WhIP

by footfungus

nederlands verhalen over mijn otp

15. Ladybug one

Main ContentBroken Melody

BROKEN MELODY

Chapter 1: Where it all started

Notes:

#

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

"As long as you and I both know the truth, does it really matter?" Adrien asked.

Speechless for a moment, Marinette closed her eyes as she sent him a tight smile, "Yeah, you're right." Looking down, she continued to smile as she excused herself, "I'm just going to my locker before class starts." She looked up, hoping her smile didn't falter and left Adrien staring after her.

In the empty locker room, Tikki flew out of her purse and looked concerned at her chosen, "Marinette?"

A bitter smile was on her face as she leaned her back against the wall, "She'll just be hurt more, huh." Marinette whispered, repeating what Adrien had said.

It seems Lila's feelings matter more than her own…

Marinette closed her eyes, remembering Lila lying, making everyone look at her with glares and disappointment, threatening her in the bathroom, lying even more to her… friends. Her eyes slowly opened to reveal a down-casted glaze, "Then what about his friends- Nino? Is he going to let him continue falling for Lila's lies?" she pressed the palm of her hand into her forehead, a strained look on her troubled face, "What am I going to do?" she quietly asked.

Nino was also her friend, but she wasn't his best friend-Adrien is. His words would mean more than hers if what happened earlier in the cafeteria says anything.

Floating in the air with a worried frown, Tikki shook her head and zoomed in front of Marinette's face with a determined look on her tiny face, "Like you said before in the bathroom, you're strong, you're confident, you're Marinette!" she repeated, looking proud, "You can get through anything! I believe you can!"

Blinking back in surprised at the level of confidence her kwami had in her, Marinette closed her eyes and took a deep breath, a new set of determination burned in her eyes once she opened them. Clenching her fists up, Marinette beamed, "You're right! My name is Marinette and something like this can be overcome! No sweat!" she declared as Tikki cheered alongside her.

A gentle smile settled on her lips as she turned a grateful look towards her little friend, cupping her in her hands as she brought her towards her cheeks, "Thank you, Tikki." She whispered.

"No, thank you for being Marinette." Tikki nuzzled into her cheek before planting a kiss there, "You're doing a great job as Ladybug."

When it was nearly time for the bell, Tikki hid back into her purse as Marinette left the locker rooms to head back to class just as the bell rang.

She walked in with almost everyone already taking their seats, as she walked pass Lila who was sending her a smug smirk, Marinette simply smile and waved as she walked to her new seat at the back of the class.

Settled in her new seat, Marinette leaned on her fist as she stared out the window, a relaxed smile on her face, the words Tikki said repeating in her mind.

She could get through this. There's always a way.

While Marinette reassured herself, she didn't notice Adrien at the bottom of the stairs, staring up at her with an awed look on his face. As Adrien continued to stare, a soft smile creeped up on him, having come to a decision. He walked pass his seat where a surprised Lila gaped at him and sat right next to Marinette.

"Good for you for taking the high road, Marinette." He praised, surprising the girl, then looked at his surroundings, "Hey, it's pretty cool up here."

Marinette giggled nervously, a faint blush on her cheeks as Adrien turned his attention to the front.

While she felt… doubtful of his advice, she could see a point to it. Besides, Adrien was like the smartest in the class. He knows what he's talking about, she shouldn't doubt him.

"Stay focused now Marinette. Don't get distracted." She warned to herself in her head, losing herself from her surroundings, however, she was snapped out of it when Adrien told her that Miss Bustier had already called her 3 times now.

"Oh." Marinette looked sheepishly at the teacher.

Unfortunately, because of her blunder, the teacher suggested she sit at the front, next to Lila.

Marinette's eyes widened before looking down with disappointment, getting up and dejectedly saunter off to the front row.

However, Lila shot up from her seat, a wide smile on her face as she announced, "Miss Bustier, this is incredible. My tinnitus, I don't feel it anymore. It's gone. it's a miracle. It must be Ladybug's doing, I can sit in the back now." She lied smoothly, sending a quick smirk at Marinette and walked up the stairs without waiting for the teacher's approval, sitting triumphantly next to a frowning Adrien.

Marinette inwardly sighed, looking down-casted until she heard Alya called out, "Excuse me, Miss Bustier, can I go and sit next to Marinette? Nino and I can't stop chatting it up."

She saw Miss Bustier nod with a smile before Alya plopped down next to her.

Alya leaned towards Marinette, a grin on her face, "You didn't think I'd let my BFF sit all by herself, did you?"

She did.

"A good reporter always verifies her sources. Can you prove she doesn't actually know Ladybug?"

Marinette ignored whatever she felt, pushing it at the back of her head as she smiled at her best friend.

Seeing this move, Adrien raised his hand up, "Excuse me Miss Bustier, can I move, too, please? I'd like to sit next to Nino again." He requested, already standing up as Nino looked ecstatic at his best bro's request. Adrien looked at Lila's shocked face as well as hearing the shocked scoff she unintentionally let out. He sent her a polite smile as he was already moving towards the open, "Sorry Lila, he's my best friend."

Before long, everyone had requested to move back into their old seats with Lila seating at the back of the room, in the empty seat next to Nathaniel, a frown on her face.

The rest of the day went smoothly as Marinette walked out the entrance of Collège Françoise Dupont.

"Catch you later, Marinette. Bye." Nino waved, both he and Alya taking off.

Marinette smiled them off before turning to walk home, unfortunately she bumped right into Lila who had her arms crossed.

"I see you've made your decision, Marinette." The Italian girl leans into her ear, "From now on, you and I are at war. You will lose your friends and wind up all alone and Adrien will soon be mine." She threatened, leaning back with a smug smile.

Marinette simply gave the liar a confident smile, "We'll see about that, Lila, we'll see." She patted her arm and walks away, leaving Lila gaping in surprise. She could hear her growl before taking off in the opposite direction with a huff.

She couldn't help but feel a bit satisfied with that small victory.

When Marinette entered her house through the bakery, she greeted her parents on the way, then went up the stairs and into her home. Entering her room, she placed her bags down and flopped down on her pink chaise, an exhausted sigh escaping her. Even though the day eventually ended up fine, she would have preferred if today never happened at all.

Tikki flew out of her purse and hovered over her chosen's face, "Marinette, are you going to be okay?" the little kwami asked.

Marinette stared up at her ceiling, taking a moment to answer, "I'll be fine-things will be fine. Lila's lies are inconsistent and are easily exposed. Someone else will catch on soon." Her eyes lowered as if tired, "A quick internet search will tell you that Jagged Stone never had a cat. Rose and Prince Ali are on good terms. Whenever he's in Paris, he'd look up Rose and they get ice cream together and Rose's a sweet girl, she would most likely ask about the things Lila had done." She closed her eyes and breathed, "And Adrien knows she's lying so that's good." She didn't want sweet Adrien to be caught up in that liar's lies.

She wouldn't know what she would do if he didn't believe her.

She placed an arm over her eyes as she continued, "Before she could take away any of my friends, Lila's lies will eventually be exposed." She stated, her voice becoming quieter and quieter, "I have faith in them."

Mylène turned to her, looking disgusted at her, "Are you proud of yourself?"

"Lila's in even more pain now, all because of you." Kim added, mirroring Mylène.

"They're my friends, everything will be alright." She whispered.

Tikki looked at her with worried eyes.

While what Marinette said was sound, it sounded like she was trying to convince herself of those things.

Notes:

I hope you enjoyed this, let me know if something is seriously out of character even in fanfic standards cause I really wanna write a depressed and breaking down Marinette... Sorry...
Now to figure out how to transition feelings...
This follows some of the episodes and some not, and I need to figure out which episodes I want to include.

Also, I'm new to this site so I don't really know if I'm doing this right...

Chapter 2: Trust falls

Notes:

#

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Marinette tried to listen to Adrien's advice.

She tried to follow through and tried not to expose the liar.

But as she stood back and watch her friends get taken advantage of by some siren's tales for the next few days, Marinette felt herself getting frustrated.

She felt helpless that she didn't try to prevent her friends from eventually getting hurt.

She couldn't stand back and just watch her friends be tricked, but she also couldn't ignore Adrien's advice.

So, she tried to find a way.

She had made it to school with time to spare but she stopped at the entrance when she Lila who was talking to Kim, watching as the boy was gesturing towards her bookbag, but not before doing some flexing.

She watched as she could probably guess Lila was going to take advantage of his kindness by spinning another tale.

"Here Lila, let me carry your bags for you." Kim offered with a bright smile, "Don't want you spraining your wrist."

"Oh, thank you, Kim!" Lila placed her hands together and leaned her cheek on it with a smile, "That's so kind of you!" she praised, letting him carry her bags and books, "This kind of reminds me the time I bumped into Stephanie Brice on one of my travels." she baited when she saw they were walking towards a crowd of her classmates.

And he was hooked when his face brightened at the name of the famous swimmer's name, "Gold Olympian Stephanie Brice?! You've met her before?! That's so awesome!"

The volume of his voice grabbed the other's around her, wanting to hear stories of another celebrity.

"Really?!" it was Alya's voice from among the crowd, her phone already out and mostly likely recording. Nino didn't stray far from her as they were previously holding hands.

"Why yes!" Lila nodded, now standing in the middle of the crowd, most of her classmates giving their attention to her, "Let me tell you…" she began telling, hooking everyone in and bathing in their attention.

While everyone drank up her stories without question-without a shred of doubt, Marinette clutched the strap of her bag.

"Marinette?" she heard a small voice calling from below and looked down to see Tikki peeking out of her purse, "What's the matter? Isn't the bell going to ring soon?"

Marinette simply gave the small kwami a slight smile, "Yeah… just lost in thought." she said and waited for her to hide back in her purse.

If she couldn't expose Lila's lies, she should try to show her friends the truth before they could get any more hurt.

"Do you have any proof that she's lying?"

She needed to try harder.

"Hey, Marinette!"

Lila was enjoying her reign throughout the week as she waited hand and foot by her gullible classmates. All she needed was for Adrien to be hers.

And as a bonus, ruin Marinette.

Lila knew what she was doing, knew what a goody-two shoes a girl like Marinette was and she knew just how to turn things her way. So, when she had spotted the pigtailed girl arriving to school, she couldn't help but laugh at her luck when the loud monkey approached her and offered her his assistance.

This was too easy.

As a crowd formed around her at the bottom of the stairs before the classrooms of Collège Françoise Dupont, waiting excitedly about her new and amazing experience in her travels while being served hand and foot by fools that was her classmates.

Not all her classmate was here but it would have to do for now.

Lila gave a quick smug glance at a glaring Marinette standing by herself over her shoulder and she could easily picture her plan coming to fruition. She knew what she was doing, she was baiting the one less dumb person from her class by manipulating her soon to be ex-friends. It was only a matter of time before she snapped and try to expose her like last time, and that's when she'll strike.

But by then, she'll just have to slowly build up her case.

She turned back to her fellow listeners and continued her tale about a famous swimmer this time.

Inwardly, the Italian liar narrowed her eyes at her. Things would be so much easier if she had just followed along like the rest of these fools-It's her fault for not wanting to fall for her lies, and if she wants to expose those lies, well…

Bring it on.

It's not her fault that she'll always get her way.

"Hey, Marinette!"

Marinette jumped with a squeak, spinning around to see Adrien running towards her with a smile while his car behind him, drove off. His blond hair whipping back and forth with the sun reflecting off his hair.

He looks so perfect.

"Hey." She breathed out dreamily before quickly snapping out of it, "I-I mean Hey! Adrien! H-How are dou yoing-Doing! How are you doing?!" she stuttered out, her cheeks blushing at her blunder.

Adrien raised a brow but simply smiled at her. It was such a typical Marinette fashion that he was sorta getting used to, "I'm doing fine. I had an early morning photo shoot but luckily it ended early and I was able to make it before class starts."

Marinette couldn't help smiling dreamily. She was talking to her crush, whatever she was feeling was healed by him. Her day couldn't get any better, "Yeah, lucky." She sighed out.

Adrien then looked over her shoulder, his smile continued to stay, letting Marinette fantasise about him smiling at her for the rest of her life. She would bet that just that smile would make her day heaps better.

"I see Lila is making friends."

She was snapped out of it, her body straightened, "What…?"

Adrien gestured over to the crowd surrounding Lila with his chin, "Seems like she's fitting in, that's good."

"But… she's lying to them…" she quietly said, a frown on her face.

Adrien gently shook his head, "Maybe that's just her trying to fit in." he looked at her, "If we try to push her in the right direction, maybe she'll stop and tell the truth." He smiled hopefully at Marinette before moving forward, "Come on, lets head to class before we're late."

Marinette lifted her hand, about to grab his hand to stop him but just stop herself short and pulled back, "But our friends will get hurt if we wait any longer." The thought crossed her mind, staring after him with a blank face.

Throughout these last few days, she had at least warned Alya and Nino to be careful, but it was simply for nothing as she could see her best friend with her phone up, continuing to record some new tale Lila was spinning.

No matter what she had said, her advice was labelled as jealousy on her part.

Looking away with a frown, Marinette slowly walked towards the staircase that was away from the crowd.

As she reached the stairs, she was unfortunate enough to see the smirk Lila shot at her as she passed by the crowd.

Ignoring the smirk she got from the liar, Marinette looked forward.

Even if her friends didn't believe in her yet, her and Adrien were in this together.

She took a deep breath before entering the classroom, greeting Miss Bustier and smiling at Adrien before taking her seat behind him.

Her smile slowly dropped as she stared at her backpack in her lap with her tablet in it.

She knew what Lila was going to do and she wanted her friends to not get hurt in the process.

She took a deep breath as she took out her tablet, remembering the words that Adrien gave her.

"If you humiliate her, she'll just be hurt more. Making a bad guy suffer has never turned them into a good guy."

What he said makes sense, but…

She swallowed hard, putting on a smile as Alya came bouncing in with a wide grin on her face, phone in hand as she made her way towards her.

The others milling in with Lila coming in last with a smug smirk on her face that only Marinette saw.

"As long as you and I both know the truth, does it really matter?"

It should matter. Their friends were getting played.

They didn't believe her.

By the end of the day, just as Adrien had to leave for fencing practice, Lila had caught up to him and latched onto his arm with a smile, spouting a simple request from him.

Adrien gave a nervous laugh as he tried to lean away from her as she once again spewed another of her outrageous lie as well as inputting a request for his help- anything to get the two of them alone together.

As that happened, Marinette and her friends walked out of the locker room, with Marinette immediately having caught Adrien looking immensely uncomfortable with having his personal space invaded.

"Do you think Adrien needs help?" Marinette asks, pulling Alya and Nino's attention from each other and onto their blond friend.

"The dude's got it all." Nino chuckles, a playful look in his eyes.

An amused grin lit up on Alya, immediately conjuring a small plan for her best friend and crush, "Marinette, don't be silly. You're just jealous that Lila's trying to hit on Adrien." She chuckled, "But I'll do you a favour and get her away from him." The reporter playfully grinned and winked at her, "I'll get her to give me another interview for my Ladyblog so use that chance to talk to the boy." Her eyes then twinkled at the prospect of more views, "Last time, her interview got me the highest number of hits ever! Maybe she'll get me another." She excitedly thought out loud.

Marinette looked away from her crush and enemy and held her hand out towards Alya, as if stopping her, "Maybe you shouldn't post it, don't you think all her stories are outrageous, you should probably see if what she's saying is true." Marinette tried.

Alya huffed, "Girl, don't worry, a good reporter always verifies her sources, do you have any proof that she's lying?" she rebutted, somewhat defensively.

Nino looked at their small friend with a frown, "Dudette, that's not cool, Alya knows what's she's doing." He defended Alya, then looked at Lila, remembering her promises to him when they first met, "You should try giving her a chance before you judge her like that." A girl who offers to mention his name to one of the famous movie directors ever for nothing in return can only be a kind person. That was a cool dude in his books.

Marinette clenched her fist. Not saying anything. She could see her best friend was getting annoyed with her and she didn't want to push it. Besides, last time didn't work so it must be the way she presented her proof- she would need to figure a different way for her to see the truth.

Afterall, Alya is her best friend.

Seeing Marinette's silence, Alya tried to reassure her as she put her hand on her shoulder, "I know what I'm doing, don't you trust me, girl?"

Marinette gulped, hoping that she could, "… Yeah." She whispered, slightly strained but they didn't notice.

The reporter nodded her head with a smile, satisfied. She then dragged her boyfriend up the stairs, calling out for the Italian girl.

Marinette walking after them.

Adrien let a sigh of relief when Alya called out to them, wanting another interview for her blog.

When Lila saw Marinette with them, she gave a smirk but quickly made it into a sweet smile as she let go of Adrien's arm and skipped over to them.

"Sure, I would love to, anything for a friend." She smiled sweetly at them, letting Alya lead them away with an excited spring in her step, ready to fire questions that she had been saving up. Lila gave Marinette a smug smirk as she walked pass her.

Marinette stared after them-stared at Alya, hoping she would notice something off in her interview with Lila. Once they disappear down the stairs, she walked over to Adrien who was rubbing his arm as if to get some blood flowing again from Lila's grip, "You know, if Lila's making you uncomfortable, you can tell her to back off if you're not comfortable with her touching you." She stared at him, something akin to exhaustion in her eyes.

Adrien let out a weak laugh, shrugging it off, "It's fine, I'm used to it from people at the photoshoots and Chloé. It's fine-"

"Adrien."

The authoritative tone in the way she spoke his name made him stop and look at her with surprise, "It's okay to say no." she stared at him with a look he couldn't figure out and watched as she walks away.

Later that day, Tikki had watched Marinette trying to keep herself occupied as she glanced at her computer occasionally, the Ladyblog's Home page opened.

From doing her homework, to getting her a plate of cookies, to designing, her eyes would trail back to the screen, a worried look on her face.

"Marinette?" Tikki called out. The little kwami didn't have to ask what was wrong when Marinette shot her an uneasy smile.

"It's already 4, do you think Alya noticed something off about her interview?" she asked, sounding hopeful, but it quickly faded when she looked at her phone, "But then she would have called me about it…" she mumbled to herself, pacing back and forth, eyes focused at her phone in front of her.

Stuffed with her cookies, Tikki floated up to Marinette's shoulder, "Since you finished everything for today, why don't you relax? Take a nap, you look tired." She suggested, pointing to her chaise.

Marinette looked at the pointed furniture. A nap did sound pretty good, "Yeah, it's been a while since I last relaxed." She absentmindedly agreed, moving over to her pink chaise and settling down, her phone in her hand.

She bit her lip, staring at her phone from the corner of her eye before turning it on, making sure she'd get a notification from the Ladyblog or news of a new akuma. Satisfied, Marinette laid down as Tikki flew up to her forehead to plant a kiss there, wishing her sweet dreams before she flew back down and curled up onto her stomach, slipping into a food coma.

Tikki stirred awake when she noticed she wasn't lying on top of Marinette's stomach but on the chaise by herself. Looking around, she spotted her chosen at her desk, her arms wrapped around her knees as she stared straight at her glowing screen.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Tikki flew next to Marinette's head, looking at the screen that her chosen was focused on.

On the screen was the Ladyblog with the newest update, "Marinette, what's wrong?"

Marinette stared at the screen, giving it a long stare with a sombre expression, tightening her grip around her knees and lowered her head to them, "I had hoped that Alya was able to see through Lila's lies this time," she whispered, closing her eyes for a moment.

She took in a shaky breath, as if preparing herself and slowly peeked her eyes over her knees, staring back at the interview on the Ladyblog- another lie about Ladybug, "but… I guessed I had put too much hope in her." She mumbled, letting her head fall back in her knees as if to find comfort.

"A good reporter always verifies her sources."

Tikki's antennas drooped, "Oh, Marinette." She said, sadly, flying over to her chosen's cheek, wiggling into the space between her arm and cheek and nuzzling her cheek, giving her as much comfort as she could, "Maybe she'll ask Ladybug to confirm it at the next akuma battle."

Marinette simply nodded her head as she held herself tighter.

Notes:

"I had hoped that Alya was able to see through Lila's lies this time, but… I guessed I had put too much hope in her." pretty much started this whole fic because of this line, lol.

Stephanie Brice is a parody of Stephanie Rice, 2008 gold Olympian.

I hope I'll be able to transition Marinette's feelings from Adrien smoothly...

Hope you liked it.

Chapter 3: Cinder-rella

Notes:

#

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The next day, Marinette went to school with plenty of time before the bell. She looked around and could see some of her friends were here but was occupied with their own inner groups of friends.

She saw Alya sitting at the bench by herself, smiling at her phone.

It seemed that Nino hasn't arrived yet.

Taking a deep breath in, Marinette put on a smile and marched over to Alya.

"Morning, Alya." She greeted, taking a seat next to the grinning girl.

Alya whipped her head at her best friend, placing an arm over her shoulder and dragging Marinette close to her, "Girl, you won't believe it, but Lila's interview got me even more views then before!" she squealed, showing her phone to her that was opened to said interview, "It beat out her first interview she did for me!" she then leaned back, retrieving her arm back from Marinette's shoulder to hold onto her phone as she watched the view count go up, letting her best friend enjoy the moment with her, "Man, Lila has really great stories-from being the best friends with Ladybug and all the travelling she got to go with her mom." She gushed, not realised the frown on Marinette's face.

Marinette bit her lip.

She should say something.

Alya's blog was important to her.

If she continued at this rate, her credibility would be gone.

"Hey, Alya-"

"Did you watch the interview, Marinette?" Alya turned to her with a smile, placing her phone on her lap, "What did you think? Wasn't Lila's stories exciting?" she asked.

Marinette blinked before her eyes slowly trailed off, "O-Oh, yeah, I watched it…"

"Yeah?! What did you think?" she leaned forward, watching her friend's reaction.

Marinette squeezed her fists on her lap once, then twice before slowly answering, "Alya…" she looked her best friend in the eyes. Maybe this time, she might get through to her, "Don't you think her stories are a bit… too much?" her heart squeezed when she saw the disappointed look appear on her face.

"Girl." Alya sighed out, holding her hand to her head as she shook her head, "Chill. Lila got the most incredible life, her mom's a diplomat so she travels a lot. She was bound to meet all these famous people, doing amazing things. You don't need to be jealous; you've also done some incredible things yourself." She placated her with her hands on her shoulders, "Maybe you and Lila can bond and get rid of whatever misunderstanding you have with her."

Marinette nodded her head, eyes downcast as she forced out a smile, "Yeah… I'll try."

Alya grinned, and nodded, satisfied, "That's my girl." But she noticed that she still looked a bit upset so she tried to change topic, something to take her mind off of the Italian girl, "Hey, this Saturday, Nino wants to take me out on a date, but we need someone to look after our siblings." She explained, leaning forward with her hands together, one eye closed with a smile, "Can you look after them for us?" she asked.

"Huh-Oh, yeah, sure." Marinette nodded, one hand holding her arm, "Saturday, right."

Alya hugged Marinette to her, "You're the best, girl." She squeezed, but then she noticed her boyfriend arriving at the entrance, "I'll go tell Nino the good news." She said and took off.

Marinette was left alone on the bench.

She had failed again.

She held herself and squeezed her arms.

She needed to try harder.

Tikki wiggled herself from the purse when she realised her chosen has gone silent and without planning to move. A worried look on the kwami's face as the little god was about to reach out to her, "Mari-"

"Marinette?"

Tikki quickly ducked back into the purse, her flippers over her mouth as she listened in.

Marinette looked up to see a concerned look on Rose's face. Behind her was Juleka who also looked concerned for her.

"Oh, hey guys." Marinette smiled for them.

Hands clutched over her heart with Juleka's hands on her shoulders as if giving her strength while Rose leaned towards Marinette with a worried look, asked innocently, "Did something happened with Adrien?" She had saw Alya and her talking and she thought they were going to gather all the girls up to plan another romantic strategy on how Marinette and Adrien can get together. But Marinette didn't look happy at all.

The question made Marinette subconsciously tense up, "No, this isn't about him." She stiffly said, her eyes turned away from them.

She bit the inside of her cheek.

Was everything she did always involved Adrien?

It was no wonder why Alya thought she was jealous.

All her actions were always about Adrien.

Her fashion was undeniable linked to Gabriel Agreste-one of the top fashions, which Adrien just so happens to be a part of. She wanted to impress the top fashion icon with her skills-show him what a great designer she is- which a part of her also wanted to impress Adrien with.

When hanging out with the girls, it was always to plan how she was going to get together with Adrien.

And whenever there was a group outing and Adrien was there, she'd be distracted.

Just how much did her life revolved around him?

When was the last time she didn't have Adrien on her mind and just enjoy the moment?

Rose and Juleka shot a concerned look at each other before each nodding as if understanding what the other wanted to say.

Juleka let go of Rose as the small girl move forward, grabbing Marinette's hands with a bright smile, "Marinette, do you want to come over after school for Kitty Section's rehearsal?" she asked with her high-pitched voice, a sunny smile on her face, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Juleka nodded, as if encouraging her to come, "We could use someone's opinion about our music." she added quietly, almost a mumble.

Marinette blinked surprised at the invite.

Seeing her surprise, Rose retracted her offer with a slight frown, not wanting to pressure her, "Unless you already have plans after school?"

Marinette quickly spoke to reassure, "No, I love to see you guys rehearse!" she smiled at them, "I can't wait to hear your songs, I'm sure they'll be great like the previous ones."

At the praise, Rose's face lit up as her and Juleka took a seat besides Marinette, proceeding to talk about the band.

Both Marinette and Juleka were happy to listen to Rose's rambles.

When it was time to go to class, they entered the classroom, Marinette gave the two girls a smile and a wave as they split off to their desks.

But when she caught eyes with Adrien already sitting at the front, receiving a friendly smile from him, she couldn't help her heart that stuttered at the simple action, giving him back a shy smile.

Even though her life had included so much of Adrien in her mind, she couldn't help her heart from beating for him.

He made her happy and that's all it matters.

When Miss Bustier dismissed the class for lunch, everyone started to pack up and leave.

From her spot at the back of the classroom, Lila watched Marinette exit the room with her main group of friends with a smile on her face, only to be wiped off when Chloé roughly pushed her to the side and latched onto Adrien.

Smirking at the scowl on Marinette's face, Lila looked around who was left in the classroom and locked her eyes on the small girl with pink hair, Alix.

She was going to turn Marinette's friends against her, and she was going to make good on that promise.

Putting on a cheerful smile on her face, she skipped over to the girl who was telling Nathaniel to go ahead of her.

"Hey Alix!" she greeted, one hand holding her strap and the other placed on her bag, "I heard from Kim that you liked to roller blade."

Alix greeted her back, "Yeah, did you hear that I beat him in one of his challenges?" she grinned, a smug look in her eyes as she remembers the day.

"My cousin taught me how to blade when I was still in Italy. She competed in tons of Women's Roller Derby championships and said that I was good enough to enter."

Alix looked intrigued as she crossed her arms with a competitive smirk, "Well, maybe you and I should compete." She offered, "I'm always up for a good competition."

Lila wasn't fazed but instead, let out a disappointed sigh as she cupped her cheek, "Unfortunately, due to a foot injury, I'm unable to blade."

Alix looked disappointed as she let her hands fall to her side, "Well that's a shame." She shouldered her backpack and headed towards the door with a wave, "Well, I'll be heading to the art room."

Lila blinked and quickly called out to Alix when she was no longer interested in her stories, "Wait, you're interested in art? What kind of art?" she made sure to happily jog over to the short pink haired girl, "I've been told I got quite the eye for art."

Alix stopped at the door with a raised brow.

An action like that made Lila tread carefully with her next set of lies.

"I do street art." Alix answered.

Lila pressed her hands together, crossing her fingers as she made herself looked perky, "Ooh, I love street art, they are so…" she quickly thought up a word before the girl in front of her would get too suspicious, "expressive!" she settled, "I've done some painting myself but I had to stop because of my arthritis, but when it gets better, I would love to show you some of my works."

"Maybe you could show me some of your past works?"

"Again, I would love to, but I donated them to a fundraising to help support the environment, and every one of my art was sold off." She gave her an apologetic smile.

"Oh, really? That's cool." Alix said with a deadpanned voice. Not that she didn't think that what Lila has done was amazing, it was just that she felt more disappointed with the results more than anything.

A passing by Mylène and her boyfriend, Ivan, stopped when the environment enthusiast overheard Lila's kind act.

"Really? That's amazing." Mylène praised; her eyes wide with adoration.

Seeing a new target that was fully hooked on her 'accomplishments' Lila quickly latched onto her new target of Marinette's friends.

"Why yes!" she chirped, casually paying Mylène and Ivan her 'attention'.

Seeing that their conversation was over, Alix told them that she was going now. But they didn't hear her as they were too involved in the conversation. She didn't mind though and just walked towards the art room, not noticing the narrowed gaze Lila directed at her.

She had made a small mistake.

She should have targeted Alix when she had more information about the girl, observed her some more, but she didn't think Alix suspected her of lying or anything. As long as she wasn't like Marinette-a little Miss Goody Two-Shoes, trying to expose her, then everything should still go her way.

But for now, she should back off from Alix before she'd suspected that something was wrong.

And if she couldn't win her over like Marinette, then she'll just have to ruin her.

Better pick your side, Alix Kubdel.

Lunch was buzzing when Aurore and Mireille had arrived at school, having just came back from the TVi studio, they were told some good news about some upcoming job after school.

Aurore was of course excited and some classmates who had noticed their famous classmates just arriving to school together gathered towards them, Aurore who didn't mind their curious questions simply told them as the producer said that their upcoming show wasn't a secret, in fact, encouraged her to get her friends to tune in to their programme.

But Mireille on the other hand was feeling just a… tad nervous about it.

While it was exhilarating doing something out of her comfort zone, she was always going to feel nervous before the big thing. Politely excusing herself from the crowd of her classmates, Mireille went to search for her friend who was in his final year, Théo.

She found her friend in one of the art rooms, working on his final project which was another sculpture.

"Hey." She greeted, snapping him out of his concentration.

Théo looked up, smiling at his friend, "Oh hey, Mireille, what's up?"

Mireille entered the room with a weary smile, hoping he had some comforting words for her.

Chloé had come back from the Le Grand Paris for lunch in a foul mood. She impatiently waited for Sabrina to open the door of her luxurious limo, and once she was out, pushed her expensive handback into Sabrina's awaiting arms. Stomping towards the school Chloé sneered at the person in the centre of attention, and just as she was about to go over to Aurore and taunt her, the bell had rung.

The reason for her foul mood was all because of the TV crew setting up their equipment at the Le Grand Paris.

Obviously, she had walked over to them and had graciously offered to appear in front of the camera but was rejected by the show's producer.

The bald man should be fired!

They should feel honoured to have the Queen Bee even grace them with her presence, not reject her kind offer.

Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous!

Luckily for her, she saw who would be appearing in front of the cameras instead of her.

But for now, she would have to deal with those two after school.

Exiting the school, while Juleka, Rose and Ivan (who was told what was going on) waited for Marinette by the side of the stairs, Marinette waved bye to Alya and Nino as they parted ways.

"I can't wait to hear you guys." Marinette excitedly said, all four of them heading towards the Liberty, "Is it that song you've been writing in Art Club?"

Rose nodded excitedly, a skip to her step, "Yes! I was having a bit of a hard time writing the last bit, but I think it sounds good! Juleka says she likes it!"

Juleka nodded as she mumbled out a 'yeah'.

Ivan was happy to let the girls talk, chiming in every now and then. Of course, they would include him in and ask for his opinions and he would give it to them.

However, as the happy group walked off, a storm was waiting to brew as Chloé exited the school, waiting for her target.

She had made Sabrina to track down if the two weather girls were still within the school.

Sabrina had come running out to quickly report what she had found out.

Unfortunately, one had left before the other so she would have to settle on just dealing with one commoner.

When Mireille finally came out after getting one last comforting encouragement from her friend, she noticed that her ride wasn't here yet.

Unfortunately, she saw the school bully with her min-friend waiting at the bottom of the stairs and she hoped she didn't have to deal with her, especially today.

As she walked down the stairs, minding her own business, she quickly stopped before she could bump into Chloé who suddenly appeared in front of her with her arms crossed over her chest, a taunting smile on her face as she began in a screechy voice.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Mireille Caquet, small town weather girl." She mocked.

Mireille hunched into herself, a frown on her face, "Chloé…" she mumbled out.

"Honest, to think they put you in front of the cameras is just ridiculous, utterly ridiculous." Chloe sneered with a taunting smirk, "Seriously, couldn't they have chosen someone with style and class, someone like moi?" she huffed, flicking her ponytail, "They should be begging Queen Bee to present on camera, not some rags-wearing peasant." She laughed mockingly, giving her a once over. Seriously, those hideous bright orange shoes, those white jeans and with that utterly ridiculous sweater? She was just a walking fashion disaster. Noticing the look on her face, she couldn't help but let out an amused smirk, "Oh what, are you going to cry now?" she raised a brow with her hips jutting out.

Satisfied at the amount of trash talk she delivered, she let out a laugh and flipped her hair back, "Come, Sabrina." She called without looking if her friend was following and walked towards her awaiting limo.

Standing alone on the pavement, Mireille lips wobbled as she hugged herself, feeling self-conscious now.

A window spread out, letting light into the dark room as white butterfly scattered about, there, standing in the middle of the room was a smirking Hawk Moth, turning one of the pure butterflies into his akuma.

"Ahh, Chloé Bourgeois, I can always count on you to cause negative emotions." He chuckled, releasing his akuma and watching it fly, "Fly away, my little akuma, and evilize her!"

A car had had finally arrived for her and the driver quickly apologised for the delay before driving to the Le Grand Paris for her job.

Mireille didn't speak as she quietly wiped the tears from her eyes.

Once they arrived, Mireille was dreading to enter the residence of Chloé Bourgeois, but she had a job to do.

Telling the doorman her name before gaining entry, the two didn't notice that a purple butterfly slipped through the door and landed on Mireille's orange school messenger bag.

"Poor Cinder-rella, ridiculed and mocked. Your self-confidence must be hurting right now. I will help you prove the world and everyone who ever hurt you how well you truly shine and all you have to do in return is help me the Miraculous. Do we have a deal?"

"Yes, Hawk Moth."

Marinette clapped her hands and cheered when Kitty Section neared the end of their last note, jumping up from the couch she showered them with praises.

"Wow! You guys sound amazing! There was so much energy! The lyrics are fun, and the melody was awesome!" she grinned at them.

"Thanks Marinette!" Rose grinned as she fitted the microphone to the stand. She excused herself from the band to get something to drink for her throat. She may had overdone it a bit to cheer Marinette up.

Juleka joined her and asked if Ivan wanted a drink in which he just got up to join the two girls.

Reeling from the high energy, Marinette plopped back down on the couch with a smile. Thinking that the others would enjoy this as well, but thinking about Alya and what had happened in the morning made the smile on her face slip off.

Her plan to get Alya to see the truth didn't work and for some reason, it was her words against Lila's. She knew Jagged Stone, commissioned for him and even had him in her home and knows he definitely doesn't have a kitten and he was only allergic to non-organic flour. But Alya didn't consider that aspect. She showed Alya proof before, a quick internet search to show she wasn't in Kingdom of Achu with Prince Ali, but Lila managed to lie her way out. She showed her that her wrist wasn't sprained when she threw a napkin at her, but even that was turned against her. She frowned deeper at that. Maybe she needed to try a different tactic, maybe she needed to get someone else to show them the truth, someone not… her…

A sad, low strumming sounded from besides her, snapping her out of her gloom to see Luka taking a seat beside her, who had now changed his tune to a surprised and high strum before settling into a fun bumpy strum.

"Luka!" she greeted, looking at him amused.

"Hey, Marinette." He smiled at her, his strumming coming to a rest, "Did you enjoy the show?"

"Of course I did, you guys are so amazing, if you ever decide you want to go big, there's no doubt you guys will be big."

Luka chuckled at her compliment, a fond smile on his lips as he looked down, his eyes half-lidded as he glanced at his electric guitar. He had seen the sad frown on her face, and he wanted to cheer her up without prying.

But he had to get the ball at least rolling in order to do anything.

He reached out to her, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Hey, Marinette," he started, his ocean eyes staring into her surprise bluebell ones, "Juleka and Rose told me why they invited you and I just wanted to ask are you okay."

Startled, Marinette blinked before looking away from him and putting up a smile, "Oh, uhh, it's not- it's not that bad, I'm fine." She tried to reassure him, even adding a small laugh, "Just that…" her eyes turn to the floorboards, her smile fading just a bit, "I encountered this problem and all the solutions I tried so far… doesn't seem to work…" she said, by the end, her voice turned quiet and for a moment, they settled into silence before Marinette whipped her head at him, a determined look in her eyes, pulling Luka in, "But there's always a solution to a problem, I just have to try harder to find the right one." She nodded, bring her fists up and nodding to herself.

Luka stared at the determined girl's eyes with admiration, giving her shoulder a small squeeze as if to support her, "I believe you can find the answer to your problem, but if for some unfortunately reason that you can't, I'll be here for you, Marinette. The others as well." He smiled softly at her, "You'll always be welcomed here."

Marinette stared at him; her lips slightly parted as his words sunk into her head. As she realised what he had offered her, Marinette smiled gratefully at him, "Thanks, Luka."

Before they could say anything else, all their phones were suddenly notified. They pulled they phones up to see that it was an akuma alert.

The holder of the Ladybug miraculous quickly shot up from the couch.

"Marinette?" Luka called out.

"Sorry, I have to go! I need to check if my parents are okay!" she quickly excused, already hurrying towards the stairs that lead to the deck.

The others called after her, telling her it would be safer to stay together and not go out alone if there was an akuma lose in the city, but Marinette's brows furrowed as she had to ignore them and go save the akuma victim.

Luka stared after her.

"Urgh!" Marinette groaned once she was hidden in an alleyway, "And after Rose and Juleka invited me to their practice, this happens. Doesn't Hawk Moth ever take a break?"

Tikki flew out of her purse, "It can't be helped, being a superhero comes first, Marinette." The ladybug kwami reminded.

"I know, I just…" Marinette let out a sigh before saying the magic words to transform, "Tikki! Spots On!"

Aurora was getting her final touch up done by one of the stylists when all of a sudden her and the people in the room heard panic from outside the restaurant they were in.

"What's going on?" Aurora asked them, getting up from her chair.

"We don't know, nobody said anything about this." One of the security guards answered, "Stay here, I'll go check it out." He said as he moved towards the door, only to be flung back when the door burst open to reveal a girl in a blue cinderella-like dress, the difference was the she had a dark queen's collar covering her neck with a aquamarine round broach underneath, a dark blue sash over her shoulder and instead of a ball grown, it was switched out with a short asymmetrical skirt with the back reaching just at her knees.

"CHLOÉ BOURGEOIS, COME OUT!" the girl yelled out, walking confidently in the room in long glass-like knee-length pumps over black tights.

She pointed her finger encased in a black evening glove at a nearby person, which happens to be the security guard who was getting up from the ground, "Bring out Chloé Bourgeois at once!" she ordered.

The security guard scowled and walked towards her, intending to remove her from set since the people had booked the restaurant for a couple of hours, "Excuse me Miss, but you're not allowed to be here, this is a closed set."

The girl in front of him frowned, displeased that she was ignored. She didn't say anything but simply walked towards the approaching guard.

"Miss-"

He stopped when she touched his suit jacket and the next second everyone knew, his outfit melted into rags.

"What the-?!" he yelled, shocked. He then felt a touch on his bare hands and before he knew it, he uncomfortably felt his pits sweating profusely, staining his already ruined suit, his skin felt really oily and his nose twitched when a bad case of B.O sudden appear out of nowhere.

He looked very unhygienic.

"I told you to bring me Chloé Bourgeois." She repeated, glaring at him.

The people around them began screaming and trying to escape once they realised that the girl was an akuma.

Aurore was also about to run as well but froze when the akuma locked eyes on her.

"Ahh, Aurore Beauréal." The akuma turned to her and began slowing stalking towards her, "Even though I won, you were always so confident on camera, so radiant. I was always envious of that." She sneered as she continued.

"Mireille?!" Aurore was shocked, finally recognising her. Even though she had the same hairstyle with a black hairband, she also had an additional bun on her head. She wondered how such a kind girl got akumatized.

"I'm not Mireille anymore! I'm Cinder-rella!" she screeched, charging forward with her hand out.

Aurore panicked and bought her parasol up to defend her, watching in horror as she watched her parasol rotting, holes ripping through the fabric.

"This time, I'll be the one to show everyone just how bright I can shine!"

Chloé huffed with annoyance, waiting impatiently for Ladybug to come give her her Bee Miraculous so they could quickly get this over with.

She had immediately went up on the roof when Sabrina had told her there was an akuma within the building, an excited smile on her face as she turned on her bee signal.

"Just where is she?" Chloé demanded, keeping a lookout around her, "She'll definitely need me if she wants to defeat the akuma." She huffed, crossing her arms.

"Of course!" Sabrina agreed whole-heartedly, "There's no way she won't give you the Bee Miraculous!"

Chloé huffed, "I'm all she needs. No need to bring the extras."

Ladybug ran along the roofs, keeping her eyes on the Le Grand Paris in her line on sight while she glanced at her yo-yo compact for further news.

"Ahh, M'lady. Lovely to see you this lovely evening." A playful voice joined her on the roofs.

Ladybug turned to see her partner running alongside her, "Nice to see you drop in, Kitty."

Chat Noir grinned, leaping with her to the next rooftop, "Did you hear about the akuma? Apparently, she's turning people from rags to riches. For me though, I much prefer the other way around." Before he caught up to his M'lady, he managed to catch a glimpse of the akuma on his baton, "Well, M'lady, shall we go to the ball?" He grinned.

Ladybug simply sighed and ran faster to the location, causing Chat to call out after her.

"W-Wait up, M'lady!"

Chloé stomped her foot, "She's taking too long!" she scowled.

Sabrina tried to placate her, "M-Maybe she got lost?"

"P-lease!" she looked away haughtily, waving her manicured nails at her, "Everyone who's a somebody knows about my daddy's hotel. There's no way she doesn't know."

Sabrina anxiously tried to think of something else to make her best friend happy.

But she didn't have time when the door to the roof was busted down and out walked Cinder-rella.

"Chloé Bourgeois!" Cinder-rella called out, looking around the patio, until her eyes landed on her target. A smirk slowly appeared on her painted red lips as she stalked towards them, "You think I don't have style?" she repeated, her hands touching along a deck chair, making it rot, "You think I don't have class?" she tilted her head, shooting them a harsh smirk, "You think I wear rags?" she chuckled, almost near her target, "Well, I'll show you who'll be the one wearing rags!" she pounce at them.

A frightened Sabrina bravely jumped in front of her friend with her arms out, "Run, Chloé!" she cried out as she felt her collar and a part of her throat being touched.

Chloé watched as Sabrina's clothes slowly resembled that of a peasant, as her skin turned oily, her hair flat and a horrible stench coming from her person. She held her nose and turned her head away from her, hands out to keep her away, "Eww, don't get near me." She ordered, moving away from her and running away from them as she continued to hold her nose.

"Don't think you can run!" Cinder-rella hissed, jumping over Sabrina and landing in front of the spoiled brat, making her screech in a nasal voice, "End of the line, Queen Bee." She spat out mockingly. She quickly pressed her hand in the crook of her neck and sweater getting a perfect shot.

She stepped back with a satisfied smirk as she watched the girl look horrified before she began screeching.

"My clothes! Do you know how expensive these are?! Not even your pathetic salary can cover for this!" and then a terrifying thought entered her mind as she placed her slimly hand on her even more slimly and flat hair, "My hair!" she shot a glare at the akuma, "You'll pay for this!"

Twitching at her attitude, Cinder-rella frowned and lifted her hand.

Perhaps she should do worse.

Before she could even get close to the screeching girl, a yo-yo was wrapped around her wrist, preventing her.

"Well, I say we made a better entrance than Cinderella ever did in her-oh what is that clawful smell?"

Ladybug also cringed, the smell was strong, but they had a job to finish, "Focus, Chat." She huffed out, not wanting to breathe more than necessary. She analysed the akuma, seeing 2 possible option to where the akuma might be hiding.

Cinder-rella scowled and looked over her shoulder to see Ladybug pulling her yo-yo taut, while Chat Noir was casually leaning on his extended baton, "It's Cinder-rella! And you can't stop me."

A purple butterfly outline appeared on her face while she continued to glare at them, "Of course, Hawk Moth." She replied and the outline disappeared.

"Ladybug! Finally! Hurry and give me my Bee Miraculous!" she demanded, holding her hand out, expectantly, "If you had given it to me sooner, I wouldn't be like this!" she furiously gestured to herself.

Eye twitching, Ladybug ignored her and prepared to fight just as Cinder-rella charged at them, making Ladybug retract her yo-yo, "Split up!" she yelled to her partner before they both proceeded to jump away, just missing the swipe from the akuma's hands.

The two superheros engaged in close combat with the akuma, carefully avoiding her hands as they attacked.

Ladybug put some distance between her and the akuma and quickly whipped out her yo-yo at her, watching it tie her up, "Now, Chat!"

"As you wish, M'lady." He responded, his eye twitching and nose crinkling at the smell. He quickly extended his baton and swiped it at the thrashing Cinder-rella's broach. The aquamarine broach was sent flying and into Ladybug's hand. She harshly threw it to the ground, but no butterfly came out, "It was the sash!" she realised.

"On it!"

Chloé stomped over to them, "Ladybug! Clearly you need Queen Bee to help you deal with Cinderelly over here. Give me my miraculous so we can get this over with already!" she huffed.

Ladybug glared at her, "Chloé-"

And that was the opportunity that Cinder-rella took at the momentarily distracted superheroine.

She quickly pounced towards Chloé who stood closer to her and touched the hand on her hip and immediately went for the now alerted Ladybug.

Unfortunately, she missed.

"No!" Chloé cried as the polish on her nails peeled off, revealing yellowing nails, her B.O becoming even more horrid to the point that it was attracting flies.

The horrid smell was now affecting Chat Noir's heightened nose as he dropped his baton with a clang to cover his nose.

Seeing a vulnerable Chat Noir, Cinder-rella used this chance and charged at him.

"Chat!" Ladybug cried, quickly throwing her yo-yo to wrap him up and pulled him towards her, over Cinder-rella's head, and catching her partners in her arms, "Chat Noir! How are you doing?"

"Not very meow-nificiant." He grumbled as he was carefully placed back on the ground "Oh man, do you think maybe you and your friend can hide somewhere else? The smell is really getting to my kitty nose." He directed to Chloé as Ladybug kept an eye on a frustrated Cinder-rella.

"How dare you!"

Hoping to get something useful, Ladybug called out, "Lucky Charm!" praying for something useful.

And it seemed her prays were answered as what dropped back were a nose peg. Quickly moving his hands away and receiving a cry from her partner, Ladybug shoved the spotted nose peg on his nose, making him blink.

"That's better." He grinned; his voice slightly higher.

"Good." Ladybug nodded before going at the akuma.

She dodged her hands, ducking at the last minute just as she heard Chat called out, "Cataclysm!", she swiped at her feet, causing Cinder-rella to cry out and fall on her back.

Chat quickly went into action and touched her sash, disintegrating it and revealing Mireille.

Relieved to see the akuma flutter out, Ladybug quickly took out her yo-yo, "No more evil doing for you, little akuma! Time to de-evilize!" finally capturing the akuma, she smiled, "Gotcha! Bye, bye, little butterfly!" she said, sending it off with a smile.

"Here you go, Bugaboo." Chat Noir presented her lucky charm.

"Don't call me that." She grumbled and took the nose peg in her hand and threw it up in the air with a shout, "Miraculous Ladybug!" She watched the little ladybug wash over the affected people and areas with a smile.

"You may have defeated this akuma, but one day, your happily ever after will be snatched away from you, just you wait." He said as the window closed, encasing him and his butterfly into darkness.

"You could have finished this much quicker if you had given me my miraculous."

"Chloé-" she sighed out exasperatedly, but the girl left with a harrumph and a 'Come, Sabrina!'

Watching her leave, Ladybug turn towards the victim who was still on the ground, looking confused.

"Mireille?"

"Oh, Ladybug! I was…" she glanced around, "I was sure I was just entering the building…"

"You were akumitized." She gently told her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh no! I was?!" she cried out, covering her face in shame.

Chat Noir came over and crouched down besides them, "It's alright, we all have those bad days."

"But what Chloé said really got to me…"

Freezing in her spot, Ladybug couldn't help but frown, "Whatever Chloé said, don't listen to her, it shouldn't matter what she said."

"But what if-"

The door burst open and out ran Aurore looking frantic, "Mireille!"

"Aurore?" Mireille said, surprised.

Aurore ran towards them, falling to her knees as she grabbed the surprised girl's hands, "You were akumitized! What happened? Did Chloé-" she spat out, having just ran pass her and her lacky, "say something to you before?" her mind couldn't help but think that she was the cause and she knew that Mireille was very well-liked so she could only think of the school bully who caused this. Having experience taunting from the bully herself which led to her becoming Stormy Weather again.

Seeing that things were going to be fine, Ladybug and Chat Noir quietly excused themselves as their miraculous beeped.

Once they were far away from the Le Grand Paris, the duo took a momentary break before they part ways.

"If you're not busy M'lady, maybe we could go on a date, get some ice-cream?" he suggested, leaning towards her with a grin.

Ladybug shook her head as another beep sounded from her ears, "Sorry, Chat, but I just want to rest after today, my plans got ruined because of this." She said preparing to throw her yo-yo.

"All the more reason to go on a date. If your plans are already ruined, why not hang out with me?" he grinned playfully.

Ladybug simply gave him an exasperated smile and bid him a goodbye.

"At least ice-cream, M'lady?" he called out after her before letting out a wistful sigh, "One day." He sighed out, a fond smile on his face before he used his baton to get up onto the roofs and headed home.

She flopped down onto her chaise, releasing an exhausting sigh as Tikki flew off in her room, probably going towards her secret stash of cookies.

She was sad that she had to cut her time with Kitty Section short because of the akuma but it couldn't be helped. But she also can't help but feel guilty that she had to abruptly leave, she knew why Rose and Juleka invited her today and to just rush off with an excuse… it may seem a bit ungrateful and because of that, maybe they won't try to invite her to their band practice again-

A ping from her phone alerted her that she had a notification and she let out a groan, hoping that Hawk Moth didn't akumatize another person again in one day. Taking out her phone, she was pleasantly surprised to see a notification from Luka who had messaged her if her and her family were okay.

While a bit guilty about the excuse she had to give in order to leave, she couldn't help but smile as she texted him back.

Another message from him and Marinette couldn't help but smile just a bit wider.

"Hopefully next time you come visit, there won't be another akuma ruining our day. We all had fun with you there, no matter how short you stayed."

After sending back a reply, Marinette rolled onto her back with her eyes closed and phone clutched on her stomach.

A peaceful smile on her face.

"I can't wait for the next band practice!"

She wondered how long she could enjoy this peace before she would be thrown back into her busy life.

While Alya and Nino sat on her bed, a tablet between them playing Super Penguino. Nino was focused on the game that he didn't noticed that his girlfriend wasn't paying much attention until the screen told them they just lost.

"Oh, damn, we died again." Nino sighed, "Shall we play again?" he asked but Alya only sighed which made him look up with a concerned look, "What's wrong?"

Alya leaned back on the wall, letting go of the tablet to cross her arms, "It's just that Marinette tried to point out that Lila's stories may be far-fetched again." She started, telling him about her morning, "I just wish she stop obsessing over that. If Marinette can get rid of whatever she's misunderstanding, she might see that they have a lot in common." She waved her arm around as if to try to get her thoughts going, "Like, Marinette may have not travelled to various cool places, met a lot of cool famous people and did a lot of amazing things, but she still have her own accomplishments, even if it's not as much as Lila's." she placed a finger under her chin, thinking, "Maybe there's some way I can get them to be friends."

Nino agreed at the idea of a new friendship being born, "That's a great idea! And I also got good news."

She perked up at that, pushing off the wall to face him, "Oh, a scoop?" she raised an excited brow up.

Nino nodded with a grin, placing the tablet down for the moment, "Yeah, Lila told me she doesn't see my dude romantically, she just wants to be friends with him but she's think that if she were to talk to him for like a favour, he might think that she got a crush on him." He explained, "She doesn't want to be seen like-quote, all those other girls who are constantly hanging all over him-unquote."

Alya grinned, looking she struck gold, "Well that's a great scoop! See, Lila isn't bad, Marinette just needs to know that her jealousy is just misplaced, and I think I have the perfect plan for them to become friends!"

"Well you better not be thinking too much of that plan that you forget about our date this Saturday."

Alya chuckled and tapped him on his nose, a smirk on her face, "I won't."

Nino let out a lovesick sigh as Alya laughed at him.

Notes:

So I wrote this on word and it became 15 pages with just over 6900 words... is that too much for a chapter?
Like I don't mind long chapters if its good but I'm not sure which part of the spectrum my writing leans towards... should I have split it into 2 chapters?

I also couldn't think of a title since I think I put too much stuff into it so I guess I'll put the akuma's name if there is one.

Hope you enjoyed this, tell me if there's any issues you have with this if possible.

Chapter 4: Just a rough day...

Notes:

#
Just to clear things up, episodes that have the zodiac miraculous never happened/ will not happen in this fic. I just want to focus on the main five so some episodes may be changed or not included at all. It's like a season 3 rewrite but doesn't end that way, I do have references to some episodes so that's my timeline that I'm trying to make work.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

First thing she heard when she arrived at school the next day was Chloé complaining to Alya, who was begrudgingly interviewing her since she had missed the akuma fight, how Ladybug didn't give her her Bee Miraculous, and that if she had given it to her, the akuma would have been dealt with faster. However, Marinette, clutching a bag filled with sweets to her chest, frowned at that and ignored her as she immediately scanned the courtyard for Rose and Juleka, wanting to apologise for her abrupt leave yesterday.

The akuma was at Le Grand Paris, nowhere near the bakery, and she could've called her parents to check up on them. What she did, made it look like she was finding the perfect chance to leave.

Spotting the couple, she found them talking to Alix who was sitting on the stairs to the second level.

She jogged up to them, Alix noticing her as Rose and Juleka had their backs turned to her.

"Oh hey, Marinette." She greeted, the other two turning around to greet her as well.

"Morning guys." Marinette replied before looking at the pair standing, "About yesterday, I'm sorry that I had to leave like that!" Marinette apologised, looking guilty.

Rose shook her head, her hands clasped together as she stared at Marinette with worried eyes, "It's fine, but were you okay? Were your parents fine?"

Marinette inwardly winced, "Y-Yeah! Apparently the akuma was at Le Grand Paris, haha." She nervously laughed, "Guess I was worried for nothing. But I'm still sorry, I really was enjoying your band rehearsal." She then rummaged out two goody bags filled with sweets and handed it to the two girls, one bright pink with white polka dots tied in a pink ribbon to Rose and a dark purple bag with lighter polka dots tied in a lavender ribbon to Juleka, "I made some sweets last night to make up for leaving so abruptly after inviting me." She shyly smiled, then noticing Alix enviously staring at the bags of sweets. Marinette then pulled out a box filled with assorted macarons and offered one to her, "I also made some macarons if the others wanted some."

"Yes!" Alix cheered, reaching forward for one.

Rose who had gratefully accepting the treat, clutched it to her chest, "It's really fine! You were just worried about your parents!" she encouraged, not liking her friend looking sad.

Juleka stepped in, a small smile on her face, "Do you want to come over again? We're having another band practice after school." She quietly said.

Marinette looked up, a hopeful look in her eyes, "Really? Is that alright?"

"Of course!" Rose answered then turned towards Alix who was leaning her cheek on her fist with a calm smile, "Do you also want to come watch?" she enthusiastically asked.

Alix, who took a bite at her treat, waved her hand at the offer, "Maybe next time." She responded, a grin on her face, "I signed up for a small rollerblading competition on Sunday, so I'll be practicing for that." She explained, throwing the rest up the macaron up in the air and catching it in her mouth, chewing.

"That's amazing!" the small blonde bounced, whether it about the competition or the small trick, nobody knew, but besides her, Juleka nodding in agreement.

Alix shrugged, "Yeah, but it's just a small competition."

Marinette shook her head and leaned forward with a wide smile, "Do you want us to come cheer you on?" she asked.

"Sure, it's at 10 in the skate park." Alix grinned, the energy from her friends affecting her.

Marinette bought her fists up under her chin. "I'll make a super cool banner for you!"

At that, Alix was getting excited, remembering the last banner she made for her and Kim, "Thanks, Marinette!"

"Oh, what's going on?" an arm wound around Marinette's shoulder, as the person leaned onto them, a tanned hand already reaching for a macaron.

"Morning Alya." The group greeted with smiles.

Alya greeted them back with a grin before turning half-lidded eyes to her best friend, "Are you planning to give Adrien one?" she asked, wiggled her brow playfully.

Marinette blushed, she wasn't intending specifically in giving him one. She just felt that if she was making some treats for Rose and Juleka, she might as well make some for the others, but there was undeniably some passionfruit flavoured ones. She had subconsciously made some and before she knew it, she had already put them in the box with the rest.

"Well…" she shyly looked away, making the girls giggle, "If an opportunity were to come up, I'll offer him one."

Alya hummed before letting Marinette go and straightening up with a grin, pointing a thumb into her chest, her other hand on her hip, "I got it, just leave that to me."

Alya's plan commenced at the start of lunch, just before Adrien left school to eat at home.

The two girls were in the locker room, letting Marinette have some time to meet with Adrien while Ayla told her simple plan, "Okay." Alya put her hands on Marinette's shoulders, looking into the nervous eyes of her best friend, "This is how it will go." She started, the two girls not noticing Lila coming from round the locker, but quickly backed away, her head just peering around the corner to eavesdrop, an amused smirk on her face when she realised what was going to happen, "I got Nino to stall Adrien as much as possible so you use that chance to give him a macaron. Got it?"

Marinette gulped and nodded with the box in her hands.

A notification sounded from Alya's phone. Taking it out, she saw that her boyfriend was ready, "Okay, Marinette, you can do this!" she encouraged, leading her to the door, both peering outside to see Adrien and Nino were talking by the stairwell. "Girl, there's your chance." she whispered, keeping her eye on Adrien as he talked to her boyfriend, "Give him the macaron before he leaves for lunch."

Marinette was second-guessing herself, "What if I mess up? What if I go over to him, trip and spill the macarons all over hi-?!"

"Okay girl, there's no time like the present." Alya interrupted with a grin, before shoving her best friend towards her crush, leaving herself all alone in the room now as she watched from afar.

Marinette stumbled, nearly falling to the ground before she frantically righted herself, giving Adrien a nervous giggle when she noticed him looking at her with widened eyes, surprised.

"Hi-" she waved before scratching the back of her head nervously, "Uh, Adrien!"

"So, what did you needed to talk about?" Adrien asked with a smile.

Nino jumped, raising his hands before rubbing the back of his head, "Uhh, umm? Just wanted to, uh, ask if you did that homework that Ms. Mendeleiev gave us last class!" he lied with a nervous smile.

Adrien tilted his head, looking at him weirdly, "Yeah, do you need some help?"

"Oh, uh, nah. It's fine!" He was going to complete it with Alya later, "I was just, uh, wonder-"

"Hi, uh, Adrien!" Marinette suddenly appeared, looking nervous.

Nino look behind him and saw her girlfriend signalling him to leave, her face serious. Not wanting to anger her girlfriend, he quickly made an excuse to leave, "Gotta go, bro!" and scurried off towards Alya.

Adrien just waved him off before turning to Marinette, "Hey, Marinette." He responded, smiling kindly at her, "Do you need something?"

"Yes-I m-mean, no! No, I don't need anything from you!" she frantically waved her hand, beginning to panic, "Uh, I-I just wanted to know," she held up the box of the remaining macarons, "if you, uhh, wanted one?"

Adrien perked up, his face beaming as he excitedly grin, unintentionally melting Marinette's heart, "Really? Can I really have one?" he said, making sure.

"Abosultely." She sighed out dreamingly as Adrien happily reached out for a pale pink that also looked like orange, reminding him of a passionfruit flavour.

Just as he was about to take one, a voice called out to them, causing them to look up.

Marinette instantly frowned, however, Adrien simply smiled.

"Hey guys!" Lila called, waving an arm over her head as she jogged towards them, "Wow, did you make them, Marinette?" she grinned at her.

Marinette narrowed her eyes at her, "I did." She bluntly replied with a frown.

Lila simply laughed with a hand on her cheek, giving the macarons a once over, "Ah macarons, how simple. I remember these were the first thing my famous uncle Cédric Brolet taught me before he thought I should be making more advanced sweets." She said chuckling as if at that memory and not a jab at Marinette's skills.

While she knew both Marinette and Adrien knew that she was lying, she had the advantage.

Adrien would never call her out.

Marinette tightened her grip on the box, almost crushing it. Just as she was about to speak, Adrien beat her to it, his smile never leaving his face.

"Marinette makes great macarons; you should try one." He offered, trying to placate the situation.

Marinette inwardly flinch at what Adrien was doing. While the compliment was very sweet, and any other time he would say it, she would have melted on the spot.

But…

She squeezed her eyes and inwardly shook her head. Adrien was on her side; he was only defending her, and this was his way of taking the high road.

Lila raised a brow, but of course, no one saw because her bangs covers them up from view, "Really? You're so kind, Adrien." She sweetly said, but her eyes were directed at Marinette when she said this.

Reaching towards the box as Marinette begrudgingly held it towards her, Lila made sure to make her move look natural as she accidentally tipped the whole box over and out of one hand, spilling the macarons on the ground.

Lila gasped, placing her hands over her mouth that had immediately turned into a smirk when it was hidden, "Oh my! I'm so sorry. I guess the tremor in my hand suddenly started to act up again, how unfortunate." She was laughing on the inside at the look of contained anger Marinette was restraining and she had just one more move to push her over the edge, and with an audience in the courtyard? What luck, "Now it looks like no one can have one. Next time, I'll try to be more careful when I choose."

Marinette stared at the now ruined macarons on the ground, her fist that was now by her side, shaking, while the other clutching the box was trying not to crush it. Lila was lying right in front of her, insulting her, had deliberately tipped the box over and she had just had enough of it! She was just about to tell her off when from the corner of her eyes, saw Adrien leaning down and picked up one of the macarons on the ground. Her eyes widened as he straightened up and took a bite of it.

Adrien's smile had twitched as he saw the box of macarons deliberately tipped over by Lila. He saw the anger that Marinette was trying to supress, and he knew he had to do something, plus, 3-second rule. He had bent down, took a fallen macaron and took a bite.

He didn't have to fake a pleasant hum as he chewed, "You really are a great baker, Marinette." He praised, enjoying the treat and then shoving the rest of it into his mouth. Wish I could have this every day." He smiled at her then looked out the entrance of the school, knowing that his driver was waiting for him, "Well, I have to go home for lunch now." He patted a stunned Marinette on the shoulder as he walked pass, "Thanks for the macaron, Marinette, it was really good." He shot a disappointed look at Lila before he finally left.

Lila was inwardly fuming, "Don't you think you've won; Adrien will soon be mine and you'll have no one on your side." She breathed and left, not even bothering to hear a response.

However, Marinette wasn't paying her attention as she was on cloud nine, clutching her cheeks with a happy smile.

But then when she realised what had just happened, she was mortified that she made Adrien Agreste eat from the floor and she let out a groan as she covered her face.

"Disaster!"

Nino winced at the unfortunate event, "How unlucky. Those poor macarons." He commented with a pout. He never even got to try one.

Alya simply sighed at Marinette's failure and how this was going to make her hate Lila even more.

It was clearly an accident and Marinette should've had a better grip on the box of macarons.

"I'll go comfort Marinette. This might take a while, so you go ahead for lunch, Nino," Alya said, giving him a smile before jogging over to Marinette who was stewing in her failure.

"Girl, that was…" Alya started with a smile that says 'you did your best, girl', "Well, kinda a success?" she shrugged with her hands as Marinette removed her hand from her face and let out a sigh.

"I practically made him eat it from the ground." She groaned as she bent down to retrieve the fallen macarons, putting them in the box. No need to make extra work for their janitor.

"It's too bad Lila showed up and accidentally knocked them over." Alya sighed.

Marinette straightened up and turned to Alya with a frown, "She did that on purpose!" she cried out, "Didn't you see?" she asked.

Alya crossed her arms and let out a sigh, "I saw, but Lila looked sorry and she could just be a bit clumsy, heavens know just how many times that you knocked something over by accident." She replied, pointing out Marinette's own clumsiness.

"But-!"

She uncrossed her arms and place a hand on Marinette's shoulder, "Look, don't just immediately jump to conclusions about Lila, you should give her a chance. Who knows, you guys might even become great friends." She didn't want Marinette to keep thinking that Lila was a bad person when she's not. She was going to try and fix this.

Marinette frowned and looked down, the only way that she and Lila could ever be friends was that if she would stop lying, but there was no way that was going to happen anytime soon.

Sighing, at the down-casted look, Alya quickly changed subject, "Look," she pointed out with a gentle smile, "I'll say that the plan just now was half a success, but I'll bet the next one will even be better." She tried, receiving a weary smile, "You were happy that he ate the macaron that you wanted to give, right?"

"Yeah, but-"

"But nothing, he still ate it and he looked pretty happy, I count that as a win." She smiled, making Marinette give a resigned smile.

"I guess."

"Great, so things could only get better from here on out." She said, trying to hype up her friend. She then noticed someone from the corner of her eye, "But first, I have to do something, you go on ahead and meet up with Nino for lunch, I'll be there soon." She said and dashed off.

Marinette gave a small smile as she watched her best friend run off before letting it drop with a sad smile as she looked down at the ruined macarons.

Making sure that Marinette didn't see where she went, she called out to the person who was just about to enter the cafeteria and quickly asked her to talk privately before Marinette also arrived.

"Hey Lila, could I talk to you for a sec?" she said, glancing behind to see that Marinette was disposing the box in her hands. Good, that gave her enough time to move to another location.

Lila smiled and placed a hand on her cheek, "Do you want another interview?"

While she would like one, now's not the time, "Maybe later, but can we talk somewhere a bit more private? I really want to talk to you without anybody eavesdropping."

Lila stood on guard, her smile tight, "Oh? Sure, what is it you want to talk about?"

Alya shook her head, "Not here." She said and led a now quiet Lila to one of the empty classrooms, when she saw no one around them, she turned to a Lila who looked a bit weird? Her smile seemed a bit off, but that could just be the lighting, "I wanted to talk about Marinette."

"Marinette? What about her?" Lila put on a sad face, "I really want to be friends with her, but it seems she doesn't like me." She made sure to sniff sadly, "Maybe I shouldn't have come back even though I wanted to become everyone's friend."

Alya quickly rushed to reassure her that it's not like that, "Don't say that, we don't want you to move." She placed her hand on her shoulder with a comforting squeeze, "But that's what I wanted to talk about." Holding her hand out to the side as she began to explain.

Lila looking up, inwardly relaxing when she realised where this was going

"Marinette is really nice, even to Chloé, her bully." Alya pulled back, her arms crossed as she looked confused, "So I don't understand why she has some beef with you. But I'm sure it's all a misunderstanding from her side since she was jealous when she saw you with Adrien."

The liar made sure to gasp, spreading her fingers to her chest, "Jealous? Of me?" she sounded shocked.

Alya chuckled, "Don't worry, it's just a misunderstanding. Nino told me you didn't like Adrien that way, which is kinda a relief since almost everyone in class is supporting her with Adrien. But you see, the boy is kinda dense about Marinette's affections and Marinette usually chickens out or fails." She explained.

"Oh, what a pity, they would make such a cute couple." Lila was inwardly chuckling. Alya was such an easy target.

"You think so too?! That's great." Alya bit her lip, since her plan with Lila was a bit risky. Knowing Marinette would just be all defensive if she were to suddenly bring Lila to one of their get-togethers with the girls where they discuss their plans for her and Adrien. But she wanted to clear up the misunderstanding that Marinette had of Lila so they could be friends.

And the best way was to just do it, whether they needed a good hard shove to get it started.

"Hey, the next time we gather to plan, do you want to join us?"

"Oh, I would be just delighted." Lila chuckled, "Hopefully it'll be soon, I really do want to become friends with Marinette."

This was just too easy.

"Hey Alya, did you finish what you need to do?" Marinette asked, pausing her conversation with Nino when Alya finally arrived.

Alya placed her tray of food down on the table before pulling out a chair, a wide accomplished grin on her face, "Yeah, just finished it. So, what were you and Nino talking about?" she asked before Marinette could ask what she was doing.

Marinette simply made a tight smile while Nino answered with a wide smile, "I was just telling Marinette here how this morning, I saw Lila walking to school, and we got to chatting." At this, his eyes were sparklingly, "Lila told me that she mentioned me to Steven Basielberg last night."

"Really?" Alya leaned in excitedly, her eyes wide, "That's awesome!" she whipped her head to Marinette to see if she was sharing the same sentiments, to see if Marinette can finally see that Lila was a great person. But she saw that she was poking at her salad. Alya inwardly sighed, thinking she was probably still depressed about the macaron incident. She was going to fix this, she just needed to tell Marinette what she had planned next so she could get her mind out of the gutter.

"Hey, Nino, why don't you tell the others about what Lila did for you?" she suggested, both not noticing a twitch from Marinette, "You can tell me about it later."

Seeing this as a signal, Nino nodded and left to give the girls some privacy.

With the two girls alone at the table, Alya turned to Marinette with determined eyes, "Okay, here's what you're going to do next. Before Adrien leaves for fencing after class, you're going to ask him out to the movies on Sunday and if that fails, we'll gather up the girls and make an even better plan."

"I think he has a photoshoot on that day." Marinette mumbled, still upset that her friends were still drinking in Lila's lies.

Undeterred, Alya simply grinned, "Well, you can just have that date in the afternoon."

At the mentioned of 'date', Marinette snapped her head up with alarmed widened eyes, "D-Date? What do you mean, I thought we were just going to the movies!"

Alya let out an amused chuckle, poking Marinette's forehead, "Silly girl, going to the movies counts as a date. And after that, you'll confess." She winked.

"What?!"

The time arrived too soon for Marinette's liking as she felt the pressure.

The time limit: Before she made Adrien late for fencing.

The nerves: Asking Adrien to the movies.

The pressure: Asking Adrien out on a date.

This was totally going to be a total disaster for sure.

Alya had quickly dragged Marinette after Adrien and stopped when he entered the locker rooms to get his fencing gear.

"Okay, girl. He's all alone, the macaron was kinda a success, but we want the big prize. Just ask him to the movies and don't improvise, you got that?"

"Yeah… I think so?" Marinette nervously replied as she breathed in and out deeply, trying calm her nerves.

"Make sure you don't mess this up, okay?" She warned, both girls hiding to the side when the door opened, and Adrien walked out.

Marinette gulped, really feeling the pressure, "Right." She nodded, "Okay, Marinette, you can do this. It's just asking him to the movies, simple, right? This will be easy, no sweat!"

"Okay, go!" Alya pushed Marinette once again for that encouragement and made herself scarce. She knew that if she didn't do this, then her best friend would never be ready. She just needed some tough love and she believed she was right for the job.

"Wait, what?!" Marinette cried as all nerves came back. She wasn't ready! She didn't prepare herself enough for this.

"A-Adrien!" she unintentionally called out, but it caught his attention.

"Hi there, Marinette." He smiled at her, "Is there something you need me to do?" This was the second time she called out to him and it was rare for him and Marinette to interact this much in a school day.

Marinette jumped, as if surprised he spoke to her, "I-I was just sinking-thinking! That if boy-you're! not, not-uh, busy on daysun, I mean Sunday afternoon-"

"Adrien." A calm voice interrupted. Marinette looked over Adrien's shoulder and froze when she saw Kagami, holding the strap of her bag as she gracefully walked towards them.

Adrien's face brightened up, happy to see her, "Kagami! I thought you'd be in fencing by now."

Kagami stared at Marinette with narrowed eyes before softening her hazel eyes when she looked to Adrien, "Class ran a bit late." She explained before moving closer to him, latching onto his arm with a smile, "Come on, let's get to fencing before we're really late." She said, tugging on his arm.

He nodded, a grin on his face, "Sure, but just give me a second." He turned to Marinette, smiling, "Marinette, what were you going to say before?" he asked, making Kagami look displeased.

Marinette, who had been watching silently the moment Kagami appeared, simply closed her eyes, a pained smile on her face as she abandoned whatever she was going to say, "It's nothing important. You guys better go before you're really late. Sorry for taking your time, Adrien."

The boy looked confused but didn't push it, "Well, if you're sure." He said, "I'll see you on Monday." He was dragged off by Kagami as Marinette watched them.

Looking at them, they really looked like the perfect couple.

Just what am I doing?

Just because she hadn't been rejected yet, she believed she could still chase after him and try to confess, but… She was just a friend-he told her that plenty of times-heard it plenty of times, and Adrien had even told her that there was a girl he loves, which was obviously Kagami.

So what was she doing?

Kagami is smart, brilliant, strong and cute-a perfect match for Adrien.

She had no chance at all.

Having witness the whole thing, Alya sighed disappointedly, "Another failure, huh." She moved out of her hiding spot to comfort her best friend, placing her hand around her shoulder and pulling her in for a hug, "It's okay, girl. Next time for sure."

"Yeah…" Marinette muttered, weakly.

Frowning at that, Alya pulled out her phone to gather up the girls in an emergency meeting, knowing that they were still somewhere on school grounds. Putting her phone away, Alya turned Marinette around to face her, placing her hands on her shoulders, it seems like she might need to start her plan early and this was the perfect opportunity, "Come on, girl. I know what we can do to cheer you up."

Marinette looked at her, forcing on a smile with furrowed brows, letting Alya pull her along.

"Hey everyone!" Alya shouted as she pulled Marinette with her to the front of the school.

Juleka and Rose was already waiting out front, waiting for Marinette to finish up her quick mission so they didn't have to move. But seeing the group text, Juleka messaged her brother that they were going to be late.

Mylène was at the library, reading up about the mayor's alternative plan to send their city's rubbish into space again, by herself while Ivan went to band practice. She didn't mind Kitty Section, in fact, she likes her friend's band, but sometimes she needed a break from it, the loud music sometimes frightening her. However, when she was notified about an emergency group meeting, she quickly packed up to meet up with girls, arriving a few seconds after Alya and Marinette.

Alix was at the nearby park, practicing her moves until she received a notification from the group text and immediately rounded back towards the school, showing up a couple of minutes later after Mylène.

"Hey." Marinette weakly greeted.

The girls immediately moved towards Marinette, burying her in a group hug while giving her some words of comfort, putting a slightly bigger smile on her face, feeling warm from her friend's love.

"So, what are we going to do today?" Marinette asked once they let her go but Alya simply crossed her arms, grinning.

"We're still waiting for one more person to arrive." Alya grinned, looking excited.

Marinette looked confused, as did everyone else.

"Who?" she asked, getting a bad feeling about this.

Alya's face brightened up when she noticed someone walking towards her and answered, "Turn around, girl."

She listened and felt her blood freeze. Standing in front of the group was a smiling Lila waving at them.

"Hey, Alya, I got your text." She cooed, her amused filled eyes staring at Marinette, she smiled even wider when she received warm welcome from her friends. As if rubbing it in her face that she was already putting her mark on her territory. She then made her face look concerned, placing a hand on her cheek as she tilted her head at the frozen girl, "Oh my, Marinette, what's wrong? You look upset."

Ayla stepped in and put a hand on her best friend's shoulder, "My girl here planned to ask out Adrien, but it failed, so we're here to cheer her up and plan for the next plan."

"How sad." Lila commented with a pitying smile but Marinette saw it as condescending.

"That's why we have to try harder for our next plan!" Rose nodded, not realising Lila's true meaning. She and the others quickly became engaged in the conversation with her.

Marinette snapped her head at Alya, looking horrified.

Seeing this, Alya simply chuckled good-heartedly, "Don't worry, she knows." She winked at her.

Somewhere in her, Marinette was starting to feel… numb, "You… told Lila?"

"Of course! Since you're getting nowhere with Adrien, I thought I bring in some extra girl power! And Lila said she would be happy to help." She grinned, hands on her hips and chest puffed out as if proud of herself then leaned in to whisper in her ear so that the others couldn't hear, "And this way, you and Lila can get along, it's like killing two birds with one stone! We'll be going to your place to discuss." She decided.

Marinette felt faint as Alya walked pass her to tell the others about her next plan for her and Adrien without noticing the betrayed expression on her face.

She was too busy explaining their next plan to an enthusiastic Rose and Mylene who was excited about it. Juleka stood to the side, giving her input occasionally.

Nobody seemed to notice her discomfort, apart from one girl.

"Hey." Alix greeted, skating to her side, hands behind her head as she slightly leaned back, "You don't seem too excited about this whole shindig." She observed, raising a brow.

Marinette watched her… best friend catching Lila up to speed, feeling a bit sick, "It's just that… Alya was supposed to keep my crush a secret." She quietly answered, her eyes losing focus on them.

Alix let out an amused grin, about to give her a sarcastic reply about how obvious her crush was until Marinette beat her to it.

"Even though it's obvious to almost everyone…" Marinette looked away from Alya, as if she couldn't look at her anymore, hurt in her eyes, "Alya promised me she would keep it a secret." But now that she thought about it, she was pretty sure Nino knows about her crush on Adrien because of Alya. Even though Alya had sworn that she didn't, it was obvious she did.

She wondered what else Alya had told Nino… who else she had told her secrets to.

It wasn't an unlikely possibility.

The grin was wiped off on Alix's face as her hands fell to the sides, realizing that Marinette was really hurt about this. She was snapped out of her thought when the girl beside her spoke again.

"Sorry, Alix," she gave her a forced smile, her brows furrowed, "but can you let the others know that I'm going home to rest, I… don't really feel up for this." It wasn't even her idea in the first place, she had thought they were just going to hang out.

Now that she thought about it, why was Alya forcing her when she wasn't ready? When she was babysitting Manon, she had declined to hanging out with her, Nino and Adrien to the Wax Museum but Alya didn't listen and had made the decision for her.

She later found out it was to make her confess to Adrien.

She wasn't ready and she had made a complete fool out of herself.

It was unbearably uncomfortable that day.

Alix's voice made her snapped out of her thoughts as the skater girl replied to her request, "Uh- yeah sure."

Marinette turned to her with a weak smile, "Thanks."

Before she could leave from the group who was deep in conversation, Alix quickly called out to her, "You're still coming this Sunday, right?" it sounded almost desperate, but she felt like something had shifted.

She turned her head over her shoulder, a tired smile on her face, "Yeah, I'll add it to my schedule, so I don't forget."

Alix stared after Marinette, feeling a bit guilty at the way she thought.

Having seen Marinette leave, Lila inwardly smirked and turned to Alya, a full on interested smile on her face as she planned to get some dirt on the girl, "Wow, so how long has Marinette been in love with Adrien?"

"Since the beginning!" Alya bragged, "They had like a misunderstanding at first, but that quickly got cleared up and ever since then, she's been in love with the boy." She smiled.

"Yes, it's just so romantic~" Rose gushed.

Juleka realised that the person in need for comfort was missing from the group before nudging Rose about it, getting her to also realised that their friend was gone.

"Huh, where's Marinette?" she asked out loud, looking around for her.

"She left." Alix bluntly said.

"Did she say why?" Mylène asked, her brows furrowed as she looked over to the bakery.

"She said she wasn't feeling well." Alix explained, also looking towards the bakery.

Alya ruffled her hair, "Oh man, and I was planning on using her calendar to plan our next scheme!"

"Oh, What's this?" Lila locked onto that, quirking up a brow, "Why would you need her calendar?" she innocently asked.

Alya chuckled as she crossed her arms, "The girl's so crazy for him that she even has his whole schedule on her calendar."

"Bingo." Lila inwardly laugh at that. "How pathetic." She thought, filing that titbit of information away for now before putting on a concerned face, "Oh… wow…" she started, making sure she looked a bit unnerved, "Marinette sure is… dedicated, but…" she closed her eyes, took a deep breath before timidly looking at everyone, "I don't want to say anything mean about Marinette because I want to be friends with her, and I don't know her as well as you guys do, but… isn't that a bit… creepy?" she asked, making sure she sounded like she was scared that she had offended them.

Alix frowned at that. Sure, she had said that as well, but not like… that… Also, talking about Marinette when she wasn't here to laugh about it, felt like they were talking behind her back and she subconsciously felt the need to defend her. She knew Marinette, and she wasn't like that, "Marinette also has my schedule on her calendar!" she interrupted.

Alya looked surprised at that, "Seriously? When did the girl find the time to do that?" she asked, curiously.

While it may be only one thing she has on her schedule, Alix rolled with it and crossed her arms, "'Cause I told her about it, duh." She said like it was obvious, "You know how forgetful and busy she is all the time, she can't be expected to go to all our invites without forgetting at least some. You remember how she was late to the movies on that day when the whole of Paris was flooded?" She pointed out, "By the way, since Marinette isn't here, I'll go back to practicing." She said and rolled away without waiting for a reply.

She stopped when she rolled pass the bakery, giving it a thoughtful stare before shaking her head.

She'll give her some space for now.

Lila glared after the skater girl, inwardly huffing.

Her plan to ruin Marinette's reputation had to be put on hold for now, but she could work with what she got.

However, she was feeling a bit miffed from what Alix had unintentionally done, turning around with her hands bunched up at her chest, Lila made herself sound a bit worried, "Was it something I said?" she sniffed.

Mylène quickly reassured her that it was just Alix being Alix. The short pink hair girl was very serious about her sport.

Juleka and Rose glanced at each other. They had invited Marinette to their band practice but now…

Guess Juleka must tell Luka the bad news now.

"Since Marinette isn't feeling up for it, guess we'll try another time." Alya sighed out, before turning to Lila with an apologetic smile, "Sorry about wasting your time, Lila."

"It's no problem, I'm happy to help out a friend." She smiled before turning to the others, "What's everyone going to do now?"

Mylène answered first with a smile, "I was researching about the Mayor's initiative about sending rubbish into space." She explained, "This time, he's sending it into the sun." she frowned but shook it off as she looked at Lila, "Oh, there's a rally on Sunday against the mayor's new initiative. Would you like to join Ivan and I?" she offered.

"Ohh, I would love to, but I'm already involved in a charity this Sunday." She sighed out like she was troubled, "Prince Ali is flying me out to the Kingdom of Achu to implement a project I submitted about pollution."

"Really?!" Rose excitedly squealed.

Lila turned her head to her with an excited grin, "Why yes! I didn't want to brag, but Mylène invited me and I didn't want her to think I didn't care."

At that, Mylène quickly shook her head and waved her hands at the notion, "It's fine, I wouldn't force you, but wow, Lila, that's amazing!"

Lila let out a laugh and waved at that compliment, "It's nothing."

"But it is!" Alya said, already pulling her phone out with excitement, "Yeah, can I get an interview?!" Alya asked, already pulling her phone out.

Lila agreed, but before they could start recording Rose did a little bounce, wanting to hear more about her friend as Juleka held her shoulders so she didn't bounce off, "Can you tell me more about how Prince Ali is doing these days?"

"Oh? Are you a fan of the Prince?" Lila grinned.

Rose giggled, her smile so bright, "We're friends actually. He's so wonderful." She dreamily sighed out.

Lila's smile froze on her face at that fact, she didn't know about that! Quickly and carefully composing herself, Lila leaned in excitedly, "Really?! Wow, who knew, Prince Ali never mentioned you to me before."

Rose looked bummed out at that, but quickly thought positively, "You guys must be busy with the project."

"Yes, we are… but can I ask how much you talk to each other?" she smiled sweetly at her potential hinderance.

Rose looked happy at that and pulled out a pink scented envelope from out of her bag, "We send letters to each other! I think that's really romantic!" she giggled.

Lila relaxed; she can work with that. She made sure to giggle playfully, "Yes, quite romantic!" Pathetic is what she actually thought, but she used that to her advantage, "Are you going to deliver that soon?" she pointed at the pink envelop in her hands.

Rose nodded, "I was going to drop it off at a mailbox before going to rehearsals."

"Oh, why don't you give me your letter? I'll personally give it to him when I see him. Don't want you to be late for rehearsals."

"That's so sweet of you Lila! Thank you!" she handed her letter to her.

"It's my pleasure." She smiled seeing them off before turning to Alya with an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry, Alya, but can we do the interview later? I just realised I haven't packed yet."

Lowering her phone down, Alya looked a bit disappointed but didn't push it, "No worries, but tell me about your trip and I'll write about it on my blog, okay?"

"Sure!" she said, leaving Alya and Mylène behind.

In the privacy of her own room, Lila stared at the pink envelope with a displeased frown.

She ripped opened the envelope, nose twitching at the poor-scented perfume. Skimming through the letter, her eyes narrowed when she had read that Rose had mentioned her, talking about her 'accomplishments' with high praises and hoping to hear from him soon.

She couldn't have this ruining her plan.

Ripping the letter up, she dumped the shredded pieces into her bin before flopping back on her zebra-patterned bed sheets, arms pillowed behind her head, knee bent and the other laying over it, kicking her foot back and forth.

Collège Françoise Dupont was full of fools.

Which was just perfect for her as long as she got rid of the nuisances.

As soon as Marinette came home, she had given a small greeting to her parents from the other side of the door that led to the bakery, a line of customers waiting to purchase their sweets. Walked up the stairs and all the way to her room, climbing up the stairs to her bed and simply curled up on bed, clutching a pillow to her chest.

Today was a bit rough

But she could still handle it.

It was only just a bit over a week since Lila came back.

She could still make her friends see the truth before any more damage was dealt.

Tikki phased through her purse, flying up high to see Marinette. The kwami looked worried, opening her mouth a couple of times but stopped herself short. Her owner needed some space to herself, so she let Marinette just rest, but she was getting restless and she wanted to know how her owner was doing.

Landing on top of Marinette's head, Tikki smoothed down her hair, "Are you alright, Marinette?"

"I'm fine… just a bit tired, that's all." She quietly answered, her voice sounded small.

Tikki didn't understand how some humans worked, but she knew that a trust had been broken between her and Alya, "What Alya did wasn't right, she shouldn't have told Lila about your crush." The little kwami huffed. "You guys made a promise."

Marinette's shoulders tensed as she buried her face into her pillow, "Alya was just putting my best interest at heart." She defended, "She's my… best friend, she's just looking out for me. She didn't intend to hurt me by telling Lila about my… crush."

But Alya told her secrets.

She had told Nino.

Probably immediately after they got together at the zoo.

Or maybe before they got together.

"Alya was just looking out for me…" she repeated to no one in particular.

Her phone started ringing. She didn't really want to talk to anyone at the moment, but what if it was important?

She sat up, taking her phone from her pocket and saw that it was Alya who was calling her.

Marinette stared at her phone, her finger hesitating before eventually accepting the call button.

On the other side of the screen appeared a frowning Alya who was alone.

"Girl, what happened? You just left without telling me."

"Sorry Alya." She gave her an apologetic smile, "I didn't really feel up for another planning and…" remembering Kagami and Adrien together, Marinette closed her eyes. Just how many times did she have to get the point? Adrien wasn't interested in her, heck, he even asked her how to ask Kagami out! And she sees how they act around each other, they were happy, playful and sweet together, and if Adrien was happy, then that's fine, "I think it's really time for me to move on from him…"

"What?! But you've been in love with him for like a billion years!" she exaggerated, "You can't give up on him now! You're so close! He ate floor macaron for you!" she reminded.

Marinette winced at that, but shook her head, "I know, but…"

"Look, I'll think up with an even better plan, and now that we have Lila on our side, I bet we'll be able to get you and Adrien together in no time!"

Marinette frowned at that, "I don't want Lila-"

"Marinette, Girl." She stopped her, "Lila doesn't like Adrien like that, Nino told me that she told him herself, so you don't have to worry about her stealing him or anything. He even agrees with me that you guys can be great friends if you just gave her a chance. Trust us on this."

She didn't see the tightening grip on her phone, but Tikki did, flying over to stroke her fingers, trying to calm her down.

It worked as Marinette shot a grateful look at her little friend, to which Alya mistook that for her.

Nodding with a smile, Alya bid her a goodbye after telling her she'll try her best to think up an even better plan, promising her that the next one will be the one and hung up.

Marinette blinked at her home screen before letting out a sigh.

Tikki flew in front of her face, a frown on her face, "Are you really giving up on Adrien?"

"Yeah." She breathed out, flopping back on her bed, covering her face, "You remember what he said on the day we went to the-" here, she winced, "-museum. You heard what he said, 'the girl he loves' Adrien loves someone else and it's not me." She said sadly.

Tikki's frown deepened but shook it off, putting on a positive smile, "But Marinette, you don't know what the future holds for you. You shouldn't give up yet!" not when her feelings were actually returned!

"… Yeah…" she mumbled, but truthfully, she was tired of failing, tired of stumbling over her words-of not getting out a proper sentence, of embarrassing herself for him, of focusing on his feelings instead of hers.

She was getting tired.

She also needed to tell her friends about Lila and she couldn't do that if half the time she was focused on Adrien.

She then looked at her phone, a niggling feeling in the back of her mind before her eyes widened in alarm and she shot up from the bed, "I was supposed go to Kitty Section's band practice!" she cried out. She quickly went through her contacts and pressed the call button on Juleka's contact.

The phone was ringing. While it was taking a while to be picked up, she inwardly scolded herself. Just as she was about to hang up, Juleka answered.

"Marinette?"

She immediately apologised, "I'm so sorry! I had so much on my mind that it completely slipped my mind that you and Rose invited me again, even after yesterday, and now this time, I don't even show up?! I'm really-"

"Marinette, it's fine, we all understand." She interrupted her before she could panic anymore, "We're not angry with you. Just know that you're welcome to band rehearsals-you can even drop by without an invitation, we won't mind." She reassured the younger girl.

Marinette swallowed the lump in her throat, "I'll definitely remember next time… if it's still okay…" she whispered.

"Of course, see you next time." Juleka mumbled out before hanging up.

Marinette dropped her phone on the bed and covered her face with a groan, "Today has just been the worst." She flopped back down on her bed.

"It can't be that bad, Adrien had your back when Lila was lying in front of you both." Tikki reminded with a smile.

"Yeah…" Marinette absentmindly agreed. Turning her head to look at her cork-board where she had pinned photos of her friends and pictures of Adrien, she reached up to take a close-up of her and Alya. Marinette stared at the smiling faces reflected on the photo.

Alya was just looking out for her.

She placed the photo down. Her eyes closed.

Things will be fine.

She'll make sure to protect Alya before she'll gets hurts by Lila's lie.

Opening her eyes, she turned to her second dilemma.

If she was going to move on, she had to start out small.

She had loved Adrien for a long time.

She can't just cut off that love suddenly. Love didn't work like that.

But she needed to move on.

She needed to try.

So, she took down one picture, confusing Tikki.

Baby steps, Marinette. Baby steps.

In the meantime, she got up and went down to her desk, pulling her chair and design book over, she was going to design that banner for Alix for now.

Notes:

Tell me your feedbacks if you see any issues with the pacing. Did the moving on from Adrien feel rushed? Should I have wrote some more Adrien and Kagami moments instead of referencing it? Like, I'm not going to make Marinette move on just like that, but maybe I should have waited a bit before she said it?

Also, I'm not going to make Kagami be all possessive and stuff, I have plans for her! Just wrote her like that because of the show and I don't think her and Marinette are civilised with each other just yet. So for those who wanted them to be friends, keep holding out hope for a Marinette and Kagami friendship just like you did in the show!

Steven Basielberg is a parody of Steven Spielberg, American filmmaker.
Cédric Brolet is a parody of Cédric Grolet, French pastry chef.

Hope you enjoyed it.

Chapter 5: Heart Freezer and Heart Smasher

Notes:

#

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Saturday morning found Marinette looking after three kids as Alya and Nino drop them off in her room.

"Thanks for agreeing in looking after them, girl." Alya smiled, handing her a backpack of her sister's things.

"Yeah, Marinette." Nino grinned also handing him a bag of his brother's things, his arm around Alya's shoulders. He then turned to look at the little kids who looked ready to run and play "Don't cause Marinette any trouble, you hear me? Listen to her, alright?"

All three responded with a "Yes." Two of them more excited than the rest.

Satisfied, the couple turned to Marinette.

"Okay, we're going." Alya said, waving at her best friend as she left.

Nino thanked her again as he turned to follow Alya down the trap door, "Thanks again, Marinette."

Marinette waved back, an apprehensive smile on her face, she couldn't remember just how she agreed to this, "Have fun." She called after them, when she heard the door to her home close with a click, she turned to face her task for the day, "Okay, what do you guys want to do today?" she asked, almost dreading what her day was going to be.

Looking after three active kids by herself was crazy as not half an hour in, things were getting almost out of her control.

Almost.

"I want to play Grim Monster Clash 3." Chris demanded, grabbing the controller from her desk and turning on her computer to reveal the game he wanted.

Loud music blasted out from the speakers. Marinette quickly turned it off, turning to look at Chris, "I told you before that you're a bit too young for that game." She then pulled out a DVD case, showing it to him with a hopeful smile, "Why don't we watch "Pototty and Potato"? Anyone?"

"We do! We do!" Ella and Etta both shouted with grins, their hands in the air, jumping on the spot.

However, Chris crossed his arms, pouting, "That's show's for babies, I'm a big kid!" he said, throwing the gamer controller, Marinette quickly catches it with a relieved sigh when she didn't drop it.

"I know, but- Gah-!" she rubbed at her head, where Chris had thrown a ball at. The twins giggling in amusement.

"Hey what's that?" Chris pointed out.

"Huh?" Marinette turned to look but saw that the twins were missing, "Ella? Etta?" she then turned back around to see that Chris had also disappeared, "Chris?"

Giggling could be heard, and Marinette inwardly groaned.

She may have bitten off more than she can chew.

The wooden trapdoor to her room was open as Alya called out, "Marinette, we're back." A happy grin on her face.

Nino came up after her, a smile on his face, "Did you guys have fun?"

Marinette walked towards them, a tired smile on her face, "Sure we did. How was your date?"

"Awesome." Nino answered, looking behind her to see that their siblings were napping, most likely tired out from playing, "Thanks for watching our siblings, Marinette." He said, his voice lowered as to not wake the kids up.

Alya walked passed her as she moved towards the kids snoozing on the chaise, "Okay, I guess we'd better get going." She leaned down to carry Chris in her arms while Nino handled her sisters. Looking up at Marinette with a grin, Alya, patted her arm on her way out, "Bye, girl."

"See you at school." Nino added, their heads disappearing below her trapdoor.

"Yeah, bye Nino, bye Alya." She waved with a tired smile, she stood there until she heard the door to her home open and closed.

Sighing, she moved towards her desk in a slouch. Marinette pulled her chair out and simply drop down on it, releasing another exhausted sigh with her head tilted back.

Looking after three energetic kids was just too much for a single person. She could sometimes barely manage to handle one, and that was given that Manon wasn't in the mood to run around, disobeying her. She still had some trouble handling just Chris alone, and the twins simply love to be mischievous, going through her stuff and blaming Sapotis when she caught them.

If she wasn't keeping an eye on Chris, the twins would be running around, making a mess of her things, but if she wasn't keeping an eyes on the twins, then Chris would be going through her things or trying to play Grim Monster Clash 3.

She was lucky that after she fed them their lunch, they had tired themselves out and fell asleep.

Marinette had used that time to clean up the mess the kids had caused in her room.

As she stared at the ceiling, giving herself a break, Tikki flew into her sight, a questioning look on her face, "Don't you think that was a bit too much even for you, Marinette?" she had watched the chaos from a safe distance and even had to phase through some objects to avoid being seen since at times, Chris, Ella and Etta got a bit too close to where she was hiding.

She sighed, closing her eyes, "Yeah, but what can I do?" she huffed out. She had agreed to it before she even thought about it.

Besides, she was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to say no…

Rubbing at her face, Marinette stretched her arms up as Tikki flew to the side to avoid getting hit.

She pulled out her pink sketch pad and flipped to her latest design. Staring at it for a moment before giving it a defeated sigh.

The design for Alix's banner wasn't going well.

She had tried getting started yesterday, but none of her ideas were good. She couldn't think of anything that was good enough for her friend.

For some reason, she didn't feel inspired.

"Are you still stuck on an idea?" Tikki asked.

She got up from her chair and began pacing around her room with her hands in her hair, "It would be better if I even have an idea." She groaned out. Alix's competition was tomorrow, and at this rate, she was going to disappoint her friend.

She couldn't let that happen.

Seeing her chosen distressed, Tikki offered her suggestion, "Why don't we go to the park? Maybe you just need a change of scenery." She pointed out, flying off and coming back with her purse, holding it by the strap.

Looking outside the window, Marinette could see that it was a clear day, great for going out and simply relax. Nodding in agreement, she took the offered purse, placing it over her shoulder, "That's sounds like a great idea." Grabbing her sketch pad while Tikki phased into the purse, Marinette made sure she had everything, "Hopefully, I'll be able to come up with something." She muttered to herself, closing her trapdoor over her.

Ten minutes pass and she still had nothing.

Sitting on a bench, shaded by a tree, Marinette let out a groan as she leaned over her empty sketch pad.

Why couldn't she design a banner? Even a simple one?

Where did her inspiration and motivation go?

"Come on, Marinette. Alix's competition is tomorrow, you can't disappoint her when you already told her you were going to make her a banner." She leaned back a bit to stare at the blank page, "She looked so excited when you said you'd make her one." She bit her lip, remembering yesterday with furrowed brows, "You can't fail her…"

The world became background noise as she stared entirely focused on the blank page on her lap, the pen between her fingers being subconsciously squeezed.

She had to put something on the page, anything.

Moving her pen towards the page, she stopped.

The tip of the pen just hovering over the blank page.

So focused on her page, she didn't notice someone calling out her name.

Or that someone sitting down next to her.

She only looked up when a series of high plucking strumming sounded besides her, reflecting the frustration she was about to let out. The strumming then turned into surprise before he began playing a soothing song.

"Luka!" she gasped, surprised to see him. Besides the bench, situated, was a blueberry-coloured bike with a large basket, "What are you doing here?" she asked, before realising that might had sounded rude so she quickly waved her hand to dispel what she said, "N-Not like you're not allowed here, but uh, I just wasn't expecting to see you here!" she stopped her potential rambling when he let out an amused chuckle, making her relax when she realised she hadn't offend him.

"I was just going home from my delivery job when I saw you and I thought I could say hi." He smiled at her, looking down at his strumming.

Marinette was surprised to hear that he has a job, but what she was most focused on was that she had stopped him from going home. He must be tired, "Oh, I didn't mean to stop you-you don't have to stay here." She squeezed her hands on her sketch pad, "You must be tired." She frowned, staring straight into his bright eyes when he turned to look at her.

Luka stared softly at her, his strumming pausing as he placed a hand on her shoulder to reassure her that it was fine, "Don't worry, I don't feel tired at all." He was called in today since one of his co-workers called in sick, but it was only the morning shift and he didn't mind that much. Besides, he couldn't help changing directions when he noticed her in the park, "Since we didn't see you yesterday, I thought it was lucky I could see you today." He saw the guilt on her face at the mention of her missing out on band practice and he inwardly scolded himself before quickly adding, "We understand that you had a lot on your mind, so don't worry about it." He made sure to smile at her and was relieved when she gave one in return, even if it was small, "There's always next time."

"Thanks, Luka." She looked down with a smile, her heart calming down from the stress she was having.

Luka's eyes then trailed down to the sketch pad on her lap, a curious look in his eyes, "So what were you doing?" he asked.

As if remembering why she was here in the first place, Marinette let out a deep sigh, "I was trying to design a banner for my friend's competition tomorrow, but I couldn't think of anything so I came here for a change of scenery." She explained, frowning when her eyes met the still blank page, "It didn't help." She laughed humourlessly.

Staring at the dejected girl besides him, Luka squeezed her shoulder before letting go and adjusted his guitar on his lap, "Maybe this might help." He closed his eyes, letting the music around him flow through.

The upbeat tune made Marinette subconsciously tap her foot along with the rhythm. Her eyes closed with a smile as she appreciated the melody.

Letting herself be immersed in Luka's playing, she suddenly felt all these ideas come to her.

The face of Alix on a gold banner.

Surrounded by lightning.

A trophy with the #1 on it.

And of course, her skates.

Snapping her eyes open, Marinette's hand quickly sprang to life, putting her ideas down before they disappear.

Besides her, Luka peeked an eye open and couldn't help but smile at his exuberant friend. Happy that he was able to help, even if he was just providing her some music. Closing back his eye, he continued to play while Marinette designed.

It was minutes before Marinette stopped and lifted her sketch pad at arm's length, a grin on her face when she liked the outcome of it, "Done!" she cheered just as the strumming ended with a happy high note.

"That looks really amazing, Marinette." Luka praised, looking over the details written besides some parts of the design. The amount of effect she put in her design was simply admiring.

"Really? You think so?" Marinette looked at him with a beaming smile, unknowingly making Luka's heart stutter. She scooted closer to him to show him her design, letting Luka take her sketch pad from her to get a closer look. She watched him stare at her design with his full attention.

"Of course, a real magician." He complimented, eyes scanning over the design before returning the sketch pad back, he could guess that she would want to quickly return home to get a start on it.

A happy flush painted her cheeks, flattered at the praise as she shyly took back her sketch pad, "Oh, uh, thanks." She embarrassingly scratched at her cheek, before clearing her throat and inwardly shaking her head. She needed to get a start on the banner before tomorrow, "Sorry to cut this short, but, um…" she didn't want to seem rude and just leave him like this. She really was enjoying her time with him, but she also needed to get a move on.

Fortunately, for her, Luka understood her.

"I understand, Marinette." He smiled gently at her, getting up and offering her his hand, "Go get started on that design." He grinned when she gave him a grateful smile and accepted his hand. He pulled her up, his hand lingering just a second before letting go and putting his guitar in the basket of his bike and wheeling it with him.

"I really can't thank you enough, Luka." Marinette smiled up at him as they both walked towards the park's exit, "Your music really gave me the inspiration for the design." She smiled wider.

Luka chuckled as they stopped just outside the park, "I'm glad I could help. If you ever need some inspiration, don't be afraid to give me a call. I'll always be happy to play for you." His eyes gentle, smile soft as he looked at her.

Marinette blushed at his generous offer and… "If you don't mind…" she shyly smiled before bidding him farewell, carefully crossing the street and towards her home.

Luka's eyes lingered on her fondly before he took his yellow helmet and placed it on his head. Mounting on his bike, he rode off.

With the design complete, Marinette gathered all the materials she needed for the banner. Luckily for her, she had all the necessary fabrics, along with her tools, she needed and placed it in the middle of her room.

Tikki helped as much as possible, assisting where she can with an excited smile, happy to see her chosen back in her creative mood. She settled on Marinette's shoulder while she began cutting out the sizes she would need.

Everything was going well until her phone alerted her of a notification.

"Tikki, could you get that?" Marinette asked, her tongue out, one eye closed, the other focused on threading a needle.

"Sure thing, Marinette!" the little kwami chirped, flying off to retrieve her phone.

However, she came back with a frown, holding the phone between her flippers in front of Marinette.

When the girl looked up, she let out a groan, taking her phone in her hand, "Now? Why can't Hawk Moth give me a break?" she complained, placing her needle down where she wouldn't accidentally step on it and pushed herself up.

"It can't be helped. Being a superhero always have to come first." Said Tikki, ready to go into action.

Marinette sighed, her happy mood disappearing, "Yeah, you're right." She agreed, staring at her scattered materials she bought out. However, she shook her head, she shouldn't dwell on that, she had a job to do, "Tikki. Spots on!"

Standing in the place of Marinette was Ladybug.

She moved towards her bed and pushed herself through her skylight door to her balcony.

Standing on her balcony, Ladybug checked her yo-yo compact to see where the akuma was.

As soon as she got the location, she hopped onto the rails of her balcony and took off.

But as she swung by the school, her eyes widened in shock.

Leading Kagami by the hand into her car was Adrien, playfully bowing to her once she was seated. Kagami giggled at the gesture with her hand covering her mouth as Adrien gave her a soft smile.

Distracted, she didn't see that she was quickly closing the distance between her next landing and when she finally noticed, her movement stuttered and her landing was a harsh one for Ladybug as she landed on a roof, roughly. She skidded against the roof top before rolling to a stop, already feeling the bruises forming as she stared blankly at the sky.

Baby steps, Marinette. Baby steps.

While some parts of her hoped that she could just stop loving Adrien, she knew that was a foolish thought.

Love takes time.

Whether it was to nurture it or to move on from one, love takes time.

Ladybug silently sat up, dusting herself off as she made herself move on.

"Come on, you're Ladybug right now." She murmured to herself, bending down to pick up her yo-yo that fell out of her hand when she landed, "You have a job to do. Focus."

That's right. She has a job to do.

She must focus, there's an akuma on the loose-people's lives are in danger.

She can't get distracted.

Doesn't matter if she felt her heart breaking, she has an akuma to take care of.

She needed to move on.

Ladybug landed on a roof, showing her the Pont des Arts bridge where an akuma, dressed in a black jumpsuit with puffy shorts, paired with black-cladded legs, and on her chest was a big red broken-hearted heart chest plate, was currently shooting blue beams at civilians, freezing them in ice from what looks like a modified ice-cream gun.

Just as the akuma was about to shoot at another scared couple holding onto each other, Ladybug quickly leapt into action.

Landing in front of the couple, she immediately swung her yo-yo, making it act as a shield, "Go hide!" she ordered, covering them as they nodded gratefully and ran off.

Getting a good look at the akuma, she saw the purple outline of a butterfly disappeared from her blue skin that had three black tear stains tattooed on her cheeks, her short blonde hair slicked back. Her coated black lips scowled at her as she pointed the ice-cream gun at, "Give me your Miraculous, Ladybug!" she demanded.

"Whatever Hawk Moth said to you, don't listen to him. He's just using you." Ladybug rebutted, swinging her yo-yo to the side, ready to defend. Her eyes caught onto a sliver-chained bracelet on her wrist, but she couldn't make out the detail from her distance, "Let me help you."

The akuma growled, "If you want to help me, get me André!" she fired at her, watching as Ladybug deflected her attack. The bench that took the attack was now turning into ice.

Ladybug turned away from the frozen bench to the akuma, blinking in surprise, "The ice-cream man? What did he do?" she asked, perplexed.

"His Sweetheart's Ice Cream is a joke!" she growled, the grip on her gun tightening, "'Eat this, my dear, and your love will materialize!'" she repeated the words that André had said to her, a wide smile on his face as he handed her the tripled flavoured ice-cream while she was internally screaming, "How dare he give me an ice-cream that doesn't represent either of my love or I!" she cried out, glaring at her before whipping her hand out as if to show Ladybug the world, "While every other couple who got one had ones that represented them perfectly!"

Ladybug tried to calm her down without succeeding as the akuma began to spiral deeper into her anger.

"Why do the other couples get to have one that represents them while my one doesn't?!" she demanded, covering her face with her palms, her whole body hunching into itself, "It's not fair! It's not fair! IT'S NOT FAIR!" she cried out, her voice echoing throughout the air, "I loved him for so long! Isn't he and I meant to be?!"

Ladybug stared at the akuma with widened eyes, speechless. Her yo-yo slowing to a stop.

This was her chance to get her object and purify it.

Yet, she was just standing still.

Why?

"Move." She told herself.

Forcing herself to move, Ladybug suddenly noticed a shadow looming over her.

Turning around to look up, her eyes widened in shock as a hammer swung down at her.

After watching the door of Kagami's car close with a smile, Adrien adjusted his fencing bag on his shoulder before he headed to his own car where his bodyguard was already waiting, holding the door open for him.

Adrien thanked his bodyguard as he ducked into the car.

Once the door closed, he leaned back with a sigh, relaxing back into his seat. Enjoying the peace while Plagg catnapped in his fencing bag, Adrien recounted his morning with Kagami, a smile on his face.

Today's one-on-one fencing lesson with Kagami had went well. Mr. D'Argencourt had praised him and he could tell that Kagami had enjoyed herself, seeing that she found nothing wrong with his performance and that he had put up a good fight.

Plus, it seems that Kagami also enjoyed his antics, seeing that she giggled when he walked her to her car and sent her off.

Grinning at that memory, the boy didn't notice that they arrived back to the mansion until his driver opened the door for him.

Thanking his driver, Adrien entered his home and was met with Nathalie at the foot of the staircase, her eyes focused on her tablet.

"Welcome back, Adrien." She greeted, without looking up from the screen, "Did your fencing lesson go well?" she asked, tapping something on the screen.

Adrien smiled, "Hi, Nathalie." He first greeted back before answering his father's assistant, "Yeah, I had fun. Kagami also enjoyed our lesson today as well."

Nodding to show that she was listening, Nathalie then told him that he was free for the afternoon.

Hearing this, Adrien grinned and told her that he was going to his room.

Adrien flopped down onto his couch with a sigh while Plagg, who woke up from his nap, immediately flew off towards his camembert stash with a cheer.

Smiling at his little friend, Adrien turned towards his TV and turned it on, immediately showing the news channel with Nadja Chamack in mid-speech.

"-over to you Clara. How's it going?"

"Ladybug is still on her own, Nadja." The reporter stated, peering around from her hiding spot from a safe distance, the camera following her sight to see Ladybug saving civilians from getting hit. They were far away so they couldn't hear them, "Still no sight of Chat Noir though." She reported, sounding worried. The viewers then heard the reporter gasp as a large walking teddy bear with a hammer stalked towards Ladybug from behind, "It looks like Ladybug is not only facing the akuma on her own, but also a sentimonster! Ladybug, watch out!"

Seeing the situation, Adrien whipped his head towards Plagg with urgency, "Plagg, we have to go, Ladybug is in trouble!"

With a slice of camembert between his flippers, Plagg floated in the air from his stash with a frown, not happy that he wasn't even able to enjoy his cheesy goodness, but hearing the urgency from his kid's voice, Plagg compromised from the goodness of his heart, "Okay, just let me eat this-"

Adrien stood up and interrupted him, "No time for that. Plagg! Claws out!"

"Wait, at least let me finish thisssssss-" he cried out as he was sucked into the ring.

Leaping onto his open window, Chat Noir quickly headed towards the Pont des Arts bridge, extending his baton into a staff, he twirled it like a helicopter, getting that aerial flight, "Wait for me, M'Lady! I'm coming right now!"

Seeing the hammer being bought down at her, Ladybug quickly leaped out of the way while the spot she was in just second ago was now smashed into pieces, the debris falling into the hole the bridge now as and into the water below it.

"Heart Smasher, get rid of Ladybug!" the akuma commanded with a cry, a hateful glare directed at the superheroine.

Silently nodding, the large bear turned towards Ladybug, its beady eyes staring at her as the war hammer it was wielding dragged behind it before being lifted in the air, ready to swing at her again.

Ladybug frowned as she quickly whipped out her yo-yo towards a nearby bench, wrapping around it, she whipped the bench towards the bear, only for it to be smashed in half. She didn't have time to delve on that as she was forced to roll to the side in order to avoid the beam of ice that froze the lamp post instead of her.

"Stay still!" the akuma demanded, firing multiple shots at her while her bear kept swinging his war hammer at the superheroine, creating more holes in the bridge.

Leaping onto the railings, Ladybug shot her a tight smile, "Sorry, but I don't feel like being crushed today." She quipped, deflecting a beam at the sentimonster with her yo-yo, but it didn't seem to do much as the beam simply froze a part of its hammer, not affecting it in the slightest as the bear continue to swing the hammer towards her.

Quickly pushing off the railings, just as the hammer came down, the railings creaking under the pressure, Ladybug slid between its legs while she used her yo-yo in that moment to tie its legs together. When she got up, she pulled them together and pushed all her weight on her legs to swing the bear towards the akuma, sending it flying.

The bear crashed into the akuma, forcing the akuma to break its fall as they both fell onto the ground.

Growling, the akuma pushed her sentimonster up and angrily fire shot after shot after shot at Ladybug who could only shield herself with her yo-yo while the sentimoster dusted itself off and was preparing for a fight.

Ladybug frowned, her eyes darting from the two with growing concern, just wondering where her partner was. She didn't think she could handle this herself.

As she continued to deflect the blue beams, Ladybug couldn't help but feel like something was wrong since the sentimonster was just standing besides its master.

However, she spoke too soon as the bear started, lifting the akuma into its arm while the other swung its war hammer booming into the ground, violent cracks running throughout the bridge.

The whole of Pont des Arts bridge shook, causing Ladybug to lose balance, and fall into the water below her along with the collapsing bridge while the akuma and sentimonster got away.

Ladybug shut her eyes as she held her breath, feeling parts of the bridge crashing into the water, disturbing the waters. Once it was calm enough, she opened her eyes and swam towards the ledge, breaking out into the surface, she sucked in air and was about to pull herself up when a black clawed hand presented itself in front of her.

"Need a paw, M'Lady?"

Looking up, she saw her partner towering over her, hand on his knee and the other waiting for her to take, a grin on his face.

Taking his hand, he pulled her out of the water.

"Thanks, Chat Noir." She sighed before frowning when he continued to hold her hand.

Seeing her disapproval, he gave her an unabashed smile and released her hand, "No problem, M'Lady." He then looked at the damaged the akuma and sentimonster left behind, seeing patches of ice here and there, "Isn't it a bit chilli for a swim?" he asked with a grin.

Shaking her yo-yo dry, Ladybug frowned, "Now's not the time, Chat Noir. Come on, they went this way." She said throwing her yoyo towards a building, latching onto it. She tugged on it before shooting off.

"Right behind you, M'Lady!" Chat Noir gave himself a running start before extending his baton and lifted himself up as well.

Finding the akuma and the sentimonster at the Eiffel Tower where screams of panic could be heard, Ladybug and Chat Noir arrived just in time to see the akuma freeze a scared couple.

Pushing off the edge of the roof, the two superheroes quickened their pace when they saw the bear about to bring his war hammer onto the frozen couple, intending to shatter them to pieces.

Ladybug urgently threw her yo-yo towards the bear while in mid-air, wrapping it around the hammer, she landed with a skid as she yanked, causing the bear to miss, cracking the ground just besides the frozen victims while Chat Noir landed in front of the akuma's next victim, spinning his staff as a shield while the couple ran off.

"Hey, Icy Pop. Why don't you take a chill pill?" Chat Noir taunted with a smirk, leaning onto his staff.

"My name is not Icy Pop! It's Heart Freezer!" the akuma scowled, firing beams at him.

Chat Noir spun his staff quickly and leaped to the side when he had the chance, he landed besides Ladybug who was pulling her the string of her yo-yo tight around the sentimonster's war hammer, trying to take it away.

Deflecting another beam at him, Chat Noir nonchalantly leaned his head back with a grin, "If you're trying to fish, M'Lady, purrhaps you should use a different bait."

"Focus, Chat Noir." She grunted before her eyes widened when the sentimonster yanked her over, whipping her its head. She let out a shocked screamed while her partner cried out her name.

"I'm fine!" she called out, "Maybe it's time to call for a little help." She mumbled to herself as she threw her yo-yo up in the air, "Lucky Charm!" she summoned.

Catching her Lucky Charm, Ladybug stared at the object.

Subconsciously, her heart thudded as she caught the spotted ancient teapot.

She knew exactly what she needed.

Or just who she needed when she looked at the situation at hand.

So why was she hesitating?

No, she was just in that moment where she had to think of what she had to do.

Leaping back until he landed besides her, protecting her when Heart Freezer changed her target when she couldn't land a shot on him, Chat Noir had his staff twirling in defence while Heart Smasher was coming at them, "M'Lady?" Chat Noir asked, snapping Ladybug out of her thought.

Mouth opened to tell Chat Noir that she had to go, no sound came out. The inside of her mouth felt dry, so she swallowed and tried again, this time successful and more urgent as she needed to go, "Chat Noir, I need you to distract them until I come back!" she quickly said, already moving.

"Leave it to me, M'Lady!" Chat called back, reflecting a blast from the akuma with his baton and leaping back when the bear slammed its war hammer in the place he was standing just seconds ago, "I'll just be here, chillin'!" he grinned at her, before turning back to face his opponents, leaping onto a street lamp in a crouch, "Hopefully, I won't become a crushed catsicle before you come back." He chuckled to himself before quickly jumping away from another incoming attack.

Untransformed, Marinette entered Master Fu's massage parlour, quickly explaining the situation.

She sat while the guardian took out the Miracle Box and placed it in front of her.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you must pick an ally you can trust to fight along side you on this mission. Once the mission is over, you will get the Miraculous back and return them to me." Master Fu reminded just as Marinette's fingers twitched over the Fox Miraculous.

"You… told Lila?"

"Of course! Since you're getting nowhere with Adrien, I thought I bring in some extra girl power! And Lila said she would be happy to help."

"Marinette?" Master Fu called out, a brow raising in question.

She picked up the Fox pendant, "Of course, Master." and put on a smile, "I won't let you down." She nodded, before her hand gestured towards the Turtle Miraculous on his wrist, "I'll also need the Turtle Miraculous if you don't mind."

Master Fu nodded and obliged. He took off the Turtle Miraculous and placed it in her open palm, "I trust in your judgement."

Marinette subconsciously tensed but she quickly shook it off and stood up, "Thank you, Master Fu. Leave it to me, I… know who to give it to." She said and rushed out.

Marinette ran a few ways before hiding in an alleyway, a troubled expression on her face.

She was hesitating, why?

Tikki flew towards her chosen with a confused expression, "Marinette, what's wrong? Chat Noir is waiting for you."

"I know." She said, clutching onto the small boxes containing the Fox and the Turtle, "I need to go get Alya and Nino…"

"I don't want Lila-"

"Marinette, Girl." She stopped her, "Lila doesn't like Adrien like that, Nino told me that she told him herself, so you don't have to worry about her stealing him or anything. He even agrees with me that you guys can be great friends if you just gave her a chance."

This and that were two different matters. Right now, Paris comes first.

"Trust us on this."

Marinette squeezed her eyes shut.

Tikki could see the hesitation within her chosen. She flew forward, lifting Marinette's chin up, then backed away a bit so she could look at her properly, realising that she wasn't over what had happened yesterday. Even if just this morning she was helping them babysit, it didn't mean that she still wasn't hurt from yesterday's events. Marinette was just doing something she had agreed to do. Thinking of what she could say to get Marinette focused on something, Tikki smiled, thinking optimistically, "Maybe Alya would ask Ladybug about Lila." She suggested, having faith in humans. Humans were such curious creatures that she has faith that Alya would ask Ladybug all sort of questions, "Alya hadn't had a chance to talk to Ladybug for an interview for a while and Nino would be there to hear as well." She pointed out, a bright smile on her face.

Marinette opened her eyes to stare at her kwami, an unsure, but small hopeful smile on her face, "Yeah, you're probably right." She said before saying the magic words that let her become Ladybug.

Alya and Nino had gone back to her place to wind down as their siblings had woken up from their nap and was now settled in front of the TV with snacks. Her parents were still at work and Nora was training for her upcoming kickboxing match.

The couple was occupied on the couch, playing Super Penguino when they heard a knock on the clear sliding door to the balcony.

Alya looked up, an excited smile on her face when she saw Ladybug waving at them. She nudged her boyfriend who hadn't noticed and shot a quick glance towards their siblings before shooting out of her seat with Nino following and slipped out on the balcony with Nino closing the door behind them.

"Ladybug!" Alya excitedly greeted, "Is there an akuma? Do you need us for another mission?" she was just brimming with excitement

Ladybug breathed out a smile, presenting them the Miraculous Boxes to the two excited individuals, "You guessed right."

"You can count on us Ladybug." Alya grinned, taking the smaller Miracle Box that contained the Fox, not noticing the stiff smile that Ladybug now spotted.

"Yeah, dudette." Nino grinned, taking the other. Just as he was about to open the box, he realised something very important. Looking towards Alya, a concerned frown was on his face, "Wait, what about Chris and the others? Who will look after them?" he asked.

"Oh, shoot." Alya responded, her eyes furrowed.

Before Ladybug could speak, Alya turned to her, "Don't worry, Ladybug. Just give Nino and I 10 minutes. We'll definitely be there!" she said, determined.

"Trust us on this."

Ladybug nodded, smiling uneasily, "Okay, Chat Noir and I will be waiting, but please hurry." She reminded and leaped off the balcony, rushing to her partner.

Hopefully he wasn't in much trouble.

When she arrived back at the Eiffel Tower, she could see that Chat Noir was being cornered, hiding on one of the beams of the Eiffel Tower while Heart Smasher was swinging its war hammer into one of the legs of the Tower, making huge dents in the metal while Heart Freezer shot beams of ice at her partner, freezing his path.

She could see that in a few more swings, the Eiffel Towel will collapse.

Ladybug quickly jumped into action when she saw her partner slip from one of the icy patches and was in the perfect view to be shot until she pulled him out of the way with her yo-yo, catching him in her arms.

Seeing that his Lady was holding him, Chat Noir shot her a playful grin, "Well, well, look what the cat dragged in."

Letting me down, Ladybug shook her head, grabbing her yo-yo and spinning it at her side, "No cat dragged me anywhere, Chat Noir. I flew in all on my own."

Chat Noir then looked around, looking confused, "I thought you were bringing the others."

Ladybug bit her lip, eyes turning towards the akuma and sentimonster, "They're coming." She simply said. She was a bit uncomfortable about leaving the miraculous like that, but she could trust them.

Even if the right thing to do was to look for someone else's help when Alya and Nino couldn't leave their siblings alone, there wasn't enough time.

She could rely on them.

She needs to.

And she was right to rely on them as seconds later Rena Rouge and Carapace arrived.

"Hey guys, glad you could join us." Chat Noir greeted them.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Rena Rouge responded, hands on her hips as she grinned.

Carapace nodded, "There's no way we're not helping."

"That's the spirit!" Chat Noir grinned while on the side, Ladybug inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, "So what's the plan, M'Lady?" he asked.

Ladybug looked at their opponents. They needed to separate Heart Smasher from Heart Freezer. Looking around, an idea came to mind when her eyes landed on Carapace and Rena Rouge. Quickly telling her team the plan, the four of them jumped into action.

Rena Rouge blew into her flute, an orange-white ball of energy glowed at the far end of it, "Mirage!" she yelled out, swinging the flute. The ball of energy dispersing into the air.

As soon as the illusion was set, Carapace lifted his shield over his head, "Shell-ter!" he activated, encompassing Heart Smasher and Rena Rouge within his spherical barrier with a glowing hexagonal pattern on it.

Heart Smasher looked confused, looking around, trapped within the barrier by itself. Lifting its war hammer, Heart Smasher swung its hammer at the green barrier, intending to smash its way out, however, the barrier barely shook. Confused, the sentimonster tried again.

While Heart Smasher continued to swing its hammer into the barrier, Rena Rouge and Carapace stayed silent, not wanting to warn the sentimonster of their presence in the barrier.

Following Ladybug's instructions, Rena Rouge had set up an illusion of the street without them in it, making them, to a certain point, invisible in the sentimonster's beady eyes.

Now they needed to hold out and hope Ladybug quickly finishes with Heart Freezer.

With Heart Smasher out of the way, Ladybug and Chat Noir handled Heart Freezer, dodging and attacking from a distance.

Regrouping from behind a leg of the Eiffel Tower, both Ladybug and Chat Noir let out a huff.

"Maybe your Lucky Charm can help us out here?" Chat Noir suggested, peeking from around the corner, before quickly leaning back as Heart Freezer fired at him, freezing a part of the metal leg.

Ladybug nodded, throwing her yo-yo up, "Lucky Charm!"

She blinked when she caught a red and black spotted ice-cream from André's, looking confused, "Ice-cream?"

"Maybe your lucky charm is telling you we should go on a date afterwards." Chat Noir offered, leaning his face towards her, wiggling his brows.

Pushing his face away with a deadpanned frowned, Ladybug stared at her item before looking around, scrunching her nose. An idea hit her when she stared at her partner and then peeking around at Heart Freezer, "I've got an idea, just follow my lead."

Heart Freezer was becoming impatient.

Her sentimonster was trapped within a green barrier and the bug and cat wouldn't stay still no matter how much she shot at them.

Stalking towards the Eiffel Tower with her ice-cream gun ready to fire, Heart Freezer demanded them to come out and stop hiding like cowards.

"Don't tell the Heroes of Paris are a bunch of scaredy cats?" she yelled out, taunting them.

"Hey, this cat is no scaredy cat. We were just getting ice-cream from André's." Chat Noir replied back from behind his hiding place.

At the mention of the ice-cream man, Heart Freezer froze in her place, "What did you say?" she demanded, her red eyes narrowing, black lips pulled into a sneer.

She watched as Ladybug and Chat Noir stepped out from their hiding place, arms linked closely while in Ladybug's hand was three scooped ice-creams with a cherry on top.

"I say, this ice-cream is just purrfect for us." Chat Noir grinned, leaning his head against Ladybug's, "André sure knows what he's doing, don't you think, M'Lady?" he said, intentionally pushing Heart Freezer's buttons.

From afar, Rena Rouge was inwardly squealing, wishing she had her phone to capture the moment, but she had to stay focus for now.

Ladybug hummed, leaning her head on his shoulder as they walked towards the frozen akuma who was trembling, "His ice-cream is magical, can't argue on that."

Heart Freezer snapped her head at them, eyes violently glaring at them, "You, just how dare you?!" she yelled, whipping her ice-cream gun at them, her feet lifted to take a step forward.

Ladybug saw her opening and quickly threw the ice-cream at the akuma's feet, watching as Heart Freezer stepped on it and slipped, seeing her chance, she quickly threw her yo-yo at Heart Freezer.

Her yo-yo tying her up.

Yanking the string, Heart Freezer fell with a cry.

"Now, Chat!" she said, however, Chat Noir was distracted by the close proximity they were sharing. Annoyed, Ladybug called him again, "Chat Noir!"

Snapping out of it, Chat Noir leaned back, hands up in surrender, "I'm going, I'm going, M'Lady." He replied, running at the struggling akuma, "Cataclysm!" he called, leaping and slamming his hand on the ice-cream gun that had fallen out of Heart Freezer's hold.

The akumatized object turned into blackened ashes while a purple butterfly fluttered out.

Releasing a girl with a short brown hair bob in a pastel pink jumpsuit, similar to her akuma form and a jean jacket, Ladybug captured the purple butterfly and purified it within her yo-yo. Releasing it, Ladybug sent the butterfly off with a smile, "Bye bye, little butterfly." She then jogged towards the still disorientated girl, pulling the amokized bracelet apart and a dark blue baby feather came out. Capturing it before he can fly off, Ladybug captured the feather, purified and released it, sending it with the same smile, "Gotcha! Bye bye, little feather." She then picked up her lucky charm and threw it into the air, "Miraculous Ladybug!" she yelled watching her the little ladybugs set everything back.

The four superheroes gathered in a group to do a four way fist pump, "Pound it!" all four shouted with a grin while the akuma victim looked up with a hand on her head.

Ladybug pulled back, a smile on her face.

At this moment, everything was fine, she had a team she could count on.

Whatever she felt-that hesitation was just a fluke.

She could trust them with her back.

Now, she just hopes they won't disappoint her.

"Don't think you've won Ladybug, where's there's love, there'll be hate." Hawk Moth clenched his fist, looking into his closing window, "And hate always finds a way." He spoke into the darkness, with no one as his witness but the captured butterflies.

Ladybug went down on one knee, placing a comforting hand on the akuma victim, "Hey, are you alright?" she gently asked as the others stood behind her, careful not to crowd the victim.

The girl shook her head with a frown, "I'm sorry, Ladybug." She started, timidly looking at the superheroine with her hazel eyes, "When André gave me my Sweetheart Ice-Cream, it didn't represent me or my boyfriend." She explained, looking at the ground before her, a small smile on her lips, she touched the silver bracelet with a teddy bear carrying a mallet on her wrist that she had put back when she saw it next to her, "I really love him, and we've been going out for 5 years-long distance for the last month, so when I came back and saw André, I thought I'd go grab one and when my ice-cream didn't represent either of us, I guess I felt scared and I panicked." She chuckled weakly, staring at her ice-cream with a bitter smile, "I don't even like lemon flavoured things and we're both not a fan of peppermint." She said, a slight whine in her voice, "And he and I never tried lime-flavoured things, so this ice-cream really threw me off since André is like the Sweetheart Matchmaker of Paris." Her eyes turned sad, "I guess… Sometimes, things are just not meant to be together."

Taking this all in, Ladybug looked to the melting ice-cream with a solemn look. She had doubted André once and because of her, he turned into Glaciator.

"I loved him for so long! Isn't he and I meant to be?!"

Her efforts were wasted but she didn't blame anyone. Her efforts just weren't enough, and she simply wasn't Adrien's choice. Even though the sweetheart ice-cream that André gave her all pointed towards Adrien and that she really wants to believe that he was the one for her… she shouldn't let an ice-cream decide her happiness.

Squeezing the girl's shoulder as comfort, the girl looked up at her, "Hey, while I don't doubt André's ice-cream is magical, I say you should decide your own fate."

"But André's sweetheart ice-cream…" the girl weakly protested.

Ladybug smiled with a huff, her understanding eyes staring straight into hers, "The future is always changing, nothing is set. You decide what your future holds." She pushed herself up, offering her hand to her.

"Couldn't have said it better myself, M'Lady." Chat Noir genuinely grinned. While he believed in André's magical sweetheart ice-cream, he knew that his opinion wouldn't matter to the girl who decides to forge her own fate.

The girl looked at the spotted-clad hand, then looked at her ice-cream before grabbing onto the offered hand, helping her stand up, "Thanks, Ladybug, Chat Noir." She smiled, she then looked behind the duo and thanked Rena Rouge and Carapace who waved at her goodheartedly.

A beeping sounded from her earrings as well as from the temporary heroes.

Touching her ear, Ladybug looked at Chat Noir, "Could you take care of the rest? I have to take the Miraculous from Rena Rouge and Carapace before they transform back."

Chat Noir swept into a bow, "Of course, M'Lady." He grinned, before turning to the victim, offering her a lift.

Landing in an alleyway, Rena Rouge and Carapace de-transformed, giving back the Fox and Turtle Miraculous back to Ladybug's awaiting hand.

"Thanks for your help guys, it was much appreciated." Ladybug smiled as if everything is fine, staring at a happy Alya. Tikki's words from before filled her with hope. It had been a while since Alya last had an interview with Ladybug, maybe she'll ask now.

Come on.

Alya beamed, the rush of being a superheroine was always a blast, "You can always count on us, Ladybug."

Ask.

"No need to thank us, dudette." Nino placed his arm around Alya as he grinned, "We're always happy to help you and Chat Noir."

Ask me about Lila. Find out the truth.

"Yeah, I can't wait for our next mission!" Alya grinned cheekily.

Please

A beep from her earring made Ladybug inwardly falter. She lowered her head, her bangs shadowing her eyes while she continued to smile, "Well, I guess that's my cue to leave." She grabbed her yoyo and turned around, "Bug out." She ran and tossed her yoyo into the sky, pulling her into the sky as her yoyo caught onto something and retracted its string.

Hearing the constant beeping her earring was letting out, Ladybug found another isolated alleyway to de-transform back into Marinette.

She quietly caught Tikki in her cupped hands, automatically rummaging her purse for a macaron and gave it to the tired kwami.

Tikki gratefully accepted the treat and began munching on it, only to stop when she watched Marinette fall back on the wall as if she didn't have the strength to stand up straight anymore, a distant look in her dimmed lidded eyes.

"Marinette?" Tikki called out, concerned, "Maybe it slipped her mind-caught up in her excitement." She offered, "You know how Alya loves superheroes."

Marinette slid down on the ground, her knees bent towards her, careful of her tiny friend, "I really hoped that Alya would have used this chance to ask Ladybug if Lila was her best friend."

Tikki stayed quiet, slowly munching on the macaron before shoving the rest of it into her mouth. She flew towards her chosen, petting her forehead for comfort, "Why didn't you ask Alya instead? You could have done that." She gently asked.

Marinette blinked, thinking about it-actually think about it. The pros and the cons of just telling Alya as Ladybug.

But she sighed.

"It's too late now and… it wouldn't be good on a professional perspective." She closed her eyes, Tikki tilting her head, looking confused, "Even though that interview would affect Alya's blog and her credibility if Ladybug were to tell her to take down Lila's interview, it also wouldn't look good for Ladybug in the public's eyes."

"What do you mean?" Tikki asked.

Marinette lifted a finger, swirling it about in the air as she tried to explain her thoughts, "Ladybug is supposed to protect Paris from Hawkmoth, so why is she focusing on a girl on a blog who is claiming to be Ladybug's 'best friend' instead of focusing on dealing with the akuma?" she looked at Tikki with a tiring smile, her hands on her knees, "From that, you would think Ladybug is more focused on this one girl who only wants attention instead of doing her job." She looked down at her knees then, "If it was the other way around and Alya asked Ladybug instead, then things would be different." she then covered her face with her hands, "But in the first place, Alya shouldn't even have posted an interview about a girl being 'best friends' with Ladybug. It could put the person in danger and endanger their friends and families." She breathed slowly, "Alya's blog is opened to the public so even Hawk Moth could be using it to his advantage." However, she backtracked, her brows furrowing, lifting her face away from her hands, her face scrunched with a frown, "But then again, Lila hasn't been targeted by Hawk Moth so maybe it's fine…" she let out a shuddering breath, her thoughts jumping, "If I were to tell Alya now…" she shook her head, "It's too late. I can only try and prevent her from posting any more of her lies." She decided, yet her mind kept running back and forth, whether it was to tell Alya as Ladybug or not.

The right thing would be to tell her, but it wasn't affecting her job in protecting Paris…

However, what she should've done in the first place was to go to Alya as Ladybug and asked her to take down that fake interview on the day she posted it, but so many things happened that she eventually left it alone.

Volpina happened.

Taking the Grimoire to Master Fu.

Adrien being taken out of school.

Suspecting Gabrielle Agreste as Hawkmoth.

The Collector.

Her focus was elsewhere, and something always came up.

Marinette rubbed at her face, her mind going back to the pros and cons, "But then, exposing her would just make her be akumatize again." She whispered tiredly, leaning her forehead onto her bent knees, "Maybe Adrien is right, and we shouldn't expose her." She murmured weakly.

Both times she had either exposed her or tried to, and she became akumatised.

Volpina and Chameleon.

Tikki's antenna drooped as the confidence in Marinette was dimming. She flew towards her chosen's cheek and nuzzled against it, "Come on, lets return those miraculous back to the Great Guardian. You also have to finish Alix's banner before tomorrow." She reminded.

"Yeah." She responded dispiritedly, taking a moment before pushing herself up as Tikki settled into her purse, a frown on her face.

Marinette made her way to Fu's Massage parlour.

Knocking on the door, Marinette and Tikki entered the room where Master Fu were waiting for them, a proud smile on his face.

Marinette listlessly handed over the Fox and Turtle miraculous over to the guardian's awaiting hand and watched as he puts the Fox Miraculous inside the Miracle box while he slipped on the Turtle Miraculous on his bony wrist.

Wayzz appeared from a green glow, flying next to his old friend.

Master Fu smiled at his little friend before turning to look at Marinette, "Thanks to you, Paris has been saved from evil yet again."

Marinette rubbed her arm, a weak smile on her face, "Yeah."

Raising a brow, Master Fu observed the girl for any more signs, "Did something happen with the temporary heroes?"

"Huh? No, it's-uh, it's fine." Marinette waved him off with a crooked smile, "I just have this banner that I haven't started that needs to be done tomorrow." She let out a weak laugh, moving towards the door. Marinette politely said her goodbyes and left, leaving Master Fu and Wayzz staring confusedly at the girl's behaviour.

As Marinette walked down the street, she pulled her phone out of her pocket to check the time, however, she saw that she had some missed calls from Alya and she rose a confused brow at that.

She stopped and stared at the missed call, finger hesitating over the call button before forcing herself to call her back. Bringing the phone to her ear, she waited for Alya to pick up.

She didn't have to wait long when Alya answered.

"Hey, Alya, sorry that I missed your call, I was… busy with Alix's banner that I didn't notice. Did you forget something?" she asked, she didn't think they left anything at her place.

"Ah, don't worry about it. Nino and I wanted you to look after our siblings for bit because something came up." Alya waved off her concerned.

Oh

"Sorry." Marinette apologised, rubbing the back of her neck, "I was busy, I hope you're not mad."

Alya laughed to show she wasn't angry, "No, of course not, no biggy. I was able to get a friend of mine to take care of them."

Marinette blinked, "A friend?" she asked, curiously wondering which of the girls Alya asked.

"Yeah, don't worry, she took care of everything."

"Oh, okay then. I guess I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, see you later, girl." Alya hung up as she and Nino arrived back at her place, unlocking her door to see their last minute babysitter sitting on the couch, surrounded by Chris, Ella and Etta, enamoured with whatever she was talking about, "Hey guys, we're back!"

"Did the little dude and dudettes cause you any trouble?" Nino asked, a grin on his face.

The girl stood up, a smile on her face, "Oh, it was no trouble at all. Anything for my friend."

"Thanks again for coming so last minute, Lila." Alya smiled, "I couldn't reach Marinette, turns out she was distracted by a project. We were lucky that you were walking nearby."

Lila gave her a grin, pushing herself up from the couch, "It really was lucky. Oh, but what a shame that Marinette was too distracted for her friends." She shook her head disapprovingly.

Alya waved her off with a smile, "She gets like that sometimes, no biggie." She chuckled good-heartedly, walking Lila out the door while Nino crouched down with the kids, asking how their time with Lila was.

As the two girls stood at the door with Alya holding the door for her, Alya leaned over to give her a hug, "Really, thanks again, Lila. You really helped us out."

Lila returned the hug with a chuckle, "Just call me anytime Marinette can't help you out, I'll be here for you." She whispered in her ear. "You can always count on me."

"Thanks, Lila."

Marinette arrived home, heading straight to her room without her parents noticing, she pulled herself up into her room, and for a moment, she stood in the middle of her room, staring at her untouched materials that she gathered to make Alix's banner.

She was lucky that she had a design for it, but she might need to pull an all-nighter to finish it before tomorrow.

She was just… a bit tired but she could get through this.

She said that she would.

Notes:

For those of you who celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas! It 25th over here.

Had trouble with the akuma and sentimonster fight scene, not a lot of action if I think about it... Also had trouble with the title so that took a while... Tell me what you think about it.

Reference. Reference everywhere \(*0*)/

Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Chapter 6: Speedster

Notes:

#

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Marinette tiredly blinked awake as the ringing of her alarm sounded.

Sprawled out on her bed, she stared absentmindedly at her ceiling. She had stayed up late in order to finish Alix's banner and it was a miracle that she even finished it with how distracted her mind was.

Yesterday's event just wasn't leaving her mind, but she had to put it behind her.

Move on.

That was what she needed to do.

As her alarm from her phone continued to ring, Marinette began to tiredly reach for it with her tired eyes, scrunching them shut at the noise.

"Marinette, your phone." Tikki sleepily spoke from her curled-up position on Marinette's stomach, too comfortable to move.

"I know." Marinette sleepily replied. Finally finding her phone, she lazily smacked her phone off, and picked it up after a moment of silence with a groan. Groggily opening her eyes to look at the time, they shot open, the sleep gazed eyes fully awake now as she shot up with a scream, unintentionally flinging off Tikki from her stomach.

"I'm late!" she quickly shot up, sliding down her banister in a rush, almost stumbling on her landing, her arms flailing about, clumsily regaining her balance, "I'm late! I'm late! I'm late!" she panicked, moving around, quickly going through her morning routine and changing.

Grabbing her purse, her eyes shot around the room, "Banner! Where did I leave the banner?!"

"Here! I have it, Marinette." Tikki flew up to her, holding the finished banner to her.

Marinette quickly thanked her, grabbing the banner from her and checked it over before rolling it up.

"You'll never make it to Skatepark de Bercy on 25 minutes, it's way too far!" Tikki pointed out, flying after Marinette who froze at the trapdoor.

It was currently 9:35am and the competition started at 10.

Marinette was really panicking, there was no way she was going to make it to Alix's competition at Skatepark de Bercy in time. She wasn't that familiar with the place, so she had done some prior research. It took about more than one and a half hour on foot to get there and even if she ran, she'd still miss the whole thing. If she took the train, it would take just a bit over half an hour, and she would have to change trains before she reached her location.

However, her face perked up when she realised that there was another way to get there on time.

Turning around to face the little god, Marinette smiled, "Not too far for Ladybug." She winked, "Tikki, spots on!" turning into Ladybug, the spotted heroine headed out through her skylight with the rolled-up banner in her and swung away to the Skatepark de Bercy.

Sitting on the edge of the grass some ways behind the spectators leaning over the railings that overlooked the skating ramps, Alix was staring at the blue hologram of a woman holding a clock with the current time from her pocket watch, a frown on her lips as there were only a few minutes before her competition started. She looked up with a frown, she couldn't help but furrow her brows when she noticed that Marinette wasn't here yet. The last time she saw her was on Friday and she hasn't heard from her.

No group text or a text from her. Just messages from the other girls.

Granted, she did say that she was going to give Marinette some space, but she couldn't get rid of the memory of her looking down. She didn't think she was upset because of another failed attempt with Adrien. She knew that she was upset that Alya had told a poorly kept secret to Lila, but she couldn't help but think it was more than that.

Checking the time, she saw that there was only seven minutes before the competition started.

Sighing, she closed her pocket watch with a soft snap and placed it in her pocket and pushed herself up, blading towards her group of friends that was mixed among the crowd.

"Hey Alya." Alix greeted, watching the blogger have her phone out, already recording with an enthusiastic grin, "Any word from Marinette?" she asked, hoping that she was coming.

Alya stopped recording, lowering her phone down, "She's probably late, but she'll be here." She reassured her with a grin, "I can call her if you want." She said, already calling her. Bringing the phone up to her ear, she waited for her best friend to pick up, however, she frowned when she got her voicemail instead.

"It's Marinette, leave a message. Beep! He he."

Hanging up, Alya lowered her phone back with a huff, "Ughh. I hate when she goes AWOL. Where is that girl?" she questioned to no one in particular, staring at her screen, she probaly slept in, but she didn't want to drag down their competitor's spirit.

Alix looked to the side, ruffling the back of her hair under her helmet, "Did you talk with Marinette recently?" she asked, her eyes returning to the reporter.

"Yeah," Alya nodded, going back to her camera, ready to record, "She was looking after Nino's and my siblings." She responded, "Why?"

"Just wondering if she was still upset." She shrugged, "Since Friday was…" she showed a thumbs down with a grunt to finish off.

Alya simply waved it off, "Nah, she was fine. I have another plan that'll work this time." She winked, grinning.

"Well, if you're sure." She said. Alya was Marinette's best friend after all, so she would know best.

"Of course I am, but let's focus on you!" Alya lifted her phone up, resuming recording, "Like wow! Look at the turn up today! There are so many people here!" she panned the camera around, capturing the crowd and the competitors before turning back to Alix, "Gonna put this up on my blog later, so any words for my followers? Think you're gonna win?"

Giving the blogger a grin, Alix placed her fists on her hips, "Of course, just you wait and see, I'm gonna leave everyone in the dust!" she confidently declared.

Grinning at her response, Alya ended the recording, happy with it, "Great, I'm sure you'll win." Looking up, she saw Marinette running towards them from a distance, "Oh? Look who finally arrived. Marinette! Over here!" she called out, waving her arm at her.

Alix turned around, she didn't realise that she had let out a sigh of relief that Marinette had come.

The call from Alya alerted the people from her class as they gathered over to them, some giving Alix words of luck before Marinette finally made it to them.

"Sorry I'm late!" Marinette immediately apologised, "I overslept, but I'm here now and ready to cheer you on!" she grinned, unravelling the banner between her hands.

Alix eyes widened and she gasped, "It's awesome, Marinette, thank you!" she grinned, staring at the banner in delight, the others looking delighted as well, showering her compliments about the banner.

Marinette grinned, happy that she and the others liked it, "I'll be cheering you on with the others." She stated. She looked around the area, seeing some spectators had bought cardboard signs with the contestant's names or words of encouragement. She also noticed that most of their classmates were here, even Chloé and Sabrina for some reason. However, Chloé looked displeased to be there as she stood there with crossed arms, frowning. The blonde girl looks like she didn't even want to be here, so she briefly wondered why she was. Maybe someone invited her, but who?

Anyway, the only ones who was missing from their class were Ivan, Mylène, Adrien and Lila.

"Skaters, we are now ready to commence, gather to the starting line if you can." The voice of the announcer sounded from the speakers hanging from each corner of ceiling above the ramps, snapping Marinette out of her thoughts.

"It looks like you're about to start, good luck out there." Marinette smiled at the smaller girl, as did everyone else.

"Thanks, guys." The skater grinned, moving towards the ramp that led to the skate ramps below. But before she made it to the ramp, Alix quickly rolled back to Marinette, taking her to the side as the others were already settled against the railings, looking below at the competition.

"Hey, Marinette, could you do me a favour and keep my watch in your bag for me? I don't wanna drop it during the race." She knew that she shouldn't place the responsibility of looking after her watch to someone else, considering what had happened last time when she entrusted it to Alya, it was her responsibility after all, but she knew she could rely on Marinette.

"Are you sure?" Marinette asked with a doubtful tone, staring at the hand that was holding the pocket watch out to her, "You know me… I can be clumsy, and I almost dropped it last time." She weakly reminded her, looking worried.

"I'm sure, and I won't blame you if something happens since I know it's my responsibility to look after my stuff."

Marinette looked hesitant as she reached for the pocket watch, making sure she had a good grip on it as she opened the clasp of her purse, careful not to let Alix see Tikki, she placed the pocket watch inside, mindful of the kwami and made sure her purse was closed.

"Thanks, Marinette." Alix patted her on the shoulder before skating off to the other contenders.

Marinette joined the others by the railings, laying the banner over the rails so it could be seen. She took that time to admire the place and especially the colourful graffiti on the walls. She wondered if Alix's work was somewhere on the walls, however, her attention was dragged back to the racers competing when the announcer began speaking.

"As you can see, ladies and gents! We have a variety of skaters joining us, we have the skateboarders, cyclers, rollerbladers and an… unicycler?

Decked out in protective wear, said unicycler shot a thumbs up at the announcer.

Shaking off his bewilderment, the announcer continued on, "Well, you do you, I guess. As many of you can see, this race would need quite a bit of stamina to finish this obstacle course. Some of you may find it easy or difficult depending on your choice of wheels." He pointed out, then gestured to the three connected ramps in front of the contenders, "All the contestants will go through to the end and come back then come to the side, nearest to the wall, turn back on the other side and repeat. Three laps, you hear?" the announcer asked, receiving nods, "Awesome, now without further ado… On your marks, get set... GO!" he yelled at the end, a wide grin on his face.

As the racers pushed off the edge, the crowd started screaming.

"Go Alix!"

"You can do it, Trente!"

"Leave them eating dust, Mags!"

"Yeahhhh, Skitzzzz!"

"Go Unicycle guy! Whoooooooo!"

Marinette along the others were cheering for their friends, and even for the unicycler guy who was doing fine, until he lost control of his pedals when he rode down the ramp and fell. Everyone winced and gave out their sympathies towards the guy but cheered when he got back up with a thumbs up and tried again.

They all went back to cheering on their friend.

"Yeah, man! Ride that one-wheeler! Whooooooooooo!"

Marinette laughed quietly to herself. It was nice to hear just how supportive people were.

"Hmph, I bet I can outrun all them." Kim said smugly, arms crossed as he watched the race heat up, some of the contestants were doing little tricks like sliding along the handrails.

Besides him, Nathaniel swirled his head at him with a frown, "You promised no more bets!" the artist reminded, looking annoyed.

Juleka, who also overheard, shot him an annoyed frown, "We're so through with all of those stupid dares!"

"But-!" Kim started but was interrupted by his close friend.

"Yes." Max agreed with the artist, pushing his glasses up, "Alix was triumphant, prohibiting you from making another dare for the rest of the school year." He recounted.

Kim crosses his arms and pouted, "Fine." He reluctantly resigned, going back to watching the race. When he saw that Alix overtook a guy with rollerblades, he already forgot why he was down and let out a loud 'whoop!' as he cheered on his friend.

As Marinette cheered with the others, she felt someone nudge her ribs. Looking to the side, she was unaware that her smile falter when she saw Alya gestured her head behind them and shooting her a wink before resuming to cheer on Alix, recording the whole time.

Turning her head over her shoulder, her heart thumped when she saw Adrien running over to them, a bright smile on his face as he saw her and gave her a wave. Whipping her head towards Alya with a panic look in her eyes, she wanted to ask what she should do, but Alya was focused on the race.

Gulping, Marinette took a deep breath.

She could do this, if she wanted to move on, then she would have to talk to Adrien, show that she could do this.

Friends talked to each other.

It'll be fine.

Leaving her spot, that was immediately taken, she went to meet Adrien halfway, greeting him with a nervous smile, "Hi, Adrien."

"Hey there, Marinette!" he beamed, stopping in front of her, "Nino messaged me about Alix's race. Am I too late?" he asked, suddenly looking worried that he missed the whole thing.

She shook her head, "No, no. They just started." She looked down, for some reason, she could tell that Alya had something to do with this.

"Phew." He sighed out of relief, "That's good news, I'm glad I was able to make it." Yesterday, he had received a text from his best bud, telling him that Alix was competing, and he didn't know if he was allowed or even had time to make it. Luckily, his photoshoot had ended early and he had convinced his bodyguard to let him attend. He then looked down to see what his friend was holding and couldn't help but complement her, "Impressive, Marinette!" Adrien smiled and shot her a wink, his arms crossed.

Marinette shot her head up with a soft blush on her cheeks and stared at Adrien with an unreadable expression. She averted her gaze as she nervously smiled, "Oh, um thanks." She bit the inside of her cheek as she tried to calm down her stuttering heart at the compliment that he carelessly gave her.

She couldn't let this affect her-she shouldn't let this affect her, Adrien was just being kind.

He was being a friend about it.

But it was so hard to stop her heart from being affected, however, yesterday's memory of Adrien and Kagami helped as it gave her a cold awakening.

She was just going to get hurt if she continued to pine over him.

Giving herself a moment, her eyes taking on a determined look, she stared at Adrien, right into his bright green eyes, readying her heart, "I…" she started, swallowing. She blinked down, feeling trepidation, but she had to do this, she needed to know she could do this, she thought to herself as she looked back up, "You… didn't invite Kagami?" she asked, trying to give him a natural-looking smile, but it came out warily.

That was a tiny success.

Right?

Adrien shook his head, looking a bit disappointed, "She's busy practicing with her mother." He sighed out, looking to the side.

Marinette wanted to hold herself, but she couldn't do that while holding onto the banner, so she simply tightened her grip on it, "O-Oh, that's a shame." She swallowed, looking away as her smile cracked. Fortunately, Adrien wasn't looking at her, so he didn't notice, "Maybe next tie-time! You could invite her when an event happens, o-or we could plan something a-and invite her out as well." She offered, forcing her smile to look bright.

Adrien perked up, looking excited at that idea, "That's a great idea, Marinette! I'm sure Kagami would like that." He smiled softly at her. It was very kind of Marinette to do that and he couldn't wait until his next chance to hang out with everyone, "I can't wait for it!" he beamed at her, unintentionally hurting her.

"Y-yeah." She stuttered, her eyes averted to Alix among the contestant, however, before she could say anymore, she was rudely shoved to the side and tripped, making her drop the banner and scraping her hands on the grounds.

"Oh Adrikins! You're finally here!" Chloé happily said, throwing herself onto him, not seeing the slight discomfort on her childhood friend as he held her arms. She then pulled back, making a face, "Ugh, this place is just utterly filthy, Adrikins. Come on, let's go somewhere else." She declared, pulling his arm with her.

Adrien frowned, placing his hand on her arm to stop her, "Chloé, I want to cheer on my friend."

Chloé frowned, displeased but then let out a huff, "Fine, only because you want to Adrikins." She relented, hugging his arm to her as they walked towards the crowd. When Chloé saw her rival picking herself off the ground, she let out a snicker, "Don't you think you and that tacky banner should stay on the ground where you belong, Dupain-Cheng?" she smirked, leaning against Adrien.

"Chloé." Adrien reprimanded in a scolding tone.

Chloé simply hmphed before dragging him away while Adrien sent a quick apologetic smile at his friend as she dusted herself off with a frown.

Alone, Marinette shook off any dust that got on the banner.

"Marinette, are you alright?" Tikki peeked out of her purse.

"Yeah." She sighed out, "Were you okay in there?" she returned the question.

The little kwami nodded, "I'm fine in here."

"That's good…" she replied before her eyes widened when a thought crossed her mind, "How's the pocket watch?" she frantically asked, a worried look in her eyes. She couldn't let anything happen to Alix's watch! She had trusted her, and she just had to go and fall! What if she damaged it? What if Alix never want to be her friend after this?! The last time her watch broke, she had been so upset that she became akumatized! What if-?!

"It's fine, not a scratch on it!" Tikki proudly declared, relieving Marinette of her thoughts.

The girl let out a sigh of relief this time, "Thank god." Smiling a thankful smile to her little friend.

A loud cheer from the crowed drew her attention.

"Go on, Marinette, you're missing the whole thing." Tikki reminded, ducking back into her purse with the pocket watch.

"Right, the race." She murmured and jogged over to the spectators.

When Alya saw Marinette come back without Adrien, she shook her head and inwardly sighed, already knowing it was another failure as she overheard her making plans that included everyone and her rival.

On the final round, the crowd began cheering harder for the one they were supporting. Marinette and her classmates were cheering on Alix as she was neck and neck with the other fellow rollerblader guy.

"Come on, Trente! Leave her in the dust!"

"Leave them eating dust, Alix!" a voice that sounded like Kim boomed from the crowd. Alix shrugged it off as she sped up, leaving the other racers behind while trying to bypass Trente as the two made it back to the ramps.

The audience held their breaths as they watched the leads go through the ramps for the final time, quickly turning back and towards the finish line.

Alix and Trente skated pass the others on the way back, pushing their legs to be the victor, the announcer ready his breather, ready to call out the winner as he held a flag to signal the moment.

As they watched as one of them crossed the finish line and the the other, the annocer sung his flag down, shouting, "And the victor is Alex Kudbel!"

"Yes!" Alix pumped her fist up.

The crowd went wild, especially the class of Miss Bustier.

"That's our girl!"

Coming down from her victory cheer, Alix turned to her fellow racer with her hand out, "That was a good race." She grinned.

Trente let out a defeated sigh before giving the smaller girl a resigned smile, "Yeah, you're really fast." Second place wasn't that bad, it was still a good rank.

The announcer continued, "While he came in last, lets give an honourable mention to Unicycle guy!"

"Yeah!"

"Don't mind!"

The announcer then peered around the ramp to see that their last place racer was continuing the race, "You do you, man!" he supported, receiving a thumbs up from him, he then let out a wince when he fell but teared up when he got back up and continued, "A round of applause for our racers, please!"

Everyone complied, cheering for the good race they showed.

