Chapter 5: Chores, Memories and Cosplay

The afternoon went by in a flash, and soon the photoshoot was over. Like they had been promised by Jacques Malraux, they had an incredible afternoon. Even though there were a few hiccups along the way, with one or two photographers, everything went smoothly and they all had fun.

Kim as Antelope, was probably one of the heroes that liked the photoshoot, because of his massive ego. He loved to point out that Chloe as Queen Bee adored to be in the spotlight. What he did not point out was that he himself also loved to be in the spotlight, though not as much as her. And like all of the others, when the photoshoot ended, he felt exhausted. As he made his way home, he was hoping for a nice and relaxing evening, where he could just kick back and relax, while watching a little bit of television, before doing his homework. Being a weekday, Kim knew he would not have to help his parents at their restaurant, so he truly believed that there would be nothing to stop him from enjoying himself. Unfortunately, when he arrived home, his mother, Li Hua, had other plans for him.

Because she had gone shopping to stock up the restaurant's pantry, with her husband, and took longer than she wanted to, she had not been able to do some of the house chores. So, she decided to ask Kim to help her. When he heard her say that, Kim felt like he had been kicked in the stomach by Hawk Moth or one of his lieutenants. Cursing his luck, he had no other option, but to hear her orders and make sure he listened everything she said, so he would not forget to do the chores he was given.

"Now, let's revise what I told you. You need to do the laundry, iron the clothes that are already dry, scrub the toilet, the sink and the bathtub, and last but not least, water all the plants." -Li Hua told Kim. –"Oh, and when you're ironing the clothes, don't forget to iron your shorts and your bathing cap for tomorrow, ChenChen." -she told her son, calling him by the nickname she had given him, when he was a toddler.

"Yes, mom, don't worry. I won't." -Kim said, while rolling his eyes. –"Mom, please, don't call me by that nickname. I hate it when you do that." -he thought to himself.

"And remember, dinner is in the oven. You just need to heat it up a little, honey." -Li Hua reminded Kim. –"Don't forget to eat, and don't stuff yourself with potato chips, before dinner." -she said.

"Yes, mom. I won't do it." -Kim said. –"I hate it when she calls me ChenChen… it sounds she's calling forth a dog, and not a person." -he thought to himself. –"At least I won't have to make dinner. It's a good thing mom did Peking duck this morning. I'm starving… I mean, those guys at the photoshoot, they should have had something a little more nutritious than cheese and ham sandwiches for us to eat. The two that I ate felt like little appetizers, and not proper food. What happened to fine catering?"

"Good. If you need anything, your dad and I will be downstairs." -Li Hua said, as she grabbed the house keys.

"Okay, mom. And if you need anything, just send me a text, that I'll go down and help around the kitchen, or with the orders." -Kim said, as he saw his mother opening the door. –"Though, I hope I don't have to. Not really in the mood tonight." -he thought to himself.

"Thanks, ChenChen. But hopefully, it'll be a quiet night." -Li Hua said, as she went out. –"See you later, ChenChen." -she said, as the door closed behind her.

"Don't call me that, mom." -Kim thought to himself, while rolling his eyes. –"Why does she insist in calling me that?!" -he thought.

A few seconds went by, before Kim's kwami, Imp showed up, with the most devious smile one can imagine, and that would certainly put to shame Hawk Moth's devious smile. Seeing him smiling like that, Kim knew that Imp was about to say something that was bound to get on his nerves.

"Your mom really doesn't lose the habit of calling you ChenChen, now does she, ChenChen?" -Imp laughed, calling Kim by his nickname.

"Don't start it, Imp… for your own good, don't start it." -Kim warned him. –"She knows I hate it, when she calls me that. It was okay when I was a little kid, and she called me that. It was funny. But now, not only feels awkward, it also feels like she's calling forth a dog." -he told Imp, frustrated. –"Would it kill her, to call me by my real name, instead of that nickname?"

