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Chapter Text

"Experiencing loss is a part of life... Some people lose their first love, some lose the harmony in their relationship..."

Chloe Bourgeois scanned the skyline intently for the telltale red blur.

"Nothing but pigeons!" She muttered under her breath.

She stared at the cityscape for a while. Some distant honking and the wail of sirens meant those incompetent cops were trying to detain the Akuma.

"Huh! You'd think they'd learn something after getting tossed around town half a dozen times! They can handles purse-snatchers and jaywalkers, but we super heroes are supposed to handle Akumas."

She idly watched as an empty police car was sent flying across a street, and faintly heard a cackling remark linking law, order and utter ridiculousness.

She leaned against the edge and let loose another sigh.

She had to admit, she was feeling quite salty about what happened. Initially it seemed like the party was going to be fine. Both her mommy and daddy were organizing it excitedly.

But when something can go wrong, it always goes wrong.

She closed her eyes and replayed it in her mind.

"But Audrey dear, I told you that last night! Lé blanc was always our selection for ceremonies. They do the most wonderful décor of all of Paris! And they're already here!"

"Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous! You told me you hired our favorite organizers for this!"

"But they are our favorite organizers! They always were!"

"That was years ago! When I moved to New York, I met so many organizers with exquisite taste. And you settled for Lé blanc? How pathetic!"

"I'm sorry dear, but they will do a marvelous job! I'll personally take care of it. Okay?"

"I've seen you in action as the mayor of Paris André, and I can say that I'm really convinced. So utterly convinced! Ugh! You run a city without even knowing how to prepare a little party!"

"My dear! But this no 'little party', this is our Anniversary! You surely know that I'm giving everything I have for this, right sweetheart?"

"I'm tired of this André, I can't believe how you can ruin such a simple thing! Go ahead, let Lé blanc work its cheap magic. Ugh! I'm going to my suite."

Chloe let the mental image of her mother storming away slowly fade into black and opened her eyes.

She had never seen her father so upset before that.

She knew she was asking a lot when she hoped the two of them would get along for the duration of the party. Today seemed to be a really bad day for her. The first thing in the morning was her parents' quarrel, then hours later when her Adrikins walked in she thought it was going to get better. Then that short-haired girl had emerged right behind him, sporting that stupid death glare, forcing Chloe to just settle for a handshake, instead of the hug she hoped for. Then she found Fang with Mr. Cuddly in his mouth, and a flustered Jagged Stone swearing up and down that he wasn't going to let Fang eat it, that he was just playing with it. And when she asked XY for an autograph, he said "Give me a second, I'm in a call." And made her wait a whole minute and sixteen seconds before finally signing a poster for her. Then her parents broke into another argument in front of everyone, and she was sure she saw that girl Dupain-cheng somewhere. Of the people to see her humiliated firsthand...

She slammed her hand down angrily.

Is one perfect day too much to ask?

Now Ladybug was being late again.

OH WAIT!

She saw a figure in red launching herself in the air to her right. Ladybug leaped off a statue, threw her yo-yo and reeled herself forward. Chloe cupped her hands in front of her mouth.

"Yoo-hoo! Bring me my miraculous, ladybug! I've been waiting for you!"

Ladybug continued forward, and Chloe frowned at her.

"Ugh, did she even hear me? Why is everyone being so rude today?!"

She stood there for some more time and was seriously considering heading down when she heard something and looked up. Her face lit up when she saw Ladybug, accompanied by another miraculous holder.

The more the merrier, as long as she was given her miraculous to save her parents like a hero.

But instead of approaching her, both of the super heroes leaped off without giving as much as a glance at her direction. She felt disbelief, and then anger.

"What about me? You were supposed to give me my miraculous! This is ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous! Those are my parents you know! So I should be the one to save them!"

Her voice didn't seem to reach Ladybug at all.

She watched as the Akuma rose above the buildings and start blasting at the incompetent duo, now joined by Cat Noir.

"Those are literally my parents, and they still don't think I'd be someone they should pick?!" That thought drove her beyond enraged.

"RRRAGH–" She yanked her signal and toppled it over the rail. She watched it tumble and break apart. Still not feeling any better, she rested her head on the rail, wanting to cry. A voice sounded behind her.

"..Chloe Bourgeois!"

She whipped around with her heart racing like crazy. That voice was unmistakable. It had haunted far too many of her dreams for her to forget it.

Hawkmoth!

In the flesh?

Hawkmoth continued to speak in his gravelly voice.

"Rejections hurt. Your talents deserved to be recognized. Ladybug and Cat Noir's reign has gone on long enough. It's time for Paris to have a new queen. And the queen on my chessboard…”

“–Is you."

What the...

How DARE him!

"You've akumatized my parents! If I had my miraculous I'd—"

She froze as his hand came up. She was vulnerable. He knew she was on Ladybug's team. She was sure he was here to covertly eliminate his enemies, starting with her. She was very aware of the height she was in. And she had no miraculous to protect her from a fall like that.

She never felt more helpless and terrified.

"You're right."

Oh no...

Wait what?

"But I did it for one reason only."

She flinched as he stepped towards her.

"So you would finally realize that Ladybug would never give you the bee miraculous again."

That stung...

"I, however, always keep my promises."

With that, he produced a very recognizable object from his palm.

"This isn't real! How do you have it?"

He simply said,

"Try it, and see for yourself."

Chloe started to believe that he actually wasn't lying. What would he accomplish giving her a piece of fake jewelry? He probably snatched it from Ladybug, and instead of keeping it for himself, here he is, handing it over to her. Has he actually lost his mind?

She could do what all the heroes failed to do. She could transform, summon her venom and stop him in his tracks. She could snatch that brooch off of his immobile body, and show Ladybug that she is a true super-heroine!

Huh! All you lame heroes run around Paris like headless chickens, when I'm going to be the one to unmask Hawkmoth himself! Talk about incompetence.

She was already formulating her plan when one thought brought all of it to a screeching halt.

Then what?

Hawkmoth is defeated. Yay!

But then what?

"Good work Chloe. Now Paris is safe. Now I need that miraculous back. Your duty is done..."

A compliment, a pat in the back, and back to being plain old Chloe Bourgeois. That looked like the most probable outcome to her.

What can't you trust me Ladybug?! Why can't you at least let me save my parents! You couldn't give me the bee miraculous even though I'm on your side, and Hawkmoth himself brings it to me!

Hawkmoth's voice brought her out of her trance.

"You're Ladybug's greatest fan. You've helped her, you've trusted her... And what has she done in return?" Hawkmoth inquired icily.

Good point, but what makes him think that the moment I transform, I wouldn't use my venom against him? He doesn't seem to have that peacock lady anywhere near. He'd be powerless to stop me. All his plans would be ruined because he trus—

Chloe's eyes widened with realization.

He... Trusts me?

A super-villain can trust me but Ladybug can't?

She felt a burning sense of anger rise within her.

If that's how it is...

Meanwhile, Hawkmoth was studying his prey intently. He knew he was taking a risk, and he was aware of how easily she can stop him should she manage to use her venom against him. Mayura was well hidden but was at hand's reach. But even then if the brat works quickly enough, she could cause serious complications.

He studied her face, the hand behind him gripping his cane firmly. There would be no room for surprise attacks.

Not for Chloe Bourgeois anyway.

But there was no need for worry, as it seemed. He watched in satisfaction as his words sank in, and her face turned into a mask of rage.

"NOTHING! She couldn't care less about me! I'm done with her! She's irrelevant. Utterly, irrelevant!"

She reached for the miraculous but stopped just shy of reaching it. "I want you to de-akumatize my parents first!"

Oh... That was the plan all along Miss Chloe...

"Whatever you say, my queen..."

Chapter Text

Where did it go wrong..?

Why did today had to be such torture?

"I messed up..." Ladybug whispered.

Swimming in the depth of the Seine River always seemed to happen when things got messed up. Last time she was under here, she was trying not to drown thanks to Reverser christening her as "Lady Klutz".

At least then she had Cat Noir to drag her to safety. That would most likely not happen now.

Not if the wasps got to him first.

She recognized the cursed creatures as soon as she saw them. There was only one person who could've reprised the role of Queen Wasp.

Chloe Bourgeois.

This shows that I was right! Looks like Hawkmoth had her as his trump card. He knew who she was, where she lived... He could've had her under surveillance! That is why even visiting her as Ladybug would've been dangerous. Having her in a fight means Hawkmoth can easily know where to target. He did that on Heroes day.

Ladybug's mouth pressed into a firm line.

I did the right thing.

—Right..?

She unhooked her yo-yo and let it dial her partner.

"—Cat got your tongue? Leave a message!"

Not good.

"Cat Noir, Chloe's akumatized into Queen Wasp again, get underwater now! I'm heading towards the Eiffel tower using the Seine. That's where usually Hawkmoth loves to display his grand plans. Meet you there."

She paused for a second.

"And be safe kitty. Please."

She put back her yo-yo and started swimming. Her mind was a jumbled mess of emotions.

"…Orange and Peppermint, a perfect pairing that's always a success. Nothing can turn it into a mess! And for you two, blackberry and Peppermint, an explosive mix, that's a fact. But often time, it's the opposites that attract..."

"You pick Marinette, we trust you..."

I know you do... Adrien.

She bit down on her lip.

She knew she couldn't hold onto him forever. But she never found the courage to confess herself either.

Oh, wait.

She did honestly try, didn't she? She did confess to him, which Adrien’s out-of-nowhere cousin Felix had so kind-heartedly erased for her. She had to erase the sign on the beret because somehow it ended up in Cat Noir figuring out her identity, and destroying the world.

She shuddered at the memory.

She also sent Adrien a Valentine, and promptly forgot to sign it. She had the perfect opportunity to admit her feelings for him at the Grévin's wax museum but chickened out in the lamest way possible.

It IS my fault, and it isn't. If I didn't screw it up, fate herself would screw it for me.

Looking back at her actions, she wondered why she behaved the way she did. It didn't get her anywhere. Even when Adrien asked himself after the troublemaker incident, she vehemently denied any feelings for him.

"..Are you lying?"

Yes. Yes, I was...

"NO! I'm SO not into you. Sure, I'm interested in you, but, uh, not in that way. Heh."

Can I really blame him for not noticing?

Strangely enough, she didn't feel any bitterness towards Kagami either. She expected herself to bodily shove anyone who would dare try and take advantage of Adrien. But Kagami didn't belong in that category. Lila did, and maybe Chloe, but not Kagami.

She actually gave me the lead. She was ready to step down if I ever found the guts to tell Adrien. It's not her fault I'm a complete failure. But to think that I'm no longer able to love him... To think that I lost him...

She felt a lump rising in her throat, and forced herself to move faster.

There's no point in crying, Marinette. Adrien deserves someone to lift his spirits. You saw how happy they were together. Be happy for Adrien. He finally will have someone to go out with, spend some time with someone else than his bodyguard for once.

You and Kagami are so alike, Adrien. You two would make a perfect couple. She'll make you laugh, she'll hold you up, she'll be your happiness, and she'll be the one you love...

It's just... It wouldn't be...

Me...

A sob escaped her without her even knowing, and she fought back as hard as she could to stop the next one.

If I start to cry now, I'll never be able to stop. Focus ladybug, breathe... Even though I'm underwater. Why am I underwater?

Chloe. Akuma.

Oh...

Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach.

Master Fu.

A new wave of anxiety washed over her already drowned self.

"You look lonely, perhaps you should visit your friend down there."

"It's none of your concern, old man. You wouldn't be running your mouth when you lose that shelter of yours."

"Oh, I still have plenty left."

Mayura glanced in his direction. "Then it's good. We don't want it to be too soon, right?"

Through the green tint of his shelter, Master Fu, now empowered as the Jade turtle, could see Mayura's focus go back to Hawkmoth.

Fate is a fickle thing... It makes the most impossible odds happen, or the most assured things fail. Is it fate that is keeping me here? The peacock holder, Mayura, seem to only focus on Hawkmoth. Even in my current condition, I can still potentially escape her. Is it fate that tells me to wait here, even when I'm being held as a hostage?

I will never understand this strange magic. But I trust it. It led me to the best Ladybug and Cat Noir that have ever graced this world. It led me to place my trust in a pair of young hearts, instead of letting me find two adults as I intended. To anyone, including myself, my actions seem to be devoid of meaning. But it brought us all to our intended places, to fulfill an unknown destiny.

And I will play my part. He thought as he settled into a meditating pose.

Below, all the secondary miraculous holders were lined up. Chloe spoke up.

"…You were once Ladybug and Cat Noir's minions, but from now on, you will be Miracle queen's royal guards!"

The enslaved miraculous holders simply bowed at her.

"Ladybug, Cat Noir, I'm gonna use your own weapons to defeat you. You'll so regret not choosing me."

Indeed they will my queen... Hawkmoth mused.

To say he was happy was a gross understatement. Hawkmoth had never felt this much exhilaration.

Rena Rouge, Pegasus, Viperion and King Monkey all had their identities revealed. He recognized Alya Césaire, who ran the Ladyblog, instantly. Others he did not, but Chloe seemed to recognize all of them, implying they were personal acquaintances. From the two without a miraculous, He didn't need any introduction for the daughter of Mrs. Tsurugi. He didn't remember the other young man's name, but he recognized him to be a friend of Adrien. All of them were former Akumas too.

He assumed that the brown-skinned kid probably was the hero Carapace, whose turtle miraculous was currently powering the decrepit guardian. And the only other miraculous was the dragon, and he knew that it was Kagami who wore it.

You're already good as lost, Ladybug and Cat Noir. I literally have all but three Miraculous with me. Let's see how you get away from this. Ahh... My triumph is inevitable!

He surveyed the area with pride. This was so much more to his liking than Villains' day.

Chloe too was enjoying herself very much. She always knew she was a queen, and now all of Paris obeyed her word. She was grateful Ladybug never gave her the bee miraculous. She didn't want to trade the power she was commanding for anything else.

You may have terrible taste in fashion Hawkmoth, but I wholeheartedly agree with your selection of royalty.

"It seems most of our plan has been achieved, Miracle queen. I need to attain the miraculous of the turtle from the guardian, and maybe pry a fun secret or two out of him. With the team you're commanding, you should have no problem crushing Ladybug and Cat Noir. I will be up over there, supervising."

Nah... There's no need for that.

"Hawkmoth! I have a secret you might like to know..."

A tangible interest came over his face. "Go ahead."

"You didn't think your plan through."

Hawkmoth spent just a second too late processing it.

Hundreds of wasps poured down on him in an instant. His fingers were too slow for him to complete a snap to release the Akuma, and with a sharp sting, his world dissolved into a haze.

"You see Hawkmoth, in this world, there are those who work and those who shine. Did you honestly believe that I would be stupid enough to believe you'd let me be queen bee any longer than you need to defeat ladybug? Ahahaha! Who'd stop you from simply taking my miraculous after you've caught them both? I'm the queen in your chessboard? That's sweet, but it means I was just a piece of your big grand plan! Huh! You never trusted me, your plan was to use me like a pawn! You knowing my identity and targeting me personally was the whole reason I couldn't be queen bee! You set me up from the beginning, didn't you? Well, guess what, I was just playing along. The only advantage you had is that you had the miracle box, and you gave that to me on a silver platter. Oh puh-lease! I've seen Dupain-Cheng do smarter things than that. How stupid can a grown man get?"

Hawkmoth stared at her with sightless yellow eyes, firmly under her spell.

"You are under my command now. All of Paris is now under the regime of Miracle queen! There are no super heroes or super-villains. It's just me, and my loyal subordinates!

Chapter Text

Living a nightmare was the closest allegory to describe what Mayura was witnessing.

They were so close to achieving their plans. Every nut and bolt was in place, every cog turning without a hitch. Gabriel's trump was Chloe Bourgeois. Now it seemed like he was dealt a very bad hand.

"You will pay for this, Miss Bourgeois!" Mayura spat vehemently. She was weakened, and dealing with Chloe one-on-one would be disastrous, and she was aware of it.

A very perplexed Master Fu watched as Mayura leapt swiftly out of sight. He got up and rushed to see where she went. He couldn't see her anywhere.

"Quite the escape artist." He mumbled. "But what happened her to resort to that?"

Still maintaining his shelter, he went to Mayura's vantage point, curious to get some answers.

Chloe was circling Hawkmoth like a shark.

"We're going to play a game, Hawkmoth. I am going to ask, and you're going to tell me everything I want to know. So simple! Ready?"

"Of course, my queen."

"Fantastic! Now first things first. Why did you need Ladybug and Cat Noir's miraculous so badly? What's so special about them?"

"Those two are more powerful than the other miraculous. They contain the ability to create and destroy. But if they were to be merged together, its combined power will grant the user a wish that can affect reality itself. Anything becomes possible."

"Oh wow! Now that's something... Wait, then why didn't Ladybug and Cat Noir use it to defeat you?"

"They think that using it can result in something terrible. They're afraid that there's a price to pay it."

"Well, is there?"

Hawkmoth took more time than usual to answer it.

"The miraculous were forged with benevolent intentions in mind. I don't believe they would incorporate such cruel implications to its magic."

"Hmm... Anything I want... I already control all of Paris... So why not extend my helping hand to the whole world? There would be no world problem that this wish wouldn't solve. I can single-handedly be the most awesome queen in all of History!"

Finally, I'll prove all of them just how important I am!

"I suggest we interrogate the guardian for more information, my queen. His input may be valuable. Mayura is guarding him."

"Mayura is here too? Where is she? Show me!"

"She is... Was over there." Hawkmoth replied, pointing straight at Master Fu. "But it seems like she left, leaving the guardian unattended no less."

"Kim! Get over there and capture him for me. I'll need his Mastery over the Miraculous."

"On it my queen!"

Kim leaped off, and without missing a beat, yelled "Uproar" to summon his power and grabbed the squeaky toy in midair. Master Fu shook his head.

"Ooh boy. I'm too old to play with that." He sighed, as he watched the eager young hero clamber up animatedly like the simian he was.

"Hmm... That takes care of the tortoise." Chloe muttered. But I have no idea where Mayura is. And Ladybug will be here soon. Think Chloe! Think!

Bingo!

"Hawkmoth, I need an Akuma. Get me one! Now!"

He flicked the top dome of his cane, making it emanate a weird clang. "Who do you wish me to Akumatize my queen?"

Chloe pondered at her pool of candidates. Rena Rouge, Pegasus, and Viperion.

"I sense Ladybug and Cat Noir's presence, my queen. We should hur—"

She pointed her finger.

"That's the one."

"As you wish my queen."

Please be okay Master. I don't know if I can take any more of this... I don't know what to do if something—

Ladybug tensed as she spotted movement ahead. She was about to reach for her yo-yo when she recognized the lithe form of her partner, similarly aqua powered as herself. Her kitty called out.

"Ladybug!"

"Cat Noir!"

He swam closer. "There's something wrong! What did Fu say to when you gave him back the dragon miraculous? "

A wave of guilt ran through her.

"I... I wasn't able to give it back."

Clearly Cat Noir wasn't expecting that answer.

"What?!"

"Master Fu has disappeared. I'm worried something's happened to him."

Cat Noir quickly extended his baton and scanned the surface.

"I can't see Master Fu anywhere, but they do have the miracle box. It's a catastrophe! And I just happened to be an expert in cat things." He said playfully, hoping not to let her see how nervous he was. He didn't want to agitate the already crumbled girl.

"It's... It's my fault. I didn't transform back before I went to find him."

