Chapter Eleven

Marinette was slightly startled to see the tears in Tikki's eyes.

The kwami had been released from the Miraculous in a burst of pink light– and immediately the Ladybug had twisted about, eyes scanning the room in a panic. As her eyes landed on Marinette they filled with relief– and then with tears. Before she could say a word Tikki bolted forward, small arms reaching out as she tackled Marinette's face, clutching her tightly. She was surprised, as Tikki's display of affection was usually nuzzles and words of reassurance.

"Don't ever do that to me again!" Tikki cried, pressing up against her cheek. "You have no idea how worried I was!" She zipped back slightly. "I'm guessing that Master talked to you?"

"He... He told me about how he... lost the Miraculouses," Marinette said softly.

Tikki's gaze softened. "I'm glad he did, that's always been something he struggled to talk about."

"Why... didn't he tell me sooner?"

Tikki shrugged. "Tigers tend to be solitary, withdrawn and quiet. It's hard to open up– but Master cares very deeply for you."

"I know," Marinette said softly.

The kwami nuzzled up to her. "None of this is easy– but as long as we keep moving forward everything will be okay."

"I hope so..." Marinette whispered. "I'm just worried about Trixx."

"So am I," Tikki replied. "But they're a tough kwami– and we'll save them."

"But no grapes?" Trixx asked, looking up at Nino with big golden eyes.

"Um, Mom says they're pretty expensive at this time of year," Nino said uncertainly, glancing at the bowl of fruit he had prepared for the kwami. Apples, bananas, and blueberries mixed together as a colorful feast. "You said any fruit was fine though, right?"

"Yeah..." Trixx said, popping a blueberry into their mouth. "I just really like grapes."

"Er, um... I could buy some for you next time I go out?" Nino offered.

Trixx grinned, their fangs gleaming. "That sounds wonderful."

Marinette wouldn't say that she was feeling like herself again– the Fox Miraculous was still missing, Hawk Moth and Blue Wing were still out there– but things felt like they were now manageable after talking to Master Fu. She walked into class with her head up, earrings in her ear and Tikki in her purse– feeling as if today was one that could be faced.

"Hey girl!" Alya cried when she saw her– and Marinette instantly felt a smile appear over her face.

"Hi Alya!" Marinette said, hurrying over to their shared desk.

"You're looking like yourself again today," Alya said, bumping her shoulder. "Things are doing better?"

"Yeah," Marinette said. "Things are starting to look up again. Hi Nino!"

Marinette was startled when Nino nearly tripped over his own feet at the greeting, though he quickly managed to catch himself before he fell. He sat straight up, an unnaturally large smile on his face, giving Marinette some finger guns as greeting.

"H-hey Marinette!" He said, shuffling towards his desk in front of her. "Goes how it– I, um, how goes it? Good day huh dude? Yeah, definitely a good day."

Alya snorted. "You okay?"

"Yep! Perfectly good and chipper!" Nino declared.

"Chipper?" Alya echoed, raising an eyebrow.

"A perfectly good and normal day," Nino replied, sitting at his desk, carefully placing his bag in the empty seat next to him. "School and stuff and hopefully no quizzes or akumas– because I am not ready."

"You mean you're not ready for the science test?"

"What?!"

Alya let out a laugh. "I kid, I kid– what's got you so tensed up today?"

"H-huh? What makes you say that? This is a completely normal morning!" Nino said, opening his bag to get out his history book. "Nothing to worry about, nothing going on– ow!"

Nino swiftly withdrew his hand from his bag, glowering, and Marinette leaned forward. "Are you okay–?"

"Yep!" Nino cried, pulling out his book and slamming the top of his bag shut. "Just poked myself on a pencil!"

With that he set his book on his desk and quickly turned to face the front of the room, for once not pulling out his headphones to listen to before class started. Marinette frowned, wondering what had him so on edge– when Nino let out a long sigh, turning back slightly towards them.

