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celestiall0tus · 6 days

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Tales of Bloody Bug and Chat Noir - Chapter 23 - Guitar Villain

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“Woah, Chloe, you’re hosting another party?” Adrien asked.

“That’s right, Adrikins. I had some fun with that itty bitty get together, so why not do another one?” Chloe said.

“And with it being December and the holidays around the corner, we thought it would be fun to have a big Christmas party and even host a secret Santa event for anyone interested. It’s going to be so much fun,” Sabrina cheered.

“Plus, it gives us more time to properly plan something instead of that slapped together mess last week.”

“And we’re going to try to get things we couldn’t really on short notice. I know we’re considering hiring Jagged Stone or XY for the entertainment.”

“No XY. Bl-… I mean, Alix, doesn’t like XY,” Chloe remarked.

“But, Chloe, with Jagged Stone’s newest concert kicking off in January, he may not be available,” Sabrina pointed out.

“Fine, but still no XY.”

“Chloe, I have a question. Are you throwing this party as an excuse to get close to Alix?” Adrien asked.

Chloe winced and ducked her head. “That’s one of the reasons.”

“You don’t have to throw these parties just to get near Alix. You can just talk to her. I know she looks like she’ll tear your head off, but she’s actually really chill,” Adrien explained.

“She’s only that way if she tolerates you. Have you not been paying attention to her attitude towards everyone else this past week?” Kagami countered.

“She’s just… not in a good place. Something happened that sent her spiraling, and now she just… doesn’t want to talk,” Adrien explained.

“Why bother not talking? Doesn’t she know not talking is worse?” Sabrina asked.

“She does, and she told me she just wants to feel the weight of everything she’s done. She said she doesn’t want to run from them anymore but isn’t ready to talk just yet.”

Sabrina and Chloe exchanged glances. Chloe opened her mouth, then shut it and curled her nose. She turned as Marinette, Alya, Rose, Juleka, and Mylene approached them.

“Ugh, I thought I smelled the poor. Let’s go, Sabrina,” Chloe hissed.

Chloe and Sabrina left. Kagami got up and stood between Adrien and the girls.

“What do you all want?” Kagami demanded.

“We have an invitation for Adrien for a Christmas party we’re planning,” Marinette said.

Kagami held out her hand. Marinette looked at the girls hesitantly before she put the invitation in Kagami’s hand. Kagami took the invitation and tore it up, letting the shreds fall to the ground.

“Hey! Why would you do that?” Alya demanded.

“Adrien already has prior plans for Christmas than your pitiful attempts of a party.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to be rude about it!”

“And you don’t have to sit here still, fighting with me like it’ll get you somewhere. He’s not going to your crummy party, end of discussion. Leave. Now.”

Alya snarled, grabbed Marinette’s hand, and left with the girls. Kagami returned to the bench next to Adrien.

“Thanks, Kagami, but you don’t have to be so harsh.”

“I’ve been asked to keep the pigtail girl and the brunette away from you. Your father’s orders.”

“I know, and I appreciate it, if not still surprised Father cared, even if a little. But you can be a little-.”

“Would you give this speech to Alix?” Kagami interrupted.

“Well, I did when I first met her, before I got to know her.”

“Then stop now. Her and I are one and the same.”

Anger struck Adrien. “No, you’re not the same. You could never be what Alix is.”

“Adrien, I’m not blind. I can see that she and I are the same.”

“No, you’re not. She’s her own person. Compassionate, harsh, caring, angry, considerate, rude, brave, chaotic, and so much more. She’s so much more than a mere statue that’s blindly following orders because that’s what our parents want.”

Kagami sneered and opened her mouth but was cut off when Nino ran up to them.

“Dude, did you see the news about Jagged Stone?” Nino asked.

Adrien shook his head.

Nino pulled out his phone and showed Adrien. “Jagged Stone’s concert and tour was hijacked by XY.”

Adrien raised a brow as he read the article. Bob Roth, the agent of Jagged Stone, announced that Jagged Stone’s new tour had been cancelled for XY’s first official tour after XY’s first album knocked Jagged Stone out of the number one spot.

“What the-? What about Jagged Stone’s concert for Bloody Bug and Chat Noir?” Adrien asked.

Nino shrugged. “It’s been taken over by XY as well. Probably for the best.”

“The best? Do you like XY’s stuff?”

“Yeah, dude. It’s no insult to Jagged Stone, but XY is just better.”

“Uh, right. Hey, have you seen Alix?”

“She’s up in our homeroom class with her head on the desk. I don’t think she left that spot since the lunch bell.”

Adrien ran upstairs to their homeroom class to see Alix still in the same spot. He headed inside and sat at Chloe’s desk.

“Alix? We may have an issue.”

Alix sighed and lifted her head, so her chin rested on the desk. “What happened?”

“I just saw on the news that Jagged Stone’s concert for you know who has been cancelled in favor of one held by XY. And last I heard from Chloe, Jagged Stone had checked into Le Grand Paris a couple days ago.”

“Oh, fuck us. Is XY or that idiot agent here in Paris too?”

