Hello readers! This is my first foray into the Ladybug and Chat Noir world and my first fanfiction in many years. With that said, I hope you enjoy it!

~The HG

Disclaimer: I definitely do not own the rights to Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir. This was written just for a bit of fun. =)

Catharsis

Chapter 1

Being lightheaded and out of breath wasn't the way she had hoped to start her day, but the teenaged girl continued on with one heavy step after another toward a fate given to all the youth her age. The dark days of school finals were upon them, and yet in the midst of the stress of it all a little miracle bloomed; Marinette made it to school on time.

It came at a cost, however, one that meant she had to skip the comfort of a soothing morning shower and the chance to eat a nice, quiet breakfast with her mother. Occupied with stressing over her studies, the poor girl groaned at not even being able to recall whether or not she'd brushed her teeth before rushing out the door. Getting to school on time required a lot of sacrifices, but some were probably not worth it. Reaching in her pink backpack, she searched for a small paper bag that contained a freshly baked croissant. Her mother had shoved it in her backpack before the girl ran out of the bakery, and from the way her stomach was growling Marinette was very grateful for it. As she pulled out the bag her fingers pinched a corner of a napkin along with it, and the thin piece of paper was then yanked from her fingers by a gust of wind, sending it dancing away in the air.

Cursing her luck, she ran down the steps in front of the school after it, the wind lifting and twirling it always just out of her reach. The wind died down allowing Marinette to bend down to grab it, but thanks to momentum and gravity she was carried forward—and straight into someone's stomach.

Arms, legs, and school bags went flying as her and her victim both crashed to the concrete.

Quickly pulling herself off the innocent bystander, she closed her eyes and slapped a hand over them in embarrassment.

"I am so sorry!" she cried out.

A gentle hand took hold of hers, slowly pulling it away from her face. A soft chuckle drew her to open her blue eyes, and, instantly, they went wide and heat flooded her cheeks as a familiar face smiled at her.

"It's a little early for my jiu-jitsu class, but that's alright," the green-eyed Adrien laughed with a smile. Realizing he was still holding her hand, he stood up and helped her to her feet. He eased his grip enough to let her pull her hand away, yet her hesitancy to do so didn't go unnoticed, making him smile.

Marinette didn't move much aside from blinking her large, blue eyes, her pink glossed lips slightly agape as she stared at him. Even though this wasn't the first time they'd been in a situation like this, Adrien couldn't stop feeling a little self conscious at the attention.

"Why were you running?" he asked, bending down to grab both of their bags from the sidewalk, passing Marinette hers.

"Well, I, um, n-napkin?" she stuttered, her eyes breaking contact in embarrassment. Glancing down she saw the small paper pinned by one of her pink ballet flats. Bending down, she tugged it free and held it up, a timid laugh escaping her lips.

"Ah, saving the world from litter, one napkin at a time," Adrien joked.

"Just doing my part," she shrugged, internally amazed at getting a full sentence out in his presence. Her heart steadied when she turned to look up at the school as her awkwardness gave way to worry concerning the upcoming tests. Even super-villains didn't cause her this amount of dread.

As if reading her thoughts, Adrien followed her eyes to the school as he slung his bag over his shoulder.

"So this week final exams start, huh?" he asked, pensively. He lifted his arm a little and held out his elbow out in her direction.

"Yup," she answered, emphasizing the end with a pop. Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of his arm's position. Was he offering her to take it?

Adrien sensed her hesitation and shot her an encouraging smile, one his kind emerald eyes affirmed.

Marinette held her breath, and silently hoped her face wouldn't burst into flames as she carefully hooked her hand in the bend of his elbow. She followed alongside him in quiet wonder and took note of every movement between them: her black shirt brushing against his white one, the gentle pressure of his arm as it held her hand in place, the heat of his skin seeping through his shirt sleeve just under her fingertips where she held on to his arm…

Don't focus on how close he is, or how sweet he's being, or how he smells as good as he looks, like cologne and… croissants? She thought, realizing her free hand was still firmly holding the brown bag carrying her breakfast. And from the look of the bag, her lovely, buttery baked good was most likely a crumbled mess.

"What do you have there?" Adrien asked. "It smells amazing."

"Oh, just a croissant my mother gave me. It's my breakfast," she admitted, pinching the bag with the hand she had around Adrien's arm. She tore off a piece of the bread and offered it to the boy.

"That's alright," he refused kindly and with perfect timing. It seemed Marinette's stomach growled audibly in thanks. "You should eat it," he laughed.

Marinette blushed, popping the bite in her mouth, chewing quietly.

"I've never had finals like these while home-schooled. I'd just go to the school district and take the assessment exams once I finished a course," he started, filling the silence as best he could, allowing Marinette time to eat. In reality, his thoughts unknowingly paralleled those of the girl beside him. He hadn't considered what his gentlemanly gesture suggested, or how others would perceive the image of them walking arm in arm. But lately he had started noticing her more, finding himself acting without conscious thought, like searching for her face when he'd get to school, or hoping to bump into her outside on the street. He wouldn't have chosen literally crashing into her, not like this morning, but he didn't mind it. Even her clumsiness was endearing.

