After multiple trips to the Dupain Bakery, Adrien had finally figured out what Gorilla's favorite desserts were: madeleines. He made sure to buy a few during his lunch break and kept them in his backpack for this exact moment.

"I'll give you a dozen madeleines if you let me walk back home."

"From the Dupain Bakery?"

"Of course."

"Deal."

Adrien shoved the bag at Gorilla, jumped out of the pedicab, and ran across the street. Alya had invited him to hang out with her and Marinette after school, and there was no way he was going to say no to that.

"There he is," Alya nudged Marinette. "I told you he wouldn't bail."

"Hey!" Adrien couldn't keep the excitement from his voice. He tried to talk to Marinette every day in class, but it was different when they were outside of school.

"We're meeting Nino at a music shop before going to the museum," Marinette told him as they started to walk. This was progress; she was initiating the conversation. This was good.

"Have you heard his new song?" he asked. Marinette looked at him like he was crazy.

"Of course. It was great." She scoffed and shook her head. "I can't believe so many people listen to his stuff just to hate on it, it's so stupid."

"Nino makes music?" Alya asked. The trio talked about Nino's music until they walked into the music store. Along an entire side was a wall of hanging guitars, and there were rows of music filling the floor space. On the opposite side there was a grand piano, surrounded by keyboards and music books. Shoved in a dark corner, like an afterthought, was a counter with a bored employee. Adrien could have stayed there for hours. He didn't like learning Chinese, and fencing was fine, but he'd always loved playing music. It was the one tutoring lesson he fully immersed himself in. This store perfectly captured the feeling he had when he played the piano. They stepped further in, and Adrien started scanning the store, looking for Nino.

Marinette froze. Adrien looked at her, confused. Alya, meanwhile, gasped and pointed to a boy who was browsing the guitars. Adrien didn't swing that way, but he could see why Alya would have that kind of reaction. The guy was appealing, in that scruffy musician kind of way. He had long hair, dyed blue at the ends, and a hint of a tattoo peeking out from his collar. His clothes were stylishly careless, and his face was attractive. It kind of bothered him that Marinette had frozen at the sight of him, but he had no right to be jealous or anything.

"Look at that!" Alya whispered to Marinette.

"I'm looking, alright," Marinette sounded less than pleased, and that relieved Adrien. He winced. He needed to chill; he couldn't be jealous when Marinette so much as looked at a guy, especially when he wasn't even dating her. That was just creepy.

"It's magnificent."

"He's a guy, you know," Adrien put in. "Not really an object."

"He is to me," Alya said. "Just like candy. Eye candy."

"I'd stay away," Marinette sounded weary. "His looks are the only appealing thing about him."

"Do you know him?" Adrien asked. Marinette was going to answer, but Nino must have spotted them from somewhere in the store.

"Marinette!" he called out. The attractive musician whipped his head around and stared at Marinette. Nino started walking towards them. "And Alya and Adrien, of course," Nino greeted. The musician was also making a bee-line towards them.

"Yeah, let's greet each other outside," Marinette pulled Alya by the arm towards the door. "We could move faster, you know!"

"Looks like some things never change," a smooth, deep voice came from Adrien's right. It was the musician. "Just as bossy as ever, Mari."

"Don't call me that," she snapped. "You know I hate it."

"Calm down, Mari," the guy chuckled. "Don't I get a hello before you snap my head off?"

"No," Marinette said. "We're leaving. Come on, guys."

"I'm Luka," the guy introduced himself. Adrien couldn't be rude.

"I'm Adrien."

"Adrien," Marinette looked at him. "Shut up. We're not talking to him. We're leaving."

"Let the guy be polite." Luka frowned. "Not everyone can be a grouch like you."

"I'm not a grouch," Marinette said. "I just hate talking to you."

Luka put a hand over his heart. "That's hurtful, and I assure you, the feeling is mutual."

"Then why'd you come over here?" Alya asked.

"Hey, you said your name is Luka?" Nino asked. Luka nodded, and Nino turned to Marinette. She nodded.

"Yup, that's him."

