FW09: Hello once again Miraculous readers! It's time for the next chapter! I hope you're all ready for it, but first, answering this question~

From "pinksakura271":

"What's your favorite ship of the Miraculous Love Square?!"

- Well...I mean, I love all sides of that square. LadyNoir, Marichat, Ladrien, and Adrienette are all very amusing. But if I had to pick my favorite, it'd probably be Ladrien, my only reason being that everyone's happy. However, since two of the sides of the square are the same person...I just throw my hands up in the air and laugh at how complicated, and at the same time NOT complicated, it all is.

And that's all for questions! On with the show!

Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous: the Adventures of Ladybug and Chat Noir. All characters, unless specified as OCs, are not mine either.

Bedtime Stories: Tikki and Plagg

Chapter 1: Marinette's Bedroom and the Birth of a New God

"…Gods?" Marinette stared down at Tikki, a little doubtful and unsure, "You?"

"Yup," Tikki's little arms worked to turn the puffed pastry, distracting from the uncomfortable feelings that bubbled in her tiny body, "Hard to believe…isn't it?" There was a certain sting to her pride that started to hurt once more, something that came and went. Over thousands of years, the Kwami's position as miniature guardian had taken some getting used to – being treated as a doll or a pet, and being shoved into uncomfortable spaces and bags – but once she accepted her role, she'd come to accept the embarrassing aspects that came with the job. After all, pride was a fairly cheap price to pay for world peace.

"I mean…the things you can do, and the Miraculous…" the teenager scratched her head, "It's magical, but…God-level?" Tikki had to laugh a little at Marinette's question.

"Well, we weren't always this tiny," Tikki stuffed a little of the flaky, sugary crust into her mouth, "But there was a reason for it." She licked the sugar crystals on her arms, but stopped when she felt Marinette's unwavering gaze on her.

"I'm not telling you that right now," the little Kwami giggled, her antennae flicking playfully, "We're not even at that part in the story." Marinette's eyes grew wide and expectant, grinning ear to ear.

"This is going to be a long story, isn't it?" she squealed a little, realizing that Tikki's past with Plagg might be more than she expected.

"Mhmm," Tikki popped another lacy sugar thread into her mouth, "Like I said, it's over 5,000 years of history. Even history books can't summarize it in one night." Marinette made a sound of loathing and boredom, the word history grating on her ears.

"That'd be really easy if they could though," she muttered, and Tikki patted Marinette's cheek with a smile. History was definitely not Marinette's best subject.

"That's alright, I think you might find this story a little more interesting than regular history," Tikki brought Marinette's attention back.

"So…Gods?"

"Yup. Gods."

During the old days, when human civilization took its first steps, the human word "God" was used to describe anything supernatural or out of the ordinary. For instance, a magical beast that established its territory in an old forest, or a spirit of a bog that grew powerful enough to take form. In those days, "Gods" were everywhere. And they were seen as either "good" or "evil".

"Good" Gods bestowed blessings upon humans, took care of their land and helped it prospered. In return, shrines were erected in their honor, and offerings of food, drink, and prizes were made daily as worship. They were prayed to for guidance, strength, and virtue, and often thanked for the miracles they performed every day.

"Evil" Gods caused death and destruction, and were hostile towards humans. They were hunted, cast out, and feared. Strict rituals were made to prevent them from entering human territory, including sacrifices, and any disasters or ailments were usually blamed on them.

That's the way humans saw us. Never gray, always black or white. Never neutral, always right or wrong. But that's not what we were.

Each "God" had their own unique abilities, and it was up to each "God" how they used them. Some would cause havoc, as they saw humans as parasites or slaves. Others found them charming, and favored them. But no God was completely good or evil – that was a fully human notion.

I remember my time when I first became a "God", in a land that would eventually become China. I was a spirit that inhabited a small field that was taken care of by a small peasant family, who used ladybugs as a natural repellant against aphids. Their love and care were poured into that little field, and as the years went by, that plot of land gave me enough spiritual energy to manifest a corporeal form. It wasn't much different than how I look now, but I was garbed in a simple red hanfu.

When the family's youngest son, named Huang, found me, he wasn't sure what to make of me – but I made it simple for him.

"Tell your family this," I spoke to him, "Take care of the land as you've done before. Continue to cherish it, and nurture it. And I will help bring bounty to this field." The little boy understood and ran back to his parents, bringing them to me to negotiate the arrangement. They agreed to water the plants, keeping the land ploughed, free from harmful animals like rabbits and boars, and protect it during the winter months. In turn, I promised to take care of the problems that they could not control, though they were skeptical at first.

