Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

art by madelinelime

My name is Marinette. A girl like any other. But when fate picked me to fight against the forces of evil, I became Miraculous Ladybug… and I failed.

            The door to the police cruiser swung open, and Nicholas Wilde stepped out. Before him was a familiar sight: A young cat with a coat of white standing beside a support beam of the South Zootopia Bridge. Cars rumbled past overhead, but down here, the silence felt almost eerie.

            “Well, well, well, what do we have here?” Nick said. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng. What is this, your fifth runaway attempt in eight months?”

            Marinette’s blue eyes remained unreadable as he walked forward in the night. “Six months, actually.”

            A bitter smile crossed Nick’s face. “And there you have it. You know the drill.”

            Her left hand went to one of the red-and-black earrings she wore at the base of her pointy ears. “I guess I do.”

 Nick strode over and led her to the back seat of the car. That he handcuffed her was practically a formality. She didn’t struggle or try to get away; she never did, not after the first time. The car’s door shut with a click, and Nick got into the front seat and began to drive.

            This was routine by now. Marinette would violate her court-ordered curfew by sneaking out in the middle of the night and whichever foster parent she was with would notice and call the police, and Nick would be dispatched to bring her back. They weren’t really runaway attempts, these late-night escapades. All Marinette would do was come to the same spot underneath the same bridge, without fail. She insisted she was “looking for a way home,” but as far as Nick could tell, the girl was just nuts.

            The next five minutes ticked by in silence. The occasional car rolled by as Nick drove, but at this time of night, the roads were all but deserted on the route he took. He could see Marinette in the back of the cruiser, staring blankly at her cuffed hands. 

            Nick sighed, and against his better judgement, began to speak. “You know, kid, it ain’t healthy, doing this. What do you hope to accomplish? Living under a bridge ain’t exactly ‘the good life,’ if you know what I’m saying.”

            Marinette said nothing.

            Nick’s paw tightened against the steering wheel. “But hey,” he said. “What do I know? Do what you want kid, but this is gonna catch up to you. You’re gonna end up in juvie.”

            Marinette had already paid several fines and done a significant amount of community service. The fact that she always came to the same place and acted in the same distant, yet submissive manner when caught had nearly landed her in a mental institution, though when examined by a psychologist, she was found to be mostly healthy. She had a court-ordered therapist, but he couldn’t be too terribly competent given the complete lack of change in Marinette’s behavior.

It was just the same thing over and over again. Nick almost felt sorry for the kid.

Almost.

***

            The front door to the Zootopia Police Department swung open.

            “Hey, Clawhauser.”

            The heavyset cheetah didn’t even look up from his smartphone, and it took Nick a moment to realize why – Clawhauser had his earbuds in. As Nick got closer, he heard Gazelle’s newest single blasting out of them.

            Marinette looked down at her shoes and mumbled something Nick didn’t hear.

            “Clawhauser,” Nick said, snapping his fingers in front of his friend’s face. “Clawhauser, hey Clawhauser!”

“What?” The cheetah took an earbud out. “Oh, Nick! I was just listening to Gazelle’s new song, and OMG it is so inspirational” Nick raised an eyebrow. “Oh… but I guess I shouldn’t be listening to it while working, huh?”

“Nope.”

Clawhauser apologized in his typical flamboyant fashion, bringing his hands to his chest in an exaggerated manner. Nick assured him it was fine, and then dragged Marinette through the building to the holding cells.

The metal bars automatically slid shut in front of Marinette, and the sound of Nick’s pawsteps echoed in the hall. “I’ll call your foster parents and have them come pick you up in the morning. Get comfortable; you’re spending the night here.”

Nick shut the door to the holding area, and sighed. “Crazy kid,” he muttered.

***

            “Marinette!”

            “What is it, Tikki?” Marinette’s voice was dull and impassive as she lay on the cell bench, staring up at the ceiling even as she spoke. She knew from her previous stays here that the cells’ security cameras didn’t pick up sound, only video, so as long as her friend stayed underneath the bench, she would go completely undetected. They’d see her mouth moving, but they already thought she was crazy, so what difference did it make?

            Tikki’s sigh filled Marinette’s ears. “How can you be so calm, Marinette? You heard what Officer Wilde said: you could go to juvenile detention if you keep this up!”

            Marinette bit her lip, and she could practically taste the bitter anger on her tongue. “What do you mean, ‘keep this up?’ What am I supposed to do, Tikki? Paris needs me. I have to get home!”

            “Marinette… You’ve been searching for a way back for so long, but…”

            “But what, Tikki?” the girl demanded. “Should I stop looking? Should I just give up and abandon everyone who needs me?”

            Marinette imagined the little kwami was about to launch into a lecture of some sort. Yet, Tikki remained silent.

            Thank God, Marinette thought, and immediately caught herself. Since when had she become so cold towards the kwami? Since everything went wrong, was the only answer she could think of.

            Marinette exhaled and shifted onto her side. She might as well try and sleep now. Mr. White and his wife weren’t going to be happy.

Chapter Text

            The lock made a clicking sound as Nick turned the key. Pushing open the door to the apartment he shared with Judy, he tiptoed in. It was a small apartment, but it wasn’t nearly so small as the apartment Judy had lived in when she first started on the force. It had a bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a small den. Nick and Judy obviously didn’t share the bedroom – Nick slept on a futon in the kitchen. Judy had been initially resistant to that particular proposal, insisting that she take the futon, but Nick had eventually been able to persuade her.

            As he entered, he heard sounds coming from the bedroom. The sound was low, but Nick could tell Judy was watching a movie. Or maybe it was a music video? Nick strode forward and knocked on the door. “Carrots?” A startled gasp escaped Judy’s lips. The sound cut out instantly, and Nick heard something go thwump! “Carrots? You’re not dying in there, are you?” His words were light, but his chest tightened all the same when she didn’t respond.

            He was about to charge in when suddenly, the door swung open. “Sorry, Nick!” she said. “I was MuzzleTiming with my parents. Private stuff, you know?”

            “Uh, no. Not really. Not at all, in fact, but if it makes you feel better, you can pretend I know,” Nick replied, grinning smugly.

            Judy sighed with exasperation, then smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

            The two moved into the kitchen; Judy sat down at the table while Nick rummaged through the cabinets, looking for some hot chocolate mix. He personally wasn’t a big fan of sweets or pastries, except perhaps for his own Pawpsicles – sweets had always been Finnick’s taste, though the fennec would never admit it to anyone, ever – though he knew Judy had a soft spot for this particular brand of cocoa. It might have been a bit strange, making his roommate food like she was his daughter, but he didn’t mind. It was nice, seeing the look on Judy’s face – always gave him the warm fuzzies, though he’d never admit it to her. And besides that, Judy would make him coffee after she came home after him, so it all evened out.

            His paws finally grasped the container he had been looking for. He brought it back to the table while the microwave hummed, heating the milk inside it.

            “Thanks, Nick,” Judy said.

            “What I’m here for.” He slid the chair out and took a seat. “So, you gonna tell me what you were doing before I got in?”

            Judy’s face blanched. “What are you talking about; I told you!”

            Nick leaned back in the chair and put his hands on his neck, his arms spread out like wings. “Carrots, come on. I’ve known you how many years? I can tell when you’re hiding something from me. Also, there’s no way you’d be talking to your parents past midnight.”

            Judy opened her mouth but closed it just as quickly. With a roll of her eyes, she exhaled. “I should have known I couldn’t keep this from you –“

            “I absolutely agree.”

            “– but I wanted it to be a surprise.”

            “Surprise?”

            “Okay, so you know how Clawhauser’s gonna be on The Z Factor?”

            Now it was Nick’s turn to roll his eyes. “Oh, that dumb talent contest show he’s always watching on breaks? Jeez, I never thought he’d actually try and compete on it.”

            Judy continued as if Nick hadn’t made that statement, a twinkle in her eyes and a sly smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “Well, I was listening to Z-Heart Radio… and I won tickets to go see him on the season premiere. I literally just finished giving them my info when you got in.”

            Nick’s demeanor instantly flipped. He removed his paws from behind his head, and his face took on a look of barely-concealed excitement. “You… you got us tickets to The Z Factor?”

            “Not just The Z Factor. The Z Factor live. In the audience.” The microwave dinged, and Judy hopped out of her seat. “But,” she said as she walked back with a mug in her paw, “it is just a dumb show.”

            “Uh, yeah, yeah, the, uh, the dumbest. I wouldn’t be caught dead in that show’s audience.” He waved his paw dismissively but laughed nervously.

            “I guess we can do something else if you don’t want to go.” Judy sat back down, and by the look in his eyes, she knew she had him. She reached out for the cocoa powder and mixed it into her hot milk. “Mmm, that is good stuff,” she said, savoring the expression on Nick’s face as she drank. “I suppose I’ll just have to sell the tickets.” She put her mug down and leaned over the table, whispering in Nick’s ear. “To someone else.”

            The only sound was the ticking of the clock as Judy sat back down in her seat. She could feel Nick squirming, feel the normally-smooth-talking fox searching for something to say. Finally, he settled on, “Sly bunny.”

            “I absolutely agree.”

            The two shared a laugh. “So are you in or what?”

            “Well,” he said, “I could go, if you really wanted me to…”

            “Or if you really wanted you to.”

            “Okay fine, but if anyone asks, you dragged me there.”

            “That’s what I like to hear. I also promise not to tell anyone that you have the first five seasons on your iPawed.”

            Nick groaned. “Remind me never to lend you anything I own ever again.”

            “Duly noted.”

            The two talked for a while after that, recounting their respective days. Judy got off work six hours earlier than Nick did on Fridays, and had spent the time with a friend from back home who had been visiting the city. Nick, in turn, told Judy what had happened in the hours between Judy clocking out and his arrival home, eventually coming to what happened with Marinette. “I swear,” he said, “that girl is hopeless.”

            “Nobody’s hopeless, Nick,” Judy said, frowning.

            “Yeah well, she sure comes close. I swear, why am I always the one who ends up going to get her?”

            Judy scoffed. “What are you talking about? You’re not. I got sent out to pick her up once. So did Fangmeyer.”

            The fox raised an eyebrow. “Really? When was this?”

            “A while back. I don’t remember the exact date or anything, but it happened.”

            “Okay, fine, you got sent to play babysitter once. I get to do that…” Nick paused and started counting on his fingers. “Would you look at that. I’ve lost track of how many times.”

            “Why are you getting so upset about this?” Judy demanded. Her hot chocolate was long-finished now, but the smell of it lingered in the air. Perhaps the scent of chocolate wasn’t the most fitting for such a conversation, Judy pondered in the back of her mind.

            “Because…” The fox stopped midsentence, and he massaged his eyebrows as he took a deep breath. “Because she pisses me off, Carrots. She really, really pisses me off. Yeah, it sucks that she’s getting shuffled around from foster home to foster home, but she’d probably just be living with one, stable set of parents if she wasn’t sneaking out all the time. She wouldn’t even have that curfew if she just stayed in, but something about living under that stupid bridge is just more important to her! It’s infuriating!”

            “Nick…” Judy’s voice was tender. “There’s something deeper here, isn’t there?” She reached a paw out across the table and gently touched Nick’s arm.

            It had started to rain outside, Judy realized, the pitter-patter of raindrops punctuating the silence. Finally, Nick said, “You remember the whole thing I told you about with the Junior Rangers? You know, when they muzzled me?”    

            Judy nodded, unsure of where he was going. “Yeah?”

            “Well, it may have broke my poor little nine-year-old heart, but it broke my mom’s mind. I know, I know,” Nick said, putting his free paw up like a stop sign. “That’s a bit on the dramatic side. But it didn’t happen all at once. After... after it happened, she started slipping. She started forgetting things. Where she put her keys, forgetting to buy milk... Small stuff at first, but it escalated. Next few years, and she didn’t even know who I was. One day I came home from school and she went bonkers. Chased me out with a frying pan, screeching about how kids needed to be kinder to one other. I didn’t think of it then, but she must have faced the same kind of bigotry I did. She couldn’t handle her son having to go through the same thing. So, I ended up living on the streets for a while. That’s around the time I started hustling. Had to.”

            “I’m so sorry, Nick. I had no idea.”

            “Well of course, I never told you. But yeah, I think you can see why a kid wanting to be homeless would really get me.”

            Judy at last removed her paw from Nick’s arm, and gave him a somewhat critical, somewhat questioning look. “Nick, I don’t think it’s that simple.”

            “What do you mean?” His tone was wary, almost like he was expecting her to attack him.

            “Teens are complicated. So are self-destructive behaviors. We do them because they fulfill a need we don’t otherwise know how to meet. Combine that with the pressures of being an adolescent, and well, things get messy.”

            Nick gave his friend an incredulous look. For the second time that night, he was at a loss for words, but it wasn’t nearly as funny this time around. Judy’s stomach churned in anticipation.

            After what felt like a long time, he spoke. “Seriously? ’The pressures of being an adolescent?’ Are you kidding me? Most teenagers have it great, this one included! She’s got a roof over her head and she doesn’t have to worry about when she’s going to eat next. She’s fine!”

            Heat rose in Judy’s cheeks. “Oh, you mean aside from the fact that she doesn’t have any parents?”

            “She’s had three different sets of parents since she entered foster care!”

            “You mean three different sets of foster parents!”

            Nick opened his mouth to say something, but instead, all that came out was a puff of air. “Okay, you know what? I’m not in the mood to argue this. It’s late. I’m going to sleep.” He hopped off his chair and bent over under the table and began to remove his futon from beneath the table.

            “Nick, I – “

            “Good night.”

            Judy pursed her lips. Finally, she said, “Fine. Good night.” And with that, she went back to her bedroom.

            Nick heard the door slam shut and winced. Maybe he’d been a bit harsh. Either way, he had said he didn’t want to argue it, and he had meant it. He looked at his phone: 1:30 AM. Thank goodness tomorrow’s our day off. He changed into his pajamas, set his alarm – no sleeping in, even on days off, that was a rule of his – and turned out the lights.

Chapter Text

Marinette awoke to the sound of the cell bars sliding open early the next morning. Groaning as she sat up, she opened her eyes, and her surroundings blurred into focus. An officer – a rhinoceros, she noted – stood before her. “Wakey-wakey, sunshine. Your parents are here.”

            Forcing herself to stand despite her weariness, she sullenly said, “They’re not my parents.”

            “Foster parents, whatever,” said the rhino. “They’re in the lobby, they’re waiting, and they’re not happy.”

            What a surprise, she thought. Blinking herself awake, she allowed herself to be escorted to the front, where two cats stood – Mrs. and Mr. White. Mrs. White waited with crossed arms while Mr. White stood with a concerned expression.

            “I don’t know what to say,” Mrs. White said, her words colored with anger. “I am quite literally at a loss for words. If a tornado struck right now, I wouldn’t say anything, simply because I have no words.”

            Marinette raised an eyebrow.

            “Don’t give me that look! Do you think this is funny? Do you think this doesn’t matter?” Marinette was about to respond but Luna White bulldozed over her. “I should have known the foster care system would stick us with a delinquent.”

            “Dearie, that’s a bit much, don’t you think?” It was Art White who spoke.

            Mrs. White sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Alright, alright,” she relented. “Maybe that was too harsh. But –“ here her voice turned steely once more – “if you ever pull a stunt like that again, you’re out.”

            Marinette only nodded. She wasn’t going to lie to Mrs. White – she would try to postpone her search for a while, but she couldn’t delay it forever. Whether it was because of her sense of duty or the nightmares that had plagued her for so long, she would return to that bridge.

            It was where she had come into this world. It had to be where she could leave it.

            The officer cleared his throat. “Actually,” he said, “if you break your curfew again, you’re going to be spending time in juvenile detention. Honestly, you’re lucky you haven’t gone already.”

            The lecture lasted for a little while after that. Marinette listened to the whole thing, nodding at regular intervals. Soon enough, though, she was in the back of the White family’s car, being driven to school.

            Soon, they arrived, and she got out of the car. Classes had already started, and Marinette made a mental note to get her homework from her periods one and two classes before she got on the bus home. Settling into her third period history class, she took a seat next to her classmate – a dog, a golden retriever, if she had guessed right – and waited for the second bell to ring.

***

            Judy’s eyes opened to the blaring of her 7:00 AM alarm. Fumbling her paw across her nightstand, she finally shut off the incessant beeping. She rose up and rubbed her eyes until the urge to close them again disappeared.

            After a shower, she brushed and flossed and dressed, then wandered absent-mindedly into the kitchen. Her bottom right paw bumped into something soft, something warm, then: “Ouch!”

            She had accidentally kicked Nick. “I’m sorry! Are you okay?” she said, leaning down.

            Nick groaned and groggily sat up. “You’re killin’ me, Carrots,” he said sleepily, rubbing his eyes awake. “Urgh, what time is it?”

            “Seven-thirty.”

            “Crud. Must have slept through my alarm…” He stretched his arms above his head, yawning. He blinked a few times, and stood up, working out the cricks in his arms by rolling them. “Listen, Carrots. I’m sorry about last night. I got a little heated, more than I should have.”

            Judy stood back up, nodding. “It’s fine, Nick. Neither of us really know what’s going on in that girl’s head, anyway.”

            “That we don’t,” he said, and started looking around the kitchen. “Now, where’s the coffee maker at? I’m having caffeine withdrawal here.”

            Judy pointed to it.

            “Oh, it’s right behind me, where it always is. Silly me.” He set the maker going and trudged to the bathroom groggily to get himself cleaned up. By the time he was finished with that and had returned to the kitchen, Judy was chowing down on a salad. Nick poured himself a bowl of shredded wheat – not the frosted kind; both Judy and Nick hated the frosted kind – and the two ate breakfast.

***

            A few weeks passed without any nightmares, and life seemed something approaching normal for a while. Marinette would attend school, learning about the workings of this strange, animal world while ignoring the looks of her classmates – both the looks they shot her and their actual physical appearances. Even after nearly a year in this world, Marinette couldn’t quite get used to the, well, animal features of its inhabitants.

            Mrs. and Mr. White, while not terribly affectionate with her, were perfectly content to give Marinette her space so long as she behaved. She was even was able to draw a little – nothing fancy and nothing that would remind her too much of home, but she drew nonetheless.

            “Wow, Marinette!” Tikki commented one evening as Marinette doodled in her sketchpad. “I haven’t seen you draw this much in months!”

            The girl smiled and thanked Tikki. “I haven’t felt this good in months!”

            “That’s excellent!”

            Marinette smiled again and was about to go back to drawing when her phone buzzed with a text message: Dinner’s ready, it read.

            After a quick meal with the Whites, Marinette returned to her room. It wasn’t anything like her room back home, just a simple space with a bed, a desk and a drawer. After drawing at her desk for a while, she crawled into bed.

            And that was when she had the nightmare about Chat Noir again.

            Her eyes snapped open and she found she was sweating coldly, her bedsheets damp with perspiration. She meekly got out of bed and walked down the hall to her bathroom, Tikki trailing behind. The kwami did not need to ask any questions; she knew what had happened.

            Marinette splashed cold water in her eyes as she tried to wake herself.

            “Marinette…” Tikki began, her voice, already a whisper, nearly drowned out by the running water. “You can’t-“

            “I know, I know,” replied Marinette. “I’m not sneaking out, not tonight.”

            Tikki sighed in relief. 

            “Maybe some other night. Maybe… maybe we can look before curfew sometime.”

            “Marinette!” Tikki exclaimed, and an image of someone stamping their foot for emphasis flickered in Marinette’s mind. “This isn’t healthy!”

            “Healthy? How is it not healthy to look for a way back home?”

            Tikki flew up right in Marinette’s face, catching her off guard. “How is it healthy to constantly fixate on going to the same spot over and over again for months?”

            Spluttering sounds came out of Marinette’s mouth. It wasn’t that she had nothing to say – she just had never seen Tikki this angry before. Finally, she was able to mold her thoughts into coherent speech. “We’ve looked in other places, and we’ve turned up nothing! Under that bridge is the only place we know is somehow connected to Earth!”

            “We don’t know that it’s connected to Earth!”

            “Then why was that spot where we wound up?”

            “I don’t know, Marinette! But I do know that you’re destroying yourself and you need to let it go!”

            Marinette felt something snap in her, something important, and it was all she could do to keep her voice low. “Oh sure, Tikki, I’ll let it go. Maybe the Butterfly will let Paris go, too, just give up on creating supervillains and everyone will be safe! Does that sound good to you?” She spat that last sentence out. “No, I bet it doesn’t! Because it will never happen. We know what lengths he’ll go to in order to get what he wants. We have to find a way home, Tikki!”

            “And what if there is no way home!?”

            What followed was a stunned silence. At last, Tikki said, “Just… think about it, okay, Marinette?”

            Marinette refused to say anything back.

Chapter Text

Several weeks after their fight, Judy and Nick were out for tea one Saturday evening at the small, family-owned coffee shop down the street from their apartment. When they had found it, Nick had been surprised to see such a shop in a city as large as Zootopia. Judy had had to remind him that they lived in one of the city’s quieter neighborhoods, where mom-and-pop shops were more common.

            The setting sun painted the sky myriad shades of orange and yellow. Little bits of white fluff dotted the skyline here and there, but for the most part, the sky was clear. Nick and Judy had a perfect view of it from their seat by the window to boot.

            “I’m telling you, Carrots,” Nick said after he took a swig of his Earl Grey, “Hyena Gomez is a talentless hack. I’m embarrassed to know that my closest friend has her on her iPawed.”

            “And I’m telling you that she has a lot of potential! Yeah, she’s so-so right now, but I think she could really grow into a truly talented artist if she-“

            “Oh sweet heavens,” Nick said, putting his paws to his cheeks in pretend-shock. “It’s worse than I thought! You know she’s awful but you listen to her anyway! You’ve been… infected.”

            Despite herself, Judy had to choke down laughter. She’d never say it out loud, but she kind of loved it when Nick made her laugh in the middle of a debate. Hell, she liked it when Nick made her laugh in general.

            “Oh, what’s this?” Nick crooned. “Ladies and gentleman, I think we have an admission of defeat! Nick Wilde, one, Hyena Gomez, a big, fat, whopping zero.”

            “Hey, I did not say that,” Judy said through her laughs. “I really do think that Hyena Gomez could be good!”

            “And yet, she isn’t. Now, are you gonna finish that sandwich or am I gonna have to eat it?”

            “You can have it,” Judy said, her laughter having died down to a mile-wide smile. She pushed the plate across the table and Nick picked up the grilled cheese and started to eat the half she had left untouched.

            Judy continued to smile. She felt like she was in 8^th grade again, her mind dominated by a ridiculous crush, but she couldn’t help it. Nick was the most attractive, wonderful mammal she’d ever met – a bit rough around the edges, sure, and they’d certainly had a bit of a rocky start, but what they had now? It was special. It was real. And she wanted more.

            She wanted to run her fingers through the fur on his head and to feel his breath against her neck as he trailed kisses down her. She wanted him to be the first thing she saw when she woke up in the morning, his sleeping face illuminated by sunlight streaming in through the gaps between the blinds, and she wanted to be the last thing he saw as they fell asleep at night. She wanted him, not just his body, but his love, his devotion, his loyalty and affection, and she wanted to return it all to him every day. She wanted to make him happier than he’d ever been, as happy as he made her.

            Time to bite the bullet, she thought.

            “Hey, Nick…” Judy said, her voice warm. She wasn’t sure if this was the best time to bring things up, but the moment felt… right, somehow.  

            “Mm?” Nick said as he finished the last of the sandwich, only half-paying attention as he washed it down with some water.

            Judy opened her mouth, and was just about to begin when suddenly –

            “Uh, Officer Wilde, Officer Hopps?”

            Judy and Nick turned to see Marinette Dupain-Cheng standing by their table, clutching a paper cup with a “Warning: Hot” label on it. Judy felt a twinge of annoyance despite herself, and if Nick’s expression was any indication, he felt more than just a twinge.

            “I’m – I’m sorry if I’m interrupting anything,” said Marinette her words tinged with anxiety, “but I have a really important question.”

            “What’s up?” Judy said, not wanting to dismiss something that could be important.

            Marinette looked relieved for a moment, seeming to believe that she wasn’t interrupting anything – even though she totally was – but then her nervousness returned. “Okay so,” she said. “You guys are… partners, right?”

            Nick and Judy shared a look. “Uh, yeah?” Judy said, looking back at Marinette.

            “What of it?” Nick said.

            “Well, um… what would you guys do if you lost one another? Like. How would you deal with it?”

            A moment of silence followed as Judy tried to process what she was being asked and how to respond to it. But to her surprise, Nick was the one who spoke first. “We’d move on. Yeah, we’d be sad, but we’d move on eventually. Does that answer your question?”

            Marinette nodded, though Judy could tell she wasn’t satisfied with Nick’s answer. Neither was Judy. “Thanks,” was all Marinette said. “Sorry for bothering you.” She turned and walked towards the door. It shut with a tinkling sound as the bell on the frame jingled.

            Judy couldn’t even muster the strength to be angry. She felt like a popped balloon. “Nick… Is that really how you feel?” she asked.

            The fox sighed, his foul mood and animosity towards Marinette replaced with tenderness. “Carrots, listen. We’re friends, and nothing will ever change that. But we’re cops. If I got hurt on the job, or anywhere else for that matter, I wouldn’t want you to spend the rest of your life hung up on me. You’re too important to me for me to want that.”

            Judy stared at Nick, hoping she wasn’t blushing. Finally, she said, “You’re important to me, too, Nick.” Her voice was soft, but the hurt was replaced with relief and understanding.

            “That’s the spirit. Now come on. Let’s split this popsicle stand.” Nick grinned, and Judy couldn’t help but giggle.

            “Nick, nobody says that anymore.”

            “Mademoiselle, I am offended that you seem to think I’m nobody.” The two left money on the table – both payment and a tip – and as they stepped into the evening, Nick asked, “Now, what were you going to say before?”

            Judy hesitated, letting the cool city breeze rustle her fur, thinking things over as quickly as she could. She could ask him out now, but she felt that the time had passed. She’d wait for a better moment. “Eh, it’s nothing.”

Chapter Text

It was the day of The Z Factor season premiere, but the sound of his pencil scratching words onto the paperwork was the closest thing Nick had heard to music all day. Every little strand of fur on his body practically stood on end. It was almost like the time he’d stayed up all night before a big hustle with Finnick and had had to make it through on caffeine alone. The scam – which unusually enough hadn’t involved Finnick posing as Nick’s son – had gone off beautifully, but Nick had felt like he was standing in a field of prickly rose thorns the whole time, anticipation clawing at him, just waiting for something to go wrong.

            He chanced a look at the clock above the door. It was 5:00 PM. The concert started at seven. He and Judy got off at five-thirty, but it took an hour or so to get to the concert hall by subway, and he knew Judy would want to get popcorn. He also didn’t want to seem on edge lest someone ask him what was making him so jittery. He’d told his fair share of lies, and he wasn’t above a lie of omission when he wanted to avoid something, but he could feel the words on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs, “I’m going to see The Z Factor!” His favorite TV Show ever, and he was going to see it! Just the thought made him want to squeal like Clawhauser. Not that he’d ever actually do that.

            Speaking of whom, Clawhauser himself had gotten the day off and, if his texts to Judy were anything to go by, the poor kitty was sweating bullets. He’d just barely gotten past the auditions and preliminary rounds and into the top 12, and was agonizing over whether or not to make a last-minute song change. Judy had advised against that, saying that changing so close to the show would just tick off the band. Clawhauser had responded with several texts, each one alternating between something along the lines of, “OMG ur right” or “but try everything is soooo outdated i need smthing neeeeew.” Nick wanted to smack Clawhauser upside his pretty little head (lovingly, of course) because he was distracting Judy from work and she had to finish because they had to be on time and if they were late…

            Nick shook his head to clear his thoughts and inhaled through his nose, letting the smell of Francine’s perfume waft in from across the room.  He gritted his teeth and forced himself to finish filling out his report.

            Soon enough, five-thirty came, and Nick felt a tap on his shoulder. He put on the most nonchalant expression he could muster, and swiveled around.

            “You ready, Nick?” It was Judy.

            “Yeah, lemme just grab a change of clothes from my locker.”

