Marinette's Ladybug. Marinette is Ladybug. MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG IS LADYBUG?

Wait...she couldn't be. Her mask fell off, if she was really Ladybug, her mask would've been a part of her...was this really just Marinette? So... wait, was she wearing her costume for the play?!

"Marinette! What are you doing!" Chat pulled her up-Mari grabbed her mask and placed it back on her face- and Chat pushed her away as Broadway came close. Broadway swung his fist at Marinette, but Chat grabbed the villains arm before he could punch her, spun him around and kicked the villain out of their way.

Chat turned backed to Marinette, "You need to go-" Broadway came back and grabbed Chat's arm, and threw the cat at the pillar that had a poster of Adrien Agreste. Broadway started to advance on Ladybug, but Chat extended his staff and used it to flip himself back between Marinette and the villain. Broadway made a face of annoyance at the cat and tried to punch him, but Chat blocked every hit with his staff.

Marinate tried to help too, but she knew too well that she didn't have the same strength as Ladybug to fight an opponent head on.

She scanned her surroundings instead, she needed something other than a toy yo-yo to help her. Tikki always said Marinette was good at noticing things.

Broadway waved his right hand-but his left hand he made touch his mask for a second, and Marinette could've sworn it glowed- then a tree was thrown at her. She shrieked and barely jumped out the way in time, the tree's branch scratched against Marientte's face, leaving a red patch on her cheek. But Mari was too focused on figuring out how Broadway worked to focus on the pain.

When he's about to possess an object, his waves one hand-but his other hand he places on his mask- that must be where the akuma is!

She was about to tell Chat the news- but he had just struck Broadway across the face with his staff, causing the villain to scream in agony and retreat away from the school- Chat Noir following him.

"Wait Chat!" Marinate ran after him and grabbed him by the tail to make him stop, "The akuma's in his mask!"

"Marinette!" Chat turned around, but when he saw the drops of blood on her face, he froze in horror, "Marinette you're-"

"When he touches his mask it glows, we just need to stop him before he waves his other hand!" She sounded way too excited for someone who was bleeding from their face.

"You need-"

"You need to bring Broadway back to the school! I have a plan!" She did-sort of. It did involve Tikki coming back and Marinette transforming but-

But then she felt the blood drip down from her cheek and land on her arm. She stared at it for a second, then looked up to Chat, who was looking at her with a worried expression. Mari was good at noticing a lot of things, so why was it that just now she realized how tired she was- how tired Chat must be, he never had to do this much extra work when they were fighting together because Ladybug could take care of herself and now-

"Marinette..."

I never should have left Tikki, she thought, she saw that Chat was talking but she couldn't exactly hear him, I can't even get close to Broadway without...

"Did you hear me princess?" Chat gave her a small smile

"Sorry," Marinette said quietly shaking her head, "Sorry I was just trying to help."

Chat smiled at her, "You did princess," he touched her shoulder for a brief second, and he extended his staff and swung over a building, "I'll tell Ladybug everything you said about the mask!" he said as if it made everything better.

The truth was it shouldn't have taken Tikki this long to eat a cookie, in fact she was actually almost done! But then one of the school's cafeteria lady came into the kitchen, and Tikki had to hide before she ended up as cookie dough!

Tikki dragged what was left of her cookie and hid behind the basin bowl behind the tray of cookies.

The cafeteria lady just had to stop right where Tikki was, and placed the bag of flour she was carrying down. She was just about to grab the bowl Tikki was hiding behind, when the entire bag of flour fell over and spilled on the floor.

The lady groaned and bent down to pick up the bag, that's when Tikki shoved the last of the cookie in her mouth, and flew out of the window.

"Tikki?" Marinate asked when she came back into the kitchen. She hadn't bothered to take off her costume, she just wanted to transform, help Chat as Ladybug, and never look at Chat as Marinette ever again.

Where was Tikki?

