One month later, on the day before the big fashion show, Marinette was out on her balcony, overlooking the Parisian night sky. She and Chloé had worked surprisingly well on their outfit and Marinette had to admit that Chloé's design idea weren't all that bad.

Chloé had designed the jacket (Ladybug themed) and had perfected the blouse design. Marinette worked on the skirt - black with a green hem resembling Chat Noir's eyes, a black belt adorned with small bells and red and black masks resembling the one Ladybug wore - and a pair of black, Chat Noir themed boots that had a green paw print on the soles.

They worked together on accessories - a silver necklace with a green paw charm Chat Noir, a weirdly perfect copy of Ladybug's earrings that Chloé had made herself (it still surprised Marinette how similar to her hero self they looked, and she had to admit that Chloé was attentive to details), silver bracelets with ladybug and cat paw prints charms and a ring that resembled Chat Noir's when he was transformed.

Marinette worked hard on that ring, going as far as taking advantage of Chat Noir's visits to get right even the smallest detail and go with him over the design, eager to hear his opinion - and if she just wanted to spent more time with him doing that, well, he didn't need to know that.

The outfit was currently in her room - another surprise came when Chloé had agreed that Marinette should be the one to keep it and that Chloé would be picking Marinette and their outfit up in the morning and they would go together to the fashion show. Their design will be exposed to the public - and possibly sold if they were lucky enough, and the money will be donated to organizations dealing with post akuma trauma.

Gabriel Agreste had picked them as the winner earlier that week, congratulating them on managing to blend their different ideas in one great design. Nathalie Sancoeur had congratulated them as well before leaving and when she was gone, Adrien had walked to them and congratulated them before saying he knew they could work together.

Marinette had been ecstatic. They had won the contest, she and Chloé had worked together without the world ending, Gabriel Agreste himself liked their design and Adrien had congratulated her on her idea.

Though by now she had stopped stuttering almost entirely when she talked to Adrien, and she tried her best to keep her feelings to herself - even Chloé seemed to give her a break for that and hadn't seemed overly jealous when Marinette and Adrien would talk - she still couldn't help the swarm of butterflies in her stomach when she'd catch him looking at her, green eyes sparkling and a soft smile on his lips. Part of her wished she didn't feel that way, wished her traitorous heart wouldn't skip a beat when their eyes met, wished they could just be friends without her feelings getting in the way.

She wished she'd stop associating his smile with the one she'd noticed on Chat Noir's face over the last few weeks, stop comparing the two boys in her head when one of them would do something she'd seen the other do. She wished she'd stop seeing one's mannerism in the other. One was a superhero and the other was a mother. More different than that it couldn't get! It wasn't right to Adrien to compare him to Chat Noir, it wasn't right to Chat Noir to compare him to Adrien. They were two different people with different lives and different manners and a few similar gestures but that was about it.

Tikki rested on Marinette's shoulder, nuzzling into her chosen's cheek. She knew the girl was troubled, could practically hear the cogs turning in her head. "Is everything alright, Marinette?" She asked though she was pretty sure she knew the answer.

Marinette exhaled and gripped the railing of her balcony a little tighter. "I'm not sure," she said after a few seconds. She frowned, her eyes searching through the for something. For someone. "It's all so confusing. I don't even know how to feel, Tikki."

"You were chosen to be Ladybug for a reason, Marinette."

A small smile tugged at the corners of Marinette's mouth. "I figured why Master Fu chose me. I was the only one to help him. Though that was a bad move on his part. What if I wasn't there? What if no one else would have helped him?"

Tikki shook her head. "You got your Miraculous for how you helped him, not for the fact that you helped him. You analyzed the situation carefully and came to a conclusion, which is exactly what the ladybug wielder has to do with their Miraculous. Master Fu was trained to be a Guardian. He's the last remaining one. When it comes to the Miraculouses, the Guardians have this sense. They know when there's someone worth a Miraculous around. A Guardian feels their heart, senses what they need, observes how they act. It's how and why you got the ladybug Miraculous and why A- Chat Noir got the black cat one. You both got one you needed in the end based on the actions you took."

There was a small pause as Marinette processed what Tikki had told her. "I see," Marinette said. She cast her eyes downward, noticing a couple on the street below her balcony, walking and talking and laughing. "This... the Guardian sensing if a person is meant for a Miraculous... is it like how I trusted Alya and Nino with their Miraculouses? How I knew they would have my back, help me in fights and give me the Miraculous back when it was over?"

