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The Wrath of the Bug	By : Cat_Eyes Category: +M through R > Miraculous LadyBug Views: 3754 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug. Miraculous Ladybug is the intellectual property of Thomas Astruc and released by Zag studios. No profit was made writing this story.

Chapter List
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'Damn, Girl,' Alya said, leaning over to look at Tikki's answer sheet. 'You're usually better at science than that.'
Tikki grimaced. 'I guess I spaced out a little,' she replied, wincing at what her test score would do to Marinette's grade.
'This unit is a little tougher than what we've had to do so far,' Alya conceded.
Tikki nodded. Science had never been an interest of hers, so she had slept through most of Marinette's classes. She had picked up bits and pieces, barely heard lectures in class and while she sat with Marinette as she did her homework, but this test proved that science was not a subject she excelled at.
Tikki could imagine Marinette huddled in the purse, silently laughing at Tikki's failure. Tikki subtly glanced down at the purse with a scowl. Normally, Tikki would take a failure graciously, but Marinette still had not apologised, so Tikki was feeling pugnacious and indignant.
'Do you think Adrien would be willing to tutor me?' asked Tikki, affecting an air of innocence.
Alya raised her eyebrows. 'The real question should be if you can keep yourself together enough to even ask.'
Tikki grinned. 'Just you watch. Today, I'm like a completely different person. I've got this.'
Alya hummed a dubious note as the bell rang.
Tikki packed up Marinette's belongings and chased Adrien as he left with Nino, Alya close behind.
'Adrien,' Tikki called.
Adrien stopped to look over his shoulder, turning around completely when he saw them approach. 'What is it, Marinette?'
Tikki stopped in front of him and scuffed the toe of her shoe against the ground, acting as Marinette-ish as possible. 'I just wanted to ask if you have any free time this week?'
Alya's eyebrows shot up and Nino's mouth fell open. Adrien waited for her to finish with a polite smile.
'Because I had trouble with Madame Mendeleiev's test today, I wanted to know if you had time to tutor me a little bit?' Tikki finished with a coy smile.
Tikki could feel Marinette swatting at her thigh from inside her purse; she was going to be furious later.
'Oh, sure. No problem. I'm free during lunch every day this week, if that works for you,' Adrien replied, with slight surprise.
Tikki hopped in place and clapped her hands with a wide smile. 'That's excellent. Thank you so much, I really appreciate it.'
Adrien rubbed the back of his neck and smiled back. 'It's no trouble,' he assured her.
'Well, we have to get going before we're late,' Alya interjected, grabbing Tikki by the elbow.
'Yeah, Dude,' Nino added, 'can't be late to our next class.' He slung an arm over Adrien's shoulders and steered him toward the stairs.
Alya and Nino led Tikki and Adrien to Madame Bustier's class, exchanging puzzled looks as they went. Tikki suppressed a grin and pretended not to notice. She spent the rest of the morning communicating with Alya, via scribbled notes, explaining that she was simply taking the initiative by asking Adrien to study with her, that she was tired of watching him from afar and that she just wanted to gently feel the situation out. Alya was convinced Marinette had lost her mind, but wrote she was proud of her for finally acting on her feelings.
Tikki spent the lunch break with Adrien in Marinette's room, studying, while Tom and Sabine interrupted at random moments to offer food. Tikki politely accepted each proffered dish, to Adrien's apparent joy, before turning back to the work material. She was forced to recognise the hard work Marinette put into her studies when her own attempts at learning the formulae failed, several times, but Adrien insisted she was getting better at it. Tikki thought this was a pleasant way to spend the hour, and she could see why Marinette had become so infatuated with Adrien. He was patient, calm, spoke to Tikki like an equal, and to his credit, didn't even question the posters of him tacked all over the walls. He simply explained the technicalities of their subject with the least amount of fuss possible.

That night, Marinette was as furious as Tikki had predicted.
'What did you think you were doing?' she squealed.
Tikki winced. She knew her voice was penetrating, but Marinette wielded it like a weapon.
'You know how I feel about him. Why would you do that? To show me up, to make me look like a fool?'
'You don't need my help for that,' Tikki responded, scornfully.
Marinette drew back with a gasp, her lip wobbling as tears welled.
Tikki ruthlessly shoved down her remorse. 'You should be thanking me, Marinette. I'm actually making you look good in front of Adrien.'
'Is that why you brought him to my room, to make me look "good?" He had to have seen all the pictures. He probably thinks I'm a total creep now.'
Tikki sat up straight in the desk chair, her face stony. 'If you're so embarrassed by them, maybe you should take them down permanently.'
Marinette's eyes widened as her mouth worked soundlessly. Finally, she asked, 'you wouldn't bring him back here with the pictures still up, would you?'
Tikki, suddenly feeling fed up, retorted, 'yes, I would.'
Marinette's tears fell. 'How could you be so cruel?' she whimpered.
Tikki scrunched her eyes shut and pinched the bridge of her nose. 'I'm just trying to help you grow up and see further than the end of your own nose.'
Marinette flew up to hover at Tikki's eye level. 'No, you're just being mean and vindictive,' she accused.
Before Tikki could reply, Marinette had flown off and hidden somewhere in the room. Tikki could have find her easily just from the sounds of her sniffles, but she let Marinette have her space instead. Tikki was still too irritable to reason with her, and Marinette was not ready to listen.

