Marinette

Marinette walked out of school with Adrien, ready to talk with Adrien about his issues more. She was waiting for Adrien by the sidewalk when Alya walked up to her, her eyes red and her mascara a mess. Which made sense since only an hour ago, her blog was taken down. "Hey Mari, can we please talk?"

Marinette hesitated, then saw Adrien come up behind Alya. She asked him a silent question when their eyes locked for a moment. Adrien pulled out his phone and seemed to send a text. Marinette felt her phone vibrate in her hand.

Adrien: Go with her, I'll be okay

Marinette looked back at Adrien, who simply nodded his understanding before heading off to a waiting car. She watched him drive off as Alya asked her again, "Can we please just talk?"

"Yeah, lets talk," Marinette sighed dejectedly. Alya nodded, not saying anything else. "So, what's on your mind?"

"I'm sorry for not believing you. Ever since Lila arrived, I was so caught up in everything she told us that I failed to listen to my best friend. I wanted to believe everything she portayed. I figured you were just jealous because Adrien wanted to hang out with her," Alya insisted, trying to make it seem that things weren't as bad as they were.

"Alya, what made you think I was jealous?" Marinette asked, struggling to remain calm.

Alya seemed confused, "Because Adrien wanted to spend time with Lila."

"Did Adrien want to? Or did Lila tell you that?" Marinette prompted quietly.

The question seemed to have its desired effect, Alya's eyes widening. "Lila told me," she whispered. "Adrien never said anything."

"Because no one listened to him. Adrien never liked being around Lila, he didn't like it when she touched him. It's not hard to notice his discomfort. But you were caught up in a fantasy, too busy to care about your friends."

"Mari, that's not fair..."

"What's not fair is when your best friend, who is a reporter who prides herself in getting the truth, accuses you of lying because she thinks you are just being jealous," Marinette hissed.

"But it made sense…"

"You seriously think I would be so petty as to make lies about someone else because they were hanging out with the guy I have a crush on? I had my designs approved and modeled. I am working on my own brand. I designed Jagged Stone's sunglasses and album covers, then appeared on a magazine cover with him. Adrien even asked for my autograph. I made the Kitty Section costumes and the band looks amazing in them. I even have a world famous soup named after me. Why on earth would I be jealous?" She laid it on a bit thick but Alya needed this.

Alya sputtered, trying to find a way to defend herself. But no words came out as Marinette took a step closer, the fury in her eyes burning Alya's soul. "You left me when I needed you to believe in me."

"Mari, please can we just be friends again?" Alya pleaded desperately. "I really need you right now."

Marinette's burning gaze didn't waver, "Amazing how our friendship only exists when it's convenient for you."

Marinette turned and started to walk away as Alya cried, "Mari, please I need someone!"

"I'm Mari to my friends only. We aren't friends anymore, Alya. We haven't been friends in a while and I'm not ready to give you another chance yet." Without another word, Marinette walked home, not looking back at Alya.

Adrien

When he arrived at the park, Nathalie was waiting for him. "Adrien, Ms. Rossi won't be involved in today's shoot. Some false claims have been made about her and until our PR team can put them out, she is to stay out of the public eye."

Adrien snorted, "You mean it was finally revealed that Lila lied about everything?"

Nathalie frowned at him, "These so called lies also took down the Ladyblog, which is why if anyone asks you about this, you simply say nothing." She walked away, tapping away at something on her tablet. Adrien rolled his eyes, no way was he protecting Lila from the media hounds.

So when a reporter walked up to him as he was leaving after the shoot, Adrien gave them a welcoming smile. "Adrien Agreste, is it true Lila Rossi lied on the Ladyblog? Why would the Gabriel brand hire someone who may be a con artist?"

"Well, I can confirm that Lila Rossi indeed lied about many things on the Ladyblog. It's a shame that Alya didn't realize this before her blog was taken down. I wasn't involved in the decision to hire Lila, that's above my pay grade I believe." Before Adrien could answer any more questions, the Gorilla shooed away the reporter and pulled him away.

Getting into the car, Adrien leaned back with a smile. It felt good to say the truth. His father was gonna flip when he saw the news.

Gabriel

Gabriel sat behind his desk, looking at the girl standing before him. "Ms. Rossi, this is a PR disaster. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"It was all Marinette Dupain-Cheng, she spread lies about me," Lila insisted.

Gabriel turned his monitor, showing Lila a screenshot of the Ladyblog. "The Ladyblog posted multiple vidoes of you claiming that you were Ladybug's best friend. Other's had you stating that you had connections to famous singers and political figures. If we didn't get the Ladyblog taken down, the brand would be facing a serious scandal." Gabriel gave her a cold glare as he pointed at the screen. "If you had told me about this when I first reached out to you, we could have gotten rid of the evidence and not have a mess on our hands."