As the cheering died down, watching as the racers received their trophy, Miss Buster's class gathered, moving away from the others, talking among themselves about their friend's victory.

Marinette was happy that Alix had won, glad that her practicing had paid off. She was enjoying herself, taking in everyone's smiling faces of her classmates until Rose let a disappointed sigh.

"It's a shame that the rest couldn't come." She looked down as Juleka placed her hands on her shoulders as comfort.

Alya grinned, waving her phone at her, "Don't worry, I've recorded everything so they can check it out on my blog."

"Where are the others?" Kim asked, looking around, making sure he didn't miss them.

"Alya told me that Mylène and Ivan are at a protest and Lila should be in the Kingdom of Achu, helping Prince Ali." Nino said, placing an arm around his girlfriend's shoulders.

"Whoa, really? Lila's so awesome!" the athlete exclaimed.

"Right?!" Alya grinned, clutching her phone in her hands, "She said that she'd call me later tonight to give me all the deets!" she excitedly said.

Marinette bit her lips, looking as everyone were gathering around her best friend as she relayed the liar's tales. Should she do something? She couldn't let her friends believe in such lies, but if she said something, would they even believe her?

Alya had brushed her off a couple of times.

What should she do?

Turning her head over at Adrien to follow his lead, she only saw a disappointed shake of his head as he let a small sigh out, as if disappointed that Lila was still lying. He then turned his head to look at her, giving her a look that said that they were in this together, that they just needed to patiently wait for Lila to see the error of her ways and stop with all the lies.

Feeling just a bit… a smidge doubtful, Marinette followed his lead and stayed silent. But she averted her eyes away, a frown on her face.

She could trust Adrien; he knew what he was doing, but…

Was this the right thing to do?

Their friends were ultimately being lied to, but it's not like their lives were being affected… right? They were just being told some stories. The only one she had to look out for was Alya at the moment.

Her blog was already tangled in Lila's web of lies.

The only thing she could do was prevent Alya from listening to anymore of Lila's lies.

But how was she going to do that when Alya didn't believe her?

She was snapped out of it when her classmates ran pass her to gather around Alix, holding a golden trophy when she came up, congratulating her on her victory.

"Way to go Alix!"

"You were awesome!"

"Any words for the viewers at home?"

Alix let out a smug grin, holding up her trophy, "Told you I'd win." She then excused herself when she skated towards Marinette who hadn't moved.

Marinette remembered to smile. This was a good moment for her friend, she needed to smile, not ruin the mood, "Congratulations on your victory, Alix." She folded the banner over her arm as she took out the pocket watch from her purse, "Here's your watch back."

"Thanks, Marinette. I knew I could count on you." She grinned, taking it back and clicking it open to check the time.

Marinette marvelled at the contraption, watching the blue puff of smoke revealing a blue hologram of a woman holding a clock. She never got to take a proper look last time, seeing that it opened on impact when Chloé dropped it and Alix had unknowingly skated over it.

Alix then put her pocket watch away, her face still grinning, "Did you enjoy the race?"

She nodded, "Yeah, you were amazing out there." She praised.

Alix smiled then turned to look over her shoulders to see that the crowd had dispersed, her classmates still there and a few others still cheering on the unicycle guy who was still continuing on with the course.

The biker-girl and skater-boy staying behind as well, cheering him on.

"Hey, Alix, Marinette, come on!" Alya shouted for them, catching their attention, "Let's go celebrate!"

"Ugh, you're mostly likely going out to eat commoner food." Chloé turned her nose up before tugging on Adrien's arm, "Come on Adrikins, let's go back to my daddy's hotel, we have much better food there."

Adrien gently removed himself from his childhood friend and shot everyone an apologetic smile, "Sorry everyone, but I have to go now, I promised my bodyguard that I'll go back home after this. He's waiting for me right now." He explained, his friends giving him their disappointment that he was missing out.

Chloé crossed her arms and let out a displeased harrumph. Seeing that there was no point in staying here anymore, she beckoned Sabrina to follow her, "Come Sabrina, I'm going shopping and I need someone to carry my bags."

"Coming, Chloé." Sabrina smiled, running after her friend.

Nino gave him a fist bump, to which he returned, "Maybe next time, bro." he gave an understanding smile.

Adrien then looked over to Alix, "Congratulations on your win, Alix. Sorry I can't celebrate with you."

Alix simply waved him, "It's fine, dude. There's always next time."

Adrien nodded, and waved bye at Marinette, "Bye, Marinette, can't wait for the next hang out with everyone." He grinned at her, remembering their conversation, he couldn't wait to do this again. He didn't notice the girls behind him shooting gleeful glances at Marinette as it seemed he had directed the invite to her.

Alix glanced over to Marinette to see what her reaction was, only to see that she returned the wave with an unreadable smile. This was new. This wasn't a nervous smile whenever Adrien gave the girl a smile, or her love-struck smile and Alix couldn't help but frown when she couldn't tell what Marinette- the girl who wore her feelings on her sleeves were feeling.

As Adrien walked away, the remaining people called out to them once again.

"You guys go ahead. Marinette and I will catch up later!" she shouted over to them, ignoring the confused look on Marinette's face. Alix skated forward, gesturing her head to follow her.

Rolling on his skates that led him out of Skatepark de Bercy and into Parc de Bercy, Trente headed down the stairs and skated towards one of the growing trees, going around and plopping down on the ground, the silver 2nd place trophy held between his gloved hands. Placing his trophy down, the boy sighed and rubbed his face in his hands.

He had lost, just by a couple of seconds.

If only he was a bit faster, he could've won.

It was frustrating, having prepared himself for this small competition, training, researching what gear would reduce wind resistance.

But all that were for naught.

Second place wasn't bad, but he wanted to win.

Peeking through the gaps between his fingers, Trente stared at his silver trophy with a frown. Snapping his eyes shut, he lightly banged his head against the bark behind him, trying to get rid of depressing thoughts.

It was only a small competition.

At least it wasn't a major one.

But nonetheless, Trente pushed himself up as he scooped his trophy with an upset frown.

A lost was still disappointing.

Somewhere in an observatory, the window opened, scattering hundreds of pure butterflies fluttering around. The light seeping him bounced off the butterflies, making them seem like they're glowing.

Standing in the middle, stood Hawk Moth with a smirk.

"Such negativity, the frustration and the disappointment of losing a race that you've been training for so long, only to lose." Fly away, my little akuma, and evilize him!"

As Trente skated towards one of the exits out of the park with a dejected look, he was started as he saw a purple butterfly fluttering towards one of his skates. Panicking, he dropped his trophy as he tried to regain his balance and skate away. However, it was pointless as the akuma managed to fuse into one of his black skates, causing him to stop his flailing and stand still.

His face darkened before an outline of a butterfly appearing on his face.

"Speedster, this is Hawk Moth. I understand the frustration of losing, knowing that if only you were a bit faster, you could've won. I can give you the power to be the fastest person in Paris, however, there is something you must do for me in return."

Trente looked up, his eyes narrowed and a mean smirk on his face, "Alright, Hawk Moth." He agreed, before being consumed in a dark smog.

Also in Parc de Bercy, in a different part, Alix and Marinette sat down on the bench while the latter felt confused as to why Alix wanted to talk to her alone.

Fidgeting in her spot, Marinette was about to ask what the matter was when the smaller girl turned to look at her.

Alix had given Marinette enough time to herself, and now was as good as any to talk to her, "What's up?" she straightforwardly questioned, watching her for some sort of a reaction.

Marinette blinked, "What… do you mean?" she slowly asked, unsure of what she was getting at, "I'm fine?" she answered.

Alix shook her head, "Friday." She reminded, "I know you weren't just upset about Adrien. You looked more upset when Alya broke a promise." She bluntly stated. Even though anyone with eyes could tell that Marinette has a crush on the sunshine boy, a promise between two best friends were still broken.

Marinette stared at her for a moment before averting her eyes to the ground. If she were to tell her side of things- how Lila had deliberately tipped her macarons on the ground, how Alya believed in Lila more than her best friend, that Lila had been lying to everyone this whole time, would she believe her? Would she think she was being just jealous like Alya? Alix wasn't at the cafeteria when she threw the napkin at Lila, but she was there when Lila was telling how Ladybug cured her 'tinnitus' and she and everyone were enamoured with her tales.

So would Alix believe her?

Or brush her feelings aside?

Adrien had said to take the high road, and while she felt… just a smidge doubtful, it seems like Adrien was right, so she should just hold her tongue, wait for Lila to come around and tell the truth.

Adrien believed that Lila can change, just like Chloé can...

But... he also said that Chloé will never change when the girl invited everyone to her party... His smile was fond as he said it...

Gripping at her elbows, Marinette let out a small laugh and made a decision, "I'm fine." Trying to reassure her friend by giving her a smile, "I was just upset that Alya told my secret, that's all." She tightened her hold on her elbows, "But I know Alya, she was just doing what she thought was best for me." she truly believed that, Alya was just doing what she thought was best for her, "So I'm over it." She looked at the folded banner over her arm, thinking of ways to change the conversation.

Alix observed her friend's melancholy smile. She was certain that Marinette didn't even realised that she was making that kind of face. But before she could say anything, she was startled when her friend shoved her banner in front of her with a shout.

"Banner!" Marinette yelled, "Erhh," she lowered her voice, laughing nervously, "Do you want to keep the banner?" she asked, not wanting to continue the conversation, "As to remember today-ah but," she lowered the banner, letting out a sheepish smile, feeling a bit foolish, "you already have your trophy so I guess you don't need-"

Alix took the banner from her hands, "Nah, I'll take it." She rolled the banner up and placed it in the trophy. "Thanks, Marinette." But she wasn't going to drop it, Marinette is her friend and the girl has always given her best for them. The least she could do was be a shoulder for her to cry on or vent to, however, it seems Marinette could tell that she was going to push on her when she gave her a smile, her bluebell eyes unwavering.

"Alix, I'm fine. Really." She repeated, her voice steady, "I was just a bit upset, now I'm over it. I'm sorry that I worried you." She apologised with an apologetic smile. She then stood up, her hands behind her back, "Come on, we should probably catch up with the others. Don't want to keep them waiting too long."

Alix stared at her, stared at her unwavering smile and eyes. If Marinette said that she was fine, she was probably fine. Alya had told one of Marinette's poorly kept secret. Of course she would be upset. And she could believe what Marinette said, if she said she was fine, then she's fine, "Yeah, let's get a move on." She nodded, pushing herself up with her trophy, "I'm hungry."

Before the two girls could leave, they heard screams of panic and the shout of an 'Akuma!' echoed through the park.

A black and red blur zipping around, pushing pass people and causing them to fall.

"Akuma." Marinette gasped, whipping her head towards her friend, a panic look on her face, "We have to hide." And she needed to transform and fix things.

Alix, however, looked like she wanted to do something about the akuma but before she could voice out her thought, she was quickly swept away by the akuma.

"Alix!" Marinette cried out as her friend suddenly disappeared, whipping her head around to see any signs of her. When she couldn't, she quickly took for cover, hiding behind a row of trees, "Tikki, we have to rescue Alix!"

"You know what to say."

"Tikki! Spots on!"

As soon as Adrien had arrived home, he was immediately sent to his room to practice his piano while Plagg was happily flipping through channels on the TV by bouncing on the remote.

As the kwami of destruction bounced through channels, he caught a glimpse of Ladybug on TV before he had flipped to the next channel. Pausing his bouncing, he went back a few channels until he landed on the news channel.

The kwami of the Cat Miraculous contemplated if they should help. Ladybug was capable of taking care of the akuma by herself, but his conscious won him over as he turned his body around to call out to his chosen, "Adrien, come see this."

Adrien paused in his playing and walked over to his kwami, "What is it?" he asked, before noticing the TV, "Ladybug?" he grabbed the remote as Plagg flew away and turned the volume up.

"-looks like the akuma is calling himself Speedster." Nadja Chamack reported from up in a helicopter, "We don't know what he wants but it seems he has gathered up all the contestants for a small skating competition held today at Skatepark de Bercy." On screen was the akuma covered similar to a black latex bodysuit tucked in black skates with protective gear for rollerblading, his mouth was covered by a high collar hoodie, his eyes covered in yellow ski goggles and his red spikey hair was slicked back.

"He got Alix!" Adrien pointed out, as the camera managed to capture footage of his classmate and the others. The camera zoomed in on the group, unfortunately, they couldn't hear what they were saying but they could see Speedster take the gold trophy from a frowning Alix's hand, looked at it before throwing it away like it didn't matter anymore and left like the speed of light.

"Looks like we got a problem." Plagg pointed out the obvious as he floated about with his knees crossed and flippers behind his head.

Adrien took out his phone and opened his music app, swiping until he landed on No. 15 in D Flat Major. Making sure it was on repeat, he placed it on his piano stand and nodded, "Okay, I'm ready!" He said to no one in particular before calling out his transformation, "Plagg, claws out!"

Standing there was a grinning Chat Noir as he jumped onto his opened window and leaped out.

"I'll show all of Paris that I'm the fastest!" Speedster declared as he skated down the streets and towards Jardin Nord train station. He didn't care about some small time competition , he wanted to be the best- the fastest, and what better way to show that was than to race against one of the fastest machines?

As the Startrain that was said to travel between France and the UK at record speeds, and was faster than flying by plane, left the station, the citizens who was waiting for a different train let out a short scream as a blast of wind blew pass them a minute later, making them look confused.

Speedster grinned as he was able to quickly catch up to the train and even skated pass it, proving that he was the fastest of them all.

A purple outline of a butterfly appeared on his face, "Speedster, our deal." Hawk Moth reminded.

"Don't worry, Hawk Moth." Speedster grinned, "You'll definitely get your jewels."

"Hmph, I'm counting on you." Hawk Moth said before he left.

Ladybug landed on a roof with focused eyes. As soon as Speedster had gathered up today's racers, he seemed to lose interest in them and left, which meant that her friend was safe, but not for the streets of Paris. Her eyes trailed after the dust trail that Speedster inevitably left behind, as well as some scratch mark and roller tracks. Every time he made a forceful turn, she saw sparks flying from his skates.

If he went any faster, the friction from his wheels could cause a fire.

Following his intended path, she could predict where he was heading to.

Hoping that she could slow him down, she calculated how fast he was going and when she should spring her trap. As Speedster was nearing on the seventh building, Ladybug quickly threw her yo-yo across, creating a cat's cradle net just before Speedster sped pass, however, the akuma did a mighty leap and jumped over the net.

"Ha! You think you could slow me down? Think again!" Speedster yelled out, already far ahead.

Ladybug frowned and was about to give chase when Chat Noir dropped in front of her.

"Hey there, M'lady, have I ever told you that you make my heart race? He grinned.

Ladybug was not amused as she sighed out and pushed him back by his nose, "Come on, Chat. We have an akuma to chase." She stated and before she could get a start, Chat Noir ran.

"Race ya!" he called, using his baton to get him on the roof for a better view.

Chloé walked down the street with her arm levelled to her chest and on the tip of her finger held a single shopping bag, "Ugh, Shopping can be so exhausting." She complained, putting her free arm over her head like she was troubled.

"Yeah, Chloé." Sabrina agreed a few steps behind as she tried not to drop any of Chloé's boxes of shoes in her hands, while also trying not to crinkled the shopping bags hanging on her arms.

"You better not drop my shoes, those are expensive." She warned just as something fast bumped into her, causing her to fall and dirty her white jeans, "Watch it!" Gasping in horror, the mayor's daughter shot her head up towards the direction the offender ran off to, but they weren't there anymore, only leaving a trail of dust behind them, "Daddy will hear about this!"

"Are you okay, Chloé?" Sabrina asked in concern, jogging up to her.

Chloé growled as she got up with her dented shopping bag and complained, "Ugh, my clothes are now ruined thanks to that maniac! Ridiculous! Utterly ridi-" she stopped when she saw Ladybug and Chat Noir rush by on the roof, which meant the one who so rudely bumped into her was an akuma, "Quick, Sabrina! Ladybug needs me!" she stated as she rushed towards her hotel.

"R-Right!" Sabrina responded.

Time stretch on with the akuma playing them, taunting them by slowing down and laughing in the duo's faces as they grew frustrated.

There were a few close calls with the akuma almost taking their jewels only for their fast reflexes to kick in and prevent the akuma from taking them, yet, it didn't phase Speedster each time he failed to take them.

"He's too fast for us." Chat Noir panted, leaning on his knees.

Speedster appeared in front of the duo, a smirk peeking out from his high collar, "What? Am I too fast for you to catch me?" he taunted, zipping from side to side.

Chat Noir growled and swung his extended baton at him, missing him just inches.

"Hah! Missed again!" Speedster laughed before dodging Ladybug's yo-yo, "Missed again. Are you even trying?" he asked mockingly before skating off, leaving trails of dust behind.

Chat Noir narrowed his eyes, swearing that he could see sparks beginning to appear as the akuma skated away.

"Someone needs to give him a ticket." Chat Noir frowned before turning to his equally tired partner, "You've got a plan?" he asked.

Ladybug breathed in before straightening up, "I think we need a little help." She said before throwing her yo-yo up, "Lucky Charm!" she summoned, catching the item in her hand looking confused, "Superglue?"

Chat Noir stared at the lucky item in his Lady's grasp, looking sceptical, "What are you going to do? Glue him to the ground?"

Ladybug stared at the black and red spotted superglue in her hand before looking around her, scrunching her nose as she tried to quickly piece together a plan. When her eyes settled on some miscellaneous items laying around the street, her face perked up, "How's your reflexes, Kitty?" she asked over her shoulder as she went to gather up a wide wooden board and an abandoned ladder.

Chat Noir watched his Lady gather up the things she needed for one of her convoluted and surreal plans with a raised brow and crossed arms, "Of course, M'lady. This cat has pawsome feline reflexes." He answered as she came back holding her items.

"Great, here's what I need you to do." She started before leaning in and whispering her plan to him, keeping a lookout for their speedster.

Chloé slammed the door to the roof open as she ran for her Queen Bee signal, quickly turning it on as Sabrina ran after her, carrying bags from brand name shops on her arms and towering boxes of shoes between her hands.

While Chloé questioned where Ladybug was with her Bee Miraculous, Sabrina carefully took out her phone from her pocket without dropping her friend's shopping and tuned in to the news app.

On screen, Nadja Chamack faced the audience from her desk as she commented on the news footage behind her, "The battle between our heroes and Speedster is in full speed!" she frowned as fire burst from the ground due to the friction Speedster was going at created sparks, "Oh no! And now Paris is being set on fire by the horrendous supervillain!"

Chloé snatch the phone from her friend's hand while Sabrina quickly made sure Chloé's shoes didn't fall.

The blonde pulled a face as she watched the news footage, "Ugh, how embarrassing. Without me around, they look ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous." She scoffed, watching the superheroes lose their balance as Speedster skated pass them.

Seeing the displeased face her friend had pulled, Sabrina tried to be supportive of her friend, "Come on, Ladybug! You need help. Come and fetch Chloé!"

Chloé scowled and nudged Sabrina with her elbow.

"Ah! Oh yes, sorry uhm... Come and fetch Queen Bee!" she corrected.

The two girls went back to watching the phone as the news anchor continued.

"Ladybug calls her Lucky Charm and gets... Superglue? What is she going to do with that?"

Chloé felt impatient as she watched the footage follow Ladybug gather up some items "Come on! What are you waiting for? You need me!"

"Okay! Of course! That's brilliant! And Ladybug pulls it off yet again! She defeated Speedster with the help of Chat Noir!" she reported as the news footage zoomed out from a far, capturing Miraculous Ladybug flying around Paris and fixes the damages the akuma had cause on camera.

Chloé fumed, "What about Queen Bee? Ugh!" in her anger, she threw Sabrina's phone against the ground in fury and crosses her arms.

Sabrina bent down without disturbing the cargo in her hands and picked up her phone, and putting it back in her pocket, "That's really not cool." She commented, referring to how Ladybug didn't even bother to recruit her friend's help.

Chloé flipped her hair, while she was peeved that her idol didn't ask her to help, she did understand why she didn't come to her, "Oh, you so don't get it. Ladybug only calls on me when she has serious villains to contend with." She stated, turning off her Queen Bee signal and strutting towards the door.

There was always next time.

Sabrina looked doubtful but didn't say anything about it as she quickly went after her, "Uhh, yeah! Of course." She agreed, while doubtful, Chloé was always right.

As the window of the observatory close, encasing him and his butterflies in darkness, Hawk Moth clenched his fist, "You may have won today, but next time, I'll be faster." he promised, his clenched fist trembled in anger as the darkness swallowed him up.

Ladybug and Chat Noir watch the Bee Signal flicker away from the sky.

"Does our buzzing bee know that she won't be Queen Bee anymore?" Chat Noir asked, his arms crossed as he continued to stare where the light had disappeared. He then looked over to his partner, "You sure we're not going to use Chloé anymore?" he asked, making sure.

Ladybug sighed, crossing her arms, "You know how dangerous it is to use Chloé." She started, turning to look Chat Noir right in his eyes, wanting to make sure that he understood, "Everybody knows that she was Queen Bee, everyone including Hawk Moth. He can use it to trap us. That's why our identities must remain a secret." She explained. The times she had to employ Chloé was circumstantial and during Heroes Day, it was an emergency.

"And the best kept secrets are the ones you don't share, yeah-yeah, I know. I don't think Chloé knows that her time as Queen Bee is over, though." He said, looking in the direction of the Le Grand Paris, a frown on his face.

"I know, I just haven't time to tell her and..." she trailed off. At that moment, her Miraculous beeped, signalling her that she needed to go, else she reveals her identity, "...and I won't today either, I'm about to transform back!" she said, spinning her yo-yo, ready to leave.

Chat Noir stopped her before she could though, "M'lady... promise me you'll go talk to her. It's the right thing to do." He smiled supportingly, knowing that she would.

Ladybug inwardly sighed but shook it off. This was another responsibility that she must see through. The longer she held off telling Chloé, the more she'll get hurt and she can't let that happen. It was her fault for momentarily losing the Bee Miraculous, she had thought the magic ladybugs would've taken them back to Master Fu, but she was wrong. So she looked over her shoulder and said, "Yeah, sure." then took off.

De-transforming in a hidden alleyway, Marinette caught her tired kwami in her hand while she rummaged a macaron from her purse to recharge the little god.

"When are you going to tell Chloé that she can no longer be Queen Bee anymore?" Tikki asked, genuinely curious. It was a given that the spoiled girl couldn't wield the Bee Miraculous and she needed to know that for her own safety.

Marinette frowned, "Soon. I'll tell her soon, I just… I need to think how to let her know gently otherwise she might get… akumatize." Just like how Lila became akumatized every time she was displeased…

Marinette blinked at the delicate matter, Adrien's words echoing in her mind. But she shook it off.

Lila was worst than Chloé, but at least Chloé had some sort of respect for Ladybug- enough to listen to her, so she would just have to gently find a way to let her know.

"Marinette?"

With a plan in mind, she looked down at the kwami nibbling on the macaron, "You go and rest, Tikki." she smiled as she gently let the tired kwami back into her purse.

Before she could close the clasp together, Tikki popped her head out, "What about Alix and the others?"

"I…" she didn't feel like going. When Adrien had called out to her, excited for their next hang out, she could see Alya and the girls over Alix's shoulder, looking excited about what Adrien had said towards her and she didn't feel like being interrogated, especially when she was trying to move on from her crush. But if she were to excuse herself and after telling Alix that she was… fine, would Alix push forward when she wanted to drop it?

But she was fine.

She had told Alix that she was fine.

She has to be.

"I think I'll skip it. There's some things I have to think about." She decided, lifting three fingers up, "I need to think of what to say to Chloé," she put down one finger, "think of how to get Alya see the truth," she put down another, "and think of how to let the others know about Lila without letting her know or else she'll be akumatised." She lowered the remaining finger down.

She needed to try harder.

She needed to plan.

Tikki nodded, proud of her chosen, "That sounds like a great idea, Marinette." She smiled before ducking into her purse when Marinette nodded with a small smile and sent an apologetic text to the group chat saying she was going home because of the akuma. She also sent another text to Alix, hoping that she was alright and placed her phone away, ignoring the buzzing sound it made in the next second.

Exiting the alleyway and onto the sidewalk, Marinette looked around her to figure out where she had landed, hoping that she wasn't too far from home.

She didn't notice that someone had stopped behind her with their bike.

"Marinette?" a surprised voice called out to her.

Swirling around, Marinette found Luka on his bike, one leg placed on the ground while the other was still on the pedal, "Luka!" she exclaimed, looking at his courier box tied to the back of his bike, "Are you working?" she asked, momentarily forgetting her worries.

He smiled at her, shaking his head, "I just finished my last delivery." He explained, "What are you doing around here?" he asked, tilting his head at her.

"Oh, um. uh." Marinette scrambled for an answer, pointing a finger up in the air as she formed one on the spot, "There was an akuma and I, um, yeah, everyone split up and I got caught up in the crowd."

Luka blinked and asked, "Were you okay?"

"Hm? Yeah, Ladybug and Chat Noir took care of it." She grinned.

He closed his eyes for a moment with a smile, "That's good." He said before revealing his ocean eyes to her, "Would you like a ride home?" he offered.

Marinette was about to kindly reject his kind offer, not wanting to trouble him but she stopped herself. She didn't really know exactly where she was and Tikki was still tired. Also, she was worried she might get lost which she was sure would happen. Shyly looking up with a smile, Marinette scratched the side of her cheek, "Only if it's okay. I don't want to trouble you, Luka."

"It's no trouble at all, Marinette." He smiled at her, taking off his helmet and holding it out for her, "Here."

Marinette's eyes widened, looking shocked, "Wait-You don't have to!" She put her hands in front of her, trying to reject his kind gesture, "You're already giving me a ride, I'll be fine." She tried, but Luka simply shook his head and gently placed the helmet over her head, strapping it on securely.

"Just for today." He rebutted with a grin, "Next time, I'll bring a spare just in case. Now" he leaned his face towards her just slightly, smiling at her owlish blink, "hop on." He nodded at the only available seat.

She stared at him for a moment, then let a defeated sigh, yet a smile on her face as she complied, taking the seat as he continued to stand. She hesitated a bit, unsure on where to place her hands until she settled on holding his hips.

"Hold on tight." He said as he pushed off from the ground and started pedalling.

As Luka pedalled towards the direction to her home, Marinette let her eyes closed, letting herself enjoy the small breeze on her face

After what happened today and that akuma, Marinette just wanted to relax and not worry about her duties and responsibilities. She could give herself such luxury, right?

She didn't want to go back to her friends where she would most likely have to endure an interrogation about her love life- or a lack of by her friends, or have another plan be made to get her and Adrien together.

She wanted to escape that, even if just for a moment to enjoy the present.

Because as soon as she went home, she would have to think about her problems.

She had things to plan.

"How was your friend's competition?" Luka started as he turned a corner, "Juleka and Rose was talking about it yesterday- said they were excited about it." Well, Rose was vocal about it while his sister listened on fondly, inputting every now and then. She was happy to let Rose do all the talking.

"Oh, Alix won." She smiled, knowing Luka would know she was smiling from the tone of her voice, "It was a close call though." And she began recounting what had gone on in the race, explaining every detail she could.

Luka couldn't help but chuckle, "Well, congrats to her." He said, "Seems like you guys had fun today, well, apart from the akuma that is." He then had a thought and asked Marinette about it, "Did Juleka say she wanted a lift home? Skatpark de Bercy is kind of far."

"Oh." Marinette bit the inside of her cheek, looking a bit guilty that she had decided to go home instead of hanging out with her classmates. If she had gone, she probably would have tried to excuse herself early and the prospect of how everyone was getting home could have been brought up then, which then she could've heard how Juleka was going to go home and-

"Marinette?" Luka called when the girl remained silent.

"Sorry, I didn't hear." She apologised, she looked up and saw Luka shake his head.

"No need to apologise. I can text her later."

At the simple solution, Marinette inwardly berated herself, frowning. Of course, he could have done that, that was dumb of her, "Her and the others were planning to celebrate Alix's victory, but Alix and I kind of got separated from them." She sheepishly laughed.

Luka blinked, he turned his head slightly to her, "Do you want me to take you to them instead?"

"No… it's fine. I feel like going home instead… maybe play a game of Ultimate Mecha Strike tournament time with my dad." She unknowingly tightened her grip just slightly.

Noticing the slight change in her voice and her grip, Luka didn't press her for answers, instead, he went along for her sake, "Hmmm, that sounds fun."

For the rest of the ride, Luka let Marinette be undisturbed unless she wanted to talk. When they arrived in front of the bakery, Luka watched Marinette slide off, "Sorry for the trouble, Luka. I really appreciate it."

The older boy carefully watched her, and he couldn't help noticing that Marinette looked a bit tired. While he wanted to give her space and not pry, he thought that maybe, she was still stuck on that… problem that she was facing, "Are you still having trouble finding the solution to your problem?"

Marinette blinked before slightly averting her eyes and scratching the back of her neck, "Oh, um, just a bit but there's still some solutions that I haven't tried yet, so…"

Luka watched her for a moment before placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, making her look up, "Remember to ask for help when you want it, there's no shame in asking." He gave her a gentle smile, "I'll be here for you if you ever want help, the others as well, okay?" he reminded, not wanting her to be alone, but also not wanting to be pushy. He could understand that people just wanted to do things by themselves, but sometimes, they just needed to know that can depend on others.

Marinette placed a hand over his and lightly squeezed it as she nodded, not looking at him, "Okay." She quietly said, feeling calm.

He didn't think she was conscious of what she did when the next few seconds, her hand flinch away as if it was burned and she began stuttering slightly, taking his helmet off and clumsily returning it back to him.

"Um, t-thank you for lending me your helmet and taking me home."

"You're welcome, Marinette." Luka smiled and took his helmet back, strapping it back on his head, "I'll see you later?" he asked, sounding hopeful.

Marinette smiled, nodding, "Yeah." She simply said. She enjoyed spending time with Luka and when she watched him leave with his eyes lingering on until the last minute, she felt that things will be fine.

As she greeted her parents, she went to her room and climbed up on her bed, pausing when she saw her cork board pinned with photos of her friends, her smile flinched.

"Maybe it slipped her mind-caught up in her excitement." Tikki offered, "You know how Alya loves superheroes."

Tikki was right, Alya was always caught up in the excitement, always wanting the scoop.

Alix wasn't easily swayed, she had her own opinions. So she should try opening up to her, or at least see what she thought of Lila's tales.

"As long as you and I both know the truth, does it really matter?"

Her fingers twitched as she remembered Adrien's words, but she shook it off. He was also on her side, that's what really mattered.

"M'lady... promise me you'll go talk to her. It's the right thing to do."

Chat Noir was right, she had to do the right thing.

Things will be fine, she's Ladybug.

She just had to be positive.

Notes:

When you're lazy about writing akuma scenes, just put it on the news, lol

Can't really describe it well, but if you're curious about the place, you could check them out.
Skatepark de Bercy
Parc de Bercy

Chapter 7: Miraculer

Notes:

#

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

After Luka had dropped her off, Marinette thought that she would have an afternoon free of akumas, maybe have an Ultimate Mecha Strike tournament with her dad , but as luck would have it, Hawk Moth seemed to had quite a day since he akumatized another victim, taking away her afternoon.

She had thought that both her and Chat Noir were handling the situation just fine, but it seemed that her Lucky Charm thought otherwise, as the situation had called for some extra help.

Even though she felt a bit unsure last time, she had to remind herself that it was just a fluke-caught off guard to have her duo be expanded after not needing to call on them since Heroes' Day happened.

She had no problem calling on her friends for help, they were good superheroes and she was right to have sought them out yesterday since she had found the two training at the Pont des Arts bridge while holding onto ice cream.

That was commitment and showed that her judgement was correct in choosing them.

To change them just because of some little disagreement was totally unprofessional.

Besides, the main point was that she could rely on Rena Rouge and Carapace to have her back and they proved that she could.

That's all it mattered when saving Paris and its people.

And as soon as she returned the borrowed Fox and Turtle Miraculous to Master Fu, Marinette had returned straight home and to her room and began planning.

While Paris was safe from the akuma for today, Marinette had her friends and the Chloé problem to think about.

She needed to fix things before her people gets hurt.

After a night of planning, Marinette sat at her desk chair with her chin leaning on her hand, her finger tapping on her desk.

She somewhat had a solution to majority of her problem.

So far, the only person she saw being heavily affected was Alya and her dreams of being a journalist. The others like Nino and Kim were promised to have their name mentioned to famous people that Lila had 'met'. Marinette only hoped that her friends weren't too invested in those 'promises' before she finds a way to expose Lila without her being akumatised (she still wanted to follow Adrien's advice).

She bit her lip at the seemingly impossible quest, but she had to find a way, she didn't want her friends to get hurt.

Her mind could only come up with short term plans, but it would have to do for now.

With a plan thought up, Marinette then went onto her next problem and that was to let Chloé gently know that she wasn't going to be Queen Bee anymore, hoping that she won't be too upset at that.

…

Marinette let out a groan, flopped onto her desk and covered her head with her arms.

Marinette went to school the next morning, prepared to start her day with her plans at the ready.

She prayed that they would be successful.

As soon as she stepped on the courtyard, she could see Alya without her phone, talking with Nino who had his arm around her. Standing next to them was Adrien who smiled and laughed at whatever Nino had commented.

No Lila in sight.

Marinette prepared herself for a moment, going over her plans, "Okay, Marinette." She gave herself a prep talk, "This is a new day with a new plan, you can do this." She breathed, walking over to them when Alya spotted her and called out her name with a smile.

"Hey, Marinette. Over here, girl!" Alya grinned at her. Marinette could see that she was in a happy mood, most likely having been able to be Rena Rouge and helping Ladybug yesterday.

It was such a genuine smile.

And Marinette didn't want to lose that smile.

She jogged towards them as she smiled. She wanted to have these kinds of moments to continue, "Good morning!" she greeted them, grinning as she got greeted back from them.

"Morning!" Alya replied back, "We missed you at Alix's celebration yesterday."

Adrien looked at her with a confused frown, "You didn't go?" he started, "Why? Did you not feel well?" he asked, concerned.

Marinette's hands on her shoulder straps tightened as Adrien stared right in her eyes with a worried look in them. She reminded herself to keep calm – that it didn't mean what she wanted, Adrien was just being a good friend, that was just concerned about her well-being like any other friend would.

It didn't mean what her heart wanted.

She has to remember that.

Thanking whatever deity out there that didn't let her smile fall even a tiny bit, Marinette waved off his concern with a small laugh, "Alix had told the others to go ahead but then Speedster happened, and we got separated." She began explaining and quickly continued when she saw that glint in her best friend's eyes, "Ladybug arrived and took me away from the area and I just felt like going home since I was already close." She shrugged. The bike ride with Luka felt short to her so she was probably not that far from home.

"I'm glad you were safe, Marinette." Adrien smiled at her, relieved that his friend was fine.

Marinette ignored the playful smile Alya was shooting at her and averted her eyes from Adrien, her smile turning shy, "… Yeah." Her heart was weak.

"At least you didn't miss out much, Marinette." Nino grinned, jumping into the conversation, "The party didn't last long since Alix got a call from her old man who got worried when he saw she was taken hostage." He explained with a shrug. He then shot a secretive smile at his girlfriend (in which she returned), remembering that he and Alya decided to go get ice-cream afterwards, which turned into some fun parkour training. It got even more awesome when Ladybug showed up, requesting their assistance.

"By the way, I heard that Ladybug had to call for some backup." Alya grinned, wanting to subtly talk about what she and Nino got to do yesterday.

But before anyone could comment on that, Chloé stomped over to them with a displeased frown on her face. Not too far behind her, was Sabrina carrying their schoolbags.

The group looked at them with a raised brow, wondering what she wanted until the blonde opened her mouth, ready to give them her opinion about the end of Alya's comment, "Rena Rouge and Carapace are so tacky." Adrien, Nino and Alya appeared unfazed as they simply smiled while Marinette stood there, watching the whole thing go. She could see the couple in the group looked at each other again, shooting an amused glances at each other before tuning in to hear the rest of Chloé's complaint just as she did, "I just don't understand why Ladybug keeps calling on them and when I, Queen Bee-" she was interrupted when a jolly voice greeted them.

"Good morning, everyone!" Lila smiled, skipping over to them with her arm in the air, waving.

Adrien, Nino, and Alya returned her greeting with a smile, "Hey, Lila!"

Marinette on the other hand, had her mood plummet as she glared at her. Not bothering to greet her like the others.

It was time to put one of her plans in motion: Keeping Alya away from any more of Lila's lies, "Yeah, let's go study for that test." She promptly said with a frown, wrapping her arms around Alya's and dragging her away from the group, evidently making Nino drop his arm from her shoulders. They didn't go far as they sat on a bench nearby.

It wasn't the best plan she had contrived, but it would have to do for now. She just hoped she didn't wear it out too much before Alya gets too annoyed.

She just needed enough time to get Alya to see truth, even if it was from someone other than herself.

"Was there something you needed explaining?" Alya asked as she watched her best friend pull out her science textbook from her bag.

Marinette shook her head as she opened her textbook between them, "Just wanted to revise." She simply replied. She inwardly sighed with relief when Alya didn't question her behaviour regarding Lila. Dragging Alya away from the liar was a success, but she knew this plan of hers was only a temporary solution.

She needed to try harder.

From a distance, she could hear Nino groan and from her peripheral, saw the two boys walk away from Lila. She couldn't help but relax a bit, knowing that Nino wouldn't be exposed to whatever lie Lila had on mind. (She was also reassured that Adrien knew not to believe in everything Lila said.)

However, when Marinette heard talking from the spot they had been standing, she subtly glanced up and furrowed her brows when she saw Lila with Chloé and Sabrina. A sly glint in the liar's eyes. While Alya was occupied with her textbook, Marinette attempted to listen in on them, even cupping her ear to block out the sound from the other side as Lila leaned in to whisper something in the blonde's ear.

She didn't think Lila would target Chloé as well, but when she thought about it, it did make sense to get the 'Queen Bee of the school' and the mayor's daughter on your side.

Having caught the last of Lila's word about Ladybug, Marinette stared with a contemplative stare as the bell rang for class. Maybe this was the opportunity for her to talk to Chloé before whatever Lila had said, sunk in. Turning to Alya with a smile, Marinette told her to go ahead and that she'll catch up before getting up herself and walking to Chloé who narrowed her eyes at Lila walking off, while she waved off Sabrina to go.

"Chloé?" she started, giving her a polite smile, while her brows furrowed slightly, showing that she was slightly nervous about this confrontation she was about to start.

Chloé inwardly huffed, not in the mood to belittle the baker girl while she still had what Lila said on her mind. Putting a hand on a jutted hip, she slightly turned to her, a bored frown on her lips, "What do you want, Dupain-Cheng?"

"I don't know what Lila just told you but," she started, turning to look at the ground as she remembered the things Lila was capable of, "you should watch out for her, besides" she crossed her arms, turning positive, "I'm sure Ladybug will come and see you anyway with or without magic."

Chloé slightly raised a brow, her frown deepening, "You making fun of me right now?" she questioned, her voice turning higher in anger and annoyance. She didn't need someone of her status telling her what she should do or not, she was capable herself.

Marinette immediately waved her hands at the accusations with panic, "No, No! I'm not!" she needed to fix whatever misunderstanding that she accidentally caused, but before she could, Chloé blew up at her.

"I could see Ladybug WHENEVER I FEEL LIKE IT, OKAY," her voice shrilled, making Marinette flinch and cover herself from her, "so mind your own business DUPAIN-CHENG." She demanded before storming off in annoyance.

With Marinette standing all alone in the courtyard, Tikki popped out of her purse, watching Chloé moving further away with a frown before looking up at her chosen, worriedly, "You really got to talk to Chloé." She reminded. The girl needed to know that she won't become Queen Bee anymore and the sooner Chloé knew that, the better.

"But I just did." Marinette frowned, pointing it out. Was she not there when she told her? "It's pointless, obviously." Chloé did what she wanted without thinking of the consequences. Now that she thought about it, what made her think that her words could even get through to Chloé?

This was a girl - the same girl who deliberately goes out of her way to taunt people while still expecting people to adore her without changing herself for the better, with or without a Miraculous.

But Tikki shook her head, as if what she did wasn't good enough, "No! Marinette talked to Chloé! You know the only person Chloé listens to is Ladybug." She pointed out.

Marinette inwardly flinched. She knew what Tikki meant but she couldn't help but feel just a bit…

inadequate.

But she didn't want Tikki to know what she had said made her feel a bit hurt so she responded like how she would whenever the topic of Chloé was involved.

She let out a short groan as she sighed out, "You're right." She simply agreed and closed her eyes, "Ladybug will talk to her later, right now, I need to get to class."

Tikki nodded at her response and ducked back in her purse as Marinette closed the clasp on it.

Nobody saw the downhearted frown on Marinette's lips.

She knew Tikki didn't mean any harm in what she said.

It was true after all.

It was Marinette who talked to Chloé, not Ladybug.

Chloé idolised Ladybug, and while her attention was unwanted, Ladybug is the one who can get through to her, even if it was just a bit.

Right, Ladybug was who everyone listened to, Marinette's words were just no good.

The thought lingered in her head as she headed to class.

Classes seems to go so fast when you're distracted.

Marinette snapped out of her thoughts as soon as the bell for lunch rang. Straightening up, she looked around to see that almost everyone had left the classroom, Marinette quickly packed up her things.

"Hey, girl." Alya called out to her, "Nino and I are gonna go on a lunch date, you want to join? Nino could try and see if Adrien can come as well." she offered while she watched her best friend hurriedly zipped up her backpack and slipped it over her back.

"It's fine," Marinette waved off as she stood up from her seat, "you and Nino have fun, I have something I need to do." She gave her a grin and she rushed pass her, "I'll see you later!" she called over her shoulder as she ran out the classroom and exited the school, quickly moving towards one of the nearby advertisement pole to see Chloé and Sabrina entering the former's limo.

Seeing it drive off, Marinette shot Tikki a determined look, "It's time." She couldn't put this off any longer.

Tikki smiled and shot into the earrings once her holder spoke the magic words.

While Ladybug swung towards Le Grand Paris, Lila basked in the attention of some of her classmates catering her by bringing her lunch to her and standing around her, awaiting to hear more of her wonderful 'accomplishments'.

"I'm really sorry that you guys have to carry my tray again." Lila put on a troubled frown as she held up a bent wrist, "My arthritis is acting up again and if I could just fight through the pain and not trouble you guys…" she bit her lip as she sniffed apologetically.

"It's no trouble at all, Lila! We're happy to help you." Rose beamed, looking up to Juleka besides her to see if she minded. They were planning to head up to the art room to work on some new songs for Kitty Section, but she wanted to hear her time with Prince Ali. When Juleka gave her a small genuine smile, Rose grinned and looked back at Lila just as Kim placed a plate of dessert on the table for the injured girl.

"Yeah, you're our friend, Lila! You can count on us." The athlete grinned.

Max nodded in agreement and pushed up his glasses, "It's logical to help out a friend in need."

Lila let out a sniffle, "Aww, you guys are all so nice!" she beamed at them, clasping her hands together in joy. Her eyes narrowed a bit in thought as she inwardly smirked, this would be the perfect opportunity to drag down Marinette's reputation given that her so called 'friends' gave her an opening. Just as she was about to put on an act on how if only her and that Marinette dummy could be friends, Rose enthusiastically leaned forward with her question.

"How was your time with Prince Ali?" Rose asked with wide excited eyes. While she read what Alya had posted on her blog, she wanted to hear from Lila herself since there wasn't much about Prince Ali on the blog.

Lila inwardly frowned at the change of plans. She didn't see the goody two shoes around and with most of her classmates here, this was a good chance to drag Marinette's name through the mud, or at least start making her classmates start questioning Marinette's character. But plans change and Lila would just have to adapt, so with a smile, Lila looked up to Rose from her seat, "Oh my time in the Kingdom of Achu was just wonderful! Prince Ali had invited me and my parents to his gorgeous palace again and their hospitality was simply divine." She sighed, "The whole time we were working on that world pollution idea that I had, but any time we were on a break, Prince Ali would make sure that I had the utmost comfort while I was there." She smiled at them like she was grateful.

"Oh, so he really like the idea back on Heroes' Day!" Mylène excitedly recalled, happy to hear that people was working hard to make their planet into an eco-friendlier place.

"That's so awesome!" Kim awed. He had forgotten to check Alya's blog yesterday since he was caught up with news of the akumas so this would be his first time hearing about the contents. He nudged his friend, Max, with a wide impressed smile, gesturing to Lila as if to show him amazing news.

Max simply smiled as he let the others converse while he observed the interactions of his friends and classmates.

Lila was momentarily surprised at the reminder of that horrid day where Ladybug had prevailed. She had forgotten about that "achievement", but she quickly went along with it without causing suspicion, "Why yes! I was able to get him to jump on board, my parents were very proud at the way I presented it. It wasn't easy, but with my ideas, Prince Ali just couldn't say no."

"That's amazing, Lila!" Mylène smiled with her fists up like a cheer, but a faint blush was on her cheeks as she drew her shoulders in on herself. The short girl couldn't help but feel deep down-deep, deep down, that her part in making the planet an environmentally friendly place paled in comparison to Lila's achievements. While she joined in rallies (some that were unsuccessful) and occasionally planting trees, Lila was over here, making a real difference in the world.

She needed to try harder if she too wanted to make a difference like Lila.

"Oh, it was nothing." Lila waved it off with a shy smile she put on, "Everyone just wants to do their best for the planet, I'm sure that your little rally made a difference too. What was it again?" she enquired, not remembering what the tree-hugger had said on Friday. Her focus was to get rid of that pathetic letter.

Mylène blushed and twiddled with her fingers as she shyly looked away, "It was about the Mayor's initiative about sending rubbish into space… we've only made him push the date back…"

Lila covered her mouth and gasped in horror, "Oh, I didn't know and here I was, talking about my accomplishment." She then put on an encouraging smile, "If you like, maybe you could tell me some of your ideas to save the planet and I can run it by Prince Ali the next time he flies me out."

Mylène gasped in surprised, "Really?" she excitedly smile, "That's so generous of you, I have so many ideas-" she stopped herself when she realised she that she was changing the conversation and that everyone was now focused on her. She meekly pulled back with a sheepish smile, "I can tell you them later, right now, we were talking about your time in the Kingdom of Achu." Mylène inwardly berated herself. Here Lila was, telling them about her trip and she was selfishly changing the subject as soon as Lila so kindly offered her to tell her ideas to the Prince. Wanting to right that wrong, she tried to put the conversation back on track, "Tell us more about what else you did there, Alya only posted about your pollution project on her blog." She timidly smiled, hoping to bring back the joyful atmosphere.

Rose nodded enthusiastically, wanting to know more, "Yes, did Prince Ali read my letter?" she excitedly asked, holding her breath as she clasped her hands with Juleka, awaiting the answers with bated breath.

Lila glanced at her with slightly narrowed eyes before closing her eyes as if recalling the 'memory', "Yes he did, and he wanted me to give you a message." She started, opening her eyes slightly to peek at the small blonde becoming even more excited, if that was even possible, "he thanks you for your letter but he said that he won't be able to send you any letters anytime soon since he'll be busy working on my pollution idea."

Rose eyes widened at the news before looking down in disappointment, "Oh." She sighed out with the breath she was holding. She felt Juleka put her free hand around her shoulder, comforting her.

"I'm sorry, because of me…" Lila sniffled, covering her eyes.

Rose shook her head, "It's not your fault Lila. I understand."

"So you're not mad at me?" she asked, making her voice wobble a bit as she peered up from her hands.

"Of course not!" Rose immediately said, looking concern for Lila's feelings, "You don't have to feel responsible, it's absolutely not your fault!

"You guys are so understanding!" Lila smiled with her head down as she pretended to wipe the tears from her eyes. She made sure to sniff as her classmates all comforted her, praising her character.

"Such gullible fools." Lila amusingly thought. It was going to be so easy taking away Marinette's friends.

"Will you be okay?" Juleka asked once they were out of earshot. She had excused her and Rose from the group with a mumble when she saw that Rose was still fixated about the news of Prince Ali and knew that Rose wouldn't want to make anyone sad because she was feeling a bit down.

Rose sniffed sadly but nodded, "It can't be helped. Prince Ali is a very important person, of course he'll be too busy to write me a letter. I wish I could see him." She sighed out mournfully.

Juleka frowned at the sad look on her dear friend's face. She put her arms around her shoulders and pulled her towards her until her back leaned against her front, "We could hijack a plane to the Kingdom of Achu." She suggested casually as if it was normal to do.

"But we have school." Rose dejectedly pointed out.

Juleka tilted her head to the side as she tried to think of another idea, "You could always write him another letter telling him you understand the situation." She suggested once more.

Rose perk up at that idea, "Yeah." She nodded, brightening up. She could just send him a letter and tell him that she didn't mind waiting, no matter how long it took. Besides, waiting was also a part of the romance – oh, how lovely this will be!

Seeing that her dear friend was happy and lost in her daydream, Juleka smiled fondly at the distracted Rose and shifted her head down to press a delicate kiss on the girl's head, glad that she wasn't sad anymore.

There were a few setbacks in trying to tell Chloé that she could no longer be Queen Bee anymore. First it was baby August's sentimonster that appeared just as she reached the hotel and then it was Sabrina akumatization into Miraculer.

Unfortunately, Miraculer's powers proved to be difficult in handling, especially when she took away their powers and claiming it as her own, forcing them to retreat for now.

And now, a de-transformed Marinette was running towards Master Fu's massage shop.

"What are you going to do, Marinette?" Tikki worriedly asked as she popped her head out of her purse, "You can't use your powers anymore!"

Marinette continued to run without slowing down, "That's why we need everyone's help." She couldn't use her Lucky Charm and probably her Miraculous Ladybug. And Chat can't use his Cataclysm as well.

They were really in trouble.

Tikki stared at her chosen's focused eyes, "Everyone?"

Marinette nodded, "Rena Rouge, Carapace and Queen Bee." There was no Lucky Charm to guide her that she needed back up, but she was already contriving a plan that needed the others to pull off her plan.

She can rely on Rena Rouge and Carapace to follow her plans.

And regarding Chloé, this might be her last mission, but the akuma is her best friend, and they need all the help they can get.

Master Fu takes out the Miracle Box and presented it to Marinette.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you must pick an ally you can trust to fight along side you on this mission. Once the mission is over, you will get the Miraculous back and return them to me."

Marinette nodded and just like what she told Tikki, she told Master Fu as well, "Miraculer has stolen both of our powers. We're going to need everyone."

Master Fu looked sceptical at that, "Even... Chloé?" he questioned, unsurely. While he trusted Marinette's judgement, each time she chose the Bourgeois girl, he couldn't help but doubt her decision. This was the girl who revealed her identity to the whole world, endangered lives with her stunt and he had seen her behaviour whenever he went to Le Grand Paris's restaurant and blended in the background to observe any potential heroes and let's just say, it wasn't exactly what he would deem hero-like.

But Marinette had proven each time that she was able to trust the girl with the miraculous and each time, she was able to return it, proving to him that Marinette knew what she was doing.

Marinette picks up the Bee Miraculous, a determined look on her face, "This akumatized person is her best friend. If anyone can help us, it's Chloé." Her eyes looked just a bit downcasted, "But, it'll be her last mission. It's too dangerous for her to continue." She felt guilty, knowing she was going to upset someone, but this was her responsibility. It was her fault that Chloé found the Miraculous in the first place. Closing her eyes, Marinette took a deep breath before opening her eyes to reveal an unwavering stare, "I should've told her a long time ago that she can't be Queen Bee anymore, but I promise that today will be her last." She said, staring straight Master Fu's eyes.

Master Fu stared at the determined girl without waver then nodded, "Best of luck, Marinette." He blessed as he watched her leave.

Marinette kept her promise as the time to tell Chloé presented itself once they defeated Miraculer and prevented Mayura, who was there when she arrived with her backup, from taking the Bee Miraculous from them.

After throwing her Lucky Charm up in the air, calling out, "Miraculous Ladybug!" fixing all the damaged Miraculer had caused, Ladybug turned around to Queen Bee who looked regretful as she came turned to her after Sabrina became purified.

"Ladybug. Mayura got away from me. I'm sorry, utterly sorry." She looked down, disappointed that she let her idol down.

Ladybug shook her head. Even though Mayura had gotten away, at least no Miraculous was stolen, "That's okay, Queen Bee. We'll get her next time." She said, holding her hand out for the Bee Miraculous.

Queen Bee stared at her for a moment before moving to grab the hair comb tucked in her hair. However, just as she was about to pull it out, she pause and stared at Ladybug with narrowed eyes, staring straight into her eyes with a serious expression, "If you'd given it to me earlier, we'd probably would've defeated Hawk Moth." She pointed out, dropping her hand. Her tone was slightly annoyed as she pointed out Ladybug's stubbornness to keep her Miraculous away from her.

Ladybug rested her hand down as she sighed, "I'm sorry, Chloé. I should've told you this a long time ago." She looked down as if ashamed. She had to do this. Chloé needed to hear this, no matter how hard it was, she had a responsibility to her, "I might never be able to let you be Queen Bee again."

Shocked, Queen Bee squeezed her fists, shaking her head in disbelief, "What? But I did everything you asked me to." She rebutted.

"I know. But this is for your own safety. It's too dangerous for you and your loved ones because Hawk Moth knows that you're Queen Bee." Ladybug didn't avert her eyes. She needed her to understand why she couldn't be Queen Bee anymore.

Queen Bee stared at Ladybug for what felt like eternality, her face trembling in restrained anger at the thought of never becoming a heroine ever again. Her resentful eyes didn't stray away even as she called off her transformation, "Buzz off." She said with a hard voice, turning back into Chloé and placing the Miraculous a bit forceful into Ladybug's hand. She turned her shoulder slightly at her, composing herself with crossed arms as her ego took over, a smirk on her face, "I understand. But I'm sure that you'll need me again, Ladybug. I know that I'll be Queen Bee again someday. I will always be Queen Bee."

Ladybug let out a stunned gasp. Did not even Ladybug's words get through to her? She needed to understand that today was the last time she would ever be Queen Bee. Before she could even try to correct her, her Miraculous started beeping, cutting off whatever she wanted to say. There wasn't enough time to try to make Chloé understand so she simply decided to thank her instead, "Thank you, Chloé." She said before turning to the Rena Rouge and Carapace, "Let's go." She said, taking off, leaving Chat Noir with Chloé and Sabrina.

"Ladies." Was all Chat Noir said as he bowed and took off without waiting for a response.

Sabrina turned to Chloé, timid and with her hands clasped to her chest, a sad frown on her lips, "I guess you'll never wanna play with me again now."

Chloé pulled out her photograph of herself smiling with an arm around an unhappy Ladybug, staring at it as she walked forward a bit, "Of course I will. I just don't wanna be Ladybug anymore." She stated, ripping the photo in half before dumping it on the ground. She then continued on towards the door to the roof, "You can keep the costume if you want." She said, not caring anymore for the special customed-made suit.

"Oh, goody!" Sabrina joyfully said, skipping after her. She was glad that her friendship with Chloé wasn't ruined.

As Chloé headed inside, the words Ladybug said repeated in her head. The superheroine didn't know what she was talking about. Besides, she was only on temporary leave, once Ladybug realise that she made a ridiculous mistake, she'll come back crawling and beg her to be Queen Bee again.

Like she said, she'll always be Queen Bee.

Nobody could replace her.

As soon as they were out of sight, Tikki peeked out from her purse, a smile on her face, thinking positively, she said "Chloé took it surprisingly well, don't you think?"

Marinette stared at the ground with a doubtful look, knowing deep down that her words didn't get through to Chloé.

"But I'm sure that you'll need me again, Ladybug. I know that I'll be Queen Bee again someday."

She only hoped that things won't get out of hand if one day, she'll need the help of a different Bee Miraculous holder.

But knowing Chloé, nothing will ever be easy.

She stared at the small Miracle boxes holding the Miraculous in her hands with a frown on her face.

The Miraculous needed worthy people to wield them, and Ladybug needed trustworthy teammates she could count on.

But she couldn't help but feel guilty.

When she was able to return to school before lunch ended, Marinette saw Chloé had already returned. She hid behind the stairs as she watched the girl who was just recently told that she could no longer be Queen Bee anymore with a worried expression, "I hope I didn't hurt Chloé's feelings too much." she felt bad that she had to do it but it was the right thing to do, "She's worked so hard." ever since Chloé got a taste of being a superheroine, the girl hasn't stolen her things, mocked her that much or framed her for any more fire alarms...

"Yeah, right. Once a villain, always a villain!" Chloé directed towards Aurore in a matter of fact tone.

Marinette blinked at the memory when Aurore became Stormy Weather again due to Chloé. And Mireille also got akumatized into Cinder-rella because of Chloé...

She was snapped out of her thoughts when Tikki spoke up and saw that the kwami spotted a smile.

Tikki stared up at Marinette with a smile. The child has such a pure heart, being kind to even people like Chloé who had picked on her in the past, "It's for her own good." She stated, "And you're also protecting Ladybug and Chat Noir by doing that." She pointed out with her flipper, "That's what being a superheroine is all about." she chirped.

Marinette smiled, but it just reminded her about the duty of a superheroine.

Right, this was her duty. No matter how hard or uncomfortable it was, she had to do the right thing.

Besides being a superheroine was never easy to begin with.

Notes:

This is pretty much a rewrite of Miraculer, wasn't going to add in anything else but it seemed boring with just the rewrite, and it was getting long so I added some extra scenes.

Tell me if I made Marinette's emotions go back and forth too much or if some parts didn't work well.

Hope you enjoyed reading this.

Chapter 8: Silencer

Notes:

#
Long chapter ahead, like 47 pages long... which makes me think I should've split this into two chapters...
Happy readings!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Over the next few days, Marinette reflected on the events of Miraculer. One thing that concerned her was what Lila had said to Chloé.

She had heard Lila mentioning 'Ladybug' to Chloé before, and then seen them talk after the Miraculer event and Marinette couldn't help but frown.

She knew Lila was lying, but she didn't know just what exactly.

She just knew 'Ladybug' was the topic and it was somehow linked to Sabrina's akumatization.

But whatever Lila said, can't be good, and if the liar had this much affect to cause a chain reaction, then it was only a matter of time before her lies affected her friends like a domino effect.

Marinette couldn't let that happen without doing something, even if she had to ignore Adrien's advice, she thought her friends should at least know what they were getting into.

But how?

Sitting at her desk, her head leaned on her palm while her other hand was absentmindedly tapping her pen onto her sketch pad, a brooding look was set in her eyes as she stared blankly ahead.

Alya and Nino didn't believe her when she tried to tell them.

Her friends hadn't mention any of the 'promises' Lila made to them, so she didn't know who was in too deep.

Tikki, who was munching on a choc chip cookie, looked up when she realised Marinette had been tapping her pen with no intention of sketching for a few minutes now. Swallowing what was in her mouth, the kwami shoved the rest of her cookie down and flew up to her owner's eye level, "Marinette? What's wrong? Can you not think of anything to create?" the tiny god asked, looking worried.

The tapping came to a stop.

"Tikki?" Marinette spoke.

"Yes?"

The Ladybug chosen went over her concerns one more time before asking her little friend for some needed advice, she wanted a second opinion before going ahead, "Do you think I should tell the others about Lila's lies? Adrien said that we shouldn't expose her and that we just have to wait for her to tell the truth herself, but…" she bit her lip, "what if she doesn't and one day one of her lies comes undone and all her lies are exposed and everyone…" she trailed off with a frown.

Tikki flew forward and perched herself on Marinette's shoulder, "What do you think of Adrien's advice?" she started off.

Marinette frowned as she turned her head to look at her friend with a raised brow, "It's a good advice."

Tikki shook her head and repeated her question. She wanted Marinette's judgement not to be clouded because of her crush on Adrien.

Marinette's frown deepened as she really thought about Adrien's advice, "It's a good advice, but…"

The little god waited patiently, knowing her chosen will carefully think this through.

Marinette bit her lip, going over his advice.

"But do you really think exposing her will make things better? If you humiliate her, she'll just be hurt more. Making a bad guy suffer has never turned them into a good guy."

"So we just stand by and let her lie?"

"As long as you and I both know the truth, does it really matter?"

She squeezed her eyes, brows furrowed slightly in offense to what Adrien said, "I don't want to humiliate her." She huffed, she wasn't that kind of person, "And I know that she'll get hurt if I expose her, but then the others will get hurt the longer we let Lila continue to lie if something's not done." She hunched in on herself as she breathed out a shaky sigh. Giving herself a moment, she then looked over to Tikki with pensive eyes, "What Adrien said is true, that 'making a bad guy suffer has never turned them into a good guy', but that advice doesn't really matter if the person herself is unwilling to change. And Lila doesn't seem to want to anytime soon."

Tikki nodded, placing a flipper on Marinette's cheek, "If Lila's lies were to be exposed without being handled carefully, a lot of people could get hurt - it could be like Heroes' Day all over again." She reminded with a frown.

Marinette nodded in agreement, "I should try and tell the others again, maybe if I try to reason with them, they'll check on Lila's claims. And when they do find out, I can try to mediate them before Hawk Moth can get to them." She hoped, determination in her sky-blue eyes.

Tikki smiled, looking proud of her chosen.

But even though she now had another plan, it didn't exempt her from a night of worrying on how she could get her friends to finally see the truth, causing her to be late for class the next morning.

She was lucky enough that Miss Bustier was only taking roll call when she arrived.

Marinette had quietly slipped into her seat, just as Alya shot her playful grin, "Someone woke up late, huh." A playful glance shot her way, "Thinking of a certain someone." Her eyes went to gesture towards Adrien in front.

Marinette shook her head, "No, just something else." She quietly answered as she slumped in her seat, her bag on her lap.

Alya raised a brow, looking curious, "Oh, want to fill me in?"

Before Marinette could respond, the teacher stopped them, frowning.

"If you're going to come in late, Marinette, would you and Alya please save the chatting for later." Miss Bustier reprimanded before she continued.

"Sorry." The two girls apologised.

Alya shot her an apologetic smile as Marinette took out her things out, preparing for class.

They couldn't talk until lunch came around but before she could even tell Alya, Kim had declared that they should have a soccer game, asking who wanted to play.

Max had volunteered himself to be the referee and Alix had smirked and said she wanted to be team captain, of course, the other team captain being Kim.

"You're on." He smirked, then turned to look at the others, "Anyone in?" he asked.

"I want to be on Alix's team!" Ivan piped up, grinning.

"Fine, I don't mind, Alix would need all the help she can get." Kim said cockily.

Alix was unfazed and smirked at him, her competitive side firing up, "You're just saying that because you still don't have a partner."

"I can do this myself if I wanted to, but I want to play with teams." He grinned, taking in the competition, he then scanned the room again, waiting if anyone would join.

Adrien, Chloé and Sabrina had declined (one politely than the other).

Rose and Juleka said that they'll watch later, wanting to do something first.

Mylène was going to be cheering Ivan and Alix on the sidelines.

Nathaniel said he had a prior appointment with Marc to work on their comic book.

Nino said he had a project he'll be working on in the library and took off to eagerly continue it.

Seeing that Nino took off, Marinette told Alya that she remembered that she had to do something and snuck after him, thinking that if he was alone, maybe it'll be easier to talk to him without any outside influence interfering. She didn't see the narrowed eyes Lila sent her from the back of the room.

"How about you, Lila?" Kim asked, looking excited.

Lila switched to her narrowed eyes to a surprise one. She said that she would but was a shame that she had to decline, "It's too bad, I would have love to since Lionel Bessi complimented on my skills when I went to Spain." She sighed out, looking downcasted, "But sadly I have to decline, my arthritis is acting up in my right foot, making me not run fast. I can bare the pain though." She smiled bravely for them. The class gave her condolences and her moment of attention but was cut short since the sports-competitive people wanted to compete against each other. She inwardly frowned.

"Well how about you, Alya?" Kim asked.

Alya let out a playful sigh, "Well, I was going to record, but I guess it can't be helped." She stood up, her hands on her hips, "Me and Kim will definitely beat you guys."

Alix and Ivan simply crossed their arms as the former replied confidently, "You wish."

"Hey, Nino." Marinette greeted with a nervous smile when she found him in the library, already on his tablet and with headphones on. If she listened hard enough, she could hear music blasting out of them.

"Oh hey, Marinette!" he greeted, taking his headphone off and resting them around his neck, the music continuing to blast off, "What's up?"

She took a seat next to him, unsure on how to start, "Oh, um, I just wanted to talk…" she trailed off when she saw what he was working on his pad, it looked like he was in the middle of writing a script, "What are you working on?" she asked, feeling a bad feeling forming in her stomach.

Nino grinned excitedly, "Oh this?" he looked back to his work, "I'm working on a screenplay and once I'm done, I'm gonna send it to Lila." He beamed, oblivious to the frown on Marinette's face, "I wonder how long it'll take to hear a reply from Steven Basielberg?" he excitedly thought out loud.

Marinette bit her tongue as she remembered what had happened when she tried to say that Lila was a liar. Past attempts at revealing the truth had been a failure so she had to try a different way, "Don't you think you shouldn't rely on Lila for these things? Why not enter it in a competition instead?" she suggested, hoping for Nino to rethink his 'promise' with the liar.

But Nino shook his head, "This'll be and once in a life-time opportunity, Marinette. I can't pass this up when Lila so generously offered to do this for me."

"But-"

"Sorry, Marinette, but I just thought of another idea." He gasped and quickly put his headphone on to inspire his creative juices, his hand quickly jotting down the ideas before they were gone.

He was now oblivious to his surroundings.

Mainette stared at his hunched over form, engrossed in his project with a smile. She reached her hand out to him but stopped just short of reach to his arm.

She hesitated, and seeing him like this, felt like she couldn't reach him.

Marinette weakly pulled back and left.

Maybe she would have luck with the others.

She had to think positively.

She saw Kim stretching on the courtyard from where she exited the library, noticing that he was alone at the moment, Marinette wondered where the others were.

She was so sure they decided to play soccer.

But this was another chance.

Quickly reaching the courtyard, Marinette called out to the athlete, "Kim!"

"Oh, hey there, Marinette!" he greeted, not stopping his stretches, "Do you want to play? You could be on Alix's team, 3 against 2 wouldn't make a difference." He said in no offense. He really believed he could take them on with his athletic prowess.

Marinette politely declined, shaking her head, "It's not that, I just wanted to know if Lila had promised you anything." She said with a small worried frown, but she tried to act as natural as possible.

Kim thought back, trying to remember if the girl ever did and light up with a jump, now towering over Marinette. He could vaguely remember that Lila had 'promised' him that she'll mention him to a famous swimmer. It was such a long time that he almost forgot about it, "She said that if she happens to meet Emily Brice again, she'll mention me to her." Kim grinned, looking pumped. He began jogging on the spot as he pulled out his swimming goggles out of thin air, "Just remembering that puts me in the mood for swimming! Oh but" he stopped, remembering why he was on the courtyard, "Swimming would need to come later, the others wanted a quick snack and Alya is getting a soccer ball from the equipment room." He explained, "And I need to make sure my muscles are fully stretched before the game, later, Marinette!" he waved at her over his shoulder as he ran off to do some rounds.

Marinette blinked, she couldn't even get a word in, Kim was too in his own world to even let her have the chance.

Another failure.

The next person on the list was Mylène when Marinette stumbled upon in the cafeteria, serving Lila a plate of dessert.

"Thank you, Mylène." Lila clasped her hands together, speaking in a saccharine voice, "It is so nice of you to help me."

Mylène shook off her gratitude, happy to help, "It's no problem at all, Lila. You said your arthritis is acting up, you must be hurting when walking on it." She said, looking concerned for the poor girl.

Lila placed a palm on her right cheek, sighing out, "Yes, every time I put pressure on my left foot, I feel so much pain, but I wanted to see you guys so much that I will bear the pain."

Mylène smiled at the sweet girl, "I hope you feel better. Would it be okay if I left you alone? I want to be there for Ivan." She smiled.

Lila let out a light laugh, "Of course. Don't let me make you wait. I'll see you later." She said and waved her off. When her eyes caught sight of Marinette by the exit with arms crossed, frowning and eyes narrowed at her, Lila simply smirked at her and dipped her spoon in the cake that Mylène oh so graciously bought for her.

When Mylène saw Marinette by the door, she looked confused at the taller girl's displeased face, "Marinette? What's wrong?" she asked.

Marinette turned away from the liar enjoying her power over her friends and looked to the shorter girl as they walked towards the steps together, "Don't you think carrying Lila's things for her is… too much?" she questioned, wondering what lie the girl came up with.

Mylène looked at her friend with a raised brow, "She said that her arthritis on her foot is acting up." She explained, "I didn't want her to push herself."

Marinette frowned, not looking impressed, "Really." She huffed out under her breath. She stopped on the steps, making her companion pause as well, "Are you sure she's not lying? She was fine walking this morning and the days before." She pointed out, "If she did have arthritis like she claimed, don't you think she'd be limping?"

Mylène frowned, looking disappointed at her, "Marinette." She reprimanded, not understanding why she was acting like this, "You shouldn't say that, Lila must've been bearing the pain this whole time." She clasped her hands together, a concerned frown as she thought about Lila holding her pain in this whole time, "Poor Lila." She sighed, missing the clenched fist from Marinette. She then looked over and saw Ivan on the courtyard with Alix, talking to a confident looking Kim, "Oh. It looks like they're getting ready." She turned back to Marinette, leaving her one last comment, "Even if Lila could carry her things, I just wanted to help her out. It's not like she made me do it for her." She reassured the girl. She knew that Marinette had good intentions, however, sometimes she questioned those intentions, like that napkin incident. Lila really could've gotten hurt.

When she saw Marinette nodded, understandingly, she smiled, thinking whatever the misunderstanding she thought, cleared up, "Will you be joining us to cheer?" she gestured to the courtyard.

"You go ahead…" Marinette put on a strained smile, "I still have things to do."

Mylène nodded and skipped the rest of the steps towards the courtyard.

"Another failure, Tikki." Marinette murmured under her friend, her head down.

Tikki peered up through the open clasp that she parted, "Don't give up, Marinette." She encouraged, "There are still the others." She pointed out.

Marinette listlessly nodded.

She was looking for Alya all over campus when she didn't find her in the sports equipment room. She even checked the classrooms, but found Rose and Juleka instead, sitting at their desk. The former sealing up a pink envelop and spraying it with perfume.

"Oh, Marinette!" Rose greeted when she heard her come, "Are you looking for something?"

Marinette blinked, "I was looking for Alya." She said, trying to remember if Lila ever spoken to Rose or Juleka.

"She said that she was going to grab a soccer ball after a quick bite."

"Thanks." Just as she was about to go, she heard Rose's worried concern.

"Do you think it'll be fine?"

Marinette paused and turned back around, "Is something wrong?" her caring nature wouldn't let her leave when someone was upset. She walked up the stairs towards them as Rose explained.

"Lila told me that Prince Ali would be busy, so I shouldn't send him my letters anytime soon and I don't want to bother him." She sighed, even though Juleka suggested to send him one, she had been hesitating for a while now, but Juleka said that she should just go for it.

Marinette felt herself freeze and berated herself. She should have known that Lila has been feeding lies to her friends when she wasn't there. It was naïve of her to think that only a few people had been largely affected from what could be obviously seen, "What…" she swallowed dryly, "What does Lila have to do with Prince Ali not receiving your letters?"

"Lila said she went over there to implement her pollution idea, so things would be busy." Juleka mumbled out.

Rose nodded, "You can read about it on Alya's blog."

Marinette froze for a moment before looking to Rose with wide eyes, "What?" she asked, a sense of dread overcoming her.

Rose nodded, looking confused at her friend's shocked look, "You can read all about what Lila did in the Kingdom of Achu on Alya's blog." She explained clearly.

Marinette scrambled to get her phone out and frantically went onto her friend's blog, scrolling through until she reached an article about Lila. This was her fault; she didn't really keep up with Alya's blog, if she had, she could have tried to convince her to take it down before anymore people could doubt her credibility.

But it's been days since she posted this.

Frowning at the page of lies posted on the blog, Marinette quickly stood up, "I'm sorry, but I need to find Alya." She rushed, already leaving the room, leaving the girls blinking in confusion. However, not a few seconds later, Marinette ducked her head back in as she looked at Rose, "Don't worry about what Lila said, go ahead and mail it, I'm sure he'll be happy to hear from you!" she said, already leaving and looking for her blogger friend.

Marinette looked all over the place and found her in the gym storage room where they kept all their sports equipment, carrying a soccer ball.

"Alya!" she called out, coming to a stop in front of her as she leaned forward on her knees, panting slightly.

"Hey, girl! What's up? Did you need something?" Alya grinned, amused at her bff's theatrics. She held the soccer ball to her hip, having finally found Mr D'Argencourt, their PE teacher, for permission to borrow a ball after a quick snack.

Marinette caught her breath with a gulp and straightened up, holding her phone up to show Ayla's recent interview with Lila, "This!" she gasped out.

The blogger took one glance at it before folding her arms and grinning in jubilation, "You finally saw, huh." While the view count wasn't as high as the interviews she did with Lila about Ladybug, the interview about her and Prince Ali was just as impressive, "What did you think? Pretty cool of Lila, right?"

Marinette shook her head with a worried frown, dampening Alya's mood just slightly, "Don't you think you shouldn't post this? Besides, isn't there something off with this?"

Alya frowned, "Not this again." She sighed, putting a hand on her head as she shook her head in disappointment, "Marinette, Marinette, Marinette." She breathed, lowering her hand down to look at her bff, "I talked to Lila myself and even got her permission to post it, if that's what you're worried about."

Marinette felt her heart sink, but she shook it off as she tried to reason with her, "But Prince Ali's campaign is focused on the children, and there's nothing about him starting up a campaign on pollution." She then took her phone and typed 'Prince Ali' and 'Pollution', receiving only a few results but had nothing to do with him. She turned her phone around and showed it to Alya, "See, most of the results are about Prince Ali doing charity for the children."

Alya frowned, taking her phone and scrolling through.

Marinette held her breath as she willingly hoped Alya would realise that Lila had been lying the whole time.

But as few moments pass by and Alya looking unfazed, Marinette felt her hope sink.

Handing back her phone, Alya thought this through logically, "It's probably a secret project they're working on." she reasoned, "Besides, stuff like this takes a long time to release onto the net. They have to write a project plan and make sure everything looks alright and pass it through before they can release any info to the people. The pollution idea that Lila and the Prince are working would take a while so just wait and see, girl. Lila just gave me a sneak peek, no need to jump to conclusions, Marinette." She patted her on the shoulder before changing subject, "Some of the guys and girls are gonna play soccer, do you wanna join?" she offered.

She shook her head.

Alya stared at her friend for a moment before letting out a sigh, thinking that she should give her some space to calm down, "Okay, but if you want to join, we'll be behind the school. Mr D'Argencourt told me that he'll be using the courtyard." She stated before walking off.

Marinette felt hurt.

Leaving the storage room, Marinette escaped to the locker room, planning to splash some water on her face in the bathroom. However, as she pushed the door open, she flinched when she was face to face with Adrien in his white fencing clothes.

"Marinette?"

She looked confused since he usually went home for lunch, "What are you doing here?" she whispered, voice sounding tired. She didn't even have time to process what she said may have sounded rude – she just didn't have the energy to start spiralling with her words as Adrien gave her a small smile.

"Mr. D'Argencourt wanted us to get some extra practice in." he explained, adjusting his shoulder strap.

"Oh, well, don't let me keep you waiting then." She muttered, going pass him with her hands hugging her arms, not seeing the worried frown on his face.

Adrien frowned at the way she was acting; it was almost like the time in his car where they made up after the whole prank fiasco. Frowning at that, it didn't look like Marinette was fine. He wanted to say something but wasn't sure if something was really wrong or it was just a social cue he didn't understand. But looking at her small frame, her head down, Adrien just had to make sure his friend was okay, unlike last time when he dropped her off at home without doing anything more, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Marinette stayed silent for a moment before taking a deep breath and turned around to look at him, "I'm fine, it's just that…" her eyes averted away from his, "Don't you think we should tell the others that Lila has been lying to them?" if her word wasn't enough, then surely Adrien's might, "I just want our friends to be careful when listening to Lila, I don't want them to get taken advantage of or get hurt when the 'promises' Lila made to them doesn't come true."

Adrien hummed, seeing the sad face on his friend's face. He wanted to assure her that it wouldn't come to that point, "Don't worry they won't." he said with a smile.

Marinette looked up, her eyes wide, feeling hopeful. Did he have a plan to-

"Once Lila realises that she doesn't need to lie to gain attention, things will be fine." He smiled at her, "We just need to show her that she can make friends without needing to lie." He believed that Lila could change, but after she deliberately put his Lady in danger, cause Kagami to be akumatized with her action, got Nathalie and his bodyguard reprimanded, he wasn't going to let her off easy if she were to continue to hurt the ones he loves. Besides, Lila was a dangerous akuma, it would be best to not fight against her again.

"O-Oh, you're right." She looked down, biting her lips.

Adrien fidgeted, rubbing the back of his head as they entered an awkward silence, fortunately for him, someone behind him broke that silence.

"Adrien."

The two turned behind them to see Kagami waiting for him, already in her red fencing gear.

"Oh, is it time already?" Adrien turned to look at Marinette, "Sorry, we have to go to fencing before Mr. D'Argencourt gives us more drills for being late." He jogged towards her and patted her on the shoulder as he gave one more reassuring smile, "Things will be fine, you'll see." He said as Marinette gave him an awkward smile. Seeing her usual awkward smile that she gave to him, Adrien turned to his fencing partner, grinning, "Thanks for picking me up, Kagami." He left Marinette's side and offered the Japanese girl his arm, "Shall we?"

Kagami smiled and latched onto the offered arm, "We shall." She humoured him and they took off without glancing behind.

As soon as the two fencers left, the small smile that Marinette could muster, fell, as she looked down. Her knees giving out as she landed on the bench beside her.

Seeing them walk off together, linking arms, didn't hurt as much as she thought it would.

It was Adrien's advice that hurt more.

Having heard the whole thing, Tikki peeked her head to see if anyone was around, once she noticed that the coast was clear, she flew out from her hiding spot and into the open air, facing the crown of Marinette's head.

"I'm sure that Adrien meant well." She said, but she got no reaction from the girl. She flew below her bowed head and looked up at the restrained hurt and frustration on her holder's face.

"Once Lila realises that she doesn't need to lie to gain attention, things will be fine." He smiled at her, "We just need to show her that she can make friends without needing to lie."

She couldn't help but feel slightly bitter.

"Marinette?" she called out.

"I know, but… the longer we let Lila continue to lie, the more people are going to get hurt. … I just wish he could see her lies are harmful." She choked out.

Tikki gave a thoughtful look to her chosen before an idea popped up, "Then you should tell him the time she threatened you in the toilet." Maybe then the boy would reconsider his high road. However, as she said it, she couldn't but question why she didn't do that. Surely, if Marinette had told Adrien in the first place then things might be different, "Why didn't you speak up then?" she asked, genuinely curious.

Marinette's eyes widened slightly as if surprised that it never occurred to her. However, she hung her head at the mistake that she could've avoided, the light in her eyes dimming.

"You're right, I should have spoken up then." She agreed, burying her face in her hands. "Why didn't I speak up at the time?" she asked herself in a quiet whisper.

She asked herself, but deep down.

Deep, deep down.

She knew.

Adrien was a kind and wonderful guy, always seeing the good in everyone.

She thought that if both he and she knew, that it was enough.

She was confident that it was all that mattered.

But she couldn't believe in that anymore.

She was scared.

And if she had told him that time…

"A good reporter always check her facts."

"Dude, not cool."

"Are you proud of yourself?"

"Lila's in even more pain now, all because of you."

…

"Would he have also defended her?" she subconsciously whispered out loud. Marinette didn't think she could handle that. Didn't know what she would do if the guy she liked defended the liar.

But she should have told him-told someone.

It was her responsibility to look after herself.

The blame was on her.

"Marinette?" Tikki called out worriedly.

If she had told him then, when Lila had just come back… "What if he also tried and defend her - say that I was just misunderstanding the situation…" she fired off, looking scared, but then her eyes widened in horror as she came to a horrible thought, "If Ladybug hadn't exposed Lila right in front of him, would he have also fallen for her lies?" just thinking of that possibility made her tense up, she would've been all alone if Ladybug hadn't exposed the liar right in his face, "He didn't look doubtful even for a second when they were together." She let out a shuddering breath.

Tikki looked down with a frown. She couldn't help but be concerned about her chosen's faith in Adrien slowly dwindling by the boy's passiveness. Neither of them is at fault but…

She looked peered up at her chosen's face, "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be fine! You're Ladybug after all!" she smiled up at her. Shooting her encouraging thoughts.

Marinette froze at that and lowered her hands down, "Yeah… I'm Ladybug." She repeated, cupping her hands around Tikki and hugging her to her collar as she hunched slightly. She could feel her small friend nuzzling her affectionately and while the small god was distracted, she didn't see the distressed frown on Marinette's face.

When Tikki heard someone entering the locker room, she quickly hid back into her purse while Marinette stood up to see Lila entering.

Her mood instantly plummeted even further than before.

"Oh Marinette! What are you doing here all by yourself?" she greeted with a saccharine smile, a hand covering her mouth in amusement.

"What do you want, Lila?" Marinette questioned bluntly, her eyes narrowed. She didn't have the energy to deal with the liar right now.

"Don't be like that, Marinette. I just came from a wonderful lunch and saw you, but you left so quickly before I could even say hi." She chuckled, "I want to know if you want to be friends with me." Her smile then turned smugly, eyes condescending as she stared at Marinette like she was beneath her, "Seeing how it's only a matter of time before your friends abandon you for me." She said, sinisterly. In truth, she had no intention of letting the dumb pigtailed girl a chance out of their war. She just wanted to have some more fun. Since her friends were so gullible, it was easy.

But her victory would feel even better if she got Marinette to beg for defeat.

Marinette crossed her arms with a glare, "The only way we could ever be friends is if you stop lying. And my friends… they won't abandon me." She stated, hoping that the liar didn't notice her hesitance at the end, "Sooner or later, they will notice that all those things you 'promise' them are a lie."

Lila simply chuckled, a hand on her waist and the other to her cheek, "That's what you think." Was all she said before turning around, her hair flipping after her, before she walked out, she looked over her shoulder with a smirk, "Enjoy your friends while you still have them, Marinette." And with that she walked out, leaving Marinette trembling in anger.

Tikki peeked out from the purse, a frown on her lips, staring at the door the liar left through, "Marinette-"

BANG

The little god flinched and stared at her holder's closed fist against her locker door. Unshed tears swimming in her frustrated eyes.

"Marinette!" Tikki cried out, flying towards her, "Don't let her get to you! Your friends will always stand up for you." She quickly tried to soothe, "They always have your back, have more faith in them." She gently reminded.

In the darkness emerged Hawk Moth, standing in the middle of the observatory as the window opened, letting the sun light up the room, scattering pure butterflies around.

"Those doubts of believing in your friends, knowing that deep down, you're losing them. Angry at the one who's the cause of all your negative emotions." Hawk Moth chuckled, reaching out for an untainted butterfly and closing it within his grasps, dying it in evil, "Fly away and evilize this lonely high school girl." He commanded, watching his akuma fly away.

"Marinette, you have to calm down before an akuma comes." Tikki worriedly reminded, looking around for any butterfly.

I know! I'm trying!

She took deep breaths and let them out in shuddering breaths, trying to force all her thoughts and feelings down.

She can't let herself be akumatised over this.

She felt Tikki tense besides her, but before the kwami of creation could say anything or before she looked up, she felt her phone go off with a notification.

The interruption startled her out of her spiralling thoughts. Pulling her phone out with a shuddering breath, she calmed down slightly when she saw that she had received a text from Luka. Staring at his photo, her harsh breathing slowed down to normal, feeling herself calm down.

She opened his message, wondering what he had sent.

"If you're not busy after school today, Kitty Section is gonna have band practice. Hope to see you there."

She stared at the text for a moment, unaware that a faint smile had lit up on her face as she reread the message, sending back a reply saying that she'll love to go.

Hidden in the darkness, Hawk Moth frowned, "Strange, I feel the fury dying down, but it's only a matter of time, be patient now my akuma and follow after her." He ordered.

"Marinette, are you okay now?" Tikki asked, she swore she could've heard the wings of a buttering flapping nearby, but when she looked up, it was only her and Marinette in the room.

It was probably the wind, but one can't be too sure.

"Mmmh." She hummed, putting her phone away when Luka happily responded at her reply, "Yeah, I'm fine now." She closed her eyes, a hand to her chest as she breathed in and out a couple of times just to make sure.

Lila was happily skipping down the corridor, smirking at how easy things were at Collège Françoise Dupont. She couldn't help but think she strike gold when her mother was relocated in Paris. This place was such a goldmine: having Adrien Agreste: the model, the mayor's daughter, one of the widely known blogger here and gullible teachers and students everywhere. Her high school days would be so fun.

She only needed to get rid of one pigtail nuisance and that would be a fun little project itself.

Her friends were on their way to being controlled by her.

And speaking of control, she saw one tall purple freak sitting by herself in their classroom, fixing her side bangs in a mirror while also glancing at her phone.

Strange that she wasn't with the little pipsqueak. They were usually together.

Glancing around her, she slipped in and put on a smile.

"Oh, Juleka! What are you doing here, by yourself?" Lila greeted, startling the girl.

"Oh, Lila." She mumbled, closing the lid over the wrist mirror and putting it in her bag.

When she was close enough to see her phone, she inwardly frowned when she saw a picture of her and Adrien posing together.

"Is that you and Adrien together?" Lila asked, eyes narrowed and smile wide, "I didn't know you guys were dating, why didn't you tell me?" she had plans for Adrien, and she was going to have him. But she could also adapt her plans, of course Adrien was ultimately going to be hers. She just had to lay off him for a bit after she had upset him when he let her into his home.

Before she could even strike a 'promise' to her, the girl shook her head.

"I'm not, we were just modelling clothes for Marinette." She explained, showing her the photo.

"Oh, are you interested in modelling?" Lila questioned, watching as the emo girl look awkward and put her phone away, "I thought you were in a band, I was going to ask if you wanted me to introduce some famous producers I know."

Juleka nodded, feeling shy, "Yeah, but I always wanted to be a model." She shyly said, looking down.

"Have you ever modelled before?" she questioned.

Juleka fidgeted, "I only modelled for Marinette before when she wanted to post her work on her website that she's making." She answered.

Lila hummed, "I can get you a better opportunity to model with better clothing and lighting." She smiled at her before leaning in as if telling her a secret, "Just between you and me, I'm Gabriel Agreste's newest muse." She confessed.

Juleka looked amazed, "Really? That's awesome."

Lila nodded, making herself look like she couldn't believe it as well, "I feel very honoured that Mr Agreste asked me to be his muse. I've been all over the world and know all these celebrities that he must've heard them talking about me at one point on his travels." she then tilted her head at her with a smile, "If you want, I can try and see if they need any extras on set the next time Mr Agreste ask for me to model his clothes."

Juleka smiled shyly, bringing her hand up like she wanted to push her hair behind her ear, "Thanks, Lila. That's really cool of you." She murmured.

Lila waved it off with a polite laugh, "What are friends for?" she then turned, "I'll tell you when the next time Gabriel Agreste ask me to model for him." She said before walking off.

Juleka waved at her with her shy smile, yet it slightly twitched down when she looked back on the conversation.

"I can get you a better opportunity to model with better clothing and lighting."

Something about what she said didn't sit right with her. It almost felt like she was… insulting Marinette's work, but that couldn't be.

Right?

She then felt her phone go off with a text and saw that it was from her brother saying that he was able to invite Marinette over after school.

Sending a reply back, she sent a message to Ivan and Rose, repeating what her brother said.

Her dear friend should be back from the mailbox any minute now.

Something about acting out that romantic gesture in delivery that piece of mail yourself.

For the remainder of the lunch hour, Marinette went home, not really wanting to return. Going through the bakery's door, her mother looked up, surprised.

"Marinette? What are you doing here? I thought you'd be eating with your friends at school today." Sabine asked, before a worried frown appeared on her lips. She placed a hand on her daughter's cheek when she was close enough, "Did something happened?"

Marinette put on a smile, "It's fine, everyone wanted to play soccer and I'm not really feeling up to it." She shrugged, not wanting to bother her mom.

Sabine nodded, simply accepted her daughter's answer, "Have you eaten yet? If not, take some croissants up." She was already pulling a few out and some other pastries onto a tray and handed it over to her tired-looking daughter.

"Thanks, mom." Marinette smiled a little, taking the tray. Before she left through the door that led to their home, she remembered something, "Oh, is it okay if I go to Juleka's place after school? They're having their band practice."

"It's fine, go ahead. Just don't come home too late."

"Okay." Marinette nodded and left.

Tom peeked his head from the back, "Was that Marinette?" he asked, stirring the bowl he was carrying, "Is she okay? I thought she was going to eat with her friends at school."

"She said that she was fine." Sabine said, going back to the register.

"Oh, okay then." Tom said, accepting his wife's answer as he went back to work.

Placing the tray of food on her desk just as Tikki flew out from her purse, Marinette walked to her chaise and flopped down on her back, hand arms over eyes.

"I couldn't even get anyone to believe me today or even tell them about Lila's lies, Tikki. What am I going to do." She sighed, "I just hope Rose mailed her letter, hearing from someone else may be the only way to expose her." She realised bitterly.

"Don't give up, Marinette. Things will get better." Tikki tried, landing on the little space her arm left for her forehead, "A chance will open up eventually, you just need to be patient." She advised, petting the wrist near her, "In the meantime, why don't you look forward to Kitty Section."

Marinette lifted her arms away from her face, a small smile on her lips, "Yeah." Some music would do her some good.

She wanted to drown out today's event if it was possible.

As soon as the bell signal the end of the day, Marinette packed up her things and headed up the steps to where the members of Kitty Section sat, still packing up.

"I can't wait to hear your new song." Marinette grinned as the others left the classroom.

Rose beamed, looking enthusiastic, "Luka wrote an amazing melody that went with my lyrics." She gushed, "I can't wait to hear how everything sounds!" she stood up, swinging her bag over her shoulder.

Ivan looked excited at that, "Let's go then, I can't wait to practice it." He grinned, walking down the steps already and already out the door.

Marinette smiled at how excited he was and quickly followed him as well as the others, "Hey, Ivan, wait up!" she called after him, catching up.

Rose held hands with Juleka as they both ran after their friends with a smile, the former giggling at their excitement. She was glad that Marinette looked relatively happy. When the bluenette came back from lunch, she didn't look as happy as she was now, which gave her an idea as she took her phone out while Marinette and Ivan were talking, now walking in a brisk pace.

"Do you think we should call the others? The more the merrier right?" Rose asked with a smile, looking up at her taller friend.

Juleka nodded as she watched the smaller girl hum as she went to text the other, but then she saw her took pause.

"Should we also invite Lila?" Rose asked, looking hesitant. She felt a bit guilty that she sent a letter to her Prince even though Lila advised that she shouldn't. It felt like she was going behind her back. But she guessed it was like Romeo and Juliet: doing things for the sake of love. She looked over to Juleka who had a thoughtful frown on her face before she shook her head, wanting to hear what she thought.

"… Maybe next time, I… I think maybe it's best if we ask Marinette first instead of surprising her." Was what Juleka mumbled out.

Rose nodded, agreeing and proceeded to gather the girls over.

Alya looked at her phone, seeing a text from Rose, saying they were having band practice and to see if they wanted to come and saw that Marinette was coming as well. She tapped her chin and thought about the invitation.

Nino said he wanted to work on his screenplay so she shouldn't disturb him. Her sister was home and was looking after the twins, so she was free for the afternoon.

She then looked back to the text and frowned when she focused on Marinette's name. She didn't understand what was up with her. But maybe she was feeling stressed that she hasn't been spending time with her crush. It has been a while since she last plotted a plan for her and Adrien. Maybe she could set up a little something, she thought with a smile.

Going through her contacts, she sent Adrien a message and went to meet up with the other to head to Juleka's.

She looked around the locker room and grinned when she saw who was still here, "Mylène! Alix! Good timing." Alya grinned and waved her phone at them, "Did you get Rose's message?"

"Yeah. We were just about to head over there now." Alix smirked, still feeling great at her victory over Kim.

"Great!" Alya smirked, "I just sent a text to Adrien. If he's able to come, we'll need to make sure Marinette has a chance with him."

"Speaking of Marinette…" Mylène started, she hoped she wouldn't bring down the mood, "Do you think Marinette has been acting a little… strange?"

"What do you mean?" Alix asked, raising a brow.

"Well, at lunch, she questioned me about helping out Lila carry her food to her." She explained.

Alya couldn't help but inwardly frowned at hearing Marinette having a problem with Lila again, and sighed at the girl's problem with the Italian girl. She waved off Mylène's concern, "Ah, give the girl a break, she's probably worried that her chances with Adrien are slipping away since she hasn't been spending time with him." She then leaned forward, looking determined, "That's why we need to make an opening for her, yeah?"

Feeling the enthusiasm from the reporter, Mylène nodded and pumped her fist, "Yeah!"

Alix let out a weak 'yeah'. Her mind elsewhere. She couldn't help but feel like she was missing something. Wondering if Marinette's behaviour was more than what Alya was saying.

Kagami looked at Adrien's brightened face as he stared at his phone, "What is it?" she asked.

A cheeky smile was directed at her, making her feel fond for the boy.

"One time, Marinette said to invite you with us when an event happens and Alya just texted me to come over to The Liberty." He stared at his phone with an excited grin, "This must be it!"

Kagami looked confused, "The Liberty?" she questioned.

"It's the Couffaine's houseboat ." He answered, tucking his phone away after sending some messages.

Kagami had a thoughtful stare, feeling like something was amiss, "Marinette said that I was invited?" she questioned.

"Alya said so!" he grinned.

She looked doubtful, but didn't question any further, not wanting to dampen the boy's mood, "So when is the outing."

"Right now."

The dutiful girl blinked, raising a brow, "But we have fencing right now."

A mischievous look entered in his green eyes, "Well, we'll just have to go then, but," he then did an exaggerated gasp, "Kagami, do you know where it is? I suddenly can't remember the address, maybe my driver can help."

Kagami couldn't help but giggle, one hand covering her mouth, yet her eyes couldn't hide that she was smiling at his antics, "Yes, that seems like that would be best." She humoured him, going along with it. She always has fun whenever she was with him, and something about him just bought out her mischievous side as well.

He then held out his hand to her in a bow, "Well, we don't want to be late, shall we quickly go?"

She took his hand as he straightened up, "Lead the way." She playfully ordered.

"You guys sounded so great!" Marinette gushed, clapping as she stood once they finished.

"Thanks, Marinette!" Rose grinned brightly. She then rubbed her throat, feeling her mouth parched from singing non-stop since they arrived.

Noticing this, Marinette suggested, "Why don't you guys take a break? I'll get you all something to drink." She said, already moving towards their kitchen space while avoiding the left-over clutter that was on the floor, "What do you guys want?" she asked as she opened the fridge.

"We have orange juice." Juleka said, looking over at the others who all nodded in agreement.

"Orange juice it is!" Marinette grinned, grabbing the pitcher and some glasses, as she filled them up, she spotted a tray by the sink and use that to hold the drinks, going around and handing them their refreshments. Ivan gratefully accepted the drink as Marinette went to the girls.

Rose was holding her phone while the other was still on the microphone. Once Marinette stopped in front of her after giving Juleka her drink, the small blonde looked up with a grin, "Alya and the others said they'll be here any minute." She reported the good news, staring brightly at Marinette's wide eyes.

"O-Oh." She smiled crookedly, "Who else is coming?" she asked, feeling dread that when Rose said 'others', that included Lila as well. She also wasn't that thrilled that other people were coming – not that they weren't allowed to come! She wasn't trying to be selfish, wanting to keep Kitty Section to herself, no, that wasn't her intention at all.

It's just that she wanted to escape from the events that happened today and seeing how she failed Alya and Mylène would remind her of that.

"Alix and Mylène." Rose chirped, putting her phone away and receiving the offered drink.

That wasn't bad, at least she didn't have to deal with Lila again, "Well, the more the merrier, right?" Marinette smiled, but it was lacklustre. Fortunately for her, Rose closed her eyes, tilting her head back a bit as she drank, missing her smile.

Marinette then made her last stop to where Luka, who had been playing the whole time with his eyes closed, providing background music for the band.

"Hey there." Marinette greeted, trying to smile. She was able to put a bit more effort into the smile thanks to his playing.

Luka opened his eyes with a smile still on his lips and paused his playing to give his full attention to the girl, but his smile slipped when he noticed something off about her, "Is something wrong?" he asked.

She blinked before quickly looking away, one hand moving away from the tray she was holding to touch her neck but stopped short and forced her hand to returned back to the tray, "I-It's nothing, everything's great, um…" She got a glance at the guitar he was holding and changed subject, "You're so talented, Luka." She said with a smile, staring at him, "How long have you been playing for?" even though she wanted to change the subject, she really was genuinely interested about it.

Luka stared at her for a moment, but then looked at his guitar and went along for her sake, "Since I was in diapers." He smiled, playing a funky little tune for her. Both he and Marinette laughed at his little action. Luka silently chuckled while listening to Marinette's pretty little giggle. When they both calmed down, he offered her his guitar, "Would you like to have a go?" he asked, gesturing to his guitar.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly-I mean, I don't know how." She shyly declined with a shake of her head.

Luka smiled, "We'll play together, you'll strum, and I'll lead." He suggested.

Marinette thought about it for a moment before smiling, "If you're sure." She shyly said, placing the tray of drinks on a nearby congo drum near them. When she turned her back to him, Luka slipped his guitar gently over her and slid behind her, one hand holding onto the fret board while the other gingerly took her wrist and directed it over the strings. Once in position, he let go of her wrist and rested his hand on her shoulder.

"When you're ready." He grinned, his voice near her ear, making her blush lightly, but didn't last long as she looked down at where here hand was, wanting to play.

Luka was already prepared for her first series of notes as she strummed, they didn't have to say anything as they played together, both glancing at each other with smiles feeling so in synch with one another.

Marinette smiled excitedly as it wasn't a disaster while Luka smiled fondly at her as she returned to looking down at the strings she was strumming.

"If you like, Marinette, would you like me to teach you how to play?" he offered.

She glanced at him over her shoulder, both continuing playing. She wouldn't deny that learning the guitar from Luka would be fun, but she didn't want to bother him. However, the relaxed half-lidded eyes and soft smile on his face said that he wouldn't mind at all. Marinette ducked her head, biting on her lips as she smiled, "If it's no trouble at all." She shyly accepted.

She didn't notice when the others arrived, too immersed playing together with Luka until she looked up when she heard talking.

When she looked up, Marinette tensed when she saw Alya clawing at the air, making a funny face with her tongue out as she made gibberish sounds, making Alix and Mylène laugh.

It was the kind of face Alya would make whenever she would make fun of her inability to talk to Adrien.

Her eyes widened when she saw someone else entered the room.

Luka, noticing her tensed up, frowned, "Marinette?" he called out to her quietly so that the others couldn't hear, "Are you okay? You suddenly look uncomfortable." He pointed out with a worried look.

She jumped and stuttered, "Oh, uh, it's nothing! Drinks!" she suddenly shouted, scrambling to pull the guitar off her and handed it over to him, "I'll go get some more drinks for the others!" she declared, taking the tray and rushed to the kitchen counter, miraculously not spilling the two drinks on the tray. She didn't want Luka to worry and she felt like if she stayed any longer, he'll be able to see through her.

Luka stared after her with a worried frown before looking at her source of her discomfort. He wondered if something happened between her and her friends.

As soon as they settled down, the trio saw that Marinette had scrambled pass them towards the kitchen, retrieving more glasses. A fond chuckle at Marinette as her nerves kicked in which had caused her to move away from Luka.

"They're so cute together." Mylène smiled.

"So true." Alix agreed with a smile. It had looked like the girl was enjoying herself. She didn't think Marinette had been that happy these days.

Alya also agreed, "Sure are."

"You think?" a new voice entered, making them gasp when they saw who it was.

Kagami nodded, "I agree. That boy and your friend seem to get along very well." She was able to observe the two playing the guitar together in perfect rhythm when they came down the stairs before Marinette mousey her way out when she saw them.

"Adrien!" Alya didn't think that Adrien would be able to make it, seeing that his father had a tight leash on him, but she had to try for Marinette. What she wasn't expecting was for Kagami to be tagging along, "Kagami!"

Marinette came forward with drinks on a tray behind the fencers, a timid smile on her face "Wha…" before she could continue, her eyes caught Alya's subtle thumbs up at her and she knew what had happened and inwardly sighed, "I didn't think you'd make it." Marinette said with a stiff smile, "I forgot that you had fencing today."

"We're officially at fencing practice right now," he explained, and then put on an exaggerated worried look, "but - Oh, no, Kagami." He turned to her, "Isn't this the wrong address?"

"Oh, dear," she clutched her cheeks and then placed her hands on his, her lips breaking into a smile as she couldn't hold onto a frown, Adrien's acting was much better than hers, "I think you're right."

The two then proceeded to laugh when they couldn't hold it in anymore.

The trio of girls on the couch looked to Marinette, watching her reaction, only spotting a sad smile.

"Would guys like some orange juice?" she asked, holding the tray slightly higher.

Adrien gladly accepted, removing one hand from Kagami's and took it, only to hand it over to Kagami who smiled, looking pleased.

"Thank you." She said.

The boy grinned and then took his own share, "Thanks, Marinette." He thanked, clinking his glass to Kagami's and then taking a sip.

Marinette then handed the remaining drinks to the others.

"Girl, while we distract Kagami, use that chance to get close to Adrien." Alya whispered to Marinette when she leaned down to let the girls get their drinks.

Marinette frowned and shook her head, "It's fine, you don't have to do that anymore."

A confused questioning stare was aimed at her until realisation glinted in her eyes and a playful smile appeared in on lips, "Oh, did "Marinette the Compass" finally decided which statue to point at?" Alya asked.

Marinette inwardly bristled at her suggestion, not wanting to deal with this, "Luka is just a friend." She dismissed her.

Alya playfully smirked, "Who said anything about Luka?" she hummed, taking a sip at her juice.

Marinette lips curled down, cheeks flushing in embarrassment, "I, uh, need to go." She mumbled, disposing the tray on the kitchen counter and escaping into Luka and Juleka's shared room, ignoring the questioning looks shot after her.

She could hear Alya chuckle and could even imagine her shake her head with a 'Oh, Marinette.'

"Quickly! Before her negativity goes away!" Hawk Moth commanded as the butterfly following her from a distance due to the lack of negativity flowing from the girl tried to reach the houseboat.

Luka had been observing Marinette interact with her friends with a frown. The way she was presenting herself just oozes discomfort. Slipping his guitar over his shoulder, he turned to the rest of his bandmates, "Now that Adrien is here, why don't we take out his keyboard? The ZX20.4 should be around here somewhere, it'll be faster if we all search for it." He smiled.

Rose nodded, taking Juleka's hand, "That's a great idea!" she agreed, moving to ask the others for their help. Ivan also got up with the others and everyone went up deck to search through the clutter.

With him now alone in the lounge room, Luka headed towards his room, pausing with a confused look when he heard her talking to someone, "Marinette?" he called out, letting her know he was here. All talking stopped and he heard an 'eep!' from the girl, "Can I come in?" he asked.

"O-Of course! It's your room after all." She let out a nervous laugh as he walked in and saw her sitting on his bed, "Are you guys going to play now?" she asked, about to get up. She was hoping that he didn't hear her talking to Tikki, but it seemed he didn't hear.

Luka shook his head, taking a seat beside her, "They're all up deck, looking for that keyboard Adrien was playing on last time."

"I should go help out, I guess." As she was about to get up again, Luka placed his hand on her shoulder, stopping her, "Luka?" she stared at him, confused.

He stared at her with a thoughtful look, making her fidget in her spot and averting her eyes away when she couldn't handle his attention.

"Do you want to take a walk with me?" he asked, smiling softly.

Whipping her head back towards him, Marinette opened her mouth, speechless. That wasn't what she was expecting, "A… walk? But what about practice?"

"They can play without me for a little while." He pushed himself up from his bed and offered her his hand, "It was getting kind of crowded out there." He shrugged and looked at her, "I think some fresh air could do us some good, and then we'll come back." He explained.

Marinette dropped her gaze to his outstretched hand and back up to see the patient smile directed at her.

"It's your decision, Marinette, whatever you decide." He reminded softly, giving her control of the situation.

Her hand twitched, and before she knew it, Marinette gingerly took his offered hand.

He smiled slightly wider and gently, but firmly, pulled her up. "I'll message Juleka that we'll be back soon once we leave." He grinned leaving his room with Marinette in tow, taking her up on deck and off the boat without bumping into the others, they were all on the other side of the boat, away from the plank.

The two didn't notice someone noticing them as they walked off, hand in hand.

"Keep going after her!" Hawk Moth cried, frustratingly, as once again the teenager's emotion calmed down again.

"Found it!" Adrien cheered when he opened up a black case, he then looked around when he notice Marinette wasn't on deck, thinking she was going to be up here with them, "Is Marinette still down below?" he asked.

"I saw Marinette and her boyfriend walk off the ship." Kagami answered, coming up next to him.

Adrien frowned, confused, "Boyfriend?"

Kagami nodded, "The boy she was with on our date."

"Oh." Adrien turned away, "I didn't know she and Luka were dating."

Kagami frowned at his behaviour, "Are you upset that Marinette has a boyfriend?" she bluntly asked.

Adrien looked up, surprised, hands up as he waved off her claim, "No, no! I just thought that if Marinette was dating, she would've told us." He looked down, lowering his hands, "I thought we were close enough for her to tell me something like that… I guess we're not as close friends as I thought." He frowned, looking upset.

Kagami's eyes soften, understanding, "I see." She then looked towards his friends looking all happy, "I believe that Marinette must have a reason for not telling you." This was the girl who Adrien was pining after, enough to distract him from focusing in fencing. Marinette must have known about Adrien's feelings for her and took his feelings in consideration when she decided to choose Luka.

"You think so?" he asked, hoping that he really was friends with Marinette and that she wasn't just too kind to tell him that they weren't.

Kagami closed her eyes, "If she's anything like all the things you said about her, then trust me." She opened her eyes to stare at him, "She probably has her reasons."

Marinette was lost in thought that she didn't realised they had arrived at Pont des Arts and was taking a seat on one of the benches on the bridge.

She also didn't realise that she had been holding onto his hand when he let go to grab his guitar from his back.

"Are you still stuck on that problem?" Luka asked, watching carefully for her reaction.

Marinette turned her head away with a bit on her lips, looking distressed. She felt that she was failing her… friends.

Luka place one hand on her shoulder, a worried frown on his lips, "Does anyone know about this problem that you're dealing with?" she didn't have to say anything if she didn't want to, and he was willing to wait if she had wanted to talk or not at all. He was fine with that. But this 'problem' she was having, he wanted to remind her that there was someone she could count on, be it him or someone else.

Her head bowed down a bit, her eyes washed over with a sad disappointment as she nodded, "Yeah, but I… don't really like the approach he's using."

He frowned, rubbing his thumb on her shoulder to try to soothe her tense shoulders, "Is it possible to take a break from this problem?" he questioned.

Marinette blinked up in surprise as if she never thought about that, "Take… a break?" she repeated.

He nodded, "This problem seems to be making you feel… distressed." He observed.

"Oh." Was all she whispered as she looked down in thought. What would happen if she just left Lila's lies alone for a bit? Things didn't change much when she tried to tell her friends the truth. Her results only got her disappointment from them.

…

Taking a break sounded appealing.

It sounded very tempting.

But her friends.

Was she just going to let them be tricked while she did nothing for a while?

Seeing the hesitance on the girl's face, Luka leaned down a bit to peer at her face, startling her out of her thought, "Is there some way I could help you?"

Luka wasn't in her class so she shouldn't bother him with it. She shook her head with a timid smile, "It's fine, but…" a resigned smile graced her lips, eyes half-lidded in exhaustion. Maybe she just needed a break to get a fresh take on things, "that break sounds like a nice idea." She decided.

She was smiling, but he could see her brows furrowed, knowing that she wasn't hundred percent keen to let this 'problem' go, she was only taking a 'break' after all. "And if you ever decide you want some help, I'll be here for you." He reminded her, taking out his guitar and strumming a few soothing cords for her.

Marinette smiled just a bit wider, closing her eyes as she let the music sway her. It wouldn't be a crime if she were to take a break from something that wasn't working out for her, was it?

The two didn't see a purple butterfly fly away.

Hawk Moth growled.

The anger, frustration and loneliness, gone!

Where did it disappear to?!

"Marinette Dupain Cheng, you'll be one of my greatest akuma if I ever get my hands on you." He declared to the darkness. This was the sixth time his akuma couldn't taint her, but he wouldn't give up, he'll just needed her to be pushed to the limit and he knew just who to ask.

As Marinette relaxed, she looked over to Luka who looked so passionate in his strumming that she didn't want to disturb him, but they should be heading back to the others from their short walk.

But she listened to the melody he was strumming and the affect on her was simply miraculous, "Have you ever thought to let more people hear your music?" she asked.

Luka continued to strum as he looked at her, "Actually, we've been thinking that we might want to put Kitty Section out there."

That wasn't exactly what she meant but the news was, nonetheless, exciting, "Really? That's great news! I'm sure you guys will be a great hit."

"Thanks." He grinned, "But we don't really know where to start. The Music Festival was for fun and there's no competition being held right now."

"I'm sure one will come up eventually. People are always looking for new talents." She reassured him with a smile.

"When an opportunity arises, I'm sure we'll need some stage clothes." He hummed, "Would it be too much if we ask you to make them?"

She looked surprised, but delighted at the same time, "I don't mind! Oh- but," she reeled back, looking sheepish, "maybe you should discuss with the band first." She didn't want to overstep her boundaries.

But Luka washed her worries away, "It'll be fine, I hear from Rose and Juleka that you're so talented in what you do, I'm positive they'll be excited to wear your designs, besides, we'll be able to show off your clothes." He pointed out with a smile, staring into her eyes fondly.

Marinette's cheeks flushed, feeling bashful, "I'll try my best." She said, quietly.

Luka chuckled, closing his eyes as he strummed, "Don't you always?"

As its intended target of choice no longer appealed to their negativity, the akuma flutter away, looking for its next prey as its master didn't call for it back.

However, the akuma didn't have to wait long as the cry of an infant easily attracted it and lured it into the familiar bracelet.

"I think its about time we returned from our 'short walk', don't you think, Marinette?" he smiled, standing up and placing his guitar on his back. He offered his hand to her to help her up.

Marinette smiled and placed her hand in his as he pulled her up. Truthfully, she wouldn't mind if they continued on with their 'short walk', she was enjoying the 'slowness' of things and her mind was free from worrying at the moment.

With Luka, she felt at peace.

"My little baby!"

But with her luck, that peace didn't last long as people started screaming and a demanding voice boomed over them.

"Ice-cream!"

Both Marinette and Luka whipped their head over to see Gigantitian active again.

Luka tightened his hold on her hand protectively, "We have to run." He said with a worried frown, already pulling them off the bridge.

Gigantitian frowned, looking around the bridge for ice-cream, but when he saw two blue things running off the bridge, his eyes perked up, momentarily distracted from his goal.

"Blueberries!"

Both Marinette and Luka looked over their shoulders as they ran.

"You… don't think he's talking about us, do you?" she asked with a warily smile.

But the answer to her question was answered in the form of a giant baby reaching for them.

Luka let go of her hand, "Run, Marinette!" he quickly said as he stopped and turned to Gigantitian, dodging his grasp, "I'll go distract it away from you!"

"Luka?!" Marinette knew this was her chance to go transform, but she felt bad leaving him behind, "I'll go alert Ladybug!" was all she said as she quickly ran down the steps and under the bridge to transform.

"Tikki! Spots on!"

"Blueberry!" Gigantitian cried out as he reached for Luka again.

The boy went to run again, only to stumble when Gigantitian stomped his foot on the bridge, impatiently. Seeing his chance, Gigantitian swooped in and clutched the blueberry boy in his grasp, letting out a happy giggle at having finally caught his target.

Luka wheezed at the strength of the akuma, his face pinched in discomfort "Well, isn't this just perfect." He coughed out with a nervous smile. His ears picked up the sound of a wire cutting across air and a slight pull, and the next thing he knew, he was free, but falling.

His breath hitched and he squeezed his eyes, preparing for impact, but instead of the hard ground, he landed in someone arms. Snapping his eyes opened, he was face to face to a smiling Ladybug.

"Ladybug!" Luka looked surprised.

"Don't worry, I'll get you to safety." She promised as she used her yo-yo to bring them a fair distance away while Gigantitian chased after them.

Luka stared at her with a smile, "I guess Marinette alerted you in time?"

"Y-yeah, luckily I was nearby." Ladybug chuckled, before landing at the Louvre.

Luka sighed, closing his eyes, relaxed, "She's a really amazing girl." He breathed out, not seeing the reddening cheeks on Ladybug.

Gently putting him on his feet, Ladybug cleared her throat, "Go hide, I promise that Marinette will be safe." She promised and quickly went to where Gigantitian, planning to lure him away.

Luka had no doubt that she will.

"Hey there, M'lady, up for a little baby-sitting?" Chat Noir greeted as he landed next to her.

"I wouldn't say little." Ladybug replied with a frown, glancing at Gigantitian and the Louvre where she left Luka. She would have preferred they were further away but taking care of Gigantitian shouldn't take long.

Chat Noir whipped out his baton and extended it, twirling it in a fighting stance, a grin on his face "Well, this should be fast, I told my friends that I needed to go do some kitty business."

Ladybug twirled her yo-yo, "Well, we better wrap this up quickly, don't want your friends to start questioning you." She said, swinging her yo-yo towards the Louvre Palace for the higher ground as Gigantitian entered the vicinity. She tugged on her yo-yo before being sling shotted up, a plan already forming in her head as she heard the cry of Gigantitian demanding his original goal.

"Ice-cream!"

Chat Noir landed next to her with a chuckle, "Maybe Gigantitian has a point, hey M'lady, how about going for ice-cream at night, under the stars? It'll be pawsitively romantic, don't you think?" he suggested.

Ladybug looked at him with a frown, "Chat-"

"Ice-cream!" a delighted shout from Gigantitian grabbed her attention.

Her eyes widened when she noticed that André the ice-cream man was here with his cart. She could see him try to run away with his cart when Gigantitian happily waddled after him, quickly reaching him in seconds and grabbing the cart, gnawing on the top, only to scrunch his face in disgust.

"Bleugh!" he spat and carelessly tossed the cart away.

When she saw where the direction of the cart was heading, her heart thumped in dread.

"Luka!" Ladybug cried out, alarmed as the ice-cream headed straight his way.

When Luka saw that the Louvre was going to be used as a battle ground, he had thought it be best to evacuate the place. Thinking that while the akuma was distracted, he would use the chance to sneak away, but when he heard the shout of his name, he looked over his shoulder, eyes wide as the projectile was barrelling towards his way. Before it could even crash into him, Ladybug's yo-yo wrapped around his waist and was yanked out of the way and into the arms of the superhero in once again.

"Ladybug!" he breathed, looking surprised when he realised that he was not in any danger anymore.

"Are you okay?" she hurriedly asked, looking him over for any scratches.

He shook his head and smiled, "I'm fine, thank you for saving me, Ladybug."

"Where's Mar-Were you with someone?" Chat Noir asked, quickly changing his question while looking around for the girl with concern. Kagami had said that she saw her and Luka taking off together, but Luka was here by himself.

"If you're talking about Marinette, she's safe, she's the one who alerted me." She repeated what she said to Luka to him as she gently placed Luka on the ground when she didn't see any injuries. She placed a hand on his arm, a worried look on her face, "Go back to the houseboat quickly, okay?" she ordered, her face full of concern. She needed to take care of Gigantain if she didn't want Luka to get dragged into the fight.

No more dilly-dally.

Luka nodded, "Okay. I hope Marinette will be safe."

"She will." She promised, smiling.

Besides them, Chat Noir observed their interaction with a frown and was snapped out of it as his Lady called out to him to go after the akuma.

Standing there for a moment, Luka smiled as he stared after them, "Be safe." He said to himself before leaving quickly.

"You seemed pretty worried about that boy, don't you think, Bugaboo?" Chat Noir hinted, trying to smile to hide the worry he was feeling as he ran alongside her.

Ladybug frowned at the nickname, "Don't call me 'Bugaboo', Chat." She huffed, leaping forward and throwing her yo-yo around two streetlamps, sling shotting off it to gain ahead of Gigantitian and summoning her 'Lucky Charm', she let out a huge grunt as a giant plastic donut falls onto her. Ladybug struggled to carry the weight of it onto her shoulders.

"You even know that boy's name." Chat continued, trying to find out.

"Focus, Chat! Cataclysm his bracelet as soon as he reaches the donut!" she instructed as Gigantitian happily shouted, 'Ice-Cream!'

Chat Noir pouted, but listened anyway, doing as he was told as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

Before Gigantitian could lift the plastic donut out of Ladybug's hold, the bracelet on his chubby wrist crumbled into black ashes, letting Ladybug release her Lucky Charm and restore order.

Catching Baby August as he fell down with a giggle, Chat Noir smile down at the little feller, "Did your mother not allow you ice-cream?" he asked just as August's mother ran up to them, looking grateful.

"Oh, thank you, Ladybug! Chat Noir!"

"Ice-cream!" Baby August cried out with a smile.

"It's no problem, the little guy seems to want ice-cream." Chat Noir point out with a smile, returning the baby to its mother.

August's mother sighed and thanked them once more before leaving them alone.

Turning back towards his partner, Chat Noir placed his baton in front of him and leaned on it to look casual as he continued from where he left off, "So… you and that Luka guy seemed pretty close there, anything I should worry about?"

Ladybug let out an exhausted sigh, crossing her arms, "Nothing is going on between him and I." She then turned her body away from him, "He was in danger and could've gotten hurt if I didn't save him in time, of course I got worried." She defended.

"Of course, but…" he hesitated, afraid of her answer, "Was that… the boy?" he whispered.

Ladybug shifted her eyes to look at him, "We can't know anything about each other." She reminded him with a frown, "Our identities must remain a secret. We're both superheroes, Chat Noir." But seeing the downtrodden look on her partner's face caused her to feel guilt for making him feel sad. Sighing, she looked at an Gabriel Agreste advertisement pole that featured a blond model, "But no, he isn't the boy." She revealed, looking down with a tight grasp on her arms. She was in the process of getting over him and it was only a matter of time before she did, she just needed… just needed…

Chat Noir looked relieved, Luka was his friend and was brave, determined and a great guy. He didn't know what he'd do if the guy his Lady loves was his friend. He was snapped out of it when his Lady said she had to go.

"Wait, M'Lady-'

"Sorry, Chat, but I have to go, I was in the middle of something before the akuma appeared." She quickly explained as she swung off.

Chat Noir sighed, leaning on his extended baton. Even though his Lady was still in love with another guy, perhaps she'll come to love him someday. If it happened once, it could happen again.

A cat can dream, can't he?

As soon as she saw the houseboat in sight, Ladybug ducked into a nearby alleyway to de-transform, catching Tikki from the air and gently putting her back in her purse where a macaron laid awaited for her. She then ran towards the houseboat where she saw the others and Luka setting out their instruments on the deck instead.

"Marinette!" Luka called out to her with a smile, placing one of the speakers down, his guitar strapped on his back. He met her halfway as she crossed over the plank on board, "I'm glad that you're safe." He breathed out, causing her to smile.

"Yeah, uh, Ladybug took me to a safe place and when everything was taken care of, told me that I can stop hiding." She excused, her eyes then darted on the instruments behind him, "So are you guys going to play on the deck instead?" she asked, quickly changing the subject.

He nodded, "Thought we could use some more space." He explained.

"Luka, we're ready!" Rose's cheery voice sounded from the microphone.

"Looks like they're waiting for you." Marinette grinned.

He returned her grin with a smile of his own, "I hope you'll enjoy it." He said, starting to walk back to his band, eyes lingering on her before he had to look forward in fear of tripping over a stray object left lying around.

Marinette smiled softly as Rose counted them off before singing. She went to stand next to the others to enjoy the show, mind focused on the band before she was startled by Alya sliding up to her.

"How was your date with Luka, hmm, Marinette?" Alya asked, playfully wiggling her brows at her, "Spill, girl. Juleka told us you guys went to get some 'fresh air'." She air quoted with a sly grin.

Marinette let out a low sigh as she corrected her, "It wasn't a date, just a short walk and there was an akuma." She pointed out.

"Oh reallllly?" she drawled out, teasingly. She had seen Gigantitian from the houseboat but knew it was one of those akuma that would have been taken care of quickly, and even if she wanted to go record the fight, it would have been over before she could even get there.

Marinette huffed at the ground, "I told you," she looked up and her eyes landed on Luka playing the guitar next to Adrien and his keyboard, "he's just a friend." She reminded, yet a fond smile was on her lips.

Alya stared amused and let her go just this once, moving her attention back to the band. She'll get the details out of her someday.

Kagami came to stand beside them with crossed arms, having overheard their conversation, "I overheard." She said straightforwardly, startling the girls, "It was wrong of me to assume that you and Luka were a couple. I apologize." She said, realising that she was in the wrong, therefore fixing her mistake at once. She should have asked without jumping to conclusion as such assumptions can lead to bothersome gossip. But if Luka wasn't her boyfriend, then it meant that she was undecided between the two boys. She had seen her act around Adrien and thought she was just flustered about her secret, but in fact, it was just because she likes Adrien.

Marinette blinked, looking surprised, and sheepishly smiled it off, "It's fine." She looked back to the band, smiling, "We all make mistakes."

Kagami stayed silent, her eyes narrowed suspiciously as Marinette seemed to be staring in Adrien's direction, "But you better choose Marinette, you don't always get a second chance at love." She warned. If Marinette was to be her rival, she wanted a fair fight.

Before Alya could defend Marinette, Marinette held her hands behind her back, her smile accepting, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

She was giving up on Adrien, and she was taking a break from Lila related things. Right now, in this very moment, she was enjoying just hanging out with her friends, not thinking of her failed attempts.

She was taking a breather from the hectic things in Marinette Dupain Cheng's life.

By the end of the day, everyone had enjoyed the music and decided to go home when they noticed the time.

Alya had nudged Marinette on her way out, signalling Marinette with her eyes to Adrien, wanting her to at least attempt something, feeling it'll be a waste if she just left it as it is. And then whispered her a non-subtle 'good luck'.

Marinette simply sighed, telling her that she wasn't going to do this anymore, but she didn't think Alya heard her or simply thought that she's chickening out.

"Would you like a ride home, Marinette?" Adrien offered, standing in front of the open door of his car, showing Kagami already seated and ready for Adrien to drop her off.

Marinette stared at the two together before shaking her head with a smile, "It's fine, I want to stay here a bit longer." She said, smiling at the ground, "Besides, you guys were supposed to be at fencing today, so you better get going." She reminded them.

Adrien looked surprised, "Oh. You're right." He rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, I'll see you at school tomorrow. Bye, Marinette."

"Bye, Adrien." She waved him off, then to Kagami, "Kagami."

Kagami simply nodded as her response before the door closed on them and then they were off.

Watching the car disappear into the distance, Marinette turned back to the deck where the members were just mellowing out after non-stop playing. They might have gone a bit overboard since Adrien was here, trying to play as much songs they could play since it was rare for him to join them.

Ivan was sprawled on his back next to the stage with his drum stick in his hands, letting out a groan. Rose was laying her head on Juleka's lap as Juleka leaned on the stage, one arm supporting her while the other running through Rose's hair. And Luka was sitting down against the wall, guitar in his lap as he lazily strummed out some notes.

Marinette giggled at the scene, taking a seat next to Luka who smiled welcoming at her, "That was some practice, huh." She started, eyes closed to Luka's lullaby, "Luka told me that you were looking to put your name out there."

Juleka nodded, "Yeah, but nothing really stood out."

"And some are really far away." Ivan added from his spot.

Marinette hummed, "I'll also start looking."

"That'll be great, Marinette." Rose grinned, not leaving her position, she was too comfortable to move.

"When we do find something, would it be okay if I design your stage costumes?" she asked, while she knew that Luka told her that they'll be fine with it, she just wanted to make sure.

Rose shot up from her comfortable position, eyes sparkling, "Of course!" her face was like a ball of sunlight, "You're really talented, we'll be lucky to even have you design for us!" she praised. She then looked at Juleka with her fists pumped in excitement, talking about how fun this will be like a group project.

From beside her, she saw Luka peeked a glance at her, a smirk on his face as if to say that he told her so. Marinette let out a little laugh under her breath and nudge him a little by the shoulder, "Fine, you were right." She admitted.

"Trust me, I know what I'm saying." He chuckled as Rose roped Ivan into their conversation, discussing which was better: cats or unicorns.

They all couldn't wait for an opportunity to present itself, and it seems their prays were answered as in the next few days, during lunch, Marinette found a video of Bob Roth, the producer of Jagged Stone, looking for new talents.

This was it. This was what they were looking for.

She quickly showed Rose and Juleka who was sitting at the lunch table with her and received excited squeals from them, more so from Rose.

"We have to tell Ivan and Luka the good news!" Rose stated, standing up, but then she remembered that Alya was still there and she didn't want to leave her alone.

However, Alya waved them off, amused, knowing that it was a band thing. She guessed she wouldn't able to get Marinette to hang out with her after school or for the next couple of days, seeing that she'll be busy with the band.

As soon as they got permission, they raced off to find Ivan who was at the library with Mylène, looking through news clippings.

When Ivan saw his bandmates, he wondered what was going on, but before he could ask what, Rose instantly told him the good news.

Ivan looked ecstatic, then turning to Mylène if she would be okay with it. With this competition, he wouldn't be able to see her for some time.

Mylène simply waved him off, it's fine, you guys should do it." She said, supportively, her eyes encouraging.

"I'll go text Luka to come meet us at the front steps after school." Marinette excitedly smile, already pulling her phone out to text him.

The others couldn't wait to get started on their audition tape.

As soon as school let out, Marinette, Rose, Juleka and Ivan rushed out to the exit, carefully bypassing other students. When they exited the school, they could see Luka was already waiting for them at the bottom of the steps, waiting to the side so he wasn't in the way of other students who was leaving.

"Luka!" Marinette called out, grinning.

"Hey Marinette, guys." He greeted back, "What was the good news you found?" he asked as he walked over to them.

Marinette took out her phone, showing the video already loaded and ready to go, "Here, just watch." She excitedly said, pressing play on her screen.

"We're looking for new talent. Stunning musical and visual skills are a must. With a brand new style that everyone will die for. You have two weeks to send in your videos." The video of Bob Roth presented.

Marinette looked up with a smile, "It's a perfect opportunity to showcase Kitty Section." She said looking at each member of the group.

"And the stage clothes you designed, Marinette." Luka reminded the girl with a fond smile.

Marinette giggled with a blush at his attention but shook it off, this was all about the band, "If we all pitch in, two weeks is more than enough time to make an awesome video. Everyone in?"

Rose raised her hand up towards the middle, "Here we go!"

"Kitty Section!" everyone chimed in, joining their hands together.

As soon as they arrived at The Liberty, they quickly went to their instruments on deck, having not moved them since the last time they performed.

While the band was deciding on what song to perform, Marinette sat on the bottom of the steps of the plank, her sketchpad on her lap, turning to a new page as some ideas were already formed. She quickly drew them down just as Rose's voice belted out.

Marinette couldn't help but blush when she looked up and saw Luka turn his head her way, his eyes passionate as he played in rhythm with the others. She looked away with red cheeks as she tried to focus on her designs.

By the end of the song, she showed them her designs, biting on her lips as a small part of her was afraid that they wouldn't like it, so far Rose, Juleka and Ivan liked it, making it 3 out of 4 of the group. When she showed it to Luka, the final one to get the approval, she bit her lip, a small part of her thinking that he might not like it since he was older than them and that the mask she designed may be a bit childish for him, but that fear of hers was dashed away when she saw the nod of approval from him. Relieved, Marinette smiled and told them that she would get right on it.

"I think we have some old mask laying around here." Luka told her as he looked around the ship for which clutter held them. He trailed off to look for them as Juleka mumbled over to her.

"You can use my paints, they're just in my room." Juleka informed her as she took off her bass guitar and headed down towards her room to retrieve them.

Marinette smiled and went to a table near some boxes on the side and cleared some room so she could work on it.

Not a few minutes later, Luka returned with the masks and some other supplies he thought might be useful, "Here, do you think this is okay?"

She stared at the materials, some masks, elastic strings, newspaper and glue. She could definitely make use of them, "These are perfect." She grinned just as Juleka arrived her paints and brushes, "Thanks, I'll get right to it!" Marinette pumped herself up, opening her sketchpad to the designs as she set down and got a move on.

The Couffaine siblings shared a smile at each other before deciding to continue their practice while she worked.

Luka sat near her as he played, giving her glances throughout practice while a happy Marinette was unaware, too focused on her task.

Over the next few days, she was busy with Kitty Section, focusing only on them and discussing about their designs, experimenting with some materials and doing their final fitting. Once their stage costumes were done, Juleka bought the heavy paint supplies as they proceed to make their stage befitting their band name.

Once that was done, it didn't take long for them to do the actual thing.

"Perfect!" Marinette praised, looking through the shots she took, "I'll go edit these tonight and you can come by tomorrow to check it out." She told them, packing up her things to go home. She wanted to finish this as soon as it was possible.

Before she left, Luka called out to her, making her turn around.

"Thanks for doing all this." He said with a sincere smile.

Marinette stared at him, before noticing the others smiling gratefully at. Her own lips returning that smile, "It's no problem. I'll see you guys tomorrow!" she grinned at them before taking off.

She spent the whole night editing that by the time she finished she only got a few hours of sleep, but she didn't mind, it was worth it.

The only thing she regretted was when her mother called her up, saying that her friends was here that she remembered what her computer background was.

She quickly scrambled to her computer, her heart thumping when she heard a set of footsteps coming up, and tried to change her background, but knowing that she didn't have enough time, she opened the browser instead to at least cover her background and clicked open the video, ready to show just as her trapdoor open.

"Good morning, Marinette! Your mom told us to come straight up." Rose greeted. She was too excited to see the video to knock.

Marinette had whipped around, trying to act casual as she leaned one hand on her desk while the other on her hip, "Morning guys!" she squeaked, "Just in time, do you want to see the video?"

"Of course!" Rose bounced over to her while the others, excited, but not at the level of their sunshine vocalist, walked over.

Juleka leaned down towards Marinette, "Should we have waited a bit?" she murmured into her ear, glancing around the room for pictures of a certain model.

"It's fine, I kinda got it covered." She lightly sweated as her eyes trailed to the boarders of her background that her browser didn't cover. She hoped the others didn't noticed them. She was glad that she had taken down most of her posters of Adrien after that incident where her room was broadcast live to everyone.

Juleka glanced at the two boys to see that they weren't at suspicious of Marinette's actions. Her eyes then went to her brother, "Well, maybe my brother. He was always observant." She thought before straightening up as Rose pressed play, eagerly waiting for their video to start.

As they watched the video to the end, with Rose gasping in awe. Marinette looked to them, nervously asking them what they think.

"That was amazing, Marinette!" Luka praised.

"We should go ahead and submit it." Ivan beamed, almost bouncing on his feet.

The others enthusiastically nodded in agreement

"Okay." Marinette breathed and sent their video to Bob. Once it was sent, they all huddled up in a group hug.

They realised that they were actually going to do this, that in just a few days' time, they would know if their music was good enough or not.

Even though it was scary, they couldn't wait.

Throughout the week, Marinette impatiently checked her phone for any news, hoping to hear from them. While she waited nervously, Kitty Section seemed to take things in stride, having decided to simply practice while they waited.

Which was what they were doing while Marinette sat on their couch, staring at her phone.

" And nothing makes me feel better! " Rose sang the last line.

Luka looked up, a wide smile on his face as he looked at his bandmates, "Wow! This is so awesome! We're so in the moment. The song's fun and totally sincere." He then noticed Marinette anxiously staring at her phone and approached her just as she refreshed the page, "Hey, Marinette." He took a seat next to her, slightly startling her, "Still no news about the contest?"

Marinette frowned with furrowed brows and looked back to her phone. She didn't think that there be any difference if she refreshed again, "Maybe they didn't like our song?"

Seeing her worrying over their song, Luka smiled to put her at ease, placing a hand on her shoulder to soothe out her worries, "They must've received a ton of videos. They probably haven't made their pick yet."

Hearing the confidence in his voice, Marinette relaxed into a smile.

But it didn't last as Ivan's hesitant voice cut through.

"Uh, oh. You better take a look at this, guys."

They quickly rushed to look through the large open portholes and spotted TVi studio's building screen showing XY performing their song in a poorly ripped-off version of their set and costumes.

Luka's mouth was agape, shocked at seeing XY in a very similar style. His shocked then quickly melted into an angry glare when he realised what just happened.

They were cheated.

Hearing his off-tuned voice, Luka turned to see Marinette had her phone pulled to the live video as the others gathered around her.

"Wow! Lovin' the new look, XY! You've really outdone yourself this time. How did you come up with a style that's so... original?" Alec asked.

XY smugly pointed at his head, "It's all in here." He shamelessly said.

"But that's our original style!" Ivan cried out, glaringly.

"Your unicorn, and your mask!" Luka spotted with a frown.

Marinette frowned, looking to Luka, "That's your melody." She then looked to Rose, her voice rising in anger, "It's your music. That's not fair! That should be you guys up there on TV. There better be a good explanation." She turned around stomping towards the deck, the others following after her to go confront the thieves, "We have to have it out with Bob Roth and XY." She declared.

They didn't get far when two security guards prevented them from entering.

"They're not here right now." One guard said.

"Seriously?" Marinette looked annoyed before pointing up at the screen on the building, "They're right there on live screen."

The guard continued to deny them access, "You're not allowed in. You don't have an invitation and the show already started."

"But it's our show!" she tried to tell them.

The other guard shrugged, "Not our problem, miss."

Knowing that they won't budge, Luka and Marinette both got an idea and smirked at each other.

"Fine." Marinette huffed, "We'll leave. Come on, guys." She and Luka walked away.

"But!" Ivan looked confused, as did Rose, but they followed them, nonetheless. Juleka had caught the smirk between her brother and Marinette and knew that they weren't backing down without a fight.

When they were out of sight of the two guards, Luka and Marinette pulled the rest of the band behind an advertisement pole, startling them.

"Okay, here's the plan." Marinette started, holding a finger up, "Ivan can you quickly get your costume and come back here with it on?"

"I can, but why?"

Luka took over for her, "We just need a distraction to get in, you Rose and Juleka will distract the security guards long enough for Marinette and I to sneak in. From there, we'll try to sort this whole thing out." He explained. Out of all of them, Ivan was the biggest and would work better than his size in distracting, Rose had the vocals to distract the guards from hearing them sneaking in and he didn't think his sister would feel comfortable enough to confront a sleezy producer.

Understanding now, Ivan quickly went to retrieve his costume.

"Help! Our friend's been akumatized! Ladybug and Chat Noir aren't here to save us! Quick!"

While the security guards were distracted, Marinette and Luka snuck past them and headed for the nearest elevator.

"I can't believe they did this to us!" Marinette huffed after harshly pushing the button for one of the top floors. It was probably the same level where Nino got to DJ or where Nadja Chamack did her news and interviews.

Luka crossed his arms, looking annoyed as well but then let out a disappointed sigh, "This was just too good to be true." He looked down, but then realised how his words could have sounded as he quickly reached a hand towards a tense-looking Marinette, "No-That's not-!" he stumbled over his words, "I'm not saying that this is your fault, Marinette." He panicked, scolding himself at his poor choice of words.

He wished he had his guitar.

With Luka's words, it dawned on her that this was her fault, "But if it weren't for me." She shakily breathed, her throat tightening, her hands hugging her arms. Marinette wanted to cry, she let her friend's melody and music get stolen. What if she couldn't get them back? They would be very disappointed and sad, and they might come to resent her since she was the one who found their video and then she'll lose them-

She was suddenly pulled into a hug, snapping her from spiralling any further.

"Marinette. I need you to understand that this isn't your fault at all." He stated, rubbing her shoulders to get rid of the knots she had quickly built up, "These things happens, sometimes there's nothing that we can do, but we're here now-on our way to get our music and costume back-together." He pointed out, "And if we failed, the others may be disappointed, but there's always another way. We'll get them back eventually." He stared as Marinette slowly pulled back from his hold, but not out of it, "Are you okay now?" he asked, smiling so she knew that things were okay.

Marinette took some deep breaths, pulling herself together before returning his smile "Yeah. Thank you, Luka." She then smacked her cheeks, hyping herself up, "Let's get our music back!" she proclaimed, determination lit in her eyes.

When they finally arrived at their floor, they looked around until they heard Alec's voice straight ahead and ran towards it. Reaching one of the red doors, they cautiously peeked their head in.

"- So tell me, where did you get the inspiration for all this new material?"

XY sighed, looking proud, "Oh, it's nothing really. I came up with the whole song in 5 minutes."

Luka's eyes narrowed with annoyance and anger, "In 5 minutes?" he said indignantly with a frown, "He couldn't even sing it the way it's supposed to be sung." This was the guy who stole their music?

"And his mask isn't even a good rip-off." Marinette huffed, also looking annoyed and angry. Her eyes widened just a bit when she spotted Bob Roth and approached him with a determined look, "Mr. Roth! My name's Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I'm the one who sent you the Kitty Section video." She stated, her hands on her hips, looking irritated, she wasn't going to let them get away.

Bob frowned at two nuisances, "Video? What video?" he pretended, looking away with his hands on his hips, "I don't know what you're talking about, kid." How did the studio allow some brats to even enter?

Marinette's annoyance spiked as she took out her phone, "Maybe I can jog your memory? Look!" she showed him the file on her phone, the video playing to show a performing Kitty Section in costume, "The costumes, the mask, the music, the dance moves. They're all the same!"

Bob continued to be in denial as he crossed his arms with closed eyes, "There's no comparison." He gestured to her pathetic attempt, "This here is some amateur garage band." He placed his arm over to a bored looking XY who came over to them when he saw his father dealing with some brats, "My son is a solo artist. You guys play instruments, his music is all digital. Our unicorn is much cooler, and our masks are nothing like yours."

"That's not true! You copied Marinette's costumes!" Luka yelled at them, anger spiking with annoyance as the producer continued to deny their claims.

Marinette took it in turn to defend her friend, "And it's the exact same song." She pointed at them, "You stole Luka's music!"

XY simply wave them off with a smug look, "Oh, come on. Let's not exaggerate now. We may have just been a little bit..." he hummed, taking a moment, "'inspired', that's all."

Luka bristled, "Inspired? You flat out stole! You didn't design this mask!" he moved forward and ripped the poorly done copied mask from XY's head, not caring that he hurt him in the process, "Marinette did!"

Marinette inwardly calmed herself, hoping they could talk this out like civilised people, "Listen, it's not too late to do the right thing. Just tell the truth and let Kitty Section appear on the show. That's all we're asking."

Bob didn't believe her, not for even a second, "Yeah. First they'll wanna be in the show. Then they'll be asking for a cut of the profits. No way! Never saw or heard of Kitten Division."

Luka growled with his fist at them, but quickly composed himself. With these types of people, there was no way to get through to them. Resigning for now, he placed a hand on Marinette's shoulder, a resigned frown, "Forget it, Marinette. It's no big deal. Let's just go." He said, turning them away from the thieves. While disappointed at their result, they would just have to try a different way. Once people see and hear Kitty Section's song, they would notice that their song were better than XY's copy and that Marinette's designs are heaps better than their shabby rip-off. However, Marinette turned towards him, looking determined, not giving up on them.

"No! It's not fair! I won't stand by and let my friends' work get stolen." She said as she walked towards Bob with a glare. She at least wanted Luka's melody and Rose's music back, "If you won't tell the truth, then I will! Right now, on the air, live!" was all the warning she gave before walking towards the camera. However, she was stopped as Bob forcefully grabbed her arm.

Marinette struggled to pull her arm back as Bob threatened her.

"If you do that, I'll tell them you're the copycats, not me." He threatened as Marinette managed to yank her arm out, "I've got all the music biz eating out of my hand. So who do you think they're gonna believe? Me, or a group of nobodies?" he smugly questioned.

Luka growled, his anger threatening to take over as the man threatened and insulted them.

Bob Roth continued on, "You'll never have a future in this business. You'll never make another costume. And there'll be no more music for your buddies because as far as everyone's concerned, you'll be the rip-off artists."

Marinette felt the hair of her neck stand up, her body feeling tense as she was once again being threatened.

On the side, Luka felt like his anger was about to burst as Bob Roth continued to threaten Marinette and her future. His eyes narrowed in an angry glare, his lips turned into a snarl and the grip on the horribly copied mask shook with increasing strength to the point he would puncture holes through it.

The window opened up letting the light scatter the pure butterflies around.

Hawk Moth looked up from the ground, a look of triumphant as he could feel a special anger he was about to take advantage of, "Ah. I'm detecting the echo of a very rare emotion. The anger of a creator whose work has been stolen. Who also cannot bear to see the one he loves suffer." He captured a butterfly within his hands and tainted it with his power, "Fly away, my little akuma, and evilize this pure soul." He commanded as the akuma fluttered out through the window's small opening.

Bob laughed tauntingly as he threatened the girl into submission, "Not quite so cocky now, are we?" he smirked as she flinched back.

The two not noticing an akuma merging into the mask that Luka was holding.

A purple butterfly outlined Luka's face as he heard Hawk Moth's voice, "Silencer, I am Hawk Moth. This man is the voice of evil. I'm giving you the power to silence him for good. All I ask of you in return are Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous. Do we have an agreement, Silencer?"

Luka silently put the mask on in acceptance.

"I'll take your silence as a yes." Was all he said as he transformed him into Silencer.

"Do you have any idea how much work it took me to copy your costumes?" XY complained, looking annoyed like it was Marinette's fault that he had to put in so much work.

Before Marinette could even try to defend herself, everyone was surprised when a black cladded hand with purple and a neon green outlining on the inside, grabbed XY's face to turn towards a guy in a biker suit, wearing a helmet.

Once he got his attention, he put two fingers on XY's lips and shushed him. As he let go with a hard swipe, a purple floating blob containing XY's voice forcibly floated out of his voice.

As everyone panicked seeing that there was an akuma in the room, they all ran. Afraid, Bob hid behind Marinette, using her a shield, "What's that?"

Marinette widened her eyes, realising that the akuma in front of them was Luka.

XY attempted to speak but was horrified when he couldn't. When the akuma absorbed the blob into his helmet, he spotted something behind him, XY used this chance to run away while Bob, thinking he was coming after him, ran as well.

Silencer approached Marinette who looked scared that she was about to be next, yet she didn't move. He stopped from a respectable distance between them, not wanting to frighten her and held up his hand, his voice coming out of it as he 'spoke', "Don't worry, Marinette. I would never hurt you. I will use the power Hawk Moth has given me to restore justice." His green eyes catching onto Bob Roth who fled when he was spotted, "I will force Bob Roth to admit what he has done to you and Kitty Section." He assured her, already going after him.

Marinette held her hand out, not wanting him to go, "Don't do that, Luka. That's revenge, not justice. And if you team up with Hawk Moth, you'll have to face Chat Noir and Ladybug." She didn't want to face him.

Not Luka.

Silencer stopped and turned back to her, "Chat Noir and Ladybug? Where were they when we needed them?" Marinette looked down as if ashamed that she didn't prevent this from happening, "As now, Silencer is laying down the law of silence."

Marinette gasped; this wasn't Luka, it was the akuma talking. She bought her fists up to her chest as Silencer came closer to her, still leaving a respectable distance between them, "You're the most extraordinary girl, Marinette. Clear as a musical note and as sincere as a melody. You're the music that's been playing inside my head since the day we first met." Marinette felt confused as her cheeks redden at the fond look in his green eyes and the words spilling from his hand, "I won't let anything happen to you." He declared and took off.

A flushed Marinette blinked, not knowing what just happened, "Wha!?" she exclaimed and ran into a bathroom stall, leaning against the door.

Tikki flew out of her purse, having heard everything, "Did that sound like a declaration of love to you?" she asked, curiously, a romantic at heart.

"I think so." She looked away with a confused look, "Which is kind of weird coming from a villain." Maybe it was just the akuma talking in Luka, but Luka was that akuma and akumas usually spoke how they really feel, but sometimes they were exaggerated and-

"Perhaps Luka feels the same way." Tikki pointed out.

Marinette turned to the kwami, unexpectedly excited at the prospect that Luka might like her, "Do you think!?" when she realised what she said and the way she felt about it, she quickly shook the thought off. Luka is out there, akumatised, "Uh, stay focused, Marinette!" she reminded herself as she transformed into Ladybug with the activating words.

Ladybug used the window of the bathroom to exit and threw her yo-yo towards the large billboard on the roof, having a feeling that Silencer would be up there. As luck would have had it, when she landed on the roof, she saw that Silencer was about to steal Bob's voice.

Quickly throwing her yo-yo and having it wrap at the hand that was about to reach Bob, Ladybug yanked Silencer back, "I can't let you do this, Silencer." she said, jumping in front of a fallen down Bob, ready to protect him, even though he didn't deserve it.

"And about time, too!" he said, ungratefully as he stood back up, "What are you waiting for?"

Ladybug stared as Silencer got up, breathing out annoyed and angry as he stared at her. She couldn't help but widened her eyes in surprised, her lips slightly agape as something felt off about the situation between her and the akuma. Silencer simply stood there, not charging at her like what other akumas would do. But she couldn't think about that anymore as Bob roughly pushed her towards him, demanding her to get to work.

She yelped as she stumbled forward.

Even then, he didn't attack her while she stumbled towards him, or when she stopped in front of him. He only started to attack her when she had time to regain her balance, "Listen, Luka-" she ducked from a punch and dodged back with a distraught face, not wanting to fight him, "- er, Silencer. You don't know what you're doing." She continued dodging, attacking in defence as she tried to reason with him, "Hawk Moth is evil. You think you're using your power for good but you're wrong." She was kicked in the stomach, causing her to fly back to Bob who looked annoyed at her incompetence.

"Oh, come on! Stop mincing around and protect me!" he commanded grabbing Ladybug by the shoulders and using her as a shield as Silencer gently placed his fingers on her and shushed her as she looked surprised, her eyes widened. When the deed was down, he simply removed his fingers. A red blob with her voice floated out of her, saying phrases that she would usually say.

Both her and Bob stared after it, surprised, but it didn't last long to Bob as he realised that Ladybug was no longer useful to him and escaped by himself while Silencer absorbed her voice into his helmet.

In that moment, Ladybug looked stunned, wondering what it meant if she can't use her voice anymore. Would she able to continue to fight without it? She was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Bob.

"Sorry, Ladybug. Occupational hazard, I guess. No hard feelings? Bye!" he cheerily said as he pressed the down button on the roof's elevator used for window washing.

Ladybug watched him escaped, still stunned from what happened, but hearing her own voice behind her made her turn back around.

"You shouldn't have stood in my way, Ladybug." Silencer scolded, using her own voice at her and began moving towards her.

Narrowing her eyes, Ladybug threw her yo-yo up, hoping that she didn't need to say the words for Lucky Charm to work, but only received nothing, except for the bonk on the head when her yo-yo abruptly came down on her. She looked shocked when she realised that if she couldn't use her Lucky Charm, that meant she couldn't use her other powers or de-transform without removing her earrings. Did that also mean that she wouldn't be able to talk as Marinette?

Silencer walked closer, using XY's voice, "No Lucky Charm this time, Ladybug." He then switched to hers, "You'd need your voice for that, and I'm the one who's got it." He stated, sounding smug with her voice. He proceeded to lunge for her earrings this time but she quickly escaped him, "You can run, Ladybug, but you can't get away from me for long." He declared as he stared over the edge.

"Don't let her escape you, Silencer. She's vulnerable." Hawk Moth's voice rang in his ear

Using XY's voice, he replied, "Don't worry, Hawk Moth. Now that I've got Ladybug's voice, I have a plan to get ahold of her and Chat Noir's Miraculous." He then held up his other hand to synchronise both of the voices he captured so far, "But first: revenge!" and took off.

As Silencer took off, from the top of the billboard, Ladybug took out her yo-yo to send a message to her partner before quickly taking off after Silencer.

On top of a Parisian building, Ladybug stayed hidden from Silencer who was unaware of her presence as he headed towards City Hall.

Alone, she took out her yo-yo to text Chat Noir, wondering just where her partner was, only to get startled when said partner appeared out of nowhere.

"I'm right here, M'lady." He then slid his baton open to reveal the screen hidden in it, skimming through his messages, "Uh, I'm here now, so go ahead and fill me in." he smiled, looking ready to hear the situation, but Ladybug continued to type on her yo-yo, sending him a message. As he read it, his brows shot up in surprise, making his mask follow, "Of course, I should've thought of that." He frowned at the situation, but a playful smile replaced it as he read another message she sent, "Hey, that's not very nice!"

Ladybug tried to signal that Silencer had gone to City Hall and trying to gesture the gist of things.

Chat Noir started excitedly, ready to get his Lady's voice back and defeat the akuma, "You're right! Let's go! We'll get your voice back and talk ourselves out of this mess!" he prepared to take off but was immediately yanked back by his tail. He looked confused as his Lady shook her fingers at him, but he didn't get what she wanted, "I don't want to be catty but I really don't know what you mean."

Ladybug stared perplexed before feeling a sense of disappointment as she resigned herself in pulling her yo-yo out to communicate with her partner.

He looked at his baton at her message which he read out loud, "We've got a major problem. I can't call out my Lucky Charm or say Miraculous Ladybug." He finally realised why he couldn't just charge in there, "Ah, you've definitely got a point there. The magic ladybugs won't be able to fix up all the damage caused by Silencer." He then read her next message, "And you can't say the detransformation words? Which means you'll be a mute Ladybug for the rest of your life?"

Ladybug nodded with a worried thrown.

Instead of being worried, Chat Noir turned the situation into a joke, trying to lighten up the mood. He twirled his baton around before leaning on it like a cane as he shot her sly smile, "But it has its advantages in a way. Now you'll never be able to pick on my jokes."

Ladybug was not amused. She let her yo-yo hit him on the head and then placed her hands on her hips.

Seeing that unimpressed look, he backtracked, "I'm kidding, M'lady. Don't worry, you always get us out of the worst fixes." He pointed out and Ladybug took off. Left behind, Chat Noir, put his hand on his chest with an excited smile, looking forward to joke without his Lady cutting him off, "Meanwhile, I'll be able to babble to my heart's content." He declared contently before he took off after his partner.

Outside of City Hall, Ladybug and Chat Noir landed on a building opposite of it, having seen Silencer last entered the place.

As Ladybug focused on the building, keeping an eye out for Silencer, Chat Noir offered a suggestion.

"Maybe I could imitate your voice?"

Ladybug turned to him as he began doing some exaggerated arm movement in a falsetto voice saying, "Lucky Charm, Lucky Charm, Lucky Charm, Lucky Charm!" he stopped when he noticed the irritated look on her face, "Uh... yeah, okay, I'll shut up now." He smiled sheepishly, turning back towards City Hall.

Ladybug wished he would take this seriously. Imitating her voice. This wasn't a game- her eyes widened as an idea suddenly came to her. She excitedly shook her partner to tell him her plan, trying to mime out her plan when he looked at her.

Confused, Chat Noir tried to guess what she was trying to say with no luck, "Uh... cat got your tongue?" he tried again "A night at the opera?"

She facepalmed as none of his guesses were even close and simply messaged him her idea.

"You want to make Silencer say the words Lucky Charm with the voice he stole from you? Very smart! Now let's hear how you're gonna do that." He then read her next message and frowned, "Don't even think about it, M'lady. It'll never work." He tried to dissuade her, not wanting her to risk it, but sighed as he read the next message she sent, "You're right, though, we don't have much of a choice."

When the two heard a door opened, they quickly hid behind a chimney as Silencer passed by them, secretly following him back to the TVi Studio.

Knowing that Silencer had Bob Roth inside the film set, Ladybug was about to burst inside when Chat Noir stopped her.

"Wait, M'lady! It might be too early to pull off your crazy plan." The messages he got from his Lady earlier had filled him in on what happened and maybe with this, the band was able to get their justice, "We could wait for Bob Roth to actually tell the truth. Then justice would be served for Kitty Section, wouldn't it?" he questioned, but then he read the message she sent him, "It would be revenge, not justice. And being coerced into telling the truth is meaningless." He sighed, knowing that she was right, "You're right, M'lady. You're not much fun but you do have a point. We have to save him." He smiled at her sense of justice and immediately bursts into the film set gaining attention, "C'mon!" he cried, immediately engaging into a fight with Silencer, "We got all the time in the world! We might as well have a bit of fun!"

"Keep your nose out of other people's business, kitty, or I'll silence you."

"That would be a shame considering how hilarious I am." Chat Noir fought back.

While Silencer was occupied, Ladybug used this chance to drag Bob out of the film set.

When Silencer realised his target was gone, he stopped fighting and looked around the room and saw just in time the door close, "Where'd he go?" he questioned and ran out, trying to catch him, not noticing the smirk on Chat Noir's face.

Inside a dressing room, Ladybug leaned her ear to the door, listening for footsteps running by her hiding spot, once the coast was clear, she looked around the room just as Bob began ranting.

"You're gonna have to do better than that, Ladybug, if you're gonna defeat this supervillain. Isn't that you and Chat Noir's job?" he continued on as Ladybug smirked, an idea forming in her head as she ran towards the dressing table where she pulled a lamp, red powder and some black nail polish towards her, creating herself a fake Lucky Charm, "This is all that band's fault - those Kitty what-ya-ma-callits. None of this would've happened if they hadn't made a fuss about their so-called ideas."

If she had her voice right now, Ladybug would've let out a heavy and irritated sigh, but she only settled for a silent one and gave him a pointed look which he didn't noticed as he continued to complain obnoxiously. She tried to ignore it as she quickly tried to finish up her fake Lucky Charm.

His ranting was put on hold for the moment as the two heard her partner and Silencer talking loudly from somewhere on the floor they were on.

"Oh, no! I can't find Ladybug anywhere! How will I ever get out of this mess without her?"

"Chat Noir! I'm over here!"

" M'lady! If you've gotten your voice back, then you've defeated Silencer! It's safe to come and find you!"

"Yes, yes, there's no danger now. Meet me outside the studio. I'll wait for you."

"Okay, I'm coming! I'll meet you outside the studio door!"

Ladybug smirked as everything was going to plan while Bob facepalms at their incompetence.

"You've got to be the dumbest superheroes ever! How could you let the bad guy in on your plan? And what's with this fake Lucky Charm? I thought it was supposed to be magic or something, but it's actually just some crafty special effects." He said, belittling them.

She had enough.

She slammed the finished lamp down and pulled out some tape.

"What are you going to do with tape now, huh?" Bob raised a brow, not impressed by the disappointment the so-called superhero been displaying one after another.