"She still sees you as her little boy. It's only normal for her to treat you by that nickname." -Imp said.

"Well, I wish she didn't do it." -Kim said. –"I love my mom, but she's got this incredible ability to drive me crazy, with some of the things she does." -he said.

"That's pretty much her job as a mother." -Imp joked.

"Yeah, well, but it shouldn't." –Kim said. –"I mean, I'm not a little kid anymore. I can take care of myself. I save this city on a weekly basis, remember?" -he asked Imp. –"I mean, if that doesn't say that I'm not a little kid anymore, I don't know what it will."

"Then try to tell her that, and see what happens." -Imp said. –"She'll call you crazy, and a liar, even though it's not a lie." -he joked.

"You're not helping, you know that?" -Kim raised an eye at Imp. –"Now, come on. Let's get this done, so I can relax for a bit. The faster I take care of every last chore, the better." -he sighed, as Imp followed him.

Having decided that the faster he took care of the chores, the faster he would be able to properly relax, Kim did as his mother had asked him. Once he put the laundry in the washing machine, he decided to iron the clothes. Grabbing the huge pile of clothes that needed to be ironed, he began iron it, one piece at the time.

"If Alix knew that I have to do the house chores, starting with ironing clothes, she would have a blast mocking me." -Kim sighed, as he placed a t-shirt on top of ironing board, and got ready to iron it.

"She probably also has to do that as well." -Imp suggested.

"No, she doesn't." -Kim said. –"From what she told me, the last time she tried to iron something, she burned one of her father's favourite white shirts, and was forbidden from ever touching an iron, as long as she lives with them." -he said. –"So, yeah, I know that she doesn't do this."

"Okay, maybe she doesn't do that. But I'm sure that she also helps around the house, like you do." -Imp said. –"It's not a shame to help your parents. In fact, it's a very noble thing to do." -he pointed out. –"And to be fair, it's only fair for you to lend them a helping hand. After all, they clothe you, feed you and provide you with everything you need. It's a fair trade in my book."

"You say that, because it's not you who has to do the chores." -Kim told him, his voice filled with sarcasm. –"But if you had to do them, believe me, you would hate to do them as well." -he said, as he grabbed another shirt from the basket.

"Maybe. But that doesn't mean that helping out your parents, isn't a noble thing to do." -Imp said, as Kim grabbed another shirt and ironed it. –"Besides, why do you care what she would do if she was here, or if she knew about it?" -he asked Kim.

"And who says I care?! I was just making conversation." -Kim answered him. –"As if I cared what that little pipsqueak." -he said, as he continued to iron the shirt.

Imp did not answer him back, but inside his mind, the antelope kwami was smiling at Kim's attempts to mask the fact that he was in love with Alix. Just like her, Kim was incredibly stubborn and he did not want to admit he was head over heels for his pink-haired friend.

"Oh, Kim… I wonder how much longer it's going to take for you to admit that you love her." -Imp thought to himself. –"You two are the perfect couple. Both extremely proud. Both extremely stubborn. And both extremely loyal. The perfect couple, indeed." -he thought.

Max had arrived home dead tired, from the photoshoot. The photographer that had photographed him, had been one that loved conceptual photography and forced him to pose in some of the most complex, and sometimes intricate poses one can imagine. He had fun doing them, but it had exhausted him. Unfortunately, he could not tell his parents he was tired, because for all intents and purposes, he had told them that he had gone to Kim's house to do a group project for school. So, when he arrived, his parents asked him if he could help them with dinner, and he had to pretend he was fit as a fiddle and help them.

Luckily, there was one thing that gave Max the energy and the proper motivation to do that. And that was the dessert his mother had brought home that day. Being a physicist and an astronaut in training, as well as working for the European Space Agency, Claudie Kanté had access to certain things that most people did not have the access to. Among those things were spare satellite components, old space outfits, and of course, astronaut food. For dessert they were having cherry and vanilla-flavoured frozen dried ice cream, which she had brought with her from work. And after such an eventful afternoon, Max felt he deserved a treat, and that dessert was the perfect treat.

