My apologies for my lateness. i got ill last weekend and it put me two days behind. Hopefully I will have the next peice out by next Thursday morning at the latest, and then I will probably take a week off from this to move back into school, then start again once I get settled.

That being said, the big day is here, for us and for Rothan too. As he tries to settle in, will he be able to keep things under wraps?

And what are Hawkmoth and his allies planning? Only time will tell...

Adrien rubbed his face and grabbed his bag, trying to fight the tiredness he had been feeling for the past few days. Between his father keeping him busy and worrying about his partners, the past few days had been somewhat difficult on his sleep schedule, and it was beginning to show – not that his father had noticed, considering the massive number of photoshoots he had planned for this weekend. Adrien had long since figured out how to handle his unrelenting schedule and the tiredness it brought, but that didn't make days like today any easier. Well, at least there's a bed waiting for me when I get home. And after that is patrol, so maybe I can figure out what is – He paused as he hopped out of the car, the Gorilla holding the door for him, and glanced past the door to Rothan and his mother standing on the sidewalk talking quietly. When he glanced in surprise at his chauffeur, he just shrugged helplessly. I thought Rothan usually walked himself to school?

Adrien gave the Gorilla's arm a quick squeeze and wished him a good day before he drove off, then casually began to approach the other two to ask if everything was alright. He stopped a short distance away, however, when he heard the last half of something Rothan was saying. "… I just – I don't like this. You know I don't like this."

"I hear you, sweetheart. We got through the summer though, right? And that was much longer."

"It also sucked." Rothan had one hand clenched around the handle of a small suitcase and was biting his lip. "I loved staying with Aunt Rena, don't get me wrong. It's just –"

"I know, baby. I hate being apart too. It's hard." Mrs. Terresia wrapped him up in a hug and kissed his forehead. "But it's only four days this time, thankfully. And you've got friends and I'll be safe. You don't have to worry."

"Alright. You'll call nights? And text me as soon as you get there, and once you start back?"

"Of course! And you know you can text me whenever you need to."

"Right." Rothan took a deep breath and whispered something into her ear that Adrien couldn't hear, but it was met with a warm smile and a squeeze before she pulled away. "I guess you've got to get going, huh?"

"Yeah. Just four days though, alright?"

"Right. Love you, Mum."

"Love you too. See you soon." She squeezed his hand and hopped in the car, and he watched her drive off as Adrien walked over. Upon seeing the model, Rothan blinked and cleared his throat, but despite his efforts his voice was unusually gravelly. "Hey, Adrien. How are you doing?"

"Okay, very tired." The blonde shrugged and put a hand on Rothan's shoulder, who flinched but didn't pull away. "Are you doing alright? You don't look so good."

"I'm okay. I –" Rothan sighed and ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head to clear it. "Mum's going out of town for business. Won't be back until Monday afternoon, late in the day."

Adrien winced. "That's rough. I assume from your suitcase you're not staying by yourself."

"I could have." Rothan gave him an irritated glance and bit his tongue. "But Mum insisted I don't spend the weekend on my own. Marinette's parents offered to let me stay in the guest room."

"That was nice of them." Adrien ignored the flash of warm jealousy that hit him, because there was absolutely no reason to be jealous of Rothan staying over at Marinette's house at all. "You two can work on your project and hang out. Marinette likes spending time with you, you know."

"Yeah," Rothan replied, but didn't seem convinced, even as Adrien brought him in for a quick hug before walking with him to the school entrance. The two boys glanced around – really, Adrien did more looking around than Rothan, who was caught somewhere between shell shock and a dark glower – and after seeing Marinette, Alya, and Lyra talking together, he carefully led him over. "Hey, guys. Having a good morning?"

Alya waved, while Marinette turned a bright pink as she noticed him. Here we go again. But before she could start stuttering, Lyra cleared her throat and elbowed her, making an obscure gesture with her head. Whatever she was suggesting, it seemed to calm the blunette down, because she just offered a shy wave instead. Alya decided to pick up the slack and start the conversation. "Hey Adrien, Rothan. We're doing pretty good. How are you?"

Adrien could tell this question was directed more at Rothan than him, but the brunette only shrugged. "I'm doing okay, I guess. Tired."

"Okay." Marinette's voice was surprisingly soft as she examined him, and Adrien wished briefly he could get Marinette to look at him like that before shaking the notion out of his head. Rothan is struggling, and Marinette is trying to help. "We have some time before our first class – do you want to walk your suitcase to my place really quick? We can leave it in the back of the bakery."

"No, that's fine." Rothan shifted from foot to foot, clearly uncomfortable with the attention but also not rejecting it either. "I can just leave it with my locker. No one is going to mess with a suitcase full of clothes."

Marinette nodded. "Alright. Maman wants you to come for lunch anyways, so we can drop it off then."

"Sounds good." Rothan paused in surprise as Lyra handed him a coffee cup. "What's this?"

"London Fog with lavender, sweetened with honey like you like it. My mom said it was her treat."

"Well, tell your mom I'm adopting," Rothan joked dryly as he took a sip. "That's good. Best in the city, even. You can taste the touch of a master drink mixer."

"Oh, stop." Lyra grinned and turned a light pink, and it occurred to Adrien that she probably had made it – and Rothan was aware of it, from the looks of the smirk that had crept out from under his tired and gloomy demeanor. "Well, I'm glad you like it."

"You're the only Parisian I know who drinks as much tea as you do, and as weirdly as you do too." Adrien ribbed his friend in the sides, earning himself a snort from the boy. Even Marinette giggled with a hand to her mouth at the gentle tease. "You'd think you weren't from around here or something."

"That's because I'm not. I'm a Brit, through and through." There was a twinkle in Rothan's eyes as he chuckled into his cup. "Didn't the horrendous accent give it away?"