"What?"

"I was... Confused—I'm sorry! I'm such a failure."

He could see that she was starting to cave in under the pressure.

Not happening on my watch!

He swam closer and placed his hand on her shoulder in a reassuring gesture.

"Hey, the important thing is to find Master Fu and get the miracle box back, and we'll need a focused Ladybug for that. Forget what happened, okay..?"

Ladybug looked at his chartreuse eyes and felt herself melting inside. She pulled him into a hug. "Thanks, cat. You're always here for me."

Feeling relieved, he returned the gesture. "Always, little bug."

They floated in place, silently drawing strength from each other.

Cat Noir felt Ladybug start to pull away and let her go with a smile. She returned it, looking more like herself again. His smile broke into a toothy grin as he watched her slip into her detective mode, firing off her rapidly concocted plans.

"Ok, first, we need to free our friends from Miracle queen. Then we can defeat Queen Wasp and Hawkmoth. But first, we gotta neutralize those wasps to get out of the water. If we get stung, it's all over!"

He felt immensely confident in seeing his ladybug bounce back to her cheerful persona. This is the girl who could defeat a villain with just a fork.

"Sounds easy when you say it." Cat noir quipped back, cheekily.

"Yes! We're gonna make it easier." She replied while donning the dragon miraculous. A slightly queasy Longg materialized in front of her. Cat Noir realized her line of reasoning.

"No! It's too dangerous. Too many powers at the same time!" The concern in Cat Noir's voice was apparent.

"We don't have a choice." She replied, feeding a macaroon to the Kwami, who gulped it down.

"My treats are usually less wet, but I think I'm ready to fight, Ladybug!" He replied. Ladybug nodded at Longg and glanced at Cat Noir, who relented and gave her a nod of his own. "Let's do this Ladybug."

Both of them burst out with a loud splash. They both called off their aqua powers.

"Spots off!"

"Claws in!"

"Tikki, Longg, unify!"

Ladybug felt the dragon miraculous merging with her own, sending a pulse of cascading energy down her body. She felt her mind becoming clearer and battle-ready, as the dragon inside her uncoiled and wanted to roar.

She took out her trusty yo-yo and started spinning it, calling out "water dragon!" as she descended down.

She landed and expanded the bubble of liquid, knocking over Chloe thanks to the wasp repelling nature of water. She got back up and clawed at it.

"Ladybug!"

"It'll be Dragon bug to you, Chloe." She drawled. She noticed that Chloe looked slightly different than her Queen wasp form.

Fuming, Chloe barked at others. "What are you waiting for? Go get them!"

All four other miraculous holders summoned their special powers simultaneously.

"Mirage!"

"Second chance!"

"Voyage!"

"Uproar!"

Shaking the apprehension, Ladybug called out her partner. "Viperion is by far the most dangerous, you focus on him." She gripped the hilt of her sword tighter. "Be careful cat."

Cat Noir donned his battle face.

"Got it. CATACLYSM!"

He rushed towards Viperion, ignoring how his sightless eyes made him a bit uneasy. When he got close enough, he jumped, aiming a kick at his torso.

Viperion responded at the last second by pushing his attack down, to which he threw a punch. He dodged it too, caught him by the wrist, and spun him around and away.

The leather-clad hero quickly regained his composure and assessed the threat. Having already used the snake miraculous, he knew Viperion was dodging him by memory. Which meant he had used his second chance and already had his moved mapped out to an unknown degree. Not good for him.

Cat Noir rushed again, feigning a punch but resorting to a kick instead. Viperion nimbly sidestepped to his left while bending, letting the kick fly above his head. Instead of letting his leg go around, Cat Noir cocked it in and thrust it out heel first, hoping to catch him off-guard. He blocked it with both his hands and sprung away.

"Hey, Viperion! You seem a little defensive today." Cat Noir quipped, trying to find an opening. "Long day?"

Viperion stayed silent.

"So how many times did you bailout?"

Without waiting for a reply, he dashed forward, saw Viperion bracing for the attack, and instead of pressing the offense, he whipped his baton out and planted it on the ground, extending it. The sudden move sprung him upwards, confusing Viperion. Cat Noir spun around mid-leap, and swiped his baton hard, catching the snake miraculous holder across the torso.

"Gotcha! No time-outs out this time!"

Meanwhile, Ladybug was dancing around the courtyard as fast as her muscles could flex. Playing with three miraculous holders was starting to make her feel tired.

"hWhoA!" She yelped as she narrowly avoided getting whacked in the head by Pegasus's horseshoe. She threw her yo-yo sideways to parry a blow from King monkey and slammed it back to deflect Rena's flute. Pegasus caught his horseshoe, and threw it again, mimicking the trajectory of a boomerang. Ladybug jerked her head back, letting it miss by less than an inch from her nose, threw her yo-yo like a pitcher and wrapped it around him. Yanking hard, she reeled him towards her, grabbed his glasses, and kicked off of his chest. Pegasus stumbled backward and fell, reverting back to Max Kante.

"Huh... Ladybug?"

Hearing Max's voice, she quickly deflected Rena's thrown flute again, cut through two of her illusions, and stood in front of max, her yo-yo spinning rapidly in defense, and her face scrunched in utter confusion.

"Max? Are you actually there?"

He scratched his head before answering. "One hundred percent positive. I appear have been put under some form of mind control, but I affirm that I'm free of it now."

Glancing back at him, she could see his eyes were indeed normal, minus his trademark square rimmed glasses.

"Good! I'll need your help. Here!" She tossed the horse miraculous back at him. "Chloe is Akumatized into Queen Wasp. The Akuma must be in her spinning top. Give me a second to come up with a plan."

"Affirmative Ladybug. Kaalki, full gallop!"

After seeing that he caught Viperion off guard, Cat Noir was having better odds at fighting. His attacks were proving to be much more effective.

Evading Viperion's thrown lyre, he hurled his baton straight at him, not giving him enough time to even think of dodging. It impacted with his shoulder, making him grunt and stumble backward. Before he could regain his balance, Cat Noir pounced on him, and in one swift motion pinned him down and swiped his bracelet. Under him, Viperion reverted to Luka. He rolled off and was about to put it on when he heard Ladybug call him.

"Cat Noir. Pegasus is bringing Queen Wasp in! Use your cataclysm on her spinning top!"

Indeed, even as she spoke, Pegasus jumped into a portal in the ground, rematerialized just behind Chloe who let out a startled yelp, and yanked her in with him. She reappeared inside of the bubble, and adapting swiftly, Cat Noir flung himself at her, grabbed the spinning top with the still active cataclysm, and let the powdered black remains fall. He stepped back as the Akuma flitted away, letting Ladybug do her thing. Miracle queen turned back into Queen Bee, and the wasps disappeared. Whistling a song, he walked back to where Luka was sitting and staring at the ground with an unfocused look. He reached to pick up his baton and froze in place.

His cataclysm,

It was still ACTIVE!

"But I used it on..."

Thinking rapidly, he put on the snake miraculous on his wrist.

Nothing. No surge of power. No Kwami appeared.

Terror gripped his veins as his blood froze in them.

Whoa... Finally! Let's get this nasty butterfly.

Remembering that she was still merged with the dragon miraculous, Dragonbug called them to divide, so she would be free as Ladybug to purify the Akuma.

"Longg, Tikki, divide—"

"LADYBUG! WAIT!"

Cat Noir’s desperate warning came too late.

In less than a second, all hell broke loose.

No longer powered by the dragon miraculous, the protective bubble popped, and the sky darkened abruptly as swarms of wasps popped into existence out of nowhere. Everyone near them suddenly faded out. They reappeared further ahead of them, with the still Akumatized Miracle queen grinning wickedly. Pegasus, Viperion and an akumatized Rena Rouge stood in front of her.

"Split the skies, Rena Rage!" Chloe ordered triumphantly.

Chapter Text

"—Split the skies, Rena Rage!" Chloe ordered triumphantly.

An extremely unfamiliar and haunting tune issued from her flute, its tip glowing in blinding crimson.

Ladybug barely had time to react. "Cat Noir! Take cov—"

Her words were cut off abruptly as she gasped for air, her lungs suddenly empty. Her ears popped as the air pressure dropped alarmingly, and her vision started to darken around the edges. She collapsed on all fours as sparks of static electricity permeated the air around her.

She heard a desperate cry "SHELTER!" near her, and an almost simultaneous "HELLBOLT!" There was a moment of pause before the world split in two.

Ladybug screamed as her eyes and ears lost all senses. A blinding flash and a thunderous detonation engulfed everything. It roiled in place for a fraction before flaring outwards in a devastating shockwave.

Contained in the shield Rena Rage had made, Chloe stared in awe.

Pain...

It's really hard to move...

Is it morning already? It can't be. Just five more minutes...

Ouch! What's that ringing? Tikki... Snooze the alarm for me... I just need to rest.

"Ladybug."

For a little while...

"Ladybug."

A little longer... Just...

"LADYBUG!"

"Gah!" Ladybug shot up, ears ringing like cathedral bells, her whole body aching and throbbing. She opened her eyes, and winced and shut them again.

"Ladybug? Are you okay? Talk to me!"

She tried to pick up the voice she was hearing, but the furious ringing and pounding in her eardrums didn't help the matter.

"C-Cat..? Is that y-you?"

The ringing started to decrease infinitesimally.

"...'s me, Fu! Please answer me, child!"

"Master Fu?" She opened her eyes in surprise and regretted it immediately. "OW! Light hurts."

"Easy Ladybug... Are you hurt in any other way? Any physical injuries?" The frantic concern in his voice was more than apparent.

She pulled herself to a sitting position and covered her face with her hands.

"I'm... Okay, Master. Just a little shaken up." She tried opening her eyes again, and winced sharply. Her vision swam, but she managed to keep her breakfast. "What happened?"

She heard Fu letting a sigh. "You were tricked. I'm sorry I couldn't help you any earlier."

She squeezed her eyes shut and tried opening them again. Despite the watering, she was able to open them this time. The first thing she noticed was Master Fu's very concerned face, and that they were encased in his shelter. Beyond it was a hazy smog. She squinted, trying to see in more detail.

The smog cleared somewhat, and she gasped as she looked at the landscape, now closely resembling a war zone. The water in the giant pool in the middle was completely vaporized, as all the greenery in sight. The ground was cracked, uneven, and charred. To her right, the ground where the bolt had connected was reduced to a deep crater. The hard concrete and at least ten feet worth of dirt and soil were now nothing more than free-floating molecules.

What on earth made that happen?

Several figures materialized through the gray dust ominously. Ladybug’s eyes widened. Hawkmoth was with them, in the flesh! But by his yellowed iris, she knew things didn't go as planned for him.

"Well well well... The Ladybug has a bit of dumb luck left." Chloe sneered insolently. "I was expecting to dig you out of a pile of rubble, but guess that tin can force field saved me the trouble. Looks like Kim couldn't do his job either since you showed up and he didn't." She pointed at the Guardian.

Master Fu held up the monkey miraculous, now in camouflage mode.

"The speed and agility of the young are impressive, but as a pinch of salt to the soup, experience is what completes it."

Chloe raised an eyebrow.

"Eh... Not a fan of soup?"

"I'm more of a sushi girl."

"Oh."

Ladybug was crouching behind Master Fu, trying to locate Cat Noir with her communicator. She still could faintly hear his last cry for her in her head. If it rattled her this much while having a shelter, god knows how hard it must've hit Cat Noir.

"I'm sorry Cat... I don't know what happened, but I let my guard down. Again. I'm so sorry." She whispered.

A cat paw icon popped up in her map, way behind her, and closer to the road. It was motionless, so he was probably unconscious. Ladybug bit her lip.

I need to help him.

Chloe started to speak.

"Let's not drag this on, Ladybug. You’re done bossing me around, giving and taking my miraculous on your whim!”

"It was never your miraculous, Chloe." Ladybug snapped.

"That's Miracle queen for you, Ladybrat!"

She motioned the figures behind her to join her.

Wearing a wicked smile, she asked her. "So what do you think of my little magic trick? I just used some illusions and Viperion's second chance and you idiots fell right in.”

Ladybug threw a glance at Rena, whose outfit was colored dark crimson with black accents.

"What did you do to her?"

Master Fu awakened his voice. "She's been Akumatized... Looks like Hawkmoth finally figured out how to maintain two Akumas at once. And he has given her the power not only to warp reality but affect it as well!"

"I figured out how to do it, grandpa! And Hawkmoth works for me now. You will be pleased to know that there will be no super-villains under the regime of Miracle queen!" She raised her chin and glanced down at them, imperiously.

"In fact, I have my mindset on doing some diplomatic... Hmm, what's the word...? Ah, Endeavors! For that, I need your and that alley cat’s miraculous."

"The wish doesn't work that way. The universe will maintain balance. Whatever you wish, there will be a reaction that follows." Master Fu tried to get his point across.

"Oh yeah? Were you there when the wish was cast? How can you know anything about it?" Chloe sneered at him.

"The same way one would know that a leather boot is inedible; from the fools that lived before."

"Oh, why am I wasting time with you morons? I'm giving you one chance to surrender your miraculous." She grinned. "Or my fox will huff, and she will puff, and she will blow your little shield away."

"Take a hike, Chloe!"

"You wouldn't be so stubborn after I've done walking all over you Ladybug!"

She turned to Rena Rage.

"Hey, fox! Do your thing. But let's start it slow. I don't want you to knock the Eiffel tower over." She said, retreating a safe distance.

Rena Rage nodded. "Yes, my queen." She blew a short melody and created a giant gorilla in front of her.

The gorilla stepped forward, raised his extremely oversized fists above his head, and brought it down on top of their shelter, pounding it with tons of sheer strength. Despite the shelter, the pressure wave pummeled them down relentlessly.

"What the—" Ladybug gasped.

"—heck is that? That's Rena Rage for you. When Hawkmoth used his scarlet moths to Akumatize her on heroes day, he stupidly ignored to simply phrase what kind of power boost he wanted to give her. Unlike him, I used my brain. I gave her the power to create tangible illusions. Want a Rhino?"

A rampaging Rhino slammed to the side of their shelter, making Master Fu stumble.

"Maybe something more modern?"

They heard a rumble of a mechanical monstrosity to their left, and Master Fu swiftly turned to face it, putting more strength into his shelter. With a resounding "BOOM!" a shell left the main gun of the tank and exploded point blank, sending both of them tumbling end over end.

Chloe cackled, far too pleased with herself. "I made her unstoppable. She can literally make anything I command her. She's like that character green err... Lamppost, Greenshade..?"

"Green Lantern." Pegasus corrected her.

"Why thank you, professor nerd." Chloe mumbled. "Oh no! These explosions got dust all over me! You! Snake eyes! Make me look presentable."

Ladybug and Master Fu got back up shakily. Ladybug noticed that the shelter field was almost completely covered with cracks.

"Master, we need to fall back! I need to find Cat Noir. This is not something we can handle right now." She helped him up. "She staged the whole fight, just like I did to defeat Kwamibuster. But by Akumatizing Rena Rouge, she didn't leave any possibility for me to find out that we were fighting an illusion the whole time. As soon as I dissolved my water bubble, Chloe sent her wasps in. Cat Noir already could be under her influence. If it wasn't for you Master, my incompetence would've ended everything. I'm so lame!"

"It was not your fault. I always thought Hawkmoth was one to be feared. But this girl takes the entire cake." He struggled to stay upright. "The shelter would not hold for long, I'm afraid."

Ladybug opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't find any words. She covered her face and collapsed.

"This is all my fault!" She cried. "All of this is because I couldn't do what I'm supposed to do! To protect people. I jeopardized your identity, lost the miracle box and walked right into their trap. Cat Noir could be really hurt, but I can't find a way to help him. And if I hadn't forgotten to de-transform myself to see you–"

Master Fu knelt near her.

"—Hawkmoth wouldn't have taken you hostage, he wouldn't have taken the miracle box! I'm the worst Ladybug that has ever existed!"

I dearly wish Cat Noir was here. I'm not the best to offer emotional advice. But I must help her...

"Ladybug, you're the best miraculous holder I've ever met! You've made mistakes but who hasn't? What matters is to fix them. You always, always miraculously knew how to fix everything."

"But what should I do Master? Everything is falling apart! What should I do?"

Hmm... What indeed..?

Finally succumbing to her distress, Ladybug curled on herself and started to cry. He held her tenderly. In many ways, he treated her as if she was his own granddaughter. He understood the unfair amount of tension she was currently subjected to.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Breathing exercises... Breathe in... Breathe out...

Restore your energies... Wang Fu. Your heart is troubled. So stop stirring it...

Let it settle...

With a relaxed exhale, and a rapidly relaxing mind, he opened his eyes. He was sensing it. The intuition that guided him, led him to understand things that were hidden for the naked eye, was surrounding him. He let his eyes close again.

He wasn't in Paris. He wasn't fighting a super-villain.

He wasn't even a guardian.

He was just a boy...

Breathe... Calm your senses... The edge of the storm pulsates with raw, destructive energies. It can shred any object that dares to lie in its path. Stand anywhere in it, and you will see everything falling apart. You will see strong set trees break like twigs, and the heavens themselves would be darkened, with torrents of rain drowning the earth. Chaos is what comes to one's mind... But the true power, the true force... It is the calm of the storm, young Fu. The eye itself. Stand there, and you will see the truth, undisturbed by everything that's happening at the moment. You may have no control over your storm, young apprentice, but what you do have, is a choice. You decide where to stand in it. Choose it wisely, the answers will be revealed within you.

Smiling at the memory of his younger days, Master Fu felt the fatigue and frustration drain from him. His mind, freed of its unnecessary burdens, focused on the present.

Let's see what you want to tell me.

Letting his instincts take over, Master Fu exhaled and reopened his eyes. The familiar landscape materialized in front of him, but he was starting to see it in a new eye. He saw Miracle queen walk towards them with her entourage, holding the miracle box with one arm.

My mentee needs me, I need to find an answer to our predicament.

As if awaiting him to say it, a green highlight, dotted with black hexagons, highlighted the miracle box. Looking over his shoulder at a rooftop, he spotted a silhouette of someone lurking in the shadows, observing them almost imperceptibly, who was also immediately highlighted. Focusing his vision again at his front, he saw Ladybug's petite form being highlighted. And the highlight remained lit.

Is it all? Have I uncovered the path?

But he still felt that one piece was missing from his puzzle. He rescanned his surroundings but he didn't find any additional information.

Come on... I don't have all day... Think!

The answers will be revealed within you...

Within YOU...

He looked down on himself, and the green highlight flicked from Ladybug to him, completing his mental puzzle, leaving him with the answer.

"Oh... It's all coming together now...." He chuckled. "I suppose it was going to happen one of these days anyway..."

Suddenly, everything was crystal clear to him. He was given a part to play, and he was determined to succeed.

I hoped it wouldn't be this soon... But every problem has its own solution. This is the solution for ours.

Ladybug started to move. Her gaze was fixated on Miracle queen.

"Master, they're coming! There's no time to thinks this through. LUCKY CH—"

"Easy now Marinette..." He shushed her when she tried to protest. "Don't worry, they can't hear me. Listen, my dear. You're still very young. And you've barely spent a year wielding the miraculous. But I have never seen any miraculous holder quite like you, or like A—" He sighed. It was not his secret to tell anyway. "—or like Cat Noir. Both of you are very unique. I chose you for your spirit, Marinette. You were always Ladybug. With or without having a miraculous, you would've been a force for good."

