Chapter Text
‘Soooo? Which ones today?’
Ladybug had to suppress her giggles as Chat Noir practically vibrated where he sat next to her on the rooftop. She loved how happy this made him, but she was surprised that his enthusiasm was still this high months after this had all started.
It was about a week after Adrien’s pool party - three weeks post-Monarch defeat - when the idea had occurred to her: she should train Chat Noir as a Guardian and introduce him to all the kwamis with proper time to get to know them all. So when she had handed out the Miraculouses to her now-permanent team, she did so with the proviso that she and Chat would be borrowing them from time to time. No one had an issue with this rule, being all too eager to reunite with their kwamis. And so began their journey of discovery and repairing the strained bonds of trust between them.
They started with a swap of their own kwamis for the first week, exploring somewhat familiar grounds, but this time without the pressing matter of a battle to force them to acclimatise to their partner’s powers. With Plagg and Tikki being their most trusted and respected confidants, it had the unexpected benefit of gaining insight into their partner’s lives, gaining much-needed context that was sorely missing from their partnership while still maintaining their secret identities. Marinette had enjoyed the antics and sass that Plagg exuded in her company, as well as his innate ability to make complex situations and problems seem infinitely simpler and more manageable. And what she had heard from Chat, he had enjoyed his deep and meaningful conversations with Tikki, and her warm, bubbly and gentle mother-like nature was like a breath of fresh air… as was the reprieve from the Camembert he so loathed.
They had met up a few times throughout the week to exchange notes and to experiment with their new powers, making some discoveries along the way. They were learning so much about themselves, their partners, and their powers - Ladybug had wondered why they hadn’t done something like this earlier.
The next week had them exploring the Miraculouses of the Tiger and the Pig, the following week was the Bee and the Dog, and the week after was the Fox and the Turtle. Chat and Ladybug would have one Miraculous each, and swap halfway through the week. Chat came up with a fun little idea for when they swapped Miraculouses. Normally they would combine their borrowed Miraculouses with their own when they went out and keep it at that. That way, if they needed to jump into battle, they would be ready. But they decided that wouldn't do for the handover. Instead, they would power down Tikki and Plagg, and model the suits of their borrowed Miraculous to each other. Then, they'd swap Miraculouses, and model the new suits before combining them with their usual costumes. It became a fun thing to do, as they were both eager to see what their partner would’ve looked like if they hadn’t been given the Black Cat or Ladybug Miraculous.
So, what had initially been designed as a training exercise became a fun weekly bonding activity.
‘Come on, m’lady! What Miraculouses are they this time?’ Chat prodded excitedly.
‘Bit impatient, Kitty?’ Ladybug asked with a giggle.
‘Very impatient, bugaboo,’ Chat corrected, bouncing where he sat. ‘So what have we got this week?’
‘This week we have… drumroll please,’ she said, and Chat slapped out a drumroll on his thighs, ‘…the Miraculous of the Mouse and Snake!’
‘WOOHOO!’ Chat exclaimed, jumping to his feet and leaping into the air. ‘YES!’
Ladybug let out a startled laugh at his enthusiasm.
‘So you’re happy about these ones, huh?’
‘Ecstatic,’ he replied, his eyes gleaming with joy. She noticed him eyeing off the Mouse Miraculous, and smirked.
‘Here,’ she said, handing Chat the Snake Miraculous, and laughing when he pouted good-naturedly. ‘Oh, don’t look at me like that, Kitty, you’ll play with the Mouse soon enough! Besides, Sass has missed you.’
Chat’s playful pout morphed into a gentle smile. ‘I’ve missed the little guy, too.’
Ladybug held the Mouse Miraculous aloft. ‘On three?’
‘Yup,’ Chat replied happily.
‘One, two, three!’ they chorused, donning their respective Miraculous, and in dual flashes of coloured light, Sass and Mullo appeared before them.
‘Good evening Miss Guardian, Chat Noir!’ Mullo squeaked brightly.
‘Sssalutationssss Guardian and Chat Noir,’ Sass greeted warmly. It’sss good to sssee you again.’
