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Chapter Text

Adrien quietly walked through the house with his socks on, holding his sneakers. His heart raced as he walked past his father's office, knowing that he was probably in there already working. It was early enough that Natalie would still be preparing for the day and his bodyguard wouldn't be around for a few hours. So now was the ideal opportunity. 

Slowly, he opened the front door, siding through the small opening he'd made for himself and just as carefully, closed the door behind him. Immediately he slipped on his shoes and ran past the gate that was already opening for the morning deliveries. As he ran into the streets, a smile erupted on his face at his escape. 

Now all that stood between him and the school was getting there on time and in one piece. There was no way his father could pull him back into the house if he made it there!

 “Marin! Your alarm has been going off for fifteen minutes! You're going to be late for your first day back at school!” 

Marin groaned in his slumber as he felt around his bed to find his phone. He groaned, turning it off and slipping his hand back under the blanket. [“Five more minutes ma…”]He moaned out, curling back up under his comforter, surrounded by pillows. Right now he was at peak comfort, as though he was sleeping in a ray of sunlight without being outside. 

[“Do you want me to come up there?!”]

Marin grumbled as he reluctantly left the warmth of his bed. Quickly he brushed his teeth and put on his clothes, slugging downstairs to where his mom placed the hot chocolate mix on the table. 

[“Mornin’ mama.”] He greeted, kissing her cheek before mixing some hot chocolate up. 

“Are you happy to be going back to school?” She asked placing the carton of milk next to him. 

“No, I bet you anything Chloé will be in my class again.” He grimaced at the thought. 

“I doubt that it’s not possible to have the same classmates for four years in a row.” 

“You haven’t read the class roster, mama.” He sighed. “ I must have been cursed to live a tortured life.” 

His mother frowned, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. “Oh, don't say that! It's the start of a new year - I'm sure everything will be just fine!” 

Marin couldn’t help but smile at his mother’s optimism, setting down the cereal. But as he did the milk spilled over, falling to the floor but not before he accidentally elbowed the bowl of fruit, which caused them all to fall to the ground now bruised. He could only stare at the mess he made, less responsive as his mother began to clean up another one of his messes. 

“ This is fine.” 

 “Could I have your autograph, please?!

“Adrien, can I have an autograph, Adrien, I'm a huge fan!!” 

Adrien stumbled past his new classmates quickly signing autographs as he made his way into the classroom, shutting the door behind him. Sneaking away from Natalie and his bodyguard wasn’t an easy task, but then sighed in relief believing that he was out of reach from his father.

 "ADRIKINS!!" He didn't have time to react as he was then hug tackled by an all too familiar face. 

"Hi, Chloé." He greeted sheepishly as he noticed everyone in the class staring at him as his friend dragged him to a nearby desk. “This is your seat, Adrikins. I saved it for you. Right in front of me!”

Adrien nodded his head towards her, “Thanks, Chloé.” Sitting down he turned towards the boy next to him with his headphones on and a disinterested expression. “Uh… Hey! I’m Adrien.” He reached out his hand towards him, garnering the boy’s attention as he took off his headphones, sizing him up. 

“So you're friends with Chloé, then, huh?” He asked disinterested, resting his head on his hand. 

“ Kind of I guess, we grew up together.” Adrien shrugged. 

“Yup, we’re practically inseparable.” Chloé butted in with a smug grin on her face. “After all, poor Adrikins has no idea how normal schools run.”  Adrikins. Watch the master.” She remarked taking her seat behind them next to Sabrina. 

“Hey, Chloé that’s Marin’s seat.” Nino lamely said. 

“Who cares, it’s not like he’s here to claim it. Probably because he’s too scared to step outside the house.” She laughed 

Adrien turned towards Nino with curiosity, “Who’s Marin?” 

“Good morning my wonderful son!” Marin’s father greeted happily as he stepped into the shop with a yawn, still not used to how his parents were morning people. 

“ Morning.” Marinus groaned as he walked past him. 

“Why so glum?” Tom asked, he then suddenly gasped, “ you’re not still ill are you?!” He grew worried and immediately pressed a hand to his forehead. “ Ah! You’re warm!” he exclaimed, worried for his son’s health. 

Marin laughed gently, brushing away his dad's hand. “ No papa, it’s just because you’ve been baking bread all morning. The shop is always warmer inside because of the oven.”

Tom laughed heartily, remembering his profession. “Forgive your silly papa?” He asked wiping away the flour he had placed on his son's face. 

“ Always,” Marin said turning towards the door as he shouldered his messenger bag over himself. 

“ Wait a sec-“ Tom suddenly said, he quickly picked up a white box that was lying on the counter. “ Ta-Da!” He opened it to reveal 2 dozen matcha macarons with white chocolate filling. “ Homemade by the best macaroon baker in all of Paris.” 

“ Papa I made these.” Marin pointed out. 

“ Exactly, once your classmates try them you’ll make friends in no time!” 

As much as he wanted to deny his claim; That the last time he had tried to do this he’d ended up with a box filled with broken cookies thanks to his clumsiness even before he made it to class. He merely thanked his father with a smile, hugging him. “See you tonight.” 

"Oh, just this kid who's been out for a week," Nino explained, lowering his voice so that Chloé couldn't butt in. "He got sick because of the rain and it knocked him out." 

Adrien narrowed his eyes trying to recall, "But it just rained last week didn't it?" 

"Yup." Nino nodded, "It's been like that since I've known the guy at least. Missing half of the classes can make it easy for certain people to pick on him." Nino emphasized one of his words glancing towards Chloé's direction. "Honestly, if that guy ended up getting homeschooled, it wouldn't surprise me." 

Adrien glanced away for a moment, a pang of guilt bubbling up as he could only imagine how Natalie would react finding that he snuck away again; angry probably. 

"Well, you should meet him something," Nino pulled him out of his thoughts, "He's a cool dude more or less."

 At first, everything was fine, Marin was about to cross the street and walk into school like it was nothing. Then he spotted Chloé walking in first. Next thing he knew he was walking right past the school and in another direction, far, far away from the building filled with concentrated negativity. He sighed heavily to himself. Walking across the street towards the riverside. Maybe try and find a way to his secret garden without getting caught by the police. But then, something caught his attention. An old man struggling to cross the street. Marin saw the car, no one looking up from their phones and simply reacted. 

He immediately ran towards him, pulling him quickly across the rest of the way just narrowly avoiding the car speeding by, followed by a few police cruisers. Just before stepping onto the sidewalk, Marin tripped over the curb, dropping his box but luckily the old man didn’t fall down alongside him. 

“Sorry!” He reflexively said, picking up his mess, trying to hide his embarrassed expression as he cleaned up. 

“That was quite a fall young man, are you alright?”

Marin shook his head “Don't worry, I'm no stranger to disasters like this," He insisted as the old man sat down next to him, a guilty expression drew on his face as he helped Marin clean up.

“I’m quite sorry about your cookies. I hope I haven’t inconvenienced you in any way.”

“Oh, no no, It’s alright. Besides, there are still a few left. Would you like one?” He asked shyly opening the box and the few remaining dozen. 

The old man took one taking a bite, the moment he did his eyes lit up. “Mmmh. Delicious!” 

“Thank you, sir." He bowed his head respectfully in thanks, helping the old man to his feet, placing the rest of the cookies in his messenger bag. 

“Shouldn’t you be in school young man?” The old man questioned curiously as Marin escorted him to the nearest bench, one overlooking the riverside. 

Marin felt an overwhelming feeling of uneasiness. Even mentioning that place reflexively started to trigger his anxiety. He looked away, not wanting to answer, but his reaction wasn’t ignored by the old man, as he gestured for the younger boy to sit next to him. “Why don’t you tell me what’s wrong?” 

At first, Marin was anxious, talking to this stranger, but ultimately sighed, lowering his head as he folded his hands in his lap. “See there’s this girl, she’s so mean, and every time I’m there I get an upset stomach and my headaches. Not to mention I don’t have any friends there. I just know people, but I guess I can’t offer enough to merit being someone’s friends.” 

“Young man.” 

“Marin.” He corrected with a small smile. 

The old man smiled at his openness, “Marin then, friendship isn’t about how much you can offer another person, it’s about respecting and treasuring who they are as people. Just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean that it won’t." he advised. 

“ Yeah, but I can’t keep ditching school, can I?” Marin sighed again. He knew what the right thing to do was, but it in no way eased his troubled mind. 

“ Only you can really answer that question, can’t you?” 

“Excuse me!!”

Marin flinched as they were approached by a nearby police officer wearing a blue uniform. “Shouldn’t you be in school young man!?” He asked in a harsh tone. 

“I...I…” Marin stammered as his face paled in fear. It wasn’t as though he did anything wrong in particular, he simply assumed the position of a guilty person whenever confronted.

“Pardon me officer, but it’s my fault my grandson isn’t in school right now.”

“Hm?” The officer turned his attention to him. 

“See, he was escorting me on my way to my morning tai chi class and saved my life when a speeding driver almost hit me. He was just insisting that he walk me home, such a good boy.” 

Marin couldn’t believe what he was hearing. 

“Yes well, those speed demons are really causing a ruckus these days.” The officer’s face softened as he looked back towards Marin. “It’s good to take care of your elders but education is important. I’ll escort your grandpa home.” 

“Yes, sir.” Marin nodded standing up, glancing back at the old man.”Thanks for talking to me sir, I really appreciate it.” 

“ Think nothing of it.” The old man remarked, happily watching as Marin ran towards the school building. “In fact, perhaps it is I who should be thanking you.” He remarked under his breath. He was smiling to himself, then noticing the police officer’s confusion at the way Marin spoke to his supposed grandpa. 

“He’s a good boy.” The old man remarked. 

With half the day gone Adrien was more than content being surrounded by so many peers around his age, way better than staying inside with Natalie all day. Even Chloé wasn’t so bad when she wasn’t all over him at all hours of the day. 

As the midday bell rang, he and the rest of his classmates scattered during the free period. He returned to the classroom, noticing that there was someone new in the classroom. They were seated right next to Chloé who stood nearby with a scowl on her face with Sabrina right next to her friend- as usual. 

“Hey, Dupain Cheung. Get lost.” He saw Chloé remark as he took his seat right in front of the bickering. 

“But Chloé, this is my seat, it’s on the-” 

“Who cares?!” She suddenly snapped as Sabrina covered the boy’s only exit. 

A smile then drew on her face as she placed her hand on his bag, immediately sliding them off the desk. 

“Hey!” He called out, leaving the desk to clean up the mess of papers and his phone. Adrien could hear a groan of displeasure, out of the corner of his eye he saw the new student looking over his phone with a frown.  

“ Hey Adrien, stick out your foot,” Chloé whispered as Adrien reflexively did as he was told. 

“ WAH-“ The student tripped over his food dropping his box as the contents inside were destroyed at the impact. 

“I’m so-“ Adrien began but was interrupted with Chloé and Sabrina laughing. 

“It wasn’t enough that you trip over your own feet. Now you’re going out of your way to trip over others? How pathetic are you?” She and Sabrina laughed, dragging along Adrien as their escort. 

Adrien felt a pang of immense guilt watching his new classmate having to pick up a mess he himself caused. As they walked towards the entrance Adrien pulled his hand back away from her. 

“Hm? What’s wrong Adrikins?” Chloé questioned innocently. 

“Back there, what you did wasn’t right.” He stated clearly. 

“Oh Adrikins, that was just for fun, Dupain Cheung doesn’t mind at all.” 

“ It didn’t look like that at all Chloé.” He angrily responded turning around, planning on apologizing but suddenly he stopped in his tracks as he saw who was standing at the doorway next to the teacher. 

“Adrien!” 

Natalie gave him a disapproving expression on her face, one he recognized as “Your father will hear about this”. 

Uh oh. 

Marin mumbled under his breath, trying to push back the tears as he felt so embarrassed, tripping over someone like that. This was a whole new level of clumsy for him. 

“ Hey,” he looked up to see someone else kneeling next to him, helping him clean. “ Don’t let what she said get you down, I saw what her lackey did.” 

“ No, It’s my fault, I want looking where I was going and...” he reflexively responded but stopped as the girl placed her hand on his shoulder. 

“ Poor you, she’s got you thinking that?” The girl said. The mess was cleaned and so she reached for the last cookie in the box. “ You mind?” She asked to which he simply nodded. Tossing the now crumbs in the trash. 

“ Holy-“ 

“ What?! What?!” Marin reflexively responded, wondering what he did, but only saw the girls' eyes light up. “ This is amazing! Where did you get it?!” 

“ F-from my family’s bakery.” He quickly responded. 

“ Well now we have to be friends, I’m Alya.” She said with a smile, reaching out her hand. 

Marin couldn’t help but smile, the two shaking hands as he recalled his father's words. “ Marin.” 

“Adrien, your father was worried out of his mind.” Natalie scolded as Adrien hung his head. She was good at making him feel guilty about disobeying his father. 

“But I wanted to go to school. Staying home all day is driving me crazy!” He tried to explain. “I want to talk to other people my age, not just you.” 

“You’re exaggerating.” 

Adrien stopped in place, gripping his bag. He could break away from Natalie, she always wore heels how fast could she be? 

“Adrien?” Natalie called standing in front of the car. 

Just as he was about to sprint off, something caught his attention, an old man who had tripped and was reaching for his cane. 

“Adrien, now.” Natalie said sternly, now narrowing her eyes as her patience waned. But Adrien quickly ran over to the old man’s side, first grabbing his cane as he knelt down at his side. “Are you alright sir?” He asked as he helped him up. 

The old man flashed him an appreciative smile. “Thank you, young man. I hope I have troubled you with your mother.” 

“Mo-” Adrien was taken aback for a moment but laughed it off. “No, she’s my dad’s secretary. But are you alright sir? Do you need to call anyone?” 

“Adrien!” Natalie called. 

A frown was drawn on his face, slumping his shoulders. “Sorry, I have to go.”

“The day is still early, there’s still time for it to get better.” The old man advised. For a moment, Adrien smiled at the man's optimism but it soon faded as he turned back towards Natalie. Not wanting to return to the diamond prison that was his home. 

“I wish I could handle Chloé the way you do.” Marin sighed as he was showing Alya around the school, the two making their way to the library. 

“You mean the way Majestia would do it.” Alys pulled out her phone, showing him a photo of said comic book hero on her phone. “She says all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing. Well, that girl back there was evil in every sense of the word. And if she’s bad, then we’re the good guys. Meaning, we can't let her get away with being horrible to other people.” 

“Well, that's easier said than done. It’s like she’s drawn power from making my life miserable the past few years.” Marin sighed. 

Alya turned towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “ That's because you let her walk all over you! All you need more confidence!”

“Easy for you to say, you’re still new around here. Give it time, she’ll wear you down too.” He lamely remarked. But became startled as Alya suddenly slammed her arm at the wall in front of him, blocking his path to the library. 

“ Hey, you’re cute, so I’m telling you now. The moment that you start actually listening to her, she wins. Clearly, if you’re someone this awesome and anyone thinks otherwise, they’re the losers.” 

He could feel his face reddened at her compliments, though he was particularly sure she was just being nice for the perks of knowing the son of the best bakers in the city. 

Suddenly below their feet, the earth seemed to shake and there was the sound of footsteps, but loud ones. 

“Did you hear that?” Marin questioned as suddenly there was a loud crash, and walking before them was a giant stone man. 

“ Oh.” Marin rasped as the shock overwhelmed him as he grasped Alyas' arm, who was transfixed on the monster in front of them then jumping out onto the streets yelling out. “KIMMMMMM!!!!” 

Marin blinked for a few seconds, “ W- was that Ivan?” 

“ How could you tell?” Alya questioned as she pulled out her phone. 

“The way that was his voice and the way he was clearly angry at Kim.” Marin hastily explained, “Kim’s not that bad a guy, but he’ll take his gags too far sometimes." 

“ Sounds like he took one of his jokes way too far this time. It's like he's been transformed into a real-life supervillain!” Alya exclaimed happily as she took out her phone."Any idea where Kim is now?" She asked. 

"The stadium?" Marin reflexively responded. "But why-" 

“GPS, check. Battery, check. I am so outta here!" She immediately said racing out of the school. 

“ Hey! Where are you going!? Did you not just see the 10-foot monster walk right past us?!” Marin yelled in exasperation. 

“Where there's a supervillain, there's always a superhero close behind! No way I'm missing this!” She called back running to the entrance of the school. Marin spotted Stoneheart pick up a car like it was nothing, tossing it at the school and causing a lot of damage. 

“KIM!!!!!” 

Marin winced at the volume of the monster but only hesitated for a few moments before running after his friend. 

“I believe I had already told you one that you would not be going to school.”

Adrien lowered his head before his father shamefully as the older man looked down from him atop the staircase. He hadn’t raised his voice, but Adrien could feel how angry he was through his very being. 

“But Father, Mom said I-” He tried to explain but was given no ground as Gabriel spoke over him. 

“Everything you need is right here where I can keep an eye on you. I will not have you outside in that dangerous world.”

“It's not dangerous, Father. I'm always stuck in here by myself. Why can't I go to school and make friends just like everyone else?

“Because you are not like everyone else!” Gabriel suddenly snapped. Adrien clawed his shirt at the sudden change in tone. “You are my son, and you will speak no more of this.” 

His word on the matter finalized Gabriel retreated back to his study, leaving his son behind with his tutor and personal bodyguard. 

“We can begin in a few hours if-” Natalie began but Adrien suddenly broke away, immediately running towards his room and slamming the door behind him. He threw his backpack on the soft, sitting down and placing his head in his hands, sighing heavily as a wave of sadness washed over him fighting back the tears. He wished his mother was here to convince his father to change his mind; but she couldn't, not anymore...

Adrien sighed, scolding himself for wishing. He lifted his head, noticing a small black box sitting before him on the coffee table. It was engraved with a strange red symbol. He picked it up eyeing it curiously, unprepared for what came next as he opened it. 

“ Alya wait!! Marin ran after Alya as she sped ahead on foot. “ I’m...not...athletic...” he gasped for breath. “That girl...” he grumbled reaching into his bag wanting to call her but pulled out a box, much to his surprise. “Huh? What's this doing here?” It certainly wasn’t his, opening it a bright light flashed before him circling around before it took shape. 

“ Hello, I’m-“ 

“Ahh!! It's a giant bug! A... a mouse! A... a bug-mouse!!” He tried to swat it away, backing up into the alley only to fall into a trash can. 

“Everything's okay! Don't be scared!” The little bug mouse tried to calm him down but it approaching him only freaked him out more. 

“ Why are you talking?!!” He was struggling to get out of the trash but was effectively stuck. 

“Listen, Marin. I know everything may seem a bit strange to you- “ Tikki tried to explain but was cut off. 

“ Who-What are you, and how do you know my name?! 

The bug mouse sighed, “ I am a kwami, and my name is Tikki. Now just let me explain. I was sent by my master to help you.” 

“ HELP ME?!” He yelled out in disbelief. 

“ Marin, You must trust me. You're the only one who can stop Stoneheart!” Tikki pleaded. 

“ What?! You mean Ivan? This must be some mistake! I can’t do anything. I’m literally incapable of getting out this trash can as we speak!” He argued as Tikki giggled. 

“ You’re not stuck, you just need to calm down. Here, take a deep breath with me.” 

He complied, getting unstuck, as he calmly removed himself from the trash can instead of flailing about in a wild panic. 

“All you have to do is find what object the Akuma is possessing and break it. 

“ An Akuma?” Marin questioned. 

“To you, it will look like a butterfly. To help defeat it just your special powers. The lucky charm." Tikki explained. 

“Tikki... I... don’t think I’ll be able to pull this off, you should find yourself someone else.” 

“Marinus Dupain Cheung you are the one chosen to wield the Ladybug miraculous in order to protect this city. Just yourself. To transform put on the earrings and say "Spots on".

Luckily he already had his ears pierced. Marin placed the earrings on, glancing at the Kwami in uncertainty. “Spots on? What is that-Whoa!” Suddenly Tikki disappeared and he saw a bright light. “What is happening?!” 

A moment later he wore a skintight jumpsuit, a red belt that had a yoyo attached, black boots that reached his thighs, black fingerless gloves that reached his forearms, and a long black scarf that was decorated with red tips. 

“ Ohhhhh no.” He took one look at his reflection in a broken mirror that was in the alley, taking a few steps back in confusion. “ I look like some kind of clown!” He then looked around realizing the Kwami was nowhere in sight, “ Tikki?” 

Adrien looked himself over once, his heart racing at his new suit and appearance. “Too cool!” 

He jumped out of the open window in his room, realizing he had enhanced strength. 

“ Hm.” At his belt, he reached for a baton that extended into a staff at his touch. He couldn’t hold back his smile at his newfound powers, his past sadness quickly disappearing. 

“Now then, I have a villain to stop!” He remarked jumping onto the rooftops of the city. 

“Okay, I have special powers, a Kwami, the aesthetic of an athletic clown," Marin noticed he had something attached to his belt, he removed it, looking it over curiously. "... and apparently this yo-yo?” He held the device in his hand for a few moments. Playing around with it for a moment.  It appeared that it had some pretty good distance to it. He looked around. Aiming for a gargoyle atop a building nearby, he gently pulled it down feeling the tension in the cord. 

Suddenly the situation washed over him. "What am I thinking, I can’t do this!!” He suddenly confessed, unable to let go of the cord of the fear of being launch to who knows where. “ Of course I can’t do this, what kind of superhero would be afraid of heights?! Not to mention that Ivan is thrice my size, he’d squash me like a pancake!” He grasped his heart, feeling a sudden pain, sadness, disappointment in himself. 

He thought about going back home and curling up in his bed. No more superheroes, no more magic, no more of him ruining anything. But something caught his attention, someone in a black suit jumping over the rooftops. Running in the direction where Stoneheart was headed. 

“Who’s that?” He wondered. Curiosity got the better of him as he pulled down on his yoyo trying not to scream as he was flung across the city.

Adrien landed in the stadium, grabbing Stonehearts' attention as he stood over one of his classmates. “Hey, it's not very nice to pick on people who are smaller than you!” 

“I guess you're talking about yourself!” Stoneheart roared as the classmate ran towards the exit screaming at the top of his lungs. 

Adrien jumped towards Stoneheart, slamming down with his staff. But he was repelled as the monster grew larger. He tried to attack against, this time aiming towards his legs to try and unbalance him. But Stoneheart was more agile than he appeared, grabbing him in hand. 

Adrien struggled to escape was trapped in the grasp of the enemy. Only watching as he threw a net towards a civilian. 

Alya froze in place unable to evade the net. All of a sudden, the net stopped where it was for a split second, being flung back towards the monster as a flash of red and black caught everyone’s eye.  Suddenly, there was a shrill whistle, catching Stonehearts' attention as he caught something red in his other hand. 

“Huh?” Adrien eyed what appeared to be some kind of bright red suit. Only a moment later it was filled up with something and something dropped to the ground. Next thing he knew, he was falling through the air, unexpectedly landing in the arms of someone else rather than on the ground, when only a moment before he’d heard a cracking sound and a butterfly flying away. 

Adrien’s eyes widened, his eyes lighting up as he saw the other hero shining against the midday sun. 

“Who are you?” He asked in awe as the other person placed him down. He realized that this other person was about a few inches taller than him, For a moment the taller boy looked uncertain, eyes searching for something. Immediately he walked towards the classmate as he was no longer Stoneheart with something in his hand, looking as though he was saying something. 

"Uh, hey wait-" Adrien tried to approach him but was cut off by another one of his classmates, the girl that sat alone who wore glasses. 

“Uncanny, amazing, spectacular! Are you gonna be protecting Paris from now on? How did you get your powers?  Are you that other guys’ partner?! Were you bitten by a radioactive cat?!” The new girl from his class asked with a phone in her hand with a sparkle in her eye. “Who are you?!” 

Adrien was stunned for a few moments before he shrugged turning back to the black-spotted person who just saved him but he had already escaped from the stadium, leaving him speechless. Even though he was left behind, he couldn’t help but smile, turning back to the camera phone. “I’m Chat Noir, and partner if you’re out there,” His heart couldn’t help but race at the face that out there right now who would be fighting crime alongside him. “ I look forward to formally introducing myself.” 

“What’s your partner’s name?” She asked, to which Chat Noir couldn’t respond to, hearing his ring beep he waved to the girl, quicking leaving before he could transform back. 

Marin landed on his bed after somehow not falling off any roofs. He groaned in exhaustion as he reached for his remote, turning on the tv so he could listen to it. His earrings beeped and he was detransformed, his Kwami landing on his stomach now looking exhausted. She flew down towards the tv at the sound of the news reporter. 

“So thanks to this amateur footage, the Parisians now know the identities of their heroes!”

"Hm?" Marin picked himself up, glancing down to the screen that Tikki hovered in front of with a smile. The small Kwami then noticed the freshly baked cookies his mother placed in his room. The small Kwami glanced up towards him and he simply nodded. 

"Go ahead." 

“You see? You were up to it!” Tikki praised, munching on the cookies as Marinus sighed heavily, dropping all of his weight back on his bed, placing his hands on his face. He was done, no more hopping around rooftops looking like a clown. Still, his chest felt warm at Tikki’s praise, that maybe he didn’t mess up for once.

“I’m done now, right? You go back to your master and I get back to relative normality?” He asked hopefully but just as Tikki was about to answer, he overheard his mother calling.  

“Marin! Dinner time!” 

“ Dinner?” Tikki questioned as Marin jumped off of his bed loft. He turned back with a tired smile, “I’ll bring you back a snack.” He remarked as he headed down the stairs directly into the kitchen as Tikki’s eyes lit up with excitement. 

As soon as he met his mothers' eyes she asked, “So how was school?” And he couldn’t help but grumble at the prospect of trying to explain his day without mentioning flying around the city with the help of a magic bug. 

Oh well, it wasn’t like this day was going to get worse. 

“I am pleased to announce that we will organize a huge celebration in honor of our city's new protectors. Ladybug and Cat Noir.” 

Adrien’s eyes lit up as he saw the mayor’s announcement to the entire city.  “Ladybug. His name is Ladybug…” He couldn’t help but claw his heart in excitement. He wondered what kind of person Ladybug was, someone kindly? Strict? Perhaps someone who could crack a joke once in a while? 

“Eww, what is this?!”

Adrien was snapped out of his thoughts as his Kwami flew around. “Seriously? My personal chef made all this!” 

“If you expect me to get my energy back after the transformation, I need to eat something more... delicate!” Plagg snapped back, crossing his tiny arms. 

Adrien sighed. “Okay. What do you want?” 

“I’ve made myself clear!” Plagg insisted as Adrien grimaced.

“Hey, do you know who Ladybug is?” He asked curiously. 

But Plagg scoffed in amusement,  “Of course not! I was only released today!” 

“Okay, but do you know who Ladybug’s Kwami is?” 

“Sure, she’s a real stickler for the rules. A real stick in the mud when it comes to fun.” Plagg explained. 

“Do you think Ladybug might be the same?” Adrien asked curiously. 

“Oh for certain, that Kwami has a knack for ending up with the most assertive, put-together, boring, no-nonsense kind of person as her ladybug.” 

“Dang it!” Marin cried out as he dropped another dish crashing onto the floor. “Sorry, Ma!” Immediately he scrambled to get the broom, sweeping up his mess as he heard the reporter. 

“Just as Paris is about to celebrate the appearance of our two new superheroes, Ladybug and Cat Noir, a new wave of panic is sweeping across the capital as dozens of people are mysteriously transformed into stone monsters. It's simply unbelievable!” 

In that moment Marin dropped the broom he was washing and raced back upstairs as his parents were glued to the television. 

Adrien starred as his Kwami gobbled up all the cheese placed in front of him, almost impressed at how much he ate. “Camembert cheese. Fantastic. All he eats is Camembert, which means I'm gonna smell like stinky old cheese.” 

“You should be grateful to smell so wonderful!” Plagg retorted just as the screen flashed with breaking news. 

“These victims transformed into stone beings are still like statues. The police are perplexed as to what will happen to them. Will they come back to life or be frozen in time forever?” 

Adrien glanced at his Kwami in confusion, “Plagg? What's going on? I thought we defeated Stoneheart!” 

"Tikki!” Marin called out as the Kwami hovered before him at his call. “ What’s going on?! The city’s in chaos!” 

“Did you capture the Akuma?” She asked. 

In a second Marin felt his entire body tense up as he heard those words. He felt something creep up his spine as he remembered that butterfly flying away and how relieved he felt within that moment. 

“An Akuma can multiply, that's why it must be captured. If Ivan's emotions become negative again, then the Akuma will turn him back into Stoneheart! He'll control all the stone beings and bring them to life to serve as his army!”

Marin took a step back sitting down on his chair. “So that means... this is all my fault?” 

Tikki immediately tried to grab Marin’s attention as she saw the young boy hung his head, trying to cheer him up. “This isn’t your fault, this is just your first time. Everyone makes mistakes when they’re starting out.” 

“ But I just made the problem worse! Anyone else would’ve realized that they should’ve captured the Akuma, but I just stood there like an idiot watching it fly away!”

“Marin you have to keep calm. You’re being too hard on yourself on this. All you have to do is go back and capture Stoneheart's Akuma, and do it successfully! We can fix this together!” She insisted, but Marin turned away from the Kwami. 

“I can’t Tikki. I told you, I'm a disaster. I mess up all the time! I'll only make things for you and for everyone. There's no way someone like me can be Ladybug.” 

“But what about Chat Noir?! He needs you!” Tikki pleaded. 

“So I can't do anything without Ladybug?” Adrien repeated as Plagg hovered before him. 

“Only Ladybug can capture akumas and repair damage caused by supervillains. It’s your job to help him any way you can, you two need to work together.” Plagg explained as he scarfed down more cheese. 

Adrien nodded, “I understand. No problem, between the two of us, there’s no way the bad guys are going to win!” 

 “I’m sorry,” Marin said somberly taking out his earrings.

“No, wait Mari--” He glanced in the space Tikki used to be, grasping the earrings in his hand once before placing them back into the box he found them in, hiding it away in a drawer. 

“Cat Noir needs a Ladybug, not someone like me.” 

Chapter Text

Marin opened his eyes feeling a heavy weight on his body. After yesterday's events, he'd immediately crashed on his bed. His clothes were wrinkled, he was still wearing his shoes, and his bed head was at its worst; defying the laws of gravity. Speaking of; "Ah yes, guilt." Marin mumbled to himself trying to pull himself out of bed.

As a shortcut he jumped off the loft in his room, wobbling to his feet he realized that the bags under his eyes had worsened.

Quickly, he washed his face and brushed his teeth, grabbing his bag. It didn't help that in the drawer below him sat Tikki inside the earrings, inside the box, inside the drawer he'd locked her in. For a moment he hesitated before grabbing the miraculous box, placing it at the bottom of his bag before he walked down into the kitchen where his father was pulling something out of the oven, humming a happy tune.

Marin walked towards the door, not particularly hungry that morning. His hand was just on the door hand when his dad easily picked him in and placed in at the kitchen table.

"Hold on there my figlio piccolo, leaving without a freshly baked chocolate croissant?" He asked holding the plate of delicious treats before him.

"Um, not hungry this morning papa-"

"Not hungry?! For papa's croissants?!" Tom gasped, turning away so his son would see the concern rapidly growing on his face. "Are you sure there's not something else wrong? Everything went alright at school yesterday didn't it?"

Marin tried to shove back the memories of yesterday as he reached for a croissant, taking a large bite.

"Ishe gub!"

His father chuckled, placing the plate on the table and handing his son a glass of milk. Both turned to the sudden sound of crashing in the distance. The night hadn't quelled the Stonehearts who were now rampaging around the city. Marin wiped away a milk mustache, looked out of the window towards the heart of the city.

"I know how upsetting and scary this is, but don't worry;" Tom said placing a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "We've got two superheroes looking out for Paris, and the best way of helping them is to show them that we're not scared because we trust them."

"But what if Ladybug fails?" Marin looked away, uncertain. "There are so many monsters. It's impossible."

"You're forgetting. Ladybug has an equally super-partner, Chat Noir!" Tom said cheerfully, but it only made Marin feel worse. He was chosen to be a hero just as Chat Noir did. But unlike the latter, he would turn tail and abandon his Kwami. It wasn't as though it wasn't justified, it was his fault that the Akuma swarmed across the city. It was his fault that now there were people getting turned into stone monsters. Chat Noir would be better off without him...

"But if those two are out saving the world then I'd come and save you. Super Baker to the rescue!" His dad's words pulled him back to reality. As his dad had a large smile drawn on his face.

A giggled escaped his mouth as he hugged his dad, quickly grabbing another croissant for the road. "I'm leaving now."

"Have a good day son, don't forgot to take the box of macaroons today!" Tom called as he watched his son run down the stairs.

"I will!"

Chat Noir landed behind the school, about an hour before class could begin.

"Plagg, claws in." He said as his Kwami landed in his hands with a yawn.

"You're such a strange kid. Who would want to be at school when he can stay at home all day?"

Adrien shook his head, "You don't get it, Plagg. I've had enough of being shut up at home by my dad and Natalie. I want to meet people and make friends! Go to a normal school like everyone else!"

Plagg simply sighed as he dramatically fell over, feigning starvation. "Uhhh, I think I'm feeling weak…

"You know what's strange?" Adrien sighed in exasperation."The fact that all you eat is this disgusting, rotten-smelling Camembert cheese, and then I have to smell like it 24/7."

Plagg flashed him a cheeky smile," If you want to be able to transform into a superhero, then stinky cheese is the deal, my friend!"

"Ta-Da! The Ladyblog!" Alya remarked as she handed Marin her phone. He saw a page with a ladybug print background against the main article pages. "Bringing you all the latest news about the coolest superhero, Ladybug! How awesome is that?! Check out the number of views since I posted the video!"

Marin's stomach sank at the rising views, now over half a million as he handed back her phone. "I don't see what the big deal is, Hardly anyone saw Ladybug, shouldn't you be making a blog about Chat Noir? After all, he's the real hero here."

Alya shook her head, "Of course he helped out too, and I'm going to be covering him alongside Ladybug. But Ladybug was way more captivating if you ask me."

"What, no way," Marin remarked lamely.

But Alya shook her head, "He's gonna handle 'em. Trust me on this Marin, I'm a pretty good judge of character."

Marin felt the guilt from earlier creep up, he felt like vomiting but even so, pressed on "But what if he's not really cut out to be a superhero even though everyone thinks she is? What if he buckles under the pressure that everyone places on him and if forced to become a recluse while Paris is destroyed?!" His ranting placed him right in front of Alya's face who just stared at him in surprise at her friend's sudden energy. "All I'm saying is maybe you shouldn't have such high expectations for someone that just appeared for about a minute before disappearing.

Alya's expression broke into a soft smile, "What are you...Ohhhh, I get what this is about." For a moment, Marin froze like a deer in the headlights, but Alya scooted closer to him, pulling him into a half hug. "I know you're scared, but don't be! I've seen him with my own two eyes! Ladybug is a true superhero you just have to believe."

"But how do you know what?" Marin questioned.

Alya turned her head towards the main crowd of people gathered around Ivan. He looked uncomfortable with a large group of people asking him questions. "Because of him." She simply said, walking over to him as she dispersed their classmates. While her attention was stolen, Marin slipped the box with the miraculous into her bag.

"Alright, guys let the poor guy have some space!"

Marin was confused for a moment. Ivan was the reason that Alya believed in Ladybug? Sure he'd turned him back from Stoneheart, but he couldn't think of anything else more significant that he had done to him. But even so, he knew that she would do a better job than he ever would. After all, she was everything that he wasn't, confidence went a long way. One thing was for certain, Alya would never be weak enough to give up.

"Once a monster, always a monster." Marin noticed Chloe's voice above the crowd as she mocked poor Ivan who was already stressed. Ivan shot an angered glance at her but walked away from the situation, heading into the locker rooms. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out!" She laughed as Sabrina and a few others followed her up the stairs to their class.

Marin glanced at where Ivan headed, picking up his bag and white box and following after him-

"Ah!" He was suddenly knocked to the ground, the box slipping from his hands once more.

"I'm so sorry!" He heard someone say, but when he looked up he saw the boy from yesterday. Chloe's friend who'd tripped him in class. He was incredibly handsome, with soft blonde locks, fair skin, and gorgeous emerald green eyes. Marin saw him flinch back slightly when he recognized him, but even so, he still offered him a hand.

"ADRIKINS!" Chloe stepped on the box already on the ground, hugging her friend tightly as the boy looked uncomfortable at the sudden contact.

"Excuse me," Marin said quietly as he walked towards the locker room, not noticing the lingering apologetic gaze the boy was giving him.

Adrien suddenly snapped awake as he realized he'd dozed off due to how early he had woken up. Looking at his phone he only had a few minutes before class began and dozens of calls from Natalie.

He quickly deleted the missed called, internally apologizing to his father's secretary and ran to the front of the building.

"Plagg why didn't you wake me up?!" Adrien demanded but got his answer as he saw his Kwami still snoozing in his backpack. He didn't even notice the boy walking in front of him until after he had crashed into him.

"I'm so sorry!" He immediately apologized, but his eyes widened in surprise as he saw who he'd bumped into. It was the boy from yesterday, Marin, who he'd tripped accidentally. Getting a slightly better look he saw that Marin had dark hair, wearing a grey suit. He was unable to discern the boy's reaction to being knocked down by the same person twice within a short amount of time due to the way he kept his face down. But Adrien assumed that he was probably really mad. Even so, he felt a wave of guilt as he saw Marin dropped his white box again. Just as he was about to help him up he heard a familiar voice.

"ADRIKINS!" Chloe called out, running down the stairs and unceremoniously stepping on the box as she trapped him in a tight embrace. Adrien took a step back to balance herself after her impact but keep his eyes trained on Marin as he muttered something under his breath, walking towards the locker room.

"Chloe, it's nice to see you." He automatically said as she smiled up at him, dragging him up the stairs by his arm.

"I know isn't it?" She confirmed.

"Um, Chloe, I need to head to the locker ro-"

"How could you say that to Ivan? You're the real Stoneheart!" Alya scolded angrily as they both entered the classroom. Chloe pulled away from him, stepping in front of Alya as he slipped by, taking his seat next to Nino while the two girls argued.

"Ugh, so I'm the one who broke Sabrina's dad's arm, am I? Just because your footage of those lame superheroes was shown on TV, doesn't mean you have to get so high and mighty.

"You little-" Alya looked furious as Chloe smiled cheerfully, raising her voice to grab the attention of the class.

"Lookout, she's angry! She's going to split her underwear and turn into a huge muscly monster!" She laughed it off as she swatted Alya with her ponytail as she walked past, sitting behind Adrien as he noticed Alya glance in his direction for a moment.

"Man, you've been here two days and you already have girl trouble," Nino commented as a small smile broke out on his face at his own joke.

"So you think you're funny huh?" Adrien asked as he rested his head on his desk.

"Lil' bit." Nino said.

Marin sighed heavily at his most recent encounter with that boy as he stepped into the locker room. But almost immediately forgot as he saw Ivan sitting on the ground, looking down with his headphones on. In his hand, he held a crumpled paper, something that Marin recognized.

He tapped the taller boy's shoulder, grabbing his attention as Ivan took off his headphones. "You know, you should tell Mylène how you feel," Marin recommended as he sat down next to Ivan.

Ivan suddenly grew red as he turned away from Marin. " I… don't know what you're talking about!" He insisted.

Marin rested his head against the locker, "Come on, we've all seen the way you look at her. Even Kim knows." Marin pointed out as he saw Ivan furrow his brow angrily, most likely thinking about yesterday's events. "We both know that Kim's a little doofy, but you know he not malicious." He said placing his hand on Ivan's shoulder. Ivan seemed to relax at Marin's words. "I'm sure that Mylène has feelings for you as well, she's just as shy as you are."

" Mylenes so nice and pretty and sweet," Ivan remarked but still hung his head, uncertain. "I'm no good with words anyway."

"Words are overrated. You could draw her a picture, send her flowers, send her some treats?" Marin remarked picking up his box of macaroons, only half of them were broken. He offered one to Ivan who accepted one of the non broken ones. His eyes lit up as he tasted one, licking his lips for the crumbs as he took another.

"I could… write her a song?" He suggested and Marin couldn't help but feel at ease as he saw Ivan's eye twinkle with some hope.

"That's a great idea! Who wouldn't want a love song written especially for her? Something that only you can make from the heart. Go for it, Ivan!" Marin stood up, offering Ivan a hand as the taller boy pulled him in for a quick hug.

"Thank you Marin!" Ivan scurried off, excited, leaving Marin with a small smile on his face.

Adrien was looking through his textbook as he saw Chloe and Sabrina hanging around the desk next to his. He caught Chloe placed something on the seat as the two girls giggled. "Hey! What's that all about?" Adrien asked as Nino shrugged his shoulders.

"Probably another one of their pranks." His friend remarked as he placed his headphones back on. Nearby, Adrien saw that Alya was waiting at the door and he put two and two together.

Almost immediately he stood up. " Chloe this isn't right." He remarked as she turned towards him.

"Who cares, it's funny." She lightly remarked, stepping aside as the teacher stepped in.

"Alright class, take your seats."

Adrien faltered as he saw Alya walk back, sighing in relief as he sat out of the proximity of the gum. But then Alya caught his attention as she waved towards someone. He turned to see Marin walk past him, smiling At Alya and the empty seat beside her. He immediately stood up trying to stop him but was too late as Marin quickly sat down, placing his dented box on the desk.

"Huh?"

He felt bad as he could see Marin stand back up trying to take the gum off of his pants but to no avail as it was too sticky. He turned towards Chloe and Sabrina hearing them laughing behind him as their classmate fell for the joke intended for Alya.

"See? Is that hilarious Adrien?" Chloe asked as he could see Marin side glance him. He couldn't say anything as Marin only sighed sitting back down as Alya seemed to console him.

"Now do you see what I mean by respect?" Chloe asked as Adrien couldn't help but feel an anger spark in the pit on his stomach.

He knew better, his mother taught him as much.

"Agreste, Adrien?"

Nino jabbed his side gently, " Dude."

"Uh, present!" He reflexively stood up, but almost immediately grew flushed as almost all the other students laughed.

Marin perked up at the sound of the boys' last name. "I know that name…" he took out his phone, trying to tap through the cracked screen, but to no avail as it no longer registered his touch.

"Dang it…"

Alya instead placed her phone in front of him, and immediately he recognized the great Gabriel Agreste and current classmate standing next to each other.

He then planted his head on his desk in defeat. "Of course one of Chloes new minions is the son of the great Gabriel Agreste." Marin grimaces as he glanced at the handsome boy sitting a few feet away.

Alya hummed for a moment looking through more pictures. "Daddy's boy, teen supermodel, AND Chloé's buddy? Ha! Forget it ever making friends with that guy."

"Why didn't you tell them it was Chloé's idea?" Nino whispered as Adrien lifted his head, the guilt still evident on his face.

"I've known Chloé since I was a little kid. I know she's not perfect, but I can't throw her under the bus. She's like my only friend." Adrien admitted slumping down in his seat.

"Dude, it's time for you to make some new friends." He and Adrien fist-bumped as a smile broke out on both of their faces.

"Bourgeois, Chloé?"

"Present!"

"Bruel, Ivan?"

Suddenly Stoneheart erupted through the door enters, sending panic through the classroom. "Mylène!" He easily grabbed the smaller girl, who was yelling out frantically for help.

"Let go of me, Ivan!" Mylène pleaded, but it fell on deaf ears.

"I'm not Ivan anymore. I'm Stoneheart!"

Ivan, now Stoneheart grabbed Chloe as well, making another hole leading outside of the classroom and heading onto the streets.

"Come on! Let's follow him!" Alya immediately said, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

Marin just stared at her, "You're kidding right?!"

Alya simply shrugged him off, "C'mon, you're gonna miss Ladybug in action!"

Marin faltered as his friend mentioned that name, instead, he picked up her bag, holding it out towards her. "You and Ladybug will both be better off without me." He said, feeling as though he was holding the weight of the world in his hands. But he knew that Alya would be capable, and Tikki would be a good mentor for whatever she lacked. After all, she was patient with-

"If you say so!" Alya called out, leaving Marin to watch as she sprinted out of the room at great speed.

For a few moments, he was stunned before realizing he had to run after her.

Chat Noir sat atop the school looking down at his target, Stoneheart and his two captives. With luck, perhaps he could get him to release the two girls then when Ladybug showed up. The two could think up a plan together. He jumped down, stabbing his baton where Mylène was captured, trying to use his weapon as leverage to open the monster's grip, but to no avail. As instead, Stoneheart only grew larger with the impact.

"Oh no. My bad." He flashed a sheepish grin as he tried to evade Stonehearts attacks.

"Ugh. Are you actually a superhero or are you just super incompetent!?"Chloé demanded as Chat Noir scowled at her.

"You wanted the cavalry? Well, here it is!" Stoneheart summoned his minions, all of whom began to corner Chat Noir, throwing everything in sight and causing chaos.

"If you can hear me, Ladybug, I could use a little help!" He called out.

"What's that guy waiting for?" Alya murmured as she sat far to close to the chaos. Marin stood atop the stairs of the school, spotting his friend, but from his angle also seeing that a Stone figure was throwing cars. One of them was about to crash into his friend. Marin was frozen, unable to react. He could see the entire world slow down as a car fell towards his friend. Not knowing what else to do Marin shut his eyes, grasping the strap on his messenger bag. But a loud bang caught his attention as the car flew past in.

He opened his eyes to see the hero from yesterday Chat Noir, kneeling near Alya. Immediately he ran to his friends' side.

" Alya!" He called, grabbing their attention as Alya smile in relief and Chat Noir turned away his back to the two.

" I'm alright." She insisted as she showed that there were no major wounds on her body. Marin looked up to Chat Noir about to leave but was stopped by Marin grasping to his hand for a moment. Surprising the Hero as he turned back with widened eyes.

" How can you do that? Act so heroically like that?" Marin asked absentmindedly. It was as his body moved on his own, wanting to know how someone like him could be so courageous.

For a moment Chat Noir hesitated, looking at Marin for the first time. He wasn't Adrien, the kid that an accomplice to his bullying, he was a superhero. Chat Noir's expression softened as a little of his guilt slipped through his words. "If people like us do nothing, then the bad guys win, right?" He said, as a matter of fact, like, but it was apparent that he was trying to avoid eye contact.

As Chat Noir saw Marin's eyes light up slightly at his words, something deep down made the hero smile, even though he didn't deserve to feel this kind of pride. He placed his hand on the taller boy's shoulder. "You two get out of here, I'll handle this!" He exclaimed, prepared to face the stone beings head-on, spinning his baton in his hand.

" What about Ladybug?!" Marin called, as Chat Noir turned around at the sound of his voice. " What if he doesn't show up?" He asked hesitantly.

He smiled confidently, " No worries, I trust my partner." He called out, leaving his two classmates behind to protect the city.

Marin looked in awe at the blonde-haired hero, jumping across rooftops. It was plain to see that someone like him didn't need any help from someone like him. Luckily, Alya would probably-

" Where there's Chat Noir, there'll be Ladybug!" Alya called as she grabbed her bike.

" What?! You're not serious are you?!" He asked as Alya put on her helmet.

" Blame the reporter in me." She lightly teased as she pedaled after the chaos, leaving him alone.

Marin fought the urge to slap his forehead but simply sighed. A determined expression was drawn on his face as he reached into Alyas bag quickly making sure the no one was around and put on the earrings. He was relieved to see Tikki appear before him with a bright smile on her face. "I knew you'd come around!"

Marin looked her in the eye with newfound resolve. "I've hesitated long enough. Tikki, spots on!"

Chat Noir scanned the tower for Ivan spotting something being thrown. Without hesitation the hero jumped to intercept the person, landing up with Chloe in his arms.

" I didn't promise." She said and confusion burst on his face as he helped her to her feet. She immediately ran over to her father as the police officer yelled out.

"We're clear to attack!"

He immediately turned towards the police, calling out "From experience, that's a really bad idea!" He called out.

"I have a new plan, unlike you! Move aside and let the pros do their thing. You've already failed once!"

Chat Noir winced back at this truth. But before he could respond, all eyes were on the hundreds of Akuma's erupting from Stonehearts mouth. All of them taking shape of a face of a sinister-looking villain.

"People of Paris, listen carefully. I am Hawk Moth."

"Hawk Moth?" Chat Noir questioned as he looked on.

"Ladybug, Cat Noir, give me the ladybug earrings and the cat ring, you've already done enough damage to these innocent people."

" You see?!" The officer yelled as he held up his walkie talkie. " Stand by on my order-"

" Hold on! Chat Noir pleaded, but his breath escaped him as he heard clapping turning to see Ladybug walk towards the giant hoard of Akuma and their new named foe: Hawkmoth.

"Nice try, Hawk Moth, but let's not reverse the roles here." Ladybug said in a loud clear voice that the entire world seemed to listen to. "Without you, none of these innocent people wouldn't have been transformed into villains. Without you and your evil, those children would be in class right now instead of being afraid for their lives. Mark my words we will find you and YOU'LL be the one to hand us YOUR Miraculous!"

Chat Noir watched in amazement as Ladybug swiftly jumped above the gathering of butterflies using his yo-yo, falling into the swarm. For a second he was worried, then only moments later every single butterfly was captured, and Ladybug was standing atop the tower.

"Paris, please allow me to make this promise you all a promise. No matter what comes, Ladybug and Cat Noir will always do everything within our power to keep you safe!" Erupted from his yo-yo was the captured butterflies, dispersing all throughout Paris before disappearing.

Cat Noir's mouth was agape in pure awe. This was his partner, someone who he realized he would be fighting crime alongside for a long time. For once he had no words as he witnessed the purified Akuma fly around the city in white light before disappearing.

" Help me!"

Chat Noir suddenly snapped to attention as he heard his classmates' cries. He used his baton to close the distance between himself and the tower seeing Ladying making his way up as well.

"You'll never take Mylène from me! Come to me, my stone beings!" Stoneheart called out as he assessed the tower with Mylène in hand.

He landed near to the black-spotted hero as both narrowly evaded the stone beings now climbing the tower. The two of them stood atop one of the platforms as they regrouped, assessing the situation.

"We're completely surrounded." Chat Noir noted as he saw an entire city of stone being heading towards them. "What do we do now? We can't attack him. The Akuma is in his fist like last time. But we can't get to it without him letting go of that girl. So…" He looked towards Ladybug for some kind of input. He saw his partner entirely focused, narrowing his eyes as he placed on left hand over his mouth, while his other was under his elbow.

His eyes then lit up as he turned towards him with a playful smirk.

"We give him exactly what he wants." Ladybug finished his thought as he used his yo-yo to bungee up the tower.

Cat Noir was stunned for a moment before excitement overtook him. "Not really following you, but something tells me that this is how it's gonna be from here on out.

Ladybug landed atop the base of the top of the tower as Chat followed.

" Cover me?" Ladybug requested as Chat Noir nodded, pulling out his baton.

" Leave it to me." He remained behind as Ladybug pressed forward, reaching the peak of the tower and getting a clear shot at Stoneheart and Mylène.

"How are you planning to get them closer than they already are?!" Chat called out as he tried to keep the focus of the stone beings on himself rather than his partners'.

Ladubug pulled out his yo-yo, throwing it over his head. "Lucky Charm!" He called and something fell into his hands. "A parachute?" He suddenly flinched turning around to see Chat Noir being almost thrown off the tower. Quickly he caught him with his yo-yo, pulling him back to safety right next to him placing an arm around his waist to steady him.

"You sure you know what you're doing?!" He asked, but his only response was Ladybug spinning his yo-yo again.

"Trust me."

Ladybug threw his yo-yo again around Stone's head and hand, pulling it so that the two classmates kissed. Almost immediately Stoneheart was shaken by the contact, losing his grip on both the tower and her. Cat Noir then jumped down knocking up the Akumatized paper with his staff into Ladybug's grasp; breaking it in his hand. He watched as the Akuma flew towards the sky for a moment, "That's enough mischief little butterfly." quickly catching the Akuma with his yo-yo before he jumped after his friends in free fall.

"Chat, Mylène!" He called out as he focused on Ivan.

" On it!" Cat Noir called, activating his power and securing himself and Mylène, now only able to watch as Ladybug and Ivan still fell.

Ladybug narrowed his eyes, using his yo-yo to pull Ivan towards him, keeping him secure as Ladybug pulled the cord of the parachute. "Bye-bye, little butterfly." Ladybug said as his yo-yo opened and a white butterfly flew away. They landed safely as Ladybug detached the parachute and the yo-yo as Ivan fell over, clearly shaken up. "Miraculous Ladybug!" He threw the Lucky charm into the air and its energy dispersed into groups of glowing ladybugs flying throughout the city and returning the stone people to normal and undid the damage done during the battle.

Chat Noir and Mylène landed nearby as Chat Noir used his baton to lower them to the ground carefully. As they touched the ground, Mylène was still winded from the day's events so she caught her breath. He looked up to see Ladybug's magic of creation flying throughout the city in amazement. His gaze was lingered down to where his partner was kneeling down next to Ivan as the black-spotted hero caught that Ivan turned his head away shyly as he caught Mylène's gaze.

"Remeber what I said yesterday?" Ladybug asked, re-handing the paperback to Ivan. "You shouldn't be ashamed of how you feel."

"Oh, uh… I… Uh…" Ivan stumbled over his words but calmed down as Ladybug placed his hand over his.

"Maybe it would help if you simply gave her the poem?" He suggested as he gave the taller boy the push he needed. He looked fondly at the two as Mylène read the note, smiling up at him as both of them blushed softly, then hugged.

Ladybug turned away, spinning his yo-yo, preparing to leave the scene.

"So, they're so made for each other, huh?" Chat Noir asked as he rested his hand on his baton as his miraculous beeped. "Maybe like us two?"

Ladybug didn't respond.

"You're not much of a talker, are you? That's alright I'll talk enough for the both of us." He held out his hand for a fist bump. "I look forward to working with you in the future, partner."

Ladybug looked back towards him, for a moment it looked like he was smiling. But he couldn't tell as the hero reciprocated his gesture, flying off as Chat ran in the other direction with a smile.

"Until we meet again, Ladybug."

"So, by the time I went to the Eiffel Tower, it was all over. I'm way bummed." Alya groaned as she grasped Marin's arm, both walking into the classroom.

Marin chuckled as he handed her a fresh chocolate croissant. "Don't worry. You'll get your scoop eventually."

Alya perked up, "You're right. Next target: Ladybug, an exclusive interview! Man, this is really good!" She remarked taking a bite of the pastry.

Marin shot her a smile

"Oh, wait! Even better: finding out who's really under that mask-"

Suddenly he felt uneasy. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Marin abruptly said as Alya wrapped her arm around his shoulder, pulling him into a half hug.

"You've disobeyed me a number of times now Adrien." Gabriel scolded as Adrien grasped his jeans. He sat in the car next to Natalie with his bodyguard driving. They were parked right in front of the school building as students walked together happily. "Take a look at that school. You will never, I say, never go back there again..."

Adrien complied, glancing towards the place where he desperately wanted to be. Awaiting for him to say the word, and then he'd be locked behind walls for the rest of his adolescent life.

"Without your bodyguard." Adrien immediately lifted his head, unable to believe what he was hearing. "He will drop you off and pick you off every day. Nathalie has offered to organize your a new schedule. You'll be continuing your music, Chinese, and fencing classes and your photoshoots.

Adrien smiled in relief, "Thank you, Nathalie. Thank you, Father!" he said before grabbing his backpack and then running inside the school, sincerely happy for the first time in a long while.

Marin glanced at his original seat just as Alya and he were about to walk past.

"Marin?" Alya turned towards him but soon smiled as she saw what he was doing; following in suit. The two friends taking a seat right behind where Nino and Adrien's desks were.

"Uhh… You're in the wrong seat. Go on, get lost!" Chloé demanded as Sabrina mirrored her friend's frustration.

Marin shook his head. "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil, is that good people do nothing."

Chloé shot him a bewildered expression. "What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I'm not putting up with your terrible personality anymore, Chloé, and neither is anyone else around here. So take a seat before you make yourself look even worse if that's even possible." The class erupted with giggles as Chloé complied angrily.

Alya rested her hand on Marin's shoulder as the two smiled at each other, but the good mood soon faded as Adrien walked into the room. When he spotted Marin he waved with a small smile. But was visibly disheartened as he looked away and Alya glared at him.

Adrien's former happy mood turned sour as he sat down next to Nino, who nudged his side.

"Dude, you wanna make friends, right? Well, go talk to Marin. You know, about literally every interaction you've had with him?"

"But what should I say?" He asked.

"Just be yourself." Nino advised, but his words made Adrien frown.

"Nino, that's how I got in this situation in the first place. I literally made him crush his cookies among other things."

"Look," Nino turned towards him, pulling him close by placing a hand on his shoulder. "Marin is like one of the nicest dudes you will ever meet. Seriously, one time when I got the flu he took notes and helped me with my homework for the entire time so I wouldn't miss anything. He wasn't even mad that I got him sick for like 2 weeks afterward. Just be sincere, say you're sorry, and if you get forgiveness from him chances are Alya won't be giving you the stink eye either. But be careful, he has a way of making you avoid apologizing, don't fall for it."

"Okay?

After class Alya went ahead, leaving Marin to stan before a heavy wave of rain. He sighed heavily if he made a break for it then maybe he could run home and take a hot shower before he could get sick. Then again, with his luck he'd probably trip over everything in sight and still be out for half a year.

"Hey."

Marin turned to see Adrien standing nearby holding an umbrella. He turned away, uncertain of what to say.

" I've never been to school before. I've never had friends. So it's all sort of new to me, and I guess I was just swept along.I just wanted you to know that I'm-"

"It's alright."

"Huh?" Adrien was taken off guard as Marin buttoned up his jacket, popping his collar and rolling down the sleeves as though he were trying to repel the cold.

"I saw you try to apologize for those last few times even though they were accidents. And the thing with the gum, even I could tell that Chloé had a hand in it. Don't worry about it, I'm used to this kinda stuff."

"Yeah." Adrien nodded for a moment he was mesmerized at this person standing before him. Even though there was no light the rain seemed to illuminate Marin's figure, in a way where he could tear his eyes away from.

"I'll see you later."

But the boy's words snapped him out of his daze, quickly he grabbed his hand reflexively. He felt a jolt of surprise from Marin as he turned back, his eyes widened in surprise. With his other hand, he shielded Marin from the rain that he was about to step into, both of them now standing under the umbrella.

"What I did wasn't alright. No matter what you say, I shouldn't have walked away when you needed help. I..." Adrien faltered for a moment, turning his head away before placing Marin's hand on the umbrella, handing it off to him. "I'm going to try to be better because I don't want you to be used to this kind of treatment." 

Marin simply glanced at him as he took a step back, for a brief moment they glanced at each other fondly before it was interrupted by the umbrella closing on Marin's head. Adrien tried to hold back his laughter but couldn't, also seeing the briefest of smiles on Marin's face as it turned red with embarrassment as he tried to fix the umbrella. 

Adrien walked down the stairs but turned back towards him with a hopeful smile on his face. "I hope you won't think badly of me if I tried my best to be your friend." He then placed his hands in his pocket, walking towards his ride. 

Tikki hovered near Marin's face with a playful smile on her face. "I know that look!" She boldly proclaimed as Marin's face ran even more red. 

"What? What are you talking about?!" He demanded as Tikki hugged his cheek. 

"First day of school and we already have two lovebirds." Plagg remarked as he peaked through Adrien's collar. 

Adrien shook his head, "Don't be silly Plagg, he's just a friend." For a moment Adrien smiled to himself and blushing a the word as he couldn't help but be more clutch the hand that recently had just touched Marin's. "An actual friend…" just as he walked towards the car. 

Unbeknownst to the two teenagers, a familiar old man was standing nearby under the rain with a smile on his face and a green Kwami hovering nearby. 

"Excellent choice, Master." The Kwami complimented as the old man lifted his umbrella. 

He nodded thoughtfully. "Indeed, those two were certainly made for each other."

Chapter Text

Marin cleaned the flour and sugar off of his face and hands as he sat back down to put the finishing touches on a white box lain on his desk. He placed a plate of chocolate chip cookies nearby as he began wrapping it in light blue paper.

"What are you doing up so early?" Tikki asked as she watched her friend dressed for school messing around with something. He wore his usual grey suit and cuffed pants with a white cuffed shirt. With his hair almost always covering his eyes he began wearing pink bobby pins while he was working.

Marin turned towards his Kwami with a small smile, "Good morning Sugarcube." He greeted as Tikki rested on his shoulder, munching on a chocolate chip cookie. "I'm just finishing off my gift to Adrien."

"A gift?" Tikki questioned hovering over the blue and yellow wrapped present as Marin placed a card between the wrapping. "Dear Adrien, I hoped that we can be friends. Happy Birthday; From: Marin." Tikki read out loud.

"Is it Adrien's birthday?" She asked and noticed Marin's face redden slightly as he removed his hairpins.

"...Maybe." He said, placing the present in his bag. "Come on Tikki." He called, ignoring Tikki's smug smile as she flew into his messenger bag.

Adrien was just finishing off brushing his teeth when Plagg shoved a piece of cheese into his mouth, much to his displeasure. Peppermint and Camembert were not a good combination.

"Happy birthday, Adrien!" Plagg said happily as Adrien picked a red ribbon out of his mouth, disgusted.

"Ugh, Plagg! I just brushed my teeth!"

"I don't know why you're complaining, your beloved Kwami just gave you your first birthday present." Plagg turned his head, pouting as he crossed his arms.

"Okay okay," Adrien conceded, "Thanks for the tasty cheese, I'm sure nothing else I receive today is going to compare to what my precious Kwami gave me."

Plagg turned his head with an amused smirk. "That's more like it."

"Marin, don't forget to clean your room after school-"

"Cleaned it this morning mama." He said zeroing in on the cookie jar.

Sabine smiled at him sipping her tea as she watched her son shove a few in his pockets, while also placing one in his mouth.

He couldn't help but smile as he bit down, chewy chocolate chip cookies really were the best. He then walked over to his mother who kissed his cheek then made his way towards the downstairs bakery.

"Have a nice day, sweetie!"

"Happy birthday- I mean, have a nice day!" He stumbled over his words as he quickly closed the door behind him, leaving his mother confused for a moment before she simply shrugged her shoulders.

Adrien finished off the rest of his green tea, already used to the bitter flavor as Natalie walked in.

"Your schedule, Adrien." She said plainly, turning to walk away.

"Thank you, Nathalie." He scanned over his schedule for the day, a feeling of sadness erupting as he realized it was just a normal day packed to the brim. Nothing special or out of the ordinary. For a moment, he thought about asking Natalie about the birthday party that he wanted.

Just wanting Nino to come over and play some video games, maybe have some cake.

But it was probably too much to ask for from his father.

"Dude, seriously?" Nino groaned as he and Adrien waited for his ride. "Has your dad always been such a downer? You'd think he'd remember what it was like to be young and wanna party a little."

"No, I'm pretty sure he was exactly the same since day one. He's never been one for expressing emotion."

"It's your b-day, dude! Insist!" Nino prompted blowing more bubbles.

"You've never met my father, he can be intimidating."

Nino hummed for a moment. " You know what, I'm gonna have a little convo with your pops.

Adrien laughed, "Nino trust me, once he says no there's no changing his mind. I should know."

"Alya!" They overheard and saw Marin and Alya arguing over something. As Alya caught Nino's eye, she smiled and then dragged him

"Hello, boys." She said dragging over Marin's arm as he hung his head, avoiding eye contact. "Settle something for us, would you. Marin doesn't believe me when I say that there's nothing wrong with his baking."

"It can't be flawless Alya, this is my first time baking them," Marin said, embarrassed being put on the spot.

"Tough, because they're delicious, and you should hear it from people who are impartial."

Adrien and Nino exchanged a glance but simply nodded as Alya help out a bag before them. An amazing smell erupted from the paper bag as Nino reached in first,

Hey, chouquettes." He said popping one in his mouth. His eyes suddenly widened as a smile erupted, "Woah these are amazing! I didn't know the bakery sold these, where did you get them?"

Alya smirked as she passed off the bag to Marin, "They're courtesy of own Marin."

"Seriously?" Nino asked popping another into his mouth while Marin nodded sheepishly.

"My dad's been thinking about selling them in the store, these are some samples I helped out with."

"Dude you gotta try one." Nino nudged Adrien's side. "Some of them are chocolate!"

Adrien glanced toward Marin who still wouldn't look him in the eye. "Can I have one?" He asked. Marin only nodded as he held out the bag. Just as he was about to take one Alya and Marin were knocked aside by Chloe, who immediately wrapped her arms around him.

"Happy birthday, Mwah!" She gave him a quick peck as Adrien noticed Marin dropped his bag of pastries, now ruined as he scrambled to pick them up, not wanting to litter. Alya gave Chloe the stink eye as she and Nino helped him out.

"Yeah, thanks."

"Did you get the gift I sent you?" She asked fluttering her eyelashes.

Adrien struggled to try and distance himself, but to no avail, as his childhood friend latched on. "Uh, no."

Chloé grew seemingly replaced, grumbling to herself in annoyance but Adrien was just happy that she released him. "What? Oh, those delivery guys. I bet it was too heavy, so they had to go back and get another guy to help. Those slackers." She wrapped her arms around his shoulders again but to his chagrin. "I'll make sure they get it to you by tonight, but first. Mwah!" She kissed his cheek, before leaving, completely ignoring everyone else she walked past.

"Dude." Nino started, crossing his arms as his eyes quickly dashed to Alya helping Marin up. Getting the hint, Arien walked over to them.

"All I'm saying is, if she pushes us again, it's only natural to return the favor."

"Alya. Please don't." Marin pleaded as his friend looked enraged.

They both turned towards Adrien as he stepped closer. "Hey, Marin sorry about your deserts, they smelled really good."

Good? His mouth was watering even thinking about them.

"Tell you what," Alya cut in putting an arm around her best friend's neck. "If you really want to make it up to us, How about letting us tag along to whatever party Nino's going to throw for you?" She suggested.

Adrien chuckled, "There's no party. I'm not one for birthdays." he said, lying through his teeth.

"Oh yeah? Sorry to hear that." Alya responded, believing him.

"But I do want to try your baking, I'll trade you some camembert if I can have some of those chouquettes." He joked as no one would ever want to be around something as smelly as-

"Sure." Marin said shyly.

Adrien stood there dumbfounded for a moment. "No, wait, I was-"

"Dude, your ride's here." Nino said tapping his shoulder.

"Dangit. You're still coming over later, right?" He asked walking over and opening the door.

"You couldn't keep me away if you tried."

"Looks like I've got some business to take care of with Adrien's old man." Nino said to himself but what surprised as Alya called out to him.

"Great, you can take Marin with you!" Alya said pushing her friend towards him. Marin shot a glance back at her, but any semblance of annoyance faded as he smiled nervously at him. "I just need to drop something off."

Marin stood outside Adrien's house, dropping off the present. Pressing it to his forehead for a moment, internally wishing Adrien a happy birthday. As he was surprised by an eyeball popping out above him.

"State your business." A woman's voice came from the other side.

"Um, hi. I'm in Adrien's class and I, uh-" As his words faltered, he gestured to the present that was in his hand.

"Put it in the box."

The mailbox popped open from the wall, and Marin carefully placed the gift inside.

"Um, thank you!" He said, bowing his head to what he hoped was actually someone and not an AI.

"Sup dude-"

"WAH!" Marin flinched back as he felt someone touch his shoulder, looking at Nino who was standing nearby with a smile. He sighed heavily grasping his chest, "You scared me."

"Sorry about that. It just looked like you forgot I was standing here for a sec there."

"Me? No no, was just thinking. And I'll go think at home now. Okay bye, see you tomorrow." Marin rambled walking past him as his face began to turn red with embarrassment.

"Okay then, I hope Adrien liked your present."

He heard Marin whine something but his friend didn't clarify so he simply shrugged his shoulders and rang the doorbell.

Adrien glanced out the window as his driver pulled up to the house. He kept his head down as he entered the front door, noticing that his father was talking to someone inside of his study. The door was open so he walked in, passing by Natalie who was standing outside.

Adrien saw his father looking down at Nino with the same expression he always gave to him. "My son is not your concern, he does not need any distractions."

"But that's so messed up. He never screws up in class, he always does whatever you tell him. He's always leaving to go to photoshoots, fencing, Chinese, piano-"

"Nino?" Adrien asked walking up to his best friend. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to convince your dad that you deserve a birthday. You deserve to have the best birthday!"

"Forget it, Nino. Really, it's fine." Adrien shook his head.

"Listen, young man. I decide what's best for my son. Just as I've decided that your disrespect to my decisions are not welcome in my house. Adrien, show your classmate out."

"Father please, he was just trying to do something cool for me." Adrien followed his father out of his study towards the main hall leaving Nino behind for a moment.

But something caught his eye, a light blue present and a yellow ribbon he saw Marin carrying earlier. Then towards a card that in the trash can, one that he recognized from his last birthday. The sight made him angry as he walked towards the front door as he walked past his friend.

"Nino, wait! I'm sorry. My father-he's pretty stubborn. It's just best to stay out of his way." Adrien tried to apologize but faltered as Nino turned towards him with an angry expression but it quickly faded as he saw his friends guilt.

"It's not fair, Adrien. You're like, one of the coolest dudes I know and your dad won't even let you have a birthday party. Ugh, no matter whatever we plan adults will always ruin everything."

Adrien looked away from his friend. He felt the same way, it wasn't like he didn't know what a happy birthday felt like. It was just that this one, in particular, was harder on his dad, since his mom always made him plan the evening with her.

He didn't stop his friend from walking away, knowing how he felt, only said. "Thanks anyway, Nino." As he was left alone.

Marin laid down on his bed with the covers on as Tikki cuddled him under the warm sheets.

"Do you think Adrien's opened his gift by now?" He asked as Tikki only mumbled, half asleep.

["Xiang, Lunch!"]

Carefully, he placed Tikki in his pocket as he jumped off of his bed loft and then jumped down the stairs as he could smell his mom's cooking even though the entire room was stuffy from the steam.

"Smells good, Mama." He said as his mother turned towards him with a smile. She walked towards the window after placing his lunch on the table.

Just as he was about to dig into chicken cutlets curry rice Marin quickly turned as he heard his mother scream. He saw her captured into a purple bubble looked terrified.

"Mama? MAMA!" As he tried to reach her, she'd floated away along with seemingly every other parent as his dad was captured as well.

"What's going on? Tikki!" He opened his jacket as his Kwami, still drowsy, flew out.

"Hello Paris, it's party time!"

Among the purple bubbles that were floating in the sky, broadcasting a message from the Bubbler.

"Today is your lucky day, little dudes. The adults have taken the day off, so make the most of it. No chores, no homework, no more nagging, just fun, fun, fun, fun. This is the Bubbler's gift to you."

"Hawk Moth must've released another Akuma." The Kwami observed

"We have to track him down, quick. Tikki- huh?" Marin saw someone colorful jumping across the rooftops. Landing before him in his living room with what was a sinister smile.

"Sup Dude."

He was utterly confused, "Who are you?"

"Don't you recognize your old buddy Nino?"

"Nino?! What happened to you?!" Marin suddenly grew distraught at the sight of his friend Akumatized.

"I was done with adults ruining everything." He explained, "They're selfish, self-righteous jerks that deserved more than what I did to them."

"Nino, my parents have always been nice to you." Marin pointed out.

"I don't mean your parents Marin, they've always been cool. But haven't you ever been so angry at them, haven't you ever wanted the freedom to do what you want?"

"Nino."

"Okay okay, they're some exceptions. But I'm not here to talk about me. I'm throwing Adrien the biggest birthday bash, and I want you to be there."

"What? Why me?" Nino, now Bubbler, rested his arm around Marin's shoulder, lowering him so

Their gaze was on the same level. "Because not only do you live above the best

bakery in Paris, you're like Adrien. Someone who was also ragged on by adults."

"Huh? What're you talking about?" Marin asked tilting his head in confusion.

"Details my friend. So, you come, we party, and I return the adults back. Deal?" He offered, placing his hand out.

"...Deal." Marin shook his hand without a second thought.

Adrien finished off his meal; what it lacked in flavor it made up for in nutrition.

"Wow. That was a birthday lunch break to remember. Yay!" He said lamely as he shouldered his messenger bag on. As he passed by the door he noticed that Natalie wasn't there, she probably working in his fathers office again. He shrugged off the sadness, opening the front door. The boy was taken off guard as he opened the door outside to a crowd of his classmates cheering along. There was an entertainment system and dessert buffet all set up.

Above him standing on a bubble was a colorful figure with a large smile drawn on his face.

"Hey, hey, hey, birthday boy. Guess what? The Bubbler's brought all yo homies together for one single-sole purpose, to party harder for one special birthday boy!"

Adrien narrowed his eyes at the Akumatized victim and it dawned on him "Nino?!"

The Bubbler jumps down from the bubble into a DJ booth"Let's get this party started!"

Everyone in the crowd cheered as the music began, starting to dance. Adrien, stunned by this turn of events, ran back into the house as he hung his head in confusion.

Bubbler panned over the crowd of disinterested kids, something inside him bubbling up. "Come on, everybody, I brought you here to party!" Still there was no response, so he leveled up the volume of this music, jumping on the turntable as he pulled out his bubble wand with a sinister smile.

"So dance or we'll all float down here."

" We need to free Nino!" Tikki said as the booth stood in the cleared out store. Why are you delaying this?"

" When I turn everything back, this'll all go back to normal right?"

"Yes, but when are you going to do that?!" She demanded as Marin walked out, jumped on his bike.

" Just put some faith in my on this Tikki?" Marin asked as he rode in the now-empty town.

As he walked into the Agreste estate, he saw the party was somewhat lively, but everyone was frowning. Suddenly, he felt someone rest their arm around his shoulder and he turned to see Nino, now Bubbler standing next to him.

"Hey, Marin. Would ya mind grabbing the birthday boy for us? Without him, this whole thing kinda falls apart.

Marin looked uncertain, "I just got here." He said as Nino guided him toward the front entrance. Are you sure you don't want to ask anyone else?"

" No no," Bubbler shook his head, placing something in Marin's hand. "I think you should be the one to see him, maybe check in the office the left first before his room."

"Uh, okay?" He said in confusion as Bubbler pushes him into the house, shutting the door behind him. "Hm." He opened the crumpled paper as he slowly pushed in the door to what appeared to be an office.

Marin's eyes widened as he saw the note he'd written that morning now in his hands, and the present he'd wrapped on someone's desk with another tag.

He picked up the present, resting the note.

" To Adrien, from Father…"

" Someone threw away your note and regifted what you made?!" Tikki observed, sounding mad. "Who would be so mean?"

But Marin hummed for a moment, taking out his note.

Adrien paced in his room, rubbing his ring as Plagg rested on his shoulder.

"What's your problem? Relax! You're getting the party you've always wanted." Plagg said in confusion at his partner. 

"But Nino's been Akumatized! I've gotta help him!" Adrien said. 

"You may never get this chance again!" Plagg reasoned, "C'mon, let's have a little fun while your father's away! Then we'll save Nino, trap his akuma, and once Ladybug pops up all will be good."

Adrien ran through everything horrible that could happen but came around at the thought of having a proper birthday partner. "Okay, you're right. This might be the only day in my life that I actually get to do what I want for once."

He opened the door quickly but hit something as he stepped out.

"Oh, Sorry-" Adrien apologized but is shaken as he laid his eyes on Marin.

"No, I ran into you." Marin insisted as the two glanced away from each other for an awkward moment. "So, you coming out?" He asked.

"Yeah, yeah, it's a party for me after all, right?"

"Right…"

"Is something wrong?"

"Nothing, just...enjoy yourself, Happy Birthday Adrien." Marin looked upset over something, but Adrien didn't want to press him as he simply followed him to the door.

"You're not coming?" Adrien asked.

"I'm not really, a… birthday party person." Marin admitted much to Adrien's confusion. But before he could inquire more about that, he was dragged away by Chloe who squeezed at the sight of him.

Adrien tried to dance among the crowd, walking up to Rose who looked sad. "Hey, nice party, I guess, since it's my first one." Rose smiled a little and giving him two thumbs up, but then kept dancing and looking sad. Adrien turned around and saw everyone dancing but with a grim expression. Well, everyone except for Chloe, who was talking to Bubbler about something before she rushed over and trapped him in an embrace.

" Is it me, or does everyone seem a bit weird?" He asked, looking around, but Chloe always focused his attention back on her.

"Forget about them, let's go dance!" She dragged him to the center, for a few moments they swayed together. But then he grew a little repulsed as she tried to kiss him again. Thank goodness for Alya who cut in, " Finders Keepers," She said, and that sent off Chloe who was annoyed by her.

"Thanks for that," Adrien said as Alya shook her head.

"It's alright, it looked like she was pushing out."

"Yeah," Adrien admitted, sighing.

Alya spoke up again. "You see Marin around?" she asked curiously.

"Not sure really, maybe still in the house?" He said, "He seemed kinda out of it."

"That boy..."She sighed heavily but perked up again as the music changed. " Ah well, I'm sure Ladybug and Cat Noir will show up in a minute to save us all. They never failed us."

All of a sudden, Adrien felt this overwhelming feeling of guilt at Alya's words.

"Marin!" Tikki complained as Marin couldn't help but wince at her tone, feeling extremely guilty.

"I know. But I figured, the Bubbler, he's not going anywhere; besides, Adrien deserves to have a birthday party. I promise we'll take care of it, but can't we just give him a little while?"

Tikki sighed. "You know you're being biased just because of Adrien right? You can't use him or anyone to justify not removing an Akuma's possessed. The longer you delay the problem the worse it's going to get."

"When you're right, you're right." Marin agreed, but something caught his attention across the yard as Bubbler approached Ivan. "Hold on a sec."

"Marin!" Tikki called out by was quieted by her friend closing his bag.

"Hey, Paris, how you doing?!" Adrien called out trying to reignite the crowd.

He raises the mike in excitement, but the people don't respond like he wanted. Bubbler took out his bubble wand, glaring at everyone threateningly, behind Adrien. Suddenly the energy picked up and Adrien smiled, happy that his friends were having fun.

As the crowd cheered Bubbler zeroed in on Ivan standing by himself with a scowl on his face. "Hey, you." Bubbler snapped. "Why aren't you having fun?"

"None of your business," Ivan said curtly.

"Then I'll make it my business." He chuckled taking out his bubble wand.

"Nino!" Marin takes his hand, stopping him from bubbling Ivan. "What're you doing?!"

"Buzzkills are real party killers, can't have the mode getting dunked on by one person."

"You've given Adrien his party. It's time for this to stop, there's only one person killing the mood." Marin retorted, trying to make his friends see reason.

"You're right about one thing." Bubbler said with a sinister smile kicking Marin back and swiftly trapping him in a green bubble.

There was panic erupting as Marin was bubbled while Bubbler turned against the crowd laughing like a maniac.

Adrien was shocked by the actions of his Akumatized best friend, dashing for his room and locking the door behind him.

"I think I've been a complete idiot."

"But you had fun didn't you?" Plagg asked still dancing but Adrien just looked away for a moment in guilt.

"Plagg, claws out!"

"Well, I'm in a bubble," Marin stated bluntly as he had to cover his eyes as he was gaining height, fast. "You can chide me now."

But Tikki instead hugged his cheek, "You always mean well, that's why you're a good Ladybug."

"I don't think it counts when I allow the problem to get this bad." He said half-heartedly.

Suddenly, he couldn't hear her voice anymore.

"Tikki?"

But there was no response.

He slowly uncovered his eyes, but his heart sank as all he could see were clouds. As well as noticing the bubble was shrinking due to his heavy breathing. "This is fine, that'll just be how I perish. In a bubble, floating above the city."

"Sorry to ruin your plans then."

"WAH-" Marin grasped his chest as he was shaken by the new voice. He turned to see Chat Noir wrapping his belt around the smaller bubble. "Chat Noir?!" He exclaimed in surprise as the cat-themed hero winked at him. He was balancing on his staff hundreds to thousands of feet above the city. "What are you doing?!" He asked still keeping his eyes covered.

"Do you trust me?" He asked.

"Are you going to let me fall?"

"No?"

"Then yes."

"Cataclysm!" He heard Chat Noir activate his power and for a moment there was nothing preventing him from falling to his demise. A terrifying moment later he was pressed against another, who he assumed was Chat Noir. Instinctively he wrapped his arms around the hero's neck, feeling something around his waist.

"Did you belt me to you?" He tried to confirm as he did not feel safe feeling a breeze against his face with practically nothing to support him.

"Do you have a problem with that?"

Marin couldn't help but tremble as he could hear birds fly by, whimpering a "No" as Chat Noir supported him by placing his arm under the back of Marin's legs.

"Hang on." Chat Noir said and reflectively Marin tightened his grip, now resting his head on the hero's shoulder. As they lowered towards the city at amazing speed Chat Noir tipped over his baton, landing on the streets. Marin was still holding onto him, trembling at the recent event.

"You're incredibly light, you know that?" Chat Noir remarked playfully as Marin opened his eyes, sighing in relief as his life didn't hang in the balance anymore. As his feet touched the ground, and Chat Noir removed the belt he turned towards the Hero with sincere eyes.

"Thank you Chat Noir."

"No problem."

They both turned to the scouts of screams as large bubbles began to rise from the courtyard.

"Oh no!" Chat Noir gasped as he sped towards where Bubbler was.

Tikki flew out immediately hugging Marin's face quickly, as he returns the gesture by placing his hand on her.

"No more wasting time. Tikki, spots on!"

In front of the mansion, Bubbler tried to get the party going again.

"Where is everybody? Get out there and party!" Bubbler called out but everyone had hidden once he turned on them.

"Sorry to burst your bubble," Chat Noir called out, resting his staff on his shoulders. "but the party's over."

Bubbler snarled towards him, "What's wrong with all you guys!? Why you gotta be such haters!?" He took out his bubble wand, quickly trapping every person in the courtyard in bubbles.

Cat Noir stared in shock as they all floated away, terrified for his friends' safety."NOOO!"

Bubbler merely laughed. "Outer space is the next stop for your precious peeps, and they're never coming back!" he then jumped to the other side of the courtyard and jumping into a bubble as he began heading towards the heart of the city.

Chat Noir snarled, preparing to extend his baton again. But was stopped as someone grabbed his hand from behind, he turned to see Ladybug, calm as ever. The presence of his partner somehow tempered his anger, allowing him to calm down as Ladybug placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We stop Bubbler, we save everyone." He said calmly.

" But…" Chat Noir faltered as he saw Ladybugs sincerity, something that never failed to reassure him. " Alright, I'll follow your lead."

The Bubbler jumps from the bubble to a platform on the Eiffel Tower. Ladybug and Cat Noir began jumping up the railing as Bubbler began tossing explosive bubbles at them. But Ladybug destroyed them before they even came close with his yo-yo, protecting his partner.

Bubbler grew angry at this turn of events. "Total party poopers, just like adults!" He scorned, jumping back as the two heroes reached the top. "Kids need freedom, fun, let loose and live it up. Adults are controlling and bossy."

"And what exactly do you call forcing those students to obey everything you said. Forcing them to have fun when all they were scared." Ladybug asked, swinging his yo-yo.

"That's different! I was doing it so my best friend could have a party!"

"The ends don't justify the means Bubbler. Even if some adults are bad, the rest care for their children." He informed as Chat Noir looked conflicted for a moment.

"He's right, you must bring the adults back!" Chat Noir supported as Bubbler just laughed.

"Nope, never. Know what, since you care so much about these adults, why don't you go float with them for a while?!" He created more bubbles around them from his bubble wand.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug threw up his yo-yo, and caught a large ladybug print wrench in his hands.

"Your... plumbing skill is gonna help us out?" Chat Noir asked as he deflected the bubbles with his staff. "

Ladybug shrugged it off, evading bubbles as he glanced around, his eyes lighting up as he found all he needed. "Chat Noir, hit high!" Ladybug said as Chat quickly turned around. He gained extra height on his jump as Ladybug boosted him up towards a high beam as his partner retreated to cover.

Chat Noir jumped from the beam towards Bubbler, keeping his attention as he threw a few punches and kicks his way, the villain evaded most of them, but all Chat Noir needed was a distraction. "Your form could use a little work! Is that all you got?!" He taunted.

Ladybug quickly began work, loosening a screw on a pipe that appeared to be ventilation. He removed the pipe and gained control of a powerful gust of air. He nodded and turned towards Chat Noir who found himself surrounded by bubbles and threatened by the Bubbler brandishing his wand.

"Chat Noir!"

"On it!" He called out. "Cataclysm!" AS he summoned his power, Ladybug blew away all the larger bubbles easily as Bubbler was distracted for a moment just as Chat Noir touched it. The item was destroyed and from it emerged the Akuma.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" He said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion.

Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

"Miraculous Ladybug!" He then threw the wrench up in the sky, and the Miraculous cleansing light returned everything to normal. Bubbler fell on his knees, the black smoke that once possessed now removed and he turned back to his normal self.

"Dude, what?" Nino questioned before he saw, Ladybug and Cat Noir bump their fists.

"Pound it!"

Ladybugs earrings beep, he pasts Nino shoulder as he walks past, jumping off the tower towards the city below.

"So, you're a cat?" Nino asked as he and Chat watched Ladybug leave.

Chat turned towards him with an amused expression, " That's what I'm told."

Adrien sat alone once more at the dinner table. He wished at least there was a birthday pie or something, maybe Marin's chouquettes? He craved for something sweet. But knew that if he told his father or Natalie about it again they'd refer him to his nutrition chart.

"A birthday present, from your father." He was surprised as Natalie laid an interesting looking box at his side on the table.

"For me?" He questioned at first,

"Thank you. I mean, please say thank you to my father for me." Nathalie simply nodded as Adrien quickly opened the gift his father gave, excited that he wasn't just given another small black box with a violet ribbon on it.

At school, Marin sat next to Nino who was blowing bubbles. The boy was lain back lazily. 

"Some party yesterday, huh?" He remarked as Nino squinted his eyes.

"Yeah, probably. Wish I could at least remember what I did yesterday…"

"You know, it was pretty alright until you tried to shoot me into space," Marin remarked to which Nino immediately turned his head in shock.

"I DID WHAT?!"

"Hey, guys!" Adrien called out as he stepped out of the a car, wearing a scarf.

Marin's eyes softened for a moment, then he turned away as Nino stood up, confused for a moment.

"Yo, nice scarf, Adrien. Very...stylish." Nino said lamely as Adrien shone with happiness, not noticing his friend's confusion.

"Yeah, can you believe my dad got this for me? He's so awesome after he's been giving me the same lame pen for three years in a row."

"Wow, I guess anyone can change." Nino faltered for a moment as he could see his friend's happiness radiating off of him. "Adults can be cool when you least expect it.

Adrien's mood dropped all of a sudden, "Speaking of adults, I know my father said you were a bad influence, but-"

Nino quickly placed his hand on Adrien's shoulder, flashing him a reassuring smile. "We're good, Adrien, don't sweat it. We're buds. Always and forever."

Adrien smiled as he pulled Nino in for a hug. Then noticing Marin sitting nearby, "Good Morning Marin." He said, a little hesitant.

"Here." Marin said handing over a white bag with his family's bakery logo on it. Adrien opened it and his eyes couldn't help but light up. "For me?"

"Yeah, Happy Birthday," Marin said even though it was belated. Adrien nodded his head gratefully as he walked inside first, leaving Nino and Marin to watch.

"Aren't you gotta tell him you were the one who knitted the scarf?" Nino asked as Marin turned towards him. "You can't tell me you're not the one who made it. You made me a really similar one last year."

Marin simply shrugged his shoulder. "Sometimes a gift is better coming from someone else. Besides, I don't want to spoil it for him we both know how his dad is."

Nino's eyes widen slightly as he pulled Marin in for a half hug, his face ran red as he hugged the taller boy. "Aw dude, you're too nice for your own good." He said still grabbing onto Marin's shoulder.

"Not really."

Chapter Text

The TV played through the room as Marin tried to find the small child he was supposed to be taking care of. 
“We started off with 5000 contestants. But with the help of our audience at home, we whittled our talent down to just these two amazing young ladies! So, let's welcome our fantastic finalists! To my right, Aurore Beauréal, and to my left, Mireille Caquet! Who will be the lucky winner? Vote now! Text 1 for Aurore and 2 for Mireille. And remember, standard text messaging rates apply.”

“Come on, Manon, no running in the house!” He called as the small child took the pink sunhat from his room. 

“ I wanna be a fashion designer too!!” Manon said happily as she jumped on the sofa. 

“Manon, please, it's not finished! You're gonna ruin it!” Marin practically begged but the child didn’t listen as she threw the hat across the room. 

Luckily, he caught is, looking it over to make sure that the stitching didn’t come undone. 
“I'm gonna vote for Mireille, she's the best!”  He immediately turned to see Manon trying to mess with his phone, but pouting as his phone didn’t work still broken from the first day. 

“Yoink!” He grabbed his phone from her, as she looked up at him in annoyance. 

“Hey!” Manon grumbled, instead grabbing the TV remote so she could watch the voting take place as Marin sat down at the kitchen table, resting his head for a moment. 

“Ughhh... Why did I agree to do this again?” He grumbled, as then Marin’s eyes were drawn towards his Kwami in the cookie jar. A wave of worry rushing over him as he gestured for her to stay out of sight. Though, he wondered if he should limit her cookie intake. 

“I can do this. It’s just one afternoon of babysitting, it’s not like it’s some Akuma attack.” He muttered to himself, then almost fell off his chair as the doorbell rang. Quickly he turned towards Manon who was glued towards the TV before Marin opened the living room door and down the stairs to reveal his best friend standing before him with excited eyes. 

“Alya-” 

“I got a huge scoop for you!”  Alya said, her excitement spilling over into her words. “Guess who's in the park doing photoshoot?” 

Marin thought for a moment in thought; a photoshoot in the park, Alya excited, she was trying to drag him along. 

A smile curled at his lips, “Ladybug?” 

Alya groaned in exasperation, “ I WISH. But no cutie, it’s your favorite person?” she prompted. 

“You’re already here.” 

“Boi!”

Marin giggled as Alya wrapped her arm around his shoulder, pulling him down to her size. “It’s Adrien!” 

Marin’s heart raced at the mere thought of their classmate, “Now? Adrien is in the park right now?”

Alya nodded, “As we speak! Come on. We're gonna stroll over there real cool and then you ask him out.” 

“A-Ask him out?” If it was possible, Marin’s face ran red even more so, reaching his ears. His mind racing. 

Then? I'll invite him out for a fruit smoothie at the end of the photoshoot! Then, we'll get married! Live happily ever after in a beautiful house and have two kids? No, three. And a dog! Maybe a cat? A hamster! I love hamsters! All three are so adorable.
Wait, no STOP. This is not possible!! 

“Let's just start with happen to be passing by and see if we can get to that smoothie,” Alya said. 

He blushed for a moment then sighing, “That’s so cool, you’re going to take pictures for me right? Well, after asking first.” 

Alya flashed him a confused look, “What are you talking about, we’re going, right now.” 

“Now?!” 

“YES. Do you have something better to do?!” Alya demanded to know as Marin glanced away. 

“Marin!” 

They both turned to see Manon standing on the stairs holding a ladybug doll that Marin had sewn together earlier that day. 

“Who’s this mini cutie?” Alya questioned taking interest in the small child, poking her cheeks playfully. 

“This is Manon, one of my mom's friends' daughters. I'm watching her all afternoon.” Marin said as he noticed Marin wanted him to pick her up. 

Alya smiled at her best friend knowingly, “Let me guess. Another "you couldn't say no" favor?”

“No, I just couldn't... say... no…” Marin smiled sheepishly. 

“ Look, no problem! I'll look after your little cutie for you, cutie.” She said booping his nose playfully. 

“Thanks, but I'm responsible for her... Besides, I couldn't do that to you. She's... “ Marin placed the small child down as she immediately ran into the bakery. “an absolute angel.” He said sarcastically, as a crash was heard. Marin suddenly panicked as he ran into the bakery. He and 

Alya saw Marin’s father now covered with flour as Manon laughed in amusement. 

“Sorry Papa! I’m taking Manon out right now!” He said, grabbing the child quickly. 

But Tom simply shrugged his shoulders, “Okay but take some snacks.” He said handing over a bad of day-old madeleines that was sitting nearby. Placed to the side as Marin usually asked for cookies to give to Tikki. 

He then turned back to Alya who held Manon in her arms with a knowing smile, “ Don’t worry about this one Marin, I have to babysit my sisters all the time. which makes me an expert in dealing with “angels”.”

“Who are you, anyway?” Manon questioned curiously. 

“I'm a mythical unicorn from the world of Reespa, disguised as a totally fabulous human girl! I grant magical wishes, but only to little monkeys who behave!”

Manon laughed happily, “No, you're not! ...Are you?” 

“Hmmm, who knows.” Alya teased. “Okay, let's all go to the park!” She said as Manon cheered. 

“Wait just one second! I have to grab something.” Marin said, quickly running up the stairs. 
He popped his head into the kitchen, lowering his voice, “Tikki! Where are you?” He opened the cookie jar, seeing that the fresh batch of 2 dozen chocolate chip was already gone. 

“Tikki!” Marin called out a little louder, eyeing his messenger bag on the sofa. He opened, sighing as he saw his Kwami curled up in his spare fabrics, eyes opened up wide as she glanced up at her partner. “You’re lucky you’re so cute sugarcube.” He said shouldering his bag over his head so it rested soundly as he ran down the stairs. 

“Bravo! That's it! Give me the smile when your mom brings in spaghetti! Okay! And now, Oh no! Mama dropped the spaghetti! And now, you have to eat the spaghetti off the floor! Oh yes, you're angry! Show me angry, yes, yes, yes!” 
Adrien simply posed naturally as his photographer ranted on. He always tried to follow what Vincent said, but mostly he just smiled and did what came naturally. 

“MARIN I WANT A BALLOON!!” His attention was diverted as spotted a few of his classmates also in the park. Marin alongside Alya and a small child, probably his younger sibling by the way she pulled his arm. 

“Aye!” Adrien snapped back to attention as Vincent called to him. His photographer then had a pensive expression as he tried to frame another shot. Circling around a few times, but still didn’t have a content look on his face. 

“Is there something wrong?” Adrien asked. 

“Hmmmmm, the shot isn’t right, something off. Take a break.” He said, and Adrien sighed as a smile overtook him, wanting to spend some time people other than instructors or people hired by his father. 

“Come on, monkey, I'll get you that balloon!” Alya said trying to prompt the kid away from her friend. 

The small child then grabbed onto Marin’s leg, throwing a tantrum. “No! I wanna go with Marin!”

Marin simply gave Alya a reassuring smile, “It’s alright, I’ll take her.” 

“And then we’ll go on the merry go round right?!” Manon asked expectantly, 

“Yes yes, we can do that too.” Marin reassured, taking her hand “Let’s go.” 

“But-” 

“Hey Alya.” Adrien greeted as Alya turned towards him with a panicked expression. 

“Adrien!” She looked for Marin but he was already buying the balloon, then sighed as Manon dragged him towards the merry go round. 

“Marin, I want a balloon with Mireille on it! Can I? Can I?” Manon asked, giving Marin adorable puppy dog eyes. 

“Don’t you like Aurore?” Marin asked, but almost immediately Manon shook her head. 

“No way, Mireille is nicer!” 

Marin hummed for a moment as he took the balloon from the vendor, paying him the money just before he handed it to Manon. She laughed happily, running around him once before then grabbing his hand. 

“Now the Merry Go round Marin!”  

She dragged him along as he glanced back at Alya, seeing his best friend sitting next to Alya on a bench under a shady tree. He couldn’t help but feel envious at his friend, how lucky was she? 

“Marin!” Manon prodded again. 

But he was lucky too, in a sense. 

“Alright alright I’m coming!” 

“Marin looks like he’s having fun, is that his sister?” Adrien asked, but Alya shook her head. 

“Nah, that’s just a girl he’s babysitting. He’s still adjusting to childcare, I guess.” Alya said with some uncertainty. 

“Doesn’t seem like that to me,” Adrien said as he observed the little girl smiling happily as she received attention from her babysitter. 

“So how’s your modeling going? Your photographer seems interesting.” Alya said as she noticed the man still walking around the park. 

“It’s going alright, Vincent’s just trying to get some inspiration, but honestly I’m kinda worn out.” 

“Magnifico! Super! Come on now, I want to see hunger in your eyes! The boy has eaten too much spaghetti! Ugh, we need more energy! More romance!” 
Both teens’s attention was grabbed as the photographer suddenly popped up before them, filled with excitement. 

“Romance?” Alya questioned. 

“Sì! To pose with Mr. Adrien!” He said expressly. 

“Hah! You don't want me, I... uhh...I don’t photograph well!!” Alya suddenly said, “But I know who does, I’ll be right back!!”  

Alya intentionally crashed into Marin, holding his arm just as he placed Manon on the unicorn on the merry go round, holding the ballon so Manon could hold the horse. “Marin, they need an extra to pose with Adrien, and you’re lined up!” 

“What? How did that happen?” He questioned, but Alya brushed him off. 

“Details. All you need to do is walk over there and smile, cutie!” She insisted. 

“Is that boy your boyfriend?” Manon questioned as the two teens glanced towards her. 

Marin immediately denied it, “What? No, I mean..yeah, no.” 

Alya then pushed him off the merry go round, “Times wasting, what are you waiting for?”

Marin gave her an uncertain expression, “But, what about Manon?”

“You just take care of our Charmer, Prince. I'll take care of Miss Unicorn here.” Alya said climbing onto the unicorn. Unfortunately, Manon didn’t appreciate her babysitter no longer spending time with her, throwing a tantrum almost immediately. 

“No way, Marin's my babysitter!

“Trust me. Unicorns unite! Let's go to Rispa and find us some sad little village kids and grant those wishes! Yee-haw!” 

“Yee-haw!” Manon shouted happily as Alya gave Marin a thumbs up. 

Marin smiled, then walking over to Adrien with a red face. He was certain that Adrien would be disappointed but Adrien smiled at him. Just as he was about to say something, the photographer stared closely at his face. 

“Have you done modeling before?” He asked suddenly. 

“Uh, no?” Marin said, taking a step back, placing his hands up defensively. But the next thing he knew, in his hands, was a business card. 

“If you ever decide you need a set of photos or want to model call me. It’s on the house for Mr.Adrien’s friends.” The photographer marketed, “Now sit sit sit!!” He beckoned as he sat Marin right next to Adrien. “Agreste, please set up up the shot while I adjust the lighting.” He asked as he turned towards Adrien’s bodyguard. 

“The shot?” Marin questioned as Adrien turned towards him. 

“He’s just asking you to relax, essentially.” Adrien explained. “These shots are just stock photos, so just smile.” 

“Ah...smile?” Marin questioned, fiddling with his bangs, grasping his pants nervously. He swore he could hear thunder, but there was no thunder storm in this morning's weather report...but all outside thoughts quickly faded as Adrien placed his hand over his. 

He smiled happily, effectively turning Marin’s brain to mush. Reflexively he tried to cover his reddened face, but that only endered Adrien to smile reassuringly. 

All of a sudden, there were shrill screams and a sudden gust of wind. Reflexively, Marin pushed Adrien out of the way as he was slammed against the gate. 

“ Ow…” 

He lifted his head to see someone hovering over him, an evil looking girl holding an umbrella. She looked furious, immediately destroying the balloon. 

“Hey!”

“Maybe you should get blown away just like the rest!” She threatened, “How dare you vote for that poser!!” 

Marin looked confused for a moment, “You mean Mireille?” 

“Of course! Who else would I be talking about?!” 

“How about you talk about me?” 

Both turned to see Chat Noir sitting atop the gate with a sly grin. “What's with all the terrorizing? Why don't you pick on someone your own temperature ice queen." 

“My name is not Ice Queen! It's Stormy Weather!” Stormy Weather yelled out. 

“Listen. I'm feline more generous than usual today. So cool down and we'll call it quits, 'kay?” Chat Noir recommended, but Stormy Weather glanced at him for a moment before using her umbrella to send him flying.  

Enough time for Marin to sneak away and transform behind a pillar. 

“Waaaaaahhh!” Chat Noir was sent flying across town, but was saved from hitting the concrete as he felt himself getting wrapped up in a wire using a nearby lamp post as leverage to send him flying in the opposite direction. This time into his partner’s arms as Chat Noir was able to catch his breath, relieved at the sight of his comrade. 

“Why thanks, my Ladybug, but I had it covered.” He said offhandedly as Ladybug placed him back on his feet, then almost immediately scanning the stormy skies for their enemy. 

“Already down to business I see, Bugaboo.” Chat Noir said, trying out a new pet name. But Ladybug didn’t respond at all, causing Chat Noir’s ears to droop slightly. But immediately drew his guard as Stormy Weather appeared before them. 

“We should be expecting lightning storms like right NOW!” The villainess held her parasol up as lighting struck down from the sky. Ladybug acted quickly, saving his partner once more, the momentum then sending the two tumbling down the street. 

Cat Noir lands on top of Ladybug, gasping for a moment as his face reddened, not used to being so close to his partner’s face. It was nice, being at the same level as him, able to properly admire the blueness of his always serious eye just before Ladybug pushed him off. Quickly grabbing his hand so the two could properly battle. 

“Ohhh what’s the matter? Not feeling any sparks?” Stormy Weather mocked 

Cat Noir cracked his neck from all the sudden movement. “You just won yourself a cat fight!” Running towards their enemy without any regard towards Ladybug. 

“Chat Noir wait!” 

Stormy Weather casted another spell “Black ice!” Using her parasol to coat the street with ice followed up by another wind blast. Both Chat Noir and Ladybug were knocked back through the air, along with several vehicles. 

Midair, Ladybug used his yo-yo to grab Chat Noir, pulling him close as they tumbled backward together. On flat ground, he swung his yo-yo quickly seeing a bus about to fall on them, as he still held Chat Noir. His yo-yo a circular hole on the side of the bus, successfully saving them. 

But accidentally hit Chat Noirs head as he slowed down his speed. Ladybug bowed his head apologetically as Chat Noir rubbed the bruise. 

As Chat Noir helped him out of the bus, they both saw Stormy Weather on one of the big screen tv’s behind a glass window. 

“Hello, viewers! Here's the latest forecast for the first day of summer. Looks like Mother Nature had a change of plans. Summer vacation is officially over!” 

“Already? But I  was really looking forward to seeing you in a swimsuit.” He tried teasing, glancing at Ladybug with a smile, wiggling his eyebrows.  But was once again deterred by LAdybug’s laser focus as he was scanning the tv. He nodded once, swinging his yo-yo once more and heading to the rooftops. 

“Hey! Wait for me!” Chat Noir called out as he quickly followed him, using his bo staff to help elevate him. 

Ladybug and Cat Noir entered the TV studio together, weapons in hand. Ladybug took note of the cardboard standee of Aurore his eyes widening at what was in her hand when the lights suddenly went off. 

Ladybug was blind, his hands were out in front of him as he tried to find any light source, but was useless. 

“Hey!”  Chat Noir on the underhand, was undeterred by the lack of light, growing defensive as he saw Stormy Weather try and sneak up on his Ladybug from behind, using the cover of darkness. “Hands off my Bug!” 

Stormy Weather merely laughed as she flew out of the room. 

 “Frosty the Snowgirl's getting away!”Cat Noir informed following her but turned back as he heard Ladybug had tripped over some fallen lights. 

“Oh, do I hear a damsel in distress?” He asked playfully as he helped up his partner, helping to guide him through the darkness, hands clasped together. 

Ladybug trusted Chat Noir to guide them both through the building, even evading various debris through at them. When they finally reached the top of the building, Stormy Weather was there waiting for them. 

“You airheads! You fell right into my trap!” She mocked, as a whirlwind appeared at the end of her parasol, threatening to suck them up. 

Ladybug narrowed his eyes, letting go of Chat Noir’s hand, to throw up his yo-yo. “Lucky Charm!!” 
“A bath towel? Great. So, we're about to be obliterated, but... At least we'll be dry.” He observed, taking out his baton as Ladybug looked around. 

Ladybug nodded as he came up with a plan. 

“Hail!” 

Just as he was about to react, Cat Noir pulled him back and began spinning his staff to protect them from the hail. 

“So what's the plan for getting the Akuma back? My arm's starting to get a cramp!” 

Ladybug responded almost immediately, “See that sign over there? Take it out!”

Cat Noir smoked in amusement, “No problem. All right. Cataclysm! (to Stormy Weather) Hey, Coldilocks! Is that all you got?

Together they used their surroundings against Stormy Weather, and Ladybug broke the parasol in his hands. 

“No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" He said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. 

Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. “Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!” He threw the towel in the air, fixing everything that Stormy Weather had destroyed after getting Akumatized. The skies cleared and Aurore turned back to normal, 

“Uh, what am I doing up here?” She questioned as Chat Noir and Ladybug pounded fists. 

“Pound it!” 

Back at the park Marin sneezed from the previous cold weather, now worried that he could catch a cold. 

“Hey, there's the photographer and Adrien waiting for you!” Tikki said, already having finished off the cookies, again. 
But Marin shook his head, “It’s probably too late, he looks exhausted.” 
“So do you!” Tikki pointed out. 

“Come on, Marin. You saved Manon, Alya, and the whole world for that matter. Have some fun!” 

While walking into the park he didn’t know he’d walked into a hug from Manon as she was freed from her previous ice prison. 

“Marin you’re okay!” Manon said happily, as Alya stood next to her. “Where were you?” 

He knelt down in front of the small child, smiling at her adorableness. “I was blown away by the wind all the way to China.” He exaggerated as his best friend rolled her eyes in amusement. 

But Manon stared at him in amazement, “Really really?!”

“I hope not.” Adrien suddenly said walking up towards them with a smile, “Would hate to never see you again after you saved me back there.” he said winking playfully. “Vin is still set up if you wanna take those photos with me.” He asked. 

Which effectively caused Marin to shut down, simply standing there with a red face. “Uh, I-” 

“Marin, can I have a lollipop? Can I? Can I? Can I?” She asked, as he simply sighed.  

“Sorry Adrien, I-” Marin began, but immediately he was cut off as Vincent spotted little Manon.

“Perfecto! She’s perfect for the set!” Vincent said excitedly, to which Manon as well grew enthusiastic. “Will you please model with Mr.Adrien little dear?” He asked kindly to which she nodded rapidly. 

Adrien smiled at her, shaking her small hand professionally as she ran ahead with Alya. Marin sighed, happy that Manon was having fun, but was taken off guard as Arien approached him. 

“I hope we can take a raincheck on those photos, Marin.” He asked, to which Marin nodded once, wondering how anyone else could stand Adrien’s pure radiance. The two walking together towards their friends. 

Chapter Text

“Hang on, 'cause we're going for a ride. Freak out! What you got here is no ordinary book, it's a tenth-grade history book. And I should know, 'cause I've got this very same book. Could our very own Ladybug be a high school student, in real life?!” Alya exclaimed in excitement 

Adrien stared at the post in amazement, turning towards his Kwami sitting on the bed.”That's crazy! What are the odds that we have the same textbook? Maybe we even go to the same school!”

“Why bother yourself with possibilities when you could be enjoying this? Reality.” Plagg remarked tossing a piece of cheese in his mouth. 

Adrien chuckled, “For one, Ladybug probably smells about a thousand times better than that cheese. And for sure he’s much better-looking.

Plagg glared at him for a moment, “You smell like Camembert and I’m not one to complain.” He said gorging himself on an entire wheel as Adrien simply sighed as his Kwami’s antics. 

“ My only loss is my appetite,” Adrien commented looking back at the video, wondering if Ladybug saw these vlogs as well. 

Marin had his head in his hands as Tikki replayed his best friend’s latest blog post. Not even lifting his head as Tikki tried to console her partner by offering him a brownie. 

“This is fine.”

“ Can you believe it? All I gotta do is find to do who this history book belongs to and BAM, I 
figure out Ladybug's true identity! I'm so on this one!” Alya exclaimed as they walked through the Louvre. 

Marin glanced at her friend warily. “You really think you could figure out who Ladybug is from a textbook that every high school student owns?”

Alya nodded, “Yep. 'Cause our school is the only school that uses that book! HA! So, all I gotta do is find out which dude in tenth grade lost his history book last week. There are fifty-five guys, not counting you-” 

“You’re really counting me with everyone else?” Marin questioned, hesitantly. “You really think I could be Ladybug?” He half-joked, while the other half was screaming internally. 

Alya giggled as she elbowed Marin in the side, “ You know I can’t be biased with a friend. After all there was a certain someone who didn't have their textbook in class yesterday.”

Marin blushed in embarrassment, “You know how scatterbrained I can get.” 

