Past or Future

New Morning

"Ladybug, wake up." Ladybug's eyes fluttered open and she saw an old man staring at her. She tried to sit up and groaned, falling back to the mat. She squinted through the pain and her eyes widened.

"Master Fu?"

"Good morning, Ladybug."

Marinette shifted on her mat and winced, hissing in pain. "W-what's happening?" She rested her hand on her stomach and looked down to see the bandages wrapped around her middle. "What happened? Why am I bandaged?" She looked up at Master Fu and over at Ladybug. "Your earrings! They're gone!"

Ladybug reached up and touched her ear. "I know. I gave them to Adrien. I knew I wasn't going to be able to be Ladybug for a while because, y'know." She gestured to her own bandages. "So I told Adrien to be Bugaboy for a while, while I recovered. Or if I died."

Marinette shook her head to clear it. "Whoa whoa whoa. Slow down. What happened?!"

Master Fu moved to Marinette's side and started replacing her bandages while Ladybug answered. "You confessed to Chat Noir and Adrien and they laughed in shock. You must have thought they were laughing at you-"

Marinette squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her hands on the side of her head. "No. No NO! I was akumatized!" She looked over at Ladybug urgently. "What happened when I was akumatized?"

"You became Princess Justice, bent on revenge. You were fighting the boys and winning too, but I couldn't let that happen. I found that whenever you got hurt, I did as well. I'm assuming that's because of the whole past me thing, but anyway. Adrien knocked your dagger out of your hand and I picked it up. I did my lucky charm, hoping for a different idea, but it was a mini version of the dagger. So I knew it was the only way. I stabbed myself in the stomach and we both went down."

Marinette was quiet for a few seconds, processing. When she spoke, it was a mix between angry and incredulous. "And you couldn't have stabbed us in, like, the leg or something?"

Ladybug froze. "I-I..." She paused. "I mean, I guess that would have worked just as well."

Marinette rolled her eyes and smiled at her. Master Fu moved to Ladybug and started replacing her bandages.

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug exclaimed.

"What?"

"Chat Noir! Adrien! They must be worried sick!"

"And my parents!" Marinette moaned. "How long have we been here?"

"About two and a half months." Master Fu replied. He stood and went into another room. He came back with two bowls of soup and two mini 'breakfast in bed' table thingies. He helped the girls sit up and propped them up on pillows before setting the tables up. "You should eat. Get your strength back. Paris needs Ladybug!"

The girls downed the soup and asked for more. Fu smiled as he refilled their bowls. He brought them up to speed on what happened. He told them how they teleported into his living room, gravely injured and showed them the news clip of Adrien and Chat Noir.

"Oh, my poor prince." Ladybug said, wiping a tear off her cheek. "He is so sweet. Did you notice how he didn't say why you were akumatized? He must've not wanted to embarrass you."

"And he didn't say you gave him your miraculous." Marinette thought for a minute. "How is he doing?"

Master Fu smiled again. "Well, your Bugaboy is doing pretty well, all things considered. He has been quite responsible."

Marinette smiled at Ladybug. "We should give him a miraculous!"

"We gave him the snake miraculous, remember? That didn't go so well."

Marinette made a dismissive motion with her hand. "That's because it wasn't the right miraculous. He didn't misuse the miraculous or anything. They just weren't compatible. I think he would be perfect for the bee miraculous!"

Ladybug thought about it for a minute, then nodded. "I think so. And it won't be a problem because Zoe is going back to New York soon, right?"

"Yep!"

"We have to see them!"

"You can't." Marinette objected. "Adrien has your miraculous, which means you don't have it, which means you don't have your mask, which means they will see your face, which means they will know your secret identity!"

Ladybug sighed. "You're right." She thought for a moment then smiled. "What if I had a miraculous?"

"You don't. That's what I just said."

"No, what if I had a different one?" Marinette thought about that then smiled.

"That could work."

"Then transform and grab me one. Not the mouse, though. Chat knows Multimouse is Marinette."

"Got it. Tikki, spots on!" Marinette pulled the turtle and snake bracelets out of her yo-yo and smiled. She presented the snake bracelet to Ladybug. "I thought the second chance might come in handy." She then handed the turtle bracelet to Master fFu. "Here. I thought you might want to see him again."

Master Fu looked at the bracelet in his hand and shook his head sadly. "A guardian, once they give up the box, cannot wield a miraculous ever again."

"Just, try?" Ladybug pleaded.

Master Fu smiled and fastened the bracelet on his wrist. "Wayzz, shell on!" They waited, but nothing happened. "Oh, well, thank you anyway." He handed the bracelet back to Marinette, who put the bracelet on herself.

"What are you doing?" Ladybug asked.

The bracelet glowed green and Wayzz appeared in midair. "Ladybug? You're alive?" He flew up to Marinette and hugged her. She turned his head with a finger and he saw Master Fu. "Master?" he raced up to Fu and hugged him as well.

"I've missed you too, Wayzz. Now, I believe Ladybug has some business to attend to." They turned to Ladybug and Marinette.

Ladybug put on the snake miraculous and said, "Sass, scales slither!" She transformed and smiled, looking at her hands in the suit. Ladybug called Chat Noir on the harp.

"Who is this?" Chat Noir asked aggressively.

"Kitty?"

"Ladybug?!" Chat yelled into the receiver. "Is that you? Are you okay? Where are you? Is Marinette with you? Is she okay? Where are you?"

"Chat, calm down. I'm fine, we're both fine. Yes, Marinette is with me. Is Adrien with you?" Ladybug answered, cutting him off.

"Bugaboy!" Chat called.

"What?" The girls heard him respond on the other side of the phone.

"Come here!"

"What?" He repeated.

"Hey Ad-Bugaboy!" Ladybug corrected herself.

"Ladybug?" He sounded like he didn't believe it. "Are you okay? Is Marinette with you? Where are you? Is it really you? Is she okay? Where are you?"

Ladybug laughed. "Yes, I'm fine. We're fine."

"Where are you?" Chat Noir and Adrien shouted in unison.

"Calm down. We're at Master Fu's house. Plagg and Tikki will be able to lead you here."

"Spots off!" The girls heard wind rushing and feet on rooftops. "See you in a minute." The line went dead.

"Quick! Detransform! Second chance!"

"Spots off!" Marinette's costume melted back into her outfit with a flash of sparkles. They heard a pounding of feet outside the door. "Tikki, hide!"