London in the Rain
Tikki hadn't known until the very last second what had happened. She should have realized, having been forcibly ejected from the transformation, that something had gone horribly wrong. But who could blame her after all, for not wanting to believe she'd lost yet another human.
What exactly had befallen the pair, Tikki couldn't say; she had no real awareness when she was part of Ladybug. It was evident though, from the way Ladybug's fingers were still wrapped loosely around the edge Cat Noir's palm, that she had tried and failed to save him. Bridgette loved him, she had confided in Tikki this much, and had always longed for the day that they could be together as themselves. But fate was cruel and had other plans, just as it had for many Ladybugs before.
Droplets of rain settled on their clothes, the sprinkle quickly turning into a shower. In weather like this, no one would likely find them for hours. Tikki closed her eyes, tears stinging as they escaped her eyelids. "Here." Plagg handed her a ripped off piece of a napkin, pointedly looking away as he did so. She'd almost forgotten he was there until he spoke.
"Thanks." She said, and promptly dried her eyes. Her and Plagg took refuge together under the shelter of an overhanging pipe, Plagg perched on the last couple pieces of cheese from his former companion. There were already sizable chunks missing.
"Cheer up." He said, popping a hunk of cheese into his mouth. "You'll attract an akuma like that, and without a human, we'd be toast."
"Right. Sorry." There was a pause.
"I have something for you."
"For the last time, I don't want any of your cheese." Tikki said, not even bothering to look at what he was offering her.
"No, just look!" Reluctantly, she obliged, finding much to her surprise, that it was not cheese he was offering her, but a mini cinnamon roll from the bakery next door to the building where Bridgette once lived. "Ta da! Your favourite!" A ghost of a smile crept across Tikki's face as she took it from him.
"How unusually considerate of you." She remarked, nibbling on the edge.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
The cinnamon roll was still warm, reminding Tikki of how Bridgette used bake mini ones especially for her. Plagg was right, they were her favourite, but he was missing a vital piece of the picture. They weren't her favourite because of how they tasted, but rather the love and thought that Bridgette put into making them, and without that, it just didn't feel the same.
"Plagg… you don't suppose we did… something wrong?" Tikki watched as a leaf floated by, tossed by the current of the tiny stream.
"Huh? No, of course not." Plagg said, gulping down another bite of cheese. "We're kwami, the most we can do is offer guidance. Something happens to them, it's not our fault. Just gotta move on."
"Right." Tikki replied, still not entirely convinced.
Plagg's ears perked up, twitching around like little satellite dishes tuning into a signal. "Over here!" The shout came from somewhere down the street beyond the alley. "It was a girl, I heard her scream!"
He shoved the last piece of cheese into his mouth and swallowed. "Speaking of which, we should get moving."
"What? Already?"
"Do you want a repeat of the fiasco in Egypt?"
"Of course not. We couldn't show our faces there for centuries!"
"Then yes."
Tikki bowed her head, looking sadly down at the half eaten cinnamon roll in her arms. "But… what if… what if this happens again?" She said quietly. Plagg abruptly took her hand, and she looked up at him in surprise.
"Come on! I'll be different this time. I can feel it!"
"What makes you so sure?" She asked, brushing away the leftover tears.
"Think about it! Ladybug loved Cat Noir this time around, that's never happened before."
"Yeah, so?"
"Unexpected things happen all the time, but you'll never know if you don't keep going. Maybe Ladybug and Cat Noir will finally get their happy ending."
Tikki looked down at the cinnamon roll one last time. "You know what? Maybe you're right. Let's go."
"Where to, my lady?" Plagg asked, with a whimsical little bow.
"Why don't you choose this time?" She suggested.
"Ah, well I've always dreamed of eating cheese in Paris." Plagg clasped his hands together, letting a dreamy sigh. "Such divine flavors, I have not tasted in many years."
Tikki giggled softly. "Paris it is, then." She said, leaving the half eaten cinnamon roll at Bridgette's side, before vanishing into the grey sky.