All five of them laughed as they headed to the lockers so the boys could drop their stuff off before class. As they went, Adrien glanced at Marinette and decided to venture a question. "How is your project going?"

"Not too bad," she replied absently as she kept an eye on Rothan. "We decided to do our project on the War of the Roses. It was a bit of an odd choice, but Rothan knew so much and Mrs. Bustier said it was fine. It's not something we've explored a lot in class, but it is really fascinating."

"That sounds cool. Nino and I decided on the founding of the Roman Empire." Their project on internal conflict within a country of their choice had made for interesting projects and perspectives. Even Chloé had seemed somewhat invested and, if rumors were to be believed, had been helping Sabrina with the project. "I guess it's a subject that Rothan knows a lot about too."

"Yeah. He's really bright, you know." Marinette froze up as she realized who she was talking to. "Not that you aren't smart! I mean, of course you are, you're one of the smartest people in our class. I was just saying that Rothan…" She blushed and looked away, embarrassed, and Adrien couldn't help but smile a little. "I'm going to stop talking now."

"You're fine, Mari. I knew what you meant." Marinette smiled back at the comment, and for a moment they both just stood in a moment of shy silence. It was broken by the sound of Rothan softly clearing his throat, and both turned to look at him and his amused smile. "Where did your suitcase go?"

"To my locker. I'm good at slipping off unnoticed." Rothan winked at Adrien and nodded towards their classroom up the stairs. "Shall we go?"

While Adrien blinked in surprise at his sudden shift of mood, Lyra was quick to slide an arm around Rothan's and give it a quick squeeze. "That sounds like a good idea. Nino was working on some film project and I think he could use a hand."

"Bloody – Then we should definitely go." Rothan sighed and made a face, then began to head up the stairs. Adrien just chuckled, and after a moment Marinette joined in, both teens looking at each other and highly amused. Rothan just glanced over his shoulder with a roll of his eyes. "Well, are you coming?"

"Hold on, wait for me!" Rothan practically dashed out of the locker room, his small suitcase thumping behind him as he went. Marinette was waiting by the front, talking to Nino and Alya, but brightened as she saw him approach. "Sorry, had to get my stuff together."

"You're fine. Ready to go?" Marinette smiled at his quick nod, and Rothan felt a twinge of embarrassment – he knew that the difficulty of the morning had not been lost on his classmates, and a small part of him wished they would stop worrying. "Good. Well, we'll see the both of you after lunch then."

"You got it, girl. Have fun." Alya waved as the two of them left, and Rothan returned it with another nod as he headed out the door. After they had turned the corner and were out of earshot, both he and Marinette glanced at each other.

"Hey, so –"

"I'm sorry –"

Both teens stared, blushed, and tried to compose themselves as they walked the short distance to the bakery. Rothan was the first to clear his thoughts. "You first."

"Are you sure? I don't want… Marinette trailed off as she saw the lack of amusement on Rothan's face. "Alright, alright. I just wanted to apologize if I or Alya have been a bit over-earnest today. If any of us have, really." When she saw Rothan's raised eyebrow, she rushed to continue. "I know you're not used to it and it's not usually how you go about things. We're just worried about you. We can see how hard this is for you, and Lyra said you might be more high-strung than normal."

"I'm already pretty anxious normally – I'm not sure how I could be more so," Rothan lied, knowing full well how little sleep he'd gotten the previous night and his struggles with focusing in class. "But I do appreciate it, a lot. And that was part of what I was going to say. I really am thankful for you and your parents and our friends making sure I'm okay. But I'm – I'm not going to say I'm fine, but I'm not nearly as bad as I seem to be. It is definitely hard, but this isn't the first time we've had to spend time away from each other, and I'm managing okay."

"You know I don't believe that for a second, right?"

"I figured you wouldn't. I really am doing alright though, okay? I'm not saying don't worry. Just maybe worry less, for your sake?"

Rothan watched as Marinette considered this and gave a small nod. "I'll try."

"That's all I need to hear." Rothan stopped in front of the back entrance to the bakery and took in a deep breath, sucking in the wonderful aromas of bread and pastries before headed inside. "I smell fresh cheese tarts. You think your dad will let us have some?"

"If you ask? Almost definitely." Rothan grinned as his friend got the door and gestured him inside. "Maman, we're home!"

Mrs. Cheng – no, Sabine, he had to remember she wanted him to call her Sabine – came in from the bakery and smiled. "Hello, you two! How are you doing? Marinette chirruped a happy affirmative, while Rothan's was both more subdued and less convincing. "I'm glad to see you, Rothan. I fixed up the guest room for you last night. It should be nice and cozy for you."

Rothan gave a bashful smile in reply. "Thank you. Should I go and take my things up then?"

"Probably a good idea. Marinette can show you where it's at." Sabine smiled and nodded towards the stairs. "I need to help your father with the bakery for a bit longer, Marinette, but if you like the two if you can make lunch."

"That sounds good. I'll go up and help him get settled." Marinette smiled, then led Rothan up the stairs and into the house. "There's a small desk that you ought to be able to write at if you want. And you're right by my parent's room, so if you end up needing anything they'll be right there."

"I appreciate that." Rothan half-smiled as he looked into the plain but homey bedroom they had stopped at. "I'll go ahead and get unpacked really quick."

"Alright. I'm going to go fix something to eat – is just sandwiches okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. That's fine." Rothan waved dismissively as he went in. "I'll eat just about anything, you know."

Marinette nodded and smiled back, then headed out and to the kitchen. Rothan shut the door behind her and waited until he was confident she was busy before he opened his satchel. "Coast is clear."

Staffe hovered out in reply and watched Rothan for a second before replying. "How are you doing?"

Rothan tensed as he leaned over his suitcase but took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm fine."

"Alright. Well, if you need anyone to talk to, I'm here." Staffe hovered over to his cheek and gave it a fond pat before settling in the pillows of the bed. "Do you have everything figured out?"