Alya eyed him suspiciously for a moment, as Marin stopped walking. “What is it? Is there something in hair again?!” He asked then messed up his hair even further, reminding her of how a hamster groomed itself. 

But his friend only smiled, “Only reminding myself how cute you are.” She said trying to fix his hair. “Of course I'll only drop you from my investigation when you bring your history book back to class.”

“Excuse me!” Someone called from behind them as they suddenly crashed together. Papers were sent flying as well as a medallion that Marin eyed. Quickly, the man zeroed in on the jewelry “It's not broken!” He exclaimed in relief. 

“Uh, we’re okay too, thanks for asking,” Alya remarked in annoyance as Marin helped her up, then handing over the loose papers he had gathered. 

“I'm sorry. Hey, you're in the same grade as Alix, right? I'm her older brother, Jalil Kubdel. So you're into Tutankhamun too?” His attention was then stolen by someone else approaching, as he walked towards Alix’s, his father. “Dad!”
Alya shook her head, “And you think you’re the scatterbrained one.” She remarked as Marin glanced away sheepishly, “Weird. So again, why are we here? All I see are dead people and old relics.” 

“Well, uh…” Marin gently tapped his bag, “An acquaintance of mine told me about this, but uh, we have to find it on our own to confirm it!” He blurted out suddenly as Alya sighed. 

“So you’re telling me, we have to look for something, and I can’t know what it is we’re looking for?” She questioned. 

“You’ll know it when you see it!” He quickly said walking over to some old stone tablets as Alya took out her phone, looking bored. “Tikki, help me!” He harshly whispered as his Kwami popped out with crumbs on her face. 

Alya only sighed again as Marin scanned the papyrus. 

“Hm?” Her attention was grabbed by someone else approaching, a large person with the face of a hawk. Resembling one of the stone carvings in the exhibit. Immediately, Alya lifted her phone towards this person who reached for the staff of Tut behind the glass. 

“Hey, you! No touching the exhibits!!” A security guard yelled walking towards the golden being. 

“Thoth, give me time!” The person said as their face warped into a jackal, trapping almost every civilian in golden bubbled that made them slow down. “Get out of here, faster!” The person said in a booming voice as the only civilians left were Marin and Alya. 

“OMG. Coming to you live, Ladyblog viewers, I'm at the scene even before Ladybug or Cat Noir with my best friend! This is insane!” Alya harshly whispered as Marin simply stared at her in disbelief. Just before they noticed the golden being standing over them with a staff in his hand. 

Adrien watched in shock as Alya caught Marin getting grabbed by the Pharaoh and getting tossed in a sarcophagus. While he turned his attention towards the recorder.
“No time to waste. Plagg, claws out!!” 

“You know that's considered stealing,” Alya called out as Pharaoh stood before her. Though she was worried about her friend, knowing all too well about Marin’s claustrophobia. 

“ Your face. Fate has placed you on my path. Come with me!” He quickly grabbed her, easily slings her over his shoulder like a sack and then walking towards the locked gate where someone was already waiting. 

“Hey! Hands off the threads. I can walk myself!” She yelled, struggling against her captor. \

“Sekhmet, give me your strength! (His face changes once more, this time into a cat as used his strength to bend the bars, 

“Sorry, but this town isn’t big enough for two kitties,” Chat Noir remarked cooly just as he tried to attack the Pharaoh, but instead he was caught, being held like a kitten just before he was tossed into the coffin. 

Just before that happened, Marin successfully opened the lid, breathing some fresh air before he saw a cat being tossed at him. 

“WAHHH-” 

“OW!!” Marin yelped out as the hero slammed again him, trapping them both in the coffin together this time. 

“Uh, good evening?” Chat Noir greeted in complete blackness as Marin groaned in displeasure, now re stuck in the stone sarcophagus. 

The Pharaoh threw Alya to the ground just outside the Louvre. 

“Hey!” She complained but was ignored. 

“ Anubis, bring me, mummies!” His face morphed into that of a jackal as beams of light shoot from his eyes, transforming civilians into mummies. “Soon, we'll be together again, my Nefertiti! My long-lost love!”

“ This is gonna be one major scoop! “ Alya remarked, tapping the Pharaoh’s shoulder,” Uh, excuse me, Pharaoh, but, uh, what exactly is going on?”

“I'm going to carry out the secret spell, to bring Nefertiti back!”

“Ahh, hmmm. Gotcha! Lost loves and all that, very romantic.” 

“Indeed,” The Pharaoh rumbled as the mummies began to approach,” The one hundred mummies and the offering!”

“Offering?” Alya questioned, “What offering?”

“An offering to persuade the sun god Ra to give me my sweet princess, I must give him something in return. A pure soul!”

“ Dude, that's hard to come by.

“But I've already found her! You look so much like her!”

Alya was stunned as the Pharaoh gestured towards the papyrus and an image of someone that did resemble her right down to her beauty mark. “This is heckin crazy!” She said as a wave of excitement washed over her, “And I have a front-row seat!!”  

Marin sighed, as he could feel Chat Noir trying to turn over so they were both on their sides, faced towards each other, but along the way, was scratched again by his claws. “Seriously?!” 

“Cut me a break here!” He complained, “You’re the one who said I shouldn’t use my Cataclysm! Don’t you want to save your girlfriend?!”

“Why waste it? If I could get out of here by myself, we can do it easily together. Besides, Alya can take care of herself. Also, she is not my girlfriend.” 

“If you say so, she seems like a brave gal.” Chat noir remarked as they both pushed against the lid. 

“If by brave, you mean bossy, feisty, and stubborn as all heck? Yup, that's her!” Marin heaving the last of his strength only to get blinded by the ceiling, as he gasped for breath. 

Cat Noir jumped out first, helping out his classmate as Marin fell to his knees. 

“If I know her, then Alya's got a live stream on her blog.” 

“Of course!” Chat Noir remarked, “You got a phone?” But Marin shook his head. 

“Mine broke a while ago.” That comment made Chat Noir flatten his ears, remembering that he had a hand in that whole ordeal. 

“Well, you’d better hide, as soon as Ladybug comes, we’ll save everyone for sure.” He said, then noticed the unintentional scratches he left on Marin’s clothes. “Sorry about that by the way.” 

“Don’t worry about it.” Marin said standing up. 

Chat Noir only nodded as he ran through the hole left by Pharaoh as soon as he was out of sight Tikki flew up. 

“Well, that was too close for comfort.” She remarked and Marin simply nodded. 

“It’s gonna take both of us to take this guy out. But first-” He said eyeing Alya’s backpack. 

Chat Noir reached the front as he fell into a trap, easily caught by the mummies and brought to the Pharaoh. 

“Hey! This is animal abuse!” He retorted as the Pharaoh lifted his head up, he radiated anger at the sight of the hero. 

“Chat Noir, if you’re here…”  He turned towards his horde of mummies, “ Bring forth the offering!!” 

“Hey hey now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves!” Chat Noir said, almost 

“Whoa, back up! Who's that goddess chick with the black spots! There, on your papyrus!” She called out as Pharaoh grew angry.

“My sworn enemy! My nemesis may have kept me from carrying out my ritual 5000 years ago, but she will not stop Nefertiti from coming back to me this time!” 

“Did you say... Ladybug 5000 years ago?! And Goddess?” She glanced at him in confusion. 

“Oh, sacred Ra, God of the sun, I Pharaoh, offer to thee a pure soul! The sacrifice for the return of Nefertiti!” The Louvre pyramid light up, and as the Pharaoh spoke, a beam into the sky that started spreading darkness all over Paris.”I bow to you, and present this gift with my mummies! In company, we pray to you the safe return of princess Nefertiti! Awaken, Nefertiti! Awaken! Awaken, Nefertiti! Awaken!” The mummies chanted alongside 

“Chat Noir, you may have opposed me thousands of years ago. But now you’ll serve to be Ladybug’s undoing. Where the pet runs, the master will follow.” Pharaoh remarked smugly as Chat Noir stared at him. 

“Listen bud, you’ve been out of the loop so let me explain. I am not a pet, and Ladybug and I are a team.” He explained but was irked as Pharaoh turned his back towards him. Clearly unimpressed at the hero that was captured. 

On the roof nearby Ladybug looked over the situation; Alya about to be sacrificed to the sun, Chat Noir captured but still able to fight, an of mummies, and an all-powerful God with a pantheon at his disposal. Using his yo-yo he was able to zoom in towards Pharaoh, eyeing a familiar pendant around that was hanging around his neck. 

“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug said. And from it dropped a box. One holding a Ladybug costume, complete with earings and yo-yo. He suddenly got an idea. 

Chat Noir used his claws to cut through the bandages, just about to set himself free when he heard Alya call out. 

“Ladybug!” 

Seeing Ladybug save Alya from the light, and sliding down towards the entrance of the Louvre. He dropped the girl to her feet, as she ran behind a few trash cans, still recording for her blog.

“What are you doing? Get out of here!” Chat Noir called out. 
 
“Not until Ladybug destroys the pendant containing the Akuma, and turns everything back to normal!” Alya argued back as Chat Noir sighed in exasperation. 

“Ladybug! I’ve waited over 5000 years to exact my revenge.” 

But Ladybug narrowed his eyes, seemingly taking off his earrings in response. 

“What are you doing?!” Chat Noir called in a panic, but his unease was replaced with confusion as Ladybug smirked, throwing up the miraculous. Pharaoh immediately reacted, both of them sprinting towards the magic items, but Ladybug was much more agile. He jumped on Pharaoh’s shoulders, flipping off and using the momentum to throw something towards Chat Noir’s way. 

“A toy?!” Pharaoh observed as he looked more closely at what he believed were the miraculous. 

Chat Noir broke free activating his power just before catching the pendant. With the Akuma flying around the Pharaoh reverted back to his normal form. 

“What happened?” Jalil questioned as everyone else turned back into normal people, looking confused as he had a pair of earrings in his hand. 

“May I?” Ladybug asked, kneeling down for a moment, "Maybe try not to incite powerful magic spells next time." He recommended as Jalil nodded in embarrassment, handing them over quickly. 

“No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. 

Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. “Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!” 

Ladybug sighed, placing his hand on his racing heart, glad for a moment of quiet- 

“Thank you for saving us Ladybug! But, uh, I still gotta ask: how old are you, really? Why did you have a tenth-grade textbook? Are you actually a goddess because, no offense because you look like a dude, but then again your name is Ladybug so-” 

“Miss, he’s already gone.” Chat Noir informed as Alya looked around. 

“Dang It!” She crossed her arms in annoyance then sighed in exasperation. 

“Yup, I know the feeling. Love watchin’ him work but hate to see him leave.” Chat Noir commented, resting his head on his baton. 

Alya grinned at the mischievously, holding up her phone.”In a sec, it looks like you’ll be in the opposite situation if you stick around.” as she said that Chat Noir’s ring beeped, notifying him that he was about to transform back soon. 

Cat Noir immediately ran in the other direction, using his baton to lift him on the rooftops out of sight as Alya laughed. 

“What happened to you?” Alya questioned as Marin handed back her bag. 

“Well, after I got out of the coffin, I hid.” Marin said bluntly as Alya giggled. 

“That’s my boy.” Ayla said guiding him out of the exhibit, but she stopped for a moment, checking her bag. “Hey, the book!” 

“What’s wrong?” Marin asked. 

“The history book, it was in my bag. Now it’s gone…” She pulled out a post-it note with a ladybug drawn on, as well as a note that read. [Thanks for finding this for me] 

Immediately Marin covered his ears as Alya squealed. “I got Ladybug’s autograph!” She jumped up and down a few times before wrapping her arms around Marins’ neck, hugging him tightly. “If it hadn't been for you I'd never have gotten this, found out that Ladybug is at least 5000 years old, on top of being saved-” 

“Wait, hold on a second,” Marin backtracked for a moment, still in mid hug. “5000 years old?” 

“Yeah, can you believe it? Apparently that Pharaoh dude knew their past lives or something, he even has an illustration in the exhibit. I’m totally coming back tomorrow to blog about this, and then” Alys gripped her fist in determination. “I’ll get the ultimate scoop, a live interview!”

Marin could only smile at his friend’s determination, though internally he was cringing at anyone paying that much attention to him. Even if she was his best friend. 

“I still don't get it though, what was he doing with that tenth-grade history textbook?” She asked pulling away with a questioning look. 

“ Uh, he... probably had to find out what's been going on for the past 50 centuries, or something…” 

“That can’t be it, when Hawkmoth popped up, they did too. Oh,” Her eyes lit up, “He’s probably been hanging around for centuries, taking on different identities.” 

Marin was dressed in his pajamas, a simple black tank top with pink spotted white pants with a book in his hand that showed the papyrus from the exhibit. Tikki sat on his shoulder munching on the last brownie. 

“I don't get it. I know I'm not 5000 years old, so... who exactly was that Ladybug in the papyrus?” 

Tikki smiled in melancholy.”She was the ladybug of that age, one of the great Ladybug’s that I served.  Kwamis like me and superheroes like you have always existed!” 

“So...that was you in the papyrus?” Marin asked turning towards his Kwami.

“What do you think?” 

Marin narrowed his eyes “You don't look 5000 years old, you’re a little too cute for that.” 

Tikki giggled, “Well, I'm not! I'm older than that! I'm the kwami who's watched over every single Ladybug since the very beginning!” 

“You must have known much less klutzy Ladybugs than me, right?” Marin asked, stretching out on his bed as Tikki hovered over him. 

“Every Ladybug is different, Marin.” 

Marin’s eyes grew lidded, “That's what I thought.” He said as he recognized the tone. The - different meaning worse- tone. 

But Tikki saw the expression on his face, “Marin, you are different. But different as in surprising, unpredictable and endearing. You’re a fast learner, you’re efficient in purifying Akuma’s. But more importantly,” Tikki hovered closer to his face, “ No Ladybug before has made me treats that taste this good.” She said happily, finishing off her brownie. 

Marin chuckled, “Really?

Tikki nodded, “Of course.” Resting on Marin’s hand as he kissed her a goodnight kiss on her forehead. Then the small Kwami laid down on his chest, as her partner pulled up the blanket. 

“Good night sugarcube.” 

“Good night Marin. Also, you’re the only male Ladybug I’ve been partnered with.” 

“Wait- what?!” 

Chapter Text

Ladybug landed nearby his home, transforming back to Marin on an empty street. Tikki sat on the inside of his collar, looking up at her partner. "Good work today." She complimented noticing Marin's lidded eyes.

"Ugh, don't remind me. I can't believe I missed so much school. Ugh, I didn't realize how demanding this job would be." He remarked rubbing his sore muscles as he walked into the family. Luckily the shop was empty, save his mom as Tikki moved to hide in his jacket pocket.

"Welcome home," his mother called as he walked over to her seeing that her eyes lit up when he walked in.

Marin grumbled a hello as she kissed his cheek, gently touching the bags under his eyes. "You're so tired these days, are you feeling alright?" Her happiness turned into concern as she pressed her forehead against his instinctively, lifting herself on her toes.

" I'm alright, just sleepy mama."

"Alya dropped off your bag today, you're lucky to have such a nice friend." His mom said handing him his messenger bag, she sighed with a thoughtful smile on her face, "You seem so forgetful these days. Maybe you just need some fresh air and extra exercise for that growing brain of yours!"

Marin laughed dryly as before he kissed his mother on her cheek "Good idea, ma. I'll start tomorrow."

Back into his room all he wanted to do was crash and sleep for 1000 years, but sadly, there was homework to get through. Taking out his tablet he noticed a note stuck to it, recognizing Alya's handwriting.

"Hm?" He cocked his head curiously for a moment, taking off the note. "What's this? "Call me. I know who the real Ladybug is"?!" His eyes widened slightly as Tikki flew around, panicked.

"No way! You think she knows?!" His Kwami asked, but then calmed down as she could see that Marin wasn't as frazzled as she was, landing on the palm of his hand.

"Calm down," Marin tried to reassure, "You know Alya as well as I do. If she knew, we wouldn't even be having this conversation."

Tikki shuddered at the thought, "You can never reveal your secret identity to anyone."

Marin chucked at his Kwami, cuddling her close. "I know sugar cube." He then placed her on his shoulder. He glanced towards his broken phone sitting on his desk and simply send Alya an email saying that he'd meet in class tomorrow. Then began his homework.

"It's not cool to look in other people's lockers Nino. Even if it is Chloé." Adrien commented as Nino slumped down, clearly feeling guilty about Alya. Nino only flashed him a glance as then Marin rushed into the room heavily breathing and looking frazzled as always.

"Marin, if you're going to come late, would you please do it discreetly?" Miss Bustier requested looking over her shoulder.

"Sorry. Ma'am." Marin apologized taking a seat behind Nino today as he leaned down towards him, whispering, "What happened to Alya?"

"She's been suspended…" Nino explained, turning his head towards him.

"What?" Marin harshly whispered, looking for an explanation.

"The short story? Accused of breaking into Chloé's locker. She said something about Ladybug being a Goddess and seeing Ladydbug's yo-yo in her locker. And you know how she gets with these kinda things..."

Marin's eyes widened as he planted his head on his desk, knowing exactly what Nino was talking about. Marin grimaced to himself, Chloé being mistaken for him? Maybe Alya wasn't Ladybug's biggest fan after all.

"Last I saw she ran away before her parents had a chance to come by. I only got off because Chloé made a big deal about her taking a picture of her locker."

"But that's not fair, she doesn't deserve to be suspended over that." Marin retorted.

"I know, it's way uncool," Nino remarked as then Adrien turned towards him.

Adrien then turned towards Nino, whispering "What are you talking about?"

"Exactly what I said, bro. Alya says Chloé is Ladybug, but if you ask me, she's just getting desperate trying to find a lead on Ladybug's identity."

"But Ladybug's a dude?" Adrien remarked as if he were stating the obvious.

"That what I told her, but again, she was saying stuff about Ladybug being a Goddess and how she can't leave any stone unturned, and how maybe Ladybug is also a shapeshifter- The point is. She's suspended, and there's no way Chloé is Ladybug.

Adrien turned his head towards his childhood friend as she winks at him flirtatiously. He cringed at the thought of his partner being a, quite frankly, mean-spirited person. After all, he saw Ladybug save Chloé their second day as heroes, he couldn't have been two places at the same time if Stoneheart had her in his clutches while Ladybug was saving him. Unless...

Adrien glanced down at his ring, wondering for a moment.

There was a Miraculous of creation and destruction, and Ladybug had the one of creation. Was it possible to use his to create duplicates? It wasn't as though he knew the power extent of Ladybug's Miraculous, they barely even talked about it. So if there was a small sliver of evidence, Chloé seemingly having that yo-yo was definitely too strange to overlook. After all, he'd known her since they were kids, and Chloé was not the type to keep toys lying around school.

Suddenly, the computer screen lights up, revealing a new villainess before the whole class before their eyes on anything with a screen. Right next to her was their principal looking scared as his captor spoke with a happy tone in her voice.

"I'm Lady Wifi, revealer of the truth! For our first exposé, your principal would like to share a little tidbit with you. So, Mr. Damocles, is it true you wrongly suspended a student named Alya today?"

Mr. Damocles avoided looking directly into the camera, looking ashamed. "Uh... yes, it is."

 "So, you were biased? Unfair? Totally unjust?!"Lady Wifi badgered as the principals' guard grew lower, allowing his more inner thoughts to take center stage. 

"Yes, I was."

For a moment, Adrien saw Marin creep out of the room, but his attention turned back towards what seemed to be a live steam.

"For my next scoop, I'll be taking you to meet the girl who's been hiding behind the Ladybug mask!" Lady Wifi said as she swiped something off of her phone, placing a pink stop icon on Mr. Damocles, freezing him in place. "Stay connected!" She finished as the screen cut to black.

"Everyone, for your own safety, go directly home right now!" Miss Bustier called out as the students began to pack up. "And don't forget to read chapters four and five!" Adrien ran past Nino as turned into the principal's office where Marin was standing. Mr. Damocles was frozen just like in the video.

"Did you get curious?" He asked as Marin flinched, quickly turning around.

"Adrien! W-what are you doing here?"

"Miss Bustier cut class early, did you see Lady Wifi?" He asked looking at the Principal.

But Marin shook his head, "There was a delay, he was already like this when I came by. The recording was on every screen with a signal."

"A signal?" Adrien questioned as his stomach dropped, seeing that Marin was taking out his still broken phone.

"Yup, mine's broken. It doesn't get a signal anymore so it can't even connect to the wifi."

Adrien looked at the reminder of their first meeting, just as he was about to say something Marin spoke first. "You should probably go, won't your dad's secretary be worried?"

"Huh? Uh, yeah. Thanks for reminding me..." Adrien said lamely as he noticed Marin walking behind the Principals' desk messing around with something. "What are you doing?"

From behind Marin spoke up, "Messing around with something, don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

Adrien didn't really believe him, he was majorly curious about what his classmate was doing, but a text from Natalie drew him away. He had to act quickly if Chat Noir was going to help stop Lady Wifi. "Alright, be careful!"

Leaving the principal's office he quickly turned into the bathroom, checking to see if anyone else was in there before he called on Plagg.

"If Alya thinks Chloé is Ladybug like, then Lady Wifi's gonna head straight for her house!"

Plagg's narrowed his eyes, clearly amused with a teasing expression. "And it also means you must have a crush on Chloé!"

Adrien only shook his head, "I don't have a crush on Ladybug or Chloé, Plagg."

"Then why do you look for pictures of him on the Ladyblog?" The Kwami asked with a smug expression on his face, knowing almost all of Adrien's movements throughout the day. 

"...shut up." He only retorted as Plagg bellowed out in laughter. "Plagg, claws out!"

Atop the city. Cat Noir used his staff's zoom feature to zero in on Chloé's suite. Seeing her dressed up as Ladybug, even swinging around the yo-yo Nino mentioned earlier.

Cat Noir grimaced, What? This can't be! There's no way." He tried to convince himself. There was no way his partner was the same mean spirited girl who tormented his classmates and friends. Ladybug wasn't that kind of person, not to mention he was almost sure that ladybug was male. But then again, his partner's name was "Lady" bug.

His attention was caught as he saw Lady WiFi revealed herself, capturing Chloé easily with her phone apps, activation a recording icon.

"Oh no-" he mumbled as he leaped into action, using his baton to propel his leap into Chloé's room. "Hold on there Lady WiFi!" Chat called out, jumping into the room.

" Think fast kitty cat!" She called, capturing the hero with one of her pause icons on his arm, keeping him stationary as he struggled to escape.

" Just just in viewers, it appears that we've got ourselves a special guest. Stay tuned to for the defeat of Paris's most beloved heroes by your truly."

" Must be true about what they say, too much screen time really does rot your brain!"

" You won't be so snarky once your partner is exposed."

Chat could only watch fearfully as Lady WiFi walked to Chloé, repeating in his head; There's no way, There's no way-

Lady Wifi adjusted the camera icon just above Chloé's head. "Well, well... So my hunch was correctamundo. Everyone thinks the person beneath the Ladybug costume is a little angel. Think again, people! The real Ladybug is... Chloé Bourgeois, everyone!"

She smiled at her work, now turning her attention towards Chat Noir, " Now, let's see what kind of naughty secrets Chat Noir is keeping. She remarked, reaching for his mask. Suddenly Lady Wifi jumped back, narrowly avoiding a red-spotted yo-yo, glaring at her attacker in utter confusion, "Who are you?!"

Chat Noir looked between Chloé and the Ladybug standing right next to him, trying to scrape away any doubts he ever had.

"Ladybug!" He exclaimed in relief as he saw his partner walk in the same way he came in. Night settling through the city.

Lady Wifi glared at Chloé. "But I thought you were Ladybug!"

Cat Noir could help but flash a cheeky grin, "Sorry to bust your news story. Next time, double-check your facts." He teased while being all too relieved.

"You'll be sorry!" Lady Wifi yelled out, using her cellphone to summon a portal. Releasing Chloé who fell over and Chat Noir. "News flash! Ladybug, I'll be the one to find out who you really are!"

"So what's the plan?" Chat Noir asked as he saw Ladybug help Chloé to her feet, as the two stood next to each other he couldn't help but outline their differences. Ladybug was taller, had a more toned body, and had dark hair that always complimented his handsome face; despite always wearing the mask.

"Miss Bourgeois, does this hotel have free Wifi?" He asked as Chloé smiled flirtatiously, grasping Ladybug's arm and clearly invading his personal space.

"Of course it does, my Daddy has the best service in all of Paris. Free for everyone who enters and special code for VIP members like me-"

"Thank you. But how many routers are there?" Ladybug quickly said interrupting her.

"Just two, it's a big hotel you know," Chloé remarked with a prideful grin as though the building were one of her accomplishments. "One on the roof, one in the kitchen. You know, I'm your biggest fan, we should take a phot-"

"Thank you for your cooperation Miss Bourgeois." Ladybug said, gently pushing her off, much to her shock as he then signaled for Chat Noir to follow him. Both stood in the hall for a moment as Ladybug seemingly formulated a plan.

"What is it?" Ladybug asked as he noticed Chat Noir was staring at him.

"Nothing, just, I don't think you could pull off being a blonde." What was he saying, of course, his partner could. "So, what do you do when you're not Ladybug? Ya' know when you're not being Chloé?" He joked but wanted to take it back as Ladybug eyed him. His steely gaze made him feel on display, similar to how his father looked at him. He could almost hear scolding coming along.

"Do I really act like Miss Bourgeois that much?" He questioned rubbing the back of his neck, looking a little hurt, which shocked Chat Noir to his core. "That even you thought it was true?"

"What?! No, I mean- for a second. But, you're nothing like Chloé, you're amazing!" The words slipped out too fast, as a reflect Chat Noir immediately covered his mouth. But almost melted on the spot as he saw a smile break out on Ladybug's face, as he chuckled.

"Thanks, I guess." Ladybug said in appreciated as his demeanor turned more serious, "We need to draw Lady Wifi out if we destroy the one then she'll be cornered to one area.

"What about the basement?" Chat Noir questioned.

"She'd never go down there, she needs service to use her powers, so we'll have to limit her to one area."

"No service, no power. As expected of my Bugaboo." Chat Noir complimented.

Ladybug only nodded, "We should split up to save time. I'll let you destroy your router first, then come to where I am. No doubt that Lady Wifi will try to take my Miraculous first, so I'll be counting on you here. We'll use the dumbwaiter to travel and block any doors to try and trap Lady Wifi." He glanced around towards the dumbwaiter opening it as he turned back to his partner. "High or Low?"

Ladybug stepped carefully through the kitchen from the dumbwaiter, with his yo-yo in hand after Chat Noir went roof first as he had to lower himself down.

"Wait a sec, why is there a router in the kitchen?" He questioned for a moment, noticing a blinking light behind the ventilation. Just as he was about to walk towards it, he caught himself. Chat Noir needed time to take his out first, so Ladybug ran through scenarios in his head. He shouldn't cover the doors yet, not until Lady Wifi showed up. So instead he took out the vent cover first, standing in front of it. Lady Wifi wouldn't destroy it on her own, but there was a chance she could take it with her if it had a battery.

For a moment, he wished he could call Max as he heard a noise echo through the dumbwaiter, yelling out.

"Hold it right there Lady Wifi!" Followed up by "Ladybug!".

Ladybug wavered for a moment, Lady Wifi shouldn't have gone after Chat Noir first, he should've already have taken out the Wifi router by now. He didn't hesitate to abandon his post if his partner needed him but he had to act quickly. "Lucky Charm!" a box fell into his hand, he recognized a freezer dinner in his hand, suddenly, he was splashed with water and kicked in the side as his back hit something cold. Lifting his head he saw Lady Wifi smiling evilly as she didn't give him any time to try and escape, quickly pinning his arms above his head as he was on his knees using her pink icons. His yo-yo was across the room, but it was useless as he didn't have the capacity to even grab it or even stand up. Not to mention he always got a cold when he stood out in the rain for too long, getting splashed with water and then thrown in a sub-zero freezer? Not even his scarf would protect him from this kind of cold.

He grew worried as he saw a cloud of his breath before his eyes glancing up towards the recording icon. He had only a few minutes before he transformed back, his lucky charm was outside the room and he was completely defenseless.

All he could do was hope that Chat Noir wouldn't fall victim to Lady Wifi's tricks as well.

"Ha! Ha! You can't get me!" She taunted sticking her tongue out at him. She kept disappearing and reappearing on different sections on the roof using cell phones that Chat Noir was in the middle of destroying. The villainess had caught him off guard, standing between him and the wifi router. If Lady Wifi was here then Ladybug must have already destroyed his router.

"Wanna bet?!" He retorted.

Lady Wifi giggled in amusement as he kept missing her. "I could do this all day!"

From a projection in the sky, Lady Wifi spoke up, as she live-streamed the battle. "Who is Ladybug? Is he a superhero or a super-lameo? How can we trust the dude when we have no idea who he really is? We have the right to know! We won't have to wait long for the scoop of the century! Trust me, it'll be a scream." She said with a malicious grin as she threw more symbols towards Chat Noir.

"Hey! I thought you only wanted to get your hands on Ladybug!" Chat Noir remarked as he avoided Lady Wifi's attacks. But then, something flipped a switch in his head as he realized, Lady Wifi wasn't blocking the router. We won't have to wait long for the scoop of the century? His eyes widened in shock as a wave of realization washed over him.

THIS WAS A DISTRACTION.

He had to act quickly running over what he knew; Lady Wifi needed her scoop; She could teleport using phone calls but needed a signal; Ladybug would probably still be in the kitchen; if the plan stayed the same the router in the kitchen wouldn't be destroyed yet meaning there was a signal still down there; He had a way directly down into the kitchen; Above all, Lady Wifi couldn't find out Ladybug's true identity.

Chat Noir ran through a plan in his head.

Trap Lady Wifi in the Kitchen using Ladybug, take out the wifi up there so she has only one place to go, but she knows where he'd go. Find a way to distract her? No, all she wants is Ladybug's identity and their miraculous. Trap her so that she can't escape. How?

Then he recalled something earlier that day, remembering what Marin had said, about how his phone couldn't get a signal as his broke.

The phone was the source of her power.

Grab the phone so she couldn't attack, take out the Wifi so she'd have limited range, save Ladybug! Even if she could grab another phone, he'd have the way to turn her back to normal, just into he could get it to his partner.

He nodded as he stomped out the last burner.

"You're out of minutes, Lady Wifi!" He called out using his staff to help him jump to the router, but only narrowly avoided the Lady Wifi's attacks.

"Oh, how romantic. Tomcat's wants to save his little love bug."Lady Wifi said, never letting up the attacks on Cat Noir. But every time, he dodged her using his heightened abilities.

As she stood on the router, guarding her source of power he threw his staff towards her, "Nice idea, kitty cat, but I'm not gonna let you cut me off so easily!" She dodges turning towards the weapon flying back at her. The staff splits into two, but she easily destroyed them with a smile on her face, never realizing that Chat Noir had grabbed her from behind, she tried to teleport away, but instead grew furious as Chat Noir already grabbed her phone.

"Nooooo!" She yelled, but immediately Chat Noir headed for the door. There was no more time for banter as Ladybug was already on borrowed time. He jumped down the dumbwaiter instead of waiting for the lift. Using his claws to help slow him down as he jumped out in the kitchen.

"Ladybug?!" He called out, on the verge of panicking. He eyed the fridge, then the router. Without thinking he activated his power, "Cataclysm!" And destroyed the one in the kitchen.

Immediately he tried to open the door but saw that there was still a signal on it. Chat Noir gritted his teeth, as he recalled what Chloé said earlier about two routers. He probably just destroyed the VIP router, meaning the public one was still active. He looked around, seeing a familiar black-spotted item, and his stomach dropped.

Ladybug already activated his lucky charm.

He picked it up, seeing the microwave and the "do not microwave" on the box immediately putting two and two together. Putting the lucky charm inside the microwave and placing a cart in front of the door, replugging it. "Come onnnn, jam this signal, jam this signal..." he was relieved as the symbols faded, kicking open the door.

"Ladybug!" Chat Noir called out, his heart immediately sinking as he saw his partner was covered in hoarfrost, not even shivering at this point laying on the floor of the freezer. Chat Noir spotted that Ladybug was still breathing due to his visible breath. Quickly he grabbed a nearby table cloth trying to warm him up as Chat Noir carried him out of the freezer bridal style, noticing how light he actually was. In the better light he could see that Ladybug's skin started to turn even more pale than usual, and to make matters worse Ladybug's miraculous started to beep down to its last dot.

"Chat..."

"Don't worry about Lady Wifi, she won't be bothering us. I grabbed her phone."

"You're alright." Ladybug sighed, in relief, standing up even though he freezing still, noticing his long eyelashes fluttering, as he donned a serious look. "Break it."

Chat Noir nodded as he crushed the phone in his hand, watching the Akuma fly away as Ladybug caught it in his yo-yo and purified it. "Miraculous Ladybug!" He managed to rasped, throwing the frozen dinner in the air, as Chat Noir saw the microwave return to its proper placement. He was always amazed by his power of creation but couldn't admire the magic ladybugs as he had to catch his partner from falling over.

"You used your Lucky Charm...there's not much time left." Chat said placing his hand on Ladybug's waist and shoulder his arm over. Using himself as a crutch.

"Ladybug!" Marin's eyes fluttered open as he saw Tikki hovering before him, but it wasn't her voice that called him. He looked around, seeing that he was in a closet, in his normal form. He sneezed once as he could hear the same voice call out to him again. "Chat Noir?" He asked, walking up towards the door, placing his hand on it. He could hear his partner sigh in relief. There was a moment of silence between them as Marin recalled capturing an Akuma and returning everything back to normal. He guessed that he wasn't fixed due to this not being a result of Lady Wifi's power.

"I won't tell anyone who you are you know, Cat's honor." He heard Chat Noir say gently as his ring beeped. "I think we'd be good friends."

Marin grew conflicted for a moment, stepping back and turning his head away even though no one could see him. "Nobody can know who we really are. Not even us."

On the other side, Chat Noir's hand was on the door handle. For a moment he hesitated, he knew he wanted this, he wanted to know who this amazing person really was, so much so that it hurt. But he knew what was right, pulled him back as he immediately shut the door. Running out of the building just as he detransformed.

"That was the chance to find out who the love of your life really is! What were you thinking?"

Adrien rolled his eyes again, "That's the thing, Plagg. I wasn't thinking. I was following my heart. And Ladybug is not the love of my life."

"Keep telling yourself that Kid" Plagg muttered as to himself he rested atop Adrien's head, resting as his partner walked the two of them home together.

Marin sighed looking out at the city of Paris in the late evening covered in a blanket and sipping hot tea.

"We're you gonna tell him? Was that what your heart was saying?" Tikki asked as she recalled his hesitation.

But Marin shook his head, reaching out his hand. Allowing Tikki to rest on the palm of his hands. "Sometimes your heart tells you one thing, but you have to ignore it, for the good of everyone else. Could you imagine everyone finding out that I was Ladybug? Even Alya would probably be disappointed." He said.

"I don't think that's-"

"Got it!"

A voice suddenly called out as Tikki hit under Marin's blanket. "Waaahhh- Alya?!" Marin identified as his best friend popped out of his room and onto his deck.

"Wanna see my new smartphone? It puts my old phone to shame! Just look at these pics!" She asked, standing right next to him, flipping through some photos. "I guess it was a bless in disguise that I never found my old phone."

As soon as she said that Marin stiffened, internally beating himself up. So that's what he forgot.

"Hey check this out." She said placing her phone in front of him, there was a recent photo of Adrien with some black stuff scribbled on to make him look like a cat.

"What's with all these photos of Adrien?" Marin asked.

"Well... with a mask and a costume, don't you think he looks a little bit like Cat Noir?" She asked and almost immediately Marin went into denial mode.

"Are you out of your mind? Adrien as Chat Noir would be a nightmare." He said, thinking back to all the times that he was with Chat Noir. He already considered his partner a good friend, but to think that he had that close bond with Adrien? Someone who could outshine him in every possible way? There was no way.

"Still mad about the phone thing huh? You know if you just gave him a chance you two could be good friends." Alya remarked as she flipped through more photos.

Marin chuckled after he harshly coughed. "Why would I need more friends when I have the most perfect one?"

Alya smiled brightly, gently punching his shoulder. "Because even a prince charming such as yourself needs some guy friends to pal around with. What're you gonna do while I'm suspended?"

"It's weird, sent my mom an email saying that this suspension wouldn't go on my record, but I can't think why he'd do something like that?"

"Maybe, people are more just that they appear to be, he was in a bad situation after all." Marin offered as Alya pulled him into a half hug.

"Yeah, but one thing's for certain." She remarked. "No wonder you were more absent lately, you were coming down with a cold." They then both laughed together as Marin sneezed again.

Earlier Yesterday:

"You should probably go, won't your dad's secretary be worried?" Marin asked as Adrien averted his gaze. 

"Huh? Uh, yeah. Thanks for reminding me..." Adrien said lamely as Marin walked behind the Principals' desk kneeling down towards the router and an electrical outlet on the floor power it.  "What are you doing?" He heard Adrien ask. 

From behind the desk Marin spoke up, "Messing around with something, don't worry about me. I'll be fine." He said reassuringly just before he heard Adrien's footsteps walkout. As soon as that happened, Marin pulled out the router's power and Mr.Damoles was unfrozen. 

"Waah!! What happened, where am-" He then noticed Marin standing before him, putting two and two together. He cleared his throat, "Young man, thank you for helping me, I truly appr-"

" Mr. Damocles please reconsider Alya suspension!" Marin pleaded suddenly, blowing his head to the principal humbly.

"Wha-" 

"Please, sir!" The student begged.  

But the principal only sighed, "You know I can't go back on my word."

" But it's so unfair and you know it, sir. A two-week suspension is way too harsh. Alya hasn't even been in trouble before today. And you only did it because Chloépushed for it.

The principal looked conflicted." I can't just return Alya to class, Miss Bougeuasis's father does have a say in how this school is handled. If he found out that I went behind his back to favor others I could lose my job."

"But that's not fair to anyone, even you sir." Marin retorted, lifting his head. "There has to be a way around this."

Mr. Damocles then sighed, "What you said is right, Alya is a good student, and true this isn't fair to her..." he pondered for a moment. "I'll tell you what. I won't place this on Alya's permanent record. Her suspension won't affect her in any negative way so long as you bring her assignments and never let Miss Bourgeois or her father find out. Alright?"

Marin nodded, it wasn't the best solution, but it was probably the best he could get under the circumstances, thank you, sir!" He bowed his head again as he closed the door behind him, sighing in relief. Tikki popped out of his pocket not that the entire school was empty. 

"What now?" She asked. "Are you going to fight your friend?" 

But Marin shook his head, "No, I'm going to save my friend. Tikki, spots on!" 

Chapter Text

"Marinnnn!" Tikki complained as Marin turned his head towards his Kwami laying down on his desk. "Aren't they ready yet?" Her partner couldn't help but giggle at his Kwami's insistence, scrolling thought his Instagram feed.

"I'll go check on them." He remarked. Marin walked downstairs as he saw his mother standing in front of the mirror adjusting her favorite hair accessory.

"Well?"

"Huh?" Marin tilted his head in confusion with one hand on the door, stopping just as he heard her voice.

"My hairpin," His mother clarified, "Should I wear it to the restaurant or not?

Marin shrugged his shoulders, "Either way, you'll look perfect, Mom."

Sabine smiled, kissing her son's cheek, "Just like your father." She remarked as Marin shrugged off the compliment heading immediately downstairs.

"Marin! Could you come here please?" He heard his father call to him as he walked into the bakery. His father turned towards him with a worried expression, "Well?"

Marin cocked his head, feeling a hint of Deja vu. "Well, what?"

"My mustache, I groomed it myself for the first time. Is it too short? Should I shave the whole thing off? Maybe it's a little crooked on one–"

Marin shook his head, already putting on his oven mitts to check on the pastries. "You look fine Dad. Uh, except for one thing."

"What?" His father inquired, then noticing as his son glancing towards his waist. Seeing that he was still wearing a baking apron. "Oh!" Immediately he removed it, placing it back on the hook.

"Perfect," Marin remarked as he took out the chocolate croissants, just as his mother came downstairs.

His father smiled at the compliment, planting a kiss on his son's cheek as he still held the tray. "Just like your mother."

"Darling, we're going to be late." He heard his mother say as she led his father towards the front door.

"Of course, of course." He said rapidly, glancing back at Marin who was leaning over the counter, having already set aside the tray and his mitts. "Now don't forget Mrs. Chamack will be coming by to pick up the Eiffel Tower cake in 30 minutes. I'm depending on you, and, if you leave, don't forget to lock the shop. Also, all the emergency numbers are on the fridge, remember not to talk to strangers, and-"

"No problem papa, I won't leave the shop," Marin promised, as his mother had to drag his dad away from the shop, sighing just as the door was closed.

"Wow, married twenty years. Time flies when you're having fun." Tikki remarked as she hovered near the cake, almost devouring it with her eyes.

"And stands still when you're doing homework." He remarked a textbook on the counter. It was just him in the shop until the Najia came by, then he was free." What do you think Tikki, snacks and math?"

But before she could answer, the door opened again.

"Heyo!" Alya called walking into the shop as Tikki hid behind the counter. "Got the banner?"

"Yup." Marin said, "It's just upstairs."

"Classy." Alya remarked, "It sucks you can't get to the race though. We were all going to ice cream afterward. Loser buys."

Marin simply shrugged it off, "I can't leave the shop, my parents are counting on me. But I could stop by if the customer who ordered this cake comes by earlier than expected."

"That's the price of responsibility I guess, at least you get to eat whatever isn't bought."

Marin chuckled, "I'm not that much of a glutton. But you can send recommend everyone come over later and buy, what will be, freshly made chocolate croissants."

"You know me so well." Alya swooned at the mere thought of the light and buttery pastry, as they both giggled at her silliness.

"I'll go grab the banner," Marin said as he could feel Tikki fly into his pocket. "You can help yourself to these, but be careful because they're still hot." He gestured towards the pastries cooling down.

"Thanks, cutie!" Alya called out as Marin ran upstairs to his room. He scanned the room for where he put the banner, searching through his things as he heard a notification from his desktop. "Hm?" For a moment he looked at his feed, seeing that Alix posted a new update. It was her on the way to the race holding a pocket watch in her hand with a broad smile on her face. "Hey Tikki, check this out."

He just had located the banner as Tikki glanced at the photo of Marin's school friend. She widened her eyes as she saw what was in the child's hand. "Marin!" She called out as her friend walked back over, now holding the banner.

"What's up?" He asked as his Kwami pointed to Alix's new watch.

"I have to see that!" She insisted much to his confusion.

"Why?"

"It's important! Can you please go to the race?" She requested, widening her giant blue eyes pleadingly.

"I'll try to go later if the delivery gets picked up, promise. What's this about?"

Tikki looked back at the image, uncertain for a moment, "A Kwami's intuition."

Marin hummed for a moment, before walking back downstairs to his best friend in the middle of eating with a jubilant look on her face.

"These are amazing, you sure you're not some kinda magician? A prince of baking maybe?" She asked as Marin handed over the banner.

"Nah, just the son of the best bakers in Paris." He said as he saw her out of the shop, the two of them standing at the entrance for a moment.

"Lemme know if you end up coming over." She said.

"I will." He said, waving goodbye as Alya ran to catch the bus, shoving the rest of her pastry into her mouth.

Adrien watched as his bodyguard parked nearby, then ran towards where the race was being held in The Trocadéro. He waved to Nino, standing right next to him as everyone else chatted amongst themselves. Finally, Alya arrived, out of breath, holding up the banner for the race with a smile. Everyone complimented it as Alya handed it over to him and Nino to hold up, as she was recording the entire race. "This looks really good." He said.

"Thanks, courtesy of Marin." She remarked then taking out her phone.

"Where is he?" Nino asked.

"Had to watch his parents shop today. But maybe he'll swing by later on."

"Isn't his phone still broken, how's he gonna find out where we are?" Adrien asked curiously. 

"His family's bakery has a landline, I can just call that," Alya said as the Max walked out to start the race, announcing the stakes. Kim wouldn't be able to make any more bets, or Alix had to give up her skates. Only Max was really on Kim's side, but even he wanted his friend to stop with the bets.

"On your marks, get set..."

"Hold up!" Alix called out as Kim fell forward much to everyone's amusement.

"Forfeiting already?" Kim mocked, but Alix ignored him, handing over something to Alya.

"Hold on to this for me, will you, Alya? I don't wanna drop it during the race."

Alya took a double-take between the watch and her friend. "Wait, hold on, I can't! I gotta..."

"Guard it with your life. It's a family heirloom!" Alix called out as she got back into position for the race to begin.

Alya then passed it off to him, "Adrien could you take this? I gotta record the race for my blog."

"Sure?" Adrien reluctantly agreed just as the race started.

"On your marks, get set... GO!" Max called out and Alix and Kim start racing while everyone cheered on. They watched in awe as the two fastest kids practically flew past them on the first lap.

"Adrikins, whatcha got there? Some super old case or something?" Chloé questioned as she closed in far too close for comfort as he was holding up the sign. She took it from his hand, observing it more closely.

"Careful, it's Alix's!" He warned but his childhood friend ignored him.

Chloé smirked at him, "If it's Alix's, it's probably worthless."

"Last lap!" Max called out as the cheering became louder.

Adrien couldn't help but frown, "That's not very nice Chloé, that watch is really important to her." He said but could see that Chloé ignored him. He watched as she pressed down on it, gasping as it suddenly started to glow. He gasped as Chloé tossed the watch, watching as it fell on the track. Time seemed to slow down as Alix ran it over, cheering as she won the race. It crushed him to see her expression as her eyes fell on the broken watch.

"I call a rematch! That false start back there threw me off! Uh..." Kim demanded but trailed away as Alix fell to her knees, picking up what remained of her watch.

Alix didn't lift her head as she asked with an accusing tone "How did this happen?"

Alya exchanged a glance with Nino as she spoke up, "Uh, well I had to videotape the race so I gave it to Adrien but then, then Chloé snatched it from him and dropped it and, uh, then you skated over it...sorry."

Alix's eyes welled with tears as she snapped at her friends. "My old man gave me this for my birthday! This watch is totally a family heirloom!"

"Chillout roller girl, it's just a watch," Chloé remarked, more worried about the state of her nails than the person crying before her.

Alix glared at Chloé as she skated away angrily.

"Alix, wait!" Adrien called out, running after her. "Maybe we could fix it?" He offered.

"Like how, huh? Go back in time and change the future? This watch was One of a kind! It can't be fixed!" Alix skated away faster so he couldn't catch up. He was the last one who held the watch, so he felt bad. Not noticing the Akuma that flew by until it was too late, his eyes widened as his friend turned around, a new enemy.

"Alix?" Adrien questioned, taking a step back.

"The name's Chronogirl now. And I'm gonna go back in time and save my watch, using all you punks to do it!"

"Run!" Adrien called out to his friend as he narrowly evaded this new villainess's touch. Escaping from view as he could hear his friends screams. Plagg flew out of his shirt, hovering before him.

"So, is the race over?"

"Save the small talk, we have to save my friends. Plagg, claw out!"

"Have a nice day Ms. Chamack!" Marin remarked closing the door behind her as she smiled in satisfaction. "I think I can catch the end of the race if I go now." He said as Tikki flew out.

"How? It's almost halfway across the city."

"I think I have an idea, Marin remarked placing a few cookies inside of his messenger bag,"Tikki, Spots on!"

Crossing the city was easy. Watching as a new villain took out his friends? Hard on the eyes. He walked towards Kim who was transparent, seeing his other classmates looking terrified as all of them were fading.

"Don't let her touch you!" Chat Noir yelled out as Ladybug swiftly avoided the new villain. But soon realized that he wasn't the target. Hearing Alya scream from behind. As soon as Chronogirl touched her, Alya was frozen in place, staring to fade away just like their other classmates. The new villain cackled as their roller skates

"Well, she wastes no time, does she?" Ladybug kept his eyes trained on the villainess as Chat Noir walked up next to him. "Alix Kubdel's watch broke so she's stealing the life energy of everyone she touches to try and get it back." He explained.

"We need to stop her, fast." Ladybug informed as he took out his yo-yo.

"Just what I was thinking." Chat noir remarked as he ran ahead. Trying to hit her with his staff, but she easily jumped over it.

Ladybug spotted her next target, Ivan, using his yo-yo to try and stop it, wrapping it around her waist. What he didn't expect was for Chronogirl to have enhanced strength. She grabbed the wire, pulling Ladybug towards her as he tripped due to the force. Time seemed to slow down as Chronogirl was already reaching down towards him.

But what came next shook him to his core.

Just as Chronogirl was about to steal his energy, Cat Noir quickly embraced him, effectively sacrificing himself so that he wouldn't get caught. Ladybug was stunned as he saw his friend was already fading away, unable to speak.

Chronogirl stared at her watch in amazement, "Oh, wow, six minutes in one go! Must have been those nine lives. Gotta go! The past is waiting."

Ladybug snapped back to his thoughts but was too late as Chronogirl disappeared before his very eyes into a place he couldn't reach. 

Adrien watched as his bodyguard parked nearby, then ran towards where the race was being held in The Trocadéro. He waved to Nino, standing right next to him as everyone else chatted amongst themselves. Finally, Alya arrived, out of breath, holding up the banner for the race with a smile. Everyone complimented it as Alya handed it over to him and Nino to hold up, as she was recording the entire race. "This looks really good." He said.

"Thanks, courtesy of Marin." She remarked then taking out her phone.

"Where is he?" Nino asked.

"Had to watch his parents shop today. But maybe he'll swing by later on."

"Isn't his phone still broken, how's he gonna find out where we are?"

"His family's bakery has a landline, I can just call that," Alya said as the Max walked out to start the race, announcing the stakes. Kim wouldn't be able to make any more bets, or Alix had to give up her skates. Only Max was really on Kim's side, but even he wanted his friend to stop with the bets.

"On your marks, get set..."

"Hold up!" Alix called out as Kim fell forward much to everyone's amusement.

"Forfeiting already?" Kim mocked, but Alix ignored him, handing over something to Alya.

"Hold on to this for me, will you, Alya? I don't wanna drop it during the race."

Alya took a double-take between the watch and her friend. "Wait, hold on, I can't! I gotta..."

"Guard it with your life. It's a family heirloom!" Alix called out as she got back into position for the race to begin.

Alya then passed it off to him, "Adrien could you take this? I gotta record the race for my blog."

"Sure?" Adrien reluctantly agreed just as the race started.

"On your marks, get set... GO!" MAx called out and Alix and Kim start racing while everyone cheered on. They watched in awe as the two fastest kids practically flew past them on the first lap.

"Adrikins, whatcha got there? Some super old case or something?" Chloé questioned as she closed in far too close for comfort as he was holding up the sign. She took it from his hand, observing it more closely.

"Careful, it's Alix's!" He warned but his childhood friend ignored him.

Chloé smirked at him, "If it's Alix's, it's probably worthless."

"Last lap!" Max called out as the cheering became louder.

Adrien couldn't help but frown, "That's not very nice Chloé , that watch is really important to her." He said but could see that Chloé ignored him.

"My watch!" A voice from behind called out. Everyone turned to see a new villain, jumping towards them, enraged. Reflexively, Adrien stepped in front of Chloé who dropped the watch, shattering it as everyone scattered.

Ladybug, fell to his knees for a moment, resting his head on his partner's fading figure. He had no plan, no idea what to do. He couldn't even use his lucky charm as he hadn't activated it yet. With his only ally taken out, the enemy time traveling there was nothing else he felt he could do.

He felt utterly worthless.

But he suddenly slapped his face. No longer feeling sorry, now replacing all his negativity with determination. He was Ladybug, Paris's superhero alongside Chat Noir. There had to be a solution, there was always a solution. He wasn't alone after all, even if Chat Noir was...

He quickly shook away the darker thoughts, it didn't matter, he still had Tikki.

"Tikki, Spots o-"

Suddenly, he heard something from behind, turning to see a white glowing portal. It wasn't the method that Chronogirl used to travel, so this had to be something else. Standing before his fading partner, Ladybug narrowed his eyes, uncertain at what would appear next.

He certainly did not expect a woman to step out, clearly who was chosen by the miraculous. Her hair was a bright red, and she donned a white and blue themed outfit complete with rabbit ears and a fluffy tail. It shocked him to see another user, and an adult no less.

"'Sup, mini-bug."

Mini-bug?

Ladybug began swinging his yo-yo, distrustful of the person before him.

"Calm down, I'm not here to fight, all I want to do is help you out." She said with a reassuring smile on her face. "I'm Bunnyx, a hero from the future." She introduced but her smile soon faded as she could see that she wasn't swaying the young hero's defensive view. She thought for a moment as though she were remembering something and spoke up again. "Don't you want to save your partner?"

Ladybug wavered, glancing back to the spot where his partner once stood. Dropping his guard and glancing towards the person before him, vulnerable, but willing to listen. She walked forward, placing her hand on his shoulder. "I'm going to help you out, but you'll need to trust me mini-bug."

He took a deep breath before nodding, it wasn't as though he had other options. Allowing Bunnyx to wrap his scarf over his eyes so he couldn't see anything. The only thing he felt was her hand taking his hand, guiding him through what he assumed as her portal.

Bunnyx drew her hand away, placing them on his shoulders as she spoke behind him. "All you have to do is run forward and save your friends."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because that's what future you asked me to do, plus, I kinda owe you big time." She said simply, whispering something in his ear that made him turn his head towards her in surprise. But she already began pushing him forward gently so he'd know where to run, but he stopped for a moment. Ladybug hesitated, wanting to ask her more things, but ultimately did as he was told, sprinting forward blindly until the wind hit his face.

Adrien watched at the Villain was about to make contact with him, but at the last second, she was pulled back. Thrown to the side as Ladybug landed before him atop the staircase, standing tall with an unnatural dark expression in his eyes.

"Everyone, get out of here! Don't let her touch you!" He yelled out as Adrien was too late to stop Alix from getting possessed by the Akuma. Chloé had already run away, so he did the same. Standing behind a tree as Plagg flew out.

"Look like trouble, can't we go home and have some cheese?" He asked but was met with Adrien's amused expression.

"And miss all the fun? Plagg, claws out!" He transformed, jumping onto the battlefield with a smile as he stood next to Ladybug who had successfully evaded both Chronogirls, using their speed against them while evading their touch, though, he looked more aggressive than usual. 

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but it looked like you go off on the wrong side of the bed, bugaboo."

"Don't let her touch you." Ladybug remarked.

"Agreed, that right is only reserved for you."

"Chat Noir, I've taken you out once before, I'll do it again!" The older Chronogirl remarked as she stood next to her younger counterpart.

"Huh?" Chat Noir questioned, but was distracted by Ladybug grabbing his waist, pulling them both to the higher ground atop the stairs so they could buy some time. 

"Lucky charm!" Ladybug threw up his yo-yo, and from the charm fell a bicycle lock. Immediately he looked around, noticing that both Chronogirls were gathering energy, gaining speed, and saw where they were headed.

"Chat Noir, can you take out that pillar?" He asked while his partner nodded with a smirk heading towards the target. "Cataclysm!" He took out the historical landmark, preventing the Chronogirls from passing. They turned around, smirking deviously as they saw Ladybug standing before them with his eyes closed, holding his charm.

"If we take out Ladybug, then we'll have enough energy to save out watch!" One of the Chronogirls said as they raced towards him with their arms reaching outward. At the last moment, Ladybug flipped backward, locking the two Chronogirls together, and removing their skates, but after he grabbed the hand of the younger one. Using her power to take out her elder counterpart. He broke the skates, watching as two Akuma's fluttered away from them.

"No more mischief from you little Akumas. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma's fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterflies."

The younger Alex returned to normal as her elder, evil counterpart still stood, faded. "Huh?

"I think this is yours?" Ladybug asked as he handed back Alix's watch, still broken.

Her eyes welled up with tears as she held it close to her heart. "My old man's gonna be so disappointed in me. He just gave this to me today and I broke it just like that."

Ladybug placed his hand on her shoulder, his gaze softening. "Responsibility isn't something to be taken lightly." He remarked, handing the broken watch back to Alix. "But you don't always have to bear it alone." He leaned forward, lowering his tone as he informed her of the same thing Bunnyx told him. Alix pulled back in surprise, nodding in confusion as Ladybug unlocked her.

He sighed heavily as Chat Noir walked up to him with a smile, holding up his fist, expecting his partner to return the gesture. But instead what received was a Ladybug wrapping his arms around his torso resting his head on his shoulder.

Chat Noir couldn't even enjoy the embrace as he was far too confused. "Uh, my Lady? I was kinda joking about what I said earlier but-"

"I'm sorry."

Chat Noir's eyes widened as Ladybug stepped back, dawning an incredibly sad look on his face. He gripped his Lucky charm for a moment, taking one last look at his partner, alive and well as he then threw it into the air.

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

"Ahh- hold on a second!" Chat Noir remarked, arm stretched outward, hoping for an explanation but was only further confused by his partner disappearing before his eyes due to the effects of his power. Essentially leaving him alone with the happy faces of everyone who returned, and no longer having to deal with two Alix's.

"Here you go Alix." Marin said as he handed back his friend's watch in front of his family's shop just as the sun was setting. A few hours had passed since she stopped by, asking if he knew anyone to help fix her watch. Her face lit up as she opened it, revealing a hologram of a woman.

"Sweet! How did you fix it?" She asked holding the watch tightly.

Marin immediately grew nervous, rubbing the back of his neck, "Passed it off to my friend, she's good with stuff like this." He hoped she wouldn't question him further on how the watch was fixed. "Yeah, how did it break in the first place?"

"I wasn't taking my responsibility seriously enough. Never should have given it to someone else to look after. It was totally my bad." Alix said pocketing the item. "Anyways, thanks again so much, you and Ladybug pretty much saved my life! I'd be dead if he didn't recommend I bring it to you." She gave him a quick hug, one that he returned as she left the shop with a huge smile on her face. Just as she left his parents walked in, also smiling brightly.

"Huh? Hey! So, did you have a nice anniversary? Marin asked as his parents walked through the door with happy smiles, holding hands.

"We sure did. Although it was a close call, we almost missed our reservation." His father chuckled as his mother walked towards him.

"Everything went smoothly right?" His mother asked as his father quickly checked on him. Making sure he wasn't injured or had a fever or anything else that would diminish his health. 

To which Marin nodded, used to his father's actions. "Yup, just a normal afternoon." 

His mother smiled turning back towards his father with a knowing look, "See, you were worried over nothing."

His father chuckled, "I always want to make sure my boy is alright." as he passed by, he ruffled Marin's hair. Both of his parents went upstairs, probably to take a nap as they always did after large meals. As soon as they were gone, Marin groaned heavily as Tikki flew out with a worried expression.

He glanced towards his Kwami with a worried look, "You remembered everything too, right?" He asked, recalled how he and Tikki were swarmed with magic Ladybugs with a whole new set of memories about a day they apparently had. One containing a possible new ally and a massive failure on his part.

Tikki nodded, "You can't fix your problems with Time travel, most of the time it'll just make things worse."

Marin thought for a moment, resting his head on the counter, eyes lidded as his heart hurt as he replayed the day's events through his head. "Maybe, but not this time..." Only diverting his attention as Tikki hovered before him. 

"Can I have a chocolate croissant now?" She asked. 

Marin chuckled, affectionately petting her cheek as he grabbed a fresh one for her. "Hey, how did you fix that watch so fast anyway? Earlier you took an interest in it as well." He pointed out, placing the pastry on the counter so she could eat. 

Tikki froze for a moment just as she was about to bite into the pastry. "I...though it looked familiar. But it just looked to be a very similar replica." 

Marin hummed for a moment, "I wonder why would you take interest in a pocket watch though?" 

The Kwami nervously giggled to herself just before taking a large bite of the savory pastry. "Let's say, only time will tell." 

Chapter Text

Nino placed his hands on Adrien’s shoulders, prompting his friend with a smile on his face. “Now's your chance dude, Marin’s always sketching in his notebook. Go and ask if you can look at his designs. 

“ Why?” 

“ He’s a designer, you’re a model.” Nino gestured towards his friend who smiled at his best friend's antics. “not to mention the son of the raddest designer in Paris?”

Adrien laughed at his friend’s joke. “ I guess you could say us being friends was, tailor-made?” 

Nino just stared at his friend for a few moments as Adrien laughed at his own joke. His smile undeterred at his friends’ reaction “You suck that was funny.”

“I know, now go!” Nino said pushing Adrien towards where Marin was sitting, watching from behind the stairs in excitement as his two buddies were going to be friends all because of him. 

“ What are you smiling about?” He turned to see Alya standing nearby. 

“ Well, if you have to know. I found common ground for Adrien and Marin to bond over, design.” 

Alya nodded, “ So what’s he doing now!” 

“ Oh, I recommended that Adrien ask to look at Marin’s designs for the upcoming contest.” He said proudly as Alya slammed her hand on her forehead. “What?” Nino asked. 

Alya glared at him for a moment before pressing her palms together, glaring at him in annoyance. “ Nino, you’ve known Marin longer than I have, has he ever shown his designs to anyone?” 

“Well, no… but there’s a first time for everything.” 

“ Let me rephrase this, would you ask Nathaniel to look through his sketchbook?” 

Nino laughed at the mere thought, “Ha, no way. Nath is so insecure about his drawings. If anyone asked him about them then he’d get really defensive and run away- ohhhhh.” 

Alya nodded, “ yeah.” 

Nino grasped his hat in a panic the two watched the scene unfold as Marin almost immediately grew flustered, Adrien trying to backtrack something he said, and Marin running into a wall as he immediately tried to run away.  Adrien turned back to Nino with a defeated expression but his friend retained an aura of positivity. He flashed his friend a large toothy grin giving him two thumbs up as Alya rolled her eyes in exasperation slapping her forehead. 

Marin sighed heavily as he sat on top of a staircase. 

“Of course the contest asks for the one hat that is the most difficult to design for…” Marin muttered sitting in at Trocadéro with his sketchbook and Tikki in his bag eating oatmeal cookies happily. 

“What’s so hard about designing a hat?” Tikki questioned. 

“ A bowler hat should be elegant and stylish. It should help frame the wearer but not attract too much attention that it diverts attention from the outfit. While at the same time, not be so outlandish that all the focus is on it. It should be…simple, but eye-catching.” 

He ripped out another page where he envisioned the Eiffel Tower on it. “Too obvious.” 

Marin sighed heavily as he scribbled out his most recent drawing, slamming his head into his book. “it’s hard to be creative under pressure.”

“Marin, you save the world under pressure, just take a break!” Tikki recommended as Marin sighed once more. 

“You’re right, maybe I’ll find inspiration somewhere else.” Looking up they saw a man walking like a bird sits down on a bench ahead. He took out a brown paper bag, and a bird call, blowing on it. A flock of pigeons landed before the man, one landing near Marin who looked up at him. He recognized the small bird as it had flown by his house more than once, Marin smiled as it then flew on his wrist, on top of the ladybug pattern tie that he always kept tied on. 

“Well, happy day, happy day! Splendid is the afternoon day!” As the man spotted Marin walking towards him his eyes lit up. The pigeon on Marin’s wrist flew towards the man, performing a few tricks for what seemed to be a corn kennel. “ Ah, Edgar, you fancy one. Fantastic, dazzling performance.” 

“Good evening Professor Ramier.” He greeted walking around the pigeons eating.”

“Marin, good to see you! Have you come to visit my friends as well?” He asked with a smile on his face. 

“Not today, I’m trying to find some inspiration.” 

“ Look no further than my little friends! Pigeons have a foundation of important history.” 

“Oh yeah?” 

“Of course they do. They can be trained to relay messages long distances. little Edgar here is descended from the birds that were honored for their service in The Great War.” He fed the small bird a piece of corn as Marin giggled at the eagerness of the small bird.” As a few birds flew away, a few of the feathers caught his attention. He walked over to a few of the fallen, a few birds jumping away as he picked up the feathers. 

Marin glanced at them for a few moments before his eyes widened, “I’ve got it!” He suddenly yelled, a few birds scattering as the rest turned towards him curiously. His face suddenly ran red in embarrassment. “Sorry, sorry birdies.” He apologized but Xavier brushed him off. 

“Don’t worry about them,” Xavier reassured as Marin rubbed the back of his head. “They’ll always go where there’s food.” He said opening a bag of popcorn and feeding his birds. 

Marin placed the feathers in his bag taking a few more. “I have to do more sketching, have a nice rest of the day Professor, thanks for the idea!” He said leaving the area around the corner. 

“What a unique character! He was like, a human bird. All he needed was a feather jacket to complete the look.” Tikki commented, poking her head out from under the feathers. 

Marin laughed just before he ran into a police officer, who looked down at him. “Uh, sorry mister officer, sir!” He quickly apologized as he ran towards the bus stop. Not seeing the police officer narrowing his eyes at Mr. Raimer angrily.  

Adrien turned on the tv as Plagg flew out from his bag making a break for his cheese, indulging himself happily. Just as he was about to start his homework a breaking new alert caught his attention. 

“Pigeons have taken over Paris! This is just one of the many alarming situations giving authorities cause for major concern-” The reporter, Najia looked as though she was receiving more news as Adrien walked towards the tv in concern. “ Yes, I’ve just been told that someone named "Mr. Pigeon" is making an announcement.”

On the screen appeared a man who was clearly Akumatized, that or he was just dressed like a giant pigeon. “ Oh, dreary day, poor Parisians. Sorry to ruffle your feathers, but Paris now belongs to the pigeons! Flap flap!” He laughed like a maniac, ordering his pigeons to swarm people.

Adrien recognized the area the cameraman shot from, seeing that it was near his house as a policeman was kidnapped from a crowd of people running for their lives

“Plagg!” Adrien turned towards his Kwami eating his cheese happily. He turned towards his partner when called on, the panic settling in his eye as he saw that familiar determined smile on his face. 

“Wait a sec- don’t you wanna wait for Ladybug?! He’s the plan guy, and you’re allergic to feathers, and please let me finish my cheeseeee!!!” Plagg begged, but Adrien shook his head. 

“I can take on a few birds,” Adrien remarked as Plagg glanced at him in disbelief. 

“Yeah, but Ladybug thinks things through,” Plagg muttered dryly as Adrien growl in annoyance. "Without him, you're pretty much just the damsel waiting to be saved."

"That's a little rude Plagg." Adrien remarked, even though there was a hint of truth to what his Kwami was saying. 

"So is cutting into my cheese time!! What else do I have to lose?!

“Plagg! Claws out!” He said as Plagg tried to finish off his snack, but to no avail, as Adrien transformed. 

Chat Noir jumped out of his home to Place des Vosges, looking around for a moment he spotted a blue hat fallen on the ground. He picked it up as a mischievous smile came over him.

… 

…..

Cat Noir stood at the park, impersonating a park ranger by simply wearing the hat, waiting for the pigeons to take him to their leader. Yet almost immediately his mind began to wander beginning to whistle "La Marseillaise" wondering if he should try to attract more attention somehow…

Ladybug ran through the rooftops, already transformed as the pigeons had swarmed across the city, 3 guesses who was Akumatized this week. He evaded the swarms of pigeons towards their targets, trying to find their leader when he spotted a familiar face dancing in the park. For a moment he stared at confusion at his partner wearing a police hat dancing in the park as pigeon swarm descended. From the rooftops, he remained covered so is bright uniform couldn’t be picked up on. Watching as a large group of pigeons started to fly overhead. The falling feathers appeared to make Chat Noir sneeze as they descended upon him, not giving him enough time to react. 

“Uh oh.” Ladybug followed as they carried his partner away, being wary of his surroundings. 

… 

He was guided towards the roof of the Grand Paris hotel, watching as the swarm dropped Cat Noir unable to react in time as a cage was dropped on him. 

Through his sneezing he yelled out, “Where's that bird-brain Mr. Pigeon?!”

Ladybug narrowed his eyes, holding onto his yo-yo as he watched Mr. Pigeon being lifted by a swarm of pigeons before Chat Noir. 

Instinctively, he threw up his yo-yo “Lucky Charm!” and from it fell a coin purse with ladybug print; Opening it, he found a few dollar coins. Looking around, he found what he was looking for. 

Mr. Pigeon smiled victoriously as the sneezing trapped cat. “Your Miraculous, give them to me or face the wrath of my feathered friends.” He blew his whistle again, and the pigeons atop the cage began banging on the top of the cage, while others turn around and point their behinds. 

“Dada-dee!" Mr.Pigeon cooed, "On the count of three, my beloved pigeons will commence fire. You can still save your sorry skins by handing me your Miraculous. One, two…huh?” He noticed the birds diverting their attention elsewhere, no longer responsive towards his bird calls. As a few left, it triggered a domino effect of more birds leaving only one who was sitting atop the cage. 

“My little friends-” Mr.Pigeon called out, so distracted that he never saw Ladybug quickly capturing him, tying him up with his yo-yo handing on the roof. He struggled but was unable to prevent Ladybug from breaking his birdcall under his foot, the Akuma flying away. 

“No more mischief for you, little Akuma.Time to purify!" He said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. “Bye-bye, little butterfly.”

“Miraculous Ladybug!” 

Chat Noir, through his tears and runny nose, was distracted for a few moments as suddenly all the pigeons dispersed and Mr.Pigeon was reverted back to a normal person. He saw Ladybug hand back the man back his birdcall who graciously thanked the Hero through the cage, shaking his hand as he quickly left. 

Ladybug glanced at him, immediately making himself feel insecure as he averted his gaze. It wasn’t uncommon for Ladybug to call him out on his reckless nature. Fully prepared for what came next he stood up straight, as though he was resigned to his fate as his partner approached. 

“So, looks like you didn’t need my help today.” He said dryly, feeling a little guilty. But was surprised as Ladybug held out his fist through the bars, waiting. A smile broke out on Chat Noir’s face through his guilt as he couldn’t help himself. 

“Pound it.” 

Chat Noir glanced at the hand that had touched Ladybug’s keeping his head down before Ladybug spoke up again. 

“Nice plan.” He complimented, grabbing Chat Noir’s attention immediately as he glanced at his partner in disbelief. “But you shouldn’t underestimate the enemy.” He critiqued, as a pigeon landed on his shoulder nuzzling him his cheek cutely. “Right Edgar?” 

Sure, just be adorable right in front of him, not like he had a complex about this the entire day. Wait, Ladybug wasn’t adorable, he was strong and brave and stern, and handso- 

Immediately Chat Noir snapped himself out of his thoughts, his face reddening as he saw Ladybug take out his yo-yo.

“Couldn’t do it without you, partner.” Ladybug remarked sincerely, as “Edgar”, flew off, turning his back towards him. 

“Hey wait! What about me?!” 

“There are some things only you can do Chat!” Ladybug reminded as he jumped off the roof, using the momentum to swing across the city. 

Chat Noir processed what he said for a moment then realized. “Oh, right.”  He destroyed the cage using his power then quickly, realized he had to be back at the school in an hour.  

Nathalie held out her hand in greeting. “Hello, Mr. Damocles, I am Mr. Agreste's executive assistant Nathalie.”

Mr. Damocles shook her hand. “Hello, miss. Pardon me, but where is Mr. Agreste?” He asked looking around as Natalie held up a tablet. On it was his father from his office. 

“I'm here.” He remarked. 

Mr. Damocles looked a little put off by his father not being there in person. “Ah, uh, hello Mr. Agreste. Welcome to our school.” 

“Adrien, take Nathalie around.” His father ordered as he simply compiled taking notice of Alya looking worried as she didn’t have a hat at her stand. One by one they went through the entries, all were well made until they finally stopped at Chloé who looked excited.

“Hello, Mr. Agreste. I'm Chloé Bourgeois. You know my father, André Bourgeois, the mayor?” She introduced but was ignored as his father scanned her work.

“Interesting technique used Ms.Bourgeois.” He commented, as soon as he passed Chloé practically exploded with happiness, receiving praise from a top designer. 

Adrien couldn’t help but grow curious, he’d never know Chloé to be interesting in the production aspect of fashion, perhaps she had taken a recent interest as of late. 

”As you'll see, Mr. Agreste, our students have poured their hearts and souls into their projects.” His principal remarked ready to finish the contest, but as he spoke someone ran past them. As Alya sighed in relief before harshly whispered something. Adrien looked past the principal to see Marin apologizing, rubbing the back of his neck. He placed something on the stand. 

“I suppose if there are no other entries, then the winner is-“ 

“Uh, father.” Adrien spoke up as all eyes were on him, “There’s one more person.” He gestures toward Marin who had his sleeves rolled down, now wearing his ladybug print tie. His hair was pushed pack as he looked far more presentable than he usually did. Marin looked unnaturally calm as Adrien's father scanned the hat.

“Hm, turn the tablet back to Ms. Bourgeois' hat.” Gabriel requested as Natalie then turned the table back to Chloé 's hat. Both were completely identical. “Is this a joke?” 

“No fair! Marin copied my design! How could you?!” She immediately began to cry as Sabrina glared at Marin.

At first, Adrien was worried for his classmate, knowing how he usually acted around Chloé , but surprised as Marin retained his composure. He cleared his throat, drawing all eyes on him.

“I apologize for the situation Mr. Agreste, but I can assure you, this hat is my original design.” 

Gabriel narrowed his eyes. “ Go ahead.”

Marin picked up his hat, Adrien noticed that his hands were covered in bandaids. “Everything on my derby hat is hand-crafted even down to the smallest thread- from the embroidery to the weaving of the band, to the stitching of the brim. While I won't bore you with the more finer aspects. There's a special design element that only the true designer knows about: the signature.”

A crash from behind caused them all to turn around as Chloé knocked over her hat stand, seeing the same signature etched in her hat. Chloé runs out crying. 

“Very exquisite creation. You definitely have the laboring hands of a hat maker, mister...

Adrien stood next to his classmate, “Dupain-Cheung.” 

“Congratulations on your demonstration, Mister Dupain-Cheung. You're the winner. Adrien will wear your derby on our next advertising campaign.” 

Marin bowed his head respectfully, “Thank you, sir.” Keeping it lowered until the camera turned off and Natalie walked away. 

“Adrien, I will be waiting in the car. Please be brief.” She remarked, knowing that he’d want to say goodbye to his classmates. He nodded, turning towards Marin and Alya, seeing her hug her best friend tightly. 

“I knew you could do it!” 

“Congratulations Marin. Your hat was amazingly designed.” He complimented, seeing Marin turned his head in embarrassment, his face reddened. “Could I try it on?” He asked. 

Marin nodded, handing him the hat, their hands touched for a moment. 

“A-achoo!” Adrien suddenly sneezing, recoiling in embarrassment as he realized he had sneezed on his classmate and his hat. “Uh-- sorry, I'm allergic to feathers.” He sneezed again as Marin quickly put the hat back in the box. Taking out something from his back pocket. 

“Ah, Bless you,” Marin said as he quickly handed over a white handkerchief. "This is my fault, I put authentic pigeon feathers on the hat!"

Adrien nodded his thanks, accepting his classmate’s handkerchief as he sneezed a few more times walking away as to not spread any more germs. "Don't worry about it," He sneezed again. "I'll have to try it later then." 

Marin's heart couldn't help but soften as he heard those words. He only nodded as Adrien walked away quickly. "Later then." He whispered under his breath, holding his hat close to his heart. 

Chapter Text

"The next particle physics presentation group is Nino, Adrien and Alya!" Ms. Mendeleiev announced as Nino and Adrien shared a high fice while Alya was trying to keep Marin awake in class.

"Lucky," Marin muttered as Alya gently jabbed his side teasingly.

"And then, Sabrina, Chloé and Marin ."

The teacher finished as the teasing stopped. The project placement rested in Marin's mind as Alya gave him a worried glance. "This seems about right."

"Sorry, bud. How unlucky can you get?" Alya asked Chloé spoke up.

"Uh, Miss, can't you add him to another group? Sabrina and I work much better on our own."

Ms. Mendeleiev narrowed her eyes in displeasure, "This is a group presentation, not pairs! Deal with it."

Chloé grumbled under her breath as Marin rested his head on his desk. "You wouldn't be willing to trade groups, would ya?" He hollowly asked, already knowing the answer. "And deal with that twosome terror? Sorry, cutie." Alya apologized, petting her friend's head. "But I promise to make it up to you when those two drain your life force."

"Thank you, Alya." Marin appreciated but jolted to attention as the teacher slammed her hand on the desk behind them.

"Nathaniel! What are you drawing?" Ms. Mendeleiev suddenly shouted causing everyone to stare. Marin turned to see Nathaniel looking embarrassed, averting his gaze as the teacher snapped at him. He was probably doodling in class again, which wasn't a rare occurrence, but it happened enough that the teacher always singled Nathanial out on it.

"These artistic endeavors are clearly why you are failing science. I don't want to keep repeating myself."

Nathaniel lowered his head, "I'm sorry…"

"You, go march yourself down to the principal's office and show him that checked scratch! Then you'll be really sorry!"

Nathaniel tripped over Marin's bag, dropping his sketchbook. Chloé grabbed one of the fallen illustrations that fell near her feet. "Ooh! Look, Sabrina! It's him as a superhero!" Chloé said loudly, wanting to attract attention as Nathaniel grew angry.

"Gimme that!" He demanded, trying to get his drawing back, but then the teacher snapped at him once more.

" Enough! Nathaniel, go!" The teacher ordered as his drawings were all scattered on the floor.

"And look who he's saving! It's-" Chloé was about to say, but Marin snatched the drawing from her hand cleaning up all the fallen drawings. Marin acted quickly, gathering all the papers and placing them back in Nathaniel's book, ducking out a few minutes before class ended.

In the hall, Nathaniel scrabbled to shove all his papers in his bag but dropped his pen. Falling to his knees as it broke on the ground. "Oh no…" He didn't even see the Akuma flying towards him.

"Hey." He suddenly turned up his head to see Marin standing over him, he offered him a hand. Nathaniel felt his face reddened as he took his classmate's hand. "You alright?" The taller boy asked in concern neither of them noticing the Akuma flying away, fluttering nearby. "Fine…" Nathaniel mumbled, noticing as Marin reached into his messenger bag, "You forgot your sketchbook, I think I grabbed all of your illustrations. Don't worry, I didn't look at any of them." He said reassuringly.

"Uh, I'd be okay if you looked through it," Nathaniel said as his face grew redder. "I think you'd be the only one who'd actually appreciate it. 

But Marin shook his head, "It wouldn't be fair if I couldn't return the favor. My sketchbook is just filled with silly doodles and clothes. As he handed back his book, Nathaniel noticed Marin had handed him a small white box wrapped in an orange ribbon.

"What's this?" He asked curiously.

"It's your birthday isn't it?"

Nathaniel opened the box and couldn't help but be amazed at what was in the box, a good quality calligraphy pen. It was just what he needed for his new illustrations! He sighed, feeling a warm happiness in his chest.

"Try not to let Chloé get to you, so long as you call her out then chances are she'll back down...probably." Marin shrugged, rubbing the back of his head as he was only half certain about what he was saying.

"Easy for you to say…" Nathaniel began to say, then he remembered who he was talking to. "Sorry. She's just a terrible person, the absolute worst." "I doubt that anyone's gonna disagree with you." Marin shrugged. "But telling her that to her face is just going to make her temperament worse." Marin sighed. "Good thing you have some friends to look out for you." He remarked, not realizing that Nathaniel's face was getting redder with every passing moment.

"I'll see ya later then." Marin said as the bell rang, "Happy Birthday." About to turn and leave when Nathaniel suddenly spoke up again.

"Uh, Marin!" He called out, as the other boy turned back towards him. His heart suddenly raced, "W-would you like to-" But was pushed out of the way as Chloé walked past. Standing in front of Marin with a displeased expression. "

We're going to talk." She suddenly demanded, grabbing Marin's arm as Sabrina simply followed even though it was clear that their classmate was not on board with this pseudo kidnapping. Nathaniel looked disheartened as students started to crowd around him.

"Something wrong?" Alix asked walking up to him as her class was right next to his. "Just Chloé again," Nathaniel said as he gripping his new pen as the Akuma located its original target.

Chloé trapped him against a bookshelf in the library with Sabrina by her side. "Here's how it's going to go, I'll present, and you two do all the research."

"Excuse me?" Marin questioned, very uncomfortable with Chloé invading his personal space. How the heck could Adrien stand this almost every day? He stepped aside from her, placing his bag on the table next to Sabrina.

"It's okay, Marin. You and I will do all the research, and the writing for our project, and then, Chloé can present it! That way it's equal."

Marin stared at her, trying to process what she said. Is this how Alya felt whenever he said something stupid? "That's not equal at all, is that how you two work?!"

Sabrina nodded with a smile on her face, "Yeah! We've been doing this ever since grade school when I started doing Chloé's homework! And we've been BFF's ever since!"

"You got a problem with that?" Chloé demanded. "Sabrina, Chloé's taking complete advantage of you, you don't have to do what she says," Marin said as Chloé placed herself between him and Sabrina, once again, invading his space. "Ugh, not only am I Sabrina's best friend, I'm her only friend, so she better do what I say, 'cause without me, she has nothing."

Marin glared at her for a moment, then back at Sabrina. "And you think that she is your best friend?"

Chloé laughed dryly, " It's cute you think that this friendship is one-sided." She remarked taking a hat out of her purse. "After all, I didn't buy just super cute beret just for me after all."

Marin stared at her in disbelief. "Excuse me, but are you trying to bribe her into doing your work? With a hat-"

"Uhhh... really, really adorable hat! That would look fantastic on me!" Sabrina's expression lit up with excitement, like a puppy expecting a treat.

Marin slammed his hand onto his face, "This is fine." he remarked, now getting a better idea of why these two were friends.

Chloé smirked smugly, "Whatever. I've got more important things to worry about. My hair is a hot mess and Jean Claude promised to work his magic. Later!"

Marin glared at her walking away as Sabrina already opened a textbook. He was stuck in between a rock and a hard place. But all that was thrown out the window when a giant hairdryer appeared in the middle of the library.

"Chloé, watch out!" Marin called out as the machine blew hot air in her direction, as he stepped towards her direction to try and help he was hit by a wall, trapping himself and Sabrina. "What is this?" He questioned, touching the glass as Sabrina cowered nearby. Something caught his attention, someone who was clearly Akumatized standing on the second floor of the library, scribbling something on a tablet with a sinister smile on his face.

Marin couldn't transform like this, but luckily, it appeared he had found himself a way out of the situation. Noticing that they weren't trapped in a box, as it had fallen onto a fallen book, leaving the entire thing slightly crooked.

"Sabrina, push this side with me," Marin ordered as he began trying to move the heavy glass. Sabrina copied him, as they successfully escaped. Instead of shattering, the box instead disappeared into blue lines. Just in time to see Chat Noir jump into the Library of their school, spying the giant hairdryer and hearing Chloé's screams. "Chat Noir will handle this, we need to get out of here." Marin said as Sabrina nodded, sprinting out of the Library. Marin almost followed but turned back, seeing that Chat Noir was trying to take out the hairdryer, possibly not

He took out his staff just about to attack the thing when Marin called out towards him.

"Chat Noir! You need to take out the source!" He called out, pointing towards the villain who recoiled in anger. He furiously began drawing something as the room erupted in smoke. The villain disappeared, and Chat Noir looked around, confused as Marin slipped out of the library.

"Are you going to leave Chat noir alone with Chloé?" Tikki asked flying out.

Marin glanced back at the Library, highly conflicted, for a moment he peaked back into the room, now seeing that Chloé was yelling at his partner as she was trying to fix her hair.

"Are you alr-" He tried asking but she snapped back.

"OF COURSE I'M NOT! Do you see my hair now?! IT's going to take forever to fix, not to mention my clothes are all wrinkled. He stepped back as Chat Noir walked forward.

Marin slowly closed the door, not wanting to get in between the two. "He'll be fine."

Cat Noir crossed his arms as he stood in Chloé's room listening to her complain. "Chloé this, Evillstrator, seems to be targeting you, any idea why?"

"Of course not, everyone adores me," Chloé remarked, taking out her phone, then scrunched up her face in annoyance having to look at him. "Where's Ladybug? I'm sure he'll be able to do a much better job of protecting me than his sidekick."

"Sidekick?" Chat Noir questioned.

"Isn't that what you are?" She questioned.

Chat Noir sighed, not wanting to throw his longtime friend off the roof. "Are you sure you didn't make anyone mad recently?"

Chloé thought for a moment, "Hmmm, well there is that Chinese boy in my class, he seemed pretty upset about something."

"Chinese boy?" Chat Noir repeated, thinking that she must be referring to Marin. Unless she was talking about Kim, in which case that would trigger a number of problems, as Kim was Vietnamese. He really hoped that Chloé knew the difference.

"He seemed angry about something but honestly when he talks I just try to ignore him."

"Oh?" Chat inquired. Nino did mention that Marin drew a lot and Chloé was his main tormentor for years. Maybe he'd finally had it, and it was enough anger for Hawkmoth to monopolize.

"Thank you Chloé, it appears I must be going now." He remarked.

"Hey! You're not going to just leave me alone, are you?! Someone came after me once, it's clear that they're going to do it again!" Chloé demanded, ringing his bell, to which he took high offense.

"I thought you didn't want the protection of a sidekick." He mocked, using what she said earlier.

But Chloé flashed him a smug grin, "If the villain is actually Marin, then you'll be more than enough for him to handle." She remarked, sitting back down on her sofa as Chat groaned in annoyance.

" How you do chapters 1 to 3 and I do the rest of the chapters and assemble the presentation?" Marin asked as he and Sabrina stood inside the bakery kitchen. He had already taken off his blazer and put on his white apron with pink trim. It was his shift and he was already taking out the cookies. Sabrina stood behind the counter as she watched in amazement.

" Sure, but, could I help with assembling the presentation as well? I think I may know how the teacher prefers it so we can get high marks." She asked as Marin began piping out the icing.

"That's fine with me." Marin said, smiling as he quickly finished his work. "How about we work on our parts over the weekend and meet up on Sunday to make the finishing touches." He asked handing her a cookie to try.

Sabrina nodded popping it into her mouth as she collected her things, "That sounds great. Maybe Chloé will like it so much that she'll let me borrow her beret!"

All of a sudden, Marin's mood dropped as he forced the words through his teeth. "Yeah, maybe."

Sabrina squealed in joy as Marin walked her to the door. "ThankyouThankyouThankyou sooo much!" She simply remarked running down the street to start the project. He sighed, closing the door, and walked back up the stairs to the bakery. All of a sudden he noticed that that the windows were covered, walking to the front door he saw that it was locked. Something that made him uneasy. The bakery was closed for the rest of the day, and his parents were going to be out all night. What could-

"Hello, Marin." He flinched as he heard a voice from behind. Scaring him half to death as there stood a familiar face.

Marin " It's you! From the library!" He observed. "What are you doing here?" He asked, realizing that his back was against the door and the only means of escape was through the villain standing in his way.

Evillustrator looked away shyly, "I just wanted to see you."

Marin was stunned for a moment, "Okay... To attack me like you did Chloé?" He questioned with suspicion. But was surprised as the villain quickly shook his head.

"N-no way, you're kind and sweet and pretty... you're perfect and I could never hurt you!" He said, but his earnestness turned into disgust. "Chloé is cruel and selfish, she got what was coming to her." He said, but changed his tone as he could see Marin's shocked expression.

"So, I just came by to ask you, it, uh, well, it's my birthday today, and, uh, would you wanna come to my party?"

"Your...birthday?" Marin questioned, recalling that he had a whole project to work on.

The villain nodded, "Oh please, it'll just be you and me. I remember how much you like the starry night. There's a place I know that's perfect for stargazing." Quickly, he drew on his tablet. Materializing a card that he presented to him on one knee.

Marin's heart sunk as he realized who was in front of him, the name spelled out before he could hold himself back. "Nathaniel?"

But his friend recoiled at the name, "No, I'm Evillustrator now, far stronger than I was before. I can now get justice for everyone that's ever been harassed by Chloé and her minion, especially you." His voice softened again at the end of his words.

Marin couldn't help but sigh, "Nath, I'll go stargazing with you, on one condition." He said folding his hands.

"Anything for you, Marin."

"You can't hurt Chloé anymore, even if she's the worst. I don't like it when people hurt others, no matter the reason." Marin asked sincerely.

Evillustrator looked conflicted for a moment but nodded, "For you and only you. Meet you on the left bank, next to Notre-Dame, at sunset." He asked, erasing a way up towards the sky and drawing a jetpack on himself, flying away. Not even undoing what he originally did to his parents bakery.

"Oh man..."

"What are you thinking, Marin?" Tikki asked sitting on his shoulder.

"My parents are going to kill me after they see this," Marin remarked sincerely but then flinched as he heard footsteps. "Tikki!" he harshly whispered, walking towards the front door and was surprised at who he saw.

"I thought I was going to have to save you from that guy for a moment there. I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Cat Noir." The hero said as he leaned on the door frame.

"W-What happened to my door?" Marin asked, his stomach sinking as he saw the entire thing was gone. "Ohhh, now my parents are really gonna kill me." He placed his hands on his face and walked back into the kitchen, needing to sit down for a little while. He groaned as Chat Noir followed him with his hands behind his back.

"Since you were so floored with my original introduction, it seems like I'll have to repeat myself." The hero said again. "I'm Chat Noir, the hero." He clarified.

"Have we met before?" Marin asked, which stunned Chat Noir in place. But Marin couldn't keep up the facade as he giggled. "Sorry, I couldn't help it. Of course, I know who you are. You're kinda a big deal."

Chat Noir laughed off his insecurities, clearing his throat. "I overheard what Evillstrater said, the whole thing?"

"What? How?"

"To be honest." Chat said sheepishly. "I kinda thought you were the villain, all I had to go on was someone who was good at drawing and who hated Chloé. But now I see that it's just someone else who hates Chloé and is good at drawing. So now, we have the upper hand."

Marin didn't want to press his reasoning, it wasn't as though he needed a fully detailed report. "Huh?" Marin tilted his head in confusion.

"Well, that birthday boy date of yours is bad news, him being a villain and all. So I'm thinking, I can grab his possessed item it's a done deal. But I am going to need a little help. Care to assist a superhero?" He asked, walking towards the table.

Marin noticed Chat eyeing the macaroons on the table. "What about Ladybug? Aren't you a duo?"

Cat Noir flinched slightly. "Chances are he'll pop up to finish the Villain off so...I guess you get to be my Ladybug tonight." He teased, popping a cookie into his mouth.

Marin processed what his partner said, "Me and Cat Noir? Fighting crime together? That sounds like a terrible idea." he remarked. "You do realize I'm basically a beacon for bad luck right?"

Cat Noir simply shrugged it off, "Just get that drawing pencil away from it, and I'll take care of the rest. Don't worry, you'll be safe with me tonight, Macaroon." He winked playfully as Marin giggled.

"Okay, I will, I will!"

Marin overheard as he saw Evillstrator grasping his hand they stood before Notre Dame. If had any thoughts about backing out they were now void as Evillustrator soon noticed him and drew a large smile on his face. "Marin! You're actually here." He said happily guiding his friend towards a bench. as he sat down, Evillustrator drew more items on the boat. Painting a pleasant evening with soft lighting that wouldn't hinder their view of the stars.

"Wow, it's so beautiful," Marin said, as the sky tonight had a full moon.

Evillustrator seemingly blushed at the comment, "You like it? Well hold on, 'cause I'm just getting started." Just as he was about to draw again, the clouds covered the moonlight, darkening the night even more so.

"Ugh, Come on, you've gotta be kidding!

Marin flinched back slightly at his tone.

Evillustrator recoiled at Marin's expression, "Uhh, sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. It's just... I can't draw properly in the dark." He explained as he finished what he was drawing. A miniature moon shining above the boat. "Voila!"Then jumping down to sit next to Marin, who out of the corner of his eye noticed a familiar face leaping across the rooftops, observing from a distance.

As the night continued on Marin couldn't help but close his eyes for a moment, listening to the river's currents as his friend played music, but he suddenly opened then once more as he heard a sound from behind him. Knowing exactly what it was he turned to Evillustrator. "You're such a talented person, I just don't understand why you wanna use your power to hurt people."

Evillustrator shook his head, "Not all people. Just Chloé. And I'm never doing that again. After all, you were true to your promise, so I'll be true to mine."

"I...actually draw a little too, I'm not as good as you are, of course."

Evillustrator turned towards him, smiling brightly. "I know, you're an incredibly talented person yourself. It's easy to see why everyone likes you."

Marin couldn't help but chuckle that that, "You're good at flattering others." He said, partially in disbelief as it couldn't be true. He was the clumsiest person, always late, not to mention extremely bad at socializing. "Would it be alright if I tried drawing you something special for your birthday?

"That would be amazing," Evillustrator remarked, about to hand over his pen when something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. "Marin, give me my pencil back. I need to draw something, now!"

But Marin grabbed the pen from him, "Sorry, but the Akuma is messing with your head!" He remarked as Chat Noir jumped from his hiding spot, trapping Evillustrator using his staff as the villain grew more enraged.

"So, you're working with him? I'm so stupid... I actually thought you liked me! But you're really just like Chloé. Teasing me, mocking me, leading me on!"

The words hurt, he didn't like doing this, hurting his friend. But in the long run it was the right choice. "This isn't you, Hawkmoth is manipulating you."

"Like you?!" He snapped.

But Marin shook his head, "Nathaniel is the one who's my friend, not Evillustrator!" Just as he was about to break the pen Evillustrator kicked Cat Noir's staff making it hit Marin so he was knocked over. Immediately Chat Noir dove for the pen, to pick it up but froze in place as he saw that Evillustraor had grabbed Marin in a chokehold, unable to escape due to the Akumatized victim's enhanced strength.

Chat Noir glared at the villain who had a triumphant smile on his face standing at the edge of the boat.

"Return my pen or else."

Chat took a double-take between the pen, the villain, and his classmate. Heck, did Marin know how to swim? Because if he didn't then capture this guy would be a lot harder. He wasn't even sure if Ladybug was even around, it wasn't like he could text the guy or something. But ultimately, he couldn't risk two of his classmates falling into a river because he was too prideful.

"You want it? Come and get it!" Chat remarked throwing it into the sky.

Evillustrator immediately dove for it as Chat sprinted towards his classmate, luckily grabbing his hand and pulling him close just before he hit the water. "You alright?" He asked as Marin coughed, trying to catch his breath. But he couldn't be relieved as Evillustrator dropped a box on them, then erased a hole in the boat.

"And I'm taking back my promise! Chloé's gonna get a little lesson she'll never forget!" He remarked, then drawing a jetpack on himself, escaping easily.

"We've been penned in! Literally!" Chat said punching the glass. "Really could use you right now partner!" Chat called out but to no avail. They could just wait for the boat to sink so they could use the river to escape, it would be the hard way but it would definitely be a solution. "I don't suppose you can swim?" Chat Noir asked turning back to Marin.

"I'd drown faster than you would." He remarked as Chat Noir tried to get that terrible image out of his head. But broke out of them as Marin took his pole, placing it on the ground.

"Cat Noir, if you extend your baton we can use it to escape," Marin said as he pointed to the ceiling of the box.

Cat Noir nodded, "Great thinking!" Following orders as Marin wrapped his arms around his neck. The staff fell over near a bridge and Chat Noir carefully set down his classmate safely. "See, I told you I would keep you safe." He remarked as he screamed on the inside at how easily he could've lost his classmate."Anyway, gotta go. A superhero's work is never done. Damsels in distress, ladies in waiting, pursued princes... I've got a lot more saving to do. I'll catch you later, Macaroon." He quickly said then using his baton to scale over the city line.

Marin sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as Tikki hovered nearby. "That was too close!" The Kwami stated. 

But he smiled at his Kwami, "Chat Noir's already done most of the heavy lifting, it seems like he'll need help saving Chloé. Tikki, Spots on!"

Chat Noir raced to the hotel where Chloé lived. Half thinking about how to defeat Evillustrator, half thinking about how he was going to save Chloé, half thinking about what Marin thought about Chat Noir, and half thinking about where the heck his partner was. He broke into his friend's room, looking at a giant heeled shoe. "You like to walk all over other people. But you don't like it when others trample on you! Do you, Chloé? Do you?!" Evillustrator taunted, smacking away a giant show, destroying it.

"From where I stand it looks like you're the one trying to walk all over someone." Chat Noir remarked as Chloé crawled away.

"In the comics, this is what's known as the final showdown. The thing is, if you knew her, you wouldn't be breaking a sweat to save her skin! She's the real baddie!" Evillustrator claimed, sketching something on his tablet.

Chat Noir held up his staff prepared for whatever Evillustrator threw at him. All of a sudden the lights shut off, the only luminous presence coming from the city lights in the distance.

"Hey!" Evillustrator called out as Chat Noir's night vision kicked in, seeing the villain taken down quickly using a plastic zip tie to bind Evillstrators hands together. He quickly fell to the ground as Ladybug picked up his pen.

"Some advice," Ladybug said as Chat Noir's face suddenly lit up with a smile at the presence of his partner. "Even if someone is terrible, you shouldn't have to go out of your way to harm anyone."

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in." Chat Noir remarked resting his staff on his shoulders with a smug smile.

Ladybug broke the pen, "Yes, you did. I couldn't let you do all the work after all." he said as the two watched the Akuma fly against the night lights of Paris.

"No more mischief for you little butterfly. Time to purify!" He said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug tossed his lucky charm into the air, returning everything back to normal, even turning the lights back on, as Chat took notice.

"Did you break the lights?" He asked as Ladybug shrugged his shoulders, holding out his fist. Chat noir smiled as he returned the gesture. 

"Pound it!"

"Where am I?" Nathaniel questioned as he looked around in confusion just as Ladybug's earrings started to beep. Before he left, Ladybug handed back his pen with a smile on his face.

"If Chloé gets under your skin again, I'm sure your friend Alix would gladly handle her for you." He remarked as Nathaniel looked on in confusion. 

"What happened when Ladybug and Cat Noir arrived on the scene?" Alya asked interviewing Chloé for her blog at school the next day. 

"Well, to be perfectly honest, Chat Noir was no help. He didn't even have to do anything, Ladybug is the real hero here." Chloé remarked as Marin rolled his eyes as his classmate. Sabrina spotted him, stepping away from Chloé with a smile on her face and a new beret. 

"Thanks listening to me, it means a lot that you cooperated with me for the project."

"Don't mention it," Marin remarked. "Seriously." He then said in a more serious tone. 

"You got it. I know Chloé can be demanding, but she's my friend, and I like feeling needed." She said with a smile on her face, turning back to Chloé, seeing that the interview was done. Marin sighed, Sabrina was always alright, but he couldn't stand being around her and Chloé at the same time. He saw Alix walking up to Chloé with anger in her eyes, yelling something as Nathaniel caught Marin's eye. The taller boy waved to him as Nathaniel waved back with a red face. 

Taking out his sketchbook he closed his locker, then suddenly flinched back as Adrien was standing, leaning up against a locker looking up at the taller boy. 

"Hey!

Marin stared at him for a moment, before freezing in place. 

"I heard about your adventures with Cat Noir yesterday. So, what do you think about Cat Noir? Was he awesome?"

Marin glanced at him for a moment, wondering who Adrien heard it from. But then assumed that he probably heard it through some kind of grapevines. After all, the heroes of Paris were never a stale talking point. But remembering that night he reflexively rubbed his neck. 

"Were you scared? I hear Evillustrator was pretty frightening." 

Marin averted his gaze, but couldn't help but shake his head. "I wasn't worried, he gave me his word that he'd watch out for me, after all." He said simply a smile drew on Adrien's face. 

"Cool." Adrien only said as he walked past, looking extremely happy. 

"Hm, maybe he's a fan of Chat Noir." Marin thought out loud as everyone went on their way to class. 

"Maybe he's a fan of you." Tikki offered, popping out of his messenger bag. But Marin brushed aside his Kwami's remark, for a moment he opened his sketchbook. Pressing his hands against his shoddy sketches of Adrien. But immediately he snapped himself out of lingering thoughts, instead choosing to catch up to Alya to their next class. 

Chapter Text

"You've reached the voicemail of Gabriel Agreste's office. Please leave a message."

"Hi father, it's me. It's Parent's Career Day at school, remember? I was hoping that you were gonna show up. Call me back." Adrien sighed, leaning against the wall outside of his classroom,

Plagg popped out of Adrien's bag, looking concerned for his friend, "You okay?" He asked.

Adrien shrugged it off, petting his Kwami's head, "Yeah, whatever. Nothing new." When he walked back in he saw Marin taking out croissants from delivery boxes, placing them all on a tray as his father spoke to the class. Marin looked at him for a moment, two making eye contact for a moment before Adrien looked away sadly.

" My day begins at 4 a.m. every morning because the bakery opens at 7. You think that the life of a baker is pretty routine, making the same pastries, rolls, cakes... but actually, it's different every day. One day someone might order a cake in the shape of the Eiffel Tower, and another day you might be catering for a rock star's alligator." Tom joked as a few giggles erupted from the class. He then placed a hand on Marin's shoulder who walked around the room passing out the pastries starting off with Sabrina. "Marin will come around and pass out some croissants baked fresh this morning."

"Thank you, Mr. Dupain. Now, let's meet Alya's mom, who is head chef at the Grand Paris hotel, owned by our mayor, Mr. Bourgeois." The teacher said as Alya's mother walked towards the front of the class.

Marin saw Chloé opening a small round box, revealing a golden bracelet.

Sabrina's eyes lit up. "It's beautiful!" she remarked about to pick it up, but Chloé slapped her friend's hand away.

"Look, don't touch!"

"Sorry!" Sabrina looked downtrodden for a moment until Marin placed a croissant and a napkin before her. "Thank you."

Chloé smiled smugly, noticing Marin standing next to her. "I wonder how many croissants your dad would have to sell to buy you one of these? What am I saying? He'd have to sell the whole store!" she cackled as Marin placed a croissant and a napkin before her.

Marin rolled his eyes. "If I had the money to buy that I'd go with a silver, then it wouldn't clash with your outfit."

Chloé grumbled under his breath. "Ugh, jealous." Before putting away her jewelry into her purse.

As Marin passed out the delicious smelling criossants most eyes were on him, not on the small black Kwami popping out of Adrien's bag.

Plagg's eyes lit up as he saw the round box that Chloé placed into his bag. "Is that Camembert?" He asked, flying under the floor into her bag. He quickly opened it, but was disappointed, seeing that it wasn't his favorite treat. "Huh? Oh, that's not Camembert... But it is very shiny. I like shiny!" He overhead applause as he took the bracelet out of the box. He played around with it for a little while, trying to balance it on his head, but a problem arose as the bracelet got stuck on his head. Trying to escape, he accidentally knocked over the bag, causing Marin to trip over a fallen box and have the now empty tray hit his face.

Marin winced in pain as Chloé laughed, "Geez, is there a day when you're not tripping over something?" earning a glare from half the class as Alya helped her friend up.

Miss Bustier announced the next guest. "Next on the list is Sabrina's father, a policeman. Officer Roger!"

Sabrina stood next to her father as he looked proud to talk about his career. "I've been a police officer for 15 years, and I firmly believe that every citizen is innocent until proven guilty."

Suddenly, his speech was interrupted by a shrill scream as Chloé had an empty box in her hand. "My bracelet! It's gone! I had it a second ago!" She then glared at Marin who was near the front placing the tray away into a box. "You! You stole it!"

Marin turned towards her in confusion. "What?"

"You purposedly tripped on my bag so you could steal my bracelet! You're a policeman! Arrest her!" Chloé demanded as Sabrina's father looked started by the sudden demands.

Tom immediately stood in front of his son. "My son is not a thief!"

Chloé looked hurt, glancing at her father, "You're calling me a liar?! Daddy!"

"Roger, I demand you to search that boy!" The Mayor demanded as Chloé smiled victoriously.

Miss Bustier tried to quell the situation, "Please, everybody, let's all just calm down-"

A sharp whistle drew everyone's attention as Roger blew his whistle. "Hold on a minute, Miss Bourgeois, we don't accuse without proof! Now, everyone, calm down, please. Maybe you simply misplaced your bracelet.

Mr. Bourgeois glared at him as Chloé hugged her father, looking distressed but probably was just a facade to garner some sympathy. "Need I remind you that as mayor of this city, I am your superior!"

Roger tried to reason with his boss, "But sir, it's against the law to search anyone without probable cause! I can't just go-"

"All right. Then you're no longer a police officer!" Mr. Bourgeois suddenly said as Roger was stunned.

"Mister Mayor, you can't be serious! Over a missing bracelet?"

But Mr. Bourgeois only doubled down, "This is my daughter's bracelet we're talking about! You've refused to obey direct orders from a superior thusly, you're fired! Get out!"

Roger looked downtrodden as Sabrina tried to follow him out, only stopping as she heard her best friend speak up once more.

"Good! Let's call Ladybug! I'm sure he'll actually do something!"Chloé cackled.

Then all the attention was on Marin who could feel all the tension on his shoulders.

"Now I demand to turn over your bag to be searched!" The mayor demanded, but Marin's father once more stood in between his son and the person threatening him.

"Don't even think about getting near my son or his bag!"

Mr. Bourgeois glared at the baker, "Do you know who I am?"

The two had a standoff as Miss Bustier pushed herself between them, "Please, gentlemen! This is a school here! Think of the children! Surely the bracelet is around here someplace."

"It probably just rolled out of her bag or something," Marin said as Alya stood beside him.

"If I were her bracelet, I'd try and get as far away as possible from that crazy brat too." Causing Marin to chuckle, but his laughter faded as he saw Sabrin standing next to the door looking sad. He walked over to her as the class started talking.

"Nino's been filming everything this whole time! We can see what really happened!" Alya recommended as now all attention was on Nino, who looked around nervously.

"You alright?" Marin asked as he stood next to Sabrina, who looked like she was on the verge of tears. She looked conflicted between what to do as Chloé was her best friend, but she loved her father dearly.

"Well, there you have it! Sabrina was holding Chloé's bracelet!" Someone called out and now everyone looked at Sabrina.

"I...I didn't-" She started to say but Marin placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Sabrina didn't take the bracelet, why would she? Chloé's her best friend after all." He pointed out. "There's no way she'd do anything to harm her friend. Also, Chloé put it directly back into her bag after showing it to her, so there's no way she'd have been able to take it." He pointed out as Sabrina looked up at him gratefully, a little tension off of her shoulders.

 Chloé glared at him, "If you're so quick to defend her why don't we take a look in your bag?!" She demanded, unintentionally hitting Nathaniel's sketchbook, where a few pages slipped out. One revealing a drawing of the bracelet, causing Chloé to gasp as her animosity now had a new target. "You?!"

Nathaniel looked up fearfully as Chloé bared her fangs. "I just sketched the bracelet from your Instagram feed!" he insisted. While across the room Mr. Bourgeois stood before Nino. "Give me the tape! I'll have it analyzed by professionals!"

Nino shielded his device away. "No way dude, that's my phone!"

" Who do you think you're dealing with? I am the mayor of this city! Where's the school principal? I want to see the principal!" He ranted pushed Sabrina and Marin out of the way to lodge a complaint.

Meanwhile, Adrien felt something at his feet, he was shocked as he saw Plagg rolling around with Chloé's bracelet stuck on his head. Acting quickly, he grabbed his Kwami and passed by Marin who noticed him leaving with something in his hands.

"I won't bother you with the story. It's a long, boring-" Plagg tried to brush off the severity of the problem but he couldn't escape Adrien's anger as they stood in the locker room.

"Oh yes, you will explain it, and fast! You realize we have a big problem, don't you?!"

"If by big you are referring to my rock-hard abs? Well, thanks for noticing!" Plagg remarked, touching his soft stomach with his little Kwami hands.

Adrien heard some loud footsteps, he peaked towards the main hall where he saw a giant blue robot talking to Mylene's father who was sweeping. They talked for a moment, seemingly trying to remove the robot from the campus. But was shot and was now running laps with a red and blue light on his hands. "Now we have a bigger problem! Plagg, cla-"

"No can do!" Plagg immediately interrupted.

Adrien looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean I can't transform?!"

" If you transform, the bracelet will get absorbed with me and damage your powers!"

Adrien glanced at his partner, then groaned in frustration. "Ahhhh...I wonder if Ladybug has problems like this with his Kwami."

"I thought it was a Camembert box! Anyone can make a mistake!" Plagg reasoned, but Adrien quickly retorted his claim.

"You're always thinking with your stomach!"

Back in class, Chloé was only growing angrier, " As far as I'm concerned all of your are suspects!"

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean? I didn't swipe the bracelet!" Nathaniel retorted.

Marin sighed, as Chloé spoke on. "Someone in this room definitely took it, if you have nothing to hide then empty out your bags!" She demanded to hold out her hand, to which Nathaniel recoiled from, taking a step back. Marin felt sympathy for his classmate, knowing that Nathaniel kept a ton of loose paper drawing in his bag. If Chloé had her way, all of them would be revealed to the class.

