Guest Reviews!

angel; I already killed half of Paris. Want me to do it again?

Aw, don't worry. Someone will.

Dark; Well, to give someone the ring she'd first need the ring. And Chat Noir hasn't given up the ring. So, if she gets a new partner, she'd need to give them another Miraculous.

(:)

A Thousand Years

-Christina Perry

Adrien.

Partner.

Adrien would be her partner.

It's what Chat Noir wanted.

And, quite frankly, Chat Noir was smarter than her. Wiser beyond his years. It was almost funny how he would blurt out wisdom that actually was quite useful. But also, scary. She wondered what he had seen that made him so…smart wasn't the word…jaded. That was it. What made him so jaded. He tried to hide it with his puns, but there was a darker side, a need to protect, a want to save all he could, a fear that those he loved would slip away. Which is why his killing spree was so terrible. It wasn't him, wasn't what he was supposed to do. He had murdered the families of those he loved without a care.

Ladybug once wondered – when they first became heroes - what Chat Noir akumatized would be like.

What actually happened was a thousand times worse than what she had conjured up.

She never wanted to go against him again.

She was getting off topic with her thoughts. The point was, she trusted Chat Noir. If he wanted her new partner to be 'that boy she likes', so be it. She'd choose Adrien. Just as Chat Noir wanted.

Chat Noir knew best.

He always did, didn't he?

He might think she didn't need him as a partner anymore, but he was dead wrong. She needed him so much. Even if he decided to bail on her, she would listen to his last advice, because he was usually correct.

…It was kinda stupid that it took Marinette until morning to decide to heed his words.

Before entering school, Marinette realized how shocking it was that an akuma hadn't attacked since Friday. The day Chat Blanc had roamed the city.

It had to mean that Hawkmoth was plotting his next big move, seeing as how it was currently Wednesday morning and he had yet to attack. There was usually an akuma every other day.

Marinette feared what plan Hawkmoth had cooking on the stove, what he plotted to do next. If Chat's akumatization was actually part of a larger plan, she was already worried, mind coming up with all possibly alternatives of the 'next big plan'.

Which, she supposed, was why that day in particular, she tried to keep the peace. Her class was usually the one targeted, and so she had to do everything in her power to have everyone remain happy.

Of course, she already did, but this time she tried tenfold, even though nobody was really upset that day.

Once more, a full school day passed without any akumas even somewhat being attracted, and Marinette was satisfied when she made it through with not a mildly single upset classmate. The only disruption was when Adrien and Marinette had their daily debate with the rest of the class, arguing that Chat Noir had nothing to do with the attack.

And she had a miniature, inspirational talk with Adrien when he admitted he worried that the class was right.

Despite his doubts, she only became more and more positive as the day progressed that Chat Noir was right, Adrien was perfect for the job.

As Marinette made her way home from the bakery, nervously waving goodbye to the young teen model, she reached down and touched her purse, which housed, not only Tikki, but the Snake Miraculous as well.

Yes, she would probably get slightly distracted from the akuma with Adrien by her side, but this would be the perfect opportunity to work on herself and her mood toward her crush. As Ladybug, she could practice her confidence with him, and eventually reach the point when she didn't feel very nervous, if at all, around him.

Maybe Chat Noir was right. Perhaps this would help her be happier, help her be stronger. Maybe even healthier.

She would.

She would give the Snake Miraculous to Adrien that afternoon. She would go ahead with it, make Chat Noir proud of her. Make Chat Noir happy.

"Tikki, spots on!" The familiar words weighed heavily on her tongue, each elegant move that accompanied her transformation reminding her of the job she had to perform.

She had to make Adrien her new partner.

Adrien.

Partner.

Those two words appeared in her mind frequently, even before Chat Noir's suggestion. For the past one and a half years they had weighed in her mind, usually in the phrase "Adrien and I will be partners; United in marriage! We'll have three kids-" Yada, yada, yada.

And now Adrien would be her partner. Not in marriage, but in a crime-fighting duo.

Her teammate.

That title should belong to Chat Noir. But it didn't. Not anymore.

It would be a hard transaction to take.

As Ladybug - fully transformed now - leapt through the city, she recalled all the times she had spent with Chat Noir.

On that rooftop they had drawn up and played a game of hopscotch.

On that balcony they had started their game of hide-and-seek.