"S-sorry," he muttered. "I, um, didn't get a lot of sleep last night and I'm running on caffeine right now."

Marinette gave an understanding smile. "I get that. I'm pretty sure I've replaced my blood with caffeine at this point."

Nino flashed her a worried look– before swiftly shifting towards the front of the room again. "Heh, yeah, thank goodness for energy drinks, right dudette?"

"I prefer coffee myself," Marinette said.

"Uh-huh," Nino said, bobbing his head, before he turned to face her once more. "So... um... does your bakery sell anything with grapes?"

"Huh?"

"Like grape filling or jam or something?" Nino asked. "Like a pastry or something? I've, um, been craving some all day and I was thinking that maybe I'd swing by at lunch and buy something at the bakery. G-get some sugar in the bloodstream, yeah?"

She smiled. "Yeah, I'm not sure off the top of my head, but I know we have ones with grapes. My parents would be able to tell you everything we got."

"Heh, awesome, thanks dude," Nino said swiftly, shooting finger guns once more before whipping about to face the front of the room.

"So all we needed to do was give Nino coffee to get him to open up, huh?" Alya said with a small smile.

Marinette shook her head. "Nothing can replace a good night's sleep."

"Ah yes, the king of subtle," Trixx drawled, drifting out of Nino's bag as soon as they were in his room. "No one will ever suspect a thing."

"Shut up," Nino muttered, setting the small bag of pastries on his desk. "I don't do well under pressure– and here's some grape things to tie you over until I can get fresh ones." Nino took off his cap for a moment, running a hand through his hair. "Did it have to be from Marinette's place?"

"Is there another bakery that can compare?" Trixx asked, phasing through the bag– and Nino didn't reply. A few moments later he popped out the top, a grape tart in his paws. "I thought so." The kwami licked his lips, before taking a large bite. "Mmm– don't mind if I do!"

"Gah, I don't know," Nino muttered, sitting on his bed. "It hasn't even been half a day and I'm messing things up. I'm not good at secrets! I don't know if I can do this–"

Trixx eyed him. "If you can't then you can't. Just leave little old Blue Wing to rot then."

"D-don't say that–"

Trixx shrugged, taking another bite of his tart. "What? If not you then who else is going to help him?"

"I didn't say I wasn't going to help him!" Nino cried, rising to his feet– and Trixx smirked at him. The teenager sat down after a moment, glancing away. "I... This just isn't going to be easy, alright?"

The Fox finished up his last bite of tart, then zipped over towards the boy. "Look, kid, I've been at this for thousands of years," Trixx said, and Nino's eyes widened slightly at this number. "I know it's not easy– easy ain't part of the job– but if you're going to let doubts get to you then you're not going to get far."

"I'm not supposed to even have a Miraculous," Nino muttered, placing his cap back on his head.

Trixx snorted. "Do you think a kwami would let just anyone hold their jewel? Trust me, the sooner you throw out those doubts the better." The Fox came closer. "Remember, Nino, this isn't about us– this is about getting everyone Hawk Moth has hurt out of his hands."

Nino held his gaze for a moment, then gave a short nod. "...Yeah. You're right."

"Of course I am," Trixx said, ruffling his fur slightly. "We don't have time to worry– we need to plan."

"I have to get back to school after lunch."

"Then let's not waste a moment," Trixx settled onto Nino's nightstand, holding out his paws. "Now, the Fox's main power is called 'Mirage', and it allows you to summon and manipulate illusions. You should be able to create a sight-based and sound-based illusion with no trouble– but more skilled holders can create illusions that can manipulate the other senses as well, with time. And it's not that hard, I know that look– you simply manipulate an illusion with your mind– it will be natural."

"Nothing about this seems natural..." Nino muttered.

"The second ability all Foxes get would be 'Reality', which dispels deception-based magic. Most Foxes use it to dispel their own illusions though. This power doesn't take too much energy so you should be able to use it freely– but Mirage will be draining. Once you summon an illusion, you'll find yourself on a timer. The larger and more complex the illusion, the shorter your timer– once it goes off you'll find yourself detransforming and vulnerable."

