So, once again, it's been awhile. I'm sorry, but I have finals coming up and I've been trying to decide where to go next with this story. I know what I want to happen, I'm just trying to decide if it's too early to make it happen. To the reviews!

firstiwilleatthesebeans: Thank you!

Wulf2.0: It's what I do best after all.

To the story!

"Where have you been?" Chat asked, his eyes wide.

"I sprained my ankle really badly. The doctor said I needed to stay off of it for at least a week." I replied, positioning my tail so part of it rested on my lap. I don't know why, but it always made me feel better. "I figured 'stay off it' meant don't go out and battle akumas every other day."

"It's been two weeks." Chat growled. "You just up and disappeared! I was worried!"

"I didn't mean to worry you," I mumbled, genuinely meaning it for once. "Hey, has Ladybug said anything?"

"You mean, about the fact that you pushed her out of the way of a falling chunk of concrete?" He asked, crossing his arms. "She's mentioned it. She's still trying to figure out why you'd help her. Take a hit for her, I believe were her exact words."

"Well, I didn't save her to get her to like me. I didn't do it for her or for you or for anyone else. I just did what I thought a hero would do." I hated that word. Hero. What made someone a hero? Couldn't normal people do incredible or meaningful things without needing to be dressed up for the public?

"I wouldn't call us heroes." Chat replied, eyeing me as if he expected me to run off.

"All of Paris calls you a hero," I argued, my voice coming out extremely bitter. "They think you and Ladybug are so wonderful. They don't ever stop to consider that you're both human and have lives outside of this or emotions other than those they see on TV." Chat shifted from foot to foot and it was then that I realized I gotten myself onto an irrelevant tangent and was rambling. "Sorry," I mumbled, forcing my breathing back to normal.

"It's fine." He peered at me curiously. "Is that really how you feel about it all? That we're all just a bunch of people who are out of our element and others are taking us for granted?"

"I never said the out our element part, but the taking for granted part is true. Those people wouldn't know what to do without you."

"And what about you?"

I scoffed. "They don't pay enough attention to me to take me for granted." The silence stretched on and I realized I'd probably made a fool of myself. I sighed and got up. "I should probably get home. See ya, Chat."

"What about your ankle?"

"It should be fine. As you pointed out, it's been two weeks." Of course, it would be better if I didn't have to hide it at school, but my paranoia had won over my logic. I jumped away and made my way home. Looking around to make sure no one was around, I detransformed and went inside.

"I told you he would worry," Rhys grumbled.

"I didn't disagree with you," I replied, pulling my math homework out and finishing off the last few problems. "All I said was that calling him could wait."

"And then, you never actually called him."

I shrugged. "He had Ladybug. He was fine." Before she could argue, I put my homework away and made my way to my room. "Lights out, Rhys. Come on." She phased through the wall and plopped onto her makeshift bed on the shelf. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." She replied, drifting off and I followed soon after.

"Nydra!"

I looked up from my homework, ready to snap at whoever was being a distraction this time. When I saw who it was, however, I shoved my work to the side of my desk. "Sock!"

He slowed, blushing at the nickname. "I got you s-something." He mumbled, hiding whatever this item was behind his back. "Guess which hand."

I surveyed him carefully, looking for some small detail that would tell me which hand he could have something hidden in. I wasn't overly concerned with it, considering it was a fifty-fifty chance, but even incorrectly guessing small things such as this were hard to live down with my brother. "Left," I said finally.

He pouted and held up his left hand. Resting in it was a woven black bracelet with silver markings on it. "It might be a little big…" He reached towards me and dangled it between two fingers.

I held my hand out and gently took it, inspecting the thing. While I wanted to say something meaningful, my eight-year-old mind couldn't come up with anything better than, "It's pretty."

"Do- do you like it?"

I nodded and slipped the bracelet onto my wrist. "Thank you."

He smiled and flung his arms around me suddenly. After a moment of shock, I returned the hug. He pulled away and booped my nose. "I should let you get back to your homework."

I shook my head. "No, it's fine. I can finish it later."

He didn't look convinced. "Are you sure?"

I nodded then looked around, a strange scent tickling my nostrils. "Do you-" But Sock was gone. The school yard melted away, being replaced by a cluttered storeroom. Suddenly, I was my normal self, no longer a young child. I stood up and looked around, heart racing as I realized the smell was smoke. "This can't be happening."

I made my way out of the storeroom and looked around, already anticipating what was going to happen. Just because I knew it was going happen didn't mean I was prepared for it though. I picked my way around the flames lapping at the walls, watching as the fire got brighter as it progressed. Something latched onto my ankle and I jumping, screaming. The body let go of my ankle and struggled to its feet. It shambled towards me, its arms outstretched. I stepped back until my back hit a wall and stared at the creature, part of me screaming at me to move, but I was rooted in place. The bloody hands closed around my throat and the face cleared enough to reveal my brother. Only, it wasn't quite him. His face was expressionless and his eyes were cold. His grip tightened and I struggled to breathe, trying to pry his hands off me. He adjusted the position of his hand and my vision blurred.

"You're worthless." He growled out, his expression remaining cold and apathetic. "I don't know why I ever wasted my time with you."

Tears welled up in my eyes, partially due to the lack of oxygen and partially due to his cruel words. "Nico, please.."

The fire crept closer, the heat making breathing even more difficult than before. The flames engulfed us, but as far as I could tell, it didn't bother my older brother. This wasn't the case for me. The fire spread over me, but my voice seemed frozen in my throat. Cold eyes stared into my soul, holding me in place.