            Judy, who had already changed into her civilian outfit, nodded, clearly trying her best not to laugh at the excitement she knew Nick was feeling despite his façade.

            Once clocked out and changed, Nick and Judy made their way to the train station, walking down the street as hurriedly as they could while Nick also tried to maintain his slowly-crumbling veneer.

            “So why are you so embarrassed about liking this show, anyway?” Judy said under her breath.

            “It’s The Z Factor. Why aren’t you embarrassed to like it?” was Nick’s reply.

            “Because it’s kick-started the careers of some genuinely good artists-“

            “Like Hyena Gomez?”

            “-and I have fun watching it,” Judy finished, ignoring the wisecrack.

            Nick shrugged as they walked into the train station and realized he was grinning like a madman from excitement.

            “And by the looks of it,” Judy teased, “you do, too.”

            “How dare you.”

            A giggle escaped Judy’s lips. Then, tickets purchased, the two got onto the train and continued their usual banter over the course of the next hour. Finally, the train arrived at its final destination. The station was right by the Zootopia Theater, where the show’s top 12 segment was broadcast.

            “Let’s go!” said the rabbit cheerfully, practically skipping as they stepped onto the platform. Nick had to force himself not to do the same.

            As it turned out, he’d been right: Judy did want to buy popcorn, and by the time she’d purchased her Xtra Large – for both of them, she had insisted, though Nick knew she just had an ongoing romance with popcorn – it was five minutes before showtime. Judy eagerly led the way into the main event hall, her face peeking to the side of her ginormous popcorn.

            “What’s our seat number?” asked Nick.

            “I didn’t tell you? We’re gonna be in the mosh pit!”

            “Then why did you buy popcorn? No way we’re gonna be able to eat that before the show starts.”

            “Challenge accepted.”

            That earned both an eye roll and a chuckle from Nick. Clearly, he’d rubbed off on her.

            The two found themselves among teenagers, screaming their little hearts out. Nick felt a little odd, actually, being a grown adult around so many high schoolers, but he put it out of his mind, instead waiting for the show to come on.

            Judy, for her part, was halfway through the popcorn when the lights dimmed.

            “Someone’s gonna have a stomachache later.”

            “Shush, you.”

            And then, it was time. The emcee, a beaver, came out onto the stage, which was round and was floored with glass panels that lit up different colors as he walked across them. “Ladies and gentlemen!” he said into his mic, and the noise echoed throughout the event hall. “Welcome to season eight of Zootopia’s favorite show: The Z Factor!” He dragged out the name of the show theatrically. The audience roared in response, Judy included. “I’m your host, Emilio van Dam, and these are your judges!” Three of the biggest names in popular music came out onto the stage, and Emilio introduced them one at a time: Paulo Abdul, whose music Nick honestly didn’t care for, Simone Cowl, the bigshot label-owner who created The Z Factor, and Gazelle. 

            After a word from each of the judges, the twelve contestants were brought out onto stage to sing a song together. Then, one by one, the contestants each sang their songs. The arena flashed myriad colors, a rainbow practically exploding in front Nick’s eyes as the music banged at his ears. Judy had at this point completely abandoned the popcorn, letting it spill on the floor as she danced.

            Soon enough, it was Clawhauser’s turn. He came out onto the stage, dressed in a tuxedo of all things, his expression somewhere between jubilant and neurotic. He held a microphone in his hand – his own personal microphone, if the “STAY FABULOUS” written onto it in gold glitter and sparkles were any indication – and was asked to introduced himself by the judges.

            “Hiiiii, I’m Benjamin Clawhauser! It’s so great to be here tonight! I’ll be singing ‘Let it Goat’ by Gazelle.”

            And before Gazelle herself could comment, the music started; it was a dance remix. Nick had to fight to keep his typical, smug expression as he tapped his paw to the beat and boogied back and forth a little. 

            “C’mon, Nick!” Judy shouted, just barely audible over the music. “Don’t just stand there, dance!” She grabbed Nick’s paw in her own. Her paws were soft, surprisingly so for someone who grew up on a farm. Judy smiled, a warm, fuzzy smile, the passionate kind of smile that reminded Nick exactly why he loved her, why they were best friends, and his resistance melted.

            He got his whole body into it, grooving and shaking as the music rolled over him. He felt his inner nine-year-old squee a little – he’d been watching shows like this as long as he could remember. In fact, his earliest memory was of the show The Z Factor was based on, the name of which he couldn’t remember off the top of his head. He must have been three years old, five at the absolute oldest. It had been past his bedtime, but he hadn’t been able to sleep, so he’d gone into his mom’s room to ask for… he couldn’t even remember what he thought she’d be able to do, but he’d been a young child. If you’d asked him then, there was nothing his mother couldn’t do – she was infallible.

            Now, Nick’s mother hadn’t been very well-to-do. They’d lived as indulgently as their budget would allow, and Nick’s mother had given as much of that indulgence as she could to Nick. But the one thing she kept to herself was the TV. It was in her room, located on the drawer situated directly across from her bed. It had been a high-end television for the time, too, produced in the final years of SD’s reign as the industry standard.

            Nick’s mother spent all the time she could watching television, which was mostly after Nick went to bed at eight, and she hated being disturbed during her TV time. Nick hadn’t even thought of that when he’d gotten out of bed, and didn’t remember until after he’d knocked on his mother’s door. And yet, his mother didn’t get angry. Frustrated, yes. She’d even pinched the bridge of her snout, but after what felt like forever to Nick, she sighed, and patted the spot next to her in bed.

            “C’mon, Nicky,” she had said. “Maybe some TV will help you fall asleep.” And then she’d turned on The Voices.

            After that, it had become their tradition to watch The Voices every Friday night. Nick still had to go to bed at eight every other night of the week, but on Fridays? On Fridays, he got to sit in rapt attention on his mother’s bed, eyes glued to the television screen, booing when a contestant he’d been rooting for was voted off, and cheering when they got to advance to the next round.

            He’d never told anyone, but it had been the start of a lifelong partnership – Nick and reality TV. Not that he’d watch any just any reality show – it had to be a talent contest of some sort, preferably one involving music and singing. It wasn’t the only one he currently watched, but The Z Factor was his favorite, and here he was: In the audience, dancing with his best friend. His eyes locked with Judy’s as they danced, and one thought crossed Nick’s mind as he looked at his smiling friend, her body made multicolored by the studio’s rainbow lights: Nothing can ruin this moment.

            And that was when Judy grabbed Nick by the collar, pulled him down and kissed him.

            Every muscle in Nick’s body froze. His eyes shot open, a stark contrast to Judy’s closed eyes. The moment seemed to drag out into hours, into days, even though it really was just a moment. He felt the taste of Judy’s lips, felt the breath from her nose on his, and… and he leaned in. He didn’t know why, but he closed his eyes and even though every instinct told him not to, he leaned into the kiss. He felt something electric pass through his body as he did so, something pure and wonderful, something that felt right, like it was something he’d been missing his entire life and now that he had it, he could be whole. He’d never felt anything quite like it.

            He and Judy pulled away at the same time purely by coincidence, and they stared into each other’s eyes once more. Clawhauser was still singing, the arena was still flashing with polychromatic light, and yet, somehow, everything felt different. Seemed different. Was different. 

            “Whoa,” Judy said.

            Suddenly, a clenching sensation grasped his chest. It took Nick a split second to realize he wasn’t elated, but terrified.

            “Uh, yeah,” Nick said, trying to sound natural. “Whoa.”

            As Nick broke eye contact with Judy, he saw the look on her face change: First, from tender to confused, then from confused to crestfallen. Clearly he hadn’t managed to sound natural.

            Clawhauser belted out the song’s final note, and the lights came back on. Nick did everything he could to focus on the stage as the audience broke into applause.

            The first judge to comment was Gazelle. “That was beautiful, Benjamin,” she said from the judges’ table, located off the to the stage’s side. “Really, truly beautiful. I think you really understand what the song is about, and that dance arrangement was just perfect. You have my vote!”

            Clawhauser’s face lit up and Nick knew he was repressing the urge to squeal like a schoolgirl. At any other time, Nick would have smirked.

            Next up was Abdul. “Well,” he said, “your singing by itself is technically fine, but I didn’t really feel your own emotion in the song; it felt like you were trying to emulate Gazelle’s feelings behind it, rather than bringing your own personal twist on it to the stage. I’m sorry, but I’m gonna have to fail you.”

            It was up to Cowl. Either she’d fail Clawhauser, and he’d be off the show, or she’d pass him, and he’d advance to the next round. “Benjamin, sweetie,” the cow began, “I want to start by saying you have an impeccable singing voice. You’re one of the most talented vocalists I’ve ever heard, so pooh on you, Paulo.” A smile started curling its way across Clawhauser’s lips. “But I need to ask you: You do know what the prize is for winning this is, right?”

            The smile stopped dead in its tracks. “A contract with your record label?”

            “Exactly. And while you’re a great singer, you’re also morbidly obese. How am I going to market you? Nobody wants to listen to a fat singer. I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to fail you. Come back when you’ve dropped a few pounds, okay?”

            Clawhauser stared in shock as the audience’s booing thundered in Nick’s ears.

            “And there you have it, folks!” Emilio said, coming back onto the stage, shooing Clawhauser backstage. The remaining contestants took their positions around van Dam, staring into the camera as the studio lights dimmed and then came back on again – it was time to go.

***

             Half an hour later, Clawhauser sat on the balcony of his apartment, looking down at the street below as cars whizzed by. The sun had long since set, but the lights of the city felt unusually bright to him. A barely-touched can of beer rested in his paw. He wanted to drink, but he hated the taste of alcohol. Normally he’d be halfway through his third box of doughnuts, but he couldn’t make himself even look at junk food right now.

            “It’s not fair,” he mumbled. What did weight have to do with singing? His voice was excellent – Cowl had said so herself! He deserved to move onto the next round! And he certainly didn’t deserve to be humiliated in front of the entire city.

            Putting the can of beer down, blinking away the tears, he picked up his custom microphone, and began to sing, his eyes closed. It was a pop ballad, his favorite.

            And because his eyes were closed, he did not see the black butterfly flying towards him. With a slight, ominous sound, the akuma lodged itself in his microphone, and Clawhauser’s eyes shot open, a red tint covering his face and a pink butterfly outline masking his face.

            “Ultrasonic. I am the Butterfly. I understand you have a slight problem… I can help you bring your beautiful singing voice to all of Zootopia and crush those who have humiliated you. All you need to do is get a little something for me in return…”

            Without hesitating, Clawhauser made his decision. “I’d be happy to, Butterfly.”

Chapter Text

Marinette fumbled for her phone as her alarm blared, finally hitting it when she actually sat up out of bed. She sighed – she’d been having such a nice dream about Adrien, too.

            “Marinette!” her mother’s voice came from downstairs. “Breakfast’s ready! Come on, you’re going to be late!”

            “Coming, Mom!” She quickly changed out of her pajamas into her usual clothing, thankful she’d showered the night before. She emerged from the bathroom after applying her makeup and brushing her hair, and she asked her kwami friend, “Sleep well, Tikki?”

            “Absolutely!” was the enthusiastic reply. Marinette grabbed her schoolbooks and, with a longing glance at her favorite poster of Adrien, headed downstairs, Tikki taking her usual place in Marinette’s purse.

            Over breakfast, which was toast and marmalade that Marinette wolfed down as fast as she could, Sabine asked, “Don’t you get that chemistry test back today?”

            “Yup. Don’t worry Mom, I studied super hard for it. No way I’m getting anything lower than an 18.”

            Sabine smiled cautiously. “I hope so! Your grades have taken… a bit of a downturn lately. You know, you can talk to me or your father if something is wrong.”

            “It’s fine, Mom. I just need to devote more time to studying.” And that was the truth; being Ladybug and fighting supervillains really cut into her homework time. With one more giant bite, Marinette finished the last of her food, and rushed out the bakery. “Love you, Dad!” she called to Tom as she passed him.

            Marinette glanced at her phone as she crossed the intersection – class started in five minutes.

            “Hurry, Marinette!” Tikki said.

            “I know, I know. It’s times like these I’m glad I live across the street,” she added, this time talking to herself rather than to Tikki.

            She slipped into her seat just as the bell rang. “Way to cut it close, girl,” Alya whispered from beside her. Marinette was about to respond when Miss Bustier cleared her throat. “Alya, the bell has rung,” she reprimanded. “Please be quiet.”

            “Sorry, Miss Bustier.”  

            Soon enough, though, literature had ended, and it was time for chemistry. “Alright class,” Miss Mendeleiev said. “I’ll be handing back your tests; please do the problems on the board in the meantime.”

            Sure enough, Marinette had been spot on with her prediction that morning: an 18 out of 20 on the nose. Chloé on the other hand…

            “What is this!?” she demanded, stomping up to the desk. “A failing grade? Do you know who my father is? He’s the mayor of Paris!”

            Half the class ignored Chloé, apparently finally used to her behavior, while the other half, including Marinette, Adrien and Sabrina, looked on, interested in seeing the unfolding drama.

            “Miss Bourgeois,” the teacher responded, “no matter who your father is, oxide is not now, nor will it ever be, an element.”

            Chloé snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous! Oxide shows up all over the place! Carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, aluminum oxide, dihydrogen monoxide-“

            “First off,” Miss Mendeleiev said, staring down at Chloé, “those are compounds, not elements, and dihydrogen monoxide isn’t even water’s official chemical name; it’s just a prank pulled on the scientifically illiterate. Second, you answered ‘oxide’ for half the questions and the other half you wrote down all the expensive shoes you want for your second quarter-birthday in two weeks. I’m not changing your grade, Miss Bourgeois.”

            Chloé spluttered incoherently, then stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

            Miss Mindeleiev sighed. “Your parents will be getting a call from the principal!” she called after Chloé. “Wipe that smirk off your face, Kim. It’s not at all kind to take pleasure in others’ misfortune.”

            The rest of the day continued without incident. Marinette and Alya studied at Marinette’s house after school, after which the two girls worked on content for the Ladyblog. (Marinette had to be sure not to share too much information lest she reveal herself, but that wasn’t nearly as hard as she thought it would have been.) Sabine and Tom invited Alya to stay for dinner, but much to Marinette’s disappointment, she declined. The two agreed to see each other in school tomorrow, and, after a dinner during which Tom and Sabine were ecstatic over Marinette’s excellent chemistry grade, it was time for a little television with her parents, and then bed.

            When Marinette entered the schoolyard the next day, however, she was taken by surprise to see a crowd gathered in the center.
            “This can’t be good…” Marinette pushed her way through the crowd until finally it opened in a ring between four people: Chloé and her father, and Principal Damocles and Miss Mendeleiev. They stood opposite each other as two teams, almost as if they were facing each other before a game of American football. Miss Mendeleiev stood with her arms crossed and lips tight, meeting André Bourgeois’ intense gaze while Principal Damocles seemed to have retreated into himself, hunched over and sweaty. Chloé stood behind her father, a hand on her hip and a smirk on her face.

            “I absolutely will not resign, Mayor Bourgeois,” Miss Mendeleiev was saying. “I gave your daughter the grade she earned, just as I do with all my students. Or are you saying that Chloé is somehow above the rules of Françoise Dupont Middle School?”

            A collective “Oooooooooh” reverberated throughout the crowd of students. Several, Marinette now noticed, were recording this with their smartphones.

            “I am saying absolutely no such thing,” the mayor replied. “I can personally vouch for the time my little Chloé spent preparing for her physics assessment.”

            “Chemistry assessment.”

            “I can attest to that, too.”

            Miss Mendeleiev pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled, her hand on her hip. “Mayor Bourgeois, if your daughter truly spent that much time preparing for my exam and performed as she did, we offer a wide array of extra help classes after school. Perhaps she should attend my remedial chemistry this evening.”

            This seemed to get Chloé’s attention, wiping the smug look right off her face. “Daddy!” she squawked, her hands on her hips. “Are you gonna let a third-rate chemist like her tell you what I should do with my free time?”

            “’Third-rate chemist!?’ I’ll have you know I graduated at the top of my class in university!”

            “And yet, you somehow have never heard of ‘oxide.’”

            “It isn’t even an element!”

            “Yeah, I doubt that.”

            “I can’t believe-“

            “Enough!” the mayor roared. “Principal Damocles, either you fire this third-rate chemist and second-rate teacher, or I’ll slash your school’s funding in half!”

            Everyone gasped, almost all at the same time.

            “Oh, that’s ridiculous,” Miss Mendeleiev said. “You can’t possibly think such an obviously empty threat will work!”

            “I uh, well I,” the short, owl-like man spluttered.

            Miss Mendeleiev paled. “Principal Damocles,” she said, more than a hint of panic in her cracking voice. “You couldn’t possibly be thinking”-

            “But, I-I-I, th-the school, the students, we-we need the money!”

            “You can’t do this!” someone in the crowd said. Marinette recognized the voice as Adrien’s, and she had to take a slight breath to control her quickening heartrate – this was no time to fawn over him! “Chloé, please,” he begged. “Don’t you think this is going a bit far?”

            “Oh, Adrihoney,” she said, a pitying tone in her voice. “We’ll get a new, better teacher, I’ll make sure of it!”

            Adrien glared at her. “That’s cold, Chloé. That’s really, really cold.”

            Chloé looked struck, and for a moment, Marinette thought, it seemed that she was going to change her mind. But then, Miss Mendeleiev spoke, and all the conflict and doubt on Chloé’s face vanished. “Please, teaching is all I have!”

            Principal Damocles looked like he was about to say something as he turned to face Mayor Bourgeois, but the taller man cleared his throat meaningfully. Damocles sighed. “I’m sorry,” he said to the purple-haired woman, “but you’re fired.”

            A stunned silence followed. Miss Mendeleiev said nothing either, and simply walked through the crowd with as much poise as could be expected of her. The school’s front doors opened with her on one side and then closed with her on the other. As the doors swung closed, everyone began to talk at once. Marinette saw Adrien storm off, Nino following shortly behind him. She saw Chloé hug her father before he walked off, also walking out the door.

            “Alright, alright!” Principal Damocles said. “Get to your classes! The bell rang five minutes ago!” Much to Marinette’s surprise, most of the students actually listened, the odd stink-eye thrown at their principal notwithstanding.

            “Can you believe this?” Alya said to Marinette later that day. It was during the period that had just yesterday been devoted to chemistry, but until a replacement teacher was found, math, physics and chemistry were all study hall.

            “The sad part is that I actually can. Chloé’s been building up to a stunt like this for years,” Marinette replied ruefully.  “I’d say someone needs to take her down a peg, but I have no idea what I could possibly do to her! So long as her father’s the mayor, she’s invincible!”

            “Well, that’s where the good news comes in.” Alya smirked and surreptitiously took out her smartphone. “Look! I uploaded footage of the whole debacle onto YouTube – half the city is an uproar!”

             “So… all we need is something to tip the scales?” Marinette said, a devious twinkle in her eyes.

            “I know that look on your face. What’s the plan?”

            Marinette shook her head. “I’ll tell you later,” was her only reply.

***

            Miss Mendeleiev – if she could even call herself “Miss” anymore, now that she wasn’t a teacher – sat at her kitchen table, staring blankly at her wall. What was she going to do? How would she pay her bills? Her rent? She had money saved up for a few months, certainly, but that would run out very quickly.

            She stood and walked in a daze over to the sink, wind blowing in through the open window above it. After getting herself a glass of water, she found herself drawn to the closet where she kept her teaching supplies. Not that she would ever use them again – maybe she’d have to sell them to keep a roof over her head. She shivered at the thought.

            She rummaged through the closet and picked up a beaker, just as a black butterfly flew into it…

***

            “Alright, Tikki,” Marinette said. “Here’s the plan.” The two were walking towards the park that afternoon. The sun was shining and a little breeze played with Marinette’s hair. “Like Alya said, half the city is in an uproar. Some are even calling for Chloé’s dad to resign. That’s where we come in.”

            “Let me guess,” said the kwami, her head poking out of Marinette’s purse. “You want Ladybug to call for him to resign, too, right?”

            “Exactly! I know you’re probably not thrilled about this, me using my powers for personal gain-“

            “Personal gain? Marinette, I think you’re doing exactly the right thing! Chloé’s used her father as a threat for far too long! Who knows how many people she’ll hurt with him in office? I’m proud of you for thinking to take advantage of this opportunity to help people!”

            “Wow, really?” Marinette said, taken a bit by surprise. She had honestly been expecting quite the lecture! “Oh, thank you, thank you Tikki!” She noticed people were looking at her, and cleared her throat and waited until they had passed to continue talking in a quieter voice. “Mayor Bourgeois is making a public statement about this in about half an hour at City Hall. That’s our opportunity.”

            Marinette texted her dad to let him know she’d be out a little late that night, and soon enough, she was outside City Hall. A crowd had formed here, too, this time one of adults rather than teenagers. Marinette spotted Mrs. Chamack among the droves, her news crew behind her. Reporters from several other stations were there, too, all clamoring for the moment the mayor took his place at the podium that had been set up for him.

            “Alright,” Marinette said, ducking into an abandoned side street. “Tikki! Transform me!”

***

            André Bourgeois was sweating. He could feel his suit sticking to his body as he walked through the doors of City Hall, and out to the podium. He could hear the chanting: “Resign! Resign! Resign!” People held up posters with similar phrases on them.

            Reaching the podium, he held out his hands, signaling for the chanting to stop. “My fellow Parisians,” he began, “there seems to have been a bit of a misunderstanding.”

            “No there hasn’t!”

            André stopped and nearly the entire crowd searched for the sound of the familiar voice. Oh dear, he thought. If that was who he thought it was, his career really was over.

            “Look!” somebody cried out. “It’s Ladybug!” André turned, and indeed it was: she stood on top of City Hall, many meters above the ground.

            “Mayor Bourgeois has abused his power!” Ladybug declared. “He blackmailed the principal of Françoise Dupont Middle School into firing one of his best teachers, all because his daughter didn’t study for her chemistry test! Is that the kind of leader we want?”

            The crowd thundered in approval. “Resign! Resign! Resign! Resign!”

            André swallowed hard.

            And then something crashed into his stomach, and he was sent flying. He stopped short as he collided against the front doors of City Hall, pain cracking through his back. He tried to move, but found he couldn’t – some sort of white foam encased him from the neck down, trapping him.

            An evil laugh flooded his ears, and he saw his attacker: A green-skinned lady, hanging from a window several stories up down the street. She wore a black lab coat, and sunglasses obscured her eyes. Her hair, too, was on odd color – blue. She held an empty beaker in her free hand, he noticed, right before she dropped to the ground, landing gracefully.

            “It’s time for a chemistry exam! I hope you studied, Mayor Bourgeois!”

Chapter Text

Ladybug scrambled down City Hall, jumping from ledge to ledge. Of all the times for someone to get akumatized!

            “Everyone, get out of here!” she yelled to the remnants of the now mostly-dispersed crowd. “Get somewhere safe!” Finally reaching street level, she got a look at what had happened to the mayor. “I’ll have you out of there as soon as I can!” No sooner had she said that then did a blast of the foam come her way. She grabbed for her yoyo, spinning it around to deflect the spray.

            “Thank you, Ladybug,” the mayor began behind her. “Now, perhaps if you could set me free?”

            “No can do. I don’t have any cutting tools, and I’m not using my Lucky Charm just yet. You’ll have to wait just a while longer.”

            “But I-“

            But she was already running forward as fast as she could, nimbly weaving in and out and around the blasts of foam as the burst forth from the beaker. “Please, stop! Try and snap out of it!”

            The green villain chuckled bitterly. “Why would I want to do that? I have all the tools I need for my revenge, Ladybug, and to take your Miraculous! André Bourgeois will rue the day he lost me my job!”

            Comprehension dawned on Ladybug. “Miss Mendeleiev?”

            “Quiet! I am the Chemist now! Test question number one: What element is represented by the letter ‘P’ on the periodic table?”

            “Phosphorus!” Ladybug called out as foam narrowly missed her head, and for a moment, the blasts ceased. Ladybug stopped as well, anticipating some sort of trick.

            Instead, the Chemist smiled. “Very good, Ladybug! Next question-“

            Ladybug threw her yoyo forward, hopping to lasso the Chemist with it. It was quickly deflected with a barrage of foam, the volley resuming with twice its previous intensity. Ladybug felt that the beaker looked like almost like a laser gun the way her adversary was holding it.

            Torrents of foam hit stray objects, like cars, signposts, and streetlamps as Ladybug ran through the streets, finally taking refuge behind a bus.

            “Next! Question!” the Chemist roared. “How many elements are liquid at room temperature? Answer, Ladybug, or I won’t go easy!”

            “This is easy?” Ladybug mumbled.

            “Two elements! Bromine and mercury!” That voice – Chat Noir! Ladybug dared to peak out around the bus and saw her partner squaring off with the Chemist. He must have just arrived.

            “Correct!”

            “I know,” Chat Noir said casually. “Chemistry is my best subject. Well, that and super-heroics.”

            Ladybug realized she could use this to her advantage. The akuma had to be in that beaker, so just so long as Chat Noir was answering the questions… Ladybug sneaked as carefully as she could to the other side of the bus, doing her best not to make so much as a peep. Then, just when she was in the perfect position, she flicked her wrist, sending her magic yoyo hurtling through the air. It smacked into the Chemist’s hand, sending the beaker flying. It fell to the ground, but instead of shattering like Ladybug had expected, it simply landed with a muted thud that Ladybug barely heard.

            What followed was a mad scramble for the beaker. Ladybug twirled her yoyo and hurled it at the beaker. Chat Noir ran for it, as fast as his feet would take him. The Chemist, too, dashed towards her weapon. None of the three seemed to hear anything as time slowed down for Ladybug. Her yoyo inched ever closer, even though it was moving as fast as it always did. Chat Noir, too, seemed to move in slow motion, though he was definitely faster than the Chemist.

            He was going to make it, Ladybug realized, and if he didn’t, her yoyo would. The Chemist lagged far behind Chat Noir; there was no way she could make it.

            Ladybug grinned. They had this one in the bag.

            And then, just as Chat Noir leaned down to pick up the beaker, the yoyo cracked into his hand. He flinched and withdrew his hand, knocking it into the beaker. It went rolling, rolling across the street, right towards their enemy’s feet.

            “Or maybe we don’t have this in the bag,” Ladybug said, right as Chat Noir dodged another blast of foam.

            “Hello, my lady,” Chat Noir said with a grin as he landed right beside Ladybug. “Bit of a sticky situation the mayor seems to be in, eh?”

            Before Ladybug could reply, the two were forced apart, each one dodging a discharge of foam by launching themselves in a different direction. “We better be careful, or we’ll be the ones in a sticky situation!” she warned. This was going nowhere, and fast! “Lucky Charm!” She raised her hand to the sky, letting her yoyo extend upwards. And the item it created was…

            “A can of soup?” Chat Noir raised his eyebrows. “You don’t even have a can opener!”

            “Yeah, and I don’t think she’s gonna want to eat this anyway… Lemme think…” She trailed off, scanning her surroundings.

            The soup can.

            The beaker.

            “I have an idea, but I need to get closer. We’re gonna have to split up.”

            For a moment, it seemed as if he wanted to protest. Then, he looked up, and by the look on his face, Ladybug could tell he knew just what she wanted him to do. All he said was, “And just when I was starting to enjoy your company. ’Till we meet again, my lady!” Chat Noir reached for his staff and was off, springing up off the ground and over a building. 

            “Alright,” Ladybug said, psyching herself up. “I just have to last until he gets back.”

            “Are you quite done, Ladybug?” the Chemist asked with a hint of boredom. “I have papers to grade.”

            “Yeah, I doubt that.”

            And just like that, the fight resumed. Ladybug sprang forward, twirling her yoyo around as a shield in one hand and clutching the can in her other. She advanced as surely as she could in the deserted street, the Chemist’s foam spraying every which way as it was deflected off her spinning aegis. It was a war of attrition at this point. All Ladybug had to do was outlast –

            Oh no.

            Her yoyo’s spinning was beginning to slow. It was bogged down with the little bits of foam sticking to it!

            The Chemist grinned.  She’d seen that too, and Ladybug could tell she wasn’t about to let this opportunity slide her by. She redoubled her spraying, the blasts coming harder and faster with every moment.

