Mari stalked over to her bed sulking and threw herself face first onto her mattress with a groan. it wasn't that she didn't feel the same way for Chat, but it was true, that she only knew such a small part of him. And honestly how did he even really know how he felt about her? He didn't know Mari, he only knew Ladybug, strong, fierce, brave, Ladybug. Not the always late and clumsy, mess that she really was behind her mask.

It was true of course, that she didn't want to disappoint Chat, and perhaps that was one of the reasons she was so reluctant to show him who she was. What if we did reveal ourselves, to find that I do love all of him, but he doesn't feel the same for me without the mask? It wasn't something Mari could risk, their relationship had to remain solid, uncompromised to do what they did.

"Tikki, spots off." Mari mumbled, face still pressed into her bed, the blinding light filled her room as her transformation dropped and Tikki was released from the miraculous. "Tikki, why do things have to be so messy?" Mari asked, flipping herself over to stare at her ceiling in contemplation.

"I'm sorry Marinette, unfortunately the lives of a miraculous holder are filled with difficulties, it's one of the reasons that only the strongest of people are chosen to bear its responsibilities." The kwami flew over and nuzzled into Mari's cheek affectionately "now get some sleep."

Mari needed no encouragement, though she would never admit it to him Chat was right, the lack of akuma had Mari getting soft and tonight's efforts had exhausted her more than she liked. Time to do something about that I suppose, just another thing to add to the list. With that thought Mari drifted off to sleep.

…

Mari was jolted awake, confused, it was Wednesday, why was her alarm going off? She didn't have class today and didn't start work till two. She was sure she had turned her alarm off. The Shrill ring continued to pierce her sleep-addled brain as she fumbled around looking for her phone to switch it off. Finding it on the floor beside the bed Mari reached down and grabbed it to see that it wasn't an alarm that had woken her but a phone call from an unknown number.

Worried it was someone from one of her classes she answered, voice raspy from sleep "hello? Who's this?" Silence greeted her from the other end of the phone, "hello, can you hear me?" Still nothing. She held the phone closer to her, straining to make out any sounds.

After a moment Mari could have sworn she heard breathing, but the call was disconnected before she could be sure. Tikki floated over, rubbing sleep from her eyes "who was that? Do we have to get up now?" The little, red Kwami tried to stifle a yawn.

"No, I think they had the wrong number. They just hung up. You can go back to sleep for a bit." Mari settled herself back into bed, attempting to get some more rest but found that her thoughts had already started to stray to the things she had to do that day.

Deciding it was pointless to lay in bed when she couldn't sleep Mari got up and wandered downstairs to make herself a coffee, hoping someone would still be upstairs to join her. When she entered the kitchen Mari was pleased to find Sabine still shuffling about, "morning mamma, not working this morning?" She walked up and kissed Sabine on her cheek, bending down slightly to do so.

"No, not yet, it's been quiet and we don't have any orders we need to fill, so I'm just doing some jobs up here." Sabine smiled up at her daughter, before moving over to switch on the kettle, "coffee?" Mari hummed in approval before taking a seat at the island bench. Sabine passed Mari her drink before joining her with her own, "how did you sleep?" She questioned, taking a sip from her own tea, looking over at Mari.

"Like the dead" Mari reached her arms overhead in a stretch and yawned as if to emphasise her point. "I wish I was still asleep! But I had a wrong number call and wake me up, then I couldn't get back to sleep. So I thought I might as well come and have coffee with my favourite mamma." Marinette lent over and briefly placed her head on Sabine's small shoulder, silently enjoying the peaceful moment with her mother.

Once she finished her coffee Mari walked back up to her room in search of her phone, finding it underneath her ruffled sheets she grabbed it and sent out a quick message to Luka. God, I haven't even seen him since Sunday, I've been so slack.

Mari- hey, do you still go running?

Luka- sure do, why's that?

Mari- I was wondering if I could tag along? I've been really slack lately and I need to start doing something

Luka- Sure! I'd love you to come, today at 10?

