Rnij: Lol, hopefully new chapters won't take that long again.

Junior VB: Gracias por sus comentarios! Danielle todavía tiene mucho camino por recorrer antes de que Adrien y ella estén en la misma sintonía. / Thanks for your reviews! Danielle's still got a ways to go before she and Adrien get on the same page.

OCLover123: Thanks! They'll definitely share a kiss by the end of the fic, but I'm afraid you still have a few chapters to wait.

Chloé woke to the sound of tapping on her balcony door. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and squinted at the glass. Outside, she saw none other than Leda. She jumped to her feet and hurried over, opening the door. "Hey, what're you-"

Chloé was cut off when the hero hugged her, sobbing into her shoulder. Confused and stunned, she slowly lifted her hand to pet Leda's hair, reminiscent of what her father used to do. "Hey, hey," she cooed. "It's okay. Everything's gonna be alright. What's the matter?"

"I-I made such a big mistake," Leda choked out with a hiccup. "I was so angry and bitter that I took it out on someone else and I made an akuma and I attacked LB and Chat and... I fucked up, Chlo."

Hesitantly, Chloé rubbed Leda's back. "It's alright..." Chloé was fairly certain it wasn't, but even she wasn't enough of an asshole to say that. "Why don't I get you some water and you can calm down some?"

Leda nodded quickly, pulling away from Chloé and rubbing her eyes through her mask.

As Chloé turned away, there was a wooshing sound, followed by a small voice saying, "Can you get some pretzels too, please?"

Chloé spun around to see a small purple creature floating next to Leda. She blinked a couple of times, almost asking Leda what it was, but thought better of it. Now was the time to go with the flow; she could ask questions later. So she nodded mutely before heading towards the mini kitchen in her room. She pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge and a standard hotel room bag of pretzels out of the cupboard before returning to Leda and the purple creature.

Her eyes must have lingered, because the creature spoke up again. "My name is Nooroo. I'm a kwami, and I allow Leda to use her powers. Once we beat Hawk Moth and get the brooch back, she'll be able to transform as well."

"Is that true, Leda?" Chloé turned to Leda, who just nodded silently. With a heavy sigh, Chloé opened the bag of pretzels and handed them to Nooroo before going back to Leda, guiding her to sit down on her bed. Chloé rubbed her shoulder and offered the water bottle. "You want to talk about what happened?"

"Not now," Leda hiccuped. She opened the bottle, hands shaking, and took a sip. She took a few breaths, slowly evening out.

Then the dam broke. Leda sobbed, covering her mouth with one hand and leaning into Chloé.

"It's okay," Chloé whispered. "Just let it out."

The two sat like that for nearly an hour before Chloé heard Leda's breath even out again. She looked down, seeing that Leda's eyes were closed. She looked back up to Nooroo. "Any idea how to move her without waking her up?"

Nooroo shook their head. "Sorry. I should have warned you about that. Making akumas weakens her."

"It's fine," Chloé replied. "She, uh... she looks really pretty when she's asleep. I just wish I knew what to do."

"You're already doing it," Nooroo assured her. "I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but Leda was raped about a year ago. She caught someone trying to rape a woman tonight, and she beat him to a pulp. Ladybug and Chat Noir stopped her before she could kill him, and she lost it. She turned the would-be victim into an akuma and fought her teammates before Chat could calm her down."

Chloé listened attentively, a frown on her face. "Oh my god," she whispered. "Poor Leda. No one should have to go through that."

"I don't think she ever really handled it," Nooroo added. "She's still hurting."

"That's something that hurts forever," Chloé declared. "But you're right; if she made an akuma, she isn't dealing." She ran a finger along Leda's cheek. Slowly, she leaned in and placed a kiss to her temple.

Chloé adjusted her arms so she could pick up Leda, and she carefully moved her to the center of the bed. She unmade it and tucked Leda in before she laid down atop the sheets on the other side. She watched her companion for a minute before closing her eyes, deciding it was best if she got some sleep, too.

Danielle woke up to the sun in her eyes and a pounding headache. She moaned in pain, only for Nooroo to fly up and put their paws over her mouth.

"Shh!" they hissed. "Your mask is around your neck."

Danielle looked down, eyebrows furrowed, and pulled her mask back up over her eyes. "Where am-" Reality came rushing back to her, and she let out a tired sigh. "Shit." She turned over, seeing Chloé on the bed next to her atop the covers. "She never tried to figure out who I was?"

"Never," Nooroo confirmed. "But someone's probably gonna be by to check on her soon. We should go."

"Right," Leda whispered. "Nooroo, wings rise."

Nooroo zipped into Leda's brooch, and she gently shook Chloé's shoulder.

Chloé gasped, confused at the sudden wakefulness. Her head darted around, finally landing on Leda. "Oh, hey. Are, uh, how are you?"

