A Step at a Time

Chat Noir paced the length of the rooftop, anxious and restless. Of all the things that could have happened, this was the most unexpected.

A soft thud announced Ladybug's arrival. 'Chat, what's this about?' she asked.

Chat Noir turned to her. She looked worried, wringing her hands and a very Marinette fashion. Chat Noir allowed himself a brief sigh of happiness before focussing on the issue at hand.

Walking up to her he said, 'I need you to look at this,' and handed her the note.

She looked at it quizzically before taking it.

'I quit,' she read, raising an eyebrow at him.

'Yup.'

'It just says I quit.'

'Look in the corner of the card.'

She looked at the card again and noticed the outline of a purple butterfly in the bottom right corner.

'You've got to be kidding me,' she muttered with furrowing brows.

'It gets better,' Chat Noir promised, holding the box out to her.

Ladybug took it with trepidation and carefully lifted the lid. Tucked inside on a small cushion of purple silk, sat the Butterfly miraculous.

'You've got to be kidding me,' she repeated, loud with disbelief. 'What? How?' she looked at him helplessly.

Chat Noir shrugged, equally dumbfounded. 'I just came home from school and there it was. Right on my coffee table.'

Ladybug gaped at him. 'It was in your house?'

'It was in my bedroom.'

Ladybug turned ashen. 'Papillon knows who you are.'

'He also gave me his miraculous. He's powerless now.'

'He could still expose your identity,' Ladybug fretted. She was working herself into a panic, shaking her hands and pacing in a tight circle.

Chat Noir grabbed her shoulders. 'Calm down. He can't do anything to us now. We've won.'

She looked up at him, eyes misty. 'We've won,' she repeated in a whisper. She then shook her head and told him, 'we still have to take this to Master Fu. He'll be able to tell if this is real or not.'

'Of course,' Chat Noir agreed. It was just good sense in case this turned out to be an elaborate trap.

'But how did Papillon find out who you are? How did he get into your house, your room?'

'We may never get the answers to those questions. If this does turn out to be real, I won't be looking a gift horse in the mouth, though.'

Ladybug handed the card and the box back to him. 'You should hold on to these. We'll meet up tomorrow afternoon and go see Master Fu.'

'Sounds like a plan, Milady.'

Chat Noir had spent an anxious evening wondering who Papillon was and how he'd managed to sneak into his room. It was with a great deal of relief when he met with Ladybug again atop the college Françoise Dupont.

'Do you have them?' she asked.

'Of course,' Chat Noir replied, holding the items up.

Ladybug nodded, and together, they left to find Fu. She led him to a small, respectable looking Chinese massage parlour. Quickly, she darted inside to avoid being seen, Chat Noir following her example.

Chat Noir looked around curiously, realising he'd been here before after the Magician of Misfortune incident. It had rained and Plagg had fallen ill, complaining that he needed a doctor immediately. Adrien had been sorry to miss his physics class, but Plagg's health was more important. He also whined really loud.

Chat Noir was pulled from his thoughts at the sound of a door opening followed by shuffling footsteps. An elderly Chinese man entered the room from the rear of the building and smiled at them both.

'Welcome, Ladybug and Chat Noir. What can I do for you today?'

'We need you to verify something for us. Is there a place we can talk privately?' Ladybug asked.

'Certainly. Follow me, please.' Fu led them to a room with a small table, a mat, and an old phonograph. Closing the door behind them, he asked, 'what has brought you here today?'

They sat around the table and Ladybug released her transformation. 'We need you to look at this,' she replied as Tikki met a green kwami hovering by the phonograph.

Chat Noir placed the note and the box before Fu. He read the note first with a blank expression, then opened the box. He let out a small gasp.

'How did you come to possess this?' he asked.

'I found it in my room, Sir,' Chat explained.

Fu nodded his understanding.

'So, it's the real thing?' Marinette asked.

Fu smiled and confirmed, 'yes. This is the Butterfly miraculous.'

Tikki and the strange kwami flew over to hover above the box.

'What do you think, Wayzz?' asked Fu.

Wayzz regarded the box solemnly. 'I think Nooroo is very tired and heart sore. But I can sense his relief at being with us once again.'

'Then we shall let him rest inside his miraculous for now,' Fu decided.

'But he's the only one who can tell us who Papillon is,' Marinette objected.

'Papillon has willingly surrendered his miraculous. He is no longer a threat to the community. If I had to guess, I'd say he's seen the error of his ways and this is his first step in righting his wrongs.'

'So, we're just supposed to let him go? The people won't like this. They'll want to see justice done,' Marinette argued.

Fu rubbed his chin thoughtfully. 'Perhaps you could regale them with a story of an epic battle in which Papillon was thoroughly defeated. You could say that he lost everything with his defeat, and how that is punishment enough.'

'You mean, lie?' Marinette asked dubiously.

'It may be more palatable for the public than the truth. They still wont be one hundred percent happy, especially the authorities, but I think that's one of the better options for now. Alternatively, you could say nothing at all. Now, how about some celebratory tea?'

Fu prepared the tea while Tikki and Wayzz chased each other around the room. When he finally set a tray laden with steaming mugs before them, Fu asked, 'Why do you not release your transformation, Chat Noir? Clearly, Marinette's identity is no longer a secret. Why do you hesitate?'

Nursing his mug, he explained, 'Marinette's identity was revealed by mistake. We kept mine a secret for safety purposes.'

'But the danger has passed. Will you reveal yourself now?'

Chat Noir saw Marinette's hands jerk and her face pale.

'Not just yet. I think I'll wait until it's just the two of us,' he replied with a roguish wink at Marinette. His smile was soft, however, and she smiled gratefully in return.

Fu regarded them both with a gentle smile of his own. 'I chose well with you two.'