"Ohh," Nino looked like everything suddenly made sense. "Yeah, why don't we leave?"

"Running away, Mari?"

"I don't run away," Marinette shot, planting her feet in the ground. Alya looked between Marinette and Luka, interested. Adrien felt the same way she looked-there was a story here, and he wanted to know it. He looked at Nino, but Nino wasn't paying attention to him. "I just don't want to see your face." Marinette folded her arms in front of her. Luka copied her movement.

"Come on, don't you want to catch up? We haven't seen each other in so long."

"I was kind of hoping it would be longer. You know, like forever."

"Paul quit the band," Luka said, not reacting to Marinette. "The band won't make it without a keyboardist."

"Then break up the band and quit talking to me." Marinette frowned. Luka poked the wrinkles between her eyebrows, and her expression eased.

"Man, breaking up is your solution to everything, isn't it?" Luka grinned down at her, and Marinette clenched her fists. Adrien knew that stance, and he really didn't want her in a bad mood for the rest of the afternoon.

"I'm a piano player," Adrien cut in. "I could sub in until you find a permanent replacement."

"Would you even have the time for that?" Nino looked at him, surprised. Alya watched from Nino's side. Adrien shrugged. He now had Gorilla's weakness, he had all the freedom in the world.

"I'd make time."

"That sounds great, actually. We have rehearsals every Wednesday and Saturday. Give me your number and I'll text you details."


Marinette glanced uneasily at Adrien. He was a good person, but too naive. There was no way he could know how uncomfortable and cringey Luka was. She didn't want to just tell him what to do, but she really didn't want him hanging out with Luka.

"I don't think that's a good idea," she said as Adrien handed Luka his phone. Luka raised an eyebrow at her.

"Still holding grudges, Marinette?"

"I couldn't care less about you," Marinette said. She was surprised to find it was true. She'd been with Luka for seven months, and they'd broken up six months ago, a few weeks before she'd first transformed into Ladybug. It was weird to think, but a few months ago, seeing his face would have made her sad, and more than a bit uncomfortable. Seeing him now, though, after she'd found someone new-someone better-she couldn't imagine what she'd ever seen in him. "But Adrien is my friend, and I don't want him hanging around a snake like you."

"Harsh," Luka mumbled, typing his number into Adrien's phone and handing it back to him. "Don't let her get to you. She tends to judge people a lot, and she never lets it go. I'm a little cooler than she might give me credit."

Marinette snorted. "You're cool, sure. But you're also irresponsible, and inconsiderate, and rude. The list goes on. Should I continue?"

Luka shook his head. "Man, I forgot about how upfront you are about how you feel. It's a little refreshing."

"We've got to go," Alya hooked her arms through Marinette and Nino's. "Bye, Luka. It was nice seeing you."

"You mean, meeting him?" Adrien questioned as they started towards the doors. Alya shook her head.

"No. I didn't like that part as much as I liked seeing him." Marinette grinned at her.

"I knew there was a reason I liked you."

They exited the store and started walking towards Marinette's house. Adrien asked,

"What was your deal with him? You seemed to really hate him."

"I don't hate him,"

"Anymore," Nino mumbled.

"It kind of seemed like he was an ex," Alya coaxed. "Am I right? What's the story? Don't leave me hanging, I'm so curious!"

"Yeah, we dated for a while, but I broke up with him six months ago, after I found out he was cheating on me. He still likes to act like he's the victim. It's stupid and he's a jerk, but I don't care anymore. Just be careful, Adrien. Don't let him pressure you into being someone you don't want to be."

Adrien promised to be careful and the four of them continued walking to her house. She introduced Alya to UMS and Nino was finally able to beat someone under the Dupain's roof. Her dad cried for him out of happiness and her mom brought out a celebratory cupcake. Nino had taken the cupcake but joked that it made his victory feel a bit pathetic. Alya kept showing her and Adrien new features on the Ladyblog, and Nino went to try and help Sabine bake a cake. It turned out lopsided, but it was delicious which was all that mattered. Adrien ate a small piece, sheepishly saying that he wasn't allowed to have processed sugars. Tom had wept for him and Sabine told him to ignore that rule while at the bakery.