Already in his bedroom, Max tried to relax, as his kwami, Ari, begged him for another piece of frozen-dried ice cream, which he had fallen in love with, just like it happened with Max the first time he tasted it. Max had never been much of a fan of sweets. Most of his favourite desserts and snacks were almost sugar-free, and if given the option between something salty and something sweet, he would go with the one thing that was salty. But frozen-fried ice cream was the exception to that rule.

"That's what you get when your mom is studying and training to be an astronaut." -Max said, as he ate another piece of the freeze-dried ice cream. –"Most of the food they eat in space is not exactly five-star gourmet, but when it comes to desserts, nothing beats this." -he said.

"Let me have another piece." -Ari begged him.

"Sure. Here you go." -Max said as he threw a little piece of the delicious treat to Ari, who grabbed it and instantly swallowed it.

"Soooo good." -Ari said. –"Give me another one, please, Max. Just one more." -he asked him.

"Okay, but this is the last one. I think you already had too much sugar for one day." -Max joked, as he threw the sweet treat at Ari.

Failing to catch it in mid-air, the spider kwami dove towards the ground to get the piece of frozen dried ice cream, which had landed near a cardboard box that was on the bottom of the bookshelf, and that he had never noticed before. Grabbing the sweet treat, curiosity told him to check the box, wondering what was inside it. Using most of his strength, Ari pulled it from the bookshelf and quickly opened it.

"Hey, what's this?" -Ari asked Max, surprised by what was inside the box.

Inside the box was what Ari felt was a toy. Looking at it, he saw it was a small blue and grey robot. On top of its head, there was a propeller with a blue blade and a black shaft with white stripes. Below its head, there has a white USB port, and attached to its body was a blue and grey mechanical arm, with a grey claw and black palm.

"Oh, that's Markov." -Max said, as he approached Ari and the box.

"Markov?" -Ari asked, curious.

"It's a robot I tried to build about two years ago with the help of my parents." -Max told him. –"Back then, I still wasn't friends with Kim, or with pretty much anyone in the classroom, because I was a bit shy. Just as shy as Juleka was, when she first came to out class. So, I asked my parents if they could help me create something that would help me overcome my shyness." -he said. –"That's when Markov was born. He became like a guardian to me. No, not a guardian, a companion. Someone I knew would always be there for me, and who would help me, when I needed the most. Because he was built with a processor that allowed him to learn by interacting with others, he quickly started to talk to everyone I told him I wanted to be a friend with. It was a success. He talked with them, and then, I would join the conversation. It was a great way to trick my shyness."

"I see. But what happened to it? I mean, how did Markov end up in this box?" -Ari asked Max.

"Well, after a month or so, one of his components burned out. I told my mom about it, and she and my dad, they promised they were going to fix it, when they had the time. Bear in mind that he was built with components that are usually used for satellites and other stuff that is sent into orbit, so you can't exactly go to a hardware store and get the parts you need. You have to wait until there are some spare parts they won't need." -Max said. –"Days went by, and quickly turned into weeks, which then turned into months. You would think that I would have insisted on them getting Markov fixed, but that did not happen." -he declared. –"It didn't happen, because I became best-friends with Kim. And I didn't just become friends with only Kim. I also did with Alix and Rose, and little by little with everyone in class, and I didn't need Markov anymore. Everyone, except Chloe, of course, but I don't think I have to tell you that. And it was all thanks to Markov, who interacted with them and by doing it, I was then forced to talk to them, because they asked me questions about him."

"So, you became friends with them, because they were curious about this robot, and to know more about it, they began to talk with you." -Ari said.

"Pretty much, yeah." -Max declared. –"And he's been in this box ever since the day he broke." -he said. –"You know, when I was cleaning up my room last year, and I remembered that I had Markov stashed in the box, I promised myself that I would one day get him working again. I don't need him to make friends anymore, but I could always find a new function for him. Or just having him being someone I can talk to… it's not that I don't like talking to you, Ari, you know I love our conversations. But I always have to be careful, so my parents don't hear us talk, and think I'm talking by myself."

