AN: Hope you all enjoy.

Italics: thoughts, emphasized words. Now English instead of French. I repeat. English instead

The Bubbler.

I stared slack jawed at The Bubbler.

I felt a clash of some sort inside me. This was an akuma. A supervillain made by an even worse supervillain. I should be scared out of my wits. I should be running for my life. But at the same time he looked like some villain from The Powerpuff Girls. Except with a worse design and color scheme. Also he acted like Nino, sounded like Nino, and even had Nino's face (with stupid makeup). Even the name was bad. I was struggling to take him seriously.

Especially compared to Stoneheart.

What could someone called The Bubbler even do? Bubble me?

Knight hissed in my mind, thoroughly against going anywhere near the akuma.

D̵a̸n̴g̴e҉r҉ s̴t̷a̶y̴ a̷w̸a̸y҉ t҉r̷a̴n̸s̸f̴o̴r҈m̷

"Enjoy the party, dude," The Bubbler said, then promptly walked away.

Knight and I both were caught off guard by this.

I started after him, only to have my wrist grabbed by Ivan.

"Are you crazy!?" Ivan whisper shouted. "That's an akuma."

"That's Nino," I responded, simply. I wasn't able to say what I actually wanted to in French, but it mostly amounted to 'I don't think Nino could hurt a fly even if he was a villain whose entire goal was to destroy the fly population.'

"You don't understand-" Ivan tried, but stopped with a pained look on his face. "He's dangerous."

"He has not done anything dangerous." I said, trying to get my point across. "He is throwing a party."

A constipated look crossed Ivan's face, and he threw a hopeless look to Mylene, who looked like she was about to break out in tears.

"No, no," She burst out into rapid speech, speaking so rapidly I couldn't even understand her.

I edged away when she looked at me expectantly. "I don't understand."

I left, assuming the conversation was over.

Everyone was taller than me, and it was getting a little crowded, but it wasn't too difficult to spot Nino's outrageous get up.

"Nino," I said, catching up to the harmless supervillain. Did he even count as a villain if he hasn't done anything?

He spun around, as if surprised I was there. "Dudette, it's Bubbler," he stressed.

"Whatever," I flippantly said. "I can't believe you lied to me."

"What?" He looked distraught, even through his clown makeup. "What did I lie about?"

"You never said anything about other people being here, other than us three."

He stared at me like I was an idiot. Which was probably fair, but I still felt a little attacked. "It's a party, dude. I'd never throw one so small for my best bro's first bash."

"Maybe," I said, hoping to change the subject. "Where is Adrien, anyway?"

Nino- sorry, Bubbler- pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "I was just going to get him."

"Oh, you go do that then." I waved at him until he left.

Knight settled back down, no longer concerned regarding the situation. They were only a little on edge, like a cat with a stranger in its home. Most of their urges -which consisted of h҉i̵d҈e̷ p̸r̴o҉t̶e҉c҈t̶ a̷t̷t҈a̶c̷k̷- had left, other than a low urgency and protectiveness.

I turned to the refreshment table, hoping to avoid any interactions with anyone new, only to see swathes of wide eyed faces staring at me in a mix of shock, horror, and awe.

I looked behind me, seeing nothing of interest. "What?"

Alex, the skater girl, was shoved forward. "You just talked to an akuma."

"Okay," I said, feeling my face heat up from everyone's gazes. "it's just Nino. He hasn't done anything dangerous, right?"

Most of faces shifted from awe to disbelief.

"Are you stupid!?" Came the cry of a familiar snobbish girl. The heat traveled to my ears. I imagined my face was turning the same shade of red as Ladybug's costume. "He sent my dad to the stratosphere!"

What? The blood drained from my face, as the embarrassment was replaced by shock.

"Do you need me to dumb it down even further?" Chloe sneered. "Bubble. Adults. Gone."

She pointed to the sky, before crossing her arms and flipping her hair.

I look up and squinted.

And found thousands of bubbles in the sky, so high up that they look like pin-pricks. Knight's hackles sprang back up.

R҉U̴N̸

But two thoughts jumped to the forefront my mind.

Mom didn't go to the store.

and-

"Wait," I cried out, "Why are you guys here if you knew what was going on?!"

"He bubbled us." Alex said. "How did you get here?"

"I walked." My arms wrapped around my waist. My ears were burning. My hands wouldn't hold still, so I clenched them into fists until my knuckles went white. Everyone was looking at me. I wanted it all to stop. "Nino's been planning this party for two days!"