"Oh! Ladybug!" The cafeteria lady had looked up and swooned when she saw the heroine.

"Oh uh-"

The cafeteria lady continued to smile and talk, "I just want thank you for saving my sister last week when that evil clown was attacking us!"

Marinette nodded, an awkward smile was planted on her face. Tikki wasn't here, where was she?

"Uh, it was no problem, um, bug out?" She said the last part as more of a question than a statement. She left the kitchen confused and with the cafeteria lady waving goodbye.

"Tikki?" Marinette walked back to the front of the school. She was walking around, dressed like Ladybug, and for a full minute, she did not panic.

That is until she realized she had lost Tikki all because she left her sick, weak swami in the kitchen, all alone and now if anything happened to Tikki it was all her fault.

"TIKKI?!

"Michael Belpois!" Broadway roared. He was floating above a theater, and had a manic expression on his face as he was looking down at the scared actor who had just walked out the theater.

Michael threw his soda bottle and his papers as he screamed and tried to run away. Broadway just laughed and fell from the sky, landing right in front of Michael.

"What's the matter Michael," Broadway snarled in the mans' face, "No-"

"Hey I didn't know you were The Fanta of the Opera," Chat grinned as he caught the bottle of Fanta soda Michael had thrown.

"Forget about him for now," Hawk Moth shouted to Broadway, "Get Chat Noir's miraculous then you will have even more power against your rival!"

Broadway turned around, placed his left hand on his mask, and he was just about to wave his right hand, but Chat threw his staff at the villain, knocking his hand away from his mask before it could glow.

This just made Broadway even more angry; he ran up to Chat Noir to punch him, but Chat was able to block every attack. Michael had scurried away, his hands shaking as he was picking up the papers he dropped.

At least Chat now saw that Marinette's theory about the mask was right, maybe the plan she had would work too?

Chat grinned, "Cat-ch me if you can," he extended his staff and climbed to the top of the nearest building, Broadway clenched his jaw and followed the cat.

Tikki had never flown around outside without Marinette by her side.

It was weird.

Truth be told, Tikki wasn't familiar with the world outside Marinette's bag. She didn't know where the window in the kitchen had lead too, eventually she had found another open window that lead to a classroom in the school. All she hoped was she would find her way out the school- but it was pretty dark in the school since it late night tutoring classes were over, Tikki honestly wasn't sure where she was going.

"Tikki?!" Marinette was searching every bush, every tree, she even checked the water in the fountain of the park! But there was no sign of Tikki!

She was a mess, her cheek was still bleeding, she had lost her yo-yo, her costume was a mess-Nino was definitely going to let her have it tomorrow.

How could she think she could actually do something?

Now, not only was Paris being terrorized by Broadway, but Tikki was-

"Marinette!"

Tikki?! Marinette's face lit up- but it wasn't Tikki, it was Chat!

He extended his staff from where he was up on a building, and swung himself down next to her and grinned, "Missed me princess?"

"What-"

"Let's see if that plan of yours works?" As soon as Chat said that Marinette made her signature freaking out face. Her plan involved Tikki, who was nowhere to be found!

Chat, as oblivious as ever, did not notice, probably because Broadway had just shown up.

"Get their miraculouses! Don't fail me again!" Hawk Moth screamed at Broadway.

Marinette had to think fast, she was not about to tell Chat her plan was a flop. She looked at her surroundings, they were in a park, where Broadway could wave a hand and have every tree thrown at them-

"Follow me," Marinette nodded at Chat, and she ran towards the school.

Chat sighed, and ducked under Broadways arm, and ran after his princess.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Chat asked. He wasn't too sure about bringing a villain like this into his school.

"Mhm!" Marinette nodded.

Chat was doing his best to stop Broadway from summoning something to fly towards them, but each time he knocked the villains' hand away, Broadway just got more irritated.

