Plagg peaked out from under the blankets, fully intending to sneak out to see Tikki as they agreed to earlier but was amazed at his normally calm and collected partner growing more frantic by the second. Adrien had torn through his room which now looked like a tornado had run through. At first, Plagg was enjoying the show but had quickly grown a little worried. He could've easily snuck out under the chaos...but he had to take care of his prized cheese. Wouldn't want anything bad to happen to his aged Camembert.
He flew over to Adrien who was taking out all of the photo albums out of his cupboards, looking in every crevice of his room.
"Watcha doin'?" Plagg asked.
Adrien sighed heavily, brushing his hair back as he tried to calm down. "Sorry Plagg, did I wake you?"
"Meh." Plagg mewed. "I was going to snack anyhow."
Sorry, I'm just looking for something that I think is lost but really is probably in the place I least suspect because I would never lose it, there's no way I could ever just lose something that important!" Adrien rambles quickly turned into a panicked state as he continued to search.
Plagg stared at Adrien for a little while longer before his sighed. "You realize that you still have to go to school right? It's almost the middle of the night."
"I know, it's just..." Adrien grimaced, taking a step back and handing his head in defeat.
"Whatever you lost still has to be in the room, just look for it later."
"Aw man!" Adrien remarked as he picked up the heart-shaped card which now had a shoe print on it. He stopped for a moment as a wave of nostalgia hit him. Opening up the card he began to smile as he read through the poem from the card he received on Valentine's day. The one that he thought was from...
Adrien narrowed his eyes, realizing that there was something familiar about the note. He then reached for his backpack, taking out a blue notebook and then placing it down next to the card. "The handwriting...they're almost identical."
"What's almost identical?" Plagg asked hovering nearby but when he saw the two items lain out side by side even he could feel a terrible foreboding.
"This card from Valentines day that wasn't signed, all this time I thought it was from Ladybug. And these are Marin's notes that he let me borrow, the handwriting is almost exactly the same..."
"So? Lots of people's handwriting look similar! It's natural for someone to write neatly! That guy was a fan of yours after all! He probably didn't want to weird you out back then!" Plagg tried to reason, placing himself between the cards and his partner.
Adrien looked at him with uncertainty, "But why would Marin send me a Valentines day card? He has Luka."
"Well, they didn't know each other back then right?! This was probably before that!"
"Yeah...maybe." Adrien said holding the light blue notebook in hand.
"There's no maybe about it! This is just some random card from some rando, no need to delve into any implications your hormonal teenage mind is thinking up right now!" Plagg tried to reason. "Besides, you're just tired, you haven't even changed into your pajamas yet!"
"Hm." Adrien hummed, realizing that Plagg was right, he hasn't even showered yet and it was only going to get later. He sighed heavily, conceding to his Kwami as he stretched his arms over his head. "Alright, I guess you're right, I'm just tired."
"Of course I'm right." Plagg remarked as he watched Adrien walk towards the bathroom. "Oh, and I'm sleeping in my sock tonight!"
"Okay!" Adrien called from behind the closed bathroom door.
Plagg waited for a moment, seeing if Adrien would walk out before he apologized internally, then zoomed out of his partner's room and into the night.
Tikki was looking down from Marin's bed at him writing something in his drawing journal after finishing all of his work. He was wearing his favorite Chat Noir themed hoodie over his pajamas receiving a little light from the lamp on his desk. She then flinched as Marin then closed the book before him.
"It's not nice to be a little sneak Sugarcube." Marin said, crossing his arms and looking up towards his Kwami. Tikki averted her gaze for a moment before flying down towards him, dawning a guilty look on her face.
"Do you not want me to see what you put in your journal?"
Marin covered his mouth as he yawned, turning off the lamp on his desk and then climbed up to his bed. He placed his diary within it's locked box on the shelf as he pulled the covers over himself. "You know I don't hide any secrets from you, Tikki. You're the only one who really knows the true me and I treasure that relationship. Sometimes I just have to write some stuff out for myself, so I can process feelings easier. Sorry if I seem a little distant, I guess I'm still not great at telling people how I really feel." Marin apologized as he rested his head down on his pillow, glancing at Tikki who sat down near him.
"You've changed a lot since we've first met!" She instead. "You have a bunch of friends who care about you, you're more open about your feelings, and you've become more courageous when it comes to saying how you feel."