Wednesday morning brought an akuma attack. Tikki was already on her way to school, but raced off when she heard the screams and booms that usually heralded a new villain.
Over at the Grand Paris Hotel, everything inside floated as if gravity itself had been switched off. Furniture, service equipment, even people hung in the air and drifted aimlessly about.
Ducking between a bill poster and a car, Tikki opened her purse and peered down at Marinette as she huddled miserably inside. 'I know you're mad right now, but we still have a duty to fulfil.'
Marinette spared her a sullen glance. 'Fine,' she grumbled.
It's not like you have a choice, I'm just being courteous, Tikki thought, eyeing Marinette with a flat expression.
'Marinette, transform me,' Tikki called.
Marinette was pulled into the earring with a frightened squawk, grabbing at anything she could reach along the way to slow herself down.
After the glare faded, Tikki inspected herself closely before letting out an irritated sigh. The last time she had transformed while occupying the body of her wielder, the suit had altered to include wings and antennae. This change only wrought thicker soles to cushion her feet.
Tikki rolled her eyes, then ran back to the front door of the hotel, hoping inspiration would strike.
'I wouldn't go in there, Milady,' called Chat Noir from a window ledge twelve feet above her. He was squatting precariously on the sill, alternating between peeking in and peering down at her with a roguish grin.
Tikki put her hands on her hips and pretended to glare severely at him. 'Oh, thank you for that timely piece of advice, Chat Noir. If it weren't for you, I would have foolishly charged right on in and gotten caught in this extremely obvious trap.'
Chat Noir's lips quirked before he back flipped off the window sill to stand before her with a considering look. 'You're in an odd humour today,' he observed as he rubbed his chin, thoughtfully. 'Something wrong, Ladybug?'
Tikki smirked and jabbed a thumb toward the roof of the hotel. She should have known Chat Noir would notice a difference right away, but it wasn't as if she had to pretend to be Marinette while in costume. Once she and Chat Noir were on top of the building, and out of earshot of the gathering crowd, Tikki turned to Chat Noir.
'Actually, I'm not the Ladybug you're accustomed to dealing with,' she said.
Chat Noir's eyes widened, then narrowed into slits. He swung his staff forward and took a defensive position. 'Who are you?' he demanded.
Tikki raised her hands in a calming gesture. 'I'm not an imposter, or a thief. I'm Tikki, Ladybug's kwami. Ladybug and I switched bodies, temporarily.'
Chat Noir regarded her sceptically, keeping his guard up, but remained silent.
Tikki sighed. 'A kwami has the ability to switch bodies with their wielder for a short while. We don't do it often, but we can do it. You can ask Plagg later, if you don't believe me.'
Chat Noir still looked dubious. 'How long does it last?'
Tikki shrugged. 'It varies. It can last until I explain to Ladybug how to reverse it, or she figures it out on her own. The Guardian can also undo it, but that requires both bodies to be present, and I don't think Ladybug has learned the lesson she needs to, yet.'
'So, you did this out of spite?' he asked, sounding unsure.
'You can call it that, if you want. But Ladybug was taking me, and her powers, for granted. So, for now, she's walking a mile in my shoes, and vice versa'
Chat Noir lowered his staff. 'What have you learned from this experience?'
Tikki snorted. 'That I live her life better than she does.'
Chat Noir's nose curled up. 'Right. What happens if you stay like this for too long?'
'I'm not sure, it's never happened before. But, since Ladybug has her mere human consciousness inside my body, I imagine the magic would have adverse effects on her psyche. It's hard to tell how that would manifest, though.'
Chat Noir took a leery step back, his expression carefully blank. 'How about we stow this for now, and go defeat this akuma before something really bad happens?'
'Very well,' Tikki nodded, 'we can talk more later if you want.'
Tikki would readily admit she had more fun battling the akuma on this side of the Miraculous. As if being in anti-gravity with her heavy, human body wasn't enough, for once it wasn't her body being taxed by the effort of fighting and summoning the Lucky Charm. She scowled irritably when the Charm yielded a large stapler, but as she had explained to Marinette, she had no control over what the Charm would be.
After she had stapled the hem of the akuma's dress to a wall, and Chat Noir had Cataclysmed the serving tray she carried, Tikki cleansed the butterfly and returned the hotel to its former, pristine condition.
Chat Noir held up a fist out of habit, but Tikki humoured him and returned the gesture.
'If you still want to talk about the body swap thing, we can meet up later,' she offered.
Chat Noir eyed her critically. 'Thanks, but no. I think I'd like to talk to Plagg first.' He paused, looking at her, askance. 'You know, if you're lying about any of this,' he left the sentence hanging.
Tikki nodded. 'I'd expect nothing less. See you later, Chat Noir.'
Chat Noir nodded once, then left, leaping from an open window. Tikki hurried to the roof and raced home from there, her Miraculous beeping its last few minutes. Her transformation fell as she reached Marinette's balcony, Marinette herself expelled from the earring with a pitiful cry.
'Not so easy, is it?' Tikki asked, not unkindly.
Marinette rested limply in her hands and declined to comment, breathing hard.
'Stubborn girl,' sighed Tikki as she slipped inside.
She tucked Marinette into her purse and made her way to the kitchen, swiping a biscuit for Marinette as she passed, dropping it in beside her. Marinette hummed a barley audible sound of thanks before Tikki left for school once more. She snuck glances into the purse throughout the day, but Marinette was fast asleep, hugging her half-eaten biscuit.
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The Wrath of the Bug