Mari lead them into the auditorium, she scanned the scene really quickly, she was looking for something that would at least immobilize Broadway, then she could take his mask away and then maybe she could find Tikki, and break the mask and capture the akuma.

She heard Chat and Broadway approaching, Marinette looked up at the stage and that's when it clicked.

Everything else looked black and white to her, but the ropes that would hold up the poster of Hawk Moth's face for the play and the lights that would shine on the stage glowed red with black spots.

Marinette ran to the stairs that lead to the light controls.

Chat ran into the auditorium, but Broadway had floated over him. The villain was now flowing right over the edge of the stage, and he raised his hand, he was just about to touch his mask-

"Chat, the ropes!" Mari shouted as she turned on the lights to its' brightest settings and it shown in Broadways' face, causing him to groan and try to cover his eyes instead.

"Cataclysm!" Chat shouted and ran to the ropes, destroying them, and causing the huge board of Hawk Moth's face fall onto the villain, trapping him.

Mari grinned, she was just about to run down to grab the mask-

"Marinette!" she heard- she saw Tikki come flying through the doors of the auditorium.

Marinette's face light up brighter than a christmas tree, but she didn't have time for a reunion, she turned off the lights- "Marinette! What's going on?" Chat shouted in a worried voice.

"Tikki, spots on," Marinette whispered, and transformed.

"Lucky charm!" she shouted, and a rose fell and landed in her hand. She knew she didn't need to actually use the charm, but she would need its magic to help turn everything back to normal.

She turned back on the lights, and ran towards Broadway who was trying to push the board off of him, Ladybug plucked the mask off his face, threw it to the ground- "No!" the villain shouted as the akuma was released.

"No more evil doing for you little akuma," Ladybug said, "Time to de-evilize!"

"Bye-bye litte butterfly," Ladybug waved bye to the newly freed butterfly.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" She threw the rose into the air and its magic was released, placing all the cars and trees that were thrown back into its place, and the ropes that Chat had destroyed were back in place and the board was lifted off the man who was once Broadway.

"Huh," a man dressed in a blue shirt with black blazer over it and black dress pants got up from where Broadway once laid.

"Pound it," Ladybug held her fist out for Chat, but he didn't pound it. He just stared at her confused.

"Where did Marinette go?" Don't get him wrong, he was glad his lady was here, but what happened to Marinette?

"I uh," Ladybug stuttered, "She left as soon as I got her!"

"Oh," Chat was still confused. He was looking at his Ladybug carefully, she didn't have a red bruise on her cheek like Mari did, but still-

"Did you-"

"Um, where am I?"

Ladybug turned away from Chat, but then his ring beeped, "You should get out of here before you transform."

He didn't have all the answers he wanted, but he nodded and ran out the auditorium.

"Are you alright?" Ladybug went to help the man stand up.

"Last thing I remember was... walking out the theater after..."

"Sir you were being controlled by a villain, Hawk Moth," Ladybug said gently.

The man sighed, "Of course," he gave the heroine a small smile, "I didn't get the part in a play, they chose someone else, Michael, to be the lead."

"Oh no," the man said in a more frighten tone, "Michael, I didn't hurt him did I?"

"Uh, no I uh, don't think so," Ladybug stammered, "But maybe you should go find him, and congratulate him on getting the part."

The man nodded and said with a sad smile, "That... would be the right thing to do, thank you, Ladybug."

The man got up, Ladybug's earring beeped, and the man turned around to look back at Ladybug, "Say Ladybug, you wouldn't happen to have any advice for an aspiring actor would you?"

"Uh," Ladybug's eyes bugged out, she couldn't act herself, what could she say?

"I say... be true to yourself?" Yeah that sounds about right, she thought.

"Just because you didn't get the lead in one play doesn't mean you won't get the next! You just have to believe in yourself and you'll be fine!"

The man smiled at her, "My grandfather used to say the same thing, thank you Ladybug."

"Is she going to be okay?" Marinette asked the healer.

