Pack

She certainly looked like Volpina. The form-fitting costume was mostly orange aside from the pale brown chest, fox ears were sprouting from her head, and a long, fluffy tail, much more realistic than Chat’s, swayed back and forth from where it was attached to her belt.

The newcomer looked downright offended. “I’m not that faker,” she spat, and, upon closer examination, Ladybug can see minute differences in the suit, and her hair is loose and white at the tips. “I’m the real deal, I assure you. I got home this afternoon and found a box with this--” she lifted the Miraculous necklace from her chest “--in it, and this thing calling itself a kwami pops out…”

Yep, this seemed legit. “Okay, I believe you,” Ladybug said, laying a hand on her shoulder. “That’s what happened when I got the earrings. Did you listen to your kwami’s instructions, or did you rush out as soon as you figured out what was going on?”

“I waited. I’m not an idiot.”

She sighed. “Chat rushed out before his kwami finished and ended up using his Cataclysm too early, so I just wanted to check.” She turned her eyes to the akuma, a child (she hated the children; who could be sick enough to manipulate a child’s mind for their own gain? When she found Papillon, she would personally lock his cell and have Chat use Cataclysm on the key.) with long blonde pigtails and scared blue eyes. Papillon’s akumas seemed to have been more free of will as of late, and Marinette could see that she wanted to be purified, fast. “Hey, honey,” she cooed, settling down onto her knees so she was eye-level with her. “I’m Ladybug. You know who I am, right?”

The little girl nodded jerkily. “Papillon wants your earrings,” she said in a soft voice.

“I know, sweetheart, but I can’t give them to him. These earring are really special, and if they fall into the wrong hands, really bad things will happen. Do you understand that?” She nodded again. “Good. You’re a good girl, sweetie, I promise.”

“But… but I let him make me a bad guy.”

Slowly, making sure the akuma’s hands were down, Ladybug lifted her from the new one’s arms and gathered the young girl into her arms, conscious all the while of the new Miraculous’s eyes on her. “That doesn’t make you a bad guy. Papillon is taking advantage of when you feel bad. Having bad feelings doesn’t make you a bad person. If you want to make it up and stop being an akuma, you need to give me what that black butterfly landed on, okay?”

Sniffling, the girl pulled a necklace out of her shirt. Ladybug smiled and took it. “Thank you. What’s your name?”

“Crybaby.”

“No, your real name.”

“Cécile.”

“Okay, Cécile. I’m gonna take care of this, and then this nice fox and I will take you home.”

The newcomer started a little. I guess she thought I forgot about her. “Yeah, sure,” she said flippantly.

Fighting back a scowl, Ladybug summoned her Lucky Charm (a polka dotted mason jar), broke the necklace in her fist, and purified the akuma. Cécile hadn’t managed to do much damage before this new Miraculous holder restrained her, but her cleanse fixed the water damage from her tears. “All done!” she said, proudly, before looking back to the young girl. “Where do you live, sweetheart?”

Cécile rattled off her address and Ladybug lifted her into her arms. Before she set off, she looked back over her shoulder to the new fox. “You coming?”

After they deposited Cécile at her home and Ladybug let Tikki recharge, she met the new fox on the top of the Eiffel Tower. “So, you’ve been chosen. Congratulations.”

“I didn’t even do much today,” the fox moaned. “I just stood there! Where was Chat Noir, by the way?”

Ladybug sighed. “He’s sick. That’s probably why the Guardian picked a new Miraculous holder.” At the fox’s confused look, she explained, “The Guardian is the keeper of the Miraculouses when they’re not in use. He’s the one that chooses who becomes a holder. He told me he tests us, but I don’t know quite how. All I did was help him off the sidewalk.”

“WAIT. You mean that old man I found behind the school was the Guardian?”

“Probably.”

“I fucking reported him to Officer Raincomprix. Oh my god, I called the police on the Guardian.”

Ladybug groaned. “It was only a matter of time, to be honest. I’ve noticed him following me around in my civilian form. I’ve been wondering when someone would call the police. It’s not a big deal; it’s not like he’s gonna get arrested. He’s an old, feeble man. Anyway, so you’re the fox, right? What’s your name?”

“Alya--”

Thunder crashed. In her mind, at least. Shit. “Not your real name!”

The fox--Alya, this was Alya, how had Ladybug not seen it?--looked confused. “Don’t you and Chat know each other’s identities?”

“NO!”

“Oh, shit, I thought you did.” Alya had the decency to look sheepish, at least. “I’m sorry I fucked you up.”