"Yup and I've earned what happens whenever I'm honest about how I really feel." Marin grimaced as he clawed his heart. "But I'm glad that you're my Kwami, I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you." Marin then admitted with a sincere smile. "Night Sugarcube."
Tikki smiled as she soon heard Marin's soft snores, secretly glad that Marin was a heavy sleeper. She pulled the covers closer so he'd be cozier and then kissed his cheek. "I'm really happy to have you too." She whispered gently before then flying up to the patio, where the Kwami of destruction was waiting for her, stretched out on the chair lazily.
"Plagg, we need to tell someone about what happened today!" Tikki ordered as Plagg yawned.
"Chill out, Sugarcube, it's not like anyone saw us." Plagg remarked.
"What are you talking about?! That woman saw us at school. We could jeopardize our owner's secret identities!" Tikki pointed out.
"Aw, you're cute when you're all frantic." Plagg teased.
"Plagg! Don't you care about Chat Noir!?" Tikki snapped angrily, annoyed at how nonchalant her Kwami brother was about the whole affair. "If someone discovers their identity, Master Fu could erase all memories of us and we'd never get to see them again!"
Plagg averted his gaze for a moment, his cool persona breaking for a moment as worry took promptly. "Alright alright, no need to make a big deal out of nothing. I promise you I won't eat any more magic cheese ever again and we forget about this whole thing. After all, none of us want to worry Baker boy when he's clearly already got too much on his plate right?
Tikki groaned, but was inclined to agree with Plagg. Marin was always worrying about her and about everyone else, so long as things didn't escalate any further there wasn't any need to trouble him. "Alright, but we have to at least tell Master Fu."
"Sure sure, tomorrow night then." Plagg agreed before he flew off, leaving Tikki alone to wonder if they could actually pull this off.
In class the next afternoon Marin sat down in a classroom that would soon be filled with the rest of his classmates. He took out his textbooks first and then his drawing journal, flipping to a page that he was working on yesterday, one that had a series of a certain cat-themed hero doodled in black pen. Marin could feel his face heating up at the sight of his dark secret. He couldn't believe how juvenile he was, drawing people in his journal. But he couldn't help it, he never dared to keep any photo of the hero on his phone, for fear of someone somehow stumbling it so this was enough for him. Over and over again, he found himself being drawn his green eyes, a very familiar shade that always reminded him of-
"Marin?"
"NOTHING!" Marin reflexively said, pushing his journal so far off his desk that it fell over onto the ground. He looked up at Adrien who had walked up to him, but now had a look of surprise, clearly not expecting that response from his friend. Marin sat there for what seemed like an eternity before he quickly scrambled to pick up his journal. His blood ran cold as he then saw that his journal was open to the very page that he never wanted anyone, much less Adrien, to see; one that had a fully illustrated picture of Chat Noir on it.
Immediately his face ran red as he closed it, sincerely hoping that Adrien didn't see it. But then was faced with another issue as Adrien picked up a pressed pink rose that had fallen out of his book.
"Is this yours?" Adrien asked holding it in his hand.
"No- I mean yes, I mean-" Marin stammered trying to hide his face behind his journal to prevent the person he admired the most from seeing what he knew would be his entire face beaming red. "It's mine, could I please have it back?" Marin whimpered holding his hand out.
"It's pretty, where did you get it?" Adrien asked, willfully withholding the flower. Marin swore he could almost see Adrien smiling, no doubt wanting to tease him a little, a trait that he most definitely picked up from their shared friends. "Because usually you'd only keep something if you really liked it, and in your secret journal no less."
Marin peaked out from behind his book, sighing heavily as he rubbed the back of his neck, he could fight this all he wanted but he already knew Adrien wanted some future ammunition.
"It was a present from someone I really like." He said sincerely, taking the rose back from Adrien's hand and then placing it inside his journal then sat back down in his seat while Adrien turned his chair around on the other side to continue their conversation.
"Someone I know?" Adrien asked as he rested his head on his hand with a beaming smile on his face.
Marin stared at him, wondering why he ever decided becoming friends with him was a good idea. "I don't know, maybe? Why?"
Adrien hummed to himself, clearly enjoying his newfound power over him. "I may not know a lot about you, but I think I know enough to know that someone may have a little crush on a certain hero? Enough to draw him in their super-secret journal?