Sparing a glance at the approaching miraculous holders, he continued. "You made hard choices and fulfilled your responsibilities remarkably. I couldn't have been more proud of calling myself the Guardian who anointed you."

"Master, I…—"

He continued quickly. "You must always, always have faith in you. Everyone makes mistakes Marinette, and those who pick themselves up and move forward will move the world forward with them."

He watched as she tried to process all of what he said.

"Listen carefully, Ladybug. You must obtain the miracle box. You will need it. Be smart, and be confident. You are the manifestation of luck, so embrace it."

"Master, I don't get it—"

"You worry yourself over the mistakes you have already made, but you must stop that."

Ladybug just stared at him. Fu stood up to his full height and helped Ladybug up, who stood taller.

"Let go of your fear, Ladybug. Fear is the apprehension at the unknown. And you know you are going to win."

She stood there, letting his words sink in. He watched as her face went from hopeless, to troubled, to determined, and finally to a carefully measured confidence.

"You... You really think so Master?"

"Yes. I do."

In fact, I KNOW so.

"Then we'll need all the power-ups we have. We have Xuppu and Longg with us. Do you have any snacks with you by any chance Master? I'm all out of cookies."

"I'm afraid I don't have anything except for this, Ladybug." He said, offering her what appeared to be a key. "But try to find some carrots. You may need it."

Ladybug looked perplexed. "Carrots?"

"Yes. Good for making oneself look younger." He looked at her and gave a tiny wink.

The look of pure bewilderment on her face made Fu chuckle.

Ah... I'm going to miss this.

Chloe walked up to them and knocked theatrically on the shield dome. "Hello! Bonding time's over. Will you kindly place your miraculous in my custody, please? I'd hate to find out how many STS missi—"

"SSM." Pegasus corrected her automatically. "Surface to surface missiles."

Chloe pinched the bridge of her nose. "—how many SSM missiles that shelter can hold out against."

Master Fu gave an annoyed look at Chloe, brought his fist up and clenched it, instantly making the shelter field opaque.

"Hey! I'm not done making threats!"

"—and you shouldn't repeat the word missile after saying it in the acronym SSM, my queen. Grammer wise it’s incorre—"

"NO ONE ASKED FOR YOUR DIDDLY DARN OPINION MR. KNOW-IT-ALL!"

Inside the shelter, Master Fu gave Ladybug a reassuring smile.

"Remember what I taught you Ladybug. Be proud and confident. To defeat Miracle queen, you must acquire the miracle box." Master Fu intoned in a low voice to Ladybug. She gave a nod of acknowledgment.

He made the dome transparent again. "You were saying, miss?" He asked Chloe in a mock sweet tone, making her fume. Ladybug thought she actually saw steam emitting from her ears.

"I was going to dump some missile on your head."

"My Shelter is much more durable than you think miss. I could do this all day."

"Oh really? I guess that makes sense when you're all bark and no bite. Well, let's see how long this ancient tortoise is going to keep up."

"You mean turtle."

"Wah wah! Same difference."

"Heh heh heh..." Master Fu chuckled, sounding very amused with himself. Then he gave a smile to Ladybug, and turned to Chloe with a smirk.

"Well, the thing is, turtles can occasionally be—"

Master Fu held his shield in his hands.

“—Aggressive."

In a sudden burst of unexpected energy, Master Fu grabbed Ladybug, collapsed his shelter and leapt straight up like a shot out of a cannon. He took his shield and he launched it down with such force it whip-cracked the air around it.

"SHELL SHOCK!" His aged voice thundered mightily, and the shell glowed bright green before it made contact with the ground, making the point of impact cave in as if struck by a meteor. It sent a massive thundering shockwave across the ground, collapsing several nearby concrete pillars, and sending Chloe and the others tumbling away like ragdolls.

Ladybug stared at her Master with wide eyes and muttered "Whoa..."

They both landed near a jagged pile of rubble.

"Nice move Master! You should use it more often." Ladybug said, spinning her yo-yo rapidly. She threw a glance to where Chloe and her subordinates were trying to get up groggily, and another out for any incoming wasps. But the swarms just hovered idly, as if waiting to be given a command. "We can take them on Master. On three?"

"You will defeat them, just not right at this moment. I'm afraid I've reached my limit, dear Ladybug." She heard him saying in a weak voice behind her. Immediately alarmed, she retracted her yo-yo and rushed to his side where he was kneeling. He looked very tired.

"There was a reason why I mainly used my powers for defense as I grew older. Offensive powers can drain an old miraculous holder quite fast." Despite the statement, he gave her a toothy grin. "But it sure felt great to use it one last time."

"Oh, Master I'm so sorry. There must be something I can d—"

"Yes, there is something you can do..." He placed his hand in hers, and gazed at her with a bittersweet mix of pride and contentment.

"...Guardian."

Chapter Text

There was a flash of light, and Master Fu reverted to his civilian self.

Ladybug's eyes grew wide as she stared at the turtle miraculous placed in her hand. Wayzz floated back to Master Fu.

"Goodbye, Master..." Wayzz spoke in a shaky voice, his emotions making it hard for him to speak.

"Goodbye, old friend." Mater Fu replied, allowing Wayzz to land atop his palm.

Ladybug looked from Wayzz to Master Fu.

"Master what is this?! You can't— I can't— you're the guardian Master! I'm not ready! AND WHY ARE YOU SAYING GOODBYE?!"

"You are ready, Ladybug. I managed to complete your training, didn't I? I told you that you would be the next guardian. Today you will."

"But why Master?"

He grunted as he sat straighter.

"I am too tired Ladybug, I can no longer fight. If Miracle queen puts me under her spell, she can obtain way too much knowledge. Way too much! But if I'm just a civilian who knows nothing about these matters, there will be no harm to anyone."

"I don't understand..."

Wayzz looked up. “When Master Fu names you as the next guardian, he will lose all of his memories related to the miraculous." He explained. "It is the rule of the guardian. This is to protect the identities of the miraculous holders.”

Ladybug looked at him with visible pain. "Master, please! There has to be some other way... I can't lose you!"

"I will always be with you, Ladybug. Everything I taught you will remind you of me. Experiencing loss is a part of life, but what matters is that you cherish the good things that came from it." He smiled, his eyes brimming with tears.

Ladybug hugged him tightly. "I wish we had more time Master Fu..."

He hugged her back. "Me too. But I know this is the right time. Wise old men like me always know the right time."

"Oh." Despite the tears running down her cheeks, she chuckled lightly. "How come?"

"Ancient Chinese secret."

Ladybug smiled as she pulled back. "Of course."

The spent a moment in silence, both unsure what to say.

"Say goodbye to Cat Noir for me."

Ladybug sighed. "I will, Master."

"Take care of him. And of yourself too."

They heard a frustrated screech some distance beyond them. "I'm covered in dust again!" They sew Miracle queen climb out of the rubble furiously. "Tell me how to make the wish before I turn you into a honeycomb!" She clapped her hands. "On me my troops!"

Rena Rage held her head groggily, and having used his second chance to help her illusions in the staged battle earlier, Viperion simply de-transformed. Pegasus was digging himself out, and Hawkmoth was absent, probably under a mountain of rubble.

"Whaaat?! Such babies! Timing out already? Find a brick or something and feed it to your Kwami you stupid snake! Ugh! So incompetent."

Master Fu turned to Ladybug gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"You hold all the keys Ladybug, you always will. And you'll be the most magnificent of Guardians!"

He straightened himself and took a deep breath.

"I, Wang Fu, hereby relinquish the miracle box and name Ladybug as the new Guardian!"

"What the—" Chloe yelped as the miracle box suddenly lurched out of her arms and floated upwards with a sunburst of colors rushing to meet it. Several swirling colors chased the air around it, and the miracle box morphed into a ladybug themed spheroid container. The turtle miraculous in Ladybug's hands glowed brightly and a glow enveloped Master Fu. Master Fu smiled through the haze one last time.

"Thank you very much, young lady..."

The glow intensified—almost blindingly—and then went out. Ladybug caught the unconscious body of the former guardian.

"What did you do to my miracle bo— It's not even a box anymore! I can't open it. Fix this now!" Chloe yelled unhappily. The wasps finally came to life and swarmed menacingly in front of Ladybug. She glanced at Chloe. Numb with grief and angry at Chloe, she wordlessly snap-threw her yo-yo at the ground. It rebounded and slammed into the underside of the spheroid container. With a clang, it left Chloe's hand. Ladybug flicked her wrist, and the yo-yo wrapped around it and brought it to her.

"Hey give that back! Wasps! Sting he—"

She couldn't finish her command as half a dozen objects clattered in front of her, one hitting square on her face. In a cacophony of hissing sounds, each immediately started to disperse thick smoke, which enveloped the whole area. The wasps broke formation and backed off.

Ladybug felt a pair of arms snatch her from behind, and lift her off the ground. She held Master Fu tightly as whoever was carrying her dragged her to higher ground. She squinted, trying to see who it was, but the ridiculous amount of smoke immediately made her eyes tear up.

She resorted to a simple inquiry instead. "Who are you?"

Instead of a reply, she was dragged in through a window into a dimly lit room and was abruptly released.

"Whoa!" Stumbling from the sudden loss of support and with the weight of Master Fu, Ladybug gyrated frantically for a moment.

Her rescuer swiftly closed the window and pushed a large cupboard against it. "We should be safe here."

Ladybug stared in wide-eyed wonder as Mayura turned to face her and greeted her, slightly out of breath. "Hello, Ladybug."

"Why did you bring me here?" Ladybug questioned, resting Master Fu on the floor and unhooking her yo-yo. She held the Spheroid tightly.

"Would you rather have me leave you at Miracle queen's mercy?" She simply asked. A muffled buzzing sound was heard outside as the swarm flew past in search of them.

"Ok, but why save me? Akumatizing Chloe was your plan all along right?"

"Yes. Until she betrayed us."

"Hardly a surprising thing in your business." Ladybug scoffed.

Mayura cast her an unreadable look. Then she glanced at the prone figure of Master Fu. "I see he made you the new guardian. Should I call you—?"

"Ladybug is fine." She cut her off. "I want you to tell me what you want from me."

Mayura straightened herself. "Very well." She walked to a small water dispenser, filled two cups and offered one to Ladybug.

Despite herself, she accepted the drink. Her throat was parched. "Thank you."

"Miracle queen has Hawkmoth, and two more active miraculous wielders under her control. The guardian disabled Money king, and Viperion already de-transformed. Cat Noir's whereabouts remain unknown and will transform back in any minute, and Miracle queen might learn his identity."

Ladybug winced at the mention of her partner. She felt immensely guilty for not being able to save him. She stayed silent, letting Mayura continue.

"Chloe has Rena rage, and she is very formidable in her Akumatized state. And if she manages to feed Viperion's Kwami, she will be impossible to defeat."

"Yes, I already know about all of this." Ladybug said, exasperated. "What are you getting at?"

Mayura clasped her hands in front of her, assuming a formal pose, which Ladybug thought to be weird. "I'm requesting a truce, Ladybug. Chloe Bourgeois can't be allowed to have the power she wants. Help me to rescue Hawkmoth, and I'll help you rescue Cat Noir and defeat Miracle queen."

Ladybug sputtered at her. "What?! Help you rescue Hawkmoth? That's just— Do you honestly—you can't be serious!"

"I am." She replied evenly. "Neither you nor I can defeat her alone. Only if we join forces will we stand a chance, however slim it may be."

Darn it! She does have a point. I can use more miraculous, but it's still going to be just me... But joining with her to save Hawkmoth? I'd much rather wear a full-face helmet and throw up in it. Multiple times.

"The longer we take to decide, the better prepared our enemy will be Ladybug."

But since there's no other way...

"Ok, Mayura. Deal."

And there aren't any helmets that I can see...

"Think wisely Ladybug. I may only be able to use my power once." Mayura informed, checking the room for any openings.

Ladybug started to reply but held it back as she sensed something off about Mayura.

"You're sick, aren't you? You have been, for a while..." Ladybug mused.

Her aura felt... Off...

Aura?

WHAT?

Mayura whipped around as if struck. "How did you know?" she asked apprehensively.

"I... Don't know." Ladybug replied, confused herself. "I just... Feel it?"

Mayura gave her a scrutinizing gaze. She nodded. "That must be a perk of being a guardian." She changed the subject. "Do you have a plan?"

Ladybug took a deep breath. "I've got three miraculous with me, but their Kwamis need to refuel. I should put them inside the miracle box—Err... Ball? But anyway, without eating something, it might take up to an hour for them to recharge. I wonder what they have for snacks... Maybe there's a kitchen here."

Excluding the exit, Mayura found two doors. one led to a room full of large cardboard boxes, some furniture and cleaning material. The other door led to a walk-in refrigerator.

"I hope your Kwamis are vegetarians. There's only beans, cabbages and carrots here."

"Carrot will do us no good. Fluff's back in—OHMYGOSH!"

Mayura rushed back in, wielding her hand fan at ready. "What happened?"

"I GOT IT! Master Fu said something about carrots, that it was good for making someone look younger. He meant Fluff!"

Spotting the look Mayura was giving her, she elaborated. "She's the Kwami of the rabbit miraculous."

Mayura squinted at Ladybug. “The book had surprisingly little information about the miraculous of the rabbit. What exactly is its power?”

But Ladybug was already busy, her mind running a mile a second. She simply replied, "We can use it to stop her."

She got up and scurried to all four corners of the room, checking seemingly everything that caught her sight.

She ran back to Mayura, and like the excited schoolgirl she was, exclaimed, "I found a way to get past the wasps and get closer to Chloe. We need to make a surprise attack because we can't fight with Rena rage around. We'll have eyes in the sky giving us updates." Wayzz floated up from behind her, and threw Mayura a scathing look, but remained silent otherwise.

"Once we pounce on her, I'll grab the miracle box, and use my lucky not-right-now charm to escape before the wasps or Rena can get the drop on us... What? It triggers my power if I said it normally."

"You haven't summoned the lucky charm yet. I thought you couldn't predict what you get." Mayura pointed out.

"I think Mr. Bug had the right idea. I think I know I'll get what I think I'll get."

"Whatever you say." Mayura shrugged. "What kind of Sentimonster do you need?"

"My plan is so convoluted and surreal it's eating a hole in my brain."

"Enlighten me."

"For this plan to work I need a total of three lucky-not right now-charms. Three lucky stuff, three ladybugs to cast them."

"That does sound like a mouthful."

"Tell me about it!"

"But how can three Ladybugs exist at the same tim—Oh... This must be where the rabbit miraculous comes in? Its power must be of multiplication!"

Pfft! Well, what you don’t know won’t hurt you, I guess.

"Erm… Yes. And I need a Sentimonster. A special one. I think you're already familiar with her."

"Her?"

"I need Ladybug."

Chapter Text

"So... You will tell me anything I ask you?"

"Yes, my queen."

"You won't hide anything?"

"I won't."

"Good..." Miracle queen drawled. "Then tell me this..." She leaned in closer.

"Who is ladybug?"

A beat.

"I don't know."

"You DARE lie to me?!"

"I didn't. She never told me about her identity."

"UGH! THIS CAT IS UTTERLY USELESS! To think I wasted my efforts digging your sorry hindside out!" Her spotless outfit and the other dust-covered miraculous holders further confirmed it.

"What kind of partner would hide her own identity like that? Ugh! If I knew who's behind that mask I'd– I'D—!" She emphasized her intentions by strangling the air and kicking one of the empty tear gas cylinders away. But she abruptly stopped as she heard his miraculous beep. She turned around with an extremely pleased smirk.

"But you wouldn't mind if I find out who you are, riiiight?"

"Are you sure about that?" Mayura asked, feeling very hesitant. Ladybug was her most powerful Amok. The short-lived Sentimonster was truly a unique one.

Ladybug nodded. "Yes. But I will keep the Amokatized object."

Mayura frowned, clearly not comfortable with that. The allegiance of the Sentimonster lied with whoever possessed the Amok. The last time she lost it, it joined forces against her.

But just like then, all she would need is to take its Amok away to snuff it out.

Satisfied the odds weren't against her, she conceded. "Agreed."

Feeling very weird that she was willingly witnessing an Amokatization firsthand, Ladybug produced the key Master Fu gave her from her Yo-yo. "Use this."

Mayura raised her fan and plucked a feather, and closed her fist around it, charging it with energy. She released it on on the key.

"Give body to the Ladybug Sentimonster again!"

Between them, the familiar purple turbulence took place, and through it, a perfect clone of Ladybug emerged.

The original one gasped. "She looks exactly like me! Down to the smallest details..." She whispered.

It's like looking in a mirror. Kinda creepy...

"Sentimonster, you will now obey Ladybug."

She looked at Mayura, and then back at Ladybug. She then gave them a meek smile. "It's nice to see you again, Ladybug."

"You... You remember me?" Ladybug asked incredulously. Mayura seemed taken aback as well.

The Sentimonster looked at herself. "I... I think so?"

Ladybug broke into a wide grin. "Then welcome back! Uh... Calling you Ladybug is confusing... How about..." She remembered the nickname Cat Noir gave her. "Bugette?"

"If you say so Ladybug." She replied.

"Great! Come here Bugette, I'll bring you up to speed. And Mayura, the key, if you please."

They gathered around and talked, quickly going over how they should proceed.

Mayura stood up abruptly. "That seems highly improbable and unlikely to succeed. Just because we put boxes over us doesn't make us invisible. Who do you think you are, an Ostrich?"

Ladybug shrugged. "Worked like a charm for me and Cat Noir the last time we fought queen wasp. And they weren't even boxes then."

Mayura sighed. "I don't get paid enough for this..." She muttered under her breath as she accepted the oversized box and the minuscule pair of scissors handed to her.

Ladybug giggled as she watched Bugette scamper around like a blind boxy turtle on steroids, bump into a table and then smack sideways into a grumpy Mayura, who nearly toppled over. Bugette's hysterical laughter was only slightly muffled because of the box.

"This is so much fun!" She squealed.

"Wait, I need to cut eye holes in that!" Ladybug chased her, barely holding her own laughter in.

"Catch me if you can!"

Mayura pulled up a chair and sat down, stabbing her own box with an annoyed huff. "I'm surrounded by idiots..."

She cut one eyehole and proceed to cut another on a different side. Something slammed against her chair again.

"WOULD YOU BEHAVE YOURSELF SENTIMONSTER?!" She snapped, shooting daggers with her eyes.

"It wasn't me! I'm over here!" Came the reply from the other corner of the room.

"Ehehe, sorry. Guess I should make my peephole wider." Ladybug sheepishly conceded.

Ladybug took a deep breath. "Ok, here goes nothing."

She touched the spheroid container, but nothing happened.

"Uh... Open sesame?"

Still nothing.

"Weird..." She lifted her hand off of it, and it suddenly glowed. With a flash, the previously black-only spots emerged with symbols representing each miraculous it stored. The top spot held the compartment for her own miraculous. Immediately below it was where the black cat miraculous would be stored. To its right, was where the miraculous she wanted.

She gently touched the rabbit symbol, and it opened up. With a bluish flash, fluff came out of it.

"Weee!" She exclaimed. She stopped in front of Ladybug. "Hello new guardian." She looked around the room. She gestured at Mayura. "I see Dusuu's here too?" Then she saw another Ladybug staring at her. Fluff blinked.

"Ok, now I'm very concerned."

Ladybug spoke. "It's according to a plan. Mayura is... With us."