"It's exactly like that," Tikki said. "The only difference is, they were your friends and you already knew you could trust them. Already knew they'd make good heroes. And when you needed help in a battle, your heart told you who you needed to give the Miraculous to."

"Huh."

"They too needed something when you chose them," Tikki told her. "Alya is a bit reckless during akuma attacks and she was a bit too overboard with her wish to know your identity, and she was in search of the truth so she learned that secret identities are important for a superhero." She snickered. "And she also got a Miraculous that focuses on illusion while she's so keen on finding the truth. Nino on the other hand is reckless in his own way especially when it comes to someone close to him and he has a good heart. He's caring about his friends. The Turtle Miraculous was exactly what he needed. Just as the Ladybug Miraculous was exactly what you needed."

"I needed many things back then," she started. "Confidence. To stand up for myself when nobody else would. To confront my bully. To stop putting up with people who don't care about me. To be... to be the best I can be."

Tikki nodded. "Exactly. And look how far you've gotten since them. You have wonderful friends, you stand up to Chloé and other mean people for yourself and for others who can't, you're confident in yourself and you save the world from evil. You're exceptional, Marinette. With or without the suit."

"Being Ladybug was the best thing that's happened to me," Marinette whispered. "For real. It's amazing, being a superheroine. The thrill, being able to jump from rooftop to rooftop, seeing the city as it is day and night... it's nothing how I imagined my life would be but it's everything I could have wished for and more."

"It is," Tikki agreed. "My past Ladybugs, they all said similar things about having the Miraculous."

Marinette touched one of her earrings, feeling its smooth shape, the surface that she had long since memorized. Her thoughts went to a certain black cat, to the ring adorning his finger. She had always wondered what it was like for Chat, what he thought about his experience as a superhero. She knew he liked it, having learned that as both Ladybug and Marinette, just as he knew she liked being Ladybug but they never really touched the subject. Maybe she could ask him next time she'd see him...

"What about Chat Noir? What did Master Fu sense about him? What did he need?" Marinette asked outloud before she could stop herself. Tikki's head snapped up at the sudden question but before she could answer, Marinette continued. "I mean, I know he told me he didn't have much freedom before receiving his ring and still doesn't and that being Chat Noir gives him some freedom but it's obviously he needed more than just freedom. And he's a good superhero, there's no doubt about that. But... what was it that he needed?"

"A family," Tikki replied. "Friends. Someone to trust and to be trusted by him. To be listened. To learn to stand up for himself and for others when they can't."

"That's awfully close to what I needed."

Tikki nodded, wondering if she should tell Marinette that Ladybugs and Chat Noirs were complementary to each other. "That's how it is sometimes. Ladybugs and Chat Noirs have always been complementary. They were... are what the other needs, be it platonic or romantic. You and Chat... it was impossible not to be the same for you as well. You're two halves of the same coin."

Marinette nodded. "I see." She remained silent after that, watching the street bellow her. She couldn't see anyone there though she was half helping Chat Noir would show up. His patrol was almost over and she needed to go to sleep soon if she wanted to be rested next morning.

A few minutes later, the familiar sound of Chat's boots behind her let her know he had showed up. Tikki flew inside the pocket of Marinette's jacket, thankful her chosen had put the jacket on over her pajamas.

"Hello, Purr-incess," he said, walking over to her. "Were you waiting for a certain hero to drop by?"

"I was wondering when you'd show up," she said and looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He was looking straight ahead, shoulders hunched, his hands gripping the railing tight. "Everything alright, kitty?" She asked, brow furrowing in concert.

"Ye-yeah. Yes. It's fine." He sighed, running a clawed hand through his hair. "I... I will talk to my father tomorrow. I'll... I'll tell him what I feel... that I don't want to date Ch- the girl I'm dating. That I don't love her..." He swallowed, squaring his shoulders. "That I love someone else."

He had already told her, Ladybug her, during one of their patrols that week that he planned on talking to his father but that he wasn't sure when. She was glad he had decided. He deserved to be happy, to choose what he wanted to do. Who he wanted to be with. She had encouraged him to go for it, to do what felt right for him and she was happy he listened to her.

"That's... I'm happy you found the courage to confront your father," Marinette said. She reached out, rubbing his back gently. He tensed up at her touched but relaxed only a moment after. "I hope he'll listen to you."

"I won't really give him a choice. He'll have to listen. I can't keep doing something I don't want to. She's not... I can't love her that way. I can't. She's great, she started being nicer to other people and she gets along with some of my friends that she didn't before... she's actively working to change and I'm proud of her and I'll help her be better but I can't date her. I don't want to break her heart later on... and I don't want to break my own heart by being with someone I don't love that way. It's not selfish, is it?"