Leda gave her a strained smile. "Not great, but better than I was last night." She reached out, brushing a strand of Chloé's hair behind her ear. "I've gotta go, but I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Yeah," Chloé agreed. "Take some time for yourself today, yeah? You deserve it."

A small laugh bubbled past Leda's lips. "I will." With that, she turned and snuck out the side door.

Nearly an hour later, Danielle laid in bed, staring at her phone. She'd changed into her pajamas, skin ashen pale. She scrolled through her news feed, looking at the articles about Leda.

"You're going to make yourself sick," Nooroo claimed, landing on a spare pillow next to Danielle's head.

"I think it's a little too late for that," she replied. "Here's hoping no one gets akumatized because of my absences again."

Nooroo sighed and shook their head. "Now you're just dumping on yourself.

Danielle sighed and dropped her head back on her pillow. "Don't I deserve it, though?" she asked. "I did something bad, even if it was to a bad person. And that says nothing of the woman I akumatized- you yourself said it leaves a negative magical imprint on them!"

"I'm fairly certain that woman would have had a negative imprint on her no matter what happened last night," Nooroo commented. "Just, please, take some time to rest and recover. You need it."

Danielle took a deep breath and let it out, looking to Nooroo. "No," she suddenly declared shortly. "What I need to do is get the hell out of here."

Nooroo's jaw dropped. "What?" they asked. "Danielle, what are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry, Roo, but you're on your own."

Before Nooroo could reply, Danielle took off the brooch and shoved it into the drawer of her bedside table. She got out of bed and grabbed her backpack, dumping out her school supplies before walking over to the dresser and shoving what clothes she could fit into her bag.

Adrien looked around the dining room, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Where's Danielle?" he asked.

Gabriel froze, cup of coffee to his lips. After a second, he put it down and cleared his throat. "She's feeling a little under the weather," he explained. "I... figured out what happened to her, and I understand that she's taking Leda's attack very hard. I've decided not to wake her."

Adrien's jaw dropped. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but-"

"It's alright," Gabriel assured him. "You have nothing to apologize for. Danielle asked you not to tell me, and you respected her wish. I'm sure she'll be back in school tomorrow."

Adrien grew silent and nodded, getting back to his breakfast.

When he walked into the classroom later that morning, he was met by the sound of Alya giving Marinette a full report of last night's events and the fallout.

"Viols-Femmes-Informations and the Institut National d'Aide aux Victimes et de Médiation are already using Leda as somewhat of a mascot," she said, scrolling through her web feed. "And the Ladyblog's blowing up with comments from victims who have decided to go to the police. They've even had to open another line to keep up with all the calls coming in."

"Good," Marinette replied quietly, her gaze fixed on her hands. When Alya touched her shoulder, she jumped.

"It shook you, didn't it?"

Marinette took in a wobbly breath and nodded her head. "I... there's this girl, she comes into the bakery pretty often; we barely know each other, but she tried to tell me, and I didn't listen. At least, not as well as I should have. I completely missed what she was saying, and that hurt her. And now I don't know how to help her."

Alya pursed her lips and stared at Marinette for a moment, trying to come up with a simple answer to a complicated problem. "Let her know you're there for her," she finally said. "And don't try to imply it or skirt around it. Tell her."

Marinette nodded. "I will."

Adrien bit the inside of his cheek, considering Alya's words. It sounded like he needed to say something to a certain friend, too.

When Danielle finally managed to sneak out of the mansion and into a coffee shop for lunch before leaving, Mireille was already there. Typical. Danielle sighed and bought her sandwich before sitting down across from her.

"You messed up," Mireille declared dryly. She glanced at Danielle's stuffed bag. "And you're running."

"I know," Danielle replied. She took a sip of her tea and sat back in her seat. "Are you here to lecture me?" She picked up her sandwich and took a bite, intentionally chewing with her mouth open.

Mireille rolled her eyes. "Only if you keep eating like that," she said. "I know you're bitter and in pain, but you still have a job to do. And I'm not just saying that as your teacher or as a victim of one of Hawkmoth's akumas. I'm saying that as your friend. I know you will hate yourself if you don't see this through."

Danielle picked at her sandwich, putting another tiny bite in her mouth. This time, at least, she chewed with her mouth closed.

"I heard Chat Noir's little speech to you, and he's right," Mireille continued. "I can't fix you, but I can at least try to hold your hand while you get your shit together- key word being try. If you give me the silent treatment and act like we're strangers or run away, there's nothing I can do."

Danielle swallowed before responding. "You never seemed that interested in being friends before."

"That's because I can separate when you need a teacher and when you need a friend," Mireille replied. "Right now, you need a friend, but you can't shut me out."

There was a moment of silence as Danielle tried to sort out her thoughts. Finally she let out a sigh. "Thank you, Mireille," she whispered. "And I'm sorry. You're right about me being bitter and hurting, but I don't know how to stop it."

Mireille reached across the table and took Danielle's hand in her own. "I'd start by talking. Places all over the city are offering free counseling right now. No one would know."