His eyes widened as a silent Ladybug ominously advanced towards with the tape.

In the studio hallways, Chat Noir was running towards the film set when he was joined by Ladybug.

"You took your time. Did something hold you up?" he asked, looking charmed. His Lady simply nodded with a tired smile. Before they could reach the doors to the film set, Silencer jumped in front of them, blocking them, "Ha, ha! You thought you had us, didn't you, Silencer? But you're wrong! Ladybug still has her superpowers." He smugly said as Ladybug showed him a red and black spotted lamp.

Silencer looked shocked as he used Ladybug's voice to convey his disbelief, "That's impossible! I took your voice from you! How could you possibly have summoned up your" Ladybug's eyes narrowed, knowing what was going to be said next and threw her yo-yo up, "Lucky Charm?" Upon saying the words "Lucky Charm", Ladybug's Lucky Charm activated and she received a vacuum, much to Silencer's surprise.

Chat Noir looked skeptical, not knowing if this was better or not, "I don't see how this is going to work any better than a lamp but at least you've got yourself a real Lucky Charm." He thought positively, before engaging in a fight with Silencer once again, taking it inside the film set, "I'm warning you, buddy! You haven't heard the last from Ladybug!"

Ladybug ran in, looking around and sees a power cable, Chat Noir's belt, and a camera; she plugs the vacuum into the cable and then whistles for Chat Noir to give her his belt, glad to see that Chat finally got one of her signals.

"Catch this, M'lady!" he threw his belt towards Ladybug before returning his attention back to the fight.

Ladybug used the belt to carry the vacuum Ghostbusters-style.

Chat Noir summoned his Cataclysm and charged at Silencer, trying to get a few hits in, only to get pinned down by Silencer and has his voice taken away, but before his green blob could be absorbed, it was sucked into the vacuum by Ladybug standing onto a camera, looking triumphant.

Momentarily shocked, Chat Noir used this chance to roll them over and uses Cataclysm on his helmet, freeing the akuma and also all the voices he had stolen, which Ladybug absorbs into her vacuum except for her own voice, capturing it in her hand and swallowing it down.

Testing her voice out, she was delighted to hear her own voice back and then proceeded to capture the akuma, "No more evil doing for you, little akuma! Time to de-evilize! Gotcha! Bye, bye, little butterfly!" she watched it go with a smile.

Her partner then walked up to her tapping on his throat with a dejected look when no sound came from his mouth. Giggling now that Chat Noir got to have a taste of his own medicine, Ladybug returned his sentiments from earlier, "You're right, this does have its advantages." She didn't let me suffer though as she threw her Lucky Charm up in the air, "Miraculous Ladybug!"

As the little ladybugs restored everything back to normal, Chat looked relieved when he could talk, "Ah, much better."

Smiling at her partner, Ladybug then turned back to Luka, knowing that people would feel confused after getting de-akumatised. She quickly went over to him, crouching in front of him as the purple miasma disappeared from him, revealing a disoriented Luka.

"What happened?" he groaned, a hand on his head, trying to ease the fading headache he suddenly had.

A soft smile was on her lips as she briefly explained to him, "You were akumatized. But everything's fine now." She reassured him. The moment didn't last when an irritable voice entered the room, making everyone turned to the voice.

"This is outrageous, Ladybug!" It was Bob Roth, duct taped to a wheely chair, dragging himself further in the room, "You tied me up and imprisoned me in a dressing room!" he growled.

Ladybug stood up, sounding surprised, "Me?" she placed a hand on her chest as if he was accusing her before placing a finger on her cheek, wondering if she did, "I did that? That doesn't sound like me at all." She said, looking amused as she crossed her arms while Luka stood up with a frown, still upset at the lying producer.

Technically it doesn't seem like something she would do. She's a superhero after all, looking out for civilians in their best interest. Bob Roth was simply in her way of her superhero duties, so she simply needed him out of the way for his own safety.

Bob frowned, but then notices that Luka has been deakumatized and a smug looking look settled on his face, "The ladybug and cat got you. Serves you right!" Ladybug turn to see what Luka's reaction might be before looking back as Bob continued to talk, knowing that everything would be alright as she saw her partner from the corner of her eyes, "What did you think, kid? That I was going to tell everybody the truth? That I stole Kitty Section's song and your girlfriend's costumes, so I could give them to my talentless son?" XY looked upset at his father's true thoughts about him, "You didn't think that superheroes would come to save me, huh?" Luka and Ladybug let their frowns drop as they both shared a knowing smile at each other, "That's right! They work for me now! ...What's up with you guys?" he began to look worried, not liking the secretive smile the two shared between them, "Why are you all smiling like that?!" he demanded.

"We're smiling because you're on the air, Mr. Roth." She pointed out, smugly as pointed at her partner, waving at him with a smile, having been broadcasting the whole thing live, "Everything you just said was broadcast live."

Bob sweated, he could just imagine the people who were watching booing at him and quickly tried to save face, "Eh heh heh heh heh. Precisely! It was all just a big joke! I actually happen to love the band Kitten Division!" Ladybug walked over to her partner, uncrossing her arm to deliver a fist pump to him, both smirking, "In fact, I love them so much that I was about to sign them to their first record deal!" Luka didn't look impressed, but he looked surprised at the offer, "And now, they're going to finish off this show with their very own song! I didn't mention it earlier, to keep it a surprise! But it was my idea from the start!"

Chat Noir frowned, not sure if the outcome was really okay, "We usually save the good guys from the baddies, but I've got my doubts about this one. You sure he hasn't been akumatized?" he went over to the man to untie him.

Ladybug shrugged, still smiling, knowing that even though he lied, the people saw his true nature, "Nope. He's like that all the time." She then heard her earrings beeping telling her she was almost out of time, "Gotta go! I'm about to transform back." She left in a good mood though, knowing that Luka got his music back and that her friends will be able to perform their song, "See you soon, my kitty."

Enamoured at his nickname, Chat Noir sighed and leaned on an annoyed looking Bob, "I love when she calls me that."

Inside a dark observatory with white glowing butterflies, Hawk Moth frowned with a shaking fist, "You broke the laws of silence, Ladybug. But I'm preparing an act of vengeance for you that will leave you speechless." He declared as the window closed them into darkness.

Having told the good news, Marinette waited for the others near the door on the set as they put on their stage costume that was retrieved by some of the staff members. She greeted them as they finally arrived, all looking very excited as they waited for their time to go on.

"And now, please welcome the next big thing in town: Kitty Section!" Alec announced.

As the others headed ahead, Marinette had a split-second decision, she wouldn't back down as she had already grabbed Luka's wrist before he joined the others going on stage, "Luka?" she looked at him, but shyly looked away with a slight blush on her cheeks and let go of him, "Did you really mean those things you said when you were akumatized?" she nervously asked, looking bashfully up at him.

Luka slightly furrowed his brows when he processed what Marinette had asked, trying to recall anything from being akumatised, but got nothing, "I'm sorry, Marinette, but I don't remember." He slightly frowned but it turned into a smile as he leaned slightly forward, giving her his full attention, "What did I say?"

Marinette startled, "Uh, oh," seeing that he didn't even know what he said as an akuma, probably meant that it was just the akuma talking, "-nothing. It was nothing at all." She shook her head and rubbed the back of her head as she looked away, "You were possessed by Hawk Moth's akuma." She said. She couldn't help but feel disappointed.

It really was just the akuma exaggerating that's all.

Luka looked concerned as he thought he could have hurt Marinette, "I don't know what I possibly could've said. I just hope it wasn't anything mean." He placed his hand on her arm, wanting to reassure her that if he had said anything hurtful, it wasn't him talking, "Because you're the most extraordinary girl, Marinette. As clear as a musical note and as sincere as a melody. You're the music that's been playing inside my head since the first day we met." As he talked, his eyes grew fond for the girl and his smile gentle. Seeing her look up, surprised and blushing, he knew that he had fixed whatever hurtful thing his akuma-self had said. Knowing that she was alright now, he turned back and headed towards the stage, eyes lingering on her for a moment before he met up with his exited bandmates already with their masks on. He slipped his guitar on and placed his masked on as well.

Her heart was beating fast. It was the same confession, word for word and Marinette looked amazed. With flushing cheeks, she turned to looked down at her little friend, needing to know what she heard just now wasn't a dream, "That was a declaration of love. Right, Tikki?"

The kwami of creation sniffed, looking like she wanted to cry as the unshed tears glistened her big blue eyes, "One of the most beautiful ones I've ever heard." She confirmed.

Cheeks still blushing, Marinette went to stand next to the cameraman as they began playing, blushing whenever Luka looked over to her as he played.

"And that was Kitty Section! Weren't they amazing? Now we-"

The group walked off stage, all smiling as Alec began closing the show.

As soon as they were out of the camera's line of sight, they all ran towards Marinette who met them half-way and gathered in a group hug, everyone all had wide exuberant smiles, laughing and still high from having just done their first debut.

Rose was the first to break away from the group as she turned to Marinette "Did you see us Marinette?! Did you see?! We just performed on live TV!" Rose squealed, still high on the adrenaline. Some staff on set shushed them, immediately making her cover her mouth in an attempt to quiet down, but it didn't help much as she giggled.

"You guys were all awesome!" Marinette praised them, not as loud as to disturb the set, "Everything sounded so great!" she gushed, looking at each one with a praising look. When her eyes landed on Luka, she averted her eyes with a blush, "W-We should go celebrate!" she suggested.

The others agreed before Rose shot up with an idea, "Wait! Before we go, we should take a photo to remember this day!" she beamed, her hands clasped together. Their set was still up, and Alec was just ending the show making this the perfect time, but they had to hurry before they took it down. Quickly taking her phone out, Rose ran to one of the nearby staff, asking him if he would take their photo and lit up when he said he wouldn't mind, just that they would have to be quick about it.

Running back to them, she grabbed Juleka along as she ran to their set as Marinette Luka and Ivan also ran to position themselves.

Rose stood in the middle while Juleka was to her left and Marinette on her right. Ivan stood behind Juleka while Luka was behind Marinette. Kitty Section slid their masks to the side and all had their smiles on.

"I'm taking it right now." The staff said and then took the photo, when he lowered the phone down, he frowned at it and raised it back up, "One more, and this time, make sure to face the camera." He ordered and took the photo. While they needed to pack up, he wasn't satisfied with the photo. His second attempt went great though.

Rose squealed and gratefully took her phone back, happy to add to her scrapbook.

"Thank you." She grinned, the staff waved her off as he and some other members went to pack up the set. She turned to the others, bouncing on her feet as she eagerly waited for the others to go celebrate.

They took their stage costume off and gave it to the same staff members who offered to return their costumes back.

"That felt so exciting, it felt like everything finished before I even knew it." Ivan smile, reliving the moment as they exited the building.

"We wouldn't even have the chance if it weren't for you, Marinette." Rose grinned at her from over her shoulder, "Luka told us what happened."

Juleka nodded, "What you did was awesome."

Marinette blushed and shook her head, "No, I didn't do anything. Ladybug and Chat Noir was able to get Bob Roth to admit what he did, and even then, he tried to lie his way out."

Luka shook his head and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Even so, you were the one who fought for us, even when he threatened you. You were very amazing, even more amazing since you don't have superpowers." He praised, causing the poor girl to blush.

Marinette shyly giggled, "Well, if you're all going to say that, then it was because of teamwork." She pointed out, "You guys distracted the guards which gave Luka and I the chance to sneak in and confront them."

The three looked at each other before laughing.

Sweet ol' Marinette.

"What should we eat?" Ivan asked.

Rose gave it some thought before a suggestion popped up, "Oh, how about…"

As the three discussed the place, Marinette glanced at Luka walking besides her, her cheeks reddening as she recalled his confession, but was it a confession? He wasn't looking at her-nevermind, he was looking at her right now!

"Hmm?" he hummed, a gentle smile on his face, "Something the matter, Marinette?"

She whipped her head away, her whole face reddening. Even though he caught her staring, and was looking at her, he didn't look like he was expecting her to answer his confession. Maybe she misunderstood and that it wasn't a confession. She chanced a peek at him and jumped when he was still looking at her with that fond smile of his that it nearly made her trip.

"Whoa, you okay, Marinette?" he caught her around her shoulder and caught her hand, making sure she was steady on her feet.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." She breathed out, squeezing his hand. She didn't let go as she prepared herself for what she wanted to say while he patiently waited for her, "Was…" she licked her dry lips. Why were they suddenly so dry?! "Back there, was that a… confession?" she squeezed her eyes tight, hating the silent awkwardness she created between them.

Her eyes snapped open when he squeezed her hand back, and she swear she could hear a smile in his voice when he said, "I just wanted to let you know what I think about you, but you can take it however you like it to be, Marinette. No pressure. I'll still be happy to stay as your friend if you wanted that."

"O-Oh." She stuttered out, her cheeks flaming.

Luka stared at her adoringly for a moment, but decided to change topics before she combusts, "You know, I feel a bit sad that I didn't contribute much today." He hummed playfully.

Marinette looked up; her cheeks still red as she looked confused.

"Ivan, Rose and my sister distracted the guards, you stood up for us while me? Hmmm." He tilted her head at her, "I don't recall." He smiled and he swore that her face turned red.

Well, that wasn't his intention.

Marinette looked away, "W-Well, even though you were akumatised into S-Silencer, you gave Ladybug and Chat Noir the opportunity to expose him."

Luka frowned at that, making Marinette inwardly berate herself, it was too soon to bring up someone's akumazation and they might not even want to joke about it-

"I just hope I didn't hurt you or the others." He was worried that Marinette was just covering for his akumatized self so he wouldn't feel hurt.

Marinette blinked at him and grabbed his wrist, getting his attention.

He blinked and leaned down when she went on the tip of her toes, her hand coming up to cover their conversation in secret.

"Between you and me," she whispered, not knowing that her breath was tickling his ear, "Silencer was very sweet to me." She grinned with a bashful blush.

Luka blinked, stunned as Marinette escaped with a giggle, joining the others. He stood their momentarily stunned, staring at the girl who blessed his music with so much inspiration.

"Luka?" his sister called out to him, looking confused, "What are you doing? Hurry up or we'll leave you behind." She low-keyed threatened.

Catching the blush on Marinette's cheeks, he let out a chuckle and ran to catch up to the others, "I'm coming, I'm coming." He sighed, a slight subtle blush on his cheeks.

Marinette came back home and greeted her parents happily as she walked up the stairs and flopped down on her chaise with a happy sigh.

"I'm glad that things turned out amazing today." Tikki grinned as she hovered over her face.

Marinette grinned as she sighed a 'yeah'. She was bathing in today's events and she didn't want to move, enjoying the peace. But that peace was disturbed by her phone alerting her that she got a text from someone.

Pulling her phone out from her pocket, she saw that it was from Rose.

Curious, she opened her message and couldn't help but smile. Staring at her was the photo that they took today. The first one was them looking at the camera with wide smiles, their hands on each other's shoulders, and of course, she was blushing. She then looked at the second photo and she didn't know what was wrong. It looked the same but the staff had told them to look at the camera… focusing on their faces, Marinette froze when she noticed that Luka was looking at her with a fond expression and she couldn't help but bury her face in her pillow, hiding the giggle that tickled out of her.

"You look really happy, Marinette." Tikki pointed out with a smile herself, glad that these couple of weeks, her chosen has been looking happy.

"Today was just so… amazing." She sighed out, turning her head so she could look at her friend, "while there were a few bumps, it turned out alright." She couldn't help but noticed that she and Luka were in synch, having known what to do with just a look, no words needed. They even backed one up without hesitation. It felt amazing.

It was too bad she couldn't communicate with Chat just as well, it would have saved some time but at least it all worked out fine.

She then noticed her computer screen and remembered that it was still a collage of Adrien.

Not once did she thought about him today and it felt… freeing.

Not that thinking of Adrien was bad or anything! But… she wasn't distracted or nervous. She was focused, and she had fun with Kitty Section today.

She was in her element.

There was no Adrien to distract her, no friends to talk about Adrien and her, no bullies or liars.

It was just her and Kitty Section.

As she stared at her screen, Marinette stood up from her spot and moved towards her desk, switching her computer on.

It didn't hurt as much when she saw Adrien and Kagami together, and that was fine.

Nobody said that moving on was easy.

She was going to go at her own pace with no one to tell her what to do, when to do or how to do.

Going to her settings, Marinette changed her background to small white polka dots on a pink background as her computer screen.

Once that was done, Marinette leaned on her knees and smiled, looking at her phone while ignoring Tikki's confused stare.

Even though Luka's confession was very beautiful. She wanted a little more time to sort out her feelings before she even think of considering a new love.

But for now, Marinette closed her eyes, releasing a blissful sigh as she recounted what had happened today, going through everything.

Her eyes cracked opened a bit as she recalled her fight with Silencer. It didn't feel like she was in danger, apart from having her voice taken.

Maybe it was because she wasn't his main goal.

Well, she'll write in her dairy later.

Notes:

Was just going to add some Lukanette elements from Desperada but it turned into a chapter itself.

Lionel Bessi is a parody of Lionel Messi, Argentine professional soccer player.
Steven Basielberg is a parody of Steven Spielberg, American filmmaker.
Stephanie Brice is a parody of Stephanie Rice, 2008 gold Olympian.

I hoped you enjoyed it.

Chapter 9: Gamer 2.0

Notes:

#

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Taking a break was indeed what she needed.

At least less things to worry about and more time to focus on what was really important right now.

After Kitty Section's first successful debut, Marinette couldn't help but think of what their next step would be.

She wanted to do something more for them since now they had their music out there, which bought her to the idea that Kitty Section needed merchandise.

There must be some new fans out there.

It wasn't far-fetched jump to make.

Visiting The Liberty in the morning, excited to share her idea with them, Marinette slowed to a stop when she saw no one on deck with their instruments still there (except Luka's).

Even though she was told that they weren't going to practice, deciding to simply hang out today and had invited her to join, Marinette looked confused until she heard she heard some strumming coming down below the deck.

Smiling, she tentatively came on board, keeping an eye out for the Captain, wanting to greet her, however, she didn't see her on deck or when she headed below to the lounge.

She felt slightly bad that she was boarding without permission, but she had gotten one yesterday so it should be alright to just board their ship, right?

As she stopped on the steps to the lounge, Marinette smiled when she saw Juleka and Rose sitting on the long blue couch with Ivan and Mylène who hasn't been able to see him since they were busy with the band.

When her eye landed on Mylène, she couldn't help but inwardly frown.

With a clear head on her shoulders, she felt that she had failed the girl from not getting her to see the truth. And she couldn't help but feel a bit selfish that she was taking a small break from Lila-related things while they still believed in the lies.

"This problem seems to be making you feel… distressed."

She paused in her thought. If Luka realised that she was stressed, then she should take a break before she spiral out.

Besides, she was going to fix things once she finished with her small break.

Looking back at Mylène again, Marinette was happy to see the happy couple finally get to spend time together. Preparing Kitty Section's debut and the Bob Roth incident didn't leave the couple much time together so it was great that they were hanging out now.

She was just about to call out to them when she looked around the room once more and frowned.

Where was Luka?

Her frown didn't stay long when she realised that coming from the Couffaine's shared room was someone playing a lovely tune, and if she listened hard enough, she was sure that there was humming.

She would have love to listened to some more, but the strumming and humming took a pause before starting back up again.

It seems the song was a work in progress.

Shaking her head, Marinette reminded herself why she was here in the first place and knocked on the wall in place of a door, signalling them of her presence, "Hey guys." She greeted in a grin.

"Marinette!" Rose greeted enthusiastically, waving an arm at her.

As soon as her name was spoken, the music stopped playing and Luka peeked his head out of his room, checking to see if she was really here. When they locked eyes, his smile widened into a welcoming one as he stepped out of his room, "Marinette." He greeted, walking up to her.

"Hey, there." Marinette greeted, unintentionally a bit more brightly. She was going to ask if that was him playing in there when memories of yesterday caused her to freeze, her cheeks flushing red as his confession took over her thoughts.

She had written the event in her dairy, reliving everything as she recounted what had happened which had left her a blushing mess. She had thought she had gotten her feelings to calm down… though she did fall asleep with a smile… and she had woken up with a smile…

Okay, she wasn't over it but now was not the time to embrace her feelings. She had come here for a reason!

Inwardly shaking her head to rid of her thoughts, she clumsily gestures for everyone to gather together with an awkward smile, trying to quickly compose herself as everyone came to her, curious about what was about to happen. Running her idea with the band, Marinette waited with bated breath for their thought.

"That's a wonderful idea!" Rose clapped as soon as they heard it, whipping her head to look at the others with stars in her eyes, "Guys?!"

"I wouldn't mind having something of the band to support you guys." Mylène smiled, looking up at her boyfriend who looked dazed at the idea.

Ivan had his arm around his tiny girlfriend, a faraway look on his face as he smiled at how their band was coming along, "That's sounds nice," he breathed and then snapped out of his daydream, his eyes focused in excitement, "but what should we do?" should they make a CD? But they didn't have enough songs yet. Should they make masks? But he didn't think people would want to wear a mask when there's no event going on. He was snapped out of his musings when Marinette answered him.

"I was thinking we could go with t-shirts." She grinned, "I can design some ideas and you guys can tell me what you like…" her grin then turned into a shy smile as she scratched her cheek, "If that's alright with you guys." She didn't want to overstep her boundaries; they might want to take their time- oh and here she was, pushing them in a direction that they might not be ready for-

Luka smiled softly and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Why wouldn't it be? We already think of you as part of the band." He smiled fondly at her, making her feel flushed again. They never really discussed it officially, but Kitty Section thought of Marinette as part of their band, "You defended us, got our music back and you made our stage costume after all." He reminded her, but then a thoughtful look of realisation flashed through his eyes and he backtracked, "Well, if you want to be." He didn't want her to feel coerced into their band. Didn't want her to feel obligated just because she designed for them one time and now they were-

Marinette shook her head, "I want to!" she didn't mind, in fact, it would be an honour, "I… I could be your costume designer-" her eyes widened at how that sounded and she quickly fixed her mistake, "The band's! I could be the band's costume designer!" she nervously exclaimed, looking at each of the bandmember's face for their permission.

She didn't have to worry though as they all looked excited at the prospect.

"Your designs are wicked, Marinette." Juleka praised quietly with a smile, standing beside Rose.

"Then I guess welcome to the band, Marinette." Luka chuckled, glad that she was happy to do this.

Marinette looked down with a bashful smile as she was now an official member of Kitty Section, "He he." She shyly laughed as she rubbed the back of her head feeling embarrassed, "Thanks, uh… um, I don't have my sketchpad with me right now, but when I have some ideas, I'll be sure to bring it over." She put her hand down, feeling confident as they went back to business, "Are there any requests about what you want for the shirt?" she inquired, already thinking about what type of design would be best.

"We'll leave that up to you." Luka smiled, knowing that whatever she designed would be just as amazing as their stage costumes.

"I'm sure we'll like what you design, Marinette." Rose smiled before she excitedly gasped, "Can there be pink on it?!" she held her grinning cheeks, "I just love pink!"

Marinette giggled under her breath, "I'll be sure to have pink in the design." She promised, smiling at the little 'yay' from Rose. She watched as they began talking among themselves of what kind of design they wanted before jumping slightly with a blush when Luka peered slightly to look at her.

"No rush." He told her with a relaxed smile.

Marinette nodded, understanding. Her eyes then trailed to the open door to his room. While she only heard a little bit, the song sounded beautiful. It sounded different than all the others so far and she couldn't help but feel curious about it. "Was that a new song you guys are working on?" she asked.

It took a moment to realise what she was talking about, but when he did, Luka shook his head with a smile, "It's a brand new song I've been working on." He explained, "I've got an amazing inspiration for it, but just lately," he shot her a secretive smile, "that inspiration has been overflowing so I wanted to hear how it sounds so far."

Marinette couldn't help but flush under his stare.

"And I might have a brand new song to write, so..."

Her cheeks reddening. She knew he had been working on a song,

"You're the music that's been playing inside my head since the first day we met."

But if she may be a bit vain for a bit, she couldn't help but think the song was because of her.

"Do you want to hear it once I'm done?" he offered.

Marinette blinked and looked at the gentle smile he was giving her. His eyes focused solely on her as he patiently waited for her response.

Averting her eyes shyly, she broke out into a small smile, "I'd love to."

Over the next few days, Marinette sketched up some ideas for the band's shirt while dealing with school and akumas. The coming week just seemed to have taken a turn with all these test and assignments coming up that Marinette felt a bit overwhelmed.

She had frowned when she found out she was partnered with Chloé and Sabrina for a group assignment in English class. Though she was fine with Sabrina, she didn't want to deal with Chloé and knowing the blonde, she knew she wasn't going to be much help.

But she could handle that.

If only the akumas would just decrease for a bit while she was trying to organise her life.

When she thought she finally found the balance between school, superhero duties and Kitty Section, Marinette had gotten a call from Penning Rolling out of the blue one day, asking if she could come over to Le Grand Paris.

It turns out Jagged Stone was here, and he asked if she could design a poster for him for his upcoming tour.

"This is so exciting!" Tikki beamed, flying right in front of her chosen's face as soon as she entered the elevator down to the ground floor of the hotel.

"This is a big opportunity for me!" Marinette bounced excitedly, walking with a bounce in her step. She still couldn't believe that her favourite rock musician had personally asked for her! Even though this wasn't the first time he had commissioned something from her, it was still so exciting!

She was still riding high on the adrenaline from the wonderful news when she spotted a particular houseboat situated at the Seine, and she wanted to share her exciting news with somebody as she ran towards the houseboat.

She called out the first person she spotted in her sight, "Luka!" she called in her excitement, surprising him.

Luka was humming but stopped when he heard someone called his name. He couldn't help but smile when he saw who it was, "Hey, Marinette. I didn't know-ooff!" the air was knocked out of his lungs as she face planted into his chest, her arms wrapped around his waist, whipping her head at him, a bright grin on her face, stunning him.

"Guess what! Penny-Jagged's assistant- called me to meet up for an appointment and she and Jagged Stone wanted me to design a poster for him!" she gushed, her system still reeling from one of her favourite musician asking for her until her mind suddenly started to point out that this wasn't good news at all – it was a disaster waiting to happen! She ripped herself off him and unknowingly, out of his arms, her hands moving into her hair, "Wait, what if my poster isn't good enough?!" she started pacing back and forth, frantic, "What if I showed my poster to the Jagged Stone and he hated it and never wants to commission from me ever again?! Then I'll get taken to jail for offending the Jagged Stone and I won't be able to design ever again because of this?! Or! What if the poster that I made was hated by his fans? Which causes sales to drop, and no one would support him anymore which will then ruin Jagged Stone's career?! That'll be all my fault!" she cried, stopping in her spot, before skyblue eyes blazed in sheer determination, "I'll just won't let that happen! I'll go to my secret garden of inspiration!" she claimed, already taking off.

Luka blinked, having just experienced one of Marinette's whirlwind of a talk through for the first time.

He grinned.

He couldn't help but find it adorable.

"But Marinette, aren't you already working on our costumes? Won't you be busy then?" Rose asked worriedly with her hands clasped in front of her, stopping Marinette on the gangplank, "Maybe you should hold off on ours until you're free. We don't want to overwhelm you."

Marinette waved off her concern, "It's fine, Rose. I can do this." She placed her hand on her chest, giving her a confident smile, "Just leave everything to me." She declared before taking off to get things done.

Leaving the band alone, Juleka let out a thought, "We also have that history test coming up and that group assignment."

"If I recall, she's in a group with Chloé and Sabrina." Ivan added from behind his drums.

Rose bought her hands to her cheeks, looking worried, "Oh no, is Marinette going to be okay?" she asked out loud.

The group all looked at each other with a doubtful frown.

"She'll be fine. She's Marinette." Ivan reminded, yet he didn't look confident, knowing Chloé was added to the mix, Marinette was going to be… busy.

They all nodded, but they hoped Marinette wouldn't burn herself out.

Luka looked down as he contemplated some stuff, his fingers holding the fretboard of his guitar that he had moved to the side before Marinette had crashed into him.

When Marinette came to visit them to show them the designs for their t-shirts, Luka took Marinette aside while the rest of Kitty Section excitedly looked over at the designs, discussing which one they should pick.

"What's the matter?" she asked, looking confused.

"Marinette, I heard from the others, but I want to know just how busy you'll be next week." He asked, a look of concern shown on his face.

Marinette blinked in surprised before trying to wave him off with a sheepish smile, one hand scratching the back of her head, "It's fine, I can handle it."

He gave her a pointed look, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Can you tell me, please?" he gently urged.

Staring at him for a moment, Marinette looked down as she slowly bought a fist in front of her, "Well…" she began listing out the things on each of her fingers, "I have Jagged Stone's poster to design," another went up, "I also had to design a couple of designs for you guys and then I'll need to sew them, play Ultimate Mecha Strike 3 with Papa on Sunday-oh but I have that history quiz on Monday to study for and after that," her nose scrunched up with frown, tugging on Luka's heartstrings, "I have that group assignment right after with Sabrina and Chloé. A report to hand in soon after that…" she placed her face in her hands with a small groan as she soon realised how much stuff she'll have to do, "And that's only on Monday, I'm pretty sure the rest of the week is just as worst." She quietly whined to herself, and that's not counting the akumas that was bound to interfere in her schedule… she shook it off, snapping her head up, a determined look in her eyes, fists clenched tight in front of her, "It's fine, I can do this!" she encouraged herself, she just had to organise! As soon as she got home, she was going to write down everything on her schedule.

Luka furrowed his brows but couldn't help but let out an amused huff. He slightly squeezed her shoulder to get her attention, "You sound like you have a lot on your plate so can you do me a favour?" he asked, earning himself a confused look from the girl.

"Huh-oh, s-sure." She stuttered. While she was confused and was slightly dreading if she could handle another activity on her plate, she was willing to give it a go.

Luka inwardly winced at his wording but shook it off as he stared into her attentive skyblue eyes, "Can you hold off on making my shirt?" he could see the poor girl was going to work herself to the bones at this rate. He wanted to lessen her workload, even if it was one less shirt for her to make, "You could make it when your schedule is free, besides, we don't urgently need the shirts so take your time."

"But it wouldn't be a problem!" she objected, leaning forward, determinedly showing him that she could do it.

Luka also leaned forward until their foreheads were slightly touching, his teal dyed bangs mixing into her midnight ones, "Marinette, please? For me?"

The girl stared into his sincere ocean eyes before looking away with pink cheeks and a pout, feeling like she was letting the team down and because of the closeness, but then she figured she could just make his after she finished the others. She nodded to herself, happy with her plan, "Fine." She agreed, she would make time in order to complete all 4 shirts for them-no one would be left out.

Seeing the calculating glint in her eyes, Luka straighten up, a playful smile as he was going to ruin whatever plan she was making in that creative mind of hers, "I just won't let you measure me." He grinned down at her.

"What?!" she exclaimed, snapping her head up, a panicked look in her eyes. She would need his measurements if she wanted the shirt perfect! She didn't just want to eyeball it! It wasn't like her previous design where Kitty Section just needed to put on and strap into their costume- no! She needed those measurements! "I'll just ask Juleka for it!" she declared.

Luka simply crossed his arms, a cheeky smile on his amused face, "My sister would most likely be on my side for this. The others as well." He added, in case she would get the other band members to tell her.

Marinette gaped at that but then released a defeated huff, "Fine." And she meant it this time.

The taller boy nodded in satisfaction, then turn to his band that was still deciding which design they all wanted. But he suspected that they were watching him and Marinette just now instead of the designs from the way they quickly turned their heads back to the designs, "I'll go and look at your designs and tell you which one we like best." He told her and walked off, his eyes lingering on her before he had to look forward. A giggle escaped Rose when he joined them while Juleka just gave him a look. Ivan didn't seem to notice and was immersed in Marinette's designs.

Marinette looked down at her purse where the clasp had open up, revealing an amused Tikki.

"Not funny." The ladybug holder muttered under her breath, clasping her purse back before joining the band, asking for their opinions on her designs.

She swore that she had heard her little friend giggle in amusement.

Preparing herself for the busy week she was about to have, Marinette was starting to feel the beginning of stress. There was so much to do in so little time, even if she was multi-tasking between typing that report up, studying for her history test tomorrow, working on Kitty Section's t-shirt and designing Jagged Stone's poster.

Realising that she was swamped and wouldn't have time for anything else, Marinette thought it was best to cancel her plans with Alya, even though she hasn't seen her since the last band practice Kitty Section had with Adrien.

"Perhaps you should take a little break, Marinette." Tikki suggested when her chosen had a small meltdown, letting out a loud sharp groan, cradling the back of her head as she walked back and forth with a frustrated expression.

Marinette stopped in front of her kwami who was holding open her history textbook for her, her eyes becoming panicked with hysteria, "I can't, Tikki. It's all due tomorrow! Tomorrow! Tomorrow!" she cried out.

There was a knock on her trapdoor before being opened and Tikki immediately dropped the textbook to hide while Marinette turned around, making herself look composed as her dad appeared with game controllers in each of his large hands.

"Marinette! Ultimate Mecha Strike tournament time!" he declared with a wide smile, having finished all his work for the bakery for the day, he thought he could play some video games with his daughter.

Marinette froze, her mind imaging her dad sitting on a cloud with their controllers, in front of a rainbow, unicorns and stars surrounding him, and was that the sound of a happy arcade tune in the background? "Video games? It's been so long since I last played video games." No, she can't! She shook her head, putting her foot down, she can't afford to lose focus! "No! I can't give in!" she pulled down her schedule above her, showing her dad just how busy she was, "Dad, with the T-shirt for Kitty Section, the history test, the sketches for Jagged Stone's new poster, I still have 72 hours worth of work left to fit in by tomorrow. And the rest of the week after that's even worse. I don't have a choice. I have to... stop playing." She took down any recreational activities from her schedule and tugged on the string for her chart to roll back up to the ceiling. Sitting back on her chair, she returned to her computer, resuming typing her report.

Tom looked shocked, "Stop playing? But Marinette, playing is like that little pinch of salt in baguettes. It makes life tastier." He tried to convince.

Marinette didn't stop typing as she responded to her dad's metaphor, "Dad, I've got so many cakes baking in the oven right now, they're all on the verge of getting burned. No amount of salt is gonna fix this."

Seeing his daughter busy working on her report, Tom relented, he couldn't help that his little girl was growing up so fast that she didn't have enough time to spend time with her dad, "Fine. That's too bad." He said sadly, "But remember, watch your apple pie, sweetheart. It's bubbling all over your cinnamon flan." He left with that as he closed her trapdoor behind him.

After finishing a paragraph, Marinette then rolled over to her sewing machine to continue working on the shirts. She couldn't help but let out a sigh when she heard her the sound for Ultimate Mecha Strike III being played loudly as well as her parent's enthusiastic cries. She wanted to take a break as well, but there were too many things to do. Her eyes were feeling tired from staring at her screen too much and carefully focusing on the stitching on the shirts.

She wanted to also take a nap.

She didn't have time to dwell on that as Tikki flew over with her history textbook that she had picked back up from the floor.

"So... paid vacation was instituted to allow workers to...?" Tikki continued from where she left off.

"...take a break. Play video games." She sleepily mumbled out, sinking deeper in her arms on the hard desk, the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs besides her. Marinette's eyes snapped open as she shot up, realising that she wasn't in her room anymore but was instead in the classroom, taking her test, "No!" she panicked, inwardly hoping that she didn't sleep through her test! She frantically looked for her test paper and almost felt her heart sink when she could find it. She put her hands on her cheeks just as she was about to panic but noticed that something was stuck to the side of her face. When she pulled it off, she looked relieved, "Found it! It really was just a dream." She hugged her paper to her chest, looking ecstatic, "I filled it out. For real." She gave her paper to Miss Bustier who came down the steps to collect her test. Once done, Marinette recalled what she had to do next, "Now I just need to finish the last Kitty Section T-shirts, review my English lessons, and colour paint." She listed as she gathered up her papers that she left on the desk, not noticing Alya leaving.

"It's for my new video game." Max's voice sounded from the back.

Marinette gasped, "Ah, video games." Dreaming up of a rainbow, a unicorn, game controls and stars, she almost lost herself to her fantasy but forcibly shook herself out of it as she returned to reality, "Colouring the poster!" yet as soon as she heard 'video game' she was lost back to her daydream, not really listening to whoever was speaking.

"Oh, I'd love to test your video game, Max, but I promised Prince Ali we'd go on a charity cruise over the Seine on his yacht this afternoon." Lila lied with a smile. There was no way she was wasting her time on some game. She had much better things to do, "Sorry." She said as she stood up and left. She didn't sound apologetic, but it was one of those situations that didn't call for her to act apologetic, besides, this was Max she was talking to. He wouldn't notice.

Still lost in her daydream, Marinette heard Max's voice once more.

"Interested in playing the best fighting game in the world? 100% created by your best friend!"

"A fighting game... he designed himself!" she dreamily sighed to herself but then banged her head on her desk and leaned back with a frustrated groan, "Oh, what's wrong with me?" Yet once again, Max's voice stopped her from going to her next order of business.

"Alix! You up for testing my game? I've included more than 50 characters and you can even loot their equipment."

An awed smile lit up on her face as she heard the specs of his game, "50! Loot!" realising that she was at it again, she let out a short scream as she covered her ears, trying to not to listen, "Ah! No, no, no, no, no..." she muttered to herself as she walked down the stairs, head down to avoid contact.

She needed to review her English lessons at the library where she had messaged Sabrina to meet her at for their group assignment. She didn't bother messaging Chloé, knowing that Sabrina would tell her and would most likely push her share of the work onto the orange haired girl. They were once again put in a group and Marinette was simply just going to focus on her share of the assignment.

"Urgh, took you long enough." Was the first thing Marinette heard as soon as she spotted the pair at an empty table, Sabrina already writing notes down while Chloé was on her phone, "Do you know how long we were waiting for you?" it was only a couple of minutes and Chloé had ordered her friend to get to it, "I can't believe Miss Bustier put you in my group. Sabrina and I work so much better on our own." She huffed out.

"Yeah, yeah." Marinette didn't have time for this. She was going to get through this so she could quickly finish off Kitty Section's t-shirts. She pulled out her English notebook and took a seat across Sabrina who told her which part she was working on, "Thanks, Sabrina." She thanked already looking for her part to review.

Seeing how she was ignored and that nobody was paying attention to her, Chloé hmphed and returned to her phone, leaving the others to work on their task. They better get a good grade after all that she has done.

Marinette was well into her notes when from the corner of her eyes, she saw an excited Max walking up to her. Her eyes widened, knowing what he was going to say and she HAD. TO. RESIST, "NO!" she held her hand face up to him as she tried to squeeze in as much knowledge as she could. She couldn't stay here any longer! It was not safe!

"But, I haven't said anything yet." Max looked confused; his eyes furrowed at another potential rejection. He had asked almost everyone else, but they all had prior appointments to do.

Marinette shut her book, a crazed look in her eyes. She had to resist! There was a million things she had to finish today! Looking at Max, she had to firmly tell him that today was just impossible, "And I don't want you to say it. Because then I wouldn't be able to refuse. And I have to resist." She covered the side of her head, the pressure starting to get to her, "I've got too much to do today. A Kitty Pool poster to do Jagged Stone. I mean, a Jagged T-shirt for drawing Kitty. I mean, ah!" she let out a defeated whimper before she let her head fall to the table with a bang.

Max scratched the back of his, not knowing how to proceed with this.

But both Max and Marinette looked up when Chloé started speaking, the latter just wondering what the blonde wanted.

"What Dupain-Cheng is trying to tell you using this ridiculously fake excuse of hers is that she doesn't want to play your dumb little video game. In fact, no one wants to because everyone has a much more interesting life than you do. Even Marinette, which is really saying something." Chloé decided, out of the goodness of her heart, to help out the baker girl. If Dupain-Cheng fails her part of their assignment, it would reflect poorly on her grade.

Max bowed his head, upset.

Having caught a glimpse of the sad expression on his face, Marinette quickly tried to correct what Chloé had said, "No, this isn't a fake excuse at all. I really do have a Jagged Stone poster to knit for Kitty. No! To post a stone. Uh, to stone a jag. Uh..." as the more she stumbled over her words, the more she was reaching her limit and she just had to give up and move on. She was wasting time, and speaking of time, her phone stated that she was behind on schedule, "ah! I'm late!" quickly packing her things in bag, she ran off to meet the others waiting for her.

Light shot through the observatory window, scattering the butterflies away, Hawk Moth smirk as he sensed disappointment.

"Oh, how depressing. All of his friends having such important and serious to do. I, however, love a good game." He captured a pure butterfly within his grasp and tainted it "And I've got all the time in the world." Releasing it, he watched it flutter off, "Fly away, my little akuma. And evilize him."

"Sorry that I'm late guys!" Marinette panted as she leaned over her knees in front Rose, Juleka, Ivan and Mylène (who wanted to see the t-shirts) who was waiting for her outside the school's steps.

"Don't worry, we know how busy you are." Rose waved off her apology with a smile.

Ivan nodded, "We didn't mind if you were to make the shirts later."

Marinette shook her head. She knew that, but she hadn't wanted to disappoint them, "Don't worry, I'm almost finish and then I need to make any adjustments you guys have after the fitting." She grinned, her hands on her hips, "Then I just need to get Luka's measurements so I can make his next. Speaking of Luka, where is he?" Her eyes scanned around, looking for the boy in question. She furrowed her brows when she didn't see him, but she was sure he knew about today's fitting.

Juleka answered her question, "He said to tell you that he was going to come over when you have more free time."

Marinette blinked surprised, "Doesn't he want to see the t-shirts?" she looked a bit disappointed that he wasn't here. Truthfully, after she finishes Ivan's shirt, she was planning to get Luka's measurements so she could get right to it, so he won't feel too left out when the others had their shirts.

Seeing the disappointed frown on Marinette's face, Juleka shot her an amused smile as she also added what her brother had told her, "He also didn't want to risk getting his measurements taken during the fitting."

Marinette straightened, averting her eyes with an awkward laugh, "O-Oh really? Haha." She slightly sweated, her wide eyes made sure to stare at the sidewalk with her cheeks slightly red, "T-That's totally not what I was planning to do. Nope. Ha ha… ha." It totally was as she softly not curse at the sweet boy for his consideration, "A-Anyway!" she cleared her throat and looked to the group, "Let's go, I just have a few more stitching on Ivan's shirt and then I'm done." She led the group to her home.

They went through the bakery's door, greeting her parents on their way and up to Marinette's room.

Marinette walked over to her sewing station and retrieved two folded shirts, "I've finished the girl's." she stated, handing them over to Rose who awed at the finished product and held it up to Juleka. Mylène took the remaining one, also gasping in aww while Ivan sat down on her chaise, happy with just looking for the moment, "I'll go finish Ivan's one. Tell me if there's something wrong with the shirts, okay?" she said before sitting down at her desk, resuming her task.

Like she said before, she was almost done with Ivan's shirt so she was able quickly finish, "The last one!" she grinned, turning around and holding the shirt up to them, only to gasp back as her friends quickly disappeared in a green light.

She stood up in shock and the shirt she was holding fell from her grasp. She let out another breath as her computer screen suddenly turned on to reveal Gamer.

"What do you do when no one wants to play with you? You give them no choice."

"Max?" she gasped out as Tikki flew out from her hiding spot to see what was going on.

"Ladybug, Chat Noir. All of these people were once akumatized and then saved by you. If you want another chance at freeing them, you're going to have to come and play with me."

"I think you're gonna have to take a break this time." The kwami pointed out, looking at her chosen who didn't look too pleased.

Marinette inwardly groaned. Just why? Why did Hawk Moth need to akumatize someone on a day where she was super swamped? "Then let's make it quick. I still have a lot to do." She then proceeded to say the magic words, "Tikki, spots on! Ah!"

Dealing with Gamer 2.0 was frustrating.

Marinette didn't have time for this, even though there was an akuma running about, that didn't mean that it put a pause on things.

No, it meant that Marinette would have to catch up.

And if she wanted to get back to what she wanted to do, Ladybug would need to quickly purify the akuma.

But the more she tried to rush through the game that she and Chat Noir was forced to play, the more mistakes she was making. It didn't help her stress that Chat Noir was goofing off when she had told him that she had things she needed to do and the smug voice that Gamer shot her simply grated on her nerves.

But as she lost her share of the fights, Ladybug couldn't keep up anymore. It was frustrating, irritating and disappointing where she was right now.

She couldn't do it.

Chat Noir cheered as his character won against Gamer's once more, "Ha ha! See, M'lady?" he looked over to his partner who had her head down, eyes closed, a defeated look on her face, "M'lady? You okay?"

"Chat Noir. I think I forgot how to play." She confessed. She was losing, and not just in the game. Ladybug was here trying to fight her way out, while Marinette was trapped here, falling behind on things she wanted to do. The more mistakes she made, the more Marinette couldn't get out.

Seeing his partner look down, Chat Noir took it upon himself to take over for her, "Okay, I've got this." He stated as he picked his next fighter, M'lady, the best way to win isn't about knowing how to play." He advised, smiling as he continued to win his fights, "It's all about loving to play. Playing is the best way to do something you'd never do in real life. So have some fun, my Bugaboo. And Gamer won't have a chance at beating you." He grinned as Ladybug looked up.

"Playing is the best way to do something you'd never do in real life." Repeating what her partner said, Ladybug felt that a match had been lit within her when she saw who Gamer had chosen to be his character, "Yeah! There could be something I always wanted to do." A thrilled smile on her face.

"Be my guest." Chat Noir smirked, inwardly chuckling.

As Ladybug chose Evillustrator as her character, she couldn't wait to get started.

"Evillustrator. Volpina. Ready? Fight!" The game's voice announced.

Volpina played her flute as Gamer cried out "Mirage!" creating multiple illusions of her.

However, it was ridiculously short lived as Evillustrator's giant punching glove punched the real Volpina right off the arena.

"Ring out!" the game announced.

"Oh, that felt so good!" Ladybug confessed, her tone light and happy. While a bit petty, she had always wanted to do that if possible. Ladybug could really see the potential of this game, seeing how she could take out her anger and frustrations on her bully's counterpart in the game.

With her mind not clouded with her how busy her civilian life was at the moment, Ladybug started to enjoy herself, winning a number of fights herself until only the final boss was left, "I think we're ready for the final boss. Stop hiding behind your toys and get in the ring, Gamer 2.0."

Gamer smirked, "I am the final boss, but how are we going to figure out who should battle me?"

Chat Noir frowned, "What do you mean?" he questioned while Ladybug felt like something bad was going to happen.

The akuma looked smug as he explained, "Well, I'm sure you'd agree that two against one would be very unfair, so the only way to know which one of you will take me on is if you two fight..." the game's board showed the superhero's picture in the remaining diamond on each of his one, "each other."

Ladybug and Chat Noir gasped as they were suddenly transported on the battlefield.

Game's voice began the fight, "Ladybug. Chat Noir. Ready? Fight!"

"What are you waiting for? Start fighting!" Gamer demanded, "If you don't, everyone will be imprisoned forever!"

"We can't let this happen." Ladybug pointed out, her voice slightly panicked. They had to find a way to defeat Gamer together one way or another or else they'll be trapped here forever.

Seeing the worried look on his Lady's face, Chat Noir gave her a reassuring smile as he began walking backwards, "You know I love battling by your side, M'lady. But I could never bring myself to fight you.

Ladybug's eyes widened in shock, feeling panicked as her partner continued walking backwards towards the edge, "Chat Noir?" she took a step towards him, "What are you doing?" her heart was thumping hard as Chat Noir – her partner stopped just at the edge of the arena.

He couldn't possibly be thinking of-

"Giving you some extra time." He winked and closed his eyes, leaning backwards and off the arena.

Seeing him leaning over the edge with his arms out and a relaxed smile, Ladybug's breath hitched as she quickly ran towards him, her hand out as if she could try and stop him, "No! Wait!" she cried out.

Maybe she could still save him.

Wrap her yo-yo around him and pull him back up.

But when she reached the edge, she knew that there was no time. Staring stunned as she saw him just seconds from hitting the ground, "Chat Noir!" she cried out.

Before his final moment, a confident smile was on his face as he stared up at his Lady, "I trust you to bring me back, M'lady." Were his finals words as he finally hit the ground and disappeared in a green flash.

"Ring out! Ladybug wins!" the game's voice announced.

Mouth gaped and eyes wide with horrified shock, her eyes slightly shook as she lost her partner.

If she wanted him back, she had to win.

She had no other choice but to win – losing wasn't an option.

Chat Noir was counting on her. She can't afford to make even the slightest mistake.

Her heart was thudding in her chest and her breathing was shaky.

She had to fix this.

She was all alone now, she can't afford to mess up.

She had to –

She was snapped out of it when Gamer spoke. Her eyes snapped to him and instead of fear, she felt anger. He was the one who did this - the one who pushed Chat to sacrifice himself.

An outline of a green diamond screen appeared in front of her, displaying an inventory of past akuma's objects. She angrily slid the chosen items toward the blank space for her while Gamer spoke.

"You're the one who wanted to get this over with. Now, since this is the final battle, in addition to your own superpower, you get to pick four items from your inventory. Although, I wouldn't even bother if I were you because I'm going to beat you no matter what."

What was she doing? Shaking her head to clear her mind, Ladybug inwardly berated herself. She needed to calm down, remember what Chat had said earlier, she can't let his sacrifice be in vain, "You know what? Chat Noir's right! I'm gonna take my sweet bug time."

"I'm happy you're enjoying the game." Gamer said in a condescending tone.

Ladybug simply smirked, looking confident. She had a plan, and she was going to fix all this, "I'm going to enjoy winning this game. And by my rules!"

As soon as she commenced her plan, it didn't take long to win and purify Gamer as he had graciously accepted his defeat.

He had wanted someone to play his game, and that was all he wanted.

But she wished Max had just asked her to play the game on a different day, and not today when she felt there was too many things to do.

But she also knew that when it comes to her, trying to keep to a schedule was never going to be easy, especially when she was a superhero. She knew being a superhero was a full-time job, there was no schedule for it so how was she going to balance her civilian life and superhero one if something like this happens again? Something like this was bound to happen: she would be busy, but she would have to take time out of her busy schedule for when an akuma would come in and interfere with her day's work.

She needed advice, someone who was also balancing a superhero and civilian life.

Landing on a roof that was far away from the stadium where the fight took place, Ladybug gave a thoughtful stare towards her city before looking at her partner, "Hey, Chat Noir. Between being a superhero and everything else in your life, how do you manage to still have fun? Aren't you scared you'll eventually have to sacrifice everything you love," she held her arms, worried as she looked at Paris, "for all of this?"

Chat Noir simply looked at her with a fond smile, "The times when I have the most fun, my favorite moments, are when I'm with you, M'lady. And I would give up everything for just that." He bowed before taking off.

Ladybug looked surprised at his answer, staring after him. She couldn't help but smile at her partner's sweet response to her, however, it didn't last long as her eyes trailed over the Parisian buildings and towards her school.

Although it was a sweet answer,

It didn't really answer her question.

She didn't plan to be a full-time hero in the future, she has dreams she wanted to achieve. But with Hawk Moth still out there, creating akumas, would she eventually have to let go of her dreams of being a fashion designer? She was barely balancing her superhero duty, her education and her designing and if she wanted a… relationship.

Ladybug looked down with a resigned smile.

Being a superhero came first, there was no compromising with that- Paris came first. Her education came a close second, having to stay up late to finish homework, assignments and study for upcoming tests well into the night because she was preoccupied with Hawk Moth's akumas which meant her hobbies, dreams and sleep would sometimes have to be sacrificed at times.

She might have to eventually give up her dreams to achieve some semi-balance to her life, seeing that they were still no closer to catching Hawk Moth.

She didn't know what Chat Noir's life was like outside the mask to have him say his most fun moments were with her-fighting akumas for the majority of their time together. And the rare time where she didn't have to leave after a fight left only a few minutes of talking before her earrings began beeping.

They only had patrol when they had free time which wasn't happening that often since things were getting busy.

She wished at times that Chat would take things serious in akuma situations, but he had her back and that's what matters.

She didn't dwell on it any longer as she didn't have to deal with anymore akumas for the day and was now allowed to go back to being Marinette.

And after today, she decided that maybe a little break is what she needs before she resumes going back to the things she needed to do.

When Ladybug de-transformed back into Marinette in a secluded alleyway, she pulled out her phone and called Max.

She didn't have to wait long as he picked up on the third ring.

"Hello Max, about your game, I know some people who would love to try out your game. Come meet me at the bakery."

Standing in the entrance of the bakery with the door open, Marinette cleared her throat, stopping her parents clearing out their leftover pastries, "Mom. Dad. I know I don't have time to play with you guys these days, but~" she disappeared for a moment, only to come back, pushing in a nervous-looking Max, "Max does." She pushed the door close with her feet. "And he has a video game he designed which he needs to test. With tons of bugs in it." She announced with her hands crossed, a slightly nervous smile. While it was closing time for the bakery, she wasn't hundred percent sure if her parents would agree to it.

"A video game? He made himself?" Tom sounded impressed.

Sabine looked excited, "With bugs to find?"

Seeing the smile on the boy's face, Tom put his tray down as he grabbed Max by the back of his shirt and excitedly dragged him away, "To the living room!" he declared while Max looked happy that someone had time to test out his game.

"To the living room!" Sabine excited repeated as well, leading them the way.

Hands still crossed, Marinette had watched on, amused, then glanced at her little friend when she flew out, "Tikki, I'm almost done with the T-shirts, and" she dragged out a bit as she figured out how much time left she had to complete the poster, "Jagged's poster can wait a bit longer, can't it?"

Tikki smiled as her chosen was finally taking a proper break, "It sure can, Marinette."

Smiling, Marinette glanced up at the ceiling where she was sure her parents was already setting everything up, "Leave a few bugs for me! Here I come!" she called out, running to the living room to play as well.

After destroying her dad's Volpina one more time with her Riposte (Max hadn't added in Silencer since he was already done with his video game, but was sure to update the system later), Marinette decided that it was time for her to get back to work.

"Well this has been fun and all, but I think it's about time I get back to work." Marinette gave them a reluctant smile after calming down from her little victory dance. She handed her controller to Max and smiled, "The game was really fun, I can't wait for it to be completed." She grinned at him.

Max took the controller from her with a grateful smile, "Thank you, Marinette."

Happy that Max wasn't upset anymore, she went back to her room while her parents continue to play the game, her mom enthusiastically challenging anyone who wanted to go against her.

Shutting the trapdoor to her room, Marinette went to plop back on her seat at her desk and simply sat there, letting today's events wash over her.

After what she just went through, Marinette closed her eyes and let herself wind down from it with a tired sigh.

Today had been so hectic for her.

It was great that Chat Noir was alive. She was nearly finished with the t-shirts, only needing to adjust one of the shirts a bit, and she had time to complete Jagged Stone's poster. She was done with her test and handed in her report. There was her group work, but she could count on Sabrina to do her share (and unfortunately, Chloé's share), and Luka said that he didn't mind waiting for her to do his t-shirt later.

Speaking of Luka.

Marinette opened her eyes as she stared up at her ceiling.

Today had been hectic.

She could barely balance out her school life, superhero duties, her hobby and surprised commissions.

How was she going to balance out a relationship if she was always going to be stretched thin?

It wouldn't be fair to Luka.

If she and Luka were to date (her cheeks flushed at the thought, but it was short lived as she thought of the cons), she would always be disappearing because of the akumas, and she wouldn't have time for him if something like today were to happen again.

Even though Luka was patient and understanding, it wasn't fair of her to expect him to forever be patient and understanding with her when she couldn't explain why she would disappear.

The excuses would get tiring after a while.

Luka deserved someone better than what she could offer right now.

"Marinette?" Tikki called out, flying over to her, "What's wrong? Didn't you just have fun?" she had managed to peek at her chosen having fun beating Max's video game of Volpina (enthusiastically might she say), so she didn't understand the sad accepting smile on her face. Did she wanted to play more?

Instead of answering her kwami, Marinette asked a question of her own, "Hey Tikki…" she closed her eyes once more as if afraid to hear the answer to her question, "Did the past Ladybugs ever had to sacrifice their love lives… or other things?"

It was silent for a moment before the little kwami finally spoke, "Some of my holders managed…"

Marinette blinked opened her eyes to stare at her.

"But some also had to sacrifice their love lives… and other things for the sake of their duty." She looked solemn as she finished. She had always encouraged her beloved bugs to go for the things that makes them happy, encouraged them for greater things, knowing that they had the potential to take on the challenge.

But…

Sometimes, things had to be sacrificed for the sake of their duties.

It just couldn't be helped.

Hearing this, Marinette couldn't help but feel disappointed, "Oh." She simply said as she turned to her sewing machine, "I should've guessed." She murmured under her breath as she reached for one of the t-shirts.

"Marinette?" Tikki prodded.

"After everything that happened, I don't think I'll be ready for a relationship." She let out a weak sheepish laugh as she turned on her sewing machine, getting straight to work, "Hawk Moth is still out there, akumatizing people and I'm in the process of getting over Adrien. I don't think it'll be fair to Luka or anyone else for that matter if I were to start a relationship with them."

Tikki blinked, looking surprise, "You're getting over Adrien?" she asked in bewilderment. Sure she had taken down a few of her posters of him and changed her desktop background, but she didn't know she was trying to get over him! "Marinette, are you sure you want to give up on him? You never know what the future may hold for you." She advised, "I'm sure if you worked hard enough, you will be able to balance out your love life as well! Even if some of my beloved holders had to sacrifice theirs, there are also some that didn't." she reminded.

Marinette stopped her sewing and looked up at Tikki with a skeptic smile, "It's fine, Adrien likes Kagami, I'm sure they'll be together soon. And," she averted her gaze, feeling shy, "I like Luka. He's really nice." She quietly confessed. Luka had said she could take his confession however she liked, and if she was to think it as a declaration of love then… she inwardly shook her head. She can't do that to Luka when she doesn't have a clear heart or the time.

It wouldn't be fair to him.

Tikki nodded, hearing her, "Yes, he's a wonderful boy." She remembered his confession, it was the most beautiful confession she ever heard. She just wanted Marinette to not give up till the very end without a fight and regret it later on.

Nodding in agreement, Marinette turned back to her sewing, finishing it off without any more distractions.

Over the next few days, Marinette had delivered a successful English presentation with her group (Sabrina had done Chloé's share) while she was working on Jagged's poster. She took an extra day just excruciating every decision, every detail she made on the poster before deciding that she had to show the final design to Jagged Stone before she went crazy over it.

So after school one day, she decided to go to Le Grand Paris to show him.

She held her breath as Jagged looked over her design and let out a huge sigh of relief when the Rockstar jumped up from his seat with a 'Yes! This is it! This artistry is the very rock I'm talking about! It's… so Jagged.' and spun her around, happy with the result.

Hearing the seal of approval, Marinette sent Penny the file, glad that everything turned out fine.

While Jagged celebrated his poster to Fang, Penny walked Marinette out.

"Thanks, Marinette, you really helped us there." Penny spoke once she closed the door to the en suite, "Jagged didn't really like what the others designed." And that was putting it lightly. The Rockstar had rejected every single one of the designs, especially ones that Bob Roth was trying to push for before demanding that they contact Marinette, seeing how she gets his style.

Marinette grinned up at her, "It was no problem, I'm glad you let me have this opportunity to design for Jagged Stone again."

Penny smiled back at her, coming to a stop in front of the elevator, "Don't worry. There'll be many opportunities for you to design for Jagged. While he can be a bit childish," she chuckled, "he sure knows what good talent is when he sees it. He definitely will count on you more in the foreseeable future."

Flushing at the compliment, Marinette let out a shy laugh, "I'll be looking forward to it." She said before the ding from the elevator notified them that it has arrived. She stepped in and waved goodbye to Jagged's agent.

As soon as the doors to the elevator closed, Marinette let out a squeal as she jumped, "Yee-haw! Tikki, I can't believe I just designed a poster for Jagged Stone's tour!" she gushed.

Tikki giggled, flying a loop around her head, "I'm so proud of you, Marinette!"

Calming down just slightly, Marinette chuckled before pulling out her phone, "Now that I'm done with the poster, I finally have time to work on Luka's t-shirt." She grinned, texting the boy a message.

Tikki tilted her head, "Don't you want to take a break first?" she had watched her chosen stress out over the poster while she worried about her English presentation that she had.

But Marinette waved off her concern, "It's fine. Things are finally settling down. I have nothing major going on this week, so this is the perfect time to get started on his shirt." She said, focused on her phone as she sent the message. She didn't have to wait long before she got a reply. Smiling as she read his message, she put her phone away, just in time for the elevator doors dinged and opened, while Tikki quickly flew back in her purse.

"Luka!" Marinette cried out happily when she spotted him standing to the side of the bakery door, holding the strap of his guitar behind his back, she swore that she heard him humming before he stopped and looked up at her. She jogged the rest of distance between them and smiled up at him, "Did you wait long?" she asked, walking pass him and opening the door for him to get inside.

Luka returned her smile and shook his head, "No, just got here." He responded, stepping in.

"Great!" she grinned, letting the door close behind them, "Come on, let's make you a t-shirt." She declared. She felt slightly bad that the others already had theirs while Luka didn't have one yet.

She hoped he didn't feel left out.

"No rush, Marinette." He reminded with an amused smile, following her to the entrance where the stairs led up to the lounge room. He greeted Sabrine on his way and politely accepted the snacks she handed him as he disappeared up the stairs. He watched as Marinette walk up the stairs with a happy bounce in her step and couldn't help but chuckle under his breath, "So I'm guessing that everything worked well with Jagged Stone?' he grinned, waiting on the steps that led to her room while she opened her trapdoor.

"Swimmingly!" she grinned, telling him how it went as she climbed into her room, she paused to tell him to come up before happily finishing off her meeting with Jagged Stone.

As soon as Luka entered her room, he placed the tray of snacks on her table, away from anything papers or books, "So how should we do this?" he asked as he placed his guitar on the chaise, then straightening up to look at the designer who was getting out her measuring tape.

She turned around with a smile, "Well if you could take off your jacket and stand there," she pointed to the middle of her room, "that'll be great." She then made sure she had a pen and paper nearby to take down his measurements.

Once Luka was in position, it suddenly dawned on her that she would have to get close to him.

"Uh, um, i-if you don't mind…" she held up her measuring tape, "I'll start with your w-waist." She nervously smiled, going to his back.

Shooting her an amused smile, Luka shook his head, "Go ahead, Marinette." He complied, watching her come closer to him from the corner of his eyes. He blinked slightly in surprised as he realised just how close she had to get to round the tape around his waist.

"S-sorry if this is uncomfortable." She apologized. As she reached to take the other side of the measuring tape, she accidently fumbled it and released a small squeak.

"Here." Luka smiled, placing the other end of the tape in her hand.

"T-thanks." She stuttered out, leaning back to get his measurements.

"You're welcome." He simply said. His eyes trailed off and noticed that he could see her mirror reflecting them and saw the girl behind him was flushing red. Seeing this, Luka thought he try something to take her mind off their current situation, "Is your schedule finally calmed down enough to do this?" he asked, tilting his head over his shoulder.

She blinked and looked up from his waist with her cheeks slightly flushed, one brow raised, "Didn't you say I can make your t-shirt when I'm free? You didn't even join the others when they came over for a fitting." She huffed, cheeks slightly puffed, "You don't believe me that my schedule finally opened up for you?" she frowned.

"Of course I do." He said calmly and confidently, surprising her, "I just wonder what's your definition of a free time is." He mused, "You've been busy this week. I thought you might want to have some time to yourself before you called me over."

She blinked and looked down, "Oh." Having reminded just how busy she was in the last couple of days, Marinette stared at the ground with a frown, remembering how stressed she had been. It did get better, she did take little breaks but ultimately, she had been busy.

The measuring tape loosen in her grip.

"Marinette?" Luka called out to her with a concerned frown when she fell silent. He carefully turned around and placed a hand on her small shoulder, "What's wrong? Are you okay, did I say something wrong?" he worriedly asked.

Marinette shook her head, "No, it's just…" she didn't even realised that she weakly thumped her head on his chest, leaning on him, "this week really has been… hectic, especially the…" she closed her mouth. They didn't know that she was out there being a superhero, but to Luka and everyone else, they probably thought the akumas shouldn't have interfered with what she was doing as much – probably thought she could still continue doing the things she wanted while there was an akuma out there, "it's getting harder to balance my life out." She weakly laughed, "I don't think I can add anymore on my plate with what's happening in my life right now." she whispered, each word becoming quieter. She felt scared that she was disappointing him, subtly hinting that a relationship with her wasn't possible.

Even if she took breaks, she would still be thrown back in her duties.

Luka remained silent as he stared at the top of her bowed head, hearing what Marinette was saying and implying with a thoughtful frown. He thumbed her shoulder to soothe her worries.

He understood what she was saying, and he didn't want to add any more problems on her plate if he could help it, "Sometimes when I'm writing songs, there are many notes that I want to add," he started, getting her to look up a bit confused, "even though each note sounds good, if I try to force them all in together, it'll become one big mess. So even though I don't want to, I'll have to pick which notes go best together and save the other notes for something else," he smiled gently at her, "whether I use them or not, doesn't mean I never want to play them, just mean I just have to wait for a chance to play it." He stopped rubbing his thumb on her shoulder and lightly squeezed her shoulder, "While you may have your plate full- maybe even overflowing, you don't have to sacrifice what you want if you don't want to. I know how busy you are, Marinette and if you ever need someone, I'll be here for you. We're friends first before anything else." He reminded her.

Marinette averted her eyes and blinked them. For some reason, Luka looked a bit blurry. She kind of understood what he meant, and it was nice hearing him say that. She couldn't help a small smile from breaking free, "Thanks, Luka." She breathed.

Wrapping his arms around her shoulders-the shoulders that felt like it was carrying the whole world, Luka leaned his cheek on her head and quietly said, "Anytime, Marinette."

"I just hope I don't experience what Monday had to offer." She sighed out.

If only Marinette knew that this was the calm before the storm.

Notes:

Hope you enjoyed it! Next chapter is gonna be tough on Marinette.

Chapter 10: Ladybug

Notes:

#

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

After surviving the busy week, everything was starting to calm down for Marinette.

There was no more test to study for, no assignments, she finished all her commissions and Lila had been quiet throughout the week.

She was able to breathe a bit easier.

However, there was one thing she was anxious about as today drew near.

Today was the day that they were getting their test results back.

She had studied hard for Miss Bustier's test – she always did, and every time she would score high so she shouldn't need to worry.

But a small little doubt would always mess with her with 'what if?'

Shaking that thought out of her head as Marinette stepped into the classroom with the others, she let out a deep calming breath to soothe her nerves, however, her eyes narrowed when another lie was sprouted not too far from her.

Looking up with a frown, Marinette took her seat as she narrowed her eyes at Lila who was talking to Nathaniel.

"I'm good friends with the best manga publisher in Japan, you know. I can talk to them about your comic book project if you like."

"She's such a liar!" Marinette almost growled as she stared at the smiling face of the liar. She put her bag away before laying her fists back on the table.

She had her break, now it was time to fix this.

She was just lucky that none of her friends were being lied to while she was having said break. But seeing the liar was lying to one of her friends, Marinette was more determined to find a way to expose her lies.

She couldn't let Nathaniel and Marc's comic go to waste if they were to hold off other opportunities just because Lila presented them a fancy gold platter.

Alya frowned worriedly as she watched her bff once again fixated on Lila. She turned her body from her seat to Marinette and tried to placate her for her own sake, she was getting a bit too obsessed over their classmate, "You gotta stop obsessing over her, Marinette."

Marinette inwardly huffed. She wasn't obsessing over Lila. She just didn't want her friends to be lied to.

Still frowning, she faced the front, leaning her head on her hands as Miss Bustier started today's lesson.

Her soothing voice made always did get her to calm down so that's what she did, but what the teacher said next, made her feel puzzled.

"I've graded your mock exam papers. Most of you did quite well, some better than others, but before I hand them back," Miss Bustier looked to Marinette with a frown, "Marinette, could you bring your schoolbag to me, please? I need to check something."

Both Marinette and Alya shot a confused look at each other, wondering why before Marinette got up to do as she was told and placed her bag on the teacher's desk.

Nobody saw Lila smirking.

Miss Bustier looked at her students in the room as she started with a serious expression, "Today, someone placed an anonymous note in my mailbox, claiming that you'd stolen the exam answers," she placed her folder down in order to unzip Marinette's bag, rummaging through it until she found what she was looking for, "and it looks like the anonymous person was right!" the woman stared at the papers in her hand with a disappointed frown.

Everyone gasped, looking at an equally shocked Marinette.

Hearing the gasp, Marinette snapped back into reality as she tried to figure out how this was possible, "But that's not true!" she cried out, staring into Miss Bustier's eyes with wide urgent eyes, "Someone must've planted that piece of paper in my bag!" she defended.

Miss Bustier looked doubtful as she looked down at her, "But you've answered all of the questions correctly." She rebutted.

At that, Marinette was momentarily happy, "I did?" but remembering the situation that she was in, that delight was short lived as she explained herself, "Yes, but because I've studied." She stated.

Alya stood up from her spot, defending her best friend, "Miss Bustier, Marinette always scores high on your tests." She pointed out. She didn't believe that Marinette could do such a thing.

For a short moment, Marinette felt relieved that Alya had stood up for her, but her voice dashed away that feeling as the hair on the back of her nape bristled, her eyes widened as sudden realization dawned on her.

"This is so terribly unlike you, Marinette. You're usually so well-behaved." Lila put on an innocent look on her face, hands clasped in front of her chest.

Mouth agape, Marinette couldn't believe that she would go that far, "Of course!" she pointed a finger at her, red hot rage boiling her insides as she glared up at her, "You put the answers in my bag! You're the "anonymous informer"!"

Lila gasped and leaned back as if she had been punched, "I'm coming to your defense and you're accusing me?!" she said like she couldn't believe it.

Just hearing her spew out more nonsense, Marinette inwardly shook in anger, becoming an even more fine of a target for akumas, "That conniving liar-!"

"You can't accuse someone without proof, Marinette." Miss Buster berated, getting Marinette's attention.

Marinette spun around, a hurt look on her face as she was being continued torn down, "But I'm sure it's her! She stole the test answers!"

But Miss Bustier shook her head, not even believing her claim as she supplied her own evidence, "That's impossible, Marinette. Lila got the worst grade in the class."

"But – then..." Marinette looked down as she was beginning to panic. At this rate, nobody would believe her, she'll lose her friends and teacher's trust. She tried to find a possible explanation, "Think, Marinette. Think!" she told herself before pointing at the liar behind her in a desperate attempt, "she flunked the exam on purpose!"

"Excuse me, Miss Bustier," Adrien stood up with a frown, a raised brow and a hand raised slightly in the air, "but everyone here knows it isn't like Marinette to cheat." This was getting out of hand. He knew Marinette is innocent – no way she would do this, she was an honest girl after all. He couldn't help but suspect that Lila had something to do with this, but he wasn't hundred percent sure.

The exam answers could have somehow accidentally fallen in his friend's bag or something, but he's definitely sure that Marinette is innocent.

Alya stood up from her seat as well, nodding in agreement, "He's right!"

Every started agreeing in Marinette's defense.

"It doesn't make sense!" Rose called out. She knew Marinette was smart and studied hard so she never would, she had no reason to.

"She never cheats!"

"You know Marinette, she doesn't need to!'

Miss Bustier clapped her hands to silence her students. She then looked at Marinette and Lila, "Marinette, Lila, please go to the principal's office until we get to the bottom of this."

Lila stood up and walked down the steps with a solemn look, making it look like this whole situation was making her uncomfortable, when she walked passed Marinette, she shot her a pitiful look, inwardly smirking at the glare the girl was giving her, and, oh my, was that a growl she just heard? How amusing. She opened the door and politely gestured for her to go first.

Marinette seethed as she walked out the door, almost stomping to it as Lila closed the door behind them. With everyone gone and it was now just the two of them, the innocent face that Lila was sporting was now gone as she leisurely walked beside her in a smug manner.

"I swore I'd make your life unbearable, Marinette." Lila smirked, confidently walking down the hall, already planning her next move as she glanced at the girl besides her, "Let's see how you get out of this one."

Marinette narrowed her eyes at her with a frown, "I'm not falling in your trap, Lila." She stated, walking ahead of her and stopping in front of the principal's door, waiting for the liar.

"Too late. You already have." Lila smirked, murmuring lowly under her breath. Instead of stopping at the principal's door, she skipped down the stairs near the door instead.

"Where are you going?" Marinette called out to her with a frown, a foreboding feeling in stirring in her gut.

With a smile, Lila laid on the ground with a knee up, "You're about to find out!" Ready?" she sang before crying out in pain.

Marinette gasped, face scrunched up in worry, already knowing how this was going to look. The door to the principal office banged opened and out ran Mr Damocles, demanding what was the holdup here.

"Marinette pushed me down the stairs!" Lila sobbed, clutching onto her 'injured knee' as the concerned-looking janitor, who had just closed the door to the storage room with a broom, ran to her, offering her his hand.

Appalled that one of his students had done such a thing, angered him, "In my office!" he ordered, especially at Marinette.

While the janitor took Lila to the nurse's office, Marinette sat in the principal's office while Mr Damocles called up her parents.

She was trying to defend her innocence, but the principal was having none of that.

Lila Rossi was the one being treated at the nurse's office, clearly, she was the victim.

"Quiet!" he ordered, "We will discuss further on your punishment once your parents get here." He said before going back to his call.

Marinette bit her tongue, feeling her throat constrict as she tried to calm herself. Things will be alright. She was innocent after all, she just had to calmly show him that.

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing.

She would be fine… she hoped.

Once Mr Damocles ended the call, he placed the phone down and steepled his fingers, "Your parents will be here shortly." He announced with narrowed eyes.

Marinette nodded with a frown, "Yes." She murmured. When a few moments passed by, she raised a questioning brow, "Um, aren't you going to call in Lila's parents?" she questioned.

"That is none of your concern." He said, but then thought of what Lila Rossi had told him a few days ago when she came by for a talk and thought that the information she told him concerning her parents didn't need to be private, "Miss Rossi had alerted me that her parents were on a business trip so I wouldn't be able to contact them if I need to."

"That's a-!" Marinette once again bit her tongue as Mr Damocles gave her a glare. She lowered her head, biting her lip as she squeezed her fists.

This wasn't fair.

A few minutes after Lila came in with a bandaged knee, all limping into the room with the help of the janitor, came her concerned parents.

"Did something happen with Marinette?" Sabine asked worriedly as she and her husband stood by their daughter.

Mr Damocles explained what happened.

Just hearing about the whole situation made her heart thud. She couldn't just sit there while her parents were being fed false information about her.

"But sir, it wasn't me, I didn't do anything-"

Lila cut in, putting on a pained look, "I don't know why Marinette doesn't like me! I've really tried to be her friend, but she keeps calling me a liar, getting the others to gang up against me, and now, she's pushing me down the stairs?" she sobbed, accidentally slapping her 'injured' knee, then whimpering in pain as she clutched it.

Marinette shook in anger, "Those are total lies!" she cried, outraged.

Mr. Damocles ignored the accusation, pitying the poor injured girl who only wanted to make friends, "Go on, Lila."

Lila put on a sad face, "She even took a necklace I got from my grandmother" she looked away with eyes closed, looking like she was in pain as she gasped out, "- a fox pendant!"

Mr. Damocles eyes widened, turning to glare at Marinette, "Took, as in stole?"

"Huh?" Marinette gasped out, hers darting to her parents to see if they were being fooled. When she saw the furrow in her dad's brow, she couldn't help but panic a bit, her brain telling her to quickly clear her name. She jumped out of her chair as she listened to her head, "That's not true! I never stole anything!"

Tom couldn't help but frown, something like this had happened in the past, involving a bracelet and where his daughter was falsely accused. He couldn't let that happened again, he had to protect her, "My daughter is not a thief!"

"Why should we believe any of this?" Sabine demanded, sounding upset, "You're accusing her without any proof!"

"Mom…" Marinette wanted to hug her mom.

Lila looked at them with pitying eyes, sounding sad that what Marinette did was actually true, "Oh, I have proof." She sighed out with a disappointed look.

It was lunch time by the time they all headed towards the locker room where Lila had seen Marinette take her pendant.

Nobody pointing out that Lila was walking just fine when she had made a big deal out of it just earlier.

Marinette didn't think it would make a difference if she tried to point it out.

Lila would just make another lie.

On the way to the locker room, they had bumped into Miss Bustier who inquired what was going on, hearing what was going from Mr Damocles, the worried look on the teacher's face turned serious as she looked at Marinette in disappointment.

Miss Bustier couldn't believe that one of her students, especially Marinette to do something like this, "Allow me to come as well." Miss Bustier said. She had to see it with her own eyes.

Mr Damocles gave her permission as they pushed opened to the doors of the locker room.

Marinette couldn't help but feel she was walking into her execution when she saw all her friends were here, all looking at her with questioning eyes as they saw the principal, her teacher and her parents here surrounding her with a serious look.

"Open your locker, please." Mr Damocles ordered.

Marinette's heart was thudding in worry.

Things were all going according to Lila's plans and she was being played right into her hands. There was no way out if Lila had planned this whole thing out.

Her hands slightly shook as she reached out and opened her locker, sensing that this wasn't going to end well for her.

And it didn't when she let out an involuntary gasp out when the pendant fell out.

Lila let out a dramatic gasp, "My Grandma's pendant!" she sounded relieved to see it, picking it up from the ground with a comforted smile.

Both Sabine and Marinette gasped seeing that the situation went from bad to worse.

Marinette looked at her friends, feeling cornered as her friends sent her either a shocked look that looked disappointed or a glare, "She's making up this whole thing! It wasn't me! I didn't do anything, I swear!" her voice shook as she pleaded her innocence. She saw her mom cry in the comfort of her dad's chest.

Seeing that, Marinette's heart sunk.

She was the one who wanted to cry.

Her eyes then saw Adrien. She didn't know when he had entered, but he was her last hope. Even though his brows were furrowed, looking confused, lips drawn in a frown, Marinette turned to him for help, "You know Lila's lying, don't you, Adrien?" she called out to him in a trembling voice. He was her last chance to clear her name, he can't just keep quiet now, he had to speak up!

Please

Adrien glanced at Lila with a glare, then turned to the principal with determined eyes, "Mr. Damocles, I don't think-" he was shocked to see this happening. He had seen the fake fox pendant and now he knew for sure that Lila had planned this.

Unfortunately, he couldn't help.

Mr. Damocles raised his hand, cutting him off. He wasn't having any of it, he had seen enough and has come to a decision, "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you are expelled from this school!"

Everyone gasped.

Marinette took a step back in shock, staring at her principal with wide eyes.

This was the principal who wanted to be a hero.

Yet, here he was, not letting her have a chance to clear her name.

He had sided with Lila the whole time.

Marinette lowered her head, eyes clouded.

This was unfair.

"Wherever someone needs him, he's right there! The Owl!" The self-proclaimed hero, The Owl, announced proudly.

Her costumed principal flashed through her mind and a passing thought flitted her mind, "What a joke…" Marinette couldn't help but bitterly think with teary eyes and a crestfallen frown…

Light shined through the observatory window, lighting up the room. Standing in the middle with glowing butterflies scattering around, stood a chuckling Hawk Moth who looked thrilled at his chance, "Lila Rossi was right! This was worth the wait! The downfall of Marinette brings about the despair of everyone who trusted her." He clenched his fist, grinning madly in anticipation, "I can feel the huge waves of negative emotions as they come crashing down!" he exclaimed before proceeding to create an akuma. "Are you ready, Nathalie?"

Stepping away from the shadows was Nathalie with her tablet, "More than ever."

Hawk Moth turned to her, gesturing for her hand with the desired object and placed the akuma into her tablet, "Catalyst, I'm giving you back the power to transform me into Scarlet Moth." He declared, watching Catalyst replace his assistant.

She then infused her energy into Hawk Moth's cane, turning him into Scarlet Moth, "From now on, you are the almighty Scarlet Moth!" she stated.

Scarlet Moth smirked, turning around he touched every butterfly with his cane near him into scarlet butterflies, "Thanks to you, I can now release as many akumas as I desire! Fly away, my little akumas. Find Marinette and her friends and evilize them all!" he spread his arms out as he excitedly ordered.

I was expelled from school.

Nobody said anything as I walked towards the exit with my parents behind me.

Everyone looked disappointed or was glaring at me.

There's nothing I could do now except to prove my innocence later.

These were the thoughts that ran through mind. Marinette couldn't give up, but…

This was too unfair.

As Marinette reached to push open the door, she let out a surprised yelp, trying to shield herself as an ambush of scarlet butterflies flew in, causing panic in the locker room.

The ones who was chosen by the scarlet butterflies all calmed down as a scarlet outline of a butterfly appeared over their calm raging faces.

The voice of Hawk Moth was echoing in Marinette's head, introducing himself, "Verity Queen, Princess Justice, I am Scarlet Moth. Since the innocent isn't to be believed anymore, I'm giving you both the power to expose the truth. As for you, my desperate loyal ones, disappointed by she who you once admired so much? I'm glad to have you back. In return, you will bring me Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous."

The deal was tempting. All the anger and desperation that she was keeping down was suddenly surfacing, screaming at her to accept the deal. The lies that was being spread needed to be put down. Everyone deserved to know that they were being deceived by the liar.

If she were to accept, she could bring about justice for them.

It was Marinette's responsibility to prevent her friends and family from getting hurt.

Her hand began reaching towards her ears, planning to remove her earrings when suddenly, the temptation was gone. Blinking in surprise, she felt a bit disorientated. The last thing she remembered was a swarm of scarlet butterflies and now they were gone from the room…

Feeling dread, she quickly looked around to scan the situation and saw that a few people looked disorientated like her and others not.

They were almost akumatised.

Marinette's breath hitched.

She had almost failed everyone.

The principal had told everyone to dismissed what had happened since nothing seemed to be happening and sentenced Marinette to go home.

Nobody spoke on the short way home and Marinette murmured that she will be in her room, not seeing the look her parents gave each other.

Too much had happened that Marinette couldn't keep up.

I was framed.

She walked up the stairs that led to her bed.

I was expelled.

She flopped down on her bed and hugged a pillow to her chest.

I was almost akumatised.

She squeezed her pillow, burying her face in it as she hunched in on herself.

She could feel Tikki phasing out of her purse, radiating panic energy.

"Tikki, I was almost akumatised…" Marinette mumbled out, feeling ashamed. She squeezed her pillow even more, trying to push it down.

"If you had been akumatized, nothing could have stopped you from having your Miraculous over to Hawk Moth!" the little god frantically pointed out. They didn't know why Hawk Moth didn't go through with his plan, but whatever the reason, they were lucky. If Marinette was akumatised, Hawk Moth wins!

Marinette inwardly flinch before slowly lifting her face from her pillow, her fringe shadowing her eyes a bit, "And there would have been no more Ladybug. End of story." She concluded with a frown.

Her gaze landed on the kwami, watching for her reaction.

Tikki nodded, "We can't let that happen!"

She knew Tikki cared for her and she knew how serious she was about her superhero duty that she'd forget her surroundings, but Marinette felt…

She flopped her head back on her pillow.

She has to brush her feelings aside. This wasn't the time for that.

Her two main concerns is to prove her innocence and not let Hawk Moth take advantage of her feelings right now.

"Neither Lila nor Hawk Moth will win." She assured Tikki, turning on her back with a determined gaze. "I have to prove my innocence so Hawk Moth can't use my feelings against me!" she declared, but her confidence shook as she didn't know how anymore, Lila had planned this from the start.

She was a few steps ahead of her.

"Alya didn't become akumatized earlier today at school." Tikki pointed out when she saw Marinette's brows furrow on what to do for her next move, "I'm sure it's because she trusts you. Call her!" she encouraged with a smile.

Alya didn't get akumatised.

But what did that mean?

Did she believe her?

But then she had noticed Rose, Juleka and her mom had been akumatised.

Were they angry at her?

Disappointed?

What were they feeling at the time?

She had to put those thoughts on hold when she saw Tikki looking at her with an expectant gaze and Marinette had to force herself to move, "You're right." she agreed, pushing herself up and reaching for her phone in her back pocket.

She stared at her phone for a moment.

Alya had stood up for her in class.

Maybe she could ask her for help.

But then, why wasn't she calling?

Or anybody else?

"Marinette?" Tikki snapped her back to reality.

"It's nothing." Marinette waved her off as stood up and pulled herself through the skylight to her balcony.

"So let's recap, right. You're accused of stealing the answers to the mock exam. Evidence 1: The paper with the answers was found in your schoolbag. You're also accused of pushing Lila down the stairs. No one witnessed the actual incident, but everyone did see Lila at the bottom of the staircase. You're also accused of stealing Lila's necklace, which was, Evidence 2, found inside your locker. And finally, you have a motive. I know for a fact that you've hated Lila from Day 1 because she hangs around Adrien." Alya said through the phone, listing off everything she knew with a frown.

Marinette let out a disappointed sigh under her breath, "I'm so glad I called you. Thanks for your support." She sarcastically said. Why did she think this was a good idea?

It was once again, her words against Lila's.

Alya looked concerned at the doubtful tone her best friend was using, but seeing the situation, it couldn't be helped, "You're my best friend, Marinette. I totally believe you, but the evidence is stacked against you." She then smiled reassuringly and puffed her chest up with a confident gaze, "The good thing is, the world's greatest reporters always seek the truth, so I'm gonna prove your innocence." She declared.

Marinette felt doubtful, but Alya was trying so at least that was something, "Thanks, Al." she smiled weakly. Alya was finally going to collect some evidence, maybe she might find out about Lila.

One could only hope.

Alya continued, "First off, a culprit always leaves clues. That's a given. And by following these clues, it will lead us..."

" ...to Lila." Marinette finished for her. It should be obvious. There was only her and Lila on the stairs and Marinette had explained what had happened.

Yet…

"No," Alya groaned, looking a bit annoyed that Marinette was still obsessing over the girl ,"to the guilty party." She corrected with a reprimanding frown, "If you're so quick to accuse Lila, you might just overlook another potential baddie!" she stated the obvious with a huff.

Marinette inwardly frowned. She just have to believe that Alya would discover the truth during her investigation, "Oh. Right."

"Whoever it was had to have touched your locker when they put the necklace in there. I'm gonna go track down some fingerprints." She said, feeling confident.

Before Marinette could encourage her, her mom appeared from her trap door, looking worried, "Marinette, can we have a word?" she requested, her eyes darting to her daughter's phone then back to her.

Marinette turned back to her phone with a quick, "I'll meet you later at your place." And hung up. She pushed herself up from her deck chair and followed her mom down to the bakery, feeling trepidation from this whole thing.

"Now listen, honey, we love you but this whole thing has gotten very complicated. And until we've found a new school for you, we've decided that you should help us with the bakery."

Marinette's eyes widened, her heart thudding. If they truly believed her, they would be looking for ways to get back to school, not find a new one like she was the one who… "But I'm telling you, I didn't do anything! If I have spent all my time in here, how am I going to be able to prove that I'm innocent?" she cried out, looking devastated.

Tom tried to calm her as he looked down at his daughter's custom made apron, one that she made herself with her signature flowers printed in white on the pastel pink apron on his arm, "It's fun here at the bakery. You'll see." He said, giving Marinette her apron.

Marinette took her apron and stared at it with an upset frown, her brows scrunched.

They said they knew that she was innocent, but why did it feel like she was being punished?

They don't believe her.

Marinette stood by the wooden table with a solemn frown while her dad was teaching her how to fold pastry for a new recipe he was trying. She reluctantly followed his instructions, following the way his hands moved until she heard her phone ringing. When she saw that it was Alya who was calling, she looked to her dad with a pleading expression, "Can I please answer?"

Tom stared at his daughter's eyes before he declined the call for her and shook his head, "We're not done with our flaky pastry yet." He wanted to distract his daughter from her expulsion. While he believed that there has to be some sort of misunderstanding, there was nothing they could do. The sooner their daughter distance herself from the school that expelled her, the better for when they find another school for her.

A while later, her dad had left her to roll out some dough while he placed some pastries in the oven.

While she was not happy with her situation, Marinette was diligently doing her job until her ears picked up on what some customers were saying to her mom.

"Ladybug's fighting a peacock villain at the Arc de Triomphe!"

"Isn't Chat Noir with her?"

Marinette furrowed her brows in confusion and ducked under a table to hide as she opened her purse to talk to Tikki, "What is this about Ladybug and Mayura?"

"It must be one of Hawk Moth's traps!" Tikki frowned.

Marinette looked worried, feeling her heart pick up, "I gotta get there before Chat Noir gets tricked!" she had to get to him before he did something reckless. She then looked around the room for some sort of excuse when her eyes landed on a sack of flour. Glancing around to see if anybody was watching, she covered herself in the white powder from head to toe, before appearing before her dad, "Oh, I'm such a klutz!" she let out a giggle trying to act cute, "Can I go change my clothes, Dad?"

Tom looked amused as he closed the oven door, it seems like his daughter was starting to have fun now, "No need, sweetie. Don't worry, a good baker is never afraid to get dirty. You can change after you're done decorating these gingerbread men." He said, presenting her a tray of undecorated gingerbread men.

Marinette stared at the tray full of gingerbread men with her mouth slightly agape. Her eyes darted over each of them and she knew there wasn't any point in arguing. Seeing a pastry bag besides her, she quickly grabbed it and began aggressively decorating them, surprising her dad with her sudden gusto.

As soon as she was done, she quickly transformed and headed to Arc de Triomphe, worried for her partner.

She hoped that he wasn't hurt.

Or falling to the ground.

She reached the aforementioned place in record timing, only to be filled with annoyance when she saw her partner leaning in to kiss a clone of herself and that his ring was about to be slid off.

Without them sensing her presence, Ladybug shoved them apart and just in time too, "Watch it, Chat Noir! You're confusing fantasy with reality!" what trickery did he fall for this time?

Chat Noir eyes went wide, "You're not Ladybug?" he looked confused, darting his eyes between the two.

"No, she's not me!" the fake Ladybug cried out, one hand on her chest, looking in pain.

Ladybug inwardly groaned, "She's manipulating you! You know I'm already in love with someone else!" she had told him plenty of time and she hadn't told him anything about her moving on from her crush so he should still be thinking that she is still in love with someone else!

Chat Noir was getting confused over who was telling the truth.

"Listen to your heart!" the fake cried out when Chat Noir couldn't decide.

"No, listen to your brain!" Ladybug sounded annoyed, the events that happened before bleeding through her tone.

Why couldn't everyone else use theirs?!

But it seemed that Chat Noir had made his decision.

He chose a fantasy.

He shot up from the ground and threw his baton at her, "You're just an illusion!"

Ladybug didn't look hurt, instead, she only felt more annoyed as she simply caught his weapon, "See, I'm real enough!" she said with a bit of a bite, throwing his weapon back to him.

Chat Noir stumbled back from the force as he caught it, looking disbelieved, "Impossible! There can't be two Ladybugs!"

The fake Ladybug tried to offer an explanation for this whole phenomenon, "She must be a fan of Ladybug who's been akumatized by Hawk Moth!" she wobbled as she grabbed her yo-yo from her waist and began swing it, preparing for battle, "Don't fall for her tricks!" she warned.

"M'lady, no!" Chat Noir reached out his hand at her in concerned.

"We've got a villain to fight!" the fake clenched her fist, looking determined, her eyes focusing on Ladybug, "We'll take care of me later."

Chat Noir smiled with a fist bump, feeling reassured, "That's the lady I know!" he confidently said, extending his baton in a staff and twirling it for battle.

Ladybug's fist shook as she released a frustrated groan in the air. Nobody believed her, not even her partner believed her! "Ugh, I can't believe you fell for that!" she cried out frustratedly, however she forced her feelings down. This wasn't the time for her feelings, she needed to quickly get Chat to snap out of this trickery. She took out her own yo-yo, preparing for a fight as she put on a forced smile, "Okay, good job. You win, I am the fake Ladybug, but there's no way I'm letting you Cataclysm my earrings!" She deliberately pointed at her earrings.

Chat Noir smirked, readying his claws, "You wanna bet?"

Ladybug simply smirked as she let herself be tied up in the fake's yo-yo.

"Over to you, Chat Noir!" the fake said as Chat Noir lunges at Ladybug who didn't move a muscle.

Before he could even touch her, he stumbled and fell when someone cried out, "No, not the earrings!" missing the jewelry.

The yo-yo unraveled, freeing Ladybug who placed a hand on her hip as she turned towards the direction of the voice, "Hello, Mayura!" she greeted smugly, her eyes narrowed.

She was still feeling annoyed.

Chat Noir looked shocked, "Mayura? But..." he eyes trailed towards the fake who was backing up to defend Mayura, "she looks so real!"

Ladybug's eyes focused on the pair in front of her as she explained, "Things aren't always what they seem to be at first sight." She frowned.

Chat Noir looked taken a back as he continued to stare at the fake, "This Ladybug isn't an illusion or an akumatized person!" he concluded.

"Uh-huh, she's a sentimonster." Ladybug sighed out.

Chat Noir couldn't believe it, she was so different than all those other sentimonsters they faced in the past, "But she's so much more elaborate than any of those we've faced before! She's so perfect, there's nothing monsterous about her at all!"

Ladybug frowned, "Sorry kitty, but you should have known. I'm nowhere near as perfect as her." As she stared at her imposter, she couldn't help but wonder just how 'perfect' the sentimonster was to have tricked her partner into letting his guard down.

Did the fake act like her to a tee that Chat Noir didn't notice that it was a fake?

Seeing the frown and gazing at her fake, Chat Noir shot her a smile, "I love you just the way you are, M'lady."

Liar.

He didn't believe her.

He believed in a fantasy instead.

She didn't say anything about that, instead, mind focusing on their job, "Got a hint of where the amok is?" her eyes then trailed to look at what her opponent was holding and it was obvious what it was, "Look at what Mayura is holding!" she pointed out.

"Whatever it takes, steal their Miraculous and don't hold back!" Mayura ordered.

The sentimonster Ladybug obediently listened, summoning her, "Senti Charm!" and receiving a blaster gun.

"Whoa." Chat Noir looked awed at the cool weapon.

Ladybug's lips twitched up as was going to prove that she was the real deal, "I'll show you a real Lucky Charm!"

She received a fork.

Chat Noir looked amused at the difference, almost laughing, "Okay, you're definitely the real one."

The comparison was very significant that Ladybug stared at her object with a blank stare as she tried to figure out just what to do with a fork.

She was the real deal alright.

"Watch out!" Chat Noir warned as the sentimonster began blasting wildly.

Several moments of dodging and avoiding getting hit, Ladybug flipped over a blast and from the corner of her eyes, saw that Mayura was hiding behind the roof's wall, bent over her knees and panting.

Eyes so focused on that even as she landed, she was almost shot if Chat Noir hadn't had grabbed her out of the way.

"Mayura looks exhausted. That's our chance to bring her down. And find out who's behind the mask." She stated, dodging more of the sticky shots when she notices a glass board on the building's architect. An idea came to mind as she ran towards it, "Cover your ears!" she ordered to her partner before scratching the glass with the fork. She cringe when she created an ear-piercing sound, but it was very effective as it that forced Sentimonster Ladybug and Mayura to cover their ears, making them drop their weapon and the Eiffel Tower keychain.

"No!" Mayura cried out with her hand out as she watched Ladybug yanked the keychain with her yo-yo.

Just as Ladybug was about to release the amok, she looked up at her fake and realized something.

Chat Noir landed next to the defenseless and withdrawn-looking sentimonster, looking confused, "What's going on?" he asked when he saw her pause.

The words from before repeated in her mind as she lowered her hands, "You're right. There's nothing monstrous about her." She glanced at the keychain with a frown, "Whoever possesses this controls the sentimonster. She couldn't help but follow orders." She walked towards the Sentimonster and handed her the keychain, "Sentimonster, you're free now. I won't give you orders, but I ask you, help us grab Mayura's Miraculous." She requested sincerely.

Sentimonster Ladybug looked surprised before hugging the keychain to her chest with a smile, "Thank you, Ladybug." She stared at her savior with a determined smile, "I will help you." Stated clearly before turning to face her creator, her yo-yo out.

Walled in between his favorite Ladies, Chat Noir looked excited, "Are we cool, or are we cool? We could call ourselves Chat Noir and his Ladybugs." He suggested, taking out his staff, ready for battle.

Ladybug immediately shot that down with her own suggestion, "I prefer the bugettes and kitty cat. What do you think?" she asked the sentimonster.

Sentimonster Ladybug didn't mind, "You're in charge, Ladybug." Was all she said as the two began stalking towards Mayura.

Chat Noir slightly bowed his head with a playful frown, "Ugh, I should've guessed."

Mayura was beginning to feel panic as she saw that she was outnumbered. As they were closing in on her, she walked backwards before she tripped back with a gasp. Having no choice, she raised her hand towards her failed creation, "I release you from existence." She commanded, taking away her existence with a snap of her fingers.

Sentimonster Ladybug dropped to the ground, her hands clutching to her chest as she felt pain. Her eyes wide with terrified horror before she felt nothing and was erased.

The keychain fell and out flew a blue feather that turned white.

Ladybug looked stunned as her yo-yo fell to a swing while Chat Noir watched with shocked eyes, anger boiling in him, "How could you?!" he shouted, charging at Mayura.

He didn't even get near her when the sudden appearance of Hawk Moth appeared and kicked him away.

"Getting sentimental on a sentimonster?" Hawk Moth mused, twirling his cane and resting it on his shoulder.

"Hawk Moth!" Ladybug cried out in surprised, swinging her yo-yo in defense.

Chat Noir stood back up with a growl, "You're the real monster!" he shouted at him.

Hawk Moth raised a brow, amused, "Oh, that? You'll find out very soon." He said sardonically.

The two heroes engaged in a fight with Hawk Moth, yet, they couldn't put a scratch on him.

Seeing that they were getting nowhere, Ladybug thought it would be better if they could at least retrieve the Peacock Miraculous while they still had the chance, "Chat Noir, cover me!" she yelled out as the two charged back in.

While Chat had Hawk Moth occupied, Ladybug jumped over Hawk Moth and threw her yo-yo at the still down Mayura, tying her up in her yo-yo and yanking her to her. She smiled in victory, but it didn't last long when Hawk Moth laughed evilly. She looked up, she let out a silent gasp when she saw Hawk Moth had a hold on her partner.

"Check, Ladybug!" Hawk Moth declared.

"No!"

Just as Hawk Moth was about to take his ring off, Chat Noir had a panicked look as he summoned his, 'Cataclysm!'

Ladybug looked relieved, "Good move, Kitty. Now all I have to do is grab Mayura's Miraculous and it's over. Checkmate, Hawk Moth. You better surrender." She glared at him.

Yet, Hawk Moth didn't look fazed and chuckled instead, "All I need to do is wait a few minutes until you and your pet transform back into regular kids. So fragile, so easy to break."

Ladybug frowned. They were at a disadvantage. If they wait it out, only they would be revealed and not them.

She couldn't let that happen, "Release him!" she demanded in a glare.

"Release her!" Hawk Moth ordered angrily.

Mayura didn't care about her position, she wanted Hawk Moth to take this opportunity, "Don't mind me."

Chat Noir had a similar thought as he cried out, "Don't listen to him."

Ladybug's heart was thudding as she didn't take her glare off Hawk Moth. She won't let her partner sarcarifice himself.

Not again.

They were momentary at a stalemate before both decided to chuck their hostages off the building behind them and running full speed ahead.

They ran pass each other and leapt off the building, desperately reaching for their partners.

Reach him this time!

Safely on the ground with her partner in her lap, she checked him over for any injuries before Chat Noir pushed himself up with a confused look.

"You had Mayura right where you wanted her. I could've managed by myself. Why'd you do that?" he questioned.

She stared at her partner who was unscathed and very alive in her arms before catching Hawk Moth carrying Mayura away in his arms from the corner of her eyes, "Because we're Ladybug and Chat Noir." She answered, slightly tightening her hold on him with a distracted mind.

She wasn't going to let him sacrifice himself. Not again. Things were different: their situation didn't force them to sacrifice oneself while leaving the other alone to deal with things.

Coming back to reality, Ladybug gave him a smile, "Ladybug by itself doesn't sound half as cool." she weakly joked.

Chat Noir's heart melted, "You shouldn't say things like that to me." He murmured, eyes closing and leaning in for a kiss.

However, his eyes shot opened and stared at the finger that pushed his lips away.

"But the real Ladybug's heart still belongs to someone else." she reminded him with a frown. How many times did she have to tell him?

How many times did she have to hurt her friend?

Inwardly sighing, Chat Noir let out a resigned smile, "I should've guessed that, too."

Ladybug nudged him off her lap and stood up, grabbing her Lucky charm, she threw it in the air, "Miraculous Ladybug!" she summoned, watching as the object dissolved into swarm of magic ladybugs that flew out to repair the damages from the fight.

The two superheroes looked around, hoping to see something come back, but when they realized nothing was there, they looked at each other with slightly disappointed faces, Chat Noir moreso than Ladybug.

"I guess even your Miraculous Ladybug couldn't bring our Bugette back." He sighed out with a sad smile.

Ladybug averted her eyes with a frown, "The Peacock's superpower can be so cruel when wrongly used. Even more than the Butterfly's one."

Stewing in his thoughts with a frown, Chat Noir closed his eyes, putting them to rest. He looked up and put a smile on when he saw the sad frown on his Lady, "I'm just glad that I have you on my side, M'lady." He held up his fist for a bump.

Ladybug stared at her partner before she gave him a small smile and lightly raised her own fist as well, "Yeah."

Arriving in the safety of her own room, Ladybug de-transformed back into Marinette, still covered in flour. She had transformed as soon as she got in her room and left, but now she cringed at the mess she had made when she saw dust of flour on her floor.

Coming down from the adrenaline from the fight, Marinette suddenly felt tired when she was remembered everything that had happened today.

Breathing out, Marinette gave Tikki a cookie to recharge while she quickly cleaned up and changed into a clean set of clothes before going back downstairs to the bakery.

Her dad must be wondering what was taking her so long.

"Ah, Marinette. You're just in time." Tom said, pulling a cake out of the oven and placing it on the table, "Could you decorate the cake for me?"

"Sure." She answered, holding back a sigh. She took up the piping bag that was on the table and began icing the cake.

Now that there wasn't any trouble (hopefully), Marinette took this time to think how she could prove her innocence, yet nothing good came to mind without Lila making up even more lies.

Frowning at the thought, Marinette pushed through and tried to think up of other plans for the rest of the time she was working on the cake.

She didn't notice the time going by until the phone for the bakery rang and saw the clock on the wall.

Lunch would almost be over…

"Marinette, your principal called. He wants us to come back. There seem to be a misunderstanding." Tom announced, grabbing her and Sabine's attention.

Marinette blinked.

"And because of this rare disease, sometimes I can't control things I say. I'm really sorry, Marinette." Lila said with a heartfelt expression.

Marinette stare at her with a skeptical glare the whole time. When they had entered the office, she furrowed her brows when she had seen Lila there with a downcasted expression, talking tearfully.

She didn't know what she was planning but she had to keep her guard up.

Mr. Damocles sniffled, wiping away his eyes with his handkerchief "Thank you for your confession, Lila. It's very moving." He then turned to Marinette and her parents to address them, "Marinette, you will of course be allowed back in the school tomorrow." He tearfully decided, blowing his nose.

Marinette glanced behind her to see the sympathetic look on their faces turned relieved when they received good news and a sinking feeling nudge within her, yet she forcefully brushed it aside when the principal dismissed her and Lila while he spoke to her parents.

Leaving the room peered into the room from around the corner and frowned as she stared at them.

An ugly feeling was festering within her, but Marinette pushed that away as she straightened up and walked away.

She saw Lila a few steps away from her, leaning on the wall with crossed arms. Her eyes were closed and a… smug smile was on her face.

Lila got her back in school and she didn't know what change, but…

It was great that she wasn't expelled anymore, and maybe Lila was finally changing for the better.

Maybe Adrien was right after all…

If this was the start of Lila trying to become a better person, then Marinette shouldn't get in the way and should instead, support her through this – a fresh new start between them, "People should know better. Things aren't always what they seem to be at first sight." She scratched the side of her cheek, feeling awkward, especially with what she did to her, but she had to try since Lila was trying, "So look, I don't know why you felt the urge to start all this, or why all of a sudden you lied to fix this mess, but I'm glad to see you're capable of coming back to your senses. Sometimes." She smiled awkwardly.

Lila simply smiled with her narrowed eyes, condescendly staring at her, "As you said, things aren't always what they seem to be at first sight." She said with an amused tone that sounded sinisterly.

Marinette's eyes widened as she watched her push off the wall she was leaning and stride off.

Her gut telling her that this wasn't over at all.

When she was back home, Marinette couldn't help but worry.

Just what did she mean?

Her innocence was proven, that was great.

But why do all that in the first place? What was the point of all this if Lila was just going to take it back?

It was no use.

She didn't know what Lila was thinking, but she had to put it all behind her.

She wasn't expelled anymore and that was a good thing.

Turning the TV on to distract her, Marinette could hear her parents talking near the kitchen.

"I knew my daughter was innocent all along." She heard her dad say.

Her mom then sounded surprised, "Oh, aren't those your classmates?" she said.

Marinette focused on the TV and saw Alec, the TV host, talking about the latest news in the fashion world.

"And this week, we'll be visiting the set of Gabriel Agreste's most recent photoshoot for an exclusive interview with his new muse, Miss Lila."

Marinette mouth dropped, her eyes wide as she stared at a shot of Adrien and Lila posing together. She snapped her mouth shut as she heard her mom spoke.

"I'm glad her disease doesn't stop her from following her dreams." Sabine smiled.

Standing up from her seat, startling her parents a bit, Marinette walked towards the stairs to her room.

"Marinette? What's wrong?" Sabine asked, looking concern for her daughter.

"Nothing, I'm just a bit tired." Marinette muttered, already half-way up to her room.

"I guess after what happened today, you would be." Sabine nodded in agreement, "I'll call you down when dinner is ready." She said.

Marinette nodded and disappeared into her room.

Even her parents fell for Lila's lies.

Tikki had flew out as soon as the coast was clear and tilted her head in confusion on her chosen's actions, "Marinette? Weren't you just happy a second ago? What's wrong?" she asked.

Marinette bit her lip, staring at the new issue of her Fashion Magazine that she bought recently. She knew that issue didn't feature Lila, but she could guess the next one would, "No, nothing… I'm just tired thinking about today… and what Lila said." She half-heartedly laughed.

Tikki stared at Marinette with a sympathetic smile, flying towards her chosen to nuzzle her cheeks, "You had to deal with many awful things today but I'm proud of you for facing them and not giving up." She smiled.

Marinette looked away from the magazine on her desk and closed her eyes, brushing away that ugly feeling coming back as she tried to enjoy Tikki's hug, "Thanks, Tikki…"

She hoped that tomorrow would go smoothly.

It seems like the universe just hated her.

"Marinette! Welcome back, I'm so sorry about what happened yesterday. I hope you can forgive me." Lila said in a pleading tone when she entered class the next day.

"Marinette!" Alya jumped from her seat and ran towards her with a hug, "I'm so glad that you're back!" she grinned at her.

Marinette, patted her arm, "Yeah…" her eyes trailed onto Lila who was smiling at her.

She was changing for the better, right?

She wasn't going to be targeted anymore, right?

"See, everything was just a misunderstanding. I hope now you could stop obsessing over her." Alya whispered in her ears before pulling back, looking content that everything was right in the world.

Something in Marinette seem to almost snap, but she forced herself to remain calm. Lila was trying to be a better person so she shouldn't try to get in the way of her development.

She forced herself to smile at Alya's direction "I'm glad that I'm not expelled anymore." She said instead.

Lila came down the stairs, putting on a sad face as the rest of the class came in, "With my disease, I just can't control it, but as soon as my modelling gig was over, I came to my senses and had to fix this as soon as possible. I'm glad there was no harm done." She smiled, "I hope we could be friends."

Alya turned to Marinette with a smile that said, 'See? It wasn't Lila's fault.'

"Oh, I saw that on TV yesterday!" Rose squealed, "I didn't know you modelled. Juleka wants to be a model too!" looking at said friend with a grin.

Juleka blushed shyly as she pushed a stray hair behind her ear at the sudden attention.

"Oh, I heard." Lila turned around with a shy smile, "Travelling around the world and meeting all these celebrities had got some modelling agents asking me to model for them." She timidly confessed, "If you want, I can try to get you a chance to model with me, even call in a favour from Tyra Shanks, a model I know, to get you a chance to pose with her."

Hearing a famous model, they gasped and began asking questions with excited smiles. Alya was one of them and leaned in with a smile, "Can I also get an interview with her?" she asked. While it had nothing to do with her main blog, she didn't want to pass up an opportunity to interview a famous celebrity.

Lila laughed coyly, "Of course! But it might not be a while. Tyra told me that she's very busy these days."

Marinette stepped in, a frown on her face, "If you claim to have done modelling and have these connections with all these celebrities that you speak of, then why aren't you on any of the fashion magazines?"

Every gasped at the implication she was making.

"Marinette!" Alya exclaimed, appalled at her bff's inappropriate behaviour.

Marinette clenched her fist and forced herself to continue, "The only time I've ever seen or ever heard mention of you was that photoshoot that was talked about on TV yesterday."

Lila pressed a hand to her cheek with a sigh, "That's because I wanted to keep a low profile and didn't want all these attention on me, so I asked them not to publish them." She tilted her head slightly with a patronising smile directed at her, "Besides, I've met Gabriel Agreste a few times on my trips and he wanted to see if I would model for him. Of course, I declined over the years, but when I came to this school and met his son, he thought that I would feel more comfortable if I were to model with his son." She then turned to look at someone behind her with a saccharine smile, "Isn't that right, Adrien?"

Marinette snapped her head to Adrien, feeling her heart beating fast in anticipation. The boy looked displeased and his eyes were narrowed at Lila. This was obviously a lie. Surely, he wouldn't go along with it…

Tell the truth.

This is your chance.

"Right…"

Marinette's eyes widened.

"It was a surprise to see you there at the photoshoot… I guess father wanted to surprise me." He forced out a polite smile, yet his eyes weren't smiling, instead, they were shooting the liar a warning. When he had seen her at his photoshoot, he was displeased. Lila had hurt Marinette and he wasn't letting her off the hook. But knowing the liar, he knew she wasn't going to stop.

He had to do something, even if he had to bargain his friendship to make her stay in line.

He was going to protect Marinette.

Even if it was from the shadows.

Alya placed a hand on Marinette's shoulder with a frown, "Marinette, I think you should apologise to Lila. What you just said was totally rude." She reprimanded.

Snapping out of it, Marinette noticed that everyone was looking at her with disappointed glares aimed at her.

It felt like déjà vu all over again.

"It's alright, everyone." Lila sniffed, wiping an eye, pretending it had a tear come out, "I'm sure Marinette didn't mean any harm with her comment. I'm sure that she was just too focus on Ad-"

"Lila." Adrien cut her off with a warning. He didn't want her to make things worse.

Lila inwardly clicked her tongue, sparing him a narrowed glance before shrugging it off. It didn't matter, this was her victory.

"Marinette." Alya pushed.

"I…"

Marinette looked at her friends and their disappointed glares.

"I…"

Her eyes turned to Adrien who had let the lies continue and then towards Lila.

Lila and her victorious smile.

This was it.

This really was it.

Marinette bowed her head, her fringe hiding her eyes, "I'm sorry." She pushed out.

She had lost.

School couldn't have ended fast enough.

Her friends had asked her what had happened for her to act like that when they finally had their break. Marinette replied with a response that would satisfy them, making everything go back to normal for them.

She didn't see the look that Adrien gave her or how he wanted to talk to her.

Marinette made no chance for him as throughout the whole day, Marinette just went through the motions until the end of school where she could escape to her room.

Staring at the photos of her friends on her board by her bed, Marinette reached a hand towards them, unpinning one.

It was a photo of her and Alya together, smiling.

She let it drop from her hand as she moved to unpin the rest of them until her board was bare of photos and posters.

She ignored the concern look that Tikki gave her as she gathered them and went down to her desk where she picked up all the magazines that featured Gabriel Agreste's fashion.

Lila isn't going to change.

With the pictures and magazines in her arms, she walked over to her chest that was filled with presents for Adrien.

Opening the lid, she dumped them all in and closed it shut with her hands still on it.

She didn't want to see those photos that would remind her what happened today, and even though it was petty, knowing that Gabriel Agreste had someone like Lila connected to them, made her didn't want to have anything to do with the Agreste fashion industry.

It would feel like every time she looked at their magazine, she would just be reminded that someone like Lila was rewarded for all her lies.

She wanted nothing to do with it.

Climbing the stairs to her bed, Marinette grabbed her pillow and curled up around it, trying to make sense of everything and concluding what she had seen.

"Marinette?" Tikki called out to her, worried.

She didn't say anything, making the little god frown.

"Don't worry about it too much, I'm sure things will get better." Tikki said before flying off, understanding that her chosen needed some space.

Unintentionally, the advice she gave just made Marinette feel worse and that ugly feeling came back.

She knew that Tikki meant well, but it felt like Ladybug was top priority. Even though Tikki didn't mean to make it sound like that, it did feel like that, especially when she had been almost akumatised.

Ladybug was the one she focused on, not Marinette.

Trying to shake that thought out of her, Marinette tried to focus on something else, but that wasn't a great plan in her state of mind.

She thought about the people around her.

Nobody believed in her, not Alya, her friends, principal, teacher or even her parents.

While they said they believed she was innocent, she had seen their faces and the little doubts behind their eyes.

Marinette curled even tighter.

Of course they have doubts.

Her parents had heard plenty of times of her flimsy excuses on why she missed some classes.

She was always late to class, especially to Miss Bustier's.

(Who acted like nothing happened when she welcomed her back to class.)

Mr Damocles never gave her a chance to prove her innocence and simply believed in everything Lila said.

(He never apologised to her.)

Her friends couldn't fully trust in her because she was either late, forgetful or sometimes her clumsiness would ruin things.

Adrien had…

Even though Adrien had stood up for her, he also didn't believe her.

She had to prompt him to help her when she was about to be expelled after all.

When she thought about Alya, she tightened her grip.

Even though Alya had stood up for her when she was framed for cheating, she didn't truly believe in her. Alya had seen her worst side (her jealousy) and knew she was unreliable (sometimes she made her feel unreliable). Alya didn't think that she pushed Lila down the stairs, but she believe that Lila was pushed even though it was just the two of them alone.

Even though they were supposed to be best friends, no matter what she said, Alya wouldn't believe them.

She flinched when she remembered something and her eyes widened in anxiousness.

Alya knows that Lila was Volpina. She said so herself when she transformed into Rena Rouge for the first time. She was also there, along with Carapace on Heroes' Day when Ladybug told – no, shouted at Hawk Moth that Volpina's illusion won't work.

So why did she still believe in Lila?

Marinette shut her eyes as she came down with her conclusion.

None of her friends truly trusted her.

They believed whatever Lila said.

Lila who they known for only a short while compared to her who they knew from previous years and from this year.

She was never truly a friend they trusted, was she?

They never had her back.

Burying her face in her pillow, in the quiet of her room,

Marinette felt very alone.

Notes:

Tyra Shanks is a parody of Tyra Banks, an American television personality, producer, businesswoman, actress, author, model, and occasional singer. (I mostly remembered her as a model.)

And now Marinette is entering a dark place.

Hope you enjoyed it. Tell me if there was anything wrong or if there are mistakes. I wanna know if it flowed okay.

Chapter 11: Destructo

Notes:

#
Another long chapter... about 36 pages...
Happy readings!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Marinette opened her eyes to see her room enveloped in darkness.

Groggily sitting up, she placed a hand to her head, feeling a bit disorientated.

She must've fallen asleep at one point.

Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, Marinette sluggishly shifted back to leaned against her pillow, mindful of Tikki curled up to the side of her pillow. She tiredly opened her eyes, adjusting to the darkness.

When she tilted lolled her head to the side, she caught sight of her wall and flinched when she saw her empty corkboard.

That's right, I took them off.

She had taken them down so she wouldn't be reminded what had happened in the classroom.

What good that did.

Pulling her legs to her chest, Marinette listlessly leaned her chin on her knees and moved her arms to cradle them, staring blankly at her empty corkboard.

Not a single picture was left, just the pins and some sticky notes with hearts drawn on them.

Closing her eyes again, Marinette nuzzled her head onto her knees.

Now that her mind was cleared up from that unplanned nap, she should use this quiet time to reflect how all this had happened.

Remembering what had happened today – or yesterday, whatever time it was, Marinette had involuntarily flinched at the memories but forced herself to calm down and continue.

Lila had won, but while it wasn't exactly what she had planned, it was half-successful.

Lila didn't take all her friends away and forced her to end up all alone.

She was still considered a friend to her classmates.

It just that her classmates believed in Lila more and took her side instead.

Lila didn't exactly take Adrien away from her (She was moving on from him after all).

But somehow, she had gotten Adrien to take her side, even getting him to help her lie in front of his friends and classmates.

Overall, Marinette felt like she had lost.

However, she had to look on the positive.

She was still considered a friend to her classmates and if Marinette didn't want to end up completely alone, she'd have to do something.

Her friends hadn't trusted her completely.

But it made sense why they doubted her and believed in Lila instead.

Alya had seen her jealous side, knew she had stolen Adrien's phone once.

Of course there was doubts.

During akuma alerts, she would have to abandon her friends, or make up some lame excuse that were obvious a lie.

Of course they couldn't trust her completely.

She was clumsy and could be forgetful at times.

Of course they believed that she could've stolen the pendant, even if by accident.

Marinette couldn't blame them, it was her fault why they believed in Lila over her.

She gave them so many opportunities for them.

And now that Lila had won, she had to prove to her classmates that she wasn't what they thought of her.

Not giving Lila any more fuel against her

She didn't want to lose her friends.

Didn't want to go back to the time when she was friendless and insecure.

She didn't want to go back to that time where Chloé was the one in control and no one was brave enough to stand up against her.

Everyone was closer now and she didn't want to lose that.

And she couldn't let her civilian life affect her superhero life.

So she needed to try harder.

Adapt to her new situation.

And if she proved herself to her friends, then maybe they would believe her the next time Lila tries to lie about her, frame her or expel her.

Marinette's lashes fluttered as she opened her eyes, determination glinting in her tired eyes.

That was the new plan.

Tikki wiggled in her sleep, trying to find that familiar warmth from her holder. The little kwami would sometimes sleep on her holder's stomach, enjoying the relaxing up and down motion with every breath her holder took.

But as she wiggled her way to more than half of the bed, her eyes scrunched in confusion when she hadn't reached her body. Blinking awake, Tikki pushed herself up, "Marinette?" she whispered quietly into the empty room, feeling anxious.

Marinette had fallen asleep, curled up on her bed after she had taken down pictures of her friends and of Adrien, gathered her fashion magazines and locked them in a chest where she had kept the presents for Adrien. Tikki couldn't help but feel worried at her chosen's actions.

Flying up, the kwami flew down from the loft bed and carefully phased through the ground, peeking from the ceiling, there was still no signs of her chosen and with the room clear, Tikki let herself fly into the open, trying not to fret at her missing chosen.

But then, just where did Marinette go?

The sun was barely rising, and there was no akumas.

Her chosen should still be sleeping at this time.

And it was almost time for her parents to wake up and prepare their shop-

Whipping her head at the sound of metal clattering, Tikki phased through the floors, her head popping out of the bakery's ceiling to find –

"Marinette!" Tikki cried out, sounding relieved as she flew towards her chosen who was picking up an empty metal bowl from off the ground.

"Oh, morning, Tikki." Marinette greeted as she returned the hug that her kwami was giving her cheek, "What are you doing up?" she lowered her hand down as she moved towards her workstation where several other mixing bowls sat.

Tikki let out a puff, placing her flippers on her hips, "That should be my line." She flew back, giving her space, "I was worried when you were gone."

Marinette apologized, giving her a sheepish smile. She pulled out several piping bags and other equipment. She already had her ingredients laid out on the table

The little god's worried look dropped and was replaced by a curious-looking one, "What are you doing up so early? You're usually still be sleeping."

Marinette gave a little shrug, "I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep." She started, moving towards the brick wall where her apron was hooked on, "I thought I could make some macarons for the class to clear up any remaining tension they feel." From past experiences, her class had enjoyed getting a macaron whenever she bought some in when her dad needed some new flavors to be tasted. She thought that if she could show everyone that she was fine and was over that whole expulsion by giving everyone a macaron then it might improve whatever image they had of her.

It was a start.

Tikki smiled, "That's kind of you, Marinette." She was proud that her chosen wasn't letting what happened yesterday drag her down. Instead of being depressed, she was moving forward, her head held up and looking ahead, "Do you need any help?" she offered, wanting to support this mindset that she had going.

She tied her apron around her and shook her head, "It's okay, I can do this by myself." She answered.

She had to do this herself.

She must show others that she was a capable person.

She can't disappoint them no more.

"You should get some more rest, Tikki."

"Are you sure?"

Marinette nodded, already mixing the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl.

Tikki watched for a moment. She was still a bit sleepy and knowing that her chosen was fine now put her at peace, "Alright then." She nodded, flying towards her shoulder and curling up against her neck. She wanted to be close incase Hawk Moth decided to akumatise someone.

Marinette didn't say anything as she quietly worked to get the macarons ready for school in time.

By the time she was nearly done with the first batch, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs and she pulled up her phone to check the time.

It was 4am. Time for her dad to wake up and prepare the store.

She was able to hide Tikki in a box she was going to place the macarons in just in time when her dad came in, freezing in his tracks when he saw her.

"Marinette? This is a surprise, what are you doing up so early?" Tom looked astonished; he didn't think he would ever encounter his daughter at 4 in the morning. She should still be sleeping.

"I couldn't go back to sleep so I thought I'd make some macarons for my class." Marinette put on a smile, putting the second tray of macarons in the oven, "I didn't want to risk waking you guys up if I used the kitchen so I thought I should use the bakery one instead." She then gave an apologetic smile, "Sorry about the mess, I'll try to finish up quickly."

Tom smiled softly at his daughter, "It's fine. It's great that you got the oven all pre-heated up." He grinned, reassuring his daughter that it was no big deal, "Do you need some help? I can spare some time." He offered. There weren't any major orders he had to make, he simply just needed to make their regulars. And later in the day, he was maybe thinking of experimenting with a recipe.

Marinette simply shook her head with a smile, "It's fine dad. After the second batch is done, I just need to pipe the icing. Just ignore me and do what you usually do." She said, ducking her head as she gathered up the used bowls to clean them while she waited for her pastry to be baked.

Tom blinked before nodding, "If you're sure, Sweetie." He said, before taking out his ingredients for the day and placed it on the workstation, near his daughter's, careful not to clash onto her side. Before he began, he glanced over his daughter and couldn't help but inwardly feel disappointed. His daughter was really growing up and becoming more independent. The days of father and daughter time was becoming more of a memory now.

By the time her other half of her macarons were done, Marinette had swiftly and diligently piped the cream on the cookie and assembling them, glancing at her dad who wasn't paying attention to her and carefully placed the macarons in the box where she had hid Tikki.

The freshly baked macaron seemed to have roused the little god awake as she sniffed before snapping her eyes open.

Before she could even make a sound, Marinette placed the remaining macaron in her paws while she placed her finger on her lips to signal that they were not alone.

Nodding, the kwami smiled before munching on her treat.

Gently closing the lid, Marinette began to clear up her workspace but was stopped when her dad took the used bowls from her.

"Don't worry about these." Tom smiled, "Why don't you go eat? Your mom left you some dinner in the fridge when we noticed that you fell asleep." He suggested, he gently pushed his daughter to the stairs when he saw that she was about to refuse. Halfway through, he had realized that if his daughter was down here, then she probably hadn't eaten anything yet, and he knew Marinette would be too focused on finishing her goal that he sometime worried that she'd forget to take care of herself.

Marinette gave in with a sigh, "Alright." And took the box of macarons with her as she headed up.

There was still a couple of hours before school began and she was slightly dreading of what's to come.

She knew what she had to do but knowing that she couldn't avoid making a mistake made her feel a bit on edge.

Would she be able to pull off her plan?

Or would she fail again?

She skipped the kitchen and headed straight to her room.

Tikki flew out after she had closed the trapdoor to her room.

"I thought you were going to eat." she looked confused.

Marinette shook her head, "Later." She said, "I don't want to wake my mom." At Tikki's look of concern, she quickly went to reassure her, "There was one homework that I didn't do because I had fallen asleep. Might as well get it done, my mom would be waking up at 6, I could hold out for an hour. Promise." She smiled.

Tikki let out a sigh, "Fine. One hour."

As promised, as soon as it was nearing 6, Marinette stood up with a stretch before placing her completed homework in her bag and headed downstairs to reheat her dinner that she had missed.

She took her food out from the microwave and placed it on the counter just as her mom came out of her room.

"This is a surprise." Sabine smiled, moving to make a pot of coffee and grabbing a croissant, "I don't think I've ever seen you up this early."

Marinette greeted her mom and gave her the same response she gave to her dad before digging into her dinner/breakfast.

Sabine, noticing a slight apprehension coming from her daughter, lifted a knuckle and gently rubbed her daughter's cheek, relaxing her a bit, "Would you like to mediate with me? There's still time before I go down and help your father."

Marinette blinked. That may be wised.

She would need a clear head if she was going to face Lila.

"Thanks, mom." She smiled as she let out a breath, "I think that sounds like a great idea."

As she went to school, she bought a box of macarons, making sure there was enough for everyone. She had to show them that she was fine. That she wasn't going to hold onto that whole incident over Lila.

She needed to prove to them that she wasn't the kind of person Lila made her out to be.

Standing behind the closed door to her classroom, Marinette closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

I can do this.

I'm proud, I'm confident, I'm Marinette!

That's right, she can do this.

Opening her eyes, Marinette prepared herself as she reached for the door and opened it with a smile.

Her smile nearly dropped when she saw Lila in her seat, surrounded by most of her classmates as they listened to another story that was most likely full of lies.

Besides Lila, was Alya recording with an awed expression.

Remember the plan, Marinette. She reminded herself, fixing her smile as she walked in the classroom.

"- and Chat Noir said that I would make a great partner, but he has Ladybug and didn't want to make her jealous if I were given a chance to be a hero." Lila gave a wistful chuckle before her eyes landed on Marinette, "Oh, good morning, Marinette. I hope you don't mind me taking your seat, Alya wanted another interview for her blog since she hasn't been able to record any footage lately." She smiled sweetly.

However, Marinette could see it as mockingly.

Alya stopped recording, happy with what she got and then turned towards Marinette, "Morning, Marinette!" she grinned, her eyes dropping to the box she was holding and an excited gleam entered her eyes when she saw the bakery's logo on the box, "Did your dad make some new sweets?"

Marinette shook her head, "No, I made them for everyone. I thought it might be nice to share with everyone and a way to-" she forced herself to continue her smile, "apologize for my misunderstanding." She moved towards Lila and opened the box, revealing multiple favored macarons to her and everyone.

Lila placed a hand on her chest, putting on a surprised expression, "You did this for me? How kind of you, Marinette!"

Alya looked proud of her bff. She knew Marinette could get over the misunderstanding, she just had to put in the effort. Hopefully with this peace-offering, they could become friends.

Lila stared at Marinette, slowly reaching for a macaron before taking a pause, making herself look hesitant, "Are there almonds in it?" Lila innocently asked.

Marinette inwardly took a breath. She just knew what was going to happen, "Yes, we use almond flour in our bakery." She said it calmly.

Lila let out a gasp as she covered her mouth, "I'm allergic to almonds!" she exclaimed, leaning back from the offered treats like she was afraid that just being near it would cause her to become ill, "I'm afraid I can't have one." She put on a pitiful look, gaining sympathy from the others, "But please don't mind me, everyone else should get one. I don't want Marinette's efforts to go to waste." She smiled encouraging to her followers.

"That's cool of you, Lila. It's too bad you're allergic, Marinette's macarons are awesome." Nino then looked around with a cheeky grin, "Well, if you can't have one, I'll take your share for you." He said, reaching for a macaron.

"Not so fast, Nino!" Kim shouted, "How about a challenge for that macaron?" he suggested.

Nino crossed his arms with a smile and shook his head, "You promised that you wouldn't do those for the rest of the year."

Kim looked unfazed as he crossed his arms and puffed out his chest, "I promised no more dares, not challenges." He then looked to Max for confirmation.

Max pushed his glasses up and nodded, "He's right."

Nino blinked, drooping his shoulders a bit, "Dang it."

While the boys discussed what they should do for Lila's macaron, everyone moved to receive a macaron, thanking Marinette while giving Lila their condolence since she was missing out. Alya stood up from her seat and came around, placing an arm around Marinette's shoulders and taking a macaron herself, "Don't worry Lila, I'm sure Marinette won't mind making a special one for you." She offered, helping Marinette salvage her effort. She felt bad that Lila was the only one who was left out and that Marinette's peace-offering had failed. But at least she was making an effort to befriend Lila.

Lila clasp her hands as she gave them a smile, "Really? I'm looking forward to it – ah, but only if you don't mind, Marinette. I hate to force you to do things you don't want." She made sure her smile was extra bright when she looked to Marinette, inwardly smirking. She was enjoying the new change after her victory.

But she wanted complete victory.

Marinette knew she was doing this intentionally, but she had to keep it cool. If she denied Lila's request, everyone would have more reason to believe in Lila than her, so with a smile that she hoped looked natural, Marinette nodded, "Yeah, perhaps next time." Her eyes gave a quick glance around the room, seeing her classmate's belongings at their desk. It didn't seem like Lila had changed their sitting plans, but she had to be careful on how to go about this, "Would you be sitting here for the day?" she inquired, making sure her tone didn't sound accusatory. It seemed successful when nobody turned to glare at her.

"Nah, Lila and I were just talking." Alya grinned at her, unaware that she had just saved Marinette from being subjected to Lila's plan.

Marinette inwardly sighed, a bit relieved. If Lila had answered, she was sure that she would be giving up her seat for the day, and probably the rest of the school year.

Inwardly cursing Alya for her interference, Lila stood up with a composed smile, "Well, I guess I should head back to my seat." She waited for Alya to wave her off and continue their conversation, but inwardly clicked her tongue when the blogger made no move to.

"We'll talk some more later. Thanks for the interview, Lila." Alya grinned at her gratefully. While she wouldn't mind hearing more about Lila and her encounter with Chat Noir yesterday, she wanted to talk to Marinette.

"My pleasure, anything for my friend." Lila smiled and moved out of Marinette's spot. As she passed Marinette, she paused and grinned at her, "I look forward to one of your awesome macarons, Marinette." and headed for her seat at the back.

Marinette quietly placed her school bag on her desk when her eyes caught a glance at Adrien standing by the door and she briefly wondered just how long had he been there.

It seemed that he had been watching her interaction with Lila.

"Dude, good morning! Marinette made macarons for everyone!" Nino grinned, walking back victorious from rock-paper-scissors with a now sulking Kim, taking his prize.

Alya inwardly praised her boyfriend for setting up this opportunity for Marinette, even if he was unaware of what he just did. She gave a nudge to Marinette who simply stared at Adrien with an unreadable expression.

She was probably panicking in that mind of hers.

Adrien smiled, walking into the classroom, "That's awesome, Marinette makes the best macarons." He praised, stopping in front of Marinette.

Marinette smiled, opening the lid and offering him one, "Here, everyone got theirs." She said without a stutter. She could feel Alya and the girls gazing at her, even heard Rose let out a muffled squeal at her… accomplishment.

Adrien perked up as he reached for the last one, "Thank you." He grinned. He stared at Marinette and the smile on her face, and he couldn't help but inwardly let out a sigh of relief. It seems that Marinette was fine. When he had arrived, he had frowned when he saw Lila in Marinette's seat and the two talking. He was going to step in if Lila was to pull another of her stunt, but it seems Marinette had everything handled and the smile she gave him assured him that she was fine as well. He took a bite at the macaron and his eyes lit up at the passionfruit favor, "This is really good." He grinned, taking his seat as he finished the rest of the treat.

Alya leaned towards a quiet Marinette and whispered excitedly in her ear, "You did it, Marinette! This is turning to be a good morning, don't you think?"

"Yeah…" she answered, but it wasn't as enthusiastic or dreamy like Alya was expecting.

"What's wrong, girl. Aren't you happy?" she thought Marinette would over the moon from this. The girl was finally able to give the love of her life a macaron without stuttering one bit! Maybe she was distracted. Her eyes glanced towards Lila and she inwardly nodded, "Right, her peace-offering wasn't as successful as she had wanted." She thought, knowing that Marinette could sometimes be such a perfectionist.

"If it's about Lila, don't worry girl! Now that you know that Lila is allergic to almonds, your next attempt at peace would be 100% successful. Trust me." She winked.

Marinette's finger twitched under the box she was holding, "I know." Was all that she replied, giving Alya a smile before taking her seat as Miss Bustier came in just as the bell rang.

Throughout the day, Marinette made sure that she looked like the usual 'cheery Marinette' that they all expected, making sure that she smiled like she usually did. It wasn't as hard as she thought, but that was only when Lila wasn't involved.

She still couldn't stand seeing her classmates get taken advantage of when they came in the cafeteria, holding Lila's things with the person herself strutting in like she owned the place, manipulating others to get her food for her while she waited at a table that was fortunately far away from her.

Marinette almost dropped her smile, but she didn't allow it. Her hands squeezed into fists on her lap. If she were to say something, it was going to be turned against her and more fuel for Lila.

She can't say anything against Lila.

Not anymore.

Her attention was snapped to the girls who was gushing at her interaction with Adrien this morning and Marinette was reminded that she didn't really tell them that she wasn't planning on pursuing Adrien anymore.

Right. I need to tell them that.

"- best attempt overall!" Alya grinned, smiling proudly at Marinette.

Rose nodded, clasping her hands under her chin, "Ooh, what shall we do next? Should we try to set up another date?" she asked. Even though last time, Marinette had sacrificed her chance to get a ride with Adrien to spend time with them, maybe this time their plan will go more smoother, seeing how Marinette didn't fumble over her words.

Alya grinned, snapping her fingers, "Ideas, girls, I need ideas."

Marinette cut in before any of the others could suggest something, "You don't have to think of anything."

"Oh? Did you have a plan in mind?" Alya rose a brow, an eager smile, "Let's hear it."

Marinette shook her head, "I mean that I'm not going to pursue Adrien anymore." She clarified.

"What?!" they all exclaimed, shooting out from their seats, apart from Alix who simply blinked in shock.

The students around them turns their head towards them, staring at them with questioning eyes and causing them to sit back down, slightly in embarrassment.

Mylène leaned across the table in a whisper, "What do you mean you're not going to pursue Adrien?"

Marinette shot them a nervous smile, her brows furrowing as she tried to explain, "I'm fine with being just his… friend, besides, he likes Kagami. I don't want to get in between them." She honestly confessed.

"So you're giving up?" Rose said with a droop.

Marinette nodded with an apologetic smile, "Sorry for wasting everyone's time."

Alya couldn't believe it, shaking her head, "Marinette, girl. If you're only giving up because of Kagami, don't worry. We'll think up of better plans." She promised.

Mylène nodded, looking determined to help her friend, "Yeah, don't worry, Marinette. Things will get better, just like today."

Seeing the others all encouraging, bought back Rose's romantic spirit, "You'll get your happily ever after. This will be worth it." She squealed.

Juleka turned to them, onboard as well, but, "But what should we do?" she asked, creating another discussion between them.

Engaged in their conversation, Marintte stared at them, feeling numb.

While their encouragement was meant as good intentioned, something felt off within Marinette.

She wanted it to just stop.

To just-

"Hey."

Startled, she looked to her side where Alix was seated. Usually, Alix would be in the Art room, but Alya had called in a group meeting.

"You know that I support you right? The crazy plans, last minute gatherings and your decisions, right?" Alix stared at her as she lifted her glass of water to her lips while she waited for Marinette to respond.

Marinette blinked, not sure where this was going. Even though Alix wasn't as enthusiastic like the others were during their romantic schemes, she still showed her support in her own way, "… Yeah." She nodded.

Alix nodded, "Good. So if you want to stop pursuing after Adrien, then I'll also support you in that, alright?" while she may not show it as much as the others, Alix did care for her friend's love life. Besides, this was the second time she declared that she was going to stop pursuing after the boy…

Marinette stared, speechless, as she processed what Alix had said. While that off feeling remained, it wasn't as bad now. Leaning against the back of her chair with closed eyes, she let out a grateful smile, "Thanks, Alix."

Alix shrugged like it was no big deal, "No worry."

Opening her eyes, half-lidded, Marinette peeked at the conversation happening on the other side of the table.

Now if only they could listen to her instead of just hearing her, that would be nice.

By the end of the school day, Marinette was ready to go back home.

During lunch, Lila had came over to their table, pulling up a seat and subtly manipulating the conversation towards her and her many 'accomplishments', giving out promises that will never happen, and boasting of her baking skills which was praised by a famous baker while indirectly taking a jab at her.

And all Marinette could do was sit there with a smile, taking every insult the liar threw at her and watched as her classmates looked forward to those promises.

She should have said something, but she hadn't proven herself worthy enough to claim that they were just empty promises without being accused of being jealous or be looked at disappointedly.

Walking down the steps of the entrance of Collège Françoise Dupont alone, Marinette was able to make it to the bottom of the steps before her name was called out. She turned around and saw Kitty Section jogging towards her.

"Marinette, why did you leave so fast?" Rose asked as soon as she caught up to the girl.

Marinette apologized with a sheepish smile, "I'm sorry, was there something you needed?" Had they been calling out to her? She didn't know. All she wanted to do was go home and leave the day behind.

"We're having another band practice." Juleka answered.

Marinette blinked, "Oh, right." she had forgotten about that. It seems like it has been such a long time since she last hung out with them. The last time she went over was when she designed shirts for them and then they got too busy with all their assignments and tests and then…

She inwardly shook her head. Spending time with Kitty Section sounded great. She always had fun when she spent time with the band.

Smiling at the thought, Marinette was going to join them when Ivan piped up.

"Do you think we should invite everyone?" he suggested with a grin, "It's Friday, so we can relax a bit."

Rose beamed, "We could have a mini concert!" they had a few songs they could play, and it has been a while since they had performed for a large crowd.

Juleka smiled, nodding at the idea, "We just have to move some stuff around if we're going to put on a concert."

"I'll go get Mylène and anybody still in school!" Ivan grinned, already going back into the school.

"Alright! We'll go ahead and get things started!" Rose yelled after him, before turning around with an excited smile.

Marinette had stiffened when Ivan had said everyone- everyone meant that Lila would be going and while her head told her she should go, her heart had reached its limit of a Lila-filled day. She didn't want to spend anymore time than she had to, but if she didn't go, then she would just be showing them that she wasn't fine with Lila.

She should ignore her heart and just go, but what she planned to say was the complete opposite of what her head was telling her, "I'm sorry guys, but is it okay if I skip this one? There's something I need to do." She smiled apologetically, feeling guilty that she was bailing on them because of an issue she couldn't deal with, "I'll make sure I'll be there at the next one." Next time, she would probably be able to be prepared for the next one and handle it. Right now, she wasn't ready to deal with Lila anymore for today, "If there's something you want me to make, just message me the details, I'll try to make it." She said, hoping to make it up to them.

Rose looked a bit disappointed, almost making her change her mind.

"It's fine. We'll see you at the next practice." Rose smiled, a bit sad, "But if you change your mind, you can still come over." She encouraged.

Marinette gave a smile that look sad and left, escaping.

She missed the look Juleka and Rose gave each other.

Using the side entrance near the bakery, Marinette headed straight to her room, giving a passing greeting to her parents as she did.

In the privacy of her own room, Marinette dropped her school bag and flopped down on her chaise, face down, taking a breath and letting it out.

Tikki flew out of the purse, flying in the air and staring at her tired-looking chosen. She stared confused, she thought Marinette had handled things well today. She had been smiling and laughing here and there, so she didn't understand what was wrong.

Flying down, and landing a midnight set of hair, Tikki petted her head, "Marinette? What's wrong? I thought you like hanging out with Kitty Section."

Marinette carefully shifted her head, trying not to throw her off, "I do… it's just that I'm a bit tired – waking up in the middle of the night and then not falling back asleep, you know?" She answered with a small smile, not wanting to reveal to Tikki how she really felt. She didn't want to disappoint her kwami.

Tikki expected great things from her as well.

"I'm not in the mood to get my blood pumping, but maybe something relaxing for the evening." She forced out a grin, reassuring the little god, then made a move to get up.

The kwami shifted so she was laying on top of Marinette's head, "Why don't you design something?" she suggested, knowing that her chosen enjoyed it.

Marinette stared at sketchpad on her desk for a moment before nodding at her idea.

"Sure…"

Hopefully, it'll be a good distraction.

Luka was humming as he strummed Marinette's song on his electric guitar before pausing with a frown. The song was coming out nicely so far, but it didn't sound right.

Maybe he should play it on a different set of strings.

As he contemplated which would sound best, he heard talking before his sister and Rose came in the room.

"Hi, Luka!" Rose greeted brightly, "Ivan is coming later with everyone. We thought we'll do a mini concert!"

Luka nodded, smiling back at her, "Hey Rose. Sounds great." He greeted before looking at the door like he was expecting one more person. When he realized that no one was coming, he let out a confused frown, "Is Marinette not coming?"

Juleka shook her head, placing her school bag down at her vanity table, "She said she had something to do, but…" she paused, "she looked a bit down…"

Luka stopped strumming and stared at his sister with a worried frown, "Did something happened to Marinette?" he questioned, watching as his sister fidgeted on the spot, looking a bit awkward.

Rose took over with a worried frown, "She seems fine today after what happened a few days ago."

Luka rose a brow, "What happened a few days ago?"

Rose stared at Juleka with furrowed brows, a silent conversation going on between them before she turned to Luka, "There was this misunderstanding and well… she got expelled."

It took a while for Luka to process what was said, and when he did, he couldn't believe it, "… What?" Marinette, expelled? That was a poor joke.

Juleka nodded, "Apparently she cheated on a test and that she pushed Lila down the stairs and stole her pendant." She recounted, pointlessly pushing a strand of hair behind her ear that immediately fell back, "But everything's all cleared up now and she's not expelled anymore."

"Is she okay?" he asked, concerned.

Juleka blinked, "Lila? Yeah, she's fine."

"Yeah, that's great," he quickly brushed that aside which may had sounded insensitive. He had no idea who she was, and great that the girl was fine and all, cool - but that wasn't who he meant, "but is Marinette okay?" he knew Marinette and that wasn't something she would do. From the tidbit that he heard, it sounded like she was accused, framed and to make it worse, falsely expelled. That would be too much to handle in a day.

Both Juleka and Rose took a moment as they thought about Marinette. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She had bought in macarons to share with everyone and she was smiling and laughing with them so that meant she was fine. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but when she declined coming over, she somehow looked… reluctant, especially when she heard they were gonna invite everyone to join. It looked like she was running away, but other than that…

"She seemed fine today – where are you going?" Juleka asked when she saw her brother putting his guitar in his case before shouldering it.

It looked like he was in a rush to get to somewhere.

"I'm just going to check in with Marinette. I'll bring back some macarons when I come back." He said as he left.

Juleka and Rose stared after him with a confused stare.

Marinette stared at the blank page of her sketchpad with a frustrated frown.

Many scrunched up failed papers littered her desk.

Everything she designed didn't work and nothing was inspiring enough for her to create.

Everything she tried to design was wrong.

It was too bland.

It wasn't bold enough.

It was too bold.

Too boring.

Been done plenty of time.

Wasn't original.

Something was missing.

She thought she could take her mind off things, but she was in a slump.

Nothing she did was good enough.

Her eyes were unfocused, her mind zoning out on the blank page.

She didn't know how long she was out of it when suddenly, there was a knock on her trapdoor, startling her back into reality.

Blinking, she looked around, wondering if she misheard, until another knock resounded with "Marinette? Are you there?"

She recognised that voice.

Before she knew it, she was already halfway to her trapdoor and opened it, staring down at the boy with blue-dyed tips, "Luka?" she breathed out. What was he doing here? Wasn't Kitty Section having band practice?

"Hey." He greeted with a soft smile, "Your mom let me in." he explained when she stared at him with surprised eyes, "Can I come in?" he asked, waiting patiently on the steps.

Startled, Marinette scrambled to the side to give him some room, "Y-yeah, come on up." She nodded, walking over to her chaise and sat down while Luka entered her room, "So, what are you doing here? I thought Kitty Section had band practice today." She asked, feeling guilty that she was skipping because of her selfish heart.

"We do, but I wanted to check up on you." He admitted, his eyes caught her desk where many scrunched-up papers littered her desk, most probably rejected designs, before moving over to her, "Are you feeling okay?"

Marinette frowned, feeling confused.

That was sweet of him, but why?

What would make him think that she needed to be checked on?

Her heart thumped and she squeezed her hands into fists when she drew to a conclusion.

Did Juleka or the others say something to him?

Which parts did he hear?

Which parts was he told to hear?

If he knew what had happened, did he come here for an apology? His sister did almost get akumatised because of her.

She knew Luka wouldn't demand an apology out of her – he wasn't that kind of person, but she had to apologize because she was to blame.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, her head bowed down.

Luka frowned, feeling confused as he stopped in front of her, "Why are you apologizing?"

Marinette bit her lip, her hands gripping the fabric on her jeans, "The day that I got expelled, people almost got akumatised. And part of those people who almost got akumatised was Juleka. It was my fault that she and the others were affected." She whispered, ashamed. She knew Luka and Juleka were close. He must be angry that his sister was in danger and disappointed at her for causing it.

Luka looked surprised. He had only heard that she was framed and got expelled. He hadn't heard about the near akumatisation but seeing the girl in front of him looking devastated, he knew he had to do something first. He kneeled before her, placing his hands over hers and trying to ease her grip, his expression serious as he tried to get her to look at him, "Marinette, none of that is your fault. You said a lot of people got akumatised right? Was it similar to that day on Heroes' Day where a lot of those red butterflies appeared?"

She nodded mutely.

"Then there must've been panic and confusion happening, giving the akumas an opportunity to akumatise them." He tried to reason, rubbing the back of her hands with his thumbs, "You have nothing to apologize for."

Marinette shook her head. No, it was her fault.

"Before they got akumatised, they had looked like I betrayed their trust - They got akumatised because they felt betrayed by me or…" she then let out a self-mocking laugh, "Or, were they akumatized for my sake?" she hunched in on herself, "If it's the second option, then what does that say about Alya who wasn't akumatised? Does she believe that I would do such a thing?" but in Alya's defense, it did kind of sounded like her.

She had stolen Adrien's phone to delete an embarrassing voicemail after all.

(Even though it was Alya who had jokingly suggested the idea.)

"What were they thinking during that time?" she whispered to no one in particular as she curled in on herself, "I'm scared to know." She confessed.

If everyone had thought she was capable of all those things that Lila framed her for, then she just had to try harder to be better, prove that they can trust her so they won't doubt her like they did when she got expelled.

That was the plan.

"It's fine – I'm fine." She forced out a laugh, "Everything's all cleared up so there's nothing to worry about, yep. There's no problem. I promise to be at the next band practice no matter what."

"You don't have to come."

Marinette flinched, letting out an awkward laugh that slightly trembled, "O-Oh, yeah, going to every single one might be a bother, sorry, I um-"

Luka inwardly scolded himself at his choice words, "No, I meant you don't have to force yourself to come. You're part of the band but it's okay if you don't want to go, the others will understand."

Will they?

Luka saw the hesitance in her eyes and squeezed her hands in comfort, "And if you just want to come and just talk-talk about anything at all, that's fine, I'll be here for you." He had said this before, but it felt like she needed to be reminded that she could rely on someone.

Marinette lifted her head and finally looked at him, staring right into Luka's sincere ocean eyes, "I…"

What should she say?

Should she tell him what has been going on?

What if he also didn't believe me?

What if he met Lila?

Would he also fall for her lies?

She gulped. Her thoughts terrified her.

She can't tell him.

Besides. Luka doesn't know who Lila is.

They've never met before.

He wasn't involved in any of this.

She shouldn't bother Luka with this silly feud she was having with a classmate of hers.

This was her own problem.

All she had to do was try harder to handle it herself.

She can't get him involved.

Marinette put on a smile, "Thanks Luka." Was all she could respond.

Luka stared at her before looking down with a disappointing smile. It seemed he wasn't able to make her feel better. Whatever she was facing, he wished he could lessen that burden on her, however he could. He wouldn't push her to talk about something she didn't want to, didn't want her to be reminded of things that would upset her, but there were things he could do for her.

He stood up, taking his guitar off his shoulder and sat down next to her on the chaise as Marinette watched him, curiously.

"I think this might help." He said before playing a slow soft tune to start with.

As he continued to play a gentle melody that sounded a little bit sad, Marinette couldn't help but close her eyes with a smile, placing a hand to her heart. Something about the little melody he was playing just resonated within her, soothing her body and soul.

Glancing at the girl beside him, Luka inwardly sighed in relief, his smile widening as he was finally able to soothe her troubles away.

It wasn't a permanent fix, but it was a start.

The peaceful moment was disrupted when a notification sounded from both their phones.

Luka stopped playing and pulled out his phone, and Marinette frowned, guessing just what the notification was about and was right when he confirmed her guess.

"There's an akuma at the Eiffel Tower."

Marinette bit her lip. She had to find a way to get away and transform, but how was she going to do that-

"I'm worried about Juleka and the others." Luka's voice snapped her out of her thoughts as she whipped her head at him, already seeing him put his guitar back in its case and slipping it over his shoulder before lowering himself to her height, a hand on her shoulder, "I'll take my leave and go check on them." He squeezed her shoulder, "I'll send you a text when I make it home, you stay safe, okay?" he smiled at her.

She wordlessly nodded, grateful that she didn't have to make up an excuse, "Yeah, you too." She said, watching as he headed out of her room, closing her trapdoor along the way.

As soon as she was left alone, Tikki flew out of hiding, ready for her command.

Marinette pushed herself up and muttered the magic words, "Tikki, spots on."

It didn't take long to locate the akuma.

Like Luka said, the akuma was at the Eiffel Tower, but even without telling her that, there was no way she could miss it as the metal of the Eiffel Towel emitted a loud screech before crumbling to the ground, blowing dust everywhere.

The whole city shook, and Ladybug could tell that this would be a difficult fight ahead.

Landing on a building that was a safe distance away from the fallen tower, Ladybug could see a newscast already capturing footage, but from a safe distance.

That put her mind at ease that they wouldn't be in line of fire.

Her eyes then went back to focusing on the scene when Chat Noir landed next to her.

"M'lady." He greeted with a grin, "That was one clawful earthquake. We better cat-ch the akuma before it can cause more damages."

Ladybug nodded, taking her yo-yo and swinging it, "We better be careful. This akuma looks tough." She narrowed her eyes at the akuma who was similar in build to Stone Heart but was made out of blocks of metal and wearing a metal hardhat.

"MY DESIGNS ARE THE BEST. IT TRANSCENDS ALL PREVIOUS ONES. NO ARCHITECTURE COMES CLOSE TO MINE!" the akuma cried out, slamming the ground and creating large cracks to forms.

"Let's go, Kitty." Ladybug said, jumping into the fray.

"Right behind you, M'lady!"

The akuma was a difficult one and it didn't help that Destructo, the akuma's name, chose an open space, (or forced an area to be clear of buildings or landmarks) to battle them as every time he slammed the ground, the heroes would lose their balance.

Ladybug had her yo-yo tied around Destructo's hands, preventing him from slamming in the ground and struggled to keep holding him still.

"Gotcha!" Chat Noir shouted as he leapt at Destructo, bringing his staff down on the akuma's head.

But Destructo ducked under his tied arms and smirked as the cat's metal staff connected to his metal arms instead, causing vibrations along the hero's body. He bought his tied arms to the side and swung them at the cat, sending him flying and causing the bug to stumble to the ground at the sudden pull.

"Chat!" Ladybug cried out for her partner as he was sent flying and quickly got up, jumping away from her spot as the ground cracked opened beneath her after Destructo took this chance to slam the ground.

Chat Noir landed on his feet and coughed, holding his stomach, "I'm fine M'lady, but I think maybe a Lucky Charm would be great about now!" he called out to her.

Ladybug didn't waste any more time and summoned her 'Lucky Charm!', catching the object on her hands.

But as she saw what was given to her, she froze at the familiar-looking object that she had seen before in a certain massage parlour.

She knew that she needed a really good distraction to contain the akuma, and it was obvious what she had to do as she stared at the red and black spotted gong in her hands.

So what was she waiting for?

Chat Noir who saw and recognized the object, grinned, "Don't worry M'lady, you go get who we need. I'll can hold off until you come back with backup!" he reassured her, charging towards the akuma, "Is that all you got, blockhead!"

Ladybug forced herself to move, running towards the direction of the massage parlour, but as she was about to swing away, she saw, from the corner of her eyes peering from around a building, Alya getting close to the scene, her phone out, filming the battle.

Her eyes widened when she noticed Destructo and Chat Noir moving closer to where Alya was, unaware that she was there.

Predicting what might happen, Ladybug quickly changed course and ran towards Alya.

Her fear was right as Destructo got a hold of Chat Noir's staff and violently threw it towards the edge of the building, tearing off a part of the structure to fall off.

"WATCH OUT!" Ladybug cried out, startling Alya.

The blogger whipped her head up and saw a large rubble falling towards her. Her eyes widened in fear and she involuntary moved to cover her head. She waited for the impact, but it never came. She did hear a clang however and she slowly peeked between her arms to see a red and black-spotted gong wedged in the wall, shielding her from the large rubble.

Her breath was knocked out as she was yanked from her spot just as the gong gave out and landed in someone's arms.

"Ladybug!" Alya cried out happily and then grinned, "Thanks for the save."

Ladybug didn't say anything as she immediately took her to a safe place and away the danger. Once they were far away, she placed Alya on the ground.

"Thanks, Ladybug!" Alya thanked once more.

"You stay here and stay safe. The akuma shouldn't be coming in this direction." Ladybug briskly said, about to take off.

"I will! I'll be here if you need me!" Alya declared with an excited gleam in her eyes, "You can count on that!"

Ladybug froze for a moment before silently taking off.

Alya felt excited. She had seen Ladybug take off after receiving her Lucky Charm before she came back and whisked her away from danger, AND she was then told to 'Stay here', probably to make it easier to find her. This was definitely a code that Ladybug would come back with her miraculous!

She couldn't wait to assist Ladybug with the akuma!

The chaos in Paris was clear as day. The level of destruction made it obvious that there was an akuma without needing to be warned.

Master Fu had quickly rushed through his session with a customer when the akuma had appeared and hurried him out of his shop with a quick 'stay safe'.

"Do you think Ladybug would come by?" Wayzz questioned, flying in the open.

"I do not know." Master Fu replied, taking out his tablet as he sat down, "We need to wait and see." He said, tuning onto the news where they were live streaming the situation.