“I don’t know.”

Alix sighed. “Alright. Well, keep an eye on the news in case-.”

Adrien’s phone buzzed. He looked down to see a new message from Nino. He opened it and saw a live interview from XY, who was at the news station. He pressed play as he and Alix watched XY trash Jagged Stone calling him a has-been, Ragged Stone, and old school.

“Fucking punk ass bitch,” Alix hissed.

“How long do you think before Jagged is akumatized?”

“However long, it’s going to be today.”

“What should we do?”

“I’ll go keep an eye out. I’ll message you when he’s been akumatized.”

“Wait, you aren’t ditching, are you?”

“It’s not ditching when you have a solid excuse and a dad that’ll raise hell over it. I’ll be in touch.”

Alix stood and headed out of the classroom. Kagami stepped inside after Alix left.

“How did your talk go?”

“It went well. Thank you for staying outside.”

“I have no reason to fear Alix. You’re in good hands with her.”

“Really? I figured my father would have told you otherwise.”

“He did.”

“Then why-?”

“Because I am my own person too, Adrien. I can make my own judgements that differ from my orders.”

Adrien flinched at Kagami’s words. He opened his mouth but was cut off by the bell. They took their seats and started the second half of their day until Mr. Damocles ran in before the bell.

“Mr. Damocles? Is everything alright?” Miss Bustier asked.

“Everyone, get to shelter! A dragon has been spotted flying over Paris with a guitar villain riding it.”

Adrien pursed his lips. He pulled out his phone to see a message from Alix about the dragon, Jagged Stone being akumatized, and that the dragon was hers to deal with. She also wished him luck getting away from Kagami and transforming.

Frustration gnawed at Adrien as he puzzled over how to get away from Kagami as they were ushered from the classroom. They headed to the gym when a roar shattered the relative silence. The earth shook violently as everyone turned to see the dragon and Bloody Bug. He watched Bloody Bug remove her yo-yo from the dragon’s muzzle and ensnared its wings before she jumped down in front of it.

Adrien stepped back to make his way to a bathroom when Kagami grabbed his arm. He cursed silently as she pulled him aside while everyone watched Bloody Bug’s fight with the dragon.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Kagami demanded.

“I… I was going to the bathroom.”

“At a time like this? Do you want to die?”

Adrien sucked in a breath and sighed. “Kagami, I can’t tell you. Not now. I don’t feel I can trust you completely. And, it’s wrong of me to ask this, but I need you to trust that I’ll be safe. I need you to trust in me.”

“You expect me to put my full trust in you when you won’t do the same for me?”

“Yes.”

“And why would I do that?”

“Because you said it yourself. You are your own person, Kagami. You are capable of making your own judgments that aren’t what our parents have demanded of you. I understand the need and want to follow their rules, to constantly have their approval, but sometimes it’s not worth it. Especially when blood means nothing more than obligation and not genuine connection.”

“I-.”

“Please. I want to trust you. I want to share this with you to make our lives easier, but I can’t yet. I agree with another person that I don’t know that once you know, you won’t rat me out. I know I’m asking the world for you to trust me when I don’t trust you, but if you knew, you’d understand. At least, I hope you would.”

Kagami frowned, then sighed. “Fine. I’ll trust you. But! If I find you hurt in any way, I won’t trust you ever again.”

“Thank you, Kagami.”

“Just… go, before I change my mind.”

Adrien ran to the nearest bathroom and transformed into Chat Noir. He slipped out a window, climbed up onto the roof, and jumped down onto the dragon’s head. Bloody Bug jumped back and glared at him.

“Where’s Jagged Stone?” Chat Noir asked.

“Last I saw Guitar Villain was on his way to find XY, wherever that little bitch is at. He’s probably still looking without his pet to help him. Isn’t that right you big scaly bastard.”

Chat Noir nodded and looked up. He spotted Gallic Chick, Porcelet, and Carapace on the roof. “Gallic Chick, Porcelet! You two are with me! Carapace, give Bug an arena to fight in!”

Chat Noir leapt up as Bloody Bug used her Lucky Charm. He watched from the roof as she threw up a mic to Carapace as a turtle shell dome covered over her and the dragon. Carapace took the mic and commentated her fight with the dragon. He smiled and headed off with Gallic Chick and Porcelet.

“Gallic Chick, can you use Sublimation to track Guitar Villain or XY?” Chat Noir asked.

Gallic Chick nodded. She used Sublimation and gained the power of tracking. A glowing trail materialized. They followed it to the News Station up to the room where XY was being interviewed. They arrived as Guitar Villain had XY and Bob Roth captured.

“Well, it’s about time!” Bob Roth yelled.

Guitar Villain turned and smiled. “Look who has arrived. Ready to join my fan club, heroes?”

“Come rock our worlds, Jagged,” Chat Noir remarked.

“The name’s Guitar Vil-.”

Porcelet ran up to Guitar Villain and held out her arms. “Gift!”