Mari- sounds good, see you soon

Mari sat on her bed while she checked the time, she still had a few hours. She Looked around her room with a pout, what a mess! The long white desk that lined the far wall of her bedroom was covered with various open textbooks, discarded balls of scrunched up paper and fabric swatches she had been working with. Through the open bathroom door Mari spied her overflowing washing basket, work clothes spilling out onto the floor, no doubt now wet. Her daybed held an impressive mountain of unfolded clothes Mari had dumped on there, with good intentions of folding them but that hadn't happened.

She sighed-Well, no time like the present I suppose- and got to her feet, plodding to the bathroom to collect her dirty clothes. Might as well go all out, clothes chucked down the trap door to the bottom of the steps, because there was no way she was going to try and walk down them with a full washing basket. Mari then got to work stripping the sheets off her bed, before she threw down the stairs as well.

Room cleared of dirty clothes, she began folding and putting away those that had sat on her day bed for the last three days. She had been trying to get there, but something important always came up, namely sleep. She made her way around the room picking up balls of paper, fabric scraps and the odd cookie packet or two, left over from Tikkis refuel last night.

Hands full of rubbish Mari gingerly made her way down the stairs to dispose of it, careful not to trip over any stray bits of clothing that littered the stairs after her purge. Before coming back to shove what clothes she could fit in the washing machine, she could do the rest later. Then she set about re-making her bed, grabbing the first fitted sheet she found in her linen cupboard, she struggled to pull the deep forest green sheet onto the queen bed. No matter which way she tried she kept managing to get the corners wrong, she would pull one over the bed only for the opposite corner to come undone.

By the third try Marinette had managed to get the sheet firmly in place, thank god because her temper was beginning to wear thin. Mari was patient, oh so patient, but when her patience did run out it wasn't a good outcome for anyone. She definitely wasn't above throwing the odd thing or two in a frustrated fit of emotion. Thankfully they were few and far between, generally only happening when she was exhausted or overly stressed.

Going off the recent change in weather Mari decided it was time to swap her light throw blanket for something a bit more substantial and pulled her big warm doona from where she had shoved it, in the top shelf of the linen cupboard. It of course came loose from its spot and fell squarely on her head, blocking her view. With a huff she managed to free herself and drag it over to her bed to dump it, so she could go searching through her cupboards for her favourite llama doona cover.

Bed finally made Mari sat down on it and admired her handiwork. Few things made her happy the way a clean room did, but it came at a price, "ugh Tikki I'm exhausted! And I haven't even gone for the run yet, I think I may just die trying to keep up with Luka."

Her Kwami, who had been busying herself by helping to clear Mari's desk laughed "maybe, but you know you will feel so good after some exercise, you always do. Speaking of, isn't it time you got ready?" She gave Mari a pointed look, as if she didn't know she was trying to stall so she wouldn't have to go.

"Okay, okay, I'm going!" Mari walked to her bathroom to brush her teeth, no use having a shower yet, then shuffled through her closet for something appropriate to wear. She settled on a very bright pink pair of baggy running shorts and a tight grey racer back singlet, sure it was cool now but Mari knew she wouldn't stay that way for long. Now dressed she chucked her hair up into a high ponytail, the last thing she needed was loose hair getting in her and blocking her view, running provided enough tripping hazards as it was.

"Sorry Tikki, but I think you're going to have to hide in the pocket of my shorts for today. Then we can think of something a bit better for next time." Mari gave her an apologetic look, she knew it couldn't possibly be comfortable for the little Kwami, yet she never complained, about… well, anything really.

"It's okay Marinette, I don't mind and you're doing it for a good reason." Mari smiled at the reply, it was pretty much what she had expected her kwami to say. Mari went roughiling through her collection of shoes till she found a pair of sneakers and quickly slipped them on. Not wanting to make Luka wait for her, he would no doubt be doing enough of that on their run.

"Okay, ready?" She looked over to Tikki who had been buzzing around near her shoulder while she had been getting ready. The Kwami gave an enthusiastic little nod before she zipped into Mari's pocket. The two of them then made their way downstairs to wait for Luka in the family bakery.

"Where are you off to this morning?" Tom asked as he pulled a tray of bread rolls out of the large industrial oven, as Mari walked through the door which led to the back area of the bakery.