Alya left first, being called last minute to babysit her younger siblings. Nino and Adrien went to her room where Marinette made both of them model her men's clothes so she could adjust them. Adrien was, obviously, very good at it. Nino left soon after, saying he hated being treated like a doll. Adrien stayed for a good hour after Nino left, and majority of the time they played multiple video games and just got to know each other a bit better. He was a really fun, nice person, and it sickened Marinette that she'd painted him as a villain because of her quick (and false) judgement. She was disappointed when Gorilla entered the bakery and told Adrien that he had to leave.


"Marinette, your aunt is on the phone!"

"Coming, Mom!"

Marinette turned back to the fabric in front of her. She was still draping it over the dress form, figuring out the perfect silhouette for...whatever she was going to make. Most of the time, Marinette planned everything. She drew out her designs, bought the fabric according to the colored she'd sketched in, and measured everything twice before cutting. Then, there were times where instincts took over. She'd seen this cloth-a beautiful emerald green velvet-at a fabric store and knew that she just had to have it. She didn't have a specific design in mind, or even a vague shape. She'd brought it home and immediately started draping it over her single dress form. She hadn't found the shape yet, and she wasn't even certain she wanted it to be a dress. It could anything, as long as she thought of it. That was the fun of it. The length of fabric had endless possibilities, as long as Marinette kept her mind open. The creativity and boundlessness of design was one of the things which kept it interesting for her.

"Marinette!" Her mom did not sound happy. Marinette sighed and pulled herself away from the fabric.

"Alright, alright, I said I was coming!"

She ran down the stairs and said hello into the phone. Her aunt chuckled,

"You don't sound too happy to talk to me. Busy with a design?"

"Sort of." Marinette explained her problem to her aunt. It was one of the things she loved most about Aunt Marie. Her parents were always encouraging and impressed by her work, but they didn't understand the problems she sometimes faced. Aunt Marie did.

"Well, Cara, I'm sure you'll figure something out," Aunt Marie said. "You always do. That's what makes you one of the most talented designers I know. Right behind me, of course."

"Don't be too sure about that," Marinette grabbed the phone from her mom and headed back to her room, an idea forming in her mind. "I've gotten a lot better since you've last visited. I can't wait to show you-when are you coming again?"

"I wish I could say, Cara," Aunt Marie sighed. "I'm...in a bit of a tight spot right now. I likely won't be able to see you for a long time."

"If it's a financial thing, I've got some money," Marinette put the phone on speaker and pulled out her sketchbook, flipping to a blank page. Her pencil scratched on the paper, and her vision began to take physical shape in front of her.

"Don't waste that, Dear, you earned it, I'm sure. Continue to design, cultivate your craft so that when I'm able to see your beautiful face, your clothes will be as fabulous as mine are."

Marinette rolled her eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes, Marinette, it's very unladylike."

"Yeah, alright."

They continued talking, Marinette's responses getting shorter and shorter until Aunt Marie laughed and said she'd leave her alone to work on her design. Marinette's dad was a little upset that she hadn't brought the phone down so he could speak to his sister, but he got over it as soon as someone entered the bakery.

"Alix!" he greeted. "Are you going to be paying today, or leaving us to cover the bill?"

"Jeez, guilt trip a girl, why don't you?" she grumbled, grabbing her cookie.

"Don't act upset," Marinette's mom playfully scolded. "You know you're family. That includes the teasing."

"Come on," Marinette led Alix up to her room. "I've got something for you." Alix stepped into Marinette's bedroom and immediately started cleaning. It was just a habit, and Marinette didn't even bother telling her to knock it off anymore. She headed to her closet and pulled out a dark purple shirt.

It was a tank top with small stars and planets all over it. Since it was a Marinette design, the stars were accurately placed, and so were the planets. It had taken weeks of research to get just the placements right, not to mention all the hand-embroidering. The result was worth it, though. Each star was unique, and all the planets were beautiful combinations of color. Alix had been admiring it the last time she'd come over, and Marientte adjusted a few things to make it fit her. Now, it was a gift.

