Hello hello, lovely readers!

That's about all the positivity you're going to get out of me probably for the rest of the year. Enjoy it while it lasts.

If Adrien had known the first person he'd see when he woke up after being thrown like a ragdoll into the side of a building would be Marinette, he would've prepared some witty remark to sweep her off her feet.

Unfortunately, though, he had been completely out of sorts when he finally came to, and for a moment, he even forgot that he was still transformed. Not to mention that he originally mistook her for Ladybug... In his defense, they looked a little alike (high praise, coming from him).

His lady was still MIA, however, and once again Chat found himself in the company of the shy Marinette, though at the moment, her demeanor was far from shy.

Surprisingly, his princess was keeping pace and even getting ahead of him as they raced to escape the Scribbler. He may have been carrying a struggling woman in his arms, but still--outrunning him should've been no easy feat, especially for Marinette, who he'd never imagined to be very athletic. But she held her own, and even guided him through alleys, taking constant twists and turns in an attempt to confuse their pursuers (and Chat in the process).

"This way!" she called back to him, ducking behind a dumpster. It stank, but it would have to do.

He followed after her, his hand over the woman's mouth so she wouldn't give them away. She was trying to bite him, but luckily his suit protected him--for the most part, anyway.

"What are we doing?" Chat asked urgently. "This isn't your mother, Marinette." Surely Marinette couldn't be... racist? No, of course not. Hopefully just blind.

"It is," she said, "or at least, a version of her. The Akuma doesn't just create people, Chat, she remakes them. Takes real people from Paris and transforms them."

Chat raised his eyebrows. Why hadn't he figured that out already? Well, Marinette is really smart, he thought. She'd make a good superhero. Though, I don't see her and Ladybug getting along that well. As he studied the girl in front of him, he realized there was something different about her. Her hair? Her eyes? Were her freckles darker than usual? No, that wasn't right.

Chat was startled out of his musings as the woman's elbow managed to connect with his jaw. He grunted. "So what now?" He decided not to point out that he still had an Akuma to fight. It was understandable that Marinette wanted her mother back; he just wasn't sure he had time.

She cringed, panic beginning to show on her face. "I don't know!" she said in a high-pitched voice. "What should I do? I have to get my mother back before it's too late!"

"Calm down, princess. I'll get your mother back, one way or another," he promised, and then was promptly punched in the face. Luckily, not by Marinette.

He couldn't take it anymore. He let go of the woman's mouth and used his free arm to hold her tighter, but the instant her mouth was free, she was spewing curses.

He gaped. I've never even heard any of these before!

"--Let me go or I'll cut off your b--"

"Woah!" Chat interrupted, having heard enough for a lifetime. "Let's not go there, yeah? This cat isn't planning on being neutered anytime soon."

Marinette made an "ew" face, but the woman just groaned. "Let me go! I must return to my mistress!"

"You're not going anywhere until you tell me how to get my mother back!" insisted Marinette.

"I don't know anything about that! Now free me, or I'll kill you both!"

Chat sighed. His head was throbbing, making it hard to think, but he had an idea. It wasn't a good idea, but it was an idea. "If I use Cataclysm on her, do you think it would change her back?"

Marinette gasped. "What? No, you cannot use the power of destruction on my mother! Are you insane?"

He shrugged, frowning. He wanted to help, but without Ladybug, what could he do? "That's kinda all I do, princess. Destroy things."

"Hmm. I bet if you destroyed the notebook, my mother would go back to normal."

Why couldn't you have said that before? "Sounds like a plan," he said instead, "but what do we do with--"

Before Chat could blink, Marinette decked the woman right in the face.

The body in his arms fell limp, and Chat gawked at the raven-haired girl. "Wha..."

She looked at him determinedly. "I'll watch her. You go save Paris!"

He nodded dumbly, unaware that the woman had dropped out of his hands like a sack of flour. Realizing his mouth was hanging open, he shut it with another nod. "Um, right." He mentally slapped himself. "I mean, RIGHT! I totally got this. Don't worry, princess!" He winked at her and then turned on his heel. "Leave the work to the heroes!"

Or hero, he thought as he jogged down the alley. Where is Ladybug?