Marinette shook her head. "It's not selfish. You need to go for what's best for you. Doing what others expect of you is draining. You can't let your father decide everything for you. Love life included. Go for it." She gave him an encouraging smile when he looked at her and he managed a small smile of his own.

"You always know what to say, Marinette. Thank mew."

She laughed, nudging his shoulder. "I'll always be here for you, chaton. You know that."

"I know." He smiled, big and bright and brilliant and it made her heart flutter in her chest. His eyes seemed happier and his posture was more relaxed. He looked more than the Chat Noir she was used to than he had in the last weeks and she couldn't hold back her smile even if she wanted. Her kitty was right there, one hand on her shoulder, looking at her in a way that made her heart beat faster and her stomach do somersaults.

She rested a hand on his chest, ignoring the rational part of her brain that was screaming at her that this wasn't right, that Chat was in love with Ladybug, that she loved Adrien, that she couldn't feel what she was feeling right now.

Only that, it was possible.

There was no denying what she felt for Chat Noir. Not this time. Despite her feelings for Adrien, despite her insistence that she didn't love Chat, she had somehow fallen in love with him. And hadn't even realized that.

Chat leaned down as if going for a kiss, making Marinette's breath hitch in her throat. She wanted to say something but the words were stuck in her throat, unable or unwilling to go out. Chat Noir closed his eyes, his free arm going around her waist, gripping the hem of her jacket - part of her wanted to yell at him to be careful and not rip her jacket.

She cupped his face in her hands leaned up, turning his face a little so she kissed his cheek instead. He gripped her jacket just a little tighter for a moment before letting go. She let her hands fall from his face to his shoulders as he opened his eyes.

"I'm sorry... about that. I didn't... I didn't think and I..."

"It's okay, Chat. I'm okay," she whispered. She could feel the fast rhythm of his heart, matching hers bit by bit and she wondered if maybe he could feel hers as well. "I-I think... we should maybe wait. Until tomorrow, I mean. Until you talk with your father."

He nodded, hands resting on her shoulders. "Yeah. Yeah. Good idea."

"You should tell Ladybug that from tomorrow on you'll be a free cat," Marinette teased.

"I'll definitely let her know during patrol. I'm sure she'll be paw-sitively delighted to hear this purr-ty cat took advice from the two most paw-some girls he knows."

"Mon Dieu," Marinette giggled. "I see you're feline more like yourself, I haven't heard that many puns in a single sentence in a long, long time."

Chat Noir's grin only grew. "Why Purr-incess, hearing you make a pun is mew-sic to my ears."

"Silly kitty." She booped his nose. "Though I can't say I didn't miss the old you back."

Chat's expression morphed into something softer. He cupped her cheek in one hand, rubbing his thumb across her skin. "Did you really?" She nodded and leaned into his touch. She had indeed missed this side of him and she was glad to have him back.

And maybe, maybe tomorrow during patrol, she could tell him what she felt for him.

"I should go," he whispered. "Tomorrow's a big day. For both of us." He let her go, slowly, as if he didn't want to leave just yet.

"Yeah. Okay." She dropped a quick kiss on his cheek. "For luck, when you'll talk to your father," she explained. He nodded and kissed her forehead in return.

"Good luck tomorrow at the fashion show," he said. "Your design is among the best I've ever seen." He paused then smiled. "And you impressed Gabriel Agreste himself twice so that's saying something."

She blushed and a shy smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "Thank you, Chat. Really."

"Anything for my Princess," he said, taking her hand in his and kissing the back of it. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mari. Good night."

"Good night, chaton."

Chat bowed and gave her a two fingers salute before jumping from her balcony to the neighbouring rooftop. Marinette waited until he was out of sight before going back into her room.

Tikki flew out from her pocket, noticing a dreamy smile her chosen had on her face. She was definitely feeling a lot better now and Tikki was glad Chat had visited. Him deciding to stick up for himself in front of his own father was a big step for him and she hoped that meant he was maturing.

Next morning, Marinette groaned when her alarm went off. She wanted to sleep longer but she knew today was an important day and she couldn't miss it.

For starters, Chloé might just march into her room and drag her to the fashion show in her pajamas.

She opened her eyes and turned off her alarm with another groan of displeasure. Tikki was already up, floating over Marinette.

"C'mon, Marinette. Wake up and get ready. Chloé will be here in an hour."