From the way Max was talking about that robot, it was clear to Ari that Markov had played a crucial role in his life, even if it was just for one month. But during that month, Max started friendships that continued to grow and that still played an important part in his life, thanks to Markov.

"Then, maybe it's time for you to bring Markov back to life again." -Ari said. –"I know it's only a machine, but I can tell from the way you talk about him, and how you look at him, that this robot was a very special friend of yours, and could be very useful to you again, somehow." -he said. –"It would be a shame to just leave him to gain dust, inside a box. Plus, the way you talk about him, he sounds like someone I would like to meet."

"But he wouldn't be able to see you, remember? You wouldn't show up in his sensors." -Max reminded him. –"Also, you would have to keep quiet when he was around, because he might not see you, but he can hear your voice, and would wonder who was talking." -he said

"Maybe, but I would still like to see him up and running. He sounds like he's a terrific machine." –Ari said.

"You aren't the only one." -Max admitted. –"You know what? I'm going to do it. I'm going to try and fix him up. With a little help from my parents, of course. I'm good with computers and some types of machines, but I'm not a wiz like they are." -he said. –"Also, my mom's the only one who can get me the parts I'm going to need to replace in Markov."

"I can't wait to see him up and running." -Ari declared.

"I'll talk to my parents and start working on him, this weekend." -Max told Ari. –"And you know what? Maybe I'll find a way to get Markov to not listen to you, when you talk. Just don't ask me how I'll do it, because I don't know how I will do it, or if I'll even be able to do it." -he warned the spider kwami.

"You'll find a way. After all, you're the most intelligent kid I know." -Ari praised him.

After finishing helping her mom with the dishes, Marinette told her parents that she was going up to her bedroom, to get some studying done. But knowing their daughter, Tom and Sabine asked her in a amused tone, if by studying, she meant that she was going to call Adrien and spend a good hour talking to him, to which she chuckled and playfully said that maybe she would talk to him for just half an hour, before studying the rest of the night, or maybe study for half an hour, and talk to Adrien for the rest of the night, as she went up the stairs.

"That daughter of yours is a real comedian, you know that?" -Sabine told her husband.

"My daughter? Last time I checked she was also your daughter." -Tom playfully shot at Sabine.

"You know what I mean, honey." -Sabine chuckled, as she sat next to Tom. –"I'm glad that things are going so well between them." -she said. –"Just between the two of us, I always feared that things did not turn out alright, for our Marinette. I always feared that she and Adrien would not become a couple, and she would get her heart broken…"

"Oh, it was not just you, who feared that, Sabine." -Tom smiled at his wife. –"I also feared that… in fact, I still fear that things will not turn out alright." -he admitted. –"But then, I remember that Adrien's a sweet boy and that our Marinette is a girl who's very mature for her age. And that even if she sometimes freaks out about certain things, and thinks that the world is going to end, she knows how to take care of herself, and she knows what's best for her."

"She reminds me, so much of you, and how we met." -Sabine said, as she snuggled against Tom.

"You know what's funny? She reminds me so much of you and how met, too." -Tom said.

"She inherited the best parts of us both, honey. And that's why all those fears I had, regarding things between Marinette and Adrien wouldn't work, they just disappeared, because like you said, I remembered just how mature Marinette is and how she's stronger than she looks." -Sabine admitted. –"I've said this more times than I can remember, but we've raised an incredible daughter, haven't we?"

"Absolutely." -Tom said. –"And you know what else? I've already started sketching the cake for their wedding." -he declared, between chuckles.

"You did what?" -Sabine asked, chuckling. –"But they won't be married for at least another 10 years, Tom." -she smiled at him.