Wayzz settled down on his old friend's shoulder, watching the screen as they showed Ladybug and Chat Noir having difficulties with the akuma.

Many minutes passed as they watched the situation unfold, feeling the ground shake each time Destructo slammed the ground.

They watched through the screen as the cameraman managed to zoom in on the Lucky Charm Ladybug had summoned and Master Fu squinted, trying to identify the object.

"It may seem they would need some assistance." Wayzz commented, looking at the familiar object.

Master Fu leaned back when he recognised the object, "Yes." He agreed, placing his tablet down as he shot a glance at the gong by his wall, looking identical to the one Ladybug had summoned, apart from the colours, "We'll be ready when she comes here."

It shouldn't take long for Marinette to come bursting into the room, explaining what she needed.

But as they sat there, they both shared a worried look at each other when it was taking longer than they were expecting.

They had wondered if something had happened along the way, feeling another quake through the ground as they continued waiting for her arrival.

But she never came.

And by the time they realized it, the akuma fight was over.

Marinette laid on her bed with her arms covering over her eyes.

She had unnecessary prolonged the fight as she tried to make one of her convoluted plans work, and while it was successful, it had taken a while for it to take shape.

Tikki hovered over her with a questioning stare.

"I know Tikki, but you told me that the Luck Charm was an object that I have to figure out how to use, meaning there's more than one way to use it." She excused, while it was very obviously pointing out to call for the other heroes, Marinette couldn't do it.

After leaving Alya, she had found another place to hide as her transformation worn off.

"I will! I'll be here if you need me!" Alya declared with an excited gleam in her eyes, "You can count on that!"

She was supposed to be making her way over to Master Fu and retrieve the Fox Miraculous, knowing that it would be useful for her plan.

But she had hesitated.

When she had transformed once more, instead of heading straight to Master Fu, she had summoned her Lucky Charm and received an ancient teapot.

One that Master Fu had.

She knew she had to go.

Knew she should've listened to her head, but she had listened to her heart once again.

She had returned back to the fight and Chat Noir had looked surprised when she came back with no backup, but he had said that he believed she knew what she was doing.

Marinette let out a shuddering breath as she squeezed her arms over her eyes.

I'm a failure of a hero.

On Sunday, Marinette received a call from Alya telling her to meet her at the park near her house. She had wanted to decline the order, but she needed to do this.

She already messed up as Marinette for skipping Kitty Section's band practice and she had messed up as Ladybug yesterday, she could at least listen to her head, follow through with her plan.

She had to prove to Alya and the others that she was her usual self, the one that wasn't making mistakes that led others to believe in Lila over her.

She had gotten dressed and met up with Alya and Nino at the entrance of the park, "Hey guys." She greeted, remembering to smile for them.

"Hey Marinette, guess who we saw modeling at the park today?" Alya grinned, crossing her arms.

Marinette could probably guess from her expression and she wanted to sigh, "Adrien-"

"Adrien and Lila!"

Marinette stiffened and looked up at the fountain where the two were posing. As the photographer took one last photo, he leaned back to stare at his camera with one satisfied smile and a couple of words. It seemed that was the last one for the day as they began to pack up.

Alya waved at them with a grin, beckoning them over.

Marinette could see Lila and Adrien talking before Lila latched onto his arm and dragging him over to them.

"Hey guys! Wonderful meeting you here!" Lila greeted with a grin, she then turned to Marinette, subtly leaning onto an uncomfortable-looking Adrien, "Hi Marinette." She smiled, her eyes sly with amusement. Gabriel Agreste had allowed her to model with his son again and she thought what would make it better was to rub it in Marinette's face. And one easy phone call to Alya and a pity fest on how she wished she could be friends with Marinette while subtly tell her about her modeling gig was all it took.

Marinette let out a forced smile that was passable as civilized-looking, "Hi." She simply said.

"Are you guys free right now? I thought we could all hangout, there's a nice café near here." Alya said, hooking her arms with Nino.

Adrien slipped his arm out of Lila's grasp, "Sorry guys, but father expects me home as soon as the photoshoot was done."

"But Vincent said that we were so perfect together during the shoot that we were able to finish up early. I'm sure we have time to hang out with our friends, right, Adrien?" Lila stared at him with a wide smirk. With or without Adrien, it didn't matter. She was going to have fun. Adrien was simply a tool that would help her rile Marinette up.

Adrien frowned at her look, but one look at Marinette made him change his mind. He could see that she didn't want to be here, and it didn't seem she was going to leave herself so he agreed, "I guess I could spare a few minutes." He relented and texted his driver. He wasn't going to leave Marinette alone with Lila.

"Awesome, dude." Nino grinned, giving Adrien a fist bump.

As they headed towards the café that Alya was talking about. Marinette walked behind them as Lila spoke to Alya and Nino, feeding them some tale.

She didn't realize that Adrien had slowed down his pace to walk beside her until he whispered to her, "How are you doing?"

Marinette slightly started, looking at him confused, "I'm fine. Why do you ask?" she smiled nervously.

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, "Just wanted to make sure." He glanced at Lila before returning his gaze to Marinette, "Has Lila done anything to you since the…" he trailed off, not wanting to bring up her false expulsion.

Marinette stared at him before looking ahead, "No, everything is the same." Apart from the indirect insults Lila had thrown at her and blatantly lying to everyone, nothing has changed.

Which was why she needed to try harder so nothing like this would happen again.

Adrien looked relieved, thinking Lila hadn't tried to pull another stunt on Marinette, "That's good." He didn't notice Marinette's fingers twitched as he continued on with lighter things, "I'm glad that we can all hang out, its been a while." He smiled at her, although he wouldn't have mind if Lila weren't here.

Marinette squeezed out a smile, "Yeah… it has."

"There's the café!" Alya said, looking over her shoulder with a grin as she saw Marinette and Adrien had been talking, "Come on, let's go, my sources say they make the best drinks."

"Really?!" Lila said, excitedly. And in her 'excitement', she grabbed Adrien's hand and linked her arms through Alya's who was linked with Nino and dragged them towards the café, leaving Marinette behind.

Nino laughed, holding onto his cap, "Slow down there!"

"Wait-!" Adrien try to say as he looked behind him to Marinette, "Mari-" he was ignored as Lila subtly yanked him forward, almost causing him to stumble.

Marinette watched with a blank expression as she reluctantly followed after them.

When she entered the café, she was greeted by Alya who was seated at a round table.

"Hey there, slowpoke." She chuckled, her chin resting on her steepled fingers, "Saved you a seat." She subtly winked at her.

Marintte stared at the empty seat next to Adrien while Lila sat on his other side, "Thanks." She fixed a smile at her, pulling out her chair and settling in.

So far so good.

Marinette wasn't sure how she was holding up, with how many lies Lila was sprouting and subtly taking jabs at her, but Marinette felt like she was handling it just fine.

But it seems that was just wishful thinking.

Alya let out a sigh as the topic of yesterday's akuma came up, courtesy of Lila who wanted to drag down Ladybug's reputation, "I wish there was something more I could do for Ladybug, let her know that I'm willing to help her out."

Marinette paused at her words.

Alya tilted her head to the side with a forlorn expression. She was disappointed that Ladybug didn't come back with her Fox Miraculous and that she missed out filming the rest of the fight for her blog. If she knew Ladybug was just making sure she was safe, she would've tried to film at least from a safer place, "If only she would let the other heroes help out. Lessen her burdens."

"Oh, that's a great idea, Alya!" Lila praised, making Alya smile, "Having the other heroes there would make things a lot easier and a lot efficient."

"Right?!" Alya nodded enthusiastically, "Maybe you could talk to her about that?" she was buzzing with excitement. Of course, the answer was sitting right in front of her! Lila is Ladybug's best friend! Surely, she could make the heroine consider making a permanent team.

Lila smiled, "I'll try, but…" she leaned forward, brows furrowed and a small frown on her lips, a hand cupping her mouth as she began whispering, "between you and me, Ladybug doesn't-"

"I don't think Ladybug would want to burden the other heroes with a double life." Adrien cut in sharply with a smile. He wouldn't let her insult his Lady, not if he could help it.

Alya turned to him with a raised brow, "And how do you know that?" she was sensing that this could lead to a scoop.

Adrien shifted his eyes, looking a bit nervous, "Oh, uh, Chat Noir told me when he was patrolling my area when I asked about the other heroes and that's all he could say." He smiled.

Nino turned to Alya, placing a hand on her hand, "I'm sure the other heroes will appear again when they are needed." He smiled reassuring, "For now, all we could do is trai-uh," he stumbled over his words as he quickly corrected his mistake, "h-hope that things go well for them!"

Alya slumped forward, "Well, maybe there's another way I can help her." She leaned back and took out her phone, going through her notes, "I dug up some more information about those ancient figures from the Louvre Museum. I thought there was a pattern in choosing who the heroes are."

Marinette stared at Alya with a frown, "Didn't you promise not to keep digging about Ladybug's identity? It could put her and the people around her in danger." She reminded.

So, she'll research about this, huh.

Marinette flinched at her thought, forcing that ugly feeling away and locking it up.

Alya was obsessed about superheroes, of course she can't help it.

Alya at least looked sheepish, rubbing at the back of her head, "Yeah, but maybe I'll find more things about Hawk Moth."

Lila saw this as a chance and jumped in, "It's a wonderful idea. Looking for clues to Ladybug's identity may lead to Hawk Moth's identity, Marinette." She then tilted her head to Marinette, putting on a confused look, "Why don't you support Alya in this?" she questioned, "Do you think Alya is incompetent?" she made sure her face looked shocked, making Alya looked to Marinette with a hurt look.

"Is that what you think, Marinette?" Alya asked, sounding hurt.

Nino looked at her with a frown, "Marinette." that wasn't cool of her.

Marinette looked panicked with her wide eyes as she shot forward, "No! I just-"

"That's not what Marinette meant at all, Alya." Adrien cut in, giving Lila a glare before turning to Alya with a reassuring smile, "If you keep posting all these information on your blog, not only will Ladybug see this, but also Hawk Moth, and there's no way you could just block him." He explained, "Besides, just staying out of danger is already helping Ladybug – lets her be more focus on the akuma and quickly purifies it." He explained with a grin.

Alya relaxed, smiling, before crossing her arms with a sigh, "You're right, Sunshine Boy." She nodded, "Just wished I could help out some more, y'know? She's just so amazing and cool and has everything under control." She let out a sigh. And she trusts her to wield the Miraculous. She wondered if she could convince Ladybug to let them keep their Miraculous, that way, she would save Ladybug the time to get them.

Adrien smiled fondly, thinking of his Lady. "Yeah, she really is. It's no wonder everyone believes in her."

Nino chuckled, "Of course we do."

Marinette didn't realize when she gripped the fabric on her lap, but she suddenly felt sick.

Everyone didn't notice the scowl on Lila's face, but it was swipe off with a sweet-looking smile as she changed the direction of the topic, "Do you want me to set an interview up with her? I'm sure she would love to hear how you want to help out."

Alya perked out at that, "Seriously?! That would be awesome Lila! Thank you!"

"Oh, it's no trouble at all, anything for a friend. Speaking of that," she turned to Marinette, her face looking smug, "Marinette, do you want me to mention you to Gabriel Agreste? Since I am modelling for him after all."

Marinette swallowed down the lump in her throat as she tried to remain calm. She could do this. She just has to act normal and things would be fine, "No thanks, Lila." She forced out a smile.

It was the wrong choice to make.

Alya gave her a disapproving look, "It's alright Marinette, just think of this as a chance to get noticed."

Marinette inwardly frowned as she failed. But she could recover. She turned to Alya with a sheepish grin, hoping it looked natural, "There's no need to bother Lila with this. My skills will speak for itself."

Lila then put on a face of realization, widening her eyes, "Oh, do you and Adrien already have a deal? Is that why you became-"

"Lila." Adrien said warningly.

"Yes?" Lila tilted her head, a sharp smile directed at him, just daringly him to do something.

Adrien stared back with a stiff smile before speaking, "Marinette and I have no deal going on, we're just friends. She wouldn't do something that you're implying." He stared sharply at her with a forced polite smile, "She's not that kind of person. Besides, she did win one of my father's competition all on her own. Her skills speak for herself." he defended.

Lila let out a gasp, "I didn't mean to make it sound like that." She then turned to Marinette, putting on a sad expression, "I'm so sorry Marinette, I didn't mean to offend you. You're not upset, are you?"

"Of course she's not!" Alya answered for her, not wanting anymore bad blood to brew between them, "Right, Marinette?"

"Yeah… right." Marinette weakly smiled before looking down.

I feel sick.

In a secured observatory, stood Hawk Moth as the light entered through the opening window, scattering the untainted butterflies around.

"Ahh, that ugly feeling that reveals your deepest thoughts, forcing them away while trying to defend those who have hurt you, mixed with the fear of failing the people you care about. That no matter what you do, it won't be good enough." Hawk Moth smirked as he created an akuma in his hands, the Rossi girl was making many opportunities for him to akumatise her, "Fly away, my little akuma, and evilize her poor soul!" he ordered, releasing the akuma.

When they decided to go order. Lila had gasped and regretfully said that she didn't bring any money because she was planning to go straight home after the shoot.

Of course, Alya had offered to treat her as she pulled her and Nino up to the counter to order while also giving Marinette some alone time with her crush.

But Marinette didn't notice as she sat alone with Adrien at the table.

Her heart was screaming at her to go, asking why she was subjecting herself to this, but her head told her that if she left, Lila would spin some tale on her and Alya would be disappointed in her again.

She had to prove to Alya that everything was fine.

That she was-

"-okay?"

Marinette flinched and whipped her head at Adrien, startling him as well, "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Adrien awkwardly pulled his hand back and scratched the side of his cheek, "Uh, I asked if you were okay…" he awkwardly repeated. He had called out her name a couple of times with no success and was about to shake her shoulder when she came back to reality.

"O-oh, yeah, sorry." Marinette forced out a smile, "I'm-"

She was going to sit here and go through whatever Lila was going to throw at her.

She was going to prove to Alya that she was fine with Lila and that there was nothing to worry about.

She was going to-

Lie

Marinette paled.

Her seat screeched as it was pushed out when she shot up with wide eyes, her fringe shadowing her eyes a bit, "I'm sorry Adrien," she started with an apology, "I feel a bit sick so I'm going to go home." She said, ignoring her surroundings.

She needed to leave.

Adrien stood up as well with a worried frown, "Are you okay? I can call my driver and we'll-"

Marinette shook her head, already walking towards the exit, "No, it's alright. You stay here and enjoy." She said before pushing the door open, shutting out any response from him.

As soon as she walked out of the café, she turned down the street towards the direction to her home.

She couldn't do this.

Her walk turned into a brisk pace.

She didn't want to lie any more than she must.

Her brisk pace turned into a run.

Hearing Alya doing research on Ladybug's identity once more when she promised she wouldn't.

Hearing Alya doing research for Ladybug, but not on Lila's claims.

Hearing Ladybug being praised, defended and believed without question.

She was also becoming something that she hated.

All that made her feel sick.

Too distracted, Marinette wasn't paying attention to where she was going until she almost clashed into someone rounding the corner on their bike.

With her fast reflexes, she managed to avoid an accident, but she lost her balance and fell back on the concrete ground, only registering the screeching tires forcefully coming to a halt.

"Marinette?! Are you okay?!" Luka quickly got off his bike, ignoring his bike clattering to the ground along his acoustic guitar and a spare helmet as he kneeled before her, checking her hands for any scratches, "Oh no, you're bleeding." His face was stricken with worry. The scratches weren't that bad, but there was a bit of blood trickling from the heel of her palms from where she broke her fall with. He was reaching into his pockets for something to wipe the blood away when he noticed the paleness on her face, her breathing was a bit quick and her eyes were wide and unfocused. Concerned, he reached out to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, fortunately snapping her whatever she was in, "Marinette?" he called out softly to her.

Startled, Marinette turned her wide eyes to realize that Luka was in front of her, "S-Sorry!" she apologized, "I- um, wasn't paying attention to where I was going." She forced out a sheepish laugh, pushing herself up and dusting herself off, unaware that she wiped the blood on her palms on the side of her jeans.

Luka stared at her with worried eyes and pushed himself up, "You look pale." He pointed out with a concerned tone, "Are you feeling sick?"

Marinette averted her eyes, "Just… Just a bit." She admitted with a weary smile, "I was planning to go home now."

"Do you want a ride home?" he offered with a gentle welcoming smile. When he saw her eyes dart towards his fallen bike, he went to pick it up and his fallen items, putting them back in the basket on his bike, "I'm just coming back from my job so I have nowhere else to be." He explained as he offered her his spare helmet.

Marinette blinked, as if she was comprehending what was going on, only working on autopilot.

She shouldn't bother him.

Luka must be tired from his delivery job.

"Its-" But just as she was about decline his kind offer, from the corner of her eyes, she saw Adrien come out of the café, looking around and not a few seconds later Lila came out as well.

Freezing up, she impulsively changed her mind, "If it's no trouble at all." She quickly rushed, accepting the helmet and shakily put it on.

It seemed that he hadn't noticed the others and that was fine.

She wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible.

She knew she shouldn't be selfish, but she was afraid of the possibilities.

Luka mounted on his bike and waited for Marinette to hop on. Once she did, her hands wrapped around his waist, and as he was about to take off, he heard someone call out her name.

"Marinette!"

Looking up, he saw Adrien a few distance away, running towards them, and a girl he didn't recognize. He looked over his shoulder to tell her, "Hey, there's Ad…" but stopped when he felt her grip tightened on him, her head lowered, almost touching his back.

Taking the situation in, Luka took off without question, ignoring Adrien's questioning stare.

"Follow after her! Don't let her out of your sight!" Hawk Moth ordered his akuma. He wasn't going to let this opportunity go.

Adrien frowned in concern, watching as Luka and Marinette rode off. He was sure they had heard him call out to her – he even made eye contact with Luka.

A sinking feeling gnawed at him.

Did they purposely ignore him?

Did Marinette ignore him?

"Oh my, I hope I didn't do anything to upset Marinette."

Lila's patronizing voice snapped him out of it and made him turn to see that she was smirking.

He didn't get a chance to respond when Alya and Nino came out, holding their drinks.

Alya frowned as she handed Lila her drink, "Where's Marinette?" she asked looking around, nobody was at the table and when she saw Adrien and Lila outside together, she couldn't help but put things together. Letting out a sigh, and shaking her head in disappointment, she let out a small groan, "Don't tell me she left."

Lila clutched at her drink and hunched her shoulder, putting on a sad look, "Don't tell me she left because of m-" before she could finish her sentence, Adrien cut her off.

"Marinette didn't look so well so I told her that maybe she should go home!" he lied, not letting Lila use this against Marinette. He ignored the scowl she sent him but pretended he didn't see anything.

Alya blinked in surprise, "Wha?..." her disappointing look turned to one of concern, "I didn't notice that she was sick." She had thought Marinette had left because she couldn't stand Lila and Adrien together. Although if that were the case, then she would have probably stayed and kept her eyes on them like she did back then… but thinking about it, maybe her bff really wasn't feeling so great if she had left Adrien.

"Yeah, she was feeling just a bit under the weather, but I think she'll be fine." Adrien reassured her.

Alya nodded then looked at the group, "Maybe we should go visit her, bring her a drink."

But with one glance over at Lila who looked like she was all for it, Adrien knew that it wasn't a great idea, "Uh, I don't know guys, she'll probably be taking a nap, we don't want to disturb her." He explained.

Alya thought it over and nodded, taking a sip of her drink, "Well should we do something? Just because Marinette left, doesn't mean we still can't hang out." She offered, "You still have time, right, Adrien?" she asked.

"Well, my father said that he had some business with Kagami's mother and told me to return home as soon as the Photoshoot was done." He said, just as his car pulled up and his driver stepped out, signaling that their impromptu outing was over.

Alya looked on curious, "Will Kagami be there as well? Do you know what they're talking about?" maybe she could tell Marinette some scoop on her rival.

Adrien shrugged, "Kagami always come over whenever father has a meeting with her mother, but I don't know what they talk about." He glanced over to his car, "But it's about time to go. I don't want to be anymore late." He shot them an apologetic smile.

Nino offered him a fist bump, "No worries, dude. We understand." He smiled an understanding smile, "Next time." He gave a thumbs up. Maybe he could throw another party, but this time with the girls as well.

Alya then turned to Lila with a smile, "Well I guess it's just you and us hanging out."

Lila blinked out of her thought. At hearing the familiar-sounding name come out of Adrien's mouth, she narrowed her eyes and tried to remember just where she heard the name, "Kagami?" her eyes then lit up as she remembered that demon girl who uselessly failed at taking out the bug, "Oh, that pretty fencer girl!" she plastered herself to Adrien's side, who stiffened with discomfort, and slid an arm through his. She gave Alya and Nino a wide smile, "I'm sorry, but Adrien promised me that he'll introduce me to Kagami sometime when he invited me over last time." She battered her lashes at him, her nails digging into his arm "Isn't that right?"

Adrien put on a forced smile, "I don't think my father would allow me to bring home… friends so sudden."

Lila waved him off, "It's fine, your father and I are on good terms, he wouldn't mind." She chuckled, then shot Alya a wink as if everything is now settled.

Alya blinked before beaming, "Great, then Nino and I will be off!" she grabbed a confused looking Nino's hand and tugged him along, "You guys have fun!" she then looked at Lila, "Call me later with the deets!" she grinned over her shoulder and left with Nino in tow.

"Alya? What-?" Nino started, looking back and forth, not sure what just happened.

"Everything is going to be fine." Alya grinned happily. Lila knew about Marinette's crush on Adrien, and that wink she gave her let her know that she was going to help Marinette out with Adrien. That was just so sweet of Lila.

She saw an opportunity and took it.

As soon as the couple left, Adrien politely took his arm back with a frown.

"Well, shall we get going?" Lila asked, ignoring Adrien's action.

Adrien didn't move, "You should stop targeting Marinette like that."

Lila titled her head, "Oh? What do you mean? I didn't do anything. We were all having a pleasant time until she felt sick and left herself. I didn't do anything." She grinned wickedly, enjoying how just a couple of simple lies could riled the girl.

Adrien narrowed his eyes at her, "If you keep lying like that, you're going to come to regret not stopping while you had the chance."

Her grin was swiped off, and she let out a displeased frown and glared at him, "Is that a threat, Adrien?" she questioned, raising a brow at him.

His face remained unchanged as he stared into her eyes, unblinking, "Of course not, we're friends, aren't we?" he questioned rhetorically, not an ounce of friendliness in his voice.

Lila continued to narrow her eyes at him before smiling a saccharine smile, yet her eyes were patronizing, "Of course we're friends." She answered sweetly. If he thought he could control her, well, he'll just have to see just how ridiculously wrong he was. It was amusing how he thought she was wrapped around his finger, but it was the other way around.

She had him and everyone else wrapped around her finger.

The girl turned towards his car, "Come on, Adrien, we don't want to keep your company waiting." She reminded, reaching for the handle of the car door, but she was blocked by his large gorilla of a driver. She inwardly scowled at his interference.

The bodyguard only opened up the door while blocking Lila from entering when Adrien came towards them.

"If you keep lying, they are all going to catch up to you." Adrien reminded with an unsympathetic look.

Annoyance surge through her eyes, her grip on her drink tightened, crushing it slightly, "I'm not lying." She stated.

Adrien shook his head at her denial with a frown. He had to be careful about this, he couldn't risk Lila becoming an akuma.

Lila as an akuma was dangerous.

But Lila as a civilian was manageable.

He rather he and Ladybug not face another one of Lila's akumas if possible.

So he had to do what he could.

"You should stop lying while you're ahead." He repeated his reminder before facing the front, signaling that he was ready to go home.

Lila nearly growled, "I am not-!"

The bodyguard closed the door, shutting her up and diligently returned to the driver seat, driving off and leaving Lila standing all alone on the curb without another word.

Dumbfounded, Lila stared after the car before glaring after it.

An akuma would be great right about now.

Adrien let out a sigh as he leaned his head on his fist.

Plagg peeked out from Adrien's jacket with a relieved sigh, "Good riddance. I don't need that girl snooping your drawers, especially at my cheese." He huffed, quiet enough not to be heard by the gorilla.

Adrien glanced at his driver before looking down with a smile, "Don't worry, she's not going to do that." He promised. He wasn't going to allow her to force his way into his home again.

He'll make sure of it.

Unless his father has something to do with it.

Speaking of his father. Adrien frowned.

He didn't understand why he'd allowed Lila to work with him, especially for a girl with no modelling experience model one of his clothes.

If he had wanted someone to model his female clothing, he would've demanded the modelling agency the best they had.

So why did he choose Lila, who had no modelling experience come along? Even if Lila had lied, his father would have ran a background check.

He allowed only the best.

Adrien then glanced at the empty seat beside him.

Nathalie was supposed to accompany him on today's shoot, but she wasn't feeling so well to go outside and instead, stayed in the manor to prep for the meeting between his father and Kagami's mother.

Leaning back with a resigned sigh. There was nobody he could ask for this so there was no point in thinking any further.

He just has to focus on the now.

While it was a shame that he couldn't hang out with his friends, he had to admit that he was relieved to leave that tense atmosphere and away from Lila.

And if Lila had managed to come along, he was pretty sure it would be worse if Lila were to meet with Kagami.

At the thought of Kagami, Adrien couldn't help but smile. He was looking forward to spending time with her. It would feel like he finally had a friend over, even if she was there because their parents had a meeting.

Throughout the whole ride back, Marinette stayed silent as Luka pedalled towards her home.

He didn't ask questions, nor did he push her to talk.

He simply let her have this moment of silence.

And for that, Marinette felt grateful, already feeling calm.

But she needed to apologize to him and the others later.

At that thought, she subconsciously squeezed Luka's waist tighter.

She was bothering Luka with this. He was probably looking forward to getting home and drop down on his bed after his job, but because she couldn't stand to sit and listen to them talk anymore, she ran away and involved Luka in her problem.

Just what was she doing?

She said that she would try harder, not run away.

The bike slowed to a stop and Marinette blinked, lifting her head from his back, her arms loosen around his waist as she looked around.

They were stopped on the side of the bakery where the other entrance was.

Marinette listlessly slid off her seat and began taking off the helmet, "Thanks, Luka." She smiled. It wasn't a bright smile, but she really was grateful to him.

Luka took back the helmet and placed it in the basket, "It's fine, Marinette. I was glad to." He smiled at her.

Marinette stared back for a moment but looked away from his gaze. She could see that she was making him worry about her, "S-Sorry for making you do this when you're tired." She apologized, "And your guitar…" she furrowed her brows in confusion before her eyes widened in alarm, "Your guitar-! I'm s-!"

Before she could apologize, Luka gently grasped her hand, mindful of the small scratches, startling her to look back at him.

"Don't apologize." He said to her, frowning.

Marinette's brows furrowed, "Sor-" she bit her tongue as she faced down, stopping herself from apologizing again, but she didn't know what she should say. It was her fault, so she had to apologize.

Luka rubbed his thumb on the back of her hand in comfort, "There's nothing to apologize. I was the one who offered. If I didn't want to, I wouldn't have suggested it. And it would take more than that to damage my guitar." He leaned towards her slightly, tilting his head and peered at her, trying to get her to look up. When she stared at him, he smiled when their eyes connected, "Yeah?" he was relieved that she began relaxing, even if it was just a bit.

Marinette nodded, letting out a quiet hum. She closed her eyes and breathed in, calming herself down.

Things would be alright.

Like with trying to move on from Adrien, she just had to remember.

Baby steps.

Instead of a goal, she just had to take baby steps towards it and eventually, things would be fine.

Opening her eyes, she met Luka's patient eyes, and instead of flinching away, or feeling embarrassed, she felt calm by it.

(She was probably too tired to react.)

Her eyes then trailed to the ground but blinked when she noticed that she was still holding his hand.

She took her hand back, feeling embarrassed that she was holding onto his hand this whole time, "Oh, um, err." She had to find a subject to focus on, "Helmet!" she squeaked out quietly, "Why… Why do you, I mean not like you can't have 2- but uh, you didn't have 2 last time…" she finished lamely.

Luka simply smiled, "I did say that I'll bring a spare just in case." He cheekily reminded.

Marinette blinked in surprise but couldn't help that small smile that slipped out.

Seeing that, Luka's smile widened. He was glad that she was beginning to feel better, "Do you want some company?" he asked.

Marinette looked up at the sky. The weather was nice and she felt fine now. She genuinely wouldn't mind hanging out with Luka. "I…" just as she was about to accept, she froze when she noticed something green flying towards the window to her room.

"Marinette?" Luka blinked, about to turn his head to see what got her to freeze on the spot when Marinette grabbed his arm for his attention.

"M-Maybe next time!" she gave a panicked smile, relieved that he didn't continue looking, "I- um think I'm going to take a nap - You should too! You must be tired!" she rushed, moving towards the door, one leg already in, "Thanks for the ride, I really appreciate it, maybe we can hang out next time! Bye, Luka!" she called out.

"Marinette!"

She froze just as she was about to shut the door and looked over at him.

"Call me if you need anything." He smiled.

Marinette's heart thumped and stared into his sincere eyes, "Thanks." she smiled before closing the door.

As soon as she shut the trapdoor to her room, she exclaimed, "Wayzz!"

Said kwami phased through the window.

"My apologies, Marinette, for the sudden visit." Wayzz said as a greeting, "But Master Fu wishes to speak to you."

Tikki flew out of her purse, looking worried, "Is something wrong?"

Marinette bit her lip. She couldn't help but think that this was related to the recent akuma.

Wayzz shook his head, reassuring his fellow friend, "It is nothing serious, but he is waiting for you." He said to Marinette before turning around and phasing back out.

Marinette looked at Tikki, "Do you think he lost his phone or lost his keys again and locked himself out?"

"Maybe he's sick again?" Tikki added.

Marinette just shrugged and walked near the window, peeking out to check the streets. She couldn't help but frown when Luka wasn't there.

But it was just as well.

She had to deal with this new issue now.

Knocking at the door to the massage parlour, Marinette slid the door open a bit, "Master Fu?" she called out as Wayzz entered over her head.

"Ah, Marinette, come in." he greeted with a warm welcome. Master Fu gestured a seat in front of him, pouring tea into another cup and passed it over to her and carefully observed her, "I was able to watch the news on the akuma yesterday."

Marinette flinched in which he noticed.

She didn't think her excuses would work so she should just confess, "I'm sorry Master Fu." She bit her lip, "I know what the Lucky Charm wanted me to do, but I ignored it, prolonging Paris from their safety." She said, feeling ashamed.

Master Fu raised his hand and shook his head, "The Ladybug's Lucky Charm gives the user what they need, and it is the user who decides what to do with it. Their creativity is what allows them to use the object to the fullest."

"But I-"

Master Fu gave her an understanding smile, "How are things going in your civilian life?"

Marinette's eyes widened.

Of course.

Gripping the teacup in her hands, Marinette forced herself to smile, "It's nothing-nothing I can't handle, the situation is fine. Just some teenage drama. I just need to-" she started to ramble, her speech quickening to a panic, eyes scrunching up, brows furrowed. This was silly, this was a problem she could deal with. Shaking her head, she shot up with the cup in her hands, "No, it's nothing- this is nothing, I should-"

Before she could continue, Master Fu's soothing voice made her stop from leaving, making her sit back down.

She hadn't noticed she was staring at the ground as she talked. Marinette took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down, "It's fine. Everything is alright now." She stubbornly answered.

Master Fu stared at her for a moment before nodding, "I see." Dropping the matter for now, "Shall we continue on with the teachings?"

Marinette wholeheartedly welcome the distraction.

"We've covered a lot, I think that's enough for the day." Master Fu smiled.

"Thank you for the lesson, Master Fu. I've learned a lot." Marinette breathed out, going over what she was just taught about the kawmis.

Master Fu nodded, looking pleased before looking at the time. It was getting late but there was one more thing he wanted to do, "Can I talk to Tikki for a moment?" he smiled gently at Marinette while Tikki blinked.

"Oh, uh sure." Marinette stood up, "Err, I'll just be waiting outside." She awkwardly pointed towards the exit with her fingers.

"Thank you, Marinette. It won't take long." He assured her.

They watched her close the door before Tikki flew forward, "Is there something wrong, Great Guardian?"

"How is Marinette these days?"

Tikki tilted her head, wondering why he was asking that, but she answered without delay, "There were some issues at school, but things are back to normal. Marinette said she has everything under control." she beamed. Confidently believing in her chosen.

Master Fu thought over the kwami of creation's words carefully before asking another question, "Has Marinette faced anything upsetting in her life?"

Tikki frowned, "She was almost akumatised, but fortunately, Hawk Moth didn't proceed with it."

Master Fu and Wayzz stared in shock.

"She was almost…" Master Fu closed his eyes and breathed in.

Seeing the Great Guardian and her old friend look shock, Tikki tried to reassure them that everything was fine, "But she's fine. She handled the situation well and she's doing great, both as Ladybug and as Marinette."

Master Fu opened his eyes, from what he gathered from Marinette and from Tikki, he could guess something bad was going on in school. He then looked over to Tikki's innocent face. He knew the kwami of creation was one to encourage her holders to be their very best, taking on new opportunities but… "Tikki, you must remember, Marinette is only 14 years old."

Tikki nodded, looking confused, "Yes, I know that."

Fu nodded, hoping the kwami who had been dormant for a long time to understand, "Being 14 is no longer considered as an adult. I know that all your previous holders were the age around 12 to 15 and were considered as adults at the time, but society change and so have the age of adulthood." He stared at Tikki to see if she was following, "Education is not considered as a luxury and further education wasn't necessary back then, but you have to realise that all that has change as human civilisation advance forward. Marinette has obligations to attend to in her civilian life, dreams she's working towards. But she is also a superhero." For a moment, he looked regretful that he gave a young child a huge responsibility, but he was desperate at the time, "If you were to keep pushing her to be the very best, encouraging her to take on more than she could, Marinette might someday break."

A memory of Marinette hugging her knees, head buried against them flash through Tikki's mind, but she shook it off, "But she's Ladybug! I know that she could handle it." Her chosen always bounced back, looking at the positive.

"Precisely, because she's Ladybug." Master Fu nodded solemnly, "She's Ladybug, but most importantly, she's Marinette, a child who is trying to balance two lives. Tikki, you must remember, while Marinette is a superhero, she is also human. No human is perfect, and they are allowed to make mistakes."

Tikki looked down, as if ashamed, "But I don't want her to miss out because she's Ladybug."

Master Fu nodded, understanding the little God's point, "If Marinette truly wants to do something, I'm sure she'll find a way, but just watch over her. She doesn't need any more responsibilities than she already has."

Tikki nodded, "I promise to do better." She declared, bowing her head at him, bidding him farewell. She then flew out, looking for her chosen but looked confused when she wasn't waiting for her, "Marinette?" she called out worriedly, flying around, looking for her. She then flew up and phased through the ceiling, thinking that she was waiting outside the massage parlour. She looked around until she heard Marinette calling for her in a panic.

Quickly flying towards her voice, Tikki let out a gasp when she saw an akuma chasing after Marinette.

As soon as she closed the door behind her, Marinette leaned her head back against the door, closing her eyes for a bit.

She was failing.

She was failing as Marinette but now she was failing as Ladybug!

Master Fu wouldn't have summoned her unless he had a request for her or he was teaching her more about the Miraculous world, but the lessons was just a cover up. His true purpose for summoning her was because she had let her feelings get mixed with business.

A great superhero thinks with their head, not their heart and she didn't do that.

And she failed three times already!

Marinette cradled her head, trying to calm down.

She needed fresh air.

Pushing away from the door, Marinette headed outside to clear her head. She needed to stop thinking about her mistakes, but that was hard to do.

She had hesitated and ignored what her Lucky Charm was clearly pointing out what she had needed. But because she didn't listen, it took longer to purifying the akuma, making innocent civilians experience bad memories – people could've been traumatised because she had prolonged a fight she could've ended earlier!

Marinette placed her hands on her arms, trying to hold herself together.

But at the sound of wings flapping, her head shot up to see an akuma coming at her.

Her breath hitched.

She really was a failure.

Backing away, she ran away as the akuma started gaining on her, attracted to the fear she was oozing.

"Tikki!" she cried out, hoping that her kwami heard her.

"Tikki!" she took another turn, trying to put some distance between her and the akuma.

She then let out another cry, "Tikki!"

"Marinette!"

Turning into an alleyway, losing the akuma for a moment, Marinette gasped out, "Tikki, spots on!"

As soon as the akuma turned the corner, it was immediately swiped by a yo-yo.

She purified the akuma and released it.

Safe for now, Ladybug squeezed her eyes tight, a hand clutching at her head with an ashamed expression on her face, her jaw trembling.

She sniffed.

"It's gone!" Hawk Moth cried out in alarm before coming to a realisation, "Ladybug." He growled out, clenching a fist, "Curse you." He fumed, "Don't think you could protect the girl forever, sooner or later, Marinette Dupain Cheng will fall victim to the negativity around her and she'll become my ultimate masterpiece!" he declared as the window of the observatory began closing, enveloping the room back into darkness. He turned around and headed towards the secret elevator in the ground, there was no point in sending out any of his akumas if the superheroine was still around.

"It'll be too late to stop it. Just you wait, Ladybug." he darkly promised as his lair was now swallowed up in darkness.

Notes:

The akuma isn't really the main focus but I needed a title. I was planning for Rena Rouge to appear, but went with this option instead.
Tell me if this is too OOC or if the flow of things is still okay.

Hope you enjoyed it.

Chapter 12: Favours

Notes:

#
Another long chapter, like 46 pages long.
Happy readings!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Ladybug dropped through the skylight of her balcony and landed on her bed.

She didn't want to greet her parents down in the bakery with the condition she was in.

Besides, when they noticed that she was gone, they would come up and check her room to see her here and would think she just entered when they were too busy to notice.

Taking a breath to calm herself, Ladybug stared at her spotted-clad hands and closed her eyes, bracing herself for what she knew was to come next.

"Tikki…" she took one more breath, "Spots off." And caught a tired, but worried Tikki, in her cupped hands.

Tikki pushed herself up with a worried look, "That was too close, Marinette! Hawk Moth could have-!"

"I know!" She had thought she was prepared, but she guessed she still felt raw from what had just happened a few minutes ago.

Both Tikki and Marinette flinched at her loud cry. Marinette instantly feeling guilty while Tikki drew in on herself, looking hurt.

"I'm sorry-I didn't mean to- I'm sorry, Tikki." Marinette immediately apologized, hating that she had yelled at the kwami. She shot her an apologetic smile and tried to reassure her that everything was still fine, "I'm sorry, Tikki, but don't worry, Ladybug didn't get akumatised so it's fine. I'm going to try harder, so you don't have to worry, okay?" she pulled out a cookie from her purse and handed it to the quiet kwami who speechlessly accepted it.

Seeing that, Marinette felt even more guilty and blamed herself for causing the little kwami like that.

She shouldn't be yelling at Tikki for her mistake. This was her fault. She almost got akumatised again and Tikki was just concerned.

She just… didn't want to hear about Ladybug being compromised right now.

"I think I should get some fresh air, cool my head down." Marinette strained a smile while trying to make herself sound calm.

Tikki looked at her Chosen- actually looked at her. She stared at the strained smile on her face, her shoulders tensed and her eyes…

Where was her usual bright bubbly energetic eyes?

How long had they looked tired?

"Alright." Tikki murmured absentmindedly as she floated up and watched as Marinette pulled herself up onto her balcony, but not without one more apology.

Tikki didn't know what to say. All she could think of was Marinette shouting at her.

Did… Did I cause that?

She thought back to Marinette and her guilt-ridden face as she apologized to her.

She thought about why Marinette had apologized.

The reason was because she had snapped and yelled at her.

But why did she snap?

"That was too close, Marinette! Hawk Moth could have-!"

"I know!"

Tikki looked down and carefully went through what she said.

"Did I put pressure on Marinette?" she asked to the empty room. She didn't mean to. She was only worried that Marinette had almost gotten akumatised again. Who would save her if Hawk Moth were to attain her earrings?

Marinette had said she was fine.

But her eyes said otherwise.

"If you were to keep pushing her to be the very best, encouraging her to take on more than she could, Marinette might someday break."

She startled when the words of Master Fu's rang through her head and she subconsciously tightened her grip on the cookie.

Was Marinette breaking?

Was all her encouragement making things worse?

Lifting her head up, Tikki stared at the corkboard on the wall where it was once covered with photos of her friends and posters of Adrien. She then flew towards the edge of the second step on the stairs and looked down at her desk, looking at the space that once sat Marinette's favourite fashion magazines.

They were all gone and…

Her eyes trailed towards the chest that held captive of those as well as the birthday presents Marinette made for Adrien.

So far, all the things Marinette enjoyed was hidden away from view.

But that can't be right. Marinette still enjoyed designing, she was drawing in her sketchpad just yesterday.

Her eyes then went back to the desk and Tikki faltered at the many scrunched up papers still left on her desk, surrounding the sketchpad.

Marinette had been drawing, but she had ripped out and scrunched up every one of her ideas.

This… isn't one of usual her art block, is it…

Just when did it start?

Marinette had said that things were fine. That she had everything under control.

So why weren't things fine like Marinette says?

"Being 14 is no longer considered as an adult…" the words from Master Fu reminded her.

That's right, this wasn't the 14th Century B.C where La Déesse Coccinelle got to see a 15-year-old Nefertiti get married.

Nor was this the 15th Century when Jeanne d'Arc lead the French Army to victory at the ripe age of 18.

No, Marinette wasn't a 15-year-old adult who can get married or a capable adult who lead an army in war by 18.

Marinette was simply 14, a child in today's standards who was carving a path towards her future.

She… shouldn't even be doing superhero stuff in the first place.

It really dawned on that she had been dormant for too long, missing out as the world advanced forward and restructured their social rules, and at that moment, Tikki couldn't help that spark of anger directed at Master Fu for putting Marinette in such a position, knowing that he was placing such a huge responsibility on a child.

But Master Fu wasn't just to blame, it was also her fault as well.

She was the one in charge of guiding Marinette. She should have noticed the things going around her.

But she didn't.

Tikki had failed Marinette.

Lowering herself on the steps as if she had no more energy, Tikki let out a sad frown.

"I have to do something. If this continues, Marinette will break." She feared, feeling anxious for her Chosen's future.

But can she even do something for Marinette?

She hadn't even realized that something had change within Marinette until Master Fu pointed it out and he hadn't needed to be with Marinette to tell. Just one look and he was able to sense something was up…

Tikki shook her head, a determined look in her eyes. "Positive! Think Positive!" she encouraged herself. She can't mope around, she had to fix what she can now! This time, things will be different, she'll make sure of it! "For Marinette!" she declared, before shoving the cookie in her mouth.

Energy renewed; she flew to where Marinette was.

Marinette laid her head on the iron railings, her arm hanging over it while the other cradled her head.

I need to try harder…

I can't let Tikki worry about this.

At the thought of the little kwami, Marinette dug her face deeper against the cool metal railings, still feeling ashamed at her actions.

She needed a better control of her emotions.

If she had a better grasp on it, she wouldn't have yelled at Tikki.

Also, her classmates, teachers and parents wouldn't be so quick to doubt her.

She needed to try harder.

Like that outing that Alya had planned.

She had run away because she couldn't handle it, didn't like the situation and didn't like what she was becoming, but because of her actions, she probably gave Lila more chances to turn them against her.

She needed to try harder.

Even if she had to throw away her integrity.

"Marinette?"

The sound of Tikki's concern voice sounded beside her head and startled her, but she didn't lift her head up, "Yes, Tikki?" she answered, hoping her voice sounded light.

It was a while before Tikki spoke again, "Are you… okay?" she hesitatingly asked. The little god had come up, all ready to cheer Marinette up, but one look at the gloomy disposition her Chosen was in, she hesitated.

If she were to encourage her like she usually did, would that just make things worse?

Marinette lifted her head with a smile on her lips, her hands on the railings as she leaned back, "I'm fine. Just a bit shaken up, but I'm fine." She answered with a closed eye smile.

She needed to show her she was fine.

Tikki grinned, feeling relieved, "That's gre-!" but she stopped herself short. "I'm doing it again." She scolded herself. She can't just accept Marinette's answers anymore, she had to look at Marinette and carefully observe her Holder. Try to look for signs that her smile was genuine. Her eyes trailed over her, a quick glance to her hands gripping on the railings and she could see her knuckles were white, a careful stare at the small furrow in her brow and that strained smile…

The kwami lowered her head with a shameful frown, squeezing her flipper.

And after she had promised to do better for Marinette…

"Tikki?" Marinette called out in a worried tone. Her kwami had been quiet for a while now, "What's wrong. Is this about what happened just then? I'm sorry that I yelled at you for my own mis-"

Tikki furiously shook her head without looking up, her lips pressed tightly together, "No, it's not that… I should be the one apologizing."

Marinette furrowed her brows in confusion, "What… are you talking about?" Tikki didn't do anything wrong, she was the one who made a mistake and more.

Wringing her flippers, Tikki looked up with apologetic eyes, "I realized I haven't been a good friend to you." Her careless encouragement had given Marinette plenty of hope and the energy to move forward, but in retrospect, they never really helped Marinette confront her main problems at hand.

And the results were starting to show.

"What are you saying?" Marinette didn't know how Tikki had come to that conclusion. She was a wonderful kwami who always encouraged her to reach for greater things, guided her and supported her. Reaching out, she gently cupped her hands around the kwami and brought her to her chest, hugging her, "You are a good friend." She tried to reassure her, "You have been by my side, encouraging and supporting me like a good friend do. Whenever I have troubles, you're the one I come to for advice and share my secrets to that not even Alya knows." She explained, leaning back to look at Tikki who was hanging her head with a frown.

Marinette bit her lip, "What should I do? She's still upset." She thought with a frown, "I need to try harder. It's my fault that she's feeling this way." Closing her eyes, she breathed in to try and clear her mind, forcing her mind to calm down. When she opened her eyes, she put on a gentle smile and softly poke the kwami's stomach to get her attention, "Hey." She quietly called out.

Tikki couldn't help the little giggle that came out of her when her stomach was poked and looked up, relaxing a bit when she realised that it was a genuine gentle smile on her Chosen's face.

Hearing that giggle, Marinette smiled a bit more out of relief, "I don't know how or why you came to that conclusion, but you are a good friend. Whatever I did to make you think otherwise, I'm sorry. I've… just been feeling a bit stressed," she shrugged, "but don't worry. I promise that things will be fine, and that Ladybug won't be compromised because of me. So, don't go thinking you haven't been a good friend just because of an akuma." She put on a sheepish smile with furrowed brows, "I'll try not to let that happen again."

Tikki opened her mouth, wanting to speak, but closed it as she stared at her Chosen, unsure of what to say. Marinette was smiling, but it didn't look forced. Her apologies were genuine and so were her promise, but… "This… This isn't right." Should she say something? But what should she say? Should she give her the encouragement to follow through or would that only put pressure on her? Was it too soon to talk about her situation or would Marinette shut her out?

Has Marinette been shutting her out?

Tikki inwardly shook her head. This was about Marinette but, even though she was a God who lived thousands of years, Tikki didn't know what to do.

She just wants to cheer Marinette up.

Remembering the things locked away in that chest, Tikki began thinking.

Marinette was the most happiest when she was with her friends and spending time with Adrien and she also enjoyed getting her hands on the newest issue of her favourite fashion magazines, but now that Lila had sunk her claws in them, the things that bought Marinette joy now left her with bad memories of them.

She had to fix that.

She wanted to get those happy moments back for Marinette, but she had to start small.

Tikki couldn't do anything about her friends and Lila, but she could try to get Marinette's love of fashion back, "I believe you, Marinette." Tikki smiled, "Why don't you design something, there's a lovely sunset, I'm sure it would give you the inspiration you need."

Marinette blinked and looked around her. Just as Tikki said, there really was a lovely sunset. The evening sun was setting, colouring the sky in a mixture of orange, purple and pink with wisp of clouds decorating the warm sky, making the city slowly become the city of lights as a few buildings already had their lights on.

It really was a lovely sight, "Yeah, you're probably right…" she breathed out.

Tikki grinned, "Great! You stay here, I'll go get your sketchpad." Was all she said as she flew off to retrieve it.

Alone on her balcony, Marinette went to take a seat on her pink and white striped deck chair and closed her eyes for a moment. She could see that Tikki was trying to cheer her up and she only felt disappointed in herself for making her worry.

If she had proper control on her feelings, Tikki wouldn't have noticed - Master Fu wouldn't have noticed.

She was only disappointing them.

Marinette had to try harder; she has to make sure that the delicate peace she found herself living in would continue as long as possible, or at least until they defeated Hawk Moth and there was no risk of being akumatized.

Marinette buried her face in her knees.

She needed to try harder for everyone.

On Monday morning, Lila woke up feeling irritated from yesterday's treatment.

If Adrien thought he could get away with trying to control and talk to her like that yesterday, then he was gravely mistaken.

She just simply had to teach him just who was the one with power and watch as he regrets protecting his little friend.

So Lila walked to school with a plan.

Inwardly smirking, she entered her kingdom full of dumb fools and leisurely wondered just who should she start with.

Scanning the crowd, her gaze landed on Juleka and Rose standing together, bobbing their heads to the music they were listening with shared earphones. Seeing that neither Adrien nor Marinette were here, she smirked, "Perfect." She murmured under her breath before arranging her face to a perky and sweet smile as she jogged over to them with her hand waving at them, "Good morning guys!"

Rose looked up, returning the sweet smile, "Good morning!" she chirped while Juleka mumbled her greeting.

The girls removed their earphones when Lila stopped in front of them.

"How was your weekend?" Lila innocently started.

Rose grinned, "Juleka and I went out for ice-cream and took a stroll! I also found some new inspiration for Kitty Section's next song!"

"Wow, that sounds wonderful!" Lila clasped her hands together, "If you were to put together an album, I can hand it over to Jagged Stone to listen, if you like." She grinned, "He did say he owed me for saving his precious cat." She winked.

Rose let out a gasp, looking excited, "You'll do that for us? That's so sweet of you Lila!"

"That's really cool of you." Juleka let out a small smile.

Lila let out a bashful laugh and wave them off, "It's no trouble at all. You're my friends, of course I would want to help you. If I have the connections, why don't I use them for the sake of my friend's happiness?" she then made a face as if she remembered something, "Oh, that reminds me." She turned to Juleka with a small smile, "Yesterday, I had a modelling gig with Adrien."

"That's amazing!" Rose praised.

Lila nodded, but didn't let up her smile, "It went really well so when we finished, I wanted to show Gabriel Agreste a photo of you to see if he likes your style and I remembered that you told me Marinette used you to model her clothes for her website." She then put a hand on her cheek and sighed, "But I couldn't find a single photo of you."

Juleka fidgeted on the spot, looking a bit awkward, "Marinette hasn't completed her website yet." She murmured.

"Oh." Lila gasped out, quickly fixing her mistake, "No wonder I couldn't find it, I thought I had found her website…" she sighed. She was inwardly blaming Marinette for that small mishap, but she could use this to her advantage. She tilted her head, looking confused, "I wonder why she hasn't completed her website yet… how long has it been?" she asked.

Juleka and Rose looked at each other with furrowed brows.

It has been a while…

Rose looked up and spoke for them, "Marinette is busy with other things. I'm sure she'll get to finishing her website soon." She nodded. Marinette has been helping the band and has other commitments to focus on, so they could understand that the girl didn't have time to work on her own things.

Lila blinked, "Really, I thought…" she shook her head as if to dismiss the thought, "No, it's nothing." She timidly averted her eyes.

"What is it?" Rose clasped her hands to her chest and leaned forward, looking concern at her sudden change.

Lila made sure she looked hesitant, "Well… Marinette is kind and sweet," she could've gagged at that, "so I thought that she might have been too kind to say anything about Juleka's photos… Maybe she doesn't actually like how her clothes looked on you so that's why her website hasn't been completed yet…" she confessed but then waved it off with a good-hearted laugh before they could say anything to defend that goody-two-shoes, "But you said that she was just busy, so I'm just thinking nonsense, please don't mind me." She then took out her phone, and looked at Juleka, "Well, I only brought it up because I needed a photo of you… if you still want me to see if I can get you a chance to model."

Rose looked at Juleka who looked a bit uneasy and squeezed her hand.

Juleka squeezed back and took a breath, "I want to model." She said, determined.

"Great." Lila smiled and held up her phone to take a photo of Juleka's awkward smile, "Perfect!" I'll make sure to pass your photo to Mr Agreste." She smiled sweetly at them, "I'll tell you as soon as I hear his approval." She said before leaving the two. There was a smile on her face as she went to look for her next target.

As they watched Lila leave, Rose looked up at Juleka with a worried face, "You know that Marinette has other commitments to attend to, right?" she hoped this wouldn't bring her friend down.

Juleka nodded, "I know." She mumbled, grabbing her arm as she looked away, "But… it has been a while…" she murmured under her breath. She knew Marinette has other commitments and tends to focus on others instead of herself, but… she couldn't help feeling a bit insecure. Like Lila said, Marinette was too kind and sweet, she might have wanted someone else to model her clothes, but because she had wanted to model, Marinette couldn't say no, and everyone knew that Marinette had a hard time saying no…

Rose reached out and grabbed her hands, "I'm sure Marinette will eventually get to her website," she reassured her and then smiled brightly, "And you'll get another chance at modelling soon!" she optimistically pointed out, "Lila now has a photo of you to show to Mr Agreste! Any day now, you'll be modelling like Lila, isn't that exciting?!" she squealed.

Juleka shyly laughed, "Yeah." She smiled, squeezing Rose's hands in comfort.

Marinette was always running around, doing something. They shouldn't bother her too much, especially since the website is Marinette's own project that she wanted to do, no one else.

Lila had wanted to talk to a few more of her followers, but as it was nearly time for the bell to ring, she headed to class along with the others.

She walked through the door, sending a sweet smile to Miss Bustier as she walked pass her and up the stairs to her seat. As she settled into her spot, she noticed from the corner of her eyes that Nathaniel placed his notebook before slumping into his seat, sighing as he leaned on his hand while tapping on his notebook.

Narrowing her eyes at him, she gave a quick glance at Miss Bustier at the front to see she had her back turned to them, before sliding closer to the artist and putting on a concerned face, "Hey, what's wrong?" she whispered.

Nathaniel let out a quiet groan as he leaned his head back, "Marc and I are trying to decide which route we want to take for the next issue of our comic, but we're having no luck."

Lila inwardly smirked as she arranged her face into one of sympathetic, "I'm good friends with the best manga publisher in Japan, you know." She reminded, "I could ask them for some advice for your comic, but, I'm sure they're busy at the moment." She sighed disappointingly, making it look like she was upset that she couldn't help him.

Nathaniel waved off her concern with an appreciative smile, "It's fine, I'm sure they wouldn't be able to get back to us in time if you did ask them."

"Why don't you ask Marinette after school? You know, since she so creative. I'm sure she wouldn't mind helping out a friend." She suggested.

Blinking, Nathaniel looked towards the door as a frazzled-looking Marinette burst in the room just as the bell rang, quickly taking her seat. A smile appeared on his face and he nodded, "Thanks, Lila. I'll do that." Whenever he and Marinette were paired up in an art project, he was always amazed at her ideas. Plus, they always worked well together. He and Marc would surly appreciate her input.

Lila grinned, "Remember, after school, so you don't bother Marinette eating."

Nathaniel nodded with grin and couldn't help but think that Lila was so thoughtful.

As soon as the bell rang for lunch, Lila quickly went after Chloé, knowing that she goes back to her hotel for lunch while Sabrina tagged along.

She managed to catch up to Chloé before she got into her limo, "Hi, Chloé!" she grinned at her.

Sabrina was holding the door to her limo as she turned around with a raised brow, "What do you want?" Chloé demanded with a sneer, "I have no time for commoners."

Lila looked unfazed as she smiled, "Oh I love your sense of humor." She giggled before putting on a slightly serious face, "But I just wanted to tell you something. It concerns Adrien."

Intrigued, Chloé turned her body around to face Lila, her arms crossed as she raised a brow.

"I heard that you and Adrien were childhood friends." Lila started, clasping her hands together in front of her chest, looking innocent

"Of course, he and I are best friends. It's only natural that we are going to be together in the future." She proclaimed, looking smug.

Lila nodded, as if she agreed with her and covered her cheek with her hand, "Well, on Sunday, I saw Adrien and Marinette together, alone. They look so close together. I thought I should let you know."

Chloé's brow twitched, "Alone? With my Adrikens?!" she indignantly screeched.

Lila confirmed with a nod and sighed, "I'm worried that Marinette might take Adrien away from you."

Chloé scoffed and whipped her ponytail aside, "Oh please, who do you think you're talking to? I'm Queen Bee, and that Dupain-Cheng taking my Adrikens? That is ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. She is a nobody in his eyes and will always be a nobody. If she thinks she even has a chance with him, then she's pathetic! Adrien will never notice her!" she huffed, turning sharply into her limo as Sabrina came in after her and closed the door.

The limo driving away.

As Lila watched the limo drive, she let out a smirk.

Knowing Chloé, she'll do the work for her.

She turned back towards the stairs to the school, a satisfied smile on her face.

She still had some more seeds to sow.

She made sure that Marinette wasn't around when she approached Alya and Nino who was chilling in the cafeteria.

"Hey guys!" Lila greeted them with a smile, taking an empty seat in front of a tray of food on the table.

"Hey, Lila." The couple greeted with a smile.

"Where's Marinette?" Lila asked, looking around just for the sake of it.

Alya placed her head in her hands, "She said she'll catch up after talking to Nath." Then sighed out, not seeing Lila's pleased grin, "It's too bad yesterday didn't turn out well with you and Marinette, seeing how she felt sick and left." She then slumped forward as Nino patted her shoulder as comfort, "And it's a shame you didn't get a scoop on Adrien and Kagami."

Lila agreed with a sigh, "Yeah, it was bad timing that my mom called me away to attend to this fancy embassy function. It felt like I wasted your efforts - I'm so sorry Alya. You and Nino could have gone on a date instead of trying to help me befriend Marinette. This problem is between me and her." She did a little sniff, making herself look a bit guilty.

"It's alright, Lila. We wanted to do this." Nino tried to cheer her up, "We'll just think of something else, right?" he turned to Alya at that.

Alya nodded, "Yeah, Marinette is stubborn. Sometimes you just need to give her a little push to get things going." She smiled tiredly.

Lila hummed before making a face that looked like it thought of an idea, "Why don't you guys take a break from Marinette's issue with me and go on a date. You been spending so much time with helping your friends, why don't you go on a well-deserved date on Wednesday after class?" she suggested, "Since it's a half day and all."

Alya leaned back with a grin, but it wasn't as bright as she and Nino stared at each other at the idea.

"Well, there is this movie I want to watch with you, but..." Nino sighed out, shaking his head.

Alya continued with a disappointed smile, "We would love to, but there's no one to look after our siblings. My sister would be out training on that day."

"Oh no." Lila sounded disappointed for them, "I would just love to look after those little angels, but my mom wants me to go to another fancy embassy function with her on that day after class."

Nino shrugged her concern off, "Don't worry about it, Lila. We could just go on a different day."

"But the movie might not be playing by the time you have free time." Lila pointed out with a pout. She then looked down with a thoughtful face, "Or…" she lifted her head with a sweet smile, "I'm sure you could ask Marinette to look after them. Marinette is so kind that she'll make time for her friends." She looked to Alya with a grin, "I'm sure she'll do anything for her best friend."

Alya blinked, processing her words before a bright grin appeared on her face, "You're right! I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

Lila chuckled, "You're welcome. And if something happens, just give me a call, I'll work something out."

"Aww, thanks, Lila." Alya smiled while Nino thanked her as well.

"Anything for my friend."

She didn't stay long after that. While it would have been fun to see the look on Marinette's face when she saw her sitting in her spot, she still needed to get to the others.

She left the couple and went to sit down at a table with Max who was talking to no one. The table the nerd chose to sit was a perfect spot to see the entrance and hidden by the other students.

When she took a seat down next to him, she realised he was talking to his little robot, "What a weirdo." She thought as she put on a smile, "Hello, Max. What are you talking about with your little adorable friend?"

Max looked up and pushed his glasses up.

"Oh, hello there Lila. I was just talking to Markov about some new adjustments that I made to my game." He explained, "The new adjustments would make it 98.2% more enjoyable for the more competitive gamers. Would you like to test it out with me?" he inquired.

Lila gave him an apologetic smile, "I would love to, but it's a shame that I can't." she sighed, "I made another promise with Prince Ali that we'd go on a charity cruise over the Seine on his yacht this afternoon." She explained.

Max looked disappointed, "I see." He sighed out.

"Why don't you ask Marinette to help?" she suggested, her eyes landing on said girl who finally arrived and sat down next to her friends, "I'm sure she'll love to help out a friend!"

Max perked up at that, "Ah, Marinette! How could I forget!" he grinned, about to stand up, "I'll go ask her."

"Oh, but maybe after school." She stopped him, "Don't want to bother her eating."

Max nodded and sat back down, "You're right, I should ask her later. I am 99.56% sure that she won't be busy in the afternoon to try out my game! Thank you, Lila."

Lila grinned, "My pleasure." She chuckled, pushing herself up, "I have to get going, there's still a few more things I need to do." She giggled and left, avoiding Marinette's line of sight.

Everything was too easy.

Her next set of targets just happened to be Kim and Alix who seemed to be in a standoff in the courtyard.

Jogging towards them with a smile, Lila greeted them, "Hey there, what's going on?"

Alix was the one to answer, "Kim here just wants to lose another race against me." She said, smugly.

Kim was unfazed as he crossed his arms on his puffed-out chest, "Last time was just a fluke. This time I bet that I can beat you." He declared with a smirk. Last night, he just happened to be watching a sports channel which fired his competitive spirit. He was still full of energy when he arrived at school and he wanted to challenge someone. Alix was his usual competitor and he remembered their last race and immediately demanded a redo of that. No dares or bets, just friendly competition.

"Oh my, is this one of your infamous races? I would love to see one!" Lila gushed, placing her hands on her grinning cheeks.

Kim struck a pose, "This time, I'll be the winner!" he declared.

"Pfft. Dream on." Alix smirked with a hand on her hip, "We all know that you'll be eating my dust again."

"So you accept!" Kim grinned.

"Just to prove you wrong." Alix confidently smirked, "Just pick a day – any day, any time. It doesn't matter since you'll lose."

"Why not Wednesday after school?" Lila suggested with a little giggle, "Since you both can prepare and – oh! You know what would make this race even better? Why don't we have banners and shirts - each with your names to show our support for you guys. Wouldn't that make things feel more exciting?"

Kim sparkled at the idea, "That sounds awesome!"

"Oh, but who could we ask to make them?" Lila thought out loud, pressing a finger to her cheek as she tilted her head, "Someone who could make banners and shirts for us."

Kim closed his eyes and crossed his arms as he also thought about it, "Hmmm." He hummed out before his eyes shot open when a certain girl came to his mind, "Marinette!" he exclaimed with a grin, "We could ask Marinette to make them! I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

Alix frowned, crossing her arms, "Don't you think that'll be too much. I don't think she'll have everything ready by Wednesday." She then let out a smug smirk, "Besides, do you really want to find out how many supporters you have? I'm sure the crowd will be filled with my supporters."

No one saw the narrowed eyes directed at Alix from Lila.

Kim harrumphed, "It's the other way around… And fine, maybe the shirts would be too much, but we can at least ask about the banner."

Lila nodded with a smile, "A banner would look nice in a race."

"We can just use that banner she made for us for our previous race." Alix pointed out.

Lila could see that Kim was about to accept that and quickly intervened, "You mean you'll use a banner that was there when Alix won? I don't know about you, but maybe that banner is already a good luck charm for Alix, wouldn't want to jinx your luck, would you, Kim?"

Kim thought about it, before shaking his head, "Of course not, I'll go ask Marinette!" he exclaimed, already taking off. He didn't need luck, but he didn't want to risk it.

"Hey!" Alix yelled after him, her hand reaching out for him, but the boy was already gone. She lowered her hand with a frown before turning to look at Lila.

"What?" Lila asked with an innocent smile, "I thought it'll be nice if Marinette could do something to take her mind off things. She seemed to have a lot on her mind lately."

Alix narrowed her eyes at her, trying to look for something, but Lila continued to smile without so much as a crack in her face. When she couldn't find anything, she closed her eyes and let out a sigh, her shoulders sagging a bit as she crossed her arms, "Marinette's a busy person. She probably has other stuff going on for her."

"Really?" Lila said, making sure she sounded concerned, "Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. I just wanted to see one of your races that I heard about." She sniffed.

Alix let out a sigh, "It's fine. I'll make sure that Kim isn't going overboard with his demands." She said and took off after him.

Lila watched her go with narrowed eyes. Everyone was dumb and so very easy to manipulate. Marinette was weak and pathetic, and Adrien was naïve - a doormat who thinks he has power. Alix however…

While Alix didn't doubt her, she wasn't as dumb as the others, but she wasn't as 'smart' as Marinette who saw through her accomplishments.

If she piled on too much in front of Alix, she might start to get suspicious.

She had to be careful around her.

She found her last set of targets inside the library. Just as she was about to call out to them, she stopped to listen what they were saying.

"- I promise that this time, I'll help you plant the trees down by the river." Ivan reassured Mylène. He had felt guilty for bailing out on her last time because Nino wanted to throw an all-guys party for Adrien, but this time, he'll stick to his promise.

"Really?" Mylène asked.

Ivan furiously nodded his head, "Really!" for sure this time.

"Oh, are you planting trees down by the river?" Lila piped in, startling the couple.

"Oh, hi Lila, yeah." Mylène nodded, "This Wednesday after our afternoon classes. I'm hoping the others would be able to help."

Lila inwardly smirked. Today was just made for her! "I'm sure the others would love to – ah, but I heard that Alya and Nino might be having a date that day and that Alix and Kim have a race. Some of the others would be going to see the race. I would love to help but my mom wants me to go to another fancy embassy function after class." She sighed out, sounding disappointed, "I would cancel if I could, but…"

Mylène quickly waved her off, "It's fine." She smiled, though a bit disappointed, "It can't be helped. I don't want to bother them, especially since you and the others already made plans."

Lila breathed out a sigh of relief, "You're so kind Mylène. Ah, but I heard that Marinette isn't doing anything, so maybe you could ask her. I'm sure she'll want to help out her friend."

Mylène nodded, "I'll go ask her later."

Lila grinned, "Since you're friends, I'm sure she'll say yes." She giggled and left the couple.

All set.

As she excited the library, she bumped into Adrien who had finally arrived at school, having been busy with morning photoshoots.

"Oh, Adrien! How nice to see you." She grinned, latching onto his arm, "How are you? You missed out a lot of things this morning." She chuckled at her inside joke.

Adrien frowned as he took his arm back, "I'm fine, but aren't you in a happy mood." He narrowed his eyes at her, "You didn't do anything to Marinette, did you?" he questioned, staring at her suspiciously.

Lila put on an exaggerated act, "Me?" she gasped, "Now why would you think that? I haven't even been in contact with Marinette all day."

Adrien continued to stare at her suspiciously with a frown. He didn't think she was… lying per se, but something felt off, like he was missing something here, "I have to go. I still need to check over my homework." He ended their conversation and walked past her and into the library, not seeing her smirking behind him.

Alone on the stairways, Lila chuckled to herself.

Adrien should know to stay in his place.

She was going to let Marinette be for a bit- allow her to enjoy this momentary peace, but because the blond thought that he could control her, she just had to put her plan in motion early.

"Oh Adrien, you should have just let me do what I wanted but look what you made me do." She chuckled amusingly, "Because of you, poor little Marinette just have to face the consequences… all because you thought you could control me."

And now, all she had to do was wait for the results to unfold before her.

Marinette had a feeling that something was going to go… wrong today, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

It was bad enough that she had stayed up well into the night, trying to force out a design, something- anything to show Tikki that everything was fine through her design, but no inspiration had hit her, not even the lovely sunset had inspired her.

Tikki had fallen asleep on her shoulder and Marinette had given up trying to create something when her mind was distracted.

And of course, she had woken up late and barely made it to class on time.

When the bell had rang for lunch, Marinette was about ready to go to the cafeteria with Alya and Nino when Nathaniel had called out to her.

"You guys go ahead, I'll catch up." She said.

"Sure, we'll just be in the cafeteria." Alya nodded and left with Nino.

Marinette watched them go as almost everyone shuffled out the door. When she turned to give her attention to the artist, her eyes unfortunately caught a smirking Lila walked out the door and she nervously frowned.

"Marinette?" Nathaniel called out to her.

Marinette quickly turned to him, "Yes." She rushed, "Remember to smile." She reminded herself, "Do you need something?"

Nathaniel nodded with a smile, "I was wondering if you could come by the Art Room after school and help Marc and I with our comic? We have some ideas but we're having trouble which route the comic should take. It would be great to hear your opinion." He sheepishly smiled.

Marinette blinked, "I don't mind, but we don't have to wait until-"

"Marinette?"

Both Marinette and Nathaniel jumped a bit when Juleka seemed to suddenly appear out of nowhere.

"Juleka!" Marinette startled while Nathaniel clutched at his chest.

"Sorry." She mumbled out, awkwardly fidgeting with her fringe away from her eye, but decided to drop it and look at Marinette, "Do you have a minute?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah, I…" she turned to Nathaniel who waved her off with a smile.

"We'll see you after school, Marinette." He said before he left the two girls alone. He was going to tell Marc the good news.

Watching him go, Marinette then turned to Juleka who was looking hesitant, "What's wrong?" she asked, feeling concern. Did something happen? Memory of Lila walking out the door with a smirk flashed through her mind and her heart thudded. Did Lila say something?

If so, about what?

Juleka shook her head and rubbed at her arm, feeling a bit insecure, "No, it's nothing… I just…" she nervously looked everywhere but Marinette before squeezing her eyes tight, "Um, how is your website going?" she settled on.

Surprised at the question, Marinette was speechless for a moment, "My website?"

Juleka nodded, "Yeah… I was wondering if you were still… thinking of doing your website."

Marinette looked down with a sad smile, "My website…" gosh, when was the last time she even thought about her website? Even if she worked on her website and got it running, there were too many things going on in her life what with akumas and school, she wouldn't be able to frequently post new things or keep up with commissions… There was also her blog where she posted her accessories, but it became more of her social media page since she hasn't been making new things lately. She was too busy dealing with akumas and school to focus on the things she wanted, "… I still want to do my website but… I don't think I'll be working on it anytime soon." She confessed with a guilt-ridden smile, "I'm sorry, Juleka. You were amazing in modelling my clothes, but I feel like I wasted your time, I'm sorry." She wondered if she'll get to have time to work on it, "When I get my website up and running… could I still use your photos?" she meekly asked.

"It's fine, Marinette… I just… suddenly remembered about your website." Juleka said, pulling back, regretting ever bringing it up in the first place, "I know how busy you are, so you don't… don't need to rush." she held her hands in front of her. She couldn't help but feel guilty. Of course Marinette was busy, but she couldn't help but think of what Lila had said and her insecurities started messing with her confidence.

"Could I still ask you to model my clothes in the future?" Marinette timidly asked.

Juleka smiled, though now she felt underserving, "If you have me." She mumbled out, averting her eyes. Marinette was genuine, how could she doubt her?

She wished she were confident enough to not fall back into her insecurities.

"Has it really been so long since I last worked on my website?" Marinette asked once she was alone in the classroom.

Tikki popped her head from her purse and stared up at Marinette who was frowning and shot her a sympathetic look, "There has been too many akumas and with Mayura's sentimonsters lately, of course you're not able to work on it."

Marinette looked down to the side, looking disappointed at herself, "Yeah, but you once said that if I truly believe in something, I have to try and make it work since it's better to fail trying than not having tried at all." She repeated, "I should have tried harder to make my website, a lot of people put in their time to help me."

Tikki inwardly winced at that. That was the advice she gave Marinette when she encouraged her to run for class representative. She had encouraged her to run even though she had her Ladybug duties and schoolwork to worry about… And after having a talk with Master Fu, she could see just how careless her advice was, "Yes, but!" she needed to reassure Marinette that she didn't need to worry about that, "Juleka! Juleka said that she understood that you were busy, and- and said not to rush. She was probably just curious, that's all."

Marinette made a short hum, "Yeah…" and dropped the topic.

But Tikki could see that she was still thinking about it and tried to distract her, "Come on, Marinette. Alya and Nino are waiting for you. You need to eat before lunch is over." She gently urged her.

"Right." She absentmindedly responded and began walking out the door and towards the cafeteria while Tikki ducked back in her purse, wringing her flippers in worry wondering if the things she said were fine.

"Hey there, Girl. So what did Nath want?" Alya curiously asked as soon as Marinette arrived and sat down.

Marinette picked up her fork and dug into her salad, "He just wanted me to come by the Art Room to discuss which route their comic should take. He and Marc are undecided." She answered with a small shrug.

Alya hummed before wishing them luck.

Marinette nodded, digging into her lunch before noticing her and Nino giving each other a look, "… Is something wrong?" she asked.

Nino scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile, "Well… Li-oomph!" he began before his ribs were nudged roughly by his girlfriend's elbow. He rubbed at his ribs while giving a confuse look to Alya, "What…?" The look of Alya's face told him to shut it.

Marinette stared at them with a suspicious stare, wondering what it was that Alya was trying to cover up this time.

Alya grinned and took over, "What Nino was trying to say is that, we wanted to go on a date on Wednesday and wondered if it would be alright if you could look after our siblings for the afternoon." She thought it would be better not to mention Lila, seeing how there were still tension between the two girls, particularly on Marinette's side.

Blinking at the request, Marinette remembered her trying to look after 3 energetic kids by herself and wondered if she could handle it again.

She should try to say no… but…

"I need to try harder"

"There's this movie I wanna take Alya to and who knows when we'll be able to see it." Nino added.

"It's… fine." Marinette relented, giving them a smile, "You guys go on your date, I can babysit your siblings."

Both Alya and Nino gave her a bright appreciative grin, "Thanks, Marinette!"

"We knew we could count on you."

Marinette smiled a lacklustre smile and looked down at her tray, pushing aside some salad, "Yeah, no problem."

Seeing how they now had a date, Alya and Nino began discussing what else they should do on that day while Marinette occasionally chimed in when they asked her what she thought of their ideas.

But other than that, Marinette was quietly eating her lunch, "This is what I wanted. I have to show them I can be relied on, so that maybe they won't be so quick to doubt me the next time Lila lies about me…" that was the plan so she shouldn't be hesitating…

A couple of minutes later, she as well as the others were startled out of their skin when Kim came charging at them with a wide excited grin.

"Marinette!" Kim enthusiastically shouted, vibrating with energy.

"Y-Yes?" she answered with wide eyes.

Kim's smile widened even more, "Alix and I are having another race and I was hoping that you could make another banner for us."

"Another…" she slowly started.

Kim didn't even wait for her to finish her thought as he furiously nodded and leaned back with crossed arms, his eyes closed and brows furrowed with a serious expression, "We would use the one you made for us before, but seeing how Alix won with that banner there, I thought it would be better to have one with a clean slate." He nodded as if that was the reason why Alix was able to win. He opened his eyes and stared at Marinette, "So what do you think?"

"… I…" Marinette hesitated. She wouldn't really mind, but lately, she was having trouble coming up with new designs. She would most likely have trouble coming up with a simple banner… But the look of Kim's expectant face…

"I need to try harder."

… She should agree.

Her plan was to prove to them that she could be relied and be trusted. If she didn't accept, she would be letting him down…

"I guess I could-"

"Oi, Kim! Are you really going to bother Marinette with this? We already have a banner we can use." Alix's annoyed voice cut her off.

Kim looked over his shoulder with a raised brow as she arrived at the table, "I was only asking."

"What, afraid of a little superstition ruining your chance at winning? Please, even without Marinette's banner, you'll still lose against me." Alix smirked with crossed arms.

Kim turned his nose up at that, "I don't need luck to prove to you that I'm faster than you. I bet that I could outrun you anytime, any day."

Marinette could see that if nothing was to be done, Alix and Kim would just continue their smack talk until lunch ended and thought to put a stop to it, "It's fine." She said before Alix could rebut.

The two athletics turned their heads to her.

"I… don't mind." She gave Alix a smile and then turned to Kim, "When is the race going to be?"

"Wednesday, after school!" Kim answered with a happy smile.

"O-Oh." That wouldn't be a lot of time, especially when she was in an art block, plus, she was supposed to be babysitting, "Um…" she turned to Alya and Nino who gave her reassuring smiles.

"Don't worry, we can drop them off around 1:30." Alya assured her, thinking that she'll probably finish their banner by the last minute and would want to watch the race.

"Thanks…" Marinette shot them an apprehensive smile.

Kim pumped his fist in the air, "Alright!" he grinned, "We'll see everyone there!"

"Ah, Alya and I are going on a date." Nino said with an apologetic smile.

Kim waved him off, "It's alright, dude, I'll tell you all about it when I win." He said confidently before running off to invite the others.

Alix leaned down towards Marinette, "Are you sure it's alright, I can try to convince the meathead to drop it or at least pick a different day." She whispered to her while Alya and Nino went back to talking.

Marinette smiled, though feeling a bit uneasy, "It's fine. It's fine." she waved off her concern. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "I can handle it, it's no big deal." She said.

Alix straightened back up, an unconvinced frown on her face, "Well, if you're sure."

"Yeah… I am." Marinette smiled, pushing her salad around before placing her fork down and standing up, getting the other's attention.

"Marinette?" Alya questioned.

Marinette gave them a smile, "I feel like going for a walk. I'll see you guys in class." She said in case they offered to accompany her.

Marinette felt like being alone for a bit.

The halls were empty as everyone were either in the cafeteria or went out to eat.

Marinette's pursed opened to reveal Tikki's frowning face, having heard everything, "Marinette, maybe you should tell Alya and Nino that you can't babysit or tell Kim that you can't make him the banner – Alix said that she'll convince him." She frowned.

"It's fine. If I tell them I can't do it, they'll be disappointed in me." Marinette gave her a weary grin.

"But-" Tikki started but someone was calling Marinette's name and she quickly had to close the clasp above her to avoid being seen.

Marinette looked up to see Mylène and Ivan waving at her from the upper stairs to the librabry and she raised a brow as they came down to meet her, "Yes?"

Mylène smile, "This Wednesday after class finishes, I'm planning on planting trees down by the river again."

Marinette inwardly frowned, not that there was anything wrong with planting trees, but she could already predict where this was going.

"Would you like to join us? We thought it'll be nice to have another extra hand to help." Ivan added, smiling gently at her.

"… This… This Wednesday… right?"

Mylène nodded, "That's right. Will you join us?" looking hopeful.

Marinette bit her lip, she couldn't be in two places at once and she couldn't bring the kids to help plant trees by the river. Guiltily, she would have to decline, "Um, I'll be busy babysitting after class."

Mylène and Ivan looked a bit disappointed at that which quickly changed Marinette's mind.

"But I could help you out for an hour or so." Marinette quickly said, smiling with furrowed brows as she grabbed her arm, "I just need to leave before 1."

"Are you sure?" Ivan asked.

She nodded, "It's fine. I'll see you on Wednesday." Marinette smiled and left.

Marinette escaped to the locker room's restroom without attracting any attention and flopped onto the covered seated toilet as Tikki flew out with a frown.

"Marinette." Tikki said, using that tone where she sounded exasperated but worried and Marinette couldn't help but flinch. Seeing this, Tikki felt guilty and used a more gentler tone, "I really think you should reconsider. This is becoming too much." Tikki frowned, "Babysitting 3 kids was exhausting for you last time. You make careful consideration in making a banner and 2 days is not enough for the amount of care you put in. There's nothing wrong with planting trees but you promised to babysit 3 kids, you'll be exhausted by the time you go babysit. It's too much!" she cried out, her eyes pleading for her Chosen to reconsider. If this were before, she would have supported Marinette in her decision in helping her friends, given her the encouragement she needed once she starts stressing at the mountain of tasks she took in, but Tikki was scared. Marinette had thought she was sleeping last night, but she had witnessed the scrunched-up papers that overflowed her wastebasket. Her Chosen was hiding things from her.

The words of 'Marinette breaking' floating in her head made her cautious on just how much her Chosen was taking in.

Marinette placed her face in her hands as she mumbled out, "It's fine. I don't want to disappoint them." It wasn't that bad. She just needed a plan. If she were to finish the banner on Tuesday, she could give it to Alix or Kim to take it to their race and then on Wednesday, she'll plant as much trees as she can for about an hour (or less) and make enough time to leave to babysit.

Things would be fine.

"But, Marinette!" Tikki cried out.

Marinette took a deep breath and let it out, "I know what I'm doing…"

She has to.

By the time the bell rang to signal the end of school, Marinette was ready to head over to the Art Room with Nathaniel until Max called out to her.

"Marinette! Could you spare me some of your time?" Max inquired, pushing his glasses up.

Nathaniel told her to come to the Art Room when she was ready and left.

"Is… there something you need?" Marinette asked. She heard someone snickering at her and she whipped her head up just in time to see Lila smirking at her before leaving.

All day she hadn't been in contact with Lila and that was a nice comfort but somehow, she felt like she was caught in a trap.

"- Marinette?"

Marinette quickly turned back with a nervous smile, "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I asked if you like to test out my game. I've made some new adjustments that I'm 99.56% sure that you will find enjoyable."

"N-Now?"

Max nodded, waiting with an expectant smile.

Marinette gulped, "I-I would love to, but I have…" she could already see Max's smile slipping at her incoming rejection and she took a deep breath, "I told Nathaniel that I'll help discuss some things for the comic."

"Oh," Max lowered his head in disappointment, "I see, I-"

"But if you don't mind waiting for 20 minutes, I would love to help test out your game." She quickly said. Having seen his face looking disappointed, it reminded her what happened last time, that the boy had been asking others to test out his game before coming to her and she feared that if she were to reject him, he might be at the risk of becoming Gamer again.

Hawk Moth would send his akumas for the slightest negative emotion.

She couldn't risk it.

Max looked up with a strained smile.

"Just tell my parents and they'll let you in, I'll quickly try and finish up." Marinette promised and rushed out without waiting to hear his response. She wished Max would have asked her earlier at lunch instead of after school but for some reason, she couldn't help but think Lila had something to do with this.

As she ran to the Art Room along the cleared out hallway, she was blocked by an annoyed-looking Chloé with Sabrina standing by her side.

She frowned and try to get pass them when Chloé spoke out, "Marinette Dupain-Cheng." She sneered.

Marinette's frown deepened, "What do you want?" she didn't have time for this.

"You think you have a chance with my Adrikens? How pathetic do you think you are?" Chloé scoffed.

Marinette stood defensive, wondering what brought this on. She hadn't even talked to Adrien all day, "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb, I heard about your little outing yesterday. Just because you spoke to him doesn't mean he'll ever notice you. You are still nothing in his eyes." She sneered, looking all high and mighty as she flipped her hair back, "You'll always be Adri-dumb...I mean, Adri-bummed abababababa lame!" she crackled with her eyes closed. When she opened her eyes, she did a doubletake to see that her nemesis was gone, "Huh?!" only to look further ahead to see Marinette entering the Art Room.

"Hmph! Come on, Sabrina!" she growled. She wasn't even halfway done trashing Dupain-Cheng, but she wasn't going to waste her time chasing after her.

Annoyed from Chloé's verbal attack, Marinette had to force herself to calm down as she stepped into the art room to see the members there. Greeting the others there, she quickly went over to Nathaniel and Marc's little workspace.

"Hey guys." She greeted, "Shall we get started?"

Flopping onto her bed with her arms covering her eyes, Marinette felt exhausted. She had managed to give the boys her opinion on the routes they presented and was able to help them, but then she was dragged into another interesting idea they were considering putting into their comic which she unfortunately had to cut their time short when she realised she was running a bit late to meet up with Max.

Max didn't mind though. He was happy that his game was being tested and they had found a bug he needed fixing but overall, he was satisfied with the results.

It was strange that everyone seemed to be asking of her today and maybe Lila had something to do with it.

And maybe this was another setup of hers.

At that thought, Marinette turned to her side and curled into herself.

If this was another one of her set up, was she going to be doubted again? She hadn't made any improvement on her reliability.

All her plans had either failed, failing or wasn't making enough progress.

She could feel Tikki stroking her hair and she squeezed her eyes tighter when she heard the worried tone of her kwami's voice calling out her name to once again reconsider.

She was worrying her kwami and Marinette felt ashamed that she had let things get this far.

She was supposed to be Ladybug.

Supposed to be handling things.

But it was beginning to feel too much again.

Forcing herself to relax, Marinette slowly sat up in case she flung Tikki off her and put on a smile.

"Marinette, why don't you cancel?" Tikki cautiously suggested.

Marinette shook her head, "I already promised them that I would. Besides, it's just 3 simple things I need to do, it's not like that day where I was swamped with things and then faced Gamer 2.0. It's different, I can handle this amount." She put on a grin as if to show her that it was fine.

Tikki didn't know what to do. She wasn't getting through to her and knowing how stubborn Marinette could be, Tikki didn't know what else to say to change her mind. All she could do was simply watch as her Chosen got down from her bed and sat at her desk in front of her sketchpad, opening to a new page as she started sketching.

It wasn't exactly going according what she wanted.

Marinette wasn't able to finish the banner by Tuesday like she planned. Having worked on it all Monday night before deciding that the design wasn't good enough and then working on it through Tuesday.

Fortunately, with Tikki's help and suggestions, she was able to design something and finishing late into the night.

And on Wednesday morning, she was relieved that she had a completed banner ready. She had thought to bring it along and hand it over to either Kim or Alix, but she didn't want to risk something happening to it, in case Lila decides to have another 'accident'.

"Are you sure you don't want to come and watch me win?" Kim asked as Marinette handed Alix the banner, "Max, Juleka, Rose and Nath, who's bringing Marc along will be there to see my victory."

"Sorry." Marinette apologised with a tired smile, "But I have something to do right now, maybe next time. I'm sure you'll tell everyone about it tomorrow."

Alix stared at Marinette and the slight bags under her eyes, "Marinette, are you-"

She didn't get to finish as Marinette cut her off with an apologetic look, "Sorry, Alix, but I have to go. Good luck to the both of you." She wished and quickly darted to the train station, just in time to see the train arrived and that Mylène and Ivan was there as well.

"You're just in time, Marinette!" Mylène grinned as they waited behind the lines before boarding the train.

"Yeah, glad I could make it." Marinette gave them a grin. So far so good, now she hoped that nothing goes wrong.

When it was nearly time to go, an alarm rang from Marinette's phone that she had sat up beforehand just as she finished lugging a tree in place with a huff, her muscles aching from all the trees she planted by herself.

"Is it time for you to go?" Ivan asked as he helped Mylène put the tree in place while she patted the soil down in place.

Marinette wiped her hands free from the dirt and turned off her alarm, "Yeah, sorry, but I have to go now."

"Don't worry, we planted plenty of trees today." Mylène waved her off with a happy smile, "Thanks for your help, Marinette. Good luck babysitting." She said as she watched the girl take off.

As Marinette ran back towards the train station, slightly out of breath, Tikki popped her head out from her purse, "Marinette, why don't you transform? It'll be much faster than the train." She offered.

Marinette raised a brow at her suggestion, "Are you sure?" Although she did transform a handful of times for her own personal reasons, she couldn't remember if Tikki ever suggested she transform for something non-superhero related.

Tikki nodded with an encouraging smile, "I insist!" she wanted to make things easier for Marinette, try to lessen her worries with whatever she had to offer.

"If you're sure." Marinette slowly nodded and went to find a place to transform.

De-transformed in an alleyway near her place, Marinette took a moment to rubbed at her face. Swinging through the city was like a rush of adrenaline and made her feel awake, but now de-transformed and safely on the ground, she was beginning to feel everything catch up to her. Slapping her cheeks awake to get rid of the tiredness, Marinette rounded a corner and frowned when she saw Alya and Nino already standing in front of the bakery with their siblings. Even though she took the faster way, she was still late.

"Sorry that I'm late!" Marinette apologised as soon as she got close enough.

"It's fine girl." Alya waved her off with a smile, "We can just catch a later time." She then handed her a backpack, "Here. Thanks for looking after our siblings while we go on our date."

"Yeah, thanks Marinette." Nino grinned, also handing her a backpack for his little brother.

Marinette grabbed the bags and gave them a smile, "No problem, you guys enjoy your date."

Nino crouched down to the kids with a grin, "You guys behave for Marinette, alright?"

"Yess~" the kids all chimed in.

Nino nodded before straightening up and placing an arm over Alya's shoulders, "We'll see you later."

Marinette waved goodbye to them and ushered the kids into the bakery and up the stairs.

"Marinette?" her mother called out to her.

Marinette stopped and turned to face her mom, "Yes?"

Sabine looked at the kids that she recognised were Alya and Nino's little siblings, "I didn't know you were babysitting today."

"O-Oh, I forgot to tell you guys." Marinette scratched her cheek feeling awkward, "You didn't need me to help out in the bakery, did you?" she asked.

Sabine shook her head, "No, your dad and I got it covered… Are you going to look after those kids by yourself?" she asked looking worried as the kids fidgeted in the spot, holding onto her daughter's hands.

Marinette nodded, "Yeah, just for a bit."

Sabine nodded with an unsure smile, "Okay, Sweetie. Call us if you need any help." She thought to give them some snacks, but she didn't think giving 3 restless kids some sugar-infused snacks would be a good idea.

Marinette shook her head, "Don't worry, I got it covered." She gave them her a reassuring smile and tugged on Chris and Etta's hand towards the stairway (Ella was holding hands with her twin).

She didn't see the worry looks her mom was making.

Almost an hour in and Marinette felt ready to drop on the living room ground that was scattered with Chris and the twin's toys.

"Chris, that's too violent for you!" Marinette cried out as she quickly shut off the movie he started without her looking.

"It's not!" he pouted.

Giggling could be heard and Marinette swirled around to see the twins had somehow gotten a hold of a hat she had created a while ago from her room, "Hey, come back here!" she chased after the twin with the pink striped shirt, Etta.

Etta giggled and threw the hat like a frisbee to Ella who caught it with a giggle and ran before Marinette could catch her.

Marinette let out a groan as she tried to think of some way to get the rowdy kids to settle down, "Who wants to watch a movie?" she tried, yet the twins wanted to continue their game of tag while Chris wanted to watch a violent movie not suitable for his age.

As she was thinking of another solution, the doorbell rang, startling her and the kids to settle down for just a moment, "Wait here." She said as she went and opened the door to reveal, "Luka?"

"Hey." Luka greeted with a smile, but it dropped a bit. Staring at Marinette, he noticed that she looked a bit frazzled and was spotting some light bags under her eyes, "I thought I drop by and hang out with you if that was okay, but your mom told me you were babysitting."

Marinette was still surprised to see him standing in front of her that it took her a while to answer, but she remembered to let him in and close the door, "Y-Yeah, I-"

"Who's this?" Ella peered around from her leg.

Etta peered out from the other, "Is this your boyfriend?" she asked with a grin.

"Eww! Gross!" Chris cringed from the sofa, having heard the twins.

Marinette felt herself flushing at the awkward situation, "He's- We're not! I would li-but!" she shook her head and turned to Luka with a forced smile, forcing her flushed cheeks to cool down, "S-So what are you doing here, Luka." She asked before her brain supplied her with an answer, "Wait, don't tell me there's another band practice today?!" she panicked. Before she could begin to spiral, Luka shook his head.

"I thought we could hang out, but maybe now's not a good time." His eyes trailed down to the grinning faces of the twins peering up at him from behind Marinette's legs, then went to the other kid staring at him from behind the sofa and he inwardly frowned, "Do you need a hand with the kids? I don't have anything to do for the day." He gave her an easy smile, hoping she'll accept.

Marinette looked surprised at his offer, "Are… Are you sure?" she didn't want to bother him, but she also didn't want to turn him away after he came all the way here. But she could admit that she needed more manpower in handling the kids.

Luka nodded, "I have some experience from looking after Juleka when we were kids." He said with a cheeky smile.

This got a small smile out of her, "Well, I hope you're prepared for these little monsters." She said as the twins giggled, "Everyone, this is Luka." She introduced, "Luka, this is Ella, Etta and Chris over there." She pointed to each of the kids.

"Hi!" the twins said in unison and Luka greeted them back

"Hey, is that a guitar? Can you play?" Chris shouted from the sofa, having eying the stranger who was now known as Luka.

Luka nodded and lifted the strap of his guitar case over his shoulder, "Would you like to listen?"

"We do! We do!" the twins said, running from Marinette's legs to gather at Luka's.

Grinning, Luka went to take out his guitar, "Go take a seat." He said and immediately the twins excitedly joined Chris on the sofa, impatiently waiting for him to play.

Luka chuckled and took a seat before looking over his shoulder to Marinette, patting the empty spot besides him, a little plan in mind.

Marinette stared at him, amused before obliging, settling down beside him.

"Now close your eyes and imagine what you hear." Luka whispered and began strumming some nursery songs that he knew. He purposely strummed a low beat tune and changed the upbeat songs to a slow one and as he peeked open his eyes to see the kids were beginning to doze off, he smiled.

His smile widened more when he turned to see that Marinette herself looked relaxed and was halfway into closing her eyes as well.

He thought that she'll fall asleep any minute now until she surprised him in a whisper.

"You're amazing, Luka." She said, almost slurring. Those all-nighters were finally catching up to her, as well as the manual activity she had done before. Sitting still, reclined, her muscles were beginning to relax in a warm buzz, "You're able to calm the kids down just like that while I was having trouble trying to keep them out of trouble." She sighed out, blinking slowly, her head swaying to Luka's song.

Glancing at the now snoozing kids, Luka leaned towards her as his strumming melted into a lullaby-sounding melody, "I can't take all the credit, if you hadn't gotten them running around and using their energy, I wouldn't have been able to lull them to sleep." He whispered as to not to disturb the peace too much, "All I did was make them realise they were tired by making them stay still for a moment." He explained. That, and by following the beat of his strumming and lowing his voice to a quieter tone made it easy to get them to doze off.

"Really…?" Marinette let out a quiet yawn as she closed her eyes for a bit, "This is a nice song." She hummed out, not noticing a small mistake was played when she leaned her head against his shoulder, unaware of her own actions. She was just going to close her eyes for a bit and then offer Luka a nice hospitality while she waits for Alya and Nino to come back from their date.

Seeing that Marinette had fallen asleep, Luka softly smiled, glad that she was resting. His strumming slowed to stop, and the last note floated out in the quiet room that was filled with soft breathing.

Luka leaned his head onto Marinette and whispered quietly to her hair like he was telling a secret, "I think you're the amazing one, Marinette."

He wished there were something more he could do for Marinette.

Something had happened on Sunday that had upset Marinette, but he didn't know what. He knew that it was related to the problem she was having, and Luka wanted to help, but he didn't want to overstep her boundaries.

He didn't want to force her to tell him.

His eyes then wandered to Marinette's face, more specifically the light bags under her eyes and he frowned in concerned.

He had wanted to visit her for the last 2 days but thought to give Marinette some space.

But that didn't seem to do any good.

Closing his eyes, Luka let out a small sigh and leaned back against her head, wondering how he could help Marinette without overstepping any line.

He didn't notice a pair of blue eyes watching him from afar.

Luka groggily blinked slowly when he heard a notification sound go off and he breathed out.

He must've fallen asleep at one point.

When he shifted a bit, a quiet groan sounded from his left and Luka stilled, not moving a muscle. He turned his head to see that Marinette was still sleeping, now snuggled against him, her hand grabbing onto his shirt, looking like she was comfortable, and he couldn't help but smile.

He shot a quick glance to his other side and chuckled quietly when he saw the kids still sleeping but piled on top of one another. Hoping they stay quiet a bit longer; Luka took out his phone to see if someone had messaged him but saw that no one did and fortunately no akuma alerts.

When he realised that it must've been Marinette's phone that received a notification, he carefully stretched his neck to see her phone on the sofa next to her thigh.

It probably fell from her pocket at some point.

Carefully reaching over without jostling her too much, Luka grabbed her phone and turned the power on to see that she had received a message from Alya not too long ago. He didn't need to open the message to read the whole thing, but he could see that they were coming back in about 10 minutes.

While he wouldn't mind being a pillow for Marinette, he supposed she would want to get up and get everything ready before her friends arrived.

"Marinette?" He whispered to her, lifting his hand, he thumbed her soft cheek, "Marinette, wake up. Alya is arriving in 7 minutes."

Marinette groaned with furrowed brows and nuzzled her face into his shoulder.

Luka smiled an amused smile and shifted his lips closer to her ear, "Come on, Marinette. Wake up. They will be here soon." She shifted a bit, trying to protect her ticklish ear, but still refused to wake up. An idea then came to his mind, and he poked her cheek, "Marinette, can you open your eyes for me? Just for a bit?"

"Mnn…" Marinette grumbled out, rolling her head to the side so that she was facing him.

He watched as her eyes fluttered a bit, staring at him with those sleepy sky-blue eyes of hers and he held his breath.

He could write songs from just her eyes.

A sleepy smile bloomed on her lips as she saw him which made his heart beat faster. But in the next second, it seemed Marinette registered just where she was, what she was doing and who she was with as her eyes widened and her face heated up.

"Good morning… Well good afternoon." He grinned sheepishly, feeling warm.

"G-god- good afternoon- no wait I'm sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep on you, not that you're not comfy- you're very comfy to sleep with-on! Wait, that's not!" Marinette closed her eyes and buried her face in his shoulder, making a dying noise from her throat that was muffled, but it was abruptly cut off when she realised just what she was doing and that she had been leaning on Luka the whole time. She shot herself away from him with a squeak and scrambled to get up, her cheeks red.

Luka stared at her with an amused smile, "It's fine, Marinette. I'm glad you got some sleep." He said and before she could apologise, he reached for her phone on the sofa and handed it over to her, "Your friends are coming back soon." He said, lifting himself up.

Marinette blinked, grabbing her phone and placing it back in her back pocket. "Friends...?"

She was probably disorientated from her nap, but Luka couldn't help but notice her confusion.

"Oh, right Alya and Nino!" Marinette whipped her head to see that the kids were still sleeping even after all the noise she made and let out a sigh of relief before freaking out a little, "I need to put their things back." She panicked, quickly gathering the things that had been taken out from their bags.

Luka leaned down and helped her pick up the toys.

"Ah, you don't need to do that." Marinette reached for the bright pink teddy bear he was holding.

"It's fine." He smiled gently at her, stopping her, "Do these all belong to the girls?" he asked, showing the gathered toys in his arms.

Marinette timidly nodded but reached out for the snow globe in his grasp, "Except this one." She smiled gratefully at him and placed the snow globe in Chris's bag.

Zipping the bags up, Luka stood up first and offered his hand to her. When she placed her hand in his, she pulled her up with an easy smile, "I guess I should get going." He said, packing up his guitar and carefully placing the strap over his shoulder.

"Oh, right." It was already late and… she realised just how late it was. Luka must've been bored – practically by himself since he was awake while they were sleeping! Feeling guilty, she walked him over to the door, opening it for him, "Sorry that you wasted your afternoon doing nothing." She apologised once more.

"Don't apologize, I had fun." He smiled warmly at her, "It was a relaxing afternoon, don't you think?" he tilted his head at her.

Marinette blinked before returning the smile, "Right." She agreed, it was a nice way to wind down after her day and she didn't think she would experience one if it weren't for Luka, "Thanks, Luka." She smiled, rolling an idea in her head before going for it.

She pushed herself up and kissed him on the cheek.

Luka looked pleasantly surprised as he blinked. His mind seemed to be processing it before he turned to her, "I'll see you around, call me if you need anything, or if you just want to hang out, okay?" he said with a smile and if his smile looked brighter than usual... well he didn't want to make such a big deal out of it. He was happy with what Marinette was comfortable with.

Marinette nodded, "I will." She said and watched as Luka turned away, eyes lingering on her before facing the front.

Just as she was about to close the door, she heard a faint humming and she couldn't help but giggle quietly under her breath, leaning against the door until there was a small click, mindful of the sleeping children dogpiled on the sofa.

"It was a good thing Luka came along. Handling those kids alone would have been tough." Tikki popped out from her hiding and nestled on her shoulder. She was happy that her Chosen was happy, glad to see that the genuine smile and bright bubbly blue eyes that looked alive was back. It felt like it's been ages since she last saw it.

Now if only Marinette could laugh out loud without restraint, but there were still sleeping children in the room.

"Yeah, I didn't think I would get that tired." Marinette sighed out with a smile. She was still tired but she was glad that Luka woke her up in time as a few minutes later, the door bell rang once more. Marinette straightened up and rolled her shoulder a bit before opening the door while Tikki hid.

"Hey, we're back." Nino greeted with a grin.

"You had any trouble?" Alya asked. She couldn't help but noticed the smile on her bff's face, and shook her head, "I guess you had fun."

Marinette showed them to the sofa where their siblings were sleeping, "Yeah, it was alright." She answered, grabbing the backpacks from the ground, and handing it over to Nino's outstretched hand, "How was your date?"

Alya grinned as she reached for Chris, "It was great, you should have seen the movie- oh but it might be too scary for you." She teased as Chris slightly stirred awake.

"Yeah, it was scarier than that pants movie." Nino chuckled, shouldering the backpacks, and grabbing the twins in his arms as they let out a little groan.

"Say goodbye to Marinette, kids." Alya gently shook Chris in her arms a bit.

"Bye, Marinette." They all groaned out, falling back asleep.

The two older siblings chuckled.

"Thanks for looking after them, we knew we could count on you." Alya grinned.

… Marinette simply nodded with a smile and waved at them, "I'll see you tomorrow."

The two nodded and left with Alya closing the door on their way out.

"I'm glad that's over." Tikki appeared once the coast was clear, "Are you still tired? Do you want to go back to sleep?"

Marinette blinked, "But what if an akuma – or a sentimonster appears?" she was lucky that nothing happened while she was taking a nap in the afternoon.

Tikki nudged Marinette's head in the direction of her room, "It's fine." She cheerily said, "I can just wake you if something happens." She continued to push, her feet swimming in the air.

Marinette slowly walked up the stairs to her room, a bit unsure. Sure, she had suggested to take naps or a break before, but it was never this insistent, "… Alright then…" she was still tired, and Tikki did say that she'll wake her up if something came up.

Tikki stopped trying to push Marinette's in the direction of her room and clapped her flippers in delight, "Great!" she chirped. She followed after her chosen and hoped that she was doing something helpful for Marinette. She had watched Marinette losing sleep over the design of the banner, and she had woken up with little sleep today and then expended her energy all day helping her friends with their favours. But then Luka was able to lull her to sleep and Marinette looked better now that she had a bit of rest.

Hopefully some more rest would do her some good.

On a Thursday morning, Marinette walked into class with a confused expression as she saw Lila apologising to Alix and Kim with a sheepish smile, while others gathered around them.

"What's going on?" she asked quietly to herself, feeling on guard.

Adrien, who didn't move from his desk, but was also looking at the small gathering, was the one who answered her, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at Lila through the crowd of his friends, "I'm not sure, she suddenly went up to them… looking sad." He put it kindly.

Marinette didn't really process just who had answered her. She continued staring at the crowd, trying to read the situation as her now clammy hands gripped the straps of her bag.

"I'm so sorry you guys!" Lila clasped her hands together, "I wanted to see you guys race, but my mom insisted I attend this fancy embassy function with her." She sighed out looking disappointed.

Kim was pouting while Alix sat back, hands behind her head with a smug grin.

"It's fine, you didn't miss anything new." Alix shot a smirk at Kim.

Kim stood up with a determined stare, "I call a rematch. That false start back there threw me off! And I uh…" he trailed off when he heard Lila sniffed, "What's wrong?"

Everyone turned to Lila, looking at her with concern.

"Truthfully, I just wanted to spend time with the whole class since I've been so busy with all my charity work, meeting some amazing people and modelling." Lila covered her face, "I was so looking forward to this."

"Lila, don't worry, there will be other races you can watch." Kim grinned at her.

"We don't have to just watch races, we can all hangout!" Rose chirped in.

"Really?" Lila gave them a beaming face, before perking up with a clap, "Why don't we alll go to the movies this Sunday?" Lila suggested with a grin, "I think it'll be nice if the whole class hangs out together." She smiled, "What do you think?"

"That sounds like a lovely idea, Lila." Mylène praised.

Rose, Juleka and Ivan looked to each other with a smile, "We can reschedule Kitty Section's practice." Rose smiled.

"Hmph, hanging out with you guys? No thanks, I have much better things to do." Chloé turned her nose up at them.

"You don't have to go." Alix responded to her rude reply with a smirk.

Chloé looked aghast at that before turning around with crossed arms.

Lila was unfazed at that, "So is everyone else going?" she asked with a smile.

They all nodded.

"Yeah, we'll be there."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world!"

"Great!" Lila grinned before turning to the side, a calculated gaze in her eyes as she shot a smile at Marinette who tensed up, "Would you also be going? Adrien? Marinette?"

Everyone turned to them, all eyes on them.

Adrien gave them a polite smile, "I would have to ask my father if I'm allowed."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure I can convince Mr Agreste to let you attend." Lila waved him off before looking at the girl besides him, "Marinette?"

Marinette felt everyone's eyes all staring at her and she griped the straps of her bag even tighter, turning her knuckles white.

"Is there an akuma?" Marinette faintly thought, "It feels like there's suddenly less oxygen in here." Her eyes trailed to everyone's stares.

Judging her

Waiting for her response.

"Sure, I'll be there." She answered, a smile on her face.

Everyone looked happy with her response, especially Lila.

And Marinette hoped she could count on her classmates not to side with Lila when she turns things against her again.

As everyone went to discuss what movie they should watch, Marinette settled down in her seat as Adrien turned in his to face her.

"Don't worry, I got your back." He whispered to her, a comforting smile on his face.

Marinette stared at his face for a moment before looking down, a tight smile on her face, "… Yeah…"

She just had to survive whatever Lila throws at her on Sunday.

Sunday arrived and Marinette had started her day with an akuma on the other side of the city.

And she couldn't help but think it would only get worse from here on out.

The class of Miss Bustier stood in front on the Cinema, including Chloé who had changed her mind since her Adrikens were going and he was worth her time.

Chloé was impatiently tapping in the lobby, waiting for Adrien to arrive while Sabrina stood by her side, holding their tickets, snacks and drinks. Alix was at the concession stand, picking out her snacks while the others were still in line at the counter waiting to buy their tickets for Mecha Monkey vs. Cyber Shark 4.

The ones waiting in line all turn their heads when they heard a cry of distress.

"Oh no, in my excitement, I must have forgotten my wallet!" Lila cried out, looking distressed as she made a show of searching her pockets.

Alya came besides her, phone pressed to her ear as she patted her shoulder, "Don't worry Lila, we'll pitch in to buy your ticket and we can share our snacks with you." she smiled at her as the others agreed with supportive smiles.

Lila sniffed, giving them a smile, "You guys are so kind." She rubbed at her eye and then turned to the blogger, "So have you heard from Marinette yet? I really do hope she come."

Alya let out a frustrated sigh and pulled her phone away as she once again got Marinette's voicemail.

"Still can't reach her?" Lila asked with a worried tone.

Alya shook her head, "No and the movie is going to start in a few minutes." She sighed out.

"Still no word from Adrien either." Nino added, staring at his phone.

Alya had a gleam in her eyes, "Do you think they're together?" she excitedly asked, only for her excitement to be extinguished by Lila.

She shook her head in disappointment, "They're not." She sighed, as if disappointed at that, "Adrien texted me that he was coming straight here from his photoshoot he had in the morning." She then pressed her hand to her cheek and averted her eyes as if she were in thought, "Like, I understand why Adrien is late, but Marinette?"

"She probably stayed up too late designing or thinking about a certain someone and lost track of time." Alya waved her off with a chuckle, defending Marinette.

Lila nodded, accepting her reason, but released another sigh, "I understand… but don't you think this is… pretty rude of Marinette?"

"What do you mean?" Kim asked, looking confused.

Lila glanced over at him and the others as she spoke, "If she really respected her friends enough, she would be on time and not keep you waiting or at least not be the last to arrive. And isn't she always late to class? Even though her place is like a minute away." she pointed out, furrowing her brows as if she couldn't understand.

"W-well, there's a lot on Marinette's plate. I'm sure she doesn't mean to." Rose defended as the others nodded in agreement.

Lila turned to the pipsqueak, "… But to make you wait like this…" she closed her eyes and shook her head, "At least she doesn't bail in the middle of your hangouts, right?" she smiled at them.

"Well…" they hesitated.

Nathaniel could remember Marinette having to cut their time short.

Max could remember Marinette running behind on time even though her home was a minute away from the school.

Ivan and Mylène had also experienced Marinette cutting their time short as well, but she had said that she was babysitting… was she?

There was so many times Marinette was late or couldn't be reach that Alya could remember. She remembered just last Wednesday that she had kept her and Nino waiting.

Everyone realised that Marinette had bailed on them numerous times and frowned uneasily.

Did Marinette not think of them as…?

Lila gasped with a startle, "Oh my, I didn't mean to, I mean, it's not like she's always leaving in the middle of your outings with some lame excuse, now is she? If Marinette consider you as friends or respect you as such, she will try to be on time or stay for the rest of the activities instead of cutting it short, right?"

"S-She's just busy, it can't be helped." Alya defended with a weak chuckle, yet Lila could see the doubt festering in her head and everyone else.

She covered her mouth.

To others, it may look like that she was horrified at what she had unravelled, but behind that hand, she was smirking widely.

At that moment, Adrien entered the cinema, greeting everyone with a smile, "Sorry, I'm late guys. There was suddenly a surprised photoshoot this morning." He guiltily smiled.

"Adrikins! You're finally here!" Chloé cooed as she ran and latched onto his arm, "I already bought your ticket, you're sitting next to me." She grinned before whipping her head behind her with a sharp call, "Sabrina!"

"Yes, Chloé!" Sabrina appeared and struggled to hold the tickets out to her, trying not to spill the snacks and drinks in her arms.

Chloé snatched the ticket out of her hands and showed Adrien it.

Adrien gave her a small smile, "Thanks, Chloé." He said as he took the ticket, "The movie haven't started, right?" he asked as he turned to the others.

Nino was the one to answer him with a smile "Don't worry, Dude, you're just in time.".

Adrien grinned before looking around the room, "Where's Marinette?" he asked when he didn't see her

"Here! I'm here!" Marinette came running into the cinema, and stopped in front of them, breathing a bit as she leaned on her knees, "Sorry, I'm late! I was-"

"Oh hey, Marinette. You made it." Alix greeted, snacking on her freshly popped popcorn, unaware what had been going on, "Just in time. Still waiting for the rest to get their tickets." She said, chewing on the buttery popcorn.

Marinette straightened up, having caught her breath, "I see. I'm just glad I made it on time." She smiled. She thought she wasn't going to make it. Chat had used his power much earlier than her and had to leave first when the akuma was purified, so it was up to her to bring the de-akumatised little girl home. She had quickly rushed towards here and then ran the rest of the way when Tikki couldn't hold onto her transformation any longer.

She went to stand in line behind the others but couldn't help notice the glances directed at her before they quickly looked away.

Marinette felt uneasy.

No one seemed to be aware that Lila was shaking with amusement.

She had nearly let out a laugh at Adrien's lie and found it perfect that it matched hers. She knew it was a lie since she had persuaded Mr Agreste to allow Adrien to come out since she would be here to protect him from the negative influences. She knows Adrien didn't have a photoshoot, but she couldn't complain as it suited her just fine. Marinette being late was a gamble: seeing how she's been late to class or couldn't be reached most of the times, she decided to take a risk which just worked wonderfully in her favour.

Now she just needed one more push.

In the middle of the movie, Marinette felt like eyes were on her every now and then and she couldn't help but fidget in her spot. Was she being paranoid? Or was there something going on?

She discreetly looked around to see if anything was out of place until she felt her phone vibrate. Taking it out, she inwardly groaned when she saw it was another akuma alert and she quietly excused herself, not noticing the eyes of her classmates following her.

Lila leaned back in her chair with a smirk, placing her free popcorn in her mouth. She was truly blessed with all these coincidences working in her favour.

By the time the movie was over, Marinette still hasn't returned, and everyone couldn't help but remembered what Lila said.

"That was a great movie!" Adrien said as soon as he stepped out of the theatre with the others.

Alix shrugged, dumping her empty popcorn box in a nearby bin, "Could have used some gore." She hummed, having been one of the few people who were focused on the movie.

"Oh yes, I also liked it as well." Chloé lied, having been bored out of her mind at the utterly ridiculous movie, "Why don't we go shopping, Adrikins, and leave this dump?" she suggested, tugging on his arm.

Adrien gave her an apologetic smile, "Sorry Chloé, but I promised my father I come straight home after the movie ended." It was a miracle that he was even allowed to attend this outing with his friends on the first try, and he enjoyed hanging out with his friends, even if it was spent watching a movie.

Chloé let out a huff, "Fine, I'll guess I just have to go shopping myself. Come on Sabrina." She ordered and left.

Adrien smiled at his childhood's friend antic and shook his head at it, before taking his phone out to see that his driver had sent him a text and…

His heart nearly dropped when he saw he had a notification from the news channel about an akuma.

"My Lady!" he thought worriedly and quickly checked the footage and calmed down slightly when it was revealed that the akuma has been dealt with. He let out a relieved sigh and placed his phone away. He would have to apologise to his lady the next time he saw her.

If he had known there was an akuma, he would have rushed to her side no matter what.

"Dude, you okay?" Nino asked. His friend had released a pretty loud sigh there.

Adrien waved him off, "It's nothing, I just have to go home before I'm late."

Nino gave him sympathetic smile, putting an arm around his shoulders, "One day we just have to sneak you out without your old man noticing."

Adrien chuckled, "Yeah, one day." He grinned, "I'll see you tomorrow at school." He said, holding his fist out for a bump.

Nino smiled and tapped his fist to Adrien's and let him go, watching as he said 'bye' to the others before left.

"I'm gonna go wash up in the restroom for a bit." Alix said, holding her hand covered with slight fat from the buttery butter, "Got popcorn butter on my hand. Be back soon." She said and took off.

Seeing how the two people who would try to interfere with her plan was gone, Lila inwardly smirk before making a show of looking for someone, "Where's Marinette?" she asked, looking back in the theatre, "Is she still inside?" she enjoyed the awkward tension surrounding the group at her innocent question.

"Um…" Alya scratched her head, "She left during the movie…" she awkwardly admitted.

"Maybe she went to the restroom?" Nino chuckled weakly, but he didn't even believe that himself.

"I'm 37.11% sure she wouldn't be stuck in the restroom for the duration of the movie." Max adjusted his glasses on his nose, "She would have sent a message informing us if she were."

Alya took out her phone and checked to see if there were any messages from her bff and frowned when there wasn't, only an akuma notification. And seeing how there had been an akuma that had appeared during the movie, she felt disappointed that she missed her chance to capture some footage of it for her blog.

"Well? Is there a message from Marinette?" Lila asked, raising a brow at her.

Alya bit her lip and shook her head.

Lila put on a sad and disappointed face, "Oh…" she looked away, putting on a hurt face, "Don't tell me Marinette couldn't even be in the same room as me and left? I know Marinette has some problems with me, but I didn't know it was this bad." She sniffed, covering her face.

"It's not like that at all." Rose defended in her high-pitched voice, but she didn't know what else to say about Marinette's disappearance.

Lila lifted her head, "Then… what else could it be?" she let the question linger in the air, watching as her little followers take on an uncomfortable look.

At that moment, they heard the entrance of the cinema doors open and saw Marinette run back in, only to freeze in front of them when she saw them, looking like a deer in headlights.

"Girl, where were you?" Alya immediately asked, looking unsettled.

Marinette straightened as she rubbed the back of her head with an apologetic smile, "Sorry, I uh, suddenly remembered there was something urgent that I – uh needed to send out that couldn't wait."

Alya frowned at the excuse, "Lila was right." She muttered quietly under her breath, looking devasted.

Marinette looked confused, not catching what she said, "What?" she asked, her smile frozen as her heart started beating hard.

Alya let out a deep breath, as if everything was coming together, "You're never where you say you'll be, showing up late, splitting mysteriously, and all. Just what is going on?" she demanded, looking Marinette straight in her eyes, "Like I get that you might sleep in, lose track of time, but you're constantly doing this. We wouldn't have noticed if…" she shook her head. No need to involve Lila in this and get her in trouble with Marinette. She didn't deserve to have fingers pointed at her by Marinette again, "If we're your friends, why are you always late or ditching us?" she questioned.

"I.." Marinette couldn't say anything without it sounding like an excuse. Her eyes wide as she stared at the others. They were either looking at her with hurt in their eyes or averting their eyes from her with hurt. Her eyes finally landed on Lila and her heart clenched at the sight of her smirk.

If she were to point Lila out, it would only backfire on her.

Again.

Alya let out a disappointed sigh, "Marinette, can you promise us that you won't ditch me or the others the next time we hang out? Won't run off in the middle?"

This wasn't fair.

Everyone took her silence as an answer and looked as if they were betrayed.

Hurt, Alya looked away from her with crossed arms as Nino put an arm around her in comfort, "Fine. Come talk to us when you have your priority straighten out." She quietly said, "We'll wait." And walked away with the others.

Lila shot Marinette a victorious smirk.

Evil laughter echoed in the dark observatory as Hawk Moth stood in the middle. Light entered through the opening window, scattering the untainted butterflies around.

"Frustration and anger mixed with despair and hopelessness." Hawk Moth chuckled, trembling in anticipation, "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, this will the moment you'll finally fall!" he declared, his arms spread out.

He reached for a butterfly and tainted, creating his akuma, "Fly away, my little akuma, and evilize her tortured soul!" he ordered, releasing the akuma, eagerly waiting for his ultimate masterpiece.

Marinette numbly walked out of the cinema with a heavy heart, moving mindlessly in the direction of her home, passing by buildings.

… Did… Did I just lose my… friends…?

Was Lila's lies really that convincing?

If so… was anything I do ultimately going to fail?

...

I see.

Anything I do was never going to be good enough...

She felt lightheaded and didn't even feel Tikki calling out to her until she cried out and felt her frantically trying to push her to move into an alleyway she had stopped by.

"Marinette, an akuma!" Tikki cried out desperately, trying to snap her Chosen out of it. She saw what happened, could see what her friends had done to her, but if she were to get akumatised now, there wouldn't be anyone to save her!

Marinette seemed to return back to reality, if just for a bit. She absentmindedly let Tikki nudge her into the alleyway where she was hidden from any onlookers and caught an akuma in the sky, flapping its way towards her.

An akuma…

Her eyes focused on the akuma coming for her and something seemed to have snapped within her.

Another akuma-!

Her fist trembled as she stared unblinking at the akuma.

"Marinette!" Tikki worriedly cried, trying to get her to transform.

Marinette was shaking in anger as she grabbed at her head, "ARGHHHH! TIKKI! SPOTS ON!" she screamed out frustratedly.

Standing in place of Marinette was a furious-looking Ladybug and as soon as the akuma got within range of her, she angrily hurled her yo-yo at the akuma, capturing it, before it was violently yanked back.

The yo-yo was clenched in a trembling tight grip.

This! This whole thing!

BANG!

Ladybug breathed harshly, the only thing holding her up was her other fist that had slammed violently against the brick wall behind her.

"LADYBUG!" Hawk Moth frustratedly roared out, throwing his cane to the side out of anger.

The cane bounced against the wall before rolling to a stop on the ground in a clatter.

Hawk Moth breathed out a growl, glaring out into the sky as he reined in his anger a bit. The superheroine was more of a nuisance than he thought.

Patience.

He needed to be patient. He will have plenty of opportunities to akumatise the girl.

"You can't always protect her 24/7. Soon, Marinette Dupain-Cheng will fall victim and you won't be able to save her in time." He darkly predicted as the window of the observatory began closing, "And I will have my ultimate masterpiece."

As her breathing slowed down, so did her anger as it began to simmer down with every breath she took.

Tiny little debris from the brick crumbled as she tiredly lifted her fist away from the wall, revealing a crack in the wall from the impact.

She let herself fall against the wall as she slid down on the concrete ground, her knees bent and cradling her head on it.

She closed her eyes, suddenly finding herself very tired.

She felt empty.

As if all that anger she had before was released in that punch she did.

Lila, her classmates, the akumas… she can't go on like this.

Just how many times has she almost been akumatised?

She can't afford for that to happen, but at this rate, she really will.

And if she can't control her emotions, she'd be putting the city in danger with every akuma coming to her.

Tikki must be horrified with the amount she was attracting. She was probably the only Ladybug in history to have made so many akumas come for her.

She was a failure as Ladybug who was putting her city in danger.

She can't do anything right.

… But the least she could do was think what would be best for the city.

Paris didn't need a Ladybug who was constantly failing them

Paris needs someone else.

Tiredly lifting her head up, Ladybug brought the yo-yo in front of her and released the purified butterfly from it.

"Bye bye, little butterfly."

Alone, in the empty alleyway, she watched the purified butterfly go with a heavy heart.

Tikki worriedly stared at Marinette from above her bed, wringing her flippers.

She didn't know what she should do in order to help Marinette anymore and she didn't think her encouragement was what Marinette needed right now.

Marinette hadn't said a word when she arrived home. She only went straight to her bed and laid faced down on her pillow, her hands underneath it.

The kwami had been aware of what had happened. Had been trying to figure out what to say to her Chosen to cheer her up on their way home, but she didn't know. This was a delicate matter and she didn't want to hurt Marinette anymore than she was already in, "Marinette…"

"I'm sorry, Tikki… I know what I did, but I don't want to talk about it." Was Marinette's tired response.

Tikki flew down next to her head and began stroking the visible part of her cheek, "Then why don't we go see Master Fu?" Tikki realised that she wasn't enough for Marinette. As a little god who had been dormant through most of the human civilisation, her understanding of humans were lacking. Marinette needed someone who she could talk to and be understood, to talk freely without hiding anything, and she thought the wise old Guardian could help Marinette. He was the only one who knew about her double life, knew when something was wrong when she didn't.

If anyone could help, it would be Master Fu.

Marinette tensed at the mention of 'Master Fu' but she relaxed, turning her face to the side slightly, "I was planning to go talk to him tomorrow. During lunch…" She admitted, "Is that alright with you?"

Tikki would have wanted her to go now, but she didn't want to pressure her into going. She was just glad she was already planning to see the Master, "Yes, of course." She smiled, nuzzling her face against her, "I think a talk will do you some good."

Closing her eyes, Marinette nodded in agreement.

It was a bit early to go to bed, but Marinette didn't want to do anything.

She was feeling tired.

Her mom had woken her up for dinner and Marinette realised that she hadn't eaten anything today. She had been woken up with an akuma alert, having to skip breakfast. After the akuma, she headed straight to the cinema and then another akuma… then she took a nap.

"How were the movies with your friends?" Sabine asked with a smile, starting a small conversation.

Marinette stared at her plate for a moment, feeling her appetite going away, "It was fine." She looked up with a smile before digging back into her plate.

"Did you do anything else after?" Tom asked.

Marinette shook her head, "No… I didn't feel well so I came home."

Tom furrowed his brows, "Are you alright, sweetie?

"Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about it." Marinette said with a small smile, clearing up her plate and bringing it to the sink, quickly washing it up.

"Do you want to play a game of Ultimate Mecha Strike III with us?" he suggested.

Marinette shook her head, placing her dish in the drying rack, she moved towards the stairs and place her hand on the handrail to her room, "It's alright, I'm still feeling a bit tired. You guys enjoy." She smiled and disappeared into her room.

Sabine and Tom looked at each other with furrowed brows and worried looks.

It was late at night and Marinette couldn't sleep, no matter how long she kept her eyes closed.

She had been thinking of how her talk with Master Fu would go before thinking of going to sleep, but too much things were attacking her head and Marinette felt like she was nearing her wit's end.

She let out a sigh and turned, her eyes looking at her phone placed next to her head.

"I'll see you around, call me if you need anything, or if you just want to hang out, okay? " Luka said with a smile.

Her hand had reached for her phone and opened up to his contact info before she knew it and Marinette hesitated.

Just what was she doing? It was really late at night; she shouldn't be calling him –

"Can't sleep?" Tikki's whispered voice startled her enough that she accidentally pressed the call button.

"Shoot." Marinette panicked, scrambling up and fumbling with her phone as it kept ringing.

Just as she barely got her bearings to end the call, she flinched when his voice sounded from her phone.

"Marinette?" a quiet sounding voice came.

She let out a small squeak, feeling horrified that she probably just woke him up. She wasn't sure if she should just forget the whole thing and let him go back to sleep, but then she would've woken him up for no reason. Shakily, she placed her phone to her ear as she looked around, figuring out what she should do now that he had answered, "T-That's me. Hi!" she awkwardly responded, inwardly slapping at herself. She was pretty sure he had that amused smile when he replied.

"Hey. What's up?" there was a momentarily pause before he continued, "Is something wrong?" he asked, concern layered in his tone.

Marinette shook her head, but flushed a bit in embarrassment when she realised he couldn't see her, "No, um, uh…" she squeezed her eyes shut and curled into herself, wrapping an arm around her knees, "I just… couldn't sleep." She quietly said before deciding that this was a mistake. She was bothering him and that was the last thing she wanted to do, "Never mind. I'm sorry for calling so late, I-"

"You said you couldn't sleep?" Luka's gentle voice cut her off.

"… Yeah." She whispered timidly, the hand around her knees squeezed her calve.

Luka let out a sympathetic hum, "Hang on, I have an idea."

Marinette blinked, wondering what he was doing. She could hear rustling from the other side, and she felt guilty. "Were… Were you sleeping before I called?" she questioned in a whisper, afraid that her suspicions were true.

"I was about to." He simply answered.

"Luka!" she groaned, but it was muffled against her knees. It was great that she didn't wake him, but she felt guilty that she was bothering him.

Luka chuckled, "I did say to call me if you need anything."

"But it's so late!" she protested in a whisper, moving her free hand to clutch in her hair, feeling bad.

"Then call me even if it's late, Marinette." He rebutted good-heartedly.

She could picture him shrugging like it was no big deal and that just made her feel worse, but she couldn't help but smile at his nature, "So what's your plan?" she asked, flopping to her side with her knees curled to her chest.

Luka let out a hum and in the quiet of the night, Marinette could hear his footsteps tapping against the floorboards. "Did he leave his room?"

"If you don't mind, I was thinking of playing something. Also, there's a full moon tonight."

Marinette blinked and turned her head towards the skylight to her balcony and shifted her head a bit to see there really was a full moon out tonight.

"Any request?"

She startled a bit before answering, "Anything is fine."

"Make yourself comfy then." He said.

Marinette placed her phone beside her head while she heard Luka place his phone on a wooden surface.

And in the next moment, Luka began playing a low, soft melody. It was the lullaby he played when he came over on Wednesday and the slow sounding melody was just the perfect remedy that she needed as no sooner; she felt her eyelids become heavy.

She wanted to stay awake to listen to the rest of the soothing melody, but before she knew it, Marinette fell asleep.

The song lasted for a minute before Luka asked if she liked it. When he didn't get a reply, he softly called out to her, "Marinette?" but all he got was soft breathing from the other side of the phone as his response. Luka let out a quiet chuckle, "Sweet dreams, Marinette." He quietly said before hanging up, letting her sleep.

Tikki flew into the air and stared at the phone, staring at Luka's contact photo before the screen turned off itself. She then turned her head to look at Marinette and couldn't help but notice her chosen was sleeping peacefully, her face that had looked weary before the call, now looked relaxed.

One call from Luka was able to do that.

Filing that titbit away, Tikki went and pulled the blanket over Marinette's shoulders before pressing a kiss to her forehead, "Sleep tight, Marinette." She whispered, hoping that tomorrow, Master Fu would be able to help her.

The next day, as planned, Marinette visited Master Fu.

Classes in the morning had felt tense as her classmates had looked at her with hurt looks, but didn't talk to her. Marinette had tried to ignore it, making herself focus on what she was going to say to Master Fu at lunch. She had a good night's sleep; she was calm and had been mulling over her decision. She knew what she must do.

She lightly knocked on the sliding door, peering her head around it to fortunately see Master Fu wasn't in the middle of a session with a customer. "Master Fu?"

"Ahh, Marinette. To what to a pleasure do I owe you." Fu greeted, lowering down the cup of tea to his lap.

"Err…" Marinette, rubbed her arm, she glanced at Tikki who looked encouraging.

But Marinette didn't really want her to hear what she wanted to say.

Master Fu gestured a seat in front of him with a smile, "Why don't you and I talk while Tikki and Wayzz catch up?" He suggested.

Flying out of her purse, Tikki gave Marinette's hand a pat, shoot her an encouraging smile, hoping Marinette would talk about her problems with the Master before flying over to her friend who was waiting on the gramophone's record, a miniature tea set prepared.

Marinette took a deep breath before taking a seat in front of Master Fu who handed her a cup of steaming tea to her.

Before she could even talk about why she was here, Master Fu beat her to it.

"How is school, Marinette?" Master Fu questioned in a gentle voice, hoping to find out what problems she was facing in her civilian life to affect her so much. He would have to be delicate with today's talk as he knew he would be entering dangerous territory.

Marinette flinched as she stared wide eyed at him but quickly composed herself and averted her eyes from him, "That's not, um I wanted to talk about something else that-"

"Marinette." Tikki pleaded, appearing next to Master Fu with Wayzz holding his tea, "I think it'll help."

Master Fu held up his hand, signalling her that it was enough as he addressed the girl in front of him, "If it's no trouble at all, I would like to hear how you have been doing with school and your friends." He gently urged.

Marinette bit her lip before resigning, "It's… nothing serious," she brushed off her troubles with a weak sheepish laugh but it trailed into a small frown, "… There's just… this girl at school who lies about everything." She swallowed, clutching at her cup, reminding herself not to get worked up. This was all in the past, she shouldn't dwell on it too much, "Whenever I try to expose her, she would turn everything against me, making herself look like the victim while the others..." she closed her eyes, breathing in and out to calm herself. She can't get worked up over this.

She can't let herself be akumatize.

Master Fu waited patiently for the girl to collect her thoughts.

"I told Alya, but she told me I was just jealous and to show proof." She subconsciously tightened her grip on the cup, the other occupants noticing it.

Alya was the reporter, not me. Why do I have to show her proof when she doesn't even bother to-!

Marinette shook her head to banish her thoughts, feeling ashamed. "When my words weren't enough, I tried a different approach to get them to see that they were being promised with lies." Her brows scrunched as memories of her failed attempts surfaced up, bringing about that ugly feeling she had pushed away, "The worst thing about this is that the girl's lies are easy to expose if someone were to do a little research," the more she thought about how easy it was to expose those lies, the more she felt herself get agitated, "but they all take them at face value, nobody seems to give a second thought!" her voice rose a bit at the end, staring widely at the ground as she breathed shakily.

Calm down.

She shut her eyes, not noticing the others staring at her as she let out a couple of breaths to calm herself. If she continued like this, she was going to get herself akumatised.

Again.

"The day she came back to school, she took advantage of my… classmate's kindness." Marinette frowned. Since when did she stop referring them as friends? "She got them to carry her things and cater to her in the cafeteria because she had a sprained wrist that she suddenly had. Of course she was lying so I threw a balled up napkin at her which she caught but" her shoulders trembled, feeling angry at how ridiculous the lie was, "but that didn't work since she made it look like she was defending our classmate who was standing next to her." She squeezed her eyes and gritted her teeth as she remembered that day, losing herself in the moment, "Max, you're supposed to be smart, so how can you believe that a napkin can gouged out your eye?! Besides, the napkin was nowhere near your face and you were wearing glasses!" she huffed, breathing heavily, making both Master Fu and Wayzz glance at each other.

A napkin?

Marinette jolted when she realised what she just said and lifted a shaky hand to cover her eyes, "I'm sorry, that was mean- I mean, I didn't mean to…" she wanted to stop.

If she continued, she might find out some unwanted things.

"Marinette." Master Fu gently called out to her.

She flinched.

Master Fu moved forward to take the tea from her hand. He placed it on the ground and placed his comforting hand on hers, "It's alright. These are your feelings. You don't have to hide them."

I have to.

Otherwise, Hawk Moth will send another akuma to her.

"Please continue." He gently urged. Master Fu knew they were taking a risk, but he needed the poor girl to continue. Bottling everything like she was doing was unhealthy and straining on her emotional well-being.

It took a while for Marinette to continue but she was trying to calm herself down. When she lowered her hand from her eyes, everyone could see the weariness in them, "I left when everyone believed her but then Lila cornered me." Her head dipped down, as if tired, "She threatened to turn my friends against me and take the boy I liked if I didn't follow along with her lies." She sagged in her spot as she placed her head in her hands as if ashamed, "I've almost been akumatized because of that." She whispered, surprising the guardian and the turtle kwami who only knew about the one from Tikki, "At least Tikki was there to help me." She shot the little red kwami a tired but grateful smile who flew over to hug the side of her neck

"Is there anyone who knows about this?" Master Fu finally piped up. Just how many times did the poor girl almost get akumatised?

Marinette looked to the side, a tired smile on her lips, "Adrien - A boy from class, knows, but he told me not to expose her because she might get akumatise again." She blinked at the bitter tone of voice she used.

She also didn't notice Master Fu or Wayzz gave a surprised look at each other.

"Ah, but I didn't tell him that she threatened me because he said that we were in this together – that it was all it mattered." Marinette defended with a regretful smile.

It wasn't.

"What about the others? The temporary heroes?" Master Fu inquired, frowning. Surely, they reconsider the girl's lies after being given a fair amount of warnings.

A bitter smile appeared on her face as she absentmindedly stared at her lap, "I told them Lila's a liar, warned them a couple of times…but they won't listen." She let out a humourless chuckle, "They doubt Marinette, but I wonder if they would listen if it came from Ladybug-they trust her after all." They followed Ladybug's instructions without question, but when it came to Marinette…

It was quiet in the room as Marinette stared into her reflection in the now cold tea in front of her. Her eyes looked weary and a frown was on her face.

When was the last time she truly smiled?

"How long have this been going on?"

She shrugged, "Couple of weeks, maybe a month? I'm not sure, all I know is that this is exhausting." She absentmindedly answered with a humourless smile, not just the Lila problem, but also the akumas, sentimonsters and her classmates.

She just wanted to give up.

But that would be selfish.

The Guardian of the Miraculous box looked straight at Marinette's bowed head, "Do you trust Alya and Nino?" he questioned.

"Of-" the good response would be to say 'of course', avoiding worrying Master Fu, but memories of Alya demanding her of proof instead of Lila, Alya telling others of her secrets she promised to keep quiet about, not keeping her promises and Nino trusting Lila more than her, not seeing the point, Nino trusting Lila over her who has been in his class for years made it hard to say. Marinette tries to swallow the knot that she felt in her throat, her eyes shadowed by her hair as she gave out a tight smile, "They're my… friends. It's normal for friends to have disagreements with each other every now and then." She chuckled weakly. She can't just focus on the bad stuff just because of a few bad weeks. They were still good people… Besides, she wasn't here to talk about them, she was here to…

Master Fu frowned, not pointing out that she didn't answer his question, he tried another angle, "Then how do you feel working with Rena Rouge and Carapace?"

"It's fine, they know how to use their powers and they follow instructions well- they're good superheroes." She stated with her eyes down casted.

She didn't want to talk about this anymore, she needed to talk about what she came here in the first place.

Licking her suddenly dry lips, Marinette looked up with a nervous but determined stare, "… Master Fu," she started, finally talking what she wanted, her reason for coming over, "I… think you should look for a new… Ladybug."

This startled all the occupants in the room.

"What are-" Wayzz started, only for Tikki to cut him off.

"Marinette, what are you saying?" Tikki speedily flew in front of her and screeched to a stop, "You can't be serious!" She cried.

Marinette stared at Tikki with unwavering eyes, "You've seen just how many akumas I've attracted. At this rate, I'm putting the people of Paris in danger…" she reminded, "Besides, Paris comes first. Ladybug can't be compromise because of her feelings, otherwise Hawkmoth wins." She closed her eyes.

"Then we'll find another solution! You don't have to give up the earrings, if you're worrying about working with Alya and Nino, we can try someone else!" Tikki looked like she was about to cry at the thought of losing Marinette like this.

Marinette shook her head, looking at Tikki, "I can't keep changing superheros whenever something upsetting happens to me-it's unprofessional." She thought this through, sometimes your heart tells you one thing, but a great superhero always listens to her head.

She hasn't been a great superhero so far, but this choice would be beneficial to Paris.

Shaken, Tikki tried to reason with her beloved bug, "But it's not like you'll be getting help from Rena Rouge and Carapace all the time!"

"But it also won't just be Chat Noir and I forever." She rebutted, "Hawkmoth is constantly getting stronger, he has Mayura on his side, and the enemies are getting tougher, making us need more help on our side."

"But from those reasoning, it also means there's no time to get a new Ladybug, they won't be able to deal with these new obstacles, it can only be you, Marinette!" she cried out, unintentionally wiping the determined gaze in her chosen's eyes.

Marinette backed down, drawing in a sharp breath with her head down. Tikki's right, "You're right, what was I even thinking." She curled her shoulders in, hugging her arms and quietly said, "I'm sorry, I didn't think this thorough enough. This was selfish for me." How could she forget about that?

Tikki's eyes widened before lowering them with a regretful look, "Marinette," she flew down to pat her chosen's cheek, "You're not selfish. You're the most wonderful Ladybug I've ever had, and you sacrifice so much. It's just that your trust in your friends has been shaken. You'll get through this. You're strong, you're confident, you're Marinette after all."

"Tikki." Master Fu called out, staring at the creation kwami.

Tikki flinched. She was doing it again. Marinette didn't need to hear this. She already knows. What she needs is a solution. A long term one instead of a short term.

Marinette petted Tikki's head, trying to comfort her, "I… just wish I didn't know the identity of Rena Rouge and Carapace." She smiled a self-loathing smile, "I... know that whenever I choose them for help, I hesitate." It wasn't a fluke; she has been hesitating for a while now.

Master Fu looked at her with a raised brow.

"You placed your trust in me to let me choose temporary heroes and I'm glad you trust me enough to do that… It's just that… I think it was a mistake for me to choose who the Fox and Turtle Miraculous are." She stared at Master Fu with tired eyes. "Both Alya and Nino trust Ladybug, but they have doubts in Marinette…" that ugly feeling she feared was coming back at her, louder than before, "I'm afraid my feelings would eventually get in the way of my duty." She whispered as if ashamed. "You and Tikki said that we can't reveal our identity to anyone, and I agree." She quickly said before they could interrupt, "And now… I wished I never knew who Rena Rouge and Carapace are, wished I never picked them." Her heart picked up speed as she felt she couldn't stop the word vomit she was releasing, "I don't know who's Chat Noir is but at least Chat didn't hurt me in my civilian life-and even if he did, I wouldn't know."

Ignorance is bliss as they say.

"Marinette, why don't you relax for the rest of the day and come back in a few days, I might have a solution for this." Master Fu suggested.

Marinette shook her head as she stood up, "No, there's no need, I was just being too immature about this whole thing. It's normal to have disagreements among friends." She gave the guardian a forced grin, her brows furrowed as she did, "I just need to solve my problems and fix my trust in Alya and Nino before the next time I need them." She felt a small blush of embarrassment heat up her cheeks, "Sorry for my rambling." Resigning as Ladybug was supposed to solve half of the problem and keep Paris safe, but she couldn't even do that right, "Thanks for the talk and tea, Master Fu, I really needed to get that off my chest." She gave a weak laugh, hugging her arms as she left with Tikki in tow.

Alone with his turtle kwami, Master Fu stroke his beard.

As students exited the classroom to go home, Aurore politely declined her friend's invitation to hang out with an apologetic smile, promising to join them the next time she was free.

They nodded with an understanding smile and left.

Once she was relatively alone on the corridors, Aurore's smile dropped as she pulled out her recent test paper from out of her bag and let out a disappointed sigh.

Staring at the 12/20 on her paper, Aurore frowned. She had passed, but just barely.

She closed her eyes with a worried frown, "What am I going to do?" she muttered to herself.

Her parents were happy that she was following her dreams, but they were also worried about her education, thinking that it might be too much to handle at the same time.

She had confidently promised them that she would be able to commit to both her dream job and her education, having proven to them numerous times that she was able to balance the two. But as she received more jobs and opportunity, her grades were dropping. She had made sure to have studied but trying to balance out her job and school was tough, especially on those days that she missed class.

She hadn't failed so far, but her grades were dropping and so will her GPA.

Again.

She didn't want people to know that her grades was dropping, especially to Sabrina and Chloé. How they found out last time was beyond her, and she didn't want to take a chance by asking her classmates or teachers in case word got out.

She didn't need another trash talk from the spoiled brat.

Aurore opened her eyes and stared at her paper with furrowed brows. But at this rate, they really will find out especially when Ms. Mendeleiev would inevitably call out to her to speak to her about her grade, which would probably happen soon.

She had another job lined up for her right now and she should probably get a move on, but she also needed to figure a way to improve her score, especially since there would be another of Ms Mendeleiv's infamous pop quiz next week.

As she made it down the stairs to the courtyard, she felt someone accidentally bumped into her, causing her things to fall out of her hands.

Aurore inwardly let out an annoyed sigh. But she wasn't going to turn around and yell at the person who bumped into her, no, she has to maintain a reputation. No telling what rumours would spread if she, a TV personality, was to be caught doing something relatively 'bad'.

Just as she was about to turn around to see who had bumped her, the other person immediately apologised.

"I'm sorry!"

Aurore blinked as Marinette quickly scrambled to pick up her bag, parasol and paper for her. A bitting frown on her face.

"I'm sorry." She apologised again, "I wasn't looking to where I was going." She was still holding out her things to her, looking a bit under the weather.

Aurore took her things back, the test paper pressed against her chest, feeling the tiniest bit insecure about her grade, "It's fine Marinette, no harm done. Just a simple breeze, that's all." she reassured, smiling at her.

Marinette seemed to relax at that, but she still looked guilty at her small blunder.

"Were you going to meet up with your friends? You seem to be in a rush." the blonde asked, making small conversation to be polite. What she thought was an innocent question, seem to be the wrong thing to say when she noticed that minuscule flinch of her shoulders. Aurore had taken a habit of being aware of her environment – had to be in order to notice the cues given to her when she was live on TV, so she couldn't help but raise a brow at such a reaction from Marinette.

Marinette put on a strained smile, rubbing the back of her head as she averted her eyes, "I-uh, no, I was just heading home and didn't see where I was going… sorry about that."

"I see." Aurore said, not pointing out her strange behaviour, "Well, I'm going…" she looked down and her gaze fell onto her test paper.

"Don't hesitate to ask if you need any help." Marinette gave a welcoming smile to her.

Aurore blinked before looking up to stare at Marinette with a contemplative gaze. While they were not close, they were civilised with one another, greeting the other when they noticed the other. She also knew that Marinette was a kind but also quiet girl (especially back then but was more outgoing this year). She could probably ask her for some help.

The paper in her hand crinkled a bit, "Hey, Marinette?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"Do you remember what you said at our last conversation when I…" she trailed off, not wanting to remember that awful day: being ridiculed by Chloé and akumatised into Stormy Weather again.

It was Marinette's turn to blink as she tried to remember what she was talking about, "Our last conversation…" she repeated slowly, trying to jog her memory. The last time they spoke to one another was when… she perked her head up "Oh!" and nodded.

Aurore bit the inside of her cheek, hesitating a bit. She was a prideful person, but she wasn't so foolish to turn away a chance offered to her if it meant it would help her, "That offer… is that still available?" she asked with a small smile.

Marinette stared at the taller girl, looking a bit surprised. She had thought that Aurore had forgotten about it since it has been a while now. But Marinette was genuine in her offer and she smiled kindly, calming the taller girl, "Of course. When did you want to start?"

With a sunny smile, Aurore replied, "Tomorrow at lunch would be good."

Notes:

Does anything feel too OOC? Feels like I went overboard. Tell me if you find any issues with this.
Found out that in Paris, Wednesday is either a half day or a day off in some schools, Saturday is half day and Sunday a day off from school. Hoping someone to tell me how true this is for Collège (High School) in Paris.
Hope you enjoyed reading this.

Chapter 13: A shift in change

Notes:

#
Finally done with all my assignments. Thank you for being patient with me, hope you enjoy reading this chapter!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Aurore was glad that Marinette had offered her room instead of the library to study as there would be less distractions, but she was really glad for the privacy. They were sitting at Marinette's desk with her science textbook opened to the topic she was currently learning. Marinette was going over her notes while Aurore was going over her test paper and trying to figure out where she went wrong with Marinette's help.

"I appreciate you helping me study, Marinette." Aurore smiled as she wrote down her answer after hearing Marinette explained the physics question. She was glad that Marinette's explanations were easy to follow, "But are you sure I'm not taking your time away from your friends?" she asked, glancing at said girl who was looking over her notes and jolting down her own explanation. However, her eyes narrowed at the small pause before she continued writing, "Again?" she thought.

Marinette's hand stopped for a moment at the mention of her… 'friends' before focusing back on writing down notes that was easy to understand for Aurore, "It's fine… Things are a bit… awkward between us." She confessed with a weak smile.

It was no different than yesterday. Alya and the others didn't talk to her unless it was necessary, but even then, it was with one word before they awkwardly distracted themselves with something else. She knew they were waiting for her to make the first step, but she couldn't do that. Her classmates were upset that she would arrive late or disappear in the middle of their hangout and Marinette couldn't promise them that she won't bail on them next time because she knew that she would.

So she can't make the first move.

Aurore nodded, "I see." She simply said but didn't ask any further. Marinette seemed like a person who would have pictures of her friends in her room, so she glanced around, trying to find any. But she couldn't find a single picture of her friends. A poster of Jagged Stone, but nothing else. Maybe she kept her pictures near her bed above them, or maybe she was wrong and just didn't hang any.

"Aurore?" Marinette called out to her when she realised she wasn't moving.

Aurore inwardly shook herself. It wasn't any of her business, she shouldn't be prying, "Sorry, my head was a bit lost in the clouds." She sheepishly smiled before directing her eyes back on her paper, moving onto the next question she got wrong.

While Marinette was helping Aurore study at the bakery, over in the Art Room, Alix noticed that all the members from her class was present except for Marinette.

She was absentmindedly throwing her spray can in the air and catching it while she scanned the gloomy-looking faces of her friends.

At first, she thought something had happened at the movies when she had came back from washing her hands and everyone had looked down. She had thought that the movie had made them tired and had wanted to go home. But then Monday came and she noticed that their strange behaviour wasn't just a fluke when everyone had become silent as soon as Marinette walked in. She noticed that they were all looking at her with hurt eyes but nobody went up to talk to her. Alya and Marinette didn't even greet each other and when she had tried to ask the others what was going on, Miss Bustier walked in and began her lesson. Alix had tried again at lunch, but the response she got was an upset, "It seems Marinette doesn't have time for us." before they resumed picking at their lunch. She had awkwardly nodded at the answer and backed away, thinking she should have gone to Marinette instead, but she couldn't find her that day.

Same deal was happening today.

She caught a hold of her spray can.

"Hey, does anyone know where's Marinette?" she suddenly asked, carefully watching them. She saw them flinched and fidgeted on the spot.

Now she definitely knows that something had happened at the movies and she was going to get to the bottom of this.

"We don't know." Rose mumbled out, looking down at her notebook while Juleka grabbed her hand in a comforting squeeze, "She rushed off as soon as the bell went." Was that Marinette's answer? Did she not want to be friends anymore? She had also went home without looking back yesterday, so it probably meant that this is what she chose. Rose teared up at the thought that their friendship ended just like that.

"Seems like Marinette made her decision." Nathaniel huffed without looking up from his notebook.

Alix raised a brow, "Okay, seriously, guys." She sighed, crossing her arms, "Just what happened at the movies? Am I missing something here? You're all acting strange." She pointed out.

They were quiet for a bit before Nathaniel was the one who spoke up for them, "Lila pointed out that Marinette doesn't really see us as friends." He started, "She's always late or she bails on us halfway through… and it's not just a one-time thing. She does that a lot." He grumbled.

Alix furrowed her brows at that with a frown, "So you think Marinette is not our friend just because she has trouble managing her time?" she said in a questioning tone that made them feel guilty.

Rose, Juleka and Nathaniel averted their gaze.

"Well, when you put it that way…" Nathaniel scratched the side of his cheek, feeling embarrassed, "But Lila said-"

"Lila doesn't know Marinette as much as we do." Alix bluntly said, "Besides, whatever Lila said, Marinette is not that kind of person. And whenever she bails, it usually when akumas attack and she's not the only one to bail during those times." She pointed out, "She always tries her best and she's always there for us. Do you think the girl who broke Juleka's photo curse or got you and Marc together when you wanted someone to write your stories really don't think of you guys as friends?" she raised a brow at the ridiculous notion they had of Marinette.

They all looked ashamed at themselves.

"So is this the reason why nobody is talking to Marinette?" she questioned with a disappointed frown.

Rose frantically shook her head, clenching her fists to her chest, "We're waiting for Marinette to… to…" she trailed off, biting on her lip. To what? Organize her life so she can hang out with them without having something come up? That sounded so selfish and mean of them! She nearly burst into tears at their behaviour.

"I think we owe Marinette an apology." Juleka mumbled out, "We shouldn't have let Lila think Marinette was a bad friend."

Rose and Nathaniel nodded. The former turning to her best friend, getting into a discussion on what they should do to make it up to Marinette.

"Lila doesn't know Marinette like we do, yeah, but… it was kind of hard when we couldn't deny what she said about Marinette…" Nathaniel frowned.

"Buddy, don't jump to conclusions. Remember the Marc incident?" Alix reminded, watching as he winced at the time Marc became Reverser because of a misunderstanding he made.

"Right. Sorry." He embarrassedly nodded.

Alix nodded and turned back to her wall, a contemplative look on her face, "Lila, huh." She muttered under her breath as she sprayed a slash across her canvas.

"Thanks, Marinette. I feel like I finally understand what Ms Mendeleiev has been teaching." Aurore grinned as the two walked out of the bakery with a free croissant in hand.

Marinette smiled at her as they headed back to school before lunch was over, "I'm glad I could help."

"Same time tomorrow? Or-" Aurore subtly glanced at the smaller girl besides her, carefully observing for a reaction, "do you want to do a different time? I don't want to take your time away from your friends."

Just as she was about to take a bite of her croissant, Marinette had an unreadable look pass through her eyes before turning to her with a closed-eye smile, "No, lunch is fine. Your next quiz is next week so we'll cram all the studying that we can get." She answered before facing forward, "But if you can't do lunch, just tell me, I'll write out some notes for you and give it to you the next day."

Even though Aurore was not part of Marinette's group, she could tell that there's a storm brewing between her and her friends, judging by Marinette's reaction and the lack of mention of her friends.

They had passed the street when the lights turned and made it to the steps of their school.

"You're a big help, Marinette. I really appreciate you for doing this." She smiled, finishing off her croissant, "If you ever need anything, just call me."

Marinette blinked, waving her hand, "Oh it's fine, I don't-"

A thought occurred in Aurore's mind, "Oh, wait, you don't have my number." While she knew the teachers encouraged the students to have each other's numbers, wanting to get them to build up their relationship or to just to ask questions about class, Aurore couldn't hand out her number out so easily since she was on TV and all. She fished out her phone from her pocket, tapping it for a bit before handing it over to her with a new contact page open, waiting patiently.

Marinette stared at the phone hesitantly, before reaching out and tapping out her contact info before returning it.

"Great!" Aurore said with a smile as saved the number and sent a quick text to Marinette so she'll have her number as well. The next second, the two heard Marinette's phone go off, having received her text, "Maybe we can hang out when my schedule opens up."

Just then, the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch.

"Oh, there's the bell." Aurore said and began walking up the stairs, "I'll see you tomorrow, Marinette." She said over her shoulder before disappearing into the school.

Alone at the bottom of the steps, Marinette stood staring at the entrance where Aurore disappeared through.

"Looks like you made a new friend, Marinette!" Tikki popped out of purse and stared up at Marinette with a smile, but it dropped at the lacklustre look on her Chosen's face.

"… Maybe…" Marinette responded before taking out her phone from her pocket and opened the message from the unidentified number.

"Hi, it's Aurore!"

She tapped to save the number in her phone before putting it away and headed for her class, finishing the rest of her pastry.

Tikki ducked back in and closed her purse over her head, wringing her flippers in worry.

Class was the same as yesterday.

Stifling.

Marinette felt relieved that there were no activities that involved a group today but that didn't mean that she wasn't unaware of the atmosphere among her classmates. Every time she walked in a room, she could feel their stares and it was starting to feel unbearable.

The only time that she felt that she could breathe was when Luka had called her last night and they would just talk but that couldn't last forever since they had school and needed to sleep. (She wondered if she could call him again and this time, intentionally.)

Her other moment of escape was when lunch came, and she was able to escape from her classmate's eyes. Tutoring Aurore had been a welcomed distraction but with a few minor hiccups near the end.

But once again, her small sanctuary ended as soon as she went back to class after lunch and Marinette just wanted to leave.

As soon as class had ended, she focused on packing up her things as fast as she could without making it seem like she was rushing to leave, but as soon as she zipped her bag up, she inwardly stiffened when she heard her voice standing right beside her.

"Hey guys!" Lila greeted with a cheerful smile to Adrien and a sad-looking Alya and Nino, acting like she didn't know what was going on with the class and Marinette, "Do you all want to hang out and get some ice-cream?" she asked with an innocent-looking face.

Alya, who had been staring at Marinette with a melancholy frown, looked up and tried to put up a smile for Lila, "Yeah, sounds great." She then turned and grabbed her bag from the side, "Just let me pack up my stuff." She said, yet with less enthusiasm. All day she had been hoping for Marinette to come and talk to them, but it was the same result as yesterday. She missed her bff and she was wondering if she should just go and confront the girl, but Lila's words repeated itself in her head. Marinette was always bailing on them and making lame excuses that were obviously lies. And seeing how she wasn't talking to any of them just proved Lila right – that Marinette didn't see them as friends. And it hurts.

"Great!" Lila clapped with a smile, before looking at the others, "Boys?"

Nino nodded with a smile, though not as bright since Marinette's actions stung. He had comforted his girlfriend at lunch that Marinette would come around soon and they just had to be patient, but he was starting to feel doubtful, "Of course."

Adrien stared at her suspiciously with a polite smile, just wondering what she was up to, "I'll have to check." He simply said, pulling out his phone for show.

Lila nodded with a satisfied look, "Okay. How about you, Marinette. Will you be joining us?" she smiled, staring down at her.

Marinette tightened the grip on her bag, "No thanks." She could feel all eyes on her as she stood up from her seat, "I have somewhere I need to be. If you excuse me." She politely said as she walked past her.

"Oh, that's a shame." Lila said in a dejected tone and sighed, "Maybe next time." Was all Marinette heard as she walked out of the classroom.

Adrien looked at the door that Marinette had walked out, then to Lila, before looking back. A decision seemed to be made as he quickly stood up and hurriedly rushed out the door with his bag in hand.

