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Once again, Adrien was stuck with Luka, not being able to transform. This brought back memories he wasn’t ready to face. At least he didn’t have to pretend about some things.
“Maybe Ladybug could get back for you any minute,” Adrien said. After all, he had been the one to suggest Luka as the next Snake Miraculous holder, so it was not surprising that he knew.
“She can’t choose me because I was compromised,” Luka shook his head.
“Well, she can’t choose me because I messed up,” Adrien admitted. “She doesn’t trust me anymore.”
“You did?” Well, Luka’s surprise made Adrien feel a little better.
“I tried. So many times. Nothing worked.”
Luka knew how to use the Miraculous and he was better suited for it, no doubt about it.
“Maybe it was the wrong Miraculous for you. I doubt that you can’t be a good superhero.”
Adrien smiled gratefully at him. His faith in him was heart-warming. It made Adrien think. Maybe he had taken it the wrong way. It had hurt because he’d failed so many times when he’d wanted to impress his lady. But what if the Miraculous hadn't suited him so he didn't stand a chance at all? Also, him trying tom impress Ladybug had been the wrong thing anyway. Whenever he tried to do something to impress hereven when he was Chat, he messed up. He should focus on helping as a partner with his own Miraculous and leave the flirting for later.
“You are right. So I will go find her and tell her that,” Adrien explained as he headed out of their hiding place. If he transformed along the way and no new hero was seen in the fight, he could always tell Ladybug hadn’t given him a second chance. How fitting.
Later on, during patrol, he was reminded of his conversation with Luka. He wondered how Ladybug had chosen him at all. He had no idea what her motivation was to choose any holder. Also, he was curious about what she thought of her time with Aspik.
“Have you ever chosen wrong?”
“What do you mean?”
“Did you regret giving someone a Miraculous?”
“Um, no. There was this one time when it didn’t work,” she said with a surprisingly fond look. ”But I realised the reason for this was that I can’t trust myself not to be biased. And biases should not play a role in this. I should view things objectively and not judge people if they don’t do well because of my own mistakes.”
He hadn’t expected that. He wondered what her bias towards him, Adrien him, was, but he couldn’t ask that, so he let it drop.
“Do you think you were given the right Miraculous?” After his time as Aspik, his only consolation had been that he did better as Chat, or at least he hoped so.
“I don’t think Master Fu had any regrets, so I like to think I did,” she laughed a little. Then something in her expression shifted. “I know for a fact that you did get the right Miraculous, kitty. You’re the best Chat Noir! And I trust you like I trust no one else even if I didn’t choose you.”
Well, there it was, the biggest endorsement he could get. And if she thought so, he had no reason not to believe it himself.