to hand Nathaniel and Cat Noir to him in order to stop them, but we don't know how sincere he is. We need you at the Eiffel Tower now, in case he tries something.]
She hummed and nodded to herself, glaring as she closed her top and tied the string to her finger. Glaring toward the symbol of Paris, she flung the toy with all her might, letting it pull her toward her destination.
'Hang on, Nate.'
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"Okay, we'll hand Cat Noir and Nathaniel over to you now!"
The group slowly walked toward the elevator of the tower, with the Reverser staring daggers at them to make sure they didn't try anything. Alix was doing her best to hold up Ladybug while she stared at her yoyo screen, squinting in anticipation. The little check by her message told enough, but what was important right now was speed.
"Please, M'Lady," Cat Noir begged one last time.
"We can't do this alone," Nathaniel added, turning to Ladybug with worry in his eye.
"You have to trust me," Ladybug insisted, holding her yoyo to Nathaniel to take. "It'll be okay."
"How are you so sure?"
Despite her own worries, she gave him a smile and a quick wink. "Let's just say that if something goes wrong, we have a plan B."
His confusion was apparent, and the elevator doors closed as the two were taken up. Ladybug and Alix followed it with their stares, Ladybug glaring up at the smirking victim. She held up her traffic cone again.
"You have what you want! Now reverse the mayor back and return those dumpsters to space!"
As Reverser stared at the elevator and turned to the mayor, it was then that Ladybug finally noticed the black-and-yellow teen peeking behind one of the legs of the Eiffel Tower. Ladybug sighed in relief and nodded up toward Reverser. While Alix looked over in alarm, the girl nodded, racing up along the steel to chase after the elevator. Her top spun fast and hoisted her at great speed. Her eyes were fixed upward, making sure the villain didn't notice her ascending.
The elevator stopped and opened, the two boys inside looking at the mess of bamboo on the ground and tangled yoyo string in a panic. The plan was a bust. Cat Noir fumbled out of fear of wire cuts, and while Nathaniel could draw air crafts if he wanted to, he was no engineer. The two looked at Reverser in fear, and he reciprocated by giving a dark chuckle.
"How cute, a little craft party before things go awry," he said, his plane hovering in front of the two. He smirked, reaching in and grabbing the two by the wrists and tossing them near the edge of the tower's platform. They collided hard to the ground, Cat Noir curling up in whimpers as Nathaniel held his head. Reverser went to Nathaniel first, seeming to ignore the purple butterfly frame appearing before his eyes. His smile was wicked as a paper airplane materialized in his fingers, hoisting the teen by the back of his jacket.
"Since you think my writing is a joke," Reverser started, "Then why not change things up a little? You won't have to make a comic with me anymore. I'll just make sure you never draw again."
Nathaniel's eyes were wide as he flailed, trying desperately to free his jacket from the villain. He gritted his teeth as he fought, Reverser only smirking wider at his attempts. His hands grasped the villain's arm in an attempt to loosen his hold. He was scared, ready to beg. Until he caught sight of long, stream-like figures, and he turned his head. Reverser took notice and did the same, only to be met with a charging girl donned in black and yellow.
"Venom!!"
With a wide jump and a far thrust backward, the hero drove her widened top into Reverser's side. He gasped as he flinched, his form instantly freezing in place after a moment. The girl panted, meeting eyes with an astonished Nathaniel for only a moment as she drew her weapon back. She panted, out of relief, sighing as her arm lowered.
Nathaniel seemed distraught, his eyes fixed on the details of the hero. A yellow suit with black lines along the arms and legs, as well as smaller accent stripes under her neck and a large stripe to give the illusion of a belt. Footwear looked almost like high-top boots with yellow-stripe lace-looking decor, and her hands matched that design in a glove fashion. Her mask was large with a black ring around a yellow base, three stripes on each side reaching toward her eyes. And of course, two ribbons of black and yellow, reaching her ankles, tied to a pale blue headband, seeming to sprout from the comb of the Bee.
Nathaniel would have stared for a bit more if he could, but soon remembered his place. The hold felt looser than before, so he worked to free himself from the fingers of the frozen villain. However, in all the chaos, he seemed to forget where he really was. So once his jacket was finally freed, he instinctively took a few steps backward, and he lost his footing to the platform's end. He gasped and tried to recoil, only to wind up falling backward.
The bee girl gasped and reached for him, barely grazing his fingers as he fell. She had to think quickly. She had seen this dozens of times with Nathaniel before. She had heard Nathaniel talk about this so often. Now it was happening, and Ladybug couldn't do much. Only SHE could. She looked toward the elevator and recognized the spotted objects, flinging her top to gather the tubes of bamboo and the yoyo. She turned toward the edge and glared, gathering the items in her arms as she dived. She did a spin in the air, tossing them toward Ladybug.