            “C’mon, Chat Noir,” Ladybug muttered.

            Her yoyo stopped, too bogged down with foam to spin fast enough. She flicked her wrist and it came back to her – slower than normal, but at least its magic hadn’t been cancelled by the foam. She’d have to do this without her yoyo.

            Her earrings beeped: Her detransformation was beginning.

            “Your odds of success are zero! Give up!”

            “Never!” She rushed forward, weaving in and out and sliding underneath foam projectiles, closing the gap between herself and her enemy. She forced the Chemist back, back towards the tall building at the end of the street, nimbly dodging the foam.

            Sweat trickled down the Chemist’s face in beads. Her blasts were becoming more erratic, less precise. They stuck to buildings, street signs, cars, streetlamps – everywhere except their target. She howled in frustration, turning around to retreat, just as Ladybug’s earrings chirped a second time.

            “Going somewhere?” Chat Noir asked breezily, his staff held over his shoulder and his other hand on his hip. He had sneaked up behind the supervillain while Ladybug had distracted her, and now, she had nowhere to run.         

            But the Chemist began to grin.

            Why is she-

            Faster than Ladybug or Chat Noir could react, the Chemist’s hand whipped out and grabbed Chat Noir’s ring, slipping it right off his finger. His transformation was cancelled an instant later, horror spreading through his features. The ring glowed, then vanished from the Chemist’s hands.

            Ladybug, for her part, was struck frozen, unable to process what had just happened. “Adrien?” she whispered. He only had time to smile fearfully at her for the briefest of moments. The Chemist’s beaker glowed, and a bright red foam flew out of it, faster than anything she had produced so far, hurtling through the air...

            And trapping Adrien against the building, his head smashing into it. Blood splattered onto the building, and then his head hung limp. Cracks rippled out across the building, spreading from the red foam…

            “NO!” Ladybug rushed forward. It wasn’t too late, she just needed to capture the akuma!

            “You can’t beat me, Ladybug, not now!” She readied another blast of foam, but Ladybug wasn’t having any of it. She rushed forward again, jumping into the air. The Chemist raised the beaker, just as Ladybug jammed the can of soup into it.

            An explosion boomed behind Ladybug, little bits of shrapnel scattering every which way. Without bothering to wait for the Chemist’s reaction, Ladybug flung her yoyo as quickly as it would go towards the escaping akuma. “I’m freeing you from evil!”

            But it was it too late.

            Blip blip blip! Her earrings beeped a third time. Her only hope was her Miraculous Ladybug power. Ladybug reached down, intending to summon her Lucky Charm from wherever it had been blasted to when the beaker exploded – and nothing happened. She reached down again, not daring to look at Adrien.

            Her Lucky Charm did not come.

            A third try and a third failure finally made her understand – the Lucky Charm had been destroyed when the beaker exploded. Her earrings beeped for the fourth and penultimate time. She was about to detransform.

            “No…”

            The building was beginning to crumble, the cracks spreading faster and faster throughout the structure.

            But there was nothing she could do. She was all out of power. Fighting back burning tears, she ducked into an alleyway, her transformation timing out in sync with the sound of the building coming down…

Chapter Text

            They found Adrien’s body in the wreckage later that evening. Marinette vividly remembered seeing it on the news. The newscaster, she remembered, warned viewer discretion right before they showed the pictures. Her father, too, had advised that, perhaps, she shouldn’t look, but his words had fallen on deaf ears. Marinette had to see this – she had to know for certain that she had seen Adrien trapped against that building, trapped against it where Chat Noir should have been. It might not have been him, after all. It might have been a trick of her eyes, or a trick of the akumatized villain.

            Does that make it any better? a voice in her mind had asked. Chat Noir was your friend, too. He loved you. Adrien didn’t.

            Marinette still hadn’t quite wrapped her mind around the fact that Chat Noir was Adrien.

            The pictures were every bit as graphic and bloody as she had feared: Adrien’s head, bashed in, blood and brains splattered across the debris and ground. One of his arms splayed out, bent at an awkward, unthinkable angle. And the red foam was there – oh it was there, but it had been scraped away somehow, leaving the rest of his broken and battered body in full view of the camera. His legs, one bisected by a rock at the thigh. His torso, smashed in.

            The list went on. 

            A bloodcurdling scream echoed in the house, and it took her mother turning off the TV to realize that the shrieking wasn’t coming from someone else – she was shrieking. Tears stung her eyes, cascading down her face. Marinette clawed at their wet trails, as if she could rip off the sorrow like a Band-Aid.  Her parents both tried to embrace her, but she pushed them away before she knew she was doing it. She ran up to her room and threw the first thing she could find. Her diary smacked into her bed with a satisfying thwump.  

            “Marinette, wait!” It was Tikki. “Trashing your room won’t solve anything!”

            “What am I supposed to do?” Marinette said through her sobs. “I let him die, Tikki! It was my idea to try and corner the Chemist like that! Now Adrien and everyone else in that building are dead!”

            “Marinette, I know this is hard. Please, believe me, I know. But now, the Butterfly is even more dangerous! He has the Black Cat Miraculous of destruction. Do you know what this means? He can give his supervillains the ability to obliterate on a massive scale! He already created that red foam; just imagine what his next villain will be like! You can’t give up!”

            “I know! “Marinette snapped. Then, more gently, “I know.” All the energy that had built up seemed to evaporate then, leaving her as she fell to the floor in a puddle of grief and guilt and tears. “But I don’t know what else to do.”

            “Oh, Marinette.” Tikki hovered by her friend’s side, spreading her tiny arms as far as they would go on Marinette’s cheek. “You’re going to get through this. I know you can. I think what you need is a good night’s sleep right now.”

            “Marinette!?” Tom’s voice came through the attic floor. “Are you okay?”

            She got down on her knees and cracked the trap door open a smidge, barely peeking out. “I… I really need to be alone right now, Dad. I’m sorry.”

            After a pause, Tom said, “It’s okay, sweetie.” But his calm words belied his anxious voice.

            Marinette didn’t remember climbing into her bed when she woke up the next morning. She was still wearing her clothing – no pajamas, and she didn’t bother showering or changing into a fresh outfit.

            When she arrived in the kitchen she found her parents there, a tender, yet worried expression on each of their faces. They each sat at the table, looking at Marinette as she entered the room with troubled eyes.

            “Sweetie,” Tom said gently, gesturing towards a seat. Marinette took it, not making eye contact with either of them, embarrassed of how she’d pushed them away last night. “Your mother and I have been talking…”Tom’s voice tapered off, as if he were unsure of what to say next.

            “And,” Sabine picked up, “we’re worried about you. We know you and Adrien were friends, but your reaction last night was a bit… extreme. If you need to tell us anything, we’re here to listen.”

            “Everything’s fine!” Marinette said quickly. Too quickly, if the disbelieving look on her parents’ face was anything to go by.

            “Are you sure, sweetie?” Tom pressed. “It’s just, your grades were tanking for a while and you weren’t around as much, and now this… we’re scared, Marinette. So, so scared for you. If you don’t feel you can talk to us, we can get you a therapist-”

            “No!” Marinette found herself yelling all of a sudden. “I mean, no. I appreciate it, but right now, I just want to go to school.”

            Tom and Sabine shared a look that Marinette couldn’t quite read. “Alright,” said Sabine after a pause. “But we’d like you to think about seeing a counselor.”

            Marinette nodded. “I’ll think about it.”

            “Also… There’s a memorial service this evening for Chat N- I mean, Adrien. Do you want to go?”

            Marinette wanted to say yes – she wanted to so, so badly – but it was probably better that Ladybug made an appearance. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m not sure I can handle that.” It was, at least technically, the truth.

            Chloé was thankfully absent from school that day. Marinette overheard Sabrina saying something about Chloé needing to pick out the right dress for her Adrihoney’s funeral. Judging by the look on her face, Alya very definitely wanted to say something about that, but didn’t. Marinette felt a hand on hers as she sat down at her desk – Alya’s. “Thanks, Alya,” she said softly. The rest of the school day passed by in a haze, only vague snippets of it remaining in Marinette’s memory.

            The last bell rang at 4:30. Marinette sneaked off to the girl’s bathroom before Alya could say anything about the funeral, not wanting to lie about going.

            Tikki piped up right as Marinette was about to transform. “You know, maybe you should go as Marinette. Chat Noir’s partner might have been Ladybug, but Adrien’s friend was Marinette.”

            She shook her head slowly. “I can’t, Tikki. I just… I’m not strong enough.”

***

            It was sunny. So, so, so unbearably sunny. A gentle, awful wind blew, rustling Ladybug’s hair. She stood behind the mayor and Adrien’s father in front of the Agreste manor. The crowd of mourners was surprisingly small given who had died. Or, Marinette wondered, maybe people had felt that they only had the right to come if they had known Adrien. She smiled a little despite herself, thankful for the respect.

            Among the bereaved stood Nino and Alya, Nino crying into Alya’s shoulder. Chloé, too, was there, on the other side of Nino and Ladybug was surprised to see that she actually did seem upset, even distraught. Instead of carrying herself with her usual haughtiness and larger-than-life self-centered extravagance, she wore a plain black dress. She stared at her hands. For a moment, it even looked as if she were going to say something to Nino, but a death glare from Alya ended that.

            The mayor – he had been cut out of the white foam late last night, according to the morning news – was saying something, what exactly, Ladybug would never quite remember. What she did remember was when Gabriel Agreste made his speech.

            “My son,” he spoke, his voice solemn and restrained, “was an extraordinary young man. He modeled, he fenced, he spoke Chinese, all while achieving a near-perfect standing at school and fighting evil in the most direct of ways possible, putting himself on the front lines of battle regularly. For that, I am thankful. I will never forget your smile, Adrien. I will never forget what you meant to me. I hope that, wherever you are, you are with your mother.”

            He pivoted around and gestured for Ladybug to make her speech. She was about to step forward, when suddenly: “That’s it?” Nino’s incredulous voice echoed. “That’s all you’re going to say about your son?”

            “Nino, be quiet!” Alya hissed.

            “You never let him go to school before this year! You never even threw him a birthday party!” Nino shrieked. “You were not a cool father! You were way distant and way controlling! Say more, man!” Tears were rolling freely down his face as everyone stared, Ladybug included. “Tell us about a time he made you laugh or cry or he broke a house rule or whatever! Just say something! For once in your life, be his dad!”

            Ladybug heard his assistant whisper, “Mr. Agreste, should I have him removed?”            

            Gabriel shook his head, instead turning back around and walking towards Nino, who had stopped yelling. His eyes had gone wide with fear and embarrassment, and he trembled slightly as Gabriel came closer. Finally, he stood before Nino.

            “Nino… Lahiffe, was it?” Gabriel said, and without waiting for a response plowed on. “You were a bad influence on my son, but I am glad you cared about him. Now either stop ruining his funeral or get out.”

            “Fine,” Nino acquiesced, but continued to look angry as Gabriel walked away.

            Ladybug stood before the mic, and began to speak, desperately trying not to cry. “Chat Noir… he was my partner. He was always flirting with me, always trying to come onto me, but he was my partner. That was actually the first thing he ever called me. Not “my lady,” but “partner.” I wish I had seen how right he had been before… before he was taken from us.” Her voice was getting choked up now, and she very much wanted to stop. But an image of Adrien’s body, mangled and mutilated, popped into her head, and she found the strength to go on. “And who took him from us? The Butterfly. If you can hear me, Butterfly, know this: Your time is running out. I’m going to find you, and I’m going to bring you to justice. Create as many supervillains as you want, but I’ll stop every single one of them, and then I’ll find you. There’s nowhere to run! Chat Noir will be avenged!”

            It took Ladybug a moment to realize she had started yelling. Before she could feel embarrassed, she turned around and took her place beside Gabriel and the mayor.

***

            The next few weeks passed without any akumatized villains appearing, which was just as well in Marinette’s opinion. More time to look for the Butterfly’s lair. When she had said she was going to find him, she meant it. Every night after her bedtime, she would transform into Ladybug and prowl the streets of Paris, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, looking for something, anything that might be a clue.

            So far, she had found nothing.

            “Marinette,” Tikki said early one Sunday morning as they returned from a night of searching. “Maybe you should take a break from searching. Just for tonight.”

            “No,” was Marinette’s firm reply, followed by a yawn. “I’m not-“ another yawn “-giving him any more time than he’s already had. “

            “You’re losing sleep, Marinette.” Tikki flew up into the air above Marinette’s bed as the girl lay down. Her room had undergone a transformation in the past few weeks – namely, all the posters of Adrien had been taken down, stuffed into her closet. Marinette just couldn’t bear looking at them.

            “That’s why I’m napping now,” Marinette grumbled, bringing the covers over her head.

            “That’s not what I meant,” Tikki protested, but didn’t press the matter, and Marinette drifted into slumber.

            That was when she had the first dream about Chat Noir. It was simple, compared to the ones that came later – just his body, bisected at the waist, blood seeping out both gaps. But it was enough to tear her from sleep. She jolted upright in bed, a short, sharp shriek escaping her lips.

            “Just a dream…” she realized. “It was just a dream…”

            “Marinette?” It was Tikki.

            “I’m fine,” Marinette said, and repeated, “It was just a dream.”

            Marinette’s parents burst through the trap door just then. Tikki hid behind a pillow just before they could see her.

            “Marinette!?” Sabine asked, her features contorted in worry. “Is everything alright?”

            Marinette lied that it was.

            ***

            Another week and a half went by, and Marinette was running out of places to search. There hadn’t been any supervillains, luckily enough, but Marinette knew that her luck would soon run out. Why the Butterfly was waiting so long to akumatize someone, she could only speculate on but she would find him before he did. She’d skipped class that morning, despite protests from Tikki, and then again that afternoon.

            She was in the park, staring at some increasingly angry and then increasingly worried texts from her parents. She hadn’t replied to any of them.

            “You’re going to have to reply eventually, Marinette,” Tikki said as the clouds began to roll in. The wind was picking up too, and Marinette realized it was going to rain soon.

            But she had one place left to search. She told Tikki her idea, and even she had to admit it was a possibility.

            “Alright then,” Marinette decided. “It’s settled. Let’s go.”

            “But,” Tikki objected, “what about your parents? They must be so upset right now. At least go see them.”

            Marinette sighed. “Yeah, you’re right… I’ll go apologize for skipping school.”

            But when Marinette arrived at her parents’ bakery, events did not go as she had expected them to. Despite the hour, the bakery was closed. As she pushed open the door, she saw her parents standing behind the counter.

            “Marinette. We need to talk.” Her mother’s voice was firm, and her jaw set, and Marinette knew she should have gone to school that day. She put on a brave face, the bravest she could, and nodded to show she understood.

            “Let’s go to the living room,” Tom said. “It’s more comfortable there.”

            Marinette nodded again and followed her parents. By the way they spoke, she could tell they’d been planning this all afternoon, maybe longer.

            She sat down on the couch opposite her parents. Her apology caught in the back of her throat, and she knew she must have looked like an idiot with her mouth half open. But how could she explain to her parents what was going on? They couldn’t know she was Ladybug for their own safety.

            “Your father and I,” Sabine said, “are very disappointed in you, Marinette. Skipping school is not allowed in this household. But more than that, we are worried for you. We know you must be going through unimaginable pain after the loss of your friend, but how you’ve been this past month and a half is not healthy.” Marinette opened her mouth to protest, but Sabine silenced her by putting her hand up. “It isn’t, Marinette. You’re behind on sleep, you’re waking up screaming in the middle of the night, your grades have been abysmal, you haven’t talked to Alya once since the funeral – you can’t go on like this. You understand that, don’t you Marinette?”

            Marinette looked down at her lap. Finally, she said, “Yes, Mom.” Her voice was quiet, a hint of a breeze that one might barely notice tickling them.

            “We love you, Marinette,” Tom said. “Which is why we’ve decided that you need a change.”

            This caught Marinette by surprise. She looked up. “Mom, Dad, I don’t understand. What do you mean?”

            Tom sighed. “You remember my sister Colette from Porquerolles? You and I are going to be living with her for a while, while your mother stays here to run the bakery. We think the country will be good for you.”

            Marinette let out a half-laugh, not quite sure of what she was hearing. “Wh-what? Mom, Dad, I can’t leave Paris.”

            Sabine shook her head. “Your father and I want what’s best for you, Marinette, and this is the best thing we can think of. We know it’ll be hard, but we don’t’ know what else to do.”

            The reality that her parents were serious began to sink in for Marinette – and she felt her chest tighten. “No, really,” she said. “I can’t leave Paris.”

            “Marinette, this is not your decision.”

            “It’ll be alright, sweetie,” Tom said. “Porqeurolles is a lovely place, and your Aunt Colette is very excited to be seeing you. Now, go get some rest. We’re leaving first thing tomorrow morning.”

            Marinette stayed frozen in her seat on the couch, her whole body rigid.

            Thunder clapped, and it began to rain outside, but just at a tinkle.

            “Marinette?” Sabine began. “We’re not angry at-“

            Marinette bolted up off the couch, dashing for the front door.

            “Marinette!” Sabine yelled, running after her daughter. “Get back here!”

            But she didn’t. She grabbed as many cookies as she could from a display in the bakery shoving them into her purse, and sprinted out into the rain.

            “Marinette, what are you doing?” Tikki demanded. “This won’t solve anything!”

            Marinette didn’t reply, doing her best to drown out her parents calling after her.  She rounded a corner, and without missing a beat, said, “Tikki! Transform me!”

            Ladybug threw her yoyo high into the sky, and was off as it launched her onto a rooftop. Her destination: the Place Denfert-Rochereau.

            The entrance to the Catacombs of Paris.

***

            Ladybug shone a lamp to illuminate the dark, damp tunnel. Bones lined the walls, and a horrible stench filled her nose. She wanted to wretch, but found she could not, she stepped forward, putting one foot in front of the other as best she could, holding up the lamp. In her other hand, she held her yoyo, its screen revealed. On it was displayed a map of the Catacombs. Having a magic GPS built into her weapon certainly came in handy sometimes. Especially, she reflected, when you’ve been exploring a closed-off area of the Catacombs for three hours.

            Only a small section of the Catacombs were open to the public, and, Ladybug suspected, the Butterfly’s hideout was somewhere in the closed off area. As she walked, she tried to ignore the queasy sensation in her stomach, but to no avail. Tikki had been right; she shouldn’t have run out of her house like that. Now, she had to find the Butterfly, because she certainly couldn’t go home, and oh god, her parents had to be worried sick and it was all her fault, but she couldn’t go home, not until she’d found the Butterfly and shit this was her last chance wasn’t it because if she went home she’d have to go to the other side of the country, but she couldn’t go, she couldn’t, and oh shit shit shit shit shit –

            Ladybug’s legs suddenly felt very weak, so very weak, and she fell to her knees, her hand with the lamp in it against the wall of bone. Tears trickled down her face as sobs wracked her body and echoed in the underground passageway. She thought back to when she first got her Miraculous, how sure she was that she wasn’t cut out to be Ladybug, and oh, she had been right, she wasn’t cut out to be Ladybug and her carelessness had killed Adrien, and she just wanted everything to stop for a little while so she could just get away from it all, leave and go somewhere else because maybe her parents were right and she did need that –

            Her earrings chirped. Ladybug heard them and her sobs intensified. She was going to detransform, and she hadn’t even used her Lucky Charm, but she’d have to face Tikki and if she saw her, she’d tell her she’d given up and couldn’t be Ladybug anymore, she wouldn’t be able to control herself and Tikki would be so disappointed.

            Her earrings beeped a second time and she looked up from the ground. A bright white light blinded her for a moment and she had to cover her face with her arm before she realized the light was moving, coming closer to her.

            And no sooner had she realized that then did everything go dark. The next thing she heard was the sound of cars in the distance. There was a strange sensation beneath her, and she realized she was lying flat on her stomach on wet grass.

            Her eyes fluttered open and she saw that it was early evening, the light around her tinted golden. She slowly lifted herself to her feet and looked about. There was a city in the distance, though certainly not one she had ever seen before. “Tikki…?” she groaned. “Where am I…?” Her temples throbbed, and she brought her hand to her head – and let out a yelp. There was something wrong with her face. It was all fuzzy, and...

            Her hand. Her hand was white and covered in fur. She frantically felt her whole body and found that it was the same – white, and covered in fur. If she tensed her fingertips, little claws popped out. She ran, frantically, trying to get way from she didn’t even know what, and hit her head smack on a support beam of the bridge.

            “Ow…”

            And then she saw herself reflected in the metal of the beam: She was a cat. But not a regular cat, some sort of weird, human-cat hybrid. Her breathing quickened and her headache got worse. She heard Tikki calling out to her from somewhere nearby, but she couldn’t focus on her words. Everything looked blurry, her chest was tight, and one question dominated her mind:

            What in the world had happened?

Chapter Text

            Nick and Judy stood at the back of the mostly-empty subway car. Neither of them had said more than a few words to each other for nearly the past hour, much less made eye contact. The sound of a teenaged weasel’s iPawed turned up too loud could be heard from the other end of the car, and Nick wasn’t sure if he wanted to tell the damn kid to turn her music down or if he was glad that she wasn’t looking at him and Judy. A twisting feeling wormed its way through Nick’s stomach. Every time he tried to open his mouth to say something, he felt like he was going to vomit.

            As for Judy, she didn’t seem to be doing much better. She just stared straight ahead, looking at the door at the other end of the car, her expression completely unreadable. Nick must have stared at her a second too long, for she snapped her head to look at him right in the eyes.

            The silence continued as the two looked at each other. Though their eyes were locked again, the feeling was nothing like before. Her eyes were icy and her lips were pressed into a thin, taut line.

            “So…” Nick began, fighting past the knot in his gut.  “That Simone Cowl sure is a jerk, huh?”

            “Nick.”

            “I mean, trashing Clawhauser like that, you’d think she was God’s gift to music.”

            “Nick.”

            The fox in question realized that avoidiance wasn’t going to get him anywhere, and silence once more ensued. “Listen, Judy…” he said at last. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kissed you back like that.”

            “Then why,” she demanded, “did you kiss me back at all? I love you, Nick. Don’t toy with me like that.”

            The urge to shout, “Because I don’t want to lose you!” rampaged in Nick’s mind, but he couldn’t make himself say it. He’d had girlfriends before, and each and every time it would end with yelling and screaming and declarations of hatred and slamming doors. Romance was a surefire way to ruin a friendship, and Judy’s friendship was something irreplaceable,  something he needed, no matter how much he might want something more.

            “I’m sorry,” he said after an uncharacteristically long pause. “It just felt right at the moment. You kind of caught me off guard, you know?”

            Judy sighed as she looked down with drooping ears. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I should have asked first instead of just planting one on you.”

            Nick’s stomach capsized at the sight of his best friend so dejected. He had to do something to make her feel better, even if he couldn’t give her what she wanted. “Hey,” he said, giving her a light fist bump on her shoulder. “Where’s that slightly-grating optimism of yours?”

            Judy only had time to let out a moderately amused snort before Nick’s phone rang. He wasn’t sure if he was grateful or not for the interruption as he reached into his pocket. “Can’t believe I’m getting reception down here,” he muttered, then paused when he saw the caller ID. “Chief Bogo?”

            Judy perked up at the mention of their boss. “Chief Bogo? He never calls when we’re off shift unless…” The rest of that sentence didn’t need to be said: “Unless there’s something seriously wrong.”

            Nick swiped a finger across his screen and hurriedly brought the phone to his ear. Before he could say anything though, the buffalo’s voice boomed in his ear. “Wilde! I need both you and Hopps immediately! We’ve got one hell of a situation!”

            And no sooner had Bogo said that then did Nick hear it: A strange, sorrowful sort of wail that literally shook the train. Nick lost his balance, stumbling backwards before regaining it. Then again, and a third time, and that third time, he had to catch Judy as she tumbled backwards. Nick heard little bits of rubble loose themselves from the top of the tunnel and bounce against the roof of the train car. The teenager, however, seemed content to listen to her music.

            Nick and Judy glanced at each other, Judy mouthing a profane query about what was happening. Nick mouthed back that he had no clue. “We’ll be there ASAP, Chief,” he said just as the train pulled into the station. He hit the lock button on his phone.

            “Looks like we’re needed,” Nick said, and the two dashed out onto the platform, running towards the police department.

***

            Marinette felt the vibrations before she heard the wail. She had been sitting at her desk, trying to sketch out an idea for some hats, when suddenly, the entire room shook. Her hand made a jagged movement with the tremor, and her pencil made a zig-zagging line all over her hard work.

            “What was that?” she asked no one in particular, more curious about the noise than frustrated by her ruined progress. Then, she heard the wailing as the pulsations returned to shake the entire city. The bookshelf in her room shook, a few of the books falling to the floor.

            “Marinette!” Mrs. White called out from downstairs. “Hurry down here, quickly!”

            “Coming!” she yelled in reply, doing her best to shove down the sinking feeling in her stomach. She hurried down the stairs, the tremors seeming to abate slightly, almost as if their source was getting farther away…

            “Marinette!” Mrs. White exclaimed when the girl got downstairs. “Look at the news!” And indeed, the TV was on, turned to ZNN. Shaky footage from a helicopter played on the screen, zooming in on a tall figure in Tundra Town. He wore a ridiculous getup: A purple disco-esque one-piece suit with a white cape, completely impractical for a district that cold, though he seemed unfazed by those chilly temperatures. He faced away from the camera as he shouted into a microphone. The wail was the same one she’d heard in her room, the same banshee-like scream. Windows shattered, glass flying everywhere, car alarms blaring. Even the snow trembled. Animals ran to and fro, covering their ears to drown out the noise as best they could.

            Marinette swallowed hard, almost unable to hear the reporter’s voice as he struggled to remain calm through his news report. This was the worst possible thing.

            Mrs. White outstared at the TV, biting her claws like a human would her nails. “Oh, Art, please be alright.”

            Mr. White works in Tundra Town, Marinette remembered. Everything seemed to stop as images of Art White’s dead, bloodied body flashed through her head. She heard his wife sobbing, bawling her eyes out over his grave, even though she was right there, watching the TV.

            No. I won’t let anyone else suffer like that.

            Her fists clenched, and she ran back up the stairs, two at a time, her breathing labored. Before Mrs. White could come running after her, she grabbed her purse with sweaty hands.

            “Marinette!” Tikki exclaimed, poking her head out. “I-“

             “I told you!” Marinette all but shouted, stamping her foot. “The Butterfly hasn’t given up! He’s back, Tikki, and everyone in this world is in danger! You said to give up, but you were wrong!”

            “Marinette,” the kwami said, her voice barely a whisper. “I don’t-“

            “No! I don’t want to hear it! Tikki! Transform me!”

            The last thing Marinette saw before she transformed was the look of shock and hurt on the ladybug kwami’s face.

***

            Judy Hopps had experienced a lot these past few years as a cop – toxic flowers, deranged criminals, and even the occasional child who had climbed up a tree and was too scared to climb back down. But this? This was by far the most dangerous, and strangest, thing to happen yet. When Nick had first seen the strange cheetah, the first thing he’d commented on was his outrageous clothing. “What is this, 1977?” he’d muttered. Judy had had to ignore the pain in her heart as his smooth voice caressed her ears – she had a city to keep safe.

            Now, she stood with her back pressed against a building, her gun at the ready. The cheetah, whoever he was, whatever he was, stomped angrily on the other side of the building. He came into her view, yelling into his mic. Judy had to force herself not to give into the pain and wince as more glass shattered, lest she give her position away.

            Steady… steady…

            Bogo and most of the rest of the force stood in a barricade just a short distance away, doing their best to limit the target’s movement, creating a perimeter around him. Several other officers were evacuating civilians, and she and Nick, due to their short stature, had been ordered to sneak around and see if they could disable him in any way, and short of that, they were to see if they could gather any sort of information on him. So far, though, all Judy could tell was that he was loud. Hopefully Nick was having more success.

            Steady… steady… There!

            Judy jumped out of her hiding spot and fired off three bullets in rapid succession. Bang! Bang! Bang!

            With unnatural speed, the cheetah pivoted around and roared into his microphone – a literal, savage roar – and the shockwaves from his roar hit the bullets, stopping them midair. They fell to the pavement with three soft clinks. Judy bit her bottom lip, her gun still raised as the cheetah approached. Fighting to keep her nose from twitching, she yelled, “Stand down! You’re under arrest!”

