Crim's Fics

les roses sont rouges:

Marinette has nightmares about an akumatized Chat Noir that start to feel a little too real.

(An AU post Hawkmoth/Gabriel Agreste death where Adrien and Marinette are adults and still haven't defeated the second Hawkmoth.)

chapter 1

chapter 2

To Catch A Moment Fleeting:

A love square inversion in which Adrien never explained himself during the Origins episode so Marinette hates him, but he develops hopeless feelings for her nonetheless. Marinette on the other hand, is head over heels for Paris’ famous black cat.

chapter 1

chapter 2

chapter 3

Harbinger of Black Cats:

A day where everything seems to be going wrong, Marinette happens upon a very cute stray cat. Meanwhile, Paris’ favorite supermodel has gone missing, and it sends Marinette down a spiral to find him. Will her new feline companion be able to help her do it? Or will it only bring her more bad luck?

(An AU in which there are no miraculous… but there is a chat noir… kind of.)

chapter 1

Marinette could barely keep her eyes open. She had spent the majority of her evenings this week looking for Adrien and getting barely any sleep. The search started on foot, with her walking around Paris, looking in places she thought he’d frequent or be likely to hide in. That brought her little success, and she received a lot of weird looks and concerned comments from people she knew. Was it really that weird to see her, Marinette, looking under the seats in a movie theatre for her friend?

The next day, she decided to do things the new-fashioned way: using the internet. She tried researching recent missing-person cases in the area, but many of them were partially blocked or had already been solved. During this stage, she realized how strange it was that—if Adrien were really, truly missing—Gabriel Agreste hadn’t made it publicly known yet. Wouldn’t he want the news to cover it so more people would look for his son? He was already very protective of him; she couldn’t understand the logic of not sharing this with the public.

Maybe he was afraid the potential kidnappers would react poorly to the news being shared. Marinette gasped aloud, gaping at her monitor. Maybe they were blackmailing him! She decided to look into Gabriel’s recent activity.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary—it was so odd! The man hadn’t been seen out of the house in weeks. Stretching back way before Adrien had gone missing. If it were anybody else, Marinette would think he was hiding something, maybe keeping Adrien captive in there with him, but Gabriel Agreste was known for being a deeply private individual. He hardly ever left the house, and when he did, it was to travel somewhere far for a few weeks and stay holed up in some fancy hotel instead. 

Marinette rubbed her chin thoughtfully, squinting her eyes. Her cat butted its head against her hand, but she was too caught up in her conspiracies to change focus. 

On her way to school each morning that week, she kept an eye out for The Gorilla, Adrien’s bodyguard and driver. Naturally, she never saw him, since his only job was to watch over Adrien. Maybe this meant he wouldn’t be far from the boy in question…

Marinette took a very casual, very normal stroll past the Agreste manor after school one day. A coincidence she was there, if anybody were to ask. She wore a fake mustache and a baseball cap, the bill pulled low over her eyes. She loitered around for a bit, enjoying the scenery, until it happened.

She jumped and hid behind a bush when she saw him: Adrien’s bodyguard! He came from inside and stood, eyes scanning the premises wearily. Marinette held her breath, hoping his senses weren’t keen enough to find her. After several agonizing seconds, he slipped back inside, the large front door closing with a grand thud. Marinette breathed.

If The Gorilla was home, did that mean… Perhaps Adrien really was home! Marinette suddenly became very giddy. She tried to look through his windows (for investigation purposes!!!) after she was sure the coast was clear, but it was hard to see anything since his blinds were closed. Drat.

But she was making good progress.

Now, she sat near the front of the class next to Alya, body present but mind completely elsewhere. She blinked one eye at a time, staring ahead at the board, but not really paying attention. The lesson was something about some old poet? She didn’t know, but it didn’t seem more important than sleeping…

Marinette felt her eyes closing in one moment—a warm, fuzzy feeling overtaking her entire body. In the next, she was jolted awake by someone impatiently yelling her name.

“No, Miss, I wasn’t sleeping! I swear I was just–!” A raspy, unrestrained laughter disgraced her ears. Oh.

“Hello, Chloe.” Marinette grumbled, rubbing the sleep away from her eyes.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” A wicked, lip-glossed smile was plastered across her face.

Chloe insisted she hated Marinette most out of everyone in the class, but she sure loved to talk to her specifically. “Do you need something?” Marinette asked, not really looking for a sincere answer.

“Of course, I don’t need anything from you, Baker Girl. I just thought I’d tell you and your little friends over here that it’s all your fault!” Chloe gestured with an accusing French-tipped finger at Marinette, then Alya, then Nino before crossing her arms angrily. 

This time, Alya spoke up. “And what exactly did we do this time?” 

The commotion was beginning to draw the attention of the entire class, everyone around them speaking quieter than they were before, flicking their eyes to Chloe. This spurred her on. 

“Actually,” She turned around. “It’s all of your faults!” Sabrina quickly rushed over, nearly tripping over herself to join Chloe at her side. 

“B-but not me, right?” She tapped her fingers together nervously.

Chloe stared her up and down, quite thoughtfully, before flicking her wrist and scoffing. “All of you except for Sabrina and me, obvi.” She corrected. The amount of joy that began radiating from Sabrina was quite pitiful. Marinette shook her head in disappointment.

“But, Chloe,” Their classmate Rose spoke up from the back of the class, voice small. “What did we do?”

“I’m getting there, can’t you be patient?” Chloe snapped, stomping her foot, making poor Rose jump back in her seat. “Ugh, you’re all so ridiculous!” She turned back to Marinette, grimacing in disgust.

“And that’s exactly why he’s gone! Because you lot of freaks scared him away!” Chloe dramatically flopped onto Marinette’s desk, feigning loud, obnoxious tears. Sabrina ran to her side, rubbing her shoulders.

“Who’s–” Nino slapped his own hand over his mouth before he could even finish asking.

Marinette furrowed her eyebrows before, too, making the connection. “You don’t mean…”

“Yes, you dunce, I’m talking about Adrien!” Chloe rose to her full stature, hands on her hips. She was angry again, like she had never been crying. 

“How do you know he’s not coming back because of us? What, did he tell you?” Alya scoffed, crossing her arms in indignation. “You shouldn’t spread rumors like that, Bourgeois.”

“I’ll have you know, it is not a rumor.” Chloe snapped her fingers, and in an instant, Sabrina was scrambling for her purse, fishing through it for something. It was taking her a couple seconds longer to find than Chloe liked, so she snatched the bag away. “Ugh, give me that!”

Quickly, Chloe pulled out her phone, gold-encrusted and all, and pointed it directly in the trio’s faces. Their classmates leaned in from where they sat to get a glimpse of what it was.

On her phone was a text message from Adrien. Marinette’s heart raced so fast it lodged in her mouth. 

“What?!” She screeched.

“Read it and weep.” Chloe replied emphatically. She dropped her phone back in her purse after they all had a chance to read it. “I told you it was true. He’s not coming back, and it’s because you’re all so utterly lame and utterly ridiculous!”

She was embellishing. That wasn’t exactly what the text said, but the important part Chloe didn't lie about. He’d sent her a message that he wasn’t coming back. Not for a while. And he asked her to tell his friends.

“When did he send you that?” Marinette stood, which she wasn’t sure why. Her legs shook beneath her.

“This morning.” Chloe shot back.

“What time?” 

“Exactly an hour ago.”

An hour ago. So around lunch time. What did it mean? Was it really true? Why would he text… Chloe and not them? Sure, Marinette knew they were childhood friends, but they’d notably grown apart in recent years. Chloe was constantly in the US, which meant they were spending less time together, but even when she was in Paris, Adrien avoided being around her as much as he could. It didn’t make any sense!

But at least it meant he was ok?

Marinette turned back to Alya and Nino. Their expressions revealed they were just as perplexed as she was.

Nino voiced her thoughts. “Why would Adrien text that witch and not his good bros?”

“Excuse me, ‘that witch’ can hear you!” Chloe huffed.

“Go away, Chloe. Your business is done here, right?” Alya shooed at her.

“Wait!” Marinette blurted. There was more here that she could use. “I actually have one more thing to ask you.” 

Chloe peered over at her as if she were a queen weighing whether or not she should acknowledge her lowly subject. “…Go on.” She nobly complied.

Marinette decided to be wholly sincere in her request. As much as she hated Chloe, she had a huge piece of evidence in her hands that Marinette really, really needed. Chloe could be the key to finding out more about Adrien!

“Where did he message you from, like, was it through text or WhatsApp or–”

“He texted me from an unknown number.” She raised a skeptical eyebrow. 

Ahh! A revelation! Wait, but this could mean very bad things.

“Does it have an area code?”

“What are you, a detective?” Chloe mocked, beginning to turn away. 

No, she couldn’t leave, not yet. Didn’t she see how serious this was? Marinette began to panic, hands shaking in resolution. 

“Just answer the question, Chloe, I promise I can help get him back if you help me!” She shouted.

By now, the entire class was dead silent save for the two girls. Marinette felt all their eyes on her, and it made her sweat. Everyone now knew that Adrien was gone, maybe even someone of them deduced that something was wrong by her anxious tone of voice. She couldn’t let them worry too. She had to prove her worthiness in bringing him back. She was going to bring him back.

A look of determination hardened over her face. Chloe turned around halfway, looking at Marinette through her thick, black lashes. She was still unenthusiastic, but began to falter slightly.

“It’s a Paris area code.” 

“Can you try to text him back?” Marinette clasped her hands together tightly, as if the motion would will her desire into existence.

Chloe turned away again, hiding her face. “... I did, but it didn’t go through.” Something more regretful came through in her voice. She didn’t turn around again.

Ohh, this could mean very bad things. Marinette tugged nervously at her pigtails.

“I have to go to the bathroom!” She announced without grace, tumbling out of her seat and rushing out the door, hitting it with a bang before realizing it was pull, not push. She tried again, opening it with so much force that it hit the wall. She giggled awkwardly and mumbled some apologies before skittering away.

ooO 

The bathroom was completely empty, save for her, of course. She checked under all the stalls to be doubly sure before beginning her session of panic. 

Marinette paced back and forth along the length of the room. She bit her thumb nail nervously, eyes trained on her own two walking feet.

She whispered to herself, half-formed sentences spilling nonsensically from her lips. 

“Well, if he’s texting from an unknown number… burner phone… kidnapper??? No, but Paris… Why would they keep… so close? And Gabriel??” She huffed in frustration, clawing at her hair.

“And why Chloe but not us!? Not even Nino? Arrghh!!” She exclaimed, crouching to the floor and intensely staring at the tiles like they’d give her the answer.

Marinette heard the bathroom door swing open and jolted up into a standing position. She swayed unsteadily, a huge, unnatural smile plastered on her face as she pretended like she wasn’t just freaking out. “Don’t mind me, ahaha, just washing my hands!” She fumbled to turn on the sink.

“Marinette, it’s me.” Alya stood against the door, arms crossed over her chest. She offered an emphatic smile.

“Oh,” Marinette’s posture instantly slumped, and she turned the sink back off. “In that case, I’ve been totally freaking out in here.”

“I know.” Alya sighed. “I get it, girl. We’re all very shocked.”

Marinette balled her hands into fists, true emotions bleeding quickly back into her demeanor. “I just can't believe what’s happening! I suppose getting a message from him means he’s ok, but also what if this means things are much worse than we thought!?” She would surely start losing hair if she kept pulling on it like this. 

She began pacing again, gesturing with her hands as she spoke. “Like, why wouldn’t he just text from his normal phone? Did he lose it? Did his father take it? Or has he been kidnapped and then did he steal the kidnapper's phone to text Chloe, who maybe he knew wouldn’t make a big deal of it and put him in more danger, but then the kidnappers caught him and took the phone, and that’s why Chloe couldn’t message him back?!” She gasped at her own revelation, but then immediately continued in her fast talk rambling. Her movements became quick and wild. “And what if the “kidnapper” is actually his father? Like, it would make sense: Adrien stealing his father’s phone to text Chloe, maybe Chloe’s number is his only friend’s number in his dad’s phone! But then again, that would mean Chloe would have his number too and recognize it, right? So then—”

“Marinette,” Alya interrupted. Marinette was surprised she let her go on for so long. She was kind of glad for the interruption, though; she didn’t realize she was so out of breath.

“Yes?” She panted, face red.

“I don’t think we should be coming up with these sorts of conspiracies.” She inched closer to her best friend before closing the distance and placing a hand on her shoulder. “I know you’re worried—we all are—but we’re no better than Chloe making up that he’s not coming back because we’re “utterly ridiculous” if we start jumping to conclusions like that.” 

She sounded very rational—Alya was always rational. Like the angel on Marinette’s shoulder. Her clear voice of authoritative reason. But Marinette didn’t like that Alya was comparing her to Chloe. This wasn’t the same at all! 

“I’m trying to help him! Chloe just wanted to make us feel bad. But I’m investigating.” Marinette frowned. “You can’t possibly think I’m in the wrong.”

Alya sighed, pushing her glasses up further on her nose bridge. Her expression softened, and she appeared almost sorry. “Look, Mari, I’m not saying you’re anything like that evil witch. I’m just saying that it’s wrong to catastrophize a delicate situation like this with baseless assumptions. We have no proof these things are true. Leave it to the professionals to do their job and solve the mystery.” She shrugged.

Marinette felt her heart racing. How could Alya think her helping was making things worse? It’s not like she was spreading rumors that Adrien was kidnapped. She was just…conspiring. No, that made it sound bad. She was just coming up with potential explanations based on the evidence she had. And besides, it wasn’t even an open case. No one was doing anything to look for him! If no one else was gonna do it, she would do it herself. With help from her friends or not.

Marinette closed her eyes, fighting down her anger. She didn’t want to start a fight. If Alya had a different perspective, that was fine, but she wasn’t going to change Marinette’s mind. 

She took a deep breath, then spoke. “You’re probably right. I won’t say anything more about Adrien in class.” She paused, thinking about what would be best to eradicate Alya’s worry. She decided just to be truthful. 

“But I will keep looking for him.”

“Marinette…”

“I won’t put myself in danger, I promise.” She put her hands up defensively. “And you don’t have to help me if you don’t think it’s right.”

Alya bit the inside of her cheek, clearly thinking. It made the knot in Marinette’s stomach tighten further. She knew Alya wouldn’t be that angry over something like this, but she didn’t want her complete disapproval either.

Alya finally sighed, smiling. It made Marinette hold her breath in hopeful anticipation. “I’ll try to help you as much as I can.” She tapped her phone against the side of her glasses, winking. “I’m very good at collecting evidence as a journalist after all.” 

Marinette could explode with joy. Instead though, she rushed over to Alya, bringing her into the most bone-crushing hug. Alya gasped for air. 

Marinette pulled away, a serious expression quickly replacing the delight on her face. “We are going to find him.”

