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“Why are you here? Who even are you?”
Adrien points his dagger at the strange person in a rich crimson Trenchcoat with short, messy red hair. They roll their eyes as they show their fingerless gloved hands to him. After a solid minute of a standstill, Adrien places his feather dagger back into the cuff of his outfit.
“Are you going to say something or just stand there? I have places to be, and I do not have time for random homeless people trying to play hero so I would prefer you get off this roof by yourself.”
They place a hand on their chest as they walk themselves off the side of the building. Adrien panics. He dives headfirst off the side to catch the person but gets the wits scared out of him when they catch him midair.
“For the record, I have no idea why I am here. It is on brand for me. However, you seem distressed. Why is that? Relationship problems perhaps? Teenagers always seem to have them to some extent. In fact, everyone does. That is quite the stereotype. I’ve been dragging on. I’m the God of Anomalies and Supernatural. How can I be of service?”
Adrien squirms his way out of their arms and shakes his head at their words. He had heard some ridiculous things and heard some things be called ridiculous. However, this. This was ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.
“Yeah… I’ll believe you when werewolves show up in Gotham.”
Adrien chooses to ignore the red head and continues his way to the last place Orriko had said they were in. After a solid few minutes, Adrien turns on his heel. The stranger lands beside him. They put their arm around his shoulder.
“It’s the kid with the black cat, ain’t it? Dang what are the chances of that? A bird chasing after the cat.”
Adrien turns to the ‘God’ with a look of absolute disbelief. He pushes their arm off him.
“Look, real funny act you have going on here, but I would appreciate if you would leave me alone. Perhaps return home to wherever you came from and let me continue with what I was doing.”
“Fine, fine. I will leave you alone for now. I will not leave fully though. I was summoned for a reason. There is an anomaly or supernatural issue here in your universe. You best heed my warning child. It is not wise to ignore the help of a being willing to provide you with the assistance that you cannot achieve yourself.”
They face the other side of rooftop. As they walk away, Adrien scoffs. He goes back to watching the cat.
“By the way, good luck with your game of predator and prey. Though I dare say, you make a better cat and him a better bird. Just a thought to consider.”
Adrien cannot turn to the figure in time to see their smirk but the snide in their remark was enough to distract him. He curses to himself as he looks back to see no cat anywhere.
Defeated, Adrien runs back to his apartment. Upon entry, the lights turn on and his transformation fades. Orriko and Duusu appear before their young master.
“I have tracked him for weeks. Of course, the one time I could have caught him, this imposter god decided to get in my way. How did they know about me being Chat Noir.”
Adrien sits himself on the edge of his couch, hands catching his face. Duusu comforts Adrien while Orriko flies in front of him.
“They never said they knew you were Chat Noir. All they said was that you would make a better cat than him.”
“And that he would be a better bird.” Adrien raises his head. “They were hinting at him being a bird. Is he the true holder of one of you?”
Adrien gains a new sense of thinking as he pushes himself up. He quickly gets through his nightly activities and heads straight to bed.
After his morning stop into Marinette’s café, he would get straight back into his research. He had to.
~
*Elsewhere*
“Oh my grandfather. He was so close yet chose the wrong answer. There is a possibility that Tim is the holder of either Duusu or Orriko in this universe, but I was hinting at him being robin.”
They sigh with a slight growl.
“Perhaps the Midnight Tiger will listen to reason. Then again… even if I spell it out for him, I am sure he will misunderstand somehow.”
They think about what they just said. It hits them quick. They facepalm.
“Tim and Adrien are soulmates. That would explain the miraculous swapping. Instead of being items lost, the miraculous swapped themselves. This universe isn’t supposed to have soulmates though. Seems I have work ahead of me.”
They bound off into what little night there is left.
~
Tim wakes up from a decent night of sleep. Wait, sleep?
He managed to get sleep but the last thing he remembered was returning to the computer in his room to continue his research. He needed to learn as much as possible on the miraculous and how to help the kwami reconnect with their guardian.
Tim looks around his room as he sits up in his bed. Now, this was stranger than it should be. Sleeping and his bed for once? Something was off.
“Good morning!”