A pink sphere materialized in front of Guitar Villain. He slumped as he stared into the orb. Porcelet smiled, took Guitar Villain’s guitar, and trotted over to Chat Noir.

“Well, that was anti-climactic,” Chat Noir mumbled.

“It’s all about efficiency, Chat Noir. The faster we take down the villains, the better we can showcase our efficiency and that the people can trust and depend on us,” Porcelet explained.

Chat Noir tilted his head, then smiled. “You and Bug have similar approaches to this. I like that.”

Porcelet’s eyes lit up as she beamed. Chat Noir patted her head, took the guitar, and smashed it against the ground. The Akuma flew up as he used Cataclysm and destroyed it. Guitar Villain reverted to Jagged Stone as he looked around.

“What the-? How did I end up here?” Jagged Stone asked.

Chat Noir moved and helped Jagged Stone up. “Gallic Chick, Porcelet, you two can head back. I’ll handle things from here.”

“If I may, could I stay a little longer. I would love to see this part,” Porcelet asked.

Chat Noir nodded and turned to Jagged Stone. “Jagged, you were akumatized. What happened?”

“What happened? What happened? This pompous, money hungry reaper of music and the little perfume ad want to toss me aside. They stole my concert and my tour dedicated to you and Bloody Bug!” Jagged Stone yelled.

“You’re old news, Jagged. The heroes don’t-,” Bob Roth started.

“I’d love to disappoint, but Bloody Bug wouldn't show up to an XY concert,” Gallic Chick butted in.

“What?” Bob Roth and XY yelled.

“That’s right. Bug hates XY’s music but loves Jagged’s. Well, I know she loves metal and rock,” Chat Noir added.

“See? Now, give me back my tour and concert!” Jagged Stone demanded.

“Why would I-?” Bob Roth began.

“Think of the money,” Gallic Chick interrupted.

“You have my attention.”

“Picture it. The heroes and saviors of Paris, frontline against their dastardly enemy with rock legend, Jagged Stone. The merchandise, the photo shoots, magazine articles, interviews, everything! You already have the whole city thrilled at the prospect of anything dedicated to their heroes. Why not make a profit off this like the other business tycoons in this city? Or, you can stick to your silly, one-time at the top of the charts loser here and miss out on such a lucrative opportunity. Your choice,” Gallic Chick offered.

Bob Roth hummed. “You’re smarter than your colleagues, rooster girl. Very well, I’ll agree, but none of you get any of the profit from sales.”

“Fine by me. I don’t need any of your frivolous profits,” Gallic Chick remarked.

“Same here and for Bug,” Chat Noir said.

“Money doesn’t bring me any joy. All I need is my bestie,” Porcelet chimed.

Gallic Chick smiled and hugged Porcelet.

“Oh, and Carapace should be fine, but any events that need a DJ, he gets to be the DJ,” Chat Noir added.

“Deal and deal. Alright, Jagged, you get your concert and tour back,” Bob Roth announced.

“Awesome! Rock and roll, baby! Hey, heroes, let’s get a picture!”

Chat Noir, Gallic Chick, and Porcelet nodded and took a few pictures with Jagged Stone before they headed out back to school. Chat Noir slipped back into the bathroom and de-transformed before he headed in search of Kagami. He looked around the school, but it was empty. He headed outside to find everyone heading out or waiting for their rides. Kagami stood near the road with both their things.

“Kagami!” Adrien called.

Kagami turned as Adrien approached her. “You’re in one piece. Good. I can trust you with whatever it is you’re doing.”

“Thank you. I’m sorry to ask so much of you, but I just can’t trust this to anyone.”

“It means that much to you?”

“Yes. I finally get to be free. I’m not trapped in a life forced on me. I get to be out with friends and so much more. It’s the life I dreamed of, and now that I have it, I’m not letting it go. If I need to, I will fight everyone for it, even you, but I don’t want to do that.”

“You don’t?”

“No. I don’t like that you’re forced to babysit me. I would like us to be friends, but not like how our parents want it. I want to know you, hang out as I would with Chloe, Nino, or Alix, and all that. I just want to be able to enjoy each other’s company without the expectations of our parents. What about you?”

“I… don’t know.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your culture is not mine, Adrien. I must always respect my mother. She sacrificed so much for me and the very least I can do is give her my undying loyalty. After all, she’s the reason I’m allowed to live. The only way to repay such a gift and sacrifice is to give yourself to them.”

“Kagami, I was told something that resonated with me after my father, well, blamed me for getting assaulted. The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb. Just because someone is responsible for bringing you into this world, you don’t owe them anything.”

Kagami smiled. “It’s a nice thought, but I couldn’t. My mother is my life. My moves are also hers and that’s just the way it is.”

Adrien sighed. He stood in silence with Kagami as his ride showed up.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Adrien.”

“Yeah. See you tomorrow.”

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milarqui · 10 months

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Scarlet Lady: Guitar Villain

Directory | Pixelator

Jagged finished his solo, sliding on his knees, and strummed the last note in the latest song he had come up with.

“Whaddya think, perfect for the album, eh, Bob? Totally killer?”