Chloe scoffed and turned away.

I felt my eyes sting and my throat was constricting. Knight grew more insistent.

l҉e҉a̸v҈e҉ N̶O̶W̷

"Where's the bathroom?" I managed to choke out before disaster struck.

"Inside," replied Alex.

Max, the intellectual, rolled his eyes. "Obviously."

"Oh, oh," Rose, the only person who seemed to have any sort of happiness at the moment, spoke up. "It's up the stairs, to the right and second door on the left."

A few people in the crowd turned to give her confused looks. The majority moved their focus to something else. I used the opportunity to escape, slipping from the crowd, through the front doors, up the grand staircase, and into the bathroom.

I locked the door behind me, looking at my miserable reflection in the mirror. I had been holding on to hope that I didn't look like I was about to cry, even though I felt like it, but that naivety was thoroughly banished just with a mere glance at myself. My eyes were glistening. My ears were red. My nose was looking a bit stuffy and my eyelids were puffy.

My throat constricted even further as I choked back a sob. I almost cried in front of my whole class.

Correction: I did cry in front of my whole class.

Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. That was one of my dad's favorite phrases and it certainly applied to 'almost' crying.

Knight appeared from their hiding spot, their protective mind hisses being shelved in place for concern and comfort.

h҈i̸d̸e҈ t̷r̵a҈n̴s҈f̷o̷r̴m҉

"I ca-an't transform," I hiccuped. "And I'm already hiding."

Knight flew closer, particles drifting off of their body. Their glowing eyes stared into mine, unblinking.

t҉r̶a҈n̷s҈f̶o̴r̷m̴

"If I leave, won't Bubbler just catch me?" I nearly sobbed. "That's how he got everyone else-"

Knight leaned their face against my head. The unnatural cool temperature of my companion raised goosebumps along my skin and caused the hair on the back of my neck to stand on end. It calmed me, and I felt myself slowly cool off.

Images and feelings flashed into my brain. Shadows. Power. Safety.

t҉r̶a҈n̷s҈f̶o̴r̷m̴

"I-"

A knock came on the door.

"Keana, are you in there?"

It was Adrien.

My nerves steeled themselves and Knight understood.

"Yeah," I said, "I'll be out in a second."

I couldn't just leave Adrien here to fend for himself.

"Great!" Adrien said through the door. He sounded excited. I wondered if he knew what was going on (Was he just using his chance to finally have some freedom?) or if he was just clueless -like I was, just a few minutes earlier. Perhaps he was being willfully ignorant. Not like I could judge him on that, either.

I took one last, calming breath in, and exhaled.

I can do this.

. . .

"Tikki! Spots off!"

There was a pink flash, and a moment later Marinette walked out from behind the tall wall that surrounded Adrien's abode.

The gate was wide open, an oddity considering how protective Adrien's father was. It certainly wasn't a mystery, though. It was the real reason she detransformed in the first place. She couldn't exactly scout out a party as Ladybug, she'd get caught immediately. She also had to wait for Chat Noir to show up.

"Marinette," Tikki squeaked out in a harsh whisper, "what are you doing?"

"I can't take on an akuma without Chat Noir," She whispered back, confident in her reasoning.

Tikki glared. "Did you even try to-"

Then her eyes went wide and she flew into Marinette's bag.

"Marinette!"

It was Alya, and she didn't look the least bit concerned about the fact that there was an Akuma around. She actually looked a little bit excited.

"Alya!" Marinette called back. "What are you doing here?"

"Some bubble." The blogger waved her hand, as if that didn't matter. "But there are bigger things going on, girl. I have news!"

She swung her hand in front of her face, like she was holding an invisible microphone. Her other hand held her phone far away from her face, selfie style. It didn't take much for Marinette to guess she was recording something.

"Live on Cesair News!" She said in a mock serious tone. "We have three juicy reports for the watchers, today. First up is that reports of an akuma came flooding in. Not only that, it was also sighted hosting a party at Adrien Agreste's house! Next up the vile Chloe strikes again, claiming yet another victim!"

She dropped the pose and looked at her friend expectantly.

Marinette's hands sprung up to cover her mouth. "Alya! Did you just come up with that? It sounded so professional!"

"Thanks, girl. But that's not the point!" The blogger put both of her hands on her hips.

Marinette tilted her head. "The point..?" Her eyes widened. "Oh! An Akuma!"

Alya nodded. "That's not exactly what I was going for, but yeah. Did you also get kidnapped?"