"I'm going to go for a run with Luka." Mari waited until he hand placed the hot tray on a nearby bench before wrapping her arms around his large frame in a hug. His imposing stature, a complete contrast to his soft and warm personality. With a father as tall as Tom it was a wonder Mari wasn't six foot herself, but she just barely reached the middle of his chest as she hugged him.

Just as Mari spoke, the front door to the bakery opened, setting off the chimes of the bell that hung overhead, announcing the arrival of a customer. Mari and Tom looked up in usion to find Luka standing there, loose white T-shirt and black polyester running shorts looking very out of place between the glass and gold trim display cabinets of the bakery.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear" Tom chuckled, placing a kiss on Mari's forehead "make sure you're laces are tied up tight, I know what you're like." He gave Mari a pat on the shoulder and turned to busy himself with his work.

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence Pappa," Mari walked to the door where Luka was waiting, giving him a scowl as he laughed at Tom's statement. "I'm not that bad!" Mari whined, indignantly as they walked out into the cool breeze.

Luka tugged lightly on the ends of Mari's pony, "come on Mari, you're not fooling us, we know you too well. Ready?" Still frowning at the teasing Mari gave a nod, all the encouragement Luka needed before setting off at a steady pace that Mari could, thankfully keep up with.

…

All things considered the run had gone better than Mari had expected, five ks along the Seine had her sticky with sweat and out of breath, but she had kept pace with Luka the entire time. She even managed to huff out a conversation or two before they came to a stop and Luka declared it time to turn around. Mari didn't complain when he settled for walking though, giving them the chance to catch up and speak properly between themselves.

"So, how have you been? I haven't spoken to you since Sunday and even then we didn't get much of a chance to talk." Luka asked as they trailed leisurely along the river. The broad walkway hosted the odd runner or two and large groups of tourists who snapped pictures of the iconic scene before them Mari took for granted.

Mari took a deep breath letting it out in a sigh "yeah, I know, I've been slack, sorry about that. Adjusting to a new job was harder than I expected, but things have settled down now, so I promise I'll be able to see you more." Mari tilted her face slightly to the sky as she spoke, the Autumn breeze a welcome friend against her hot face.

"I hope so, I've missed you Mari!" Luka gave a playful shove to her shoulder as they continued to walk side by side, "but how is work going, we started talking about it on Sunday but never got to finish." Mari smiled at Luka, he was such an easy person to be around, he gave off a calm that settled Mari's sometimes erratic mind.

"I've missed you too. Umm I mean it's much the same, I like that I get the chance to work on my own stuff between customers. It makes keeping up with uni easier." Mari trailed off in thought for a moment, then decided if there was anyone she could tell about what had transpired a few days prior it was Luka.

"There's this guy I work with though, he can be a bit… much. Don't get me wrong he's not having the best run at the moment and I try to be kind to everyone because you never really know what they're going through in their life, but he can be frustrating. I normally just ignore it or let it slide but the other day he was different." Mari stopped to consider how to best word what she was trying to explain.

"We were talking and all of a sudden he was staring at me, but it was like he wasn't seeing me. It just made me so uncomfortable, I'd never had anyone look at me that way before, I felt so vulnerable. Then of course I spooked myself or something thinking about it when I was walking home." Mari shrugged her shoulders and lifted her hands to express her confusion.

"Because I could have sworn someone was following me! I even thought I heard them say my name. So, logically I started running down the street in the rain, like a complete idiot." Mari left her sentence there, not really sure how to continue.

Luka answered Mari's story with silence, when she looked over she noticed the frown he wore, his eyes looked to the distance in concentration before he replied. "Have you said anything to anyone? Like, have you told your boss about it, or even HR?" His voice was tense and Mari could easily tell that he was upset.

"No, not yet. It wasn't too bad to start with, I never felt uncomfortable. Frustrated, sure but it wasn't anything drastic and today's the first day at work since it happened, I was considering asking not to be scheduled on with him alone though." Mari pulled her left arm over her stomach as she internalised the conversation in her head.