Tim is startled by the greeting, falling out of his bed. A snickering laugh above him reminds Tim who he’s stuck with.
“Nice one Stripes. Next time try landing on your feet. You are wielding two cats.”
“Give him a break Plagg. The cub needs more time to gain his footing. He’ll be the fiercest wielder this century has seen!”
Roaar flies around Tim with a look of triumph on her face. Plagg stretches before climbing into Tim’s messy hair. The perfect hiding spot.
“You have places to be, don’t you Cub?”
Tim eyes the time then scrambles to his feet. If he wanted to get the best spot, he would need to have left 3 mins ago. Tim throws on his casual black shorts, matching black t-shirt and sneakers. He grabs his flannel on the way out the door of the manor and accepts his skateboard and satchel from Alfred.
Tim wastes no time boarding down the street. He arrives just as Marinette spins the open sign around. He shines her a smile as he walks in.
“Sorry Mr. Drake, you missed being first today. I still have a special set aside for you.”
Tim’s shoulders fall slightly. How is it that someone beat him? He was always the first one to arrive at Marinette and Jason’s little coffee shop.
Sure, the days when Jason opened the shop, he would wait until his younger brother had shown up but that’s beside the point. He was always first, no matter how sleep deprived he was. Maybe it was the sleep that was his detriment.
Tim hesitantly turns to the table he sits in daily. Much to his surprise, it was still open.
He hurries over to it, places his belongings down then walks over to the counter. Marinette perches up.
“Here’s your things Mr. Drake. I hope your research goes well!”
Tim contemplates as he thanks her. Ultimately, he lets curiosity take the reins.
“Hey Mari, you said someone beat me today. Do you happen to remember who it was?”
“He had blond hair and green eyes. Just about your height. I believe he was an old school friend.”
“Did Adrien come in to visit when I wasn’t here again? That boy is quick.”
Tim turns to see Chloe placing her things beside the counter. She joins Marinette.
“Adrien… do you have a last name for him as well?”
Chloe sends Tim a raised eyebrow before a smirk emerges.
“He does… Do you plan on confronting him for beating you to be the first one in Timmy? Because I could be persuaded to give it to you in exchange for something.”
Tim takes a sip of his drink. The two have a silent stare down which is only broken up by Marinette.
“I may not remember him much but please don’t do anything stupid Chloe. He was super nice when he came in. What do you have planned Bourgeois?”
“Don’t worry Marinette. I have nothing planned. I just want Tim to return something to him since I can never seem to catch Adrien. It is like he is avoiding me.”
“Someone avoiding you? I could never see that.”
“Look Todd, just because you are with Mari doesn’t mean I can’t have some fun. For the record, only one person avoids me and for good reason. She knows I don’t want her seeing Marinette.”
Tim rolls his eyes and walks to his table. He didn’t need more than a last name from Chloe to be able to find this blond. Come to think of it, Tim had never heard about Marinette having memory problems. He shrugs it off.
He pulls out his travel pad and gets to work pulling up as much information as he can about this ‘Adrien’. He does not get very far when Chloe comes to sit across from him.
“I finally slipped away. How far have you managed already?”
“I only managed to pull up the shop’s surveillance and find out which direction he went. That’s it.”
Chloe leans back in her seat, giving the slightly older a shake of her head.
“Why not go follow him? It would do you good to get out of here for a bit. Knowing Adrien, he is focused on one thing. Go try the lounge.”
Tim tilts his head.
“The lounge? As in Penguin’s Iceberg Lounge?”
Chloe’s enthusiastic nod catches Tim off guard. Why would he be at Penguin’s place? Now Tim was interested in him.
“Take this to him and tell him to call or visit while I’m working. He will have a million questions but hopefully that will signal to him that I sent you.”
Tim slowly looks over the hair comb Chloe handed him alongside a note with her work times and number on. Chloe ushers him to put it on.
“Why? I thought you wanted me to give it to him.”
“You’ll see. Now, get going. Unless you want to watch your brother make out with his girlfriend.”
“Soon to be fiancé.”
Tim throws Chloe a wink as he packs his things. Her jaw drops. She looks over at the couple in question then back to the ready-to-leave Tim.
