Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Marinette, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.”

“Well, I am.” Marinette carefully didn’t look back at her kwami, instead focusing her attention on her math book. The numbers swam before her eyes; she was already behind on the material, and no matter how many times she read the page the information meant nothing. The headache pounding away in her temples wasn’t helping.

She glanced over at her phone and felt a twinge of panic when she saw the time. She only had another twenty minutes to finish all of her math homework and start plotting out an essay for her French class, plus she was supposed to memorize a brief passage out of their English book and start researching for a presentation. Looking down at the three pages of math problems, Marinette knew there was no way she was going to get even a quarter of the page done.

For a moment, she was tempted to drop her face into her hands and cry out of sheer frustration. It would probably make her feel a hell of a lot better, but ironically she just didn’t have the time. Not only did she have to finish her homework, she had promised that she’d help her maman close the bakery tonight and she still had to patrol with Chat after that. And that wasn’t even counting the stupid presentation she was supposed to be starting, plus the merchandise she was supposed to be working on for Kitty Section, and the new design she wanted to start for that contest, and Master Fu had been mad she hadn’t come for training today…

Anxiety made her throat tight as she thought of everything that she was supposed to be doing, and she had to stop and spend a couple of minutes just breathing. When had she gotten to the point where there weren’t enough hours in the day? Marinette couldn’t even remember. It was like things had slowly crept up over the past few months until suddenly she was flailing to keep everything under control.

“Are you sure you’re fine?” Tikki asked, so close to Marinette’s ear that Marinette startled badly and knocked pretty much everything on her desk onto the floor.

“Marinette?” Sabine called. “What happened?” The trap door opened a moment later and Sabine poked her head up.

“Nothing, Maman,” Marinette said resignedly, staring at the mess of books, papers, pencils, pens, fabrics, sewing materials, magazines and other assorted things now on her floor. It would take ages to sort it all back into some kind of order.

“Okay. Are you ready to come help me?” Sabine asked.

“Sure,” Marinette said dully. The mess would still be there when she got back. She stood up and walked over to the trap door, following her maman downstairs to the bakery… where she almost had a heart attack when she saw the state of the place. The mess upstairs had nothing on this.

“It’s a mess, isn’t it? Your papa’s new macaron recipe has been a real hit. Customers are flocking into the store! Thanks a lot for helping out, Marinette. I have to help your papa with a big catering order,” Sabine explained.

“Wait, you’re not going to help me?!” Marinette blurted out.

“I’m sure you can handle it yourself. It shouldn’t take more than two or three hours,” Sabine said, already turning away.

Forget crying. Marinette was going to have a nervous breakdown. “But Maman, I – I’m really busy tonight. I have so much homework to do –”

“You’ll be fine,” Sabine said with a smile. “If you do this for me, you can go out with Alya this weekend!” She winked at Marinette and disappeared back behind the curtain.

Marinette stared at the curtain and then slowly looked around again. Her chin quivered as she took in the mountains of dirty utensils, the streaked windows, the fingerprints upon every visible surface, the dirty display cases, the muddy floor, the crumbs all over the counters, the untouched cash register. And to top it all off, her maman still thought that going out with Alya would be a good reward.

“Marinette?” Tikki said quietly, popping out of Marinette’s pocket. “I’ll help you. It’ll be okay.”

“You’re… you’re right,” Marinette croaked, wiping discretely at her eyes. She took a deep breath and forced a shaky smile. “It’s… it’s fine.”

She moved over to the cash register, biting her lip when she saw that it hadn’t been cashed out all day. Math was never her favorite subject, and her head was already spinning: cashing out the register required so much attention to detail. She usually had to check and recheck her numbers to make sure she had everything right. That alone was going to take at least an hour.

“How come your maman doesn’t know that you and Alya aren’t as close as you used to be?” Tikki asked suddenly.

“Umm… I dunno,” Marinette said, hitting the appropriate buttons on the register. “I’m pretty sure I’ve told her… or maybe I didn’t.” That was bullshit. But she couldn’t blame Sabine for not remembering. Her maman and papa were both so busy.

“And what about Lila?” Tikki pressed. “Why haven’t they done anything about her?”

“I didn’t tell them,” Marinette said. Her parents still thought Lila was an angel with a terrible disease that made her prone to lying all the time.

“Why not?” Tikki asked.

“Because,” Marinette mumbled, which wasn’t an answer and she knew it. She took the receipt from the register with the day’s totals and turned around, only to jump when she saw Tikki hovering right behind her on eye level.

“Marinette,” Tikki said sternly.

“What can they do, Tikki? Absolutely nothing. It’s not a big deal. I can handle Lila,” Marinette said.

Tikki’s frown deepened. “They could talk to the school, or to Madame Rossi, or even just offer you some support. Why don’t they ever ask you what’s wrong? You look so tired all the time. Surely they must notice.”

“Tikki…” Marinette put a hand to her throbbing head. “Please, I don’t want to talk about this. It’s a good thing my parents don’t pay attention to me, okay? It means I can go and be Ladybug and not have to worry about them.”

“Do you really believe that?” Tikki asked quietly, sounding almost… sad?

“I… yes? I don’t know,” Marinette said, uncomfortable. “I don’t want to talk to them about Alya or my other classmates… and especially not about Lila. They won’t care anyway.” She muttered that last part under her breath. “And even if they did, they’d just be like every other adult in my life. They’d take one look at Lila’s smarmy smile and believe everything she says.”

Just like Madame Bustier had today, when Lila had dramatically claimed that she had an eye condition that made researching for long periods of time too painful. And it just so happened that Marinette and Lila had been paired up to do a presentation together for science. Madame Bustier had quickly decided it was fine for Marinette to do all the research, and Lila would do the actual presentation.

Yeah right. Presentation day was next week. Marinette was positive that Lila would develop a mysterious illness that left her throat too sore to talk, or her fingers too crippled to put together a poster board. One way or another, there was zero doubt in her mind that Marinette was going to be the one doing the whole project but Lila would somehow wind up with all of the credit.

She swallowed roughly. “And… and even if they didn’t, they wouldn’t stand up for me anyway.” She stood there for a moment, remembering her maman’s comment about how complicated the situation was when Lila tried to get Marinette expelled from school. No matter how much her parents claimed they’d believed Marinette hadn’t stolen anything or pushed Lila down the stairs, that comment told her there was a seed of doubt. And that hurt way more than Marinette was capable of putting into words.

“When you go patrolling tonight, I’d like to speak with Plagg,” Tikki said suddenly. “Would you be okay with that?”

Marinette blinked at her in surprise. “Uh… sure? I better get moving, then. Otherwise I won’t even have time to go for patrol.”

“Right,” Tikki said, nodding. “Let’s get to it!” She smiled at Marinette, who tried to smile back.

It turned out that Sabine’s estimate was a little off. It took over four hours for Marinette to get the register counted and everything cleaned up to the level of quality that her parents expected. She was completely exhausted by the time she switched off the lights and ventured back into the kitchens. Much to her surprise, there was no one back there. Confused, Marinette ventured upstairs.

“Maman? Papa?” she called out, entering the apartment. Everything was quiet. She realized her parent’s door was shut and moved to listen. Hearing the distinct sound of papa’s snores, she cracked the door open and saw that they were both in bed asleep.

“They went to bed and left you down there alone?!” Tikki hissed.

“I guess they were tired,” Marinette said, gently closing the door. She wished she could go to bed, but at least she wouldn’t have to worry about her parents overhearing her leaving. They both slept like the dead.

Tikki looked furious. “That is absolutely no excuse!” she ranted as Marinette made her way back upstairs. “Didn’t they realize you were still in the bakery working? I can’t believe their nerve!”

She kept ranting away, but Marinette tuned her kwami out as she knelt down and gathered the mess still on her floor. There was no time to sort through everything now, so she dumped it onto her desk. She’d probably get yelled at tomorrow for leaving her room so messy, but she was going to be late to meet Chat and Marinette really hated to keep him waiting.

“Tikki, are you ready?” she asked.

“Yes,” Tikki said. “Yes, I certainly am.”

“Tikki, spots on!” Marinette said. Tikki zipped into her earrings and red light flashed in her room. At one time, transforming into Ladybug had left Marinette feeling excited and energized. Tonight, it took way more strength than it should’ve just to haul herself up the ladder to her bed. She sluggishly pushed the window open and climbed out into the cold, late fall night.

The breeze helped to revitalize her a bit, enough so that she jumped off her balcony rather than just falling off the way she usually did. Ladybug swung her way south, heading for where she and Chat usually met up for one of their patrols. He’d beaten her there tonight; the blond hair and green eyes, shining strangely in the lights, were pretty hard to miss. She landed lightly on the edge of the roof and stumbled.

Chat was there instantly, catching her with gentle hands. Rather than pull away, in a moment of pure weakness, she leaned against him. He was the only one who really touched her anymore. Her maman and papa sometimes gave her a rapid-fire hug and kiss in the morning, but that was it. And she knew that Chat was always eager for touch, so she told herself she was doing it to benefit them both.

“Tired?” Chat asked softly.

“I think I passed tired about six months ago,” she admitted, glancing at him. His eyes were shadowed and his face was leaner than it should’ve been. Concern punctured through the thick film of exhaustion that made everything seem so distant, but she wasn’t sure what to do or say.

Chat chuckled. “I know that feeling. Do you want to patrol tonight, or…?”

They really should, but Ladybug didn’t think she could. “Tikki wants to talk to Plagg,” she said instead. “We could sit on either side of the chimney?”

“Sure,” Chat said, seeming surprised by the request. He carefully let her go and went to the far side of the chimney. Ladybug sank down on her side, leaning back against it. She rested her swimming head against the cool stone and closed her eyes.

“Spots off.”

“Claws in.”

Tikki tumbled out of the earrings and immediately darted off somewhere behind Marinette. She heard a furious, whispered conversation start up to their left, but, with the way that the wind was blowing, Marinette couldn’t really make anything out. She wondered if Chat could, because his hearing tended to be better than hers even when they were civilians, but she didn’t bother to ask.

She pulled her legs up against her chest, the better to shield herself against the wind – it was cold now that she wasn’t transformed, and she wished she’d thought to put on a jacket – and waited for Tikki to be finished. The thought of everything that waited for her at home made her headache worse, and dwelling on what her day would be like tomorrow was equally unpleasant: Madame Bustier had promised plenty of classtime to work on their presentations, and she was sure Lila was going to figure out some way to make Marinette’s life miserable.

Sometimes she wished… she just wished… Marinette gulped and blinked, shivering, and pushed those thoughts from her head. It was fine. It was all fine. It had to be. She was Ladybug; she could handle everything, right? She had to. There were no other options.

Chapter Text

“What’s up, Sugarcube?” Plagg drawled.

“I’ve just about had it with my bug’s parents,” Tikki said, fuming.

“What did they do this time?” Plagg asked, looking genuinely curious. He and Tikki kept a running tally of just how oblivious, neglectful or, in Adrien’s case, malicious their holders’ parents could be.

“They just ignore her so much! They don’t pay her any attention at all,” Tikki ranted, waving her paws around. “She’s dealing with so much and she needs their support, but do they notice?! Nooooo. And she’s learned not to bother asking because they don’t listen when she does!”

Plagg scowled, his tail twitching in agitation as he listened. “No wonder your bug has such bad anxiety.”

“Right?!” Tikki cried. “It’s just so frustrating. She deserves so much better. So does your kit. I just – arrrgh!” Tikki let out a loud screech of rage that made both their holders jump.

“Tikki, are you okay?” Ladybug called nervously.

“She’s fine,” Plagg called back, since Tikki didn’t seem capable of speaking without screaming at the moment. He turned back to Tikki. It had been a long time since he’d seen her like this – completely frustrated and at the end of her rope. But based on what he’d heard, he couldn’t blame her for that. Marinette’s parents seemed as bad as Adrien’s father, just in different ways.

And really, which was worse? Neglect to the point of a child being able to do whatever they wanted because their parents didn’t care, or a child’s life being controlled to the point where even the smallest act of independent thought was considered rebellion? Plagg was at the point where he no longer cared. He wanted to get both of their kids out of their situations immediately. They both deserved better – they both needed better. Marinette was on the verge of a nervous breakdown from the sound of it, and Adrien grew more listless by the day.

He leaned in closer to Tikki and dropped his voice. “Have you considered the nuclear option?”

She immediately knew what he was talking about. He’d known she would. Tikki frowned back. “I don’t know, Plagg. There are a lot of downsides to that.”

“So the kids will be a little more tired. Can it be worse than what they go through now?” Plagg asked flatly. “Your bug is up at all hours of the night. My kit is getting more and more demands put on his time. At this rate, neither one of them is sleeping anyway.”

Tikki sighed. “You’ve got a point,” she admitted. “I… I can’t say it hasn’t crossed my mind more than once, especially recently. This Lila business is going to push my bug over the edge soon.”

“So?” Plagg said, looking at her expectantly. Hopefully. He’d spent a lot of time thinking about this. Tikki would’ve been the first to shoot him down if she didn’t think it was necessary. The fact that she was actually thinking about it before Plagg even brought it up spoke volumes.

“Let me think about it a little longer,” Tikki said at last. “It’s a big decision.”

Plagg nodded. That was fair. He wasn’t typically someone to take anything too seriously, but Tikki was right. This was a huge decision. If they went through it, and their bonds with their holders were strong enough to make it happen, then it wouldn’t be something they could do again for at least three or four centuries. It took them a long time to recover.

“Alright,” he said. “But we can’t think about it too long.”

"No, I know," Tikki said sadly, her antennae twitching as a cool breeze blew.

"You should get your bug home," Plagg told her. It was cold out tonight. Adrien was okay, because he'd inherited the Black Cat tendency to throw off larger than usual amounts of heat, but he knew Ladybug had to be freezing.

"You're right. I'll see you next time they patrol," Tikki said. She drew near enough to nuzzle her head against his. Plagg leaned against her; he and Tikki drove each other crazy sometimes, but he genuinely missed the days when the two of them were together most of the time. It had been a millennium since they'd had holders who actually knew each other's identities and who got along well enough to spend a lot of time together.

Reluctantly, they parted. Plagg flew back to his side of the chimney. Adrien was staring out across the distance, head tilted back against the chimney. Anyone who didn't know him well would've thought Adrien was just relaxing, but Plagg knew better. He could see the signs of apathetic fatigue as clearly as though they were written across Adrien's forehead in black marker. It wasn't really a bad thing that they were cutting patrol short tonight. Neither of the kids were in any shape to be out and about. Plagg landed lightly on Adrien's knee, which got Adrien's attention.

"You're done already?" Adrien said, looking surprised.

"Nothing could keep me away from my cheese for long!" Plagg said dramatically. It was enough to garner a small smile from Adrien, so he considered it a win.

"Alright, alright. Plagg, claws out!"

Plagg was promptly sucked into the miraculous. For the most part, it was like floating on a darkened sea. He was aware of when Adrien drew on his power - very little for patrols, but more so when an akuma was an attacking - but the sensation barely even irked him anymore: even when an akuma attacked and Chat Noir called on Cataclysm, it was like someone dipping a teacup into the ocean. Given enough time, Adrien would be able to handle a lot more of Plagg's power. But that was still a few years and a lot of training off.

It wasn't much more than a few minutes before Plagg was spat back out of the miraculous, and he found himself in Adrien's room. Adrien gave him a brief smile as he took off his jacket and hung it back in the closet. Then he removed the rest of his clothing, folded it up neatly, and headed into the bathroom. Plagg drifted over to the warm, soft pillow on Adrien's desk. He knew there was Camembert in the fridge, but for once the thought of his beloved cheese didn't tempt him. He curled up on the pillow and waited for Adrien to finish with his shower.

He hoped that Tikki would agree. He was about 80% sure that she was going to, but you never knew with Tikki. Her sense of right and wrong ran deep, and, when combined with her stubborn streak, it was sometimes pretty hard to get her to do something if she didn't want to. But this was for Adrien and Marinette, and Plagg knew exactly how much loved Tikki adored the kids. They were some of the best Ladybug and Black Cat miraculous holders that Plagg and Tikki had ever had. And if things continued on the way they were... Plagg didn't want to finish that thought.

The shower stopped and a moment later Adrien emerged in a cloud of steam. He frowned when he saw Plagg and said, "You didn't touch your cheese?"

"How could you tell?" Plagg said, surprised.

"You always leave the wrappers laying on the floor for me to pick up," Adrien said dryly. A worried look crossed his face. "You're not sick, are you? Can kwami even get sick?" He looked close to genuinely panicking over the idea.

"Yes, we can, but no I'm not. I'm fine, Kid," Plagg said, deliberately keeping his voice calm and soothing.

"Are you sure?" Adrien asked, shooting him a critical look.

"I'm really, really sure," Plagg said.

"Well... okay." Adrien kept frowning, but he turned away and started to dry himself off. Then he pulled on a pair of boxers and some pajama bottoms before taking a seat on the edge of his bed, draping the towel around his shoulders. He sat there for a moment, shoulders slumped, slowly twisting the ring on his finger. He did that a lot, Plagg had noticed, ever since Master Fu had taken the Black Cat miraculous.

"Hey Adrien," Plagg said, sitting up.

"What?"

"Would you ever be interested in living somewhere else?"

Adrien looked up, surprised. "What? You mean like moving out on my own? I'm just a kid, Plagg. I've told you before; I'm only fourteen. I won't be able to legally move out until I'm eighteen... and probably not even then." He muttered that last part under his breath, but Plagg still heard and knew exactly what Adrien meant. It was pretty unlikely that Gabriel was going to just let Adrien waltz out the door without kicking up a fuss, or at least threatening his son in some way.

"What if you had another guardian?" Plagg said.

"Like who?" Adrien said, looking perplexed.

"Like me."

"Like... you?" Adrien's eyes widened. "Plagg... you're a kwami. Not only would my father never let that happen, I would need a human guardian. One who could, you know, work and have money and take care of me. I mean I can take care of myself for the most part, but..." He ran his hands through his wet hair. “I need like, someone to keep a roof over my head.”

"Putting aside all that," Plagg said impatiently.

"Putting aside... well... I guess... yes." Adrien shrugged and grabbed his towel, roughly rubbing at his hair. "So long as you promise to feed me more than cheese."

It took all of Plagg’s considerable willpower to stop himself from telling Adrien that he could eat whatever he wanted if Plagg were his guardian. The kid’s diet was way over-controlled. The only time Adrien got treats was when he was at school and his classmates snuck him something, and even then, Adrien always agonized over each treat like his father was somehow going to find out.

Adrien clearly considered the conversation finished, because he got up and snapped out the lights. He climbed into bed and went to sleep, but Plagg remained awake. Normally he joined Adrien on the bed and slept on Adrien’s pillow, so that he was close by when the nightmares inevitably began. Sometimes the sound of his voice was enough to talk Adrien through them.

Tonight, there wasn’t even a chance for the nightmares to begin. Adrien hadn’t been asleep for more than a couple of hours before there was an explosion in the distance. Plagg sat up as Adrien jolted awake with a confused whimper. There was only one reason for an explosion at 4am. Plagg swore under his breath and shot over to the fridge, phasing through the door to grab a chunk of Camembert for energy. No sooner had he swallowed it than Adrien was leaping out of bed and calling for his transformation.

Sometimes Plagg could tell when a battle wasn’t going well. Sometimes he couldn’t. Tonight, he thought it was the former. He had no idea how right he was until the last pad beeped out and Plagg spilled out of the miraculous. Tikki materialized beside him a flash of red light. Plagg spun around, a snarky comment on the tip of his tongue… and froze at what he saw.

Marinette was crying. She sat on her bottom, knees to either side, hands clasped to her chest. Tears streamed down her cut, bruised face. Adrien lay beside her, a growing pool of blood soaking the both of them. He was crying too. He had one hand clasped to his side, but he reached up and took hold of Marinette’s hand with the other. Both their hands visibly shook as Adrien pulled her hand down and gently kissed the back of it.

He left behind a blood smear, and Marinette started bawling.

“Alright,” Tikki snarled. “That’s it.”

“Damn straight,” Plagg said, sheer rage leaving him breathless. The akuma must’ve landed a lucky attack just as the kid’s transformations came undone, leaving them vulnerable to damage. He’d never seen the two of them as broken as they were right now; he wasn’t even sure they consciously realized who each other was.

Tikki looked over at him, her blue eyes glowing with fury. “Ready?”

“Ready.” Plagg grabbed her paw and held on tight, unleashing the floodgates on his power. Grey light swept over them.

Chapter Text

Adrien hurt everywhere and he could barely catch his breath. This was bad. This was so bad. He held Ladybug’s hand tighter, wanting to get up and protect her. But he couldn’t. This akuma was incredibly strong. Whoever it was, they were seriously angry and wanted revenge against all of Paris. Most akumas had a purpose in mind, but this one just wanted to be as destructive as possible.

Ladybug had used her Lucky Charm to no effect, and he’d had to use his Cataclysm to get them both to safety – or so he’d thought. He hadn’t expected the blast of raw power that hit them both mere seconds after their transformations released. He hoped that Plagg and Tikki would have the sense to get Ladybug out of there, but the seconds ticked past and still the only sounds were Ladybug’s sobbing and the akuma’s explosions.

And then a light began to shine.

He pried his eyes open, unaware of when he’d closed them, and stared in awe as a dull grey light enclosed Tikki and Plagg in what looked like a cocoon of some kind. Without thinking, Adrien pushed himself up with his free hand. That was a mistake. Pain exploded along his side, reverberating around to his back; he cried out in agony and doubled over, slumping back to the ground –

A strong, gentle hand caught his shoulder before he could hit. Adrien stared at the hand, belatedly realizing that it was not the small, slender hand of a fourteen-year-old girl, but rather a man’s hand. His gaze ran up the crisp lines of a black leather jacket’s sleeve, across a broad shoulder, and finally focused on a man’s face. Bright green cat’s eyes stared down at Adrien. Messy black hair fell into those eyes, and further back two real, furry black cat ears poked up. An equally furry black cat tail flicked lazily against tight-fitting dark denim jeans.

“Plagg, look after the children,” a familiar female voice ordered. Yet when Adrien dazedly looked to the source, it wasn’t a small red kwami. It was a woman with red hair and blazing blue eyes. Two antennae hung down on either side of her face, twitching madly with rage.

“Got it,” the man – Plagg? – said. It was definitely Plagg’s voice. Adrien would never be able to mistake that. He cast a look at his hand just to be sure and yes, Adrien was still wearing his ring… so how?

“Plagg?” Adrien whispered, shocked.

Plagg turned back to him and smiled, showing a hint of fang. “Hey Kit. Don’t worry. It’s gonna be okay,” he said in an unexpectedly gentle tone.

Adrien merely blinked back in shock as Plagg moved closer. Hands slipped under Adrien’s armpits and lifted him up carefully; the next thing he knew, he was braced against Plagg’s hip the way a toddler might be. His side throbbed as Plagg stepped towards Ladybug – no, not Ladybug, Adrien noted blankly, too overloaded to really process the revelation, but Marinette. She was still crying, but she was also staring at Plagg with her mouth open.

“C’mere, baby bug,” Plagg said, still in that gentle voice, and he leaned over and grabbed Marinette with his free arm and scooped her up too. Marinette squeaked and threw an arm around Plagg’s neck, free hand pressed to her shoulder like it was paining her.

If this was Plagg, than the woman had to be Tikki. Adrien looked for her, and was just in time to see Tikki racing towards the akuma. She effortlessly leaped over the first three blasts, then launched herself into the air. Adrien’s mouth fell open as something at her back fluttered. Red, black-spotted wings carried Tikki into the air, until she was overtop the akuma.

“T-Tikki?” Marinette stuttered. A small, cold hand groped for Adrien’s. He took Marinette’s hand, intertwined their fingers, and squeezed it hard.

“That’s right. Everyone thinks I’m the one to worry about, but Tikki’s temper has nothing on mine,” Plagg said with a smirk. “Oops.”

He jumped backwards, swinging Marinette and Adrien around to protect them from a stray blast. Marinette squealed and cried and hid her face against Plagg’s neck, but Adrien couldn’t help lifting his head to see. A churning bright light was flashing around Tikki and the akuma. Adrien’s eyes stung at the intensity of the light and he ducked his head, covering his face.

Something soft and warm washed over him a moment later. The throbbing pain in Adrien’s side vanished and he sucked in a deep breath for the first time in what felt like hours. Tikki must have used her version of the miraculous cure, he realized. He lifted his head just in time to see Tikki appear in front of them, her hands on her hips. He stared in wonder at her wings.

“Are they okay?” Tikki asked.

“They’re fine, Sugarcube. Relax,” Plagg said. “Which one do you want?”

Tikki motioned to Marinette and held her arms out. Plagg carefully passed Marinette over and then wrapped both arms around Adrien. The two kwamis – were they even kwamis anymore? Adrien had no idea – then nodded at each other. Tikki spread her ladybug wings and flew up into the air, while Plagg bent his legs and leaped straight up. Adrien squeaked and clutched at Plagg tighter, unused to such height when he wasn’t transformed.

They traveled quickly away from the place of the akuma fight. Adrien watched the skyline over Plagg’s shoulder, both arms wrapped around Plagg’s neck, as Plagg effortlessly jumped from building to building – he seemed to have no problem keeping up with Tikki. It was a cold night, but Plagg was warm and comfortable. And he felt safe, even at such a great height, enough so that he was able to relax a little bit.

Then, suddenly, instead of leaping to the next building, Plagg dropped straight down to the ground. It was a good twenty story drop, but Plagg landed with no problems at all; he didn't even need to bend his legs to absorb the shock. Tikki landed right beside him, holding Marinette safely. Adrien caught a glimpse of Marinette's eyes, which were the size of small dinner plates. Her arms were similarly clasped around Tikki's neck. She didn't seem to be capable of speaking, which he couldn't exactly blame her for. Nothing about tonight had been normal.