Lila felt her face burn with shame. Despite their agreement, Gabriel could still easily back out of the deal and leave her on her own. "But everyone at school knows the truth now and will want to harm me."

"I can withdraw you and start your homeschooling here with Adrien. He will be receiving tutoring here starting this Monday."

Lila stared at Gabriel in surprise and joy, "You are pulling Adrien out of public school? Why?"

"Because Adrien needs to be taught a lesson in consequences." A smile touched Gabriel's lips, something Lila learned meant he had a plan. "It may also give Marinette Dupain-Cheng something to be upset about. She has lied to me before in order to keep Adrien in school. Perhaps this time when Ms. Dupain-Cheng can't do anything, she will be vulnerable to my akuma."

Lila smirked, "Then she will take the miraculous for us and we can make our wishes. Maybe we could announce that Adrien and I will be dating as well? That will most certainly push her over the edge!"

"Not a bad idea, but the timing is poor due to the media looking for dirt on you," Gabriel stated, getting up and walking over to his sketchbook shelf. "However, we must ensure she is pushed over the edge completely."

Lila frowned, "I don't understand, what more can we do?"

Gabriel selected one of his sketchbooks and walked over to Lila. "Ms. Dupain-Cheng is a fashion designer, an artist." He opened the sketchbook and showed her the design drawn on it. "Like any artist, there is one thing she values more than anything." Lila's swirk returned as she realized the plan, a Volpina themed outfit sketched on the page.

Adrien

As his chinese tutor left, Adrien laid down on his bed. On his way home, Adrien saw a group of protesters with signs demanding for heroes to unmask, clearly not fans of the heroes' decision to defy the mayor. While most of the city seemed to heed Multimouse's, Marinette's, words that rallied the city behind the heroes, there was still a group who chose to support the mayor.

When Adrien got home, he was rushed through dinner to be ready for his tutor. His tutor was strict as always, but seemed impressed that Adrien kept up on his chinese. His report to Gabriel was positive, but that didn't mean Adrien was allowed out of his room. Gabriel had told Adrien that he was to study until it was time for him to go to bed.

Adrien groaned, bored. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through the contacts. Nino wasn't talking to anyone, saying he needed some alone time. Alya was worse no doubt, after all her blog just got deleted. Chloe said something about hanging with Juleka, sending a photo of the two of them. Chloe was grinning, cheeks a hint red while Juleka gave a small smile.

That left Marinette.

Adrien: Hey Mari! How did it go with Alya?

Adrien only had to wait for a few seconds before the reply came.

Mari: Hey Adrien! Bad, like real bad. I think I was a little too hard on her.

Adrien: I'm sure it wasn't that bad…

Adrien: Was it?

Mari: Yeah, it was. I kinda let loose on her about all the stuff that has been going on…

Adrien: Want to talk about it? I'm free so I can call you.

Mari: Yeah, that would be nice.

Adrien: OK, I will call in a minute.

Adrien hit the video call icon and waited as it rang. He heard a click as Marinette picked up, her face filling up his screen. "Hey, Mari!"

"Hey, Adrien! How was the shoot?"

"It went normal. There was a reporter asking about Lila's lies on the Ladyblog, so I gave her a few honest answers that I was told not too."

Marinette laughed, "So rebellious."

"Yeah, I don't think my father will appreciate what I said."

Marinette frowned, not liking what that was implying. "What will happen?"

Adrien shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe he will lock me in all day tomorrow? But then how do I make his brand profit more from my room?"

"You shouldn't have to always do things for him," Marinette stated. "You deserve to have fun and hang out with your friends."

Adrien frowned knowing she was right, but didn't want to get into it. He quickly changed the subject, "So what happened with Alya?"

"She wanted to be best friends again and talk about her boy problems. Or blog problems. I don't know, I just really didn't want to pretend everything was okay. So I told her how I really felt about everything. I told her how you really felt about Lila. It seemed to shock her."

"She had an eventful day, that is for sure," Adrien pointed out. "Did you get a chance to work things out?"

"No, I'm not sure I'm ready to give Alya another chance," Marinette admitted, looking away from him. "She said a lot of hurtful things while she believed in Lila's lies."

Adrien nodded understandingly, "She hasn't reached out to me at all. Not sure why, but I don't think I'm socially equipped to handle her in her current state." He swallowed then asked her, "Have you heard anything from Nino? He isn't replying to my texts."

"I saw him after school. He gave me a wave but cranked his music and walked the other way." Marinette sighed. "It seems like our class is gonna need a lot of time before things go back to normal."

Adrien nodded, knowing the feeling. "At least no one is under Lila's spell anymore, though I think father has his PR team trying to make it all disappear."

Marinette scowled, "Of course she can't learn a lesson in telling the truth."

"She still has to come to school on Monday," Adrien pointed out.

