Gina stood atop the slanted, ornate roof of the Agreste mansion and tapped her foot. She had been making a point to loudly pace back and forth for the last ten minutes, waiting for someone to notice.

The was a gentle rustle behind her.

'Took long enough,' she thought as she turned around and narrowly dodged a spinning fan. She leaned back as the blade missed her neck by mere centimeters. The blade twirled through the air until it returned to the hand of its owner.

"We have to stop meeting like this," Mayura said with what felt like a touch of sarcasm to Gina.

"Hey," Gina said, her hand hovering over the yoyo on her hip. "Um, before you throw that again? Give me one second."

Mayura raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Gina eyed her for a moment before she carefully made her way over to the chimney beside her. Mayura readied her fan, but Gina reached behind a smokestack and pulled out two steaming cups.

"Like, I know last time we just talked, and like, based on our pattern we're probably supposed to be trying to kill each other this time? But, um, I kinda really need to talk to an adult right now." She held out a cup. "Got a minute?"

A breeze drifted across the roof.

Mayura stared at her. "You do know we're enemies, correct? And that my mission is to strip you of your powers, your life and well-being be damned?"

Gina shrugged. "Well, yeah, but that aside? You're, um, the best adult I could think of right now, and this is a topic I think I would value your input on. So, um," She held up the cups. "Bakery rules?"

Mayura continued to stare. "…Are you serious?"

"Hey, look. I, um, I'm usually more than up for a fight, but tonight, um, I'm kinda drained? So, uh, yeah. I am. Serious, that is." Gina shifted in place. "So, your call. But, like, if you want to fight instead, or just leave, I won't blame you." Gina let out a small sigh. "This sounded like a better idea in my head."

Mayura looked at Ladybug, unblinking. She saw the earrings glistening in the moonlight. She also saw the look on the young woman's face and felt something familiar in her expression.

She made her decision.

"So yeah, I just, I cut it off. And from the moment I did, I've been screaming inside that I've made a mistake, but at the same time, I feel better? But I feel guilty that I feel better? Like, I dunno. It's weird."

Ladybug sipped her cocoa and lazily kicked her legs in the air off the side of the office tower they had landed on. Beside her sat Mayura, her legs dangling, a coffee in hand.

"It sounds like you'd already started to separate yourself from him," the older woman pointed out.

"I guess so?" Gina said, thinking about it. "I mean, I didn't want to, but things have been so crazy lately."

Mayura raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh? Have we been running you all into the ground?"

Gina shook her head. "Not you, exactly. See, I, uh, I normally handle stuff outside of, um, specifically you guys."

Mayura paused at that. "There's more of us?"

Gina grunted. "There's just a lot that needs addressing. And that's what my job is. I address things. Unless those things happen to be a boy I like, apparently."

"You know, there's nothing wrong with recognizing that you've got your priorities out of alignment. It may hurt, but it might be healthy to acknowledge that you're putting yourself into things that you shouldn't. There's only so much a person can give before they start to break."

Gina glanced at her for a moment.

"What?" Mayura asked.

"Nothing, I just… You're right. I mean, I want to have him, and to make time and all, but… I can't just drop my job and neglect what I know I need to be doing just because of how I feel. Even if, like, I want to. Really bad."

"You could always give me the earrings," Mayura pointed out. "Then you wouldn't have to choose."

"Not mine to give," Gina said, her eyes on Mayura. "And besides, you wouldn't like it if you got them."

"And you would know this, how?"

Gina shuddered. "Because I've done exactly what Hawkmoth wants to, but I was given a pass. He won't be."

Mayura raised an eyebrow at that. "Meaning?"

Gina took a long sip of cocoa. "Meaning he'll probably die if he tries to make his wish." She glanced at Mayura. "Or you will."

Mayura swallowed, slightly unsettled by the calm in the young woman's voice. "You don't know that."

Gina shrugged. "Eh. Suit yourself. Say, um, do you ever get tired of it?"

"Of what? The fighting?"

Gina shook her head. "I mean, I put the person who cared for me on the sidelines so much it caused them to crumble, and they were still willing to be hurt and wait just because I was too focused on all of this to see what I was doing to them. And… And just stepping back from it, I was… God, I was being a total bitch." She looked to Mayura. "As someone who, well… Um, how long do you think he would have hung on?"

Mayura turned her attention to the city below. "Forever, I suppose."

"Why wouldn't he just leave me?"

Mayura let out a resigned sigh. "Because he probably thought he didn't deserve any better."

Gina curled in on herself a bit. "Do you think he'll be okay?"

Mayura sat in silence for a moment.

"I think eventually, anyone can get over a broken relationship, and getting let go of. Being left behind can cause a person to hold on, or to make promises to themselves that they can't, or worse, they shouldn't keep. Time and attention from loved ones can help, if he lets them in."

The supervillain set her coffee down on the ledge between them. "You did the right thing, even if it doesn't feel like it. When you're ready, as in, when you can better manage your time, or when you finally stop doing all this, the right person will be there. If that's what you still want, that is. When that happens, point all that stored-up energy you have into them, and you'll both be okay."

Mayura glanced at Gina, who was smiling back at her. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just… Thank you. I really needed to talk to someone about this."

"And… You feel better?"

Gina gave a small shrug and looked back out over the city. "I mean, yes and no? I think… I'm gonna be a mess for a while over this, but you've helped me put this into perspective. And, um, for the record? You were wrong before."