On that roof he had brought a whole collection of goodies and things that he wasn't allowed to eat at home. So together they plotted a teen-rebellion and had a feast that night.

In that park Ladybug had kissed him to save him from Dark Cupid's arrow. Her first kiss, and, she assumed from passing dialogue, his too, even if he didn't remember it.

That street was where they first met, back in 2017.

For Christmas, she and Chat had pushed off the snow those chimneys had been covered with, allowing the smoke to escape. It had been Chat Noir's idea.

Nearly everything had been due to Chat Noir's willingness to be a Good Samaritan.

Acts that the people of Paris had shoved aside.

Mentally, Ladybug cursed can herself. She was acting as if Chat was dead, and he most certainly wasn't. No, he was - supposedly - still alive and kicking, just…out of her life. Perhaps permanently.

All too soon, the Agreste Mansion loomed before her, at least five stories tall. The building seemed to growl at - not not just her - but at any who dare enter through the gate without permission.

She wondered if Chat had ever passed through these gates, had ever felt the haunting she did.

Ladybug shook such things from her mind, instinctively tensing as she swung onto the property, but relaxed when nothing happened.

She found her way to Adrien's wing of the house, climbing in the window that mysteriously was always left open - or at least unlocked - no matter the circumstance or weather. Even during lockdown it faithfully remained open.

Adrien's room was empty, quiet. It was impeccably clean but had the stench of a pigsty.

It was the same smell Adrien carried with him wherever he went. After consulting Nino, the smell was identified as Camembert, the cheese Adrien always carried but was never seen eating.

The flagrant stench was the same Chat also carried, though he used it for Kwami fuel, not actual food, like Adrien probably did.

In the large room, Adrien was nowhere to be seen, but, by consulting her stalker-memory, Ladybug decided he was most likely about to return from fencing. In about five minutes, to be precise.

Glancing around the room as she waited, Ladybug spied his desktop, a photo of him and his mother. They looked hauntingly similar, with the same color of eyes and identical smiles. Their hair was barely different, Mrs. Agreste's slightly darker than Adrien's, which was a perfect gold.

At least, it was.

Adrien's hair had darkened in the three years since the picture was taken. In the photo, he was twelve, and when his mother disappeared, he was thirteen. Only after he joined school had his hair changed several shades to match his mother's color, which wasn't even dark enough to be considered Golden brown.

However, creep that she was, Ladybug - well, her Marinette self - had studied every little detail of Mrs. Agreste for even the smallest Adrien-like traits. Of course, every picture had been downloaded from the Internet, and were not from Adrien's personal collection.

She wasn't that bit of a stalker.

But she was close.

Oh, so close.

The similarities between the two were cast, but still, Adrien's face shape and build are closer to Mr. Agreste's. His nose, too, was an exact replica of his father's.

Ladybug forced herself to stop staring at Adrien's impeccable features and studied the rest of the room.

Briefly she wondered where the piano was.

Presently, the door clicked, opening to reveal Adrien.

Oblivious to Ladybug, he anxiously straightened his hair, grumbling to himself.

"-on't even need Camembert anymore, but you still insist on-"

That's when their eyes met.

He paused, his foot that was raised mid-step thudding back to the floor as his arms wildly flew through the air, the model obviously unsure what was going on.

Finally, his arms settled over his chest like a mummy, smiling worriedly. "H-hi, M'la- um… Ladybug. Hi, Ladybug. Uh…" His hands lowered cautiously, settling properly at his sides. "…Hi. Yeah. Hi. Did, uh, did I do something wrong? Or did you…? You know what, never mind. Um…hi."

Ladybug, unsure of how to respond, tucked her hands behind her back and smiled weakly. "H-hi."

Awkward silenced filled the already quiet room, the two of them occasionally shifting their weight between their feet or stammering an awkward greeting.

When they made it to three greetings each, Ladybug - if she didn't know any better - was almost sure she could hear a tiny voice from Adrien's placement in the room say "You gotta kiss the girl!"

Adrien didn't respond to it, fermenting the thought that the voice was non-existent into Ladybug's mind.

There was a pause for a moment, then Adrien ducked his head. "N-not that I'm not happy to see you, but…uh…why are you here? D-don't get the wrong idea, or anything, but I-I was just-!"

Ladybug found it cute that he was just as nervous as she was.

She almost laughed at his stammering mess.

Almost.