"Well, they have a pretty good and solid relationship, so it's bound to happen. And even if it only happens 10 years from now, I want to be prepared." -Tom said, with a smile on his face. –"I want our Marinette to have the most perfect wedding, one can imagine. And that means the perfect wedding cake." -he declared.

"Which I'm sure, you'll come up with. No questions asked." -Sabine said. –"But for now, let her just date Adrien, without having to worry about those things." -she said. –"And as good parents, as long as her grades don't start going down, we'll give them all the space they need to date."

Because they knew about Marinette's crush on Adrien, way before they began to date, Tom and Sabine were more than happy to see their relationship growing strong, with each passing day. And like Sabine said, as long as Marinette's grades did not go down, they did not see any problem in her spending time with her boyfriend, even if it was just over the phone. Which was exactly what she did, as soon as she got to her bedroom. Grabbing her cell phone, Marinette dialled Adrien's number and threw herself over her bed, while waiting for him to pick up. And when he did, and she heard his sweet voice, she felt herself on cloud nine.

"It felt good to help out others in a different way." -Marinette said. –"I know I already said this, but I'm really happy that those photos of ours are going to help to raise money for those kids in the hospital." -she stated.

"I'm with you. Usually, we help out others by catching criminals and putting Akumas out of commission. So, it was nice helping in a different way." -Adrien said. –"And I might be suspicious, because I'm always doing photoshoots, but this one was probably the one that I had the most fun doing." -he told Marinette.

"Maybe it was probably you had people you like with you?" -Marinette asked him, in an amused tone, already knowing what Adrien's answer was going to be.

"True. Having your friends with you, always helps." -Adrien answered her. –"Friends, and your girlfriend, of course." -he said, which earned him a chuckle from Marinette. –"You can't imagine just how much fun I had posing alongside you, bugaboo."

"If it was as much fun as I had, then I have a pretty good idea, my silly kitty." -Marinette giggled. –"Do you believe that I didn't want the photoshoot to end?" -she asked him.

"I do. And can you believe that when they asked us pose like we were dancing together, that I had to control myself not to kiss you?" -Adrien asked her.

"I believe it." -Marinette declared. –"I could see it in your eyes that you were trying really hard not to kiss me." -she said. –"But the truth is, you weren't the only one. I was also doing my best not to kiss you either."

"It's like they were really trying to make us admit that we were dating each other." -Adrien laughed.

"I know, right?" -Marinette agreed. –"Still, they have failed. Our secret continues to be a secret, and that's all that matters." -she said.

"True. But now that you mention it, I've been thinking about it, and we've got to try harder to keep our relationship a secret." -Adrien said. –"And I'm not only thinking about ours either. I'm thinking about all of us. Whether we like it or not, most of the team have begun to date each other, and if people knew that, namely Hawk Moth and his minions, they could use that against us." -he said.

When he told her that, Marinette knew he was right. Until then, they had been lucky. Online, there was no evidence of them being a real couple, and the same thing applied to Alya and Nino, and the rest of their friends who dated each other. The only thing that even allowed people to think they dated, was the endless number of fanfics, written by countless fans, who had dedicated their spare time to shipping the heroes. But as sweet, or creepy, depending on the kind of ship they wrote about, they had managed to predict some of the ships. And that posed a problem for them all, because if anyone found out about their relationships, they would be in great trouble.

"You're right. We've been very lucky until now. But sooner or later, that luck might run out." -Marinette sighed.

"Might, no. Like all good things, it will run out, Marinette. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, or even 2 or 3 years from now, but it will, one day." -Adrien said. –"And when it runs out, it would be a good thing if we still had all our aces up our sleeves, so we can use them." -he said.

"Agreed. And I'm sure the others will also agree." -Marinette said. –"From now on, we'll try not do anything that could give away that we're in a relationship." -she said.

"Does that mean, I'll have to stop kissing you, when we go on patrol?" -Adrien asked her, pretending to be sad about it.

"Yes… except of course, if we're alone, and in a secluded place, away from prying eyes." -Marinette said. –"Don't worry, we'll still be able to date, when we're Ladybug and Chat Noir. But we'll have to keep a low profile about it." -she assured him.