Marienette's eyes went wide and she stuttered. "O-oh, um, y-yeah. That's t-totally how I got here. I was just so s-surprised to see everyone that I... forgot! Yeah! I forgot!"

Alya laughed. "Girl, you are so forgetful. Good thing I'm always here to catch you up."

Marinette laughed, stiffening at how fake it sounded, but she was also kind of relieved that Alya bought that.

"The Akuma kidnapped everyone in class, so he probably won't let us leave. Which means..." The blogger trailed off meaningfully.

"Which means..." Marinette parrotted.

Alya rolled her eyes, poking Marinette in the forehead with her pointer finger. "Girl, you are so dense today! It obviously means now's your chance to hang out with Adrien!"

Marinette's mind halted. "B-but, isn't there an Akuma..?"

Alya shrugged. "There's nothing we can do about it, so we might as well use this opportunity while it lasts."

Marinette nodded hesitantly, all the while guilt screamed in her head about how there was something she could do about it. Then the little traitorous voice (like the anti-consciousness or something) whispered how she needed to wait for Chat Noir either way and she might as well do something for herself now that she waited. After all, it wasn't everyday she could have an opportunity like this.

She nodded again.

Alya grinned, grabbing her friend by the wrist.

"Let's do this thing!"

. . .

I trailed behind Adrien, hiding behind him. He looked around at the party setup with glittering eyes. People turned to look at us and I shied behind him further.

Hopefully they forgot what happened.

Which was unlikely, considering it basically just happened. I wish I could forget about it, but it will definitely be something that keeps me up at night. It was worse than the time I asked my friend if she wanted to 'Netflix and chill,' without knowing what it actually meant. That still keeps me up and it's been years.

I shook my head. That didn't matter right now. What mattered was I should be supporting Adrien.

It's more like Adrien is supporting me.

He dragged me along, talking to anyone and everyone he could. He didn't notice Ivan and Mylene casting nervous glances around and shrinking whenever they caught sight of the Bubbler, who was lording over the party as the DJ. Adrien didn't notice how Alex and Kim were more subdued in their fighting. He didn't notice how stiffly Rose and Julika were dancing.

What he did notice was how uncomfortable I was.

"Are you okay?" He said, while I took refuge by the punch bowl. His brow was crinkled up and his lips were pursed. I stared at him, noting how expressive his face was. It was one of the reasons why I was still friends with him, being able to see what he felt. I felt confident being myself around him; knowing that he wasn't judging me and that he was genuinely excited to be around me.

It was the most wonderful feeling in the world, having someone who didn't overlook me.

"To be honest," I started, because lying to Adrien with an obviously fake 'I'm fine' would definitely hurt both of us. "No, I'm not fine."

His concern increased. "What? Why?"

"Nino got turned into an Akuma." I deadpanned. "I showed up here, not knowing what was going on. Then I got humiliated in front of the whole class for being too stupid to see the danger. I cried in the bathroom."

Adrien's eyes widened. "You cried?"

"Yes, I cried." I nearly choked, wanting to cry again. I wanted to give Hawkmoth a piece of my mind for ruining Adrien's birthday party. I wanted to destroy Gabriel Agreste for trying to suffocate this ray of sunshine in walls of stupid concrete.

It wasn't like me to be this infuriated. But I was.

"I'm sorry," Adrien had his fists clenched. "I'm sorry. I'm going to see if I can contact the superheroes. I have to go."

He swiftly retreated back into his mansion, purpose in each of his steps.

I watched him leave. There wasn't anything he could do. There was something I could try but...

Knight hissed. A warning.

That was when I realized the music had stopped. The courtyard had gone quiet, the last dregs of half hearted conversations were silenced with a few harsh whispers. People who were standing somewhat close to me backed away slowly. I turned around with a feeling of deja vu.

And saw the Bubbler standing there, a glare on his face.

"You just made Adrien upset." He stated. A chill went down my spine and I wondered if I was about to be hurled into the stratosphere. The Bubbler pulled out a plastic thing. A bubble wand.

He's about to bubble me.

He tore his wand through the air.

I flinched, attempting to move out of the way. But I was torn. Do I duck or jump? Go left or right?

A bubble was shot towards me,

It hit me.

And I was lifted off the ground.

I opened my eyes, not knowing when I closed them. Everything was tinted purple and it looked a little shiny. All noise seemed dampened other than my breathing and heartbeat. My pulse was racing and I could hear every single beat.

bum ba-bump

Bum ba-bump

"You're in timeout," said the Bubbler. "For making Adrien upset."