"Woah," Alix said as Marinette handed it to her. "Are you sure?" Marinette scowled at her. What kind of idiotic question was that. She opened her mouth to speak, but Alix cut her off: "Wait, don't say anything-thank you so much!" Alix ripped her shirt off and wore her gift. Marinette was more than pleased with the result. The color complemented Alix's hair, and it fit remarkably well given that Marinette didn't have Alix's measurements. She started telling Alix all the washing instructions, but she was pretty sure Alix wasn't listening. Marinette allowed her to tackle her in a hug. "This is awesome! I love it!"

"Of course you do," Marinette shoved Alix off of her. "I made it."

Alix got up and continued cleaning Marinette's room with renewed vigor. For whatever reason, she seemed to think Marinette's room was a pigsty. Marinette didn't understand. The only mess she had were from all the clothes, but it wasn't like she could do much about that. She only had so much closet space, and it was all in use.

Marinette pulled out her laptop and opened up the Ladyblog. "Want to see what Alya's got up?" she asked. Alix gave up folding a pile of turtlenecks and leaped onto Marinette's bed. She leaned over Marinette's shoulder, and the two of them scrolled through all the new posts.

"Woah, she's got almost a million views," Alix whistled. "And this video has over ten thousand likes."

"It's really blown up," Marinette agreed. "I'm not surprised. She's got exclusive photos and stuff."

"She was telling me she was going to do some interviews and stuff," Alix said. "Like, she was going to walk through Paris one day and ask people what they thought about Ladybug and Cat Noir, and all that jazz."

"That sounds really cool," Marinette knew she'd watch the video. She wasn't a superhero because of the fame, or the praise people might give her, but hearing it would surely be a nice treat. "I'd watch the shit out of that."

"She's put a lot of effort into this, and it's paying off. I'm happy for her." Alix started cackling, "Max is so mad! She's destroyed so many of his cameras!"

"I bet Nino loved that!" Marinette laughed.

"I never got why Nino doesn't like Max." Alix confided. "At first I thought he was mad because maybe he liked Kim and was jealous of Max or something, but then he started liking Chloe. So now I'm just so confused."

"Something about his vibe being whack," Marinette shrugged. "It's no big deal. He can like or not like whoever he wants."

"I know that," Alix complained. "I just want to know why. Like, is there some story I don't know about? I wanna know, and no one's telling me."

"Hey, Alya just uploaded something." Marinette said. "It's some history thing. I can't believe she does this much research about it."

"Forget that, I want to know about Nino and Max!"

"Ask him yourself," Marinette mumbled. "I want to read this."

"Don't act like you're not interested!" Alix protested.

"I'm not acting." Marinette said. "Now quit interrupting, this is interesting."

"I wish Kim was here." Alix bemoaned, munching on her cookie. "He'd understand."

Marinette didn't respond and kept reading Alya's post. She was talking about going to the new ancient Chinese exhibit with her family, and the'd come across a tapestry which had showed-believe it or not-Ancient Ladybug and Ancient Cat Noir! But they were different that the superheroes in Paris. Ladybug had wings, and Cat Noir had a bow and arrow. Marinette clicked to enlarge the picture. There it was: a beautiful classic image of an old Ladybug and Cat Noir. They clothes were different, and they had different hairstyles, but it was unmistakable. There had been a Ladybug and a Cat Noir in ancient China.

Alix grabbed one of Marinette's pillows and tried to throw it at Marinette's head. She missed. Marinette carefully closed her computer and placed it on the ground. She grabbed the pillow behind her, keeping eye contact with Alix. Alix scrambled to the end of the bed, but Marinette pulled her back and wound her arms back. Alix squirmed, but Marinette kept her in place.

"No!" Alix yelled. "This isn't fair! My pillow didn't even land!"

"It's the principle of it!" Marinette growled, slamming the pillow onto her friend's head. Alix crossed her arms in front of her face. "You come into my house, in my room, and throw a pillow at me?" Marinette kept hitting Alix, and Alix managed to escape. She scuttled to the head of the bed and grabbed another pillow-longer and smaller, but harder than the one Marinette was using. She held it like a club.