"Where are we?" Adrien asked, leaning back to look around in confusion. He didn't recognize the area from the ground. He was familiar with Paris from the rooftops, but it wasn't very often he got the chance to explore Paris on foot.

"Marinette knows," Tikki said, gently jostling her holder. That snapped Marinette out of her stupor, and a look of recognition flashed across her features.

"Master Fu's?" she said, soft and confused.

"That's right," Tikki said with a smile. "I have some things to say to him, so I'm going to give you back to Plagg for now, okay?"

It was kind of gratifying to see Marinette look as bewildered as Adrien felt, but she nodded regardless. Plagg shifted Adrien back to one arm and took Marinette with the other, holding them both with an arm around their waists and a hands under their butts. It made Adrien feel weirdly childish, but he couldn't bring himself to complain: he couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this safe. Hell, he couldn't remember the last time he'd been carried. His mother and father had cracked down on that when he was pretty young.

"Now let's remember, violence in front of the children is a bad thing," Plagg drawled.

Tikki threw him a positively frosty look. "Then maybe you ought to wait outside with them," she said, stalking around the corner. It reminded Adrien of how she'd gone after the akuma: predatory and swift. He had no idea what was going to happen next, but he kind of pitied Master Fu.

"This is gonna be good," Plagg said, sounding positively gleeful, and carried them around the corner just in time for Adrien to see that Tikki had foregone being polite and straight-up opened Master Fu's door without even knocking. She marched inside and Plagg followed.

"Excuse me, I'm closed," a familiar voice said.

Moments later, Adrien caught sight of Master Fu. His fingers closed convulsively around Plagg's leather jacket. He'd only ever spoken to Master Fu two or three times. Once when Master Fu had come to tell him about the power-ups for Plagg, and twice as Chat Noir. He knew that Ladybug spoke to him far more often. He was intensely curious to know what they talked about, but he'd never bothered to ask because he knew that Ladybug wouldn't tell him. Not so long as Master Fu told her she shouldn't. She was like that, frustrating as it was.

"Hello, Master," Marinette said shyly.

"Marinette? Adrien?" Master Fu stopped short, his eyes bugging out. Instead of his typical Hawaiian shirt and shorts, he was wearing a robe. Well, naturally. Adrien couldn't be sure of what time it was, but it had to be close to dawn by now.

"Hi," Adrien whispered, holding tighter to Plagg.

"Who -" Master Fu's gaze flicked first to Plagg, taking in the ears and tail, and then to Tikki. His mouth dropped open and he croaked something unintelligible as realization finally dawned.

"Master Fu," Tikki said with a sharp nod. "It's me, Tikki."

"Tikki? But... how?!" Master Fu exclaimed. "You are - you're both -"

"Oh, did your training never get to that point?" Plagg asked innocently, hefting Marinette up a little higher. "That the two of us can take a humanoid form under the proper circumstances? Guess those old monks had something of worth to tell you after all, huh?" His smile was all fang this time, and his tail wrapped loosely around Adrien's waist. Inexplicably, Adrien felt comforted.

Waayz popped out of the pocket of the bathrobe. "Tikki, Plagg," he said, sounding surprised. "What has happened?"

"I'll fill you in," Plagg said, exchanging a look with Tikki. He walked into the back, where there was a small table meant to be knelt at and some cushions surrounding the table. He set Adrien down first and then Marinette, putting them practically on top of each other. Adrien had to grab Marinette before she toppled off of him and the pillows, pulling her snugly up against him.

"Plagg, what's going on?" he asked.

"Shh, Kit. Just stay there for a moment." Plagg walked away, beckoning Waayz over to a corner of the room.

"Did you know they could do that?" Marinette whispered. She was a slight weight, leaning against Adrien's chest and watching Plagg with a baffled look.

Adrien slowly shook his head. "I had no idea," he whispered back. He could tell by Plagg’s aggressive hand waving that Plagg was upset. He didn’t know Waayz well enough to even guess what Waayz was thinking. Their conversation was being held in a language Adrien didn’t recognize.

"What does it mean?" she asked in a tiny voice.

"I... I don't know,” Adrien admitted. He was confused and scared, and he could tell Marinette was feeling the same way.

“Do you… do you think we did something wrong?” Marinette said, shifting to look at him. Her eyes were bright with renewed tears. “Do you think they’re going to take our miraculous away?”

The question chilled Adrien to his core. “No… no, you’re a good Ladybug. That wouldn’t happen,” he said, not even sounding convincing to his own ears. Master Fu had already taken their miraculous from them once. He’d never forget waking up in the middle of the night to find Plagg gone, with only a note left. A note that said he’d never see Plagg again.

His eyes watered and he squeezed them shut, trying not to cry. No one ever told him anything, not even Plagg, so he didn’t even know why Marinette was bothering to ask. She knew way more about the situation than Adrien did. She always did. And that was fair in a way, because Ladybug mattered more than Chat Noir did, but that knowledge had never hurt more than it did right now.

“I don’t wanna be Ladybug without you,” Marinette whispered, wrapping her arms around him. She leaned her forehead against his shoulder, stifling a sob.

And then, from the front of the shop, Tikki’s voice rose to an unexpectedly audible level: “I don’t care what you think. We’re keeping the kids!”

Chapter Text

Master Fu watched Plagg carry Marinette and Adrien away with an absolutely befuddled expression, then turned that same look onto Tikki. "What on earth is going on here? Tikki? What happened to you?"

Tikki normally considered herself to be a very reasonable kwami. When you were as old as she was, you'd pretty much seen it all. There really wasn't much left that could genuinely upset her, no matter how much of a little shit Plagg made it a point to be. She had learned a long time ago how to roll with the punches.

But this. This was a step too far.

"Plagg and I are tired," Tikki said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Marinette and Adrien are just children, and there's too much responsibility being put on their shoulders. They need more support." That was putting it extraordinarily mildly as far as Tikki was concerned, but she wasn't about to air private grievances to Master Fu at this point. If Marinette or Adrien chose to confide in him later, that was their choice - but she had the feeling that wasn't going to happen.

"They're fourteen," Master Fu said indignantly. "And they've both proven they're more than capable of being Ladybug and Chat Noir."

"That is not in question," Tikki said sharply, bristling at the thought. "Of course they're both capable. What I said is that they're not getting enough support. If something drastic doesn't happen very soon, both of them are going to have a breakdown and be incapable of anything. And then where will Paris be?" She shook her head.

"So what are you suggesting?" Master Fu said warily. "We agreed that they weren't going to share their identities, and I see that has already happened." He looked disapproving, which just made Tikki even angrier.

It was times like this that Master Fu really showed how little training he had in regards to the miraculous. He was a good guardian in so far as making it up as he went along, but he was sorely lacking in the history of the miraculous and why things were the way they were. While it was dangerous for Ladybug and Chat to know each other's identities because of Hawkmoth, that wasn't the primary reason Tikki and Plagg had encouraged the secrecy. Being able to hide behind a mask had always helped the miraculous holders to develop a strong bond quickly, which was usually a necessity.

But along with that, there was always a reveal once that bond had been fostered. That hadn't happened in this case. If anything, by taking Ladybug under his wing and plying her with more secrets and responsibility, Master Fu had done damage to their bond. Now Adrien felt slighted and alone, and Marinette was seconds away from crumbling under the sheer pressure of it all. There was a reason that neither Ladybug nor Chat Noir were usually the guardian, not that Master Fu had ever asked for any of the kwamis opinions on that little decision.

"Plagg and I are going to act as guardians for Marinette and Adrien," Tikki said. It would take some quick planning on hers and Plagg's part, but it was nothing they hadn't done before. Granted, she and Plagg had never assumed their humaoid forms for quite this reason... they actually hadn't done it in centuries. But she was confident that the two of them could take care of things the way that Marinette and Adrien deserved.

Master Fu stared at her. "What? That's ludicrous! You can't do that. It would put them both in danger!"

"On the contrary, it would dramatically reduce their chances of being akumatized," Tikki replied.

"What about their parents? They won't stand for this, particularly Gabriel Agreste,” he said, almost triumphantly.

"Let us handle him," Tikki said darkly, her fingers flexing. People always thought that Plagg was the dangerous one, what with his destructive powers. Little did they know that creation could be just as potent if you were invested enough.

"I really don't this this is wise," Master Fu announced. "I'm going to have to insist that you and Plagg return to normal."

"“I don’t care what you think. We’re keeping the kids!” Tikki hadn't meant to shout, but she was on the edge after the past few weeks of watching everything come to a head. Her antennae twitched, sensing panic and fear in the air.

Without another word, Tikki turned on her heel and headed into the back room, where she found Plagg on his knees with his arms wrapped around the kids. Adrien had his face buried in Plagg's shoulder and was clearly crying and trying to hide it. Marinette, on the other hand, was leaning into Plagg's grip absently, but had her eyes trained on the door. She visibly perked up when Tikki walked in, though Tikki also noticed how Marinette flinched a little when Master Fu followed. Naturally, Marinette was no doubt thinking that Master Fu was going to scold her.

"Here now, what's this? Don't cry," Tikki said in her best soothing voice, kneeling down on the ground beside Plagg. "Waayz, could you take Master Fu somewhere else? We need to talk to the kids."

"Of course," Waayz said, flying off behind Tikki. Master Fu sputtered, but shortly he was ushered out of the room and the door slid shut, leaving the four of them alone.

"Tikki, what's going on?" Marinette burst out immediately, pulling away from Plagg. Plagg let her go, settling back on his heels and lifting Adrien all the way into his lap. He cuddled his holder quietly, letting Tikki take the reins.

"Calm down, Marinette. Everything is okay," Tikki said.

"But you... you!" Marinette waved her hand to indicate Tikki. "And Plagg, and - and Chat.." She looked like she was two second away from pulling at her pigtails. "You never told me you could do that!"

Tikki smiled. "That's because Plagg and I don't assume our humaoid forms very often, so I didn’t think I’d need to tell you," she explained again. "There are certain repercussions, and we can't do it very often. In this case, we considered it to be a necessity."

"I don't understand," Marinette said, her shoulders slumping. She bit her lip, casting a glance at Plagg and Adrien, then whispered, "Are we... are you taking our miraculous away? We're not good enough?"

"What?!" Plagg burst out. "Of course not!" He sounded aghast at the thought, one arm cupping the back of Adrien's head and the other wrapped around Adrien's waist, like someone was going to tear Adrien out of his arms. His tail lashed the air in agitation.

"Marinette, no one will ever take your miraculous away again," Tikki said, kindly but firmly. "That's not why Plagg and I are here."

"Then... why are you here?" Marinette asked quietly.

Plagg, never one to beat around the bush, said, "We're going to adopt you and Adrien."

"You're... what?" Marientte said blankly, and even Adrien squirmed around enough to be able to lift his head and give Plagg an astonished look.

"You heard me," Plagg said.

“But… we have parents,” Adrien said, blinking slowly and wetly.

“Not very good ones,” Plagg muttered.

Tikki cleared her throat. “What Plagg means is that we think it would be best if you two came to live with us. We already know about your secret indentities, so that eliminates a lot of stress from your lives,” she told them. “Plus, I think it would be very beneficial for both of you in other ways.”

“This is crazy,” Marinette said. “I can’t come live with you. My parents would freak out!”

They’d have to notice first, Tikki wanted to say, but she wasn’t cruel enough for that. She wanted to reach out and pull Marinette into a hug, but Marinette was getting an increasingly wild look about her eyes that suggested she’d react poorly to be touched right now. The last thing Tikki needed was to spook her holder to the point where Marinette really did have a breakdown; it wouldn’t take much at this point.

“There are ways for us to get around that,” she said instead. “It can be a seamless transition, but only if you want it. We’re not going to force you to accept.”

“What about money?” Adrien wanted to know.

“That’s all taken care of,” Tikki said simply, smiling at him. “You wouldn’t need to worry, Adrien. About anything. We’d take care of you.”

She knew as soon as she spoke that Adrien was sold. The kid was literally clinging to Plagg, hands fisted in Plagg’s leather jacket like he thought Plagg was going to disappear. Wide, teary green eyes watched Tikki with bewilderment bordering on awe, a look that made Tikki’s heart melt. Adrien would trust them, she knew. He’d willingly put himself into their hands and let them take care of everything.

It was Marinette who would be the harder sell. Unlike Gabriel, Marinette’s parents really did love her. They just didn’t have time for her the way she needed them to. The bakery was booming right now, especially the catering side of it, and it was becoming more than two people could realistically handle by themselves. Tom and Sabine were working on hiring people, but it would be years before things were truly settled. Years before they had any attention to spare their child. Marinette needed help now.

But Marinette didn’t see it that way. She saw it as not being good enough or capable enough to handle things on her own, the way her parents wanted and needed her to. She saw it as being a failure. And being a failure was something that Marinette had grown to be terrified of. As Ladybug, she needed to be in control because she was the leader, and she needed to win. That had gradually seeped into every part of her life.

“I want to go home,” Marinette said, drawing Tikki’s attention back to her. She looked pitifully young in the moment, her face tear-streaked and her hair a mess. “Please, Tikki. I just – I want to go home.”

“Of course,” Tikki soothed. “We can go right now.” She glanced at Plagg as she spoke, shooting him a meaningful look, and Plagg gave a slight nod. He would probably take Adrien home too, she imagined, if for no other reason than Adrien would need to pack.

Marinette nodded, swallowing hard, and unsteadily got to her feet. With her head down, deliberately not looking at any of them, she scuttled out of the room. Adrien stared after her, hurt and longing painted across his face in equal terms. Tikki paused just long enough to lean over and put a hand on his leg. His startled gaze shot to her.

“She’ll come around, Adrien. I know Marinette better than anyone. She just needs a bit of time,” Tikki told him. “It’ll be okay.” She squeezed his ankle before letting go and standing. She would have liked to have walked Marinette home, but she knew better. With a sigh and a flash of red light, she returned to her kwami form.

Adrien let out a shocked squeak. Tikki winked at him and Plagg chuckled. Knowing that Plagg would explain, Tikki flew out to the front of the shop. Master Fu was gone – he was probably furiously quizzing poor Waayz for answers right now – and Marinette was hunched against the door, shaking fingers toying with the drawstring on her pajama pants. She relaxed a little when she saw Tikki as a kwami again, but said nothing.

Tikki had thought that Marinette might look to transform to get home more quickly, but she didn’t. Marinette walked the whole way with her arms wrapped around herself and her eyes on the ground. It was well after dawn, and a lot of people were on their way to work and school. Tikki wasn’t even sure that Marinette noticed. At the very least, she wasn’t panicking about making it to school.

When they got to the bakery, there were, mercifully, no customers. Tikki hid as Marinette entered, curling up beneath the hem of Marinette’s pajama shirt. She’d learned a long time ago how to look through material, so she was able to see Sabine straighten to attention as her daughter walked into the bakery early in the morning, wearing pajamas, looking like she had been through hell.

And of course, the first words out of Sabine’s mouth were, “Marinette, there you are. You forgot to mop the floor last night.”

Chapter Text

Marinette fisted shaking hands in her pajama pants and fought to be calm. “I’m sorry, Maman,” she whispered, trying to make herself heard, and must’ve been successful because Sabine actually focused on her for the first time.

“Why were you outside in your pajamas?” Sabine said, frowning. “Why aren’t you on your way to school?”

“I…” Marinette paused, fumbling as she realized that she didn’t know what to say. Too much had happened in too short of a time, and her brain was short circuiting in the struggle to grasp the enormity of it all. School was honestly the lowest concern on her list right now.

“Marinette?” Sabine said.

“Maman, I – I need some help with Lila,” Marinette blurted out. It was the first thing that came to mind. “And Alya isn’t really my friend anymore… things have gotten bad at school. I need your help.” Her voice cracked. She was tired of crying so much, but fresh tears came to her eyes anyway.

And for a split second, she thought her maman might actually listen. Sabine actually looked at her with undivided attention… but then, no sooner had Marinette uttered her last word than the door opened behind her and three customers walked in. Sabine’s eyes slid away from her immediately, her face brightening into the customer service smile. She emerged out from behind the counter.

“Later, Marinette,” she said absently, giving Marinette’s shoulder a single pat before moving to intercept the customers.

It felt like her maman had slapped her across the face. Marinette got it, of course she did. The bakery was her parent’s livelihood: their baby since long before Marinette had been even an idle thought. Customers were important. They were always more important. They always would be. The knowledge, already burned into Marinette’s bones by countless conversations exactly like this one, had never been so poignant.

She didn’t need her parents later. She needed them now.

Numbly, Marinette went to the back of the bakery and stepped into the kitchen. Tom was hard at work, whistling as he grabbed dough and slammed it against the counter. Her stomach curled at the sound. It made her remember what it felt like to know that her parents didn’t believe in her – what it felt like to know that Lila was capable of turning even her maman and papa against her.

They hadn’t listened to her then, either.

“Papa,” Marinette said.

Tom glanced over at her. “Morning,” he greeted. At one time, he’d always pause whatever he was doing to come over and give her a hug and a kiss. He didn’t do that anymore unless Marinette initiated it, and even then, more often than not, she was gently discouraged because he was busy.

Marinette swallowed around the lump in her throat. “Papa… can we talk later?” she asked, knowing better than to try to talk to him now. But maybe… “Tonight? I… I need some –”

“Sorry, Mari, I’m going to be busy all night,” Tom said. “Your maman and I got another big catering order for tomorrow morning. Isn’t that exciting? Madame Chamack put it in; there’s a big party happening down there tomorrow, and they asked her especially for our stuff.” He sounded excited.

“I need help,” Marinette whispered, but it went unheard in the buzz of the ovens going off. Out front, the doorbell of the bakery jingled repeatedly. The morning rush was starting.

“Sounds like your maman could use some help,” Tom said, walking over to the oven. He hadn’t even noticed that she was in pajamas or that she’d been crying, she realized. Hell, he hadn’t even put two and two together and realize that she was supposed to be in school.

“Right,” Marinette said dully. Instead of going back out front, she turned and silently made her way upstairs. She climbed the steps to her room and closed the trapdoor behind her. Of course, the very first thing that she saw was the absolute mess on her desk. In the light of day, the clutter of things looked way worse. The thought of the hours it would take was the last straw.

Her bottom lip quivered. Marinette could feel her face scrunching up. She tried to hold back the sob by putting her hand over her mouth, but it burst out anyway. She started to curl in on herself, but she didn’t get very far; there was the sound of feet thumping onto the floor and then hands were on Marinette’s shoulders, pulling her into a hug. Marinette threw her arms around Tikki and bawled.

“I know, I know,” Tikki murmured. “I know.”

Why? Had she the breath to speak, that was the question Marinette would’ve asked. She didn’t understand how or why she’d slipped so low on her parent’s list of priorities. Before, they at least had the excuse that Marinette had never outright asked for help. It was a flimsy excuse at best – they were her parents, and they were supposed to recognize when something was wrong – but still. Now, she’d outright asked them both and they’d turned her away. Sure, her timing could’ve been a little better, but she needed them!

“I feel like I’m drowning, Tikki,” she sobbed. “I can’t do this anymore. It’s too much!” Between her schoolwork, being Ladybug and Master Fu’s apprentice, baby-sitting, the stress of dealing with Lila, the work she did for Kitty Section and Jagged, plus all of her other responsibilities, Marinette couldn’t keep her head above water anymore. The disastrous fight tonight was proof of that.

She didn’t know what would’ve happened had Plagg and Tikki not intervened. That akuma had knocked both her and Chat for a loop. After that blast had hit them both, and she’d seen the extent of Chat’s injuries, something in Marinette had just… broken. And now, she couldn’t hold herself together any longer. She cried in Tikki’s arms until she literally couldn’t cry anymore, and even then, silent tears kept rolling down her face.

Then Tikki pushed her up, supporting Marinette’s limp weight but also holding her in such a way that Marinette had no choice but to look Tikki in the face. The sight of those familiar blue eyes staring at her from a human face was unsettling. Bright red hair fell stylishly across Tikki’s forehead. With high cheekbones and a small nose, Tikki could’ve given any model a run for their money – so long as you ignored the two antennae that spouted from the top of her head.

“You’re not alone, Marinette,” Tikki said, her eyes intently watching Marinette’s face.

“But I –” Marinette began, only for Tikki to cut her off with a stern head shake.

“No. It was a mistake on my part to allow things to get this bad. You have no idea how sorry I am for that. But I won’t fail you a second time, I promise. Would you let me try? Plagg and I will take such good care of you. We’ll do everything we can to make sure both you and Adrien are happy.” Tikki looked so earnest, like she really believed what she was saying.

Marinette tried to think. Her head was spinning, and she was getting a terrible headache. “What… what about my parents?”

“We’ll alter their memories. Plagg can destroy memories and I can create new ones. We can do that for everyone, so no one will think that your living situation is strange. They’ll all believe that you and Adrien are staying with us for… oh, I don’t know, training in the fashion industry or something like that. You won’t have to answer any questions about it,” Tikki promised, her voice quiet like she knew exactly how Marinette was feeling. Hell, she probably did after living with Marinette for almost a year now.

She should think about it. Marinette knew that. This wasn't like a battle, where she had to make her plan up on the fly and implement it even quicker. This was a huge decision that required a lot of careful planning, deep thinking, and rigorous discussions. But the truth was that Marinette just didn't have the energy for that. She was so goddamn tired of being the one with all of the responsibilities on her shoulders. Just once, she wanted to put her trust in someone else and let them fix the problem... and who could she trust if not Tikki?

"Okay," Marinette said.

Tikki blinked. "Really? Are you sure?"

Marinette nodded slowly. "Please, Tikki. Fix this for us." She wound her arms around Tikki's neck, laying her head on Tikki's shoulder.

"I will," Tikki murmured; she stood up, scooping Marinette into her arms, and somehow clambered up the steps to the ladder with a grace that Marinette could only dream of. In a matter of moments, they were both laying in Marinette's bed. Instead of holding onto her stuffed animals, Tikki held her and stroked her hair until Marinette fell asleep.

She was aware, on some level, of Tikki shifting around later. There was a gust of cold wind and Marinette shivered, huddling in on herself. Something hit the bed beside her, and she cracked open an eye, expecting to see Tikki. Instead, she saw a shock of blond hair and black pajamas. Adrien, her exhausted mind translated. Chat. Above, peering down through the skylight, was Plagg, while Tikki was standing on the bed to be on eye level with him. The two kwamis were holding a hushed conversation and didn't seem to notice that Marinette was awake.

A very small part of her wanted to freak out, but honestly, she hadn't even begun to process that Adrien was Chat Noir. And there was no way she had the energy for it right now. Marinette mustered the strength to scoot a bit closer to him, and his arm wrapped around her automatically and pulled her closer once he sensed her. She settled in against his chest and let her eyes slip shut again.

Her phone went off some time later, jerking Marinette out of what had been a sound sleep. The piercing sound stopped, but not before Marinette was fully awake. She rubbed at her eyes, still tired, and looked around to see what was happening. Adrien froze when she looked at him, once finger still pressed to the volume button her phone.

"Sorry," he whispered.

"Why are you sorry? It's my phone," Marinette grumbled, shoving several strands of hair out of her face. She thrust a hand out towards him and he obligingly handed over her phone. She brought it closer to her face and squinted at the screen, realizing that what she'd heard wasn't her alarm at all but rather a series of texts from Alya... one of the last people Marinette wanted to even think about right now. She deleted the texts without reading them, then set her phone down and looked at Adrien.

He looked back, fatigue visible in every part of him from the slump of his shoulders to the lines around his eyes. Seeing him without the mask felt like she was getting the full context of him for the first time, and it wasn't a good sight. A lot of the question she'd always had about Chat could be filled in by Adrien, but the answers weren't what Marinette would've hoped. She wondered if Adrien was thinking the same thing about Ladybug and Marinette, if he was surprised that she'd been pushed to her breaking point, or if he - if Chat - had seen this coming.

"We missed school," Adrien said quietly, and she was seconds away from snapping at him that something so inconsequential didn't matter right now when she stopped. Because it did matter. School was the one way in which Adrien had rebelled against his father.

"We can catch up," she said instead. "Maybe... maybe we'll actually have time for that now... if I didn't dream everything that happened." She didn't see Tikki or Plagg, but the lingering soreness in her shoulder told her that she probably hadn't been dreaming. She checked her phone again, realizing that it was after 8pm. She and Adrien had slept the whole day away. No wonder Alya was texting her.

"I don't think you did." Adrien bit his lip, then hesitantly said, "You're Ladybug."

Adrenaline sluiced through her exhaustion. Marinette thrust a hand out towards him to make him stop. "No. Nope. I'm sorry, Chaton, I just - I can't right now. I'm on overload." Her voice broke, embarrassingly enough.

"Okay," Adrien said. "That's okay. Hey." He shuffled a little closer and grabbed her outstretched hand, pressing their palms and fingers together. Cautiously, he smiled.

In spite of everything, Marinette gave him a tiny smile in return. "Where do you think Tikki and Plagg went?"

Adrien paused. "Um... I'm not sure. Last thing I remember was Plagg picking me up out of bed and saying something about memories?"

"Oh," Marinette said, remembering her conversation about Tikki. "I think... huh. Wow. Okay."

"What?" Adrien asked. He still had his hand pressed against hers. The contact felt nice. Grounding.

"Umm... I think things are going to be very different from now on," Marinette said, a little helplessly, and shrugged.

Chapter Text

“Now remember,” Tikki said, crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re not Cataclysming him. You’re just destroying some memories.”

“I remember,” Plagg said sulkily, twitching his fingers. Black light played around his claws. He wanted nothing more than to slam his hand down on Gabriel Agreste’s chest and Cataclysm the asshole into nothing… but Tikki would drop kick him across the room before he got the chance. Besides, right now that would cause more trouble for Adrien, not less.

