Ladybug was confused. It was their second major akuma since Chat's return but he took the first akuma better than he did this one. 'What changed?' She stood behind the akuma staring at Chat. 'What was it?' She asked herself. The atmosphere around the three was thick and darker than the night sky above. The akuma held an expression that Ladybug didn't know but she could feel the emotion he was showing. Danger, something bad like he was planning something. Confidence, like he knew something they didn't. And anger but she couldn't figure out the reason.

Chat Noir, she could see and feel the emotion he was giving off. Anger, towards the akuma. 'Why?' Hatred, towards the akuma. 'Why?' And wanting to protect someone. 'Who?'

"Listen to her. You're willing to do anything for her anyway or am I getting the two mixed up?" The akuma spat out like acid.

"Shut up." Chat growled.

"How far would you go?"

"Shut up." Chat said loudly. Ladybug had her yo-yo in her hand and was in a stance ready to move.

"What would you do if I did something to her?" Chat threw his arm back, his other holding the akuma's wrist.

"I said shut up!" Suddenly black smoke surrounded Chat's claw that was in the air and Ladybug's eyes widened. Stepping in front of the akuma swiftly she grabbed his claw in front of her face before his cataclysm could destroy anything. She held his wrist, rotated her body and swung Chat Noir over her shoulder. The akuma now stood a bit away from them.

"Stop!" She screamed. Her voice cracked and desperate. Chat's eyes became focused and his cataclysm disappeared.

"-drien. Adrien!" Chat heard he looked at Ladybug and then around him. Pain struck from his tailbone and his head and he realized that the voice was Plagg.

"I'm okay."

"You're far from okay!" He heard Plagg shout angrily. The two hero's heard clapping, turning around Ladybug let go of Chat's wrist. Chat tried to see where the sound was coming from but there was no use looking from the ground. So, he got up and groaned from the pain he felt in his back.

"You guys know how to put on a show." In front of them stood the akuma with his hands clasped. But now looking at his face he looked so familiar.

"I know you..." Ladybug said under her breath. Hearing that the akuma smiled one of his wicked grins.

"I know you too, I know a lot about you." The akuma taunted. Ladybug gasped.

"Scotty?" The akuma, Scotty, laughed at her response and faint music started to play.

"Took you long enough. Though I don't really like that name anymore." Scotty glanced at Chat who was glaring at him with his eyebrows furrowed and head low. Scotty snickered.

"Your mum is looking for you, y'know." Ladybug tried. Scotty paused and went blank.

"My mum?" He whispered. Chat's ears twitched. 'His mum.' He concluded. What were they going to tell his mum? She wanted answers, she probably thinks Scotty's dead.But then Scotty was fuming.

"This is between you and me Ladybug!" Ladybug grabbed her yo-yo.

"Okay." Ladybug was ready but Scotty scowled and looked at her with distaste.

"Not today." He turned into music notes and flew through the air. Ladybug grind her teeth together and clenched her jaw, her hold on her yo-yo tightened and she turned to face Chat.

"What was that? What happened? What did he do?!" She accused Chat. He just stood there curious as she was but not all in the dark.

"What. Did. He do?" She asked as she tried to calm herself down.

"He threatened someone I love." He finally lifted his head and responded but as soon as he did, he jumped up onto the building behind them leaving Ladybug gaping. 'New powers.' She realised.

"Plagg, claws in." Chat de-transformed and in his spot stood Adrien looking at a furious Plagg.

"You can't do that." Plagg finally spoke.

"I don't know what I did!" Adrien gasped gripping his hair and started pacing around his room.

"With the new transformation comes new powers which you have to control."

"What kind of new powers? You never really explained." Adrien fired. Arguing with a tiny, flying cat-like creature may have sounded absurd but it was so normal to Adrien. Plagg changed his life and all of the time he forgot how thankful he was for that.

"You can use cataclysm willing and there's no limit, you can jump higher more than average, you can hide in the shadows, see in the dark and retract your claws," Plagg said quickly.

"Okay..." Adrien was silent which gave Plagg the feeling that the argument was over but he wasn't going to have that so he continued.

"Listen, kid, these powers take enormous amounts of power that you have to control, otherwise it will control you." Plagg trailed off but Adrien heard him.

