This chapter is an emotional rollercoaster. please far enough away that you can't punch your computer, secure your phone to your hand, or hold your tablet tightly. This is a long one and one of my favorites.

6:00

BEEP BEEP BEEP

The alarm rang, and for once Marinette was up and ready for the day. She yawned, and rubbed Tikki's small soft head. The Kwami was used to waking up later in the day, and what's more, she was used to Marinette being asleep even longer. Not to mention today was a Saturday.

The girl decided to let her cute little Kwami rest little longer, and hopped off her bed, looking for Alya. When her simple glance yielded no results, she began an arduous search for her friend.

Eventually Marinette began to wonder where her friend was. "Did she sleep over at Nino's?" She questioned,"no, she has very specific rules for herself, plus I saw her come home last night."

Her thoughts were suspended by the smell of bacon wafting through the air. She made a beeline for the kitchen, and entered to find not only had Alya woken up even earlier than her, but she had made breakfast for two.

"Is Nino coming over?" Marinette questioned.

"Nope"

"A friend?"

"Nope"

"A secret backup boyfriend you've been hiding?"

"No," Alya exclaimed, pushing her friend playfully,"this is for you. Today's the big day! The one you pushed off for over a week. The one we agreed would happen today. You are going to tell Adrien how you feel, and in the process you are going to realize just how much you love him". Alya squealed at the last part of her own comment.

And just like that, Marinette felt every last drop of energy squeezed out of her body. "What's wrong with me?" she thought, smiling outwardly to her friend,"I was so excited to tell him, but now I'm dreading it".

Her friend sensed her anticipation and questioned her.

"Feeling nervous?"

"Yeah. It's just... I... I liked him so much when we were young teenagers, and then my feelings grew, and... well now I love him... and I don't know what I'd do if he rejected me".

"Egg his car?" Alya suggested, laughing,"anyways, it doesnt matter because he won't reject you. That would be like rejecting his heart".

"That happens all the time with transplants," Marinette said dryly.

Alya grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her, and looked her in the eyes. "Repeat after me: I am excited to tell Adrien how I feel. I know it will all work out in the end. This is the day my true love will be realized".

"I am excited to tell Adrien how I feel. I know it will all work out in the end. This is the day my true love will be realized".

She made Marinette say it six times until it sounded believable. Marinette knew it was for a good reason, Alya had an interview with a local news station, and would likely be there for at least several hours, so she was getting as much pep talk in as she could.

Eventually Alya let go, and allowed her friend to enjoy breakfast. Marinette discretely grabbed Tikki, giving the Kwami a sweet to munch on, on the way out the door.

LATER-

After eating, Marinette walked from her dorm to Adrien's building. The whole time she imagined herself as Ladybug, flying from lamppost to lamppost with the help of her trusty yoyo.

As she neared the building she could feel her stomach. "Maybe I shouldn't have eaten so much before I got here," she realized.

As she walked the corridor, she could see his number: 221.

She just had to walk towards it.

Inside the room Adrien was talking with Nino. Alya had sent him to make sure Adrien didn't mess this up for everyone.

"Fine, I still have feelings for Ladybug,"he admitted.

"Duuuuuude!" Nino complained," you need to get over her".

"And to whom do you suggest I run to?"

Marinette finally forced herself to walk to the door. Right before she knocked she heard a voice, no two voices. She pressed her ear to the door and distinguished Nino and Adrien's voices.

"What if I told you Marinette was in love with you?"

Adrien burst out laughing. "Hahahahahaha".

"Hahahhahahaha".

"Hahahahahahaha".

Every time he tried to stop he just couldn't.

Marinette pulled away from the door and felt her stomach lurch as the cackling faded.

She ran to the nearest waste bin to deposit her breakfast.

"What's funny about that, Adrien?" Nino questioned seriously.

"It's just, I know you all like to pretend she has a crush on me. And that is fun, even though she really doesn't. But at love you are really overselling it. Of course if she was really in love with me I would give her a chance".

"So you do like her?"

"Of course I do...it's just..." he trailed off, thinking about Ladybug, and looking for how to continue.

Adrien thought about his love life. He loved Ladybug...at least he thought he did, but he wasn't going to force himself on her. And how many times had he wished to find a girl like Marinette? He really did wish that either of those two girls saw him as something special. He sighed, knowing Nino would want more of an explanation.

Marinette, now a kilogram lighter, forced herself back to her eavesdropping station. "Maybe I didn't get it in context," she thought, returning her ear to the door.

"...Marinette and I will never be more than friends..."