For now at least.

She gestured to her left. "That cute girl over there is Bugette. She's a... She was brought to life by Mayura."

Bugette waved bashfully. "Hi, fluff."

Ladybug marveled at how much she acted like a shy Marinette. It reminded her of herself when she just started being Ladybug. So unsure and timid...

Shaking her head to clear her morbid thoughts, she resumed. "An Akuma—"

"Miracle queen, yes, I know. We shouldn't waste time. But Ladybug–" She floated closer–"You know that Bunnyx is supposed to wear my miraculous, right? If you go back in time wearing it, it could change things too much. Even if you briefly step into the burrow, you will know things that you are not ready to know!"

"I know, but we don't have a choice—WHOA!"

All of them lost their balance as something akin to an earthquake shook the entire neighborhood. The guttural rumble was followed by more tremors as a nearby buildings with already weakened structures, collapsed altogether. The front part of the building they were currently in ruptured as well, most of the front side collapsing down in heaps of concrete and rebar. Ladybug flipped a big table, and they took cover behind it so they wouldn't be spotted.

Miracle queen's voice, amplified several times by a megaphone she was holding, thundered. "Eh-hem! LADYBUG! I know you can hear me. I've had enough of hide and seek. I've found your stray cat, and he's about to transform back. If you wanna save him, you better hurry up and get here! Or I'll keep flattening everything I see until you do so!"

"Well, so much for the cardboard box plan." Mayura deadpanned.

Ladybug could faintly hear the beep of Cat Noir's miraculous. Praying she wouldn't be spotted, she whispered, "Lucky charm!" A disk attached to a pair of straps dropped to her lap.

"Look on the bright side, now we don't have to waste time looking for Miracle queen." She quipped.

Mayura, who was watching Chloe with just her nose above the table, suddenly hissed. "Ladybug! Cat Noir is going to transform back!"

"No time to lose!" Ladybug quickly activated the rabbit miraculous.

"Fluff, CLOCKWISE!"

She was covered in an azure glow, and white, black and baby blue accents appeared on her suit. Her eye color changed to a neon blue.

Not wasting time to admire her appearance, she took her umbrella and prepared to cast her special ability, but at that exact moment, she heard Cat Noir's transformation run out and heard him de-transform.

A dead silence ensued.

Then came Chloe's incredulous exclamation.

"ADRIEN?!"

All blood was drained from Ladybug's face. She stood up, and everything else that was on her mind was gone. She didn't even hear Mayura whispering, "It can't be you!" The only thing her mind registered was Adrien standing motionless next to Cat Noir's Kwami, Plagg.

That means...

Ladybug clutched her head, the obvious implication being too much for her to bear. Memories upon memories flooded to head, as her brain realized the two most important people in her life were actually the same.

Eyes wide as saucers, she tore her gaze from Adrien and to the glowing portal.

“Oh no…" She whispered.

Ladybug bit a shaking lip. Her mind was already falling apart, and she was losing control of her emotions. She made a decision while she could.

"Bugette! Listen to me! I can't go back now, I know things I shouldn't! I can’t– I-" She shook her head-"I need you to take my place instead."

Bugette looked astonished. "What?! I... I don't know what I should do!"

Attempting to smile, she placed her hand on Bugette.

"Look, that's a portal leading to a moment in the past. This lucky charm is a wasp deterrent. Give this to the past me. When you get there, cast your Senti Charm. My past self will cast her own lucky charm as well. Using those three, you will be able to win. Three lucky charms, but only two ladybugs. Good luck! But then again, we make our own luck right?"

Bugette just gawked.

Ladybug handed Bugette her Lucky charm. "Don't tell me, or anyone else about his identity." She leveled her gaze at her. "I'm counting on you to complete this mission, Bugette. Can I trust you?"

With a determined look, Bugette clutched the disk firmly. "You can count on me, Ladybug. I won't let you down."

Ladybug gave her a heartfelt smile.

"Welcome to red team, Bugette."

Chapter Text

"–Whatever you say." Mayura shrugged. "What kind of Sentimonster do you need?"

"My plan is so convoluted and surreal it's eating a hole in my brain." Ladybug started pacing back and forth.

"Enlighten me."

"For this plan to work I need a total of three lucky-not right now-charms. Three lucky stuff, three ladybugs to cast them."

"That does sound like a mouthful."

"Yeah, it is. Hello everyone!" A voice took them both by surprise.

"EEEEEK!" Ladybug sprung away as Mayura whipped her fan out. Upon seeing the owner of the voice, Mayura gasped in surprise.

"Oh my! Who are you?"

Ladybug got her composure back and looked at the newcomer. "You're me from the future, right?"

"No, Ladybug. I'm Bugette. I'm a Sentimonster created to help you."

Mayura's head whipped from Ladybug to Bugette. "A Who and a what now?"

"–So we don't have much time Ladybug. We need to attack before Chloe does." Bugette concluded her explanation and handed Ladybug the future Lucky Charm. Ladybug cast her own and received a plunger.

Bugette looked at Ladybug. "Should I cast my Senti Charm?"

Ladybug nodded. "Be my guest."

Bugette flicked her yo-yo upwards. "SENTI CHARM!"

A pink glow engulfed them, and a rather big gun appeared above her head. She grunted as she caught it. "A sticky gun?"

"Wondering about what are you supposed to do with it?" Ladybug grinned.

Bugette tilted her head sideways like a confused bird. "Why would I? It's a sticky gun. It's supposed to stick stuff together, right?"

"Oh... Yeah right." Ladybug felt like a fresh idiot. "Usually it's something harder to figure out."

"So are we ready to defeat Chloe Bourgeois?" Mayura questioned.

"Yes! We are." Ladybug replied confidently. She walked to the window and pushed it slightly open. Holding her yo-yo at an angle, she used it to watch Chloe and her ragtag team march closer. "And I have quite the entrance planned."

“According to Cat Noir's communicator, this are where Ladybug is hiding." Pegasus observed. "But she could be in any of those buildings...”

Chloe shrugged. “Oh well, guess I'll just un-build them to find out." She chuckled.

"Rena Rage, One plus-sized ground pound please."

"Of course my queen!" She lifted her fists up, and the air in front of her shimmered, and two giant balled fists materialized. She slammed them down with a mighty boom, sending a shockwave that started to collapse multiple buildings. An enormous dust cloud screened the whole area.

Coughing from the dust that got in her mouth, Chloe muttered about Rena being a mixed blessing and put the megaphone she 'borrowed' from Sabrina's dad to her mouth.

But she only managed to let out an amplified "WHAA?!" as three figures burst through the smoke. She gaped further as she saw that two of them were one.

Rena Rage was still recovering from the exertion and was unprepared when a globule of stickiness raced at her. It splattered across her body. She stumbled and fell as more followed, and soon she was glued in place, with only her head and one arm sticking out.

Chloe Blanched at the loss of her strongest follower. She barked at Pegasus and Hawkmoth. "Don't just stand there! Go do something!" They took off running towards Mayura.

Remembering that she had her wasps, Chloe sent them en-masse towards her enemies. But as soon as they got closer than twenty or so feet from one of the Ladybugs, they jerked backward, as if electrocuted. No amount of orders made them go past the invisible barrier.

Pegasus rushed Mayura and yelled "VOYAGE!" He threw the portal in front of her, but she easily flipped over it. Landing deftly, she threw her fan at Hawkmoth, who had his cane raised above his head and could not deflect it in time. It connected with his face and sent him tumbling. Mayura caught his cane midair, and whacked Pegasus across his body, sending him crashing into a parked car.

That left Chloe alone to deal with Ladybug.

She flinched as Ladybug landed near her, her yo-yo spinning gracefully.

"Looks like the bully lost her gang... Did you take a wrong turn?" She quipped.

Chloe smirked. "This is my turf Ladybug. You're the one who took a wrong turn."

Ladybug heard light footsteps of someone running towards her from behind. She smiled.

And that's the last one.

Ladybug rolled aside, evading Cat Noir's grapple. He took his baton and extended it, and swiped it at her. She ducked and felt the gust of wind as it whipped by her.

Thinking her nemesis was distracted, Chloe took her spinning top and called for her venom. She lunged, hoping to immobilize her in one hit.

But instead of getting stung in the back as she expected, Ladybug grabbed Cat Noir and shoved him aside, and spun around with something extending from her hand. Chloe shrieked "EWWW!" as she found her spinning top embedded inside a plunger and let go instinctively. She stumbled and landed on her butt. A volley of glue from Bugette rooted her in place.

Ladybug's triumphant mood shifted to panic mode as she heard telltale beeping from Cat Noir's ring. Looking around, she spotted a dusty car with tinted windows, found it to be unlocked, and shoved him in it. She slammed the door shut.

Half a second later he de-transformed.

"Whew! That was close!" She wiped her brow. "But how am I going to free the Akuma?" She wondered. Cat Noir had already summoned his cataclysm, and miraculous were nearly indestructible.

"You can try sitting on it." A cocky voice suggested from behind her. After a hearty shriek, Ladybug recognized Bunnyx's smirking face. "Did your butt and brain switch places? It's her weapon, Minibug. Not her miraculous. Are you that distracted?"

"Oh yeah, Bunnyx! I'm sorry. I was a little... Anyway, that's a relief... Cat Noir is out so I'm all out of cataclysms anyway."

"You nearly caused one though."

"What?!"

"Well, actually it was, will be your future self, but the time flow is changed, so it actually won't be you at all."

"Huh? I don't follow you Bunnyx."

"No one does, don’t sweat it. But there were so many things that could've gone wrong when you involved the rabbit miraculous in your plan, minibug. But you got really lucky. Like winning-the-lottery-on the-same-day-three-times-in-a-row lucky."

"Uh-huh..." Ladybug was still not following her. "But if my plan was risky, why wasn't you already there to help me? Or stop me?"

"There's a thing call something happening for the first time, Minibug, which was what happened earlier. When you see me, it's usually a much later iteration of an event that I've already witnessed, and decided to butt in to intervene."

Bunnyx leaned closer. "Though it was a very smart move you did, will do... Ugh! I'm just going to stick to the past tense! You sent Bugette back instead of coming yourself. That avoided a lot of temporal catastrophes. But it still changed this timeline. Many things were altered drastically." She explained while observing Bugette, who was apparently trying to engage in a conversation with her captive. So far it looked like it was very much one-sided. "The change in the time stream is what brought me here. But of course it won't be permanent since I can take her back to her timeline."

Ladybug followed Bunnyx's gaze. She spoke hesitantly. "What if... What if she stayed?"

Bunnyx looked back at Ladybug with her eyebrows raised. "Come again Minibug?"

Still not meeting Bunnyx's gaze, Ladybug sheepishly continued. "Isn't it wrong to just... Dismiss her?"

Bunnyx waited for her to elaborate.

"When Mayura first made her around the time I was expelled from school, I gave Bugette the Amok from Mayura. I let her make a choice instead of making her follow my orders. She decided to help me! I was so surprised." She spoke, watching Bugette giggle in an attempt to pry Rena's flute from her glued hand. "Master Fu told me that all Sentimonsters, to a degree, were sentient—I know, it's in the name—But when I told him about Bugette, he looked shaken. Like, really shaken. He said that she was more like what the guardians used to call as a 'Sentiseraph'. Sentimonsters are created by focusing energy on negative emotions. He said that only when the creator has a very strong positive emotion that a Sentiseraph is created, only when the core emotion is benevolent in nature."

She gestured towards Bugette. "He said that while Sentimonsters were more like beasts of burden, simple-minded, meant mostly to be used in battle or stuff, Sentiseraphs—”

“—were nothing short of actual living beings." Bunnyx completed.

She finally raised her head to meet Bunnyx's eyes. "So shouldn't she be treated like one?"

Bunnyx's studied her face. Ladybug tried not to shy away.

"But it could turn out to be a mistake... It... It could be a bad call to make." Her resolve wavered slightly. "You can tell me now if it would. I would understand."

Bunnyx's gaze turned pensive. She seemed lost in her own thoughts.

Ladybug fidgeted in place. She knew she was asking for a lot of complications, but she couldn't just let her be treated like... like a thing!

Bunnyx was still in her own world. And she was looking increasingly agitated.

“Um, Bunnyx?”

She snapped out of her trance. “Huh? Oh, sorry, I was thinking. About some… things.”

Of all people, seeing Bunnyx uncertain about something unnerved her. She was supposed to have answers for nearly anything.

What bugged her more is that there seemed to more than just hesitancy in her expression. But she couldn’t quite read it.

She rested both her arms on Ladybug’s shoulder. Her words seemed heavy.

“Minibug, this is… new territory. I know how this timeline's supposed to flow. I understand your point, but throughout history, any number of people have received fates they never deserved. But all those tragedies and pains were part of what made sure that the timeline stayed in its best possible iteration.”

She paused, looking for words.

“I know how it must’ve felt when you couldn’t save Bugette. You might’ve blamed yourself, but what happened that it was never your fault. Sometime what happens may seem cruel, but how can you say it’s not simply the result of avoiding an even more destructive future? Their sacrifices are never in vain, Minibug.”

Ladybug shook her head, trying to push away the realization of what that implied. She pushed back a rising sense of anger and despair.

“But why does that have to be her? Why should she pay the price for something she never was responsible for? She just made a choice to do what’s right, and she was snuffed out like she was nothing!”

Her voice was far from steady, but it was her eyes that she had no control over. She blinked as tears distorted her vision. She felt her face heat up in anger. She nearly spat the next few words.

“Is that the gift she get for doing the right thing? For making a selfless choice? Being a cobblestone in the great path paved for ‘the best iteration of the future?’”

Bunnyx flinched. Her hand slipped from her shoulder as she stepped back and averted her eyes.

Neither of them said anything for a moment.

Ladybug started to feel terrible. She knew some of her anger was because of her own heartaches and failures. Some more recent than others.

“I-I'm sorry Bunnyx. I’ve been through some things, I didn’t mean to—”

“Do you believe it?”

“Huh?”

Bunnyx crossed her arms. She looked up, and Ladybug was surprised to see that she looked tearful.

“Do you really believe saving a single life is worth risking the future?”

Ladybug lowered her gaze. She glanced at Bugette, whose attention was completely focused on trying to pry Rena's flute.

“I… I don’t know, Bunnyx. I’m not someone who walks between space and time.” Her tone was subdued. “What do I know about keeping order in the timelines…?”

She sighed. Nothing seemed to have a good ending today.

She pushed the wave of pessimism away. “But I know that one person can make a difference. Like, how because of master Fu, I became Ladybug.” She shuddered, realizing that so many things had changed permanently. “Or like how you keep watch over everyone’s future, trying to do your best for everyone.”

Ladybug smiled, but Bunnyx didn’t look any less troubled.

“Maybe it’s the Tikki in me talking, Bunnyx. But I do believe every life is something worth saving.”

Bunnyx pressed her mouth into a thin line. But she still seemed to be locked in an internal struggle. Ladybug leaned in closer.

“Bunnyx, tell me, if she stays, would it destroy the world, or would it cause some catastrophe? Would it affect the timeline in a really negative way? Tell me the truth.”

Bunnyx finally spoke, her eyes still not meeting hers. “If she stays, this timeline’s future will branch into a very, very different future. Good and bad are subjective things, Ladybug. A good future for one person may not be so great for someone else. It's a matter of perspective.”

Ladybug placed a hand on Bunnyx who stood a head taller.

“Is it good or bad according to your perspective, Bunnyx?”

Bunnyx shook her head. “I’m the wrong one to ask that Minibug.”

Ladybug stepped back. She really didn’t know if she could present any more arguments for it; or should—for that matter. She didn’t want to push when there were obviously severe consequences tied to it. She looked at Bugette.

If I were her, I probably wouldn’t want to risk more lives just to save mine. She thought.

But I’ve at least lived a life. She hasn’t even seen a day turn into night.

Bunnyx watched the look of defeat clouding Ladybug's face.

“Minibug,”

Ladybug reluctantly pulled her focus away from Bugette. “Yeah. yeah I’m here.”

“When an akuma or a super-villain threaten the people Paris, why do you go to fight it? Why do you risk yourself for people you may not even get to know?”

Ladybug seemed to be somewhat taken aback by this off-topic question, but she answered anyway.

“Because I’m one of the people holding a miraculous. Because the power I’m given isn’t something that’s only meant for my own person gains. Sure, it’s not all fun and games, I know I’m still taking a risk. But people who don’t have powers do it all the time. That means I have all the more reasons to do what I do.”

Bunnyx shook her head almost imperceptibly.

You’re not trying to save her because you feel guilty, which is what I first thought. She realized. You’re doing it because that’s who you are. Everyone except your own self first.

She took her miraculous and ran a thumb over it. 

But if you’re not going to put yourself first… Bunnyx thought, a resolve of steel building in her.

Then maybe I should do it for you.

Ladybug watched her sigh and put back her miraculous. Bunnyx shook her head and chuckled. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe there’s something that makes it worth taking a risk to save a life.”

Ladybug's eyes widened.

Bugette can stay?!

Bunnyx gestured towards Bugette. “Take good care of her. She’ll need you. I can’t promise everything will be roses and blossoms, but what you’ve done for her is not something that will be taken lightly.”

Bunnyx clasped Ladybug's shoulder.

“Keep her with you. With how much the future is about to change, I don’t have many reference points to observe this timeline from, if that makes sense. But for the future I’m hoping that would come true, she needs to be with you.”

That brought Ladybug's brain to a screeching halt.

I REALLY didn’t think this through.

Keeping her with me could jeopardize my identity. Also how can I keep her hidden from my family? Does this mean I have to reveal my identity to my family?!

“…And you need to trust her.”

Bunnyx locked eyes with her. “Her role in your life is something you couldn’t have ever imagined.”

This is starting look way out of my league…

But it meant Bugette would be getting a second chance. She had to do it somehow.

“I'll do everything I can Bunnyx. Even if I—oof!”

Bunnyx pulled Ladybug into an abrupt hug. She whispered, “Of course you will.”

She pulled away and gave her nod of appreciation. She walked towards the portal, but stopped and turned to face her. “Thank you, Minibug.”

Ladybug managed to find her voice. “F-For what?”

Bunnyx smiled and threw a two fingered salute.

“For making me a believer.”

She stepped through, and she was gone.

Ladybug let loose a sigh.

One small victory.

Remembering that she still hadn't dealt with the Akuma, Ladybug slammed the spinning top, freed it and purified it.

Chloe's body was engulfed in purple turbulence, and her form returned to queen bee. She just sat with her legs pulled up and her chin resting on her knees. Ladybug walked towards her with mixed feelings.

"Chloe, I—"

"Just take it!" She yanked the bee miraculous and threw it at her. "And leave me alone. I'm not going to ask that nicely again."

Shaking her head, Ladybug picked the miraculous and placed it in her yo-yo. She walked towards Bugette, who handed her Rena Rage's flute.

"I think the Akuma should be in that." She explained. Ladybug accepted it with a smile, broke it and watched the Akuma flutter away. She purified it and let it go.

"Bye-bye little butterfly." She threw the plunger upwards. "MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!"

She watched as the spell worked its magic, and started to repair everything.

"So my duty is done, right? Did... Did I do well?" Bugette asked hesitantly, seemingly unsure about herself. Ladybug placed her hand on her shoulder.

"You were amazing! I couldn't have done this without you, Bugette."