Most people’s memories could be changed from afar, and Tikki and Plagg had already handled them, but Gabriel, Nathalie, and the Dupain-Chengs were best done up close. Plagg narrowed his eyes, seeing easily into Gabriel’s head. He touched a single claw to Gabriel’s forehead and ruthlessly tore through, destroying every memory of Adrien over the past year. He didn’t know, or care, what Tikki would create in their place, but at least he could be sure that Gabriel would have one hell of a headache come morning.

Surprisingly, Tikki said nothing about his treatment. There was a thin shadow in her eyes, and, when she stepped up and gripped Gabriel’s head, her touch was none too gentle. Plagg smirked to himself and moved aside, watching as she took the overabundance of good fortune in the air and spun it into new memories of Gabriel willingly signing guardianship of Adrien over to them. She scattered in false memories of Adrien visiting, modelling, attending parties, and even several of Gabriel harshly scolding his son – because it wasn’t like that treatment would’ve stopped just because Adrien no longer lived here.

When she was done, she carelessly let Gabriel’s head drop and turned to Plagg. “I’ll put the legal documents in his desk while you start with Nathalie.”

Plagg nodded, phasing through the door and sauntering down the hall. Conveniently, Nathalie had a bedroom in the mansion where she sometimes stayed if she was too tired to return to wherever she lived. She’d been staying over a lot lately. She was in an even deeper sleep than Gabriel, and consequently that made her memories even easier to manipulate. He even took it upon himself to Cataclysm her tablet, and all of the cloud servers that Adrien’s schedule would’ve been backed up on.

And if it meant that Gabriel and Nathalie lost years of work in the process, well. Oops!

It didn’t take Tikki long to finish with Nathalie. The two of them changed back into their kwami forms and flew back to the Dupain-Chengs. He could sense Adrien and Marinette long before he got there; their exhaustion and confusion mingled together to form a sad picture. As much as Plagg wanted to go to them, and he knew Tikki did too, they still had to take care of Marinette’s parents.

Both Tom and Sabine were asleep as well, and Plagg easily destroyed their memories. Tikki spun them new ones, not that Plagg privately thought it would make much difference. Unlike Gabriel, who was all up into every inch of Adrien’s life, Tom and Sabine were about as uninvolved in Marinette’s life as they could be. They barely took notice of her comings and goings, much less anything else.

The mean side of Plagg wondered, if he and Tikki hadn’t manipulated their memories at all, how long it would’ve taken either one of them to notice that Marinette no longer lived here. According to Tikki, they didn’t even have family dinner anymore. As the needs and demands of their business steadily increased, Marinette, like Adrien, took most of her meals with only her kwami for company.

“Done,” Tikki whispered finally, the dim light in the room painting a triumphant smirk across her face.

Plagg smirked back. “Let’s get the kittens and go.”

“Marinette’s not a kitten,” Tikki pointed out.

“She was once,” he replied. And she would be again, if he had his way.

Tikki made a face at him as they both phased through the ceiling and up into Marinette’s room. No sooner had Plagg’s feet touched the floor than he was nearly bowled over by a blond missile. He caught Adrien easily, wrapping the kid up in a hug. A quick glance at Tikki showed that she was cuddling and soothing Marinette. Plagg scooped Adrien up and moved closer so that they could calm the kids together.

“Where were you? We woke up and you weren’t there!” Marinette said. One of her hands was holding onto Tikki so hard her knuckles had gone white; her other shaking hand caught hold of Plagg’s jacket and held fast.

“We were editing memories,” Tikki said, her voice adopting that very gentle tone. “Making it safe for you and Adrien to come with us.”

“Editing memories?” Adrien said, lifting his head. “Wait… so you actually did it?”

“Yup,” Plagg said with a self-satisfied smirk. Getting one over on Gabriel Agreste felt good. He’d been waiting for this moment for months. It was going to feel even better the first time Adrien went to visit his father and Gabriel tried to be his typical asshole self; finally getting in between Adrien and his father and letting Gabriel know exactly what Plagg thought of him would be a dream come true.

Adrien looked as though someone had offered him heaven. “So I don’t have to go back? Ever?”

“Well, you should probably visit once in a while so he doesn’t think you’re dead. And you’ll have to go back to get your clothes and – ack!” Plagg yelped as he was promptly tackled again.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Adrien cried, flinging his arms around Plagg’s neck.

“You’re welcome,” Tikki said, since Plagg was being strangled and couldn’t exactly speak. “Marinette, we’ve done the same thing to your parents.”

Marinette’s gratitude was far less exuberant, though no less poignant. She hugged Tikki harder, laying her head on Tikki’s chest. Tikki stroked her hair, shooting a worried look at Plagg. No child should be that relieved over being told that they no longer had to live with their parents. Once again, Plagg was struck by the notion that they should’ve done this ages ago.

But then, in order for him and Tikki to assume their humanoid forms, their bond with their holders had to be exceptionally strong. And it had to be both of them: he couldn’t assume this form without Tikki, and vice versa. That wasn’t always easy to foster, and they’d both had plenty of holders in the past where that wouldn’t have been possible. It took time to make a bond that strong, just like it had taken time for the kids to trust them.

Even if he and Tikki had been capable of doing this from day one, there was no way Marinette and Adrien would’ve agreed. That was the unfortunate nature of the drastic change he and Tikki had suggested. But at least now it was happening. Neither kid would ever have to go back to their families. Things like patrolling, absences from school, and even Adrien’s infinite lessons and modelling jobs were going to be a lot easier to handle.

“Right,” Plagg said once he had loosened Adrien’s grip enough that he could speak (and breathe). “Time to pack.”

The kids looked at each other, and then Marinette said, “Wait, where are we going? To Master Fu’s?” The difference in her was incredible as soon as she mentioned his name. Her smile slid right off her face, replaced by a poorly constructed blank look that barely covered her anxiety and fear. Tikki scowled and Plagg frowned.

Whatever loads Master Fu had been putting on the poor kid’s shoulders, that was stopping immediately.

“Nope,” Plagg said, exchanging a meaningful look with Tikki. “I don’t think any of us want to live with that old man. Plus, we have alternate plans.”

“Plagg, you shouldn’t call him an old man,” Adrien said, but it was half-hearted at best. He was looking at Marinette with open concern, and Plagg knew his kit had caught the change in her as well.

“Alternate plans?” Marinette asked, looking confused.

“Let us worry about where we’re going to live,” Tikki said. “I told you we were going to take care of everything, right?” She flicked one of her antennae against Marinette’s cheek, giving her a gentle tap, and Marinette giggled wetly.

“Yeah… you did,” she admitted. “So… packing?”

“I’ll help you and Plagg can help Adrien,” Tikki replied.

“Ugh, packing,” Plagg grumbled, but he lifted Adrien off his lap, stood up and knelt, presenting his back to Adrien. It took a moment before a pair of arms uncertainly encircled Plagg’s neck. He grabbed Adrien’s knees and pulled the kid firmly against his back, then rose.

“Make sure you pack more than cheese,” Tikki said wryly.

Plagg stuck his tongue out at her and scaled the ladder to Marinette’s bed, then nimbly leaped out the window above. Paris was dark and quiet, and Adrien’s slight weight against his back felt like nothing at all. He carelessly jumped the gap between buildings, claws gripping Adrien’s thighs tightly to make sure that the kid didn’t fall.

“Hey Plagg?” Adrien whispered as they neared the mansion.

“Yeah?” Plagg said.

“Can I still…” Adrien trailed off.

He thought he knew what Adrien was going to ask, but pretended he didn’t. “Can you still what?”

“Can I still…” Adrien’s voice quieted to the point where, without his superior hearing, Plagg wouldn’t have been able to hear him say, “Still become… Chat Noir?”

In spite of the fact that he’d known what was coming, Plagg’s heart melted and he made a face at the rooftop in front of him. There was just something about Adrien that made the kid impossible not to love. He had weaseled his way under Plagg’s defences faster than any holder that Plagg could remember. It was both frustrating and endearing.

“Of course you can, kid,” he said, finding himself adopting that same gentle tone Tikki had fallen into using. “I can change back into my kwami form anytime, and your miraculous will still function the way it always has. You’re stuck with me whether you like it or not.”

“Oh, good. I was worried about Hawkmoth,” Adrien said, which was a bald-faced lie and they both knew it. Chat Noir was important to Adrien, both because of the freedom it gave him and because of the bond it helped him to sustain with Ladybug. Given time, Plagg suspected that latter point would become moot. There was no way these kids weren’t going to end up married someday.

“Yeah, well, that dick is probably nursing his wounds. Tikki gave that butterfly a good backlash when she purified it,” Plagg said with a smirk, landing lightly on the windowsill to Adrien’s room.

“A backlash?” Adrien repeated.

Plagg stepped onto the carpet and set his kit down, turning to look at him. “There’s a reason Tikki doesn’t use her Lucky Charm and I don’t use my Cataclysm until we have to. When we work with a holder, our power is filtered through you and that prevents some… unfortunate side effects.”

Adrien wrinkled his nose. “I don’t understand.”

“To put it simply, Kid, Tikki and I don’t do nothing by half. It’s all or nothing. What Tikki did yesterday was actually dangerous, but she didn’t have a choice.” Because Adrien and Marinette had been in no state to fight, Plagg didn’t add. “We had to dispel some of the good fortune lingering around Paris, which made editing everyone’s memories a little easier. Tikki’s lucky that way.”

“I’m still not sure I understand,” Adrien said. “But… I’m glad you still need me.” He smiled hesitantly.

Shit, Plagg thought. This kid. He reached out to scruff Adrien’s head. “Like I said, Kit, you’re stuck with me,” he said gruffly. “Now, come on. Let’s pack some cheese.”

“Tikki said –”

“I know what Tikki said!” Plagg said. He had the feeling he was going to be hearing a lot of that over the next few years.

This time, Adrien’s smile was purely impish. “Well, I’m just reminding you.”

“Yeah, yeah. Grab your bag and get to work,” Plagg grumped, heading over to Adrien’s desk. He heard Adrien giggle behind him and couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face in return. That was more like it.

Chapter Text

When Adrien opened his eyes, he wasn't immediately sure where he was. That probably would've caused some panic in most people, but he had a fair amount of experience with that sort of thing. When he was younger, he'd traveled extensively with both his parents and it hadn't taken him long to get used to waking up in strange hotel rooms - sometimes rooms he'd never even seen before, if he'd fallen asleep before his parents checked in. Following his mother's death, those trips had all but disappeared... but he'd never quite forgotten that feeling.

Today, there was no bed with his mother or father nearby. Instead, there was the familiar sound of snoring. Adrien turned his head and found a little black kwami sleeping on the pillow beside him. Slowly, memories began flooding back to him. The akuma fight. Plagg and Tikki saving the day. Visiting Master Fu. Ending up at Marinette's house. Going back to the mansion with Plagg to pack. It had only taken them about an hour. Adrien didn't have much he wanted to take; it was mostly clothing, his laptop, some of his manga and video games, and other things like that.

Some stuff, like his modelling clothing, had been gratefully left behind.

He rubbed his eyes and sat up, groping for his phone. A quick check showed him that it was almost time for school. In spite of the fact that he and Marinette had slept the day away yesterday, he was still exhausted. He briefly contemplated trying to stay home, but decided against it. Between his modelling and akuma attacks, he missed a fair amount of school as it was. Doing make-up work was never as satisfactory as sitting through a lesson in class and learning with everyone else. Muffling a yawn, he scooted to the edge of the bed.

"Ugh, Kid, go back to sleep," Plagg moaned behind him.

"Nope," Adrien said, running a hand through his hair and getting unsteadily to his feet. "I have school."

"You can skip. I'm your guardian. I say you can," Plagg said into the pillow.

Adrien paused at that, momentarily struck by how weird the situation was. His father would never have allowed him to skip. Hell, after Adrien had fought tooth and nail just to be allowed to go to school, he hadn't dared so much as ask for a sick day if he could avoid it. Public school was always the one threat that Gabriel had held over his head. Hearing Plagg so casually tell him that he could skip if he wanted to, and knowing that there would be no consequences attached to that, was strange. Nice, but strange.

"I'd rather not," he said, pulling out some jeans and a sweatshirt. He could wear these now, right? Gabriel couldn't say anything about it? Before, what he wore outside the house – hell, what he wore inside the house – was limited by what his father thought was appropriate. 95% of his wardrobe was comprised of Gabriel clothing and even his casual stuff was designer.

"Good choice," Plagg said, and, when Adrien looked up, he saw that Plagg was sitting up and staring at him.

"Um, thanks," Adrien said, turning away and pulling the clothes on over his boxers. When he turned around again, it was to find a humanoid Plagg sitting on the bed, still staring.

"Ready?" Plagg said, tail lazily flicking against the bed.

"I guess?" Adrien said uncertainly.

He got his first look at the house as he left his room. There was a long hallway with two other closed doors and a third door that led to a pretty large bathroom. Adrien wandered inside and immediately noticed some hair ribbons and make-up that had to be Marinette's. He'd never actually shared a bathroom before, so that would be a new experience. He used the toilet, washed his hands and face and brushed his teeth, and then fussed with his hair until it no longer had that 'just rolled out of bed' look. Only then did he leave the bathroom and head for the front.

He found himself in a good-sized living room with a couch and a couple of chairs, plus a television. To his right was a dining room and a large kitchen. He walked over to the window and looked out. If his guess was correct, they were maybe a fifteen minute walk from Collège Françoise Dupont. That meant they were also about fifteen minutes from Marinette's house, but closer to a half hour from the mansion. He didn't mind that at all. He stood there for a moment, watching the people walk by the window. None of them so much as glanced in his direction.

"Adrien?"

At the soft sound of Marinette's voice, Adrien turned quickly. "Hi."

Marinette smiled tiredly. "Hi. Are you ready to go?"

"Uh... sure," Adrien said, seeing the same unease reflected in her eyes that he himself was feeling. “Should we… um… wait for Tikki and Plagg?”

“Oh… I guess we should,” Marinette said, her eyebrows drawing together. She walked over and sat down on the couch, setting her bag by her feet. Adrien hesitated for a moment before joining her. He was wondering whether he should ask her how her packing had gone when a gentle weight came to rest on his shoulder, and he looked down to see that Marinette’s eyes were shut.

It immediately reminded him of the comfortable moment they’d shared on the train before Max’s mother got akumatized. He could look back on moments like that with a sense of humor now that he knew who Marinette was. All those times when he'd agonized over not knowing who his lady was, and she'd been right there beside him all along. Adrien had to wonder whether things would've been better if they'd figured it out a long time ago, or if this was always where they would've ended up.

Tikki walked out into the living room a couple of minutes later and sighed when she saw them. "I should've expected that. Marinette is so hard to wake up in the morning. Sometimes I have to threaten her with a glass of water to get her moving."

"Have you ever had to pour water on her?" Adrien asked curiously.

"Only once. After that, the threat of it was enough," Tikki said with a smirk, but her expression quickly softened as she walked over to them. "Are you ready to go, Adrien?"

"I think so," Adrien said. "Umm... what about all my lessons and stuff after school? And... I think I was supposed to have a modelling job too..." He trailed off. His phone wasn't telling him anything about his schedule anymore. It was like all of Nathalie's detailed work had mysteriously vanished. But he knew his schedule was so jampacked that there was no way he was going to be able to remember everything.

"Forget the modelling job for now. You're on a temporary leave," Tikki told him. "As for your lessons, today you don't have anything. We can talk about what you actually want to keep doing later."

"What I want to keep doing?" he repeated.

Tikki nodded. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to. I know Plagg mentioned that you don't really like taking Chinese lessons. You can stop them now if you like."

Adrien just stared at her, speechless.

"Think about it. We can talk it over later," Tikki added. She walked into the kitchen and came out a moment later with two paper bags, which she put into Adrien’s and Marinette’s bags. Adrien caught a whiff of something that smelled delicious and realized it was probably breakfast.

“No oatmeal?” Adrien couldn’t resist asking.

“Not if that’s not what you want,” Tikki said. "Plagg!"

Plagg slunk into the room mere seconds later, yawning and running his claws through his hair. He stared at Tikki with slitted eyes. "What?"

"You'll have to carry Marinette," Tikki said.

"Why can't you do it?" Plagg said, already moving closer.

"Because you're more comfortable, that's why," Tikki said, motioning for him to turn around. Plagg sighed and obeyed. Adrien watched in quiet fascination as Tikki pulled Marinette away from him, and gently leaned Marinette against Plagg's back, draping Marinette's arms over Plagg's shoulders. Much as Plagg had done last night, he gripped Marinette's thighs and stood up.

"One day in and I'm already being used as a pack mule," he muttered, though Adrien knew Plagg well enough to know that Plagg wasn't as put out as he was pretending to be. He was handling Marinette way too tenderly for that.

"You'll survive," Tikki said, winking at Adrien and leaning down to pick up their backpacks. Then she held her hand out to Adrien. He paused for a split second before taking it. She pulled him up, but didn't let go. She kept hold of his hand as she led him over to the door and outside.

In short time, Adrien found himself walking between Plagg and Tikki, still holding Tikki's hand. It was only then that he realized that the two kwami didn't exactly look human enough to blend in. Plagg was still wearing his leather jacket, black jeans, and a black shirt, but his green cat eyes, ears and tail were unmistable. Tikki, on the other hand, was wearing a pair of red shorts and a fitted black t-shirt under a long red vest, but her wings - which, now that Adrien got a good look at them, were red in color and spotted with black - and antennae gave her away.

"Won't people notice you guys don't look normal?" he asked, looking between them.

"People would have to pay attention first," Plagg said.

"What Plagg means is that Plagg and I can make ourselves look normal using the same glamor that keeps people from realizing that you and Marinette are Chat Noir and Ladybug. The glamor doesn't work on you and Marinette because you're our holders and we're connected on a deeper level," Tikki explained.

"Oh, okay," Adrien said, thinking about that. "So... can the rest of the kwamis take on a human form too?"

Plagg snorted. "Thankfully, no. Can you imagine how much mischief Trixx would into?"

"Only Plagg and I are capable of this. We're stronger than the other kwamis," Tikki said. "But it still takes a lot out of us, and a lot out of you two." She cast a worried look over at Marinette, who was snuggled as deeply into Plagg's shoulder as she could get.

"Is that why we're so tired?" Adrien asked.

Tikki looked down at him. "Well, yes and no. It didn't help, but honestly you and Marinette got pushed past your breaking points way before this happened. It's going to take a while before either of you feel normal again. So if you start feeling too tired at school today, we'll take you home."

"I'm sure I'll be fine," Adrien said. He just barely stopped himself from asking how he and Marinette could get into contact with Plagg and Tikki, realizing what a dumb question that was. Obviously Plagg and Tikki were going to change back into their kwami forms to stay with them during the school day. They couldn’t leave, not when there was a chance that an akuma would show up.

God, Adrien hoped an akuma didn’t show up.

They walked in silence after that. He kept an eye out and realized that Tikki was right. No one gave the two kwami, or Adrien and Marinette, a second look. And when Alya and Nino met them at the gates of the school, neither of them looked askance at the two kwami either. In spite of that, Adrien tensed automatically when he saw them, but Tikki merely gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

“Good morning Alya, good morning Nino,” she said.

“Hi Tikki,” Alya said with a polite smile. “Is Marinette awake?”

“No,” Marinette moaned, pressing her face into Plagg’s neck. Plagg chuckled.

“Yes,” he said, loosening his grip until Marinette slid down his back. Marinette’s feet hit the ground and she made an adorably grumpy sound, nuzzling into Plagg’s jacket like she could will herself to disappear.

“Have a good day, you two,” Tikki said. She let go of Adrien’s hand and bent to kiss his cheek, then did the same to a sulking Marinette. Plagg patted them both on the head, and then he and Tikki walked away. Adrien watched them go; he knew they’d come right back, but their departure left him feeling bereft. He caught Marinette watching them too with the same sad, lonely look and barely stopped himself from grabbing her hand. Fortunately, Alya linked her arm through Marinette’s and started pulling Marinette towards the school as a distraction.

“Tikki is so hot,” Nino said in an undertone.

“Nino!” Adrien squeaked.

Nino waved a hand. “Relax. I know she’s like your mom, but still.” He looked a little dreamy.

“Don’t let Alya hear you say that,” Adrien said, trying to cover up his dismay. It made him feel weird to hear Nino compare Tikki to his mother, because his mom had never walked him to school or held his hand like that or kissed his cheek so lovingly. What did that mean? If Tikki and Plagg were taking care of him and Marinette, then technically Nino wasn’t wrong…

“Dude, I’m not suicidal,” Nino said, rolling his eyes and jabbing Adrien in the ribs with his elbow. In his distraction, he never noticed the red blob that zipped overhead, nor the black one that zipped into Adrien’s shirt pocket. But Adrien sure did, and he immediately felt better knowing that Plagg was near.

Chapter Text

Tikki breathed a quiet sigh of relief once she was safely tucked back into Marinette’s purse. She hadn’t been worried that Alya and Nino would notice anything odd, but she had wondered how Marinette and Adrien would react to it all. So far, things were going pretty decently. Adrien had been willing to go along with everything, and Marinette had been too sleepy to even think about arguing.

She made herself comfortable and then turned her attention to what was happening outside. From the sound of it, Alya and Marinette were making their way towards Madame Bustier’s classroom. Tikki crossed her paws that the day went by well for both Marinette and Adrien. They were so fragile right now. She hadn’t been kidding when she’d told Adrien that she and Plagg wouldn’t hesitate to pull the kids out of school today.

“You are such a sleepyhead,” Alya said loudly.

“I’m tired,” Marinette said. “I… I didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Up too long thinking about how you live in the same house with Adrien?” Alya’s voice dropped teasingly. “God, Marinette, you are so lucky!”

“Uh, yeah. Lucky,” Marinette echoed. “So… that’s not weird to you?”

“Weird? Why it would be weird?” Alya asked.

Marinette paused before she said, in a totally unconvincing voice, “No reason.”

Tikki smiled to herself. It would take the kids some time to adjust to the change, but not once had she and Plagg considered altering their memories. They were too important for that, and it wouldn’t be fair to them after everything they had suffered through. She was confident that they’d be okay, though. Marinette might take a little longer to get used to it than Adrien, since Marinette’s parents actually did love her, but in time it would all be fine.

“I texted you last night but you never answered,” Alya said. There was the sound of a sliding door and the voices in the background changed to voices Tikki was more familiar with. They’d reached the classroom, then.

“Oh… sorry. I didn’t even see your texts. I was really busy.” The purse shifted and then unclasped. Marinette’s face peered down at Tikki for a moment before a smile split across Marinette’s face. Tikki winked back and grabbed Marinette’s cellphone, pushing it into Marinette’s hand. Marinette took it, mouthed a ‘thank you’ before she clasped the purse shut again.

“No biggie. It wasn’t about anything important. I was just baby-sitting and hoping you could come keep me company. Guess you had more important things to do, huh?” Alya said slyly, and Marinette audibly sputtered a denial.

“That’s not – I wasn’t – I was helping Maman in the bakery,” Marinette protested. Then, quieter, she added, “Huh, I see you got Lila to come over to keep you company.”

“Yup, we watched movies after my sisters went to bed. She actually ended up spending the night. It was really fun. My sister’s are so much better behaved when Lila is around. It’s amazing. She tells them the best stories and it’s like, they’re utterly captivated by what she says.” Alya laughed. “They went right to sleep after she finished, so maybe it’s for the best you were busy after all!”

“Yeah… maybe.” Marinette didn’t say anything else, but Tikki could vividly picture the expression that would be on Marinette’s face right now. Disappointed, wistful, maybe even a little frustrated. Just like she could also picture Alya missing that completely.

Honestly, for a self-proclaimed amazing journalist, Alya missed a lot. Someone was going to have to give that girl a good talking to at some point, before Alya ruined both the Ladyblog and her friendship with Marinette irreparably. And that someone might just have to be Tikki, since it was unlikely that Marinette was ever going to stand up to her friend. She was too afraid of losing Alya completely.

She nudged at the top of the purse until it unclasped again and opened just enough for Tikki to be able to peek out. As she’d thought, Marinette was sitting at her desk. Tikki couldn’t see Alya, but she had a decent view of the rest of the classroom. Nino and Adrien were just arriving. Adrien looked a little shell-shocked, but he seemed to be in relatively good humor as he took his seat.

Madame Bustier walked into the room just behind the boys, sliding the door shut behind her. “Okay, everyone. Let’s settle down,” she said, moving to the front of the room. “I’ve decided that we’re going to start off the day with English. I’d like to give you some time later to work on your presentations.”

Marinette grimaced and Tikki scowled. Ah yes, that presentation in which Marinette had ended up being paired with Lila. Allegedly, the match-ups were random. Half the class had picked names out of box. But Tikki wasn’t convinced that was the case. It wouldn’t be that hard for Lila to engineer things so that Marinette ended up as her partner, just so that she could make Marinette’s life that much harder.

“You were all supposed to memorize a passage from your books last night. I hope everyone did that,” Madame Bustier continued. “Books closed on your desk, please. I want to hear your passages.”

“Oh shit,” Marinette whispered under her breath, audible only to Tikki, who immediately knew what the problem was. Marinette hadn’t had time for that.

Fortunately, Madame Bustier started on the other side of the room. But as the rest of Marinette’s classmates each recited a few lines from the book, Tikki could tell that Marinette was getting more and more nervous. The expression of outright panic and distress on Marinette’s face broke Tikki’s heart. She knew exactly how much Marinette hated feeling like she was letting people down, and how much she hated failing.

“Marinette?” Madame Bustier said after Alya was finished.

“I… I didn’t get it done, Madame,” Marinette said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

Madame Bustier frowned. “You can’t even give me a few words?”

Mutely, Marinetter shook her head. She had her hands fisted in her lap, and Tikki saw that they were shaking. Adrien twisted around in his seat, a worried look on his face, but he couldn’t exactly say anything in her defence.