"Yeah. We have a window so slipping out should be easy enough. We'll have to be quiet since Marinette's parents are right next to us, but we ought to be okay." Rubbing his face, the teen sighed as he glanced at his partner. "This is going to be a pain in the butt, you know that?"

"We'll manage. Judging from Ladybug and Chat Noir's behavior, they have to do this sort of thing every day. A weekend of hiding our comings and goings can be accomplished."

"Yeah, but it's going to be rough. Careful is the word of the hour." Rothan was about to say more when he heard footsteps, and he bit his lip. "Speaking of, hide!"

Staffe darted under his pillows just as Marinette poked her head in. "How's it coming?"

"Pretty good. I'll probably get most of it done tonight." Rothan shrugged and smiled. "Night owl, you know."

"So I've heard. Well, I was thinking we could just eat in my room, if you want. Hang out for a bit before we go back to school. Does that sound alright?"

The brunette hesitated before he managed a reply. "Sure." Grabbing his satchel from where he had set it on the bed, he followed her from his room and up the stairs to hers, only pausing long enough to ensure Staffe was fine before he mounted the stairs headed through the trapdoor into her space. She had made a space for him at her rather large desk, at which sat a small plate with his lunch, and Rothan settled down in the extra chair she had brought up. Marinette also had her lunch but opted to ignore it in favor of retrieving a large plastic tub from at her feet full of cloth and thread. Rothan watched her with mild interest until she glanced up and waved a hand. "Eat. I'm just getting some stuff out to work on."

Rothan nodded and began to work on his sandwich. "It's very good. Your parent's bread?"

"We eat whatever they can't sell in the bakery, which isn't much." Marinette shrugged as she wheeled her chair over to her sewing machine and began to tinker with it. "It goes a long way when you bake every day, though."

"I see." Rothan watched with idle curiosity as he ate, and in only a few minutes he was surprised to find his lunch had disappeared. "Huh. I guess I was hungry."

"I guess so." Marinette gave him a teasing smile as she glanced over her shoulder. "Did you even eat breakfast?"

"Some." Rothan tried not to look guilty as he went to the bathroom and washed his hands. "A normal amount."

"Liar."

"Am I really so obvious?" He heard Marinette giggle over the running water and smiled a little as he switched off the sink and dried his hands. "I wasn't very hungry this morning."

"Well, I'm glad you're eating now." Marinette glanced up from her own food as Rothan returned and retrieved his writing notebook from his satchel. "What are you working on?"

"Fantasy piece for a writing blog I like."

"About…?"

Rothan blinked at her verbal gesture to continue. "Well, it's about this girl whose had this griffin chick since she was young and raised it on her own. But she's getting ready to go to boarding school, and she can't bring her friend with her. It kind of explores their relationship and how it's hard for them to be apart, but it also helps them become closer too. It's stupid, I know. But I've enjoyed writing it."

"Well, it sounds great. You'll have to let me see it when you finish."

"Really? I'd love to share it. It's not very good, but that's what first drafts are for, you know?" Rothan chuckled shyly and nodded towards Marinette's sowing machine with idle curiosity. "What are you working on?"

"Nothing much." The blunette shrugged and tried to seem casual, but Rothan could tell by the way she shifted her body so he couldn't quite see what she had gotten out she was trying to hide something. "I guess I've just been a bit more inspired the past few days."

"Well, if you ever need some help, I'd be glad to hold things or serve as a mannequin."

"I appreciate that." Marinette smiled at him as she finished her lunch. "Do you mind background noise when you work? I was thinking about turning something on."

"Prefer it, actually. I typically turn on a bit of music or something while I'm transferring from my notebook to my computer, but television is fine too."

Marinette nodded and quickly set up her computer, then gestured to the Netflix account she had left open. "Find something you think you'll like. I'm okay with just about anything."

Rothan nodded as she got up to take their dishes back downstairs, and by the time she had returned he had settled on an old favorite of his, a British baking competition for amateur bakers, and had started up one of the older seasons. For some reason, his choice seemed to amuse Marinette, probably because of her history with baking, but she said nothing as she sat down and began to work. As both she and her sewing machine began to hum quietly, Rothan found himself fighting sleep, and after a few moments of struggling he gave up and set his notebook down. Settling himself in his chair and ensuring Marinette was too wrapped up in whatever it was she was doing to pay attention to him, he let himself doze off into a light but restful sleep.

Dusk was just falling over the skyline of Paris, and Marinette had settled herself onto the ledge where she and Chat – and more recently, the Mantis – often sat and waited for one another before patrols. The night was surprisingly beautiful, and the heroine was taken in by the rich pinks and purples as she looked out over the city, so much so that when Chat settled in next to her, she almost didn't notice. "Good evening, M'lady. Sorry I'm late."

"Don't worry about it, Chat. The Mantis isn't here yet either." Though he really shouldn't be coming at all. Marinette was surprised, to say the least, when their ally had texted them apologizing for missing their Wednesday patrol and promising to come bearing news that Friday evening, but he had insisted on coming even after Marinette reminded him that he was hurt and there was no reason that he should be out on patrol. Frankly, it irritated her to no end, but she also recognized that their friend was very stubborn and had eventually conceded on the condition he return home right after and rest.

Chat evidently shared the same reservations. "Maybe he's not coming. That would be good, right?"

"Yeah." Marinette continued to watch the horizon until a head bumped her shoulder, and she giggled. "Needy kitty."

"I'm not being needy!" Chat replied, a fact that was quickly disproven as he began to purr when the blunette began to scratch behind his ears. "You just seem distracted tonight. Is everything okay?"

"It's –" Marinette deliberated protesting but decided against it. "I guess I'm okay – It's not me who I'm worried about."

"Oh? What's going on then?"