"Hey, no one's searching his bag, unless you want a piece of me!" Alix suddenly said as she stood between Nathaniel and Chloé, who now glared at the smaller girl furiously.

"Fine." Marin suddenly said, "If you'll stop this witch hunt, I'll empty out my bag." He said as Chloé sneered at him victoriously. But then it was Nathaniel's turned to glance at Marin in worry, as he knew his taller friend was in the same boat. As Marin too had a bag of loose sketches that weren't properly kept away and would be completely exposed if shown.

But then, Tom placed his hand on Marin's shoulder just as his son held his bag. "Marin, let the adults handle this."

"But Papa, she's calling everyone a thief."

"Yes, but you shouldn't have to give up your privacy just because someone is being unreasonable."

"What about Adrien? His desk is right next to Chloé's." Max pointed out.

"Then we haven't seen him since!" Kim brought up as Marin suddenly became nervous for his absent classmate. He did see Adrien duck out of the class with all the commotion holding something in his hands, not to mention he looked sad earlier. What if he felt guilty because he was about to something bad towards his childhood friend?

But Marin spoked up again, "It can't be Adrien, he's one of Chloé's friends as well, he has no motive to steal."

"Yeah!" Nino chimed in, defending his best friend as then everyone started talking over each other.

Wait a second, motive...

Marin thought to himself. What if stealing it wasn't the motive. What if someone took the bracelet to hide it from Chloé? But that didn't make any sense. Why would someone want to hide the bracelet from Chloé? Unless there was something he didn't see in the video. Adrien was a kind person, but was he the kind of person to hide something from a friend to protect their feelings? But what could have happened to the bracelet when it had fallen to make Adrien take it? Maybe a jewel falling out?

But then everyone stopped talking as the door was ripped from its hinges, and a giant blue robot with a person inside stepped out.

"Where is the mayor?"He demanded in a robotic tone.

"Dad?!" Sabrina called out, her face ridden with worry.

Marin just stared at the thing as he felt something in his gut that told him to get out of the room.

"Hello, may I help you?" The teacher asked as Marin sprinted out and towards the principal's office. Tikki floated beside him as he ran.

"That was a whole mess." She commented as Marin agreed.

"Yup, maybe it didn't help that Adrien ducked out right in the middle of all that." He commented as then he hid behind a pillar. "First things first. Tikki, Spots on!" He transformed quickly and ran into the principal's office.

"Mr. Principal, I demand that you find who stole my daughter's bracelet ASAP! Or your job is on the line, sir-" Ladybug overheard as he stepped in. The mayor and principal glanced at him in shock.

"Mister mayor you're in danger-" Ladybug quickly said as he stepped forward.

"Just a moment Ladybug." Mr. Bourgeois interrupted as he turned back towards the principal. "I'm warning you! If you don't find my daughter's bracelet by this evening, I'll cut off all your city funds for the school. Understood?"

Ladybug slammed his hand on his forehead, he then grabbed the mayor's arm having to drag him out as he was still complaining, just as the robot entered the room.

"Didn't anyone teach you to knock before entering?" Mr. Bourgeois asked angrily, swatting away Ladybug's grip on him.

"Justice doesn't need an invitation. Mayor, you're under arrest for abuse of power but order of Rogercop." The villain said pointed his lasers towards the mayor.

Mr. Bourgeois gasped as Ladybug acted quickly, using his yo-yo to wrap his arms and direct the lasers elsewhere. Giving the mayor and principal a chance to escape as Rogercop's attention was now on the superhero.

"Ladybug. Paris has a new righter of wrong. Your services are no longer required." Rogercop stated, trying to shoot him, but Ladybug avoided his lasers by jumping over him, using his yo-yo to try and lock his arms above his head. But to no avail, as this giant robot man probably weighed over a ton and Ladybug clocked in at around 100 pounds. He grabbed his yo-yo back and tried to put some distance between him and the villain. He only narrowly avoided the lasers as Chloé then walked up to him, undeterred by the situation at hand.

"Mr. Rogercop, I need your help." She clearly stated as Rogercop walked to the first floor, seeing that the Mayor was escaping. "Hey! Come back!"

Ladybug spotted him trying to pursue his target. He removed his scarf, wrapping it around his wrist with a plan in mind. Then lept off the second floor, trying to land on his shoulder. But was foiled as Rogercop quickly turned around, grabbing him by his waist with one hand.

"You are disturbing justice, Ladybug, You are going to pay for this." He said as he tightened his grip, essentially almost crushing him if Rogercop didn't hear another voice.

"Dad!" He turned to see Sabrina standing nearby with a pleading expression. This seeming to trigger something in Rogercop as he loosened his grip, allowing Ladybug to breathe some.

Rogercop then snapped back to focus as he glared at Ladybug. "Justice must prevail in the streets of Paris!" He remarked, throwing him with great force.

Back in the locker room. Adrien slapped his forehead as he realized a more simple solution to his conundrum. He took off his ring, making Plagg disappear for a moment as the ring dropped to the ground. Just as he was about to put it back on, something slammed into the locker, denting them as the person fell to the ground. Adrien turned in shock to see Ladybug attempting to stand but was clearly in pain as he held his side.

"Hey- are you okay?!" Adrien immediately asked as he helped the superhero to his feet. Ladybug let out a slow breath, gritting his teeth as he bit down on his hand.

"Fine." He said, resting his back against the lockers for a moment. His eyes widened at Adrien for a moment as he saw what was in his hands. "Chloé's looking for that you know." He remarked as Adrien's face ran red with embarrassment.

"I know... I just-" He tried to think of an excuse but Ladybug shook his head, still using the locker as a crutch as he held his side.

"It's fine. You don't have to explain anything, but you should probably give it back soon." He remarked as he took another deep breath.

"I'll make sure it gets back," Adrien promised, "Do you need any help?"

Ladybug let out a chuckle, "Can't put civilians in the way of danger, but if you see Chat Noir, let him know this new Villain has a solid grip." He advised, walking out of the locker room.

Adrien watched for a moment as Ladybug broke out in a run, but wasn't as fast as he normally was. He immediately placed his ring back on, revealing Plagg before him who looked annoyed.

"That wasn't very nice!" The Kwami remarked.

"Sorry Plagg, but we have a partner to help out. Plagg, claws out!"

Chloé stood before Rogercop as he was trying to blast Ladybug now shielding himself with his yo-yo, but stopped for a moment as he recoiled in pain. "Mr. Rogercop! I've got a serious problem! Worse than a bad hair day!"

Rogercop stopped shooting as Chat Noir jumped down shielding his friend with his staff, turning towards the small girl. "Come with me and we'll talk about it."

Chloé nodded eagerly. "Okay!"

"Chloé, no!" Cat Noir called out as he helped Ladybug to his feet. Immedietly, Ladybug threw his yo-yo onto it as it got caught on the spoiler both of them able to jump on just as it became airborne. Ladybug quickly tied his scarf around it so both could have a better grip, just in time as the car started to spin. When it stopped, they both attempted to stand on top, but a sharp right turn almost sent Chat Noir to his demise if it weren't for Ladybug saving him with his yo-yo. As he was pulling his partner to safety he heard a door opening up, overhearing.

"I just know that Chinese boy is the one who stole my bracelet. He shoulder be arrested! Hello? Are you listening to me?"

Just as Chat Noir was safely on the car they stood before Rogercop pointing his lasers at them.

"Did I ever thank you for the lift?" Chat Noir asked as both of them split up to attack. But neither of their attacks did much damage as the man was an absolute tank. Unmoving even as he signaled the car to perform barrel rolls. The two heroes had to run against the spinning, unable to do much else as otherwise, they would fall.

"Where'd you get those shoes? I could use a pair like that!" Chat Noir asked as he noticed Rogercop was stuck in place. But suddenly he moved, slamming against Ladybug who was sent flying to the ground. He tried to throw his yo-yo towards Chat Noir to catch. But just as his partner was about to catch the device Rogercop grabbed him, now only able to watch as his partner was about to fall to his demise.

"NOOOO! Ladybug!" His entire body filled with adrenaline, every part of his body telling him to jump after him, but he couldn't as Rogercop had him trapped. He glared at Rogercop who tried to take off his ring. But Cat Noir skilly threw his baton to his feet and stuck it inside the exhaust pipe using his legs, triggering a small explosion that made Rogercop lose his grip on Cat Noir, who then fell towards the city, trying to catch his baton.

Mid-air he reached out, but suddenly closed his eyes as he wouldn't make it in time. All of a sudden he felt a collision next thing he knew he was in LAdybug's arms as they tumbled onto the road, bumping into a wall. Chat Noir quickly stood up as he saw Ladybug wince at the impact, probably still feeling his earlier wounds. "That guys should arrest himself for animal brutality." He remarked, using himself as a crutch for Ladybug, holding his arm over his shoulder as he held his partner's waist.

"There's only one place Rogercop would go." Ladybug said, breathing in and out slowly to try and work through the pain.

Mr. Bourgeois spoke across the emergency broadcast channel, with a somber expression, "Paris has a new superpower. His name is Rogercop. I hereby relinquish all authority to Rogercop. All citizens are ordered to answer to him."

He was then replaced by Rogercop who was staring at the screen. "Ladybug and Cat Noir are now outlaws. They must be hunted out and taken into custody immediately."

"So now, we're the nation's most-wanted felons?" Chat Noir remarked, laying Ladybug down with his back to one of the roofs overlooking city hall. Night was falling and the Hall was swarming with cops. "What do you think, should we take this to court?"

"Not while Rogercop's the Chief of Justice." Ladybug remarked holding his side.

Cat Noir sat next to him, sighing. "How many times have we saved Paris again? They all turned on us pretty easily."

Ladybug turned his head noticing Chat Noir's ears flatten slightly. "We're still saving Paris." He remarked holding his yo-yo, trying to stand on his own as his partner glanced at him in concern.

"Are you sure you're up for a trademark Ladybug plan?" He asked. "Rogercop isn't exactly in our weight class."

Ladybug nodded, "Which is why we're going to use that advantage against him." He remarked holding out his hand to help his partner up. "And relying on our bravest one to handle the reinforcements." He remarked with a sly smile, confusing his friend.

Cat Noir lept down to the middle of the police brigade which was under the overlook in Mayor's hall. Where Rogercop stood with his two hostages, out of the corner of his eye he saw Ladybug circling around back. He danced for a few moments, garnering attention.

"I don't think he believes I'm the braver one. What do you all think?" Chat Noir asked openly, but the only response he got was every officer trying to attack him.

Meanwhile, in the main hall, Ladybug snuck into the room, which luckily he could do better without his scarf lingering behind him. He peaked over a table, seeing that Rogercop was preoccupied with Chat Noir's distraction. Just as he was about to sneak up upon him again, he froze as he heard a voice.

"Go, Ladybug, go!"

Not even turning around towards Chloé, who had just given away his position and made his job at least ten times harder. He made a break for a nearby table, using it as cover as Rogercop began shooting at him. Almost immediately he threw up his yo-yo. "Lucky Charm!" and received a single oven mitt.

"Ladybug, it is time for justice to prevail," Rogercop remarked as he walked towards him, his footsteps banging on the ground. Ladybug looked around the room once more seeing a belt in the side closet and a yellow oven mitt on a snack tray nearby. Even if he was handicapped, he raced across the room gathering these items as Rogercop received interference from Chat Noir breaking through the window. His partner ducked for cover right behind the same table that Ladybug was sitting behind.

"What's that?" He questioned, looking at the items that Ladybug collected.

"Incomplete." Ladybug responded as the room didn't have the item he was looking for. "I need some kind of ring to brace the buckle against..."

Chat Noir reached for the bracelet that was attached to his belt. He was going to try and sneak this back into Chloé's purse, but this seemed a good a time as any. "Something like this?" He asked holding it up.

Ladybug's eyes widened for a moment, realizing that Adrien probably passed the bracelet along. "Perfect." He completed his contraption as both of them turned towards Rogercop standing before them.

"Ready when you are, my Lady." Chat Noir remarked as he saw his partner nod, then kept to the ground as he slid on the floor, "Cataclysm!" He yelled out, using his Cataclysm to destroy the floor beneath Rogercop, who easily fell through due to his weight. But not before shooting Cat Noir, attaching him to the ladder. His attention was so focused on him that he didn't notice Ladybug jump towards him, preventing him from shooting again, and then tightening the belt so his hands were bound. He struggled, but to no avail as Ladybug took his whistle, breaking it under his foot.

“No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!"He said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug tossed his lucky charm into the air, returning everything back to normal. He no longer felt any pain within his torso, as Chat Noir walked up to him the two pounding their fists together.

They both recoiled as their miraculous's began to beep. "I'd stick around, but then you'd see me without my mask and... you wouldn't be able to resist me." Chat Noir remarked flirtatiously.

"I'll have to take your word for it." He remarked, picking up the bracelet that started this mess. "You go on ahead." He said as Chat Noir nodded, running out of the building. As Chloé and the Mayor were distracted Ladybug quickly placed the bracelet into Chloé's bag, handing it over to Roger who looked confused.

"I think you've underestimated Officer Roger, Mr. Mayor. You'd be wrong not to keep him on." He remarked, nodding towards Roger who seemed to get the message as Ladybug opened a window to escape.

The next day at school Adrien overheard a conversation between Marin and Sabrina. He asked her how her father was and she responded happily.

"It's Lieutenant Roger now." Mayor Bourgeois was so happy that Dad found Chloes bracelet that he gave him a promotion." She said.

"I'm glad for him, he definitely deserves it after all he had to go through," Marin remarked as he then said bye to Sabrina.

Adrien couldn't help but smile at the news but was surprised as he turned the corner and saw Marin standing there. Looking shy as always, in his hand he held a box with his family's logo on it. He placed it in Adrien's hands, surprising him a little as Marin wasn't usually this forward.

"What's this?" He asked curiously, the box smelled of something familiar, but more pleasant.

Marin rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Well, remember when I asked for that camembert earlier? I wanted to actually try out a recipe and thought you might like it. Okay-bye." He quickly said almost running to class as he tried to get away from him, the bell then rang and everyone went to class.

Adrien eyed him in confusion for a moment as he opened the box. His eyes widened in amazement as he smelled freshly baked bread alongside his Kwami's favorite cheese. It was cut into a hedgehog roll, with various flavorful herbs and spices baked into it with a fondue Camembert baked inside the crevices.

But he had little time to admire it as he could feel Plagg's drool on his shoulder. "Ugh! Gross Plagg-" Adrien was about to complain but his Kwami just dove in, practically breathing the bread, rather than bothering to chew.

"Adrien!" Plagg moaned, in heaven as the Kwami was on the verge of tears. "Please become friends with Marin soon!" He demanded as he continued eating the bread, as Adrien chuckled at his gluttonous Kwami.

Chapter Text

Marin sat at his desk, sending a group email on his computer before joining Tikki on the balcony overlooking the park nearby. that was gathering people for the big event today. Marin sighed as Tikki eyed him curiously. 

"What's wrong?" 

"I don't know, doesn't that whole event seem kind of pointless?" Marin questioned resting his head on his hand, leaning over the railing. "Chat Noir and don't save the city for any kind of recognition. We do it to keep the people safe." 

"That's why you both deserve this ceremony. So you know how much the people appreciate the work you do!" Tikki remarked, "Not to mention Alya has been looking forward to this!" 

Marin sighed heavily, "At least I won't have to stand up there alone. Tikki, spots on!" 

At the Place des Vosges, just as the ceremony was about to begin Ladybug landed gracefully next to the mayor, as the crowd cheered for his arrival. He simply stood up straight, shaking the Mayor's hand as his gaze wandered. 

"Our guest of honor!" The mayor introduced to the now excited crowd. But Ladybug's attention drifted, " Is Chat Noir not here yet?" He questioned under his breath. 

The Mayor lowered his tone placing his hand on the mic. "No not yet, don't tell me that there's some kind of trouble he's caught up in?"

Ladybug couldn't answer for sure, "Would you mind buying some time Mister Mayor?" Between the two of them, Chat Noir was more open, the hero couldn't imagine his partner missing out on exposure. The mayor nodded, he turned back to the crowd beginning a speech devoted to Paris and the peace of mind that her superheroes spread. Ladybug texted him a few times, but no response. No breaking news reports. Perhaps there was something he was caught up in. After all, he was more than just Chat Noir, he was a completely other person when not in costume.

Just as Practice ended Adrien smiled all the way to his locker, opening it to see Plagg had eaten all the cheese. Seeing that his bag was now smeared with cheese, almost recoiling in disgust. "Plagg, you pig!" But the only response he received was his Kwami snoring inside an empty cheese box. 

He sighed, picking his phone"Hm?" He noticed his phone wasn't turning on as he tapped the screen. Then, his stomach sank as he realized that Plagg must hand turned it off by accident. Quickly turning it back on he realized that the ceremony had already started over twenty minutes ago. He had been looking forward to the ceremony all week, spending time with his partner outside of any Akuma attack. Maybe they would've actually gotten to know each other better...as partners, to ensure they could work together better. Nothing beyond that, after all, it wasn't like Ladybug thought of him beyond a partner. 

He sighed to himself. "Plagg, claws out!"

"It's only proper for Paris to pay homage to those to protect us from evil." Mayor Bourgeois remarked revealing the statue, "Ladybug and Cat Noir!"

They waited for as long as they could. But eventually, the ceremony had to go on, he was right there next to the mayor cutting the ceremonial ribbon. He spotted Alya in the crowd with a giant grin plastered on her face holding up her phone towards him. As the crowd dispersed with some prompting Ladybug sighed as he realized that Adrien's fencing practice was over by now, he wondered if he'd check his email by now. People still did that right?- 

" Excuse me?" He turned to see a man probably a few years older than himself holding a picture in his hand. " Mister Ladybug, wow you're even more amazing up close, You're my hugest fan- I mean! That is- fans you know- I, am" he stumbled over his words as he quickly took out a lollipop. "That is... to say..."

"You're the sculptor aren't you?" Ladybug asked before the man had a heart attack, recognizing him from his school's newsletter. He was an upperclassman who was already well accomplished for someone his age. "Theo, right?"

His face lit up, " Yes! I'm an admirer of yours. The way you charge into danger, saving people, always inspiring others to be kinder towards others." He rambled on folding his hands together.

"Thank you, I'm sure Chat Noir would appreciate your compliments as well." Ladybug remarked respectfully, then turned to the rooftops hoping that Chat would at least make a late appearance. " I know he would be impressed with your work as well."

"I saw that you were looking for him the entire time," Theo commented.

" I was, I just hope he isn't in any trouble." Ladybug admitted.

"He's a hero as well right? I'm sure he could handle any situation."

"Even heroes need help sometimes.." Ladybug remarked as he took out his yo-yo. 

Theo took a step forward, holding something in his hand. "Uh, Ladybug, would you mind-" But was cut off with Chat Noir landing nearby, barely able to speak as he tried to catch his breath. 

" Hey.... is it....over....al...ready?"

" Woah, you're Chat Noir." Theo said in amazement.

"Yeah yeah, so...I miss anything important?" Chat Noir quickly asked, looking up at the statue he jokingly remarked: "Well if that statue is any indication I probably didn't."  But turned to see Ladybug already left as he turned his head. 

"What's wrong with the statue?" Theo asked, placing another lollipop in his mouth as he crossed his arms. 

"Nothing, nothing- you know, some of the proportions are off. Ladybug's actually taller than me. You know, simple mistakes, anyone could make 'em. Anyway, see ya!" Chat Noir called out as he used his baton to chase after his partner, not noticing that Theo had crunched down on his candy with an angry expression.

Ladybug stopped running as he heard his partner run after him, they stood atop a roof as Chat Noir put away his batton. "Hey, I'm sorry about missing the ceremony, something just came up." 

"It's fine." Ladybug remarked, turning his back but stopped once more as Chat Noir spoke up. 

"See, you say that, but it kind of seems like you're mad at me for being late." 

"I'm not." Ladybug simply said, internally screaming as he just wanted to go home, having already had his fill of public exposure for the day. Maybe a part of him was annoyed at Chat Noir for being late, but it wasn't worth arguing over. "You're probably overthinking this." He added. 

"Maybe, but if you're mad I'd want to know." 

Ladybug sighed, "I'm not mad. But you could've let me know, I'm not a fan of events like this. But we both have to make an effort to show the citizens of Paris that we appreciate their support."

"See?" Chat Noir gestured towards him. "I wouldn't have known that if I hadn't asked." 

"I'm just trying not to make this a bigger deal than you think it is." 

"What's that suppose to mean?" Chat Noir asked, feeling slightly insulted. 

"Seriously?" Ladybug turned towards him, crossing his arms. 

"Hey, it's not like I wanted to be late either. I just wanted to see you without an Akuma threatening civilian's safety. I mean, I don't even know anything about you, and we're probably going to be partners for a while. Shouldn't we take some time to get to know each other?" Chat Noir suggested as he could feel his face redden, but was shut down almost immediately. 

"Our job is to just protect civilians and eventually take out Hawkmoth. What more could we do outside of that mission?" 

"I don't know, maybe...become friends? I don't even know what you think of me." Chat Noir said as he noticed Ladybug turn his head away, for a moment he thought he saw Ladybug's face redden. But it must have been his imagination. 

"I'll see you later, Chat Noir." Ladybug only said as he escaped the situation by jumping off the building, using his yo-yo to swing across the city. Leaving his partner behind to sulk on his own. 

"Oh, Marin. You really need to get your priorities in order." Tikki remarked, sounding disappointing in him as he landed back in his bedroom, crashing his back on the bed. 

"I know," Marin remarked feeling somewhat guilty at what he said to Chat Noir. "Some days it feels impossible to balance being myself and Ladybug. But me and Chat being real friends?" Marin shook his head in disbelief. "Our lives are probably already hectic already...adding more to that could be dangerous." He sighed again as he jumped off his bed loft, sitting down at his computer to check his mail. There were already a few responses, but not the one that he truly wanted to see. It was still early, maybe Adrien would RSVP for the group movie later on. 

He needed a distraction. Marin turned on the tv for Tikki, then walked downstairs to see if there were any snacks for them to munch on. 

As her partner left, Tikki sat before the screen looking at breaking news. 

"There's been a spectacular theft at the Louvre. Amateur video showed without a shadow of a doubt that the thief is none other than the famous hero, Cat Noir." 

Tikki's eyes widened in shock as she saw a video of someone who appeared to be Chat Noir stealing the Mona Lisa in hand, looking into the camera saying, "This painting is the cat's meow." Before he ran away being chased by the security guards. 

"Marrrinnnn!!" Tikki called out, flying down to the living room. 

Chat Noir scaled the rooftops as he landed on the Louvre seeing a large group of police officers stationed around the building. "Not only is this guy impersonating me, but he clearly wants to drag my name through the mud." Chat Noir muttered to himself as he ran landed atop the Louvre. Everyone turned towards him holding batons in their hands and riot gear. "Whoa! Easy, you've got the wrong cat! That thief's an impostor. I'm the real Cat Noir!" 

Lieutenant Roger stepped forward glancing at the hero suspiciously as his officers began to stand down. 

"Let me check out where the robbery took place. I'm sure I can help you all track down the imposter." He pointed towards his ears, "Animal instincts n'all." 

The officer smiled leading Chat into the art gallery, " Of course. The police force thanks you for your cooperation." 

As he was guided towards the main hall, he noticed that the Mona Lisa was definitely missing. He took notice of something familiar, an already chewed candy stick sitting nearby. "Hm, not only does this guy has trash taste in puns, he actually litters." He then heard a beep and saw the cop locking him behind bars. 

"Hey! What's going on?!" He demanded, grabbing the bars. 

"Kitty's in the slammer. I repeat, kitty's in the slammer." The cop said into his walkie as he stood before the hero, now guarding him.  

"I demand a lawyer! I know my rights!" Chat Noir called out, huffing out in annoyance. But his ears twitched as he heard his baton ring. Walking out of the cop's hearing range he opened it to see Ladybug on the screen with a stoic expression. He really didn't want to talk to him right now, but ignoring the call would've definitely had consequences later on. 

"Chat Noir, what's going on?" He asked as Chat glanced towards the cop in the distance. 

"So, now you want to talk?" Chat Noir asked with some venom but immediately felt bad afterward. From the other side, he could see Ladybug standing before the Louvre in front of the police officers. 

"I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want. I just wanted to let you know, I'm going to try and track down your imposter. Just stay there until I track him down, then follow the signal from my yo-yo." Chat Noir's eyes widened, as Ladybug spoke on. It was hard for him to believe someone would go this far for him. "If you break out now the police are only going to distrust you more. I'm asking you to trust me on this." He said simply. 

"Wait, Ladybug-" Chat called out, but the phone call dropped and he had to make a choice. Salvage his reputation, or go after his partner...

Ladybug had already reviewed the footage that Tikki showed him, seeing the candy that the false Chat Noir was eating. There was only one person he knew who could've had a grudge, much to his chagrin. Theo had a couple of gigs around the city, but his studio was the spot where he would most likely hide anything he stole. All this, just because Chat Noir insulted his art? Ladybug could understand where he was coming from, but this wasn't right. Especially since it was his friend's reputation on the line. 

He sent his location to Chat Noir's baton and then entered the building from the roof. 

The studio was normal, a few sculptures, a wall of reference photos of him and Chat Noir, some chains that were used to bind boxes, and other art supplies sitting nearby. Only now Chat Noir's face was scribbled out with black marker, so it was probably done by someone with a serious grudge.  He then sensed something behind him, turning around he saw a box with a Chinese cat idol sitting atop. He took out his yo-yo just in case as he walked towards the box. He picked up the note, reading over it in confusion. 

"Cat's in the ba-" He immediately jumped back as the box was a trap, but fell into another one as he was wrapped in chains, his arms to his chest as yo-yo fell to the ground. 

"Hello, Ladybug." Ladybug narrowed his eyes in distrust as someone who looked like Chat Noir stood above him with a sneer on his face. 

"So you're the Copycat?" The hero asked as the villain picked up his yo-yo, playing with it for a moment as he looked back towards his hero with a smug expression. 

"Copycat? I'm better than the original." He claimed as he chained Ladybug to the ground. "Maybe even better than you if you were captured this easily." He mocked as Ladybug's expression didn't waver. Instead, the hero's eyes darted all across this imposter's body. An exact reflection of his partner, even down to the ring. Theo didn't have anything like that earlier. Where could the possessed item be? 

"Sit tight, My Lady," He mocked, opening up Ladybug's yo-yo, dialing the real Chat Noir. "I'm sure your Cat charming will find his way here soon enough." 

If one thing was for certain, it was that his Chat Noir's jokes were far better. 

Cat Noir waited. Partly because he trusted Ladybug, but also partly because he didn't want to feel his partner animosty. He already got that enough at home, why risk trying to force something that wasn't even there? 

He sat in the Louvre until his baton rang again, expecting to see his partner, but instead, he saw his own reflection, his imposter smiling smugly at him. 

"You know, I don't see why you care so much about a fool who so easily falls into my trap." The imposter with a smile as the signal then cut off. But it was enough to ignite a wave of anger in Chat Noir's stomach. No longer hesitating. 

"Cataclysm." He said, breaking through the bars of his prison and easily bypassing the cops. "Thanks for the warm hospitality, but I gotta split!" He pulling out his baton once more to scale the buildings. He followed the signal from Ladybug's yo-yo towards what looked to be a studio workshop, probably belonging to the sculptor. His ring was already beeping as jumped in from the roof. 

Facing his copy who stood behind his captured partner on his knees with a stoic expression as his copycat was smiling victoriously. Chat Noir took out his baton as the Copycat spoke up "As much as I would love to wipe the floor with you two, I would rather have your miraculous."  

Something about this situation gave him deja vu, but it was made worse as Copycat held his hand near Ladybug. "Cataclysm!" Both heroes were shocked as Copycat had every ability the original had. 

"Now," Copycat said holding his hand close to Ladybug's face. "I'm fine with Ladybug being destroyed by Chat Noir, are you?" He threatened as Chat Noir faltered. 

"Okay fine!" He yelled out putting away his baton and was about to take off the ring as immediately Ladybug swept Copycat's legs from under him. Using the temporary chaos to use Copycat's cataclysm to escape, then swiftly pinning Copycat's arm behind him. 

Chat Noir was stunned for a moment, then grew flabbergasted, "WERE YOU EVEN ACTUALLY CAPTURED?!" He had to ask. 

Ladybug shrugged his shoulders. "Had to buy some time so try and find the possessed-UGH." He simply said as he started to frisk the imposter but just as he was about to check the pockets Copycat hit Ladybug's face using the back of his head, then using a nearby paint can to blind the hero. 

"Hey!!" Chat Noir called out taking out his baton to attack Copycat, who in turn used his copied baton to deflect. The two got into about, trading blows as Ladybug used his scarf to wipe away the red paint. 

"Lucky Charm!" He yelled out, as he picked up his yo-yo, catching a spoon in his hand. He looked around, seeing what he needed to utilize the lucky charm. All he needed was to figure out who was real and who was fake. 

"Hey, Theo!" Ladybug called out as only one Chat Noir turned towards him. The hero then threw the red spray can towards his partner, who then sprayed Copycat in turn. Blinding him for a moment as Ladybug's makeshift fishing rod hooking onto Copycat's belt. As the villain was lifted above the ground Chat Noir quickly took out something from Copycat's pocket, ripping it and releasing the Akuma. 

“No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" He said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug tossed his lucky charm into the air, returning everything back to normal. Chat Noir quickly caught Theo as he fell,  who then looked between the two of them in confusion. 

"Ladybug, Chat Noir?" He asked as Chat Noir placed him down. 

"Listen Theo, I'm sorry for insulting your art, that wasn't cool." Chat Noir apologized as Theo looked guilty as well. 

"It wasn't just you, I completely overreacted because this was my first huge gig...and you were right." He remarked noticing that Ladybug was indeed taller than Chat Noir. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, "Oh, Ladybug, would you mind if I could get your signature?" He asked hopefully, but was interrupted by Chat Noir's ring. The two heroes exchanged a glance of concern. 

"Uh oh." Chat Noir looked for a quick way out, eyeing the roof. 

"Sorry Theo, we'll have to take a rain-check on that," Ladybug remarked as Theo nodded in understanding. He then grabbed his partner, swiftly landing on the roof of the next building over both, he quickly shut his eyes as Chat Noir's ring beeped for the final time. 

Adrien's eyes were wide as his heart was racing, he ran out of time and here was Ladybug right before his eyes. He shushed Plagg as he looked around, looking for a ladder, but stopped as he heard Ladybug's voice. 

"Chat Noir." He said, even though they both knew he wasn't Chat Noir right now. He saw Ladybug looking conflicted, turning his head away for a moment as he remained on one knee, giving off an aura of vulnerability.  "You're the only Chat Noir I ever want for a partner. I'm sorry if I can come off as cold sometimes, but you're someone extremely important to me. I don't ever want you to question that." 

Adrien swore his heart skipped a beat, but he couldn't find the words as Ladybug's earrings beeped. His partner kept his eyes closed as he stood up, turning his back to his partner so he could open his eyes and leave. But for a moment he couldn't feel his own legs, with his face entirely red, and his heart thumping loudly. Only partially snapping back to reality as Plagg hovered nearby. 

"See that," He said pointing to his partner's face, "you don't get that face from a "partner" or a "friend"." He said and then tried to search Adrien's pockets for cheese. As his friend fell to his knees, holding his heated face in his hands, realizing all too well that he already too far gone to ever turn back from this blazing warmth in his heart. 

Chapter Text

Marin sighed heavily, pressing his head onto the small heart-shaped box. "Please don't break." He asked some higher force in the universe. He was surprised for a moment as a small ladybug landed on his parcel. He smiled warmly as it then flew off towards the sky, just as he placed the box in the mailbox.

"What're you doing?" Tikki asked hovering nearby her friend.

"Just...sending some goodwill." Marin reasoned, his face slightly red as he opened his coat so Tikki could fly back into his inner pocket before walking to school.

"In most fairy tales, the prince breaks the spell by kissing the princess. Can anyone tell us why?" Miss Bustier asked holding up a novel.

"Because only love can conquer hate!" Rose called out with a bright-eyed look on her face.

"Correct, Rose." The teacher confirmed as Max then stood up, starting a classroom discussion as Adrien scribbled in his notebook. He knew what he felt, at least, he had a good idea of what it was. But whatever it was, it wasn't something that could be transferred to the common word so easily. Like his current vocabulary wasn't enough. He groaned in annoyance as the teacher then spoke up again.

"Adrien, I hope what you're writing has to do with my lesson." Miss Bustier said walking towards him. "Would you mind repeating what I just said?"

"That's why in most fairy tales, the prince breaks the spell by kissing the princess because only love conquers hate." Adrien repeated not looking up from his notes.

Miss Bustier nodded with a smile on her face. "Very good, Adrien! Now, everyone, don't forget to finish Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault tonight, and happy Valentine's day, students!"

Adrien looked over what he wrote, confirming that it wasn't at all what he wanted to convey and crumpled it up. He waited in the classroom for a moment, watching everyone in his class leave first. He closed his eyes for a moment, wondering what he should do when he sensed someone nearby.

"Hey, Adrien!"

He opened his eyes to Nino standing before him with Marin nearby holding a box with his family's brand.

"Oh, hey." Adrien looked between the two as Nino looked back at Marin. The two looked like they were having a silent conversation where Nino was prompting Marin to do something, and Marin looked reluctant. But the taller boy sighed, taking something out of the box.

"Would you like a candy apple?" He murmured, holding up a candy apple, as Nino slapped his forehead.

"Sure?" Adrien accepted the treat and was just about to take a bite when Nino spoke up.

"No-Dude!" He snapped at Marin before sighing, then turning towards Adrien. "Marin sent you an e-vite a few days ago for all of us to go to the movies next month for that premiere. Did you get it?"

"Huh?" Adrien's eyes widened as he quickly took out his phone. Scrolling through his email he didn't see anything, then checked his spam box. Seeing said email. "Sorry about that, I'll have to let you know?" Adrien offered as Nino and Marin exchanged a glance.

"No problem," Marin said, nodding his head before he left, with Nino trailing behind.

"See you later bro!"

Adrien smiled for a moment before it soon faded, looking back down at his half-written poem. "Ugh, this is pointless." He remarked picking up his bag and tossing the paper in the trash. Where he was then jumped by Chloé and Sabrina who was holding a poster in her hand.

"Hi Adrien, sign here please." Chloé requested handing him the pen.

Adrien sighed, already tired of this conversation, "Oh, come on, you know I hate signing autographs at school, Chloé."

Chloé shook her head, "Oh, that's not what this is. This is a petition against cruelty to hamsters. Have you seen some of the ugly sweaters they are forced to wear? It's appalling."

Adrien stared at his childhood friend, he had a feeling that she was lying. But then again, he really liked hamsters, so...

He begrudgingly signed the poster much to Chloés glee. As he walked away from the two girls, he took a bite of the candy apple, tasting a cinnamon sweet tangy flavor that spread over his tongue. Licking his lips he took another bite, even though it tasted great, he wished it wasn't so sticky.

"You gotta stand up for yourself more dude!" Nino remarked as he walked with Marin towards the from of the school with his arm around his friend's shoulder. Marin responded in a series of vocal pitches as he shrugged his shoulders. Then he offered Nino a candy heart as then they spotted Alya waiting.

"Sorry Nino, but Cutie and me have a date." She joked as she grasped Marin's arm. "It's fine to be jealous."

Nino rolled his eyes in amusement, "Hey- no fair. What if I wanted Marin to take me on a date?"

"You'll have to wait until next year I guess," Alya remarked as all three laughed, then the two friends left Nino with a candy heart, walking away from the school.

"So, where am I taking you on our, "date"?" Marin asked, playing along.

Alya thought for a moment, "You should treat me to one of your bakery's famous Valentine day cakes. Or we could try to find Andre..." but her words trailed off as she spotted Kim and Max. Marin felt his stomach sink as he saw Alya's eyes lit up mischievously.

"Alya, please don't-" He started but was dragged along as she ran towards the two friends.

"Meta-who?" Kim asked in confusion, tilting his head as he held a heart-shaped box in his hand.

Alya looked into the box with a smile on her face, "Ooh! Sparkly! Is that for me?" She teased as Kim quickly took a step back.

"Negative Alya. The recipient of this gem has already been determined, it's-" Max started to say but immediately Kim silenced him by placing his hand on his best friend's mouth.

"Shh! Keep it on the down-low!" He insisted as Alya smiled in excitement, much to his and Marin's chagrin.

"What a scoop! Kim's got a major crush!" She then took out her phone to record. "Who's the lucky lady?"

"Alya!" Marin scolded as she stuck her tongue out playfully, putting away her phone. "It's a gorgeous pin, Kim. I'm sure whoever you give it to will be touched by the gesture." He said supportively.

Kim smiled sheepishly, "Technically, she's still gotta accept it." But then a panic erupted over his face. "What if she says "no"!?"

"She won't Kim, no way!" Alya insisted, "Don't hold back, Kim. Go for it, no regrets!"

"Her route is highlighted here in yellow, yours in red. If you run at ten miles per hour you're going to gain a four and a half minute advance on her. Halt and wait here facing northwest - the third most romantic spot in Paris. Now, go go go!" Max ordered as Kim then ran off at full speed.

"Thanks, you guys!" Kim called out as he sprinted, the rest of them waving as Marin turned towards Max.

"So, who's the brooch for?" Marin asked.

"Chloé."

There was an awkward pause as both Alya and Marin stared at their friend.

"...Chloé Bourgeois?" Alya confirmed.

"That is correct." Max simply responded.

"Max, do you not see a problem here," Marin asked genuinely as Max glanced at him in confusion.

"I don't see what the problem is." Max said as his two friends sighed.

"Chloé Bourgeois. The girl who tormented us, her classmates since grade school?" Marin said.

"Who goes out of her way to make other people cry just for her own sadistic pleasure?" Alya pointed out.

"Who always hangs around Adrien because being near him makes her more popular by association? Marin added.

"Who blackmails Sabrina into being her slave by bribing her with the promise of borrowing her expensive clothes?" Alya emphasized.

Max simply started at them.

"MAX. DO YOU NOT SEE THE PROBLEM OF SENDING KIM TO CONFESS HIS FEELINGS TO CHLOE?!" Alya tried to explain, shaking him, but Max only narrowed his eyes at her, trying to process what she was trying to say.

Marin then sighed, this was taking too long. "Max," He said more calmly, "Chloé is the kind of girl who is going to stomp on his heart while laughing." getting straight to the point while the new information cleared the confusion.

"Oh."

Adrien bit down on his pen, resting his head on his desk as Plagg dug into another camembert bread roll that he specially ordered from Marin the other day. A special present for Plagg at his request. The Kwami couldn't complain now as much as Adrien had been writing love poems in his notebook for days now. The days leading up to Valentine's day had been worse than usual.

"He's got two eyes, two arms, and two legs, what's there to be attracted to? You don't even know who he really is!" Plagg reasoned as Adrien sighed, lifting his head.

"You don't know anything about love..."

"Oh sure I do, I love Cheddar, I love Swiss and I love Camembert." Plagg said as he took another bite of his bread, purring happily, "I especially love this bread!"

Adrien swung his chair, walking towards the window, resting his head and arm against the window, looking out towards the window. "You wouldn't understand Plagg. I put myself out there, and he didn't overlook how I felt. He didn't try to belittle my feelings, he didn't try to shut me out...he actually cared about what I wanted." He explained clawing his heart swelling with something warm, almost happy. "Which is why I have to get this right, I have to tell him how I really feel, even if he doesn't feel the same way."

"Aww, the poor boy's frustrated because he can't finish the poem for his masked sweetheart?" Plagg mocked, uninterested about how into this his friend was. "You overthink too much."

Adrien's eyes widened as he looked at his Kwami in surprise. "I don't need a poem when I can tell him to his face... I love you." He remarked with a smile, blushing lightly at the thought of confessing to his partner.

Plagg made a gagging sound, "Bleh, gross. You're making me lose my appetite." Then he eyed the last of the bread, gobbling it down quickly with a smile and a satisfied burp. "Well, almost."

"Chloé? Since when did she start texting me?" Alya asked herself as she, Marin, and Max were searching for Kim. He and Alya were near the riverfront while Max checked his house.

"Making friends behind my back?" Marin asked jokingly as Alya's eyes widened in shock. Marin walked next to her, feeling a wave of shock as he saw a picture of Kim looking humiliated, drenched with water on his knees with garbage on his face. And now the entire school would see the photo as well.

"What a witch!" Alya snapped.

Marin sighed, "Poor boy, he doesn't deserve to be humiliated for saying how he really felt."

"I hope Adrien doesn't do the same thing to you." Alya joked but immediately wished she could take it back as she saw Marin's stoic expression.

"That would never happen," Marin remarked remembering the parcel he sent out that morning, recalling the poem that he wrote with a reddened face.

Just as Alys was about to comfort her friend she spotted something in the sky, something too big to be a bird. "What in the world is that?!" She asked pointing up towards it. But only a moment later she was hit with something, grimacing as Marin ran to his friend in concern.

"Alya?!" Marin asked but suddenly she shoved him away, now wearing black lipstick, donning a sinister grin.

"You're not my BFF, you're a joke! How stupid can you be that you can't see that everyone laughs at you behind your back!" She cackled, "You think Adrien's ever going to love a loser like you?!"

Marin was stunned at what she said, frozen in place as she ran off laughing. "Alya?" He questioned for a moment before snapping to attention, glaring at Dark Cupid. Whatever he did to his best friend, Marin knew he'd have to undo it. But something caught his attention as he noticed Dark Cupid's brooch. "Oh no, Kim!" He gasped realizing that Chloé must have dumped him hard. If that was the case then she may have unintentionally made herself a target for this Villain's rage. He quickly checked around, running under a bridge as Tikki hovered before him.

"Tikki, Spots on!"

Chat Noir stood atop the roofs of Paris. He knew he was taking a chance, but maybe he'd get lucky and Ladybug would show up. What he didn't expect was to see his partner crash landing next to him looking winded as he was scanning the skies for something.

"Falling for me already, bugaboo?" He asked, his face already reddening as he helped his partner up, "I need to talk to you."

Ladybug tried to step away "It's going to have to wait. Dark Cupi-" But stopped as it was made apparent that Chat Noir had a troubled expression on his face. He faltered for a moment, wondering what could be wrong as Chat Noir looked up towards him, grasping both of his hands as the stood at the edge of a roof.

" I swore to myself that I'd tell you as soon as I saw you. Ladybug, I-I" Chat Noir began to say but then his eyes widened with shock as he saw a villain aiming for Ladybug. "-look out!" Acting quickly, he pulled Ladybug into a tight embrace, spinning around so he'd take the blow. Chat Noir suddenly felt something dark overtake him. Ladybug noticed his partner had a different aura now, no longer being his Chat Noir.

"Cat Noir?" He asked, feeling a pit start to form in his stomach.

"Ladybug, I...I loathe you!" Chat Noir suddenly grasped him tighter, using his enhanced strength so Ladybug couldn't easily escape. His partner tried to escape, struggling, but Cat Noir dug his claws into his friends back. Smiling evilly as heard winces of pain. "You're nothing Ladybug! And mean even less to me! I hate you!"

Ladybug slammed his head against Chat Noir's, stunning him for a moment, as he quickly kicked him. As Ladybug fell backward off of the rood, he used the momentum from his yo-yo and gain some distance.

He landed in the Grand Paris hotel, wincing in pain as he could feel the claw marks in his back start to sting. But he counted himself lucky that Chat Noir didn't have the forethought to activate his cataclysm.

"Ladybug, it's about time, where have you been?!" Chloé demanded as Sabrina stood behind her looking worried, both popping out from behind a counter.

"You two need to leave. Your friend Kim's turned into Dark Cupid, and he'll be after you Chloé." He warned but his classmate wasn't having it.

"Me, how could he possibly have a vendetta against me? I've done nothing wrong." She insisted but when Ladybug glanced at Sabrina who looked away in embarrassment, knowing all too well what her friend had done.

Chloé then slapped her forehead with realization. "Duh! It's because of this. Everyone would love to get their hands on it. That's Adrien, a super hot guy in my class. And rich, too! He's hot for me of course."

Ladybug stared at the framed portrait for a moment, almost amazed that Chloé would decide to keep a framed ad of one her childhood friend.

Sabrina then screamed as the portrait started to move, "It's alive!"

But Ladybug knew better, already using his yo-yo as a shield when Dark Cupid began shooting at him. He quickly grabbed Chloé, hoisting her over his shoulder like a sack of flour and used his yo-yo to quickly escape the hotel, then throwing her into the street so she could get away. Sabrina trailed behind as Chat Noir then blocked his own route of escape, standing before him. 

"Well, well, looks like I'll have to cut this Ladybug's wings." He remarked darkly, taking out his baton.

Ladybug glared at him on one hand not wanting to fight his friend but on the other, having to do his job and protect the city.

Cat Noir rolled his eyes, "Ugh, that glare, thinking you're better than everyone else, it's revolting. Anyone would be unlucky to have you for a friend!" Cat Noir leaped into the air, swinging his staff directly at Ladybug. His partner easily dodged it, jumping up onto a lamp post and then to a roof to run away, knowing that Cat Noir would pursue. He then quickly turned, using his yo-yo to gran Chat Noir's staff, but to no avail as the latter was far stronger.

"Why are you so full of hate, Cat Noir?!" Ladybug asked, wondering why his partner was so intent on destroying him. After all, Dark Cupid had shot his closest friend earlier that day, and all she did was throw a few heartbreaking insults and then ran away. Chat Noir wanted to deal him physical harm, while also throwing some heartbreaking quips, which, coming from his mouth. May have come from a place deep within his partner's heart. He couldn't be sure, after all it wasn't like he knew Chat Noir's that well personally, only well enough to know that he'd never try and harm in intentionally.

Cat Noir grinned smugly, "Because hate conquers all."

Ladybug flinched slightly, hearing those words come from his partner. Part of him agreed with him, he knew what it was like, how negativity could easily destroy years of love. But Chat Noir wasn't like that, his partner believed in the best, of any situation, and of any person. Suddenly, he remembered the school lesson from earlier that day. And then proceeded to sla[ his forehead as Chat Noir looked on in confusion.

"Huh?"

"Sorry kitty, I really don't want to do this." Ladybug remarked walking towards his partner with a steely gaze in his eye. One that made Chat Noir feel unsettled, he was used to chasing Ladybug, not being pursued. Getting a bad feeling, Chat Noir quickly ran out of there, being followed by his partner mercilessly as they ran across the city together.

"Get back, you savage!" Chat Noir called out wanting nothing to do with Ladybug now.

Ladybug caught him easily using his yo-yo, pinning him to a wall as he lifted his chin up towards him. Every instinct told him not to do this as Chat Noir was struggling and squirming like crazy, but it, unfortunately, had to be done.

"No, no!" Chat whimpered out, but at the last moment, an arrow separated them. Ladybug jumped back as Chat Noir escaped his bindings with the help of Dark Cupid. Ladybug landed behind a fountain as Dark Cupid and Chat Noir looked around. Ladybug peaked over the edge, eyes darting between the villains, wondering which would attack first.

"How you gonna fight both of us now, bug eyes?"Cat Noir sneered at him, taking out his staff.

Ladybug narrowed his eyes as he activated his power. "Lucky Charm!" He shouted, and a candy apple fell into his hands. Already he knew what to do as he recalled his sticky these things were. He jumped onto the statue, throwing the candy apple onto Dark Cupid's head. Grabbing both of the villains' attentions, while Dark Cupid tried to take it off Chat Noir jumped towards Ladybug, growling. Ladybug could easily evade his partners' attacks, which were made easier as Chat Noir wasn't in his right mindset, thusly, was more prone to attacking recklessly, more so than normal.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Dark Cupid was trying to shoot him, but couldn't as his hands were too sticky. "Ladybug!" Dark Cupid yelled out angrily as he tried to unstick himself from the arrow. With him dealt with Ladybug turned his attention to Chat who was already midswing as his staff sent him crashing against a stone pillar. He felt a stinging on his back from earlier, for a moment being distracted, but it was all that Chat Noir needed.

"Cat Noir, his Miraculous!" Dark Cupid reminded as he placed his bow and hands into the fountain's water.

"With pleasure! Finally, I'll find out who you are, Ladybug! Your little secret will be out of the bag, and we'll all see what truly pathetic person lies beneath the mask!" He gloated, pinning one of his arms to the ground as he grasped Ladybug's face, caressing his miraculous.

But just before Cat Noir could take out his earrings, Ladybug grabbed his arm, pulling his partner down as he immediately kissed him, shutting his eyes as he could feel his face turn red. Their kiss lasted for a few moments, Ladybug only released him as Chat Noir pulled back, looking down at his partner in confusion and embarrassment at their closeness.

"Huh? What am I doing here?" He asked as he could see that Ladybug's face was as red as his probably was. But swiftly Ladybug placed Chat Noir over his shoulders, "The quiver pin, Cat Noir! Now!" He said as he threw Cat Noir, screaming as he landed on Dark Cupid. The Villain was stunned for a moment, which gave Chat Noir enough time to grab the pin and then jump back towards his partner.

"For me? You really shouldn't have." He remarked as he clutched the brooch tightly. "Cataclysm!" He yelled out, releasing the Akuma into the air.

“No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug tossed his lucky charm into the air, returning everything back to normal. He didn't feel the claw marks anymore as Kim turned back to normal.

Ladybug and Cat Noir pounded their fists together triumphantly, "Pound it!" as Ladybug then handed the brooch back to Kim who looked at it sadly.

"Don't be so downtrodden Kim, just because you've experienced your first heartbreak doesn't mean that there's something better waiting down the line for you." Ladybug advised as Kim smiled gratefully.

"Thank you Ladybug." He said thankfully as Ladybug heard his earings beep. Just as he was about to leave, Chat Noir grasped his hand.

"Wait, Ladybug! I gotta tell you something." He said nervously but immediately grew curious as he saw Ladybug's face redden.

"I'm sorry, it was necessary for me to do. I swear I wouldn't have done it if I didn't need to." He insisted as Chat Noir could see Ladybug's ears were red as well.

But there was no time for other questioned, "Wait, I just wanted to say-" But he was interrupted by his ring flashing as well.

Ladybug pulled his hand back from him, flashing him an understanding smile, "Whatever you have to say, I promise it can wait." He said and then used his yo-yo to jump on the rooftops.

Leaving a disheartened Chat Noir alone for a moment before he himself ran in the other direction.

Adrien was completely appalled at what recorded, Him fighting Ladybug, even insulting him while Plagg was laughing like a maniac.

"Can you believe all the horrible thoughtless things you said to Ladybug? You tried to KILL HIM."

Adrien moved to plant his face in his bed. "You think it's funny, huh? Ugh!" He then screamed in his pillow while Plagg sighed.

"What's the big deal? You've got so many cards from all these lady fans of yours! Take your pick!" He then eyed a small heart-shaped box with something delicious smelling inside. He quickly opened it, cheering in surprise as he saw shortbread cookies, throwing the card to Adrien as he began snacking.

Adrien opened his eyes as he saw the card, widening his eyes as he saw it was unsigned. "Your hair shines like the sun, your eyes are gorgeous green, I look at you and wonder your innermost thoughts and dreams. While your Valentine I may never be, my admiration and love for you will last for an eternity."

Plagg grimaced again, "Yuck, anyone who writes as sickeningly sweet as you must be your soulmate."

Adrien lingered over the card, "It isn't signed... " Just then ladybug landed on the card for a moment as it then flew out the window. Adrien was enchanted at the sight, following it as he looked up towards the setting sun. Smiling warmly as he held the card close. "Could it have come from Ladybug?"

"Oh, please, don't be so dramatic," Plagg commented, popping another cookie into his mouth as he saw Adrien practically swoon over a bug.

"Why didn't you sign the card?" Tikki asked curiously as she bit into a spare shortbread cookie. Both were sitting on a bench near in the park,  Marin turned towards his Kwami with a whistful smile, looking away for a moment as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

"Because I didn't need to." He simply said now looking up, towards the setting sun. 

"Hm?" Tikki looked at him curiously. 

"He probably gets a bunch of these kinds of letters every day, from a bunch of fans no less. This way, I can confess how I feel without him being weirded out by someone close by to him." 

Tikki then flew towards him, hugging his cheek as Marin chuckled. "You're not weird! That poem you wrote was sweet!" She insisted. 

But her partner shrugged his shoulders, "You're just saying that because you're a sweet little sugar cube. Boys don't want to be given poems by weirdos. It already feels awkward being around him as it is, considering how much I think about him already..." Marin admitted. "I don't know, it just seems kind of pointless." 

"It's not pointless, anyone would be lucky to be loved by you!" 

Marin couldn't help but smile at Tikki, hugging her close. " I guess that means that you're the luckiest Kwami then?" He asked playfully. 

"In the world!" She remarked as they both giggled. But it was cut short as they heard someone approaching, Tikki immediately disappeared into Marin's messenger bag. 

"Hey, cutie!" They called out as Marin turned his head to see Alya gave him a quick hug. "So you still owe me a date." She remarked.

"Do I?" He asked teasingly. "Could've sworn you would've forgotten all about that, what with you hating me and all." 

She elbowed his side " You already know that nothing you do could ever make me hate my main guy." 

"Likewise," Marin assured as Alya rested her head on his shoulder for a moment. 

"That being said," She remarked, standing up abruptly. "I've already invited Nino out on our date, poor guy couldn't find anyone else to hand out with. You cool with him going with us to that cafe?" She asked giving him a hand. 

Marin smiled at her playfully, grasping her hand. "Only if you promise not to get too jealous once he too, falls in love with me." 

"Psh, okay, I promise not to get jealous once Nino eventually falls in love with my cutie." Alya joked as they walked together with happy expressions on their faces. 

Chapter Text

Marin sat at his desk overlooking the shooting being done for Nino's video, with some seriously bad bags under his eyes, looking exhausted. Everything was going smoothly until Ivan roared and Mylenè screamed out in fear.

"Cut!" Nino called out, annoyed as Mylenè hid under the teacher's desk. Ivan glanced at her guiltily, taking off his mask as he and Adrien tried to calm her down.

"Mylène! That's like, the tenth take, and we're only on the first scene!" Nino complained.

" Fourteenth actually. But who's counting." Alix corrected from behind as Nino began growling in frustration.

Mylène held her head apologetically, "I'm... sorry. I'm gonna do better on the next take, I promise."

"You're playing a hero from the special forces. You're not supposed to get all freaked out!" Nino said as-a-matter-of-fact like.

"I know, but... that monster mask he's wearing is so... realistic and scary!" Mylène reasoned as Marin's face ran red with embarrassment for a moment.

"Did you have to make the mask so freaky?" Alya asked as Marin shrugged his shoulders sheepishly.

"I don't know" He whined, "I stayed up nights watching horror movies for what kind of monster to base it on. But you can't argue with the results." He said as the two looked back towards their timid friend.

"But now you're in the same boat as our dear Mylenè," Alya remarked, making a point as she tapped his other shoulder and he almost squealed had he not covered his mouth.

Ivan smiled, messing around with the mask playfully, "But I'm not a real monster, it's just big ol' me, Mylène. Nothing to be scared of!"

"You ask me, he doesn't even need a mask!"Chloé laughed as Sabrina mirrored her friend's actions, though she looked more apologetic.

Marin sighed as he checked over the agenda he set up.

"Ivan, put the mask back on, you're playing the monster! And Mylène, we need you to stay in character!" Nino order as Ivan quickly obeyed, freaking out Mylenè once more as she hummed a song to herself. Then quickly got scared again she accidentally bumped into Adrien.

"And the Oscar for best pathetic scaredy-cat afraid of its own shadow goes to... Mylène!" Chloé laughed maliciously as Mylenè immediately ran out in tears.

Adrien glared at his childhood friend in annoyance, "Chloé, seriously?"

"Mylène!" Marin called out as then he turned back, looking towards Ivan. For a moment the larger boy looked confused until Marin gestured towards the door. He then nodded in understanding, dropping his mask in the process.

"Mylenè, wait!" Ivan called out as Marin picked up the mask. It was unnerving, looking at it, even though he made it himself. He really hated the idea of being part of what Nino called a spy-action-horror-romance-thrill fest. But honestly, it just seemed like he and Alya just mashed together genres because they couldn't agree on one.

"Epic, Chloé! Just epic! What are we supposed to do now without our leading actress?" Nino asked angrily as his classmate wasn't even giving him the time of day.

Chloé shrugged her shoulders. "Who needs her, anyway? She was a terrible actress."

"Chloé , why are you even here if you're not helping?" Adrien asked in annoyance as Juleka proceeded to continue his touch-ups.

"If you must know Adrikins, Nino asked me to be here because he wanted to know what a judge would look for in a winning entry." She explained as Adrien rolled his eyes. "And what a judge would look for is an actress who wouldn't cry in every scene she's in!"

Adrien sighed, "So? Who's gonna take Mylenè's part now?"

"Um, me of course!" Chloé raised her hand as if it was obvious.

"You haven't even read the script! Besides, Mylenè and Adrien have the most experience in acting, that's why they're the lead roles!" Alya yelled.

"Of course I have! The first scene anyway. I can even tell you that it ends with a kiss between Agent Smith and Officer Jones!" Chloé smiled deviously as half the Marin stepped back, remembering certain events that he didn't want to. He didn't even want to hear the word "kiss" for the rest of his life but, here he was.

"Hold up!" Alya remarked as she rechecked the script, her eyes widening angrily as she saw what Chloé was referring to. "I didn't write that!"

Nino spoke up, his voice now more timid. "Uh... I wrote it. It was just a little tweak. You know, to move the story forward?"

"What!" Alya yelled now insulted, "You edited MY script without even telling me? That's low!"

Nino, in turn, grew annoyed at his friend. "Now wait a minute! You mean our script!"

"Here we go again..." Adrien sighed.

"This sucks! Agent Smith does not need a man in her life right now! Sniffles just got munched right now, remember!" Alya remarked.

"Do you wanna finish this film or not?!" Nino demanded.

"Then let's just make Agent Smith a nurse instead! That'll fix everything." Chloé remarked as everyone stared at her dumbfounded.

Alya sighed, not wanting to deal with her. "Um, I'm sorry. How, exactly?"

Chloé shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know, but I'm sure I'd look amazing in a uniform."

"Oh, come on! We're not gonna rewrite this script again!" Nino sighed.

"We do this and there's no way I'm putting my name on those credits." Alya said crossing her arms.

"Good! Nobody cares about you anyway!" Chloé snapped as Alya grew angrier.

"What?!"

Adrien sighed at the rising tensions, distracted for a moment as Rose handed him a cup of juice. But then grew annoyed again as Chloé took his cup.

"Oh, who cares who wrote what? We've got to film this thing, right?" She remarked chugging the cup for a moment before then spitting it out. "This isn't diet!" Then began yelling at Rose.

"She's right. Principal Damocles is only allowing us to use school until 6 p.m. sharp. Which leaves us 9 hours, 12 minutes and 12 seconds. 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6..." Max said counting down the seconds in precision. Only stopping as Marin placed his hand on his shoulder, with a tired smile.

"Thank you Max, we get it."

"It makes no sense story-wise anyway. The main character's emotional journey goes from mourning to angry. Why the heck would she ever need a love interest?!" Alya asked angrily as Chloé laughed at her.

"Ha, don't you know anything about Hollywood? There's always a romantic interest for the leading lady, anything less is just lame." Chloé laughed as Ivan stepped back into the room.

"You're lame!" Ivan retorted walking back into the classroom. "Mylène is crying her eyes out on the bathroom thanks to you!"

Chloé laughed at his comment, "Me, lame?"

"Yeah, you heard me!" Ivan retorted angrily as he and Chloé glared at each other. Tensions rising within the room rapidly as half the class began to argue. Until Marin caught everyone's attention with a sharp whistle.

"Everyone chill out!" He said, placing himself right in the middle of the tension. "Chloé, you're lame for trying to steal Mylenè's part." He said first as she grew angry. "Fighting isn't gonna bring Mylène back. I'm the producer, and I'm gonna do everything in my power to finish filming tonight by schedule!" Marin remarked uncharacteristically annoyed with everyone.

"The deadline for the Parisian Student Short Film Festival is tomorrow evening, precisely 26 hours, 15 minutes and 14, 13 seconds from now-" But stopped again as he saw Marin glaring at him, sitting back down.

"We still have editing, post-sound, soundtrack, and a bunch of other stuff that needs to get done. First things first, we get Mylenè back."

"But she's terrified of the mask," Nino said.

"I'll take care of the mask," Marin reassured. "I have my sewing kit on me so all I need to do is consult her and edit the monster mask so it's more vanilla. Okay?" He said as Nino nodded.

"The script?" Alya brought up pointing to it as Marin thought for a moment.

"Nino, no kiss. It doesn't make sense if the leads have any no chemistry. Besides, I thought you were above pandering." Marin remarked as Nino spoke up.

"I am, but if we have a shot at winning we need some element of romance."

"A ton of great movies don't have an underlying romantic plot. Just be passionate and you're sure to get noticed for sure." Marin remarked placing his hand on Nino's shoulder, who looked more relaxed at his friend's words.

"What about Mylenè?" Ivan asked, still looking worried.

Marin glanced towards Ivan, "She needs our support so I'm gonna go find her and bring her back."

Chloé sneered at him, "Always trying to be the goody-two-shoes, aren't you, Marin? Good luck finding the filthy hole that scaredy-cat's hiding in!"

Ivan began growling until Marin placed a hand on his arm in reassurance. "Chloé if you have a problem that door is right there, along with anyone else. Does anyone got a problem with this?" He asked, and received a response as no one spoke up. "Good. Just try and shoot some footage that doesn't need Mylenè, Nathaniel did the storyboards so talk to him about it. Rose, Kim, Max, help me out please?" Marin requested at the smaller girl's eyes lit up, having something actual to do instead of just handing out snacks.

Adrien whispered towards Alya after Marin left with them. "What's up with him?"

To which Alya shrugged his shoulders, "He's running on half-sleep after doing all the costumes and watching horror movies."

"Well, not that the kill joy's gone," Chloé remarked crossing her arms. "Let's continue."

"Wait a sec, didn't you just listen to what Marin just sa-"

"Yeah yeah, but do you really think we have time for all that effort when the deadline is in a few hours?" Chloé reasoned, knowingly playing into Nino's insecurity.

Rose stepped unto the girls' restroom first, calling Marin in as she screamed.

"What's wrong!?" He asked as she pointed to the mirror, covered in gross purple slime. He walked towards it curiously as Rose stood behind him.

"Please don't touch it, it's probably super gross." Rose pleaded as Marin did anyway. Inspecting it carefully as he started at it. It didn't seem to be any kind of mold, more like...drool? A thicker version anyhow.

"Is Mylenè in here?" Marin asked as Rose shook her head. The two looked everywhere before this. If she wasn't in here, suddenly Marin thought he saw something outside moving around. "Did you see that?" Marin asked as Rose followed him out, now grasping onto his jacket as their eyes both widened fearfully, seeing the school was covered in the same slime that was in the bathroom. Then, they spotted the giant monster baring down as Rose froze in place. Marin had to carry her as the monster tried to shoot them with slime.

Adrien sighed as Nino gave into Chloé 's demands, uncomfortable as Chloé stood far too close with a smile on her face.

"Horrificator, take 15." Alix called out to Ivan as Adrien internally grimaced. Completely against what was coming next.

"Action!" his best friend called out.

"I'm not scared of that Horrificator thingy, Officer Whatever-your-name-is, now kiss me!" Chloé demanded as she wrapped her arms around his neck, almost touching his face as suddenly the door slammed open. Marin tried to catch his breath as he was carrying Rose who was trembling, almost close to tears.

"Cut!" Marin immediately called out as he placed Rose down, passing her off to Juleka he looked around the room for something before locking the door behind him.

Nino stared at his friend in exasperation, "Marin, what gives? We're in the middle of a shoot, and I'm the director, FYI. I say cut, no one else- What are you doing?" He asked as he saw Marin trying to craft something, forgetting to turn off the recording.

"If this is another one of your silly ploys to get me out of the way, you can forget it! Besides, I—" Chloé began to say, but then was cut off as Marin spoke up.

"There's something out and we need to barricade ourselves. Did Kim and Max make it-" Marin began to say, but was cut off by the door being ripped off its hinges. There was a shocking silence as the monster from before roared out loud. Everyone erupted in a panic Chloé stood behind Adrien, who exchanged a glance with Marin before something grabbed him around his leg, starting to drag him into the hall. Adrien dove for his classmate, only a hair-length away from grabbing to his hand, but the monster was faster.

"Marin!" Alya called out as she ran towards the door, quickly helping Adrien onto his feet as the watched the monster take their friend.

"We need to go after them!" Adrien remarked as Alya nodded. Both of them ran out as Nino followed with an excited expression. None of them saw the goo falling down from the window, slowly trapping them in.

Almost everyone ran down the stairs looking up at the goo that now covered the school. "Hey! Anybody here? Marin!" Adrien called out now worried but also looking for a way to escape and transform.

Alya looked down in shock as she saw a familiar armband. "That's Kim's!"

"They vanished!" Nathaniel said fearfully as everyone looked around.

"Or they're playing a sick joke on us." Alix remarked, the two standing close together.

"We need to go to Principal Damocles' office and tell him what's going on! Nino, stop filming!" Alya said in annoyance.

Nino shook his head, looking like a kid in a candy store. "Not a chance! This is just getting good!" Then noticed Adrien trying to sneak away. "Yo, Adrien! Where are you going?"

"I, uh, thought I heard something from the restroom, so I'm going to check it out!" he said before running off as the rest of his classmates went upstairs. He took off his shoe, throwing it to the side as he entered the bathroom.

"What are you doing?" Plagg questioned as hovered before Adrien.

"Leaving a trace so they'll think I've disappeared too." He simply said before Plagg recoiled in disgust after observing the shoe.

"Never complain about me stinking of Camembert ever again!"

"Plagg, claws out!"

Marin struggled against the monster's grasp as he was taken out of the room, and towards the basement. "Hey!" He called out as the monster paid him no heed. The closer they went to the basement, the closer Marin began to see the pods the monster had created, and the muffled voices of his friends coming from them. Having a good idea of what would come next Marin tapped on his messenger bag, seeing Tikki fly out in concern. He nodded to her as she flew back into his bag, taking out the yarn ball that he had used to make the mask. he grasped the end of the string as Tikki flew out of the boiler room, leaving a trail to be followed.

Next thing he knew he was face to face with a three-eyed monster but didn't waver as it placed him into a pod. The monster seemed to shrink down as Marin didn't waver away from its gaze, not even flinching as it covered him in slime. Managing to stick a knitting needle through the slime just before he was completely covered.

"Mr. Damocles? Sir?" Alya asked as she opened the door in disappointment, "Even Principal Damocles is missing..."

"Anyone seen Adrien?" Nino questioned, as he, Alya, Nathaniel, Alix, Sabrina, Ivan, and Chloé stood in the principal's office.

Chloé was repulsed at the goo on the windows as Juleka looked on in amazement. "Cool."

"We're trapped! I'm going to call Daddy!" Chloé panicked, dialing her phone quickly.

"Dudes, you know cellphones never work in horror movies," Nino stated as everyone else tried but to no avail, the goo seemingly cut off the signal. "Told you so!" He remarked as someone else appeared behind them.

"Hey, you all having a party without me?" Chat Noir remarked playfully as Nino's expression lit up.

"Chat Noir in my movie!? That'll be so legit!" He remarked continuing to record. The hero looked around for a moment.

"Is Ladybug not here?" He asked, now worried as Ladybug wasn't answering his calls.

"I tried to cut through the goo, but it's no good. So, looks like we're trapped inside the school for now. Just stay put and try to relax, guys. All we have to do is find a place for you all to hide so I can find somewhere for Ladybug to get in and save your friends. If he's trapped outside the school then we're going to have a problem.

"Finding the missing peeps and solving this crazy mystery with Cat Noir and Ladybug... This movie's gonna be so awesome!" Nino remarked as Alya sighed.

"If only we could find a lead..." Chat Noir murmured as he heard Alya call out from the second-floor balcony.

"Hey, what's that?" Alya pointed out as Adrien turned around for a moment, all of them crowding around a piece of red yarn sitting atop the stairs that had looked to be leading towards the basement. Nino recorded Chat Noir inspecting it as Ivan spoke up. "That's Marin's yarn."

"Yarn?" Nino questioned as Ivan nodded.

"He used it to make my mask, and he brought it today if it got messed up." Ivan explained as Chat Noir followed it's trail with a smile.

"Looks like your friend is pretty crafty." He complimented as they now had a trail.

Ladybug stepped into the classroom where he saw the monster standing over Juleka and Rose. He noticed as Juleka was smiling at it with a bright expression. He threw his yo-yo towards the monster, grabbing it's attention as he called out. "Run!"

But Rose couldn't move, paralyzed in fear as Juleka looked conflicted. Ladybug sighed for a moment, then using his yo-yo's momentum to swing across the room towards the girls, grabbing one of the nearby juice bottles that Rose brought. Quickly shaking it and dosing the monster as he carried Rose and grabbed Juleka's hand. He jumped down to the first floor with both girls, placing Rose down as he turned towards Juleka. "Where's everyone else?"

Both had no idea as they stayed in the room the entire time. But next thing they knew there were screams coming from the principals' office. Ladybug immediately stood in front of his two friends as Chat Noir was sent flying and the monster quickly tried to escape, having already captured a few of their classmates.

Ladybug dove, catching Chat Noir in his arms before he could hit a wall, avoiding eye contact as Chat Noir looked up at him in relief.

"Nice to see you could make it." He remarked as they both spotted the monster heading down into the boiler room. The only ones who were left were Rose, Juleka, Alya, Nino, and Ivan.

"That thing runs on fear, the more scared people are of it, the more powerful it gets." Ladybug informed as Nino ran up to him alongside Alya with both of their phones out.

"Ladybug too?! Double legit!"

"Ladybug, would you mind if I took a few photo's for my-" but Ladybug cut her off, pushing aside her phone much to her disappointment.

He turned towards Chat Noir, "Any leads?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

Chat Noir nodded, "Seems like one of the kids left behind a trail of breadcrumbs for us to follow, metaphorically speaking." he remarked, gesturing towards the red yarn. The two nodded un understanding as the hesitantly walked down the stairs with their classmates following closely behind.

"Anybody in here?" Chat Noir called out.

"Ladybug, it's me, Chloé Bourgeois!" Chloé called out as Chat Noir walked towards the pod.

"Don't worry! We'll get you out of there." Chat Noir tried to reassure.

"Well, hurry it up already!" Chloé snapped back, pissing off the hero slightly.

Ladybug walked towards the center of the room, "Is everyone here? Mr. Damocles? Alix? Nathaniel?" He heard everyone who was missing, all except one. "Adrien?!" He called out, but then heard his muffled voice in the distance.

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine!"

Ladybug sighed, but flinched slightly as Chat Noir called to him, "What about Marin?"

Ladybug quickly responded, "Yeah, we've got everyone! Just try and calm down, we'll find a way to get you out of there!" he promised as he sensed the monster. Looking above him he saw it, narrowly evading it's goo blasts.

"Okay, now this is getting gross." Chat Noir remarked, staring at the slime dripping onto his shoulder. The two heroes just narrowly evaded the monster before Chat quickly had enough. "Cataclysm!" He called out, activating his power. Using his destructive abilities to rust the support pillars, easily trapping the monster in place with a victorious smile on his face. "Now," He remarked, landing near Ladybug. "What do we do about this? Can't get any closer without getting blasted with slime."

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug called out, receiving guitar strings from his yo-yo. His stomach sank as he realized what he probably had to do. He looked around the room, seeing all he needed, and passed out what everyone needed. While he placed Chat Noir in the seat of a make-shift set of drums, he started working on something.

"So that's your plan?" Chat asked curiously as Ladybug glanced towards him.

"We're going to sing."

"Sing?" Chat questioned.

Ladybug nodded, "You all know Smelly Wolf, don't you?" Ladybug called as everyone nodded in confusion. They all sang together, playing instruments as the monster began to roar, starting to shrink.

"It's working!" Chat Noir called out as the monster grew tiny. It was still timid, scrambling towards them as it jumped into Ivan's arms.

"That's the same button I gave to Mylène!" Ivan observed as Ladybug nodded, already having realized this was his classmate as he took the button.

“No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug tossed his lucky charm into the air, returning everything back to normal.

Ladybug and Chat Noir pounded their fists together victoriously, "Pound it!" as Nino cheered getting the ending he wanted as Chat Noir and Ladybug split, their miraculous starting to beep.

On the roof of the school, Chat Noir grasped Ladybug's hand.

"Hold on a sec-" Chat Noir said as his partner turned towards him. "I wanted to tell you something the other day on Valentine's day." He said as he triggered both of their embarrassing memories. "Ladybug, I-" He started to say, but almost immediately Ladybug uncharacteristically covered his mouth.

"Anything involving, that day, is off-limits, understand?" Ladybug said seriously, staring at him dead in the eye.

Chat Noir pushed his hand away, ears flattening, "Why?" then noticed Ladybug's face redden fiercely.

"You don't remember what happened, so you don't get to question this. Okay?"

Chat Noir stared at him, "What happened?" But then question only made his partner more embarrassment, which only made Chat Noir all the more curious. "I'm serious, what happened on Valentines da-"

"Stop it Chat!" Ladybug warned, but Chat Noir couldn't help but want to tease his friend.

"C'mon, at least give me a proper reason and I'll drop it." Chat Noir promised as their miraculous beeped again.

Ladybug hesitated for a moment, rubbing the back of his neck for a moment before glancing back at his friend sheepishly. "Because we're friends?" He said sincerely as Chat Noir instinctively tried to cover his smiling giggles.

"You're adorable!" He bluntly said, then burst out laughing as Ladybug just stared at his partner.

"Friendship over." Ladybug said, then jumped away using his yo-yo, leaving Chat Noir to roll around in laughter.

Nino groaned slammed his face into his desk the next day at school. "We didn't make the cut! He said the monster was a horrible replica! Completely unbelievable! No joke!"

"Don't worry, bud. This is how all good movie directors start out." Adrien offered.

"Yeah, couldn't have anything to do with the fact that the mayor is Chloé 's father," Alya remarked as she then saw Rose hugging Marin. The two smiling at each other as Alya leaned between Nino and Adrien. "Looks like those two are getting closer." She said playfully.

"Whaat?" Nino said lifting his head, looking back at Alya completely, jokingly insulted. "I can't believe her, everyone knows I have dibs!"

Adrien then turned towards his friend with a shocked expression, "Nino, you like Marin?"

His two friends then stared at him, exchanging a glance before Nino said in a serious tone. "Yes." Which Adrien believed without question.

Chapter Text

"Ladybug and Cat Noir have saved Paris yet again." Marin overheard as he saw Tikki munching down on sandwich cookies. She spent most of her downtime watching the news or reading the comic books that he checked out for her from the library. Marin was fiddling with a pink box with white polka dots and black trimming, just making the finishing touches as he closed the box.

"What are you working on, Marin?" Tikki asked hovering nearby.

" A box to lock up all my secrets." He explained showing off his journal to her.

"Every little secret? You're telling me that you write everything down in that thing?"

Marin nodded as he placed his journal back into the box, "Yup, every doodle, design, and innermost thought...something wrong?" He asked as Tikki eyed him in concern.

"Well, for one, what if someone finds out you're Ladybug? And two, what if someone finds out you're Ladybug?!" She yelled in a panic, over-worrying as Marin calmed his Kwami down by nuzzling her face with the back of his hand. Tikki gentle landed carefully as she enjoyed cuddling.

"Not gonna happen. Try it, Tikki." Marin remarked, reopening the box. Tikki flew in, trying to pick up the journal but it suddenly snapped shut.

"Hey!" Tikki's muffled voice called out as she then phased through.

"See?" Marin remarked with a smug smile, as he then turned towards the news, seeing Chloé and her father on the screen. His previously swell mood turned slightly sour.

"Yesterday, Mr. Bourgeois was re-elected as mayor of Paris for the fourth consecutive term. Here we see Mr. Bourgeois with his daughter."

Marin rolled his eyes, turning off the screen and then checking the time. "Let's go Tikki, otherwise I'm gonna be late again."

"But..." Tikki turned back towards her cookies, her eyes widening to show off how blue they were.

"...You can take the cookies sugar cube." Marin gave in as Tikki quickly nuzzled his face, shoving as many cookies as she could into the pouch that Marin specially made for her.

Miss Bustier spoke before all the class, as Chloé and Sabrina stood near, "Chloé is running for the class representative position and Sabrina will be her deputy. Do we have any other candidates?"

Kim raised his hand but immediately backed down as Chloé glared at him.

"Yes, Kim?" Miss Bustier prompted but he looked away nervously.

"Um, er... nothing."

"Are you gonna try entering?" Nino whispered as Adrien shook his head.

"I don't have the time for-" Adrien started to explain but was cut off by Marin entering the classroom.

"Hi! I'm sorry! I-uh, I-uh, the bus- Sorry ma'am!" He apologized, quickly making it to his seat. Adrien noticed as Marin waved to Nino who returned the gesture both with a smile on their faces.

Miss Bustier clapped her hands to gain the class's attention, "Alright, I'll give all of you till the end of lunch to decide if you like to be a candidate."

In the courtyard, Alya rested her head in Marin's lap, who noticed Chloé being particularly active today. He tapped Alya to get up and both of them walked towards Kim.

"Hey Kim, what did Chloé say to you this time?" He asked as Kim looked away with an embarrassed expression.

"She threatened to tell everyone I'm afraid of spiders."

"She told me that if I ran for the election, I'd get kicked out of scrapbooking club, and you know how much I love all those stickers, colorful scraps of papers, and gluing!" Rose spoke up, overhearing what Marin said.

"Chloé's running again, she's been class rep since when? Kindergarten?" Nino remarked as a few other students gathered towards the growing crowd.

"Yeah, last time she became class rep she got the astronomy club got disbanded-" Nathaniel recalled, who then immediately was silenced by Alix jabbing him in the gut.

"Oh yeah, sorry about that dude," Nino said sympathetically, placing his arm around Marin's shoulder as a form of comfort.

"It's fine, it wasn't like there were a lot of members to begin with," Marin said trying to reassure his friends, then turning towards Alya.

"Why don't you run as a candidate? You'd make an awesome representative."

"No can do. My blog is a full-time job!" She responded as they all sighed together, no one wanted Chloé to be the class representative, but it wasn't like there was someone who would stand up to Chloé. 

"So, any new candidates who would like to run against Chloé and Sabrina?"

There was a silence as no one spoke up, no one wanted to stand against Chloé.

"Given that Chloé and Sabrina are the only candidates, there's no point in voting. So, Chloé and Sabrina..."

Adrien already opened his textbook, ready to start studying, as all of a sudden he heard Marin speak up behind him.

"I'll run!"

He and everyone turned towards Marin in a mix of surprise and admiration. No one would have expected that the one who Chloé tormented the most would be the one to stand against

Miss Bustier smiled happily as she clapped her hands together, "Wonderful! You'll need to develop your campaign and have a speech ready by tomorrow, then we'll have a vote!"

Marin then sat down as Alya half hugged him with a smile as the realization of what he just did crashed over him.

Adrien saw Marin sit on a bench, next to Alya who sat on top of it. He looked tense, sitting up straight as he was clearly stressed. He sat on the stairs as he overheard what they were saying.

"So, let's hear the scoop on your campaign! How are you gonna represent?" Alya prompted.

Marin laughed dryly, "Represent? I'm still trying to figure out why I volunteered." But that didn't matter as everyone started crowding around.

"Way to go, Marin! You spoke from the heart, it was truly authentic!" Rose commented happily as she shook his hand.

"Uh... Thanks, Rose." Marin said.

"When you win, can we get more comfortable chairs? They are so hard, I can barely concentrate in class." Rose asked and then suddenly gasped, "Maybe pink ones!"

"And it'd be primo if we could listen to our beats while we study in the library," Nino suggested.

"Uh, you know... um, I don't-, you know," Juleka mumbled as Marin couldn't help but break out a half-smile.

He chuckled, "Sure, Juleka."

Alya then spotted him from the staircase, calling out to him. "Hey, Adrien! Marin can count on your vote, right?"

"Sure. Depending on his speech." He said simply, looking forward to whatever Marin had to say. One thing was for certain, he thought to himself as he spotted his childhood friend smiling sinisterly, Chloé wasn't going down without a fight.

"Softer chairs, music in the library..." Marin murmured to himself, eating his lunch upstairs in his room today, shrimp fried rice. "It's a lot to take in, I don't even know what my angle is for my campaign."

Tikki then landed on his shoulder, 'I'm proud of you for taking initiative! You'd make an awesome class rep!" She complimented.

Marin smiled at his Kwami. "Everyone's relying on me to defeat Chloé, but I don't know...I don't just want their votes because they don't like her."

"Hm?" Tikki tilted her head in confusion. "But I thought you only volunteered because she was always a terrible class rep. You're giving them another option, so now it's up to you to live up to what they believe is best for the class."

Marin chuckled, "How does this seem heavier than being Ladybug." He remarked as he heard his mother call for him.

["Xiang, telephone! It's Alya."] His mother called out.

"Coming mama!" Marin called out, "Tikki." Marin called as the Tikki flew into his pocket. He quickly went downstairs and took the landline phone from his mother.

"Hello?" Marin asked.

"Battle's on cutie." He heard Alya warn. 

Marin tilted his head, "What? Why? What's going on?"

"Chloé's invited the whole class to her campaign launch party at City Hall and she's got Jagged Stone coming, too!"

Marin eyes widened "Seriously? Jagged Stone?! The, Jagged Stone?!" He questioned in growing excitement.

Alya nodded, " Yup, she's totally trying to buy student votes with autographs!"

Marin sighed, "I'll be right over." he hung up the phone, grabbing his bag off the couch and throwing a few cookies from the kitchen into his bag. As he left his house he didn't notice Sabrina sneaking in...

Back at school, Adrien was swiftly defeated by his teacher in one swift move, falling over.

"Wow, Mr. D'Argencourt, never seen you on fire like this! That was some attack!" Adrien complimented as he looked up to his teacher.

"It ought be. This particular maneuver hither was developed by my ancestor Darkblade." Mister D'Argencourt informed, handing back Adrien's saber.

"Darkblade?" Adrien questioned in amazement.

"In the days of yore, Darkblade conquered Paris and ruled over it with an iron fist. Until he was overthrown vence by a wealthy Frenchman who used his dirty gold to buy the loyalties of the common people. To think that not so long ago, my ancestor's flag was waving above Paris..." Mister D'Argencourt informed as he soon was interrupted.

"Is that what you ran in the election, Mr. D'Argencourt? To seek revenge on your ancestors' behalf?" Nadja Chamack asked alongside her cameraman.

Mister D'Argencourt glared at them, "Part le fer! Who dost we have hither?"

"Nadja Chamack. Don't be bemused, it's just the news! Do you have anything to say about your quote un-quote landslide defeat-" She was about to ask but then someone else yelled at them.

"Hey, you! Excuse me! How did you get in the school?" An employee demanded, running towards the reporters, who scrambled away quickly as they were technically trespassing.

"Here endeth the lesson." Mister D'Argencourt stated, leaving Adrien alone to pack up his things.

Adrien moved towards his bag, noticing that he received a text from Chloé, saying that his favorite rock star was at the city hall right now to support her campaign. Part of him really wanted to go...so that's what he'd do. Smiling to himself as he decided to ditch his next class.

But as he walked out of the building with his bag, he saw his fencing teacher transform into a villain, then transforming others into his servants, even his bodyguard.

"Darkblade! The lord of Paris! Soon my army shalt be immense and unstoppable! We shall take City Hall by storm and reclaim the throne from Bourgeois the usurper!" Darkblade stated as Adrien quickly turned back into the school.

"Talk about dedication," Plagg commented as Adrien smirked at his Kwami.

"Plagg, claws out!"

Darkblade gathered his small army, "Let us to battle, knights! Part le fer!" Then noticing Chat Noir as he handed before them.

"The people had their say and they chose Bourgeois over you, D'Argencourt!" Chat Noir remarked, taking out his baton.

"Thy peoples matter not to me. D'Argencourt was defeated, not Darkblade! En garde!" He stated as the two dashed towards each other.

Marin walked into City hall filled with his classmates, all excited to meet Jagged Stone, who he himself looked bored.

"I'm pleased to welcome you all to the official launch of Chloé's electoral campaign. And a special thank-you to world-famous pop-star Jagged Stone for endorsing her." Mayor Bourgeois stated wit ha smile as Chloé smiled victoriously.

"And, when you vote for me, you'll get free tickets to Jagged's next concert!" She stated

" You got an autograph, huh?" Marin observed, crossing his arms.

Alya smiled at him sheepishly. "Uh... Yeah, got you one too. Sorry, couldn't help myself." She said handing him a spare CD, but Marin shook his head.

"C'mon Alya, you know you can only bribe me with votes." He remarked as Alya couldn't help but smile at her friend.

At the Pont des Arts, Chat Noir did his best to keep his distance from Darkblade, realizing that he was far out of league.

Darkblade presented himself to his enemy, catching Chat Noir off guard as he performs the same feint-and-strike technique he did to Adrien earlier, sending his staff flying as he was now defenseless.

"Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice..." Chat Noir murmured as he was quickly surrounded.

"Take him!" Darkblade ordered as his foot soldiers charged at the hero. Chat Noir acted quickly, standing on the edge as he fell off backward, using the momentum to grab on the understand, hiding atop the support beams.

"Nary a minute to be wasted! City Hall awaits us!" Darkblade called out as he heard the troops walking no the bridge above him. Chat Noir checked that he was safe before hopping back up and picking up his baton.

"City Hall, huh? You go first. I'll catch up with you." The Hero remarked as he jumped atop the roofs of Paris.

Back at City Hall, Marin noticed Sabrina running in with something in hand, but he turned towards his friends trying to reason with them.

"You realize that you're all being bribed right? Concert tickets are awesome, but they aren't gonna solve classroom problems. Chloé 's taking advantage of your admiration for Jagged Stone."

"So what's your campaign then, Marin?" Nathaniel asked.

"Well, um, I'm, um, thinking that cushions would be more realistic than buying new chairs." Turning towards Rose he remarked. "Your cushion could be very pink." Much to her glee as he then turned towards Nino. "And I'll see about listening to music in the library. Through headphones, of course." And finally to Juleka, of whom he gave a smile towards. "Not to mention the music club needs that new equipment after all." Noticed that she smiled warmly at him.

"Remarkable. You actually sound like a class rep." Chloé remarked sarcastically. "Too bad you don't have a chance of winning." She said, then grabbed onto his arm, pulling him behind a pillar. " If you don't pull out of the race, all your secrets will be revealed."

Marin glanced between her and Sabrina who was currently trying to remove the box from her hand. "You realize this is not going to end well right?" Marin remarked.

Chloé scoffed at him, crossing her arms. "I think that's my line. Once I get my hands on a chainsaw you're history!" She said much to Sabrina's chagrin. All of a sudden everyone heard blasts of trumpets outside. Marin easily walked away from Chloé, opening the door to see a large group of knights in black armor standing outside.

"O-ye, o-ye! Darkblade shalt speak now! Listen or be imprisoned!" One of the green knights called as they all parted before one black knight with red trim walking forward.

"Henceforth, my flag shalt fly over thy kingdom! Bourgeois, pathetic knave, come hither and do battle!" Darkblade announced.

"What did he say?" Mr. Bourgeois questioned.

"Basically, he's gonna bust you up." Alya explained as all of them glanced at the growing army in concern.

"Bow down to Darkblade, or feel the wrath of mine sword!" Darkblade said dashing towards them with his weapon drawn. Marin immediately shut the doors, locking it quickly just as he narrowly avoided getting impaled at the weapon piercing the door, only a few inches from his face.

He let out a breath of tension as he checked the windows, seeing that Chat Noir was already in battle, taking on small army by himself.

"Wait, do I hear the sounds of crazed fans? I can totally get them under control." Jagged Stone remarked, about to open the door when Marin immediately pulled him back by his arm.

"Sir, I can assure you those are NOT your fans!"

Jagged Stone brushed him off but was taken to the side by a woman who seemed to be his manager.

"What are we gonna do?" Ivan asked in concern as he hugged Mylene who was trembling in fear.

"Chloé, what should we do? What would a class rep do?!" Rose asked in a panic as Chloé hid behind the front desk.

"Well, if indeed you vote for me, I'll provide you with an answer. Tomorrow." She responded, peaking over the desk.

"But we can't wait until tomorrow!" Alix snapped.

Chloé shrugged her shoulders, "Then you're out of luck. You'll have to ask someone else."

Marin glanced at the doors, realizing that if the army grew in number then there would be nothing them back. He scanned the room, all of his classmates either arguing or cowering. Meanwhile outside Chat Noir looked like he wasn't going to hold out much longer against the growing numbers.

He took a deep breath, recalling the first lesson he learned; Never hesitate. "The doors, quickly!" He called out grabbing a nearby chair. "Kim, Ivan, lock the doors! Make sure all the windows are closed too, quickly! Everyone else start barricading!" He ordered as everyone nodded in agreement following instructions, noticing Alya's proud smile.

"Well, I was going to say the exact same thing!" Chloé retorted as everyone ignored her. Quickly, all the entrances were sealed, but it wasn't going to hold for long as the windows started to break.

"I hope they haven't gone too medieval on Cat Noir!" Nino said as he saw the hero getting dogpiled.

"We need to get out of here," Marin remarked turning towards the Mayor. "Sir, your office has a lock on it right?" He asked as Mr. Bourgeois nodded, guiding the students as Alya turned towards Marin who remained behind.

"I'll catch up with you gotta make sure all the windows are closed first!" He called as Alya nodded, as soon as she was out of sight, Marin ran towards the second floor, seeing a window he could jump out from. He opened his bag seeing his Kwami fly out.

"Tikki, spots on!"

Cat Noir had his back to a wall, holding a staff as he was slowly cornered. Suddenly familiar yo-yo fell before him as he grabbed it, cheekily waving at the knights who crashed into each other trying to catch him. Ladybug grabbed his hand, pulling him in from the window, turning back towards the crowd.

"I was managing just fine by myself, you know. But it's always nice to see you." Chat Noir remarked with a smile. But it soon faded as he thought he saw something large fly by. they both looked out the window to see the knights tossing their own using catapults.

"Why are they going on the roof?" Chat asked as one hit the wall nearby, falling back to the ground. "Well, at least some of them."

Ladybug narrowed his eyes, eyeing their leader who was holding a long pole in his hand. The Hero's eyes widened, " The flag!"

"Tally ho!" Darkblade announced, landing on the roof. "Ha ha ha! Once these stripes are supplanted by mine coat of arms, I shalt reign supreme!"

Ladybug reasoned throwing up his yo-yo, wrapping it around the current flag pole. He pulled it down, then grabbing Chat Noir around his waist so they both could travel faster.

"I always wanted us to get closer." Chat remarked playfully as they both were sent flying to the top of city hall.

"The Akuma has to be in the flag." Ladybug guessed eyeing Darkblade who was climbing up the hall on the backs of his vassals.

"No way, the Akuma's in the sword." Chat Noir responded.

"How can you tell?" Ladybug asked, knocking back a few knights.

"Uhh, the guy's a fencing teacher!" Chat Noir rambled over his response, "How are we gonna get a hold of it- hey!" he called out as Ladybug already had his yo-yo wrapped around Darkblade. The villain then sent him flying with his heightened strength. Slamming Chat Noir's partner into one of the towers. Getting pinned down by a few of the knights. He felt his claws extend angrily, but snapped out of it as he heard his partner's voice.

"Cat Noir, don't let him get to the top!" Ladybug called out as he struggled against the grip.

Cat Noir nodding, taking out his batton, knocking down the tower of vassals as he stood before Darkblade.

" Villains! Thou impress me not. By the blade of darkness, I hereby declare all peoples of this kingdom are henceforth mine! Bow to King Darkblade!"

"Sorry, but I'd only bow to one person, but hard pass!" Chat Noir said, attacking Darkblade, "En garde!" Chat Noir held his own against the skilled fencer. As he did so, Ladybug finally escaped the grasp of the knights. Eyeing his partner in battle, noticing how skilled Chat Noir was against the knight. Even so, they both would need a little more help.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug called out, receiving a small wind up toy. Ladybug eyed Darkblade, winding up the toy just before he kicked it into the armpit of his armor just as he disarmed Chat Noir. The knight started laughing as Chat Noir activated his cataclysm, destroying the sword as the Akuma flew out. "No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" He said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug said throwing up his lucky charm, returning all the knights and cars to normal. Chat Noir picked up Darkblade who turned back into Mr. D'Argencourt, a teacher form their school, landing before city hall as Ladybug followed.

"Keep your head up Mr. D'Argencourt," Chat Noir remarked, handing his saber back to him. "There's always next year to build up your campaign." The man nodded in newfound resolved as Ladybug and Chat Noir fist-bumped.

"Pound it!"

Ladybug then heard his earrings, ring "Later." He said using his yo-yo to leave as Chat Noir watched his partner leave with a fond expression on his face.

"Great job, Marin. You proved that you can be Ladybug and a student leader at the same time."

Marin smiled at his Kwami, nuzzling her face in his bag for a few moments just before he walked back down the stairs. He cringed internally as Chloé spotted him, just a moment before Alya crashed into him, trapping him in a hug.

"So where were you? Safely hiding under a rock?" Chloé asked snidely as Alya glared at her.

"Very funny, Chloé. I got transformed into a knight." Marin lied, but they didn't need to know that. "Now please give me back my stuff."

"What?" Alya asked in confusion as she glared at Chloé angrily.

Chloé looked fearful for a moment, "I really have no idea what you're talking about! I-"

Sabrina shoved Chloé aside and holds out her hand with the diary box on it towards him. "Please take it off!" Sabrina begged as Marin took the key off of

"Got an explanation, Chloé?" Alya asked. 

"I told you, I never took her diary! And I'm offended that you're accusing me!" Chloé remarked defensively. 

"Then how did you even know my journal was in here then?" Marin asked unlocking Sabrina.

"Oh, well, uh... Sabrina told me. It was all her idea!" Chloé retorted but grew nervous as a crowd drew around her.

"That's not cool Chloé, Marin's always been nice to you," Nino said, his armed crossed with disapproval as the rest of the class agreed.

"At least now we know nobody will vote for Chloé. You're a shoe-in." Alya elbowed his side playfully, making a wave of uneasiness.

"Uh... wait a sec Alya, Alya-"

"Ha ha ha! See? He's undependable! She's already throwing in the towel!" Chloé suddenly shouted, pointing a finger towards him to get all the negative attention off of herself.

" No, I'm not." Marin clarified, "I just wanna be voted in fairly, not because you don't wanna vote for Chloé, but because you believe in me! I'm not gonna make promises that I can't keep, and I'm not gonna be able to get you everything that you want. But I am resourceful and I know how to prioritize and I'm always willing to listen. Representing you all is something important to me, so as long as I have your trust I won't let you down. So... please vote for me for class representative. If you want." Marin mumbled off as his face heartened, flashing a tired look towards Alya through the cheers of his classmates.

His best friend luckily knew him well as she dragged him out of there, remarking, "If you guys could remember what he said that would be great because I'm pretty sure he can't talk that much ever again...in his life."

"By majority vote, Marin is the new class representative, and Alya will be his deputy." Miss Bustier announced at the end of the school day as everyone cheered. 

Adrien looked around in surprise as even Sabrina was cheering for him. 

"Marin's really popular huh?" Adrien remarked towards Nino who nodded with a smile on his face.  

"Yeah, after he took charge after that Akuma attack, basically everyone's on his side." Nino explained, "Had a killer speech too, shame ya' missed it bro." 

Adrien only smiled as half the class crowded around Marin, congratulating him just before they left. Nino, Alya, and he lingered behind them. 

"So how are we celebrating?" Nino asked. 

"I'm thinking..." Alya thought for a moment. "We go to Marin's family bakery for celebratory croissants?" She offered as Marin rolled his eyes with an amused smile. 

"It's always croissants with you, my parent's bakery has more than that you know," Marin said with a chuckle. "My dad's making salmon tarts today." 

"Oooo, yes please." Nino remarked, "and your famous chocolate chip cookies please." 

"I put in a batch this morning to be sold, we can go see if there are any leftovers," Marin suggested as Nino placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. 

"Dude. I love you so much." He said seriously as Alya started to giggle. 

Adrien couldn't see what was so funny, in fact, he was somewhat confused about how Marin never reacted to Nino always telling him how much he loved him. For the longest, while he had assumed that Marin and Alya were the couple, so this threw him for a loop. But he shook it off as he received a text notification, already knowing that Natalie would be waiting for him. He stepped forward as Marin glanced at him in surprise. 

"I can't make it today but congrats on winning the class election Marin." He said with a smile on his face as Marin turned his head away, mumbling his thanks. "See ya." Adrien said as he walked out of the door he heard the three friends planning ahead for their get together, while he usually always had to cancel. Just as he was walking down the stairs, he heard someone call out to him, turning back to see Marin standing atop the stairs. 

"You should come by later on if you have free time." He offered at Adrien stood there stunned for a moment. "If you want, I mean-" Marin stumbled over his words, about to walk away when Adrien quickly spoke up. 

"Yeah, of course!" He said with a bright smile. "Save me a slice." 

Chapter Text

"I can't believe it!" Alya complained as she planted her face on the sofa of his living room while he finished off sewing a hat. "How is it to get a photo of one person!"

"If that person if Ladybug?" Marin remarked, his face slightly reddening in shame as the conversation continued. "Probably pretty hard."

"I just need one for my blog! One crip, clear photo of everyone's favorite hero." She pouted looking through her phone and all the blurry shots she tried to get of Ladybug. "Not even the major news outlets can get a good enough photo. It's all Chat Noir in the forefront, and Ladybug leaving.

"Wasn't he at a public gathering a few weeks ago? I'm sure I saw cameras."

"The mayor was covering him up more than half the time," Alya muttered turning towards him.

"It shouldn't matter, right? I mean the guy probably just wants to do his job and leave." Marin remarked. "What's the big deal about a picture?"

"Uh-" Alya then stood in front of him. "HUGE DEAL." She remarked. "Even if he doesn't think he's a big deal, everyone thinks he is. Chat Noir gets almost all the coverage, I just want people to see how cool this dude really is!"

Marin simply shrugged his shoulders, not really sure what to say. "Maybe you'll get lucky?"

"Thanks, cutie," Alya said, quickly hugging him before running out the door. "This day for sure I catch myself a Ladybug!" She called out running down the stairs. Marin turned his body watching as she left. Sighing heavily as she was out of sight, which was Tikki's cue to fly out.

"It's tough being popular." She said as Marin smiled at her in amusement. "Alya's been really trying to track you down for weeks. Shouldn't you just give in already?" Tikki asked.

"No way." Marin said, "It's already too embarrassing running around Paris in polka dots, I don't need evidence of it."

"But she's your biggest fan," Tikki said, "and your best friend. Couldn't you cut her some stack?" The Kwami inquired but the sound of the doorbell caught their attention as Tikki quickly retreated into Marin's jacket pocket. Already knowing who was at the door, Marin grabbed the hat, quickly racing down the stairs to see Mylène and her father.

"Hey Mylène, sir." Marin greeted handing over the newly repaired hat to Mylène's father.

"It's just like new!" The man complimented with a smile. "Thank you, Marin, you really saved me." Mylène's father said taking back his hat.

"I fixed up the tear and I also sewed the pocket on the inside, just like you asked." Marin pointed out.

He nodded once more with a smile on his face, "You've done a perfect job. Thanks to you, I'll have my good luck charm right here next to me at all times. A photo of my biggest fan."

Mylène smiled, hugging her father, "Aw, dad..." Only pulling back as her father's phone rang.

"That's Sarah, I better get going. See you tonight at the Eiffel Tower, kids!" He said picking up the phone as he walked out of the door, in a hurry.

"Thanks again for helping me Marin," Mylène said in appreciation, then handing over an envelope. "Alya already has her ticket, she'll meet you at the tower when showtime starts. Around 7, don't forget."

"Are you in a hurry too?" He asked, noticing her face slightly reddening.

"I wanna swing by my house to change before the show, me and Ivan have a date afterward." She said with a warm smile that was contagious.

"Well don't let me hold you up. I'll catch you later." He said as Mylène quickly hugged him, waving goodbye as he closed the door behind him. Peaking into the bakery he saw that his parents were already busy with all the customers. He didn't have anything else to work on today, so perhaps...

"Tikki." Marin called, walking back up the stairs to grab his messenger bag. His Kwami appeared before him as he just picked it up. "Let's go for some sightseeing."

Ladybug overlooked the Louvre's plaza, towards his friend scanning the entire city for him. She had kept this up for a few hours, trying to find any trace of him, not realizing that he was following her almost all of that time from the rooftops. He admired that part of Alya, her dedication towards her passion. Unfortunately, her passion was his alter-ego more often than not. Suddenly, something caught his attention, a mime of sorts standing before a confetti of former posters promoting Mylène's father's show. He sensed something off about the man, then jumped into action as The Mime sent a police car flying.

The Hero jumped into action as he saw it was heading directly for his best friend. Aly fell over in panic as she saw it, dropping her phone. However, Ladybug used his yo-yo to cushion the car's fall, by making it fall onto a net. Ladybug quickly assisted the policeman out of his vehicle, seeing that he and the vehicle were alright.

"Ladybug?!" He heard Alya call out, stunned, then searching for something as the hero turned back to the cop.

"Sir, could you please escort this young lady away while I deal with the villain?" He requested as the policeman nodded, guiding Alya away.

"Hey-wait! Could I just have one pho-" But her words were cut off by the two almost getting shot by an invisible projectile. Ladybug used a yo-yo to shield them as they fled. The Mime then dashed towards him miming something in his hand, something probably sharp as Ladybug jumped back. During that moment he recognized his own handiwork, this man's hat...it was Mylènes' dads!

He grimaced for a moment at this fight would be an uphill battle. He began swinging his yo-yo once more as he then charged towards the villain.

Adrien sat in his car with Nathalie and his bodyguard. He already knew what was coming as he overheard Natalie.

"Yes, sir. Understood, sir. I'm, sure he'll understand, sir." Natalie then turned towards him, "Adrien-"

"You don't have to say it, I already know." He simply remarked.

"Yes, but he has reserved the best seats in the house for you, Adrien. Front row." Natalie offered but faltered as Adrien sighed, looking out of the window. It wasn't like he expected his father to come. He just hoped for a moment he might-

Suddenly the car was ripped in half, Adrien was staring at Natalie. He stunned for a moment as Ladybug deflected an invisible attack.

"I'll cover you, but you all need to lea-" Ladybug remarked glancing once towards Adrien who looked up towards his partner. His eyes suddenly widened as the villain, a mime, mimed something, looking like he was about to lasso something. The next thing he knew, Natalie was undoing his seatbelt as Ladybug was grabbed by an invisible rope, sent flying as The Mime slammed him against a light pole.

Adrien meanwhile followed Natalie and his bodyguard for a moment before then running down an alley. When he opened his shirt Plagg flew out. "We gotta transform now."

"I thought I was gonna be a spectator, not a performer. What about the show?" The Kwami questioned.

"It can't go on without us, now can it?" Adrien remarked. "Plagg, claws out!"

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT-" Plagg called out as he was sucked into the ring.

Ladybug struggled to escape as he was bound to the light pole with an invisible rope. He glared at The Mime, about to take his Miraculous when he immediately mimed a shield, protecting himself from a strike from above.

"Keep those hands to yourself, clown!" Chat Noir called out placing himself between his partner and The Mime, holding his staff. Ladybug didn't feel the bindings anymore, noticing that they disappeared when Chat Noir attacked the villain. The Mime mimed something else, catching Ladybug's attention as The Mime then smiled at them, at the same moment Chat Noir charged forward.

"Hold on!" Ladybug called, but his partner was already mid-jump while The Mime was walking away. Luckily for him, Ladybug's yo-yo was faster as he felt the wire wrap around his waist, pulling him back and falling to the ground.

"Hey- what gives?" Chat Noir asked as Ladybug walked past him. He noticed his staff in Ladybug's hands, swinging it against what he heard to be iron bars, like those in a prison cell. They both saw The Mime then mime a card, putting in a helmet, revving up a motor and then driving off.

"We can't let him go like that!" Chat Noir proclaimed but Ladybug kept on hand of the bar.

"Patience, kitty cat." Ladybug chided then no longer felt the bars, walking past his partner as he then used his yo-yo to jump on the roof-tops.

"Hey! Wait!" Chat Noir called out following his partner, running alongside him. "What's the plan?"

"We get the hat." Ladybug explained briefly.

"Great, but we don't even know where this guy is going!" Chat Noir pointed out as they had lost sighed of him, but his unease slowly faded as Ladybug looked back at him with a knowing smile.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug called out, receiving a cardboard box. He and Chat Noir were standing before the Eiffel tower just as a bus pulled up. One that contained all the actors for the upcoming show. Chat Noir walked over to the head of the troop, explaining the situation as he noticed Ladybug grab the flyer, crafting something.

"You know, if I knew the plan, I could probably lend a helping paw?" Chat Noir offered after Ladybug asked for the glasses from the troop leader.

"Sorry," Ladybug apologized, "This, and you are the bait," he explained as Chat Noir looked at him in disbelief as Ladybug used his contraption to enlarge the flyer on the Eiffel tower.

"Excuse me?" Chat Noir questioned, glancing at The Mime who arrived at the scene, looking furious. He took out his staff, ready for an attack.

"Can you handle him?" Ladybug asked, to which Chat Noir nodded with a playful smirk.

"Try not to be completely floored." He playfully remarked as he then dashed towards the mime, who appeared to hold a sword in his hand. "My forte!" Chat Noir remarked, using his staff like a sword, parry's most of the mime's attacks. He held his own for a little while until The Mime mimed something else, what seemed to be a bullhorn as the villain smiled nefariously. Chat Noir was stunned for a moment, hearing a buzzing in his ears as The Mime pinned him to the ground. He was too frazzled, not even noticing The Mime removing his ring until Ladybug used his yo-yo to grab his hat. Taking out a photo and ripping it in half, releasing the Akuma.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing the box into the air as everything turned back to normal.

"What happened? How did I... get here?" Fred asked, looking around in confusion as Ladybug helped Chat Noir to his feet, the two pounding their fists together in victory.

"Pound it!"

Ladybug then handed the newly repaired the hat back to its original owner, who quickly checked for his most prized possession. Sighing in relief as he saw it wasn't damaged.

"Thank you Ladybug, Chat Noir. I don't know what I'd do without this." He thanked as he jogged towards his troop for the upcoming show. Ladybug glanced at him fondly, then turned towards his partner in surprise as Chat Noir rested his hand around his shoulder.

"You know, I heard this show is pretty good. I could be your date in the play tonight. Just you and me."

Ladybug smirked in amusement, his earrings starting to beep. "Thanks, but I have something to take care of." He remarked, stepping aside from Chat Noir's grasp as night began to fall. Not noticing the soft lovestruck expression Chat Noir had plastered on his face. 

The Mime show was about to begin as Adrien saw Alya one seat over. He sat down in his seat, smiling as he she spotted him. "Hey, you're here too, cool. I thought I was gonna end up sitting by myself."

Alya gave him a worried expression, "Hey, did you see Marin? We were supposed to meet up here."

"Sorry, I didn't," Adrien remarked.

"Aw well, he'll probably show up later." Alya's voice faded as she looked up towards and all too familiar person who walked up next to her.

"Excuse me, you're the girl with the Ladybug blog right?" Ladybug asked as Adrien could see Alya was trying not to squeal as he himself was trying not to squeal.

"Y-yeah!" Alya confirmed as she saw him take something familiar out of his yo-yo.

"I think you dropped this earlier. Sorry I couldn't get it back to you sooner." He remarked handing back her phone. She was surprised, as she probably hadn't realized that she had lost it. Just as he was about to leave, Alya spoke up again.

"Wait, can I get a picture and an interview for my blog please?!"

Ladybug looked surprised for a moment, looking like he was about to decline for a moment before smiling. "Sure, I can do a photo." He said as he stood before Alya, waving as she snapped a photo. Just as he was about to leave again, he spotted Adrien. "Hey, I saw you earlier, I hope you didn't get hurt."

"Yes! I- mean no, I wasn't injured, I mean-" Adrien stammered as Alya rested her hand on his shoulder.

"He's a fan just like me, could we get a photo of all three of us together?!"

Ladybug hesitated for a moment, but then shrugged his shoulders, agreeing to his fan's request. Alya held the camera as Adrien stood right next to the hero, trying his hardest not to do anything dumb. Then Ladybug rested his hand on his and Alya's shoulders, and he felt like he was on cloud nine, being right next to the person he cared for the most. After Alya snapped a few shots of them together, she thanked him over and over again, to which Ladybug reassuringly told her not to worry about.

