A/N: This is mostly just because I have time and I'm bored. Also because the newest episode has me shook, and then I saw an AU post on Tumblr where Marinette was successful in giving Alya the Ladybug miraculous, but she still stole the book from Lila because she recognized the Miraculous, then Master Fu has to hunt her down. When he finds her, she ends up being the one to giving the other miraculous to Nino and Chloe. Also, she sometimes joins in and Chat Noir recognizes her as the first Ladybug.

DISCLAIMER: Miraculous Ladybug belongs to ZAG and Thomas Astruc. Also, the AU isn't mine, but I literally can't find the OP. If anyone knows who it is, can you tell me so they can get the proper credit for inspiring this fic?

P.S.: As much as I love Adrienette and the love square, Marinette's decision basically delayed that and she doesn't really like him, but Adrien is still trying to be her friend...that sounds like every reverse Love Square fic, but this is solely Marinette-centric.

Marinette smiled as she watched Donna Rouge swing through the streets of Paris on her trusty yo-yo. Her black and red suit stood out against sunny skies and worn brick buildings. Her brown-red ombre hair trailed behind her. Her joyful yells echoed behind her as the citizens of Paris watched in awe. Surprisingly, Chat Noir was not beside her; the mangly cat must have been busy doing something else, Marinette thought.

She turned back to her sketches. Her balcony was her favourite place in the world. Different plants were placed stylistically around it; some sat neatly in their pots, while others wound their way around the railings for support. It was her own private place, despite the fact that it was under the clear, blue sky. Besides, she could always keep an eye on the superheroes as they flew past. Sometimes they greeted her, sometimes they were too busy and headed for danger.

Biting her pencil, Marinette wondered about that life. She remembered her own short experience as the bug-themed superhero, Ladybug. Sometimes, she could still feel its power coursing through her veins, the feeling of the wind through her hair as she launched herself all across Paris. She sometimes wondered whether Chat Noir remembered her, remembered the clumsy girl who had saved the day, only to have messed up in the end.

Marinette sighed. It always came back to that, didn't it? She had told the little creature- kwami- that she wasn't capable. Thus, the day after, she had given Alya Cesaire the earrings under the guise of a token for their newfound friendship and left it at that.

As she predicted, Alya had done brilliantly. Confident, she led herself and Chat Noir to victory against the army of Stonehearts and the giant head called Hawkmoth. By the end of the day, barely anyone remembered that there had been a Ladybug before Donna Rouge, a name that roughly translated to Red Lady.

Now, Marinette watched over her best friend, giving her cookies or alerting her about the akumas that appeared around Paris through social media. Soon, Marinette found herself making an anonymous Akuma alert account. Not exactly a blog with juicy secrets, but it kept the citizens informed. Marinette had added on to her Akuma alerts with tips for recognizing an akuma, what to do to stay safe, and tips to keep positive. (She was flabbergasted at the average Parisian's lack of self-preservation when she realized people were trying to get footage of akuma attacks.)

It wasn't exactly running around as a hero, but Marinette didn't mind. This kind of heroism, the anonymous kind, was right in her comfort zone. She could help in the sidelines without the added burden of people's lives on her shoulders.

All in all, life was bliss.

Too bad it wouldn't stay that way for long.

The moment she saw Lila Rossi swipe Adrien Agreste's book when he wasn't looking, Marinette knew that the actress was trouble.

She had been in the library, cramming for assignments needed to be done when she saw the duo enter the library. They sat at a table near her, but Marinette didn't pay them attention. Ever since Adrien's first day at school, she decided that he wasn't worth fussing over, even though she had gotten over the gum incident a while ago. He was nice and a bit friendly after he clumsily apologized for the gum, but there were a lot of nice and friendly people, he wasn't that special. Thus, Marinette decided that her report on the French Revolution took priority. She had been in the middle of her report when she heard Lila say,

"You know, I happen to be very close friends with Donna Rouge."

Quickly, Marinette slid out of her chair and hid behind a cart to hear more clearly. What was Lila doing spreading lies about her friendship with Donna Rouge? Marinette bit her lip. She hated liars-especially ones that spread lies about her best friend, no matter how innocent the intention.

Naturally, Adrien was surprised. "Really?"

Lila smirked. "We can chat about it if you want," she said enthusiastically, her face inching closer to Adrien's. "Not here though. Why don't we meet at the park after school and I can tell you everything."

Marinette's jaw dropped. Lila had some kind of nerve. She understood that Lila was only trying to impress Adrien, but seriously?