‘You too, buddy,’ Chat responded. ‘You guys ready?’
With a chorus of agreement from the kwamis, Ladybug and Chat Noir unified the Miraculouses. Ladybug felt the magic wash over her, and when she looked across the rooftop, she saw Snake Noir looking over his own super suit before looking over at hers and cocking his head.
‘Huh.’
‘Huh, what?’ she asked.
‘It’s just, well, your outfit is really reminiscent of Multimouse’s design,’ Snake Noir commented, and her heart stumbled nervously before she took in her own suit.
Looking down, she found herself in the same MultiBug suit she had worn when she had been fighting Kwamibuster… as Marinette.
‘I- I- I guess I was just, um, i-inspired by, uh, M-M-Multimouse?’ she stammered, wincing at her rising pitch.
A hand clasped her shoulder, and she flinched.
‘M’lady,’ Snake Noir said, and she reluctantly met his eyes, ‘it’s okay.’
Her eyes widened. ‘What?’
‘It’s okay,’ he repeated. ‘I find Multimouse - and the girl behind that mask - to be completely inspirational also! You’re totally okay to fangirl over her, you know - I most definitely do.’
Relief swept through MultiBug when she realised her identity was safe.
‘You fangirl over Multimouse?’
‘You know I mean,’ he said with a playful eye roll, ‘but if that’s how you wanna play it, then so be it. I’ll be Multimouse’s Number One Fangirl and you can be her Number One Fanboy, and then we’ll have all our bases covered.’
MultiBug laughed at that. ‘Sure, Kitty, we’ll do that. But let’s hold off on creating “The Number One Multimouse Fan Club” and test out these new powers.’
~/~
Adrien was over the moon! They had the Snake and the Mouse Miraculous this week! Adrien was glad to reunite with Sass without having to rush off to fight, and soon he’d get to meet Mullo! The kwami who was behind Marinette’s marvellous Multimouse!
‘Kid, please, for the love of Camembert - calm down.’
‘Plagg, jussst let the kid be,’ Sass chided gently, looking all too amused at the god of destruction’s discomfort. ‘He’ssss sssso happy.’
‘So?’ Plagg retorted with his arms folded in defiance. ‘He’s been talking our ears off for the past hour about how happy he is.’
It was at that moment something wonderful occurred to Adrien.
‘You know what this is? This is the week of the Adrienette temporary heroes!’ Adrien exclaimed. ‘I was Aspik, she was Multimouse, and whether Ladybug realised it or not, she paired us together! It’s like she subconsciously approves of us! Not that we need her approval or anything, but it’s nice to have regardless, but anyway! It’s like the universe is saying we’re meant to be together!’
‘Yeah, Ladybug definitely didn’t cotton onto that one,’ Plagg grouched. ‘Kid, can you just, I don’t know, get this out of your system so I can stop hearing about it?’
Adrien couldn’t think of a more brilliant idea.
‘Sure thing! Sass, Scales Slither!’
In a flash of teal light, Aspik emerged, hopping up onto the window sill.
‘See you later, Plagg! I’m going for a run.’
‘Okay, kid, whatever- wait, what?!’
But Aspik had already leapt away. He jumped from rooftop to rooftop, grinning wildly as he cut through the air. It felt different from his excursions as Chat Noir - with his usual Miraculous, he felt more slinky and springy, like he could squeeze into any crevice and bound over the highest obstacle with ease. But as Aspik, he felt more zippy and speedy; he felt more comfortable with his feet hitting the ground, but when he did have to leap, it was like he almost shot through the air, slicing through the air. Making discoveries about the Miraculouses never got old!
He ran a circuit around the city, but he was still silly with excitement. He only wished he could share his joy with Marinette, who was likely sitting at home, in her cute little pink room, working on some undoubtedly fantastic project. It was at moments like these that he wished that she knew who he was, both in and out of the mask, and not have the weight of superhero secrets creating an invisible barrier between them. If only...
A thought occurred to Adrien. A dangerous, exciting thought. And Plagg had said to get this out of his system, hadn't he?
