The thump behind Chat Noir alerted him to Ladybug's arrival, the new Guardian arriving only ten minutes late. It was the earliest she had ever shown up, really.

The heroine slipped down beside him, armed with a messenger bag slung around her shoulder.

"Hi." He greeted her dully, not wanting to rekindle the scoldings Ladybug had given him only two hours prior.

"Hi." Ladybug looked nervous, nibbling gently on her bottom lip. She looked to the left, away from him, and Chat Noir kept his gaze fixed pointedly at the space in front of him.

He was tired.

The previous Akuma battle had been quite long, leaving him with more injuries then any normal human could withstand. Most of them were due to him diving in front of attacks aimed at her which he barely managed to block with his own body.

Note that it had been previously mentioned that she had been yelling at him earlier.

If he was being honest with himself, the Miraculous Cures took a lot out of him. They were exhausting in every regard of the word, and by the time he made it to his house, he wanted to sleep for a week.

He…he really didn't want Ladybug to see the way fatigue was dragging at his muscles. He knew, immediately, that she'd go into her mothering mode, which most consisted of her scolding him for doing something reckless, then smothering him with affection. The affection didn't feel the same after the ridicule.

"So." Ladybug said from her spot beside him, worrying her lip.

"So." Chat Noir echoed lifelessly, green eyes slipping towards her without him meaning for them to.

"I've been thinking…" Ladybug continued, still adverting her gaze. "About you."

He didn't answer to that. If he did, she'd begin yelling again, begging him to be serious and to just listen to her.

"And about me." Ladybug said, cradling the messenger bag in her hands. "I think…I haven't…" she faltered. "I should be dealing with this better, Chat. You can't keep leaping in front of me like…like that. I can't loose you anymore then you can loose me." Ladybug toyed with her yo-yo nervously, peering down at it. "I've…I admit, I have considered benching you."

He wheezed at that, biting his tongue hard enough to draw blood, though discretely so that she couldn't see his pain. Anything to keep himself from speaking. He swallowed the red, iron-tasting liquid, shoulders hunching.

"But that's not right." Ladybug whispered, not seeing how desperately he was trying not to protest against her methods. "So, I talked to Tikki, and Wayzz, and then Sass, Pollen…and Longg… Plagg showed up, too, at some point, but I'm not even going to question it." She said, waving a hand dismissively. "And…they all want me to. They all agree with my plan."

He doesn't ask. He really doesn't want to know what it is.

"If you're going to do this, kitty," Ladybug said, pressing her fingers into the messenger bag. "You might as well have the proper tools."

She pulled out four onyx orbs, setting them down neatly onto the space between them. Chat Noir immediately recognized them as the new way Ladybug transported the Miraculous; he had seen her use one once or twice when hosting the Dragon Miraculous.

"The Snake, Turtle, Dragon, and Bee." Ladybug pointed to each, glancing up at Chat Noir. "These four are the ones most commonly used for protection; the Turtle especially for obvious reasons."

He choked, staring at them with growing shock.

Ever since the battle with Miracle Queen, Ladybug had been quite strict - even with herself - about how many times they could use multiple Miraculous, and how many at the same time.

Yet, here she was, offering him four new Miraculous to hopefully do whatever he pleased with.

Chat Noir looked from the Miraculous back to Ladybug, uncertain if she was serious or joking. He snapped his gaping mouth shut and risked reaching out his hand tentatively towards them, fingers brushing the smooth black surface.

Ladybug smiled sadly at his hesitation, pushing the Turtle and Snake Miraculous toward him.

"This…this is real?" Chat Noir managed to croak out, breaking his oath of silence.

"Real as it can be, Kitty." Ladybug confirmed, reaching over the onyx balls to scratch between his ears. "Think of this as training. As you preparing to become a co-guardian. My co-guardian."

"Do I have to pick one or the other?" Chat Noir asked, already crossing Dragon and Bee off in his mind. The Snake…he wasn't sure if he could handle using it again, or if he desperately wanted to prove himself with it. The Turtle was all good, though, so…

"Per mission, yes." Ladybug stated, running her fingers along the smooth surfaces. "You'll have to learn to evaluate which one would be best to use per battle, since you'll be permanently keeping all four. I don't want you having more then three powers at the same time: I think even two is a bit of a stretch. If you can help it, just use one Miraculous at a time, but try, please, to main the Black Cat? Try not to over-do it."

"…deal." Chat Noir accepted, cradling the Miraculous orbs in one arm and shaking her hand with the other.

She hesitated a long moment, then yanked him in, burying her face into his shoulder. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you, alright?" Ladybug mumbled into him, gripping his back tightly. "You're a fast kitty; you get me out of trouble no matter what. With these, it should make things easier, so that you can also get yourself out of the way."

"More of for your mental stability then mine?" Chat Noir weakly joked, Ladybug's hand snaking forward to clench his fingers.

"Something like that." She smiled back, resting her head on his shoulder quietly. "Maybe so that you stop dying on me." Ladybug clenched him tightly with one hand, and used the other to help him fasten the dormant Miraculous to his wrists, neck, and burrow the comb in his impossibly fluffy hair until it was completely hidden from view.

The Kwamis shimmered into view, Chat Noir immediately cradling Pollen and Wayzz close with sorrowful greetings, staring remorsefully at Sass, then turning to greet Longg.

By the time Chat Noir had finished welcoming each of them, his smile had returned, bright and vibrant. He turned to Ladybug, excited. "LB, thank you so much. This…this is…"

Unable to put his feelings into words, Chat Noir started to purr, taking her hand and placing it on his chest so that she could feel the vibrations.

She beamed at that, leaning in quietly, wrapping her arms around his chest, pressing her ear against him to hear both heartbeat and purr. "I know, Kitty. I know."