“No, you’re just pulling my leg. Is he really??”
Tim points and nods. Jason is reaching into his pocket with an oddly box shaped object. Chloe jumps up, nearly tripping over the chair to run behind the counter.
“Hey Jason! I uh need to talk to you about something!”
Tim leaves the shop with a smiley laugh. Roarr speaks up from inside Tim’s hair.
“Plagg is rubbing off on you, Cub. Good to see I am as well. Are we heading straight over then?”
“Yes, we are. It won’t be too far. Only about 5 mins by board. Hold on.”
Tim throws his board down, starting his way to this mystery blond. He’s too distracted with his mission to notice the addition of another voice mixed in with Plagg and Roaar.
~
“How long have you guys been with this young prince?”
“About a month. I’m honestly surprised he hasn’t figured it out yet.”
“Pfft please. Stripes is just as dense as him. I bet neither of them will figure it out.”
“What is it you two have planned? Is this why you are not with the Guardian?”
“Yes and no. It sort of just happened. Can’t say we aren’t running with it. Right, Plagg?”
The little black cat smirks with a nod. Roaar claps cheerfully as Pollen shakes their head.
~
The nearly empty lounge is peaceful. The sounds of one lonely piano fill the building.
Adrien sits on the bench, allowing his hands to take the music as they please.
Despite it being one of the many things his ‘father’ forced him to do, Adrien liked making music. It was a way to release the stresses and feelings he held inside without having to use words. Luka was the one to teach him the skill.
With one last breath, he ends his self-concerto. A small clap comes from the table just the stage. Oswald Cobblepot himself alongside Edward Nygma.
Adrien stands up from the bench, walks down the stage steps and joins the men at their table.
“That was a wonderful performance, Adrien. You capture emotions brilliantly. Have you considered playing here at night?”
“Thanks Ed. I have thought about it, but I am not sure I could perform in front of a crowd. You two are about as much as I can handle.”
“Well perhaps I shouldn’t tell you that another boy about your age joined halfway through. He’s sitting over at the bar if you want to talk to him.”
“If not, I’ll kick him.”
“Oswald! That is rude. The kid obviously has taste considering he stayed for Adrien’s music.”
Adrien rolls his eyes at the two bickering adults as he leaves them to go meet the visitor. It was weird to hear someone his age was here at the lounge. It is not a spot teens flock to. Even if it is Gotham, people avoid this place.
He slowly approaches the counter and sees a familiar black-haired, blue-eyed man sitting there. Adrien had seen his man’s face somewhere, but he cannot seem to pick out where.
Seeing as the man watched him walk up, Adrien takes a seat beside him. He studies him.
“You know, this is not a typical hangout. Why did you stop in?”
“Who says I didn’t hear the music and decide to see it for myself?”
Adrien lets a testing smile out.
“The doors were shut. Plus, this grand cannot project enough to reach outside even with the case and doors open. You came here for a reason. Mr. Cobblepot is sitting at the table down there. I can grab him for you if you would like.”
Adrien goes to get out of his chair, but the man puts his hand out to stop him. A panjas bracelet covers said hand.
“I came here to see you. You are Adrien, right? Chloe sent me.”
“Chloe? Chloe Bougeois? How do you know her and why did she send you? She can contact me at any point.”
“Her friend runs a coffee shop down the street. My brother is dating said friend. She wanted me to give you this.”
The man hands him a piece of paper. It has a set of hours and a note on the back.
‘Queen, you should know better than to not contact. I hope you just got a new phone or something. Anyway, here’s Pollen to prove this is from me and not some random thing Tim made up.’
Adrien freaks a little at the mention of Pollen. He looks at the man, Tim’s hair. The hair comb shines a bronze color.
Adrien instinctively reaches to the man’s hair and pulls out the comb. Tim looks at Adrien’s reaction in confusion.
“I guess you are telling the truth. Oh, I remember where I know you. Tim Drake. You are a Wayne. Jason must be the one dating Marinette. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
Adrien offers his left hand to Tim, forcing him to show off the jewelry once more. Tim accepts with that hand and Adrien gets a better look at it. Could it be? Nah, just a coincidence. Tim has plenty of money so surely it was just something he bought himself.