“What would be really killer would be a duet with XY!”

Ugh.

Jagged stood up again and adjusted his Eiffel Sunglasses – he had barely taken them off since the issue with Pixelator got resolved – to glare at his manager.

“You kidding me?! I'm not singing with some kid who doesn't even shave yet!”

Nevermind that his music was the most simple and un-rock-n-roll thing in the world of music.

But, for some reason, Bob liked the boy.

“That 'kid' is number 1 on the sales chart!” Bob exclaimed.

“Bob, what would a duet between Jagged and XY even sound like?” Penny, ever the magnificent, interrupted. “They're not even the same music genre!”

“Oh, it'll be fine after you modernize your music, find a new style, and change everything about yourself.”

“FUCK OFF.”

Seriously, what the hell did this guy think? That he was gonna fold like paper?

“Are these album covers part of your 'modernization'?” he asked, disgusted. “They look like perfume ads, blegh!”

Piss on that. And on his ideas. If he wanted a perfume ad on a cover, then he'd better slam it on that sell-out.

“Bob, me and Jagged want to commission the collége student who made his glasses: Marinette,” Penny intervened once more. He could kiss her – she was always the best with this diplomacy stuff. “She's talented, gets his tastes, and is in our target demographic.”

“A collége student?! You can't be–!”

He made a subtle sign.

And Fang 'casually' passed by Bob's side and growled rather menacingly.

He grinned; it had taken a while to get Fang to do that on command, but it had been totally worth it.

“AH, I mean, fine! But think about the duet!”

Yeah, piss on that.

Why the hell did he keep this idiot as his manager, again?

----

“Adrien, Mlle. Bourgeois requests your presence,” Nathalie suddenly announced. “For a 'surprise'.”

“Eh?! Uh...” It wasn't that he hated Chloé, but... as of late, he wasn't exactly keen on being alone with her.

Alright, he really disliked the idea. Lately, Chloé had become clingier, more irritating... she even tried to ruin any attempt he made to be with Marinette, like at the zoo (granted, Animan would have ruined it anyway, but still...).

“Ah, well, I would but, uh, I should really go over my Chinese and–”

“Adrien. You're always asking for more time with your friends and now that I offer you the opportunity you refuse?”

Yeah, because every other time I ask is to be with Nino, Marinette and Alya!

“Ah, I just meant –”

“Also, your father already accepted, so play nice.”

…

Dammit, père.

The one time he could have used his negative...

----

“Adrichou secured!” Chloé declared, and Tikki resigned herself to having to deal with whatever harebrained scheme she had come up with this time.

“Why'd you call Adrien?”

“So he can meet Jagged Stone, of course!”

He had met him last week, right?

She would have voiced the thought, but Chloé interrupted by shoving her hand almost into her face.

“Rule of the Bourgeois number 148: have a best friend to pamper! Preferably a rich one.”

That explained a lot about the family.

“But his daddy might stop Adrien from seeing me, which is why it's good to have a back up.”

She would have liked to point out that it was likelier that Adrien's father would force him to see Chloé, but chose to concentrate on the most immediate problem.

“'Back up'?”

“Rule 72: all guys have to be crazy about you,” Chloé replied, filling up an order for a pizza with no sauce, no cheese, and gluten-free crust – and requested the pizzeria to send their cutest delivery guy. Tikki did not mention that every guy that knew Chloé ranged from growing disinterest (Adrien) to wouldn't-spit-on-her-if-she-were-on-fire (all her other classmates). “And I know just the guy!”

----

“So, you're in, yes or no?”

“You want me to create Jagged Stone's new album cover?!”

Marinette was shocked. Jagged Stone's manager had come to make her an offer she would have never considered possible.

“Requested by Jagged Stone himself! He wants you to take us in a new direction!”

“A 'new direction'?”

There was something weird in that comment.

“Here, I brought you a visual reference,” Roth said, pulling out something from his pocket.

“Oh, thank–!” She saw what was on that object and her enthusiasm dried up. “You...”

This... this didn't look like what Jagged Stone normally had in his album covers. This looked more like something XY did.

“... um, this looks a little–”

“It's what Jagged Stone wants,” Roth interrupted her.

“Are you sur–”

“What Jagged Stone wants.”

She gave the man a weird look, but with her parents' permission she went upstairs to her room, to begin working on it.

“Ugh, why does Jagged Stone want to change to this?!” she exclaimed. “It's cold, soulless, repetitive, banal. The opposite of Jagged's style and mine. But it's what I was asked to do...”

“What do your parents do with bad requests?” Pollen asked.

“My parents?”

“Mhmm!”

“Well, sometimes they give a sample of what the customer asked for just to prove how awful it is. Sometimes it makes the customer realize how bad it is.”

“Oh!”

She put her hands together as in prayer and leaned into them.

“But sometimes it makes them like it more!”

“Oh.”

----

Entering the hotel's foyer, he walked up to the desk and showed the pizza box to the receptionist.

“Pizza for Mlle. Bourgeois: Penthouse suite,” he said in a bored tone: the sooner he got out of here, the better.

