The designs aren't her own; they're made by her own hand, but, given that her mind's barely functioning to recall the walk to the park, she doubts the clothes jumping onto the page are of her creation. Nevertheless, her pencil remains firm in her hand, and she keeps sketching. Ladybug sits on the back of the bench, feet placed firmly on the seat beneath her, and nods in approval. She points at the sash beside her portrait and says, "Okay, so I'm digging everything else (nice choice with the combat boots by the way), but I think we could do without the sash."
Marinette scowls. She glances up through her bangs and tosses her arm over the back of the bench. Ladybug scoots aside, and Marinette stares down at the band. "I like the sash", she states. "It looks nice."
"Yes, yes, you've got me there. A sash can make anyone look better." She wiggles her feet and drops her hands between her feet. A sole finger lifts and points at Marinette. "But-"
"Here we go."
"It's got no purpose. It'd be different if this was for your civilian attire or something, but this is for Ladybug. Everything about Ladybug serves a purpose, and that has no purpose."
A boy zooms past them on a bike. His head turns the space where Ladybug sits, where Marinette's staring quite irritably, and tilts it in confusion. He turns back to Marinette and pedals faster, tossing unnerved looks over his shoulder until he's disappeared over the hill. Marinette sighs, picks her pencil up, and begins erasing. As strings of pink rubber drop onto the page, she murmurs, "It's only a matter of time before someone reserves me a room in a psychiatric hospital."

"I can't imagine why", Ladybug inputs as she eases the rest of her body onto the seat of the bench. She leans against Marinette and sighs. "People see you talking to seemingly no one, and, next thing you know, the town town crier's got the whole city convinced you're nuts."

Marinette rolls her eyes. She brushes away the flakes of eraser and bumps her shoulder against Ladybug's. "Yeah, I've gotta get you updated with the times. Town criers aren't really big anymore. Well, not here at least."
"Then, who do you go to get news?"
"The newspaper. The internet. Teenagers if you're looking for something petty." She picks up her pencil to flesh out Ladybug's boots but stops when her eyes fall upon the hill once more. A head of blonde hair bounces as it ascends the trail, light and fluffy, like yellow, downy sheets. Adrien reaches the peak of the hill and looks over the area for a moment before he spots Marinette. He waves eagerly and speedwalks down the trail.

"Don't let him bother you", Ladybug growls. "You haven't even started on my new gloves yet!"
"Be quiet", Marinette hushes, waving a hand at her. Adrien raises an eyebrow at that and he pauses before her, staring at the space where Ladybug sits. Marinette coughs into her hand and scoots aside, leaving enough room for Ladybug but creating just enough space for him to sit. "I thought I saw a, uh, bug. You wanna sit?"
"Yeah, sure."

She scoops her sketchbook into her backpack and crosses her left leg over her right. She catches sight of the mini composition notebook in his hand and asks, "Busy?"
He follows her line of sight and chuckles. "Uh, not yet. But I will be soon. It's spring, you know, and the fashion styles are gonna be changing. My father says it'll be a good opportunity for publicity. I haven't been too active these past few months."
"Oh. Is that what you want?"
He shrugs, dishelving the strap of his satchel, and stares at the children rolling past on their scooters. "It's a good way to make money", he answers, his voice empty. Then, brushing his pinkie over the silver band clinging to his ring finger, he sits beside Marinette and sighs. "I'm gonna be busy for the next few weeks", Adrien begins again. Turning to Marinette, he gives her a sad smile and says, "I won't have as much time for anything other than school and work. Guess it's a good thing I ran into you today, then, huh?"
Marinette's shoulders slump. She returns his smile with one of her own and says, "Yeah, I guess so."

"Yeah. Anyway." He sits up straighter, and his face brightens, eyelashes fluttering and lips pulling back into an eager smile. "What's up with you? I know yesterday you said you were working on a personal project. Any updates?"

Ladybug drops her hands on Marinette's shoulders and snickers. "Mari hasn't been up to much, aside from some tender footed doodles. Ladybug, on the other hand, has been quite busy. Ain't that right, Mari? Making the city better one bone-shattering victory at a time." Marinette drops her shoulders, knocking the hands off, and stands. "This bench is kind of uncomfortable", she says, bouncing from one foot to the other. "You wanna, uh, go for a walk?"

Adrien stands as well and follows her, shuddering as Ladybug glides past him and falls into step beside Marinette. He tugs at his sleeves and walks on the other side of Marinette. He takes note of Marinette's uncombed hair and ruffled pajamas and bites his lip. Careful to keep his tone light and devoid of accusation, he inquires, "Is everything all right?"

"You really shouldn't be talking to people", Ladybug reminds her, hopping into the air and latching onto a tree branch dangling over the trail. She then leaps into the next tree, then the next, then the next before disappearing.

Marinette grips her forearms and says, "I'm fine".

"You don't seem fine." When she looks up at him, he sniffles and averts his eyes. "I'm not trying to be judgey, but you just seem kind of-"
Ladybug dips from the air, clinging to the string of her yo-yo, giggles, "Off the rails? Neurotic? Batshit crazy?", then disappears once more.

"-I don't know, off. Like something's bothering you. Is it-is it Chloé and them?"