"Oh?" Mayura asked, curious. "About what?"

"He was worth it," Gina said. "He was always worth it."

Mayura considered the girl beside her. "I think I prefer you to the other Ladybug."

"You'd be the only one," Gina grumbled. "If it's any consolation? I definitely prefer you to Hawkmoth. You're a lot cooler. You know, when you're not being evil. And your outfit's better, too. That whole goth debutante ninja thing you've got going on is metal as Hell."

"Goth debutant ninja?"

Gina shrugged. "1920's vampire flapper? Deadly nega-geisha? Whatever you're going for there, it works."

"And on that charming note," Mayura stood and turned to leave. She glanced back and said, "I've tried to kill you. I most likely will again. I trust this fact hasn't escaped you?"

"Yeah, but I can talk to you, and you tip well, and you actually care about Adrien, so you're not all bad. Oh, um, you want me to pass anything on to him?"

Mayura's head whipped around at that. Her eyes went wide. "Is he… Is Adrien alright?"

Gina nodded. "He's doing good. He's doing really good."

Mayura breathed a small sigh of relief. "That is… Good to hear."

Gina nodded. "She, um, Marinette said yes, by the way. In case you were wondering."

Mayura let out a chuckle. "Of course she did. Stupid, silly children."

"They're not so bad," Gina said. "And she loves him a lot. They're looking at getting an apartment together, and I heard he's getting work."

Mayura nodded in agreement. "I'm aware of his new job. The news has made a field day of it. I… Thank you for that. It's good to know that he's doing well."

"Of course," Gina said. "It was the least I could do. I mean, like I said. You listened to me whine, gave me good advice, didn't try to kill me tonight… I owed you."

"Next time, I may not feel so chatty," Mayura offered.

"Then next time we can beat each other up. Work out some rage issues." Gina stood and streched. "Um, so are you guys all done terrorizing people tonight? 'Cause it's really late, and I'm a bit done after everything."

Mayura let out a snicker. "Well, off the record? He bloody well should be. It's a bit late to be working, even for him."

Gina tossed her yoyo. "Thanks again for this," she said.

"Let's not make a habit," Mayura said back.

"Right."

Gina jumped and swung away as Mayura watched. Once she was out of sight, she opened her fan and slid part of it up to reveal a screen. She was still unsettled by the feature and not quite sure how it connected to her cell, but Dusuu had assured her that the magic would make things work. According to her kwami, magic and Bluetooth were surprisingly compatible. Also, said magic was doing wonders for her cellular reception. The mansion had annoyingly thick walls, but her signal since linking with her miraculous had just been fantastic.

She stared at the chat screen. There were several messages waiting for her.

'56 new messages from Ladybug'

Curious, she clicked on them. As she scrolled, she noticed a theme.

'It's not too late to stop what you're doing.'

'We're here if you want to stop.'

'You can do better.'

'I believe in you.'

'I'll listen to you.'

'Do you do this because he makes you? If you need help, please let me know.'

'You can seriously do better.'

'I believe there's good in you.'

Mayura sighed and did a quick delete. She also noticed several invites to group chats, which she also then promptly ignored. She had made that mistake only once, and even then, it was by accident.

Queen Bee could text curse words faster than Nathalie could read them.

Eventually, she found the new text option. Awkwardly, she scrolled to find Adrien's information and typed out a short message.

Yes, awkwardly. You know what? Go grab an ornate fan and pretend there's a touchscreen right smack in the middle and see how far your thumbs stretch. Watching someone do this is equal parts pathetic, frustrating, and hilarious, and Nathalie was self-aware enough to realize it.

'I ran into one of your friends tonight. They said you're doing well. Congratulations on the engagement.'

She stared at the words for a moment before adding one last bit.

'I'm proud of you.'

A few minutes and a run to work out some frustrations later, Mayura dropped through the open window of Hawkmoth's lair and detransformed. To her frustration, her employer was still awake, still transformed, and still watching the city with his hands behind his back.

"What happened?" Hawkmoth snarled. "Did you get it? Where is her miraculous?"

Nathalie glanced at Hawkmoth, who, for reasons that made no sense to the woman, was still in costume at what she considered to be a ridiculous hour.

"No, I did not," Nathalie yawned. "Gabriel, it's late. Let's call it an evening and resume tomorrow. You need your rest, and I'm exhausted."

Hawkmoth glanced towards his window and barred his teeth. "But, the heroes of Paris are weak right now," he purred. "This is the perfect time to…"

"Gabriel," Nathalie said in a slightly stern tone. This caused Hawkmoth to pause, as he was unused to hearing any steel in his assistant's voice being directed towards himself. "Let it go for tonight. I'm in no condition to back you up, and you have a press conference tomorrow concerning Adrien's split with the brand. Can we please just leave things for now?"

Hawkmoth eyed his assistant for a moment. "Did something happen to you out there tonight?"

"It's just been a long night, that's all," Nathalie said as she stepped past him. "Now, your appointment is at seven, and you should probably do it in person since this does concern your son. Please just… Get some sleep," Nathalie begged.

Hawkmoth glanced at the window again before sighing. "Fine. As you wish, Nathalie."

Nathalie turned back towards the door, a small, satisfied smirk on her lips. She was so distracted that she nearly jumped when her pocket vibrated. Curious, she checked her phone and saw a text.

'Thanks. It means a lot to hear that. I miss you.'

Nathalie smiled and sent a response before heading to bed.

'I miss you, too.'