"Now, Ladybug!!"
Once Ladybug and Alix readied themselves to collect the items tossed to them, the teen's focus was now on Nathaniel. He was still falling with his back to the ground, reaching up for something that wasn't there. She gave a huff and veered toward the Eiffel Tower, running along the edge for a second before bounding off toward the boy. She got close, managing to tuck one arm under his legs and the other to support his back. He looked toward her with fear on his face, which she returned with a confident smile. She straightened herself, and she soon landed on the ground in a crouch, the boy securely in her arms in a formal carry.
As if on cue, the teen heard Ladybug say her iconic phrase, and the area was alight with pink and red fluttering about. They weaved through the town and past the streets, individuals shifting to normal. Even Cat Noir, who let out a grand 'Cataclysm' atop the tower, was now better. Ladybug walked beside the two and gave her new friend a smile while she stood up, flinging her yoyo upward to catch the released butterfly. The bee girl looked down at Nathaniel, going to ask if he was okay. But his gaze was something she had seen dozens of times before. It was the awestruck, longing look he showed whenever the two of you would watch Ladybug perform acts of heroism on the news. The look he gave after he went on rants about how amazing she was. Only, he wasn't looking at Ladybug.
He was looking at the girl who held him.
Finally, she set him down, ignoring Ladybug going to Cat Noir's side as he came back down with the freed Akuma victim. Nathaniel got to his feet and he looked her in the eye. He was quiet as he spoke.
"Th... Thank you."
She nodded, returning the smile with one of pride. "Of course. Are you hurt?"
"N-No, I'm fine."
Ladybug returned to her side after checking on the two boys, resting her elbow on the girl's shoulder with a smile. "I told you we had a plan B," She said, her other hand on her hip. "We would never let Paris down."
"I-I know, Ladybug. Thank you, and I'm sorry for doubting you."
Ladybug scoffed and waved her hand. "It's okay. It's good to be cautious, which thankfully we were today. We're all okay, thanks to the help of-"
She paused, glancing at the girl with an expression of hesitation.
"Abejou," The girl finally introduced, looking at Nathaniel. "Call me Abejou."
"... Abejou," He repeated in a whisper, a light pink fading to his cheeks.
Abejou wanted to say more but was denied by the sound of her comb beeping. She looked at Ladybug and nodded, the two of them exchanging a look before Ladybug turned to Nathaniel. "I need to go take care of our friend here. And you need to patch things up with someone, right?"
Nathaniel took a slow glance toward the boy in red standing beside Cat Noir, giving a small sigh and a nod. "Okay, I will," He said. "Thank you for everything, Ladybug. And you, Abejou. I-I... I hope to see you again."
"We'll see. Stay safe."
The two girls bolted toward the city to squirm into an alleyway. Once concealed by the shadows of dusk, Abejou called her Miraculous's cooldown early, removing the comb from her hair.
"You did incredible today," Ladybug complimented as she took the comb from (Y/n). "I can't believe how quickly you mastered the Miraculous! You did so well for a first try."
(Y/n) gave a small chuckle. "Nathaniel loves seeing you work. I can't help but join him when he watches how you do things, on the news and on the LadyBlog. It makes him so happy to know you're there for everyone. I love to see him like that, so I tend to hang around more. I must have just picked up some of your own skills."
Ladybug took notice of her tone, giving a gentle stare. "You really care about him, don't you?"
(Y/n) blushed a little as she took a sharp inhale, earning a giggle from Ladybug.
"It's okay, I won't say anything. But this city is dangerous, and what I do is no joke. I'm sure you learned that for yourself today."
(Y/n)'s eyes glanced to the ground, biting her lip at the thought of Nathaniel's eyes during his fall. The fear, the lack of words, the complete helplessness. With a miraculous, it was easily avoidable. But without? What would she have done then? What COULD she have done then? She already failed at finding him in the first place, let alone having too close of a call on Reverser. Time after time they had sat together. Time after time he rested on her shoulder after watching videos, showed her countless drawings of the heroes, and even texted her worries about himself when the world was just too much that day. All of it could go away so suddenly. She saw that now. Even so, that drive made her determined. Her eyes narrowed, and her hands gripped into fists.
"I want to protect him."
"After seeing how you work today, I'll make sure you will. Besides, I believe Abejou will be his new favorite for quite a while."
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** Editor note - Abejou (Ah-bay-xiu). A play on the French words for 'bee' (abeille) and 'jewel' (bijou). Essentially a pun to play on the idea of 'the queen bee's jewel'. **