"Back off, or I won't go easy on you!" Alix threatened. Marinette jumped up on her bed, and Alix followed suit. They whacked each other with the pillows until one of them threw their pillow onto the ground and started jumping on the bed, the other following suit.

"My mom won't be happy about this!" Marinette laughed, shoving Alix away when she tried to tackle Marinette. She could have thrown Alix to the mattress for that, but she didn't.

"Who cares, it's fun!"

It was. That was one of her favorite things about Alix. Marinette was so serious all the time, it was hard to remember she was still seventeen. When Alix came over, though, Marinette found herself doing dumb shit she'd scoff at until Alix convinced her to just throw her reservations and give it a go. It was fun, forgetting all her worries for a few moments and jumping on her bed with one of her best friends.


Alix left a few hours later, and Marinette was now all caught up with the dating life of Andre Courbis, Alix's favorite French actor. Sabine made Marinette do the dishes after dinner, and then she was free for the night. She wanted to work on the green velvet, but she had bigger questions in mind. Tikki flew to the plate of leftovers Marinette had automatically carried up the stairs.

"Can I fly?" Marinette asked.

"I didn't know humans could fly," Tikki nibbled on a crest of bread. "But it would be very cool if you could. We'd be like twins!"

"Tikki. I meant when I was Ladybug."

"I don't like talking to you when you're mad at me-could you ask tomorrow?"

"You are so annoying, and I can't tell if you do it on purpose or not," Marinette scowled at the little red kwami.

"If you don't want to talk to me, how about I take you to Master Fu?" Tikki suggested. "Then I wouldn't bother you, and you'd get your answers."

"Who's Master Fu?"

"He can tell you himself. Do you want to go?" Tikki saw the look on Marinette's face and squealed. "This will be so much fun, like a field trip!"

"Tikki, spots on."

Marinette jumped onto her balcony. She still remembered when Cat Noir waited for her on this balcony. She wanted to talk to him. That euphoric feeling she got when she talked to him, and the fluttering in her heart when he looked at her were addicting. She wanted to know more about him. He liked romantic movies, his favorite artist was actually a friend of his, and he was afraid his dad was going to abandon him like his mom, Every new thing she learned about him made her even more curious about him. What was his favorite flavor of ice cream? Did he like playing video games? How would he react if they went roller skating together?

"Let's go!" Tikki said. "I can't wait for you to meet Wayzz!"

Tikki guided Marinette through the streets of Paris. A few people pointed up at her and took pictures. She didn't care, she wasn't doing anything wrong. She just wanted to know if she could fly. Tikki led her to a crumbling apartment building. Marinette recognized this street. It had been attacked by an out of control Akuma almost five months ago. None of the buildings had been damaged enough to be deemed uninhabitable, but Marinette hadn't thought of people still living here. She bet the rent had been decreased substantially.

She landed in front of a particularly destroyed front door and knocked. Her nose scrunched. Even from outside the door, the apartment reeked of alcohol.

The door opened, and a young man stood in front of her. He was wearing a hat with a pizza shop's logo on it. His shirt was solid red, and his jeans were unfashionably faded. He looked unusually sober for someone living in an alcohol soaked apartment.

"That's Justin," Tikki squealed excitedly. "He's the pizza delivery boy! He liked the shirt you made me."

"It's Ladybug," he called back in the apartment. Someone groaned, and Justin invited her in. She entered. If Alix didn't like her bedroom, she would hate this place. There were old pizza boxes stacked on top of each other to make tables, and the only piece of real furniture she could see was a dirty brown couch in front of a jarringly old TV. The floor was covered with a layer of stained and sticky paper towels, and she could feel everything through the thin soles of the suit.

"Are you...Master Fu?"

"No, that's Justin," Tikki said. "Pay attention, Marinette."

"No, but Wayzz can get him, if you want." Justin moved in front of the couch and opened the top pizza box. She'd been wrong. The couch was green, but it was so dark in the room it looked brown. Justin took out a piece and offered it to her. She turned it down. She stared at him like he was an alien. Shouldn't he be a little more shocked that Ladybug had just entered his apartment? His calm demeanor weirded her out. She felt like she'd stepped into an alternate dimension.