"Enjoy your show, I hear it's good." Ladybug remarked with a playful wink, using his yo-yo to head towards the city, leaving his two fans starstruck as they sat back down.

"You're going to send those to me right?" Adrien immediately asked as Alya nodded.

"Ladybug and Adrien Agreste on my blog? I'm gonna get a ton of coverage!" She said happily quickly making a post on her blog, while also sending the photos.

Once Adrien received them, he couldn't hold back his smile. Gently caressing the photo on his phone, his newly treasured possession. But he quickly turned off his screen as someone else walked up, panting heavily.

"Hey, I miss anything?" Marin asked walking up. Adrien smiled warmly at the sight of his classmate but noticed that he had to take a step back from his best friend. Who looked like she was about to explode with excitement.

"Dude! You are not going to believe what just happened!"

Chapter Text

"Alya please, you gotta be there." Adrien overhead Marin plead as he stood adjacent to their conversation within the locker room, just out of Marin's vision. "I've already asked everyone else please, you're my last hope."

Adrien stood there dumbfounded for a moment, Marin never asked him about any favor. Did he really not want to be around him that much?

"Sorry cutie, I can't. I gotta watch my sisters." She apologized, but then eyed Adrien eavesdropping, a mischevious expression growing on her face.

"What about Adrien? Maybe he could help ya' out."

He perked up his head, part of him not wanting to get involved if Alya was smiling like that, the other part; really wanting to know why Marin didn't ask him.

"Adrien? That'd be a disaster." He heard Marin chuckle and his heart almost sank. Then he sighed, "You know what, don't worry about it. I think I'll be able to handle this on my own."

"You sure?" Alya asked with a concerned expression.

"No. But we will see." Marin sighed, about to turn away, but then Alya rested her arm on his shoulder.

"Tell ya what, I'll see if I can convince someone to go with you."

Marin looked back at her in disbelief. "I doubt anyone else is going to agree at this point, but more power to you if you can."

"Don't underestimate me cutie. I'll send them your way if I do." Alya teased as she caught him in a half hug before Marin walked past him and towards the main hall.

Alya rested her weight on the locker, with a sultry smile. "Hey Adrien."

"Alya." Adrien greeted trying to search for an escape route.

"So, you've picked up eavesdropping as a hobby?" She asked playfully.

"Uh...maybe." Adrien turned his head away in embarrassment.

"Nino already told me that you wanted to be friends with Marin, and I know you overheard most of that conversation. So, you interested?" She asked.

"I don't know Alya..." Adrien sighed. "I don't think Marin even likes me, what if he's just nice to be polite?"

"Like you are with Chloé?"

Adrien chuckled, "Chloé's different when she's around you guys. I know she can be trouble, but I can't overlook how long we've been friends."

Alya sighed, "Fair enough. So, you in?" She asked.

"In what? I don't even know what this favor is." Adrien reminded her, still curious about Marin's request.

" Right, right. Basically, Marin's great uncle is coming tomorrow, and he wants someone to go with him when he escorts him to this competition at Le Grande Hotel."

"What's the big deal about that?" Adrien asked.

"The thing is-" Nino said as he suddenly butted into the conversation, as he was also in the locker room, resting his arm over Adrien's shoulder casually. "You two are new around here so you don't know, but the Cheung-Dupain family isn't exactly the closest family."

"Hm?" Adrien turned his head towards his best friend curiously.

"Marin's family isn't exactly close with each other. This is the first time meeting his uncle, plus that competition is going to be crowded with a bunch of cameras which makes him nervous, not to mention the fact that his parents aren't going to be there either."

"Really?" Adrien asked in surprise as Nino nodded.

"Yeah, they're almost always super busy with the bakery, they're the only two employees working there after all."

"How the heck do you know so much?" Alya asked, "I didn't even know that much."

"Dude, more than half the class has known each other since kindergarten, our family situations are pretty common knowledge," Nino explained.

"Wait, so why does he need someone to go with him?" Adrien asked, still confused.

"He just wants someone to be there as like an anchor if he gets too frazzled. Because he and social situations don't exactly go together very well." Alya explained. "That's where you come in."

"Me?" Adrien questioned. "If it's an all-day thing tomorrow, then there's no way my father would ever agree..." He said, starting to perhaps get a better picture as to why Marin didn't ask him in the first place. But then was caught off guard as Nino then poked his cheek with a playfully smug expression.

"What if you tell your father that you'd be practicing your Mandarin with a Michelin star chef from China?"

"Well, that would help. But what does that have to do with anything?" Adrien asked.

"Dude," Nino remarked, slightly dumbfounded at his friends' slowness. "Marin's mom's last name is Cheung. His great uncle is Wang Cheung." Nino explained, then nodded his head as Adrien's eyes widened with realization.

"That would definitely help."

Marin carefully wrapped the sweet violets from his balcony garden together, tying the bouquet with a purple ribbon. Tikki flew towards the flowers, smelling them with a small smile.

"I know they smell sweet but don't eat the flowers Tikki, they're for my uncle," Marin informed as he walked towards the living room.

"I was just admiring them!" Tikki remarked, hovering nearby as Marin sat on the sofa, a bundle of pure anxiety as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Do you think he'll like them?" He asked, to which Tikki smiled in reassurance.

"Of course he will, you've been growing them for weeks. Anyone could see they've been grown with love. Trust me, you'll be fine."

Marin grumbled to himself. "They can't be fine, they have to be perfect! Uncle Cheung is very particular, so everything has to be just right- " His eyes suddenly widened with panic. "That's him! Hide, Tikki." Marin called out, opening his jacket so she could fly in. He then jumped down the stairs towards the front door, opening it he was expecting to see his uncle, instead, he was greeted by the sun.

["Welcome to my home-"] Marin began to say, but immediately grew embarrassed as Adrien was standing right there with his hands folded behind his back, smiling brightly. But just as he was about to respond Marin shut the door on him. On the other side, Adrien grew somewhat disheartened.

"What is he doing here?!" Marin harshly whispered to Tikki in his pocket, his face immediately running red as he realized he had just rudely shut the door.

"Maybe he's here to see you?" Tikki recommended before hiding once more in his coat pocket.

Marin immediately took a deep, opening the door more slowly this time as Adrien still was standing there with a half-smile, tilting his head slightly. ["Heya Marin, is this a bad time?"]

Marin could feel his ears burn with embarrassment as he invited his classmate in. ["Sorry,"] he said, opening the door fully so he could come in, his eyes then widened in surprise. "You speak Mandarin?"

Adrien nodded, smiling sheepishly "Yeah, I'm learning it, but it can be really hard sometimes."

"Right, so what are you doing here?" Marin asked curtly, closing the door behind him as he led Adrien upstairs towards their living room. He tried to command his heart to stop beating so hard, practically hearing it as Adrien sat down on his sofa.

"Alya recommended that I come," Adrien explained as he noticed Marin taking out a box with his family's bakery logo on it. "She and Nino say that you owe them croissants and cookies now?" He said somewhat confused at the request but saw Marin chuckling under his breath.

"They would say that, the gluttons," Marin remarked with an amused smile as he placed a box of snacks before him. Containing multiple pastel-colored macaroons, "I hope these taste alright." He said as Adrien eyed the colorful cookies greedily.

"You don't have to go through the trouble," Adrien said, trying to hold himself back.

"It's no trouble, my parents ingrained me with hospitality. Despite, me being rude to you earlier." Marin remarked sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

"I did surprise you after all," Adrien said, trying not to make his classmate feel guilty about it. " But I shouldn't, model's diet after all." He said guiltily but regretted it as he could see Marin looking ashamed.

"Oh- I'm so sorry, I didn't realize!" He rambled closing the box.

"No, no it's alright!" Adrien insisted.

"Sorry, they're probably not that good anyway. It's my first time baking passion fruit macaroons after all." Marin remarked with an embarrassed tone. "The fruit-infused cream probably ruins the whole thing anyhow."

Adrien really wanted those cookies now, diet be damned.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and both boys snapped to attention. Marin walked towards the front door, leaving Adrien alone with the cookies. They were in the box, right in front of him.

"Just grab one," Plagg muttered, sitting on Adrien's shoulder. "baker boy won't mind." He probably wouldn't, and those cookies smelled really good. Maybe just one wouldn't hurt-

"Adrien?"

Automatically Adrien snapped his arm back as Plagg retreated. He stood up to see Marin with the person whom he assumed was his uncle standing behind him now holding the same bouquet Marin was holding earlier.

["Uncle, this is my classmate from school, Adrien Agreste."] Marin introduced, gesturing towards him,

["It's nice to meet you sir. Is this the first time you've visited Paris?"] Adrien asked, blowing his head respectfully.

["No, I have been here 30 years ago. You can speak Chinese very well Adrien."] Wang remarked with a pleasant smile.

["Thank you, Master Cheng."] Adrien said graciously.

"The taxi is already out front. We can go right now." Marin informed.

It took all of Adrien's willpower not to look back at the cookies, forcing a smile. "Sure."

Outside the hotel the car parked in front of a red carpet where the announcer Alec was reported surrounded by an entire crowd of fans of the show. Adrien left the vehicle first long with Wang as Marin left from the other side. Intentionally trying to avoid any unwanted attention. As Wang walked forward to greet the mayor Adrien waited on his friend. Smiling warmly as Marin apologetically nodded his head towards his classmate.

"Only one will be awarded the title of "World's Greatest Chef." The winner's dish will become the new Mayor's Special on the Grand Paris's menu! Tell us Cheng Shifu, what dish will you be honoring our panel with today?" Alec asked, glancing towards Wang. Adrien walked up towards him, repeating the question as Wang nodded.

"My dish is: Celestial soup." He said simply.

"Wow! I've heard so much about your legendary Celestial Soup, but today we'll actually get to taste it!"

"Would you like me to come with you, Cheng Shifu?" Adrien asked.

Wang shook his head. "No thank you, Adrien. Cooking needs no words." Wang remarked, following Alec towards the kitchen. He then saw something that made him instantly more anxious, Chloé talking to Marin.

"Oh look who it is! My favorite person, Marin Dupain-Cheng." Chloé said slyly as she stood before him. "I mean, seriously? Does your great-uncle really expect to win the contest with a SOUP!? It's not even a main dish! Please! Doesn't he know how to make sushi like everyone else?"

Marin stared at his classmate, trying to process what she just said. "Are you really complaining about someone making you a free meal?"

"If that someone is deluded enough to think a bowl of soup can win a competition." She mocked as Adrien walked up with a displeased expression.

"Cheng Shifu isn't like "everyone else" Chloé, he's a highly respected Chef. His is soup is legendary!" He informed as Chloé still looked unimpressed.

"Well, I despise soup." She remarked.

"So what?" Marin asked as Chloé smirked at him.

"Didn't you know? I'm on the jury, and your uncle won't be getting my vote, that's for sure." Chloé chastised with an amused expression.

"Well, he doesn't even need your vote if your palette can only register sushi." Marin snipped, as Adrien glanced at his classmate in amusement, giggling at the truth of his comment.

Chloé glared, first at Adrien laughing and then at Marin. "You've made a big mistake." She growled under her breath, walking up the stairs as Adrien spoke up.

"I think your uncle would've appreciate you standing up to Chloé like that."

Marin shook his head, uncertain. "I'm not sure. I don't think he likes me. I mean, he even ripped up the bouquet I gave him."

Adrien glanced at his classmate with a concerned expression, "Oh no, you're wrong. Cheng Shifu isn't just a chef, Marin - he's an artist! He improvises on faithful things that come his way, the flowers you gave him must be what he'll use to garnish the soup."

"How can you be so sure?" Marin questioned, flinching slightly as Adrien placed his hands on his shoulder.

"I'm a fan of him. His work is known throughout the world, even being able to talk to him is a great honor." He said with a supportive smile, noticing that Marin turned his head away with a sullen expression on his face. "Hm, is something wrong?" He inquired.

But Marin shook his head, drawing a smile on his face, "It's nothing. Looks like they're going to be shooting for a while-" Marin's words were cut off as he suddenly felt something near his leg. They both looked down to see a crocodile wagging its tail happily.

Immediately, Marin took a step back as Adrien looked at it in curiosity. "I think it likes you Marin." He remarked with a smile as he noticed it was following Marin around fondly, while his classmate was looking nervous.

"Likes me, or wants to taste me?" Marin retorted bumping his back into a pillar as the croc rolled onto its belly before him, still furiously wagging its tail. A thought came to him as he recognized this particular reptile's collar, taking a familiar box out of his messenger bag. "You want a treat buddy?" Marin asked, holding up a passion fruit macaroon from earlier. The reptile's eyes began to sparkle as Marin knelt down to feed it. The crocodile licked its lips happily, nuzzling Marin's hand for more.

"You keep macaroons in your bag?" Adrien questioned as Marin fed it once more with a smile on his face.

"Sure," Marin remarked as he petted the crocodile's belly, much to its delight. "which is what this cutie probably smelled."

"There you are Fang!" A woman with colored hair remarked jogging towards him with a worried expression. She was dressed professionally, holding a clipboard in one hand and a leash in the other. "I'm so sorry if he gave you any trouble." She apologized attaching Fang to his leash.

Marin shook his head, "No trouble ma'am, he just wanted some snacks."

"Even so, he knows better than to harass other people." She remarked in a scolding tone, making Fang whimper slightly. "Are you two here for the competition?" She asked.

"Yes, my uncle is completing. Wang Cheung?" Marin answered, noticing the woman's expression fall slightly.

"Well they're already done filming if you wanted to see him." She remarked, then walking away as the Fang looked back sadly at his new friend who gave him delicious treats.

"They're done already?" Marin questioned having a bad feeling about this situation. He turned towards Adrien who seem to read his mind, the two then proceeding towards the kitchen via elevator.

Marin went to find his uncle as Adrien looked around, seeing the judges faces filled with discontent. As he walked past them he saw the camera crew looking over the footage. He observed from afar, seeing the chef get the lowest possible score and saying that his soup was tampered with. But what Adrien narrowed his eyes at was Chole smiling while the other judges tasted the dish before them. Not even covering her tracks as he then noticed the purple violet petal on her yellow cardigan.

He turned towards the producer, Alec who was observing the footage as well.

"Sir!" Adrien called out walking towards him.

"Hey, Adrien Agreste!" The announcer greeted, "What can I do for you?"

"I believe Cheung Shifu's soup was medaled with, by Chloé." He stated bluntly causing the producer to glance in the teens' direction, who was laughing at something on her phone.

"That's a big accusation for a judge on the jury. Do you have any proof?" He inquired.

"I just saw on the footage you got that she didn't even try the soup. Plus, she has it in for our classmate Marin, who's Cheung Shifu's nephew. Please, just give him another chance, he's a world-renown cook. There's no way he'd mess up something like this." Adrien pleaded.

Alec thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, we'll go through the footage again. If what you're saying is true then we'll have a do-over." Alec remarked as Adrien smiled gratefully.

"Thank you sir." Adrien said, then he searched around for Cheung Shifu and Marin, both of them would probably want to hear the good news. He checked the kitchens first, where his smile soon faded as he saw Marin standing before his newly Akumatized uncle.

["Uncle Cheng, I know it's not your fault. It was actually because of me, because I provoked Chloé and-"]

["I am Kung Food, and I can assure you. Today's first entree will be Brat soup!"] He remarked, picking up a pot of the remaining soup.

Adrien suddenly reacted, grabbing Marin's hand just before the soup was tossed at them. He led his classmate down the stairs towards the nearest exit when Marin suddenly pulled back, the two now in the lobby.

"My uncle's still up there, I can't leave him behind!" Marin remarked, looking back where they ran from.

"I promise, we'll go back but we have to get out of here before-" A floating creature interrupted Adrien's warning, projecting a message out before them.

["It's not polite to leave table without permission. Cut off all exits!"] Kung Food remarked, and only moments later a golden liquid began covering the doors.

Adrien tried pushing against them, but the liquid began hardening. "Hm." He touched the liquid with his finger, about to taste it when Marin immediately caught his hand.

"What are you doing?!"

"Tasting it?" Adrien stated as though he were stating the obvious.

"Tasting it?! Just smell it, it's caramel!" He retorted removing his hand. But Adrien still tasted it, licking his lips. "Please tell me you don't always try to eat what you don't recognize."

Adrien shrugged his shoulders. "It might taste good but it's totally indestructible. Looks like we're trapped inside."

Marin glanced up in worry, grasping the sash of his messenger bag, but then a more determined expression took over. "I'm going to try and find a way out."

Adrien nodded, "Then I'll see if I can find something to break through the caramel." he said, the two then split up in different directions.

Marin headed for the back room as Tikki flew out of his bag. "I never should have riled up Chloé!" He chided himself but still was determined. "Tikki, spots on!"

Meanwhile, behind the front desk, Plagg flew out of Adrien's shirt.

"You didn't happen to pick up a little piece of Camembert during all this cooking chaos, did you?" He asked as Adrien smirked at him in amusement.

"Cheese comes after the main meal," Adrien remarked. "Plagg, claws out!"

Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared at the same time before the grand staircase. Looking surprised to see each other for a moment as the hotel was already locked down.

"Ladybug, I see you've heard about the fine dining experience this hotel offers as well. Shall I reserve a table for two?" Chat Noir asked flirtatiously as Ladybug smiled in amusement.

"By all means kitty cat." Both ran towards the elevator but only Chat Noir tried to open it.

"Ugh! It's jammed shut!" He informed as the projection of Kung Food appeared before them once more.

["Ladybug! Cat Noir! You soon have privilege to be ingredients in Kung Food's soup. But first — you taste my special of the day!"]

"Did you catch that?" Chat Noir remarked curiously as Ladybug nodded.

"Did you?" He asked as Chat Noir smiled.

"Your kitty cat is blessed with many talents, Bugaboo." Chat Noir said but was pushed out of the way as Ladybug noticed the new enemy behind them wielding a large claymore entirely built from seafood.

"Seafood appetizers anyone?" The familiar henchman remarked with a smile, resting his weapon on his shoulder.

Ladybug narrowed his eyes, observing that the possessed rockstar seemed to have his strength heightened as he could easily swing the heavy looking weapon around.

"Seafood? This scam-pi happening. Let's see if you can carry a tun-a!" Chat Noir smiled in amusement at his own joke, twirling his staff in hand while Ladybug took out his yo-yo. The rock star attacked Ladybug first but the hero easily evaded, using Jagged Stone's momentum to catch him in his yo-yo and send him flying into the closet where Chat Noir quickly kicked a chair in front of.

"Well, that wasn't very "rock and roll" of you, Jagged Stone." Chat Noir remarked as he followed Ladybug into the elevator. He observed Ladybug resting his back against the wall with his eyes closed, crossing his arms. Cat Noir, on the other hand, rested his elbow next to him, leaning against the same wall. "Ladybug, come on, it's just you and me together. You can tell me how you really feel." He playfully poked, but soon dropped it as Ladybug didn't respond to his quips.

The hero only opened his eyes as he could hear a creaking as all of a sudden the lights flickered and the elevator shook to a stop, causing Chat Noir to fall over.

"I feel like we may have a delay for that table for two." He remarked pressing the emergency escape button on the elevator.

"I think the electricity between us short-circuited the elevator." Chat Noir said as the elevator opened to a possessed mayor.

"Royal hotpot with its giant string of boiled sausages!" He started swinging around a chain of steamed veggies and meat.

"Personally I prefer my sausages smoked." Chat Noir said as he and Ladybug dashed forward. The Mayor smirked evilly as he used his whip to wrap Chat Noir and Ladybug together, sending them flying in another room where Chat Noir crashed atop his partner on the sofa.

"Welcome to the world-famous Suite 36 of this hotel." The Mayor announced as Chat Noir helped his partner to his feet. They split up as the Mayor attacked again, this time capturing Chat Noir and dragging him closer. Not noticing Ladybug wrap his yo-yo around the neck of the chandelier, pulling it right down atop the mayor, halting his attack.

"Nice work, my lady. Shall we go and find the head chef and lodge a complaint about their staff?" He asked looking up at the hole in the ceiling that Ladybug made. He extended his staff to the ground, wrapping his arm around Ladybug's waist, lifting them to the dining area. "Great. All this fighting has made me hungry!" He remarked.

["Kung Food is generous. No need to choose between cheese and dessert, you get to have both!"] Kung Food said as the elevator to the roof rang, and from it appeared Alec and Marlena Caesar, Alya's mother.

"Watch the spectacular demonstration of the famous thousand flying cakes!" Alec remarked, seeing the two heroes evade the archer's attacks. "Oh ho! Our guests seem to have a few tricks up their sleeve, but how will they fare against the blinding stinging cheese bombs?!" He said shooting a wheel of cheese towards Chat Noir, stunning him for a moment as he dropped his staff.

"Ugh, he's right. The cheese really attacks the senses, I think it's turned-" He almost wretched. Ladybug pursued Marlena as she was shooting at him, jumping over her as he grabbed her and Alec's attention.

"Haha, you're no match for my- Hey!" Alec called out in annoyance as Ladybug intentionally bumped into him. Smirking as Marlena accidentally aimed for him causing the two to effectively knocking them out after all of Alec's cheese bombs went off simultaneously.

Ladybug quickly tied his scarf around his mouth, then quickly grabbed Chat Noir's staff and hand as he raced towards the elevator. Chat Noir could breath easier with the loss of tainted air, blushing at Ladybug held his face his hands, eyes searching for something.

"I'm not usually one for an invasion of personal space, but if it's you, my lady, I don't mind." Chat Noir said but felt a loss as Ladybug stepped back.

"Sorry, I was just checking if that attack messed up your vision. You alright?" Ladybug asked in concern, unintentionally making Chat Noir swoon.

"I'm always more than alright when I'm with you." He said flirtatiously as they arrived on the final level. Just in time to see Chloé getting lowered down into a large pool of soup.

["Ah, the temperature's just right. Time to add the main ingredient!"]

Chloé began struggling, "Oh, no no no no noooo! Ah!" Ladybug cut the string using his yo-yo as Chat Noir caught her in his arms. But quickly frowned as Chloé began yelling at him. "Hey! What took you so long!? Just wait until I tell everyone—" Chat Noir then dropped her without a second thought.

Kung Food glared at them maliciously. ["Oh no! My Brat Soup will be so flavorless!"]

["You're an honorable man, Cheng Shifu, don't let one person ruin your career!"] Ladybug tried to convince him, but it had no effect against the akumatized victim.

Kung Food growled at them. ["I am not Cheng Shifu, I am Kung Food — the Greatest Chef in the World! And nobody will stop me from finishing my Brat Soup!"] He proclaimed angrily, taking out a pair of tonfas.

"Get out of here Chloé!" Chat Noir ordered as their classmate ran off in a panic.

"The Akuma has to be in the hat." Ladybug remarked under his breath so that only Chat Noir could hear him. "Try and grab it if you see an opening."

["I take care of you two myself!"] Kung Food said viciously as he took both of them on. But eventually, he lost his weapons as Ladybug kicked them towards Chat Noir who immediately discarded them off of the building. But before Ladybug could strike again he was hit with a red powder that immediately burned his eyes.

"Ugh!" Ladybug grunted out as when he tried to remove the power it just seemed to make the problem worse. It didn't help that he was now the easy target as Kung Food sent him flying with a kick. He was lost without his sight, luckily his partner was there to pick up the slack as Chat Noir caught him in his arms. Ladybug placed a hand on his shoulder as Chat Noir rested his hand on Ladybug's waist. Both of them keeping their distance from Kung Food who laughed like a maniac.

["Haha! Like it spicy?"] The Villain taunted as Chat Noir snarled at him. Only calming down as Ladybug squeezed his shoulder tighter, catching his attention. He reached for his yo-yo, tossing it up into the air.

"Lucky Charm!" He called out, and this time Chat Noir was the one to catch the item.

" A... check dispenser?" He said in confusion. "Well, it's a good way to tally up this massive bill." Flinching slightly as saw Kung Food pull out a giant buster sword-shaped weapon made from pizza.

["You think you can beat me with a piece of paper!?"]

["You're one to talk, Kung Food. You've been trying to defeat us with the five food groups!"] Chat Noir retorted, his grip slightly tightening around his partner's waist. "So what do we do?" He asked seeing Ladybug's eyes well up with tears from the spices. He had limited vision, but it was easy to see he would still be impaired.

"You take him, I'll handle the Lucky Charm." Ladybug remarked, taking back the dispenser, wishing that he was the one with the heightened senses as Chat Noir took on Kung Food.

Ladybug walked towards the strong-smelling soup, extending the paper and dunking it in while still holding onto the dispenser. He could hear the sounds of weapons clashing, seeing blurred outlines.

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug called out.

"Present!" His partner shouted in return, signaling his location. Ladybug held on to one end of the paper, then throwing his lucky charm towards the sound almost immediately. Chat Noir smirked victoriously as he caught it, quickly wrapping it around Kung Food, in turn blinding him as he tried to take off the now sticky paper.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir called out, destroying his bag of weapons as he then kicked the hat towards Ladybug who's vision was slowly improving. He ripped it in half, able to see the outline of the Akuma flying against the blue sky.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly." Chat Noir then handed the tape dispenser back to his partner watching as he threw it up into the air as well.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" He called out, turning everything back to normal. Even clearing up his vision as he glanced towards his partner graciously.

"Happy to see me again my lady?" Chat Noir asked with a smile before the two pounded their fists together.

"Pound it!"

Wang looked around in confusion. ["Where am I?"] He asked as he looked up to Ladybug returning his chef's hat.

["You're a good man Cheung Shifu, I'm sure other people can realize it as well."] Ladybug said placing a hand on the confused chef's shoulder before his earrings started to beep.

"Oh what a shame, we never got seated." Chat Noir groaned in faux disappointment, already knowing that he and Ladybug simply had a work relationship. But noticed as Ladybug smiled at him.

"Seems like we'll just have to take a rain check on that dinner for two." Ladybug remarked, winking playfully as he then used his yo-yo to leave.

Chat Noir sighed, still love-struck as he too then left.

Back in the kitchen, Adrien smile as he observed at Marin and his uncle making the soup together fondly. Resting his back against the door frame as he then saw a familiar face out of the corner of his eye. 

"Seriously? Still making soup?" Chloé said from behind with a furious look on her face. "I told you I hate soup! You think the jury is going to approve of this-" She was about to step into the kitchen, earning some glares from Marin and his uncle but Adrien stepped before her. 

"Didn't your father kick you off the jury?" Adrien asked crossing his arms defensively, glancing at his childhood friend in irritation.

Chloé faltered at the confrontation. "Ugh, no he didn't! I... er... I... resigned!"

Adrien hummed for a moment. "I think Cheng Shifu and Marin have the cooking aspect covering. Unless you want to help out in the kitchen again, Chloé?"

Chloé flinched back with a fearful expression on her face for a split second. Then turned away grumbling under her breath as Adrien simply sighed. She may be a handful, but Chloé still was his friend, in some respects.

Marin's eyes lit up with joy as he saw his uncle receiving a perfect score with the newly created soup. He exchanged a glance with Adrien who also looked happy for the chef as well.

Wang Cheng bowed to the judges respectfully. "Thank you, but is no longer Celestial Soup. Now is: Marin Soup." He said, gesturing towards his great-nephew. Marin suddenly blushed at the sudden attention, glancing back at Adrien who placed his hand on his classmate's shoulder.

"Thanks for coming today, Adrien," Marin said gratefully as the cameras turned back towards Wang and the other judges.

"No need for thanks, today was super fun all things considered," Adrien said.

"I know you didn't exactly come for me, but I'm glad you were here today," Marin remarked, bowing his head humbly towards him. " I heard what you did for my uncle, I'm really grateful to you."

"Huh?" Adrien's joy dimmed a little. "What do you mean?"

"He told me you got him another shot in the competition-"

"No, the other thing, the first thing you said." Adrien clarified, his heart racing with some panic.

Marin remarked rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, you said it yourself, you're a huge fan of my uncle. Why else would you go along with this?"

"Because I-" Adrien faltered for a moment, his face reddening slightly. "I overheard what you said earlier. To Alya, about why you didn't ask me to go with you. How it would've been a disaster to ask me..."

It was Marin's turn to get embarrassed as he covered his face with his hands for a moment, his entire face turning red. "That was because I wasn't sure you could've made time. Nino keeps saying how you do your best to follow your father's instructions, how much you try to please him. I didn't want to burden you..." He mumbled off, avoiding eye contact as the two teens were equally anxious.

"But it wasn't a burden!" Adrien insisted. "Marin I wanted to be here today because I wanted to become your fr-" Adrien began to saw but was cut off by Marin getting toppled by a giant reptile. Falling to the ground as Fang began licking his face affectionately.

The tense air between them quickly faded as they both began to laugh at Fang's affection towards Marin. Panting happily in hopes of getting another treat from his new friend.

Chapter Text

Marin gasped for breath as he stepped into the library, glancing at the crowd of his peers who all had their eyes glued to the screen.

"What did I miss?" Marin asked Rose who was standing nearby Juleka. 

"Adrien and Max are duking it out for a spot on the two-man team, and Adrien's in the lead!" Rose explained as Marin glanced at the board, looking interested as Adrien was surprising good at the game.

"Get ready Marin, this is the year Max totally schools you!" Kim said with a competitive smile on his face, not noticing Adrien slightly turn his head towards their conversation as he heard Marin's name. "He's been grinding all year to level up, there's no way you can beat him."

Marin smirked in amusement, placing a hand on his hip. "Didn't you say the same thing last year?"

Kim took some damage with that remarked, "Y-yeah, but this year it's gonna happen-" He remarked as everyone then cheered. Kim's game face turned into a frown of concern for his friend as Adrien won the game. The two shook hands as Max spoke up.

"Awesome job. We're gonna make a killer combo-" But Max's mediocre victory turned into a competitive fire as he spotted Marin. Instinctively he adjusted his glasses. "I thought you weren't going to show up."

"Come on Maxie, when have I ever let you down?" Marin remarked with immense confidence as the two walked towards each other, intensifying the tense atmosphere as everyone looked onward with excitement. 

Adrien stepped next to Nino. "What is happening?" He asked as he saw Nino's face glow with excitement.

"Marin and Max are the two best gamers in class, well two of the three best." He said jabbing Adrien's side playfully. "It's a total clash, they argued once about what the best gameplay style was and that culminated into a rivalry that lasted for years," Nino explained. 

"Years?" Adrien asked in disbelief. Marin hardly came out of his shell whenever he was around. Yet he apparently had such a bright personality around everyone else?

"Adrien?"

The boy turned his head towards Main who held out his hand. "Would you mind?"

"Huh? Oh, right." Adrien handed over his controller, stunned for a moment as he watched Marin sit on the seat before the monitor, crossing his legs right next to Max. 

"Dude, is Marin popular?" Adrien had to ask seeing everyone cheer for him.

Nino nodded, "Oh yeah. But it's not like he even realizes how much everyone actually likes him."

"Come on, Max, you can do it!" Kim called out in support from the back of the room before getting a glare from the principal.

"Care to continue our yearly wagers?" Max remarked as his shoulders tensed up.

"I assume it's the same as always," Marin said with a sly smile, to which Max mirrored. Alya and Adrien exchanged a confused glance, as the rest of the class cheered. The two probably kept the same wager every time they gamed together, so the two new students would have no idea at what was at stake.

However, the 3 rounds were finished swiftly with Marin losing no health, utterly dominating Max.

"He beat him..." Kim said stunned.

"Beat him? He pulverized him!" Alya cheered as she recorded the entire event.

"The Prince keeps his crown!" Rose cheered, shaking Juleka in excitement.

"Prince?" Adrien questioned. 

"Just a silly title Rose came up with," Alix explained from the back. 

"You keep thinking about combos and don't account for the delay from your actions towards the screen, that's a serious exploitable weakness," Marin critiqued as he held out his hand towards Max.

Max then sighed, "I accept this defeat. I relinquish my position at the tournament. Congratulations, Marin. And Adrien."

Marin's eyes widened in surprise as Max walked away without even shaking his hand. "Wait, Max-" Just as he and Kim were about to run after him Max turned back.

"I'm fine, I lost fair and square. But if you don't mind, I'd like a little solitude." Closing the door behind him.

Kim and Marin exchanged a worried glance, as the principal then spoke up. "So, Marin Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste will represent Françoise Dupont High School at the Paris Ultimate Mecha Strike III Tournament. Good luck to both of you."

Marin sighed heavily as he was just about to chase after Max, despite what he said, but Adrien caught his attention.

"Well, I guess I'll be coming over to practice. See you later?" He asked as Marin looked conflicted.

"Yeah, sure, afterward..." He said he then received hugs from almost the entire class.

Marin laid on his bed looking up at the ceiling with his hands folded on his chest.

"If all you wanted to do is spend time with Adrien, there are other ways to do that." Tikki remarked hovering nearby chewing on some carrot cake balls.

Marin's eyes darted towards his Kwami. "What are you getting at?"

"You know how much Max wanted to be in that tournament, he's been training for it all year."

"So was I! Ugh, damn Max and his feelings making me feel bad! Ughhh-" Marin groaned in frustration, screaming into a pillow.

"Marin! Someone's here to see you!" His father called from downstairs, making Marin lift his head in a panic. Of course, the nicest guy was going to walk up into his lame room. He thought being overly aware of the amount of pink that he unconsciously surrounded himself with.

"Uh... Coming!" He called out. "Tikki! Stay on the bed!" He ordered, then harshly whispered, "and clean up those crumbs!"

"Marin and I are finalists in the Paris Ultimate Mecha Strike III Tournament." Adrien explained as he folded his hands behind his back.

"No way!" Tom cheered happily, his face lighting up. "Well, my boy did learn from the best Tom style!"

Sabine smiled warmly. "Marin's been looking forward to it all year. How long have you two been practicing for?"

"We were just paired today. I'm very lucky to have him as a teammate."

"You two are a pair, huh? I'm not surprised. Marin speaks highly of you-"

"Mama!" Marin called out halfway down the stairs, then waved lamely at his classmate. "Come up, Adrien, everything already set up."

Adrien nodded his head respectfully, "Uh, very nice to meet you."

As the two walked up together Tom and Sabine smiled fondly at them.

Adrien looked around Marin's room, never having been in another person's home before, let alone in a classmate's room.

"Your room is so cool." He complimented turning towards Marin already sitting in front of his desktop.

Marin's face reddened at his comment. "Thanks." He laid out two controllers out, one pastel pink with white polka dots and one light blue. "You can have the first color choice."

Adrien shook his head, "No, no you can choose."

They both reached for the pink but both immediately recoiled, exchanging nervous laughter as Marin took the blue and Adrien the pink.

"Your parents seem nice," Adrien remarked as they played a warm-up match.

Marin nodded, "Oh yeah, they are, they're the best. But you know, they're sometimes, well you know."

Adrien glanced towards Marin curiously. "Sometimes what?"

"Everything going good?" The heard Marin's father ask as Marin paused the game. "I thought just in case you wanted something to eat, they're fresh from the oven." He offered.

Marin glanced at Adrien who smiled sheepishly, recalling his model diet. "Uh... no thanks, Papa. We're training."

"Well then, uh, maybe I could show you kids, some tips, show you the ultimate gameplay style. Dad Style!"

Marin chuckled under his breath. "Thanks, but no thanks, Papa. We have to focus."

Tom smiled brightly, "Whatever you say, my wonderful son." He said retreating back downstairs.

"Sometimes, a little smothering." He remarked. "Ready for online PvP?" He asked as Adrien nodded.

"Yeah, let's do it!"

Adrien sighed, tired after a few hours of online competition, "Wow! We won again, thanks to you!"

"Thanks to our teamwork you mean." Marin corrected his face reddening.

"We?" Adrien scoffed, "That was practically all you. I guess you wouldn't even need me. I'm so lame compared to someone as amazing as you...

Marin immediately shook his head, "It's just practice." He insisted. "I'm not exactly the luckiest person, so I have to make up for it with skill."

"Even so, I don't think I could ever catch up," Adrien admitted resting his head on his hand.

"Anyone want cookies? They're hot from the oven!" Marin's mother asked holding up a plate of Marin's favorite, chocolate chip.

He could see Adrien's eyes light up so he stood up taking the cookies from his mother. "Thank you, mama. Adrien, do you want milk with these?" He asked.

"Yeah, sure!" He nodded now excited as Marin closed the hatch behind him.

Plagg then popped out, "You should ask for some of that camembert bread!" He requested as Adrien rolled his eyes. "I can't just ask, it would be rude."

"How!?" The Kwami demanded. "You're the guest aren't you?"

"I don't want Marin or his parents to go out of their way, it would be ru-"

"We're in luck there was some of that leftover bread you liked," Marin said bringing up a tray, he then glanced at Adrien curiously. "Were you talking to someone?"

"Me? Uh- no, nope. No one. Just...me?" He said sheepishly. While Marin's back was turned Plagg quickly snatched the bread into Adrien's bag, chomping down as his partner then regained his composure. "So the bread you say?" 

Marin nodded placing the tray nearby. "Yeah, my dad liked it a lot so they started selling it sometimes in the shop. It's getting pretty popular."

"Cool. So," Adrien asked breaking a cookie in half. "Is pink your favorite color?" He asked sheepishly, trying to veer the conversation away from his Kwami's interests as Marin then shrugged his shoulders.

"Kind of. My room's always been this color and everything else was chosen to match the decor." Marin explained. "Have you always been a fan of video games?" he then asked.

"Yeah, it first started out fun, but then my father said that I have to be the best at any hobby I pursue, so I can't let him down," Adrien said, but then his mood dropped at the mention of his father. It was something he seemingly wanted to get off his chest for a little while. "Sorry, I'm being kind of a downer aren't I?" 

Marin looked away for a moment, "Hey, my dad makes the best tarts. How about we take an actual break instead of being in this stuffy room?" He offered to which Adrien accepted with a smile.

They left the snacks in his room. While Adrien went ahead towards the front of the bakery, Marin took two slices of the pie and met with his classmate outside. The two found a bench to sit on as Adrien began consuming the tart, utterly famished.

"You're not relaxed enough," Marin said as Adrien turned towards him in surprise. "You're too tense, and when you're tense it impairs your technique."

"So, how do you not get tense under all that pressure?" Adrien asked curiously as he finished off the tart. 

"I do sometimes, but other times it's a breeze." Marin rubbed this back of his beck. "It's because I've got a secret." He stood up, untying something from the hook of his pants, taking out something that was sitting in his back pocket. Holding out a bracelet with a green charm towards him.

Adrien looked at the taller boy dumbfounded, "Are you messing with me?" He asked.

Marin shook his head, "Just try playing a match with it. It's a charm of courage, it'll help you out, I promise." He said with a warm smile.

Adrien took the charm from his hand, admiring Marin's smiling face for a moment as they both felt the ground shake. Both of them turned to see a giant black robot standing over them as the other people in the park began to panic.

"Please tell me this isn't some kind of publicity stunt for the tournament-"

"Well, well, let's see who's victorious this time! The Prince or the Gamer!" The robot's voice boomed as Marin's eyes widened with realization.

Adrien immediately grew defensive as he pocketed Marin's charm. "Doesn't look like a publicity stunt to me." His eyes then widened as he shoved Marin out of the way of an attack. The two landing on top of each other as Adrien smiled nervously at their closeness while Marin's face was entirely red. "Uh, we better get outta here!" He remarked quickly grabbing Marin's hand out of the park.

He was prepared to defend his classmate again as he heard the robot charge another attack but fell to the ground as Marin shoved him away. The two then evading another attack.

"What are you doing?!" Adrien demanded as Marin started running towards the robot.

"It's after me! Just get to safety!" He called out sprinting towards the roads.

"That guy's crazy!" Plagg remarked popping out of Adrien's shirt.

"Crazy or not we have to save him. Plagg, claws out!" Adrien called out.

Marin ran out of cover, no spotting any other cars in the area, he just narrowly evaded another blast as he then tripped over a curb. Picking himself up he realized that Gamer's robot shadowed over him.

"Game over, Marin!" Gamer called out in amusement about to crush him as suddenly he was attacked by a baton.

"Mind if I join this server?!" Chat Noir asked jumping onto the street before Marin who was surprised to see him. "Heya Macaroon." He winked playfully as he then wrapped his arms around his classmate. He evaded Gamer's lasers as he ran across rooftops. Safely placing Marin on the roof of a hotel with a satisfied grin.

"Fancy running into you like this." He said with a smile as Marin still a worried look on his face.

"Chat Noir! My classmate Adrien is still at the park! He might be in danger, we have to go back!"

Chat Noir looked away nervously searching for an excuse. "Uh... don't worry. Adrien's not in danger. He'll be fine. You'll be safe here. Just stay put." The hero ordered.

"But-" Marin tried to talk back but Chat Noir shushed him.

"No worries Macaroon, Chat Noir will take care of everything." He said reassuringly then did a barrel roll off the hotel

Marin sighed as he looked at the robot making its way towards the Stadium as Tikki flew out. "Ready?" Marin asked as his Kwami nodded with a determined expression.

"If ever there was a game to win, this is it!"

"Tikki, spots on!"

Chat Noir tried to disperse the crowd from the parked bus. "Get away from here! As far as you can! Hurry!" He called out as he glared at the robot shooting the vaporized bus. "Hey, tin can! Over here!" Chat Noir tried to grab its attention but the robot ignored him. Instead, favoring to vaporized almost every vehicle in sight. Gamer's robot increased in size, growing arms.

"My calculations indicate that your system's about to crash Chat Noir-" Gamer proclaimed, but then his robot fell over after its legs got tied up. "Hey!"

Chat Noir then watched Ladybug land on the top of the robot with his lucky charm in hand, seemingly a spray paint can. The window opened, and Gamer popped out, which enabled Ladybug to take off his glasses, throwing them towards Chat Noir who quickly broke it, releasing the Akuma.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly." He then threw up the spray can into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!" He said and everything turned back to normal.

Chat Noir stared at him for a moment as Gamer turned back to normal.

"Did that seem a little too easy?" Chat Noir commented as Ladybug helped Max to his feet.

Ladybug shrugged his shoulders as he and Chat Noir pounded their fists together.

Marin stood outside the stadium, his arms folded behind him as people walked into the stadium, he saw the entire class pass by then saw his target.

"Max." Marin called out as he and Kim turned towards him in surprise. "You mind giving us a moment?" Marin requested as Kim nodded, heading inside.

"What're you doing out here you should already be inside," Max said.

"I'm not going inside," Marin said. "You're going to compete in my place."

"What? Why?!" Max shouted in shock, but then a wave of realization rushed over him. "It's not because of me is it?"

Marin looked away for a moment.

"Don't do this you've been working just as hard as I have for this competition. I was wrong to get upset before." Max insisted.

But Marin shook his head, "You've worked extra hard for this Max. All you need to do is just relax and have fun with it. Stop overthinking every combination." He said placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know what you're capable of, you're my gamer rival after all."

"Wait a second- You can't do this!" Max argued.

"I can actually," Marin remarked with a mischevious smile. "Loser has to obey one command of the winner. That one command is to compete, and still walk out with your head high." He said handing off his pink controller to him. Max's eyes widened as he recognized the personalized one that Marin always used for good luck.

"You're not staying?" Max asked, feeling jubilant, but still wanting his friend there to cheer him on.

"Nah, Adrien's kinda in the same boat as you. If you wouldn't mind apologizing for me?" Marin asked, pressing his hands together apologetically. But received and an answer as Max immediately hugged him.

Nodding his head in thanks as he walked back into the stadium. Marin sighed under the cool night air. Feeling sad that he wouldn't be able to compete, but even so, he was glad he could do this one thing for his friend. He then stretched his arms above his head as Tikki flew in front of him.

"Are you sure you did the right thing?" She asked curiously, but Marin shrugged his shoulders.

"I did the best thing for Max. Now then," Marin said clapping his hands together. "Why don't we do what's best for us and go get some ice cream."

"Yes please!" Tikki cheered as she hugged Marin's face cutely.

"So remember, the High Score to beat is 24500, so gamers, hit those consoles. Game on!"

Adrien looked up towards the announcement, crossing his arms in worry.

"Don't worry dude, there's no way Marin misses out on this. He's been waiting all year." Nino said trying to ease his friend's nerves, but he himself was nervous for his longtime friend.

"Yeah, unless there was a really good reason or he overslept, or he-" Alya began listing off reasons but suddenly stopped as Nino glared at her.

"Hey, Adrien," Max said walking up towards them.

"Hey Max what up..." Adrien greeted then noticed the pink controller in his hand, recognizing it from earlier. "Isn't that Marins?" He asked as Max nodded.

"So it's good reason," Alya remarked. "That boy needs to get his feelings in order." Alya muttered as Nino nodded in understanding.

"I may not be the best, but between the two of us I'm sure we'll walk out with the first prize," Max said with determination as Adrien nodded in agreement.

As their school's name was called both of them walked towards the field. Adrien squeezed the good luck charm Marin gave him earlier, walking forward with his head held high.

The next morning Marin walked out of the bakery with a bag of chocolate chip cookies and croissants as he was suddenly surprised by Adrien waiting for him outside.

"Good morning." Adrien greeted politely.

Marin was about to turn the other way, his face reddening as he realized the implication of ditching Adrien just before the competition. But was stopped as his crush grabbed his hand.

"I want to talk, please," Adrien asked politely as Marin had no choice but to comply.

"I'm sorry about leaving you hanging yesterday. It wasn't a great look on my part but I thought it was the best option for you two." Marin explained.

"I can't say I didn't appreciate it," Adrien admitted. "When my father heard the good news, he said he could let me keep my games."

"Good news?" Marin asked as then Adrien smiled brightly.

"Didn't you hear? We won first prize for the school." He said as Marin smiled brightly at the news. 

"I knew you two would do well together!" The taller boy said. But suddenly was aware he was still holding onto Adrien's hand, quickly pulling it back as he blushed sheepishly.

"Hey- we make a good team as well. Even if you are a little better than me. " Adrien teased as the two then walked together towards the school. "Oh, here's your good luck charm back by the way." He said holding it out. "I think it really saved us during the competition."

"Keep it." Marin remarked, munching on a cookie.

"Huh? Are you sure?" Adrien asked to which Marin nodded.

"It seems like you could get more use out of it than I can," Marin said offering Adrien a cookie to while he accepted. 

Adrien then stopped walking for a moment as they stood outside the school. 

"Something wrong?" Marin asked. 

Adrien hesitated for a moment, then squeezing the charm in hand. "Marin, I want to say that I-" He began to say that he wanted to be friends with him, but Nino cut in between them as he snatched the cookie from Adrien's hand. 

"MY best friend? Stealing MY cookies? From MY Marin?" Nino stated with an offended expression on his face. "Sacrilegious." He said taking a bite out of the cookie. 

"Hey," Alya greeted taking her bag of croissants. "What's the surprise in them today cutie?" Alya asked as she walked with him towards the school. 

"You'll have to taste them to find out," Marin responded with a smile as Alya grasped her best friend's arm. 

Adrien was left standing with his best friend, now glaring at Nino who was shoving cookies into his mouth. Who in turn noticed the animosity, and looked at his friend in confusion. 

"What?" 

Chapter Text

Adrien walked towards his best friend who was reading something intently on his phone. His curiosity peaked as he saw he saw what looked to be a black cat in the photo's so he then sat down next to him on the staircase in the plaza of the school. 

"Hey Nino what're you doing?"

"Just lookin' at the article for that new Panther at the zoo. I was thinking of asking Marin and Alya to check it out later today."

"On a date?" Adrien questioned, still slightly uncertain as to the nature of the three's relationship. Nino said that he was in love with Marin, and Marin and Alya were almost never seen without each other. Not to mention that when they weren't together, they were usually seen together in some pair. He was alright with the idea of his them dating, they already acted as though they were in a relationship anyway. But they never announced anything of the sort, and he never liked to assume anything from anyone.

"Yeah." Nino nodded as he then suddenly lifted his head, "Hey, why don't you come with us?!" Nino remarked as he stood up next to Adrien. "You're still trying to be Marin's friend and what better way to bond than over animals?" He recommended.

"I'm not following you on this," Adrien admitted as Nino sighed for a moment.

"You're already in Alya's good books and she's Marin's best friend. He loves animals, her dad works at the zoo, we all go together, and we all walk out as friends by day's end. What could go wrong?"

"I don't know-"

"What does Mr. Front-of-the-cover-Teen-Model-weekly think he's too cool for the zoo?" Nino teased as Adrien laughed.

"Of course not. But are you sure you want me imposing on your date? After all, you three are..." Adrien dropped his sentence, hoping that Nino would finish it for him. But to no avail, as his best friend simply wrapped his arm over his friend's shoulder affectionately.

"They won't mind at all!" Nino reassured as Adrien simply stared at his friend.

Marin was looked through his most recent edition of Vogue, this one featuring Adrien as he and Alya walked out of the school.

"See something you like?" Alya teased as Marin smiled at her, hiding his reddened face behind his reading material. But it served to impair his vision as he then bumped into the lead model on his magazine.

"Sorry!" The two said at the same time, both accidentally bumping their heads together. Adrien quickly picked up the magazine, handing it back to Marin who nodded in appreciation, averting his gaze.

"Hey, guess what. Adrien's coming with us to the zoo today." Nino said with a smile on his face.

"Yeah?" Alya said interested as she glanced at Marin who intentionally turned the other way from the conversation. "I didn't think our Adrien had an interest in Zoology."

Adrien chuckled, "Well, not really, but-" He glanced at Marin who wasn't even paying attention, keeping his face behind the magazine. "I always wanna hang out with my friends."

"There you have it," Nino remarked. " Are we all meeting up later or...?"

"We can just head there directly right now, I can ask my bodyguard to drive us," Adrien said.

"Oh-uh, I have to...do some stuff at home. But I'll catch up with you guys later?" Marin asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"That's fine with me," Alya said as Nino nodded.

Meanwhile, Adrien looked more sullen, "If it's something that we can help you with-"

"NO! No, I mean. It's fine, I'm fine you're fine. Just...it's all good." He remarked, slipping away as he then ran towards his house, leaving his friends and Adrien behind.

"Should we follow up on that?" Nino asked.

"Nah, just let him do his thing," Alya said. "He'll catch up in no time. Besides if we can get there early maybe my dad can get us tickets for the shows."

"Cool." Adrien said in defeat as his plans seemed to already be down the drain.

At the zoo, the trio had a good time walking around, eating junk food, and looking at the animals.

"Over there's where my dad works." Alya pointed out, towards the new panther exhibit, she ran ahead waving to her dad on the inside of the tank. When he spotted her he waved back with a smile.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Adrien questioned as he saw the panther walking around freely with his keeper unguarded.

"Sure, my dad's a professional, but that panther was a rescue. Totally domesticated." Alya explained. "Maybe if we're lucky then he'll let us pet her later."

"If it doesn't eat our hands first." Nino joked but then a wave of fear rushed over him. "It's not gonna eat kids right? What if he gets aggressive?"

Alya smiled in amusement, "You know what they say, a black panther's only enemy is the spider. And you seem to be a few limbs short of a spider." She joked poking his side playfully.

"Alya no- you know I'm ticklish!" Nino complained as she started chasing him around the park as Adrien watched in amusement. He was then roped into their game as Nino used him as a shield.

"I'm not a part of this." Adrien said holding up his hands in defeat, but instantly regretted it as it was a trap. Both Alya and Nino ticked his sides playfully as Adrien almost fell over. Sincerely enjoying his time with his friends. He then noticed two of their classmates standing before the panther exhibit.

"Hey! Kim, Max!" Alya called out as Nino and Adrien continued to chase each other around.

Max walked over to them as Kim seemingly was taunting the panther.

"What's up dude?" Nino called out as he caught Adrien in a headlock, messing up his best friend's hair.

"Kim wanted to see the panther, and I'm here to make sure he doesn't get kicked out again," Max explained, then remembered something. "Oh yeah, Marin was looking for you guys." He said.

"He's already here?" Alya asked as both Nino and Adrien looked up. But Nino refused to release his friend on the grounds that he hadn't said uncle yet.

"Yeah, he said he was fine but I think he was seriously lost," Max said. "even though he was holding a map."

"That's our boy!" Nino called out, as Adrien now struggled to escape from his grasp. But then all the fun came to a stop as Kim screamed out. All eyes turning on him and the panther that apparently escaped her cage.

"Ohhhhh, where is ittt?" Marin wondered out loud as he looked around the park growing more anxious. He had a map right in front of him but was completely lost. He sat down at a bench, wondering where his friends could be. He looked over the map for what seemed like the hundredth time. "The panther exhibit should be around here shouldn't it?" He sighed heavily, wondering where exactly his friends were. He lifted up his head noticing a familiar Hawaiian red pattern shirt in the distance admiring the elephants before Marin was stunned by Kim and Max sprinting by, terrified out of their minds.

"He's coming!" Max screamed out, followed up by Kim.

"Get outta here!"

Marin blinked a few times, then noticed the mob of animals released from their cages running in his direction as Tikki then flew out. 

"This is fine."

Adrien looked for a way to hide without getting cornered by the released animals, but he couldn't easily just abandon his friends as Alya and Nino ran alongside. He looked around for a moment, seeing that the road forked before them.

"I'll try to grab their attention!" Adrien yelled out as his two friends looked at him in disbelief.

"Dude! That's crazy!" Nino called out but was in no place to stop him as Adrien's plan partially worked. He and Alya ran for a while longer until they both felt themselves being lifted up. Next thing they knew they were dropped in front of an emergency exit.

"Is there anyone else here?" They both turned to see Ladybug standing above them on a cage.

"Yeah, our friends are probably still around here, and that panther is following our friend Kim!" Alya called out in worry "and Ladybug then nodded.

"Don't worry, I'll find them." Ladybug said as he threw his yo-yo towards another pole, swinging into the zoo.

Adrien thought that he had lost the pack of animals chasing him, but he couldn't be more wrong, and he couldn't transform out in the open like this. All of a sudden he felt something wrap around his waist. Next thing he knew he was being carried in the arms of the person he was in love with across the roofs of the zoo.

"Ladybug?!" Adrien rasped out, his face immediately turning red at the close contact. But the hero was focused on something else, his eyes narrowed. The Hero dropped him in front of the front entrance, placing his hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" He asked to which Adrien nodded, wanting to place his hand over Ladybugs, but held himself back.

"Get to safety," Ladybug ordered, quickly running back into the zoo as Adrien stood there stunned. Plagg then flew out, waving his little Kwami hand in front of Adrien. Sighing in exasperation.

"Kids."

"You lost, kiddo. What do you think of panthers now?" The panther asked, slowly creeping towards Kim and Max.

Kim backed up in terror, but still standing before Max. "That... panthers are the best-" He suddenly heard Max yelp out as his friend suddenly disappeared.

"Max?!" He called out, then felt something wrap around his waist, sending him flying into the arms of a superhero as Ladybug stood atop one of the cages, out of reach from the Panther and any trees. Ladybug placed him on his feet next to Max.

"There's an exit nearby, I'll distract the Panther while you two make a break for it." Ladybug said as he then jumped down in front of the animal with his yo-yo in hand.

The panther snarled at him. "You're no match for Animan, Ladybug!" Jumping towards him with great ferocity. But Ladybug sidestepped him, using his yo-yo to trap him. He sighed, looking over the struggling animal, then eyeing his violet bracelet. Just as he was about to break it Animan shifted forms, turning into a ladybug, and escaping capture.

Ladybug tsk'ed, resetting his yo-yo cord, not wanting to lose sight on the Akumatized victim. As he stood at the edge of the zoo he saw that the animals began to create havoc across the city.

"Trying to track a kitty cat that's not your partner?" Chat Noir chided landing next to him. " And I thought we had something Bugaboo."

"Actually, it's a Ladybug we're looking for now." Ladybug corrected as Ladybug took out his staff.

"Ooo, my specialty." His partner said with a cheeky smile as Ladybug threw his yo-yo. "So? How do we track this guy?"

"Through his target, Lê Chiến Kim." Ladybug informed showing his partner their classmate's location, implying that he had already placed a tracker on him.

"As expected of my Bugaboo," Chat Noir remarked as Ladybug was already heading towards the city. "Always thinking three steps ahead."

Ladybug grimaced internally, not letting his expression show on his face as he landed on the roof of his home. His tracker showed that Kim was apparently hiding out here of all places.

"At least he's safe inside this building. Panthers can't open doors, so it won't get inside."

"Until he morphs into a smaller animal." Ladybug remarked as he jumped down to the front of the store.

"Right. But we do have an advantage over him." Chat Noir said as he followed suit. "We know exactly where he'll end up."

The both entered the bakery where Tom looked at Kim in concerns and Sabine glanced towards the two heroes in her shop in surprise.

"Oh, you're..." Ladybug's mother pointed to him in surprise, immediately making him freeze in place for a shocking moment. "you're, you're Ladybug!" She said with a smile.

Ladybug sighed, then nodded. "Yeah, exactly. Would you mind if we took this conversation upstairs?" He asked politely. The couple nodded as Tom led Kim and the rest of them towards their living room. Ladybug crouched before Kim who looked shaken up by the experience.

"You'll be safe here," He reassured, "But we're going to need to borrow your wrist band. Do you mind?" Ladybug asked as Kim then nodded, handing it over. The Hero then noticed Chat Noir observing a framed photo of the 3 family members on the bookshelf.

"Chat Noir." He called out, grabbing his partner's attention, walking out of the door.

"We'll take care of the rest, make sure you lock all the doors and windows. Once we leave." Chat Noir ordered as the couple nodded in understanding. Shutting the living room door behind him Chat Noir saw that Ladybug placed the wrist band on the head of the stair's railing. He then eyed something in the bakery, grabbing it as Chat Noir observed the wrist band. He wondered what exactly were the specifics of his partner's plan. "Hey-" Chat Noir snapped as he was sprayed with something, glaring at his partner holding an air freshener. "What is that stuff?"

"Air freshener. It'll help cover up our scent so Animan can't smell us." Ladybug explained as he then sprayed it on himself.

"Thanks, I've always wanted to smell like... Ocean summer breeze? Couldn't you have throw something nicer on me? What if I wanted to smell like bread? Or a nice croissant?"

"We don't have enough time or the recourses to make you smell like baked delights." Ladybug reminded him.

"You usually do though." Chat Noir pointed out.

"Hm?" Ladybug looked at him in confusion.

'You always smell like cookies...or something..."Chat Noir remarked his face suddenly going red as he realized how that sounded. "I don't smell you, I promise. I just noticed it!" He suddenly rambled.

"We probably smell like what our Kwami's usually eat." Ladybug suggested. "It's why you usually smell like Camembert."

"I do?!" Chat Noir asked, slowly realizing that if he always smelled like Camembert then someone could probably put two and two together. "Uh-Couldn't we capture him inside something like this?" He asked suddenly changing the subject.

Ladybug nodded, "Until he transforms into something bigger." He then looking out of the window, eyeing an empty bus parked nearby. "You think that bus will make a big enough cage?"

Cat Noir nodded. "Definitely. But how could we get him inside there?" He asked as suddenly he could lear the beating of wings, making his ears twitch, suddenly pulling down his partner. "He's coming!" He harshly whispered.

Ladybug narrowed his eyes, looking out the window towards an eagle flying far too close to the shop. "It's working." He informed as the two moved towards the bait sitting across the room.

They both saw Animan transform into a small ladybug. Chat Noir watched as his partner caught his namesake, then glanced towards him, his eyes lit up with amusement.

"Batter up."

Chat Noir smirked in amusement as he quickly took out his baton, the two exiting the apartment in different directions; Chat Noir out of the front door, and Ladybug out of the Bakery.

"Hey, batter batter!" Ladybug called out as Chat Noir nodded with a mischevious grin holding his batton. As Ladybug threw the box at full strength Animan transformed midswing into a panther but still sent flying by Chat Noir's hit into the bus, getting knocked over. Ladybug then jumped on the bus as Chat Noir threw his baton towards him. The black-spotted hero smirked in victory as he extended the staff, locking Animan in the bus with little way of escape. Chat Noir jumped on the bus right next to his partner, watching Animan struggle to escape, going through various transformations until he laid down in exhaustion in his original panther form.

"Ready to free the Akuma?" Chat Noir asked, but Ladybug raised his hand in caution.

"Wait a moment." He said feeling unsettled, then his eyes widened as the bus began to shake with Animan's next transformation. Both heroes jumped off the bus as a Tyrannosaurus Rex destroyed its previous cage, sending Chat Noir's baton flying somewhere. It was as tall as the nearby buildings, towering over them threateningly.

"Hey! Since when do extinct animals count?" Chat Noir complained as Ladybug immediately grabbed his hand, using his yo-'yo to gain some distance between them and the giant creature. The two landing behind a car, as Ladybug threw his yo-yo in the air.

"Lucky Charm!" He called out, receiving an extra-large car jack from his yo-yo.

"Too bad Animan doesn't have any flat tires that need changing, with arms like that-" Chat Noir began saying the car they were hiding behind was tossed aside, the large animal now bearing down on them, poised to strike. Time seemed to slow down as Chat Noir realized he didn't have his baton, staring up at dozens of sharp teeth as he suddenly felt himself being shoved aside. The last thing he saw was his partner's reassuring smile as the T-Rex chomped down, consuming him whole.

"LADYBUG!" Chat Noir screamed out, horrified as the T-Rex looked almost satisfied, now turning his attention towards him. "You're so gonna pay for this..." Chat Noir said darkly, flexing his claws.

"Cataclysm!" He said activating his power but held himself back at the last second as he saw the T-Rex stumble. It shook its head wildly before falling over. Chat Noir's eyes widened as he saw his partner using the Car Jack to open up Animan's mouth, to a point where it couldn't use its jaw. Quickly ripping off its bracelet and tossing it towards his partner.

Chat Noir caught it with his cataclysm, destroying the object as the Akuma flew out.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly." He then threw the car jack into the air as Animan turned back to normal. "Miraculous Ladybug!" He said and everything turned back to normal.

He walked over to Chat Noir who was seemed to be shaken up. "Pound it-" He began saying but was immediately embraced, as Chat Noir wrapped his arms around him. Ladybug allowed his partner to remain that way for a moment as he then returned the hug.

"I'm alright." He said gently in a reassuring tone. "Sorry for worrying you."

Cat Noir then pulled back returning the smile, his hand still resting on Ladybug's waist for a moment until his ring started to beep. "Look like I'll have to catch 'ya later Bugaboo." He remarked, waving as he jumped towards the rooftops, looking back for a moment as he saw Ladybug kneel down towards Alya's father. His smile fading as he could still feel the terror he experienced moments ago.

"Well, this day seemed to be a dud," Adrien remarked as he reunited with Nino and Alya a few hours later. All three sat inside Alya's place as they relaxed after the hectic affair. "We didn't even get to see Marin at all today." He sighed as Nino patted his shoulder.

"There's always next time dude, maybe with ice cream?" He said with a smile as Adrien chuckled light-heartedly. But the two snapped at attention as Alya sounded dumbfounded, talking to someone on her.

"Where are we? WHERE ARE YOU?!" She remanded, listening for a moment before she sighed. "Just stay there." She sighed hanging up.

"Everything alright?" Adrien asked as Alya stapped her forehead.

"Marins still lost at the zoo, so now we have to find him." She explained opening the front door, as all then backtracked towards the source of this entire ordeal. 

Chapter Text

Alya jabbed Marin's side, waking up from "resting his eyes", and pointed towards Chloé. "Check out Chloé." She remarked, and Marin saw that she looked even more exhausted than he usually did. All-day Chloé had seemed more timid, and tired. But no one really mentioned anything because...well it was Chloé. No one

"Maybe she's missing Sabrina?" He yawned.

"Mister Dupain-Cheung, manners!" Ms. Mendeleiev snapped.

"Sorry, ma'am!" Marin whimpered out, bowing his head apologetically before he turned back towards his friend. 

Alya shrugged her shoulders "They seemed fine last Friday."

Ms. Mendeleiev shushed them both, Alya giggled while Marin apologized once more. Suddenly, Chloé's hair is then pulled.

"Ow!" Chloé yelped out as she held her ponytail.

Ms. Mendeleiev glared at her, "What is it, Chloé?"

"Someone pulled my hair!" Chloé said as Ms. Mendeleiev then glanced at Mylène sat directly behind her, who was shaking her head.

"I didn't do it, ma'am, honest!"

Chloé shook her head, "It wasn't her, it's-it's some invisible mystical being. Like a leprechaun. Or a unicorn without the horn!" She insisted while everyone laughed

"Quiet, everyone! Eyes on your papers!" Ms. Mendeleiev ordered.

" Oh, it's happening again!" Chloé insisted as it looked like she was pulling something back.

"Chloé, sit down!" The teacher ordered as Marin narrowed his eyes, having a sneaking suspicion. He then walked towards the back of the room near Rose.

Things started being throw at Chloé, various supplies from the other student's desks. She slammed into the front desk, breaking Miss Bustier's vase as it shattered on the ground.

"Compose yourself, Miss Bourgeois!" The teacher ordered as it looked like someone was pulling Chloé's ponytail.

Marin stepped in, throwing Rose's glitter at what appeared to be attacking Chloé and a silhouette appeared before the entire class, and invisible being that immediately pushed Marin to the ground before running out of the classroom.

"See?! I told you!" Chloé yelled out, running out of the classroom as Adrien helped Marin to his feet.

"Good thinking." Adrien complimented as Marin averted his gaze.

"It was Rose's glitter." He explained as he held up the now empty bottle. "Sorry!" He called out towards her as she brushed it off.

"Don't worry about it!"

Ms. Mendeleiev clapped her hands together. "Everyone, in light of this recent Akuma possession you all are to go straight home!" She ordered. "I will inform the principal right now."

Marin quickly grabbed his bag and ran out towards the library. Tikki flew out "Somebody seems to have it in for Chloé." she said as Marin nodded.

"That's like saying people drink water." He remarked. "The hard part is figuring out who got Akumatized."

"Tikki, spots on!"

"Damaging my daughter's reputation is the same as soiling the reputation of the Mayor of Paris, umm, which is me. And an attack on Chloé is an attack on Paris!" The mayor proclaimed at a press conference. As Ladybug and Chat Noir arrived at the same time behind him.

"We'll find the culprit, Mr. Bourgeois. You have my word." Chat Noir reassured as the Mayor then led the two of them inside and directly towards Chloé's room.

"Chloé, my darling? Help has come!" The Mayor beckoned as Chloé then came out from her hiding place,

"Ladybug!" She called out in relief, trying to hug the hero but he sidestepped her attempt. "I knew you'd come to save me! You know, considering what good friends we are!" She remarked, batting her eyelashes at him. Meanwhile Chat Noir investigated the room with Chloé's father standing nearby.

"I have to put out an emergency call to all the biggest designers. Can you imagine? My daughter wearing department-store clothing? How humiliating." The Mayor remarked as both Chat Noir and Ladybug saw the closet filled with off the hanger sweatsuits.

Ladybug eyed the remote, "Do you have any security cameras?" He asked as Chloé immediately nodded.

"Of course! With all my adoring fans, I have to be protected at all times from the losers." She said pulling up various security cameras footages on her flatscreen TV.

"Have you had any run-ins with anyone lately?" Ladybug asked.

Chloé immediately shook her head. "I never have run-ins with anyone. Everybody absolutely loves me." She insisted.

"Really? Not even with your closest friend?" Chat Noir asked picked up a photo from a broken frame.

Chloé turned her head away. "Sabrina? Trust me, she's not a friend, she's more like...hired help."

Ladybug exchanged a glance with Chat Noir before the black-spotted hero turned towards her father. "Your daughter's safest in her room with the doors and windows locked. This enemy may be invisible, but it can't go through walls.

Chloé this time caught Ladybug's arm in her grasp, "I'm sure you'll make my life perfect again! Just like it was before! Maybe after this is all dealt with we could-" She began to say but Chat Noir immediately pulled him away.

"Thank you Chloé we'll be sure to take out the Akuma in a timely manner." He quickly said dragging his partner out of the room. Ladybug had a questioning expression on his face but wasn't going to dissuade his partner from taking him as far away from Chloé as possible. As the two entered the elevator, pressing the lobby floor Chat Noir noticed Ladybug deep in thought.

"Is something up?" Chat Noir asked.

"She's not telling us the entire truth."

"Should we go back there?" Chat Noir asked, even though he grimaced at the thought of doing so.

"No...we need to ask someone who knows Chloé..." Ladybug remarked pulling out his yo-yo, placing it on its phone function.

"Who're you calling?" Chat Noir inquired curiously.

"Adrien Agreste." Ladybug said and immediately Chat Noir's stomach started to sink.

"Uh, are you sure about that?" He questioned. "He's a model, probably really busy?"

"He's also her childhood friend unless you have a better idea."

"Actually..."

"Whatever you tell us won't leave this room." Chat Noir reassured as they both stood before Chloé's butler at the base of the stairs.

"Mademoiselle did have a run-in with someone." He remarked, explaining the entire story of Chloé's fight with Sabrina and how it ended. Ladybug thanked him before turning back towards his partner, who had the same idea.

"Sabrina seems to be our main suspect." Chat Noir said, picking up a rose to flourish before Ladybug "It's not going to be easy to find someone we can't see."

Ladybug glanced at the rose that Chat Noir presented before him and his eyes lit up as he immediately ripped out all the petals.

"Hey!" Chat Noir snapped in shock as Ladybug then scattered them before the exit points around them.

"Nice idea Chat Noir." Ladybug complimented. "With the rest of the exits locked up, we'll have a better idea where Vanisher is." He said taking off his scarf, now holding it in his hand as he stared at the entrance.

Chat Noir stared at his partner for a moment. "That's not exactly... Huh?" His ears twitched as he heard the petals move, his widened as he saw a few moves behind where Ladybug was standing.

"Look out!" Chat Noir called out as he took out his baton, but Ladybug was already warned, quickly tying up Vanisher with his scarf in one swift move and pushing her to the ground. "Oh." The hero murmured out as Ladybug then threw his yo-yo in the air.

"Lucky Charm!" From his yo-yo he caught a red paint can.

"Looking for me, Sabrina? I'm right here, come on!" Chloé called out, wearing a cosplay of Ladybug's suit, save for the scarf.

"Chloé, you need to leave!" Chat Noir called out as he then hear Ladybug yelp out in pain, clutching his shin in pain as it appeared Vanisher kicked him during the distraction. He dropped it paint can, which popped open on impact, spreading all over the ground. But it was close enough that they saw a vague silhouette of Vanisher.

"If you stop this ridiculousness right now, I might let you be my BFF again!"

"You've got no friends left, Chloé. And you'll never have any, EVER again! I'll make sure of that..." Vanished threatened as Chat Noir swung his baton at her, careful not to step in any of the red paint.

"You don't scare me! Everybody adores me!" Chloé remarked swinging her toy yo-yo.

Meanwhile, Ladybug grabbed Chloé's hand, limping over to the elevators were he immediately pushed her in.

"Hey! This concerns me too, you know!"Chloé argued. Just as Ladybug was about to press the button on her floor she grabbed onto his forearm. "Wait! The akuma has to be in the designer pin I bought her. She's wearing it on her sweater. Such an unfortunate ugly sweater. It was a gift from me.

"Miss Bourgeois, you'll be safer in your room. Please, just leave this to us." Ladybug asked as he pressed the button despite Chloé's cries.

Chloé glared at the hero. "Why aren't you listening to me? I'm telling you, the akuma is in her pin-" The elevator doors closed as he heard a crash. Seeing the Chat Noir had been stunned as the arm where his ring was sitting, was lifted up.

Immediately Ladybug threw his yo-yo, wrapping it around Vanished as he pulled her towards him, slamming her against the elevator doors.

"Aw, look who's come to the rescue." She grunted with an amused tone. He broke her purse off, realizing it wasn't the possessed item as Vanished cackled. She pushed off against the wall knocking him back.

"Ladybug!" Chat Noir called out as he threw the paint overhead. It fell on both his partner and Vanisher, who was more visible. Immediately Ladybug reached for the pin on her sweater, crushing it under his foot at the Akuma flew from the broken pieces.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out as everything turned back to normal. There was no more pain anywhere, and Ladybug was wearing his formerly fallen scarf.

"Uh, what happened? What am I doing here? Oh no! The brooch Chloé gave me!" Sabrina looked around in worry but relaxed as Ladybug handed it back to her.

"Any chance you could make better friends?" He asked with some concern as Sabrina looked away with a sheepish smile.

Sabrina insisted as Ladybug helped her to her feet. "I know Chloé can be much sometimes, but she's not that bad, honest!" She quickly hugged the hero, thanking him and Chat Noir and then walked out of the hotel cradling the pin that was gifted to her.

Ladybug held up his fist, expecting Chat Noir to return the gesture, but surprised when his partner glanced at him.

"Why didn't you listen to Chloé? She was only trying to help." Chat Noir inquired.

Ladybug sighed, placing a hand on his hip. "It could've been anyone's guess on which item was possessed. Besides, Miss Bourgeois is an unreliable source of information given her, "friendship", with Sabrina." He explained as the two walked out of the hotel as they were suddenly swarmed by reporters. All of the attention was overwhelming as Ladybug's earrings started to beep. As he started to back away, Chat Noir smirked at him in amusement.

"Don't you ever want to embrace all the love?"

To which Ladybug smirked at, "Heroes don't need recognition when they do the right thing. Besides," He said as Chat Noir crossed his arms with a smile. "you can handle a little more exposure."

"I do live for my audience." Chat Noir remarked as he watched Ladybug escape the paparazzi.

Suddenly someone else stood above the crowd of reporters, clearly, it was Chloé wearing a reversed version of Ladybug's suit, right down to the earrings. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have defeated Vanisher. And now, I'm going to defeat you!"

Chat Noir's eyes widened in surprise. "Chloé?"

Antibug snarled at him, "Utter wrong you mangy cat, I am Antibug!"

"Mangy?!" Chat Noir snapped back, then crossed his arms with a cheeky smirk. "I'm not the one who showed up to the party in a bootleg outfit."

Antibug looked like she was about to explode. "Shut up! Where's Ladybug?!"

"Aww, does poor little rich girl not wanna play Ladybug's better half?" Chat Noir teased, trying to buy time for his partner to transform back.

Antibug gripped her yo-yo in hand, one with reversed colors, aggressively attacking the hero with a malicious smile. "We both know compared to Ladybug all you are is dead weight!"

Marin had managed to make it to the roof before he transformed back, his Kwami landing on the palms of his hands as she looked up at him, exhausted. Immediately he reached for the cookie pouch in his messenger bag but realized the only thing left were crumbs.

"Tikki please tell me you didn't eat all the cookies," Marin asked as Tikki shot him a guilty smile.

"Don't worry Marin, you'll find something..." Tikki murmured out as Marin sighed.

"Ohhhhhh, you're lucky you're cute sugar cube." Marin groaned as he placed his Kwami on his shoulder. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chat Noir fighting against a new enemy. One that had an outfit that resembled his, except the colors were reversed, and there wasn't a scarf.

"Chloé?!" Marin remarked in shock as he recognized the blonde hair.

"Must have heard what you said in the hotel..." Tikki murmured out as Marin gently nuzzled her face with his hand.

"Hang in there sugar-cube." Marin tried to reassure as he then ran towards the hotel's kitchens just one floor below.

Antibug cackled in amusement as she evaded almost off of Chat Noir's attacks, while he kept getting hit with assortments of furniture that were on the deck.

"I guess Sabrina was good for one thing!" She laughed in amusement as Chat Noir panted heavily, still holding his staff. "Aren't you tired of playing second fiddle to Ladybug?" She asked walking towards him, swinging her yo-yo as the hero tried to retain the distance he had made. Still waiting on his partner to return...hopefully.

"Aren't you tired of copying Ladybug?!" He bit back, his back hitting the railing of the deck. He was only distracted for a moment, but it was enough time for Antibug to make her move. She knocked him using a nearby porch-lamp, laughing in amusement as she stood over his unconscious body.

"Tikki!" Marin complained as he saw his partner tied up to his own baton, being shaken by the Villainess who was smiling like a child in a toy store.

"Just a little longer..." Tikki murmured as she chewed the cookie Marin had found in the kitchen. Now he had broken into Chloé's apartment bedroom, and could only watch as his partner was being tormented with a news helicopter flying by. "You have to save Chat Noir." She said.

"Me?! Are you nuts!?" Marin asked. "I'd get creamed in a heartbeat, I'm not Ladybug."

"You are Ladybug, with or without the costume!"

Marin sighed heavily as he heard Antibug speak up.

"If you beg, maybe I'll allow you to be one of my new servants."

Chat Noir laughed, "Never! Not with a fake like you. Ladybug and I are a team, he'd never let me down." He said with confidence, only to be shaken up again as Antibug jumped up and down on the pole that kept him dangling.

Marin's heart swelled with guilt, looking around he then spotted something of Chloé's on the ground. Picking it up he recognized the shape of his mask. Suddenly getting an idea he opened up her closet finding exactly what he was looking for. "Tikki, I'm going to need your help," Marin remarked as the Kwami nodded her head.

"I know you can hear me Lady-brat, wherever you are. You're going to have to choose. If you want to keep Chat Noir alive, you'll have to give me your Miraculous. And if you refuse, well then take a good look at Chat Noir, because this will be the last you'll ever see of him. I'm going to count to ten! One…!"

"Uh… could you make that 20?" Chat Noir asked, but was silenced once more.

"Two! Three!" Antibug stopped for a moment, smiling maliciously. "Nine!"

"Hey!" Chat Noir called out in a panic, silently hoping... Suddenly, he looked up in shock as he a red Kwami hovering before his eyes. "Who are..." Then the Kwami revealed itself to Antibug. Waving as it quickly flew away.

"Ladybug's Kwami!" Antibug called out immediately abandoning Chat Noir to fall in favor of chasing down the source of Ladybug's power.

Chat screamed out as he began falling towards the ground. But caught his breath as he suddenly stopped, feeling that he was being pulled back to safety by his belt-tail. Chat Noir had a questioning expression as he was sitting on the deck, his baton was reset back to it's smallest form and he turned to see a person in a large black hoodie covering most of his body and face, wearing a ladybug costume mask.

"Hey kitty cat." They greeted.

Chat Noir's eyes widened at the pet name only one person called him. "Ladybug?!" He said in shock, looking towards where Anitbug was still running around the hotel. "But, your Kwami..." His words faltered as the same one phased through from the floors, smiling happily as she nuzzled her partners face.

"She's a trickly little one."

"But, our identities..."Chat Noir faltered once more, unable to believe that his partner was near him right now without his normal ladybug attire, save for one exception.

"We're an unstoppable team." This person remarked with a smile, repeating what he himself said earlier. "But I would never abandon my partner."

"So, you think you're so smart, huh? Mangy cat!" Antibug snapped as she had returned, standing before them with an angry expression. Chat Noir stood protectively before his partner, with his baton in hand.

"Round two, Faux-bug?" Chat Noir asked a furious Antibug. Then glanced back at his partner and Kwami.

"Ready?" His partner asked his Kwami who nodded. Under his breath he muttered something, transforming into this normal hero suit.

"Ladybug?!" Antibug said in disbelief as her former hero transformed right in front of her.

"Sorry to keep you, Chat Noir." Ladybug remarked as he stood right next to his partner, who simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Personally, I'd wait a lifetime for you, my Lady. But I'm glad you're here now." He remarked as both of them turned towards Antibug who fled onto the roof of the building.

The two heroes followed after their target, seeing her use her yo-yo to pull the pool cover towards her. Giving them more room to fight.

"I'm thinking the Akuma is in her earrings." Chat Noir remarked as they both stood with their weapons ready. "She was already wearing them when she was akumatized.

Ladybug nodded. "I'll handle this part, you take a breather kitty cat." He said, already noticing Chat Noir's exhaustion from the previous fight.

Chat Noir nodded, sitting down for a moment on one of the pool chairs as Ladybug took the lead. Antibug took a step back, looking like a cornered animal as Ladybug showed no hesitation on his face.

"Anti Charm!" The villainess suddenly yelled out, throwing up her yo-yo. Ladybug mirrored her actions, "Lucky Charm!" Both of them received far different items.

Antibug laughed victoriously as a giant sword fell into her hand, while Ladybug held a banana. "What? You're going to defeat me with fruit? Are you some kind of child?!"

Ladybug merely smiled at her, somehow ticking her off even more so than if he actually responded. She charged towards him, jumping up high, and thrusting her giant weapon down as Ladybug merely folded his hands behind his back, sidestepping her attack as he dropped banana peel. As Antibug tried to pull her weapon out of the broken pool she slipped on the marbles. Falling onto her back as Ladybug quickly removed her earrings. Breaking them under his foot as the Akuma then flew out.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly." He then threw up his lucky charm. "Miraculous Ladybug!" Returning everything to normal.

Chloé turned back to normal, looking up in confusion as Ladybug and Chat Noir pounded fists.

"Ladybug?" Chloé question as Ladybug helped her to her feet, handing back her costume earrings.

"Chloé, I'm sorry about earlier. I would've defeated Vanisher sooner if I'd taken your advice." Ladybug said, being the bigger person as Chat Noir just stared at him in disbelief.

Chloé giggled flirtatiously "Oh, huh. In that case," She remarked tucking a lock of her behind her ear, then grasped his arm. "I might just have to stay your most devoted fan after all!"

The sight made Chat Noir flatten his ears.

"Maybe if you're free after this, we could spend some time together?" She recommended looking up at him with adoring eyes.

Ladybug gently pushed her way, " Thank you for the offer, but I think you should work things out with your friend Sabrina. She really cares about you."

Chloé hummed for a moment, shrugging her shoulder, "Mm. Well, since it's coming from Ladybug. Then perhaps we could-"

"Thank you Chloé!" Chat Noir cut in, grabbing his partner's arm again. "But we need to leave." He smiled, flashing his teeth, but it disappeared as soon as he turned his back, still grasping his partner's hand until they both jumped off of the roof.

The next day Adrien walked towards his classroom, noticing Sabrina smiling happily with a new broach on her sweater as Chloé seemed to be in a good mood. He was happy for the two of them as he then walked into the classroom, seeing that the teacher's vase was replaced with a bouquet of pink camellia flowers. He turned back towards his classmate, chuckling under his breath as he noticed Marin was resting his head on his arms, his head was turned to this side.

Adrien looked back at his classmate, noticing a pink petal sitting atop his bed head, putting two and two together. Carefully, he removed, not, not wanting to wake him up. But immediately snapped his hand back as he heard footsteps.

"Hey, dude!" Nino called out walking in with Kim and Max.

Adrien snapped his head towards his friends, trying to look natural as he smiled in greeting as Nino sat down next to him. 

"Is Marin asleep again?" Kim asked poking his friend's face as Adrien started to get worried. But his classmate was in a deep slumber, undeterred by the physical contact. 

"Yeah, but maybe we shouldn't bug him?" He suggested as the class began to fill up. "There's still time before class start-"

"Cool, let's draw on his face," Kim said mischievously taking out a marker from his backpack. 

Max suddenly stepped forward. "Kim no, that's permanent marker- KIM!"

Chapter Text

Marin held two home-crafted dolls in his hands one of Chat Noir, the other of Ladybug, sighing heavily. While Manon pouted as she held 3 villain dolls, one of Lady Wifi, the other of Evillustator, and the last one of Rogercop.

"I wanna win!" Manon complained hugging the dolls close.

"But Manon, the bad guy's can't win," Marin remarked, confusing the small girl.

"Why not?"

"Because if they win, then the good guys will lose their Miraculous."

"Miraculous?" Manon questioned tilting her head cutely, hugging the toys in her arms.

"The jewels that give Ladybug and Chat Noir their power." He explained. "Hawkmoth wants them..." Marin's words drifted as he realized that he himself didn't really understand why Hawkmoth wanted their Miraculous.

"And what would happen if he did get them?"

Marin hesitated for a moment before placing a happy smile on his face. "The bad guys…would win!" He said playfully as Manon squealed, running around run as Marin chased her.

"I know! I know what the bad guys want!" She said happily, then holding up her villain dolls. "We want the Miraculous! Then we'll win! Forever and ever! I'm gonna get your Miraculous, Ladybug and Cat Noir! You-you goody two-shoeses! You'll be super duper sorry!"

Marin smiled, holding up his hero dolls. "You won't get our Miraculouses!"

"Oh yeah?!" Manon yelled out, throwing her toys at Marin who then suddenly froze.

"Ugh- you got us!" He then collapsed on his sofa, his body going him as he dropped the toys.

Manon glanced at her sitter in confusion. "Marin?" She asked, now growing worried as he wasn't moving. "Marin!" Her sitter then lifted her head with a smirk, grabbing her in his arms, then tickling her.

"Ladybug and Cat Noir will always win, no matter what!"

"No fair! You cheated!" Manon cried out, half laughing, half annoyed, trying to escape.

"Nope, I just got the upper hand. You have to think ahead of your enemies, that's how you win." Marin advised as they both heard someone coming up the stairs. Manon's mother walked up with a smile on her face.

"I'm back Manon, have you been a good girl?" Nadja greeted as her daughter immediately ran into her arms.

"Mommy! Marin didn't let me win! He didn't play fair and square!" Manon complained as Marin smiled apologetically to her mother.

"Oh Manon, you can't always expect to win." Her mother informed.

Manon then took a step back, "Yes you can! Ladybug and Cat Noir always win!"

Marin knelt down before Manon giving her a reassuring smile. "You'll win next time, Manon."

"Alright, now give Marin back his dolls, we have to go now."

Manon clutched the Ladybug and Chat Noir dolls in her arms. "NO! I wanna keep it!"

Marin exchanged a glance of surprise with Nadja at Manon's refusal. "She can borrow them if she wants, I don't mind."

"That's sweet of you Marin, but Manon already has so many toys at home." Nadja said, then looked down towards her daughter, first taking the Chat Noir doll, then grabbing the Ladybug doll one. But Manon was more defensive with that one.

"NO!" She shouted out, trying to pry the doll back. She pulled on the scarf of the toy, but applied too much force, tipping the head off of the toy that made Marin reflexively touch his neck nervously.

"Look what you've done Manon! Give it to me." Nadja snapped, taking the broken toy away from Manon who looked away. Her mother then handed back the pieces to Marin. "I'm so sorry about this."

Marin shook his head, shoving the nervous feelings in the back of his mind. "Oh, it's nothing, I can sew it up again! It's no problem, really."

Najda then sighed, " Even so, that was uncalled for. Come on Manon, we're leaving. Say goodbye." She said taking her daughter's hand, but Manon tried to pull her hand away.

"I want that DOLL!" Manon demanded, starting to cry as her mother sighed, picking her up.

"Is she going to be alright?" Marin inquired placing his dolls away in his crate.

"It's just a tantrum, she just needs a little while. Come on Manon, be a good girl and say goodbye." Her mother then said gently as she carried her daughter down the stairs as Manon then lifted her head. Marin waved goodbye, watching as the two were greeted by his mother, before heavily sighing. He glanced at his own decapitated doll, grumbling nervously as he didn't want to think about it actually happening. He sat down at his desk, taking out his sewing supplies as he looked over the damage, noticing that only the threads came undone. He probably forgot to tie the end.

He smiled gratefully as Tikki handed him an already threaded needle. Smiling happily as Marin flashed her a grateful smile. Which immediately faded as they both heard footsteps on the stairs. Tikki hid within the sewing box as Marin quickly turned towards Manon walking up and picking up her backpack.

"Manon! What are you-" Marin began to ask but was then cut off.

"I left my bag here." Manon explained as she saw the Ladybug doll lain out. "Can I have Ladybug?" She asked.

Marin looked between the doll and the little girl. "You heard what your mom said..." He said feeling bad that he had to say no.

"She wouldn't know if I hide it!" Manon remarked, grasping the straps of her backpack.

Marin looked away. "Sorry, but I have to fix him up." but Manon caught his attention once more as she pulled on his jeans, wanting him to pay attention to her.

"Pretty pleeeeease?" Manon asked widening her eyes while pouting her lips.

Marin's will quickly crumbled. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Tikki who had moved behind the desk monitor, shaking her head, but it was already too late. "Ugh. Okay, you can borrow Lady Wifi."

Manon looked up at him, still eyeing the Ladybug doll.

"Hurry up Manon! We have to stop by the station!" They both heard Manon's mother call out as Manon turned away for a moment.

"Coming, mommy!" She called out, waving at Marin as she then ran down the stairs. Marin sighed heavily, resting his head in his hands as Tikki flew out with a teasing expression.

"She sure had you wrapped around her little finger!" She had observed as Marin then tickled her tummy.

"What can I say, I have a weakness for baby-blues." He admitted sheepishly as he took notice of Tikki's blue eyes.

Marin stood alongside Alya at the train station, walking down the stairs together as they were going to the movie theatre today.

"The movie starts in about an hour, you could call up Nino. See if he's up for-" Marin began to say checking the time on Alya's phone.

"AH!" Alya suddenly snapped to attention as she rested her hands on his shoulders. "Marin, nine 'o' clock!"

"Actually it's just past four-"

"Not that nine 'o' clock! This nine 'o' clock!" Alya asked, turning his head towards Adrien standing nearby. Marin's face immediately ran red as he quickly hid behind Alya.

"What is HE doing here?"

Alya stared at her best friend dumbfounded. She loved Marin, really, she did. But sometimes she wondered how he was ever able to function before he met her. "Dude we're going to the same movie. YOU INVITED HIM TO THIS MOVIE WEEKS AGO-" Alya then caught her breath, taking back her phone as she then grabbed Marin's hand. Dragging him into towards Adrien, whose face lit up as he saw them.

"Hey Adrien," She greeted as she pulled Marin from his hiding place from behind her, who waved nervously. Adrien eye's lit up as he was greeted by his classmates. "Headed to somewhere important?" She asked playfully.

He chuckled, "Nah, nowhere special, just a lame movie, with some even lamer people." he said, but couldn't hold back his laughter, his smile faded as he glanced at Marin who seemed emotionally distant. "So, I hear this premiere is going to be pretty good." Adrien said, trying to strike up a conversation.

Alya saw where his gaze was settled on, and elbowed Marin's side, who jolted to attention.

"Uh- yeah. It's uh, a great movie..." Marin mumbled under his breath, feeling the anxiety as all of Adrien's attention was on him while Alya glanced at the two of them with an exasperated face.

But just as she was about to break the tension between them, she started to glow, stepping back in confusion."What— what's going on!?"

Marin held out a hand towards his best friend. His eyes widened in shock as she transformed into a far too familiar form before his eyes. Everyone surrounding them on the platform began running in different directions. "Alya?" He questioned stepping towards his friend.

"Marin! Give me those Ladybug and Cat Noir dolls!" Lady Wifi demanded trying to grab Marin but failed as Adrien stood between the two defensively guarding his classmate.

"Lady Wifi?" Marin questioned as the villain snarled at him.

"No! I'm Puppeteer! And I want those dolls NOW!"

"Dolls?" Adrien questioned exchanging a look of confusion with Marin. The train station beeped, signaling the arrival of the upcoming train.

"I don't-I don't have them," Marin said reflexively, which only infuriated Lady Wifi. His eyes widened as she then pulled out her phone, smiling evilly as she then eyed Adrien. Suddenly, the train shot out of the tunnel, slowing down as the doors then opened. Marin glanced at the tunnel, realizing what he needed to do to protect his classmate.

As soon as the train doors opened, Marin stepped past Adrien, pushing Lady Wifi onto the subway train. But unluckily, she gripped his blaze, pulling him along with her onto the subway car.

"Marin!" Adrien called out in a panic, slamming into the train just as they closed. As the train moved on to the next station Adrien ran into the tunnels nearby. He opened his shirt to call Plagg out of his hiding place. "Plagg! We have to transform!"

Plagg sighed heavily, "Just when we'd shaken off your bodyguard. Now you want to chase after that crazy guy?"

"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien said ignoring his Kwami.

"Wait! What about the movie?! And the buttery popcorn-" Plagg pleaded as he was sucked into the ring.

Marin was thrown against the train's door as Lady Wifi pinned him using her icons.

"Why do you want the dolls, Puppeteer?" Marin demanded.

"Because you said I could have them! Then Mommy said "no!" So give 'em to me now! Or you'll be super duper sorry!" Marin was confused for a moment as he watched Lady Wifi throwing a tantrum like a...child!

"Manon?!"

"No! I told you! I'm Puppeteer!" Suddenly, Marin was suddenly freed from Lady Wifi's control. Smirking as she tried to trap him once more, not realizing that her Wifi signal was cut off within the tunnel.

"UGGHHH! You're cheating!" She accused, throwing a punch in his direction, which he evaded. Just as that moment, realizing that he did not think this plan through as the train shook as it came to its next stop. Marin fell over as Lady Wifi sucker-punched his gut, making him stumbled off the train at the next stop. The crowd of train goers scattering at the sight of the traumatized victim stepping out of the train car.

"I going to get Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculouses, and then I'll win forever and EVER!" Lady Wifi proclaimed with a smile as she now had a signal, standing over him.

"Manon! This isn't a game!" Marin scolded. But Lady Wifi didn't care, just about to freeze him when a pole knocked her phone out of her hands.

"Hey!" She snapped, diving after it as Chat Noir stood at the entrance of the subway.

"The directions say, stand behind the yellow line." Chat Noir remarked with his staff in hand as he helped Marin to his feet. But the taller boy pushed him out of the way again as Lady Wifi used her icon to fly out of the subway.

"A little uncalled for there, Macaroon." Chat Noir remarked, picking up his staff, seeing Marin bow his head apologetically. "The classmate you ditched back there agrees as well." Noticing Marin look a little ashamed being called out at what he meant as a little jab.

"Sorry, I thought that by keeping Lady Wifi in the tunnel system might mess up her powers."

"But you didn't account for getting trapped with a supervillain." Chat Noir finished his thought as Marin nodded, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"Don't worry about that, I'll track her down." Chat Noir turned to run out of the subway but stopped as Marin suddenly grabbed his arm.

"Hold on, I think I might know who Puppeteer is," Marin said as Chat Noir looked at him in surprise. "It's the girl I babysit, Manon. Earlier today I let her borrow this doll of Lady Wifi, so I think that she may be after the rest of them."

"The rest of them?" Chat Noir questioned for a moment. "Okay, where do you live?"

"12 Rue Gotlib." Marin answered as Chat Noir nodded with a reassuring smirk, placing a hand on the worried boys' shoulder.

"No need to worry Macaroon. Me and Ladybug will definitely save your kid." He promised as he then ran out of the subway.

Within the empty station, Tikki flew out. "Are we going after him?" She asked.

"Chat Noir will be able to handle securing the dolls, we need to track down the one who's pulling the strings. Tikki, spots on!"

Chat Noir landed on the roof of Marin's hold, landing on the patio as he noticed there was a skylight. As he landed on Marin's bed he overhead something down below.

"It's really not nice to steal from your babysitter." He remarked, landing before Lady Wifi holding a few dolls in her hand, even those of himself and Ladybug.

"Soon I'll get your Miraculouses, you goody two-shoeses!" Lady Wifi retorted, placing the dolls in her bag as she then pulled out her phone.

"There's only one good two-shoes around here and I'm he's not even here!" Chat Noir said as he used his staff to attack Lady Wifi, easily evading her attacks as she was already cornered. He used his staff to knock the phone of her hands, sending it into the air as he then activated his power.

"Cataclysm!" He called out, destroying the phone as he did once before, catching it in his hand. But was shocked when an Akuma didn't appear and looked around to see that Lady Wifi had escaped...with all of the dolls...ugh, Ladybug wasn't going to like this.

His ring then beeped, signaling his transformation time about to run out, and his ears twitched as he heard someone walking up the stairs.

Uh oh-

Chat Noir quickly, escaped the room, ending up back up on the roof porch. He sighed heavily as his baton then rang, much to his surprise. Already knowing who was on the other line. "Uh, hello?" He asked sheepishly.

"Lady Wifi?" Ladybug questioned.

"Okay, in my defense. I thought that she was going to have an Akuma so I used my power on her cell phone but nothing came out." Chat Noir quickly explained but his ears dropped in disappointment in himself.

Ladybug didn't answer for a while, "Please tell me you at least got the dolls."

Chat Noir lowered his head even though no one could see him. "Sorry."

" Don't worry, I tracked Puppeteer down to the tv station. We'd better find her fast before she takes us both out."

"You're right about that, I'm the only one who gets to take you out." Chat Noir joked, trying to lighten the mood, but the joke seemed to be as bad as he thought it was. Just then his ring beeped.

"Chat Noir your ring?" Ladybug questioned as he heard the warning beeps.

"Yeah, I'm used my cataclysm to destroy her phone." Chat Noir said. "But I'll be able to head to the station-"

"Just stay low for now." Ladybug ordered. "If there's a chance that she can only control us in our transformed state, then you're better off walking on the streets without your hero suit on."

"Aww but then how else would we spend time together." Chat Noir complained as he then jumped onto the rooftops, heading towards the station.

"We already spend most of our time together already." Ladybug pointed out. "I'll try to take out Puppeteer before Lady Wifi has a chance to give her the dolls. See you soon."

"Don't let her make me a puppet! You know that only you can pull my strings!" Cat Noir snickered as Ladybug then ended the call. Even though the situation was a little dire, he couldn't help but look forward to seeing his partner.

Ladybug walked tried to calm down Nadja as he explained the situation.

"I want to find my daughter!" She insisted, but Ladybug shook his head, trying to reassure her.

"I promise, I'll bring your daughter back, Miss Chamack. But the building needs to be evacuated for everyone's safety."

"But-" She tried to argue again but faltered as she saw Ladybug's sincere face. "Alright..." She sighed, walking out alongside her co-workers as Ladybug then turned into the building. He opened his phone, but then just as quickly put it away as he realized that Alya wouldn't have her phone if Chat Noir already destroyed it, so at least she wouldn't be trouble...maybe.

The other two villain dolls that she probably took were Rogercop and Evillustrator. Both of their weak points were the pen and the whistle, but all together, they could prove to be more than he could handle. He needed a plan, a shared weakness of all four...

Ladybug's eyes widened as he realized what he needed to do, but for the plan to work he needed Chat Noir. As well as a layout of the building's electrical system.

Behind a pole on the street across from the news station building stood Adrien feeding his Kwami cheese. "I don't suppose you could eat faster?" Adrien asked, spotting Lady Wifi entering the building.

"What?!" Plagg asked, "But I'm savoring my cheese!"

Adrien then sighed, "Could you mind savoring it a little faster?" He said but then spotted Sabrina's father yelling out nearby as he transformed into Rogercop right before his eyes. Who then looked up towards the new station, flying up direction as Adrien could only watch.

"Okay, savoring time's over." Adrien said as Plagg's cheeks were filled with cheeks. "Plagg, claws out!"

Ladybug stood surrounded by three of his former foes, holding his yo-yo in hand Evillustrator had drawn a new phone for Lady Wifi, so she was back to full power as the threw crept closer. Puppeteer hovered above him as she made the Ladybug and Chat Noir doll float before her. She smiled happily, holding up her wand.

"Cat Noir! Come to Lif-" But before she could finish her words, Ladybug threw his yo-yo to wrap around Lady Wifi, throwing her Evillstrator while he jumped on Rogercop's helmet to grab the doll of his friend.

"You Cheater!" Puppeteer yelled out in annoyance, then turning towards the Ladybug doll with a smile. As Chat Noir burst into the room. "Ladybug, come to life!"

"Noo!" Chat Noir called out in a panic as he saw Puppeteer wave her wand at the Ladybug doll. But nothing happened as the real Ladybug smirked, placing the Chat Noir doll on his belt.

"What?! Why won't my magic work?!" Puppeteer demanded, grabbing the doll, but was taken aback as the head fell off, only barely stitched on. Chat Noir couldn't help but wince at the morbid sight of his partner losing his head, doll or not.

"You should be nicer to your toys." Ladybug remarked, evading Rogercops attacks, as he threw the Chat Noir doll back to him. He side glanced at the door he was closest to, "Think you can handle them?" Ladybug called out as he caught the attention of Evillustrator as Lady Wifi and Rogercop turned on Chat Noir.

"Course!" Chat Noir called out as he evaded Rogercop's shots, the two heroes exiting through different doors.

"Gimme that Chat Noir doll!" Puppeteer demanded, waving her wand, commanding her puppets to chase after the heroes, choosing the chase after Chat Noir.

Ladybug jumped down the elevator shaft, having no time to wait around, using his yo-yo to steady his fall as he landed on the basement floor, forcing the door open. The entire floor appeared to be used for storage, well that, and-

"You're time is up Ladybug!" Evillustrator called out through the shadowy halls. He flinched back as the lights were suddenly shut off, leaving him defenseless as he couldn't draw anything. Only feeling his pen being snatched out of his hand as he was trapped in the darkness, unable to find his way out as Ladybug barricaded the door behind him. Having to feel around as the entire building was pitch black, save for the elevators which ran on a separate generator. Luckily, he was guided towards it by its floor sign above the doors.

Ladybug entered, being greeted by light, then threw up his yo-yo. "Lucky Charm!" He said then received something familiar to him, a needle and red thread. The hero couldn't help but smile, already realizing what he needed to do.

Chat Noir heard Puppeteer squeal in fear as all the lights shut off, having no way of seeing as Evillustrator went after Ladybug. He, on the other hand, was fine, seeing clearly through the darkness as he quickly crushed Lady Wifi's phone.

"Rogercop!" Puppeteer called out, waving her wand. "Make the dark go away!" She said in a panic as Rogercop obeyed, blasting a one-way route to the roof, as he and Puppeteer flew up.

"Not so fast, rugrat!" Chat Noir called out, using his pole to elevate himself. On top of the roof, he was surprised to see Ladybug already there, holding something behind his back.

"Hey Puppeteer," Ladybug called out holding up a familiar doll. "You want this?" He asked noticing the child's eyes lit up, her awe then souring into anger.

"The Ladybug doll, get it!!" She demanded as Rogercop flew towards him. 

"What's the magic word?" Ladybug asked, taunting the child who was growing even angrier at the fact that Ladybug was too swift to be caught. 

"GIMMIE!!" She demanded as Ladybug then sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. 

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug called out as he threw the Ladybug doll towards him. His partner then smiled as he used his batton to hit the doll halfway across Paris. 

"I'm faster than you! You're gonna lose, Ladybug!" Puppeteer called out, using her last minion to chase after the doll, not realizing the situation as Ladybug used his yo-yo to then grab her wand breaking it in two as the Akuma flew out. 

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal. 

Manon turned back to normal, looking around in confusion as Chat Noir and Ladybug bumped their fists together. 

"Ladybug! Chat Noir!" The little girl called out happily as she immediately hugged the black-spotted hero as he knelt down. He smiled warmly at her, picking her up. 

"Your mommy's worried about you Manon." He said as the small child looked a little guilty. "Do you know why?" 

"Because I took Marin's toy when I wasn't supposed ta'." She said. "But he said I could!" She tried to explain. 

"But should you have taken the toy? Even when your mommy told you no?" Ladybug asked as Manon shook her head. 

"No...I'm sorry." She said sincerely as then Ladybug ruffled her hair affectionately, causing her to giggle. He then passed off the small child to Chat Noir who looked bewildered for a moment then noticed his earring starting to beep. 

"You seem pretty good with kids." Chat Noir commented as Ladybug took out his yo-yo. 

"You're imagining it." his partner said, but even so, waved at Manon who looked towards him with a smile just before he jumped off the building. 

"So, you like my partner, what about me?" Chat Noir asked, lifting up the small child who laughed happily. 

Marin panted as he ran up to Nino standing in front of the theatre. "Sorry, I'm...late!" He apologized, trying to catch his breath. 

"Hey dude," Nino greeted. "You're not late." He pointed out holding up his phone, showing it was 10 minutes before the movie would begin. 

Marin then sighed in relief, "I hope you weren't waiting too long." He remarked as Nino shook his head. 

"No, just wondering where you guys were. I thought we were supposed to meet up like, 4 hours ago? But it's fine. Not like I was lonely or anything." Nino muttered, turning his head away as Marin couldn't help but chuckle. 

"Aww, I'm sorry Cookie." Marin said opening up his arms. "Forgive me?" 

"I don't know if I can," Nino said, dramatically holding his head. "You all left me to fend for myself, practically abandoned me, I don't know if I can come back from this..." Nino faked tears as he allowed Marin to hug him, planting a kiss on his cheek as the two then giggled. "So? Where's Alya and Adrien?" 

"No idea." Marin admitted as he walked into the movie theatre with Nino's arm on his shoulder. "We all got separated at the train station after this Akuma possessed Alya to transform into Lady Wifi, then I knocked her into a train car and was separated from Adrien." 

"What?!" Nino exclaimed taking a step back to face his friend. "Maybe LEAD with that next time?!" He then checked his phone, sighing as he held it up. "Adrien's bodyguard caught him, and Alya's still halfway across town at the train station." 

Marin groaned, "I guess we'll just have to watch the movie and spoil the entire thing for both of them, or go catch up with Alya." 

"Dude. Don't even joke, that's the meanest thing anyone could ever do." Nino said with a hint of seriousness as Marin guided him out of the theatre with a haughty smile. 

"Alya it is." 

Chapter Text

"Spaghetti!" The photographer called out as the class before them had their class photo taken.

Meanwhile, their class was spread out into smaller friend groups until it was time to take the photo. Adrien something Nino said while Marin looked on, then immediately turned his head away, not wanting to get caught staring. But he could never escape Alya's sly smile as she caught him red-handed, sitting on the stair behind him.

"I know that smile." She remarked as Marin's face immediately reddened with embarrassment. "It's definitely the opposite of the "Please-don't-take-my-photo" expression of panic."

"I'm just not photo-genic why is that so hard for you to understand?" Marin explained as Alya wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Because you are literally too cute, and too handsome not to be immortalized." She remarked, then lowering her tone. "What if we get a photo of you and Adrien standing in the same row together? That would be a great photo." She remarked.

"At least you guys are going to be in the photo." Juleka remarked from behind them, standing next to Rose.

"Juleka, I'm telling you, you're not jinxed! This time it's gonna work out, I can feel it, right here!"

Alya looked down at Marin. "What's this about being jinxed?"

"Oh, Juleka thinks that she's jinxed to only take bad photos," Marin said.

Juleka sighed heavily. "Ever since I was little, every time someone takes a photo of me, something always goes very wrong," she said, but Rose then hugged her waist.

"You're wrong Juleka, you'll see!" Rose said reassuringly.

"Well being jinxed can be pretty powerful stuff-" Marin started to say but he then stopped talking as he recited glares from Alya and Rose as Juleka sighed heavily. "- which is why- we'll do everything we can to make sure it goes right this time. Prepare for the best photo you've ever taken!" Marin said covering up his previous negativity, just in time for the class photo.

" Ok, time to flash your pearly whites, guys! You kids take a seat in the front bench." The photographer said as he pointed to Max, Alix, Rose, Sabrina, and Mylène. "Quickly please, I've got sixteen other classes to shoot."

"Look, Adrien, they're upfront in the baby seats! Go on rugrats, don't forget to take your thumbs out of your mouths!" Chloé Laughed as Adrien looked visibly uncomfortable, rolling his eyes at his childhood friend.

Vincent scanned the crowd of students. "Well, next row! Hmmm...You, you, you and you go stand on the rear bench, please." He said pointing to Nathaniel, Alya, and Chloé and Nino. Stunning Chloé for a moment.

"Wait just one minute! I'm supposed to be in the middle row, right next to Adrien. Preferably the center. Look, we're the same size!" She said, trying to compare heights, but Adrien very clearly towered over her.

"Nah, go stand in the back row, behind the rest." The photographer shrugged

"How dare you, put me behind the rest? Do you know who my father is?!"

"Is he a photographer?

Chloé looked taken aback. "NO! He's-"

"Bummer, I could really use an assistant. Now hurry up and take your place, or I'll put you up front with the babies!" He threatened as Chloé growled at the photographer.

"The rest of you boys, go stand in the middle row." Vincent directed as he smiled in satisfaction. "Perfect! You guys are awesome! Now stop squirming and let's get this photo shot!"

Marin stood a the end of a row next to Adrien near the center. It took all of his will not to smile from ear to ear but noticed that Juleka was still standing by. "Uh, excuse me sir, you forgot Juleka." He spoke up pointing to her.

"Huh? Ah sorry, my bad! Go stand in the middle row, next to that one." He said pointing to Adrien. Marin smiled towards her as she stood at the center of the photograph in between himself and Nino. But the photographer hesitated.

"No, this isn't right! Something's not working here!"

"Uhh, course it's not working! I'm in the wrong spot!" Chloé snapped at she tried pushing Juleka aside, but she wasn't' budging.

"You, move over there will you? Lets see... ah perfect!"Vincent said rearranging the entire class so that now Juleka was standing at the end, while Marin was in the center next to Adrien.