She smiled at that. "Thank you Ladybug." She took a step back, and took a long look around her, taking in everything her eyes could see. She closed them and sighed. "This was... unbelievable. But I think I'm ready, Ladybug."

"Ready for what?"

"The battle is over. I’ve done my part. So aren't I supposed to be—?"

"You're staying Bugette." Ladybug said, pulling her into a hug. "It broke my heart when Mayura just snuffed you out mercilessly, just for making a choice to do the right thing! You didn't deserve it. So I made a choice of my own." She pulled back and gave her a bright smile. "I guess this is your second wind."

Bugette felt her jaw drop.

Some distance away, a very disgruntled Hawkmoth and a tired Mayura watched the scene.

"Shouldn't you recall that Sentimonster, Mayura? Its alliance is with our enemy. I think we had enough disasters done today without that thing running around."

Mayura stood up. "Yes, Hawkmoth. You're right. I'll take its Amok away."

She raised her hand outwards, and mentally reached for it.

And...

Nothing.

"WHAT?!" Hawkmoth hissed.

"Nothing! There is no Amok I can sense of. I don't understand..." Feeling suddenly dizzy, she fainted. Hawkmoth caught her quickly. He sighed.

"It's okay, Mayura. All in good time." He turned away and disappeared into the night.

Ladybug suddenly gave a shriek, startling Bugette. "What's wrong Ladybug?"

"MAYURA! I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT HER!"

~ Prologue ended ~

Chapter Text

“There’s Marinette! That’s four of us. Pick up Rose and we’re all good to go.” Alya said, doing a quick headcount near the school where Marinette was waiting for them.

“Hi girls!” Marinette greeted them.

“Hey Marinette! Nino texted me he found André on one of the mini-bridges at the seine riverbank. That’s our rendezvous point. Um— you okay there Marinette?” Alya noted Marinette fidgeting uncomfortably.

“Sorry girls, I won’t be able to come.”

Marinette winced as all their faces fell in an instance.

“Oh come on dude! Don’t chicken out on us, it's not half as fun without—”

Alya nudged Alix. “You sure Marinette?” She asked quietly. She was as disappointed as everyone else, but Nino had her up-to-date about Adrien, which meant she knew about Kagami too.

Marinette fidgeted. “Yeah… I—um, have some urgent stuff I need to take care of, that I wasn’t expecting. Soo… Yeah. Sorry, girls.”

Alya sighed in resignation. She knew it had to be another excuse, and the reason was not hard to guess. She really wanted Marinette to come, but knew she’d be hurt seeing Kagami and Adrien together.

“We’ll see you tomorrow Marinette. Text me, k?” Alya asked.

“I will Alya. Sorry to disappoint you girls. Maybe some other time.” With a half-hearted wave, Marinette left towards the bakery.

Ding!

Sabine turned as the little bell above the door jingled. But instead of a wanting customer, it was Marinette who slipped through.

“Hi mom.”

“Hi sweetie. Back again so soon? Did you forget something?”

“No… I wanted to stay home. Don't feel like partying today.”

Sabine noted her dejected tone. “Something I can help with, dear?”

Marinette smiled for her. “Not really. Teenage angst and stuff. I’ll work it out.”

Sabine nodded. “You look a little tired too. Maybe you should have a bath and relax. I’ll bring a hot cup of chocolates and some pastries up if you’d want.”

Marinette nodded vigorously. “Now that’s an offer I can’t refuse.” She walked around towards the stairs. “Maybe I can use a little more than usual, if it’s ok.”

“Well it’s not like you’re living in a bakery or anything, is it now?” Sabine asked, in good humor.

Marinette smiled and walked up the stairs. She pushed her blues back in to a corner of her mind. She had other things to worry about.

Like how I'm going to manage having an anonymous fourth person live in our own house.

She pushed her trapdoor open and peered inside. Her room was dark, and there was no sign of anyone in there.

Good.

She closed the door and slid in the lock just in case.

“Bugette?” She called out softly.

A head poked out from the base of her bed. “I heard you coming.”

Marinette climbed up the staircase. It was weird seeing her alter-ego's doppelganger sitting on her bed. An assortment of books were scattered about.

“Found anything interesting?”

“Does everything counts as an answer?” Bugette replied excitedly, holding up one of the books she was reading.

Marinette held back a giggle. “Wait, Bugette, that’s one of my textbooks! It’s a wonder you didn’t pass out from boredom.”

Bugette giggled. “I doubt anything can make me bored at this point. Everything I see, hear and feel are… so new!” she gushed, her eyes sparkling. But something pulled her back to the present.

“Um… I can’t really understand everything just yet, but with what you’ve told me, you can’t let anyone know I’m here, right? I have to be super quiet and careful.”

Marinette nodded. “Yeah. I don’t know how long that can be kept a secret, but I have to keep trying. If I mess up, I’m sure Bunnyx will be there to grab me by the collar and drag me back on track.”

Bugette gasped. “Would she hurt you?!”

“What? No! I meant it as— Bunnyx always cleans up any mess I happen to make. She’s stopped me before from doing things that apparently made the world end. But she wouldn’t hurt me, Bugette. Why would you think that?”

Bugette's worried look didn’t leave her. She pulled her legs back and hugged her knees. She was silent for a moment. “I'm making life very difficult for you, aren’t I?”

Marinette racked her brain for a response. It wasn’t Bugette's fault.

She placed a hand on Bugette’s knee. “Look, you’re no more trouble to me than a baby sister to her big sister. I wanted you to have a chance at living a normal life. If anything, I should be the one apologizing for making you live like this. All tucked away and hidden... Even if it’s the only way to keep you around.”

Marinette could see that some of her words got to her, but she still seemed be holding onto a sense of guilt. Marinette squeezed her knee.

I need to cheer her up... But how?

An idea came to her.

“Hey.”

Bugette sniffled. “Yeah?”

“Wanna watch a show with me?”

“A show?”

“Wait here. Mom should be back with some snacks. I think you’ll like what we’re about to do next.”

The girls' semi-quiet giggles filled the room. An upbeat end credits song was playing.

“That pink one has so much energy!” Bugette said while giggling. “She won’t stop talking even when it’s over!”

“Yeah Pinky’s like that all the time.” Marinette agreed, laughing herself. “She stays at a bakery. It’s probably all the sugar.”

“That was a nice story! I also liked that Twilight got to stay with her friends in Ponyville. That was so…” Bugette seemed to look for a word, then settled to placing both hands over her chest. “I felt it in here!”

“Yeah, me too.” Marinette replied, smiling herself. “Well, it’s getting late, you can watch the other episodes later.”

“There’s more?!”

“Bugette, be quiet!” Marinette giggled. “It’s a TV show. We just watched the first two episodes of the first season. Of course there’s more.”

“Can we watch another one? Pleeeese?”

Looks like Manon has some competition in the baby doll eyes department.

Marinette pulled up the time on her computer. “It's getting late, Bugette… I need to be at school tomorrow too. Sorry.”

“Oh. Ok then... Maybe after you come back?”

“Definitely. I also had some books that were designed to be entertaining, unlike textbooks,” Said Marinette. “You can have those too.”

Marinette got up.

Well, time to make accommodations.

A thought came to her.

“Say, Bugette…?”

“Hmm?”

“When I’m Ladybug, since I’m powered by Tikki, I can de-transform…”

“So?”

“I wonder if you can as well? It may not be too impossible to take you around without raising suspicion if you don’t look like Paris' resident superhero all the time.”

Bugette tugged at her latex-like suit. “I'm not sure… maybe if I think about it hard enough…”

Her suit started glowing faintly. Her face scrunched in concentration. Then Marinette suddenly interrupted her.

"Wait a sec!"

"Huh?"

The suit stopped glowing. Bugette watched as Marinette whisked some clothes from a cabinet and handed them to her.
"Put these on. I doubt Mayura bothered giving you a second wardrobe."
"Oh, right, good idea."

"Ready to try again?"

Bugette nodded and resumed her concentration. The glow reappeared and encased her. In a flash, her red suit disappeared. 

"It worked!"

"Looks like it." Marinette agreed.

They both looked at each other. "We look like reflections!"

Marinette blinked.

Even de-transformed she looked exactly like me!

Marinette chuckled. “This is... something. I really should talk to Tikki about how all this is possible.” She shook her head. “Like, I can understand you looking like Ladybug, everyone see her everyday, including Mayura. But the fact that you look like me when de-transformed… This is surreal.” A worried look came over Marinette. “Wait, could it mean she may know who I am under my mask?”

Bugette shook her head. “She didn’t seem to know who you are.”

Marinette nodded as she marveled at just how much they looked alike. Down to every detail, Bugette looked exactly like herself. Her hair, skin, eyes, lips, even her freckles seemed to be at the same places as herself. It was like looking at a mirror.

No… Not quite.

It was more like looking at a twin.

Even though as far as Marinette could tell, they were an exact physical match, Bugette’s body language was different. The way she held herself, the way she reacted, emoted, everything was close enough convince just about anyone, but there were subtle differences too.

Just like a twin. Like two peas in a pod, almost Identical, but still different.

Marinette smiled as she shook her head. “At least I don’t have to worry about any of my clothes not fitting you.” She gestured Bugette to follow her. “C’mere. I’ll show you the bathroom. Good thing that I also got you a few odds and ends from the Clothier down the street, just in case. ”

A freshly showered Bugette checked herself in Marinette's mirror. She was dressed in pajamas, same as to the one Marinette was wearing.  

“You’re right! We do look like we could be twins!” Bugette marveled.

“Hope you’re not upset with walking around with my ugly mug on you.”

“Huh? Of course I don’t.” Bugette simply replied. “I think you look pretty.”

“Aww… Thanks.”

“But it must feel a bit weird talking to someone who looks exactly like yourself.” Bugette joked.

“I've actually talked to myself, y'know? Once there was this akuma called time breaker, who was actually my friend Alix, who got upset because I broke her watch one day at a race between her and Kim, well, I didn’t break it, a series of unlucky events called Chloe did, but she got time powers to go back in time to save her watch.”

“But why not the power to fix her watch? Or machinery in general?”

Marinette held a finger in midair as the gears in her mind grinded to a halt. “Huh. Good point. But since Hawkmoth always wants to come up with these outlandish schemes to defeat us, it could’ve looked out of character for him, I guess. So anyway, while trying to defeat timebreaker, I got dragged through time into the past, literally. And I met my past self. We even teamed up to defeat the two timebreakers. It was wacky! I wonder sometimes how I even get myself into situations like that.”

“What happened to her? The other you?”

“I think we kinda…. merged in the end? After I used my miraculous ladybugs to fix everything, it rounded us into one, I think. I could remember both timelines just fine.”

“That is wacky.”

“Yeah.” Marinette stretched and yawned. “Comes with being a superhero I guess.” She giggled as she saw Bugette beginning to yawn as well. “Those things really are contagious aren’t they?”

Bugette rubbed her eyes. “Am I even supposed to be tired?”

“If you feel tired then you are. C‘mon, I’ll tuck you in.”

Bugette followed her up the stairs. “Wait, where are you going to sleep?”

“I’ve got a few things to do first. And I’ve got a lounge bed down there. Besides, I don’t want to kick you in my sleep or something like that. You wouldn’t believe the angles I find my self in some mornings.”

“But I can’t take your bed! That lounge bed looks way less comfy.” Bugette countered.

“Call it guest privileges. They get the better accommodations. That’s the golden rule of sleepovers.”

“You just made that up!”

“Maybe.”

Marinette pulled the blanket over Bugette.

“Mom usually wouldn’t come up here if I’m not late, but I locked the hatch just in case. I'll be down there if you need me.” She smiled. “Make yourself at home.”

Bugette smiled back. “Good night Marinette.”

“Good night Bugette.”

She climbed down. She opened a cupboard, rummaged through her sleepover supplies and took out a spare bedsheet and a pillow.

She climbed aboard, put the pillow against the headrest and wrapped herself in the bedsheet. Leaning against it, she closed her eyes, and allowed an explosive sigh to escape her. With that, she felt her cheerful vibe ebb away.

She felt something whiz by and land on her shoulder.

“Today's been a long day, huh…?” A tiny voice surmised.

“Longest one in my life so far.” Marinette replied, in a bitter tone. “I thought you were sleeping?”

“I wanted to let you and Bugette spend some time together.” Tikki Admitted.

Marinette adjusted herself so Tikki would be comfortable. She had managed to stave off this topic so far, but without Bugette to distract her, it was no longer possible.

“I messed up, Tikki.”

Tikki sighed as well. “It was unfortunate, Marinette, that it had to happen. But there’s no point in blaming yourself.”

“I appreciate you trying to make me feel better, Tikki, but I’m not going to let you take the responsibility away from me.” She rested her chin on her knees and sniffled. “I can forgive myself for making a fool of myself in front of Adrien, or being lazy and oversleeping, or getting mad at Chloe or Lila. But what I did today—” She glanced at a pile of boxes surreptitiously hidden under a blanket, all containing belongings of master Fu—“is not any of those things. I couldn’t keep my head straight, I let my emotions as Marinette cloud my judgment as Ladybug.”

“Transforming doesn’t separate one from the other, Marinette.”

“Mayura following me should’ve been the first red flag, but no, I was too busy being jealous that I didn’t even bother to cover my tracks and de-transform. I was risking everything just so could snatch Kagami before she kissed Adrien! Ugh!” Tikki flinched as Marinette's fist fiercely came down on her knee. She buried her head in her hands. “Master Fu paid the price for my stupidity. And that’s just the surface of the damage I caused.”

Tikki changed her position and landed on her knees, forcing Marinette to look up. Her eyes were brimming with tears.  

“Marinette, please look at me. I know what happened was really bad. But you need to keep it together. You and Cat noir are the only ones standing between Hawkmoth and his victory.”

“That’s exactly the problem Tikki!” Marinette snapped, her eyes livid. She lowered her voice, but the ferocity of the words only increased.

“Look at me! What do you see? I see a girl who endangered an entire city because she couldn’t stop for two seconds obsessing over a boy who she hadn't even confessed to! I see a girl who made irrational decisions and hurt people who trusted her. I see a girl who compromised ALL OF HER FRIEND’S IDENTITIES TO HAWKMOTH! Oh God…!” The realization made Marinette nauseous.

“Master Fu trusted me Tikki! I said I wasn’t followed, and he took my word for it. Look what that did to him. To all of us!”

Tikki watched as she collapsed back, the anger that was fueling her outburst giving way to something even worse, despair.

“And now that clueless girl is the guardian of the miraculous. All the goods Hawkmoth needs are at the capable hands of Marinette, the walking disaster.” She closed her eyes, seemingly all out of energy. “Master Fu wasn’t ready, Tikki. He said I had to learn everything he knew because someday he’d have pass the title of the guardian to me. But I know that this wasn’t the day.” She fought and failed to hold back a sob. “He had so much more he needed to do. So much more he wanted to teach when it came to transforming. He was working day and night trying to come up with a plan to train me and Cat Noir together, because he was missing out on so much knowledge.” Marinette sniffled. “Master Fu said Cat Noir's personal life was complicated, which is why he chose to train me first, but now, W-with him gone—" Marinette couldn’t complete her sentence as her emotions threatened to overwhelm her.

Tikki sat perched helplessly on Marinette’s shaking leg, knowing that nothing she could say would ease her pain. She had to let her it out, even if it meant taking the risk of getting Akumatized. She kept an eye out for the cursed butterflies.

It took almost half an hour for her to finally get herself under control. Even then it looked like she simply didn’t have enough strength to keep crying.

She wiped her eyes.

“I don’t know what I should do anymore.” Her voice was hoarse with fatigue. “With master Fu, Cat noir had a chance at getting up to speed about the miraculous. If something ever happens to me, he'd be the one to continue the fight. He has to be in the loop.” She sniffled. “Now I'm the guardian. What should I even do about him? About us? As the guardian I need to keep account on all miraculouses! Including his! That means I’d have to know his identity. And it’s not fair for me to know but to keep him in the dark, but if he knows who I am, then that doubles the risk of one of us getting mind controlled or something and blabbing out our identities. Just look at how much I’ve messed things up Tikki…” She hit her forehead against her knees. “Stupid, stupid, stupid.”

Tikki flew closer and touched her cheek. Marinette sniffled and leaned her head towards her touch.

“Marinette, you’re still a young girl. There are things you’re still learning about. You made mistakes, but you need to understand that mistakes will help you grow, victories often don’t.”

“But I—”

Tikki placed a paw on her lips and shushed her. “No. Now it’s my turn to talk. Anyone can make a mistake, Marinette. We can’t beat ourselves to death over it. Even master Fu messed up his duty, and that caused the downfall of the entire order of the miraculous!”

Marinette shook her head. “He was like, six years old when it happened Tikki.”

“And you’re like what? Thirty?” Tikki snapped back. “The point is while he grieved for his mistakes, he also learned from them, and did what he could to bring something good out of it.”

“Tikki, what good could I do? I just blew all of my teammates' identities out of the water. I’m a school girl! Where can I even find people to replace them? And I don’t want to replace them! I chose them because they were trustworthy, and I could keep an eye out for them, in and out of costume. Chloe's identity being revealed was why she got personally targeted by Hawkmoth the first place. Now go figure the rest.”

Tikki retreated slightly. “Marinette, I can’t give you solutions to all your problems right now. We’re gonna have to figure something out, just not right this second.” She sighed. “If you think you made a mistake by what you think you did, then you have to work to fix it. The best way to honor master Fu's legacy is to fight for the things he stood for, without compromise. Do you understand Marinette?”

Marinette looked a tiny bit thoughtful at that, but her swollen eyes and haggard expression mostly just conveyed a keen sense of exhaustion. Still, she unwrapped herself and pushed herself off the bed. “Maybe Tikki. I don’t know.” She gestured to the pile of boxes. “I should probably unpack these and sort them out.”

Tikki abruptly zoomed in front of her face, making Marinette stumble and fall back to the bed.

“Hey!”

“No.” Tikki emphasized. “It's way too late, and tomorrow's a school day. You can unpack later. You can’t exhaust yourself like this.”

Marinette couldn’t help but let some anger creep back into her voice. “Tikki, don’t you think with what I’ve done, getting my beauty sleep might be the least of my concerns? I did this damage and now I need to fix it.”

“And I won’t let you break your back while doing it.” Tikki snapped back. “You better listen to me right now, or God help me, if I have to knock you out to make you rest, I will knock you out.”

Despite herself, Marinette giggled, imagining a fuming Tikki struggling to lift a rolling pin to whack her with it.

“Oh okay Tikki, I guess I shouldn’t tempt you then.” She laid back down and pull the covers up. Tikki gave huff of approval and floated closer.

“That's better.” She placed a peck on her forehead and snuggled up close. Marinette smiled, but her look of worry didn’t leave entirely. “Don't look so upset Marinette, you did do some very noble things too, you can be happy about those.”

“Huh? Oh right… Bugette. Well, it was just the decent thing to do, right?”

“Don’t downplay it Marinette. What you did opened a door for a life to be saved.”

Marinette hugged Tikki. “Thanks Tikki.” She suppressed a yawn. “Good night.”

“Good night Marinette.”

Chapter Text

If there was a single word to describe an amalgamation between exhausted, groggy and still mostly asleep, Marinette was exactly that. She couldn’t exactly remember the process that brought her to the bathroom, and her semi-awake brain was trying its best to keep her toothbrush in her mouth.

She gurgled some water and spat it out, and collected some more into her palms and splashed her face. The cool liquid helped in pushing away the lingering fatigue. She stared at the girl in the mirror. She had definitely seen better days. She was about to put her toothbrush away when she saw a new toothbrush in the holder.