--

The Scribbler had never felt more accomplished. Not when she graduated 8th grade with a 4.0, not when she finished a hundred pages of her novel, not even when she won three awards in a single day. Compared to now, all of that seemed trivial. She had everything she ever wanted. She had magic powers, lived in a city literally right out of a fairytale, and she was wearing a cool outfit. She was almost finished building her empire. All that was left was retrieving the items her sponsor had asked for, and she figured it couldn't be too hard.

Yes, everything was going according to plan. At least, until a cat fell out of the sky.

"Yahh!" the hero called as he fell. The Scribbler only had time to look up before he crashed down on top of her.

That was when all hell broke loose. All at once, the Scribbler felt her notebook snatched out of her hand as a hundred people tackled her at the same time in the biggest dogpile in history. She swore she could feel her ribs cracking--but then the weight was gone.

She stood up, and then gasped as she saw her notebook in the hands of that damn cat. And with a single tear, her life's work was ruined. A scream wrenched its way out of her throat and she fell to her knees, frozen in fear.

She'd failed. It was over.

--

Meanwhile, in an alley a few blocks away, Marinette found that the woman had disappeared, and in her place, Sabine lay, still unconscious. There was a bruise on her face where Marinette had punched her. The girl winced, but reminded herself that she could fix it, just as soon as she found her earrings.

She found them in her mother's left pocket, and she took her new earrings out and replaced them with her old ones.

Tikki appeared in front of her, a stern look on her face. "Just what were you thinking, Marinette? You know you can't take out your earrings--"

"You can lecture me later, Tikki. Spots on!"

With a flash of light, Marinette found herself in her familiar suit, and she felt relief flood her. Finally, she could make everything right. She took her yoyo in her hand and with it, she flew through the streets toward her partner, new earrings still in hand. She couldn't help grinning.

When she landed, though, her smile fell.

The Akuma was getting away, already dangerously far overhead, but on land, Chat and what remained of the Scribbler were in an all-out fistfight. And the Scribbler was winning.

That's one determined villain, mused Ladybug. She'd never seen an akuma keep fighting after the akuma was gone. Though she didn't seem to retain her powers, the Scribbler sure was putting up a fight. At this rate, Chat would have a lot more than a headache.

Ladybug looked between the pair and the black butterfly, and she knew she had to help Chat Noir. She threw her yoyo into the air and called, "Lucky Charm!"

Out of the sky dropped a round ball covered in her signature ladybug spots, but it was slightly egg shaped and had a Chinese character on the side. Without the label, Marinette wouldn't have been able to recognize it, but she'd watched enough cheesy ninja movies to know what it was.

She threw her yoyo and swung forward, throwing the bomb down at the fighting duo, and it exploded into a cloud of smoke. She didn't have long to admire her handiwork, however, because she was still mid-swing. She let go of the building she was latched to and flung her yoyo ahead of her at the nasty bug, landing on a rooftop as she caught it.

"No more evil-doing for you, little Akuma," she said in triumph. She opened her yoyo, and a white butterfly fluttered out. She smiled at it. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

She watched it fly away, and then jumped down to where Chat and the Scribbler were still coughing. She picked up the remains of the smoke bomb and threw it up in the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

The Scribbler transformed in a cloud of black, back into a normal girl. She looked around in a daze. "Wha--oh, no..." Judging by her expression she'd already guessed what happened. She stood up and looked at Ladybug apologetically. "Ladybug, I--"

"It's okay," the heroine assured her. "Why don't you go home? The news reports will be here soon."

She nodded sadly and turned away, apologizing over her shoulder. As the girl disappeared, Ladybug turned to her partner. He looked fine, but he narrowed his cat eyes at her as he stood up. "And just where were you this whole time?"

Ladybug opened her hand, gazing down at her earrings. There were impressions in the palm of her hand where she'd held them, in the hand that she used to throw her yoyo. It's amazing I managed not to lose them. Lucky me. She shook her head, silently swearing she'd never wear them again.

She closed her hand, but before she did, Chat caught a glimpse of something pink and sparkly. She shook her head once more, sighing. "It's a long story."