“It is nice you meet you as well. Why is it that you play here anyway? Not to be rude but you know this is the iceberg lounge, right?”
“Of course. Oswald as an amazing spot here. I can’t exactly fit a piano in my apartment.”
Tim laughs at the comment. The two enjoy each other’s company until Ed makes his way over.
“Not to be the parent here, but you both should be going before Harley and Ivy get here unless you want to be trapped here overnight.”
Adrien nods to Ed as he gets up. Tim follows suit and the two leave the lounge.
“Do you have anywhere you need to be after this?”
“There is a bit of research I need to do but perhaps we can meet up tomorrow morning? Marinette’s shop at opening?”
“Deal. See you then Adrien.”
Tim throws his board down and skates away. Adrien watches until he cannot see Tim anymore.
When he is truly gone, Adrien ducts into an alleyway and calls upon just the transform from Orikko. Duusu flies out to join Adrien.
“Aww young love. You two make a lovely couple.”
Adrien nearly trips over a rooftop at the kwami’s comment. His face blushes.
“We’re not a couple Duusu. We just meet after all. Not all of us can be like Jason and Marinette.”
~
They watch closely as Adrien denies his feelings. They cannot help but facepalm.
“Do I say something or do I not something… I guess I’ll just keep watch for now. It seems all he may have needed was that little push from me. Easy enough for me. Let’s see how this plays out Queen.”
~
Tim slides off his shoes at the door, placing his board beside them. He had managed to spend his entire day between the coffee shop and the lounge. He spent the day at the lounge and didn’t have to fight the Penguin. That was a new one.
He slips through the kitchen then up the stairs to his room. Once inside, he closes the door and throws off his satchel.
“There’s something about that Adrien. Marinette doesn’t remember him, but he knows her?”
“You could just be making things up.”
“You do tend to do that a lot Tim. Also, when were you going to tell us about your little friends here?”
Tim turns to see Kon and Bart on his bed with his kwami flying around them. He does not know how to properly react.
“Calm down, Cub. Your friends can be trusted with our secret.”
“Oh woah, they can talk? Crash!”
Bart and Roaar start to have their own side conversation whilst Kon and Plagg sit with Tim. Their combined energy is enough to break anyone.
“So, when you are going to ask him out? He seems nice.”
“Stripes doesn’t have it in him. He’s too distracted by research. Does he ever stop researching?”
“Nope. He researches research.”
Plagg and Kon continue throwing little playful jabs at Tim. His cheeks slowly get redder.
“That is not true. I could get a boyfriend if I tried.”
The entire group in his room turns to Tim. They break out in laughter. Tim crosses his arms with a slight pout.
“I can get a boyfriend. I’ll prove it to you. Roaar, let’s go find Adrien. I’ll ask him right now.”
The group looks to Tim a bit concerned.
“Cub, I love your confidence, but would he not find it weird that you randomly appeared his apartment?”
“I must agree with the tiger. I’m not sure Adrien would enjoy an unscheduled visit.”
“You know, I think we should have faith in Tim. If he thinks he can do it, let’s let him try.”
“What are you planning, Stripes?”
Tim smirks at Plagg as he sits at his computer. He types away at his keyboard for a moment before turning the monitor. Plagg and Roarr’s reactions are enough to confirm the information he gathered.
‘The guardian of the miraculous has to be someone who wields a miraculous themselves, perhaps even multiple. They also had to have wielded a miraculous alongside Ladybug when she was guardian.
Today’s Information: Marinette seems to have memory problems that no one mentioned before. This ‘Adrien’ reacted rather defensive to the hair comb Chloe gave me. Both are close friends to Marinette, or at least were. The hair comb and thumb ring, which Adrien was wearing, match two of the nineteen miraculous that belong to the Chinese zodiac box. Since Chloe told me to return the comb to Adrien, I have reason to believe he is the guardian and Marinette was the previous guardian as well as Ladybug.
Personal questions: Where is the Ladybug miraculous? Does Adrien have it alongside the others? If so, why is he using another miraculous? Why is it that I have both the Tiger and Black Cat miraculous?’
