"I'm Bridgette." She said.
"Hello, Adrien. I'm Tikki. Nice to meet you." A red bug with a visibly sad face greeted him.
"How do you know who I am?! " Adrien whispered.
At that moment, Plagg called off the transformation and flew towards Tikki.
"You seem really sad. It's not like you." He whispered.
Adrien had never seen such a sensitive side of Plagg.
Tikki and Bridgette, both broke into tears, Tikki still floating and Bridgette kneeled on the ground.
"You're Marinette's twin. Bridgette. Which means you're Ladybug now. Which means you're Ladybug's twin. Which means Ladybug was Marinette!" The revelation almost made the poor boy jump off the ground.
"Basically, yeah." She answered.
"Mari was Ladybug." He stammered on his words. Emerald green eyes wide in shock. His brain trying to register all that's happening.
"Yes. Marinette was Ladybug. Was. Never knew a single word can change so much." Bridgette said. Eyes on the ground.
A minute of silence passed. A melancholic mood set in their minds. And hearts. She was gone. Slipped away from his hands like sand particles.
And now, here stood her twin. Bridgette. Both of them incredibly strong, proud, in a good way, beautiful, clumsy. Just by the looks of it.
But there was something different in both of them.
Marinette was the one successful in making Adrien fall for her.
Not Bridgette.
"You miss her, don't you?" He asked absentmindedly.
"Yeah," she said, failing to find any other words.
"What's done is done," he whispered.
"Yeah." She responded.
"You'll be the new Ladybug then, huh? he asked.
"Yeah."
"But"
"But I'll never be able to replace her. Them. Never be able to replace either Marinette or Ladybug. I'll try my best though." a dry chuckle escaped her lips.
"I hope Tikki has told you everything." He stated.
"Yeah. She's so sweet, she helps me try to get over Marinette's dea-. Nevermind." tears were visibly stopped forcefully at the brim of her eyes.
"She's told me all about you two. How Marinette used to like you, you used to like Ladybug. It's weird how a love square can exist in two people." She finished.
"Wait, Mari used to like me?!" He gasped.
"Long story," she stated.
Silence was what Adrien chose as a response.
"We should probably get going. No one can change the past." She said. This time, her tears let go. She did not hold them back.
"Its weird, Tikki," Plagg said in their own little corner. Away from the detransformed superheroes.
"What's weird?" A sad tone answered.
"How one single day, can change someone's entire life.
"I know."
"The Adrien I know is a pun-loving, flirty kind of a person. But this blond standing in front of me is like a whole new person. He hasn't even made a single pun in the entire day." He continued.
"I agree Adrien has changed. So has Bridgette. She was so bubbly and jovial. She was like a party person. This is not her. They have changed, Plagg. I have changed. And so have you." She said, staring intently into his eyes.
"Yeah. Think about it. I haven't asked the kid for Camembert yet. It's true then. What they say. You lose your appetite when something bad happens. I never thought that would happen to me." The black kwami said, in an attempt to lighten up the mood.
What's past, remains past.
A tackle to the ground by a punch on his face was what he got.
"Talk no shit in a crisis like this, you get it Plagg?" A threatening look from the red kwami was all that was necessary for the 'embodiment' of destruction to wet his pants.
Even though he didn't wear any.
"Let's go. Before that, you must swear-"
"-to protect Paris and never let it feel the absence of their beloved Ladybug. My appearance helps it. Now that I think about it, that's probably why Tikki chose me. I'm a replacement." She cut him off and cried, emphasizing at the last word.
"No, you're not." She heard Tikki behind her.
"The reason I chose you, is because you remind me of her. Of all her qualities. Her smile. Her confidence when she was Ladybug, her clumsiness, everything. That helps me grow stronger. Get over my loss. And I'm sure Adrien thinks the same." Tikki said.
A nod was the response.
"Plagg claws out."
"Tikki, spots on."
----------------
_time skip_
~Adrien's POV~
Times flies. It waits for none. And thus, dying day by day in her memories, twelve years were long gone.
