A/N: A shoutout to Yamina20 for her beta-ing! Enjoy!
Before Wayzz appeared, it had been a fairly normal night. He had suited up for patrol and bounded across the rooftops, reveling in the cool air brushing past his face. Chat could feel himself slipping into the soldier aspect of his personality, and he fought to stay in control of the lighter, happier Adrien. He didn't want to appear devilish to any of the civilians he would be reprimanding tonight-seeing a coldly logical superhero was not the way to win over civilians.
He had showed the Mr. Hyde of himself to Marinette in an attempt to drive her away, which was quite idiotic, now that he thought about it. She could have left him, but fortunately (or unfortunately) for him, they were stuck together.
It didn't seem so bad at certain times, like the shopping trip they had a few days back. He admired her determination to find the perfect outfit; his own arms and legs ached that night from the trip and he worked out constantly. He also liked her ability to view things objectively. Adrien had seen the drool when he stepped out in that gray suit, but had also seen the analytical look when she judged the clothing based on her own merit. Marinette had scrapped her previous ideas and decided to dress him in feminine clothing, much to his own disgust. He had shuddered when she handed him that first dress.
And after the trip? That Chat Noir costume was definitely something. As juvenile as it sounded, he couldn't wait to be himself for Halloween. It had also been his plan to dress up as himself, but dragging his match along for the ride gave him an opportunity watch her squirm the way she made him felt with all those dresses.
He knew she was confused about why he wanted to be Chat Noir when he told her that Chat Noir was much less worth than Ladybug. Adrien did believe that Ladybug was better than Chat Noir, but not to the extent he told Marinette. Faking a dislike of the superhero made it less likely for others to suspect him to be Chat, and Adrien had used the tactic successfully in several occasions on perceptive fans. As far as he knew, Master Fu was the only other person who knew Chat's civilian identity.
Just then, he spotted a girl riding a bike, racing around on Parisian streets. A slew of insults followed her, and he knew he had to stop her before she caused some sort of trouble. Hopping down, he noticed that the girl...was Marinette? He choked back laughter as he watched her glare venomously at someone who was standing in the bike lane. Strangely, he didn't want to reprimand her, but he had to.
A brief exchange later, he was back racing across buildings. The exchange hadn't taken long, much to his relief.
Chat decided to stop on an isolated warehouse to gain a better view of Parisian civilians when Wayzz came flying up to him.
"Master Fu would like you to come," the kwami intoned, his face a mask of worry. He touched the ring, conveying his intentions. The paw print flashed with Plagg's acknowledgement.
A late night meeting? It wouldn't be the first one, but it would definitely be the first time he had to leave patrol early for. He hoped Ladybug would understand. When he had arrived late, he assumed that Ladybug had already left, as she was wont to do on occasion when time was tight.
Chat patted his shoulder, indicating for Wayzz to sit while Chat brought them to Master Fu's house. The kwami accepted gratefully, already exhausted from exerting its magical energy to locate Chat.
While Chat leaped among the buildings, he let his body move on its own while his mind contemplated why Master Fu would want him now. Did Master Fu summon him to another impromptu training session, or did he want to discuss more of the lore regarding the Miraculous? Chat's eyebrows knit in confusion. What would be so important that Master Fu would call a meeting now?
He rolled through the window a minute later, taking care to tuck his head, which Master Fu said always stuck out too much. "Master Fu?"
"Chat, please sit down. We have some things to talk about." Master Fu looked weary. Chat glanced around the room, noting the red and black kwami on the pillow, and the girl with the red and black mask.
Ladybug? He glanced at her suspiciously before sitting down. Just who was this girl?
"A few ground rules first. My name is Master Fu. I will be referring to both of you as Ladybug and Chat Noir. It would be unwise of me to address both of you by your civilian identities since you have not revealed yourselves to each other. Second, listen to what I say. The circumstances are more dire than I could have thought."
Dire circumstances? It must have something to do with the kwami. Perhaps that would explain why the Ladybug wasn't transformed. He still doubted that she was Ladybug. From his point of view, she looked more like a certain biker who had caused havoc in Parisian streets. But people looked different in and out of the suit. He himself could attest to that.
"I am the holder of the turtle Miraculous, which makes me the guardian of all of the Miraculous. As such, my abilities pertain to the protection of the Miraculous and their kwami. It also means that I am the one who gives them to the holders."