"Dude?" Nino called out to him, looking confused.

"I'll be back!" he called over his shoulder and disappeared through the door.

Some were distracted but looked up from the yell in confusion while others who had been staring wondered what the boy was going to do.

A small part of Alya wanted to squeal in excitement to see Adrien obviously chasing after Marinette, but she was still upset. However, the next moment, Alix, Rose, Juleka and Ivan ran out the door as well and she wondered what was up with them. She only snapped out of it when she heard sniffling and turned to see an upset-looking Lila.

Lila made a show of looking sad, clutching at her heart, "I had really hope Marinette and I could hang out, but I guess she really doesn't like me." She sniffed.

Alya slid over and stood up to place her hand on her shoulder, "No that's not true, she's just… going through some things at the moment."

"Yeah, she'll… come around." Nino stubbornly believed.

Lila wiped at her dry eyes, "Are you sure?" she said with a weak voice, staring between the two, "Because whenever I seemed to be around, she never stay for long and this isn't really a big deal but that time when she bought macarons for everyone but I couldn't have one because of my allergy? I still haven't received it even though she said she promised to make me one."

Alya bit her lip, but before she could answer her, Lila let out a gasp of realisation, "Don't tell me…" she made her eyes go wide in horrification and covered her mouth, "Did… Did what I say about Marinette at the movies…" she trailed off, lowering her hands, "Did you guys have a fight because of what I said?" she asked, making her voice shake, "I thought Marinette would have called everyone and apologised after the movies since she was in the wrong, but if I knew Marinette was this stubborn, I wouldn't have said anything!"

"No, no, no!" Nino waved his hands, yet his face scrunched up, "Well…" he stretched out.

"Nino!" Alya snapped, signalling with her eyes to not make things worse. She didn't want Lila to think that this was her fault. All she did was just… think out loud which made them realised about Marinette and their friendship.

It wasn't her fault that Lila bought out the truth and laid them in front of them.

"Why don't we get that ice-cream? My treat." Alya smiled, changing the subject, "We'll go and get Adrien on the way."

Lila gasped and pressed her hands together with a delighted smile, "Really? That's so kind of you." She praised.

Alya waved her off with a grin, "No probs." She said, leaning over to take her bag.

As she was doing that, Lila glanced over to Nino to see that he looked distracted and she inwardly frowned at the lack of attention. At this point in her plan, Marinette practically had no friends and the girl herself was doing her a favour by distancing herself from these gullible idiots. Now she just need them to essentially forget about Marinette, "Oh, that reminds me." She gasped out, looking at Nino who turned to her, " Recently, I received a call from Steven Basielberg asking me if I wanted to help him direct one of his movies, but of course, I had to decline since I have school."

Alya joined in, "Whoa, that's super cool! Mind giving me a scoop?" she instinctively took out her phone.

At the mention at one of his favourite Hollywood directors, Nino's eyes widened in excitement, "Seriously? That's awesome." He fidgeted in his spot, rubbing the back of his head in a shy manner, "Were… Were you able to mention me to him?" he asked shyly, not wanting to sound too demanding.

Lila grinned, inwardly laughing at how easy they were, "Of course I did! I did promise after all." She then to Alya, "And I'd be happy to."

Alya squealed but before she could start firing questions, her boyfriend beat her to it.

"Hey, Lila. I- uh, I've been working on a script for a while and I was hoping if it was alright with you…."

"I don't mind asking Steven Basielberg to look through it for you." Lila answered his unfinish question with a saccharine smile.

Nino gasped, "That's really cool of you! I'll send it over to you tonight after I check through it one last time."

Lila giggled, placing a hand to her cheek, "I'll be waiting." She grinned. Really, they were all too easy. Mention something of their interest and they easily push Marinette from their thoughts.

"Marinette!" Adrien called after her, moving around some lingering students on the school ground. He was surprised to see that she was already halfway through the courtyard and nearly to the exit and it seemed she didn't hear him with all the chatter coming from the other students. So, he called out to her one more time, "Marinette!"

Just as she reached near the exit of the school, Marinette turned around, a blank expression on her face.

"Oh, Adrien… was there something you need?" she said with a smile on her face. She shot a quick glance behind him before looking back to him.

Adrien returned the smile with a sheepish one as he rubbed the back of his head. It seems like Marinette was fine, "No, um, I was just wondering if you're sure that you don't want to get ice-cream with us." He lowered his hand down and looked around before leaning in with a lowered voice, his voice serious, "I thought maybe it's because of Lila. But if it is her, don't worry." He straightened up with a confident smile, "I'll make sure she doesn't do anything to you. I have your back." He promised with a wink, hoping to reassure his friend and get her to join them so she wasn't missing out.

As he stared at her, he noticed that her shoulders were hunched up like it usually was whenever she would talk to him, but it seems like she was thinking things through. He was hoping that her response was to agree, but when she finally responded, he couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed at her answer.

"… I'm sorry, Adrien." She gave him an apologetic smile, "But I really do have somewhere to be." She said and began turning around, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Oh… yeah, see you tomorrow." He awkwardly replied. He watched her take a few steps out the exit but then saw her stop, "Marinette?" he called out in wonder.

"Luka?" he heard her whisper before she began walking down the stairs in a quick manner.

Adrien followed after as well to see his other friend, only to see Marinette slip on the last step, "Marinette!" he called out in concern with his hand reaching out, only for her to be caught safely in the guitarist's hands.

As she turned around, she froze when she saw Luka down at the bottom of the steps, leaning to the side to avoid the other students' way.

"Luka?" she said under her breath in surprise.

As if he heard her, he looked up and a smile lit up his face. He lifted a hand and waved at her in greeting.

Her feet started moving down the stairs as her thoughts began attacking her, "What was he doing here? Doesn't his class finish earlier than ours? Lila could come out any minute now." At her last thought, she began to panic and moved even quicker down the stairs, but at the last step, she slipped and fell. She didn't even hear Adrien call out her name as Luka caught her by her arms while her hands landed on his chest.

"You okay?" he asked with concern in his voice, helping her straighten up. He frowned at the panicked look in her eyes. He couldn't help but also noticed the tight grip she had on his shirt, but most of all, her whole body was just screaming of nervous energy as if she wanted to run. He looked up at the top of the stairs, wondering if the problem she was dealing with was going to appear. But all he saw was Adrien awkwardly standing near the entrance. He raised a brow at him which only got him a sheepish wave before he turned back inside as if to give them some privacy.

Luka didn't think Adrien was the problem that Marinette was dealing with. He remembered her telling him about this problem of hers a couple of weeks ago and he was trying to figure out if anything had changed – something new that happened in Marinette's life, but before he could think further, Marinette's voice snapped him back to reality.

"Y-Yeah." Marinette answered with a nod, glancing at the corner of her eyes towards the entrance, "I'm fine, just a bit cl-clumsy." She tried to laugh it off as she kept glancing behind her, a strained smile on her face.

Lila could come out any minute and see her and Luka.

She didn't want Luka meeting her.

It was a selfish wish, but she wasn't prepared to see what would happen.

Would Luka fall for her lies like her classmates?

Or would he see through her lies and do nothing like Adrien?

She was scared to find out.

"Wh-What are you doing here?" she looked up with a panic smile, "Ah, does Kitty Section have band practice?" she quickly asked, "I'm sorry, but I'll have to skip out on this one again." She looked down, looking apologetic.

She felt like a selfish coward.

She didn't want Luka to meet Lila, but that would be wrong and selfish of her.

So she was going to leave before she saw the outcome.

But before she could run, Luka covered her fisted hand that was still clutching at his shirt while his other remained on her arm. She felt embarrassed that she still hasn't let go of him.

"We don't have band practice, but I was wondering if we could hang out together." He said with a soft smile, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles, "But if you're busy, that's fine as well. We can always hang out some other time." He reassured her, not wanting to pressure her into anything. Luka released her hand when he felt her slowly pull them back to her.

Marinette blinked and looked up at him with her heart beginning to feel at ease, "Um…" she suddenly felt shy, "I have somewhere to go… but it's not urgent." She admitted. She could see Master Fu tomorrow if she wanted to, "Where do you have in mind?" she asked.

Luka grinned and held out his hand to her.

Just as she was about to lay her hand over his, someone called out her name, immediately making her tense and snatch her hand back.

She whipped around to see who was calling out to her this time and hoped it wasn't Lila.

"Okay, you all know the plan?" Alix asked the members of Kitty Section as the others began packing up and leaving for home. Nathaniel was supposed to be coming as well but he had remembered he was supposed to be meeting up with Marc after school.

Rose nodded with determination in her eyes, "Yes!"

Juleka nodded, glancing at Marinette to see that she was still there. "She's being preoccupied with Lila at the moment." She mumbled out.

"When are we doing this?" Ivan ducked to them and whispered. The girls had come up to him, explaining what and why they were going to do this, and he had agreed to it. He didn't really like the way how things went at the movies. They were hurt but it didn't feel right telling Marinette to organize her time for them and honestly, it didn't really affect most of them that much, especially the guys. While they were friends, he and Marinette never really hung out like she did with the girls or Alya. He wanted Marinette to know that she being late was no big deal to him.

The plan was to tell Marinette that they had band practice and during their walk to the houseboat, they would talk and end the day with fun light-hearted music.

"Now." Alix said as she and the others stood up with their bags in hand. However, they were startled by Adrien's abrupt yell and looked towards the door where the blond had run out, "What's his deal?" she raised a brow, looking confused. She didn't linger long when Rose let out a gasp.

"Marinette's not here!" she pointed out and quickly ran for the door as well, determined to fix her friendship with Marinette.

The others followed suit and rushed to catch up to Marinette as well.

However, they slowed to a stop when they saw Rose had stopped by the stairs.

"What's wrong?" Juleka asked her, looking confused. A look of joy was on her dear friend's face.

"Adrien and Marinette are talking!" Rose squealed, "We should leave them alone and talk to Marinette another time." she bounced on her feet.

Alix looked towards the spot where Marinette and Adrien were with a contemplative gaze, remembering something.

"I mean that I'm not going to pursue Adrien anymore." Marinette clarified.

Alix shook her head, "Nah. You guys need to talk to her." She said as she walked pass them down the stairs and towards them.

"But we don't want to disturb them." Rose scrambled to follow. Her romantic heart just wanted Marinette's love to blossom.

Alix waved her off, "It's fine. Besides, Marinette just wants to be friends with Adrien now." She then glanced behind her with slightly narrowed eyes, "You should listen to what Marinette wants instead of just deciding things for her." She said, intentionally making a jab at them, "Isn't that the reason why you all needed to talk to her?"

"Alix." Juleka mumbled out under her breath in a scolding tone when Rose's face dropped, looking a bit hurt.

But Alix simply shrugged, "It had to be said." She knew what she said was mean, upsetting Rose and making Ivan feel uncomfortable, but someone had to say it. Besides, how did things even get to this point? She had a feeling that it had something to do with Lila, but she couldn't figure out why or how. She had no reason to doubt her classmate, yet she couldn't just dismiss her either. Alix was hoping that talking with Marinette would clear things up.

They almost bumped into Adrien when he walked back in, looking a bit confused.

"Oh, hey guys." He greeted.

"Hey." Alix greeted back, "Sorry, can't talk now. We have something to say to Marinette." She said, moving pass him.

"If you're looking for Marinette, she's right outside talking to Luka." He told them as he rubbed the back of his head, getting a quick thanks as they moved pass him.

"Luka? What is he doing here?" Juleka murmured under her breath and jogged outside with Rose and the others.

Like Adrien said, they found Marinette and Luka down by the steps, talking.

"Marinette!" Alix called out as she and the others made it down the steps.

"A-Alix?" Marinette looked startled as she looked at them and at the entrance of Collège Françoise Dupont, "What's the matter?"

Alix scratched the back of her head. She wasn't expecting Luka to be here, "Uhh…" she looked to the others, seeing what they wanted to do, missing the anxious-looking Marinette.

"Band Practice!" Rose answered, placing her hands together, "We were thinking of having band practice since we cancelled last time because of…" she clamped her mouth shut. Because of the movies, they cancelled practice.

Juleka awkwardly nodded, "Yeah, sorry for the last minute… do you think you could join us today?" she asked.

They were all looking at Marinette who kept glancing behind them. Before they could turn to see what was taking Marinette's attention, she answered briskly.

"Yeah, let's go. I need to make up for missing out last time." She smiled and started walking towards the direction of the houseboat, "Come on, let's go." She awkwardly pumped her fist up for enthusiasm.

The others glanced at one another before running after her.

Marinette wanted to hit herself for the disaster that she was making. She felt that she was becoming selfish and controlling by trying to get everyone away before Lila came out and started manipulating everyone against her.

She also had to apologise to Luka for the way she was behaving. To him, she had probably just brushed aside his invitation for something more fun after she was about to accept. Also, she should had properly decline the impromptu band practice since even Luka didn't seem to know that they were having one…

"If we're your friends, why are you always late or ditching us?" Alya questioned.

Marinette bit her lip. No, she couldn't skip band practice. She was obligated to go as a member.

But…

Lifting her head up, she saw Rose, Juleka, Ivan and Alix ahead of her, whispering while glancing at her and Luka occasionally and she felt nervous.

Just what were they whispering about? Did they hear something new? Did Lila find out about Luka and said something about her? But she was sure she doesn't know about him yet…

She felt her hands become clammy. Her head lightheaded with all these thoughts running in her mind.

Should she leave? But then she would be ditching them, and reinforcing that she was a terrible friend and-

She felt someone grab her hand and she whipped her head up to see Luka giving her a worried look.

"Hey." He whispered softly to her.

"H-Hey." She replied back, trying to get rid of her thoughts. Things were fine, she could get through this. This was a chance. Juleka had invited her to come to practice… No, wait.

An awful realisation came to mind. Juleka didn't.

Juleka had asked if she was joining them for practice, not inviting her. Oh, god, was she intruding? Did they ask out of obligation? Was she meant to turn down-

"Are you okay?" Luka asked, interrupting her spiralling thoughts.

"F-Fine." She squeaked out, "Uhh, you know, just thinking, that's all." forcing out a sheepish laugh. She then looked to the others and looked down, "Sorry about before." She apologised.

Luka stared at her before looking at the others with an observing gaze, "It's fine. No need to apologise." he gave her hand a comforting squeeze, "I should have asked Juleka if we were having band practice first." He then looked at her, "Maybe I should have whisked you away while I had the chance." He playfully smiled at her.

A stunned look made its way onto Marinette's face, "W-What?" she blinked, feeling her cheeks flush, forgetting what she was previously thinking.

"I wanted to hang out with you, but we can always do that some other time when you have the time." He then tilted his head in thought before facing her with a gentle smile, "Would that be alright with you?" he asked.

Marinette once again felt stunned as her heart thumped and cheeks flushing even more, "Y-Yeah." She stuttered out, averting her gaze from him to the ground feeling shy, "That's allkay – alright! That's alright with me." She fumbled, subconsciously squeezing his hand.

Luka smiled fondly at the girl and remined silent through the rest of walk, holding her hand to guide her while she was distracted with her thoughts that he hoped was happier than her previous ones.

He had seen the way Marinette kept glancing towards the school when she was with him and looked anxious to get away. He had also seen the way she flinched and the scared look in her eyes when her name was called, but slightly relaxed when she saw who it was that called her. Yet, she still looked tense and guarded, looking anxious to leave. From what he observed, he could tell that her problem seemed to have escalated and Luka hoped he could find out what was wrong. But he didn't want to disrespect Marinette's privacy if she was unwilling. The only way he could help was to offer her support but seeing Marinette, he could tell that her heart was that of an orchestra that had lost their conductor.

He hoped he wasn't too late.

Once again, Marinette thought that maybe she shouldn't have come to practice after all.

Apart from Luka, everyone's playing was off. Luka would try to match with the others but everyone else were offbeat.

Juleka would miss a few notes while Ivan would miss a few beats.

Rose's singing lacked enthusiasm, but when she realises it, she would try too hard to the point it would strain her voice which she would then pull back and the whole process would repeats itself. She wasn't having fun and singing freely like she usually did. Her mind just wasn't in it.

They were all distracted and Marinette could tell that she was the problem when she realised that they kept glancing at her.

"Whoa, rough." Alix commented from her seat on the ground, next to her legs.

"It's… probably an off day for them." She muttered under her breath, looking to the ground when she couldn't bear their glances anymore.

Alix hummed in agreement, "Yeah, an off day alright."

As Rose sang out the last note, she immediately announced for a break, "Alright everyone, it's breaktime!" she quickly said into the microphone, her voice ringing out, making Marinette and Alix cringe at the loud volume. She then turned to Luka with a determined gaze, "Luka, could you go out and buy us some drinks?" she asked, already grabbing his arm and dragging him towards the stairs to the deck.

Luka raised a brow, "We have juice and soda in the fridge. Fully stocked." He said, "You were here yesterday." He reminded.

Juleka came up and began pushing his back, trying to get him to leave, "Snacks, then. Buy us some snacks." She muttered out.

Luka thoughtfully looked at them before taking a glance at Marinette and saw the look on her face. It looked like she didn't want to be left alone, "Alright then." He nodded, "But I might need help carrying them. Do you want to help me, Marinette?" he offered.

Before Marinette can agree, Rose quickly intervened, "No! I-I mean, it's not that heavy, you'll be fine."

As Luka thought of another way, Marinette answered.

"It's fine." She smiled weakly, not wanting for an argument to start. She could see that they wanted Luka to leave for the moment, "I uh, don't mind staying here…"

"Are you sure?" he asked, staring at her.

Marinette nodded timidly, "Yeah…"

Luka stared at her for a moment more before closing his eyes, "Okay." He relented and headed up the stairs by himself, "I'll be back soon." He called over his shoulder.

There was an awkward silence in the room as soon as Luka left the room, and Marinette could see Rose, Juleka and Ivan glancing at one another, trying to figure who should talk first, judging by the opening and closing of their mouths.

But it was Alix who spoke up first who sounded annoyed by their dilly-dally.

"Come on, one of you just apologise." She huffed.

Marinette furrowed her brows in confusion and looked to Alix who leaned back on her hands behind her head.

"Apologise?" Marinette questioned, "For what?"

Alix turned her head towards her, "These guys told me what happened at the movies and they want to apologise for it."

"O-Oh."

Rose nodded with a sniff, her hands clasped in front of her chest, "We were caught up in the moment, but it's no excuse. We're so sorry, Marinette."

"Yeah, we shouldn't have pressured you like that. We're sorry." Juleka apologised. She felt ashamed at how she was easily swept with the situation. She of all people should know how it feels to fail at something. For Marinette, it was hard to organise her time. For her, it was hard to build her confidence. Reflekdoll should have taught her that she couldn't just overcome her lack of confidence like that, she still had her moments of insecurity that she needed to work on.

Ivan also apologised. He rubbed the back of his head, looking ashamed, "Yeah, I'm sorry I didn't defend you."

Marinette looked at them, dumbfounded. She… wasn't expecting this. She didn't know how she should feel, but she could feel her heart feeling lighter. Maybe they knew, "It's fine. I-"

Rose nodded to what Ivan said, having not heard Marinette speaking when she rubbed the forming tears from her eyes, "Like Alix said, Lila doesn't personally know you like we do, we should've defended you when she started doubting whether-"

Marinette's finger twitched, "Lila?" she repeated under her breath. The light feeling was crushed with a heavy one, "So what did she say about me?" she asked, forcing her tone to be light and curious, a tight smile on her face as she stared straight at them.

Ivan was the one to answer her as the girls looked hesitant, "J-Just that she wondered if you respected us as friends or even thought of us as one since you're always… late or… ditching." He awkwardly answered.

"I see." Marinette simply said, looking at her clenched fists on her lap.

Seeing that Marinette didn't look happy, Rose tried to make things better, a determined glint in her eyes, "We'll just explain to Lila that you're not what she thinks you are and clear up the misunderstanding." She promised.

Marinette wanted to leave.

"It's fine, you don't have to do that." Marinette declined. There wouldn't be any point. Lila wasn't the one who was having a misunderstanding.

She felt… hurt.

Maybe… irritated.

She knew that Lila had a hand in this, but knowing that Lila only said a few things and how they were easily swayed once again by what she said was just…

Marinette didn't lift her head up as she asked them a question, "On a different note, can I ask you something?"

Stop it.

Before you say something you don't mean, don't say anymore.

"What is it?" Rose asked.

Don't.

"Those promises that Lila made you. Has she ever come through with them?" she asked in a strained light-hearted voice, however, she couldn't help the irritably tone accidently slipping in.

"… Marinette, what are you trying to say?" Juleka mumbled in a confused frown.

Marinette bit the inside of her cheek. She needed to leave. She had to go before she ruins the last shred of hope she had of them, but how-?

A loud notification rang from Marinette, startling everyone.

"… I think that's me." Marinette muttered under her breath as she reached for her phone in her back pocket, but it wasn't there. She turned in her seat to see that it was laying out on the sofa behind her.

Everyone watched as Marinette turned on her phone and stared at her screen.

"Is something wrong?" Alix asked.

It took a moment for Marinette to answer before she nodded and stood up, putting her phone away, "Sorry, I need to go."

Alix nodded and let her go, "See ya tomorrow." She simply said as she watched her leave with a quite 'Yeah, see you tomorrow'.

Alix hadn't interfere, but she was now able to confirm that there was definitely something up with Lila and she would have to keep her guard up.

She then turned to the others, "Well, that went well." She sarcastically said.

As Marinette walked alongside the Seine, Tikki popped over the clasp of her purse.

"Marinette, are you okay?" she asked, staring up at her Chosen's weary face.

Marinette nodded slowly, "Yeah… I'm fine." She said and then turned to look at her with a small grateful smile, "Thanks for that." She lifted her hand and stroke the top of Tikki's head.

Tikki giggled, "It took me a while to figure it out. Human inventions have thought up so many things since I last had an owner."

"Yeah, I'm glad you made it on time." She sighed out, relieved.

When she had opened her phone, it was opened up to her ringtone settings. It took a while to figure out how, but she realised that it was Tikki's doing. At one point, the little kwami must've pulled out her phone and tried to make her phone ring, fiddling with the apps to the one she needed before phasing back in her purse without anyone noticing.

She was lucky that she made it in time.

"Are we going to see Master Fu now?" Tikki asked.

Marinette nodded, "Yeah. Hopefully, he'll have some good news." Truthfully, she wasn't really looking forward to what sort of solutions he had come up with. Some part of her felt like she had failed since it had come to the point of having the Guardian interfere what she should have easily fixed a long time ago.

She just hoped it wasn't anything drastic.

Knocking on the sliding door, Marinette slightly slid the door and peered her head through to see that Master Fu was alone in the room.

"Oh, Marinette. Come in, come in. Just in time, I just finished brewing some tea." Master Fu welcomed, gesturing her a seat in front of him.

"Ah… thanks." She accepted his offer and sat down in front of him as he prepared her a cup.

Tikki flew out of hiding and went over to Wayzz who had his own set of teacups waiting for them on the gramophone.

"How have you been? Have there been any changes in school?" Master Fu asked as he poured her a cup.

Marinette bit her lip before answering, "Things have been the same." She answered as she accepted the cup. She didn't say any more, not wanting to talk about it.

Master Fu didn't pry, "I see." From her answer alone, he understood that nothing had changed for the good, "Well, let's talk about what you are here for."

Marinette nodded, nervously gripping onto her cup.

"I have thought about it, but I propose that we have new heroes on your team." He revealed.

Marinette widened her eyes in shock, her breath hitched, "… What?"

He held up his hand, "Temporary." He clarified, "But this time, you won't be the one choosing, I will after careful consideration."

Marinette couldn't seem to process this, "W-Wait. What do you mean? I don't understand. How-What-?" she squeezed her eyes shut, "What do you mean temporary? Would they be keeping the Miraculous?"

Master Fu shook his head, "No. They are temporary. You know I already took an enormous risk by giving out 2 miraculous, I can't risk anymore opportunities to give to Hawkmoth."

"Then how…" Marinette scrunched up her brows.

"It'll be the same process, but instead of you coming to me, I'll be the one handing them out and retrieving them by the end of the day."

Marinette frowned, "How would you know if I need help?"

"You'll message me through your yo-yo, or I'll message you." He then grinned, "I've become quite good at using technology."

"But isn't that more risky? You'll be leaving the kwamis unattended and-and!"

"Don't worry." He smiled reassuring at her, "Even though I'm the Guardian, I have gone out a few times before and if I really can't leave the Miracle Box alone, I can take it with me in a disguise."

Marinette couldn't help but think this solution was absurd, there was too many risk factors to it.

"How can Chat Noir and I trust them? They could pretend to be our ally like Volpina." she unintentionally spat out in the end. It had been annoying when her partner had immediately trusted the akuma without a shred of suspicion even when she had voiced her doubts.

Master Fu nodded at her concern, "That, I have thought about. Before you can trust them, they would have to say a phrase, like a password if you will that only you and I know. But if you think that is still not secure enough, then every time I send out a temporary hero to you, I'll send you a message with the phrase that they would have to repeat back to you. Each time different."

Marinette bit her lip, hesitant at the plan. Many things could go wrong, one careless mistake, one mishap could endanger Master Fu and the kwamis but… she had to admit, the plan was safer compared to what she had been doing before. Every time she left the fight to get help, she would risk an akuma following after her.

She was lucky so far that none had thought to follow her.

"What do you say?" He inquired, taking a sip of his tea.

Not knowing the other person's identity would be the best since they wouldn't be mixing their personal life into their jobs. She knew who Rena Rouge and Carapace are and there were bouts of hesitation. She didn't know who Chat Noir is, but they worked well as a team with some occasional trouble.

(If she knew Adrien was her partner, she was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to focus much.)

So Master Fu's plan would be beneficial to them and for Paris too.

They wouldn't have a Ladybug that hesitated.

"I guess that you're right… I'll try and tell Chat Noir the new plan tonight." Marinette agreed, still trying to process this new plan.

Master Fu nodded at her decision, "When you talk to him tonight, tell him I'll see him on Monday. I need to give him some more power potions."

"Okay." Marinette mumbled, taking a sip of her tea.

It was the right thing to do.

So why did she feel guilty?

By the time she left Master Fu's massage parlour, it was nearly dark since Master Fu spent the rest of the time teaching her about kwamis.

She didn't mind though.

It helped distracted her.

Yet it wasn't enough to distract her through the walk home.

She did message Luka, apologizing for leaving without warning. But he had replied that it was fine and that next time, they should hang out. That bought a small smile to her face.

"Marinette?" Tikki called out to her, sitting herself on the pillow next to her Chosen's head.

"Mmmh?" she hummed out absentmindedly.

"How do you feel about Master Fu's solution?" she asked. She had observed Marinette, trying to figure out how she really felt, look for some sort of sign that this was what she wanted or didn't want. But she couldn't find any.

"I… trust Master Fu in his decision." She settled. Her mind going over his solution yet not sinking in.

Tikki frowned in concerned and flew over to pet her head, "Why don't we go on an early patrol? It's been a while since we last went on one."

Marinette pushed herself up, "Yeah… and I need to tell Chat about this." She murmured under her breath.

Adrien flopped on his bed and sighed at the mentally exhausting day he was having.

He had ended up getting ice-cream with his friends and Lila, and throughout the time he was preparing himself to cut in or changed topics whenever Lila would bring Marinette up. But not once did she bring her up which he should be relieved, but he couldn't help but think that he had missed something.

All afternoon, Lila was talking about what she 'achieved' in the past, 'who she met' and anything that was pretty much talking about herself. She was basically just seeking attention while Nino and Alya listened in awe and complimented her.

He wasn't impressed, only politely smiling, and giving neutral answers whenever he was asked by Lila or the others.

The only relatively good thing about today was that he got his Ladybug themed ice-cream by André and he wished he were eating ice-cream with his Lady instead of spending the afternoon with Lila.

Sighing, he covered his eyes with his arm.

"Ah, my gooiness!" Plagg happily sighed as was finally reunited with his cheese.

Adrien made a face at that and covered his nose when he got a whiff of it, "Urgh, Plagg, the smell."

"The smellier the better!" Plagg crackled and chomped it down from somewhere in the room.

Adrien sighed once more and turned to look out his window where he just so happens to see his Lady swing by his place, "Ladybug?" he gasped out.

"Whamph?" Plagg asked with mouth full of cheese.

"Come on Plagg, Ladybug might need me! Plagg. Claws out!"

A muffled protest was coming from the kwami of destruction as he and his beloved cheese was sadly separated once again.

Ladybug sat at one of the highest ledges of the Eiffel Tower with a distracted mind, overlooking the city of lights.

She had swung around, patrolling the city while keeping an eye out for her partner.

Adults and kids that was still walking out late at night would smile and wave at her whenever she passed by. Some would come up to her and thank her for protecting their city and would tell her that they believed in her.

They were counting on her to protect them which only prove to her that Master Fu's solution was the right thing to do. She couldn't have anymore hesitations. With this new plan, she would be able to be more professional with her duties.

Something that she had been lacking in recently.

A pair of footsteps landed near her and she turned around to greet her partner, "Hey there, Chat."

"My Lady." He grinned, playfully sweeping into a bow, "Were you looking for me? Purrhaps a date?" he wiggled his brows.

"Yeah." She said, still feeling a bit distracted.

Chat's fake ears and tail shot up, his heart thumping ecstatically, "O-Oh, really?" he tried to keep it cool, but he couldn't contain his smile, "I knew you fall for me eventually."

Ladybug held up her hand to stop him, "Not the date, but I was looking for you." She quickly clarified, "I need to talk to you about something important."

His fake ears and tail drooped, looking disappointed, "Bugaboo, you sure know to play with a kitty's heart." He sighed out, clutching at his heart for theatrics.

Ladybug frowned, looking guilty at her small mistake, "Sorry."

Chat Noir sighed, "It's fine." He was disappointed but it didn't damper his mood that much. He was still happy that he got to see his Lady. An idea then popped in his head, "Why don't we get some ice cream, I know the purr-fect place." He suggested.

She furrowed her brow, looking confused at the sudden invite, "What? What does that have to… Chat, there's something I need to tell you. It's important."

"Is it bad mews or good mews?" he asked with a grin.

Ladybug thought it over, "… I guess… bad news…?" if she recalled, she was pretty sure that Chat got along with the other heroes.

"Then all the more reason to get ice-cream, don't you think?" he questioned, bouncing on his feet, "Nobody can get sad with ice-cream."

Ladybug bit the inside of her cheek before she relented with a sigh. She stood up and took her yo-yo out, "Lead the way."

Ladybug was blankly staring at the ice-cream cart that they were standing in front of.

"My, oh my, is our Parisian heroes on a date?" André sang, getting his ice-cream scoop out.

Just as Chat Noir was about answer, Ladybug firmly injected.

"No, we're not. We're just getting some ice-cream." She said while her partner pouted.

André looked at her and then her partner. He wasn't going to force her to try his sweetheart matchmaking ice-cream. From experience, he just needed to be patient with those who didn't believe and soon enough, they'll come around to it, "I understand." He smiled, "But for the heroes of Paris, I'll give you ice-cream on the house!" he sang. He started scooping Chat Noir's one first, "For our handsome hero, strawberry with black chocolate chip! Blackberries for her hair, and blueberry ice-cream just like her sky blue stare!" André sang out as he scooped the ice-cream, There's love in your eyes! André can see it clear as day! This love is true!" he presented to a happy-looking Chat Noir.

"Thanks!" The happy kitty thanked.

He then turned to Ladybug which she wasn't looking too forward to but kept her mouth shut. The last time she refused, André became Glaciator.

"And for our pretty heroine!" André looked to Ladybug with a smile, but it dropped to a confused one as he looked at her. He could always sense the love, but looking at Ladybug, what she needed right now was something more (if not equal) than romance in her life, "For our pretty heroine…" he sang, scooping out pink cotton candy and blue bubble gum ice cream, "Some sweetness is needed in your life. Eat this and may your love replenish and grow." He nodded.

Ladybug slowly took the ice-cream in her hand, looking confused and surprised, "… Thank you…" she was kind of expecting her ice-cream to be… well maybe it was because she was in the mask? Whatever the reason, she was kind of glad that it was different, that meant things were changing for the good, right? She was moving on from Adrien and this meant that she succeeded, right? But staring at her ice-cream, she couldn't help but feel it represented herself. André was a sweetheart matchmaker, did he mean that she didn't have anyone but herself?

That… was upsetting.

"I wonder who your ice-cream represents, M'Lady." Chat Noir curiously asked as he carefully looked at her ice-cream. He felt a bit disappointed that none of the colours were hinted at him, but he was probably looking too far into it.

"I'm… not too sure." She inwardly shook her head. She needed to stop being distracted and get back on track, "Thanks for the ice-cream, André." She nodded at him before leaving to find a seat. She had to tell Chat what was going to happen so he could prepare himself.

"Wait up M'lady!" Chat Noir ran after her.

They eventually found themselves sitting on top of a random building, with Chat Noir enjoying his ice-cream while Ladybug stared ahead of her.

"So what's the important mews?" he asked.

Ladybug bit her lips, trying to figure out how she should start. All that time patrolling and looking for Chat, she should have planned what she was going to say, "It's… about the other heroes…"

"Are they going to become permanent to the team? That doesn't sound too bad, we could always use the extra-"

"No, they are going to be… replaced." She forced out. Her stomach began churning at that.

Chat Noir looked shocked, "What? Why?" he didn't understand why the sudden change, "Did something happened? Are they okay?" he asked, concerned.

"They're fine, it's… it's my fault actually." She admitted.

Chat Noir looked at his Lady's guilt-ridden face, and could see she was being hard on herself, "I'm sure it's not your fault." He tried to comfort her, not noticing the small dent she made in her cone as he said that, "Some things just happen and things change, but you know what won't change?" he waited until his Lady turned his way and he gave her a confident grin, "Us! Let's go back to what's always worked. A duo. You and me against the world, M'lady." He shifted his ice-cream to his other hand and offered her a fist pump, "You can always count on me to have your back!"

Ladybug stared at his fist and gave a weak smile, "Yeah," She bumped her fist to his, "I always can."

I'm sorry.

Because Marinette wasn't strong enough, it affected my superhero duties.

Grinning at his Lady, Chat Noir pulled back for another scoop of his ice-cream, "But mann, I'm gonna miss those guys." He sighed out. While he didn't know who they were, he liked them. If they met as their civilian selves, he was sure they would be good friends.

"Yeah." Ladybug agreed, looking at the streets below.

She missed the old times.

"So do you know who the new heroes going to be?" he asked out of curiosity.

Ladybug shook her head, "This time, I won't."

Chat Noir blinked and turned her head to her with the little spoon in his mouth, "But then how will we know?"

"Master Fu has that covered." She said and began explaining his solution. By the time she was finished, Chat Noir had finished his ice-cream and only had the cone left.

"I see." He nodded, "Well, I guess this is more convenient." He said in thought, "This way, we'll get backup delivered to us without you having to leave the battle." A thought then occurred to him, "Wait, have you told Rena Rouge and Carapace about this yet?"

Her finger twitched, but Ladybug remained composed, "Not yet… I just found out about it today."

"Well, I'll hope you'll go talk to them soon. It's the right thing to do." he said. His words reminding her about that time with Chloé.

"I know." She said before closing her eyes and pushing herself up, "Well, that's all I needed to tell you."

He blinked and stared up at her, "Wait, are you leaving already?"

Ladybug nodded and took out her yo-yo while still holding her ice-cream that was beginning to melt, "Yeah, it's late and I should get some sleep. Some of us have school tomorrow." Just as she was about to zip off, she remembered one last thing, "Oh yeah, Master Fu said that he'll see you on Monday." She said before throwing her yo-yo and swinging off into the night.

Swinging into the night, Ladybug wondered what she should do with her ice-cream. She would feel bad to just dump it, but she didn't feel like eating it.

She thought of giving it to Tikki, but that would be too much even for her and she was pretty sure she would get a sugar rush, especially of her size.

Maybe she could just turn it into a milkshake and let Tikki eat the cone.

As Ladybug was wondering if they had milk at home, her ears caught onto the sound of a soft melody in the air.

Curious and some part of her hopeful, she landed on some roof and looked around, especially towards the Seine. If she concentrated hard enough, she could hear that it was coming from that direction.

She was only going to swing by and see if everything was alright and then she was going home.

The music became more clear the closer she got to the Liberty.

Attaching her yo-yo onto one of the orange pillars, she swung herself onto the metal bars that formed a cube around Kitty Section's stage area and quietly landed on it in a crouch, taking a seat.

In one of the deckchairs, surrounded by large speakers, sat Luka strumming on his acoustic guitar. But before she could really listen to the song, it changed to a different one, one that also sounded nice.

She had a passing thought on where his electric guitar one was before closing her eyes and simply enjoying the music that was soothing her worries away.

A quiet night with great music was simply the way to relax.

When it ended with a soft note, Ladybug figured it was time to go home.

But before she could, Luka's voice startled her.

"If you don't mind, I would love some company."

Ladybug nearly squeaked out, but she bit her lip to stop any sound from coming out.

She nervously turned to look at Luka below, but he wasn't looking at her. She thought about just running away but…

She didn't want to.

Jumping down onto the deck with a soft landing, Ladybug walked to his side, looking a bit guilty, "Sorry, I heard music so I-no, that's no excuse, I'm sorry-"

"It's fine. Music is meant to be shared and listened to." He waved her off.

"… How did you know?" she asked.

Luka looked up at her with a smile before nodding his head towards the deck, "Your shadow." He answered as he absentmindedly strummed out some notes.

"Oh." She said, seeing how their shadow was being casted onto the floorboards. She looked over to him to see him reach over and pull another deckchair closer to him and when he saw her staring at him, he patted the empty seat with a smile.

Ladybug took the offered seat and sat down.

"So what got you so down for you to feel like this?" he asked before playing a series of notes that were slow and sounded so… sad and lost.

"Some decisions were made today." She answered, trying to remain vague, "And… it hasn't really sunk in yet…"

Luka hummed before glancing down to her hand, "And the ice-cream?" it was slightly melted, but it doesn't seemed to be touched, maybe a bit of a dent on the cylinder cone that got pressed a bit too hard.

"Ah…" Ladybug stared at her ice-cream with a frown, "Just something to make a conversation go easier. Apparently, nobody can get sad with ice-cream." she repeated what her partner had said to her.

"Well, did it work?" Luka asked, folding his arms on top of his guitar and leaning his cheek on them, his eyes focused on her.

She shrugged, "I wasn't in the mood for ice-cream…" she frowned, staring at the pink and blue ice-cream in her hand. She just didn't understand what André wanted to say. What did he mean "replenish and grow"? She didn't get it. Stretching the ice-cream out to him, she asked, "Do you want it? I've just been holding it this whole time."

Luka straightened up and reached for the offered sweet, "My, ice-cream before bed? I feel such a rebel." He joked, accepting the treat and leaning back, taking the first bite, "Sweet." He grinned.

A small involuntarily giggle sounded from Ladybug at his little joke and leaned back with closed eyes and a relaxed sigh, "So what are you doing up so late?" she asked.

"I was working on this song about an amazing girl." He bluntly answered.

Ladybug's eye blinked wide open and turned to face him who looked relaxed at what he said, "R-Really? Sounds like she's one special girl."

Luka nodded with a fond smile as he looked directly in her eyes, "She really is. Her name's Marinette. She's this really amazing, sweet girl." He leaned back on his guitar with his hand supporting his cheek while the hand holding onto the ice-cream was hanging from his perch, "Talented too. And brave, very brave." He sighed out lovingly, staring at the ice-cream for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, "And kind, selflessly kind." He added, scooping another bite of ice-cream in his mouth.

Ladybug felt like her face was on fire, but she tried to remain calm, trying to seem like she wasn't affected at all, "You-ah… That was… Fuwah..." she failed miserably, averting her eyes away from him, feeling very bashful. She swallowed and said the first thing that came to mind, "Tat-That song!" she remembered, trying to come up with a change of topic, although, maybe she should've thought harder for a different topic. She didn't think she could take anymore of Luka's compliments and a part of her felt guilty for letting him talk about her without knowing just who he was talking to.

It felt like she was intruding on his privacy.

"Yes?" he gently urged, having finished the cotton candy flavoured ice-cream and was now starting onto the bubble gum flavour.

"Um…" her short-circuited brain tried to think of something that was related to the topic, "Listen- I mean, can I hear it?" she cringed at her attempt.

She wasn't expecting his answer though.

"Sorry Ladybug, not this one, at least not yet. I would like it if Marinette heard it first." He playfully winked at her.

Ladybug could feel her cheeks turning red and covered her face, letting out an embarrassed groan.

This wasn't fair, she was supposed to be Ladybug: cool, composed and collected. People counted on her on that. She wasn't supposed to be flustered by some simple words.

Yet, a part of her couldn't help but feel happy at this sort of refusal.

"You alright there?"

She could hear the amusement in his voice and when she went to peek through her fingers to look at him, she saw his boyish grin, the little plastic spoon caught between his teeth.

Ladybug shot up from her seat, feeling her heart racing like crazy, "I-I think it's getting late. Even superheroes need to sleep." She quickly announced all of a sudden, letting out an embarrassed laugh, "Enjoy your sleep, Luka." She said, moving towards the edge as she grabbed her yo-yo off its string from her hip.

"Ladybug." Luka called out to her before she could take off.

Ladybug froze, and stiffly turned her head over her shoulder, "Y-Yes?"

"If you happen to swing by the bakery, would you mind asking Marinette if she wants to talk again tonight?" he requested, sticking the spoon into the second scoop of ice-cream, "Doesn't matter if it's late."

"… What if she's sleeping?" she questioned.

He didn't miss a beat as he answered with an easy smile, "Then don't worry about it. I'll talk to her tomorrow. Just wanted to make sure she feels okay." he then shoved some ice-cream in his his mouth a bit harshly as he muttered out, "And after what happened today." remembering what happened in the afternoon.

Ladybug stared at him for maybe a bit too long before she turned back to the front, nodding, "I have a feeling that she'll be awake."

Luka hummed, a smile on his face from hearing that, "I'll look forward to it."

By the time Luka finished his ice-cream, a call from Marinette appeared from his phone. And with a grin, he and Marinette spoke late into the night, falling asleep with a smile on their faces.

"Those promises that Lila made you. Has she ever come through with them?"

Marinette's words rang through Juleka's mind. Yesterday, she had wanted to apologise to Marinette, but for some reason, it felt like all they got was more distance between them.

Luka had come back from his errand to find them looking upset and then immediately noticed that Marinette was missing from the group. They had awkwardly explained the gist of it, and Luka didn't look too happy about it in the end. He wasn't angry at them, he just told them not to quickly jump to conclusion in that older brother tone of his.

Coming to school, Juleka looked around to see that Lila was surrounded by a group of students who looked in awe of whatever she was talking about, some of them carrying her things.

Squaring herself up, she marched herself over there, even though she was nervous of the crowd.

"Good morning, Juleka!" Lila greeted with a smile when she spotted her from the corner of her eyes, looking determined. She inwardly narrowed her eyes, accepting what was to come at her, confident that she would be the winner of the outcome.

"Morning." She mumbled out, rubbing her arm in an awkward manner, uncomfortable with the onlookers beside her.

"What's wrong? Is there something you need?" Lila asked with a bright welcoming smile.

"Um… Have… Have you had the time to ask…" Juleka swallowed, feeling nervous, "Did you ask them if I could model?" she mumbled out, and then quickly added in a rush, "It's cool if you haven't."

"Oh, that. Of course I did." Lila let out a giggle, "It was the first thing I did so they would get back to me as soon as possible." she smiled.

"R-Really?" she nervously brushed her bangs aside, but they only fell back in place. She had no reason to doubt Lila, but after a night of thinking, she thought that she should at least have some insurance, whether to prove to Marinette or to calm her insecurity, she thought to chase up on that offer.

"Yeah, in fact…" Lila fished out her phone from her pocket, tapping on her screen before turning it around to show her what was displayed on the screen, "I was just about to tell you the good news. Here! I got an email from Gabriel Agreste saying that he found your style unique, and would love to incorporate your style into his next line. He just needs to find the right time for you." She explained with a saccharine smile, just daring her to oppose her.

Staring at her face was a screenshot of an email, addressed to Lila from Gabriel Agreste, "Oh… cool." Juleka mumbled out.

There was her evidence.

But then, why didn't she feel happy?

Notes:

As much as I hope Marinette's ice-cream in Miracle Queen represented Lukanette, the colours are really more towards Marinette. Hopefully I'm wrong, and the bright light blue actually represents Luka's aspect.
I had nothing pre-prepared for this chapter so it took a while to write out. Hope you enjoyed it, tell me what you think and if the characters are still fine. Feels like I've been away from writing a bit too long.

Steven Basielberg is a parody of Steven Spielberg, American filmmaker.

Chapter 14: Meteora

Notes:

#
42 pages ahead.
Happy readings!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Ten minutes before school would start, Marinette was still in her room, dressed and sitting at her desk chair with her face buried in her arms on her table, feeling exhausted.

Last night, if only for a short moment, she had been happy.

Being with Luka had made her forget about her worries.

And that was a problem.

She should have headed straight home instead of taking a detour.

Should have headed straight home and figure out how to tell Alya and Nino that they would no longer be Rena Rouge and Carapace.

Like a good superhero, Marinette should have been thinking about her duties, her responsibilities and not get distracted.

Even though she had fallen asleep with a smile after her call with Luka ended, her problems had appeared in her dream, reminding her what she needed to do - showing her everything that would go wrong if she didn't carefully tell Alya and Nino what was going on.

Different scenarios had played through, each one worse than before.

Her final one had showed her being left standing by herself, with no one for help before she was struck down by an akumatised Alya and Nino in her dream, and at that point, Marinette had shot herself up with a gasp, breaking out into a cold sweat.

She didn't go back to sleep after that, instead, she had gotten out of bed and sat at her desk, even though it was still dark out, trying to figure out how to break the bad news to them ever since.

Marinette… No, Ladybug needed to tell them as soon as possible.

But no matter what she thought up, someone would end up getting hurt.

And she didn't want them getting hurt, but she didn't know how to gently break the news to them or if she could.

She also didn't want a repeat on what happened with Chloé.

"Marinette? There's 10 minutes until school starts." Tikki gently reminded her, landing on her Chosen's head and stroking her hair. Finding her awake, dressed and lingering in her room, sitting at her table with her head down was, as heartbreaking as it is, no longer unusual. But Tikki had thought that this morning would be different. She thought that after seeing Marinette falling asleep with a smile, she would wake up with a smile, yet the morning was no different than yesterday and Monday.

"Thanks, Tikki." Marinette murmured out her gratitude, slowing lifting herself up with a tired frown. She should probably start heading to school. Her classmates should all be heading into the classroom by now.

Pushing herself up as she rubbed at her face, trying to wake up, Marinette went to grab her schoolbag and headed down as Tikki flew into her purse.

She had to tell them soon.

As Marinette was about to leave through the side entrance, her mom called out to her, catching her trying to leave quietly.

"Ah, Marinette, could you come here for a moment?" Sabine requested, standing behind the register with a smile.

Marinette raised a brow in confusion, but complied, moving towards her, "Yes?" she asked, as her dad came from the back with a pastry box in his hands.

"Here." Tom grinned, holding the box out to her, "I thought it be nice to share some of these macarons with your friends." He explained, "Freshly baked from the oven."

Marinette stared at the box for a moment, mustering a smile for them, "Thanks." She said and nothing else, taking the box in her hand.

"Will Aurore be coming over again?" Sabine asked, placing a croissant on top of the pastry box, hoping for her daughter to eat something before going to school. It wasn't unusually for her daughter to sleep in and rush to school, but lately, she noticed her daughter had woken up with just enough time to get to school on time.

Marinette nodded, "Yeah, we're going to be studying together at lunch again." She stated, grabbing the croissant off the box.

"Will Alya and the others be joining you?" Sabine asked. While it was nice to see her daughter make a new friend, she couldn't help but notice she hasn't seen Marinette hang out with her other friends since Sunday or hear her mention them. Not even a passing thought.

Marinette did a small pause before forcing herself to answer with a smile, "No, they have other things on their mind." she said, already moving to leave, "I gotta go. Don't want to be late to class." She was already halfway out the door, her parents just managing to see her off.

"Oh, okay, bye, Sweetie." Sabine said, an apprehensive smile on her face.

"Have a good day at school, Hone…" Tom waved at her, mirroring his wife's expression.

The bakery door closed before Tom could finish speaking and both him and Sabine shared a worried look with each other.

Away from her parent's line of sight and waiting for the lights to turn, the smile on Marinette's face dropped as she shrugged her backpack off and carefully place the box of macarons in her bag.

"I thought it be nice to share some of these macarons with your friends." Tom grinned as he held out the box.

With the way things are, Marinette didn't know what she should do.

But she shouldn't worry about that now, she had a duty to complete and she had to focus on that first.

She placed her bag over her shoulders and crossed the streets when the lights turned.

The walk on her way to class had been quiet as nearly everyone had headed to class with only a few students lingering or rushing before the bell rang.

Marinette took her time heading to class with a distracted mind. Since it's Wednesday, it meant it was a half-day, so Ladybug should probably tell Alya and Nino the bad news after the study session with Aurore.

But how should she begin?

Of course, she would have to find them first, but then what.

How was she supposed to start a conversation where she knew will end badly?

She didn't want to hurt them.

Even though things had come to this point, they… were (probably) still friends.

She didn't want to mess up and hurt them.

And just what will she say when they ask for the reason why they can no longer be superheroes?

From their perspective, they had done nothing wrong, but all of a sudden, they are being replaced?

Just thinking about it, Marinette felt more guilt harvesting her heart.

They were good superheroes, but she was taking away their Miraculous because of her incompetence.

If she were better, she would have gotten them to see the truth and there would be no doubts festering within her and none of this would be happening.

But she wasn't and here she is, going to tell them the unfortunate news because she was putting the whole of Paris at risk since she wasn't able to find a solution to her problem, letting things escalate more than necessary.

Marinette let out a shuddering breath, but then force herself to take a calming one the next, trying to compose herself for the day.

She was dreading the talk, but she was Ladybug. It's her responsibility and she needed to get through it.

But as she made it to class just before the bell, she found herself looking down as she walked to her seat, finding it more difficult than usually to look at Alya and Nino's direction.

As soon as the bell rang for lunch, before Marinette could leave, someone called out to her, making her freeze up at the unexpected call.

"Marinette! Hey, can I talk to you for a sec?"

She turned her head to the side to see Alix shuffling pass Mylène's seat and towards her while everyone stopped to look at them, apart from Chloé and Sabrina who didn't care, and Adrien who was expected to have lunch at home.

Marinette swallowed as she glanced around the room, seeing everyone obviously trying to make it seem like they aren't eavesdropping as they subtly glanced at them.

She returned her gaze to the smaller girl and gave her an apologetic smile, "Sorry, Alix." She held her still opened backpack to her chest, trying to find comfort, "I have someone to meet at the bakery." She said and inwardly cringed at the way she said it. It sounded like an excuse, but she inwardly shook her head. The damage was done, and she just wanted to escape the looks and the tense atmosphere that she was causing with her presence.

"I'll walk with you for a bit." Alix caught up with Marinette, shooting her a friendly smile, "Won't take long."

Marinette looked surprised at that, but she didn't say anything else, cautious that it might be used against her.

"Meeting someone at the bakery… I wonder who?" Lila questioned out, curiously, making herself sounding harmless as she walked down the middle of the steps and stopped in between Alya and Mylène's desks as she addressed the whole class.

"Dunno." Alya muttered as she continued packing up her things with a frown while Nino shot her a sympathetic look. It had been nice of Lila to take her mind off things with her amazing stories about her life and let her put them on her blogs yesterday, but the distraction couldn't last forever. Seeing Marinette, she couldn't help but think she had made up an excuse to leave, just like how she immediately left class as soon as lunch began like the past 2 days. It was the third time and it was now blatantly obvious that Marinette didn't want to talk.

Juleka stood up from her spot with Rose following in concern, catching the other's attention.

"Oh, do you know, Juleka?" Lila asked, carefully watching the taller girl with a calculating gaze. She wasn't happy with the girl's response of her news this morning. She had expected her to praise her for being amazing, but the ungrateful brat had excused herself and walked off.

Juleka stared at her desk with an unreadable expression, "Dunno." She mumbled out, taking her bag and leaving, "Gonna head to the art classroom." She added as she walked past the others and out the door with a worried Rose on her tail.

Nathaniel watched as the two girls go with a frown. Yesterday, he had video called them to check on how it went with the apology, but from their multiple explanations, his confidence waned when he heard the result. From his conclusion, it seemed that Marinette wasn't accepting any apologies. And now seeing Marinette leave without hanging back or talking to Alya for the 3rd time this week made it much harder to approach her.

Seeing the gloomy atmosphere, Lila's displeased mood instinctively shifted to an amused one as she inwardly smirked at them.

They were such fools.

She put on a sympathetic face, "I see. It's really a shame that Marinette doesn't seem to want to make up with you guys." She said in a solemn tone, watching the startled looks appear on their faces, "But why don't we all eat lunch together? I have some amazing stories that might cheer you up. There's no reason to keep feeling bad when Marinette is the one who isn't willing to talk to you guys while you are." She said with an empathetic smile, manipulating the situation with ease.

"That's an awesome idea, Lila!" Kim shouted, jumping up from his seat, wanting to get rid of the awkward tension in the air. He then turned to Max with a forced grin, trying to fix the tension, "You in?"

Max nodded, adjusting his glasses up on his nose, "Of course."

"Lila, that's very kind of you." Mylène smiled softly at her, then gratefully when Ivan came down from his desk and placed his arm around her shoulder for comfort.

Ivan smiled back before losing himself in thought. He could still remember what happened yesterday and the awkward tension that Marinette left behind. They had all tried to figure out what had happened when Luka came back from his errand to find Marinette was gone. He had asked what happened and they clumsily retold the event that happened until Alix straightforwardly told him what had happened before she also left, her mind distracted.

The older boy had looked disappointed in them.

"Oh, would you mind getting my lunch for me? There's something I need to do first." Lila pressed her hands together, closing an eye. She made sure that she looked apologetic.

Kim was the one to answer as he pressed his thumb to his chest, "I'll do it! Same as last time, right?"

"We'll save you a seat." Mylène added.

Lila smiled, "Yeah, thanks so much. You guys are really great people!"

Yeah, they were great. Great people to manipulate and exploit.

When Alix had approached Marinette in class before she could bolt out of the room, she had intentionally called her out, wanting to confirm something for herself.

From the corner of her eyes, she subtly watched for Lila. She wasn't sure what she was looking for, but as she spoke with Marinette, she saw it.

Lila had narrowed her eyes at them.

Or more specifically, at Marinette.

It had been a strange sight to see since one would normally see a smile on the girl's face, maybe a sad frown here and there when the situation was a bit of a downer.

But this was different, and Alix wasn't too sure what to make of it.

But she did know one thing for sure and she hoped Marinette could clear things up for her.

"So what do you need to talk about?" Marinette asked, a bit distracted as they walked down the hall and to the stairs while she was tugging on the zipper of her backpack, trying to close it.

"Well…" Alix started awkwardly, yet undeterred, "I just wanted to know what's the deal with you and Lila." She questioned and jumped back in surprise as Marinette dropped her bag, startled.

They both cringe as Marinette's bag slid down the stairs, alarming some students standing at the bottom of it as Marinette's tablet, a couple of papers and a pastry box slid out from her opened zipper in a sprawl.

"My bad." Alix winced and jogged down the stairs to retrieve Marinette's fallen things, letting out a sigh of relief when there wasn't a scratch on her tablet. She placed the tablet and papers back in the bag and grabbed the box in hand, figuring that the box was making it harder to zip up. She didn't question the pastry box as she handed Marinette her belongings when she came down the stairs, "Here."

"Oh, uh, sorry about that." Marinette apologised, "And thanks…" she trailed off, wearing her backpack. The question had startled her, and hundreds of thoughts were racing through her head at the moment. Just why did Alix ask her that? Did she know something or is she blaming her for the class's sad mood? Did she want her to 'make up' with Lila and try harder with the class or-?

Alix scratched the back of her head, blinking, "No worries." She waved her off before getting back on track, "Well, before. What I meant to ask, or more particularly, what's Lila's deal with you?"

Marinette blinked as she tried to process what was going on.

Alix put her hand down and crossed her arms, a contemplative look on her face, "When I was talking to you, I saw Lila narrow her eyes at you." She explained, "And I've been thinking about some stuff." When she had left the houseboat yesterday, she thought about what her friends said about Lila and the things she said at the movies. She also thought about what Marinette said, asking if any of Lila's promises ever came true and she thought hard on that.

She couldn't think of a single moment where any of her friends had been extra happy. If one of Lila's promises had come true, there would had been at least some bragging or thankful cries to Lila going on.

But nothing had happened so far.

She had then tried to remember any involvement that Marinette had with Lila and the ones that came to mind were the false expulsion and the movies, both which had Lila involved in somewhere.

She didn't know Lila well enough to judge.

But she did know Marinette.

Staring into wide sky-blue eyes, Alix gave her a thoughtful frown, "So I was hoping you could tell it to me straight." She asked, but as Marinette remained silent with fear and panic rising in her eyes, Alix looked concern and lowered her hands, frowning, "Hey. Marinette… what's going on?" she repeated in a quieter voice.

Marinette clutched the macaron box she was holding in her hands, feeling conflicted. This was her chance. She should tell her.

But what if she didn't believe her? What if she also doubted her? Alix was talking to her, but what if she heard something she didn't like? Was she going to take Lila's words like the others?

"Marinette?" Alix called out to the girl, watching her flinch.

"Oh-s-sorry." she apologised, "I was just lost in thought." She let out a weak laugh, smiling sheepishly.

Alix waved off her apology, "It's fine, so?" she pushed.

Marinette bit her lip, glancing at Alix's earnest face and gulped. She should try. Alix did come up to talk to her after all, so she should try again. Maybe something finally changed.

But just as she was about to tell her, her eyes caught onto Juleka staring at her with Rose besides her near the top of the stairs. When she turned her head and locked eyes with Juleka, the girl awkwardly looked away from her with a frown and continued on her way with Rose following her.

A cold feeling stabbed at her heart at Juleka's action. This… This was probably the result from what she said yesterday. And from the looks of it, she had unintentionally ruined their friendship with her last comment.

She shouldn't have said anything.

Alix turned to look at what Marinette was looking at and only saw Juleka and Rose on the upper level, heading towards the art room. She wondered what Marinette was thinking about until the girl finally spoke.

"Sorry, Alix." Marinette smiled despondently, staring down at the macaron box making the skater girl frown in response, "But I don't know what's Lila's deal with me." She said. It wasn't a complete lie. She didn't really understand why Lila was targeting her. Sure, she knew the truth, but she hasn't done anything to try and expose Lila ever since she bowed her head in defeat. She had lost and Lila knew that, so she doesn't understand why Lila was still targeting her.

Alix furrowed her brow, "But-"

"Anyway, I have to go before I'm late." Marinette interrupted with an apologetic smile, but before she left, she opened up the macaron box and offered her one as an apology.

Sorry, Alix

Alix watched Marinette go with a confused and worried frown, loosely holding onto the macaron.

She didn't get her direct answers, but Alix could see that she wouldn't be getting anything else from Marinette anytime soon.

As she was lost in thought, someone called out for her from behind, startling her.

She didn't know why, but instinctively, she hid the macaron by hiding it in the clutch of her hand, the treat small enough to conceal.

She turned around to see Lila skipping down the stairs to her.

"Oh, Alix! I was just looking for you." Lila smiled sweetly at her before looking behind her, "Everyone is going to have lunch together and I wanted to see if you and Marinette can join us."

Alix tilted her head with a frown, raising a brow at her, "Marinette said that she was meeting someone."

Lila leaned back, putting her hand over her mouth, looking a bit timid, "Oh, I just thought that was her excuse, seeing how… you know?" she shyly said, looking away in embarrassment.

"It's not." She defended, giving extra attention to Lila. She watched as Lila glanced back at her, an unreadable look passing through her eyes before it was gone, and worry replaced it.

"Oh, okay." Lila then let out a reluctant sigh, "I don't want to pry, but you look all tense and sad, and I thought maybe your talk didn't go so well… Did Marinette say something to you?" Lila asked, looking worried for her. Yet there was a bit of an edge seeping through her tone.

Alix stared at the worry in her face before she closed her eyes for a moment, releasing a sigh. She relaxed her shoulders and then stared at Lila with a dejected smile, "Just wanted to ask what was going on with her, but she wouldn't tell me anything." She crossed her arms with another sigh.

Lila let out a gasp, "That was mean of her. You were only trying to make sure she was alright. She didn't have to outright reject your thoughtfulness."

"I know right." Alix nodded in agreement, looking put-off.

Lila grinned and clapped her hands, "I know what would make you feel better! You know the famous rollerblader, Chris Daffey? Why don't I give him a call and mention you? I think he's busy preparing for his next competition so it might take a while for him to reply back."

Alix stared at her before giving her an interested smirk, "Really? Awesome. Does he ever talk about you?" she asked.

Lila inwardly smirked, "Finally." She let out a giggle as she shyly steepled her fingers in front of her, "Of course! We go way back ever since I met him in one of my travels and he showed me some tricks that I've mastered. He praises me and whenever he can, he always talks about me. It's flattering, but a bit embarrassing." She smiled a humbled smile.

Alix chuckled, "Whoa, who knew he was so fond of you, that's cool." She praised.

Lila nodded, making herself look a bit shy, "Yeah." She said before resuming her previous topic, "Let's talk more with the others." Inwardly smirking at another victory.

Alix nodded with a grin, "Of course, lead the way."

Lila giggled, "Follow me then."

With her back turned, Alix took a bite out of the macaron that Marinette had offered before Lila could see.

Marinette quickly headed towards the bakery where Aurore should be waiting for her with her mind in turmoil and her heart, conflicted.

Alix had wanted to know what was going on. That was a chance for her to let her know that she and everyone had been lied to and taken advantage of.

But she had chickened out.

When she had saw Juleka looking at her like that, she was afraid that if she were to tell Alix the truth, she wouldn't believe her like Alya or doubt her like the others.

It was probably best to just not say anything and leave before she made things worst.

"Marinette, why didn't you say something?" Tikki's voice snapped her mind to screech to a stop as she glanced down at the concerned looking kwami, her tone non-accusing, but just worried.

Marinette focused back to where she was walking, the box in her hands crinkled a bit from the pressure and she forced herself to ease up a bit as she strained a small smile, "I wouldn't have enough time to explain everything. And Aurore's waiting for me. Don't want to keep her waiting." She then took a macaron from the box and handed it to her, hoping it'll distract her, "I also still need to talk to Alya and Nino after this, so I need to get through this." It was a flimsy excuse and she knew it, but she didn't want to admit to Tikki that she was scared to tell her. Didn't want to be told that she could do it if she tried hard enough when she didn't have the courage.

Fortunately, the kwami didn't say anything and let her off with a simple and quiet, "Okay." Before ducking into her purse, munching onto the sweet as Marinette made it to her destination.

Marinette pushed opened the bakery door where she was greeted by customers lining up and her mother just finishing up with one.

"Oh, Sweetie. Welcome back." Sabine greeted, "Your friend came, and I sent her up with some snacks." She explained.

Marinette nodded and gave her a small smile as she walked by, "Thanks." She said.

Before Sabine could ask about the macarons, her daughter disappeared up the stairs without a word and she couldn't help but frown worriedly before she was forced to focus back to work when the next customer cleared their throat to pay.

"Sorry for being late." Marinette apologised when she pushed opened her trapdoor and saw Aurore sitting at her desk with her notebook and textbook spread out, a plate of sweets sitting beside her.

Aurore turned around in her seat with a smile, "Don't worry about it, I just got here." She waved her off, but then squinted her eyes at her, "You look a bit tired. Should we reschedule?" she asked, noticing the faint shadows under her eyes.

Marinette shook her head as she settled down in the chair next to her and offered her a macaron from the box, "It's fine. Just woke up too early." She said, placing the box down after Aurore took one.

Aurore slowly nodded and gave a sheepish smile, looking a bit apologetic, "Your mother allowed me up, I hope that was okay." She felt a bit awkward being alone in her room while Marinette wasn't here.

"Don't worry about it." Marinette put on a smile. It wouldn't be the first time her mom allowed someone up in her room. She then picked up Aurore's notebook to see where they were up to, "So do you know which parts you need to focus for your quiz?" she asked, trying to make them get straight into the studying

Aurore nodded with a frown and grabbed her notebook back, flipping to the recent page that she was having trouble following, "Here." She said, pointing at a particular formula, "I was late to class so I didn't get the whole thing. This-" before she could continue, she blinked when a phone went off.

Both girls went to check their phones.

The blonde didn't receive any text which meant…

Marinette was staring at her screen with wide blinking eyes.

It was a message from Luka, and he was asking if it were alright if they could hang out today.

She needed to decline, but she also didn't want to disappoint him. And she also needed to go tell Alya and Nino that-

"Something happened?" Aurore gestured to her phone, startling her, "You look a bit troubled."

Marinette jumped a bit, clutching her phone to her chest, "No, nothing's wrong… Just someone asking to see me." Marinette bit her lip returning her gaze to her phone, "I was just going to say that I'm busy today." she swallowed and forced herself to send Luka a message that would disappoint him, but just as she was about to hit send, Aurore shook her head.

"Why not hang out with your friend afterwards?" she suggested, "I asked my driver to pick me up at 1:30 today so if your friend don't mind, you could hang out then." She smiled, picking up a chouquette and snacking on them while Marinette was busy deciding.

Marinette hunched in on herself, looking remorseful, "Well.." she stared to the side, biting her lip. She should decline. She had a duty to uphold. She couldn't hold off the talk any longer like what happened with Chloé, she had to tell Alya and Nino soon.

But what was she going to say?

She didn't have a plan yet.

How do you tell someone bad news out of the blue?

Returning her gaze back to her phone, she stared at Luka's name. Should she ask for advice?

But this was something she had to figure it out herself.

But… she didn't know where to start.

She sent Luka a text message and seconds later, received a reply.

"I'll see you then"

She placed her phone away and gave Aurore an apologetic look, "Sorry, even though this is supposed to be your study time."

Aurore shrugged it off with a smile, "It's alright. I should be the one apologising since I'm taking your time away." She reminded her, and before Marinette could refute her apology, she quickly added, "I guess you could somewhat call it even. Now let's get back to studying!" she gave a bright grin, leaving no room for any objections.

Marinette bit the inside of her cheek, but nodded, leaning forward to see which parts she was having trouble understanding, trying to stay focus.

"Phew! Thanks Marinette, that was a lot to go through." Aurore sighed as she leaned back in a stretch then leaned back in to grab another treat off the plate with a smile.

"You're welcome." Marinette gave her a small smile, "Your class is a bit ahead of ours so I'm sorry if we went a bit slow today."

"It's fine, we got through it in the end." Aurore waved off her concern and checked her phone, "Oh, my driver will be here soon." She noticed and began packing up.

Marinette blinked and checked the time herself, seeing that there was 5 minutes left which also meant that Luka would be here soon, "Would you like to take these with you?" she asked, nodding to the sweets. The plate of sweets given by her mom was gone and there were still more than half of the macarons left.

Aurore stared at them in thought before shaking her head, "It's alright, the studio will have some snacks prepared for me. Thanks for the offer though." She smiled and got up with her things.

Marinette smiled back and pushed herself up, "I'll walk you out." She offered.

The taller girl shook her head, signalling her to sit back down with a smile, "You don't have to." She said, staring at her with a contemplative stare. All throughout the study session, she couldn't help but notice that the girl had been slightly distracted with a troubled look on her face. She wanted to know what was going on or at least offer her some advice if she could. She did think of Marinette as a friend after all, "Marinette?"

"Yes? Is there something wrong?" she asked worriedly, immediately thinking of the worst.

Aurore shook her head, "Not about me, but… you. You seemed a bit troubled, I was wondering if I could help." She watched as the girl flinched before putting her hands up and giving a flustered smile.

"Do I really?" Marinette let out an embarrassed laugh, "Did I distract you somewhere when you were studying? Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"You didn't." Aurore cut in, giving her a gentle tone, "Just thought I could offer you some advice, but if it's unnecessary, I won't pry again."

Marinette lowered her hands, looking away as she bit her lip in thought. It took a short while before she began speaking again, "I… um, I… this isn't about you." She cleared up first, "I found out something and needed to tell some people some bad news that will make them upset." She explained, fidgeting, "And I just don't know how to tell them or what to say…"

It was silent for a moment as Aurore was considering her dilemma thoroughly.

"If there was news of me being fired at the studio…" Aurore started, not noticing Marinette flinch since she was staring at the ground in thought, "I would want them to tell me as soon as possible so I can prepare for my next course of action." She looked up and stared straight at Marinette, "I would want them to tell it to me straight and to tell me why, no sugar-coating it."

Marinette squeezed her hands in a fist, "Even if it'll upset you?"

Aurore nodded, "Of course, I'll be upset." She stated, catching Marinette flinch this time, "But I'll bounce back. If I didn't, I wouldn't be where I am now." She had lost the weather girl position to Mireille and that had sucked and a bit of a blow to her ego (she was also akumatized which made it worse), but she hadn't given up. The competition was just something that would have landed her the position faster, but it wasn't the only way to get it. She still wanted the weather girl position and through her dedication, she eventually got what she wanted with her hard work. And now, not only did she get to present the weather, she had other small-time projects that she was currently working on.

Marinette looked down at her floor with a weak smile, "I see… right, I just need to tell it to them straight." She quietly said under her breath.

Aurore could see that her advice wasn't what she hoped for, and it probably wasn't the best advice to bluntly tell someone bad news, given that there was a villain out there who feeds on negative emotions, but personally, she would prefer this if she were the one receiving it, "Marinette."

She looked up, "Yes?" she answered and stared into Aurore's unwavering gaze.

"I'd rather take on the storm than wait through the calm."

After thanking Aurore for her advice and bidding her off, Marinette sat in her seat with a dazed look.

Aurore was right, but could she tell Alya and Nino why they couldn't be superheroes anymore?

She was the reason why they couldn't and there was no way she could tell them exactly why. It wasn't really fair that they could no longer be superheroes because she hesitated.

Maybe she could convince Master Fu to give them another chance?

Besides, Rena Rouge and Carapace were good superheroes. They didn't do anything wrong. It wasn't like they betrayed or was going to betray Ladybug so this whole mess was because she couldn't put aside her personal issue with them.

She was mixing her personal with her professional life.

Really, it should be her that should be replaced instead of them, she was the one that messed up. She-

A knock on her trapdoor frightened her back into reality, her breath hitched.

"Marinette? It's me, Luka. Your mom sent me up."

She felt something stroking her cheek and turned to find a very worried Tikki staring at her with unshed tears in her big blue eyes.

Marinette strained a smile, rubbing her spotted forehead, "I'm fine, now go hide." She whispered softly with a shaky smile as she went towards her trapdoor and tried to give Luka a welcoming smile, "Hi." She greeted.

Luka stared at her; his eyes widened when he took in her face. He could see faint shadows forming under her eyes and the forced smile on her face that slowly morphed into a frown.

"Luka?" she timidly called out when he didn't say anything.

He closed his eyes for a bit before opening them to give her a gentle and kind smile while he worried about her, "Hey." He greeted back softly, wanting to reach out to her, "I'm not interrupting your day, or anything am I?" he asked as Marinette stepped aside for him to come up.

"No, you're alright. I don't have anything else to do for the rest of the day." Marinette said with a smile as she held her arms, trying to stay calm. Whatever her decision would be, she'd tell them tonight. Whether it be asking Master Fu to reconsider or tell Alya and Nino, she should decide before the day ends, "So what's up?" she asked, trying to force her mind to stop and focus on Luka.

Luka offered her his hand, surprising her, "Well, I've been thinking of you actually," he started as she placed her hand in his and he led them both to sit on her chaise, "and I'm pretty sure I found your melody at last. A tune that matches you completely." He smiled when she looked pleasantly surprised. Whatever she had been thinking, he hoped he was distracting her away from them, "Wanna hear it?" he asked, not moving an inch, letting her decide what she wants to do.

The more Luka spoke, the more Marinette felt her mind and heart being put to rest… well her heart was beginning to beat fast and she could feel her cheeks becoming warm. But she tried to force that down.

She should be thinking about her priorities.

But… one look from Luka and she caved, unknowingly giving him a small genuine smile, wanting to hear.

She had time; she could allow herself this much, right?

Seeing her expectant look, Luka let out a quiet chuckle and leaned forward to place his case on the ground, taking out his acoustic guitar that had a large purple Jagged Stone on a corner of the print on a black background with indigo flecks, on the other corner, a small yellow sticker of a bulldog with band-aids crossed over its right eye in an 'X', doing a peace side, and on the top corner, a sticker of a rose flower.

Marinette smiles expectantly, knowing that whatever he'll plays, it'll be good, but as Luka begins playing a tune on his guitar, she felt her heart beat faster and blushed heavily as she watched him. He was playing so passionately, losing himself in the song and it was then that she remembered that he had said that this was her song that he was playing.

When he reaches to the end of her song, he turned to her, smiling, looking straight in her sky-blue eyes and asked, "What do you think?"

Marinette could still feel her blush, but she managed to cool them to a faint flush, "Wow it's- it's incredible!" she praised him, having enjoyed his… her? song. She shyly averted her gaze as she placed her cool fingers on her nape, feeling her pulse was throbbing fast.

Luka tilted his head at her, giving her a thoughtful stare. Something was still missing, "Mm, it's still not quite right." He hummed, getting her attention and pointed his finger at her, "I can do better. I'm gonna work on it some more." He thought he had finally found her song, but he guessed he wasn't quite there yet, "I'll find the perfect tune for your song." He promised her, determined to find what was missing from her song.

She only deserves the best.

Marinette blinked, she thought it already sounded perfect, but she couldn't say anything, not when he looked that determined and that he was the expert between the two. So she smiled supportingly for him, "I hope you do." She softly said.

He smiled at her and began playing her a soft tune.

Marinette felt her eyes closed as she listened to Luka's absent strumming, feeling herself relaxed.

This was nice. She wished every day she felt like this with no worries in the back of her mind.

But that wasn't today.

Her smile slowly faded away as her problems came to the forefront of her clear unguarded mind.

Master Fu wouldn't replace her. She found that out when he rejected her idea.

Which meant she still had to tell Alya and Nino.

She just didn't know how.

A part of her still hadn't accepted the idea of replacing them. They were her teammates who didn't do anything wrong and they knew the ropes of being a superhero so why-

"Are you okay?" Luka's gentle voiced lured her back into reality and Marinette's realised that his strumming had changed to a more sombre tune.

"Just… Just got this problem." She breathed out.

He stopped strumming, turning his head to her and carefully asked, "The same one or…"

"A different one." She answered, slightly kicking her feet in the air.

Luka frowned worriedly, "Anyway I can help?"

She bit her lip, half her mind telling her to not bother him, while the other was telling her to do it since that was the reason she accepted to see him, "If you don't mind…" she hesitated.

"I don't." he assured her. If there was something he could do for Marinette, he'll do it.

Marinette swallowed, nodding, "Okay, I um, just want to hear some advice. You see? Um…" for some reason it was harder to ask Luka than it was to Aurore.

Luka started strumming again, playing a tune that would help Marinette's troubled heart.

It worked as she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she let the melody help guide her and she finally repeated to him what she said to Aurore, hoping to know what she should say to Alya and Nino by the end of his answer.

Luka looked thoughtful, giving Marinette's problem a serious thought, his fingers strumming absently as he did, "What kind of problem is it?" He asked, wanting to give her a more sound advice.

Marinette jumped, becoming flustered, "Oh, um-" she waved her fingers around in the air as she tried to explain, "Um, ce-centre! Yeah, the centre!" she swallowed, averting her eyes away, "I sometimes volunteer at the abandoned kitty centre on Sundays and um, the person in charge told me to tell the people I work with that they can no longer volunteer a-and," the lie was ridiculous, but she had to continue with it. She couldn't just tell him that she was talking about Ladybug and the others, "those people will be really upset that t-they won't be able to help out anymore. And!" she lowered her hands to her lap and sighed, "And it's my fault that they can't help out anymore." She looked down, disappointed at herself, "They were very professional with their job but because I know them outside of the… centre, I had a hard time working with them even though I was the one who suggested them in the first place. I should be the one not allowed to help instead of them but the… person in charge didn't accept my suggestion." She leaned forward and cover her face in her hands, "It isn't fair to them."

Luka stayed silent throughout Marinette's explanation, wanting her to get through this without any interruptions as he absentmindedly strummed. He didn't question her cover up story, only focusing on coming up with a solution, though it took a while, he hoped it will help her come to a conclusion, "Depending on how much they enjoyed helping at the centre, the news will be very upsetting to them." He started.

Marinette agreed with her face still in her hands, "Yeah…" came her muffled reply.

He stopped strumming and looked at her, "No matter what, nobody like receiving bad news, so you just need to focus on what happens after."

Marinette lifted her face from her hands and turned her head to him.

He placed his hand on her shoulder and lightly squeezed it to comfort her, "Telling bad news isn't easy but you just have to be careful about it. If they ask why they can no longer help, then tell them, they have a right to know," he closed his eyes and took a breath before focusing back on her, staring straight in her wide scared eyes, "but if it's something you can't say, then tell them what you can. You also have the rights to your own secrecy." He reminded her and wondered just how many of her secrets were exposed for her to look surprised by that, "And you know?" he shrugged, "There are plenty of other ways to help, not just one. Maybe remind them of that." He suggested with a quiet smile, returning his hand to his strings and continued strumming a soft tune, "I hope that helped."

"Yeah…" she breathed before clearing her mind, "Yeah, thanks, Luka. I think that helps." She smiled gratefully at him.

Luka smiled at her, "I'm just glad I was able to help." He looked at her and the fidgeting energy that she was releasing, and stood up, "I guess I should head home and work on finding the perfect tune for your song."

Marinette blinked, "You're leaving already?" she asked, standing up as well. While she felt like she would be able to tell Alya and Nino if she went now, a part of her wanted him to stay.

Luka gave her an apologetic but understanding smile, "Looks like you have something to do and I don't want to be in the way." He said, putting his guitar away in its case and slinging it over his shoulder.

"Then before you go, would you like to take some macarons home?" she asked, moving towards her desk to pick up the box of macarons, with plenty still left over, "They were baked this morning by my dad." She explained, not wanting him to leave empty handed since their time was cut short.

Luka smiled, somewhat amused, "Can't say no to that, can I?" he chuckled, "Thanks." He said, grabbing the box before he began walking to her trapdoor, his eyes lingering on her for a moment.

Watching him leave, Marinette felt really grateful to have him in her life. Anyone who knows Luka Couffaine should be.

Before he could head down, he paused for a moment when he heard her quickly walked up to him and turned to her.

"Thanks, Luka," Marinette smiled fondly at him and lifted herself up on her toes to place a kiss on his cheek, surprising him like last time, "for your advice."

Luka looked pleasantly surprised before he grinned at her, "I'll see you next time and I promise I have your song perfected by then." He promised, lifting her trapdoor open.

"See you next time." She waved goodbye at him as he closed the trapdoor behind him. Once it was shut, she turned around and clapped her cheeks twice, trying to hype herself up, "Tikki." She called out, summoning her kwami out from hiding.

Both Aurore and Luka are right.

She needed to tell it to them straight. They needed to know before the new superheroes are chosen, but this was also a delicate matter with the risk of being akumatised. She had to be gentle about this and if they… when they ask why they could no longer be superheroes then she'll tell them what she can.

She can do this.

"Spots on!"

Swinging by the Césaire apartment, Ladybug discreetly swung around the outside, glancing through their windows to find any signs that Alya may be at home. She frowned when she couldn't find her, not even in her room and wondered if she was out on a date with Nino this afternoon.

Nerves started to seep in at the thought.

If so, should she wait? She would be ruining their date with her news, but… the longer she held it off, the more harder it'll be to tell them.

She has to tell them now.

But where could they be?

Throwing her yo-yo in a different direction, she swung off towards places they could have been, swinging by Trocadéro, the movie theatre, Place des Vosges when eventually, she finally found them at the zoo.

But they weren't alone.

Landing quietly on top of one of the animal's cages, Ladybug watched as most of Miss Bustier's students were sitting at one of the zoo's picnic table with ice-cream in their hands.

And the centre of focus was Lila, a big smile on her face as she was probably regurgitating a tale of some sorts, receiving awes and praises from the group.

Sitting next to her was Alya who was listening intently with a shine in her eyes, her ice-cream nearly forgotten until Nino grabbed it from her, preventing it from dropping. But he too also became distracted with awe when Lila said something, forgetting the ice-cream which dropped on the ground, earning a 'Hey!' and laughs from the others.

Ladybug looked at each of them with a blank stare.

Seeing Kim's wide grin and his boisterous laughter, Max observing him, Ivan and Mylène sitting together while quietly cuddling with each other with a relaxed smile on their faces, and Alix who looked somewhat bored yet focused on the conversation (The others were probably at home or, remembering how Juleka and Rose headed towards the art classroom, were at art club), Ladybug felt like she was intruding on the moment.

If she removed Alya and Nino from the group now, it would look suspicious and she couldn't have that.

She couldn't…

Ladybug took a step back and another before quietly leaving.

She could tell them later.

Maybe tonight

Or tomorrow.

She just needed to tell them before the… new superheroes show up.

Returning to her room through her skylight after a quick patrol, Ladybug landed in a crouch on her bed and de-transformed back into Marinette who had a saddened look on her face.

She pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around them, leaning her cheek on them as Tikki flew in front of her.

Before the kwami could say anything, Marinette beat her to it with an apology.

"Sorry, Tikki." She murmured out, her eyes staring far away, not focusing on anything, "I'll tell them soon, just… it wasn't the right moment." She closed her eyes, tightening her grip for comfort. Seeing her classmates laugh so happily wasn't an unusually occurrence, but seeing them laughing without a care in the world made her realised that she hadn't seen that in a while, and that whenever she was around, it caused an awkward tension to rise among them.

She was the one preventing the class from being happy and she was inevitably going to prevent it even more once Alya and Nino receive the bad news.

Her heart felt like it was being stabbed by millions of needles from the guilt.

Tikki frowned, moving forward to stroke her Chosen's hair, "You were right not to tell them then. It wasn't the right moment. When an opportunity opens up, I know you'll…" she stopped herself, unsure if what she was saying be helpful or was just putting pressure on her. She swallowed and try a different tactic, "Why don't you get Chat Noir to tell them or at least do it together?" she suggested, "He's your partner."

Marinette slowly opened her eyes and stared at her. It was strange to hear her responsible kwami suggest something somewhat remotely irresponsible or something that could risk her secret identity. Was she testing her? Or was she actually serious? Either way, she couldn't do that. Closing her eyes again, Marinette responded responsibly, "I was the one who chose them in the first place, so I should be the one to tell them. It wouldn't be right if they heard the news from someone else." She sighed, "And if Chat happens to know who Alya and Nino are, he might try to figure out my identity and we can't let that happen, right?" she said, remembering the secret identity rule that Master Fu and Tikki kept enforcing. While she trusted Chat, he would sometimes ask about her identity, looking for hints or offer her his, but that was in the past and he hasn't brought it up in a while now. She feared that if he happens to know who Rena Rouge and Carapace are, his curiosity will get the better of him, tempting him to figure it out.

"Then maybe Trixx and Wayzz can tell them." Tikki tried again. While it would be preferable if Ladybug herself was the one to go as Marinette was right, being her responsibility and all. She also wanted Marinette to not handle this alone.

Marinette gave it some thought. That would be the next best thing, they would be able to say goodbyes-

She swallowed as more guilt pierced her heart and squeezed her eyes shut, inwardly shaking her thoughts back on track. She shouldn't indulge the easy way out. That wouldn't be right.

"Well, I hope you'll go talk to them soon. It's the right thing to do." Chat Noir's voice rang through her head.

"Don't worry, I'll tell them soon. This is my responsibility after all." Marinette said, reminding herself as she tried to find comfort from her arms.

But honestly, the whole thing felt surreal and she was still trying to wrap her head around it.

She hadn't told them that night.

Or Thursday.

All she got was a lack of sleep from hesitating and planning what to say to them. Her initial plan lost from her spiralling thoughts the longer she delayed the inevitable.

The calls she had with Luka at night and helping Aurore study, now made her feel stressed as she noticed she was worrying them the more distracted and tired she sounded, becoming a burden to them and providing no help to Aurore's studies.

She was also worrying Tikki with her lack of sleep, but Marinette waved her worries off with a smile, saying that she was fine.

She was causing them unnecessary troubles, causing more guilt to overcome her heart.

She had to tell them today, no matter what.

Determined, though scared, Marinette fidgeted throughout Friday morning, anxiously waiting for the end of the day, planning to tell Alya and Nino the bad news no matter what.

She had to do it today, no more hesitating.

"Thanks, Marinette. If I review my notes over the weekend, I should be fine on Monday." Aurore smiled, placing her things in her bag. She had some jobs lined up over the weekend, but she could study in between breaks.

Marinette clasp her hands behind her back, trying not to show her fingers fidgeting as they began heading back to school, "I hope I was able to help. Sorry about yesterday though." She cringed, looking apologetic. She hoped she made it up with this study session.

Aurore waved off her apology, "It's fine. But I guess I should also apologise. My advice to you from last time isn't really for everyone." She chuckled awkwardly, subtly glancing at the bags under Marinette's eyes and the slight paleness of her skin. She felt guilty that maybe she had been a bit aggressive with her advice which made her lose sleep over it.

"No. no. It was helpful." Marinette hurriedly waved off her concern, looking surprised, "I needed to hear that, so thanks." She smiled a small sincere smile, crossing the streets when it turned.

Aurore stared at her before smiling brightly, "I'm glad then… Hey!" she turned to face the smaller girl again as a thought occurred to her, "I'm working all of next week after school, but if you want, do you want to come with me? As thanks for taking your time."

Marinette startled, "Oh you don't have to do that. I didn't mind helping you study." She politely declined.

"Then don't think of it as me returning a favour but think of it as us hanging out." Aurore tried again, "I want to hang out with you as friends, but like I told you, I'll be busy all week so it'll be a while if we wanted to hang out." While she loved her job, it didn't leave a lot of room to hang out with her classmates from school. If she had to say who she was closest to in class, it would have to be Mireille since the studio would sometimes pair them up for a project. Not that she minded, a little rivalry was always good, "Ah, only if you want to." She quickly added.

Marinette felt herself hesitate, but seeing Aurore looking so wholehearted with her offer, she didn't have the heart to refuse, "Then… I'll text you when I'm free."

"Great." She nodded, satisfied as the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch, "I'll see you on Monday if I can." She smiled, moving to her next class.

"Good luck on your quiz on Monday." Marinette smiled before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, trying to steel her returning jitters.

Now she just needed to get through the end of school.

As soon as the bell rang signalling that school was over, Marinette stood up, already taking off to find a place to transform as Ladybug and finally talk to Alya and Nino, but her plan was foiled when someone grabbed her arm before she can make it down the hallway.

"Marinette!" Adrien caught her arm, stopping her from running off, "Wait, can we talk?" he asked, looking worried.

Marinette looked surprised to see him. They were just a few ways outside their classroom, and she could see their classmates giving them looks as they walked past them, making her involuntarily tense. She was anxious to leave, her eyes glancing towards Alya and Nino who was subtly trying to watch them as they walked by, curious like the others. She returned her gaze to Adrien who was staring at her with concern and she strained out a smile, though her eyes looked frantic, "O-Oh, what's wrong? Do you need something?" she remembered something similar that happened like this, "Need some advice with Kagami? I would love to help but there's something I need to do first. You can text me your questions later."

"What? No, it's not that." Adrien quickly said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, "I was just wondering if you're fine. You don't look like you've been getting enough sleep." He pointed out and then frowned when a thought occurred to him and he pulled them further down the hall so no one could eavesdrop and lowered his voice in a whisper, "Did Lila do something?" he asked, worriedly.

Marinette's mind was racing. When she glanced back, Alya and Nino were no longer standing where they were. She needed to go and find them, "No it's nothing!" Marinette made her smile wide, hoping to assure Adrien that she was fine so she could leave, "Just… tired that's all. Tired! Yeah, and since I'm tired, I should go home and take a nap, yep." She nodded like she just solved a problem, "Well, gotta go home and take a nap, see you on Monday, Adrien!" she cheerfully announced, already taking off without giving him room to respond.

Adrien watched her go, "See you…" he said. He wasn't sure if this was just another one of his conversation he had with Marinette or not. Usually, he would sometimes end up stumped by the end of their conversations, having to come up with his own conclusions from what he gathered, but this conversation, it almost sounded like she wanted to get away from him.

Maybe he was just over thinking it and Marinette just needed a cat nap.

But if there was something going on, he'll trust Marinette to tell him if something was wrong.

But he still couldn't help but worry about his friend and hoped he didn't do anything.

As Marinette raced out the entrance of Collège Françoise Dupont, she whipped her head left and right, trying to spot either Alya or Nino, but that was a mistake when her vision blurred from the slight dizziness.

She held her head, trying to steady herself when Tikki spoke up from her purse, sounding worried.

"Maybe you should take a nap before you tell them. You don't look so good."

Marinette squeezed her eyes shut with a frown, "No, I have to tell them now. I keep putting it off and its already Friday. I need to tell them and then I go take that nap." She stubbornly said before running somewhere to transform, desperate to get the job done today.

Kagami frowned when she pointed the tip of her saber into the chest of her opponent on the ground, gaining herself another easy win.

She pulled off her helmet and offered her hand to her opponent, pulling him up, "You know it's no fun when you make it that easy, Adrien. What's wrong?" she questioned. By now, anytime it was easy to beat him, she knows that something was wrong.

Adrien took off his helmet, revealing a distracted expression, "It's just that, I think my friend-"

"Marinette." Kagami supplied with a deadpanned look, having heard him talk plenty about his friends and especially about his 'good friend, Marinette', whenever they had a break together to know which one he was talking depending on the look he was making.

Adrien nodded, "Yeah, I think there's something going on with her." He explained. He could remember being startled when she rushed out of class as soon as the bell went for lunch before anyone else could leave. He wondered if she had something to do and turned to ask Nino and Alya about it, but they had seemed upset when they answered. And when he returned to class, he noticed that Marinette wasn't in class with everyone else until after the bell.

Kagami stared at her crush and closed her eyes with a sigh, "Did you ask her what was wrong?" she questioned, moving to towards the bench near them to take a seat. Mr. D'Argencourt had stepped out for a bit when he had received a call so the other fencer were either taking a break or practicing and seeing how Adrien wasn't focus on their match, there would be no point continuing.

"Well, I did ask after class, but," he took a seat next to her, "she said that she was just tired and that she was going to take a nap." He recounted, remembering her hurrying off.

She nodded, taking this in with a thoughtful stare, "How was she when you were talking to her."

"Maybe a bit strange, but that's just Marinette." Adrien smiled fondly at that. He was never really sure if they were friends, but Marinette said they were, and he didn't have any reason to not trust her. Her words may be a bit clumsy at times and he hoped she be more comfortable talking to him, and maybe she was beginning to since she hadn't stumbled her word much with him lately, "I might be overthinking it, but maybe she's just tired."

Kagami wondered if this was another of Marinette's plan to gain the boy's affection and she couldn't help but sigh at the girl's underhanded tactics if it were. The girl needed to stop hesitating, or she'll eventually lose Adrien to her. But for now, she'll focus on Adrien's concern for his friend, "If what you say about Marinette is true, then you should talk to her later and see how she's doing after her nap." She advised.

Adrien blinked as if the thought never occurred to him, "You're right. That's a great idea, Kagami!" he grinned at her.

She smiled amusingly at him. Even though Adrien excelled in many things, he was slow on some things, "It was my pleasure, Adrien."

Adrien returned the smile and stood up with his gear, ready to resume practice, "Well, since I'm-" he was suddenly knocked off balance when the ground suddenly shook, startling everyone into a panic.

"What's going on?!"

"Is it an akuma?!"

"Run!"

Students cried out, scrambling to get to safety when they felt another shake.

"Adrien!" Kagami shouted, reaching her hand to pull him up, "Come on, we need to leave." She ordered, narrowing her eyes at her surroundings, for anything out of place.

Adrien quickly stood up, glancing towards the locker room where Plagg was, "Oh, um, you go ahead of me, I think it'll be safer to split up in case-"

"I AM METEROA!" a voice boomed out.

Both fencers looked up to where the voice was and saw an akuma hovering in the sky, dressed in a shimmering midnight teacup dress with wide sleeves that you would see on a witch, holding onto a wand with a star at the end.

Meteroa snarled as she raised her wand to the sky and a layer of Fragments of 'rocks' flew up at her command

"YOU THINK YOU CAN'T SEE A METEORITE SHOWER IN THE DAY?! WELL HOW ABOUT I SHOW YOU ONE RIGHT NOW!" she exclaimed, bringing her wand down, various sizes of 'meteorites' raining down.

Adrien widened his eyes when he saw the 'meteorites' spread throughout the sky at her command and over the courtyard.

He quickly acted on instinct as they began falling upon them.

Throwing his helmet and saber to the ground, he swiftly threw himself at Kagami, dragging her down and rolling them under the bench for a shield as 'meteorites' pelted down on them.

Transforming into Ladybug seemed to have lessened the dizziness that she was having but it wasn't completely gone.

It wasn't a big deal though. She could handle this small amount.

And as soon as she gets the talk over with, she'll go home and rest. (If her guilt lets her)

Swinging from building to building, Ladybug landed on one of Parisian's roof tops in a crouch as she found Alya and Nino walking towards the direction of the Césaire apartment.

"Found you." She muttered under her breath. Just as she was about to swing down, a violent vibration shook the ground and the buildings, causing her to stumble off the roof she was on and plummeting between two buildings. Her breath hitched as she quickly righted herself, trying to land safely on the ground but she must have landed wrong when she felt a slight pain going up one side of her foot.

"I AM METEROA!"

"Please not now." Ladybug groaned as another shake occurred as she bit her lip at the slight pain when she tried to stand up. It wasn't that bad, but she might have slightly twisted it, "Great." She frowned frustratedly before slightly limping towards the streets, ignoring the sharp pain shooting up her right leg.

She looked to the sky, her eyes narrowing for the akuma when a glint caught her eye coming from the sky. She looked up to see the glint was coming from the flowy night-sky hair of the akuma, hovering near the school.

Taking out her yo-yo, Ladybug immediately leaped into action, needing to quickly take care of the akuma.

I don't have time for this!

She didn't notice an excited Alya heading towards the danger with her phone out, nor Nino going with her in concern for his girlfriend's safety, though a bit frightened.

Ladybug gritted her teeth as she neared the akuma who was showering the streets below her with concrete-coloured 'meterorites', scuffing parts of the buildings whenever she brought her wand down and Ladybug would bet that the akuma was in there.

Hiding from a safe distance, she try to observe just what she was facing today and noticed there were large craters littering the streets, like it was dug up, and she realised that those large 'meteorites' were actually parts of the road.

"YOU THINK THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS METEORITE SHOWERS IN THE DAY?! COME ON OUT KAREN DOLT AND I'LL SHOW YOU AND THE WHOLE OF PARIS A METEORITE SHOWER!" Meteroa seethed, flicking her wand up in the air.

The ground shook for a moment before parts of the road were dug up and large irregular oval shaped concrete were raised in the air, forming more craters below.

Meteroa looked at the streets below, a glint in her completely black eyes as she grinned manically when she noticed that there were still some people who was trying to run for cover, "Witness first hand my meteorite shower." She declared, bringing her wand down.

Ladybug frowned and sprang into action, though a shot of pain shot up her right foot when she did, but she paid it no mind. When she landed, she was mindful not to fall into one of the craters in the road.

Doing her best, she whipped her yo-yo out and sliced the 'meteorites' into smaller pieces until they were the size of pebbles.

From her interference, the people who was still on the streets managed to find cover as the pebbled sized 'meteorites' rained down.

"Ladybug!" Meteroa yelled in annoyance. A purple outline of a butterfly appeared on her face and she scowled as it disappeared, "Hand over your Miraculous or else!" she relayed, threatening lifting her wand up.

Ladybug spun her yo-yo for defence as she kept her weight off her right foot, "Whatever you're going through, I don't think this is the answer." She yelled back, hoping to reason with her.

"I don't care! Do you know how frustrating it is when you try to set the record straight but that person doesn't believe you no matter how much facts you throw in their face but they still don't believe you?!" Meteroa growled, her hands trembling in anger as she shot her a glare, "Well this is the last straw! If she won't listen to reason, then maybe she'll listen to pain!"

The spinning of her yo-yo slowed down as Ladybug bit her lip. This… she didn't have anything to say to that, didn't have any advice. Though she didn't dwell on it much when Meteroa started to fly away, heading towards the school.

"Wait!" Ladybug cried, quickly lassoing her yo-yo onto one of Meteroa's shimmering boots. She tried to pull her back but was instead taken along. She gritted her teeth and held out her hand, catching onto a lamp post she almost blew by and stopping them.

"Let go!" Meteroa demanded, turning to look back at her. From the distance, she could see Collège Françoise Dupont's courtyard within her sights.

"You don't have to do this! Whatever Hawk Moth offered you, this wouldn't be right!" she tried again. She wondered where her partner was and hoped that he'll be here soon.

"Leave me alone! I am sick of that girl always mocking me when she's the one in the wrong!" Meteroa growled, giving her a glare. She began raising her wand up, summoning for her 'meteorites'. As she continued to try and fly away, however, her narrowed eyes widened in interest when she saw what she got from the school ground, "Looks like meteorites are not the only thing falling today." She smirked.

As Ladybug struggled to pull her back, she looked to where she was staring and widened her eyes in shock when out of the multiple 'meteorites' floating in the air, she saw someone on one of them, being lifted into the air as well.

"Adrien?!" she gasped out.

"If you don't want an innocent bystander falling to his doom, you better let me go." Meteroa smirked.

Ladybug gritted her teeth and let go of the lamp post. Yanking on her yo-yo, she sling-shotted pass the akuma who moved away and landed onto a floating 'rock' nearest to her.

When it was relatively safe to come out, Adrien peeked out from beneath the bench, wondering if it was over for the meantime when he noticed a black blur from the locker room peeking out from the entrance. When he squinted, he realised that it was Plagg, trying to get his attention.

Relieved to see his kwami, he scooted out, offering his hand to Kagami as he stood up, "Looks like the coast is clear. Are you okay?" he asked.

Kagami nodded, a smile on her face from Adrien's heroic actions, "Yes. Thank you." She said, patting the dust off her fencing clothes.

The two looked around to see the damage, seeing large section of the roads littered into the courtyard. Some were still intact while others were cracked from the impact.

"I can hear the akuma." Adrien started, trying to find an excuse to leave and transform. His Lady needed him, "We need to find somewhere else to hide." He then pointed towards the locker room, an awkward grin on his face, "My bodyguard is probably worried about me, so I'll go call him about the situation and then go hide." He said and took off without letting her respond.

"Adrien!" Kagami called after him, furrowing her brows before setting into a determined stare. It wasn't safe out here and his helmet and saber were left behind. He was defenceless and she wasn't going to let him get hurt. She ran after him but stumbled when the ground shook again, but this time, it felt stronger.

As Adrien ran towards the locker room, he stumbled when the ground shook once more and fell back on his hands and knees. However, the next moment he knew, he was suddenly being lifted in the air with part of the school ground, leaving a crater behind.

"Is this part of Meteroa's power?" Adrien asked in surprise, moving to the edge to see that he was already too far off from the ground. When he turned his head, he saw his Lady jumping from 'meteorite' to 'meteorite' towards him.

"M'La- uh, Ladybug!" he called out in surprise.

"Don't worry, you'll be safe soon!" Ladybug called back, trying to assure him, using her yo-yo to swing off a 'meteorite' after leaping from one.

Adrien smiled at that, but it was wiped off when he felt like he was suddenly descending.

"No!" he heard two girls shout out in alarm.

He didn't worry though as his Lady's yo-yo wrapped around him and yanked him towards her in a tight grasp in her arms before she quickly lassoed her yo-yo towards a basketball hoop and landed them somewhere safe while the 'meteorite' that he was on, exploded on impact when it made contact with the ground.

"Are you okay?" she asked, scared that she almost didn't make it.

Adrien flushed at her concern and the distance between their faces, but grinned, "I'm fine, I just knew I could count on you, M'Lad-uh, Ladybug." His grinned turned into a sheepish smile at his blunder, not noticing the sudden shift in Ladybug.

Ladybug inwardly flinched.

Adrien's trust in her just reminded that a lot of people were counting on Ladybug and…

She shook her head. She needed to focus, there was still an akuma out there.

"I'm glad you're alright." Ladybug nodded and then lowered him down on the ground, just as Kagami neared them, "You two go find somewhere to hide while Chat Noir and I fix this." She said, turning around, but stumbled slightly.

"Ladybug!" Adrien cried out in concern, his hand reaching towards her.

"Did you hurt your leg?" Kagami worriedly asked, observing the slight limp as she was preparing to take off.

"It's no big deal, I'll be fine after I'll purify the akuma." She reassured them with a comforting smile. She shouldn't let them think that their protector wouldn't be able to save them. "You guys get to safety, I'm going after Meteroa." She confidently said and swung off, going after Meteora who took off.

She was straining herself to focus.

Travelling through the air with her yo-yo, Ladybug followed the floating 'meteorites' that was leading her towards TVi Studio and she quickened her pace in worry.

It was even less than a minute when her partner suddenly appeared, running across the buildings while she swung pass.

"Why, hello there, M'Lady!" Chat Noir called out, "Mind giving this kitty a lift?" he asked with a grin.

Ladybug adjusted her course as Chat Noir timed it and took a running leap off the buildings, grabbing a hold onto his Lady while she wrapped her arm around his waist without slowing down.

"Chat." She greeted, relieved that he showed up.

"Hey there, Bugaboo." He smiled and before she could scold him for the nickname, he glanced at her foot, "So a friend of mind told me that you hurt your foot." He frowned in concerned but then smiled at her, "Should I, your knight in shining armour, carry you throughout this fight?" he offered, waggling his brows jokingly.

Ladybug frowned, "No need, I got it covered." She said, yanking on her yo-yo to change directions, "You just focus on the akuma, and no funny business. I want to deal with this quickly."

Chat Noir stared at her, still feeling worried. He knew that she was stubborn, and that was one of the things he loves about her, but he really hoped that she would accept his offer, "Really? No jokes? You really need to loosen up, Bugaboo, but alright." He sighed out dramatically, "What do we know about the akuma so far." He asked.

Frowning at the nickname, Ladybug focused on the task as she went through everything she knew, going back to her fight she had with her and narrowed her eyes in thought, "When she rises up her 'meteorites', they aren't as fast… I think she can only control the speed when she has them already in the air."

Chat Noir nodded, "If we attack when she's preparing, we might be able to get..." he trailed off, furrowing his brows, "Do you know where the akuma is hiding?"

"The wand, I think." Another thought then occurred to Ladybug, "… It's strange that she didn't just use the 'meteorites' that she made or use the areas that has craters she caused…" she thoughtfully frowned, noticing that instead of using the streets that had craters in them, she had used the courtyard that didn't have any and she came to a conclusion, "I think she could only use her powers on an area once."

"So if she use up all the space with her craters, she'll just move to a different area." he concluded just as they reached Meteora.

They landed on the streets and Ladybug nearly fell if it weren't for Chat Noir holding her.

Chat Noir frowned, "Maybe you should sit this one out and I'll bring you her wand afterwards."

Ladybug frowned and pushed his hand away from her, "I'm fine. It just a twisted ankle. I can still walk." She said, her eyes focused on Meteora who was beginning to raise her wand. She quickly threw her yo-yo, trying to get the wand.

But at the sound of her yo-yo zipping through the air, startled Meteroa, causing her to turn around and fly back.

Although not fast enough as she managed to ger her wrists lassoed together.

Ladybug frowned, hoping that she could've ended it right her, right now, but it couldn't be helped. "Just focus on Metoera." She instructed, trying to keep the akuma still as she tried escaping.

Chat Noir sighed and took out his staff, extending it, "Alright then."

It wasn't as easy as they hoped as Meteroa frenzily flew about, causing Ladybug to buckle when she took a step forward on her twisted ankle, loosening the tight pull she had as Meteora freed herself and quickly brought down her 'meteorites'.

Cursing at herself, Ladybug called out to Chat Noir, "Be careful!" she warned as she quickly began whipping her yo-yo at the projectiles aimed at her, slicing them up into smaller sizes like before quickly swinging her yo-yo over her head for a shield.

"Got it!" Chat Noir replied, dealing with his own projectiles as he jumped back from one, and batted away from another, "You think if we make a wish, it'll come true?" he asked loudly with a grin.

"Focus!" she yelled, her eyes locking onto Meteroa who was laughing at them, and latched her yo-yo to a nearby building, trying to get closer.

But the akuma was already making her move.

The ground shook again and this time, Chat Noir jumped onto one of the rising 'meteorites', jumping from one another to try get closer to the akuma from her blind spot.

Noticing her partner sneaking up behind the akuma, Ladybug focused on keeping her attention on her before she could wreak havoc on the streets below.

Landing on a building that was higher than where Meteroa was hovering, Ladybug lassoed the akuma's wrist together, preventing her from bringing the 'meteorites' crashing to the ground while Chat Noir was getting close.

Just when she thought that that this will be it, Meteora cursed at her and began flying wildly, making her struggle with her hold. Ladybug thought that maybe it was about time to summon her 'Lucky Charm' as she carefully tried to adjust her footing when suddenly, she heard a sound.

It was the sound whenever Chat Noir messages her, but he was using his staff.

However, that small distraction caused her to stumble off the building she was on when Meteora yanked her down and freed herself again.

"Shoot." Ladybug cursed and quickly righted herself as she threw her yo-yo towards a streetlamp.

"M'Lady, watch out!" Chat Noir cried out, giving away his spot.

Meteora whipped around, glaring at him when she realised how close he was, "Mangy cat." She muttered under her breath and flicked her wand at him, sending the 'meteorite' he was on far away before turning towards Ladybug. She began controlling her other 'meteorites' into one big clump and flicked her wand again, hurling it towards the bug who was swinging in mid-air, trying to get away.

Seeing the large projectile coming at her like an incoming train, Ladybug widened her eyes and clenched her teeth, trying to change her course in direction, but she wasn't fast enough as the attack made harsh contact to her side, sending her hurtling towards the ground.

"Ladybug!" Chat Noir cried from somewhere afar as he watched her skid harshly against the hard-concrete road before rolling to a stop. He maneuvered himself away from the flying 'meteroite' he was on and jumped, pulling out his staff to get to her side, but was blocked by Meteroa.

"Don't think you can look away!" she yelled out, sending him a shower of rocks, keeping him away from his partner.

While her partner was occupied, Ladybug shakily picked herself up with a pained groan, grabbing at her head to try stop the spinning as she shakily grabbed for her yo-yo.

"Ladybug!" she heard the panicked cry of her partner again before she realised the ground was shaking and suddenly her shadow was being swallowed up into a bigger one.

Whipping her head up, Ladybug's eyes widened as Meteroa had a wicked grin on her as she had her wand raised and large rocks layered the sky above her.

Seeing that she was in danger, Ladybug quickly tried to stand up, but only to fall back down in pain when her foot gave out.

No!

Her partner was already heading towards her, but he was too far and wouldn't make it in time.

And as Meteroa brought her wand down towards her, Ladybug hurriedly tried to escape, only to panic when she realised her yo-yo wasn't in her hand. Her breathing quickened as she turned to find her yo-yo a few feet away from her.

Staring at incoming rocks above her, Ladybug could only protect her head to lessen the damage and prepared herself for the worse.

Her heart was beating fast as the 'meteorite' came closer, but she felt her heart stop when another cry sounded out.

And it wasn't her partner.

"Shell-ter!"

The 'meteorite' brutally made contact with a green barrier that suddenly appeared, making them perish into dust from the harsh force.

"Seems to me that you're experiencing a rocky storm here, Ladybug." A feminine voice sounded.

Ladybug slowly looked over her shoulder to see a girl in a green armour-like suit standing behind her, holding an opened green parasol stretched above her.

Meteroa screeched and in a fit of anger flicked her wand up, causing the ground to shake again and shower them with more rocks but with no such luck.

But as she continued to do so, the amount of rocks lessened as she was quickly using them up from her surrounding areas and she realised she would have to leave soon to find more.

Inside the force field, Ladybug stared incredulously as her… saviour walked towards her, twirling her parasol over her shoulder and grabbing her yo-yo from the ground. Her mind was slow to take this in.

The power was that of the Turtle Miraculous, but…

Ladybug felt her mouth dry, her heart clenching at the sight of this new superhero.

She should be relieved that she was saved, but her mind was only focusing on one thing.

This isn't Carapace… Who…?

"That's not the one from before." Hawk Moth heavily frowned when his akuma complained about a sudden new hero showing up with the same power as Carapace.

If both Ladybug and Chat Noir were present when the new hero showed up, then the Guardian of the Miraculous must be taking action.

The grip on his cane tighten at his growing anger.

He was convinced that Ladybug was going to the Guardian whenever she went to get the others, but hearing that a new hero showed up without Ladybug leaving made him rethink his theory.

And if Ladybug is no longer the one retrieving the others anymore, then he had to rethink some of his plans.

"Damn you, Ladybug." He cursed under his breath. Damning the bug who kept foiling his plans.

But at least there was something he could look forward to.

He still has hope for Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

The new superhero stopped in front of her and held her yo-yo out to her, a smile on her face, "Pleasure to meet you, Ladybug. My name is Chelona. I've been sent to help you and Chat Noir out." The new superheroine now known as Chelona introduced.

Ladybug inwardly flinched.

Right… This... This is the new solution...

But then a horrifying realisation came to her mind,

I'm too late

When Ladybug didn't take her yo-yo, Chelona felt awkward, but then remembered something that she had to do first, "Oh! I was told to say… 'The wise old master sends his regards to the Lady.'" She repeated with a bemused expression. She had been instructed to say these exact words without changing any of it.

Remembering that her yo-yo had rang out with a notification during the fight, her finger twitched as she numbly took it and opened its compartment, checking the message sent by Master Fu to see the exact same phrase that was said to her, "… Welcome to the… team." She stiffly said with a strained smile, growing numb, "I would had been crushed if it weren't for you, thanks." she stared into the masked eyes that wasn't amber but turquoise.

Chelona chuckled, twirling her parasol, "I'm just glad I made it in time." She said before noticing Meteroa had stopped raining rocks at them and was flying away, most likely in search for more untouched areas.

"Ladybug!" Chat Noir called out, running towards them as Chelona took down her shield, "I'm so glad you're alright." He sighed in relief as he gently lifted her off the ground, "Maybe I should carry you after all." He jokingly offered, trying to mask his concern for his Lady.

Ladybug waved off his offer, "I'm fine, Chat Noir, but I like you to meet Chelona…" she turned to said person, "our new teammate…" she introduced.

Chat Noir turn and stare at Chelona, feeling a bit sad at a new face. He knew that this was coming but he was going to miss Carapace and the others once the new superheroes come along. Inwardly shaking the sad thoughts away, he gave her a welcoming grin, "Welcome to our team! If you need any cool superhero tips, you know where to come!" he took her hand and chivalrously placed a kiss on it.

Chelona smiled a professional smile at him, "My, what a gentleman." She giggled, taking her hand back and pushing one of her blonde pigtails behind her shoulder, "I'll be sure to ask if I need any help." She said with a wink.

"Well, now that we're acquainted, we have an akuma to catch." Ladybug spun her yo-yo, readying to attach it to a building to swing off, "Come on, let's go." She started ahead as the others followed, her mind somewhere else.

Throughout the rest of the fight, Ladybug felt herself going through the motions, working on autopilot as she, Chat Noir and Chelona fought with Meteroa.

She felt herself becoming more numb to the surroundings around her whenever she glanced back, expecting to see Carapace, only to see Chelona working by her side.

And she felt…

She was lucky that she somehow managed to defeat and purified the akuma with her state of mind.

It felt like there was a film of static noise in her head, but she still had the mind to offer a fist bump to the… team out of reflex once the fight was over and the damages were fixed.

Although, she didn't notice Chelona bidding them goodbye once the fight was over, pleasantly hoping that she could be of use to them before she left, mumbling something about returning the Turtle.

Chat Noir was waving her off as he went to check on the victim, making sure that she was alright before sauntering up to his Lady, "Looks like Master Fu has already started looking, huh." He said, sounding a bit sad. There wasn't a response from his Lady, and he straightened up to see his Bugaboo looking somewhat… off?

"My Lady?" he called out to her.

Ladybug flinched and looked at him with wide eyes, "Yeah, Chelona… She's… nice." She fumbled, not having heard what he said, "I, uh, I have to go now." She threw her yo-yo and swung off, desperately needing to check something.

Chat Noir stared weirdly at her. He didn't mention Chelona. Trying to figure out what was going on with his Lady's sudden mood. He had a sudden thought.

Was she…? Some hopeful part of him hoped that he had sparked some jealousy in her when he gave another girl his attention, but he inwardly shook his head in disappointment.

He extended his staff and went back to the school.

Hundreds of thoughts were crashing through Marinette's head as she ran the rest of her way to her destination after her transformation dropped.

It can't be true.

Please don't be true.

Tikki almost lost her as Marinette never stopped moving in a desperate run.

"Marinette, what's wrong?!" Tikki cried, managing to phase into her purse, where a macaron waited for her for after akuma fights. After she regained some energy, she peered out from the clasps and couldn't help but shoot her chosen a concern look when she didn't answer.

She only kept running, her eyes wide with panic.

She didn't even slow down when she reached the massage parlour.

It seemed like she didn't even notice herself barging into the room, stopping a moment when there was no one in before searching around, hoping to find the Guardian.

Only to no such luck as she returned to the main space.

Tikki flew out of her purse, zipping up besides Marinette, worriedly. Her chosen was just staring into the empty room with wide eyes, her breathing picking up as she clutched at the strap of her purse.

The only sound was her harsh breathing in the empty room.

"Marinette, what's going on? Are you alright? Please slow down." Tikki grew worried with each passing second that Marinette didn't answer.

It was only a few minutes when the kwami shifted her attention somewhere behind Marinette, "Master Fu!" Tikki cried out which alerted Marinette, not noticing her react to it.

Marinette slowly turned around to see Master Fu's gentle smile, or more specifically, the hand that was touching the Turtle Miraculous on his wrist.

"Ah, Marinette, how was the new hero?" he asked with a smile.

As she stared at the Turtle Miraculous, Marinette's knees buckled, causing the others to cry out her name as she landed on her knees, her lips trembling as she croaked out,

"I'm sorry."

She cupped her mouth with her hands when reality finally hit her.

She knew that the other heroes were being replaced. She knew and had even agreed to it.

But when she saw the new hero in front of her, it finally clicked in her head the situation she was in.

This was her fault.

She caused this- Because of her, she was risking Master Fu, and the Miraculous lives every time they were left unguarded.

She also didn't tell Nino and Alya in time.

How must they feel seeing new heroes without warning?

This was all her fault.

She shouldn't have said anything, she should have fixed it-should have fixed her problems before things got this far. She's Ladybug and things like this should have been fixed before they turned into a problem. A lot of people were counting on her, but she was such a mess.

"I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." Marinette croaked out, voice trembling. Her body hunched forward, eyes wide with unshed tears, her breathing laboured.

By now, Master Fu and their kwami was kneeling besides her, trying to calm her down.

"Marinette, what are you talking about?" the gentle guardian's soothing voice cut through her alarmed breathing and entered her panicked stricken mind, rubbing her back to get her to calm down.

She furiously shook her head, not lifting herself up.

Master Fu looked alarmed, exchanging worried looks with the kwamis who was worried and unaware that the girl was having an attack, "I need you to breathe with me, can you do that?"

"Why?" The thought entered her already frantic mind. Why did she need to breathe with him? But when she took a second to think why, she shut her eyes tightly, curling into herself more as she choked back a breath.

Of course, I have to calm down. I have to calm down or else Hawk Moth will send one of his butterfly to me, which would reveal Master Fu and the kwami, putting them in danger.

I have to think positive.

Her head pounded.

I have to calm down.

She was beginning to gasp the more she tried to breathe.

I have to think of my friends.

She squeezed her eyes tighter, unwanted tears coming out.

I have to calm down.

She felt like a lump was stuck in her throat and it hurts.

I can't think about what has been going on.

Every surviving breath ended up in a choked gasp.

I HAVE TO CALM DOWN!

It didn't work as Marinette broke out into a cold sweat while she clutched at her heart, feeling like it was constricting while memories of her friends, her responsibility to the city, and the problems she was dealing with pounded in her head.

Black spots danced in her vision.

It was too much.

It felt like she was stuck.

And she was tired-

"Marinette?"

Her breath hitched, eyes snapping open as a familiar gentle voice called out to her.

"… Luka…?" she choked out, looking confused. Sweat dripped from her forehead as she slowly rose her head to see if she was imagining things.

It was just her, Master Fu and the kwamis in the room.

"Yeah, it's me." His voice confirmed, "Is everything okay? Are you alright?" he sounded worried.

Her eyes darted around the place until they landed to the ground next to her lap where her phone laid out in the open and a very concerned-looking Tikki, who was on the verge of tears, next to it, her little flippers pushing the device towards her.

The little god must have taken her phone out and pressed Luka's number, thinking it might snap her out of her spiral.

A sob escaped from Marinette's lips and she tried to muffle them by covering her mouth.

It was quiet for a moment before Luka spoke again.

"Hang on for a moment." He requested.

The occupants in the room could hear some rustling from the other side before a string of soft notes sounded from the device.

As Luka played her a song, Marinette unknowingly had calmed down the more she listened to the soothing soft melody, her breathing back to normal if slow, blinking with unshed tears latching onto her lashes.

Master Fu and the others noticed this and inwardly sighed in relief.

Once the playing stop, Luka repeated his question, "Do you feel okay now?"

Marinette nodded, only to realize that Tikki didn't go for the video-call option. She tried to clear her throat but only managed a quiet and broken, "Yeah…"

"… Do you want to meet up somewhere?" he gently asked.

Marinette didn't know what to do. Wasn't sure what she should do right now. Everything felt like it was going too fast. She looked to the Guardian for guidance who only nodded with an encouraging smile, indirectly telling her that they would talk later.

She swallowed and closed her eyes, "Can we meet up at…" she trailed off. She didn't know where to go. She didn't want to go home looking like this and she didn't want others seeing her like this.

As if sensing her worries, Luka gave her an option, "We could meet up at my place?" he offered, "Mom is out, practice is cancelled, and Juleka is hanging out with Rose today and won't be back for dinner." He explained.

She trembly rubbed her eyes, getting rid of any stray tears, "Sure, I'll… I'll be there in a few." She choked out.

"See you soon."

"This was my fault. I should have made sure Marinette had fully accepted the new changes." Regret clouded Master Fu's eyes. From this mistake, he had unintentionally added more stress to the young girl and could've lost his Ladybug. The Guardian closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

He couldn't afford another big mistake.

"You were only trying to help, Master." Wayzz tried to comfort his old friend, "Marinette's heart may not have accepted the new change. It was unfortunate that it didn't turn out as you would have hoped."

"Yes." Master Fu nodded regretfully, staring out the window as Ladybug swung off into the distance, "We were lucky that Tikki knew what to do and called someone who could help her." His aged hand came up and stroke his beard as he remembered what happened.

He was going to have a talk with Marinette about the hero situation properly so something like this won't happen again.

"Luka, huh." He thought out loud.

He should keep an eye out for him.

Reaching the Seine faster with the encouragement of Tikki, Ladybug quickly de-transformed in a nearby alleyway when she saw The Liberty anchored within her sights, and ran the rest of the way there, unsure what the expression on her face was.

She hoped that it looked calm enough, yet her mind was the complete opposite of it.

As she reached closer to the houseboat, she could see Luka sitting near the gangplank on a milk crate, his guitar in hand, absently strumming a low fast tune that lack the usual sweetness but sounded nervous. When his eyes locked onto hers, his strumming abruptly ended as he shot up, quickly crossing the gangplank to meet her with his guitar in his hand.

"Are you okay, Marinette?" He asked with a worried frown, noticing the distraught look in her eyes even though she was trying hard to hide it. He could see her trying to smile although it was forced, her shoulders tense, and her heart was screaming. He's been worried ever since he received a call from her.

Even before this.

Marinette tried to force out a smile for him, though it was small. She didn't want to cause anymore unnecessary worry, didn't want to cause any more problems, "Yeah, I'm fine." She lied, her voice cracking in the middle. She must've worried Luka over the phone with how she sounded. She needed to assure him that she was fine, that she was just stressing over nothing, that-

I can't do this

Not anymore

She hated this. She hated the new changes in her life.

But most of all, she hated what she has become.

I don't want to keep lying to myself any longer

The front that she was trying to put on fell and something inside of her just snapped, "Actually no" she choked out, covering her face in shame, "I'm not fine at all!" she finally confessed out loud as tears formed in her eyes once more.

Luka quickly moved closer to her. As if sensing his presence, she leaned against him as he wrapped his arm around her in comfort, patting her shoulder while he stayed silent, listening to Marinette spill out everything that she had been bottling up.

"I'm so tired, Luka. Of all these responsibilities, of having to put up a front all the time!" she tried to take a breath but it came out as a sob and she grew frustrated, "Of never being able to be who I truly am." She cried out, tears falling through the gaps between her fingers.

She was tired of it all.

Smiling when she wanted to scream,

When she wanted to shout,

When she wanted to cry.

Brushing her feelings aside in order for the other person to be happy.

Dealing with the responsibilities.

Forcing down her anger and hurt in order not to be akumatise.

But the more she tried to force down her feelings and lie to herself that she was fine, the more she found herself listening to her heart instead of her head, putting everyone at risk by becoming Hawk Moth's target.

She not only failed her friends as Marinette, but she failed as Ladybug to the point that she risked Master Fu and the other kwami's safety with her hesitation.

Everything felt like it was falling apart ever since Lila came back to school, forcing her to see the truth.

She realised that her classmates were so easy to doubt her.

That no one truly believed in her.

But they love Ladybug – counted on her without a shred of doubt or immediately jumping in to defend her, while Marinette had to earn their trust.

It felt suffocating.

Luka stared at Marinette, feeling helpless. His heart breaking as the girl was finally breaking from the weight of the world on her shoulders, "It's alright Marinette. You can tell me everything, or…" he desperately wanted to know what was going on so he could help, but he didn't want to force her to tell him if she didn't want to. It was Marinette's choice to say what she wanted, and not be forced to say anything when she wasn't ready, "nothing if you prefer. You can be yourself with me you know," he mustered up a comforting smile as Marinette straightened up and looked at him, tears flowing freely down her cheeks, "just yourself." He said softly, staring into her exhausted eyes.

Marinette stared at Luka for a moment before resting her head back on his chest, unintentionally soaking his shirt with her tears. She tried to stop, her shoulders quivering as she did, but it was no use. Once she started, it felt like she couldn't stop. She heard the sound of a guitar being dropped before she felt Luka wrap his other arm around her, stroking her back in comfort.

Marinette felt ashamed that she couldn't stop. She hated what she had become. Felt weak that she couldn't pull herself together. She needed to stop. She needed to pull herself together before an akuma came for her. She needed to put on a smile and not worry others-

"You can tell me everything, or… nothing if you prefer. You can be yourself with me you know, just yourself."

"I don't know what I should do!" she cried out in frustration, clutching at his shirt, remembering the past month, spitting her next words in anger as frustrated tears dripped down her chin, "Whatever I do, it doesn't work! I thought I should try harder, but it didn't work! So then I thought I should just back down a bit, but that did nothing!" her shoulders shook at the advice she tried to follow which she never felt right about, "But then I thought that maybe I should try again – that after I showed them I was someone they could rely on, they wouldn't doubt me when I told them the truth again - that they might believe me this time! But they didn't! And now I'm scared that whatever I do will make things worse!" she choked out, burying her face into his chest as the arms around her grew tighter, like she would disappear at any moment, "Anything I do is pointless, no matter what! The more I try, the more problems I face! I don't know what to do anymore!" she sobbed out, coming down from her anger, only to feel misery settling in as she whimpered out, "And I messed up." An image of Chelona, followed with Nino and Alya's hurt faces flashed through her mind, crushing her with a heavy guilt, "I didn't even tell them and now I'm scared to face them." she hiccupped, her trembling voice becoming small, before finally admitting her truth, "I'm just so sick of everything, Luka."

Feeling overwhelmed, she closed her eyes as she let out small hiccups, her breathing shuddering and her head feeling warm.

At some point, she felt her legs gave out, slumping against him as darkness soon took over.

She was just so tired of everything.

The window of the observatory opened, shining light onto a smirking Hawk Moth who chuckled as untainted butterflies scattered around him.

He didn't think his opportunity will come so soon.

"This time will finally be it. The intense despair from her pure tortured heart will finally fall victim and nothing will get in my way!" he declared. He was finally going to get his ultimate creation and not even Ladybug will be able to stop him.

He had come up with a plan that will finally akumatize Marinette Dupain-Cheng and not even Ladybug could stop it from happening.

Shifting his head over his shoulder, he looked at the woman standing behind him in the dark, "Nathalie, are you ready?" he questioned.

Nathalie stepped into the light with her tablet in her hand, a strained confident smirk on her face, "Yes." She answered, clearing her throat a bit, feeling an itch in her throat and an uncomfortable feeling in her chest.

Hawk Moth nodded in satisfaction, "Good." And turned to the front, reaching for a butterfly. Just as he was about to turn it into an akuma, he heard his assistant stifle a cough before going into a coughing fit. He whipped around just in time to see her crumpled to the ground, "Nathalie!" he cried out in alarm, forgetting his butterfly and rushing to her, crouching down to steady her.

"I'm fine." Nathalie 's eyes were closed, and her face scrunched up in discomfort as her voice croaked out, "Keep going, I just need a minute." She wheezed, breathing heavily.

Hawk Moth shook his head, "Dark wings, fall." He said, de-transforming into Gabriel Agreste.

Nathalie's brow furrowed in confusion as she frowned, "Sir, Marinette Dupain-Cheng's negative emotions are at its peak, akumatizing her now will be-"

"There will be plenty of chances to akumatize her." Gabriel frowned, leaning forward and lifting her up in his arms, "You need to go rest, using the broken Miraculous is making you worse." His frown deepened as he looked down at the Peacock Miraculous she was wearing, "I'll go call a doctor."

Nathalie tried to object but she was racked with another coughing fit. She painfully forced it to stop as she looked at her boss with determined eyes, "I don't care, Gabriel. I want to help you." She proclaimed, but Gabriel refused.

"As long as Lila Rossi is still in Marinette Dupain-Cheng's life, her life will continue to be thrown into chaos." Gabriel confidently stated, walking towards the elevator hidden in the ground, "There's no need to rush." He said as the window closed, enveloping the room into darkness.

Slowly blinking back into consciousness, Marinette tried to focus where she was as a soft melody was playing in the background.

Where…?

She felt exhausted.

Shifting on a bed, the sheets rustling as she curled into herself on her side while the melody in the background trailed off into the air.

She had been with Luka, but then she had let herself…

A horrifying realisation paralysed her to her spot, causing her to tense up and her breath to hitch.

Akuma.

She couldn't hear Hawk Moth's voice, but after her actions, there was bound to be an akuma.

But if she wasn't akumatised then…

Luka!

Where was Luka?!

She had to get up, quick!

What if Luka got akumatise because of her?! This was all her fault! She shouldn't be resting- oh god! What if there was an akuma the whole time she was sleeping! She needed to get up! She needed to quickly-

She didn't know when she had closed her eyes or that her breathing had picked up but Marinette shot her eyes open and took a gasp for air when she felt a large soothing hand stroke the top of her head, trying to calm her down.

"Nothing happened while you were sleeping, Marinette." Luka continued to smooth her hair down, seeing as it seemed to relax her, if slightly, "No akuma came and there's also no akuma alert, you're fine." He reassured her. While Marinette was resting in his bed, he was on his bedroom floor, leaning against his bed with his guitar cradled in his lap. He had stopped playing when he heard rustling behind him and thought that she was waking up, but when he turned, he found a distraught-looking girl instead.

Marinette's wide bewildered gaze moved towards Luka in front of her, watching as he placed his guitar to the side and pushed himself up, taking his hand away for a moment, but returned it back to her hair the next second when he sat down at the edge of his bed, dipping his mattress a bit.

"Are you okay now?" he gently asked, lifting his hand away once Marinette had her breathing under control.

Tensing, Marinette prepared herself to apologise to Luka, "Sorry I- I don't why I did that." she started in a weak voice, averting her eyes away from him, ashamed at herself.

"There's nothing to apologise about. It was fine. You look exhausted when you came over." Luka reassured, but it seems that was the wrong thing to say as he watched her bury her head into the mattress, her shoulders huddled closer together, "Sorry." He quickly apologised, placing his hand on her shoulder, "More importantly, are you okay?"

Marinette bit her lip, her brows furrowed and her eyes looking distressed. Luka shouldn't be apologising at all. She was the one who came over and was bothering him with her silly mental breakdown. She meekly looked up at him and saw a gentle smile directed at her, making her feel more guilty, "Luka…" he didn't deserve to have to deal with her problems, "I'm sorr-" her eyes widened when he placed two fingers against her lips, silencing her.

"Stop apologising, Marinette." He frowned but then hurriedly pulled back his fingers at the shocked look on her face, realising what he just did "Sorry, I shouldn't…" he placed his hand in front of his frowning mouth, his brows furrowed, "I didn't mean to cut you off like that." He was inwardly berating at the way he spoke and glanced at his guitar.

It would be much easier to say what he means with music, but… gazing back at Marinette, he knew he needed to tell her directly, even if he would mess it up.

Lowering his hand down, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before facing Marinette once more, "I don't want you to keep apologising, especially when there's nothing to apologize." he gently pointed out, moving to brush a stray hair away from her face.

Marinette bit her lip and averted her gaze, "Then what am I supposed to do?" she weakly asked in a whisper. No matter what she did, it ended in failure.

And it seemed like the only thing she can do is apologize these days.

"I don't know." Luka honestly said, surprising her, "But like I said before, you can tell me anything you want or nothing at all." He reminded her softly with a gentle smile, "You can just be yourself with me. I won't judge you for not wanting to do what you think is expected of you."

Marinette stared at him, her lips parting as if she wanted to say something to deny what he said, but… staring at the look on his face, his soft welcoming smile and his patiently gentle eyes, Marinette found herself that she didn't want to lie to herself.

Not anymore.

She was tired and she wanted to share what she felt instead of brushing her feelings aside for the 'greater good'.

And staring at Luka, she found herself calling out his name, "Luka…?"

"Yes, Marinette." He answered, caressing her fringe.

It took a moment for Marinette to continue as she closed her eyes and just focus on his touch, "I'm tired… I think I've been tired for a long time now." She finally admitted, quietly.

Luka frowned empathically, lifting his hand away to place it on her cheek, his thumb gently rubbing over her eyelids and then the shadows under her eyes. He didn't say anything, only continuing his ministration.

It was finally Marinette's turn to speak.

Breathing in deeply, Marinette released it slowly through her mouth. Opening her eyes and staring absentmindedly at the fabric of his pillow, she began slowly, "There's this girl at school. Her name's Lila." She started.

Luka furrowed his brows at the familiar name. He swears he heard that name before.

"She's a liar, taking advantage of everyone's kindness and promising them things that would never come true." She stated with a frown, remembering her classmates catering to her, holding her things, and most likely some other stuff that she was unaware of, "Everyone believes whatever she says and no what matter what I do or try to show them the truth, they don't believe me. No matter what." She griped, her fist tightening, "It's always her words against mine."

Luka lifted his hand away from her hair and placed it on top of her clenched fist, soothing her knuckles with his thumb to relax her grip, "She sounds like a horrible person." He said with a frown. He needed to check if his sister had been taken advantage of. Her as well as the other members of Kitty Section.

Marinette nodded with her eyes closed, inwardly feeling relieved to hear Luka believing in her, "The worst." Much worse than Chloé, "Nobody believes me when Lila is involved, not even when she framed me for taking her pendant and got me expelled." It had hurt when she realised that she had no one on her side. Her principal never gave her a chance, her teacher left her to fend for herself, her friends never truly believed in her and her parents also doesn't truly believe her.

She had never felt so alone before.

Luka stiffened, his eyes wide with shock, "She what?"

Marinette blinked her eyes open, staring at him, "Luka?" she called out quietly, looking worried as he shot up from his bed.

His eyes weren't focused as he was lost in thought, but it soon came back with a look of anger as his eyes narrowed in a glare that was not directed at her.

Marinette felt panic growing in her when he started for the door, "Luka? Luka, wait-! No!" she panicked, shooting up from the bed and stumbling towards him. She grabbed his wrist, tugging him back to her, "Where are you going?" she rushed, her heart thumping hard. Her eyes frantically darting around for any akumas. She didn't want him to be akumatised.

Not again.

Luka looked back to her with a scowl, anger still in his eyes. He didn't have a plan, all he wanted to do was to find this Lila person and make her admit to what she has done. Hearing that it was her who had intentionally caused Marinette to be expelled and was likely the same person who framed her for cheating on the same day, was also probably the problem that Marinette was dealing with. And from the looks of it, she had been dealing with this problem all by herself with no support. Just knowing that she has been hurt made his blood boil.

But when Luka looked into the pleading eyes that was on the verge of tears, he felt like he was suddenly doused in freezing water.

"Forget I said anything." Marinette shakily said, forcing a smile on her face, "It's fine. It's not a big deal anymore so you don't need to do anything." She choked out. She wasn't expecting him to take action or get angry. That wasn't her intention at all!

(A memory of him becoming Silencer flashed through her mind)

She just wanted to talk to someone.

But of course, things never goes well for her.

Luka looked ashamed at himself. He didn't mean to upset her, or cause that kind of forced smile on her face. He stared at the hand on his wrist that was trembling and he gently took it off. Turning his body around to give her his full attention, Luka tenderly took both of her hands in his, "I'm sorry, Marinette. I lost my temper there." He frowned when she shook her head at that, but he gave her a reassuring smile, though his brows were furrowed, "I'm not going anywhere so…" he reached a hand up and wiped away her tears, "please don't cry anymore."

Marinette sniffed, using her free hand to wipe the rest of her tears away. She was such a mess. She couldn't do anything right.

She couldn't show her classmates the truth.

Couldn't be a good superheroine.

Couldn't trust in her teammates.

Couldn't fix her hesitation before Master Fu stepped in.

Couldn't tell Alya and Nino that they were no longer heroes before it was too late.

And now she couldn't even keep her emotions in check.

She was a total mess and a failure.

Luka could feel his heart breaking at the sight of her and gently drew her in his arms, softly stroking the back of her head, "I won't go anywhere." he repeatly softly as he felt her lean into him.

He didn't know how long they stood there, but it was long enough for Marinette's tears to subside. Slowly drawing back and seeing her nose red and eyes puffy from crying, he wiped the remaining tears from under her eyes and then placed his hand on her shoulder, "I'll go get you a glass of water." He gave her a comforting squeeze and quickly added, "I'll be right back." And left, giving her some privacy to collect herself.

Marinette's frown was wobbly as she lifted the other hand that had been holding onto Luka's to rub at her face, letting out a shuddering breath.

"Marinette, are you alright?" Tikki asked, looking very concerned at her Chosen. She had heard everything and at the rate Marinette was breaking down, she feared an akuma would take her away from her.

It was very fortunate that none had showed up so far.

It took a moment for Marinette to answer before she shook her head.

No, she's not fine. She hasn't been for a while now.

Everything was changing and she felt she had no control of her life.

She didn't know what to do without something going wrong.

Tikki didn't know what to say, didn't know how to offer comfort without making it seems like she was reminding her about her duties. She didn't have time to say anything else when she heard footsteps returning and she ducked back in her purse as Luka came back with a glass of water in his hand.

"Here." He handed Marinette the drink.

Marinette slowly lowered her hands and gratefully accepted the drink while Luka went to sit at his bed, patting the spot next to him to offer her a seat.

She sat down and took a much needed drink for her dry throat.

They sat in silence with only Luka's strumming filling the air, filling it with some soothing melodies that helped relaxed Marinette's exhausted heart.

Marinette closed her eyes as she let his music wash over her. Even though nothing seemed to go right in her life, Luka's music always did have a comforting effect on her heart. Whenever she heard him play, it always miraculously soothed her soul.

Just like it was doing right now.

Playing song after song until he was sure that her demons wasn't haunting her heart and mind, Luka gently asked her a question when her breathing turned calm, "Feeling better now?"

Marinette slowly opened her eyes, staring at her glass, and let out another shuddering breath. Truthfully, she felt drained, but at least she didn't feel like passing out or crying, "… A bit…" she muttered, tapping on the glass of water.

Luka nodded before making a contemplative look, "Should we…" he started carefully, glancing at her, "do something about your… problem?"

She stopped tapping and looked from her lap to Luka, seeing the serious look on his face, "I…" she trailed off. She had already caused enough troubles to Luka, she didn't want to become a burden to him. She looked away from him, having an answer prepared, "It's fine. There's too much going on in my life that I should be focusing on them instead of the Lila problem and um, I don't want to cause anymore problems, so you don't need to…"

He stopped playing and stared at her with a frown, "What do you want to do, Marinette?" Luka asked, staring attentively into her eyes, "What does Marinette Dupain-Cheng want?" he questioned softly.

Marinette blinked, her eyes widened at her question as she stared back at him, "I…" Her gaze trailed away from his as she thought about what she wanted. What did she want? She wanted her friends back, but… she wasn't sure about that anymore. She wanted to be a good superhero, but she was tired of the responsibilities that she was expected to live up to, "I…" she looked at Luka who was waiting patiently for her to answer, and squeezed her eyes.

She doesn't know.

"I don't know what I want." She whispered, gripping onto the drink in her hand for comfort.

Luka stared at her with a thoughtful gaze, "Why don't you be 'selfish'?" he gently suggested, "What's something that you want?"

Marinette's eyes shot opened before her expression morphed into a melancholy look.

She wasn't allowed to be selfish.

Something always goes terribly wrong when she was.

"I can't… When… Whenever I act on my desires, everything always goes wrong, or someone gets hurts as a consequence of my actions." She admitted with an indignant look.

Luka strummed out a tune that sounded disappointed, reflecting her feelings, "Then let's try this. Right here. Right now. What do you want?" he tilted his head at her with a smile, "We'll do one 'selfish' thing you want and if it happens to go wrong, I'll be here for you, sharing whatever consequence that comes with it." He reached out and squeezed her hand in comfort, trying to convey that he'll be there for her.

Marinette timidly glanced at him before looking down with closed eyes.

What I want…

She took a deep breath and leaned her head against his shoulder, "Could you…" she swallowed, "hold me?" she meekly requested, squeezing her eyes tighter.

Luka grabbed her drink and placed it on the amp that was acting as his bedside table, then placed his guitar against it before wrapping his arms around her, holding her securely, "Of course." He hummed, stroking the back of her head.

Marinette grabbed the back of his hooded back and relaxed against him. Even though none of her problems were fixed and when she leaves his arms, she'll have to return to the mess of a life she was in, she found it easier to breathe at this moment, the heavy weight on her heart lifting.

Luka didn't say anything as he watched her relax against him. He felt relieved to see her looking better and hoped she'll continue to feel so.

"See?" he gently shook her, "One wish done and nothing went wrong." he gave her a soft smile.

Marinette peered through her lashes at him before pressing herself closer, hugging him tighter as she let out a hum of agreement.

It was nice.

Though after a while, she let out a relaxed sigh, and Marinette found the strength to reluctantly pull back, deciding that it was enough, not wanting Luka to feel uncomfortable.

"Are you okay?" Luka softly asked.

Marinette nodded, "Yes. Thank you, Luka." She smiled a tired but relaxed smile and straightened back. Though as she stared at him, seeing splotches of tears on part of his shirt, Marinette felt embarassed and awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck. She wanted to apologize, but she didn't want to bring attention to that and fidgeted for a topic that could distract them from what had happened, "Oh, by the way did you find that perfect tune you were looking for?" she asked, remembering that he had wanted to perfect the song he played for her.

Luka stared at her, seeing her puffy eyes that had been crying and her frantic tune that was slowly trying to find their way back on rhythm with a sad smile, "I think I did, yeah." He nodded. He found her missing tune, though he wished it didn't happen the way it did, "But are you sure you really want to hear it?"

Marinette thought about it before she slowly shook her head, "No…" she turned to look at the ground, taking a deep breath, "not yet." Not while she was like this she didn't. She hoped she didn't offend him, but her fears were put to rest by his response.

"That's fine as well. When you're ready, all you need to do is asked."

Marinette stared at him for a moment before leaning her head on his shoulder, a small grateful smile on her lips, "Thanks." she whispered.

Since her puffy eyes had swelled down, Marinette thought it was about time she head home since the sun was beginning to set. Luka had offered to walk her home, but she had politely declined which he understood and didn't push any further.

As she was walking across the Canal Saint-Martin, someone called out to her.

"Ah, pretty Marinette. Can I offer you some ice-cream?"

She looked up and saw André waving from his cart with a cheery smile.

She stared at him for a moment. She wasn't in the mood for ice-cream, but she wanted to check something out.

"Sure." She said, walking over to him as he took out his scoop.

He grinned at her but it faded away as he stared at her in surprise before bouncy back to cheery, "The pretty one who's down, I have a flavour that would make you happy!" he sang and began scooping up her ice-cream.

What was presented to her was the same flavours as she got as Ladybug.

Slowly taking the cold treat, Marinette glanced at him, "Hey André, could I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"What… does this mean?" She gestured to the ice-cream, "I'm not sure I understand why it's… different than last time." She said, staring at him for answers.

André placed his hands on his hips as he began explaining proudly, "Well there are many types of love out there. Love for a lover, love for a family member, love for a friend, love for your homeplace and many more wonderful love!" he sang.

Marinette nodded, but still not sure what it meant for her.

He smiled turned into a sympathic smile as he looked at her, "But there's also love for one's self." He stated.

Marinette furrowed her brows. Was her ice-cream telling her that she was… self-centred? She cringed when a certain name popped up in her mind.

André could see the frown on her face and suspected she was misunderstanding something here, "What I see in you is a lack of self-love you have towards yourself, something that we all need." He explained, "Some has too much, some don't have enough but you can't fully find love if you also don't accept yourself." He pointed out with a grin.

Marinette eyes widened.

"So I hope you'll eat this and be happy."

"I… see. Thank you, André." She mustered up a small smile and did a 'cheers' motion with her ice-cream before walking away.

"Do what you want Marinette."

Marinette stared at her ice-cream.

"If something goes wrong, I'll be here for you."

She scooped up a bit of the cotton flavoured ice-cream and stared at it.

"Be a little 'selfish'."

She took a bite and smiled.

It tasted good.

She then blinked when she heard her phone go off from a text and stopped to take her phone out, finding a message from Adrien.

"How was your nap? Are you feeling better now?"

She stared at the message for a bit before texting back and putting her phone away.

"Yeah, much better now."

Notes:

And finally, the first new hero appears.

How was the chapter? Did it flow naturally or was it just one big mess of emotions that didn't connect well? Hope you enjoyed reading it.

Chelona is Greek for Turtle
Chris Daffey is a parody of Chris Haffey American inline skater (rollerblader)

Chapter 15: Moving forward

Notes:

#

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Instead of heading home, Marinette walked to the end of the bridge and sat on the bottom of the stairs.

She scooped up some of the icy sweet treat into her mouth and then offered some to Tikki when she saw her popped her head out from her purse, staring curiously, with a touch of worry in her eyes, at her.

"Tikki?" Marinette whispered out when Tikki didn't make a move to take it.

"How… how are you feeling?" the little kwami hesitantly asked, her tone quiet as she stared intently at Marinette with apprehensive eyes.

Marinette stared at her, her eyes trailing to the little flippers curling onto her purse's clasp in a tight grip. Her shoulder's slumped apologetically as she placed the plastic spoon she was holding, back into her ice-cream before gently scratching the top of Tikki's head to relax her, "I'm feel fine now." She did. Not 100%, but she felt better than all the weeks combined. All the things that she had been bottling up in her heart had been lessened and she had a bit more room to breathe.

Tikki's lips pressed tightly against each other as she stared harder at Marinette, searching for any signs that she wasn't. Marinette had said that many times before in the past and looked what had happened.

She had thought things were fine until Master Fu told her it wasn't.

She had thought that things were getting better when Luka started appearing more into Marinette's life and even more when Aurore came.

But then things started becoming worse and Tikki was trying to make things better.

But it wasn't enough, and she didn't notice Marinette was spiraling further down to the point that she had enough.

Marinette had cried and all Tikki could do was leave it up to Luka to help put her back together.

She felt she had failed Marinette.

"I really feel fine now." Seeing the intensively troubled look on her friend, Marinette placed a finger under her chin and gently lifted her head up to look at her, "Honest this time." She smiled sheepishly though it faded into a small sad smile with a huff. She could tell from Tikki's face that she didn't believe her, and she couldn't blame her for that since all those times she told her that 'she was fine' were all lies. She pulled back and leaned back lightly on the stairs behind her with closed eyes, taking in the sounds around her.

She could hear the occasional 'cooing' from the pigeons as the wind rustled through the leaves in the trees while she took slow calming breaths. Her eyes half-lidded when she opened them with a calm smile, "Talking to Luka… it made me feel relieved." She had been surprised when he got angry on her behalf, but that shouldn't had surprised her, seeing how he had gotten angry when Bob Roth stole their music and threatened her, "I think… I just needed to talk to someone about what I was going through and… just know that someone was by my side." Luka hadn't doubted her like the others, hadn't told her to remain quiet while letting the liar continued with her charade. He had listened to her and was ready to take action for her the moment he knew what was going on.

If she were to try to expose the liar and show the others the truth again, she was sure Luka would help her.

And that was enough for her.

"As long as you and I both know the truth, does it really matter?" Adrien asked.

Maybe.

She didn't know if it was enough, but she hope it did this time.

Because she was tired of fighting.

She then lowered her gaze to Tikki who looked like she wanted to say something, but she beat her to it, "Talking to you and Master Fu about it feels different." She smiled apologetically at her, "You and Master Fu expect so much from me - to do my best, but sometimes that's hard." She leaned onto her knees, placing her cheek on them, "Master Fu entrusted me with you after all and I felt like I disappointed both you and him whenever I couldn't fix a problem I was facing." She admitted, gazing at her kwami.

"That's not true! You could never disappoint us. I'm – We're all very proud of you!" Tikki protested as loud as she was allowed.

Marinette let out a hum and looked towards her ice-cream, "I know." She simply said. She knew they were sincere, but that still didn't change how she felt whenever Tikki tried to get her to see the positive side or be the bigger person, or how Master Fu had to step in and take charge of the hero situation.

She was Ladybug.

She was supposed to fix things and yet she found herself in a mess the more she tried.

Hearing her simple response, Tikki didn't know what to say to that without it becoming like a one-sided argument on her side. She now understood that all her encouragement, all her optimism had unintentionally put pressure on Marinette's shoulders, and every worry Marinette voiced out made Tikki think that she hasn't been a good friend to her for a while.

She had been so blind to Marinette's feelings.

"What are you going to do now?" Tikki quietly asked.

Marinette straightened up and scooped some ice-cream into her mouth.

"What do you want to do, Marinette?" Luka asked, staring attentively into her eyes.

She pulled the plastic spoon out from her mouth and swallowed, "I don't know exactly what I want to do, but…"

She didn't like the way she had become recently.

Nor did she want to continue as she is.

"What does Marinette Dupain-Cheng want?" Luka questioned softly.

Staring at Tikki, she smiled softly, "For now, I think I'll take things slowly and work on myself."

Tikki liked the sound of that, and the smile on her Chosen's face made her feel hopeful that this was the beginning of things finally looking up.

And as Marinette offered her a small scoop of ice-cream, she accepted it this time.

By the time Marinette and Tikki finished her ice-cream, the sun was setting, giving the sky an orange hue over the city.

Marinette stood up in a stretch, stretching out her muscles with a content smile. Once she was done, she walked down the rest of the stairs and began heading towards a particular place.

"Are we going home now?" Tikki asked, her head popped out from her purse.

Marinette shook her head, "We're going back to see Master Fu first."

Tikki looked surprised, blinking at her, "Are you sure?" she didn't think Marinette would go back so soon, "I'm sure Master Fu wouldn't mind you taking some days off before you go see him again." She had thought that after today's event, Marinette would like to go rest.

Marinette nodded, agreeing with that, "This time, I'm ready to accept the new changes and I want to hear what he has to say before I go talk to Alya and Nino." She inwardly cringed at the task but shook it off. Even though she was tired of all these responsibilities, there were still hers to deal with whether she liked it or not.

Tikki paused momentarily at that, "You're… still going to go see them?" sure it was probably best to go tell the two as soon as possible since Chelona had made her appearance, but… she didn't want Marinette to go through this so soon after her heart had just gone through so much turmoil.

Marinette bit her lip as she stopped at a stoplight, "After going home so my parents don't worry." She explained, "but yeah, I'm going to go see them. I have to do this… I should have told them a while ago. And after I tell them, that's that." she nodded and crossed the streets with an unwavering gaze when the lights turn, "I'll start focusing on myself." She inwardly cringed at the way it sounded. It sounded so… self-centered.

But it was about time she fixes herself, no more excuses to deter herself.

Tikki stared at her for a moment, her eyes widen before they soften with a smile, "If that's what you want, I think that's a wonderful idea, Marinette. I'll help you in any way I can."

When Marinette knocked on his door, Master Fu looked surprised to see her back so soon.

He had thought the girl wouldn't be coming back anytime soon, much less today, especially what had happened. But looking at her face, her eyes clear and determined, Master Fu made a fresh pot of tea and offered her a seat with a kind smile.

"Welcome back, Marinette. Though I was not expecting you to be back so soon, I'm glad that you are looking much better." Master Fu smiled sincerely at her as poured her a cup of steaming tea once the kettle was ready.

Marinette accepted with an awkward smile, "Yeah… I hope I'm not bothering you with all these visits."

Master Fu shook his head, "It's not a bother at all." He didn't rush to ask why she was back so soon as he watched patiently.

Marinette closed her eyes, taking deep breaths like she was preparing herself and a few moments later, it seemed like she was ready to ask what she wanted to say, "If…" she furrowed her brows, but pushed forward, "If I wanted to give back the Fox and Turtle Miraculous to Alya and Nino, what would you say?" she questioned, staring straight into his eyes. If she was going to go see them, she needed to make sure that she had all the answers.

Tikki looked up at her owner with a startled look but didn't say anything when she saw the unwavering gaze in Marinette's eyes.

Master Fu stared back at her with considerate eyes before responding, "Before I answer you, could you answer this for me?" he requested, "Do you trust them?" he questioned.

Marinette tensed up and the grip on her tea tightened slightly.

Can I trust them?

She closed her eyes and took deep calming breaths.

She needed to do this.

Even though it hurts, Marinette thought back to everything that had happened the past month and let out a defeated sigh. As she opened her eyes and saw the tired frown reflected in her tea, she could no longer deny what she felt anymore, "I… don't. Not anymore. Maybe one day?" she tried being optimistic but shook her head with a sigh, "But with the way things are… no." And it was a sad truth.

It was hard to trust them when they easily doubted her.

Friends fight. They have disagreements and doubts about one another sometimes. That, she could understand, but ever since Lila came back, it was blatantly obvious that they were easily swayed whenever Lila was involved. And Alya is close with Lila, believed in everything she says.

Will there be a time where one day Alya might not even completely believe in her anymore if she continues to believe in Lila?

Marinette stared absently at her tea, tapping at its side, "If I was able to trust them again… Do you think that they could be heroes again?"

If I trust them again? Does that mean I might have to go through the exact same things as before if I want things to go back to those happy times?

She frowned. She felt exhausted just thinking about the failures that she'll face.

"Marinette." Master Fu said as gently as he could, regaining her attention before she could get any more depressed. He placed his cup down in front of him and she did the same, "The Miraculous is not a reward, but something given to those who are worthy." he gently reminded her.

The Miraculous are not given to those because someone was on their good behaviour.

She nodded, "I know, I just…" she bit her lip, took a breath and let it out as a sigh, "I just need to know if there's a chance for them to come back. I don't want to give them any false hope that they'll be heroes again, especially since I'm not in charge of handing the Miraculous out anymore." She said, her eyes trailing to the ground.

"I see." He leaned forward and grasp her hands, "Maybe one day they might become heroes again." He smiled softly, "Maybe not. But who is to say that they are the only worthy ones? They are plenty of others who are just as worthy as them out there."

"I know." She agreed with a sad frown.

Master Fu stared at her, "Marinette, I want you to know that I trust you."

Marinette unintentionally flinched, "But I messed up." She muttered.

"You may think that, but the fault falls on me." He said, making her look at him with a confused look, "You know I already took an enormous risk by giving out 2 Miraculous, I can't risk anymore opportunities to give to Hawkmoth." he closed his eyes, "But I should have also made a contingency plan when things became more tough on you and Chat Noir; and even another plan when I realised that Hawk Moth had the Peacock on his side." Master Fu frowned regretfully as he opened his eyes, taking his hands back as he straightened up, "I should have been the one to find you new teammates in the first place instead of putting the responsibility onto you." He quickly raised his hand up when Marinette tried to refute that, "And while I trust you in choosing your teammates, you were limited by time and the people around you when you needed the help."

"I…" Marinette didn't know what to say to that as she looked down.

Master Fu gave her a sympathetic smile. The room turned silent and it seemed Marinette had said what she had wanted.

He then carefully thought on how to approach the issue before she had left here, "… Chelona, I believed she called herself… What do you think of her?" he delicately questioned.

Marinette startled before giving him a sheepish smile, "O-Oh, I think she was fine?" she awkwardly chuckled, "I… honestly, I don't know. I wasn't really… paying attention… But! We managed to wrap things up quickly after she showed up, so I think it went well." She hurriedly said, waving her hands. She was a bit embarrassed that she was so out of it during the fight.

"Are you alright with this new arrangement?" he questioned imploringly, "If you're not fine with this, we could think of another way together." He didn't want Marinette to go through what she felt in the afternoon.

It had been heartbreaking to see her like that and it made him feel guilty that he was partly responsible for why things had come to this.

If only he was a better Guardian.

Calming down, Marinette lowered her hands, "No. This… I think this is for the best. Seeing Chelona instead of… Carapace just hit home for me that things were changing, and I just wasn't ready for that yet." She admitted with a sad accepting smile, "But I think this was also a wake-up call that I needed and" she looked up and stared at the Guardian, "I promised I'll be ready when I see Chelona or a different hero fighting by my side next time." She smiled. She felt a bit bad that she didn't welcome the new hero warmly, having been too… preoccupied to do so.

Master Fu stared at her, seemingly looking for something and when he did, he closed his eyes with a content smile, "I would also like to remind you that sometimes I might need to give a Miraculous user a different Miraculous if I cannot find the one I need, so do not be alarmed if Chelona shows up, using a different Miraculous. Same with your other teammates." He warned just in case.