"What do you mean 'control me'? Like back then when I was going to destroy Scotty?" Plagg hovered in front of Adrien but flew next to him and rested on the bed seating next to Adrien. He looked up with his huge green eyes and explained.

"No, not entirely. That was based on two things. Your power and Scotty's. He has the power to control anyone on their desire. You have the power to destroy anything, including the akuma."

"Are you saying I have the desire to destroy everything?" Adrien asked, alarmed.

"It's natural instinct with the powers. That's why you have to control them! But that wasn't the only thing, something else was ruling out your desire to destroy."

"No, that desire was still pretty obvious." Adrien stood and started rubbing his palms.

"Okay maybe it was but something made you driven. Your natural instinct for destruction doesn't have an aim. If you are consumed by that desire, you don't have any control. You had control."

Adrien thought about Plagg's words. What had more control over him then something that was meant to consume him? He thought back. 'If Scotty had the power of desire then he would know mine.' He thought. Adrien tried to remember the blurry encounter he had with Scotty. But it was like he was a puppet, a speaker, an echo. He tried to think back. It felt like someone was in his body.

"Wait." Adrien finally spoke. "I can hear you, your presence is known when I turn into Chat Noir. Why can't you control me?" Plagg looked defeated and hurt.

"You entering the new stage of the miraculous means that there's a new presence beside's me. It fills the spot that I once filled before the new stage." Plagg said weakly.

"What fills that spot?" Adrien hesitated to ask because Plagg made it sound like he didn't want to know.

"Destruction." Plagg breathed, making it sound like a whisper. Adrien visibly swallowed.

'Something must've been really strong.'

"But y'know some of the loveliest things..." Scooty stood closer towards Adrien's ear and whispered. "...hide the darkest secrets."

It was a sliver of a memory but it made a lot of ideas occur. Adrien paced and thought about everything and anything or something because he was so confused and lost. Plagg had some cheese and eventually fell asleep but Adrien stayed up and tried to think of the thing that was more powerful than destruction. But he did know, creation overcame destruction he just couldn't work it out.

Marinette watched the night sky which was brightened by the lights of the stars. A blanket was wrapped around her shoulders and a cup of coffee in her hands as she rocked gently in her rocking chair on her balcony. Like Adrien, she was overthinking about Scotty and the scene between him and Chat Noir. Lines were starting to form under her eyes and her eyelids became heavy but sleep wasn't taking her. It's been awhile since she tried to find the unknown place. Guess that's why it's unknown. To her, the grass meadow filled with flowers was more than an imaginary place. She closed her eyes and she tried to find it, the unknown place. It helped her think and it made things clear even when she was at her limit.

It felt like time was sliced with a knife, quick and easy. She opened her eyes to see the sky turn orange. The colour grew into the dark night making it early morning. She breathed a shakey inhale and set her empty cup down on the table.

"A morning rises and a new day is born but the night sky always returns." Marinette quoted. It was the last line Alya put on her article after the disappearance of Chat Noir. All news article did the same. It never escaped Marinette. And she smiled at the sad memory of reading the same line numerous times and now it was burnt into her skull. She glanced at her sketchpad that laid next to her coffee mug. Her smile grew as inspiration bloomed into her chest and made her feel warmer than the blanket around her.

She hummed as she drew lines on the blank paper. A long cardigan with orange sprouting from the bottom into the twilight blue with a white dress and a brown belt around the waist. She brought out her pencils and sketched outside using the sky as a reference to her design. She heard a light knock and paused as she craned her neck to look into her room. Alya soon walked onto the balcony with a plate of eggs and a warm smile.

"Morning night owl." Alya joked.

"You're no better than I am." Marinette set her sketchpad and pencil on the coffee table and gladly took the warm plate. Alya shook her head making her high ponytail sway side to side. Once the plate was in Marinette's grasp securely Alya leant over the rail and looked at the city she called home. Little things like this were why Marinette loved living without her parents and more importantly living with Alya.

