The Miraculous Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir do not belong to me, sadly. This plot, however, and any original characters, of course, do.
"Who is it?" Marinette called when she heard a knock at her door. Hopefully, only three other people knew where Adrien was, but she couldn't be too careful.
"It's us, Mari." Alya answered.
Marinette sighed with relief. "It's open." She really didn't want to move, since Adrien had finally calmed down and was still laying in her lap. The door creaked open, and she turned her head to see Alya with a wooden crate and Nino with Adrien's backpack. They closed the door and walked around the couch. They stopped dead when they saw Adrien. He was usually the life of a party; seeing him broken like this was hard.
"Is he…?" Alya asked quietly, setting the crate down with the tinkle of glass knocking together.
"I'm awake." Adrien answered, slowly raising up. "Thanks for coming, guys." Marinette gulped; His voice was almost hollow again—almost.
Alya sat on the other side of him and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. "Of course we came. You needed us." Adrien returned the hug, clinging to her like he was afraid she would float away if he didn't.
"Hey man," Nino said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "We're always here for you."
They were silent for a moment. "Adrien," Marinette started. "Nino brought some of your things. Why don't you go get dressed, and we'll set things up here?" He nodded and took his backpack, walking back towards the bathroom. He paused in the doorway. "We aren't going anywhere." She promised, and he stepped through the doorway.
When the door shut, Alya turned her wide eyes to Marinette. "OMG, Mari, I thought you said he was fine." She whispered. Marinette shook her head. "No, I said he would be fine. It's just going to take some time. He just found out his father is a supervillain, and had to watch him die. He's definitely not alright." Marinette stood and walked to the linen closet. "Here, help me pull the couch out." She said, grabbing extra sheets and blankets.
They pulled off the cushions and opened the fold-away bed with a groan of springs, pulling all the other furniture out of the way. Marinette grabbed the pillows and quilt from her bed and all her throw pillows, and threw them all on the pull-out. Adrien didn't want to be alone, and, to be honest, neither did she, so they were all going to crash out here tonight.
"So, what is it you didn't want to tell me on the phone?" Alya whispered while Nino rooted through the fridge.
Marinette gulped anxiously. How were her friends going to react to her news? "Not just yet; I want to wait until Chloe gets here. She should be here any minute now."
"Chloe's coming?" Alya said warily.
Marinette gave her a stern look. "She has every right to be; she is Adrien's oldest friend. And he's going to need all the friends he has for the inevitable fallout from all of this." She glanced back at Nino. "Plus, she's bringing pizza." She said a little louder, making him perk up. "And I want to make sure everyone who's going to be around all the time is…fully aware of the situation." She murmured. She needed to know that if Ladybug had to leave, Chat Noir was not left alone.
Alya gave her a Loo, but let her be. There was another knock at the door, this time shy and unsure. "Marinette?"
"Come in, Chloe." She answered, moving around to greet her at the door.
"Is Adrikins still here?" She asked. She, too, looked broken, Marinette noticed.
"Yeah, he's just changing." She took the pizza boxes from the blonde and walked them to the kitchen.
She reached around Nino and grabbed the Tupperware dish that held Tikki's cookies and turned back to the trio. "No one is, uh, hiding any recording devices, right? I hate to ask, but I have to."
They did look offended. "How could you even think that, Mari? Of course not!" Alya shot back.
"Adrikins!" Chloe exclaimed with evident relief and raced to his side when he stepped through the door. Adrien hugged her close, relaxing in her grip. Marinette was glad she'd invited Chloe over after all, seeing him ease up like that. "I was so worried. I'm glad you're safe."
Adrien looked over her shoulder at Marinette. His eyes were almost back to normal, albeit filed with grief. The told her he knew what she planned. "You sure, Mari?" He asked quietly.
The others turned to her curiously, and she saw the curtain hiding Tikki's den rustle. She steeled herself. "I am."
"IS this about the big mysterious thing you were waiting to tell us? Did Ladybug tell you something?" Alya asked.
Marinette shook her head. "Uh, well, not really." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "You see, I just need you all to know this, know everything, so you understand our situation." She blurted.
"Know what?" Cloe asked. She wiped a hand under one bloodshot eye, brushing away the last of her tears.
"It's, uh…well." She gave her friends a guilty look. "I'm sorry we've kept this from you for so long." They only had a moment to stare at her in confusion. "Tikki, spots on!" She said firmly.
"Marinette, no!" Tikki cried, but it was too late; the Kwami was sucked into her Miraculous, and Marinette felt the familiar sensation of her suit wrapping around her. It made her feel better, like a hug, like armor.
Nino cursed and jumped back, and Alya clapped both hands over her mouth. Chloe, though, didn't seem phased at all.
"You sure that was the right choice, Ladybug?" Plagg asked, opening the curtain that hid them.
"Plagg?" Adrien's eyes widened, and he stepped forward. "I was wondering where you were."