I bolted up, a strangled scream slipping out of my throat. Rhys popped awake, her wide eyes locking onto me. I was trembling and I curled into a ball, throwing my blanket off. Tears pressed against the back of my eyes and I shook with silent sobs.

"Nydra. It was just a dream."

I ignored her, my stomach churning. My head was buried in my hands. After a while, I forced myself to stop and sat up. Still sniffling slightly, I took a deep breath and got up. I went to the bathroom and splashed water on my face, before getting water. Done with my coping, I turned the light off and went back to bed.

"Nydra, are you-"

"I'm fine." I interrupted my kwami, not wanting to discuss it. "It was just a dream. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Goodnight."

"...goodnight."

I laid down, pulling my blanket up to my chin. I stared stubbornly into the dark, not wanting to admit to my kwami that I really wasn't fine. I understood why she was worried, but my dream didn't mean anything like she thought it did. I'd always had doubts growing up about what kind of person my brother was. I knew no one was perfect and he certainly hadn't tried to make me think otherwise, especially with himself. I closed my eyes and practiced the breathing techniques I'd learned as a child, before drifting off again.


Hawkmoth was pacing again. His companion watched him, his dead eyes following the purple-clad villain's movements. There had been plenty of people who'd gotten upset the night before because of their night terrors, but these apparently weren't good enough.

His stomach growled. He looked at his midriff, wondering if getting food was worth the effort. "I'll be back." He said simply, getting up and walking towards the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Hawkmoth yelled after him.

"Maybe you've forgotten what's it like to be a normal human, but I haven't. I'm hungry." The blond replied, closing the door behind him and cutting his boss off. He made his way across town and looked around. He supposed he could ditch his costume for an hour or so and just be normal for a bit. He wasn't sure if he could do that though and he didn't want to risk losing his powers. His fingers tapped against his arm as he thought. Where could he go that people wouldn't freak out about his appearance? Probably nowhere with how infatuated everyone was with Ladybug and Chat Noir. If he wasn't careful, some amateur reporter would think he was some new hero and parade him in front of a camera for all of Paris to see. That wouldn't help him lie low at all.

Almost on autopilot, he made his way across town, dropping into an alley. He walked over to the house he was looking for, his mind wandering as he performed the scanning exercises that had become second nature to him. The lights were all off, but that was normal. Even when the person who occupied this house was home, she liked to be in the dark. Maybe it helped her get away from her problems or maybe it was more comforting to her. He didn't care, but it made it harder to figure out when she was actually home. He heard footsteps making their way to the door along with a voice that kept getting louder and he jumped up to the roof.

He watched as she walked out, speaking hurriedly into her phone. "No, Alya, I haven't heard from Marinette." There was a pause. "Because she doesn't like me."

Nydra huffed as she locked the front door and slipped some cashews into her hoodie pocket for Rhys. "Alya, I may not like people, but I'm not oblivious. I can tell when someone doesn't like me." She fumbled with the key and swore softly, crouching down to pick it up. "No, she's not just upset about something I might have done. She genuinely doesn't like me."

He blinked and chuckled, keeping his voice low. "You haven't changed a bit." Still just as blunt and tactless.

"No, Alya, it is that simple. Marinette and I just aren't going to click the way you want us to. Bless her heart, but-" Nydra stopped again, her expression gradually growing confused. "It's not a southern thing to say. Everybody says that." Another pause. "I do not talk funny."

Cautiously he slipped across the roof and jumped to the next one, following her. She stopped and whipped around, but he was already out of sight, silently cursing himself for not being stealthier.

"Whatever Alya. Where did you want to meet?" The conversation lulled again. "I don't know where that is. No, just give me a landmark and I'll find it." She began tapping her foot against the pavement as she waited. A few moments later, she stopped. Her voice sounded too eager to be real. "Great! I'll see you there then." Yet another pause. "Of course I'll be able to find it! Have a little faith in me, honestly. Okay, bye~"

She disappeared around the corner of the alley and he jumped onto the roof of her building. Prying open an unlocked window, he slipped inside and made his way to the kitchen. He rifled through the pantry, trying to find something she wouldn't notice if a bit went missing. Finally, he pulled a package of crackers and a bottle of some sparkling water drink that she liked out and looked around. He'd never actually been inside the house before. Now seemed like as good a time as any to explore.

He slowly moved around the house, careful not to move anything out of place. He didn't want her knowing he'd been there. He found himself wandering into the living room and gently prodded the furniture. Nothing like the stuff back home. Probably sold it to get a plane ticket and start fresh. It was a good idea. Too bad it didn't work out. He made his way back to the kitchen and went through the cupboards. "She doesn't seem to be taking the best care of herself. In what world does she think this will keep her healthy?" He pulled a paper bag from its place on the counter and glared at the muffin within in disgust. He shuddered, practically able to smell the sickening sugar scent rolling off it. He wasn't exactly sure what kind of muffin it was, but anything that smelled that sugary sweet couldn't be healthy. "Honestly. These are terrible life choices."

Focus! He put the bag back and left the kitchen, his mind spinning. It doesn't matter what life choices she's making. Soon, they'll just be a legacy of bad decisions.

He scoffed and left the house completely, reminding himself to keep his priorities straight. He couldn't get any more involved in this than he already was. Soon, this will all be over.