Alya nodded. “We will try our very best.”

ooO

“A message from Adrien?!” Marinette exclaimed in the crowded lunch room. Alya brought a quick finger to her lips, shushing her.

“Girl, I thought we agreed to keep this hush!” She whispered sternly.

“Sorry…” Marinette slumped in her seat.

Across from them, Nino sat with a pensive expression. He was rubbing his jaw in thought, silently reading the message over and over again.

“I don’t get it.” He finally said, putting his phone flat against the table. He picked up his fork, gesturing with it. “First, he texts Chloe from an unknown number, then a day later, he’s messaging me on Instagram saying a similar thing.”

“With lots of typos, mind you.” Alya leaned in.

“And Adrien never makes typos!” Marinette pursed her lips, grabbing Alya by the shoulder and shaking her lightly. The girl in glasses was scribbling down notes on a small notepad.

“And he messaged both you and Chloe around the same time of day, too, which is interesting.” She added, setting down her pen. “Maybe it means something.”

“Maybe lunch time is the only time his father—er—his captor—er, you know, whoever’s in charge—allows him internet access.” Marinete tried her best not to come up with scenarios in her head like Alya said, but it was quite hard. In Marinette’s mind, she pictured Adrien as Rapunzel, trapped in his tower (the Agreste manor) with the evil parent (Gabriel Agreste) keeping a close eye on him. The sad look on his face as his long golden locks cascaded out of his large, wall-length windows made her heart lurch. She continued on. “What if Gabriel doesn’t want him to have access to the outside world? Like, maybe he’s being heavily monitored, and maybe–”

“Marinette!” Alya slapped both hands against the lunch table, making their trays bounce slightly, silverware clinking together. “What did I tell you about jumping to conclusions?”

“How are we supposed to help quickly if we don't come up with a list of possible suspects?” Marinette interjected, desperately opening her palms out to Alya. 

Alya brushed her off, turning to slide Nino’s phone closer to herself. Marinette sighed, giving up the topic for now, and looking over Alya’s shoulder to read the message for herself.

‘hey nino, sorry i havtb ; brrn able   to reach oyt until  now./ ai’m okk,. just super busy!& &&   its really hard for mz to message rn, but i’ll be back soonm as i cam bdont worry about me&! pleaqse let the others know as well/’

Marinette squinted at the illuminated screen, reading each character one by one. She heard Alya scribbling something in her notes. 

The lack of caps for sentence starters and names that phones usually autocorrect, the ampersands instead of what she assumed should’ve been exclamation marks, the misclicked letters and characters, the–

Alya sat back casually, closing her notebook and bringing her pen to her nose. “He wrote this from a computer.” She tapped it against her face as she settled into the conclusion.

She said exactly what Marinette was thinking. Marinette whipped her head to face her. They made eye contact with one another, nodding knowingly.

“Wh– how’d you know that?” Nino leaned in closer to her, dropping his fork onto his plate of crumbs, causing them to scatter about the table.

Alya turned the phone so it was facing Nino now. She patiently explained the strange little quirks that gave it away. “You see, on phone keyboards, the exclamation symbol isn’t near the ampersand, but on computers, they’re the same key. And there wouldn’t be so many typos with symbols, since on the phone, they’re separate from the letters. In general, the lack of autocorrect…”

As Alya continued to explain to a very confused, yet impressed Nino, Marinette continued to think. The situation was always bewildering, but Adrien’s message to Nino added even more layers to the conundrum. If he wasn’t able to text anymore, but still had a computer and enough internet to access social media, maybe he was better off than she thought. Maybe he really was at home, stuck in his room, without a phone. Ugh, but that still didn’t explain the burner phone message to Chloe! Marinette racked her brain for any other explanations she could come up with. She groaned when all she was met with was a mental wall.

Perhaps she should go home and figure things out. There were only a couple of classes left in the day anyway, and there’s no way she’d be able to focus enough through those.

Marinette knew Alya didn’t like her conspiring, so she opted to keep her thoughts to herself. She stood silently, doing her best to give the impression that everything was normal.

“Hey, can you guys tell the teacher I went home sick. I suddenly have a really bad uhhh… toothache!” She picked up her lunch tray, looking up to the ceiling, frantically grasping for more things to say to make this lie sound believable. “Yeah, uhhh, I cah barely talk sthee? Oww hurth thoooo bad.” She pushed her chair in, beginning to back away from the table and towards the exit. “I think I thould go oo the dentith righ away! See you guyth on Monday!!”

If Alya and Nino were exchanging any disbelieving looks, she didn’t stick around to see them.

ooO

When Marinette arrived back in her room, she expected to be able to get straight to business. Instead, she is met with an impossible sight. She dropped her schoolbag on the floor beside her, mouth completely agape.

Her room was a complete disaster. As if it had been raided before a tornado ran through it, and then a couple of zoo animals played tag in it afterwards. Her sewing fabrics were tangled and discarded all over the floor, her jar of pens and pencils was tipped over, shattered against the ground with the writing utensils scattered around it, and her ball of bright green yarn was completely unraveled, parts of it hanging from the ceiling and stretching all the way beneath her chaise. 

Her eye twitched.

“Mow!” 

She looked up to see her cat, hackles raised and eyes wide with dread, frozen atop her keyboard. YouTube was open, and a video displaying flashing lights and dancing cartoon vegetables was playing. It was then that she noticed the horribly overstimulating music playing quietly along with it. It was a complete attack on the senses. 

She rushed over to the cat, trying to grab it from off her keyboard, but it hissed at her. Clicking something that shut the computer completely off before leaping off her desk, then wall-jumping onto her bed. Marinette watched the whole thing unfold in total shock.

“You–!” How could a tiny cat cause such a huge catastrophe?! Oh my god, cat-astrophe. Marinette facepalmed so hard that the slap sound reverberated off her walls.

“Mew…” She could hear the cat beginning to groom itself from above.

Marinette growled angrily, pulling her hands into tight, white-knuckled fists. She stomped over to her computer, wiggling her mouse (which now had small bite marks on it) to see that her computer had completely rebooted. She was going to combust.

“That’s it! Come out here! Now!” She demanded, with no real intention of retaliating in any way. 

“Mow?” Her cat popped its head over the ledge with wide eyes. Its pupils began to constrict.

“Yes, I’m talking to you!” Marinette huffed before taking a deep breath to calm herself down. She resumed. “How did you manage to create such a mess! And what if my parents had heard you and come up here? I thought you said you’d be good and quiet.”

The cat shrank guiltily back. Marinette stopped it before it could fully retreat.

“And another thing: how did you get my computer to turn on and play that–” She looked back at her black screen, remembering the weird YouTube video. Her eyebrows furrowed. “Whatever that was?! And why did you have to reset it??” She threw her hands into the air, begging for whatever god that brought her this feline embodiment of misfortune to take it back!!!

The cat jumped down to her level, chirping while looking up at Marinette. She sighed, sitting in her rolling chair. It slid before bumping into her desk. She slumped.

“I know you didn’t mean to… You’re just a street cat.” Marinette extended her arms, and the eager cat jumped into her lap. She scratched under its chin.

“I do love you, petit chat noir, but I fear you can’t stay here.”

“Miaou!” The cat exclaimed in protest, stomping its little paws against her legs. Marinette sighed again.

“Yes, but it’s not your fault. You must get stir-crazy trapped in this little room. I’m at school all day, so I can’t take care of you. And my parents would find out eventually.” Her eyes drifted to the trapdoor across the room. “They can’t take care of a cat while they’re running the bakery.”

The cat sat down, demeanor becoming small and sad. She’s not sure if it understood exactly what she was saying, but maybe it could sense her emotions. She felt sorry for taking it in, promising it a home, only to abandon it after just a few days. She wondered if this was how it was abandoned by its previous owner, if it even had one. 

Marinette brought her face to it, rubbing her skin against the impossibly soft fur. The cat purred before licking at her nose.

“I’m sorry, little guy, but you deserve better than Marinette Dupain-Cheng can offer.”

The cat whimpered, hopping out of Marinette's arms and under her desk once she pulled away from it. She watched, absentmindedly, as she thought of what she should do.

As much as it pained her, she thought it would be best if she turned the cat in to a shelter. That way, it would guarantee its safety, and hopefully, a better, more suitable owner could rescue it.

She knew it was what was best for both of them, though she did enjoy the brief company. 

She stood, deciding she should clean her room before anything else. She started by picking up the broken jar and throwing it away. The small ball of black fur watched her, full of remorse, from its place in the shadows of her room.

“Gah, I’m late again!” She shouted, jumping out of bed so high that she nearly hit the ceiling. Her phone was left tumbling from her lofted bed, landing with a loud crash against the wooden floors. That would certainly leave a crack or two.

But a problem for later! 

Rushing down the steps, Marinette nearly tripped over her blankets that were still wrapped around her waist. She twisted out of them, stumbling gracelessly onto the floor. 

Her mom called out from below with concern. “Marinette, is everything alright?”

“Yeah, all good, Mom, nothing to worry abou– oof!” As she was getting up, she tripped and fell over the fabric pieces strewn about her room from her night of sewing. Marinette groaned, pushing herself up by the arms and taking a deep breath. Enough with the nonsense.She hopped to her feet, walking—carefully this time—to the chest filled with her clothes. She rummaged through the messy collection, looking for something suitable for the day.

“Aha!” 

With unprecedented haste, she pulled on a white camisole, a light pink cardigan, black embroidered tights, and a black skirt with some customized, pink and white embellishments of her own doing. She quickly tied her hair with ribbons into her signature two pigtails.

Marinette retrieved her phone from where it fell. To no one’s surprise, it was brandished with a new, shiny crack, flowing jaggedly from the upper left side of the screen and curving into the upper middle. Yikes. She winced. She’d just have to pay for it by taking up hemming commissions from her friends… again.

She clicked the power button, and her lock screen—a selfie of her and Alya at André Glacier’s on a sunny day—illuminated the screen. At least it wasn’t totally broken… 

The time caught her attention: 7:50. 

Her heart sank.

Marinette yanked on her messy pigtails in a mini panic before rushing to pack her things in her school bag and quickly slip on her favorite ballet flats.

She ran faster than she’d ever run before, skipping every two, maybe three steps as she hurried down the stairs of her home and entered the bakery. She sped past her parents and the line of customers they already had forming at the counter. 

“Bye Papa, bye Maman, I’mofftoschool, seeyoulaterbisouuuuus!!!”

The bakery door chimed loudly as it slammed shut behind her. 

ooO

Marinette sprinted down the sidewalk, occasionally bumping into passersby and earning some very unforgiving complaints in response. Once she reached the street that led directly to her school, she sighed with relief, ready to prance across the sidewalk and up the steps, and into her seat on time!!!

Just as she was about to make this fantasy her reality, a car zoomed across the crosswalk. Followed by another. And many more. 

Much to her chagrin, the wait signal was plastered on the streetlight ahead of her.

“Seriously!?” She huffed, tapping her foot impatiently. 

She watched as the cars flew past her, contemplating the risk factor of crossing the street there and now. If she timed it right, she was sure she could avoid getting hit. Yeah, it’d be jaywalking, which was kind of illegal, and yeah, she might receive some angry honks and less-than-savory hand gestures, but at least she’d make it to class on time. She had a quiz she was really worried about during first period—she couldn’t afford to be late.

She began jogging in place, her adrenaline needing some sort of escape, lest she explode right there on the sidewalk. Her eyes nervously stalked each car that went past, and they occasionally flicked towards the wait signal as the seconds ticked down. Twenty seconds is such a long time! She could’ve clawed her face off. It was then that she heard a strange sound. It was so quiet against the loud traffic that she nearly missed it. 

“What?” She looked around. There was no one else on that side of the street with her. In fact, that part of the sidewalk was remarkably empty. “I must be imagining things. I really need to sleep more.” Oh man, if she were really in such a state of delusion, she was bound to fail her quiz for sure! She buried her head in her hands.

And that’s when she heard it again—only, more clearly this time.

“Miaou!”

“Meow?” She retorted, her voice unbelieving. She jumped when she felt something small, soft, and warm nuzzling her ankles.

“Miaou!!!”

When she looked down at her feet, eyes wide, a small black cat was beaming up at her. 

“Aaaah!” She exclaimed, crouching down immediately to get a closer look at it.

“Oh, you’re so cute!!!” 

“Miaou~!!” 

She stuck out her hand for it to smell, and the cat tilted its head in response before licking her gently. She squealed again in response, trying to hold back her cuteness aggression so as not to scare it away.

“What’s your name? Are you a stray…?” She asked, taking a hesitant hand under its chin to feel for a collar. Nothing was there.

The cat looked relatively well-groomed. It didn’t smell of anything strong, and it was totally disarmed around her, meaning it must be comfortable with humans at least. It seemed well-fed, and clearly wasn’t a kitten either. All this and yet, it didn't have a collar. How strange.

“Are you lost?” Marinette suddenly grew very sorry. It must have been lost by its owner recently. Maybe even this morning. Or maybe they were actually close by? She looked around again and didn’t see anyone. But she hadn’t noticed any missing cat flyers as she walked. What a peculiar case. Perhaps it was better if she left it there so the owner could quickly find it. It was usually a fairly populated area. Surely the right would notice it straight away.

She bit her lip in apprehension, feeling guilty for leaving the little guy there. She turned around to peek at the light. The walk sign was illuminated this time. 

Torn, she turned back to the cat, its tail swinging happily as it purred, rubbing its small head against Marinette’s hand. She frowned, giving it one last pat on the head.

“I’m so, so sorry, little kitty, but I’m already terribly late… I really hope your owner finds you soon.” With that, she turned away and crossed the street quickly, never once turning around, because she knew if she did, her guilt would overcome her, and she’d swoop that cat into her arms and bring it to class with her.  

On top of being late, her teacher would not like that.

ooO

Man, she totally bombed that quiz. 

Marinette left the classroom (after being swiftly reprimanded a second time by her teacher for being late), completely dejected. Her lips were pulled into a pout, and she wandered the hall aimlessly, in some vague, general direction to her next class.

When she sat down on the bench next to Alya, she slammed her head into the desk. The dull boom it produced drew Alya to give her a sympathetic pat on the back.

“There, there, girl.” 

This pulled a groan from Marinette.

“Dang, what’s got you so down like this already? It’s still so early in the morning.” Alya gasped. “Oh, is this because Adrien’s not here today?”

“No, it’s because I super duper failed my math quiz just– Wait, did you say Adrien’s not here?”

Marinette shot up from her place on the desk, eyes fastening to her best friend’s.

“Yeah, and none of us have heard from him, so we’re super worried.” Alya’s voice lowered, and she leaned closer to Marinette, as if it were a secret she was sharing. Something she didn’t want to alert the entire class to.