"...Please don't tease me." Marin almost begged as he hid his face in his hands, almost hearing Adrien laughing.
But he didn't, instead, he could feel Adrien placing his hand on his head. "I wouldn't do that...much. I know how much you're a closet Chat Noir fanboy."
"I told you that in confidence, not so you could use it against me." Marin retorted lifting his head up now annoyed. He was growing even more so as he looked at Adrien's cheeky grin, clearly holding back laughter.
"Right, so in confidence, I can poke fun at my best friend being adorable and wanting to kiss Chat Noir's handsome face right?"
Marin averted his gaze but retained his annoyance. "You should only do that with someone you like, dummy." As he crossed his farmer, Marin expected Adrien to quip back at him, but as he turned to face his friend again he released that Adrien looked almost stunned, now only staring at him. "Something up?" Marin asked, now growing concerned, wondering if he said anything wrong.
"No! I just- um, forgot to give you back your notes that's all." Adrien stammered as he took Marin's notebook out of his bag and handed it over to his friend. "They were really helpful, thanks."
"Ah, thanks..." Marin said as he took his book back, he could sense something off with Adrien as his friend returned to his desk with the rest of the class now flooding in.
"Mr. Damocles can you confirm rumors that Ms. Mendeleiev isn't here today that will be appearing on Alternative Truth TV show?"
"Where everything isn't always true but nothing's really false!" Kim shouted out, crossing his arms in an 'X' and then a check before promptly sitting back down after receiving a glare from the principal.
"It is indeed quite possible that Ms. Mendeleive has made a scientific discovery of utmost importance. But-"
"Can we watch the show please?!" A bunch of students pleaded, save for a few, but ultimately Mr. Damocles gave in, sighing heavily.
"And we're back for the next segment of alternative truth, Where nothing is always true but nothing is really false!" Alec said on the television along with Kim who was an eager fan of the show.
"Let's welcome our last guest today, Ms. Mendeleiev a science teacher at Collège Françoise Dupont!"
Personally, Adrien wasn't watching, instead, he was restless as his mind started to wander with uncertainties. He glanced at Marin who was sitting nearby Alya, chatting with her as they both watched, but then he snapped back to attention as Nino elbowed his side, signaling that Ms. Mendeleiev was up.
"What are you about to witness is proof of the existence of interdimensional creatures with incredible powers who can move through matter and seem to be attracted to aged cheese." Adrien's stomach sank at that description. There was no way. "I discovered the first of those creatures soon after the school began in September, I started observing it closely then I discovered a second one proof, watch closely: you can't see the creatures themselves because they are not filmable but look right there." Their teacher pointed to a wedge of cheese being eaten furiously while she was seemingly chasing invisible creatures around the room.
"Given I wasn't able to capture these creatures on video, I've made sketches of them to give you an idea of how they look like."
If Adrien had any hope, it was that the chemistry teacher just saw some kind of Akuma or Amok, but no. Though crude, it was clear enough to see that she was holding up pictures of both Tikki and Plagg.
"Ms. Mendeleiev, are you actually serious about cheese-eating ghosts?" Alec said as Adrien then noticed Marin was sneaking out of the library. He hesitated for a moment but ended up following him out. However, as soon as he opened the door Marin was nowhere in sight.
"Adrien?" Nino called out. "You're missing the show."
"Just going to the restroom, be right back!" Adrien said as he ran down the stairs.
Marin snuck away making sure that he wasn't being followed, and then walked into the chemistry room now that it was empty. He slammed the door behind him, kneeling down and then opening up his bag. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Marin harshly whispered to Tikki who looked up at him nervously. "Why are you and Plagg on television!?"
"I didn't want to bother you with kwami nonsense besides I though the problem been resolved, I promised he didn't eat any of that magic cheese anymore.
"Wait a sec, Plagg? Why was Plagg here?"
"For the cheese..." Tikki said hesitantly as she realized the implications of what she'd just said.
"So you're telling me that Plagg came to this school for magic cheese so often that you eventually found out and enough times that could catch you two in the act?" Marin said, trying to be calm.
"Um..." Tikki giggled nervously as she shrugged her shoulders while Marin slapping his forehead. "But you know that Plagg would travel for miles just sink his teeth into good cheese!"