For the next few years, I showed them that, despite my size, I was powerful enough to influence the weather to bring sunshine on most cloudy days, guide earthworms to churn earth and bring nutrients to the soil, and bless the crops to avoid disease. They were impressed, and were especially grateful when the field yielded its bounty before winter, preventing them from starving and giving them items to trade and sell. It wasn't until 5 years later that they began to wonder if I was a God, when a band of bandits were reported to have been roaming the same area.

The poor family, who had no weapons to defend themselves with, asked me for help, but my powers were tied to that of the land. I provided and nurtured plants – I was not a being that could physically harm someone else, even if they meant harm to me. They lamented over this for a few nights, and resolved to leave for safety. However, that same little boy who had first found me believed in me, and told me that even if his family were to leave, he wanted to stay. Huang would protect their land if I couldn't, and said he understood that there was only so much I could do.

Perhaps it was his faith in me, or maybe the land had simply gathered enough of their love and energy in its roots, but on the night the bandits came, I found that my powers had grown. I still wasn't able to hurt someone, as my nature didn't allow me to, but I was able to do other things. One of the bandits found a trail of gold coins and followed it to a cave where a dying nobleman had left his treasure. For several nights, the bandits stayed away to collect their loot. The next time they came, their leader came upon a young woman who was lost, and it turned out to be the daughter of a wealthy merchant. She grew enamored with him, despite his rough attitude and demeanor, and the two were engaged the next week. Every time one of them came near the grove, they were struck inexplicably with good fortune, and by the next month, bandits were no longer seen in the area.

"That was you, wasn't it?" the father of the family asked in awe, "You saved our land, without causing a single death." I answered that I only did what I could, and that if they wished to express their gratitude, they should just continue tending the fields. Huang, however, suspected that I had become more than just some spirit.

"What is your name?" he asked one day, lounging on the plow after a long day's work.

"I don't have one. I'm a ladybug spirit," I told him, sitting on his shoulder as the orange hue of the sunset filtered through the clouds above, "Names are for humans. Spirits, plants, and beasts have no use for them." It was true - communication between nature and spirit was nonverbal. One only needed to look at each other to know they were communicating with them.

"You must have a name. One day, you might even become a God," the boy replied, and he looked over at the swarm of ladybugs that were flitting about the field, "…Why not the Ladybug God?" I laughed a little, and flitted off his shoulder.

"That's more of a title than a name, isn't it?" I settled on the plow beside him, my antennae perking up as I felt the air turn a bit cooler, "And a little on the nose, too. I don't just call you Boy of Plowing, do I?"

"Yeah, I guess not," he sighed dejectedly, then he sat upright and began to ponder, "Hmm…how about...Qiji*?"

"Qiji?" I tilted my head, and floated towards him, "Why 'Qiji'?"

"It means 'miracle'," Huang grinned and jumped off the plow, "And you create miracles every day for us!" There was an excited fervor in his voice, his brown eyes sparkling underneath tousled black hair.

"Qiji, the God of Luck! That's your name!" the young boy bowed deeply, practicing, "Oh great Qiji, God of Luck, bestow upon us your wisdom and riches!" I couldn't help but smile at the gesture, and played along by holding my head high.

"I'm a God now, Huang," I floated around him, and landed on his head, "I can't just give wisdom and riches for free anymore, you know? What do you offer in return?"

"First year's harvest until the end of time!" he exclaimed, but when he didn't hear a reply, he continued, "And my mother's moon cakes for the rest of my life!" I licked my lips and hopped off his head, hovering in front of his face.

"Deal!" I poked his nose and giggled, watching as Huang laughed with me in the sunset.

Little did I know that this truly was the beginning of my Godhood, and my path towards meeting Plagg...

Tikki ended her story as she saw Marinette yawn and rub her bleary, blue eyes. It was already 10:00 PM, and the young bluenette had school the next day. The red-and-black Kwami smiled knowingly, and began to gather up the napkins and crumbs. A pale peach palm stopped her, rubbing over the top of her head.

"Keep going, Tikki," Marinette mumbled weakly, her eyes on the verge of closing, "It's a good story..."

"There's always tomorrow, Marinette," Tikki told her, struggling out from under Marinette's hand, "For now, we should rest up." A small red blur flashed between Marinette's bed and the trash bin at her desk, disposing of the mess with speed and efficiency. Once done, she proceeded to turning off the desk lamp, letting the moon illuminate the dark room.

"Was Huang your first Ladybug?"