            “You know,” the cheetah said, the first words he’d spoken since his rampage began, “I thought you of all animals would be on my side, Judy. You know how good my singing voice is; you know that I deserved to win!”

            Deserved to win – No way… Judy lowered her gun ever-so-slightly. “…Clawhauser?”

            “My name is Ultrasonic, and I’m the best singer in the world!” His voice echoed violently in Judy’s ears, and this time, she did flinch.

            Bang! Bang! Bullets sailed towards Clawhauser from outside of Judy’s field of vision, only for him to easily dodge them.

            “Are you out of your goddamn mind!?” Nick yelled. “All this because Simone Cowl was a jerk? This is insane!”

            Clawhauser responded by wailing into his microphone again, louder this time, loud enough to literally send Nick flying.

            “Nick!” Judy cried out, only for Clawhauser to send her flying too.

            Pain ricocheted through Judy’s skull as she crashed into the pavement, landing on her head, skidding across it. It was a miracle she didn’t get a concussion. She groggily lifted her face, trying to get her bearings. Another roar resounded in her ears. Judy looked up to see Clawhauser charging in, and instantly, she hopped to her feet and ran, hoping to dear God that, wherever he’d landed, Nick was okay. Her hand shot down to her waist as she grabbed for her radio.

            Another soundwave rippled through the air, sending her flying once more, the radio careening out of her paw. Judy saw it shatter against the ground as she fell face first into a pile of snow at the edge of the road.

            Great, she thought. There went her backup…

            She woozily dragged herself to her feet, trying to ignore the black spots clouding her vision. Through the daze, though, she could make out a strange sight: It was some sort of mammal she’d never seen before, very tall, red and black fur – no, that wasn’t fur, she realized as her mind cleared, that was a jumpsuit, the only hair this mammal had was on top of her head, and she wore a mask that was the same black and red as her jumpsuit.

            “You need to get out of here,” both Judy and the creature said.

            “I need to get out of here?” Judy responded with a scoff. “Ma’am, this a job for the police.”

            The strange animal shook her head sadly. Then, before Judy could respond, the creature reached for a yoyo at her waist and dashed forward.

***

            “Ultrasonic, that’s Ladybug!” the Butterfly said, his voice echoing in his champion’s mind. “Get her earrings!”       

            “But of course.” Ultrasonic readied his microphone.

***

            The first thing Nick noticed was the pain. It wasn’t awful, but dear lord, was there a lot of blood on his left arm. He was almost scared to start moving in case the pain worsened, but as he returned to consciousness, he quickly remembered the situation. “What the hell, Clawhauser…” he muttered, dragging himself into a sitting position. How was he even doing this, anyway? Had Nick somehow stumbled through time and space and landed in a kids’ cartoon? What next, was he going to get bitten by a radioactive spider?

            With a sigh, he took a closer look at his arm. It wasn’t as bad as he’d been afraid of at first. His fur would need some washing when he got home, but for now all he needed was to do was bandage it and stop the bleeding. He saw that his first aid kit had gone tumbling away when he’d gone flying, so he’d have to improvise. He brought his good arm to his mouth, bit into his blue shirt, and tore. Once he had a good strip of cloth, he dexterously wrapped it around his injury.

            Then he remembered that Judy was probably fighting Clawhauser alone. With a jolt, he sprang to his feet, and broke into a desperate gallop, his feet trudging through the snow, keeping his paw grasped around his scrape. More and more blasts of noise sounded. Don’t die on me, Carrots. His chest clenched at that thought. How ironic would it be if he turned her down to keep her only for her to croak on him? Whether they were cops or not, Nick had to give a slight “tch” at that.

            Don’t think like that, he admonished himself with a shake of his head. For now, he had to get her as much help as he could. His paw snapped down to his belt. “This is Officer Wilde,” Nick said into his radio. “Officer Hopps, are you there?” Silence. Nick’s heartrate quickened, and again, he asked, “Officer Hopps, are you there?”

            This time, the radio crackled, and for a split second, Nick felt relief.

            “What’s going on?” Bogo said, his voice masked by static.  “Aren’t you and Hopps together?”

            “Negative, we got separated.”

            “How in the bloody blazes did you get separated!? We’re in Tundra Town, not the middle of a corn maze!”

            “Sir, a corn maze doesn’t send you hurtling five city blocks by yelling at you.”

            “Five city – how are you still-“ Chief Bogo sighed, more static crackling through the speaker. “Actually, no, I don’t care how you’re still alive. Did you find anything useful?”

            “Well,” Nick said. “We know who this guy is…”

***

            The strange creature hurled her yoyo at a streetlamp, the toy curling around the top of the pole. She gave a slight tug, and Judy had to stare in surprise as the string retracted, hoisting the mammal into the air. She balanced on top of the lamp jumping to a rooftop as a soundwave totaled her perch from moments before. She ran, leaping from roof to roof as Clawhauser screeched, aiming blast after blast at her.

            Wait, Judy thought. Clawhauser had completely shifted his attention to this woman. Had… had he been trying to draw her out?

            Judy shook off her daze. She had to concentrate on keeping the city safe, not on this vigilante. She dipped a paw to her waist, reaching for her gun, only to grasp air. “Crap.” She must have lost it in the scuffle. She’d have to make do without it.

            “You don’t have to do this!” the woman yelled as she closed in on Clawhauser. “I don’t know who hurt you or why, but there’s no need for all this destruction!”

            “Once Simone Cowl recognizes my talent, and once I have your Miraculous, then there won’t be any need, Ladybug!” He spat the name with utter hatred.

            Her… Miraculous? Judy thought as she sneaked forward. Why is he using that as a noun?

            The woman – Ladybug – grit her teeth. “Fine. Have it your way.” She sprang off the roof, diving to the frozen ground. With a soft thud, she landed, swinging her fist at her enemy without missing a beat, making a grab for the mic. Clawhauser ducked under the punch, then tackled Ladybug, knocking her to the ground. With a raised fist, he dove at her, slamming into the ground as she rolled away.

            Judy, meanwhile, continued her advance, her back hugging the buildings lining the street. If she could get that microphone away from Clawhauser, she wondered, would he still be able to create such powerful ultrasonic blasts? Was that what this vigilante had been trying to do? Either way, one thing was clear: Ladybug knew what was going on.

            A wail sent Ladybug hurtling through the air. Judy had to cover her ears this time, and a part of her wondered how much hearing damage she’d have from all this.

            “Judy!”

            The rabbit yelped loudly. She wheeled around, expecting an attacker, her fists held up in front of her face.

            “Whoa, whoa,” Nick said, putting his paws up like shield. “It’s me, Carrots, and backup is on the way.”

            Judy sighed. “Thank goodness you’re okay,” she said, almost missing his comment about reinforcements in her relief.          

            “Well, my favorite shirt is ruined but-“

            “This isn’t the time for clever quips,” Judy said, her relief slightly replaced with annoyance. “We need to get that mic away from him. I think that’s the source of his power.”

            “The source of his-“ Nick stopped. “Okay, you know what, this whole thing is bizarre enough that I buy it. But who – and what – is she?” He pointed to Ladybug. She had righted herself from the sound blast, and now she and Clawhauser circled each other. Ladybug twirled her yoyo at her side, while the cheetah had his microphone close to his lips.

            Judy shook her head. “I don’t know. He called her Ladybug. He’s after something of hers, her ‘Miraculous.’”

            Nick blinked. “Her what?”

            “Again, I don’t know, but he’s completely focused on taking whatever it is from her. He couldn’t care less about us. We can use that to our-”

            “Lucky Charm!” Suddenly, the vigilante tossed her yoyo into the air. It spun there for second, red light swirling outwards. The whole thing almost looked like something out of a cartoon or a movie. Nick stared, entranced by the display. Later, he would regret just standing there, but for now, he was motionless as a key fell into Ladybug’s hand… 

***

            “A key? What am I supposed to do with this?” Ladybug growled, more at herself than Ultrasonic. She’d used her Lucky Charm far too soon! It was supposed to be a last resort! Jeez, I’m out of practice, she reprimanded herself.

            But she didn’t have time for such self-admonishments. Ultrasonic roared into his mic again, and she had to roll to the side to avoid being blown away. She landed on the sidewalk and quickly righted herself, her eyes desperately scanned the environment, looking for something she could use…

            A car, a convertible, about ten feet down the road…

            A streetlamp, partway between Ultrasonic and the car…

            The key…

            And finally, her yoyo…

            “That’s it!” She turned to the officers. “Hey, keep him busy! I know what to do!” It was a gamble, she knew, asking people who had no idea about any of this to help, but if she wanted this to work, the supervillain had to be roughly where he was now. Before either of the officers could respond, she broke into a sprint.

***

            “Well,” Nick said, a grumpy lilt to his voice, “I can’t say I like taking orders, but she asked so nicely.” He cocked his gun at Clawhauser.

            Judy wanted to say something, her lip trembling slightly. As quickly as the hesitation had come, however, it vanished. Clawhauser was, for whatever reason, off his rocker, and needed to be stopped. Judy knew that. Honestly, she wished she could do more than stand by and watch.

            “Hey, get back here!” the cheetah called out to Ladybug, completely oblivious to the firearm aimed at him. “I need your Miraculous!” He took in a deep breath.

            Bang!

            The bullet cracked into the sidewalk like thunder, hitting just barely in front Clawhauser’s feet. “This is your last warning, Clawhauser!”

            A deep scarlet spread throughout Clawhauser’s face as his body quaked. “My name is Ultrasonic!”

            He readied his microphone and inhaled. Nick’s finger brushed up against the trigger. It was a moment frozen in time for Judy. Two of her closest friends, ready to kill each other, and here she was, standing around doing nothing.

            And that’s when she saw Ladybug, speeding down the city street, holding the wheel of a convertible with one paw and twirling her yoyo above her head with the other.

***

            This was by far the craziest Lucky Charm she’d ever gotten, Ladybug decided as she slipped the key into the ignition. Either that or this wasn’t what it was meant for. God I hope not, she thought with a shudder, then refocused.

            “Hey, Ultrasonic, over here!” She floored the gas pedal, rocketing down the street as the tires squealed against the pavement. She pounded on the horn for good measure, drowning out her Miraculous as it tweeted for the first time. The horn got Officer Wilde’s attention, too, as he momentarily lowered his gun and stared. Ladybug readied her yoyo, whirling it in the air.

            Ultrasonic saw the car charging at him. For a moment, he looked like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming truck. In an instant, though, his surprise was gone. He drew in a deep breath… and howled.

            The shockwave erupted through the street. Glass flew everywhere as windows burst. Snow surged around like a tsunami. Pavement was torn out of the ground and blustered around as if in a tornado. Officer Wilde and Officer Hopps covered their ears, for whatever good that would do them.

            And that was exactly what Ladybug had hoped for. Moments before he had wailed, she hooked her yoyo around a streetlamp, and already was midair by the time the sound blast hit the car. It went careening through the air, smashing into the pavement with a giant crunch, but Ladybug had left it long behind. She let the sound carry her backwards, swinging on the streetlamp, using it as a fulcrum as she pivoted high above it. Then, before Ultrasonic could process her stunt, she let her yoyo unravel itself from the streetlamp, and she sailed through the air… and dived right into Ultrasonic, driving her foot into his stomach, just as her earrings chirped a second time. He scraped against the street as her impact both propelled them and sent his microphone flying.

            A gasp escaped Ladybug’s lips. She had not meant for him to drop his mic. They slowed, grinding to a stop, Ladybug never once taking her eyes off the microphone. She would not mess this up again!

***

            Judy gaped for a short second. Whatever was going on, no matter how incredibly stupid and dangerous that stunt had been, it was… actually kind of badass. She just felt bad for whoever owned the car. Regaining her senses, she fished Clawhauser’s microphone out from a pile of snow. It had turned purple, she noticed, and the writing on it had blurred into what looked like bloodstains, but it was Clawhauser’s. No two ways about it. She pocketed it while Nick walked over to Clawhauser, readying his handcuffs as the crazed cheetah moaned, half-conscious. He talked into his radio, letting Chief Bogo know that they had things under control.

            And that was when Ladybug sprinted towards her, a crazed gleam in her eyes. “The microphone!” she demanded. “Give me the microphone! I have to destroy it!”

            “I can’t do that,” Judy said. “This is important evidence and-“

            “No, no,” Ladybug insisted. “You don’t understand, we have to destroy it! It’s the only way to get to the akuma!” There was a strange beeping sound, and one of the dots on her earrings vanished. “We’re almost out of time!” She breathed heavily, wheezing as if she’d just run a marathon.

            “No.” Judy stood firm. She was grateful for this woman’s help, but she could not – would not – hand over a dangerous weapon to a civilian no matter what. “In fact,” she continued, remembering that this bizarre mammal was still a civilian, and knew far more about what was going on than anyone else, “I’m going to have to ask you to come with”-

            Ladybug lunged. She was fast, faster than anything Judy had ever seen before. The next thing she knew she was on the ground, wrestling with Ladybug for the mic. In the back of her mind, Judy scolded herself for not reacting quicker. Ladybug swiped for it, but Judy was faster this time. She pulled her arm back and drove her legs into her enemy’s chest. Ladybug gagged at the impact, but managed to keep Judy pinned to the ground.

            “Nick, catch!” Judy tossed the mic into the air.

            Nick reacted as quickly has Judy had hoped, snapping his paw out to catch the hurtling object.

            “NO!” Ladybug cried out, looking to the microphone as it flew. Judy knew an opening when she saw it: In an instant, she buried her fist into Ladybug’s face. She instantly crumpled to the ground, unconscious, blood dripping down her nose. Her earrings chirped again.

            Nick’s fingers closed around the mic. But then, something happened: He fumbled it. It fell to the ground. And broke in half.

            A black butterfly flew out from the remnants, reaching the sky, and vanishing into the distance…

***

            Bogo reached the location Wilde had given him, two other officers behind him. It had taken far, far too long, honestly, but that was his fault for making the perimeter so large. That… that and the fact that he’d been so surprised before. He hadn’t quite believed Wilde when he told him that Clawhauser was the mysterious cheetah in the tacky outfit, but seeing the scene before him, he had no choice but to accept it.

            “What a sad day for the ZPD,” he muttered, hoping nobody heard him. He’d be sure to give Clawhauser hell for the all this destruction, no matter how much it pained him.

            The street was a complete wreck. Bits of pavement were overturned, practically every window had shattered, and a car had landed on its top, the alarm blaring. The press was going to have a field day with this one.

            Clawhauser lay unconscious on the ground. Wilde crouched by his side, helping a pair of paramedics lift him onto a stretcher. He muttered again, shaking his head: “You think you know a mammal…”

            “Chief Bogo!” Hopps’s voice. Bogo turned to see her… sweet lord above, she was actually sitting on someone. A teenager no less… Wait, was that the Dupain-Cheng girl?

            “Hopps! Why are you sitting on her?” Bogo demanded as he approached, unsure if he wanted to hear the answer. Oddities and bizarreness followed Hopps wherever she went.

            Marinette’s shrill cry cut through the air. Her paws were cuffed behind her back, and tears streamed down her face. She shuddered, convulsed even, with each sob.

            “Well, sir,” Judy began, ignoring the girl’s bawling. “How much do you know about superheroes?”

Chapter Text

            The Butterfly cackled in the darkness of his lair, taking a perverse glee in his ever-nearing victory. Not only had Ladybug failed to capture the akuma, she had failed to capture the akuma of a villain empowered with the Black Cat Miraculous! He couldn’t have created a better situation even if he wanted to! “Ladybug,” he declared, “you’ve seen the last of your victories! Ultrasonic’s song shall shatter this pathetic world, and the melody of my dearest wish will ring out forever!” His twisted laughter reverberated in the shadows.

***

            Marinette’s torrent of tears had softened into slight whimpering. Her bloody nose had been bandaged and she had been given some ice to hold against it. She was back at the Zootopia Police Department, once more in a holding cell. But this time, she was not waiting for release. She was waiting to be questioned.

            For the past half hour or so, she’d been numb, her mind blank, lost in her bawling at first, then staring absently at the cell’s dark metal floor. Now though, the mental fog was beginning to lift, and as it did, she had to ask: How had this happened? She’d failed again. How many people were going to be transformed into copies of Ultrasonic when the akuma started to multiply? How many people were going to die? How many people were going to get hurt because of her?

            And poor Clawhauser! She hadn’t known him very well, but from what she had gleaned during her times in and out of cells, the poor cheetah was a sweet, sensitive man, and they’d arrested him over something that wasn’t even his fault!

            The worst part – and Marinette hated that this was what made her feel the worst, not her failure, not the impending disaster, but this – was that Tikki was all but ignoring her. The kwami hadn’t said more than a few words since Marinette had been arrested. She wasn’t even making eye contact. They’d taken Marinette’s purse when they’d arrested her, so right now, Tikki rested in a pocket inside Marinette’s shirt. Marinette knew she was getting the silent treatment, and quite frankly, she couldn’t blame Tikki in the least.

            She’d have to tell them the truth, she had realized. And that would be betraying Tikki in the biggest way of all.

            The cell door opened. “Come with me,” said a buffalo who Marinette knew to be the chief. She nodded, but said nothing as he handcuffed her again, and she was led to the questioning room.

            “You’re in a lot of trouble, you know,” Bogo said as he sat opposite Marinette at a table in a dark room. “Assaulting an officer, interfering with police work…” Marinette struggled to focus as the list went on.

            An officer was outside the room, looking in through the one-way window. She’d gotten a glimpse of her as she was being led in, but hadn’t really paid that much attention, instead focusing on preparing what she was going to say. She wished she had paid more attention now. It felt so weird, so strange knowing someone was looking at her and she couldn’t see them back. Was this how Sabrina had felt during her time as The Invisible One?   

            “Hey! Are you listening?” Bogo demanded, slamming his paws down on the table. His nostrils flared with anger, though Marinette wasn’t sure if it was exaggerated to scare her into cooperating.

            “Sorry, Officer,” she mumbled, her voice barely audible, even to herself.  “I’m listening.”

            “Alright then. Let’s start from the beginning. What do you know?”

            Marinette took in a deep breath. This was the moment she’d been dreading, the moment where she’d have to put even more people in danger: The moment where she revealed herself. It was a great risk for anyone to know the identity of a Miraculous holder, but if she didn’t tell them everything, if she didn’t tell Bogo who she was, where she was from and what was going on, then she’d be locked up while the akuma multiplied, powerless to do anything.

            “I’m waiting, Marinette.”

            But if she did tell him, what would change? Would she fail again? But who else would capture the akuma? Who else could? Marinette’s mind raced as her breathing quickened and became louder. 

            “Alright, we’re done here. You’re going back to your cell, where-“

            “I have magic earrings!” Marinette shouted the words before she had even realized it. Ignoring the skeptical expression on Bogo’s face, she plowed on, hoping to finish before she broke down in tears again. “My earrings are magic, Clawhauser is innocent, and you are all in so much danger!”

            Marinette went silent, waiting for the rebuke, or disapproval, or whatever form his disbelief would take. She cringed on the inside and found herself wishing she were home. Back when she first became Ladybug, nobody had been this skeptical of the odd happenings. Of course, back in Paris, she wasn’t a delinquent and the villains she fought had never been nearly as powerful as Ultrasonic.

            But Bogo didn’t reject her explanation out of hand. Instead, he exhaled. It was a tired sigh, a sign of the long night. “Alright. Magic earrings, it is,” he said. “Is that what that microphone was? Magic?”

            Marinette nodded. For the first time that night, she felt a bit of hope. She told Bogo everything about how akuma and supervillains work, about being a superhero, right down to what had transpired tonight – what she did not tell him, however, was about Chat Noir or that she was from another world altogether. She had kept her secret for so long that it felt wrong to reveal everything at once, and even posthumously, she couldn’t betray Adrien by exposing him. She was already betraying Tikki as it was.

            Bogo said nothing as her story poured from her lips, and at last, she finished, beads of perspiration starting to make her fur clump together. Her breath was still heavy too, but at the same time, it felt like a noncorporeal weight had been lifted.

            “Alright,” he said, a neutral expression on his face.

            “Alright?” Marinette parroted.

            “I don’t believe you too much, but tonight’s been strange enough that I’m willing to suspend disbelief a bit. Tell me more about what happened tonight.”

***

            Nick and Judy sat at their desks, filling out paperwork about the events of the night. They weren’t the only officers in the room: a significant portion of the precinct hunched over papers as they filled out reports. Nobody said a word. The only sounds were those of pens scratching away at pages. Outside the window, the first light of day had begun to break through the night sky.

            A new day, Nick thought. He glanced over at Judy. She continued writing, not noticing Nick’s furtive observation. He wanted to talk to her. He wanted to ask her a million things, most of them related to whatever the hell had happened tonight. Yes, it was… weird, whatever “it” was, but “weird stuff went down” didn’t exactly cut it on a police report. He opened his mouth, but said nothing, closing it without saying a single word.

            He couldn’t bring himself to talk to her. He’d broken her heart, and they both knew it. He could tell by the way her ears drooped. He could tell by her breath, the way it was ever-so-slightly heavier than usual. He could tell by the way she spoke, the barely-stifled way her words came out. And most of all, he could just tell, because he knew her, because she was Judy, she was Carrots, and he knew Carrots, and he knew that she was the best mammal to ever come into his life. And he’d crushed her.

            With a sigh, he turned his attention back to his desk, trying to distract himself by thinking about Marinette, trying to puzzle out how she factored into all this.

            Marinette Dupain-Cheng had first come to the attention of the ZPD about eleven months ago. She had been caught trying to shoplift from a bakery, attempting to sneak chocolate chip cookies out underneath her shirt. Her smell and slightly-emaciated figure, however, caught the attention of the owner, who called the police. She was put into the foster care system shortly thereafter. Not too long after that, though, her foster parents called the ZPD one night when they couldn’t find Marinette. She was, as Nick vividly recalled, huddled in a ball underneath the South Zootopia Bridge. When found, she bolted, only to be quickly apprehended. The couple that had fostered her initially had her sent off to another home afterwards, and when she ran away and was taken in a second time within the next month, she received her curfew.

            The rest was history: Marinette would sneak out, come to the same place under the same bridge, and come quietly whenever Nick picked her up. She was a total nutjob, Nick had long since decided, totally disconnected from reality. She even talked to herself at length when in the holding cells.

            But this? Transforming into a strange creature in spandex to fight against a crazed Clawhauser? Attacking Judy over the microphone? None of it made sense!

            “Teens are complicated. So are self-destructive behaviors. We do them because they fulfill a need we don’t otherwise know how to meet. Combine that with the pressures of being an adolescent, and well, things get messy.”

            Judy’s words echoed in Nick’s mind. His pen came to a stop, hovering above the page. “Complicated…” he mouthed and instantly wanted to groan. Why couldn’t things be simple? All he ever wanted was to be happy. It was all he had ever wanted. Even when he was a con artist, and… well, even when he was a complete asshole of a con artist who thought he had the world all figured out, he had done everything in the hopes of finding happiness. Financial stability too, of course, but primarily happiness.

            He looked up now, once again looking at Judy. He opened his mouth to speak and –

            “Wilde! Come with me! NOW!” Chief Bogo’s voice. Chief Bogo’s very, very angry voice. Nick looked up to see his boss standing at the doorway to the precinct office, his nostrils flaring.

            The entire room looked up, too. Confused glances were exchanged and whispers of “Wilde?” and “What could he have done?” rippled through the air.

            Nick swallowed hard and stood, not daring to look at Judy as he walked to the doorway. He felt like a high schooler being sent to the principal’s office.

            They trudged through the precinct, climbing up the stairs to the second level. Nick said nothing the entire time.

            “Sit,” Bogo commanded as soon as they entered his office.

            Nick did. “Is there something the matter, sir?” he asked, doing his best to retain the usual mix of his snarkiness and the required respect he used when interacting with his boss.

            “I just got done questioning Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She had some very interesting things to say,” he said, and stopped, as if that explained everything.

            “…Yes?” Nick prompted.

            “I asked her to recount tonight’s events. She said you fired a warning shot at Clawhauser.”

            “But I-“ Nick’s eyes widened. When Marinette had asked her to distract Clawhauser… He had. Shit.

            “What is the number 1 rule of firearm usage, Wilde?” Chief Bogo demanded.

            “Shoot to kill, and nothing else.” Nick’s response was automatic. He’d had the rule drilled into him at the academy during firearm training. He should have known that!

            “Good. Now, if you could tell me what the hell you were thinking?”

            Nick inhaled. “I wasn’t, sir. I wasn’t thinking.”

            Chief Bogo sighed and rested his forehead in his palm. “Nicholas Wilde, you are hereby suspended from duty pending investigation.”

            “But sir-“

            “Badge, Wilde. Now.”

            Nick paused. His paws went to his chest, but stopped as soon as they found his badge. It was smooth, and a little cool, but it was… it wasn’t everything, but it was important. It was his bond with Judy, it was everything she had taught him and had done for him. His insides went cold as he unpinned it and held it out. He didn’t feel Bogo’s paw brush against his as the buffalo snatched it up.

            The next few minutes went by in a haze. One moment, he was outside Bogo’s office, and the next, he was outside the Natural History Museum across the street. It wasn’t dark out anymore, but Nick couldn’t feel any warmth from the sunlight. He wasn’t sure he felt anything at all.

            Suddenly though, he did feel something: A pair of arms wrapped around his waist, and a head buried in his chest.

            Judy.

            “Hey, Carrots.”

            “Nick, I heard what happened. I am so sorry…” she said, her words muffled by his shirt. “I should have said something to you or… I don’t know, I should have… I should have…”

            “It’s okay,” Nick lied. “I’ll be fine,” he lied again. “I’ll find another job, I’ll keep paying my share of the rent-"

            Judy broke away from Nick immediately. Her eyes narrowed in anger. “You think I care about the rent right now? I just want to know that you’re okay!”

            Nick opened his mouth to lie again, but stopped. With a deep sigh, he told the truth: “No, I’m not okay. I let you down, Carrots. I’m sorry.”

            “Uh, what? Nick, what are you talking about?”

            “I hurt you, Judy. Being a cop is everything to you, and I went in the face of what a cop should be. I’m sorry.”

            A moment of silence passed between them. Their eyes met, and then Judy was hugging him again. "Nick, you have never betrayed me. Ever. Yes, being an officer is important to me, but you made an honest mistake that nobody got hurt from.”

            “I…” Nick looked down into Judy’s eyes, sensation returning to him as her warmth became his. “Thanks, Judy.” And in that moment, Nick knew: Judy would never leave him. Never. Badge or no badge, what they had, whether it was platonic or romantic… it was going to last for the rest of their lives. Judy wouldn’t have it any other way, and neither would Nick. Whether or not he had a badge wouldn’t change that.

            Nick leaned down, hugging Judy back. “Hey. About earlier tonight… at the concert…” he began. “I… I think I’d be okay with it.” He planted a kiss on Judy’s forehead before she could react, fighting back against the butterflies in his gut, the thoughts of “You’re making a mistake,” and, “You’re going to lose her over this.”

            He pulled away from her, looking down at her amazed face. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to form words and failing as she processed this.

            “I love you, Judy. I’m sorry it took me all night to realize that.”

            Her lips broke out into a warm, tearful smile. “I love you too, Nick.” And then they were hugging again, tighter, more lovingly than either of them had ever hugged any other mammal before. Her smell wafted into his nose. To anyone else, it would have been gross, the scent of sweat and little bits of dirt that got caught in her fur when she was sent flying earlier, but to Nick, it smelled like home. Not that he didn’t think she could use a shower.

            They broke apart again, both smiling.

            In the corner of Nick’s eye, he saw a black butterfly descending. It came closer, so very close… and phased into Judy’s shoulder.

            She transformed instantly, a purplish sort of muck covering her body as she morphed into an exact copy of Clawhauser in his strange outfit.

            Nick didn’t quite comprehend this at first. He stood, as motionless as Judy, staring at what she’d become. “Carrots?” he said after what felt like an age, his voice less than a whisper.

***

            As Nick stood there, desperately trying to understand, more black butterflies, more akuma, transformed more innocent mammals into supervillains. Over the next few days, the city all but shut down. Some mammals evacuated, while others stayed behind.

