The Importance of a Kwami [Book 1] | Miraculous Fanfiction [#MLWattyAwards]

7: Fired

Just before they were about to finish the day's work, Marinette and Alya suddenly heard a shout. Not a shout of fear, or desperation, but a shout of anger. One of the managers of the park was shouting at one of the staff.

"How many times," the manager roared, "do I have to tell you? I have let you off countless times but you have always broken the rules! You know how hard I try to prevent moments like this but I can't let you keep on doing this! Those birds are the park's. You can't just keep setting them free!"

"I-I - They deserve to live a free life!" The staff member stuttered in response. 

"Well why did you work here, then?! The best thing you can do is give them a happy life with good food and entertainment. If you want to set them free go elsewhere, but this, this is not a place for that. Now hand over your badge. You don't deserve it. You never did." 

The staff member gulped, and shakily unpinned his badge. Before his boss could snatch it, he man ran away, sobbing, in distress. The manager crossed his arms, irritated.

"You can keep your badge, for all I care! But you'll never deserve it!" With that, he stormed away angrily.

"Poor man," Marinette muttered. "His boss is so cruel to him ..." Alya looked at her. "Well, he did say that he had let him off a lot of times already. Besides, you shouldn't be freeing birds in the park anyway." Marinette shrugged. Alya was probably right.

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Hawkmoth opened his eyes, and saw the poor man sniffling in the corner of an alley. "Oh, the poor man!" He smirked, laughing. "Oh, I will give him what he wants. The animals at his side!" He clenched his fist and stretched his arms out, letting out a cruel laugh. "Oh, the man has only been trying to help those birds, and he was punished for it! He will definitely have his revenge, it it will be a great one."

He held out his hand and a radiant butterfly came to it. Like a trap, his other hand came on top of it, and soon, the butterfly became an akuma.

"Fly away, my little akuma, and evilise him!" Hawkmoth cackled, whipping his stick around. "This will be the best revenge that I have ever planned. And I will get Ladybug's and Chat Noir's miraculouses, whatever it takes to do so!"

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The poor man, having lost his job, was leaning against a wall, sobbing quietly, when the akuma fluttered into the badge he was clutching. He gasped - trying to figure out what was going on - but then gained no control over himself, and the akuma's power consumed him.

"Hello. I am Hawkmoth. Someone has put your job, your life to an end because you were only doing what you thought was right. For that, you should have revenge."

"I will have revenge," the man echoed.

"From now on, you are not the worthless man you once were. You are now Monsieur Vengeance, and revenge will be yours! I give you the power to take control of the animals in this park, and make sure everyone understands you."

"I will," the man sneered.

"But in return, I need two things."

"Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculouses. I will do anything, Hawkmoth," the man replied.

"Yes, very good. I need those miraculouses! Now resume your duty as Monsieur Vengeance!" Hawkmoth laughed, and Monsieur Vengeance laughed coldly with him.

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Marinette was packing up for the day when she saw the same man emerge, but with a black cape flowing behind him. He was wearing a long, black suit with a white bow tie, and a mask on around his eyes, just like Ladybug's and Chat Noir's. His eyes were like a black hole - devoid of colour, and of life, instead, destroying others and sucking them into its vast blackness. On his shirt, was a badge, the same badge that he had unpinned but ran away with earlier.