“Huh, why do I have a spare toothbrush? Was I having a sleepover?”

It took a few seconds until her brain finally computed the events of last night.

“Bugette!”

She dashed out the bathroom, and hurried up the stairs. Surely enough, Bugette was there, sitting cross-legged and looking at the pictures she had on her bedside.

“Oh, good morning Bugette. Up already?”

She turned and smiled at Marinette. “Good morning to you too! Yeah I’ve been up for a while. I read a few of those books you recommended me yesterday.” She handed Marinette a copy she had on her lap.

“Sherlock Holmes, that’s a good one.”

“I was trying to see if I can apply his theory of observation in real life.” She pointed at the photos she was looking at. “These are all your classmates, right?”

Marinette sat besides her. “Astute observation, Holmes.”

Bugette giggled. “Exactly, my dear Watson.” She continued with a posh British accent. “And on first glance, all of it seems pretty mundane, but by observing beyond what is in plain sight I see a recurring pattern, in the form of a fellow classmate, a blonde boy.”

“Oh…”

“Of course it helps that there are some photos where he is the only subject present, and the fact that there are hand-drawn hearts all over him, but I digress. Seeing as there are no photos where the two of you are exclusively together, I deduct that this boy may be someone you have an infatuation with, but not someone you have approached yet. How did I do my dear Wats—uh… Marinette, are you ok?”

“What? Yeah I’m—” She hadn’t meant Bugette to see her pained expression.

“I’m really sorry, Marinette…”

“No, don’t be. It's just… complicated, Bugette.”

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

Marinette checked the time. A few hours before school began.

“I guess so... Maybe.”

“Wow… It must’ve been so romantic! With the rain and everything.”

“It was…” Marinette reminisced. “That was definitely where it started. He just stood there, his umbrella out to me while his clothes were getting soaked. Chloe would’ve lost it if someone did as much as accidentally sprinkle her! That alone just stunned me! Because the rich, spoiled, boy-Chloe persona I pictured him in couldn’t have been more wrong. First it was that I just felt guilty for chewing him out so harshly, just because he was friends with Chloe, but after seeing just how much of a caring, sweet and kind person he was, I guess I was already a lost cause.”

“Why didn’t you ever let him know how you felt?”

“I tried Bugette. Most of the time I’d chicken out at the last second, or something else would destroy the opportunity. The one time I went through with it caused Cat noir to get Akumatized, and the world to end. Talk about being the paragon of luck.” She groaned. “But I did involve my powers for my personal gains, so maybe that's what messed it up. It also doesn’t help that he sees me mostly as a friend, and the fact that now Kagami and him are dating.” Marinette explained in a dejected tone. She shook her head.

“You know, when I realized I had feelings for him, I promised myself that I wouldn’t be like one of his crazy fan girls, who just wanted him because he’s rich and hot. He already have enough of that drama to deal with. But looking back at how I’ve behaved in the past, I can’t really say I’ve been any better. I just kept lying to myself.”

She continued in a lower pitched imitated voice. “Hey Marinette, isn’t it weird that you have a giant printout of my entire schedule?”

“Oh no Adrien, it’s because I don’t want to bother you when you were busy.”

“What about stalking me when I went to photoshoots? Isn’t that creepy?”

“Pshh! No… I was just making sure no one was trying to harass you!”

“What about that plan you hatched with Chloe to ridicule Kagami?”

“Oh I did it to stop her from kidnapping you to take you to Japan and feed you Sushi—Do you get how ridiculous all this sounds?”

Bugette kneaded her fingers. “Kind of? But it’s still not as bad as what the fangirls do, right?”

“Bugette, bless your innocence, but to leave a note and a gift for him, I broke into his room, snooped around his stuff—”

“Ok that does sounds a little too much.”

“—laid in his bed and inhaled his pillow to smell his perfume–”

“Ok now I see your point.”

“If I caught Lila or Chloe doing half the things I’ve done, I’d have yo-yo thrown them across the Seine! I’ve always hated hypocrites, but up until now, I didn’t stop and think long enough to admit I was up there with the finest of them.” Marinette sighed and shook her head. “I argued that Chloe couldn’t have a miraculous because Hawkmoth knew her identity, but I didn’t hesitate for a single second to give Kagami one ‘cause it meant yanking her away before she kissed Adrien.”

“What about the other boy you mentioned? If Adrien is taken, can’t you pick him instead?” Bugette asked.

“I wish it was that simple Bugette. But the heart wants what the heart wants. Luka is a sweetheart. I don’t know if I’ve known anyone else who can be so selfless when it came to love. Every time I hang out with him, it feels so natural, and easy. He just has this ability to make you feel at peace even at the most upsetting of times, and he’s far mature and wise than a boy his age has any right being. But try as I might, I can’t just seem to make a choice about him. And I can’t keep leading him on like this.” She paused for a breath. “And all of this is without even considering the complications my secret identity can reel in. He hates secrets.”

Bugette raised her eyebrows and let out a silent sheesh. “Have you thought about anything you can do about all of this?”

Marinette rubbed her eyes, tired. “I had a lot of time last night to make some decisions.” She gestured towards her picture collection. “With how I’ve been behaving when it came to matters with Adrien, I’ve proven that I’m someone who has no right being his girlfriend.”

Bugette gently laid her hand on Marinette’s. “Aren’t you being a little too hard on yourself, maybe?”

Marinette shook her head vigorously, partly to disagree and partly to delay her eyes from getting wet. “No. If I caught anyone else behaving like this, this is what I’d say about them. I’m not excusing myself out of this.” She sighed. “Adrien has a tough family life. He’s got a lot going on, with his schedules and his father and going to public school and all. He needs people to support him and give him some strength and dependability. He needs a friend who can be there for him when he needs her, not some crazy stalker who would stalk him all the way from to the city of Paris to Shanghai!”

Bugette's eyes widened. “You didn’t—”

“I did. See? Off the hook.” Marinette said in a deprecating tone. “I was becoming a nuisance. Almost like Lila! He knows enough to keep Lila at arm’s length, but me?” Marinette shuddered. “Just imagine how disgusted he’d be to realize someone he considered a friend was this creepy and obsessive out of control stalker!”

Bugette was silent. She didn’t exactly know what to say.

Marinette sighed and reached for a picture. Bugette watched as she pulled a pin holding it to the board and dislocated it.

“I’ve come close several times to removing these from here, but every time, it was for the wrong reasons. After a particularly hard they, I’d come here to see him smiling and I would forget all the bad things that happened that day. That’s the excuse I gave myself for keeping these here. I didn’t admit to myself that I was treating him like some… object that I could hang wherever I wanted. He’s a human being. He doesn’t belong to anyone. And this is the first step I’ll take in understanding that.”

Bugette watched as she carefully removed all the pictures, one by one. All except one group picture.

“There. I’m no longer a girl daydreaming about falling asleep in his arms. I’m just a classmate. A friend he can count on.” She nodded to herself, and sucked in a breath, taking one last look at the photos in her hands. “I feel like this is the right thing do.”

Bugette watched as Marinette put the photos inside a book and closed it with a sigh, apparently resigning herself to her new norm.

“There. It’s done.”

Bugette pulled her into a hug.

“Whoa! Um, what was that for?” Marinette asked, surprised.

“I may have been born yesterday, but even I could tell you needed it, dummy.”

Marinette smiled, and returned the gesture. “Touché Holmes. Touché.”

Chapter Text

Even after chatting with Bugette for hours, Marinette still was early enough for both her parents to raise their brows in wonder.

“Who are you and what have you done with our Marinette?” Tom, her father asked in a mock indignant voice.

“Oh don’t make a habit out of it.” Marinette grumbled good-naturedly. Tom guffawed as he started to pick pastries for Sabine to pack for Marinette.

“Say, any special plans for today sweetie?” Sabine asked, in a knowing tone.

“No… not really mom? Yikes, do I only wake up early if it’s about something that begins with A and ends with N?”

Tom chimed in. “Like what, Arson?”

“Have I ever struck you as the type to have a temper papa?” Marinette asked in a tone dripping with sweetness.

“Unless it involves Chloe Bourgeois, right?” Sabine played along.

Marinette did an exaggerated shrug. “Well, if the gas prices were any lower…”

The three of them looked at each other and burst into laughter.

Sabine handed Marinette her lunch. “Have fun at school sweetie. And no hauling jerry cans around.”

“MOOOM! Stop! People might think you’re serious!” Marinette admonished, trying to frown through her giggles. She kissed both of them and stepped outside, nearly running into Alya.

“Oh sorry! I didn’t—Marinette?!” Alya exclaimed incredulously.

“Oh come on Alya! I’m like, what, thirty minutes early? Don’t get why you act so surprised.” Marinette whined with an annoyed huff. She pulled a croissant out. “Hungry?”

“Don't have to be.” Alya was quick to accept it. “Ooh it’s hot.” She took a bite.

“Almond cream… Marinette you’re a God sent! I’ve been craving one of these since last week.”

“Well you could’ve asked, y'know.” Marinette deadpanned. “Was that why you were here so early?”

“Mmff?” Alya swallowed. “No actually I wanted to talk to you. Figured I’d have some time while you got dressed for school. But apparently today is opposite day.”

“Just finish stuffing your face first.” Marinette said jovially.

Alya washed the croissant down with a sip from her water bottle. “Thanks Marinette, that was good.”

“Dupain-cheng bakery, 12 Rue Gotlib, tell your friends.” Marinette winked. “But jokes aside, what did you wanna talk about?”

Marinette watched as Alya's expression sobered up.  “Is…Everything alright, Alya?”

“That, I should be asking from you, Marinette.” Alya countered. “When you quit on us, yesterday? You put up good show for the most part, but I know better.”

Marinette lowered her head. She couldn’t go, mostly because she had to take care of Bugette, but she knew what Alya was hinting at. “Yeah… well, it is what it is, right? Or was.”

“I knew you were probably heartbroken over seeing Kagami and Adrien hanging out together.”

“Well, Adrien is allowed hang out with anyone he wants, Alya. Besides, Kagami isn’t a bad person.” Marinette remembered something. “Wait, was that why you were so quick to excuse me?”

Alya nodded sheepishly. “Adrien and Kagami came too. You know how new couples can be in parties…I was afraid you might’ve followed them and…”

Marinette was slightly taken aback. “And what? That I’d see them cuddle, or kiss? And get Akumatized or something?”

Alya didn’t say anything, but the unspoken answer was clear enough.

“Oh geez… Well, with the way I’ve been acting, I don’t blame you for thinking that way.” Marinette mused. Then a mischievous look came over her. “But you know how old couples can be… I'd be surprised if you managed to stop smooching with Nino long enough to notice any of that.”

That earned Marinette an arm slap at half strength. “Quit joking you clownfish.” Alya huffed, crossing her arms. “And for your information, we do take brakes every now and then. To breathe.” She placed both hands on Marinette's shoulder. “But I’m serious, girl. So far you had an open road when it came to Adrien. But now, with that fencer girl involved… I just don’t want my best friend getting hurt, chasing someone hopelessly while their heart may or may not be settled for someone else already.”

Marinette flashed a genuine smile. She pulled Alya into an easy hug. “Thanks Alya. I don’t deserve you.”

“Cut that nonsense Marinette.” She breathed. “That’s what friends are for.”

She eased herself back. “Then I guess I can say I took a page out of your book.”

Alya looked confused. “Whaddya mean?”

“I mean being a good friend who’s always there. Always supporting through the thick and thin. If Adrien sees me as just a friend, then I can at least make sure I’d be one of the best, right?”

Alya was momentarily stunned into silence. “You’re… Okay with that?”

Marinette nodded. “I can’t say it doesn’t sting, you know, but I think I’ve got a lot of growing up to do before I’m ready to commit to someone. Anyone, actually.”

Alya looked at her, impressed. “Girl, you are blowing my mind today. I’m glad you’re being so strong about this. ” She nodded appreciatively. “But wait, what about Luka?”

Marinette took a deep breath. “I’ll have to talk to him, sooner, rather than later. He’s a sweetheart, Alya. You wouldn’t believe how he makes me blush sometimes. But I can’t keep him dangling off a hook until I get my head straight. He doesn’t deserve that.”

Alya nodded in agreement. “You're already being very mature about all of this girl. I’m proud of you. You can do a lot better than throwing yourself at boys hoping to be noticed.”

“First of all, ouch. But thanks Alya. That means a lot.”

Alya cracked a sly grin. “And if you do think you can’t help but throw yourself at people, we can go ask Nino if he’s interested.”

“WHAT?!” Marinette sputtered, utterly baffled. “You cannot be serious Alya!”

“And why is that? He did have a crush on you, remember?”

“ALYA!”

Alya broke into a whooping laugh. “Goodness me girl, you gotta go see yourself right now!” She ducked and squirmed to avoid the barrage of soft knuckled punches Marinette threw at her. “You look redder than a baboon's butt!”

“–You good for nothing, scampering little imp!” Marinette giggled, trying to find an opening to pinch her. “Where do you even come up with these ideas?! Are you trying to hint me something Alya? Huh? Spill the beans! C’mon!”

“Hey stop! That tickles!” Alya cackled, trying to loosen Marinette's bear hug grip. “You wish girl! I love you and all, but no way am I sharing Nino with you!”

“Hah!” Marinette exclaimed, panting slightly. “That's what I thought.”

They both took a moment to catch their breath.

“Well, in all seriousness though, I’m here if you need an ear.” Alya assured. “You can pull me aside anytime.”

Marinette beamed at her. “You know you’re the best Alya.” Her gaze slightly fell at her next thought. “Yeah, it won’t be easy going forward, especially since Adrien and I are the same class and all. I gotta learn how to look and not get lost in his emerald green gaze.” She sighed, adding a half hearted theatric at the end. But Alya's gaze was fixed at a distance.

“Speaking of green gazes…” Alya said as she spotted the familiar sedan pulling up at the school entrance. She stole a worried glance at Marinette. To her credit, apart from a slight tightening in her posture, she remained the same.

The sedan pulled up, and Adrien got out. He waved at his driver, who honked and merged back into traffic. He turned towards the school steps and saw Marinette and Alya standing by.

“Hey Marinette! Hey Alya!” He greeted warmly.

“H-Hey Adrien.” Marinette managed to return the greeting. Alya waved.

“Sorry for touching such a controversial topic so early in the morning, but did any of you managed to finish the homework assignment Ms. Mendeleiev gave us?”

The crack of Marinette’s palm hitting her forehead conveyed her answer loud and clear. Alya laughed. “I did manage to finish it, but looks like my messages reminding Marinette to complete hers had been sent in vain.”

Adrien sucked his breath through his teeth. “That makes two of us. I was tangled up in some stuff and totally forgot about it until Nino phoned me and freaked out this morning.”

“Well I can lend you two my copy if you need it for reference, but you’ll have to complete yours during the lunch break. The period right after lunch is Ms. Mendeleiev's class.”

“Thanks Alya!” He beamed. “Well, aren’t you two coming in?”

“We'll be there in a sec.” said Alya.

“Ok then… Um, see you in class.” Adrien walked on. Alya noted how the last statement was directed more towards Marinette than herself, but decided not to press it.

“Well, that didn’t go so bad, did it?” Alya asked, balancing an arm on her hip.

Marinette rubbed her forehead. “Yeah, got a grand total of two words out. Maybe I should just consider being mute.”

“Baby steps girl. Baby steps. C'mon, let’s get you to class. Nino texted me that he might be late getting to class today. I'm all by my lonesome this morning.”

“Today is opposite day.” Marinette mused as she followed Alya towards their class.

The morning played out without much fanfare. Nino arrived twenty minutes late and explained that Chris had spilled lemon juice all over his textbooks, and he had to air dry them. Miss Bustier excused him of being late, noting that on the flip side, at least his textbooks now would have a pleasant aroma whenever opened. Chloe was absent, and there were no Monday morning akumas, so it was as tranquil as a school morning could get.

Marinette managed to complete her homework using Alya's work during Miss Bustier's class. She noticed that Adrien had burrowed a homework copy Nino had conveniently completed during his ‘air drying' session.

It wasn’t the only thing she noticed though. Between listening to Miss Bustier’s history lesson, chatting with Nino and doing homework, she noticed that Adrien sometimes glanced at her, with a look of slight worry in his eyes. She couldn’t guess why, and there was no way to ask him directly.

To add to the confusion, she felt Tikki buzzing around in her purse, and she opened it a crack, in the guise of looking for something. Tikki was gesturing towards the door, a signal she used when she wanted to get Marinette somewhere secluded.

She raised her hand. “Um… Miss Bustier, May I go to the bathroom, please?”

Chapter Text

“Um… Miss Bustier, May I go to the bathroom, please?”

Miss Bustier checked the clock. “It's just five minutes till lunch break, Marinette. But if you need to go, go ahead.”

She thanked her and took her exit. She headed into the girls room and realized she wouldn’t get enough privacy there, as a group of older girls were chatting noisily, in no hurry to leave. She relocated to the next best place, the library. She found a quiet corner with a good line of sight of the entrance, opened a random page of a book she found and placed it on the table. And with her cover in place, she opened her purse and shot an inquiring look at Tikki.

“What is it Tikki? Is it an emergency?”

“No, I’m sorry Marinette. But I wanted to talk with you. Since we now have company back at home, I couldn’t exactly do it then.”

“Now that you’ve mentioned it, I didn’t see you and Bugette talk to each other at all. Is something wrong Tikki?”

Marinette noted with some worry that Tikki didn’t immediately offer an answer. “I don’t know, Marinette. I’m just confused.”

“Confused?” Marinette echoed, confused herself.

“I can’t explain it all here, but I’ll do my best.” Tikki sucked in a breath, preparing herself. “Marinette, you know Bunnyx is a time walker, right? She watches over the flow of time, guiding it according to certain rules and regulations. Anytime an event causes that flow to be disrupted, Bunnyx steps in.”

Marinette nodded. “Following you so far.”

“The machinations behind time and space are very tricky to explain in layman’s terms, but here’s the gist of it. Bunnyx can, to a degree, predict and see future events. Based on actions that happened before, she can see all possible strings of timelines diverging and flowing from them. There’s an infinite amount of possibilities when it comes to this, and when transformed, she can comprehend all this information without succumbing into insanity.”

“Wait what?!”

“The vastness of space-time, reality and existence is just too much for a human brain to handle.” Tikki said, matter of fact. “To most minds, in fact.”

“Wait WHAT?!”

“Yeah, beings other than humans exist. Aren’t you talking to one right now?”

“Oh yeah, good point. Keep going E.T.”

Tikki rolled her eyes. “Anyway, the appointed time walker for a certain universe, that’s Bunnyx; and the manifestation of that universe's corporeal reality, that's Plagg and me, are key in maintaining a universe in its optimal condition. In cases like a rogue miraculous holder unifying our power and invoking a wish, if it causes a disruption to the regulations established to protect life, it’s the duty of the time walker to intervene and stop that threat.”

Marinette held up her hand. “Wait wait wait! My head’s getting scrambled. Doesn’t that mean Hawkmoth can never invoke the wish? Bunnyx would just stop him! Wow! Wouldn’t that mean no matter what, we win in the end?”

“Heavens no, Marinette!” Tikki exclaimed. “If it causes a disruption to the regulations established to protect life, as a whole. You need to understand, not every ‘bad’ event means that Bunnyx could swoop in to stop it. Turn through a history book! How many awful things would you find?”