Marin slid down with his back to the desk, "You see the problem now? is that I'm always going to wonder if you're lying or not.
"I'm so sorry, Marin."
"I know that you meant well but you can't hide something like this from me Tikki." Marin scolded. "If you had told me about this earlier then I could've helped you with Plagg, now there's recorded evidence of you both available for everyone to see, even Hawkmoth and Mayura. Not only that...but Chat Noir now could have an idea of who I am."
"But there's no proof, all he would know is Plagg came here to eat some cheese and that I tried to stop him."
"You being here is enough to draw enough attention. I will never try to discover Chat Noir's identity- hopefully he won't do the same to me either- but if something like this happens again we may not be so lucky."
"I know, I understand." Tikki said hanging her head apologetically, feeling the weight of Marin's disappointment in her.
"That was so irresponsible, you two could've been caught!" Adrien scolded as he hid in a stall within the bathroom.
"Oh please, it's impossible to catch a Kwami in person and on camera."
"Plagg, don't try to talk your way out of this, the camera definitely caught you eating cheese. Any way you look at that it's strange!"
Plagg groaned, "Ugh, you sound just like my Sugarcube, a real stick in the mud-"
"Sugarcube? Who's Sugar-" Adrien was about to ask, but then put two and two together. "Tikki was with you!?"
"Wait a sec, if Tikki was here that means she was here at this school to catch you in the act, which could mean that Ladybug is a student here just like me, which probably means I could..." Adrien's eyes widened as he stared at Plagg who was looking at him helplessly. "Plagg, Marin left the group earlier the same time that I did when showed us her sketches, and back when Ladybug and I lost our Miraculous Marin lost his earrings, not to mention that he always seems to disappear when Ladybug shows up."
"You can't possibly think they're the same person! Marin is a wimp! He's frail and timid and, let's face it, only really good for baking delicious bread!"
"Only when he's around me." Adrien said. "When he's around Chat Noir he's a completely different person." Adrien couldn't hold back a chuckle of amusement of how bold his friend actually was when it came down to it.
"If you discover who Ladybug really is, then you'll have to give up your Miraculous! It's too dangerous for you two to know each other's identities!" Plagg reasoned, but he was then cut off by the sound of an Akuma alert that rang from Adrien's phone. He took it out of his pocket to show a news report of their teacher Ms. Mendeleiev who was Akumatized into a villain called Kwami Buster, and was now terrorizing the TV station.
"We'll talk about this more later. Plagg, claws out!"
Ladybug landed on the roof of the building, successfully saving Alec who was trapped in a safe, releasing him as he then faced off against the new villain.
"Ladybug true or false? I'll capture your Kwami, and prove to everyone these creatures really exist!" Kwami Buster asked as she pointed her gun towards him.
"False!"
"I'll prove to the world that I'm a great scientist and that I made a great discovery!"
"This Kwami Buster, she's from the high school, right?" Chat Noir asked.
"So?" Ladybug asked as he avoided another blast.
"So why was your Kwami at that school?" Chat Noir inquired.
"We wouldn't be in this situation if you had just kept an eye on Plagg!" Ladybug snapped in annoyance. "Now look what happened!"
"Hey, she made two drawings remember? You're not an innocent bystander in this."
"Tikki wasn't the one eating cheese on that recording! She was trying to keep him out of trouble-"
"So, Kwami's don't exist huh? Well here's the proof!" Kwami Bust said as Ladybug could feel his power being drained as he stepped back, trying to get behind cover. He gasped as he saw Tikki being captured by Kwami Buster, just before he was tackled to the ground.
Marin quickly placed his hands over Chat Noir's eyes as he hovered over him, successfully saving him from being seen by Kwami Buster, but now they had a whole other problem to deal with.
"Are you okay?" Chat Noir asked with his eyes still covered.
"Fine." Marin stammered out, his face quickly turning red as he realized that he was too close to Chat Noir finding out his true identity. He then gasped as he realized. "I still have my earrings. Keep your eyes closed please." Marin said as he pushed Chat Noir back, as the both of them now sat before each other.
"Can you summon her back? I can hear Kwami Buster heading this way." Chat Noir asked as he placed his hand on his baton.
Marin quickly took out his earrings and placed them back on as he had done before, but nothing happened. "No luck, if we want Tikki back then we'll probably have to break that vacuum on Kwami Buster's back."