"You're right… and you know what else? Batman and Superman don't have this kind of problem. They get to date Lois Lane and Catwoman respectively, and nobody messes with them, because they know that if they do, they'll end up in the hospital." -Adrien joked. –"Sometimes I wish I was one of them, because that way, I could date you, without having to worry about one of my enemies hurting you." -he admitted.

"And sometimes I wish you had a better eye for picking cheese, Adrien." -Plagg said, as he gulped a little bit of Camembert. –"That Camembert was good, but I've eaten better." -he pointed out.

"Plagg, don't tell me you've already finished that huge piece of Camembert I gave you?" -Adrien asked him.

"About five minutes ago… and let me tell you, you've got to buy more Camembert. That one piece was a little too small for my taste." -Plagg warned him.

"But it was the size of a football!" -Adrien exclaimed.

"Yeah, it was, and let me tell you this, Adrien. Quantity doesn't always mean quality." -Plagg told him, as he floated away from there. –"Next time, try to find something smaller, but more delicious, because this Camembert doesn't even come close to my top 10 favourite pieces of Camembert you got me." -he said.

Looking at his kwami, Adrien rolled his eyes. Sometimes he felt like Plagg was someone he could always count on, and who was there to hear him out, when he needed the most, while other times, he felt like Plagg saw him as walking cheese dispenser.

"Tikki doesn't give you this kind of problem, or does she?" -Adrien sighed.

"No, she doesn't. I'm lucky in having such a well-behaved kwami." -Marinette laughed, as she had heard the whole thing. –"You, on the other hand, aren't so lucky. You've got a kwami that treats you like a pantry or like a cheese shop." -she joked.

"Tell me about it." -Adrien laughed. –"I've never seen anyone eating this much cheese, without getting sick. Plagg's stomach is like a black hole." -he declared.

"Well, to be fair, Tikki's stomach is like a black hole as well. I've never seen her getting sick after eating 20 or 30 cookies in a matter of minutes." -Marinette admitted. –"I guess that's just how the metabolism of a kwami works." -she said.

"I guess you're right." -Adrien said, as he looked at the time. –"It's getting late, and I still need to finish those math exercises Miss Bustier gave us." -he said.

"I've already finished those… but I really need to study a little bit." -Marinette admitted. –"Can't believe that exam season is approaching again. It looks like it was just yesterday that we did the last ones, before attending the KISS concert, and see Jagged Stone opening for them." -she said.

"I know. Time sure flies." -Adrien sighed. –"But what can we do? Nothing, except biting the bullet? Anyways, we still have a couple of weeks before that." -he pointed out. –"I'll see you tomorrow morning, my sweet bugaboo."

"See you in the morning, my silly kitty." -Marinette said. –"Love you." -she giggled.

"Love you even more." -Adrien told her.

Ending the call, Marinette sighed out of happiness. Talking to Adrien always got her in a good mood. No matter what, a couple of words from him, always made her feel better, when she was feeling down or exhausted. And after the afternoon she had, talking to him had given her the energy she needed to go and study for a few hours, before calling it a day. Leaping from the bed, she went down the stairs, and made her way to her desk, where Tikki was. While Marinette was on the phone with Adrien, the scarlet kwami had decided to listen to some music, but quickly decided to do something else. Surfing online, she ended up in one of the many webpages dedicated to Miraculous Team fanart.

"Am I interrupting anything, Tikki?" -Marinette asked the little kwami, as she sat in her chair.

"Oh, no, Marinette." -Tikki said. –"I was just here admiring these fanarts." -she said. –"How was Adrien?"

"Whoa, you were definitely focused on this, you didn't even hear my conversation with Adrien." -Marinette declared. –"He was okay. Exhausted, just like I am, but he's okay." -she said, as she looked –"These are really good."