Most people were vaguely aware that the Miraculous users had their limits– Ladybug had left sudden interviews with her earrings beeping many times, and from what had been observed with Rena Rouge and Blue Wing it seemed to be no different for them.

"...Okay," Nino said softly.

Trixx shrugged. "Honestly, that's really all you need to know. I'll have a presence in your mind when you transform, that combined with the natural instincts a Miraculous grants, most holders can hold their own their first time in battle."

Nino hesitated. "Will my costume be like Rena Rouge's?"

"It will resemble a fox."

"I get that, but will it be... the same?"

Trixx's eyes gleamed. "What? Don't think you can pull it off?" He snickered. "The costume will reflect what you want deep down– as long as it pays homage to the animal we represent."

Nino gave a short nod. "So... I don't have to go with orange then, right?"

Trixx crossed his paws. "What's wrong with orange?"

"Nothing!" Nino said swiftly. "It's just a very bright color... and I was thinking that maybe something a bit more subtle would be nice? I don't want the spotlight on us, and if we could stay in the shadows, then maybe..."

He trailed off, but Trixx nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I could manage a silver fox– how does that sound?"

Nino closed his eyes, before nodding. "That sounds good. Thank you little... dude?"

"Hmm?" Trixx glanced up as he heard the question in Nino's voice, and he hesitated.

"Not to sound rude... but are you a dude or dudette?" Nino asked after a moment. "I mean, what would you like me to call you?"

Trixx stared at him in confusion– before his violet eyes lit up. "Oh, I see! I'm comfortable with anything."

"Anything?" Nino asked. "Any pronouns?"

"I've used a lot of different titles over the years, my holders usually pick one out they prefer for me," Trixx replied.

Nino shifted. "If you're fine with that... but I'd rather use something you'd prefer– is there any?"

Trixx tilted his head. "I've always found it interesting how important these things are to you humans. I know that many kwamis have taken to it as well, but for me, I've never really found a single gender that I felt like it could completely describe me."

"Oh."

"For me, it's really always changing," Trixx explains. "Decade to decade, year to year, day to day. It's just part of life though, isn't it? Everything about us is always changing, and there's never really one word to describe us as a whole– so why should my gender be any different?"

"Okay," Nino said after a moment of thought. "So, would you like me to use something that's gender neutral then, or have what I say change with how you feel?"

Trixx watched him closely, the Fox's gaze strangely focused. Nino hesitated, when the small fox blinked at him. He jumped slightly when he saw the Fox's eyes shifted from a vibrant purple to a much softer green. He just stared for a moment, startled but interested, and a few blinks later Trixx's eyes were purple once more, though a softer shade than before.

"You can change your eye color?"

"Not really," Trixx said, tilting their head. "It's just a minor illusion I use to convey to the other kwamis how I am currently feeling. I have never really used it much with humans, besides explaining why I do so when they ask. If you would like though you could use this to decide which titles to use for me."

"Really?"

Trixx let out a high pitched yip of a laugh. "Sure thing. I've never really had any kits so insisting like this. Usually they usually view my presentation as something more linked to spirits or gods, something 'ever changing' and 'beyond them'. I never really understood that."

Nino rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry if I came off as pushy or anything..."

"You weren't, don't worry," Trixx said with a fanged grin.

"So, um... what colors mean what...?"

Trixx shrugged, violet eyes gleaming. "I don't know if I could condense it down to something black and white– but right now I feel that masculine pronouns would be the most appropriate."

"Alright," Nino said, smiling. "Guess that means you're fine with me calling you dude?"

Trixx's tail flicked. "I heard you at school, you call everyone dude."

"You got me there, little dude."

"Ladybug!" Alya lit up when she found a familiar red shape landing in front of her– she had been on her way to film the akuma fight, a part of her having been expecting Ladybug to tackle this one on her own like last time.