Despite her amusement, she grew sober, squaring her shoulders and taking a feel breath. "Adrien, I'm afraid I have come on serious business."

"O-oh, yes, of course, I'm sorry, just…um…give me a sec?" He brushed past her, heading for his sink. Upon reaching it, he immediately turned on the faucet, splashing his face with the ice-cold liquid. Then he snagged one of his navy-blue towels and dried his face. The water washed away some of the makeup he used to make his face appear as though it had no divots, revealing a tiny scar on his chin.

Try as she might, Ladybug couldn't shake the feeling that she had witnessed him receiving it even though she had never seen him get hurt in that general area before.

She had seen Chat take a beating there, once, the poor kitty barely even able to move with a snapped spine, several fractured ribs, and his neck almost broken as well.

After casting the charm, it healed everything except for a miner cut Chat Noir had received, which turned into a scar that looked almost identical to the one Adrien had.

Adrien, not noticing her distraction after he washed away his in total shock, gazed at her steadily. "So, what's this serious business?"

"It's about Chat Noir."

Adrien paled, his left hand going to his right ring finger, touching the silver ring that - supposedly - his mother had given him several years before.

Ladybug pretended not to notice. Why he touched it whenever Chat Noir was mentioned, she didn't know, and wasn't sure if she even wanted to know.

Continuing with her previous statement, she continued. "Chat Noir decided to leave his work as a superhero until this all blows over." Lies, her mind hummed, vicious, terrible lies. He is not coming back. "And this is why I need to choose a new partner."

Adrien frowned, a look of confusion crossing his face. It only deepened when she pulled the mahogany-Miraculous box from her belt.

"Adrien Agreste, here is the Snake Miraculous, which grants the power of morphing. You will use it to fight for the greater good."

Adrien's hand touched his chest in a silent 'me?!', staring at the box with a lack of emotion. Slowly, confusion spread over his face. "Wait. Morphing? What does that mean? That's different then second cha-"

"Sass will explain everything, I promise." Ladybug assured, nodding toward him. "There's been a bit of a…mix up. But you don't have to worry about time traveling nearly twenty-six thousand times anymore."

A beat of hesitation. Then his free hand stretched foreword, fingers hovering over it. Then, gently, he took it from her, clumsily fumbling with the clasp until it came undone.

He didn't even flinch at the burst of teal light that appeared as the box was opened.

Sass, the Kwami of the Snake Miraculous, shimmered into view as the light vanished.

"Once Chat Noir returns, you must give the Miraculous back to me." Ladybug finished as Adrien pushed his new bracelet onto his wrist, gazing unblinkingly at Sass. "Can I trust you?"

"Yes." Adrien swallowed, still looking baffled.

"Good. Adrien, you remember Sass. He's a Kwami, an ancient spirit created by God to be a guardian of the universe. Or one aspect of it, at least." Ladybug explained as she carefully watched Adrien for any more reaction.

Poor kid was probably in shock.

Adrien just slowly nodded, reaching a timid finger to Sass, a lack of emotion showing upon his face.

"Hello again, young one." Sassy greeted him, tail coiling around Adrien's finger in the form of a weird kind of finger-tail handshake that was pretty cute looking.

Sass had the appearance of a bird, seemingly perched on Adrien's finger.

Ladybug, overjoyed at the two's seemingly instant connection – or perhaps they had plenty of time to bond over the three months, missed the ring black head that pecked over Adrien's should go stare at Sass.

Sass gazed back, also unnoticed by Ladybug.

"This isn't a joke-prank, is it?" Adrien finally asked, lifting his focus from Sass onto Ladybug.

"Those are the same thing, aren't they?"

"Yeah. But, well, is this a joke?"

"No, I swear it's not." Ladybug promised, gesturing at Sass. "I need you again, and this time I'm sure you're the prefect person for the job."

"I agree with Tikki'ss chossen." Sass nodded, smiling. "We are perfect for each other in this ssituation"

"D-dully noted." Adrien stuttered, withdrawing his finger from Sass.

"Sass," Ladybug called to the Kwami, tilting her head. "Get Adrien up to date. Adrien," the model eagerly turned his attention to her, "in half an hour meet me on top of the Eiffel Tower. Transformed, of course. We can get used to your powers there."

Adrien silently agreed with a nod, turning to Sass to most likely ask a question.

Ladybug left him to it, satisfied Sass was in good hands.