            Unbeknownst to Nick, Bogo had known this was coming, courtesy of Marinette. Yet when he tried to mobilize the force, Mayor Swinton had put her paw down. Unlike Bogo, she hadn’t believed Marinette, calling her a deluded schoolgirl. Bogo had tried to argue, but the mayor would not change her mind.

            And so it was that Clawhauser remained unconscious, unaware of the events unfolding around him, unaware of what might happen if he awoke. Nick, meanwhile, retreated to his apartment and spent much of those next several days in and out of various states of sleep. When he was awake, he was immobile, staring blankly at the ceiling above him.

            News outlets across the country argued back and forth, unsure of what to make of the situation. Friends and family were separated, their loved ones transformed by the akuma, unsure if they would ever see each other again. Marinette remained incarcerated, unsure if anything she could do would make this right.

            One thing was for certain, though: Destruction was coming, the likes of which Zootopia had never seen before.

Chapter Text

            Marinette drummed her fingers on her knees, tapping out a Jagged Stone song from memory. She leaned against the wall of her cold cell, trying to keep her mind as blank as possible, which much to her surprise and relief wasn’t too terribly hard. Jail was boring. She’d have asked Tikki to phase through the bars and free her, but right now, she didn’t think she could ask anything of the kwami.

            It had been three days since Marinette’s arrest. She had spent those days locked in a cell, and though the city was apparently arranging a lawyer for her, Marinette was having difficulty staying positive. She wished Chat Noir were there to crack one of his cat jokes.

            “Heh,” she said to nobody in particular. “This situation is just clawful. Maybe even catastrophic.” Despite herself, a smile worked its way across her lips. This was kind of fun, actually – not to mention ironic, considering her feline body. Would it be racist, she wondered, to make cat jokes in this world if you weren’t a cat? She’d have to ask someone.

            In the meantime, however, she stood and held her paw up. Imagining a dark ball of energy above her, she closed her fingers around it. “Cataclysm!” she intoned, though not yelling the way her partner would have.  She lamely raked her fingers across the cell’s bars, pretending that she really was casting Cataclysm, seeing the bars crumble in her mind’s eye. “Nice one, Chat Noir,” she said, and then in a weak approximation of his voice, responded, “Oh, but it’s no problem at all, my lady.”

            She laughed, a real, genuine laugh. One of the few she’d had since coming to this world.  “Look,” she said, using her own voice again, “using your power has drained you! You’re about to detransform!” Chat Noir’s voice: “Till we meet again, my lady!”

            Now, she tried to mimic Alya. “Oh, Ladybug! Let me get an interview for the Ladyblog!” Her own voice: “I’m afraid that’s going to have to wait; I’m about to detransform, too.” She extended her arm, picturing her yoyo hurtling through the air until it wrapped around something and lifted her into the air. She could almost feel the breeze against her body as she swung through the air, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Soon, she was back at her house, sneaking into her room through the skylight.

            “Marinette,” she called out using her father’s voice. “Dinner’s ready!” She closed her eyes, and let herself smell her father’s cooking. Tonight, he had made cheeseburgers, American diner-style, though the scent of pastries still lingered on his apron from his day of hard work. “Coming, Dad!” She jogged in place as she imagined herself going downstairs. Her parents sat at the table, and there was a spot directly across from them, just for her. But instead of sitting there, she ran over to her parents, extended her arms, and wrapped them in the biggest bear hug she could possibly give. “I love you guys,” she said.

            Something wet snapped her back to reality. Her own tears. She opened her eyes and plodded back over to the bench, slumping against the wall, tearing up ever-so-slightly.

            “That’s enough, Marinette!”

            Marinette straightened up immediately. “Tikki?” she said, her voice hushed in awe and surprise. This was the first time Tikki had spoken to her since before she’d fought Ultrasonic.

             “I can’t stand to see you like this anymore!” Tikki continued, flying out of Marinette’s coat, her expression unclear, but certainly not happy.

            “I-I-I,” Marinette stammered. Finally, she was able to get out, “You’re not angry at me?”

            “Of course I’m not angry at you! I’m not thrilled, but I’m not angry.”

            Marinette shook her head. “But, I betrayed you! I told Bogo about the Miraculous and revealed myself-“

            “That’s not what I’m upset about, Marinette,” Tikki said, her voice tired, as if she’d been through this conversation in her head many times before. “You did the best you could with that. I’m upset because you’ve given up. First, you’d given up on ever being happy in this world, and now you’ve given up on beating this supervillain, and most of all, you’ve given up on yourself!

            “You always used to say you were a ‘girl like any other,’ but you have such incredible power within you, not just as Ladybug, but as Marinette, too! Yes, the situation seems hopeless, but I believe in you!”

            Marinette and Tikki gazed at each other. Marinette could see the sweat on the kwami’s body – she hadn’t even known kwamis could sweat – and she heard her friend’s breath, labored from her long, passionate speech.

            Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed and grew louder. Tikki hid again, and Marinette looked outside her cell to see Chief Bogo holding a tray with food on it. She got back up and walked over to the back wall of the cell, pressing her stomach against it as Bogo opened the cell and placed the tray down. There was a clink and a slam as he shut the door again. Marinette peeled herself off the wall and retrieved the food – she couldn’t even tell what it was, to be honest, though she was pretty sure it was all synthetic junk.

            “Marinette.”

            “Hm?” She looked up, surprised Bogo was talking to her. Usually he just brought the food and left.

            “We’ve got a lawyer for you,” he said. “Should be here tomorrow.”

            “So they haven’t started moving yet?” Marinette knew she didn’t have to specify who “they” were.

            Bogo shook his head. “No, and just so long as we keep Clawhauser sedated, it’ll stay that way. Look,” he said as Marinette opened her mouth to protest, “you said that the copies won’t become active unless Clawhauser feels negative emotions.”

            “But-“

            “No one’s in danger right now, so I can’t make any hasty decisions. I’m doing my best to convince City Hall you’re telling the truth, but until then, my paws are tied!”

            “…I understand.”

            Chief Bogo nodded and turned to leave without saying anything more. Marinette shut her eyes again, letting the sound of Bogo’s steps fade into the distance.  

            “Tikki,” she asked after a good while, “do you really mean that? All of it?”

            “Absolutely, Marinette. Do you believe it?”

            It took the girl a few moments to respond. “I… I don’t know, Tikki. I don’t know. But what I do know is that I’m sorry for how I’ve treated you. I miss my friends and family but that’s… that’s no excuse. I’ve been a real jerk.”

            “Thank you, Marinette,” came Tikki’s hushed reply. Then, in a louder voice, “There’s something else I need to say.”

            “Yeah?” the girl said hesitantly, unsure of what to expect.   

            “The Butterfly has to be in Zootopia. He couldn’t have akumatized Officer Clawhauser otherwise. I don’t know how he got here, but…”

            Marinette knew what Tikki meant immediately: “…that means there’s a definite connection between this place and Earth.”

            The two shared a meaningful look. In that glance, Marinette saw all the hurt in Tikki’s eyes at being treated so poorly, but also concern, and worry, but more than anything else she saw hope. Marinette knew that Tikki saw hope in her face, too.

            “We have to get out of here, Tikki,” Marinette said. “I don’t know how, but when we see the chance-“

            “-we’ll run for it,” Tikki finished.

***

            Nick’s eyes cracked open, revealing an empty kitchen, bottles of cheap booze littered across the floor. He shut them again, hoping to fall back asleep, but his pounding temples prevented that. With a pained sigh, he sat up, ignoring his stiff back as best he could. The stench of sweat wafted through his nostrils, and somewhere in his swimming head, it registered that he should shower. After a few more minutes of staring vacantly at his lap, Nick stood and slinked to the bathroom, doing his best to ignore his hangover as it raged in his forehead.

            The hot water and shampoo felt good as they washed away his odor. Nick found himself focusing far too intently at the drain as water flowed down it. He imagined that he himself was flowing down the drain, that he was liquid in a fragile casing, and the merest prick of a needle could pop him. “You are so cliché,” he muttered at that thought, and turned the water off.

            It had been years since he’d gotten as drunk as he had last night. In fact, it had been about Judy as well the last time, after that disastrous press conference. What a profound effect she had on him. At any rate, his hangover was better after the steamy shower, or maybe it was just that he was more awake.

            After changing into clean clothing and downing a tall glass of water, Nick checked his phone for the first time in three days. Several missed calls, most of them from telemarketers  – it was his fault for not having an unlisted number, really – and one call from a number he rarely saw anymore. Finnick.

            He had never been too terribly close with Finnick, despite what one might believe from all the years they’d spent together as con artists. They’d been on mostly-friendly terms, trading barbs and jibes with abandon, but they’d had an unspoken rule between them: they were not friends. Friends could betray you. Friends could hurt you. And heavens knew neither of them had wanted that.

            Which is all to say Nick was very surprised when he heard the message Finnick had left him: “Hey, uh, Nick,” came the fennec’s deep voice, soft and unsure. “I uh, wanted to make sure that… look, just call me, okay!” The message ended there. Nick had to smile a bit once he overcame his amazement; this was classic Finnick, never outright showing affection and always covering it up with machismo.

            He took a moment before calling back.

            “Nick?” said Finnick. “I called you two days ago! You had me worried! The hell!”

            “You, worried? About me? Aw, I had no idea you cared so much!” Nick replied, hoping some verbal sparring would make him feel better. “What’s next, an engagement ring?”

            “Okay, fine, you’re clearly okay. Glad I called,” Finnick retorted.

            “Wait, wait,” Nick rushed to say before Finnick hung up, then exhaled. “Thanks for calling. Really, I mean it.”

            “Yeah, well. Half the city’s frozen in place. Wanted to know you weren’t.” Nick said nothing. Should he tell Finnick what had happened to Judy? Would he even care? Nick’s decision was quickly made for him, for his silence made Finnick ask, “Wait. Did that bunny of yours-“

             “Yeah,” Nick said, his one word spoken in a clipped voice.

            Silence fell. Nick knew that Finnick didn’t know what to say. Nick didn’t have anything he wanted to say.

            Just when he was about to hang up, Finnick spoke again. “You wanna grab lunch?”

            Nick wanted to say no. In fact, he was going to say no. He still had a bit of a hangover – well, more than a bit – and he just wanted to go back to sleep. But he had to ask himself: What would that accomplish? Judy would still be… whatever had happened to her, and he’d just feel even worse. So he said, “Yeah, sure. Where?”

***

            “Well. I wasn’t expecting this,” Nick quipped at himself over the dull throb of his headache. He had taken some painkiller tablets, but his hangover still tugged at his head, albeit far more gently than a few hours ago.

            The street was all but deserted, save for a Clawhauser clone or two. Nick almost could imagine a tumbleweed blowing by like in a western movie. He stood in front of the teahouse he’d eaten at with Judy a while back, the one where Marinette had asked him that odd question. It replayed in his mind as he waited for Finnick to show up, like an internet video on loop: “What would you guys do if you lost one another?”

            “Looks like I have my answer,” Nick whispered. “Get drunk and get lunch.”

            It was a small miracle that the teahouse was still open, Nick thought as he went in, the eerie atmosphere finally becoming too much for him to bear. He got a seat, the anteater waitress smiling like nothing was wrong as she asked him if he needed anything. Just as he opened his mouth to tell her that he didn’t, the door jingled. Nick waved his former partner over, who silently sat opposite him at a table right near the servers’ station. They ordered and then made small talk until the conversation fizzled out.

             “So,” Nick said after an uncomfortable silence, “why’d you call me here?” It was uncharacteristically direct of him, he knew, but his time hustling had taught him that everyone had a reason for doing something, whether they knew it or not. The trick to a successful scam was to mask that reason as deeply as possible and then create a plausible substitution. If they wanted to sell chocolate that wasn’t meant for resale, for example, they had to somehow convince their victim that no, that chocolate bar didn’t have a double wrapping, and if it did, it certainly wasn’t to hide the brand. He’d pulled that particular scheme shortly after he’d started hustling, and it went about as well as he should have expected, but that wasn’t the point.

            “What’s that supposed to mean?” Finnick huffed.

            “What it means,” Nick replied, “is that you want something from me. You wouldn’t have called me out here if you didn’t, and I’m not up for beating around the bush.”

            Finnick’s eyes narrowed. Nick braced himself for an indignant reaction, but that never came. Instead, Finnick sighed. “I got a job, Nick.”

            “Okay?”

            “A real job, numbskull. Not a hustling job.”

            “Hey, that’s great! You handing out free samples or what?”

            “I’m being serious, you jerk.”

            “Sorry,” Nick replied. In retrospect, being snide at a time like this probably wasn’t the best idea.

            “It’s at a comic shop, selling merch. Nice old leopard runs it. Draws in her free time, always wanted to be a comic artist, but never could break into publishing...” His voice became more and more choked as he went on, and finally, he trailed off. It took him a moment to start up again. “She changed, Nick. One of those butterflies. Now she’s a damn statue!” Nick felt anger stir within him. Was he supposed to feel sorry that Finnick’s boss got transformed? “It’s not freaking fair,” Finnick continued, and Nick thought he sounded a bit like a child in that moment. “I thought I’d finally gotten some respectable work. That I could break free of the damn ‘sly fox’ stereotype, and this freaking happens!”

            Now that, Nick could understand. For one of the few times in his life, he said nothing, and instead offered a sympathetic expression.

            “I wish – and don’t you dare make a damn wisecrack about this,” Finnick said, “I wish that there was a superhero who could fix this, like in one of those stupid comics… Hell, I just wish there was someone who knew what was going on!”

            Finnick continued to speak, but Nick found he couldn’t listen. His paws clenched, clammy. His eyes widened. There was someone who knew what was going on. There was someone who – Nick hoped – could fix this.

            And he had helped put her behind bars.

            The waitress came by with their food, some cookies for Finnick and French fries for Nick, but he could barely pay attention to that, too.

            Suddenly, he was speaking. “Could I get that to go,” he said, not paying attention to the waitress’s surprised expression as she handed him a plastic bag, only half-listening to Finnick’s angry words as he shoved food into the bag, not distinguishing between his and what wasn’t his.

            “The hell are you doing!?” Nick finally heard Finnick say.

            “I’m going to fix this, Finnick,” he said with a calmness betrayed by his eyes, shining with determination. “I’m going to save everyone. I’m going to save her.”

            And, as Nick dashed out of the shop, leaving Finnick enraged and confused, he realized he had his answer about what he would do if he lost Judy. His real answer.

            He would raise hell.

Chapter Text

            A gentle wind blew in the cemetery. Clouds hung overhead, remnants of the light rain from less than an hour ago. Mud squelched underneath Nick’s paws as he walked, flowers clutched in his right paw. Finally, he came to the grave he was looking for. The inscription read, “Agnes Wilde.”

            It had been over six months since Nick had last been here, and another year before that. In fact, he normally only visited once annually, on his mother’s birthday. He dreaded that day’s coming, the day he forced himself to mourn, but what else could he do? Forget his own other?

            Nick remembered the moment he had learned of her death clearly. He had been sixteen – actually, probably fifteen, now that he thought about it, and he’d been in foster care for about three years at that point. He’d been off the street for nearly as long, but, unwilling to give up the hustle, he was now on his third set of foster parents, and well on his way to becoming on quite the con artist. He’d long since accepted that the world would never see him as anything other than a hustler, and it felt good doing just that, getting back at the world by being exactly what it had wanted. His mother, meanwhile, was in an assisted living home. Nick visited her often, though he only brought her the spoils of his cons some of the time, so as not to raise suspicion.

            Pickpocketing, however, was not his area of expertise. It had been sheer chance that he decided to swipe the principal’s wallet that day. He remembered the thrill of stalking Principal Quine, an overweight, brown mare in her late thirties. The bell had just rung and thus the halls were filled with students, all of whom either were on their way to class or to the parking lot just off school property so they could smoke cigarettes. Nick’s next class happened to be in the same direction as the Principal’s office, so no one questioned why he was going in the same direction as her. As she stopped to open the door to the administration office, he Nick casually slipped his paw out, dipping it into her pocket…

            Naturally, someone noticed, and Nick found himself sitting on a hard, wooden chair in the administration office. Principal Quine’s office was in a room accessible only through a side corridor in the administration office. And as he waited, he listened. He could hear the principal’s voice from the other side of the door, hushed though it may have been. He only got bits and pieces of what she said, but the words “sly fox” rang clear and true in Nick’s ears.

            As Nick sat there, pretending it didn’t bother him, an adult he didn’t recognize entered the room. She talked with one of the elderly wolves who worked in the administration office, and to Nick’s surprise, the wolf pointed at him. The adult he hadn’t seen before, also a wolf, walked forward. Nick observed her as she did so, more confused than alarmed.

            She strode right past him, instead knocking on Principal Quine’s office’s door.

            More hushed voices emanated from behind the closed door once the wolf was let in, and this time, Nick couldn’t make out a word of it, for they spoke much more quietly. After a minute or two, the door opened again, and Principal Quine motioned wordlessly for Nick to enter.

            Once inside and sitting in another uncomfortable chair, Principal Quine spoke: “Nicholas, this is Lana Lupin.” A gentleness pervaded her words, catching Nick by surprise. He instantly became suspicious, wondering what trap these two were setting for him. “She’s from Social Services.”

            “Hello, Nick,” Lana said.

            “Let me guess,” Nick replied. “I’m switching foster homes?”

            “No, that’s not it.” Lana wore a sad smile, but it was a fake sad, the kind Nick had seen before. This mammal didn’t care. She just had a job to do, and wanted it over with. As if to confirm that line of thought, Lana took in a deep breath, and said, “I’m sorry, Nick, but… we found your mother last night.”

            Nick’s ears immediately perked up at the mention of his mother, a sense of dread festering in his stomach. “What do you mean, ‘found?’”

            Lana continued, still wearing her mask of sympathy with what Nick thought was a perverted sense of pride. “She escaped from her room yesterday afternoon. By the time we were able to locate her… she had been shot.”

            Nausea overwhelmed Nick all of a sudden, the urge to vomit nearly choking him. His mother, gone? No, no that couldn’t be it. It couldn’t be. How could his mother, the vixen who’d raised him, the only mammal he’d ever loved and believed in, have been shot?

            They must have seen the shock on his face, for Lana said, “Nick, I know this is hard…“

            Just like that, Nick’s nausea evaporated. How dare she? How could she possibly know what he was experiencing? Had her mother died? Had her mother been killed? Nick strongly doubted both.

            “In light of this, I am willing to postpone punishment for your attempted theft,” Principal Quine said, but Nick was only partially paying attention. “I’ve called your foster parents, and informed them of this… unfortunate turn of events. They will be here to pick you up shortly.”

            Right then, Nick wanted nothing more than to stand up, and whack both of them square in the muzzle. But that would be showing them that they’d made him mad, and that was one victory he didn’t want them to have.

            So, he held in the tears, the rage, and the heartache, and didn’t let it out for a very long time. He’d started his annual visits to his mother’s grave the next year, and that was the one time a year he’d let himself mourn. The police eventually did find his mother’s murderer – a polar bear, big and aggressive and a chronic criminal, but that did little to alleviate Nick’s grief.

            He’d told even Judy only bits and pieces about his mother. She’d known she was dead since shortly after the Bellweather incident, though Nick never told her she’d been murdered. A part of Nick sometimes wondered if she’d found out while looking at old case records, but if that happened, Judy had never told him.

            The thought of Judy snapped Nick out of his reminiscing. He took in a deep breath as he placed the flowers in front of the gravestone. Normally, he’d sit down right about now, but the muddy ground put a bit of a damper on that part.

            “Do you remember,” he said, “what you used to always tell me? That if I can’t do the smart thing, then do the right thing? Well, I’m going to do something very, very stupid. We’re talking touching-a-third-rail stupid here. If everything goes according to plan, I’m probably going to end up in jail for a long time, Mom.” The wind picked up again, and Nick thought for a second that it was like some sort of movie, where that kind of thing happened for dramatic effect. “But…” he continued, ignoring his own intrusive thought, “there’s someone who needs me to do it. Someone I love.

            “I… I hope that wherever you went, you can be proud of me for doing this. That you can believe in me, because right now, I really need that.”

            He exhaled and stayed there for a bit, just looking at his mother’s grave, memorizing it as best he could. He didn’t know when the next time he’d come would be. He supposed he could take a picture of it, but he wanted this in his mind’s eye, not his phone’s memory. Of course, he still needed his phone for this, so he took it out and snapped a picture anyway. Then, as he turned to leave, he dialed.

            It rang once, then twice, then a third time. Nick almost thought he might not answer. A bead of sweat trickled through his fur at that thought. If this call didn’t work, he’d have to go back to the proverbial drawing board, and if that happened, well, who knew how long Judy would be stuck like that?

            “What is it, Wilde?” came a gruff, rumbly voice through the phone.

            “Heeeey, Raymond,” Nick said as he left the cemetery. “I need to call in a favor…”

***

            “It is a risky plan,” Mr. Big said, his fingers interlaced as he rested his nose on his paws. “Very risky indeed, Nicky.”

            It had been two hours since Nick made that phone call, and half an hour since he’d arrived at Mr. Big’s residence. A limo had come for him at the cemetery twenty minutes after he’d hung up, a jaguar in a suit behind the wheel. Nick had thought he was Manchas for a split moment, but the lack of a scar disconfirmed that. The car ride had been largely silent, which suited Nick just fine. Wit and sarcasm, while certainly a specialty of his, weren’t what he needed right then. What he had needed was time to think and make any last-minute mental adjustments to his pitch. Save for the driver fiddling with the radio, he’d gotten just that.

            Midway through the drive, rain once more began to plummet from the clouds above, creating a percussive thudding in Nick’s ears, a rhythm that remained as he stood in front of the shrew in his office. A polar bear bodyguard loomed on either side of him, and two more stood behind Mr. Big. All four wore unreadable expressions, staring straight ahead as if Nick didn’t exist. Of course, he knew that if Mr. Big ordered it, they’d pounce on him without hesitation.

            Nick opened his mouth, only to be silenced by Mr. Big putting his hand up like a stop sign. “However. You say Judy has been… affected by this recent mass transformation, yes?”

            “Yes,” Nick replied. He was about to say more, but the shrew once again forbade him from talking any further.

            Mr. Big hummed, and he seemed to lean into his paws even more deeply as he considered what Nick had told him. Myriad thoughts raced through Nick’s mind, his heart beating ever more quickly. What’s he gonna say? Yes? No? Can I persuade him if he declines? No, this is Mr. Big I’m talking about. He’d sooner ice me than change his mind.

            “And you say this girl – this Ladybug knows who is responsible?”

            “Yes,” Nick said, this time not even bothering to try and speak further.

            “Nicky,” Mr. Big said. “You are asking a very large favor of me. Too large.” Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed outside. Nick could feel his heart catch in his chest, and for a moment, he swore it had stopped. “Were you anyone else, I would ice you here and now for daring to show such insolence.

            “But. You are not anyone else. You are Nicholas Wilde, and Judy Hopps is the godmother of my granddaughter. I will assist you in your risky, poorly-conceived scheme. You may consider yourself indebted to me.”

            Nick felt all the air in his lungs rush out in the biggest exhale he’d ever had.  He hadn’t even realized he’s been holding his breath.

            “We shall begin preparations at once. I will contact you as soon as they are complete. Koslov.” Mr. Big motioned towards one of the polar bears by his side. “Show Nicky to the guest chamber.”

            Koslov nodded wordlessly, and Nick found himself being ushered down a hall and into a moderately-sized, sparsely-decorated room with beige-painted walls and a small bed that Nick hated to admit looked quite comfortable. It reminded Nick of Judy’s old apartment from before they’d moved in together, only less rundown.

            Suddenly, the door slammed shut behind him, and Nick was alone.

            “O-kaaaay,” he said to himself. “Full marks on hospitality.” Sighing, he flopped down on the bed, and oh yes, it was comfortable. It continued to pour outside, and soon, Nick found himself feeling drowsy, lulled by the pitter-pattering raindrops. A yawn escaped his lips.

            “Might as well get some rest,” he said, still talking to himself. “Lord knows I’m gonna need it.” He curled up into a ball, tucking his tail around him, and let himself drift off into dreamland.

            As he slumbered, he dreamed of Judy. She seemed older, maybe by about five years, a little more muscular, but she also seemed… deflated, somehow. She was coming closer, Nick realized, though he couldn’t hear her footsteps. Why was that, he wondered through the haze of sleep.

            “Carrots!” he called out, relief flooding him. “You’re okay!” He tried to stand – he had been sitting, he realized – only for an oppressive weight to keep him seated. He looked down.

            It was a ball and chain attached to his ankle.

            Judy suddenly stood in front of him, and then took a seat on a stool, much like the one he sat on. Her face was slightly distorted by the window dividing them.

            As if following a script, they both reached for the phones at the same time.

            “Hey.” Judy’s voice crackled through the speaker, piercing Nick’s ears.

            “Hey, Carrots,” Nick replied. He found that his actions were on autopilot now, all control of his body and mouth surrendered. “Catch any bad guys lately?”

            A sad smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Ugh, no,” she said, feigning a lack of seriousness. “I swear, my new partner is an idiot. I don’t even know how he got through the academy, he’s so stupid.”

            Nick smirked. “Well, I guess we can’t all be the best.”

            “You can.”

            “Carrots, c’mon. We promised”-

            “I know, I know. ‘No talking about the old days.’ I just… I miss the old days, you know? I miss you!”

            “Hey, I know it’s hard to be apart, but I’m here now, aren’t I? Twenty years ain’t such a bad sentence. I’ll be out of here before you can say ‘felony tax evasion.’”

            That elicited a small, sorrowful chuckle from Judy as she put her paw up against the window, fingers splayed.  When she spoke again, her voice was subdued. “Thanks for saving me, Nick. I”-

            Suddenly, his ears were being assaulted by a relentless pounding. Not the gentle tapping of raindrops on the roof and ground – though that was still present, so he couldn’t have been out for too long – but the sound of a fist slamming against a door repeatedly. His eyes snapped open. Sitting up, Nick exhaled. “Just a dream…” he whispered.

            The pounding quickened.

            “Alright, alright,” Nick grumbled as he moseyed over to the door, rubbing his eyes. Nick ignored the fact that they were damp. As his paws touched his He opened the door to see Koslov once again looming over him.

            “Are you ready?” the polar bear said in his deep, throaty voice. Before Nick could answer, Koslov continued. “Let’s get going. We’re about to start.”

Chapter Text

            Nick drummed his fingers on the limo’s armrest, doing his best to display a collected, calm image. He looked out the window, and saw that darkness covered the rain-drenched city. The usual urban lights were vastly dimmed with half the city gone. Black apartment windows and blank electric signs would be all that Nick saw for several blocks at a time, punctuated by stoplights. If it weren’t for the downpour, Nick mused, he’d probably be able to see the stars, a rarity in such an urban area.

            He rode shotgun while a polar bear Nick didn’t know drove the car. The polar bear, obviously young though still larger than Nick by magnitudes, stared straight ahead, focused on the road. That said, he only had one paw on the wheel. The other held a small chocolate chip cookie.

            “Hey, wait a minute,” Nick said as he realized something. “That’s my food.” And indeed it was – well, half of it was Finnick’s, but Nick wasn’t about to say that. Besides, he’d honestly forgotten that he’d even brought it with him. “What’s the big idea? Mr. Big’s luxury diet ain’t good enough for you?”

            “Shut it,” was the immediate reply. A show of bared teeth accompanied the order.

            “Whoa, okay, okay,” Nick said, before mumbling, “Who pissed in your Cheerios?”

            “Don’t kinkshame me, fox.”

            Nick raised an eyebrow, but turned his attention back to drumming his fingers. He did not want there to be any more of that conversation, and soon, the only sounds were those of his rhythmic tapping and of the falling rain.

            Soon enough, the car pulled to a stop. Nick looked up, and saw that they were up the street from Precinct One. “Little bold of us, just pulling up like this,” he commented, though the bear ignored it.

            “The snipers are in position. As soon as we get the signal, rush in, get the girl, and come back. You sure they haven’t changed the codes?”