“Merci,” the receptionist replied, smiling, taking the box and leaving to drop it with the client.

“Luka?”

At the sound of the voice, he turned, smiling.

“Marinette!”

“What are you doing here?” Marinette asked.

“The Grande Paris Princess ordered a pizza,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“Whaaa? Chloé did?” Her face of confusion was cute, and her confusion was understandable.

“She prepaid, so it's legit,” he reassured her. “What are you doing here?”

“I have a meeting with Jagged Stone.”

He felt his jaw drop.

“Jagged Stone?!”

His favorite singer in the world? Also his dad, not that that had much of an impact in his normal life. Marinette was going to meet him?

Marinette explained how she had been requested to design the new album cover and showed it to him.

It was... unsuitable, to say the least. Marinette clearly had a deft hand, but not even she could have avoided this disaster.

“I see why you're worried,” he pointed out.

“Right?! It's... a perfume ad!”

“This 'image change' sounds sketchy. Maybe wait to hear out Jagged Stone,” he suggested. If what he had heard of Jagged Stone's manager was right...

“Okay...”

Marinette didn't look very convinced, but he knew what he could do to cheer her up a bit.

“Hey, this is my last stop. I'll give you a ride home and we can talk about it after?”

“I'll take you up on that. Thanks, Luka!” she replied, smiling.

“No problem...”

As Marinette made her way to the elevator, he quickly began to pull on his pizza delivery shirt.

Gotta get out of this lame uniform, quick!

----

Unbeknownst by Luka, Marinette was looking a tad too intently as he took off the shirt... and couldn't help but blush as she saw what he was hiding underneath.

“Ma'am, the elevator's closing,” the bellboy reminded her, and she woke up, mentally hitting herself for drifting from her Chat.

The encounter with Luka, however, had not been enough to shake off her nerves, as she showed Jagged Stone what she had created.

The man scoffed.

“How did someone as talented as you make this?”

“Um, well, M. Roth said–”

“Marinette designed what the kids want!” the manager interrupted her again. “It's exactly the direction we need.”

Jagged Stone sighed.

“Ah, I see what happened here,” he said, directing a brief glare at the older man before taking her hand. “Forget Bob, Marinette. Do it in my style, in our style!”

“Jagged, I said–”

The manager's new interruption was, itself, interrupted by Fang's angry growl.

“AHH!” Roth screeched, jumping away, while Penny giggled.

“Do your best, Marinette!”

“Y-Yes!” she replied, still overwhelmed.

----

The elevator dinged, and he turned to it as the doors opened. Marinette had been done fast with Jagged Stone!

“Marine–” The girl coming out was, most definitely, not Marinette. “Oh.”

“Mon Chouka! Here you are!”

He blinked.

“Hah?!”

Sadly, his shock gave Bourgeois the time she needed to affix herself to his arm like a limpet to a boat's hull.

“What are you doing?! Why are you calling me that?!” he asked, holding himself from swatting at the girl like he would swat flies in summer.

“I knew they'd send you, mon Chouka!” she replied, clearly not understanding the concept of 'personal space' or 'you're not welcome here' as she hugged his arm. Then she turned to look at the entrance. “Oh, there's Adrien! Adrichou~!”

“Luka?” Adrien Agreste said, surprised.

In that moment, he understood.

“Oh, God, no.”

As if a pit had opened beneath his feet.

For some reason, this bully in the form of a girl was interested in him.

And, unlike with Marinette, he felt like this was a horrible punishment.

Today, the gods of music weren't with him, it seemed.

----

“Tonight, XY will give a live concert from the top of the Eiffel Tower,” the news anchor said, with a photograph of that sell-out's latest album on her right. “M. XY had this to say about beating Jagged Stone in sales.”

“King of Rock? More like King of the dinosaurs! He's a has-been!”

“Why you filthy little... perfume ad!” he growled. Realizing where the sell-out was, he walked up to the window and saw him standing there, in front of the door.

“Hey, Ragged Stone, if you wanna hear today's music, come to my concert! Just don't forget your hearing aid!”

That did it. He threw his tablet and grinned savagely as he saw it hit the sell-out straight in the noggin.

“STOP TRASH TALKING OUTSIDE MY HOTEL!” he shouted.

----

When the elevator door opened, Marinette became witness to a horrible sight.

“QUIT IT ALREADY!”

“Chloé, leave Luka alone!”

“But Super Chloé has a super surprise for you!”

The world's eyesore manhandling Adrien and Luka.

“What's... going on here?” she asked, confused. Luka immediately extended a hand towards her, looking as if she were his personal savior.

“Marinette, help!” Luka begged.

Alright, mark that as a definite.

“Marinette!” Adrien exclaimed, much happier than Luka.

Chloé was not happy at all, which was always nice. At least, she finally dropped Luka's arm – she saw him trying to either massage some blood back into circulation or brushing it as if it were dirty, she wasn't sure – and walked up to her.