"Got a plan?"
"...Yeah, but it's extremely risky, think you'll be able to keep her in the building while I get some help?" Marin asked.
"No problem, we'll just have ourselves a game of cat and mouse, try to make it to the maintenance hatch." Chat Noir said with a smile, he then turned his back towards his partner and jumped back into the fight.
Even though his partner couldn't see, Marin smiled gratefully at the hero he admired greatly. He waited for Chat Noir's signal, eventually hearing him call out, "Cataclysm!" and used the fallen Ad board as cover to escape. The last thing he saw was Chat Noir getting blasted by Kwami Buster near the other end of the roof towards the main exit. It took all his will not to try and help, but right now he needed to get help.
Adrien raced through the empty halls of the TV station that was already evacuated, meaning that even if he was caught then there would be no talking his way out of the situation. He ran through a random door as he could hear footsteps approaching, quickly locking the door as he heard Kwami Buster looking for him.
"True or false? Chat Noir's stopped running and has decided to play a game of hide and seek." She asked as Adrien heard her kicking in doors.
He took a few steps back, looking around for anything that would cover his face. He then realized that he was in a dressing room and the only costume available was a Mr. Banana one that was lying on a chair. Adrien picked it up, looking at it and then at himself in the mirror before sighing.
He couldn't afford to be picky.
"Master! Tikki and Plagg have been captured and Chat Noir is holding off Kwami Buster without his Kwami! He could be caught at any moment!" Marin said gasping for breath as he opened the door to Master Fu's shop. The old man was taking a nap, but snapped to attention as his student looked frantic.
"You both know the consequences of this, but without your Kwami's there's no telling what could happen."
"Which is why I have to save everyone," Marin said as Master Fu nodded. He unlocked the Miraculous box from the phonograph, opening and then placing it before Marin who knelt before him.
"Marinus Dupain Cheung, you have trained with every Miraculous presented before you, but you now must choose a new ally to help assist you until Tikki can be retrieved."
Marin wavered as he looked at all of the Miraculous placed before him. In his mind, he ran through hundreds of scenarios trying to decide which one he could use to save his friends. Ultimately, all villains were after the Miraculous, but Kwami Buster was specifically after Kwami's themselves. She was given the ability to hunt Kwami and separate them from their Miraculous, meaning, he either had to break the container or...
Marin's eyes widened with realization and then he picked up every Miraculous from the box.
"No! Merging the power of too many Kwami's is dangerous Marinus, it could destroy you!" Wayzz said worriedly, watching as his siblings were summoned one after another.
"It's alright Wayzz, I know what I'm doing." Marin reassured as he stood up. "First things first; Mullo, get squeaky!" Marin said as he was then transformed into Multimouse. But as soon as he did so, he felt a wave of nausea overtake him, even if he was only using the power of one Miraculous the aura of the other Miraculous were still present, almost making him want to hurl.
"Marinus, if you fail then Hawkmoth will have the power of every Miraculous." Master Fu warned as Multimouse stood back up using his own strength and opened the nearby window.
"I won't allow that to happen Master, I promise I'll bring back everyone safely." Multimouse swore as he then took out his jump rope. "Multitude!" He said, activating his power. Multimouse started to glow with a pink light as he magically shrank down, creating multiple tiny versions of himself, one for every Kwami save for Wayzz. there was only one of him who wore all the Miraculous while the rest were simply clones of his Multimouse form. He passed off the Fox Miraculous of to one of his copies, who placed it around his neck.
"Trixx, Mullo, unify!" The copy said, combining both the powers of the mouse and fox into Multi-Húlí, and then jumped into Fluff's mouth who then followed the rest of his siblings flying out of the window and towards the TV station.
Adrien sprinted out of the elevator as Kwami Buster was on his heels. He had just tumbled over the front desk before he was narrowly blasted again, turning to see Kwami Buster standing over him on the platform above.
"True or false? Chat Noir has disguised himself as Mr. Banana."
"Um...stay peachy?" Adrien said before spitting towards the exit, but he was tackled down by Kwami Buster who grabbed his hand. Just as she was about to take his ring, Adrien heard her gasp and all of a sudden he was looking up at Kwami Buster being surrounded by more than a dozen Kwami's, a few he recognized but the rest were all new to him.
"This way!" Someone said.