Marinette smiled with a huff, "I understand." She drank her now lukewarm tea, finishing it before standing up, "Well, I have some things I need to do before my day is over." She gave a small bow of her head to him.

"Don't let me keep you waiting." Master Fu smiled at her but it slowly faded as he watched her leave.

Before she could step out the door, Master Fu called out to her, making her looked back at him with blinking eyes.

"Marinette…" he stared straight at her eyes before closing his eyes, his head lowered in deep remorse, "I'm sorry for all this happening." He apologised.

Marinette stared at him with an unreadable expression, her lips parting, yet no words came out. It felt like hours passed between them when she finally found her words, "It's… fine." She smiled sincerely, looking at her purse where Tikki was staring at her, "I wouldn't have met Tikki or gained the confidence I needed from Ladybug if it weren't for you." She gave him a small grateful smile and left him with that, not letting him respond to her response.

Even though there were times that being Ladybug felt like a burden, there were some experiences that she was grateful for.

The one experience that she was most grateful was would have to be when she became Ladybug.

After she had failed the first time, her self-confidence had plummet even further and she really was just 'clumsy Marinette who couldn't stand up for herself'.

But then Alya got hurt.

Alya… She was the reason why she became Ladybug again. She didn't want to continue to stand by and do nothing anymore that she wore the earrings again.

But it was Chat Noir who got her to continue by believing in her.

While she never wanted to be Ladybug in the first place, being Ladybug showed her she could be confident - that she just needed the push to know that she was able to do it.

And she was grateful for that experience.

"Chelona. Just who is she? Friend or Foe?" the title stared back at her as she replayed the video that she had recorded over and over again, analysing every scene, every little detail. From Ladybug's expression, and her movements, to the sudden appearance of the new superheroine appearing out of nowhere.

She should feel ecstatic that there was a lot of views, more than she ever gotten from any of Lila's videos on her blog but she wasn't, her mind occupied as she read some of the comments, trying to figure out what was going on.

Majority of her viewers had said that the new Superheroine was a Friend.

Some had said that maybe this was another Volpina incident.

And some had asked what happened to Carapace.

Normally, Alya would be excited if a new superhero appeared, but she wasn't this time.

At first, she was.

This new superhero had just appeared out of nowhere and she thought that maybe a new hero, (one from the United States, maybe?) had come to help, seeing how Ladybug hadn't disappeared from the fight and arrived with the new superheroine.

But all that excitement came crashing down when the superheroine had raised opened her parasol and shouted out, 'Shel-ter'.

That was the same superpower as Carapace's.

That was the Turtle Miraculous in someone else's hand.

She didn't want to believe Nino had just been replaced and that maybe there was a logically good explanation for this.

Maybe there was another Miraculous with the same power?

But it was too much of a coincidence for the superheroine to have the same power move, and colour pattern as Nino's.

Alya crossed her arms in thought with a frown.

Think. She has to think.

Gathering all her facts that she knew, Ladybug was the one to hand out the Miraculous, and seeing how she didn't leave the fight, then someone else had given away Nino's Miraculous.

Or maybe there was a moment that Ladybug was missing from the fight to retrieve the Miraculous and just couldn't find Nino or her and had to resort to using someone else?

But Ladybug had looked shocked at the new appearance, meaning that she wasn't aware of the sudden new superheroine at play.

She had looked tense every time she glanced at the new superheroine, yet also thrown off throughout the fight, barely speaking to Chelona.

Maybe someone had stolen the Turtle Miraculous without Ladybug's knowledge.

But then why didn't Ladybug leave with the new superheroine or chase after her?

Just what was going on? She needed answers. She needed Ladybug to explain-

"Alya, I'm sure Ladybug was just as surprised as we are. She's probably looking into this to tell us what's going on." Nino's voice snapped her out of her pondering and stopped her from replaying her video one more time, "Ladybug wouldn't just leave us in the dark."

She looked up to see Nino on the edge of her bed, giving her an uneasy smile and she couldn't help but smile fondly at him that he was trying to comfort her even though he was the one feeling the most baffled at the moment.

They had returned to her place in silence after the akuma was purified, each not sure what to feel after seeing the new superheroine take off without Ladybug going in the same direction after her.

Both were preoccupied with their own thoughts, but it seems Nino had reached his own conclusion first.

"I guess you're right, I'm sure Ladybug is looking into this, and before you know it, she'll be swinging by to reassure us that this was just a misunderstanding." She sighed out, leaning back on her chair as she glanced back at her screen and then down at her desk. Her notebook full of Ladybug articles laid opened and a stray Ladybug photo with her face cut out laid on a page was spread on her desk.

She then pushed off from her chair to take a seat next to Nino with a smile, nudging him with her shoulder, "So let's just focus on the good news." She grinned, "Lila said that she already emailed your script to Steven Basielberg, yesterday." Her smile widens just thinking at the kind gesture from their friend, "Just think! Any day now and you'll receive word from him!" she said, trying to get her boyfriend to focus on something nicer.

Nino's uneasy smile turned into a genuine grin at that exciting aspect. Any day now and he'll hear just what one of the greatest Hollywood directors would think about his script. It was very kind of Lila to email his script to Steven Baiselberg.

First, she promised to mention his name to the director and now this.

He couldn't wait to have one of his dreams come true.

A couple of hours past when the two heard a tap on the window and they shot up from the bed to find Ladybug greeting them with a weak smile.

"Ladybug!" the two exclaimed with relief.

See, they didn't need to worry.

Ladybug was probably here to reassure them that today was just a fluke or some other explanation.

Alya walked to her window and slid it opened to welcome the superheroine in.

"I'm glad you're here, Ladybug! I have so many questions about today if you don't mind answering." Alya went to grab her phone from her desk and fiddled with it to record before almost shoving it into Ladybug's face in her quest for answers.

But Ladybug lowered the phone away from her face with a frown, "Actually, I don't think you should be recording this." Looking into Alya's surprised eyes and then to Nino's, she looked at them with a serious expression, "I need to talk to you guys something serious."

Both Alya and Nino looked worried.

Alya lowered her hand and bit her lip, a little inkling confirming that her fear was coming true.

Ladybug closed her eyes and took a deep breath, preparing herself before staring straight at them one by one with unwavering eyes, "Alya Césaire. Nino Lahiffe. You two will no longer be Rena Rouge and Carapace anymore." She stated, feeling her heart twinge at the devastated look on their faces.

"What-?! Why?!" Alya cried out in alarm, taking a step towards her. It felt like a part of her world was falling apart.

"Did we do something wrong?" Nino asked, looking mournful at the upsetting news. He didn't understand why they were no longer heroes.

Ladybug frowned, averting her eyes, "No… you didn't, but…" she knew this wasn't easy. But she needed to tell them. She closed her eyes tight and pushed forward, "I have been observing you two for some time and it has come to the decision that you will no longer be superheroes."

Alya furrowed her brows, trying to make sense of the situation, "Why? What happened? Did we do something wrong? Why can't we be Rena Rouge and Carapace anymore?!" she shot question after question, upset. Her brows furrowed when a thought came to mind, "Is it like Chloé's situation? Does someone know our secret identity?" she guessed, trying to find an answer.

Ladybug bit the inside of her cheek, squeezing her eyes tighter "No, it's not that, I…"

"If they ask why they can no longer help, then tell them, they have a right to know," Luka closed his eyes and took a breath before focusing back on her, staring straight in her wide scared eyes, "but if it's something you can't say, then tell them what you can. You also have the rights to your own secrecy."

Luka's advice echoed in her mind and she took a steady deep breath, trying to calm down her aching heart. When her shoulders were loosened slightly from the tensity she was putting on them, she opened her determined, yet solemn blue eyes at them, "… I have… observed your behaviors for the past month and" she swallowed, hoping that by the end of this, they'll be as fine as things could be, "I find myself having doubts with the two of you…" she averted her eyes to the ground.

"You also have the rights to your own secrecy."

Ladybug looked up, giving them an apologetic look, "That's all I can say, I'm sorry." She apologized sincerely. "I know this must be devastating to you," she stared at Alya and the way she tensed up. She then glanced at Nino to see that he was still stunned into silence, trying to wrap his head around the upsetting news, "and I'm sorry I didn't tell this to you sooner."

"… Did… Did we do something to lose your trust?" Nino asked, slowly looking at her with wide eyes.

Ladybug stared at the two, getting lost in her memories for a moment before once again, averting her gaze from them in a frown.

Alya's eyes widened in shock at her reaction.

They did.

"What was it?" she pleaded, but then decided that if they somehow lost her trust without knowing it, then Ladybug must be someone they knew or – She inwardly shook her head, this wasn't the time for that, "How can we get you to trust us again?" she asked instead, her tone slightly desperate.

Ladybug swallowed the lump in her throat, "It's not in my jurisdiction anymore." She said with a solemn voice that was final, "New heroes will be appearing in the future, but that doesn't mean that you won't be able to do anything." She tried to comfort them, remembering Luka's advice, "You don't have to be a superhero to help, there are other ways-"

"But we can help you so much more as Rena Rouge and Carapace!" Alya tried to get to reconsider, not wanting them to lose their Miraculous.

Ladybug closed her eyes in guilt, "I'm sorry, I know this is a lot to take in, but there's nothing I can do anymore. It's out of my hands now," she reminded, "please understand."

Alya scrunched her brows in pain, "I-" she suddenly felt Nino wound his arm around her in comfort, while his other squeezed her hand.

Whether to comfort him or her, or both.

"I understand, Ladybug." Nino said in sad reluctance.

Ladybug nodded gratefully at his understanding before looking at Alya, "Alya?"

"I…" Alya bit her lip, but lowered her head, "I understand, Ladybug."

Ladybug gave them a pained smile, "Thank you for understanding, I know that this feels so sudden…" she trailed off when her eyes caught sight of Alya's desk and she furrowed her brows.

Turning to see what had suddenly caught Ladybug's attention, Alya's heart skipped a beat. She subconscious moved out of Nino's supportive hold to stand in front of her notebook that was full of research about Ladybug, theories about her, the potential Ladybugs in the past, and her secret identity, suddenly feeling self-conscious and guilty.

Opening her mouth to speak, no words came out from Ladybug's lips, so she tried again, this time being successful, "… I'll be taking my leave now. I just came to tell you what will be happening from now on, so you won't be surprised when a new superhero appears." She said and walked towards the window, one leg on the ledge.

"Wait!" Alya called out, not really sure where to go from here. All she knew was that she didn't want things to end like this, "If… If you ever need help, we'll be here for you, Ladybug! You can count on that."

Ladybug didn't look back but shifted her head up and took a breath, "I know." She quietly said, "And… I'm sorry that things have come to this." She apologized for the final time and left.

It was silent in the room for a moment before someone spoke.

"I don't get it." Alya frowned deeply, "Just what did we do to lose Ladybug's trust?" she questioned, turning around to her boyfriend with a sad look in her eye.

Nino looked down with a sad frown, "I don't know. I can't think of anything that we could have done to cause Ladybug to doubt us." He couldn't think of anything that could warrant Ladybug to distrust them.

They didn't bully, lie or intentionally hurt someone.

They didn't do anything so why?

Alya pressed a hand to her forehead with a deep frown, wanting to fix this, "This isn't fair, just what did we do so wrong to lose her trust and how can we earn it back?" a thought suddenly occurred to her and she looked up with wide eyes, "Lila." She whispered out before she snapped her fingers. She spun around to face Nino, hope in her eyes, "We can talk to Lila!" she exclaimed, bringing her phone, but just as she was about to text her, she paused.

If she remembered right, Lila said she had a charity event going on tonight that had lots of celebrities attending. When she had heard that, she had asked her to take some photos for her, but unfortunately, the event had a no phone policy and would have their phones confiscated at the reception to ensure no one could take photos.

Remembering that, Alya put her phone away. She would have to try tomorrow.

Nino looked confused, not making the connection of what Lila had to do with this.

Seeing the confusion on her boyfriend's face, Alya shook her head with a smile, "Oh, Nino." She chuckled before answering his confused look, "Lila is Ladybug's best friend, maybe she can talk to her for us."

He slowly nodded, "Okay… but how would that…"

She placed her hands on her hips with a glint in her eyes, "Don't you remember what Ladybug said? She said it's not in her jurisdiction anymore, which means a third party is involved." She grinned, "Maybe Lila can help us find out what Rena Rouge and Carapace did for Ladybug to doubt us, then we can find out what we did and fix it."

Nino didn't look fully convinced, "But would that be enough for Ladybug to give us another chance? There's already a new Turtle Miraculous hero and a Fox Miraculous hero could appear soon." He looked saddened now that he knew he was officially replaced.

Alya faltered, "I… I don't know." Her hands dropped from her hips, "But I just don't want to give up like this. Maybe this is like some sort of trial that Ladybug is testing us with, or maybe we really won't be superheroes anymore. But we should at least try." She said with a determined glint.

Nino stared at her girlfriend, and her determine and stubborn nature with a fond smile. Alya was such a go-getter, knowing what she wanted and working hard for it. It was just one of the many things he loved about his awesome girlfriend, "Yeah, you're right." He then grinned cheekily, "We shouldn't give up, that's what heroes do, right?"

Alya grinned at him, "Exactly."

On top of the Césaire apartment, Ladybug stood on the roof, standing guard for any akumas with a melancholy frown.

She had finally told them.

A part of her heart twanged with guilt for doing this to them and causing them to be upset.

But the other guilty part of her heart felt relieved that it was over.

Breathing in deeply, Ladybug stared at the darkening sky.

The talk that she had been dreading to have had gone… relatively well.

She knew out of the two, Alya would have taken the news the hardest and maybe there might be another akuma tonight.

Putting her head in her hands, Ladybug let out a quiet groan. Deep down, she wished it didn't need to come to this.

But there was no going back.

She had talked to Master Fu, checking if they would be able to come back. They might, but they also might not. She couldn't say that to Alya and Nino, giving them hope that on a might chance that they could return. She didn't want them to hold onto that hope.

Besides, Master Fu is right.

A Miraculous is not a reward, but something given to those who are worthy.

She shouldn't give them back the Miraculous just because they earned her trust again. The Miraculous isn't a reward. If they proved themselves worthy without the motivation of a Miraculous, then maybe someday…

Lifting her face away from her hands to reveal a guilty grimace, Ladybug hugged her arms for comfort, trying to lessen the guilt in her heart by trying to give reasons why this course of action was for the best for Paris.

The role of the Ladybug has one of the heavy responsibilities placed on it out of the 5 mains. They needed the Ladybug Miraculous to fix the damages the akuma caused and if she were to hesitate every time she worked with Rena Rouge and Carapace, the whole of Paris would be in danger if she were to make a mistake.

So the best course of action is to… replace them.

Just thinking of the word, 'replace' made Ladybug's stomach churn, but she pushed forward with her thoughts, trying to straighten them out.

Thinking about Alya's and Nino's reaction, the latter had been calm, but maybe it was because he was still in shock. Nonetheless, he was the first to accept the change.

Alya however had looked devasted with the change and tried to make her reconsider.

When she thought deeply about Alya, maybe she had been too hasty when she chose her.

Because Alya's love of superhero and proclamation of knowing everything there was about a superhero, it had seemed obvious to entrust her with a Miraculous, but if she really thought about that, maybe she had been too hasty entrusting her with one.

While she trusted Alya at the time, a part of her had also wanted to show her that being a superhero meant keeping their identity a secret when earlier in that sleepover, she had been trying to uncover Ladybug's identity.

But the first thing Alya wanted to do when she was entrusted with the Fox Miraculous was to call Marinette and tell her about it.

Then, at the end of the fight, when she had promised to return the Miraculous after the fight was over, Alya had been reluctant, almost backing out of their promise. But she hadn't, and that what made her believe that she was the right choice.

Although Marinette had been worried that it had taken her a bit too long for her to return the Miraculous and she wondered if maybe something had happened for her to not break her promise.

But she was probably thinking too much about it

She had thought that with that experience, Alya wouldn't try to uncover anymore secrets, but she was wrong.

Alya's dream was to be a journalism, always out for the scoop.

Which brings her to another problem.

Alya was still looking for clues about her and things related to the Miraculous world.

There were things on the Ladyblog that should have remained a secret but was now accessible to everyone who had internet.

When Marinette realized that Alya had posted something that was related to the kwamis, her doubt about her came back and it was the first time she voiced out that she should have never entrusted her with the Miraculous and apologized to Master Fu about it.

Who knew what she would do for a scoop?

Her mind flashed to Alya's notebook on her desk and her photo with her face cut out, and she drooped in disappointment.

Alya's curiosity was just insatiable.

Breathing in deeply, Ladybug thought that maybe this really was for the best as she looked up at the stars twinkling in the now clear night sky.

She stood on guard for an hour and a few more after she saw Nino leave the apartment to go home.

When she deemed that no akuma would be appearing tonight, she took off.

It was already 3am when Ladybug returned to her room through the skylight, de-transforming with a sigh, feeling mentally exhausted and a bit sluggish as she caught an equally exhausted Tikki in her hands.

"Go get some sleep, Tikki, it's late." Marinette gently placed her next to her pillow.

"Okay." Tikki yawned, curling up, her eyes blinking tiredly. She wanted to ask how Marinette was feeling – if she was alright, but her eyes were already closing, so instead, she mumbled out, "You did good, Marinette."

Marinette smiled a small fond smile at her and rubbed the top of the dozing kwami's spotted head, "Thanks." She whispered and watched the kwami giggled sleepily before it trailed off as sleep took over.

Lifting her hand away, the small smile on Marinette's face faded as she took a breath. Today's events had been a bit too much for her… no, it had been too much, and Marinette still had some remaining feelings from today that she wanted to get out.

Leaning over carefully to grab her diary from her magic box on the shelf behind her pillow, she turned to move towards the stairs at the bottom of her bed, but before she could climb down, her eyes caught onto the empty corkboard hanging on the wall besides her and she paused to stare at it.

It was once filled with photos of her friends and a few posters of Adrien, but now all that was left of it were the pins that were used to hang them up.

A melancholy frown made its way onto Marinette's lips before she knew it, but she shook her head and carefully continued her way off the bed to sit at her desk to write in her diary about everything.

Things were changing in her life.

She was moving on from Adrien which she was fine with.

She felt her friendship with her classmates has shifted for the worst which she wasn't fine with.

She wasn't as confident anymore, and she wasn't fine with that.

She wasn't as honest as she wanted, and she hated that.

A new superhero appeared which her heart hadn't be ready for.

She finally told everything that she was going through and how she felt about it to Luka and she felt ashamed, yet her heart felt lighter and grateful that some weight had been lifted.

Other new superheroes will be appearing soon, and she now felt ready, but guiltily relieved.

Many things were changing, and Marinette thought to herself that maybe she should as well-

No.

She wanted to change – right now, she was just a poor imitation of what she once was.

"What does Marinette Dupain-Cheng want?" Luka questioned softly.

She wanted to go back to when she was proud and confident.

When she was Marinette.

But when her eyes trailed back to her diary, she stared at the part where she wrote about her classmates and inwardly groaned.

She felt conflicted.

While she didn't want her classmates to get hurt by Lila's lies, she also didn't have the strength to go through the same doubt, the glares and disappointment from them.

But if she were to stop and focus on fixing herself, she felt awful for being selfish, like she was giving up on them - abandoning them and that left a bad taste in her mouth.

Placing her head down on top of her dairy, her arm cradling her head, Marinette, this time, let out a quiet groan.

It was like one step forward, two steps back.

She wanted to change- wanted to move on, but it felt like there was still something pulling her back from taking that step forward and Marinette didn't know how to be free from it.

She turned her head to lay on her cheek, "I want to change, but just how should I move forward?" she whispered to herself with a tired frown before seconds later, she let out a yawn.

She didn't want to think about her classmate situation anymore for tonight, she had the weekend to think about it before she faces them on Monday.

Deciding she should go get some sleep, Marinette lifted herself up and went to go change into her pajamas before grabbing her diary. She grabbed onto the railings that led to her loft and just as she was about to walk the steps to her bed, her eye caught onto her sketchpad abandoned next to her sewing machine and she stared at it for a moment with wistfulness in her eyes.

Maybe that would be her first step.

She hasn't designed, sewed, nor has she bought any fashion magazines ever since Gabriel Agreste hired Lila to model his brand.

Apart from those times she attempted to in order not to let Tikki worry or forced out a design for Alix and Kim's banner, Marinette hadn't properly enjoyed designing or designed something for herself.

It might've seem childish at the time to suddenly not like something just because someone else ruined it with their… presence, but Marinette decided that if she wanted to get her life back on track then she needed to rekindle her love for fashion.

That, would be her first step.

She couldn't abandon her love of fashion forever; it was a part of who she is.

Maybe she'll make tomorrow, or in a couple of hours today, a day where it would just be about finding her inspiration to design again.

But as she let out another yawn, Marinette decided she should get some sleep if she wanted to get as much daylight as she could to explore.

When she woke up at 11, Marinette was determined to start her day.

She didn't mind the late start, seeing how she now felt well rested and determined to move on with her life.

Without lingering anymore, Marinette got out of bed and went through her morning routine.

"Good morning, Marinette." Tikki greeted, "What are your plans for today?" she asked, flying after her.

Getting changed after washing her face, Marinette turned to her kwami with a smile and determined eyes, "I'm going out to find some inspiration." She stated before moving towards her desk to pick up her sketchpad, staring at it with mournful eyes, "I haven't had any inspiration or motivation to design so," she turned around with her sketchpad in her hands, "I want to go change that." She said.

Tikki stared at the determined glint in her Chosen's eye whenever there was a new challenge she couldn't wait to conquer, and she couldn't help but smile at the familiar look. It was genuine and reminded her of the Marinette she knew before things took a turn for the worst. Seeing her before her, Tikki couldn't help but feel excited that Marinette was starting to resemble her confident and proud self that she cherished, "I think that's a wonderful idea." She then flew towards the window to point out the clear skies outside, "And the weather is perfect for it!" she grinned.

Marinette smiled at her enthusiasm and grabbed her purse, "Come on, I want to go to as much places as I can." She said, placing her purse over her shoulders as Tikki flew into the opened clasp.

As Marinette walked by the side entrance to the bakery, her mom called out to her from behind the register, assembling a box of sweets for a customer.

"Oh, Sweetie, you're finally up." Her mom greeted her with a smile, though it looked slightly worried. She quickly finished a customer's order before gesturing her over.

Even though it was a Saturday, she usually let her daughter sleep in, but this morning, she had gone up to her room to wake her for breakfast since she had skipped dinner last night. But when Marinette wouldn't wake up no matter how many times she called out to her, Marinette had continued to sleep soundly so she reluctantly let her continue seeing that maybe she had been exhausted, "Where are you going?"

"I thought I go out for some inspiration." Marinette replied, showing her mom the sketchpad in her hand, "… Did you guys need help with the bakery?" she asked, feeling slightly awkward for some reason.

Sabine shook her head, "No, your father and I have got things covered here. Have you eaten yet?" she asked, reaching a pair of tongs and their bakery's paper bag, filling it up with all sorts of sweets and croissants.

Marinette blinked, "I had an apple before I came down." She answered.

Sabine nodded and held out a bag of pastries towards her daughter, "Here, take this with you." She smiled, "You missed dinner and breakfast this morning." She reminded, "If you're going out, then you'll need the energy."

"Thanks, mom." Marinette smiled a small smile as she accepted the bag. Before she turned to leave through the bakery's door, she gave her mom's cheek a peck.

"Was that Marinette just now?" Tom asked as he appeared from the back, holding a tray of freshly made macarons.

His wife nodded, "Yes. She said she'll be going out to find inspiration." She relayed before letting out a sigh, "Have you noticed anything going on with Marinette? Lately it feels…"

"Like we can't figure out that girl." Tom supplied with a sigh. Everything seems the same but at the same time, it feels quiet - some sort of… distance between them and him and his wife just couldn't put their finger on it.

Sabine reluctantly nodded in agreement, "Do you think she's hiding something from us?" she asked. Maybe something was going on with her friends. It has been a while since she last heard her daughter mention them.

Before he could answer, a customer came in, forcing them to get back to work.

Their conversation would have to be put on hold for a while.

Thinking of places to find her inspiration, Marinette thought that a trip to her secret garden of inspiration, the Trocadéro, was just the place she needed to get things rolling.

With a destination in mind, she started heading towards the place with a positive stride and a resolute look in her eyes.

This was the first step to getting a part of who she was.

Once she arrives, she'll sit on the steps, having a full view of the Eiffel Tower and hopefully she'll find some inspiration to start her off.

But the plan was put to a halt before she could even cross the street from her home when she almost bumped into someone from around the bakery.

Startled, Marinette apologized, but when she saw who she almost bumped into, she tensed up slightly and her heart started beating nervously.

"Hey, Marinette. Can we talk?"

Just when she thought she could take a step forward and move on, she was harshly yanked back.

On a Friday night, Alix sat in front of her computer with her cheek leaning heavily on her palm, an irked frown on her lips. Her eyes narrowed the longer she continued to enter keywords into the search bar with the same result showing up, the more miffed she felt.

"Seriously?" she muttered under her breath.

She had spent a few days hanging out with Lila, paying the girl her attention like everyone else was and…

Searching everything she had said once she got home after each hangout.

At first, she had given Lila the benefit of the doubt, that maybe she had asked those involved not to mention anything about her for privacy sake.

But the more she hung out with Lila, observing her, the more she doubted it with the amount the girl had regaled to everyone about her travels, what she's done and the people she met with.

Not everyone would keep their yaps shut and there were some who would at least want to give the person some acknowledgment by giving some sort of description instead of revealing the name.

Yet, there wasn't a lot of results popping up on the net.

If her search was going to be a short one, then she didn't need to keep hanging out with the girl. The stories were kinda interesting,

Famous Athletes? And you've mastered the tricks they taught you? Awesome! Can you show or teach us? No? Oh, well that's fine. No big, so you don't have to apologize, we get it.

But the fascination didn't last too long after that and she had been kinda bored the more Lila droned on. It wasn't like she wasn't impressed with the girl's life and achievements, but the topics really wasn't up her alley.

Connections with famous journalists, celebrities and directors? Good for Alya and Nino.

Putting in favors with famous models? Juleka should be happy.

Working with Prince Ali and doing charity events? Rose would be ecstatic and Mylène would be awed to hear them.

Introducing famous rock stars? Kitty Section would sure be happy.

Calling the best manga publisher in Japan? Nathaniel would be grateful.

Some game she had a hand in? Cool, Max would want to know which one.

Lila sure liked to subtly brag about herself and the things she had done and who she met, giving her plenty of things to check up on.

But the whole thing was just a waste of time as the same results popped up.

Nothing that Lila said or mentioned could be found.

The only results that did popped up was:

Alya's blog,

That news where TV host, Alec, was introducing Adrien's old man's new muse,

A small mention in a magazine interview with Adrien and,

Some girls with the same name but wasn't the Lila Rossi she knew.

If Chris Daffey talks about her all the time, then there should be some mention of her or at least a description of her.

Prince Ali's whole shtick was about the children, nothing about pollution yet.

Jagged Stone is a pretty famous celebrity. People would go through great lengths to know everything about him. Finding if he ever had a cat would be easy or his allergies would be a snap, but the rock star only ever had his crocodile as his one and only, and that he was allergic to non-organic flour.

And Alix could only come up with one logical explanation on why none of the things Lila said showed up on her search.

Lila was a damn liar.

And everyone has being duped.

Alix didn't know whether to feel angry that they were lied to or annoyed that they were so easily tricked.

But honestly, she wasn't as affected as she thought she would be.

Probably because she never really hung around Lila that much and the times she did interact with the damn liar, there was nothing to be affected from her lies.

Ladybug saved you? Ladybug saves everybody.

Can't show your artworks or tricks? Cool you did that, but pass. (Now she knows why there was nothing to show.)

She wondered if anyone in class knew Lila was lying to them before her mind went to one person.

Marinette

Alix straightened up in her chair as her eyes widened in realization.

She knows.

Or at least she knows something is up.

When Lila had come back and rearranged the whole class because she had gotten tinnitus from rescuing Jagged Stone's cat, Marinette had pointed out the lies.

She then froze when another realization came to mind.

Marinette had been framed for cheating and was expelled.

And Lila probably had something to do with it… no, the girl most definitely had something to do with it.

She scrunched her brows in thought. But then why did Lila bring her back to school? Was it to just make a point?

"That's messed up." She muttered in disgust, reaching for her phone.

The others needed to know that they were all being lied to.

But she paused.

If she sent them a message in the group chat, Lila would see and play the victim. If she sent them all a mass text, some might be doubtful, and it'll be a hassle replying each one. And if she were to create a group text without Lila, someone would probably include or tell her.

It would be much easier telling them in person

Huffing, she scrolled through her phone absentmindedly, her eyes caught Marinette's name and she backtracked.

If Marinette knew or has some idea, then why didn't she say anything?

Why keep it to herself?

But when she thought about it, she hasn't really spent time with her and when she did, it was another one of those girl meeting about Adrien. And now that she really thought about it, Marinette did try to hint that Lila was lying but everyone had been doubtful.

And then she hasn't seen much of Marinette these days.

"Hey. Marinette… what's going on?" she repeated in a quieter voice.

Marinette clutched the macaron box she was holding in her hands, looking conflicted.

"Marinette?" she called out to the girl, watching her flinch.

"Oh-s-sorry." Marinette apologised, "I was just lost in thought." She let out a weak laugh, smiling sheepishly.

She waved off her apology, "It's fine, so?" she pushed, feeling like she was so close to finding out.

Marinette bit her lip, glancing at her and gulped. But just as she opened her mouth, something caught her eyes.

She turned to look at what Marinette was looking at and only saw Juleka and Rose on the upper level, heading towards the art room before Marinette continued.

"Sorry, Alix." Marinette smiled despondently, staring down at the macaron box making her frown in response, "But I don't know what's Lila's deal with me." She said, sounding guarded.

Biting her lip, Alix went to send a text to Marinette, wanting to talk, but before she could hit send, she hesitated.

Would Marinette reply?

If she told her she'd like to see her tomorrow, would she run away?

With how she's been acting these days, it was a possibility, plus, it was late, and she thought that maybe this kind of talk should be left for tomorrow.

And that's what she did.

She was going to pay Marinette a visit, but just as she rounded the bakery towards its entrance, she nearly bumped into the person she needed to talk to.

"Sorry." Marinette apologized and stepped back, but when she looked up, she tensed up, looking nervous.

That probably wasn't a good sign.

"Hey, Marinette. Can we talk?" she asked, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly when she heard a scrunch sound from Marinette gripping her paper bag from her family's bakery.

It took a moment for her to answer but when she did, she swallowed and her eyes darted around, "… Sure…" she replied hesitantly, "Let's talk at the park." She suggested, already moving towards the place.

Alix watched her stiffed back and tensed shoulders with a worried frown, wondering just what the girl was overthinking about.

Sitting at an empty bench under the trees, Marinette clutched her things on her lap with a nervous smile, just wondering why Alix wanted to talk to her.

Did she find out? Or was she here to get her to fix the class's atmosphere?

She was probably tired of the tenseness in the class and wanted the warm and happy classroom it once was.

But she hadn't even come up with a solution to that yet, nor has she thought about it. She was going to focus on herself for the moment- oh god, that sounded selfish of her. Here she was, trying to focus on herself instead of focusing about –

Her eyes caught Tikki peeking up at her from her purse with a worried look and Marinette inwardly shook her thoughts away to give her a reassuring smile.

Calm down. Let's hear what Alix has to say first.

Looking up at Alix with a nervous smile, Marinette steeled her nerves and asked, "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Alix was hunched forward with her arms on her knees, holding her cheeks as she contemplated what to say, trying to figure out how to put this delicately before she straightened up and scrapped the idea, "I found out Lila's a liar." She bluntly said.

…

Marinette stilled, face frozen as she repeated what Alix just said in her head.

Oh

Alix then turned to her, "Did you know?" she questioned. From what she could recalled, she had a nagging suspicion that she already knew with how she's been lately.

Marinette stared at her, her mind trying to process this, "… Yeah."

She raised a brow at the lack of enthusiasm in her response but continued, "How long?"

Marinette blinked and turned her to stare down at her lap, "Since the very beginning." She responded.

She thought she should be much more relieved that another person from class know than this.

Alix blinked before she leaned back on the bench, "So you knew since the beginning huh." She hummed. That was kind of shocking to hear. She wondered why she never told them as soon as she found out. But maybe there wasn't any point at first since Lila never came back after her first day of school. But then the liar came back. Alix turned her head towards Marinette and saw the indifferent look on her face and wondered what was wrong. Although, she was curious about something, "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked in a non-accusing tone.

Marinette snapped her head at her with a hurt look, "I did!" It unintentionally came out bitter and loud, startling Alix and frightening herself. Squeezing her eyes tight at the tone, Marinette forced herself to calm down, "I told Alya and Nino. I then tried to show everyone she was lying at the cafeter…ria…" she blinked opened her eyes when she realized something.

Alix wasn't at the cafeteria when she threw the napkin.

Now that she thought about it, she never checked up on Alix and afterwards, she had backed down from trying to expose the liar, keeping quiet with a few hints as a last attempt.

While Alix and her weren't as… close as her and Alya, they were friends who didn't need to always hang out together. The skater girl would sometimes preferred hanging by herself or with the guys, doing her own things. And because of that, whenever the girls gathered together, they would sometimes need to catch her up with things, so there was a chance that Alix didn't even know what was going on or at least witness enough of Lila to suspect some things.

Which brings her to her next thought.

Would Alix believe her if she had just told her from the very beginning or would she be like-

Alix raised a brow, "What happened at the cafeteria?" she asked curiously.

Startled out of her thoughts, Marinette quickly recap what had happened at the cafeteria, trying to banish her negative thoughts away. No more thinking like that. Please, "When Lila said she sprained her wrist, I threw a napkin at her to prove to Alya and Nino that she was lying. She caught it and when I pointed it out, she turned it against me, saying she was trying to protect Max because it could've gouged his eyes out." It sounded ridiculous the more times she recalled the event.

…

"Pfft" Alix couldn't help it, "Sorry, that- sorry." She tried to hold back her laugh, but it was just too dumb, "A napkin? Seriously?!" Marinette was staring at her with wide eyes, and she tried to calm down but just remembering how everyone fell for such a dumb lie was just hilarious, "Man, how dumb is that? And everyone believed that? Even Max, our glasses wearing nerd?" she guffawed. Kim might fall for that with his meatheadness, but Max? Their boy genius? The one who made Markov? That was hilarious.

After a minute or so, her laughter trailed off into a chuckle before fully coming to a stop when she was able to calm herself down enough to think properly about what Marinette had said, "… Wait..." she furrowed her brow in thought at something she had said, "You said that you told them. Does that mean they didn't believe you?" she frowned.

Marinette nodded.

Slapping her hands on her knees, Alix stood up and faced her with her hands on her hips, "Well they will soon." she huffed, surprising her, "Let's go tell them that Lila's a liar." The sooner the better, "We'll split the calls, tell everyone to come here and set them straight."

Marinette inwardly twitched.

She should be happy about this. With another person telling her classmates, the others will finally see the truth.

With someone not her-not Marinette telling them.

She shook her head and stood up with her things clutched to her chest, drawing herself in.

"Marinette?"

"I think it would be better if I wasn't there with you to tell them." She chuckled dryly, straining to keep her smile on, "They might just think that I brainwashed you or something." She shrugged trying to look casual.

Alix dropped her arms to her side and grew worried, "They won't." they were their friends even if they were easily pressured with whatever garbage Lila spouted at them, "We'll tell them together and if they don't believe us, I can-"

"Hey. Am I interrupting something here?"

The sudden voice startled them as they whipped their heads towards the voice.

"Luka?" Marinette said under her breath as she watched him walk closer with them with his bike, and helmet on his head.

He stopped next to her with a kind smile on his face, "Hey, Marinette." He greeted softly and then looked to Alix, watching her carefully, "Hey Alix." He smiled politely.

"Hey." She greeted back with a slight nod.

"I was wondering if you were free this afternoon," he addressed Marinette who was looking a bit tensed from the situation, "but if you're busy…"

Alix was about to say that they were, but one look at a tense-looking Marinette and how she had subconsciously inched closer to Luka, she had to reconsider, "It's fine. We were just done talking." She sighed out, looking away with a hand ruffling the back of her head.

Luka nodded, "Guess we'll see you around." He smiled and put an arm around Marinette to guide her away, but just as they made it to the exit, Alix had another thing to say.

"Don't worry, Marinette!" she called out to her with her hands cupped around her mouth to project her voice, making them turn their heads towards her, "Leave it to me! I'll tell them, and everything will be fine again!" She promised, trying to reassure her that things will be back to normal - that she'll be the one to fix it, but Marinette didn't look hopeful, instead, all she did was give her a weak smile before making for the exit with Luka.

At the exit of the park, Luka pulled them to the side, kicking the bike's kickstand to let it rest before turning to a quiet Marinette.

"Are you okay?" he asked, startling her out of her reverie.

"Huh-? Yeah! Y-eah, just a bit… shocked…" Marinette trailed off, her eyes gazing at the ground as her smile slowly simmered down to a small one, trying to maintain it, "You said you wanted to hang out?" she reminded, looking distracted, not seeing the thoughtful look on his face.

Just what am I doing?

Seeing the slightly lost look in her eyes, Luka reached for his spare helmet and offered it to her, "Why don't we take a ride first? The breeze feels pretty great." He softly smiled encouragingly at her.

Taking in the yellow helmet held under her eyes, Marinette slowly reached out to it, "… Okay."

Exchanging the helmet for her things, he gently placed them in his basket with his guitar, making sure nothing was squished too badly before glancing at Marinette securing her helmet on while staring at his bike.

"Do you have work?" she asked. It had just occurred to her that Luka had his bike with him, but there was no courier box tied to the back, freeing up an extra seat.

Luka turned to her and he could just hear the slow sombre song she was just giving off, "My shift just ended, and I was thinking of visiting you." He honestly said, "I was going to invite you out, but I saw you and Alix talking." When he was riding towards the bakery, he had saw them at the park and thought that he should probably call her tonight instead, but one look at Marinette and how she had tensed up defensively, he had remembered what she had said yesterday and immediately changed his mind, "Did I do something unnecessary?" he asked, beginning to feel worried that maybe he was overstepping his boundaries.

Marinette slowly shook her head, "No… No, it was fine. I didn't have anything else to say to her." But she should have. She needed to say something, but she didn't know what exactly.

It was good news that Alix knows, but why wasn't she relieved?

When she looked up, her eyes found his and the sincere accepting smile on his face, patiently waiting for her.

"If you want to talk, I'm here, but if you don't want to, that's fine as well. You do what you want."

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she climbed on his bike after him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Luka was right.

The breeze felt pretty great.

And not only that, at some point, Luka had started humming a tune that sounded simply lovely to her ears and did wonders for her heart.

His voice is pretty. She couldn't help but think as she rested her cheek against his shoulder, feeling herself relax.

She stared down at the passing concrete road below them with half-lidded eyes and a small frown. With her mind becoming clear of crowded thoughts, her mind wandered back to her conversation with Alix to sort it out.

Alix now knew, so she won't fall for any of Lila's empty promises and get hurt unlike the others if they continued to remain in the dark.

But with Alix having figured it out and going to tell the others soon, the chances of the others knowing the truth would be high.

So why didn't she agree to go with Alix and tell them?

This is what she had wanted. For the others to see the truth so they won't get hurt.

She had tried for weeks and had gotten nowhere near successful, so with Alix's help, chances of success would be higher than what she had failed to do.

So what was wrong with her?

Why wasn't she ecstatic that Alix knew?

Why didn't she agree to tell the others with her?

She didn't realized Luka had stopped humming when she pressed her head against him and slightly tighten her hold on his waist until he quietly called out to her.

"Marinette?"

"If you want to talk, I'm here, but if you don't want to, that's fine as well. You do what you want." Luka smiled softly at her.

Marinette closed her eyes and slumped against him, "Alix knows."

Luka didn't say anything, just waited for her to continue as he lent Marinette his shoulder to lean on.

Taking a deep breath in, she then slowly released it, "She found out that Lila's a liar and said that we should go tell the others together, but…" Marinette bit her suddenly dry lips, "I said that it would be better if I wasn't there when she tells them." She let out a dry chuckle, "I should feel relieved that Alix knows and even more that she's going to tell them soon, but I'm not." Her eyes watered and her voice shook slightly at how she felt, "I…" She felt like an awful person for not wanting to support Alix in this, for not feeling relieved as she should be.

Alix knows and she should be glad that the others will soon finally know the truth.

But she's not.

Luka slowed to a stop, pedalling towards an empty sidewalk. He swept the bike's kickstand out before carefully turning his head over his shoulder to look at her, "Marinette, what are you scared of?" he gently asked.

Peeking up at him through her lashes with watery eyes, Marinette stared at him for a moment before closing her eyes in resignation, and lowered her head, "That… even though I told them, warned them, gave them hints, they didn't believe me and brushed it off. But if Alix were to tell them and they believed her, then…" her hands gripped the fabric of his jacket, "Then this whole time, I was just wasting my time when there was a simple solution right in front of me." She choked. She wouldn't have needed to go through all this, "I should've just told someone from the sta- no that would be pointless." She laughed dryly. She had told Alya and Nino, but directly telling them did nothing.

Alya had wanted proof so she gave her proof, but it still did nothing. (And if Alya didn't believe her, why would the others?)

What she should have done was…

"I should've asked Adrien to reconsider or just get him to tell Nino since it's more likely that he'd believe him." Adrien's word would hold more meaning. He wasn't the one with a crush that makes him crazy, "And if Nino tells Alya then soon everyone would stop, or at least questions Lila's words to them."

Someone just needed to tell them.

Anybody.

It just can't be Marinette.

And she knew why deep, deep down, why she didn't want to tell the others with Alix.

She just had to admit it.

She let out a shuddering sigh, "I… a part of me… don't want Alix to tell them because then I'll know… I'll know that it's me that they never really trusted – that no matter what I do, nothing would change and… and… just why? Why did it take someone so long to see through her lies?" she complained, her shoulders slumped forward, "I'm just awful, aren't I?" she said in a self-loathing tone, "I should just tell Alix that I'll tell the truth with her to the others. It's the right thing to do."

She had tried her way and that failed.

She had tried Adrien's way and that did nothing.

Now she should try Alix's way.

Third times the charm, right?

Luka stared at her with a mournful frown. He could just hear her song spiralling back towards a chaotic mess, struggling to find a rhythm, "I don't think you're awful." Luka started, twisting his body around to face her, and unfortunately dislodging her from him as she leaned back slightly. He placed his hands on her shoulders, squeezing them to comfort her and gave her a reassuring smile, "Do you want to know what I see?" he offered and continued when she hesitantly looked up at him, "I see a girl who has been hurt one too many times and is tired… very tired." His smile took a more sympathetic look to it as he reached a hand up and gently rubbed her involuntarily closed eye of any escaped tears and did the same to the other, "You're the most extraordinary girl, Marinette. Sincere as a melody - the sincerest I know. You did what you can and unfortunately it didn't work out." He slightly cringed and inwardly winced at his wording but kept going, "If you don't want to go tell the others with Alix then that's fine." She looked like she wanted to protest but no words came out, "You've been hurt before so it's understandable if you don't want to do this anymore, especially with how many times you tried. Maybe it's time to move on. If your heart desires something, go with the flow and listen to the rhythm."

She pulled her lips back in a frown, her brows scrunched tightly but she didn't say anything.

Continuing on, Luka placed his hand on her shoulder, "It's fine to look out for them, but you also need to look out for yourself. It's not selfish to do that, especially you."

"But-"

"You need to… separate yourself from this. No need to force yourself to do this." He gave her shoulder a little massage, trying to get her to relax, "Find the song that makes you happy, not the one you think you need to hear." He stopped and lightly bumped their helmets together, "Okay?" he softly asked.

Marinette lowered her eyes with a soft frown, thinking it over before responding, "Mmh…" he was right. She needed to separate herself from this, it was… fine not to concern herself with them. If she wanted to focus on herself then that's fine as well.

But how? She didn't like the way things are and she felt guilty for wanting to move on while the others were being manipulated.

Luka could just hear what she was thinking and tried to get her to focus on what's important right now, "What is it that you want to do, Marinette?"

She let out a disgruntled whine, scrubbing at her face, "I want to move forward. I really do."

The older boy nodded with a grin, "Then you'll do that."

She lifted her hand away and blinked open her eyes at the upbeat tone of his voice like it was that easy. When she was about to claim that it'll be hopeless with her backtracking back and forth between wanting to move on and wanting to still help the others, he grabbed her hands.

"Moving forward can be hard." He slightly squeezed her hands, "And if you like, I'll help you out. You don't need to do this alone, Marinette."

She stared at him with wavering eyes, "But what if something goes wrong?" something always did.

He wasn't discouraged, "Then we'll fix it as much as possible. Together." He smiled softly at her, "You won't be handling it alone."

Seeing his sincere smile and unwavering ocean eyes, Marinette closed her eyes. It felt like she had lost, but she didn't mind this sort of defeat. "Okay." She sighed out, a small soft smile on her lips, "You win." She wasn't alone like she felt before and she didn't need to do things alone, she has Luka who was willing to help her and if she wanted to move forward, then she needed to accept the new changes in her life with an open mind.

And like Luka said, she needed to 'go with the flow and listen to the rhythm'.

Grinning, Luka nodded his head, satisfied, "Great." He then glanced over his shoulder at his basket before returning his gaze on her, "I see you have your sketchpad and snacks." He smiled at her, "What were your plans today?" he asked with an encouraging smile. His plan had been to invite her out and let her suggest what she had wanted to do, giving her the control, but seeing how she had something planned out, he hoped he wasn't intruding on her plans.

Marinette startled a bit, having momentarily forgotten the reason why she had gone out in the first place, "… I was planning to go to my secret garden to find some inspiration flowing and then go for a stroll…" she looked a bit sheepish at her next confession, "I… haven't designed anything in a while."

Luka nodded with an empathetic smile, "Do you want some company? I can provide some background music for you." He offered with a grin but then blinked, "Oh, but then I'll find out where your secret garden is." He frowned, looking a bit lost in thought.

Marinette stared at his genuinely troubled face when he thought about finding out her secret and she couldn't help but giggle at him, getting his attention back, "If it's you, I guess I can share this secret with you."

He blinked at her before closing his eyes with a smile, a hand on his chest, "It's an honour to receive your trust." He playfully said, gaining a laugh out of her. Turning around with his hands back on the handles, he got ready to take off, "Where to?"

Marinette wrapped her arms around his waist again and pressed her cheek against his shoulder with a smile, "To Trocadéro, please."

Kicking the bike's kickstand back, he began pedalling towards the direction they needed to go, "To Trocadéro it is."

Sitting on the steps of Trocadéro with a view of the Eiffel Tower in front of them, Marinette felt content as she sketched out a design of a dress while listening to Luka strum out a lovely slow tune on his guitar, sometimes mixing it up a bit for a slighter faster and cheerful one.

The inspiration she was hoping for when she came here was slow to come, but she was happy when she was finally able to come up with something.

Leaning back, Marinette stared at her design with a smile.

The dress was a simple design with a spaghetti strap top and a paneled skirt stopping just above the knees.

"That's a pretty dress." Luka commented from her side as he kept strumming.

"It's not done yet, but I think it's a good start." She wasn't going to rush it or force out some sort of idea that she'll most likely be unhappy with. She was simply going to take this slowly and see where it leads.

She closed her sketchpad and grabbed for the bag of snacks her mom had packed for her, fishing out a cookie before offering him the bag, "I think I'm ready to go some place else."

Luka stopped strumming and reached into the bag for a treat, "Do you have a place in mind?" he asked before plopping a macaron in his mouth.

Shaking her head, Marinette finished her cookie before she answered, "Just anywhere." She shrugged, "The plan is to be inspired." She smiled.

Returning the look, Luka stood up and offered her his hand, "That sounds like a good plan." He pulled her up from the ground once she gave him her hand and led them back towards his bike, "Let the inspiration come to you."

Marinette nodded as they switched their things in the basket for their helmets before climbing on the bike.

"Ready?" Luka asked.

Marinette grinned, "Ready."

The rest of the day had been spent going to different places, designing, listening to Luka's playing while finishing off the bag of sweets together.

Each places Luka had taken her to, brought inspiration after inspiration.

From Jardin des Tuileries, she found inspiration from the lush trees and flowers.

At Roue de Paris, a bracelet inspired by the Ferris Wheel and at the Louvre, inspired a Louvre-themed hat.

She was satisfied with what she had designed, even if they weren't completed. That was fine.

And by the time it was getting dark, they reluctantly decided that she should be getting home.

The whole of afternoon had been just perfect apart from one thing.

She felt bad that Luka had pedalled the whole time. She had even offered to swap places so that he could relax, but he had politely declined and told that her 'he didn't mind, and to just relax Marinette' with a grin on his face before they entered into a comfortable silence.

And now standing at the side entrance of the bakery, Marinette took off her helmet and handed it over to Luka who swapped it for her sketchpad, a contemplative frown on his face.

"Marinette…" Luka hesitated, making her tilt her head at him when he was taking a bit too long to continue. The quiet ride back gave him some time to think on how to help Marinette move on, "Should I… Do you want me to talk to Juleka and the others?" Marinette was kind, selflessly kind. If the thing holding her back from moving on are her classmates, maybe he could take care of that for her, at least what he can so she didn't have to worry about it.

She blinked in surprised before lowering her eyes to the side, "I… I don't know." She admitted, lifting a hand to grab at her arm for comfort, but it was intercepted by one of Luka's own as he gently grabbed her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. Marinette stared at their hands for a moment before returning the gesture, "I… don't know, Luka." Her lips pulled back with a frown, "I know that Juleka and the others should know the truth - that they are being manipulated but," she looked up at him with a troubled smile, "But you don't know Lila. You've never met her." and she selfishly wanted to keep it that way, "The others know I'm not too… fond of her and if you were to just tell them that Lila has been lying to them, they might think that you might be just saying that because of me. And what if you guys get into a fight because of this?" she shook her head, nobody likes being told that they were wrong, "I don't want your relationship with them to turn sour."

Luka stared at her with a sad understanding smile, "I get what you're saying." Like she said, he never met the girl – didn't know her. And with how the situation was between her and Marinette, he might make things worse.

Marinette grinned awkwardly with her brows furrowed, "Right?" her brows slowly straightened out as she smiled a tired but considerate smile, "Just, I don't know. Look out for them? Warn them or hint at them? Just… I don't want this to affect your relationships." Her smiled turned sad as memories of them flash through her mind.

"Okay." He relented, "I'll do that." He sighed out. Marinette was too kind.

"And Luka?" she fidgeted.

"Yeah?" he smoothed the back of her hand with the pad of his thumb, calming her down.

"I know I haven't been attending Kitty Section's practice, but is it okay if I… not attend the next one? I'll still design your costumes and covers of course!" she quickly assured him. She was still part of the band until they no longer wanted her, "But I just need a little more time." She timidly smiled.

"It's fine." He smiled, "Take all the time you need."

Smiling gratefully at him, Marinette changed topics, not wanting to dwell on the topic anymore, "Thanks for accompany me, Luka." She smiled at him, "It was fun." perfect company, amazing music, great inspiration, she couldn't have asked for a better afternoon.

Luka smiled fondly at her, "Yeah, me too. We can do this again if you like."

Marinette nodded with a grin, "I'd like that." She stared at him with a fond look. She was glad to have someone like him in her life, someone she could trust and soothe her heart. Luka was just simply… "Thanks, Luka." She said in a fond tone, "For everything." she lifted herself on her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

He blinked in pleasant surprise, but still retained his calm look even though his heart had skipped a beat, "It's fine. I like hanging out with you, Marinette."

Blinking, she smiled with contained joy, happy to hear that. Before she could say anything else, her phone suddenly rang, startling them.

"It's my dad." She said when she took out her phone.

"I guess it's time for me to go." He playfully sighed and mounted on his bike.

Giggling, Marinette bid him farewell, "I'll see you next time."

"Next time." He repeated with a grin before taking off, his eyes lingering on her until he turned around.

Smiling at his back, Marinette looked at her phone and accepted the call, "Hi Dad. I'm just walking through the door." She said, closing the door behind her.

"Oh, perfect timing! Dinner is ready if you're hungry." He said with an upbeat attitude.

Marinette furrowed her brows as she walked up the stairs that led to their home. There was something off about the tone of her dad's voice. Like he was trying a bit too hard? "Sure… be up there in a few more seconds."

"Great! See you, Sweetie!"

As promised, she opened the door just in time to see her dad hang up like she did, but when he saw her, he ran towards her, picking her off the ground in a bear hug.

"Welcome home!"

Marinette squeaked out of surprised.

"Tom, put her down so we can all eat." Sabine amusingly said, staring at them fondly.

He sheepishly chuckled and gently placed his daughter down, "Right." He rubbed the back of his head.

Marinette stared at her dad with a confused look before shaking her head and taking a seat, missing the worried look her parents shot at one another.

Dinner was a quiet affair with Tom and Sabine asking about Marinette's day, trying to make conversation.

"How was your day? Did you find inspiration while you were out today?" Sabine had started off with a cheery smile.

Marinette swallowed her food before answering, "Today was…" her mind flashed to her and Alix talking, causing her to unintentionally trail off.

"Did something happen?" Tom asked, his brows scrunched in worry.

"No, it's nothing." Marinette waved away his worry with a shake of her head, "I had a good time - saw plenty of things that got me inspired." She smiled.

Tom and Sabine glanced at each other with a subtle worried frown, wanting to ask about that slight hesitation, but not wanting to pry too much.

"That's great sweetie." Sabine smiled, "Did anything else interesting happen?"

"Or something you want to talk about?" Tom added with a confronting grin, only to have his wife to signal him that it was too much and to waved him to back down a bit.

Marinette stared at them blinkingly. They were acting a bit… weird, "I… don't think so?" she said slowly, subconsciously being on guard.

Seeing how their daughter had responded, they backed down a bit and moved on.

"Okay." clearing his throat, Tom glanced at his wife to see her subtly nod at their daughter, "Right, um, Sweetie, do you have any plans tomorrow?" he asked with a clumsy smile.

Marinette shook her head, "Do you need help with the bakery?" she asked.

"What bakery? Uh, I mean yes – no." Tom sheepishly laughed, "What I mean is-"

"What your father is trying to say," Sabine helped, "is that he has a new recipe he wants to try and would like you to help taste test it."

"Sure." Marinette said. She had no reason to refuse (unless there was an akuma tomorrow), but she was curious why they were acting strange.

Tom inwardly sighed in relief, thanking his wife's save, "Excellent! When we're done, I'll make more, and you can share them with your friends." He grinned.

Marinette momentarily paused, "Right…" she nodded before resuming her dinner.

Tom and Sabine stared at each other with a worried frown.

There it was again.

After dinner, Marinette retired to her room with a plate of sweets while Tom and Sabine remained at the table with a fresh brewed pot of tea in between them, a worried frown on their faces.

"Do you think Marinette had a fight with her friends?" Tom asked, wringing his hands around for something to do, "She hasn't really mentioned them, and they haven't come over to hang out for a while now." The only one who has been over was Aurore, her new friend that Marinette has been studying with, but to his recollection, the blonde wasn't in his daughter's class. There was also the older boy from the band who visited.

But none from her class.

Sabine pursed her lips, "It seems that way." She slightly tightened her grip on her cup, "Maybe something happened when she went to the movies on Sunday." Marinette had come straight home that time, saying that she didn't feel well, but maybe she was just covering up for what really happened that day.

Tom nodded in agreement. If there was something going on, he'd really hope that their daughter will tell them about it, but, "Have you noticed that she doesn't really tell us what's troubling her?" their daughter was independent. Very independent and it was probably due to having parents who owned a bakery for a living. Finding time to spend time together could sometimes be difficult with them manning the bakery, and Marinette with school, but they did their best to spend time together.

Sabine stared at her reflection in her tea with a sombre gaze, "I have." She has noticed that their daughter doesn't really tell them things, and it feels like lately, she's more closed off. There hasn't been mention of her friends, not even about Adrien. She wanted to know what's going on, but she didn't want to pry in fear that might make Marinette pull away from them even more. So, they were hoping that spending some time together tomorrow might just be the thing they needed. Seeing the pinched brows on her husband's face, she tried to comfort him or at lease put his mind at ease, "But Marinette is growing up. Maybe she's just at that stage where she wants more independency and privacy."

Tom sighed out sadly, "Sometimes, I feel like she's growing up too fast."

Relaxing against her deck chair as she stared at the starry night sky above her, Marinette rested her eyes for a bit, enjoying the slight cool breeze in the Parisian air.

Tikki, who flew over from the plate of sweets on the round wooden table with a cookie between her flippers, came to rest upon her shoulder, peering up at her, "Marinette, what are you thinking about?"

Marinette peered opened her eyes as she answered, "A lot of things." She admitted, "Dad was acting weird, like he was trying to hide something. I think he and mom are up to something." She quietly said. Her eyes glazed over when she remembered her birthday with a melancholy smile. The way her dad was acting was similar to the time when he and mom were trying to hide her birthday cake for her surprised birthday, but there wasn't anything to celebrate.

"Maybe they just want to spend time with you?" Tikki offered, nibbling on her cookie.

"Yeah, probably." She shifted carefully, mindful of Tikki, as she adjusted her position on her deck chair. She stayed quiet for a bit, her mind wondering to her morning, "Hey, Tikki…"

"Yes, Marinette?"

She bit her lip, stalling for a bit before she just took a deep breath and come right out and said it, "Do you think it was wrong of me not to help Alix?" she didn't forget what Luka said to her. It was just hard to put herself first when she knew something was wrong. And not only that, she also wanted to know what her kwami thought. Tikki was the one who was the voice of reason, encouraging one to do their best, to do the right thing, to be the responsible one. So what did she think of the matter?

Tikki lowered her cookie on her lap with a thoughtful frown, "I think it's fine." She said, surprising Marinette, "I have seen how hard you have tried, and you got hurt because of it." She didn't want to see that again. Channelling her inner Plagg, she continues, "I think Luka is right and that you should focus on yourself and what you want to do without worrying about the others." If it were before, she would have encouraged Marinette to help Alix, thinking positive that with another ally by her side, things would be different.

But enough was enough.

Marinette scrunched her brows in confusion, "But what about the others?"

Tikki flew off her shoulder to fly in front of her face, "Marinette, your classmates… they are not your responsibility." she would have encouraged her not to give up on them, but now, because of them and how easily they could hurt her Chosen, pushing her over the limit, Tikki wanted nothing more but for Marinette to let go and be free of them.

"Oh…" Marinette smiled apprehensively. It was strange to hear such advice from her but if even Tikki says it's alright for her to focus on herself without worrying about the others, then she needed to put in more effort in her decisions, "I see." She needed to stop with this back and forth if she were to move on.

Tikki hopped that she helped. She herself needed to change her positive attitude to a more realists one in order to avoid Marinette getting hurt and maybe not focusing about her classmates would help.

Even though they were not bad people, they were half the reason why her Chosen were hurt.

"What do you think?" Tom asked, eagerly waiting for her response as he held a tray of chocolates.

Marinette slowly chewed on a chocolate with strawberry syrup with slightly cringed expression. She slowly swallowed it with a gulp before washing the taste with a glass of water, "The syrup kind of taste like medicine."

Tom nodded, making a mental note to adjust the sweet and sour ratio next time, "Alright, then what about this one?" he pointed to his tray, "It has apple sauce in it." He stated.

Picking it up, she plopped it in her mouth and blinked in delight when she chewed, "It's good." She said, savouring the taste with a smile.

Tom looked elated at her response, "Really? That's good, I'll make some more later." He laughed heartily.

"Everyone having fun?" Sabine popped in with a smile. She was glad to hear laughter come from behind her. The morning had been spent with Marinette helping to make the chocolates while Tom piped in the flavours. It had been quiet on her daughter's part as she followed Tom's instructions and she was worried when all she heard from the back were her husband's forced laughter from a joke he made and polite laughter from her daughter, and wondered if she was having any fun. But hearing a genuine laugh from Tom, she had gone to check in their process to see her daughter smiling.

That was a good start.

"Of course! We're finally doing the best part." Tom puffed his chest out, "The eating." He said like it was a matter of fact.

"Marinette?" Sabine addressed her.

Both her and Tom subtly watching her intently.

"Yeah." Marinette nodded with a small smile, "I'm having fun." While she wasn't verbal during the whole process, she did find the familiar motions to be calming, with the added bonus that no disaster had occurred yet.

Tom grinned widely, "I'll make some more for you to share for your friends tomorrow!" he proclaimed, getting swept up in the moment.

Marinette unintentional winced at that, catching Sabine's attention.

"Is there something wrong, Sweetie?"

"Um…" She hasn't really thought of what to say to them when she faced them tomorrow and it'll be awkward if she just went up to offer them a treat without really resolving the 'problem' at hand… Maybe she can share them with Aurore if she's not busy, and she could call Luka over after school, "No, it's fine, I was just thinking." She waved them off with a smile.

Tom furrowed his brows, placing the tray of chocolates to the side, "Are you sure? If there's something bothering you, you can-"

"Excuse me?" someone called from out front, startling them.

"Aurore?" Marinette blinked.

Aurore smiled, waving at her from the register, "Hi, Marinette."

Sabine quickly returned to the front, "Welcome, Aurore. Are you here to visit Marinette?" she asked as her daughter came up to the register by her side.

Aurore shook her head, "Maybe next time. Right now, I'm just here as a customer to grab a snack for my break." She explained.

"Break? Are you working?" Marinette asked as Tom joined them.

She nodded with a grin, "Yeah, I'm shooting a shampoo commercial by the park." She tilted her head slightly in the direction of the park.

"Wow." Marinette said out of surprised.

"That's amazing, dear." Sabine praised.

Aurore thanked them, "If you're not busy, do you want to come and watch…" she trailed off when she realised Marinette was wearing an apron, "Oh, um. I see that you're busy, haha." She laughed awkwardly, placing a fist to her cheek in her blunder.

"Oh, it's fine." Sabine waved her off before turning to Marinette, "Go ahead."

Marinette raised a brow, "Are you sure?"

Tom nodded, "It's fine, the treats will still be here for you to test." He then quickly gathered some pastries in a box and handed them over while his wife took Marinette's apron off for her, "You girls go have fun." He insisted.

"Oh, let me pay." Aurore went to take her wallet out but was stopped by Sabine.

"Next time." She smiled, "This one is on the house." Besides, the girl wouldn't know what she would be paying for since Tom had quickly placed random pastries in his rush.

Aurore guiltily accepted it, "Okay then, next time." She nodded with a smile, "Thank you." She then turned to Marinette who was looking perplexed. "Shall we go?"

"Oh, ah, sure."

There was a sign that said the park was temporary closed for a couple of hours when she entered with Aurore and the only people who was in the park were the production and camera crew.

Marinette stared at all the equipment that was brought for a commercial, she could see people holding those microphones on a pole, people at the camera instructing the people holding the lights to adjust their setting and there was even a large fan waiting to be used.

"This is amazing." Marinette blinked as she followed Aurore to her seat while avoiding the cables laying on the ground.

"It is, but you get used to it after a while." Aurore chuckled, reaching her seat as one of the staff pulled out another chair for Marinette.

She thanked the staff as she sat down to look around more when she spotted a small catering table, blinking at it.

Seeing where Marinette was looking at, Aurore sheepish chuckled, "To tell you the truth, getting food from the bakery was just an excuse to see you." She admitted, opening her box to pull out a cookie, "Though I wasn't sure if you would be in. Guess I got lucky."

Marinette straightened up, "Oh, did you need some last-minute reviewing?" she guessed.

Aurore shook her head, "No, I got everything covered, thanks to you. Thought we could hang out as friends instead of 'tutor' and 'student'. She then made a face, "Though, I guess this isn't really the best time to hang out." She only had like half an hour for her break before she had to get back to work and then she'll need to meet with her agent afterwards.

"Friends…" Marinette subconsciously repeated staring at her lap, unaware she had spoken out loud.

Hearing Marinette's unsure voice, snapped Aurore into attention, "I mean, if you want to." She quickly fixed, "I see us as friends, but it's fine, I'm just getting ahead of myself-"

"No!" she waved her hands out, but cringed at the volume of her tone, "No, that's not- I mean, yeah. Friends! Well you see – I don't mind, I mean it's great that you see me as a friend – Not that I don't see you as a friend, I just – right now, I'm just-" she let out a groan and covered her face, slumping in her chair, unfortunately, she slumped a bit too hard back, nearly tipping over if it weren't for Aurore pulling her back by the armrest, "Thanks." She smiled awkwardly.

"It's fine. It's fine." Aurore waved her off, "I can see that you have a lot on your plate."

Marinette furrowed her brows, "You do?"

She nodded, "I like to think I'm good at observing, and from the talks we have…" she gazed at the ground, wondering if what she said next might offend her, "you're having trouble with your friends, am I right?" she inquired, turning to her.

"Yeah. Things are a bit… awkward between us." Marinette twiddled her thumbs together. To be honest, she was kind of… hesitant to accept Aurore's friendship because of this. While she was sure she's a wonderful person, who's to say she won't end up like the others once Lila get her hands on her and whisper some lies about her.

Aurore stared at her with a thoughtful look, "Can I ask what happened? You don't have to, but maybe I can offer you some advice?"

Marinette thought about it before taking a deep breath. She needed to do this, "L-" but she froze. Did Aurore know Lila? Was she someone who was charmed by her lies? Would she doubt her? She inwardly shook her head at all these thoughts. Stop… but just in case, "There's this girl who's lying and manipulating everyone and no matter what I do, it doesn't get through." She started, some frustration from her past failures seeping through, "And when we all went to the movies, I was late and then during the movie, I… I had to do something but couldn't say what I did." She drooped at that. It can be frustrating to the other parties if someone were to be late and disappear without a proper answer. She could see why – she quickly shook off the thought and continued, "The liar probably said something to them and focus on that because everyone was suddenly upset that I'm always late and disappearing on them without a proper excuse– saying that I wasn't really a good friend. And then yesterday, Alix found out about the liar and wanted to tell the others, but I… refused." She cringed. With the way she explained it, she probably was proving that they were right about her not being a good friend.

It was silent for a while, with Marinette inwardly cringing at herself and Aurore processing what she heard.

Lowering her cookie back in the box, Aurore turned to face the front, "You not helping Alix…" memories of Marinette insisting that she didn't mind spending her lunch break to help her study; her hesitating or unintentionally making a sad look whenever she mentioned her friends, and her tired face flashed through her mind.

Marinette tensed; her lips pursed in trepidation at what she thought about her.

"It's understandable that you refused." She nodded, agreeing with her decision.

Marinette looked surprised before the look morphed into one of confusion, "But doesn't it seem like that I don't care if they continue to get taken advantage of?" she frowned guiltily.

Aurore stayed quiet for a bit as she glanced around them for any eavesdroppers before she continued, "This may sound harsh, but do you want to hear it?"

Blinking, Marinette straightened up with pursed lips, swallowing as she slowly nodded.

"If they get hurt, they get hurt."

Her eyes widened from shock, "That's…" she felt speechless.

"Of course, by all means, help them, but what's the point of helping someone who won't listen no matter what? You said that you tried countless times to get them to see the truth." She reminded her, watching her reluctantly nod, "If they don't want to listen after you've warn them so many times then you're just wasting your breath on them." She bluntly said, "It's like trying to get a brick wall to talk… actually, that may be possibly with Hawk Moth around…" she mumbled the last bit under her breath when she realised that it could be possible.

Marinette drew herself in, hugging her arms for comfort, "… But they might get hurt hearing the truth after so long."

Aurore nodded, "They might, but you did try, and nobody should hold it against you for not succeeding when they didn't want to listen." When Marinette remained quiet, she gave her a sympathetic smile, "Marinette, one of the things that I know about you is that you're kind – genuinely kind, but you don't need to make everyone happy to the point of becoming a mess of a hurricane. What your friend feel is not your responsibility." She stated.

Marinette couldn't help but weakly chuckle, "This is the 3rd time someone told me about not being responsible for their feelings." She leaned forward and placed her face in her hands, "And you're all right. It's not my responsibility to make sure that they are happy. It's not." She pressed her face closer to her hands, "I'm tired of what's been happening, and I just want to move on and not deal with it anymore, but I don't know how without feeling guilt." She let out a frustrated groan.

"Well…" Aurore picked up her croissant and took a bite out of it, swallowing before answering, "You should make that guilt into something that you can live with."

Peeking up from her hands to look at her, Marinette frowned, confused, "What do you mean?"

"You entered competitions before, right?" she momentarily paused as she remembered something, "The fashion competition judged by Gabriel Agreste. You won and your hat was the only one to have it featured by Adrien wearing it on the runway, correct?"

"… Yeah."

Aurore nodded, "Then if you won, there are also those who lost and didn't get to have their hats recognised." she pointed out, "Do you feel bad that they didn't win?"

Marinette averted her eyes with a frown. Apart from Chloé, she did feel bad that their own creation didn't win. They must've worked hard on them.

She continued, "But you also felt happy when you won, right?" she didn't wait for her to answer, "We all have guilt, some small, some big." Aurore shrugged, she too would sometimes feel guilty when she got to work on a project out of the others who wanted it in the entertainment industry, but… "That's just how it is. People win and they move on. People also lose, but they also move on. And that's what you need to do." She smiled confidently, staring right into wide sky blue eyes.

Marinette looked stunned.

"Learn to live with that guilt. Accept it - own it." She then smiled encouragingly, "Be confident, know what you want and go for it. Even if you get rained on, don't let it stop you from getting your parade." she grinned, leaning her cheek on her hand, "And from what I heard, you're not alone in this. Why don't you have them help you with moving forward?" she suggested, looking amused at Marinette's wide bright eyes.

"Right, that's- that's right." She was always going to feel guilty for 'failing' the others, and she might feel bad for prioritizing herself while the others were still being lied to, but she wants to move on and that's what she's going to do. And if she backtracks again, she'll have Luka help pull her forward while she lives with the guilt.

"Moving forward can be hard." Luka slightly squeezed her hands, "And if you like, I'll help you out. You don't need to do this alone, Marinette."

She stared at him with wavering eyes, "But what if something goes wrong?" something always did.

He wasn't discouraged, "Then we'll fix it as much as possible. Together." He smiled softly at her, "You won't be handling it alone."

She was going to be fine. And even if she didn't do anything about her classmates, someone else would handle it.

"Don't worry, Marinette!" Alix called out to her with her hands cupped around her mouth to project her voice, making her and Luka turn their heads towards her, "Leave it to me! I'll tell them, and everything will be fine again!" Alix promised.

She wasn't going to backtrack anymore or second guess herself, she was…

"Get up!" Kagami helped her up on her feet before leaning in to whisper in her ear, "The only reason you can't stay on your feet is your hesitation." She pulled back with a confident smirk on her face, "I never hesitate."

Right. She needed to stop hesitating.

Tikki stared at her for a moment, her eyes widen before they soften with a smile, "If that's what you want, I think that's a wonderful idea, Marinette. I'll help you in any way I can."

She wasn't alone.

Marinette shot up from her seat with wide unwavering eyes as Aurore watched her with a somewhat knowing smile, having guessed that the girl probably reached a resolution.

"Sorry, Aurore, but is it okay if I go?" Marinette quickly said, looking eager to go.

"Go ahead. We can hang out some other time, though it might take some time depending on my schedule." She smiled apologetically.

Marinette looked apologetic but Aurore waved her off, "Sorry!" she called out as she took off, "I'll promise we'll hang out next time!" she yelled over her shoulder, narrowing avoiding the staff member's way. She had nearly reached the exit when she slowed down and spun around with clear eyes, "Thanks Aurore! I'm glad that your my friend!" she grinned.

Aurore laughed brightly and simply waved her a goodbye.

"I should've asked Adrien to reconsider or just get him to tell Nino since it's more likely that he'd believe him." Marinette said with a bitter smile.

Alone on his bed, Luka absentmindedly strummed on his electric guitar with a frown on his face.

"Does anyone know about this problem that you're dealing with?" he asked.

Marinette's head bowed down a bit, her eyes washed over with a sad disappointment as she nodded, "Yeah, but I… don't really like the approach he's using."

From the looks of it, it seems Adrien knew the truth but was doing nothing with how Marinette had been acting.

Glancing to the other side of the room, Luka strummed his guitar and let the sound linger in the air as he tried to find a solution to this… Lila issue.

Like Marinette had said, he had never even met the girl, so him telling his sister and the others that they were being lied to wouldn't go too well without the others jumping to the wrong conclusions, and risk making Marinette's situation to be worse.

But maybe he didn't really need to interfere as much as he could seeing how band practice this morning had gone.

His sister had mumbled to him they were having band practice, seeing how they hadn't had one in a while, but when everyone had gathered, nobody was really into the music.

Rose had been distracted and kept glancing worriedly to a quiet Juleka, and Ivan's drumming wasn't as on beat as it should have.

The practice had only lasted for half an hour before they decided to go out for a break.

Everybody's song had been distracted and a little lost, and if he could just find a way to get them talking without it looking forced, then maybe he could help Marinette out.

His thoughts were put to a stop when he heard hurried footsteps coming down and towards his room, making him stare at the door, only to be startled when Marinette burst into his room, calling for him.

"Luka!" she called out to him, leaning on her knees as she panted, trying to catch her breath.

"Marinette?" Luka moved his guitar aside and rushed over to her, "Are you okay? What's wrong?" he worriedly asked as he reached out to her.

Only for Marinette to shoot forward, grabbing onto the front of his shirt as she whipped her head up with unwavering eyes, "I want to move forward!" she proclaimed, her shoulders still heaving up and down from her run, "Can you help me?" she asked.

Luka blinked, feeling a bit stunned, but as he stared into her bright sky-blue eyes, listening to her song that was as strong and ready as ever, he smiled warmly at her, "Of course. I meant what I said yesterday."

She faltered a bit and Luka placed his hands on her waist to steady her, "I-I mean," she leaned forward, wanting him to know that she remembered, "I know you said that you'll help me out and that I'm not alone anymore, but I just- I just needed to say it myself." Saying it out loud and in front of Luka made it feel more real.

Although Luka was the one to offer her his hand, she needed to be the one to reach out.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Marinette felt herself calm, if only a bit nervous, "I'm always going to feel bad about my classmates and how I didn't prevent them from getting hurt from the lies, but that just something that I have to accept and I want you to help me with that." She peered up at him, feeling a bit timid that she didn't have a plan prepared but she charged forward, "I-I don't know how, but…!"

"But we'll figure it out together." Luka finished for her with a soft smile.

Marinette blinked, before relaxing with a smile, "Yeah." She leaned into him, smiling wider when he wrapped his arms around her in a hug, "That sounds nice." She murmured.

Luka playfully grinned, "Not as nice as the song in your heart."

She giggled with him joining soon after.

Basking in the tranquil feeling she was in, her eyes trailed towards his bed where his electric guitar was resting, and a thought came to mind as she stared at it.

"I think I'm ready to hear that song now." She looked up at him with a grin.

Knowing what she was talking about, he smiled warmly, "Okay." He said, "But first, let me get you some water."

Sitting on his bed, Marinette couldn't help but close her eyes at the hauntingly beautiful melody that Luka was strumming on his acoustic guitar that he had retrieved after he handed her a glass of water.

The tune perfectly resonated with her heart, especially the part where she had been in a bad place. Many things had happened, and at one point, she had thought that everything she did was just spiralling towards one big disaster where she wouldn't be able to climb out of.

But as Luka continued to play, the tone began to rise to a higher one before the melody transitioned into stronger and more hopeful tune that put a smile on her content face.

Listening to this, it sounded like she could do anything, even if she was a little unsure, she was moving forward after finding the strength to do so.

Like a phoenix rising from its ashes.

The song was simply miraculous.

"What do you think?" he asked once the last note faded into the air, smiling at Marinette's content face.

Slowly opening her eyes to reveal slightly glossy eyes, Marinette smiled blissfully, "It's beautiful, Luka." She breathed out. Even though it started out with a sombre tune before becoming brighter and stronger in tune, she liked it. It just resonated within her heart.

"It's yours." He reminded her with a pleased smile, getting a flushed reaction out of her, "It's the music that's been playing inside of my head." He placed his arms on top of his guitar and leaned towards her, giving her all his attention, "And maybe I'll have another song to write."

Marinette blushed even redder.

One step forward.

And another step forward.

Notes:

Sorry for taking too long to update, I had to rework a lot of stuff for the thing I wanted and some stuff had to be moved for the next chapter.
Tell me if it flows okay, I think I might have messed up the flow since I took too long of a break when writing this chapter.

Steven Basielberg is a parody of Steven Spielberg, American filmmaker.

Hope you enjoyed this.

Chapter 16: Tasker

Notes:

#

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Luka stared fondly at Marinette from the top of his guitar.

While she cupped her cheeks, trying to get them to cool down, he straightened up and began strumming a soft tune, getting her attention, "I'm glad that you're letting yourself take that step forward." He hummed.

Marinette turned to him, her cheeks still feeling warm, "W-Well, I had some help." She stated, looking down, lowering her hands down and drummed her fingers on her knees, "I was hanging out with Aurore a bit and she gave me some advice." She closed her eyes and breathed in a needed breath, her eyes half lidded when she breathed out her nerves, "Even if it's not my responsibility, I'm always going to feel guilt, but the thing I have to do is find a way for me to live with the guilt, accept it – own it!" she declared with an unwavering gaze, nodding at the solution, "And that's what I need to do if I want to move on." She explained.

Luka smiled, closing his eyes as he played the relaxed and accepting tune of her heart, "I'm glad that your friend helped you get some clarity."

She smiled, relaxing to the melody he was playing, "Yeah…" she hummed. She was a bit scared at this new friendship between her and Aurore, but she couldn't let her fear of the past hold her back anymore. This was good. Making a new friend was good for her and she should enjoy it.

While she calmly thought that through, she suddenly tensed up as a different thought appeared and whipped her head towards him with wide worried eyes, "Not that you weren't helpful at all! You were – Are! Are a big help! Your support means so much to me and I don't think I would have even made this decision without you!" she didn't want him to think that all his support was no help at all because she was 'officially' taking that step forward due to Aurore's advice – she didn't think she could have come to this point without both him and Aurore.

"Marinette." Luka smiled amusingly, but kindly, reaching out to place a comforting hand on her shoulder as the notes trailed off into the air, "It's fine. It doesn't matter if I was the one to give you the final push that you needed or someone else did. The important thing is that it helped you."

Marinette stared at him, her shoulders drooping, "It's just…" she timidly looked away, "I don't want you to think that I didn't take your advice to heart – I did." Luka kept her steady. The support he gave her was something she was very grateful for, "Whenever I think of moving on, I…" she bit her lip.

He gave her shoulder a squeeze before returning it back to his guitar, "I understand." He smiled softly, "I'm glad that I was able to help." He strummed an easy-going tune, "And I'm ready to help whenever you need it."

Marinette stared at him. The way that he was relaxed, and strumming on his guitar with a tender smile, almost lost in the melody. She smiled fondly at him, "Thank you, Luka." And leaned forward to press a kiss to his cheek. He's been by her side this whole time and she didn't think she could thank him enough.

Luka didn't say anything about that, but his smile did widen at her gesture, "Do you have somewhere you need to be?" he asked as he strummed a happy tune, his cheek tingling with warmth.

She let out a hum, "No, I don't – Shoot!" she shot up from the bed with wide eyes, "I was helping my dad before all of this!" she remembered, taking her phone out to check the time.

"Do you need a ride?" Luka smiled, already seeing that she was brimming to leave.

Marinette quickly shook her head, "It's fine, you stay here and relax. I'll talk to you later." She rushed when she saw a text from her mom.

Luka watched her go, but she quickly came to a halt when she nearly crashed into Juleka who looked surprised to see her here.

"Marinette." Juleka whispered under her breath.

"Oh… hey Juleka." She awkwardly greeted with a smile, not sure what else to say, especially when the older girl looked away, looking uncomfortable. She felt a pang of hurt at that, seeing that this was what their relationship has come to.

Before things could get anymore awkward, Luka jumped in, "Marinette, you're going to be late." He gently reminded.

Marinette was startled back into action at the reminder, "Oh, right!" she gasped out. Her eyes gave an awkward glance at the quiet girl, "Uh, I… I'll see you at school tomorrow." She clumsily said with a slight stutter and left.

Juleka nodded with a mumbled 'yeah' as she stepped to the side to let her through, her eyes following her until she disappeared up the stairs to the deck.

Luka watched his sister linger at the doorway, staring after Marinette for a moment before entering the room and flopping onto her side on her bed.

"Welcome back." Luka greeted, strumming out a slow and sombre tune, reflecting off his siter's heart, "Where are Rose and Ivan? Are they coming back?" he asked.

"No…" she shook her head with pursed lips, "I wanted to be alone for a bit." She frowned.

"Should I leave?" he offered, still strumming.

It took a moment for Juleka to answer, but she eventually came to a decision, "It's fine."

Luka stared at the back of his sister's head with a thoughtful look, his strumming coming to a stop, "Do you want to talk about it?"

It was silent for a moment before Juleka slowly pushed herself up, although she didn't turn to look at him, "What were you two…" she bit her lip with a frown, her brows furrowing as she tried again, changing her question, "Did you and Marinette have plans for today?"

"We didn't." he answered truthfully, his fingers absentmindedly caressing the strings, "She came by because she had something to tell me." He stared down at his guitar with a smile. He really was glad that Marinette was starting to take care of herself.

Juleka hunched in on herself, "Oh…" she said, "What did you guys talk about?" Marinette hadn't been showing up to practice, but it was just as well. Kitty Section hadn't been performing too great since everyone's mind was distracted.

But some part of her was upset that Marinette was willing to hang out with her brother instead of them, but then again, it was understandable since there was this awkward tension between them that she didn't know how to fix.

Luka gave her a sympathetic smile even though she wasn't looking at him, "That's not for me to say."

"Right…" she muttered under her breath, becoming quiet with a troubled frown.

Placing his guitar to the side, Luka got up from his bed to take a seat next on the edge of her bed, "Did something happen between you and Marinette?" he questioned, starting them off. He could tell that's what she really wanted to talk about instead.

Juleka pursed her lips, "I'm not sure." She admitted, "I don't really know how it became like this." Her voice gloomy as she remembered all her past interactions with Marinette, "Things went really bad at the movies when Lila pointed out that Marinette wasn't really a… good friend with all her… lateness… disappearance and… excuses…" She frowned guiltily as she stared at her lap, not seeing the frown on her brother's face, "But then Alix told us off when she ask why everyone was acting weird and we went to apologize to Marinette -" she looked up to stare at her brother, "That's the day where we suddenly had band practice with Alix over, and we made you leave to buy snacks so we could apologize to her, but…" she turned to look back at her lap with a sigh, "I don't think she accepted our apology."

Luka stared at her with a thoughtful frown, "Why do you think that?" he asked, even though he knew why.

Juleka slightly squirmed in her spot, her fingers fidgeting, "She didn't look… happy when she left, and we haven't really talked since then… the whole class as well." She added, "Marinette doesn't really talk to us anymore, unless spoken to." Every time someone had to talk to Marinette, she wouldn't look them in the eyes, giving a short quiet response. A stab of guilt would spark up whenever that happened.

Luka nodded with a sad smile, "Do you know what made her unhappy?" he hoped things would get better soon.

She was quiet for a moment, thinking back, and everything seem to point at one person, "I guess Lila?" she looked up, "Marinette doesn't really…" she scrunched her face, trying to find the right words, "… get along with Lila and thinks that she's lying." She thought things were fine after the whole accusation of Lila knowing all these models since Marinette apologised and put the past behind her. She had become civilized with Lila after that, wanting to make up with her with apology macarons, smiling and all.

Though it seems she wasn't over the whole Lila being a liar thing seeing how their apology went.

"Maybe there's good reason why Marinette think she's lying." Luka pointed out.

Pressing her lips together, Juleka shifted to bring her knees up, wrapping her arms around them, "But… Lila is telling the truth." She buried her face on her knees, "When Marinette implied that she was lying last time, I asked Lila for some proof about the promise she made me to model for Adrien's dad, and she showed the email." She explained, though it was slightly muffled.

Luka inwardly frowned at that, hating that his little sister was being tricked, but as he observed her demeanour, he softened his voice as he spoke, "You don't look very happy though." he couldn't help but notice. If his little sister truly did believe in the liar, then wouldn't there be a bit of happiness at the news? Right now, she looked anything but that.

She flinched, her arms tightening around her legs, "Marinette's my friend, I want to stand by her side, but how can I when she's accusing Lila of lying?" she sounded conflicted. She wanted to believe in Marinette, but she couldn't cut off her ties with Lila just because Marinette didn't like her.

That wouldn't be fair to Lila or herself.

"Why does Marinette think that she's lying?" Luka questioned patiently.

Juleka felt stumped. At first, she had thought that maybe it had something to do with Adrien like Alya says but seeing how Marinette doesn't act all nervous around him anymore, she didn't think Adrien was the reason at all (and she said she wanted to move on from him and like Alix said, they needed to listen to what Marinette wanted instead of thinking what was good for her). Maybe she felt that she was losing her friends to Lila and was acting out? But that didn't sound like Marinette.

Juleka didn't know why.

Seeing her troubled look, Luka offered her a suggestion, "Why don't you tell me about this Lila person? Maybe I can see why Marinette says she's lying."

She nodded, thinking that her brother's perspective could help her understand Marinette. She began recalling all the stories Lila told them, from being best friends with Ladybug, travelling to all these cool places, meeting all these awesome people, attending all these charity events, having a close relationship with Prince Ali, rescuing Jagged Stone's kitten from the runway, and unfortunately getting tinnitus from the sound of an airplane engine, and now she's a model for Gabriel Agreste which she got featured for on TV.

Once she was finished, she stared at her older brother, watching for a reaction. A part of her thought that he'd be impressed, but he only looked indifferent to all of Lila's achievements, maybe even a bit unimpressed.

"Apart from the modelling, did she have any proof for all her other claims?"

Juleka frowned, "Do you also think Lila is lying?"

"Yes" he thought, but he couldn't just outright say it without making things worse. He could already hear the displease in her tone just by his response, "Well, it does seem too good to be true." He smiled warily; his brows furrowed.

Juleka huffed and leaned her chin on her knees, "Marinette's also too good to be true." She defended with a mutter. If Marinette can do all these amazing things, like design for Jagged Stone, win Gabriel Agreste's fashion competition, get recognised by Chloé's mom, and many other amazing things she'd done then why not Lila?

Luka couldn't help but chuckle at that, "Yeah, she is." He smiled fondly and closed his eyes, leaning back on his hands, "But with Marinette, you could easily find all her achievements, whether they be online or from the people themself. She has work with Jagged Stone before and can show you proof of that." He pointed out. His eyes half-lidded when he opened them and turned his head towards her, "But can Lila?" he questioned.

She closed her eyes as she answered, "She was featured on TV together with Adrien as his dad's new muse."

"What else?" Luka tried. He couldn't really do anything with that.

"She has that email from Adrien's dad." She stated.

"Is that all?"

She frowned. She couldn't really think of anything else and the times that Lila was asked if she had any photos from her amazing trips or if she could perform those tricks that she was taught, she always had some sort of excuse why she couldn't.

Seeing that she couldn't come up with anything else, Luka placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze, "Why don't you ask a copy of that email and get Adrien to confirm it?" from hearing all the stories about Lila, he didn't think she was one to share the spotlight, seeing how everything he heard from Juleka was how the liar only talks about herself. Hopefully, if his sister got her hands on the email and showed it to Adrien, he would be able to tell it's a fake and get the truth out, but…

"I should've asked Adrien to reconsider-" Marinette said with a bitter smile, sounding on the verge of tears.

If he was right, then Adrien knew what was going on and wasn't planning on exposing the liar… and maybe even providing her more excuses. Luka inwardly frowned at that and shook his head.

Adrien was a good kid, maybe a bit naïve but…

Perhaps Alix would have a better chance on this.

He was bought back to reality when Juleka let out a hum.

"Fine… If only to prove that Lila isn't lying." She anxiously tightened her grip as she uttered her words. She didn't want to push aside Marinette's suspicions, but she also didn't know what to do with them. Maybe if she got confirmation, it could ease up Marinette's concerns?

However, a part of her felt scared.

She was already having doubts.

And if it turns out that Lila was lying the whole time, then she had been a terrible friend to Marinette.

Staring at the whites on her arms from her fingers pressing too hard, Luka got up and stood behind her, leaning down to wrap his arms over her shoulders in a hug, "Just… be careful. Not everything is what it seems."

Juleka slightly relaxed from the hug, but her anxiety wasn't going away any time soon.

Monday morning and Marinette found herself running late to school.

Not because she had intentional stayed in her room till the last minute and lost track of time, but because a burst of inspiration had hit her so she had stayed up late to finish her designs from her afternoon with Luka, causing her to sleep in like the old times.

She had barely managed to remember to grab the box of her dad's newest chocolates that he held out to her when she ran out the door.

As she ran up the steps of Collège Françoise Dupont, her phone pinged with a notification just as the bell rang, and Marinette quicken her pace.

When she neared her classroom, she peeked around the corner to look inside and inwardly sighed in relief when Miss Bustier wasn't in yet.

Pulling out her phone as she calmed her breathing, she saw that she got a text from Aurore.

"Wish me luck! "

Smiling, she glanced towards Ms Mendelevie's classroom to see said teacher was walking towards the room with a stack of papers under her arm, and quickly sent back a text.

"Good luck! "

Straightening up after putting her phone away, Marinette placed the hand that was not holding onto the box of chocolates on her heart and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to prepare herself for the day.

Today was going to be different.

She was going to do what she wanted without second-guessing herself, and if she can't and it failed? Then that's fine as well. She wasn't alone, she can ask for help-

It was okay to ask for help.

And she trusts Luka to help her.

She didn't need to face this by herself.

Opening her eyes, Marinette headed into the classroom with her head held high.

But as she walked in, her eyes subtly glanced towards Alya and Nino, and Marinette couldn't help but feel that spark of guilt when she saw the pensive frowns on their faces. She had hoped the weekend would have aided in their recovery from the news, but at least they didn't look too devastated and that there had been no akumas over the weekend.

She shook it off the guilt. She had told them and no akuma occurred. That was good.

As she was about to walk past the front row, she was stopped by a cheery voice that sounded too loud in the suddenly quiet classroom.

"Good morning, Marinette!" Adrien greeted with a smile.

Marinette paused in front of his desk. Already, she could feel eyes staring at her, but she didn't let herself falter at the awkwardness she felt, "Good morning, Adrien." She greeted back with a smile. From her peripheral, she could see Alya staring intently at her and Adrien with her brows shot up, wiping off the previous look.

As Adrien stared at her face, he was reminded of his concern on Friday and grinned when he saw her now, "I'm glad you look better today."

A bit surprised by his comment, Marinette blinked before she gave him a smile that became soft, "Yeah." She hummed, her eyes lowered a bit as she stared at the ground, thinking about the last few days, "All I needed was a rest." She answered before moving towards her seat. She was glad to have Luka's support and Aurore's advice towards her goal in moving on with her life.

Adrien looked glad at her answer. Guessed what Marinette needed was just a nap.

Just as she settled into her seat, Miss Bustier arrived, telling the class to settle down as she began rollcall.

When lunch arrived, Miss Bustier dismissed them as she headed out, leaving the class alone.

As per usual, Adrien, and Chloé left to go have lunch at their homes while Sabrina accompanied the latter to her limo.

Some particular people seemed to have something on their minds.

As soon as the teacher dismissed them, Juleka pushed herself up from her seat, looking determined, yet anxious.

"Juleka? What's wrong? You don't look so good." Rose worriedly pointed out. All morning, her dear friend had been fidgeting with nervous energy before class and throughout the lesson.

Juleka grabbed her bag, holding it tightly to her chest, "I just need to ask Lila something." She mumbled out.

Rose blinked, "Oh." She stood up as well with her bag, smiling jubilantly when she remembered Lila's promise of giving her pretty friend a chance to model. Maybe there was some great news about an opening?!, "Is this about modelling? Do you want me to come with you?" she offered when she saw she was still looking nervous.

Juleka gave her a weak, but grateful smile as she nodded, "Yeah." Brushing her fringe behind her ear, only to fall back over her eye, "I just wanted to ask for a copy of that email she showed me." She explained.

Nodding, Rose grabbed her hand, smiling excitedly. There was an email?! That was wonderful news! Breaming with joy, she tugged them over to Lila who was surrounded by their friends, "Lila!" she called happily.

Lila welcome them with a smile, "Yes?"

Juleka fidgeted, "Uh…" she swallowed and took a deep breath. She needed to prove something, anything to settle down her nerves, "I was wondering… if it'll be okay if I got a copy of that email you showed me…? If that's cool with you?" she mumbled awkwardly.

Lila inwardly narrowed her eyes at the mumbling girl. She knew there had been no contact between her and the goody-two shoes, so her suspecting her was out of the question. Yet, the mumbling girl haven't been paying her attention for a while now, being all gloomy and all. Although she really couldn't tell if it was much different than the usually weird and gloom.

"What email?" Kim curiously asked.

Lila turned to him with a bashful wave, "Oh, you know." She chuckled, "Juleka here wanted to model so I called in a favour with Mr Agreste." She explained, "He agreed because it was me who asked, and just need to find the right time to fit her in."

"That's so nice of you, Lila." Mylène praised, knowing how much it meant to Juleka to model.

Kim blinked, raising a brow at Juleka who tensed at the attention, "Really? You?" he asked, genuinely surprised. He would have never thought that she'll want to model.

Rose nodded, with a frown, her hands on her hips as she faced the athlete, "Absolutely! Juleka is so gorgeous, of course she'll suit being a model!" she huffed at his insensitive tone.

Kim raised his hands up in surrender, smiling apologetically, "My bad. It was just a surprise, that's all. I'm sure she'll look awesome on a cover!"

"Good." Rose said, with a pleased grin before turning to Lila with grin widening, "And when Juleka makes it on the covers, she'll look back on the email that helped started it all!" she gushed.

Juleka gulped, "Yeah…" she nodded, "Just wanted a copy for the memories." She fumbled out.

Lila let out a chuckle, chalking the weird girl's behaviour as her usual pathetic awkwardness. She was a fool to think her remotely as a threat, "Oh, I don't mind." She said pulling out her phone to send the screenshot to her.

Hearing the ping confirmed that it was sent and Juleka took out her phone and stared at her screen with an unreadable face, "Thanks."

"No problem, anything for a friend." Lila smiled before pushing herself from her seat, "Well, shall we go get lunch? I can tell you all about the celebrity charity event that I attended." She smiled at them and their excited chatter.

Before she could take a step away from her desk and bask in the attention of her fools waiting on her hand and foot in the cafeteria, she was stopped by an almost non-existent nuisance.

"Hey, everyone? Can I have a moment of your time?"

Alya inwardly sighed as she packed her things away. Yesterday with Lila at a café was still fresh in her mind.

Instead of Lila coming over to her place, Lila had unknowingly suggested a nice (slightly on the expensive side) cafe because she had something to do in the area afterwards in her busy schedule.

"Thanks for making time for us, even though you must've been so tired with that celebrity charity event going for an extra day." Alya smiled gratefully, "I felt that this type of talk should be done face to face and I couldn't wait till school."

"It's fine." Lila hid her smile behind her free drink and forked up a bit of her equally free cake, "You're my friend after all."

"Thanks, Lila." Nino grinned appreciatively at her kindness.

"I thought you might have wanted to hear about all the celebrities I met at the charity event I attended, but what's this about Ladybug?" she questioned with a cool smile.

Alya nearly fidgeted, a sheepish smile on her face, "Well, I would also like to get the details for that later, but there's something else we need to ask. Something more important." She scratched the side of her cheek, "How close are you with Ladybug exactly?"

Lila frown momentarily before she smiled, "Didn't I tell you? Ladybug and me, we're like this." she lifted her hands and crossed her fingers together like she did when Alya had interview her the first time, "Same with the other heroes – Chat Noir, Rena Rouge and Carapace." She added with a knowing smile and winked.

Alya and Nino blinked before they giggled.

Right, secret identities and all that.

"We know." Nino chuckled.

As the two ex-heroes calm down in a sombre smile, Alya looked at her, "You know how Ladybug is replacing Rena Rouge and Carapace, right?" she frowned apprehensively, hoping Lila could further shed some light on this issue.

Lila had looked surprised at that, though she was probably surprised that she brought up the topic, "Well, of course I do." She let out a sigh, "Ladybug always run things by me. She really values my opinion."

"Really?" Alya asked, her eyes filling with hope, "Then do you think you could ask what was the thing that made her decide to change the heroes? And see if she could reconsider?"

There was a glint in her eyes as she smiled, "You must really like Rena Rouge and Carapace, don't you?" she obviously pointed out.

Alya chuckled at her inside joke, sharing an amused smile with Nino who mirrored her expression, "Well. You could say that."

Lila chuckled, "Well, I'll see what I can do, but between you and me…" she let out a disappointing sigh, "She likes the attention of being the only superhero, that's why Rena Rouge and Carapace aren't allowed to keep their Miraculous."

Both Alya and Nino furrowed their brows with a confused frown.

That doesn't seem like Ladybug. She was always a stickler of the rules and safety.

"But Chat Noir is there as well." Nino reminded, pointing out the obvious.

Lila pressed a hand onto her cheek, "Yes, but she once told me that she only saw him as a sidekick since he's usually the distraction or gets in the way of things." She said sadly, like her heart was pouring out for poor Chat Noir.

The couple shared a look at each other. While it was true that Chat Noir was usually the one who distracts the akumas and gets infected by their powers the most between the two of them, they didn't think that Ladybug would think of him as a sidekick.

But if Lila said so, then it must be true.

"Not only that," Lila continued, getting their attention back, "she gets jealous whenever someone gets close to Chat Noir or if he pays attention to someone else." She revealed, getting an ecstatic gasp out of the blogger, "She even got jealous of me when Chat flirted with me." She chuckled, looking bashful.

"Really?! Did they finally get together?" Alya questioned in a restrained excited voice. Her shipper's heart cried out in joy. 'Finally!'

Lila gave her a secretive smile, "Well, that's a secret." She winked with a chuckle.

Alya let out a victorious 'yes!' before turning towards Nino (who was getting swept in the moment), thrumming in her chair with an excited smile.

"Well, I'll see what I can do, but you know Ladybug and how thick-headed she is, she might not even listen to me this time about the reconsideration." She shook her head with a smile, "But I'll try my best for you guys. I know how much this means to you."

"Thanks Lila." Nino smiled gratefully.

Alya turned back to face Lila, calming down from her high, "Yeah. Thanks." She smiled gratefully as well, "This really means a lot to us."

"It's no problem, anything for my friend." Lila smiled, before clasping her hands on top of the table and tilting her head with a grin, "Do you want to hear about the celebrity charity event I attended, now?"

Alya grinned, taking her phone out, "Tell me all the deets."

Alya hoped that Lila had a chance to talk to Ladybug and got her to reconsider her decision.

But she shouldn't rush her. Lila had been kind enough to make time for them out of her busy schedule and this promise would be a difficult one for her if Lila says that Ladybug might not even listen to her.

So she shouldn't rush her.

She needed something to take her mind off their superhero situation for now and her eyes just so happen to glance at her right where Marinette was getting out of her seat.

Alya bit her lips with scrunched brows. It's been weeks since her bff last talk to her and at this point, she didn't know if they were even friends. Lila had said that Marinette was in the wrong with all her lateness and lame excuses, and should be the one to apologize to them, but maybe she should just go up to her and take the first step, seeing how Marinette wasn't.

And she knew Marinette. Maybe she just needed an opportunity to apologize. Gods knows how many times the girl missed her chance to say what she wanted.

With that set in mind, she was about to go chase after her when Marinette stood in front of the class, clutching her parent's bakery box to her chest (most likely apology sweets).

"Hey, everyone? Can I have a moment of your time?" she asked, gaining everyone's attention.

As the bell rang for lunch, Alix leaned on the palm of her hand and blew out a sigh.

This morning had been a bust.

Her plan was simple: To talk to her friends without Lila around.

Easier said than done apparently.

Everyone had seemed too entranced with the liar's stories to want to leave for a talk and by the time she managed to just get Kim away, everyone decided to head to class before the bell rang.

And even now, they were gathering around Lila (except for a few).

Her eyes strayed towards Alya and Nino who was still sitting in their seats, seemingly lost in thought.

Well, that should be a start.

Just as she decided to start with the couple, her eyes met Marinette's and she remembered what had happened with their talk on Saturday.

Remembering the look on her face as she left with Luka, Alix wanted to give her comfort that this whole thing with Lila will be over soon. So, what she did was give her a reassuring smile and a subtle thumbs up as she stood up to make her way towards Alya and Nino.

Only to pause when Marinette sent her an apologetic look as she went to stand in front of the class and call for their attention.

"Hey, everyone? Can I have a moment of your time?" she asked.

The room became quiet, the others stunned in surprise, having it been a while since Marinette last spoke to them.

"Yeah? What's up?" Alix helped, seeing how nobody was making a move.

Marinette took a deep breath, calming her nerves before holding her head high with a determined gaze, "You guys told me to talk to you once I have my priorities straightened out." She breathed, squeezing onto the pastry box for comfort. She could see them looking a bit uncomfortable, even Alya who looked awkward, probably realising just how the words sounded when repeated back to them. She saw Alix shooting the others a deadpanned look, looking unimpressed, "I understand how frustrating it'll be when someone is always late or leaving in the middle with some excuse, but…" She looked to the ground, "I can't promise that I won't leave in the middle of our hangouts. I have no excuses, but it's just how it is." She could try getting better at being on time, granted if there's no akuma, but she couldn't promise not to leave in the middle. She has her priority sorted, and as long as she was Ladybug, Paris will always come first.

And that's all she wanted to say.

"Marinette." Lila sighed out disappointedly with a shake of her head, "We're your friends, it isn't fair to them being treated like this, you should at least put a little respect for them since they always have your back, don't they?"

Alix turned to look at Lila with narrowed eyes. Now that she knew she was a liar; her voice was just damn irritating.

When Alix turned to look at Marinette, she didn't look fazed.

"That's why I'm telling them this." She replied, unflinchingly.

There was some sort of a stare down between the two, neither one backing down until Ivan awkwardly spoke out.

"Uh, it's fine, Marinette." Ivan scratched the back of his head, his eyes shamefully averted away, "It wasn't really noticeable – well to us guys anyways." He pointed out again, not noticing the sharp gaze of Lila's.

Kim blinked, as if suddenly realising that, "Uh…" he furrowed his brows as if thinking all the times he actually hung out with Marinette, "He's right." He blinked widely, "We usually hang out as a class."

"Furthermore, those class hangouts are 99% disrupted by akuma attacks." Max stepped in, "Statically speaking, it is 90.7% more likely that the girls should feel more affected. 97.6% more for the proclaimed best friend, Alya." he pushed his glasses up.

Nathanial looked at Marinette with an awkward smile after Max was finished, "On the behalf of the guys, we're sorry for getting swept up in the moment." He said with remorse.

As if their part was over, the guys turn to look at the girls.

Rose was the first to speak, her eyes tearing up, "No need to apologize." She sniffed and wiped at her eyes, "I'm just glad that you're talking to us again." She tearfully smiled at her.

"Yeah, we missed hanging out with you." Mylène smiled nostalgically. It's been a long time since they last had a girls meeting. Getting together, planning romantic schemes, and having fun. She missed those moments together.

Alya walked out of her seat and towards Marinette, wrapping her arms around her. She didn't notice her tense up, "Yeah, we missed you, girl." She leaned back with a welcoming soft smile. It doesn't matter if she apologised or not. She was always going to be same old Marinette and they just needed to accept that. And if she really thought about it, Marinette being late, or ditching wasn't that bad.

At the top of the stairs, Lila narrowed her eyes at Marinette before trailing her eyes towards the box she was holding and put on a saccharine smile, "Everyone is so nice and forgiving!" she cried out like she was so moved by the touching scene, "Oh? Did you make more macarons for us? I remember you saying that you'll make one for me since I was left out last time." She reminded them.

Everyone turned to look at the box Marinette was clutching, feeling a little excited at the box of sweets, however, Marinette remained unreadable, a look in her eyes that seemed familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time, "They're not." She stated, "Also, making a macaron without almond flour won't taste the same."

"Oh, I'm sure there's a way. When I was apprenticing-"

"And I'm sure you'll be disappointed that whatever I give you won't compare to what you have in mind." Marinette interrupted, and before Lila could put on a show, she continued, "Now I have a… friend to meet." She smiled at the end and left before anyone could comment on her behaviour, leaving the room once more in awkward silence.

Lila put on a sad frown, "I didn't know that's how Marinette felt." she said once Marinette had left the room, getting everyone's attention.

"What do you mean?" Mylène asked, furrowing her brows.

"Well…" she hesitated, looking around the room, "Not once did she apologise to you guys about her behaviour towards your friendship." She reminded them, "and she said she was meeting a friend. I think…" she bit her lip, turning her gaze on Alya, "she's making new friends to replace you guys since she couldn't keep that simple promise you offered."

"That's not true." Alya defensively rebutted, "Marinette is just clumsy with her words, I'm sure she didn't mean that she was cutting off our friendship. We're still friends! We just need to remind her that."

Lila stared at them. Things would have been so nice if Marinette had just kept her mouth shut, but she could still use this to her advantage. For whatever reason, the girl couldn't accept the stupid promise, but who cares. She could still have fun with this, "Well, why don't we discuss this while we eat?" she smiled, clapping her hands together, "I was going to tell the rest about the celebrity charity event, but I can see this is very important to you."

"That's so kind of you, Lila." Mylène praised, "You can still tell us about it later if you want, there will be plenty of time." She reminded kindly.

"Of course." Lila smiled.

No one noticed Alix letting out a disgruntled sigh, inwardly groaning.

Marinette walked out with a small accomplished smile on her face.

While it was nothing sort of a victory, she had said what she wanted even if nothing had changed.

She hoped she didn't make things harder for Alix.

All she wanted to see was if she could fix her relationship with her classmates - salvage what was left of it.

Or at least fix the awkward tension in the class.

Not… Not for their benefit, but for hers. She didn't like the awkward tension that she was causing, especially since it was caused because of Lila.

She wasn't going to yield to their terms.

She just wanted to set the record straight and if they didn't accept what she had said…

Then that was fine.

They didn't have to accept it. She could understand that her terms were unreasonable, but there was nothing else she could do without revealing her secret identity.

And that was an absolute no.

She had tried and now she'll move on.

And although the class had apologised to her, Marinette felt…

Well…

She felt disappointed at them. Something she could admit now.

Looking to the other side, she could see students start to trickle out of Ms. Mendeleiev's class, some had weary expressions on their face, while others were smiling.

And among those smiling students was Aurore who had a skip to her step as she walked out of the room.

When Aurore spotted her, her whole face beamed, eyes lighting up like the sun as she jogged towards her with a spring in her step, "Marinette!" she gasped out, trying to contain her squeal.

"Hey." She greeted before her free hand were swept up into hers, "Something good happen?" she giggled, her energy affecting her.

Aurore grinned, looking like she wanted to jump up and down, "Just did my quiz!" she happily said, looking proud.

"Guess you did well, huh." Marinette grinned, happy for her.

Pulling back with a hand on her hip while holding her parasol to her shoulder, Aurore smiled confidently, her chest puffed out, "It was a breeze." She triumphantly said before dropping the pose and giving her a sincere grateful smile, "Thanks for helping me study, Marinette. It was a big help." She sighed in relief. More projects had increased, inevitably taking her time away from school, causing her to miss some or sometimes all lessons, which made studying a bit difficult. So, having Marinette help her study was a huge help.

Marinette shook her head with a smile as she opened the pastry box and wordlessly offered her chocolates, "It's no problem, I was happy to help." Her smiled turned soft as she looked at the pastry box she was holding, "I should also thank you for that. Helping you study was something I needed." She would've helped Aurore either way. It was just that, she had asked when she was in a bad time, so it was a welcomed distraction away from what had been going on.

Aurore smiled sympathetically but didn't say anything and took a squared-shaped chocolate, "I have a meeting soon at the station with Mireille, but I'll be back before class starts." She began explaining, popping the sweet into her mouth and blinked in delight when she bit into it and a fruity liquid flowed out. She hummed in delight at the sweet, "I'm going to go back there again to present the weather after school and was wondering if you wanted to come watch?" she asked as she reached for another piece after Marinette nodded that it was okay to take another.

Marinette looked surprised at that, but before she could decide, Aurore waved her off.

"You can message me later about your decision; I'll need to get going." She said with a kind smile, her eyes glancing to the side when she noticed Mireille nearing the exit of the school, signalling that she had to leave now. The producer had said they wanted to talk to her and Mireille together for their upcoming job.

"Oh, sure. Good luck with the meeting." Marinette smiled after Aurore took one more chocolate and left to catch up with Mireille.

She watched her go, speeding elegantly to catch up with Mireille and stared until they disappeared out the exit, before she herself made her way back home to have lunch.

Using the side door that led to her home, and sneaking pass her parents in the bakery, Marinette made it safely upstairs without getting caught and leaned her back against the closed door of their apartment with a sigh.

She took out her phone as Tikki flew out of her purse, a question on her lips.

"Will you be hanging out with Aurore?" Tikki asked, a smile on her face. She wanted her to say yes. Wanted Marinette to make new friends and explore the blossoming friendship she has with Aurore, thinking that this will be good for her, but she didn't want to pressure her into it.

Marinette let out a hum, walking towards the kitchen to place the box of chocolates on the counter, and opened the flap to let Tikki have some, "I think it'll be nice." She smiled, though she looked slightly troubled as she pulled up Luka's contact, "I just have to check something first."

"Okay." Tikki chirped before flying over to the chocolates, leaving Marinette to her own device.

Marinette stared at Luka's photo.

While she didn't have plans with him, he would occasional hang out with her, appearing when she least expected him (but welcomed) to, and she didn't want to have him waste his time waiting for her if she decides to go watch Aurore present the weather.

But was it presumptuous of her to think that they'll be hanging out after school?

Shaking her head, Marinette bit her lip and pressed the call button before she could back out of it.

She didn't have to wait long for him to pick up.

"Marinette?" Luka spoke, his voice soft.

"Luka! Uh, hi, it's Marinette!" She greeted, before face-palming herself, cringing. She shouldn't be feeling so nervous now. They've talked before – late into the night talks. So this shouldn't be any different.

A chuckle sounded from the other side, and Marinette felt her cheeks flushed slightly.

"Hey, Marinette." He greeted with an amused tone, "What's up?"

Pacing around her living room, Marinette rubbed the back of her neck, "Uh, I'm not disturbing you, am I?"

"I'm with my group, doing an assignment, but-" before he could continue, Marinette let out a groan.

"I should have just texted you." She remorsefully said, plopping herself on the couch, her hand rubbing at her face.

"It's fine, we're not getting anything done- still deciding who's going to work on what." He explained, "So what did you want to talk about?" he gently encouraged.

Marinette blinked, feeling shy all of a sudden, "Oh, um, I was wondering if we were going to hang out after school." She scratched at her cheek, "J-just wanted to check because Aurore invited me to hang out to watch her present the weather… after school." She explained, "And I don't want to ditch you if we happened to hang out." She quickly added, "… after school." She cringed and hunched in on herself. That was too many.

There was a moment of silence on his side before he responded, "I was planning to see you tomorrow, but I guess I should start telling you beforehand so something like this doesn't happen." There was a joyful tone to his voice, and she could just picture him smiling.

"It's fine! It's a nice surprise to see you!" she quickly defended him, although in the next second she inwardly screamed, realising what she just said. Her cheeks flushed pink at what he said next.

Luka chuckled, "I like seeing you too, Marinette." He said without missing a beat. He breathed in and let out a content sigh, "If you want to hang out with your friend, you should go. Don't mind me." He gently said, "I have something I need to check on after school." He explained.

"Really?" she shyly asked.

"Yeah." He hummed, "Go have fun. I'll see you tomorrow if you're free?"

Marinette smiled, "Yeah." She closed her eyes, "I… I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow then." He confirmed, voice upbeat.

Marinette giggle at his enthusiasm before saying one last farewell and ended the call.

"So will you be hanging out with Aurore after school?" Tikki flew over, a piece of chocolate between her flippers.

She nodded, "Yeah, I should tell her that I can." She smiled.

But before she could send Aurore a text, she suddenly received a notification from the Ladyblog that said it was starting a Live stream right now.

Both Tikki and Marinette frowned at it.

"It's a Livestream from the Ladyblog." Tikki frowned, "Maybe it's another interview." The little god huffed.

Marinette hesitated a finger over the notification. She had nearly forgotten that she was subscribed to the livestream since it hasn't been active for a while.

"Or it could be important." Marinette murmured and reluctantly pressed on it, "If it's another interview with Lila, then I'll simply ignore it." She nodded, fine with the plan.

But as she pressed open the notification, her screen switched to the blog, showing the live stream of what seemed like a regular student wearing a white drama mask of a smiling and frowning face. It would have looked like the Ladyblog was featuring a person from the drama club if it weren't for the student shooting blue beams from his white gauntlet at students trying to run away from him.

"Yo peeps! Alya here bringing you the one and only Ladyblog." Greeted Alya's voice from her phone, the view was slightly obscured by the steps she was hiding behind, "Looks like we got ourselves an akuma, calling himself, Tasker, here at school. Word on the street is, the student's name is Lyon who was asked one too many requests here and got pushed over the edge." She explained, a slight tone of excitement could be detected in her voice, "Oh wait! Chat Noir just arrived, now we're just hoping Ladybug will arrive soon."

"Marinette…" Tikki said sadly, upset at the interference of her Chosen's happiness.

"I know." Marinette sighed out. She put her phone away and stood up, "Tikki. Spots on!" she recited the magic words and in place of Marinette, stood Ladybug.

"Why don't you hand over your Miraculous, Chat Noir!" Tasker demanded as he aimed his fist at the smirking cat superhero, shooting a beam at him.

Spinning his staff to deflect the beam away from him, Chat Noir leaped back when he had the chance, "I rather not, why don't you give me a different task, instead?" he winked, hanging on his staff on his shoulders.

A growl could be heard from behind Tasker's mask before he directed his fist towards one on the benches in the courtyard, "Why don't you come to life and fight Chat Noir!" he ordered, shooting a beam towards a fixed bench.

Chat Noir watched fascinated as the bench that was shot, creaked to life as one of its metal legs shot out, before it began crawling towards him like a spider.

"I don't think I need to take a seat while I wait for my Lady." Chat Noir joked before looking surprised when the bench stood on 2 of its metal legs, making itself look bigger as it went to slam itself on him, only for him to leap out of the way "Whoa, talk about being almost bench-pressed."

The bench began charging at him like a bull before it was suddenly wrapped by a familiar yo-yo and thrown far away, "I don't need to see my partner being a kitty pancake, do I?" Ladybug landed besides her partner, her yo-yo out and spinning.

"Bugaboo!" Chat Noir greeted happily, "Glad you finally showed up."

"Don't call me that." Ladybug huffed, glancing at Tasker, "Is anyone hurt?"

Chat Noir pressed his hand to his chest as he reported with a smile, "I got everyone to evacuate, but unfortunately some were hit by the beams."

A look from Ladybug made him explain.

"One student was made to run around the school until he figured out how to solve a physic question. Another was to search the school to find a missing sports equipment." He looked towards the gym equipment room to see a pile of equipment spilled out, "Seems like they're classmates."

Ladybug nodded, "Then we better end this quickly." She had seen a kid running around the school when she swung over, and he was looking exhausted.

Now she understood why.

"Ladybug." Tasker called out, lifting his fist towards her, "Why don't you hand over your Miraculous!" he ordered before shooting a beam at her.

"No thanks." She rejected, as she spun her yo-yo in front of her quickly for cover.

Tasker clicked his tongue, "Nobody can do anything right." He grumbled to himself, annoyed. He then pressed his fist to his head, "Why don't you split yourself up and make copies of yourself to get Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous!" he ordered and shot.

"Wait, can he do that?!" Chat Noir asked in shock.

Both of the hero's eyes widened when Tasker was covered in a blue light, before witnessing the light spitting out 6 perfect copies of him.

"Apparently, he can." Ladybug said, staring incredulous at the scene.

As the glowing light faded, Ladybug and Chat Noir were now facing 7 Taskers to deal with.

Alya couldn't help but shake with excitement as she continued to live stream the fight from behind the staircase, "Okay guys, it seems like Tasker can pretty much ask for anything to happen and it will happen." She pointed out, zooming in on each of the clones, "I wonder how Ladybug and Chat Noir will deal with this. Seems like they got a tough one here." She commented.

Something like this would definitely call for backup.

As the thought pass through her mind, her excited smile faded as she stared at Ladybug fighting and dodging her own group of Taskers.

Some part of her hoped that Lila had managed to convince Ladybug to reconsider in just a day, but she knew that it'll be a difficult thing to do if Lila said that Ladybug was too stubborn on the matter.

"Hey," a warm comforting hand landed on her shoulder, "Everything will be fine. I'm sure Lila is working on it to get us another chance."

Alya turned to Nino with an appreciative smile, "Yeah, I'm sure things will turn out just fine." She sighed, both careful not to reveal anything on the live stream.

Being forced to split up, Ladybug took to the roof, observing as one of the Tasker could also use their abilities to command whatever they desired.

"That's troublesome." She muttered under her breath as one shot their beam at the stairs, causing the school to shake for a moment as the stairs disconnected itself from the flooring to stretch towards the roof.

A sound from her yo-yo bought her attention momentarily to it and she raised a brow, "Is Master Fu sending us a hero?" she thought as she ran to put some distance from the 4 Taskers running up the stairs that now connected itself to the roof.

Dodging the beams shot at her, she glanced towards her partner who seemed to be doing well against 3 Taskers charging at him as he also dodged and flipped around them, causing them to shoot at each other.

But the beams seemed to have no effect on them, only getting them to pause momentarily from the bright beam.

"Maybe it won't work if it's not the intended person." She observed.

When she looked around, trying to come up with a plan, her eyes widened when she spotted a figure standing in the shadows on the roof of her bakery.

Ladybug squinted, making eye contact with mint eyes, surrounded by an orange and white mask.

And with fox ears protruding from their hoodie, she realised it was their new teammate once she quickly checked the message on her yo-yo.

The first time had been a shock, but seeing the new Fox Miraculous holder, Ladybug smiled. This time, she was prepared.

And seeing how they had the Fox to help them, a plan was forming in her head as she called for her "Lucky Charm", hoping that she'll be able to fit it into her plan.

Stopping for a bit to catch her Lucky Charm, a dressing room mirror fell awkwardly into her hands and Ladybug nearly dropped it when her eyes widened with an idea. She looked around towards the equipment room and grinned when she spotted rope within the pile of spilled equipment.

Turning towards the Fox, Ladybug signalled to the 4 Taskers behind her with her head as she gave him a look, hoping he got her message when he lifted his flute to his lips.

An almost non-existent sound produced a glowing white ball before it was thrown in the air and burst.

Tasker grew annoyed as he chased the bug to the roof, "Ladybug! Why don't you stand still!" he ordered and shot a beam at her, only for her to dodge it. His clones also joined in, only to end up with the same result, causing frustration to rise among them.

"Stay still!" They demanded in unison.

They thought they had their chance when the bug stopped to catch a large dressing room mirror and quickly aimed their fist at her, "Ladybug! Why don't you give us your-!" but before they could finish their sentence, their eyes grew wide behind their masks as there were suddenly hundreds of Ladybugs surrounding them, carrying a dressing room mirror.

"You're not the only one who can make copies of themselves." The Ladybugs winked at them, before scattering.

"I didn't know Ladybug could do this! What's going on, Hawk Moth!" Tasker demanded, him and his clone trying to pinpoint their fist at a Ladybug.

A purple outline of a butterfly appeared over his face as Hawk Moth's voice echoed in his head, "This isn't a part of her powers. Someone else might be doing this." There was a small pause as realisation came to mind, "This must be the Fox Miraculous at hand. Stay alert, she must be nearby." He ordered.

Tasker growled under his breath, "Great, another 'request'."

Swinging his staff at a Tasker and throwing him into another while the 3rd Tasker jumped out of the way, Chat Noir let out a low whistled, "2 out of 3 is not that bad." He grinned.

"You better wipe that grin off your face before I make you." Tasker growled, aiming his fist at him.

Chat Noir tilted his head, pointing at his dimples, "But I have such a pretty grin." He playfully sang.

Tasker sneered at him, "Chat Noir! Why don't you give me-!" before he could continue, he was startled when they were suddenly surrounded by Ladybugs carrying a dressing room mirror, "What the…?!"

Chat Noir widened his eyes in surprised, swishing his head around to confirm what he was seeing. Gasping, he clasped his hands together, looking overjoyed, "Hundreds of Ladybugs? I'm in heaven!" he gushed dreamingly.

"Chat, focus." Ladybug reprimanded.

"I'll try my best, Bugaboos." He grinned as the copies rolled their eyes.

A purple outline appeared over Tasker's mask, getting a message from Hawk Moth.

Tasker clicked his tongue, finding out that he'll have to deal with another tricky nuisance, "No matter, they're just fakes." He huffed before one ordered his clones back, "Tasker! Together!" he summoned.

They didn't hear something breaking or noticed how a single Ladybug quickly running around the courtyard.

When all the Tasker gathered in the middle of the courtyard, forming a circle back to back, their fist aimed out, "This isn't a big deal. Ladybug! Hand over your Miraculous!" all 7 Tasker ordered before shooting their beams at once.

The Ladybugs that were shot, simply dispersed.

"See, not a big deal." Tasker smirked, planning to continue shooting until they got rid of the Ladybugs, however, as they all shot another, their eyes widened when the beams returned right back at them, "What?!" quickly shielding their eyes at the bright light. They let out a grunt when a yo-yo zipped through the air and tied them all tightly together.

"Stop!" they yelled when their gauntlets were quickly grabbed from them, "NO!" they cried desperately, trying to reached out for it.

From out of the hundreds of Ladybugs, the one standing beside Chat Noir had her hand on her hip and a smile on her face, "If you can do the honours, Kitty." She sang, dropping the one gauntlet into her partner's pile.

"Of course, M'Lady." Chat Noir bowed before raising his claws up, "Cataclysm!" he summoned before bringing it down onto the pile of gauntlets before his feet.

"NO!"

Crumbling to black dust, the akuma flew out from the pile of ash.

"No more evil doing for you, little akuma!" Ladybug swung her yo-yo towards the escaping butterfly and quickly captured it, "Time to de-evilize! Gotcha!" bringing her up, she released it with a smile, "Bye, bye, little butterfly." She said, watching it go.

As the white butterfly flew off, the other Ladybugs dispersed into thin air.

Chat Noir walked up to her, letting out a playful sigh, "I was just getting used to having hundreds of Ladybugs around."

Ladybug rolled her eyes, "Dream on, Kitty." She said, walking up to one of the hanging pieces of the broken dressing room mirror that she hung with skipping ropes around the courtyard.

Chat Noir looked disappointed at her response before dragging his eyes to a shard of mirror she was untying, "Don't you know the saying, M'Lady? Breaking a mirror is 7 years of meow." He grinned, cosying up to her with his brows shifting up and down.

Ladybug simply pushed him away with a finger, "I'll just balance it out with my luck." She responded before throwing the shard in the air, "Miraculous Ladybug!"

They watched as the glowing little ladybugs fixed the damage and mess Tasker caused.

From the once pile of ashes revealed the student's tablet.

Ladybug grabbed it from the ground and walked towards a confused looking student sitting on the ground, "Here." She handed him the tablet.

Lyon hesitantly took his tablet, "What happened?"

"You were akumatised." Chat Noir answered as he came to stand next to his Lady.

Lyon looked surprised before he let out a groan, "Oh man." He rubbed at his face, "I wouldn't have snapped if the people around me would just try first instead of coming straight to me for help. I also have things I need to do!" he huffed, his tone becoming annoyed.

"I can understand how you feel." Ladybug placed her hand on his shoulder, stopping his rant for a moment.

He looked up, looking surprised, "You do?"

"Well, a similar experience." She gave him a smile with a wince, "Running all over the place, trying to do the favours they asked of me. Getting no break for myself until the very last minute when someone stepped in to help, but that feeling of relaxation didn't last too long." She recounted with a sad smile.

Lyon winced, "Harsh." He sympathised.

Ladybug chuckled, "I don't know if this will help but why don't you find a quiet place to do the thing you need? Turn off your phone for a bit. Everyone needs a bit of quiet to themselves from time to time."

He blinked before looking towards the library, "I guess I can do that." He hummed, pushing himself up, "I know there's a place in the library the others won't think to find me." He said with a smile before turning to the superheroine, "Thanks, Ladybug and uh, sorry about the whole akumatise thing." He sheepishly laughed.

She waved him off, "It's fine."

The two watched him go after he thanked them.

"So I'm guessing our Fox friend came in today?" Chat Noir asked, "Though it wasn't like we needed the help." He tilted his head, putting his hands behind the back of his head to lean on.

"Maybe Master Fu wanted him to have some experience." Ladybug shrugged as she looked towards the roof where she saw the Fox hero waiting for them, "Shall we go and welcome him to the team?" she asked, but she was already taking off to go greet their new friend.

"After you, M'Lady!"

"Mr Turtle sends his regards." The Fox said with a friendly smile, his hands up as if to mean no harm as soon as the heroes landed in front of him.

Ladybug couldn't help but let out an amused smile, "Thanks for the help. I'm glad you were able to understand what I wanted with your illusion." She sighed out of relief. If he had done something else, she would've of course adjusted her plan, but it was just easier to have her first plan succeed.

The Fox lowered his hands back to his sides, "Just glad I was able to help."

"So, do we get to know the name of the person who helped us?" Chat Noir grinned, his arms crossed.

"Vulpes" he introduced with a smile, he held out his hand for a handshake.

"And you know who we are of course." Chat Noir chuckled.

Ladybug smiled, staring at Vulpes with an accepting heart, yet she couldn't help but feel a little bit of guilt at a new Fox Miraculous holder.

"Is something wrong?" Vulpes asked when his mint eyes landed on her.

Surprised, Ladybug quickly shook her head, "No, it's nothing. Um, great work out there." She grinned, lifting her fist up.

"You sure?" Chat Noir asked as he also raised his fist to her, "You also looked off last time." He reminded.

"I'm fine, honest. Just getting used to our new teammates is a bit of a work-in-progress." She admitted.

"I see." Vulpes said with an understanding smile and finally placed his fist to them.

"Pound it." They all said.

"And welcome to the team." Ladybug added before her earrings began beeping, "Guess I need to go."

Vulpes smiled before his Fox pendant beeped as well, reminding him of his time limit, "Me too."

"It was great working with you. See you guys later. Bug out." She said and took off.

The Fox hero bid Chat Noir a farewell before he also took off in the opposite direction.

"And all that's left is one lonely kitty." Chat Noir dramatically sighed before getting ready to take off. But as he was about to, his eyes caught sight of Alya and Nino who walked out from behind the staircase. Seeing her phone out, Chat Noir gave her a smile and a salute before he took off.

A new Fox had appeared.

Alya ended the live stream after she signed off, a frown on her face as Nino placed a hand on her shoulder.

When she saw hundreds of Ladybugs appear around them, she stared numbly at the illusions, reaching a hand to one of them and dispersing the illusion.

That was her ability.

And seeing how Chat Noir had waved at them like usual, reminded her that he didn't know their identities, thinking they were just normal civilians.

But they were so much more than that.

"Maybe Lila hasn't gotten the chance to contact Ladybug." He tried, putting up a comforting smile for his girlfriend.

"Maybe." She muttered and swallowed her feelings. Seeing the new Fox made her panic that maybe it was too late, but she'll have to trust Lila to handle the new situation.

She wouldn't let them down.

Seeing her still frowning worriedly, Nino nudge her gently, "Come on, let's focus on something else." He encouraged, "Before the akuma happened, weren't we all planning to hang out with Marinette? Let's go get everyone back together and plan where we'll go."

Reminded about her bff, Alya shifted her gaze to him, "Yeah. We got interrupted before we could plan anything." She let out a sigh before she thought of something, "Maybe we can get Adrien to join us, I'm sure that will make Marinette happy."

"Let me just ask my dude if he's busy." Nino said, getting his phone out.

With something to distract her from the new Fox hero, they headed back to the cafeteria where everyone had been taking shelter from Tasker.

With the akuma taking the majority of lunch, Marinette found a place far from the school to detransform, only having enough time to run back home, get her school bag and return back to school just as the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch.

She ignored the looks her classmates were sending her as she settled in her seat while Miss Bustier called for attention, starting their lesson.

She just hopes nothing else goes wrong for the rest of the day.

As soon as the bell rang, Marinette packed her things and quickly headed out the door as she took out her phone.

Halfway through the lesson, she realised that she had forgotten to send Aurore a text that she would like to hang out with her.

Hoping she wasn't too late, she began forming her text when she was safely at the bottom of the stairs, not noticing the people passing by her. But before she could send the text, she stiffened when she heard a familiar voice called out to her.

"Marinette! Girl! Wait up a sec!" Alya called out to her.

Marinette turned around to see her classmates coming down the stairs towards her.

"… Yes?" she swallowed, pressing her phone to her chest.

Alya smiled at her, though it looked slightly nervous, "Uh, we were wondering if you wanted to hang out after school. We were thinking of getting ice-cream from André – Max found out where he is for today."

Marinette looked gazed at her classmates, their hopeful gazes staring back at her, "… Uh… I have plans after school…" she shifted her eyes back to Alya when she realised only Adrien and Lila missing from the group, "Why don't you go ahead without me." She suggested, wondering if this was another scheme of the liar.

Having seen her eyes look around for a certain someone, Alya gave her a disappointed frown, thinking her bff didn't want to go because Adrien wasn't here, "I'm sorry I couldn't get Adrien to join. Nino told me he has Chinese lessons." She reported, though she didn't think she needed to tell her that since her girl knew the blond's schedule. However, the other reason why she didn't want to go could be... She didn't notice Alix shaking her head disappointedly at her and the other girls who sympathised with Marinette's 'disappointment'.

Marinette frowned and shook her head at that, "I'm not going because Adrien's not joining, I'm-"

Alya slumped, having truly figured out why she was refusing, "Is this because of Lila?" there was a slight tone of frustration in her voice as she stared disappointedly at Marinette.

The whole Lila thing was getting tiring at this point.

Walking out of her class, Aurore pulled out her phone to check if she'd received any messages from Marinette and let out a sigh when there wasn't any. Just a text that her driver was waiting for her outside.

"Maybe she forgot." She thought. She had heard there was an akuma during lunch when she came back with Mireille. Maybe the akuma distracted her. Just as she was about to send Marinette a confirmation text, she noticed a group down by the stairs.

"Marinette and her classmates?" she noticed Marinette was holding her phone to her chest, looking uncomfortable. Aurore raised a brow when she noticed Alya seemed to be looking exasperated while the others looked disappointed. Walking closer behind the group, she was starting to hear some snippets of their conversation.

"Come on girl. Just give Lila a chance. I know that if you keep an open mind, you guys can be friends."

"I'll pass Alya, I'm a bit busy today…" Marinette pulled into herself with a frown.

"Alya, that's enou-" before Alix could continued, the blonde called out to Marinette, jogging down the stairs with a sunny smile.

"Marinette, are you ready to go?" Aurore swooped in like a summer breeze, startling everyone with her cheery voice.

Everyone shot their heads at the blonde weather girl, standing there with a bright smile, however her eyes held a calm storm in them.

"What?" Alya raised a brow.

Without missing a beat, Aurore twirled her parasol in her hand, "I asked Marinette if she wanted to come with me to the studio as thanks for helping me study."

"Whoa, really?!" Alya asked, excitedly, letting go of Marinette who was surprised, "Wait is that where you've been disappearing to all this time?"

Snapping out of her daze, Marinette nodded, "Y-Yeah."

Alya then turned towards the weather girl, "Do you think we can come as well?" the chance to visit a TV station would be so exciting for her, she hasn't been there since the Prime Queen akuma. Plus, it'll be fun with everyone together!

Giving her an apologetic smile, Aurore linked arms with Marinette, "Not today. It would be rude if I just suddenly bought a group with me without warning."

Down casted, Alya sighed disappointedly and relented, "Fine, maybe next time."

The blonde simply smiled, not answering as she dragged Marinette with her towards the exit.

However, as they walked out of Collège Françoise Dupont, they were met with another obstacle.

"Oh Marinette!" Lila greeted, pushing herself off from the side to stand in front of them looking innocent, "I'm sure you heard from the others just then." She grinned, "Are you ready to get ice-cream with our friends?" her smile was wicked as she stared mockingly at Marinette, but when she realized someone else was with her, her eyes trailed to the blonde with a calculating glint in them, "Oh and who is this? Are you a friend of Marinette's? Would you like to join us?" she asked with a saccharine voice.

Marinette tensed, but before she could answer, Aurore replied.

"Sorry, Marinette and I already have plans and we need to get going before we're late. Now if you excuse us." Aurore replied with her professional smile and led them to her car, passing by the wide-eyed girl who looked appalled at their behaviour. Having felt Marinette tense, she could tell that the two weren't on good terms with each other.

Once in the safety of her car, Marinette breathed out a sigh of relief, "Thanks Aurore."

"Don't worry about it." Aurore waved her off as her driver started taking off once they got their seatbelts on.

Marinette straightened up in her seat, putting her phone away, "I was going to message you that I can go but an akuma appeared and I just forgot about until halfway in class." She sheepishly smiled.

"It's fine. For a minute there, I thought I might have just kidnapped you." She let out a laugh, "Of course, if you had other plans, I would have gotten my driver to drop you back."

Marinette smiled, "It's fine. I want to see you present the weather."

Hearing that, Aurore smiled and closed her eyes, "It might be boring. You sitting there by yourself while I'm working the whole time."

Marinette blinked, "We'll, I was kind of expecting that." she said before her eyes widened and she quickly fixed her blunder, "Not the boring part! Just that I'll be you'll be working and that I'll be sitting for the most part!

Hearing that, Aurore relaxed into her seat, giving Marinette a summary of what will be happening during the whole time they will be in the studio.

As soon as they arrived at TVi studio, Marinette stayed close to Aurore when they approached the entrance where the security guards were standing.

"She's with me." She had told them when one of them turn towards Marinette.

When they reached the reception desk, Aurore signed them in, then handed her a visitor pass from the receptionist before leading her through the building and towards the designated studio where she would be presenting.

"Here, you can watch from here. I'm going to hair and make-up before I go on." Aurore grinned, showing her to an empty chair near some staff members who were busy preparing for the program.

Marinette nodded, taking a seat, "Good luck." She grinned, watching her get called.

"It was really nice of Aurore to invite you." Tikki whispered, popping her head from her purse.

"Yeah, a change of pace is good once in a while." She smiled. She watched as the staff get Aurore ready and led her to the area where she'll be presenting, giving her the run view.

Marinette was excited to see her friend doing what she loves, waiting for her to shine. And once it was time for the weather, Marinette felt blown away.

Aurore was so confident, so charismatic, shining so brightly in front of the camera.

Even though she was just presenting the weather, her entire presence just demands attention.

And it was also when a burst of inspiration hit Marinette as she quickly took out her sketchpad from her school bag.

Watching Aurore leave with Marinette, the class let out a disappointed sigh that their plan failed.

But it couldn't be helped if she already had plans, they just needed to try next time.

They didn't have time to relax as the next moment, they were thrown in shock.

"Guys, Lila has been lying to us all this time." Alix bluntly said. Having gotten Lila to wait for them outside the school to 'surprise' Marinette when they all walked out, Alix thought that she could use the chance to tell the others. Though she didn't think the others would catch up to Marinette so quickly.

Either way, things worked out fine.

Alya let out a groan, "Not this again." First Marinette and now Alix?

"What do you mean?" Kim asked with a frown.

"I don't understand." Mylène furrowed her brows.

Nathaniel bit his lip at his friend's words, "Are you sure? Maybe it's a misunderstanding." He'd learnt his lesson; he didn't want to make the same mistake again.

Alix crossed her arms, "If you don't believe me, just search all the things Lila said or ask her for proof."

Alya crossed her arms as well, "Do you have any proof that she's lying?" Marinette could have just wanted someone on her side and for some reason, Alix was going along with it.

Alix raised a brow and tilted her head at her, "You're the reporter here, you do your job." She bluntly said.

Alya looked at her, appalled, "Excuse me?"

She shrugged, "You heard what I said."

"Dude, that was uncool." Nino frowned.

Alix shrugged, "Then prove me wrong if you don't like it." She challenged, "Look for proof or ask her for proof. If she continues to give excuse after excuse… well," she stared at them with an unimpressed look, "I'm gonna skip this one out. Let you figure things out for yourself." Was all she said before she turned and left, not wanting to engage in a battle of stubbornness. It'll be easier if they look it up themselves instead of just telling them.

Besides, she has faith that they figure things out themselves with a little push.

When Alix was gone, Alya let out a huff, "What's up with that?" she grumbled feeling a little bit peeved by her friend.

"Maybe she's just having a bad day?" Ivan offered

"Come on, let's just all get ice-cream like we planned." Nino offered, hoping to bring everyone's mood up.

But it didn't work as Juleka shook her head, "I'm also gonna skip this one out." she mumbled.

Alya groaned, "Not another one." she grumbled under her breath.

"Are you sure?" Rose asked worriedly.

She nodded, "Yeah, just want to go straight home."

"Oh." Rose took her hands in hers, "Do you want me to come with you?"

She shook her head, "Just need some time by myself." She gently said, not trying to hurt her. She gave her a weak smile, making sure that she had nothing to do with her mood.

Rose stared at her dear friend before relenting, "Okay, then." She then smiled, "I'll tell you what happened, okay?"

"Okay." She smiled tiredly and walked away from the group, clutching at her bag strap.

Arriving back to the mansion, Adrien greeted Nathalie who was waiting by the stairways to his room, her tablet in her hand.

"Adrien." A slight cough slipped out and she covered her mouth with a fist.

"Are you okay, Nathalie?" he asked worriedly.

"It's just a slight cold. Don't worry about it." She dismissed and proceeded with her task, "Your substitute Chinese tutor, Mr Chan, is waiting for you in your room." she informed while checking something off her tablet.

"Mr Chan…?" Adrien blinked before realisation widened his eyes, "Right." He nodded, quickly moving towards the staircase in a run, passing by Nathalie, "I'll go greet him now. Don't want to keep him waiting." He called over his shoulder.

As soon as Adrien closed the door to his room, he looked towards his couch to find the Guardian waiting patiently for him, "Master Fu!" he greeted, wondering what he was doing here.

Plagg flew out from Adrien's jacket, floating out in the open, "Whatever you think I did, I didn't do it." He said instead of a greeting.

Both Master Fu and Adrien stared at Plagg, the former looking unimpressed.

"Since there have been no major accidents, I don't want to hear about it." Master Fu deadpanned while Wayzz flew out of his bag, holding a cheese container, "I'm hear to replenish the power potions," he started.

Plagg groaned, "I hate transforming." He whined.

Master Fu continued, "And to talk to Adrien."

Adrien blinked, "Me?" he asked, going over to sit by his side.

The Guardian nodded, taking the container from his little friend, and handed it over to Adrien.

As the two humans began talking, the kwamis flew elsewhere.

"What did you do?" Wayzz asked, curiously.

Plagg placed his flippers behind his head, leaning back leisurely as they flew towards the second level, "Nothing that you can prove." He smirked mischievously.

"How are you Adrien?" Master Fu started with a kind smile.

Adrien smiled, "I'm fine." But the smile slowly turned worried as he scratched his cheek, "Has something happened to Ladybug?" he asked, "She seemed kind of… distracted on Friday but she looked better today - just wasn't used to having new teammates." He sheepishly smiled, though his eyes turned to a worried look, "But maybe it's more than that... I just… I hope my Lady isn't facing something bad by herself." He would hate it if she were and he wasn't there by her side to comfort her.

Master Fu inwardly raised his brow at that, but kept a calm expression, "The new change of the other heroes had been surprising when confronted in person. I have spoken to her and she is fine now. But let us talk about you, are you also fine with this new change?" he questioned.

He rubbed the back of his head and averted his eyes, "Well, Ladybug did tell me what was going to happen, and it is a shame that Carapace and Rena Rouge has been replaced, but it can't be helped." He sighed; he was going to miss them. He then looked back to the Guardian, "But it's fine. When things get tough, Ladybug and I would just have to do what works best for us, a duo." He confidently smiled, though it wavered when a thought nudged at his mind, "You're not going to replace me, are you?"

Master Fu shook his head, "No, I am not going to do that. It is only the other heroes." He reassured him, receiving a relieved sigh from the boy, "Let us move on. How is school?" he proceeded.

Adrien looked confused by the question, wondering if he went through all the trouble to come here to ask how school was, "It's fine, everything has been going great." He grinned. He'd go to school, hang out with his friends when he could like usual, and go to Fencing practice where he'll spend time with Kagami.

There were some bumps with Lila, but he had things under control.

And if she were going too far, he'd step in and rein her back in line.

There was a furrow between Master Fu's brow as he stroked his beard, "Is that so?" he questioned, "How are your classmates? Anybody causing a disturbance among them?" he tried to lure out. The answer was similar to Marinette's and he wondered if the boy was also trying to cover up the real story.

"They're fine." He answered with a smile, but it slowly faded to a small one as he averted his eyes to the ground, "But, there is this girl who lies." He answered.

"And she tried to steal my cheese!" Plagg suddenly cut in, having been eavesdropping, looking put off.

Adrien sighed, "She didn't steal your cheese, Plagg."

Plagg huffed and crossed his flippers, "Well she was definitely snooping around." He muttered, flying back towards Wayzz who was running across the zipline above the second level.

Master Fu focused on this, hoping that this was the same girl Marinette was talking about, "She sounds like trouble." He pointed out, "What is her name?"

Adrien pursed his lips, "Her name's Lila. Lila Rossi." He stated, "I didn't think her lies were going too far – I thought she was just lying to feel a little less lonely and was craving attention, but…" he frowned at the memory of her intentionally trying to separate him and his Lady, "she really is terrible and then…" another memory of Marinette being expelled because of Lila's schemes flashed through his mind, "and she hurt my friend." He narrowed his eyes at that.

"What did she do?" Master Fu questioned. He could probably guess what the boy will say next, yet it wasn't what he was expecting.

"She got one of my friends expelled." He frowned.

Master Fu's eyes widened, mouth agape, "… What?" Marinette had told him she had been threatened, not… this.

Seeing the shocked look on his face, Adrien quickly assured him, "Don't worry, everything is fine now. I got Lila to fix her mistake by the end of the day and Marinette – my friend, returned back to school."

"How…" Master Fu cleared his throat, "How is this Marinette girl doing?"

"She told me that she was fine." Adrien smiled, looking relieved, "She's always smiling whenever I see her so I guess Lila hasn't been bothering her," his browed furrowed when he remembered how she looked on Friday, "although, she did looked really tired on Friday, but she looked refreshed today!" he assured, "All she needed was a cat nap after all." He grinned as he looked at him.

Master Fu stared at the boy, "I… see." He clasped his hands in his lap, a frown on his face, "How do you know that your friend is truly fine?" he questioned.

Adrien blinked, "Well, she told me that she was fine whenever I asked. And I've also been keeping Lila in check whenever she goes too far." Like insulting his Lady or trying to cause a misunderstanding between Marinette and their friends, "Since Marinette tried to expose her once, it seems Lila is targeting Marinette, but nothing has happened after the expulsion so it's fine." He nodded positively.

"… How often have you been keeping an eye on Lila Rossi?" the Guardian questioned, his eyes slightly narrowed.

At that questioned, Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, whenever I can, but when it's time for lunch, I have to go home to eat, and some days I have fencing practice or modelling right after school so I'm not always there." He looked sheepish, "But nothing seems to be wrong. Things have been peaceful." He recounted, remembering the times he was in class.

Master Fu stared at him before closing his eyes for a moment, collecting his thoughts, a regretful feeling manifesting in his heart.

He was an awful Guardian. Leaving the kids, he chosen to carry such heavy responsibilities, alone. He wouldn't even have appeared in front of them if it weren't for Tikki taking Marinette to him.

He should have checked in on them, face to face, periodically from the start.

"Let's talk about this Marinette girl some more." He solemnly said once he opened his eyes.

"Marinette?" Adrien blinked, and when he saw him nod, he looked up as began thinking about her, a soft smile on his face without him realising, "She's a very good friend of mine and this amazing girl."

"And she has been doing well since her expulsion?" he brought the topic back.

The blond nodded, "Of course." He said without doubt.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because Marinette hates liars, and I trust her to tell me the truth." He leaned back on his couch. If Marinette said she was fine, then he believed her, "She's been the same – a little jumpy but that's normal whenever we talk." He nodded. She hasn't fumbled her words in front of him recently and he hoped that was a sign that they were becoming good friends.

Master Fu frowned patiently, "Adrien." He stared out the window, "Sometimes, a person hides behind their smiles." He began, receiving the boy's wide blinking eyes, "What you see may not always be what you think." He closed his eyes in remorse as memories of Marinette curled into herself, painfully gasping for air, flashed through his mind, "You need to look beyond the surface in order to give the support they need. I understand that it may be hard with how you were raised, but you can't always believe what you see or hear."

"But…" Adrien didn't know what to say.

"Does anyone else know that they are being lied to?"

Adrien slowly shook his head, "Only Marinette and I." he then looked at him with furrowed brows, "But as long as Marinette and I know the truth, does it really matter? If we expose Lila, she be akumatised again, but if she ever goes too far, we could always fix things before they get too out of hand."

"But it was already too late." Master Fu pointed out with a solemn frown, "She succeeded in getting Marinette expelled." He stared intently at the blond, "Nothing had been prevented before that. Who knows what else Lila could do if nothing is done?" he took a breath, "Not only that, the others will get hurt when they find out they have been lied to this whole time and then we'll have not just one, but many akumas loose."

"But Lila as an akuma is dangerous." He weakly defended. Out of all the akumas they faced, Volpina was the one who was the closest to getting his Lady to hand over her Miraculous, "If we just expose her, she would just become another akuma, like Chameleon." He pointed out.

"So you are willing to let the others be akumatised in her stead?"

"My Lady and I can handle them." He stubbornly responded.

"Adrien." Master Fu frowned, sounding slightly disappointed.

Adrien flinched, disliking the tone.

Master Fu took a breath, "Have you done anything to warn your friends at least?"

"I…" he wanted to say he has.

But he hasn't. He didn't want the smiles to disappear from his friend's faces when they find out everything was a lie.

He wanted everything to stay the same, the nice atmosphere where everyone was happy – keeping the peace between them.

He wanted to protect that to the point that he bargained his friendship to Lila.

Seeing the conflicted look in the boy's face, Master Fu let out a sigh, "I understand that your support is genuine, but sometimes, you need to take more actions towards a cause instead of standing by." He gently advised.

Adrien nodded mutely.

Master Fu let out a sigh, "Why don't we proceed with your Chinese lesson."

Coming out of his meditation when he finally heard slow dragging footsteps coming towards their room, Luka opened his eyes to see his sister coming in with a frown on her guilt-ridden face as she clutched her phone.

"Juleka?" he called out worriedly, watching as she dumped her bag on her vanity table and stood there for a bit.

"I got the email." She muttered, taking a deep breath, and releasing it in a shudder. Closing her eyes, she climbed onto her bed and brought her knees up, wrapping her arms around them.

Standing up from his bed, Luka listened to the sad song she was releasing as he responded gently, "Did you get Adrien to check it?"

Juleka buried her head deeper into her knees as she shook her head, "I didn't need to." Her reply was muffled and quiet that Luka almost couldn't hear.

He smiled a sad sympathetically smile as he crossed over to her side of the room, "So you know, huh."

Wordlessly, she handed her phone over to him after tapping on a few things.

He reached for her phone and stared at the screenshot of the email.

From a glance, it looked like a legitimate email - from the Gabriel Agreste logo to the address, but as he looked closely, he could see some careless spelling errors here and there, as well as the misspelt 'Sancouer' on the bottom.

While the liar will go the extra mile for her lies, she was pretty sloppy with her work.

"Everyone knows that an assistant of Gabriel Agreste wouldn't make such mistakes." Juleka mumbled, squeezing her legs tighter as her breathing began picking up. She didn't lift her head up when she felt her bed dip slightly as Luka sat next to her, placing a comforting arm around her while the other soothed her back to calm her down.

"Breathe." coaxed Luka's soothing voice, "Take your time, there's no one here but you and me." he gently reminded.

It worked as she felt her breathing slow down, taking deep breathes and releasing it slowly into the quiet humming of the room, accompanied by the gentle sway of the river outside. Once she finally got her bearings straightened out, she spoke in a sombre tone, "I owe an apology to Marinette, don't I?" for all the times she doubted her and was easily swept by such pretty lies.

Luka swayed them slightly, "Only if you mean it." Marinette didn't deserve such half-hearted apologies. She deserves more than that.

"I know-I just…" Juleka let out a shuddering breath, her eyes watery. "Do you think she'll forgive me?" she had been such a fool, believing in someone she knew for only a few weeks while doubting Marinette who she really got to know since the beginning of this year. And even when they shared the same class in the previous years, she could tell just what kind of person Marinette was.

"I don't know." He truthfully said, feeling his sister flinch, "That's up to Marinette to decide." While it would be nice if Marinette and his sister continued to be friends, that wasn't up to him to decide, it was Marinette's. And even if Marinette doesn't want to stay friends, he won't interfere with her choice, "But remember, Jule." He leaned his head against her, his voice taking a softer tone, "If Marinette doesn't accept your apology, then you need to accept it. You can try salvaging whatever's left of your friendship, but don't force her to change her mind, okay? She already went through a lot." He closed his eyes with a sad frown as memories of her crying in his arms flashed through his head.

Juleka leaned her head against her brother's shoulder, pushing against it lightly, "I know." She quietly said, closing her eyes in sorrow. Even if Marinette doesn't forgive her, or want to be friends, she hoped they could at least talk.

Such a thought was funny coming from her.

From the walk from school till her home, the conflicted frown continued to stay on Rose's face.

When they met Lila outside the school, relaying the sudden change of plans, Lila had looked guilty that maybe Marinette had refused to go with them because of her and began crying. They had reassured her that it wasn't like that, offering to treat her to ice-cream to cheer her up.

Alix's words had gotten stuck in their heads as once they had all gotten their ice-cream and Lila started telling them all the amazing things she'd done, they began asking for photos, only to have Lila say that unfortunately she left them back home in Italy.

When she continued to evade their questionings, Rose could see the troubled looks on her friend's faces as they subtly glanced at each other.

To think that their kind friend was lying to them all this time was very heartbreaking to believe.

She wanted to believe that Lila wasn't a liar. She was just an amazing and sweet person. And she was on TV! Even Adrien confirmed that she models for his father!

But Alix said…

And before that, Marinette had…

Rose pursed her lips, looking like she wanted to cry.

Everything was just so confusing.

When Rose arrived at her home, she checked the mailbox, grabbing the 3 letters that were inside. As she shifted through them, her eyes widened in delight at the familiar envelope and penmanship staring back at her, and she let out an excited gasp.

It was a letter from her Prince!

Notes:

Hi everyone, sorry for the late update. Writing the akuma scene kinda held me back since I had trouble coming up with one so it may seem kinda rushed.

If anything seems off, like the flow, any of the scenes, or if it's too rushed, you can let me know and I'll fix it.

Hope you enjoyed reading this!

Vulpes is Latin for Fox

Chapter 17: Unraveled

Notes:

#
Sorry for the long absence, do people still remember this fanfic?
Anyway, hope you enjoy this long chapter. Happy readings.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Clipped to her clipboard were the recent sales of the concert tickets and CDs sold this month which had been forced on her by an unhappy Bob Roth who unannouncedly dropped by the suite in a pointless rage.

Penny Rolling stared at the papers with a frown.

Honestly, it wasn't really that big of a deal, but it would be another headache to deal with if Bob were to come down to the hotel again and complain how sales aren't up to satisfactory before next week.

Seriously, him and his greedy little…

She took a deep breath to calm down.

They didn't really need to do anything. Soon enough, Jagged would bounce back to the top of the charts like usually, especially after he releases a new song. He was in the middle of releasing one and just needed to find a guitarist for his backup.

Though, Penny couldn't help but feel a bit worried at the results when she looked closely at the papers. From the looks of the graphs presented, there was a slight dip from their older audience target. Usually, it would be their teenage audience that would cause their sales to waver (their main target audience) especially when new songs from other artists or new stars appears, so Penny couldn't understand why their older audience were affected this much all of a sudden when nothing new had appeared.

Anxiously clicking her pen, she glanced up to see the Rockstar giving belly scratches to his beloved crocodile in the middle of the luxurious suite's floor.

Jagged had told her not to worry about it when Bob had come barging in, huffingly shoving the report in their faces and raging at them, but a part of Penny was still a bit worried.

She hoped it was just nothing as she flipped through the pages on her clipboard to her own papers and began taking her phone out to confirm some reservations that Jagged had in the afternoon.

The afternoon where the majority of the students from Miss Bustier's class had went to get ice-cream with Lila had been an awkward and uncomfortable one.

They hadn't wanted to think that Lila was lying to them this whole time, hoping that it was just a simple misunderstanding that got Alix (and Marinette) to be doubtful of their new friend.

But as they did as Alix had told them to – ask for proof, they had gotten more anxious when every time they asked, Lila had simply given them an apologetic smile, telling them some sort of excuse each time they asked.

Of course, each of her reasons were plausible… and very coincidental.

Her photos were left back home in Italy, having been developed instead of having used her phone to take photos at the time.

Asking all her celebrity friends not to post anything about her online since she didn't want to be stalked, but she also wanted to have a peaceful life.

Not only that, she requested for any social media not to post her heroic deeds since she was shy about it.

All her musical, arts, sports skills were rusty since it has been a while/or because her arthritis acts up in the most inconvenient times.

The group wanted to believe her, but after the seventh excuse in a row…

The closest proof that they got was a cheerful, 'I'll bring you my photos of the time when I was in the Kingdom of Achu to you, tomorrow!'.

Which should have been relieving…

… But it would also give her time to come up with something like…

They didn't want to suspect their friend.

Alya had tried to justify her reasonings, though gradually panicking with a nervous smile after each reason Lila had thrown out.

There had been a bit of an uncomfortable awkward silence after the latest excuse which Lila noticed and had asked them what's wrong with a worryingly smiled aimed towards them.

Kim had nervously rubbed the back of his head with a nervous smile, "Well, uh… it's nothing, but um…"

Mylène kindly tried to find the right words with a smile that mirrored Kim's, "It's… um… really a shame that you can't show them to us." She had weakly chuckled, fidgeting.

Lila had blinked her wide eyes at them, her hand coming up to cover her mouth in shock, "You… don't believe me?" she had lowered her head, and began to sniff, the first sign of a tear coming, "I would never lie to you, guys!" she had cried, causing the others to panic, "Did Mar-?"