Knight screamed in our bond. Anger. Rage. Protectiveness.

I winced and they quieted down.

He took his wand and poked the bottom of the bubble with it. I pressed myself against the walls of my prison. He dragged the wand down and created a strange chain of bubbles that acted as a string. Then he grabbed the bubble string and started to pull me along.

What am I, some sort of balloon?

It appeared to be the case, as Bubbler drags me over to his DJ stand and anchors the strong to the ground, tying the bubbles like they would actually stay in a knot. He let go satisfied. I half expected for the bubble string to fail and for me to get launched into space right alongside the rest of the adults in this wretched city.

It didn't.

I almost wanted it to, just so I could be alone, and not be forced to look at the twisted face of my friend.

"Nino!" I was frantic. The air was stifling in the bubble - I felt my own warm breath hit my face. I could feel the air inside going stale breath by breath. I wondered if those in the sky were already low on oxygen. "Nino, let me out!"

I banged my fists against the barrier, but it just pushed outward briefly before restoring itself. I kicked and the result was no different. I tried both at once, extending my arms as far as I could. The bubble became elongated to match, but held strong.

"You're in timeout, dudette," He repeated. "And it's the Bubbler!"

Knight seethed.

Everything about this was wrong.

Nino wouldn't ever do something like this. I knew he loved music. And I thought he loved his parents, too. Nino wouldn't just choose one friend over another. And he wouldn't send all the adults into space just to get back at one specific one. It was like something had taken Nino's basic characteristics, ripped everything else out of him, and decided to wear him like some perverted costume.

They warped him, drastically, but left just enough to be recognizable. Like they wanted to rub salt in the wound.

It was possession. Mind control. A parasyte.

Tears blurred my vision once again. I clenched my fists.

How could I be so stupid? How deluded was I to think that just because he knew me I would be safe? How arrogant was I to think that Nino has any say in what's going on? I was shallow, believing that Nino was different from Stoneheart because he had a less threatening exterior. Ivan would never rampage through the streets, and here I thought Nino would be harmless afflicted with the same curse.

My throat burned again. This time it wasn't out of despair.

It was out of rage.

Knight whispered in my mind. Urgent. Determined.

t̶r̵a̵n̸s҈f҈o̷r̶m҈

"Knight," I whisper. I felt their anticipation. "Void r-"

"Cataclysm!"

I snap my head up to see a figure in black rocketing towards me. It wasn't too hard to decipher who exactly said that.

Bubbler looks to the source a little too late.

There was a brief pop as he impacted the bubble.

Then I was on nothing but air.

I impacted the ground a moment later. My side flared with pain. I wheezed, laying on the ground as the sky flared in and out of focus.

"Chat dude," Bubbler commanded. "How uncool of you to crash this party! I am the Bubbler! Hand over your Miraculous!"

"Me-ouch! You didn't even bother to learn my name!"

I propped myself up of my elbows. Chat Noir was standing in front of me. His baton was in his hand, ready to be expanded. He was crouched in a ready position. Bubbler was opposite of him, hand on his bubble wand.

Chat edged a little closer to me.

Bubbler swung his wand and red bubbles were speeding at him.

Arms grabbed my waist and the world blurred. Wind tousled my hair. Chat Noir was carrying me, I realized. He was really fast.

"You ready?"

It wasn't really a question because he didn't wait for me to respond. Before he jumped thirty feet into the air.

"NoooaaAAAA-"

My voice jumped into an octave that would be painful to animals. I latched onto Chat Noir as my voice cut off.

Then we were plummeting.

My screaming resumed.

Chat Noir adjusted me midair. My throat began to burn - not from despair or anger, rather from shrieking- and I fell into a coughing fit.

Chat Noir expanded his baton to ridiculous lengths and then we were rising instead of falling. Then falling. Then rising. Then falling.

Until we reached an nondescript rooftop. The Agreste mansion was no longer visible and Bubbler's music was no longer audible. Chat Noir landed without jarring me and set me down gently.

I collapsed, shaking so badly that my legs wouldn't hold me.

"Hey, hey," the masked hero began, "are you alright?"

I bite back my natural 'do I look alright' retort. "I'm fine."

His eyebrows come together like he doesn't believe me- which is fair, I don't feel particularly convincing at the moment. But the movement brings attention to his eyes. His eyes don't have white sclera, instead it's replaced with a more lime green while his irises are a more emerald green. And his pupils are slit, like a cat.