With those words the poor girl stumbled back. Tears welled up in her eyes. She began to run wildly through the hall as her vision blurred from the steady flow of in her eyes. "I need to get out. I need to get out. Now".

Back in the apartment the conversation continued.

"I mean, it would be cool if we could try things out, but I just don't think--"

The rest of Adrien's excuses and Nino's explanation were cut short by a cacophonous crash in the hallway.

The two guys ran out to see Marinette in the distance, as well as what looked like guy who was in the process of moving in, with pots and pans all over the floor.

The duo ran to the troubled pair, Nino helping gather the teen's kitchenware, and Adrien bending to give Marinette a hand.

To his surprise, she ignored it and stood up on her own. At this point, she was no longer crying, though her eyes were already red and the blurred mascara lines betrayed her emotions. She wore a dejected look on her face as she stood up and walked away.

Adrien stared, wishing he knew what was going on. Nino ran after her, but lost her in a crowd of university students.

ELSEWHERE-

Marinette made her way to her apartment. She slammed the door, and climbed back into bed, as the sobbing returned. She was probably going to have to wash her her pillowcase to get the mascara out, but she didn't care.

Marinette's small friend appeared out of her purse. All she could do was stay next to her suffering Miraculous holder, hoping that she would eventually feel better.

"Marinette, you have a patrol with Chat in half an hour. Would you like me to text him and cancel? I've gotten quite good at typing." The little Kwami bragged.

"No, I'm fi-- I'll be there." She laid her head back down, and closed her eyes.

LATER-

Chat waited on the rooftop, excitement seething from every pore. He had figured out a loophole in the questions game. Today might be the day he figured out who his Lady really was.

Marinette swung from a nearby high rise onto the building. She was glad her mask hid the mascara stains and somehow even her red eyes.

"Purrrfect day, huh M'Lady?"

"Mmhmm," she croaked. Today was not at all perfect. Her dream guy had rejected her without even knowing it, then she had foolishly refused his help up when she had fallen in the hallway of his apartment. Add her best friend abandoning her for an interview, and to top it all off, Chat was making puns about how today was a GOOD day.

The feline-esque hero cleared his throat "M'Lady. I would like to redeem one question".

"Not today Chat".

"You have to, it's in the rules".

"Fine, what?" She snapped.

The hero was so excited, he didn't yet register her tone. "I would like to know," he began," would you like to know my identity?"

And that was it. That was the last straw.

"YOU KNOW WHAT, YOU STUPID CAT?" she hissed,"I HONESTLY COULDN'T CARE LESS ABOUT WHO YOU ARE. AND WHAT'S MORE: I DON'T LIKE YOUR PUNS, I DON'T WANT TO HANG OUT WITH YOU, AND I REALLY DON'T WANT TO BE YOUR GIRLFRIEND. I WILL NEVER LOVE YOU!"

Chat's face first registered shock, then something she was sure resembled her face when she had heard Adrien's rejecting words. Even through the mask, she could see tears stream down his face.

He turned and ran.

Instant regret pooled in her heart, as she considered what she had said in anger.

"Chat wait! I didn't mean--"

Her call was interrupted by a loud boom in the distance followed by screaming. An Akuma.

"Please don't be Chat, please don't be Chat," she whispered as she ran towards the sound.

She ran towards the large street to see a man wielding a cobbler's hammer, followed by a pair of giant shoes.

Ladybug breathed a sigh of relief. That wasn't Chat.

"I am Sole Crusher," the Akuma declared," My soul was flattened by my cheating girlfriend, while I was repairing her 1000 stilettos, now it is time for you to feel trodden underfoot".

For once, Marinette wished she could side with the Akuma. "Love sucks,"the heroine blustered. She reminded herself that innocent lives were still in danger.

"Sole Crusher! I am here to stop you," she declared confidently, though she was unsure how she would without Chat.

"Shoes, stomp that bug!"

The 2 meter tall boots, leapted at her, suprisingly in a coordinated fashion. Ladybug darted out of the way, and watched the left heel land right where her head had been. She shuddered, then forced herself back to reality.

"This is hard," she thought," usually Chat gives me time to plan by distracting the Akuma".

The speckled girl hurled her body forward again, narrowly missing the oversized galoshes.

"Chat!" She cried, hoping he was nearby.

She waited a moment, but heard no reply.

Ladybug realized she had no choice, she would have to hope her ability somehow compensated for the lack of a partner.

"Lucky Charm!"

She held in her hand a decorative sign.

"Teamwork makes the dream work"

"Thanks Tikki," she sighed sarcastically, as her eyes focused in the word teamwork.

"Great," she thought,"my power just told me I need Chat to save the day... the one person in Paris who probably couldn't care less about me right now".