"...They're part of it." A gust of wind blows past them, and a straggling autumn slams against her cheek. She grabs it, lets it fall into the small of her hand, and brushes a finger over the brittle texture. It nearly crumbles underneath the weight but yields, bending but not quite breaking. Marinette sighs and says, "I guess I have been feeling kind of lousy lately; kinda not quite myself."
"Well, has your, uh, time off helped any?"
She shrugs. "I'm not worse. But I'm not better either."

From above, Ladybug titters and says, "I'd disagree. I happen to love Mari 2.0. She's edgy and dark, like a razor blade." She drops from the trees again and swings beside Adrien. Of course, he doesn't notice, but she leans forward, and presses her lips into the underside of his neck before taking a step back. She tosses her yo-yo into yet another tree, winks, then finishes with, "Don't get too close, Mr. Agreste. I got plans for this one, and I don't think you're gonna like em."

Marinette pauses abruptly and grabs Adrien by his arm. "Hey", she says, a strand of hair falling between her eyes. She tugs him away from the path and nods towards a clearing leading to a large patch of horse-chestnut trees. "Let's go over here."
Adrien stumbles behind her but allows himself to be lead away. He laughs confusedly and, after regaining his feet, falls into a jog at her right. He doesn't notice the shower of leaves, and Marinette's too intent on ignoring them to bring it up anyway. Just as the path behind them fades from their view, she stops and lies down, sighing as her hair intermingles with dewy blades of grass. Adrien takes a seat beside her and, after a moment's hesitation, turns onto his side to stare at her. She glances at him out of the corner of her eye, then looks away.

"Mari", Adrien starts in a soft voice.

She closes her eyes and presses her head into the earth.

"I'm fine", she whispers. "I'm just...trying to do right by me and by everyone else. But it's like." An insect starts buzzing, and she trips over her next words before continuing. "It feels like I have to do the wrong thing to keep everything in order." She opens her eyes and turns to face him. "Please, tell me that makes sense. Even if it's beyond fucked up, tell me it makes sense."

Adrien nods grimly. "Yeah. I actually got a friend that I think's going through the exact same thing."

"I wish I could meet her. Maybe she could help me figure this out."

"Trust me, the way she's going, she probably needs as much help as you." His eyes widen, and he winces. He sits up and revolves his hands about each other. "That-that's not to say you need help. I just meant that, uh,-"

Ladybug rolls her eyes and drops her head onto Marinette's stomach. "Oh, you foolish children."

"It's fine."
"It's really not-"
"And thanks." She sits up and takes his hand in hers, staring at their intertwined fingers as the saliva in her mouth runs dry. "For listening. And just being here I guess."

The joy in his face fades. Adrien ducks his head and sighs. "Well, you know I'm gonna busy for the next few weeks. So I-I might not be around as much." He twiddles his thumbs in front of him, pulls his lower lip between his teeth, and closes his eyes. "Okay, so I got you something. I was gonna call you later and ask you to meet up for some ice cream, but you're here now so". He reaches into his pocket then and pulls out an anklet with four-leafed clover charms of varying shades of red. "To, uh, keep your head up. And to remember that I'll always be here. Even when I'm not."

Marinette takes the anklet with ginger fingers and smiles. She lifts it to the sun and watches as yellow beams shine through the charms and cast a warm, vermillion shadow upon her neck. "Thank you. It's beautiful." She kicks off her left shoe, slides her ankle through the band, and smiles. "How'd you know I like red?"

Adrine blushes. He squirms, hands fidgeting at his sides, and admits, "At the beginning of sophomore year, Bustier had everyone introduce themselves. You said your favorite color was red, and you wear it a lot. I wasn't sure if it was still your favorite or a second or third, but I was hoping."
She flexes her leg and watches as the bracelet slides down from her ankle. The charms are cool and metallic, and the intricately woven cloth feels nice against her skin. "Well, it is." She fingers the clovers and smirks. "What's with the charms?"

"Oh. I just figured, with the fight and your parents being out out town and all, you could use some good luck."

Ladybug drags a hand over Marinette's face, drawing a flustered gasp from her, and giggles. "Come on, Mari", she interposes as she kicks her feet into the air. "I think we all know you've got all the good luck you need."

Adrien watches her worriedly and gives her hand a gentle clench. "Marinette", he says as he circles his thumb around the palm of her hand. "Just be okay, okay? You don't have to be anything you aren't but be okay." He gives another clench, this one tighter and more insistent, and Marinette leans closer on instinct. Ladybug growls and retreats ever so slightly, but Marinette's eyes are on Adrien. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

Marinette scoots forward, slapping Ladybug in annoyance, and nods. "I'll be fine, Adrien." Then, scooting forward once more, she adds, "And I hope your friend turns out okay. Be good to her, all right? If she's like me, I doubt everything's as black and white as it seems."
"Don't worry. I'm not giving up on her." He gives her a look and stands, stretching his arms behind his back. "Come on", he says with a nod. "I know a nice churro place a few minutes from here. Wait, do you like churros?"

Marinette smiles and crawls to her feet. "Absolutely."

. . .

Adrien receives a bracelet with golden bells in the mail the next day. Marinette never admits that it's from her. And the best part, she supposes, is that she never has to.