Adrien turned towards a dragon-like Kwami hovering nearby and he followed, hiding behind the front desk.
"Chat Noir?"
A tiny person asked from the mouth of the dragon Kwami.
"Ladybug?" Adrien asked, taken off guard by who he thought was his partner's new form. "Just when I think I have you figured out you keep finding new ways to surprise me."
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not Ladybug, I'm Multimouse." The new hero said bowing his head apologetically, coming off as rather timid. "Ladybug sent me to help save your Kwami."
"How do I know I can trust you?" Chat Noir asked, wanting to make sure.
"I'm sorry, um..." Multimouse wondered for a moment, feeling a little underprepared as he was another copy, one that was supposed to get Chat Noir's ring. It wasn't like he had anything to show for himself. "I can only give you my word, I promised Ladybug I'd help bring back Tikki and I'll do the same for your Kwami as well." He said trying to sound confident, but ended up rubbing the back of his neck out of habit.
Adrien hesitated for a moment, wondering if he could really trust this new hero, but right now Plagg was more important. Inside his suit he took off his ring and glove, passing it along to the tiny hero who could only wear it like a large belt.
"I'm relying on you to bring Plagg back Multimouse." Adrien said as Multumouse sighed in relief.
" I promise I'll try to live up to yours and Ladybug's expectations. Let's go Long." Multimouse signaled as the dragon Kwami flew towards the elevator and pressed the button.
"So what exactly is your plan Mulimouse?" Adrien asked they entered an elevator together, heading to the top floor. "It's practically unheard of for Ladybug to leave the saving to someone else other than me."
"I'm sorry, I'm kinda new at this." Multimouse apologized as he fidgeted with his hands. "But basically, all I have to do is get captured."
Adrien stared at Multimouse, dumbfounded. "I think that's a little counter-productive, don't you think?"
"Well- um, see," Mulimouse stammered cutely, "so long as I can get the ring and earrings back to Tikki and Plagg, then I should be able to-"
"Wait, the earrings, Ladybug gave you his earrings?" Adrien asked in shock.
"Not me exactly, well, not this me. See, there's another me, that's my power, to shrink and then multiply." Mulitmouse explained. "Ladybug trusted me to do this, it's why he gave me his earrings. All you have to do is wait until I can break Plagg and the rest of the Kwami's out of there."
"So...Ladybug trusts you this much?" Adrien asked, a little annoyed and a little amazed at how much trust was placed in Multimouse if he was expected to pull off a plan like this with practically no help.
As the elevator reached the top Adrien watched as Kwami Buster was taking out the Kwami's one by one, laughing like a maniac while doing so. He followed Long and Multimouse and hid behind an AC unit.
"Wait here and leave the rest to us." Multimouse said.
"You must be someone pretty special if Ladybug placed the safety of his precious Kwami's in your hands." Adrien complimented.
Mulimouse's face burned with embarrassment. "Not really..." He insisted and then signaled for Long to fly into the battle.
"Looks like your owner failed us, we're all doomed!" Plagg said as Tikki glared at him, but even she was starting to look uncertain as more and more Kwami appeared.
"Have a little faith Plagg." Multimouse said as he and the other copy wearing Chat Noir's ring jumped out from Long and Pollen's mouth's. "I'd never abandon you guys." He'd have to scold him later, but for now, he was grateful that both Kwami's were safe and sound.
"Ladybug!" Plagg and Tikki gasped in surprise as the two Multimouse's walked towards the Kwami.
"You combined the Miraculous?" Plagg asked in shock.
"But that's dangerous!" Tikki said now worried for her partner.
"Don't worry about that now, I have a plan." Multimouse said reassuringly as he petted Tikki's forehead.
"Tikki, Mullo, unify!" The original Mulimouse said, transforming into Multi bug.
"Plagg, Mullo, unify!" The copy said transforming into Multi Mao who then raised his arm up, activating his power. "Cataclysm!" He said touching the wall of their prison, breaking all of the Kwami's free and releasing the Akuma, transforming Kwami Buster back to normal.
Just as Multi bug hit the ground he threw up his yo-yo into the air. "Lucky Charm!" He said and a ladybug printed bowl fell from above, luckily falling onto the Akuma. The rest of the Multimouse copies jumped onto the small bowl, using their combined weight to keep the Akuma trapped. Meanwhile, Multi Mao jumped on top of Long, who carried him to where Chat Noir was waiting.