“I’ll have to give you a zero for today, then,” Madame Bustier said. She clicked her tongue. “Alright, Nino, let’s hear yours.”

As Nino began, Alya leaned over to Marinette. “Girl, what’s up with you lately? Why don’t you ever do your homework? You know Madame Bustier always checks.”

Marinette swallowed hard. “I just didn’t have time.”

“Well, you should just make time,” Alya said reasonably, as though it were that easy.

“Adrien, now it’s your turn,” Madame Bustier said.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t have time to do it either,” Adrien said.

“A modelling job, no doubt?” Madame Bustier sighed and shook her head. “Very well. Everyone, let’s open your books to where we left off yesterday. I’m going to be asking you to read.”

Everyone opened their books except for Marinette. Alya slid her book over so that Marinette could look at it, but Madame Bustier didn’t call on her – which was probably for the best, Tikki thought worriedly, because Marinette looked like she was going to cry. She was staring fixedly at her desk and blinking rapidly, so much so that she didn’t even notice when Tikki tried to get her attention.

Math class did not improve things. When Madame Bustier walked around and collected everyone’s work, her frown deepened when she stopped at Marinette’s desk and saw that Marinette only had a few problems down on the first page out of three pages. She stood there for a moment, looking expectantly at Marinette, but Marinette said nothing and at last Madame Bustier picked up the pages.

“Marinette, please see me at lunch,” she said, accepting Alya’s work as well.

“Yes, ma’am,” Marinette whispered. Her chin quivered. Tikki’s worry level increased. She tapped Marinette on the thigh, and Marinette glanced down at her. Tikki pointed at the door, but Marinette subtly shook her head; she was too stubborn to leave before facing the music.

Come lunch time, everyone else, including Adrien, left. Marinette stood and walked down to Madame Bustier’s desk. Lila ‘accidentally’ jostled Marinette as she went past, causing Marinette to stumble against the desk. It was a hard hit that even Tikki felt, and so it had to have hurt, but Marinette drew herself up and pretended that it didn’t. Finally, the classroom was empty.

“I’m worried about you, Marinette,” Madame Bustier said, folding her hands together. “Your grades have fallen a lot in the past year. You don’t do your homework, you’re performing poorly on tests, and you’re not paying attention in class. Plus, I’ve noticed that your relationships with some of your classmates aren’t what they used to be. What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Marinette said. “I just – I’ve been busy.”

Madame Bustier sighed. “I know it doesn’t seem like it now, but schoolwork is important. You should be paying less attention to things like fashion and boys and concentrate more on things that actually matter. I’m very disappointed in you.”

“I’m sorry,” Marinette said, her breath catching. “I’ll – I’ll try to do better.”

“Please make sure that you do. You’re a very smart girl, but you just don’t apply yourself the way you need to. I would hate to have to fail you this year,” Madame Bustier said.

“Fail?!” Marinette repeated, horrified.

Oh shit, Tikki thought.

“Let’s do what we can to make sure that doesn’t happen. Start by catching up on all the homework you’ve missed out on. If you like, I can compile a list of some extra credit work you can do. It’ll take a lot of time and energy on your part, but you can do this.” Madame Bustier gave what she clearly thought was an encouraging smile. “The next step will be calling in your parents or guardians for a conversation, but I’d rather avoid that if we can. Devote yourself to being a good student, okay? You can do this.”

Marinette nodded dumbly.

“Good. I’m glad we had this chat. I expect all of your overdue homework on my desk by Monday morning,” Madame Bustier said, standing up. “And I want to see a real effort from you, not something half-hearted. Understood?”

She didn’t seem to expect an answer, standing up and turning to erase the board. Marinette just stood there for a moment until Tikki gently poked her in the thigh again, which got Marinette moving towards the door. She slid it open and stepped outside, sliding the door shut behind her.

“Hey,” Plagg said, there so quickly in his humanoid form that even Tikki jumped, and Marinette just… fell apart.

She was bawling even before Plagg scooped her up, flinging her arms around Plagg’s neck and wailing into his shoulder like a child. Tikki phased out of Marinette’s purse and assumed her humanoid form, catching a glimpse of Adrien awkwardly lurking right behind Plagg. The upset look on Adrien’s face told Tikki that he and Plagg had definitely heard the conversation Marinette had been having.

“I think it’s time we went home,” Tikki said. She was so mad she could barely see straight, and a big part of her was tempted to march back into Madame Bustier’s classroom and really let the woman have it… but a cooler sense of logic prevailed. This wasn’t really Madame Bustier’s fault. What she’d just said to Marinette was exactly what she would’ve said to any student whose grades had severely dropped in the last several months. She did plan to have a conversation with Madame Bustier in the near future, but now wasn’t the time. Not when Marinette was crying so hard she was practically hyperventilating.

“Is Marinette okay?” Adrien said, looking very young and scared. “Is she gonna fail?”

Tikki winced as Marinette sobbed even harder at the question, and wrapped her arm around Adrien’s shoulders. “No, Adrien. We’re all gonna work together to make sure that doesn’t happen. Everything is going to be fine.” She said it as firmly as she could and nodded at Plagg.

He phased effortlessly through the floor, taking Marinette with him – there was an exit out of the school in the basement, where no one would see them. Adrien squeaked in shock at their sudden disappearance, taking a step forward. Tikki hid a smile and wrapped her arms around him, picking him up. He clung to her as they too dropped through the floor.

Chapter Text

Marinette thought for sure that she was going to pass out. Or maybe just die. She couldn’t catch her breath, and her heart was racing so fast that she was dizzy. She was barely aware of Plagg setting her down on her bed; she rolled over and curled in on herself, trembling from head to toe. Her thoughts spun in angry circles: if she failed the year then her parents would be furious, and if her parents got angry enough they’d lock down all of her free time, and if they locked down all of her free time she’d have to give up being Ladybug, and if she had to give up being Ladybug then Hawkmoth might win, and if Hawkmoth won -

“Hey. That isn’t gonna happen.” A small but strong hand slipped into Marinette’s, squeezing so tightly that it took her breath away for an entirely different reason. The pain of it made her head snap up and she found that somehow, Adrien had crawled onto the bed with her without her noticing.

“W-what?” Marinette stuttered.

“You were speaking out loud,” Adrien told her. He leaned down, settling himself carefully so that he was laying on his side facing her, and then took her other hand so that they were both lying on their sides with their clasped hands between them.

She hadn’t realized that, but Tikki had told her once that it was something she had the tendency to do. Marinette closed her eyes as fresh tears welled up. “I’m gonna fail,” she whispered miserably, fresh panic sinking its hooks into her chest. “I-I don’t… don’t wanna f-faaaaail.” That last word came out as anguished moan.

“You won’t. Tikki said you won’t, and I believe her,” Adrien said. “She said everything would be fine.” He sounded like a child, desperate to believe in the reassurance of an adult.

“But I’m so far behind,” Marinette said. She didn’t think Tikki really understood that. “I’m gonna – w-what if –”

Something brushed her forehead, and Marinette opened her eyes to see that Adrien had shifted closer until their foreheads were touching. His green eyes were all that she could see, so close that when she blinked, her sticky, wet eyelashes brushed against his cheek. Adrien didn’t seem to mind; he seemed content to press their joined hands between their chests and breathe the same air.

“I’ll help you,” he whispered. “I’m behind too in some subjects, but Madame Bustier gives me a bit more leeway because of modelling and… and other stuff. Sooner other later, she’s going to get mad at me too. So, we can work together, and help each other, and before you know it, we’ll both be at the top of the class.”

“You’d help me?” Marinette asked, hating how tiny her voice sounded.

“Of course. If you’ll help me. You’re better at some stuff than me.” The skin around his eyes crinkled as he smiled a little.

“I am not,” Marinette muttered, but she could feel the panic slowly beginning to ebb away. Adrien’s hands were warm and firm where they gripped hers, and she knew he wouldn’t let go unless she needed him to.

“Yes, you are,” Adrien said. “And besides… I don’t want to be Chat Noir without you.” The words were a perfect echo of what she’d told him at Master Fu’s, and a soothing balm to something broken in her heart. She squeezed his hands in gratitude.

“Thank you, Adrien.”

“Of course,” Adrien said, so earnest that she had no choice but to believe him, and then started to say, “Would you –” before cutting himself off.

“Would I what?” Marinette said, so very tired now that she wasn’t in the grip of a full-blown anxiety attack. But this seemed important, and she strained to focus.

“Nothing. Now isn’t the time,” Adrien murmured, seemingly regretting having spoken.

Marinette frowned. “Tell me, mon minou,” she coaxed. She wouldn’t be able to sleep until she knew what was causing that worried furrow between his eyebrows.

“Would you tell me what Master Fu told you?” Adrien’s voice was barely audible, even though they were so close. “No one tells me anything, and I – I want to matter the… the way that Ladybug does.”

“Okay,” Marinette said, without a second thought, without dwelling on what Master Fu would say, without torturing herself over whether a good Ladybug would be able to hold those secrets close to her chest. They were a heavy weight to bear, and if Adrien wanted to know… what use were secrets between them now? She would gladly share that weight with him if he desired.

“Okay,” Adrien echoed, looking surprised but pleased, his nose brushing against hers.

She wanted to tell him that he mattered already, but everything was crashing down on her. Marinette’s eyes fluttered shut and, even though she should’ve been getting out of bed to apply herself to the mountains of schoolwork, she gave herself over to sleep. At some point, she was vaguely aware of Tikki curling around her and Plagg around Adrien, the two kwamis securely wrapping their arms around them.

It was the safest Marinette had felt for a long time.

When she woke, dragging herself out of a muddled sleep, she found that Tikki was gone. Adrien was still there, fingers laced through Marinette's, and so was Plagg, though Plagg was now back to his kwami form. Fathomless green eyes parted, watching Marinette for a moment, before Plagg closed his eyes again and snuggled more securely into the curve of Adrien's neck. Marinette pried her fingers out of Adrien's, stooped to press a kiss of gratitude to his hands, and pushed herself up. The room swam around her as she wandered out of her room.

Something that smelled good called her out to the kitchen, where she discovered Tikki standing over the stove. Marinette leaned against the doorframe, watching her kwami with a faint, puzzled frown. Tikki had never let on that she was skilled at cooking, yet here Tikki was flitting about the kitchen like she had done this dozens, if not hundreds, of times. Her sluggish mind slowly realized that it made sense. Tikki was, after all, the kwami of creation, and what was cooking if not a form of creativity when it came to putting together ingredients to make something delectable?

Tikki turned away from one of the cupboards then, clutching a small container, and paused. "Oh, Marinette. You're awake!'

In the next instant, there were arms wrapping around Marinette and pulling her into a firm hug. It was like Tikki had teleported across the room, she moved so quickly. Marinette tried to blink back tears as she leaned into the hug, but to her shame the tears spilled over regardless. Tikki's grip tightened and she gently cupped the back of Marinette's head, pulling Marinette's pigtails loose so that she could run her fingers through Marinette's hair. It felt wonderfully soothing and Marinette closed her eyes to better appreciate the sensation. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had a hug like this.

"How are you feeling?" Tikki asked softly.

"I'm fine," Marinette said immediately, the oft-repeated assurance rising to her lips so swiftly that she didn't even have to think before it was out.

Tikki's hands fell to Marinette's shoulders, and Tikki pushed her away just enough to give her a firm look. "Marinette, I know you're not fine and that's okay. I need you to be honest with me. I can't fix things if you won't tell me how you're really feeling."

Marinette hesitated at that, caught off guard by the serious look on Tikki's face. When was the last time she'd told an adult how she was feeling with any degree of honesty? She always had to lie. To her parents, to her teachers, to Master Fu, to anyone who bothered to ask. Even to Chat - to Adrien, though she had always believed he was the only one who could see through her. It had never occurred to her that Tikki could see through her too, and she wasn't sure how to handle that. It wasn't that she didn't trust Tikki; she wouldn't be here if she didn't. But honesty? That was asking a lot.

"Marinette?" Tikki probed, wiping a few of the tears from Marinette's face. That gentle touch broke Marinette all over again.

"I'm scared," she blurted out. "I couldn't bear it if I failed on top of everything else, Tikki. Adrien said he would help me, and I know that he will, but he has so much stress already and I hate adding to it. But if I fail, then I can't be Ladybug anymore. I have to be Ladybug! Adrien needs me."

"Hey," Tikki said, putting her hands on Marinette's shoulders. "You are Ladybug and that isn't going to change, okay? Plagg and I are your guardians now. Your parents don't have any say in your activities or how you spend your time. The same goes for Adrien. We would never take your miraculous away from you."

"But I still don't want to fail!" Marinette cried, even though hearing that reassurance was a relief. She couldn't imagine how she would've felt if Madame Bustier had had that conversation with her before Plagg and Tikki had taken control of the situation. It probably would've been the driving force behind another breakdown. Maybe even enough to warrant Marinette being akumatized. She shuddered at the thought and pressed closer to Tikki, winding her arms around her kwami. Tikki instantly hugged her back, rubbing her hand up and down Marinette's back.

"You won't fail. We'll all help you, not just Adrien. If need be, I'll go have a conversation with Madame Bustier. We'll figure things out," Tikki promised. "The whole point of this is to take stress off of yours and Adrien's plate, not to add to it."

Marinette tried to believe that. "Then - then you and Plagg need to make Adrien realize that he matters. I don't think he realizes that he does."

"What do you mean?" Tikki said, seemingly confused.

"He asked me to tell him what Master Fu had told me, so that Chat Noir could matter as much as Ladybug does," Marinette confessed. "Because no one tells him anything."

Tikki exhaled in a way that seemed angry and said, "What did you say?"

"I... I said yes," Marinette whispered, bracing herself for Tikki's anger.

"Good," Tikki said.

"Good?" Marinette echoed, startled.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir should be a team. Fu has no reason to create such a division between the two of you. It's only worsened your situation. I understood why you needed to keep your identities secret because it was a matter of safety, but feeding an imbalance between you? It's ridiculous!" Tikki's voice rose indignantly. "That is the worst thing he could've done. He's added to the already considerable weight on your shoulders while simultaneously isolating Adrien! That -"

"Okay, Tik, I don't think your baby bug needs the full rant right now." Plagg's voice behind her was the only warning Marinette got before arms wrapped around her midsection from behind, drawing Marinette out of Tikki's arms and back against a firm chest.

"I wasn't ranting," Tikki said defensively.

"Right," Plagg drawled, clearly not believing her, and rested his chin on Marinette's head. "You're gonna wake the kit at this rate."

"I - ugh. Sorry." Tikki sighed and shook her head. "Take Marinette back to bed, would you? The soup is almost ready."

“I should –” Marinette lifted a hand and waved vaguely in the direction of her backpack, which she could see had been tossed carelessly on the sofa. Madame Bustier was expecting a lot of work by next Monday, which wasn’t nearly far enough away.

“Nope,” Plagg said, scooping her up. “What kind of work are you gonna get done when you haven’t even eaten? I can hear your stomach growling from here.”

“It is not!” Marinette said, embarrassed, but she didn’t argue as Plagg carried her back into the bedroom. Adrien was awake and waiting, looking wholly unsurprised as Marinette was unceremoniously deposited back onto the bed. It was very likely he had tried to get up, only to be pushed back down.

“Superior hearing, remember?” Plagg said, twitching one of his ears. “Now stay, or I’ll sit on you.”

“Sit on me…” Marinette’s mouth dropped open.

“He’s not joking,” Adrien told her, pained. “He means it.”

Plagg just smirked.

Chapter Text

The kids worked on their homework for a little while after they ate supper before Tikki sternly ordered them to bed. Marinette put up a feeble argument, but Tikki was having none of it. Plagg hung back, completely amused, as Tikki herded the kids through their bathroom routines, into pajamas, and finally back into bed. Within half an hour, both Marinette and Adrien were curled up around each other sound asleep.

“Something tells me we shouldn’t have bothered with separate rooms,” Plagg said as Tikki finally joined him in the living room.

Tikki shrugged. “Being together gives them comfort and they need that right now. I’m not about to take it away from them,” she declared. “Maybe in time they’ll feel capable of sleeping apart, but even if they don’t, it’s not bad for them to have separate rooms. They both deserve a place where they can go to be on their own. Adrien in particular deserves a place where he knows he’ll have his privacy.”

Plagg couldn’t argue with that; he nodded slowly rather than speak, which would’ve unleashed a torrent of rage towards Gabriel Agreste and Nathalie Sancoeur. Neither of them treated Adrien like the fourteen-year-old boy that he was. They barged into Adrien’s room anytime they pleased, usually without even bothering to knock. There were numerous times where Plagg had nearly been caught before he learned to constantly be on-guard. In that mansion, Adrien had no privacy at all.

“Do you want to patrol tonight or should I?” he asked, deciding that a subject change was warranted. Both he and Tikki were feeling pretty fired up after the day’s events. It wouldn’t have surprised him if Tikki had needed to burn off some energy.

But Tikki waved him off. “No, I worked out my frustration and rage chopping things up for the soup,” she said. “Sometimes Marinette has nightmares after a panic attack. I want to be here if she wakes up.”

“They both always have nightmares,” Plagg pointed out even as he stood up.

Tikki shot him a look. “Worse nightmares than usual,” she said. “Besides, I think you a run would do you good. You’re practically vibrating.”

“You’re not wrong,” Plagg said, heading for the door.

“Remember, don’t try to take on any akumas by yourself!” Tikki called after him.

Plagg smiled humorlessly. “Tik, if I see an akuma tonight, I might just follow it back to Hawkmoth and Cataclysm him into nothingness.”

He was out the door before she could respond, though, based on how Tikki was feeling at the moment, she probably would’ve wished him luck on his hunt. He made a sharp right just outside the door, heading into the alley. With a quick glance back to make sure that no one was watching, Plagg bent his knees and then leaped up to the roof of the building next door.

It was a cool, clear night, with a light breeze blowing. Plagg surveyed the city, sharp eyes taking in everything. Ladybug and Chat Noir often liked to make the most of their patrols. They had specific paths they liked to take, but usually what began as a serious patrol would end as a game of tag or hide and seek, or the two of them would end up sitting somewhere comfortable and eating snacks, or even finding a secluded rooftop to steal a nap. Their patrols were stress relief.

In time, Plagg was positive that they would both want to start patrolling again. And he was in complete support of that. Those patrols were a necessary and vital part of their partnership, allowing them to spend time together when they didn’t know each other’s identities. They wouldn’t want to give up such a time-honored tradition. But right now, neither kid was in any shape physically, mentally or emotionally to be doing much more than the bare minimum.

He took a running start, easily leaping over several buildings. With having to worry about Adrien on his back, Plagg allowed his true speed to come out. He tore across the city, ears piqued for any screams or general akuma-related mayhem. All was quiet though, which wasn’t unexpected. Sometimes Hawkmoth would go on a string of akuma attacks at night, but Hawkmoth was also human and needed his sleep.

Approximately three hours after he’d first left, Plagg returned to their home and let himself in through the front door. The first thing he saw was Adrien, curled up in a tiny ball on the couch. Plagg came to a stop, staring at the kid. It was a cliché, but in sleep Adrien really did look too young. He’d never been one for sentimentality, but the way Adrien sniffed and clutched a pillow to his chest made Plagg ache.

“He woke up and wanted to wait up for you,” Tikki whispered, peeking around the corner. “Gabriel texted. Said he wants to meet with Adrien tomorrow morning before school.”

“Fuck,” Plagg sighed, tail lashing the air. Tikki nodded in agreement and retreated, no doubt returning to the bedroom where Marinette lay.

He walked over to the couch and sat beside Adrien’s head. If there was any chance of talking Adrien out of this, Plagg would’ve taken it – but he knew that there wasn’t. It would take time and distance for Adrien to grow out of his constant need to seek out Gabriel’s approval. In the short-term, now that Adrien was no longer living in the mansion, it was likely he’d want Gabriel’s attention more than ever. Ergo, he was definitely going to want to go to this meeting.

Adrien stirred when Plagg’s tail flicked over his cheek, rubbing sleepily at his eyes. “Plagg? Oh, you’re back,” he said. “Tikki said you would be.”

“Of course I came back! Where else am I gonna find a holder who feeds me such good cheese?” Plagg said playfully, nudging at Adrien’s shoulder just to get the kid to smile. Then he wrapped both arms and tail around the kid’s waist, pulling Adrien into a hug. Adrien melted, snuggling into Plagg’s chest.

“My father texted me,” he whispered. “He wants to talk to me about my modelling and stuff.”

“Yeah, Tikki said,” Plagg said, keeping his voice carefully neutral. Of course that was all Gabriel was worried about: making sure his son continued to work for free and put forth a good public image for the company. But Adrien wouldn’t necessarily see it that way.

“Do I have to go?” Adrien asked.

Plagg froze. Okay, that was not what he had been expecting. He floundered momentarily, unsure of what to say. In all the time he’d been with Adrien, the kid had either failed to pick up on Plagg’s subtle comments about Gabriel or had defended his father when Plagg criticized Gabriel outright. But perhaps getting Adrien away from Gabriel and into a safe place had affected him more than Plagg had guessed?

“No,” he said finally, looking down at the top of Adrien’s head. “Kitten, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do from now on.”

Adrien sighed, tucking his head beneath Plagg’s chin. “I thought you’d say that. I don’t really want to… but I know that I have to. Otherwise, he’ll just keep contacting me.”

“Maybe you should let him. Might be nice for him to be the one chasing after your time for once,” Plagg said, swinging his legs up onto the couch and levering Adrien’s weight fully on top of him. Adrien’s sleepy giggle made him smile, even though he hadn’t been joking.

“Will you come with me?” Adrien asked, sounding oddly shy.

“Of course,” Plagg said immediately. “You’re crazy if you think Tikki or I are letting you anywhere near your father without at least one of us present. Preferably both, but -”

“You can’t both come. One of you has to stay with Marinette,” Adrien interrupted worriedly.

“But one of us has to stay with Marinette,” Plagg agreed, shaking his head. Even now, Adrien’s first thought was always for his partner. Plagg was calling it now: the bond between these two was going to be the strongest there had ever been between a Ladybug and Chat Noir.

“So just you,” Adrien said, relaxing again. “Before school – err, am I going to school tomorrow?”

“No. You and Marinette aren’t going to school for the rest of the week,” Plagg declared. He and Tikki had made that decision while the kids were asleep. Tomorrow, Plagg or Tikki would drop by the school and collect both their overdue homework and whatever schoolwork they’d miss this week.

“My dad doesn’t need to know that,” Adrien murmured, already halfway asleep.

“Damn right,” Plagg whispered, putting a hand on Adrien’s head and lightly stroking the soft blond strands. Adrien’s breathing deepened as he fell back asleep, which was good. He was going to need the rest for tomorrow.

Plagg eventually fell asleep too and came awake to the sun shining in his eyes and Adrien squirming out of his arms. Adrien disappeared into the bathroom and Plagg sighed as he stretched, mentally bracing himself for what was sure to be an exceptionally long day. As he stood up, Tikki came out of the bedroom looking as tired as Plagg felt. One look at her face and Plagg already knew what she was going to say.

Sure enough, she said, “I just got finished putting Marinette back to sleep. She woke up six times last night from a nightmare.”

“Did either of you sleep at all?” Plagg asked, wincing. He and Adrien had had a very pleasant sleep, but he wasn’t about to admit that to Tikki.

“Not much. I’m going to let her sleep as long as I can this morning.” Tikki sighed. “Is Adrien going?”

“Yup,” Plagg said.

“Try not to Cataclysm his father,” Tikki said.

“I make no promises.” Plagg smirked at her and she smirked back.

“Bring back breakfast,” Tikki said, walking into the kitchen. “Not something from the Dupain-Cheng Bakery; Marinette’s not ready for that. Maybe some crêpes. We could have them with chocolate spread and fruit.”

“Or cheese,” Plagg said.

Tikki’s second sigh was audible from the kitchen. “Must you?”

“Oh, I must,” Plagg said as Adrien came out. In a few short minutes, Adrien had combed and styled his hair, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and gotten dressed in fresh clothing that his father was more likely to approve of.

“Good luck, sweetie,” Tikki said, coming out to give Adrien a hug and a kiss on the forehead.

“Thanks,” Adrien said, hugging her back and burrowing into the hug. Plagg had to admit that his heart warmed to see them together. Adrien had wanted a mother for so long, and now he had one.

Tikki kissed him again, this time on the top of his head, and gave Plagg a meaningful look. Plagg nodded and held his hand out as Tikki finally released Adrien. Adrien walked over and took Plagg’s hand and they left together. It was about a thirty-minute walk to the mansion. It would’ve been faster over the rooftops, but Plagg had the feeling that Adrien wanted to take as long as possible. They didn’t speak, just walked in silence hand-in-hand.

When they finally reached the mansion, the gates opened without Adrien needing to identify himself. They walked in and climbed the steps to find Nathalie waiting for them. Plagg was pleased to see that Nathalie looked very stressed indeed. No doubt she’d been having a rough couple of days since so much of hers and Gabriel’s information had ‘mysteriously’ vanished.

“Good morning Adrien. Your father is waiting for you in his office. Plagg can wait down here for you,” Nathalie said, straightening her glasses.

“That’s really Adrien’s decision. If he wants me to come up, I will,” Plagg said sternly. He wasn’t about to let Adrien be railroaded again. He would’ve preferred to join the meeting to stop Gabriel from doing just that, but he really did want it to be Adrien’s choice.

“It’s okay. If I need you, I’ll let you know,” Adrien said, squeezing Plagg’s hand before letting go. Nathalie’s eyes flicked down to their parting hands and her lips pursed, but she was smart enough not to say anything.