"I have a friend whose staying with me for a few days while his parents are out of town. He's really taking it hard though. I think he's happy that he's not by himself, but he hates being away from his family, and it's made today really hard for him."

Chat nodded as he considered this. "Knowing you, Ladybug, you're going out of your way to try and help. And you're worried that you might be doing something wrong?"

"Something like that, yeah." Marinette sighed and put her head in her hands. "I know it probably sounds stupid. And it's not like I want everything to be perfect – I don't think he cares if it's perfect or not. I just want him to relax and feel better."

"And you're doing your best to do that. He's going to appreciate anything you do to help."

"You think so?" Marinette looked at her partner, who smiled back at her. "He always seems so withdrawn. I worry about him a lot."

"I know you're doing your best, and that's all you can do." Chat reached over and gave her hand a quick squeeze. "He'll be alright as long as he's got you looking out for him, I'm sure of it. Just make sure you're getting some rest too."

"I'll concur with that." Marinette glanced over her shoulder in surprise to see the Mantis sitting behind the on an A/C unit, his legs swinging in the night air. "In or out of the mask, I have a feeling that Ladybug looks out for others. Good eve, you two."

"Hey, Mantis." Marinette offered a tired smile as she stood up to face him "Glad to see you could make it. Now hold still."

"What are you – Hey!" The brown-haired hero tried to protest as she began to gently press fingers against his stomach but was quickly cut off by a combination of his own hissing and her mothering sounds. "Golly, that hurts. Do you mind?"

"I just want to make sure you're doing better. You said you still thought there was some damage."

"Some bruising, not something that requires you to go around poking." The Mantis' face was aflame with embarrassment as he looked over her head and composed himself. "Anyways, your friend strikes me as the sort that doesn't express himself emotionally very well sometimes. But I'm sure he appreciates that you're looking out for him, and I'm sure he thinks you're doing a wonderful job of it. I know I would – gah! Easy, that's tender right there."

"I think you're doing better," Marinette declared as she backed away. "As long as you take it easy, you ought to be alright in a few days."

"Good luck getting him to do that," Chat quipped as he stood and poked the Mantis' shoulder with his staff. "Glad to see you back out and about, by the way."

"Glad to be here. Lady Lapis' salve certainly works wonders, doesn't it?" Their ally stretched and winced before assuming his regular cocky, relaxed position. "Now, info time. Before or after patrol?"

"How about during?" Ladybug offered as she pulled out her yoyo. "If you feel up to it, I mean. If I'm gone too long my parents and the friend of mine whose staying might get worried."

"During it is." Black Mantis let his scythes extend to their regular length and gestured to the edge of the roof. "After you two."

After a moment of hesitation, Chat took the lead, and Marinette went right behind with the Mantis in the rear. None of them went fast enough that they would go unheard over the wind, but Chat set a brisk pace that kept them all on their toes. As they went, he glanced over his shoulder with curiosity. "Alright. What do you have for us?"

Rothan blinked and grunted as the lights behind him flickered on and spun around. He was out in the living room, writing on the couch by the light of the rising sun, and the sudden switch from natural to artificial was a bit of a shock. As his eyes adjusted to this new, brighter light compared to the soft pinks and oranges he had use moments before, he was able to make out Marinette's mother standing in the doorway, a mild look of surprise on her face. "Good morning, Rothan. You're up early."

"Good morn, Mrs. – erm, I mean, Sabine, right?" He half-smiled as she beamed at him, pleased that he was overcoming his normal formality. "I don't sleep very long most nights, so I ended up getting up to write."

"But you were up so late last night! Aren't you tired?"

"I'll probably end up napping for a while later today. Typically, I spend my Saturday writing, cooking, and dozing." Rothan waved a dismissive hand. "It's really fine. Re you up to start in the bakery?"

"Tom is downstairs getting our first batches in the oven now. I came up to make the four of us some breakfast. I had rather been hoping to suprise you, but I guess I can't do that now." Sabine sighed and shook her head, and Rothan tried not to laugh. "Well, I suppose if you'd like, you're welcome to help me in the kitchen."

Nodding, he hopped up and hurried to his room to grab his apron and put his writing gear away, then returned to find Mrs. Cheng already working on what Rothan recognized as a soft sweet roll dough. She quickly directed him towards the sink and then to a cutting board lined with fresh vegetables, which he began to lay into with a knife. As they worked, she smiled and nodded towards his hands. "You've got some technique."

"My grandmother is a chef in southern France. Both Mum and I get our cooking skills from her."

"You didn't want to stay with her this weekend?"

"We talked about it, but I would have had to miss at least two days of school." And I would have had to leave Paris when it needs me most. Rothan flinched as he remembered the previous night's conversation and Ladybug's evident discomfort at the discovery that there were other Miraculous holders that had allied themselves with Hawk Moth. "And with this project coming up, we both agreed it would be better to stay in town."

"I suppose so." Sabine shrugged as she set the finished dough to the side to rise for a bit. "And how are you doing staying with us? You're not uncomfortable, are you?"

"Absolutely not," Rothan assured her, realizing for the first time what his early morning writing might look like to someone unfamiliar with his routine. "I can't express enough how glad I am to be spending the weekend with you all. I guess it's just hard being apart from Mum. She was here all summer while I stayed with my aunt in England, you know. That was rough. Aunt Jessica says it's the moodiest she's ever seen me, and she's seen a lot."

"Well, I'm sure both she and your mother would be very proud. You've seemed to be doing very well since she left, at least to me." Rothan blushed at the backhand compliment, remembering how difficult the last summer had been and pleased at the thought that he had improved since then. They both worked in quiet after that, each occasionally breaking the silence to make lighter conversation but generally more focused on the food they were preparing. Once Rothan had finished preparing the frittata that was absolutely his mother's recipe and the directions of which had likely been sent over before she left and had set it to cook, Sabine motioned to the stairs to Marinette's loft and smiled. "I think now would be a good time to wake my sleepy-headed daughter up. Why don't you go get her while I finish this up?"