"Mullo, Plagg, separation!" Multi Mao said as he jumped off of Long and onto Chat Noir's hand, removing the ring as Plagg was released. "As promised." Multi Mao said holding up the ring towards his partner within the suit.
"Many thanks, mysterious Mr. Multimouse." Chat Noir said gratefully. However just as Multimouse was petting Plagg's head he started coughing causing both Kwami to look at him in concern. "Are you alright?" Chat Noir asked.
"Fine!" Multimouse insisted before he jumped back onto Long.
As the previous Multi Mao jumped down next to Multi bug, gathering together almost all of the copies, Multi Bug nodded his head towards Multi Húlí who acknowledged the signal.
Multi Húlí took out his flute, playing a series of notes that manifested into a small orange light, which he then flung towards the other copies. "Mirage!"
"Think I should cover-up my tracks with you stealing that cheese?" Adrien asked as he placed his Miraculous back on.
"Nah, Ladybug won't ever try to figure out who you are, unlike you he knows not to actively try and figure out your partner's secret identity," Plagg remarked.
"Alright, I hear you, no more trying to connect dots. Adrien conceded. "Plagg, claws out!" He said transforming into Chat Noir.
"Being a cat is much more a-peeling than being a banana." Chat Noir said tossing aside the costume as he then spotted Ladybug landing on the rooftop, just as Multimouse released the Akuma from the bowl.
"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.
Chat Noir watched as Multimouse used his power to absorb his copies as he began to grow back to his normal height, apparently the same height as Ladybug. The hero looked a little timid as he grasped his arm generously, even flinching a little as Ladybug spoke up.
"Thanks for your help, it's because of you that Chat Noir and I have our Kwami's back." Ladybug gratefully. "I knew I was right to trust you."
"Great plan!" Chat Noir called out as he jumped off of the AC until and started walking towards the his partner. However as Multimouse walked towards Ladybug he started coughing harshly, even having trouble standing as he fell into Ladybug's arms just as his Miraculous started to beep. Chat Noir froze in shock as he saw his best friend passed out in Ladybug's arms.
"What happened to him?!" Chat Noir asked, growing panicked. He saw Ladybug narrow his eyes before looking up at him.
"Did you see him using two Miraculous at once?" Ladybug asked.
"Y-yeah, he used mine and the mouse Miraculous at the same time..." Chat Noir informed as Ladybug sighed.
" I took a risk giving him a Miraculous but it looked like I was wrong to do so. Using too many Miraculous at once, even just two is dangerous in the wrong hands. Marin did his job well, but he's not a suitable match for a Miraculous if it affects him this much." Ladybug said as he removed the Mouse Miraculous and placed it inside his yo-yo.
"Yeah... that's- is he going to be alright?" Chat Noir asked in concern.
"Don't worry, he just needs to sleep this off." Ladybug said as he picked up Marin, carrying him bridal style. "I'll take care of him, you take care of
"But-" Chat Noir tried to say, but was cut off by Ladybug already leaving as he jumped off the TV station roof. Chat Noir had to take a deep breath, processing everything that had happened after this long say. HE couldn't believe he'd ever thought his best friend and Ladybug were the same person or that Marin was given a Miraculous and basically saved him and his partner.
" Mr. Chat, would you be willing to testify that I indeed made a scientific discovery?" Ms. Mendeleiev asked.
"I'm sorry ma'am but I can't do that, and I have to ask you to stop researching if you want to keep Paris safe from Hawkmoth." Chat Noir informed.
Ms pondered to herself. "I understand. I suppose I'm like Copernicus in that regard, ahead of my time."
"Uh, yeah, of course." Chat Noir nodded, taking out his staff to take his teacher home.
As soon as Chat Noir was gone Multi Húlí stepped out into sight using Fluff as a crutch. He waved his hand dispelling the illusion to reveal his other copies still in the same place as before, still holding the Akuma down under the charm.
"Mullo, separation." Ladybug said as he transformed back to his hero form. He took out his yo-yo, quickly purifying the Akuma and turning everything back to normal just as he knelt down from exhaustion. He took a moment for himself as his chest felt tight and his head wouldn't stop spinning.
"Ladybug?" Sass asked as he and the rest of the Kwami looked at him in worry.