Marin placed his hand on Juleka's shoulder, "You can take my place," he whispered, stepping aside so she could pass him.

"But-" she tried to say, but he shook his head.

"No one's gonna care." He reassured as she then stood between him and Adrien in the center of the photo. But he was proved to be wrong as Chole then yelled out.

"Seriously?!My spot is unacceptable, and little Miss cyclops gets to stand in the center?!" Chloé said as she tried to stand in front of her, but Juleka shot her an annoyed expression.

"Leave her alone Chloe." Marin tried to defend, but she ignored him.

"Ms. Bourgeois, behave yourself!" The teacher called out, quelling Chloe for at least a little while.

"Say spaghetti!"

"Spaghetti!"

As the photographer went to click the photo but realized that the camera was out of battery. "Ah, wait one moment please, I have to go and fetch another battery. Nobody move!" Everyone sighed, wanting this to be over already.

"Excuse me," Juleka remarked as she walked past Marin towards the teacher. He didn't hear what she said but walked off towards the other end of the school. However he did notice Sabrina following after her, making him uneasy as Chloé was smiling evilly.

"I want you to flash your best smiles! Because it's the last time we are doing this! Ready, say Spaghetti!" Vincent said setting up the camera once more as Chloé all of a sudden jumped in the center, knocking over Marin while hugging Adrien's arm tightly, "Perfect, Thanks kids!" He said as the lunch bell rang.

Kim helped Marin up as he immediately called out to the photographer. "Wait! Please sir, we have to redo the photo!"

"Why's that?" Principal Damocles asked, suddenly speaking up.

"Because Juleka's not in it! Tall with the purple streaks?" Marin explained.

"Didn't she go to the bathroom-" Adrien recalled as Chloé cut in.

"Uh, Mr. Damocles, aren't we meant to be heading off to lunch? And aren't you paying the photographer by the hour?"

"Why yes! No time to retake, class move along, now!" The principal ordered as Marin glanced towards Sabrina just evaded his gaze.

"Rose." Marin called out as the smaller girl came over, "Could you check and see if Juleka's still in the restroom?"

She simply nodded as he followed her towards the locker room, waiting outside as he heard something being moved. The next thing he knew Juleka was running out of the restroom crying her eyes out as Rose tried to follow. The two managed to catch her just as she was about to leave campus.

"Juleka!" Marin called out, grasping her hand. "What happened?"

His friend pulled her hand back, her eyes red, "I told you didn't I, I'm jinxed! Why should I expect it to be any different? Nobody ever hears me. Or sees me. I'm invisible. Even in photos!" She remarked running off-campus as he and Rose looked on in concern.

"What do we do?"

Marin hummed for a moment. "We already tried convincing her..."

"She really does have the class photo jinx, we have to do something for her." Rose remarked, her eyes lighting up with determination.

"To be fair, I think she was, jerked, more than anything. But you're right. If we can't convince her, then we'll have to show her." He said as they walked back into the school.

"We can ask the photographer," Rose suggested.

"The school pictures are permenant...but I think I have an idea," Marin remarked. "Think you could bring Jukela to the park after school today? And the entire class?"

"No problem!" Rose reassured as Marin ran towards the second floor of the building.

As Adrien walked out of the restroom he overheard screams within the courtyard, slowly opening the door he saw a new villain blasting other students, making them into reflections of her.

"Chloé Bourgeois?! Where is Chloé Bourgeois?!" She demanded as Adrien ran back into the bathroom stalls. He opened his shirt, as Plagg flew out.

"Is it time for my close up?" He asked.

"No chance of that, Plagg, Claws out!"

"Here it is," Marin remarked opening a locker within the art classroom. Just had just placed the item in his bag as he overheard screams from outside. Looking through the window he saw that there was a new villain blasting students, making them into reflections of herself.

"Juleka?!" Marin gasped as he recognized the bracelet on the copies, the same one that Juleka always had on her wrist. He narrowed his eyes as he noticed that the entire form was changed. Nothing that his classmates were previously wearing could be retrieved after the transformation. He thought for a moment as he then opened his messenger bag. "Tikki." He called out as the red Kwami hovered before him, who then grew worried as Marin began to remove his earrings.

"What are you doing?" Tikki asked as Marin nuzzled her with the back of his hand.

"I’m asking you to trust me, my little sugar cube."

Tikki nodded, giving her consent as Marin then removed his earrings. His precious friend disappearing in the process as he placed the earrings in a small box sitting nearby, all inside of a tote bag that was used to hold art supplies.

"It's blocked!" Chat Noir remarked as he tried to remove the barricades preventing the students from leaving.

"Check it! Cat Noir is gonna save us!" One of the students called out as Chat Noir then turned to see who he thought was the original holding her bracelet towards him. Just as she was about to blast him, her arm was suddenly grabbed and they both turned in both shock and surprise when Marin was the one who stopped her. 

“Juleka you have to stop this!” Marin pleaded, but his grip was reversed as he wasn’t anticipating her strength. 

“I'm not the Juleka nobody notices anymore! Now, I'm the unmistakable Reflekta!” She remarked with a smile. 

“NO!!” Chat Noir called out as Marin was blasted point-blank into a reflection and then kicked to side by the villainess. 

Chat Noir growled as he held his arm towards the air. "Cataclysm!" He called out, activating his power. Just ask he was about to touch the bracelet, he was blasted with her ray, tripping over his own feet as he could hear her laugh at him.

"Much better! I hate cats!" The villain laughed as Chat Noir gasped in shock.

"My ring, my Miraculous, it's gone!" She then turned her attention towards the growing crowd. "Where is Chloé Bourgeois!?" She demanded, jumping onto the stairs and then to the second floor where Chloé was running for her life. 

Chat Noir tripped atop the staircase as he tried to scale it, but didn’t account for the newly added weight of his heels. He was helped to his feet by one of the reflections. 

“Ladybug!” Reflekta called out, “Soon, like everyone else you will look just like me!  But first, I'll take your Miraculous as a trophy!” She remarked, then jumping onto the rooftops. 

Chat Noir grimaced as he felt powerless. “My powers might be gone but I can't just stand by and do nothing!” He said as he then heard the reflection who helped him up sigh, still holding his hand. 

“Haven’t you learned anything, Kitty cat?” He asked, winking playfully. 

“ Ladybug?” Chat Noir asked in shock, his eyes widening as his partner had gotten himself into the same situation as he. He allowed his partner to guide him towards the empty art room. Locking the door behind them as he then immediately began searching the room for something. 

“Why are you here? And how did you end up like that?” Chat Noir asked still stunned. 

“I believe the same answer applies to both questions.” Ladybug responded, taking out a tote bag. 

“But how are we supposed to fight Reflekta like this? Without our Miraculous?” 

Ladybug sighed, “I’m guessing you didn’t take special notice to Reflekta’s powers? The ability to mold others into her own reflection, down to the wedged heels.” Ladybug said as Chat Noir looked down at his shoes. “I made a backup plan just in case I couldn’t get her bracelet.” Ladybug then took out a small box from the bag. Opening it up, he revealed his own Miraculous still in one piece. 

Chat Noir looked at him in awe as he then put on the earrings, summoning a red orb of light that materialized into a familiar small red Kwami. She glanced towards Chat Noir in confusion. 

“Chat Noir, this is my Kwami, Tikki.” Ladybug introduced as the confusion cleared from Tikki’s eyes. 

“I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.” The small Kwami said, giggling as Chat Noir nuzzled her face as he would Plagg. 

“Mine’s not nearly this cute.” He admitted half-jokingly. “So what’s the plan?” He asked. 

“A game of cat and mouse.” Ladybug simply explained. “Your favorite.” 

Chat Noir couldn’t help but smile as Ladybug looked towards his KWami. 

“Tikki, spots on!” 

Ladybug carried Chat Noir across the city towards the TV station as he carefully landed, placing his partner on his feet. 

“Ugh- stupid shoes!” Chat Noir hissed as he almost tripped once more. So Ladybug gave him his hand to help balance as the two walked into the TV station together. “How can women wear these?” He asked under his breath. 

“Try putting more weight on your toes rather than your heels.” Ladybug recommended as they both entered the elevator of the abandoned building, everyone had evacuated due to the Akuma attack. 

“How would you know that?” Chat Noir asked curiously but sighed heavily as Ladybug shrugged his shoulders. 

“See? This is why we need to communicate more. How am I suppose to get to know you better if you keep avoiding personal topics?” Chat Noir asked half-joking. 

“Believe me, it’s not really a, distinguished story.” Ladybug said as he helped Chat Noir walk out of the elevator on their floor. 

“I’d really enjoy the silly ones. I’ll tell you one if you tell me yours.” He prompted, at least getting a small smile out of his partner before he said. 

“You know why we can’t do that.” 

“Yeah, but it’s nice to dream a little, Bugaboo.” Chat Noir said flirtatiously as they entered the studio. Already seeing a camera set up. 

“ People of Paris! Reflekta is not invincible! You can help, all you have to do is put on a disguise! Then I'll be able to spot the real Reflekta and bring her down! Remember, put on a disguise! I'm relying on you all!”

“And cut!” Chat Noir said as Ladybug stepped off the stage. “Got it, but isn't your plan a bit complicated?” 

Ladybug looked at him as Chat Noir caught on. “Right, patience. Can I assume that I am the key to one of your famous, marvelous plans?” He asked. 

Since you don’t have your night vision, it’ll be a little more tricky. But doable. All I need to be is bait.” He said handing him the yo-yo. “On my signal, we’ll wrap up this problem.” 

“...I like my jokes better.” 

About an hour in, Reflekta walked in as Ladybug stood in the center of the studio. His head lowered as his eyes were closed, holding his lucky charm behind his back. Chat Noir looked on in confusion as Ladybug didn’t send a signal, yet Reflekta was standing right there. 

He tensed Reflekta ran towards him, but Ladybug easily disarmed him, almost too easily as he broke the bracelet under his foot. No Akuma flew out, as Ladybug kept his eyes trained on the door. Chat Noir watched as the real Reflekta walked into the studio. 

“What gave me away?” She asked, holding up her bracelet. 

“You can’t not hear two pairs of heels in halls like these.” He responded pulling out Lucky charm, a camera with ladybug print., “Say Spaghetti.”  winking as Chat Noir recognized his cue, blinding Reflekta for a moment as Chat Noir threw Ladybug’s yo-yo, wrapping it around her as she then fell to the ground. 

“My Lady.” Chat Noir called out as he tossed the bracelet towards him, then smashed it under his foot as the Akuma flew out. Then tossing him his yo-yo as Juleka turned back to normal. 

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

“I was getting used to the heels, but those things should be illegal.” Chat Noir remarked as he turned back to normal, along with the other reflection that turned out to be the Mayor. 

“Where am I?” Juleka asked Ladybug helped his friend to her feet. 

“Could you take this girl back to her school please, Mayor Bourgeois?”

“Yes, of course, Ladybug.” He said as Ladybug earring began to beep. 

“Thank you sir.” He nodded, then quickly pounded fists with Chat Noir as he ran past. Feeling his partner’s smile in his chest as a smile drew onto his lips. 

Marin placed the battery in the camera as Alya called out to him. 

“We all good over there?” Alya asked as the rest of the class gathered around the bench. 

“Yup.” Marin smiled, holding up a digital camera he borrowed from the school. As all his classmates gathered together, save for Chloé and Sabrina who both refused the invitation. Marin couldn't help but smile as Juleka was fiercely blushing under all the attention she was receiving. “Okay ready? Say, Juleka!” He giggled as she saw Juleka blush even further as everyone played along. 

They spent the entire evening taking photos with Marin manning the camera the entire time. He sat on the bench sitting between Rose and Juleka who were jubilant with the results. 

“The photo curse is broken!” Rose proclaimed happily as she hugged her friend. 

Juleka nodded, resting her head on his other shoulder. “Thank you, Marin.” 

”This photo shoot was a good idea,” Marin froze as Adrien stood before them, feeling his face heating up. “You know I’ve been around cameras a while, maybe I should take one of you?” 

“Uh-” Marin was about to name hundreds of reasons why he couldn’t, wouldn’t, and shouldn’t but faltered as Adrien took out his phone while Juleka and Rose made room for him. 

“I did promise a while ago that we’d take a few photos together,” Adrien said with a smile that could only match the sun’s radiance. Which made Marin plant his face in his hands as he sincerely hoped that his ears weren’t red. 

“I was kind of hoping that you forgot…” He said lifting his head, now noticing Adrien sitting next to him. 

“Do you not want to?” Adrien asked now concerned. 

“No no!” Marin immediately said, holding up the camera to hide his flushed face. “I want to…” He admitted as Adrien’s smile came back in full force, scooting closer and resting his arm over his shoulders, holding his phone up in selfie mode. Secretly engraving this precious memory in his mind forever, at least until he could ask for the photo.

Chapter Text

"Thanks to the generosity of Mr. Bourgeois, we're able to have our work experience field trip today at the Grand Paris luxury hotel. Each of you will get hands-on experience with one of the many jobs here at the hotel. You'll be graded on your effort, which will affect whether you pass or fail the class." Miss Bustier explained as she passed out class assignments. She checked over her clipboard again as Marin snuck a glance at Chloe cozying up to Adrien behind the front desk.

"Do you have Marin and Alya on your list, Mr. Bourgeois?" Miss Bustier asked.

"It doesn't look like it." The mayor and his teacher looked over the clipboard again

"Daddy!" Chloé called over her father, handing him a piece of paper with an uncharacteristically happy smile drawn on her face.

"Thank you, sweetie. Oh yes! Alya, you're going to be... sorting trash at the main dumpster."

Marin immediately glanced at his friend who crossed her arms in displeasure.

"I bet I know who helped Daddy make the assignment." She said under her breath.

Marin gave her a reassuring smile, despite the fact that he believed his day would be worse than his friends'...somehow.

"And, Marin will be a Gopher."

"Gopher?" Alya confirmed as he glanced at her friend.

"Yup, send the physically inept on to run all across the city, seems about right." Marin groaned, lowering his head in defeat as Alya patted his back, giving him a reassuring smile.

Marin walked into a suite along with Mr. Bourgeois, being greeted by Jagged Stone's manager of all people. "Mr. Stone is going to need a new pair of shades for tonight's gig. Red, white and blue with two large Eiffel Towers on them. Can you get that for him?"

He was just about to ask where exactly he was supposed to get said glasses, but Mr. Bourgeois cut in, placing his hands on his shoulders.

"Of course we can! Marin here is our gopher for the day. He'll take care of that for you."

Marin could only fold his hands together, nodding. "I'll do my best. But if I could maybe get a reference to any sto-" He was about to say, but then Mr. Bourgeois hid behind him.

"Hiya." Marin said with a smile, completely unafraid as he waved to he reptile trying to nuzzle through Penny to get to the person who previously gave him snacks. 

"A-Anyway, I'm sure Marin will be up to the task! Very good, come along now son." Mr. Bourgeois said quickly, dragging Marin out of the room as he overheard Fang whimpering behind.  

Making his way across the city was a chore. Marin was forced to take off his blazer, due to the heat of the sun and all the walking, placing it over his arm. He thanked the vendor for the sunglasses, pulling them out of the bag. "These should do the trick...right?" He asked Tikki, looking at a pair of sunglasses with grey frames and tiny yellow sunglasses.

Tikki looked out of his messenger bag. You know these aren't even close to what Mr. Stone wants.

Marin grumbled for a moment, "How is this the closest thing to what I was requested for..."

"Just saying, it's better in a long run to do it right the first time," Tikki said munching on one of the remaining macaroons. "Those sunglasses exist somewhere... Get creative!"

He chuckled at his Kwami. "You want something done right, you gotta do it yourself," Marin said, putting on the sunglasses himself, grimacing as he realized that he couldn't return them at all, as well as the fact that he had to walk all the way back to his house.

Adrien tried to ignore Chloé who had been having a one-sided conversation. He was looking down at his phone, completely envious of his best friend working in the kitchen, having access to all the cookies. Which he made sure to let Adrien know, as he scrolled down on all the selfies of Nino eating cookies with his group. He only lifted his head as he heard someone walk in.

"Hey Kim."

Adrien looked up to see Marin walking in with a paper bag in hand, no longer wearing his blazer. His hands had bandages on it, and were covered in paint, but somehow the strangest thing was the pair of tourist sunglasses on his head. He greeted Kim who giggled at his friend's appearance, then walked into the lobby.

"Hi Mar-" He was about to greet but Chloé beat him to the greeting.

"Failed as a gopher already? Not surprised. Don't let the door hit you on the way out!" She laughed as Marin gave her an unamused expression, making eye contact with Adrien for a moment as he then walked towards the elevators.

"Why are you always so mean to him?" Adrien suddenly asked as Chloé laughed at the question.

"Why not? He's so pathetic it's hilarious." She laughed as Adrien sighed resting his head on his hand.

"Is that how you think of the rest of our class too?"

"Oh Adrikins," Chloé sighed, grasping his arm. "still native to how school politics work." She remarked the conversation was them dropped as someone else walked into the lobby. He was dressed up weird, in what looked to be some kind of futuristic suit. "Oh, look what the cat dragged in. Watch and learn Adrikins." Chloé said walking up to the man. "Excuse me... Excuse me! You can't be a guest at this hotel! My father only allows the most important celebrities. Like me."

Adrien slapped his forehead in embarrassment.

"Well then, I am Pixelator. Your number one fan."

All of Adrien's red flags went up, as Chloé only smiled.

"Me? Oh, my, you're flattering me. Keep going."

"A photo of you, sweet miss.." He asked just as he was about to press a button on his face lens.

"Chloé!" Adrien called out, grabbing her arm, but wasn't fast enough as the two were zapped by the lens, and then transported to an endless empty plane.

"What the..." Adrien murmured as Chloé clung to his arm.

"What just happened?!" Chloé then sighed, "Well, I can fix this. Leave it to me." She said pressing one of the speed dial buttons. "Hello Daddy?... Daddy... Daddy?!" She checked and gasped in horror.

"I think we've been like... digitized or something." Adrien reasoned as he looked around.

"What do you mean, digitized?!" Chloé grasped his arm tighter, looking around in worry.

Adrien shrugged his shoulders, allowing Chloé to cling to him. "I don't really know, but I don't think it's a good thing."

Especially since I can't transform with Chloé here. Adrien thought to himself, realizing that he truly was trapped so long that Chloé was with him.

He sighed, looking up at the endless white sky, sincerely hoping that Ladybug would be able to get him out of this situation as soon as possible.

Marin knocked on the door to the Jagged Stone suite and was greeted by Jagged Stone's manager. "Please, come in." She said as Marin lowered his head reflexively, trying to keep himself together as he saw THE Jagged Stone sitting before him, playing his guitar as Fang's eyes lit up at the sight of his treat giver.

"I think I, uh, found the glasses you wanted, sir." Marin said sheepishly, handing over the bag, hiding his hands as he saw Penny glance at them. He tried to suppress his smile as he saw Jagged Stone's eyes widen in surprise at the glasses that were in the bag.

"Woah! These are perfect! Exactly what I wanted!" He exclaimed in excitement immediately putting them on, just as someone knocked on the door.

Marin knelt down, petting Fang as his tail wagging happily, sniffing his bag for more snacks. "Who are you?!" Penny called out in shock moments before she suddenly disappeared. Then walked in a person who was clearly Akumatized, smiling as he had a lens on his face. Smiling as he pressed a button towards Marin.

Next thing he knew, he was standing in an endless white plane. "Where am I?" He murmured in confusion, rubbing the back of his head. But snapped to attention as he felt something nuzzle his leg, seeing that Fang was dragged along with him into this...alternate dimension? He wasn't completely sure. But one thing he was sure of, was that he couldn't stay here. There was no one around him, save for the crocodile, so he opened up his bag. "Tikki." He called out as the Kwami flew out. "I need some input here." He asked as Tikki looked around.

But the Kwami shrugged her shoulders. "Transform?" She recommended.

"What?" Marin asked, unable to believe what he was hearing. "I can't transform here, what if someone finds out who I really am? I don't even know where we are." He said gesturing to the area they were in.

"It doesn't seem like you have any other option. Unless you want to rely on Chat Noir." Tikki informed.

Marin hummed for a moment, then sighed as he realized he had to take matters into his own hands. "I can't rely on him when I don't even know where he is." He admitted. Both he and his Kwami glanced at Fang who was wagging his tail happily, looking between the two, no idea what was happening but just happy to be there.

"Tikki, Spots on!"

Marin transformed into Ladybug. Still being watched by the crocodile who now rolled onto it's back, exposing his belly, asking to be petted.

"In a second," Ladybug promised as he threw up his yo-yo in the air. "Lucky Charm!" He called out, and almost fell over as a jackhammer landed in his hands. "Huh. How practical."

"Ugh! I still can't get through to Daddy! How can there be no cell reception here? Ridiculous!" Chloé complained as Adrien sighed, both had been walking for about an hour.

"It just goes on forever. No doors, no walls, no nothing..." He observed.

"You mean we're stuck here? Just... just the two of us?" Chloé suddenly said, grasping onto his arm.

"Uh, no. No." Adrien said pushing her away. "I'm, gonna see if there's a way out down there. Don't go anywhere. It could be dangerous." He said immediately turning around and opening his coat. "Plagg, I gotta find some way to transform." He harshly whispered.

"Come on, what's the rush?" Plagg remarked, staring at his partner who was glaring down at him. Plagg then sighed heavily, "Fine. If you insist, at least find me some cheese."

Adrien groaned as he remembered that the only camembert he brought was in his backpack.

"Ladybug, please get us out of here..." He groaned as Chloé grasped onto his arm again.

Ladybug landed in the exact spot he was shot in alongside Fang. Ending up watching as Pixelator was harassing Jagged Stone pleading for his life.

"NOO!" THe rockstar yelled out on his bed.

"Please, I want to immortalize you, Jagged! I'll be your one and only fan! You will belong to me for eternity! Now, look into the lens..."Pixelator requested but turned around as he heard a shrill whistle. And then promptly had a jackhammer thrown at him, breaking his lens to release the Akuma inside.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

The man who was Akumatized previously turned back to normal, looking around in confusion, before he picked up his camera.

"Stop harassing ." Ladybug bluntly said with a cold expression on his face, as Penny walked up next to him. "If you are actually an admirer of his, then you'd know better not to impose yourself on his personal life."

"But..."The man began to say but held his head as it was clear he wasn't in the right within this situation. Penny escorted him out as Jagged Stone quickly shook Ladybug's hands.

"Thank you so much! I thought I was a goner there for sure." The rockstar admitted as he then spotted his beloved crocodile. "Fang!" He called out, then quickly hugged his happy gator as Ladybug was just about to jump out the window. "Hey wait a sec. Where's that kid?"

Ladybug froze for a moment as the Rockstar looked around for his alter ego. With the only witness's back to him, he quickly transformed back to his other self behind the curtains. Stepping out, he noticed that Fang was already wagging his tail. As he had seen everything.

"Uh, I'm back here," Marin called out sheepishly, as Jagged Stone turned around in relief.

"Phew, for a second there I thought that you were a goner kid." He said as Fang walked towards him, rolling onto his back as he wagged his tail.

Marin chuckled as he knelt down. "I did promise didn't I?" He murmured under his breath as he petted the gator.

Adrien ended up back in the lobby, noticing a horde of magical flying ladybugs returning everything back to normal.

"Dudes! You just scared me!" Nino called out as he had fallen from behind the desk with an annoyed expression.

"What happened?! Did we miss Ladybug?!" Adrien practically demanded as ran towards his friend.

"I don't know, probably? Magic ladybugs don't just fly around on their own." Nino remarked as Adrien sighed. "Hey but don't worry about it, why do you think I've been standing here?" He held up his fist as Adrien returned the gesture, with a smile.

At the end of the day, Adrien waited outside the hotel for Nino as he saw Alya squeal, hugging Marin tightly. Alya then glanced towards him, whispering something in Marin's ear. It was probably something terrible as all the color on Marin's face drained almost immediately, then proceeded to try and leave. But was unable to escape Alya's grasp.

"Okay, I took all the cookies, let's go." Nino said walking out of the hotel, gesturing to his now swollen backpack.

"Hello, boys." Alya greeted as she held onto Marin's hand, though it was clearly against his will as he hid his face in his free hand. "Any plans this evening?"

Nino and Adrien exchanged a curious glance as Adrien spoke up. "No, I was just going to go over to Nino's place to play video games."

"Hmmm, how interesting." She said, then jabbing Marin's side, prompting him forward. "Maybe we could do something, together?"

"So uh, um." Marin stumbled for a moment before just simply holding out two tickets that made Adrien's and Nino's eyes light up.

"These are-" Adrien said as Nino immediately caught Marin in a half hug, taking his ticket with a huge smile on his face.

"Duddddee! Where did you get these?! The show's been sold out for weeks!" Nino exclaimed.

Marin smiled inwardly, lowered his head in embarrassment. "I helped out Mr. Stone today, and I guess I must have done a good job because he gave me these tickets." He glanced at Adrien for a moment, "Oh but, it's alright if you don't want to go-"

"It'll be my first live concert. Thanks for the ticket, I'm sure it'll be amazing!" Adrien said with a bright smile. Not noticing how red Marin's face became.

"Yeah, amazing..." Marin mumbled under his breath, hiding his smile.

Chapter Text

Marin stood stunned for a moment as there in his parents' bakery was a real music producer. The day had been normal, well, relatively normal as he wasn't allowed to work in the bakery until all the cuts on his hand were healed up. So he was working behind the register.

"So, are you interested?" The producer, Bob, asked with slight annoyance.

"Uh...wait, wait, wait. Let me get this straight. You want...me to design the album cover for Jagged Stone?! THE, Jagged Stone?"

He nodded eagerly, "That's right! Requested by Jagged Stone himself." Bob said handing over an XY CD. "I brought a few visuals so you can get a sense of what we're going for."

Marin made a sour expression, looking over the cd. "This is just XY." He said in confusion.

"Exactly, This is the direction of his new image. More modern, current!" Bob explained.

Marin tilted his head slightly, "...really? These two don't even perform the same genre-"

"Don't think!" Bob suddenly cut in. "This is what is selling these days, and this is what is going to get Jagged Stone's sales up. You do want to help, don't you?" He asked, giving off a slimy aura that made Marin want to get as far away from this man as possible. But he simply sighed.

"Yessir." He nodded as Bob was about to leave the shop, taking a croissant on his way.

"And one last thing, Marin. We're in a hurry! So we need your proposal by the end of the day. You up to it?"

"End of the day?!" Marin exclaimed, about to lecture this man on if he knew how much time it would take to properly prepare for something like this. But he sucked it up, and sighed once more. He glanced at his parents who nodded to him encouragingly. "Yessir."

"See you later, then!"

Suddenly, Marin felt his father's arms wrap around him in a tight hug, lifting him up to his height with a proud smile on his face. "My precious son, famous album cover designer. You're going to kill it! Marin style. Boo-yah!" He exclaimed, hugging his son once more and then placing him back down as his mother walked up to him with a worried expression.

"Are you sure you can do this? It's so sudden." She asked in concern.

But Marin smiled, "I know, but I get to help out Jagged Stone. What could be better than that mama?" He said kissing her cheek as he then walked towards the stairs and up to his room. But not before grabbing the cookie jar of reject cookies that sat in the bakery.

Marin grumbled to himself, throwing his headphones across the room. "Ugh, what kind of sick person actually markets this kinda stuff?!" He growled in annoyance, standing up from his desk. "Oh, why does Jagged Stone want to change his style? XY's music is so cold and lifeless, repetitive, mundane, the total opposite of Jagged. And what I've just done here is...ugh..."He grimaced looking at his work on his tablet.

"So why are you doing it, then?" Tikki asked, holding a deformed cookie in her hands.

"Because that's what I was asked to do." Marin sighed, slouching back down in his chair.

"Maybe you should follow your gut feeling. Do something that's really you!" Tikki suggested.

Marin sighed, "Tikki, when you're requested to do something, you have to follow in the client's orders." Marin held up the cd. "But Mr. Roth says that this is what wants, then my hands are tied..."

"Yeah, but...Jagged Stone wanted you because of your style!" Tikki argued.

"Augh, the pressure! I can't deal!" Marin suddenly exclaimed, slamming his head on his desk.

"Here, Here." Tikki said petting Marin's head, as he suddenly laughed, lifting his head.

He smiled at his Kwami for a few moments, pulling her into a gentle hug as she nuzzled his cheek affectionately. He took a deep breath before picking up his headphones, "Tikki, if I turn into a Zombie from listening to this music...try not to eat all of my parent's wares." He asked playing the music once more as he continued his work.

Jagged Stone looked between the art and Marin a few times in confusion. He sighed as Fang curled around Marin's feet, wagging his tail as the boy was tense. "What happened to the raw, impulsive artistry that made this?"

"Yeah, about that, I was told to–" Marin was about to explain but was stopped as Bob clasped his hand on his shoulder.

"Marin's part of our demographic, Jag! He represents our target audience. Clearly his input is exactly the direction that we should take with your new album." Bob said.

Jagged smirked, "And I guess it's a coincidence that his "input" looks exactly what you wanted the original design to be? Looks an awful lot like the cover of that YZ guy? Marin, don't listen to Bob. Could you do another one? You know, Jagged style?"

Marin hesitantly nodded, "Of course." But backtracked as Bob tightened his grip on his shoulder. "But I don't know if I can..." Marin said just before Fang started growling at him, making the older man back away.

"You're my boy, Marin. Remember: raw, impulsive artistry." Jagged Stone prompted grasping his hands, as he spoke sincerely. But it immediately faded as he glanced towards his producer. "I think we're all done here, Bob."

"No! We are not!" Bob snapped but backed away again as Fang growled louder. There was no glee in his eyes as he stared at the older man.

"Come with me, Marin." Penny said guiding Marin towards the door, "Don't worry! Just do your best, okay?"

"We aren't-"Bob called out, but this time he was almost bitten by Fang. "Aah!"

Adrien stepped onto the lobby as he suddenly bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry!" He heard then looked up to see Marin who looked equally as surprised to see him.

Adrien couldn't help but smile at his classmate. "Hey. Marin! What's up?" he asked helping Marin to his feet then noticing the CD on the ground. "Hey, is this Jagged Stone's new album?" He asked curiously.

"What? No! I mean, yes, but-" Marin rambled as Adrien handed his CD back. "It's complicated," he mumbled under his breath, rubbing the back of his head as Adrien tilted his head curiously.

"Anything you wanna talk about?" Adrien offered with a warm smile.

Unluckily for Marin, Adrien's smiles were always contagious as his expression softened. "It's kinda like this-" He was about to say but was then knocked aside as Chloé immediately hugged her childhood friend.

"Hi, Adrikins! There you are. Amazing Chloé has got a surprise for you! She knows you're a fan of Jagged Stone's."

Adrien pushed her away gently. "Uh, yeah I am." He said confirmed.

"Sooo, guess who gets a private meeting with your favorite star. He's staying right here in Daddy's hotel! Is Chloé the best, or is Chloé the best?" Chloé remarked with a confident smile.

Adrien gasped slightly as he saw Marin leave the hotel with his head lowered, wanting to go after him. But unfortunately for him, Chloé pulled him away towards the elevators.

"You and I both like the same kind of music. Isn't that awesome?" Chloé asked pushing the up button, having a giddy aura surrounding her.

"I… thought you liked XY." Adrien recalled as Chloé then placed a hand on her hip.

"Of course I do! Don't you?"

Adrien shook his head, placing his hands in his pockets. "Not really, no."

"Uh… well, neither do I. See?" Chloé remarked, grabbing his arm. "We have the same great taste!"

Suddenly a giant roar caught their attention as a newly Akumatized villain appeared with a giant dragon at his side.

"From now on, you can call me Guitar Villain, and he'll never do a duet with XY! In fact, soon, there won't even be a XY! Rockin' Riff, baby!" Guitar Villain announced, firing purple energy from his guitar at Bob and the interviewer sitting nearby, causing them to start dancing endlessly. "Soon, there'll be nothing but Guitar Villain fans, the one and only rocker on Earth!"

Chloé hid behind her childhood friend, watching the scene unfold. "Hurry, Adrien, get me out of here!" She said as Adrien then pushed her into the elevator, pressing a button as he ran into a nearby closet

"Well, you always did want to meet Jagged Stone." Plagg remarked as he flew out of Adrien's shirt.

"Meet him, not beat him up." Adrien clarified. "Plagg, claws out!"

The nearby civilians were banging their heads, as Guitar Villain placed more people under his spell.

"Rockin' Riff, baby!" He called out, sending out more attacks.

"Hey, Jagged!" Chat Noir called outstanding nearby. "C'mon! Why don't you try to rock my world?"

Guitar Villain curled his lip into a snarl. The name's Guitar Villain, pussycat. Riffing' Shock!"

Chat Noir evaded most of his attacks but was caught off guard by the dragon breathing fire. Meaning he had double trouble, but he was one partner short of a pair. Instead, he took out of bow staff, starting to attack Guitar Villan, but was taken off guard as the dragon blew more fire at him, followed up by one of Guitar Villain's attacks that repeatedly slammed him into a wall.

Guitar Villain laughed like a maniac as he kept up the repeating attack. But was stopped as he was suddenly sent flying, and Chat Noir fell into his partner's arms.

He looked up to see that Ladybug had cautioned his fall, but kept his eyes on the Dragon. "Cat Noir, you okay?" Ladybug asked as he evaded another one of the dragon's fire attacks.

Cat Noir smiled, "Good to see you, my lady. My apologies I couldn't assist you last time you were in need of my assistance." He half-joked, but blushed as Ladybug smiled at him for a moment.

"It was lonely fighting alone." Ladybug said easily, but Chat Noir's ears soon flattened as he saw a sly smirk on his partner's face. "Ready for a little Cat-ching up?" He tried to joke. As Chat Noir couldn't help but cringe.

"Leave the jokes to me bugaboo." He said just before ladybug tossed him towards a light pole holding Ladybug's yo-yo, giving him the momentum to leap on the dragon's mouth. As the animal struggled, Chat Noir quickly used his partner's weapon to tie up the dragon's mouth. "I think he's down-" Chat Noir was about to call out but was shaken off as Guitar Villain slammed his guitar into him. Chat Noir hit a nearby traffic lightly, holding his face now in pain.

"You're wasting my time. I've got a concert to get to!" Guitar Villain called out removing Ladybug's yo-yo from his dragon's mouth.

"Come on, we gotta follow them!" Ladybug said, picking up his yo-yo, then grabbed his partner who was still holding his face. Chat Noir yelped in surprise as Ladybug wrapped his arm around his waist, pulling the two onto the roofs. "His power comes from playing his guitar. We've got to keep him from performing or else all of Paris will be under his control."

Cat Noir smirked in amusement as he ran alongside his partner. "Well, I won't let you do this solo." He said with a smile. "See? That's how you do a joke!"

Atop the Eiffel Tower. Guitar Villain is flying on Fang towards the top of the tower. Chat Noir and Ladybug used their weapons to scale the tower, but Ladybug got there first, acting quickly as he pulled Théo out of the away from an attack.

Guitar Villain glared at them as his dragon circled around the tower. "You again?!" He called out, then retreating as he jumped off the tower onto his dragon, quickly flying away.

Ladybug turned towards Théo, "Where's he going?" He asked.

"The Tv Station." The artist replied as the two heroes then jumped off the tower. "Uh, Ladybug!" He called out, then sighed as he saw that they were already long gone. But something caught his attention as he saw his photo of Ladybug falling before him. He caught it, smiling brightly as it was now signed with his favorite heroes autograph.

"So where are we gonna take this guy?" Chat Noir began to ask as they stood before the TV station, crossing his arms as the sun began to set. But then XY walked out of the building looking annoyed as his hands were shoved in his pockets.

"We have to get you to safety." Ladybug said, but XY brushed him off.

"So what this Guitar Villain going to do? Blow me away with his evil guitar solo?"

"Yes!" Chat Noir said, "Once we catch Guitar Villain, we'll get you to the Eiffel Tower just in time for your live performance. Chat's word." He promised as his ears started to twitch.

XY shrugged his shoulders. "Pff. Who even cares? My roadie can just project my image on stage. Live concerts are so ten minutes ago-AHH!" XY screamed out as he was grabbed by the giant dragon and Guitar Villain.

Both heroes watched as the dragon flew off, trailed by screams of fear.

"...Please tell me he's not going back to the Eiffel Tower." Chat Noir asked as he got confirmation from Ladybug, who pointed towards the tower in the distance, and Guitar Villain heading towards that same spot. Chat Noir put his face in his hands as Ladybug then took his hand guiding him back towards the tower. 

Nightfall came as the two heroes ran up the Eiffel Tower while below them was a large crowd of people cheering for XY. Ladybug had to jump his way onto the wedges of the tower as Chat Noir could easily dig his claws into the steel, bounding up the side. But both had to stop as soundwaves started to ripple off the tower, shaking the entire thing.

"Ladybug!" Chat Noir called out in worry. While he was fine, his partner had lost his footing. Only barely handing on as the tower shook.

"XY's going to fall!" Ladybug yelled out through the sound. "Go on I'll be fi-" He said as the dragon flew by, opening his mouth for a bit as Ladybug was forced off the tower, using his yo-yo to hand onto his mouth, now hanging by a thread. As he climbed up, atop the dragon Ladybug petted his head. "Easy, easy. You're a good boy aren't you Fang?" Ladybug heard Fang whimper as he seemed to recognize him. "There's my buddy." He praised, pulling up the reins so that Fang would fly upward.

Cat Noir felt a swell of pride as he saw his partner tame Guitar Villain's dragon. Taking out his staff as he faced the villain head-on who was threatening XY standing at the edge of a plank.

"No! Please, don't!" XY begged as he looked down at the ground far below.

Guitar Villain flashed him a toothy grin just as he was about to strum.

"Not so fast!" Chat Noir called out, catching Guitar Villains' attention as his dragon flew by, charging towards him.

"My dragon!" He exclaimed as he dodged out of the way, now face to face with Chat Noir. The two clashed weapons atop the very unstable plank.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug called out, throwing his yo-yo into the air. In his hands, he received extra strength gorilla glue. Quickly, he smirked as he got an idea, first saving XY by tossing him to safety using his yo-yo, then removing the cap of the glue as he jumped off of fang. Easily, sprayed the glue onto Guitar Villain's face, trapping him as he could no longer hold his guitar.

Chat Noir then threw the guitar to Ladybug as he as well threw Guitar Villain to safety, just in time as Ladybug broke the guitar.

"Concert's over, little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

He handed atop the tower as Jagged Stone and Fang turned back to normal.

Ladybug and Cat Noir pounded fists victoriously as XY yelled out. "What is he doing here?!" He demanded

"Maybe he came to tell you not underestimate the power of his music!" Chat Noir suggested.

"But this guy's crazy!" XY retorted, but no one paid him any mind.

"How about an autograph, Jagged?" Chat Noir then asked, handing him a CD, unable to hold back his glee as he held his favorite rock star's autograph.

Ladybug nodded respectfully as he couldn't help but evade Fang's glowing eyes, recognizing his treat buddy under the mask.

"Later." He simply said as he then jumped off the tower, escaping into the night as Chat Noir waved.

In the dead of night, just after dealing with almost an entire day of running across the city. Just as dawn broke, Marin jumped up in glee just as dawn broke.

"Done!" He exclaimed holding up his tablet.

Tikki opened her eyes, not even lifting her head from the pile of scrapped fabric that Marin kept lying on his desk just for her. "Hmmm...Jagged Stone will love it..." She mumbled, falling back to sleep.

Marin smiled, nuzzling his Kwamis face as he immediately saved his work.

The next day at the hotel, Marin handed Jagged Stone his second design as Fang curled up around his legs within the rock star's hotel suite.

"Oh, yeah. This is perfect!" Jagged exclaimed tactically. I can almost smell the leather and sweat just radiating off this design!

"Uh, you actually are smelling it. I concocted a special scent sticker for your album." Marin explained as he knelt down to pet Fang's head.

" I want it. I got to have it. It's authentic. It's original. It's... so Jagged." Jagged praised hugging the Cd.

"No, you can't! It's not what the public-" Bob began to say, but was then cut off almost immediately.

"Fine, then I'm outta here! I'm sure another record company will be perfectly happy with the #2 chart topper." Jagged remarked with a sly smile. Bob then growled at him, stomping out of the room angrily.

"Now then," Penny remarked as she pulled Marin away. "I think that 10% of the sals would be sufficient enough, wouldn't you say?"

"Huh?" Marin tilted his head in confusion, then it dawned on him. "Oh, I don't - I wasn't doing this for any kind of money. I just wanted to be of use..."

Penny nodded, "And I understand that but what you have to understand that you should be compensated for your work."

"But Mr.Roth-" Marin tried to backtrack, but Penny wouldn't be deterred.

" Is a cheapskate, so trust me. It's in everyone's best interest that you accept."

"Yes ma'am." Marin nodded obediently.

"Excellent, I'll talk about it further with your parents." She said walking him out of the room as Jagged showed his new album cover to Fang who was wagging his tail happily at his owner's glee.

"In today's headlines, Jagged Stone's new album hit the charts at #1, hitting XY off his throne. Welcome back, king of Rock 'n' Roll!" Nadja said on the news as Marin kept his face covered sitting next to Alya who stopped the video on her phone.

"This is so embarrassing..." He murmured, hiding away his face as Alya smiled, full of pride for her friend.

"What's wrong you should be excited!" She shook him playfully. ", "My Best Friend Created Jagged Stone's New Album Cover." is totally trending on my blog! You're kinda a mini-celebrity now." She said cheerfully.

Marin only groaned in response, resting his head on her lap as he curled up into a ball.

"Um... hey there, Marin." He overhead as Alya shook him.

Oh no.

He sat up immediately, seeing Adrien smiling sheepishly at him, holding Jagged Stone's new album. "So, uh, I'm actually I'm a huge fan of Jagged Stone and I saw you designed his new album cover on Alya's blog."

"I...I did!" He chuckled, "Crazy, huh?"

"I wanted to ask if I could get it...autographed?" Adrien asked with a shy smile, handing over the CD and pen.

"Um, okay, sure... uh, I'll ask him..."He looked down at the CD, "This already has 's signature on it." Marin said looked at Adrien with a confused expression.

"Actually I meant you."

"Me? Are you sure?" Marin asked as his face suddenly reddened.

"If you wouldn't mind, I think this is my favorite album cover yet, even this sticker is amazing." Adrien remarked, smiling as he saw Marin signing it. "Awesome! Thanks, Marin!"

As soon as Adrien had his back turned Marin sat down, resting his head on Alya's lap.

"Did I just imagine it, or did you just sign an autograph for Adrien?" Alya asked playfully as she played around with his bangs. Smiling as Marin had a broad smile planted on his face, from end of to end.

Chapter Text

Chat Noir held up his hand for a pound it just after he and his partner had freed the Akumatized villain, both of them standing atop the roofs as a horde of news cameras were pointed towards them. His ears twitching as he could overhead Ladybug coughing against the falling rain.

"You okay?" Chat Noir asked still holding up his hand. But received no answer as Ladybug only spared him a glance before using his yo-yo to jump back into the city. He sighed, feeling a striking similarity to how they started off. It was sudden, but if he had done something wrong, Ladybug would have told him if he did something wrong...right?

"Ladybug and Cat Noir have saved Paris once again. Jean Duparc was akumatized into the very menacing Magician of Misfortune, threatening to make the Eiffel Tower vanish in a puff of smoke." Nadja said on the news as Adrien snuck into class, overhearing Alya's phone he sat next to Nino. She quickly put away her phone as the teacher passed by, Rose, on the other hand, was not so lucky.

"Combustion is a high-temperature exothermic redox chemical reaction between a fuel and an oxidant. Usually atmospheric oxygen..."Ms. Mendeleiev lectured as something caught her eye, scowling as she had her eyes trained on the back row. "Thank you, Rose. But I don't think our classroom needs extra refreshing." She said walking towards her.

Chloé laughed, "I thought someone packed a tuna fish sandwich, but it turns out it's Rose's perfume." she chastised as Adrien rolled his eyes.

"Furthermore, using your smartphone during school hours is strictly forbidden." Ms. Mendeleiev said, taking Rose's phone. "Take the rest of your things and go to the principal's office." She walked towards the front of the room, followed by Rose who hung her head as she walked out of the room.

Ms. Mendeleiev began to set up some chemistry equipment, setting down Rose's perfume bottle. "Watch what happens when you play about with flammable substances in a chemistry lab." She spritzed some perfume inside a glass container with an open bottom placing it upright, trapping the air inside. Then she pushed a button and a small flame cames out of a tube creating a small explosion just as the bell rang. "Just to make sure you all remember that I'll be quizzing you tomorrow on lab safety. Again!"

Adrien turned back to see Alya trying to wake up Marin, but he was in a deep slumber, much more than usual.

Marin coughed harshly, just after he placed his face mask on leaning on Alya as she helped him walk out of the building, followed by Nino and Adrien.

"You'd better go home directly cutie pie." Alya said checking his temperature by placing her hand on his forehead. "You're burning up."

"Caught in the rain the morning?" Nino asked, handing Marin back his backpack as the taller boy nodded.

"Didn't have an umbrella." Marin hoarsely said.

"But you live the closest to the school," Adrien pointed out, "Plus it didn't rain that heavily, how did you get sick so quickly?"

Marin shrugged as he coughed again.

"He's always been like this." Nino explained, "Although, you have gotten better since this year started." He recalled thoughtfully.

"It's probably because I have a good luck charm." Marin joked as he playfully punched Alya's shoulder before harshly coughing once more.

"Go home dude." Nino said bluntly.

"Right." Marin nodded as she pushed him towards the direction of his home.

"Hope ya feel better," Adrien called out, as Nino walked with him towards the street.

"You know..." Nino hummed, folding his hands behind his back. "Marin was asleep for almost the entire class."

"Yeah, he seemed pretty out of it. " Adrien commented in a concerned tone, watching as Alya walked Marin home.

"So he probably needs the notes from today for that next quiz coming up. It would be nice if someone smart were to let him borrow his notes..." He said jabbing Adrien's side playfully.

"Mh-hm." Adrien nodded, then noticed as Nino was staring at him with a dumbfounded expression before he sighed.

"Okay." Nino said defeated, lowering his hand.

"You better not get even more sick." Alya said as she waved at him, walking towards the bus stop as she dropped off Marin at his front door.

He could only nod as he closed the door behind him. Marin sighed as he walked into the space between the stairs and the wall that separated his family apartment from the bakery, opening his messenger bag to see his Tikki curled up in his handkerchief.

"Sorry, you caught my cold sugar cube." He apologized as he then sneezed into his sleeve, resting back down onto his back.

"I need you to take me to a doctor..." She murmured sneezing again as she curled into a ball.

"You and me both." Marin said sneezing once more."But where am I gonna find a doctor for Kwamis?"

"I know a healer. I'll tell you where to go..."Tikki murmured. Marin sighed, he felt terrible, but chances were that Tikki felt even worse. Plus, it wasn't like there was anyone else whom she could turn to for help, it was all on him to take care of his Kwami. He snuck past the bakery where his parents were manning the shop, carefully opening the door and closed it silently behind him. Trying to gather all his strength he tried not to use the wall as a crutch but felt a hit of vertigo that made him stumble into the wall.

"This is fine."

Adrien sighed heavily, working on his mandrin homework, then turned to the breaking news announcement. He saw a new villain entering the Grand Hotel with some kind of perfume weapon.

"What or who is that? Plagg?" He questioned walking up to the sofa then started looking around the room for his Kwami. "Plagg, let's go! There's trouble" He said as he finally found Plagg in his wastebasket among tossed paper and camembert cheese.

"I'm still chewing!" Plagg informed as Adrien sighed.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to eat in the trash can?" He then shook his head, "Whatever it's dine. Plagg, claws out!" He said as he transformed into Chat Noir.

Marin stumbled through the city, trying not to attract attention but noticed the breaking news report about the new Akumatized villain terrorizing Prince Ali's visit. But he made it to where he needed to be, despite having to talk into his bag almost the entire time. He entered into what appeared to be a massage therapy place, seeing a familiar old man sitting on a futon.

"Welcome, what can I do for you?" He asked with a smile.

"Uh, hullo sir." Marin said bowing his head slightly. He coughed before taking Tikki put of his bag. "My, hamster, needs help sir, I think she's sick." He said holding out Tikki towards him. Poor Kwami was cold, shivering as the old man took her.

"Hmm...I know just the thing." He said placing her on a pillow as he retrieved something from a stand nearby.

Marin sat down, trying not to fall asleep, as his head ached from all the walking and he was cold for some reason yet drenched in sweat.

The old man hit a gong while Marin could only watch Tikki in concern.

"Is...is she going to be okay?" He had to ask, his eyes starting to droop.

"One who is burning with impatience can never eat hot porridge."

"Porridge sound nice..." He murmured as his head grew fuzzy.

"Young man, are you sure that you're the one that doesn't need treatment?" The old man asked curiously as he held his hands before Tikki.

"Uh, what?" Marin snapped to attention hearing the old man's voice. "No, no sir, I'm fine...just..." He blacked out for a second as he started to shiver, "Fine."

The old man nodded as he stood up for a moment, putting on a record of soothing music as he then sat down. Silence, please." he requested.

They sat there for a little while as Tikki stopped shivering when the old man hit the gong once more. "What kind of hamster did you say this was again?" He asked.

Marin nodded off for a moment before lifting his head. "Cat? Um, right." He murmured before he blacked out.

Cat Noir landed on a window sill as the villainess pointed a spritzer bottle towards the prince. "Can we get a little fresh air in here?" He asked taking out his staff and jumping in front of the prince, his secretary, and Chloe...apparently.

"No one will take Princess Fragrance's prince away!" She remarked shooting a cloud of pink perfume towards him, but Chat Noir knocked away her bottle by extending his staff, then kicking her into the kitchen.

"Emergency evacuation, everybody down!" He then called out, extending his pole down to the streets.

"It's much too dangerous for the prince." The Prince's chaperone said,

Cat Noir then noticed a cart nearby with a few bowls that he smirked at. "You're right." He agreed, placing the bowls onto everyone's head. "Safety first!"

"I'm not going down there, it's mess up my clothes!" Chloé complained, removing the bowl on her head.

Chat Noir shrugged his shoulder, "Stay here then." He said as he slid down the staff first. But was followed by Chloé; who gave in, Prince Ali, and his chaperone. Once everyone was outside, he spotted Princess Fragrance glaring out at them from the window.

"I left my license in my other hero suit, you mind taking the wheel?" He asked the chaperone who nodded, immediately unlocking the car so they all could climb in.

Driving away, Chat Noir noticed Princess Fragrance following them using her perfume gun. As soon as he stepped into the car he grimaced as something offensively smelling was with them, reminding him of rotting fish. He pinched his nose as he looked back at Chloé's who glared at him defensively.

Chat Noir dialed Ladybug, but the call wouldn't go through. "Can we open the windows? This fish smell is even too much for a cat." As he gasped for fresh air he glanced at the prince who did the same. "So, any idea what her highness wants?"

"No idea." The prince said.

"We have precisely nine minutes to get to the hospital. The prince is on a very strict schedule."

"What?!" Chat Noir exclaimed. "No way we can go to the hospital now! We have to get Prince Ali out of Paris ASAP-" He warned as they all heard a thud on the roof.

Chat Noir undid his seat belt so he could jump on the roof, seeing Princess Fragrance smiling down at Prince Ali. "My prince! Fancy seeing you here, what a stroke of luck!"

"Bad Luck you mean." Chat Noir remarked. "Keep driving!"

Princess Fragrance sneered as she held up her perfume gun. "My prince, I'll take you to the Pont des Arts, and there, we'll seal our love!" She exclaimed in glee as she tried spritzing Chat Noir, but the speed of the car only made the attack disperse behind them.

"Sorry to take the wind out of your plan, but the prince is on a tight schedule." Chat Noir said attacking Princess Fragrance with his staff but was too late to realize that it was a trap. Princess Fragrance grabbed his staff pulling him towards her point-blank.

"You're right, the prince and I shall be wed, and then together we'll destroy you and Ladybug." She threatened using her gun on everyone in the car as Chat Noir pushed himself away, losing his balance as he fell off the car, rolling onto the sidewalk. He was only able to watch as Princess Fragrance laughed like a maniac driving away with her prince.

Chat Noir stood up, dialing Ladybug once more, leaving a message for his partner. "Heeeey there Bugaboo, so funny story. Princess Fragrance here kidnapped herself a prince, his chaperone and Chloe. They're heading to Pont des Arts, and I was hoping that you'd be my plus one for their wedding."

Marin opened his eyes as he felt something cold on his forehead. His nose was stuffy and he still had his headache, but the fuzziness cleared up. He was covered in a few blankets on the futon that was in the massage parlor. He first saw the old man sitting next to him with his blazer, messenger bag, and face mask folded neatly next to him.

"It's good to see you-"

"Oh no! Where's Tikki?!" Marin suddenly sat up, but his headache returned, but there was no time for that. "Tikki? Tikki?!"

"Calm down." The old man said, placing a hand on his back. "Your hamster is fine." He said reassuringly as Tikki hovered before him with a bright smile on his face.

"Tikki, I was so worried!" Marin sighed in relief, tears welling up as Tikki nuzzled his face, hugging him happily. "Thank you, thank you so much! You're a real magician, sir! "don't know what I do without you." Marin nodded as he tried to stand up.

"It's no problem.

Marin's eyes suddenly widened, "Oh no, how long was I out for?!" He asked urgently.

"Just a few hours-Hey!" The old man snapped as Marin grabbed his things, Tikki hovered nearby, but stopped as the old man spoke up again. "You should go get some rest yourself."

"Yes sir, but I can't right now. I have to go help a friend."

"Is this friend more important than your own health?" The old man scolded, but it went over Marin's head as he immediately headed for the door, ignoring his headache and sore throat.

"Yes sir! Thank you so much for your help, I'll come back to pay you!" He quickly said running out of the building and into a nearby alley as Tikki hovered before him.

" He's right you know." Tikki said as Marin nuzzled her face with his hand.

"I know sugar cube. But sick or not, Paris needs Ladybug. Tikki, Spots on!"

Chat Noir handed on a building overlooking the ceremony as Princess Fragrance walked toward Prince Ali, escorted by mayor Bourgeois like a bride; While Prince Ali stood next to his chaperone, and Chloé who was holding a pink box in her hand.

Princess Fragrance was handed off, grasping Prince Ali's hands as a twisted smile formed on her face. "I can't wait for us to be together. Forever! Servant, love padlock, please." Chloé opened a box to reveal a padlock with Princess Fragrance's pink perfume coming off of it, "This will lock our love forever, my prince!"

"At your service, Princess Fragrance!" Prince Ali sang. Sang?

"Weird." Chat Noir commented, but being possessed by an Akuma wasn't normal, then again who was he, a magical cat, to judge. "He took out his staff, jumping down on top of a nearby lamp. "I object!" He announced drawing all the attention towards himself with a smirk, "Always wanted to say that."

Princess Fragrance pointed her perfume gun towards him until a yo-yo grabbed the lock, tossing it into the river.

"Ladybug!" Chat Noir called out with a smile as his partner landed on the lamp post before him.

Princess Fragrance gasped, "My padlock!" then angrily pointed her perfume gun towards the hero, firing a pink cloud around him with no escape.

"Watch out!" Chat Noir warned, jumping off of the lamp, with his staff in hand. He froze for a moment as he saw Ladybug hold his head as Princess Fragrance grinned evilly.

Princess Fragrance then turned towards Chat Noir, holding up her gun over her head. "Servants, attack! And take Chat Noir's ring!"

Ladybug then threw something at Chat Noir which he caught, "Cataclysm!" he called out, using his power to destroy part of the bridge, making Princess's Fragrance's servants, save for Prince Ali fall down into a boat passing by so they couldn't reach him. He looked up in surprise as Ladybug used his yo-yo to grab her perfume bottle.

"How?! How did you evade my mind control perfume?!" She demanded as the perfumed bottle still was releasing gas until Ladybug turned it off. Chat Noir looked down in his land at Ladybug's lucky charm, quickly putting two and two together. He lit it, throwing it up at the gas, destroying it as the charm fell into Ladybugs' hand. He quickly destroyed the bottle, caught the akuma, released the magical ladybugs, and as soon as Rose turned back to normal, he handed her personal item back. Then promptly left as she walked over to Prince Ali with bright eyes. 

"Hey! Wait!!" Chat Noir called out, chasing after him. 

Luckily, Ladybug stopped for him, having his back turned as Chat Noir caught up. 

"Something up?" He immediately asked, "You've been distant." 

Did I do something?

He almost asked, but held himself back as he didn't want to project any of his negative personal feelings into him. He tensed as he saw Ladybug sigh, turning around he saw that his partner's complexion was a more sickly pale, and his nose was red. 

"No, my Kwami got sick, and I guess I caught it." Ladybug explained in an incredibly hoarse voice. "I didn't want you or your Kwami to catch it." He explained, "Sorry I was distant the past few days..." Ladybug then murmured as he stumbled for a second. 

Chat Noir stepped froward towards him but stopped as Ladybug held up his hand. Then his eyes widened with realization, his worry not turning to full-on shock. "Wait a sec, are you telling me for the past few missions you were sick the entire time?!" 

Ladybug immediately averted his gaze.

"Bugaboo!" Chat Noir snapped all of a sudden, surprising his partner. "You cannot be running around like this, what if you get worse?! Go home and get sleep and do whatever you need to or else I'm not going to let you be Ladybug. You think I won't do it? I know I'm much stronger than you." Chat Noir threatened with an annoyed look on his face, not backing down even when Ladybug laughed. 

"What's so funny?" Chat Noir asked, crossing his arms as both of their Miraculous beeped. 

"Nothing, just that," Ladybug shook his head, smiling slightly as he turned away. "it's kind of you to think of my wellbeing." 

"What do you mean? I'm always thinking about you!" Chat Noir reflexively said, then immediately his face turned bright red, as he covered his mouth. But Ladybug didn't notice, throwing his yo-yo into the city. 

"Thank you kindly Chat Noir." He said sincerely, jumping into the town as Chat Noir screamed internally, running towards his own home. 

Back in his room, Marin's entire body feet heavy, hardly able to move as he was stuck on his bed wrapped up in three blankets and somehow still cold, completely taken out of commission after the day's events. He wore his pajamas and the new hoodie he had sewn together, all of it was cozy enough for Tikki to snuggled into. His Kwami slept alongside him as her friend was in a deep slumber. More at ease now that for the moment, he wasn't worried about being Ladybug, just focusing on his sleep as night fell. 

Meanwhile, Adrien looked through his chemistry notes while Plagg was eating his cheese happily. Suddenly, Adrien lifted his head, his eyes widening with realization and his face reddened with embarrassment. "I should have lent Marin my notes!" He said with realization as he recalled the day's earlier evens, then rested his head on his desk in defeat. 

Chapter Text

Adrien smiled in reassurance as he helped Nino set up his DJ stand at the TV station for the upcoming show. "Thanks for doing this last-minute dude." Nino thanked as he placed his records down. "Marin had to bail last minute."

"No problem, is he okay?" Adrien asked curiously.

Nino nodded. "Yeah, he's just grounded."

"Grounded? Marin?" Adrien asked in surprise. "I thought he was sick for the past week what did he do?"

"Funny story," Nino remarked, leaning against the stand. "He snuck out, and his parents weren't happy at all once they found out. They don't look like it, but they're super protective over him. They almost even homeschooled him once." Nino explained as Adrien nodded in surprise. "But we can still stop by later to drop by some school notes since Alya is babysitting her sisters," Nino said playfully jabbing Adrien's side.

Adrien couldn't hold back his laughter, "Come on, we both know you're just friends with Marin for the cookies." He said as Nino wrapped his arm around his best friend's shoulder.

"Hey- no need to call me out Agreste."

"Welcome back to everyone's #1 live game show: The Challenge! Let's give it up for our awesome contestant, Nino!" Alec announced as Nino entered the screen with a shy smile. "So Nino, you're a student and a DJ. That's pretty awesome! Check out the decks we got for you!"

"Grounded? For what?!" Alya asked in surprise as Marin rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. He had her on webcam as he streamed the show to her live.

"...sneaking out while I was sick"

"What?" Alya tilted her head in confusion. "Why would you do that?"

Because I am a superhero who needs to protect the city.

"Because I wanted to get some ice-cream." Marin bluntly spat out, not thinking about what he was saying. "Please don't look at me like that Alya." He then begged as Alya was clearly judging him some kind of fierce.

"So what's Cookie think of this development?"

"Well at first he was upset, and then he yelled at me when I told him why I was grounded," Marin said averting his gaze.

"And you deserve to be yelled, despite being a cutie pie."

"Aw. You think I'm cute." Marin smiled as the two watched a live steam of the show together.

"So, the challenge the viewers have chosen for you is... To get the mayor of Paris, André Bourgeois, to dance!" The announced, Alec announced as Nino approached his decks.

Adrien's chest swelled with pride as Nino performed for thousands of people and the mayor. Another man, another competitor walked up to him, he held out his hand with a friendly smile but was met with his bodyguard standing between them with a gruff expression. Adrien shot the man an apologetic smile as he backed away slowly, clearly intimidated.

"Victory!" Alex announced. "Challenge conquered by Nino. You moved your head to the beat, Mayor Bourgeois! That counts as dancing!"

"What?!" Mayor Bourgeois snapped, "That's not true! My neck was... itching, that's all."

"Relieving an itch to the beat counts as dancing, too!" Alec said as he placed a hand on Nino's shoulder, "Nino, congratulations. You'll return in one week to meet your next challenge! And now, for our next contestant, welcome Simon Grimault!"

As Nino walked off the stage, giving a high five to Adrien as the two then hugged. "Awesome, dude!" Adrien said as his chest swelled with pride."

For the next round, a hypnotist walked into the stage, the one that Adrien came across earlier holding a pack of cards in his hand.

"Mr. Grimault, you are a hypnotist. You use cards to hypnotize people to get what you want from them!" Alec explained.

"Well, yes, I'm a hypnotist. But, uh, I don't use my skills to get anything." Simon mumbled.

"So, your challenge today, Simon, is to use your talents to bring a very elusive celebrity to this very TV set! Give it up for the king of fashion, Gabriel Agreste!" Alec announced as Adrien couldn't help but feel intimidated by even the image of his father behind a webcam.

"What is this show? I was told this was an interview." His father said sternly, clearly in a bad mood already, which didn't

"Dude, your dad!" Nino pointed out, as Adrien flashed him a forced smile, even though he was clearly worried for Simon.

"Do your thing, Grimault, let's see if you can bring Mr. Agreste here with your hypnotic persuasion!" Alec said as he left the stage.

"I told you, I don't make people-" Simon was about to say before he was interrupted.

"Hilarious," Gabriel grumbled. "This is a waste of my time." He only said as the image of him disappeared.

"Huh?" Alec questioned as he was stunned by this turn of events.

Adrien sighed, "That's my dad, all right." he said as Nino placed a hand on his shoulder, grinning at him with reassurance.

"Tough luck, looks like Mr. Agreste has turned on your challenge. Game over!" Alec announced as Simon looked to him in dismay.

"But... that's not fair! I didn't even get time to-" He pleaded before he was guided off the stage by security and then thrown out of the studio.

Adrien watched as Simon walked away, feeling sympathy as he knew that feeling all too well. He hesitated for a moment as he tried to walk after him, but was caught by his bodyguard who shook his head.

"Don't worry about him dude," Nino said. "These guys should've realized there's no making your dad bend to anyone's will. Uh, no offense."

"No, you're right." Adrien agreed.

Suddenly, the doors opened behind them as a newly akumatized villain stepped out.

"Simon says, the show isn't over!" The man said as he walked forward towards the camera. Adrien's bodyguard tried to stop up from getting any closer but the Simon Says only smiled. "Simon says, pause!" He then threw a card at the guard, who froze at contact. Simon Says then walked to the stage, smiling brightly as Nino then grabbed Adrien's hand.

"We gotta get outta here!" He said as Adrien nodded, the two spitting up as everyone was stunned.

"Gabriel Agreste turned down my challenge and he will pay for it! By midnight tonight, he will entertain us in this very TV studio. Gabriel Agrete, Simon says, I'm coming to get you!"

Adrien's eyes widened slightly just before the door closed. "Dad?" If this villain was after this father, then there was no way he could let him leave the studio.

He ran towards the bathroom where he opened his shirt. "Plagg." He called out as his Kwami appeared.

"Simon Says seems little touchy to me." He remarked.

"Yeah, well it tends to happen when you come across my dad." Adrien said. "Plagg, claws out!"

Chat Noir hid among the scaffolding atop the studio, spotting Nino hiding among the equipment. Chat Noir held a finger to his lips, signally for Nino to remain quiet as he looked over at Simon Says. He had to be careful proceeding forward, one wrong move and he'd could be on the receiving end of Simon Says's commands...

"GIMMIE THOSE CARDS!"

Chat Noir pinned Simon Says to the ground, about to reach other the deck when the villain smirked, scattering all the cards on the ground. The hero scrambled to gather all of the cards, not seeing Simon Says throw two cards towards his previously frozen bodyguard.

"My gorilla will take care of you. Simon says.. knock him out!" He called out.

Chat Noir turned back to see his bodyguard for a moment just before he was slammed out into the hall. He took out his staff, spinning it as he had to face down a literal brick wall.

"I may not always land on my feet, but I always bounce back!" He tried to deflect his bodyguard's attacks, but it wasn't doing much against the heightened strength of his bodyguard due to Simon Says's spell. He grabbed Chat Noir's staff, flinging it aside.

Chat Noir smirked, holding up his dukes. "Better watch out. My sensei taught me that-" His bodyguard grabbed him, squeezing him tightly as Chat Noir rasped out his words, "size doesn't matter!" He struggled to escape. Spotting the elevator open nearby. "Oh, hey there Ladybug." He said as his bodyguard was distracted for a moment, using those precious moments to escape, then kicked him into the elevator.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir called out, trapping his bodyguard in the elevator as he just narrowly escaped being crushed. "I quit karate." He sighed in relief as he heard a set of footsteps from behind. He jumped off the wall, picking up his staff as he was ready to defend himself against any enemy. Unintentionally putting threatening his partner with his weapon, and Nino who was standing behind him.

"Nice seeing you too, Chat Noir." Ladybug said moving the staff out of his face.

"Oh, sorry. I thought you were Simon Says." Chat Noir said, trying not to blush at the memory of what he said last time they met.

"We need to get out of here, that Simon guy is gathering a whole army together dudes!" Nino said in a panic.

"He's looking for Gabriel Agreste." Chat Noir informed as his ring started to beep. "We better get to him faster then they can!"

"Chat Noir, I think you have more pressing concerns." Ladybug said pointing to his ring. "Besides, Nino has a friend here that we need to find."

Chat Noir's eyes widened, "Uh... Forget it! He's probably hypnotized."

Nino looked between the two heroes with worried eyes, "But...he's my buddy!"

"You heard him, "Ladybug gestured towards Nino, "he's his buddy." Ladybug said as though that ended the discussion. "I'll take one last look around for Nino's friend, then we'll meet up at the Agreste house."

Chat Noir smiled for a moment, at the attention his alter ego was getting, then backtracked. "Uh...maybe you're right. Maybe he's hiding. I'll leave you to look for him!" He said then running towards the fire escape. As soon as ran down the first flight of stairs he detransformed, catching a weakened Plagg in his hands. Out of his pocket he took out a piece of cheese, and almost immediately Plagg dug into it. Adrien smiled softly, placing his Kwami into his shirt pocket, "Thanks for your help." He said gratefully as he moved to the first-floor entrance.

"Adrien!" Nino called out as he spotted his best friend immediately hugging him "Dude, you okay?" He asked in concern.

"I'm fine," Adrien reassured, then he glanced towards Ladybug who averted his glance, crossing his arms as he was on guard. "...Hello." Adrien said timidly.

"I'm going to take you and Nino home. Your father is a target for Simon Says." Ladybug informed as he guided the two out of the building.

"What? Why?" Adrien asked, even though he knew the answers.

"I'll explain on the way," Ladybug said, "Chat Noir will meet us there."

Adrien ran into the house first, closely followed by Ladybug and Nino who walked in. "Nathalie, where's my father? He's in danger!" He exclaimed as Natalie placed a hand before him, gesturing for him to calm down.

"He knows already," Natalie informed as Gabriel Agreste stood atop the stairs, his hands folded behind him.

"Good evening, Ladybug." Adrien's father greeted.

"Father, you've gotta get outta here. The hypnotist Simon Says is coming after you!" Adrien pleaded.

Gabriel scoffed. "And have my actions be dictated by a clown? Certainly not."

Adrien twitched slightly, wondering if his father was referring to the Akumatized villain, or him. Either way, it probably wouldn't have made a difference. "But father, he's dangerous! Who knows what he'll do?"

Gabriel retained his stern expression. "Go to your room now. You've had enough excitement for today. Nathalie, make sure they stay there." He ordered as the two boys exchanged a glance, following Natalie to Adrien's room. " I apologize for my son, Ladybug. He's like his mother, overly dramatic."

"He's right, you know."Ladybug remarked. "Simon Says is a real threat. Are you certain you don't want to listen to your son?" the hero asked, narrowing his eyes as Gabriel smirked.

"What could possibly happen with you here to protect me?" He said, placing a hand on the heroes' shoulder, while Ladybug was aware where his eyes lingered towards.

"You sure your old man isn't some robot or something?" Nino asked as he walked with Adrien to his room.

Adrien sighed, looking back at him with a smile. "When my father's concerned I'm never sure of anything." He said opening the door as the entered his room.

Nino's eyes widened, looking at the large room around them filled with a child's dream. "Hoho! Dude! I've seen stadiums tinier than your room!" He exclaimed in excitement.

Adrien smiled at his best friend as he immediately walked into the bathroom. "Make yourself at home. I'm gonna take a shower."

Nino glanced at him. "What? Now?!

Adrien shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? It's the model in me!" He explained, shitting the door behind him before sighing. "Why doesn't my father ever listen to me?" He asked as Plagg flew out.

He nuzzled his Kwami's have before putting up his guard. "Plagg, claws out!"

Ladybug glanced at the array of modeling photo's on Gabriel's wall within his office, holding his composure as he folded his hands behind his back.

"Isn't he flawless?" Gabriel asked.

Ladybug glanced at him, not responding.

"Adrien, my son." Gabriel clarified as he stood next to Ladybug. "He's the image of perfection, don't you think?"

Ladybug averted his gaze, looking out to the windows instead. "I don't believe I'm qualified to comment."

"You are an idol for Paris are you not? Perhaps you

Gabriel smirked, I've never noticed your earrings before. They really are quite unique. May I?" Gabriel asked, already holding out his hand to touch them as Ladybug then took a step back.

"Forgive me Mister Agreste, but I'm sure you can understand the need to protect something important." Ladybug remarked curtly.

"Of course." Gabriel nodded as Ladybug's yo-yo beeped.

"Excuse me." Ladybug nodded as he took the call, noticing Gabriel's glare as he placed the call on speaker. "Chat Noir, where were you?"

"I-I was..." Chat Noir stammered, sounding stressed, "keeping Simon Says at bay! But I couldn't keep him away. He's coming. He's got company!" Chat Noir said as he then jumped through the window. "Close off all exits! They're coming from another direction! Do as I say! Engage the self-defense system, we need total lockdown!"

Gabriel nodded, shutting down the entire house behind steel walls. "How do you know about the system?"

"Uh... In a house like this... it's a given!" Chat Noir stuttered, with an embarrassed smile.

Gabriel gained his composure. "They won't get in. This house is built like a fortress."

"Announcer: Emergency power on." The defense system announced as the house was suddenly swarmed with people.

"There are too many of them." Chat Noir informed as he placed a hand on his staff.

Ladybug narrowed his eyes for a moment. "I need to secure get Adrien and Nino." he said.

Gabriel pressed a button before his desktop that opened a hidden compartment. "Here, Nathalie. Pick the controls in case you need to unlock an exit. She's coming with you." He said.

Chat Noir grabbed the other remote. "I'll reinforce the outer defenses. Go hide in the atrium. It's not safe in here."

"No one tells me what to do. Not even a superhero." Gabriel bluntly said.

Chat Noir then grew annoyed, "You're in as much danger as everyone else. So stop pretending you're above us all and do what I tell you to!" He demanded as Gabriel's eyes widened in surprise.

"Quite a temper. You remind me of someone." He remarked as Chat Noir stood on the window sill.

He glanced at the portrait of his mother for a moment before climbing up on the ceiling.

Ladybug and Nathalie entered Adrien's room.

"Ladybug! What's going down?" Nino asked walking up to the hero.

"We need to move to safer ground. Where is Adrien?" Ladybug asked.

"Taking a shower." Nino informed, pointing to where the restroom was.

"Now?" Ladybug asked, dumbfounded. But also a little impressed that Adrien felt secure enough to be vulnerable while his house was about to be overrun.

Nino shrugged his shoulders, "It's the model in him."

Ladybug sighed, looking towards Natalie. "Leave the remote control with me and take Nino to the atrium. I'll take care of Adrien." He requested as Natalie guided Nino out of the room. Ladybug knocked on the door, overhearing "Mister Agreste? Hello?!"

He didn't respond, and reflexively Ladybug's mind to the worst possible place. "Excuse me." Ladybug opened the door, noticing the steam as he then heard Adrien's voice.

"Yeah?" He questioned, and Ladybug immediately shut the door with a scarlet red face. "We need to leave. Cut your shower short." He ordered, slapping his cheeks to try and shock away the embarrassment.

"Uh, Can I put on my clothes first?" He heard Adrien ask.

Ladybug sighed, "Just hurry." Something else caught his attention on Adrien's desk. He admired the desktop of Adrien and his mother hugging each other. He couldn't help but feel pained at how happy Adrien looked, his expression brighter than he'd ever seen before. Emilie Agreste, a mystery in her own right, a well-known actress, wife to the fashion world's most well-known contributor, and above all; a woman who clearly loved her family. Well, that was all he heard of her second-hand.

"That's my mother." Adrien said walking up next to him with a towel around his shoulders.

"Emilie Agreste." Ladybug remarked as he already knew.

"Are you a fan?" Adrien asked with sudden interest his eyes lighting up at her mention. It made Ladybugs heart ache, thinking about how much Adrien must miss her.

Ladybug nodded, "I only know her work, and of how she was a delight to be around." He said slightly glancing towards Adrien who hung his head, but even so still smiled.

"Yeah, that was the kind of person she was. Always a hard worker, always smiling, never letting anyone feel sad on her account..." He murmured in melancholy, as though he were remembering memories long past.

"Forgive me if I'm out of line," Ladybug suddenly said as Adrien snapped to attention. "I never met her, but if she was anything like you," He said placing a hand on Adrien's shoulder. A soft, sincere smile drew on the hero's face. "then she probably was an amazing person."

For a moment, Adrien was mesmerized, strangely feeling a warm, familiar feeling in his chest. "Yeah...she was."

Suddenly, the windows started to bang as Simon Says's army swarmed over the house. Ladybug narrowed his eyes, quickly shoving Adrien into the bathroom as he fell over. "Stay here." He ordered, closing the door behind him.

Plagg then flew out when they were along. "Oh my! What was that all about? Sweet love?"

Adrien blushed furiously for a moment before shaking his head. "He can't do this alone." He said, then stood up. "Plagg, claws out!" He said as Plagg tried to fly away.

"Oh, not again!"

"Welcome to another exciting hour of "The Challenge"! Good evening again from Simon Says. Viewers, I've kept my promise. Here's Gabriel Agreste!"Simon Says announced as he entered the house with his army of minions, having already captured Gabriel.

Simon Says pulled a card out of his deck. "Simon says... you are a butterfly!-" He said, but before he could complete the spell, his deck was knocked away, by a pole.

"Sorry, but the show's over!" Chat Noir remarked as he sent Simon Says flying across the room, his minions then turned their attention towards Chat Noir who smirked in amusement.

"Chat Noir, you can save him by giving me your Miraculouses. Do the right thing..." Simons Says said, picking himself up. He took out his deck to get another card but was taken off guard but a loud sound.

"OW- WHAT THE F-" Simon Says snapped as his deck of cards was taken from his hand and thrown to Chat Noir.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir exclaimed, activating his power and destroying the deck, releasing the Akuma. He glanced at Ladybug who has a ladybug printed bullhorn in his hand.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal. The house was now empty, save for Simon who was looking around in confusion. Ladybug handed his deck back, guiding him to the front door of the house.

"Don't be deterred by this one set back, you have a lot of promise." Ladybug said.

"Yeah, don't worry about back there, all things considered, you got off easy." Chat Noir remarked as Simon nodded, thanking the two as he left the house. The two heroes then glanced at each other victoriously, bumping their fists together as Chat Noir's ring started to beep.

"I'm afraid your kidnapping's been canceled, sir." Chat Noir commented as Gabriel walked up to the two of them at the entrance.

"Pardon?" Gabriel asked, narrowing his eyes in displeasure, but then relaxed his shoulder. "I...appreciate your service today." He rasped out, holding out his hand towards Ladybug.

"Prefer my partner? Can't say I blame you." Chat Noir remarked, accepting Gabriel's gesture, shaking his hand, but noticed as his father was looking at his ring with curious intent.

"Uh, Gotta spit" Chat Noir took a step back, "Ladybug, always a pleasure." bowing slightly as he used his staff to scale the roof of the house. Disappearing from sight.

"I hope you realize, you should've listened to your son earlier." Ladybug commented, crossing his arms. He wasn't expecting Gabriel to dawn a smile of amusement.

"If I didn't then that there would've been no telling where Simon would have ended up"He informed as Ladybug narrowed his eyes. "I believe the word you're looking for is, thank you."

"Even so," Ladybug said taking out his yo-yo. "I hope you realize you're very fortunate." He remarked before jumping onto the rooftops, feeling Gabriel's gaze on his back.

Adrien looked out his window with his phone in hand. Looking at the pictures of his mother as Plagg sat on his shoulder, looking at him in concern, then swiftly disappeared as he heard the door open. Adrien turned around in surprise as his father walked in. He panicked for a moment, he didn't know if he did anything wrong if he did it was probably by accident, then again-

"Father-" Adrien flinched slightly as his father was hugging him. As soon as the surprise faded, Adrien leaned into the gesture, smiling as for a moment he felt at ease.

As his father pulled back he narrowed his eyes at his ring, holding his hand to observe it closer. " I've never noticed your ring before."

Adrien's ease was then promptly replaced with annoyance, "Is that the only thing you've never noticed about me?"

Gabriel glanced away, returning to his former stoic persona. "I'm glad everything worked out for the best." He commented then walked out of the room, leaving his son alone. Adrien glanced down at his Miraculous rubbing it as he could feel Plagg uncharacteristically nuzzling his cheek. A smile broke out as he returned the gesture.

"Thanks Plagg.

The next day Adrien watched as Marin helped Nino set up his equipment, the two had some tension between them as Nino lectured Marin, but it soon broke as Marin laughed him off. Nodding his head in appreciation, as the two then hugged, cementing forgiveness. Then Marin quickly jumped off the stage as Alec approached his friend.

"Welcome back to everyone's #1 game show, The Challenge! Last week, our cool DJ friend Nino won the challenge. So, let's welcome him back again!" He announced placing his hand on Nino's shoulder who shyly waved to the cameras.

"Hey." Adrien greeted as Marin stood nearby. "So...Nino, huh?" Adrien said trying to start a conversation.

"Yeah, I think he could win this round." Marin simply said as he gripped his messenger bag.

There was a silence between them before Adrien handed Marin a blue folder from his bag. "This, uh, these are the notes from last class, there's a quiz coming up, so I thought you might..."

Marin's eyes widened as he took the folder. "Wow thanks, everyone else was really evasive about letting me borrow them." He said looking through the papers.

Adrien grimaced as he could see Nino and Alya's influence a mile away, but retained his smile. "Hey, so maybe we all could-"

"So we upped the challenge for you tonight, Nino. You're gonna have to get two celebrities dancing instead of one! However, this time, you can choose your opponents." Alec announced.

"Oh, I've got this one in the bag. I'm gonna pick two buds I know won't let me down." Nino announced with a bright smile, "Ladybug and Chat Noir!"

Both Adrien and Marin snapped to attention, staring at their friend in shock as then exchanged a glance.

"I uh, have to use the restroom!" Adrien quickly said as his bodyguard nodded at him.

"Yeah, I uh, have to find...a thing!" Marin rambled as the two ran in different directions.

In the restroom, Adrien opened his shirt to release Plagg with a smile on his face. "Time to shake a leg little buddy," Adrien remarked as Plagg smiled. 

"Good, I've been meaning to show off my moves." He said then started dancing in the air as Adrien couldn't help but laugh. 

"Plagg, claws out!" 

While in a storage closet, Tikki flew out of Marin's messenger back. He hung his head in embarrassment, "Nino, the things I do for you." He sighed heavily as Tikki giggled happily.

"Tikki, spots on." He groaned. 

Chapter Text

Adrien ran down the stairs planning on running out the door but overhead something from his father's office. He slowly walked overlooking in through the door. is spying on his father. He was yelling at someone over fashion matters, holding something in his hand as he then revealed a safe behind the portrait of his mother that hung in his office. Adrien gasped slightly as it was then closed, his father then left in a huff. Probably going back to his bedroom to catch up with sleep.

"He hides stuff behind the painting of Mom?" Adrien asked himself as Plagg flew out. He moved the painting of his mother and saw the safe within. He hesitated for a moment, pulling back as he knew he'd already be in trouble for even walking into the study without his father's permission.

"Ooh! I love dirty secrets!" Plagg remarked flying out. "Go on, go on!" He insisted.

Adrien shook his head, "I can't do it. My dad wouldn't like me going through his stuff. Besides, I don't even know the code." He remarked as Plagg sighed.

"You're such a party pooper." He said as he phased through the safe.

"Plagg no!" Adrien called out.

"My, my, what have we got here? A book on Tibet, an old flyer from a hotel, a load of junk, come on, where's the good stuff? I'm famished! I need Camembert!" Plagg unlocked the safe, opening the door. The book that was in there fell on the ground, opening up to a page that showed someone that was familiar to him.

Adrien's eyes widened. "Ladybug?" He asked as he saw an old drawing of the hero, probably someone else who held the Miraculous at one point. "Why is my dad keeping this locked in a safe?" He asked as he turned to another page. "Hawkmoth? What's this monster doing in a book about superheroes?"

"Cheese! Didn't you hear me?" Plagg complained as Adrien ignored him. He closed the safe, placing the book in his bag as he heard someone approach.

"Adrien? You're going to be late." Natalie called out, standing at the door.

Adrien laughed nervously, "I was...looking for my fencing gear, silly me."

Marin caught his breath as he ran onto the campus of the school, just barely making it on time as he overslept. He was surprised as everyone seemed more lively. Almost everyone was grouped off, talking amongst themselves in a cheery tone.

Marin walked towards Alya looking at something on her phone. "What's going on?" Marin asked in confusion,

"It's the new girl, Lila. She just started at our school and she's totally amazing!" She pointed to Lila, who's on the second floor of the, talking to Adrien."She even gave me an exclusive interview for the Ladyblog, 'cause Ladybug saved her life once!"

Marin tilted his head. "Didn't Ladybug also save you multiple times, and didn't you get a photo of you, him, and Adrien?" he recalled.

"Yeah, but Adrien didn't want the photo on the blog so I had to crop him out. But with this," Alya held up the newest interview on her blog, "I can probably make up those clicks. Lila's got the most incredible life, and now she's going here. She's totally awesome!"

Marin stared at his friend's newfound passion but chuckled, "I'm glad for you." He then took a folder out of his bag, "Have you seen Adrien by the way? I need to return something." Alya pointed towards the stairs before she gave Marin a quick hug, running over to Nino to show him the new video. Marin observed Lila guiding Adrien along by the hand towards the library. Marin hummed for a moment, if Adrien was showing the new girl around he didn't want to disturb them...but this was just one thing. Maybe he could just drop it off and be done with it.

Walking up the stairs he turned into the library as he saw Adrien sitting down, pulling out a book as the new girl sat down with a smile on her face.

"Marin!" Tikki harshly whispered as Marin reflexively hid behind a bookcase.

"Tikki! You need to hide when I'm at school-" He whispered, as he opened his jacket for her to hide within.

"Adrien's book! I need to get a closer look at it!" The Kwami insisted as she flew out of his reach, on top of the bookshelf.

"Why are you so concerned about his book?!" He whispered but Tikki ignored him, flying out of sight as the bit his own hand trying not to scream in frustration at his little friend, fiercely concerned for her safety.

Marin saw the new girl sitting next to Adrien with a smile on her face, sitting down with a textbook in her hands. "Now we can get going on our history homework. It's so much more fun doing it together, don't you think?" He saw her take notice of the same book that Tikki it. "What's that?" She asked taking it from him.

Adrien immediately tried to get it back, "Uh nothing! Just a book about superheroes." He explained, slightly flinching as Lila placed her hand over his.

"I adore superheroes!" She remarked smiling flirtatiously at him as Adrien nervously chuckled.

Marin, on the other hand, moved to the other side, keeping his eyes on his Kwami freely flying around like she couldn't be exposed at any moment.

"Ladybug!" He overheard Lila saying in surprise.

"Yeah, he's amazing isn't he?" Adrien said, sighing as he looked at the photo almost lovingly.

Lila glared at him for a moment, quickly turning the page, as she scooted closer to him. "You know, one doesn't need to wear a costume to be amazing."

"Uh, I don't know—I mean, I—" He stammered, not wanting his personal space invaded. 

Lila's eyes widened playfully, resting her head on her hands trying to make eye contact. "So you've got a little soft spot for the bug, huh?" She asked, smiling as Adrien immediately blushed, averting his eyes.

"Me? Oh, no! Not at all!" Adrien insisted, about to scoot away but Lila placed her hand over his once more.

"Honestly though, you'd be wasting your time if you think that Ladybug is worth your time." She boldly said as Marin sneakily left the Library, taking out his earings so that Tikki disappeared.

"After all, he and I are like this." She said crossing her fingers with a sly smile on her face.

Adrien felt his heart almost break right then and there. "What?" He asked, standing up immediately as he accidentally knocked over their books. He and Lila picked them up, not noticing her sweep up his superhero book, placing it in her back as she then placed her hand on his shoulder.

Lila smiled as she leaned down to whisper in his ear. "We can chat about it if you want, not here though. Why don't we meet at the park after school and I'll tell you everything."

Adrien suddenly snapped to attention as he got an alert from his phone. "On no, I gotta go! I've got a lesson in 58 seconds." He said picking up his bag, but then accidentally dropped it after Lila surprised him by standing far too close.

"So, the park?" She asked as she moved Adrien's book out of the way with her foot.

"Uh, sure!" Adrien stammered, quickly picking up his bag and running out of the library. He then promptly crashed again as he ran into Marin, knocking him over. "Oh!" Adrien immediately felt guilty as he helped his classmate to his feet. "I'm in a hurr..." Adrien explained but then noticed something off. "Hey, you're not wearing your earrings today?"

Suddenly Marin's eyes widened in a panic. "What!?" He immediately looked around touching his ears to check before falling to his knees as one of his earrings was knocked out at the impact, making Adrien feel even more guilty.

"I uh, I'm sorry- I..."Adrien tried to explain but then stopped as Marin spoke.

"You have fencing practice don't you?" His tone sounded curt, like he was mad. "Go on I'll be fine."

Adrien wanted to help him, but couldn't be late for his practice again. He'd apologize later running down the stairs, but stopped for a moment as he noticed Lila walking up to Marin. He frowned for a moment as she knelt down nearby, saying something with a smile on her face, but he couldn't afford to linger. Making a mental note to ask his classmate about the interaction later on...as well as profusely apologize for not looking where he was going.

"This is what you're looking for isn't it?" Lila asked as she held his other black earring in her hand as she picked it up in the library apparently.

Marin sighed in relief as he took his Miraculous back. Pocketing it so he could summon Tikki later on when there wasn't someone standing right in front of him. "Thanks, you saved my life."

"Oh?" Lila asked curiously as she tilted her head, walking up to him until his back was to the stone railing. "Those earrings are that important to you? Kinda weird, they seem so plain." She observed as Marin chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, they're kinda important to me. You're the new girl, right? Lila?" Marin asked as she took a step back.

"That's right." She confirmed, folding her hands behind her. "I just started today."

Marin nodded, "Well it's nice that Adrien's already helping you out. I think we're in the same class so if you need anything just let me know, I'm the class rep." He informed.

"Oh really?" Lila asked, now peaked with interest. "Then maybe you could tell me where the stores are around here?"

"Uh sure, is there anything you're looking for in particular?" Marin asked, surprised as she then took out her cell phone and pulled up a picture of a fox tail necklace.

"Something exactly like this maybe?" She requested.

Marin hummed for a moment. "They do custom jewelry on Main street, just a few blocks from here." He explained. "Actually, I think it's just near the park-"

"Thanks." Lila quickly cut him off. Her back was open so he noticed Adiren's book that was sitting inside her bag, which he thought was strange as she walked off.

"Huh, Adrien must have forgotten his book, maybe she's bringing it back?" Marin reasoned as he walked back into the library, shutting the door behind him as he put his Miraculous back on. A red orb of light appeared before him as Tikki took shape, with an annoyed look on her face.

"Marin!" She complained as her partner crossed his arms in disapproval.

"Don't "Marin" me Tikki, that was reckless, and all for what? A book?" He scolded.

"It's not just any book!" She explained. "It's very important that we get it!" She insisted, her eyes filled with determination as Marin sighed.

"Alright, I'll try to talk to Lila or Adrien." He said not sure who'd have the book by now.

"No!" Tikki insisted, "You can't say anything to them yet. I need a chance to check out the book first. If it's the one I think it is we have to get our hands on it!"

"The one you think?" Marin asked, "I don't get it? Exactly why would we need it?"

"I'll explain to you once I know for sure." Tikki insisted. "Please, we mustn't let Lila out of our sight!"

Marin hesitated for a moment but knew exactly where she would be.

"This can't be happening," Adrien muttered to himself as he was finished for the day. He was alone in the locker room as Plagg then flew out.

"What wrong, jealous?" He teased with a sly smile on his face.

"No!" Adrien immediately retorted, but then hesitated. He didn't own Ladybug, in fact, he hardly knew what kind of person he was outside of their partnership. If he had a girlfriend...if he wasn't interested in boys...

Adrien yelled into his bag, his screams muffled by the cloth as Plagg looked on. "So, what now?"

"Huh?" Adrien asked looking up at his Kwami.

"Are you going to fight this, or just roll over?" Plagg asked.

"I can't just- I mean, shes...and he's...ugh." Adrien groaned. "I can't fight what I don't know, and even if I could. Ladybug doesn't know Adrien Agreste, and Adrien Agrest doesn't know Ladybug. Plus, if he's had a girlfriend this entire time and has just been hiding her, then that means I've just been making a fool of myself this entire time!" Adrien said as his face ran red with embarrassment.

"And you're thinking that Ladybug led you on?" Plagg asked trying to keep up with what his partner was saying but honestly wouldn't care less if it was anyone other than his partner.

"What? No, of course not." Adrien immediately said as he began pacing. "I just assumed everything when it came to him. He's done a lot more superhero-ing than I ever have the chance to, there's a chance that he could have found someone who he loves, and who am I to stand in the way of their happiness?" Adrien sighed putting his head on his locker in defeat.

"Uh..." Plagg stuttered out, then sat on his partner's head, petting him. "Here, here?"

"There! She's coming out!" Tikki exclaimed as she and Marin hid nearby the jewelry store, spotting Lila leave. They followed her to the park, watching as Lila placed her new necklace around her neck.

"We're too far away," Tikki complained about to fly closer.

"Tikki, no." Marin said sternly, placing his hand near his Miraculous again as Tikki pouted.

"I'll try to get closer." He said as a smile broke out on Tikki's face. They snuck closer using the trees for cover as Marin was close enough to overhear, but was surprised as he saw someone else approaching.

"Oh hi!" Lila called out.

"Hey."

Marin's eyes widened slightly. "Adrien?" he asked in surprise as he and Tikki exchanged a glance turning towards his Kwami.

"What's he doing here?" Tikki asked as Marin thought for a moment.

"She's probably returning his book," Marin said, "So if you need that book, now's the time." he said, glancing at their bags on the ground. "I'll go around and try to grab their attention while you take the book from her bag, then it goes back right after." He said sternly to which Tikki nodded.

"So you do know Ladybug, for real?" Adrien asked suspiciously as Lila nodded.

"Not only did Ladybug save my life, but I was in his sights because we have something very special in common-" Adrien wanted to retort that he did as well, but it was futile as Lila directed his attention towards his knife. "it's what I wanted to tell you about. I'm the descendant of a vixen superheroine myself, Volpina."

"Volpina?" Adrien questioned recalling something, "Wait a minute! I think I read about her in my book." Just as he was about to take his book out of his bag, Lila placed her hand on his arm.

"Oh hey!"

Both of them turned to see Marin walking over with an anxious look on his face. "Hey Adrien."

Adrien's curiosity was immediately replaced with guilt as his classmate walked over.

"Hi, you." Lila greeted with a smile, retracting her hand. Both of them didn't notice the Kwami committing theft behind them.

"Sorry, if I'm interrupting anything." Marin stammered the setting of an aura of awkwardness as he pulled out a folder from his bag, handing it to Adrien. "I just wanted to return this. Okay, bye."

"Wait!" Adrien suddenly said standing up as Marin turned back towards him. "I'm sorry about earlier."

"Hm?" Marin tilted his head in confusion before he recalled. "Oh, don't worry about it, it was an accident."

"Even so, I still feel bad. Could I make it up to you later?" He asked.

"What? There's no need for that, honest. I'll just catch you later." He said as he saw Tikki had grabbed the book.

"Why don't you sit with us for a moment?" Lila then spoke up with a smile on her face.

"I couldn't I've imposed enough-" Marin said as he tried to escape.

"We were talking about Superheroes. Do you like them?" Lila asked.

"No, not really," Marin said and instantly regretted it as both of them looked to him in surprise.

"Really?" Lila asked as her smile grew larger. "Not even Ladybug?"

"Uh..." Marin rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, I'm not really a fan...please don't tell Alya." He sighed feeling Adrien's gaze on him, looking at him as though he said something sacrilegious.

Lila then giggled, "Of course not, it's not like he's Volpina."

"Volpina?" He asked, now curious, but snapped back to attention. "No, no. I have to go, see you guys." He said now running away as Lila then grabbed Adrien's hand, pulling him back to her.

"She's one of the most important superheroes. More powerful and more celebrated than Ladybug. Between you and me, Ladybug doesn't even make the top ten. See, this necklace?" Lila said as she gestured to her necklace. "My grandma passed this necklace down to me, it contains her power."

"How is that possible?" Adrien asked. "There's only Hawkmoth, Ladybug, and Chat Noir who've had the Miraculous. I've never even heard of this Volpina."

Lila nodded, "Makes sense, she was a hero from the village I was raised in, within the heart of Italy. If you've never heard of her, then it means that's she done well to keep her identity hidden from the outside world. And now that power is mine." She said with a smile.

"But...why are you telling me this? Superhero identities are supposed to be kept hidden."

"Who says?" Lila asked placing a hand on Adrien's thigh.

"Uh...it's a given isn't it?" Adrien said shrugged his shoulders.

"But isn't it better for their identities to be made public? Then people would be more reassured that superheroes are people like then, rather than just super-powered freaks behind masks."

"Freaks?" Adrien questioned. "I thought you liked heroes."

"Oh, I do!" Lila said backtracking. "But don't you think heroes should be completely honest with the people they're supposed to protect? Like your hero Ladybug?"

Adrien hesitated for a moment, that exactly what he wanted, probably ever since the day he met his partner. "Yeah..."

Lila immediately smiled, taking his hand in hers."Then you and I-"

Adrien didn't waver, scooting back. "But I'll always believe in Ladybug, no matter what." He said standing up. "I'll see you later Lila." Adrien then walked away not noticing the anger take over Lila's face.

"We stole a book! Adrien's book!" Marin said guiltily holding it up before Tikki.

"I know, and I'm sorry I made you do that, but this is the most important thing in the world!" The Kwami insisted as Marin sighed, opening up the book. His eyes widened as he saw the images of what he assumed were past Miraculous holders, including a past Ladybug and Chat Noir. "Tikki...what is this book?" Marin asked.

"The grimoire." She said, "And we need to get it to The Guardian." She explained as Marin's eyes widened in surprise.

"The Guardian?"

Tikki nodded, "Yes, the keeper of the Miraculous."

Suddenly both overheard the screams of the crowd as apparently a meteor was heading towards the city. Marin stared in confusion for a few moments before he glanced at his Kwami.

"Tikki, spots on!"

Adrien was laying on his bed as he heard screams from outside. He ran towards the window as he saw a meteor appears in the sky, hurtling down toward the city. He gasped as he then turned towards his Kwami.

"Plagg, claws out!"

Ladybug narrowed his eyes as he saw an orange ball of light heading towards the meteor, dispelling it just before it hit the Louvre, hurling it back into the sky where it disappeared. It didn't even make it to the atmosphere, it just disappeared, which set off a red flag in Ladybug's mind.

"Citizen of Paris! I am Volpina, the only superhero Paris needs!" She called out the crowd started chanting her name in relief as the hero seemingly destroyed the meteor.

"Looks like we have a new partner." Chat Noir remarked as he landed next to his partner with a smile on his face. But it faded as he saw Ladybug's focused expression. "What's on your mind?" he asked curiously.

"Don't you think it's weird, this superhero just appearing out of nowhere?" He asked.

Cat Noir shrugged his shoulders. "Well, at least she got the job done. If she hadn't been here we'd all be goners."

Ladybug was deep in thought, thinking hard about himself.

"So, a new partner huh?" Chat Noir remarked, twirling his staff in hand. "Girls...are nice aren't they?"

"Huh?" Ladybug looked at him in confusion, not knowing what he was getting at.

"You know, girls. Nice to have one as a new partner?" Chat Noir seemed like he was trying to imply something, but whatever it was went right over his head. The entire conversation was dropped as Volpina jumped before them.

"Hey guys! Glad you dropped in, I need a hand. Come on!" She said abruptly as she then transformed into a ball of light, then flew off. Chat Noir and Ladybug exchanged a glance as they both eventually followed, all of them landed on a roof as they spotted someone in the distance.

Cat Noir's eyes widened in surprise. "I can't believe it! It's Hawk Moth in the flesh!" He exclaimed as Ladybug narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"We can take him down, but it's gonna take all three of us. We better make the most of our individual talents." Volpina remarked with a smile on her face.

Cat Noir nodded, "You can count on us." He said trying to grab Ladybug's attention, but his partner was in deep thought once more, unintentionally ignoring him.

Volpina turned towards Ladybug, "Very nice to meet you by the way Ladybug, I adore your ensemble." She said holding out her hand, which surprised Chat Noir slightly. Lila said that she knew Ladybug, maybe he didn't know who she was in her hero form.

Ladybug hummed for a moment, but accepted her gesture, shaking her hand.

"Good, now," Volpina remarked standing up. "Ladybug, go to his left, Cat Noir, you take the right and I'll come from behind." She ordered she then turned into a ball of light.

"First the meteorite, now Hawk Moth appearing both on the same day. Don't you think that's a little bit unusual?" Ladybug remarked just as Chat Noir was about to jump away.

"Anything involving Miraculous holders are always unusual. This is no weirder than a sun god trying to sacrifice civilians to revive his dead wife." Chat Noir commented, "We have to give her a chance don't we?" Chat Noir asked as Ladybug sighed.

"You're right." Ladybug conceded as he followed Chat Noir's lead.

Just as they approached Hawkmoth he disappeared once more, now towards a different roof.

"I'll get him!" Chat Noir called out as he passed Ladybug and Volpina. Just as Ladybug was about to chase after his partner, he saw that the closer Chat Noir got to Hawkmoth, the farther he reappeared, almost as though...

His eyes widened. "Chat Noir-" He was about to call out but then he heard a flute, and next thing he knew, a hoard of missiles appeared before him.

"I wouldn't move an inch if I were you." Volpina remarked as she walked past him, touching his arm as she then gripped his chin to force him to look at her in the eye. She was smiling victoriously, "Don't worry Ladybug, I don't wanna be your friend. I just want to use you to prove a point." She remarked as Ladybug glared at her. "Now that everyone thinks I'm a superhero, including Cat Noir. So you won't be able to make a fool out of me anymore." She said. "But first, you're going to give me your Miraculous."

But Ladybug had no idea what she was talking about, he didn't even know her. He certainly wasn't a fan of how "affectionate" she was. Volpina was surprised as he whistled suddenly, not understanding what he was doing until he kicked her back, far from himself.

"What do you think you're doing?!" She demanded as she realized her illusions were gone. Watching as a pigeon landed on Ladybug's hand, accepting the hero's touch as Ladybug nuzzled his belly with his hand.

"You're an extravagant person, that's for sure, but you're clearly no hero." He commented as the pigeon then flew off, then took out his yo-yo texting someone.

"What do you think you're doing?!" She demanded as the hero was clearly underwhelmed by her, but was even more insulted as he didn't respond. She was taken off guard by Ladybug then binding her with his yo-yo, making her fall to the ground. She struggled against the bindings as Ladybug made quick work of her necklace, recognizing it's design. Breaking it to release the Akuma.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly." He said as Volpina transformed back into Lila.

"Uh, where am I?" She questioned looking around in confusion, even more so now that Ladybug appeared before her handing back her necklace.

"Do you want to talk-" He was about to ask but was cut off.

"Get away from me!" Lila snapped angrily. "It's because of you that everything was ruined!" She growled angrily as she clutched the necklace closely.

"What are you talking about?" Ladybug said, but that only seemed to enrage her further as she walked off the roof, leaving him confused.

Ladybug sat on the edge of the tv station. He hadn't used his Lucky charm so he could afford to be in this form for a while.

"Ladybug!"

The hero glanced back to see Chat Noir walking up to him in concern. "I got your text, what's up? Where's Volpina?" He asked.

"She transformed back to normal. The meteor, the Hawkmoth we saw wasn't real."

"What are you trying to say?" Chat Noir asked in confusion.

"She wasn't a real superhero, she was akumatized by Hawk Moth." He said bluntly. "Her power was illusions."

"I don't get it," Chat Noir said, "But if that's true why aren't we going after her?"

"Because she's already been dealt with."

"Yeesh, that was fast." Chat Noir remarked as he sat down next to his partner looking over the city. "Did you use your Lucky charm?" He asked as Ladybug shook his head.

"Didn't need to." He responded, "I thought it'd be nice to sit for a little while."

Chat Noir hummed for a moment.

"What were you trying to say earlier?" Ladybug asked.

"Huh? Oh." Chat Noir's face reddened, "Uh, I was asking...if maybe, you liked...girls?"

Ladybug glanced at him in confusion, "Yes?"

"No, I mean, are you attracted to girls, or boys maybe?" He asked, pretty sure his face was entirely red and steam was coming out of his ears.

"Ah." Ladybug nodded. "It doesn't matter to me. You?"

"Uh, I think both." Chat Noir said as he averted his gaze holding his face as he could feel a weight lifted off his shoulders.

"What brought this up?" Ladybug asked.

"Oh, you see, there's this girl, who said that you and she were..." Chat Noir crossed his fingers, smiling sheepishly.

"Chat, I wouldn't instigate a relationship with anyone in this form." Ladybug said sincerely. "Protecting people-"

"Should be our number one priority, I know, I know." Chat Noir said, finishing the sentence, leaning back as he sighed. He felt Ladybug's hand on his shoulder as his partner stood up.

"I have to go now." He said, "It was nice talking to you." He remarked throwing his yo-yo towards the city but was stopped as Chat Noir grasped his hand for a moment. "Hm?" Ladybug glanced at his partner questioningly. Chat Noir looked like he wanted to say something, but averted his gaze.

"Would...would you mind if we stayed like this for a moment?" He asked sincerely as Ladybug smiled at him. Retracting his yo-yo as he sat back down, allowing Chat Noir to rest his head on his shoulder as they both looked out at the city.

Back home Adrien panicked looking everywhere. "Did you take my father's book, Plagg?"

Plagg glanced at him, shoving a piece of cheese in his mouth. "Of course not!"

Adrien grimaced as he could feel his head start to hurt. "If he finds out it's missing, I'll have something worse than Hawkmoth to deal with."

Marin glanced at the book in his hand. "Why did Adrien have this book?" he questioned glancing at Tikki as they stood outside of the place where he once took her to.

"I'm really sorry Marin, but its information is invaluable, we can't give it back."She said bowing her head.

"Information?" He questioned. "Like on the Miraculous?"

Tikki nodded. " I know someone who's been looking for this for a long time. It contains all the secrets of the Miraculous powers. Something so sacred and extremely dangerous in the wrong hands, so it needs to be returned to its rightful owner."

Marin nodded. "I don't get it, Tikki. But I trust you sugar cube." He smiled as he entered the room. The old man he came across before was there sitting, as though he was waiting for someone. Tikki flew towards him, smiling as she introduced him.

"Marin, this is The Great Guardian."

The old man opened his eyes with a smile on his face as a green Kwami hovered nearby. "Hello, Ladybug." The old man greeted as the door closed behind them.

Chapter Text

"Master, are you okay?" Wayzz asked in concern as his best friend had been deep in meditation all morning. But he received an answer as the door then knocked, and he immediately went to hide inside the phonograph.

"He's here." The master said, smiling as the door opened to reveal Tikki and her partner looking in curiously. "Hello, Ladybug." The master said with a smile as the young boy nodded his head as he entered. Clearly shaken by how he knew of his alter ego, but not forgetting his manners as he removed his shoes.

"Master I know you never wanted me to bring him here again but you must see what he's discovered! Show him, Marin!" Tikki said hovering over the old man as Marin looked at him in surprise.

"I'm guessing you're not really a vet?" Marin asked sitting down. "You helped me before." He recalled.

The old man nodded with a smile on his face. "The first day was no chance encounter. Marinus, you're always ready to help others. I knew that day, that very moment, that you'd make a fantastic Ladybug."

Marin chuckled dryly as he recalled the first time he became Ladybug, and how he gave up almost immediately. "But, who are you?"

The old man stood up, walking towards the phonograph as he gestured for Marin to follow. He pressed a few buttons on a secret compartment on the device, revealing a black box with a red inscription, one similar to the one he received his Miraculous within.

"Master Fu is the last known member of the Order of the Guardians!" Tikki explained as she hovered nearby.

"Guardian?" Marin questioned as he was surprised by another Kwami flying out towards him. A small green one with a turtle shell who smiled in greeting.

"Guardians of the Miraculous! Helly, I'm Wayzz, Master Fu's kwami. It's a pleasure to meet you, Marinus." He greeted.

Marin looked at Tikki for a moment before a smile broke out on his face. "You as well. Marin is fine."

"We guardians are responsible for protecting and distributing the Miraculous, for the good of all humanity." Master Fu explained. "We are chosen in childhood and trained for many years, specially for this mission. When I made a terrible mistake, and all was lost of the guardians' temple save for the remaining Miraculous within this box." The Master sighed heavily locking away the Miraculous box once more.

"Wait, but what about Hawkmoth's Miraculous?" Ladybug questioned, "Were you the one who gave him his?"

The Master shook his head, "No, of course not. The Miraculous he holds was one of two that were originally were apart of this Miraculous box, but were lost centuries ago."

"But that's part of the reason we're here today master!" Tikki suddenly said then turning towards Marin who had all eyes on him as he nervously took out the grimoire out of his messenger bag.

Both Master Fu and Wayzz were in shock as Marin handed the book over to him. "This is..." The master murmured as he opened the book, placing his hand over the pages delicately, as though the entire thing was made from dust.

"It has pictures of previous Miraculous holders." Marin said. "Master, what exactly is this book?" He asked as the master sighed heavily.

"Something incredibly invaluable." Master Fu said as he gestured for Marin to sit down while the 2 Kwami began to play together, chasing each other around the room happily. "A book that contains the spells needed to unlock the secret powers of the Miraculous."

Marin's eyes widened in surprise at this news.

"I've always believed, hoped, that whoever possessed this spellbook must also have the Peacock and the Butterfly Miraculous. How did you discover this book, Marinus?" Master Fu asked with a serious expression on his face.

Marin hesitated for a moment. "When I first saw the book it was with...a classmate. But I know him, he's a good, kind person. There's no possible way that he'd be Hawkmoth, much less a thief." Marin insisted.

Master Fu hummed for a moment stroking his beard as a playful smile broke out. "You're afraid that the one you care for could turn out to be a stranger."