It was normal for Adrien to miss school a little here and there. What with his hundreds of modeling events, photoshoots, traveling the world, fencing tournaments, interviews, etcetera, etcetera. But usually he’d tell them about it. Either ahead of time, or while it was going on. Adrien was no hooky player, no ghoster, no flaker.

And given Marinette’s massive… interest in Adrien as a friend, she would definitely know if he was busy somewhere doing Adrien Agreste-y things. It’s not like she kept tabs on his every move, knew when he would be traveling for a modeling thing or fashion event or—ok, well, yeah, she definitely did that, but it was all to make sure he was ok, of course. As a friend. Who cared about him. Obviously.

But that was besides the point! Marinette pulled out her phone to check the Adrien Agreste news tag she followed on social media, and nothing new was coming up! He shouldn’t have had anything coming up for a while. All four of them were supposed to be hanging out this weekend since it was the one weekend he was free that month… Marinette frowned, bouncing her leg anxiously.

When Nino walked into the room, she’d hardly noticed him. She heard Alya greet him, and they began talking in hushed tones, but she didn’t pay attention enough to figure out what they were saying. She just kept refreshing her phone. Still nothing.

“Adrien’s…” Her ear perked up upon hearing Nino utter his name.

“Huh, Adrien’s what?!” Marinette shouted, slapping her palms against the surface of the desk, which she really didn’t intend to do. Not so loudly, at least. It earned some glances from their classmates, and Alya and Nino stared at each other awkwardly.

“Sorry,” Marinette said, at a more respectable volume. They all waited until their classmates averted their eyes, quickly losing interest in the situation, before they continued speaking. 

Alya turned to her, voice a mere whisper. “Marinette, Adrien’s missing.”

“Missing?!” Marinette really couldn’t help the way she shouted this time. She clamped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late by then. Their classmates eyed the three of them nosily.

“We should talk about this during lunch.” Nino adjusted his baseball cap nervously, turning around in his seat to face the front.

“But I can’t wai–!” Marinette tried to protest, but just then their teacher walked into the room, clapping her hands to grab their attention. 

“Good morning, students! Please open your notebooks and put away your phones. We’re having an open note pop quiz.”

You’ve got to be kidding me. Marinette gaped. Just her luck! The tension building inside her from this chaos of a morning threatened to burst. First, she was late, then there was a horrible quiz, then Adrien’s missing??? then another quiz? What was going on? How were her fates so misaligned!?

She took a deep breath and held it. Willing all of her upset to stay inside. She just needed to get through this class. And then a couple more. Then she’d have all the answers from Nino.

Besides, maybe he didn’t mean it like that. Yeah! Typical Marinette jumping to conclusions. She was infamous for her needless worrying after all. She convinced herself this was just another instance of that. Adrien was probably perfectly fine! Nino just meant that he was missing from school, obviously. Or that he was “missing”, as in, “off the grid” because his dad confiscated his phone.

Marinette scoffed out loud, trying to lighten her own mood. Alya punched her gently in the shoulder, as if to tell her to stop.

And she did stop. She fixed her posture and, with sweaty hands, retrieved her notes from her bag. 

She was going to fix her day here and now, starting with this pop quiz—which she was going to ace.

ooO

So, that’s not what happened at all. Marinette’s not even sure how she did on the quiz because her mind wouldn’t stop returning to Adrien. She even wrote his name as one of the answers before catching herself and scribbling it out. 

Once the three friends left their class period for lunch, Marinette ran at Nino and practically pounced on him. 

“I need answers!” She begged, shaking him by the arms.

Nino’s shoulders slumped, and he looked away. Alya soon joined them, and he gave her a nod. “I’ll tell you everything I’ve heard. Follow me.”

The three of them walked to the park together, deciding to eat lunch there not only because it was a beautiful and sunny day, but also because they didn’t want their other friends overhearing them in the cafeteria. Not that the others didn’t deserve to know what was going on, but they didn’t want to turn this into a huge panic. Especially when there was nothing anyone could really do about it at the moment.

Nino sat on one side of the picnic table alone, with Alya and Marinette sitting together across from him. The vacant spot next to him was clearly meant for Adrien. Marinette’s heart raced in her chest.

“Tell me already.” She spoke, neglecting her lunch inside her bag. 

Nino sighed, looking anywhere but her eyes, scanning the empty park for nothing in particular.

“Look, I’m not even 100% sure this is true because it’s not like I got it from any verified source, I’m just… speculating.” He took a tense sip of his water before continuing.

“I think Adrien’s missing. Like missing, missing.”

“How do you know?” Marinette interrupted, growing increasingly uneasy, if that was even possible at this point.

“Last Friday evening, I facetimed him, and he didn’t pick up. He promised we could call for like an hour before his lesson, and I assumed he didn’t answer because of somethin with his pops—not totally out of the ordinary.” Nino shrugged.

“But then I texted him. Once to ask what was up, then again a few hours later to send him a meme. It’s normal that he doesn’t respond for a few hours because the guy’s always so damn busy, but I started to feel a little worried when it got to noon the next day, and he hadn’t even read the message.”

Marinette tapped her nails impatiently against the wooden picnic table. She listened as Nino described Adrien being completely AWOL. Nino told the story of how he went to the Agreste mansion on Sunday, something he didn’t do unless Adrien gave him the greenlight that his father wasn’t there, because he usually wasn’t welcomed by Mr. Agreste.

“Nathalie, y’know, Gabe’s assistant, answered the buzz. She seemed a lot more… full of emotion than she usually is, which was a bad sign enough. She saw it was me and said that ‘Adrien was very busy’. In the back, I swear I heard Mr. Agreste freaking out. Like, probably on the phone, saying something about Adrien. It was totally insane.”

Marinette felt lightheaded. And suddenly very much not in the mood for lunch. “So he’s really… gone.”

“It… seems that way.” Nino balled his hands into fists, tension bleeding into his voice. “And I’m not sure what to do.”

“Well, obviously we need to go out and look for him!”

“But no one’s seen him,” Alya interjected into the conversation. “I tried investigating the subject online during class and haven’t found anything. It’s like no one even knows he’s missing.”

“But he’s a huge supermodel, someone’s had to have seen him somewhere!” Marinette dug her fingernails into the skin of her arms, practically shaking in her overwhelm.

“That’s why I don’t totally believe he’s in danger. I think it has something to do with his dad.” Alya leaned against the table, narrowing her eyes.

“So, what, are we supposed to prance up to the Agreste mansion and ask why Adrien isn’t answering our texts or coming to school? Mr. Agreste hates our guts.”

“Well, it’d be a good start. What else are we supposed to do?”

As Alya and Nino argued about what the proper next steps to take were, Marinette stood silently and backed away from the table. It was all too much—suddenly way too real. If Adrien was really missing… Oh, God. She felt like she needed to cry, to scream, to demand that Gabriel Agreste reassure her that her friend was ok. She backed away from the table quietly, trying not to catch her friends’ attention.

But of course they noticed. There were only three of them at the table. Alya turned to watch as Marinette slowly retreated. 

“Mari?” It made her pause in her step. “Where are you going?”

“I–uh…” She held the sleeve of her cardigan tightly in her fist. “I need to be alone, I think. Don’t wait up for me, I think I’m gonna go home.” She didn't wait for a response before turning and marching off.

Marinette was lucky her house was right next to Place des Vosges. She crossed the street and entered the bakery in no time. Her parents eyed her curiously as she speed-walked, but before they could ask anything, she waved them off.

“Don’t mind me, class was canceled because my teacher is sick.” She lied. “I’m going to take a nap in my room.” She shut the door abruptly behind her before they could respond.

Marinette slammed into her sheets face-first, not even bothering to change into her pajamas before succumbing to the soft warmth. She felt tears brimming in her eyes and aggressively blinked them away.

She couldn’t believe it—Adrien was really missing? Like genuinely? She’d heard proof enough to convince her. She could really scream.  

ooO 

When she woke up, it was significantly darker outside. She assumed it was because the sun was setting, surprised to see she’d slept so long, but upon peaking her head through her trap door, she realized the sky was just very overcast. It was striking how different it appeared from the sky just a couple of hours ago. The clouds were so dark and angry, she supposed they’d be spilling liters anytime now.  

Still, this didn’t keep her from climbing up to her balcony. She rested against the railing, peering over at the park, seeing that Alya and Nino had since been gone. She sighed, feeling bad for leaving them behind, but feeling even worse upon remembering the status of Adrien.

“Ohh…” She buried her face in her hands, almost ready to give in to the force of her sadness.

“Miaou!” 

She heard the noise beside her. Chalking it up to an exhausted auditory hallucination, she refrained from reacting.

“Mrrow, mrrep!”

She heard it repeated again, daring to peek from behind her finger out of the corner of her eye. The sight she was met with had her barrelling backwards.

“How did you–!?” She stammered in surprise, tripping over her own two feet and landing onto the folding chair on her balcony.

“Miaou!”

The cat was perched atop the railing of her balcony, gazing down at her with curiosity, its head tilting from side to side. It eventually jumped gracefully down from its spot, prancing over to Marinette excitedly. 

“Miaou~!”

“Listen,” Marinette started, scrambling backwards and away from the feline before her. “I have no idea how you got up here, or… why you followed me here, but you can’t stay.”

“Miaou, miaou!”

Marinette facepalmed when it curled up against her ankle, nuzzling and purring.

“Truly, what is my life?” She sighed, folding her legs and backing away further. “I’m being serious, you have to go!”

“Mrrrep!” 

“No, like go away.”

“Mrrow?” 

“Yes, now!” Marinette raised her arms above her head in exasperation. “I can’t keep you here, my parents would freak.”

“Mow….”

Marinette picked up the cat carefully, tucking it into her cardigan and tiptoeing back into her room. She began making her way down the steps of her house when she realized her parents were in the living room watching TV. She ducked behind the thin railings of the staircase, evidently still quite visible, watching them from behind. They laughed at something some comedian was saying—she wasn’t sure exactly, but took it as her sign they were distracted enough for her to sneak past them.

When she was halfway across the room, two steps until she’d reach the door, that stupid cat decided it was the perfect time to be noisy.

“Miaou, miaou!!!” It screeched, rolling around in her arms. Marinette completely froze.

“Marinette?” She heard her father say. She turned her head around slowly, careful to keep the cat in her arms facing away from them.

“Papa! Hello!” She said stiffly.

“Did you… say something?”

“Oh uh!” She laughed. A little too much. Like she’d just heard the funniest joke in the world. She felt the cat purring against her, and her heart raced even faster. She needed to get out of there before it did that again.

“Nothing important! I was just saying I was gonna go for a quick walk… now, now!” She laughed again nervously, trying to sound convincing enough. 

Her parents looked at each other, frowns plastered over their faces. 

“But Marinette,” Her mother chimed in. “It’s about to rain–”

“I know! That’s why I’m going to be super duper quick. Like, I’ll be back in no time!” She whipped open the door, stepping into the hallway robotically. “Faster than you can say… chat noir!” She slammed the door shut, zipping out of the house and into the bakery as fast as she viably could with a cat squirming in her hands.

“Chat noir…?” Her mother repeated. Tom shrugged in response. The two of them returned to facing the television.

Once Marinette was outside, she plopped the cat onto the concrete of the sidewalk, right outside the bakery door. “There we go, ok, please go find your owner now!”

As she turned around to go back inside, she felt a tugging at her tights. She looked down to see that the cat was trying to pull her backwards.

“Hey, don’t bite my clothes, you’ll rip them!” A loud rumble echoed through their ears, and the cat jumped back, hissing at the sky.

Marinette sighed, looking up at the sky too. The clouds dragged slowly above them, flashes of light from within them telling her that it would be coming down any second now. She couldn’t leave this poor cat out here at a time like this! Where even were its owners? It had been an entire school day, and no one had come to retrieve it? Granted, she didn’t know how much of that day it spent trying to climb up her balcony, but still!

She kneeled next to it, its fur still standing on end. She offers her hand, palm up, to it. “There, there,” The cat hesitated before nuzzling into her.

“Cats don't like water, do they…?” Marinette asked rhetorically. She sighed, eyes focused on the darkening sky. Her mind began to wander as she contemplated what to do. She couldn’t leave this poor little guy out here all alone in the rain, but… 

But what if it really was a stray? Then she really couldn’t leave it out here. How sad would that be?

It reminded her of Adrien. He must be alone and stranded somewhere as well, if he really was lost. Her eyes began to sting, and she couldn’t hold back her emotions any longer.

She laughed sadly, petting the cat with shaky hands. “Honestly, today has been so horrible! It’s really set a precedent, and that’s saying a lot coming from me. I’m like the biggest bad luck magnet.” She looked down at the creature at her side. “I even have this black cat following me now for some reason. What are the chances?”

She wiped away the tears she hadn’t even realized were falling down her cheeks, finally letting out a gasped sob. 

“Mrrow?” 

Marinette sniffled, turning her attention back to the cat. “I hope your day has been going better than mine… but given you seem lost, it probably hasn’t.” 

The cat purred beneath her gentle hand.

“My friend’s missing, you know? And I’m really, really worried about him.” To this, the cat raised its head, making a strange, sudden eye contact with her. It remained completely silent, as if listening.

She laughed. “It’s like you’re being quiet to offer me your pity now. Where was this when I was trying to sneak past my parents?”

She continued, “It’s really scary, though. I mean, I’ve only known about it for one day, but I can’t help but feel like my entire world is crashing before me. He’s really special to me.”

“Mow!” The cat shouted, and Marinette scratched behind its ears.

“Yeah… He probably feels really lost and scared like you.” She contemplated what to do next, staring at the cat blankly. She knew she had to keep it safe. At least, just for tonight. 

It stretched and sat down beside her. Marinette offered it a small smile. “I suppose now I’m feeling guilty for trying to cast you aside.” 

The cat blinked slowly at her, as if to reassure her it was ok, it understood.

Marinette sighed, shaking her head. She couldn’t believe she was talking to a stray cat. She could burst into a fit of laughter. But she was too sad to do that at the moment.

“Listen,” She grabbed the cat and raised it so they were eye-to-eye.

“If I agree to take you home for now, you have to promise to be good and quiet.”

“Miaou!”

When the power went off in the middle of the school day, it was hardly met with any surprise—this had become such a normal event throughout the years. When the akuma alarm started blaring, the student body proceeded with the normal precautions: hiding under tables, retreating to rooms without windows. 

At the time of the attack, Marinette was in the art classroom, sewing a skirt for an independent project. Her humming came to a halt when everything suddenly went dark, and the sewing machine stalled. 

She sighed in exasperation before muttering to herself: “Why does this always happen when I’m in the middle of something important?” She regretfully paced out of the room, making sure her classmates made it out safely and were on their way to hide on the lower floor of the building. When the coast was clear, she started running toward a secluded corner, opening her purse to retrieve her kwami companion.

“Tikki spots–!”