The heroine smiled softly at her. "Hey Alya– it's been a while."

Alya's eyes flickered to the box in her hands. "You need Rena Rouge's help this time?"

There was excitement in her voice, but Alya found that fading when she saw the look that suddenly appeared in Ladybug's eyes. She would have called it fear– but this was Ladybug they were talking about. She swallowed, shifting, looking down at the box in her hand.

"...Not this time," Ladybug said softly, and she spoke quickly when she saw the flash of confusion in Alya's eyes. "I'll explain everything another time– but right now I need your help." She held out the box. "Alya, this is the Miraculous of the Bee, which grants the power of Subjection."

"The Bee?" Alya said– heart racing both at the thought of seeing and using another Miraculous– yet feeling slightly dejected that she wouldn't see Trixx. She didn't hesitate though, knowing that Ladybug probably needed this Miraculous for this battle, and had decided to call on her again when she could have gone to someone else.

So she reached for the box, carefully opening it up. She was able to see a comb inside– before a burst of bright yellow light surged up. It was much harsher than Trixx's golden aura, and materializing out from the light was a new kwami. Yellow and black, with bright blue eyes and fuzz around her neck, and the kwami gave a bow.

"Hello, my Queen," the kwami said with an air of respect. "My name is Pollen, and I'm delighted to serve you."

"Hi there," Alya said softly, carefully pulling out the comb, and tucking it into her hair. "It's nice to meet you– um, how do I transform with you?"

"The phrases you need to know are 'buzz on' to transform, 'buzz off' to detransform, and 'Venom' to activate our powers," the kwami recited. "I understand that this isn't your first time using a Miraculous?" Alya nodded, and Pollen beamed. "Wonderful! I'm sure we'll work together fantastically."

"What does Venom do?" Alya asked– and it was Ladybug who answered.

"It charges your weapon with a paralyzing energy," Ladybug explained.

"Whoever you sting with it will be unable to move," Pollen said. "It should provide an excellent opportunity to find the akumatized object."

Alya nodded, she could see why Ladybug would bring out this Miraculous. "Got it. Pollen– buzz on!"

Pollen smiled, before she once again turned into a burst of light, being drawn in towards the comb. Alya closed her eyes, thinking she knew what to expect with a transformation– but she quickly found that Pollen's energy felt nothing like Trixx's. As the yellow aura washed over her Alya felt herself tense slightly, the energy feeling sharp and rigid as it washed over her. Trixx's aura had been light and bursting with energy, almost playful– while Pollen's felt the exact opposite.

"Ready?" Ladybug asked with a smile once her transformation had finished.

"Uh, yeah," Alya said, shifting slightly– and she wasn't sure how to describe what she was feeling. This transformation... it just didn't feel right. It wasn't wrong, she could feel Pollen's powers and was sure she could use them– but yet it just didn't feel natural like with Trixx.

She could sense Pollen in her mind, alert and quiet, a stiff buzz instead of an inquisitive hum.

"What should I call you then, partner?" Ladybug asked, drawing her yoyo.

Alya instinctively reached back for her flute– but found nothing there. It took her a moment of searching, but found her new weapon strapped to her hip. For a second she thought it was a yoyo like Ladybug's, but upon closer inspection it was a spinning top attached to a string. She held the trompo in her hands uncertainly, before realizing Ladybug had asked her a question.

"Um, Abeille?" She offered. It was just 'bee'... but nothing else came to mind right away, and she didn't want to keep Ladybug waiting.

Ladybug smiled. "Let's go then, partner."

Alya– Abeille– nodded. "Yeah."

Nooroo had said he was a perfect match for Emotion– but Blue Wing felt like he could do nothing but fail with Duusu in his hands.