"They are. I'm always amazed by the number of fanarts that are of you and the others." -Tikki said. –"Some are really beautiful. Others are alternative, but still incredibly amazing. And then… then there are others that are just plain old freaky." -she admitted.

"Freaky? How freaky are we talking about, Tikki?" -Marinette asked her, curious.

"Well, this freaky… even I was a little bit disturbed with this fan comic." -Tikki declared, as she touched on the touchpad and opened the window, where the fan comic was.

Opening the window, this one showed a fan comic that had seemingly been done by a horror fan. This one showed numerous members of the Miraculous Team transforming into what looked like gruesome animalistic version of them. And the way Ladybug's transformation was depicted was horrific, to say the least. Just from looking at it, Marinette felt repulsed by it.

"Eww… that's gross. And it doesn't look like something that would feel comfortable happening." -Marinette said, as she looked at the image, feeling repulsed by it, but not enough to turn her eyes away from it. –"The eyes and the mouth already look bad enough, as well as those pincers for hands. But having wings growing out of my back like that, seems like something out of a horror movie… By the way, none of the other holders of your miraculous had this happening to them, right?" -she asked the little kwami, worried, as she imagined herself becoming a creature like that, and growing such a pair of grotesque wings.

"Of course, not." -Tikki giggled. –"My miraculous doesn't do that kind of thing." -she said, reassuring her. –"Of course, it can grant other kinds of physical transformations, but nothing as radical as what we're seeing in this comic. And definitely, growing a pair of wings like those in the picture is out of the question."

"Thank God." -Marinette giggled nervously. –"I mean, I wouldn't mind having wings, but they would have to be beautiful, and not like those." -she said. –"It would be fun if I could fly."

"Well, maybe one of these days you'll get that wish. Remember, even I don't know exactly how the powers of my miraculous will manifest on each holder." -Tikki told her. –"Maybe you'll get a pair of magical wings or even a rocket booster that will help you mimic Alix, Chloe, Rose and Juleka's flying ability." -she said, in an amused tone.

"Maybe." -Marinette giggled, when she noticed a warning on the bottom right corner of her screen. Reading it, she saw it belonged to someone she followed online. –"Oh, LettersGirl posted a new story." -she said.

"Who?" -Tikki asked her.

"It's a cosplayer I follow. I haven't heard from her in almost a month and half." -Marinette said. –"She hasn't posted anything online, since she did that photoshoot with the outfit of her female version of Anubis." -she said, as she opened the cosplayer's Instagram to check out what she had posted on it –"I wonder if everything's okay with her? Wow! She looks so awesome in this new outfit."

The image in question was a photo of LettersGirl wearing another cosplay, Sergeant Tamora Callhoun from Wreck-It Ralph. Like all her cosplays, you could not see her face, and this one was no exception. The glass from her helmet was tinted in a way that only allowed people to see her mouth. The whole cosplay looked like it was a real armour, which was amazing.

"Not only is she a genius with the sewing machine, she's also a genius creating armours like the one she's wearing." -Marinette said, as she looked at the photo. –"Those are some pretty heavy details for an armour, not to mention the gun she's holding." –she admitted. –"She's simply amazing, Tikki."

"The way you're talking about her, it's like you know her in person, while also idolizing her." -Tikki said, as Marinette continued to check the photo.

"I wish." -Marinette said. –"Nobody knows her real name, or who she is, because she always does cosplays that require the use of a mask or a helmet that covers most of her face, or some pretty heavy make-up that requires prosthetics." -she said. –"But she's incredibly talented. If I was a cosplayer, I would love to be like her. She has a knack for creating the most perfect cosplays I've ever seen."

"You truly admire her." -Tikki said.

"I do." -Marinette said. –"I mean, I admire a lot of cosplayers, who have a knack for sewing, but this LettersGirl, she's something else." -she admitted. –"All of her outfits look like they are works of art. If I had the chance to one day meet her, I would ask her to teach me a couple of tricks, so I could improve my seamstress skills, as well as my designer's skills."