The question made Tikki pause, her antennae twitching in thought. She turned to look at Marinette, who was peering over the fluff of her comforter with a bit more awareness. There was no suspicion or jealousy in her eyes, only pure curiosity. Tikki floated over to her Miraculous holder, nestling Marinette's head on the pillow.

"No," she replied simply, rubbing her cheek against the bluenette's warm forehead, "But he was my first human. He embodied everything that I loved about humanity - their warmth, their laughter...their faith. You remind me of him in some ways."

"Good ways?" Marinette asked hopefully in a soft whisper, and Tikki giggled, letting her antennae brush over Marinette's hair.

"Of course," Tikki crawled down to be closer to Marinette's neck, sighing as the comforter was drawn over the both of them, "You're just as kind as he was, Marinette, if not more so. And in those days, it was very hard to be kind." Before she could explain further, another yawn caught Tikki's attention, and she quieted down, listening to the bluenette's breathing as it changed from fast to slow. Tikki glanced up quickly and saw a small smile on Marinette's face, pleased by the confession apparently.

The Luck Kwami sighed softly once more, and closed her eyes gratefully. The Akuma had really tuckered her out today, and she needed the sleep. However, her thoughts drifted ever so curiously towards a pair of green-eyes that haunted her throughout her dreams. Comforting, yet prickling as well. As though they were watching her even now...

"Plagg, what are you looking at?"

"...Hmmm?"

The Destruction Kwami perked his whiskers up as he acknowledged Adrien's voice, but continued to stare at one of the walls in the boy's room. Every so often, the whisker on the top of his head would shift towards the same spot his eyes were drawn to, and Adrien couldn't help but be curious about it.

"You're sort of just staring off into space, dude," Adrien stated matter-of-factly, crossing his arms as he leaned against his desk. It had been a long night, and the Parisian boy was already dressed in loose pajamas. Just as he was about to climb into bed, however, he noticed Plagg acting strangely. It wasn't for the first time this night, either. After they de-stabilized, Adrien remembered hiding behind the chimney frantically, and Plagg hovering just around it. His eyes were staring at Ladybug, or something just beyond her, and he didn't take his eyes off of her until she disappeared completely. Since then, Plagg had been alarmingly silent, so much so that Adrien wondered if he'd seen something.

"Plagg? Hellooooo?" Adrien didn't get much of a reply, just a little hum from the cat-like creature, and a twitch of his tail. The blonde model gave a roll of his eyes before reaching into his pocket and unraveling a small tinfoil-wrapped piece of Camembert. Almost instantaneously, Plagg whipped around and darted towards the smelly cheese, snatching it from Adrien's hands and whisking it back to the same spot he was hovering in. His eyes never left the spot on the wall as he munched noisily on his meal.

"Seriously, why are you staring at my wall?"

"None of your business," Plagg replied finally, giving a smirk in Adrien's direction.

"What if I cut off your Camembert, then?" Adrien raised an eyebrow, threatening the Kwami's cheese supply.

"...Hmph," Plagg frowned, still chewing on the Camembert in his mouth, "Fine. I'm just sensing her." The blonde continued to cross his arms as he waited for Plagg to continue, but all Plagg did was stuff his mouth with the rest of the cheese.

"Well, who's 'her'?" Adrien pressed for more information, but his eyes widened as he felt his heart beat faster, "Do you mean...Ladybug?"

"Mmm...yes," Plagg wiped his mouth with the back of his arm, grinning at Adrien's reaction, "And no." Expectedly, Adrien's face fell, and Plagg laughed obnoxiously at the teenager's sudden shift in mood.

"I'm sensing her Kwami - Tikki," he explained further, saving himself from Adrien's wrath, "And where Tikki is, so is Ladybug." Plagg's tail flicked to and fro, his green eyes wandering back in Tikki's direction.

"Could you find her, if you wanted to?" Adrien pulled out his desk chair and set it next to Plagg, sitting down on it backwards so he could stare at the wall with him. The black Kwami purred in thought - it was tempting, but Tikki and the other Miraculous guardians had rules about finding each other haphazardly.

"No, she'd sense me, too," Plagg sat on Adrien's shoulder, giving his body a rest from hovering, "A mile away. And if that happens...well, it won't be good for anyone."

"Heh, is it because you smell like Camembert?" the blonde teenager joked, glancing at Plagg to see his reaction, "...Plagg? Plagg? Hellooooo?"

"...No, it's more complicated than that."

Adrien blinked at Plagg's unusually somber answer. Normally the Kwami would've chastised him, or teased him in return. Something was bothering the smelly little creature, and Adrien sighed as he prepared himself.