"I'll be fine guys, I just need to sleep for a while, make eat some cake." Ladybug said as he pushed himself to stand tall, though he doubted that he'd have the energy to make a trip to Master Fu's and go through the rest of the school day. "Now come on, let's get you guys home." He said taking out his yo-yo and jumping off the roof of the building followed by all the Kwamis.
The next day, as Adrien walked into class he noticed that Marin wasn't sitting in his seat, of course, there was still time before class started, but he had a bad feeling as he sat down next to Nino.
"Marin absent today?" Adrien asked, but Nino shrugged his shoulders.
"Yeah," Alya cut in. "His mom said that he got sick, can't even leave his bed."
"Classic Marin." Nino said. "I mean it's terrible, but at least he has nice friends who take class notes and deliver them to him? Maybe stop by so he knows that his friends aren't abandoning him." Nino asked suggestively, glancing at his girlfriend who rolled her eyes in amusement.
"That sounds good-"
"I can come too." Adrien cut in, surprising his friends.
Nino and Alya exchanged and uncertain expression before facing their friend again. "Uh, you sure dude? What about all your prior commitments?" Nino asked. "Don't you have that photoshoot today?"
"Well...yeah." Adrien said sheepishly, recalling that he only kept up his with his studies because Marin was always taking notes for him, but when it was the other way around, he was useless. "Any idea how he got sick in the first place?"
"His mom said it was because of overexertion, which makes sense considering how busy he is with his sewing, helping in his parents' bakery, being a teaching aid, helping out literally anyone who asks, being a manager for Kitty Section, volunteering to help the elderly-" Alya listed off but was interrupted by Nino.
"Wait, volunteering? When did he start that?" Nino asked.
"Apparently he's been doing it ever since school started. I saw him helping out this old guy with his groceries once, nice guy good taste in Hawaiian shirts." Alya said. "And he does all this while keeping his grades up."
"Why doesn't he say no to some of these things?" Adrien asked, starting to feel guilty.
"Come on Adrikins, you know how he is." Alya sighed. "Sweetest boy in the world, but can't say no to anyone who needs help."
"Excuse me?" Nino asked, looking offended.
"I meant what I said." Alya said sticking out her tongue.
Nino looked like he may refute her words, but then shrugged his shoulders. "Fair. Oh, but don't worry about Marin dude, he knows we just visit him for the day-old stuff. I'm sure if you video call or text he'll respond."
"Yeah..." Adrien nodded. He really wanted to see his friend as himself.
As it turned out, using multiple Miraculous at one for the first time was more taxing that Marin had originally anticipated. As soon as he came home he'd passed out for almost an entire day, slipping in and out of consciousness. Even when he was awake his mind was hazy and he wasn't able to move around much. Sometimes he could feel Tikki snuggling up to him, which he appreciated, but all he could he do was stare up at the skyline or sleep.
Once night fell he felt extremely tired, his eyes growing lidded, but he didn't want to sleep, sleeping felt lonely. All of a sudden he heard a knock against the glass, looking up he saw a pair of familiar green eyes. As the hatch was opened up, he heard his partner's voice.
"You awake?" Chat Noir asked but saw that Marin was hardly moving despite his eyes being open. Chat Noir then jumped down, curling under the blanket like he normally did during their visits. "So I came here, to maybe tell you that you were being reckless, and dumb, and incredibly brave, and amazing, and-" Chat Noir stopped talking once he realized that Marin was already asleep.
"Hm." Chat Noir hummed to himself, a little offended as came here just for him. resting his head on his hand, observing at his best friend sleep.
Notes:
- They're just super best friends, calm down
-Climatica 2 is omitted so some of it's dialogue is mixed in with this chapter.
-Hóng Húlí would be Marin's hero name if he was wearing that Fox Miraculous
-Adrien is the student who didn't do the work but still stumbled onto figuring out who Ladybug really is.
-In my version, merging the power of both Kwami's has some health risks attached to it as transforming itself effects the user, so mixing both powers can mess it up, which Marin used to deceive Chat Noir into making him believe that he's too frail to accept the power of a Miraculous.
-If you're wondering if MariChat is going anywhere, I can assure you it will.
-Marin's a lonely person despite having Tikki for company
- post/614603161589678080/multimouse-log -concept art link