Chat lifted an eyebrow in surprise. Ladybug-he was going to think of the girl as Ladybug to prevent confusion- hadn't visited Master Fu before? He himself had been learning under the tutelage of the guardian ever since Master Fu healed his injuries from a particularly nasty akuma attack a few years back.
"Now, as you know, Tikki is the kwami of good luck or fortune, while Plagg is the kwami of bad luck or misfortune. It doesn't mean that if you're the holder of Tikki's Miraculous, you'll get good luck, and if you're the holder of Plagg's Miraculous, you'll get constant bad luck." He shook his head. "If life worked that way, we wouldn't be here."
Ladybug was listening intently. She tilted her head in the way that usually meant she had questions, and by the way her nose was scrunching up, she was itching to ask.
"It simply means that your powers pertain to good or bad fortune. It also means that your kwamis thrive off the good or bad luck in their surroundings. Say you had a particularly good week. Things just happened to work in your favor. Tikki would thrive off of the good luck surrounding you, and may be stronger as a result. Plagg, on the other hand, would become weaker, because of the lack of bad luck."
"Then why did my luck change after I became Ladybug?" Ladybug interjected. "How come I had more good weeks?"
Her voice sounded different, but that was expected. People often spoke differently while in different roles, especially if they felt uncomfortable or scared.
Master Fu sighed. "That is the most common question I have received. We will get there."
He continued. "However, just because your kwamis thrived on good or bad luck doesn't mean that they have the power to manipulate your experiences to their tastes. So, after getting the Miraculous, you shouldn't have had more good weeks or bad weeks than you have had before. This does not mean you can't experience the placebo effect."
He tilted his head in Ladybug's direction. "You thought that since you had the Ladybug Miraculous, you would be luckier."
Ladybug nodded.
"I'm guessing that you felt more confident as well?"
She nodded again, a quick dip of her head.
"Tikki didn't manipulate your situations to be luckier for you. Your own confidence brought about the positive changes in your life."
Chat rose an eyebrow in surprise. "I thought kwamis were something similar to gods though? Shouldn't they be all powerful then?"
"I introduced them as gods to you to help you accept them more easily. In a sense, they are gods, just not the traditional gods known in popular culture. They were first seen in ancient China, and bound themselves to several articles to ensure that they could stay on earth. In doing so, they sealed away a large amount of power, and a large part of themselves as a result."
That would make much more sense. Although, it was interesting that he had never learned of this. But, Master Fu had only focused on the kwamis' abilities, instead of their origins.
"We dedicated ourselves to helping humanity," Wayzz spoke crisply. "We chose our powers to best suit our personalities, but in doing so, we left ourselves vulnerable. As such, we rely on sustenance and care."
Master Fu cleared his throat. "Tikki has gone into a state of extended hibernation, due to the lack of luck in your life."
"Are you saying that the lack of luck in my life is what caused Tikki to fall ill?"
"Yes. Do you recall a lack of luck in your life? It could also be a lack of good fortune."
Ladybug snorted, rolling her eyes. "Yeah. My love life."
It must have been her match, with whom she didn't get along with. Chat wondered idly who it could be.
"Anything particular about your love life?"
"How specific do I need to go for you to diagnose the problem?"
"Quite specific, I'm afraid."
There was a pause before Ladybug spoke. "I'm stuck on my last match. We mutually loathe each other, and since he's on his last match too, we're stuck together if we want to live well."
There was a small pause. Her face twisted, and she fidgeted with her hands as she debated what to say.
"I'm also in a fashion contest, in which he's participating in, and my success depends on his willingness to work with me."
There was a pause as she twitched. Then she sighed, as if she had made up her mind. "And to top it off, I need to place in this contest if I want to make a splash in the fashion world. The doors that would open for a winner of Gabriel Agreste's contests provide many opportunities."
Marinette Dupain-Cheng?! Chat's thoughts skidded to a halt. She was Ladybug? But...but...Ladybug was so perfect! Marinette was so...so...well, he didn't know how to describe her. Certainly not insufferable, but not quite likable. He supposed the word he was looking for was respectable. But that was beside the point. The problem was that the love of his life was sitting not three feet away and she loathed him because he completely ruined everything by being cold on the first meeting. He buried his head into his hands with a groan. This was a disaster.
"There we go," Master Fu said smoothly. "Problems in your love life seem to be the answer. But it doesn't seem quite as bad as the other circumstances. I wonder if there's anything else?"
This jumbled up thought thing in his brain would not do. Ever the quintessential solder, he compartmentalized his thoughts, and pushed at his brain to get moving. It would never do to be caught unaware. He caught Master Fu's sly glance towards him, and instantly regretted telling the guardian all about his own love life the day before.