Plagg floated to him warily. Adrien frowned. "Hey, I don't remember using my cataclysm; how come I de-transformed? He asked.
Marinette released her own transformation, and Tikki darted in front of her face. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng!" The tiny god scolded loudly, interrupting Plagg's explanation of what happened. Nino and Alya were still staring at her like—well, like she just revealed that for the past five years she'd been running around as a masked superhero. "I thought we agreed a long time ago that it was safer for everyone to keep your identity a secret!"
Marinette gulped. The tiny creature could be terrifying when she wanted to be. "That was before…" Her eyes darted to Adrien. "That was before. I seem to remember that the basis for that agreement was so that Hawk Moth would not be able to use our friends and family against us." Adrien visibly flinched, and Marinette shot him an apologetic look.
"Still, Marinette. You are not just putting yourself at risk, but Adrien, too, not to mention Plagg and me and the other Miraculous." Tikki gave her a severely disappointed look.
"Adrien, Plagg, and Hawk Moth's Kwami were already at risk." Marinette was beginning to get angry. Did her friend have so little trust in her? Did Tikki think she would divulge this information without serious consideration?
"What?" Tikki shrunk back.
"Yeah, Tikki. Remember? You don't ever remember what goes on while I'm transformed. I was there. I watched it happen. I was the one who couldn't catch him in time. I'm the one who got Adrien and the Kwamii to safety. Me. And maybe, just maybe, I need my friends, too, because there is still an akumatized girl out there who needs Ladybug, and I don't know that I can do it all alone!" Marinette's voice broke on the last bit, and she covered her mouth. She hadn't meant to say all of that aloud.
"Alone?" Adrien said, taking a step toward her. "Who said you were alone Milady?" He gave her an echo of his signature cocky smirk, and Marinette knew for sure he was going to be okay, eventually.
"Chatton," She murmured, grabbing his hand and squeezing it gently.
"So, I don't have to pretend like I don't know anymore?" Chloe said, breaking the silence. Marinette looked at her skeptically.
"Are you saying you did know?" Alya asked. "How?"
Chloe raised an eyebrow. "I mean, first of all, the masks don't cover everything. You can still see a good part of their faces. Plus, do you remember all those times the two of the would disappear right before Ladybug and Chat Noir would appear, or how they used to just know things? I don't know if you are aware, but neither of them are very good liars."
Marinette blushed. Chloe wasn't wrong, but she had just assumed no one had put the pieces together, especially since she herself hadn't; she was as shocked as the rest of Paris at Chat Noir's reveal.
"Seeing as you're not an item yet, I take it you two didn't know about each other?"
Marinette choked on her air and blushed, but Adrien just gave her a real smile, staring her down. "An item?" She squealed. "Why would we—"
"Please," Chloe interrupted. "Please don't finish that question. I want to maintain my belief that Ladybug is not in fact blind." She glanced between the two and sighed. "Seriously? Fine, I'll be the one to say it. You know Chat Noir has been madly in love with Ladybug, and Marinette has been smitten with Adrikins since the first day they met. It's actually been difficult to resist the urge to smack you both upside the head watching you the last few years." She shook her head.
"Huh," Alya said. "It's pretty sad that Chloe Bourgeois knew about my best friends' secret lives before I did." She turned to Marinette and stared at her for a moment, chewing on her lip. "It was really to protect us? That's why you lied?"
Marinette nodded. "Of course. I didn't want Hawk Moth to hurt you trying to get to us. Or anyone else for that matter, which is why I'm not going public."
"You're not?" Adrien asked, sounding slightly offended.
"At least not yet."
"You're going to leave him alone in this mess?" Chloe looked betrayed.
Marinette held up both hands and shook her head vigorously. "No! I'll never leave him alone in anything!" She was horrified by just the thought of it. "I'm trying to keep him safe, too. If they don't know I'm Ladybug, I can protect him more easily." They still looked confused. "He's at Marinette's right now; Marinette is anonymous, anybody. It would be different if they knew he's at Ladybug's. So at least until this akuma is purified, he as a place to remain safe, and so do you three."
"Shiiit." Nino muttered. "She's right. If that Queen Bee chick went after Hawk Moth, what's she going to do to Chat Noir's best friends?"
Everyone was silent while they contemplated their fates. "Marinette's right. Maybe this way we can get closer to Queen Bee, too." Adrien said, sitting on the corner of the pull-out bed.
There was a tiny groan from Tikki's den, and Marinette rushed over, lifting the awoken Kwami. It blinked up at her, then its eyes widened in panic, and it tried to fly away, gasping in pain and falling back into her hands. "No, don't be scared," Marinette said to the tiny creature. "You're safe here." She stroked its head.
"Nooroo?" Tikki asked, she and Plagg flying swiftly to Marinette. "Nooroo, are you alright?"
"Nooo…" It—he, Marinette decided—groaned again. "Tikki, Plagg, where am I? Who are these people?"