            “No,” Nick said with a roll of his eyes. “They just suddenly thought, ‘hey, one of our best officers might try to break this superpowered teenager out! Let’s change the codes on the off chance he decides to add to the pandemonium Zootopia’s experiencing!’” The polar bear raised his eyebrows. “Yes,” Nick amended with exasperation. “I’m sure.”

            “Also, ‘pandemonium?’ What’s that supposed to mean? I have relatives who are pandas, you know.”

            “You know, there’s this wonderful invention called a ‘dictionary.’ You should try one sometime.”

            The bear frowned as he seemed to try and make sense of this, before finally saying, “Whatever. Just take this.” Nick found a tranquilizer gun shoved into his paws.

            He gave a mock salute. “And I’m sure that’s why you were top of your class in elementary school.” The polar bear said nothing.

            And so, the waiting game began.

***

            Chief Bogo’s head pulsed unrelentingly. He hated situations like this. Hated them. The emergency lines had been ringing off the hook, creating a veritable aural deluge – appropriate, given the rainstorm raging outside. He already was going on about 5 hours of sleep, and this was the last thing he needed.

            He stood in the emergency call center on the topmost level of the precinct – between a significant portion of his officers having been transformed into Ultrasonic copies and the sheer volume of emergency calls, the normal operators just weren’t enough to respond. “Nine-one-one,” the buffalo said as a call came in, looking at the caller’s information on a computer screen. “What is your emergency?”

            “Help, please!” came the panicked, tearful reply. The voice was female with a slight accent Bogo couldn’t place. A crash of thunder boomed right as she began to speak. “It’s- it’s my boyfriend, he’s drunk and he has a knife”- A shrill scream was the last thing Bogo heard before the line went dead.

            Bogo instantly checked the screen in front of him – that call had come from Green Steppes, a poorer neighborhood. As he ordered the dispatch of two officers, though, he couldn’t help but think.

            Precinct One was at the center of Zootopia, more or less. Green Steppes was on the outskirts of the city. The call before Green Steppes had been from the Pridelands, another outlying borough. Bogo tapped a few keys on the computer in front of him, bringing up the history of every emergency call in the past fifteen minutes.

            Every last one of them came from a borough that touched the city limits. The least amount of time it would take to get to the closest city limits borough from Precinct One was about thirty minutes by car, and even then, you’d have to floor it – a risky idea, given the slippery roads. And even then, why were calls so far away being received by Precinct One? Wouldn’t they go to more local police stations?

            A list of possible explanations filled Bogo’s head even as he thought his questions. First, it was possible that this was all chance, and he was simply overthinking an especially crime-ridden night. Bogo immediately dismissed that idea. Second: Some idiots were playing a very elaborate prank, but no, this was too organized and too widespread to be a prank. Third: Someone wanted as many officers away from Precinct One as possible.

            The moment that thought crossed Bogo’s mind, he knew it made the most sense of all his ideas, but he had no proof for it, and even then, he couldn’t recall any of his officers, lest he abandon mammals who actually were in peril. And yet…

            Bogo inhaled sharply. He had a bad feeling. Without saying anything, he bolted out of his seat, rushing downstairs.

            The lower levels of the precinct felt like a bit of a ghost town. With Clawhauser gone and so many of his officers with him, they were short-staffed. The precinct was practically empty. There was Clawhauser’s replacement, a newly-hired tiger, hunched over some paperwork, but aside from that... nobody.

            Bogo swallowed. He had a very bad feeling.

            A window shattered, glass spraying all over the floor. Bogo jumped to the side, reaching for his gun. And then, he felt a pricking sensation in his neck… and slumped to the floor, unconscious.

***

            Bzzzt! Bzzzt!  The polar bear’s cellphone vibrated wildly. “That’s the signal! Go!”

            Nick threw the door open, dashing down the sidewalk. It was slick with rainwater, but Nick didn’t have to worry about falling. He couldn’t have to worry about falling, because he only had so much time – and he would not fail. The tranquilizer gun was significantly lighter than the gun he was used to carrying, he noticed as he gripped it in his paw. He almost missed the weight, but he was going to be in enough hot water as it was. He didn’t need to add “murder” to the list of charges.

            He burst through the front doors, tranquilizer gun at the ready. Moving forward as quickly as he dared, he made for the stairs to the upper level where the holding cells were. Chief Bogo’s body lay unconscious on the floor, a tranquilizer dart sticking out the back of his neck. Damn, Nick thought as he rushed up the staircase. He had known it would take a crapload of sedative to knock Bogo out, but a part of him was surprised that Mr. Big had been able to acquire so much of it on such short notice.

            “Sorry, ‘bout that, Chief,” Nick said, his words mixed with both sarcasm and sincerity. Despite the buffalo’s gruff, abrasive nature, Nick really did like him.

            He finally made it to the top of the stairs, then dashed as fast as his legs would take him. Sweat trickled through his fur, though not from exhaustion, but apprehension. He’d sassed the polar bear before, but if something went wrong, if they had in fact changed the codes…

            He reached the holding cells, and, shaking off his hesitation, punched in the code. “C’mon, c’mon,” Nick mumbled. It felt like an eternity, waiting for the system to process the code, even though it was really less than a second.

            At long last, the keypad blinked green, and the door opened.

***

            Marinette had been drifting in and out of sleep for the past few hours. As cathartic as it had been to reconcile with Tikki, the cell bench was hard and cold. It didn’t exactly make for comfortable sleeping.

            Suddenly, a faint light filled the narrow corridor outside her cell and the sound of footsteps filled her ears. She cautiously rose to a sitting position. Who could that be, she wondered. Was it mealtime already? But dinner must have only been a few hours ago… And if it were someone bringing her a meal, why did they seem to be running?

            Marinette’s questions and worries were only compounded when a rain-drenched fox appeared outside her cell. It took her a split second to realize that it was… “Officer Wilde?” Marinette blinked as he punched in a number on the keypad outside her cell, a gun in his free paw. “What’s going on? What are you doing?”

            Officer Wilde smiled that insincere smile of his, though Marinette could tell that this time, there was a bit of desperation behind it. “Hm, well, I’m here, I’m on suspension, half the station is either gone or unconscious… if I didn’t know any better, I’d say I was risking my tail to bust you outta here. Are you coming or what?”

            Marinette blinked again.

            Officer – no, not officer, he just said he’s on suspension, Marinette reminded herself – Mr. Wilde rolled his eyes and sighed. “It’s called a prison break, sweetheart.”

            “Oh,” was all Marinette could say for a second. “Wait, why are you – did Ultrasonic start moving again!?”

            Mr. Wilde shook his head. “Nope, but let’s save the explanations for after you’re out of here, shall we?”

            Well, didn’t see this coming, Marinette thought, when she felt something nudge her inside her jacket – Tikki, telling her to take the chance. Tikki’s right. For now, she’d been thrown a bone, and by the Lord, she was going to take it. “Lead the way!”

            Mr. Wilde grabbed Marinette by the hand, leading her out of the holding cell area. They rushed down the corridor and into the light of the precinct’s lobby. After being in the dim cell for so long, the light almost felt blinding, and Mr. Wilde running so much faster than Marinette was used to certainly didn’t help matters.

            “What’s the plan?” she asked as they neared the door.

            “Freeze!” a voice shouted from behind. “Put your paws in the air, and drop the weapon!”

            “Keep going!” Mr. Wilde yelled. The door was practically within his paw’s grasp.

            Bang! A bullet crashed through the glass door, narrowly missing Mr. Wilde.

            “Don’t keep going!” The two stopped and obeyed, putting their arms above their heads. There was a metallic thud as Mr. Wilde’s gun fell to the floor, and a tiger filled their vision as they slowly turned around, a gun gripped in his fingers. 

            “Nick, the hell are you doing?” the tiger asked, his voice wavering. There was something off about him, Marinette noticed, something… anxious. Something afraid. His breathing was labored, and his fur shiny from sweat. He must have known Mr. Wilde, Marinette realized.

            The fox, however, seemed significantly less worried than he had a second ago. “Hey, buddy,” he said, smiling smugly once again. “That sure is a gun you’ve got there.”

            The tiger stammered, looking a bit confused. “Wh-what do you mean?”

            “I mean,” Mr. Wilde said, seeming a bit annoyed, “it’s a gun. You know, pull the trigger, loud sound, mammals get hurt?”

            “Don’t sass me! I will shoot!”

            Marinette chanced a look at her rescuer, wondering if he was going to get them both killed. He, however, continued to grin nonchalantly, not even sparing a second to return her glance.

            “Tsk, tsk,” Mr. Wilde chided. “Don’t you think I can tell when the safety is off on a gun?”

            At this, both Marinette and the tiger did a double take, Marinette from the gun to the tiger, and the tiger from the gun to his targets. Now, Marinette wasn’t a firearms expert by any definition of the term, but she was pretty sure that he had just fired the gun.

            “Yeah, see, that’s a new model. The safety automatically turns back on when you’ve emptied the magazine.”

            The tiger seemed to consider this. Every moment that went by felt like a noose tightening around Marinette’s neck. Finally, the tiger spoke. “Crap, seriously? I need to reload this?”

            “’Fraid so.”

            The tiger pursed his lips, fiddling with the safety, his paws jittery as he tried to turn it back off.

            Then, taking advantage of the tiger’s distraction, Mr. Wilde pulled his leg back and kicked the gun he’d dropped, sending it soaring. It didn’t even have time to reach the zenith of its arc before it smashed right into the tiger’s head with a loud thud. He crumpled to his knees and smashed face first into the floor.

            “Let’s go!” Mr. Wilde yelled, once again grabbing Marinette’s wrist.

            “How did you pull that off?” Marinette asked, bewildered, as they stepped out into the open, rain pouring down from the heavens and drenching them. They ran forward, Marinette following Mr. Wilde’s lead, trying not to slip on the slick pavement. She hated to admit it, but she couldn’t take charge here. She couldn’t transform yet, and without that, she wouldn’t get very far.

            “A good magician never reveals his secrets,” Mr. Wilde said with a grim smile. “Also, I got lucky.” They soon reached the end of the block, and he pointed at a car. “Get in.”

            “Uh, okay?” Marinette replied as she caught a glimpse of a polar bear in the driver’s seat. He didn’t look back at her, if he even noticed her at all.

            Mr. Wilde got into the front seat and Marinette into the back. Marinette had to give a sigh of relief as she entered the warm car, though the cold rain still drenched her clothes.

            “Careful. Don’t get the seat too wet,” the polar bear commanded. Before Marinette could respond, he slammed his foot down on the gas, pushing her back into the seat. The car lurched into motion, speeding through the night. “Where to?”

            At this, Mr. Wilde turned back to look at Marinette, an expectant expression on his face. “Well? You’re the superheroine. You’re in charge.”

            A flurry of voices blew through her mind at that. They know! they said, as reality sunk in. I’m putting them in danger! I have to get out of here! Her body trembled. It was going to be just like with Chat Noir, like with Adrien, she was going to get them killed, and –

            No, came her voice of reason at last. I can’t do this on my own. “Wherever they’re keeping Ultrasonic.”

            “Zootopia General, it is,” Mr. Wilde said.

            The polar bear said nothing, but adjusted his course accordingly.

            “How do you know he’s there, Mr. Wilde?” Marinette asked.

            The fox sighed, pinching his snout. “First, don’t call me that; I’m not that old. Second, ex-cop, remember? I only got suspended a few days ago; my information is still up to date. Now, I’m assuming you can’t use your powers, or else you’d have busted out of there without me. Is there some way for you to recharge?”

             Marinette nodded, a bit uncomfortably. It felt strange, someone talk to her about her powers other than Tikki. “Well, Mister, uh, I mean, Nick, I need cookies. Chocolate chip cookies.”

            “You’re joking.” Nick’s features twisted in disbelief. “You’re powered by cookies?” Before Marinette could say anything, he let out a long sigh. “Well, it’s a good thing we have some.”

            Nothing happened. The car continued to drive forward in the rain, the windshield wipers thud, thud, thudding and making that strange, mechanical whine.

            Nick cleared his throat. “You know, when someone-“ The polar bear wordlessly tossed a bag at the fox’s face, cutting him off midsentence. He peeled the bag off his snout, shooting the driver a dirty look, and pitched it at Marinette. “Dinner is served, kid.”

            Not bothering to ask why they conveniently had chocolate chip cookies, Marinette reached into the plastic baggie to find exactly what Tikki needed – three cookies. That was plenty. She removed a cookie, and slipped it into her jacket. There was a slight yank on it, and she knew that Tikki had taken it from her. If Nick wanted to know why she was seemingly feeding her jacket, he said nothing, instead staring forward.  

            “Alright,” Marinette said once Tikki had finished. “Here’s the plan. We need to make Clawhauser angry.”

            Nick guffawed humorlessly as he looked back towards Marinette. “Good luck with that. Clawhauser never gets angry, kid.”

            “It doesn’t have to be anger. Literally any negative emotion will do. We just need to make him upset enough that he transforms back into Ultrasonic.”

            “Wait, we’re turning him back? Doesn’t that defeat the whole purpose of this?”

            Marinette shook her head. “On the contrary, I can’t capture the akuma if he doesn’t transform back.” Before Nick could say anything, she hurriedly added, “We’ll be right there when he changes. All we have to do is break whatever the akuma merges with before he can attack us or anyone else.”

            The car’s mad race through the storm began to slow. “We’re almost there,” the bear said. “Decide what you’re gonna do.”

            Nick sighed. “You sure you know what you’re doing, kid?”                                                   

            At this, Marinette gave a grim smile. “I’m the superhero, remember? I’m in charge.”

            A silence passed between them, during which time the car came to a stop just up the block from the hospital. “Alright, then,” Nick said at last, a look that somehow combined both resignation and determination on his face. “Let’s do this.”

***

            Nick and Marinette dashed through the hospital parking lot. The rain was beginning to let up, but only just. Their paws pitter-pattered against the asphalt, with the occasional wet splash of one of them stepping into a puddle. Lights from the hospital spilled out into the lot, though every single car remained silent and unmoving. Soon, they came to the end of the pavement, and they were traversing a grassy lawn.

            Clawhauser was on the second floor, under heavy sedation. Luckily for them, his last dose of sedatives should have been wearing off right around then – that is, if Nick’s information was still accurate. If not… well, he’d deal with that when he got there. He didn’t have any clever backup plans or contingencies – only hope that his determination and this girl would carry him through and save Judy.

            Soon, they were underneath Clawhauser’s window. There were no lights on, but it was open, ever-so-slightly ajar. A tall tree grew above them, its branches providing some relief from the rain.

             “You ready?” Nick asked.

            Marinette nodded. “Stand back, Nick,” she said, then lifted the side of her jacket. A small red-and-black creature flew out, a blur as it moved, but it came into focus when it stopped.

            Nick stared for a moment.  “Great,” he said, “now there are fairies. Is this why you were feeding your jacket before?”

            “Actually,” Marinette said, “she’s a kwami, and her name is Tikki.”

            “And yes,” Tikki said. Her voice was cute and innocent, gratingly so. “I eat cookies.”

            Nick continued to stare. Then, after a moment, he sighed. “You know what? I don’t care, just so long as we fix this.” He took a step back as had been asked of him.

             Marinette’s lips tightened for a moment, as if stung by Nick’s harsh attitude. A pang of guilt tugged at Nick’s stomach at this realization – hadn’t Judy taught him better than to treat others so poorly?

            “Tikki! Transform me!”

            The fairy – the kwami – stretched and swirled, quickly moving towards, no, moving into the girl’s earrings. Sparkling light climbed up Marinette’s body. She grew at least twice as large, probably more, and suddenly, she was the same creature he’d seen three days ago. The same, tall, nigh-furless creature in red-and-black spandex.  The same masked woman.

            She was Ladybug.

            Nick stared up for a moment, a little unnerved by how much taller she was than him now, then cleared his head by shaking it. Now wasn’t the time for that, and besides, height was an advantage, and he’d need every advantage he could get.

            “Okay, here we go.” Ladybug slung her yoyo towards one of the tree’s lower branches, and it made a noise like a coat being quickly unzipped before coiling around the branch tightly. She reached out with her free paw, and pulled Nick close, grasping him under his arm, her own arm wrapped around his chest. Nick was briefly reminded of his teenage self, who would have loved contact like this with anyone. Better not let Judy know, he thought. Can’t give her too much to tease me about.

            “Going up!” Ladybug tugged on her yoyo, and suddenly, they were yanked into the air. A sharp thrill pierced Nick’s heart as they shot up, an acute burst of fear. He had not prepared himself for this. It was over soon enough, though, as they landed on the ledge, and Nick let out a sigh. An instant after that, they rolled into the hospital room through the open window.

            It was empty, thankfully, save for Clawhauser. His slumbering form lay in a cot, tubes and wires attached to his body. A machine by his bedside beeped, monitoring his heartrate and other vitals, its electronic glow the room’s only light.

            “Take care of the door!” Ladybug commanded.

            “Already done,” Nick replied casually from the other side of the room, a chair now firmly secured underneath the doorknob, blocking the door. He strode back over to Clawhauser’s side. “We need to work fast; the nurses could be here anytime with his next injection.”

            “Alright,” Ladybug replied with a nod. “Officer Clawhasuer! Hey, Officer Clawhauser!” No response. She sighed. “Well, I didn’t want to do this…”  Before Nick could do more than raise an eyebrow, she reached up  and slapped the sleeping cheetah.

            “AH!” He woke with a start, his eyes shooting open, bolting upright in bed. His breathing was heavy as he looked around. “Urgh… Nick?” he said. “Why’re you – O. M. Goodness.” He stopped the second he laid eyes on Ladybug. A high-pitched squeal that was really more like an excited shriek escaped his lips. “A superhero! IN MY ROOM! Oh, this is so exciting!”

            “Er, about that…” Ladybug trailed off, as if she were looking for a tactful way to say this.

            “Wh-what do you mean?” came Clawhauser’s reply. His lower lip trembled slightly. “Don’t tell me you’re just a… cosplayer?”

            Ladybug sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “No, I’m an actual superhero, but-“

            Clawhauser squealed again. “Yay! Oh, this is so exciting and”-

            “Clawhauser, what’s the last thing you remember?” Nick interjected.

            “Uh…” He looked confused. “Well, I was at home and I was drinking for some reason, not really sure why, I hate alcohol, doughnuts are so much better and-“ Realization dawned on him and the energy went right out of him, like a sail without wind. But still he spoke, walking himself through the events of three nights ago. “I lost on The Z-Factor… and I was drinking… and then… oh gosh…” He stopped as his memories seemed to return. His eyes drifted around the room. Finally, he said, “I’m not in my room, am I?”

            “No, I’m afraid not,” Ladybug said, sympathy in her voice. She leaned down to be eye level with the whimpering cheetah, her features warm. “You were akumatized – basically, you were being controlled. But here’s the thing: I wasn’t fully able to purge you of the akuma’s influence. For me to fully free you, I need you to change back.”

            Clawhauser gasped dramatically. “Change back into a villain? But I hurt other mammals! I could never!”

            Nick had to repress a groan. He felt for his friend, but they weren’t getting anywhere like this. “Clawhauser,” he said, a bit of snappiness in his tone. “Half the city’s been transformed into copies of you, so if you don’t change back into Ultrasonic, Judy’s gonna be a statue for the rest of her life!”

            Before Clawhauser could respond, there was a rattling sound – the doorknob. “Hello?” came a voice. “Who’s in there?”

            “Oh crap,” Ladybug swore.

            Nick, too, felt the jaws of urgency closing around his neck, his chest tightening as the clock ticked ever-onward.  He had a million sarcastic things to say, but none of them, he felt, could convey the depths of his desperation.

            “Clawhauser, I’m begging you!” he finally said. “Judy is in danger, and we need you to change back to save her!”

            Conflict passed over Clawhauser’s features and for once, he said nothing for a spell. Finally, he said, “You promise you won’t let me hurt anyone?”

            “We promise,” Ladybug said. “I’ll get the akuma quick. Now… get angry!”

***

            Clawhauser shut his eyes, doing his best to let the outside world fall away. The sound of the doorknob, the increasingly concerned doctors’ voices, even Nick and the superhero’s breathing faded. And, as the world faded, his thoughts focused.

            Simone Cowell’s words echoed in his mind, and as they did so, a burning, guttural fury ignited in his stomach. He’d always been called names for his size – ugly, fatso, jelly belly, you name it. He’d tried to lose weight, really, he had, but it would never come off. His doctors said it was fine, that he worked out enough and balanced his carb and sugar intake with enough protein. But still, he’d managed to maintain good lung capacity, enough to sing well.

            And then, just when he thought he’d be able to make a mark on the world with his voice, Simone Cowell came along and just shat all over his body – over him! It wasn’t fair! He deserved to advance to the next round, he deserved to be on that stage, he deserved all of it! It wasn’t fair, none of it was!

***

            The Butterfly stood in his lair, akuma-to-be butterflies swirling around him in the darkness. He could see the city of Zootopia through his large, circular window as it opened. Negative energy emanated off Clawhauser in waves, his akuma practically buzzing as it readied itself.

            He could hardly believe it – she was actually provoking Clawhauser to turn back into Ultrasonic! A deranged grin spread across his face. His victory was at long last near!

            “You are a fool, Ladybug.” He flicked his cane, and the black butterfly escaped, hovering out into the tail-end of the rainstorm. “Fly away, my little akuma! And reduce this city to nothing but rubble!”

***

            Hello again, Ultrasonic. I think it’s time for an encore, and this time, you’ll have backup dancers. Just remember your end of the bargain.

            “Okay, Butterfly.”

***

            Back in the hospital room, a pink, butterfly-shaped, masklike outline had appeared in front of Clawhauser’s face.

            “Be ready,” Ladybug warned Nick. “We’re only gonna get one shot at this!”

            Nick nodded his understanding. Ladybug knew that look on his face – it was a look she’d seen on Chat Noir’s face several times before. It meant that he was absolutely determined to succeed, and he would let nothing stand in his way.

            “Okay, Butterfly.”

            A black, gelatinous ooze suddenly enveloped Clawhauser, spreading all across his body.

            “Now!” Nick yelled, right as Ultrasonic emerged from the stygian slush.  Ladybug’s hand darted forward as she tried to get the akumatized object away from the villain.

            But Ultrasonic was too fast. His arm flashed as he brought the microphone to his lips, and then, he screamed. Ladybug soared into the wall from the force of his wail, colliding with a distinct thwump. She peeled herself off the floor to see Nick, covering his ears just as Ultrasonic screamed into his mic again, this time in the direction of the window. It shattered, along with the wall separating the room from the outside, plaster spewing everywhere, some falling down to the grassy ground below.

            “Get him!”

            Nick didn’t have to be told twice. He lunged at the villain, launching himself towards the hand that held the mic, fangs bared, only for Ultrasonic to swat him away like an insect. The fox went sprawling across the floor, and in the time it took for him to get back on his paws, Ultrasonic had already made it to the cracked wall.

***

            “Ultrasonic, what are you doing!? Don’t run – take her Miraculous!”

            “Don’t worry, Butterfly. I have a plan.”

            And with that, he jumped down.

***

            “No!” Nick shouted, his arm stretched out as Ultrasonic disappeared from view.

            “Nick, stay calm,” Ladybug said, offering a hand. “We can still go after him!”

            Nick exhaled, then nodded, his body language changing from distraught to determined once more as he walked over to Ladybug. “Let’s go.”

            And that was when the door burst open, the chair giving way under the force of a shove, slamming into the wall. In the doorway stood an incensed Chief Bogo, flanked by two cops. All three held guns, all aimed at Nick and Ladybug.

            “Paws in the air! You’re under arrest!” Bogo commanded.

            The two shared a glance.

            “That means now!”

            “How did you know we were here?” Nick asked, clearly trying his best to stay collected as he raised his arms. Ladybug, meanwhile, scanned the room as she put her hands up, desperately searching for something, anything she could use.

            “Shut your piehole, Wilde! If either of you make any sudden movements, I’ll-“

            Ladybug found exactly what she was looking for right at that moment. Before the buffalo could finish, she kicked the cot as powerfully as she could. It went flying through the air, the metal frame absorbing the bullets fired at them. She grabbed Nick’s hand, and the two were off, making the same leap Ultrasonic had just moments before. They hit the wet ground with a thump, Nick on top of Ladybug, her super suit absorbing most of the impact of the fall.

            “Run!” she yelled, and Nick followed suit. They dashed across hospital property.

            “Shouldn’t we be running towards our ride?”

            “Do you want to be stuck in a car when he yells at us with that microphone?” Ladybug said, her eyes switching between what was in front of her and the GPS on her yoyo. A little red dot marked the real Ultrasonic’s position, and it was moving.

***

            Meanwhile, in the hospital, a very frustrated Bogo fumed. How could he have let this happen? He’d had them right there!

            “Sir,” one of his subordinates asked. “Should we follow them?”

            He weighed his options quickly. They could follow them, but if that girl was right, she was their only hope at this point. And besides, all the Ultrasonics would probably be awakening about now.

            “No,” he decided. “Alert the mayor. We need to evacuate the entire city. We’re going to have to fight an army.”

***

            Ladybug and Nick continued their mad dash through Zootopia. The sun was beginning to rise, the faintest hints of color appearing in the sky. But neither of them stopped to admire it. They had long since yoyoed their way onto the rooftops, Ladybug carrying Nick for the trip up, and now were making their way towards Ultrasonic. His dot had long since stopped moving, according to Ladybug’s GPS – he was at the Zootopia Theater.

            Of course, just because the original Ultrasonic was stationary didn’t mean the rest were. No, down below, the streets were filled with cacophonous noise. A skyscraper came tumbling down, crashing into the street below. Screams of scared mammals reached Nick’s ears. As far as he could see, buildings were being torn apart with nothing but the sheer force of the copies’ wails. Mammals in the streets below ran, panicked. He could tell Ladybug wanted to help simply by the way she carried herself, but for whatever reason, she seemed to have decided to go straight for the original.

            And yet, something bothered Nick – the copies weren’t wailing directly at them. In fact, they seemed to be actively avoiding harming them. As the city crumbled around them, their path to the Zootopia Theater remained unobstructed and undamaged.

            Before he could voice this thought, however, a noise assaulted them. It was a high-pitched whine, like a radio antenna tuning into a station. Ladybug and Nick stopped, looking for the source.

            It was the giant television in front of Zootopia Station, they both realized, the one used for advertisements and the like. As the whining died down, a picture came into focus on the screen, and indeed, every screen as far as Nick could see, whether they were TVs in a shop or other electronic billboards.

            Ultrasonic. And in the background was the inside of the Zootopia Theater. Nick saw countless copies along there with him, each with a microphone. These were microphones owned by the theater though, and they all had wires coming out of them, though Nick couldn’t tell what they connected to from the picture.

            “Hello, Ladybug!” Ultrasonic crooned tauntingly. “I’m coming to you live from the Zootopia Theater, and let me say, I have one hell of a deal for you: If you don’t come here and give me your Miraculous in an hour-“ he stepped back, revealing many large speakers, the kind used at parties and concerts “- I will use my music and create a soundwave so loud that it will flatten this entire city. So I guess you can try and run like a coward or fight me and die, it’s your choice! But if I were you, I’d give me the Miraculous. Wouldn’t want anyone to end up like your poor Chat Noir, would we? Clock’s ticking!”

            The picture blinked out.

            Ladybug, though, seemed to have blinked out too. Her eyes seemed far off and vacant, and her whole body seemed limp, almost as if she weren’t even there.

            “Hey, Ladybug!” Nick prodded. “Earth to Ladybug! Kid!”

            She swatted at him, her features having gone from distant to annoyed. “I’m thinking!”

            “About what!? You’re not actually giving him your earrings, are you?” Panic swarmed his body at the thought. If she gave up...

            “No, of course not!” Ladybug snapped. Then, she took a breath. “I just… I’m going alone.”

            “What!? Listen, kid, I already said this, but my partner got changed. She’s one of the Ultrasonic clones now. If you don’t make it out of this, she’s a goner. I’m not letting that happen, so you are going to take me with you.” He stabbed at the air with his finger to make his point.

            “And what if you end up a goner!? I… I can’t let that happen, Nick.” Her voice was cracked and choked.