"All right, Plagg," he poked Plagg in the cheek, "What's up with you tonight? You're way more quiet than usual." For a few seconds, there was silence in the room, enough to hear the ticking of the grandfather clock in the hallway. Plagg sighed, pushing Adrien's finger away.

"I just...wish I could've seen her."

The wistfulness in the cat Kwami's voice was startling to Adrien. It wasn't any different to how he sounded when he talked about Ladybug. Adrien would've teased Plagg on any other day and occasion, but the nasally tone was much more longing and sad. Deep, even.

"You mean...Tikki?"

"...Yeah. It's been so long," Plagg floated up once more, like in a trance, and touched the wall, "And I could feel her - feel her looking at me." Adrien crossed his arms on the back of the chair and placed his chin on them, watching Plagg's restless movements. This was a side to Plagg that the Miraculous holder had never seen before. It was hopeful, dreamy, tender even. And there was only one feeling that could describe the cat's behavior.

"Are you in love with her?" Green cat eyes met human, narrowing to slits in question, but Adrien refused to look away. Plagg glanced back in the red Kwami's direction, then back to Adrien.

"Didn't I say it before?" Plagg drifted back onto Adrien's shoulder, flashing a smirk at the boy, "Love is for cheese, not girls. 'Sides, we haven't talked in hundreds of years."

"Uh huh," Adrien raised his eyebrow again, and glanced over to the window, "Whoa, what's that red blur?!"

"Where?!" Plagg shot off of the blonde manipulator's shoulder and ran smack dab into the window. It took only a couple of moments for the black Kwami to realize he'd been tricked, and he glared at Adrien with a sour expression. Adrien, on the other hand, was trying to contain his laughter, and the sour expression on Plagg's face grew more disdainful by the second.

"Well, now I know you at least care about her," Adrien confirmed after he stopped laughing, crossing his arms with a satisfied grin.

How Plagg wished he was big enough to wipe that smile off of the boy's face.

"Hey, it's no big deal, Plagg," the Parisian model laughed a little, raising his hands in defense, "I'm just...surprised. I never pegged you as the sort to fall in love with anything other than Camembert."

"I love cheddar and swiss, too," Plagg mumbled as he drifted away from the window, the moonlight glancing off his black fur. He made his way over to Adrien's bed and curled upon the pillow, his ears folded against his head. There was a bit of melancholy to the way he sighed, and as his green eyes closed, Plagg started to dream in red and black.

...That is, until Adrien flopped onto the bed and launched Plagg up in the air.

It took the black Kwami a few horrendously awkward seconds to straighten himself out, but afterwards he glared yet again at the blonde mop of hair that was currently trying to hold in his laughter yet again.

"C'mon Plagg," Adrien wiped an imaginary tear from his eye, "I'm just trying to cheer you up. Also, I kinda want to hear about how you and Tikki got together. Is she...your girlfriend? Wife? Soulmate?"

"She's none of your business," Plagg crossed his arms and turned away from the irritating teenager, but the alluring smell of Camembert caught his attention once again. The gloriously white piece of cheese was being waved around in the air as Adrien pinched his nose, and the cat Kwami couldn't help but float back towards him, albeit reluctantly.

"Please, Plagg? I promise not to make fun of you," Adrien crossed his heart with his free hand, making a bit of a face when he had to release his nose for a few moments, "And I really am interested. I mean, you've been around just as long as Tikki has, right?" Plagg let Adrien hold the cheese as he hugged it, his whiskers twitching every now and again in thought. He glanced over in Tikki's direction once more, contemplating it. It wouldn't hurt to reveal a little information...would it?

"I'll give you extra pieces of Camembert for it," Adrien told him, an obvious bribe. And one that Plagg couldn't help but fall for.

"Done!"

FW09: All right, that's the end of Chapter 1! There's a bit of exposition that has to happen before we get to the meat of the story, but please bear with it! I'm trying not to go too fast, since I have a lot of ground to cover, but I'll definitely let you guys know which chapter Tikki and Plagg actually meet. In big bold letters at the top of the chapter, XD. (Also...I just realized that the backstory section of this chapter was way shorter than all the present-day stuff. It wasn't intentional, but it made me laugh a little, ha.)

Note*: "Yeah, I guess not," he sighed dejectedly, then he sat upright and began to ponder, "Hmm…how about...Qiji*?"

*Qiji does stand for "miracle" in Chinese, and I chose this name since it's the only one that matches best with Tikki's actual name. The pronunciation is startlingly similar, and I'm really happy that it is. Try checking Google if you're not sure how to pronounce Qiji.