~/~
Marinette supposed Chat Noir's giddy attitude from earlier this evening was rubbing off on her. She had no idea why he was this ecstatic about this week's pairing, but she was simply glad he was happy - especially since he'd be too distracted to notice how she was happier than usual about this week's pairing, too.
She couldn't help but pair up the Snake and the Mouse - it was like her own little secret. A sneaky little symbolic pairing of her and Adrien. When she had noticed that she had been unconsciously pairing up the Miraculouses for the week with her friends and their romantic partners, there was no way she could pass up this little nod to her own relationship, and Chat would be none the wiser.
But now she was struggling to make the skirt she had planned to work on tonight. All because of the Miraculous resting against her neck.
'Can't focus?' Tikki asked, floating into her field of vision. Marinette shook her head.
'Chat's enthusiasm has gotten to me,' she said with a smile, leaning back in her chair, 'but because of that, I'm struggling to sit still.'
'You've been stuck like this for an hour or so,' Mullo pointed out. 'Why not do something different?'
'Like what?' Marinette asked.
'Like playing some rounds of Ultimate Mecha Strike?' Tikki suggested. 'You haven't played that since you battled Adrien two weeks ago.'
'Hmm, maybe,' Marinette hummed, unconvinced.
'Or what about a run?' Mullo offered. 'We could go out and run across the rooftops and exercise the energy away!'
Marinette felt herself nodding, already warming to the idea.
'Uh, Marinette?' Tikki began cautiously. 'If you're going to go for a run, perhaps go as Ladybug?'
'No one knows about Multimouse except Chat Noir,' Marinette countered, 'and I doubt he's out right now - did you see how energetic he was earlier? He's probably run laps around the city and exhausted himself already, so he's probably at home right now. I should be perfectly safe.'
Tikki didn't seem convinced.
'Awww, come on, Tikki! What about little ol' me?' Mullo pleaded, giving Tikki the cutest pout. 'Miss Marinette was a most wonderful mouse, and it'd be nice to just have one outing with her! Please, Tikki?'
Tikki's stern frown wavered.
'Fine,' she sighed, 'but be careful!'
'Yes, mum,' Mullo teased, before hugging his fellow kwami. 'Thank you! Okay, Guardian! Let's go, let's go! Before she changes her mind!'
Giggling at Mullo's antics, she called on the transformation. It was easier to appreciate her Mouse outfit in the mirror, now that she wasn't laden with nearly every Miraculous from her Box. With a final promise to Tikki that she'd be safe, she lifted herself up through the skylight and leapt off her balcony.
One thing she had loved about this routine she and Chat now had with the Miraculouses is that she could have the time and space to really get a feel for each Miraculous and how they differed. She found it fascinating how even the feeling of the magic and the kwami themselves impacted her and how she operated. As Ladybug, she felt lighter on her feet, flitting about, and flying through the air was as natural as breathing, whereas with Multimouse, it was almost as if she perceived the world differently, and changed how she moved accordingly. Now, she felt herself naturally lower her centre of gravity, her speed was ridiculously quick as she scurried across rooftops, and her sense of hearing was stronger. It was almost as if the traits of the animals the kwamis represented translated into the transformation.
She ran, leapt, climbed, and parkoured her way around the city of Paris, exploring the extent of her abilities. It was as she neared her neighbourhood that she spotted the imposing mansion Adrien called "home." Guilt gnawed inside her, having kept the secret of his father's terrorism from him.
She didn't know what to tell Adrien after the final battle with Monarch. He deserved the truth, but she was afraid. Afraid of how he'd react to the news of his father's betrayal. Afraid of how he'd react to the knowledge that he was born from Miraculous magic. Afraid of how he'd hurt. Afraid of how he'd shut down. Afraid of how he'd react to her as she delivered the news. Afraid of how he'd hate her for not saving his father. Afraid if he knew who was behind the mask, that he'd break up with her, and she'd lose him for good.