“I didn't invite you to meet Jagged Stone! Get out of my hotel!” Chloé yelled, poking her in the chest, and she glared back.

“It's a good thing I don't need your invite to meet him,” she fired.

“Aw, ladies, don't fight over Guitar Villain!”

And there, standing on the entrance stairs, were Jagged Stone and Fang.

Or, rather, their Akumatized forms, with Jagged resembling a heavy metal band singer, and Fang now looking like a dragon.

“Jagged Stone?!” Luka exclaimed.

Marinette was much less pleased.

“What the heck, you were fine a minute ago!”

The Akuma ignored her, as he began to play his guitar.

“I'll never duet with XY because soon he won't be singing at all! Rock'n'RIP, Baby!”

His guitar suddenly shot some kind of sound blast, and Adrien grabbed Chloé and Luka, who grabbed Marinette.

“LOOK OUT!” Adrien shouted, kneeling and bringing the others down with him, dodging the blast by centimeters.

----

“Eek!” Chloé shrieked as the elevator door behind her opened. “Luka, Adrien, get me out of here!”

The two boys glanced at each other, gave a minute nod, and roughly shoved the girl into the elevator with blank faces.

“Wha–!” she screamed, before Luka 'helpfully' pressed one of the buttons, making the door close. “Hey! That's not what I meant!”

“At least now you can transform...?” Tikki pointed out.

----

“Soon there will only be fans of Guitar Villain!” Jagged shouted as he led Akumatized Fang outside the hotel, and Marinette knew she had to act soon.

I have to get away to transform!

But, as long as Luka and Adrien were with her, she would be unable to do it. He turned to Adrien.

“Adrien, try to flag down Chat Noir!”

“Okay!” he agreed, rushing away.

----

She didn't know that he needed to transform as well.

----

She turned to look at Luka.

“Luka, I'll try to find Marigold!”

“Alright!” he replied.

And then he grabbed her hand.

“C'mon, we'll cover more ground on my bike!”

What.

As Luka started to pull her towards the exit, she began to panic.

Wait, that's not part of the plan!

As both of them rushed outside, they saw that Chat Noir had already arrived. Marinette pulled out her cellphone (mostly because she knew Alya would kill her if she didn't get it) as Chat Noir and Guitar Villain began to trade insults.

“He even goes hard as an Akuma,” Luka said. “A dragon, wicked.”

“Hey Ragged Stone, your screeching's making my ears bleed!” Scarlet shouted, finally showing up.

“It's Guitar Villain, Scarlet Brat! Shocking Rift!”

A wave of sound suddenly hit Scarlet in the stomach, making her fly away.

“Oof!” she complained, as Guitar Villain turned away.

“You're wasting my time, I've got a concert to get to!”

“Hey, don't blow me off!” Scarlet yelled.

Nobody cared.

“You two should go home,” Chat Noir said, and Marinette began to sweat.

“Yeah...”

“Alley Cat!” Scarlet yelled. “Hurry up and call Bumbling Bug, my XY is in danger!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Chat Noir huffed. “You would be an XY fan.”

No surprises there, Marinette thought as Chat Noir made the call. She couldn't hear it, but she knew what it would say.

“Marigold here, leave a message!”

“Here, Marinette,” Luka said, putting a helmet on her head.

“Huh,” Chat Noir mumbled, hanging up. “Weird, she's not picking up.”

Maybe she would if her friends weren't too sweet to leave her to transform!

----

Théo could easily recognize an Akuma. They wore garish clothes and makeup, looked like they'd been brought from some kind of hell, and they were prone to threaten people.

“Where's XY?!” the latest Akuma – riding a dragon, no less! – demanded out loud.

“A-At the TV station, doing his interview! I'm just here to set up the concert!”

“ARGH!” And then the Akuma prepared his guitar. “Rock'n'RIP, baby!”

While the Akuma was speaking, something tied to a rope snagged him and pulled him out of the way.

“Whoa!”

“Ugh, you again?!” the Akuma said as Chat Noir (and Scarlet Lady) brought him to safety. “I'm outta here! To the TV station, Fang!”

The Akuma flew off, and he did what he had to do.

“Oh, thank you for saving me, Chat Noir!”

Yeah, maybe Scarlet Lady had tossed the yo-yo, but he knew damn well who really called the shots here.

“EXCUSE YOU!” Scarlet Lady yelled, but he ignored her.

“No problem, Théo!” Chat Noir thanked him.

----

They had finally arrived home, and her parents had insisted on giving Luka enough boxes of pastries for a week or two. Now that he had tied them all to the bag in the back of the bike, he turned to her.

“Thanks for the ride, Luka!”

“Thank your parents for all the pastries!” Luka replied. “I'll text you after I check on Maman and Juleka.”

She had to cut that off quickly!

“A-Ah, um, my phone died so I might take a while to respond!” she said – it wasn't much of a lie, she really needed to start charging it if she didn't want to run out.

“Haha! I'm sure Alya appreciates it. See you!”

She waved goodbye at him until she was certain he was no longer looking, and then she rushed into the boulangerie.