"Wayzz?" Marinette watched a few bugs crawl around the wall behind the TV. All the lights were off, so the only source of light was from the game on the TV.

"His kwami." Justin bit into the pizza in his hands and made a face. "Ugh. He never orders mushrooms. He must be having a good day." If he really was just a pizza delivery boy, why did he know what kwamis were?

Justin called for Wayzz to get Fu, and a little turtle kwami appeared from a side room, That must've been Wayzz. The turtle zipped down an ominous looking doorway. There was an exasperated conversation, then there was a silence which lasted a good five minutes. Marinette was too confused to feel impatient. Finally, a haggard old man fell across the floor. Marinette rushed forward and caught him before his head hit the ground.

The man was startlingly familiar. His brown eyes were bloodshot, his white hair was sparse, and he smelled like he'd been bathing in vodka for a week. He burped, and somehow the stench of stale alcohol grew even stronger around him. Oh, yeah, Marinette remembered him.

"You're that old man that gave me the earrings," she said, helping him stand. "You're Fu?"

"That's me. You're…" he squinted at her. "Who the hell are you?"

"Oh, no," she snapped. "I'll be the one asking the questions here." She guided him to his disgusting couch. She hesitated to make him sit on it. It looked like a physical embodiment of every health code violation in the world. Fu didn't seem to care as much as she did and slouched on a flattened couch cushion. "Who are you, and why do you have a kwami?"

"I'm too sober for this," he muttered, checking around him and under the seat cushions. "Wayzz!" he called. "Beer!"

Wayzz flew towards him with a brown Budweiser in hand. Marinette snatched it out of the air. Fu reached towards it, but she held it out of his reach.

"Do you know how to spell my name?" he asked. "F. U."

"Cute," she narrowed her eyes at him. "You didn't answer my question. Who are you, and why do you have a kwami?"

"I want my beer."

"You'll get it when I'm gone, and I'm only leaving after I get answers."

"Well I've got a question for you: how did you get into my house?"

"Justin let me in." Marinette gestured to the young man who stood by the door, watching them like a child would watch his arguing parents. He moved towards the door.

"I'll, uh, cover the cost of your pizza. Pay double tomorrow," Then Justin left, leaving Marinette in a house with an ancient, incredibly alcohol dependent man, and two kwamis.

"Promise you'll leave when you get your answers?"

"Yes. Now, who are you, why does Tikki say you can tell me how to fly, and how do you have a kwami?"

"I forgot most of that, but my name is Fu Peizhi, I'm the guardian of the Miraculous, and I need you to speak quieter. Your yelling is giving me a headache."

"I'm not yelling," she growled. "You're just hungover. That's pathetic, you're like a hundred years old and you're drinking so early in the day that you're hungover at eleven pm?"

"I'm four hundred, actually." Oh, he was such a smart ass. Marinette couldn't stand him. "Did you just come here to nag me? What the hell do you want?"

"What is the guardian of the Miraculous?"

"I guard the Miraculous, duh." Marinette glared at Fu, and he sighed dramatically. "There's more than just the Ladybug and the Black Cat, you know. Like the Butterfly, the Tiger, the...uh, what's another animal? Pig, there's definitely a Pig Miraculous. Anyway, it's my job to guard them. I give them to those worthy of the power, and they usually don't break into my house." He looked at her pointedly.

"Hold on, there's a butterfly Miraculous? Is that who's been making all the Akuma?"

"Akuma-is that what the kids are calling them these days? Yeah, I guess, if they're moth-butterfly-things with powers."

"You know who that is?" Marinette demanded. "Why haven't you gone to the police with this information? The Akuma have been terrorizing Paris for almost two years, and you've known who it was this whole time?"

"Oh, the Butterfly isn't who's been terrorizing Paris," Wayzz piped up. "That would be one of the powers of the Fish Miraculous."