The silence in the room is immeasurable. Tim, however, is the one to break it.
“How close am I? Either I am nearly spot on or completely correct based on your reactions. I know you cannot tell me who the guardian is for the safety of the rest of the box, but you have to be able to say something.”
“I think you go after him Tim with whatever weird plan you have. You know his identity, so you control the situation. You can show off that charm of yours.”
Plagg and Roaar nod to Kon’s words. Bart shrugs as he agrees.
“You guys want me to go flirt with him?!”
The collective smile from them takes away what little confidence Tim had built up. None of them said he needed to flirt but it was implied. This was going to go horribly.
Plagg and Roaar fly around Tim until he finally gives in. The outfit of Midnight Tiger appears. A completely black suit covered with stripes of blues and purples that shimmer in the moonlight. His tail is his bolos tied around his waist which also holds his baton in place. His hair is a slightly different black than his suit with the tips painted in the midnight shades. The only bright parts of his suit design are a ring around the bottom of his boots, his bolos, and the outer edge of his mask. They are a blue, close to neon, that allows his eyes to pop in the dark.
Kon and Bart have mixed feelings toward the attire. Before Tim can leave, the two convince him to bring a com to hear how it goes. He reluctantly gives in to avoid his friends telling the rest of his family about him sneaking out.
After one last second of contemplation, Tim is out of his bedroom window and bounding into the night to find his mystery bird.
~
“He did figure it out after all. Hmm why am I here… it seems they could have resolved this themselves. Eh maybe this is one of those ‘show up, do one thing then everything plans out’ stories. I guess this is easier than I thought.”
They shrug as they sneak off the roof of the manor and follow Tim.
~
Adrien drags his feet as he continues his pace back and forth on the rooftop. He nearly gives up but the potential of him appearing has Adrien’s mind going.
‘Why isn’t the chat here? He should be here. Unless I guessed wrong. Though he always stalks this place. Ugh, I almost wish that random apparent god was here because this is boring. Maybe I should just give up for the night. I have to meet Tim at the shop tomorrow.’
“You know sunrise isn’t for another few hours, right?”
Adrien spins on his heel to see the chat, however, he is taken aback slightly. Not only did they have the Black Cat miraculous but the Tiger as well. This entire time Adrien had figured that he only had Plagg and someone else had the tiger. At least that avoided finding three people.
“And do you know you’re a hard cat to catch? What do you call yourself anyway?”
“Midnight Tiger.”
“Seriously? Midnight Tiger?”
“Seriously? Chat Noir? Your argument isn’t stable.”
Adrien proceeds the conversation with caution. No one should know about him being Chat Noir and now two people do. He needed to figure out how.
“What else did they tell you? That god must have told you something.”
“God? Oh well they just told me about the Chinese Zodiac box, how guardianship works and what happens when it is passed on. What happened to Ladybug for you to get the box? Where is her miraculous?”
“If they told you that much, they had to have know that information so why are you asking me? Plus, if you already know all this then you know I am going to need the miraculous back.”
“Hmm what if I say no?”
“I will be getting them back one way or another. They are my responsibility and I do not know you so I cannot trust you with them. Release them to me then we can be done. You can go back to your old life; I’ll go back to mine, and we can act like this never happened.”
Adrien takes a step toward Midnight. They mirror the move. The two repeat that dance for a solid minute before Adrien stomps his foot down.
“I have plans in the morning. I am sure you do as well. How about I ignore the past couple minutes, you give me your miraculous, then we both go about our night.”
Adrien does not even get a second before the bolos wraps around his waist and pulls him close in to Midnight. The space left is barely enough to breath. He smiles a wide smirk.
“Oh, I certainly have plans for the morning. In fact, I think you’re in them. Wouldn’t you want to know who I am, Adrien.”
Midnight drops Adrien from his tail then backs into the shadows. His neon highlights are the only thing to give him up. Adrien stays frozen.
‘How does he know who I am? There is no way he could know unless he somehow figured it out through the magic of miraculous. That is impossible though. Right? Wait… Midnight would have to know Marinette is Ladybug and the only way to figure that is if you know her memories of Adrien and Paris were erased. However, Chloe promised to keep that hidden from people to avoid any possibility of anyone hurting Marinette to get the miraculous. The only one to mention Marinette’s amnesia was Tim.’