"But you're already an amazing seamstress, Marinette." -Tikki said. –"All of the things you've created are works of art." -she said, as she pointed at the pochette next to the laptop, bearing Marinette's logo. –"From this pochette, to all of the presents you've done for your friends, and even those little clothes you made for us kwamis, all of them are works of art. You're an artist, Marinette. I bet that just as you want to meet this LettersGirl, she would want to know you."

"I admit that I'm good, but I'm not the best. I know that I can be even better, Tikki. And it's a sweet thought, of her wanting to know me, that one, even if it's not meant to happen." -Marinette said. –"But the odds of me, ever knowing her are slim, at best. The only thing is known about her, is that she's French and she has represented this country in some of the most important cosplay contests in the world. Other than that, nothing else is known about her." -she admitted. –"She only shows up in certain conventions for contests, and even there, she acts all mysterious and doesn't reveal anything about herself. Not even her face. She only talks about her work as a cosplayer, and she doesn't talk that much about it either. It's like she wishes to be a ghost, while wanting everyone to know she exists."

"Pretty mysterious." -Tikki smiled. –"Well, if I were you, the next time she announced she was attending one of those conventions here in Paris, I would go to it, and try to meet her." -she said.

"Maybe… but right now, I've got to focus on studying a little bit. I don't want to flunk at any of the exams, and you know Miss Bustier loves to make exams that force us to use everything we learned in class." -Marinette said, as she pulled her Geography book from her backpack and opened it. –"Now, let's see if I can memorize the names of the largest rivers in Europe, where they begin and where they end. I know for sure this will be on the next exam." -she sighed.

While Marinette got her head stuck in her school books, trying her best to cram as much knowledge as she could, somewhere else, another person was trying her best to solve a problem of its own. And that person was none other than the cosplayer Marinette and Tikki had been talking about, LettersGirl. She was working on a new cosplay, she was going to wear shortly, but she still had a lot of work to do on it. She had planned to work on it, and take her time to make sure everything in it came out the way she wanted. But like it always happened with most cosplayers, who had day-jobs, she allowed herself to postpone the work on the cosplay, due to exhaustion, and was now rushing to have it finished.

Like most cosplayers, she was suffering from what many called "Pre-Convention Stress", which was something that happened when cosplayers were running against time to have their cosplays ready for a convention. Her living room was a mess, with fabric all over the place, mixed with threads, needles, and all kinds of sewing accessories on the floor, along with several books of references. Looking around her, she felt like a tornado had trashed the whole place, leaving nothing in its designated place. The cosplay she was working on was beginning to take form, but she still had a lot of work ahead of her, and she was beginning to fear that she would not be able to finish it in time for the next competition. Throwing herself on to her sofa, she looked at the cosplay in question and wondered how she was going to proceed. She needed it to finish it, otherwise, she would not be able to compete.

"How am I going to do this? I'm running out of time." -LettersGirl sighed. –"At this rate, I won't have time to finish all the props and the outfit as well… at least, not all of it." -she sighed. –"I didn't want to resort to this, but I don't think I've got another option. I'll have to go with Plan B, and hope everything goes alright."

One more chapter finished. This one took less time to finish, and that's a good thing. It means are slowly and steadily going back to my writing in this one we see a familiar face... Markov. Well, not entirely, since he's out of commission. When he first showed up in the series, I didn't know if I was ever going to use him in this AU. But as I planned this fic, I decided that maybe I should give the little guy a chance. On top of that, we also meet Kim's mom, Le Chien Li Hua (I'm not entirely sure if her name is gramatically correct, so if by chance I screwed up, let me know, so I can correct my mistake, okay?). We don't see Kim's dad, but his name is Le Chien Zhãng, and we will see him in a future story.

Also, we see a new character, LettersGirl. Believe it or not, she's going to be quite important in this fic, and I think you're going to like her. She's quite special, and you're going to fall in love with her.

As always, feel free to comment, fav and leave suggestions to improve this and future fics.