"So there's two Miraculous destroying Paris, and you knew exactly who they've been this entire time?" Marinette fumed. "What the hell is the matter with you? Who are they?!"

"I have no clue," Fu drawled. "A couple years back I lost a few of the Miraculous, so I don't know who has them. Hell, I don't even remember who you are, and I actually gave the Miraculous to you...I think?"

"What?" Marinette hissed. "You lost them? How does that even happen? How drunk are you? You!" She turned to Wayzz. "Why is he always drunk, and why are you enabling him?"

"I can't say no to him," Wayzz said timidly. "He is the Master. We must obey him."

"So he can just tell the other kwamis to come tell him who their partners are?"

"Ah...no. He can't talk to them and order them if he doesn't know where they are."

Marinette wanted to strangle the turtle, or maybe Fu. They were the direct source of all her problems. The weird old man who'd given her the Miraculous earrings was the same idiot who'd given destructive power to complete strangers through pure negligence, and his kwami had sat and twiddled its thumbs the whole time? This was so stupid, and being around such carelessness felt like physical on her skin.

"You-how could you-this is completely!" She shook with a fury she hadn't felt in her entire life. Words escaped her. Her face heated with rage, and it exploded out of her. "You had one job! You, yourself said you're the guardian of the Miraculous-the guardian. What kind of person gets themselves so drunk they lose not just one, but multiple super powerful items because they were piss drunk? That's right, only an idiot! How could you be so incompetent? This is ridiculous!"

"Quit yelling, you she-demon," Fu looked nauseous. "Besides, I said I was a guardian; I never said I was a good guardian."

"There's no such thing as a bad guardian! You either protect what you're supposed to, and you're a guardian, or you don't, and you call yourself an asshole. There is no in between! There's more people than just yourself depending on how badly you screw this shit up, and it pisses me off that you don't even seem to care!"

"I suggest you be quiet," Fu said. "You don't know anything about me."

"I don't need to know anything about you, and I don't want to! I know that you're the guardian of the Miraculous, and you either really suck at it, or you've given up trying. Neither of those are excuses! Peoples' lives are on the line and you just sit around getting drunk all day and tormenting Wayzz when you don't get enough beer!"

Fu narrowed his eyes at her and pursed his lips in anger, but stayed silent. Marinette was ready to explode, and his silence enraged her. The coward wouldn't even defend himself? She was itching for a fight, but it was impossible and stupid to fight against a silent opponent. If Tikki was in front of her, she would have ripped into her. This careless old cretin was supposed to have helped her? She turned and glared at Wayzz. Wayzz fled to the side room.

"Don't look at him, it's not his fault. Justin warned us he wasn't in a good mood." Tikki said.

"Not now, Tikki," Marinette snapped. "This is all your fault. If you had just told me from the beginning whether or not the suit could fly, we wouldn't be here right now, and I wouldn't be ready to rip someone's head off. Goddamnit, now I'm saying it, too!"

"Master?" Wayzz peeked through the doorway. "Since the Ladybug is here, it might be a good idea to tell her of her duties?"

"No, you tell her. I'm not talking to the she-demon anymore."

"Yes, Master. Ladybug, would you like to come to the kitchen?"

Marinette crossed her arms. "We'll talk here." Hopefully it would bother Fu. Anything which irritated the old man would give Marinette the utmost pleasure. Wayzz nodded and slowly made his way to her. He sat on the back of the couch.

"Firstly, I should tell you that Master wasn't supposed to give you the Ladybug Miraculous."

Marinette worked to calm down. If she frowned too much, she'd give herself early wrinkles, like her mom. "Yeah, I got that. He doesn't even remember who I am."

"No, it's not just you which was the problem. The Ladybug cannot be in circulation without the Black Cat. Any time the Ladybug is released, there must be a Black Cat or the balance will be broken, and the Ladybug will come to harm. Typically, we only release the Black Cat in times of great distress, for fear of it being stolen, or lost."

"With a guardian like Fu, it'd be safer in a Miraculous holder's hands," Marinette mumbled.

"You're forgetting the most important part," Fu growled at his kwami. "We don't release the Black Cat because it's dangerous. The Ladybug is there to protect the Black Cat; that's your top priority."