If he knew anything about his teacher, Chat could expect a variety of jokes over the next month. Hell, Master Fu would probably throw in a few ship names as well. One should never underestimate the ability of a Miraculous guardian to become a fervent fan of unlikely pairings.
Marinette grumbled. "The guy I like used to like me, and when he doesn't like me anymore, I started to like him."
Maybe she would give him another chance once she knew of his superhero identity?
She continued. "Worse, I know I'm matched to him, but he's like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Mr. Hyde seems to be his default setting when I'm around."
She knew? How did she know? Why was he so blind? Suddenly, her behavior the other night made sense. After measuring him with her yo-yo, her measurements must have corresponded with the measurements she took in class, and the lack of green-eyed blond models in Paris must have alerted her to his identity. Sometimes, he regretted being so good-looking. It made him far too easy to identify.
He felt his ring heat up, the green spots flickering rapidly. He gestured to his ring. "Master Fu, if you mind?"
"Not at all."
Chat ran into the bathroom, anticipating the flash of light that accompanied the de-transformation. After listening to the entirety of the conversation, Plagg was itching to get out of the ring. Chat didn't blame him; if his own hypothetical sibling was sick, he'd want to join in on the conversation as well.
The kwami materialized into the air, his green eyes snapping with fury. Adrien gently cupped Plagg in his hands. "Camembert afterwards, remember?"
Adrien willed for Plagg to rein in his temper; kwamis often set off fiery explosions from strong outburst of emotion. He would prefer Plagg to not yell at Marinette, but it had to be done. Both parties were frustrated and angry, and their fight would be conducive to releasing their pent-up emotions.
The kwami nodded stiffly. "I promise I won't give her too harsh of a beating." He turned around and smirked. "Well, I'll keep the explosions to the minimum."
Adrien opened the door and watched the fight begin.
Plagg zoomed in crazy circles around the room, eventually stopping in front of Marinette.
"You!" the kwami snapped. "It's your fault my sister's sick. If you could've seen what's right under your nose, she would still be up and running!"
"It's not my fault I've got a lack of luck in my love life, Plagg! And what do you mean, what was right under my nose? The only thing I see now is a kwami with a penchant to yell at his sister's partner!" She gestured wildly, nearly hitting Plagg with her hands.
"That's not what I meant, you pesky bug! If you could have seen that Chat liked you all along-"
She snorted. Her face twisted into a mask of fury. "I'm not blind, Plagg! He doesn't; it's called unrequited love for a reason. And even though I dislike Adrien, I can work with him. Bad luck doesn't mean you can't make something good out of it!"
"Tikki needs this to go one way! The ladybug always marries the cat. But due to this stupid Spousal Act and the fact that you're as blind as a bat, nothing is happening!"
"Haven't you heard of exceptions? And besides, what makes you think that I want to marry him? Don't I have a choice in all of this?" Her face was red as she faced Plagg down.
"No!" Plagg snarled. "You don't!"
They glared at each other, incensed. Marinette stared into Plagg's furious green eyes, and if looks could kill, they'd both be dead twice over.
Ouch. So she didn't want to marry him. He knew it was a possibility, but being told that without any sugar coating...well, he couldn't deny that it hurt. But, it wasn't unjustified either. Adrien curled up within himself, tugging the costume's ears over his head, willing himself to calm down.
"And that is precisely why you two weren't matched together." Master Fu's amused voice cut through the silence. "I considered the idea, but when I realized that Ladybug was just as stubborn, if not more so, than Plagg, the pairing would've been a disaster."
Marinette and Plagg remained glaring at each other, both refusing to budge.
At long last, Master Fu cleared his throat. "Now, if you two would relax, I think we can resolve this in a calmer manner."
Small black dots were popping off of the kwami's body, indicating an imminent kwami explosion. Adrien signed and held a wedge of Camembert cheese in the air, hoping that food would calm the kwami down.
"C'mon, Plagg, you need to recharge."
"Not until I deal with this bug," the kwami growled.
"A whole wheel of Camembert," Adrien volleyed back, knowing that the kwami couldn't resist.
"Aged 24 months, in a wooden casing, sold from that vendor with the red and white stall."
"Two wheels of Camembert from the vendor in the blue stall."
It was cheaper, but Adrien was relying on Plagg's greed for quantity over quantity.