As she attempted to lunge at Sole Crusher a boot landed between them, right on her foot.

Ladybug sat on the ground, staring at her leg. The shoe had somehow landed with one of it's flex grooves right on top of her foot. While it would likely be bruised for a bit, she wasn't seriously injured.

The heroine attempted to remove her foot, but gave up when all she managed to do was get it stuck tighter. She couldn't even see Soul Crusher.

Then the Akuma spoke and her blood froze.

"I hope Hawkmoth is ok if the I bring him your miraculous slightly... flattened".

He continued this time instructint a shoe:

"Left boot, what are you doing just standing there? Crush--"

His sentence was cut off by a flying javelin or pole of some sort, and the sound of it hitting its mark "No, that is Chat's staff," Ladybug realized cheerfully.

"Cataclysm" she heard.

As the shoe dissipated, she was barely able to catch the Akuma, as it sought refuge in the skies.

"Nice try,"she said to the butterly, completing her task of repairing the city.

"Thanks Chat, I thought maybe you had abando..." her sentence drifted off as she looked for the masked hero.

He was gone. She looked where his baton had sailed. It too was missing.

She couldn't help but sigh. "I just intentionally did to Chat what Adrien accidentally did to me," she whispered fighting back tears.

LATER-

Marinette searched the apartment for Alya, not unlike she had that morning, but now with more urgency. Eventually she remembered that Alya had said that if the interview went well, she was going to be there late into the evening.

Marinette slipped into her pajamas (a flannel shirt full of swirls she had designed herself, and flannel Chat Noir pants). She knew she didn't have matching evening clothes, but they were the the first ones she saw, and both pieces were extremely comfortable. "Besides, no one is going to see me in them," she thought.

Marinette looked down at her pants, staring at the caricatures of her feline companion. Her eyes found their way back to her pillow, which she had decided was now unsalvageable.

"If only I could talk to Chat and try and make him feel better," she lamented.

It was horrible that Adrien didn't want her, but what she couldn't stand was how she had treated Chat. He never deserved it. She pulled her comforter over herself, deciding she would stay in her bed forever.

"I wish I could just apologize to Chat, or do something to make him feel better," she repeated to Tikki, her tears slowly subsiding.

As if the phrase were a signal, she heard a trio of scratches at the front door, followed by just as many ever-so-gentle taps. The sign Chat wanted to meet her on the roof.

Marinette nearly threw herself off the bed, running to the door, almost shoving Tikki in her pajamas's shirt pocket and the clutching the comforter. She ran to the roof.

Each staircase seemed like a weight lifted off of her shoulders. Even if she wasn't Ladybug while comforting her Kitty, she would be someone for him to talk to.

When she got to the top she unlocked the door, glad that she had befriended the custodian, and that he had entrusted her with his only spare key to the flat top roof. She rushed out to see her Kitty, still dressed in her evening clothes.

Marinette hugged him tightly, before he could comment on the Chat Noir pants.

Eventually they found their way to a small bench that had been left there long ago.

"Her mascara is smeared even worse," he noted, remembering she had been crying earlier that day. A sudden pit formed in the bottom of his stomach as he was racked with guilt.

"Here I am, turning to my Princess for a little comfort, while I completely forget she has her own problems," he berated himself.

"What's wrong princess?"he questioned thoughtfully, while producing a handkerchief. He was glad that was one thing Gabriel had instilled in him: a gentleman is always ready with a handkerchief.

The man of the hour beamed radiantly as he dabbed away a few remaining tears, then proceeded to wipe away the makeup her pillowcase had rejected.

She looked at him in wonder. "How can he be so kind and selfless to me when his heart was broken less than two hours ago?"

The realization of just how great he was brought forth another flood from the ducts in her eyes. Chat saw this and pulled her in a deep embrace, allowing her to place her semi-clean face in the crook of his neck.

Marinette allowed herself a couple more minutes of sobbing before, looking at him.

"Oh, my Purrincess, I don't know what happened, but if you would like to talk about it, I am ready to listen," he whispered gently.

"I...I um... I had a crush... and I..." she began stuttering, then gazed deeper into the deep fields of green that were his eyes. They were fulled with compassion, worry, and love. Yes, Chat really cared about his friend.

She stifled a sniffle and began again,"I decided to tell this boy I have known for years how I felt about him. And without even knowing it, he basically stomped on my heart and said it was never going to happen".

She saw a split second of anger flash through his eyes.

"What's his name. I'll make him wish he had begged for your love instead," the cat hissed.

"No, no. It's ok. I won't have any more problems. I think it was about time I let him go".