If I hadn't known that he actually had some sort of magic kwami that did the transformation for him, I would have appreciated the effort he put into his costume to find contact lenses that elaborate.

I pushed myself up as a beeping noise sounded from... his ring. It was also flashing.

"Stay here," he said, "You'll be safe."

He turned around and started walking to the edge of the roof.

"W-wait-" I cry out after him.

He didn't wait. He jumped off instead, launching himself with his baton.

Then he was gone.

"I didn't ask if Adrien is okay." I grumbled. Knight drifted out of my pocket.

t̴r҈a̴n̶s҈f҈o҉r̶m̶?̵

I sigh. "I'd just get in the way. I don't know what I'm doing. Besides, Ladybug and Chat Noir are on the case. Let's let the real superheroes heal with this.

Knight looked a little dejected.

I scritch the top of their head, to make them feel better. "I should practice before I actually try to help."

I observed my surroundings. I sat down, feeling cold in my heart. The type of cold that grips someone with icy fingers and doesn't let go. It was a familiar feeling. Loneliness. Helplessness. Weakness. It was like every time I got over one, another would take its place.

I slid down and buried my head in my knees.

. . .

"Plagg! Claws in!"

There was a flash of green light, leaving Adrien Agreste standing in his bedroom. He managed to sneak back in, but the Bubbler was still on high alert.

"Why can't you just relax, for once?" Plagg complained. "We didn't have to save her, she was in a bubble. You should have just waited for Ladybug."

Adrien rolled his eyes. "Now's not the time to complain. Eat this!"

Adrien threw a chunk of cheese at the kwami whose eyes widened.

Intercepting it, Plagg ate it in one gulp. "Ooooh, Camembert. I've missed you!" He patted his stomach, sighing with satisfaction.

"Alright, breaks over!" Adrien proclaimed. "Plagg, claws out!"

"Wait, no, just one more piece-"

The kwami was absorbed with a flash of light and Chat Noir stood in Adrien's place. He pulled out his baton and opened it to the communicator.

"Now I just have to contact Ladybug."

. . .

Alya grinned down at her phone, having just stopped live recording the most recent incident. Chat had saved Keana, then promptly left. It made the blogger's head buzz with questions. Why had decided to only save Keana? Why leave immediately? Is Ladybug here and just biding her time? It was a mystery, and Alya planned on solving it.

Marinette, meanwhile, did not show such joy from the recent incident. She was pale as a ghost and her eyes were wide. Her hands were clenched into fists and she was biting her lip frequently.

"Girl, you okay?" Alya asked, her excitement put on hold in exchange for concern.

Marinette didn't respond for a second. Her ears were burning, her face felt flush, yet her chest felt cold. Her hands were shaking. Her stomach was clenching.

"I- I'm going to the bathroom." She blurted out eventually. Then cringed.

Alya's face softened. The blogger knew the way she reacted to these things wasn't the way a normal person would. She was driven by ambition and the thrill. Given her career interest, she viewed every single one of these terrible events as a chance to advance and become known. Marinette had no interest in any of that. The only thing that might have convinced her to stay and witness this was Adrien. But Adrien was inside and Marinette was clearly scared.

"Girl, I got your back." Alya smiled. "Take as long as you need."

"Thank you," Marinette smiled back, relieved. She started towards the mansion's door. She stopped, spinning around to give Alya a hug. "You're the best."

Then the superheroine in disguise ran inside., ran up the stairs, and burst into the first open room she could find. She shut the door behind her and locked it. The room looked to be a pristine guest room.

Tikki flew out of Marinette's satchel. The kwami looked irritated, but didn't say anything.

Marinette started. "Tikki, I'm-"

"Save it!" Tikki snapped. "We've wasted enough time as it is, this isn't the time for a heart to heart."

"Sorry." Marinette cringed, ears burning and chest aching. "Tikki, spots on!"

The transformation didn't feel elating. It didn't bring relief. It felt reluctant and forced, unlike the rush of energy that occured when she first transformed. Marinette wasn't sure if it was her imagination or because Tikki was mad at her.

The only thing it brought was calm to her thoughts and that was exactly what she needed. It settled her whirlwind of emotions, letting them sink down like stirred up dirt in a lake. One thing was clear, and that was whatever happened today was her fault. She had the power to prevent it, but she didn't purely from selfish desire. It was her fault.