Just before she could finish the phrase that would initiate her superhero transformation, the door to the classroom she was just about to pass swung open and hit her in the face. A searing pain slapped across her. She exclaimed, hand flying over her face as she doubled backwards.

“Marinette!” The guilty party shouted, and just from his voice alone, she knew who it was. Trying to act cool, she stood up straight with an even expression, though she wobbled for a brief moment. Chat Noir ran up to her, hastily grabbing her by both shoulders.

“Marinette! Are you ok? I’m so, so sorry, I didn’t see you.” He brought a hand to her cheek, and her face grew exceedingly more red in addition to the blooming smack mark across her forehead.

“I’m fine.” She said coolly, shrugging.

“Ah, c’est bête, Mari, your entire face is red!” Chat Noir pouted, so sympathetic he physically cringed at the sight of her small injury. 

When a rumble ran through the ground, both of them paused. Chat Noir looked across the hallway, squinting like he could see something coming. When Marinette tried to look, she couldn’t see anything. Before she could ask, she felt his hand grab hers, and it knocked her back into reality. The akuma. She needed to get away from him so she could transform.

“Chat Noir, wait, I–” Her eyes shot open wide, and she froze. She couldn’t even think to fight back when the feline hero swooped her up into his arms and began running out of the hall with her. This was a little excessive… she thought.

“I need to get you out of here!” He whispered to her in a panic.

He brought her into an empty locker room, where he found a slightly ajar, unlocked locker and proceeded to set her into it gently.

When he reached to close the locker, Marinette could finally think straight enough to stop him. 

“Wait, no! Chat Noir, you can’t lock me in here!” She shouted, panic setting in. If she was stuck in here, it would make saving the day as Ladybug really difficult. 

Chat Noir’s ears flattened against his head, and he looked like a stressed kitten, pupils dilated. “Why not? I promise you’ll be safe.” His voice was sincere; it almost made her want to let him do it. 

But no, Marinette was not that much of a delusional fool. She thought of an excuse on the fly. “I’m—uh… claustrophobic?” 

“Oh, really?” He released his hold on the door, muttering to himself. “I didn’t know that…” A fast-paced skitter sounded in the distance, and Chat’s left ear perked back up at the sound. The longer this went on, the more damage this akuma would be able to do.

“You need to go. Don’t worry about me. You know I’ll be alright.” Marinette offered him a smile, and his eyes flickered across her face, conflicted. When the sound thundered through the building again, Chat Noir sighed, beginning to turn away. 

“Fine, but stay here, seriously.” He waved before quickly sprinting away, leaving the locker room and closing the door with a grand thud.

“Mon Dieu, that cat!” Marinette said after she was sure he was gone, rubbing her forehead. 

Tikki flew out of her purse, giggling. “Are you ok, Marinette?” “Yeah, this is nothing. Let’s just hurry and go help him. Tikki, Spots on!”

… 

Ladybug exhaled sharply, wiping the sweat from her forehead. She extended her arm towards her partner, curling her fingers into a fist. “Pound it?” She smiled up at him, and he laughed breathlessly.

Chat Noir’s fist met Ladybug’s with a sweet sting. “Pound it!” He grinned. “M’lady, you don’t mean to tell me you're too tired for our patrol tonight, right?”

Ladybug curled over, slumping down against the roof they were standing on top of. He followed soon after her, sitting cross-legged and staring off into the distance at the sunset behind the Eiffel Tower. It was kind of romantic—if Ladybug could allow herself to say such a thing. A flush spread across her face, and she looked away, down towards the civilians walking the streets below.

They had just finished defeating a very fast akuma. It gave the heroes the run of their lives, though it was simple to de-akumatize once they could catch up. All Ladybug wanted to do now was sit and do nothing. With Chat Noir, preferably. And since the school day had technically ended during the fight, she had nowhere she needed to be…

“No, no. You know I’d never bail on you,” She said with utmost honesty—she had never missed a patrol, not ever. Once, she came to patrol while sick, and Chat Noir firmly sent her home. She was just dedicated to the job. 

“I just want to watch the sunset first…” Ladybug sighed, closing her eyes briefly.

“As the Lady wishes.” He retorted, a wry smile on his lips. He leaned back on the palms of his hands. Occasionally, Ladybug would look over at him to find he was smiling. He looked so content, and it filled her heart with a tingling warmth. Did he feel the tenderness of the moment too?

“You know… this is really nice.” She tried, intent on parsing his reaction. “I like being with you, Chat Noir. When we have the time.”

He nodded slowly, smile widening. “I like being with you too, M’lady. You’re the best partner I could ever ask for.”

She felt her heart racing with adrenaline—maybe it was left over from the akuma fight, but whatever it was, it was urging her to push him a little bit. She thought about asking him what he thought of her, if his heart was racing too, but resigned against it. She was his partner, and that’s all she could really ask for now. 

She offered him a smile before nodding, “Me too. I mean—you’re the best I could ask for too.” To which he giggled. 

Ladybug stood, extending her hand to help her partner to his feet. “Should we begin our patrol then? Now that the akuma’s no longer an issue.”

Chat Noir took her hand, smirking—likely about to make some corny joke before stopping himself short. His eyes widened, and he dropped Ladybug’s hand, suddenly looking very serious.

“Wait, actually, do you think you’ll be able to handle the first part of patrol on your own, I just remembered I need to check on something.”

Ladybug’s eyebrows furrowed, and she tried her best not to sound disappointed about having to spend less time with him. “I mean, sure, but what do you need to check? What’s wrong?”

“It’s a civilian, I left her to hide, and I want to make sure she’s ok.” He began to bound away, but she caught his tail between her fingers.

Hah. He was talking about her—or rather—Marinette. “I’m sure she’s fine. My miraculous ladybugs–” 

He cut her short. “No, but I still feel like I should check on her. I–uh–promised her I would.”

“You did?” Ladybug deadpanned without meaning to, and it made him jump a little. 

He scratched the back of his neck. “Yeah, and I feel like as the charismatic superhero, it’s my duty to make sure my citizens are doing alright. I’ll be back faster than you can say camembert!” And then he jumped off the building, disappearing into the streets.

“Paris’s “charismatic superhero”?” Ladybug chuckled, face palming in incredulity. She stared past her fingers, down at the street where she last saw him, shaking her head.

“Why does he want to go see Marinette? She’s fine—she’s right here!” Ladybug groaned, raising her arms in frustration before reaching for her yoyo. “Right, right, then I should probably be there when he arrives… hup!”

She zoomed off into the distance after him, with the setting sun beaming against her back.

…

“Marinette!” Chat Noir peeked into the empty locker room, pushing the door fully open once he realized its vacancy. He strode towards the locker she was once in, swinging the door to reveal her absence. His shoulders fell, and he sighed. “Ladybug’s probably right, she probably ended up going home…” He bit at a clawed finger.

After looking around the corners of the room, he finally gave up, retreating to the entrance. 

“Chat,” someone called from behind him, and he jumped backwards like a frightened cat, tail sticking straight into the air.

When his eyes landed on her, his entire face lit up. “Marinette!” He rushed toward her, bringing her into a tight embrace. “I’m so sorry, were you waiting for me here long?”

Marinette chuckled against him. “No, silly. School’s over, but I was just finishing my sewing project in the art room. I told you not to worry about me.” She patted his back.

He pulled away from her. “I know, I know, but I just felt so bad about hitting you, I wanted to make sure you’d really be ok.”

Marinette’s expression softened under his gaze. She moved her bangs away from her face to reveal her smooth, even-toned forehead. “I’m ok, see? No bruise.”

“Not even a little concussion?” Chat Noir grimaced, waving a hand in front of her face, and Marinette rolled her eyes.

“I am not as fragile as you think I am.” She crossed her arms. “You didn’t have to come all the way back here.” You could be patrolling with Ladybug, she screamed in her head.

“I know, obviously I know. You’re Super Marinette. But I guess I just care about you, is all. You’re really important to me. Sorry if it’s overbearing.” He looked away, seemingly embarrassed.

Marinette’s heart skipped a beat, and she felt the lightheadedness from when he hit her with the door coming back. Maybe she really was concussed. “Yeah, you’re important to me too...” 

They stood there for a moment, a weird silence that neither of them could really stand permeating.

“So, uh,” Chat’s voice finally filled the air. He cleared his throat. “Can I see that sewing project you were working on?”

Marinette smiled cheerily, voice full of excitement. “Yes, actually! I’ve been meaning to ask Alya to be a model for me, but you should work too, I think.” Her eyes drifted down to Chat Noir's lower torso, mentally taking his measurements.

Chat swooped forward, taking Marinette’s hand in his. “You know you’re my favorite person to model for.”

She pulled back, smirking before placing her finger on his nose and pushing him away from her. “I’m the only person you model for.” Marinette began to make her way towards the stairs.

“Hey!” Chat Noir scoffed. “You say that like I’m not a handsome superhero! And I’m plenty irresistible underneath the mask… Don’t underestimate me!”

“Right.” Marinette retorted, doing nothing to stifle her laughter, which just made Chat Noir more defensive. They ended up bickering all the way up the stairs before Chat fought for his life to strike his best poses in Marinette’s flowy skirt. She laughed the whole way through, sneaking photos of his silly, overly serious expressions to cherish later.

A loud knock against Marinette’s trap door abruptly pulled her from her slumber. Her phone was buzzing beneath her pillow, and in a frantic haste, she muted her alarm. Tikki floated beside her, looking less than amused, and Marinette offered her a silent apologetic smile.

“Marinette, you’re going to be late for school!” She heard her mom call from below.

She checked the time on her phone. The first bell would ring in 10 minutes. She groaned. 

“I’ll be ready in a second, Maman!” She croaked back, voice raspy from a night of inactivity.

…

Marinette had gotten really good at getting ready in about five minutes; she was rushing down the stairs and to the main bakery floor in no time. On her way through the kitchen, she kissed her mom goodbye, then made her way out the door to the bakery entrance.

Her father was tending to a customer, but his height caused him to completely obscure the person on the other side of the counter. Marinette rushed beside him.

“Here we go, a bag of chouquettes, just for you, my boy!” Her father said gleefully, handing a bag to the customer. 

Marinette hugged her father goodbye, in too much of a hurry to pay attention to much else. “I’m off, Papa–” 

Her father cut her off. “Ah, perfect timing! Isn’t this boy in your class, Marinette? You two should walk together. Are you friends?” Tom’s words forced Marinette to finally meet the eyes of the customer across the counter.

He was a tall boy, with golden, ambrosious locks and bright, leafy-green eyes. His skin was slightly flushed, and he offered her a timid smile. His perfectly straight teeth sparkled in the morning sunlight peeking through the bakery windows. “Good morning, Marinette.”

Marinette blinked, staring at him with complete and utter disbelief. It was Adrien—Adrien Agreste. 

Marinette had no patience for such nonsense. It was too early in the morning, and she was already running late. She waited not a second longer to break eye contact with him, looking to the floor.

“No, Papa, we are not friends.” She frowned, but his smile merely wavered.

“We’re running late. Your father’s right, we should walk together.” Adrien gestured towards her, and Marinette stepped back, fighting the scowl that tried to overtake her face. Her father watched them curiously from his high stature. She felt his gaze and sighed, not wanting to make this any more awkward than it had been. Marinette relented with a sigh.

“If I have no other choice.” She uttered through gritted teeth, stepping from behind the counter and striding toward the door, leaving him behind. “See you after school, Papa.” Adrien scrambled after her.

…

Adrien really liked choquettes… and Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Whenever he had enough time in the mornings, he’d convince his bodyguard to take him to Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie for some fresh choquettes. He came so often, just by seeing his face, Tom or Sabine would already begin preparing his regular order. He rarely saw Marniette when he came, just because she was partial to sleeping in, but against the odds of his usual misfortune, she came barreling through the door just as he was about to leave the bakery that morning. She didn’t notice him at first, and he was thankful. He needed time to compose himself from the surprise and obvious excitement her appearance brought him. He cleared his throat and tried to appear unaffected. 

When she turned to face him, he couldn’t help the smile that overtook his face.

“We are not friends,” He heard her defend, eyebrows knit. Usually, her saying such things so directly shot him sharply, but he was still much too starstruck to care.

As they walked together, they remained mostly silent. Every time Adrien tried to look at Marinette, he would see her gaze stuck directly ahead, a small pout forming on her lips. His own expression faltered a little.

He had to admit, it did hurt seeing how much she hated him as Adrien, especially when comparing it to how she acted with Chat Noir. He understood why, of course—it all started in collège on his very first real day of school. There was a huge misunderstanding that continued to be misunderstood no matter how much Adrien tried to convince Marinette that it was Chloe who put the gum on her seat, and that he was only trying to clean it off. Marinette was stubborn, very strong in her convictions. (It was partially why he liked her so much…)

It wasn’t that she wouldn’t try to hear him out, she just refused to believe him. Especially because of how much time Chloe made it seem like they were spending together. He understood the want to protect her peace, but it had been years, and they were lycée students now. Chloe was rarely around, flipping between New York and Paris every other week, and Adrien was finally friendly with all their other classmates. He didn’t understand what he had to do to get Marinette to start warming up to him.

Acting more like Chat Noir would frequently backfire—it made her think him to be arrogant. Acting more docile didn’t seem to get them anywhere either. It was so infuriating. He clenched the bag of choquettes in his hand, and it made a small crinkling sound.

“I didn’t think your father would let you eat like that. As a model, I mean.” Her sudden initiation of conversation made him nearly jump. It felt random and unlikely, and he almost thought he was imagining it. He spoke before he could convince himself it wasn’t real.

“I don’t think he would either.” Adrien chuckled nervously. “That’s why I don’t tell him.” He had to fight the purr out of his voice. It just came so naturally when he talked to Marinette. He was used to having these types of casual conversations with her as Chat Noir only.

She nodded thoughtfully, saying nothing more. It made his heart race. No, no no… He couldn’t let the conversation end like that. His mind ran at the speed of light. They were walking up the stairs of their high school. He had to say something else before they had to part ways.

“Uh,” He started weakly. “Would you like one? I can’t imagine you had time to eat this morning with how you were rushing.”

Marinette looked at him, finally. Her clear blue eyes swam like pools of light under the warm sun. Her expression, though unreadable, was more open to him than it usually was. She pursed her lips for a moment, as if in thought, before nodding. 

“If that’s alright…” 

Adrien poured a few into her cupped hands, and she thanked him with a twinge of strained sincerity in her voice. They made their way up the stairs, silent again, but now Adrien felt a hint of confidence. A successful interaction, he thought to himself. He wanted to keep this momentum going.

…

Marinette slipped one of the choquettes into her purse for Tikki. Her brain was so fogged, she could barely stay awake during her first class. It was math, her worst subject, so she tried her best to fight the exhaustion. She and Adrien had walked in late today, earning curious glances from her classmates and a warning from her teacher. Adrien was never late to class, so he seemed quite surprised upon receiving such a stern warning. Four more tardies and he’d be punished with detention, one more for Marinette, and she’d be punished too.