“It’s--it’s fine. I won’t tell. What do you want your Miraculous self to be called?” Maybe this was just a dream. Yeah, that was it. This was all a bad dream.

Alya tilted her head as she thought. “Well, Volpina’s definitely out. Trixx--that’s my kwami, by the way--says I’m mostly going to do misdirection… so how about Maligne? Maligne Rouge?”

“Sounds good,” Ladybug said tiredly. “Chat and I only patrol on nights when there was no akuma, so you can just head on home now. If there’s no akuma tomorrow, meet me here around eight in the evening, okay?”

Alya--Maligne Rouge--saluted. “Yes, ma’am!”

“She’s gonna kill me,” Marinette said to Tikki as soon as her transformation melted away. “I know who she is and I didn’t tell her and she’s going to kill me.”

“You’re being dramatic. She won’t be happy, but she’s not going to kill you.”

“Tikki, do you even know Alya?”

“I’ve known her as long as you have.”

“Touché.” She fell onto her bed and sighed into her pillow. “And I have to give M. Agrest my list for approval tomorrow and it’s not even finished. Oh, Tikki, what am I gonna do?”

She heard Tikki’s frustrated groan. “Marinette, you’re going to suck it up and figure out what you’re going to give Adrien.”

“You’re supposed to be motherly!”

“This is me being a mom.”

“Ugh.”

The next morning found Marinette slumped in her seat next to Alya, relaxing into her friend’s hand as it rubbed circles into her back. “It’s a good list,” she said diplomatically, eyes scanning Marinette’s handwriting.

1. Food - croissants/macarons ✓
2. Comfort - sitting w/ him through his heat
3. Clothing - a warm sweater
4. Protection - keeping other alphas away
5. Monetary Wealth -

That fifth gift was still eluding her. What could she possibly buy Adrien that he didn’t already have? Her father told her the previous night that his monetary wealth gift to her mother had been her wedding ring, but she and Adrien were both much too young to consider marriage. She was stuck, and that was that.

She felt guilty, too, as she looked up at Alya’s kind face. She looked tired--there were dark circles under her eyes and her usually vibrant hair seemed a little duller. Marinette could relate; after she first met Tikki, she’d had trouble sleeping for a few weeks. And right there, resting an inch below her collarbone, was the fox Miraculous. When inactive, it looked coppery, but the shape was undeniably familiar.  If you knew what I was hiding from you, you wouldn’t be so nice to me, she thought to herself, gloomy and tired and all sorts of other negative emotions. What kind of best friend was she to keep a secret this big?

“What are you lovely ladies looking at?” Nino asked as he sauntered into the room, eyeing Marinette warily. She knew most of the class would try to steer clear of her after her outburst, but she knew that things would return to normal soon enough. She let Alya explain everything to him in hushed tones, glaring down at the piece of paper herself.

Her purse moved a little, and she looked down on instinct to confer with Tikki. “Maybe Master Fu will have an idea.”

At lunch, Marinette declined Alya’s offer of fast food. “I’m going to visit a friend,” she said. “He’ll be expecting me, and I don’t want to ditch him.” Because she was certain Master Fu knew she was coming the moment he woke up that morning. Cryptic old men tended to know things like that, after all.

Alya tilted her head in confusion. “I thought you weren’t going to see Adrien until after school?”

“It’s not Adrien. He owns a massage parlor a few streets away from the bakery.” After a pause, she supplied, “I do part-time work for him, sometimes, for pocket change.” Not a whole lie; Marinette had been visiting Master Fu’s home to meditate and learn more about past Ladybugs, but the only time she ever got any money from him was when she cleaned the store for him or when it came in a red envelope at New Year’s.

She wanted to say, You should come, too! He might explain the Miraculouses to you! but she restrained herself. Surely her kwami would know the drill, and it would tell her what she needed to know when she needed to know it.

Fate, it seemed, had other plans.

Marinette’s phone rang. Actually rang, like she was getting a call. The only person who ever regularly called her was Alya, and that was only when she had a scoop too big to convey in text. Marinette fished it from her pocket and was surprised to discover Master Fu’s picture illuminating the screen. “Hello?”

“You should ask her to lunch with us, Ladybug. I’m sure she will have some questions for me.”

She sighed. “Understood.” She ended the call and turned to Alya. “Apparently, you should come with me.”

So Alya followed her on the familiar route to Master Fu’s shop. Marinette wondered where her kwami was hiding. The only option she could see was Alya’s messenger bag, and she knew from experience (read: Tikki’s grumbling) that such a big container was uncomfortable because it was easier for the kwami to get tossed around. Maybe it was tucked away inside her clothes?