Rothan nodded and removed his apron and washed his hands before ducking up the stairs. His head poked up from beneath the trapdoor as he glanced around the darkened room and making his way into the space, he unconsciously let off a small hum. "Marinette. Time to get up."

"Don't wanna." Rothan suppressed a giggle as he heard the familiar whine of a sleepy Marinette coming from her bed. "It's cozy today."

"You know, you'd be up in two seconds flat if I was Alya."

"Would not."

"What about Adrien?"

"That's not fair. Adrien's perfect."

"Oh?" Rothan couldn't keep the laughter out of his voice as he finished climbing the ladder beside her bed and was greeted with the sight of the blue-haired girl cocooned into her blankets and head buried into her pillow. "And why is he so perfect, exactly?"

"He's sweet, and funny, and good-looking, and kind, and he smells like…"

As Marinette trailed off, realized she was saying this out loud, and looked at Rothan horrified, he cracked a Cheshire grin and rested his chin in one hand. "Go on. You were just telling me what Adrien smells like." He tapped his lips and gave her a teasing smile as he pretended to consider the issue. "What does he smell like, I wonder? Radiant? Carefree? Dreamy?"

"Oh my gosh, Rothan. I'm going to kill you." Marinette gave him a sleepy glare that was more cute than intimidating, and he nearly fell off the ladder laughing. "I can't believe you."

"Maybe I should get Adrien to wake you up one of these days. You might end up confessing to him like that." Rothan grinned and then leapt lightly off the ladder as Marinette swatted at him and growled. "Aww, come on, Mari. You know I'm only teasing."

Marinette couldn't hide the crimson that was spreading across her cheeks and the smile that was playing at the edge of her lips. She snorted but climbed down from her bed in her pajamas and rubbed her eyes before swatting his shoulder. "Maybe. But that means when I give you trouble about Lyra later today; you'd better be prepared to take it like a man."

Rothan gave her a blank look, baffled by this. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means – oh, never mind. You boys are so oblivious." She went over to her wardrobe and began picking out clothes for the day while she continued. "Anyways, Alya and I were up late last night. She was wanting to know if you thought you might want to meet and hang out down by the river this morning, after breakfast."

"I think that would be fine, as long as your mother is okay with it. We just have to get back in time to finish up this project of ours."

"Should be easy enough. It's not like we have much left on it anyways." Between meeting in the library over lunch and numerous video calls throughout the week, the two of them had almost finished, which had pleased Rothan immensely. Now he wasn't so sure – he had been counting on using it as a bit of a distraction over this weekend. "An hour or two of editing and writing, maybe, and we ought to be finished."

"That's good. If we can finish today, we can relax for a it, or maybe hep your parents in the bakery or something." Rothan leaned up against the wall and hummed to himself, glancing around the room before refocusing. "I'll head down so you can get ready, and I'll ask your mom about going out while I'm there."

"Sounds good." Marinette slipped into the bathroom but called out behind her as she did so. "I shouldn't be very long."

Rothan just nodded and slipped back down the stairs, offering Sabine a quick smile as he returned to the kitchen. She watched him with an amused smile as he began to examine the frittata with a critical eye. "You know, I've been doing this for a while. I wasn't going to burn it or anything."

"I'd be shocked if you did. I just like to be doing something, and a good doing sort of thing at the moment is to be keeping an eye on breakfast." Rothan glanced up from the pan and grinned back at her. "Marinette said that Alya wanted to meet later his morning, something about hanging out over by the Seine. She wanted to know if that would be alright."

"As long as you two aren't out all day. We'll need Marinette to help in the bakery for a bit, and you two have a project to finish."

"I don't think they were planning on more than an hour or two." Rothan offered a smile as he hummed to himself. Turning the heat down as far as it could go and setting a lid on the pan to keep their meal from getting cold, he leaned up against the counter. "It will be nice for me to get out a bit anyways."

"I agree. No reason to stay cooped up here all day." She smiled as Rothan got busy putting on tea and making coffee, and he blushed in spite of himself at the attention. "Now, why don't you explain this story that Marinette was telling me about?"

"Isn't it a lovely morning?" From their table at the little café looking over the Seine, a woman with long black hair hummed to herself as she sipped her coffee. "You don't normally get these so late in the season this far north. Simply delightful."

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in." Across from her sat a young man bundled up like it was four degrees Celsius rather than sixteen. "Some of us like the cooler weather, I get it. Not all of us were lucky enough to grow up on the Equator – or unlucky enough, depending on how you look at it."

"Sorry." The woman fingered the spider-shaped brooch around her neck and shrugged. "I forget you're still not used to these colder winters like Heavyweight and I are."

Reflexively, Splatter Shot gripped at his disguised choker and hissed. "Do you have to refer to us by those infernal names while we're out in public? We know each other's identities – it's not like we're playing superhero or something. There's no reason to be coy."

"With you, perhaps. But as long as we're in public, I don't trust that our patron isn't keeping a sharp eye on us at all times. And frankly, I don't trust him."

"Neither do I. He's power-hungry." Splatter turned his cup in his and grimaced. "He says he only has goodness at heart, but I've seen the way he looks at our Miraculous. He would take them all if he thought he could and leave us out in the cold. At least we're honest about our motivations. But this guy…"

"My thoughts exactly. And I think revealing our identities would be an excellent way to invite a particular accident to occur. But if we play our cards right, we might just get that Swarm box. It's a calculated risk, one we know how to pull out of if we need to."

"And when, exactly, do you plan on getting that box? We've been scheming for a month and a half, ever since I tracked it to Paris. And nothing has come of it yet."