"I think that's a good idea Mari." Luka didn't say any more on the topic but it was clear he wasn't happy about what she had told him. They walked in silence a little longer before Mari tried to change the subject.

"What about you Luka, what have you been up to?" Mari's voice was quiet, tentative due to the change in Luka's normally laid back mood. She cast him a sideways glance. "How's Julikea? Is she still loving Australia?"

Luka ran a hand through his teal tipped hair which had started to fade. I should grab some more hair dye after work and do Lukas hair for him again. "Yeah I've been okay, same old same old. She's good, still loving it, she's just started taking surfing lessons apparently, that would be something to see." Luka chuckled at the idea of his quiet, shy little sister on a surfboard. " I think the space has been good for her, she's still trying to come to terms with what mum did, I mean I kinda understand why she did it, but it's still a lot to take in, you know?"

Mari couldn't even begin to imagine how hard that must have been for Luka, to find out that one of his biggest idols had actually been his dad, and worse still that his mother had been hiding it from him his entire life. "How have you been, with that I mean? You don't talk about it much." Mari reached over and placed a gentle hand on Luka's arm.

"It was a lot to take in, obviously, but I'm working on it. It's helped getting to talk to him about it. It must have been so hard for him too, knowing you have kids out there and not being able to contact them." Luka had stopped walking as he spoke.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm incredibly grateful that I didn't have to grow up in the limelight. Could you imagine the pressure that would have been placed on me, being branded as Jagged Stones son? No thanks, it's just, there's still so much wrong with the situation." Luka's shoulders had slumped at the weight of his admission, Mari couldn't stand the confusion and hurt on his face.

She said nothing, really, what was there to say? Instead she settled on wrapping her arms around him in comfort, her head rested against his warm chest. Instantly Luka encircled Mari in his arms, content in their closeness for a few moments before speaking. "Come on, you've got work to get to, and you need a shower first. You're all sticky." He let Mari go from his embrace and began to walk towards the bakery.

…

Luka sat on Mari's bed while she showered, having insisted on walking her to work, not that Mari had argued against it, she truly had missed Luka and the unique friendship they shared. "Hey, what time did you say you finished?" He called loud enough to be heard over the stream of water coming from the shower.

"Umm it's Wednesday isn't, so seven-ish." Mari called distractedly trying to rinse the shampoo from her hair without getting suds in her eyes "why's that?"

"Great, I'll pick you up and we can go grab some dinner after?" The reply came from closer this time, right outside the bathroom door. Luka's voice was light and happy, a far cry from the seriousness of their earlier conversation.

"Ahh yeah, that sounds really good actually!" Mari smiled to herself in the shower, few things were better than time spent with good friends, especially when food was involved.

An hour later they were strolling down the busy little street where Mari worked, taking their time gazing at the stop displays that lined the sidewalk in between cafes and restaurants as they discussed where they could go for dinner. Before long they had arrived at the front of Mari's workplace. When she went to bid him goodbye but Luka insisted on walking her inside, arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders.

Inside was empty of customers, Jake sat at his desk, opposite Mari's, the usual unhappy look plastered on his face, shoulders slumped as he stared at the computer screen. Taking no notice of the newcomers, meanwhile Eli one Mari's other coworkers greeted the brightly "yay! Mari, it's always a good day when I get to work with you!" She waved enthusiastically.

The mention of Mari's name had Jake sitting up straighter in his seat, head whipping around to find her. Mari missed the sour look that fixed itself to his face when he saw Luka with his arm around Marinette. Luka however was not no oblivious, having kept his eye on Jake from the moment they entered the store.

Eyes still fixed on Jakes he hovered over Mari, pressing his pale lips to her forehead then leaned in to whisper in her ear, "please make sure you say something, even if it is just asking to not be put on alone with him." Luka followed his sentence with another kiss on the side of her face, the tenderness of which surprised Marinette. She had become accustomed to his affection as a friend, but this somehow felt like… more.

Luka let go of Mari and stood to his full height, speaking in a louder voice this time ensuing people would overhear, "I'll pick you up when you finish and we can go grab dinner." He gave Jake one more piercing look before walking out of the store.

…