~Third Person POV~
Adrien had grown up to be a successful model. Gabriel had retired and there were less Akuma attacks now, for obvious reasons as old age knocks hawkmoth off the throne. His identity was still a secret. And so was the superheroes'.
So was lessened the time of Ladybug and Chat Noir.
They did patrols, however, the talking ceased to a minimum.
Paris no longer saw the funny pun-loving Chat Noir anymore. What they saw, was a grim-looking, serious and glum Chat Noir.
If there were any Akuma attacks anymore, it didn't last more than two to three minutes.
Either Hawkmoth was growing weaker, or their dear guardian angels were getting stronger.
Who knows.
Lila had shifted to China. Bridgette stayed in Paris, not forgetting her swear.
Paris had never felt that Ladybug had changed. Bridgette was a great actress after all.
Marinette's friends, however, noticed that this Ladybug was different.
They couldn't exactly point what was different.
Everyone had moved past Marinette's death. But nothing was the same again.
Alya had married Nino. The latter had proposed to the reporter.
Adrien, as mentioned before, had become a successful model and took over his father's company.
'Gabriel' was reaching new heights under Adrien's reign.
He still hadn't married and laughed rarely. Like, once in a blue moon.
He was like Gabriel Chapter 2.
Alya and Nino were satisfied. Though they missed Marinette more than ever.
Marinette's death had a huge impact on Chloe. For the good.
Chloe had turned from the she-devil to a nice human being. She sympathized with Marinette's parents and every other person who was reminded of the loss.
She actually turned out to be a pretty good person. Adrien was happy to see that.
As for Marinette's parents, they were messes for the few weeks following Marinette's death. But with the assistance of Adrien, Chloe and other people, they were able to get over her death.
Sabine's sister also passed away in the meantime and her twenty-three-year-old son, she was a single mother, Eugene came to live temporarily with his Aunt Sabine and Uncle Tom until he finds a suitable job.
Eugene was told of her dead sister by her twin, Bridgette.
Eugene and Adrien were close. Not that close but enough to know about Adrien's chemistry with Marinette.
Excluding the superhero part.
Speaking of superheroes, Master Fu was nowhere to be found. Not after what happened to Marinette.
Marinette was a sore topic to Adrien. Anyone who brought up the topic in front of him was responded with a death glare.
~Present, with Adrien~
"Monsieur Agreste, we have a deal in China, we only need your acceptance and then, we can carry out our project. It is immensely profitable and-" A well-dressed person whom Adrien had appointed as his assistant was cut off by the said blond.
"I do not need your opinion on whether or not I should accept the deal. However, thank you for your concern. We will sign the deal. However, you must read and check all the applications before handing them to me. Is that clear?" Adrien said.
"As you wish, Monsieur Agreste." The assistant bowed low his head on his knee level.
Adrien nodded. There was always a nod.
He exited the room and entered his room. It hadn't changed much. Only the pictures of Ladybug from the trophy were removed and put in a diary. Which was treasured by Adrien? All the things Adrien had ever held close to his heart were enclosed in that book. Pictures of Ladybug, his miraculous which seemed to be a normal silver ring, a drawing of Plagg, since he cannot be captured, articles of Ladybug, pictures of Marinette, pictures of him and his friends on their picnic, the one after the hero's day battle, organized by Marinette, the lucky charm Marinette made for him and some other pictures of his childhood and his mom.
Although there were many pictures, Marinette's and Emilie Agreste's reminders were always stuck at the last pages of his diary. Those few pages were the sections where all the things Adrien loved with all of his heart and lost them, were kept.
The diary was enclosed in a very special box with pink colour and white polka dots all over them. Yes. This was the box in which lay Marinette's diary. Bridgette gave it to him.
Saying that if anyone had the right to read her dead sister's diary, it was him.
He still hadn't read it. He considered himself undeserving of all that lay between those lines.
Late update... I know... I've been busy, but I purromise to update soon!
I'll be updating Miraculous Tales of Ladybug and chat noir next. I'll keep updating alternately!
Guys, if you like my books, then don't hesitate to leave a vote and do not be a silent reader. I love reading your comments and always comment back, so keep reading and commenting!