Chapter Text
Tikki was slightly panicked. It’s not every day your new Ladybug happens to run into her mother, who was the previous Ladybug, while dressed as Ladybug. She thought the love square between Adrien as Chat Noir and Marinette as Ladybug was going to stress her out, but, nope. Right now, this was the top of the list.
This wasn't the first time she'd chosen a relative of a previous partners, after all, apples don’t fall that far from trees and all that. This is, however, the first time that it was a daughter and mother relationship and it’s also the first time where the previous Ladybug stopped being Ladybug due to reasonability and age verses death. She had been planning to tell Sabine at some point but she hadn’t really found the right time, yet.
She thought she was in the clear when Sabine had no reaction to seeing them early. Alas, Sabine’s poker face was as strong as ever because the moment Marinette got home, her mother had jumped her and said they were starting training, again. Which, what? Tikki didn’t know Marinette had had training.
When they got to her bedroom, she flew out of Marinette’s purse, so she could question the girl about it. Marinette told her that her mother did not only teach her gymnastics as a kid, but Taijiquian and certain staff and baton techniques for self-defense. She laughed and added that her mother also taught her all the yo-yo tricks she knew as well as some Chinese yo-yo stuff she couldn’t do with the Ladybug type Yo-yo.
Of course Sabine did.
Tikki laughed along, to avoid suspicion, but she was freaking out on the inside. Ladybug basically trained Ladybug without knowing she’d be Ladybug. No wonder Marinette was one of the better Ladybug’s she chosen. She was practically raised to be the next Ladybug!
Fate worked really strange this time around. But Tikki was old enough, and had seen enough, to know never to question it.
She needed to talk to Sabine.
Though, the question was how she would get away from Marinette long enough to do so. She could say she was sneaking down to the kitchen to get a snack but Marinette might want to come along. She could wait until the girl was asleep, but then she ran the risk of Sabine and Tom being asleep too.
She batted at her head as she thought.
Salvation came, not even a moment later, when a knock happened on Marinette’s balcony hatch.
Tikki watched as Marinette jumped up and hit her knee on the desk she was working at before scrambling up the ladder to her loft bed. She climbed up so fast the Kwami was surprised she didn’t miss a step.
“Tikki, hide,” she ordered in a yell whisper.
She nodded her head and took this chance to rush out the room.
She ducked down when she got through the hatch of Marinette’s bedroom. She looked to make sure the coast was clear before zooming down the hallway. Once there, she peeked around the corner.
Tikki saw Tom in the living room tinkering with something but Sabine was nowhere in sight. She continued to look around when hands came up from under her and scooped her up.
A tiny “meep” escaped her as she turned. Sabine was smiling down at her, amusement prevalent in her eyes. She pulled the large pocket of her apron open. Tikki, used to this, flew inside.
The kwami heard her tell Tom she was heading down to the bakery. There was a muffled response she couldn’t hear but she felt Sabine heading down some stairs.
There was a click of a door opening, then shutting, and then light filled the pocket she was in.
“It’s safe to come out,” Sabine informed.
Tikki flew out, and up, to be eye level with her.
“Hello, Sabine,” she greeted, happily. “It’s been too long.”
Tikki took a moment to take in what Sabine looked now. She was a little older but almost everything about her friend was the same. Same kind eyes and same soft smile. She loved her smile. She was glad Marinette had got it.
“I’ll say,” the woman added. “You were here for over a year and not once did you come and say hi to me.” She pouted and pulled a hurt look at Tikki.
“Your acting is as good as ever,” Tikki laughed. “I’m sorry I didn’t come to visit you sooner. I’ve missed you.”
It was true. Tikki had missed Sabine dearly. It was one thing to leave your Ladybug because they passed; it was another to leave them due to a choice. All this time she could have come seen Sabine and she didn’t. She was regretting it now.
“Must be hard to get away from Marinette without revealing that you know me, huh?”
“No,” she said softly. “That’s not it.”
Sabine cocked her head to the side. “Is something wrong, Tikki?”
Aah… Sabine’s intuition was also still as good as always.
“Well,” she started, breaking eye contact, afraid of what her friend might think. “I don’t know how you feel about your daughter being the next Ladybug, so I’m sorry!” She gained some of her confidence back and looked at Sabine once more. “You must understand though, Marinette was the best choice for ladybug. She can already do all three techniques. She’s been able to since the beginning!”
“Don’t worry Tikki,” Sabine chuckled, putting her hands up to sooth her distraught friend. “I had a feeling this would happen anyway.”
“You did?” She asked. That was surprising and a slight relief.
“When you become Ladybug your ability to spot greatness in things seems to amplify,” she answered. “All those times using ‘Lucky Charm’ really helped with seeing the potential in everyday life. It stayed with me even after I stopped being Ladybug. When my daughter started growing, she reminded me too much of myself to not be the next Ladybug.”
Tikki blinked at her in awe.