“Tim?!”
“I’m surprised you figured that out so quickly. Meet you at the Café at 8 and it’s a date!”
Tim reveals himself from the shadows to fully soak in Adrien’s shock. He sends a wink then runs off the rooftop, skipping off into the distance. Adrien allows Duusu to fall from the transformation.
“This is going to be so much fun! You better hurry home and get some rest. You’re going to need it after all!”
Adrien sighs.
He was really about to go on a date.
It is really going to happen.
~
“3 pieces of Camembert say my kitten is the one to say it first.”
“Well 10 pieces of Swedish Fish say my Cub is the first one to say it.”
“You’re on.”
~
The morning arrives quickly for both boys. Neither waste any time to get up, shower, get dressed, and head out the door.
To Tim’s advantage, Jason was opening the shop today, so he is bringing Tim alongside him. That would mean Tim would get there first and have the control over the situation.
Well… that would have been the case had it not been for Chloe.
When the two brothers arrive at the Café, the door is already unlocked, and Adrien is actually behind the counter with Chloe preparing things. Tim cannot help but feel betrayal from Chloe despite only being her friend for a year now.
“Good to see you both finally made it. Adrien decided to help me out today since Marinette is taking the morning off. We have some prepping to do. Adrien will have your special out in a minute Timmy and a little something for you as well Jason.”
The two brothers decide to take a seat at one of the tables while they wait. It only takes the blondes 5 minutes to have everything done. Organizing, coffee preparation, and even a few extra vases of cherry blossoms on each table.
Chloe and Adrien join the table alongside Jason and Tim. Clearly, Chloe knows something happened between the two boys because almost immediately, she signals to Jason to get up.
Jason and Chloe leave the table to the boys. Jason pats Tim on the back as he does, swiftly embarrassing him.
“How long have you known?”
Adrien starts the conversation, taking a sip from his hot chocolate.
“About eight hours, but I’ve had it nearly figured out for two weeks.”
“How long have you had them?”
“A month and three days.”
“How is your cheese stash?”
“Thriving.”
Adrien cannot help but laugh. Tim also breaks and joins the laughter.
“I have a surprise for you. If you’ll accept it, that is.”
“Oh?”
Tim takes out a small box and slowly slides it across the table. Adrien gives him a skeptical look. Once he is done thoroughly making sure it is not a prank, Adrien opens the box. His eyes open wide, and an energy takes over him.
“You had them the entire time, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I knew how powerful but dangerous the Black Cat and Ladybug are together so with their help, I ultimately ended up using Plagg. Tikki agreed to stay hidden unless needed. Luckily, nothing happened.”
“Well, luck is sort of her thing, so I’m not surprised.”
Yet again, the two boys laugh together. This time, they got off on tangents until a certain time comes. Neither of them actually realize it is that time but accidently cause a triple celebration.
“Will you be my boyfriend?”
“Will you be my fiancé?”
Tim, Adrien, and Jason all ask their question at the same time. Tim and Adrien nod in agreement as they get up from their table and join Chloe in celebration of Jason and Marinette’s engagement.
~
The God of Anomalies folds their newspaper, grabs their cup, and exits the café. The celebration is too distracted to notice their presence.
“Hey wait!”
They turn to see Adrien catching up to them. They stop and allow the boy to breath.
“I have a question for you. Why is it that you were really here? You influenced this somehow.”
They smile.
“I did. You are right about that. I think a certain friend of yours can explain better than I can. Congratulations.”
They turn and walk off, ignoring Adrien’s questions. Tikki appears in front of Adrien.
“It was my fault, Adrien. I summoned them for help. You deserved a love, so Plagg and I made a pact, which is essentially a wish without universal consequence, and it turned out to summon them. Their presence caused your soulmate to be revealed. They also caused the way you found your soulmate to be unique. Anyway, you should get back to the party and celebrate!”
Adrien takes all the information in and just accepts it. He has a boyfriend now. That is enough to ignore the weirdness of how it happened.