"That's enough time, Tikki. At least I don't ignore my alarm anymore," Marinette said and got up from her bed, looking regretfully at it. At least it was Friday and their classes had been canceled for the fashion show seeing as all her classmates were invited to the fashion show.

She got ready and walked downstairs where their parents were already up and working in the bakery. She greeted them with a kiss on their cheeks.

"Your breakfast is in the kitchen," her maman said. "We're sorry we can't eat with you but we want to work a bit before we have to close the bakery for today."

"It's okay, maman," she said, already heading for the kitchen. "We'll catch up at dinner." Their parents had been invited to the fashion show as well and Marinette would lie if she said she didn't enjoy their proud expressions when she'd told them she'd won the contest.

She ate in record time, in case Chloé decided to show up earlier than discussed. She wouldn't put it past her to do it, to make sure Marinette wouldn't be oversleeping. She passed a cookie to Tikki who accepted it gratefully.

"You should probably take a few cookies with you," Tikki said. "You never know who might be akumatised today and we need to be ready to transform if it's necessary."

"Wouldn't want to run out of energy," Marinette agreed. "Or snacks for you," she added. Tikki giggled.

"Or snacks for me," she confirmed.

Marinette grabbed a few cookies and placed them in her purse. She ate a few pastries her parents left for her and was almost done when her papa entered the kitchen. Tikki hid in an instant.

"Chloé's here," he announced. "She said she wanted to be there earlier. She seems nervous."

"Chloè? Nervous? I never thought I'd heard those two words in a sentence together."

"Marinette."

"Okay, okay." She sighed. Chloé wasn't that bad now. She had actually started acting nice with their classmates, with only the occasional slip up, and that was a big step for her. The only one she had a problem with was Lila and they clashed at every opportunity, which was often enough. Marinette still didn't know enough about Lila seeing as the girl kept to herself and wouldn't reveal many things to the class in the wake of what had happened. She still said the occasional white lie that everybody said every now and then but other than that, nothing. Chloé was the only one who still had a problem with Lila, and one day when they were working together on their design she had accidentally revealed why. She hated that their classmates were so fast to forgive and accept Lila despite their lies while they still looked at Chloé with skepticism as if they were expecting her to revert to her old self in an instant.

Marinette pushed those thoughts away and focused back on the present.

"We should take the outfit from my room," she said.

"I'll take care of it. You go and talk to Chloé."

Marinette nodded and made her way to the bakery. Chloé was already there, looking at the pastries and talking to her maman.

"-don't trust that girl. Lying comes to as as natural as breathing. And she stole Adrien's book! She's a thief and a liar," she declared, crossing her arms across her chest. "I'm sure Marinette told you about her."

"She did," Sabine said, watching as her daughter came into the bakery. "Well, looks like Marinette is here. Do you want me to give you pastries?"

Chloé shook her head. "Not now, thank you. I'd be too nervous to eat."

"Nervous? You?" Marinette said when she reached Chloé's side. "Is this really you, Chloé?"

Chloé rolled her eyes. "So I'm nervous. Big deal."

"You don't have to be nervous about the fashion show," Sabine said. "You and Marinette have already been chosen as winners."

"It's not the fashion show that I'm nervous about," Chloé confessed. She tapped her fingers on her arm, wondering why she was telling that to Marinette and her mom of all people. And wondering if she should just tell them the whole truth.

Looking up, she saw Mme Dupain-Cheng with a worried expression on her face. Even Marinette seemed concerned about what was going on with Chloé. She let put a deep sighed.

"It's my mom," she spoke up eventually. "She came back from New York. And she'll be at the fashion show."

Dun dun dun. The plot thickens. It's fun to write a fic before one season and then tie it with episodes from said season.

Also, basically all the episodes before Style Queen happened so far with small modifications at some of them: during Glaciator the group was supposed to include Adrien, Chloé and Sabrina and Adrien couldn't come because Gabriel insisted he and Chloé have a date and Chat Noir was upset because he didn't have a word to say against his father's wish. In Frozer, Chat Noir does give Ladybug a rose but mostly as an 'I appreciate everything you do and I admire you' gesture, the whole ice skating thing happens because Kagami suggests he relaxes a bit, Marinette and Luka still go but it's not seen as a date, mostly a way to unwind, during the battle Chat Noir acts less bitchy and more worried about the city, as in he suggests they split up to cover more ground because Frozer could be anywhere and Ladybug agrees. Pretty much that's all I can think about now.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next: heartbreak, Queen Style and more Nathalie moments. Not necessarily in that order.

Bug out :)