--

Marinette stayed up late into the night to finish her homework. She was positive she could get it all done, if only she could--yawn--stay awake. But her mind kept wandering to Chat. She was pretty sure he was mad at her now--Ladybug, not Marinette--and she couldn't really blame him. She still felt guilty about leaving him alone, even if it turned out alright in the end. Tikki, too. The sprite had assured her that no, she was not mad at the heroine, though she did get a good, long lecture once they got home.

Though she couldn't help thinking that everyone was cross with her at the moment, she knew she'd feel better after she got some rest.

She was just about to give up and change into her pajamas when she heard a light tapping. At first, she dismissed it as rain, but when she looked out the window, a clear, dark sky gazed back at her. She followed the sound to her trapdoor, and found herself face-to-face with a certain black cat. He grinned unapologetically at her through the glass. Wonder if it's too late to pretend I didn't see him, part of her thought, but she popped it open anyway. He jumped down to stand next her with all the grace of his namesake and took a dramatic bow.

"Why, hello, purrincess." He leaned against the railing as she closed the trapdoor, striking a pose. "Miss me?"

Marinette rolled her eyes with her back turned to him, but couldn't help the small smile that played across her lips. She turned to face him. "Chat Noir, what are you doing here so late?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I wanted to make sure you got home okay," he said, some Adrien-brand sincerity sneaking into his voice. "Is your mom...?"

"Still a bow-wielding maniac? Luckily, no." She giggled. "Everything is back to normal. No need to worry."

He nodded, standing awkwardly for a moment before pointing weakly at the trapdoor. "I guess I'll head out, then..."

Marinette smiled, rolling her eyes again. "Would you like to come in, Chat?"

She immediately regretted her invitation as a wide smirk spread across his lips. "Purr-haps I would," he purred.

"Great," she said, only half sarcastically.

She led the way down the stairs, and he slinked after her. He'd been in Marinette's room before, but at night, and as Chat... He blushed, suddenly interested in his shoes. Luckily, she didn't notice. She sat down in her swivel chair, and he stood awkwardly until she spoke.

"Thanks... for, you know, saving my mom and stuff. You didn't have to that."

He smiled at her. "Anytime, princess. Just happy to be of service." Getting over his embarrassment, he sat down cross-legged in front of her. "You know, Marinette, you're a lot more athletic than I thought. I mean, the way you punched that woman was hiss-terical. Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

Her eyes widened. "Um, I--I took self-defense classes when I was little."

Chat nodded his approval, evidently not noticing her discomfort. "All girls should know how to fight," he said, though one girl/bug in particular popped up in his mind.

"Yeah. Anyway, I'm just glad you were there... Even if Ladybug wasn't," she said with a guilty sigh.

Chat shook his head, coming to his lady's defense. "She probably just got caught up in something important. She still saved the day in the end."

"Yeah, but she was slacking off." She glared at the floor. "She should've been prepared, but she wasn't."

Chat frowned. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Marinette, who was normally the most understanding, compassionate person in Paris was talking bad about his lady? "She's doing her best, Marinette. She's got a lot on her shoulders."

She smiled at that. "Thanks. Er, I mean--you're right." She let out a yawn, leaning back in her chair. "You should probably go, Chat. It's late. Even heroes have to sleep, no?"

"Aw, what? But I just got here!" he complained. "You're kicking me out already?"

"Yep."

"Ugh... fine." He didn't want to leave yet, but it wasn't his place to intrude. Still, if he could only stall a bit longer... He stood up, glancing around the room, until something caught his eye--a kitty cat pillow, on her bed. Instantly, his face lit up in a Cheshire grin. "Hey Marinette."

"Yes, Chat?"

"Do you like cats?"

The question hung in the air for a moment before the girl answered with a cautious, "Yes...?"

Chat turned towars her, leaning in a bit too close to her face. "...Black cats?"

"Uh, well I actually prefer calico cats--"

"Hmph." Playing hard to get, eh? he thought, smirking.

He inched nearer, so close that their noses almost touched. She could feel his hot breath on her cheek as he reached up to grasp her chin gently. His glowing green eyes peered into hers, and she almost forgot to breathe.

But then the spell broke. "Uhhh..." she ducked out of the way, grinning nervously. "Chat, what are you doing?"