Tikki settled on Marinette's shoulder while Plagg summoned Adrien over with a crook of his tail. "Marinette's right, Nooroo; you're safe here. This is my Holder; he is Plagg's."
Nooroo looked at Adrien warily. "He is my Holder's son." The Kwami said. "Are you sure I am safe? Mr. Agreste won't like that I have left his side."
Adrien's face crumpled. "Oh, no, you don't know." Tikki said sadly. "Your Holder…he fell, and we couldn't save him."
Nooroo looked around, finally noticing the pain in the faces around him. "You mean, I'm free?" His voice was hopeful; Marinette didn't miss Adrien's visible flinch. "No more evil akumas?"
"Well," Marinette said. "Just one more."
The Kwami's face fell. "That explains my condition."
Tikki saw Marinette's confusion. "Every tainted butterfly weakens him immensely, because it is a perversion of his powers; his butterflies are meant to feed the good in people, whereas the akumas feed the darker thoughts like fear and pain."
"So, once we defeat her…?"
"Once the akuma has been purified, I should be restored to my full health." He glanced around. "You didn't happen to grab my Miraculous, did you?"
Plagg zipped back over to Tikki's home and dug under the cushion, pulling free a butterfly brooch.
"That," Adrien's hand shot forward and took it from Plagg. "This was my mother's." he said with wonder. "I looked for it for weeks. I thought it was lost."
"Your mother was my Holder before your father. She was my favorite, of all those who've held my Miraculous." He beamed. "She was such a kind soul."
"Yeah, she was." Reluctantly, he handed it to Marinette. "Here. It's safest with you."
Marinette nodded and tucked it back under the cushion. "Just until we can return it to Master Fu."
"So," Nino said finally, "Is anyone going to explain the flying, talking bug-things?"
Plagg snickered. "We aren't bugs, man; we're Kwami."
"And Kwami are…?" He gestured to keep going.
"We inhabit the Miraculous and allow our Holders to harness great power."
"Why?" Alya asked, her reporter nature coming to life.
It was Nooroo who answered. "We were originally intended to keep balance. My powers are meant to sooth and to amplify the lighter emotions and thoughts. The ladybug Miraculous brings luck, purifies evil to create good things, while the Black Cat Miraculous brings necessary chaos and destroys evil. The fox Miraculous is a trickster, made to boost creativity and fun. As long as we find the right Holder, we can make the world a better place."
"What triggers the need for Kwami?" Alya continued. "Like, does your Miraculous just activate when people need you?" Marinette turned back to Nooroo; she was curious about this as well.
Nooroo shook his head. "No, it is nothing like that. Without a Holder, we Kwamii hibernate, and our magic is inert. Most of the Miraculous are simply passed down through families, or simply handed off or found. I have been passed down through your mother's family for several generations," He told Adrien, who looked at him with interest.
"Most?"
Nooroo looked up at Marinette, who suddenly just knew what he was going to say 'The more powerful the Kwami, the more unstable it makes the Holder. The two most powerful are the Ladybug and Black Cat—creation and destruction. They aren't safe enough to be given to just anyone."
"That's why Master Fu had to find us?" Marinette asked. She ignored his first statement. She wasn't that unstable, was she?
He nodded. "Yes. It is why he—Keeper of the Miraculous—is necessary. The Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous need to be closely guarded, and their Holders must be carefully chosen. They also must both be active, or inactive, together, as they are the balances for each other, and are only able to work if they are able to work together. The Keepers always try to find similar souls for this purpose."
"Similar souls?" Adrien asked, his eyes involuntarily going to Marinette's.
"Yes," Tikki answered. "We search for two people who could work well together in a stressful environment and have similar personalities, thought processes, and beliefs. It is why most of the past pairs have been romantically involved."
"I think you mean 'all.'" Plagg chuckled.
"No, what about—"
"Remember, they were only ever together when suited up." Plagg interrupted.
Marinette blushed. "You never told me that!" She squeaked.
Tikki shrugged. "It never came up."
"Yes, it did!" She argued.
"It did?" Adrien had that mischievous, wholly Chat Noir spark in his eyes. "Did my Purr-incess ask about me?"
"N-no, I, uh, it's, um—" She was bright read and stuttering. She had, in fact, talked to Tikki several times about him; for a time, she'd had a crush on Chat Noir and felt conflicted, torn between him and Adrien, and the Kwami had been frustratingly unforthcoming. Wait… "Did you know Adrien was Chat Noir?" She accused.
Tikki looked sheepish. "Well, yes. I could sense Plagg, and I knew what the Miraculous looked like." So she could have ended Marinette's struggle years ago.
"And on that note," Alya said, moving around the pull-out bed to the crate she'd brought. "I think it is time to break out the rainy-day stash." She popped the lid off and pulled free a bottle of vodka. "I, for one, need a drink."