Hey guys. Good news and bad news. Bad news, I've had a really tough couple of days. First, visiting my great-grandmother, and if you don't know how hard it is emotionally when someone you love very much, someone who took care of you when you were a baby and a child, someone who was always this, this presence and so loving and loved, when that person asks who you are three times in a four-hour visit- if you don't know how hard that is I pray you never find out. My great-grandmother just sort of broke when my great-grandfather died, almost six years ago. I mean, she seemed okay for a little while, but they were like the very best of Adrienette. If anyone has a soulmate, he was hers. He was one of only four people she recognized in the albums I showed her- the others were herself and her sisters.

The other was less emotionally taxing, but physically quite difficult, plus I got a headache and I think I'm about to get my period so of course everything was worse. I love our horses, but they just. do. not. understand 'hey, take it easy, it's super hot and we're all tired and MY BRAIN IS TRYING TO ESCAPE MY SKULL.' What they do understand: 'but...carrots.' (What they do not understand: "That is a rock. Rocks do not eat horses. Mostly they stay in the same place and don't move on their own. They do not mind if you walk on them." ('BUT IT WILL EAT ME.' "...no it won't." 'BUT IT MIGHT.'))

Oh yeah, the good news! Good news, me having a hard day means you get a chapter. When things are tough, my brain needs an escape. So it goes to Fictionland, and if I can't read, that results in lots of nice scenes and beautiful sentences that I have to get written down and turned into story.

Tl;dr: I had a couple of hard days. Here, have a chapter!

secrets

[[[[[[[[[[adrien]]]]]]]]]]

"Marinette, I know your secret," I say. Bother, that won't do. That sounds creepy. "Marinette, I know you're Coccinelle. Marinette, I heard you talking about your cousin Nellie. Nellie sounds like Coccinelle. No, oh merde, this isn't going like I wanted it to!"

"Might wanna be more careful with your language around Daddy Dearest," Plagg suggests.

I glare at him. "Help me figure out what to say to Marinette."

Plagg tips his head. "Nah. You can mess things up with Pigtails on your own. No sense in getting Tikki mad at me."

I point at him. "Marinette is Coccinelle! You just confirmed it."

He crosses his arms. "I deny everything."

Sure, whatever. Maybe, Hey Marinette, you look really good in orange. Ugh, sounds like a pickup line. Good thinking with the rabbits. What?

Plagg groans. "Fiiiiiiiine. Try, 'Hey, Pigtails, a little chat told me you were the new bug in town.'"

"Not like I have any better ideas." Though I'll have to change it a bit. It sounds too much like Chat.

{{{{{{{{{{marinette}}}}}}}}}}

Mon. Dieu. This is happening. This is really happening.

This is hilarious! I didn't think it would be this hard for him to figure out!

When he said, "Hi Marinette. So, uh, I think I found out something I'm not supposed to know," my first thought was that he'd FINALLY figured out I'm Ladybug.

Then he said, "...are you...are you Coccinelle?"

It took every ounce of self-control I possessed to not smack my own forehead.

I shook my head, smiling sweetly. "Afraid not. Why? Were you hoping I'd tell you Ladybug's identity? That would truly be miraculous."

He blinked twice at the word 'miraculous.' "Actually, I was...uh, never mind."

"To my knowledge, I've never met her civilian form." A bit hard to meet yourself. "Well, it was nice chatting with you, Adrien!"

I pretended to ignore the voice saying, "Kid, you've got to get better at talking to your crushes," as I walked away.

"I don't think he even gets that he's handsome," Sabrina tells me later over the phone, "and he sees it in the mirror every day. The boy is ridiculously oblivious. Don't hold out hope for him figuring out your identity without major hints."

I laugh. "Understood."

After she hangs up to go to bed, I lie awake for what feels like hours, just trying to think of ways to clue him in without being so obvious Alya will figure it out before him.

[[[[[[[[[[adrien]]]]]]]]]]

Drat. Back to square one.

||||||||||chloe||||||||||

Sabrina has been acting strange all day. Her mind is somewhere else. When I asked her for lemonade, she got me pink lemonade, then five ice cubes instead of six!

"Sabrina," I say, "this is the fourth time you've stopped listening to me." You need to do better, or we won't be friends, I nearly say before wondering what Ladybug would think.

What if my behavior could make Ladybug come back? She's said before she thinks I should be kinder. What if she left because I was too rude?

I think carefully about my next words. "Sabrina, is everything okay?"

Sabrina looks at me blankly. "I...yeah. I didn't get enough sleep last night, so I'm kind of out of it. Sorry, Chloe."

I wave my hand. "You sho–" I stop myself. No. "I...forgive...you."

Sabrina looks startled. "What?"

"I forgive you," I snap. "Accept it before my patience wears out."

Sabrina nods quickly. "I accept your forgiveness. Thank you, Chloe! Thank you!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm too kind."

Oddly enough, it actually feels good to have Sabrina tell me that. Like she trusts me. And it feels good to forgive her. I feel lighter now, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

Maybe...maybe I should try saying "I forgive you" and "is everything okay" more often? Just to Sabrina, though. And Adrien. And Ladybug, when she comes back.

Gaaaaaaah Adrien is so dense it's paaaaaiiinfuuuuulllll.

Also, I've got a poll up about naming a monster that's essentially a giant magic-resistant komodo dragon. Wanna vote? It's only up until July 31, and when I take it down it will be replaced by a shipping poll for this story, so keep an eye out for that!