"You forget, dear," the Widow replied as she traced her finger across the table aimlessly, "That even with our combined strength, there isn't much any of us can do with that Ladybug brat and her cat friend about. Not to mention she has a whole box of Miraculous of her own to create a team of super-allies. No, first we must deal with the Lady before we deal with the man."

"Man-tis," Splatter corrected as he absently watched a small group of teens pass by, eyeing a boy in a leather jacket and a girl with blue pigtails with special interest. "And you haven't exactly been able to deal with that little problem, either."

"These things take time. For my power to work, my target must be asleep and in a place where I can manipulate them with a Nightmare Realized. That means we need Ladybug to be asleep and in such a compromising place. It is a very delicate procedure that requires all of the conditions to be just so."

"I still don't see why we couldn't just send an Akuma."

The Widow rolled her eyes. "Your plans are brilliant, Splatter, but they can lack foresight. An Akuma is too overt – that blasted heroine would almost certainly fight it off. We need to catch her at her most vulnerable, and when is a person more vulnerable than when asleep?"

Splatter only sighed and nodded, unwillingly accepting this fact as he sipped his coffee. "Speaking of, Hawkmoth messaged me this morning Said we got close last night, but she wasn't asleep. But it's promising. She's weakening – we might have our chance by the time this weekend is out."

"Then we're moving faster than expected. Did he have anything else?"

"Yeah – if we don't make our move soon, he'll be displeased." Splatter Shot practically spat the last work with enough venom to startle even his ally. "That bastard has a lot of nerve threatening us. We're the ones doing all the hard work. Heck, we could take him down ourselves if we really wanted to."

"Probably, though three to one isn't a fair fight."

"Who said anything about fair? If Heavy got in one good hit, he would be down like a sack of potatoes."

The Widow chuckled at this thought before growing serious again. "But should he withdraw his support, we could be in a precarious position. We stay in Paris only with his blessing, after all."

"This is true. Which is why I've been considering some alterations to our current course of action." Splatter Shot rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he smiled at the Widow. "I've been wondering – if we can't get Ladybug to sleep, perhaps our next best bet is to get the sleeping to Ladybug."

"Color me intrigued." The Widow's smile was practically lecherous as she leaned in. "What do you have in mind, Splatter Shot? I want to hear all about it."

Marinette hummed to herself as she typed, suppressing a yawn, and smiled. They had returned home from their walk with Nino and Alya, and after helping her parents in the bakery for a while, she had noticed their guest was starting to crash and had insisted that he come upstairs with her so they could "work on their project." Now she was finishing up their shared document and cleaning up the last few errors, and he was dozing on the chaise with a history book open on his chest. He's going to be the death of me, she mused as she glanced over and grinned at the sleeping figure. He's so sweet once you get to know him though. I'm glad he's doing a bit better. Standing up, she walked over and poked Rothan on the stomach. "Rothan? How are you doing?"

The boy started awake with a snort and nearly rolled off the chaise. "I'm awake!" Looking up at his friend, Marinette saw a faint blush roll across his cheeks as she smiled. "Sorry. I didn't sleep so great last night."

"I sort of figured, since you were up at the crack of dawn writing," Marinette teased as he sat up and rubbed his face. "Do you want to take a break for a little bit? I think that all that is left is for you to look over it and do some quick edits if you want to."

"I can do that tonight then." Rothan smiled as she sat down on the couch. "Sorry for leaving you to wrap up by yourself."

"Are you kidding me? After all the time you spent researching it and the hours you put in with me writing? It's fine." Marinette yawned herself and blinked a few times, knocking the tiredness from her eyes. "I couldn't begrudge you for taking a nap anyways, considering how bad I seem to want one."

"Well, we're not going to just sit here and sleep the afternoon away." Rothan pointed out as he very gently put his hand between her head and his shoulder. "I wouldn't make a good pillow anyways. Too bony."

This earned him a snort and a swat of the leg, and Rothan gave Marinette a mischievous grin. She just rolled her eyes and sighed. "Then what do you suggest we do? You'd better have something else in mind."

Rothan pondered this and shrugged. "Mum and I usually have a bout of chess Saturday afternoons. Do you play much?"

"A little. We have a set downstairs if you want me to get it." When Rothan nodded his agreement, she got up and headed for the trapdoor. "I should only be a minute."

Rothan gave her another affirmative nod and she ducked down and into the living room. As she came down the stairs from her loft, she saw her mother was in the kitchen making dinner and offered a quick wave. "Hey, Maman. What are you making?"

"Baked salmon." Her mother smiled to her as she went into the living room and poked her head into the game cabinet. "What are you up to?"

"Rothan and I are taking a break. He suggested chess might be fun."

"That does sound fun. You know, Reamie tells me she used to play in the chess club back in school. Rothan probably has some skills."

"I wouldn't put it past him." As Marinette dug through to find the game, she paused and hesitated before she continued. "Rothan seems to be having a hard time of it. Sleeping, in particular."

"I've noticed that as well." Sabine nodded knowingly as she worked, not looking up from the food she was preparing. "I think the anxiety that has come with the past few days has been a struggle. But he's been able to pull through."

"I know." Marinette sighed her agreement as she retrieved the board. "I just wish I could do something to help. He's taking this so hard."

"Oh, sweetheart." Sabine set down her knife and walked over to give her daughter a hug. "You're already doing a great job. You always have a kind word or a quick joke to cheer him up when you can tell he's feeling down, and you're doing everything you can to make him feel welcome and not alone. I'm proud of you for trying to step up, you know that?"

"I know, Maman." Marinette hugged her back before pulling away. "I'm glad that you think it's helping."

"I know it's helping. Now go enjoy yourselves; I'll call you down for dinner when it's ready."

Marinette nodded and hurried back up the stairs. Poking her head through the trapdoor, she offered Rothan a smile and raised the chessboard up for him to see. "Found it!"