            Nick fought down anger. She was a kid with a lot on her metaphorical plate. He could relate to that. Right as she was readying her yoyo to grapple away, he spoke. “This Chat Noir was your partner, wasn’t he?”

            Ladybug flinched, and Nick knew he was right. “How did you-“

            “The coffee shop. You asked about what you’d do if you lost your partner. Ultrasonic mentioning his name got this reaction out of you, and well, it wasn’t too hard to put two and two together.”

            The girl said nothing. Around them, the sounds of destruction and police sirens and gunfire raged in the air, but she remained silent. Finally, though, she said: “Yeah. He was.”

            “So, I’m willing to bet you’ve never really done this superhero thing alone, huh?”

            “Uh, well-“

            “Well, then I don’t think you can do this alone either. I know I must not be your favorite guy, what with putting you in jail and all, but this is bigger than that, and you know it. Judy needs you, Ladybug. And I need Judy, and you need me, so I’m coming with you!”

            The two fell silent again.

            “Alright,” she said at last. “I… I know what it’s like to need your partner. We’ll save her if it’s the last thing we do.” She offered him her hand, and when he took it, she lifted him onto her back.

            Nick let out a dark laugh. “My thoughts exactly.”

            And with that, Ladybug was off, swinging from rooftop to rooftop as she made her way to the theater, Nick piggybacking along. As they traversed the city, they both shared the same thought, knew the same truth without having to tell each other: The final battle was about to begin.

Chapter Text

Once this is all over, Chief Bogo told himself, I am throwing out every Gazelle CD I have ever owned. He realized that he couldn’t really blame the singer for this, but he didn’t think he could hear “Let it Goat” after this without having traumatic flashbacks.

             The hellish scenery around him, however, would probably be a traumatic memory for many. They were near the city’s limits – or at least, what remained of the city. A significant portion of it had been reduced to large chunks of concrete and debris. Puddles from last night’s storm were tinged red with blood, and in the distance, Bogo could hear gunshots, proof that his officers were giving their lives to protect the city. As their leader, he had to do his part too. For now, that meant getting as many civilians to safety as he possibly could.

             “C’mon everybody, let’s keep moving!” he said to the group of mammals he was leading through the streets.  Several other officers walked at the back of the group, and two more flanked the sides. They were headed for a bus at the edge of the city, one that would take the civilians as far away from this disaster as possible. Then, he and his subordinates would go back into the city and search for more mammals who needed help, and once found, tend to their wounds and escort them to a bus of their own.

             Of course, they had to hurry – they only had about fifty minutes before the whole city was blown to bits… Bogo wasn’t a religious man, or even particularly spiritual – but he couldn’t help but think that if there were a god, a god of any sort, then perhaps he should be praying.

***

             Ladybug’s back, Nick decided as they neared the theater, was unashamedly uncomfortable. As a cop – or former cop, as the case may have been – he’d had his fair share of high-adrenaline experiences, but he’d never had them while riding on somebody else’s back that was covered with a super suit that felt glossy smooth beneath his paws, not to mention the air rippling across his fur, tousling it as they hopped from building to building.

             “Alright,” Ladybug said as she landed on a roof. “We need a plan. Can you think of any sort of weakness he might have?”

             Her words were met with a deadpan response, spoken as she catapulted herself onto an adjacent building. “He’s a cheetah about three times my size with a magic microphone and the ability to create supersonic shockwaves,” he snapped. “If he has a weakness, he’s hiding it damn w-” Just then, memories flooded into his mind, triggered by the question.

             “Do you have an idea?” Ladybug asked.

             “Actually, yeah,” Nick responded. “I do. His powers aren’t as strong if you cover your ears.”

             “How…” Ladybug trailed off as realization dawned on her. “That’s why you and Officer Hopps were okay during your fight with him – you kept covering your ears!”

             “Exactly. But I think it goes deeper than that. See, Judy and I were on the train right when Ultrasonic first appeared. And there was a kid listening to her music real loud, but she didn’t seem to be affected at all by him. Judy was practically falling over from the force of it all, but this kid couldn’t hear a thing. So, if we can’t hear him…”

             “He can’t hurt us!” The two came to a jarring halt atop yet another roof. Nick could see the Zootopia Theater in the distance, but that wasn’t what he was focusing on – that would have been Ladybug as she put her yoyo to her ear.

             “What are you doing?“ Nick asked.

             “Magic cellphone. If he has a weak spot that big, Chief Bogo needs to know. He might not be able to help us, but he still needs to help everyone else.”

             “And how are you going to get his number?”

             “It’s a magic cellphone,” Ladybug said by way of explanation. Of course, that didn’t stop her from sliding her yoyo shut with the intensity Nick associated with slamming landlines moments later. “Crap, the copies must have destroyed all the cell towers. We can’t reach them.”

             Nick raised an eyebrow. “I thought you said it was magic.”

             “This one is, yeah, but I’m willing to bet Chief Bogo’s isn’t.”

             “That would be a fair assessment,” he said. “Now, are we going or what?”

             Ladybug said nothing, her eyes distant as she lost herself in thought.

             “You in there?”

             “I’m thinking!” she snapped, then sighed. “Sorry, that was uncalled for. But, listen. We need to get this information out there. I’m not saying I’ve given up, but there’s no guarantee we’ll succeed, either. We have to make sure nobody else gets hurt.”

             It was Nick’s turn to sigh. We’re wasting time, he thought as he pinched the bridge of his snout. “Will it make it easier for you to fix this mess if everyone can protect themselves?”

             Ladybug nodded.

             “Okay. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but, look. There’s gotta be a broadcasting room in the Zootopia Theater, right? I’ll look for that while you go after Ultrasonic.”

             “I…” Ladybug hesitated, and Nick could feel his patience with her thinning. Before he could say anything, though, she exhaled. Sliding her yoyo open one more time, she said, “Alright. I can pull up a map of the theater on this. Memorize it as best you can.” A few taps on the screen, and the map she’d promised was visible as she handed the yoyo to Nick.

             “I gotta get me one of these,” he mumbled, a little amazed at how quickly she’d been able to find such a detailed diagram. He tapped on the red marker Ladybug had placed, and a detailed floor plan for the story with the broadcasting center appeared. “Whoa. I really gotta get me one of these.”

             Ladybug smiled. “Sorry to disappoint, but these are for superheroes only. Do you know where to go?”

             “Yeah, I think I got it. It looks like it’s right above the auditorium.” Before he gave her the yoyo back, though, he took an extra minute to study the map. “Alright,” he said, finally returning her weapon. “Let’s go.”

***

             Ladybug glanced at her yoyo one last time. Big yellow numbers were displayed on the tiny screen, a countdown showing their ever-dwindling time. With only twenty minutes left, they had finally reached the theater. But, much to their surprise, the front doors were unguarded.

             “This is a trap,” she declared. They stood atop the building across the street from the theater, looking down on the empty street below. It was, surprisingly enough, intact, which Ladybug figured was because Ultrasonic didn’t want his base of operations damaged. Well, that or it was part of the trap. Either way, Ladybug pulled up the map of the building a second time, and began to thumb through it.

             “You know, we could always go in another way,” Nick offered, only for Ladybug to shake her head.

             “What other ways? You saw the map. There’s one way into the building, and that’s it.”

             Nick sighed and clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “Ladybug, Ladybug, Ladybug,” he said with more than a touch of theatricality. “There’s always more than one way into a building.” He jerked his thumb behind him.

             “What are you…” she began, only to stop midsentence. “Are you serious? It won’t be long before we’re swarmed by Ultrasonic clones if we go in like that!”

             “And if we go in through the front door, I can promise you there’ll be a crapton of said clones waiting for us. We could barely fight one of those guys. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not have to take on ten. At least this way, it’ll take some time for them to figure out where we are.”

             Ladybug pursed her lips, then relented. “Fine. Grab my arm.” Nick obeyed, wrapping himself tightly around it. “The second we’re in there, you’re going to run for the broadcast room, got it?”

             “Got it.”

             With that, Ladybug readied her yoyo, twirling it behind her. I’m gonna have to be quick about this, she thought. Then, she hurled it across the street, the string extending with its usual zip sound.

             Crash! The yoyo shattered through a glass window on the third floor, but Ladybug willed it to keep going until it had coiled around a vending machine. She tugged as hard as she could. The machine jerked towards the window, and in just a few seconds, it had fallen to the street below with a deafening crunch, leaving the window entirely free of glass, save for some jagged bits around the frame. But she wasn’t done just yet. She yanked her yoyo back only to send it flying again, letting it wrap around a second vending machine, one opposite where the first had been.

             “Grab my hand,” she commanded, and the second Nick took it, she hoisted him back onto her back one final time, and jumped. They soared through the air, the vending machine serving as an anchor. Ladybug could feel the cool air whipping across her body more acutely than ever before, her stomach already tightened in dread. She couldn’t fail a second time – she couldn’t.

             They landed inside the building, skidding to a stop as Ladybug flicked her wrist, recalling her yoyo. “Let’s go!”

             The two dashed forward. They were on the third floor, the same level as the broadcasting room. After just a little bit of running, they came across the stairs – and an Ultrasonic copy standing in the stairwell.  

             “Ooo,” he cooed. “What do we have here? A Ladybug and a fox!” A maniacal expression washed over his features. “You’ll make an excellent-“

             Ladybug flicked her yoyo out, sending it smashing into the copy’s hand, his microphone dropping to the ground and rolling down the stairs. Then, before he could react, she flung herself into a kick, slamming her foot into the clone’s chin. Ladybug felt her foot make contact with fatty flesh for a second, right before he fell backwards and his skull cracked against the stairs. Blood slowly oozed out from the back of his head.

             Ladybug froze. Had… had she killed him? Oh, sweet lord, what if she’d killed him?

             “He’s not dead,” Nick said, apparently noticing her distress. “Look, he’s still breathing.”

             And indeed he was – the rise and fall of his chest confirmed it. A breath escaped Ladybug’s lips. “Right. Now, go! Get the word out!”

             “Got it!” he replied, and was off, scampering through the hallway. Ladybug rushed down the stairs and towards the concert hall on the first floor. She whizzed by a clone at the second floor landing, knocking him out with a punch before he could react, and continued down the stairs. The concert hall was only a hop, a skip and a step away now, and she had already confirmed on her yoyo that the original was in there.

             She just had to be quick!

***

             Nick ran. His legs pounded against the floor, each step making a slight thump. He rounded a corner, and found an Ultrasonic copy ready to ambush him. Quickly, he brought his paws to his ears, and the copy paused, confusion etched onto his face. He yelled into his microphone, and though Nick could feel the vibrations and hear the blast, he continued onwards, unhurt. Nearing the copy, he went into a slide, passing through the clone’s legs. He scrambled to get himself upright, his paws never once leaving his ears.

             He turned into the next hallway, following the mental map he had created from Ladybug’s yoyo. The broadcasting studio was at the end of the next hall. So close! he thought.

             Another soundwave washed over him, his shirt rippling from the moving air, but Nick kept going, turning down a third hallway.

             More clones lay in his path, blocking his way. Each and every last one took a breath and wailed into their microphones. The blast was nigh-deafening. Even with his ears covered, the sound still wormed its way through.

             His ears stung. No, they burned. They throbbed.

             But Nick would not give in. He’d come too far. Hadn’t he said he’d save Judy… or die trying? I didn’t think I’d meant that literally, jeez, he mentally griped.

             The clones howled again.

             The sound assaulted him like a cannonball slamming into every part of his body at once. His head felt like it was about to split open. His sight blurred, black spots clouding his vision. He slowed, unable to maintain his pace.

             Another sound blast.

             Nick slowed down even more, his legs wobbling. He inched forward now, doing his very best not to pass out.

             Judy needs you, you idiot! She is the best thing that has ever happened to you. You will not lose!

             That was the last thought he had before he collapsed.

***

             Ladybug glanced down at her yoyo. The yellow countdown had dwindled to a meager nine-and-a-half minutes.

             She stood in front of the ground floor entrance to the concert hall, a door labeled “Entrance 1.” The hallway was empty. Ladybug realized that she hadn’t seen an Ultrasonic clone in nearly five minutes, which led her to believe that they had all gathered beyond the door in front of her.

             This is it, she thought. Chat Noir, if you’re out there…  please, lend me your strength. Though a less sentimental person might have called her plea meaningless, Ladybug knew deep within her heart that someone, somewhere, alive or dead, had heard her – and that alone gave her the power she needed to move forwards.

             With a deep breath, she kicked the door open.

             Several Ultrasonic clones waited within the concert hall… but something was wrong. None of them reacted to Ladybug’s entry. Instead, silence pervaded the darkened space as every one of them sat in a seat, facing the stage.

             “Okay, wasn’t expecting this…” Ladybug crept forward, her hand at her side in case she needed to grab her yoyo. The quiet created an eerie, foreboding feeling, which wasn’t helped by the fact that she could only just barely see through the unlit room.  Worse still, not one of the Ultrasonics seemed to notice her, all of them continuing to stare at the stage. Despite her impaired vision, Ladybug could make out several distinct shapes on it, and she realized that they must be the speakers she’d seen on the broadcast before. Just as that thought crossed her mind, however, several spotlights switched on, all of them focused on a single Ultrasonic.

             Ladybug could only hope that he was the original.

             “Hello, Ladybug!” the Ultrasonic crooned, speaking into his microphone as he stood on the stage. A disconcertingly childlike, toothy grin covered his face, spreading from ear to ear. “So kind of you to join us! Now, if you’ll just give me your Miraculous…” He held his paw out expectantly.

             Ladybug, however, stayed put. “Please, Clawhauser! You don’t have to do this! Fight him! Be strong!”

             “Shut up!” came his sharp reply, all pretenses of amicability dropped. “You say ‘be strong,’ but I’m stronger than you can even begin to imagine, Ladybug! And if you don’t do exactly what I say, I’ll show you just how strong I am! And once I’m done with you, Simone Cowell is next!”

             The Ultrasonics stood, bringing their mics to their lips. They inhaled, getting ready to scream. Their leader’s grin widened and became more maniacal, his laughter filling Ladybug’s ears.

             She was going to have to bluff.  “I know your weakness.”

             Ultrasonic’s eyes widened for a split second, and the clones stopped. Trying to regain his composure and control of the situation, he let out an unconvincing laugh. “What weakness?”

             “This weakness.” Ladybug put her hands to her ears. “Your powers are nullified if I can’t hear you!” C’mon, take the bait… I need more time to think! She knew that her hands alone couldn’t block out the sound of every Ultrasonic in the hall, but she didn’t have any better ideas.

             Ultrasonic laughed, genuinely laughed, relief evident in his loud, crazed barks. Wiping a tear away from his eye, he spoke: “Oh, that’s rich! You think that’s enough? You’re adorable!”

***

             “Enough playing around! Take her earrings!”

             “As you wish, Butterfly.”

***

             At that moment, a pinkish outline appeared on the leader’s – the original’s – face. The Butterfly had contacted him. Ladybug tensed.

             “As you wish, Butterfly,” Ultrasonic said, and he inhaled.

             The copies on the stage, too, inhaled, getting ready to wail into their microphones, a wail that would be amplified by the speakers – amplified enough to destroy everything.

             And then, like an ephemeral echo, Tikki’s words echoed in Ladybug’s mind. The Butterfly has to be in Zootopia. He couldn’t have akumatized Officer Clawhauser otherwise. And that’s when she realized the truth: Ultrasonic was bluffing. He couldn’t raze Zootopia in one fell swoop, not if the Butterfly wanted her Miraculous.

             She smirked. Then, she ran forward, ignoring the clones surrounding her as expressions of shock covered their faces.

             “Stay back! I’ll do it!“

             “No, you won’t!” Ladybug lassoed onto a spotlight and shot up into the air with a tug of her yoyo’s string. “Butterfly, I know you can hear me – I know you’re in Zootopia!” she yelled as she landed on the stage. Ultrasonic looked panicked now, backing up as Ladybug approached. She reached out for the mic and everything seemed to slow down, like slow motion in a movie. She was this close! Just a few more inches, and she could save everyone! Her fingers brushed against the microphone…

             Ultrasonic roared, an actual, feral, savage roar, throwing Ladybug back through the air. Stars exploded behind her eyes as her head smashed into the floor. She struggled to get up, but the pain made her woozy, and she wobbled as she stood.

             “Oh dear,” said Ultrasonic, his voice like that of a mother comforting a small child. “You still want to fight. Well, maybe this will change your mind….” He snapped his fingers, and another spotlight switched on. Ladybug looked behind and up to see the light shining on the mezzanine… and her eyes went wide.

             “Oh no…”

             There, feet dangling above the floor, was Nick, held by an Ultrasonic clone. The clone had his arms around Nick in a macabre embrace, wrapping around his chest and restraining his arms. Blood dripped down those arms and stained his tattered pants. A bruise seemed to be forming around his eye.

             “You are going to give me your Miraculous, Ladybug. You’re going to take your earrings off and place them on the ground. Then, you’re going to turn around, and walk away. If you try and cast Lucky Charm, the fox dies.” Every Ultrasonic in the theater save for the one holding Nick and the original turned towards Ladybug, mics still at the ready. “I’ll give you ten seconds. Ten…”

             Ladybug froze, her eyes going wide. She had to think of something, anything! Ultrasonic continued to count as she searched her brains for even the stupidest idea. She could… she could… Oh sweet lord, what could she do? Nothing came to mind, as if anything she could come up with had been beaten out of her when she’d hit her head. Normally, this would be when Chat Noir would do something, like distract the villain by casting Cataclysm on something, giving Ladybug the opportunity she needed… but Chat Noir was gone. Dead. She’d failed him.

             Had she failed everyone else, too?

             Had… had she lost?

             Was darkness the only thing the future held?

***

             Every inch of Nick’s body screamed in pain. His tail felt like it was going to fall off; there was a ringing in his ears and he wanted to gouge his eyes out so they’d stop hurting. His cut burned and he could barely breathe from being squeezed so tight. But those were the least of his issues.

             “Six…” Ultrasonic counted. “Five…”

             Do something, dammit! he screamed in his head. Forget about me!

             Of course, she wasn’t going to do that, wasn she? If he’d been able to get out any sound, he’d have clicked his tongue in annoyance. She was a good kid after all, unfortunately.

             Fat load of good he’d been, though. He’d insisted on coming to save Judy, but instead, he’d made sure the opposite had happened. Figured.

             “Four…”  

             Nick closed his eyes, trying to picture Judy one last time. If he was going to die, he wanted her to be the last thing he saw. What would she think of him, though? If she could see him just… giving up? Judy never gave up.

             “Three...”

             Judy had shown Nick a better way to live. Never giving up. Believing in yourself. Believing in others. Trusting others. The value of honesty.

             And now, she had said she wanted to show him love. He wanted that love. He wanted to spend their lives together. To wake up every morning with her, just as he had gone to sleep next to her the night before.

             He wanted to see her again. He would see her again.

             In that moment, Nicholas Wilde opened his mouth wide…

             “Two…”

             …and bit his captor’s arm.

***

             A terrible, animal scream interrupted the countdown. Before Ladybug could process what was happening, Nick was flung through the air. He hurtled, landing on top of the original Ultrasonic, and they went tumbling across the stage. Nick, small as he was, was quickly thrown to the side, bouncing into the mosh pit.

             But he’d bought her just enough time, and that was something Ladybug would not let go to waste.

             “LUCKY CHARM!”

             Her yoyo extended into the air, red light pouring out from it. The light illuminated the theater, bathing it crimson.

             The light faded, and into her hand fell…

             “A match? What am I supposed to do with this?”

             She looked around the room, desperately searching for a plan.

             The catwalk above the stage.

             One of the spotlights.

             Her yoyo.

             And the fire sprinkler system.

             Ladybug smirked. She knew how to win.

             “Attack!” Ultrasonic commanded, and every clone in the room mobilized, running towards Ladybug. She ducked as the first one reached out to grab her, then, as quickly as she could, lassoed a spotlight with her yoyo, and used it to lift herself into the air. She sailed upwards, landing on the catwalk. Down below, the Ultrasonics all yelled at her into their mics, and she almost lost her balance as the metal beneath her feet seemed to quiver.

             But she wasn’t quitting. Not now, not ever. She struck the match against the ceiling, which was easily reachable from the catwalk, and it ignited.

             Another round of howls from the Ultrasonics rocked her again. The match slipped out of her reach. No! Ladybug dropped to her stomach, and reached out over the side of the catwalk to grab it, forcing her into a precarious position.

             Then, yet another round of howls rang out, and she fell. Ignoring her earrings as they chirped for the first time, she didn’t bother with her yoyo. Instead, she threw the match to the ceiling with as much force as a superhero could muster. It flew upwards as Ladybug plummeted, lodging itself between the sprinkler’s metal structure and its glass bulb.

             The effect was nearly instant. Water poured down from the sprinklers in a torrent, drenching everything in the concert hall: The seats, the floor, Ladybug, Nick, Ultrasonic and his copies… and their microphones.  

             Ladybug crashed down, landing on an Ultrasonic, who cried out in pain as she squished him.

             “You think your little trick can stop my beautiful voice?” the original cried out. “You think you can stop me? You think you can win!?”

             Ladybug brought herself to her feet, smirking. “Why don’t you attack me and find out?”

             And that was exactly what he did. He inhaled, and yelled into his microphone…

             But nothing happened. He yelled again and again, and each time, little sparks popped off the mic, followed by smoke. “No…. No!”

             “It’s over, Ultrasonic. Your mic is broken,” she said, right as her earrings beeped a second time. She was going to have to be quick.

             “GET HER!”

             The clones roared and charged at her. As fast as she could, Ladybug ran for the stage, right in the Ultrasonics’ direction. Closer and closer she went, and for a moment, it looked like she was about to collide with them. At the last possible second, she dashed into seats, weaving her way through them, the Ultrasonic copies unable to follow her due to their size.

             Her earrings beeped a third time as she reached the mosh pit, but it didn’t matter. She jumped up onto the stage.

             “Stay back!” Ultrasonic commanded. “Don’t come any closer!”

             “Well, if you insist!” Winding up, she sent her yoyo hurtling into Ultrasonic’s hand, the very same one that held his weapon. The mic smacked into the ground and rolled towards Ladybug. And just like that, she raised her foot up…

             “No!”

             …and stamped it into pieces.

             The akuma dislodged from the object, and Ladybug swiped on her yoyo, revealing the bright, white light within. “You’ve done enough harm, little akuma. I’m freeing you from evil!”

             The yoyo closed around the akuma, and she caught it as she brought it back. “Gotcha!” With a flick of her index finger, she released the purified bug. “Bye-bye, little butterfly.” She reached down, and threw the match into the air. For the first time in over a year, she cast the spell that would fix everything:

             “Miraculous Ladybug!”

***

             Nick’s eyes opened ever-so-slightly. He didn’t know what was going on, save for the strangest feeling in his gut that something good was happening. All around him, little ladybugs swarmed throughout the theater, returning the Ultrasonic copies back to their normal selves. He wanted to get up, he wanted to search for Judy… but he couldn’t find the strength to lift himself. So instead, he looked at the glowing ladybugs as they danced all around the concert hall. As he stared, he realized just how beautiful they seemed… Not just that, they were beautiful… magnificent… No, he realized just before consciousness left him again, they were...

             “Miraculous…”

***

             “NO! This isn’t possible!” the Butterfly screeched. He threw his cane aside and it crashed against his lair’s floor with a clang. “I had a supervillain with the power of the Black Cat’s Ring! I have two Miraculouses! I should have won! Mark my words, Ladybug, I will vanquish you! Your time is running out!”

             “Yeah, yeah,” said a voice that the Butterfly had come to despise long ago.  The obnoxious kwami flopped onto the floor, sighing dramatically as both of the Butterfly’s transformations timed out. “You rule, Ladybug drools, I’ve heard it all before. Can I get some camembert now?”

             “Plagg, quiet!” Nooroo hissed as he emerged from his brooch. He was clearly afraid. Good, the Butterfly thought. At least one of them knows who is in charge.

             The black kwami snorted indignantly. “Oh, please. He knows he has to give me food if he wants to use his powers again.”

             The detransformed man stamped his foot impatiently. “Cease your insolence at once! I am your master and you owe me absolute-“

             “Obedience. I owe you obedience, but not an ounce of respect.” Plagg floated up into the air, his green eyes appearing to glow in the gloom. “So are you going to give me my cheese or not?”

             It was always like this with Plagg. Always sassy, always arrogant and lazy. The Butterfly hated it. The Butterfly hated Plagg.

             “And why would I give you food? Your powers are absolutely worthless!”

             “You know,” Plagg said after a rare moment of silence. “I liked Adrien. He was kind of a killjoy sometimes, but he was a good kid.” This comment sent Nooroo into a panic, jittering in anxiety. He stammered, trying to force out a warning to Plagg.

             “Oh, really?” the Butterfly said, barely able to contain his rage.  “Well, I’m sure that’s why he’s d-“

             “I wasn’t finished. Adrien was a good kid, and he was a good Miraculous holder, too. You, though? You use your Miraculous for selfishness and evil.”

             “Plagg, stop,” Nooroo begged, but Plagg went on as the Butterfly’s coolness heated into anger.

             “You’re a sad, pathetic shell of a man who can’t accept defeat with grace. You think you can beat Ladybug? You think you have a chance of seeing your ‘dearest wish’ come true? That’s about as likely as me not enjoying a good piece of cheese. Face it: You’re never going to win.”

             Silence pervaded. The Butterfly wanted to torture Plagg, to stab him or choke him or dismember him.

       But he was an immortal kwami. There was nothing he could do to hurt him. There was nothing he could do to avoid the truth of those words. There was nothing he could do to realize his dearest wish.

And so, the Butterfly exhaled, and produced a piece of cheese from his pocket. “Dinner’s served,” he said as he lamely tossed it to the ground.

             Then, he sank to his knees, and began to sob.  

***

            Ladybug let herself out of the theater and onto the street just before light surrounded her and she returned to being Marinette. Tikki emerged from the light, floating through the air. She landed in Marinette’s cupped paws. The city around them had been fully restored to its former splendor and glory, utterly devoid of Ultrasonic’s maddening noises. In fact, it was devoid of sound in general. Marinette would normally find something like that creepy, but for now, she decided to focus on Tikki.

            “You okay?” Marinette asked, peering closely to make sure her kwami wasn’t too exhausted.

            “I’m fine, Marinette…” Tikki replied as the girl walked down the street, doing her best to look inconspicuous. Though she said she was fine, her voice was weak. “I knew you could do it.”

            Marinette smiled serenely. Warmth filled her chest, and as she spoke, she tried to convey the incredible gratitude she felt. “Thank you, Tikki. For believing in me.”

            “I’m your friend, Marinette,” Tikki said. “It’s my job.” Seemingly regaining some of her strength, she flew out of Marinette’s paws and into her coat.

            “Thanks again, Tikki. If it weren’t for you and Nick, I – Oh no! Nick!” Marinette’s eyes widened. Even if Miraculous Ladybug had healed him, he still had broken her out of prison. He had to be a wanted man. “I can’t just leave him!”

            “Marinette, wait! You’re wanted too, remember? If you go back, you’ll be arrested with him for sure!”

            “I know, Tikki. But I can’t-“

            “Marinette!” Tikki nearly shouted. “If you get arrested, there will inevitably be a trial, a public one given just how massive this incident was. If that happens, your identity will be exposed to this entire world! Everyone will be in even more danger!”

            Marinette still wanted to go back. Every inch of her body screamed to her, “Go back! Don’t leave him! Don’t let him end up like Chat Noir!” But Tikki was right.

            Marinette had spent enough time ignoring Tikki when she was right.

            “Okay,” she whispered. “I trust you, Tikki.”

            And so, they continued to walk for a while in silence. Marinette had no specific destination, instead merely wandering as the streets filled back up with mammals. Some seemed confused, likely those who had been akumatized, while others searched frantically for friends and family, desperate to know if they were alive. Yet more rejoiced, reveling in their returned safety.

            As time went on, more and more mammals became joyful, all of them realizing that the threat had passed. The streets were flooded with mammals, hugging and embracing as they reunited with loved ones. As the sun began to set, alcoholic beverages were passed around, at which point Marinette decided to do one last thing before she returned home.