Alya had flustered, quickly dismissing her, "Of course we believe you!" she had reassured her, giving her ice-cream to Nino to hold so she could place her hands on Lila's quivering shoulders to reassure her, "Right, everyone?" she had looked over her shoulders to address them.

They had all quickly nodded, not wanting for Lila to be upset.

Max had pushed up his glasses, "And if you bring in the photos tomorrow, I am 87% sure that things will be fine." He had calmly injected, genuine sincerity in his statement.

"Max!" Alya had scolded at his insensitivity.

Lila had sniffed, wiping at her eyes with her free hand, "It's fine. I can do that." She had smiled kindly at them.

After that, things had been smoothed over with Alya asking Lila her time at the celebrity charity event that she had attended. Even though Alya had already heard about it and had asked everything that she wanted, the others hadn't since the akuma had occurred and that whatever time remained before class had been used to plan an outing with Marinette.

What once had their full attention, the group was only paying half-attention, their mind plague with uneasy thoughts.

That had been yesterday.

And walking to school with an impatient frown, was a tired Alya walking up the steps of Collège Françoise Dupont.

It wasn't because she was worried about Lila. What she said yesterday had made sense. Of course there wouldn't be anything about her on the web since she had asked not to be mentioned for privacy's sake. And the only reason why her name only showed up on Agreste-related things and her blog when searched up was because Lila was comfortable enough to allow it since they were friends. Everything would be fine when she arrives to school with the photos she promised.

No, she wasn't worried about Lila at all.

She has complete faith in their friend…

Complete…

The only reason why she couldn't sleep was because her blog had been keeping her up.

It had been blowing up with notifications.

Normally, she would have been excited.

With all these views and traffic, her blog was a hit!

But how could she when the number of comments were about the new Fox hero?

When she scrolled through the comment section, a part of her had been happy that people were wondering where Rena Rouge was, asking for her well-being.

But the feeling had been overshadowed when the people had seemed to 'moved on' from the previous heroes, accepting the new changes that were made, supporting whatever decision that Ladybug was making.

She had call Nino, discussing if Lila couldn't change Ladybug's mind after all and if this was the end of their superhero career.

Nino had tried to calm her down, saying that maybe they'll be back to being by Ladybug's side one day and that they just had to be patient.

The blogger reluctantly nodded to that.

But she wanted to help Ladybug now.

Letting out a deep sigh, just as Alya was about to walk through the entrance of the school, wanting a distraction to take her mind off the superhero issue, a familiar voice called out to her.

Turning around, she saw her boyfriend jogging the rest of the way to her, a comforting smile on his face.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as soon as he stood in front of her, remembering last night's call.

Alya simply let out a sigh, "I just hope its isn't too late for Lila to change Ladybug's mind. I just want to help her as much as I can." She said, not noticing the awkward smile Nino was sporting when 'Lila' was mentioned.

"Yeah…" Nino scratched the back of his head, his eyes staring to the side. Honestly, he had wanted to trust in their friend, but the more Lila gave out her reasons, the more he got… worried. At first, he wasn't going to fact check all the girl's stories, choosing to believe in her, but he just couldn't help it and he tried searching up just one… and then another… and another. Only to get results from his girlfriend's blog and some mentions in his dude's interview.

It was really worrying when he couldn't find anything else.

He thought to call his girlfriend.

She was the expert in this. Maybe she knew where to look for the information because he wasn't having such luck. But before he could call her, she had beat him to it and called, sounding down.

He could at least take a hint and restrained himself from broaching the topic of Lila's stories when he saw her during their video call last night.

Hearing Nino hesitate, Alya looked up with a raised brow. Before she could ask what was wrong, her eyes caught sight of their friends: Mylène, Ivan, Kim, Max and Nath huddled in a corner.

Their faces frowning and worried.

Frown deepening, Alya hasten her walk towards them with Nino by her side.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" she tried to smile, but it came out strained.

They turned, their faces looking anxious.

Nathaniel was the first to voice their concerns, hugging his notebook tightly to his chest, "Well…" he started nervously, "After we all went home… we uh – decided to check up on Lila's stories."

Alya frowned.

Kim crossed his arms, his brows furrowing, "I couldn't find anything."

Both Ivan and Mylène nodded with the latter fidgeting with her fingers as she said, "The only thing that came up was your blog and a few interviews that mentioned her when she modelled with Adrien and one of his interviews."

Max pushed up his glasses, adjusting it, "I even got Markov to connect to the internet to verify anything about what Lila Rossi had said in the past, but according to him, there was nothing that supported her claims nor mentioned anything about her deeds. The only thing that could be founded was as Mylène stated."

Alya crossed her arms, looking displeased, "Oh come on, guys." She huffed, "She told us that she didn't want her name mentioned and told them not to talk about her for privacy sake." She reminded.

"We know, but…" Ivan frowned, averting his eyes, confliction reflected in them, "maybe… there's a chance that she made all that up?" he suggested, rubbing the back of his neck, looking conflicted.

Alya squeezed her arms, bitting the inside of her cheek, "Not you guys too." She didn't understand why things were happening the way they are now, "Lila's our friend." She reminded them, "She has been nothing but kind to us since the very beginning. And she's done so much for us – using her connections to call in favours and mentioning us to all these amazing people!" for what reason would their generous friend lie to them? "And when we see those pictures from her time in Kingdom of Achu, I'm sure it'll settle whatever you're thinking." She stated with an encouraging smile, trying to assure them, "We need to trust our friend on this. It wouldn't be fair to Lila just because the things she's done isn't shown on the web." She turned to Nino who jumped a bit, "Right?"

"Uh… of course." Nino stuttered, laughing nervously, "Lila's our friend. She hasn't shown any reason for us to not trust her."

Nathaniel fidgeted, looking a bit tense, "Yeah, you're probably right." he smiled uncomfortably. He didn't want to jump to conclusions again. He had misunderstood Marc and Marinette's intentions with the comic book, and then hurt the latter by thinking she was a bad friend. And now he was doubting Lila.

He didn't want to keep making the same mistake. Again.

Mylène nodded with a smile, though her brows were furrowed, "We should talk about something else instead of this. We're just going to be paranoid if we keep talking about this." She tried to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, like a certain someone…" Alya melancholy thought fondly with a smile, but inwardly shook her head. Things will get better. Yesterday's plan with Marinette had been a total bust but then again, she just needed to come up with a better plan, one that would get a sure-fire acceptance from Marinette. As she was beginning to get pumped, her blood froze, her whole body tensing when Kim started their next topic.

"I saw the new hero yesterday on your blog, Alya!" Kim exclaimed, thinking that this was a good change of topic. It was about superheroes! Who wouldn't want to talk about that?!

Nino glanced at Alya worriedly before back to the group with an uneasy smile, "Uh… guys, maybe-"

"Oh, right!" Ivan blinked, looking at a quiet Alya, "He showed up near the end of your video." He remembered.

"I wonder how Ladybug picks the superheroes. I wish I could be one." Kim sighed dreamily, "The powers." He made a muscle, "The secrets." He straightened up with a finger in front of his lips, "The costume." He then twirled around, and striked a superman pose before turning his head to them with a grin, "That would be awesome, right?"

The others, but two, let out a small laugh at the athlete's exuberant actions.

"How can I become one?" Kim continued as he straightened up, "You think there's some kind of superhero school, or something? Or maybe more like some super secret training facility?" he guessed with his finger doing a thinker pose under his chin.

"According to my speculations," Max adjusted his glasses on his nose, "I'm 87% positive that Ladybug is the one to hand them out as she arrives and disappears with the other superheroes, although the last two times she did not." He let out a calculating hum at the sudden change of variable before moving on to his next speculation, "98.2% positive that their enhanced strength comes from the jewels. However, I can't determine if the jewels also give the wearer their skills or if they had developed them beforehand. So the probability of there existing a- as you say, 'superhero school or a super secret training facility' isn't impossible." He stated.

Kim only crossed his arms and let out a hum, thinking his friend's words over, "Jewels, huh." He then blinked, "You think Ladybug is thinking about another superhero? I'm pretty good in the water!" He grinned.

Ivan chuckled at the athlete's push for swimming, "Who knows, this is the second time a new superhero appeared." He shrugged, "Maybe one of us will be next."

Nobody noticed Alya's hands gripping her arms, but Nino who wrapped an arm around her shoulder, trying to give her some comfort.

"A new superhero, huh." Nathaniel hummed, getting lost in thought.

"What's wrong?" Mylène asked.

Nathaniel let out a troubled smile, "Well, ever since Chelona appeared instead of Carapace, Marc and I were discussing if we should replace him with her." he didn't notice Nino flinched, "But we're holding it off since this could be just a one-time thing, but then Rena Rouge got replaced." He sighed, thinking about what to do before they showed their next issue of comic to their editor. "So now we're trying to decide if we should switch Carapace and Rena Rouge with the new superheroes, or just keep them as it is." They also needed to consider their readers' feelings if they were to switch.

"R-Replaced?" Nino chuckled nervously, "Maybe it's just… uh, a coincidence! And this really is a one-time thing. I'm sure Rena Rouge and Carapace will be back by Ladybug's side in no time!" he tried, peering at Alya with a comforting, though unconfident, smile.

Before Nathaniel could respond, the group was rudely startled by a haughty voice.

"You really think those super lame losers will be coming back?"

They all turned to see Chloé walking towards them with crossed arms and head arrogantly held high.

Sabrina following behind, carrying their bags.

"Oh… hey, Chloé." Mylène warily smiled at her with politeness.

Chloé ignored her greeting, flipping her ponytail behind her shoulder, "It's about time Ladybug finally realise how tacky Rena Rouge and Carapace are. Though it's utterly ridiculous how she didn't ask me first and chose another batch of lame superheroes. They are just embarrassing themselves without Queen Bee there."

Alya glared at her, placing her fists against her sides as she stepped forward, "Didn't Ladybug say that you wouldn't be Queen Bee anymore because it could endanger the people you love since Hawk Moth knows your identity?" she crossed her arms with clenched teeth.

Chloé's eye twitched, but continued on obnoxiously, "Ladybug just needs to open her eyes. Once she realises how lame the new replacement heroes are, she'll come begging to me to be Queen Bee again." She huffed and the lifted her nose in the air, "Besides, who else can be Queen Bee but moi?"

"Nobody, Chloé! You'll always be Queen Bee!" Sabrina gushed encouragingly with a smile on her face.

Chloé smirked, "That's right, no one can ever replace me, just you watch. Sooner or later, I'll be back." She confidently announced before turning around and leaving with an air of arrogance, "Come, Sabrina!"

"Yes, Chloé!" Sabrina responded, running after her best friend.

The group watched her leave with a dumbfounded expression, wondering if Chloé only came over to remind them of Queen Bee.

Nino moved closer to Alya, leaning down to whisper in her ear, "Are you alright?"

She took a deep calming breath and relaxed her shoulders, "Yeah." It was just Chloé being Chloé, nothing new there. The whole superhero sitch has totally gone to her head and there was no way Ladybug would willingly let Chloé be Queen Bee again.

Ivan had a thoughtful look on his face before he turned to look at the blogger, "When did Ladybug say that Chloé won't be Queen Bee anymore?"

The two ex-heroes flinched.

Nino rubbed the back of his head, "Uh… well… That is…" he fumbled, they couldn't tell them the truth that they were there when Ladybug told her.

Luckily, Alya was able to come up with an excuse.

"An inside scoop of mine said they heard it from Ladybug herself." Alya interjected with a nervous grin. She wasn't lying. She was there when Ladybug told Chloé that she could no longer be Queen Bee.

"Really? Who?" Kim curiously asked.

Alya gave them a wink, "Sorry guys, top secret, classified information." She pressed her fist against her hips, "Can't reveal my sources that easily." She said as she inwardly sighed in relief when they accepted her excuse. Though her relief soon settled into sorrow at the prospect that they might really be replaced forever.

Yesterday afternoon, Lila had spent her evening taking photos around her home and using the same backdrop she had used for when she was staying in Kingdom of Achu in the video chat with the class during Heroes Day.

She had also taken a photo of her wrist wearing her bracelet, that Prince Ali had so generously gifted her, against the kitchen floors, using the brown granite tiles as the exotic floors of the palace, and adjusting the lighting for effect.

The rest of the photos was found over the internet when she needed photos of the palace.

She had gotten up early to get those photos developed, getting that glossy finish.

It had been expensive, but if it'll get the others to re-establish their trust (for whatever reason) in her, then this was just a small price to pay.

But even so…

Walking to school with the printed-out photos tucked in her shoulder bag, Lila was in a sour mood.

How dare they?

After all that I've done for them, they wanted to see proof?

Some people were just ungrateful with what they have.

But she had to wonder where the doubt had come from.

Was that Marinette dummy acting out again even though she had lost?

But she had made sure that the strain between Marinette and the fools would keep them apart. Although, she would need to put a bigger one seeing what was happening now.

Another thought occurred to her and Lila narrowed her eyes in thought.

Was there another goody two shoes who wanted to call her out?

She inwardly shook the thought away.

There was no way there was another person.

They aren't smart enough to figure it out and there was no way it was Adrien who planted the idea in their heads, the boy was too naïve and wouldn't risk breaking the 'peace' that he thinks they're in.

Maybe she was just overthinking it, but then why were they so persistent?

She clenched her fist and glared.

Maybe it really was Marinette who told them. She, who poured out her heart to everyone, had to try one more time and warn the others, causing the gullible fools to doubt their amazing exotic friend.

Lila wasn't going to give up her reign over Collège Françoise Dupont, and she was going to remind Marinette of her place.

And even if Marinette wasn't the culprit, it didn't matter.

She was feeling a little vindictive.

Making her entrance, Lila spotted the others from yesterday in huddle by the locker room. Plastering on a smile, she jogged towards them, waving an arm as she called out to them in a cheerful voice.

"Good morning, everyone!" she was expecting a warm welcome, but what she received was anxious looking eyes and uneasy smiles.

"Hey, Lila." They all replied.

She inwardly glared at them for the lack of enthusiasm, "Did they figure something out?" she wondered. Only Alya had looked relieved when she had arrived, "What had they been talking about?"

"What's with everyone?" she smiled innocently at them, "You don't look very cheerful." She giggled, tilting her head at them.

Alya waved her off, "It's nothing. Just, mornings, y'know?" she chuckled, "But I'm sure those photos of Kingdom of Achu would change that in no time."

Lila let out a hum as she smiled sweetly at them. Reaching the flap of her bag, she reached inside of it, "Well, good news!" she pulled the recently developed photos from the store's packaging, leaving the receipt inside, "Since I moved here, everything is kind of everywhere, so it was a bit hard looking for them." She let out a chuckle as she placed the flap of her bag back, "I had to call my mom but eventually, I was able to find them." She handed them over to Alya with a bright grin.

Alya felt a bit bad for making her go through the trouble for them even though she was a busy person, but if it will put their friends' mind at ease, it'll be worth it, "Sorry about the trouble." She smiled apologetically, "But we just really wanted to see."

Lila shook her head, "It's no trouble at all! I got to reminisce through memory lane when I was shifting through my album." She chuckled, watching as the others crowded around Alya as she began going through her photos.

"Whoa, the palace looks so awesome!" Kim commented as Nino nodded in agreement.

Lila nodded, telling stories on each of the photos they went through, wowing them with tales.

"Rose would be happy to see these." Mylène smiled, but as Alya continued to shift through them, she couldn't help but furrow her brows, "Do you have any pictures with Prince Ali?" she asked. She was sure Rose would want to see a photo of her friend after not being in contact for a while.

Lila let out a disappointed sigh, solemnly shaking her head, "Unfortunately, I couldn't. There wasn't a good opportunity since he had all these meetings that he had to attend to. And when we did meet up, he looked so tired. It would've been rude of me to ask him for a photo when he didn't look his best."

"That's a bummer." Ivan sympathised, as he continued to stare at the photos.

"It truly is." Lila nodded with a sigh.

Once Alya had shifted back to the beginning, she handed the stack of photos back with a smile, "It looked like you had a fun time there." She then looked over her shoulder, giving a look that said, 'See? There was no reason to doubt her.'

Max pushed up his glasses, "I can see that these photos are authentic." He said, nodding at the evidence.

Lila simply gave them a smile, taking the photos back just as the bell rang for the start of class.

What fools.

Rose walked to school with bags under her eyes, an unusual sight for the bright and happy girl.

She couldn't sleep last night, the contents of Prince Ali's letter leaving her aghast as it revealed a frightening revelation.

She just couldn't believe it.

How could this be?

There must be some sort of misunderstanding.

There was no way that Lila was… that Lila…

But she was.

The evidence was in her bag, but she didn't know how to go on about this…

Dear Miss Rose,

It was great receiving your latest letter, I've been looking forward to our letter exchanges since I've been, how you would say, swamp with preparing for my next campaign for the children's hospital, so my apologies for not sending you a letter for a while…

Rose blissfully sighed as she read her Prince plans for the sick children.

Bless him and his heart of gold.

Although as she had continued to read, her brows had furrowed at what was written next.

… About your letter, I am a bit confused as to who this 'Lila' person is. I've never done a project with this person, nor have I met someone with the name. Maybe she was talking about a different Prince with the same name and kingdom as mine? Is this, what you would say, a totally bizarre coincidence?

Maybe you could tell me more about this or when I visit Paris sometime soon. I look forward to hanging out with you again!

Ali

Rose stared with shocked eyes, the letter in her hands crinkled with her trembling hands.

Her eyes must be playing tricks on her, there was no way that she read right.

"This just can't be true." She gasped out.

But as she read the contents over and over and over again, there was no mistake.

If her Prince didn't know who Lila was, then was Lila… all this time?

Why would Lila lie?

How could someone so sweet like Lila lie?

How could someone so kind like Lila do something like this?

How could someone who has been nothing but generous, someone who was helping Juleka get a shot in the modelling world, just lie?

Her eyes watered as she hoped that this was just a misunderstanding and that Lila just lied about this one thing, but as her eyes trailed over to her laptop, she took one step forward and another towards it.

Placing the crinkled letter aside, Rose's trembling fingers began searching everything Lila ever told them, all the wonderful stories, all the kind deeds she has ever done, all the charities she attended.

But nothing showed up.

Only Alya's blog and a few mentions of her with Adrien.

Straightening back, she covered her mouth in shock.

Was everything Lila said, a lie?

Was she even going to help Juleka with her dream?

There was a small part of her that hoped that Lila really is planning on helping Juleka since her modelling for Mr Agreste was actually true, but seeing how nothing else was true…

Her heart stuttered in pain as she thought about her dear friend would look heartbroken at being lied to.

She needed to tell Juleka – tell her friends before their feelings get hurt.

She wondered who else knew about this and Marinette's name appeared in her mind.

"See that? It's obvious she doesn't have a sprained wrist."

"If you claim to have done modelling and have these connections with all these celebrities that you speak of, then why aren't you on any of the fashion magazines?"

"Those promises that Lila made you. Has she ever come through with them?"

"Marinette…" she whimpered, squeezing her eyes in guilt and shame. Lila had gotten her framed and they hadn't stood by her when the Mr Damocles expelled her. Was she disappointed in them? How much of her smiles were truly real? They barely hung out now and she didn't know whether she was okay or not.

Their actions must have hurt her.

Rose felt ashamed of herself.

She needed to talk to her, but will Marinette give her the chance? Did she even want to talk to them?

Biting her lips, Rose tried to wipe her eyes dry, looking determined as her eyes watered again.

Marinette knew the truth.

And now, she'll get the others to see the truth before it's too late!

Even though last night she had been determined, she felt nervous waiting to go to school.

She was nervous about bringing bad news to her friend, not wanting to damper their feelings.

But they have to know the truth! Otherwise they'll get hurt and Rose didn't want her friends to be unhappy.

They should be happy! Enjoying all the happiness they can get!

And before they make any drastic decision because of Lila's lies, she'll tell them!

Thinking that seemed to have renewed her resolve as Rose eye's blazed in determination, marching towards the stairs of Collège Françoise Dupont, however, just as she put one foot on the steps, the corner of her eyes caught sight of her dear friend arriving on her bike.

"Juleka!" she called out, turning around and rushing towards her friend who was chaining her bike to the designated area that was in front of the station's entrance.

Juleka looked up, blinking her gloomy eyes, though they soon turned surprised when her small friend suddenly wrapped her up in her arms, hugging her tight, "R-Rose? What's wrong?" she asked, returning the hug.

Staring up at her pretty friend, Rose eyes watered the more she stared at her, her heart clenched in pain at what she was about to say, "I found out something terrible!"

Slipping one hand free, Juleka petted her blonde hair, "What is it?" she murmured with a soft frown. She was already nervous whether Marinette would forgive her or not. Whether knowing the truth now was too late and wondered what she could do to make it up to her. She knew that she should at least warn their friends about Lila, and she was nervous about breaking the bad news to everyone, but now something happened with Rose and her anxiety shot up, not wanting to pile anymore bad news on top of that.

She felt panicked.

Rose took a deep breath and let go of her friend. Reaching for the flap of her bag to retrieve Prince Ali's letter, she began, "I know this might be hard to believe," she bit her lip, her hand hesitating, but she pushed forward with a shaky voice, "but Lila has been…". She didn't want Juleka to be let down, but if she didn't tell her, she will be even more disappointed in the future. With that thought, she swallowed down the lump in her throat and continued, "… Lila has been-" just as she was about to pull the letter out, she was stunned as Juleka finished her sentence.

"- has been lying to us. I know." She finished when she realised what her friend was going to say.

Rose looked up, surprised, "You know?" she breathed.

Juleka nodded, solemnly.

Releasing the flap of her bag, she clasped their hands together, "Since when?"

The taller girl fidgeted, "I got it confirmed yesterday." She explained, "That email that Lila sent me? It was a fake." She pulled one hand free to pull out her phone, retrieving the 'email' to show the screenshot that Lila sent her, "There's too many mistakes and that's not how you would spell 'Sancoeur', how could someone spell their own name wrong?" she pointed out each mistakes to her friend with a sad frown.

"Oh, Juleka." Rose heart cried out for her at the disappointed look in her eyes, "Are you okay?"

Juleka shook her head, not wanting to talk about it as she put her phone away and diverted the topic back, "How did you find out?" she asked.

"I received a letter from my Prince yesterday." She looked down at her bag, "He said that he never done a project with Lila or even know who she is." She breathed out, finally pulling the letter from her bag to show her the contents of it.

Juleka read it, and just as Rose said, Prince Ali doesn't know Lila, "We're really stupid." She self-loathingly muttered under her breath. They had been swept away with such pretty lies that they never even bothered to question it.

Rose bit her lip, hating the way her friend put herself down, "It's not too late!" she encouraged optimistically, "We can fix this! We can tell the others so they won't fall for anymore of her lies!"

Juleka returned her letter and then grabbed her own arm, "But how would we make it up to Marinette?" her voice trembled. They'll tell the others, but then what? Luka had said that Marinette has been through so much, would it even matter if everyone now knows the truth? She could already see that she was pulling away from them.

Rose furrowed her brows, pressing the letter to her chest with hunched shoulders, "I don't know, but I want to apologize to her no matter what." She breathed out.

Juleka stared at Rose. Right, at the very least, they should apologise to Marinette and from there, try to figure out how they could make it up to her, "Alright, that's a start." She nodded in agreement, "Let's go tell the others about Lila."

"Okay!" Rose nodded, determined.

Marinette walked to school with not a dreading frown, but with a smile on her face while humming her song that Luka created for her.

It feels like it has been forever since she walked to school with a genuine smile on her face.

And how could she not when yesterday afternoon had just been the best!

From watching Aurore present the weather, she was able to design an evening gown. She could just picture it! A deep blue on the top that slowly blends with various other blues on the skirt, simmering like little stars under the light. It'll look amazing!

She had apologised for not paying attention, but Aurore had waved her off, glad that she just wasn't bored the whole time while she worked. Though afterwards, she was curious on what she was sketching, and Marinette had promised to show her when she was done.

She wasn't able to finish it by the time Aurore finished, but she did this morning.

She wanted to show her, and if Aurore happens to like the design then Marinette hoped that she'll let her make it for her, seeing how she was the inspiration for the dress.

It had been late when Aurore dropped her home and Marinette had called Luka before going to sleep, wanting to just tell him everything and he had been happy to listen, glad that she had fun.

He had ended her day by playing her song, lulling her to sleep and Marinette couldn't have asked for a better end to a day.

"You look happy." Tikki pointed out, peeking through the open clasp of her purse.

Marinette stopped her humming to respond, a soft smile on her face, "Yeah, I can't wait to show Aurore the design. You think she'll like it?" she asked, looking down at her purse.

Tikki grinned widely, "Of course she'll like it! She'll love it! There's no way she won't!" she had been so happy to see Marinette's passion back, and the dress was one of the most beautiful design she had ever seen!

Marinette let out a small giggle at the little god's enthusiasm and continued towards the school with her head held up, thought her smile slightly faltered at the sight of Collège Françoise Dupont.

"Marinette?" Tikki called out in concern.

She shook her head, "No, it's nothing." Marinette gave out a crooked smile, "Just… my classmates…" she was glad that Aurore had showed up at the right time to whisk her away from them yesterday, but… she took a calming breath, relaxing her shoulders.

She could do this.

She was no longer going to bound herself to them, and it isn't her responsibility to look after them, no matter what she thought.

She was going to do what she wanted.

And right now, she was looking forward to lunch so she can meet up with Aurore.

Smiling at meeting up with Aurore at lunch, Marinette moved one foot up the steps towards the entrance of the school.

She was also going to hang out with Luka after school and that was something to look forward to after lunch, which gave her strength to continue the rest of the way.

Today was going to be a good day.

"Sometimes, a person hides behind their smiles. What you see may not always be what you think. You need to look beyond the surface in order to give the support they need. I understand that it may be hard with how you were raised, but you can't always believe what you see or hear."

Master Fu's words continued to echo in Adrien's head repeatedly as he was driven to school by Gorilla.

Was what Master Fu said, a precaution or was Marinette not fine this whole time?

And all those times he asked Marinette if she was okay... had that been a lie?

Were all those smiles she showed, fake?

Did Lila do something while he wasn't around?

Or was he just overthinking it?

He hoped he was simply overthinking and that his friend is truly alright.

But if what Master Fu said was true and Marinette have been hiding behind her smiles this whole time, did that mean that she didn't trust him enough to confide in him when things were becoming tough?

Why didn't she come to him for help?

Aren't they friends?

Or is this not something you would talk about even with a friend?

If so, then how long have Marinette been forcing herself?

Adrien frowned the more he thought about Marinette.

He had thought that everything had been going well.

He had been doing everything he could to make sure Lila wasn't targeting Marinette.

"I understand that your support is genuine, but sometimes, you need to take more actions towards a cause instead of standing by."

He furrowed his brows.

He understands that he couldn't be around all the time if Lila were to do something, but he had been counting on Marinette to confide in him when Lila did something so they could work something out together.

But Marinette never said anything, so he had assumed that nothing was wrong.

An image of Marinette's tired face from Friday flashed through his mind.

She said that she was tired and needed a nap, and when he texted her, her reply had read that that she felt better…

But was that a lie?

Adrien bit his lip.

He needed to talk to Marinette.

As the car slowed to a stop, his driver grunted to let him know that they have arrived.

Thanking his driver, he headed towards the empty school grounds in a brisk pace.

Having done an early photoshoot, his teacher had been notified that he would be arriving late to class, so he quietly entered the classroom and plopped into his seat while Miss Bustier continued to teach with her back turned to the class.

"Hey, dude." Nino greeted quietly, though it was a bit lackadaisical.

"Hey." He whispered back and settled in his seat, but not before giving a glance back at Marinette who was writing down notes while leaning her chin on her hand, her mouth covered by her palm.

He hoped Marinette was okay and that what Master Fu was simply a precaution.

As soon as the bell rang, signalling the start of lunch, Adrien turned around to talk to Marinette, only to blink when she was already leaving with her bag packed.

That was quick… Does she have somewhere to be?

His eyes trailed over to Alya who was looking at Marinette with a downhearted gaze and his heart clenched at the sight.

Since when did that began?

Or were there days that Marinette and Alya didn't hang out at lunch?

He inwardly shook his head. He needed to talk to Marinette before he goes home for lunch, however, before he could turn back around, Alya's gaze soon turned to one of determination and whipped her sights onto him, causing him to startle.

"Adrien!" she exclaimed.

"Y-Yes?" he responded, startled.

"When's your free day? Nino and I were thinking of hanging out with You and Marinette sometime soon." She declared, eyes hardened.

Adrien blinked, "Really?" he asked, turning to look at his buddy. Did Nino know about this?

Seeing eyes on him, Nino straightened up, waving his finger around in a fluster, "Y-Yeah? I mean! Yeah! Was just about to tell you when I – uh, remember to – eh, tell you." Behind them was Alya shaking her head at her boyfriend's bad improvisation, "It was just decided on the spot- ehh, just this morning." He chuckled nervously.

Adrien took this in before smiling, relieved. They were making plans, which meant things were still fine - that Alya and Marinette were still friends. Though, he did still want to check up on Marinette. "An outing, huh." maybe he was just worrying for nothing, "That sounds great, I just need to check when I'm free and get my father's approval." but if that doesn't work, well, no one said that Chat Noir couldn't go.

"Perfect! Just let me know, okay?" Alya grinned and began packing the rest of her things in her back.

Adrien nodded, before he proceeded to pack up his things, "Sure. I'll get back to you as soon as I find out." He said and then got up with his things, "Gotta go now, don't want to be late for lunch." He gave them a grin and left, though he was feeling fidgety, wanting to assure his worries immediately.

He wanted to hear from Marinette that things were really fine herself.

"Where did she go?" Adrien thought with unexplainable rising worry.

What did Marinette do when she wasn't hanging out with Alya?

Should he go back and ask Alya?

As he bypassed other students trying to get to the cafeteria, Adrien was about to head down the stairs where the lockers were when his eyes caught sight of Marinette standing in front of Ms. Mendeleiev's classroom, talking to Aurore with an excited smile.

"There she is." He smiled in relief, "So she just had business with Aurore."

Just as he was about to head over to her, an unwanted voice stopped him with dismay.

"Oh, is that Marinette? Who is she talking to I wonder?" an innocent-sounding voice called from behind him, though it was anything but innocent.

Adrien turned around with a polite smile, "Lila." He greeted, though he nearly frowned when he saw the rest of his friends behind her.

"Oh, that's Aurore, she works as a weather forecaster for KIDZ+ and she's done some other projects." Alya provided, "Maybe you've seen her on TV and on posters?"

Adrien didn't like the gleam in Lila's eyes when she heard who Aurore was.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Lila gushed, smiling sweetly at them, "I didn't know there was someone amazing like her here. I wonder does she know Conan M'Brien? I could mention her to him if she wanted."

"Girl! You know Conan M'Brien?!" Alya gasped, whipping her phone out.

Lila chuckled bashfully, "When I was volunteering at a TV Studio in America, he bought his dog to work, but the dog got loose. Fortunately, I happened to find his dog and returned him safely to him and Conan said that he owes me a favour." She regaled.

"That's so awesome!" Alya admired, "Do you think you could tell us about it more?"

Lila smiled kindly, "Sure, but" her eyes glanced over to Marinette and Aurore heading towards the library, "Why don't you go ahead, there's something I need to do first."

"Okay. Your usual?" Kim asked, he's been getting her lunch for her that it was natural at this point.

Lila smiled a sweet smile, "Thanks Kim, you're so kind." She fluttered her lashes at him.

Watching this whole exchange, Adrien tensed up at how… natural this was. Was it always like this when he had to go home for lunch? And the way she glanced at Marinette's direction, what was she going to do?

Just as he was about to do… what. What was he going to do?

His phone began ringing. Taking his phone, he saw that it was a call from G, signalling that he was taking too long.

"Oh Adrien, don't you need to go? Your father must be waiting for you." Lila smiled a charming smile, though it looked malicious to Adrien.

At the mention of his father, Alya agreed with Lila, "Yeah, don't want be late now." They needed Adrien's dad to let him hang out with them for Marinette's sake. She couldn't let her plan be ruin just because the blond was late to lunch and his dad decided to punish him for that. She then turned to the others, "Come on, let's go find a table before they're all taken."

The smile on Adrien's face faded as he narrowed his eyes at a smiling Lila, clutching his still ringing phone tightly in his hand, "You better not do anything to hurt Marinette." He warned once his friends were far away.

Lila chuckled, her hand held in front on her mouth as she stared, amused, "But I haven't done anything directly to Marinette." she giggled, "All I've done is creating stronger bonds with the others." She said it so mockingly that Adrien had a bad feeling, "They are my friends after all."

His phone stopped ringing only to ring again in the next second.

"Seems like you need to go." She pointed out with a chuckle before turning around to head to the library, smirking condescendingly.

Adrien stared with a wounded look.

He never realised just how powerless he really was.

"So, what do you think?" Marinette asked with bated breath as she watched Aurore look at her sketchpad with the design she drew yesterday.

Aurore stared with a gasp, immediately causing Marinette into panic mode.

Oh no! Is it awful? Does she think it's too much?! Is she going to tell me it's the worst thing she's ever seen and says that she can't be friends with someone who makes such designs?! Will she report me to for such an offense?! I don't want to go to jail-!

"It's beautiful!" Aurore squealed out.

Her panic was put to rest as Marinette leaned forward with an excited smile, "Really?! Do you like it?"

"Like it? I love it!" Aurore grinned before turning to look back at the design, admiring it, "Do you think I could commission you to make this? It looks so perfect." Her eyes traced over the skirt that reminded her a bit of an aurora borealis with the various shades of blue, "I want to wear it for a future event that I'll be attending."

Marinette's eyes widened, "That's – wow, of course – well actually, I was hoping to give it to you as a gift." She smiled bashfully, "You were the inspiration for this dress after all." She relaxed her shoulders, glad that she loved it.

She looked up, surprised and touched, "Really?" she had been worried that Marinette had gotten bored at the studio and had simply occupied herself with designing. She didn't know it was because she got inspired by her that she had started designing. She stared deeply at the elegant design with awe, her finger slightly tracing the outline, "No, I'll pay. It looks expensive to make." She smiled before grinning up at her, she has the money and all her other projects to keep her well-funded, "End of discussion." She chirped when she saw that Marinette was about to politely decline.

Marinette pouted, but she relented, the materials she was thinking of using for the evening gown would be expensive, "Fine, but I'm putting in a Family and Friends discount." She compromised.

Aurore chuckled, "Guess that's fine." She agreed, returning the sketchpad to her. "By the way, I have exciting news!" she said once Marinette put her sketchpad back in her back, "So that meeting I had yesterday with Mireille? Turns out we're going to appear on Nadja Chamack's talk show, Side by Side. She wanted to do a segment on how young people are chasing their dreams and there's going to be a special guest on the show with us!" she knew who it was, but wanted it to be a surprise.

Marinette gasped with delight, "That's amazing! When will the interview be? I'll be sure to watch it!"

Grinning at her friend's support, Aurore leaned on her hands, "Tomorrow at 4."

"I'll absolutely watch it!" she restated.

"Oh, watch what?" an innocently saccharine voice startled them.

Aurore could see Marinette tense up with a frown, her fist clenching against her bag on her lap. Her eyes widen with panic before they narrowed with annoyance at the newcomer. Raising her head, to see who could cause such a reaction, Aurore was met with the girl from yesterday.

"I'll be doing an interview on TV tomorrow. Marinette said she'll watch it." Aurore answered with a polite smile.

Lila clasped her hands together, giving her an impressed look, "Wow! That's amazing! You must be Aurore, everyone has been telling me just how amazing you are." She giggled, "My name's Lila. Lila Rossi." She introduced.

Recognition flashed in Aurore's eyes, "Oh, so you're Lila. My classmate has been talking about how Miss Bustier had this amazing girl in her class."

And judging by Marinette's reaction, the liar.

Lila grinned at this before putting on a bashful look, "I didn't know I was famous, how embarrassing. I just happen to meet all these amazing people on my trip and made some connections along the way." She giggled shyly, "And with such connections, why not use them to help my friends." She then perked up, clapping her hands as if an idea came to mind, "If you like, I can introduce you to Conan M'Brien, he owes me a favour from finding his lost dog."

"Yeah right." Marinette muttered under her breath, unfortunately Lila heard.

"Marinette." Lila gasped, putting on a hurt look, "I can sense that you don't like me, but you don't need to behave like that," she choked up, putting on a pitiful act, "I don't understand why you keep treating me like this even after the misunderstandings have been resolved." She looked at Aurore with a sniffle to explain her side of the story, "I've been trying so hard trying to befriend Marinette, but somehow she just refuses." She then made a look of realisation, "Is this still about Adrien?" she furrowed her brows with a pout, "It's really not worth fighting over a boy. You and I could be friends, and who knows, I might even be able to help you with him." She tried to place her hand on her shoulder, only for Marinette to push it away from her.

"Give it a break already." Marinette nearly growled. She was lucky that there was no one around for Lila to make a scene bigger than what she was trying.

"I'm only trying to be friends, Marinette." Lila recoiled, looking afraid of her. She covered her eyes, letting out some sniffling noise, "Maybe I shouldn't have come back if all I am is causing trouble."

Seeing how things could get out of hand, Aurore put a stop to her charade, "Lila, I think Marinette is just having a bad day, maybe you should give it a rest." she gently advised with a sympathic smile, "I'll talk to Marinette while you go ahead and eat."

Lila gave another sniff, "I hope you have better luck than me." she wiped at her eyes, "Marinette just seems to have a problem with me, and I can't figure out why."

Aurore let out a hum, watching the situation, while Marinette clenched her fists even tighter.

"Okay." Aurore nodded, "Anyway, thanks for the offer, but I think I'll be fine." she stared with an unflinching gaze and smile. There was some sort of sharpness in the way she looked at Lila that slightly unsettled her, "And I'm sure Marinette has her own reasons... you can't just force your friendship on others, it might… unsettle their day." She said, making herself sound concern for their situation.

Lila inwardly raised her brow at the refusal, "Something's not right." She plastered on a sweet smile, "Well, I understand that someone like me could be intimidating for someone like Marinette." The way she said her name sounded mockingly to Marinette's ears. She then looked at Aurore, "Well, if you ever change your mind, just let me know and I'll arrange something for you. I only want to give people what they want."

"Thanks, I'll think about it." Aurore smiled. She then tilted her head, giving her a wide smile, "You should watch my interview, it starts at 4 on channel 5. Spread the word if you can." She giggled.

Lila smiled at that, content with the response, "Of course. I'll see you later." She bid to Aurore, confident that she'll cave like the rest, and then to Marinette, "See you later, Marinette." She smiled extra sweetly before she left.

Once Lila was gone, Aurore turned to Marinette who looked a bit sick in the stomach, "You okay there?"

Marinette pursed her lips, "Yeah, just…" she breathed in before looking at Aurore with worry in her eyes, "You're not actually thinking of taking up her offer, are you?" she had to be careful. Who knows how Aurore will react if she were to tell her that Lila was lying? She… She didn't want to see the disappointment directed at her… didn't want the reprimanding tone… didn't want…

She didn't want to lose anymore friends

Aurore shook her head, "No."

The tension was released in her hands as she stared blinkingly at Aurore, "You're… not impressed by her?" she wasn't expecting such a blunt reply.

"Even if she was telling the truth," Aurore leaned her chin on the back of her hand, "I've also met some pretty amazing people myself and when you're in the entertainment industry, you kind of get desensitised to famous people or the things they do- anyone for that matter. Of course, there are times when you meet your favourite celebrity, but you'll have to be professional and that fangirl part of you gets rained down each time." She was a bit embarrassed by how she acted when she had a celebrity crush on Adrien Agreste but as she got more jobs and met the model face to face a few times (needing to be professional on her job), her celebrity crush died down into a professional relationship with the model.

"Oh…" Marinette said, her voice slightly trembled, whether from relieve or disappointment, she wasn't exactly sure. At least she didn't fall for Lila's lies completely, though she was hoping that she won't ever.

"Even if she was telling the truth…"

…

Wait

"Wait a minute." She snapped her head at her, "You don't believe her?"

Aurore shook her head, "She's the girl you were talking about, right? On Sunday."

"… Yeah." Marinette felt overwhelmed at how… easy this was. After so many failed attempts, Aurore knew without having her breakdown and confess everything. (Bless Luka for being there for when she was at her lowest.)

Aurore stared at her before closing her eyes with a smirk, "Besides, why should I ask Lila to arrange some meeting when I have my own connections to depend on. Just who does she think she's talking to? In no time, I'll expand my range and meet more amazing people." She playfully said.

Marinette giggled, "That's true." If it was Aurore, she'll know she'll make it big on her own efforts. Though, as she looked down at her lap, twiddling her thumbs together, she gave a shy warning, "Just be careful. Lila can be… crafty. She tells people what they want to hear, tempt them with all these 'connections' she has." she frowned sadly at the end.

Aurore opened her eyes and smiled gently at Marinette, "Don't worry about Lila, I can handle it. Besides, there's no such thing as an easy way for me, only hard work. I do my own research whenever I get to interview a celebrity or research about the interviewer." she shrugged, "I don't want to look like a fool on live TV. Also, you shouldn't just trust someone to help you out, especially in the entertainment world. You'll never know who the pretenders trying to get you are." she tilted her head at that, "Of course, not everyone is like that, but just to be on the safe side." When she looked at Marinette, she raised a brow at the gaping look on her face, "What's wrong? Is it that surprising that I do some preparations for my job?" she playfully pouted good-heartedly.

"N-No! I was! That's-!" she stuttered, feeling a bit ashamed, "I just think that's a good idea." She ducked her head down, cheeks reddening.

Aurore giggled, "It's fine. It's better to be prepared." She then straightened up, "So what's this about Adrien? Is Lila also holding that over you or something?" as well as using her classmates against her.

Marinette shook her head, "No, she's… well, it wouldn't matter." She shrugged, before getting a thoughtful look, "It's just that... I had this huge crush on Adrien but whether she ruins that or not… it won't really matter."

"Had?" Aurore pointed out.

Marinette fidgeted, "Well, I'm trying to move on from him." Maybe I already have.

Aurore let out a hum, "Why don't you confess to him?"

Marinette furrowed her brows, "Huh?"

Shrugging, Aurore leaned forward to place her cheeks on her palms, "Well, only if you want. I thought it'll be good if you got some closure and move on completely, that way there's no 'what if' to think about."

"That's…" Marinette slumped in her chair, "I see." Her mind pondering over the idea.

Smiling encouraging, Aurore had her own plan to think of, "Well anyway, make sure you'll watch the interview, okay? I'll think it'll be something unforgettable." She smirked.

Marinette tilted her head at another reminder and chuckled, "I won't miss it. Promise."

"So, what did everyone decide?" Alix asked the group, sitting around the table with their lunches. Instead of venturing to the Art room for lunch, she had joined the others at the cafeteria when Lila had unknowingly given them a chance to talk without her around.

Though how much time they had before the liar came back, she didn't know.

Alya let out a groan, "She's telling the truth, Alix, can't you just let it go?"

Alix raised a brow, "Really?" she then looked at Nathaniel, "What do you think, buddy? Do you really think Lila's telling the truth?"

Nathaniel looked hesitant. Even though they had all agreed that Lila was telling the truth after all, he never really did find any of her claims online, "Well… she did show us her photos from her trip." He decided lamely.

"Yes or no, Nath. It's that simple." Alix bluntly stated.

Nathaniel let out a small whinging noise from his throat at his friend's blunt attitude.

Alix turned to the others with a bored look, "Kim? Max?"

Kim rubbed the back of his head with a slanted frown, "Well, I did look her up and only Alya's blog and her a few modelling interviews came up, but then she showed us the photos. Maybe her friends are really good at keeping her privacy?" he offered.

"Though the authentication of the photos is 100% real…" Max adjusted his glasses, looking a bit doubtful of the evidence presented by Lila, "There is a 90.7% chance that those photographs of the Kingdom of Achu were fabricated."

"Max!" Alya sounded appalled.

Max could only shake his head, the facts were right there: the evidence for Lila's claim were severely lacking.

Alix could only hum, "What about the rest of you guys?" she addressed, from Max, he was mostly leaning towards Lila being a liar.

"Uh… Well, maybe Kim is right?" Mylène offered, not really wanting trouble, and giving Lila the benefit of the doubt.

"I… uh…" Ivan hesitated. There were doubts in his mind, but like Mylène, he didn't want to cause any trouble.

Though before the big guy could voice his judgement, it was Rose who spoke up.

"Lila has been lying to us all." The blonde spoke up apprehensively while holding Juleka's hand for support.

Alix blinked before smiling, "And why is that?"

"You can't be serious." Alya frowned with her brows scrunched, looking like she got punched in the gut.

Rose reluctantly shook her head with a frown, "It's true." She pulled out her letter to show her proof, "I had sent Prince Ali a letter and got a reply from him yesterday." She passed her letter to Alya for her to confirm the truth, "And he says that he doesn't know who Lila is."

"And the email she said that she got from Adrien's dad's assistant has so many mistakes in it." Juleka added as she pulled up the screenshot to show the others.

Apart from Alix, Juleka and Rose, the others let out a shocked gasp.

"Wait, no, no, no, no, no. There just has to be a misunderstanding!" Alya said, looking pale as the letter crinkled in her hands. This can't be true. It can't! If Lila was really lying to them this whole time… her heart stuttered. She can't! There was so much at stake here! Her blog, Ladybug's trust, her friendship with Marinette and… and… This just can't be true. It just has to be a misunderstanding! "Lila is modelling, she didn't lie about that! They featured her on TV!" she reminded them.

"So that's part is true." Alix shrugged, "but the rest is a lie. We've all been duped." She looked at the others to see that they were still stunned by the truth, their face twisted with betrayal.

She couldn't help but pity them.

A chair screeching sounded and everyone in the cafeteria cringed at the sound and turn to see that Alya had pushed herself up from the table.

"Come on, maybe there's an explanation going on." Alya tried to defend with furrowed brows and a panicked smile, "Why would she even lie to us?"

Nobody could answer that. They didn't know how someone they thought who was so kind from the very beginning would lie without a shred of guilt on their face.

When no one answered, Alya turned to Nino for support, "Come on, you still believe in her, don't you, Nino? She was always there for us."

Nino averted his eyes, looking guilty, "I… um…" there was too much evidence stacked against Lila and he couldn't deny the doubt about Lila, but he also didn't want to let down his girlfriend, "Maybe we could give Lila a chance to explain herself."

Alix let out a huff, crossing her arms. She was starting to feel impatient, "Oh come on, there's no evidence, what more do you want? A full-blown investigation?" she questioned, sarcastically.

Alya's gaze grew sharp, "If that what it needs to come to, then yes. Lila is our friend." She stated.

Knowing how stubborn their reporter could be, Alix let out a scoff, "Fine, but everyone else agrees that Lila is a liar, right?"

"Alix!"

"Well, she is." She grumbled under her breath before pushing herself up from the table, "I'm going to the Art room." She said and left, but not before taking the apple from her tray.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence among the group before Nathaniel spoke up, "Was Lila lying to us this whole time?" he questioned, betrayal in his voice.

They had put their trust in her...

carried her things for her, paid for her food,

Doubted Marinette because of her words

Alya bit her lip, "Just… Just give me a chance to prove that she's innocent, alright? This just has to be a misunderstanding." She pleaded.

The others looked at each other, feeling a bit of pity for their friend. The evidence was right there, there was no more mistaking it, but…

"Okay." Mylène agreed for the rest of them, "We'll wait and decide after you find out the truth." She smiled though it looked wobbly.

Although it felt like a losing battle for the reporter, some small part of them really hoped that this was a misunderstanding.

Another sound of chair being pushed back caught their attention and they looked up to see Rose and Juleka stand up with their things in their hands, a guilty-looking expression on their faces, "I think we'll join Alix in the Art Room." Rose answered for them, "Um… Good luck on your investigation." The blonde awkwardly supported their friend before they too left. She wanted to support her friend, but with the proof against their... friend? It was hard to still think that Lila was innocent.

Alya looked conflicted as they sat in an uncomfortable silence, until it was broken a few minutes later.

"Hi everyone! Thanks for waiting for me." Lila smiled brightly at them as she found them, though she tilted her head when she noticed some fools were missing, "Where are the others?"

"Hey, Lila." They greeted, though it sounded awkward.

Alya swallowed the lump in her throat and strained a smile as she answered, "The others left."

When class started, Marinette couldn't help but notice that the class seemed more uncomfortable than usual and she could just feel the tension rolling off of everyone from her seat in the classroom. She didn't know if she was once again the cause of it or if something happened, but Marinette forced herself to pay attention on taking down notes. There were other things that she was looking forward to like hanging out with Luka as soon as class ended and soon enough, her mind was distracted.

As soon as class was finished, Marinette got up and left, brimming with excitement, unaware someone had called out her name.

She wondered if Luka was already waiting for her outside and at the thought of that, she quickened her pace.

Just as she reached the bottom of the stairs without bumping into the other students, she heard her name being called out.

"Marinette, wait! Do you have a minute?!"

Blinking, she turned to see Adrien rushing down the stairs towards her.

"Adrien?"

"Uh, hi, Marinette." Adrien smiled awkwardly as rubbed the back of his hair, "Can we talk?" he then glanced around before taking her hand, "Not here though." He whispered as he brought them to the locker room.

Marinette followed, confused, "Is something wrong?" she glanced towards the exit of the school, hoping this will be quick. She didn't want Luka to wait too long.

Adrien looked around the locker room to see that no one else was in the room, before turning to face Marinette with a serious expression, "Is everything fine? Has Lila done anything to you? Have you noticed anything strange about our friends?" he fired question after question, each one sounding more worried than the last.

Marinette leaned back, speechless, "What?"

Adrien pulled back, taking a deep breath, "I just wanted to check up on you." He looked down with concerned frown, "I've recently got some advice and I realised that maybe you…" he shook his head and looked back up, "Are you alright?" he said instead.

It took a moment for Marinette to process what he said, and she smiled softly as she thought back to the two people she was cherishing more and more, "Yeah, I am."

Adrien felt conflicted. Was that smile a lie or was Marinette genuinely alright? He didn't know anymore.

Seeing the nervous look on his face, Marinette tilted her head with a worried frown, "Adrien, what's wrong?"

Instead of answering her, he took a step forward and placed a hand on her shoulder, "If something happens, you know you can tell me, right? We're in this together-."

"I understand that your support is genuine, but sometimes, you need to take more actions towards a cause instead of standing by."

"- We'll figure something together to deal with Lila."

Marinette stared at him then glanced at the hand on her shoulder and then back to his green eyes that looked almost desperate.

While she would had commend Adrien for trying before...

It wasn't enough.

And now... although she didn't know what kind of advice he had gotten, some part of her had wished he gotten this advice earlier if it made Adrien this initiative.

But that also didn't matter anymore.

She was tired and had enough of this whole Lila issue, wanting nothing to do with her if she could. She was finally starting to get back the rhythm of things while still working on herself and that's what she wanted right now. So with a sincere smile, she grabbed his hand off her shoulder and held it between her hands, something she never thought she could ever do in the past, "It's fine Adrien, really. I'm not alone and I have friends that support me. In fact, I'm happy." She grinned, she felt relieved when Aurore didn't fall for any of Lila's acting and she was pretty sure she wouldn't anytime soon. She also had Luka by her side, and she was looking forward to her time with him.

Adrien furrowed his brow, "Really?" he was inwardly relieved that Marinette still had their friends to support her.

She nodded, "Yes, really." She said and letting his hand go. Besides, there was no need for them to do anything. Alix had said she'd deal with the situation and she was sure she was handling it much better than she ever did.

A fact that she sadly accepted.

Adrien stared at her, trying to figure out if Marinette was truly fine, and she did look like she was okay. Maybe Master Fu was just being cautious and that nothing bad had happened again. At least, that's what he hoped, "Okay then, I... I guess I'll see you later then." He slowly said, unsure.

Marinette smiled, "Bye, Adrien." She bid as he walked away with a distracted look.

When he opened the door, he startled both himself and the person on the other side of the door.

"Kagami!" Adrien exclaimed.

"Adrien." She smiled in greeting before her smile faded into a straight line when she saw who else was in the room, "Marinette." she greeted as well, though it wasn't as warm as before.

"Hi, Kagami." Marinette greeted back with an awkward smile.

The Japanese girl nodded in acknowledgment before turning back to Adrien, hooking her hands around his arm, "Let's go, Mr. D'Argencourt said he needed to speak with us." She reminded.

Adrien blinked, "Oh, right." He said and before they took off, he glanced over his shoulder, looking like he wanted to say something but thought better of it, giving another 'Bye, Marinette.' And left with Kagami, their arms linked.

Marinette stared after Adrien before losing herself in thought as she placed a hand to her heart.

It still beats for him…

But it wasn't beating as hard as it was before whenever she talked to Adrien…

In fact, it hasn't raced for him for a while now.

She smiled a sad nostalgic smile that was accepting of that.

"Why don't you confess to him?" Aurore suggested.

Marinette stared at the closed door with a thoughtful stare.

"Luka!" Marinette beamed when she saw him waiting at the entrance, "Were you waiting long?" she asked.

Luka smiled at her arrival, pushing off the stone brick walls, "Not long. Are you ready to go?" he asked, adjusting his guitar strap on him.

Marinette smiled in answer, "Where to?" she asked as they began walking down the steps together.

Luka hummed, "Is there something you want to do?" he asked. He didn't really have a plan in mind, deciding to go with the flow. Though anything with Marinette would still be fun.

Marinette let out a hum as she thought about it. Now that Aurore wanted to commission the evening gown that she designed, she wanted to check out some fabrics and materials, but as her eyes trailed over to his guitar, an idea came to mind. Hoping he wouldn't mind, "Do you still want to teach me how to play the guitar?" she bashfully asked.

Luka grinned, "Of course. Do you want to start learning at your place? That way we could-"

"Oh Marinette!"

Marinette's eye twitched, a frown immediately on her lips.

Why does she keep popping up today?

The two turned around.

Marinette narrowed her eyes as Lila jogged towards them, her arms waving at them in a friendly manner.

"What do you want, Lila?" she huffed.

At the mention of the name, 'Lila', Luka's eyes narrowed at the liar.

Lila placed a hand on her chest, looking started at her tone of voice, "Oh Marinette, don't be like that, I was just curious on who your friend is. It might give me a chance for us to be friends if I were to get to know your other friends." She smiled a gentle smile, making herself look like a saint by trying to reach out her friendship to her, only for Marinette to stubbornly refuse it irrationally.

When Marinette realised that she wasn't alone and that Lila was locking Luka as her next target, she tensed, her eyes widened a bit with fear.

Everything will be fine.

"Hi there, my name's Lila." She introduced herself, standing in front of Luka with her hands clasped behind her back, fluttering her lashes at him, "What's your name?"

This is Luka. He won't fall for her lies.

"Luka." He simply answered, staring at her with a blank face, though his eyes were narrowed at her.

Lila hummed, "Do you happen to be a fan of Jagged Stone?" she asked sweetly after darting her eyes to his guitar case on his back.

But then again, Lila is charming enough to fool anybody. Aurore wasn't fooled because she was told beforehand and she didn't want or need Lila's connections

"I could call him and arrange something for you if you want. Jagged just adores me ever since I rescued his kitten on the airport's runway so he wouldn't mind meeting any friends of mine." She chuckled bashfully.

But what about Luka? Would he get swept away by her charms? Would he think what I said about Lila was too different from the Lila before him? Would he think I was just making things up?

Would he-

Marinette lowered her head down, her troubled eyes wide and lips pressed tight.

She was relapsing again.

"If you like, we could all go get a drink and talk more about this." Lila offered, inviting herself, "I'm always interested in making new friends."

Marinette felt sick again, her fight or flight instinct telling her to run before she gets hurt all over again.

"No need, I don't want it." Luka bluntly replied with a glare. He placed his hand on Marinette's back to guide her towards the direction of her place, "Come on, Marinette. Let's go." He said, not noticing the wide look Marinette was giving him as they walked away, leaving a shocked Lila behind.

"You okay, Marinette?" Luka asked once they were in the privacy of her room, sitting on her chaise. He was glad that colour started returning back to her face as soon as they got away from the liar.

Marinette nodded, though she looked ashamed of herself for ever doubting Luka.

How could she ever doubt him when he has shown to stand by her side time and time again?

She hated how insecure she felt.

As if reading her mind, Luka placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Hey, it's okay."

But Marinette shook her head, "It's not. I should've had faith that you wouldn't fall for her acting, but I couldn't help but think up the possibilities that you might." She sighed tiredly. Tired of herself. She leaned her head against his shoulder, making his hand on her wrap around her in an one shoulder hug, "I just want you to know that I do trust you, Luka." She really did, but she wasn't showing the best example, "Even though you showed me that you would've done something when I…" memories of him immediately charging to confront Lila when she told him everything flashed through her mind and she bit her lip, inwardly scolding herself for ever doubting Luka, "I'm sor-"

"Don't be." Luka gently interrupted, stroking his thumb on her shoulder to soothe her, "I can understand from your perspective."

She shifted her head to look at him while not leaving his warmth.

"You've been let down one too many times that you feel might happen again even though it won't." Luka gave her a compassionate smile, "Your heart remembers and is only trying to prevent that from happening again." He wrapped his other arm around her to fully embrace her, "So it's okay to feel what you feel, there's nothing wrong with it. Go with the flow and listen to the rhythm, and if you happen to stray from the notes, don't worry, I'll be there to help you get back on your rhythm." He then leaned back enough to see her with a smile, "And I'm guessing Aurore too?" he asked and smiled even more when she nodded her head, "You won't be alone, Marinette." He reminded her softly.

Marinette stared at him before wrapping her arms around him and relaxing against him, "Yeah." She sighed out. She'll try her best not to give in to her fear

With her friends' help

Luka leaned his cheek on her head with a smile, "So, ready to start learning the guitar?" he asked.

Humming, Marinette tightened her hold on him as she nuzzled his shoulder, "In a minute."

"Alright." He chuckled and stroked her back, "Take all the time you need."

Still standing at Collège Françoise Dupont's entrance, Lila seethed at the disrespect.

How dare he!

Did that dummy Marinette feed him lies about me? Why else would he refuse the opportunity of a lifetime?

As she continued to insult Marinette and Luka, her thoughts were rudely interrupted by someone behind her.

"What did you say to Luka?"

Lila turned around to see Juleka clutching her bag. She blinked in surprise, her eyes slightly watery from the air stinging them, making her acting more pronounced than usual, "What did you mean? I didn't do anything." She defended herself, giving herself a wounded look, "I only offered him to pass his name to Jagged Stone since I saw him carrying a guitar." She sniffed, and looked away, "Maybe I somehow offended him."

Juleka shook her head, not buying it.

Not anymore.

"Luka rarely gets angry." She glared her narrowed eyes at her, shoulders tensing with her fists clutching to her sides, "You must've done something really bad for him to." She accused.

Lila furrowed her brows, "I didn't do anything, he just got angry all of a sudden." She sniffed, "It was quite scary."

Juleka frowned, feeling angry, "Drop the act, I know that you're lying."

As if a switched had been flipped, Lila's demeanour felt eerily frightening, "Are you sure I'm lying? Even though I'm helping you get a chance at being a model." She smiled a saccharine smile, tilting her head at her.

Juleka gulped, her anxiety rising but she pushed on, "I sure that's not even true." She muttered, her fist clenching and unclenching.

Lila dropped her generosity as Juleka was seriously getting on her nerves, "I can ruin your chances at modelling." She crossed her arms, looking triumphant when she flinched. She smirked as she gave her a once over, "But I don't really need to do much, seeing how you look." She chuckled. She had no confidence, no charisma, pathetic, weak.

She was just another nobody.

Juleka's fist tightened, her head lowered.

Lila smirked, thinking that she got her, "You are either with me or against me and if you know what's good for you, you'll-"

"It doesn't matter." Juleka interrupted with a mumble.

Lila blinked, raising an indignant brow, "Excuse me?" she thought she heard…

Juleka raised her head, her gaze hard as she narrowed at the stunned brunette, "I said it doesn't matter." She repeated, her voice clear. Although her her fist were trembling in fright.

Lila glared as she smiled with restrained anger, "Well," she walked towards her until she was in front of a shaken Juleka and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "seeing as you made your choice, from now on, you and I are at war. You will lose your friends and wind up all alone," she leaned back with a malicious smirk, "just like Marinette."

Juleka felt like fainting from the stress, but she forced herself to stay conscious, "You won't win."

"Oh, how confident you are." She chuckled amusingly.

Just then, another voice, one that was perky, sounded from inside the school.

"Juleka! Thanks for the waiting…" it was Rose, though she flinched when she saw Lila, "Oh, um, hi, Lila." She awkwardly greeted when she neared them.

But before Lila could make her move, Juleka grabbed Rose's hand and dragged them away from the liar.

Turning her head between the two, Rose thought that something had happened. Just as she was about to ask her friend, she noticed Juleka's hand was trembling and that her breathing was picking up speed.

"Juleka?" Rose grew concerned.

"Not here." Juleka pleaded.

Rose bit her lip, she didn't know what happened, but…

"I'm right here, okay?"

They both stopped in front of the bike rack where Juleka's bike was chained to.

The taller girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Yeah." She breathed out, voice shaking.

Notes:

Sorry for the late update. Was procrastinating, then an assignment popped up, and then more procrastination after I submitted the assignment.

Hope you enjoyed it and tell me what you think. I need to go back and edit this chapter later so if you feel like there were parts that didn't make sense or didn't flow right, just tell me.

Conan M'Brien is a parody of Conan O'Brien, American TV host.

Chapter 18: Liberation

Notes:

#
Enjoy reading this

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

In the privacy of her room, Marinette let out a content sigh, her cheek smooshed against Luka's shoulder while her body melted into his warm embrace.

She could really get used to this.

She might even fall asleep if he continued stroking her back like that.

Luka tilted his head at her with an amused smile, though his eyes were soft for the girl in his arms, "Marinette?"

"Yeah?" she hummed out, nuzzling into his shoulder.

His smile softened, heart thudding at her action, "You sleepy?" he asked. He didn't mind being her bed, but he was supposed to teach her how to play the guitar, "Do you want to postpone your guitar lesson for next time?"

Right, Luka was supposed to teach her the guitar instead of…

Her eyes shot open before immediately pushing herself at arm's length with her cheeks flushing, heart beating rapidly, "N-Not guitar – I mean not sleepy – guitar, I - yes, wait- no" she shook her head, trying to unjumble her mind, "I mean that I don't want to postpone the guitar lesson." She finally got out, lifting her head up from staring down, only to squeak and quickly pull her hands away when she realised that she had her hands on his chest.

Luka simply smiled at her fondly and went to grab his guitar from his case without commenting, "Well, let's start with learning the basic chords." Standing in front of an alert Marinette with her cheeks still flushed, he handed her his guitar. He then gently grabbed her hands and placed them in the correct position before rearranging her fingers on the fret board to the first chord, "This is the C-chord." He said with a smile and straightened up, "Just let me get my…" he trailed off when he saw Marinette reach into her purse and pulled out a very familiar guitar pick.

"Luka?" she blinked, when he went quiet all of a sudden, "Is something wrong?" she asked and then looked at her hold on his guitar with furrowed brows. Did she somehow shift her fingers onto the wrong strings when she grabbed her pick?

Luka shook his head, "No, it's nothing." He smiled, feeling warm, his heart skipping a beat, "Go ahead." He encouraged.

Marinette bit her lip as she carefully made sure her fingers were pressed to the right strings before strumming, "What do you think?" she asked peeking up at him through her lashes after the last note rang out.

"A natural!" he grinned at the smooth sound she produced on her first try, "Looks like you have a real talent there, Marinette." He praised.

She blinked before letting out a giggle, "A bit too soon to say that, don't you think?"

Luka merely shrugged at that with a smile, "Maybe, but there is potential there." He said, "Now let's move onto the next chord to see that I'm right." He playfully grinned.

Marinette giggled but it trailed off when Luka, who had been standing in front of her, leaned forward to rearrange her fingers for the next chord, "W-Won't your back get tired if you're going to do that each time you teach me a new chord?" she asked, averting her eyes away from him, the flush in her cheeks coming back.

"Hmm?" he hummed, positioning 3 of her fingers for the A-Chord before trailing his gaze to her eyes, blinking as he realised just how close he had gotten, "Sorry." He moved back to give her some space, "Is this alright?"

"N-no, I-I mean, it's fine, just… that can't be comfortable for you." She pointed out before shifting towards the head of her chaise, making room for Luka to sit on her left so he could help her fingers on the fret. She then looked up at him with unflinching eyes, waiting for him to sit.

Luka complied with an easy smile, plopping down next to her as Marinette, "That's the A-Chord." He softly said.

"O-Okay." Marinette nodded, trying to get back to focusing.

For the next hour or so, after teaching her all the basic chords, Luka, who was content, was leaned back on his hands as he watched Marinette go through all the chords she had learnt.

"Okay, so this is C." she strummed then carefully switched to the next chord, "A… D… E…" she stuck her tongue out as she moved to the next, "F – wait, no, G…" she strummed and then pursed her lips as she tried the F – chord, placing her index finger on two of the strings while trying to stretch out her fingers for the other two and strummed.

Twang

Marinette pouted when the sound didn't come out as smoothly compared to her previous attempts during the lesson.

She felt Luka place a hand on her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze, "Don't worry, the F-Chord is said to be the hardest for beginners."

Marinette turned her pout at him, "Really, you're not just saying that?"

Luka chuckled, caressing her cheek with the knuckle of his finger, "I'm not." He smiled easily at her, "It'll take time to get used to, just need to practice for your fingers to get used to that position." He advised, "You seemed to have all the other chords grasped, why don't we take a break?"

"S-Sure." She stuttered, returning his guitar to him, and placed away her pick in her back pocket for now, her cheek tingling from where his finger had caressed.

He took his guitar back with ease when his eyes caught onto her fingers. Reaching out, he gently took a hold of her fingers, frowning apologetically when he saw there was light indents on the pads of her fingers, "Sorry, I should've paid more attention to the time."

Blinking, Marinette stared at her hand, "Oh, I didn't even realise…" her voice trailed off when Luka began smoothing the pads of her fingers in hopes of getting the blood running.

"Does it hurt?" he asked without looking away from his ministrations.

It was taking a while for Marinette to find her voice, too distracted by Luka's touch. Instead of blood to the pads of her fingers, it was rushing to her cheeks. She never realised just how sensitive her fingers could be until now as with every touch, her fingers tingled with warmth.

It seemed like she was taking too long to respond when he finally looked up at her with an intense concerned look in his eyes, which didn't help.

"Marinette?"

Snapping out of it enough to respond, Marinette tried to push out any words through her lips to assure him that she was fine, "I'm-"

However, before she could answer, a knock on the door sounded, startling them.

Marinette jumped to her feet, unfortunately dislodging Luka's hold on her hand, while Luka on the other hand, blinkingly looking surprised just as the trapdoor to her room opened, revealing her dad with a plate of salmon and spinach pie, and by the looks of it, it was fresh from the oven.

"How's the guitar lesson? Everything going good? I thought just in case you wanted something to eat... since you've been here for a while…" Tom asked with a careful smile, gesturing the plate. When the kids had entered the bakery, Marinette had looked… a bit out of it. He would have followed after them if it weren't for Sabine telling him that they should give her some space first.

It was Luka who answered while Marinette took the chance to get her cheeks to cool down, "Everything's going well. Marinette here is a fast learner." He smiled.

"Really? Well, it isn't surprising, Marinette is a talented girl." Tom praised, before looking towards his daughter.

"Papa." Marinette muttered, feeling a bit embarrassed. She took a deep breath and walked over to him, "We were just thinking of taking a break." She said, taking the plate from him, "Thanks for the pie." She sincerely said.

Tom waved her off, "It's fine, just… are you…" he glanced behind her before inwardly shaking his head. They could talk when her friend left, "Nothing." He grinned warily, "Would Luka be staying long? Outside's so cloudy that it looks like it might rain soon." He informed them.

The two both looked out the window to see that it wasn't sunny anymore, now noticing that the room wasn't as bright as before.

"When did it get…?" Marinette murmured under her breath. Was she really practicing for that long? At the thought, she began tensing as she tried to subtly take her phone from her pocket to check for any notifications and inwardly sigh out of relieve when she didn't miss anything.

"I'll go home after I eat some of that pie." His head dipped towards the pastry, "It looks delicious." He grinned, his arms resting on top of his guitar.

Tom let out a laugh, "Of course!" he then clasped his hands together as he looked between the two, "If you need anything else, we'll be down at the bakery." And slowly ducked down, with the trapdoor following, eyes locked on them.

It was a bit awkward waiting for Tom to completely close the door, but the moment was quickly passed, and Marinette placed the plate on her desk.

Grabbing two slices, she settles down next to Luka as she handed him one, while he placed his guitar to the side.

"Sorry about my dad, he can be a bit…"

Luka chuckled, "It's fine." He waved it off, reaching for a slice of pie when she wordlessly offered him the plate, "Yum." He smiled when he took a bite.

Marinette smiled at his reaction before reaching for a slice herself and placing the plate in between them, "I guess one of the perks of being a baker's daughter is..." She lifted her slice in the air, "Good food." She grinned then took a bite out of it.

Luka chuckled, "Well, I can't disagree with that." And as if to prove the point, he took another bite with a smile.

Both eventually settling into a comfortable silence, simply enjoying each other's presence as they ate.

As Marinette plopped the last bite of pie into her mouth, she glanced at Luka with a thoughtful look.

This was nice.

Sitting here with him, in the comfort of her own room with nothing to deal with was nice. She was grateful for his calming presence, though she needed to have more faith in him. Not just in Luka, but Aurore as well. She needed to get pass this, to…

She must have been staring a bit too long since he turned to her with a soft smile.

"Something on your mind?" he asked, after swallowing the last of his bite.

Marinette startled slightly and averted her eyes with a faint blush at having been caught, "Um, just…" she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She wanted him to know – wanted him to know what his friendship meant to her, the support he's given this afternoon and all those other times, "Just… Thank you for being there for me," she smiled gratefully, "It really means a lot to me." She didn't think he knew just how much his support meant to her, the surprise and relief she felt when she saw he wasn't affected by Lila with her own eyes.

Yet, she had been so quick to doubt him and run at the moment.

Even if Luka had said he understood why, she still felt bad for ever having such thoughts.

Staring at her for a moment, Luka reached out and grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together, "It's no big deal." He softly said, slightly waving their hands together.

Marinette shook her head, "But it is a big deal." She refuted in her mind as she lightly squeezed his hand, getting a squeeze in return, "Everyone falls for her lies and gets taken advantage by her, I don't want that happening to you or anyone else." She made a contemplative frown, "It's great that Adrien, Alix and Aurore know, and I hope more people will eventually know the truth like them, but Lila is cunning, maybe she'll try to lie her way out if she ever gets exposed." Adrien had tried his way but that changed nothing; now Alix was trying but what if that also didn't do anything? "I don't want Lila to come target you if something happens." She solemnly whispered. She didn't want others to go through what she felt.

Absently rubbing the back of her thumb with his own, a contemplative look passes through his mind, "Juleka also knows now." He carefully said, his voice quiet.

Blinking, Marinette lifted her head to stare at him, her eyes wide as she quietly uttered, "How?"

"We were talking about Lila, and Juleka wanted to prove me wrong so she asked for a copy of an email that Lila sent that would give her an opportunity to model." He shook his head at that, "Saw that the email had too many mistakes to be authentic." He summarised with a sad frown.

Marinette furrowed her brows with a worried frown, "… Is she okay?"

Luka stared at Marinette with slight surprise in his eyes, but it shouldn't be too surprising. It was Marinette after all, her heart was kind - so kind that she can give chances to those who have wronged or hurt her.

Even if she gets hurt in the end.

"I'm not sure." he honestly said, "She was quiet, more than usual when she left for school this morning. I thought that she might have said something to you, but…"

Marinette shook her head, "She hasn't and I…" she swallowed, looking ashamed, "I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary -" her brows knitted tightly, her shoulders tensing as she suddenly remembered what she felt in class during the final period, "the class felt off more than usual, but I just ignored it and-" did Alix finally tell them? Did they now know? Was that why it felt more uncomfortable in the class? And she had just brushed it off while thinking of herself –

"Marinette, come back." Luka gently called her out of her spiralling thoughts, gently shaking their clasped hands together. He would have used his guitar to call her back if he had both hands free.

Marinette slowly turn to him with an aching look and Luka's heart broke just seeing that.

"Can you close your eyes for me?" he softly requested, "And try to empty out those thoughts in your mind if you can. And let yourself relax."

She did as she was told and closed her eyes, but it felt hard to let go of her thoughts. While she was trying to pursue her happiness, the others were starting to have their lives disrupted. Was it awful of her to continue while the others were-

"It's okay." Luka's voice interrupted her own thoughts.

She then felt him brush her fringe away before taking her other hand in his.

"Just breathe." He whispered in the delicate silence.

She slowly breathed in.

"Good…" he waited for a few seconds before he continued, "Now breathe out."

She let out a shaky breath.

"Breathe in… Breathe out…" he repeated this a couple of times until her shoulders were slackened and there was no more crease in between her brows. He got her to exhale one more time before he finally murmured, "In… Out… Now… Open your eyes, Marinette."

Marinette's lashes fluttered as she slowly blinked her eyes open.

"How do you feel?" he breathed, gently thumbing the back of her hands.

It took a moment for Marinette to answer as her gaze dropped to their hands, "Mmm… slow… and… settled..." She murmured, clutching lightly on his fingers.

Luka smiled softly before shifting closer, pressing their foreheads together as he prepared to continue their previous conversation, "Soon, it's only a matter of time before the others find out." He delicately said, his voice lowered as if trying not to disrupt the quiet, "When that time comes, what you do is up to you." He watched her close her eyes as she squeezed his hands, "Whether they come asking for forgiveness or for some strange reason, an apology, you don't need to accept what they want if you don't want to. It isn't about what's the right thing to do, but about your feelings, okay?" He breathed, waiting patiently for her to respond.

Marinette shifted her eyes to him, staring eye to eye as she repeated his words over in her head, "Okay." Like Luka said, it was only a matter of time for the truth to get exposed. Her eyes trailed and landed on his guitar and she wondered just what kind of tune Lila will have once that time comes.

"… Do you want to hear?"

Marinette blinked. She didn't realise that she had said her thoughts out loud, "Huh?"

Luka leaned back, an idea in mind, "The song I get from Lila." He gave her a grin.

"… You have a song for… her?" she felt speechless at that, the thought of Lila's song never crossed her mind before.

Luka gave her a playful smile, leaning back to grab his guitar from besides him while Marinette curled her hands on her lap when he let go of them, "Everyone has a song, but I like yours the best."

Marinette blushed, "O-oh?"

"You ready?" he asked, ready to play.

Though she hesitated, nervous on what she would hear, she nodded, curious to hear.

As he plucked the first few strings to warm up Luka shot her a look to signal that he was about to start.

Marinette listened though she frowned when she heard the first few notes.

It sounded hauntingly cheery, whimsical even and Marinette couldn't help but feel… perturbed that such a sound came from Lila. Her shoulders slumped. Even Luka's music could see just how charming the liar was.

She stared down at her lap, grabbing onto the fabric of her jeans as she inwardly shook her head. As long as Luka himself didn't fall for her lies, then she should be happy with-

Before she could finish her thought, the strumming shifted towards a lower sound, though it was abruptly cut off before she could get a feel for it and a different set of notes replaced it, one that sounded darker in song - one fit for a villain. Marinette furrowed her brows before flinching when a sudden, though controlled with Luka's expertise, screech came from his playing.

She didn't even know it was possible for a guitar to make that sound!

The vibration from the screech was then cut off in turn for a pluck and two, before letting out another horrible screech, this time uncontrollable.

Marinette winced at the sound until Luka finally let the note die out into the air.

"That was awful!" she said as soon as it was over with a cringe before gasping, whipping her head towards him with panic in her eyes, "Not that your playing was awful – I mean it was – not you - that I'm saying that you - I wasn't expecting – your playing isn't -!" When she stared at Luka – really stared at him, she realised that he wasn't upset or offended at all, in fact, he looked amused! Even looking like he was holding back his laughter.

"Ah, my poor guitar." Luka playfully mourned, hugging his guitar, "Marinette, why would you make it go through that?" he then purposely looked at his guitar, "You okay there? Should we get you treatment? New strings, perhaps?" he playfully bemoaned.

"Luka!" Marinette cried out, lightly slapping at his quaking shoulder when he couldn't hold his laugh anymore, yet soon enough, she also joined him with her own giggles.

"I need to purify my guitar of that awful experience." Luka chuckled, straightening up, "What should I do?" He stared at Marinette who had leaned on his shoulder as she giggled, "Should I play your song?"

Cheeks flushed from giggling, Marinette nodded with a gleam in her eyes, "If you must, I'm sorry for putting your guitar through that." She played along while trying to contain a guffaw.

Luka leaned his head on hers, "Well we'll forgive you." He sighed playfully, already strumming the beginnings of her song, "Time to de-evilize~."

Marinette couldn't contain her laughter this time and guffawed at that, "Luka!" she whined quietly, grabbing onto his arm in disbelief.

He simply grinned at that as he continued to play her song.

Calming down with a few chuckles, Marinette made herself comfortable against his shoulder, listening to the song that resonated with her heart.

As soon as the last note of her song rang out, Luka nodded with a smile, "Yeah, your song is still the best after all."

Marinette lifted her head from his shoulder with a raised brow, "Really? I'm sure you'll soon write another incredible song." She smiled.

Luka stared at her for a moment before leaning on his guitar with a fond smile directed at her, "Hmm, maybe another brand new song."

Her eyes widened before she looked away with a blush on her cheeks, "Oh, uh." She flustered, her mind trying to find something to respond with, or find a different topic, "Photo!" she squeaked, whipping her head back at him with a finger held up to explain, "We should take a photo! T-To – uh- commemorate my first guitar lesson! Yeah!" she nodded.

Luka smiled, amused at the sudden change of topic, "Alright." He said, handing over his guitar to her who looked confused at it, "If it's a photo to commemorate your first guitar lesson, then I think you should be the one holding it." He explained, while pulling out his phone as he leaned his shoulder close to her.

"Right." She blushed, holding onto the guitar as their shoulders touch.

"Ready?" he asked, holding his phone out, camera at the ready.

Marinette looked at his phone facing at them and could see her cheeks slightly red, but as Luka started counting down for them, she just couldn't help but give a bright smile, happy with this moment.

Capturing the moment, Luka smiled at the photo, "This is a great photo." He commented, sending the photo to Marinette's phone.

Both hearing a 'ping' from her phone soon after.

"Thanks." She smiled, handing his guitar back.

His smile grew a bit more as he saw her reaction before deciding that he had stayed long enough, "Well, it's getting late now, I should probably get going." He said as he stood up.

Marinette glanced out her window, towards the darkening clouds. Right, it was getting dark soon and he probably wanted to check up on… "I'll wrap the rest of the pie for you to take home." She pushed herself up from her chaise to grab the plate from her desk, "I'll just grab a box from the bakery."

As Marinette led them down to the bakery, they were greeted by her parents.

"Oh, Marinette." Sabine smiled, "Is Luka leaving now?" she asked while serving a customer.

Luka was the one to answer while Marinette went to grab a box to place the pie in, "Yeah, it's getting late, I should be getting home." He smiled politely as Marinette returned with the boxed-up pie in her hands.

"You're welcome to come back anytime soon!" Tom called out from the back.

Marinette stiffened with a faint flush in her cheeks as the few remaining customers curiously glanced at them, "I'll walk him out." She muttered and headed for the side entrance instead for a bit of privacy.

Luka placed a hand on one of her tensed shoulders as soon as they were in front of the door, "You okay, there?" he worriedly asked.

Taking a breath in, she relaxed her shoulders, "Yeah," she turned to him with a shy smile, "just a bit embarrassed at the attention, that's all." She then shook her head as if to rid of the eyes on her, "Anyway, here." She handed him the box.

"Thanks." He smiled.

"Get home quickly, it really looks like it might rain soon." She rocked back on the heels of her feet with her hands behind her back.

"I will. Got to protect the pie." He gestured to the box in his hands with a grin.

Marinette quietly giggled at that before winding down with a content smile as she stared at him adoringly, "… Thanks for… this afternoon, Luka. I had fun." She breathed, taking a step towards him to lift herself up on her toes while Luka leaned down for her kiss on his cheek.

"No problem." Luka whispered back in tone, his cheek tingling with warmth, "Just tell me when you want to continue your guitar lessons." He then leaned back with a grin, "With your talent, I bet I can teach you a song in no time."

Marinette giggled, "First, I need to master all chords before I do that."

Luka smiled fondly at her, "See you later, Marinette." He said as she opened the door for him.

"See you, Luka." She waved, watching him leave for a moment before closing the door with a happy sigh.

Returning to her room with a smile, Marinette felt like she could design an outfit or two with the way she was feeling before dinner.

As soon as she closed her trapdoor, Tikki flew out of her purse, landing on Marinette's shoulder with a smile.

"Did you have fun, Marinette?" she asked, peering up at her. She had been worried when Luka had brought up the topic of her classmates but was soon relieved when things ended on a good note. But she shouldn't have to worry at all. Marinette was with Luka after all.

But…

He did bring up a concerning matter.

More people were becoming aware of Lila's lies and like Luka said, it was only a matter of time before the truth is exposed.

And knowing those kids, Marinette will inevitably have to face them again and Tikki wondered what she would do when that time comes.

"Yeah, Luka's a good teacher." Marinette nodded with a grin as she walked over to her desk where her school bag was. She couldn't help but let out a giggle when she remembered his playfulness while she unzipped her bag to retrieve her sketchpad.

Seeing Marinette laugh, Tikki slightly withdrew. She couldn't ruin her mood with her question, not when she was finally happy. Maybe… Maybe next time when… when…

Memories of Marinette breaking down, her fake smiles and her true smiles flashed through her mind.

Another time – she'll ask another time. Right now, she wanted to preserve her Chosen's happiness.

When she looked back at her Chosen, she tilted her head at her, wondering why she seemed to have stilled with her sketchpad in her hand, "Marinette?" she called out, flying closer to her eye-level before peering into her bag to see what had caught Marinette's attention, "What's wrong?"

Blinking back to attention, Marinette shook her head, "Nothing," it's been so since she took it out to admire it, "I just forgot that this was here." She pulled out the bracelet that Adrien had gifted her on her birthday and held it up to her face with an unreadable stare. It had been a precious gift from Adrien, and she had wanted to always keep it close to her, as well as for luck.

Though she couldn't help but ironically think that the lucky charm gave her the exact opposite.

Tikki watched Marinette, unsure of how she felt, "What are you thinking of?"

Marinette let out a melancholy chuckle as she lowered the charm to stare at her little friend, "I don't think Adrien's lucky charm works that well." She quipped light-heartedly, staring back at the charm as fond memories flashed through her head.

Tikki stared at her before trailing her eyes back to the charm bracelet with a tilt of her head, "Maybe you need to wear it for it to work?" she offered.

Her Chosen blinked at that before letting out a small chuckle, "Maybe you're right." She pulled out her chair and took a seat, placing her sketchpad on the desk while she leaned her other arm holding the bracelet on it, continuing to stare at it.

Aurore let out a hum, "Why don't you confess to him?"

The suggestion came to mind and Marinette lowered the bracelet, "I think I'll try it out." She turned to Tikki with a small smile.

The little god looked at her, "What are you planning?" she curiously asked.

Marinette lowered her eyes towards the charm, "I'm going to confess to Adrien." She said calmly. While she felt a little nervous at confessing, it was weird.

She didn't feel scared, panicked, or stressed about the prospect of confessing to him anymore.

Maybe this was a sign that she had finally moved on?

Tikki blinked, not sure whether to be excited for her or if she was supposed to offer her help, "I thought you were moving on from Adrien…" she had said so… and she thought she and Luka was… "Do you still love him?" she didn't understand what Marinette wanted to do.

Marinette thought over the kwami's words and her love for Adrien, "Did I even love him?" she pondered out loud.

"Marinette?"

She remembered the moment she fell in love with him, "I fell for him the day he gave me his umbrella." She smiled nostalgically, "Even though I had horribly misunderstood him, he still came up to me and apologised, showing me this vulnerable side of his, and his honesty… I just fell for his kindness." She confessed with a loving sigh, "And when I wanted to get to know him more, I tried so hard to get close to him, but it was difficult."

Tikki flew towards her hand holding the bracelet, hugging her thumb to give her comfort.

She smiled a small smile at her attempt as she continued, "It was hard getting close to Adrien. I only know what he likes from magazines and interviews and hanging on his every word in those rare moments we all hung out. Every time Nino made a small complaint on why he couldn't hang out with Adrien due to an activity or when Adrien had to decline their invitation because of something, I would mark that down and eventually I had his schedule down pat." She glanced up at where her schedule was hung, "Adrien was always busy, so I thought I could use his schedule to hang out with him on his free time, but I never had the courage. The only time I've ever used his schedule to my advantage was to delete that embarrassing voice mail I sent him, and when Alya came up with the plan for me to hang out with him with the girls' help." She solemnly chuckled, all attempts ending in disaster or failing. She shook her head at her failures, "Nothing has changed between us, I could never talk to him without messing up. Could never confess to him without humiliating myself and when I told the others about moving on, I wasn't allowed." She let out a sardonic chuckle.

There were times she could talk to Adrien like normal, and she did well (normally when there were no onlookers, no pressure from the others) until she realised that this was the boy she liked. And when she realised just who she was talking to, she'd get anxious, scared, and nervous.

Love shouldn't be like that all the time.

And…

She couldn't help but notice something.

Loving Adrien hurts

All the things she put herself through to make him happy…

All the things she sacrificed…

-And his kindness…

His kindness felt cruel at times.

How many times had she tried to confess to him, how many times she had wanted to move on, how many times had she failed before repeating the hopeless cycle? At this point, it felt like a habit to just like him given how much time and effort she put into trying to confess to him.

Did she even like Adrien? Was her crush just shallow? Maybe she just got caught up in the moment when he handed her his umbrella.

The thought of that scared her.

Tikki stroke the back of Marinette's hand when she realised her Chosen was lost in thought, "Your love for Adrien is genuine." She started gently, "You just wanted to get to know him, but you couldn't talk to him without getting nervous, so you tried different ways to get close. You just hit a few bumps along the way, but you can get over it. Start anew." She advised, looking up with encouraging eyes, but flinched as she shook her head and started again, "What do you want, Marinette?"

Marinette rested her eyes, "I want to confess and get closure." She then opened her eyes, "If I can do this, then maybe I can finally move on." From Adrien… And from her class.

Finally understanding the reason to confess, Tikki leaned her head on the back of her hand, trying to wrap her flippers to give her a big 'hug', "I think that's a wonderful idea." She simply agreed.

No more was she going to suggest not giving up on her crush, nor suggest that maybe she should rethink this. She was finally accepting Marinette's decision to move on from Adrien -

Her partner who returned her love.

Marinette let go of the bracelet and bought her hand towards her chest, gently cupping Tikki with her other hand, "Thank you." She breathed, pressing a kiss on top of her head.

That was a genuine smile, right?

It had looked genuine.

Marinette was happy and fine, and she said that she still has their friends' support.

She hated liars so she would have said something

Right?

But as Adrien tried to think back – analysing every moment he had with Marinette in the past few weeks, he felt conflicted.

He hadn't expected Lila to go so far as to get Marinette expelled, but he had fixed that, and things had gone back to normal with Marinette bringing macarons for them with a smile.

That day when his friends showed up to his photoshoot with Lila, they had all gone to a café. Marinette had looked fine, smiling even, but then halfway through, she had said that she felt sick and left. He had been worried him with the way she looked when she left so he had followed after her, planning to offer her a ride home. He had finally spotted her with someone who turned out to be Luka and had called out to her, but they hadn't heard him…

Although… he was sure they had… No, they did hear him. He had made eye-contact with Luka before they left and he was sure the older boy would've told Marinette, and he had looked like he did.

Was that a sign?

Did Marinette purposely ignore him for real?

His mind kept circling back to one thing though, 'Were all those smiles she showed, forced?'

If so, what else had he missed?

The day when they all went to the movies together, he hadn't seen Marinette at the end, having needed to go straight home. Did Lila use that chance to do something?

Adrien tried to think what happened the next day at school, trying to remember if something had changed. When he asked Marinette if she were joining them for ice-cream, he was kind of expecting her to join them, since whenever the group invited him, Marinette would always be there as well, so he was a bit befuddled that she wasn't a part of the group. Did she not want to join because something did happen at the movies?

The next time he noticed something off about Marinette was when she had looked really tired, but all she needed was a cat nap in the end… she said that she was going to take a nap, but she didn't sound like she was planning to take one… she was also the first to leave the classroom.

Now that he thought about it, when was the last time he saw Marinette hang out with Alya and the others?

…

He couldn't remember.

If something really did happen, then…

No, Alya said that they were all going to hang out when he was free, but… what if Marinette didn't know they were all hanging out, what if it was Alya who had decided without telling Marinette…

"It's fine Adrien, really. I'm not alone and I have friends that support me. In fact, I'm happy." Marinette grinned, her smile genuine.

Who did Marinette consider as friends?

"- what do you think?" Mr. D'Argencourt questioned, his back straighten while holding his sabre down like a cane.

Adrien blinked back to reality, before giving a sheepish smile, "Sorry, what was that?"

Mr. D'Argencourt raised a brow, "Pay attention, Adrien." He reprimanded, "I want you and Kagami to represent us in an upcoming fencing competition this Saturday. It shall be held right here in the school's courtyard." He repeated, "Will you be up to it?"

"Oh, right, of course." Adrien nodded.

Mr. D'Argencourt nodded, satisfied, "Good, we'll start training starting tomorrow until the big day." He advised before dismissing them.

As soon as they were left alone, Kagami turned to Adrien with a frown, "You're distracted, what's wrong?" she asked, directly to the point.

"What? No, nothing's wrong." His voice slightly high as he waved his hands in front of him, laughing nervously.

Kagami narrowed her eyes at him before letting a sigh and placing one hand on her hip, "Is this about Marinette?" she questioned. The 'again' was implied as every time something was wrong, it always led back to her.

Adrien looked at her in surprise, "How did you know?"

She stared at him with a deadpanned look before shrugging, "Just a guess. So, what happened now?" she prompt.

He scratched the back of her head, "Well…" he let out a troubled sigh, his hand moving to the back of his neck as smiled sadly, "I don't know if Marinette is fine or not." He lowered his hand as if they had no strength, "Every time she smiles or say she's fine, I don't know if that's the truth or not… I… don't think I'm being a good friend to her if I can't even tell if my friend is hurting."

Kagami didn't expect this, "Why do you think Marinette is hurting?" she wasn't involved and the few instances that she sees Marinette were awkward greetings from the girl's side.

"I think something is going on in class, but she hasn't told me, so I just assume that everything's fine."

She raised a brow at the vague explanation, "Is everything fine?"

Adrien opened his mouth to respond, only to close it as he thought about it. Nothing drastic has happened that he could see, he didn't hear his friends talking about looking forward to anything that Lila has promised them. The only thing that he noticed was Kim offered to get her lunch, but if he thought about it, it wasn't so bad. Friends can get their friends lunch for them.

But it had been unnerving how natural the scene was with his friends crowding behind her, waiting like… servants, and if Lila could make his friends get her lunch, then what else can she make them do?

He needed to prevent her from escalating her hold on his friends before it's too late.

"I don't know." He frowned, "I only just realised that I haven't seen Marinette hanging out with our friends lately." Adrien said slowly, his brows furrowed, "but I hope I'm just overthinking this." He breathed.

Kagami stared at him before sighing, "Want to know what I think?" she questioned.

He nodded.

She tilted his chin so he'd look at her and then moved her hand to cup his cheek, "You should talk to Marinette."

Adrien blinked, "I did…-"

"Properly." She clarified, "It's not like Marinette needs to hang out with her friends all the time. This could be one of her days where she has other plans to attend to, but…" she stared into his worried eyes for his friend, "… if you really want to put your mind at rest, then talk to her properly." She instructed calmly, straightening up and pulling her hand away "Ask her everything that's on your mind."

Adrien nodded with a heartfelt smile, "Thanks, Kagami."

Kagami heart warmed at his smile, "Just get your mind sorted out before the competition. It's no fun winning if there's no challenge." She gave him a playful smirk.

He grinned, playfully giving her a bow as he offered her his hand, "Don't worry, I'll be sure to be worthy of you on that day." Giving her a playful wink.

Kagami blushed at that with a pleased smile, placing her hand in his.

Adrien straightened up, their hands still intact, "Shall I walk you to your car?"

"You shall." She smiled happily.

Tomorrow. He'll properly talk to Marinette tomorrow.

On a patch of green grass at Place des Vosges, sat Kim, Max, Nath, Ivan and Mylène in a circle.

Not one had a smile on their faces as they looked down, fidgeting in silence until one had spoke the questions they all had in their minds.

"Do you think Lila has been lying this whole time?" Nathaniel muttered, clutching onto his sketchbook to his chest.

Nobody wanted to answer, not wanting to doubt their friend, but…

"But she's a model. That one is true." Kim pointed out, "Maybe she only lied about the Prince Ali thing." He tried, trying to find hope that their friend hasn't been lying to them this whole time, but…

"Though that is correct, the fact that Lila didn't lie about being a model is indeed true, and given that Rose's letter clearly states that Prince Ali doesn't know Lila. It does open up the possibility that her other claims could also be a lie as the lack of evidence for her other claims is severely lacking." Max pointed out as he pushed his glasses up, "If we were to go through each of her excuses and evidence presented by her, there's also a probability that those excuses and evidence are fake."

Ivan furrowed his brows, "What do you mean?"

"Although she told many famous people not to mention her on their social media, the reason why we couldn't find anything can simply be because Lila never met them." Max explained, "While the photos itself presented to us are 100% authentic, there's an 87% chance that the captured photos are forged since none shows any distinct features of the Kingdom of Achu besides the palace, which can be taken from the internet." He analysed, "Juleka's letter could have be sent by the Agreste fashion industries, it could also be written by Lila herself, and seeing how Juleka pointed out the many errors, just confirms that she did, seeing how such incompetence would never be found under Adrien's father." The boy genius let out a troubled sigh, "I do want to believe that our friend hasn't been lying to us this entire time, but it is difficult to believe when no direct source can be presented on the spot." He couldn't help examining every single thing their friend has done now that Alix told them, and the physical evidence against Lila.

Kim squirmed at his friend's words, "So you think she lied to us this whole time?" he frowned sadly.

Max frowned, "Presenting my assessment, I would have to side with yes." He nodded, finally confirming his answer to the question from lunch.

The athlete let out a groan, leaning his head on his arms that laid across his knees. He didn't understand why someone so awesome would need to lie. He was sure that even without the lying, Lila was still an awesome person, so why did she need to lie? They would have accepted her even without the cool stories. She was a model! She didn't need to lie about the other things, her modelling was impressive as it is! Sure he wasn't that interested in that field, but it was still impressive!

Mylène fidgeted, looking uncomfortable. She glanced at her boyfriend who was staring at something with a guilty expression. Before she could turn to what he was looking at, her worried eyes caught Nathaniel, "Are you okay, Nathaniel?" she asked in concern.

Everyone turned to the artist who had been quiet this whole time, his face twisted in hurt.

"I just feel betrayed and humiliated." Nathaniel muttered, squeezing his sketchbook to his chest. Lila had shown interest in his and Marc's comic, and she had offered to talk about their comic to a manga publisher in Japan. Was she just making fun of him when she had made that offer? Did she even mean it when she complimented their comic or was that also a lie?

He was so sick of getting humiliated.

The others turned to one another, giving empathetic looks, unsettled frowns on their faces.

They also felt the same as their friend.

"Let's give it some time, alright, bud?" it was Kim who spoke as he hooked an arm around the artist, knocking the depressed look off his face from the sudden movement, "Alya says she's working on it! Maybe it really is a misunderstanding!" he grinned optimistically.

Though it didn't seem likely, he still held out hope that they could've missed something here.

Ivan nodded, though it didn't look as convinced as he wanted it to, "And if it happened that she was lying to us this whole time, we could ask Lila why she lied to us."

Mylène nodded at her boyfriend's suggestion, "If it's really true that she has been lying since the beginning, then we can just show her that she doesn't have to lie to us anymore. Lila is still our friend, and just because she lied to us, doesn't mean that she's a bad person, she's still the kind girl that we know." She attempted, smiling. Though her smile wasn't as bright as she wanted it to be, "All the things Lila promised us was probably just her wanting to support us in her own way, and the stories…" she fidgeted, unsure, but trying, "Well, maybe she didn't know how to start a conversation without thinking that she needed to say something interesting."

Nathaniel felt the tension in him sag away, pushing Kim's arm off his shoulders, "Well… when you put it that way…" he mumbled. He still felt a bit betrayed, but he could kind of understand why a person might do that, but that doesn't excuse the fact that when the time comes to pay up, it'll be obvious that the true would get exposed in the end. She should have fessed up at the least before she found herself in this mess.

Mylène smiled, glad that their friend wasn't as upset as he was before, "At least she hasn't done anything awful."

"She did what?!" Rose shrieked in shock and outrage.

From her spot on Rose's bed, arms wrapped around her legs, Juleka slightly recoiled at the volume of her friend while the blonde stood stock-still in front of her. She had told her what had happened between her and Lila after she the trembling had stopped and that she didn't feel like throwing up anymore.

The walk to Rose's place had also cleared the urge to faint.

"Are you okay?!" Rose exclaimed, rushing to her once the shock had settled, "She didn't do anything else, did she?" she worriedly asked, taking her hands in hers.

Juleka let out a calming breath, "No, I'm okay… I think." She slowly said, though her shoulders were hunched, "I just didn't expect her to threaten me." She had of course felt betrayed and angry, and when she saw Lila at the end of the school, the feelings came rushing up that a confrontation was inevitable.

It was spurred even more when she saw her brother, who was rare to anger, looking angry.

Maybe she should have confronted her with a calmer attitude, but at least now she knows her true colours.

Rose squeezed her hands with a pained look. She simply thought that Lila just lied to them, she didn't think she would do something so horrible. And Juleka had to go through such an awful experience!

Though she tried to calm down, Juleka was still looking shaken.

"We need to tell the others!" Rose nodded, eyes blazed, "We thought she was just lying, but she threatened you!" she cried out, squeezing their hands together, "We can't let her get away with that!"

Juleka took a shaky breath as she looked up to stare at Rose's alerted look, "That's not the worst part." She mumbled, choking.

"What-?! What else did she do to you?!"

Juleka shook her head with a pained frown, "She said that I'll lose all my friends and wind up alone, just like Marinette." She swallowed, "She threatened Marinette." She pointed out, staring as Rose flinched, "and she made sure of her threat." Her voice trembled. She closed her eyes with her head down.

Marinette hasn't been hanging out with them. Marinette hasn't been talking to them. Marinette has been leaving them.

And it's all their fault.

They played right into Lila's plan without thinking.

Rose felt her throat close up. It was just one bad news after another that her heart was breaking. But as she stared at her dear friend, she pulled up every bit of bravery she had left in her shattering heart, "F-First, let's all calm down." her voice croaked, "Everything will be okay." She swallowed as she wrapped her arms around Juleka, pulling her close for comfort, whether for Juleka's sake or hers, she didn't know, "We'll tell the others a-and…" she felt Juleka wrap her arms around her, "We'll make it up to Marinette just like we planned." She hiccupped, burying her face in her shoulder, the reality on what they've indirectly done to Marinette, the nicest person in the world, dawning on her, "We're already half-way there," her voice was small and quivering.

Juleka only nodded, no words coming out as she tried to take comfort in her hug, squeezing her tight.

"Should we tell Luka what happened?" Rose asked after a few moments. They would tell the others later, but she was sure that Luka would want to know what happened to his sister.

Juleka thought about it before coming to an answer, "We should but… not yet." They needed to figure this out calmly or else Lila might turn this around on them.

Besides, she didn't want her brother charging at Lila while holding his guitar like a bat.

Yet.

When Lila had come back for lunch, instead of questioning their friend, they had simply sat and listened to her stories.

Alya just couldn't outright ask if all this time she'd been lying to them.

That would be just too discourteous when she had just proven her innocence to them, and she didn't want to cause Lila anymore trouble than they'd already done.

She was going to prove Lila's innocence to the group and then this whole thing can be put behind them.

So, she had sat there, trying to ask as many details of her stories so it'll be easier to investigate them later to prove her innocence.

Though she did have to back down a bit with the specifics when Lila stopped to stare at her with a smile, wondering why she was asking such detailed questions.

She had aborted, not wanting Lila to find out what she was really up to and why.

Besides, with these number of details she got; she was bound to find enough evidence.

So why was it so hard.

Typing away at her computer with multiple tabs opened in the background, Alya felt herself breaking out into a cold sweat as she tried to keep the rising panic and desperation under wraps.

She just needed something - anything that would prove her friend's innocence. Anything that didn't come from her blog or the few mentions from Adrien's fashion interview and her appearance on TV that one time.

She needed more.

It should've been so easy so why was it so hard to dig up anything?

Nino, who had pulled up a chair besides her, grew worried the more incessant typing and clicking continued, the louder it got. At first, she had been confident that she would have compile a list of evidence in no time with the amount of information she gotten, but as nothing showed up one after another, she had grown quiet while the typing and clicking rang throughout her room, the words in the search bar showing minor spelling mistakes from her rapidness.

Having a pensive look on his face, Nino decided that maybe it was time to put an end to this illusion they were in. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he quietly called out to her, "… Alya…"

"Yeah?" she hummed without stopping what she was doing, skimming over a site before moving onto the next when it didn't match what she was looking for.

"I think… that's enough now." He whispered, sounding defeated. It's been long overdue.

But Alya didn't want to give up, "Not yet, just… maybe I'm not looking at the right place – that's right! Maybe I need to try an Italian search engine instead of the France one since Lila is from-"

"Alya…" Nino tried, sounding tired.

"No." Alya griped, her fingers finally stopping as she curled them into fists, "No. No. No. No." she trembled, gulping the lump down her throat, "Lila isn't a liar. She just can't be. Because if she was really lying this whole time then…" she bit her lip and turned to Nino with a sort of desperation and the reluctant defeat in her eyes, "Then my credibility as a journalist is on the line." All those interviews Lila gave her about Ladybug and other things, "Ladybug's trust in me is actually gone." The reason why Ladybug can no longer count on them was because of this, "And my friendship with Marinette is really ruined." Marinette had been right all along, and she never believed her.

She was the worst.

Nino looked at her with pity in his eyes. Out of all of them, his girlfriend had the most to lose. He knew how proudful she was on her journalism, knew how much it meant for her to be a superhero, and Marinette was her best bud. While he had given Lila a copy of his script to send to Steven Basielberg, which was now pointless, the feeling he felt probably didn't compare to what his girlfriend was feeling.

He shifted closer to her; his arms wrapped around her to bring her in.

Alya had her hands gripping at her hair, "So Lila can't be a liar, because if she were, then wouldn't Ladybug had told me to take it down? She knows that I'm the owner of the Ladyblog, so she would've said something right from the beginning." She knew she was grasping at straws now, but she needed this to be proof that Lila has been telling the truth since the beginning.

Nino gave a forlorn frown, pulling them closer together, "Maybe it's time to face the truth." He whispered sadly, having reluctantly accepted long ago.

Alya buried her face in his shoulder, "I can't." she croaked.

She felt like she was losing everything.

Arriving to school on a Wednesday morning with a bright smile even though the sky was full of dark clouds, Aurore stepped out of the car, but not without a reminder that they needed to head straight to the studio after school.

Thanking her driver, she closed the door before facing Collège Françoise Dupont while the car drove off.

It was one of those days where there were no meetings in the mornings and she could arrive to school at the start of the day, though she couldn't wait for the interview today.

Before she was even halfway up the stairs, a perky voice called out to her.

"Hey, Aurore~"

Turning around, she saw Lila jogging towards her, hand raised in the air, waving at her.

"Oh, Lila. Good morning." She politely greeted.

Lila smiled, taking a quick glance around before settling on her, "What a surprise to see you here, I don't think I ever see you in the morning before." She hummed as they both headed towards the school.

"Well, that's because I usually have meetings and projects to do." Aurore explained.

Lila clasped her hands together, "Wow, it's really amazing what you do! I know that I wouldn't be able to juggle both my charity work and school at the same time. I usually leave those for after school and the weekends." She waited for the blonde to take the bait – ask her further questions, yet she just wasn't biting.

"That's kind of you." Aurore simply praised out of courtesy.

Inwardly narrowing her eyes, Lila wondered just how close she and Marinette was and what nonsense the dummy had said. It would be great to have the weather girl on her side - a new addition to her life, plus it'll be amusing to take another one of the dummy's friend just like that, especially with what had happened yesterday.

Stopping in the middle of the open courtyard, Lila let out a dejected look, hands clasp to her chest as Aurore also stop to stare at her, "I know Marinette and I aren't on good terms," she let out a regrettable sigh at that, "but I hope that her opinion doesn't affect what you think of me." she made her shoulders sag as she peered demurely up at her, "I just want to make friends since I transferred here. At times, I feel like an outsider since everyone are already close friends with each other."

Aurore stared with her calm eyes, "Well I'm sure you'll make friends." She smiled, tilting her head at her, "A charismatic girl like you will be drawing in a crowd in no time." her smile turned mysteriously before she turned around, twirling her umbrella behind her, "Oh." She stopped as if she remembered something and looked over her shoulder, "Be careful, today might rain on your parade."

Lila raised a questioning brow, though on the inside, she was not happy at such a dismissive response, "What do you mean."

But Aurore simply smiled, pointing a finger up at the darkening clouds, "It's going to rain today."

Looking up at the darkening clouds, Lila looked back down to give her a sweet smile at her concern, "Don't worry, I'm sure that I can handle it."

Aurore continued to smile as she turned and walked away, not seeing the scowl on the girl's face.

She had some little self-advertising to do.

When Marinette arrived at school, carrying a familiar black umbrella that she dug out of her closet, she couldn't help but notice some exciting buzz around the courtyard.

Was something big going on?

"Marinette!"

Turning at the familiar voice, Marinette turned with a smile, "Aurore!" she greeted just as enthusiastically, meeting her halfway, "Did something happen? Everyone seems excited." She asked, curiously looking around her.

"Oh, just a little self-advertising about that interview today." She grinned brightly before leaning forward a bit, "Remember, it's at 4 on Channel 5." She waved her finger airily in the air, "I think you'll like the special guest we have today." She's reminded once more. She's done her research and she was prepared.

Marinette chuckled at the reminder once more, "Fine, I'll set a reminder on my phone." She pulled out her phone and did what she said before turning it around to let her see, "Happy?"

Aurore giggled and nodded at that, "Very." Her eyes then trailed to the black umbrella she was holding while Marinette put her phone away, "Looks like you're prepared."

Noticing where she was looking at, Marinette glanced at the umbrella as well with a calm smile, "Yeah, I am." While she was a bit nervous, she was just that:

A bit nervous.

She didn't feel like chickening out or feel herself spiralling into all these potential failures in her head.

She was ready,

Maybe even excited which was something she never thought she'll ever feel when confessing.

Seeing the look on her face, Aurore could guess that they weren't talking about the same thing, but she was glad that it didn't look anything bad, "Well, I'm glad." Something on her wrist then caught her eyes, "Cool bracelet." She pointed out.

Marinette gaze trailed onto Adrien's bracelet, "Thought I try out this lucky charm." She smiled.

Aurore blinked, but then tilted her head at her with a playful smile, putting on her weather persona, "Well, I don't think it's necessary but I predict a blessed shower for you." She winked.

Marinette blinked up at that and giggled at her antics, "Thanks."

She was ready to close a chapter of her life.

Coming to school together, Rose and Juleka looked nervous, yet determined.

Yesterday, they had spilt up the class between them to message them individually to meet up behind the school early if they could. They were careful in double checking and even triple checking that they had sent it to the right recipient since they couldn't just use the class group chat or the girl's group chat in case Lila saw, and they had decided against messaging Chloé and Sabrina seeing that the two weren't close to Lila, nor were seen talking with her (Plus, they didn't want Chloé making a scene with this kind of information on Lila). They had also hesitated on including Marinette, not sure if she would want to answer, and if she did, would she even want to after what they had put her through? In the end, they had decided not to, not wanting her to be there in case the class didn't believe that Lila was also an awful person.

They would sort this out themselves before seeing Marinette.

Rounding the corner, they could see that the others have arrived, except Adrien who said he might not make it due to a morning photoshoot under the clouds that his photographer wanted to take advantage of. They all looked confused, though Alya was looking tired, leaning against a supporting Nino with droopy eyes, looking like she would fall asleep any minute now.

"Morning everyone, thank you for coming meeting us here." Rose greeted, trying to muster a smile, though it was lacklustre with how she was feeling. She looked over to Alya, concern showing through, "Are you okay, Alya?"

Alya waved her off with a shrug, "Just tired." She murmured before lifting herself up. She rubbed at the face under her glasses, trying to refresh herself, "So, what's up? Why did you ask us to meet up here?" she asked.

"Well… It's about Lila." Rose fidgeted, looking uncomfortable. She glanced over to Juleka who was also as equally as uncomfortable as she was.

"Yeah, yeah, she's a liar and?" Alix questioned, sitting on the ground cross-legged and leaning her cheek on her palm, face bored. If she remembered right, only Rose and Juleka were the only one who truly believes that Lila's a liar. She wondered if this meeting was to show more evidence to convince the others.

When no rebuttal came, Alix glanced over to Alya with a questioning brow, "What? Not going to defend your friend?" nor did the others who were indecisive about the liar for that matter.

Alya flinched, frowning as she looked away from her, "I'm just tired." She grumbled, "Besides, I still have one more source to check, I just need to ask Adrien to ask his dad about his relationship with Lila." If nothing was showing up, then she should reach out to the ones that did.

Alix let out a hum. She could probably guess why she was tired.

"Ehem." Rose cleared her voice, trying to get things back on track, "Something awful happened yesterday."

Mylène furrowed her brows in concern, "What happened?" she softly asked when they looked nervous on continuing.

Juleka swallowed, looking sick though she tried to shove it down as Rose placed a hand on her arm to support her, "Yesterday… after school…" she clenched and unclenched her fist, "Lila threatened me when I call her out on her lies."

Shock ran through the air.

If Alya was still sleepy, she was now wide awake in disbelief, standing beside a speechless Nino.

Alix hand had dropped, straightening up as she gaped in shock.

Mylène had gasped.

Ivan, Nathaniel, Kim and Max were in shell-shocked.

A burst of emotions came out in the next second.

"Wait, what?!"

"She threatened you?!"

"What did she say?!"

"Wait, let's all calm down first." Rose fretted, "We can't let this be the cause of an akuma." They had worried about a potential akuma when messaging the others. They had been lucky that there was no akumas lately, but they shouldn't push their luck.

At the mention of 'akuma', they sucked in their breaths, glancing around for any purple butterflies for a few moments, before letting out their breath out of relief when none was showing up.

Though they didn't like the sound that their friend had been threatened.

"So, what did she say?" Alix questioned, having stood up.

"She told me that I'll lose all my friends and wind up alone."

Mylène looked somewhat relieved at that, believing in the positive, "Well, that's not going to happen!" she smiled reassuringly, "We'll always be friends, nothing will break us apart!"

"Yeah!" Ivan nodded furiously, "And we also have Kitty Section!"

"Her threat won't work!" Kim smirked confidently with his hands on his hips.

The others nodding, agreeing.

But even with all these reassurances, Jukeka didn't look relieved as she pursed her lips, "I need you to keep calm for what I'm about to say next." She stared at them with a fixed, though nervous, stare, "Lila also threatened Marinette with this threat as well."

There was stunned silence as the others processed this.

"Are you serious?" Alix breathed under her breath in shock, though it soon morphed into anger, "That little-!"

"Alix, we need to stay calm!" Rose cried out.

"How can I-?!" She was cut off when Alya strode past her.

"Wait, Alya! Where are you going?" Rose called out.

"I need to talk to Lila." She briskly answered back before disappearing from the corner.

Rose looked panicked, glancing between the others and Alya before running after her when Juleka nodded for her to while she handles the others.

As soon as the car stopped, Adrien quickly closed the car door behind him after bidding his driver a 'later' and ran to the corner of the school, rounding the corner.

"What do you think this secret meeting is about?" Plagg asked, peeking out from his collar.

"I don't know, but I hope it's not anything bad." Adrien said with a strained smile.

As he was about to round the corner, he heard voices.

"Yeah, yeah, she's a liar and? ... What? Not going to defend your friend?"

That was Alix's voice.

He didn't realise he had slowed to a stop just before the corner, his mind processing what he heard.

Liar? Did they finally find out that Lila's a liar?

"Looks like the cat's out of the bag." Plagg looked amused at that, "Though there seemed to be one who still believes." He pointed out, leaning forward from his hiding place.

Is that what the meeting was about?

He carefully peeked around the corner, trying not to be seen as he saw who was at this meeting.

Almost everyone was besides a few.

"I'm just tired." Alya grumbled, "Besides, I still have one more source to check, I just need to ask Adrien to ask his dad about his relationship with Lila."

When his name was mentioned, he pulled back and stared towards his kwami.

"Not going to tell them that you knew all along?" Plagg questioned, raising a brow at him.

Adrien blinked, "I…" he trailed off. If he told them that he knew all this time, would they get mad at him? Would they not want to be friends with him anymore? Would they hate him?

He felt anxious all of a sudden.

"Adrien?" Plagg grew worried, flying out of his hiding spot to hover in front of him, "Maybe you don't have to tell them that you knew." He shrugged nonchalantly, trying to ease the look on his chosen's face, "People are blind, even if you had told them, they would only choose to believe what they want when the lie was sooo obvious."

If he told them the truth now, would they be akumatised?

"… the others will get hurt when they find out they have been lied to this whole time and then we'll have not just one, but many akumas loose." Master Fu's words came back.

Was he willing to risk them to be akumatised over Lila?

No, he couldn't do that to them, not to his friends.

He didn't say anything in response to Plagg but slowly nod.

"Great, now put on your shock face and go join the others." Plagg advised. As he was about to fly back into his hiding spot, they overheard some shocking revelation.

"Yesterday… after school… Lila threatened me when I call her out on her lies."

Both widened their eyes in shock, their mouths agape.

But what was even more shocking was what they heard after that.

"Lila also threatened Marinette with this threat as well."

Marinette was threatened?

He staggered a step back and another before he was turning around and running with Plagg quickly going after him and hiding under the folds of his jacket.

Why did she never tell me?

As he skips the steps of Collège Françoise Dupont, he looked around trying to find Marinette, and when he finally found her, he froze in his spot.

On the bench where he had once asked her advice about Kagami, he saw her smiling brightly at Aurore before both of them were giggling.

Once again, he wondered who were the people that Marinette thought of as friends.

And was it too late.

Alya stormed into the school, trying to hopelessly keep calm as she tried to find Lila and demand answers.

"Lila!" she yelled out once she spotted her, she was surrounded by a group of students from other classes, all listening to her with captivated attention.

Just as she was about to charge at her, she was held back by Rose.

"Wait, Alya! Calm down, please." She pleaded. Her heart breaking for her friend.

"But she threatened Juleka and Marinette." She breathed heavily. She didn't ask for proof, not anymore. She didn't think she could deny it.

Not anymore.

"I know, but please calm down." Rose begged again, dragging her to a corner, "Let's think this through. What do you think would happen if we just confront her like Juleka did?" she frowned.

"But everyone now knows, so she can't use us for her threats." Alya pointed out.

Rose nodded at her point, "But what if she tries something else. Let's think of another way – a plan, yes" she nodded, "We need a plan." She said, trying to calm her friend.

Alya breathed in a calming breath, "Fine." She huffed, thinking it through. If they can't confront Lila then they should at least find someone who had more authority than her. Her eyes widened at just who could help.

"Come in." Mr. Damocles ordered when someone knocked on the door, "Oh, Alya, Rose, what can I do for you?"

Alya took a deep breath and stepped forward while Rose stood by the closed door, "I like to report a student who threatened another student."

Mr. Damocles frown, "Oh, that's very serious. Just who did such a thing?"

The girls nodded at each other before answering.

"Lila Rossi, sir."

At the girl's name, Mr Damocles frowned, "Are you sure? That's a very serious accusation, young lady." He knew Lila and that didn't sound like her.

Alya frowned, "I am. Not only did she threatened my friends, but she's been lying this whole time." Her eyes narrowed as she finally made a realisation, making her feel immense guilt, "And she was probably the one to frame Marinette for cheating and stealing!"

Rose breath hitched at that.

"Alya," Mr Damoceles frowned at her conduct, "Lila Rossi has a rare disease that sometimes she can't control the things she says."

"But Lila lies!" Rose pitched in.

Mr Damocles held up his hand, stopping this nonsense, "I'm sure this disability has caused her many hardships." He said, defending the sweet and pitiful student.

"That's a load of-!"

"Alya Césaire!" he glared, "Please be mindful of what you say and on how you treat your fellow peers, now you two go return to class." He ordered, "I will not tolerate any more of this."

"At least call her mother." She tried, but all she got was a final warning as the two girls defeatedly headed to class.

As soon as the bell signalled the end of the day, Marinette packed her things up and just as she was about to call out his name, he whipped around towards her.

"Adri-"

"Marinette!"

Marinette blinked, startled, just as Adrien turn a bit flustered at his impatience.

"Sorry, just, I need to talk to you."

"Oh, I also need to talk to you." She stood up from her seat to stop next to his desk, "Can we…" she glanced around her, seeing some curious gazes aimed at her, "talk somewhere private?"

Adrien nodded, packing up his things and hurriedly stood up, "Yes, I- uh, okay, let's go."

As the two walked out of the classroom, Adrien looked nervous while Marinette herself was feeling calm.

Something that Marinette couldn't help but giggle at how ironic this was.

Adrien scratched the back of his head, wondering where they could talk. There were still lingering students around, but he hoped that the locker room was free to use. He glanced around them in case Lila was following them and he didn't want to risk her ruining everything.

Just as they reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw Kagami in her red fencing suit, talking to Mr. D'Argencourt. They were waiting for the students to clear out the courtyard so they could begin training and Adrien inwardly smacked his head for forgetting about it.

Seeing what had caught Adrien's attention, Marinette put 2 and 2 together, "Do you have fencing right now?"

Adrien awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah, I guess I forgot about it." He bit the inside of his cheek. He really wanted to talk to Marinette, not a quick one, but a proper one.

Marinette hummed in understanding, she had time to spare before Aurore's interview, "I can wait for you to finish if that's okay. There's something I want to talk to you about."

Adrien turned to her, "Is that okay? You'll be waiting for an hour."

She nodded, "Yeah." She then looked towards Mr. D'Argencourt and Kagami, catching the latter's eye, "Do you think it'll be okay to watch practice? It might spark some inspiration."

"Oh, sure, just let me go ask." He nodded quickly before going up to the others with Marinette following behind.

"Adrien, why are you not changed yet?" Mr. D'Argencourt demanded, "We have a competition to prepare for."

"Sorry, I'll go change soon." He gave an apologetic smile, "Um, is it okay if my friend, Marinette, watch our practice?"

Mr. D'Argencourt raised a brow before directing his gaze to the girl behind his student.

Marinette pointed towards the side near the lockers with a smile, "I can sit on the benches." She offered.

"Very well." He approved before turning to Adrien who looked relieved, "Now, go on then." He ordered, standing in the now relatively empty courtyard.

Adrien nodded and quickly left to get change.

Left alone, Marinette turn to greet Kagami, "Hi, Kagami." She smiled.

"Marinette." The Japanese girl greeted in a nod; eyes narrowed at her. There was something different about her, she wondered if she and Adrien had a talk.

Feeling a little awkward, Marinette pointed towards the bench, catching Kagami's eye with the bracelet, "Well, I'll get out of the way then, good luck." She said and walked away.

As much as she was curious about Marinette and Adrien heading out together, Alya had another mission in mind.

Standing up, she marched up the stairs towards Lila while the others stood out of the way, though they didn't leave the class (only Chloé and Sabrina went).

"Oh, Alya." Lila smiled sweetly, "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Yeah." She glared, her hands crossed, "You can stop all the lies."

Lila blinked, tilting her head, "Lies? What do you mean?" she then frowned, "Did Marinette say something about me?" she put on a sad, lonesome smile, "I know that Marinette doesn't like me, but to think she convinced you that I lied." She let out a sniff, "Do you actually believe her after what we've been through?"

Alya gritted her teeth, "Marinette didn't convince me." She tightened her grip on her arms, guilt wracking her heart. No, it wasn't Marinette. She was too stubborn to listen to her, "Everyone now knows you're a liar, Lila." She confessed.

Lila inwardly glared at her, but still kept on her act, "Everyone?" she looked around to finally realised that everyone was glaring at her, "What did I say that to make you think I was lying?" she questioned demurely, "I know that I made a mistake before, like accidently causing a misunderstanding that led to Marinette's expulsion, but I told you guys before that with my disease." She then covered her cheeks in morbid embarrassment, "I sometimes can't control what I said, and when I realised just what I said, it was too late. You all just looked so happy, and I didn't want to disappoint you." She sniffed, covering her eyes as she began to sob, "I just wanted to make friends."

Alya could feel her shoulders tense up.

"If that's true about your fake disease then how do you explain threatening Juleka and Marinette?" Alix questioned as she came up the stairs.

Lila inwardly glared at her before turning to Juleka with a wide shocked look, "I… did what?" she gasped, "I don't remember." She looked horrified as she made a look of realisation, "Don't tell me… oh no." she covered her eyes before peeking over them with sad eyes, "Juleka, I'm so sorry, I didn't know such a thing had happened."

Juleka glared at her, "What are you talking about?"

"Well…" Lila fidgeted, looking uncomfortable, "When I'm under a lot of stress, sometimes… she comes out and take over, and I have no idea what happens." It was a shame that she would have to postpone on her plans for Juleka.

"You're not making any sense." Kim frowned, "What? You got possessed or something?

Lila let out a shuddered breath, "Something like that. I've kept this a secret, but I have a dual personality disorder." She confessed.

"How convenient." Alix jabbed.

"It's true!" Lila cried out, covering her eyes, "I know it may be hard to believe, but please, it's true. I don't have any control over it." She then looked at Alya with a pitiful look, "Please believe me Alya."

Alix huffed, "There's no way she'll-"

"Okay." Alya said, shocking the class.

"Alya!" the class looked dismayed.

Alya frowned, "It makes a lot of sense. I'm sorry I doubted you, Lila. Why don't you go home? I'm sure this has been a stressful day." She strained a smile.

"Thank you, Alya, you're a good friend." She sniffed and then left.

As Lila walked out the door, she scowled.

That was close though how could they think she was the liar?

How dare they?

They were the one in the wrong, not her.

She couldn't believe just how ungrateful those fools are.

But fine, if they were going to be that way, then she can always find others to cater to her.

She still had her teacher wrapped around her finger and if she wanted to, she was sure she could persuade the gullible principal to switch her class. And if those fools really don't believe her, then she simply just turn the whole school on them. She was sure she would have the others under her control in no time with how enamoured the other students just beg her to listen to her stories.

As she headed down the stairs, she saw the dummy, the demon girl and Adrien on the courtyard.

A thought that maybe she could mess with Marinette would cheer her up, but she didn't want to risk it with the goody-two shoes and the demon girl present.

She would have to toy with her next time, but for now, she would go home and plan her next move.

As soon as Lila left, the class turned to Alya.

"You can't seriously believe that, do you?" Alix raised a disbelieving brow at her. Their friend can't be this gullible, could she?

Alya shook her head, making her friends sag with relief, "No, but you all saw. She won't stop lying no matter what."

Nino went up to her, wrapping his arms around her, "That was a good move, almost scared us though." He nervously chuckled.

Alix then turned to look at the others, "Anybody else believe in the liar?" she questioned, checking to make sure.

They all shook their heads, with a comment from Nathaniel that it might make a cool comic idea; and a comment from Max that there was high chance that it might be true as it would explain a lot of things, but he would have to go with his gut instinct instead of his trusted numbers for this one that she was lying.

"So what do we do?" Ivan asked, "Lila seems like she has a lie prepared.

"Should we go tell the principal?" Mylène suggested.

But Rose sulkily shook her head at that.

"The principal is no help, so we need to figure a sure way to expose her." Alya muttered.

"Then let's think up a plan." Nino nodded enthusiatically.

The class agreed, throwing out ideas.

"Should we kidnap her mother?" Juleka offered after a bunch of ideas.

The class stared at her blinkingly, not knowing what to say to that.

Mylène let out a timid chuckle, "Let's leave that for a last resort."

"Actually, that may be a good idea." Alix thought about it.

"Alix! We can't commit a crime!" Nathaniel chastised.

Alix scowled, "Not that, I was thinking that maybe Lila's mom is the key to exposing her."

"Ahh." The class universally nodded at that, understanding.

"Come on, let's just think on how we could do this." Alix huffed.

Sitting on the bench with her sketchpad on her lap, Marinette felt relaxed as she sketched out a long flowy tulip dress with a V-neck cut. She could imagine how it look if someone were to wear it, the long elegant red dress, spinning around, making the skirt swish elegantly around. Though the person who had inspired the design was Kagami.

Looking up as she placed her chin on her palm, she watched as Kagami easily parried Adrien's strike with ease before delivering her own attack.

"Attaque! Touche. Point!" Mr. D'Argencourt called out, giving the point to Kagami.

Adrien and Kagami return to the starting point, waiting for Mr D'Argencourt call out, "En garde... Prêt... allez!" signalling them to lunge at each other, their sabres clashing against one another.

Marinette watched fascinated by the movements, but she couldn't help but wonder why it seemed like Adrien's movements seemed impatient. But she shook her head, it was probably her imagination, besides, she wasn't an expert on fencing, and this could be just one of those things she wouldn't understand.

Before Adrien could get up, the tip of Kagami's sabre pressed into the middle of his chest.

"Touche. Point!" Mr D'Argencourt before letting out a sigh, "I guess we're done for today. We will resume training tomorrow as well. Go home and rest now." He ordered before he left.

Kagami took off her helmet before offering her hand to Adrien, "You were impatient and distracted." She frowned, "Did you not talk to Marinette yet?" Her eyes then glanced to the girl who had came out of the locker room with a black umbrella in hand, "Is that why she sat in on our practice?" she questioned.

Adrien sighed, grabbing her hand as she lifted him up, "Yeah, I didn't have time. I just need to talk to her, it's important." He frowned, looking uneasy.

Kagami stared at him with a thoughtful look before sighing, "Alright, go talk to her. I'll be leaving now."

Adrien blinked, "Do you want me to walk you to your car?"

Kagami smiled at that, "No need." She placed a hand on his cheek before planting a chaste kiss to his other cheek, "Go and talk to Marinette. I hope you resolve this issue soon." She leaned back, "I'll see you tomorrow." she said before walking towards the changing room to retrieve her things.

As she walked pass Marinette, she shot a suspicious glance at her, for someone who was making Adrien worried, she sure looked fine.

Noticing her glance, Marinette smiled at her, "Bye, Kagami."

"Bye, Marinette." she nodded. She still couldn't help that something has changed.

Humming her song, Marinette waited patiently for Adrien to come out of the locker room with his things.

"So what did you want to talk about?" she asked as soon as he came out.

Adrien swallowed, looking at her with guilt. There was so many things he wanted to ask her: Why did you never say anything? Are we still friends? Are you and Alya okay? Who do you consider as friends? When did… this start? On that day when you left the café, did you purposely ignore me?

But the one he wanted to answer the most ever since he heard was, "Why didn't you tell me that Lila threatened you?" he asked quietly, pained.

Marinette widened her eyes, "How..." she shook her head. It doesn't matter how he found out, it was in the past and she wanted to move on from that horrible time, "It's fine. It doesn't matter anymore."

"It does! You were threatened." He stressed, looking worried for her, "If I had known, I would've…" he trailed off, stumped and horrified at his powerlessness.

Marinette stared, some ugly part deep within her heart wanted to mock that.

Would there even be a difference?

Adrien said that as long as they know the truth, does it really matter?

It did matter.

Adrien had encouraged Lila's lies.

Adrien didn't do anything when his friends were being lied to.

Adrien never tried to expose her lies.

Adrien did nothing.

But Marinette knew she shouldn't blame him for this. She had been hurt and simply wanted to lash out, but that wouldn't be the greatest idea. She knew that Adrien was kind, naively kind and it could be because of the way he grew up- sheltered for most of his life. She knew he only wanted friends, even if he was clumsy with it.

She took a deep breath, washing over her anger with memories of Luka and Aurore, soothing her heart.

"Adrien." She said with an assuring smile, "It's fine, really. I have friends that won't fall for Lila's tricks and stand up to her." she smiled warmly, "That's enough for me, honest."

Adrien swallowed, "Do you mean Alya and the others?"

Marinette's smile faltered, "That's…" she grabbed her arm for comfort, "We haven't been much of a friend to each other for a while, but I've accepted that."

"That's… I'm sorry." Adrien looked down. If he had known, he could've done something. Maybe make a deal with Lila or made sure the others were warned…

But he didn't.

He missed so much opportunities to warn his friends.

Biting the inside of his cheek, Adrien timidly looked at her, "When… when you left the café… with Luka on that day… did you purposely ignore me?"

Marinette looked ashamed of that, knowing which day he was talking about. She gave him an apologetic smile, "I couldn't take it in there and just wanted to leave."

Adrien gulped, feeling bad, "When I… when I asked if you were fine all those times, was that… true?" he whispered.

His answer was a rueful smile.

"Oh.." now seeing the truth, Adrien realised he hasn't been a good friend to Marinette as he had liked to believe, "I'm sorry." He pressed his hand over his eye, feeling ashamed of how he had failed her, "I should've done more. I thought that after bargaining my friendship with Lila, I thought I could keep her in check with it. Every time she was taking things too far." He let out a shuddering breath, "I didn't know that – I should've expected that she-"

Marinette furrowed her brows, looking confused, "Wait, what do you mean that you bargained your friendship with her? What did you do?"

Adrien blinked, looking up with a sad-stricken face, "On that day when she got you… expelled, she was at my photoshoot for some reason. I don't know why but she was there, and I used my friendship for her to prove your innocence."

"Oh…" it was Marinette's turn to feel speechless, realising just why Lila had changed her mind on that day.

So it was because of Adrien.

"That's…" so Lila was the reason she couldn't return to school, but it was Adrien who got her back to school, that seems so…, "Pfft."

Adrien looked surprised at her reaction, "Marinette?" he said, worriedly, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, it's just," she chuckled with a hand wiping at her dry eyes, "It's kind of funny. Something similar happened." Before he could ask about it, she continued, "Do you remember that time when you lost your dad's book and couldn't come back to school?"

He slowly nodded, "Yeah?"

"Well, the reason why you 'lost' your book was because Lila had taken it when you were at the library and then dumped it in the bin at the park."

"What?!" he barked.

"Don't worry, I fished it out and… returned it." Only after she gone to Master Fu and he made a copy of the Grimoire.

"So that's what happened…" he then blinked, "Wait, how did you know?"

"Followed after her when I saw what she did." she shrugged, trying to fight down the embarrassed blush and hoping he didn't ask any further questions, "But I guess we have something in common, the reason why we couldn't come back to school was because of Lila, and the reason why we could, was each other." She huffed amusingly.

Adrien stared at her before allowing himself a small smile, "Well, when you put it that way, it is a little funny."

Marinette smiled, glad that he didn't look so sad anymore. Some small part of her heart will always care for Adrien, but at least it didn't feel all-consuming anymore. Taking a deep breath, Marinette went back on track. From the things he had talked about, she knew what kind of talk this was, "Adrien, I just want you to know that I'm done with Lila."

"What do you mean?"

"It means that I want nothing to do with her and whatever war she has declared on me." She lowered her eyes, "Dealing with her was… bad, to put it loosely, the things she threatens me with, losing my friends," losing you, "ending up all alone… it was true, yet it wasn't." she looked up at him with a smile, "I went through some stuff." She explained vaguely, "but now I finally found a point where I feel I can be happy again. I have friends that I trust now and I'm moving on which I'm excited about. I'm happy with what I have now." She grinned.

Adrien stared amazed, "That's…" he closed his eyes and breathed in, before opening them and giving her a supporting smile.

It was the very least he could do, "I'm glad for you and… I'm sorry that I didn't do more for you, and for our friends."

Marinette smiled softly at his sincere words, "Thanks." Was all she said. She now knew that Adrien had tried, but unfortunately it simply wasn't enough for her.

Fidgeting on the spot, Adrien felt insecure, "I know I haven't been much of a friend to you, but… are we…still friends?" he asked, looking hopeful, yet scared of her answer.

Marinette stared at him with a thoughtful gaze. Now that she thought about it, she wasn't much of a friend to Adrien either, always thinking up plans to confess to him. That wasn't fair to Adrien who only wanted to make friends, "To be honest, I don't think we were that much of friends." Even though she had once said she considered Adrien a friend where she could tell him anything, she was just kidding herself.

Adrien flinched at that, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, "O-Oh, I guess what I did wasn't-"

"Which is why I want to be a proper friend that you deserve." She smiled, surprising him.

Snapping his head at her with wide eyes, his heart was thumping with hope, "So you mean…"

Her smile widened, "Let's restart." She held out her hand, "Hi, I'm Marinette. I like fashion." She said, trying to restrain her laughter.

Adrien looked amused, shaking her hand, "I'm Adrien. I'm a model." He grinned.

The two couldn't contain it anymore and burst out into laughter.

Walking towards the exit of Collège Françoise Dupont, the sky let out some light rumble.

"Looks like it'll rain any second now." Adrien commented.

"Didn't bring an umbrella today?" Marinette asked from beside him as the two stopped at the large doors.

Adrien looked sheepish, "Yeah, forgot to grab one this morning on my way out, pretty unlucky right?" just as he said that, it began raining.

"Not quite." Marinette grinned, before pulling up his umbrella, her hand stretched out, offering it to him.

Realizing that she was holding this umbrella this whole time, Adrien stared at the familiar umbrella, that was being held by a wrist wearing his gift, "Hey, isn't that the lucky charm? I'm glad you still have it." he smiled at the token of friendship he gifted her.

Marinette giggled, "Yeah, thought I could try a bit of luck today." and so far, it's been working she guess. She then guestured to his umbrella, a soft smile on her lips, "Here. Sorry that I never returned it."

Adrien stared at his umbrella and then to the heavy rain, "But then you'll get wet."

"It's fine, my place is not that far."

Adrien hesitated before just accepting it, he knew Marinette could be stubborn, no point in fighting her, "Oh yeah, you also had something you wanted to talk about. What was it?"

"Oh, yeah that, I just wanted to say-"

Just as he reaches out to take the handle, Marinette spoke the simple words that froze him.

"I like you Adrien," she whispered, but it was loud enough for him to hear, "as more than a friend."

Stunned, Adrien stared wide eyes at her, his mouth dry as Marinette simply gave him a soft smile, her eyes gentle, patiently waiting.

But the longer he stared at her, the more he began to break into a cold sweat, feeling scared.

He didn't want to do this-didn't want to hurt one of his friends, especially Marinette. They had just become friends again? He didn't want to ruin this delicate thing they had. And even though Marinette's amazing, a good friend, he didn't feel the same as her-he couldn't accept her feelings. He was in love with his Lady, and Marinette is his good friend.

He didn't think Marinette ever liked him like that and plus, he thought she and Luka were together.

Averting his eyes, Adrien couldn't bear to see the hurt that he was about to put her through. He had to be honest, had to do the right thing, he wouldn't want to string her along, Marinette deserves the best, someone who truly loves her.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Adrien timidly looked right into her bluebell eyes, the same as his Lady's and gave her a reply, "I'm sorry Marinette, but… I… like someone else." He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling guilty for breaking her heart. Did that mean they were no longer friends? Is he going to lose a friend because of thi-?

"I know."

Adrien's eyes snapped opened, only to see that Marinette was still smiling softly at him with gentle bluebell eyes.

"You told me before, remember? That the girl you like doesn't like practical jokes and that's okay." Her cheeks burned at the memory.

Remembering that day, Adrien let out a slow breath at a sudden realisation, "So when you confessed... you really meant it? Then..." he blinked at her, confused, "Why did you say it was a joke?"

Marinette's face twisted in embarrassment, "I didn't want that to be my confession and... I wasn't ready." she took a deep breath, cooling down her cheeks, "Either way," She shook the umbrella that she was still holding, reminding him to take it back, "we're still friends and nothing will change that, not even this rejection." She explained.

The blond blinked, looking vulnerable, the thought of losing a friend like Marinette, scared him, "We're still friends?" he asked for confirmation, sounding vulnerable, his hand slowly move to take the handle.

"Friends." Marinette nodded, giving him her brightest smile.

Adrien stared in awe, distracted.

Thunder rumbled in the background, startling him out of his stupor. He quickly reached the remaining distance, flinching when he accidentally touched her hand.

Giggling, Marinette pushed the handle into his hand, "I'll see you tomorrow!" she called over her shoulder as she started into the rain, immediately getting soaked as she ran home with her head up.

She was so bright in this dull weather.

"S-See you t-tomorrow!" Adrien quickly tried to yell back, startled.

Plagg popped his head out of his outer white shirt, "You sure that was the right decision? She's the only girl who confessed to both sides of you, maybe you ought to rethink about rejecting the daughter of the best baker in Paris again."

Adrien whispered, "Stop that Plagg, like I said before, you know I'm in love with Ladybug." Still staring at the direction where Marinette had run off, his heart beating from such a confession.

"You don't even know who Ladybug is behind the mask, plus, and what was with that stutter?" Plagg grinned.

"I was just… surprised." He murmured, before noticing from the corner of his eyes that his car had pulled up.

He walked towards it, his bodyguard having readied the door opened for the model, not noticing that the grin was swiped off the kwami of destruction's face as the little god looked in the direction the ladybug holder ran off to.

He couldn't help but glance at his chosen with a worried look before ducking back into his hiding place.

Marinette arrived home, huffing and soaking, having used the other entrance instead of the bakery's one, she surprised her mom as she ran up the stairs in her state.

Once in the safety of her room, Tikki flew out and floated in front of her chosen, seeing her dripping wet. A concerned look on the kwami's face, "Marinette, are you…" she trailed off.

Even though her chosen was just rejected, even though her eyes were glassy with tears dripping down her cheeks...

On her lips was one of the brightest smiles she ever seen on Marinette's face.

It was a beautiful smile.

However, Tikki looked confused, unsure of what to do but wait for her chosen's next action.

"Tikki," she let out a breathless laugh, tilting her head back with her eyes closed, looking content, "I feel like I can breathe." She let out a tinkling laugh, feeling liberated.

She did it.

She finally did it.

Every time she wanted to confess to Adrien, something always goes wrong, or she chicken out and she was so tired of that, frustrated even.

And even though she knew she was going to be rejected, she felt like she could finally move on, finally get her closure.

She felt like she was free to move on.

Even though it hurts to be rejected, she realised that it wasn't fair of her to treat Adrien as someone she wanted to be the girlfriend of instead of being friends. It wasn't fair that she never gave a chance to be friends with Adrien without that yearning for more. And maybe if she did treat Adrien with the friendship he wanted, then maybe they could've been good friends, "I'm going to try to become a proper friend to Adrien, but right now…"

Placing her school bag down, Marinette opened her hatch, "There's somewhere I want to go." She told Tikki, brimming from her accomplishment. Tikki zoomed back into her purse as Marinette ran down the steps, giving a quick call to her parent down in the bakery as she ran out the door, "I'm heading out for a bit!"

"Marinette?" Sabine, surprised, called back from the warm bakery as she was managing the front.

Luka quickly ran along the Seine and towards his houseboat, berating himself for taking a risk. Yesterday hadn't rain, nor was it raining this morning. He thought he could've survived the trip home but instead was caught in the rain.

He was praying that the cover of his guitar is enough to prevent it from getting wet.

As he crossed the gangplank, Luka heard his name being called. Surprised, he turned around to see Marinette running towards him.

He was concerned to see her running in the rain without an umbrella, "Marinette? What's wron-?" he startled when the girl leapt at him, her arms wrapped around his neck as she let out a bright laugh.

On instinct, Luka wrapped his arms around her waist, spinning them both around from the momentum, making her giggle.

Her laugh was so infectiousness that Luka couldn't help but laugh as well, coming to a stop when he was able to regain his balance.

"Did something good happened?" he asked, leaning his soaked head against hers, rain pelting down on them.

Marinette let out a sigh, burying her face into his shoulder, her whole body relaxing into him, "Yeah." Was all she said, grinning. It was strange, she didn't think a rejection could feel so freeing.

When she didn't say anymore, content to stay in his arms, Luka slightly leaned down, gently and slowly let her down on the floorboards, his hands still on her hips, "As much as this is nice." He chuckled, "We should probably dry off before we both get sick." He wouldn't mind her in his arms, but he was more concerned about her health.

As if realizing what she was doing, Marinette jumped back with a flustered face, "O-Oh, um sorry-I mean yeah! Before we stick- I mean get sick!" she stuttered out, yet she was still grinning brightly.

Luka simply chuckled at the endearing way she stuttered and led them inside, "I'll lend you some clothes and towels." He said as they stepped into his room.

Going over to his drawer, he took out a towel and handed to Marinette before rummaging some clothes that would fit her, "I hope you don't mind my clothes." It would have probably been better if he lent her Juleka's clothes instead, but he thought it might be awkward with how the girl's relationship has become. Besides, his clothes were much roomier than his sister's.

Marinette flushed, "I-It's fine."

Finally finding something that should be small enough for her, Luka handed Marinette his extra clothes while he grabbed some for himself, "Here. I'll be outside if you need anything." He smiled at her.

A flushed Marinette squeaked out a thanks as she clutched the clothes in her hands.

Giving her one last smile, he turned around, eyes lingering on her as he walked out the door, closing the door behind him to give her privacy.

Quickly drying off as much as she could, Marinette changed into a black hoodie that engulfed her body and a pair of sweats, she couldn't help but nuzzle into the collar, blushing when she caught Luka's scent on it. Shaking her head to focus, she gathered her wet clothes from the ground, taking her phone from the back pocket of her pink jeans to place in one of the hoodie's pockets; and retrieved her purse which miraculously, wasn't as wet as she thought. She flicked the clasp open and gestured Tikki into one of the hoodie's pocket, letting the kwami be wrapped up in a warmer place.

She then took the ties from her pigtails out, letting it cascade just below her shoulders, dripping wet. She quickly went to dry her hair.

"Are you okay, Marinette?" Tikki asked from the hoodie's pocket.

Marinette grinned, "Yeah, I feel like one of the weights has finally been lifted off my shoulders." She giggled, taking her hair and tying it back into pigtails once it wasn't dripping with water anymore.

Tikki smiled at her chosen's energy, "Are we here so you can tell Luka about it?"

Marinette blinked. She didn't even think about that, "No… I just wanted to share what I'm feeling with someone." She explained, "But, maybe I'll tell him later. Right now, I don't want to rush into anything." She breathed, relaxing into a serene smile.

There was a knock on the door before Luka's asked if it was okay to enter.

Exchanging a glance with Marinette, Tikki ducked back into the hoodie's warmth as Marinette went to open the door for him to enter.

"Are the clothes okay?" Luka asked, head down as he ruffled his teal dyed hair, "If it doesn't, I can try find…" he lifted his head up to stare at her, his voice trailed off when he saw Marinette almost swallowed up in his clothes.

"It's fine, thanks for letting me borrow your clothes." She thanked, blushing a bit. She started to fidget when Luka continued to blink owlishly at her.

Blushing at the adorable sight, Luka looked down and was about to tell her it was 'no problem', but then blinked when he saw her toes peeking out from under his sweats.

An amused smile appeared on his lips, "I didn't know you paint your nails." He said instead, staring at her black coated toes, "Should we repaint them?" he offered, "I could do your nails while we wait for the rain to stop." Some of the polish were chipped off, telling them that it's been a while since she last retouched them.

Feeling a bit self-conscious, Marinette curled her toes, laughing awkwardly, "Yeah, just my toes though." She wiggled her toes, "I sometimes help out in the bakery so I can't risk it to paint my nails. Safety and hygiene, you know?" she explained.

He nodded, taking her gathered clothes to place them somewhere to dry and told her to go ahead and wait in the living room where they would do their nails while he gathered the supplies.

Marinette nodded, sitting down on the couch and took this time to send a quick message to her maman, telling her where she was and what time she'll be back home. Her eyes then trailed to the corner of her phone to see what time it was. There was still plenty of time before Aurore's interview.

"Luka." She called out.

"Yes?" he hummed, coming back with a tub of steaming water to soak her feet in, some towels and his black nail polish.

Marinette looked up as he set the tub in front of her feet.

"I promised Aurore to watch her interview." she then proceeded to search up TV5 on her phone to prepare, "It starts in a few hours though, but do you want to watch it together? Aurore told me there's a special guest that I would like."

Luka smiled, "Sure." He then gazed at her feet that was almost swallowed by his sweatpants, "Let's soak your feet in." and proceeded to roll the sweatpants up to her calves before gesturing for her to soak her feet in the tub.

Throughout that moment, Marinette's heart thudded.

As the make-up artist finished the last touches on Aurore, Aurore leaned back in her with a calm expression while she waited for Mireille beside her.

As soon as Mireille was done and they were left alone, Mireille gave out a nervous sigh, "Oh, I'm so nervous." She let out a small shudder, hoping that it would shake out her nerves, "Are you?" she asked Aurore.

Aurore grinned, "Just a bit, but it's exciting." She then peeked at her, "I think this will be a memorable one, what with who the special guest is." She chuckled.

"Yeah. I was surprised when they told us who it was. I hope nothing bad happens." Mireille sighed, leaning back on her chair. They were waiting to be called on set.

Aurore let out a hum. Closing her eyes, she took a breath, "Hey, Mireille?"

"Yeah?"

Opening her eyes with a thoughtful look, she stared at the set in front of her, "Can you do me a favour?"

Mireille tilted her head, staring at friend's resolute face, "Sure, what is it?" if it was anyone else who asked, she would have hesitated.

Breathing in deeply, she turned to Mireille with a smile, "Just follow my lead."

Mireille looked at her strangely but nodded nonetheless, "Okay." She wasn't sure what she was planning, but she trusts her.

One of the staff members came up to them with a headphone on and clipboard in his hands, "Okay ladies, it's time. Please make your way on set." he said while other members of the staff went to direct Nadja and their special guest, who had arrived, on set.

"Okay, we're going in live in 5, 4, 3, 2…" the cameraman signalled her to go on.

"Don't be bemused, it's just the news! Hi, I'm Nadja Chamack, and this is Side by Side." The camera zoomed in on Nadja as she opened the show before switching to the next person introduced, "Today, I'm joined by 3 incredible people, Aurore Beauréal" Aurore elegantly waved, giving a sunny smile before the camera went to the next, "and Mireille Caquet," said girl gave a shy wave, endearing the audience. The camera then zoomed out to focus on the two weather girls, "who is our weather forecasters for KIDZ + and has appear on many projects, some done together! And for our special guest, Jagged Stone!" the rock star gave a smirk at the camera, while laying by his feet was his beloved crocodile, Fang, "Together, we'll be looking back on our guest's journey to their greatest feats."

Marinette gasped, clutching onto Luka's arm with an excited shake, "Jagged Stone was their special guest!" she grinned.

Luka straighten up at his favourite musician, "Who would have guessed."

The two watched with rapt attention as Nadja began, starting with Aurore.

"It was unfortunate that they could only be one winner for the KIDZ + competition but look at you now! You're now a weather forecaster and appearing on so many projects, just how do you do it after such a lost?"

Aurore smiled, "Well, it wasn't easy, but I always wanted to present the weather. Of course, I felt devasted and frustrated that I lost, but that just motivated me to keep chasing my dreams. Just because I got rained on, doesn't mean there's no other way to achieve my goals. Never give up on your dreams no matter what kind of storm you'll face." She winked at the camera.

"Rock 'n' roll!" Jagged grinned, nodding at her determination, "Just because your first plan doesn't turn out well, you shouldn't give up! Why look at me now! If I were to give up the first time my music wasn't well received, I wouldn't be where I am now!"

Nadja smiled, "Such encouraging words. Of course, there are things that won't work out, but that doesn't mean you should give up." She nodded before directing a question at Mireille, "What about you Mireille? How did you decide to be a weather forecaster?"

Mireille smiled shyly, "Well, it's not as amazing as Aurore's reason, but I wanted to do something big! Get out of my comfort zone, and one day, there was this competition to be the next weather girl." She let out a small laugh, "I thought that if I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, why not give this a try? I did so many preparations and research. I didn't think that I would pass the first round." She chuckled, "I guess my hard work paid off, but maybe it was luck, Aurore is fierce competition."

"What an amazing journey, I'm sure it couldn't have been easy to do something out of your comfort zone." Nadja commended, "But look at you now, since then, you've also appeared in some projects."

Mireille nodded with a grin, "Yes, I've mostly been doing group projects." She then turned to Aurore, "Most of them have been with Aurore and I'm glad. She's amazing to work with."

Aurore giggled, "Well, it's easy to work with someone you know."

Nadja blinked, "That's right, you both attend Collège Françoise Dupont."

"Collège Françoise Dupont, why does that sound familiar?" Jagged questioned, tilting his head as he tried to rack his mind at the familiar name.

At that, it was Aurore who answered his musing, "Oh, it could be because of Marinette? Marinette Dupain-Cheng? I've seen her appeared on a magazine with you before. She attends there as well." She supplied.

"Marinette!" Jagged's eye lit up at the name, "Are you her friends?"

Aurore giggled, "We became friends just recently."

"We're in different class, but she's a nice girl." Mireille smiled.

"So she attends there huh." He then turned to Nadja with a bright smile, "Marinette's really talented, Nadja; Just check out these groovy sunglasses here she made!" he took his Eiffel Tower sunglasses off his head to show them, "She even did the artwork for my latest album, and she's only in high school! You should get to know her. Have her on the next show!" he laughed.

Nadja chuckled, "Oh I know her, she sometimes babysits my daughter. She's a really sweet girl."

Jagged laughed, "Really? Seems that girls know a lot of amazing people!" he praised, placing his sunglasses back.

"Well, aren't you popular?" Luka chuckled, nudging an embarrassed Marinette.

"I-It's just a coincidence." She mumbled.

"That you're amazing?"

"Luka~" she whined, lifting her dry and freshly coated toes onto the couch, curling into herself, feeling flattered but flustered.

Aurore let out a chuckle, "If you're recommending Marinette, I think you should have another person in your next segment as well."

"Really?" Jagged raised a brow.

Aurore grinned, "Lila Rossi." She said.

"A friend of yours?" Nadja asked.

She shook her head, "No, she's just another girl from school." Aurore smiled, "But I heard so many amazing things about her!"

"Really?" Nadja asked, her interest caught.

Aurore nodded, "Yeah, I heard she's doing a project with Prince Ali for the environment."

Nadja looked impressed, "Wow, that's really amazing."

Aurore nodded, "I always hear about her from my classmates." She said, before turning to Mireille to continue.

Mireille blinked before turning to look at Nadja, "Oh, yes, they talk about how she's done lots of charitable events." She then made a thoughtful look, "I hear that she knows all these amazing people and that she has many talents, but unfortunately because of her medical conditions, she can't do them anymore."

"Well, that's unfortunate." Nadja sympathized, "Maybe we could arrange for her to come here for a show, featuring all her amazing accomplishments."

"If it's possible," Aurore then turned to Jagged with a polite smile, "maybe Jagged Stone could join her. I heard that you two were close."

Jagged looked confused, "What are you talking about?"

It was Aurore's turn to look confused, "Well, Lila said that you wrote a song for her after she saved your lost kitten on the runway and got tinnitus when a plane's engine burst." She then turned to Mireille for confirmation.

Mireille nodded, "Oh yes, I heard about that too-"

"What?!" Jagged straightened up, "This is a joke, right? The only song I ever dedicated to was Ladybug - and that was for saving my life! I never wrote a song for this Liar Rossi-" his eyes narrowed, "All she is, is a crazed fan!" he shot up and began storming off with his crocodile following, causing the other to shift away from the reptile.

"Wait! Jagged Stone! We're still live!" Nadja reached out her hand towards him.

But it seemed Jagged ignored her, or didn't hear as he continued, "Penny! Get my lawyer on the phone, now!"

The sound of a pen being furiously clicked could be heard in the background, "You fired him last week." A panicked voice of a woman could be heard in the background.

"Call him back!" he demanded.

Knowing that Jagged Stone won't be returning, Nadja looked towards the camera, "We're sorry folks, but we'll be right back after commercials." She smiled nervously while the two girls looked at each other in worry.

And that was all the people at home saw before the show was cut to commercials.

As the commercial replaced the show, Luka turned towards a frozen Marinette, her eyes wide and lips agape, "Marinette?" he carefully called her, grabbing her phone before it could slip out of her hand, "Are you okay?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Marinette blinked at the spot where her phone had been, trying to process what had just happened, "She just…" she didn't know what to think, "and Jagged…"

Was this for real?

Lila's lies were exposed just like that.

Did Aurore plan this?

Jagged Stone just left and doesn't seemed to be coming back.

Aurore had just caused their special guest to leave, would she be in trouble?

She turned to Luka, still speechless, "Um…"

Seeing her still stunned, Luka rubbed her shoulder, "Take your time. I'll be here when you're ready." He whispered, reaching her hand with his other.

Marinette nodded, squeezing his hand.

Though it was not long before an akuma alert sounded from both of their phones.

Notes:

Sorry it took a while, hope you enjoyed it though.

Lol, it likes I have two different storylines in this chapter. Not sure if the flow of it is okay so tell me if some parts are weird or felt too rushed.

Ugh, I don't want to write an akuma scene, but it's been so long since none have shown up and I can't keep putting it off T^T

Hoping I can post my Lukanette date chapter before THAT episodes airs. I already saw the spoilers and some of the issues that the summary mentioned I had already planned on writing about on the date. The only thing that I'll be borrowing is the name of the movie they're are watching (If it was mentioned, can someone tell me) and the present and that's it. Other than that, no spoilers please, I don't want the chapter to be influenced by the episode. I've already written the chapter for their movie date years ago so hopefully I won't take too much time to post for the next chapter, but if I don't make it, please no spoilers T^T

Steven Basielberg is a parody of Steven Spielberg

Chapter 19: Volpina 2.0

Notes:

#
Chapter was split into two since it got too long

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Gabriel stared out the window from one of the many spare rooms in his mansion with a contemplative frown on his face, and hands behind his back.

His musings were snapped back to attention when the doctor in the room finished up his examination.

"Once again, Mr. Agreste, make sure she gets lots of rest." The doctor stood up from his chair that was situated beside the bed of the patient.

Gabriel nodded, "Of course. Thank you, doctor." He made a nod to Adrien's bodyguard to escort the doctor outside.

Once alone, Gabriel took the seat the doctor had been sitting on, "How are you feeling?" he asked, concerned.