Marinette was stunned into silence.

Why indeed things like that happen anyway?

“Every event happening will shape that particular timeline's future. Some ‘bad’ events might facilitate certain ‘good' events, that might be vital for that universe’s existence,” Tikki grabbed the edge of the purse. “Listen Marinette, you need to understand. A time walker is required to intervene only if it’s something that challenges the very existence of a universe’s time stream. Bunnyx is a much more active time walker, which is why she’s much more involved in everything, and her allegiance to you as Alix means she generally tries to make sure that certain events play in your favor, as long as they don’t violate her code.”

Marinette gently massaged her temples. “Gee Tikki, of all the places to give me an existential crisis, you had to pick school. I can’t even lie down to process all of this!”

“None of this is essential for you to know, Marinette, but without this context, you won’t understand what I’m trying to get at. Besides, you’ll have to know some of this stuff as a guardian anyway. Can you just try to listen?”

She nodded. “Go ahead.”

“In essence, anything that poses a sufficient threat to the delicate balance of the universe, becomes Bunnyx’s problem. So in theory, if Hawkmoth's wish ends up qualifying as a universal catastrophe, Bunnyx will swoop in to readjust the flow of time. But if not, then there’s no reason for her to alter the timeline.”

“Oh wow, that’s not depressing at all!” Marinette threw her hands up. “Are you implying that all that we are fighting for is pointless in the grand scheme of things? You mean I can just mail my miraculous to Hawkmoth and just go about living an ordinary life, because if it’s truly worth a cent, Bunnyx would show up to tell me otherwise?”

Tikki clearly picked up the justified anger in Marinette’s voice. “Well, there is a thing called free will, right Marinette? If that’s the path you choose, it becomes your choice. Remember that time is constantly being written, so there’s no true ‘end’ for things, at least related to the concept of ‘end’ according to most. Your every decision will etch its story into the cosmos, however trivial you think each of those decision are.”

Tikki floated out, cautiously. “The funny things about the grand scheme of things, Marinette, is that you’d think nothing matters, since a lifetime for us is a fraction compared to the age of the universe, but on the contrary, everything matters in the grand scheme of things. Because your actions define what the grand scheme of things will be.”

Tikki took Marinette's hand between her paws. “That's why good people fight. So that history will be something worth remembering. Ok?”

Marinette nodded, somewhat placated. “I guess I won’t be using FedEx anytime soon, then.”

Tikki smiled, but adopted a serious expression again. “What I was trying to get you to understand is the dynamic between Plagg, me and Bunnyx. Plagg and I are fundamental for the universe’s balance. Like Yin and yang, if you will. Bunnyx keeps everything in check, including our powers, so no one can—”

“Disrupt the existence of the universe.” Marinette completed.

“10 point to Gryffindor!”

“But—Well, this is a ‘what if' question, but what if Bunnyx goes rouge? If she’s in charge in keeping the universe in shape, and your powers in check, who will stop her if she decides to go ballistic?”

Tikki's face darkened for a moment. “That's a smart question, Marinette. As the kwamis of creation and destruction, Plagg and I are also, to a degree, aware of the fundamental flow of time, and the arrangement of space.”

Marinette listened with rapt attention.

“If we find out that the time walker is defying the code given to them, and is deliberately acting in a way that is destructive… Well that’s very bad news, and automatically it qualifies as a hyper-universal threat.”

“Wait! Hyper-universal?”

“Potential threats to the multiverse. Are you sure you want me to explain that?”

“Well don’t drop a hook and expect me not to take it!”

“Fair enough. Hope you completed your doctorate of science in Ms. Mendeleiev’s class,” Tikki quipped. “Within a universe there’s an infinite amount of timelines, all having a common starting point, but diverging as quantum fluctuations make unique changes to them. But they share common themes, like having universal rules of physics, for example. Typically there’s only one time walker assigned to a particular universe. It’s their responsibility to maintain their reality. For ours, we have Bunnyx.”

Tikki paused to catch her breath, but continued before Marinette could ask anything. “However, the multiverse means a collection of universes that may be entirely different from each other; they may even have completely different rules of physics, and their reality could have evolved in any number of ways. A time walker’s domain is limited to her own universe, since her duty is to watch over her own reality. If a time walker triggers concern for a hyper-universal threat—or even just universal for that matter—Plagg and I are left with one final choice.” Tikki said ominously. “The complete destruction and reconstruction of that given reality.”

“Whoa! That’s… what exactly does that mean?”

“It means we have to unify our full powers. Without a holder. We’ll have to reach into the very fibers of the universe’s existence, and retract reality and time to the point of its origin. Then we allow it to flow back up until the point of the creation of the miraculous, and upon creating the miraculous of the rabbit, we examine the flow of time, and elect a different person to wield its power. That person will become its holder.”

“What happens the rogue time walker?”

“That person will become displaced. It's the state where all ties to a being's reality of existence is severed. By retracing time back to its beginning and creating a different origin for the holder of the rabbit miraculous, it makes sure that their existence become invalid in that reality. Because according to this reality, they were never even given the miraculous.”

“Wait,” Marinette said, trying not to think too much of the implications it meant. “Wait, wouldn’t that make a paradox? If they were never given the miraculous, how could’ve they gone rogue?”

“They were never given a miraculous in the new reality, Marinette.” Tikki emphasized. “The rules for the flow of time are tricky to explain, but if it helps, it doesn’t work as any one theory that’s currently being discussed. It works more like a fusion of most those theories.”

Marinette shook her head. “You’ve lost me completely on that, sorry. But they still presumably would have their Miraculous with them, can’t they just use that to fight back?”

“Our power dynamics are made in a way to avoids that, Marinette.” Tikki explained. “When the miraculous were created, in return for being able to interact with your dimension, we allow our powers to be channeled through a ‘holder'. The time keeper makes sure our powers aren’t mis-used by a holder. And if a time walker goes rogue, we can forcefully unify, and rewrite everything that reality holds. That effectively displaces them.”

“By displace, do you mean…”

Tikki nodded, her expression grave. “Good as dead. Their existence becomes limited to their own physical being. They no longer have access to the infinite versions of the time stream to escape. They’ll have to face the consequences.”

“That’s… wow,” Marinette shuddered. “But why did you decide to tell me all this?”

“I’m sorry if this alarmed you, Marinette,” Tikki hesitated. “It’s just, I can’t figure out why Bunnyx did what she did. I’m happy that Bugette came out unharmed through all of this, I really am, but allowing someone to stay in a timeline they don’t belong…? I still can’t figure out why she took that risk. It’s not like her.”

“Well I’m flattered you think I can give good advice about time and reality, but I really don’t know anything about any of this. I told you everything Bunnyx told me that day,” Marinette looked thoughtful. “Why not just ask her? You must be able to contact her, right?”

“That’s just it Marinette. I can’t seem to reach her.”

"What do you mean you can't reach her? Did the cosmic phone line got bit by an ursa minor or something?"

"Oh the phone's ringing alright, Bunnyx is just not there to answer it. And by 'there', I mean the observable universe."

Marinette’s eyes widened. “That’s not good, is it?”

“It’s not normal,” Tikki explained. “Bunnyx has to move through the time stream a lot. Every now and then some anomaly makes it impossible to reach her,” she waved her paws, looking resigned. “You know what, don’t worry Marinette. This isn’t the first time she’s been a little unclear about her motives. I trust her.” She smiled at Marinette. “And thank you Marinette. Talking to you helps me to work through my concerns. I appreciate you being here to listen, even if you can’t understand half of it.”

Marinette tickled Tikki. “Then maybe you shouldn’t distract me when I’m in school.”

Someone pushed open the double doors leading to the library.

“Hide Tikki!” Marinette whispered before grabbing the book off the table. She peered over the pages to see who it was.

It was Adrien.

He looked around, as if trying to find someone. He saw Marinette sitting a few desks away, and made a beeline to her.

Shoot. Marinette thought. Why is he looking for me?

She willed her usual nervousness to lay low.

Things are different now. She thought, with a hint of sadness.

Marinette lowered her book as Adrien stood across her.

“Hey Marinette.” He spoke in a quiet tone. “I was hoping to run into you. Are you busy right now?”

“No, not really.” She replied, evenly. “What's up?”

Adrien pulled a chair out, mindful to do it quietly.

“Well, um, you looked a little queasy this morning.” Adrien spoke, his voice becoming even more hushed. “Is something bothering you, Marinette?”

Marinette sighed internally. This wasn’t something she could explain to him, after all.

“Well, I wasn’t feeling all that well yesterday, Adrien.” Not entirely untrue. “But I’m better now.” She said, in a smile she hoped was convincing enough.

Adrien looked like he was debating what to say next. He took a breath before going through what he decided to say.

“Marinette, I hope I’m not overstepping.” He said, in a tone so apologetic that it made Marinette feel guilty. “But I think you’re still upset about it, whatever it is. You’ve always been good with makeup; not that you need much anyway, but the concealer you used isn’t the best type to cover the fact that you barely had any sleep lately. I should know—” He said, glancing away momentarily. “I do it all the time.”

Marinette opened her mouth to deny, but couldn’t bring herself to do it.

“I… I’m sorry Adrien. I just don’t know how to explain...”

“It’s ok.” Adrien replied soothingly. “I'm not like, forcing you to tell anything. I just…” His gaze fell. “I wasn’t there for a friend when she needed me. I was too busy having fun and being rebellious, and I didn’t check on her. She got akumatized.”

Marinette was confused. Nino wasn’t akumatized recently. Neither was Kagami, then who was he talking about?

Chloe. She realized.

“Adrien! That’s not your fault. You know Chloe. She rarely ever makes the right decision.”

“I’ve known her since we were little. Sure she’s no angel, but siding with Hawkmoth? I’m one of her closest friends. I should’ve seen her slipping.”

Marinette felt heartbroken seeing Adrien so dejected. “Adrien. I’m sorry that happened. Her parents were fighting publicly, I—Ladybug didn’t give her a miraculous when they were akumatized, all this must’ve made her bitter. Hawkmoth saw weakness and struck. Like he always does.” Marinette reached and placed her hand over his. “Remember, all three of us decided to sneak out of the hotel. If you’re blaming yourself over this, you can’t stop me from taking my share of it.”

Adrien gave her a small smile. “Thanks Marinette.”

She gave him an assuring squeeze and withdrew her hand. Adrien cleared his throat.

“I’m sorry, I kinda got off track. I just wanted to tell you, if you need someone to talk, I’m here for you. I don’t want people I care about getting akumatized on my watch.”

Marinette suppressed the urge walk over and pull him into a hug. Instead she managed to settle for a smile. “Adrien, that’s really sweet of you… And I want you to do the same if you need me. Friendship is a two way trip.”

From her tone, Adrien knew she meant it.

Chapter Text

“…Whatever girl! But I still think Looney Toons shouldn’t be shown to kids. It’s a plum prime recipe for disaster.”

“C’mon! You gotta admit it sometimes makes you laugh, Alya.”

“Oh I admit it makes me laugh. It’s just when dropping an anvil on a coyote doesn’t terminate its life subscription, kids get ideas. Like dropping a dinner plate on my head because I told them not to speak while chewing.” Alya made a series of rasps and sputters. “They were gibbering and blabbering like the Tasmanian devil!”

Marinette chortled. “Did you tell them that part too?!”

“Yes. Hence the dinner plate and my bruised ego. And head.”

“I’m not saying I agree, but I understand,” giggled Marinette. She bid Alya Good bye and strolled towards the bakery.

Right. School’s over. Let’s hope Bugette kept her head down.

Marinette entered the bakery, keeping a careful watch on her parent’s reactions.

“Hi sweetheart!” Her mother greeted from behind the counter. Tom poked his head from the backroom and waved, covered in a light dusting of flour.

Looks like she managed to keep a low profile. Marinette waved back, relieved.

She entered her room and looked around. Bugette peeked from above.

“Hi Marinette!”

“Hey Bugette,” she dropped her bag at her desk. “Are you hungry? Do you want me to get anything for you?”

Bugette’s nose scrunched in thought. “I wouldn’t mind something to eat. But-" She inhaled-"what is that amazing smell?!" 

Marinette chuckled. “Chocolate. They’re my favorites too. And they taste is even better.”

Bugette and Marinette sat against the short wall on Marinette’s balcony, effectively hidden from anyone’s view. They sipped on their hot chocolate and chatted.

“So, how was school today Marinette?”

Marinette swirled her drink in her glass. “Eh. You know school. Not that exciting. Chloe was absent, Mr. D’Argencourt sprained his ankle and I nearly got into trouble because I couldn’t finish Mrs. Mandeleive's homework. But Alix decided to drop a pack of mentos in the Coca cola Kim was hiding in his water bottle and Mrs. Mandeleive’s spent the rest of the period lecturing us on properties of carbon dioxide while we mopped up the mess. You know, the usual.”

Bugette giggled. “I read that it can make a rather big spurt.”

“Yeah, the stuff was on the ceiling too. Kim's fault for not sharing with Alix.”

“Is he the one with glasses?”

Marinette whistled. “I haven’t really introduced you to my friends, have I?” She pulled out her phone opened the galley. Putting her drink down, she pointed to the girl wearing a checkered shirt and horn rimmed glasses. “This is Alya, my bff. She’s a blogger who runs a blog about Ladybug called the Ladyblog. Heh. Anyway, she’s awesome. The boy behind her, wearing the blue T-shirt is Nino, our resident DJ and Alya's boyfriend. He’s also—” She swiped to another picture—"Adrien's best friend. You already know Adrien. The girl trying to strangle him from behind is Chloe.”

“Who’s the girl wearing the shoes with… wheels?”

“Alix. She likes to Rollerblade. Don’t underestimate her because she looks small. She’s very athletic. Not too much into sports like Kim, but she rarely takes it slow. She’s the only one that can keep pace with him in almost anything. Except swimming. It’s like she eats lead or something.”

“That’s... just an expression, right?”

“Probably. And from here to here there’s Rose, Juleka and Mylene. The big one behind her is Ivan. Big metal head. Used to have quite the temper but now he’s just a big softy. Mostly thanks to Mylene. The red haired kid next to him is Nathaniel. He’s an awesome artist, but really shy around people.”

“This one, with the glasses,” Bugette pointed to the last one. “He looks smart.”

“Looks can be deceiving, but not in this case. He’s the class brainiac and probably one of the smartest kids in Paris for his age. Made a little A. I. robot called Marcov. What’s even more impressive is that he’s one of the few people who can give me a challenge when it comes to ultimate mecha strike.”

“Ooh! Can we play it sometime?”

“You bet! Though you’d probably want to watch a few tutorials on y–EEP!”

Marinette juggled her ringing phone and managed to catch it. “It’s Alya.” She swiped to answer it.

“Hi Alya. What’s up?” Her face fell slightly. “Tomorrow morning? No I know it’s a holiday, but—” Her eyes flicked to Bugette momentarily—“I’m not sure I’d be free. No! It’s not another ‘I couldn’t say no' thing, it’s just…”

Bugette started to gesture at Marinette.

“Huh? I’m— Alya can I call you back in five minutes? Yeah thanks.”

Bugette spoke as she hung up. “Are you saying no to your friends again because of me?”

Marinette sighed. “Bugette, I’m responsible for you. I can’t skip school because it’ll draw attention to me, but—”

“Marinette, that’s not fair.” Bugette shook her head. “Ive been watching a lot of lessons on friendship and relationships, and I don’t think it’s supposed to work like this. I may not know a lot of things yet, but I knew enough to stay hidden from your parents, didn’t I? You have to trust me to look after myself.”

Marinette cocked an eyebrow. “Lessons on friendship? You mean my little pony?”

Bugette sputtered, defensive. “Well it doesn’t make it any less valid!” She looked confused. “Does it?”

Marinette chuckled. “No, I guess it doesn’t,” A look of worry came over her. “But I'll be gone for most of the day. What if you get bored and try to go downstairs?”

“I won’t.”

“What if mom or dad comes up into our room?”

“I'll come up here.”

“What if they come up here?”

“What if they do that now?”

That stopped Marinette in her tracks. Bugette giggled at the look of boggled horror on her face.

“Marinette, stop worrying. I think I can handle myself.” She placed her hand over Marinette's. “You deserve to get a break from all this crazy stuff.”

Marinette sighed in resignation. “You’re right. I haven’t even gotten a chance to meet the other kwamis, and I’m the guardian now! I might not even get another chance to just hang out with my friends.” She picked her phone and swiped again, this time to a blue haired boy holding a guitar. “But before that, I need to talk to someone.”

“That's… Luka.” Bugette recognized. “I can leave if you want some privacy.”

Marinette drained the last of her drink and shook her head.

“In person.”

“Luka! You have a visitor aboard.”

Luka slung the guitar he was strumming idly over his shoulder and walked up to the deck. “Who is it mom?”

A familiar face greeted him on the deck. “Hi Luka.”

“Hi Marinette.” Luka peered at her. “Something’s bothering you.”

She looked surprised. “How'd you—” She sighed. “Yeah. I was hoping we could talk.”

“Come with me.” Instead of below decks, he led her back towards the bridges. They walked under one of them. The water ripples reflected off the underside of the bridge. The sound of gently flowing water permeated the area.

“I come here when my heart's troubling me. The sound of the water is like a melody that’s never the same twice, but it never fails play what I need to hear.” He gestured to Marinette. “Maybe it’ll help soothe your heart too.”

Marinette felt that she was starting to tear up. She had to talk while she had the ability to articulate. “Luka. You know I care about you. And you hold a really special place in my heart. I know I haven’t been a good friend to you, but you’ve been nothing but kind and caring towards me,” She willed her tears to stay back. “But my life’s becoming so much more complicated now. I’ve been given responsibilities I have to take. I—” She sniffled. “I don’t want to keep leading you on. To keep you hoping about something I myself haven’t figured out.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “I don’t think—I’m not the one who deserves your tune, Luka.”

Marinette felt a gentle pressure on her shoulder. She looked, eyes gleaming with tears.

“Marinette,” Said Luka, soothingly. “The tune I wrote for you is yours. It’s just like your name, just spelled with musical notes, instead of letters. It doesn’t change on what we mean to each other.” He sighed. “I figured something was wrong when you didn’t show up at the bridge with you friends.”

“I'm really sorry Luka, I—”

“It's okay, Marinette. I won’t deny that it hurts a little, but I’m glad you were honest with me.”

They both stood there, listening to the sound of the water.

“I know I have no right at all to ask you this, especially after what I did to you; but, what makes you come here? What troubles your heart, Luka?”

Luka slung his guitar around and leaned against a wall. He was silent for a moment.

“My mother is a wonderful women. She’s taken care of Juleka and me all by herself for all these years. We rarely ever fight. But there’s one thing we don’t agree on, and it’s been like that for years.” He sighed. “I never knew who my father was. All mom's ever told us is that he wasn’t a bad person, but he was selfish. Said she couldn’t depend on him when she needed him the most. She said they split when we were very young.”

He tapped his guitar in no particular rhythm. “I’ve tried and tried to get her to tell me more, but that just makes her angry. No amounts of arguments would bring her to talk about it. Without knowing who he was, why he left, makes me feel like I’m missing a part of my life. She never admits it, but I know Juleka wants to know too.” Luka shook his head. “I know my mother is far from a helpless person. She’s stonger than the both of us. But who leaves a women who just had two kids to fend for herself? To live alone like like that? How can he be anything but a bad person if he just sprung up and left like that?!” Luka's voice was rising his passion. But his anger faded as he felt Marinette’s hand on his shoulder.