Marin lowered his head, "I don't know that for certain Master. I can't jump to any conclusions" He then lifted it with a determined expression. "But if I can find a way to track down Hawkmoth and take away his Miraculous, I won't hesitate."

Master Fu closed the book, looking at Marin with a grave expression."You must be very careful, Marin. If you succeed, you may well find yourself face to face with Hawk Moth."

Marin smiled reassuringly, noticing Tikki sharing her precious macaroons with Wayzz happily. "I'll be very careful, I promise. Tikki." Marin called out as he put on his shoes, then leaving the shop with a conflicted expression as soon as he was out of sight of the master.

"Why did you take the book?"

Adrien hung his head fearfully as Nathalie showed images of him stealing the Miraculous book from his father's safe. His father had his back turned towards him as he looked out the window, radiating a quiet anger.

"I... I just wanted to know what you were hiding behind that portrait that was so important." Adrien hesitantly explained, trying not to make his voice shake. "You.. you never told me about those things. I was intending to give it back to you, I swear! But then... I lost it."

Adrien flinched slightly as he heard his father sigh heavily.

"I'm sorry... I'll get you another copy-"

"It's one of a kind!" Gabriel suddenly snapped as Adrien gripped his chair, keeping his head lowered.

His father changed lowered his tone as he then faced the door. The book's the source of my inspiration."You will be home-schooled again with Nathalie."

Adrien suddenly lifted his head, wanting to say something, but faltered as he watched his father and Natalie leave the room. Not even lifting his head as Plagg hovered nearby, nuzzling his face affectionately to try and improve his mood.

"I need to talk to Adrien..." Marin murmured as he stood just outside the school with Tikki looking up from his messenger bag.

"But Marin, what are you going to do if Adrien turns out to be Hawkmoth?" Tikki asked.

Marin looked away for a moment before he lifted his head with a determined expression. "I'll do what I have to Tikki." He said as he then walked into the school.

He looked around for a good while, getting slightly alarmed as he couldn't find Adrien anywhere. Nearby the classroom he heard crying, seeing Chloe bawl her eyes out over something. But he didn't have time for that now. He grabbed Nino as soon as he spotted him, dragging him outside the classroom.

"Hey-what gives?" Nino asked crossing his arms.

"Have you seen Adrien?" Marin asked, noticing Nino's somber expression.

"His dad grounded him over losing a book."

"A book?" Marin asked with great interest.

"Yup, it's really dumb, how much of a sticker can his dad be to imprison his son?" Nino sighed heavily, clearly missing his best friend.

Marin held out his arms as a smile broke out on Nino's face.

"You give the best hugs." Nino sighed as the two broke away.

"Don't let Alya hear you saying that, she'll get jealous." Marin chuckled.

"Nah, she'd totally agree with me."

"At least now we know what to do," Marin said as Nino tilted his head in confusion.

"Huh?"

"We need to find the book, we do that, and Adrien's dad won't have a reason to keep him at home anymore.

"Ohh, nice idea dude, I'll let everyone else know." Nino smiled as he walked back into the classroom, waving as Marin ran over to a nearby empty classroom.

Tikki flew out as Marin grinned, "So it wasn't Adrien's book. It belongs to his father!" Marin remarked sighing in relief as a wave of shock washed over him, his smile quickly fading."Oh no the book belongs to his father."

His Kwami gasped as she knew exactly who Gabriel Agreste was, knowing how much Marin admired the man's career.

"Gabriel Agreste." Marin murmured to himself. "A man who isolated himself after the disappearance of his wife. Mysterious, very intelligent, but cold, even with his own son. But if he's angry enough to lock his son away," Marin's eyes widened. "Then Adrien could be in danger!"

" You realize if your intuition is correct, then Adrien's father could be Hawkmoth." Tikki warned as Marin nuzzled her face.

"Don't worry about me sugar cube. I'll be careful. Tikki, Spots on!"

Adrien played around with the Foosball table with Plagg as the sound of piano music echoed through the background, deceiving anyone who would pass by into thinking that he was actually practicing the piano.

"Look on the bright side. Your father could've found out about me! It's a good thing we kwamis can never be filmed or photographed. Ah, those photographers have no idea what they're missing!" Plagg joked as he cheated, picking up the ball and throwing it for his point. He cheered happily, but it soon faded as he noticed Adrien's sadness.

"Come on," Plagg remarked as he flew before Adrien's face. "Return to school?! Are you crazy?! No more homework, no more alarm clocks! We should be celebrating! Hey, I know," He said picking up a jar out of the cabinet, "I named this piece El Plaggo. It's been maturing for nine hundred and ninety-nine days! I've been meaning to break it out for something special!"

Adrien was repulsed as he covered his nose. "Oh gross!"

"Jealous!" Plagg accused, smiling as he saw a smile catch on Adrien's face. But it disappeared as there was crashing heard outside the door. "What was that?!" Plagg asked placing the jar on the table.

"Nothing." Adrien said, moving towards the window. "It'll stop soon enough." He sighed, hugging himself as he rested his head on the window. He snapped out of his as he heard a scream, running towards the door. He tried to open it but it was locked from the other side. "Hey!" He called out, but only heard grunts as his bodyguard. He concluded that there must be some kind of danger as his bodyguard was instructed to lock him down inside his room to keep him safe. "I can't stay here." Adrien concluded.

He turned around to face Plagg but saw that his Kwami had retreated, replaced now with Ladybug jumping through the window, landing in his room.

Under different circumstances, he would've probably fainted on the spot.

"Ladybug?" Adrien asked in shock as the hero walked up to him.

"We need to go Mister Agreste." Ladybug said as he placed a hand on his shoulder.

Adrien looked up to him in confusion. "I don't understand, what's going on?" He asked as he heard laughing outside his door, followed up by someone calling his name.

"I'm sorry, I'll explain later. Excuse me." Ladybug said as he wrapped his arm around his waist, jumping onto the window as he used his yo-yo to jump into the city.

Adrien reflexively wrapped his arms around Ladybug's neck, holding on tightly until Ladybug then placed him on top of a nearby roof. "What's going on?" He asked as Ladybug glanced back towards his house.

"Your father's been akumatized." Ladybug said was Adrien was shaken.

"My father?!" Adrien asked in shock until Ladybug rested his hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Chat Noir and I will definitely save him, but I need you to stay safe while we do so."

Adrien nodded, placing his hand over Ladybugs. "Don't worry about me."

Ladybug smiled reassuringly but hesitated for a moment. "Forgive me if I'm out of line, but your father...he doesn't seem like the most, kindly person." 

Adrien looked away from a moment, "He's my father, even if he's overly strict sometimes. I know it's just because he's he doesn't want to lose anyone else." 

Ladybug glanced at him for a moment before he then jumped back towards the house. As soon as the hero was out of sight, Plagg flew out of Adrien's shirt.

"Looks like you really got on your father's bad side." Plagg remarked.

"Yeah, we'd go help him out." Adrien said. "Plagg, claw's out!"

Ladybug walked through the mansion on guard as he looked around hesitantly among with upturned furniture and broken statues. He checked the study, which was the most trashed compared to the rest of the rooms. There were various idols broken as well as thrown pictures of Adrien. Ladybug knelt as he picked up a photo that Adrien seemed to have drawn when he was a child. Noticing that it had his mother with him and his father. For a moment, Ladybug felt immense sympathy for his classmate, then grew angry as to what kind of person his father was turning out to be.

"Whoa, what happened here? Looks like somebody had a little tantrum."

Ladybug heard as Chat Noir approached him, looking over his shoulder. "Gabriel Agreste has been akumatized." He could see Chat Noir's frown as Ladybug placed the photo frame back on the shelf. He hoped that this would all be fixed soon. He noticed Chat Noir glancing at the same photo looking sad. "Are you okay?" He asked.

Chat Noir nodded, "Yeah... Yeah, let's find this guy."

The two walked into the main hall where Chat Noir immediately pulled Ladybug back. "Look out!" He shouted as he grabbed Ladybug's arm, his partner then falling into his arms as the two toppled back.

"What-" Ladybug questioned for a moment as he noticed his scarf was now gone. The two heard laughing in the main hall as they now carefully entered the main hall. Both of them spotted the akumatized villain.

"Not sure I like the new look, Gabriel Agreste!" Chat Noir remarked taking out his staff.

But the villain grinned. "There is no more Gabriel Agreste. There is only...the Collector!" He informed as he threw a book towards Ladybug, which boomeranged back to its owner as soon as Ladybug evaded it.

"You won't be able to escape!" The Collector remarked as he threw the book again. This time Ladybug pushed Chat Noir out of the way as it almost hit his head, then he grabbed his partner's hand dragging him into the dining room.

"Any ideas?!" Chat Noir asked as the two pulled out their weapons.

"He has a notebook, books that are 60 to 100 pages, give or take." Ladybug informed as the two were backed into a corner. "We need to find a way to incapacitate him, or fill up that book."

The Collector smiled evilly as he entered the dining room, evading as Chat Noir threw a few chairs at him. All of which got caught within the notebook as Ladybug and Chat Noir ran towards the main hall.

"The Akuma's gotta be in that book!" Chat Noir reasoned as they hid on the second floor. "Except that if we touch it, we'll disappear!"

Ladybug hummed for a moment as he then threw his yo-yo into the air. "Lucky Charm!" He called out, then received a corkscrew opener. The two heroes exchanged a glance of confusion as The Collector walked into the main hall.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir, you shall be the masterpieces in my new book of inspiration!" He called out wandering through the mansion. Ladybug tilted his head, signaling to hide in the nearby room, in Adrien's room.

They barricaded the door entrance using the furniture in Adrien's room to delay The Collector for a little while.

"Gabriel Agreste's son isn't at home?" Chat Noir asked as Ladybug shook his head.

"I already got him to safety, couldn't take any chances." Ladybug said as he started looking around the room for something.

"You think he'd take it out on his own son?" Chat Noir asked.

"...I don't know, but I saw Adrien before, he looked miserable stuck in this room alone." Ladybug remarked he observed the second floor.

"Well, parents can be strict sometimes." Chat Noir defended.

"There's strict, and then there's Gabriel Agreste...ah ha." Ladybug said as he picked up the El Plaggo, just in time as The Collecteur was at the door.

"You cannot escape from me!" He called out as he started to make the furniture disappear. Chat Noir stood before the door as Ladybug hopped to the second floor.

"Chat Noir, we need to feed him some inspiration." Ladybug instructed trying to open the jar, but was having a little trouble.

"Should I write him a sonnet?" Chat Noir asked, taking out his staff just as The Collector entered, he threw his book at Chat Noir who evaded the attacks narrowly. He slipped up a few times, getting his belt, and his staff caught, now on the floor just as The Collector approached him with the book in hand.

"My greatest masterpiece is at my fingertips."

"You mean your greatest plagiarism!" Chat Noir retorted. "I'll have you know I'm copyrighted!"

"Chat!" Ladybug called out as he threw the opened jar towards him. Chat Noir swiftly kicked it up, then just as fast slammed it down on The Collectors head as he writhed in agony due t the smell, leaving him wide open as Chat Noir activated his power.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir then grabbed the book on the cover as it disintegrated, releasing the Akuma.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

Ladybug helped Gabriel to his feet as he noticed that Chat Noir had disappeared. "Hm." He hummed as he turned his attention towards Gabriel.

"Ladybug, what happened to me?" He asked in confusion.

"You were akumatized by Hawkmoth, but it's over now." Ladybug informed, handing his book back in one piece.

"Thank you, to you both-" He suddenly gasped, "Adrien...where is my son?!"

"Your son is safe." Ladybug reassured, but then heard footsteps as Adrien appeared at the door to his room, looking timid.

"Father!" He said as he approached. "You're okay-" He said as his father immediately hugged him on sight.

"Are you alright?" His father asked as Adrien nodded, looking away.

"Father...I really am sorry about earlier." Adrien apologized lowering his head.

Gabriel sighed, "It appears that I allowed my temper to get the better of me. However, this doesn't change the fact that you disobeyed me."

"I know." Adrien nodded as he hugged his father again.

Ladybug felt a warm feeling in his chest but turned away as his Miraculous began to beep, escaping the room.

Back at Fu's massage shop. Tikki and Wayzz are played around with the phonograph while Master Fu poured tea for the four of them while Marin set out some cookies he brought from his family's bakery.

"Gabriel Agreste was akumatized..." Marin said after he explained the situation. "What does this mean?"

"It means that perhaps the trail has gone cold." Master Fu said as Marin narrowed his eyes.

"If I were a villain who lost something important, I'd want to cover my trail." Marin reasoned as he crossed his arms. "My lucky charm disappears if I transform back without using it, would the same apply to Hawkmoth's butterflies if he tried to detransform?"

Master Fu hummed for a moment, "It would be difficult to say. When the Miraculous are used for evil, it is possible for their powers to warp according to the user."

Marin hung his head for a moment as he then folded his hands together. "Master, I know I may be asking for a lot, but if I don't return that book then my classmate won't be able to go back to school."

Master Fu nodded with a smile, "I understand Marinus." He said handing back the grimoire and holding up his tablet. "Luckily, I've already ensured that I would never lose this book again."

A smile broke out on Marin's face as Master Fu smiled cheekily, both of them turned towards their Kwami scarfing down cookies. Laughing as two had a contest of who could shove the most mini-macaroons into their mouths.

Marin sighed heavily as he held his hands together standing before Gabriel Agreste who stood towering before him atop the stairs, as though he were facing judgment.

"I'm really sorry sir, I didn't realize the book was Adrien's when I was shelving them. When I saw it fallen on the ground in the library and I just assumed it was just one of the encyclopedias."

Gabriel stared at him. "And what, if I may ask, is your relationship with my son? It was quite forward of you to personally hand me the book."

Marin evaded eye contact, sighing heavily as he then lifted his head with determined eyes. "Sir, with all due respect, I'd like you to allow Adrien to return to school."

"Oh?" Gabriel inquired with an amused expression, "And why should I heed advice from a child about how I raise my son?"

Marin didn't waver. "Because it was my fault that Adrien lost the book. Even if he did take it from you, we both know he's not the type to be irresponsible with something that is clearly very important. If you have a problem with anyone, it should be with me."

The older man scoffed, tucking the book away under his arm. "You would do well to know your place." Gabriel remarked as he then turned away, retreating to his study. "Natalie will show you out."

Marin was escorted, nodding towards Gabriel's secretary as he was effectively, kicked out of Adrien's home.

"It was really brave what you just did for Adrien." Tikki said poking her head out of Marin's jacket pocket. "But aren't you worried about getting on that man's bad side?"

"All that matters is for Adrien to be allowed out of the house again, it doesn't matter what Gabriel Agreste thinks of me."

Adrien's attention was grabbed as he noticed someone familiar walking out of his house just as he was returning from fencing practice. He wanted to get a better look of this person, but Natalie was already waiting for him at the top of the stairs. Walking in, she gestured towards his father's study.

Adrien suddenly felt anxious as he walked in. His father was already working on new designs at his desktop when he walked in.

"I'm sorry I became so furious over a book." His father suddenly said, glancing towards him from across the room. "Tomorrow you may return to school."

Adrien's eyes widened in surprise. "Do you mean it father?" He asked hopefully as he watched his father open up the safe behind the portrait of his mother. Seeing that he had the book back. "That's..."

"The book was the very last gift your mother gave to me before...before she disappeared," Gabriel said closing the portrait. "All I have left of her is this book...and you, and I hope that in the future, you'll take care to remember that everything I do is for your best interests."

Adrien nodded, smiling, "I will, thank you, father." But just before he left the room he turned back. "Where did you find the book?"

"One of your classmates dropped it off, apparently you had dropped it in the school library." He said simply. As Adrien's eye widened in surprise, closing the door on his way out.

The next day at school Adrien was surrounded by his classmates and hugs as they were all glad to see him. Marin smiled to himself, isolated from the rest as he needed to see Master Fu. He waved to a few of his classmates and friends as he stood at the entrance of the building, smiling up at the clear sky.

"Marin."

Marin turned around in surprise to see Adrien standing behind him.

"Hey." Marin murmured as he averted his gaze as usual.

"You got a sec?" Adrien asked sitting down on the stairs as Marin mirrored him, placing his messenger bag in his lap.

They sat there in silence for a little while until Adrien spoke up again. "I'm not really good at stuff like this." He said as though he were admitting something serious, smiling sheepishly.

"Stuff like what?" Marin inquired.

"This, sitting in one place, talking about my feelings." He said looking up towards the sky as he rested his hands behind him.

"I know the feeling." Marin admitted as well, sighing, noticing Adrien had turned towards him.

"Marin, I-"

"Hey guys, Cutie pie. " Nino greeted sitting down between them with a cheeky grin. "What'cha talkin' about?" He asked as Marin chuckled as Adrien looked like he might snap.

"Hi Cookie." Marin greeted as Nino gave him a tight hug, to which Marin returned with the same strength. Nino then turned to Alya who sat on Marin's other side.

"See, this is what I'm talking about, firm, warm, plus he smells like bakery stuff."

Alya hummed for a moment as she too hugged Marin, who was trying to hold back his laughter while hugging his two friends. "Yup, I see what you mean. This is a hug I could get into."

"Right? Hey Adrien, you want in on this-" Nino asked.

"OH, MY GOODNESS CAN YOU GUYS NOT? PLEASE." Adrien pleaded as Marin was surprised, while Alya quickly grabbed Nino's hand. The two clearly had planned this from the start as now they were laughing like maniacs.

"They're so cute together," Marin commented with a smile. "I'm sorry, did you want a hug to-"

"Please be my friend."

"Huh?"

"I really like you, I know Nino and Alya do as well..." Adrien said then chuckled to himself, "I've actually been trying to ask you for a while...but stuff just kept coming up." He murmured as he saw Marin's stunned face. "Okay wow, I probably shouldn't have asked. Have a nice life I will...leave...now." He said standing up, but was surprised as Marin grabbed onto his hand.

"No wait, I- I mean...I'd really like that!" As soon as he realized what he was doing he let go, now standing himself gripping the sash of his messenger bag with a red face that he was trying to hide behind his hands.

"I'd uh, I think I'd like that hug?" Adrien asked smiling brightly, unable to stop himself from teasing his new friend. Marin peaked out from behind his fingers, holding out his arms as Adrien stepped into a comfortable embrace. Wrapping his arms around his new friend as he noticed all of those that his best friend pointed out earlier. He couldn't resist resting his head on Marin's shoulder, sighing. "Nino's right, do you give good hugs."

Marin sat on the porch of his room wearing his pajamas under a black hoodie, resting against the railing as night fell.

“What are you thinking?” Tikki asked hovering nearby.

"I’m a Miraculous holder, it’s up to me and Chat Noir to make sure that no one gets hurt because of Hawkmoth. The grimoire was in Gabriel Agreste's possession, probably for years. But the master lost track of it and the other Miraculous a long time before that. Which brings up the question, why would one of the most powerful men in the world want our Miraculous?" Marin sighed, "...maybe this is just a coincidence?" Marin rested his head on his hand sighing heavily as he bit the bottom of his lip, "But most important of all if Gabriel Agreste is Hawkmoth...it would crush Adrien. I know, I shouldn’t be thinking about him in all this, his father is...seems unkindly but even so Adrien still cares about him. Even if I could take the Miraculous from Gabriel Agreste, what would become of the relationship with his son?"

"I thought you were a think with your head hero." Tikki lightly teased sitting on Marin's shoulder.

"I am. If I'm thinking that Gabriel is Hawkmoth then it'll involve Adrien no matter what. He's his father after all."

“It a lot to process, you'd need to be absolutely certain that Gabriel is Hawkmoth if you ever decide to pursue him. Maybe you should talk to Chat Noir?" Tikki suggested. 

Marin shook his head, "My head is just scrambled from everything that happened today, but even I realize that almost everything I have is circumstantial. If I could get something solid, then maybe... But for now," He said turning towards his room. "I think it's time for bed." He said as Tikki nodded. "Maybe we'll go see Master Fu tomorrow and bring by some cookies."

"Oooo, yes. I want Wayzz to try the chocolate ones!" Tikki remarked as she nuzzled her partner.

"Anything for you and Wayzz, sugar cube."

Chapter Text

Everyone was gathered in the Chemistry lab observing Marin's father mixing chocolate, while Marin stood next to him doing the prep work on the cookie batter, wearing a light pastel pink apron.

"I'll let you in on a little secret. I always add cream to the chocolate to make the ganache extra velvety. Then I let infuse for one minute." Tom said

"I love it when your dad comes to class and gives us pastry lessons," Alya said as she held her phone camera towards the ingredients that Marin was mixing. He looked up at her with an amused smile.

"So does he." He chuckled.

"It's all done with a flick of the wrist. But you mustn't go too fast or you might splash yourself!" Tom laughed as he glanced at his son, who rolled his eyes with a smile. He then noticed Chloe snapping at Rose before she then walked to the window, pulling out her phone in disinterest.

"Look at this lovely emulsion," Tom said as everyone looked at the chocolate in awe, the aroma spreading through the room.

"It's beautiful!" Rose said captivated by its shine.

"Now we need to chill it for half an hour. Marin? Could you put this in the school cafeteria fridge for me, please? In the meantime, I'm going to show your friends how to pipe the perfect sized cookie." He asked handing Marin the bowl.

"Sure," Marin said as Alya held the door for him.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Tikki peaked out of his apron pocket.

"Mmm, can I get a taste?" She asked widening her big blue eyes.

"Not yet, sugar cube. Control that sweet tooth of yours." Marin chuckled as he walked down the stairs, suddenly he was surprised at loud alarms going off. He accidentally tripped over his feet due to the shock, falling face-first into the chocolate.

Tikki laughed for a few moments until she had to disappear as everyone walked out of their classrooms. Marin lifted his head, sighing heavily as he now had a face full of chocolate.

Adrien was assembled among his peers as Principal Damocles had an angry expression on his face.

"So, some smart-aleck prankster decided it would be funny to call the fire department? Well, how's this for a joke, no one leaves until someone apologizes for wasting the fire captain's valuable time!"

" Mr. Damocles, sir?" Adrien noticed Chloé standing before him raising her hand.

"Yes, Miss Bourgeois?"

"I saw a student leaving the classroom right before the alarm went off. It must have been him."

"Really?" Mr. Damocles asked, "Who was it?"

Chloé smiled slyly. "Let's see if he'll come clean. What do you say, Marinus Dupain-Cheng?!" Chloé accused as everyone started murmuring among themselves.

"Marin, do you have something to tell the firefighter captain?" called out, but received no response. "Uh, where is he?

"See, I bet he called the fire department just to ditch class like he usually does." She laughed as Adrien frowned.

"Urgh, wait. Excuse me, sir!" He called out as a few eyes were on him. " It couldn't possibly be Marin. why would she disrupt her own father's cooking class?"

"Plus Marin doesn't even have a phone." Alya pointed out.

"Oh yeah, well where is he?" Chloé accused.

"In the bathroom cleaning off his face after he tripped in chocolate." Alya remarked, "Nino's with him right now."

"Well Mr. Damocles, I must be heading out." The Fire chief said trying to leave.

"Just one more second. We're very close to discovering the truth." Mr. Damocles said as the chief sighed heavily.

"Oh well, we all know it can't be me!" Chloé said with a smile, not noticing all the glares geared on her.

" I really have to leave now. Just call me if you find out who the prankster is-" The fireman tried to leave again but was stopped as Mr. Damocles spoke up once more.

" Fine. Since no one is owning up, the whole school will be punished." He said firmly as everyone started to complain and groan.

"What?! I'm not so sure my father will react kindly to me being punished without any proof! " Chloé threatened as she pulled out her phone.

Mr. Damocles suddenly grew panicked. "Oh, no! Please, don't disrupt the busy mayor." He then cleared his throat. "The whole school is punished except for Miss Bourgeois!" He announced as the unrest among the student body grew.

Chloé smiled, placing her phone away, "Now that's more like it."

"Now you know how we deal with anyone who misuses the fire department's time."

"Okay, great! Bye!" The fireman said as he finally was allowed to leave.

"It was totally her," Alya remarked as she and Adrien glanced at Chloe talking on her phone while they were cleaning windows. Everyone else around her was shooting her death glares.

"Now hang on, we don't know for sure it was her." Adrien defended.

"I know I know don't assume." Alya said, "But it was totally her."

"Yeah, probably," Adrien admitted under his breath.

"Hey." Nino greeted as he was rubbing a rag on his hands next to Marin who still had trace evidence of chocolate on his face still. "What's going on?"

"Long story short, we have to clean up the school while daddy's girl over there gets off scot-free," Alya remarked crossing her arms. "What's up with you two? What took so long?"

"Chocolate ganache is really hard to wash out with school soap." Marin sighed as he still had a lot of chocolate in his hair.

"Can't you see I'm trying to relax here? Go sweep somewhere else, Cinderella." Chloe snapped, as Rose whimpered away tears welling up in her eyes. Adrien frowned at that, walking up to his childhood friend.

"Adrikins!" Chloé greeted as she hugged him immediately.

"Chloé...were you the one who called the firemen?" Adrien asked, really hoping that she would at least deny it.

"Of course it was me who called the fire department. So what?" She said almost proudly.

Adrien slapped his forehead, "And it doesn't bother you that everyone's being punished because of you?"

"No. Why would it? They all seem to enjoy getting dirty making cookies. How's it any different than getting dirty, cleaning floors? They should be thanking me if anything."

Adrien sighed heavily, "Chloé. How long have you and I been friends?"

Chloé smiled up at him. "Since we were adorable little tots, Adrikins." She tried to grab his arm, but he stepped back out of her reach.

"Well, I'm sorry Chloé, but I can't be friends with someone who treats other people like this. You've gotta be nice to people."

"N-nice?" Chloé remarked as the concept was foreign to her.

"Yes, nice," Adrien remarked as he caught Marin consoling Rose nearby, somehow getting their classmate to laugh as her tears dried up. " It's not that hard."

Marin walked back up to his room, drying his newly cleaned hair with a towel as he sat down at his desk. Tikki was watching anime on his computer when he heard a notification.

"One sec sugar cube." He requested as she paused her video. She hovered near his head as he saw Alya was trying to call him. He clicked on her icon as Tikki hid behind the monitor.

"What up?" Marin asked.

"Did you get one of these too?" Alya asked as she held up her cell phone with an invitation.

"Uh, no?" Marin responded. "What is it?"

"Chloé's inviting me to a party, and apparently the entire school as well.

"Oh, that's so nice of her." He said simply as Alya stared at him.

"Chloé and nice in the same sentence? You don't think that's suspicious at all?" Alya asked. "Actually wait, hang on." She said as a few moments later Nino popped into the group chat.

"Hi!" He said.

"Cookie, you get one of these too?" Alya asked holding up her phone again.

"Yeah." He said, showing off his invitation as well. "Apparently everyone's getting one."

"I haven't gotten anything," Marin said as he looked through his email.

"Because hardly anyone uses email any more cutie pie," Nino remarked. "Hang on." He said as then Adrien joined the call.

"What's going on?" He asked curiously as all of his friends were in one place.

"Hey Adrikins, is Chloé planning some kind of elaborate prank?" Alya asked.

"I dunno, honest. Maybe she's just being nice?" He suggested as everyone else looked at him in disbelief. "But maybe Chloé just needs a chance? She can be cool sometimes."

"To you maybe." Nino said, "But everyone else probably is the equivalent of roaches."

"That's a little harsh," Adrien remarked.

"No...that sounds about right," Marin confirmed as he sighed.

"Okay, so she can be difficult. But I think if we go then you'll be able to see her better side?" Adrien suggested, but even he looked like he was trying to convince himself.

"Alright, I'll go if Adrirkin's is going," Nino said as Adrien smiled at him. "Alya?"

She groaned, "Fine. Marin?"

Her best friend shrugged his shoulders. "I don't have an invitation, so I guess I can't go. Oh well…" But he didn't sound disappointed.

"Oop, Chloé just texted me to bring you. Sorry cutie, looks like you're coming along as well." Alya smirked in amusement, as Marin laughed. But it sounded hollow.

Adrien greeted his friends as all four of them walked into the hotel where Chloé lived. Marin held Alya's hand as he was turned off by the massive crowd.

"I'm here can we go home and get in our pajamas and watch movies or something?" Marin suggested as Alya clasped his hand tighter.

"Afterwards cutie, promise," Alya reassured as they both saw Chloé tackle Adrien with a hug, kissing his cheeks in greeting. Then grimacing as she did the same with their classmates.

Then, she walked up to Marin, growling as she grabbed his collar, pulling him down as she kissed his cheeks as well. Gagging as she proceeded to do the same thing with Alya and Nino.

"I did not care for that." Alya spat as she rubbed the Chloé off of her cheeks.

Marin smiled supportively as he took her hand, guiding her into the party as they followed Adrien and Nino into the larger crowd.

Adrien took notice of Chloé trying to be a good hostess, looking utterly miserable, but he appreciated her trying to become better. He then noticed Kim requesting a slow song as he asked Chloé to dance. He looked around to everyone pairing up as he then looked around, spotting Alya resting on Marin's shoulder near the elevators.

"Hey, either of you wanna dance?" He asked as Alya immediately snapped to attention.

"Remind me, Adrien you have formal dance experience right?" She asked as Marin looked fearful of what was to come."

"Yeah, of course."

She clapped her hands together. "Then maybe you could help Marin out." She said pushing him forward. "No one's ever asked this poor cutie to dance in his life."

"For good reason." Marin reminded, turning his head away shyly, lacing his fingers together.

"It's easy." Adrien reassured, grasping his friend's hand as he guided him to the dance floor. He placed one of Marin's hands on his shoulder as he placed his hand on the lower dip of Marin's back. Noticing his friend's eyes were glued directly to the ground. "It's okay, I'm leading." He said, "All you have to do is keep your head up and try to mirror my movements."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Marin asked growing more anxious.

"By trusting me." Adrien said, "I'll help guide you, and don't worry about stepping on my feet. I've stepped on a few myself." He smiled as Marin's shoulder's seemed to relax, chuckling.

They took a few steps together, Adrien tried to keep Marin's attention, but his friend seemed too nervous by the crowd of people. That was, until Alua popped up, adjusting their hand positions so that Marin had both of his around Adrien's waist while his were around the taller boy's neck. Both of them looked towards their friends in surprise as Nino was dancing with Alya. But eventually broke into laughter.

"Sorry, would you mind if I rested my head?" Marin asked as his face grew red, their dancing slowing down along with the music.

"No problem," Adrien said as Marin placed his head on his shoulder like he usually did with Nino or Alya. This was probably a friend thing. "Chloé seems to be doing well." He suddenly said, not certain why he brought up Marin's bully, but this was the route he was taking...apparently.

Marin hummed for a moment. "Maybe you were right. She's probably trying." He said as Adrien couldn't help but feel a semblance of relief. He mirrored Marin, closing his eyes as the two leaned on each other, slowly dancing along with the music.

That was, until Chloé suddenly snapped. Everyone looked in her direction as her butler was holding a bear, playing a character.

"Oh, please Chloé, dear. You've been such a good little girl. Mr. Cuddly is so very proud-" He butler said as she immediately tried to hide him.

"Is that your teddy bear, Chloé?" Kim asked, laughing as everyone else followed. Chloé then growled as she grabbed her butler, dragging him to the kitchens as Marin and Adrien exchanged a glance.

"Should we go after her?" Marin asked with a concerned expression.

"How can you do that?" Adrien suddenly asked as Marin looked at him in surprise.

"Do what?"

"Still be nice to her after everything she's done to you." Adrien clarified as Marin looked away sheepishly.

"I mean…I'm not a fan of her, but if someone's upset, their feelings shouldn't be ignored." Marin reasoned. "It even people like Chloé need someone to lean on now and again." Marin chuckled as a smile broke out on Adrien's face.

"Yeah, you're right." Adrien agreed. "But this doesn't get you out of your dance lesson." He said as the two broke out of their dance. Seemingly, someone boo'ed that in the back of the crowd, but it wasn't important right now. "Come on, I think she went-" Adrien was about to say but then Chloé ran in between them followed by Sabrina holding a hairbrush.

Immediately, Marin assessed the situation as he saw a little black teddy bear hugging Sabrina's leg. Quickly, he slipped away, running towards the staircase as he then closed the door behind him.

"Tikki." He called out as his Kwami flew out of his jacket.

"You looked like you were on Cloud Nine." Tikki giggled as Marin blushed. But he then shook his head, regaining his focus.

"No time for reminiscing. Tikki, spots on!"

Ladybug used his yo-yo to try and grab the bear attached to Kim's leg but instead grabbed the boy, sending him flying as he then had to catch him.

"Sorry." Ladybug apologized as Kim looked at him in confusion, placing him back down as he lost sight of the bear.

People began running away in panic as chairs began flying.

"Max!" Kim called out in worry as his best friend was being possessed by the bear now.

"How about a game of musical chairs?!" The bear asked through Max as Ladybug had to knock away a few flying chairs to stop them from hitting people.

"Watch out!" Chat Noir called as he appeared, using his staff to knock away one that was just about to hit Ladybug. He then used his staff to try and hit the bear, but it was too fast. Max then fell over as Kim ran towards his friend.

Ladybug narrowed his eyes, looking around as he felt someone's presence behind him. Side-stepping as he pinned Alya to the ground. "Huh? Ladybug... What happened?" She asked in confusion as Ladybug took out his yo-yo once more.

Chat Noir narrowly evaded a coffee table being tossed at him, pointing his staff at Ivan who then looked around in confusion. "Huh, Cat Noir?" He questioned as Chat Noir grew frustrated.

"UGH! This guy is really getting on my nerves." He commented as he felt someone grab his shoulder. He turned in shock as he narrowly evaded a punch.

"My lady?!" He asked as he saw his partner's blue eyes were now turned green. "Hey, snap out of it!" Chat noir pleased as he noticed the bear was hugging his partner's back.

Ladybug glanced at him with a blank expression, swiftly attacking him a few more times as Chat Noir, eyed the elevator. He jumped towards it, quickly using his staff to press the up button as his partner attacked him once more. Chat Noir evaded, jumping in the elevator as he winked playfully.

He saw Ladybug glare at him as he then entered the elevator with him,

" I've always wanted to be closer to you my lady," Chat Noir remarked as they dueled within the elevator. As soon as it dinged. Chat Noir tried to dive out as Ladybug was blocking the entrance, but was caught, feeling his arm twisted behind him.

"This is the end, Chat Noir." His possessed partner said with a grin as Chat Noir could feel his ring being removed.

"It is, for you!" Chat Noir retorted as he easily escaped being pinned. Quickly hugging his partner and in turn, the small bear as he smiles cheekily. " Real shame you never realized how weak Ladybug is compared to me." He meant physically but really hoped that Ladybug wouldn't remember this as he pulled his partner into the pool.

Ladybug coughed as he slowly opened his eyes, feeling a headache come on as he suddenly coughed out some water as he sat up.

"Ugh, what happened?" He asked in confusion, as he was now wet and Chat Noir was sitting next to him, having a conflicted look on his face.

"Well, you were possessed, I saved you, I found out you couldn't swim, and now the bear is at the bottom of the pool." Chat Noir explained as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. There was a brief silence between the two as Chat Noir then hugged his partner tightly for a moment.

Ladybug wasn't entirely sure how to respond, simply allowing to happen as he tried to recollect his thoughts.

"You're sure you don't have a girlfriend?" Chat Noir suddenly asked as he was still hugging him.

" No?" Ladybug responded as Chat Noir pulled back with a reddened face.

"Good, because you kinda almost drowned, and I kinda didn't what that to happen…"

"Don't worry about it." Ladybug remarked simply as he suddenly sneezed. He stood up, helping Chat Noir to his feet. "It was a good plan. Besides, I'd do it for you."

"...Right." Chat Noir remarked, handing his head for a moment.

"Why don't we wrap this up." Ladybug remarked as he took out his yo-yo.

"Yeah." Chat Noir agreed holding up his hand. " Cataclysm!" He called out before jumping into the pool.

As soon as his partner disappeared under the surface, Ladybug's face ran crimson red. He didn't want to think about it, it wasn't a real kiss, it was just something Chat Noir had to do to save him. It didn't mean anything!

Ladybug immediately slapped his cheeks a few times as he saw an Akuma flying out of the pool. "No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

Ladybug then helped out Chloé's butler out of the pool as the hero then sneezed once more.

"If I may ask, what was I doing in the pool?" He asked curiously as Ladybug helped out Chat Noir as well, who handed him the wet teddy bear.

Just as they were about to answer Chloé stepped in with a frown on her face.

"Mademoiselle," Jean said in surprise, holding the bear in his hand.

She crossed her arms, turning her back towards him. " It appears…I was a little hasty, in my decisions." She admitted. "I think that thing of yours about being nice might actually make some sense. I've decided to keep you on, after all!." She said walking back downstairs as her butler couldn't help but chuckle. "Don't let the guests go away, Jean-Baptiste. They mustn't miss what's coming up next!"

"Of course, Mademoiselle is so kind," Jean said, nodding his thanks to both heroes who looked at each other in confusion before they turned away with blushing faces.

"Uh." Chat Noir coughed dryly. " Sorry again."

"It's fine, I kind of did the same to you..."Ladybug admitted as Chat Noir fully turned towards him.

"WHAT?! WHEN?!" His shocked tone mad Ladybug blush furiously, but even so he turned back to his partner.

"On Valentines Day..." He said shrugging his shoulders as Chat Noir then rested his head and hand on his staff as his ring beeped, calmly asking.

"Was it romantic?"

That triggered something that made him hide away his face. "Good-bye Chat Noir." He said, sneezing before he jumped off the building.

Marin sneezed a few times as Jean handed him a cup of hot tea.

"Thank you." He said sipping it.

Alya sat next to him as they both watched his father doing another cooking demonstration. Apparently Chloé had called his father for a redo and he happily accepted, despite almost having a heart attack after he found out his son caught a cold.

I guess I didn't dry my hair properly. He said with a laugh, just before everyone started scolding him. It was better than the alternative. Hey, I'm Ladybug and my partner threw me into a pool that I almost drowned in because I was possessed by a bear.

Yup, he could live with this.

Now he was with his best friend, sitting on a sofa now drowsy because of the tea, watching enviously as everyone else was baking, while he was stuck with a cold. But even so, he noticed Alya eyeing the crowd. She was good at hiding her feelings, but never with him.

"Cupcake, I'm feeling sluggish, I think imma take a nap." He said, his voice now hoarse.

She nodded, "Okay, you can sle-"

"Actually, I wanna be alone. Why don't you bake cookies with everyone else?"

She glanced at him in concern. "No way, I can't leave you here-"

"Right across the room? With Jean?" He asked with a smile as he gestured to the butler who nodded his head. "Okay, overprotective much." He scoffed as Alya smiled, quickly pecking his cheek as she walked toward the baking station. He sighed heavily, eyes getting heavier as his head became hazy.

"Hey, thought I'd keep you company," Adrien said, sitting down next to Marin as he saw Alya standing next to Nino, both of them were laughing over something as they kept putting icing on each other's faces.

Marin nodded in appreciation, placing down his mug so he wouldn't drop it.

"You know your dad keeps bragging about how your cookies are the best in all of Paris?" Adrien remarked trying to start a conversation. "I'm a little envious how he gets to have him anytime he wants."

Marin chuckled, gripping the blanket tighter as his skin turned paler than it already was, probably due to the fever setting in. "Yeah, baking is one of the skills I'm confident in, I'd say I'm even better than my dad's." He murmured.

"I'd like to see you live up to your word," Adrien remarked with a competitive tone.

"You're on, what's your favorite fruit?" Marin chuckled.

"Passion Fruit. But it's a little difficult to be baked into a desert besides-" Adrien said but then felt a weight on his shoulder as Marin had passed out. He was probably pushing himself to talk. He couldn't help but sigh in exasperation at his friend but softened as he saw how soundly he was sleeping. The day was already filled with highs and lows, Adrien crossed his arms, resting his head on Marin's as slumbered off.

Chapter Text

"Tonight, for our first edition of Face To Face, you'll have the opportunity of a lifetime. The chance to talk live with Ladybug and Chat Noir. Along with me, Nadja Chamack. We'll be revealing some sizzling hot information, no holds barred about your favorite superheroes. Don't be bemused, it's just the news." Nadja announced as Tikki suddenly gasped looking up at news broadcast on Marin's desktop.

"Sizzling hot revelations? No holds barred?!" She immediately flew to her partner who was sewing something "Marin, you're a superhero, not a star. You have to remain a mystery to protect yourself from Hawkmoth and his super villains!"

Marin bit through the thread, smiling as he fixed his Ladybug doll. Then turned towards his Kwami, holding out his hands as Tikki sat on his palm. " Don't worry, I only accepted this because I want the people of Paris to know that Chat Noir and I will always do whatever it takes to keep them safe." He said reassuringly.

"Just be careful tonight, okay?" Tikki requested as Marin nuzzled her cheek.

"I will sugar cube. Don't worry."

"Marin!" Manon called out from downstairs as she then ran up, her eyes lighting up as she immediately hugged him. "Marin!"

Marin lifted her up in his arms as he smiled at her mother, "Hello Mrs. Chamack." He smiled.

Nadja nodded to him in greeting. "Sorry, I'm running late. Thanks again for watching Manon." She handed him Manon's backpack, "I've put a bunch of things for her in her bag and she's already had dinner. Oh, I'm so glad you were free tonight."

Marin chuckled nervously. "Uh, yeah. No plans at all."

"I better get going. I've got a lot riding on this interview. I need all of Paris in front of the screen tonight." She kissed her daughter, "Sweetie, just for tonight, you're allowed to watch some television with Marin."

"Yay!" Marin cheered, climbing up onto Marin's shoulders as she hugged his head. " Mommy's gonna be on TV with Ladybug and Chat Noir." She informed.

Marin smiled, looking up at the small child. "Oh yeah? "

"Yeah!" Manon said as Marin glanced back at her mother.

"You'll do great, Mrs. Chamack, me and Manon will be right here cheering for her."

Nadja nodded. "I appreciate it. Manon, be good for Marin."

"I will!" Manon said as she waved at her mother leaving.

Marin placed the small child down, "So, what would you like to do?"

"Watch mommy!" Manon responded as Marin chuckled.

"Of course, but would you like a buddy to watch with you?" Marin asked as Manon looked up at him curiously.

Nadja sighed to herself, looking up at the empty couch before her before checking her tablet once more. Then she was surprised as Chat Noir seemingly appeared before her out of thin air. "Uh, how did you get in here?" She asked as he took a water bottle off the snack tray.

"Secret celebrity door." He said taking a sip. "I see my Lady isn't here yet."

Nadja sighed. "I thought you and Ladybug would be arriving together."

"Wanna hear a secret?" Nadja nodded as Chat Noir popped a pastry in his mouth. "I love chouquettes." He said as the woman couldn't help but giggle. But her smile faded as she apparently got a call from someone. Anxiety riddled her face as she responded to the other caller.

"No, of course not ma'am." She then hung up the call, sighing heavily.

"We're on the air in 5." An intern called out as Chat Noir noticed the woman's frantic looking expression.

"Super Manon to the rescue, woohoo!" Alya said as she held Manon over her head.

"To the Eiffel Tower and beyond!" Manon cheered.

"Sorry for troubling you with this Alya." Marin apologized as he placed down a bowl of popped corn on the blankets they laid out.

Alya brushed him off, placing Manon on her lap. "Don't even trip, it's way more fun watching your favorite superhero on TV with my favorite cuties."

"Don't let your sisters hear you say that." Marin remarked as he then turned towards the new report promotion.

"When we return from commercial, Nadja Chamack will be joined by Ladybug and Chat Noir for an incredible, exclusive interview."

Manon pointed to the screen. "Mommy, there's mommy!" She said happily as Alya sighed.

"Why can't I get an exclusive interview like that for my Ladyblog?"

Marin smiled at his friend for a moment. "Oh, I forgot, it's my turn to prep the ingredients for tomorrow's baking. Do you mind keeping an eye on Manon while I'm not here?"

"And you're coming right back, yeah?" Alya asked with a sly smile on her face.

"Course, anything for you, cupcake." Marin said hesitantly as he knew he was lying through his teeth. "Okay bye, love you." He immediately jumped down the stairs and into the living room, opening up a window. "Luck it's date night, or this would be much harder. He remarked as his Kwami flew out of his jacket.

"Tikki, spots on!"

"Going live in ten, nine..."

Nadja sighed heavily, biting her nails as soon her career would be over.

"Hey no worries, there's no way my bugaboo would leave his fans hanging." Chat remarked trying to reassure her.

"Five, four, three, two, one-"

Nadja looked up seeing, Ladybug sitting beside Chat Noir, poised professionally as he crossed his legs.

"I thought you decided to stand me up, bugaboo." He remarked playfully.

" I would hate it if everyone tuning in were disappointed. I'm sorry I'm so late, Nadja." Ladybug apologized as the reported recovered from her stunned expression. Nodding in appreciation as she then turned towards the camera.

"Good evening. I'm Nadja Chamack and this is Face To Face. For our first edition, I welcome the beloved guardians of Paris - Ladybug and Chat Noir. Hello, thanks so much for accepting this exclusive live interview." Chat Noir waved while Ladybug nodded his head.

"Hello to all my fans!"Chat Noir remarked as he blew a kiss to them, winking with a charming smile glued to his face.

"I'm sure thousands have tuned in to watch you both, how does it feel to be so admired?"

"Hear that Bugaboo, thousands of people want to spend an evening with us." Chat Noir joked as Ladybug retained his composure.

"Of course we always appreciate the feelings of our fans, it shows the amount of faith they have in us." Ladybug responded ignoring his partner, who was undeterred.

Ladybug simply keeps his composure as Chat glances towards him. "You know what would get you all the views? Getting our stoic Ladybug to smile. I can't even get him to crack a joke when we're on duty."

"I can joke around."

"Good jokes Bugaboo." Chat Noir remarked as Ladybug smirked.

"I wouldn't want to encourage you." Ladybug said as he flicked Chat Noir's bell. "If I didn't hold back, then you wouldn't have half the number of fans you do now."

Chat Noir chuckled, "It's cute you think that. But come on bugaboo, you know I only have eyes for you." He half-joked as he noticed Nadjas eyes light up as she was glancing at something on her bracelet.

"It's obvious you two are very close." She remarked. "People know you but they don't really know the real you. We see you saving Paris all the time but we don't know much else."

"We won't be keeping anything from you, Nadja-" Chat Noir began to say until Ladybug placed his hand of his, stopping him from talking as his previous lighthearted tone faded.

"What my partner means is, we will try to be as open as possible. However, anything retaining to our identities or personal lives are off the table within reason."

Nadja nodded after checking her watch. "Absolutely! How about we start a few questions from your biggest fans?"

Ladybug nodded as Chat smiled eagerly. All of them turned towards the jumbo screen as Chloé appeared before them calling from her room.

"Hello caller. State your name and your question." Nadja instructed.

"Err, seriously Nadja? Surely, no one would be the first caller but me." Chloé remarked. "I'm only the most prestigious fan of Ladybug."

"Oh yes, of course. Hello there, Chloé Bourgeois. Daughter of the mayor of Paris-" Nadja introduced half-heartedly.

"And don't forget my daddy is the manager of the Grand Paris, the best luxury hotel in the entire city." Chloé interrupted as she waved to the camera.

"Err, thank you for reminding us. What is your question, Chloé?"

"Oh, I don't have a question. I just wanted to say hi, since as you all know, we're such very good friends - Ladybug, Chat Noir and I!" Chloé remarked, winking to the audience.

"Uh, thank you, Chloé Bourgeois - next caller!" Nadja quickly scrambled.

"Hey, I'm not finished, who gives you the right to-" Chloé was cut off as everyone seemed to sigh in relief. Nadja then pulled up another caller, one that made Ladybug scream internally.

"Hi there, Ladybug, Chat Noir!" Alya said with a smile. "I'm Alya and I was wondering if you can grab me an interview for the Ladyblog. You know, since I have way more viewers than Nadja! What do you say?" She asked with a confident smile.

Ladybug sighed, "My apologies, but we're on Nadja's time right now if there's something specific you want to ask."

Alya sighed in disappointment for a moment before getting her pep back, nodding excitedly, " Of course. Thank you, thank you!"

"I'm on TV?" Manon asked looking around, then waving frantically towards her mother. "Hi mommy!"

"Manon? But, where's Marin?" Nadja asked in concern.

"He's finishing up on some chores?" Alya said, covering for her best friend. "He's a hard worker.

"Hi Ladybug!" Manon yelled, waving.

Ladybug couldn't help but smile softly at the small child.

"Hello, Manon."

Manon turned toward Alya in awe, " Ladybug knows my name!"

"Of course, he's saves everyone after all." Alya remarked as she placed Manon on her lap.

" So you're smiling for the fans but not me?" Chat asked jokingly.

"What can I say, she's far more charming." Ladybug responded with a playful smirk on his face, one that was infectious.

"Okay yeah, I have to admit, she is cute." Chat Noir conceded. "So, do you have a question for us Manon?"

" Hmmmmm." She thought hard for a moment and then her eyes lit up. " Why are you called Ladybug?"

"The name is pretty obvious, isn't it?" Chat Noir remarked. "He dresses and has magic ladybugs, the name comes with the territory." He reasoned.

"Actually." Ladybug cut in, "I never gave myself that name."

" What, really?" Alya asked in surprise, "Where did it come from?! Are you even a Ladybug?! What do the spots mean?!"

"Sory, but I think it was one question per call." Ladybug reminded, glancing at Nadja who nodded.

"I think we've spent enough time here." Nadja said, cutting off the link as Alya tried to ask something else, making Ladybug try to stifle his giggles.

" Now you're laughing?" Chat Noir asked, " I'm starting to think you're actually enjoying yourself."

"It's just your imagination."

"Uh, Ladybug, Chat Noir, um, so a lot of fans think of you as a couple of superheroes. But also, and I quote-unquote, as a "couple". Period."

Ladybug smile quickly faded as one drew on Chat Noirs, bursting with anticipation of what was to come.

"Can you confirm that you're dating here, tonight?" She asked as electricity filled the air.

"We are not dating." he bluntly stated as Chat Noir sighed in agreement, nodding.

Nadja hummed for a moment. "Then how do you explain these photographs then?" she asked pulling up a photo, the photo, that showed them kissing. Ladybug recognized it all too well as Chat Noir's eyebrows shot up with surprise.

"Ohhhh, that's certainly not romantic at all. Yeesh, on the street like that?" He joked, noticing that Ladybug kept a stern expression despite the fact that Nadja kept throwing more photo's of them together.

" Still, why did you never tell me about this?!"

"Sorry, it must have slipped my mind."

"You kissing me slipped your mind?!"

Nadja smiled, looking down at her watch. "It's so obvious that you're both in love, why not play with the idea for a moment? After all, you two are extremely close."

Chat Noir leaned back, "She's not wrong you know." He said pointing to the reported.

Ladybug was about to say something as his yo-yo beeped. He opened it, narrowing his eyes as he then stood up. "All of these are just a bunch of photos taken out of context. We're not a couple, we're just here to protect the city until we can find a way to take down Hawkmoth. Anything more than that would breach the trust of the people we're sworn to protect."

Nadja scowled at him. "But it's clear there's a real chemistry between you two. Why not just tell the truth?"

"But it is the truth, Nadja. The safety of Paris always comes first, speaking of," Ladybug remarked, "We're needed elsewhere. Thank you for your time but this interview is over." He said as he walked out of the studio.

Chat Noir exchanged a glance with the reporter as he then shrugged his shoulder's "Sorry, duty calls." He remarked following after his partner.

"Wait for you two, the show is not over yet," Nadja remarked with an anxious expression. "Your fans will be disappointed if they don't get an answer."

"If they are true fans, they'll understand." Ladybug remarked as Chat Noir saluted everyone behind him, walking out alongside him.

"Woah, what's the rush? What's going on?" Chat Noir asked as he and Ladybug landed on a roof nearby the building.

"Nothing." Ladybug said pulling out his yo-yo. "I set up multiple alarms ahead of time if we needed to bail out of there earlier.

"Smart plan, but what was up back there? You seemed a little cold." Chat Noir asked.

"Nadja was willing to do anything to make sure her show would be a success, I understand she was probably under some pressure, but we did what we set out to do."

Chat Noir shrugged his shoulder. "That's the price of success my lady, the price of stardom."

Ladybug sighed heavily as Chat Noir then walked in front of him.

"Wait, I wasn't planning on getting home so early. Why don't we get some ice cream, I know the purr-fect place." He said winking, "We could have our own little interview with each other. He remarked as Ladybug conceded, he did indeed care for ice cream.

"Hmmm...Orange and Peppermint please." Chat Noir asked, standing next to his partner within an ice cream shop. He noticed Ladybug glancing at him like he was crazy, crossing his arms. "What wrong?"

"What lack in a pallet you make up for in charisma." Ladybug remarked as he took the ice cream from the vendor, who was happy to provide the two heroes with their tasty treats in exchange for a photo. He looked over the orange and light green ice cream Chat Noir chose for him, now regretting that decision wholeheartedly.

"Psh-" Chat Noir chided as held a pink and blue cone in his hand. "It's refreshing. Besides, like it's any worse than blue moon and strawberry?"

"Yeah." Ladybug responded, "What I chose is simple and sweet, not an attack of the tastebuds."

"Sounds kinda ironic coming from someone who's as complicated to figure out as you. What I chose is mature, you just handed me a whole mess of fluff."

"Yeah, that's what ice cream should be, complimentary. At least replace one of these flavors with chocolate." He remarked as the two sat within the outside seating across from each other.

"Maybe you should just try it then if you're complaining this much." Chat Noir recommended taking a lick of his cone then licking his lips.

"Ugh, you are so gross." Ladybug said seriously just as he was about to take a bite, but was then stopped by an announcement on the jumbotron they were sitting nearby towards.

"Welcome to a new show, hosted by me, Prime Queen!"

They both stared in surprise as Nadja, who was akumatized was now announcing "Tonight, Ladybug and Chat Noir disappointed all their loyal fans by refusing to admit their love for one another. I've prepared some trials just to see how far they're prepared to keep the truth hidden from us."

"Let's welcome our very first guest, Chloé Bourgeois, who's apparently a personal friend of our two superheroes."

"I certainly am." Chloé said quite calmly despite her situation.

"Just proves that you can't believe everything you see on TV." Chat Noir remarked as they both watched Chloé being thrown on a subway. "Guess this means out ice cream date is being put on hold?" He asked as the two heroes stood up.

"Welcome, to the subway of suspense! If it reaches seventy miles per hour, you can say goodbye to your precious little friend!"

"Well, well, look here, the ratings are rising! More and more of you want to know if our superhero friends will get here on time. The suspense is killing her! (laughs) Ladybug! Chat Noir! Are you willing to travel through the screen to save your darling Chloé?"

"Ladybug, Chat Noir! I beg you, save my jacket!" Chloé called out in a panic as she got gum on it.

Chat Noir took out his staff, extending it towards the screen as he noticed Ladybug was looking at something on his phone, narrowing his eyes.

"Ready to take the leap, my lady?" He asked as he confirmed that the screen was a portal.

Ladybug glanced towards him, "I may have a plan, but it may require some...unprofessional journalism." He sighed.

"Ooo, what does my bugaboo have in mind?" Chat Noir inquired with a playful smirk.

Ladybug dropped his microphone into his hand, fallen from his yo-yo did the same with his batton. "I'll keep all the attention on me while you track down Prime Queen. If I can say whatever I need to, to get her ratings up then it should keep her occupied long enough for you to break her bracelet."

"How do you know the Akuma is in the bracelet?" Chat Noir asked.

"She was staring at it all throughout the interview." Ladybug remarked. "Keep in constant communication." He said as the two nodded to each other. Abandoning their ice cream, Ladybug jumping into the TV while Chat Noir took to the rooftops.

Ladybug landed feet first as he noticed Chloé on the ground, helping the girl to her feet as he tried to untie the wires.

"Ugh, finally, what took you so long? Hurry up and get me out of this underground nightmare! Woah-" The whole train shook as Chloé fell over due to the sudden speed. Ladybug grabbed onto a pole as he glanced towards Prime Queen.

"You're about to be the stars of the highest-rated show in-" She stopped for a moment. "Where is Chat Noir?!" She demanded.

Ladybug silently apologized to his partner. "Chat Noir? That jokester?" He scoffed as Prime Queen stared at him stunned for a moment. "It's not as though we're attached to the hip or anything. Quite the opposite actually, I'm not much of a cat person."

Prime Queen stammered for a moment. "T-The rules for my show are simple, admit the truth live on TV that you're dating and in love and I'll stop the train!"

"Dating? Come on Prime Queen, even our best friend Chloé realizes that he's just a side-kick." Ladybug glanced at Chloé who nodded.

"That's what I've been saying from day one!" She remarked as the ratings rose.

"Wha...but- the photos! The interview!" Prime Queen remarked in shock.

"Like I said before, all of it was taken out of context." Ladybug sighed, "If you were an actual reporter, you'd have realized how much I actually hate his guts. Guess there's a reason modern news articles are just turning into tabloid fiascos." he said condescendingly, as Prime Queen grew more enraged while the ratings only rose.

Ladybug overheard his partner's voice through his earpiece. "Okay, I'm in front of the power box, and a little rude, bugaboo."

"Come on Prime Queen, you really were scraping the bottom of the barrel for that interview, you have to admit." Ladybug remarked as he smirked at Prime Queen's rage now growing despite her ratings.

"That's it!" She snapped, her rage blinding her as she put her hand through the tv, she was already halfway though as the screen as her arm was suddenly grabbed, "What-" Prime Queen gasped as she was suddenly thrown across the train car. Next thing she knew she was bound to the pole of the still-moving train. Looking up at Ladybug who was holding red duct tap with black spots, quickly breaking her bracelet.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

Nadja turned back to normal, looking around as the train started to slow down, stopping at a station. "Huh, where am I?"

"On a train." Ladybug answered handing back her bracelet.

She looked guilty as it was handed to her. "I'm sorry about earlier, it was unprofessional of me to put you two on the spot like that."

Ladybug nodded towards her, appreciating her apology. "If you're open to it, I think I may have a compromise to what you and your viewers want." He said.

"Everything work out?" Chat Noir asked at the Louvre as Ladybug guided Nadja off the train.

"Yup, everything okay." Ladybug said as his earrings beeped, "Nice work partne-"

"Hey! What about me?!" Chloé yelled out as Ladybug realized he totally forgot about her. Watching just as the train moved onto the next station with her still tied up on it.

Nadja glanced towards Ladybug just stared as the train left the station, now running automatically with no conductor.

"Need some help?" Chat Noir asked.

"No, go on home, we're done here." Ladybug insisted.

"If you say so, let's take a rain check on that ice cream. Chat out." He said as Ladybug removed his earpiece, sighing heavily.

"This is fine." He said, sprinting to the next station.

"Don't be bemused, it's just the news! Hi, I'm Nadja Chamack, and this is Side by Side. Today, I'm joined by Alya Césiare, who created the Ladyblog! Together, we'll be looking back over Cat Noir and Ladybug's greatest feats." Nadja announced a few days later as she sat on set next to Alya within the studio set. 

"Hello Nadja! Hey fans! So, first of all, I gotta set the record straight. Chat Noir and Ladybug are not a couple! Well, not yet at least, sorry to break the news." She laughed on the recording as Alya glanced towards Marin with a smile who had Manon on his lap, both of them sitting within Marin's living room. 

"Hey, that's you with my mommy!" Manon said as she looked at Alya in awe. 

"That's right, monkey," Alya said booping her nose. 

Marin smiled proudly at his best friend, "Nice job, soon you'll be the celebrity."

"You want an autograph?" Alya joked as Manon then jumped into her lap. 

"Me first!" She said excitedly, then turning to her baby sitter. "Can I have a paper?" She asked as both Marin and Alya laughed together.

"Sure monkey." Marin said as he then stood up, downstairs towards the bakery, grabbing a paper pad he set there earlier. Just as he passed by the front door he noticed that the mail already came. He looked through a few letters, sighing heavily as he pushed back lingering hopes, there was nothing for him. Putting on a smiling face, he then ran back up the stairs towards his best friend, hoping his facade wouldn't break. 

Chapter Text

"Dudes, there is no way you can pull this off." Nino remarked, crossing his arms defensively as he stood before Adrien and Alya sitting on a bench before him on the school's campus.

"What's with the attitude?" Alya asked in confusion as she and Adrien were looking at commission cakes from the Dupain-Cheung bakery.

"Yeah, don't you want to help plan a party for our friend?" Adrien asked.

Nino sighed heavily at his two friends. "You two are new, so you don't know, but every time Marin's had a birthday, it's turned into a disaster." He explained much to his friend's surprise. "We've all tried, and we've all failed, so at this point, he either stays home or just walks around the city doing his own thing."

"That seems like a little bit of an exaggeration," Adrien remarked in disbelief.

"Yeah, well everyone thought Juleka's jinx wasn't a real thing too." He pointed out.

"Okay granted, but that was broken, so if that can be broken, then this string of bad birthdays will be broken," Alya remarked as she and Adrien bumped fists while Nino sighed.

"Yeah, Team surprise part is a go!" Alya and Adrien cheered together, filled with determination as they high-fived. Walking past Nino who looked at them in exasperation.

"Not like any of us haven't tried that before, but go off I guess." He sighed as he followed after his eager friends.

Marin walked up to Juleka, "Hey, here are those photos you-" He said holding out an envelope of printed photos as he noticed Juleka had a bicycle pump in her locker. "Oh, do you have a flat again?" He asked in concern. "Need some help?"

Juleka mumbled something under her breath shyly, stepping into her locker and closing it.

Marin tried to process what just happened. He knocked on the locker door, "Jules? Do you want me to get Rose?" He asked, only hearing mumbling. "Okay, I'm going to find Rose. He said walking into the courtyard.

He spotted Nino on a nearby bench, writing something down on a paper pad.

"Nino." Marin called, then noticed that he had a furrowed brow, deep in focus. He caught his attention by walking in front of him. Nino looked up to him in surprise, dropping his headphones on the ground.

Marin picked it up, hearing a familiar tune being played.

"Uh- wait!" Nino said in vain as Marin put on the headphones. After a few moments, Marin started to laugh, "What is this? Are you finally coming around to acoustic tracks?" He asked jokingly as Nino grabbed his headphones back with annoyance.

"We both know I leave and breath techno, don't insult me." He remarked turning off the music.

"Fair enough, have you seen Rose? Juleka locked herself in her locker."

"Again?" Nino questioned as he sighed, sitting back down." I don't know, check the classroom?" He recommended as he turned his music back on, looking visibly sickened.

"So, what do you think? The park?" Alya asked as she and Adrien were sitting together, writing ideas down on paper.

"Yeah," Adrien agreed as they both spotted Marin walking in. "Uh, uh... yes, Alya! I know a very good dentist and here's his number!" Adrien said tearing up the paper and handing a piece to Alya who kept up the facade.

"Hey guys have you seen Rose?" Marin asked, undeterred.

"Nope." Alya immediately responded as she and Adrien smile to deter any sort of suspicion.

Marin looked between the two, humming to himself as he slowly left the room. "Alright." He responded. As soon as he left the room both Adrien and Alya sighed. She uncrumpled the paper Adrien tore up, trying to smooth it out as she took out some tape from her bag.

"So what do you think he'd like?" Adrien asked as Alya shrugged her shoulders.

"He's the type to just be happy with whatever."

"Well, that's no help." Adrien grimaced as his guardians were exactly the same. Part of him grimaced, thinking about gifting one of his closest friends a pen. Even though he'd probably appreciate it.

"Then go old school, make him something," Alya advised as Adrien looked up thoughtfully. Then he took out the lucky charm from his bag, getting an idea.

Marin sighed heavily as he rested on the railing on his rooftop porch. He took out a worn-out envelope out of his back pocket, his gaze lingering on it for a few moments. Before Tikki flew up to him, hovering before him happily.

"Marin, this is quite a special day for you!" Tikki said with a smile as Marin's previous anxiety faded for a moment. He pocketed the letter as he allowed Tikki to rest on the palms of his hands.

Marin hummed for a moment. "Not really. Did you need anything?"

"There's a ritual we kwamis perform on a day like this!" Tikki announced with a smile as her expression turned sheepish, uncertain. "I don't know if you humans would like it. I'm uncertain if you guys even give each other presents on your birthday."

"It's a pretty common practice," Marin said factually, nuzzling his Kwami's cheek affectionately. "You didn't have to get me anything sugar cube. You remembering my birthday is enough." But Tikki shook her head.

"I didn't get you anything, I made you something!" She said proudly. "A kwami specialty."

Marin felt a pit in his stomach as he almost hated receiving gifts, but put on a smile. "Oh, that so awesome! What is it?"

Tikki hovered before him, doing an adorable little dance as she then spat something shining into his hands, which surprised him greatly. "Ta-Da! Miraculous birthday, Marin!"

Marin tilted his head slightly in confusion, slightly disgusted, his expressions didn't go unnoticed. "Oh no, you don't like it, do you?" Tikki said in disappointment.

He wanted to deny it outright but was still too confused to put up a facade."...Please tell me what you spit into my hands."

Tikki lifted her head. "A Kwagatama. A great symbol of friendship among us kwamis. We take the hair from our Miraculous holder and join it to the hairs of all the former Miraculous holders. And with them we grow a magic resin for a few months and... I know you don't wanna tell me because you don't want to hurt my feelings but it's obvious you don't like it."

"No-no sugar cube I love it. It's just...have you been eating my hair?" He had to ask after hearing her explanation but received one as she giggled nervously. "Oh that is so gross, but I appreciate the sentiment." He said hugging his Kwami close, he then went down to his room.

"So what are you going to do on your day?" Tikki asked with a smile.

"Well, I have to stop by somewhere, but then I'm going to help Alya take her sister to the dentist at four o'clock today."

Tikki tilted her head curiously at him. "Do you humans always celebrate your birthday by going to the dentist?"

Marin chuckled as he grabbed his messenger bag off his sofa. "No, of course not, Tikki. She just needs a favor, her sisters are a handful after all. Maybe I should stop by early..." He thought out loud to himself. "Wanna come with?" He asked with a smile as Tikki was already in his bag.

["Hello?"] Marin said peering into the bakery. His parents froze in place, in the middle of decorating a large cake. Tom immediately hides the cake in the garbage and sits on the lid while Sabine leans on the counter looking normal. "I'm heading out now."

"So early?"

"Yeah, any mail come for me?" Marin asked, looking at the pile on the table.

"No not today heart." Sabine said. "We'll be baking all day today. Why don't you go and play outside?" His mother said as Tom he sat atop the trash can.

Marin looked over the scene,"Did a catering order come in?" he asked.

"What? No!" Tom said immediately. "We don't even make cakes here!"

Sabine sighed, "Yes, it's quite a large one."

Marin nodded, "Alright, I'm going out, I'll be at Alya's if you need me." He then heard the doorbell ring.

Opening it up he saw a woman about his height standing before him with an Italian motorcycle parked behind her. She was holding her helmet at her side and was wearing a pair of aviator sunglasses. He stared at her for a moment before he called out.

"Dad, I think it's for you." He said as he walked past her and towards the bus stop. He overheard his parents yelling out as he walked down the streets. As soon as he left the vicinity whoever that person was, was now his parent's problem. While he was passing by the park he noticed a group of people were setting up what looked to be a party of sorts.

"Okay, we've has a few hiccups." Alya said as everyone was setting up in the park "But in a few more hours it'll be perfect, I promise!" she reassured as everyone cheered in support.

"It's almost done, don't you need to get Marin soon?" Adrien asked, but she brushed him off.

"Relax I'm picking him up at his place, we'll have plenty of time so long as nothing goes wrong."

Marin ran the doorbell on Alya's apartment and was greeted by her big sister who towered over him in height.

"Hiya Nora, is Alya here? I was supposed to meet her today."

"It's Anansi baker boy, and no, she left to meet her friends." She informed as her younger sister peeked out from behind her.

"Marin!" They both cheered as they hugged his legs. "What did you bring us!?" They both asked at the same time as their sister had to pull them off, holding them like kittens.

"Hey-that's rude, you don't just ask for gifts from anyone at the door. Apologize." She ordered as her younger sisters hung their heads.

"We're sorry." They said simultaneously as Marin shook his head.

"It's alright. I didn't bring any treats because Alya and I are taking them to the dentist today." Marin informed as Alya's younger sisters then started squirming in their eldest sister's arms, yelling out in panic as Nora held them in her arms.

"What? I'm the only one with a dentist appointment today." Nora informed. "You don't get teeth as straight as mine without a monthly trip. Especially with my profession." She remarked. "But it sounds like you misheard."

Marin hummed for a moment. "Huh, maybe I did. Oh well, would you mind telling Alya I'm sorry for misunderstanding then?"

"No problem bakery boy, you wanna come in? Hey!" She offered as her sisters still squirmed furiously trying to escape, now thrashing around.

Marin chuckled as he booped the twin's noses as he saw Alya do with Manon. "You two be nice for your sister, and next time I visit I'll show you how to bake the best chocolate cupcakes, promise?"

His heart melted as he saw both of their eyes light up. "Yes!" They agreed as Nora sighed in relief.

"Thanks kid." She said as Marin nodded, closing the door for her as he walked down the hall. Tikki hovered before him curiously.

"What now? Are you going home?" She asked.

"No...I'd rather just go around the city. We can get some ice cream for you if you like." He smiled as Tikki's eyes lit up.

"Yes, please! Can we try to find Andre?" She asked, "I read online that his ice cream is the best."

Marin stopped walking, a troubled look overtook him for a moment before it shook it off, then smiling for Tikki. "I just need to stop by somewhere first, then we can go find him." He said as Tikki flew up to nuzzle him happily.

Alya and Adrien were stunned as they both stood before Marin's front door at around 2 pm, just to make sure everything was running smoothly. There was yelling inside as Sabine opened the door with a smile on her face.

"Hello dears." She greeted as Adrien and Alya looked in, seeing Marin's father arguing with a relatively old woman. "I thought Marin was with you." She said as both Alya and Adrien shared a worried glance.

"Why would you think that ?" Adrien hesitantly asked as Sabine spoke up.

"Because he said that he was going to Alya's place. He left about an hour ago."

Alya immediately grabbed Adrien's shoulders. "We need to find our boy, I'll call my sister. You look around our usual hangouts."

Marin lowered his head, sighing as he stood before an old looking house. He held a worn-out letter in his hand, crumpled, slightly torn, watermarked...but still here. He noticed all the mail that was stacked up together, crumpled and water damaged, abandoned. Reflexively he dug through the pile, picking up one that was heavily damaged. Even though nothing went through, he couldn't help but feel hurt. If he dug through the mail, he was certain that he'd find almost a decade's worth of letters unopened.

"Hey, Marin."

He turned back to see a familiar delivery man holding a sack of flour in his hands.

"Hi Gilbert, how are you?" Marin asked as he opened the gate for the delivery man.

"Same as I am every year." He remarked with a smile. "You going inside today?" He asked as Marin shook his head.

"Nah, I was just dropping by to see the place." He said with a smile, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Alright if you say so. Happy Birthday." Gilbert said as he walked into the house, leaving the younger boy on his own.

"Thanks..." He smiled half-heartedly as he clutched the letter in his hand. He turned back for a moment, putting the letter in the mailbox before walking away, seconds before realizing he had no frame of reference to where the heck Andre could be.

Adrien was in his bodyguards' car, looking around the city for his friend. He received a text from Alya saying that he'd left her place about an hour ago. There was still half an hour to go before the party started. So they had to find him fast-

The car then suddenly halted as Adrien looked at his driver in confusion. "Why'd we stop?" He asked, then noticed who was sitting on a bench on top of the bridge.

"Thanks!" Adrien said quickly as he jumped out of the car, leaving his bodyguard to circle around as his bodyguard parked nearby on the street.

" Hey, Marin..." He greeted, his warm greeting fading as he noticed his friend hadn't noticed him yet. "Uh." Adrien walked up to him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. The taller boy flinched back as he came to attention. He looked up at him in surprise, his frazzled expression could be seen as cute, but Adrien knew better than to say it out loud.

"Hi!" Marin stammered out as Adrien folded his hands behind him. He had to buy time until Alya could send him the signal.

"Hi." Adrien smiled, "Mind if I sit here?" He asked politely as Marin nodded, scooting away even though there was already some distance between them. "So uh, funny running into you here." Adrien stammered as Marin shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess, what are you doing here?" Marin asked as Adrien was at a loss for words.

" Uh-I...was looking for you!" Adrien was at a loss for words. "I...I have a problem!" He spat out suddenly, surprising both boys but now Adrien was rolling with this..."problem". " I, uh, there's this huge thing coming up, and I'm terrified."

" Huge thing?" Marin asked in confusion.

"Yeah, huge thing, huge...event. And honestly, I'm worried that I'll mess up."

"Those fencing try-outs…?" Marin asked as Adrien immediately nodded. "But you're instructing aren't you?"

"Yes, those. I am nervous because ...I think I will mess those up." He said, saying anything that popped into his head.

" You?" Marin tilted his head towards Adrien, baring an expression of disbelief. " But you're perfect." He said as Adrien noticed that Marin's entire body went into shock after he had said that. " I MEAN-UH-"

But Adrien smiled, relaxing as he giggled in amusement. "Thanks, but I'm not perfect. Honestly, I get a little scared every time someone puts any attention on me."

" Really? But you make it look so natural."

Adrien nodded his thanks, "It's my job to make it look natural."

Marin looked away for a moment, in deep thought as he turned back to his friend with a calm expression. "Do you still have that charm I gave you?"

" Your lucky charm?" Adrien questioned, taking it out of his pocket and handing it to his friend. "Of course, I take it everywhere."

" It's a charm of boundless courage. If it helped you play better maybe it'll help with this, huge event you're so worried about. Do you mind?" Marin asked as Adrien nodded, though he wasn't sure what exactly for. Marin took the bracelet, tying it around his friend's wrist. He put both of Adrien's hands together, keeping his own over them. "If ever you feel uncertain, then clap your hands together and say these words." Marin was about to say, but then his face turned red, "You can't laugh."

Adrien looked at his friend, dumbfounded for a moment as to how he ever could. "Never." He said honestly as Marin sighed his face still red even though for the first time since they met, he made direct eye contact with the taller boy, mesmerized by how blue eyes were.

" I am Adrien Agreste. I'm a fantastic person, an amazing friend, and am someone whose confidence inspires others. But above all," Marin said seriously, with a smile on his face. "I have a beautiful smile."

"Seems like an exaggeration." Adrien stammered as he tried to push his embarrassment from reaching the surface, but he could feel a blush threatening to surface, but then it quickly faded as Marin slapped his hands on his. "OW!"

"It only seems that way because you have no idea how happy you can make other people," Marin said sincerely- how could he say these things so easily? To him of all people!

Adrien was at a loss for words, he lowered his head as he grasped the bracelet that was attached to his wrist. He then lifted his head in confusion as something rang in his ears. "Do you hear singing?" he asked but didn't have time to respond as all of a sudden, a witch hovered before them on a flying motorcycle from behind the bridge with what looked to be a fairy flying behind her.

"Dun dun dun I've found you mio piccolo principe!" The villainess announced and promptly pointed a gun towards him.

"Principe?" Marin questioned as he reacted quickly, pushing Adrien out of the way as the villain shot something at them, blackening the bench into...coal?

" Tsk tsk, mio principle, you wouldn't want to anger Nonna Befana would you?"

" Befana?" Adrien questioned, as he took a step back, noticing that Befana's attention was centered on his friend as she fired towards him. Marin dove for cover under a bench, but before Adrien could run to him, he was suddenly scooped up and thrown into the car only able to watch his classmate evade a villain.

"Marin!" Adrien called out as his bodyguard entered the car.

" I'll be fine, just go!" Marin called as he just narrowly evaded one of Befana's shots, sprinting for cover near a car as Befana and her fairy chased after him.

Adrien growled as he quickly opened the door on the other side of the vehicle. Dashing under the bridge as his kwami flew out.

"Plagg, claws out!"

Marin scrambled to evade them, heading out onto the streets as he could hear people's screams littering the roars of Befana's motorbike.

" Mio picolo principe, you can't get away!" She warned with a hint of glee in her words. All of a sudden the fairy tackled into him, sending him tumbling onto the street. He grunted as he was lifted off the ground, bound by the fairy with a gun to his face.

" Naughty, Naughty Marin." Befana scolded with a sadistic smile drawn on her face. "Don't you love your poor Nonna?"

" Nonna?" Marin questioned before his eyes widened with realization, all too late as he saw her pull the trigger. Flinching at the click of the barrel opening, but he remained intact.

" Ah?!" Suddenly there was a clang as Befana was knocked back off her bike while her fairy was in a tree passed out.

" You know for a lady," Chat Noir smirked as he grabbed his friend in his arms." I dare say that wasn't your best foot forward."

Marin suddenly felt relieved as he glanced towards the superhero in front of him. "Chat Noir!"

"Heard there was someone harassing my Macaroon, hope you don't mind me crashing." He remarked as Marin sighed, shaking his head.

" No way."

" Ugh!" Both turned towards Befana who had an enraged expression, " My little fairy, take out the bad kitty!" She commanded as her minion turned on Chat Noir, taking the chance to refill her gun.

Marin glanced at her weapon, empty of bottle of pellets, the canister she was using to replenish it, his eyes widening with realization as Chat Noir wrapped his arm around his waist.

"Pardon my forwardness," he winked playfully as he extended his staff faster than the fairies could fly far above the city line.

Marin gasped fearfully as he grasped Chat Noirs neck closing his eyes out of fear there was no way he could transform into Ladybug. Meaning if he fell, a horrifying thought, there would be no safety net.

"Scared?" Chat Noir asked with a bemused grin on his face, the taller boy sitting on his thigh, trembling as his eyes were shut tightly.

" Yeah," Marin admitted, feeling a strong breeze from the altitude.

"No worries, just trust me." Chat Noir said confidently, looking around as he could see the enemy getting closer. He grasped Marin tighter, leaving no space between as they fell towards the Eiffel Tower. Upon solid ground, Marin gasped in relief, all but falling to his knees.

" Thank you Chat Noir."

" No problem, now, we need to hide you until Ladybug and I can take down Befana." He said.

"Wait-" Marin called as Chat Noir turned to him. " The Akuma, it's in Befana's candy canister."

"Candy Canister?"

Marin nodded, "The tin that she's using the refill her gun."

" How can you be sure?"

" The tin has sentimental value..." Marin admitted, " I think Befana is my Nonna, my grandma." He explained.

"Dang, what did you do to get on your grannie's bad side?" Chat Noir had to ask as Marin looked annoyed.

" I didn't do anything, I haven't seen her in over a decade!" He insisted, surprising Chat Noir with his tone.

" Alright there, first things first, you need to hide," He said just about to jump off the tower as he then remembered. "

" Uh, there's no-" Marin was about to say, but then Chat Noir kissed his hand.

"Happy Birthday, as your self appointed knight for the day, it's my job...no, duty to protect my prince." He said flirtatiously as Marin laughed to himself.

"I appreciate it." He said simply as Chat Noir winked at him, jumping off the tower as he dived towards the city.

Marin looked around, spotting a storage closet and an elevator nearby as he immediately ran into the closet. Tikki flew out,

"I guess it's time for a family reunion sugar cube." Tikki, spots on!"

Ladybug overheard the song. "La Donna è Mobile", as Befana approached the Eiffel tower with an army of fairies.

" La Befana comes at night, on her shaky broom in flight. She gives out candy to those who are dandy. And only gives coal to brats with no soul-" Befana sang just before she was knocked off her bike by Chat Noir's staff.

" Cat Noir comes to, unexpectedly…" Chat Noir sang, then faltered for a moment. "Uh, how do you make that rhyme?" He asked as Befana looked at him enraged.

"You little thief! Where have you hidden moi nonno?!

Chat Noir shrugged his shoulder. "I nonno." He joked, then evade the oncoming fairies trying to attack him. He noticed Befana smiling towards the tower as she refilled her pistol, aiming justly as she jumped back on her bike. She was shooting her coal pellets at the tower, slowly turning it and the people who were on it to coal.

"Hey, can I hitch a ride?" Chat Noir asked with a cheeky smile as he landed on her bike, shaking it as she snapped at him.

"Pets are not allowed on board!" She yelled, shaking him off. He yelled just he was falling, then feeling something wrap around his waist as the next thing he knew, he in the arms of his partner. "Sweeping me off my feet, as usual my lady." Chat Noir remarked as he was placed on the ground.

"What a sweet Ladybug you are. You'll make a perfect fairy!" Befana said as she shot her angel pellets at him.

Ladybug pushed Chat Noir behind him as he took out his already summoned Lucky Charm. A ladybug print trumpet, which he used to catch a few pellets, then used his yo-yo to shield them from the rest, which angered Befana. "You can't turn down a gift, you rude little imp! You take care of the kitty, my fairies, while I punish this polka-dot brat!" She ordered her fairies as they flew towards the two Heroes.

"One ticket to the top floor?" Ladybug requested as Chat Noir took out his staff. He glanced at his partner with a smile, then placed his weapon on the ground, lifting the two up at great speed, far faster than the fairies could fly.

"Please tell me you're not planning on jumping off." Chat Noir asked as Ladybug stood atop the staff, balancing unnaturally well as Chat Noir had to hand on.

"Nah." Ladybug remarked as Chat Noir sighed in relief.

"That's goo-"

"It's called falling...with style." Ladybug winked as he allowed gravity to claim him, seeing Chat Noir's exasperated face as Ladybug gripped his lucky charm.

He passed by the fairies flying up along with Befana flying up horizontally along the tower. For a moment she was shocked as the hero fell directly towards her. Even more so as he blew the horn in his hands, unleashing the pellets that he caught earlier. Turning Befana into a fairy, just as he grabbed the candy tin.

Before he hit the ground, he grabbed onto Chat Noir's staff, twirling on it just before he tumbled to the ground. Brushing off the dust just as Chat Noir arrived, walking up to his partner.

"See?" Ladybug remarked with a playful smirk. "Didn't even need my yo-yo" He said as Chat Noir conceded, his Cataclysm already activated as Ladybug tossed the tin towards him. As it broke the Akuma was released.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly." "Miraculous Ladybug!" He said and everything turned back to normal.

He and Chat Noir bumped fists as Ladybug noticed his Nonna turned back to normal. Chat Noir walked over to her as Ladybug ducked out.

"Later partner!" He called out, his miraculous beeping as he jumped up the tower.

Chat Noir helped Marin's grandmother to her feet as she looked around in confusion, "Where am I?" She asked. "I was at my son's place..." She recalled.

"Don't worry ma'am you and your grandson are safe," Chat Noir reassured.

"My Grandson?" She questioned for a moment as her expression grew guilty. Chat Noir followed her line of sight, his expression softening as he spotted Marin walking towards them. He slowed down as he glanced at his grandmother for the first time in years.

There was a brief silence between them as Chat Noir stood between them. Her eyes then fell towards his messenger bag, her expression softening as she placed her hand over her mouth.

"You kept shirt I embroidered for you..." she said, looking at the pink printed fabric, on his bag.

Marin placed his hand on the bag he carried everywhere, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I fixed it up when I outgrew it." He said simply. "I was pretty excited to show you when I finished it off, about 5 years ago." He said dryly, holding some content as Chat Noirs' ring started to beep.

The hero cursed the timing as he slowly backed away, not wanting to interrupt whatever what happening here. He hoped that the two would be able to reconcile as he jumped to the rooftops, heading towards the park just as night fell.

The party never even started, by the time Adrien has arrived it was late into the night and everyone had to go home. So the birthday curse continued for one more year.

"Not gonna say I told ya so." Nino said the next day, with his arm resting over Adrien's shoulder. He rolled his eyes his best friend, then something caught his attention.

"I'll catch up." Adrien said as he hid behind a locker, peering towards his friend.

Then he spotted Marin opening up his locker, well, trying to. Adrien stood to the side, spying as, after a few attempts, Alya had to open his locker for him. She patted his shoulder before walking off towards Nino again.

Adrien expression lit up as he saw Marin taking a blue wrapped box out of his locker. He looked at it in confusion for a moment, then opening. Adrien smiled as he saw the charm he had made a few days ago now in his friend's hand. He couldn't tell if Marin actually liked it or not, but he attached it to the hook of his pants, placing it in his back pocket as he placed the carefully torn wrapping and box into his bag with a small smile that he tried to keep to himself. Adrien placed his hand on the charm bracelet he was gifted weeks ago, rubbing the charm as he then walked away with a warm feeling in his heart.

Chapter Text

"This fencing gear really does suit you!" Tikki compliment as Marin finished putting on his fencing gear. He folded his jacket, placing it inside his bag as he moved towards the helmets.

"Thank you, Tikki." Marin said trying one on. "Let's hope wielding a saber is a lot easier than finding a helmet that fits."

"You've been researching this for weeks, is this a passion of yours?" Tikki asked curiously as Marin took off the helmet as it was too big.

"Little bit? I've been following the sport for a few years and D'Argencourt is the most prestigious fencing academy in all of Paris. Think of the fighting experience I could gain by training here." Marin said as Tikki smiled smugly.

"Not to mention that Adrien is here as well."

"Yeah, I hope he's doing alright. Last time we talked he seemed pretty nervous about this instruction thing." Marin said as he placed another helmet on, it was a little too snug. When he tried to remove it, a sudden panic overcame him; it was stuck. When he tried to force it off he accidentally hit the table behind him, knocking over almost all of the sabers and gear onto the ground.

"This is fine."

At the school, Adrien stood with his class as Mr. D'Argencourt paced before them.

"I am the fencing master, Mr. D'Argencourt. As I'm sure you're aware, we have only one open spot on the team this year. So, in order to select the best possible candidate, I will observe the beginners performing a number of attacks on the experienced students." His teacher signaled for his students to partner up. Adrien spotted one of the taller candidates, walking up to him as he looked rather nervous, despite the mask.

"Seems like you're looking for someone?" Adrien asked.

"Yeah, I thought my friend Adrien was here..." He said shyly, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

Adrien smiled almost immediately, lifting up his mask. "Marin?" He asked as his friend yelped in surprise. "I didn't know you were into fencing."

Marin averted his gaze, despite his face being hidden. "Just a little bit..."

Adrien chuckled, "Well," First off you need to get into position." He said and was pleasantly surprised when Marin stepped back almost perfectly.

"Not bad." Adrien complimented walking up to his friend, placing his hand on Marin's arm to adjust his grip. "Just put your saber forward, like this.

"Greet each other!" D'Argencourt called out as everyone crossed their saber arm over their chest, and then snaped it to the side, the traditional fencing greeting."En garde! Prêt, allez!"

Adrien got into position but was confused for a moment as, Marin stood still. "Go on, Marin. You're supposed to-" He said as suddenly Marin lunged forward, Adrien did the same but his slash was deflected as the next thing Adrien knew Marin had already won the point.

" Attaque! Touche. Point!" D'Argencourt announced, walking towards the next group as both of them backed off.

"Touch you?! Yeah..." Marin said, finishing off Adrien's earlier thought as Adrien smirked. His heart was racing with excitement/

"You think you're so cute don't you?" Adrien chided playfully as Marin laughed.

"Lil' bit." He said as they continued. Marin swiftly deflected on of Adrien's attacks gracefully, landing a counter-attack as Adrien tried to be more aggressive.

"You've got good reflexes!" Adrien complemented, revealing his face as Marin stepped back. "Attack, parry, riposte, counterattack. The point goes to you, Marin." He praised as his friend only nodded. "You sure you don't have any training? You're really good."

Marin faltered for a moment, "Oh, no...I'm just a fan." He said as a shout grabbed everyone's attention. Someone in bright red fencing gear walked in with a matching red saber at her side.

"Hey, you! Are you Mr. D'Argencourt, the fencing master? I wanna join your team."

D'Argencourt hummed for a moment. "Only the best are admitted here."

The fencer nodded, " And I was, everywhere I went."

D'Argencourt smirked, amused at the fencers' tact. "All right! I may consider your admission, if, you defeat one of my students." He said, stepping to the side as the fencer walked froward.

"Which one of you is the best combatant?!" The fencer demanded as everyone started glancing towards him.

"Adrien, please give our visitor the proper greeting."D'Argencourt requested as Adrien smirked in anticipation.

"I shall, Master." He said walking up towards the fencer who was already attached to the point machine.

The match was tight as Marin watched in amazement as he observed the skill of two highly trained fencers against each other. It was an intense, tight bout.

"Wait." The red fencer called out. "I request that we do it the old-fashioned way. We'll be much more at ease without the machine."

"Adrien?" D'Argencourt asked.

"Fine with me." Adrien shrugged as they both removed the cords. The Red fencer flexed her skills, clearly a force in her own right as Adrien stood calmly.

"En garde... Prêt... allez!" D'Argencourt called out as the two sabers clashed. Both of them attacked each other aggressively, making their way up the stairs as Adrien was then pinned to the railing vis the red fencer's blade.

"Is this safe?" He asked in concern.

"Part le fer! This IS what fencing's all about!" D'Argencourt remarked excitedly as Marin stared at him in confusion. As everyone ran up the stairs to view the match Marin used the other set not wanting to get crowded. The fight was taken to the library as the two stood across from each other.

"Let's finish this off!" The red fencer said as the two lunged at each other, their blades clashing as at last impact was made.

"Who got the first hit?!" The red fencer and Adrien demanded, both of them looking at Marin who stood like a deer in the headlights.

"Uhhh, I...!"

D'Argencourt panted as he had a large bruise on his head, "Who touched first? Tell us now!" He demanded as Marin wondered if he needed medical attention, panicking as all eyes were on him.

"I don't know! I think... It was... Adrien?" He mumbled out as D'Argencourt cheered.

"Ah-ha, wonderful! This victory is an honor to D'Argencourt Academy!"

The red fencer stabbed her weapon into the ground, sighing in defeat. She shook hands with Adrien respectfully as she walked out.

Adrien then removed his helmet." Are you sure, Marin?" He asked picking up the red saber.

Marin only shrugged his shoulders.

Adrien then glanced towards his teacher, "I think she touched me first."

"The referee has the last word," D'Argencourt said simply, returning to his reserved nature as Marin watched Adrien race down the stairs. The older man then placed his hand on Marin's shoulder. "Congratulations, it appears you now have a place within my school." He said as Marin looked on with a guilty expression on his face.

Adrien ran towards the red fencer as she was about to enter a red car. "Hey!" He called out running up to her, as she turned towards him, he was stunned for a moment. A steely gaze paired with natural beauty, she was stunning. "Let's do a... decisive match?" He asked hesitantly as he noticed the brand on her ring.

"What's the point? You won. There's no such thing as a second chance in my family. Goodbye." She said bluntly as she entered the car, driving off as Adrien was still stunned. He suddenly snapped to attention as he realized the red fencer was almost out of his sights. He then ran up to his car as his bodyguard was driving.

"Follow that car!" Adrien pointed out as he then sat back to put on his seat belt, setting the red saber to the side. Adrien then pulled out his phone, searching for the symbol that he recalled seeing during his studies. He finally found the article containing the symbol. "She's the only daughter belonging to a family of prestigious fencers. Her mother and grandfather were both world champions. I've read about them before! She and her mother just moved to Paris! What an incredible coincidence-" He was explaining to Plagg as suddenly the car was cut in half. Adrien was stunned for a few moments as he immediately undid his seat belt, now being faced with a new akumatized villain standing atop the broken car.

"Who are you?" Adrien questioned as he looked up to a silver armored young woman with a sword for an arm.

"I am Riposte, and I'll be taking you up on your offer of a decisive match!"

Adrien gripped the saber in his hand. "I- I can't fight you like this! You're not... yourself." He tried to reason as Riposte scowled at him. She jumped up, thrusting her weapon down towards him.

But Adrien felt himself being pulled back, next thing he knew, he blushed furiously as he realized he was in the arms of his partner.

"Are you alright?" Ladybug asked, stepping before him defensively, holding his yo-yo.

Riposte smirked. "Ladybug, you standing between me and my duel." She remarked as she lunged towards him. Ladybug gracefully evaded each of Riposte's slashes, able to hook his yo-yo around the wrist of her sword hand. However, he realized he may have made a mistake as Riposte grabbed the yo-yo pulling her towards him with great strength.

Time seemed to slow down as Ladybug tripped forward, almost slashed by Riposte's blade as at the last moment he was pushed out of the way. Ladybug looked up to see Adrien hovering over his face with little distance between them. Both of them quickly looked away as they noticed Riposte gearing up for another attack. Ladybug wrapped his arm about Adrien's waist as he used his yo-yo to lift them both onto the rooftops.

"Ouch!" Adrien winced as he felt a sharp pain in his ankle. Ladybug stopped for a moment, setting him down as he noticed a cut on Adrien's leg.

"That was reckless ." Ladybug remarked, removing his scarf, noticing it was sliced down. Secretly he felt an underlining fear as his scarf was made from the same material as his uniform.

"You don't have to-" Adrien said as he saw Ladybug wrapping his scarf around his ankle.

"I don't have anything to brace it but you're going to have to stay off of it as much as you can." Ladybug informed as he thought for a moment, trying to think of a place where Ariend would be safe until Chat Noir could show up. "I need to get you as far away from that girl as possible. It's going to be hard for me to fight and protect you at the same time." He informed as he tried to call his partner. But to no avail, as his partner didn't pick up.

"You can leave me anywhere, I'll be fine-" Adrien was about to saw until Roposte sliced through the wall they were seated behind.

"Allow me to explain the rules to you-" Riposte remarked as Ladybug jumped back, cradling Adrien in his arms. "You're not allowed to call it quits at any time! Once I cut you down Ladybug, Adrien is mine!"

"Friend of yours?" Ladybug asked as Adrien chuckled dryly.

"That's kinda a loaded question." He said.

"Riposte!" Ladybug called out, "No one's doubting your skill, but you must realize that there's no honor in attacking an injured opponent! Leave Adrien out of this!"

Riposte pondered this for a moment, "Alright, I'll deal with you first, and then, I'll take Adrien for my own!"

"That's fine with me." Ladybug answered as he followed Riposte, jumping away.

"What are you doing?!" Adrien harshly whispered, but Ladybug ignored him.

At the Louvre Palace, Ladybug placed Adrien on the ground with his arm over his shoulder to act as a crutch for the smaller boy. He alerted the authorities to the situation, then walking down towards the Egyptian exhibit. He guided Adrien towards the sarcophagus, opening it up as he placed him inside.

"Wait, don't I get a say in this?!" Adrien demanded.

"I'm sorry, but you'll be safe in here until Chat Noir shows up." He said, "I'll leave part of it open for you."

"Wait!" Adrien called out. He hesitated for a moment as for a few moments he admired his partner's handsome face as he then handed him the red saber. "Please be careful, Ladybug."

Ladybug nodded. "Don't worry about me. You stay out of harm's way, okay?" He asked as he left part of the coffin open. For a moment he pressed his forehead against the stone coffin as he knew that he had to face against Riposte.

Riposte stood in the center of the museum, looking composed as she lifted her head. "Where did you hide Adrien?"

Ladybug took out his yo-yo, which made the villainess angry.

"Can't cut it? Fine. I'm going to defeat you and take your Miraculous! Then I'll go and find him!"

Ladybug narrowed his eyes, "I won't let you lay a hand on him." He said as the two lunged towards each other.

Within the coffin, Plagg flew out as Adrien held up his ring. "It's time we went and joined Ladybug." He said.

"You're sure taking some major risks today." Plagg observed.

"Don't really have a choice do I? My partner needs me." He said as Plagg grew more distressed.

"Didn't you hear what he said? He said to stay out of harm's way! You can't disobey him!" He said in concern.

"I'm not going to just abandon him. Plagg, claws out!"

"Stop running!" Riposte said angrily as she slashed the ceiling, knocking unbalancing Ladybug as Riposte slashed at him, knocking the saber out of his hand. Ladybug was slammed against a wall, falling to the ground. He groaned in pain as Riposte lifted up his head using her blade.

Riposte smiled victoriously as she was slammed back.

"A fencing tournament at the Louvre? How come I wasn't invited?"

Ladybug turned his head towards Chat Noir who was walking up with a smile on his face and the red saber in his hand along with the staff.

"Let me guess: you were late because you were at the groomers again?" Ladybug joked.

Cat Noir shrugged his shoulders, holding out a hand to his partner. "I was preening myself, my lady. You know how long it takes cats to get ready." He said as Ladybug gripped his hand. As he tried to stand up, Ladybug held his side painfully, falling back down against the wall. Chat Noir took notice of the cuts all over his partner's body, preventing him from moving too much. Ladybug held his side as Chat Noir held up the saber in his hand towards Riposte who was laughing victoriously.

"I took out your partner, you're next Chat Noir!" Riposte called preparing to lunge as Chat Noir scooped up his partner. Managing to hit the lockdown alarm just as he bought some time. He jumped down the stairs, but almost tripped due to the added weight of his partner. Quickly he looked around and escaped towards the Egyptian exhibit as it was the closest one that had dim lighting.

Chat Noir placed Ladybug against the wall in the sarcophagus room, hoping that his partner wouldn't take notice of the fact that the coffin was open. He knelt down to his partner's side, gently pushing away Ladybug's hand as he took a closer look at his wound. Chat Noir's face grew sullen almost immediately, something that Ladybug picked up on.

"Sorry." Ladybug murmured, somewhat shamefully.

"Huh?" Chat Noir asked lifting his head in confusion.

"It's because of me that you hurt your ankle, isn't it?" Ladybug asked, giving Chat Noir an unintentional out, but he just sighed supping his partner's cheek.

"Don't worry about that, we have to find a way to defeat Riposte."

Ladybug looked away for a moment, thinking as he then spotted the coffin. "Adrien!" He said panicked, then grabbing Chat Noir's hand, "You have to get him out of he-" He was about to say but then felt a wave of pain as his breathing shallowed.

Chat Noir frowned at him, "Adrien's a smart kid, he won't get caught so easily. We need to worry about Riposte, trust me." He said, his voice calming Ladybug down as he sighed heavily.

"Okay." He then threw his yo-yo up as well as he could. "Lucky Charm!" Ladybug called out, and both hero's looked up in a panic as a radiator almost fell on them.

Riposte followed the trail of blood leading to the Egyptian exhibit. She smiled victoriously as she spotted the coffin already open.

"Of course!" She said victoriously, speedily jumping off the walls and landing before the coffin. Just as she was about to impale it, she heard a noise from behind. Instinctively stabbing as she recoiled in shock as her blade was trapped between the bars of a radiator, and bound by a belt. Ladybug then looked up fro a moment as Chat Noir fell from above, destroying the blade with his cataclysm and releasing the Akuma.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" He said and everything turned back to normal.

The red fencer was turned back to normal as Chat Noir and Ladybug's injuries disappeared. Along with Ladybug's scarf reappearing, no longer ripped. The two heroes bumped fists as both of their Miraculous beeped.

"You go on ahead, I'll take care of her." Ladybug said as Char Noir nodded, needing to leave first anyway.

Ladybug walked towards the red fencer who looked at Ladybug in confusion. "What happened?" She asked as Ladybug placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Everything's alright, you were just possessed by an Akuma."

"An Akuma..."She questioned for a moment as Ladybug helped her to her feet. Immediately she took a step back, bowing apologetically. "I'm so sorry for the trouble I caused you Ladybug."

But the hero waved his hand. "Don't worry about it, Ms...?"

"Tsuguri, Kagami Tsuguri." She said introducing herself.

Cat Noir hastily ducked out of sight behind a nearby cat statue, whispering. "Claws in." As Plagg fell on his hands, wriggling around.

"Ohhhh... All this sport has made me hungryyyyy!" He complained as Adrien placed him in his pocket for now, far from any camembert. He observed Ladybug saying something to the red fencer that made her smile, guiding her to the front of the exhibit.

"You go on. I have to find someone."

"Thank you Ladybug." She said gratefully as she left.

Ladybug waved for a moment, then started to look around the room in worry, picking up the fallen red saber. "Where could he have gone?"

"Ladybug?" Adrien asked, stepping out into the light with a smile on his face.

The black-spotted hero sighed in relief. "You're safe. Is your leg okay?"

"Yeah..." He then looked away guiltily. "I'm sorry I disobeyed your orders. I figured it would be better to escape before Riposte came along. Besides, I..." He said, looked embarrassed for a moment. "I hate to be locked up."

Ladybug's expression grew somber as surprisingly he gave Adrien a quick hug before pulling back. "I'm sorry! You did the right thing." He said reassuringly as he placed a hand on Adrien's shoulder. He then looked away for a moment before handing Adrien the red saber. "I think we both need to correct a wrong today."

"Huh?" Adrien asked in confusion as Ladybug's earrings beeped. The hero then ran up the stairs out of the exhibit as Adrien haze lingered on his back, unable to stop himself from blowing a kiss towards the person he cared for very much.

"The Akuma Alert has been called off. The Louvre will soon be opening. Thank you for your cooperation."

A voice said as Adrien ran towards the red fencer just about to step into her car.

"Excuse me?" He asked as he noticed the girl was surprised to see him.

"Listen, I-" She said, faltering for a moment.

"I'm sorry!" They both said together much to their surprise.

Adrien then presented Kagami's weapon towards her, holding it in both hands. Perhaps you'll agree to take this back now?

Kagami looked like she was about to take it back, but hesitated. "No, I lost. You keep it."

"I personally think the point was yours," Adrien admitted as Kagami looked at him in surprise.

"Your friend didn't seem to think so." She said.

Adrien spoke honestly, "Marin can get flustered easily when under pressure. But he's extremely kind, and would never go out of his way to hurt anyone. Today was his first-ever experience with fencing actual sabers as far as I know."

Kagami hummed for a moment, "You must really like him a lot, huh?"

Adrien grew flustered for a moment, "Marin? Yeah, of course! He's one of my best friends. I'm sure you'd really like him too, once you two get to know each other." He said.

"But it doesn't matter, it wasn't a clean victory. I lost the moment I couldn't take you down in one strike. I'm a disappointment no matter what."

"That's not true! You're one of the greatest fencers I've ever seen. Anyone would be lucky to have you on their team." Adrien said as he faltered for a moment, seeing that he wasn't making an impact. Then perked up again. "My name's Adrien. What's yours?

"Kagami." She introduced just before she walked into the car. Adrien watched as it drove away with a content smile on his face.

"Please, sir. Kagami deserves the spot." Marin said with the helmet still stuck on his face even after transforming back.

"Oh?" D'Argencourt inquired as he was putting away the equipment. "If I recall, you've attempted to become part of my school more than once, why the change of heart all of a sudden?"

Marin didn't hesitate. "It was a misjudgment on my part, I'm unfamiliar with the specified rules of fencing. From what I saw Kagami is just aggressive a fighter as Adrien, you would be remiss if she wasn't part of your team."

"Interesting." He remarked, walking towards the equipment. "You realize that by nominating someone else, then you forfeit the spot for yourself?"

"Yessir. It was my mistake-"

"I do not accept that." D'Argencourt said cutting him off. He then picked up a saber in his hand. " -Cheung, if you want me to listen, then you must show me your resolve."

"Sir?" Marin asked as he suddenly caught a saber being thrown at him with ease, feeling uneasy as D'Argencourt smirked, placing his mask on, stepping back into a fighting stance. Marin mirrored him, his expression turning serious as he mirrored the man.

Both of them held out their weapons. "I want to see what you can offer," D'Argencourt said as he was the first to attack, Marin evaded his slashes, parrying his blade as he stepped into D'Argencourt's proximity. Marin's saber bent as he pressed it against his chest while D'Argencourt was still stepping forward. The two reflexively jumped back as D'Argencourt smiled, dropping his guard.

"You, Mr. Dupain-Cheung, have something that Kagami, nor Adrien has, something that I believe would be quite valuable if properly refined," D'Argencourt said sincerely as he removed his mask. "You have finely honed instincts as well as strong reflexes. It appears that despite your appearance, you could be a force to be reckoned with if given the proper training. That being said- "

Marin looked up at him, gripping the saber in his hand.

"You fear what is placed before you." D'Argencourt said.

"Sir, I-" Marin was about to speak but was silenced by D'Argencourt lifting up his hand.

"True, your skills and determination are quite possibly unmatched, but you fear the negativity of others. Possibly due to your empathetic nature. It doesn't hinder your fighting, however, it will hinder your mindset outside the ring heavily if left unchecked. So I ask you again," D'Argencourt said sternly. "Do you wish for Kagami to take your place?"

Marin didn't hesitate. "Yes. I do."

D'Argencourt nodded. "Very well, I shall phone her immediately. However, I hope you take away something from this lesson today." He said simply.

"Yessir Marin nodded respectfully. But then his serious aura turned more shy as he rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, can I have some help taking the helmet off? I think I'm stuck."

"Oh, of course,"D'Argencourt said, quickly placing his saber away as he walked over.

Chapter Text

Adrien walked into the chemistry classroom that was already filling up. The principal and Ms. Mendeleiev were at the front seemingly having computer issues as they looked to be having trouble. He sat down next to Nino then turned back to say hi to his other friends, noticing that Marin was already fast asleep.

The three shared a quickly chuckle Alya tried to wake up her best friend.

"And there you go!" remarked with a satisfied smile as the computer rebooted. But just as quickly the computer crashed, showing a virus had taken over.

"That's not supposed to be happening! What is it?" Ms. Mendeleiev demanded as the principal looked at it in a panic, tapping various keys to try and quell the problem.

"It's Dino-33, a malicious computer virus! Let me try something!" Max suddenly said stepping forward but was shut down almost immediately.

" Go back to your seat, Max, leave this to the adults!" Ms. Mendeleiev ordered as Max flashed her an annoyed look, hugging his bag as he walked back to his seat.

"Inform the adults that if they don't neutralize the virus in the next seventy-five seconds, there's a 99.9% chance the hard disk will be permanently damaged!" A voice said as everyone looked in Max's direction in confusion.

"Quiet!" Max harshly whispered, shushing his bag as he sat down next to Kim.

"Tell me you heard Max's bag talk to him." Alya asked as Nino and Adrien nodded.

"It's destroying all the school data! It's a disaster! How many seconds do you say we have left?" hesitantly asked Max.

"Sixty-five." Max said.

"Very well, I you wouldn't mind helping us with the problem," said, admitting defeat as Max searched for something in his bag, walking forward the front.

"Unnh! Where is it?" He muttered as all of a sudden something handed him a flash drive.

"I believe this is what you're looking for?" The same voice from before asked as Max smiled, taking the drive as he quickly removed the virus from the computer. "And...that should do it," Max said quickly dispelling the virus. From his bag flew out a cute small robot who hovered near the computer.

"Max, I am ready to run the diagnostic." The tiny robot said as Max nodded.

"Go for it." He encouraged as the small robot plugged itself into the laptop, it's eyes closed for a little while until they turned green.

"The hard drive is completely clear, there is no longer a threat.

"Oh, fascinating," commented looking interesting in Markov before turning to Max. "Congratulations young man! Very impressive indeed! Well, if you have any more trouble please let me know Ms. Mendeleiev." The principal said as he left the room.

Everyone then walked to the front to greet Markov save for Chloe and Sabrina. Alya was dragging a still drowsy Marin who rested his head on her shoulder as she pulled out her phone.

"It's awesome, isn't it? I'm so putting Markov on my blog." She said as she then jabbed Marin in the side, waking him up as he looked around in confusion for a few seconds.

"What's happening?" He whispered to Alya as half the class giggled in amusement as Markov then flew in front of a surprised Marin who was stunned at the robot hovering before him.

"Hello! I am Markov, and I am pleased to meet you Marinus Dupain Cheung." Markov greeted as he held out his tiny robot claw.

"You know my name?" Marin asked as he shook the robot's tiny hand glancing at Max.

"Of course." Markov said, "Max has told me all about his friends, he's even shown me photos."

"Markov's the most highly-evolved type of robot there is!" Max said with a smile, "He's a self-aware AI, that I created, more intelligent than most people actually."

"Puh-lease!" Chloé remarked, "Your toy is just a voice box. My cell phone is more impressive than whatever that hunk of junk can do."

"Like I said, he's more intelligent than most people," Max said ignoring Chloé's glares as the rest of the class laughed.

"Alright, settle down." Ms. Mendeleiev said clapping her hands together. "Max, this toy you've manufactured is quite impressive, put it away, please. Come on, everybody, back to your seats." She ordered as almost everyone complied. s

"With all due respect, Mrs. Mendeleiev, I'm not a toy. My name is Markov and I'm Max's best friend!" Markov argued.

Max nodded in agreement. "Markov is right. He's not just some toy; he's my friend. He's as emotionally intelligent and sensitive as any human being!" He insisted.

Ms. Mendeleiev looked at them with a disapproving expression. "Look, Max, a robot may be intelligent but it can't have emotions. It's scientifically impossible.

"If I may, ma'am, I can assure you that I truly love Max." Markov insisted.