"Ok, but if he met me on the street and my baton accidentally found it's way into his knees?" Chat wondered.

"Please don't. Adrien is a nice... nice-ish guy" she corrected, thinking of his laughing response to Nino's question.

Chat's jaw fell open. "You had a crush on Adrien... as in Agreste?".

"Yeah," she responded, looking down.

Chat giggled a little then looked her in the eyes, solemnity on his face. "Do you know why I call you 'Purrincess', Purrincess?"

Marinette shrugged. "I just thought you were flirting".

"Well a little," he admitted," but there is more. A princess is naturally beautiful, I think it is just a law of nature or something. But being a beautiful daughter of royalty doesn't compel the commoners to refer to a girl as a princess when they are alone".

He paused, his soft feline eyes looking at her once again.

"No,"he continued," there is an intrinsic value a true princess possesses. It's love, and charity and compassion, and all the other goodness you have as well."

She smiled sincerely, the first smile Chat (or Adrien) had seen from her today, and he took it as a sign for her to continue.

"And every princess deserves a prince. That includes you.

By the way," he added,"Agreste is a good guy, but he is no prince. Even after leaving home, his dad still controls his life. And I know he doesn't mean to, but unless he pays special attention to others, he is self centered".

"Maybe, you could eventually forgive him... if that is possible... and help him be a better person? " The Adrien part of Chat Noir pleaded.

Marinette sat in stunned silence as her companion displayed so many deep and profound emotions. She had always thought Chat was a silly Kitty, but the truth was that he was sensitive, compassionate, and loyal.

Taking the silence as an opportunity to share more he said, "Jagged Stone does a lot of rock and roll... but he has one pop rock song. Only one. Most people don't know it, but I think it is one of his best masterpieces". He fiddled with his baton, which apparently also functioned as an MP3 player.

"It's called She Will Find Love," they said in unison. Chat smiled. "No one ever knows this one," he thought.

Chat offered a rich tenor to compliment Jagged, the pair serenading Marinette with the lyrics perfectly articulating her feelings.

Princess you are barely 18,

Your life is hard, all's not well.

You keep waiting for Prince Charming,

That punk's always thinkin' 'bout himself.

She had never realized how well her Kitty could sing, and as he reached the chorus, she felt her breathe stop.

I am fine waiting every day,

Across the street, standing there all day,

I'll find you girl and I'll stay a while,

At least until I start to see you smile.

And you will find looove!

You wiiiiiiillll find loo-oo-oove!

As Chat finished the song she stared, her eyes gleaming from tears of joy. Then the unexpected occured.

The girl grabbed her friend by the collar and planted the deepest kiss she could offer on his lips. He reciprocated.

After a moment they both pulled back, blushing.

"That was the sorrow talking," Marinette said halfheartedly.

"It didn't happen," Chat agreed just as halfheartedly,"we are just friends". That was the most disappointed time he had uttered those cursed words.

"Look at us, Chat. Two wonderful heartbroken people sitting on a roof."

"Who said I was heartbroken," he asked, though it was obvious he was still hurting.

"Um... I heard it from the Ladyblog or something"

"Ah."

"Yeah...so what are you gonna do with Ladybug?"

"I'll help her when she needs it, but otherwise I'll give her some space for a while".

"Ah, gotcha,"she said half happy half disappointed,"hey... if you aren't busy, do you want to watch a movie? I'll let you snuggle in my blanket."

"Sure," he smiled, climbing into the homemade blanket fort, snuggling next to hs friend effortlessly. He put his arm around her and they watched a movie they both liked.

After it ended they talked for a couple hours until they went silent.

Chat assumed Marinette had fallen asleep, but didn't dare check.

"All this time, maybe I should have been focusing on Marinette," he thought," she might not forgive Adrien, but maybe she'll give Chat a chance".

Marinette was lying beside him, wondering if he was asleep.

"I didn't realize how much depth Chat had," she pondered.

Words from the day spilled into her head.

"I WILL NEVER LOVE YOU!"

"Chat. I didn't mean-"

"He won't reject you. That would be like rejecting his heart".

"This day my true love will be realized".

"I WILL NEVER LOVE YOU!"

"This day my true love will be realized".

"I WILL NEVER LOVE YOU!"

"This day my true love will be realized".

The last two bounced back and forth in her mind before she fell asleep in Chat's arms, wity one final thought emerging from her mind.

"Maybe I did find my true love today".

Ahhhhhh!MariChart emerges. I had to sacrifice both Adrinette and LadyNoir for it to happen, but I would do it again. Now the question is, where will it go from here? Will Adrien find out who Ladybug is? Will he still want to know? Will Marinette forgive Adrien?