“I'm sorry Marinette. I didn’t mean to raise my voice.”

“Don’t be.” She replied with a broken voice. “I just feel so terrible for bringing you more pain at the place you come to find comfort.”

Luka held her in a light hug. “It’s not like that Marinette. I admire your honesty. It’s something my father could learn from you. You cared enough to come tell me in person, putting yourself forward. I know you enough to know that you’re hurting far more than I am. All I’m asking from you is try and still be friends with me.”

Luka could feel her quivering against silent sobs. He gave her time to find her voice.

“O-Of course I’ll still be your friend.” Marinette replied, sounding hoarse. She pulled back, and looked at him. “I'm sorry I couldn’t be more for you, but Luka, I’ll always be your friend.”

Luka smiled. “It's all I want.”

They settled down at the river bank, legs dangling down.

“Luka, I know this is not how you meant it, but if it’s ok with you, can I listen to your tune?” Marinette asked, in a subdued tone.

Luka turned toward her and smiled. “I’m glad if you want to.”

He placed the guitar across his leg, and played. The notes carried along the wind, rising and falling.

It was a beautiful melody.

Chapter Text

Marinette walked up through the trapdoor and shut it. She shuffled towards her chaise and sat down, feeling exhausted.

Bugette walked down the stairs, and sat beside her. She waited for her to talk.

“I’m tired, Bugette.” She sighed. “I'm so tired of hurting people I care about.”

Bugette spoke softly. “Was he upset?”

“He understands, but it doesn’t make it any easier.”

“But…” Bugette spoke slowly, careful with her words. “He must have appreciated your honesty. If I were him, I’d want you to be honest with me too, instead of letting me believe in something wrong. Right?”

“I guess so.” Marinette agreed. She picked up Bugette's hesitant undertone. “Bugette, is something wrong?”

“Huh? No, why?”

“Why are you talking like you’re scared?”

“Oh, no it’s just, I didn’t want to say something wrong. I’m so new to all of this.”

Marinette smiled. “You're sweet Bugette. You really are.” She ruffled her hair. “You’re picking stuff up fast. Though if you need to know anything about anything, you can still ask me anytime, ok?”

Bugette smirked. “Or you could ask me. I’ve read all of your textbooks. I bet I could score better than you in a test.”

“Oh ho! Someone’s overconfident,” Marinette laughed. “I bet you’d throw down the pen and leave in 10 seconds flat! Have you ever been to a test? Those things are booooring!”

“I think they’re fascinating! It challenges my brain and my ability to memorize facts.”

Marinette hushed her. “Don't say such controversial things out loud Bugette! If any student heard you they’d sent you to the guillotine!”

Bugette giggled and spoke in an exaggerated French accent with a comical expression. “Oui! Exactimo! Off with her canterloupé!”

Marinette burst out laughing. “Bugette, you look ridiculous!”

“I'm you! Which means the one who looks ridiculous is youuuuu!”

“Do not sass at me young lady!” Marinette laughed as she grabbed a pillow and pummeled Bugette.

They both laughed till their ribs were sore.

“Well, it did what I hoped it would do,” Bugette said, catching her breath. “It got you to smile.”

Marinette felt that in her heart. “Oh, you,” She pulled her into a hug. “I want you to know if I cry now, it’s because I’m so happy about you. You’re one of the best things that happened to me.”

They spent some time, happy with each other’s company.

“You should get some rest,” Suggested Bugette. “Meeting with your friends tomorrow should cheer you up even more.”

“I suppose so. Thank you Bugette.” Marinette yawned.

They passed time with some small talk while they dined on pastries Marinette brought from the bakery downstairs. Then they bid each other good night.

Marinette was asleep in minutes, but Bugette wasn’t. She spent some time tossing and turning. She considered switching on Marinette's computer to watch another MLP episode, but decided not to take the risk of interrupting Marinette’s much needed sleep. She got up and went to the balcony instead.

There must have been some power line maintenance going on, because the balcony lights were off, along with most of the lights in the block. But that made the sky appear clearer, which shone with so many stars. Bugette let off a silent wow as she leaned against the railing, admiring the twinkling against the deep black sky. She thought she had never seen something so beautiful.

“It's really something, isn’t it?”

Bugette turned and quacked in surprise as she saw the tiny red creature floating beside her.

Tikki giggled. “Marinette was right, you two could be twins.”

“I'm sorry, have I met you?”

Tikki pointed a paw at herself. “I’m Tikki. I’m how Marinette transforms into Ladybug.”

Realization dawned in Bugette. “You’re a Kwami. The ones Marinette said were in the miracle, err, ball, thingy.”

“I actually was with Marinette this whole time.”

“That’s odd. Why didn’t Marinette introduce you to me?”

Tikki was silent for a second. “I asked her not to.”

Bugette was perplexed. “Why?”

Tikki sighed. “I wasn’t sure what to make of you. When I came to know that Bunnyx agreed to let you stay here, in a timeline you don’t belong, I was really confused. And worried. She’s not the kind to take risk of this sort.” Tikki floated closer. “But I’ve seen how you care about Marinette, I’ve seen how you give her strength. Believe me when I say that she’s never been this close to being akumatized in her life. The pressure she’s under is crazy! And it doesn’t help that she blames herself for what happened to master Fu.”

“Master who?”

Tikki filled her in. Bugette listened with intrigue, till it turned into worry as she realized how deeply Marinette was hurting.

“She didn’t tell me any of this!” Bugette fretted.

“She didn’t want to dump her problems on you. She always goes above and beyond carrying other’s burdens, but she never lets anyone do the same for her. Oh how I’ve wished sometimes she talked with Cat Noir about her problems instead of hiding everything behind a mask! Cat Noir may seem incapable of taking anything seriously, but I know if Marinette just told him about her struggles, he’d do everything he can to support her. But she’s too stubborn, or afraid. Maybe both.”

“I—this is just!—Ugh…” Bugette leaned against the railing, her head held between her hands. “And along came me, taking her troubles and making it double! I... feel terrible.”

Tikki dashed closer. “No, please don’t think that way! In her mind, everything after defeating Loveater has been a failure atop a failure. The only high point she sees is being able to save you. She’d probably have had a meltdown if you weren’t there to occupy her thoughts.”

“It doesn’t seem fair. She’s still going to school. The most she should be worrying about should be about, I dunno, doing homework maybe! But she’s forced to take so much responsibility,” Bugette turned towards Tikki. “Isn’t there anyone else to help her? Someone else who can be Ladybug, so she can just worry about being Marinette?”

Tikki sighed. “There used to be an order of guardians, a long time ago. But master Fu was the last one left. With his identity compromised to Hawkmoth, he had to give up his title and lose his memory. Now it’s just Marinette and… Cat Noir,” Tikki looked downcast. “And neither of them would give up their miraculous under any reason. No matter how hard it is, they won’t accept putting someone else at risk so they can live normal lives. They’re selfless. Sometimes to a fault.”

Bugette turned away in anguish and looked on. The city of Paris stretched to the horizon. Millions of people in the city, and she still had to carry her burdens alone. Even if it was her own choice, it felt wrong.

“I wish I could take her pain away,” She sniffled. “I'd do anything! She’d done so much for me.”

“Everything you do counts, Bugette. Even small things, like being a listening ear, or someone to laugh with. You’re already doing enough.”

“Still, I wanna do more.” She muttered.

Tikki shook her head. “You're as stubborn as she is,” She floated away, ready to call it a night. Then she stopped midway. “Though if you still want to help, I know for a fact that she didn’t complete her math assignment. Knowing her, she’d remember it in the middle of a smoothie, snort it down the wrong pipe, and run back here to finish it. You could—”

"—Finish it for her. Got it.” She replied, happy to do at least something. “Tomorrow is her day out. Everything has to be perfect.”

“—and all of you have to behave yourselves! We can all socialize some other time, because I don’t want mom to find Bugette here under a pile of Kwamis.” Marinette instructed as she readied her stuff.

Everyone nodded attentively, except for Xuppu and Mullo, who were busy fighting over an apple. They flew around in circles, jeering at each other.

Tikki blocked their path and shot them a murderous look. Xuppu blanched and dropped the apple, and it hit Marinette’s keyboard. A news channel opened up.

“Welcome back to ‘A daring day with Adrien!’ Here you see an almost life like wax statue of him! The people at the Grévin's wax museum are exceptional indeed. What do you think about it, Adrien?”

“I’m starting to feel like a statue myself. I’ve been holding this pose for two hours now.”

“That’s the secret of perfection, right? And the Agreste are all about perfection!” The bald reporter stated. Marinette flushed and pointedly started digging through her purse.

Bugette leaned in. “Whoa, what a fascinating day!”

“What a boring life!” Adrien grumbled as he finally found himself in his own room.

“Without even a lunch break! Reediculous!” Plagg agreed as he made a beeline to his camembert stash.

Adrien pulled out his phone, and loaded up a classical piano track. Then he switched on airplane mode. He didn’t want it to suddenly play a rock and roll solo in the middle of the moonlight sonata in case someone decided to call him.

“Free at last!” Adrien breathed. “Plagg, you done with that?”

“Still chewing!” Came the reply. “You should get something to eat too! I’m feeling generous today so I'd even share a piece of this three week old camembert piece I’ve been saving.”

Adrien retched. “Blegh! I can’t believe you still have it here! My room’s gonna smell like stinky socks if this keeps up.”

“Count your blessings! You should be thanking me for not making your breath smell like rotten cheese every time you try to woo Ladybug.”

“You have no class Plagg!”

“Guilty as charged.” Came the brazen reply. “Ok I’m done. Let’s get this patrol thing done already. Also make sure to pick up that batch of camembert I showed you in the dairy catalogue yesterd—”

“Plagg, claws out!”

Cat noir arrived at their rendezvous point. He stood atop the roof and scanned the skyline and the city below. Aside from the usual bustle, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary.

He waited for fifteen minutes before pulling up his baton and dialing Ladybug.

“Hi, it’s Ladybug! Leave a message.”

“Hey Bugaboo! Here I am, your faithful companion, at our rendezvous point, just like always. It’s time for our daily patrol, hope you haven’t forgotten.”

He hung up and sat down with his legs dangling down. Minutes ticked on but Ladybug was still a no show. He pulled his baton out.

“No messages. Don’t forget my cheese!” Plagg's voice reminded him.

He felt his nose tickle and looked around. A few pigeons were fluttering about. He jabbed his baton at them.

“Shoo! Find your own rooftop! Don’t bug me unless Hawkmoth gets desperate and akumatize Mr. Ramier. Again.”

They took off, with feathers fluffing everywhere. Cat Noir sneezed and muttered something under his breath. He got up and vaulted off, headed towards a different part of the city.

He landed near the Luxor Obelisk and checked the perimeter. A few people saw him and bugged him for a picture. He obliged as he had nothing better to do there. He pulled out his baton again.

“No new messages. Don’t forget my cheese.” Plagg stated in a more annoyed tone.

“Hey Ladybug! It’s me. Guess with all those Guardian duties you don’t have much time for our patrols. No biggie. Guess I’ll do it solo today. Catch you next time maybe?”

After checking around and making sure everything was as normal it could be, found himself at Le Grand Paris hotel. He found Jean behind the bar.

“A glass of milk as usual, Mr. Cat noir?”

“In a large glass this time. I’m kinda hungry.”

Jean placed the glass and poured some fresh milk for him. What started as a tongue-in-cheek joke on Jean’s part had become sort of an unofficial custom between the two.

“How is Ms. Ladybug? I haven’t seen her for a while.”

“Well, it’s been a little quiet recently. So it’s been just me for the past few days.”

A shrill voice broke in.

“That purse was my life, Sabrina! And you! You have gone and lost it! You are forbidden to talk with me ever again!”

Sabrina tried to point. “But, Chloe—”

“No talking! Zip it!”

“But Chloe, look—”

“Zip it. Don’t even look at me. Hands over your eyes.”

Cat Noir winced.

Here comes the Akuma.

“Aoh my purse!” Chloe dunked Sabrina with it. “You dingbat! You could’ve told me I was wearing it!”

“But I wasn’t allowed to speak to you!”

“—and you still aren’t!”

Sabrina hurried behind Chloe as she stormed off.

Jean and Cat noir exchanged a look. Jean cleared his throat.

“As much as I don’t approve of what their friendship has degraded into, I’m still glad that Ms. Sabrina tolerates Ms. Chloe's company. If she ever decide that enough is enough and leaves, Ms. Chloe would crumble like a badly baked Gateaux.”

Cat Noir sighed. “I know.”

Cat noir downed the glass in one shot. He thumbed open his baton one last time.

“No messages. DON'T FORGET MY CH—”

He put it back and scratched his head. “You wouldn’t happen to have some red ribboned camembert from last week's dairy catalogue, would you?”

Adrien landed atop one of many rooftops along the final leg of his patrol route and checked the time.

“Well, she definitely doesn't have time to join me now.”

Deciding he’d done enough for today, he tensed his body, preparing to leap away. But a familiar voice below caught his attention. He peered above the peek of the roof. It was Kagami and her mother. They appeared to be sparring with wooden swords.

“—never let yourself be weak, mother. I know that lesson well.”

“And never be…?”

“Taken by surprise!”

Mrs. Tomoe rushed Kagami with a series of offensive strikes. For a blind woman, she moved more precisely than some of his sparring partners who had both eyes intact.

“Don't apply these principles and you’ll never be as good as Adrien Agreste!”

Kagami parried, locked Mrs. Tomoa's sword and swiped up, sending it flying up. Adrien winced, expecting it to fall on the poor woman’s head. But she sidestepped and caught it before it hit the ground.

“Adrien? Don’t worry, mother. I have everything I need to succeed with him.”

Adrien smiled. Even though the patrol was uneventful, he knew the fencing class later today wouldn’t be.

.

“All these scheduling changes requested by the Tsurugi are annoying. When you get home make sure you try out the new outfit I made for your photoshoot.”

“Yes father.”

Adrien ended the call and leaned back in his seat. Apparently Mr. D'Agincourt had changed the time for their fencing lesson. It was an hour early. It was very unlike him to do so, even on a request.

Adrien’s car slowed down and came to a stop in front of the school. As he got out, he could see Kagami get out of her car as well.

They both took the stairs to the school together. A surprised Mr. Haprèle informed them that they were an hour early, and that Mr. D’Agincourt hadn’t even arrived yet.

“Oh really, and I was sure I wrote down the correct hour this time.” Kagami replied, sounding surprised.

Mr. Haprèle raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t his classes held at the same time? Every time?”

Kagami's face remained as impassive as a wax statue.

He shrugged. “Anyway, I'm afraid you’ll have to wait on a bench over there, or outside. I can’t let you into a classroom without adult supervision.”

“It’s ok Mr. Haprèle. We'll come back to the class in an hour.” Kagami turned and made as if leading Adrien out, but as soon as Mr. Haprèle's back was turned she whisked him aside.

“Whoa, the door’s this way!” Adrien exclaimed.

Kagami finally let go of his arm. She pushed open the door to the arts and crafts room.

“What are you up to this time, Kagami?” Adrien asked.

Kagami dropped her bag and took out a sketchbook. She looked up at him.

“I’ve never told this to anyone, but I love to draw. I always have.” She sifted through the pages. Adrien watched in fascination at the detailed drawings of animals and human subjects in it.

“The poses they make are a reflection of their personality,” She turned to another page with a perfect sketch of her mother. “But my mother won’t let me do it,” She gestured to her drawings in general. “According to her, this is not who I am.”

Adrien leaned over to take a closer look. The detail she had put in her drawings were very impressive. “Kagami, you’re super talented!”

A flicker of a smile passed over her lips. “You really think so?”

“Mh-hm.”

She stood up and took him by the arm. She led him to a wooden stool. “Pose for me. I want to sketch you.”

“Um, how do you want me to pose?”

“However makes you feel comfortable.”

Adrien slipped into a casual pose he often did in photoshoots.

Kagami sat down and started sketching. “I really admire Toulouse-Lautrec. I’d like to draw you like the characters he painted,” She held her pencil up and then sideways, measuring him. “Did you know he often signed his paintings with a monogram like many Japanese artists did?”

“I do now.”

Adrien watched her pencil race across the page. A few minutes later, she stopped and frowned. She glanced back up at him. “This isn’t right, it’s not you.”

“Can I see it?”

She simply tore the page and tossed aside the crumpled paper. “Try a different pose. It should be easy to do a beautiful sketch of you because you’re so handsome. But what I want is to capture the real you inside.”

He settled against the stool in another one of his photographer's favorite poses.

“No. Still not good. Change again.”

He did as she asked. Kagami began scribbling, but suddenly tore the page and tossed it aside. “These are all modeling poses! Try something more natural. More you.”

Adrien scratched his chin. A sudden mirthful impulse struck him. He struck one of his favorite Cat Noir poses.

“How about, meo—I mean now.”

Kagami threw him a deadpan look. “No. You’re not at all natural.”

“Yes I am, I promise! This is me.”

Kagami dropped the sketchbook with a thud. “No. That’s you when you’re being silly!”

Adrien felt that one. “But what if I’m being silly, I’m really me?”

Kagami walked over and took his hand. She folded it against his chest and advanced. Adrien took a step back and was against the wall. “There. This, is really you.”

He didn’t feel convinced. “Do you really think…?”

“Yes. You’re… perfect.”

Kagami slowly leaned in. He could read where this was heading, but a feeling of uncertainty lingered.

A loud buzz from his phone broke the spell. Adrien stepped aside and pulled his phone. He smiled sheepishly. “Now it’s really time for our fencing class.”

“En garde, prêts, allez!”

Thin metal on metal clashed as the designated duelists started sparring. As usual, Adrien and Kagami were paired, as he was the only one in the team capable of matching her, move to move.

Kagami took the offensive, and threw a series of slashes and thrusts, Adrien parried some and dodged the others, careful to maintain his footing. He saw an opening and thrust forward. Kagami deftly side-stepped and countered, scoring a hit.

“Point!” Mr. D’Agincourt exclaimed. He gestured them to continue. “Allez!”

Adrien was back on the defensive as Kagami pressed her attacks. He parried a flurry of well placed thrusts and jabs. He took a step back, ducked as the blade swiped over him, and slashed forward.

“Point for Adrien. Allez!” Suddenly Mr. D’Agincourt's phone started to ring from inside his duffel bag. He walked over to it, moving with a slight limp. “Some people never learn to respect a man's schedule!”

Kagami relaxed and lifted her face shield, signaling a temporary truce. Adrien did the same.

“You’re improving!” said Kagami.

“Oh I was just warming up,” Adrien smirked as he walked over. “Why, were you worried?”

“Why should I? I’m still the best.”

“The scores indicate we’re even, actually.”

“Touché,” Kagami said, leaning in. Adrien didn’t object, but stiffened as he saw a swarm of pigeons being chased by Ladybug.

“Uh… sorry! I forgot something in the locker room.”

Adrien rushed to get out of sight. Plagg poked out of his jacket and tutted. “You could've let the lady have her kiss before running off y'know.”

True… Why didn’t I?

Adrien rounded a corner and made sure he was alone. No time to dwell on that now.

“Plagg, claws out!”

Cat Noir leapt to a rooftop and looked around. He could see a something shaped like a plane circling around a skyscraper. He looked around.

“Where’s Ladybug?”