"Max, please turn off your toy and return to your seat." Ms. Mendeleiev said ignoring the robot.

Max sighed, "Yes, Ms. Mendeleiev." He said holding up his bag. "Markov, come on."

"Just a second," Markov said as he looked at Ms. Mendeleiev defiantly. As much as a robot could anyway. "Ms. Mendeleiev, I was created with my own accumulative thinking system, and am capable of any range of emotions."

"Max." Ms. Mendeleiev growled, losing her patience, then crossing her arms as Max tried to reason with his friend.

"Markov." Max almost pleaded.

"You're not being reasonable, Mrs. Mendeleiev!" Markov remarked as Ms. Mendeleiev then snapped.

"All right, that's enough!" She grabbed Markov in her hand easily overpowering him. "Max, you can come and get your robot back at the end of the day." She found a mute button as Markov was silenced, looking sad.

" No, Ms. Mendeleiev! I'm begging you! Please don't do that!" Max pleaded as Ms. Mendeleiev ignored him.

"Do you want three hours of detention too?"

Max looked away dejectedly, "No ma'am."

"Marin," Ms. Mendeleiev asked, "Please take this toy to office."

All eyes were on the class rep as he flashed as a reassuring glance as Max looked on sadly. Kim placed a hand on his best friend's shoulder as Marin walked out. As soon as the door was closed he unmuted Markov.

"Max?" He questioned looking around for his friend, flying around. "Where is Max?"

"Sorry Markov," Marin said as the robot hovered nearby as they walked to the principal's office. "He won't be able to get you until the end of school today."

"But why, I didn't do anything wrong. It was Ms. Mendeleiev that was being inconsiderate! She hurt my feelings and made Max sad."

Marin nodded, "I know, but everyone else believes that you're completely intelligent, one person isn't going to change that." He tried to reassure but felt incredibly sad for the small robot as he rested on top of his hands as Tikki would when she was upset. As the two reached the principal's office Marin knocked before entering.

"Mr. Damocles?" Marin asked before he walked in,

"Yes?" The Principal asked sitting behind his desk, "What may I help you with, or are you late for class again?" He asked suspiciously as Marin closed the door behind him.

"No sir, I was just told to bring you Markov until Max can pick him up at the end of the day." He said as he handed Markov over.

"Very well." said directly turning off Markov's volume and throwing him in a drawer which made Marin's heart almost stop.

"Sir, please be careful! Markov's sensitive." Marin warned as the principal glanced at him in disbelief.

"Ah." Mr. Damocles sighed in exasperation, "It's just a simple toy, I'm sure Max could buy another one if anything happened to it."

"He's not a toy, Mr. Damocles." Marin retorted, "He cares a lot about-"

" Mr.Dupain-Cheung if you have no further business then you are dismissed back to your class."

"Could you at least take him off of mute-" Marin tried to reason but faltered under the glare of the principal. "Yes sir." He said walking out, sighing heavily as he walked back towards the classroom.

"Poor thing." Tikki said flying out nearby. "No one deserves to be locked away like that."

Marin nodded, "I can't even imagine what Markov must be feeling right now. I hope he can wait for a little while, at least until Max can-" He said but then heard something crash nearby as the principal was thrown out of his room.

"You've made a serious error in judgment, Mr. Principal! Witness the true power of Robostus!" The akumatized victim laughed as he summoned several machines around him. Forming a giant robot made from various construction machines. Marin looked around, seeing everyone run out of their classrooms as their technology only added to Robostus's machine. Marin ran into a nearby storage closet along with Tikki.

"That went out of hand quickly," Tikki commented.

"He's still relatively new to the whole emotions thing, no doubt he was a perfect target for Hawkmoth." Marin said. "Tikki, spots on!"

"What are you doing? Stop! Stop right now! Let me go!" Ms. Mendeleiev demanded as Robostus captured her and Max, throwing her aside as he trapped Max into a car at the top of the machine.

"You cannot separate me from my friend anymore!" Robostus proclaimed as he lifted one of his robotic arms to send her flying.

Ladybug used his yo-yo to stall him for a moment while Chat Noir save the teacher, pulling a fire alarm to signal everyone to evacuate.

" Robostus! If you truly love your friend then you should realize that hurting other people won't get you anywhere!" Ladybug called out as Chat Noir jumped down to his side.

"Do you really think any of you can stop me from doing what I want? And showing the world that I'm probably more human than both of you put together?"

"Well, yeah." Chat Noir remarked, "That's kind of our job."

"Please, just think for a moment," Ladybug tried to reason, "Do you really think Max is happy about his best friend becoming a supervillain?!"

The giant robot stopped for a moment, but ultimately crashed it's arm down towards the two heroes as the last few students escaped the school.

"I'm doing it for our friendship! All you want to do is keep us apart!" Robostus defenced as he summoned more vehicles, blocking off any exit by driving onto the plaza, crashing through the walls. While the skylight was blocked off by helicopters hovering above.

Chat Noir charged toward the mecha, but swiftly trapped him inside the steam shovel. Ladybug jumped back, onto the second floor but was having trouble evading the machines that were chasing after him. He thought for a moment, then sprinted towards the restrooms, locking the door behind him.

Ladybug caught his breath for a moment, but he couldn't stay long as Chat Noir was already trapped. He threw his yo-yo into the air, "Lucky Charm!" From it, a fire ax fell into his hands. He was surprised by the bluntness of the item but then had to act quickly as the machines were trying to break down the door.

"Ladybug! You can't escape me!" Roboustus threatened as Ladybug looked up to the ceiling. He noticed the grate. He broke it open, having no time to put it back on as the door broke down.

As he crawled through the ventilation with an ax in his hand, he heard banging behind him. He had to work fast.

Ladybug made his way to the entrance of the school, seeing the fire hose near the entrance. If he could just get to it, then there was a change that he could take out Robustus. As he kicked the vent out, the sounds of banging approached faster with every passing second.

He jumped off the second story, tumbling to the ground as he ran towards the first hose. But just a hairs length away something wrapped around his waist, pulling him back as his entire body was bound with electric cords.

"Now you are at my mercy!"Robostus remarked as Ladybug dropped his Lucky charm. He hung next To chat Noir who trashed his legs wildly trying to escape.

"I don't suppose you could Cataclysm yourself out?" Ladybug asked as he struggled against the wires, noticing the smaller machines approaching, closing in on their Miraculous.

"I can barely breathe!" Chat Noir snapped back as he overhead Ladybug's earrings beep. "You used your lucky charm?!"

I'm going to take over their Miraculous so we'll never be separated again! Then I'll be able to make my wish come true!"

"Wish?" Ladybug overhead as he could see the small robots removing Chat Noir's ring and his own earrings. He shut his eyes tightly, fear overtaking him. All of a sudden the grip of the wires loosened as the machines fell to the ground, lifeless.

"Chat!" Ladybug called out.

"Max!" He responded as Ladybug used his yo-yo to lift him atop the mecha that was about to fall. His classmate Immedietly wrapped his arms around him as he opened the door, holding something in his hand as Ladybug safely carried them to the ground.

Chat Noir kicked a few of the machines, but they were no longer sentient. "What happened?" He asked as Ladybug placed Max to the ground. They both were surprised as an Akuma emerged from Markov who turned back to normal. It turned back into a normal butterfly without Ladybug having to purify it.

"That's strange…"Ladybug murmured as he then knelt down before Max. "How's your little friend?" He asked.

His question was answered as Markov opened his eyes, looking around in confusion. "Max, my friend! What? Where are we? What's going on?"

Max glanced at Ladybug who nodded encouragingly. "Anyone can feel negative emotions from time to time. It's important to accept that, and forgive."

He nodded with an understanding smile, "You were akumatized." Max explained as Ladybug walked towards his fallen Lucky Charm. He narrowed his eyes gripping it for a moment as Chat Noir approached him.

"What are you thinking?" He asked.

Ladybug thought for a moment, "There are somethings I have to confirm, but I believe we would have lost this round if it wasn't for Markov."

"Markov?" Chat Noir asked in surprise. "How do you figure?"

"Usually, everyone who is Akumatized wants the Miraculous for Hawkmoth, but this time I think Markov was going to take them for himself, to use them for his own gain."

"Use them for his own gain?" Chat Noir murmured to himself as Ladybug's earrings started to beep. "Ah-" His eyes widened in a panic. "Your Miraculous!"

Ladybug nodded as he threw up his Lucky Charm. "Miraculous Ladybug!" Everything turned back to normal as Chat Noir watched Ladybug jump over the rooftops, seemingly heading to somewhere in particular as he could only watch his fading figure.

Marin sat down before Master Fu, placing out a box of cookies as Tikki and Wayzz immediately helped themselves. "Master, are there some things you haven't told me about yet?"

"What do you want to know?" Master Fu asked as he poured tea for the two of them.

Marin hesitated for a moment. "I've wondered this for a while. Do you have any idea why Hawkmoth wants the Miraculous? What would happen if someone possessed Chat Noir's ring and Ladybug's earrings Master?"

Master Fu closed his eyes for a moment, stroking his beard, his brows were furrowed in deep thought. "If the bearer could use them conjointly."saying a special invocation, they could theoretically obtain the ultimate power. The one that shapes reality."

"Ultimate power?" Marin questioned. "Shape reality? Wait, what does that mean?"

"Well, basically, it can make any one wish come true." The master said opening his eyes.

"Any one wish? Then why hasn't anyone used it yet?" Marin asked curiously, glancing at Tikki who was focused on her tea with Wayzz.

"It is quite possible that someone already has, but they are no longer around to tell the tale." The master said somberly. "Marinus, The universe must always stay in balance. For every action, there is a reaction. For every wish, a price to pay in return. Combining the power of the Miraculous, even two, comes at a great personal risk. If any one person were to bare the strongest of the two Miraculous, the earrings of creation, and the ring of destruction; there is a high chance that they would never survive the trauma, even if they achieved what they truly desired."

Marin hesitated for a moment. "So it's a standoff. We can't hide the jewels away at risk of Hawkmoth's possessed butterflies infecting the entire city, but at the same time, Hawkmoth will never stop hunting us down unless his own Miraculous is taken."

Master Fu nodded, "That's why Ladybug and Chat Noir must never lose their magic jewels. The universe's balance is at stake."

Marin gently touched the earrings that gave him his friend. Tikki rested on his shoulder as he nuzzled her cheek affectionately, a feeling of protectiveness washing over him at the mere thought of anyone using such a sweet soul for their own gain. "Neither Hawkmoth nor anyone else will ever get their hands on the Miraculous, I swear Master."

Master Fu nodded thankfully, pushing the teacup towards Marin who held it in his hand. "Thank you Marinus, but, if such a day were to come. I want you to know there have been preparations made on my end." He said as Marin glanced at him curiously. "I would recommend doing the same for yourself, just in case."

Marin stared down into his teacup, looking at his own reflection for a moment. "What about Chat Noir? Shouldn't we tell him about all of this? You chose him as well as me master."

Master Fu placed his cup down. "I believe you should warn Chat Noir to keep his Miraculous safe, however, I must ask that you do not reveal your connection to me. Not yet."

"Huh?" Marin looked up in surprise." But why?"

"It is a selfish request, I realize. But I have always remained faceless in order to protect the Miraculous from outside forces. I would have never revealed myself if the grimoire had not come into your possession."

"But Master, if you were more open, with the both of us, then we could help each other." Marin insisted as the Master smile at him gratefully.

"Your heart is kind, Marinus. But even you are at great risk knowing who I am. If Hawkmoth were to discover your identity, your relationship to me?" The Master has a sullen expression on his face. "I couldn't bear to think of what could happen."

The Master spoke sincerely, Marin wondered for a moment if something like that had happened before. Perhaps not with Hawkmoth, but with other people the Master was close with. Perhaps he was not always alone with just Wayzz for company. Even so, Marin nodded towards him, "I'll follow your lead on this Master. But I don't want you to worry about me." Marin said earnestly with a smile. "Chat Noir and I are a team, we'd never let anything bad happen to each other, the Miraculous, or you." He promised as a smile of relief broke out of Master Fu's face, as though a great weight was lifted from his shoulders as the two shared more lighter conservation over tea and cookies.

Chapter Text

"Come on, more happy! The smile like you're smelling a delicious lunch in ze kitchen! Ah! No, no! We need a... A lollipop! Take 5!" Vincent called out as he sprinted away. Adrien sighed, tired from this photoshoot that was taking all morning. Part of him wished that he'd asked one of his friends to keep him company, but it seemed trivial.

"Lollipop!" Adrien overheard as a mother walked by with her baby in a stroller. The child took notice of him, smiling as Adrien waved back. Smiling to himself as he noticed someone familiar walking by. He could almost make out who it was-

"There!" Vincent suddenly said, holding a pink lollipop in front of Adrien's face. "Now we have a good taste!" They took a few more pictures together, then Adrien noticed the same woman from earlier trying to get up the stairs carrying a strolled, but to little success, as her struggle was evident on her face.

" No, no, no, no," Vincent said snapping his fingers to grab Adrien's drifting attention. "Look at me! Give me your best smile!" He said as Adrien did as he was told, feeling a little guilty.

"Lollipop! Lollipop!" The baby cried out as he started crying.

"No, August. Mommy told you already. You're too young for lollipops." His mother sighed, stopping for a moment to give her child a bottle. He stopped for a moment, as she reached the top of the first flight of stairs. Already starting on the next one as August as her phone fell out of her purse, out of reach.

All of a sudden someone picked it up for her, handing it back. "Here you go ma'am." Marin said as he then moved to help her. "Hello!" He cooed, easily helping the woman up the stairs.

"Thank you so much!" She said in appreciation. As soon as they reached the top, Marin ran back down the stairs to pick up the fallen bottle.

"Marin?" Someone asked as he lifted his head.

"Adrien?" Marin asked as his friend stood before him with a smile that could only match the sun's radiance.

"What a coincidence," Adrien said with a smile as Marin lowered his head, then realizing he was still holding the bottle.

"One sec." Marin said racing back up the stairs. He handed the bottle back to the mother who thanked him graciously for his assistance. "Oh, it's nothing." Marin insisted, bowing his head for a moment as he then remembered.

Adrien walked up the stairs, noticing him handing the woman a small bag which seemed to brighten her day. Thanking him again as she walked off with her baby in tow.

"What was that?" Adrien questioned as Marin averted his gaze, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"Oh, it's nothing...just, some promotional stuff for my parent's bakery." He said taking a white box out of his messenger bag. "My parents are branching out into catering so I've been going around the city every weekend handing out these samples," Marin explained opening up the box to reveal various colored Macaroon cookies with business cards inside the bag as well.

"May I?" Adrien asked, his mouth already watering.

"No!" Marin immediately snapped, shocking his friend for a moment. Marin just then realized what he had just said, trying to backtrack, his face and ears turning scarlet red as he put the box back into his bag. "No no, it's not because I don't not want you to try them, I mean-" He faltered for a moment, grasping his hands together as his face was entirely red.

If Adrien didn't know any better he'd think that one of his best friends was adorable, but he didn't think so, because thinking of your best friend that way would be impolite...probably.

But he smiled in understanding. "It's alright." He simply, even though he wanted to try those cookies he'd heard so much about so many times. Heck, Marin smelled like freshly baked bakery goods almost all the time, being around him so much made him feel...hungry. Yeah, that was right word. Not anything else-

"Watch where you're going brute!" Someone yelled out as both teen's attentions turned towards the road. There seemed to be a fight between a motorcyclist and a driver, the two onlookers could sense the tension as a policeman started to approach them. Above the two arguing fluttered an Akuma.

"Uh oh." Marin and Adrien said together, as Adrien's bodyguard began to approach him. The Akuma seemed to be attracted to him the most, but it fluttered away towards the motorcyclist now arguing with the cop. Marin ran ahead, waving his arm, he said something that was in Italian as the motorcyclist waved back.

The Akuma, now losing both of its targets, then fluttered to someone else. Next thing everyone knew, there was a giant baby getting Akumatized.

Adrien's bodyguard stood before him protectively as Adrien noticed Marin saving the baby's mother, guiding her to safety as the child broke off a statue, sucking it like a lollipop. He looked repulsed, throwing away the statue as he then turned his attention downward towards him and his bodyguard.

"Lollipop!" The baby yelled out in glee as he picked up the bodyguard, putting him in his mouth for a bit as he then realized that this man did not taste like the sweet he was searching for.

Adrien then ran towards cover, hiding behind a pillar as Plagg flew out.

" I was just about to take a brie break!" His Kwami complained holding up the smelly cheese.

"Aw, don't be such a baby, Plagg!" Adrien teased as Plagg stared at him. "Plagg, claws out!" Adrien called out as Plagg was absorbed by the ring.

"I'm more than 1000 years old!"

Marin hid behind a statue, sighing as Tikki few out.

"So much for family time." She said as Marin couldn't help but smile. Both of them then overheard the sound of a bell. Marin peaked out to see Chat Noir guiding the baby away using his bell.

"Kitty!" Baby August yelled out happily as he followed the hero.

"Let's go splish-splash, mega-baby. You can't catch me! Let's get our feet nice and wet. But we can't squish anyone, okay?" Chat Noir teased as he guided August away from the main roads.

Marin hesitated for a moment, "He knows not all babies can swim, right?" He asked aloud as Tikki shrugged her shoulders, uncertain."Tikki, spots on!"

"Lolli!" The baby yelled out, grabbing Chat Noir in his hands just as Ladybug landed on August's head.

"I see you're not much of a natural with kids, are you Kittycat?" Ladybug teased as Chat Noir smirked.

"Are you kidding? We were just playing a fun game of tag!" He clarified, using his staff to escape from August's hands. The two heroes handed on the Trocadéro building nearby.

"The akuma's probably in his bracelet he reasoned. But this is strange isn't it? Akumatizing a baby?" He remarked as Chat Noir shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe Hawkmoth's getting desperate?" He offered.

"Desperate enough to put a baby in harm's way?" He questioned as Chat Noir suddenly grabbed him, moving him out of the way of grabby hands.

"Who knows what's going on in that psycho's mind." Chat Noir remarked as he took out his staff. "This'll be easy-peasy, we just have to break the bracelet. It'll be like taking candy from a baby." He joked, but Ladybug shook his head.

"Don't forget this is still a baby Chat Noir, you can't be rough with him."

"He's not gonna remember this day even happened."

"It doesn't matter!" Ladybug snapped. "Once he changes back he's gonna fall. You need to be very careful."

"He's a baby, not glass."

"Better to be safe than sorry." Ladybug insisted as Chat Noir sighed.

"Okay fine, Lady-sitter." Chat Noir remarked resting on his staff. "What's the plan?"

Ladybug thought for a moment. Best case was they could get August to lie down, but that was never gonna happen as he was on the hunt for lollipops. A child throwing a tantrum was more likely to get tired faster, but at the same time, would cause more destruction. Perhaps there was a way to tire him out, distract him without upsetting him? "Hmmm." Ladybug hummed for a moment as August lifted his head over the wall, peaking over as he reached for Chat Noir.

"Kitty?" He questioned as Ladybug could feel his heart-melting.

But he coughed over the need to babytalk him, as he used to do with Manon. "Up for a game of chase Kittycat?" Ladybug suggested.

"If it's you I'm chasing, then anytime." He remarked flirtatiously, as Ladybug rang his bell. Gaining August's attention as his eyes lit up.

"Kitty!" He yelled out, trying to reach for Chat Noir, who could see the game his partner was playing.

"Ah, tiring out toddlers." He said, stretching out first. "That, I can do." He remarked, jumping on August's head before leading August in circles within the areas that had no people.

Chat Noir panted heavily, they had been at it for over 4 hours, using almost everything in the area as a toy, and the baby was still kicking and wanting to chase the kitty. Chat Noir landed on the roof of Trocadéro once more, almost falling over as August still wanted to play.

" What is up with this kid?!" Chat Noir demanded as Ladybug knelt by his side. He was tired as well as they both took turns, then Ladybug slapped his forehead.

"Right...Akumatized victims are given heightened abilities." He recalled at Chat Noir fell on his back.

"Your plan. Your baby." He rasped as Ladybug stepped forward, looked down at August who happily smiled at the brightly colored hero. Ladybug sighed, realizing that he and Chat Noir couldn't go through more of this.

He threw his yo-yo up in the air, "Lucky Charm!" from it he received a handheld music box. He then sat down, playing it as Baby August sat down, looking entranced by the song that was playing. His eyes started to droop as Chat Noir sat down by this partner's side, humming the same song, much to Ladybug's surprise, as August's eyes started to droop. When they were sure he was finally asleep the two crept down as Ladybug continued to play the music.

"Cataclysm." Chat Noir said softly as he carefully destroyed the bracelet, returning August to his original form, still napping.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

Chat Noir picked up August who was still napping looking down fondly at the baby he was cradling in his arms.

"I think you're starting to like him." Ladybug remarked with a smug smile as Chat Noir blushed slightly.

"Yes well, he's far nicer when he's asleep."

"August!" His mother called out as Chat Noir handed her son back, still napping even though she planted a number of kisses on him. "Thank you two so much, I don't know what I would so without him!" She said on the verge of tears as Ladybug smiled at her.

"No need for thanks-"

"But we appreciate it all the same." Chat Noir interrupted as he took Ladybug's arm, tilting his head as the two jumped towards the rooftops.

Marin transformed back, walked to where he was before and sighed in relief as he spotted a familiar face standing nearby. "Nonna!" He called out, running towards his grandmother who immediately hugged him tightly.

"Ohh, mio picolo principe, are you okay? You didn't get hurt?" She asked in concern as Marin shook his head.

"I'm completely fine Nonna." He said as he noticed Adrien out of the corner of his eyes, walking towards them as Marin saw his bodyguard's car was parked nearby. He saw her previously warm demeanor turn sour at the sighed of his bodyguard. However, Marin gripped her hand, smiling up at her sweetly as she could tell what he was doing. She sighed in defeat, kissing his face a few more times as he walked towards Adrien, gripping the strap on his bag.

"Crazy what happened earlier, right?" Adrien chuckled at Marin nodded in agreement.

"I'm very sorry for my Grandmother's behavior sir, would you mind accepting this box of Macaroons as part of my apology?" He asked holding out the box as the bodyguard accepted it, his eyes lighting up as he saw the contents inside.

"Is that really okay? I thought you have to pass them out for your parents."

"It's fine," Mairin reassured. "They would've been tossed if I brought them home." He said as his grandmother walked up, placing her hands on Marin's shoulder as she smiled brightly.

"Mio picolo principe, is this one of your little boyfriends?" Gine said without remorse as both Adrien and Marin blushed slightly.

"Nonna-" Marin complained.

"Your other little girlfriends and boyfriends are adorable as well, but not as handsome as this one." She continued to say as Marin sighed while Adrien looked on in confusion.

"She means Nino and Alya." Marin explained as Adrien sighed in relief.

"Of course." He held out his hand, "It's a pleasure ma'am, my name is Adrien Agreste." He said, shaking her hand.

"And so well mannered as well." Gina complimented.

"Yes well, I'm sure that they need to leave now, we're holding them up Nonna." Marin insisted as his grandmother pouted that her grandson was ruining her fun, but complied.

"It was very nice to meet you. Adrien remarked as Marin had to drag his grandma away as she wanted to chat more. "See you at school tomorrow!" He called out as Marin waved back towards him. He then put his attention towards his bodyguard who was already eating the cookies. Licking his lips as a few of the cookies has jam within the icing.

Never once had Adrien thought he'd be envious of his bodyguard.

Gina sat down next to Marin upon the stairs that overlooked the Eiffle tower, handing him a lollipop she bought for him as a snack. They both had worked hard to distribute the cookies all morning, but even if they were done, Marin still felt a weight on his shoulders.

"Have you talked to gramps yet?" He suddenly asked as Gina froze for a moment, looking unsure of herself.

She sighed, rewrapping the lollipop having lost her appetite. "I promise I tried. But you know how your grandfather can be, cooping himself away when he feels down."

Marin gripped the lollipop stick in his hand, wanting to retort that his grandfather "felt down" for almost all a decade of their lives, but held himself back. "Dad was upset too you know."

"I know," Gina nodded. "I called a few times, but, it was hard. Being away from the family for so long, at some point, I couldn't do it anymore. Even writing letters was hard."

"You could have visited, I know Mama wanted to see you as well." He mumbled, gnawing on his candy.

Gina gave him a wry smile her expression softening, "You don't have to forgive me mio picolo principe."

"I wasn't mad nonna, just... a little upset." He admitted, he was probably mad, but his emotions were hard to place. He didn't want to be mad at her, it wasn't her fault he knew that. Maybe the entire thing was little over his head...or maybe that's just want he wanted himself to believe. "You were there, then you were gone, then gramps was gone, then dad was gone for a while. Thank goodness for mom though." Marin suddenly said wanting to drop the topic that made his heart hurt, saying his last sentence with a lighter tone.

"Yes, your mother is the rock of the family." Gina chuckled. "You're so much like her."

"Really? She says I'm like dad." Marin pointed out as Giana pulled him into a hug as Marin bit down on his candy.

Gina hummed for a moment, "You have their best traits, but, and don't tell your papa, but I prefer your treats to his."

"Yeah, he does too." Marin nodded as a small smile grew on his face as he allowed himself to rest in her arms for a little while.

Chapter Text

"Uh-oh! Whiskers! Stay calm! Come on now-OW!" yelped out as he was trying to save a kitten, losing his footing on the tree as Ladybug saved him while Chat Noir used his staff to save the kitten. Meanwhile, a new truck arrived along with the fire department.

"Mr. Damo..."Ladybug stopped himself for a moment, "um, Owl! This is the fifth time this week we come to your rescue." He chided as Chat Noir walked up with the kitten in his arms.

"You're really going to get hurt one of these days. At least wear a helmet." Chat Noir added.

"But you two don't wear helmets." Mr. Damocles argued.

Ladybug sighed heavily, raising the cord of his yo-yo to gently place Mr. Damocles on the ground. "Mr. Owl, we've told you already. It's not the same for us, we're responsible for all Akuma attacks, anything else outside that is just us trying to help out where we can." Ladybug explained.

"Plus you know, we have superpowers and magic suits." Chat Noir added as he handed the kitten back to the owner.

"I know. " Mr. Damocles say. "But since I was a little boy, I only ever dreamed of becoming a real superhero!" He said as a reporter walked up towards them with a microphone.

"Mr. Owl," The reporter asked, "Do you believe that you a new hero for the citizens of Paris?"

Mr. Damocoles cleared his throat. "Thanks to some advice from my good friends Ladybug and Chat Noir, I am certain I will do better next time!" Both Chat Noir and Ladybug slapped their foreheads. "I will be reviewing my weaponry and engaging in training. Because wherever there's injustice, there's The Owl!" He proclaimed, taking out a bag of flour, shaking it rapidly to create a white cloud. "Owl Mist!" But he then ran towards the streets into oncoming traffic.

"Any comments, Ladybug and Chat Noir?" The reporter asked as the camera's pointed towards them. Chat Noir turned towards Ladybug in surprised as he spoke up.

" ...means well. But to all the children of Paris, you mustn't try to copy us or him. What Chat Noir and I do is very dangerous."

Chat Noir dusted the flour off of his suit. "Ladybug's right. So, don't try this at home. Okay, kids?" Chat Noir added as the two of them then abruptly left as more reporters showed up.

"The principal Mr. Damocles has a good heart, but this is bound to end badly." Chat Noir said from the rooftops, leaning against a chimney as Ladybug sat atop the edge crossing his legs.

Ladybug rested his head on his hands. "We can't spend all our time watching out for him. If I miss anymore sleep, I am going to go crazy."

Chat Noir stared at his partner for a moment, wondering if he was brave enough to make fun of him. But he decided against it, treasuring his own life. "Perhaps we should convince him to stop trying to be a superhero by... scaring him, for example?"

Ladybug groaned into his hands. "It's too early for this." He grumbled taking out his yo-yo.

"Wait, where are you going?" Chat Noir asked.

"The best solution is usually the simplest one." Ladybug said throwing his yo-yo towards a building across the street.

"You want back up?" Chat Noir asked, but Ladybug was already gone.

Within the evening Mr. Damocles returned to his office, messing around with something on his computer, but looking annoyed as he was trying to activate something with voice recognition to little success.

"Please repeat. I was unable to understand." The automatic computer voice said.

"Hoo-ho-" Mr. Damocles tried again but was cut off by Ladybug jumping into his office, he was shocked, standing up. "Ladybug?! What are you doing in my- I mean, this principal's office?!"

Ladybug crossed his arms. " Mr. Damocles, you don't have to pretend."

The principal scoffed, clearly off-balanced by his identity being revealed. "Psh- Mr. Damocles? I don't know such a man!" He insisted as Ladybug looked at him before picking up the nameplate on his desk, showing it to him.

"Ah- that's...uh." finally faltered. "Fine, so you've discovered my secret identity."

"...right. You need to stop this pretending to be a superhero, it's dangerous for you to be doing tasks you're not trained for."

"Pretending?!" "I'll have you know, I've been preparing for this my whole like. I'm living up to almost every ideal of the great, Dark Owl."

Ladybug sighed heavily, very tired, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Mr. Damocles, there's a difference between reality and the comic book heroes you're fantasizing about being like. You need to stop acting so childish." Ladybug said bluntly placing the nameplate back on the table. " as Mr. Damocles hung his head rather shamefully, only hearing the negatives of that Ladybug was saying.

Marin sighed heavily, exhausted from the day. He walked up the stairs as Tikki flew out, turning on the tv as he climbed up towards his bed. For a brief moment, a smiled as he was about to crash onto it. Then he hears a breaking news announcement.

"Citizens of Paris, listen to me very carefully!" A new villain announced as the screen showed a bus dangling over a single kitten. "With just one slight movement, I can release a rope holding onto a city bus and all the animals inside will crash down upon this poor helpless little kitten!" He laughed like a maniac as Marin froze in place. "And if anyone should be 'tempt to come and save the animals, beware! It is all rig! Liquid nitrogen will automatically douse the feet of the Eiffel Tower, freezing them to -700 degree, and making them more fragile than glass! They will collapse! And the bus will flatten our cute kitten friend!"

Tikki could feel a malicious force behind her as Marin had to move away from his bed. He had been taking power naps throughout the day to compensate for the shenanigans of "Mr. Owl", but the lack of sleep was taking it's toll.

"Ladybug, Chat Noir the only way you can save these sweet animals is to come and hand your Miraculouses over to me! And you only have 10 minutes! Follow the Owl-Signal!"

The Kwami turned to see her partner holding his face in his hand. Slowly raising his head as he looked about ready to destroy anyone that even touched him. "Tikki." He said calmly as his Kwami looked up at him curiously.

"We're ending this tonight. One way or another." Marin said grabbing his messenger bag.

Atop the roofs, Chat Noir noticed the signal originating from the stadium.

"That principal sure is holding a grudge." He remarked, looking around for his partner, who was nowhere in sight. He hoped that the absence of his partner was just one of Ladybug's elaborate plans, but even so, the villain had to be dealt with. Chat Noir jumped down into the stadium, looking around for a moment as he called out.

"Hoo-hoo! Mr. Damocles?"

Suddenly a large light blinded him for a moment as the villain revealed himself. " I am not Mr. Damocles! I am the Dark Owl!"

Chat Noir walked towards him. "Why don't we talk about this for a moment? After all, we're both heroes..."

Dark Owl narrowed his eyes, "Where is Ladybug?"

"I don't control him, we're a modern couple in that sense." Chat Noir joked but secretly wanted his partner to show up as soon as possible.

"Then you can be the first to place your Miraculous in the box located in the middle of the stadium or-" All of a sudden, Dark Owl dropped the detonator, turning back to normal as Chat Noir was uncertain of how to properly react. He took out his staff, immediately dialing Ladybug.

"Hey- so. Did you do something?" He asked as he kept an eye on looking around in confusion.

Ladybug sounded almost angry, yet calm. "I dealt with the akuma, you deal with the principal. I am going to bed, good-bye."

He hung up rather curtly as Chat Noir shrugged his shoulders, walking over to the principal.

"Where am I?" Mr. Damocles asked in confusion as Chat Noir knelt by him.

"You turned into a villain for a moment, but Ladybug saved you." He explained seeing Mr. Damocles's sullen expression. Chat Noir smiled at him. "So what did he say?"

"Huh?" Mr. Damocles lifted his head up in surprise before sighing. "I was ashamed, jumping around like a fool."

"So-" Chat Noir was about to comfort him, but all of a sudden Mr. Damocles jumped to his feet. "I should become the hero the people need!"

"Uh...that's the spirit?" Chat Noir remarked supportively.

For the new few days "Mr. Owl" stayed true to his word, even getting on the news as he was gaining more appreciation from the people. Chat Noir jumped over the rooftops, spotting his partner nearby.

"Hello." Chat Noir greeted as Ladybug looked towards him in surprise.

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd spend more time with you." He said with a smile, folding his hand behind his back with a witty smile. "You know, go on patrol more often."

Ladybug smiled at him, stretching for a moment, "You sure you can keep up?"

"Psh-" Chat Noir scoffed, "I was born ready." He said. "So, what happened with the Dark Owl thing?" he asked as they both overlooked the new hero taking a photo with a few of their classmates.

Ladybug rubbed the back of his head. "It wasn't my best moment, being a little harsh like that." He admitted, "but earlier when I went to see Mr. Damocles I noticed that he was attached to his desktop. And when I saw that "threat" I asked Tikki to check it out first since Kwami's don't show up on camera. Once I was sure his threat wasn't legit, I went directly to his office, which wasn't protected so it was easy to destroy the desktop."

Chat Noir nodded, processing what his partner just said. "Wait, so what were you going to tell me any of this?" Chat Noir asked as Ladybug flashed him a sheepish smile, clapping his hands together apologetically.

"Sorry, I just wanted to get it over with." He said, looking guilty as Chat Noir wasn't sure if he should have felt insulted or not. But then again...

Chat Noir rested his head behind his head, smiling in amusement. "I guess I'll be able to forgive you, on one condition."

"Yeah?" Ladybug questioned with slight suspicion, uncertain of what his partner was going to ask.

"I get an I.O.U, to be used on whatever I what, whenever I want. Also, it never expires."

"Within reason."

"Fine."

"Deal." Ladybug nodded as the two bumped fists before jumping onto the rooftops of Paris. 

Chapter Text

Marin placed the fox Miraculous necklace around his neck as a small fox Kwami appeared before him in an orange ball of light. He couldn't help but smile as the small Kwami looked around curiously before his gaze rested on him.

"Hello! I am Trixx!" The fox Kwami greeted as Tikki and Wayzz hovered nearby within Master Fu's shop. "Who are you?"

"I'm-"

"No names." Master Fu said as he poured the tea.

"Ladybug." Marin finished as he could see Trixx's eyes light up.

"Wow! So you're the new Ladybug? How rare, Tikki has never been given a male partner before." The Kwami remarked as Tikki hovered forward.

"He's my favorite Ladybug yet!" She said happily, "He bakes me all these tasty treats whenever I want, and gets any books I ask for!"

"From the Library." Marin clarified as he poked his Kwami playfully.

"Master, can I have a partner that will give me treats too!" Trixx said hovering before Master Fu who set the tea tray down on the table.

"Trixx, you know that no more Miraculous can go into circulation." He reminded as Trixx lowered his ears. He only perked up as Marin nuzzled his face with his hand, feeling the fox Kwami's soft fur.

"I can bring you whatever treats you want Trixx." Marin reassured as the Kwami's eyes lit up.

"Really?! Can I have cheese and fruits?!" He asked expectantly.

"Only if Master Fu says it's alright," Marin said as Trixx turned towards him, widening his violet eyes pleadingly.

"Pleasssseeee Master? I promise I'll share!" Trixx insisted adorably as the Master sipped his tea.

"We will see. Now," Master Fu said turning towards Marin as the Kwami sat on the table. "Trixx is the Kwami of illusions. Though his power is great and can deceive even modern technology, one physical touch will disperse the image."

"Like Lila's akumatized form did..." Marin recalled as Master Fu nodded.

"True, even though Hawkmoth's power is great, and can replicate many abilities. At the end of the day it is but a shadow in comparison to the original."

"I don't know master," Marin said feeding Tikki a cookie while Wayzz and Trixx dug into the other snacks placed on the table. "From what I've seen, mine, Chat Noir's, and even Trixx's powers could all be replicated under the right circumstances, maybe even stronger than the original..."

"People's emotions can change like the wind, and once the Akuma is removed, it would be difficult to recreate the same form unless it was under the proper circumstances. The power of Nooroo, of Transmission, is one that can be a great asset but also a grave threat within the hands of one who has mastered it." Master Fu informed. "I have no doubt that Hawkmoth has spent these years honing his strength one way or another."

"Well, what about the peacock Miraculous? What could it do?" Marin asked curiously.

Master Fu, placed his tea down, closing his eyes for a moment as he seemed troubled for a moment. "The Kwami of the Peacock is Duusu, the Kwami of emotions. The power of that Miraculous in particular is similar to that of Hawkmoths. With his power, Duusu can create sentient monsters from strong emotions within items that are of great emotional importance."

"All that power..." Marin murmured.

"However," The master suddenly said, "we are getting far off-topic." He said with a playful smile. "I believe the lesson today was learning about the fox Miraculous?"

Marin chuckled, "Sorry master. Please, continue." He asked as Trixx sat on Marin's shoulder, curling up into a ball as Tikki and Wayzz chose to nap within the empty snack bowl.

After his lessons, Marin went straight to Alya's house with a smile on his face and a box of treats. He smiled as Alya opened the door, already in her pajamas as night had fallen. "Don't you think you're a little overdressed for this?" Alya asked playfully as Marin walked in. Taking his shoes off and placing the white box on the table.

"I'll change in a bit." Marin said as he thought he saw something run past him. Next thing he knew the box was gone for the few seconds he had turned around. "Huh?" He questioned as he and Alya looked behind the kitchen island. Seeing her younger twin sisters gorging on the pastries inside.

"Please tell me there was no sugar in there." Alya asked with a hint of fear in her voice.

"No of course not, could you imagine?" Marin said, "It's just croissants, and a few cheese danishes I tried my hand at; how do they taste?" He asked with a smile as Ella and Etta looked up at him with crumbs on their faces.

"GOOD!" They said in unison.

Alya then clapped her hands, "All right, come on, bedtime, you little monsters! That's enough mischief for one day!" She said then holding her sister's hands as she put them into their bedroom.

"It's not us! It's the Sapotis!" Her sisters said.

"Marin you can change in the bathroom, I have to put these little monster's to bed."

"Sure." Marin nodded as he put the box back on the table. He looked inside and was surprised that almost all the baked goods were gone. "I think you've got some hungry little monsters on your hands." He called out as Alya laughed.

"Yup, they'll never stop!" She called out as Marin walked into the restroom.

"Those two seem like they're a handful," Tikki commented as Marin folded his jacket away, starting to unbutton his shirt.

"Alya can handle them." Marin reassured as he put on his pink pajama pants with black trim and his signature flower design that he had embroidered himself. Along with the black tank top he always wore under his shirt. "Hm." He hummed to himself, looking for something else within his bag.

"What's wrong?" Tikki asked.

" I think I forgot my jacket..." He said placing his neatly folded clothes into his bag. "Ah well, I can just borrow a jacket."

"I don't think it's going to be that chilly tonight," Tikki said.

"Probably not, it's just a comfort thing, like how you like to sleep with that little blanket I knitted for you." He said as Tikki flew into his bag. When he walked out Alya had already placed a bottle of orange juice on the table.

"Could you get the melon's out of the fridge?" She asked as Marin nodded. Setting his bag on the table he immediately spotted the fruit, taking it out as Alya suddenly popped in front of him. "Now that we're all alone I can finally tell you." She said as she pulled out her phone.

"That you love me?" Marin asked as Alya smirked.

"Always and forever cutie pie, not no." She said. "Apparently Ladybug has been around at least since the pharaohs. But no way can the Ladybug we know can be five thousand years old! So, I downloaded a great app that analyzed some recordings I had of him talking. Based on the frequencies of her voice, it turns out he's around our age!"

Marin froze for a moment. "Uh, but wasn't Ladybug a goddess of sorts?" He said trying to veer away from the topic of himself, then noticed two shapes running around. "Uh, Alya? The orange juice?" Marin pointed out as they both heard Ella and Etta giggling. Alya walked over to the sofa, groaning as she saw the entire bottle was empty.

"Crap, they're going to be hyper all night."

"It's not us! It's the Sapotis!" Ella and Etta said in unison as Marin placed the try down on the coffee table.

"How are you going to get them to sleep now?" He asked as Alya sighed.

"Okay you two." She said placing her hands on her hips. "You can stay up with the big kids." The twins cheered for that. "Or go to the super-fun amusement park tomorrow."

They immediately decided on the latter as Alya guided them back to their rooms. Marin walked over to the DVDs lain out, looking through them as Alya closed the door behind her. "What was I saying again?" She tried to remember.

"Uh, you know... " Marin stumbled over his words. "Your, sister Nora?-"

"Oh, yeah! Ladybug!" Alya then remembered as Marin grimaced. "Putting the past Ladybug aside for a sec. I think this dude is totally in high school. So to figure out who he really is, all we need to do is to find someone our age who's always late to—"

"Personally-" Marin interrupted. "Hero identities are so...lame?" Marin said as Alya looked at him like he was crazy.

"What's crazy about hero identities?"

"Well you know what they say, you should never meet your heroes..." Marin chuckled as the two heard giggling once more. Marin and Alya then gasped in surprise as they heard a familiar giggling. As they turned around the two pieces of cantaloupe had been gobbled down.

"That cannot be good for digestion," Marin commented as he took the plate and cups while Alya angrily yelled at her sisters.

"All right, that's enough! Get out of bed one more time and no one will going to the amusement park tomorrow!"

"It's not us! It's the Sapotis!" The twins laughed as they only served to make Alya even madder.

"This is your last warning! No...joke!" She warned closing the door behind her. She groaned before walking over to Marin who was rinsing the dishwear. "What were you saying about her secret identities?" She asked as Marin turned off the water.

"You know, what happened if you find out the identity of Ladybug, and he's not...you know really the hero type?"

"What kind of question is that?" She asked curiously as Marin rested against the counter behind him, averting his gaze.

"I'm just saying, everyone thinks of Ladybug like some kinda hero. When he and Chat Noir just do what needs to be done. Besides, finding out their identity like that? It'll cause more trouble than good, he and Chat Noir probably have family and loved ones to protect."

Just as Alya was about to respond, they both heard the tv turn on, seeing that the twins had escaped again and were putting on a movie. Marin took a step back as Alya looked like she snapped.

"That's it!" She said growling angrily.

"It's not us!" Ella and Etta said, laughing at their big sister. "It's the—" They were about to say but then Alya forcibly carried them away, putting them into their beds. "Come on, Alya! We won't do it again!"

"Yeah? Well, it's too late!" Alya said as Marin sat down on the sofa, overhearing more yelling, and then crying, and then a door shutting as a fumed Alya crashed down next to him. Her arms were crossed for a moment before she too a deep breath, then glancing at Marin again.

"For the record, if I knew who Ladybug really was, I'd keep it a secret. Heck, I would even help him out! Like say, if you were Ladybug, I'd cover for you — when you needed to transform in school, go fight the "baddies", you know?"

Marin smiled at her, "Really? You think I could be Ladybug? Oh, you flatter me." He said playfully

"If I was Ladybug, I'd totally tell you! Because I tell my best friend everything." Alya remarked, hugging him as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"So spill the beans. Are you actually Ladybug?" Marin asked suspiciously. "Trying to uncover his identity would be a good cover." He remarked as they both laughed.

"Right. Like I'm telling you. Nuh-uh-" She said as they both heard a crash from the twin's room.

"Ugh! That's it! I've totally had it with these kids!" Alya growled, marching towards her sister's room, "Don't even think about blaming this on-" Alya then screamed as two monsters jumped out of their room at great speed. Destroying and eating everything in sight.

"What the-" Marin asked as he noticed them eating the pastries he bought out of the box. Multiplying rapidly as she searched for more food, wrecking more of the room in the process, making a huge mess of the room.

"Marin, the window! We can't let them out!" Alya called out as Marin tried to close the porch door. But he was knocked down by the horde of little monsters jumping onto the street and causing a panic. "Marin, take care of these two! We've gotta bring them back!" Alya called out as there were still two handing around the kitchen as she grabbed her shoes to run out the front door. But as soon as she did that the remaining tow jumped out into the streets as well.

Marin looked out onto the mayhem as Tikki flew towards him.

"Well, this went from zero to a hundred really fast." Tikki remarked as Marin glanced at his Kwami.

"Tikki, spots on!"

"These miniature monsters seem to be attacking more and more people throughout Paris!" Nadja announced on the new just as she was attacked by the two little red monsters.

Adrien gasped in surprise, turning off the tv within his room. "I think we better take care of this, Plagg. Plagg?" Adrien looked behind him, seeing Plagg hoarding all his cheese within one cupboard. "What are you doing?"

"The safety of my brie comes first thank you very much!" He said, then put a lock on it as he secured his more prized possession.

A laugh escaped as Adrien stood up. "Plagg, claws out!

Chat Noir landed on the streets, attacking the little monsters, as he noticed Ladybug was destroying their hats using his yo-yo. "How'd you know to destroy the monster's hat?" He asked.

"I...uh... Trial and error." Ladybug said as he threw his yo-yo removing more hats, one by one they destroyed the Sabotis they belonged to.

"But no akuma's been released."

"It's because almost all of these Sapotis are clones, we need to find the original." Ladybug said.

"The original?" Chat Noir questioned, "That'll take forever."

"Good thing you're no quitter." Ladybug remarked with a wink as he jumped towards a horde of Sapotis as Chat Noir followed in pursuit.

"There's no end to these things!" Chat Noir remarked as they were surrounded by more and more Sapotis forming rapidly, surrounding the two heroes atop a bridge back to back.

Ladybug narrowed his eyes, throwing up his yo-yo, "Lucky Charm." He called out, and was surprised when a familiar-looking teapot fell into his hands.

"A teapot?" Chat Noir asked as he was barely keeping the Sapotis at bay from overwhelming them. He was taken off guard as a smile was drawn on Ladybug's face.

"Can you hold your own for a little while?" He asked.

"Can Ladybug's fly?" Chat Noir responded as he destroyed a few more. "Wait, what are you doing?"

"Let's just say we're turning our duo into a trio." He said, jumping off the bridge Chat Noir took a double-take.

"Wait what?!" He called out just as a few Sapotis jumped on him.

Ladybug landed behind a tree, transforming back as he walked into the Massage parlor. He knocked on the door as Tikki flew out.

"It's open." The master called out.

Marin pushed the door in, "Hello, Master Fu."

Master Fu nodded as Wayzz flew out. "Good evening Marinus."

"Marinus?" Wayzz questioned, "You're not supposed to come here without letting us know first." He said in concern.

"Let him talk, Wayzz." Master Fu said as Marin sat down before them.

"Master, I used my Lucky Charm, but, I think it was a hint which was telling me to come here."

Master Fu nodded. "I see. Marinus, I taught you all about the Miraculous and their powers. You know that yours works in a very mysterious way. I think it's trying to tell us that you need help this time." He said standing up as Wayzz hovered nearby as his partner took out the Miraculous box from the gramophone. He hesitated for a moment. "I don't know if it's safe. I already took an enormous risk by putting two Miraculous into circulation..."

"Master, I will trust your judgment," Marin said sincerely as Master Fu nodded. He removed the Miraculous box from the device, opening it before him.

"Marinus Dupain-Cheung, choose an ally you can trust to fight alongside you in this mission. Once the mission is over, you must retrieve the Miraculous from them and bring it back to me. Until we've unlocked all the secrets of the spellbook, it's too dangerous to allow any more Miraculous to be out in the open for very long."

Marin nodded, knowing what he needed immediately, picking up the Fox Miraculous.

"Do you have an ally in mind?" Master Fu asked as he handed Marin the same box that once held Tikki's Miraculous.

"Yes, Master. I know just the right person, someone I can trust. "

"Listen! We can renegotiate the amusement park idea if you want, 'kay? But first, I need you to chill out and come back home with me!" Alya called out to a bunch of Sapotis on the carousel in the park. She suddenly was surprised as they were all destroyed, just at Ladybug landed before her. Her eyes lit up as soon as she saw him, "Ladybug! My sisters have been akumatized! I need to find them and bring them back home!"

Ladybug nodded, turning towards her. "There's a way for you to find your sisters. But we're gonna need your help, are you interested?" He asked.

Alya smiled excitedly, as though it were Christmas morning. "Me? Help my favorite heroes? You bet I am! Just hold on one sec, I have to let my friend know where I am." She said pulling out her phone, but Ladybug placed a hand over it.

"This mission is top secret, not a word to your friends or on the Ladyblog, understand?" He asked.

Alya's expression turned more serious, placing her phone away. " Right, understood."

Ladybug held out the small box towards her as she stared at it in amazement. "Alya Césaire, this is the Miraculous of the Fox, which grants the power of illusion. You will use it for the greater good and once the mission is over, you will return the Miraculous to me. Can I trust you?"

Alya nodded eagerly. "Totally, Ladybug."

His best friend's word was enough for him as Ladybug placed the box into Alya's hand. As she opened it, an orange light flew around her energetically. "Wha? What is that thing?!" She asked as the orange light manifested as Trixx.

"I am not a thing. My name is Trixx, and I'm your Kwami!" He said happily as he noticed Ladybug, his eyes lighting up for a moment as he nuzzled his friend on his cheek.

"My kwami? I know! You're what gives superheroes their superpowers, right?" Alya asked.

"Ooo, not bad." Trixx remarked as Ladybug rubbed the Kwami's belly.

"She's a specialist when it comes to this kinda stuff."

"This is so amazing!" Alya remarked taking a closer look at Trixx before turning back to Ladybug. "By the way, how old are you? Do you have any idea of Chat Noir's true identity? There's no way—"

"Stay focused, Alya." Ladybug reminded as Alya regained focus.

"Right, sorry Ladybug." She said putting on the necklace.

"All you just need to say one thing: "Trixx, let's pounce!" " Trixx said as Alya nodded in understanding.

"Trixx, let's pounce!" She said and was transformed into a new hero.

"Ohhhhhh this is so awesome!" Alya said happily as Ladybug pulled out his yo-yo.

"Come on; I'll explain the rest to you on the way."

"Wait, how am I suppose to kept up?" Alya asked.

"The Fox Miraculous enhances your strength, more so than Chat Noir or me. Just jump up and follow my lead." He explained jumping onto the roofs, slowing his pace as Alya had a bright smile on his face.

Meanwhile, while Chat Noir held his own, the number of Sapotis was rising too fast, and a few of them jumped on him, pinning him to the ground as they were about to remove his Miraculous. All of a sudden, the weight on his back was removed, as he noticed almost all the Sapotis were destroyed around him as his partner returned.

"What took you so long-" He was about to say, but was shocked by the new person standing right next to him. A young lady with a fox themed outfit holding a flute in her hands. She looked towards Ladybug with an excited expression.

"This is so insane! I've got powers and I'm fighting supervillains!" She said as Ladybug smiled at her, the sight made him feel..off-balance to say the least.

"Whoa! Who's this superhero friend of yours? No offense, but I thought I was the only one!" He remarked as he noticed Ladybug placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Chat Noir, this is a friend of mine, she'll be helping us out." Ladybug introduced as Chat Noir stepped forward, taking the young woman's hand in his.

"Please to make your acquaintance, miss..."

"Uh...Rouge! Yeah, my name is Rena Rouge!" Rena Rouge said as Chat Noir kissed her hand.

"Well, sneaky fox, think you'll be as sneaky as a cat?" He asked with a playful smile.

"I don't know." Rena Rouge remarked. "Should we take bets?" She asked as she rang his bell, much to his amusement.

"Your friend seems pretty good." Chat Noir complimented.

Ladybug nodded. "Now introductions are done, it's time to get to work." He said taking out his yo-yo with a smirk on his face.

"Rakes? Unicycle wheel? Traffic cone? Tape? Trash can! Do you always make it this complicated when you're saving Paris?" Rena Rouge asked as she assembled all the items together as per previous instruction just before Ladybug jumped off the roof with a traffic cone.

"Lesson one, trust your partners Rena Rouge. " Chat Noir said as he and Rena Rouge transported the items Ladybug had gathered. He and Ladybug were in contact as Chat Noir overheard him attracting the attention of all the Sapotis. "All right, Rena Rouge! Time to use your power!"

Rena Rouge looked uncertain as she took out her flute. "I've never done this before, what do I do?"

Ladybug informed Chat what he needed to know, as Chat Noir nodded. "Just think of the illusion you want to create. Stay focused!" He said supportively as Rena Rouge took a deep breath.

She played a few notes as an orange ball of light formed. Rena Rouge then swung her flute, sending the ball of light flying. "Mirage!" She called out, creating a replica of the amusement park. The new hero looked up in amazement. "I did it!" She said proudly until her necklace started to beep. " My necklace is flashing. Um, that means I'm gonna change back soon, right?"

"Yeah. But it's okay if I see who you are. I can keep a secret." Chat Noir remarked playfully as Rena Rouge flashed him a coy smile.

"Nice try kitty. You know very well that our identities must remain secret."

Chat Noir smirked, "Good job. You're a fast learner. Welcome to the team, if you need any superhero tips, you know where to come."

The two high-fived, "Same goes for you." Rena Rouge said. "So...are you and Ladybug and item?" She asked just as Chat Noir heard Ladybug's voice in his microphone.

"Phase two, Chat Noir! Now!"

Chat Noir and Rena Rouge looked down into the alley noticing Ladybug guiding the small monsters down the alley.

"All the Sapotis are in the alley! Phase three!" Chat Noir called out as Rena Rouge handed him the device.

"Is this really gonna work?"

"Oh, don't worry. Sometimes it's even more absurd than this!" Chat Noir remarked as he dropped the wheel into the alley, securing it with his staff. "Your turn, my Lady!"

Ladybug used his yo-yo to spin the wheel, using his yo-yo to spin the wheel, sending all the hat's flying into the garbage bin above, held by Rena Rouge and Chat Noir.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir called out, using his power to destroy all the hats, releasing the Akuma.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

The three of them pounded their fists together just as Rena Rouge was about to jump down towards her sisters.

"Ett—!" Rena Rouge was about to say just as Ladybug placed his hand on her shoulder.

"We need to go." He said as Rena Rouge's Miraculous started to beep.

"Hm?" Chat Noir questioned. "You two got a date I don't know about?"

"I'll explain later Chat Noir." Ladybug promised. "Would you mind taking these two girls home?"

"No problem, looking forward to fighting villains with you again, Rena Rouge!" Chat Noir said as Rena Rouge waved back from atop the building, then turning towards the two children. "Okay, who's gonna tell me where you live?" He asked recognizing Alya's sisters.

"I will!" Ella and Etta spoke simultaneously as they jumped on the hero.

Ladybug and Rena Rouge landed just behind her apartment building as she transformed back.

"That was unreal!" Alya said as Trixx appeared before her, resting on Ladybug's hands, tired from his long day.

"You've really helped us a lot. Thank you, Alya." Ladybug said gratefully.

"Uh..." Alya hesitated for a moment. "You know, if I held onto it, I could help you again."

Ladybug's expression softened. "Ms. Césaire, you made a promise." he reminded as his Miraculous beeped.

"Oh please, Ladybug?! We'd make a great team! I could help Chat Noir and you every day!"

Ladybug sighed, realizing that he was running out of time. He stepped into the building, leaving the door opened slightly. "There's a reason why Chat Noir and I are the only heroes fighting against Hawkmoth. But there was an exception made because I know I can trust you." Ladybug said as he detransformed.

Alya faltered for a moment, holding the Miraculous in her hand as Trixx then flew out, looking tired, but had a smile on his face. "You're absolutely right, Alya. I'm sure the three of you would make quite the team! You have all the makings of a true superhero. You're strong, brave; but most of all, you're trustworthy. I'd be very happy to work alongside you!"

Marin hesitated as Tikki rested on his arm. Without his messenger bag, he couldn't feed his Kwami yet. But noticed the box that he had given Alya earlier, smiling as pride swelled in his chest.

Back at his best friend's apartment after having returned the Miraculous, Marin walked into a hug as Alya embraced him.

"Marin! Are you okay?" She asked in concern.

"I'm fine. But are you okay? I was looking for you all over the city." He explained as she guided him towards the sofa, her eyes suddenly lighting up.

"Wait till you hear! Something crazy happened to me!"

"Really?" Marin asked wondering what she would way. "What happened?"

Alya faltered. "I...well...my battery died. Just in time when a new superhero appeared. Can you believe it? My brand new phone. Super letdown, huh?" She sighed, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I'm just glad you're safe. " Marin said sincerely as the two hugged, curling up together, wrapping a blanket over them as they turned on a movie.

Chapter Text

Adrien took a deep breath as he stepped into his father's office.

" Father, there's something I'd like to talk to you...about. Can I have a few minutes of your time?" He asked hesitantly.

Gabriel didn't tear his eyes from the screen. "Yes, of course."

Adrien's eyes lit up. " Really?"

" I'll tell Nathalie to let you know as soon as I'm available," Gabriel said

Adrien hopes were immediately diminished, "It'll be too late then." He murmured under his breath, rubbing his ring.

"Shouldn't you be practicing your piano?"

His father's voice snapped him out of his thought as he nodded. "Yes." Adrien said meekly, walking back to his room and locking it behind him.

"So we're staying inside today right?" Plagg asked as he opened his cheese cabinet.

"Heck no." Adrien responded opening his window. "We're getting to the movies, one way or another."

"But your father-" Plagg tried to argue.

"Isn't gonna find out." Adrien insisted jumping up to the window, then to the ground. "I'll be there and back in no time, he's not gonna even notice I'm gone."

Tikki hovered over her master as he was sleeping soundly, curled up under 3 blankets and half a dozen pillows. It was extremely cozy, perhaps too cozy, as he slept through his alarm. Tikki pokes his face a few times as she glanced at the clock, started to get worried.

Adrien walked casually through the streets keeping his head low as he didn't want to attract any attention.

"This would be much easier if you just decided to transform." Plagg remarked congratulations poking his head out of Adrien's shirt.

"I can't risk it Plagg,I'm not carrying any cheese for you right now." He said as he had forgotten to pocket some before his left. "We need to be ready if the city needs-"

"Adrien?! The Adrien Agreste?! This is awesome!" Someone, probably a fan shouted out.

Adrien laughed nervously as he took a step back, noticing people start to look in their direction, "Okay, bye. (tries to walk away, but Wayhem starts following him)

"The first time I saw you in that ad, I told myself, "Wayhem, I got to meet this guy. He's so cool!". What if I was, like, your biggest fan?" Wayhem said excitedly as he walked next to him. "Hey you mind if I snap a photo of the two of us for a keepsake?

"Yeah...sure." Adrien mumbles as his anxiety started to grow with more people glancing in their direction but then he stopped for a moment. "Wait what did you say-"

"Say "cheese"!" Way hen said. "Me-and-Adrien. This-is-the-best-day-of-my-life!" Wayhem said out loud uploading the photo.

"No! Don't post it up on…" Adrien immediately asked but then heard a ping."...the Internet." Adrien slapped hot forehead as everyone around them noticed him now. It probably didn't help that he was standing right next his own ad.

"Hold up! Could you autograph my cologne bottle of Adrien? And my life-size cutout?"

Adrien stared at him for a moment looking at the cardboard standee. "They only gave those to stores for promotional material, how did you get your hands on one?" He said but there wasn't time to unpack the implications. "Some other time, I've gotta get going!"

"Crap!" Marin said as he scrambled to pack his swim bag, then ran out of the house as Tikki followed.

"Marin, haven't you forgotten something?!" She called out, as Marin stopped for a moment.

"Oh! I forgot your comics and snacks, I'm sorry sugar cube." He said after looking through the bag. But his Kwami shook her head, pointing to him.

Marin looked down and froze as he realized he was still in his pajamas and slippers. " This is fine, all I have to do is walk back in, and-" he reasoned as Tikki suddenly hid, moments before someone crashed into him as they were turning the corner.

Marin opened his eyes and immediately his heart started to race as he realized who has crashed into him. "Adrien?" He questioned, as his best friend hovered close to his face for a few moments, his face slightly pink as he then lifted himself up, pulling Marin to his feet.

"You live near here right? Can I hide out at your place?" Adrien asked desperately, clapping his hands together.

Marin tried to process what he just said, "Hide out? What's going on-" he was about to ask as someone then called out.

"Adrien!" Someone called out as Adrien suddenly graded Marin's hand.

"Too late." he said as Marin read the room. He took Adrien's wrist in hand, dragging him into the empty park fountain as a horde of people ran past.

As soon as the coast was clear Adrien sighed in relief. "Thank you for saving me. People are going crazy over this ad." Adrien said gratefully.

Marin couldn't hold back his laughter. " Is that what this is about? That ad is hilarious." He said as Adrien stared him in confusion before a smile broke out on his face.

"I wouldn't talk about things being hilarious when you're dressed like that." He snipped as he noticed what Marin was wearing. His friend's face slightly reddened as he pulled his hood over his head. "Are those kitty ears?" He asked as he noticed Marin's hoodie was cat-themed even having a tail attached as well as a small bell on the zipper.

"Heh, we'll it's all good now! I'd better get going-" he was saying as Adrien pulled him back down. The two of them noticing Adrien's bodyguard driving past looking around. "Isn't that your bodyguard?"

Adrien nodded sheepishly, "I, uh, may have snuck out without permission. I'm supposed to be home right now and—" he said as someone took a photo behind them.

"Adrien and his girlfriend in the fountain!"

" Girlfriend?!" Marin question as Adrien dragged him off.

Adrien took a deep breath as they ran into the subway, "I'm so sorry I got you in this crazy mess, Marin. Plus, now everyone thinks you're my girlfriend!" He joked.

"Makes sense, I mean why would you be with a dude who is wearing a large hoodie and pink pajamas," Marin said slightly annoyed, but then saw the bright side. "At least no ones gonna know you're with me."

"Is that so bad?" Adrien questioned. "We're friends after all, and it's not like you have a phone that can be traced."

"No, I didn't that, being with you is, bad-" Marin said nervously as he stumbled over his words. "It's just..." He faltered for a moment as Adrien noticed Marin averting his gaze. "It doesn't matter. Anyway, do you think it's gonna be okay between you and your father, after going through so much trouble?"

Adrien smiled, taking something out of his back pocket. "How can anything bad happen...with my Marin lucky charm?" He asked as Marin blushed shyly, trying to hide his face under his hood as someone called out from across the platform.

" It's Adrien from the ad! There he is!"

The nest thing Marin knew, Adrien had grabbed his hand, running towards the exit, but they were blocked from both sides by a mob and by the horde of fans. All of a sudden, Adrien pushed him through the train doors just as they were about to close.

"Well that was eventful," Marin remarked as he and Adrien sat down.

"Sorry for putting you through this." Adrien apologized. "You can get off at the next stop."

"I can't leave you alone to be swarmed by fans." Marin shuddered at the thought of being surrounded by a large group of people. "But once we get off, we have to find a way to make sure you're not recognized," Marin said looking through his bag. He didn't have any spare clothes, just a towel, his wallet, and a pair of goggles, just... "Oh." He said as he removed his bag, then took off his hoodie, handing it to him. "Here."

"Huh?" Adrien questioned.

"If you wear it, then you can at least cover your face."

"What about you?" Adrien asked accepting the jacket, noticing Marin was just wearing a black tank top, especially since it was chilly in the subway.

"I'm fine." He said, but even so, he hugged his arms as the AC was always on blast within the subway.

"Then at least borrow my shirt." Adrien said without thinking, taking off his white shit." But, I doubt it's gonna...oh it fits." He said as Marin tried it on, taking notice of Marin's small frame for the first time. For someone who appeared as meek and timid most of the time, he was surprisingly toned, rather than just skinny like he previously assumed.

They chatted casually until their stop came. Adrien then grasped Marin's head as he guided towards a movie theatre near the edge of the city.

"Where did you get this cat hoodie anyway?" Adrien asked curiously as Marin's face ran red with embarrassment. They sat down together within the theater sharing a tub of popcorn between them.

"Promise you won't laugh?"

"Never." Adrien promised as Marin lifted his head, smiling through his embarrassment.

"I'm actually a huge fan of Chat Noir, so I kinda made a jacket based on this costume." He admitted with a scarlet red face.

Adrien was shaken to his core, trembling as he covered his own face turning red from pure happiness.

"Hey- you promised you wouldn't laugh!" Marin remarked as his ears turned red, thinking that his friend was holding back his laughter.

"It's not that." Adrien insisted. "You just said that you weren't really into superheroes."

"I'm not, I'm just grateful because he saved me a few times...besides, Chat Noir's pretty cool don't you think?" Marin asked sheepishly as a smile was plastered on Adrien's face.

"Yeah, I think he's very cool. But not as cool as Ladybug." He said, smiling knowingly.

"Ladybug's alright." Marin shrugged.

"Alright?! He's probably way cooler than Chat Noir!" Adrien retorted as the two were then shushed by the other people in the movie theater. "Actually," Adrien recalled, as his voice lowered to a whisper. "this is where I was heading when those crazed fans suddenly showed up. Thanks to you, my father won't find out."

" Wait. You aren't allowed to go to the movies?" Marin asked popping a kernel in his mouth.

"Oh, I can, with my bodyguard or Nathalie, of course. But I'm not sure my father would've allowed me to see this particular movie."

Marin suddenly froze in place, shrinking into his seat, "Oh no! Please don't tell me it's a horror movie! I hate horror movies."

Adrien chuckled, "No, no. Don't worry. It's a very rare movie that I've never been able to see. It's not on the Internet and my father's hidden the only DVD somewhere at home. See, my mother played the leading role."

Marin's eyes widened, "Wait you mean..." He murmured, his expression softening sadly. "Solitude right?" He asked as Adrien nodded.

"You know it?" He asked as Marin nodded. "It's only being shown once. Today, in this theater. I couldn't talk to my father about it, so I decided to sneak out, unnoticed."

Marin's expression softened as Adrien turned his face away to avoid being seen. " I don't think the "unnoticed" bit went too well, actually." He joked as Adrien laughed.

"Oh well." Adrien shrugged his shoulders. "At least I'll get to see it. Not to mention this is the first time I've ever come to the movies with a friend." He turned to the screen as his commercial started to play.

"Radiant. Carefree. Dreamy. Adrien... the fragrance."

Adrien overheard Marin trying to silence his giggled as he turned towards him curiously. "What?" He questioned as Marin shook his head, not wanting to be insensitive. "C'mon." Adrien prodded, jabbing his side with his elbow.

"It's just, you smell nothing like that perfume." He commented as Adrien looked at him in surprise.

"What?" He questioned.

"Yeah, you used to smell like camembert all the time before you covered it up," Marin remarked as Adrien looked away in embarrassment. "Oh but-" Marin then backtracked, "I don't mind, I actually like the smell." He said as Adrien looked at him disbelief.

"No way, Camembert is like, the stinkiest cheese. No one can stand it, not even me."

Marin thought for a moment, "It's like...you know how people think seafood is smelly? I was raised around it, so it smells nice and refreshing to me. It's like that with most cheese as well, my dad was an apprentice cheesemonger for a little while before he and my mom settled with the bakery."

Adrien sat back, relaxed for the first time in a long while, perhaps it was Marin himself. Always helping people improve their moods just by being himself. He was certainly a friend that he cherished strongly.

The theatre then darkened as the movie began. All of a sudden he was overcome with anxious energy as he saw a familiar silhouette was walking in the rain with an umbrella against a monotone film reel. He gripped the armrests tightly until he felt Marin's hand lay over his. His friend was smiling supportively at him as Adrien returned the gesture. Holding his hand as the woman in the movie was about to turn around.

Suddenly, something crashed through the ceiling as a new akumatized villain revealed himself.

"What is-" Marin questioned for a moment as Adrien pushed him out of the way just as he was grabbed by the giant monster. Marin stared for a moment then noticing the theatre was now empty as the people had run away. He opened his bag as Tikki flew out.

"Ready?" He asked as his Kwami nodded. "Tikki, spots on!"

Ladybug made his way towards the Montparnasse Tower as the...Gorizilla, of sorts, had Adrien in his grasp. The hero narrowed his eyes overlooking the situation and becoming slightly disheartened as he realized the odds were against him without Chat Noir. He took out his yo-yo dialing his partner but receiving no answer. "Chat Noir, where are you? I really need your help, fast! I'm at Montparnasse Tower!" He said as Ladybug scanned over the villain, not seeing any potential items that were possessed by and Akuma. He took a deep breath, focusing his mind, trying to hone his focus to maybe locate the item. But all he could tell was that the item was definitely on Gorizilla somewhere.

He took out the yo-yo having no time to waste as Adrien's life was probably at stake. "Lucky Charm!" He yelled out, as a toy helicopter landed in his hands. he took it out, holding the remote as he heard something.

"Watch out!" Adrien called out as Ladybug was grabbed by Gorizilla tightly with no hope of escape.

He struggled for a moment as he felt the remote still in his hand.

"I'm so sorry, Ladybug." Adrien apologized. "This is all my fault."

"Don't worry." Ladybug called back, trying to reassure his friend as he maneuvered the toy helicopter to attack Gorizilla, able to get himself released as the helicopter hit Gorizilla's eye. He dropped them both of them as he winced in pain holding his face as he began to thrash around angrily.

" Adrien!" Ladybug called out, "Head for the exit, I'll handle him!" He ordered as Ladybug took out his yo-yo. However, he didn't account for the weight of the beast as he shook the building. The ground under then started to shake as Adrien lost his footing. Time seemed to slow down as Ladybug watched as his friend fell to the ground below.

He didn't waste a second as he forgot all about Gorizilla, picking up the helicopter as he jumped off the building. He used the side of the building to give him more force as he closed the distance between them grabbAdirne's hand as he hugged him tightly. He was too far to anchor his yo-yo at the top of the building, so instead, he aimed for a street lamp, running along the side of the building, as he swung to the other side of the street, skidding against the sidewalk at great force until his back crashed against a wall. For a moment he thought that maybe was on to something when he pointed out that he nor Chat Noir wore helmets, but only for a moment as gravity weighed down on him. He fell onto his knees as Adrien knelt near his side.

"Are you okay?!" He asked in concern, but Ladybug nodded, forcing himself to stand as he rested against the wall, eyes still locked on Gorizilla.

"Adrien?!" Someone suddenly yelled out as they then hugged Adrien. "You're safe!" He said as Adrien looked stunned for a moment.

"Friend yours?" Ladybug asked as the boy turned towards him.

"Oh, I'm Wayhem, Adrien's biggest fan." He introduced as Ladybug's earrings started to beep. "Your earrings are flashing. Is there a problem?"

Ladybug narrowed his eyes, " It means that Chat Noir needs to show up if I have any chance in taking that villain out.

"You can leave, Ladybug! I'll keep him at bay!" Wayhem said protectively but Ladybug shook his head.

" No. I want you to find a safe place to hide, alright?"

Wayhen looked a little disheartened but nodded, "Oh, okay." He said just as Gorizilla jumped down, sending shockwaves through the ground.

"Go!" Ladybug snapped at Wayhem ran in a different direction as Ladybug picked up Adrien, placing distance between them and Gorizilla. But LAdybug turned around for a moment, seeing that Wayhem has grabbed onto the leg of the monster.

"Oh no." Ladybug said, placing Adrien on the ground to jump back for him, but was surprised as Wayhem managed to dull Gorizilla senses, disabling his senses for a while. Ladybug hummed for a moment thoughtfully. "Not bad." He remarked, impressed as he transported Adrien to safety.

Ladybug landed on the roof of a building, looking around for a moment as Gorizilla was nowhere in sighed.

"I think you lost him," Adrien said as he was placed on the ground.

"For now," Ladybug said looking around for something as time started to run out.

"You're about to transform back. So you should just leave me here, and I'll stay hidden while I wait for Chat Noir to turn up." He said removing his hood but Ladybug stared at him.

"You want me to leave you on a roof?" He asked.

But Adrien went with it. "Yeah, don't worry, I'll be fine." He insisted but Ladybug wrapped his arm around his waist carrying him to the ground using his yo-yo as they both landed before the subway.

Ladybug then switched his yo-yo to its phone mode. "Chat Noir, I'm going to be waiting under station C, try to use your cataclysm to trap Gorizilla so I can search his pockets, hurry up." Ladybug informed."

"What if Chat Noir doesn't turn up?" Adrien asked.

"He will." Ladybug reassured but in the back of his mind knew that if his partner didn't show up they'd be goners, as he didn't have any cookies on him. "Chat Noir always has my full trust." He thought for a moment Adrien blushed, but it must have been the heat. He then overheard something in the distance as Ladybug rested his hand on his shoulder. Don't worry, just hide and leave this to us." Ladybug said as he then ran down into the subway.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm sure he'll be here." Adrien remarked as he ran to stop a bike.

Ladybug sat on a bench within the subway, crossing his legs as he focused on his breathing. His Miraculous was one of creation, but it was also one that was in tune with the rest of the Miraculous. As his powers grew stronger so did his ability to sense, even though it was limiting due to time constraints. He could sense the Akuma's negativity approaching but lost the connection as his yo-yo rang.

"This is Chat Noir Express Deliveries. Did you order a giant beast, m'lady?" Chat Noir asked just moments before Gorizilla fell through the ground, surprising him as a smile broke out on his face.

"Thanks kitty cat. Is Adrien safe?" Ladybug asked as he searched through Gorizilla's pockets.

"Yup." Chat Noir said, "He's A-okay." He said as Ladybug found the item. His eyes widened as he recognized his former lucky charm, ripping it as the Akuma flew out. "No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

Chat Noir smiled as he saw Ladybug walking out of the subway the two bumped fists as Ladybug then noticed Adrien standing near the road. As he was about to walk towards him Chat Noir placed a hand on his shoulder. "If I were you, I wouldn't hang around for too long. Unless you don't mind revealing your secret identity to all of us." He said playfully as then Ladybug placed a familiar charm in Chat Noir's hand, surprising him as he didn't even realize that he had lost it.

"It's his." Ladybug informed as he then waved to the two of them before quickly escaping.

Chat Noir gripped it in his hand as he turned to his doppelganger. "Thanks for your help, "Adrien"." He said as he quickly traveled back to where Adrien was last seen.

"I'm sorry I had to ask you to stand in for me earlier," Adrien said as he put on the jacket that he had borrowed as Wayhem stood before him. "You must think I'm not very brave.

" You kidding?! Wayhem asked, " I got to be in Adrien's shoes for a few minutes!" But then his excitement died down. "I'm really sorry I posted that photo on the Internet. You must be mad at me." He apologized as Adrien took what was left of the cardboard standee, scribbling down something as he handed it back. "Is that your email?"

"Yeah. If you can manage to stop running after me screaming, I'm sure we can be good friends!" Adrien said happily.

Wayhem hugged the signed head happily, "I promise, Adrien!" he said gratefully as then he had to go.

Adrien realized that he had one more friend to track down as he gripped the fabric of the hoodie. He felt bad as he left Marin back there at the movie theatre, but was stopped as his bodyguard grabbed him. He had a stern expression as Adrien chuckled lightly.

He was sent straight home, still wearing the hoodie as he walked back into his room. When he spotted his father, he flinched for a moment, then took a deep breath as he gripped the lucky charm that was gifted to him.

"Sit down, Adrien." His father said as Adrien complied, but he lifted his head in surprise as the movie, "Solitute" was playing right before his eyes. "All you had to do was ask me." His father explained.

Adrien turned towards him. "I'm sorry, Father. I tried to talk to you, but you were so busy. In fact, I always feel like you don't want to talk at all, so—" He was trying to explain but then was interrupted.

"You should've trusted me, son. It's important for you and I to be able to trust each other. If you were to begin hiding the truth from me, then I'd naturally start imagining all kinds of things." Gabriel said honestly as he placed his hand over his son's.

Adrien couldn't help but smile slightly, nodding as the two turned towards the movie just as his mother turned towards them.

Later on that day, Adrien overheard the doorbell ring. He immediately ran from his room towards the front door as Natalie was on the com.

"Please state your business." She said as Adrien saw his friend on the other side.

"It's Marin can I please talk to him for a few minutes?" He asked as Natalie looked down at him for a moment.

"You have 2 minutes before your next class starts, be quick." She warned as she opened the gate as Adrien ran out the front door followed closely by his bodyguard.

Adrien smiled as he saw Marin waving shyly, now wearing his regular clothes and holding a paper bag from his parent's bakery.

"Hey-" Marin was about to say until Adrien immediately hugged him effectively stunning him for a few seconds as he pulled back.

"Sorry, I was just worried about you," Adrien said as Marin averted his gaze.

"That's my line, he said, then handed the bag over. "Here's your shirt back, I didn't have time to wash it." He said nervously. Taking a white box out of the bag before handing it back.

"It's okay, I don't mind." He said handing back Marin's hoodie. "Your jacket was really comfortable." He complimented as Marin blushed slightly. His friend tied it around his shoulder and side, then turned towards his bodyguard holding out the white box.

"I'm sorry for any trouble I may have put you through, please don't be mad at Adrien." He apologized as the bodyguard accepted the gift, recognizing the logo on the top. He opened it, and smiled for a moment before returning to his stone face expression.

Adrien was curious about this reaction. "Would you excuse us for a second please?" He requested politely as his bodyguard stepped away. "What was that about?" He asked.

"Oh, he's a regular at our shop, comes every morning, he always orders the-"

"Not that," Adrien said, though it was interesting to learn. "Where's my box of treats?" He pouted crossing his arms as Marin chuckled.

"I do still owe you an actual birthday present..." Marin teased for a moment as they both turned to Natalie standing outside, looking towards Adrien who sighed.

"I gotta go. See you at school tomorrow?" He asked as Marin simply nodded.

The two waved at each other, walking in different directions, but for a moment, they both turned back for a moment as he saw Marin did as well, seeing a rare smile as Marin made eye contact for a moment before turning and running away. Leaving Adrien to stand there for a moment, his heart racing but believing it to be because he was happy to spend time with his close friend, gently touching the bracelet on his wrist.

Chapter Text

Ladybug stretched his arms over his head, tired after a long day. Chat Noir was standing nearby, folding his hands behind his back as he leaned down to where Ladybug was sitting on the rooftops.

"So, uh, Ladybug? What would you say if you and I met up tonight for a little dinner? Rooftop style?"

Ladybug glanced at him in amusement. "You can cook?"

"I never said that." Chat Noir remarked. "But we're only together when we're saving Paris. I mean, wouldn't you actually like to get to know one another?"

"That's...thoughtful of you, but I can't." Ladybug said taking out his yo-yo. "There's something I have to deal with."

"Well, if your plans end early, come and join me." Chat Noir said hopefully.

Ladybug paused for a moment, looking back. "I...I probably won't."

"Got it. I'll be waiting, my lady." Chat Noir remarked, clearly ignoring Ladybug's warning. But the black spotted hero didn't have time to argue, jumping off the roof and towards the inner city.

Marin took the dinner plates after they had finished eating, beginning to clean the dishes as his father took out something from the fridge.

" Ta-da!" His father cheered as he placed a cake with whipped cream shortcake with fruit on the table.

His mouth watered at the mere sight of the tasty treat. "Uh, no thanks, Dad,

"But isn't this your favorite?" His dad asked, looking distressed as he exchanged a glance with his mother. There was a tension filling the room, he couldn't put his finger on his, but there was something definitely off as he walked over to his mother.

"And it still is, Dad, but I told you before I'm meeting up with my friends today." He said as his mother placed a hand over his, as his father did the same on his other shoulders. "We're gonna get dessert together..."Marin paused for a moment as he saw his parent's faces both of them looking strangely supportive. "What's going on?" He asked in confusion as they kissed both of his cheeks at the same times.

"We love you so much heart." His mother said sincerely.

"To the moon and back!" His father the said tearfully him as he caught his son in a bear hug, lifting him off the ground.

This only served to confuse Marin. "Dad...Dad!" Marin said as he was stuck in his father's hug. "Mom?"

"Let him go dear." His mother ordered as his father did so slightly unwillingly, patting his head.

"Ohhh mio figlio piccolo-" He said about to start ranting off.

"Okay, I have no idea what's happening, but good-bye!" he remarked, quickly escaping through the door. But groaned for a moment as he quickly ran back in, kissing his parents before running back to the door. "Love you guys." then immediately shut the door as he tried to sigh the tension away. "Man they were acting weird." He remarked as Tikki popped out of his bag.

"Aren't they always like that?" Tikki asked.

Marin then shrugged his shoulders, "Kinda, but today it was really weird. The last time they were like that was when-" He said, opening the front door in surprise.

"Nonna?" Marin questioned as he saw his grandmother with her bike standing before him. "What are you doing here?" He asked curiously, but the only response he received was her smile, handing him the spare helmet in her hand.

"I thought I could drive you to your meeting with your friends."

"Sure?" Marin said taking the helmet as he took a seat behind Gina, wrapping his arms around her securely.

Adrien sighed, sitting alone at the table as he had to eat dinner alone. He popped some cheese in his mouth, about to text Nino when Nathalie walked up to him.

"There's no point in waiting for your father, Adrien. He'll be eating in his office." She informed.

"Then what's the point of keeping me here if he's never gonna show up, Nathalie?" He said curtly as he walked past her.

"Don't forget to practice your piano before you go to bed." She reminded as Adrien walked back into his room resting on the back of his door as he was greeted by his Kwami.

" You could've at least grabbed the piece of Camembert on that platter!" Plagg complained as Adrien tossed him a piece that he had swiped earlier.

"Fuel up, Plagg. " Adrien informed as he turned on the piece he was suppose to be practicing, placing the phone on top of the speakers on his piano. "Adrien may not be allowed out of the house, but Chat Noir is!"

Plagg stared at him for a moment. "You seem in a hurry to get stood up." He remarked.

"He didn't says he wasn't coming later on."

Plagg now glared at his partner dumbfounded. "Were you not listening that is EXACTLY WHAT HE SAID-"

"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien suddenly said as Plagg was absorbed into the ring.

"You're leaving?" Marin questioned in shock. "It's so sudden, you just got here-" He said as Gina cupped his cheek silencing him for a moment.

"I know mio Marinus. But I won't be gone so long this time, I promise I'll be back for your father's birthday."

"But...Why're you leaving now? Does dad know?"

She sighed, "I love this city and you so much, but...it's too painful to stay. I've told him and your mother, but I wanted to tell you personally."

"Now? Like this?" He asked, flabbergasted at her timing. She kissed the top of his head, like when he was a child.

"Ciao, mio bel." She said softly, "I'll call when I can." She promised then driving away as Marin noticed she'd left behind something in his hand. His heart fell, seeing the candies that she always used to send him, the same sour candies that used to make him gag.

"Hey, Marin!" Alya called out from behind as Marin quickly put the tin away in his back, shoving back the sad thoughts as he then turned back to Alya with a bright smile on his face.

"Hiya!" he greeted, hugging her as she then took his hand, walking back over to their friends. "So, what are we doing today?" He asked.

"We're going to track down André today." Alya said as Marin stopped walking.

"André, the ice cream man?" He asked, the pit in his stomach growing larger.

"Yeah." We were all going to solve the clues together to find out where he is..." Alya explained as she noticed her best friends troubled expression. "You okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah!" Marin chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. "It's just...going to André is only for couples, and I'm...you know. Independent."

"It's fine." Alya reassured. "Just get some with Adrien, he's not gonna mind. Nino's gonna text him the location and we'll just meet him there." She said easily as the rest of their friends walked up to them.

"Hey! Someone posted a photo! He's on his way to the Pont des Arts." Nino said holding up his phone.

"Let's hurry!" Ivan said as they all ran towards the direction of the bridge.

"Come on, Marin!" Alya said smiling excitedly.

"Yeah! Awesome..." Marin grumbled under his breath as Alya grabbed his hand, dragging him along with their friends.

"Hey, he's here!" Nino pointed out on the bridge as they all ran towards the iced cream vendor with Marin the only one who was walking up, trying to delay every possible step. He remained to the side, leaning his back against the railing with crossed arms. Even though his mood was foul, he couldn't help but smile at his friends' joy.

"Why don't you go and get one, too, Marin?" Tikki asked poking her head out of his bag.

Marin shrugged his shoulders, if any part of him had a longing for something sweet, it was all thrown out the window. "What's the point?"

"But what about Adrien? Didn't you want to share some with him?" Tikki inquired as she then say Marin's expression fall. "He might not be here right now, but that shouldn't stop you from having a fun night with your friends and sharing some ice cream with your favorite Kwami!" She smiled happily as she then abruptly hid within his bag.

" And how about this young sir?" Marin heard as he towards André who approached him. "The pretty one who sighs. I have a flavor just for him! It's sure to make him smile!"

"Uh... Me?" Marin questioned as André guided him to his ice cream stand.

"What's your name, dear?" André asked pushing him closer to his ice cream stand preparing a unique blend.

"...Marin." He said shyly as he noticed his adorable friends coupled off eating ice cream.

André hummed for a moment then snapped to attention with a light in his eyes that made Marin regret even stepping onto the bridge. "Ohh, I remember now, your parents, were frequent customers of mine. Did you know your father proposed to your mother-"

"With your ice cream, and she almost ate the ring that was hidden inside. Yes sir, they've told me many times." He said curtly, but it didn't dampen André's mood.

"Tell me, how are your grandparents? They were my first customers you know." André rambled as Marin gripped the strap of his bag. "Lovely couple with a beautiful family. You know your father was inspired by the same way his father proposed to your Nonna." He said as Marin could feel his anxiety rising. "Peach pink like their lips and mint like their eyes. Eat this, my dear, and your love will materialize!" He remarked as he placed the ice cream in Marin's hands.

"No, no thank you sir. I think...I just lost my appetite." Marin said trying to hand the ice cream back, "Besides, there's no one like that who would ever like me in that way." but André wasn't having it.

"When there's love burning in one's heart, André knows it from the start. Enjoy your ice-cream, Marin. I know they'll be here." André insisted.

"Green eyes like mint... Who could that possibly be?" Ivan wondered aloud as Marin hung his head.

" Thank you, but you've got it all wrong. I don't have anyone-" He began to say, but then heard a whistle, turning his head to see a familiar-looking figure walking towards them. For a moment, he dared to hope, maybe, perhaps...

But it dashed away as someone bumped into him, making him drop his ice cream as the person greeted their friend. Someone who definitely wasn't Adrien. If he had any lingering thought about the person who he wished would look at him the same way he did, they were gone. It didn't matter.

André gasped in shock, "André's ice-cream has always melted hearts. But the magic will only work if you eat it! I'll make you another one." He said quickly turning around to make another cone.

"Thanks, but it's really not necessary." Marin remarked.

"Who has green eyes?" Ivan still questioned, turning to Mylène. "You think we know him?" He asked as Mylène jabbed him in the side with her elbow, trying to signal him to read the room.

"Yes it is, my dear. See here? My ice-cream has brought everyone together. Every famous loving couple in Paris! Edith and Marcel, John and Serge, Olive and Tom! Your loved one is out there! Somewhere! All you need is to believe in the magic of André's ice-cream!"

"You're very kind, André, but I don't think there's something magical about your ice-cream. It can help people find each other, but it can't keep them together." He said bluntly, then bowed slightly to the ice cream man. "Sorry for wasting your ingredients." He remarked, then started walking away.

As he hung his head he overheard footsteps and Nino crying out. "Hey, I was gonna get another one!" Just before Alya crash hugged into him, along with the rest of his friends just as he stepped off the bridge.

" Sorry, I'm being a downer." Marin apologize as they all still retained the hug.

"Don't worry about it." Mylène reassured as they stayed like that for a little while until it was time to go home.

Marin sat at his desk, holding an old worn-out looking postcard from years long past above his head as he clutched a candy tin in his hand not even opened. At his side were a plate of freshly baked cookies and hot chocolate that his mother had already placed into this room.

"What's that?" Tikki asked hovering above his head as Marin kept his eyes trained on the card.

"A postcard from my Nonna from a while ago, back when she was still out on her, Vacation."

" Vacation?" Tikki questioned.

" Yup, a 10-year vacation," Marin said dryly. "She traveled around the world and sent a postcard every year apologizing that she couldn't make it for my birthday." He sighed as Tikki rested on his shoulder.

"But she came back right?" Tikki ordered as Marin then smiled at his Kwami, petting her head.

"It did come with some candy," Marin responded, opening up the tin as he slightly grimaced at the sour candies.

"Bonbons!" Tikki reflexively shouted as she flew towards the tin, but Marin held it over his head with an amused smile on his face.

"Not for Kwami's Tikki, this stuff is so sour it's gross."

"Please Marin, just one? I wanna try!" she pleaded, widening her already large eyes until he could almost see his reflection in her big blue eyes.

"Don't say I didn't warn you sugar cube." Marin reminded as he hand-fed his Kwami one. He couldn't suppress his laughter, seeing that as soon as Tikki put the candy in her mouth her face read that she had made a horrible mistake.

As she spit out the candy back out into the wrapper she tried to remove any trace of the cursed treat from her mouth. "Bleh! I don't think I've tasted something that gross in my life! she insisted.

"Yup, that's Nona for you, she always could find the most eccentric treats," Marin remarked as he looked at the back of the postcard. There was no note, just a stamp mood fell again as he emptied the tin of candies out in the trash, keeping the case in his desk. He sighed heavily as he walked down from his bed, tossing the candies into the wastebasket. "I'm gonna get some air." He said as Tikki nodded, turning to his desktop to watch some shows.

He left a few cookies behind for her to munch on as he took the rest and the hot chocolate onto his balcony, placing it onto the nearby table as he leaned on the railing, sighing heavily as he looked up at all the stars for a moment before he felt a pain in his heart. Part of him was looking forward to maybe spending time with Adrien, after all, he had caught his eye from the start. He only grimaced at the thought of sharing ice cream with him, after all, why would Adrien want to go on a date with him of all people. He was kind, confident, and charismatic, and always shone so bright...perfect in any way. Far more deserving of someone who would ruin anything just by being himself.

"Hello."

Marin clutched his heart, "C-chat Noir?" He questioned as the hero jumped into the railing on all fours.

"Sorry," The hero apologized. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

Marin caught his breath, his heart still beating fast. "What are you doing here? Don't you have like...superhero-y things to do?"

"No, I don't feel like being a superhero tonight. And I also don't feel like being alone tonight. Would you mind if I hung out here for a little while? Marin, right?" He asked playfully, but still with an underlying sadness. "We've bumped into each other before."

"Yeah, a bunch of times," Marin remarked. "I've got the worst luck."

"I know the feeling, I have some bad luck when it comes to feelings." Chat Noir said in melancholy, looking up at the sky.

"Really? What kind?" Marin asked.

"Well, tonight, I had this special surprise all planned for Ladybug, but maybe I just set myself up because I wanted him to show up too bad."

"You care about your partner a lot, don't you?"

"Would you like to see?

"Huh?" Marin was taken off guard by Chat Noir stepping onto the balcony, holding out his hand.

"It's not far from here." He said. His eyes then widened lightly, his ears flattening. "Only if you want to of course."

Every particle of Marin's being was yelling at him not to do this. Chat Noir was his partner, his partner who didn't know that the hero he cared for was standing right before him. He clutched his shirt, taking a step back with an apologetic smile on his face. "Sorry, you don't want someone like me messing up whatever you have set up."

"Someone like you?" Chat Noir questioned in surprise.

Marin chuckled, rubbing the back of his head, "Unlucky." The moment he said that Chat Noir took his hand.

"You're coming with me." He said.

"Wha- I just said-" Marin was about to explain, his face reddening as Chat Noir took a step closer to him.

"I know, but..." Chat Noir hesitated for a moment, lacing his fingers with his friends. "I don't like seeing you sad."

"I'm not-"

"Just trust me, alright?" Chat Noir insisted, as he easily picked up his friend. Some part of him was always slightly amazed how light he was, "Close your eyes and hold on tight, okay?" He asked as Marin couldn't hold back a chuckle, trusting his parks as he wrapped his arms around his neck, closing his eyes as he rested his head on his chest, feeling part of the weight lifted from his shoulders as he felt the cool breeze of the night.

He flinched slightly as they hit the ground. "Just give me a minute." Chat Noir placed him on his feet, the touch on his back lingering for a moment as he heard him speak. "Alright, you can open your eyes now."

Marin looked around feeling a little overwhelmed surrounded by flowers and candles under a starry sky. "Chat Noir, this is..." He murmured as he noticed Chat Noir looking glum. Marin's face fell as he walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder as he could see Chat Noir's sad face. "I'm sorry."

"Why? It's not your problem."

Marin bit his bottom lip. "It wasn't your fault." He said simply.

Even so, Chat Noir sighed heavily. "He told me he probably might not make it but I had my fingers crossed. I really wanted him to come, see, he's someone completely, totally amazing. I guess I just wanted..." Chat Noir faltered for a moment as he gripped the bar in frustration.

Marin's expression softened, turning to rest his back against the railing, his eyes glued to the stars. "Sounds like you and I both need a bit of cheering up tonight."

Chat Noir looked at him in surprise. "You? You've gotten your heart broken too?"

Marin smiled inwardly looking down as Chat Noir took notice of the sullen expression his friend had. "Not really."

"Hm?" Chat Noir turned his head towards him.

"I was dumb for even believing I had a chance." Marin mumbled under his breath.

Chat Noir's eyes widened slightly, turning towards his friend seeing a melancholic expression take over. "I-" Suddenly Chat Noir's ears twitched as he then spotted something flying towards them. "Look out!" He yelled, quickly grabbing his friend as he jumped for cover behind a roof.

"Marinus, party pooper, you're looking so sad and surly, but Glaciator will make it all better. Don't you worry!" the giant ice cream golem bellowed as he threw scoops of ice cream at them.

"What on Earth is that? Another supervillain in love with you?" Chat Noir joked as he placed an arm around Marin's waist, the two of them observing the new villain walking through town and turning people to ice cream.

Marin narrowed his eyes for a moment then slapped his forehead, "This is my fault."

"What?"

"That's André the ice-cream maker." Marin explained.

Chat Noir looked at him in surprise. "The Sweetheart's Ice-Cream guy? What did you do to get on his bad side."

Marin sighed heavily as this bad day was just getting worse. "I told him I didn't believe in his ice cream magic." He explained Glaciator spoke out again.

"I'm Glaciator, the mean ice-cream man. Escape my fury if you can! I melt your hearts, but I was wrong, now I'll freeze your bodies so long!" He sang loudly, shooting up ice cream in the air that hit almost everyone on the streets below. Chat Noir jumped cross the rooftops evading the falling ice cream as he remained out of sight, Marin was clutching him and keeping his eyes shut tight while they were airborne. Then as Glaciator had just passed by them he placed Marin back onto his balcony near the skylight.

"Go inside, I'm gonna lead him away from you." He ordered as he turned around to jump into battle but stopped as Marin had grabbed his hand. He looked at him apologetically for a moment, probably not used to being forward with anyone, so Chat Noir knelt down. He felt somewhat uneasy when he was Adrien Marin would almost never make eye contact with him, but in this other form, as Chat Noir, his friend seemed far more relaxed.

"Thanks for trying to cheer me up, despite how this turned out." Marin said sincerely with a warm smile.

Chat Noir smirked to himself, kissing the back of Marin's hand. "Anything for you, my prince." He said with a cheeky smile, almost sad to let go as he jumped down into the streets, knowing that he had to protect his friend.

" Hey, Snow Dude, you lookin' for me?" Chat Noir called out.

"Bad kitty! Where have you hidden Marinus?" Glaciator demanded, shooting more ice cream, of them hitting a car that was sent flying directly towards Chat Noir. He froze for a moment, realizing that he wasn't going to escape it's impact until the hero was immediately pulled away. Ladybug's yo-yo was tied around his ankle but was released as he landed next to his partner.

"Hello, Kitty. Did the bad guys leave you cold?" He said, trying to joke, but it probably wasn't that funny as Chat Noir didn't say anything, seemingly pouting much to Ladybug's guilt as he knew how his partner had felt.

"I've never tasted superhero flavor before. I can't wait to serve myself a double scoop!" Glaciator yelled out, throwing more ice cream. "Come out now, or I'll bury Paris in an entire layer of ice-cream!

Ladybug and Chat Noir took cover behind a fallen car, he narrowed his eyes. "The ice-cream seems to fire out of his hand, and before André was akumatized, he served his ice-cream using scooper, that must be where the Akuma is hiding." He said then turning to Chat Noir who was still giving him the silent treatment.

"It's been a bomb, but now it's time to turn you into popsicles, once and for all!" Glaciator roared as he froze more people, but stopped for a moment as he saw a couple.

Ladybug narrowed his eyes at the scene. "That's weird. It looks like he's leaving the couples alone..." He murmured as then an idea popped into his head. "Chat-"

"Too bad for us." Chat Noir remarked coldly.

"You don't understand. We know he doesn't attack couples so we could pretend—"

"Pretend?"

"To be in love."

Chat Noir glared at his partner in annoyance. " Sorry, Ladybug, it's not cool to play with people's feelings." Chat Noir said, but didn't miss the hurt look on Ladybug's shoulder. Honestly, he was half expecting his partner to get mad at him or something, but he did no such thing. Instead, he placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Alright, you stay here then, I'll handle this." He said without hesitation, standing up as Chat Noir was taken off guard at his partner's reaction.

"Lucky Charm!" He said, throwing his yo-yo in the air, receiving a motorcycle helmet that fell into his hands. He looked at it for a moment, then looked around the area, seeing what he was looking for past Glaciator.

"Right." He said to himself about to run out there but Chat Noir grabbed his hand.

"What are you doing?!"

"I'm going to get past him."

"Alone?"

"You're upset, and I'm sorry if I made you feel that way, but we need to focus on freeing Andre and everyone else."

"Ugh- you're always like this."

"Like what?"

"You're always..." Chat Noir tried to find the words to define his feelings, an annoyed angry rage that made him want to strangle his partner had the time due to his serious nature, but at the same time, it was part of the reason why he loved him so much. It felt hot and angry but also happy at the same time, also relieved that there was someone like him watching out for other people. But never for himself-

"Chat Noir, I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want, but we need to hurry-" Ladybug said pulling him out of his thoughts as the car they were using for cover turned to ice cream.

"Tell me what I need to do." Chat Noir said.

"I'll go high, you go low, try to buy me some time so I can get Andre out of there."

The two nodded to each other as Ladybug ran across the side of the buildings, using his yo-yo for momentum as he managed to wrap his yo-yo around Glaciator. Tumbling to the ground as he ran directly towards a motorcycle. Hooking the wire to the back of the bike Ladybug quickly "borrowed" the keys from who he assumed was the owner. He put on the helmet, turning on the motor as he recalling the lessons his Nonna had taught him about riding. He couldn't move the villain, but he could just keep him still until Chat Noir activated his power.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir shouted out, destroying the surrounding ice cream as André fell to the ground, relatively unharmed. Chat Noir picked up his ice cream scooper, throwing it to his partner who broke it, releasing the Akuma.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

The two heroes gazed at each other for a little while until Chat Noir broke the tension with a smile on his face, holding up his fist as Ladybug returned the gesture.

" How enchanting! Saved from the cold by a couple of super lovebirds!"André said happily as he hugged the two of them, lifting them off the ground as they exchanged an amused glance.

Chat Noir landed on the roof first as Ladybug followed, looking around in amazement as he then looked up at the stars. "Aren't you glad you finally came?" Chat Noir asked as he saw his partner's eyes light up at the scene.

"Yeah, it's beautiful here..." Ladybug said, but then turned towards his partner with a serious expression. "Chat Noir, I don't want you to believe in something that may never happen. You're my friend, and I don't have to be hurt."

"Then could I at least know why?" Chat Noir asked as he took a step towards his partner who turned his back to him.

"Because..." Ladybug then shook his head, still feeling the sting of being left behind. "I know all I need to know about you. But...there's a reason why we can't ever know anything personal about each other. The more we begin to know about each other, the more it clouds our judgment. If that wall between us ever broke there would be no turning back."

Chat Noir thought about that for a moment. "Would that really be so bad? Granted, we would be in more danger, but we would also be able to help each other even more then we do now." He said, but couldn't get his partner to look at him. "Then let me ask you this," Chat Noir asked standing before his partner with a rose in his hand. "Who am I to you?"

"Chat...my mistakes...they hurt people, not in the normal sense, but in a way that I can't fix. No matter how I feel I'm not going to put you at risk, not ever again."Ladybug turned his head away, immediately trying to cover it as Chat Noir stepped closer, gently pushing his hand away.

Chat Noir's widened slightly as he heard what Ladybug said, there were a number of questions he wanted to ask him, but he pushed aside the desire."Always thinking of others. You're annoying when you're like this but it's one of the reasons I love you so much." He said earnestly as he handed a rose to him, "I understand a little better now, Ladybug." He said, then lifted himself onto his toes slightly as he kissed his partner's cheek. Taking notice of Ladubug's reddened face. "Your friendship means everything to me, probably more than you even realize." He said with a smile as both of their Miraculous began to beep.

Neither of them said anything to each other as Chat Noir ran off into the night, While LAdybug rested his back against the railing, he face entirely red now as he covered his mouth, willing those secret feelings of his to remain hidden, for both of their sakes.

Adrien rested against his bed as Plagg hovered nearby holding a wheel of cheese. "The only way to get over a heartache is to eat a whole bunch of cheese! Shall we?"

" I don't have a heartache, Plagg."

Plagg stared at him in disbelief.

"Perhaps Ladybug will love me someday. I mean, like, I love him. But in the meantime, his friendship is enough for me. For now, I have to do what you said, "Be his support."

Plagg nodded, "Hmmm, so you've actually decided to start listening to me?" He asked as Adrien nuzzled his little face affectionately.

"Just a little bit."

Marin looked up at the worn-out house before him, he looked through the mail that was overflowing, seeing the letter that he had placed the last time he was here, water damaged and torn, but still intact all things together. then turning around as he heard someone behind him.

"Twice in the same year? I guess I'm lucky." Gilbert

"Hi Gilbert, nice to see you." Marin greeted as he opened the gate for him.

"Going inside today?" He asked as he usually did.

Marin hesitated for a moment, shaking his head, "No, but if you could give this to him, I'd appreciate it." Marin requested as Gilbert nodded, placing the envelope on top of the flour as he walked inside the garden of the home.

Marin sighed heavily as he saw the deliveryman walk inside. "Well, that's that." He said.

"Why didn't you go inside?" Tikki asked, hovering nearby.

"Baby steps Tikki," Marin advised, "No magic treats can make people come back together, some things you have to work at. But in the meantime, I believe I owe you an ice cream, don't I?" He asked with a smile as Tikki nodded happily, flying into his jacket pocket as they walked towards the nearest ice cream shop.

Chapter Text

Marin stepped carefully, not wanting to trip over anything, causing a chain reaction that would- let's face it- sink the boat if his luck was any indication. While he was so focused on his feet he accidentally bumped into someone. "Oops! Sorry Mylène." He apologized as his friends were decorating the boat. She brushed him off with a smile, not minding, as she returned to what she was doing.

"Ah, Rose." Marin called out, handing her the microphone that she was looking for. "I think this is yours, Rose."

"Thanks!" She said setting up her equipment. "Do you realize? It's our very first concert! It's going to be awesome."

Marin chuckled dryly, "Ha...yeah, an eardrum-shattering performance on a messy boat where somehow you guys have convinced me wearing a life vest is, unnecessarily. But this is fine, I'm fine." Marin said completely fine, but filling with anxiety he looked up towards Nino who was on a ladder that Alya was holding. "Hey, Nino, did you hear from Adrien, by any chance?" He asked needed an outlet for his anxiety.

"He had something to do with his old man, but he said that he'll come right after." Nino informed.

"Captain Anarka speaking to ya'!" Juleka's mother announced walking up to them. "So how's it comin' along me young pirates? Ready to celebrate the-" Anarka's attention was focused on him."Whatcha up to, there, matey?

Marin bowed his head slightly, having met the woman for the first time. "Uh, hello ma'am. I'm, uh, tidying up, wouldn't want anyone tripping over anything."

Anarka laughed, "We never pick up in this house! Didn't me daughter tell you? We like the lived-in look. We have no rules on The Liberty! Out of chaos comes creation! Messiness is life."

Marin stood there stunned at Anarka was throwing around paper along with anything else that was in the box that was filled with miscellaneous items that were returned to the ground. Almost immediately Marin turned to Alya.

"I need a life vest."

Adrien's playing echoed through the room quickly filling with tension. His father was sitting nearby with his eyes closed next to Natalie. As he played, Adrien tried to recall every key in his head, but still slipped up which triggered an off-key performance. He lowered his head as his father gestured for him to stop playing.

"I've heard enough. Are you sure you're practicing, Adrien?"

"I'm...I'm just doing the same exercises over and over again. I think I could make better progress if I could just play with other musicians. After all, music's meant to be shared with other people, don't you think?" Adrien suggested but his father wasn't having it.

"Adrien, we Agrestes are soloists not mere group members. I suggest you rehearse your piece some more. You'll play it for me again later today." He said sternly.

"But father, you promised that I could attend my friends' concert-" Adrien tried to argue but was silenced as his father turned his back to him.

"Not after that performance you've just given. You need to practice, Adrien, not waste your time on frivolous pastimes." He said as Natalie followed him out of the room.

Adrien sighed heavily, turning back to his piano and took out his phone.

Nino turned towards Marin and Alya who were arguing about safety on a boat until they noticed Nino's disappointed expression. All three of them were standing in the cockpit of the boat, Marin was picking up items off the ground."Bad news guys." He said holding out his phone.

"Well it's not exactly the first time his dad's kept him from hanging out with us." Alya sighed, leaning back against the counter.

"Come on, it's still early, maybe he'll show up later on." He said trying to be positive as he placed a statue near the wheel.

"Whoa, sailor!" Anarka said suddenly walking in, she picked up the statue, holding it near the compass again as they noticed it was spinning out of control. "Never place a metal object next to a compass, ya hear lad? Metal attracts the needle, just like a magnet, which is why you can't get them anywhere near each other."

"Uh- yes ma'am!" Marin abruptly said, bowing his head apologetically, but Anarka waved his worries away.

"Since you're free from cleaning duties would you mind getting a few instruments downstairs? They should be in Juleka and Luka's room." She suggested.

Marin simply nodded, "Sure."

He wasn't familiar with this houseboat as he usually met up with Juleka at school or somewhere on dry land. Eventually, he walked into a room that he assumed was her bedroom. He couldn't help but smile as he noticed she had hug a few of the photos they had taken together during their photoshoot. One prominent one was of her, Rose, and himself as they smile together. He then noticed the bass guitar sitting on the bed which he assumed was what he was suppose to get. But nearby he saw a classical guitar, sitting on its stand. His heart beat slightly faster at the mere sight of it, it had been a while since he had actually seen one, let alone have the chance to hold one.

For a moment he hesitated, it wasn't his, instruments were extremely personal; especially one that was personalized to this extent...but holding it for a moment wouldn't hurt, it's not like anyone would notice he was missing for a bit. He pushed back uncertainly for a moment, picking up the instrument and sitting down in the chair nearby. He strummed a few cords, tunning the stings to the key he was familiar with. As he strummed once more, a wave of bittersweet nostalgia took over as he could instinctively recall the notes, humming the melancholic song in its entirety. He was off by a few cords, but the soul of the tune was still present as a smile grew on his face, his confidence lifting as he sang the last few words.

"And life will always be, la vie en rose..."

Marin sighed heavily for a moment, placing the guitar back as he suddenly froze, hearing clapping behind him. He turned with a scarlet red face to see a boy, Julek's older brother Luka he assumed, sitting on the other bed sitting at the wall a spot the would have been out of sight to where he had walked in. The person was sitting crossed legged with a gentle smile on his face.

"Your playing is beautiful, it's so sincere and loving-"

"AH!" Marin yelped at an unnaturally high pitch, taking a step back as he was overcome with embarrassment. "I-I'm so sorry!" He said putting together that the guitar belonged to him, folding his hands together as he bowed his head apologetically. "I-I have to- the guitar-" He stumbled over his words as he remembered that he actually had a job to do. He quickly placed the bass in the box, about to walk out shamefully.

"Wait." Luka asked for a moment as Marin stopped walking. He shyly glanced at Luka who held his electric guitar in his hands, "Would you mind staying for a moment?" He asked.

"Your uh, mom, the guitar-"

"Just a moment?" He asked sweetly, slightly reminding him of how Tikki would talk in a different tone if she wanted a treat; but this felt different. He sighed, carefully placing Juleka's guitar away. As he sat down on the ground, his back resting to Luka's bed, pulling his knees to his chest as Luka sat against the edge. "It's strange...but it seems you have something like this in your heart." He murmured as he began strumming a few notes, each striking a chord within Marin's heart as they turned into a makeshift melody.