So when the time came to tell him, it was too much too soon, and she didn't know what to say or do. So she faltered, and she lied. And she didn't know how to fix it. She felt a desperate need to do something right by him that grew stronger by the day, but didn't know what could be the olive branch that could begin to rectify this massive wrong.
Multimouse sat down on the rooftop with a sigh, letting her head hang. She stared at her legs for one, two, three seconds, before inspiration hit.
'Oh, that's it!' she exclaimed to no-one as she jumped to her feet. 'I could just introduce him to Multimouse!'
It made perfect sense! If she introduced Adrien to Multimouse and the girl behind the mask, he'd see that she was doing her best to let him in and show that she trusted him, and over time she could slowly reveal bit by bit and gently enlighten him to the truth! This was genius!
Feeling positively giddy with relief, she leapt off the rooftop with a grin. She couldn't wait to see Adrien's face when she appeared at his window!
~/~
Aspik pouted as he slumped on Marinette's balcony. She wasn't in her room. The light was on, cut fabric strewn across her desk, but no sign of Marinette. And he had been waiting for fifteen minutes.
A sneaky peek through the window for the floor below told him she wasn't having dinner, so Aspik reasoned that she was either having a shower, had left for a last-minute buy of sewing supplies, or one of the girls had called her and she left to visit them.
He had been looking forward to revealing himself to her! He had imagined it all as he had made his way over to her house - he'd land on the balcony and knock on the skylight, and she'd answer. Marinette was smart, so he knew to anticipate her wariness, especially with the extensive history akumas had with her and her home, so he'd reassure her that he was a hero, not an akuma, and that he could prove it. He'd detransform and she would be in shock before bursting out into a million questions, and he'd answer them all happily, and maybe they'd even cuddle as they talked. This was supposed to be a nice, bonding moment, but it was ruined because he didn't think to call ahead and make sure she was home.
He waited a little longer, and when she still didn't show, he decided to leave, resigning himself to trying again tomorrow night. As was habit, he started his indirect route home, so that neither civilian nor Miraculous holder could determine his identity, when he spotted a sight that made him stop so suddenly to the point of almost falling off the rooftop.
'Hey!'
~/~
Adrien wasn't home. His room was dark but his window was open - why, she wasn't sure - and there was no light coming out of his bathroom, either. Multimouse supposed he could be in some other part of the giant mansion, but all she knew for certain was that he wasn't in his room.
She sighed as she retreated to the rooftop across the street. She supposed that she was just unlucky that he wasn't there, but on the flip side, this meant she had a plan, and she could refine it and come back tomorrow. The truth could wait one more day.
Filled with newfound determination, she leapt off the rooftop to run another lap before heading home. She knew Tikki wouldn't approve of this plan, but right now, Multimouse decided a bad plan was better than no plan, and all she needed to do was-
'Hey!'
Multimouse turned mid-leap to see Snake-Adrien across the way. Stunned by the unexpected sight, Multimouse fumbled her landing, and she went sprawling across the - thankfully - flat rooftop.
'Sorry!' Snake-Adrien called out as he approached. 'Didn't mean to startle you.'
Multimouse looked up to see a teal hand outstretched. She stared between the hand and the masked boyfriend attached to it, unable to compute what was happening.
'Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you,' Snake-Adrien reassured. 'I'm not an akuma, I'm a temporary hero. I'm Aspik, and you are?'
'Multimouse,' she managed to answer, before taking his hand and letting him help her to her feet. A million questions raced through her mind. 'Also temporary hero. W- Why are you out tonight?'
Aspik looked thrown by the question, before he quickly recollected himself.
'I'm... reconnecting with my kwami,' he said. 'I only ever got to be Aspik once before, and it... well, let's just say it could've gone better. So when, uh, Chat Noir came running past my window wearing the Snake Miraculous, I flagged him down and, uh, asked if I could talk to Sass - the kwami, that is - and, I don't know, find closure? Chat Noir seemed to understand what I needed better than I did, because he let me borrow the Miraculous for the night, and he'd pick it up sometime tomorrow.'