            “You know,” she said as she approached the South Zootopia Bridge, “I still don’t get why I came to this world here of all places. Why underneath a bridge?” Dusk had nearly ended, and stars began to dot the sky. She lowered herself onto the ground, sprawling herself onto the grass.

            “Well,” Tikki said cautiously, “What happened, exactly, before you got here?”

            “Uh, well… I was in the Catacombs, and there was this bright light… and then I was here in this body.” Marinette couldn’t for the life of her figure out what it all meant, not even now.

            Tikki, on the other hand, seemed to be pondering this. “Just a bright light? Out of nowhere? Nothing else that you can think of?”

            “I mean, my transformation started to run out of time right before I saw the light… And I was thinking about how I wanted to get away… Do you think that has something to do with it?” Marinette trailed off, unsure of how to piece it all together. For her part, Tikki seemed to have stopped thinking. In fact, Marinette knew the look on the kwami’s face. It was the look she got when she had something she wanted to say, but wasn’t sure whether she should say it or not. “Tikki, you can tell me what you’re thinking.”

            “This might sound a bit strange…. But… I think…”

            “Yeessss?”

            Tikki sighed. When she spoke, her words were slow and cautious. “I think you accidentally used Lucky Charm.”

            Marinette quirked an eyebrow. “What do you mean, ‘accidentally?’”

            “Think about it: You thought about how you wanted to leave, your Miraculous started to beep… and then you were here.

            “Marinette, this entire world is one big, souped-up Lucky Charm!”

Chapter Text

“I… what?” Marinette sat up and scoffed disbelievingly. Had she heard right? “Tikki, that… how would that even be possible? I didn’t even say the words, and besides, my Lucky Charms are always something completely mundane, not… not an entire universe!” Deep down, she wanted to believe Tikki – after all, hadn’t she told herself just a while earlier that she’d ignored her friend enough? – but this… she couldn’t even begin to wrap her mind around it.

            “I’m not entirely sure, Marinette,” Tikki replied. “It’s a very advanced use of Lucky Charm, and I’ve never seen someone do it without being Ladybug for years, first… but there’s a first time for everything.”

            Now Marinette was even more confused. “What’s a very advanced use of Lucky Charm? Creating parallel dimensions with it?” In the distance, the sounds of celebration had begun to die down, but Marinette could only focus on what was happening right there, right now.

            “Emotional amplification,” was Tikki’s response. “You were in a state of extreme grief, and strong feelings like that can greatly enhance your powers. Plus, you were thinking of wanting to get away. Your Miraculous reacted to that desire.”

            Marinette exhaled. “So, what you’re basically saying is…. I created this world and everyone it? But so much had already happened when I first got here – thousands of years of history! Are you saying that I made that happen too? And how would the Butterfly have gotten here?”

            “It’s possible, though it’s just as likely that when you made this world, it came into existence with all of its inhabitants’ memories and histories predefined. The Ladybug Miraculous is just that powerful. As for the Butterfly, I’m not sure, but the Black Cat Miraculous is equally strong. He could easily have used it to tear through the very fabric of reality.”

            Another sigh escaped Marinette’s lips. She flopped back down onto her back and closed her eyes as they began to tear up. “Well, good for him… I guess this explains a lot, really. Like why I came here when I did. And like why everyone here is a talking animal.” She chuckled humorlessly. “But… is any of this even real, then? I mean, if I created this place, then everyone here is a piece of my imagination, right? Nick, Officer Clawhauser, the Whites… none of them exist?”

            Tikki hovered closer to Marinette, nuzzling her cheek in an attempt to comfort her. “I don’t know, Marinette,” she said softly. “It’s possible either way. But at least this means we know how to get back to Earth now.”

            Marinette opened her eyes but still lay on the ground, more befuddled than excited. “We do?”

            “Well, if it’s a Lucky Charm, all you have to do is use it to cast Miraculous Ladybug and that should return you home.”

            Silence. Then, Marinette said, “You’re kidding. All I had to do to get home was use my powers?”  A sharp, bitter laugh that was more like a bark escaped Marinette’s lips.  “Well… this is good, right? I can… I can finally go home…”

            “You don’t sound very happy about that,” Tikki noted.

            “How could I be? If I cast Miraculous Ladybug, my Lucky Charm disappears. If the mammals here are real, if they’re all alive…  they’d all die. I can’t kill an entire planet, Tikki!”

            More silence transpired. That was the defining feature of this spot – quiet. No matter how many cars drove by on the bridge above, even with the noise of the celebration far off, the only sounds ever here were Marinette’s, Tikki’s, and sometimes Nick’s voices. Marinette half expected him to show up and take her in right then and there.

            “Let’s go home, Tikki,” Marinette finally said. “We’re both exhausted.”

            “That’s a good idea. Mrs. White must be furious!”

            “What?” Marinette asked right before it hit her. She bolted upright one last time, clutching her head with her hands. “Oh no! Mrs. White is going to be furious! I haven’t been home in more than three days because I got arrested! Again! Real or not, I don’t want to go to another foster home! Come on, Tikki, we have to go!” Marinette scrambled to her feet and began to run.

***

            As Nick’s eyes slowly peeled open and consciousness returned to him, he noticed a strange scent. It was… clean, almost? Sterile? He couldn’t think of the word, but he hated it either way.

            Now fully awake, he took note of his surroundings. Smell notwithstanding, he was in a pleasantly white room. There was a vase filled with flowers on a bedside table – lilies, to be precise – and he himself was in a fairly comfortable bed. There weren’t any clocks, but judging by the sunlight leaking in through the closed blinds, it seemed to be sometime during the day. 

            Where the hell am I? he thought. What’s going on?

            And that’s when his memories came back to him. “Carrots!” he cried out. Was she okay? Had Ladybug saved her?

            Just then, there was a clicking and rattling sound, and the door to the room opened. Nick braced himself – whomever had brought him here, perhaps? But, instead of someone he’d never met, in stepped Chief Bogo. The buffalo’s expression was as unreadable as ever, though it erred on the side of grumpy.

            “Wilde,” he said curtly. “I see you’ve come to. You’ve been hospitalized.”

            Guess that explains where I am, he thought. “Yeah, that’s great, Chief. What happened to Judy?”

            Chief Bogo grunted. “You’ve got a lot of nerve, Wilde,” he said, ignoring Nick’s question, “calling me ‘chief’ after a stunt like that, and while on suspension, too.”

            Nick pursed his lips. “So, you here to tell me all about the trouble I’m in, or are you going to do something useful and tell me if my partner’s okay?”

            “Shut your trap!” Bogo snapped, his nostrils flaring, stabbing the air with his finger. “Do you have any idea how much grief you gave me? How much danger you and the Dupain-Cheng girl put the entire city in? You’re off the force, Wilde!”

            Nick glowered, ignoring the sinking feeling in his stomach. It hadn’t been his dream, but being a police officer had been nice. “You know,” he said, “that’s nice, but I don’t really care. Is. She. Okay?”

            Bogo glared at Nick, a glare that would have made lesser mammals cower in fear. The air was charged with tension as the two scowled at each other. Finally, though, Bogo relented. “Hopps is fine,” he said.  “She has no memory of the past few days, but she’s fine.”

            A weight lifted from Nick’s chest, one he hadn’t even known had been there. He exhaled, letting out all of his worry and fear along with his breath. Judy’s okay, he thought. Oh, thank God.

            Of course, now would come the bad news, Nick was sure. Bogo would tell him about all the years in prison he’d serve, how he’d never see the light of day again. It was funny, really. He’d spent so many years hustling, staying just barely on the right side of the law, bending it as far as it would go without breaking, and now he’d committed a crime, knowingly and willingly, fully aware of the consequences, and quite frankly, he didn’t regret it one bit. Judy was fine. That’s what was important.

            “So, uh,” Nick said, “No hard feelings, right?”

            Bogo stared blankly, then grunted, got up and left anyway. Nick’s stomach dropped. Oh, was he boned. As the sound of the door opening reached Nick’s ears, the buffalo said six words that made Nick’s heart nearly stop. “You can see him now, Hopps.”

            “Thanks, Chief.”         

            She’s here! he thought, the words echoing in his mind like a cannon blast. He’d known she was fine, but he hadn’t expected to see her so soon. Nick bolted upright just in time to see Judy enter the room as Bogo closed the door behind him.

            Nick expected a moment, like in the movies, where they both stared at each other, neither one saying a thing as they waited for the other to speak first.

            That didn’t happen. Judy rushed forward immediately, wrapping her arms around him in a tackle-hug. “Nick!” she sobbed, her tears wetting Nick’s fur as well as her own. “I was so worried!”

            “Heeeeey, Carrots,” Nick said, doing his best to keep a casual tone as he fought back his own tears. “C’mon, don’t cry. You’d think I was the one who got turned into an evil version of Clawhauser with slightly more horrible fashion sense.”

            Judy swatted him lightly with her fist, a slight bap resulting, but the smile on her face betrayed just how relieved she had to have been to hear him crack a joke. “You dumb fox… I’m not the one who fought an entire legion of magic supervillains. You could be dead right now!”

            Nick sighed and returned Judy’s embraced. “Carrots… if you were stuck like that forever, I might as well be.” Realizing what he just said, he quickly amended, “And if you tell anyone I ever said something so cheesy, I really will die.”

            A light chuckle escaped through Judy’s sobs. “I’ll be sure to post all about it on Muzzlebook, don’t you worry.”

            “And here I thought I could trust you.”

            The two shared a laugh before Nick, albeit reluctantly, broke the hug. He sighed, finally having worked up enough courage to ask his dreaded question. “So… how long am I gonna be behind bars for?”

            Judy cocked her head to the side. “Chief Bogo didn’t tell you?”

            “That bad, huh?”

            “What? No, not at all!” Judy said. A wide smile broke out across her face, her eyes warm and features soft. Nick had to keep himself from asking just why she seemed so happy. “Nick… they know that if it weren’t for you, the city would be destroyed and a whole bunch of mammals would be hurt, plus, they were able to arrest Mr. Big because of this. The prosecutor’s very sympathetic, too, so... they’re going for as light a sentence as possible.”

            Nick gaped. “As… as light a sentence as possible? What are they charging me with?” There had to be a catch. It was probably going to end up being something very harsh, and a “light” sentence was probably ten or more years.

            Judy took a deep breath. Here it is, Nick thought. Here’s the part where I find out that-

            “Misdemeanor obstruction of justice.”

            “What? That… that’s it?” There was no way he had heard right, no way at all.

            And yet, she nodded. “You’ll probably get a fine and community service but… you and Marinette are basically heroes now. The entire city’s talking about the ‘hero cop’ and the ‘mysterious vigilante.’ No jury would convict you. They best they can do is a plea bargain.”

            Nick stared for a moment, mouth agape as it slowly dawned on him that this was actually, really truly happening. “Holy crap,” he said, his voice breathy. Then, in a more normal voice, “Wait, ‘mysterious?’ How is Marinette’s identity not all over the internet at this point?”

            “We haven’t released her identity to the public; mammals just saw you with Ladybug. Heck, they don’t even know that she’s called Ladybug yet. We’re planning on having a press conference about that, in fact. Let the city know what’s happened, but not reveal her identity. She’s even agreed to work with us in the event this happens again.”

            Nick exhaled and leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. “Well, I guess she’ll be glad about that. Where is she, anyway?”

***

            Marinette Dupain-Cheng stood outside her fourth foster home in less than two years. Hopefully, it would be her last, no matter what happened.

            It was a small house, divided into two apartments – one upstairs, one downstairs. It stood in one of the quieter neighborhoods in Zootopia, and was only a short walk away from her school, which Marinette was thankful for. It wasn’t as close as her home back in Paris was to her middle school, but it was close enough. She could even continue at the same school, something else she was thankful for.

            The Whites had, unsurprisingly, kicked Marinette out. After she’d come home from the fight with Ultrasonic, she’d found Mrs. and Mr. White sitting in the living room, all of Marinette’s possessions and clothing haphazardly shoved into a valise. She hadn’t said anything, but the message had been clear. To his credit, Mr. White seemed somewhat apologetic, though Mrs. White remained as prickly as ever.

            That was a week ago. She’d spent that past week still at the White’s house while Child Services found a new home for her, watching TV on her phone. News of the Ultrasonic incident had taken the world by storm, photos of herself and Nick as they leaped from rooftop to rooftop all over the news and the internet. Blog sites had cropped up, determined to document every possible explanation for the incident. They didn’t know her name yet, simply calling her the Masked Mammal, but Nick had been identified nearly right away, having been recognized for his role in solving the Night Howler conspiracy a few years back.

            “Well, shall we go in?” Tikki said as Marinette wandered in her recollections.

            “Yeah.” Marinette’s voice strained as she tried to keep her feelings of unreality out of it. The whole thing felt bizarre, really. She’d never expected her new foster father to be him. Of course, if she’d truly created this world, didn’t that make her his parent? Everyone here’s parent? Did that make her some sort of goddess? Or was she just living in an illusion? She suddenly felt very light headed.

            “Marinette?” Tikki asked when Marinette stayed put.

            “Oh, right,” she replied, doing her best to ground herself. “Sorry, Tikki. I wonder where he is, though?”

            Just as she voiced this thought, the front door opened, a smiling, eager face emerging from inside the house to greet her. The cheetah ran down the steps, colliding with Marinette in a big bear hug, Tikki flying into Marinette’s purse to hide. Although most of the ZPD knew Ladybug’s true identity, Tikki’s existence remained secret to all save Nick and Marinette.

            “Marinette!” Clawhauser squealed. “Oh, it’s so good to see you! We’re gonna have so much fun together!”

            “Hi… Clawhauser…” Marinette managed to get out, her voice strained once again, but this time from a lack of air. Clawhauser continued to squeeze her tightly as he walked back towards the house, seemingly unaware of his new ward’s predicament.

            “Oh, you would not believe how much I’ve been looking forward to this! Lemme show you your new room!”

            “My… stuff…”

            “Huh?” Clawhauser looked behind him and saw Marinette’s bag laying on the sidewalk. “Oh, right! Silly me!” He let go and Marinette dropped to the ground, gasping for air. Clawhauser, still seemingly oblivious, waddled back over and picked it up. “Alright! Now let me show you your new room!”

            Just inside the house there was a little landing. A set of carpeted stairs led to an apartment on the upper floor, while a door led to Clawhauser’s place. “Sorry if my place is a bit messy,” he was saying. “I just moved in. Wanted to get away from old place after… after getting… well, changed there.”

            Marinette placed a hand on his side, a gentle expression on her face. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Clawhauser.”

            “Thanks…” he said, but he clearly didn’t want to talk about it. His somber demeanor vanished in an instant. “Anyway, let’s go in!”

            He excitedly threw open the door, and inside was a small living space. Marinette could see a little hallway that led to what looked like a kitchen. Beyond that, Clawhauser explained, there was a bathroom and two bedrooms.

            “Do you need help unpacking?” he asked as they entered what would be her room. It was small, smaller than what she’d had at the Whites’, but it was comfortable in a cozy sort of way.

            “No, I’m good. Thanks, though.”

            “Okay! Holler if you need anything.”

            Marinette flopped down on her new bed, surprised to find at how soft it felt. Light poured in through a window, but she soon found herself drifting off into sleep. The last thing she heard was Tikki’s voice: “Sleep well, Marinette.”

            When she awoke, it was to the sound of rain. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she rose, and looked to see that Clawhauser had left two slices of pizza on her desk, along with a note. It read, “Ordered out! Was going to wake you up, but you just looked so peaceful! Enjoy!”

            Marinette, however, felt anything but peaceful. She poked at the pizza, felt that it was still warm and took a bite, chewing slowly to savor the taste and moreover, to make sure she truly was tasting it. If it was illusory, it was at least delicious. She shared the second slice with Tikki.

            “Are you okay, Marinette?” she asked after they were done eating. Tikki’s slice was only a quarter finished, though Marinette supposed that was to be expected, given her small size.

            “I don’t know,” Marinette replied truthfully. “Everything feels just so weird. Like I’m dreaming and could wake up at any time. I’m trying to stay positive, but… it’s just so hard.”

            From the living room, she could hear Clawhauser watching television. It sounded like a news report about the Ultrasonic attack at first, though as it went on, Marinette realized it was a re-airing of the press conference the police had given.

            It had been held two days ago in front of City Hall. Mammals of all shapes, sizes and walks of life had been in attendance, Marinette included. Or rather, Ladybug included. Judy had asked her to attend, and given that the Butterfly could akumatize anyone again at any given time, Marinette had decided it would be for the best to make an appearance.

            “I promise,” she had said after explaining what had happened, “that I will protect all of you. You have nothing to fear.” Assuming you’re all real.

            “Ladybug,” a beaver reporter begun to ask, though Marinette could not remember what the question was or how she had answered for the life of her. What she did remember, though, was seeing Clawhauser after the conference. He hadn’t said anything, but Marinette could tell exactly what he was thinking by just looking at him, standing there in the precinct as mammals filed out, sorrow pervading in his expression.

            As the television shut off, Marinette stood and walked out to the living room. Clawhauser sat with puffy eyes and matted fur, his head in his hands.

            “Hey,” she said.

            Clawhauser gave a startled gasp, knocking his knees into the coffee table. “Ouch! Oh, Marinette, you’re awake. You surprised me!”

            “Don’t beat yourself up, okay? It really wasn’t your fault.”

            Neither of them said anything for a while, simply staring into each other’s eyes. Finally, Clawhauser spoke. “Simone Cowell retired.” His voice was small.

            “I heard,” Marinette replied solemnly. She actually had heard, too, having received a notification of Simone Cowell’s retirement from the music industry on her smartphone’s news app. “But she’s not important. She was a jerk who said awful things that left you vulnerable to the Butterfly. That’s all.”

            “I… I don’t want to talk about this,” Clawhauser said. Marinette opened her mouth to reply, but the words died on her tongue. If he didn’t want to discuss things, that was his decision to make. She had no right to try and force him.  “You should go to bed early. You’ve got school tomorrow.”

            “Right.” Marinette nodded and returned to her room. When she got there, she sprawled out on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

            “That was very kind of you, Marinette,” TIkki said. “Does this mean you’ve decided that they’re real?”

            Marinette shook her head. “I still don’t know, but…” She took a deep breath. “I think I need to spend more time in this world to decide. I have to be absolutely sure.”

            “Okay. I’ll support you in whatever decision you come to.”

            “Thanks, Tikki.” And with that, the two fell into quiet. Marinette crawled under the covers, doing her best not to think about how unreal this all felt. And so, the sounds of the city at night resonated in her ears as she slowly, so slowly, fell asleep.

***

            Time passed.

            Summer came and went. Long days at the pool and hot nights of being lulled to sleep by the buzz of the AC gave way to Halloween decorations and pumpkin spice lattes. During this time, Nick found a new job as a waiter at an upscale restaurant in Sahara Square. It was demanding work, but he didn’t mind. After all, being a police officer was Judy’s dream. His dream was Judy.

            Marinette’s grades at school improved dramatically. They hadn’t been bad to begin with, but now she applied herself with an inexhaustible vigor, and soon she was at the top of her class. She joined the sewing club at school, becoming fast friends with its members. She still couldn’t tell if they were real, but if she tried hard enough, and focused just right, she could forget that she didn’t know.

            Autumn ended. The first snowfall of the year outside Tundra Town arrived in late November. Christmas trees and snowmen lined the streets of the city. Candy cane cutouts lined the windows of most shops. Before either Nick or Marinette had noticed, it was already Christmas.

            Marinette spent Christmas Eve at a party with her friends from the sewing club, and Christmas Day with Clawhauser – whom she’d taken to simply calling Ben – and his family. Once they returned to their house however, Marinette made sure to think of her own family and friends back home, sending her well-wishing to them in her heart and trying not to think too hard of how she missed them.

            Nick, meanwhile, spent Christmas in Bunny Burrow with Judy and her family and quickly won over her parents and most of her siblings with his wit and charm. The next day, they returned home, bellies full of delicious food prepared by the Hopps family.

            And so, Christmas ended, and New Year’s Eve soon after.

***

            Snow covered the ground, a thick blanket of white fluff. Tree branches shook lightly in the wind. Nick stood in the barren cemetery, kneeling in front of his mother’s grave. He could see his breath as it appeared in wisps of steam-like vapor in front of him.

            “Hey, Mom,” he said, his voice subdued as he let the cold air wash over him like a shower. Finally, he spoke again. “You know. I’ve never told you this, but I was angry when you went cuckoo. I was all, ‘boohoo, why me?’” He breathed deeply, feeling the winter chill enter his lungs. “When I found out you were dead… well, I was pissed. I hated you. All I knew was that I was a fox, and that I had to be shifty and untrustworthy for things to make sense.” He closed his eyes as they teared up. “But… I know that’s not true now. I know I can live honorably. I know I can believe in myself, and I know that Judy believes in me. I’m going to a party tonight, and well… I need your help. I’m going… I’m going to ask Judy a very important question. If you’re out there, somewhere… I’d like you to maybe convince her to believe in me just a bit more.”

            That night, Nick and Judy pulled up in front Precinct One in Nick’s beat-up old jalopy of a car. He’d always wanted to get a better one, but alas, it just wasn’t in the budget. Nick got out and walked around to the passenger side, opening the door for Judy and helping her out.  

            “Why thank you, sir,” Judy said as Nick took her paw and lifted her up. She wore a pink dress and a faux-silver necklace, while Nick wore a nice-looking red polo shirt and khaki slacks, their fur immaculately groomed for the occasion.

            “It’s not a problem at all, my good madam,” Nick said, doing his best to ignore the pounding in his chest as the two walked paw in paw. In addition to his anxiety, it felt a bit weird coming back this place after so long, especially when the last time he’d been here it was for a jailbreak.

            Inside, the ZPD was filled with officers, almost all of them out of uniform. They talked amongst themselves, soft music playing over a pair of large speakers. Bogo stood at the front, hunched over his phone. Nick imagined he was either working on a case somehow, or researching the latest celebrity gossip. Either way, it was a bit sad.

            “Hey, it’s a party,” Nick called out. “Don’t be a killjoy!”

            Bogo shot Nick a look. “Can it, Wilde. You’re lucky we’re even letting you in.” Then, he went back to his screen.

            “Ten bucks says he’s playing with the new Gazelle app,” Judy whispered once they were out earshot.

            “Ten bucks says he downloaded it the second it went on the app store,” Nick agreed.

            The couple drifted through the party as Judy chatted with her coworkers and Nick caught up with old friends. Surprisingly, none of them seemed to begrudge Nick anything. He’d expected there to some sort of animosity, but everyone was every bit as jovial with him as they’d been when he was on the force.

            A few hours passed. Nick’s phone read “11:28.” It was nearly time.

            “I’ll be back in just a moment, Carrots,” he said. “Gonna get us some drinks.

            “Sure thing,” Judy said. She gave him a peck on the cheek, and Nick’s heart fluttered.

            There’s plenty more of those in the future, he thought. He hoped.

            Nick made his way not towards the drinks, but rather the speakers. His heart beat madly in his chest. He felt every step acutely as his paw touched the floor.

            Just then, something in the corner of the room caught his attention. It was a white cat, perhaps about sixteen, playing on her phone by the wall.

            “Marinette?” Nick asked as he approached her. “What are you doing here?”

            “Huh?” Marinette looked up. “Oh! Nick! Hey. My friends are all out of town so Benjamin said I could come. It’s so weird though. Everyone here is so much older than me.”

            Nick raised an eyebrow.

            “Oh, I don’t mean that you’re old! Just that you’re old-er than me! Sorry!”

            A light chortle left Nick’s mouth. “Hey, relax kid. I’m just ribbing you.” He leaned in closer and lowered his voice. “I still can’t believe there haven’t been any more… er, supervillains. Are you sure this Butterfly guy can do it more than once?”

            Marinette nodded. “He used to do it all the time back home… But…” She trailed off. When she resumed, there was a look of relief in her eyes. “I think he’s given up. He knows he can’t beat me. I mean, I’m not sure, but… it’s not bad to hope for, you know?”

            “Well, I’ve never been one to encourage optimism, but whatever floats your boat, kid.” He had to admit though, it would be nice to not have to repeat the Ultrasonic incident. Once was enough.

            Another laugh, this time from Marinette. “You cynic.”

            Suddenly, the new Hyena Gomez song started playing on the speakers. “Crap, I gotta go. Wish me luck!” Nick found himself tacking on. He hurried away, leaving a very confused-looking Marinette behind.

            He reached the stage by the speakers right as the clock ticked 11:32. Right on schedule. “Alright,” he said to himself before asking the DJ for the mic. He searched out Judy in the crow and found her right where he left her. He tapped the microphone a few times and a horrible screech echoed in the precinct. “Is this thing on?”

            The deadpan looks from everyone there answered his question. Well, this is going swimmingly, he thought. “Excellent! I have an important announcement I’d like to make.” Judy’s face changed, a confused expression on it as murmurs rippled through the large room. “As you all know, Judy has been my partner for a very long time. She’s a kindhearted, hardworking, and exceptionally good-looking bunny.” That last bit elicited some chuckles. Mammals started to take their phones out as they realized what was happening, but Nick felt himself clamming up. He decided to skip to the good part. “I know that when you do this, you’re supposed to give a long speech, but I don’t think there’s much I can say that you don’t already know, Judy. I love you, and want to be with you forever.” He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a diamond ring he’d bought with several years’ worth of savings. Judy’s mouth dropped open, tears forming in her eyes. Whether this was a good or a bad thing, Nick couldn’t tell. “Judy Hopps… Carrots.

            “Will you marry me?”

***

            “Oh my goodness,” Marinette mouthed. She’d known Nick and Officer Hopps were close but… wow. She hadn’t known they were dating.

            Silence hung over the room. Marinette looked back and forth between Officer Hopps and Nick, a large smile on her face. She had to stop herself from squealing in delight.

            Officer Hopps said nothing. Instead, tears fell down her face as she looked down at the ground.

            “Oh shoot,” Nick whispered, apparently not realizing he was still talking into the mic as his words carried across the room. He jumped off the stage, rushing over to his beloved. “Carrots, I’m sorry. Was this too much? Are you not ready? I can wait; I can wait as long as you need, forever even-“

            Officer Hopps launched herself onto Nick, nearly knocking him to the ground as she embraced him. “YES!” she shouted, and Marinette realized her tears were of joy. “Of course! I was planning on asking you, actually,” she said, laughing through as she cried.

            “R-really?” Nick asked.

            “Yeah! Tonight, actually, when we got home.” She pulled away and dug into her pocket, producing a ring identical to Nick’s.

            “You’re a sly bunny. I love you, you know that?”

            “Do I know that? Why, yes. Yes, I do!” She kissed him, and the entire room broke out into applause.

            Marinette too, clapped. As Nick and Officer Hopps began to tease each other about who should wear the ring, she slipped into the ladies’ room.

            “Did you see that, Tikki?” she asked, her voice delighted. She could see her wide grin in the mirror.

            The kwami flew out of Marinette’s jacket. “Yes! They really do love each other so much!”

            “I know,” Marinette said. Then, more calmly, “I know. I’ve come to a decision Tikki.”

            “A decision? About…” she trailed off.

            Marinette nodded, her eyes resolute and melancholy all at once. “Yeah. About Zootopia. About… about going home.” She breathed deeply.

            “Did you see the looks on their faces, Tikki?”

            “Yeah, I did. They seemed very happy.”

            “Tikki, they weren’t just happy. They were in love. They are in love! I… I couldn’t create true love like that. The only love I ever head was a crush on Adrien, and even then, I was too blind to see that he was the black kitten who loved me back. Even if this world did come from my Miraculous, it exists independently of me. It’s real, and I can’t destroy it for my own happiness.”

            “But… you’ll never see Paris again. You’ll never see your friends and family again. Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

            She shook her head. “Of course I’m not okay with it, Tikki. Alya must miss me so much, to say nothing of my parents. But… they won’t die because I’m not in their lives. If I go home, everyone here will die. They’re all people with hopes and dreams and loves.”

            A smile crossed Tikki’s face. “I’m proud of you, Marinette. You’ve really come into your own.”

            “Thanks, Tikki,” Marinette replied, tears welling up in her eyes. She blinked them away. “C’mon, let’s get back to the party. It’s a whole new world out there. I think it’s time we believed in its possibilities.”

THE END