Rothan wasn't paying attention – instead, he was looking into his bag and muttering to himself, and she stopped short as he looked up in surprise. "Oh! That was quick. Sorry, I was just erm…"

"You're fine." Marinette waved him off and slid the box she was carrying across the floor to him. "Maman says you play a lot."

"I wouldn't say a lot. But I am decent." He shrugged and sat down on the floor, where she joined him in setting up the board. "White or black?"

"White, please." Marinette watched as he placed the pieces with a practiced eye and delicate hand and after a moment, he waved a hand at the completed board. "Your move."

Marinette slid a pawn forward. "The last few days must be a change of pace for you."

"They have been." Rothan replied with a similar move. "I enjoy it, though. Refreshing."

"You are doing alright?"

"I'm doing… okay. It's not easy, but I'm managing. I remind myself that I've done much, much worse. That helps."

"Oh? How so?"

"This summer, Mum was here while I was in England, trying to find a place for us to stay."

"I can imagine that must have been hard."

"It was. We dealt with it, but neither of us found it very pleasant."

"You're awfully honest about it all."

"Honesty is the best policy. Check."

Marinette glanced at the board and raised an eyebrow in surprise. "That was fast."

"Sorry. I'll try to tone it back." He watched as Marinette navigated out of trouble and smiled. "I'm used to playing hard and fast with Mum. We usually play every night before dinner, and we can get through a game in fifteen minutes if we're both feeling it."

"It's fine." Marinette tried to keep a giggle out of her voice as she examined him musing over his next move. "I've just never seen you get so intense."

"Dangers of the trade, I suppose." They both chattered and laughed as the board slowly emptied of pieces, covering a variety of topics as they played. After a particularly good move, Rothan leaned back and smiled. "This is fun. You're pretty decent, by the way."

"Thanks." Marinette grinned and studied the board. "So, Lyra says you're a fan of Ladybug and Chat Noir?"

"Oh, yes." Rothan's eyes lit up, and Marinette blinked in surprise at his sudden vivacity. "I've followed them very closely ever since they stepped in to aid Paris. I follow the Ladyblog pretty closely."

"I gathered that much." She grinned at the light pink that dusted his cheeks. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about – lots of people like them."

"I know. It's more of a knee-jerk reaction than anything; I got teased for being a fanboy a lot back home. Brits, am I right?" Rothan chuckled and shook his head. "But I'm a big fan."

"What got you interested?"

"A lot of stuff. Ladybug is intense, but she's very kind – you can tell by the way she talks to other people, how she interacts with Chat, how she approaches fights that she's very thoughtful and sweet. I like to think that a person like that is looking out for Paris, someone we can relate to on a personal level. And Chat Noir is funny and playful. He never takes things too seriously unless it really is important. And the way he looks out for the other heroes – they're both great." Rothan paused as he glanced at Marinette, who realized she had turned bright pink. "Is everything alright?"

"Oh, of course!" She replied quickly, waving a dismissive hand. "You sure admire them a lot."

"They're good people. I'd like to be that kind of person that day." Rothan smiled to himself, momentarily lost in thought, before he drew himself back to the game. "I suppose I do have a lot of respect and admiration for them."

Marinette grinned and prepared to make her move, but a voice from below interrupted before she could do so. "Rothan! Marinette! Dinner!"

The both looked at each other and shrugged. Marinette stood, stretched, and waved to the board with mild amusement. "Just leave it. We can finish after dinner."

"Sounds fine to me. I'll beat you then."

"You wish."

Rothan rolled his eyes but grinned. "We'll see if you're still so cocky later. After you."

Marinette grinned and opened up her trapdoor, letting the warm smell of fresh food waft up into her room, and climbed down. Rothan came right after, closed the door behind him, and the two of them went to go eat.

Night had long since fallen over Paris, and few lights remained on in the city. One in particular glowed out in the darkness, emanating from the side of the Dupain-Cheng bakery. Despite the lateness of the hour, Rothan had found sleep was fleeting, and so had decided to try and write for a bit instead. But that, too, had evaded him, and he had been left staring at a half-filled page for the past thirty minutes, trying desperately to start something new. Staffe was sleeping in the small candy tin that he had rigged as a portable bed next to him, and Rothan was doing his best not to wake the Kwamii up. But as he hissed in irritation, the sound was enough to make his partner stir in his sleep. "Hrm? What's going on? Why are you still up?"

"Shoot! Sorry, bud." Rothan glanced over and winced at Staffe's glare. "Couldn't sleep. I don't feel very good tonight."

Staffe's expression shifted from mild irritation to worry and sympathy. "Worried about your mother?"

"And I hurt like crazy. It's been a rough day – I'm not used to having to hide my bruises and such from everyone constantly."

"Rothan," Staffe sighed as he yawned and hovered up. "Your mother is going to be fine. Have you taken any painkillers recently? And you did re-apply after your shower?"

"Yep. No luck on those fronts." Rothan grimaced as he felt his side tense up as a sunned pain swept through him. "I know Mum is okay. But I can't help but worry."

"I realize that." The green Kwamii offered as he studied his partner's face and made a snap decision. "Tell you what. You need some light exercise, and to get your mind off things. Let's go for a late run, just for a bit. You'll be collapsing into your bed when we get back."

Rothan gave him a surprised glance. "Are you sure? I thought I was supposed to be avoiding going out while I'm hurt."

"It will stretch you out anyways, help you feel better tomorrow. Come on, Rothan, I'm giving you an excuse to transform. Would you just bite?"

"Alright!" Rothan rolled his eyes and sighed. "You're not going to stop bugging me until I say yes, and I wasn't really going to say no anyways."

"Ha! Bugging, that's funny." Staffe chuckled at the accidental pun, then flew up into Rothan's palm. "Now, we should get going. Even if you sleep in, I want to be up at a reasonable hour tomorrow, which relies on you getting some sleep."

