Chapter Text
Ladybug huffed a breath from her nose before throwing her yo-yo at the little box in the akuma's hand. It made contact with her wrist, and the box went flying right into awaiting claws of her partner. He shot her a wink and prepared his other hand.
"Cata-" He was cut off as a flying trash can slammed into him. The box clattered to the ground just a few feet away from the akuma.
In the split second when both Chat Noir and the akuma lunged for the box, Ladybug slung her yo-yo at the akuma, holding them tight with their arms at their sides.
"Carapace! I told you to cover Chat Noir!" She glanced over her shoulder as she shouted, catching the sheepish glance of the turtle hero, who had his shield in front of Rena Rouge, who was keeping the akuma's puzzle creature at bay.
"Sorry, dudette." He leapt in front of Chat Noir just as the akuma broke through her hold in a burst of strength. "Shelter!" The green dome surrounded the akuma and Ladybug felt some tension leave her shoulders.
"Cataclysm!" The box shattered at Chat Noir's hands, revealing the butterfly and feather hiding within. They began their escape, dancing around one another and rising to the clouds.
"Oh, no you don't." Ladybug allowed herself a fond smile at the two dangerous forms. This part was always the easiest; catch the akuma and fix everything. It was almost childlike, chasing a butterfly all over town. A corrupted butterfly controlled by a mad man. She sighed again and opened her yo-yo. "Time to de-evilize." She caught the two in one swoop, and released them both with a tap to the central spot on her weapon.
With that out of the way, she moved to the door. It had a large red and black pole keeping the doors from opening. With an experimental spin, she tossed the charm into the air with a "miraculous ladybug!"
"Nice work team!" Chat Noir smiled and held out his fist, now unaffected by the trash can that could have broken his hip.
"Yeah!" Carapace and Rena Rouge joined with gusto; Ladybug did too after a second. Her partner was safe, she was safe, Paris was safe.
As they pulled away, Chat grabbed Carapace's fist. "Carapace. You did great, but you need to listen to Ladybug the first time."
"I don't see the problem." Rena straightened, eyes flaming with that same light she used when she protected Marinette from Chloe. "He did fine; we won!"
"That's the problem. We won this time. If you don't follow the plan the first time, there might not be a next time." She glanced at Chat Noir. This was her last chance before everything changed.
She and Chat Noir had talked about their two apprentices for some time over patrol. She released her frustration and anxieties over how little the two listened to her and treated akuma battles like a game instead, and Chat Noir suggested making them permanent holders.
"Think about it. If they have the miraculous with them all the time, it'll stop being so novel, and they'll start taking it seriously. Just like you and me!" He gave her a mischievous glance. "Or have you forgotten how lax I used to be?"
She giggled at the thought. "How could I ever forget, Mr. Why not flirt as I'm bleeding out?"
He winced, and placed a hand to his chest. "You wound me, my lady! I am a changed man, falling in love has made me better!"
"Right. Remember to thank your girlfriend for me."
Today was the first day since their conversation that they had managed to bring out both Carapace and Rena Rouge for battle. They had agreed that making them permanent holders would be beneficial; especially since Ladybug wouldn't need to ditch battles to grab an extra miraculous.
"But regardless, after you detransform, you don't need to give me you miraculous anymore. I'm letting you keep it."
"Really?" Rena bounced on her toes and clutched her necklace. "I get to be like you two? Does this mean I'll meet the guardian? Or know your identities? Or-"
"Babe, calm down." Carapace placed a hand on her shoulder with his trademark easy smile, but his eyes mirrored his girlfriend's excitement.
"This is on a trial period only." Ladybug emphasized. "Every night, your kwamis will visit either me, Chat Noir, or the guardian and report on your behavior outside the mask, your treatment of them, and your usage of the miraculous. You will not follow them, and if we decide after your probationary period that you aren't fit to be a permanent holder, you will return the miraculous. No questions asked. Likewise, if we decide to keep you as a permanent holder, you'll need to keep up the good behavior. Your kwamis can fill us in at any time."
Rena and Carapace nodded mutely.
Her miraculous beeped. "One more thing before I go; no using your miraculous or kwamis for personal gain. No exceptions."
With that, she nodded at Chat Noir and left through the window, swinging from building to building with a tense feeling in her gut. She landed on her bed just as she detransformed, Tikki spiralling out of the earrings and into her hands.
"Tikki, do you think I did the right thing? Making Nino and Alya permanent heroes?" Marinette opened her bag, startling for a moment at the feather and butterfly that flew out; in her haste to tell Nino and Alya about their new designation, she had forgotten to release the akuma and amok. She batted them away and grabbed Tikki's recharge cookie with her other hand.
"I think you made a good decision, Marinette." Tikki mumbled behind enormous bites. "It's rare for a ladybug and cat to be out without a team behind them. This will be a big help for all of you; in my experience, Chat Noir is right about being a permanent holder making a person mature."
"Yeah, I feel a lot more confident as Ladybug now; more like Ladybug and less like a little kid in a costume."
"So let some of that confidence go into your Marinette life too!" Cookie gone, energy returned, Tikki flew around Marinette's head in a show of support. "Take a chance!"
"On what?"
"Anything! We have the whole weekend to decide! You could even start up the online store you were thinking about!" She hovered over the computer for a moment.
Marinette glanced at it. She had a draft of the website prepared; all of the designs and commission information she wanted to be on there were ready to go. She just needed the guts to finish and submit it.
"Okay."
"Okay!" Tikki squealed and hit the enter key.
MDC designs was now in business.
"Do you think I should put my name on it after all, Tikki? So that people know who they're ordering from?"
"Probably. Also, since you've designed for famous people before, your name already has a reputation."
"Yeah..." She moved her mouse to the 'edit' button.
"Marinette!" Her father shouted from the living room. "Ms. Chamack is here with Manon!"
Right, she'd promised Nadia that she'd look after Manon while she interviewed potential interns this weekend.
"Be right down!" Tikki flew into her bag and Marinette grabbed the little box of extra dolls she'd made for Manon. Changing her website and worrying about Nino and Alya could wait.