“Pollen, omigod, Buzz On!”

“Buzz On, yay!”

----

As the assistant got done telling Alec what was going on, he turned to his interviewee of the afternoon.

“Ah, so, M. XY, turns out that Scarlet Lady says we're in danger, so we're gonna have to cut this short.”

“Who?”

… Did he not know about Paris' heroes?

“S-Scarlet Lady...?”

“Oh, yeah, the bug lady.”

----

Chat Noir watched as Alec Cataldi escorted XY outside the building, while Scar just... stalked.

“It's just a safety precaution, M. XY,” Alec stated.

“I'll get you to a safe place, XY!” Scar exclaimed.

He felt a bit sorry for the singer – he had been at that side of her attention.

Just in time, he heard the air parting in a way he was familiar with, and turned to the right to see Marigold swinging until she landed next to him.

“Sorry, sorry!” Marigold begged, her hands put together. “It was hard to get away!”

“I've been there before!” Chat Noir replied – she probably had been with her friends when the alert sounded out.

“Took you long enough, newbee!” Scar shouted.

“Uh, look, I'll just skip the concert so I'm not attacked by 'killer guitar solos', LOL,” XY said in that pretentious tone of his. “Live concerts are lame anyway, just leave it to special effects.”

“YOINK!”

It looked like this Akuma liked to be timed, because he jumped in just as XY finished speaking and dragged him away flying.

“AH!” the younger singer yelled.

“XY!”

“Aw, I just got here!” Marigold complained, as the three of them ran after the Akuma.

----

As they climbed up the Tour Eiffel (how many times had they fought an Akuma here already?), they could hear the Akuma and his target yelling from the top of the tower.

“I believe you called me Ragged Stone?! King of the dinosaurs?! A HAS-BEEN?!” Guitar Villain shouted as he forced a tied-up XY to walk the plank, while the draconized Fang flew around.

“I-I was joking!” XY replied, a tad desperate. “Please, M. Guitar Villain! We could do a duet together! In your style!”

“TOO LATE! I'll show you killer music! Seismic Solo!”

The sudden chord of struendous music shook up the entire tower – including the part where the three heroes were as they moved up. Marigold and Chat Noir flapped their arms in an attempt to not lose their balance, while Scarlet Lady just gripped one of the steel beams.

“H-Hurry up, sidekicks! XY is going to fall!” the latter shrieked above Guitar Villain's 'music'.

“D-Did you forget the dragon guarding the tower?” Chat Noir shouted back.

“So deal with him, too!”

“And what does that leave for you?” Marigold asked, angry.

“Obviously, it leaves me to suck up to XY!”

“What?”

----

Marigold noticed that the dragon had seen them, and was ready to dive against them, to either eat or capture them.

She had better things to do, though, and this was still Fang, so she knew how to stop him. The moment he approached, she swung from her perch and threw her top so the rope would twist around his mouth – and allow her to jump on his head.

“MARIGOLD!” Chat Noir shouted: she could see that he and Scarlet were hanging from his staff, hooked between crisscrossed beams.

“There, there, nice dragon!” she calmed Fang as she forced him in the right direction. “Let's go get our kitty!”

----

“Whoa...” he said. If his heart didn't belong to Marinette already...

“Show off,” Scar muttered, the hypocrite.

Marigold guided Fang to fly between beams and below them both, and with perfect timing he shrunk his staff, allowing him to drop right behind Marigold.

“You're awesome,” he said, awed, as he squeezed her shoulders, and she gave him a smug smile.

“GET ME OFF THIS CRAZY THING!” Scar yelled.

Nobody cared.

As Marigold made a pass above the platform, he and Scar jumped down as Guitar Villain aimed at Marigold.

“Hold still and get off my dragon!” the Akuma screamed, while Marigold stuck her tongue at him.

“Now, Scar,” he ordered.

“Lucky Charm.”

The ladybugs flew out of the yo-yo, and formed a large spray can that fell on Scar's hand.

“Extreme holding spray? But my hair is already perfect,” Scar asked, confused.

“Oh! I have an idea!”

“AH!” Scar yelled, shocked at Marigold's sudden reappearance, while he became concerned with something else.

“What happened to the dragon?!”

“Um...” Marigold mumbled. “I took care of it, that's the part that matters!”

----

Marigold grabbed the can and ran at Guitar Villain, who was swinging his head to the beat of his own music.

“Too bad the heroes are gonna miss the finale!Seismic Solo!”

Before he could fire his attack, though, Marigold fired the spray, timing it so most of it would be over his face.

“Yoink!” she said, grinning, as she pulled the guitar out of his hands and dropped it to the ground.

“Agh! I can't see!” the Akuma yelled: with most of his long hair now fixed in front of his face, it blocked his line of sight.

“Um, hey, help me please!” XY begged, and Marigold threw her top once more, tying the rope around him.

“I gotchu!” she said, pulling him towards her with just the force she needed to make him land on top of the guitar that was holding the butterfly.

“Ow!”

“Thanks for your assist!”