"Done." Plagg spoke. He moved away from Marinette and perched on Adrien's shoulder, nibbling on the wedge of cheese Adrien handed to him. Adrien turned away and plucked Plagg from his shoulder, consoling his kwami with soft words, handing him bits of Camembert all the while.
Marinette yearned badly for Tikki in that moment. "Master Fu, when can you heal Tikki?"
Master Fu sighed. "We can revive her temporarily, but she must come for frequent treatments unless the fortune in your life increases. We should revive Tikki now; she is a large factor in these discussions."
He picked up the gong and motioned to Plagg. "I need you to control the release of magical power. She set off quite a bang last time."
As he repeated the previous ritual, swinging the gong and moving his hand in circular motions, Plagg sat by. The sound was soothing, and Marinette closed her eyes to stabilize her roiling emotions.
Chat liked her all this time? To believe it would mean to trust Plagg, and the kwami didn't inspire a feeling of goodwill in her. But Plagg had seemed angry enough to tell the truth; she knew she didn't have a filter during their spat. Which meant that he had liked her even when she began liking him. It seemed that her unrequited love was returned.
She never knew. But even if she had known, she never would have pursued him. The Spousal Act would have prevented her even if she wanted to. But a twist of fate had somehow paired them together, and if Chat hadn't said that line during patrol last week, she wouldn't have known.
She didn't know how to reconcile Chat and Adrien. He managed to be two different people living in the same body. The snark he showed was definitely something, but she wasn't much better, volleying back her own retorts and throwing in a few jabs of her own. He had apologized during the shopping trip, and he was civil during the remainder of the trip, whereas she still treated him with hostility.
She owed him an apology. A big one, with catnip and macaroons. And even a few plushies. She vowed to find the softest cat toy in all of Paris, if need be.
Sparks began to flash between Tikki's spots and Master Fu's finger, catching Marinette's eye. She turned her attention back to Master Fu, curious about the procedure.
"Plagg, now." Master Fu commanded.
Plagg was a black blur as he moved from Adrien's shoulder to Tikki's side. He opened his mouth and inhaled the bits of energy, swelling in the process. Plagg seemed to shimmer, his fur becoming shinier and his eyes greener.
Master Fu set the gong down. "We have extracted the misfortune surrounding her. It was a taxing procedure for her as well as for us. Now, all we can do is wait."
The room was silent with bated breath. A minute passed, then two. There was no movement. Then, a weak cough. Another cough. Tikki slowly opened her eyes, blinking in confusion. She sat up, her antennas drooping. As they slowly retained their curved nature, she shook her head a few times. When she spotted Marinette by her side, her eyes widened in joy.
"Marinette!"
"Tikki!" Marinette cupped Tikki in her hands, hugging her as best as she could. "I'm so glad you were healed."
At the word, Tikki froze. "Healed?"
She looked around, taking in the packed room. Master Fu sat nearby, as well as Plagg, who was vibrating with impatience. Adrien stood in near Plagg, still wearing the Chat Noir costume. A frown marred her face.
"What am I doing here?"
Marinette had never heard Tikki sound so confused.
Plagg zoomed in to hug Tikki. "You didn't wake up, so Ladybug brought you here."
"Wake up?" Tikki turned to Marinette.
"It was time for patrol, and I tried to wake you up, but you kept sleeping. I offered coffee, and you know how much you love the drink. But you didn't move, and I thought something was wrong," Marinette explained. "So I brought you to Master Fu, and he said that it was because of the misfortune in my love life that caused you to enter an extended slumber."
Marinette cupped Tikki in her hands. "Tikki, I'm so sorry, I didn't know!"
A look of rage rose over Tikki's face as she floated towards Master Fu. "How dare you accuse my chosen that a lack of fortune in her life is her fault," she snapped. "Fortune comes and goes. I know that better than most. So if I decide to conserve my energy, I will do so. I know how to rid myself of the misfortune I absorb. In fact, Plagg and I were going to trade off our fortunes with each other to refuel ourselves. Why didn't you explain that hibernation was one of my many methods?"
Master Fu held Tikki's gaze. "Because I fear that hibernation isn't enough anymore."
"Hawkmoth may be coming, but he isn't coming anytime soon," Tikki retorted. "His threat takes years to carry out, and it hasn't begun yet. I can verify."
Master Fu shook his head. "This isn't about Hawkmoth. It's never been about Hawkmoth."
"Then what is it about?" Plagg spoke roughly.
"It's about what fuels your powers. The marriage of the ladybug and the cat is in danger."
A/N: Review? Thoughts? Feedback? All are welcome. :D