She had transformed back into Marinette right after the man had left, went backstage to change out of her play's ladybug costume, grabbed some cookies that were still in the kitchen, (thankfully it was so late that no one was in the kitchen), and she ran all the way to the healer that had helped Tikki last time she was sick.

The healer nodded, "Your cat seems to be find- although," he paused for dramatic effect, "She has a hard time processing camembert cheese it seems."

Blink. Blink.

"Are you telling me Tikki's allergic to cheese?"

"No no, she just had trouble processing it," the healer laughed, "Though, I don't know why you would feed your cat cheese, camembert cheese of all kinds-"

"Right right, my bad," Marinette faked her laugh as Tikki flew up and went into Mari's bag.

"Why didn't you tell me you couldn't eat camembert!" Mari asked Tikki on the walk home.

"I didn't know!" Tikki exclaimed.

Mari couldn't help but laugh at the situation, all of this could have been avoided if she never gave Tikki the camembert that was in Adrien's bag!

"Why did Adrien have camembert in his bag?" Marinette wondered out loud.

"Maybe you can ask him after your kiss tomorrow," Tikki giggled, causing Marinette to freak out.

It was almost 11 pm when she finally got home. Marinette tried her best to tiptoe up into her room without being heard, which she did much to her surprise.

She plopped down on her bed, exhausted; she wasn't sure how long she just laid there, but it felt like just a few minutes after she heard a knock on her trap door above.

"Chat?" Marinette saw him smiling and waving at her through the glass.

"What are you doing here?" Marinette asked as she climbed out to the balcony.

He smiled when he saw her climb up, and he handed her a bandage for her cheek, which had dried blood on it.

"Oh, I-"

"Forgot," Chat grinned. "I also wanted to tell you that you were really cool today."

"Huh?"

"You trapped Broadway, without using a Lucky Charm, don't tell anyone but, I don't think Ladybug could even do that," he winked at her.

Marinette couldn't help but laugh and roll her eyes at the cat, "Thanks Chat Noir."

"But... where did you go after?"

"I uh, I saw Ladybug coming so I thought, 'I should leave this to the pros.'" Marin nodded.

Chat's grin got even bigger, "You didn't leave it to this," He pointed to himself, "pro."

Marinette was grinning now too, "I never said you were a pro."

Chat laughed, "Purr-fectly reasonable I suppose."

The wind picked up, Marinette didn't feel so tired anymore talking to Chat Noir like this.

"Oh and uh, you left something," He pulled out her yo-yo which she had forgotten in the front of the school.

Marinette gasped, she had completely forgotten! "Thank you!" She didn't actually care about the yo-yo itself, but she did care that Alya and Nino were going to kill her because she had lost it.

"Too bad your Ladybug outfit's pretty dirty," Chat commented still grinning, "Not going to look purr-sentable at the play."

"How do you know the outfit is for a play?" Marinette asked, her voice filled with suspicion.

Chat's grin shrank, oh no, oh nonononono!

"I uh-"

"Marinette? Are you home?" Sabine's voice was heard all the way from downstairs.

"I uh, should go," Chat gave her an awkward smile and jumped off the balcony.

"Oh no!" Marinette screamed, "I'm going to be late!"

This time it wasn't even because she had Ladybug duty but she had simply overslept and it was now 2:55pm and she was suppose to be at the school by 3.

But after the day she had yesterday, could you blame her for sleeping in?

Marinette ran out of her house and to the school and of course she was so very late. And in so much trouble.

"Would you like to explain, why there is dirt all over your costume?!" Nino was holding the dirty Ladybug costume and he shouted at Mari the second she walked into the auditorium.

A/N: If you don't know, Broadway is suppose to be the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera, and in the play, a rose was one of the important symbols, therefore I made it the Lucky Charm! Also I wrote a majority of this at 2am, and this fight scene turned out nothing like I had imagined. Either way, I hoped you enjoyed and please review!