He had been hoping for another opportunity to fight Ladybug without Rena Rouge– and while the Fox hero hadn't shown up, Ladybug had shown up with another Miraculous hero to help her. He had thought that perhaps a bit of taunting would throw the new hero off to give him a chance– but it had done nothing but reveal that this 'Abeille' was indeed Rena Rouge, but just with a different Miraculous.

At first he had wondered what had prompted the change, but when Abeille's Venom managed to make contact with his current avatar, he had seen why.

The Bee's power had immediately immobilized the avatar, leaving it as basically nothing more than a statue. Not only had it rendered his power useless, but it had also immediately triggered his timer– something that neither him nor the heroines had been expecting, going by their startled looks when his brooch had started beeping.

And so Ladybug had turned her attention to his father's akuma, while Abeille had decided to tail him as he retreated. Usually this would be no issue, able to outpace both females with ease by taking to the air– but it seemed that his link to his avatar wasn't working in his favor.

At least that's what he assumed was making his lungs hurt as he fled, perhaps the magic of the Venom was somehow seeping through his connection with his avatar. Running across the rooftops as he fled was difficult enough, but his attempts to take to the skies were even worse. As swift as flying was, as amazing it felt– it was tiring. He wasn't sure if he could stay in the air like this when his lungs burned and he tried to choke down a cough, and so he used them no more than as a means to glide across streets as he tried to escape Abeille, who was on his tail.

The only thing in his favor right now was that her timer was ticking down as well– as long as he stayed ahead she would be forced to turn away from the chase... but every time he turned around she seemed to only be closer.

Blue Wing jumped into the air, wings flapping twice before stretching them out as he soared across the street. It was far from a smooth glide, his lungs burning as he let a cough escape him, and as he began coughing he couldn't stop. The air was forced from his lungs, not giving him a moment to catch his breath– and instead of landing he crashed into the rooftops.

He didn't let himself pause though, rolling the moment he collided with the roof. There was an alley up ahead, perhaps there would be some shelter he could find–!

He practically dove into the alleyway, but he knew it was futile at this point– catching a glimpse of bright yellow right behind him as he fell to the ground, the painful impact seeming to end the coughing fit. He stared up at the narrow strip of sky he could see from the alleyway, brooch on his chest chirping with urgency. A hand shakily reached for his fan, prepared to fight for when Abeille came down onto him–

Instead he gawked in pure confusion as he watched himself bound over the alleyway with ease, wings open as he continued running across rooftops. Moments later Abielle jumped over the alleyway, not looking down, her focus clearly locked on the version of himself that was fleeing.

"Wh-what?" Blue Wing stuttered out in confusion, and he felt another cough build up in his throat. He pushed himself forward, another coughing fit falling over him, and he covered his mouth to try to muffle the noise.

The avatar! He was still linked to it! Maybe if he...

He closed his eyes, trying to focus on his connection to the creation he had made, focusing on that energy. He snapped his fingers, instantly shattering the connection, and he knew that the immobilized avatar would now be gone, the amok feather drifting away in the wind.

The coughing lasted for another minute, but as he sat there in the alleyway resting he felt a bit better.

His brooch gave a final beep, and his transformation fell away in a burst of deep blue light. Duusu came soaring out from the Miraculous, twisting about– looking exhausted but excited, magenta eyes gleaming.

"That was a close one!" They said happily.

"H-here," Adrien said, reaching into his pocket to pull out the chocolate he had for the tired kwami. They zipped forward, snatching it from his hands and eating it in a single bite. "I... I need some water..."

"Then let's go get some!" Duusu said.

"Duusu... did you see that?" Adrien asked, and the Peacock gave him a confused look. "I... I swear I saw myself jumping over the alleyway."

"Yeah, I saw that."

"What was it?" Adrien asked, relaxing slightly, glad to know he hadn't just imagined it.

"I dunno!" Duusu said, spinning about.

"...Oh," Adrien muttered, closing his eyes. Perhaps his father would know...

Maybe he'd wait here until the Miraculous Ladybugs were released– everything hurt, and he didn't want to move.