"I guess," Danielle replied. "I just..."

"The stigma," Mireille supplied. "But if you don't get help, you'll always hurt. If you want, I can go with you."

Danielle nodded. "Yeah," she agreed. "I'd like that."

"And talk to your team. They're bound to be worried."

"I shouldn't be the butterfly miraculous holder," Danielle said. "I completely lost it last night, and it's not like I was chosen anyway. They'd be better off without me."

Mireille just shook her head. "It takes a special kind of person to hold the butterfly miraculous- angry but loving. My grandfather said that the last one he met was named Adelaide, during the first world war. She was ruthless, and god help the fool who hurt her champions. You look like you came right out of his stories about her."

Danielle smiled softly, taking another bite of her sandwich.

"I'd even bet you're powerful enough to send out multiple champions at once and call them back at will."

That earned her a scoff. "Yeah right," she replied.

Mireille quirked her eyebrow and tore off a piece of Danielle's sandwich. "We'll see," she said. "Until then, I'd suggest talking to your team." When Danielle opened her mouth to respond, Mireille cut her off. "And no, I'm not letting this go until you do it."

"Damn."

"So you'll stay?"

Danielle sighed, taking a moment to think before she nodded her head. "Yeah. I'll stay."

Instead of leaving for Antalya, Danielle circled back to the mansion and snuck into her room without detection. She walked over to the nightstand and opened the drawer, taking out the butterfly brooch again and pinning it to her shirt.

Nooroo flew out, smiling faintly when they saw Danielle. "You're still here."

"Roo, I am so sorry," Danielle told them. "I shouldn't have left, and I shouldn't have abandoned you. I'm just scared and I feel like I'm right back where I started-"

"And you thought it would be easier to go through with your original plan."

Danielle nodded mutely.

"I promise you, everything will turn out okay for you." Nooroo floated over to the bed and patted it, urging Danielle to sit down. Reluctantly, she dropped her backpack and did. "You are not my first caterpillar to face trauma before meeting me, and you probably won't be the last. But you are one of the strongest people I've ever met, and your capacity for good is astonishing. I've seen holders tear themselves apart because they can't handle their empathic powers, but you took it all like a pro. You're strong, and you bounce back, and with the right care, you'll recover from this, too. A butterfly's specialty is in transformation. Transform yourself."

Tears filled Danielle's eyes, and she reached out to pet Nooroo's head. "Thank you," she choked out. "I will."

Nooroo nodded. "I know you will."

For some reason, Ladybug was both surprised and not when Leda approached her and Chat Noir at the Eiffel Tower. Did it make sense? No. It just was.

"Hi there," Leda greeted them nervously. She tilted her body to one side, and Ladybug realized she was holding a picnic basket. Leda held it out. "A peace offering," she explained. "My dad would make these fillo shells filled with hot brie when I was little, but for whatever reason there was a ton of camembert in the fridge so I replaced the brie with that."

"Thank you," Ladybug replied quietly. "I think we have enough time for a snack before patrol." She walked up to Leda and sat down, a soft smile on her face.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, but Ladybug broke it with a loud intake of breath, one that Leda knew preceded a heavy conversation. "We're a team," she declared firmly. "We're supposed to be working together, and last night we almost killed each other."

Leda looked away, a blush crawling up her face. "Yeah, I'm... I'm sorry about that," she said quietly. "I should have listened to you two, and I shouldn't have let it get that far. I get it if you want me to hand over my half of the brooch."

Ladybug reached out, putting her hand over Leda's. "What I'm saying is that we're a team," she repeated. "We should be supporting each other, with what happens both in and out of the suits. We're your team, Leda, and if you ever need to talk about anything, we're here. Our kwamis can notify us if another is trying to get in touch when we're not in the suit."

"We should have realized there was something deeper going on," Chat Noir added. "We were so worried about you slipping up that we didn't notice you were hurting. None of us are guilt-free in what happened last night."

He let out a sigh and straightened his back, putting his hands on his knees. "I am terrified of losing my father, even though he neglects me. My mother went... away, and I'm scared he'll leave too. He's getting better, but I still worry."

Ladybug nodded, catching on slowly pulling her hand away from Leda. "There are times I wonder if the Guardian was right when he chose me. Before this, I was average. Average grades, average friends, average parents. He said he chose me for my kindness, but he decided that on one single act. And I don't know if that's enough."

Leda took in a deep breath and pursed her lips together. "Before Nooroo, I was going to steal things from my family and pawn them off to get enough money to go to Turkey and help refugees. I was... I am so wracked with guilt that I thought maybe, just maybe, that could make up for the fact that I put someone in a coma, even though he hurt me first."

They went around in a circle again and again, telling secrets and sharing dreams and fears until the sky began to turn pink. Leda yawned and smiled at the horizon.

"I love watching the sun rise," she confessed.

That day, three students in particular were exhausted beyond belief. Had any of them not been so tired, they might have noticed two of their classmates in the same predicament.