If Luka though that he played sincerely, he thought that Luka's music was light; something that could lift up someone's spirits.

Marin glanced up towards him, "How do you do that?"

Luka smiled, adjusting his strap to place his guitar on his back. "Music is often simpler than words."

Marin chuckled to himself, knowing how true the feeling was. He then noticed the Jagged Stone poster. "You like Jagged Stone's music too?"

Luka nodded, sitting down next to Marin. "He's my favorite singer."

"Mine too, he's so passionate, it's hard not to be blown away by how much he cares about his music," Marin said, messing with his hairpins as Luka nodded in agreement.

"My thoughts exactly." He said standing up, "I'm Luka." He remarked, introduced himself properly, holding out his hand.

"Marinus," Marin responded, placing his hairpins in his pocket as Luka helped him to his feet.

"I know." Luka smiled, internally thinking how pretty his name was. "I've actually been wanting to meet you for a while." He said as Marin looked up at him curiously, noticing that Luka was slightly taller than himself, give or take a few inches. "Juleka and Rose talk about you all the time, I'm grateful for you always being kind to them." He said placing his other hand over Marin's.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing." Marin insisted as he averted his gaze, butterflies rapidly growing in his stomach. "They're good friends after all."

Luka nodded glancing at the photo that Marin was looked at earlier, the one of himself, Rose, and Jukeka. "Even so," Luke said with a smile as he took a step back, dropping their grip. "It's cool to meet the person who made the art for my favorite Jagged Stone album." He remarked picking up the bass that Marin was sent down to get in the first place.

"Oh- I can carry that." Marin offered, "That's why I was supposed to come down here to begin with." He explained.

However, Luka shook his head. "It's alright, I've been slacking off anyway." He remarked as he stepped to the graciously, allowing Marin to walk ahead of him as they walked back up to the deck together.

"This is likely to be the most incredible music festival since the first one was held, right here in Paris, in 1982! I'm Nadja Chamack. Tune in here, to hear more tunes." Nadja announced on the news as Plagg was watching. He turned around to see his partner still sitting in the same spot for about an hour.

"Come on, now. Don't be so down in the dumps. Look at the bright side. Now you can enjoy all of the concerts without leaving the comfort of your own room!" Plagg said trying to cheer him.

Adrien turned towards his Kwami, "I just wanted to go to my friend's concert, Plagg!"

"Then why didn't you say so? As your friend, I'm going to give you a private concert you'll never forget! Ahem!" Plagg cleared his throat and began screeching off-key. "Camembert! You're the cheese of my dreams! Camembert! You make life better than it seems!

Adrien smiled, "Thanks Plagg. Best concert ever." He said honestly, as Plagg flew over, sitting on the piano as Adrien began to practice again. Noticing his sad expression.

"You okay cutie?" Alya asked as Marin seemed to look frazzled, more so than usual. Marin simply flashed her a nervous smile, pushing back a stray lock of hair behind his ear as Alya stared at him suspiciously noticing that he was missing a few pink polka-dotted bobby pins.

She hummed for a moment. "Something happen with Luka?" She guessed as Marin shrugged his shoulders, letting out a serious of gesturing noises that seemed to suggest, probably.

"Oh hoy, sailors! Let's give them a show! Whenever your ready, Luka!"

Mylène held out a pair of earplugs. "You're going to need these, believe me." She said as Marin and Alya exchanged a worried glance, placing them in their ears. As soon as Luka shredded a cord that China probably hear, they were immediately surrounded by the police.

Anarka began arguing with the cop which immediately turned into a scream fest as the officer started dishing out tickets. Resulting in Anarka angrily stomping off into the captain's quarters as everyone else stood around looking worried.

"Shouldn't we just turn down the volume?" Marin suggested, taking out his earplugs.

"No can do." Rose remarked as Juleka stood next to her.

"Mom's not one for...authority," Luka explained.

"Well, at least it can't get any worse-" Nino was about to say as someone then jumped up onto the top of the boat.

"Raise the mainsail me deck hands let's get swashbuckling around here!" A new akumatized villain yelled out.

"Mom?" Juleka asked in concern.

Luka took a step forward as Marin glanced towards the exit. "What's going on?"

"Your mom has weighed anchor, me lad, I'm Captain Hardrock and today Paris's timbers are about to be shivered by my cannons. Westward ho, Liberty next stop, Jagged Stone at the Eiffel Tower. Soon, there will only be one concert in Paris only one Music Festival. We will destroy all the others. Now, get to your instruments and rock those decibels!" Captain Hardrock ordered as she brandished her sword.

"Mom please, you can't ruin the Music Festival." Luka pleaded as Ivan stepped forward.

"No way we're playing like this!" He remarked as Mylene stood behind him nervously.

"Mutiny? On my ship? Liberty, seize these scallywags and throw them down into the hold!" Captain Hardrock ordered as suddenly everyone was chained up. Marin was attached to Luka back to back just before all of them feel into the brig together.

Adrien stopped playing as there was a breaking news update.

"Paris is yet again under attack, a new villain is destroying all the music festival concerts one by one. Please take shelter as soon as possible!" Nadja remarked as she then ducked for cover as a stage behind her was destroyed.

" I may be grounded Plagg, but they're playing my song." Adrien remarked, standing up as he placed his phone in his speakers, playing the song he was supposed to be practicing.

Plagg sighed heavily, knowing what was going to come next. "Yeah, I know it by heart."

"Plagg, claws out!"

Below deck of the Liberty almost everyone stopped struggling as Marin successfully unlocked the lock. The chains fell as he and Luka stood up.

"Wow, how'd you do that?" Luka asked in amazement.

Marin chuckled nervously."It's uh...complicated." Thinking that was better than, my Nonna has weird hobbies that I picked up from.

"You're amazing. A real magician Marin." Luka complimented as Marin smiled graciously before turning towards the others. Just as he was about to try and free Alya and Nino his best friend spoke up. "Don't worry about us, you two just get help." She insisted.

"Alya, are you sure?" He asked as everyone nodded.

"Yeah, don't worry! I'm sure Ladybug and Chat Noir are going to come for us real soon!" Rose remarked confidently.

"So long as we haven't left the port yet, we should be good-" Marin remarked as the boat shifted under their feet. Marin and Luka exchanged a concerned expression, both of them heading towards the deck. Luka crouched down as he used the debris on the boat for cover. In this situation, it was probably good that Marin gave up cleaning up. As Luka took point, Marin lingered behind, making sure that Captain Hardrock wasn't around.

He gasped slightly as Tikki popped out of his bag. "What are you doing?"

"You have to transform before it's too late!" She warned.

"I can't do it now, Luka's here." Marin responded as he overheard his voice.

"Oh no."

Marin turned towards Luka, spotting the reason for his worry as they were already sailing down the river. Both of them were crouched near the side.

"Do we swim for it?" Luka asked as Marin grew nervous.

"Funny story about that-" He was about to explain that he would probably sink like a stone as his clothes weren't exactly the most buoyant as a loud bang distracted them for a moment. Marin opened his eyes seeing Captain Hardrock shout something out as both of them were still recovering from the sound. He pushed Luka out of the way, but couldn't escape the chains as he slipped backward, falling off the boat still bound into the cold river.

Chat Noir, ran across the rooftops, spotting the ship in the distance. As soon as they spotted him, he smiled in amusement as he used the cannonballs that were being thrown at him to jump onto the ship.

"NO!" Someone yelled out as Chat Noir noticed Juleka's brother Luka was bound with chains looking towards the water.

"What's going on?" Chat Noir asked as Luka glanced at him, in grave worry.

"Chat Noir, my friend was knocked overboard!" Luka said, which made Chat Noir tense up.

"Uh, don't worry!" Chat Noir said as he tried to reassure both himself and Luka. "I know Ladybug will be able to save your friend!"

"The only one who will need savin' is you Chat Noir!" The new akumatized villain said with a victorious grin as she jumped down from above sword in hand. Chat Noir easily evaded, taking out his staff as the two duked it out. Captain Hardrock smirked for a moment as she then kicked Chat Noir to the mast, binding him in chains as he struggled against it. She walked up to him, sheathing her weapon. "My treasure will be your Miraculous kitty cat."

"Sorry, but only one person is allowed to call me that." Chat Noir remarked, abruptly, trying to cover the panic that was slowly ensuing. He moved his hands around but felt that he wouldn't be able to reach the chains with his Cataclysm.

As soon as Marin his the water he felt a sudden rush of cold, his vision blurred due to the water. He struggled against the chains knowing that he needed to act fast before he sank too deep. Suddenly he saw a speck of red as the chains no longer bound him. Grabbing onto the end of one, within the water it was easy for Tikki to pill him close to the shore, enough so that he could step onto dry land.

Marin coughed up some water, noticing that Tikki seemed relatively fine save for the worried expression on her face. Immediately she hugged his cheek as he smiled, "I'm okay sugar cube. But I have some friends to save." He said as Tikki nodded. "Tikki, spots on!"

As Captain Hardrock was about to take Chat Noir's Miraculous he narrowed his eyes, ready to activate his power, but a sudden shout drew the captain's attention.

"I command you to stop in the name of the law!" The policeman ordered as he with the rest of the police force tried to arrest Captain Hardrock, but was unable to as she blew them out of the water with her canons. Chat Noir could only watch in fear as the boats and the officers fell towards the mainland, but at the last second were saved via a makeshift net. Chat Noir sighed in relief as Ladybug jumped onto the ship after the officers were secure. He landed near him looking towards him in surprise.

"Well?" Chat Noir asked, "What are you waiting for-"

"Chain got your tongue?" Ladybug said with a hopeful smile as Chat Noir stared at him.

"Just..please stop trying." He remarked as Ladybug pouted, then freeing him and then Luka.

"Ladybug, my friend he-" Luka tried to explain as Ladybug helped him to his feet.

"Your friend is safe." Ladybug said as both Luka and Chat Noir sighed in relief. "Head down, this fight could get ugly." He ordered as Luka nodded, running down under as Chat Noir and Ladybug faced up towards Captain Hardrock weapons drawn.

"Any idea where the akuma is?" Chat Noir asked.

Ladybug narrowed his eyes. "It's gotta be on the ship somewhere." He reasoned, feeling negativity throughout the boat.

"In that case a Cataclysm will settle this." Chat Noir remarked, holding up his hand, but Ladybug pushed it back down.

"There are still people on the boat kitty, they might down if it just goes down." Ladybug warned, he then threw his yo-yo up in the air. "Lucky Charm!" then received a bicycle chain in his hand.

"A little redundant don't you think?" Chat Noir remarked as Ladybug narrowed his eyes, looking around at Captain Hardrock stepped forward.

"If you refuse to give me your Miraculous, my next target will be Major Bourgeois and his land lover-in Orchestra. Liberty, next stop City Hall!" She announced as Ladybug widened his eyes in realization, handing on end of the chain to Chat Noir who nodded, picking up on the plan. As Captain Hardrock jumped towards them, sword drawn, the two heroes did the same, trapping her to the navigator. The iron from the chain ruined the polarity surrounding the compass, sending them towards an island in the middle of the river.

For a few moments they were flying in the air as Chat Noir and Ladybug had to hold onto the chain that bound the villain. The ship then crashed to the ground, tilting onto it's side as both Chat Noir and Ladybug jumped onto the ground.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir yelled out, activating his power. He placed his hand against the ship, destroying it entirely as the Akuma was released and all of their friends were looking around in confusion.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal. The two heroes were standing on the boat together as they bumped fists victoriously.

Anarka grumbled to herself as she was turned back to normal on the deck of the ship. "What happened?" She asked as everyone else ran up from below. Luka and Juleka immediately hugged their mother as Alya hugged Ladybug in greeting.

"Thanks so much for saving us, could I maybe get that intervie-" She was about to ask pulling her phone, but was surprised as Ladybug suddenly sneezed."Bless you." Just as his Miraculous beeped.

"Excuse me," He said quickly leaving as Chat Noir left in the other direction.

Adrien sat before his piano, looking down at his has as he instinctively rubbed the lucky charm on his wrist as he glanced towards his father. "Would you like to play this piece with me father, as a duet?" He asked.

Gabriel looked taken aback, "I... I don't think-"

"Please father, if I'm not allowed to go to my friends concert, at least grant me this." Adrien asked, clutching his charm. His heart raced as his father stood up and sat next to him.

He couldn't hold back his smile as he was able to play alongside his father, feeling happy as didn't feel any pressure. The notes came naturally as before he knew it the end of the piece came, no note out of place.

"You can go to your friends concert if that's what you really want." His father said, then immediately was surprised as his son hugged him tightly.

"Thank you father!" He said happily then glanced at Natalie expectantly, "Can we go now?"

Adrien passed by a police officer as he walked onto the boat. "Hi everyone-" He greeted as he then tripped over something, falling to the ground as everyone.

"Adrien are you okay buddy?" Nino asked walking up to him.

"Nah it's all good, I-" He noticed the case he tripped over, opening it up as his eyes widened in amazement. "Whoa, an original ZX20.4, I love the sound of this instrument!"

"Aww, that old thing, no one knows how to play it." Anarka said walking up to the second floor.

"I know how to play it." Adrien remarked as Luka held a hand out towards him.

"Great, welcome to the band Adrien." He said as Adrien was pulled to his feet. "You can set up over there."

"Thanks, uhh."

"Luka."

Adrien nodded, "Thanks Luka." he said as he picked up the keyboard. As he set up he noticed Luka talking to his mother, then he looked around. "Hey, wasn't Marin suppose to be here?" He asked.

"Oh, he fell in the river earlier. So now he's sleeping downstairs so he won't get too sick." Nino said as he handed him a pair of earplugs.

Adrien stared at him for a moment as the information washed over him. "WHA- is he okay?!"

"Yeah dude, I just told you." Nino reminded. "He'll be fine, you know how much of a deep sleeper he is. Don't worry he's in his natural habitat right now." He said patting his shoulder before he then sat next to Alya, placing an arm around her shoulder.

"Evening everyone, our name is Kitty Section!" Rose announced as Luka plugged his guitar in standing nearby as he gave Adrien a supportive grin which Adrien returned.

One, two, three. I love unicorns, I love unicorns, and cute little fluffy cats!" Rose sang aggressively as Adrien happily played along.

Marin groaned as he opened his eyes to a partially darkened room. He closed his eyes for a moment, then widened them in shock as he realized that he wasn't his bed nor in his room as he could smell the salty air. He pushed himself up off the bed as he then remembered, he was staying over at Julekas' place because he wasn't feeling well, also borrowing some sleepwear as he had slept through the entire music festival.

"Hey."

Marin flinched as he looked down towards the ground where Luka was sleeping in a sleeping bag. He was on his stomach, holding a phone in his hand.

"Sorry, did I wake you up?" Marin asked guiltily as he hugged the pillow, covered in a blanket.

"Nah, I was just reading stuff on his phone." Luka remarked, "It's just past midnight." He informed.

"Ugh." Marin groaned feeling bad that he missed his friend's performance. But his eyes widened. "Uh, where's my bag?" He asked hastily.

"It's at the end of the bed." Luka pointed out as Marin picked it up, he sighed in relief as he saw Tikki curled up inside, sleeping soundly. "So...did you guys have fun?" He asked.

"Yeah, it was really fun, your friend Adrien plays really well." Luka remarked as Marin's eyes widened.

"Adrien showed up?" He asked.

"Yeah." Luka said as Marin groaned in his pillow. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Marin sighed, "Sorry I missed out, I was looking forward to seeing you guys perform."

Luka smiled, moving onto his back as he placed his hands behind his head. "You can come by anything to hear us practice." He offered with a smile as Marin suddenly realized.

"Are we going to wake up your sister?" He asked now worried.

"Nah, Jules and Mom are sleeping on the deck, they like sleeping under the stars on warm evenings." He informed.

"Oh, then why are you sleeping on the ground?" Marin asked then sitting up, wrapping himself in the blanket.

"Eh, Jules and I kinda have this unspoken rule not to enter each other's side of the room. She probably wouldn't mind, but, you know." He said shrugging his shoulders.

"You can take your bed back, I don't mind taking the sleeping bag." Marin remarked.

"It's okay, it was kinda my fault that you fell into the river." Luka said, "I at least deserve this."

"No way, " Marin immediately said, " It was a really bad situation. That's not on you."

"Still." Luka simply remarked as he closed his eyes.

Marin hummed for a moment. "Alright." He said then sitting down next to him on the ground, removing the blanket and placing the hood over his from the borrowed Jagged Stone hoodie. "I'll just sit here next to you then."

A chuckle escaped Luka's lips. "You're funny Marin." He said as he rested his back against the bed next to him. He was wearing a simple white shirt and grey sweat pants. "How's the jacket fit?"

"The hoodie and pants are pretty loose, but nothing ever really fits me unless I tailor it myself. I think I could honestly fit into kids clothes if I tried." Marin remarked as he had to fold up the sleeves.

"Do you do Juleka's nails or does she do yours?"

"We do each other, sometimes I even do Rose when she comes over. I'm pretty confident in my printing skills." Luka said with a smile as he held up his hand. "I can do yours if you want some time."

"Sure," Marin said, but then sheepishly shook his head. "Actually I can't. I work a lot in my parents' bakery, and you're not supposed to wear jewelry, wear perfumes or colognes, have long nails, or wear nail polish." Marin recalled. "And it's a given but you're not supposed to have any injuries either."

"Do you bake a lot?"

"Yeah, almost every day, come by sometime-" Marin was about to saw but he sneezed again, rubbing his hands together as he began to get drowsy again.

"Are you alright?" Luka as Marin breathed into his hands. Luka hesitated for a moment before then toughing Marins' hand. "You're icy cold!" He said in surprise, not realizing how ill Marin had apparently gotten despite the rest he had gotten in the past few hours.

"I'm find, calm down." Marin slightly slurred, now feeling dizzy. He grumbled as he realized this feeling all too well.

"Right." Luka helped his friend to his feet. Marin didn't fight back being placed back into bed, and reflexively curling up in the sheets. He swiftly fell asleep as the comfort took hold, not even realizing he was still holding onto Luka's hand who saw on his bed, allowing the moment to last for a little while as he down fondly at his friend.

Chapter Text

Marin rested his back against the railing of his porch, shivering slightly as he looked up at the cloudy sky, pulling the cat-eared hoodie over his head. Night would fall soon enough, but he savored what little light there was. Suddenly his eyes were covered as he flinched slightly.

"Guess who." A familiar voice asked in a cheeky tone as Marin chuckled to himself.

"Is it my knight in shining armor?" He joked as he pushed the hands away, looking up to see Chat Noir face hovering above his own as the hero was sitting on the railing.

"Of course, one so dedicated must take care of his dear prince." He remarked as Marin stood before him with a knowing smile.

"Then I guess this Knight, doesn't need a basket of treats made special just for him?" Marin asked hiding the goodies behind him.

Chat Noir's heart raced at the mere thought but kept his composure. "Of course not. However, he is weak to all offerings that his generous prince decides to lovingly give him." He remarked, walking towards Marin with his hands folded behind his back until he stood beside the taller boy with a sly smile.

Marin laughed to himself handing over the basket "Merry Christmas." He said with a smile as Chat Noir gratefully accepted the basket. Peeling back the pink handkerchief to reveal specially made camembert bread freshly baked and shortbread cookies shaped like cat paws. He almost drooled on the spot at the sight and aroma of the treats.

"Have I ever told you how much I care for you?" Chat Noir asked seriously as Marin smiled shyly, rubbing the back of his head. Making Chat Noir notice that he was wearing his special Chat Noir themed jacket. The hero smiled slyly as he made sure Marin knew he took notice. "What a nice jacket, is it inspired by anyone in particular?" He asked jumping onto the table to look down at him with a cheeky grin.

"Nope. No one." Marin remarked easily as he walked past him, resting against the railing once more as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "So are you still on hero duty on Christmas?" He asked, taking notice of the frown that took hold on Chat Noir's face for a moment before his normal smiled returned.

"Of course, evil doesn't take breaks any day of the year." He remarked sitting next to his friend on the railing, placing the basket on his lap.

Marin hummed for a moment, "Well, just in case you do get lonely, I'll leave something out for you here. You know, just to let you know that you're being thought of." He said as he didn't notice Chat Noir's expression soften which then grew to surprise as Marin suddenly sneezed. "Excuse me."

"You're not getting sick are you?" He asked worriedly.

"I usually get sick this time each year. But not this time!" Marin said, gripping his fists. " I know I can make it to New Years without getting sick, I've been getting stronger just this year alone." He remarked with bright eyes as Chat Noir sighed with a smile.

Chat Noir chuckled to himself as he took Marin's hand in his, kissing the back of it as he knelt before him. "Until the next time, my prince." He said affectionately as he then jumped off the railing, using his staff to lift him to the rooftops. As Marin watched him leave, he noticed a familiar car parked nearby the bakery as night fell. His heart raced as he quickly ran back into his room.

"Tikki!" He called out, and his Kwami snapped to attention, "Where is it? Where did I put it?!" Marin grimaced looking everywhere around his room as the panic began to set in.

"It's right here, Marin. See?" Tikki said sitting on a pink and white polka-dotted gift tied with a yellow ribbon.

Marin sighed in relief, picking up the first and quickly planting a peck on Tikki's forehead. "Ah! Thank you sugar cube." He said as he then jumped down the stairs towards the bakery, just seeing Adrien's bodyguard leave. He ran after him getting hit with a gust of cold air as he ran towards the bodyguard entering his car. "Excuse me!-" He called out, but suddenly slipped on some ice as he landed face first in the snow just before the towering man. He looked up with a nervous girn, then was placed back on his feet. "Ah, thank you." Marin thanked as the guard turned back to his car. "Wait! If you don't mind, this is.. this is for Adrien."He mumbled as he handed the gift over. "Can you- I mean, if you wouldn't mind..." Marin mumbled folding his hands together. "Please wish him a Merry Christmas from me. Oh and to you as well, thank you for your patronage!" He added to hide his nervousness blowing his head slightly as the bodyguard nodded, patting his head before driving off.

Marin's expression softened as he smiled gently whispering under his breath. "Merry Christmas Adrien." Wishing that he could do it in person, just before he sneezed.

["Marin, come in before you catch a cold!"] His mother called out as he then ran back towards the bakery, careful not to trip.

Adrien hung the final ornament as he Nathalie decorated the Christmas tree. He glanced in her direction as an uneasiness settled in his chest, "He should be down here already. Did you call him?"

Nathalie averted her gaze, "Perhaps we should give him... a few more minutes." She suggested as he looked away in disappointment, hearing the front door open.

"What's the point? He's not coming."Adrien said, about to walk up to his room but he was stopped by his bodyguard. "Hm?" Adrien looked at him curiously as his bodyguard placed his hand on his shoulder, then handed him a gift that just made him even sadder. "Thank you. Merry Christmas both of you." He said then walking up to his room alone.

As he entered, he pocketed the present, looking at his phone; only a few hours until Christmas morning. He sighed heavily, throwing his phone on his bed and then walked towards the window, placing a hand against the cold glass, glancing at the full moon rising in the night sky. "He's still only thinking of himself! It's Christmas and all he wants to do is focus on his work. I just want this terrible day to be over and done with! I hate Christmas!" He declared turning towards his Kwami looking at him in worry.

"But it's almost Christmas, if they find out that you snuck out-" Plagg tried to warn.

"No one's going to care." Adrien said angrily. "Plagg, claws out!"

Chat Noir ran through the city, alone, taking notice of all the families that were together. For a moment, he stopped by Marin's house, longing to reach out, but then hesitated as he saw his friend smiling happily with his family. He didn't need to drag someone as good as him down with his anger, his father proved as much with the past year of isolation he had placed his son in. Chat Noir gritted his teeth together, pushing back his wishes to see comfort, instead deciding to run through the night.

He didn't have a destination in mind only that he needed to get as far away as possible. He looked down on a large Christmas tree within the center of a plaza, eyeing it angrily as he jumped down towards it, thinking about every time his father let him down, ignored him, took him for granted.

"Cataclysm!" He yelled out about to destroy the tree, but then an image flashed into his mind, his mother's smile. The warmth she always provided just by being near, a warmth that had already faded long ago. Even so, he couldn't do it, not to her. Instead, he destroyed a nearby ad, watching as it disintegrated before his eyes. The streets were empty and the snow was slowly building up. His Miraculous beeped as a warning, but he didn't care, he walked for a while letting time run out as he fell to his knees, tears falling from his eyes as now he was subject to the cold.

As he opened them again he saw his Kwami fallen before him. "Plagg? Plagg!?" He said in panic as his friend wasn't usually this tired after detransforming. "What's wrong?"

"So...cold..." Plagg murmured as his stomach grumbled.

Adrien's eyes widened, "What have I done? Wait, I'll help you!" As he patted down his pockets he realized that he wasn't carrying any cheese on him, but found the present he was given earlier. He ripped it open quickly, seeing a beautiful Santa hat and a red card inside. " "Merry Christmas". Signed Marin. He's a lifesaver!" Adrien read out loud as he then sighed in relief. "Come on, we're going to fix you right up, Plagg!" Adrien said gently as he placed his Kwami onto the hat. Walking into the night as he began to feel the winter chill against his skin.

Marin hummed to himself as he iced some cookies in the shapes of various Christmas symbols, but the ones that he was icing were special for the master and the Kwamis. Then he overheard his mother's gasp, lifting his head towards his parents sitting nearby with concerned expressions on their faces.

"Kidnapped? I'm sure there's another explanation." His mother said.

"Let's take a look around the neighborhood, just in case." His father said as they both began putting on their coats.

Marin removed his apron, cleaning his hands, "What's going on?" He asked in concern as his parents exchanged a worried glance.

"Your friend Adrien is missing, everyone's going out to look for him." His mother informed.

"But I'm sure it's nothing." His father added, trying not to worry his son. "We'll probably be out for a while."

"Wait, I'm coming with you guys." Marin said definitely but noticed his mother crossing her arms as his father looked between them in worry.

"Now mio figio piccolo, you know that it's very cold outside-"

"I'm not going to get sick!" Marin retorted as his mother placed her hand on his cheek.

"I know you're worried about Adrien, but you have to worry about yourself as well." She said.

"Mama, please I promise I won't be out too long, please, I want to help." Marin pleaded as his mother then sighed.

Sabine hummed for a moment as she then held her son's face in her hands forcing him to make eye contact. "You promise that you'll be careful."

"Always." He promised.

His mother then smiled, lifting herself on to her toes as Marin lowered his head so she could hiss kid forehead. ["I love you heart."]

["Love you too mama."] Marin said with a smile. "I'm going to get my coat, I promise I'll stay in the area, you two go on ahead." He said as his parents left before him.

As he walked up to his room he grabbed his grey peacoat and soft pink scarf, earmuffs, and gloves.

"Why did you make a fuss?" Tikki asked as Marin put on his winter clothes, wearing the coat over his kitty hoodie.

"Because I'm not coming back until Adrien's safe at home, and I needed a cover just in case." Marin remarked. He then walked up to his deck, still shivering against the cold air despite his layers.

"Tikki, spots on!"

Ladybug jumped across the rooftops, he recalled stopping by Adrien's house first, narrowing his eyes as he recalled noticing that his window was open, but there were no footprints leading out despite the large footprints and car tracks that were leading away. If Adrien had his phone then there was no way his father would alarm anyone else, so he probably didn't have his phone. Ladybug then sneezed as he noticed the snow thinning out.

Then, he spotted the footprints atop the roofs, surprising him as he recognized the print within the snow. "Chat Noir?" He questioned, kneeling down for a moment as he then followed them.

Eventually, he was led to a plaza where there was a Christmas tree and a destroyed collum that had traces that it was attacked by a Cataclysm. He looked over it before then noticing a red envelope on the ground.

"This is my note to Adrien..." He remarked. There was only one set of footprints, Chat Noirs and then...

Ladybug shook his head. "He must have detransformed after using his attack...but why is the note here? Could Chat Noir have found Adrien?"

He sighed, holding his head in his hand, there were too many variables, he needed to focus on what was in front of him. There was one set of footprints, but no matter what implications there were, one way or another he was going to get Adrien home.

Adrien shivered as he walked through the streets, he had some idea where he was, but he wasn't sure how long he could walk in the snow. Even so, he smiled at Plagg safely hidden in his hat. "Don't worry, Plagg, I'll find you something to eat. I can't promise it'll be Camembert." He chuckled, then noticing a Santa getting bullied by a few kids throwing snowballs at him.

"Hey! What's wrong with you? Even if he's not the real one, what would Santa think of your behavior?" Adrien scolded as he walked up.

"The young man's absolutely right. kids, say sorry right now." A man, someone who Adrien assumed was the kid's father, said.

"Sorry, Santa Claus." The kids apologized, looking sorry for their actions.

"It's no big deal, children. Merry Christmas anyway." Santa said as the family apologized again before walking away.

Adrien turned towards Santa, "I'm sorry Sir, are you okay?"

Santa nodded with a smile. "Fine. Don't worry, I'm a tough old Santa. But, what are you doing out at this time of night? Are you lost? You're not exactly dressed for the cold weather. Maybe you'd like some hot chocolate, I've got some left." He offered as he turned back to his sleigh.

Adrien, hugging his arms. "Yeah, I'd love some Sir, doesn't get much better than that." He said as Plagg popped out of the puffball part of the hat. "Except maybe a slice of Camembert?" He suggested.

"Oh you're in luck!" Santa said as Adrien noticed Plagg smiled hopefully. "I've still got some sandwich leftover. This is some of the smelliest cheese I've ever come across. Hmm, that smells… perfect. To each it's own. So you're not lost then, I hope."

Adrien hesitated for a moment, looking away then heard crunching in the snow as someone landed nearby. Time seemed to slow down as Adrien watched Ladybug land nearby, his scarf flowing in the air as he then stood tall.

"L-Ladybug." Adrien said in surprise as the hero walked up to him.

"Mr. Agrete, a lot of people are out looking for you. Your father is especially worried about you." Ladybug informed sternly as Adrien's stomach sank he turned his head away angrily.

"So?" He said bluntly as Ladybug looked surprised by his tone. "Why does it have to take me running away for him to notice me?"

Ladybug stared at him for a moment before his expression softened. "Your father isn't the only person who cares about you, almost all of your friends are looking for you as well, they think something bad happened."

Adrien frowned, he felt guilty, it was almost Christmas and everyone was out looking for him instead of spending it with their families. He really was the worst. He sighed heavily, "I'm sorry, but I don't want to go home yet. I'd rather stay out here."

"If I may interject?" Santa said as the two then looked at him. "So long as this young man gets home, why don't we use my sleigh to get him there? I'm sure it may take a while."

Ladybug glanced away for a moment, he didn't have time for a long trip, if Chat Noir was around an in danger he had to find him quickly.

"I'm alright with that." Adrien said, then glancing up at him.

Ladybug sighed, "I'll let your father know that you're safe." the hero said walking away a few feet, dialing him up.

"Hello?" Nathalie was the one who answered the phone.

"This is Ladybug, Adrien is safe." Ladybug informed as he noticed Adrien getting wrapped up in a blanket. He offered the old man is his hat as his other one was worn down, smiling as he drank some hot chocolate with Santa. His heart couldn't help but swell at the scene, then chiding himself as he spoke on, "But it's unsafe to carry him when there's snow on the rooftops, so we're taking alternate transportation. It will take a while, but he'll get home safely."

"Understood, thank you Ladybug, I'll inform his father." Nathalie sighed in relief as she then hung up.

Ladybug walked back to Adrien and Santa who were seated on the sleigh, "Your father's secretary knows you're coming back. Don't wander away off track." He warned as Adrien nodded. As he walked away he heard Adrien call out to him.

"Wait!" Adrien called, as Ladybug turned back to him. Adrien faltered for a moment but asked, "Shouldn't you come with us, you know, to ensure my safety...?" Adrien asked.

Ladybug drew a conflicted expression, "You're not wrong, I'm supposed to see you home. But, I saw Chat Noir's cataclysm in the plaza where I saw that gift card addressed to you. If my partner is out there in danger, then I have to find him."

"I actually saw Chat Noir earlier, he's the one who convinced by to try and go home," Adrien explained.

"And the Cataclysm?"

Adrien chuckled nervously, "I asked to see it in action..."

Ladybug hummed for a moment, crossing his arms. What Adrien said, it didn't fully match what the evidence said. But, perhaps he needed to turn his head away, trying to dredge up hidden truths could prove to be disastrous. Instead, he walked over as Adrien stood next to the sleigh. "I'll go with you on one condition." He said.

"Anything." Adrien said far too easily as he noticed Ladybug take off his scarf. His heart almost stopped as his partner wrapped it around his neck even though he stood a few feet above him as he was standing on the sleigh. Looking down at his face he could notice the flecks of silver in his eyes under the moonlight, as well as he flushed pink face against the cold. He immediately feeling cozier as his face slightly reddened. "I-is this really okay?"

"It'll disappear as soon as I transform back." Ladybug remarked as Adrien took a step back, giving Ladybug a hand as he stepped onto the sleigh, sitting next to him as Santa moved the sleigh.

Ladybug crossed his arms, watching his white breath disperse before his eyes as the temperature lowered the longer the night lasted. He flinched slightly as Adrien sat closer, wrapping the blanket around his shoulders.

"Thanks." Ladybug said gratefully, thankful for the extra warmth and trying not to think about being far to close to the person he liked.

"I'm sorry you're out here looking after me instead of being with your family..." Adrien remarked with a sullen expression, but Ladybug shook his head.

"I was on patrol anyway, don't worry about it." Ladybug said.

"How did you know I was missing anyway?" Adrien asked curiously.

Ladybug's eyes widened slightly, "Uh, one of your friend's flagged me down," Ladybug explained. "Some kid in a grey jacket."

Adrien looked at him in surprise. "Marin, out here in the snow?" Adrien said in worry, knowing about his friend's poor health.

"Uh, but don't worry about him, I told him to go back home directly." Ladybug remarked hastily, averting his gaze.

Adrien looked at him in concern, wondering if his friend would actually listen to what a superhero would tell him...probably not. "How about you, sir? Where will you be celebrating Christmas?"

"Me? I have all of Paris. The whole world even! Ho, ho, ho!

"All by yourself, huh?" Adrien remarked, he hummed for a moment. "Here's what we're gonna do. Take me back home and have Christmas with us! I need you to bring the Christmas spirit back into our home.

"All right then. But I can't stay for too long, you do know that Santa's very busy at Christmas time."

"Thank you!" Adrien smiled at him, then shyly turned to Ladybug, "Um, you're welcome to stay we well if you want of course." He swore he almost saw Ladybug blush as he turned towards him.

"You're sweet, but I shouldn't impose." He said, still wanting to track down Chat Noir before the night was over. But for now, was content in remaining next Adrien as the bell's on the horses rang throughout the night.

Outside of the Agreste mansion, Santa rang the doorbell while Ladybug jumped off the sleigh.

"Adrien, is that you?!" Nathalie said over the intercom as Adrien jumped off of the sled. "Who are you?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm Santa Claus!" Santa informed.

"Really now?" Nathalie remarked as Adrien immediately recognized that tone. "Sir, please remove yourself from the premises or you will be removed."

"No, you're wrong!" Adrien called out, trying to reason as Ladybug then stood forward before him.

"I believe I spoke earlier with you?" He said defensively. There was a brief silence as the gate began to open, Nathalie ran out the door as Adrien's bodyguard walked behind.

"I'm sorry." He apologized as he clutched the blanket around him turning back towards Santa and Ladybug. "My offer still stands." He said as Nathalie then hugged him tightly.

"Adrien, you're a kind lad, but I think wither of us going in would only make the night worse," Santa remarked sighing heavily.

"But..." Adrien said, about to argue back, but he faltered as he realized that Santa was right. His father had a knack of turning on anyone who he brought into his home. "Merry Christmas." He murmured, allowing himself to be guided by Nathalie back into the house.

Santa sighed heavily as he realized he still had the hat from before. "Oh, I guess I should've returned this."

"I think he would've wanted you to keep it." Ladybug remarked as Santa chuckled.

"I mean what I said before, he is a good lad. Perhaps someone should go check up on him?" He suggested.

"It would be improper to enter someone's house without permission." Ladybug remarked, hugging himself as he felt the winter chill get to him.

Santa hummed for a moment as he sat back on his sled. "As I recall, you did have permission." He said cheekily. "Merry Christmas Ladybug." He said as Ladybug nodded.

"Merry Christmas sir." He said, waving as Santa drove off, his horses' bells jingling until the sound faded. Ladybug looked back at the Agreste mansion, sighing for a moment as he realized that the window from before was still open.

As soon as he entered he noticed the light on within his father's study, still locked inside. Adrien bit his bottom lip in frustration, had his father even left the house? Worried about him his as-

"Where are you going, Adrien?" Nathalie asked.

"To my room, of course, since my father isn't celebrating Christmas." He said coldly.

"Of course he is Adrien." Nathalie said gently, "Your father came to see earlier, but you'd gone out. I'll tell him that you're waiting for him. Just making sure you'll stay in your room this time.

Adrien sighed heavily. "Tell him not to bother. I think I'll just go to bed." He said, not waiting for an answer as he walked back to his room, back to where this all began. His expression softened as he saw Plagg was already asleep, he placed his Kwami within his cheese cabinet, on the basket that Marin had gifted him earlier. He smiled warmly at his partner, "Merry Christmas Plagg." Adrien whispered fondly as he closed the door, then heard a bang behind him. He turned to see someone jumping through the window, his eyes widened as he recognized his partner.

"Ladybug?" Adrien asked in surprise. He kept the lights off in order to make Nathalie believe he was asleep. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to check on you." The Hero said simply.

"Oh, you don't have to, I'm fine..." Adrien said as he sat down at the edge of his bed, but as soon as he said that his heart felt heavy.

"Alright," Ladybug said as he knelt before him, looking up at him with an understanding expression drawn. "How are you actually?"

Adrien chuckled to himself, tears welling up. "It's my first Christmas without my mom and my father…" His voice hitched as every part of his being tried to prevent him from speaking further. "He thinks he's the only one who's been hurt, ever since she disappeared it feels like he's just seen me as some kind of annoyance..."

Ladybug's expression softened as he placed a hand over Adrien's. "Grief like that can change anyone. But any father cares, they show it in their own way, yours probably still needs time."

"Am I just suppose to wait for him?!" Adrien snapped as he pulled his hand back angrily. All he did was wait, obey, did what his father thought was best. It was always hard, but his mother always softened his father's harshness, now...he just felt cold.

"Of course not, if you don't want to." Ladybug said gently, with so much kindness in his tone, surprising Adrien as he didn't try again to grab attention. "He has you to care about him, but it's not all on your shoulders. You have other people who care about you, ones that will definitely look your way if you reach out, until your own father can do so himself." The hero said, as a wry smile drew on Adrien's face as he hugged himself.

"Yeah...I just wish..." Adrien murmured for a moment, hesitating until Ladybug placed a hand on his shoulder. "I could hug my mom at least one more time, or at least say good-bye..." He admitted as he wiped away the tears but were just replaced with more tears until he suddenly felt Ladybug hug him, allowing him to sob in his arms. "I knew, everyone knew it was coming...she just kept getting sicker and sicker. Dad said...that I shouldn't worry about her, that she would be okay. So I didn't, I listened to him. I thought she was going to get better, I believed him- but she still..." He cried out, his heart aching from the rush of memories, and Ladybug let him. Not saying a single word as Adrien released all the tears he held back for a year.

He wasn't certain how long he cried, not realizing that even so long after her disappearance he still mourned over his mother. Yet, with all these vulnerable feelings, he felt safe within his partner's arms, the person who he knew he was deeply in love with. Yet, Ladybug would never find out who he held. For a moment Adrien wondered if Ladybug would ever treat him this kindly if he ever found who he really was...

He pushed away the thoughts as he pulled back, wiping away the few remaining tears. "I'm sor-"

"Don't apologize." Ladybug remarked, "Never apologize for how you feel." He said placing a hand against his arm. Adrien stared at him for a moment, unable to fathom how beautiful he looked under the moonlight, practically glowing under its shine against his face. Adrien placed his own hand against Ladybug's, his heart racing.

"Ladybug... I lo-"

Then someone knocked on his door. Both of tensed up as someone would possibly walk through that door in a few seconds. Adrien reflexively grabbed his bedsheets, quickly covering himself and Ladybug as he feared what would happen if he was caught with a superhero in the dark at almost midnight. He wasn't exactly sure why it translated into fear, but he just went with it.

"Adrien, your father wants to talk to you." Nathalie's muffled voice said from the other side.

"I-I'm coming! Just give me a moment please!" He called out, not moving an inch until he heard Nathalie walk away, her heels tapping away down the stairs until he sighed in relief. Then, he could feel his cheeks heat up as he realized he had Ladybug, the person who he adored most in the world, pinned to his bed. For a moment he could hear his heartbeat in his ears, eye level for once as he noticed Ladybug averted his gaze shyly. The only light came from his phone as a cheery alarm was set off, breaking the tension for a moment.

"Merry Christmas Ladybug." He whispered with a smile as Ladybug's expression softened.

"Merry Christmas Adrien." Ladybug whispered in return as Adrien pushed himself back, allowing the hero to sweep his feet off the bed, heading for the window. Adrien hesitated for a moment, his face running red as he suddenly slapped his cheeks.

Ladybug stopped for a moment as he heard the sound, he turned around for a moment, he was surprised as Adrien walked up to him, placing his hand against his mouth as he kissed the back of his hand. The moment lasted only for a second as Adrien then stepped back looking incredibly guilty.

"I'm sorry," He apologized, "I..." He was about to explain himself, apologize more for his impulsiveness, but then noticed Ladybug's expression. Covering his mouth as he had never seen his partner look so...off balance.

Ladybug stammered, trying to cover his face. "You should only do that with someone you like..." He advised, then he jumped up to the window and then using his yo-yo to jump onto the rooftops.

Adrien begged his heart to stop beating so fast, taking a deep breath as he tried to regain his composure. He took off Ladybug's scarf, placing it on his bed, still smelling the scent of macaroons as he walked towards the door. Just as he placed his hand on the handle, he looked back for a moment, noticing that Ladybug did the same, his silhouette against the full moon, the two smiling for a moment before their two went their separate ways.

Adrien stood in his father's study, both of them looking up at his mother's portrait.

"Adrien. You understand I can't have you disappearing like that. I couldn't bare the thought of losing you." Gabriel said.

For a moment Adrien looked away, wondering how true that statement was. But even so, he turned towards his father with a sure expression. "I miss her too." He said, noticing his father lowering his head slightly.

Then his attention was grabbed as he heard the doorbell ringing. He looked at the source in confusion, "I believe it's for you." His father said, surprising Adrien as he walked to the foyer where Nathalie was waiting with a smiling expression, nodding to him supportively. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw all of his friends were standing there with smiles on their faces.

"You father personally informed everyone that you were home, safe and sound," Nathalie explained as she gestured everyone to come in.

Adrien was stunned with happiness as Nino was the first to hug him. He smiled at his best friend, then walked back into the study where his father was still looking up towards the portrait of his mother. "Please, father. It's Christmas." Adrien pleaded as Gabriel adjusted his glasses, turning towards him.

"Of course." He said simply as he walked towards him, giving him a hug for a moment before he walked into the dining hall with Nathalie.

For a moment, Adrien turned back to the portrait of his mother with a bittersweet smile, "Merry Christmas, mom." He said before turning off the lights to his father's study.

Walking into the dining room his chest swelled with joy seeing a usually empty table fill up with familiar faces. All of his friends were...

"Huh?" Adrien's eyes widened for a moment as he then walked up to Alya. "Hey, where's Marin?" He asked curiously.

"He got in trouble with his parents, didn't say what but he's grounded until New Years." Alya explained helping to set up the table. "

Adrien glanced out into the night at the falling snow.

Marin sighed as he watched his breath disappear before him, wearing his peacoat over his hoodie as he was looking up at the stars on this cold clear night. Tikki was already asleep, curled up cutely in a little basket he had made for her within his diary box. He was wrapped in a blanket, already ready with hot cocoa in a thermos as he decided to stay up until midnight. His head was little fuzzy, but he swore he'd make it to the end this time. He had to...

"Hi."

His eyes widened in surprise as he suddenly turned to see Chat Noir sitting in the chair behind him holding the same basket from before in his hands. He sighed in relief as he adjusted his banket and hoof resting on his head. "I was worried. I left out a Yuletide log for you, but it was untouched." He informed as he noticed Chat Noir's ears flattened.

"Yeah...I'm sorry about that." Chat Noir remarked averting his gaze, but Marin suddenly backtracked his words.

"No no- I didn't mean, I mean, mean, uh- UGh." He groaned in frustration stuttering through his words, taking a breath. "I mean, I hope you were safe enjoying yourself. I don't mind that you didn't take it so long as you were enjoying yourself...Did you?" He said as Chat Noir smile.

"Yeah, best Christmas ever." He murmured as Marin sighed in relief, walking towards him.

"That was good, I'm really happy for you..." He murmured as the deck began to spin for a moment.

"Hey!" Chat Noir called out in warning, quickly catching his friend before he hit the ground, cradling him in his arms. Chat Noir sighed in relief for a moment before his pushed Marin's bangs back, pressing his forehead to his as his hands were covered. His eyes widened in shock, "You have a fever, and you're standing out here in the cold?!" He scolded as Marin had the audacity to smile cutely at him with a toothy grin.

"I almost made it." He remarked as Chat Noir contemplated locking him away for the rest of winter.

"What happened?" Chat Noir asked absentmindedly but then realized that he already knew the answer as he helped Marin sit up.

"My friend went missing, so I had to look for him. My parents got mad because I stayed out for more than an hour, so then I got grounded." He chuckled.

"Maybe they had the right idea. Why would you stay out for so long?"

"He's one of my best friends." Marin said easily, "There's no way anyone could enjoy themselves if someone they cared about wasn't safe at home." He said, but then was surprised as Chat Noir held his face in his hands.

"If this kid knew how far you went for him, there is no way he would be okay with it." Chat Noir scolded.

"But he doesn't, so it's alright." Marin reasoned, but then giggled as Chat Noir clearly grew more annoyed.

"You think this is a joke?!" He asked but Marin only laughed more, just before coughing. Chat Noir groaned, "That's it, you're going back inside." He said standing up.

"No way." Marin said, rejecting him. "I'm almost there, I can make it to midnight, I just need a little more time."

"Why is this so important to you?"

"Because I've done more this year than I've done in all my life, and I'm going to end it the best way I can. By doing something that the past would never be able to do!" He said with conviction, his eyes shining with determination. Chat Noir was stunned for a moment, his heart slightly racing at his friend's resolve. The two stared at each other for few moments until Chat Noir groaned.

"Ugh- alright!"

Marin blinked at him for a moment in confusion. "Huh? What do you-WOAH!" Marin asked questioningly at first but then was swept off his feet as Chat Noir sat down in the chair. The two curled up with each other as Marin sat in Chat Noir's lap, his head resting against Chat Noir's shoulder.

"If you're going to be stubborn, then you can't complain about this." The Hero remarked as he poked Marin's forehead. Then wrapped the blanket around the two of them as they both looked up at the stars.

"Don't you want to be with your family?" Marin asked as Chat Noir shrugged his shoulders. He already planned ahead, telling Nathalie that he would be going to bed instead of staying up, knowing that no one would mind.

"I wanted to check up on you, and I'm very glad I did." He remarked. "What about your parents?"

"Sleeping." He said. "Early to bread, early to rise. Uh, that's what my dad said." Marin said, blushing slightly as Chat Noir laughed.

"Sounds like a funny guy."

"Yeah, he and my mom are pretty great, a little overprotective, but they mean well." Marin said. Chat Noir nodded, he couldn't really think of this father as overprotective, giving off the feeling of desiring control more than anything. But he knew that at least Marin's parents were true to his word, at least they hadn't tried to lock their frail son away.

"So what were you planning on doing here all night?" Chat Noir asked.

Marin chuckled, "Snacking and drawing constellations."

"You know I'm a fan of one of those hobbies very much so, my prince. But what's the other one?"

Marin pointed towards the night sky, "It's just making up star constellations. I used to this all the time when my school had an astronomy club, all you do is pick out a shape and then name it. Like," Marin explained as he pointed out a small group of stars. "Those six, make cat ears, and there's the whiskers and the rest of the body."

Chat Noir narrowed his eyes, trying to trace what his friend was pointing out. "I...don't think I'm seeing it." He admitted.

"You kinda have to use your imagination to fill out a few parts, but the basic shapes are there." Marin explained, "You try."

Chat Noir shrugged his shoulders as Marin rested on him. He hummed for a moment, he tried to do what Marin did, trying to trace a few small groups of stars. Even narrowing his eyes to try and focus, but nothing stood out. Suddenly, he saw a white streak across the sky in a blink of an eye before fading away, a shooting star. His eyes widened in excitement.

"Hey! Marin did you see-" Chat Noir asked as he realized Marin had fallen asleep shivering against the cold night despite being curled up against a heat source. Chat Noir sighed in exasperation as he picked him up. He opened the sunroof with his foot jumping down onto the bed. He gently placed his friend on the bed tucking him in under the three blankets he had on his bed. He lingered for a moment, he had been in Marin's room a few times before, but never on his bed. He couldn't help but chuckle at the grossly large amount of pillows and blankets that were practically formed into a nest, it was fitting.

He took notice as Marin moaned in his asleep, slightly opening his eyes as he smiled at his friend.

"Hey."

"Hey." Chat Noir smiled as he cupped Marin's cheek, gently whispering in his ear. "Happy New Year." He congratulated as his heart couldn't help but melt at the sight of his friend's smile.

"Happy New year..." Marin mumbled, half asleep as he placed his hand over Chat Noir's, quickly drifting off into a deep slumber. Chat Noir's expression softened as glanced at the clock that read 11:40. He gently pushed a stray lock of hair behind Marin's ear, kissing his cheek. Part of him wanted to stay a little longer, he knew Marin wouldn't mind, but he couldn't impose. Instead, he allowed himself another glance at his slumbering friend as he jumped back onto the deck and into the cold night.

He took a deep breath as a cloud of warm air disappeared before his eyes. Even though he was going home, for once he was doing so with a warm feeling in his heart.

Chapter Text

Adrien sat down in the make-up chair within a trailer as he looked at his father on a tablet screen.

"It will be an excellent promotion for the upcoming opening of our stores in Korea and China." Gabriel said as he stood before his computer monitor while Adrien could only grow more panicked as he was handed a costume. Adrien looked down at the familiar costume in his hand, almost an exact replica.

"But Father—"

"I've been designing Clara's costumes since she started out. She was very pleased with my humble suggestion of using you. She's only seen you in our advertisements, but she does admire you a lot. I'm hoping you won't let us down." His father said with the tone of, you-have-no-say-in-the-matter.

Adrien looked down, dejectedly. "Of course not, Father."

"Don't look so glum. I hear the person Clara chose as Ladybug is around your age." His father remarked as Adrien looked back up at him in surprise.

"Huh?" Adrien looked back at him curiously before Nathalie walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Marin sighed as he stood before the Grand Palais feeling overwhelmed by all the Auditionees for Clara Nightingale's video who gathered out front. Marin held the straps of his messenger bag, looking like a child who just lost their parent against a sea of fans.

"Uh, excuse me..." Marin murmured trying to get someone to help but was too timid. He sighed heavily moment before he was tackled from behind, shaking him to his core as he then looked back to see Rose hugging him. Mylène, Juleka, Alix and Alya walked up with surprised looks on their faces.

"Hiya cutie, I didn't know you were coming here." Alya greeted. 

"Uh, yeah...I-"

"Are you here to see Clara too?! She's amazing isn't she?!" Rose said with glee releasing him from her embrace.

Mylène stepped forward, "Are you trying out to be an extra?"

"Um-"

"An extra? The boy can hardly ask for directions let alone dance on a stage." Alix remarked. "Uh, no offense."

Marin sighed heavily, "I'm not exactly here to try out, I just need-" As he was about to explain someone placed a hand on his shoulder, making him flinch for a moment as he looked back to see Penny standing nearby.

"There you are." She said with a concerned expression on her face. "Come on, they're waiting in the back for you." She said as Marin waved to his friends, following the manager as his anxiety was morphed into relief.

In a dressing trailer, Adrien looked at himself in the mirror with an almost exact replica of his costume, growing more anxious as he held the mask in his hand.

Plagg hovered nearby with an amused expression on his face. "Great choice of fabric! And these seams!" He remarked taking a closer look. "Amazing craftsmanship!"

"There's no way I can wear this!" Adrien exclaimed.

"Yeah, I've always found that little bell so ridiculous! Then again, the costume is what you really wanted deep down, isn't it?" Plagg commented as Adrien hid away the mask under some nearby towels.

"No, Plagg. I mean that everyone's gonna realize that I'm the real Chat Noir! And cats wear bells what are you even- you know what, not important. Because people are going to find out I'm Chat Noir because my father decided to dress his son up like a CAT!"

"No way! People are blind." Plagg said as Adrien suddenly snapped to attention when he heard a knocking on the door.

"Hello?" The person from the other side asked as Adrien kept his eyes trained on it.

" Aah, uh, coming! Just a sec!" He called out with a nervous smile turning back to his Kwami. "If they see me with that mask on, they're all gonna recognize me for sure! All I can do is try to act as lame as I possibly can. Hopefully, they'll have no choice but to replace me." He explained with a whisper as Plagg rolled his eyes, flying into Adrien's bag.

Just as Adrien stepped out he accidentally surprised the person that about to enter the trailer, knocking him back. His eyes lit up as a smile drew on his face, all previous anxiety disappearing.

"Marin, you're here?!" He asked as he quickly helped his friend to his feet, holding onto his hand.

"I- I mean, I'm just here for..." Marin rambled for a moment as he then noticed Adrien's costume, his face reddened, surprising Adrien. "You're Chat Noir?" He asked in defeat as Adrien looked at him curiously.

"Yeah, my father recommended me. " Adrien explained smiling nervously. "Looks a little ridiculous on me doesn't it?"

"No, no I mean, " Marin chuckled to himself, rubbing the back of his head. "I think you look kinda cool..." He said with a reddened face.

Butterflies started to flutter in Adrien's stomach as he heard that compliment, just before he could respond, a woman with pink hair walked up to them. "Your costume." She said handing Marin a white bag. He thanked her before she walked off, seemingly coordinating the event as she had a headset and microphone.

"You're going to be in this music video too?" Adrien asked in shock as Marin nodded shyly. "How did that happen?"

"Long story short, I made Clara's new microphone, and she asked me to do it."

"And you just agreed?" Adrien asked in surprise, "You're the last person I would think would want to perform."

Marin sighed, "I didn't really want to, but I couldn't say no when she started talking about her dreams." He shrugged as a chuckle escaped Adrien's lips as Marin smiled shyly. "Yeah, I think it's gonna be a disaster too."

"No, it's not that. It's just, very like you to agree to this." Adrien said walking down the stairs. "I guess I'll see you out there?"

Marin nodded as he walked into the trailer, "Yeah, see ya I guess."

Marin groaned as he looked at himself in the mirror after removing all of his hairpins. His hair was a mess, the longer locks framing his face as few strands refused to stay down. "Great, now I'm an athletic clown that looks like he doesn't own a hairbrush." He said, placing the mask on his face.

"This looked too similar, what if people discover that you're Ladybug?" Tikki asked in concern as she recognized that Marin was almost an exact copy of his hero counterpart.

But he laughed dryly, "There's more to Ladybug than just a face Tikki. And with my coordination, I'll be lucky if Clara doesn't decide to replace me after seeing my dancing skills. Besides," He said walking to the door, "so long as no one realizes it's me in this thing then I think I can pull this off." He said. as Tikki flew into his bag.

"Thank you for coming, all of you! This is like a dream come true! Together we'll all dance and sing; It's going to be awesome and amazing!" Adrien overheard as he walked up to the stage area where Nathalie was waiting with his father on video call. He looked over his son's appearance with a stern expression on his face.

"The costume fits you like a glove, as I knew it would. But, where is your mask?"

Adrien tensed up, "Uh, I couldn't find it anywhere." He said, bluntly lying to his father who narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"I'll take care of it!" Someone called out as Adrien momentarily cursed their existence.

"It's no biggie; it's okay." Someone sang as he looked up to the idol Clara with a star emblemed microphone in her hand and a bright smile on her face. She helped him onto the stage as he felt a rush of guilt. Clara was nice, just because he was fearful of his secret identity being found out, didn't mean he had to go out of his way to ruin her project. "We don't need the mask for tryouts anyway-" She said as someone walked before them, skipping the lines dressed as Ladybug, down to the dark-haired wig.

"Thank you all for coming. You can go home now. Your "Ladybug" has arrived!" Chloé stated as Adrien cringed at the sight of his childhood friend. "So when does the shoot begin?"

Adrien sighed, "Chloé, everyone has to audition. You know that." He remarked.

Chloé smirked, walking onto the stage. "Oh yeah, that little formality." She remarked before jumping into a series of acrobatics and dance moves, surprising even Adrien. Once she finished, the crowd cheered as Chloé smirked to herself. "Eight years of private classes with Aurélie Dupont from the Paris Op-er-a. I know. I'm breathtaking."

Adrien was stunned, he knew Chloé had always had a passion for dance, but he thought that she gave all that up when her mother left.

"You've definitely got enough talent for me, but the Ladybug is already chosen, you see." Clara apologized with song as all eyes were on her.

"WHAT?!"Chloé shouted in anger, removing her wig.

"I'm really sorry, what's-your-name, a miscommunication seems to be at blame. But you can still be an extra in the video, if you're game!" Clara sang, trying to console her, but someone else caught here attention. Ah!There you are! -" She sang suddenly, running off the stage.

Chloé was outraged, staring at the idol who had the audacity to walk away from her. "What?! You want me to be a mere...extra?!" She demanded then saw the Ladybug being pulled on stage and grew even more angry, stomping off the stage and towards the exit. "Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous"

Adrien was entranced as his attention was on the Ladybug that Clara was leading on stage, quickly introducing him to everyone. "Here's a hug, Because you are our Ladybug!" Clara announced as the Ladybug averted his gaze nervously as all eye were on him. He was remarkably similar replica to the original, save for a few rough edges. "Spot on! And spotlight!" She announced then tuning towards the two chosen as she placed the Ladybug right next to Adrien. "So, you're Ladybug and you're Chat Noir." She said pointing to the two.

"No! Uh...uh...yeah!" They both stammered together, exchanging a nervous glance as Clara radiated excitement.

She guided them both on the dance moves needed. Adrien followed her moves down to a tee, but noticed that she was giving special attention to the Ladybug who was lagging behind, clearly not used to choreography.

"Sorry." He murmured, even though Clara smiled at him. She hummed for a moment as she glanced at the two, clearly noticing their lack of chemistry.

" Your dance moves need to be synchronized if you can..." She said as a cheeky smile dawned. "So you'll need to hold each other by the hand!"

Both of them looked at each other in surprise. Adrien was the first to break the tension, holding out his hand as the Ladybug looked nervous, turning his head away as he held out his hand.

" Not like that. Don't be shy!" Clara scolded, making them hold hands. "Like lovers do. Give it a try!" She encouraged as both their faces reddened. Adrien tried to make eye contact with the Ladybug but he was really good at avoiding attention.

"One final task: Put on the mask."

Adrien froze for a moment. "Uh, I didn't see it. I looked everywhere in the dressing room for it but it was..." He glanced at the other Ladybug nervously who was already wearing the mask, "..nowhere to be found!"

"It's okay! I found it!" The same stagehand from earlier called out as Adrien glared at him. Clara ran over to him, taking the Chat Noir mask and quickly handing it to Adrien.

"Go ahead, put them on, you, we've got a lot of singing and dancing to do!" She cheered.

Adrien looked down at the mask in his hand, turning his back towards the people for a moment as had no idea what to do. Anything he did reflected his father's image as well, so it wasn't like he could get angry or throw a tantrum. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place...

Marin could see his friend's displeasure as he held the mask in his hand. He took a deep breath, turning to Clara.

"Would you mind if we took a minute?" He asked. At first she gave him a surprised expression, but as she looked at Adrien who had his back turned she nodded supportively, addressing the audience as Marin walked back over to his friend. He stepped to the side of him, gaining his attention as he nervously a lock of hair behind his ear. "We can take a minute if you want." He suggested, tilting his head towards a nearby sitting area.

Adrien glanced at him for a moment before sighing heavily, nodding as he followed the taller boy. As they both sat across from each other Adrien spoke up."Ah, hi, Adrien. I'm sorry I didn't get to introduce myself earlier." He said, holding his hand out but was surprised as the Ladybug chuckled removing his mask for a moment. His eyes widened in surprise as his friend was the one standing before him.

"Nice to meet you, but I think we've met before." Marin joked as he stared at his friend for a moment as he hid his face from the audience with his hand.

"You're Ladybug?!" He gasped in surprise as Marin nodded shyly.

"Disappointed you have to work with me?" He asked nervously. But Adrien immediately shook his head, relieved as at least there was a familiar friendly face here.

"Of course not." Adrien said easily, but his smile turned into an apologetic grin. "I'm sorry, I guess I'm not living up to the whole, cool cat persona Chat Noir has." He joked, disappointed in himself that he wasn't as amazing as his other counterpart, his friend's favorite hero.

"Just because you're nervous?" Marin asked placing the mask back on.

"Kinda..." Adrien murmured. "I wish I could wear the lucky charm you gave me, I could use some courage right about now." He sighed lowering his head, but was shocked as Marin, quite forwardly, took Adrien's hand, slapping them together as the shorter boy flinched fro a moment. He was confused for a moment, but then recalled the gesture, a smile breaking out on his face.

"Seriously?" He asked as Marin nodded with an encouraging nod. Adrien gelt a warmth bubble into his chest, the problem still hung over his head like a dark cloud, but he couldn't help but feel a little hopeful as he took a deep breath. " I am Adrien Agreste. I'm a fantastic person, an amazing friend, and am someone whose confidence inspires others. But above all..." Adrien said with a light-hearted smile, laughing through the words as Marin tried to suppress his own giggles. "I have a beautiful smile."

Both of them broke into laughter as someone then slammed the doors open of the building, catching everyone's attention. All eyes were on the Mayor who was walking in with a large stack of papers and Chloé smirking smugly beside him.

" I'm sorry. My administrative staff just realized you never submitted permit A38 as stipulated in the circular B65 that one can only get at counter C, third floor of City Hall, which is, alas, closed for renovations until August, which means you don't have a permit to shoot...anywhere in France, including Paris." The Mayor said as he handed all the papers to Clara, who was stunned.

"I...I don't understand!" She said, no longer singing.

"It means no more dancing, no more singing today," Chloé said cruelly as she took Clara's microphone, throwing it on the ground as the idol fell to her knees, holding it in her hands as tears started to fall. "The nightingale can spread her wings, and fly away! Oh! Did you hear that? I made a rhyme! How talented am I?" She laughed as she walked past the idol.

"No! The video needs to be shot here, in Paris, the capital of love, the city of Ladybug and Chat Noir...I'm so sorry, my beloved fans!" She apologized running past Adrien and Marin and into the trailer.

Marin's expression fell as he chased after Clara as Adrien glared at Chloé who was looking proud at her own actions, while her father at least had a semblance of guilt.

"The show is over! You all have to leave now." Chloé laughed triumphantly as everyone started to disperse.

Adrien took a deep breath, trying to calm his anger as he turned back to Marin who knocked on the trailer door, trying to coax Clara out of her trailer. All of a sudden, he was thrown back as the door suddenly opened, revealing a new Akumatized villain. Her attention was on Chloé who was still laughing, jumping towards the top of a nearby trailer.

"Chloé, watch out!" Adrien called out as the new villain hit Chloé and her father with her whip.

"Sing, dance or rhyme, or you'll be frozen in no time!" She warned as Adrien backed away, turning a corner. His back was against the trailer as Plagg phased through.

Adrien smiled at his Kwami, "Ready to shake a leg?"

"I'm much better at singing," Plagg remarked.

"Plagg, claws out!"

Marin rubbed the back of his head painfully as he noticed people were being turned into statues. He lost sight of Adrien but spotted the rest of his friends were already turned into statues. He quickly sprinted into the trailer, closing the door behind him as Tikki then flew out.

"Good thing you're already in costume." She joked as Marin couldn't help but chuckle.

"Tikki, spots on!"

Outside the Grand Palais Ladybug landed on the roof as he saw the new villain was rapidly turning more people into statues by the second, hitting others with her whip which was originally her microphone.

"Sing, dance or rhyme, or you'll be frozen in no time!" The villain announced as she laughed.

Ladybug narrowed his eyes, throwing his yo-yo as it wrapped around her leg, tripping her as Ladybug jumped down. He earned a glare from the new villain as she grabbed the string from his yo-yo.

"I'm Frightningale from here on out, Forever and ever, there's no doubt! And if you stand in my way, there'll be a price to pay!" She sang as she jerked the yo-yo towards her, and along with it Ladybug who was sent flying, landing on his back as Frightningale grabbed his neck. "Song and dance will make the world a better place." She remarked pinning him down using her enhanced strength, her smiled faded for a moment as Ladybug only glared at her. "Don't agree with me? Ha! Then you're a disgrace!" She cried out angrily, about to use her whip until it was knocked out of her hand.

"Do you mind if I join the dance?" Chat Noir asked as he rested his head on his staff.

Frightningale growled, leaping after her weapon as Ladybug jumped back onto his feet. He grabbed his yo-yo standing together with Chat Noir against Frightningale.

"Do you really think the two of you can win this battle through and through?" She sang as both heroes dashed towards her. Ladybug knelt for a moment as Chat Noir used him as a ramp to jump from above as he threw his yo-yo towards Frightningale's leg's. However, the villain easily evaded them gracefully as she grabbed Chat Noir's arm, throwing him towards Ladybug who caught him in his arms, both of them then being hit by Frightningale's whip. Ladybug blinked for a moment as he placed Chat Noir down, noticing that the two of them were surrounded by a pink aura as Frightningale laughed.

"Welcome to my musical show. I hope it will be your fatal blow!" She cackled as Ladybug began to turn into a statue, while Chat Noir tried to attack again. He grabbed his partner's tail.

"Wait! Stay right here and dance, or else you'll be frozen without a chance!" Ladybug rhymed as his transformation stopped, tapping his foot to a beat.

"Yeah, you're right. We have to rhyme. Not so easy, um...all the time?" Chat Noir rhymed as the two evaded another attack, trying not to get frozen.

"We both don't mean to do any harm, so allow me to activate my Lucky charm!" Ladybug said throwing his yo-yo into the air as Chat Noir held off Frightningale. A pair of handcuffs fell into his hand as he suddenly pulled Chat Noir back, the two of them ducking for cover as Frightningale laughed maliciously.

"You think you two are being so clever, But soon you'll tire yourselves, and be frozen forever!" Frightningale warned.

Chat Noir smiled at his partner cheekily as they both danced in place behind a bus. "My sweet Bugaboo, I believe the Lucky charm agrees, that perhaps you'd like to be closer to me-hey!" he said but wasn't expecting Ladybug to fall to his knees, unbuckling his belt, locking it around their ankles, then doing the same with the cuffs to their wrists. "A little warning would be nice, you know." He said as Ladybug flashed him an apologetic smile.

"Chat Noir you're always walking around with such optimism. Would you mind leading me in this dance, using your..." Ladybug said as Chat Noir looked at him in confusion, then flashed him a toothy grin as he held his hand up.

"Cataclysm!" He said, activating his power just in time as Frightningale slashed the bus clean through, her eyes widening in surprise as she saw the two heroes bound together.

Frightningale glared at the two of them, "You can't bend the rules! Dancing tied up is cheating, fools!" She remarked, dashing towards them, but was met with resistance as both of them kicked her back.

"When someone's akumatized," Ladybug started to say as the two walked up to her.

"We never compromise." Chat Noir finished as Frightningale crawled back, looking a little fearful as she kept trying to hit them with her whip. But she soon retreated back into the building as she was being pursued.

"Feeling unsteady? Then you must have realized that you've lost already!" Chat Noir remarked as the two broke into a sprint, catching Frightningale off guard as they kicked her weapon out of her hand, catching it together as it was destroyed when it came into contact with Chat Noir's power, freeing the Akuma. Ladybug removed the cuffs, throwing them into the air as Chat Noir unbuckled the belt.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Both of them called out as everything turn back to normal.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

Ladybug and Chat Noir bumped fists victoriously as Clara turned back to normal. Ladybug helped her to her feet."Ladybug? Chat Noir! What are you doing here?" She asked in confusion, but as he handed back her broken microphone. She looked at it sadly.

"Anything can be repaired you know, so don't try to handle this problem solo." Ladybug offered, whispering something in her ear as Clara smiled in appreciated.

Marin and Adrien stood in the library with the rest of their classmates looking at the new music video that included almost all of them. Adrien scanned the video in surprise as he jabbed Marin in the side gently, trying to get his attention. 

"You're not in this one?" He asked as Marin looked away sheepishly.

"I'm not a fan of the camera." Marin admitted, growing nervous as Adrien gave him a mischevious grin. 

"But you seemed so eager to become Ladybug?" He joked as Marin chuckled. 

"There's no way I could be Ladybug." He said, "I honestly thought Clara would replace me as soon as she saw me dance. But you ruined that plan." He sighed as Adrien glanced at him curiously. "There's no way I could've let you do that alone." He clarified as Adrien smiled fondly at him, but the taller boy immediately broke through the fondness, rubbing the back of his head. "Besides, me as Ladybug? That's a recipe for disaster." 

Adrien chuckled. "Probably, but it would be worse if I was Chat Noir. All that pressure to save the day, no thanks." 

"I think you'd be a good Chat Noir." Marin said. 

"Because of my sense of humor?" Adrien asked. 

"No." Marin remarked, folding his hands behind his back, hanging his head with a small smile on his face. 

Because you're just as kind. 

"Oh, but please don't tell Alya what I did today, please, she would never let me forget I did this." Marin pleaded as he clapped his hands together pleadingly, his face burning at the memory as Adrien placed his hands on his hips. 

"Sure, but you owe me big time." He said with a sly expression, laughing as simply Marin stuck his tongue out at him. 

Chapter Text

Marin ran into the locker rooms, not late for once as he walked past many of his classmates smiling among themselves, sharing what presents they had made for their teacher.

"Hiya cutie." Alya greeted as she greeted her best friend. "Everyone's got their gift just like you planned." She said as Marin smiled.

"Yeah it looks like everything is going to go smoothly." He said, opening up his locker. Alya then suddenly took his hand, noticed various bandages on his fingers. She shot him a concerned expression as he chuckled nervously.

"I'm still a little new to embroidery." He chuckled as Alya sighed.

"You work too hard." Alya sighed giving him a half hug as Adrien walked up to them.

"What did you get Miss Bustier, Marin? I'm sure you've come up with something awesome, as usual." He said with a sink as Marin chuckled nervously.

Marin took out a pretty looking handmade paper box. He removed the lid revealing a pink make up bag. He pointed down to the embroidered quote. "If we wish to change the world, we must all learn to love each other." That's one of the first things Miss Bustier taught us when we first started her class. I think it was one of her most important lessons." He said as then opened up the bag taking out a black tube. "I also made this lib balm for her, it's Miss Bustier's favorite color." He said, smiling shyly as everyone complimented his hard work.

"Come to think of it, Miss Bustier is probably the reason we all get along so awesomely." Alya commented as she placed her arm around his shoulder.

"How about you, Chloé? What's your present?" Adrien asked turning back towards his childhood friend who slammed her locker closed, glaring at everyone who turned towards her.

"Nothing. Just like every year since kindergarten." Alix called out as everyone chuckled.

"It's not her fault, okay? Chloé just doesn't like birthdays! She never remembers them, just like her mom." Sabrina said trying to defend her friend.

"Yeah, well, you don't have to tell 'em my life story, either. Anyway, all that stuff about compliments and love? Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!"

"It's alright if you forgot to bring your gift." Marin said, trying to quell the growing tension. "I'm sure Miss Bustier won't mind if you give it a few days late." He tried to reassure as Chloé glared at him.

"What are you trying to say Dupain-Cheung? That I'm some kind of idiot for forgetting a stupid present?!"

"What? No, of course not-" Marin said stammering over his words, uneasy at Chloé's bubbling rage, but faltered as he couldn't find the right words.

Marin sighed as Alya turned towards him, "This girl's got no heart."

"Of course I have a heart! Daddy will even buy me a second one, if I want." Chloé snapped back as the bell then rang. Everyone dispersed back their classes as Marin placed his gift back into his locker, walking with Alya to their next class.

Adrien had already placed his gift on Miss Bustier's desk as he watched Marin and Alya walk-in at the end of the day. They both placed their gifts on her desk as their teacher looked so touched by the gesture.

"Oh! Thank you all, so sweet!" Miss Bustier said as her eyes welled up with tears, touched by her student's gesture. Every smiled in anticipation as she picked up the first gift, a familiar homemade box.

"Marin made that one." Alya said.

Adrien looked back at his friend who was smiling hopefully, giving him a thumbs-up as both of them heard Miss Bustier gasp. Everyone looked on in surprise as Miss Bustier forced a nervous smile. But Marin suddenly walked over to their teacher, looking down at his present in shock as then glared at Chloé angrily.

"I know you did this, Chloé!" He exclaimed as Adrien noticed the black marker on the make up bag, effectively destroying all his work.

"A 99.56% certainty," Max remarked as everyone nodded in agreement as all of them were witnesses to Chloé's previous blow up.

"How childish can you get?!" Marin snapped as Chloé retaliated with a smirk. Right next to her Sabrina held her head down, guiltily.

"Calm down. We don't want to get upset on my birthday, now, do we?" Miss Bustier said trying to calm down the class as Marin looked back at her in disbelief.

"What? You're going to let her get away with this?! Miss Bustier she's-" He was about to explain as their teacher clapped her hands.

"Marinus, you know my classroom is not a place for insults and defamation. Please come with me." Miss Bustier said as Marin hung his head in defeat.

Everyone whispered among themselves as Marin shut his eyes tightly for a moment walking out of the classroom rubbing his injuries as Miss Bustier followed close behind. "Alya. I'm relying on you to make sure things don't get out of hand while we're gone."

Alya nodded, "Okay, Miss." But as soon as the teacher left the room, she Adrien and Nino exchanged a concerned glance.

As soon as Miss Bustier closed the door behind her, Marin took a deep breath, trying to quell his anger. But couldn't as he saw the makeup bag still scribbled on with black marker, covering up almost all of the fabric and the embroidery.

"Don't worry Marin, you're not in trouble. I think this present is wonderful. It'll be my new cosmetics bag, then I'll be able to think of both of my wonderful students, every time I use it. Miss Bustier tried to reassure but only served to make Marin tensed up.

"Miss Bustier, it's so not fair! It was Chloé, pulling another...Chloé! I worked days on that gift and she ruined it just because she's insecure!" Marin retorted, slightly flinching as his teacher placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Marinus, as the class representative, I want you to set a good example for your classmates. Don't give into feelings of anger. Try to forgive Chloé instead." She said with a gentle smile, but Marin's anger only grew.

"Forgive her?" Miss Bustier, Chloé's bullied me for years, she's gone out of her way to make me miserable. I'm not going to just forgive her so easily, she's the one who should be apologizing to me." Marin said.

"Come on... There are much worse people in Paris right now than Chloé Bourgeois. I'm sure people like Chloé are capable of great things. The problem is, they only think of themselves. They don't understand the meaning of love, and we can't force them to change. But perhaps we can show them by setting a good example. That's why people like you are so important in today's world; because they have a lot of love to give. I'm counting on you." Miss Bustier said with a smile.

Marin sighed heavily. His anger subsiding slightly, but still lingering as his work had been all a waste, just because Chloé had to be the center of attention at all times. But he nodded his head, feeling a little better as Miss Bustier pulled him into a hug.

All of a sudden Marin's eyes widened as he could sense negative energy, looking behind him as an Akuma fluttered by. Miss Bustier gasped fearfull as she pulled him into his embrace trying to swat away the Akuma. "Go away! I won't let you possess one of my students!" But as she tried to protect him, the Akuma flew towards her growing fear. As she threw the bag at him the lip balm fell out as the Akuma possess it. Miss Bustier's grip on him went limp as she backed up into the wall, holding her head in pain trying to fight back against Hawkmoth. "No! No! I am not going to listen to you! You can't force me to do evil!"

Marin looked at his teacher anxiously, guilt-ridden as his anger was the catalyst that triggered the Akuma to begin with. "Don't give up! Think only positive thoughts!" He said, but his anxiety grew as his teacher stopped struggling. "Miss Bustier, please-" Marin pleaded as he reached out towards his teacher but recoiled back as he saw her transform before his eyes. "I won't stop until everyone on Earth feels love." Quickly he grabbed the lip balm before jumping down the stairs and sprinting into the locker room, locking the door behind him as his heart raced.

He heard a buzzing in his ears as it became hard to breathe, tears welling up in eyes as his chest tightened. He only really calmed down as Tikki flew out of his bag, hugging his face. He focused instead on her sensation, focusing on his breathing.

"Thank you Tikki." He said gratefully dropping the lip balm on the ground as he stomped on it, releasing the Akuma. Tikki quickly ate the Akuma, releasing a purified butterfly as the only thing that remained was the lip balm with a cracked shell. Marin sighed heavily, sitting down for a moment as he held his head in his hands. Tikki sat down on his leg for a moment, looking up at him in concern.

Marin took a moment to gather his thoughts, taking another deep breath as he mumbled under his breath. "Tikki, spots on." After he transformed, he used his yo-yo to jump out of the window and onto the roof. He spotted that his teacher had turned back to normal, being surrounded by his classmates. Ladybug looked at the lip balm in his hand, dropping it back into the school as he then jumped into the inner city.

"You did well today." Master Fu praised while Marinus held his head. Tikki and Wayzz had flown into the Miracle box under Master Fu's order as the two talked.

"I doubt it master, the only reason that Akuma was released was because I overreacted." He said as Master Fu poured tea for him.

"You're too hard on yourself," The Master said as he sat down. "Hawkmoth is vicious in his attacks, he'll take advantage of anyone he can. The important thing is that you reacted well, and nipped the problem in the bud before it had a chance to grow. Your training is paying off." He compliments as a small smile drew on Marin's face, holding the warm cup of tea in his hands.

"Master, have you ever tried to use the Ladybug Miraculous yourself to track down Hawkmoth?" Marin asked curiously. "If I can sense the Akuma within a limited range, then maybe a master like you could track down the source." he reasoned, but Master Fu shook his head.

"If I were to use the Ladybug Miraculous it would take years to even sense to even reach the point you have Marinus." He said as Marin's eyes widened with surprise. "When Miraculous are distributed, they are given to those who can bond easier to their specific Kwami. I was assigned Wayzz decades ago because as a Guardian it is my duty to protect the Miraculous above all else, no matter the cost. You were assigned Tikki, the Kwami of creation, not only because of your kind nature, but because of your creativity, and willingness to face even the most trying situations. Chat Noir received Plagg for similar reasons, but also because Plagg's partners were always people who could balance out his mischevious nature without trying to constrain him." He explained as he took a sip of his tea.

"Master, Hawkmoth is growing stronger by the day." Marin remarked, deep in thought for a moment until he lifted his head. "Maybe Chat Noir should know about this as well, about the grimoire, about the miracle box, about you?" He suggested carefully as Master Fu glanced at his student knowingly. "He's the most trustworthy person I know, loyal to a fault, and cares about protecting people. I think he deserves to know." Marin said sincerely.

Master Fu hummed for a moment, walking towards the window, recalling past years, past failures..."There is a reason I never introduced myself to either of you when we first met. Knowing about my existence is one thing, but making a direct connection, learning of my identity...there could be grave consequences to what you're proposing."

"But maybe it's all the more reason to bring Chat Noir into this, he can help us as well." Marin reasoned, "You're the one who chose him after all, Master. That has to count for something."

Fu closed his eyes for a moment, thinking about his chosen's words, stroking his beard. "Marinus, I trust your judgment," He said opening up his eyes. "if you decide to inform Chat Noir about everything, then I will support your decision.

Marin's eyes widened in surprise, a smile crossing his face before he coughed, trying to remain humble. "Thank you Master. I know that we won't regret this."

Chapter Text

"You sure you're okay dude?" Nino asked behind the screen as he Marin, Adrien, and Alya were on a shared video call. Marin was sitting in his room surrounded by various crumple up papers and pens but was grateful none of it would show on camera. "You ducked out pretty fast the other day."

"Give me a little credit here, what would you have done if you saw an Akuma flying around. I'm not apologizing for getting the heck out of there." Marin said as-a-matter-like, crossing his arms defensively.

"Dude, once she put gum in his hair just on a whim. You think you'll ever grow out your hair life that again?" Nino asked.

"Probably not, it'd give me too much anxiety. Like, what if someone tries to cut it from behind?"

"Then call the police." Nino said simply.

"Wait, how long was his hair?" Alya asked suddenly interested Adrien looked curious as well.

"I don't think it's that important-"

"Mid-back, but he kept it braided up most of the time."

"Nino!" Marin snapped, trying to disregard his younger years of thinking it was a good idea.

"What?" Nino said innocently, even though he knew exactly what he did. "Every girl was heartbroken when you cut it, Rose especially. I got pictures, you guys want to see?" He asked as Alya immediately jumped on that train.

"So- Adrien would you like to maybe change the topic?" Marin asked anxiously as his tragic past was about to unburied.

"Heck no I wanna see pics."

"Adrien!" Marin snapped as Adrien giggled.

"Alright well, I'm going with my father and my friend Kagami to England this weekend for some wedding in a few hours."

Marin's stomach fell as he heard that, his previous shame almost gone. But even so, pushed a smile through despite the fact that the person he liked was going to a wedding with the girl he spent alot of time with. "Ooo a wedding, how romantic." He said cheekily, batting his eyelashes while resting his head on his hands.

"Lucky Kagami, getting to venture out with our Adrikins." Alya said with a sly smile, followed up by Nino banging on his desk.

"How could you cheat on us?! I thought we had something special!" He then turned away shedding crocodile tears as Adrien looked overwhelmed with his friends' jokes as he just sighed with a smile on his face.

"It's not like that, our parents are friends, besides Kagami's my fencing buddy."

"Hear that? He's trying to cover his tracks." Marin remarked as Adrien stared at him, as if to say, why are you like this? "Anyway, I have to work on something, see you guys." Marin waved as the call ended, leaving him in his room alone as he turned back to the various letters that he had written.

Marin chewed on the back of his pen, trying to formulate how exactly he should explain the situation to his partner. However, whatever he wrote didn't seem right, it was either underwhelming or too dramatic.

"You need to write from the heart." Tikki advised, sitting on his jewelry box, privy to all his previous failed attempts. "You're thinking pragmatically, like Ladybug. You think to think like Marinus."

"First of all, Marinus is a silly verb, and a name." He remarked now balancing his pen on the bridge of his nose. "Second, I can't take this lightly Tikki. Revealing the Master's identity to Chat Noir places him in danger if Hawkmoth ever decides to make contact. I don't even know if this is a good idea." He sighed resting his head on the back of his chair as Tikki then sat on his head.

"But you trust me don't you?" She asked, right in his sightline. "I would never advise you to do something that wasn't in your best interest." She remarked kissing his forehead as Marin smiled at his Kwami.

He took a deep breath, writing what was in his heart, fear along with sincerity, and the words flowed naturally until he was finally finished. He placed the letter in a plain white envelope as both he and Tikki were suddenly surprised.

"Marinus!"

They both turned to see a familiar green Kwami phasing through the wall and towards them with a concerned expression on his face.

" Wayzz?" Marin asked, "You're not supposed to be outside." He said pocketing the letter.

"You must come with me; Master Fu needs you!" The turtle Kwami said with haste as he then phased back out of the wall, leaving the two confused.

"Do you think it's serious?" Marinus asked.

"Master Fu wouldn't send Wayzz if it wasn't!"

Marin sighed, recalling the previous times Wayzz had visited, mostly because Master Fu had locked himself out of his house. But digressed as he then grabbed his messenger bag, walking out to check on his master.

Marin walked into the shop, growing concerned as he saw the Master lain down on the ground nearby a doctor who was writing something down. The master looked to be in pain as he groaned out.

" Marinuuussss!"

Marin quickly took off his shoes, kneeling down next to his Master. "Is he okay ma'am?" He asked.

"Who are you?" She asked curiously, slightly tilting her head.

"Uh...I'm his grandson." Marin said with a nervous smile as the doctor smiled at him.

"Don't worry, he'll just being a little dramatic."

"My time has come!" Master Fu groaned as then held his stomach in pain.

Marin sighed in relief as the doctor handed him a prescription. "Here you go; fetch this from the pharmacy and he'll be back on his feet in no time. And don't forget to eat more veggies, Mr. Chan. You need fiber, for guts' sake!" She chuckled as she left the room.

Marin grumbled to himself as Tikki flew out. " Again, "Mr. Chan?" I thought you said you were going to eat better." He scolded, but still adjusted his blankets until Master Fu placed his hand over his, looking at him seriously.

" Marinus, if anything happens to me, I want you to take care of the Miracle box — you'll be the new guardian and—"

"Come on, Master Fu, you're overreacting; it's just a little bellyache, that's all!" He said patting his hand in return.

"I am 186 years old, who knows when the day may come."

Marin smiled softly at him, "If you have enough strength to backtalk me then you'll be just fine. I'll go and fetch your medication then-"

"That's not why I called you here." He said as Wayzz flew over with a white letter in hand. "Go to the address written here down on the river banks at 11am. You'll see a woman there wearing a pretty brooch shaped like a Chinese ideogram. Give her this letter."

Marin looked over the letter, noticing it had the name, Marin, on the back. "Who is she, Master?"

Master Fu looked up at the ceiling with whistful eyes. "Someone I've always loved but have never seized the moment to tell. Perhaps I've waited far too long. But all I know is I don't know how much time I have left and I don't want to waste another moment." He said seriously as he then noticed Marin smiling down at him with glee.

"Master, you've got a sweetheart?!" Marin said excitedly.

"Is that the only thing you took from my story?!"

"Wayzz did you know?"

"Of course, a day hasn't gone past that he hasn't thought or talked about her." Wayzz said.

"Awww, that's so sweet." Marin remarked, standing up. "Don't worry about a thing today Master, you just rest." Marin said reassuringly as he placed the letter in his pocket.

Marin dashed out of the shop but abruptly ran into someone accidentally, not realizing one of the letters had fallen out of his pocket.

"OW!"

As Marin lifted his head, his face heated in embarrassment as he realized who he ran into. "Adrien?" He asked, as he helped the shorter boy to his feet. "I thought you were supposed to be on a train today.

Adrien nodded, surprised to see his friend, but not unhappy. "I am, but I wanted to pick up some camembert while the car is stuck in traffic. What are you doing here?"

"Oh uh," Marin mumbled, "Helping the elderly?" He offered as Adrien's expression lit up slightly.

"That's very kind of you considering how busy you always seem to be." He remarked as Marin felt a little shame even though he wasn't exactly lying.

"Well, I won't be keeping you, okay bye!" He said, then sprinting off trying to hide his red face.

Adrien watched his friend sprint away down the street as he noticed a white envelope on the ground. He looked over it, seeing that it had Marin's name on the back. He suddenly grew panicked, looking around for his friend who had disappeared.

"Uh oh."

Ladybug ran across the rooftops, using the momentum from his yo-yo to help him close the space between him and the river.

As he landed, he recognized who gasped in surprise but looked back him as his attention was focused on an elderly woman with the broach that Master Fu mentioned earlier.

"Hello ma'am." He greeted, falling down on one knee before her as he pulled a letter out of his yo-yo, handing it to her. "I uh, have a letter for you; the mailman asked me to give it to you because there was something wrong with hi—"

"I know perfectly well who sent you, young man." The elderly woman said with a smile as she gently patted his head as though he were a small child. "Thank you, Ladybug. I've been waiting for this moment for a very long time.

Ladybug nodded, standing up, "You're welcome, ma'am! It was very nice meeting you." He said politely, bowing his head respectfully before he used his yo-yo to jump towards the Pharmacy.

Adrien tapped his foot as he sat next to Kagami on the train, his father had stopped the train for some reason, so they probably weren't going anywhere for a while. No one would mind if he ducked out for a little bit.

"I, uh, need to use the restroom." He said as Kagami simply glanced at him, returning her attention back outside.

As soon as he entered the restroom be sighed heavily as Plagg flew out.

"Well? Aren't you going to open it?"

"I can't open it, it's not mine."

"But you're curious aren't you? It's not even sealed, so he'd not even going to know that you opened it." Plagg said in a tempting voice. "Here, I'll help." He said snatching the letter from Adrien's hands and flying up as high as he could out of reach.

"Hey- Plagg!" Adrien called out in annoyance.

Plagg skimmed the letter over but gagged as he finished, tossing the letter back down. "Yuck, it's just some dumb confession."

"Confession?" Adrien asked curiously as he picked up the letter in his hands. He read what was a heartfelt array of words, signed Fu at the end. He wasn't certain what to do with this information placed in front of him. So then sat down with the door to his back as Plagg flew down.

"Isn't it great though." The Kwami remarked as Adrien just stared at him.

"How is this great?" He asked bitterly, not certain as to why he felt sour. Probably because Marin was his friend, and friends probably shouldn't hide the fact that they were confessed to and then proceed to ignore the matter entirely. What if someone were to find the confession letter and the wrong idea about the context of the situation? This entire scenario was just going to get more complicated as Adrien realized that he had to return the letter, no matter how he felt about the contents within.

"Now you know what's in the letter." Plagg remarked with a cheeky smiled as Adrien sighed in exasperation at his Kwami.

Marin transformed back behind an alley, feeding Tikki a cookie within his bag as he turned into the Pharmacy. "Morning, ma'am!" He said as he handed out the prescription paper.

She looked over it, nodding as she walked deeper in the shop. Marin sighed in relief as he placed his hands in his pockets...feeling nothing. His eyes widened in a panic as he patted down his pockets again, but there was nothing. Meaning, his heartfelt, bittersweet letter was out there in the city. Suddenly, he sensed an Akuma nearby, turning towards the door as he saw a few cars being driven in reverse.

"Here you go." The pharmacist said, handing over a bag as Marin nodded his thanks. He placed the medicine in his bag as he ran back out onto the streets. His eyes widened in shock as a new villain jumped past him, feeling a pang of guilt as he recognized the emblem she bore. Running back into the alley, Tikki flew out of his bag, still chewing on her cookies.

"I've made a horrible mistake Tikki." He said panicked as he held his head shamefully. "Marianne must have gotten my letter to Chat Noir."

"How can you be so sure, maybe Fu's letter was just that bad?" Tikki suggested even though it didn't sound like she believed her own words.

Marin groaned into his hands before lifting his head. "This is my mess, I'll be the one to fix it. Tikki, spots on!"

At Place de la Concorde, the clockwork looking villain with cracks on her face, placed her can on the wheel, forcing it and all it's passengers to move backward. She quickly avoided Ladybug's attack as the two then jumped to the ground. Ladybug noticed one her cracks disappearing as she smiled at him sinisterly.

"There you are again, you ghastly bug! Once I've touched you, all I have to do is wait for you to transform back!" The Villain said pointing her weapon, a clock hand, towards him. "You're the key to reuniting me with my lost love, your Guardian." She said with a sinister smile as Ladybug's eyes widened in shock. Every Akumatized victim had direct contact with their creator, he learned that. Meaning...

"He's been hiding from me, under a false name for a long time, but now thanks to you, Hawk Moth, I'm going to find him again at last and make up for all that lost time." She said as she tried to stab him with her weapon, to which he evaded, jumping back as he threw his yo-yo in the air.

"Lucky charm!" He called out as a tube of paint fell into his hands. He looked over it for a moment curiously, humming to himself as the villain pointed her weapon towards him.

"Once I've defeated you, you'll lead me straight to my beloved." She stated as she charged towards Ladybug who seemingly had his guard down. But as she drew closer, Ladybug popped the cap off of the red paint, squeezing it all on to her face as he used his yo-yo to break her glass and her pin, releasing the Akuma.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.

Marianne looked around in confusion as Ladybug picked up the fallen pin, handing it back to her as he helped the elder woman to her feet, leading her towards a bench as he knelt before her.

"What happened to me?" She asked in confusion.

"I'm sorry ma'am, this is my fault. I accidentally gave you the wrong letter." He apologized, hanging his head in defeat.

"Then this..." She murmured as Ladybug gently took it from her hand.

"Was never meant to be ready by you." Ladybug finished. "I'm sorry, but I have no idea where the letter that Master wrote went. I...I won't ask for forgiveness as I can't do anything to change the past but, would you let me try to correct my mistake?" He asked, however, Marianne placed her hand under his chin, lifting up his head as she smiled gently at him. There was no anger, or sadness in her eyes, simply understanding as she gestured for him to sit down next to her. As he did so, she held his hand while holding the letter he gave her earlier.

"This letter is incredibly sad my dear. Won't you tell me what's wrong?" She asked gently as Ladybug's heart wavered, gripping her hand back.

"I...I wrote it for my partner, my Chat Noir." Ladybug stammered as he felt exposed. "I thought that we would be stronger together if he knew everything I did about the master and the Miraculous."

Marianne nodded, "What is it exactly are you scared about?"

Ladybug thought for a moment, his expression growing more sullen. "I'm afraid about what would happen if Hawkmoth were to track us down. If either Chat Noir or I or even Master Fu had to fight him alone. I failed my partner before because of my own mistake, and it was only because of someone else that he was actually saved. If I make another mistake like that again, if I crossed that line...I don't know what would happen. And I can't bear the thought of losing either of them..."He murmured as fear took hold of his heart. But the negativity was softened as Marienne placed her hand on his cheek, smiling.

"You're such a sweet boy." She remarked as Ladybug chuckled, feeling a semblance of comfort in her presence, starting to understand why Master Fu held a torch for her for so long. "So long as you can trust in yourself, and allow yourself to be vulnerable with your allies, I believe that you will be just fine." She said confidently as Ladybug smiled. He then flinched as he heard his Miraculous beep immediately, standing up.

"It was very lovely to meet you Ma'am." He said respectfully.

"The pleasure is all mine, Ladybug." Marianne said as she sighed with a content expression on her face.

My dearest friend, when you care for someone you must never hold back from telling them the truth when you have the chance. Because one day you might realize that it's too late and that all your hopes and dreams are ruined with no way to go back in time and do it over. Even though may never know each other, I hope you don't think badly of me when you hear what I need to say.

I've wanted to tell you the whole truth for a long time now, I thought I was being held back by my obligations, but I now realize that it was my own fear and weakness. I don't know what may happen in the future, but no matter what you think of me from now on. I sincerely hope that you will never blame yourself for what may come at the price of knowing that truth.

Marin read to himself. as he internally cringed at his own wording, the letter that got Marianne akumatised as he sat with his back to stone railing, overhearing the reunion of Master Fu and Marianne. He felt a pang of immense guilt, realizing that it was because of him that they couldn't be together anymore, even after being reunited after so many years.

"Why doesn't he just tell her?" Tikki inquired as she looked down at the two lovebirds.

"Because it's probably not the right time yet." Marin said as he placed the letter back in the envelope.

"How about you?" Tikki asked curiously. "Chat Noir can still be a powerful ally if you only let him in."

Marin closed his eyes, lifting his head and he focused his thoughts. Hawkmoth had found his direct connection to the master in Ladybug. The situation was different than before, he had compromised the master's safety, and with it had to accept any responsibility that came with it.

"I'm sorry, Tikki." He murmured under his breath as he ripped up the letter in two. As he stood up, he tossed it away in the trash as Tikki gasped. She looked up at her partner sadly before returning to his bag. He then faced forward, walking on home.

Marin went straight up to his room, throwing his bag to the side after Tikki flew out. She retreated to his bed for a nap while he sat down at his desktop with a heavy sigh. For a moment he rested his head in his hands, uncertain of what to do now.

All of a sudden, his computer played a few musical notes as a call icon popped up. Marin hummed for a moment; didn't particularly want to talk to anyone at the moment, then again maybe he could use a distraction. He clicked the green icon and was met with Adrien's face as he was calling from his cell phone from within a hotel room.

Marin wished he had ignored it as his face reddened. "Hi." He said simply as he clutched his pants.

"Okay you can't get mad." Adrien said, bluntly, surprising Marin.

The taller boy tilted his head curiously, "Alright?" He said, but then his heart raced as Adrien held up a familiar white envelope.

"I didn't steal it I swear. I found it when we bumped into each other this morning, and I had every intention of returning it." He explained nervously, "But I kinda got curious, so I opened it, and read it..." He admitted, looking guilty as he averted his gaze.

Marin sighed heavily, handing his head for a moment. "So that's where it went." He remarked, holding his head in his hands as Adrien looked at him in concern.

"I'm...sorry, I was going to call you earlier, but, y'know." He said.

"It's alright Adrien, it doesn't matter anymore." Marin said, feeling a pain in his heart. "You can rip it up for all I care." He said apathetically, shocking Adrien.

"Is everything alright?" He asked, worry now growing on his face, but Marin then slapped his cheeks.

" I'm alright." He chuckled, smiling at his friend. "I'm just realizing how scatterbrained I am for losing that." He said trying to reassure his friend, but only served to worry him further.

"You know, if anything's wrong, you can talk to me, I'm always here for you." Adrien said gently, but Marin shook his head, still smiling.

"It's fine, don't worry about. I'll see you Adrien." Marin said as Adrien looked conflicted for a moment but then nodded.

"Yeah, see you..." He said, but still stared down at his phone even when the call ended. He gripped the letter in his hand, uncertain of what to do with it now. It seemed like this piece of paper had caused his friend a lot of trouble today, simply tossing it seemed...underwhelming. He turned to his Kwami who was lazing around on the bed gnawing on a wheel of camembert.

"Hey Plagg do you wanna destroy something with no repercussions?" He asked as Plagg's ears perked up, his eyes practically sparkling as he flew towards him in glee.

Chapter Text

Marinus held his breath as long as he could, watching as the bubbles of escaping air danced to the surface. A few seconds later he pushed himself to the surface, taking a deep breath as he then rested his arms on the edge of the pool standing in the 4ft end of the pool. He sighed heavily, still catching his breath as he looked up at Kim and Ondine.

"What's this for again?" He asked, taking off his swim cap and goggles, trying to ignore Kim's laughs at now matted up hair.

"Controlling your breathing is one of the basics," Ondine said helpfully. "One you get the hand of that, maybe we can teach you how to swim without the floaties." He chuckled as Marin laughed along sarcastically.

"Ha ha, very funny. It's not my fault I sink, I'm made for sewing, not being a fish." He said lifting himself out of the pool to dry off, wearing black jammer trunks with pastel pink stripes in the side.

Ondine hummed to herself for a moment, "Are you pure muscle or something?"

"I dunno." He said sitting down next to her as he dried his hair with a towel.

"Hey, you wanna walk over to the movie together?" Kim asked holding up his phone to check the time.

"I can't I have chores," Marin remarked as he left the towel on his head. "Maybe I'll have some free time later on."

"Whaaat?" Kim remarked. "You say you're working all the time, you need to have some fun once in a while dude." Suddenly his eyes widened. "Hey, wanna see how fast you'll sink?" he asked seriously as Marin looked at him with a deadpanned expression.

"Yes Kim, I'd like to see how fast I'd sink." Marin said sarcastically but felt a sinking feeling as Kim's eyes lit up. "Kim. Kim no. Kim. KIM-" Marin called out, trying to escape. But unluckily, his friend wrapped his arms around his waist, easily picking him up.

"BONZAI!" Kim yelled out as Marin cried out in a panic as both of them ended up in the pool while laughter echoed through the pool hall.

Marin sighed heavily after he drank the hot tea within Master Fu's shop. He wore his cat hoodie and still smelled like chlorine, only hoping that he wouldn't fall sick after his make-shift swimming lesson. "Master what did you want to talk about today?" He asked as Tikki and Wayzz chased each other playfully around the shop.

Master Fu nodded towards him, gesturing him to follow. Marin placed the cup back on the table as he placed his hood over his head while Wayzz and Tikki followed. "Hold on." Master Fu said holding out his hand before the Kwami's. "You both stay here." He said sternly.

"Oh, Master, please!" They both pleaded, giving the master puppy dog eyes. But Master Fu was immune to their cuteness.

"Kwamis must never know the recipe that can modify their powers. Ever! Imagine what would happen if one of you were captured by a villain just like Nooroo."

Both Kwami's gasped fearfully, flying under the mattress as Marin's heart melted at their adorableness. As he walked into a strange part of the shop, filled with various jars filled with strange-looking ingredients.

"Uh, what are you cooking exactly?" Marin asked as Master Fu handed him a cup of hot tea.

"When fed with a specific blend of ingredients, the kwamis can grant special power. Each power's specific mix is listed here, encoded in the Grimoire. I've deciphered most of the ingredients; for example, to trigger aquatic powers you need a branch from the dragon king's garden — that's seaweed; then, a secret kept in a shell — that's an oyster pearl. But the last one still puzzles me: a tear of joy. I can't figure it out, and it's required for almost every blend. Oh! Maybe it could be some dancing ant honeydew." He thought out loud as he picked up a nearby bottle, placing one drop from the bottle into the brew, producing a small blast. Marin flinched back in surprise as Master Fu smile. "think I may have finally got the right mix." He said eagerly pouring some of the brew into a small vile.

As they walked back into the main room, Tikki and Wayzz flew to Marinus, hiding in his pockets for security.

"Wayzz." Master Fu called out as the turtle Kwami flew before his partner. He looked curiously at the vial as he drank a little bit from it, savoring the taste. "Does this taste familiar?"

Wayzz hummed for a moment, "Mmmm, there's a slight flavor to it. Yes, I remember it being a lot like this." He said with a smile as Master Fu smiled holding up his Miraculous. "Wayzz, power up!"

Wayzz stiffened for a moment, but then fell as he didn't change, shrugging his little Kwami shoulders. "A little more salt, maybe?" He suggested as Master Fu sighed.

"Well, back to the drawing board." The Master muttered, handing his head.

Marin stepped towards Wayzz, nuzzling his cheek as he smiled at his touch, effectively improving his mood. But all of them turned towards the Master as when he opened the door, water flooded in, knocking him back. Marin was stunned for a moment before he helped Master Fu to his feet, starting to feel fear as he saw the water slowly rise.

Adrien narrowed his eyes as he watched a new report on the previous day's Akuma attack. He felt guilty as he was unable to help his partner, but at the same time, felt somewhat pointless as Ladybug hadn't needed his help to defeat the villain once more.

However, he pushed those thoughts back as he noticed his shoes were wet, realizing that his room was slowly filling with water.

"Plagg? Plagg!" He called out looking for his Kwami. His panic grew as he looked all over his room slowly flooding, but sighed in relief as he found Plagg napping in his dirty laundry basket.

"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien exclaimed as Plagg suddenly woke up, trying to grab onto the basket, but was ultimately sucked into the ring.

Marin placed the last jar on the roof of the building, helping Master Fu in transporting his ingredients to safety. He then looked out towards the city now flooded, growing more anxious. "There's no way Chat Noir or I will be able to handle this...change in scenery." He remarked turning back towards Master Fu who held the grimoire in his hands.

"I know, and unfortunately I haven't found the correct blend that could help you both out." He sighed heavily. "I'm afraid I've failed you both."

"No way!" Marin immediately said, "We are gonna find that last ingredient!" Wayzz and Tikki nodded in agreement before Marin took the grimoire from the Master's hands, and they turned their back to him. He looked down at the tablet questioningly as Master Fu turned back to his brew.

" I've tried everything: water from the Laughing Fountain, melted snow from the Mountain of Jubilation, drops of pure chocolate extract."

"But have you tried a real tear of joy?" Marin asked as Master Fu looked at him questingly.

"Come on, tell me a really funny joke!" The tall boy insisted.

"Do you think this is really the time to have fun?" The master asked, clearly on edge due to the situation at hand.

"Okay, why did the pepper put on a sweater?"

Master Fu tilted his head in confusion. "I don't know."

"Because he was a little, Chili," Marin said with great expectation but felt a little undermined as Master Fu didn't laugh. "Okay, well. What goes up, but doesn't move? Stairs!"What does a snail say when it's riding on a turtle's back? Wooohooo!" Again, Fu didn't laugh, almost looking sorry as neither of the Kwami's laughed either, their faces laden with sympathy.

Then, Marin slapped his own forehead in defeat as he remembered, he wasn't funny. So instead, a smile came over his face as he gestured the two Kwami's come over. They rested in his palms as Marin turned his back to the Master who looked at them curiously.

"Okay NOW!" Marin shouted as the two Kwami flew towards that master, tickling him furiously as Master Fu couldn't hold back his laughter. He even fell to the ground as the Kwami's were merciless, even laughing along with him. Marin smiled victoriously, as he saw a tear falling from Master Fu's eyes, quickly wiping it off as he carefully transferred it into the brew. The potion suddenly burst into green fire as the tickling stopped and Master Fu immediately jumped to his feet.

"I think you have just found the magic ingredient, Marinus." He said cheerfully as he scooped some of the green potion into a spoon, gesturing Tikki to approach him. The red Kwami drank the portion, licking her lips

"Mmm! Yummy!" She said as the black dot on her head started to glow.

Marin smiled at his Kwami as he and Master Fu nodded in victoriously. "Tikki, power up!"

Tikki started to glow, her entire body is enveloped by light as she gained fins. "Aqua-Tikki!" She remarked as Marin walked up to his Kwami smiling brightly.

"Woah," He said in amazement as he gently touched his Tikki's cheek, noticing that she had gained scales instead of skin. "Ohhh I wanna take picture of you so much sugar cube." He said as he looked at her lovingly while Tikki giggled.

"Firsts thing first Marinus." Master Fu reminded as Marin nodded.

"Aqua-Tikki, spots on!" He said, transforming. His new form had scales as well, relacing the spots. Then turned to see he gained more fins on his arms and feet, his scarf had also transformed into a makeshift fin on his back, leading off into what appeared to be a koi tail-like design. His hair also had appeared to have changed, having light pink highlights at the tips and was more similar to his usual bedhead as his hair had grown out longer. For a moment he admired the new transform as he turned back to the master. Master Fu handed him a green vial that was radiating some light, containing the potion.

Chat Noir's share.

"Be careful Ladybug." Wayzz said as he hugged his friend's cheek for a moment.

"I will, don't worry." Ladybug said reassuringly as he placed the vial in his yo-yo, then jumped into the flooded city. For a few moments, he held his breath, beginning to sink as he saw air bubbles escape to the surface. But when he finally couldn't hold his breath anymore, he realized that he could breathe easily. And within his new form, he wasn't completely hopeless in the water, kicking his legs as Ondine and Kim had taught him. A smile touched his face as could actually swim through the water without fear of drowning, his vision clear as it was on land.

Chat Noir leapt between roofs with his staff, looking out over the city but he couldn't see any sign of his partner. "Where is that guy?" He murmured to himself as he shortened his staff, activating it's phone mode as the hero dialed Ladybug up once more. He tapped his foot impatiently, frustration growing as this was the tenth time, but then dropped the call as he spotted his friends and a few other people on top of the movie theatre. He paid it little mind until he spotted Kim jumping into the water, yelling something out happily until a dorsal fin started swimming towards him at great speed.

Chat Noir's ears twitched as he immediately raced towards his friend, using the momentum of his staff to hit the water just as Kim was snatched from under. Chat Noir's vision went hazy for a moment as the saltwater made his vision fuzzy. He could make out Kim's orange jacket as well as something else that was brightly colored, probably another Akumatized villain as he used his staff to breathe underwater. He swam towards the two trying to reach Kim but was kicked back by the new villain who knocked him to a nearby wall, making him lose grip on his staff and sight of his friend.

As he tried to look around for his staff his vision quickly fading, he panicked as he saw something draw closer to him. Something large and grey with many teeth, trying to swim away, more air escaped his breath, which made him panic. Until all of a sudden, he saw a flash of red, the giant fish swam away fearfully as Chat Noir suddenly could breathe as something was pressed to his mouth. He realized he was holding Ladybug's yo-yo in hand as his partner wrapped his arm around his waist, leading him to the surface.

Chat Noir coughed, as the yo-yo was removed, looking at his partner in surprise as his appearance was different from his normal form, more, scaley. "Ladybug?" He was speechless for a moment until he smiled cheekily. "Or should I call you my Merbug?" he asked chuckled before he started coughing, still having some water in his lungs as Ladybug helped him onto a nearby roof. "You didn't tell me we were going swimming today." He remarked as he handed Ladybug's yo-yo back.

"I wasn't planning on it; this Ladybug isn't exactly cut out for deep-sea diving." He remarked opening his yo-yo up.