Plagg crossed his arms as Nathalie and Adrien mounted the stairs, glancing around the frankly cavernous room. It was bland, with only the painting of Gabriel and Adrien as any real decoration - and Plagg had already seen that dozens of times before. He’d always considered it a creepy painting, to be honest. No one would ever know it was a painting of a father and son, so stiffly did Gabriel stand.

Something shuffled. Plagg’s ears twitched. He lifted his head to look around, even though he knew he was alone. He was definitely being watched, but none of the staff would be stupid enough to risk their jobs by approaching him. And then, out of the corner of his eye, Plagg saw him. Understanding gripped him as dozens of seemingly disconnected puzzle pieces suddenly formed a whole, horrifying picture, but it was pure, burning hatred that froze him in place.

Because waving frantically, half-hidden behind a column, was Nooroo, and that meant Gabriel was Hawkmoth.

Chapter Text

Adrien’s footsteps sounded unusually loud as he climbed the stairs. Under any other circumstances, the faint clicking of Nathalie’s heels might have been comforting. He used to prefer it when Nathalie joined him and Gabriel during meetings, because Gabriel was usually slightly more reserved when his assistant was there – though it hadn’t escaped Adrien’s notice that even that had been changing as Nathalie and Gabriel grew closer.

Right now though, he was bitterly regretting allowing Plagg to remain downstairs. There was nothing Adrien wanted more right then than to run back downstairs and throw himself into Plagg’s arms like a little kid. He wanted to curl up in Plagg’s lap and beg Plagg to take him home to Tikki and Marinette, where it was safe. And Plagg would do it too, he knew. Plagg wouldn’t push him away; his kwami had always been tactile, but that had been turned up to eleven now that Plagg had taken a humanoid form.

But, knowing that would only serve to heighten Gabriel’s anger, Adrien forced himself to keep following Nathalie. His heart sank when she stopped partway down the hall, gesturing for him to continue on alone without saying a word. There was no point in trying to throw himself on her mercy. Nathalie had no mercy. She didn’t even pretend to try anymore, and Adrien had given up on bothering. Squaring his shoulders, he walked up to the door of his father’s office and rapped twice.

“Come in,” Gabriel said.

Adrien opened the door and cautiously poked his head in. “Hello, Père,” he said quietly.

“Adrien,” Gabriel said. He was standing by the window, arms linked behind his back. “Close the door behind you.”

He obeyed, stepping inside and shutting the door. He didn’t know what he was expecting, but Gabriel’s lack of attention wasn’t it. Gabriel seemed preoccupied with looking around the office, eyes constantly moving from the desk to the bookshelves to the area around the door to the filing cabinets. Adrien watched him with furrowed eyebrows, wondering if his father had lost something.

“What are you looking for?” he asked.

Gabriel startled, eyes snapping back to Adrien’s face. “Nothing. You’re late.”

“Only by two minutes,” Adrien protested before he could stop himself.

“Two minutes is still money, Adrien,” Gabriel said sharply. “Being on time is a sign of respect. My time is very valuable and when I ask you to meet with me, I expect you to present yourself at the time you’ve agreed upon. Every minute that you are late means that I am at risk of running late, and that could damage both our family’s and the company’s reputation.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” Adrien bowed his head, clenching his jaw. Neither Plagg nor Tikki cared when he was two minutes late. Tikki probably would’ve laughed and kissed him on the forehead. Plagg wouldn’t have even noticed.

“I agreed to sign over guardianship as a favor to your mother’s family,” Gabriel went on, and Adrien looked up sharply. “But that doesn’t mean I have ceded control over you. You are still my son and you and your actions will continue to be a reflection upon my name. That means I fully expect you to continue with your lessons, your photo shoots, and all of your modeling jobs. You will maintain your grades. Anything less than an A will not be deemed acceptable. Am I understood?”

“Yes,” Adrien said slowly, his head spinning. He had wondered about this. Marinette had told him that Tikki and Plagg were going to create false memories, but she hadn’t really known what that meant. And with everything else that had gone, neither of them had had the opportunity to ask.

He knew that his father’s relationship with the Graham de Vanily was not a favorable one, though he didn’t wholly understand the tension there. Tikki must have played off that somehow. He studied his father for a moment, but naturally Gabriel didn’t look upset over the fact that he was no longer Adrien’s guardian. Gabriel was still acting as though nothing had changed, and he still had full control – even though Adrien knew that wasn’t the case. Tikki and Plagg had already told him he didn’t have to do anything he didn’t want to.

It was a little hard to believe that, standing there with Gabriel staring him down, but Adrien tried hard to hold onto that memory. The guardianship was official, right? Gabriel couldn’t take him away. Even if he tried, Tikki and Plagg could use their magic to stop the process before it even began… right? Adrien’s palms started to sweat, and he swallowed hard.

“Um… there’s something wrong with my phone. It’s not telling me what my appointments are,” Adrien said, hoping that Gabriel wouldn’t notice how nervous he was.

Gabriel scowled. “Yes. I’m told that the software we use has had a glitch of some kind. Nathalie has been doing her best to fix it but hasn’t made any progress yet. But that is no excuse. I still expect you to miss nothing.”

How? Adrien almost asked, but luckily thought better of it and bit his tongue. Still, he didn’t see how Gabriel could expect him to be places when there was no record of where and when Adrien was supposed to be there. He wondered if it was really a software glitch or if there was something more… magical at work. This had Plagg’s particular brand of mischief written all over it.

“Yes Sir,” he said instead.

“Good. Then you may go,” Gabriel said. “Nathalie will set up a series of check-ins. You will meet with her every week to ensure that you are still meeting standards.”

Meeting with Nathalie. Not even Gabriel. Disappointment settled heavily in the pit of Adrien’s stomach. He had hoped, incorrectly he now saw, that not living at home might mean he’d see his father more, not less. Apparently, that wasn’t to be the case. It seemed like things would continue as they had been: the only time Adrien saw his father was when Gabriel wanted to scold him or forbid him from doing something.

Maybe Gabriel hadn’t questioned the false memories because some part of him was pleased that Adrien was no longer his problem. The thought struck Adrien and made the heaviness in his stomach curdle. After all, parenting had never been something that Gabriel was overly concerned with. Émilie had always been the one to look after him. Following her death, Gabriel had made pitifully few attempts to stand up and fill that gap. Adrien had always told himself it was because his father didn’t know how or was struggling too much, but perhaps he’d been too generous.

“Very well. Goodbye, Père,” Adrien said quietly, backing up towards the door. He slipped through as quietly as he had come; his last glimpse of his father was of Gabriel looking around the office again.

“I’ll update your schedule when I can,” Nathalie said from right behind him.

Adrien squeaked and jumped. “Wh-what?!”

“Your schedule. I will update it as soon as I can,” Nathalie repeated. “Including an appointment time for the check-ins your father requested.” She regarded him from behind her glasses, expression cool.

“Oh. Right. Thank you,” Adrien said, wondering if she’d been eavesdropping. Or she’d just known what the entirety of the conversation would hold. That was more likely.

She nodded and said nothing else, opening the door to Gabriel’s office and disappearing inside without knocking. Adrien sighed. When she’d first been hired, he had hoped… well, he’d hoped for things from Nathalie that she clearly had no interest in giving. The knowledge still stung, but Adrien comforted himself with the knowledge that now he had Plagg and Tikki and Marinette.

Suddenly eager to see his kwami, he hurried back down the hall and made his way to the staircase. Plagg was leaning against a post at the bottom. Adrien went down the steps far more quickly than he’d climbed them and literally threw himself at his kwami. He didn’t care who was watching or how they would judge him. Relief rushed through him when Plagg’s arms wrapped around him, holding him securely.

“Come on,” Plagg said into Adrien’s ear. His tail, Adrien noticed belatedly, was lashing the air. That only happened when Plagg was worried, angry or upset.

He allowed Plagg to hustle him outside the mansion, knowing better than to ask when they were still surveyed. Adrien breathed easier as soon as they were outside the gates. The meeting hadn’t been as bad as he’d feared it would be, but it had still been tense and uncomfortable. He leaned into Plagg, happy when Plagg kept an arm around his shoulders.

“What happened?” Adrien asked, unable to keep quiet any longer.

Plagg sighed. “Something, but I can’t tell you yet. I need to talk to Tikki first.”

“Oh.” Adrien frowned. He was really tired of people keeping secrets.

“Hey.” Plagg stopped, looking at Adrien very seriously. “I will tell you, Adrien, okay? You’re my kitten. You deserve to know. Marinette does too. And if it were anything else, I wouldn’t hesitate to tell you right now. But this… I really do just need to talk to Tikki first.”

Adrien searched Plagg’s face as though he could glean the truth from that alone, but of course he got nothing. So he finally nodded. “Okay. Can we go home now?”

“Absolutely,” Plagg muttered, pulling him close again and picking up the pace. Adrien kept up easily. That meant the trip back took less time, but it still seemed to take forever. Adrien broke into a run when their building came into view, taking the steps two at a time and bursting in the front door.

Tikki immediately came out of the kitchen, bringing the scent of roasting meat with her, and smiled. “Hello, mon ange,” she said, opening her arms.

My angel. Adrien’s cheeks colored and that annoying heaviness in his belly dissolved, replaced with a light feeling that was a little like walking on air. He hurtled across the room and into her arms, hugging her with everything that he was. Tikki hugged him back, one hand on the back of his head and the other wrapped securely around his waist. She smelled good, and she was soft except for where she was hugging him so tightly, and she was safe, and Adrien might have had to blink back a few tears.

They must have stood there for a good five minutes. Tikki showed no signs of letting go until Adrien, somewhat reluctantly, pulled back. Then she ran her fingers through his hair, rearranging it the way Adrien liked it rather than the Gabriel-approved style he’d done this morning, and pressed a tender kiss to his forehead. Adrien savored the moment.

“Hey Sugar cube, we need to talk,” Plagg said from behind him.

“Right. Marinette has been waiting for you,” Tikki told Adrien. “She was almost crying into her physics book from frustration last time I looked, but she refused to let me help. She wants you.”

Adrien lit up. “I’ll be in the bedroom!” He practically fled the room, rushing to the spare bedroom that he and Marinette had been sharing for the past couple of days. Marinette was splayed on her stomach, textbooks and notebook open in front of her. She wasn’t crying, but she was chewing violently on her pen and looked very much like she wanted to chuck her book out the window.

Her head shot up as soon as he walked in. “Adrien!”

“Hey. Tikki said you’re having some trouble?” Adrien said, sliding his shoes off.

Marinette dramatically held her arms out. “Chaton, save me. Tell me what happened with your father. I need a distraction.”

“How about we do two pages of the workbook and then I’ll tell you what you want to know?” Adrien suggested, padding over to join her. He was pleased to note she’d taken his stuff out too, which meant she really had been waiting for him. He sat down on the bed and scooted closer to her, giving her a hug.

She sighed into his chest. “Fine, be that way. But you better be ready to explain physics in the meantime. My head is gonna explode.”

“Can’t have that.” Adrien chuckled warmly, nuzzling his cheek against her head as he pulled the textbook closer to see.

Chapter Text

Tikki watched out of the corner of her eye as Adrien disappeared down the hall, then silently beckoned to Plagg. They both transformed into their kwami selves and flew out the window and up, landing on top of the building. Only there did they transform back to their humanoid selves, and Plagg started stalking back and forth with his tail angrily lashing the air. Something had clearly happened.

“Tell me,” she said, once it started to seem like Plagg was going to explode rather than just open his mouth and speak.

“That – that complete and utter asshole!” Plagg hissed, spinning around to face her. “Gabriel Agreste is Hawkmoth.”

Though they had suspected that at one point, and to some extent still did, Tikki still felt the truth of that statement hit her like a slap to the face. She immediately understood why Plagg was in such a state. Just thinking about how this was going to affect Adrien left Tikki breathless. The boy was going to be devastated. No, devastated wasn’t even the right word for it.

“How?” she asked, the only word she was capable of forcing out.

Plagg ground his teeth together before he replied. “Nooroo. He figured out pretty fast that there was something wrong with Gabriel’s memories, and he knew that you and I had to be behind it. While Adrien was upstairs talking to Gabriel, Nooroo sought me out and we had a conversation.”

“He didn’t tell Gabriel, did he?” Tikki asked, slightly horrified.

“No,” Plagg said with a shake of his head.

“Thank heaven for that,” Tikki muttered. All kwamis were beholden to their chosen. If Marinette truly wanted to know something, she could command Tikki to tell her and Tikki would have no choice but to do it. Of course, the thought of ordering her kwami around was something that had never even crossed Marinette’s mind. Both Marinette and Adrien were too kind and sweet for that.

But someone like Gabriel was an entirely different story. No doubt he had already commanded Nooroo to tell him much of the lore surrounding the Miraculous, and poor Nooroo would’ve been helpless to comply. Something like this, though… well, that was the loophole, wasn’t it? Gabriel could only order Nooroo to tell him something if Gabriel knew there was something to be told. If Gabriel didn’t recognize something was wrong, and he clearly didn’t, then he had no reason to interrogate Nooroo. And clearly, Nooroo had not seen fit to share information with him.

“I just can’t believe it! All those months Adrien was living under that worthless piece of shit’s roof –” Plagg removed stomping back and forth, face a mask of pure fury that probably would’ve sent anyone else running.

Tikki let him rant and rave, crossing her arms over her chest and staring into the distance. The first clear thought that surfaced in her mind was how relieved she was that Adrien had already been removed from Gabriel’s care. If he hadn’t, and Adrien was still living in the mansion, this whole situation would’ve been a hundred times more complicated. As it was, she had to fight the compulsion to rush back inside and check to be sure the children were still in the bedroom. They would know something was wrong if she overreacted.

Her second thought was how carefully they were going to have to handle this. There was really two options. Number one, she let Plagg go Cataclysm Gabriel into a pile of ashes and then let the wind take care of the rest. While it was definitely the most satisfactory answer, it would put a lot of attention on Adrien if Gabriel Agreste suddenly went missing. She didn’t know if Adrien was up for that. He was strong, so much stronger than most people gave him credit for, but he was also a fragile child who had been through hell.

The other option was to expose Hawkmoth and let the justice system take care of things. Tikki’s frown deepened. That would put a wholly different kind of attention on Adrien. The fact that he was a child would help to some extent, but Tikki was well acquainted with humanity and their need to cast blame on a viable subject. Adrien would take a lot of heat. Plus, she wasn’t sure if the human’s justice system was really equipped to deal with something like that. Hawkmoth was a murderer, his victims saved only by virtue of Ladybug’s miraculous cure, and could the humans prosecute if there were no bodies?

“There’s something else,” Plagg said grimly, drawing Tikki’s attention back to him. His anger had – not fizzled out exactly, but dampened under the weight of something else.

“What – oh. Nathalie is Mayura,” Tikki realized with a quiet gasp.

“You got it,” Plagg said.

It made too much sense, as much as Tikki wished that it didn’t. Of course she was. Who else would Gabriel Agreste trust at his side? And Plagg had mentioned that Adrien was worried over Nathalie’s mysterious illness, which was always being passed off as a mere cold. Adrien thought it was more than that. If Nathalie was the Peacock, then Adrien was right. Nathalie was risking her life and soul every time she donned the miraculous.

She inhaled deeply then exhaled, trying to get her own rage under control. Were any of the adults in Adrien’s life capable of being anything other than selfish? Were any of them capable of putting a child first? More and more, it seemed like the answer was a resounding no. It wasn’t fair. Adrien deserved so much better. This was going to shatter the poor kid.

“Did you see Duusu?” Tikki asked, seized by sudden hope. None of them had seen Duusu in so long.

Plagg sighed. “No. Nooroo assured me she was there, but apparently Nathalie doesn’t wear the Peacock miraculous all the time. She only puts it on when she has to.”

“Damn,” Tikki muttered. That could potentially make things complicated. They’d have to figure out where Gabriel kept the miraculous when Nathalie wasn’t using it.

“What do we do?” Plagg asked, watching her wide eyes. He looked like very much like a kitten – not unlike Adrien – and Tikki couldn’t resist stepping forward to hug him. It had been a long time since she’d hugged Plagg like this; she realized, as he wrapped his arms around her in turn, that she had forgotten how good it could feel.

“We have to tell Adrien,” Tikki said heavily.

“I know,” he muttered, slumping against her. “He could tell something was wrong… he was asking me questions on the way home, but I said I had to talk to you first. I didn’t want to blurt it out. I don’t want him to get akumatized.”

Tikki sucked in a sharp breath. That possibility hadn’t even crossed her mind, though it should’ve. “We won’t let that happen,” she said. “Marinette will be there. She can transform and purify any akumas that come near. And if she can’t, then I’ll take care of them.” Because it had only just now occurred to Tikki that Marinette would be very upset too, finding out that her partner’s father and one of her fashion idols were the villain she had been fighting for so long.

If Hawkmoth touched a hair on either of those children, Tikki would murder him herself.

“I’m worried that the kid will want to protect his dad,” Plagg admitted.

“He might… but he might not,” Tikki said. She honestly wasn’t sure about that. As much as Adrien loved his father and craved his attention, that love had been significantly weakened by Gabriel’s behavior ever since Émilie’s death. They wouldn’t know until they told him.

Plagg, as usual, seemed to know what she was thinking. He broke the hug and nodded, unusually sombre, and transformed back into his kwami self. Tikki followed suit, and the two of them flew back into the house. In the direction of the bedroom, Tikki heard the low murmur of voices. It sounded like Adrien was explaining a physics problem to Marinette. She hated to interrupt them, but this was more important than schoolwork.

They walked down the hall and peeked into the room. A small smile tugged at Tikki’s lips when she saw the kids. Both were laying on their bellies, but Adrien’s arm was draped over Marinette’s shoulders. He braced himself with his other arm, leaving Marinette to hold them both up enough to be able to see the book. Marinette was scowling down at the book with enough force to set it on fire.

“I just don’t get it,” she whined. “Why is it so – Tikki!”

Adrien glanced up in surprise. “What’s going on?” he asked immediately, and Tikki sighed. There really would have been no hiding this even if she and Plagg had wanted to. Just as she and Plagg had come to known Marinette and Adrien intimately, so too had the kids come to know them. They were more than capable of recognizing when something was wrong.

“It’s about what happened while you were upstairs talking to your dad,” Plagg said.

Both kids sat up, but it was Marinette who said, “Okay. What happened?”

“Nooroo showed himself,” Plagg said bluntly. He never had been one to beat around the bush.

“Nooroo? You mean the Butterfly kwami?” Adrien said, eyebrows furrowed. “Why would –”

And then he stopped as realization dawned, his green eyes going wide. Beside him, Marinette gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.

“Gabriel?” she whispered.

“It can’t be,” Adrien said. “It can’t – Plagg?” He looked up, bewildered and lost, and Tikki’s heart broke at how young he looked in that moment.

“I’m sorry, kid,” Plagg said quietly.

Adrien just stared at him, speechless, but Tikki could see Marinette’s brain working. That was what made Marinette such a good Ladybug: she could see connections, and leap to (mostly) accurate conclusions, that other people might not see right away or miss entirely. And Tikki saw the moment that Marinette arrived at the same realization that Tikki had had not twenty minutes before.

“Nathalie?” she said in a tiny voice. “Mayura?”

Adrien flinched.

“According to what Nooroo said, yes,” Tikki said, wishing that there was some way in which she could soften this blow.

“We suspected him,” Marinette said hollowly, clasping her hands to her chest. “Master Fu did, but – but Gabriel got akumatized, so how…?”

“Hawkmoth is particularly powerful, and he doesn’t need to stay transformed once he sets an akuma free,” Tikki told her. “He must have created an akuma, detransformed, and then called it to himself.”

Marinette’s horror deepened. “But that’s… and all this time… and he…” She looked over at Adrien. “He…” She didn’t seem to know what to say.

But Adrien did. “He hurt us,” he said numbly. “My own father. All this time. Every time. Those times Ladybug got hurt… all those people that were killed… when I got killed… that was him? That was them?!”

“Yes,” Tikki said, hating that Adrien had to go through this. That both of them had to go through this. Adrien was one of the kindest, sweetest Black Cats that Plagg had ever had. He didn’t have a mean or cruel bone in his body – in a way, it was almost hard to believe that Adrien was Gabriel’s son, considering what his father had done.

She couldn’t hold herself back from the bed any longer and approached, pulling both kids into a hug. Marinette’s arms wrapped around Adrien as she did, and Adrien shuddered. It was only a moment before Plagg joined them and wrapped his arms around all three of them. Only then did Adrien crack, a choked sob falling from his lips before he began to cry. Marinette wept too. Tikki didn’t. Anger burned hot in her chest. She met Plagg’s eyes over the heads of their kids and knew they shared one thought.

Gabriel was going to pay.

Chapter Text

Gabriel Agreste was Hawkmoth. Marinette didn’t even begin to know how to handle that revelation. Long after Adrien had cried himself into an exhausted sleep, she sat numbly beside her partner and stared off into space.

For a long time, Marinette had coveted every design that came out of Gabriel. He was amazingly creative, capable of thinking up new and innovative designs seemingly at the drop of a hat. When she was younger and first getting into design, she’d poured over books that talked about his creative process. She had drawn a lot of inspiration from him and had often dreamed of getting to mentor underneath him. Even being an intern at the company would’ve been a dream come true.

Then she met Adrien, and that dream began to sour as Marinette realized what kind of man Gabriel really was. He might have been an amazing designer, but he was also a shitty father who didn’t really care about his son. It drove both her and her classmates mad to watch Adrien spin himself in circles trying to make Gabriel happy, when it was so obvious that nothing Adrien ever did would be enough.

And now? What would Gabriel have done if he’d figured out that his son was Chat Noir? The thought made a chill run down Marinette’s spine, and she had to fight back a shiver less she wake Adrien. It wouldn’t have ended well, of that she was certain. Hawkmoth didn’t care who he hurt or what he had to do. She could think of at least five akumas off the top of her head who had killed people, and it was only by the grace of the Miraculous cure that so many people had been brought back.

She wanted to cry again when she thought of her sweet partner and what he must have been going through. Thank god for Tikki and Plagg. Marinette couldn’t imagine what they would’ve done if Adrien had still been living at the mansion under Gabriel’s control when they found out. He was only fourteen and, so far as she knew, had no other family. The only other person was Nathalie… but she wasn’t going to be of any help.

To think, Marinette thought, she had been struggling with her parents. Suddenly, her problems seemed incredibly insignificant. Sure, her parents didn’t pay as much attention to her as she would have liked. But there was no doubt in Marinette’s mind that they loved her. The bakery may have been their number one priority at the moment, but at least they weren’t evil.

“Marinette?” Tikki’s voice was right in her ear, and Marinette flinched, realizing that, for Tikki to have gotten that close, her kwami had probably been calling her name for some time. She looked up at Tikki.

She wanted to ask what Tikki needed, but the words were caught in her throat and wouldn’t come out.

“Come on,” Tikki whispered, laying a hand on Marinette’s arm.

It took Marinette much longer than it should have to realize that Tikki wanted her to leave the room. Impulsively, Marinette tightened her grip on Adrien. He had ended up mostly in her lap, his face pressed to his stomach and arms wound around her waist. Tikki and Plagg had been hugging them both, but a few minutes ago – or maybe longer, she’d lost all track of time – they’d separated and held a quiet conversation in the corner of the room.

“It’s okay, Marinette,” Plagg said, his voice unexpectedly kind. “I’ll stay with Adrien. You go with Tikki, okay?”

Go? Marinette didn’t see how she could possibly do that. Plagg and Tikki exchanged looks, and then Plagg crawled onto the bed and gently but firmly pulled Adrien’s arms free. Then he lifted Adrien off of Marinette and into his own lap, holding Adrien like a small child. Marinette could feel her heart cracking as she looked at the two of them, because nothing about this was fair.

“Marinette,” Tikki said again, and then Tikki picked her up. Marinette had just enough time to throw her arms around Tikki’s neck before Tikki was walking out of the room; she stared at Plagg and Adrien for as long as she could and saw Plagg wrap his tail around Adrien’s hands just before Tikki turned the corner.

Tikki carried her into the living room. Somehow, blankets and warm cups of tea had materialized on the coffee table. Tikki sat, holding Marinette in her lap, and wrapped a blanket around them, then pressed a mug of tea into Marinette’s hands. Marinette stared at the tea like she wasn’t sure what it was for. Her mind was so blank at the moment that she was having trouble stringing even one thought together.

“Take a drink,” Tikki instructed, cupping Marinette’s hands and helping her to lift the tea to her lips. Marinette blindly obeyed, tasting black tea heavily dosed with sugar. Usually that was how Tikki took it; Marinette preferred her tea with just a dash of sugar and some cream. But the sugar helped to clear her head a bit. She realized belatedly that she was shivering.

“Tikki?” she whispered.

“I’m right here,” Tikki said gently, brushing a strand of hair out of Marinette’s eyes. “Just relax. You’ve had a bad shock.”

“Master Fu guessed,” Marinette said, tightening her grip around the mug. “He guessed – but –”

“Hawkmoth is tricky. There’s no doubt in my mind that he akumatized himself on purpose to throw suspicion off,” Tikki replied grimly. “And it fooled all of us, so don’t blame yourself for not seeing it sooner. I never once thought that it could be him, or that Nathalie could be Mayura. Hell, Plagg didn’t suspect and he actually lived in the same house as them.”

“So did Adrien,” Marinette said in a tiny voice.

Tikki nodded. “I know he did, and I know you. Don’t torment yourself by thinking about what could have happened to Adrien if his father had found out, okay? Or if Adrien had still been living there when we found out about Hawkmoth and Mayura. The whole point is, neither of those things happened so there’s no point in dwelling on them. Gabriel has no control over Adrien now. That’s what matters.”

Marinette swallowed hard and nodded, because she knew Tikki was right. “Will Adrien be okay?”