"Or she will just skip like she has been since she first arrived. Then she doesn't have to see anyone."

Adrien frowned, knowing she was right. But talking about Lila was not what he called to talk about at all. "What's your high score on Ultra Mecha Strike?" he asked.

Marinette seemed to be surprised at the sudden change in subject, "Uh, give me a sec." Adrien could hear her chair roll across her room over the phone. Marinette moved out of view, keyboard keys clacking in the background. "1270338," she told him, a smirk on her face.

"How? That's impossible!" Adrien insisted.

Marinette laughed, "Maybe for you it!" Offscreen, Adrien heard someone call to her from off screen. "Okay, I'll be down in a minute!" She looked back at him, an apologetic smile on her face. "Sorry, my parents are calling me down for dinner."

"That's okay, see you tomorrow?"

"I will. Goodnight, Adrien."

"Goodnight, Mari."

Gabriel

Gabriel scowled at the reports he received from his PR team. Thanks to Lila Rossi's lies on the Ladyblog, the Gabriel brand was dealing with the biggest scandal it had in years. He would have to wait before he used Lila again in future shoots, Adrien will have to do solos for now.

Gabriel looked at the time and decided he should pay his guest a visit. Walking over to the portrait of his wife, Gabriel pressed the hidden buttons. The secret elevator took him down to his hidden lair. "Nooroo, dark wings rise." Hawkmoth strode past the entrance to Emelie's chamber to the small room where the Guardian of the miraculous was kept.

Fu was tied to a chair, only given water once a day. The old man hadn't said a word the past two days. He seemed to be intent on meditating despite the mistreatment. After Multimouse foiled his attempt to capture the miraculous at the courthouse, Hawkmoth came down to the Guardian's cell that night and let his frustration out on the old man. Gabriel had worked hard to manipulate other officials and white collared citizens to pressure the mayor into trying to arrest Ladybug and Chat Noir, only for it all to crash down thanks to one girl. As a result, Fu was covered in bruises, his left eye swollen shut, and his nose broken.

Hawkmoth had yet to move on to true physical torture, restraining himself to the silent treatment now in order to get the best possible results. Enough isolation from everyone else will break the old man soon enough.

"Who is Ladybug?" The guardian remained silent, eyes closed. "Who is Chat Noir?" Still no response. "Where is the real Miracle Box?" Hawkmoth growled, losing his patience.

The Guardian opened his eyes and stared at the villian defiantly. "No."

Hawkmoth took a deep breath, then moved the bottle of water he had been using for Fu. He unscrewed the lid and poured the rest of it on the ground. "I hope your answer is different tomorrow." Without another word, he walked out, leaving the Guardian alone.

Marinette

Marinette stared out her window into the night, the day still going through her mind. Tikki saw the thoughtful look on her Chosen's face. "What's on your mind, Marinette?"

"I'm just thinking about Adrien. I wonder if he's okay." Marinette tapped her pencil on her desk, looking over at Tikki. "Maybe we should go check on him?"

"Marinette, you can't go visit Adrien as Ladybug. If someone saw you, then Adrien may be put in danger," Tikki insisted.

Marinette nodded, spinning in her chair. Tikki was right, Ladybug couldn't visit Adrien. Her eyes fell on the Miracle Box's hiding place under her sewing table. Tikki followed her Chosen's gaze, realizing what Marinette was thinking. "I don't think that's a better idea."

"But Multimouse spotted in the area will draw less attention than Ladybug. And then I can make sure Adrien is okay and do a quick patrol," Marrinette reasoned. As Tikki continued to frown at her, Marinette offered up a bribe, "I'll get you some of those new chocolate chip cookies with the icing."

Tikki seemed to have an internal battle, debating on whether or not to support Marinette's plan. Giving in, the kwami sighed, "Okay, but just a visit to take a quick peak. Do not go inside or reveal your identity to anyone else. You already pissed off the mayor and who knows who else."

Marinette nodded as she opened the Miracle Box, pulling out the mouse miraculous. Putting it on, Mullo zipped out of the necklace and flew in front of Marinette. "Hi!"

"Hi, Mullo! Up for a run?" The kwami eagerly nodded, a smile spreading across her face. "Okay, just give me a moment to get some extra food for you and Tikki just in case." Mullo nodded her understanding, waiting with Tikki while Marinette tiptoed down in the kitchen. She grabbed some cookies and two pieces of cheese, placing them in her purse.

Sneaking back upstairs, Marinette went out onto her balcony. "Mullo, get squeaky!" In a pink flash, she was Multimouse again. She jumped off of the balcony, not needing to use her jump rope thanks to the extra agility and speed granted to her by the mouse miraculous. Dashing across rooftops, she found her way to the Agreste mansion easily. Sometimes stalker habits come in handy, Multimouse mused.