“Although,” she mused. “When she turned twelve and there was still no sign of you, I thought maybe my pride as a mother was showing me something more then what was there. I stopped Marinette’s training and allowed her to pursue different interests.”
“Sorry for being late,” Tikki giggled. “Marinette’s greatness didn’t call out to the miraculous until she was fourteen.”
“Ah,” she added. “Guess I should have held out for a little longer.”
Actually, it was probably Marinette’s true self finally being allowed to shine through that had called out to her, but Tikki wouldn’t tell Sabine that. It would hurt her feelings. A topic change was in order just in case she let it slip by accident.
“What did you think of the current Chat Noir?”
“He needs training,” Sabine scuffed, arms crossing. “He completely misuses the weapon he was given. Plagg should switch out the staff for a sword.”
Tikki giggled. Yeah, she had a feeling Sabine would have had a problem with that. Technique and proper performance had always been her thing when she was Ladybug. It was that discipline and training that made her and her own Chat Noir work so well together.
“Since I’m continuing Marinette’s training I should probably invite him along to,” she added; more to herself then Tikki. “I could teach him enough to get him started, at least.”
“That’ll be hard to do,” Tikki mused. “This time, Ladybug and Chat Noir don’t know who each other are.”
Granted, that was normal. Sabine and Cécile had been the odd duo of the bunch; they announced who they were right when they met. It had worked for them and Tikki hadn’t minded since they had been such close friends after. She didn't think Plagg had minded either, which is rare for him. It’s ashamed their daughters didn’t get along the same way their mother's did.
“They don’t?” Sabine blinked in surprise. “They worked so well together I thought for sure they were friends as civilians.”
“Oh, you don’t know the half of it,” Tikki gushed. “Guess what?! Guess what?! You know that model in Marinette’s class that she has a crush on?”
“Adrien Agreste?” She questioned.
“Yup! Get this,” Tikki gossiped. “He’s Chat Noir and he has a crush on Ladybug!”
Sabine’s face looked a little surprised before she started laughing along with Tikki.
“She keeps turning him down because she has a crush on Adrien,” she informed. “But she said that if she hadn’t meet Adrien first she would probably date Chat.”
That had been an interesting conversation. Tikki still remembers Marinette musing about it. She then proceeded to tell Tikki that the Kwami is never to let that “Ally Cat” know she said that or his head would get even bigger than it already is.
“A love square,” Sabine mused. “My daughter has found herself in a soup opera. Let me guess, if Adrien hadn’t met Ladybug first he would date Marinette?”
“You know,” Tikki paused. “I don’t know. I can ask Plagg when I see him again.”
Regardless if she said yes or not, Tikki was still going to ask the other Kwami the next time they saw each other. This could work, in her favor, for the bet.
Sabine chuckled. “You do realize what this means, don’t you?”
Tikki cocked her head to the side. “What?”
“We get to play match maker,” she answered.
“YOU can play match maker,” Tikki countered. “I have a bet with Plagg that that would violate.”
“A bet?” she said leaning forward. “Do tell.”
“Plagg says Adrien would realize that Marinette is Ladybug before Marinette would realize Adrien was Chat Noir.”
“Why is that little kitty so confidant his chosen will win over yours?”
“He says that Adrien is actively looking for Ladybug’s civilian form so he’ll make the connection faster,” she answered. “Marinette wouldn’t make the connection right away because she has no desire to know who Chat Noir is.”
Actually, that was a really good reason. She’d have to work on making Marinette more curious about Chat Noir.
Sabine nodded. “Yes, I can see where that could be an advantage.”
“I have a feeling Plagg is going to cheat at some point to.”
“What are the stakes?”
“Haven’t been determined yet,” Tikki crossed her arms. “Which is, probably, something we should discuss and soon.”
“Knowing that little sneak, he probably gave Adrien a whole bunch of clues,” Sabine accused. “You may not be willing to cheat but the rules don’t say an outsider can’t help with it.”
Tikki chuckled. “You just want them to start dating.”
“My dear Tikki,” she countered. “That is just a perk. Getting them together and playing match maker is the true gift.”
“Okay, okay,” Tikki laughed. “Do you want me to have Plagg give me Adrien’s schedule so that we can plan training them together? God knows Chat needs some work with staff techniques and they both could use a little more discipline when it came to certain things.”
“Hm,” Sabine rested her chin in her hands, pondering. “I think its best we first talk to Marinette about the fact that I was previously your partner and why she’s going to start training again. It might be best if we give her some time to adjust first.”
“Do you want me to tell her, or do you want to do it?” Tikki asked.
“Best if you tell her,” Sabine concluded. “But don’t tell her we had this conversation. She’ll come to me about it when she’s had a chance to process.”
“Okay, I’ll do it tonight,” Tikki announced. “But I’m going to need cookies for courage.”
Sabine laughed. “Good to see you haven’t changed, old friend.”
Tikki just smiled at her.