The two almost always had a morning like this each week. They pulled dozens of all-nighters and had a lot of coffee. Alya always stopped at around her fourth cup but Marinette would keep drinking till she finished her school paper. Alya would groan and throw a small tantrum from where she sat on her computer editing footage. Even in Marinette's dazed sleepless form she would laugh and snicker at Alya's antics. Little things like that made everything better. After Adrien left Marinette became such an emotional mess that Alya would start crying too. They both recovered and Marinette was relieved she went through it with someone but both went through it for different reasons. Marinette, who went through heartbreak and lost her ability to trust new people and Alya who had to watch her best friend who went through the struggle of dealing with herself each day.

That's what the two girls did, every morning and each day. They went through hell together for each other and they did it with a smile.

"Can I see?" Alya asked looking at Marinette over her shoulder.

"Mmhmm," Marinette replied giving Alya permission to pick up her sketch book. Alya smiled as she looked over the paper in front of her. Her eyes slowly trailed down and her smile grew as she looked over it again. Then, she looked up at the sky and then back at the paper. Marinette watched her as Alya analyzed the paper. Her opinion mattered a lot to Marinette, probably more then any fashion critique. Alya looked at Marinette and smiled.

"Le matin se lève et un nouveau jour est né mais le ciel nocturne revient toujours." Alya read. Marinette bite her cheek slightly emberassed.

"I thought you didn't like that." Alya threw the sketchbook onto the table.

"I like it now." Marinette shoved a forkful of eggs into her mouth.

"I got classes so see ya later tonight?" Marinette nodded.

"Have a good day sweetie!" Mariette shouted.

"Thanks, Mum!" Alya shouted back making Mariette giggle. It was a few minutes till six. 'I can still make patrol.'

-.-.-.-

Ladybug saw Chat sitting on the stone rail of the bridge. She took a deep breath and walked towards him. She rested her folded arms on the rail beside Chat Noir.

"Please don't start with the integration first thing in the morning," Chat begged tiredly.

"Guess I wasn't the only one up all night." Ladybug joked.

"I bet for a different reason."

"Oh, I beg to differ."

"Okay, then you were up all night trying to remember a few hours of yesterday." Chat looked down at Ladybug who looked up to him.

"Well, no. But I was trying to remember something." Chat looked over the river without a reply.

"He said something to you..."

"Some of the loveliest things hide the darkest secrets." Chat sighed heavily and Ladybug looked at Chat.

"Chat?" Ladybug straightened up. "Are you...?" Chat sniffled and rubbed his eyes.

"I don't know." Ladybug forced him to turn around. Her hand rested on his shoulder, her grip tight. Tears ran down his face and Ladybug looked like she was on the verge of crying as well. Chat started breathing deeply and his chest kept falling deeper and deeper.

"Chat?" She asked. "Hey." She asked again. He didn't reply instead he kept breathing deeply.

"Hey come on." She bit her lip. He was having an attack. Something that Ladybug, as Marinette, was familiar with. "Have you ever had a panic attack before?"

"May-maybe... I don't know." He shook is head and kept shaking it.

"Focus on something." She wrapped her arms around his head. "Or someone." He responded to the action by wrapping his arms around her waist

"A person." Chat nodded and Ladybug combed her fingers through his hair gently.

"Okay." She responded. "Tell me about her." She knew it was a mistake. But he was having a panic attack and he needed her so if she had to listen she would. She would do anything for him.

"She's really nice." Chat whispered his breathing became a little less rigid. "And she's really pretty." Ladybug smiled at Chat's honesty and him opening up. "She likes designing and never goes to bed." Chat was breathing in and out normally, well as normal as possible. "And she's sincere." A light blush covered his cheeks that he was thankful she couldn't see. Ladybug laughed at his dorkiness.

The stayed there like that for a while. Ladybug hummed trying to make Chat as calm as he could be. She kept her fingers in his hair and her arm wrapped around his shoulders. Ladybug soothed Chat Noir. He nuzzled into her stomach.

"What's her name?" Ladybug hesitated. It was a bit personal, she was the one who wanted to keep their lives a secret but before she could stop him, he answered.

"Marinette." He breathed.

Ladybug paused for three seconds. She counted those seconds in her head, they felt like minutes. 'One, I make him calm. Two, he thinks I'm pretty. Three. He likes me?'

"Ladybug?" Chat looked up at her. She shook her head and looked down at him.