She let herself and Alya in via the parlor’s back door using the key Master Fu hid under the fake plant in the ornate pot and slipped off her shoes, motioning for Alya to do the same. It had rained late the previous night, and Marinette didn’t want to track any stray mud into Master Fu’s actual home. She led Alya through another door and was unsurprised to find two bowls of corn soup, still steaming, waiting for them at the table. The smaller bowl had a plate of cookies next to it, so Marinette assumed it was hers and sat down.

“Uh, where’s your friend?” Alya asked timidly.

Marinette could see why she would be concerned: two meals being ready when he was only expecting one, Marinette knowing where the spare key was, no customers in the middle of the day. It was all pretty suspicious. She said, “He’s a little eccentric, is all,” she replied in what she hoped was a reassuring tone. “You better start eating before it gets cold.”

So Alya reluctantly sat and began eating. She lightened up after the first bite, and Marinette hid a smile. Master Fu had many talents, and cooking was only one of them.

Soon, Tikki started wriggling around. She probably knew about Master Fu’s plan (even if Marinette didn’t, because who needs to tell the heroine of Paris something if they’re magic), so Marinette sighed and reached down to open the clasp. “What does yours eat?” she asked, hoping she sounded nonchalant.

“My what?”

“Your kwami,” she said, watching in half-amusement, half-horror as Alya’s face shifted and Tikki flew up to grab a cookie. The fact that she didn’t scream, however, swept away any doubt she might have had. Alya was Maligne. “Trixx, right? Tikki’s pretty easy; she likes just about anything sweet. Chat’s always griping about Plagg only wanting to eat cheese. So, what does Trixx like?”

Alya took a moment before she suddenly shrieked and scooted her chair as far back as it would go. “You’re Ladybug?”

“The one and only.” She smiled when Trixx shot out from where it had, apparently, been hiding in her ombre hair. “It’s nice to meet you.”

The small fox-like god gave her an appraising look and turned to Tikki. “I like this one,” it said in a feminine voice. Girl, then. “She’s polite.”

“She’s my cutest bug to date!” Tikki replied proudly.

“Hold up!” Alya shouted, and Marinette and the two kwamis turned to look at her. “You’re telling me that you’ve been Ladybug this whole time?”

Marinette decided to mess with her a little bit. “Well, that depends on what you mean by ‘this whole time.’ Ladybug’s been around since the creation of mankind. If you mean that, then no. But I’ve been Ladybug since I was fifteen.”

“Oh my god. And--and you let me run around trying to figure out who you were! I talked theories to you! Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

Her gaze hardened. “Alya, this guy we’re fighting, he’s no joke. If I were to ever tell anyone that I’m Ladybug, and he somehow akumatized them, he could see everything. He would target Mama and Papa and everyone I ever cared about to get to me. I never told anyone to keep my family safe.”

Master Fu chose that moment to pop up in the doorway, scaring the ever-loving crap out of her poor friend. He was approaching his one hundred and eighty-ninth birthday in the upcoming months, and Marinette had teased him about the number of candles she would put on his cake, but, in all actuality, he didn’t look a day over eighty. Wayzz was floating next to him, but he zoomed down to converse with Tikki and Trixx. “Ah, hello Ladybug. I see you’ve already told the new Fox about yourself. What are you calling yourself, Miss?” He directed the last part towards Alya, who jumped again.

“Uh, uh--”

“Alya, meet Master Fu, the Guardian of the Miraculous Stones. You met him yesterday, right?”

Alya’s face was still white, but Marinette figured that was from the shock. “Uh, yeah, the old guy behind the school.” Master Fu nodded, a sly smile on his face. “Uh, I’m calling my superhero self Maligne Rouge.”

“Hmm. The Foxes always seem to vary. The last one called herself Vixen.” Master Fu lowered himself into a chair, and Alya seemed faint when Wayzz flew over to him with a steaming cup of tea. “Now, Ladybug, why did you need to see me so suddenly? I’m sure we’ll have time to discuss before Maligne composes herself.”

Marinette reached into her backpack to retrieve her list. “I kind of started a courtship yesterday and I’m having some trouble thinking of a gift for the monetary wealth portion. He’s very wealthy, you see, and I’m obviously not. Do you have any suggestions?”

“I’m sure any Omega you chose will be happy with whatever you get him.”

“You’re no help,” she said, pouting. “And it’s not him I’m worried about, it’s his dad. He’s super intimidating and I won’t want to mess this up.”

“Have you considered a piece of jewelry? Nothing as permanent as your mother’s wedding ring, of course, but something he could wear regularly. It would be distinguished from the ‘clothing’ gift due to its metal properties. Gold would be best.”

