Kwami Struggle a miraculous ladybug fanfiction by @storiesunite

Chapter 6: Low Tide

Another day had passed.

Another day were nothing made any sense.

Chat quietly lay awake, gazing at the slumbering form of Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Tendrils of her blue hair hung loosely around her face, that drifted slightly with the momentum of her breath. Since the explosion, Chat noticed that his friend had become...older. He could only assume that he was aging slightly as well.

All this time...his Lady had been the girl that offered macaroons, sat behind him in class, and even became his 'everyday Ladybug'. All this time she had been taking on so many responsibilities all at once. I had been Marinette that had been fighting alongside him over the years, it was her that risked her life on a daily basis and always managed to pull on a smile. Chat whispered as fresh tears formed. "Why did it have to be you Princess?"

He silently sat up and pulled the blanket a bit more to cover Marinette's small shoulders. The black cat stood and stepped out of the warehouse for some fresh air. The bright moonlight illuminated the rooftops and gave the illusion that the roofs were glowing.

Plagg sneered in telepathy. "What's wrong Adrien? Girl problems?"

Chat sighed, his broadened shoulders slumping in shame. "I was such a jerk to her Plagg."

Plagg waived. "She was a jerk to you so I say you're even!"

Chat Noir scowled deeply in annoyance. He scolded. "Plagg!"

Plagg grumbled in telepathy. "Hey, young lovers who don't know what they are doing are idiots sometimes!"

The superhero leaned against the wall with his arms folded. His cat eyes glumly scanned the streets for any trouble, to find nothing. Chat replied glumly, voice soft with regret as he rested his head against the wall. "Right."

There was the slight scuffle of sneakers against pavement and Chat Noir stood back up and stilghtly tensed. He had been expecting thugs when a familiar red haired kid trudged sleepily into the moonlight. Chat relaxed in surprise. "Jean?! What are you doing here-" The hero glanced around nervously, fearing that he would have to relocate LB to another location. "How did you find us?"

Jean snorted. "I paid attention when you brought me here Cat. Even though we were bouncing across rooftops I noticed the streets we were passing- Maps are my hobby-among other things."

Chat's furrowed brow dissapated with a relieved smile. "I should have guessed. But- you're a long way from home Champ- what's up?"

Jean nodded toward the door with his head and Chat took the hint and brought Jean inside. After the door was shut, Jean spoke in low tones. "Cat, I need you to give me a straight answer- Do you notice anything different about me, since the last time we met?"

The feline superhero collapsed his staff and secured it to his belt in the same way a knight would do with a sword. Slightly glowing green cat eyes quietly scanned the boy before him. He definetly grew taller since they last talked, his strawberry red hair was a bit darker, some patches of freckles on the kid's cheeks had gotten lighter, and his face was a bit more defined- Chat Noir placed both hands on Jean's broader shoulders to look more closely. His voice was soft. "Are you...older?"

Jean bobbed his head vigorously with a panicked look in his eyes. "It's a side effect from the chemical explosion, and judging by the looks of you- I'm not alone! What about LB- is she ok?!"

Chat hushed Jean before glancing over to where Marinette was sleeping. "Yes, she's fine I promise. But you're right, she's aged a bit too. Frigid Whiskers, you make something so powerful and when it backfires chaos happens-" He shook his head sadly. "Makes me wonder how Hawkmoth and Mayura changed, since their senario was a little bit different than ours-"

Jean unslung the backpack he had been wearing off his back and pulled out his notes with a sigh. "Actually- they might be having more trouble than you might think-"

Chat's eyes widened. "What?!"

Ladybug padded over with a macaroon in her mouth. She looked exhausted. "I'll take the next watch Kitty-"

Chat scolded. "No! I'm fine- You need to get more rest- Look at you! You make Hawkmoth WISH he had you're purple circles around your eyes-" He cringed visibly at the lame comparison and hissed protectively. "Go back to bed!" 

Ladybug munched on her macaroon and swallowed. She was about to say something witty to protest when she caught sight of Jean. "Sweet Spots, you're older!"

Jean bit his lip. "Yeah, and so are you LB. But I have run the numbers and now I know what side effects that Maya and Hawkey are suffering from. I came as soon as I could because-" He slumped his shoulders. "I don't want you guys to hurt them when you fight- I know you don't mean too when they are trying to take your magic gems but-" Jean sat down and spread out his notes. Ladybug and Chat sat down reflexively in interest. Jean's grey eyes glittered in the dim moonlight that filtered through the holes in the tin roof above them. "If we play our cards right- you may not need to fight them at all...because they will be far to weak to do very much."

Ladybug's voice was soft. "What do you mean?"

Jean shuddered. "Be glad you aren't Mayura and Hawkmoth right now- because this is what happened to them-"