"Feel better?" Ladybug smiled at him.

"Yeah." He placed his head once again in her lap.

"I heard Marinette is a lovely girl." Ladybug felt she just had to add, for some reason. She felt that it was bad she left the conversation hang in the air like that.

"She is." She could feel him smile and it caused her lips to curl up too.

-.-.-.-

Marinette had her face glued in a certain way. A cheeky smile and confusion mixed with excitement showed in her eyes. But the way her nose was scrunched and her forehead wrinkled showed that she was not only confused but was also deep in thought. It seemed like Marinette was always overthinking rather it be about school or her life, she was always thinking.

Rose giggled when she saw Marinette.

"What?" Marinette asked.

"You look happy." Rose simply stated. Did she really look happy? Is that what her face showed? Marinette chuckled at how ridiculous the thought was.

"I guess I am."

"Remember to bring in your outfits on Wednesday." Ms Madeleiev announced.

"What day is it?"

"Tuesday," Rose replied. Marinette took a deep breath. 'I can do this.'

"I swear to fucking god, this week is going to be the end of me." Marinette groaned. She sat on the floor as she pricked her finger, again.

"Been a while since I heard that word," Nino commented focused on the screen in front of him.

"Please, you say that every morning you get out of bed," Adrien said as he stopped writing.

"We know." The girls said at the same time.

"Yes, I know I am not a morning person."

"Act 3, scene 1, page 4," Marinette said quickly. Adrien blinked.

"I do protest I never injured thee, But love thee better than thou canst devise, Till thou shalt know the reason of my love. And so, good Capulet—which name I tender. As dearly as my own—be satisfied." Adrien passed Marinette a booklet and she looked over it.

"Yep." She handed back the booklet and continued on with her outfit.

"What the hell just happened?" Alya asked.

"They have been doing that for days now. Practising for the play."

"You know how hard it is to remember those lines?" Adrien asked.

"I don't want to," Alya replied. All chuckled and continued on with their work. Music played, varieties of genres. Dubstep, electric, rock and pop. They all did their own thing something related to their chosen majors.

"Al, look over this I'm going to sleep." Nino passed Alya his laptop.

"Night man."

"Night." The two looked at Marinette who felt them staring at her. She looked at Nino.

"Go and give up while the rest of us bleed on the battlefield." Everyone laughed.

"Good night to you too, M." Nino walked into Alya's room and shut the door.

"I'm going to make another pot of coffee." Marinette got up and made a sound of displeasure as she walked to the kitchen.

No description could be told to describe the trio that night. They laughed at the most incredulous things and okay maybe someone cried from exhaustion and no it wasn't Adrien. Alya threw another one of her famous tantrums and Adrien was surprisingly helpful. Four in the morning the three young adults were dead asleep in the living room of the shared apartment.

And then the sun rose.

"Wake up!" Adrien pulled the covers from the bed to reveal Nino in his briefs. He walked over to the window to pull the yellow curtains apart.

"Wake up, idiot!" He splashed a cup of water on Nino's face making the bed wet but Nino did nothing but crawl into a small ball. Adrien was taken aback but not all that surprised.

"That's not how you do it."

Alya walked into the room with her hair splayed in different directions and wore her pyjama's. She opened the drawer and pulled out a blue jar with a green lid. She opened the lid and put the jar to Nino's nose. He jumped back and hit his head on the wall.

"Seriously!?"

"Morning babe," Alya smirked.

"Do not babe me!" He pointed at Alya and then at Adrien.

"You traitor," Nino told Adrien. Marinette walked in with a cup that smelled like caffeine.

"But she is god." Nino approached Marinette and gratefully took the cup.

"Please put on pants," Marinette said as Nino sipped from the cup he nodded.

"As the almighty commands." Marinette bowed and left the room. Nino quickly turned around.

"Are you dressed?" He asked.

"I wished I wasn't," Marinette shouted back from the other room.

"I like these mornings," Adrien commented and the couple laughed at his bluntness.