"Right." Rothan extended a hand and grinned. "Staffe, Scythes Out!" A moment later, he was in his costume and crawling out of the window and into the cold night. He shivered at the chill "We need to think about getting a warmer winter design before it really gets cold."

We can discuss that. I agree that some thicker layers might be in order. Staffe let off a psionic hum as his partner clambered to the balcony above them with shortened blades. Where should we go? You like the Eiffel Tower. And if Chat is to be believed, the seine is beautiful this time of night.

"I'm not sure I want to go anywhere. Just a jolly jaunt might be enough. Let's –" Rothan stopped dead as he heard a loud thud beneath him. "What was that?"

I have no idea. Sounds like something fell beneath your feet. Staffe paused for a moment as he contemplated this. Oh no.

"Marinette!" Rothan gasped, then spun to the skylight that served as her entrance out onto the balcony. "We have to make sure she's alright."

Rothan wait = Augh! Staffe protested in vain as he darted to the window, and upon finding it locked, popped out his blades. Their thinness lent themselves to lockpicking, and it only took a moment for Rothan to jimmy the window open without any damage. He glanced at his hands in surprise. "I didn't even know I could do that."

There's a lot of things I can do. Some of them are just more legal than others.

Rothan nodded and slipped inside, retracting his blades to thin nubs, and letting them glow with a faint light so he could see in the darkness. "Marinette? Are you okay?"

Hearing a groan from below him, he glanced down from her bed and winced. She had fallen from her loft and was sprawled on the floor, moaning in her sleep with pain. "How is she not awake?"

My guess is sleeping pills. Staffe mentally gestured, and Rothan glanced over to the desk and noticed a small bottle. Though, judging from the results, I would not recommend her taking any more of them.

"Agreed." Rothan crawled down and gently propped the girl up, who whined in her sleep. "Shh, shh. It's alright."

"Who is it?"

"Black Mantis." Despite her eyes opening, Rothan realized that Marinette definitely didn't sound awake. Nevertheless, there was no telling how much she was actually going to remember and decided to go with as close to the truth as he could get. "I couldn't sleep and was out on a late-night patrol when I heard you fall. Are you okay?"

"Silly bug. I'm fine." She attempted to stand up, and Rothan helped her to her feet. "I want to go back to bed."

"Let's just sit down for a minute first." He wanted to check to make sure she wasn't hurt, and so he gingerly walked her over to the chaise and sat her down, examining her half-lidded eyes and wondering how much of this was actually her and how much was her subconscious. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Are you okay?" She echoed as she settled herself, reaching out and brushing her hand against his abdomen. "You're hurt."

Rothan sucked in a sudden breath as his eyes went wide. How the hell does she know about that? But he didn't say that, only soothed her as he took her hand in his own and began to rub soothing circles into it. "A little. But I'm fine, really. Are you hurt? Can I check your legs?"

In reply, Marinette burst into tears and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"Why? Why are you sorry?" Rothan gave her a frightened look. "Mari, you've got to calm down. Shh, shh, it's alright. There, there." Pulling her in, he held her in a hug for a few moments until her breathing slowed and she stopped repeating 'I'm sorry' into his shoulder. "You didn't do anything wrong. It's okay."

"I should have been there." She whimpered into her shoulder. "I shouldn't have just run. I let you get hurt."

"What do you mean?" Rothan asked, confused. "Mari, what are you talking about?"

"I – I keep letting you get hurt." As she talked Rothan could hear her voice begin to fade and realized she was going back to sleep. He sighed in relief, wondered what strange nightmare she had been having and picked her up bridal-style so he could carry her back to bed, and she nestled her head in the crook of his neck. As she did so, she said something he could only half make out, and his blood froze. "What did you say?"

"I'm – sorry that – that I ran away – that you got hit by that train…" With that, Marinette drifted away and let out a soft snore, leaving a shell-shocked Rothan standing there in the darkness of the room.

He wasn't sure how long he stood there, stunned into animation by the revelation that had literally been dropped on his head at one in the morning. The only thing that snapped him out of it was the bark of his Kwamii in his head – Rothan! Put her back to bed, please.

Automatically, he did so, carrying her up to her loft and settling her back into her bed. She responded by stirring and pulling him close in her sleep. "No. Don't go. I don't want you to get hurt again."

"I won't. I promise, I won't." Rothan replied, choked with emotion. This seemed to relax her enough that she let go, and he tucked her in before squeezing her hand. "Good night, Mari."

"G'night." She sighed as she squeezed her giant cat plushie to her to replace his warmth. Rothan waited until she was fully asleep before he crept out and onto the roof.

Use your Will of the Mantis to relock the window.

"What? Oh, right." Rothan murmured to activate his power, then with a deft series of motions relocked the window behind him before scrambling back down the wall and into his room. Once he arrived, he dropped his suit and collapsed into his bed while Staffe zipped to his bag to grab some emergency snacks. Neither of them said anything for several moments, both processing what had just happened. Rothan, however, was the first to speak. "Oh no."

"Rothan, relax. There's a perfectly logical explanation for this.

"You're right, Staffe. There's one. Exactly one logical explanation."

"Come now, Rothan, that's hardly a reason to believe –"

"Staffe!" the boy snapped, his frustration and fear building in his chest. "Stop. Just stop. There's no denying it – you heard her just as well as I did. You know that –" Rothan swallowed, his throat suddenly dry and unable to form words. He tried again to make a sound, but nothing came. Only after the third strangled sound was he able to say aloud what was in both of their minds.

"Marinette is Ladybug."

Oh. Oh no.

Be sure to keep an eye out for the final installment in Arc 1, coming next week! And if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, you can reach me on my Tumblr at james-brafin or my Twitter handle, which is jamesthedabbler. Until next time!