Multimouse's guard instantly dropped, and she kicked herself internally. Why didn't she think about that? She knew Adrien had spent months trying to save her from Desperada! Of course he'd want to get closure, especially since he couldn't see the battle through to the end. She silently thanked Chat for doing what she should've.
'I'm glad Chat's helping you out like that,' she replied. 'Do you feel better?'
'Absolutely,' Aspik said with a smile. 'What about you, Multimouse? Why are you out tonight?'
Multimouse panicked before realising Aspik had unintentionally given her the perfect excuse.
'Actually, I have a somewhat similar situation,' she replied. 'I've only been Multimouse once before, and while the battle went well, I forgot about the identity rule after we won and detransformed in front of Chat Noir while the akuma victim was still present. Thankfully, I don't think she saw me, but the fact I made that major blunder was enough to not bring me back - which I'm totally fine with, by the way! I'm way too busy to have to have this thrown into the mix. But Ladybug had stopped on my balcony tonight to take a breather before heading home, and I chatted with her, and she also let me borrow my Miraculous for the night.'
'Wow, it sounds like we're in the same boat, then!' Aspik commented.
She chuckled. 'Yeah, it seems so!'
'Well, then, Multimouse, if we have one night to be superheroes again, should we go explore the city together?' Aspik offered. 'I hear having a superhero partner makes being a superhero that much better.'
Multimouse couldn't help but smile. 'Oh yeah? Is that what you hear?'
'Yup!' Aspik confirmed with a grin. 'Aspik and Multimouse - the friendly, neighbourhood snake-mouse duo, for one night only! What do you say?'
She grinned back. 'I say - let's go then, partner.'
~/~
Snake Noir sat on the edge of the rooftop, kicking his legs as he waited for his partner. It was now mid-week, and tonight was change-over night, where they'd swap Miraculouses.
He never got to reveal himself to Marinette, as he had to "return" the Snake Miraculous to "Chat Noir," and she had to return the Mouse Miraculous to Ladybug the next day. This meant he couldn't turn up at her place as Aspik and reveal himself like he wanted to, but that was okay for now - he'll come up with a new plan to share some part of his secret life with her. Some days he wished they were eighteen already so they could get married and he could share everything with her, and have no more secrets between them.
But... he had a lot of fun that night. They were like two kids pretending to be superheroes as they explored the city, coming up with imaginary battles and telling outlandish stories with ridiculous scenarios, silly villains, and overdramatised feats of bravery, all complete with play-acting as they flung themselves from place to place. Snake Noir couldn't remember the last time he had that much fun or felt that free. And Marinette had helped him feel that way.
No matter what role she took on, she was always brilliant in his eyes. Marinette the friend, Marinette the girlfriend, Marinette the superhero Multimouse - she was awe-inspiring, and she made his world all the brighter for it. He honestly didn't know what he would do- how he could live without her. She made him feel alive. He smiled - he would cherish that night of them bounding and playing around Paris for as long as he lived. He just wished there was a way they could do that again.
MultiBug landed on the rooftop, pulling him from his musings.
'Hey Kitty,' she greeted, 'did you have any fun with Sass these past few days? Learn anything?'
'Definitely!' he replied happily - and it was the truth... just he happened to have fun and learn as both Snake Noir and Aspik.
They spent some time debriefing about their discoveries, like how his lyre could double as a slingshot and her skipping rope could make a convincing whip, but MultiBug never once mentioned her loan of the Mouse Miraculous to Marinette, so he didn't mention his "loan to Adrien" either.
'Okay, then! Ready to swap?' MultiBug asked as she stood.
'Yup!' Snake Noir replied, jumping up to standing. He couldn't wait to see how inspired Ladybug was by Multimouse in her own Mouse design. 'Ready?'
'Ready!' she replied.
'One, two... three!' they chorused, before triggering the separation from their usual kwamis.
It was only as the words passed his lips did Snake Noir remember that Ladybug knew who Aspik really was and what he looked like - and he didn't have an alternate look prepared for this outfit reveal. Panic coursed through him as he met her eyes, only to see his anxiety mirrored in her own eyes as the magic passed over them.
'Oh shi-'