There was a conflict in his mind, though. The more he began thinking of Marinette, the more he felt he was betraying the beautiful, strong, and courageous partner he'd been fighting alongside for nearly a year. He had fallen for Ladybug soon after their first encounter, and in working and spending time with her, he grew to admire her more and more with every amazing act she did. She left him in awe unlike anyone else, but not everyone was a superhero.

Yet Marinette also amazed him in ways no one else did. He admired her love for her family and friends. Her devotion to treating others with kindness wasn't restricted to those she knew, proving how compassionate she was. Her sweet disposition was warm, inviting, and her incredibly creative mind was more than impressive.

Each girl had a long list of marvelous qualities. But the truth came down to the fact that there wasn't any indication Ladybug would suddenly treat him as more than a friend and partner, leaving his secret desire unrealized and his love unrequited. He wondered if that's why his heart sought connection elsewhere.

"I'm just hoping I recall the material," Marinette contributed to their conversation after finishing another bite, drawing him out of his thoughts.

"You're a very smart girl, Marinette," he encouraged.

They climbed the stairs leading to their classroom's floor. Pulling out the last piece of the croissant, she saw how his eyes lingered on it.

"You sure you don't want to try some?" she asked, holding it out for him as they walked through the door to their class.

Expecting him to reach over with his free hand, Marinette's heart nearly stopped at the sight of him bending over and eating it from her fingers. He gave a small moan of delight as he chewed.

"My compliments to the baker," he said after swallowing.

A loud gasp followed by a frustrated growl drowned out all the whispering in the class, and if she were not in shock Marinette would have jumped and cringed from the sound of it. She looked at Adrien in stunned silence, the boy also unaffected by the blonde haired bully. He casually licked the crumbs from his lips and walked Marinette to her seat.

"You'll do great on the test, don't worry." Leaving her with a smile and an encouraging pat on the arm, he went to his seat.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, what do you think you're doing?" Chole screeched, slamming her hands on her own table.

Instead of acknowledging the seething blonde, Marinette gave a small wave to her best friend and sat down. Still trying to process what had just transpired between her and Adrien, she went into auto mode and shoved the empty brown bag in her backpack, pulled out a pencil, eraser, and a study guide, fully intending to review for the test before the teacher arrived. She had to focus her attention on the material as much as she could, reading and re-reading words to make sense of them while pushing aside any thoughts unrelated to the test material.

The task was nearly impossible. And it didn't help that she had to ignore the wide eyed Alya and Nino who were exchanging glances, both apparently curious and confused by what they'd seen. Lifting up her stack of notes, Marinette tried to block out the view of the others, especially the blonde head just a row away, the one belonging to the perfect boy whose lips had brushed across her fingertips.

She almost squeaked as she remembered that detail, but just then Madame Bustier walked in. Never was the girl more relieved to be taking a test in her life.

Chloe continued in her fit directed at the impervious Marinette, the latter having learned to tune out the annoyance by then. The moment Chloe was threatened with detention her noise quieted, aside from some small snorts of disgust, and even those were silenced with a stern, narrowed stare from the teacher.

Taking a deep breath, Marinette dove into the comprehension portion just as soon as the test papers were placed before her. It was an excerpt of Sleeping Beauty, and as she read on it proved to be a poor distraction. Her mind couldn't help but relive the moments she shared with the boy her heart dreamed would be the prince of her own fairytale. The same, gorgeous boy a mere few feet away…

Marinette's head dropped to the table with a thud, drawing a few curious eyes including that of her BFF.

Alya shot her a questioning look. Marinette lifted her head and shrugged in answer, turning her attention back to her test.

I've got to get it together and not over think it. It was just him being a gentleman, just like when he let me borrow his umbrella at the start of the school year. That is all… the blue eyed girl thought, her mind determined to push aside the thoughts in order to ace her test. She was at school to study and learn, and that's what she needed to concern herself with at the moment. But he ate from my hand…from my hand! What does that mean? Ugh, she internally groaned, her mind a mess of wistful thoughts warring against her desire to work on her test.

After another long hour and a half the test period ended. Sighs of relief mixed with groans of disappointment as the students talked about the test while collecting their belongings. Considering the struggle she had in focusing, she was fairly confident that she had done well. Marinette collected her stuff and stood up only to have a pair of glaring ice blue eyes suddenly fill her vision.

Drawing back in surprise, Marinette bumped her elbow hard into the desk behind her causing her to wince. None of this dissuaded Chloe from pressing forward, invading the other girl's personal space. Alya stood ready to intervene, but held back as someone stepped up and placed a steadying hand on the blonde girl's shoulder.

Adrien shook his head at the spoiled girl. "Come on, Chloe, leave her alone."

With a huff of disgust, Chloe screeched, "She was all over you this morning. That deserves an explanation, seeing as you are my Adri-kins."

"I'm not yours, Chloe," he patted her shoulder before stepping down to his desk. He grabbed his bag and walked over to where Nino waited for him by the door. "Besides, she didn't start anything…" Still addressing the blonde, he turned to smile at Marinette. "If anything, I hope I did," he admitted, leaving the room and its occupants in a quiet flurry.