Tikki sighed. “Yeah, I think so. Eventually. He has you and me and Plagg, and we all love him a lot. But it might take a while before he’s accepted this. Sometimes it’s hard when people you love turn out to be someone different than you thought. Especially when it’s your parents.”

“I can’t imagine. Maman and Papa would never…” Marinette trailed off, then bit her lip. Slowly, she said, “But if you had asked me that question about Monsieur Agreste, Adrien would’ve said the same thing.”

“It’s hard to know what people are capable of,” Tikki said gently. “Come here, my baby bug.” She wrapped her arms around Marinette, pulling the blanket more snugly around both of them.

It felt so good to snuggle down into Tikki’s arms and hide her face against Tikki’s shoulder. Marinette couldn’t remember the last time she’d been held like this. Probably not since she was a small child; she had many memories of cuddling with her parents, especially her papa on the couch, but she couldn’t pinpoint the last time. No doubt she’d reached an age where she thought herself too old for it. She was too old for it at fourteen, but it was so nice to feel like Tikki and Plagg were in charge.

She didn’t have to decide what to do about this, Marinette reminded herself. Tikki and Plagg were legally hers and Adrien’s guardians. It was comforting to know that the weight of this wasn’t just on her and Adrien – or, more likely, - on her, because if it had been just her and Adrien she would’ve done everything she could to spare him any more pain than Gabriel had already caused.

“What will happen to him? To them?” Marinette asked finally.

“That’s a good question,” Tikki said, resting her cheek on the top of Marinette’s head. She leaned back against the couch. “We have a few options. Plagg and I have talked, but it’s hard to know which is right. And of course, we wanted to get yours and Adrien’s opinions first.”

“Not Master Fu?” Marinette said with a small smile.

Tikki scoffed. “We may mention it to him, but Master Fu is… well, he tries his best. But there are too many things that he’s failed to take into account for a very long time now. So his opinion, while valid, may or may not be taken into consideration.”

Marinette wasn’t sure if she agreed with that, but she also didn’t know if she disagreed. It seemed easiest to just cuddle into Tikki and listen as Tikki outlined their options.

“Number one, we retrieve the Butterfly and Peacock miraculous and leave Gabriel and Nathalie alone. We don’t un-mask them. I’m not a fan of that, and neither is Plagg, because it means the two of them will always be a threat. Whatever Gabriel wants, he wants it badly enough to come this far… and that means he won’t stop just because his miraculous is gone. We won’t let them hurt you or Adrien.

“So that leads us to option two, which is to un-mask them to the city and let the judicial system decide how they should be punished. But… I don’t have confidence that they’ll be punished appropriately. Your system has never dealt with magic users, particularly those whose crimes are technically erased afterwards. Plus, I’m worried about what kind of ramifications Adrien would face. People could be cruel.”

“I want to protect him from that,” Marinette said.

“I know. We do too.” Tikki sighed. “So then there’s option three.”

There was something about the way that Tikki said that. “Option three?”

“We kill them.”

Marinette sat up, pulling out of Tikki’s arms to stare in horror. “What?!”

Tikki’s blue eyes were very calm. “Marinette, it’s not an option that we would undertake lightly. But it may be the best one we can come up with. Plagg wants to outright Cataclysm them. Then we could set it up like the two of them ran away together. However, I’m concerned that could still put a lot of unwanted pressure and attention on Adrien. So I’ve been thinking, and it seems like an accident is the best way to go… a car crash, most likely, that affects only the two of them.”

“That’s…” Marinette’s lips parted, but nothing else came out. She didn’t have the words to voice what was going through her mind.

“I know it seems extreme. But it would prevent a lot of problems. Ladybug and Chat Noir could go on record saying that Hawkmoth and Mayura have been defeated and their miraculous taken away. Gabriel and Nathalie wouldn’t be a threat. Adrien won’t have to worry about taking any flack for what his father’s done. It makes sense.”

“But it’s murder.” Marinette’s voice wobbled. “That’s… Tikki, how could you - ?”

“Oh, my Marinette. Plagg and I would do anything to protect you two.” Tikki set her hand to Marinette’s cheek. “You would have no part in it, I swear.”

“I… I just don’t –” Marinette shook her head. She and Chat had joked around before about what they’d like to do to Hawkmoth for the trouble he caused, but their comments had always been in jest. Even at their most frustrated, hurt or angered, she didn’t think either of them had been serious…

Had they?

The longer Marinette stared at Tikki’s face – a soft, familiar face, a face that she trusted more than anything else, a face that had striven to protect both her and her beloved partner – the more conflicted she became. Her eyes filled with tears. Tikki immediately pulled her back down into a hug, murmuring soothing words and stroking Marinette’s hair as Marinette cried against her chest.

“Shhh, it will be okay,” Tikki said. “I promise, Marinette, it’ll be okay.”

Chapter Text

Plagg held the kid in stoic silence, probably a bit too tightly if Adrien’s raspy breaths were anything to go by, but he couldn’t bring himself to let go and nor did Adrien seem like he wanted that. In fact, Plagg had a sneaking suspicion that Adrien might fall apart irrevocably if it weren’t for the fact that Plagg was right there with him. The thought only added fuel to the flames.

"Plagg... why?" Adrien's voice was hushed, barely audible, but so full of pain that it made Plagg wince.

"I don't know," Plagg answered honestly. Nooroo hadn't shared that with him, either because Nooroo didn't know or - more likely - Gabriel had forbidden Nooroo from telling anyone. He suspected that it had to do with Adrien's mother. In retrospect, Gabriel's behavior was not that of a grieving widower who was slowly coming to terms with his wife's death. He hadn't moved on at all.

"Did he ever care about me?" Adrien asked, not meeting Plagg's gaze.

"I don't know that either," Plagg admitted. He hoped the answer was yes, but honestly he couldn't be sure. Maybe Gabriel had been a different man when Émilie was around, but Plagg didn't think so. It was more likely that Émilie had smoothed over the rough spots between Gabriel and Adrien. Without her, Gabriel's neglect of his son had simply become more obvious.

Adrien was quiet for a moment before he spoke again, his voice cracking. "Why aren't I good enough, Plagg? Why doesn't he want me?"

The plaintive question broke Plagg's heart, especially since he didn't have an answer. Adrien had an innate gentleness that made him an incredible Chat Noir: destructiveness was best tempered by tenderness, after all. Plagg had never had to worry about Adrien snapping and going off the deep end, like he had with a few other Chat Noirs. But more than that, Adrien was just a plain good kid. If it weren't for his father's ridiculously overbearing rules, Adrien would never act out. He rarely fought back against his father. He didn't have tantrums. He was, by most accounts, a model teenager in every meaning of the word.

There were only two explanations that Plagg could think of, and neither was likely to bring Adrien much comfort. The first was that Adrien was too much like Émilie, and it was too hard for Gabriel to look at his son and see the wife he had lost. That seemed unlikely, as it would require Gabriel actually looking at Adrien long enough to notice those similarities in the first place - and Plagg couldn't actually be sure that had ever happened. Certainly, in the months since Plagg had come to stay with Adrien, he couldn't remember Gabriel spending more than ten minutes at a time in his son's presence.

The second, which Plagg thought was probably the case, was that Adrien would never be good enough simply because he wasn't Émilie.

"Adrien..."

"No. I know. You don't know. No one does but my dad." Adrien sniffed and let go of Plagg with one hand to bring his sleeve up and wipe his face. "I always wondered if there was more going than I realized... but I never imagined he was Hawkmoth." His voice broke again. "I should've realized. I should've -"

"Hey, no. You couldn't have known, Adrien. Hell, I'm a kwami and I didn't even realize that Nooroo was in the same house as me," Plagg said, and he would be beating himself up for that for as long as he existed. How had he missed that?! "This is not your fault. Gabriel was being just as secretive as you were; he was never around. How could you have figured it out?"

"God," Adrien whispered. "What if he had figured out I'm Chat Noir?"

"I would've Cataclysmed him before he got within ten feet of you," Plagg replied immediately.

Adrien snorted. "Don't joke."

"I'm not joking," Plagg said seriously. "We're thinking about killing him and Nathalie."

Finally, Adrien looked up. His green eyes were wide as he searched Plagg's face. "Please tell me you're joking."

Plagg shook his head. "Not even a little bit. Tikki and I have already discussed it and it's the option that makes the most sense..."

"Oh my god," Adrien muttered. "My father is a supervillain and my kwami is talking about murder."

"You have to admit, it's the cleanest solution."

"How is this my life?"

"Adrien."

"Plagg." Adrien wiped his face again, seemed to realize what he was doing, and made a disgusted face. "Ew. I need - I need a new shirt." He clumsily climbed out of Plagg's lap and took off his shirt, chucking it into the corner of the room. That right there told Plagg how upset Adrien was, because normally the kid was extremely neat. He had to be, otherwise Gabriel would end up allowing the maids to clean Adrien's room again and that meant there was a risk the maids might see Plagg.

“It’s not set in stone, but it’s something we’re discussing,” Plagg said patiently. “But we can talk more about it later.”

“Sure,” Adrien said, shaking his head as he pulled a clean shirt on. “We’ll talk about murdering my father later. Yeah.”

Plagg was about to respond, but the distant sound of screaming filled the room. He and Adrien looked at each other with wide eyes. Then Adrien rushed across the room to grab his phone. His fingers shook as opened up a news site. Sure enough, there were reports of an akuma rampaging through Paris.

“Adrien, you can’t,” Plagg said. The kid was in no shape to fight. Neither was Marinette, for that matter.

“I have to,” Adrien said stubbornly. “Ladybug can’t go alone.”

“Tikki and I could take care of it,” Plagg said, but even as he spoke he knew it was a losing cause. He sighed, rolling his eyes, and reluctantly changed back into his kwami form. There was really no point in arguing when Adrien got that mulish expression on his face. All it would do was wind Adrien up further and delay their response time towards the akuma.

“Adrien!” Marinette rushed into the room. Her face was streaked with dried tears, but she looked every bit as determined as Adrien did. A resigned-looking Tikki followed, already in her kwami form, and Plagg knew that a very similar conversation had just taken place between Marinette and Tikki.

“I saw. Are you ready?” Adrien asked her.

Marinette nodded. “Tikki, spots on!”

“Plagg, claws out!”

And again, Plagg was sucked into the ring. He stewed silently, trying to figure out what they were going to do about Gabriel and Nathalie. Adrien clearly wasn’t taking the murder option as seriously as he should be, but then again Plagg wasn’t sure what he had expected for a fourteen-year-old who had been very sheltered throughout his life – especially since Adrien probably hadn’t fully processed everything yet, never mind what this revelation would mean for his future.

The one silver lining in all of this was that he and Tikki had gotten Adrien out of that mansion before they found out. Adrien didn’t need to be knowingly living under Hawkmoth’s roof. Plagg had his doubts that the kid would be able to act calmly enough to avoid raising suspicion. More likely, Adrien would have (rightfully!) freaked out and fled to Ladybug, prompting a reveal at the worst time.

He was contemplating their options, and whether it would be better to just slip away and Cataclysm Gabriel and Nathalie before anyone expressly told him he wasn’t allowed to, when he was suddenly spit out of the ring. Plagg shook off the momentary disorientation and found himself looking at Adrien and a wedge of Camembert. He took the cheese and shoved it in his mouth, because he never turned down Camembert, but honestly his focus was more on the fact that Adrien was visibly swaying.

“You okay, Kit?” Plagg asked through the cheese.

“Fine,” Adrien mumbled, rubbing a hand over his face. “Just – just tired. Eat quick, okay? This akuma is really fast and Ladybug and I are having a hard time as it is; she needs to recharge –”

Ladybug screamed. “Chat!”

And of course Adrien turned rather than flinging himself out of the way, right into a bunch of lights that looked like fireflies. Plagg shouted in alarm, but all the light did was make Adrien collapse. Plagg flew down to him and frantically looked the kid over, but gradually he realized that Adrien appeared to be just sleeping. Ladybug landed beside him a moment later, already crying and spilling apologies.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I was trying to lead it away, but it threw me into a building,” she sobbed, grabbing Adrien’s hand.

She had been thrown into a building, but she was the one apologizing. Plagg had to physically stop himself from facepalming. Just when he thought he’d seen the limit of how screwed up these kids were, Hawkmoth reared his ugly face and proved him wrong. It was infuriating. He looked at Adrien, face cast in distress even while asleep, and then he looked at Ladybug, who was so overwhelmed she was a teary mess on the alley floor and clutching her partner’s hand like she was going to completely lose it if she dared to let go, and was overcome by a swell of pure, blinding rage.

He changed back into his humanoid form, feet hitting the ground, and immediately knelt beside Ladybug. “It’s okay,” he said gently. “He’s just sleeping, that’s all.”

“It’s all my fault,” Ladybug cried.

“No, it’s not. It’s Hawkmoth’s fault.” Plagg looked her over, realizing that she was in no shape to fight. They never should’ve let Marinette and Adrien come out here in the first place. Neither kid had even fully recuperated from what had happened a few nights ago. Then there was the disaster at school and now finding out about Hawkmoth and Mayura. It was way too much for them.

He stood up. “You stay here. I want you to protect Adrien,” he told her. It was likely that the akuma was unaware that it had even hit Adrien, considering that it wasn’t trying to attack them right now. There was no way Hawkmoth would’ve wasted a prime opportunity to get his hands on the Black Cat miraculous.

Ladybug looked up at him, tears still streaming down her face. “But the akuma –”

“I’ll take care of it.” Plagg jumped straight up in the air before she could respond, landing on the rooftop above. The akuma was easy to spot. It was some plant-based creature with tentacles, one of the less humanoid akumas that Ladybug and Chat Noir had ever had to face. Every so often, the huge flower on top would belch out a bunch of those lights – not fireflies, Plagg realized, but pollen.

“Cataclysm,” he whispered, and his hands lit up with black light. A grim smile crossed his face as he threw himself off the roof. The akuma was indeed fast, and its many tentacles made it more dangerous than usual, but Plagg was faster. He dodged the akuma’s attacks and came up right underneath the flower. There was a broach pinned to the purple petals.

He touched a finger to the broach, exerting considerable effort to rein in his power. The akuma shrieked as the pin cracked; greyish light bubbled around it, leaving behind a young man holding a bouquet flowers, blinking owlishly. Ladybug and Chat Noir usually spared a few moments to comfort Hawkmoth’s victims. Plagg had no such luxury. He jumped again, tail lashing the air, and kicked off a nearby building with enough force to grab at the rapidly fleeing butterfly.

His claws closed around it and again, Plagg hissed, “Cataclysm!” His fury towards Hawkmoth and Mayura intensified into a hot wave of black light that dissolved the akuma in less than a second.

Plagg landed on the roof of a nearby building and immediately made his way back to Ladybug and Adrien. She was kneeling on the ground, helping Adrien to sit up. Adrien looked groggy and disoriented and Plagg’s anger rose all over again. It should be Hawkmoth he was Cataclsyming, not Hawkmoth’s butterflies.

“I didn’t use my cure,” Ladybug said in a tiny voice.

“You can’t, not now that I’ve gotten rid of the butterfly.” Plagg tactfully didn’t say he wasn’t sure Ladybug had enough energy for that; she probably would’ve collapsed like a stone afterwards. Much like when Tikki had used her cure, there was now an influx of bad luck in the air. He would deal with it later. For now, he was far more concerned about the children.

Chapter Text

They had messed up. That was the key thought hanging in Adrien’s mind as Plagg carried both him and Ladybug home. He’d known as soon as he saw the akuma that it would be a tough one to handle, but he’d never expected it to get the upper hand the way it had. Adrien had been particularly stupid, he reflected grimly. He knew better than to just stand there like an idiot when Ladybug screamed your name like that. He should’ve ducked or dodged that attack, but his reflexes were like molasses right now.

Plagg landed on the roof, then hopped easily down to the road. He walked up the steps and opened the door. Ladybug slid down from his back and landed on the floor. Adrien’s heart turned over when he saw the tear streaks on her face. His lady had been doing far too much crying lately, and too much of it was Adrien’s fault. As Plagg set him down on the couch, Adrien reached out to her.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

Ladybug’s eyes filled with fresh tears. “Oh Adrien, it wasn’t your fault.”

“I should’ve dodged,” he said, frustrated with himself. Yet another battle where he was totally useless to Ladybug because he’d been hit by an akuma, and this time he didn’t even have the excuse that he was protecting her! He was damned lucky that Hawkmoth hadn’t seen him – or at least, he hoped that Hawkmoth hadn’t seen him and wasn’t currently putting two and two together.

“I don’t think there was enough time for that,” Ladybug admitted, moving over to him. She took his hands and perched on the edge of the couch. “By the time I saw the akuma heading for you, it was too late. I’m the one who should’ve been paying better attention; I knew you’d gone to feed Plagg… and then when I saw you I just… I just couldn’t… I couldn’t even pull myself together long enough to defeat the akuma.”

She freed one of her hands and gently cupped his cheek. Adrien flinched at the sudden pain, startled. Ladybug pulled her hand back and took out her yoyo, opening it up and showing him his reflection. He found himself looking at a sizeable scrape on his right cheek that went from just under his eye to the curve of his bottom lip. It must have happened when he collapsed because of the akuma, he realized.

“I couldn’t use my cure,” Ladybug said, a tear rolling down her cheek. “So… I couldn’t heal you. I should be the one apologizing.”

Adrien sighed. “No you shouldn’t,” he said. Ladybug had been under an incredible amount of stress over the past few days. He honestly had no idea how she was holding it together. It figured that Adrien’s stupidity would be the thing that pushed her over the edge again.

“How about you both stop apologizing, because it’s neither of your faults?” Plagg said, rolling his eyes, and Adrien jumped. He’d almost forgotten Plagg was even in the room.

“You’re just saying that,” Ladybug mumbled, echoing Adrien’s sentiments exactly.

“I’m really not. You’re both taking way too much blame on your shoulders instead of shifting it to where it belongs. Hawkmoth. He’s the one who created that akuma,” Plagg said. “And no, Adrien, that does not mean you need to feel more guilty. You are not responsible for the actions of your father. He’s an adult and you’re a child.”

Adrien frowned, not sure he agreed with that. He still believed that he should’ve noticed something was wrong after having lived in the same house as Hawkmoth for so long. And he couldn’t help thinking that if he’d done something differently, been a better kid, then Gabriel never would have taken up the mantle of Hawkmoth in the first place. But he knew better than to voice that opinion right now.

Plagg eyed him like he knew what Adrien was thinking, but he spoke to Ladybug. “Could you detransform, baby bug? Tikki is much better at this kind of stuff than I am.”

“Oh,” Ladybug said, blinking rapidly. “Tikki, spots off.”

A warm red light suffused her, making Adrien’s hand tingle where they were still connected, before Tikki appeared. In the blink of an eye, Tikki was in her humanoid form and had her hands on Adrien’s face. Clucking her tongue, she carefully turned his chin and tipped his head up so that she could get a better look at what had happened. Her frown deepened as she examined the damage.

“What happened?” she asked.

Adrien flushed and Marinette looked away.

“I’ll tell you while we get the first aid kit,” Plagg said, jerking his chin. Tikki glanced between the two kids but stood up and followed him.

“I really am sorry, Adrien. That must hurt,” Marinette said in a small voice. The guilt painted all over her face hurt to see. So, even though it really did hurt, Adrien pasted on a smile.

“It’s not that bad, Bugaboo,” he said, hoping to make her scowl at the nickname. “The good thing is, I don’t have to worry about what my father would say if I showed up to a photo shoot looking like this.” Because Gabriel would have been absolutely furious.

“I’m not sure that’s the silver lining you think it is,” she said, and he shrugged.

“Either way, I’m sorry for not being there to help you.”

“Don’t. It could have just as easily been me who got hit and not you.” Marinette sighed. Her hair was falling out of its pigtails, and she reached up to tuck a strand behind her ear. “Besides, at least you have an excuse for being entirely useless during the battle. After you got hit, it was like… like I didn’t even have it in me to keep going.” She stared down at their linked hands, not meeting their eyes. “Seeing you laying there unconscious really freaked me out. I knew you were just sleeping, but I –”

“Sometimes it’s not that easy to convince your brain of that,” Adrien said gently, and she nodded jerkily. He leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her. “I’m okay, Mari, really.”

She brought her hands up and hugged him back fiercely enough that it hurt; his ribs were a little tender, probably from the impact with the ground, but Adrien didn’t care. He knew exactly how she felt. The suits always protected them from too much damage, but that made it no less easy to see your partner get swallowed up by a dinosaur or be thrown off a building. Usually they had to separate after battles because of their secret identities, and just had to trust that the other would be okay.

At least now they had the luxury of knowing who the other was, which meant they could sit here together and know how their partner was doing. Of course, the circumstances were slightly unusual in that Adrien actually was hurt and was staying hurt this time – but that just made the hug all the sweeter. Marinette absolutely would’ve tormented herself knowing that Chat Noir’s civilian self had been hurt when she couldn’t heal him, and that she couldn’t do anything about it.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she whispered shakily, her hands fisting in his shirt. “It really scared me. I don’t know what I would do without you, Chaton.”

Her words warmed him to his core, and gave him the courage to say, “So you’re not mad that my dad is Hawkmoth?”

“No!” Marinette said at once.

Adrien exhaled, relieved. “But I should’ve known –”

“Adrien, no kid would ever think that their parent is capable of something like that.” Marinette cut him off as she pulled back to look at him. “If that had been my dad, there’s no way I would think he was Hawkmoth. It wouldn’t even enter my mind as a possibility. I don’t blame you for that at all. I just feel awful that you have to deal with that.”

“It helps that I have you, Plagg and Tikki,” Adrien admitted. “I don’t know what I’d do with you either.”

Marinette blushed, but gave a tiny smile. “We’re a real mess, aren’t we?”

“We really are,” Adrien agreed, but that didn’t bother as much as it probably should have. He really was grateful to his lady, and to Plagg and Tikki, because he couldn’t even begin to fathom what he would’ve done if he’d found out that his father was Hawkmoth and had no one else to lean on. He tried to picture taking this information to Master Fu and grimaced; he was pretty sure Master Fu wouldn’t have wrapped him up in a hug while he cried.

“They’re talking about killing them,” Marinette whispered, glancing at the door Tikki and Plagg had gone through.

“Plagg mentioned it, but I don’t think he’s serious,” Adrien said. Or at least, he really hoped that Plagg wasn’t serious. He didn’t relish the thought of talking his kwami out of murder.

“Tikki was,” Marinette replied. “I think Plagg was too. We have to convince them not to.”

“We’ll work on it.” That was all Adrien had the chance to say before Tikki came back into the room. She was indeed holding a first aid kit, which Marinette blinked at.

“I didn’t know we had that,” she said.

“You’re soft humans and that means you can get hurt even when you’re not transformed,” Plagg called out from wherever he was.

“What Plagg said,” Tikki said, rolling her eyes. She walked over and knelt beside the couch, opening up the kit. “Adrien, you should go into the bathroom and wash your face before I put anything on it. There could be dirt in your scrape.”

“Right.” Adrien got up, wincing slightly, and hobbled into the bathroom. In the light, the scrape on his face looked even worse than it had in Ladybug’s yoyo. Marinette might not think it was a silver lining, but he was incredibly grateful that neither his father nor his make-up artist nor his photographer was going to see him like this. It was hard to say who would be more upset.

He carefully washed his face, breathing through the sting, and returned to the living room slightly cleaner. Tikki sprayed some antiseptic on the scrape, which helped to take a lot of the pain away, then covered it with gauze that was taped in place. Adrien remained quiet and still while she worked. Even if the circumstances were crappy, it felt so good to be touched this way.

“Hey Tikki?” Marinette said when Tikki was putting the kit back together.

“Yes?” Tikki said.

“Do you think I could go see my parents tomorrow?”

Adrien looked at her in surprise. So did Tikki. Marinette didn’t look at either of them. She was staring down at her lap, nervously twining her fingers together. It hit Adrien that she was genuinely afraid that Tikki would say no, and Tikki must have realized that too because she reached over and put a hand on Marinette’s arm. Marinette glanced up then, meeting Tikki’s eyes.

“Marinette, you can go see your parents anytime you want,” Tikki said gently. “Plagg and I aren’t trying to keep you away from them or anything.” She paused. “I mean, obviously Adrien, we’d prefer it if you kept your distance from your dad for the time being –”

“Don’t worry,” Adrien interrupted. “I have absolutely no interest in seeing him again anytime soon.”

“Good,” Tikki said. “But since we can be reasonably assured that Tom and Sabine aren’t super villains, we can go tomorrow.”

Marinette smiled. “Thanks Tikki. Adrien, you can come too if you want. Maman and Papa would probably love to see you.”

“I’ll think about it,” Adrien said, already knowing that he would say no. Marinette wouldn’t get to see her parents very often now, and he didn’t want to do anything to intrude on that. He hoped that for Marinette’s sake, her visit with her maman and papa would go a hell of a lot better than Adrien’s had.

Chapter Text

Tikki noticed, of course, that come early the next morning, the influx of bad luck hanging over Paris had dramatically lessened. As she and Marinette walked hand-in-hand towards the bakery, Tikki pondered over the potential reasons for that. Good and bad luck would both work themselves out eventually, but it was unusual for it to happen so quickly. She was inclined to think that someone, somewhere, had drawn the bulk of Plagg's bad luck their way. But who? There had been nothing on the news that Adrien was watching. Surely, anything that big would've drawn attention?

"Thanks for coming with me, Tikki," Marinette said, pulling Tikki out of her thoughts. Tikki looked over and realized that Marinette was staring at the ground like it was something fascinating. Her free hand toyed nervously with the hemline of her blue sundresses.

"It was my pleasure," Tikki told her. There was no way she and Plagg would have let Marinette go alone, but she wasn't sure if Marinette was in the right headspace to recognize that. Tom and Sabine may not have been supervillains like Gabriel, but they weren't exactly great parents and Marinette was in a very fragile place right now. Hopefully Tikki's presence would be enough to mitigate things and prevent another breakdown. At least this time Tikki didn't have to hide anymore, so if things started going south she could physically scoop Marinette up and get her out of the bakery.