-.-.-.-

Marinette was making adjustments to her male street style outfit in class as she watched Ms Mendeleiev criticized everyone's work. No one was done all working on last-minute touches or finishing up the last outfit. She worked best under pressure for some odd reason. So far she hadn't driven the needle into her fingers and hadn't knocked over any mannequins. Her finished outfits were hidden under a white cloth. She stood back from her finished piece happy with the end product. Her smile slowly dropped as she heard someone play music. She turned to the source to see a fawn bush of hair in the corner of the classroom staring out the window.

"Lovely melody." He commented as she stood beside him. Marinette looked at the slightly taller male to see Scotty without his akuma transformation. She gulped and inhaled as she lifted her head forward.

"I wish I could say the same but it has grown rather annoying the past few weeks." Marinette mentally patted her side but only touched her hip as she realised she left her bag at her desk.

"Looking for this?" Scotty handed Marinette her bag. "Don't worry she's still there." Marinette grabbed her bag.

"I suggest you leave before anything gets worse." Marinette walked back and heard Scotty snicker. Marinette patted her bag three times. It was the first time she had to do it but she hoped it worked. Tikki got the message and summoned the miraculous of bad luck.

Adrien laughed at something Alya said about Nino's music project he asked her to check. He looked at his finger where he wore his ring to see it turn black. His eyes widened and he started shaking his head.

"No, no, no, no." He mumbled.

"What?" Nino asked. Adrien snapped his head to the couple.

"Nothing!" He pushed the chair back rather loudly and left the table. He grabbed his jacket and walked out the door without saying goodbye.

"Don't you dare!" He yelled at his ring know forming its signature green paw. Adrien ran up the stairs to the roof of the building. Once he was on the roof he was cladded in black leather.

"Are you serious? What was that!?" Chat Noir shouted.

"I didn't do it, kid." Plagg said in an awful serious tone. "You need to head to the school ." As soon as Plagg heard that Chat made his way to his university.

"Where're your outfits Ms Dupain-Cheng?" Ms Mendeliev asked as she approached Marinette. Marinette stood next to the covered mannequins. She gripped the cloth and before she pulled it off she looked out the window to where Scotty stood. 'Where are you Chat Noir?' She pulled the cover to show her outfits. Ms Mendeliev showed emotion besides disgust and boredom. Interest?

"May I have your report?" Marinette handed her the beige folder filled with the numerous amounts of paper that had a description of the outfits and themes. Ms Mendeliev read over it and Marinette glanced at Scotty who met her eyes.

"I can see you worked hard on your designs. I'll admit the outcome of the outfits turned out well." Ms Mendeliev walked off to assess the next student. All Marinette felt was relief.

She looked out the window again to see a blur of black jump from roof to roof. But that wasn't the only thing. The guitar strings which played as background music finally was heard by everyone. Scotty whistled to the tune and walked out of the classroom. A loud base note played making the building shake. People looked around and some had horrid expressions. Those people slowly deteriorated, their bodies becoming ash. Marinette clenched her jaw and looked around the class to see and hear people scream. She tried to push pass people but they were all running in the opposite direction she was running in. When she was finally outside she saw Scotty in his akuma suit. She caught his attention and the music became the only thing she heard over the chaos.

Chat watched the misery around him. He stood face to face with Scotty. People ran through them and tried to get away from the scene, pushing past and shoving them in opposite directions but they still stayed where the stood. As the crowd became less and less Chat could see Scotty and what he was doing. People screamed and held their hands to their ears as they turned to ash.

"Stop!" Chat shouted only making Scotty cackle. Chat ran forward, grabbed Scotty by the shoulder and punched him in the face multiple times. "What are you doing?!"

"Their desire is tainted." Scotty stated. And Chat punched him again and again. Chat could count the amount of people around them now and something was odd about it. Chat turned to see Marinette standing still and looking in their direction. He quickly turned and grabbed Scotty who had a bloody face and probably needed stitches.

"What did you do to her?" Chat growled.

"Listen..." Scotty hissed. Chat glared at Scotty but tried to listen. He couldn't hear anything besides the distant screams. Being so focused on trying to listen to something he couldn't see Scotty raise his hand over Chat's shoulder. Chat snapped out of his little bubble and grabbed Scotty's wrist. He twisted his arm and turned Scotty's body in the opposite direction. Chat hovered by Scotty's ear.

"Don't you dare touch her."

A/N: What would you say if I told you this was almost the end?