Marinette felt her legs turn to jelly. Or maybe her legs disappeared all together, she had no clue. With eyes staring at the door where Adrien was a second ago, the dark haired girl latched onto Alya's arm and allowed herself to be led carefully down the stairs and out of the classroom. A sputtering Chloe and shocked silent Sabrina were left behind.

"Girl, you've got to fill me in!" Alya squealed, holding on to Marinette's arm as they distanced themselves from the classroom.

"Fill you in… fill you in…" the pigtailed girl repeated to herself as she tried to wrap her own mind around Adrien's words and their implications. What had he hoped to have started?

"Earth to Marinette, did you hear what I said?" Alya waved a hand in front of her friend's face.

Marinette paused, and shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"Did he ask you to the dance?" Alya repeated her question, eyes wide with expectation.

"The masquerade… the one this Friday… Oh my gosh!" Hearing about it reminded the girl that she had plans for the dance, plans she had completely forgotten about due to being swamped by Ladybug duties as well as school studies. Yet another thing to plague her mind, especially knowing she was nowhere near being finished with her latest design.

"Of course that one! Nino asked me a while ago, and I was hoping that today Adrien found the guts to ask you too."

"But I haven't even started it. I have some sketches done, but I need to buy the material, the thread, not to mention accessories…" she said quickly, glancing around wildly as if to find somewhere to start.

Alya, ever the friendly anchor to reality, grabbed her friend by the shoulders and gave her a little shake.

"For the third time, did he ask you to the dance?" the bespectacled girl prodded.

"Oh, no… no, he didn't," Marinette's eyebrows knit together in thought. "He just escorted me to class, and encouraged me when he heard I was worried about our literature test. And he touched these with his mouth." Holding up two fingers and her thumb, she stared unfocused past Alya, falling into the same daze she experienced when Adrien had eaten from her hand. "His lips… touched my fingers, all after I accidentally tackled him in front of the school."

Alya's hands dropped as she imagined the clumsy girl and Adrien colliding, and having seen similar things in the past it wasn't very hard to believe. She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes, sorry for having asked.

"I guess what he said in the classroom was simply him being nice and getting Chloe to back off, that's all," Marinette said dismissively.

Alya responded, lifting an eyebrow in disagreement. "I doubt it, girl. With what he did and what he said there's definitely more to it."

"I'm not going to obsess about it too much." Marinette thought about it for a second before shrugging. "I don't think my heart can take the disappointment if it all amounts to nothing. Hope less, hurt less, right?"

Watching her dejected BFF walk away was enough to light a fire in her. The girl's insecurities still didn't convince the blogger that what happened earlier was nothing. After all, the model himself admitted to having started something. Since him and Marinette were already friends, it could only mean he wanted more.

Grabbing her phone she got to work. After a couple rings, she reached who she needed.

"Nino, can we meet up? And bring Adrien along with you. We've got plans to discuss."

Outside, Marinette decided to make the best of the short school day due to the exam schedule. While she walked home she busied herself in assembling a mental "to do" list, taking a detour to her favorite fabric store. She didn't spend too much time there, already knowing what she needed, and soon walked straight home, her arms balancing a bundle of paper wrapped packages for a few blocks. As she pushed the bakery door open, the tinkling of the bell above it announced her arrival. Her large mustached father sent her a warm smile of welcome before returning his attention to the customer he was helping at the counter.

The girl felt relieved to be home and it had a lot to do with the memories it held and those she shared them with. Her family always proved to be a balm, soothing and healing. And lately, with the weight of Paris and everyone affected by Hawk Moth's evil influence heavy on her shoulders, the raven haired girl found her family all the more irreplaceable.

Tikki, having been jarred by the girl's awkward load came out of the purse to see how full the girl's hands were. With a quick movement the kwami twisted the door knob, allowing the girl to push the door open with her foot.

"Thanks Tikki," Marinette whispered as she walked in. "Mom, I'm home," she announced louder, in too much of a hurry to hear a response. Hobbling up the stairs to her room, she pushed the door open with her head. She spilled her packages onto the pink chaise and immediately grabbed her sketchbook and a pencil. As she sat, her pink rolling chair slid across the room under her weight while her fingers flipped quickly to a certain page, her pencil's tip touching down the second she found it. Though eager to work on the design of her dress, Marinette couldn't ignore the sudden sound that filled her ears, the sound of panicked civilians scattering in the streets.

The adrenaline that always accompanied such noises moved her to action.

"Tikki, spots on!" she called out. After making sure her room's door was locked she disappeared through the skylight window above her bed. Without hesitation, Ladybug set off toward the Akumatized villain.

She heard the cries of scared Parisians, yet what she didn't hear was the phone ringing back at home or her mother answering it. It was good thing she was away from home, because had she been there Marinette's stomach would have dropped at the sight of her mother, the woman sitting on the couch in a tearful, saddened silence. The phone hung limply from the woman's hand long after the brief conversation had ended. The few, yet sorrowful words exchanged had left a crushed spirit where a strong and cheerful one once existed.