Marinette gave a shy smile. "I'm sure you had more important things to do today," she said, and then, before Tikki could respond to that, added, "It's weird to think that you can walk right into the bakery with me. I'm so used to having to hide you from Maman and Papa. Will it be like it was with Alya and Nino? They'll know who you are?"

"Yes, they'll know," Tikki said, deciding to let the first part of what Marinette had said go for now. "Plagg and I were very careful when it came to the memory of your parents. We didn't want either of them finding any holes or things to doubt."

"What would happen if they did?" Marinette asked curiously.

"They don't have any magic of their own, so not too much. But we wanted to be careful anyway," Tikki said. She didn't think Marinette needed to know that shoddy memory spells could literally drive people crazy.

"And if they did have magic of their own? Like Gabriel? He's not going to remember, is he?" A hint of panic crept into Marinette's voice and she tightened her grip on Tikki's hand, looking up at Tikki imploringly.

"Absolutely not," Tikki said as reassuringly as she could. "Miraculous holders are a bit of a special case; you use magical objects, but you don't necessarily have magic yourselves. It tends to depend on the individual holder and how strong their bond with their miraculous is. In Gabriel's case, he and Nooroo have not bonded the way that they would have if Nooroo was with Gabriel of his own free will. Also, Plagg and I are exceptionally skilled at the whole memory thing. It's not the first time that we've had to do that."

"When else have you had to do it?" Marinette said, clearly intrigued.

Tikki smiled and gently swung their hands. "Well, let's see. The last time we had to do it was when Plagg fucked up and caused a fire in Chicago -"

Marinette was giggling by the time they reached the bakery, though her mirth faded as they walked up to the doors. Her nerves had clearly returned, but no one would ever have known it from how calmly she put her hand on the door and opened it. Looking down at her, Tikki felt a renewed surge of pride. Not many kids would've been able to handle the situation that Marinette and Adrien were in with even a quarter of their grace. For all of the mistakes he had made, Master Fu had chosen exceptionally well when he'd handed out the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculouses this time around.

The bakery was bustling, as was to be expected considering that it was only half past nine. Marinette pulled Tikki over to an empty corner and just stood there for a moment, pressed so tightly against Tikki that Tikki could feel her trembling a little. Tikki started to wonder if this had been a good idea. Maybe it had been too soon? Yet at the same time, it wasn't like she and Plagg had any right to keep Marinette away from her parents... and Marinette was the one who had wanted to come here.

"You don't have to see them today if you don't want to. We can leave," Tikki whispered, bending down so that her words were for Marinette alone.

"Marinette!"

The moment for leaving was lost; Marinette tensed so much that Tikki half-expected her to fall over. Sabine squeezed between a couple of customers and wrapped her daughter up in a big hug. Marinette, after a split second pause, hugged her maman back, but didn't let go of Tikki's hand. Tikki ended up standing by awkwardly for the duration of the hug, which didn't last long. All too soon Sabine was stepping back and smiling.

"How are you doing?" Sabine asked, looking Marinette up and down.

"I've been good," Marinette said.

"And Tikki. How are you?" Sabine turned her smile on Tikki. Out of the corner of her eye, Tikki saw Marinette jump a little. She squeezed Marinette's hand again and answered Sabine.

"Doing well, Sabine, thank you," Tikki said politely. "How have things been with you and Tom?"

"Oh, busy as ever. Tom's decided that he wants to start experimenting with cupcake flavors, and it's brought customers in by the swarm! We've barely had the time to breathe, let alone do anything else," Sabine said with a laugh. Marinette winced at that, and it wasn't too hard to tell what she was thinking: from the sound of it, Marinette's parents hadn't had the time to miss her. Tikki decided to prompt Sabine.

"I'm sure it's been hard without Marinette around," she said.

Sabine nodded. "Of course! We always miss Marinette's help in the bakery. Though I have to admit, we're not having to clean dropped pastries off the floor quite as often." She giggled and reached out to hug Marinette again. "And of course, your papa and I miss having you around too."

"Of course," Tikki said tightly, wanting to grab the woman by the shoulders and shake her until she saw some sense. Unfortunately, shaking Sabine probably wouldn’t help and it definitely wouldn't comfort Marinette. She was certain that Sabine didn't realize how it sounded: all Marinette was hearing right now was that the only reason her parents missed her was because they were short a helper in the bakery.

“Can you stay for a bit?” Sabine asked. “The morning lull should happen in… oh, another half hour, maybe? Your papa and I will have a chance to talk with you then.”

“Sure. Do you want some help?” Marinette said.

“That would be lovely, dear,” Sabine said, already turning to head back to the counter.

Tikki took a deep breath. “I’ll help too,” she said, and was both touched and saddened by Marinette’s look of gratitude.

Marinette led the way behind the counter. Sabine was manning the register, so Tikki donned one of the aprons that Marinette gave her, washed her hands, and then surveyed the rows of delicacies. She was familiar with most of them. Chocolate chip cookies were by far her favorite, but over time Marinette had allowed her to sample the majority of the pastries that the bakery offered.

“I’ll take orders and you fill the boxes. Then Maman can just ring people through,” Marinette said determinedly. It wasn’t good for her to be here, not right now, and yet Tikki recognized just how comfortable Marinette was in the bakery. But of course, Marinette had grown up here and had been doing this sort of thing since she was young.

Between the three of them, they were able to clear out the morning rush within about twenty minutes. Tikki set the last filled box on the table beside Sabine and glanced around the bakery, but, aside from her, Sabine, Marinette and the last customer, it was otherwise empty. Sabine rang up the purchase and the customer departed with a smile and the bakery box, leaving them alone.

“Thanks girls. Have a seat. I’ll get your papa,” Sabine said, ducking into the back.

As they sat, Tikki leaned over and placed a hand on Marinette’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Marinette said with a thin smile that suggested she was not, in fact, fine. But before Tikki could press, Sabine returned with Tom in tow.

“Marinette!” Tom boomed, arms spread wide.

“Hi Papa.” Marinette got up to accept a hug.

“Hi Tikki,” Tom said. “Thanks for bringing our Marinette by for a visit.”

“No problem,” Tikki said with a smile. “How are things going?”

“Oh, they’re going. Busy as always. I actually just put a cake in the oven. Brand new recipe.” Tom’s eyes sparkled. “I think you’d like it, Marinette. It’s strawberry and white chocolate with a secret ingredient.”

“Sounds interesting,” Marinette said, sitting back down.

“How has school been?” Sabine asked, then frowned. “Wait – shouldn’t you be in school right now?”

They’d finally noticed. Tikki spoke up. “Actually, Marinette and Adrien have an appointment later,” she said. “So it just made more sense for them not to go in today.” It was a lie, but Tikki was comfortable with those. She was pretty sure Marinette would start bawling if she talked about school right now.

“I see,” Sabine said. “Just make sure you don’t miss too much time, Marinette. Your father and I expect you to keep your grades up.”

“I know,” Marinette whispered.

In an obvious effort to ease the tension, Tom asked, “How are your friends? Alya? How’s Adrien?”

“Everyone is good,” Marinette said. “Adrien too.” The change in her when she spoke Adrien’s name was obvious; she relaxed a little, her face clearing. Tikki was hardpressed to hide a smile.

“Good, good.” Tom patted her shoulder. “And your design? Still churning them out?”

“You bet,” Marinette said, but she offered no more details. Instead, she asked her father more about his new recipes. Tikki couldn’t tell if Marinette didn’t want to talk about her designs because Marinette hadn’t designed anything new in a little while, or if it was because she felt her parents wouldn’t really listen to what she said. Knowing Marinette, it was a combination of both, and that knowledge sat heavily in the pit of Tikki’s stomach.

Their conversation ended when three more customers entered the bakery all at once; Sabine jumped up and scurried over to greet them, with only a distracted farewell to her daughter. Marinette sighed heavily and stood, so Tikki got up too. She was willing to stay here as long as Marinette wanted to, but a look at Marinette’s face suggested that their visit was at its end.

“You’re heading out?” Tom asked.

“You’re busy. I don’t want to be in the way,” Marinette said.

“Just stay there,” Tom told her, heading for the back.

Tikki leaned down a bit to whisper to Marinette, saying, “Maybe if we came back at a different time –”

“It wouldn’t matter,” Marinette said softly, her face set. “They just don’t have the time. During the morning and afternoons they’re busy in the bakery; at night they’re prepping for the next day, and then they have an hour or two to themselves and then they go to bed and do the same thing the next day.”

“Maybe during their next days off?” Tikki tried, and Marinette snorted.

“Here you are,” Tom said, emerging from the back with a bag in hand. “Do drop by more often, would you, Mari? We miss you.” He kissed her cheek, hugged her again, and then scampered into the back as Sabine called out for more blueberry tarts.

Silently, Tikki took Marinette’s free hand and they walked out of the bakery. As the bell jingled behind them, Tikki cast about for something to say. There had been no surprises in the visit, at least not to her. Tom and Sabine had acted the way they always had: with detached interest, as though Marinette were their twenty-five-year old daughter swinging by for a visit and not a fourteen-year-old child. As always, the bakery had been their primary concern. She didn’t think that was liable to change anytime soon, but she wasn’t sure how to communicate that to Marinette – or even if she should. The struggle left her quiet.

“They don’t miss me at all, do they?” Marinette said at last, as they neared home.

“Marinette –”

“It’s okay. I suspected that might be the case. I just wanted to check,” Marinette said with a forced smile, but her eyes were too bright. “I guess it’s for the best, isn’t it? Now they don’t have to worry about me. They can just focus on what they love the most.”

Tikki bit her lip. “They do love you,” she said as she opened the door to their home.

“But not enough,” Marinette said very quietly, and walked past Tikki.

Plagg was sitting on the couch, and when they walked in he looked up and said, “Ah, ma petite reine returns.”

Marinette turned automatically to Tikki, but Tikki merely smiled. “He’s not talking to me.”

Marinette’s eyes filled with tears and she ran to Plagg, throwing herself into his lap. Plagg hugged her automatically, looking at Tikki with unspoken questions over the top of Marinette’s head. Tikki merely sighed and decided to leave them to it; she went to check on Adrien and left Plagg to comfort Marinette, hoping that Plagg would be able to help in ways that Tikki couldn’t.

Chapter Text

Hugs from Tikki were amazing, but nothing could beat a hug from Plagg in Marinette’s opinion. It was kind of like being embraced by a bigger version of Chat, purring and all. She always felt very small in Plagg’s arms, but also very safe and comforted, and that was exactly what she needed right now after her visit with her parents. She snuggled into Plagg and pressed her face to his chest.

“I’m guessing the visit didn’t go that well,” Plagg said, tightening his grip on her.

“It went fine,” Marinette mumbled, turning her head just enough so that her words would be audible. “That’s the problem. It’s always fine.”

She had never felt more distant from her parents than she had right now. Before she became Ladybug, Marinette had never minded that they were so involved in the bakery. After all, between homework and her numerous hobbies, she’d had plenty of things to occupy her time. It hadn’t been an issue until the scales started tipping in the other direction, when everything became too much and yet her parents still didn’t have time for her.

Tikki said that Tom and Sabine loved and missed her. Marinette knew the former was true, but she had doubts about the latter. Did her parents miss her? Or were they too busy to even notice that Marinette wasn’t there most of the time? Except when they needed someone to help in the bakery, of course. The thought prompted a spike of bitterness in her chest that had her clinging to Plagg even more tightly.

Maybe they were even glad she was gone. Glad that they didn’t have to worry about her. Glad that that they didn’t have to think about feeding her or checking in with her. It gave them more time to devote to the bakery, and Tom was clearly in his element. He had ample time to experiment with new recipes, while Sabine could put all of her energy into giving customers the best experience possible.

“Marinette…” Plagg sounded uncertain.

“It’s okay. Could we just sit here?” Marinette asked, wiggling around untl her ear was right over his chest.

“Of course.” Plagg fell quiet after that, but his purrs intensified until Marinette was vibrating with them. She closed her eyes and lost herself in the soothing sound.

Thank god for Tikki and Plagg. What would she and Adrien have done without their kwamis? Marinette supposed that she, at least, would’ve been okay. Her parents weren’t cruel or neglectful the way that Gabriel was. Hell, as she got older and figured out how to move past what was happening at school, she might have even come to enjoy the fact that they paid her so little attention. That was every teenager’s dream, right?

But Adrien… whatever ended up being done about Gabriel, whether he went to jail or what, Adrien would’ve ended up in the foster system. Marinette wouldn’t have wished that on anyone, but especially Adrien. He lived for his time as Chat Noir, and she didn’t know if he’d get the chance to do that if people were closely monitoring him. Plus, if Adrien were adopted, his new family could take him out of Paris. That thought made her want to throw up. They couldn’t lose each other. They just couldn’t.

They didn’t have to worry about that now, and Marinette was deeply grateful for that. Now if she and Adrien could just talk Tikki and Plagg out of this silly murder plan, everything would be alright. She was pretty sure that Tikki had been completely serious about it, but in retrospect that wasn’t surprising. This wasn’t the first time that Marinette had noticed that kwami didn’t see the world the way that humans did. She wasn’t sure if it was a fundamental kwami thing, or if it just came from having lived for thousands of years. Either way, Plagg and Tikki and, she was sure, the rest of the kwamis had a different set of values and morals.

It wasn’t a bad thing, but it could be jarring. Hearing their plan had really shocked Marinette at first, but now she realized that it made sense. Of course they wanted to just eliminate the problem. Marinette could admit that it would be the easiest solution, even if it wasn’t humane or, you know, legal. Kwamis were above that sort of thing – or below, she had never been able to figure out which. Either way, if Marinette and Adrien weren’t here, Gabriel Agreste would already be dead.

He should go to jail, she decided. It was what Gabriel deserved. Her miraculous cure might have fixed everything physically, but plenty of people had been left with psychological trauma following akuma attacks. Plus, thanks to the Ladyblog and the media, there was plenty of video footage of Gabriel’s crimes. And there would be witness testimony when it came to the things that Hawkmoth had done, and Ladybug could testify too even if Chat couldn’t. Surely, that would be enough to put him away.

It did make her worry about Adrien and the potential fall-out he would face, but jail was where Gabriel belonged. She only hoped that the people would recognize that Adrien had had no part in what his father had done. Ladybug would have to advocate for him. People would believe what she said. Chat could speak up for Adrien Agreste too, though knowing Adrien he wouldn’t be comfortable with that –

“You awake?” Plagg asked, his voice a low rumble from the force of his purr. Marinette blinked slowly, having been so deeply involved in her thoughts that it took her a moment to get back to the real world.

“Yeah,” she said, reaching up to rub at one eye. A nap sounded really good right now, but then she looked up and caught the expression on Plagg’s face and all thoughts of sleep promptly fled. A surge of adrenaline hit her instead as she registered how concerned he looked.

“Adrien got a phone call,” he said, answering her unspoken question. He uncurled and stood, easily bringing Marinette with him as though she weighed nothing at all – and as much as she didn’t mind being carried, might even love it, she didn’t know if she’d ever get used to how casually Plagg and Tikki used their considerable strength. There weren’t many people who could casually pick up a fourteen-year-old and hold them for an extended period of time without blinking an eye.

“A phone call?” Marinette asked, winding her arms around Plagg’s neck automatically. Not that she feared Plagg would ever drop her. She knew that he wouldn’t. But it was more comfortable.

“Something’s wrong,” Plagg said, moving swiftly towards the bedrooms, and Marinette’s heart sank. Her immediate thought was that Gabriel was calling, either to pressure Adrien into a photoshoot or to do a modeling job. She hoped that wasn’t the case. Adrien wasn’t ready yet to say no to his father.

They walked into the bedroom to find Tikki and Adrien sitting on the bed. Tikki had her arm around Adrien’s shoulders and a shocked look on her face. Adrien was pale and quiet; as they entered, he brought his phone away from his ear and hit the end button. Then he just… sat there. Staring at his phone. Wide eyed and shocked. Marinette’s heart started to pound.

“Adrien? What’s wrong?” she asked shakily.

But it was Tikki who answered. “There’s been an accident.”

“An accident?” Marinette repeated, hugging Plagg tighter. “Wh-what happened?”

“My father is dead,” Adrien said numbly.

Marinette gasped. “What?!”

“Nathalie is in the hospital,” Adrien continued, as though she hadn’t reacted. “The hospital is saying that her chances of survival aren’t good.”

“That’s – ” Marinette didn’t even know what to say. An accident? But how?

“It was a car accident,” Tikki said quietly. “The police were calling to see if Adrien would come and identify his father’s body.”

“Hell no,” Plagg said. “I’ll go.”

“Plagg,” Adrien said, lifting his head.

“Absolutely not, Kit,” Plagg said firmly. “That is not something you need to see. I’ve seen his face every day for the past several months. I can identify him just as easily as you can.”

Marinette didn’t know if it would be that easy, but something about Plagg’s tone made her not want to argue anyway. Besides, she was too busy trying to wrap her head around the fact that Gabriel was dead. It didn’t seem possible. Just moments ago she had been thinking that he should be in jail, because that was only right after what he’d done, and that Plagg and Tikki shouldn’t kill him –

Wait.

“You – you didn’t?” she whispered, looking from Tikki to Plagg. Adrien knew immediately what she was thinking and looked at their kwamis too.

“No!” Tikki said immediately, shaking her head. “Marinette, of course not. We wouldn’t do something like that without having a conversation with you and Adrien first. Besides, when could we have done it? Plagg and I were here with you two all night.” She reached out and lightly touched the gauze on Adrien’s face, as though to remind Marinette why and that’s when Plagg inhaled sharply.

“Fuck,” he said.

They all looked at him, and then Tikki’s face changed. “Oh shit.”

“What?” Marinette demanded. Her neck was getting sore from looking back and forth between them. She wiggled to get down and Plagg’s grip loosened automatically, letting her slide to the floor. She remained beside him, but angled herself so that she could see them both.

Plagg and Tikki were looking at each other, doing that thing where they had a whole conversation through eye contact alone. Or maybe they were actually using telepathy. Marinette wouldn’t have put anything past their kwamis at this point. She glanced at Adrien, wondering if he knew what was happening, but Adrien still looked so shell-shocked that it was pretty clear he didn’t know anything anymore.

Finally, Tikki said, “Do you remember when I told you about all of the good fortune in the air after I used Lucky Charm? And that it was one of many reasons why Plagg and I don’t use our attacks?”

Marinette’s eyebrows furrowed. “Yes… you said that until the good fortune dispersed on its own, some people would have extremely good luck and that can throw the balance off. But you also said that you and Plagg dealt with it when you modified our parent’s memories. You… used the good fortune, or something?”

“I did,” Tikki said with a nod. “It just meant I had to use less energy because I use what was already in the air, whereas Plagg had to use more of his own energy. Well, in this case, Plagg’s and my powers work similarly. When he used Cataclysm last night, it caused an influx of bad fortune in the air. Bad luck that Plagg and I didn’t get the chance to deal with.”

“Okay,” Marinette said slowly, not sure she understood where this was going.

Plagg sighed and set a hand on her shoulder. “A surplus of bad fortune in the air means everyone in Paris has bad luck,” he explained. “And last night, when I used my attack, I was furious at Hawkmoth and, to a lesser extent, Mayura.”

“So… the bad luck in the air targeted him? Them?” Marinette said, her eyes widening. “Wait. You mean to tell me that he’s dead because you used Cataclysm?”

“He’s dead because he sent out the akuma,” Adrien said quietly, and they all turned to him as Adrien’s hands tightened into fists. “If he hadn’t done that, then we wouldn’t have been in danger and Plagg wouldn’t have to use Cataclysm.” He looked up with too-bright eyes. “Right?”

“Of course,” Tikki said instantly. “It’s not your fault, Adrien, or yours, Marinette.”

And then Marinette understood what Adrien was implying: if Chat Noir had used Cataclysm, then there wouldn’t have been an overabundance of bad fortune in the air to cause the accident. If she and Chat had just done their jobs, if Plagg hadn’t had to step in for them, if Tikki and Plagg had dealt with the bad fortune rather than bringing Marinette and Adrien home and fussing over them, if –

“Stop it,” Plagg said, his hand a heavy pressure on Marinette’s should. “Didn’t you hear Tikki? It’s not your fault. Either of you.” His slitted green eyes flicked between them. “The blame rests with Gabriel.”

Marinette wasn’t so sure she believed that, but she was wise enough not to say as much. Instead, she walked over to Adrien and sat beside him, wrapping him up in a hug. He rested his head on her shoulder, though he didn’t cry. Perhaps it was the shock, or maybe he felt he’d cried enough. All she knew was that she had to be there for him for as long as he needed her.

Chapter Text

“Are you going to the hospital?” Tikki asked.

Plagg twisted to look at her, feeling tired. “Yeah. I’ll get the Butterfly if it’s there… and I’ll stop by to get the Peacock too. I’m sure they both had them.”

Tikki nodded, because of course she’d come to the same conclusion, and said, “I think we should think about withdrawing Marinette and Adrien from school for the rest of the semester. There’s only a few months left. We can set them up with private tutors and give them a chance to catch up at their own pace.”

“You think the kids will agree to that?” Plagg said. The idea had merit. Adrien in particular was going to have a hard time over the next couple of weeks. School would be the furthest thing from his mind. And what affected one kid tended to have a trickle effect. He just wasn’t sure how Adrien would feel about that after lobbying so hard to go to school in the first place.

“I can talk to them about it, but yes,” Tikki said. “They’re both exhausted. They haven’t touched the work Madame Bustier gave to them. Marinette starts getting upset just looking at it. Besides, it’ll be different for Adrien this time. He’s choosing a tutor rather than being forced into it. And he’ll have Marinette there with him. That alone would make all the difference in the world.”

“True,” Plagg said thoughtfully. “Before they go back, maybe you should talk to them about joining a different class too. That would at least get Marinette away from Lila.” It wasn’t fair that Marinette had to do that, of course. But Plagg was more concerned about Marinette’s mental health and well-being than he was about anything else. Exposure to that brat affected Marinette deeply, and had helped to contribute to the situation that had led the four of them to where they were now.

“I will.” Tikki sighed and patted his shoulder. “I’d say good luck, but…”

“It doesn’t make a damn bit of difference,” Plagg said, smirking at her. He left as Tikki returned to the bedroom and the kids, walking out the door.

He took the quick route to the hospital by way of rooftop and made it there with time to spare. He identified himself as Adrien’s guardian, there to identify the body, and was promptly escorted down into the morgue. Within moments, he was staring dispassionately at what was clearly the face of Gabriel Agreste. A heavy white cloth lay over everything below the neck, covering up the damage that had no doubt been done.

“We’re not sure yet what the cause of death was,” said one of the workers, hovering nervously nearby as though expecting Plagg to dissolve into tears.

“Okay,” Plagg said, but only because Tikki would’ve smacked him if she found out that he’d told them how much he truly did not give a shit. The cause of death was karmic retribution. How that had been physically doled out didn’t really matter in the end.

“And I don’t believe the police have finished their investigation yet.”

“Sure,” Plagg muttered, glancing around the room. It had been an accident, pure and simple.

“Also, I think –”

“Where are his personal effects?” Plagg said, cutting the worker out.

The worker blinked in surprise. “Uh – um – I can get them for you?”

“Please do. His son wants them,” Plagg added, which wasn’t technically a lie. His heart started to race as the worker returned with a plastic bag. Through it, he could see the Butterfly miraculous. He took the bag, even though he didn’t care about the clothing or other things inside – it wouldn’t be smart to raise suspicions by taking the miraculous and disregarding everything else in front of someone.

“Is there anything else I can do for you?” the worker asked.

“Actually, yeah. Nathalie Sancoeur. What room is she in?”

Nathalie Sancoeur was asleep when Plagg walked into her room. Her face and body were heavily damaged. It looked like she’d broken both legs and one of her arms judging the casts. The room was filled with quiet beeping from the heart monitor. Plagg paused beside it to study the screen. He knew next to nothing about electronics or medicine, but the low numbers on the screen probably weren’t a good thing.

If Nathalie had been used the Peacock miraculous, she probably had health issues even before the accident, he realized. That was probably putting her in a precarious place right now. He wondered if they should begin preparing Adrien for the possibility that she might not survive. Either way, she would no longer be a part of Adrien’s life. No matter what her reasoning for helping Hawkmoth out, there was no way that she was going to be allowed near Adrien after all the shit she’d pulled on Ladybug and Chat Noir.

He turned away from the monitors and found himself looking at another bag, similar to what he held, only filled with clothing that was distinctly more feminine in design. Plagg gave a grim smile and grabbed the bag, tearing it open. He pawed through the torn, bloody clothing until he found what he wanted: the Peacock miraculous. It warmed beneath his fingertips when he picked it up.

“Hi Duusu,” he said quietly, and not without regret. They hadn’t seen Duusu for so long, and none of them had known what happened to her. He tucked the Peacock into his pocket, hoping that Master Fu would be able to repair the damage that had been done to it. Duusu deserved better than to have to live with the knowledge that she was hurting her beloved holders.

He dumped the remainder of the bag back on Nathalie’s nightstand and left through the window rather than make his way back out of the hospital, just in the event that anyone else wanted to ask questions about things he didn’t care to answer. Again, he traversed the rooftops to get to his destination: Master Fu’s shop. Plagg landed silently in the alley behind it and let himself in.

“Master Fu, it’s me,” he called out.

“Hello Plagg.” Wayzz flew into the room first. “What are you – oh my!”

“Yeah, special delivery,” Plagg said, ripping open the bag with Gabriel’s items in it to get at the Butterfly. He also took Gabriel’s wallet, figuring there might be something in there that Adrien would need, and any other jewelry. The rest he dumped in the trash.