"A little birdie told me you've got a thing for cats..." He chuckled. "Well, one cat in particular."

Oh. OH! Marinette felt her face heat up. How could he possibly have found out about that?! Oh my God! She shook her head insistently, flustered. "N-no! That's--UGH!"

"You don't have to be embarrassed, princess. After all, I'm the cat's meow," he said, crossing his arms and smirking down at the girl. "Must be pretty nice, getting a visit from your celebrity crush. After all, I don't make special trips for all the citizens I save."

Marinette facepalmed, groaning. So much for lucky me. "Look, Chat..." She sighed, twirling a strand of blue hair in her fingers. "How to put this gently... Um, I don't really like--"

"Wait..." Chat looked over the girl's shoulder, doing a double take. Was that... his face?

He pushed past her, and upon closer inspection, yeah, that was his face. A collection of photos of Adrien was taped to the wall of Marinette Dupain-Cheng's bedroom, so many that he felt like he was in the room of mirrors in a haunted house or something. Adrien Agreste. Not Chat Noir.

"Hey!" The girl in question jumped in front of Chat, and Chat suddenly felt like she could see right through his suit to the person inside. Her cheeks were as red as Ladybug's uniform.

Chat tried to say something clever, but what came out was something along the lines of, "P-p-pictures." He cleared his throat. "I mean, those pictures... that's Adrien Agreste."

Marinette flinched, bursting into a fit of nervous giggles. "Whaaaat? No way. Adrien Agreste? I don't... I don't even know who that is."

"Sure you do. He's in your class."

"Oh... THAT Adrien Agreste. Psh..."

She pushed him away from the wall of photos, but he picked up the framed photo on her desktop instead. His mouth dropped open. This one wasn't even from his photo shoots. Where the hell did she even get this? Marinette snatched the photo out of his hands, but the damage was done. He gawked at her. "What...?"

"I--I'm a designer!" she said quickly, clutching the picture against her chest, her cheeks inflamed. "His dad is my favorite designer! I saved them for the outfits, not for Adrien!"

"Oh..." He nodded, sighing in relief. "Yeah, that makes sense."

Jeez, Adrien, he chided himself, this is Marinette we're talking about. She's a good person. She's not some kind of stalker... but still, where did she get that picture? He decided he'd rather not know. He put the picture back down and scratched his head. Marinette was watching him, and he looked down at her, opening his mouth to ask what was wrong, but the words stuck in his throat when he saw her expression.

Her blue eyes were glassy, like she was holding back tears. Her arms were crossed. Instantly, he wished he'd just kept his mouth shut, or even better, that he'd stayed home. Did she think he was making fun of her? Before he could ask, she uncrossed her arms and put them around him, and he froze.

She pressed her head against his chest, sighing into the hug. Meanwhile, Chat was holding his breath, as if afraid a slight movement would scare her away. They stood like that for several seconds before Marinette spoke.

"I'm sorry for... I'm sorry. I just..." I don't want to lose you, she wished she could say, but even if she did, he wouldn't understand.

So she hugged him a bit longer, and by the time she pulled away, he had relaxed a bit. He gave her a concerned look. "Marinette, are you okay?"

She nodded. Oh, jeez, he's probably so weirded out. Why did I do that? "Um, sorry. Anyway, probably time to go."

This time, he nodded. He looked at the picture o f himself on her desk thoughtfully. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Sorry for... you know, hugging you."

"It's okay."

His eyes glazed the surface of her desk, but only as he was about to turn away did something in the corner of his vision catch his eye. It was small, maybe jewelry, but he didn't get a good enough look at it before Marinette was pulling him toward the door. But there was something about the way it glinted, bright and pink, that was somehow familiar.

But as soon as he had climbed out the trap door, the memory of the earrings fluttered out of his mind, carried off by the wind as the hero disappeared into the night.

Okay, so I struggled with this a bit, because in all of the episodes except the origins episodes, the Akumas don't return to normal until after Ladybug says "Miraculous Ladybug." But Stoneheart just kinda transforms after the Akuma is realeased. Soooo idk??? Plot hole? Am I missing something? Anyway, sorry if there are errors, but this chapter is suuuper long, so I might have missed a couple. Ciao.