"If that's my top priority, why'd you wait until I came here to tell me? What if I never bothered coming, then my 'top priority' would've never been told to me. You're such an idiot. If you're going to make shit up, at least think it through, first."

Fu frowned. "I'm not making it up, wench. If the Ladybug Miraculous is taken, it would be a bit of a problem, but if the Black Cat was lost, it would be a catastrophe." Fu paused and chuckled. "Hehe, catastrophe. Where's Wayzz? Wayzz!"

"Yes, Master?" Wayzz sounded tired.

"What would happen if the Black Cat Miraculous was taken? It would be a-"

"A catastrophe," Wayzz chuckled weakly. "Yes, Master. It is a very funny joke, and I laugh every time I hear it. Would you like to continue to tell Ladybug her duties?"

"I'll tell you what I want," Fu said. Marinette had an idea she knew what he was going to say and threw the beer at him before he could say it. He was useless anyway. With surprisingly quick reflexes, he caught the bottle and popped it open. He took a large sip and slumped on the couch. She shook her head. This was the kind of person which disgusted her the most.

"Your powers are also perfectly suited to your duty," Wayzz faced her. "While the Black Cat was made for attack, the Ladybug's specialty is defense. The more you transform, the more your soul's wavelength and Tikki's magical wavelength will sync up, which will create more powerful resonances of power. Eventually you will be able to power up, but all these extra powers will likely be defense-based."

This was the first piece of useful information Marinette had been given since she'd stepped into Fu's disgusting apartment. It had only taken thirty minutes for Marinette to get the answer to her original, simple question. "So, I can fly?"

"Eventually, perhaps. The powers aren't set, and largely depend on the user and their imaginations."

That was lucky for her. She was a designer. She used her imagination and creativity on a daily basis. She could barely begin to think of all the possibilities she and Tikki could work towards.

"I fear you're missing the main point," Wayzz said. "You need to ensure the Black Cat's safety, as well as your own."

"Why is it only on me?" Marinette rested a hand on her hip and stared at Wayzz. "Cat Noir is also a person, and he's not an idiot. He's the 'attack,' like you keep saying. Why isn't it on him?"

"I don't know," Wayzz shrugged. "It's simply the way it is. The Ladybug must protect the Black Cat. This is your duty."

It might have been the wording, or the look in the kwami's eyes, but something clicked within Marinette. There was no more need to question it. Just like how it was second nature to wield the yo-yo, it was now instinctive to save her partner, and keep him safe before herself, even. It was the strangest thing. Tikki whispered in her mind that it had to do with the magic of the Miraculous. Everyone's Miraculous influenced them. Those that used the Tiger developed a temper, those who were partnered with the Black Cat were reckless, and the Ladybugs became protective. It was just the way of things, and it would be better if she didn't fight it. Those that fought it typically didn't last too long.

"So I need to protect Cat Noir from the Makara and the Akuma? That's easy. I do that anyway."

"It goes beyond that," Wayzz shook his head. Fu's head started to dip. "You must help protect his identity. It's the best way to keep others from trying to take his Miraculous. We've already lost so many, we can't afford to lose track of another-especially not the Black Cat."

"He's done a pretty good job of keeping it secret so far. What do you want me to do?"

"Why do you ask so many questions?" Fu grumbled. "Leave already." Marinette and Wayzz ignored him, but Tikki started urging Marinette to go home. Marinette wanted to ignore the old man, just to spite him, but she couldn't. This was his house, and he'd officially told her to leave. If she stayed, she would be trespassing. And, Tikki wanted to go home. Wayzz tried to get her to stay, to convince her of more duties she had. Marinette wanted no part of that.

"We're leaving," she announced. Fu raised his bottle and cheered. She slammed the door behind her.

(In the following days, Marinette transformed every night and tried everything she could think of to sprout wings and fly. She tried meditating, swinging faster on her yo-yo, and even asking multiple times with increasing desperation. Nothing worked. She was, however, able to add an extra five minutes to the time she had on her transformation after using Lucky Charm.)