Marinette’s gaze drifted over to Adrien, who sat at the very front of the class. He seemed very attentive and was taking diligent notes. He was always like this—so perfect, too perfect, it seemed. Ever since she’d known him.

At times, she felt a little bad. He always tried his best to be friendly with her, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that he had ulterior motives. He was always caught hanging around immoral people: Chloe, Lila—Marinette didn’t buy this facade of his at all. It was strange how long it was taking for it to crack though… Maybe he was a better actor than his fellow lying buddies. 

No one else seemed to share her sentiments, but she didn’t care. No one believed her about Lila, and look where that got them. Now she was a proven fraud, but still, no one seemed to suspect Adrien as well. Marinette wondered if she should just give up their one-sided feud. He did offer her choquettes this morning… But was it just a manipulation tactic? She bit her nail, tense in thought.

Before she knew it, the bell signaling the end of the period rang, and it made her jump in her seat. Everyone packed their things away quickly, and Marinette buried her face in her hands, sighing. She missed the entire lecture because she was so distracted by that stupid boy… He really was evil. She groaned.

When a distinct tap sounded against her desk, she hesitated, not wanting to look up in fear of it being her teacher there to scold her for not paying attention. However, when she dared to peek, it was actually Adrien before her, smiling in that timid way he always did around her.

“Is everything alright?” He asked quietly.

Ugh, the nerve. If only he knew this was all his fault. She tried not to let the pettiness slip into her tone. “Why does it matter to you?” And she failed.

He ignored her tactlessness, sliding a paper towards her instead with a beaming expression, like he was showing her something he was proud of.

“You can have my notes if you like. I noticed you seemed stressed during class. This unit is pretty tough, so let me know if you–”

“Why are you giving me this?” She blurted, looking across the page at his perfectly neat handwriting. Another thing that must be intentionally crafted to uphold this front of his. She frowned.

“I, uh,” He brought a hand to the back of his neck. “I wanted to help you. If that’s ok? You don’t have to take it if you don’t want to. I’m not trying to trick you or anything, I swear. You kept looking at me during class, too, so I thought…”

Marinette wanted to claw her hair out. He caught her looking at him? So embarrassing… He must have the wrong idea.

Marinette peered up at him for a moment, studying his nervous demeanor before noticing there was another class piling in for second period. She took the sheet of paper, sliding it into her folder and packing her things. 

“Thanks, uh, Adrien.. That was.. really thoughtful. But don’t mistake me, I didn’t mean to stare, I was just lost in thought…” She tried to smile despite the conflicting feelings overtaking her. 

He grinned brightly. He was always so bright… “Of course, anytime! I’m glad we’re finally in a class together after all this time. Feel free to–” Before he could finish, Marinette was already up and out the door. He sighed, running a hand through his hair and adjusting his bag on his shoulder. 

His smile grew small. “Ah. But at least it’s progress?” He whispered to himself. Staring at the empty desk she was once sitting at before retreating out the door. He would keep trying. What he wanted most was just to be with her as Adrien, like he was as Chat Noir. Even if neutrality is all Adrien could earn, that would be enough.

“Marinette!” Chat Noir shouted as he landed on the roof of Paris’ most famous bakery. He strode to the trap door with haste, panting, with sweat dripping down his temples. “Marinette, I’m here!”

Marinette detransformed quickly with a whisper into herself. Climbing up the stairs to her bed and jumping under the sheets, she tried her best to appear asleep despite the fierce red gracing her cheeks.

“Marinette…” Chat Noir knocked, voice more tender. He bit his lip anxiously before grabbing the handle of the door. “I’m… I’m coming in, ok?” And with that, he pulled upwards, revealing the resting girl below, unharmed. He held his breath, watching her carefully, then sighed with relief when she cracked an eye open.

“You’re here.” He smiled despite himself, dropping on all fours onto her bed.

“Why were you shouting? Of course I’m here.” She laughed nervously, sitting up to meet his gaze and rubbing an eye performatively.

“Your house was completely demolished during the akuma attack! Of course I was worried…” He took a moment to look over her form, his eyebrow twitched strangely, and it looked like he wanted to say something before another thought interrupted him. 

“Hey, wait, what about your parents? Are Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng ok?” He began to climb off her bed towards the stairs. “I should go check on–”

Marinette grabbed his shoulder, and he paused instantly in her grasp. “No, Chat, they’re ok. I–uh–Ladybug came and helped us evacuate.” She mustered her most convincing expression, and he seemed to buy it, his posture relaxing and his weight even against the mattress.

“That’s good.” He sighed. “But, why are you breathing so heavily?” He pointed at her, an eyebrow raised.

“Uhhhh,” She had been in such a rush to get back home after Chat Noir told Ladybug he wanted to go check on the Dupain-Cheng’s. A giant plant monster had used vines to whip their home into rubble, and during the entire fight, it seemed to really bother him. After a rushed and careless “Pound it!” Chat sprinted off. Marinette, in an attempt to beat him to her house, ran just as fast, but she barely had enough time to detransform before he was barging in. She couldn’t even catch her breath.

“Uh, I dunno… adrenaline?” She tried hard to fight off the grimace pulling at her lips. Curse his attention to detail, seriously. He was so observant, and sweet, and caring, and perfect and—

Suddenly, he was bringing her into a soul-crushing embrace, so tight she couldn’t even breathe normal breaths now. Marinette could feel every muscle in his arms flexing against her skin. He was so warm, even with the cool latex. And he smelt salty like the ocean. She felt her face heating even more, and the world spun. She seriously thought she would die like this. She patted him twice on the back.

“You’re going to suffocate me like this.” She said in a choked voice, and he laughed.

Chat Noir pulled away from her, his sparkly emerald eyes boring into hers. She couldn’t stand him in moments like this. Especially not as Marinette. It made her delusional, like, what if he liked her too? But that made her feel worse. Why wouldn’t he look at her like this as Ladybug? It was unbearable. She looked away from him.

Chat’s eyebrows knit together, and he brought a clawed hand to cup her cheek, his thumb gently smoothing across her cheek.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you. I’m sorry you had to go through that. Must have been pretty scary.” His tone was solemn. It was so uncharacteristic of him—Marinette’s mind was cleared of a response.

It’s not that he wasn’t usually an empathetic, soft person, but most of the time, he spoke with undertones of his Chat Noir charm or humor. To cheer people up and make them feel comfortable. Marinette could tell he put on a persona as Chat Noir—as all superheroes do, even her—but as Ladybug, she never saw him as toned down as he was with her as Marinette. He wasn’t usually so sincere. Another thing that drove her crazy.

Marinette felt the silence was getting too heavy, so she opened her mouth and hoped whatever came out would be coherent. She had no plan, just hopes and prayers. 

“Pfft, no way. I mean, not that you being there would have been bad, and not that it wasn't scary, but I didn’t need you—I mean—Ladybug didn't need you—well, no, not that she didn’t need you, you’re always needed, a team, partners, an unstoppable duo, you know? but she was able to handle helping us, so you don’t have to feel bad or anything—I mean, not that your feelings aren’t valid, but—”

Chat Noir’s hearty laughter cut her very long sentence short before she could finish (if there even was an end to begin with, that is). He brought his hand away from her to wipe a tear from his eyes. Marinette pouted at the way his fangs sparkled in the dim lighting. He was laughing so hard she had to put her hands over his mouth, and even then, that barely stopped him.

“Hey, if you’re any louder, my parents will be up here, and you’ll be so busted!” She warned through grit teeth.

He continued to giggle. “I’m sorry, Marinette, but–” he snorted, then tried holding in his laugh, crunching into himself and holding his stomach. His face and ears were tinged pink. “That was really cute.”

Her heart was beating violently against her chest. She crossed her arms to hopefully keep it from beating out. She hoped he couldn’t tell how much he affected her. “I’m glad you find my nervous rambling endearing.”

“Of course!” He flashed a bright, cheesy grin, so wide it barely fit on his face. What a ridiculous cat.

He then shifted his posture, putting his hands against the sheets on either side of her and swooping closer. But not too close, he was very teasing when it came to personal space at times. “But, seriously, I’m glad you’re ok.”

“Yeah,” Marinette whispered, afraid of her own voice. They stared at each other for some time, completely entranced in the other’s gaze, before Marinette snapped back out of it. She smacked her whole hand over his face and pushed him away. 

“Ok. You should stay now—I-I mean—you should go now. Go. It’s late, and I have class tomorrow and… well, I don’t know what you do, but I’m sure you have things to do tomorrow too.”

Chat’s lips curled, and he smiled a half-lidded, smug smile. As if he knew something. He did that a lot, and it pissed her off and made her want to kiss that expression right off his face. He stretched before speaking. “Yeah, I have school too~.” He said with a purr. So annoying.

Chat stood on her bed, reaching for the trap door above while staring down at her. “Goodnight, Marinette. But you might wanna change into your pajamas before you go to sleep this time. I’ve never seen anyone sleep in the same clothes they’ve had on all day. Especially jeans.” 

As he opened the door, a deep blush rose to Marinette's cheeks, and she instinctively covered her chest with her hands. She was still wearing her blouse and jeans and shoes from earlier in the day, and she didn’t even realize it. 

He snickered down at her embarrassed expression, and she stammered out incoherent excuses. “I wasn't… I was just so tired, so I… No, it’s not…”

Chat Noir bent down so they were face-to-face, and Marinette turned her head away so she didn't have to see his patronizing smile. After a few seconds, he placed a gentle kiss on her cheek before jumping out of her trapdoor and leaving her alone in her dark room once again.

Marinette felt her cheek with shaky fingertips. It was burning. Her whole body was burning.

“Stupid cat…” she muttered to herself before getting up and heading to her wardrobe to change.

On a spring morning, Marinette awoke steadily to the sound of a piano. The melody was soft and muffled, notes trickling in from under her closed bedroom door. The birds outside seemed to recognize the song and sang along with high-pitched tweets and chirps. Soft raindrops tapped against the window panes and joined along in the accompaniment. 

Marinette squinted her eyes, the overcast sky bright and burning her sleepy retinas. She yawned. For once, she couldn’t remember if she had a nightmare last night or not. Either it was just becoming unnoteworthy to her brain, or she was actually recovering. She sat up in bed, cold from the lack of her partner beside her. A shiver ran across the expanse of her skin, and she stretched. It was almost 8 am.

When Marinette opened the door, the music’s volume rose slightly, and as she approached the source, it increased in clarity. She opened the door to the music room to see Adrien playing the piano. The room was dark, lit only by the cool lighting coming from the overcast skies through the windows. Adrien sat there in the low light, as if he had been so keen for the piano that he forgot to flip the light switch. His back was turned to her, so he didn’t notice her entrance, didn’t notice how she stared at the way his lithe fingers moved across the keys. 

The windows in the room were open, and the curtains blew wildly from the storm’s wind. He was so engrossed he didn’t notice any of it at all. His eyes were far off; he stared blankly at his own fingers, hardly blinking as they moved with speed and precision. Marinette sat beside him on the bench, and he didn’t even see her until she tapped his shoulder. He jumped, the music coming to an abrupt stop.

“Good morning, Adrien.” Marinette offered him a small smile. He softened upon seeing her, but something in his expression still seemed so despondent.

“Bonjour, ma belle.” Adrien sighed, taking his fingers off the keys. He turned his gaze past the piano to the dancing curtains. “It’s raining.”

Marinette looked with him. “Yeah… it has been since I woke up.” A low grumble of thunder rolled outside the house.

“Did you sleep well?” Adrien got up to close the windows, leaving her at the piano as they spoke.

“For once, I think I might have. I can’t remember if I had a nightmare or not last night.” She smiled to herself. Saying it out loud made her feel the reality of it. Maybe things really were starting to get better. After rain, there was always sun; after winter, there was always spring. She felt the seasons changing.

“That’s good, Mari,” Adrien grunted as he shut the window. He slid the sheer curtains closed before coming to join her again on the small bench. “I’m happy for you…” His voice sounded a little off, like it always did when he was hiding something. He slid his fingers nervously through his golden locks.

Marinette crossed her arms, unimpressed. “What? What is it?”

Adrien’s eyes widened, and he smiled unnaturally. “What do you mean?” His voice grew higher in pitch.

“Adrien,” Marinette pouted, poking his side. “You’re so bad at hiding things from me.” Unlike me, she thought to herself, cringing.

Adrien sighed, placing his hands on his knees. He gave up easily. “It’s just that—I mean, I don’t want to invalidate the progress you’re making, because you not remembering is probably a sign you’re getting better…” He cleared his throat. “It’s just that you were talking in your sleep this morning. You seemed upset, and I couldn’t exactly make out what you were saying. Something about a “promise”?” He looked away from her. “It doesn’t matter in any case, I just didn’t want to tell you because you seem so happy.” Adrien looked apologetic, his eyebrows knit, and he moved his hand sweetly over hers. Marinette couldn’t help but smile at the gesture.

Even if she did have a nightmare last night, the fact that she couldn’t begin to remember any of it was a change. Hopefully it would stay this way. Marinette put her other hand over her lover’s.

“You don’t have to be so sorry, Adrien. Either way, this is probably a good thing! Maybe my dreams are getting less extreme, and my brain is forgetting them. I think I’m getting better.” She beamed at him and he couldn’t help but smile back. However, it didn’t quite reach his eyes, and Marinette was starting to catch on that something was wrong.

“You’re right. That’s wonderful news, Marinette.” Adrien pulled away from her. Her hands felt empty.

“Adrien, is something bothering you?” She decided it would be best to just be direct about it. They’d been like this lately—so distant. Ever since their argument a month prior, he had been more hyper-aware of himself. He was careful with his words, he didn’t touch her as often, he’d leave her alone in their large bed in the mornings without a word. He used to be so affectionate. “What’s going on? You’ve been very short lately.” 

Adrien shrugged, placing his fingers on the piano keys again, trying out a few chords before playing another familiar melody. It was one he liked to play when it rained. “Nothing’s wrong, ma chérie. I think the weather’s just making me tired.” 

Marinette frowned. The sky outside darkened, and the room felt smaller now. She bit her lip, upset, but decided she didn’t want to ruin the moment. His music was so peaceful paired with the rain. 

They sat there silently together as Adrien played the piano, so close to each other on that small bench, yet so far.

…

Ladybug stood with her hands on her hips, looking over at the Eiffel Tower, when Chat Noir landed beside her. The setting sun illuminated the city, casting an orange glow over everything it touched.

“The akuma’s over there?” He asked, hand above his eyebrows, eyes squinting.

“Yeah, I know it’s hard to see. This akuma can shapeshift into anything at will and change the appearance of others as well. I think they’re disguised now.”