There was one last jump between her rooftop and the ledge by Adrien's window, Multimouse had to time it just right. She leaped.

And realized her miscalculation too late as she hit Adrien's window instead of landing gracefully on the ledge. Thankfully, the glass didn't break, Gabriel Agreste clearly spared no expense when the mansion was built. That did little to ease Multimouse's embarrassment. The only way this could get worse would be if Adrien was still awake.

That's when she saw Adrien staring wide eyed at her, sitting on his couch with the TV playing something. Adrien got up and opened the window next to the one she hit. "Are you okay, Mar-Multimouse?"

Multimouse blushed wildly, stuttering out, "Ye-yeah, I'm oh-okay. Just jumped too much, you know." She dropped her head in her hands and groaned quietly, "Oh god, this is so embarrassing."

"Do you want to come inside?"

Multimouse squeaked, giving him a surprised look as she stammered again. "Uh, ye-yeah sure! If you-ou don't mind I mean."

Adrien nodded and stepped aside to let Multimouse hop down in the room. "You can release your transformation if you want, Marinette." Adrien laughed as she stared at him in shock. "Yes, I know you are Multimouse. You told me back in the subway station, remember?"

Multimouse hit her forehead with the palm of her hand. "Of course, I totally forgot!"

Adrien gave her a bright smile that made her want to melt right there on the spot. He watched her release her transformation, a flash of pink revealing Marinette. "So why are you here?"

Marinette gave him a shy smile, blushing lightly as she said, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I'm so sorry this is weird and it was a bad idea to come here like this."

Marinette turned back towards the window to leave when Adrien grabbed her wrist gently to stop her, "You know, most people would just text or even call. This… means a lot to me."

Marinette nodded, her face a deep shade of red. "Yeah, I guess." She saw the bruise on his cheek, no longer covered up. "Are you okay?"

Adrien realized she could now see the full size of the bruise. He turned his head slightly, hoping that she wouldn't keep asking about it. "Yeah, I'm okay, just a little bored."

Marinette knew it was a lie,but she let it slide this time. Only this time. "If you say so, so what are you still doing awake?"

Adrien smiled, relieved that she dropped the question of his well being. "I'm just about to start watching an anime right now. Wanna join me?""

Adrien went back to the couch, nodding towards the other side of the couch with a warm smile. Marinette accepted the invitation, giving him a shy smile as she sat down. Adrien offered her popcorn as the show began to play. "What's it called?"

"The Student Council President is a Maid!" Adrien announced, using a remote to dim the lights in his room.

A few hours later…

"How can Misaki not see that Takumi is in love with her? It's so obvious!" Marinette cried, sucked into a blackhole of unrequited pining with lots of heartbreak.

Adrien laughed, "Maybe she knows and just doesn't want to accept it?" Almost like you and I, Adrien thought to himself, not knowing Marinette was thinking the same thing.

Marinette shook her head as he kept laughing. "Or he is just too creepy for her to realize his feelings for her. Honestly, if a guy followed me around like Takumi, I would punch him too."

Their little viewing party quickly turned into a binge, Adrien sneaking out to grab more popcorn and drinks. Both were sucked into the plot, wanting to see the boy get the girl. Or watch him get rejected so they would at least have an answer.

Adrien realized the time much later 2 in the morning. "Uh, maybe we should stop." Marinette gave him a confused look, hurt in her eyes. "I mean it's 2 am and I have a shoot tomorrow. I should probably get some sleep or my father won't be happy with me falling asleep on set."

Marinette frowned, "Didn't you do a photoshoot today? Why do you still have one tomorrow?"

"Yeah, but he wants to rush out the new catalogue or something." Adrien shrugged.

"You shouldn't have to be overworked like this though. Do you ever get free time to just mess around or do what you want?" Marinette asked as she got up and started walking to the window.

Adrien looked away, staring off at the climbing wall. "Sometimes, but it's either just in my room or at school."

Marinette frowned again, "You deserve better." Looking out in the window at the night, she sighed, "I better get going, it was fun though. Good night, Adrien." She gave him a shy smile, "Or should I say good morning?"

He smiled at her, "Thanks for keeping me company. Goodnight!"

"Mullo, get squeaky!" Adrien stared in awe as Marinette transformed, the sight taking his breath away. Giving Adrien one last wave, Multimouse leapt off into the night, leaving him behind.

Multimouse landed on her balcony silently, releasing her transformation. Marinette put the mouse back in the Miracle Box, silently planning her day. Gabriel can't work Adrien until he falls over if Adrien is kidnapped by a concerned friend, she thought with a smirk. Tikki noticed the plotting look on her Chosen's face. "What's on your mind, Marinette?"

"I want to steal Adrien away from the photoshoot tomorrow and I think I know how." Making sure to set her alarm, Marinette went to bed. She had a busy morning and needed to be well rested.