Her yo-yo buzzed against her size. Ladybug slide it open and accepted the call from Chat Noir.

"Ladybug, there's an akuma at the Agreste Mansion."

Ladybug nodded. "I know, I just got here."

The lie felt like ash on her tongue.

"Let's meet up by the back." She said.

Chat Noir smiled coyly. "My Lady, you sure do move fast."

Ladybug didn't react to the flirt. Normally she would roll her eyes or scold him about wasting time. Call him irresponsible. But knowing what she knew, she didn't have it in her to get frustrated. Not when Chat didn't even hesitate to act without her.

"I'll see you," she said instead. Chat Noir frowned, brows furrowed in confusion.

She ended the call before he could react further. She took one deep breath- it didn't really calm her nerves, but she had already wasted enough time. Ladybug couldn't afford to spend an extra thirty seconds to calm down fully.

They had a bubble to burst.

(she hated herself for thinking that.)

. . .

When the Ladybug Wave came, I half expected to see people falling from the sky. Because if the akuma gets erased, that means the bubbles get erased. And if the bubbles get erased- say goodbye to the majority of the Parisian population.

It was a morbid thought, but one that crossed my mind nonetheless.

But the flash of red and pink magic washed away everything. It put everything back into its place. I wondered if the grass the akuma walked on was now unbent. I know the Ladyblog said that Ladybug's power was creation, but everytime these things get fixed, its like they never happened. Like restoration, or some form of time voodoo magic.

(Knight said the Ladybug was of Fortune and Creation. The Black Cat was her partner and of Misfortune and Destruction. I thought the themes mixed well, but it was also mildly irritation that the supposed 'most powerful kwami' was a bug. Knight seemed offended by that for some reason.)

I was still on the roof.

The pink magic seemed hesitant to come near me, as though it knew that one of the things that didn't fall under creation- a very general term to be used as a domain- was instant transportation. I glared at it and it flowed around me.

I remained on the roof, untouched.

The pink light returned and then there was a man standing on the edge of the roof. And a woman just in front of the doorway that led to the roof. Both of them blinked, as though perplexed. The man was frozen, as though afraid to move.

"Charles," the woman said. She had tears leaking down her face. Her hand was partly reached out, as though she longed to grab his hand, but was too afraid to approach.

The man turned to her. He looked fragile, like he was one small poke away from shattering into a million pieces. He took a step.

And ran to her.

They embraced each other in a fierce hug. Her hands were clutching his short like it was a lifeline. His breaths were short and stuttering, like an old car that refused to start up.

They didn't seem to notice me. I was watching an intimate moment between two strangers. I felt out of place. I was out of place. I wondered what events between the two led up to this moment.

The two stood there clinging to each other for what felt like an hour for me, what felt like seconds for them (It was probably only a few minutes), before they noticed me.

The woman opened her eyes, and they landed on me. She froze. I froze. Charles turned and saw me. Then he froze. The woman's cheeks reddened. Charles coughed.

"How long have you been standing there?" The woman asked, her voice think with the residue of tears.

"About an hour." I replied.

One awkward exchange later, and the woman (whose name was Vivienne. A really pretty name) and Charles managed to get me down to the ground level of the apartment.

I didn't wave goodbye. We simply parted ways. I haven't seen them since and they were as much of a mystery to me as I was to them. I was probably a stranger mystery, but they didn't meet Knight, so they probably were not as confused as they could have been.

. . .

As nice of a break as it was to meet the duo, it was only a brief reprieve from my thoughts. Knight was silent- not unusual. But it felt different. I felt different, too. Everything was a mess. There were responsibilities I had now. I didn't want them.

I don't want them.

I understood a fraction of why Ladybug and Chat Noir put themselves at risk when they could have just sit back and watch as the world crumbled around them. It was torture- having the power to do something about it and refusing to help.

I was a terrible person. I was a terrible, selfish person.

It was a realization that came to me while I was on the walk home. The sun was setting, the breeze was absent from the air, and the streets were slowly becoming populated again. The population of this city was not comprised of just the people I knew. There are millions of people in this city, each have their own dreams, struggles, successes. It was hard not to think of a number that big and truly understand the amount of devastation getting wreaked.

Knight stirred.

I shook my head.

I need to be better.

Sorry this one's a tad bit late. Can it be considered late if I don't have a fixed schedule in the first place?

Things are starting to heat up, let's see how our protagonists react.

Comment any constructive criticism or overall thoughts you have. I hope you all enjoyed.