“Watch how you treat my XY, Marimold!” Scarlet shouted.

----

After Scar purified the butterfly and Jagged Stone recovered from his foray into unwilling villainy, there was one thing he and Marigold had left to do.

“Bien Joué!” they said, bumping their fists with a smile.

“Aw, geez, what did I do to deserve all this?” XY asked.

“Oh, my poor XY! I'm so sorry for how my lackies treated you!” Scar simpered in front of XY. “I'll make it up to you, promise!”

“Huh?!” XY did seem to have the proper reaction to Scar's abhorrent admiration, which was to keep away from her. “This dude's crazy! You're crazy! I'm going home!”

“Oh!” Scar, once again, showed her complete inability to read the room. “I can take you down!”

“I'm taking the elevator, you freak!” XY yelled, running for the elevator before Scar could try to 'help' him.

It felt a bit awkward.

----

As she saw Scarlet leave with a pout for not being allowed to hold XY, it triggered something.

GAH! That reminds me, I have work to do! And homework! And I have to text Luka! And figure out a cover story! AHHHHH!

Behind her, her Chat Noir and Jagged ignored her freakout while the latter signed an autograph.

----

The next day, Marinette brought the cover she had worked during the morning, and this time Jagged smiled.

“Aw, yeah! That's the shi–!”

“JAGGED! Language!” Penny warned him, as he held the cover closer.

“And... is that leather and sweat?!” he asked, surprised.

“Ah, yes! I made a scented sticker!”

“Crazy. Awesome. Perfect.”

“Not perfect!” Roth yelled. “It's not what I–”

“Then I'm out,” Jagged interrupted.

“What?!”

“I'm sure another record company will take number 2 in sales,” the rocker taunted. Marinette watched everything with a bit of awkwardness.

Why didn't you threaten this in the first place? she pondered.

But, well, it had been a success!

----

As the elevator door opened, Joanne saw the young lady that had come by the previous day waiting to enter. She nodded at her – client or not, if she was here then she had to be important – and left, while the young lady entered and pushed the button for the entrance floor. She breathed for a moment, ready to continue her job –

“WOHOO! I can't believe it!”

“Wohoo!”

Good Lord, they nearly gave her a heart attack! (And who was that second voice, anyway?!)

----

Next day, she brought her copy of the new cover – signed by Jagged Stone! – to school, and showed it off to Alya.

“Congrats, girl! And thanks for the footage!” Alya said, smiling.

“Hee, hee!” she giggled, still giddy about her success.

“Um, hey, Marinette?”

“Hey, Adrien!” she said, turning to her friend, who was blushing a bit and holding a magazine with Jagged Stone in the cover.

“I saw you made Jagged Stone's album cover.” He pulled out a pen. “Could I... get your autograph?”

She blushed, feeling her jaw drop.

“M–Me?!”

Before she could react, Lila and Sabrina jumped between them both.

“Ooo, me too, me too!” Lila exclaimed.

“Hey!” Adrien complained as he was pushed back by the girls.

“What was Jagged Stone like?!” Sabrina asked, her eyes wide and luminous.

That seemed to attract everyone else's attention, and soon poor Adrien was forced away as their classmates crowded around Marinette.

“Will you sign my magazine?!” Rose asked.

“I can say I knew you 'back then'!” Kim shouted.

Marinette felt embarrassed for the attention she was suddenly getting.

“G-Guys!”

----

Chloé growled as she bit into her copy of the magazine she had bought. Instead of her XY – who had been really confused the previous day, what with him running away from her – it had Jagged Stone and his new album on it.

And the worst of it was, the only reason Ragged Stone had met Maribrat was last week's work experience day! She should have sent her to garbage disposal with Césaire!

“You got your lunch?”

“Yeah, hold on.”

She turned – and there he was! Along with his sister – which was a surprise, because she didn't know how someone as cute and cool as him was related to her – he was pushing his bike.

“Wanna say hi?”

“Sure, I got time.”

Oh, he was here to meet her!

Just what the doctor ordered!

----

“Mon Chouka, you came to see me!”

He turned to look at her. Who was running at him with her arms wide open.

“Wait until you hear about my morning–”

No.

Nope.

Fuck nope.

He extended his arm and grabbed her face to keep her as far away from him as possible.

Fortunately, the other person he had come to speak with came out.

“Marinette! Congrats on the album!” he greeted her, smiling, even as he struggled with her.

“Ah–!” she tried to speak, but he kept gripping her without a care for what she had to say.

“'Mon Chouka'?” Juleka asked, clearly about to laugh at him.

“Don't you fucking dare,” he told her. He knew she was going to hold it over his head for a long time, but at least he could keep her from mocking him in front of everyone else.

----

Princess Fragrance

@zoe-oneesama The real has-been here is Hawkmoth, right?

I'm sleeeeeeeeepyyyyyyyy... zzzzzzzzz...

#scarlet lady the novel #fanfiction #milarqui #long post #marinette dupain cheng #marigold #adrien agreste #chat noir #scarlet lady is better than canon #guitar villain #jagged stone

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