“Ah, great, so another Chameleon-type?” Chat Noir rolled his eyes at the memory of that fight. “We’ve done this before! Easy stuff, no?” He shrugged, smirk growing on his lips. “Why are we all the way over here?” He prepared himself to jump away, towards the villain, but Ladybug grabbed his tail, and he yelped.

Ladybug shook her head. “No, wait, it could be dangerous.” Ladybug tapped her chin, thinking. “If they can change appearances so easily, then I expect they’ve got some sort of plan to trick us. I want to track their movements from afar before attacking anyone. For efficiency and the safety of the people.”

Chat Noir quirked an eyebrow under his black mask, his lips coming to a straight line. He stooped down lower to get a better look at his partner. “I dunno, of course I trust you one hundred percent, LB, but I feel like we’re being overly cautious now. The akumas lately haven’t even been very strong.” He crossed his arms over his chest, standing straight again and looking into the distance. “I think we should definitely come up with a plan before we engage, but let’s not wait too long. People could be in danger.”

Ladybug blinked a few times, nodding, a distant expression on her face. “Yeah, sorry, you’re right. Ok.”

Chat Noir frowned, even more suspicious now. She was never this easy to convince, and even when she realized she was wrong, she was never so placid. Her demeanor was small, and her voice lacked its typical Ladybug spunk. “Something wrong, M’lady? You’re not secretly the Chameleon, right?” He attempted to joke.

Ladybug shook her head, attempting to shake herself from whatever funk she was currently in. “Ugh, no, I’m sorry.” She placed a hand on her forehead. “I guess I’m feeling wary because I’m so tired.” She had been so exhausted from how things were going lately. Last night, she and Adrien had another argument, and this morning she saw a news bulletin criticizing her. She just wanted a break from it all.

Chat Noir placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, smiling warmly. “Hey, you’re ok. It’s normal to be extra careful, especially in such a dangerous situation like this.” He pulled out his baton, preparing to extend it. “But these repeat-akuma dummies being sent our way are definitely nothing to worry about for now. The fact that this one isn’t being confrontational with attacks is a good sign.” He extended his tool and reached out for his partner’s hand. “Let’s get closer.”

Ladybug and Chat Noir soared into Parisian skies, wind whipping and swirling around them. Chat Noir held Ladybug securely, and she clung loosely to his shoulders as they ascended upwards. 

“Hey, hold on tight!” Chat Noir swiftly jumped off his pole, laughing hysterically as Ladybug squealed at the suddenness of the motion. 

As they fell, Ladybug pointed to the top of the Eiffel Tower, yelling over the sound of the whistling breeze. “Let’s meet over there!” She threw her arm back, yoyo in hand, then cast the string, looping it around the tip of the tower. Ladybug gave a small salute to her partner, then let go, soaring forward towards the monument with him chasing behind her. 

Once they landed, they noticed the tower was oddly populated. Crowds of people stood idly by, and on closer inspection, none of them moved or spoke. They were like still frames, waiting to be animated back to life. 

Ladybug made eye contact with Chat Noir, and he nodded to her knowingly. He jumped down from their post on the balcony to investigate closely; his feet hit the metal flooring without sound. He slinked around iron pillars and through groups of the mannequin-like people. They all looked past him. 

“Creepy…” He muttered to himself. The people stood there, staring blankly at one another, eyes dry and unblinking—a few of them had dried tear streams marking their cheeks. Chat looked away with bitterness. He couldn’t understand how this was happening. Ladybug said the akuma could transform people, not paralyze them. He was beginning to feel an uneasiness growing in his stomach.

He jumped back up to join his partner, eyes focused intensely on their surroundings. “Ladybug, all these people are paralyzed. It’s like they’ve been stung by the bee miraculous or something—so bizarre. Didn’t you say its power was shape-shifting? What’s going on?”

Ladybug’s eyes widened at his words. “What?” She walked to the edge of the balcony, face paling with horror. “I swear… Earlier, I was following them and they were shapeshifting. I saw it with my own eyes.”

Chat Noir furrowed his eyebrows, feeling the most confused he had been in a while. “This akuma… I think we’re being tricked. They’re totally trying to throw us off. They must actually have the power of paralyzation instead.” He joined her at the railing, looking down at the hordes of living mannequins below. “Something is seriously wrong here.”

Ladybug stood there, staring below for a few seconds before shaking her head and scrunching her eyes. “No, Chat Noir, that’s impossible. This doesn’t make any sense.” She didn’t know what to do. The akuma was nowhere to be seen.

Chat Noir grew increasingly worried, coming to her side and grabbing her by the shoulders. “Ladybug, we need to find–” Chat Noir’s eyes suddenly lost light, and Ladybug's heart dropped. She tried to shake him out of it, but he was completely rigid in her arms. He stood there, entirely still and unblinking like the people below them, before reaching towards her face for her magical earrings. She jumped backwards, spinning her yoyo as a shield. 

“What the hell are you doing?!” She shouted at him, dodging his attacks before jumping down to a lower level of the tower. He followed her, eyes impossibly wide, face expressionless, swinging his baton so carelessly and violently. He moved strangely: all disjointed and robotic. His arms hung awkwardly off his shoulders, his gaze was fixed, and his limbs seemed to linger after every dramatic movement. It was uncanny. Chat Noir lunged ungracefully across the platform at her and cornered her between a large metal beam. He lifted his arms above his head to deal one final, bloody blow.

It was clear he was possessed; maybe the crowds of people stationed around the Eiffel Tower were too. This was undeniably a setup. She knew they should have waited. 

“Lucky charm!” Ladybug shouted, kicking Chat Noir in the stomach and cringing at the way he doubled backwards, jaw dropping from the pain, but no scream escaping. 

Ladybug retrieved her summoned object, jumping off the ledge of the Eiffel Tower and swinging her yoyo through buildings to escape and think of something to do. Once she made it into an abandoned alleyway, she looked at the ticking item in her hands: a small stopwatch. She pressed the button to restart the tracked time.

Ladybug frowned deeply, squeezing the mechanical object tightly in her palm. She fell back against the brick wall behind her with a dull thud. She leaned against the wall, grimacing. Ladybug looked around the dimly lit alleyway, but her miraculous Ladybug vision was unable to locate a related solution to this predicament. She felt entirely lost in this situation. The akuma seemed to be changing abilities, her beloved partner was now possessed and working against her, and her lucky charm felt hopelessly useless. Such a situation was not unfamiliar—things like this happened all the time. The purpose of her lucky charms was never immediately evident, and she was always quick to come up with creative solutions. However, for some reason, Marinette just couldn’t bring herself to do it today. Her mind was off; she felt so witless and so cowardly. She closed her eyes tightly; if only she could have a moment to just think.

When she opened her eyes, she saw small particles of glowing dust drifting down from the sky. The sight was as puzzling as it was beautiful, in a way. The yellow dust landed all over her hair and shoulders before she could think to move away from it. Maybe it was just a trick of the evening light. 

Ladybug attempted to brush the specs off of her—even though they had already disappeared—when a loud crash sounded from a few blocks down, catalyzing the sound of cars crashing, sirens whooping, and people screaming. Ladybug’s eyes felt strangely heavy, and she wobbled as she tried to stand alert from the wall. The hero looked back down at her stopwatch, thinking quickly before clicking the start button, slipping the strap onto her wrist, then zipping away with her yoyo towards the commotion. 

…

There was a huge crater in the middle of the street, with ice surrounding its edges. Ladybug froze at the sight. Looking all around, she couldn’t find a possible perpetrator responsible for the disaster. She slid down the side of the building she was posted on and ran toward the large cavity. Civilians nearby shuddered with fear, and she ushered them away from the accident, making sure they were safe indoors. When she finished clearing the area, she turned back, whipping her yoyo to grab onto another building top. Not a second later, a stream of vines extended rapidly from the opposite direction, capturing her tool in their spindly thorns and ripping it from her hands. Ladybug cried out, panicked, and looked around for the villain responsible.

In front of her, on a pile of rose petals, he sat, cackling. His suit was the same as his non-akumatized self, but with a strange, satiny finish. He glowed a deep ruby red in the dying light. Ladybug felt the blood draining from her body, the edges of her vision turning black and staticy. She couldn’t breathe. He pointed a clawed finger at her, and vines materialized out of the stone streets. The ground cracked and split like a shattered mirror as the thick vines grew. 

His teeth were impossibly sharp as he smiled, and Ladybug felt her stomach drop. “Fetch.” His voice came out raspy and whispered. The vines followed his orders, rushing to Ladybug at top speeds. She didn’t have anything to defend herself anymore; her yoyo now rested in the hand of her attacker. He played with it, dropping it, then catching it again, while waving his finger lazily to control the vines. He was taunting her.

She jumped and twisted over and under the darting vines. One of them grazed her arm, and it easily ripped her magic suit. She shouted, and red streams began painting her arm. She squeezed the small gash to stop the pulsing pain it brought. 

“Oops, I’m sorry~.” He sang. His voice dripped with venom—sickeningly sweet. “Did that one hurt, Marinette?” His emphasis on her name made her freeze, and the vines quickly wrapped around her ankles, causing her to fall. 

She screamed and cried for Chat Noir, for anyone to help her. Chat Rouge cackled and screeched again, his laugh piercing her eardrums. He dragged Ladybug by her ankles slowly, and the rough cobblestone road below her scraped at her skin beneath her suit. She struggled against the vines, but the more she moved, the more they relentlessly tightened their grip. They snaked up her legs to her thighs and sprouted new restraints around her wrists. She felt herself heaving, she couldn’t think properly, she couldn’t even hear herself, and the way she begged him over and over again to stop.

He began to change color before her very eyes. He looked like Chat Noir. Her Chat Noir. His eyes were soft, and his smile was warm. His voice was still that of Chat Rouge’s, and the contrast made her feel sick.

“How dare you try to imitate my partner?” She barked, voice cracking and tears streaming down her face. “Who the hell are you?”

He changed again, hues shifting to green, then blue, then desaturating to a dreadfully familiar white. He frowned, displeased, and it turned into an angry scowl as he spoke. “Can’t you tell? I’m starting to feel disappointed. It’s me, your beloved partner, Marinette. You should be able to recognize someone you claim to love.” 

“What?” She practically begged. The vines around her disintegrated into black dust, but she felt herself far too disoriented and weak from the prolonged struggle to move. He touched his middle finger and thumb together, staring at her blankly, eyelids low. He raised his hand and pointed his fingers towards her, a small white ball appearing.

“It didn’t have to be this way, Ladybug. I didn’t want to do this, but your actions need to have consequences, you know.” The glowing sphere of light gradually grew larger, a faint buzzing accompanying it. He released his fingers, and the ball shot at her. She tried to scramble away, but her legs felt like putty beneath her, and she panicked. 

It all happened too fast. She shut her eyes tight, praying to whatever greater superhero god for her safe arrival to the afterlife. Then she felt something heavy land on top of her with a grunt; it knocked the air from her lungs, and she was sure she was now dead. 

…Until the force rolled with her to the left of the incoming blast. She felt something warm cover her ears, and then heard an explosion whose impact was so great it knocked them through the glass windows of a nearby building.

“Dammit!” She heard Chat Blanc howl, his vocal cords audibly ripped at the sheer volume of his scream. 

When she opened her eyes and looked out the window, he was gone, but the destruction he left was still there. Chunks of rubble and debris were strewn across the streets, and a large gaping hole gaped in the middle of the space. She shivered—that could’ve been her if not for… She looked up to see what exactly had saved her.

“Ladybug.” His voice shuddered—so sweet, so worried. 

Oh no. Ladybug pushed and shoved his chest away, gasping for air in her terror. “Get the hell away from me!” She screamed, tears rising and blinding her eyes. That was it. He had finally gotten her. It was over.

“No—hey!” He used all the strength he could muster to restrain her. He grabbed her arms and pressed her against the floor beneath them to keep her still. “M’lady, it’s me. Like, me, me. The real one, I promise. Please,” He tried his best to reason with her. Once she processed his voice—heard his usual soft tone and pleading eyes—she stopped. She couldn't help the way her body continued to shake. 

She reached up and pulled him down into a tight embrace, burying her eyes into his shoulder. “Where were you?! You dummy, so stupid!” Her voice trembled, and she felt a shuddering relief wash over her body. She was so overwhelmed—the amount of emotions she had just experienced in the last hour made her suddenly so restless. She punched him lightly in the back.

Chat Noir chuckled quietly. “I'm sorry, I’m here now. It’s ok.” He cooed. He closed his eyes, moving his arms around her back and bringing her closer. 

Their contact made the stopwatch around Ladybug’s wrist beep. The mechanical sound caught both of their attention. “What was that?” Chat Noir inquired, opening his eyes.

Ladybug pulled away from him, and both of them sat up properly. Ladybug pulled the watch off her wrist and looked at it. Chat Noir leaned in closer to see too.

“Huh, I accidentally stopped it.” The watch read seven minutes and twenty-six seconds. 

“Wait, when did you start it?” Chat Noir piped up suddenly, eyes intently on hers. 

She thought back to a few minutes earlier, before all of the torment she faced with her nightmare version of Chat Noir. 

“Wait.” Her eyes squinted as she concentrated on her way towards a revelation.

“Talk to me.” Chat Noir waited patiently, eyes roaming over Ladybug’s injuries. Her miraculous ladybugs would surely make her all better again at the end, but he couldn’t help the rising concern he felt.

“Hey, LB, what even was that back there. Are you ok?” He placed a comforting hand on her knee, but she ignored him, still in her own head.

“Chat Noir, I have a theory. Hear me out on this.” He nodded in response, pulling away and becoming focused on what she was about to say.

Before, you were possessed in some way. And now,” She gestured to him. “You’re fine. About how long ago do you remember regaining consciousness?” 

Chat Noir sat back, leaning into his palms on the wooden flooring of the old building they were in. He looked up at the ceiling, thinking. “Like, maybe a little over ten-ish minutes ago? I remember coming to and then seeing everyone at the Eiffel Tower had begun moving again too. So I helped them to safety and then started to look for you. Then I heard this loud boom and I came running here.”

Ladybug nodded, eyes sparkling. “So around ten minutes ago you regained your senses, and seven minutes ago, a new villain spawned and sprinkled dust on me before attacking me.”

“Ah,” Chat Noir nodded, catching on quickly. “So you think our akuma can change powers after a certain amount of time?” He put his hand to his chin, staring at the floorboards. “They can keep possession of a certain power for about seven minutes before they face a three-ish minute cooldown. After that cooldown, they can transform into a new villain.”

Ladybug smiled at her partner. They worked so well together, always reading each other’s minds. “Exactly. So we just need to catch them during their cooldown and capture their akuma!”

Chat Noir smiled back at her brightly. “That sounds like a plan. Let’s go find them then!”