“But he’s always wearing this silver ring and you never mix metals!”

“Ladybug, I said gold would be best. Silver will do just fine. Have you told him about your secret identity?”

She leveled a look at him. “I think you know the answer to that, Master Fu.”

“I think you should tell him.” When she squawked a protest, he continued, “It wouldn’t be fair to him if he didn’t know, correct? If you’re trying to forge a relationship with him, you need to be honest with him. And since Maligne already knows, he has the right to, too.”

She sighed. “Fine. I’ll tell him once we’re alone. And I’ll look for something silver. Thank you, Master Fu.”

“I told you he’d have an idea!” Tikki said.

“And I acknowledged this.”

Alya finally got her voice back, and she screeched. Screeched loudly, at that. Marinette was concerned a neighbor would call the police if she kept up. When she finished, Master Fu said, tranquil as ever, “You seem surprised. Did you think you would never meet Ladybug out of her costume?”

“I didn’t think she’d be my best friend!”

“Ah. Yes, that does seem to be a frequent concern. I think it just makes it easier to work together cohesively, however. It could have been your lover.”

Alya’s face turned bright red.

“In any case,” Master Fu continued, “I’m sure you have some questions for me.”

Seeing as Alya still looked a little shell-shocked, Marinette asked the first question. “Why give out another Miraculous now? Chat and I have been doing fine on our own. Uh, no offense, Alya.”

“None taken,” she replied, dazed.

Master Fu smiled that mysterious smile that always irritated Marinette. “Now that Chat Noir has presented--”

“WAIT!” Master Fu looked surprised at Marinette interruption, but she barrelled on. “Chat presented? But he’s a Beta!”

“Black Cats are always complementary to their Ladybugs. Since you are an Alpha, he is an Omega. If you had been an Omega, he would have been an Alpha. It’s just how the Miraculouses work.”

“What about me?” Alya asked in a small voice.

“Foxes don’t have a match,” Master Fu replied. “The Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses are two halves of a whole. They are creation and destruction. One cannot exist without the other. They have to balance each other out in order to work together.”

“So… is Chat Noir an Omega because of the Miraculous?”Alya asked.

Master Fu shook his head. “No. Each Miraculous user is destined to be so. Just as this Ladybug was always going to be an Alpha, this Chat Noir was alway going to be an Omega. The Miraculous can’t fundamentally change their holder. It only gives them the power to grow into their full potential faster than those around them. You should eat that before it gets cold.”

Alya sat back and poked at her soup.

Master Fu turned back to Marinette. “As I was saying, now that Chat Noir has presented, he will be that much more of a target. Implementing another Miraculous Holder to bolster your ranks is the best thing I can do for you. I’m not that old, Ladybug, but I’m old enough that I can’t join the fight with you.”

“Master and I have been discussing choosing a new Guardian,” Wayzz added, and Marinette heard Alya’s whimper. “He’s held me longer than most of my others, and I’ve been feeling some really dark energy from Nooroo.”

“Papillion’s kwami?”

“Yes. We believe he’s working up to something big. He’s getting desperate for the Miraculouses. The Peacock Miraculous is lost, as well, so all we have left are the Turtle and the Bee. While Master is still looking for an appropriate time to get the Bee Miraculous to its chosen holder, he would like to choose a new Guardian so they can train together before things get too dangerous for him.”

“The Turtle Miraculous is typically passed down through families,” Master Fu resumed. “However, I have no children of my own, so that is not an option. I have a boy picked out, and I am simply waiting for the right time. I hope to have him implemented first, so that he can be the one to deliver the Bee Miraculous to its holder.”

“Let me guess,” Marinette said dryly, “you’re not gonna tell us who you picked.”

He simply smiled and shook his head.

Marinette and Alya finished their lunches and Alya interrogated Master Fu. Most of the questions could have easily been answered by her kwami, Marinette was sure, but she could understand the appeal of everything being answered by a human. If she’d known about Master Fu at the beginning, maybe she wouldn’t have messed up with Stoneheart.

As they walked back to school, Marinette said, “I’m sorry I never told you. Are you mad?”

Alya was quiet. Finally, she replied, “We're going to have words about this, but I'm not mad at you. I can see why you didn’t. It’s scary, thinking that some weird guy could come after the people you love. Oh, god, I have to deal with that now, too, don’t I?”

“Sadly, yes.”

An arm fell on Marinette’s shoulder. Alya’s arm. “At least I have my best friend here to help me out.”

Marinette returned the embrace and pointedly did not cry.