Master Fu entered the room, looking first wary and then surprised when he saw the miraculouses. “You brought them back?”

“And here you thought Tikki and me taking the kids was a bad thing,” Plagg said, setting the Peacock and Butterfly on the low table.

“I’m still not sure it was wise, but I suppose I can’t argue with the results,” Master Fu said. “So Gabriel Agreste was Hawkmoth.” He sighed and took the miraculous box from the stand, setting it on the table and punching in the code to open it.

“He was,” Plagg confirmed, offering no more details. It was hard to tell how much Master Fu might have guessed, but Plagg wasn’t going to tell him anything extra without talking to Tikki or the kids first.

“And now he’s dead,” Master Fu murmured, shaking his head. “I had hoped that it would not come to this. How is Chat Noir?”

“He’s dealing as best he can,” said Plagg.

Master Fu hummed. “I suppose it’s for the best that you and Tikki took control when you did. Otherwise, who knows where he would have ended up?”

Plagg bristled. “Still with me and Tikki, obviously,” he shot back, though he couldn’t deny that Master Fu had a point. Of course, had Plagg and Tikki not stepped up when they did, Gabriel would’ve still been alive and so technically Adrien would’ve still been living at home and hating life. But inevitably, Gabriel would’ve exposed himself as Hawkmoth and cast Adrien’s future into uncertainty.

“The whole world would have been looking at Adrien, as they will be now. Unless you don’t plan to tell people?” Master Fu said.

“No, we’re not. Adrien doesn’t need that,” Plagg said. “And you better not saying anything either. That kid has been through enough. People are already going to be paying him too much attention now that Gabriel is dead; he doesn’t need the attitude or reactions that would come along with exposing Gabriel.”

“You expect people to be content with the news that Hawkmoth has merely faded away?” Master Fu said skeptically, opening the top of the miracle box. He gently laid the Peacock and Butterfly miraculouses to rest where they belong, and the hard knot inside Plagg’s chest eased a bit at seeing them there.

“I’m sure Ladybug and Chat Noir will be able to concoct a believable story,” Plagg said, and by that he meant Tikki would come up with something. She was both creative and clever like that. The story might not fill in all the holes, and people would probably still want an answer, but that would have to be enough.

“You know, technically the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculous should no longer be in circulation. Now that Hawkmoth has been dealt with, Ladybug’s and Chat Noir’s purpose has been served,” Master Fu, looking Plagg straight in the face.

Without thinking twice, Plagg bared his fangs. “Listen here,” he hissed. “Tikki and I are not abandoning our kids, do you hear me? You may be the guardian, but that means far less now than it ever did before. We don’t need to listen to you; we do it as a courtesy because we need you to protect the miraculous. But don’t ever make the mistake of thinking that we have to.”

Master Fu’s eyes narrowed. “Watch yourself, Plagg,” he warned. “What happens to the miraculouses are my decision, not yours.”

“That’s what you think,” Plagg said, crossing his arms over his chest. If necessary, he wasn’t above stealing the miracle box out from under Master Fu’s nose. Marinette and Adrien were perfectly capable of protecting it. Hell, someday the two of them would be the guardians – Plagg was almost positive that Master Fu’s plan of bequeathing the guardianship to just Ladybug was not going to fly – and so really, it would just be speeding things up.

Not that Marinette and Adrien needed that sort of stress right now. But Plagg would do it if he had to.

“Plagg,” Wayzz said, very quietly. “Master, I think I heard the door out front. A customer is here.”

“Thank you, Wayzz,” Master Fu said, not looking away from Plagg. He pointedly closed the miracle box and set it back where it belonged before he went out front.

Wayzz sighed. “Must you antagonize him? He is the guardian.”

“I could say the same thing to him. Adrien and Marinette gave up everything, Wayzz. Maybe to Master Fu that doesn’t mean anything… but where would the two of them be if Tikki and I left now?” Plagg asked. Thank goodness he hadn’t brought the kids here. The thought of losing their miraculouses was the last thing those kids needed to hear about right now.

“You both have points. I don’t believe Master really wants to take the Ladybug and Black Cat away. He’s merely trying to regain some control over the situation,” Wayzz said soothingly. “He didn’t anticipate any of this happening. It’s thrown him for a loop.”

“Well, he can come to terms with it however he wants so long as he minds his own business when it comes to the kids,” Plagg said. He could’ve added that Master Fu should have been grateful for all that had happened, as Master Fu’s worst mistake had finally been rectified now that Duusu and Nooroo were back where they belonged, but he didn’t. He was pretty sure that Wayzz already knew what he was thinking.

“Of course,” Wayzz said. “Thank you, Plagg.

“Say to Nooroo and Duusu for me,” Plagg replied. He turned and slipped out the door before Master Fu could return, not wanting to talk to the man any longer. He had one more stop to make before he went home: that safe in Gabriel’s office had contained a book. A very important book. And he was going to get it before anyone else found it.

Chapter Text

Émilie Agreste’s body was discovered the next morning. Nathalie Sancoeur passed away later that afternoon. Both women were buried in a quiet ceremony barely two days later, a process which was considerably sped up by the money the Bourgeois family threw at the situation and the less-than-subtle threats Plagg made to several people over the whole situation.

Adrien stood by the window following the funerals, looking down at the world below. People were walking past, smiling and laughing, completely unaware and uncaring that Adrien’s world had been irrevocably changed. Nothing would ever be the same again. Bad enough he somehow had to come terms with what his father and Nathalie done, but throw his mother on top of it all and Adrien just wanted to hide away from the world.

When someone entered the room behind him, he fully expected it to be Marinette. His lady had never been able to bear her kitty sulking or hiding away in obvious misery. There was a small chance that it would be Plagg, but that was unlikely: Plagg didn’t handle emotions very well, and it was obvious that Plagg had no idea how to deal with this curveball. So he was surprised when a hand came to rest on his shoulder, and he realized that it belonged to Tikki.

When he turned to look at her, Tikki silently pulled him into a hug.

And Adrien went with it, of course he did. Marinette’s hugs were amazing, and so were Plagg’s. But there was just something special about how he felt when Tikki hugged him. If he were being honest with himself, it was like being hugged by his mother again. He savored that feeling, resting his head on her shoulder and holding onto her as tightly as he could – after all, it wasn’t like his increased strength could hurt a kwami.

“Are you okay, mon ange?” Tikki asked quietly, and Adrien flushed with pleasure at the nickname. She had been calling him that more and more lately, he’d noticed. Every time she said it, he got a squirmy sensation in the pit of his stomach.

“Actually, I am,” Adrien said. He bit his lip, deliberating over whether he should share what he was really feeling. He hadn’t told anyone, mostly because he was afraid of what people would say. The media was going crazy over the reveal of Émilie’s body, but luckily no one had put two and two together to come up with Hawkmoth. The running theory now was that Gabriel Agreste had been a creepy, grave robbing widow who went a little crazy after his wife’s death. Frankly, that theory wasn’t totally wrong.

“You can talk to me,” Tikki said, like she knew exactly what Adrien was thinking already – hell, maybe she did. He fisted his hands in the back of her vest and squeezed his eyes shut.

“I’m not really sad my mom is dead,” he blurted out, then immediately winced. “I mean – I mean I am sad, but not like everyone seems to think I should be. For me, my mother died over a year ago. I’ve already mourned her. I’m glad she’s finally at peace now, but – I’m not devastated or anything. Is that wrong?”

“No,” Tikki said immediately, with such certainty that Adrien breathed easier. “Adrien, everyone reacts to trauma differently. Don’t forget, you have a… unique perspective on all of this that almost no one else shares.”

“He was trying to bring her back,” Adrien mumbled, acknowledging the truth of it all for the first time. He would never know how or why his parents had come across the miraculous in the first place: that information had died with Gabriel and Émilie. But he did know that no matter how incredible it would’ve been to have his mother back, it wouldn’t have been worth it.

Plagg had always been forthcoming about the consequences of using the power of the Black Cat and Ladybug miraculouses together. For every wish that was granted, there had to be a balance. So in order for Émilie to be brought back to life, someone else would have to die. They didn’t know who, but it didn’t matter. The cost was to great, and Adrien had to believe that Émilie would not have wanted that. Somehow along the way, Gabriel had lost sight of that.

“Yes, he was,” Tikki said quietly, resting a hand on the back of Adrien’s head.

“I’m glad that he didn’t,” Adrien admitted. “Does that… make me a bad person? That I don’t want her back?”

Tikki shook her head. “If you had the chance to get your mother back with no consequences, you would. That you’re thinking of other people is a good thing, sweetheart. It makes you a good person.”

Unlike my father, Adrien did not say, though he was positive that Tikki was thinking the same thing. He went quiet for a few minutes, just holding onto Tikki. She started stroked his hair, rubbing at his scalp with her fingertips right around the place where his ears sat as Chat Noir, and it felt really good. He closed his eyes against the tears that were forming and let her take his full weight.

After a little while, Tikki murmured, “You’re going to be feeling a lot of complicated things in the near future. There is no easy way to deal with this, and you can’t stop yourself from feeling the way you feel. But Marinette, Plagg and I will always be here for you, okay? We don’t blame you for what your father did.”

“Some people would if they knew the truth,” Adrien said, ashamed when his voice cracked.

“That’s true, but those people are stupid and wouldn’t really understand what happened. Besides, that’s not going to happen. The only people who know who Hawkmoth is are you, me, Plagg, Marinette and Master Fu. None of us are going to say anything. We don’t need to.” Tikki’s hand brushed over his hair. “Ladybug and Chat Noir can make an announcement that Hawkmoth has been dealt with.”

“People will still want to know,” Adrien pointed out. A little part of him felt bad for not telling Paris the truth. They deserved to know. Yet the thought of all those people knowing what his father had done was unbearable.

“Sometimes we don’t always get everything we want. You of all people know that better than most,” Tikki said gently. “In this case, it’s better that the legend of Hawkmoth quietly fade away.”

“Okay,” Adrien said, trusting that she was right. That was nice, being able to trust an adult. He liked that he and Marinette could trust Tikki and Plagg that way. Adrien hadn’t had that for a long time, and he didn’t know what he would have done if they hadn’t been here. He tried to imagine finding out about all this on his own and shuddered. Tikki instantly hugged him tighter.

“Marinette is baking cookies, if you’re hungry,” she said. “I have something I’d like to talk to you and Marinette about.”

“Sure,” Adrien said, discretely wiping his face with his sleeve as he pulled away. “Tikki?”

“Yeah?”

“Would you go with me to my mother’s grave sometime?” Adrien asked. “You and Plagg? And my lady too.” He hadn’t been able to bring himself to go today. Not when there were so many people around. But he wanted to. Now that he knew Émilie was actually buried at the gravesite, he wanted to bring her flowers and show her his new family and let her know that he was being taken care of.

“Of course!” Tikki said, smiling at him. “I’d be honored. We all would.”

“Thanks,” Adrien said softly. When she held her hand out to him, he took it. Tikki pulled him close, pressed a kiss to the side of his head, and put her other arm around his shoulders as they walked out of the room.

As promised, the kitchen smelled amazing. Marinette was wearing a pink apron, but she wasn’t baking. Rather, she was sitting in Plagg’s lap at the kitchen table. Adrien’s heart turned over when he saw them, because it really wasn’t fair for them to present such a cute picture. With her hair in pigtails and her apron a size too big, Marinette looked like a kid sitting on her daddy’s lap.

Which, Adrien realized as he looked up at Tikki, was exactly what she was.

“Seriously, I’m just making suggestions,” Plagg said, ignoring Adrien and Tikki completely. “Please? Come on, ma petite reine. For me?”

“Okay, okay,” Marinette said, unable to hide her smile. “How about a compromise?” She took out her phone and typed something, then showed the screen to Plagg.

“Cheesecake cookies?” Plagg sounded intrigued.

Marinette nodded. “There’s a bunch of different recipes. I suppose I could be persuaded to make a batch… for you.” She tapped Plagg’s nose and giggled.

“I’ll buy you whatever you want if you do,” Plagg told her.

“Plagg!” Tikki said. “Stop resorting to bribery.” But she didn’t sound mad, rather like she was trying not to laugh as she walked Adrien over to the table.

“It’s not bribery. I’m just… making a suggestion,” Plagg repeated, batting his eyes innocently.

“Right,” Tikki said dryly, not sounding convinced.

The timer dinged and Marinette jumped up. “My cookies!”

Adrien sat down and watched her rush over to the oven. She pulled the door open and took out a tray of cookies that smelled amazing. His mouth watered as she set the tray aside and then shut the oven off. He hadn’t noticed before, but there was another tray of cookies on a different rack already cooling. Marinette slid those into a container and then brought that container over to the table.

“I’ll get some milk,” Tikki said, walking over to the fridge as Marinette took a seat, this time in her own chair.

“Have one,” Marinette said, pushing the container towards Adrien. “I baked them for you.”

“For me?” Adrien said, shocked.

“I thought you could use a pick-me-up,” she said shyly, her cheeks turning pink.

“Thank you, Bugaboo,” Adrien said, grabbing a cookie. Marinette’s shyness instantly evaporated and she rolled her eyes at the nickname.

“You’re welcome, Chaton,” she said as Tikki returned to the table with four glasses of milk and a chunk of cheese for Plagg.

“What did you want to talk to us about, Tikki?” Adrien asked curiously.

Tikki and Plagg exchanged looks as Tikki sat, before Tikki spoke. “Plagg and I have been talking about it, and we don’t think you two should go back to school for the remainder of the year.”

“What?” Marinette said, clearly startled, and almost dropped her cookie. “Tikki, we can’t just drop out of school!”

“You wouldn’t be,” Tikki said quickly, and Adrien knew where she was going before Tikki said it.

“You’re thinking of private tutors,” he said, setting his cookie down before he could taste it.

“Yes, we are. It doesn’t have to be the same tutors you had before if you’re not comfortable with that. We can find new ones,” Tikki told him.

“But… but why?” Marinette looked upset. “Did Madame Bustier say she didn’t want us back? Am I doing that badly?”

“Of course not,” Tikki said, taking Marinette’s hand. “Marinette, this is for the benefit of you and Adrien, okay? Neither of you have done even a fraction of the work that Madame Bustier assigned you. That’s not your fault. Considering what’s been happening, it’s normal that schoolwork has been the last thing on your mind.”

“Your teacher, however, won’t see it that way,” Plagg spoke up. “Tikki and I can speak on your behalf, but at the end of the day Bustier will still be upset you haven’t caught up.”

Marinette’s lower lip trembled. “I’m trying…”

“We know,” Tikki said gently. “This isn’t a punishment.” She glanced at Adrien. “The next few weeks will be an adjustment for both of you. Having a private tutor means you can work at your own pace and not have to worry about pressure from your teacher or friction with your other classmates.”

Adrien took a bite of the cookie, chewed for a moment, and then said, “I think it’s a good idea.”

“What?” Marinette said, shocked.

“I don’t feel ready to go back to school yet,” Adrien said. That wasn’t completely the truth. He could have pushed himself to go back if he had to. Under any other circumstances, he would have. But he could see where Tikki and Plagg were coming from. This year had been incredibly hard on Marinette already – on both of them really, and they were both fragile right now even if Adrien hated to admit it. Going back before they were ready was a recipe for disaster, and they weren’t ready. That was the simple truth of it. He took another bite and waited to hear what Marinette would say.

Chapter Text

Truth be told, Tikki had never been overly concerned about Adrien’s reaction to being homeschooled. What Adrien valued the most was his connection to his friends, but he would still have plenty of time to see Alya, Nino, and the rest of their classmates after school and during the weekends – actually, he would see them more now than he ever had with Gabriel, because he had a lot more free time.

It was Marinette that Tikki was worried about, because Marinette placed a lot of value on being able to handle anything that came her way. Homeschooling was going to look like the easy way out to, even though it was anything but. Tikki squeezed Marinette’s hand gently, waiting for Marinette to gather her thoughts. When the silence stretched, and still Marinette said nothing, Tikki cleared her throat.

“You can still see all your friends anytime you like. You’ll even be able to study with them, because you’ll be learning a lot of the same things,” she told Marinette. “But it also means you won’t have to see Lila.”

Marinette flinched a bit at the name. “I don’t want to let her to win,” she said, then bit her lip like she hadn’t meant to say that.

“It’s not about winning or losing, Marinette. It’s about doing what’s best for you and Adrien,” Tikki said softly. Privately, Tikki thought that, while Lila might gloat in the short-term, she would definitely think Marinette had been the winner here in the long run. After all, Marinette was going to have Adrien’s undivided attention, which was what Lila had been struggling to get for months now.

Plus, it was only a matter of time until some of Lila’s lies caught up with her. Tikki had seen people like that before. Lila was a particularly skilled liar, but she was still only fourteen. Eventually she would back herself into a corner she wouldn’t be able to get out of, and no amount of lies about a disease would cover her tracks. It would be best for everyone if Marinette wasn’t around when that happened, no matter how satisfying it would be for Marinette to see first-hand. That way, Lila wouldn’t be able to blame her downfall on Marinette.

“You really think that’s best?” Marinette asked, lifting teary blue eyes to look beseechingly at Tikki. And oh, how that sad, lost expression broke Tikki’s heart.

“I really do,” Tikki said. She decided not to bring up the fact that Marinette and Adrien might not rejoin Madame Bustier’s class come next year. By that point, Lila might not be a problem anymore. Or Marinette and Adrien might enjoy the homeschooling so much that they didn’t want to go back. Or they might come up with the idea of joining a different class on their own.

“And Plagg?” Marinette turned to Plagg next, who had been mostly silent thus far. Plagg looked her in the eye and spoke plainly.

“Kiddo, I think that the last time you were at school you were on the verge of tears all morning. Just walking into that place had you so stressed out you were vibrating. Both you and Adrien are under too much stress as it is.”

“But Hawkmoth is gone now,” Marinette pointed out.

“That’s true, but Ladybug’s and Chat Noir’s duties don’t end there,” Plagg told her. His tail flicked up, brushing a tear from Marinette’s cheek. “Not to mention, Tikki was right when she said you’re not even close to being caught up. Now you can explain to your teacher why you’re so far behind, and she’d probably even cut you some slack, but I think it’s best for all involved if you cut your losses. With private tutors, you and Adrien can work on bringing your grades up at your pace. It would help make up for all the classes you missed when you were out playing hero, too.”

“That’s right,” Tikki said, pleased and impressed by Plagg’s solid reasoning. Adrien had seemed to cope with the missed class time okay, possibly because he’d been ahead in several areas when he started at Collège Françoise Dupont, but Tikki remembered watching Marinette struggling with her homework after she’d missed a few too many classes. Especially once the rest of the class continued, leaving Marinette still two steps behind – which only made Marinette’s stress that much worse.

“I would really like it if you’d homeschool with me,” Adrien said. He set his cookie down and wiped his hand on his pants, then took Marinette’s other hand. “I’d feel a lot less lonely if you were with me.”

Marinette softened, as they had all known that she would when Adrien spoke up, and finally nodded. “Okay. It’s going to be a big adjustment, but I guess I can see why you think it’s a good idea. I guess I wouldn’t mind having the time to catch up rather than trying to cram a bunch of information in at the last minute.”

Tikki breathed a quiet sigh of relief, exchanging a glance with Plagg. That had actually gone a lot more smoothly than she had thought that it might. She squeezed Marinette’s hand again before letting go in order to grab a cookie, which made both Marinette and Adrien smile. Tikki winked at them and took a big bite, sighing happily. Marinette had definitely inherited her papa’s talent.

Once she had swallowed, she said, “Okay. I’ll call and speak with the school on Monday. It shouldn’t be that hard to put the process in place. Neither of you are in any clubs.”

“Oh, but I am the class president,” Marinette said.

“Let Lila do it,” Adrien said. “Maybe if she does, they’ll finally realize she can’t follow through on everything she says.”

Plagg smirked. “It would serve them all right.”

“Lila wouldn’t even want to do it,” Marinette said, though another smile tugged at her lips. In just the span of a few minutes, it was like a huge weight had fallen off her shoulders. Adrien also seemed lighter.

“Then we only have one other thing to talk about,” Tikki said.

“What’s that?” Plagg asked, eyebrows furrowed.

“Ladybug and Chat Noir have to tell Paris that Hawkmoth is gone,” Tikki replied. She hated to bring it up, but it wasn’t fair that the rest of Paris was still on pins and needles waiting for another akuma attack.

“I’ve been thinking about that,” said Marinette. “I don’t mind doing it alone.”

“What? No way I’m going to let you do that,” Adrien objected.

“But Adrien, he was your dad. I don’t want you to have to stand up there and say terrible things about him,” Marinette said.

Adrien stubbornly shook his head. “I don’t care. We’re partners, Mari. This is my responsibility too. I don’t mind letting you do most of the talking, but there’s no way you’re going in front of everyone alone.”

Marinette frowned at him, but Adrien met her stare for stare. Finally, Marinette crumbled and gave in with a begrudging nod.

“As long as you promise to let me do the talking,” she said.

“That’s fine,” Adrien said. “When are we doing this? Tomorrow?”

“No. I think you should wait at least a week, and that we should stage an akuma attack before you make the announcement,” Plagg said.

“Why?” Adrien said.

They hadn’t discussed that, but Tikki instantly saw where Plagg was coming from and nodded. “That makes sense. Your father’s passing was big news, Adrien. We don’t want anyone equating Hawkmoth’s disappearance with Gabriel Agreste’s death. If we stage an akuma attack in a couple of days, then no one will think it could’ve been him.” After all, the dead couldn’t akumatize anyone.

“That makes sense,” Adrien said slowly. “But how are we going to stage an akuma attack? I don’t really want to use the Butterfly to do that, and I don’t think anyone else should either.”

“No, but we could make it look like there was an attack,” Marinette said. “If Trixx was willing to help.”

“I’m sure he would,” Tikki said. Trixx loving caused mischief, and this would be right up his alley.

“We’d have to think about what kind of akuma it could be. Obviously, there couldn’t be any damage, because I won’t be able to cast my cure,” Marinette went on, clearly feeling better now that she had something else to think about. “It would also have to be creatively staged, because Trixx’s illusions only last for five minutes at a time. So either it would have to be short, or we’d have to detransform to recharge Trixx in between scenes…”

“We’ll leave that part up to you and Adrien, since one of you will have to transform with Trixx,” Tikki told them.

Marinette nodded absently, already pulling out her phone and opening a notes app. She and Adrien bent their heads over her phone, both tossing out suggestions for what kind of akuma Ladybug and Chat Noir could be seen facing. Tikki couldn’t help smiling at them and exchanging a knowing glance with Plagg. It would take a long time, but she thought that the kids would be okay.

Their plan went off without a hitch when they eventually implemented it. Plagg volunteered to go retrieve the Fox miraculous, which made Tikki stare at him suspiciously – she was almost positive that Plagg was antagonizing, if not outright terrorizing, Master Fu, but she couldn’t bring herself to care enough to make him stop. She would be having words again with Master Fu in the future but knew enough to know that now wasn’t the time.

Marinette transformed with the Fox miraculous first and set up the scene: an akuma who was flying around the city turning people into butterflies. Having an akuma who could fly was Adrien’s idea, as it meant that they didn’t have to worry about someone accidentally running into and dispelling the illusion. She and Adrien switched off transforming for the next half an hour, plying Trixx with plenty of sweet berries for his hard work, until at last Adrien finished it off with an elaborate illusion of Ladybug saving the day.

The pictures that showed up in the Ladyblog before the sun rose the next morning proved that their deception had been a success. Tikki scanned the article briefly and nodded approvingly when she saw that Alya had written a glowing description of how Ladybug and Chat Noir had worked together to defeat the akuma. That said akuma faded away instead of turning back into a real person would never come to light.

On the morning that Ladybug and Chat Noir were to speak to the press about Hawkmoth, Marinette and Adrien were understandably nervous – but not as much as Tikki would have thought. She watched the kids closely as they ate their breakfast. It was Adrien who noticed the scrutiny at last, and, because he’d just placed a heaping spoonful of cereal in his mouth, he looked at Tikki with a raised eyebrow in silent query.

“It’s nothing. I’m just really proud of you two,” Tikki said, and she meant it.

Adrien flushed to the roots of his hair, but Marinette smiled. “Thanks Tikki. That means a lot. I’m kind of proud of us too. I used to doubt that we could do this… and if it weren’t for you and Plagg, we wouldn’t have been able to.”

“We just wanted to say thanks for taking care of us,” Adrien said quietly, glancing over at where Plagg was standing beside the fridge with a now-empty plate of Camembert.

“You don’t have to say thanks. It was our pleasure,” Tikki replied instantly. She and Plagg would both carry the guilt over not having intervened sooner for a long time.

“Still. Thanks,” Marinette said, and she got up and gave Tikki a hug, then went to give Plagg a hug. Adrien hugged Tikki too, so Tikki pulled him and over to Plagg so the four of them could stand together – at least until Adrien caught a whiff of Plagg’s breath.

“Plagg! Eww! You smell like you took a bath in Camembert,” he whined.

“A bath in Camembert,” Plagg repeated, looking a little starry-eyed.

“Now you’ve given him ideas,” Tikki said, and Adrien looked so horrified that she couldn’t help laughing. Marinette started to giggle too, which made Plagg laugh. Adrien tried hard to maintain his horrified face, but eventually he cracked up too.

“Okay, okay. It’s time for us to go,” Marinette said, catching a glimpse of the clock.

“Good luck,” Plagg said, playfully flicking his tail against Adrien.

“You’ll both do fine,” Tikki said, brushing a few stray hairs off Marinette’s forehead. Then she and Plagg both transformed back into their kwami selves.

“Yeah, we will,” Adrien said. “Ready, My Lady?”

Marinette grinned. “Hell yeah. Tikki, spots on!”

“Plagg, claws out!”