He stood, and Ladybug followed after him, but her legs wobbled under her, and she hissed, grabbing at the gash in her arm. Chat Noir caught her by her forearms as she stooped back to the ground. “Hey, are you going to be ok? I can try to do this on my own.”

Ladybug shook her head furiously. “No, no way. We’re a team, what if you get possessed again and I’m not there to save you?”

Chat Noir’s eyebrows furrowed, and he frowned. “Actually, that’s another theory I have.” He helped Ladybug sit on a wooden crate, and he continued speaking. “Think about it, if the akuma could use a power more than once, don’t you think they would? Why not just transform back into the same villain again after the cooldown, especially if the power is useful?”

Ladybug hummed in thought. He had a point. “So you think there are more boundaries to their power.”

Chat Noir nodded. “Everything has conditions, everything comes at a price.”

Ladybug bit the inside of her cheek. “And another thing.” She crossed her arms. “I think it’s strange that the powers they’ve exhibited so far are ones we’ve seen from villains before. Specifically back in the early Hawkmoth Era.”

Chat Noir’s expression became perplexed: his mouth opened slightly, and he tilted his head to the side. His golden locks fell in front of his eyes. “What do you mean? Wasn’t the one we just saw literally evil me?”

Ladybug cringed—if only he knew. It was him, in a way. It was him as an akumatized villain. He still didn’t know how real it was. She hadn’t told him about her time with Bunnix and Chat Blanc. Now certainly wasn’t the time. She shook her head at him. 

“No,” She looked away, back out the window. She saw her yoyo lying in the debris, standing out with its bright red against the gray and ash. “That wasn’t real. That was my nightmare.”

“What?” Chat Noir looked even more baffled, a hand flying to rest atop his head. He connected the pieces after a few beats of his partner avoiding his eyes and biting her lips nervously. “You mean like… Sandboy? From all those years ago?” He whispered, his hand sliding down to his cheek. “But how?”

Ladybug finally met his eyes again, exhaling. “I think they can turn into any akuma from the past. I think they used Chameleon’s powers to shapeshift, or maybe even Volpina’s to trick me into thinking they were shapeshifting, Queen Wasp’s power to paralyze all those people, Puppeteer’s to control you, and Sandboy’s to conjure my nightmare.”

Chat Noir knelt beside her, looking up at her now. “But how? And how have we not seen any of these old villains creating all this mess? Like, you saw Sandboy’s flurries but not actually him? And why are all of them Hawkmoth Era villains? This is all nonsense…”  

“I’m not sure of all the answers,” Ladybug pressed her fingers together. “But I think maybe they’re hiding or staying at a distance because we know how to demobilize these villains so well.”

“So we’ll have to draw them out.” Chat Noir looked out the window as he spoke. “Got any ideas?”

“First, we disengage.” Ladybug reset the time on her stopwatch. “Let’s bring them to us.”

…

Chat Noir and an injured Ladybug lured an impatient and petulant Princess Fragrance out of hiding. It was weird to see, and definitely disadvantageous to the akuma for them to be taking on the persona of whatever villain they were co-opting. 

Ladybug held back her army of aromatic servants with the string of her yoyo. Her legs began to buckle beneath her from her efforts.

With only twenty seconds left until seven minutes had passed and the akuma distracted, Ladybug shouted to Chat Noir. “Now, chaton!”

Her black-clad partner descended with speed from the height of a streetlamp onto the villain. He kicked her perfume gun out of her hands and towards Ladybug. The polkadotted heroine caught the device in her hands, throwing it to the ground and stomping it beneath her foot. The absence of an akuma spurred the heroes into the next part of their plan. Ladybug nodded to Chat Noir, eyes serious. 

Chat Noir unclasped his belt, using it and his baton to restrain the villain beneath him. He gritted his teeth and used all his strength to keep her still. There were only a few seconds left until their theorized cooldown. Hopefully this worked.

Ladybug couldn’t hold off the horde for much longer, but thankfully, she didn’t have to. The villain in Chat Noir’s grasp bubbled and churned, their clothing and flesh becoming purple and ballooning into large goops of blackness. In a second, the bubbling shrank, revealing a girl with a crumpled piece of paper in her hands. It was clear what the akuma was. 

Ladybug reeled in her yoyo and cast it again to retrieve the paper. The group of Princess Fragrance’s minions fell on top of each other, confused about what was happening and why they were there. The heroine took the paper in her hands and with one swift movement, ripped it in half, releasing the cursed butterfly. 

She flung her magical yoyo at it, capturing and purifying it. 

“Miraculous Ladybug!” She called excitedly while flinging her lucky charm. Millions of ladybugs flew in all directions around them. They swirled around the buildings that had been battered and crushed, danced around the people who had been mislocated or victims of the akuma’s brutality. They dipped in and out of the craters brought by the nightmare Chat, and finally, they swept up Ladybug and healed her wounds. Ladybug smiled, sighing with relief at the loss of all her scratches and bruises. She looked up to see Chat Noir’s fist ready for her.

“Pound it!” They said in unison, smiling at one another.

Chat Noir walked over to the victim of the butterfly miraculous, kneeling beside her and reaching out his hand to help her stand. “Are you feeling alright?” He asked softly. 

The girl swatted his hand away and shot up on her own, swaying a little from still being disoriented. “I would be fine if you two were better at your jobs.” Chat Noir flinched.

Ladybug approached her cautiously, carrying a small circular charm. “I’m sorry this happened to you, but you’re safe now. Take this.” She held the item up to her with a smile on her face.

The girl scoffed, pushing Ladybug’s hand away. “No thanks. Like that’ll even make a difference.”

Ladybug frowned, unsure of what was wrong. Her heart was starting to race. “What do you mean?”

“...LB, come look at this.” Chat Noir called quietly, stepping closer to her. He held the previously infected paper in his hands. Ladybug closed the distance between them, peering from beside him at the small sheet. It was a picture of her and the victim from a few years ago. Ladybug was still a teen, and the girl was no more than maybe ten years old. Ladybug’s signature marked the corner of the page. 

The girl quickly snatched the paper away from the heroes, ripping it to shreds and letting it fly away in the breeze in front of their faces.

“Hey, littering is a serious offense.” Chat Noir crossed his arms and glared at the girl.

“That’s your concern?” She glowered back at him, hands on her hips. “It’s not like she remembers that photo anyway.”

“What did I do to make you so upset?” Ladybug’s tone came out a lot more hurt than she intended. She wasn’t liking this confrontation; it made her guilt even stronger.

“You are the reason Paris has been haunted by evil for nearly a decade. Both of you.” The girl yelled, her face turning red. “I don’t need some stupid anti-akuma charm when you know damn well it won’t stop the continuous attacks this city has been facing for far too long. Paris deserves better heroes! You said you defeated Hawkmoth all that time ago, yet nothing has changed! We’re doomed because of you.” The teen backed away slowly, tears forming in her eyes as she retreated. “I will never forgive you for all the trauma you have caused us.” When she finished her sentence, she turned and ran away. Her footsteps echoed down the street until she disappeared around a corner. 

Chat Noir started pacing in her direction. “I should go after her–” Distant sirens sounded all around, and the sun took its final look at the city as it sank under the horizon.

Ladybug stood there defeated, shoulders drooping. She caught his tail. “No, Chat. Don’t. She’ll make it home safe, there’s police everywhere around here now.” Ladybug crouched to the ground, taking a couple pieces of the ripped paper between her fingers. Ladybug’s voice shrank. “She doesn’t want us near her. We should respect that and leave her alone.” She turned the charm over in her palm.

Chat Noir knelt down next to her, placing a warm hand on her back and patting her. “Ladybug, it's not your fault. We’re trying our best, people know that… It’s just easy to get frustrated. But that frustration is misdirected at us. They’re really mad at the bad guys.”

“Of course, I know.” Ladybug put her face in her crossed arms and sighed deeply. “I’m frustrated too.” 

“All we can do is keep trying our best, M’lady. We’re gonna defeat this tyrant someday. We did it once with Hawkmoth, we can do it again.”

Ladybug couldn’t fight off the guilt that ate at her heart. It made her chest physically ache, and no matter how hard she tried to convince herself she was doing well, her heart wouldn’t believe her. She was a bad hero; she couldn’t seem to find this new hawkmoth or discern any useful information about them, and it had been years. They had been fighting evil since she was a child, and they continued all the way through high school and university. At some point, she had to wonder whether she was really the right fit for this. Someone else could have probably fixed it all by now. She constantly considered giving back miraculouses to her friends and reestablishing the League of Heroes, but the incident where Hawkmoth stole the jewels and used them against her kept her paranoid. And now all of them were adults with jobs. They had no time to spare fighting for such a hopeless cause.

And on top of all her incompetence, she was a liar. She has had so many opportunities to confide in her partner about the things she knows, the things she’s seen, but she hasn’t. He doesn’t know about the horrors of Chat Blanc, he doesn’t know Hawkmoth was Gabriel Agreste, he doesn’t even know who she fucking is. She wondered if she even knew anymore. 

Chat Noir called her name, her heroine title, pulling her out of her thoughts. “Ladybug, don’t let this get to you. Please. We’ve been through so much. We’ll go through more. Together. They’ll never understand how resilient you are.”

She looked up at him; he looked so passionate. She felt horrible. It was always like this. He always had to comfort her from sulking over her mistakes. He was probably so tired. He deserved better. “You’re… Thank you. You’re always there for me.” She attempted to smile. 

Chat Noir helped her up, and they ascended into the night sky together, strolling shoulder-to-shoulder along building tops in a peaceful silence. 

The night was temperate, and the breeze made it cooler. The spring air felt different. Blooming flowers and reviving trees created a sweet freshness that livened the surroundings. The Parisian city was buzzing with noise: the police vehicles surveying the area and checking on civilians, the heavy traffic, and the pedestrian chattering. Ladybug and Chat Noir intentionally travelled further and further from the urban chaos. 

As time passed, the sky faded into a rich indigo. It was so dark when the city slept. Ladybug looked off into the distance at the light pollution from Paris. The building’s lights were like little twinkling stars. Chat Noir stopped to admire the view above instead. 

“From here you can kinda see the stars.” He commented jovially, turning to face Ladybug with a giddy expression on his face. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

Ladybug smiled despite herself. “It is nice, yes. If only we were somewhere we could see them better.”

Marinette was running. Running so fast her lungs felt as if they were being pricked and ripped apart by tiny needles. She couldn’t see anything in front of her; the world was a pitch black void with frozen floors that stabbed into her bare feet. It was hot. So hot she couldn’t think. I was all nausea and dizziness and sweat. She felt like she was dying.

Slithering vines tugged at her arms, and when she opened her mouth to scream, her voice came out all garbled. She shook them away. They were icy, scraping her flesh. She ripped them away from her skin, and a new warmth streamed down her arms.

Then he was there. She couldn’t exactly see him, but she could feel him. He came crashing down on top of her. It was violent and heavy, and her bones ached. His breathing was erratic, and he thrashed carelessly about. He pulled the rest of the vines away from her and cradled her tightly.

He was saying something—she didn’t know what. His voice was too loud and her eardrums felt like they were bursting. He started screaming, and she felt a warm, salty wetness hit her face. He was crying, she supposed. She couldn’t move. She just saw his eyes glowing a bright… well, she couldn’t tell what color, really.

His claws dug deep into her skin, and suddenly her body was lit with the pain of a thousand suns once more. It was so warm again, and her skin was so wet, and she couldn’t feel anything but him, and she couldn’t see anything but his eyes, and all she heard were his incessant, blood-curdling cries.

…

Marinette shot up from her bed, completely unable to breathe. She clasped her hands over her throat and coughed dryly. Her vision was shaky and static in the dark.

“Marinette?” A groggy voice called from behind her.

Oh. Marinette dropped her hands, her entire body deflating. She felt the cold sweat on her skin cooling her uncomfortably. Adrien sat up from his position lying on the bed. He wrapped his arms around Marinette and buried his head in the crook of her neck.

“Stop, I’m all sweaty.” She protested weakly, not moving a muscle.

Adrien looked down at her skin, eyebrows knitting from worry. He didn’t move either. “I’m sorry you keep having these nightmares. Are you alright?”

Marinette bit her lip anxiously, sighing before turning to face him. He looked at her with a quiet tenderness. His eyes were alert, and he looked all over her as if looking for any signs of injuries, despite her suffering just being mental. She held his hands in her clammy ones, unable to look him in the eyes like this. 

“I’m sorry I woke you up, Adrien.”

He cupped her face in his hands, shaking his head, expression serious. “Stop that. It’s not your fault—none of this is. We’re gonna figure it out, ok? I’m here with you.”

Marinette had been having vivid night terrors for the past month at this point. Each one was violent and debilitating, and strangely, all involved Chat Noir. She couldn’t seem to make out why—what in her psyche was punishing her. He was always so angry. Sometimes at her, sometimes in general. She assumed he was akumatized in them. Maybe this was from a build-up of guilt: she still hadn’t told him the truth about Hawkmoth, about him becoming Chat Blanc. They still didn’t even know each other’s identities.

Admittedly, the guilt was eating her alive. Due to her nightmares, she couldn’t go a day without thinking about it. Whenever she saw Chat Noir, a chill would run down her body. She constantly reminded herself that they were just dreams. He was still his smiley, punny self. He always would be.

She had mentioned her dreams a few times in passing to him. She didn’t know if she should really tell him about them in full. Sure, she wouldn’t have to tell him that her guilt for lying to him for years was possibly the root cause, but she felt it easier to conceal it all rather than tell half-truths. What if telling the truth caused the dreams to come true? These nightmares were beginning to run her life. Coward. She hated herself for it.

…  

“Chat Noir…” She began, chewing her lips anxiously as she swung her legs off the edge of the roof.

“LB, stop doing that, your lips will bleed.” He scolded lightly, worry etched into his face. “What’s wrong?”

She could tell he was starting to catch on that she was off lately. During patrols, she would frequently zone out as he joked with her. She was clumsier, more forgetful during akuma fights. She was more distant from him, and she could tell he was both hurt and concerned. 

“Sorry, it’s just..” She didn’t know where to begin. “Have you ever had… like, akuma nightmares?”

He stared at her for a second, eyes flickering all over her face. Then he leaned back, looking into the distant sunset. “Hm, in the past, yeah. A few times. The stress that comes with this job… it does get to ya sometimes, I guess.” He turned to look at her again. “Why? D’ya have one recently?”

She looked into the sunset now, thinking about how she should proceed. He gave her time. He was always so patient. “Yeah, a couple. They’re recurring, I think. Maybe I should just drink more water.”

Chat Noir chuckled warmly, his eyes wrinkling pleasantly. “Well, more water never hurts, but I don’t think it’s anything you’re doing wrong like that. It’s hard being Paris’s only superheroes. We’ve been doing it for so long too. It gets to you, like I said. But we’re doing a fantastic job.” He pauses, leaning towards her, his smile radiant. “You’re doing a fantastic job, LB. The best Ladybug in history, if I do say so myself.” He wiggled his eyebrows playfully.