She huffed. It wasn't exactly her business whether Lila lied or not. But, Alya was her best friend. Did being a best friend include defending their honour even when they didn't know they were being insulted? She didn't know. Alya was her first real best friend, after all.

Marinette sighed and peered over the books to catch a glimpse at them. Unfortunately, Marinette was insanely clumsy and managed to fall over the cart, books flying and sending it to the other side of the room. Fortunately, she hid under their table and avoided being seen. She heard the two gasp and Adrien stood up. Then, she heard a phone alarm.

"Hey, I got a lesson in... fifty-eight seconds!" Adrien exclaimed. Marinette heard the sound of shuffling books, before Adrien's bag dropped in front of her, his books spilling out of his bag.

"So," Lila trailed. "Wanna go to the park?"

As she said that, she slid off one of Adrien's books-a large tome with intricate designs on the cover- behind her. Marinette's eyes widened. Okay, that was strange, and unnecessarily cruel. Marinette knew that Adrien liked to keep things in order, in fear of his father's wrath if he did otherwise. Maybe Lila didn't know that, but stealing was bad regardless. Marinette pursed her lips and watched as Lila pick up the book when Adrien left.

"A vixen super heroine?" she mused. "Interesting." With that, she walked off, leaving Marinette to ponder on her words.

A vixen super heroine? And earlier, they had been talking about Donna Rouge. Could that mean Adrien's journal was about superheroes? Why would he have something like that? It sounded legitimate if it had an actual superhero in it. Maybe Adrien was a fan?

Marinette contemplated these questions as she got out from under the table and dusted her pants.

She had a feeling that that wasn't exactly the case.

Making a decision, Marinette left the library and headed to the park.

And headed back immediately to retrieve her things.

Then she went off to find Lila and Adrien.

Oh god, Marinette thought. What have I done?

She hadn't meant to do it. But she did it anyways. When she had finally spotted Adrien and Lila at the park, she had seen Lila throw away Adrien's journal in the trashcan besides them. Which was also the same trashcan Marinette was hiding behind. When they left, she had taken it out and leafed through it pages, confirming her suspicions.

This journal really was about actual superheroes.

The text was in a mysterious code that she couldn't read but she'd recognize the spotted heroine and cat hero anywhere. Even if it was an ancient Chinese version of them.

In a hurry, she ran out of the park with the journal in her arms. She headed straight for her balcony, leafing through the pages as she passed by. Her trepidation grew with every flip of the page.

When she finally slid against the railings of her balcony, she calmed down enough to process her own thoughts.

This was a disaster! This journal obviously contained the secrets of the Miraculous; kwamis, heroes, weapons, all of it! Imagine what would have happened if it had gotten in the wrong hands?! Especially Hawkmoths's?! Mentally, Marinette cursed Adrien's carelessness. He may not have been a hero, but didn't he understand the importance of superheroes and their privacy? There was a reason they were wearing masks after all!

Sighing in frustration, Marinette set the book in front of her. She fingered the gold design on the book. It matched the red designs on the hexagon box she received with the earrings before.

Sighing again, Marinette deflated. What did it even matter? Now that she wasn't caught up in her own thoughts, she realized that there was no reason for her to be so worried. She left that superhero life for a reason. She had been incompetent and someone else- someone better- had to take up the mantle.

Marinette came to a decision.

She would keep the journal and hand it to Donna Rouge whenever she saw her next. That way, she could be sure it went into the right hands and she could avoid suspicion that she knew Donna Rouge's secret identity. She felt a little guilty keeping it from Adrien, but he had already lost it once. It wasn't something she could really risk, because what if he lost it again?

Her resolve strengthened, she picked up the book and headed down to her room. She left the journal in the same drawer she kept her diary and headed downstairs. She headed for the couch and turned on the TV. What she saw shocked her so much she dropped her remote.

On the screen, footage of a vixen-themed superhero batted a meteor away from Paris and into space.

Marinette muttered a word her mother would wash her mouth for before updating her akuma alert.

Hey Parisians,

Seems like a new superhero is on the scene. Friend or Akuma? Look out for updates on this new arrival!

Seeing her own words made her heart drop. She wasn't stupid; she could connect the dots between this hero and Lila's fascination with the vixen superhero.

There was a new miraculous owner in Paris- Marinette just didn't know if her intentions were genuine or not.

A/N: This was meant to be a one-shot. The heck? Oh god, here we go. Another story with yearly updates. If you enjoyed that (or have criticism), feel free to leave a review.

Also, if you know the person that made the Tumblr post that inspired this, please tell me. I want to give them the proper credit but I can't find them anywhere.