Ladybug giggled, looking back at him now. “Thanks, Chat Noir, for your totally unbiased opinion.” He was always so good at cheering her up. He was realistic when he needed to be and supportive always. She didn’t deserve him. “You’re the best Chat Noir too. I just know it.”

…

Luka has been helping Marinette meditate for the past couple of weeks. Her nightmares were something she originally wanted to keep to herself, but with Adrien sharing a bed with her, that was already impossible. Thus, she decided it was ok if one more person knew. And Luka was good at things like this—so knowledgeable about energies and whatnot. He knew how to control his emotions and keep himself calm, and she knew he’d be able to help her. So she confided in him easily.

“Still no changes?” He looked across the room to her from his seated position. His expression remained neutral.

“No… I’m not sure, maybe I’m doing this all wrong.” Marinette sighed, slumping from her perfectly held posture, burying her face in her hands.

Luka smiled softly, scooting closer to her. His voice was smooth and gentle. He placed a hand on her knee. “We’ve only been practicing for a couple weeks. These things often take lots of practice and time. And mental willpower. If you believe, it’ll work, Marinette. Have faith in yourself.”

Marinette sighed, lying down on the hardwood flooring and staring up at the ceiling. She was trying her best, she really was. She meditated every night before bed, she kept a dream journal, and a diary to log her thoughts. She woke up every morning with positive affirmations—Adrien helped out eagerly with those too. She surrounded herself with only good people and positive energy. Maybe the problem really was from within. She felt tainted—marked with a permanent, inky curse that was bound to her indefinitely. She groaned.

Luka stood, walking to a side table to brew some tea for both of them. “Do you think it has to do with something you’re neglecting to release? Like a responsibility that burdens you, or a secret?”

Marinete closed her eyes, cringing. He knew she was Ladybug—there’s no way that wasn’t a pointed question. “If you’re asking this because of Adrien, I already told you I can’t tell him. It’s for his safety and mine.”

The water in the kettle began to boil, bubbling softly in the background. Soft clinking noises bounced sweetly off the walls as Luka prepared the glass teacups. His home was so blissfully quiet. 

“That’s not why I asked, Marinette. I promise I’m not trying to berate you, what’s between you and Adrien is between you and Adrien.” Luka paused for a moment, pouring the tea. “I ask because that’s how nightmares usually manifest. They rear their heads in times of constant stress or anxiety. Usually, it comes from things in your life that are troubling you: a toxic relationship, an unwanted obligation, guilt, shame. Intense emotions that come from the desire to rid yourself of something. Your soul wants to be freed.”

Luka stepped soundlessly through the room, his feet hitting the ground in hushed pats. The steam of the tea cups in his hands left a trail behind him. He set the cups on a small tray on the ground. Marinette sat up when she heard him settle beside her. He blew softly on his tea as she took hers in her hands. 

“Careful, it’s still hot.”

Marinette looked down at the swirling liquid, biting the insides of her cheeks. “How do you suggest I rid myself of this burden?”

“So there is one then?” Luka brought the glass to his lips, closing his eyes to fully enjoy it.

“It’s just,” Marinette grimaced, frustrated. She wished she could just tell him everything. She wished she could tell someone. But these secrets of the past were so destructive, so horrible that she couldn’t bear to burden anyone else with the knowledge. She couldn’t bear their reactions, how they’d surely resent her. She felt her nails digging into her palms. Her hands shook. She set the teacup down. “It’s something I can't say. It will hurt people. A lot of people.” 

“Marinette,” Luka began, voice steady, almost emotionless in its calmness. “Every truth eventually finds its way out. It’s just a matter of whether you think it’s better to continue suffering like this and wait, or say it and rid yourself of the pain. Everyone will heal in the end, but you must remember that you can only control your reaction to any given outcome. You can’t predict only the worst.”

“I’m not sure there’s an optimistic way I could predict this outcome even if I tried.” Marinette took a sip of her tea. She held it in her mouth for a little to savor the warmth it brought her.

“Maybe stop trying to predict and just act in the moment. Life will pass you by if you continue to fear potential regrets. Don’t let the past, nor the future, control you.”

…

It was a Saturday afternoon when Marinette returned home from Luka’s. She felt completely exhausted, flopping face-first onto her bed. Tiki flew out of her messenger bag, landing on the cushiony blanket below. “You should rest, Marinette. It’s certainly been a long week.”

Marinette sighed, flipping over to face the ceiling. She turned her head, peering over at her small companion. “Ok, but wake me up in an hour. I still have work to do.”

Marinette closed her eyes, letting the dappled light that trickled in through her windows warm her and lull her into a light sleep. She felt her body descend into a pool of water. She floated there, soundlessly and calmly. Everything was blue and white and still. The wind began to blow, and it carried her off, deeper, farther from the shore. She was alone there, in the middle of this ocean of light. For a while, it seemed it would remain that way. Just her and this peaceful haven. 

She felt herself sinking then. It was so vivid and real, her fingers twitched, and she felt the water ripple against her skin. She was still able to breathe, at least, and her descent remained calm. It was steady; there was no noise. There was nothing, really. It was still so monochromatic and sterile.

Then she saw him. Of course he’s here. He was just standing there, at the bottom of the ocean. She felt herself hit the ground—the sand beneath her was blue too. His back was to her. This time he was a different color than in her last dream. White. But he was somehow whiter than all the surrounding whites, like some sort of beacon; he shined. She felt her lips part, saw bubbles erupt from her mouth. No discernible noise came out. He didn’t move either, not even to breathe—it was strange. 

Suddenly, she was closer and she saw it—another color. The red-clad figure entangled herself with the cat, their hands and arms intertwined. It was so uncanny, she seemed familiar. 

Chat Noir, well, Chat Blanc turned his head 180 degrees like an owl, and his neck audibly cracked with the movement. His eyes were black voids. When he opened his mouth, a thick, deep blackish-maroon spilled out. It floated upwards into the water and swirled around Marinette in a disorienting tornado. He blinded her like an octopus, and like always in her nightmares, there eventually came a loss of oxygen. She was dizzy and everything became hazy. Before she woke up, she saw her again—the red figure. Her face was disappointed, maybe even full of sorrow? Her eyes were a vivid blue—it’s all Marinette can identify about her. 

Marinette wakes up gasping, her eyes wide and lost. She hears a faint… buzzing? She notices the sun has changed direction in her window.

“Marinette,” Tikki called, voice strained as she lifted the object larger than her, dragging it through the air to Marinette. Tikki dropped the phone onto Marinette’s chest, and it knocked her back into consciousness. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Tikki squeaked when the impact drew a pained oof from the girl.

Tikki spun around Marinette as she sat up and took the phone into her hand. “Alya is calling you! She has been for a few minutes, I thought it must be urgent.”

Marinette stared blankly at the phone for a few seconds, still collecting herself from her grogginess. She swiped to accept the call. “Hello?” Her voice was slightly hoarse.

“Hey, girl! Were you just sleeping? I thought I’d check up on you. You’ve been, like, super MIA.” Alya’s upbeat tone was something Marinette had missed hearing. It had been a while since they had spoken. Between an increase in the recent akuma attacks, Marinette’s new design position at Agreste Enterprise, and her plaguing nightmares, Marinette had not been able to find time for Alya as of late. It was another thing she felt sorry for, and would do her best to fix when she could.

“I’m sorry, you know I’ve had a lot going on. With the akuma attacks and work and stuff…” Marinette sighed. “You know I love you, Alya.”

Alya’s voice sounded sympathetic over the line. “I love you too, girl. You know I’m here if you need to vent. You don’t always have to be feeling your best to talk to me. I’m your best friend.”

“I know, and I appreciate it more than you know. I’m sorry for being a ghost.” Marinette stood from her bed, walking to lean her forehead against the floor-length windows looking out to the city. “How are things with you?”

“Oh, you know me.” Alya giggled. “Things have been super busy at the news agency with all the akumas lately too. But Nino and I have started playing this new co-op together, so life outside of work is pretty chill. Thank goodness.” Alya paused before speaking again. “But what about you? How are you and Adrien? Nino apparently hasn’t seen him in a while either…”

Marinette bit her lip, not happy to be thinking about how things were in her own life again. “I just want to hear about you right now. Adrien and I are fine, I promise. Just busy, you know us…”

Alya exhaled into the microphone, and Marinette could practically see the concerned expression on her face. “What did we just talk about, Marinette? I’m here for you, remember?”

“I know, I know, it’s just…” She hated that she had to keep things from her best friend. But she had seen what it would be like if Alya knew the truth all those years ago during an akuma fight. Thankfully, her memory had been wiped, or they probably wouldn’t be friends this far in the future. She couldn’t risk that, Alya was so important to her. “It’s hard to explain. Like, really hard. Not even Adrien knows, actually. It’s stuff that has to stay a secret or people will get hurt.”

To say Alya was disappointed was an understatement. But she understood. Alya knew the burdens of being a superhero. She knew especially well how it affected Marinette, and her empathy for the woman was never-ending. “I get it, Mari. Just, please take care of yourself. The people in your life love you and are here to support you.”

“I know,” Marinette smiled. “Thank you, Alya. I’ll be sure to call you again soon. We should hang out.”

“I couldn’t agree more! Text me and we’ll make it happen.” Alya’s voice was bright. “I love you, girlie. TTYL!”

When the line ended, Marinette heard a shifting behind her, and she startled. Turning around, she came face-to-face with Adrien, exhaling with relief. “It’s just you.”

Adrien quirked an eyebrow, chuckling. “Of course.” He approached her, reaching out his arms and bringing her into an embrace. “Was that Alya?”

Marinette nodded, letting him hold her. “Yeah, we were just catching up…” She wrapped her arms around him for a moment before pushing away. “How was your day?”

Adrien ignored her question. “What were you two talking about?” His expression was strange; she couldn’t place what exactly he might be feeling. 

“Nothing.” She furrowed her eyebrows slightly. “Just life and things. She was telling me about this game her and Nino started playing.”

Adrien frowned, and Marinette felt like she had messed up somehow. He crossed his arms. “Really? Because that’s not what it sounded like. I think there’s more you’re forgetting to say.”

Now it was Marinette’s turn to be upset. She frowned right back at him, her eyes squinting with discontent. “So you were listening then? Why are you being so skeptical?” Marinette took a step back so she could look at him better. He was so tall she had to look up at him, and it really annoyed her in this moment. “Sure, there were other things. I was just telling her how it's been so rough lately. Is that ok?” She didn’t mean for the passive aggression to slip, but it did.

Adrien sighed, his hands returning to his sides. He shook his head at himself, closing his eyes and scrunching his face before he spoke again. His tone was much more tender, his eyes sincere. “I’m sorry, Mari, you know I didn't mean that. It’s just… Can I be honest?” He licked his lips and continued speaking. “I walked in, wanting to surprise you,” He motioned to the bouquet of red roses lying on their dresser. She hadn’t even noticed it until now. 

He cleared his throat nervously. “But then I heard you say something. Something about not being able to tell me something because it would hurt people? I don’t know, I shouldn’t have been listening, I’m aware that wasn’t meant for my ears, but I can’t deny the fact that it bothers me. You know you can tell me anything, right?” Adrien’s eyes were pleading with her. He looked slightly distressed. It was clear this was something that wasn’t new. A build-up of sorts had led to this moment. Overhearing her phone call had tipped him over the edge. Her secrets were starting to affect even him.

Marinette’s heart raced. She hated seeing him like this. She hated the places his mind must be going right now. She hated how he probably hated himself for it. She reached out toward him, resting her hands on his arms. “Adrien, the roses are beautiful.” She started, looking over at them while thinking of what else she could possibly say in this situation. “You know I love you…”

“And I love you too.” He cut in, staring so deeply into her eyes she felt it reach her within.

“Adrien…” She tried again. “I’m sorry I’m making you feel this way. It hurts me, too. I promise I’m not…” She trailed off again, cursing herself mentally for fumbling her words so terribly. “Nothing is wrong. There’s just things that I know that I can’t share. I think it’s why I’ve been having nightmares–”

“Then let me lighten your load.” He grasped her hand tightly in his. “We can carry this burden together. Why do you insist on handling this all alone?”

He couldn't even begin to understand what she was hiding. The weight of it was too huge, too dangerous. If he knew, what would he say? 

Hey Adrien, I know we’ve been dating ever since literal high school, and we basically know everything about each other now, but actually, you don’t know anything about me because I’m actually Ladybug!!! Yeah, like, the Ladybug that has been fighting crime and purifying baddies in Paris for the past ten-plus years! Sorry I didn’t tell you! Also, BTW,  your dad was Hawkmoth. Whoops! Almost forgot that one! 

She groaned, burying her face in her hands, forgetting what they were even talking about. Why hadn’t she just told the truth in the first place? She should’ve asked Bunnix if she could rewind time and try again. There’s no way Alix would ever let her, though.

Adrien brought a hand to caress the back of her head. The frown on his face carved deep lines into the sides of his mouth. His eyes were still laser-focused on her. “Marinette…”

They stood like that for some time, with Adrien caressing her hair and Marinette standing there, completely stuck. They were both quiet before Adrien decided to speak again.

“I’m not saying I don’t trust you, I do with my whole heart. I know your intentions are always pure. I just feel like you’re hiding something from me. Maybe a lot of things. You’ve been so private recently, and of course you’re entitled to that, Mari, but I feel like you don’t trust me.” 

Adrien stepped back, separating from her to emphasize the severity of his accusation. He looked at her with so much love in his eyes, she thought he’d start crying any second now. “I want to be here for you, but you won’t let me, no matter how hard I try.”

Marinette didn’t know what to say. It would be so, so easy just to come out with the truth right now. It was the only thing that would make things ok again. But she just couldn’t. It had been too long, and Adrien had finally healed from the emotional abuse and death of his father. She wanted to leave it all in the past. She wished she could just forget she even knew all of it. Maybe if she renounced her guardianship…

“Marinette.” His deep voice cut into the air again and brought her out of her thoughts. She looked at him, her expression nearing desperation. She couldn't do it. 

“Adrien, I can’t.” She looked away from him at the ground.

He nodded his head, defeat so evident on his face. Without a sound, he turned, retreating out of the room. 

“Ah.” He whispered to himself, turning to the roses as he passed them. He took them gently in his arms, pacing back over to Marinette and placing them in her hands. “You should put these in water soon so they don’t wilt.” And with that, he was gone.

…

When the door shut, Marinette crumpled onto the chaise behind her, burying her nose in the roses and inhaling deeply. “What am I supposed to do?” She whispered into the petals.

Tikki flew out from her hiding spot and landed softly on her shoulder. “There’s no right answer, Marinette.”

Marinette sighed. “There never is, is there?”