Nathalie let out cough before a small groan, looking tired as she sunk into the pillows, "I'm fine. This is nothing." She tried, trying to reassure him, not wanting to cause worry, but seeing how he didn't believe her, she let out a sigh, before reminding him of his goal, "You made a promise to your wife. You've risked so much for the chance to bring her back. Please don't stop now on my account." She knew that he hasn't been akumatizing anyone lately because he's been looking after her deteriorating health, "I can still help." She tried to push herself up but was struggling to."

Gabriel pushed her back down, "There will be no more Catalyst, or Mayura." He reminded with a stern warning, before his looks softened to one of concern as he sat back in his chair with a sorrowful look, "Not at that cost. Never at that cost again." He covered his face at the memories of his comatose wife.

"Gabriel." She frowned, placing a sympathizing hand on his hand.

However, a moment later, Gabriel looked up with a distracted look, as if he sensing something.

Nathalie knew that look – it was the look he made when he sensed immense negative emotions, "Go." She nodded, supportingly, "I don't want you wasting anymore opportunities because of me."

Gabriel looked conflicted, his eyes roaming to his assistant's sunken eyes and pale complexion to the door.

Seeing that, Nathalie's softened her tone, "I promise I'll be resting in bed, so please go. For your wife and son." She reminded, "You're doing all this for the sake of being a whole family again."

With the mention of his family, Gabriel conceded. He wanted his wife back. He also wanted his son to have his mother back in his life again. He nodded as he stood up, "I will handle this myself. There is no need for Catalyst or Mayura's help for this." He reminded.

Nathalie closed her eyes as she nodded, "I understand."

Alone at home, Lila dumped her bag on her large beanbag chair, her tablet and her homework spewing out onto the floor that was littered with empty cans, pile of textbooks here and there, papers and some items of clothing that she never bothered to put away properly.

Ignoring the homework, Lila grabbed her laptop instead on her desk that was cluttered with her makeup, the only place that was relatively organized, and plopped down on her bed with no intention of starting the work.

With how gullible her teacher was, she was sure she could pass off another excuse as to why she didn't do it – why, it simply slipped her mind when she was flown out to Kingdom of Achu to further develop her pollution project. Surely, saving the environment was more important than some homework?

And if Miss Bustier gave her more time to complete her homework instead, then she was sure she could rope the others into doing it for her since she has been so busy helping others, the environment and attending charities.

Though at the thought of the fools in class, she scowled.

How dare they?!

It must've been Juleka who told them since they knew she threatened her.

She didn't even think the dark strange girl would have it in her to tell the others on what happened. She thought that she would be like that dummy who kept it to herself.

Lila curse at this miscalculation.

She did had a feeling that she was losing the wannabe model, but she didn't think she would cause such an inconvenience. With how the majority of the class thinks that she's a liar, there were some options that she could pick.

She could either get the principal to change her class since she feels 'unwelcomed' by her classmates.

But that could rouse suspicions.

There was another option though.

All she needed to do was ask Gabriel to extend an invitation to Juleka to model with her, saying it would be good for his and Adrien's reputation - letting dreamers have a go at modelling.

A charity case if they will.

That would clear up the misunderstanding between her and Juleka.

Although she wasn't happy with sharing the spotlight with gloom and doom, this was just one of those things that she had to put up with.

Huffing at how she had to rectify this mess if she wanted her kingdom back, Lila browsed through her social media and the latest trends on the web, hoping to get her mood to brighten.

Only to scowl when one of the popular trends was Ladybug.

Her mood plummeted even more when photos of the bug showed up when she scrolled through her news feed, "Liar!" she spat when she saw the bug smiling and posing with the civilians, "Traitor!" a group shot of the bug, side by side with blurred photos of the latest heroes, "Coward!" she seethed as she settled on a photo of the bug swinging in the air, waving her hand at the camera.

If only she didn't exists…

"She's amazing." Adrien sighed out dreamily.

"A girl doesn't need to wear a costume to be amazing, you know." She smiled prettily, scooting closer to him.

"Uh, I don't know—I mean, I—"

Adrien would had been easily be hers completely and she'll have an even better life than she has now.

But Ladybug had to go and ruin that!

As she continued to scroll through, a link to the weather girl's interview came up and she came to a pause.

Everyone had been talking about it eventually after her talk with the blonde, and she even heard it on the way home.

If the blonde had this much influence, then she wondered how much she could do with that.

A devious smirk formed on her lips.

It might do some good to watch her interview. She could probably get something out of it for her next 'achievement'.

As she clicked on the link that took her straight to the interview that had already started, Lila's smirk dropped into a displeased glare, scowling in disgust.

"-So she attends there huh." Jagged then turned to Nadja with a bright smile, "Marinette's really talented, Nadja; Just check out these groovy sunglasses here she made!" he took his Eiffel sunglasses off his head to show them, "She even did the artwork for my latest album, and she's only in high school! You should get to know her. Have her on the next show!" he laughed.

Nadja chuckled, "Oh I know her, she sometimes babysits my daughter. She's a really sweet girl."

He laughed, "Really? Seems that girls know a lot of amazing people!" he praised, placing his sunglasses back.

So the special guest was Jagged Stone, huh.

Although she felt a bit caught off guard with the relationship between Marinette and Jagged, she wasn't worried.

This just proves that Marinette was such a dummy, as well as the rest of the class.

Lila guessed she could consider herself lucky as Marinette never even thought to use this against her and that the others never even bother to remember something like this – probably thought it was unimportant if they couldn't even remember to bring this up.

They were all so naïve – so gullible.

Such fools.

However, as she continued to watch the interview, Lila grew irritated at the praises for the dummy, hating the fact that such a person had connections to well-known people, but she wasn't envious or anything like that.

No, not at all.

After all, she had her own connections.

She was simply irritated by how the dummy didn't just fall for her lies like the others. She would have used her connections to her advantage seeing how the dummy was such a pushover for her friends.

It was a wasted opportunity on her part.

Aurore let out a chuckle, "If you're recommending Marinette, I think you should have another person in your next segment as well."

"Really?" Jagged raised a brow.

Lila furrowed her brows, she couldn't help but have a bad feeling about this.

Aurore grinned, "Lila Rossi." She said.

"A friend of yours?" Nadja asked.

She shook her head, "No, she's just another girl from school." Aurore smiled, "But I heard so many amazing things about her!"

"Really?" Nadja asked, her interest caught.

Aurore nodded, "Yeah, I heard she's doing a project with Prince Ali for the environment."

Nadja looked impressed, "Wow, that's really amazing."

Aurore nodded, "I always hear about her from my classmates." She said, before turning to Mireille to continue.

Mireille blinked before turning to look at Nadja, "Oh, yes, they talk about how she's done lots of charitable events." She then made a thoughtful look, "I hear that she knows all these amazing people and that she has many talents, but unfortunately because of her medical conditions, she can't do them anymore."

"Well, that's unfortunate." Nadja sympathized, "Maybe we could arrange for her to come here for a show, featuring all her amazing accomplishments."

"If it's possible," Aurore then turned to Jagged with a polite smile, "maybe Jagged Stone could join her. I heard that you two were close."

Jagged looked confused, "What are you talking about?"

Her face paled, her stomach dropping.

No.

No. No. No. No! NO!

STOP!

It was Aurore's turn to look confused, "Well, Lila said that you wrote a song for her after she saved your lost kitten on the runway and got tinnitus when a plane's engine burst." She then turned to Mireille for confirmation.

Mireille nodded, "Oh yes, I heard about that too-"

"What?!" Jagged straightened up, "This is a joke, right? The only song I ever dedicated to was Ladybug - and that was for saving my life! I never wrote a song for this Liar Rossi-" his eyes narrowed, "All she is, is a crazed fan!" he shot up and began storming off with his crocodile following, causing the other to shift away from the reptile.

"Wait! Jagged Stone! We're still live!" Nadja reached out her hand towards him.

But it seemed Jagged ignored her, or didn't hear as he continued, "Penny! Get my lawyer on the phone, now!"

The sound of a pen being furiously clicked could be heard in the background, "You fired him last week." A panicked voice of a woman could be heard in the background.

"Call him back!" he demanded.

Knowing that Jagged Stone won't be returning, Nadja looked towards the camera, "We're sorry folks, but we'll be right back after commercials." She smiled nervously while the two girls looked at each other in worry.

And that was all the people at home saw before the show was cut to commercials.

A scream raged out of her entire being as Lila violently threw her laptop against a wall.

The screen shattered on impact; sparks flying, killing it black.

"HOW COULD SHE?!" she screamed with a raging look in her eyes, breath labored as she stared at noting with wide maniac eyes, her fist trembling, "HOW COULD SHE DO THIS TO ME?!" she cried out.

She tried to think how something like this could happen and only one thought made sense.

"Marinette." She breathed in anger, realizing she was the only one who would do such a thing.

Aurore and her has been close lately.

She must have taken advantage of the blonde girl's position, telling her to say this when she heard who the special guest had been.

She must have been planning this whole thing to humiliate her.

As flapping sounds suddenly appeared, Lila whipped her head up and smirked to see what it was, "Ahh, what good timing."

Seeing the purple butterfly, Lila swiped her hand at the akuma and slammed it into her wristband, summoning a glowing purple outline of a butterfly in front of her face.

"Volpina!" Hawk Moth greeted.

"Hawk Moth!" Lila smirked in glee.

"Your precious kingdom of lies has been abolished by this simple interview. Regain your power of illusion and make this day a nightmare for all Parisians who doesn't want you to continue your reign." He ordered, "And don't forget to bring me Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous."

Lila stood up, arms out, readily accepting, "With great pleasure, Hawk Moth." She smiled maliciously before she was enveloped in purple miasma.

Soon, it bubbled away, revealing Volpina.

"I'm sorry." Aurore apologized, "I didn't think it was a lie."

Nadja waved her off with a comforting smile, "It's fine. This kind of thing has happened before." She tried to joke it off with a chuckle, but, on the inside, she was panicking. Their special guest had just stormed off in the middle of live TV.

And while the audience didn't know who the special guest was before they had tuned in, once it was revealed, their ratings had soared.

She was snapped out of her panic when her boss's voice sounded from her earpiece.

"Nadja? You hear me?" Arlette questioned.

Nadja touched her fingers to her ear, looking startled, "Oh, uh, yes!"

"Listen, we'll be continuing this segment, but I need you to get the scoop on this Lila Rossi girl." She ordered.

Nadja blinked, looking confused, "I don't understand, Arlette." Even though Jagged had left, they still had their guests.

"Luckily for you, this Lila girl just so happened to boost our ratings."

Blinking, Nadja glanced at her watched and realized that the bars hadn't dropped, instead, it was still full.

"The audience are interested in this liar. Give the people the scoop they want." Arlette ordered.

"Alright." Nadja nodded and breathed a calming breath. She then turned to her worried guest, "Apologies girls, but there's a slight change in program." She started.

Aurore and Mireille glanced at each other.

"We're still continuing?" Mireille asked worriedly.

Nadja nodded, though looking a bit embarrassed, "Yes, but we'll be focusing on this Lila Rossi for the rest of the segment it seems, so if you have any information on her, that would be great." She wasn't so sure about trying to expose a teenage girl – one that she had no idea who- on live TV, but seeing how it was implied that Jagged Stone had written a song for a minor, she guessed this was necessary to try and clear his name of this scandal, seeing how outraged the Rock Star was and how he was getting a lawyer involved.

"I understand." Aurore nodded without question.

Mireille stared at her friend, before nodding as well. She wondered if this was the favour she was talking about.

"Thank you for understanding." Nadja looked grateful for their cooperation before her attention was momentarily taken away, "Okay, we'll be back on soon."

Just as she said, one of the staff started to count down, "Okay, we're back on in 5, 4, 3, 2…"

"Welcome back everyone." Nadja greeted, "We apologize for that. It seems that our special guest won't be returning." She gave an apologetic smile at the camera, "But what a shock!" she stared surprised before turning to the girls, "Did you girls ever thought that this Lila Rossi was lying?"

Aurore shook her head, "I didn't think my classmates were making it up since it came from Lila herself."

Mireille nodded, "I didn't think she would lie. I thought she was just another amazing person who had transferred into the school since there are other people who are famous or amazing that attends there as well."

Nadja nodded, "That is true. I heard that the Mayor's daughter attends there as well and many other aspiring students, so I can understand how you wouldn't think such a girl was lying." She sympathized before fiddling with her tablet, searching the girl up. She blinked when some results showed up, "Though she may be lying, it does appear that she does modeling." She blinked, but she furrowed her brows when she couldn't find anything else about her achievements.

"Oh, I did see her appear as a model with Adrien on TV once, but…" Mireille made a thoughtful look, "It was only the one time." She then looked at Aurore for her thoughts, "Maybe Adrien was just doing it as a favor for his friend?"

Aurore nodded, "Maybe. And maybe she simply stretched out the truth on how she models even though it was that one time." She let out a humming noise, "If she lied about Jagged and stretched out the truth, I wonder if anything she ever said was a lie as well."

Placing her tablet on her lap, Nadja seems to come to a conclusion, "This is just a speculation, but it may appears so. The LadyBlog by Alya Césaire has interviews about Lila talking about her claims, though there's no evidence to back it up." She couldn't help but feel disappointed at the aspiring young reporter that had appear on her segment before for her lack of research, "And there is no history of Lila Rossi in the modeling industry apart from that one time."

Mireille placed a hand on her cheek, looking overwhelmed, "Oh my."

Aurore looked disappointed at a fellow student, "It seems we've been lied to."

"Of course not!"

Everyone startled when they saw Jagged Stone strutting in with a grin, nobody hearing him come in.

"J-Jagged Stone?!" Nadja exclaimed, looking surprised, "I thought you left!"

Jagged chuckled, walking up on stage with a smirk, "Of course not!" he crossed his arms, "Just had to make a phone call to my good friend Lila."

Nadja looked confused while Aurore narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"Didn't you say that you didn't know her?" Nadja furrowed her brows.

"That's because I didn't know if she wanted for people to know that I wrote a song for her after she rescued my kitten, you know for her privacy and to avoid any misunderstandings." At that, he sighed and shook his head, "but I got a bit panicked. Totally not prepared to hear about her today." He said as he took a seat next to Aurore, closest to the edge.

Aurore raised a brow at that, "So you really did write a song for Lila?"

"Of course! Why would Lila ever lie about that?" Jagged huffed, staring down at her.

Mireille also looked confused, "I never knew you had a kitten." She had wanted to ask about that before he had shot up in rage and left, "I thought you always had your crocodile." She then looked around him, "Where is Fang?"

Jagged shrugged, "Sent Fang away, but to answer your question, I had a kitten until I found out I was allergic to it. Had to let it go and that's when I switched to my Fang!" he explained.

"I… see." Aurore muttered.

Nadja looked a bit lost, "Well…" she glanced towards the control room where her boss was before straining on a smile, "Anything you like to say about Lila? It seems we have a misunderstanding about her."

Jagged grinned, "Of course! Have her on your next segment!" he barked out a laughter, "She's a rockin' girl!" he praised before leaning forward in a whisper like he was about to reveal a secret, "And let me just tell you the truth." He then took off his Eiffel Tower sunglasses and held it up, "You see these glasses? It was actually Lila who designed these, and Marinette had taken credit for them." He then leaned back with a disappointed sigh, "I was shocked when I found out and wanted a retraction but Lila – the kind soul- said to just let Marinette take the credit instead of causing trouble. Same with my album covers."

"O-Oh?" Nadja furrowed her brows, matching the other guests, "That's well…"

"That doesn't sound like Marinette." Aurore frowned.

Jagged turned to her with a frown, "Well, it's the truth, Sweetheart. You might want to pick who you're friends with." He scoffed and stood up, "Well that's all I wanted to clear up." He said and began leaving.

Aurore frowned, every fiber of her body didn't sit right with her and when she saw him leave, she followed her gut instinct and chased after him, "Wait, that can't-!" as soon as she grabbed his arm, he dissolved into orange cloud of flames, shocking everyone.

"Wha?"

"What happened?!"

"What happened to Jagged?"

Finally realizing why it had felt off, Aurore whipped around, "Akuma! That Jagged Stone was a fake! There's an akuma here!"

"You are really becoming a real annoyance, you know that."

Everyone looked around at the new voice, trying to find where it was coming from.

"Up there!" Mireille cries out as she shot up, pointing towards the figure standing on the ceiling bar's stage lights.

Everyone looked up to see Volpina standing there with an annoyed frown on her face.

"Volpina!"

Many people began panicking, some running for safety.

From the control room, Arlette notified the news station, instructing a cameraman to get this on camera as well as giving Nadja instructions, "Nadja, we're switching to news, get ready." She ordered, "And be careful."

Nadja nodded, carefully standing up from her seat as she watched Volpina jumped down, glaring at Aurore.

Aurore frowned, taking a cautious step back, "What did I do?"

Volpina growled, clenching her flute in the end, "How could you lie about Lila like that?"

Realization widened her eyes at just who this was, "Lila?" Aurore uttered out loud in surprise, though the surprise didn't last long as it made sense, "You're Lila aren't you."

"It's Volpina!" she seethed.

Mireille took a timid step forward, "What do you want?" she questioned warily, clutching her fists to her chest.

Sparing her a glance, Volpina flipped her hair back, giving a flippant look, "Oh, I simply just want to show you proof that I wasn't lying." She then narrowed her eyes at the blonde, "But since you wouldn't even allow something as simple as that, I guess I'll just use you to get rid of a couple of people." As soon as she said that, she pounced towards Aurore with a hand stretched out.

"Aurore!" Mireille cried out as the blonde quickly turned around to run only for her to be captured forcibly from around the waist.

"Wait!" Nadja called out, "What do you plan to do?" she questioned, trying to signal the security guards to close the doors, "Do you think you have some time to answer some questions?"

Lila simply smirked, "While I would love to just clear my name, I have plans." She glared before leaping towards the closed exit with a struggling Aurore. She blew in her flute with one hand before swinging it at them with an orange ball of light.

The guards were blinded for a moment, and once they opened their eyes, they were startled when they were suddenly faced by giant missiles aimed at them, but it was enough time for Volpina to kick the doors open and escape with a struggling Aurore.

"Let go!"

Marinette flinched when both their phones rang with a notification. Turning to find her phone, only to remember that Luka took it, she turned to him, about to ask when he presented her phone to her.

"Thanks." She mumbled, frowning with trepidation. She hoped by some miracle it wasn't an akuma alert, but as she turned on her phone, her frown deepened at the notice. Pressing on it, the site she was on switched to the news channel, though it still showed the studio of where the interview was taking place.

She gasped when she saw what was happening.

It was Volpina and it seemed she was holding Aurore in hostage.

Clutching onto her phone with sweaty hands, Marinette swallowed, "Uh, um!" she stood up, trying to find an excuse in her unsettled mind, "I uh…"

Excuse.

She needed an excuse.

Anything.

Aurore was in trouble.

She needed to leave.

She needed to hurry up.

"I need to go." Was what she ended up saying. There was nothing. She just needed to leave.

Before Marinette could go, Luka grabbed her hand.

"Marinette." He gently called out to her.

Marinette's face twisted in distress and guilt, "I can't tell-!"

"Breathe." He gently ordered.

Staring at his pleading eyes, Marinette forced herself to breathe, clearing her mind.

When he saw her relatively calm, Luka squeezed her hand slightly, "I know that you're worried about your friend, but…" he seemed to be thinking of what to say before he finally decided, "There's an akuma and it's raining out there."

"But I need to leave, Lila might… might… might come looking for me next! I can't stay here and risk you-"

Luka smiled a soft understanding smile, "I know. And I know you won't be able to stay still if you can't check for yourself, so be careful and don't forget your shoes." He held up his other hand to show her relatively dry flats.

Marinette stared speechless; she didn't even notice when he left to get her shoes.

Leaning down, he gently fitted them on her feet before standing back up, "Be careful." He said once more, squeezing her shoulder.

Snapping out of it, Marinette's heart was filled with gratitude, "I will." She breathed, hugging him tightly before leaving.

Luka watched her leave with a worried smile.

As rain pelted down on them, Volpina scowled as her illusions was once again dissolved, the rain turning them into nothing but orange clouds of flames.

Her powers were useless in this weather.

"Bad weather?" Aurore mused.

Volpina growled, glaring at her hostage, "If you don't want me to let go then you better shut it." She threatened.

She was standing on the roof of the studio building, dangling Aurore over the edge by her wrist while she was discovering that she was rendered powerless.

Glancing at the height of the drop, Aurore swallowed, though she masked her fear.

"You better hope that Ladybug is coming to rescue you. I just don't know how long my arm can keep holding you up." She sneered, though from the corner of her eye, she saw a certain bug swinging towards them from the distance, "Seems like the bug has come." She smirked.

"Volpina!" Ladybug glared, landing onto the roof.

"Ladybug!" Aurore smiled, looking slightly relieved.

"Nice of you drop by, Ladybug." She let out a mocking tone, "Miss me?" she sneered, turning her body to face her while continuing to dangle Aurore off the roof.

Ladybug narrowed her eyes further, her frown deepening, "Not. One. Bit." her eyes trailing over to Aurore and then to her surroundings, trying to figure out a way to get her friend to safety.

She hoped the others got her message.

"Why don't you put Aurore down and -" Ladybug tried, her mind running through ideas to safely retrieve Aurore, "Talk this out."

Volpina let out an amused scoff, "Alright, let's talk. You want this girl?" she shook Aurore, causing the girl to suck in her breath, "Then let's talk." Her smirked disappeared into a displeased frown as her head snapped to the side and leaped back, just as a silver baton ricocheted from the spot that she had been standing in seconds ago.

Landing further away from the spot she had been in, Volpina straightened up, "Well, well." she narrowed her eyes, "Just look what the cat dragged in."

Chat Noir landed next to his Lady as he caught his baton, "Looks like someone is feline under the weather today."

"I thought cats hated water." Volpina hissed.

He smirked, twirling his baton around, "What? Not happy to see everyone's favourite cat?"

Volpina rolled her eyes and continued before she had been interrupted, "If you want your friend here." She shook Aurore who was still dangling over the edge, "Then I wouldn't make any sudden movements while you listen to my commands."

Chat Noir stopped twirling his baton, staring at Aurore with a critical eye. They've faced Volpina before, they knew all her tricks. This was no different, "It's just another illusion!" he pointed out, throwing his baton to prove his point.

Ladybug widened her eyes, "Wait – no! Chat!" she launched forward with her hand out to stop him, but it was too late.

Aurore flinched out of the way, "Hey!" she glared, "Volpina can't use her power in this rain!" she informed them as the baton boomeranged back.

Chat Noir stiffly caught his baton at his blunder, "Oops." He grinned sheepishly.

Ladybug covered her face, sighing.

"Since I'm feeling generous, I'll give you 2 options." Volpina smirked at them, "Either you trade Aurore for your Miraculous or you'll bring me Marinette and trade her for Aurore. Your choice." She grinned maliciously.

Chat Noir frowned, feeling his hackles raise, "Why do you want Marinette?" he questioned with a frown, gripping onto his extended staff, ready to fight.

Volpina narrowed her eyes, "This mess is all because of Marinette! Just because she's jealous of what I have, she just has to take everything away from me!" her voice raised in anger. If she had just continued staying alone, then she would have everyone still wrapped around her finger! But no! Marinette was out to get her and ruin her life, just like Ladybug was, "Getting rid of her would just be as good as getting you to give up your Miraculous." She fumed.

"You think we'll give either of them up? You must be crazy!" Chat Noir scowled.

Volpina's eyes trailed towards Ladybug and let out an amused huff, "Well, seems like your partner think otherwise." She pointed out, shocking him, "The exchange will be at the top of the Eiffel Tower." Twisting her body around, she looked over her shoulder, "You better think fast, who knows when my arthritis will act out." She chuckled before leaping away with the hostage, disappearing behind a curtain of rain.

"You're not seriously thinking of giving her what she wants, are you?" Chat Noir worriedly asked.

Ladybug clenched her fists, the zaa of the rain aggravating her cluttered mind. Her priority was to save Aurore. She needed to come up with a plan quickly and a safety net in case her first plan failed, and another in case the safety net also failed, and another-

Sucking in a sharp breath, Ladybug closed her eyes, forcing her mind to stay still.

She needed to stop over thinking scenarios where she couldn't save her friend in time. Her brows scrunched as she took a deep breath and slowly let it out, releasing her stress. She opened her weary eyes towards the grey clouds, strands of her hair sticking to her face from the rain.

"Well, I don't think it's necessary but I predict a blessed shower for you." Aurore winked.

Her friend was waiting for her and she was wasting time stressing.

If only she had –

From the corner of her eyes, her eyes widened with hope.

"M'Lady?" Chat Noir called out in concern.

A slow smile lit up her face, "Don't worry, she won't be getting our Miraculous."

"What?" Chat Noir looked shocked, the only other option was… "My Lady, you can't…"

Ladybug turned to him with a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, I have a plan." She looked behind Chat Noir with a welcoming smile, "Nice of you to join us-"

Chat Noir turned to see who his Lady was greeting.

"Vulpes." She greeted, feeling reassured now that she would be able to have more options for her plan.

She was glad that Master Fu had swiftly sent her Vulpes.

"The wise turtle sends his regards." He greeted with today's phrase, "Sorry I was late. Thought I shouldn't let myself be seen." Vulpes smiled. When he had neared the studio building, he quickly hid when he saw Volpina take off towards him, making sure not to reveal his presence.

Ladybug sagged in relief as she began forming a plan, "It's fine. I'm glad that we now have an element of surprise." And it was great that Vulpes had thought ahead. If Volpina had seen him, she didn't think the plan she had in mind would work.

Slapping her cheeks to refresh her, Ladybug pumped her fists, looking ready, "Okay! So Volpina gave us two options for Aurore. Give her our Miraculous or Marinette." She recapped, "We can't let Hawk Moth get our jewels so that leaves Marinette." She then smiled at Vulpes who gave her a knowing smile.

"I see."

Chat Noir smiled in relief when he also realized what his Lady was planning, "Of course!"

Ladybug nodded, her nerves calming down, "While Volpina has unlimited illusions, she can't use them in this weather and I'm guessing the same weakness applies to you?" she speculated, which did give her some concern.

Vulpes grabbed his flute from his back, staring at it in thought, "Probably. I've never tried, but I don't think we'll want to risk it."

Ladybug nodded in agreement, "So we need to be careful." She began explaining her plan to them before pulling out her yo-yo, flicking her compact open to pull up a picture, "I need you to create an illusion of this girl." Her nerves were still a bit frizzled and she needed to stop it, "Her name is Marinette. Really cute, isn't she?" she joked, hoping to extinguish the last of her nerves, "We will use your-"

"Yeah, she is." Vulpes smiled, staring at the picture of a smiling girl doing a peace sign.

"…" Ladybug's let out a strangled sound, not expecting a reply. She straightened up, clearing her throat into a fist, "Ehem. Well, that's um… Anyway! You know what to do, right?" she coughed, closing her compact. Her eyes then caught her partner's fidgeting form, "What's wrong?"

"O-Oh, uh nothing. Just remembering something." Chat Noir dismissed with an awkward grin, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Okay then, let's go." She then looked at Vulpes, "You know what to do, right?"

Vulpes nodded, tugging the hood on his head, "Yeah."

Ladybug stared at him with a thoughtful look, "Be careful." she cautioned softly before leaving with Chat Noir to the Eiffel Tower.

"I will." He smiled as he watched them go ahead first.

As Volpina landed on the summit of the Eiffel Tower, under the little shelter that the top of the tower provided, Aurore let out a sigh of relief that the ground was now much closer to her. She began to struggle free, only to stop when Volpina blew into her flute and aimed a glowing orange ball of light at her head.

"I wouldn't struggle if I was you." She warned.

Aurore stared at the orange light with an unimpressed stare, "Really?" she pushed her flute towards the rain, the light puffing into clouds of orange flames, "Your powers are useless in this weather." She reminded.

Volpina tightened her grip on her flute, "Maybe so, but I still have my super strength. I can just throw you off the tower. It's a long fall from here." She grinned viciously.

Aurore stayed silent, breaking out into a cold sweat, "Why do you want Marinette? She has nothing to do with this." She questioned instead, trying to stall for time for anything. Either her demise or for the heroes.

"Oh but she does." She giggled unkindly, "She didn't want to be my friend after I so kindly offer it to her. She kept trying to ruin me and that's not allowed." Her smile grew wicked, "If only she had accepted my offer. If only she had stayed silent. Stayed alone after losing her friends, then none of this would have happen!" her grin morphed into a heavy scowl, her teeth gritted, "If I can get rid of Marinette and Ladybug, my life would be perfect," she leaned back, looking towards all of Paris smothered in pouring rain, "but at this point, either one would do."

"You're crazy." Aurore glared.

Volpina looked back at her with a raised brow, "Oh, don't you think I forgot what you've done." She frowned, "I won't forgive you for lying about me on live TV."

Aurore tilted her head, her eyes mocking, "I didn't lie, I simply told Jagged about what you told everyone. How could I know that all those things you said was a lie?" she raised a brow at the cracks of her act.

Volpina growled, "You better hope that Ladybug is coming with Marinette." She then leaped on top of the office, using the metal beams of the tower's column to climb higher, and pretended to swing her off, "My patience is running thin with you-"

"Volpina, stop! We're here for the trade off."

Volpina snapped her head below to see the bug and cat landing below her. She raised an inquisitive brow, "Oh, you going to give me your Miraculous?" she smirked.

Ladybug tensed, looking unwilling, "No." she forced out.

Volpina's eyes widened with glee, "Hah! You really are a coward." She laughed mockingly, "Everyone is being lied to by their beloved superheroine!" she jeered, "Now hand Marinette over!" she demanded.

Ladybug glared at her, "First, put Aurore down and then we'll trade!"

Volpina narrowed her eyes in suspicion, her eyes roaming for Marinette, "Show me Marinette, or are you lying?"

"She's here!" she growled, annoyed, "But first, Aurore-"

"Marinette! Don't come out yet!" Chat Noir called out in concerned, alerting the others.

Marinette who was peeking out of the door on the summit, looked startled, her eyes widening when she noticed Volpina was just above her. She tried to turn back into the elevator, only to see it close. With no other choice, she ran out, under the little covers and towards Gustave Eiffel's office.

"She really is such a dummy!" Volpina laughed in vicious glee, recklessly throwing Aurore to the side with all her strength before chasing after Marinette.

"Don't you dare!" Chat Noir called out, giving chase.

Aurore let out a scream, her heart pounding in her chest as she soared over the fence. But before she could feel a drop in gravity, a yo-yo was wrapped around her, yanking her back towards a safer platform.

"Aurore!" Ladybug screamed, catching her in her arms while her yo-yo unraveled from her waist, "Are you okay?!"

"Y-Yeah." She nodded, shaken by the experience.

Ladybug gently let her down, "Go hide."

"What about Marinette?" Aurore turned to look for her friend in concern.

"Don't worry, everything is alright. Just get to safety." Ladybug reassured her before joining her partner.

"Nowhere to hide." Volpina sneered, backing her against one of the panels that had a picture of the Eiffel Tower.

"What do you want from me?" Marinette groused, pressing herself against the metal walls as Volpina stepped closer.

Volpina smirked, "Simple." She lifted her hand towards her, "Just for you to disappear." She reached a hand towards her in a grin.

Her grin grew maniac at the fear in her eyes, however, as soon as went to grab her white shirt, intending to toss her over, her hand went through, causing Marinette to disappear.

"… What...?" Voplina stared stunned, taking a step back.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir summoned before slapping his hand on the column of the tower from above. The rusted tower's metal fell towards where Volpina was standing, making a cage around her.

Volpina snapped her head up, eyes wide as metal beams plummeted towards her. She quickly covered her head on instinct, eyes squeezed shut as metal clanged around her. Hearing that each one of the metal beams had avoided her, she peeked her eyes open, only to shoot them wide open in anger.

"Trapped. Like a fox." Ladybug taunted as she came forward.

"How?!" she demanded, clutching onto the bars in outrage, "What was that?!" she spat.

Ladybug tilted her head as a beep sounded, signaling that a minute was up, "Isn't it obvious? Marinette was never here." She explained just as Vulpes arrived, walking over to them with a smile.

Volpina's eyes opened at another Fox superhero, eyes trailing down to the Fox Miraculous around his neck before letting out a wretched screech at the humiliation. She had been caught with the same trick and trapped in a cage again. She violently shoved at the thick metal bars away like a wild animal.

Her actions, combined with the rain, made it possible for her as the metal bars began to shake.

One beam was close to tipping over.

"No!" Ladybug and Chat Noir panicked, one running to try stabilizing the metal beams, the other trying to snatch her pendant while Vulpes got ready to throw his flute at her.

Before the heroes could take action, another voice appeared.

"Shel-ter!"

A green barrier was formed around them, keeping the rain out. Not only that, but it was also the same height as the metal cage, stabilizing it by pressing it down to keep Volpina trapped.

Chelona appeared from the shadows, twirling her open parasol on her shoulder as she elegantly walked towards them, "Seems like everyone forgot to bring an umbrella." She hummed.

"Chelona!" Ladybug and Chat Noir cheered.

"The wise bee sends his regards." She greeted as she walked towards them with a smile before landing on the unfamiliar face, "Hi, I'm Chelona. Temporary hero for the Turtle."

Vulpes greeted in turn, "Vuples. Temporary hero of the Fox."

She smiled at her teammate before nearing a glaring Volpina, "So sorry to rain on your parade." She smiled amusingly, though her eyes were mocking her with a sort of anger underneath it. She quickly yanked her pendant, snapping it off her neck, "But I believe it's time to get a raincheck on your actions."

She gave the pendant to Ladybug who thanked her and snapped it in half.

But no butterfly came out.

"Where's the akuma?" Chat Noir furrowed his brows. The akuma should have been in the fake Fox pendant.

"You really think I'll have it in the same place? You guys really are dumb!"

Vulpes stared as Volpina gloated, squinting his eyes at her right wrist that she was subtly pulling back, "Ladybug." He called out when he realized where the akuma could be, "Her bracelet." He pointed out the 3 steel cuff bangles on her wrist that blended in with her black gloves, "The akuma must be in there."

Volpina glowered at the Fox, shoveling back as much as she could in the little space that she had.

Seeing how they couldn't really get close to her or move the heavy beams without the risk of her escaping, Ladybug threw her yo-yo up, "Lucky Charm!" she summoned and down came a compacted inflatable raft. Catching it in her hands, the other heroes peered around her to stare at the charm with questioning eyes.

"How useless! If you're planning to ride down the tower, then go ahead." Volpina mocked.

Ladybug ignored her, glancing around for an idea before her eyes landed on Volpina. She glanced at the cord to inflate the raft and her before letting out a smile, "Oh no, I couldn't. Why don't you have the first go? I insist." She came around her, shoving her hand between the bars and quickly yanked on the cord.

Volpina's eyes widened before she was roughed shoved against the metal bars with a groan, the large raft taking up most of the space of her little cage.

"I'll take this." Chat Noir grinned, removing the cuff bangles from her wrist, "Here you are, M'Lady, a present." He threw it over to her.

"Wow, you shouldn't have." She played along before dropping to the ground, "Oops." She said before stomping on it.

The akuma fluttered out of the broken object, trying to escape from the place.

"No more evil-doing for you, little akuma!" Ladybug said, "Time to devilize!" she captured the excaping butterfly in one swoop and yanked it back to her, Gotcha!" she smiled triumphantly before releasing the purified butterfly, "Bye, bye, little butterfly." She smiled it off before staring at the large raft that was now stuck with Volpina.

"Now, how do I get my Lucky Charm out?" she wondered out now.

"I guess you'll just have to pull it out quickly before the beams falls on us." Chelona observed as her bracelet beeped.

Ladybug nodded, calculating her move, "Okay then," she turned to the others, "I'll need your help to throw it up."

As Ladybug, Chat Noir and Vulpes each had a secure hold on the raft in between the metal bars, Ladybug nodded at Chelona, "You can take down your shield now."

Chelona nodded, closing her parasol and shutting off the force field.

"1. 2. 3. Go!" they all yanked up, disrupting the beams. Before the beams could fall over and crush them, they were able to throw the raft up, just a little.

But that was all they needed.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug shouted before the beams tipped back.

They all watched as the little ladybugs put everything back to normal, fixing any damages.

"Pound it!" the heroes all cheered, fist bumping together in a circle.

"Oh Ladybug!" Lila gasped, gaining the others attention.

They all turned to see her still on the ground, clutching her fists to her chest with a shocked look.

"Oh no! Was I akumatised?! It must be all the stress from working too hard from my charity events-"

"Save it." Ladybug glared, cutting her off before any more nonsense spilled from her mouth. "I'm sure whatever you say are just lies."

Lila glared, "I'm not lying!" she shouted, angered.

Ladybug only shook her head in disappointment, unimpressed.

If she doesn't learn from this akumazation that Lila will never change.

She then turned around with her yo-yo ready.

"M'Lady?" Chat Noir called out, glancing between the girls.

"I'm going to take Aurore back to the studio. I'm sure she still here." She nodded to herself, but before she left, she looked over her shoulder towards a frowning Lila, adding, "I'm sure if you ask nicely, the others might take you home."

As soon as Ladybug swung off Chelona turned to the others with a twirl of her parasol, "Well, with the storm passed, it's time for me to go." she smiled, before turning around and leaving.

"Same here, can't stay too long." Vulpes nodded, placing his flute over his shoulder. He turned to Chat Noir with a smile, "Looks like the decision is yours, Chat Noir." He pointed out before also leaving.

Chat Noir turned to look at Lila who was putting on a pitiful act, hoping that he'll take her home.

"Ladybug is so mean. To leave a civilian like this, and in this weather." she looked down in disappointment," She's not a very good superhero, compared to you." She battered her lashes at him, "I'm sure you won't leave me in this weather, would you?" she pouted, "Unlike that cruel Ladybug."

He stared at her before letting out a mischievous smile, "I think you'll be fine. Besides, with all the stress from your charity events, maybe a walk in the rain will calm you down." he said before taking a running leap and left.

Lila, now all alone on the Eiffel Tower, glared.

Hawk Moth's grip on his cane shook before he released the tension on it.

"She's still angry. You're not done with Volpina yet, Ladybug. You haven't seen the last of her." He warned as his window of his observatory began closing, slowly enveloping the room into darkness.

Even though he couldn't risk using Catalyst or Mayura, Lila Rossi still has some uses for him.

With her lies exposed on TV, he'll have another plan in mind for her.

As he released his transformation and stepped onto the elevator in the hole, there was one concern that lingered in his mind.

He hasn't felt any strong negative emotions from her in a while.

He hoped he hadn't lost his ultimate masterpiece.

"Thanks for the lift, Ladybug." Aurore smiled as they landed in front of the TV station. As soon as she reached the bottom of the Eiffel Tower, Ladybug had landed in front of her, offering her a lift back to the station.

Ladybug placed her down, "You're welcome. You okay after what happened?"

Aurore let out a sigh, looking jaded, "That was intense." She let out a small whine, "Being dangled from hundreds of feet up by some crazy liar was not part of my plan."

Ladybug let out an awkward laugh, "Yeah. That was some interview you did there."

Aurore blinked, before she let out a sheepish smile, "I have a confession to make." She scratched at the side of her cheek, "Lila's akumatization was maybe kind of my fault." She awkwardly laughed.

Ladybug pretended to look confused.

Seeing how she looked confused, she continued, "Well, you see, my friend – Marinette - " she pointed before waving it around to draw her explanation, "has been dealing with this liar - Lila" she drew back her finger into a fist, guessing that Ladybug knew who, "and I wanted to help out, but I didn't want be nosy by getting into her business especially when she's trying to put this whole Lila thing behind her. So I thought I'll try something if an opportunity came up, and when I got told that the special guest was Jagged Stone, well…" she shrugged, "I thought, this was my chance since I knew Marinette has worked with him before." She grinned.

Though she was speechless, Ladybug's heart warmed, "That's…"

She sighed, "I know it wasn't professional of me since I pretty much humiliated her on live TV, but…"

Ladybug shook her head, "N-No, it was..." She let out a lost chuckle, "I think it was about time Lila lies were finally exposed. And the way you did it, it looked so natural." She then looked at her with a soft amused smile, "Have you ever thought of becoming an actress?" she questioned.

Aurore blinked before giggling, "Maybe one day, my acting skills are pretty good if I do say so myself."

The two girls both broke out into giggles until a beep sounded from Ladybug's earrings, reminding her that she needed to go soon.

Calming down, Ladybug smiled fondly at her, "You're a good friend, you know that?"

Aurore blinked, staring mystified by Ladybug's expression before giving a soft smile, "I hope to be." While she was surrounded by people, she couldn't easily make friends or even be a good one. Her work came first and most of the time, she would be busy, having needing to cancel plans or getting called into work. She just hoped her friendship with Marinette wouldn't fall apart because of her work.

"I'm sure Marinette appreciates you as a friend." Ladybug smiled before turning to go, "Bug out!"

"Luka!" Marinette shouted when she came down the stairs and into the lounge room of the Liberty, soaking wet.

Luka shot up from the couch, pacing over to her with towels in his hand, "Marinette! Are you okay?" he wrapped one towel around her shoulder, then placed the other on top of her head.

Marinette flushed before letting out a sheepish laugh. She grabbed onto the ends of the towel while he gently dried her hair, "I might need some new clothes."

Luka blinked, before chuckling, "Of course." He smiled and went to grab the folded clothes on the couch.

She blinked at his preparedness.

Seeing the look on her face, he gave a small shrugged, looking amused, "Well, you did run back out into the rain." He reminded.

"R-Right." She stuttered; averting her eyes, though her heart warmed at his thoughtfulness. She grabbed his clothes and went into his shared room to change.

"So is your friend alright?" he asked as soon as she came out.

"Yeah, she's safe. Ladybug, Chat Noir, Vulpes and Chelona were all there." She smiled, taking a seat next to him, and taking out her phone.

Luka watched as she tapped at her phone, opening back the live interview and saw her smile softened, "Something good happen?" he smiled.

Marinette hummed, holding the phone out in between them so they could both watched, "Yeah," she leaned her head comfortably against his shoulder, staring at Aurore on her phone, "I have really awesome friends." She grinned happily as she continued watching the rest of Aurore's interview with Luka.

Lila Rossi's mother was the key in unravelling the truth.

Bring her in and all of Lila's lies would come undone.

But the question was how do they get Mrs. Rossi to school?

They couldn't just rock up to her house and ask her to come, plus she might not even be home yet.

They also couldn't ask Mrs. Rossi to come to school especially if Lila were there.

They had all just called Lila out on her lies. To act all nice and ask her mom to come to school was just too obvious.

Another obstacle to their plan was that they didn't even know where Mrs Rossi worked, let alone even know if she really works for the embassy or if that's just one of Lila's lies.

Which only left them one option.

They needed to get her phone number.

"Anyone have her number by some chance?" Alix sighed out, leaning her head back on her seat.

The others all let out a collective groan, "No."

Alya had a contemplative look on her face, hand stroking her chin, "But there is a way."

The others looked towards her.

"Max, are you able to hack into Mr. Damocles's computer?" she questioned, giving everyone the same idea.

Max shifted his glasses up, understanding what her plan was, "Of course. And with Markov, it would be child's play."

Alya nodded, "Cool." She then gathered everyone around, "Okay, we'll just need a distraction long enough for Max to get the phone number."

Kim grinned, swinging an arm over Ivan's shoulders, "Ivan and me can be the distractions!" he volunteered."

Ivan stared at him blinkingly before nodding, "Uh, yeah, sure."

"I'll help!" Rose enthusiastically said, looking pumped.

Juleka nodded to be part of group.

"Okay, then the rest of us is on lookout." Alya nodded, "Here's my plan."

During the hour that they waited to start their plan, they had gone through the plan, making sure everyone understood what they needed to do.

Along the way, they may had gone a bit enthusiastic with it by giving code names to one another but decided to forgo it since it had made things confusing, which took up most of the time.

The plan was to be executed after Mr D'Argencourt's fencing practice had been cleared out.

Unfortunately, it had begun to rain.

Though, everyone still went into place.

Alya, Nino, Alix and Max hid in the nearby classroom, signalling to Rose and Juleka that they were ready.

Rose and Juleka who was standing in front of the principal's office, nodded before looking towards the stairs where the others were, getting a nod from them that they were also ready.

Seeing that everyone was ready, Rose took a deep breath before she busted into the room with Juleka behind her.

"Mr Damocles! Mr Damocles! Come quick! We need your help!" Rose cried out.

Mr Damocles shot up in alarm, "What's wrong?!" he would have reprimanded a person if they had come into his office in such a manner, but this looked urgent.

"Ivan and Kim are fighting." Juleka responded, looking worried.

Mr Damocles quickly rounded his desk, "Where are they?"

"Down at the courtyard. Please hurry!" Rose turned and quickly led them out.

When the three came down the stairs, they saw Mylène trying to hold back a frowning Ivan while an equally frowning Kim was being held back by Nathaniel in the rain.

"Boys! What do you think you're doing?!" Mr Damocles demanded, "Stop this at once!"

"Okay, the coast is clear." Alya said as her and the others ran across the hallway and towards the office while Markov floated after them.

"You and Max go in, we'll stand guard and tell you if he's coming."

"Markov's the most highly-evolved type of robot there is! We'll be done before you know it." Max spoke proudly as he entered the room with his robot friend.

Alix didn't move, making Alya give her a questioning look.

"What?"

Alix shrugged, "Just glad you all came to your senses." she said before entering the room.

"Alix." Nino awkwardly reprimanded but was ignored. He then turned to Alya, going to comfort her, "Don't listen to-"

Alya shook her head, "No, it's about time I came to my senses." She looked down with a self-loathing frown, "I just hope it's not too late to fix things between Marinette and us." She closed her eyes, feeling ashamed.

Nino rubbed the back of his head, not sure what to say.

They'd messed up.

Big time.

If Marinette didn't forgive them, then they probably deserved it.

Nino took a deep breath, "At least were fixing it now." He tried, giving a weak smile.

Alya nodded absentmindedly before looking up to keep a lookout.

Nino looked worried at her despondency, but before he could think of anything to try comfort her, Max, Markov and Alix came out.

"That was fast." Nino commented.

Max smiled, looking over to his robot friend, "Something simple as extracting a phone number from a file on a computer is a simple feat for Markov here." He boasted.

Alix carefully walked over to the thin green metal support pillars, signaling to the others on the court with a thumbs up that they got it.

"Cool." Nino smiled as they all began to move a safe distance away from the office to avoid suspicion, "So when should we call her?"

It was Alya who answered, "We need to call her when she's not with Lila in case she does something, so tomorrow morning." She nodded.

Alix also agreed, "As soon as Lila arrives tomorrow, we'll call her mom."

Alya squeezed her fists, looking apprehensive as she slowed down to a stop in the middle of the hallway, the others stopping as well to look at her.

"We'll come up with any excuse so she'll come here. No matter what, we just need to get her here."

Alya hopped that it'll all go smoothly.

In Le Grand Paris, a very angry rock star stormed into his en suite in a rage.

"Where's that lawyer already?!" Jagged demanded as Fang followed after, his scaly tail whipping back and forth in tune with his owner's feelings.

"He'll be here soon, but please think about what you're doing, Jagged!" Penny entered and quickly closed the doors behind them for privacy.

"Who does that little girl think she is? When I'm done, she won't be able to show her face in town!" Jagged paced back and forth in a huff.

Penny winced before trying to reason with him, "Jagged, wait, think of what you're doing! This is a minor that you're suing. A minor." She stressed out, "I don't think that would look good for your image."

Jagged stopped. Turning in his spot, he faced her and threw his arms out, "But she's ruining my image with her stupid lies!"

"I know!" Penny tried to calm him down, "But we shouldn't sue her just for one comment-"

"Penny!" Jagged looked appalled at her dismissiveness.

Penny held her hands up in defense, "Wait, just listen to me first. If we were to sue a minor for defamation for one comment, the repercussions could be worse for us and drag your image even further."

"But…" Jagged pouted.

Seeing him pout, Penny let out a relieved sigh, before continuing, "Look, I'm not saying that we shouldn't do anything about it, just that there are other ways we can go about this, okay?"

Jagged crossed his arms, plopping down on the couch behind him with a huff.

Seeing that, Penny quickly took out her tablet before Jagged could change his mind and proceed with suing a little girl, "Okay, I've checked and the good news is that the girl only made one comment about you-" she scrolled through as Jagged let out a scoff, "in an interview in this blog. The bad news is that comment wasn't well received and has cause some damages to your image."

"Blog? What blog?" Jagged frowned, raising a brow.

Penny made a few taps before turning her tablet around to show a paused video on a close up of a girl smiling excitedly, "The Ladyblog created by an Alya Césaire."

Jagged tilted his head at the familiar-looking face before snapping his fingers, "Hey, isn't that one of Marinette's friends?!" he finger-gun pointed at it.

Penny made a thoughtful look before blinking, "Yes, I believe so. They were together at Clara's concert and you took them to the VIP section when you bumped into them."

Jagged frowned. Now this was a doozy. If he were to also involve one of Marinette's friend in this, would he lose his favorite designer?

But it was also partly her fault for posting such rubbish!

He was not a creep! He's a Rock Star! And a killer one at that!

"Suspend her blog until she gets rid of all that rubbish and writes a retraction!" he demanded.

Penny nodded, making note. She was glad that Jagged was giving Marinette's friend a chance to clean up her blog and write a retraction. From what she can see as she scrolled through the blog, there were some questionable posts, all from the girl-

"And for that Liar Rossi, I want a retraction from her as well! Also, an apology! And I want her banned from any concert of mine! Interviews! Signings! Movies! Contest! Crocodile circus-!" Jagged listed, throwing out anything that he would appear in.

She sweat dropped, but nonetheless, nodded, quickly taking them down for the lawyer to work with. As soon as Jagged finished listing whatever he could think of, she looked over the list and couldn't help but let a proud smile when she didn't see any monetary charges against the minor.

One of the good things about Jagged was that he didn't care about the money, it was all about the music to him.

When Marinette came to school on a Thursday clear morning, the warm feeling that she had when she woke up wearing Luka's clothes (having fallen asleep in it after he walked her home after looking for an umbrella somewhere on the ship), slowly faded to a more curious one when she couldn't help but notice the murmurs around her.

"Hey, did you see what happened yesterday?"

"Yeah. I can't believe it was a lie."

"I thought it was cool to have a rock star write a song about you, but boy did Jagged look angry at that."

"If she lied about that, you think all her other stories were lies?"

"I got curious and looked up her other stories but nothing."

Marinette took a seat on one of the benches, her purse slightly opened as Tikki peered out.

"Seems like Aurore's plan was really effective." She looked around to see that everyone was talking about the interview, impressed.

"… Yeah…" Marinette agreed, pulling her phone out to stare at the recent message from Aurore. The blonde had a meeting so she wouldn't be here in the morning, but she would be here for lunch, "I just hope she didn't get in too much trouble." She mumbled under her breath

Tikki looked up at her chosen with an assuring smile, "I'm sure she'll be fine!"

Marinette smiled at her comfort. Added with the fact that the interview had continued instead of being cancelled even after an akuma had appeared, "Yeah, I-"

"Ah-hey, she's here!" someone whispered out.

Marinette looked up to see everyone's head towards the entrance of Collège Françoise Dupont. She followed their gazes that was locked onto Lila.

She could hear the murmurs start up again, louder and relentless as everyone gazes followed after her as she strutted in like nothing was wrong and Marinette couldn't help but think that in a way, Lila got what she wanted.

Lila wanted the attention and she got it.

All eyes were on her.

Lila's hackles were raised as she walked into Collège Françoise Dupont.

"Do you think she know what happened yesterday?"

"Probably. Don't you remember that Volpina appeared on the show?"

"She kidnapped Aurore."

"Thank god, Ladybug and Chat Noir saved the day."

"I heard that the other heroes showed up as well."

"- she's a liar-"

Lila inwardly fumed.

She wasn't a liar!

This was all Ladybug and Marinette's fault! If they hadn't called her out, this would never had happened!

But this was just a minor hiccup that could easily be fixed with a simple lie.

Instead of skipping school, it was better that she was here.

She needed to do some damage control.

Before anyone could approach her, the bell rang.

She could see that everyone wanted to ask some questions but was enthusiastically heading to class instead.

Though from the corner of her eyes, she saw Marinette walking up the stairs for class and she narrowed her eyes at her.

This was all her fault.

Giving one last glance around her, she inwardly smirked.

She would use this attention to her full advantage.

Alya and the others waited impatiently from around the corner of the school building, in the opposite direction of where Lila would be coming from.

"It's almost time for class." Mylène worried.

"You think she's gonna ditch school because of what happened?" Alix commented, hands behind her head, looking bored. They had come to school early once more, and the enthusiasm to catch Lila really waned when idling about for more than half an hour, waiting for the liar to show up.

If she even shows up.

"She was pretty much humiliated on live TV, even I wouldn't be able to show my face if that happened." Nathaniel shuddered from his spot on the ground, leaning against the wall.

"There's an 63.7% chance that she'll stays home with some sort of lie." Max then looked at his watch, seeing how there were only a few minutes to the bell, "Our next course of actions will just have to proceed with the call and hope that Mrs. Rossi did not take a day off to care for Lila. Though, by my calculations, Lila wouldn't want her mother to stay home when she's faking."

The others turned to Alya who was clutching her phone for her decision.

"Alya?" Nino stared worriedly. He had walked her home yesterday and stayed with her, hoping to cheer her up and reassure her that things were going to be fine even if he didn't 100% believed it himself. Hoping to distract them, they had watched Side by Side.

Which didn't really help with what they were feeling.

Alya had flinched when her name had been mentioned by Nadja and nearly cried when everything she had treasured were thrown in her face by hard hitting facts.

Her credibility was ruined.

Jagged Stone was evidence that Marinette was right all along, and she had been a fool to have questioned her.

Alya nodded, "Let's just hope she comes." She sighed tiredly, getting Mrs. Rossi's contact up.

"Hey, there's Lila!" Kim pointed out loudly before quickly being shushed by the others.

Alya stared, her heart twisting at the sight of her, "You guys go ahead to class while I make the call." She said, "Don't want the Miss Bustier to question why most of the class is missing."

"Alright, we'll see you in class." Mylène smiled supporting.

Alya smiled weakly as everyone began to leave, however, she noticed that Nino stayed behind.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" he worriedly asked, grabbing her hand.

Alya gave Nino a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, I'll be alright."

He stared for a thoughtful moment before he squeezed her hand, "Okay then." He nodded.

"Well, well. Looked who showed up? Liar Rossi!" Chloé crackled as soon as she walked into the room with Sabrina carrying her bag, and spotted Lila who was putting on a hurt look, "I knew there was no way Jagged Stone would write a song about you when he could've written it about me." She smirked, strutting towards her desk.

"Chloé, that's so mean of you. You know my rare disease makes me have no control on what I say." Lila sniffed, not noticing everyone rolling their eyes at her act, "I didn't mean for this misunderstanding to get so out of hand when I said that."

"Chloé, that's no way to talk to your fellow classmate." Miss Bustier gently, but sternly reprimanded.

"Well, it's true." She huffed, turning her head away with a displeased look, but didn't make anymore comments.

Miss Bustier frowned, wanting for her class to get along. She then looked over to Marinette, hoping she'll calm the situation and set a good example as the class president.

But Marinette pretended not to understand, instead, busying herself with taking her things out.

"Mar-" before she could request her to take action, Alya ran in.

"Sorry I'm late." She sheepishly smiled.

"It's fine, go take your seat. We'll be starting class now." Miss Bustier sighed

Alya nodded, walking pass Nino, who had the whole desk to himself, and settled in her seat beside Marinette. She guiltily glanced at her before unpacking for class.

Though she didn't think she'll be able to focus on class today.

Before she headed in work today, Mrs. Rossi had received a strange phone call.

The person on the other side had sounded young until she was told just who she was talk to.

"Oh my, how did you get my phone number?" Mrs Rossi blinked in surprised.

Alya panicked slightly, "Oh- um, Lila gave me your number in case something ever happens." She swallowed.

Mrs. Rossi grew worried, "Did something happen to my bella?"

"Oh, no, no, no. Nothing bad. Just… can you please come to school today. Please?" she pleaded, "It's really important… I think you and the principal needs to talk… He uh… there's some things that he wants to discuss with you about Lila, but he can't really get in touch with you."

Mrs. Rossi furrowed her brows with a thoughtful look on her face, "Well, your school principal did try to contact me before, but my daughter told me that he was akumatized." She worried her lips, hesitating.

"… What? No – well, he was once, as the Dark Owl, but he was quickly dealt with by Ladybug and Chat Noir, but I don't think the principal contacted anyone when he was an akuma." Alya quickly explained, "Just… please come to the school." She begged.

She hesitated, thinking it over. It sounded important, and if this concerned her angel than she should go and check it out, "I can come over during my lunch break if that's alright?"

"That's… yeah." The girl sounded relieved, "Thank you."

"You're welcome?" Mrs. Rossi blinked, feeling confused before hanging up. She stared at her phone before shrugging, putting it away.

She'll find out what this is all about, for now, she had an embassy meeting to attend.

When the bell rang for lunch, Miss Bustier reminded them to not forget about their homework next week before leaving the kids to their own device.

As soon as the teacher left, Marinette also took her leave, though not before freezing at the door when Chloé opened her mouth.

"You know, I wonder what else you lied about? I bet you aren't even friends with Ladybug, and why would she be friends with the likes of you when I am so much better?" she smirked.

Marinette glanced behind her, seeing Chloé standing in front of the class, one arm under the other as she posed while Sabrina stood next to her, scrolling through her phone. She then glanced at the others, realizing how no one was cutting in to defend her.

She guessed that everyone now knew.

"Of course I'm friends with Ladybug, she always looks out for me." Lila sniffed, standing up and walking down the stairs towards the blonde, "Why would I lie? Didn't I tell you the magic command to summon her? That was true." She reminded.

Chloé pursed her lips while Sabrina continued to scroll through social media, "Sabrina!" she snapped when dhr couldn't rebuke that.

"There's a lot of mentions about Lila, but that's because of the interview yesterday. Other than that, there's nothing about her… stories." She reported.

"See, you're just full of lies, I bet you also lied about being a model to get with my Adrikens." She accused.

Lila looked hurt, placing a hand on her chest as she let out a sincere tone, "I didn't lie about being a model and I wouldn't dream of using my position to get close to your Adrien." She held her other hand to explain, "But Chloé , I told you." She made a pitiful look, "I have this weird disease where I can't control what I say." She reminded, wiping an eye, "Everyone was just so impressive that I just wanted to fit in." she sniffed before giving an awed look at Chloé , "I mean, I was going to be in the same class as the mayor's daughter! That's like an honor." She gasped out, "The pressure of being surrounded by all these amazing people just made me involuntarily say something that I thought would impress everyone." She whimpered, "I didn't mean to cause a misunderstanding."

Chloé scoffed, "Of course it's an honor to just breathe the same air as me." She preened, "But you're still pathetic. A pathetic liar."

Nobody noticed Marinette slowly slipped out of the room.

Lila inwardly glared at the prissy brat. The nerve of her, "I'm not a liar. I am a model. That part is true."

Before Chloé could make a retort, Sabrina looked surprised at what she found and spoke up.

"There's an interview with Gabriel Agreste that just got uploaded." Sabrina said, turning her phone around and pressing play.

"- Mr Agreste, are you aware of what type of person Miss Lila Rossi was when you made her a new muse of yours?" Alec asked to a wide screen of Gabriel Agreste.

The camera then focused on a frowning Gabriel who looked disappointed in his office.

"Seeing as how my son is friends with his whole class, I had assumed that Lila Rossi was included in that as well. I thought my son would enjoy having a friend around. Though clearly it was a mistake. Lila Rossi has deceived us all and we will not be working with her anymore in the future." He announced before signing off.

"Whoa, I sure don't want to be Lila right now." Alec laughed, "That was one cold rejection right there!"

Sabrina then paused the video while Chloé mockingly laughed at a shocked Lila.

"There! You see? Pathetic! Utterly Pathetic!" Chloé chortled with her hands on her hips.

Lila eyes were wide as she took a step back. No. No. No. No! This can't be happening right now! She turned around, waiting for the others to defend her, only to receive their glares. Nobody moving to help. She then turned to her one last means of escape, "Alya?" she called out with a hurt tone.

Alya curled her fists more as she stared coldly at her, "The facts are right there."

Lila's eyes widened, her grip on everyone was broken, "How dare you all!?" she cried, running away.

She couldn't believe it?!

This has to be a joke!

Inside the empty locker rooms, Lila took out her phone, breathing heavily as she tried to dial Nathalie's number, only for it to go to voicemail.

She tried again

And again

And again

Before the other side finally picked up.

"Miss Nathalie!" Lila cried with a panicked smile, hoping this was not a joke, "What is going on? Why did Mr Agreste-"

"Your contract with us has been terminated." Nathalie coldly cut her off, "From now on don't contact us anymore." She bluntly said before hanging up.

Lila stood frozen, shell-shocked.

Betrayed… She was betrayed by them!

Rage boiled throughout her body before it was released in a violent screech. She chucked her phone against a wall, ignoring how the screen shattered black.

Storming out, however, she immediately paled, her blood freezing when she saw her mother. Here in school. And walking halfway up the stairs!

"Mom!" she panicked, quickly rushing over to her while curious students watched, "What are you doing here?!" she just couldn't have this, not now!

"Oh, Lila." Her mom blinked, "I got a call from one of your friends saying that your principal needed to talk to me." She explained before looking worried, "Is everything alright? Are you being bullied?"

Lila inwardly scowled. She was setup! "Oh, really? There must be a mistake." She forced out a laugh, "My principal already told me about that. He just wanted to know if I was interested in getting some extra help in school since it's been closed for long periods of times before."

Her mom looked furrowed her brows, "Is that it?" she asked.

She nodded, "Of course! Would I ever lie to you?" she smiled sweetly.

"Okay, darling." She chuckled, pressing a kiss on her head, "I guess I should go. I have lots of meetings to attend to today."

Lila nodded, "Come on, I don't want you wasting your lunch break here." she tugged her down.

Her mom smiled, but before she could take a step down, she was told to stop.

"Wait!"

Mrs Rossi looked back to see some children rushing towards her from the second level, while behind her, she heard her daughter let out a growl.

Recognizing the voice that had called her from the phone call, Mrs Rossi gave a smile in greeting, "Oh, you were the one who called." She then furrowed her brows, "Lila told me the talk was just about her grades. I don't think I needed to come down here for that."

Lila glared at the betrayal that was Alya. How dare she.

Alya shook her head, "No, that's -" she gritted her teeth before she just outright said it, wanting to get straight to the point before Lila could come up with an excuse. The mom was finally here, they couldn't waste a single second with this opportunity, "Lila has been lying about everything!"

Mrs Rossi blinked, "What-?"

"I'm not a liar!" Lila yelled, defensively.

"You're lying right now! Everything you say is a lie!" Alix called out, annoyed.

"What are you talking about? I have never lied-!"

"What is with all this noise?" Mr Damocles came out of his office at the rising noise that had reached his office. He then came around and saw an overwhelmed looking woman surrounded by kids. Pausing, he took a moment and stared closely at the woman and Lila before making a connection, "Oh, you must be Lila's mother."

Mrs Rossi, slowly nodded.

Mr Damocles smiled, "Great, now that you're here, we might as well get to talking. I've tried calling you before, but I think you might've been overseas at that time."

"… What?" Mrs Rossi asked, looking lost.

Continuing, Mr Damocels straightened up, gesturing to his office, "We have much to discuss, let's talk in my office."

"Mr Damocels!" Lila quickly interjected, her mind racing, "Does my mom need to have this talk? She's a busy woman and has lots of meeting. Maybe it's best if you tell me instead and I can tell my mom about it later."

Mr Damocles quirked up a brow, "But she's here right now. Don't worry, it won't take long." He assured her.

Gritting her teeth, Lila grasped onto her mother's arm with a wide smile, "Then can I join? I haven't seen my mother since she's soo busy because of work."

Mr Damocles nodded to her request, "That's fine with me, now, let's-"

Ayla couldn't let Lila have her way. She just knew that if she joined them, then she would find a way to escape, "Don't listen to what she has to say! She lies!"

The others backed her up.

Mr Damocles glared at Alya, "Alya Césaire, have I not warned you enough to be mindful of your fellow classmates?" he grew annoyed, "Especially since she has a rare disease - "

"What disease?" Mrs Rossi furrowed her brows in confusion, "My daughter doesn't have a disease – or any other disease, she's perfectly healthy." She then turned to her daughter with a confused frown, "Lila, what are they talking about?"

Lila's eyes widened in panic, "I-It's nothing! I just may have told a small lie here and there – but it's nothing to worry-"

"She framed Marinette for cheating and even got her suspended." Alix reminded, "I don't think that's such a small lie." She crossed her arms, tilting her head at her.

Mrs Rossi's eyes widened in tremendous shock, looking at her daughter in disbelief, "Is... Is that true?" she asked, breathless.

"It's just a misunderstanding! Nothing happened!" Lila cried out, "She's back in school so it's all fine!"

"Lila!" Mrs Rossi looked horrified at what her daughter was confessing, looking like she was about to faint.

"She also threatened her and me." Juleka spoke up, glaring at Lila who glared back.

Mrs Rossi looked appalled at her daughter's actions. She didn't think that things will get any worse until a large guitar rift announced its presence.

Everyone present turned to see who it was and gasped when Jagged Stone waltzed in with his agent and a serious looking person in a black suit, black briefcase in hand, while the other held 2 thick stacks of paper, and wearing dark shades on his face.

"Jagged Stone!"

Everyone began whispering excitedly at the rock star.

"Who is Liar Rossi?! I have a bone to pick with her!" he announced loudly as he played an angry rift on guitar.

"What did you do?" Mrs Rossi looked at her daughter, feeling aghast, her voice only a whisper at this point.

Lila whipped around, "Nothing! I didn't do anything-!"

"You!" Jagged pointed at her before crossing the courtyard towards her, ignoring students taking their phone out to record and take pictures, "You have some nerve! What you did was so not rock n roll! It was the total opposite!" he glared.

Grasping onto the handrail, Mrs Rossi felt lightheaded. This was too much in one go, "M-Mr Stone, w-what did my daughter do?" she asked while the others were still stunned.

Jagged glared at Lila, now having a face to match the name before turning to the woman, "She said that that I wrote a song about her which is just, eck!" he stuck his tongue out in disgust, "I rather kiss a singer from the Zombeats!"

The person in black then stood forward, holding one of the stacks to her while Penny began to explain.

"This is for you." Penny started, "Because the comment your daughter made has caused some damage to my client's image, we ask of her to post a retraction and an apology. And along with that, she's banned from anything that Jagged Stone appears in, such as concerts, signings, and etc. If she can't follow these demands, then there will be consequences."

Mrs Rossi grasped at her head, "I-I need to sit down." She leaned against the railings; her legs turned weak as she shakily accepted her daughter's lawsuit.

Jagged then turned to Lila, arms crossed in front of his guitar, waiting for an apology, "So? I'm waiting, where's my apology?" he raised a brow, not happy.

Lila glared, snapping, "I didn't do anything wrong!" she cried, pointing a finger at Alya who tensed, "It was Alya who posted it on her blog! She should have fact checked it. She's just as much at fault than I am!" she pointed out.

Mrs Rossi slowly stared at her daughter who was becoming unfamiliar by the second. Where was her sweet angel?

Alya tried to defend herself but froze when Penny and the lawyer came up to her.

"We also didn't forget her." Penny said with a reluctant look in her eyes as the lawyer handed the shocked girl her lawsuit, though it was thinner than Lila's, "Your blog is to be suspended…"

Alya looked ashamed, thought she readily accepted the lawsuit.

"… until you have deleted the posts that doesn't hold any truth, and to post a retraction." Penny said, surprising Alya, "You have 1 week to do so." She added.

"I – uh… yes, I understand." She nodded. She had been so ready to delete her blog when she was handed her lawsuit, but it was surprisingly light.

"Why does she get off easy?!" Lila demanded. This was unfair! Unfair! The whole world was against her!

"That's because she's Marinette's friend." Jagged huffed, unknowingly adding fuel to the fire and causing the class to flinch, especially Alya, "If my designer is sad, then what would happen to her rockin' style? I can't have that happening."

Something seems to snap in Lila. Marinette. It was always Marinette! That dummy! This was all her fault! It always leads back to her!

"Ah, jealousy, envy, rage, betrayal. A recipe for a dangerous akuma." Hawk Moth chuckled, holding out a palm for a butterfly to land, then turning it into an akuma.

"Let's make your dreams come true." He smirked before releasing the akuma, "Fly, my evil little one, and akumatize her!" he commanded.

"This isn't fair! I didn't do anything wrong!" Lila seethed.

Jagged glared.

Both locked in a stare down.

Seeing how they weren't going to get anywhere, Mrs Rossi stood up on her shaky legs, "M-Mr Stone. My daughter will give you an apology later-"

"Mom!" Lila sounded betrayed.

"And we will accept your demands," she continued, on the brink of fainting, "But, can we-"

"AKUMA!" one of the other students screamed.

The ominous flapping drew everyone to look above them.

Lila stared at the akuma flying her way while her mother tried to get her out of the way, but she didn't budge.

This was her way out.

Everyone here will feel her wrath!

"Lila Rossi!" her mom screeched out when her daughter shoved free of her hold and ran towards the akuma, her hand reaching out.

Before the akuma could even touch the tip of her finger, it was suddenly captured in a familiar red and black spotted yo-yo.

Lila froze.

"My akuma!" Hawk Moth cried out.

"To think that you would voluntarily grab an akuma." Ladybug landed in front of the group with a deep frown on her face, "You really are dangerous."

"Ladybug!" Lila gasped out, "It's not what you think! I was only trying to prevent-"

Ladybug glared, "Save it, everyone has it on camera, there's no lying your way out of this time, Lila."

Lila eyes widened, looking alarmed as she looked around to realised that everyone had been recording.

"I think we need to have a serious talk in my office." Mr Damocles gravely said. He then looked at the other students, "If you like, you may come as well to testify."

Lila breathed harshly.

Her kingdom was ruined.

Before Ladybug can swing back on the roof, preparing to keep watch again, her eyes caught Adrien at the entrance, watching the whole thing with a blank face.

She wondered what he was thinking during the whole thing, but she didn't dwell on it as she kept a lookout at the skies for any akumas.

She was surprised when her partner appeared a few minutes later, landing like a cat next to her.

"This little cat was just passing by and meow, that was intense, if I say so meow-self."

Ladybug shook her head with a small chuckle, "That was horrible."

Chat Noir stared at his lady with a fond smile, though it faded when he gazed towards the principal's office, "Hopefully, this is the end of Lila's lies."

"Knowing her, I doubt that she'll stop lying." She huffed, throwing her yo-yo at another akuma flying towards the office.

Chat Noir stared at her yo-yo before leaning back on his hands, "Do you think that maybe everything can go back to normal for those kids?" he asked, a hopeful tone lit in his voice.

Ladybug slowed, a soft frown on her face, "I don't think it will." She confessed, swiping at another akuma, "Maybe someday, but not right now."

He raised a brow at her, "What makes you say that?"

She gave pause, trying to carefully think of how to answer, "… I've met Marinette…" she started, looking out at the clearing skies, "And she told me that she wants to put this behind her – that she doesn't want to be drag back into all this drama." She breathed, "I've saw what it did to her, and I think it would be best if she doesn't get involved with this anymore, for her sake."

Chat Noir grew quiet, thinking over her words. The last time he saw her, she had looked so… he sucked in a breath and released it in the sky, "Okay." Was all he said, quietly accepting it.

Ladybug nodded, throwing her yo-yo at another akuma.

When it looked like Hawk Moth had given up, Ladybug took her leave, finding a quiet space to de-transform.

Nonchalantly walking out of the bathroom in the locker room, Marinette emerge onto the courtyard to a buzz of chattering students, some still talking about what just happened and the rest was surrounding Jagged, shoving one another to get the rock star's autograph to which he was happy to oblige.

"Guys, guys, I know you love me, but no reason to fight over me." He grinned, his mood turning better as he gave a kid a signed sandwich.

As he signed the last of a kid's notebook, his eyes caught onto Marinette, "Marinette!" his eyes brightened, walking away from his crowd, "My favorite little lady!"

Marinette startled, "Jagged!" she looked surprised, "Uh-Oh, what are you doing here?" she awkwardly smiled.

Jagged let out a little huff, arms crossed, "Damage control, but enough about that." He placed his hands on his hips, "I need some cheering up. Do you think you could design me something rock 'n' roll?"

Marinette blinked before smiling at her favourite rock star, "Sure! What were you thinking of?"

"Think you could make a hat for my Fang?" Jagged grinned, looking excited.

"For Fang…?" she tried to imagine the aerodynamics on how one would fit a hat on a crocodile, "Sure." She answered absentmindedly, her hand doing the thinking-pose. Surely if she were to make a hat, it would slip off.

While she imagined different types of hat, Jagged gestured Penny over with her tablet.

"If you can-" he started, snapping Marinette back to reality, "Can you make it look like this? The costume team wouldn't make me one for my Fang." He let out a huff.

Marinette stared wide eyes at the poster pulled up on the tablet, "You're starring in a movie?" she whispered shouted, shocked.

Jagged nodded, looking boastful. "It's about time I starred in one, especially with my Fang." He grinned.

"That's-wow." Marinette starred in awe.

"I know right." He grinned before staring at Penny, nodding her a signal.

Penny took out 2 tickets from the inner pockets of her suit jacket, "Here, this is for you." She smiled, "Compensation for the hat."

Marinette stared grateful, "Thanks!" she grinned, "I'll be sure to have your hat ready by tomorrow." She promised.

Jagged grinned, satisfied, "Penny will send you his measurements." He said before leaving with his lawyer tow, "I can't wait to match with my Fang!"

"Don't forget to give us the receipt so we can pay you back." Penny reminded with a smile before quickly following the others.

Marinette nodded with a smile before checking the date for the movie.

Aurore finally arrived at school; eyes glued to her phone as she started up the stairs, watching the video that Mireille had sent her, attached with a 'Thought you might want to see this.' Underneath it.

It was all over the internet.

It looks like something big had happened while she was at work.

She felt a bit regretful that she couldn't see her plan play out in person, but at least she got good results, even if it was intense.

She was glad that it turned out alright.

Once the video had ended, she sent a quick 'thank you' to Mireille before placing her phone away, ready to go on her day.

Looking around, she spotted Marinette sitting on the bench by the lockers, looking giddy as she stared at something in her hand, however, her giddiness then turned to a troubled one, before she shook her head, an assured look on her face.

Aurore giggled, wondering what was going on in that head of hers, "Marinette!" she smiled brightly, jogging over to her.

Marinette looked up, a smile on her face, "Aurore!" she grinned before she seemed to remember something and gasped, shooting up from her seat, "Were you okay yesterday? You didn't get in trouble, did you?" she rapidly asked, concerned.

Aurore chuckled, "Did you enjoy the interview, yesterday?" she grinned.

Marinette blinked, "Yeah, it was… surprising." She slowly nodded before smiling, "You were great, by the way."

Aurore flipped one of her pigtails back, a hand on her hip, "Of course I was." She playfully scoffed, "I was made for the screens." She peered one eye at her before breaking out of character with a giggle.

Marinette laughed with her.

Once they settled, Aurore answered her questions, "Yeah, I'm fine. Ladybug and the others were there." She grinned, "And I didn't get into too much trouble with the studio." She shrugged, "Because the ratings were high and how the interview continued on the studio said it was fine, just that I should be careful on believing what other people say." She then crossed her arms with an amused huff, "plus, I did get kidnapped in their studio, so they can't get too mad at me."

"Right." She awkwardly laughed at that.

Aurore waved her off, not needing her to comment on that, "So what got you beaming like the sun?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, Jagged was here because of the…" she trailed off.

She nodded understandingly, "Yeah, I saw, it's all over the internet."

Marinette winced, she should have predicted that, "Uh, yeah, a-anyway, he asked me to do a commission for his crocodile and gave me tickets for his movie." She showed her the orange ticket stubs, "Do you want to come with me? I was also thinking of asking Jagged if I can get one more ticket. There's someone else that I want to invite as well." She grinned.

She stared at the ticket stubs, before letting out a small wince, "I'll be working all week." She admitted guiltily and quickly tried to make it better, "How about you just go with the other person that you wanted to invite?" she suggested.

Blinking, Marinette thought about Luka, the other person she wanted to invite along. It'll be just the two of them. Alone, "O-Oh." She squeaked out, averting her eyes to the ground while she still held the stubs, as if it could shield her. If she asked him out, would he think it was a date? Her cheeks flushed at that, "Y-Yeah, I could do that."

Aurore stared amused, noticing the blush on her cheeks, "You could ask him out as a date." She grinned.

Marinette whipped her head up, "Wouldn't it be too soon?" she squeaked, her cheeks reddening, "I just confessed to my ex-crush just yesterday-"

"Oh, congratulations." Aurore clapped her hands together, happy for her.

"A-and," she stumbled but kept going, even as she turned redder at the support, "now I'm asking him out? I don't want him to think that just because I got rejected that he's a r-rebound or because he's my second choice, which he's not!" she looked worried, spiralling into a panic, "I don't want to rush into this and ruin what we have now, or what if he doesn't feel that way about me? This would definitely ruin what we have. And what if we can't stay friends? What if he can't stand to see me anymore because it's too awkward? What if I can't handle It? I'll have to move and get a new identity and send you secret coded messages to stay in contact!" She cried out, clutching at her head by the end of her rant, "It's too soon!"

Aurore blinked at a hurricane of a monologue, slowly lifting a finger up, "Well, first of all, no." she booped her nose, making Marinette crossed-eyed, "I'm sure your mystery guy won't do that to you if he's the guy you like."

Marinette's cheeks flushed, "Yeah." She admitted quietly.

"And maybe it's too soon, but you don't like Adrien anymore, right?"

"I dont."

"And does mystery guy-"

"-Luka." She offered in a whisper.

Aurore nodded, "Does Luka know that you're over Adrien?"

Marinette shook her head.

Aurore placed her hands on her hips with a smile. They could work with this, "Okay, fine. It doesn't have to be a date, but just send him signals that you're into him if you're not ready to date yet."

"That…" Marinette thought over her advice, "Yeah, okay, I can do that." She nodded, encouraging herself, "Just need to ask him out. Easy." She smiled a panic smile.

Aurore smiled softly at her, "Practice what you say before you ask, or just send him a text if you can't ask." She offered, "I'm sure everything would be fine and besides…"

Marinette stared at her, waiting for her to continued when she trailed off.

"I don't want to learn a new code right now when I'm flooded with new projects." She let out a playful huff.

Marinette stared stunned before she burst out quiet giggles under her breath, "Yeah," she placed the tickets in her pocket, "I might have overth-"

BAM

Everyone was startled when a door was slammed open and turned towards the source, only to see Lila storm out with her mother calling her out.

"Lila Rossi, don't you do that!" she chastised, hot on her trail while the others emerged from the office.

Everyone watched as the two marched down the stairs.

When Lila saw Marinette and Aurore in the corner of her eye, she shot them a violent glare, but continued towards the exit, not wanting to be in this dumb school.

It was quiet in the courtyard before the other students began speculating what had happened in the office.

"You think she got suspended?"

"A transfer?"

"Maybe they're sending her to a far away boarding school, she did try to grab an akuma after all."

Marinette and Aurore glanced at each other, wondering just what Lila's outcome was.

If all her lies were exposed, maybe she really will be sent far away. Allowing her to continue studying here would only invite more frequent akumas given how angry Lila was.

"Do you think that's the last we'll see of her?" Marinette asked, dreading to have her life be interrupted with Lila's akumas.

Aurore let out a slightly annoyed sigh, "Doesn't look like it…" that was a look of revenge on her face. But if she really wanted to fight then she was sure she could handle it. Even if she was knocked down, she'll get back up.

Her proof was that she was a weather girl.

She then noticed Marinette's classmate approaching them and she nudged her, "Marinette, you have company." She whispered.

Marinette turned, feeling a bit cornered. Though she forced herself to remain calm. She had confessed to Adrien, she should be able to face this confrontation.

"Marinette, can we talk?" Alya asked, looking timid and awkward. Something that Marinette has never seen before.

She had always known the confident and sassy Alya, not… this.

Her eyes trailed to the others who looked guilty and ashamed, except for Alix who was missing. Her eyes wondered to the second level to her watching them, face indifferent, yet focused on them.

"Ahh." Marinette inwardly pulled back, feeling conflicted, "They know everything."

Alya's eyes glanced over at Aurore, hoping that she'll give them some privacy.

Seeing this, Aurore slightly leaned down to whisper to Marinette, "Do you want me to go?" she offered, she wasn't leaving her friend unless she wanted her to.

She shook her head, "No, it's fine if you stay." she said. She might need the support, "So? What do you want to say?" she inwardly winced at how she had worded it. Was it too harsh?

By the way that they winced, it was.

"All of Lila's lies are exposed." Alya started, rubbing at her arms.

Marinette nodded, "I saw."

At her clipped response, they flinched.

"You were right all along." Nino said next as he stepped up, placing his hands on Alya's shoulders who looked defeated, "We were all tricked by Lila and we didn't listen to you."

"I see." Marinette let out a shaky breath. She couldn't stop the way she answered. Just what did she want to say to them after all these weeks? What can she say after she had tried to reveal the truth that led to nowhere?

Rose bit her lip, looking on the verge of tears, "When we found out that she threatened you and Juleka, we immediately had to do something." She sniffed, her hands clutching the middle of her pink dress.

Marinette eye's widened at the news, yet she couldn't say the words stuck in her throat. She just knew it'll be something she'll regret.

Meanwhile, Aurore on the other hand, was gaping at the news.

Juleka was grabbing onto her arm for comfort, "We all worked together to expose her." She mumbled, "We made sure that she wouldn't find a way to lie her way out." She clarified, giving her an explanation.

"We figured that Lila's mother was the key in ending all her lies." Max pointed out.

"I wished we had known sooner so we could have done something." Mylène looked ashamed.

Marinette's fingers twitched as she listened on.

Kim raked his fingers through his hair, looking disturbed, "I just can't believe that there's such a person who would just lie like that."

Yet they believed her over me

Marinette sucked in a breath at her thought, "Don't say anything. Keep your thoughts to yourself, Marinette." She pleaded to herself. She didn't want such ugly thoughts. Such thoughts that can hurt others.

"Lila isn't expelled." Nathaniel stated regretfully, hugging onto his sketchbook. During the discussion, you would think with all the things Lila had done, she would be kicked out. But at most, she was being held back a year since she had missed almost a term of school. Her grades also weren't that great, at times, having the worst grade in class. There was also an issue of her having not turned in her homework or assignments which didn't help - it would take forever for her to catch up. She did have to be monitored and whatever she says would have to be checked on. Her punishment with her mom though, was unknown as Lila had stormed out, "She'll be repeating a year, but for the rest of the year, if she does something to you, we'll have your back." He nodded, looking determined.

"Yeah!" Ivan nodded seriously with enthusiasm.

The others nodding in agreement.

Alya stepped forward, looking remorseful, "I'm sorry that I didn't listen to you from the start." Her eyes crinkled with guilt, "If I had just listened and fact-checked her stories, then this wouldn't have happened." They could've done something right from the very beginning instead of being toyed with for all these weeks.

"We're sorry, Marinette." Nino breathed, "We should have trusted you."

"We're sorry." They all said in unison, each sounding deeply apologetic, "Can you ever forgive us?"

Marinette stared at them, her heart pounding, yet twisting with all these emotions that she didn't want, "I…" she stared at them, eyes filled with regret at their actions, and hope for forgiveness.

They truly felt remorse for what they have done.

"I forgive you." Marinette whispered, staring at them.

They all widened their eyes, breaking out into grateful smiles, eyes filled with joy and relief.

"Marinette…" Alya gasped happily, eyes watering in relief. She took a step forward, reaching towards her, intending to envelope her in a hug, only to freeze when Marinette took a step back from them. From her.

"I forgive you." she repeated, taking a deep breath with her eyes closed then opened them to stare at them with unwavering eyes, "but… I don't think we can stay friends." They haven't been for a while now.

"What? Why?!" Alya cried out in shock. The others were stunned into speechlessness, hurt by the rejection.

"I can forgive you for believing in Lila." Marinette let out a pained smiled, "It's not your fault that you fell for her lies. You were tricked and manipulated by her. I can't blame you for that."

"Then why?" Alya desperately asked.

"Why?" Marinette swallowed the lump in her throat. Trying to keep those ugly feeling at bay. Not wanting to say anything more hurtful. She didn't want to hurt them, or intentionally hurt them with her feelings, but the more she tried to force those feelings in her to just go away, the more it dug up painful memories, mocking her, "Even though you were manipulated by her, those were still your actions. You chose to believe her. You chose to ignore the evidence that I had. You chose to believe her – a person you know for a short while than someone you knew longer. I just can't forgive your actions." Her smiled wobbled.

"But…" they stared, stunned.

Those feelings wouldn't disappear.

It won't.

She had been hurt too much to pretend it never existed.

Marinette levelled them with a stare, "What if something like this happens again?" she questioned them, "Are you going to simply 'believe' me because I was right last time, or do you truly believe me because you trust me?" she bitterly spat with a sardonic smile. She hated what she was doing to them, sure that her words were hurting them, "What if I was feeling jealous and told you that that person was a liar out of spite?"

Alya immediately defended her, "You wouldn't do something like that!" she cried out.

"Yeah!"

Marinette's finger twitched as she stared directly at Alya, her mouth moving before she could think, "Oh really? So what was I doing when I kept trying to disprove Lila's lies?" she bitterly questioned her.

Alya spluttered. She had told her she was jealous.

Marinette closed her eyes with a trembling breath, "Why did you believe Lila over me?" she breathed, staring at them with hurt eyes.

They all spluttered, trying to scramble for a response.

But Marinette shook her head. She didn't need to know anymore, "I will always have doubts because of this. Whether you trust me because of our friendship or because you're only believing what I say due to past mistakes." She smiled sadly.

They all stood in silence, not knowing how to continue, until…

"Do you think we can ever be friends again?"

Everyone turned to see Alix walking over to them, not knowing when the girl came over to them.

Marinette bit her lip and averted her eyes, "… Maybe…" she said, igniting some hope into them, only for it to be extinguished in the next, "I don't know. I just want to put this behind me and move on."

"Alright." Alix nodded understandingly, surprising everyone and Marinette herself at the acceptance.

The others wanted to protest, but Alix simply shook her head at them, indirectly telling them to stop. They couldn't force an unwilling Marinette to be their friends again. They had to accept that.

"Thanks, Alix." Marinette smiled gratefully.

"… We can still hang out and talk with you, right?" Rose timidly asked, holding onto Juleka's hand for support.

Marinette gave a thoughtful smile, "If I have the time." Before grabbing onto Aurore's hand with a trembling one.

Seeing this, Aurore squeezed her hand back, giving everyone a bidding smile before she turns to go with Marinette in tow, putting an end to their conversation.

Aurore settled Marinette in one of the park benches from across the street outside of school.

It was a moment before anyone spoke with Aurore waiting for Marinette to collect herself.

"That was something." She commented.

Marinette nodded, leaning back on the bench. She pressed her trembling hand on her thumping heart, "Yeah…"

Aurore took a seat beside her, staring at her, "How do you feel?"

"Honestly?" she let out a breathy chuckle, "I feel light-hearted." She grinned, "I feel like another weight has been lifted off me."

Aurore smiled, "That's good." She closed her eyes and leaned back, swinging her legs back and forth. She was glad that Marinette was fine. For a moment there, she thought things were going to get ugly, "Let's get you thinking of something else." Aurore stood up with her phone out, sending a text to her driver, "You said that Jagged Stone commissioned you, right? Do you have the materials for it?"

Marinette blinked, lifting her head up to stare at her, "No…" she said slowly.

"Then let's go shopping." She grinned, reaching for her arm and lifting her up, "We still have time before class, let's get you those materials." She cheered, "We could even get lunch while we're at it."

At that moment, both girl's stomach rumbled, reminding them that they hadn't had lunch yet.

The girls seemed to freeze before bursting out into laughter at their synchronised stomach.

"I think we should get lunch first before we look at any fabrics." Marinette giggled.

Aurore chuckled, her cheeks slightly red, "Yeah."

"Touche. Point!" Mr D'Argencourt called out, raising an arm for Kagami, "Okay, that's it for today. Same time for tomorrow, we have 2 more days before the competition." He reminded before dismissing his fencers.

Kagami walked over to Adrien with her hand out towards him.

When she lifted him to his feet, she took her helmet off, "I saw the video." She bluntly began, "I'm guessing your talk with Marinette was related to Lila Rossi?" she questioned with a frown at the name of the awful girl who took advantage of Adrien when she intruded his room, "How is Marinette?" she asked. She felt ashamed for how she felt when Adrien had kept being distracted by Marinette in their time together, and now she realised that the girl had been facing something concerning all this time.

Adrien blinked, "She's fine." When he saw Kagami not believing him, probably from all those times he had answered the same, he quickly waved off her suspicions, "It's true this time!" he smiled sheepishly though it faded into a sad smile, "She's fine. Told me that she's moved on from the Lila problem and our friends."

Kagami blinked, raising a brow, "She's not friends with your class anymore?"

He nodded, "Yeah, said so herself. I guess she was deeply hurt by their actions." Instead of returning home for lunch, he asked his driver to go straight to school since there had been some food at the photoshoot. What he had witnessed had been overwhelming that he couldn't help but just stand there and stare. When he had spotted his Lady, he had gone up to join her as she easily captured akumas that came for Lila. When Hawk Moth had given up for the day, Ladybug had left him alone with his thoughts. He was scared to see a change among his friend group. He had wanted Marinette to stay friends with everyone. She was their friend, their everyday Ladybug, but Marinette didn't want to, and Ladybug even guessed the outcome of this change and he had to accept that.

When he had joined up with the others, they had informed him of everything that had happened and all he could do was stand there and accept it.

He felt a bit guilty that Marinette continued to be friends with him out of all of them, though even though he says he's friends with Marinette, they haven't talked at all today.

Class had been a bit depressing, but he could see his friends were trying their best, their eyes held conviction and that made him feel assured that they would eventually be fine. Though he didn't think him, Nino, Alya and Marinette would be hanging out together anytime soon.

"That doesn't surprise me." Kagami stated, bringing him back to attention.

"Huh?"

Kagami crossed her arms, standing proud, "If they were truly her friends from the beginning, they would have trusted her as friends should. Their actions have shown that they aren't loyal." She bluntly pointed out.

Adrien rubbed the back of his head, trying to defend his friends, but he couldn't find a good rebuttal. None of them had been a good friend to Marinette.

Seeing he looked defeated, Kagami backed off, "They can always try to rekindle their friendship over time." She reminded.

Adrien blinked, that was true. He saw his friend's eyes, the look in them.

Maybe they aren't friends now, but someday in the future, Marinette could consider them as such, even if it won't be as strong or as close as it was used to.

"Yeah, you're right Kagami."

Kagami smiled, playfully bumping her shoulder against his, "Of course I am."

He chuckled and returned the gesture.

Notes:

When you want to update before the next episode airs, carefully planning the days where you would write so you'll have enough time before the deadline, but then Switzerland happens and just have to ruin your plan, moving your own personal deadline to just 2 days of writing, having you rushing and even skipping a whole day of sleep to update it before the episode airs. Was so close to finishing it, but then gave up when the show aired yesterday and took a nap to avoid spoilers.

Life is cruel.

So, a lot of emotion when writing this. My laptop sudden shut down, giving me a small panic attack. Luckily, it only erased like 3 short lines of my work.

Also, does anyone think that Volpina is kinda a nuisance as an akuma? I can't remember her fighting skills, but like her powers are kinda useless as an AKUMA in an one on one fight? Yeah, confusion and stuff, but once you know that it's an illusion and you see her activating it, you just touch it to get it out of the way. Her motive is rendered useless since everyone knows she's lying and the illusions are fake so no matter what she does, no one would believe her and she won't really reach her goal. And her powers are kinda 'non-existent', she's pretty much a person with a flute. Like even in the Volpina episode, all her fight really boiled down to was a game of tag and that's it, no risk.

I wanted to do like a Volpina vs Vulpes. Illusion vs Illusion, but like, I then remembered that it was still raining in the story so, ya.

If something didn't flowed right, let me know 👌

Chapter 20: Master Shipper

Notes:

#

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

As soon as she arrived home from school, Marinette had immediately started on Fang's fedora that would match Jagged's from the movie's poster. Though it was easier when Penny had sent her the design and sketches of it from the costume team and Fang's measurement (as well as a 3D model of Fang). Since she knew what she had to make, all she had to figure out was how the hat would stay on the crocodile's head and she had decided to add a rubber headband to it that had its little spikes removed so it would sit comfortably on his head.

The only problem was that there wasn't a headband shaped for a crocodile's head, which meant she had to make one herself which was the real challenge itself.

However, she eventually figured it out and before she knew it, Tikki and her was staring at the final result.

"I think this will work!" Tikki nodded with a smile of approval.

"I hope so." Marinette chuckled, she never thought she'll be designing for animals, especially for a reptile.

Putting away the pins and cardboard cut outs that she used to make a draft of the fedora, Marinette quickly cleaned up the mess that she made while Tikki took care of any stray pins and needles lying around.

"Thanks." She smiled once they were done.

"You're welcome, Marinette!" she grinned.

Marinette smiled as she relaxed in her desk chair, placing Jagged's commission aside and took out the ticket stubs.

"Are you going to ask Luka to go with you?" Tikki asked, hovering over her shoulder.

Marinette nodded.

"As a date?" she inquired, looking excited.

Her cheeks flushed red, and Marinette bit her lips, though her eyes held a bit of hesitance in them.

Tikki tilted her head, "What's wrong?"

"Do you think that Luka has moved on?" she asked, sounding unconfident.

Tikki blinked at such a question, "Why would you say that? Anyone can see how much he likes you, he even confessed to you!" she encouragingly reminded.

Her cheeks burned at the sweet memory, "Yeah, he confessed, but…" she swung around on her chair as she pulled her legs up to wrap her arms around it, "That's why."

The little god stared confused, not understanding, "Why what, Marinette?"

Marinette lifted her finger, "There's seem to be a pattern with boys and me." She started, "Nathaniel had a crush on me, but then it was exposed and it just seemed to completely disappear after he got de-evilised. Nino had a crush on me but then one afternoon of being stuck in a cage with Alya, his feelings for me were also completely gone. No traces of it left." She sighed "Every time someone confess or have their confession exposed, they move on – which is absolutely natural and fine!" she quickly added, leaning towards Tikki sternly before sagging back to continue, "I'm glad they found someone else, but what if that's the same pattern with Luka?" she sunk into her knees, "He confessed, now his feelings for me are completely gone for me? Plus, he knew that I liked Adrien at the time." She groaned.

Tikki didn't think Luka ever stopped loving Marinette. The way that he looked at her was proof of that, "Even if that's true, are you going to give up?" she softly asked.

Marientte lifted her head up, "No, not until I confess, or he rejects me, or find someone else." She huffed, "I'm just…" she sunk back, looking small, "I'm just a bit scared. I don't want to mess this up by rushing into things." She whispered, "I don't want him thinking that just because I couldn't have Adrien, that I'm settling for him. He deserves so much more than that."

Tikki flew towards her, rubbing their cheeks together, "Even if you mess up, Luka says he'll be there for you."

She let out a little whine, "Luka's too sweet."

Tikki giggled at the strange complaint, "Come on, why don't you practice what you'll say to him?" she suggested.

"Right." Marinette clapped her cheeks before standing up, fists clenched by her sides, "If I want to go to the movies with him, I'll have to invite him out first!"

"Yeah!"

However, 15 minutes later and Marinette was deleting her 35th draft.

"Ugh, why is this so hard." She groaned, hands cradling her head.

"How about going for a run as Ladybug? We haven't done that in a while."

Marinette thought about it before nodding in agreement.

Maybe some fresh air will do her some good.

"Tikki. Spots on!"

Landing on one of the metal platforms of the Eiffel Tower, Ladybug stared at the whole of Paris bathed in twinkling lights under the night sky, taking a moment to just take in the scene before taking a deep breath.

Pacing back and forth to get rid of the excess energy she had, she began working on what she should say, "Hi, Luka! Let's go see a movie together!" she cheered before cringing. No that sounded too forceful, "2 tickets! You and me go!" she pulled a face, words. She needed more words than that. She was an educated young woman in the 21st century who speaks French, not a caveman, "Wanna see a movie?" there. Nice and simple! But was it enough? "Wanna see a movie? I have 2 tickets and thought we could go together if you want?" She shook her head, it sounded indecisive, and did she even want to mention that she thought to ask him to go with him? Aurore did say to signal that she was interested in him so that could be a start-

"Sure! What movie are we watching, M'Lady?"

Ladybug yelped, whipping around to see her cheery looking partner, "Chat!"

"Yes?" he purred.

"Don't sneak up on me like that." She sighed, placing her hands on her hips, reprimanding him, "How long were you there?" she questioned, beginning to panic. Just how long was he there. Did he hear her say Luka?

"Long enough for you to finally ask me out on a date." He grinned, his tail swishing around, "So what movie are we watching?" he asked, looking excited.

Ladybug blinked before rubbing the back of her head then slid it to her chin, feeling awkward, "Nothing." She stated, making him blinked, "I was just… practicing…" her eyes twitched to close, not wanting to see his response.

"Practicing…?" Chat Noir repeated, his heart racing anxiously, "You mean… for a date?"

Ladybug winced, but nodded, not wanting to hide her feelings.

"O-Oh…" Chat Noir swallowed, "So… you're finally confessing to the boy?"

She bit her lip, feeling guilty at the sad look on his face, "Just… just a date." She confessed instead, dodging the question. He didn't need to know the specifics.

"Oh…"

She glanced at him with a concerned frown, "Chat Noir, are we okay?" she asked, reaching her hand out to him but thought better off it.

She had to be careful of her actions.

"Of course, why wouldn't we be? Your friendship means everything to me." Chat Noir reminded her, his voice quiet, "But… Would you ever consider me?" he yearningly asked, eyes hoping.

"Chat Noir." She sighed tiredly.

He raised his hands up in defence, "It's just for pretend!" He playfully joked, though she could see him forcing himself.

She took a deep breath and looked over at Paris, "Even if we were to date, how would that even work? We can't tell each other our secret identity and we can't just date in our superhero identities. And it'll be too obvious in disguises. It's too dangerous, kitty." She said, reasonably.

Chat Noir soundlessly nodded his head at another rejection.

Ladybug pursed her lips, brows furrowed, "What about in your civilian life?" she softly asked, "I'm sure there's someone. Don't let me get in the way in what could have been." She gently advised.

"But I only love you." He confessed, staring at her with loving but hurt eyes.

Ladybug closed her eyes at his dejected form, guilt gnawing at her heart.

"I'm sorry."

The sabre in Adrien's hand was flung out by the force of Kagami's thrust.

The two watched as the sabre clattered to the ground.

"Point for me." She declared, "Maybe we should take a break." She suggested, taking advantage that Mr D'Argencourt was busy preparing for tomorrow so he trusted them to self-practice while he was gone.

Adrien simply stared at his sabre making Kagami use the tip of hers to toss his in the air, catching it with her other hand and offering it to him.

"Thanks." He sighed as he took it back.

Kagami took her helmet off while Adrien did the same, "So what's wrong now?"

Adrien shook his head, "Nothing's wrong. Today had been peaceful." Lila was absent so that was nice. Alya had cleaned out her blog and posted a retraction so that was good. Marinette also seemed to look happy. He thinks he heard that a commission had gone well? And that she was preparing for something? (He didn't mean to overhear but she hadn't noticed him when she was talking to Aurore in the locker room.)

Kagami crossed her arms, "Then why are you distracted?" she demanded, "This level of performance won't help you for tomorrow." She pointed out.

Adrien rubbed the back of his head, a frown on his face as he stared down, "Sorry." He apologised, "I don't think I have the right technique," memories of last night flashing before his eyes, squeezing his heart, "but maybe it's time I finally change target for it." He lifted his head up, a reluctant smile on his face.

"I hope you won't hesitate when you do." Kagami nodded at his answer, though inwardly, she was a bit saddened and hurt by his indecision. She had thought that she and Adrien had something there enough for him to change his decision.

Apparently, she was wrong if he was only now deciding to change his target. But she will still stay firm in what she had told him back at the ice-skating rink.

The day he realize he's got the wrong target, she'll be here.

"I'll go get a drink before we resume practice. I'll be back." She said, heading towards the locker room where her fencing bag was kept.

Adrien went to take a rest on a bench, plopping down with a dejected sigh.

Another rejection from his Lady.

Maybe it was really time he did move on.

But no matter what he did, it always came back to her.

He let out a groan.

How could he just get over someone like his Lady? They were-

"Adrien?"

In an empty classroom, Marinette did some breathing exercises to calm down her nervous heart, "Today's the day Tikki! I'm going to ask Luka out!" she declared, fists pumped, eyes ready.

Lila being absent had made for a peaceful morning, no drama with her classmates was an added bonus (her classmates had greeted her, and she to them which seemed to have made them happy that she had responded and wasn't giving them the cold shoulder that they had feared), delivering Jagged's commission over to him during lunch had lifted her spirits up from last night and using that hype, she was ready to go ask Luka to the movies this Sunday!

"You can do this, Marinette!" Tikki cheered her on from her purse, "You've practiced so much that you're ready!"

Marinette nodded with a grin, she had her lucky socks on, and she was ready to head toward The Liberty, only to stop when she noticed a sad-looking Adrien groaning on a bench nearest to the stairs.

He was in his fencing gear so he should be with Kagami, but she wasn't in sight. Brows furrowing, Marinette looked towards the exit of the school before looking back to Adrien and coming to a decision.

Turning away from the exit of the school, Marinette approached her friend, concern in her eyes.

She promised that she'll be a proper friend to him. She couldn't just ignore him when something was wrong.

"Adrien?" she called out, surprising him.

"O-Oh, hey, Marinette." He awkwardly replied with a smile. This would be the first time they've talked since he had rejected her, and Adrien wasn't sure what was the protocol. He had never rejected someone before, he was always the one being rejected, "What's wrong?"

Marinette shook her head, "That should be my line. Are you okay? You look kind of sad. Did something happen?" she furrowed her brows.

Adrien grew flustered, "Oh, ummm…." He couldn't tell her that his Lady was going to ask out her crush today. Especially not to her with what had happened between them.

He didn't think he had that right anymore.

Sensing his trouble, Marinette offered him a kind smile, "Hey, are you busy tomorrow?"

He blinked, "I have a fencing competition tomorrow morning, but I'm free in the afternoon?"

"Do you think you have time to hangout?" she asked.

"You mean… with just you and me?" he asked slowly, eyes wide.

Marinette stared at him for a moment, or more specially his fencing clothes and an idea came to mind.

Maybe spending the time with the girl he loves, could help!

She shook her head with a proud smile, "No, we should invite Kagami as well."

"Invite me to where?"

The two jumped and turned to see said girl standing beside the bench with crossed arms, not looking impressed.

"It hasn't been decided yet, but I'll come up with something." Marinette smiled before forgetting a crucial detail, "Wait, are you free after your competition tomorrow?" she asked.

"I should be."

Smiling, Marinette clasped her hands behind her back, "Then do you want to come hang out with us? The more the merrier, right?" she grinned.

Kagami raised a brow, wondering what she was up to, "Sure." She said, if this was a way to challenge her for Adrien's affection then she didn't mind if she had to use a setting to confess. The result will still be the same.

"Great!" Marinette clapped, "I'll meet you after you finish tomorrow."

"Or you could just come and watch." Adrien invited, "The competition is held here."

The girls turned their heads at him.

Marinette smiled, "Sure, I'll be here to cheer you guys on."

"Are you sure?" Tikki asked as Marinette headed towards the Liberty.

"About asking Luka? Of course I am." She smiled, but Tikki shook her head.

"I meant with you alone with Adrien and Kagami? Wouldn't that just be-"

Marinette stopped in her spot, her eyes wide in realisation, her lips agape, "Awkward." She completed.

Tikki nodded while Marinette let out a groan.

"I didn't think this through properly." She rubbed at her face, "Adrien probably feels awkward hanging out with the girl he rejected, and Kagami still thinks that I'm after Adrien." She inwardly scolded herself, "And I probably made myself the third wheel by inviting all three of us out." She let out another groan.

"Should you cancel?" Tikki asked, "You could make it seem like you were setting them up on a date."

"Can I cancel?" Marinette questioned. Sure, the intention to invite Kagami was so Adrien would feel happy, but if she cancelled, would that disappoint them? She did say that she would come up with something tomorrow, they were probably relying on her to come up with a fun activity… "Probably not. I should see this through." She sighed.

Tikki stared at her chosen for a moment before giving her a suggestion, "Why don't you ask Luka to join? That way, you guys can split into pairs when Adrien and Kagami want some alone time and you won't be alone." She smiled, "Aurore said that she's busy all week and there's still time to ask Luka on a date for Sunday."

It was a good suggestion though she hoped it wasn't too forward of her to ask Luka out 2 days in a row, "Let's hope tomorrow all goes well." Marinette sighed.

Saturday morning, Marinette found herself standing on the outside of the courtyard, holding a banner for Kagami and Adrien, cheering each of them on as they competed against fencers from other schools.

Each round had been more intense than the last and Marinette was holding her breath as they began the final match of the day.

The glaring red fencing uniform was easily recognised to be Kagami's, and Marinette cheered her on.

However, it was a fast and decisive match as she swiftly settled the score.

"Attaque! Touche. Point, Kagami!" the announcer stated.

Mr D'Argencourt raised his fists in his enthusiasm, "Ah-ha, wonderful! This victory is an honor to D'Argencourt Academy!" he cheered before realising his manners. He coughed awkwardly in his fist as he composed himself, "Excellent job, Kagami." He praised.

Marinette smiled amusingly, clapping along with the others spectators for the fencers' marvellous performance and effort.

She quietly watched as they proceeded with the closing ceremony, giving an enthusiastic clap when Adrien and Kagami were presented with medals, and a trophy for the school, securing their championship title.

"You guys were amazing." Marinette praised, her phone in hand. She had been waiting for them outside the school while they changed and packed up.

"Thanks Marinette." Adrien smiled.

"Yes, thank you." Kagami nodded, "Your support was appreciated." She complimented, her eyes trailing to the banner draped over her arm.

Seeing where her eyes were looking at, Marinette held out the cream-coloured banner, "I did the best I could yesterday, but what do you think?"

Although she was invited at the last minute, Kagami wondered if she had been planning to come watch Adrien today since the banner looked too well-made in such a short time. Though maybe not since she was also on it. The banner was… cute. It had her's and Adrien's on it… in chibi forms, their sabre raised together, aiming for victory. Kagami smiled, "I like it." She admitted.

Adrien nodded as well, chuckling, "I still look cool as a chibi, thanks Marinette!" he grinned.

Marinette chuckled, "Well if you want, you guys can have it." She handed it towards them before realising a problem, "Oh…" she awkwardly laughed, "I can make another one if you like-"

"It's fine, don't worry about it." Adrien waved her off, gently taking the banner from her to present it to Kagami, "I think Kagami should have it, she did win the final match after all." He smiled brightly.

Kagami cheeks warmed as she accepted the banner, "Thanks." She then turned to the other girl, offering her appreciation, "And thank you Marinette, I'll take good care of it." She stated, carefully folding the banner up neatly and placed it in her bag, careful that nothing would snag at it.

Marinette smiled at her sincerity.

"So where are we going?" Adrien asked, excitedly.

"Jardin d'Acclimatation, an amusement park." She revealed. She giggled at his awed expression as soon as he heard where they would spending their afternoon.

Kagami stared amused.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Adrien excitedly smiled, grabbing Kagami's and Marinette's hand in his, but before he could drag them to his car (Adrien had picked Kagami up for the competition and would be driving her back), Marinette called out, panicked.

"W-Wait! We're still waiting for one more person to arrive." She said pulling her hand back to look at her phone, hoping to see a text message.

The two fencer blinked, watching Marinette send a text message.

"Who else is-?" Adrien trailed off when he saw Luka coming towards them, his phone in hand, but before he could greet him, the older boy placed a finger to his smiling lips, signalling to stay silent.

"He should be here soon, he's-" Marinette furrowed her brows as she just received a text, "Behind?" she blinked before turning around, "Luka!" she said, surprised.

Luka grinned, "Hi, Marinette. Sorry, I'm late. The guy who was supposed to take the next shift was running a bit late."

"It's fine, you're just in time." She grinned before turning around to the others, "I thought the more the merrier, right? So I invited Luka too, I hope you don't mind." She had visited Luka yesterday, inviting him along in all her stutter and rambling but he seemed to have gotten the gist of it. She did however, postponed asking him out on a date, thinking it wasn't the right timing to ask in that moment.

"Not at all." Kagami said, though she began to feel suspicious of Marinette once more. Not understanding what she was up to.

Adrien smiled, taking this in stride, "Like you said, the more the merrier." He repeated with a smile before going over to his car opening the door, "Ladies first." He swept into a bow, gesturing for Kagami and Marinette to go in. As they hopped in, Adrien gestured for Luka to go next.

"You sure?" he glanced between Marinette and Adrien, "I can sit in the passenger seat if you want." He said, offering the remaining seat next to Marinette to him.

"It's fine, go on ahead." He waved him off.

Luka easily accepted, smiling at Marinette in greeting as he buckled in.

"To Jardin d'Acclimatation, please." Adrien requested of his driver as soon as he sat in the passenger's side.

It was an amusement park combined with its natural forest surroundings, creating a balance between the two. As soon as they arrived and got their entry tickets as well as some tickets for some of the attractions, everyone stared at awe at how huge it was and how green and vibrant.

"What do you guys want to do first?" Luka asked, turning his head to them.

"Let's go on all the rides!" Adrien suggested, looking at a map, "They have rollercoasters, aerial carousels, merry-go-rounds, boat rides, the clock tower, bumper cars, trampoline and so much more!" the more he listed, the more he beamed.

Marinette let out a gasp, "They have a farm! We can feed and pet the animals!" she wiggled on the spot; the thought of petting adorable animals made it hard for her to keep still.

Luka chuckled endearingly at her.

"Let's head for the rides since there are closests and work our way through the list." Kagami began as she stared critically at the map, "Then to the farms and after that we can get some food in the restaurant district." She planned before turning around, "Any objections?"

"No, Ma'am!" They all playfully saluted.

Kagami quirked a brow but nonetheless, humoured them, "Onwards."

"Yes, Ma'am!" they said, though not a second later, Adrien cracked, causing the others to follow suit.

Even Kagami couldn't contain her little giggle that slipped out.

Its been almost an hour and they weren't even half-way done yet, though some of the rides they decided to skip since the line was too long.

They were taking a stroll, deciding which attraction they should go on when Adrien gave an idea.

"Hey, guys. Do you want to go check out the haunted house? Apparently, it's a new attraction they have here." he asked, an excited smile on his face as he stopped to point at a large building that was decorated top to bottom in Halloween decorations. Though it wasn't as scary with the sun still out.

Marinette shrunk back with a nervous grin as she shook her head, "I'm good, I don't like scary stuff." She confessed, "Why don't you 3 go and check it out, I'll be waiting outside when you finish." She offered.

Adrien gave a small frown, now that she mentioned it, she did say she didn't like horror movies before. He didn't know that it extended to haunted houses. But even though it was his first time going to an amusement park, he didn't want his friend to be alone while they had fun. He was about to suggest they tried something else when Luka spoke up.

"I'll wait with you, so you won't be here alone." Luka placed his hand on her shoulder and smiled softly at Marinette, causing her cheeks to flush lightly. He smiled wider when he saw the effect he had on her and then turned to the others, "You guys have fun, don't worry about us, we'll be here."

"O-Oh, are you sure? We could-"

Kagami's eyes were narrowed as she moved closer to Adrien, "Come on, Adrien." She interrupted, grabbing onto his hand, "You wanted to check it so let's go." Was all she said before she dragged him towards the line of the haunted house.

Adrien looked over his shoulder, seeing Marinette wave them off with a smile before turning to Luka.

Marinette turned to Luka, a nervous smile on her face. She wondered if she was holding him back from doing what he wanted, "Are you sure you don't want to check out the haunted house? You don't have to stay here with me, I'll be fine." She rambled, looking over to the line for the haunted house. There was already a couple of people lining up behind Adrien and Kagami, but if he went now, he could still finish without making the three of them wait once Adrien and Kagami finished.

But if they didn't want to wait and wanted to check out the other attractions, she wouldn't mind if she waited for Luka to finish.

The boy besides her chuckled, scratching at his cheek, "Well, to tell you the truth, I'm also not that good with scary stuff." He confessed.

Marinette's eye widened, "Really?" she said surprised. She thought he would enjoy them since Juleka likes them.

"Yeah." He nodded, "Juleka loves the stuff, but I can't. Funny isn't it?" he chuckled.

Marinette rapidly shook her head, "No! Not at all. I just never thought you be scared of scary things, like your always so cool all the time that nobody would have guessed!" she breathed before furrowing her brows. Wait a minute, what did she just… her cheeks flushed, "I-I mean it just a surprise – a nice surprise that you don't like scary stuff, that way, we won't ever need to watch scary movies together- If! If were-we're ever decide to waovie- watch a movie!" she squeaked out, panicking. She was not supposed to ask him out on a date just yet!

Luka smiled, "I guess that's a good thing when we're picking a movie, the scary ones are eliminated from our choice."

Marinette nodded, lips pressed together.

His eyes softened on her before he helpfully changed the subject, "Adrien looks like he's having fun. It was nice of you to arrange this for him." He praised.

Marinette stared at him, wondering if he thought that she still had a crush on Adrien. She couldn't help but noticed that he had offered the remaining seat by her side to Adrien... Maybe he was just helping her out, but she wanted to clear up whatever prenotion he still had of her.

She wetted her suddenly dry lips, "Hey, Luka…" she slowly said, letting out a small breath, "About today, thanks for hanging out with me- I mean us!" she cleared up, reminding herself that Luka wasn't just hanging out with her today, "I saw that Adrien was looking down at school so I thought I could cheer him up by hanging out with friends. I invited Kagami but then I realised I would've been the third wheel so I thought I could ask you out-" she snapped her head towards him, a slightly panic look in her eyes as she began to ramble, "Not like a double date! Just as friends! N-Not that I see you as just a friend- not saying that we aren't friends-you're totally dateable- I mean, just because I asked you to hang out, doesn't mean I'm not thinking of asking you out, because if I were to ask you on a date, you'll definitely know!" she pointed at him, then immediately backed off, flustered, "But unless you want to of course!" by the end of her rambling, her face was fully red as she just realised what she just said, a dying noise sounded from her throat. When she was about to cover her blunder, Luka laughed behind his hand, a happy flush on his cheeks.

His reaction caused Marinette to just freeze and take him in.

"It's fine Marinette, today was a day where you wanted to cheer up a friend, I understand. You're just being a good friend." He patted her shoulder to reassure her, his grin still aimed at her. He then leaned in, causing her breath to hitch and stay stock still. Luka leaned towards her ear as if whispering a secret to her, "Besides, I'm really having fun today." He breathed into her ear then leaned back, admiring her red cheeks.

Marinette spluttered, her eyes darting everywhere but him before giving up and hiding her face in her hands, trying to cover her red cheeks as she emitted a groan.

Luka let her have her recovery time, patiently waiting with an amused smile on his face. When he looked over Marinette's shoulder, he saw Adrien and Kagami exiting the haunted house. Seeing that she needed more time, he stepped forward, hiding her behind him as he greeted the others.

"That was fast. How was the haunted house?" he asked, his smile wider than it needed it to be.

Adrien gave a shrug, smiling, "It was… interesting." He said, putting it politely.

On the other hand, though…

"It was disappointing at most." Kagami bluntly said, "The music was incorrectly chosen, costumes needed work and the blood was unrealistic. And the light from outside didn't help with the atmosphere." She criticized without holding back.

"T-That's a shame," Marinette said, peering from around Luka with her cheeks slightly flushed, having mostly recovered, "Are you guys hungry? We could get some food and rest before we pick the next attraction." She suggested.

The others agreed and headed towards a picnic table, splitting off from there by having the boys go buy snacks and drinks, while the girls manned the picnic table.

Alone with Kagami, Marinette had managed to calm down her beating heart, enough for her to start a conversation. Though glancing at the girl next to her that was once a rival for Adrien's heart, Marinette thought that she should take this opportunity to clear up any misunderstanding between them, clear up the air, especially since she probably didn't know about her rejection, unless Adrien had already told her, "Kagami, there's something I-"

Though it looked like Kagami had a similar idea.

"What are you planning?" she questioned, narrowing her eyes at Marinette. She knew that the girl has a crush on Adrien, but she needed answers. At first, she had thought that Marinette was finally asking Adrien on a date, but then she invited her too. Was it pressure? Did she chickened-out? Maybe she had thought to challenge her fairly, which she thought was a miscalculation on her part since clearly she had the upper-hand, but then she invited Luka and that's where she didn't understand.

Marinette furrowed her brows, not understanding, "Adrien was looking down, so I suggested that we hang out. You, Me, Adrien and Luka."

"Is this another plan for you to get Adrien to notice you like at the ice rink?" she narrowed her eyes, disapprovingly.

"Wait-? What? No, I confessed, and he rejected me-"

Kagami's eyes widened. "Confessed? Rejected? When did this occurred?" her eyes then glared suspiciously, "Is this another plan of yours? You rejected him, string him along, and since now you got rejected, you're trying to mess with him again."

Marinette looked flabbergasted, "I wha-? I rejected him? String- What are you talking about?" she felt tongued tied. She never felt this lost before.

Kagami looked annoyed, "Did you not reject Adrien Agreste and then tagged along on our date at the ice rink?" she questioned her bluntly.

"What?! NO!" Marinette harshly shook her head, trying to diffuse the heavy misunderstanding, "I've never confessed to him before that-every time I try to, something either happens or I chicken out!" She explained before leaning on the table top, her hands cradling her head, "Before he asked you out on that day, he came and asked me advice about you." She peered between her arm and shoulder, sounding weak, "I suggested that you guys go ice skating but he seemed nervous so I offered to come too." she let out a sheepish laugh, "Of course it had hurt and I was a bit jealous, but Adrien is my friend, so I had to support him, even if it hurts."

Kagami sat there stunned, her lips slightly parted. She may need to give an apology for her rude behaviour on that day, "I think I may owe you an apology for my misunderstanding. I had assumed you were playing with his feelings all this time."

Marinette winced, "It's fine. It was just a misunderstanding." She waved her off, it's not like she was a saint whenever she encountered her. Kagami didn't hesitate. She knew what she wanted and straight-forwardly went for it without any trickery, lies or scheme. She simply tried her best, never hesitating and her efforts paid off.

Something that she couldn't do, which caused her to envy the strong-minded girl.

Though there was something that Kagami said that had caught her attention.

Adrien had been rejected. And if it wasn't Kagami or herself who rejected Adrien, then there was another girl… The small part of her heart that would always care for Adrien twinged with pain. All her efforts and time in trying to get Adrien to recognise her as a potential love interest didn't even make it on his radar…

But she guessed it didn't matter.

She was just surprised that there was another girl.

Guess she didn't really know Adrien as she thought.

Marinette shrugged, straightening up and twisting her body to face her, "If you apologise then I guess I'll apologise for all those times I felt jealous whenever I saw you and Adrien get close together." She sheepishly grinned, rubbing the back of her neck.

Although she now had a mystery girl to compete with, an amused smile played on her lips, "I suggest that we start over." proposed Kagami.

Marinette giggled, "Yeah, I'd like that." She held her hand out for a shake, "Hi. My name is Marinette."

She shook it, "Kagami." She smiled before both of them giggled.

Once they calmed down, Marinette closed her eyes with a relaxed smile as she leaned her elbows on the table, cheeks resting on her hands, "By the way, that advice you gave me back at the ice-rink?"

Kagami glanced at her.

"I'm not going to hesitate anymore." Marinette opened her eyes with a smile, just as she saw Luka carrying their share of the snacks and drinks towards them, "It's scary, and I don't know how you do it, but I'm not going to hesitate." She grinned.

Kagami glanced between her and Luka before giving an approving smile, "I'm sure your hard work will pay off."

Marinette smiled, she hope so.

"Hey, we're back." Adrien grinned at them.

"Adrien insisted on paying." Luka told them as he handed her strawberry and cream crepe and bottled water.

"Thanks Adrien." She shot him an appreciated smile, before turning her attention on the strawberry-cream filled crepe. Letting out a happy hum at the taste.

"No problem." He smiled before handing Kagami an orange fruit crepe and placing the other bottled waters on the table.

"Thank you." She smiled, humming at the flavour.

"What flavours did you boys get?" Marinette asked.

"Peppermint ice-cream, crepe version." Adrien beamed.

"Blueberries and cream." Luka answered, before offering a bite to Marinette, "Want a taste?" he smiled.

Marinette flushed, words dying in her throat.

Luka seemed to realise what he was doing and was about to pull back with an apology on his lips, only to freeze when Marinette determinedly leaned forward, taking a bite of the cold treat with reddening cheeks.

Only to blink in delight at the taste, "It's good!"

"That's… good." He absentmindedly said.

Kagami stared amused. Although she said she wouldn't hesitate, it seems that Luka wasn't as well.

Meanwhile, Adrien looked away, feeling awkward.

"Would you like a taste?" Kagami offered.

Adrien blinked, his eyes locking onto loving hazel ones before staring at the orange slices peeking out from the folds of the pastry.

A soft smile broke out.

Unfortunately, the warm atmosphere couldn't last long when a loud wail echoed through the air and a loud stomp shook the ground.

Everyone snapped their heads to the source, hoping it was just another attraction, but it wasn't.

"Is that baby August?!" Adrien exclaimed.

Marinette stared at the akuma, a foreboding feeling taking place in her stomach.

Dealing with an akumatized baby August was always a fast clean-up for Ladybug and Chat Noir, usually taking under 10 minutes tops to fix everything back to normal.

So Marinette was grateful that she didn't disappear too long when she ran back to the others, panting, though the feelings in her stomach didn't disappear and she felt a bit anxious as to why she wasn't calming down.

"Hey, everyone! Sorry had to, uh, find my phone that I dropped." She made up, a smile straining her lips.

Adrien came up from Marinette, a sheepish smile on his face, "Uh, me too! Must've dropped it when we were in the haunted house." He lied as he moved closer to Kagami, holding her hands.

Luka ran to Marinette, "Are you okay?" he asked, looking her over for any injuries.

Marinette bit the inside of her cheek, feeling bad that she made him worried, "I'm fine." A split-second decision was made in her mind as she grabbed onto his hand, surprising him, "Hey, how about we split up now?" she suggested to the others.

She suddenly didn't want to waste any more time.

Adrien blinked, turning around, "You don't want to hang out together?"

"We'll cover more ground this way!" she said, already moving towards the stalls, "We'll meet back at the entrance!" she called over her shoulder before taking off with Luka keeping up.

"Okay, see you at 5." Kagami called out, getting a wave from Marinette to signal she heard. She waved at them, even though they had their backs on them, before linking her arms with Adrien, "Let's go on the rest of the rides you wanted."

As they split, Adrien looked over his shoulder, staring at Marinette who didn't once look back.

Though she tried to stomp down whatever she was feeling, she couldn't completely get rid of it, just knowing that it was some sort of warning that she wouldn't like.

But she ignores it in favour of enjoying her time with Luka.

Which wasn't that hard, especially when her eyes caught the perfect and most adorable species known to mankind.

"Oh my gosh!" Marinette let out an excited squeal, not realizing she was latching onto Luka's arm, "That's so cute~" she cooed.

They were standing in front of a balloon dart game booth and Luka looked at the stand where the prizes sat, eyes following to which one had tugged on Marinette's heart strings.

He leaned down near her ear, "Which one? The snake or the hamster?"

"Hamster." She said still in trance with the stuffed hamster that was as big as her backpack.

Luka chuckled and simply replied with a 'okay' and gently took her hand off him which seemed to snap her back to attention.

"Huh?" she blinked, turning to see him hand 2 of his tickets to the man manning the booth.

"Here you go, son. 10 pop gets you the big prizes for your little lady." the man, wearing a standard red pollo shirt and beige knee-length shorts, explained, adjusting his visor cap. He gave him 15 dart, wishing him good luck.

"Thanks." Luka smiled, taking a dart in between his fingers, having a feel for it. Once he was familiar with its weight, he got into position. His body faced Marinette as his head locked straight ahead on the balloon on the wall.

With one eye closed, he threw the dart.

Pop!

He took another dart and threw.

Pop!

Marinette stared at his form, as if hypnotised by him. Her eyes traced the lines of his collar bones and along his jawlines.

Pop!

His lips were a pretty pale pink that she couldn't help but noticed until she forced herself to look away when she felt her cheeks warming.

Pop!

Pop!

She then focused on his Roman nose and she wondered what it would feel like if she slid a finger along it.

Pop!

Pop!

His eyes were her favourite, the way they looked so gentle, yet so intense at times, especially when he was lost in his music. Sometimes it was too much for her, turning her into a blushing mess, but she didn't mind that much. His eyes were nice.

Pop!

Pop!

Though, she maybe had stared at his eyes for a bit too long and maybe a bit too hard…

"I can feel you staring." Luka smiled amusingly, focus still locked on the balloons.

Pop!

Her face turned completely red, turning her body away, she placed her palms to her cheeks trying to cool them down. She didn't get to enter her meltdown when Luka presented the stuffed hamster to her, immediately perking her up as she let out a squeak.

Taking it into her arms, Marinette hugged it to her, burying her face in the soft material, muffling her squeal as she jumped, twirling once, "Oh my gosh, it's so adorable! What should I name it?! Oh! I know, I'll name it-"

She was snapped out of it when she heard Luka chuckled, causing her cheeks to flush red. Peeking her eye over the top of the hamster, shyly.

"You're funny, Marinette." Luka praised with a smile, his soft eyes staring at her like she was the only one in the whole world.

Like she said before, she liked his eyes, but it could be a bit too much for her, "I'll win you something too!" she blurted, taking 2 ticket out to the man, her cheeks flaming. She looked around as she squeezed her hamster, trying to find Luka something he would like before finally deciding.

Marinette whipped around, stiffly presenting her victory to him. It was a stuffed snake with cute beady eyes and a red tongue sticking out. While she trusted her hand-eye coordination, she had taken her time, not wanting to mess up, which led her taking longer than Luka's turn.

Luka graciously took the snake in his hand, staring at it for a moment, making Marinette nervous, second-guessing herself until she spotted a playful smile on his lips.

"Do you know that snakes can eat hamsters?" he smirked, looking into her eyes. He then turned his snake towards her, or more specifically, her hamster's face.

"What? Nooo." She giggled but froze when he bumped the mouth of the snake to her hamster. Her face steaming red once more, mouth gaping.

"Of course, I won't eat it." He stared intensely at her with an amused smile, making Marinette into a stammering mess. Hiding her face into her hamster. Luka gently took her hand into his and walked them through the amusement park, happily humming, taking their time in meeting up with the others.

By the time it was 5, Luka and Marinette had arrived after the other pair.

"Seem like you guys had fun." Kagami observed with an amused smile at the pair holding stuffed animals while holding hands.

"Yeah." Marinette nodded shyly into her hamster, though she didn't let go of Luka's hand. She then took a deep breath, focusing on the two, "Did you guys have fun?" she asked.

"Yeah!" Adrien nodded, "The bumper cars was really intense." He chuckled, glancing at Kagami who merely shrugged with a smirk, though she let out a small yawn.

Marinette smiled at the two, "I'm glad." Glad that they had fun and that Adrien had cheered up. Just as she said that, Adrien's bodyguard pulled up, getting out and opening the door for them.

"I think I'll catch the subway." Luka said, receiving eyes on him.

"Why?" Adrien tilted his head, "If there's somewhere you need to be, we can take you there." He then looked over at G who nodded as confirmation.

Luka shook his head, "It's fine, Kagami looks tired so you should take her home soon." He pointed out.

Adrien stared at Kagami, who looked slightly embarrassed from showing such a side, "Nonsense." She huffed, "I'm fine. Since we drove you here, we can drive you back."

"Actually, you guys go home first," Marinette smiled gently, "I'll take the train with Luka… There's something I need to talk to him about." Luka was right, Kagami did look tired... But she also wanted to spend more time with him and she did have something to say to him.

"You sure?" Adrien furrowed his brows, "We really don't mind."

"It's fine." Marinette assured.

Kagami stared at the two before relenting, "Alright. Stay safe you too." She bid before stepping into the car, letting her legs rest.

Adrien stared unsure before also accepting, "Okay, bye Luka. See you at school, Marinette." He waved before stepping into the backseat, eyes lingering on Marinette.

His driver closed the door for him before getting into the driver's seat and leaving the two behind.

Luka turned to her with a smile, "Can I walk you home?"

Marinette turned to Luka, a blush already forming on her cheeks, "Sure, I would love that- I mean yeah, sure!" she flushed even redder, "Sure." She tried again, more softer.

The train ride home was long, but enjoyable, especially when they had the whole carriage to themselves and they could talk however loudly they wanted without fear of disturbing the others. But even so, Luka and Marinette had spoken in a whisper, enjoying the quiet, hands still clasped together.

At one point, they simply sat in silence, leaning on one another until they had arrived at her stop.

"Today was really fun, we should all go out and do this again." Luka hummed.

Marinette glanced at him, squeezing her hamster, "Yeah…" her mouth opening to say more but no sound came out. She shut her mouth in a pout.

If she had managed to ask Luka out today in so many words, then she should be able to do this. She should be able to do this!... If only she could stop her palms from beginning to sweat. She really hope he didn't notice, but Luka definitely would, but he'll be too kind to say anything! Could she do this? Could she - Oh no! Was she wearing her lucky socks?! She wiggled her toes while walking and couldn't feel anything other than her flats! She wasn't wearing her lucky socks-!

"We're here." Luka announced.

Marinette snapped her head up to see that they were standing in front of the side door of the bakery.

Luka squeezed her hand, "I guess I'll see you next time we hang out." He smiled softly, beginning to slip his hand out as he turned.

"Wait!" she grasped his hand before he could slip away. She swallowed but then took a deep breath, "Next time… Can we… If you don't mind that is" Marinette looked down, avoiding his memerising eyes, snapping her eyes shut for extra precaution.

She took another deep breath and bit her lips, gulping.

No more of this.

No more hesitating.

Biting her lips, she was grateful that Luka wasn't interrupting her. She needed to do this before she loses her nerves, "Can we hang out together- not like the last two times, but like," she shut her eyes, "just the two of us this time, like a…" she gulped, burying her face into her hamster, "… date. A proper one." She whispered.

She felt her face gently being lifted from her hiding spot, making her face a brimming smile from the older boy.

Her heart beating faster as she stared into his ocean eyes.

Luka leaned forward, his forehead touching hers, "I would love that, Marinette." He whispered only for her ears to hear before planting a sweet kiss on her burning cheek.

"… I have 2 tickets for tomorrow at 11." Marinette said, in a trance.

Luka only chuckled, deciding that he should finish this before he breaks her, "I'll pick you up at 10. See you tomorrow." Before he left, he contemplated an idea before temptation won him over.

Lifting his snake plushie, this time, he gently pushed its mouth to her lips and without a word, he turned around to leave with a satisfied smile, eyes lingering on her before he had to face the front.

Marinette's face boiled red, heat coming out so hot that an egg could be cooked on her cheeks.

Tikki giggled, flying out of her hiding spot to try, and coaxed her chosen inside, "That went well, Marinette!"

"Y-yeah." She squeaked, her body working on autopilot, going through the motion of getting into her home and up into her room.

She flopped down on her bed, her eyes glazed over, love-swoon sigh escaping her lips as she hugged her hamster plushie to her chest.

It was a couple of minutes later when her mind started to process what had just happened, causing her eyes to widen, her face turning red from the neck up.

Pushing her face into her hamster, Marinette let out a loud muffled squeal.

Tomorrow!

She has a date with Luka tomorrow!

Everything was ready for her date with Luka by 9:45AM with 15 minutes to spare.

She had her outfit prepared from last night.

A guitar pick necklace, made from her resin and paint collection, a gift for Luka. (She was going on a date with Luka! She just had to make a gift for him!)

And she had made sure multiple alarms had woken her up early to get ready.

The outfit she had own resembled her usual outfit but was instead, a dress version of it.

Instead of a shirt and pants, it was replaced with a white knee length dress with the hem gradually becoming pink, and her jacket was swapped for a long grey cardigan. The only new addition to this outfit was her brown stockings with little pink polka dots on them, paired with her usual pink flats.

"Marinette, you look pretty!" Tikki stared awestruck.

Marinette giggled, twirling around in front of the mirror, "Thanks." She stared at her reflection, inspecting her outfit with a nod of approval. She then went to get her purse, double checking everything: her phone, wallet, ID, keys, emergency macaron, 2 orange ticket stubs, a small portable sewing kit and Luka's gift.

"Okay, I'm ready." She grinned, placing the strap of her purse over her shoulder as Tikki flew in.

"Marinette, Luka's here!" her mother called out from below.

As she was about to leave, she caught herself in the mirror.

"Marinette?" Tikki asked wondering why they weren't leaving.

"Ah, give me a second." She mumbled, taking out her hair ties and grabbing her brush.

Brushing her hair until there wasn't any knots, Marinette grabbed her red hair ties, only to leave it.

This was a date where she'll be having fun. Let's let her hair free.

Looking at herself one more time in the mirror, Marinette smiled.

Yeah, she was ready.

Walking down the stairs, Marinette hummed quietly under her breath, trying to contain her excitement for the day.

Her face perked up when she saw Luka down by the stairs, talking to her parents with his back turned to her.

"Luka!" she chirped, briskly walking down the rest of the steps.

At the sound of his name, he turned around, ready to greet her, "Mari-" only to stare stunned at the sight of her.

"Oh, Sweetie. You look lovely." Sabine gushed, "Luka says you're going to the movies together? Don't stay out too late, okay?"

Marinette nodded, glancing at Luka.

Tom looked like he was about to tear up, "Is this what I think it is?" though his face was lighting up like Christmas has come early.

Before her dad can say anymore, or embarrass her, Marinette quickly grabbed Luka's hand, dragging him out the door, "Right, 'don't be late.' Got it." She nodded and softly closed the door on them.

Alone in the room, the smile on Tom and Sabine faded, giving confused looks to each other.

"I thought she liked Adrien?" Tom questioned, "Did she tell you anything?"

Sabine shook her head, looking saddened, "No, she doesn't tell us anything." She pointed out.

Not about her friends, what's been going on, or the day when Luka bought Marinette home who was looking pale, nothing.

Stepping outside, Marinette turned to Luka with a worried look, "Luka? Are you okay?" she tilted her head, peering up at him, her hair dangling from the motion.

Luka's eyes locked onto the movement, finger twitching, "Y-Yeah." He cleared his throat, eyes darting at her before darting somewhere else, "It's… you look different than usual."

Marinette felt a bit self-conscious, reaching a hand to grab a lock of her hair by her neck, "I thought a change might be nice." She smiled timidly, "Does… Does it look weird?" she shyly asked. Maybe she could quickly run back up and get her hair ties. She wasn't used to letting her hair loose, it was always tied back so it wouldn't get in the way of her doing activities.

"No, no. It…" bringing up his hand, he cupped the lower part of his face, averting his eye, though he kept glancing at her every few seconds, "You look… nice…"

"… Nice…" she repeated in her head, feeling slightly disappointed, though she didn't delve too deeply on the disappointment. Not when she was focused on staring at the redness peeking up from behind his hand. Moving closer, Marinette reached her hand towards the one on his mouth as Luka watched her without moving a muscle. As she was about to reach his hand she hesitated for a moment before going through with it, gently grabbing his hand and lifting it away from his face to reveal his slightly flushed cheeks.

"Sorry." He apologised, eyes averted, "I'll come up with something better than 'nice'. I just got... " his eyes landed on her once more, "caught off guard for a bit."

Marinette blinked before giggling, her cheeks matching his, "No, no, it's fine, 'nice' is… a nice word." She giggled.

Luka winced at his attempt at flattery, "Just let me get my guitar and I'll shower you with more than words." He lightly squeezed her fingers that was still holding him.

"Well, you don't look too bad yourself." She smiled, appreciating his outfit. While he was dressed in all black, she could tell that he made an effort with his dress shirt, skinny jeans that has no rips in them and plain black converse that didn't have the opportunity to be customised yet, "Well let's go before we're late for the movie." She adjusted their hands to hold it properly.

Before they could move, Luka ducked his head towards her ear, "You look really stunning, Marinette. Just like every other day." He whispered, leaning back with a victorious grin.

Marinette's face was burning red that he swears he could almost hear it sizzling, "We'll we better get going before we're late for the movie." He hummed, gently tugging her along.

She followed quietly, trying to find her voice while slowing down her racing heartbeat for this smooth boy.

"That was unfair." She mumbled under her breath, pouting, "You said that you weren't good with words."

"I said music is often simpler than words." Luka pointed out with a playful smile before glancing at her and then her flowy hair, "Besides, you're the one who started it." He smiled fondly, squeezing her hand.

Marinette huffed, tugging his hand towards the concession stand, "Well at least we're not late." she mumbled, changing the subject.

Luka hummed agreeing, "By the way, what movie are we watching?"

She turned to him, blinking before realising she never told him, "Oh right!" she then rummaged her purse, careful of his gift and Tikki, to hand him his ticket as he took the tickets, "We're watching Crocodile Heart, Jagged stars in it." She said, grabbing a popcorn bucket and 2 sodas, bringing them to the Cashier.

Before she could take out her wallet, Luka already have his out, "It's fine, you got the movie tickets, I get the snacks and drinks." He compromised, handing the cashier his money.

"But-"

Loud screams sounded from the room, startling them.

"Is there a horror movie playing?" Marinette warily asked, already feeling dread, it was the same feeling as she felt yesterday.

It was the Cashier who answered, "N-No, not until in the evening." He stated, backing away from his post before just taking off.

Marinette and Luka probably should have ran when the Cashier had, but it was too late as one of the theatre's door burst open with people running and screaming about an akuma. Red and black beams shooting out from the dark theatre.

Luka quickly pulled Marinette around the concession stand and ducked behind it, his arms wrapped protectively around her as he carefully tried to peer around the edge to see how dangerous the akuma was.

"I am Master Shipper! All ships I say are canon!" a girl, decked in a heart theme pirate captain outfit with a cutlass hanging on her hip, proclaimed, holding a brass spy scope in hand, "And I say Rosemary and Romeo are canon!" she announced with conviction. Pink eyes stared at the posters, glaring at the poster for a remake Romeo and Juliet, she lifted her spy scope to her eye, twisting it and shooting a black beam at the two main characters on it.

The poster before her changed slightly, instead of the actress who played Juliet, the actress who played Rosemary replaced her.

Satisfied, Master Shipper continued, before noticing two couples trying to sneak away from the area. She stared critically at them before scowling and lifting her eye scope back to her eye, "Aim and Fire!" she yelled, shooting a black beam at the two people in the middle.

The beam stunned the pair for a moment, before they two violently shoved their shocked partners away in disgust, searching for people that would match them.

Back at the concession stand, Luka frowned at Master Shipper, pulling back as she lingered in the room.

If only he had his guitar, he could use it as a weapon against the akuma while Marinette found a safe place to hide.

He looked at the items in front of him, but none would make a good choice of a weapon. Glancing back at the akuma, he could at least lure the akuma away and give Marinette a chance to find a safer place to hide.

She wasn't even halfway through her date, let alone begin the movie.

She should've known.

This was too good to be true.

There was no way her happiness could last, not as long as she was still-

"Marinette, stay here." Luka whispered as waited for the akuma to turn her back on them, "I'll go distract the akuma away from you."

Marinette's eyes widened; her head snapped towards him. Before he could leave, her hand caught his.

"Marinette?" he whispered.

She blinked.

What was she doing? Luka was giving her the perfect excuse to leave. She shouldn't be stopping him, she should be playing along.

She felt Luka's hands cupping her cheeks, gently lifting her head towards him. He pressed his forehead against hers, tenderly staring into her eyes, "I'll be fine. And after the akuma is dealt with, we'll continue our date, maybe get a refund for our popcorn and drinks." He playfully joked before giving her a reassuring smile, "The date won't stop, just put on pause, okay?" he gently whispered.

Marinette nodded, though her mind was elsewhere while she watched him go, luring the akuma away.

She was 'lucky' the akuma was here instead of all the way across town, but what if next time, she'll be the one to ditch Luka?

How many times will she ditch Luka in the future?

How many times will their dates get ruined?

How many times will she have to make excuses, lies?

She didn't want that.

She didn't want to lie to Luka, she wanted to tell him everything.

But she can't.

Her secrets will endanger him and their loved ones.

No one was safe until Hawk Moth is gone.

But then, just what has she been doing to ensure that?

She wasn't even close to discovering who Hawk Moth is.

No leads, no suspects, nothing.

The closest she got was Gabriel Agreste and that had turn out to be wrong. And then nothing. She hasn't done anything after that.

All she's doing was just cleaning up his messes!

Marinette pulled her legs up, hands gripping her arms in anger.

Mess! Mess! Mess!

She was just cleaning up after him while he got to continue his life!

He was living it easy compared to her!

Her whole life was a mess!

If only she wasn't Ladybug, she would be free to do what she wanted. She would be free to focus on her designs, free to get angry, to cry – to express herself! But no, she's Ladybug who has responsibilities, who always have to do the right thing, who has to keep her emotions in check, who was learning about the kwamis and the role of the Guard… ian…

She felt herself break out into a cold sweat at the thought.

Master Fu was training her to be the next guardian, but what did that entitle to?

Looking after the kwamis and making sure they were safe and…

Marinette felt her blood run cold.

He was planning on handing it to her one day,

All to herself.

Master Fu, who was looking after the Miraculous without anyone by his side for more than a hundred years, was planning to hand her the role of the Guardian if something were to happen one day.

Marinette didn't mean to belittle his life, but she didn't want that kind of future.

She didn't want to give up her dreams,

She didn't think owing a Massage Parlour was his dream.

She didn't want to give up her love,

He and Marianne were still waiting even till their golden years, but she couldn't do that to Luka.

She didn't want to be alone.

But that's what's happening – that was her future.

It was all planned out for her.

Marintte's breath came out quicker, she felt trapped.

That anxious pit in her stomach was back and she realized what it meant.

Her future was all set out for her without her having any control over it,

She would never be free to do what she wants and even if she did, it wouldn't be without dire consequences.

Life won't be normal and would never be no matter how hard she tries-

She-

Run

Marinette lips slightly parted at the idea.

That's right, if she wasn't Ladybug, she won't have that future. All her problems are because she's Ladybug.

Run. Get rid of the earrings and run, that way, she won't have to-

"Marinette!"

Her head snapped up, hand flinching away from her ear with eyes widened in horror.

"Marinette! The akuma's gone now. What's wrong?" Tikki frantically asked.

She stared at Tikki's worrying eyes and her throat closed up.

She was a horrible human being.

Ducking her head in shame to hide her watery eyes, Marinette swallowed the lump in her throat, "Nothing." She sniffed, "I'm sorry," sorry for ever thinking of abandoning you, "Let's go, I'm wasting time."

Tikki furrowed her brows, but before she could ask anything else, Marinette said the magic words.

"Tikki. Spots on." Standing up slowly, Ladybug stared listlessly at her spotted gloved hands.

That's right, she was Ladybug, protector of Paris and would-be guardian of the Miraculous box.

What a lonely future ahead of her.

In the streets of Paris, red and black beams of light were shot at strangers pairing them up or separating them. Couples that were once together were separated, shouting, and searching for their ideal partner, brawling with those who was with the one that matched their ideals.

Master Shipper squealed at the sight of her 'ships', admiring couples with a height difference, couples with complementing aesthetics, an angry looking woman holding hands with a sweet-looking man and so much more!

They all look so adorable!

Master Shipper hummed, strolling through the streets, filled with loving couples and shouting in the air.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

"LAY OFF!"

"SHE BELONGS WITH ME!"

The akuma grinned, "How romantic~" she sang. Fighting for their love was just to die for.

The sound of a wire whirring caught her attention making her quickly leap back and turn around, "Ladybug!" she shouted in surprise.

"You shouldn't force 2 people together just because you want them to be." Ladybug growled; her eyes narrowed. She didn't see Luka when she followed the trail of the akuma's work, was he okay? Did he get hit? She swears, if she did anything to him, she'll-!

Master Shipper ignored her, looking around, "Where's your partner? Is he not with you?" she pouted.

"You rang~?"

The two turned to the voice.

"Chat Noir!" Master Shipper squealed.

Chat Noir landed next to his Lady in the middle of the road.

"I knew I was popular." He grinned, hand on his hip, twirling his staff before hitting the butt of it on the ground.

Staring at the two standing so close together, Master Shipper squealed, "Ladybug and Chat Noir!" Master Shipper beamed, "My favourite ship! Were you guys on a date? I'm so sorry for ruining it!" she apologised, aghast that she had interrupted her ship's moment, "But I swear, once I get the writers to rewrite their endgame, you two can get back to your date!" she then let out a sheepish laugh, however, an outline of a purple butterfly appeared on her face before disappearing, "... Oh if you don't mind, you can give me your Miraculous. I'll take them to Hawk Moth. You two should go back on your date and enjoy." She sighed out dreamily.

Chat Noir relished in the akuma's words, his tail swishing back and forth as he looked over his shoulder at his M'Lady, "Maybe fate is trying to tell you something, M'La-"

A black spotted red yo-yo soared pass his face and struck a daydreaming Master Shipper in the face.

"My OT-PELGHHHAAAH!" Master Shipper fell back.

Chat Noir slowly turned back to Master Shipper on the ground, clutching her face in pain, groaning. He looked back to see Ladybug yank back her yo-yo into her hand, breathing angrily.

"My Lady, if you didn't like the ship, you didn't have to sink it." he starred stunned.

Ladybug glared, gripping her yo-yo, "Well no one asked for her opinion!"

"'Don't like?'" Master Shipper groaned as she stood up with narrowed eyes, "What do you mean 'Don't like? Are you not together?" she questioned, voice dark.

Ladybug furiously spun her yo-yo to the side as she charged at her, "No!" she swiped at her.

Master Shipper glared at her answer, dodging out of the way, "What do you mean, 'No'? You guys are Ladybug and Chat Noir! LadyNoir!" she growled, "My ultimate ship," she began explaining, dodging every kick and strike from her yo-yo, "You are the power couple! The Creation to his Destruction. The Ying to his Yang, it makes perfect sense!" Master Shipper bragged, taking a huge leap, putting a safe distance away from the angry bug, raising her arms out. "Fate is telling you something!"

"Enough about fate! Fate is stupid!" Ladybug cried out, shocking Chat Noir and angering Master Shipper.

"How dare you?!"

"Chat!" Ladybug shouted, annoyed that he wasn't moving to help, "Don't just stand there!"

Chat Noir jolted back to attention while Ladybug continued to charge at Master Shipper, "Meowch. What got you catty? Your date got interrupted or what?" he playfully teased, hoping to lighten her mood, she seemed really wound up today.

"Yes." She seethed, taking another impatient swipe at a shocked akuma, wanting to end this as fast as possible.

Chat Noir knew that Ladybug was planning to ask her crush out, but he didn't know it would happen so soon, "… What?" he had held out hope that maybe… Not that he was wanting her to be rejected, because who would ever reject Ladybug? But he had just hoped that he still had a chance…

"What?!" Master Shipper yelled, appalled.

Who was ruining her ship?!

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug summoned, catching a black spotted red flute in her hand.

"… You gonna play her some flute music?" Chat Noir questioned, glancing at the object as they ran after Master Shipper on the roof. He didn't try to ask his Lady about her date even though he was hurt since for the first time, he didn't think his Lady would take so kindly of his actions or feelings with how she was feeling right now. Any provocation might set her off.

Ladybug didn't respond, not in the mood as they got further and further from the cinema with rising annoyance. She flipped open her yo-yo with unnecessary force as she sent a short message to Master Fu.

Even though Master Shipper wasn't much, she knew how to handle a sword and slip away from their grasp.

It didn't help that Chat Noir wasn't focus on the fight.

When Master Shipper prepared to leap, Ladybug quickly threw her yo-yo at the akuma's feet, tying them up and yanked, causing her to fall forward, "Chat, now!"

Chat Noir leaped at the fallen akuma, his staff raised over his head, and swung, down, only for Master Shipper to turn around and block with her cutlass.

"The turtle presents the fox." Vulpes greeted as he landed on a roof where Ladybug was sitting, back against a chimney, knees against her chest with a flute in between, covering her face. His eyes glanced over to a few roofs away from them, seeing Chat Noir keeping the akuma occupied, "Ladybug, what happ…" his voice trailed off when Ladybug lifted her face, a tired look in her eyes, but that's wasn't what he was focusing on, "You're…" he stared horrified at the blood dripping down on her cheek.

"It's nothing, just a cut." She muttered, "Just got a bit careless." She sighed, standing up. She maybe had been a bit too reckless from trying to reach the spy scope and got cut in the process. Chat Noir had screamed in shock, tackling her to the side before she got anymore hurt and carried her away, telling her she was too impatient and to wait for backup while he holds off Master Shipper, finally taking it serious.

Vulpes reached a hand towards her cheek, hovering over it hesitantly before pulling back just as a beep from Ladybug's earring rang out, "What do you need?" he asked instead.

For this to be over, "An illusion." She tiredly said, eyes gazing towards the fight, "Master Shipper came out of the cinema," a place that was so far away now, "shouting about Rosemary and Romeo being her ship."

Nodding at the information, Vulpes squeezed her shoulder, "Don't worry, we'll finish this soon." He promised before jumping into battle, joining Chat Noir.

Ladybug thumped her head against the chimney's wall just as her earrings beeped incessantly, dropping her transformation in the next couple of seconds.

"Marinette!" Tikki anxiously cried out, hovering over the cut along her cheek, "You're hurt! Do you feel pain?! Don't worry, once you transform, the pain will lessen! And everything will be better after the battle!" she said, panicking, her whole body trembling in the air.

Marinette wordlessly grabbed the emergency macaron in her purse, handing it to a still shocked and heavily worried Tikki.

Tikki quickly took the macaron with trembling flippers, shoving the whole thing down as quickly as possible. The faster she transformed, the less pain she feels and the quicker they defeat the akuma, the sooner her chosen can be healed, "Okay, I'm ready!" she said in urgency.

Marinette stared at the sky, spotting a pigeon flying freely in the air, "Spots on." She muttered.

"Miraculous Ladybug."

Glowing ladybugs flew towards Ladybug, healing her cheek before shooting up in the air, putting things back to where they belong.

"M'Lady, are you okay?" Chat Noir asked, holding his fist up, looking relieved that her wound was healed up.

"Yeah." She stared at the disorientated girl on the ground, clutching her head while in her her other hand was a rolled up movie poster, "Can you look after the girl?" she requested as she stared towards the direction of the cinema.

Chat Noir pulled back his arm, rubbing the back of his head, "Oh, um, yeah, sure." He turned, though not before glancing over his shoulder at her, "I'm glad you're better." He said, talking about her wound.

As Chat Noir spoke with the girl and then carried her away, Vulpes came up to her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Ladybug? Are you okay?"

Ladybug lifted her head, staring at Vulpes with eyes that was on the verge of crying.

"I'm so far away from where I'm supposed to be." Her voice cracked as she stared towards the direction of the movie theatre again.

"… Were you with someone?" he softly asked.

Ladybug tiredly nodded, "He's probably looking for me." Running around, calling her, feeling upset that she wasn't answering. Did he think she had abandoned him? She was down to her last spot and with no macaron for Tikki to make her way back to Luka, but what was the point? She had taken too long with the akuma. What kind of lie did she have to tell him when they met up again?

Vulpes stared at her for a moment, squeezing her shoulder slightly, "I'm sure he'll understand. There was an akuma, he probably thinks that you just found a really good hiding space." He tried to lift her spirits up by smiling, but it didn't work with her eyes having that faraway look in them.

He softly frowned for her, "I know that being Ladybug is a heavy responsibility," he started, having a thoughtful look before staring at her intently, "But I also know that you have a normal life outside the mask." He placed his other hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him, "So whatever that you're thinking, please don't try to decide everything by yourself, I'm sure there's someone who is willingly to help you share some of your burdens." He gently said, giving her shoulders a reassuring squeeze.

Ladybug didn't respond, simply grabbing onto his hand, whether to keep take his hand off or keep it there for support, she didn't know.

All she knew was that what he said doesn't apply to her.

If she was the holder of the Cat, Fox, Turtle or Bee then yeah, she didn't need to worry about her mistakes as much, but she wasn't, she's the holder of the Ladybug Miraculous, the number one Miraculous that can't avoid to make any mistakes.

"Thank you for your concerns, Vulpes." She said, trying to muster up a smile, "I'll keep that in mind." Her earrings began beeping incessantly, "I need to go now." She muttered, stepping back, and leaping away.

She knew Vulpes was only trying to help, but he didn't understand.

Being Ladybug was like a curse.

As she found an empty riverbank, Ladybug de-transformed, quickly taking out her phone, preparing herself to see all the missed calls waiting for her, only to find none, however, a few seconds later, Luka called.

"Luka?" her voice came out in a whisper.

"Marinette? Where are you?"

Marinette blinked, staring over the cobblestone walls and then around her, "I'm, um…" recognising the buildings and bridge, she realised where she was, "Pont Marie." she winced at how far she was.

"Okay, I'll be there soon."

"O-okay…" she responded and hung up, feeling perplexed. She was expecting him to ask questions and…

What did he mean by 'soon'?

Was he running all over Paris looking for her?

She furrowed her brows in guilt.

"Marinette!"

Startled, she turned around to see Luka running down the stairs towards her.

He ran up to her, embracing her stunned form, "Are you okay?" he asked, leaning back to look her over with a concerned eye.

Marinette stared at him with wide eyes then averted her eyes from him, feeling guilt, "I'm fine." She swallowed the forming lump in her throat, "Just… found… a really good hiding place…" she choked up.

"I'm sure there's someone who is willingly to help your share some of your burdens."

There is, but I can't do that to him.

She can't.

"Marinette?" Luka asked out of concern, pressing a hand on her shoulder.

It was selfish.

Too selfish of her; she can't do this to Luka.

Not Luka.

Marinette grabbed the hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry." Her voice trembled, "I can't do this to you."

Luka furrowed his brows, "Marinette, what are you talking about?"

She squeezed his hand.

Just how many times would their date get interrupted like today?

How many times will she have to ditch him because of her duties?

How many secrets did she have to hide from him?

How many times would she have to lie to him?

She didn't want to keep doing this to Luka.

And even if Luka was understanding and patient with her, everyone had a limit, even him.

Luka deserved better than a flaky girlfriend.

They were better off as friends if the universe allowed her even that.

"This was a mistake." Her voice cracked, "I shouldn't have asked you out today." This was just the wakeup call that she needed. Before she gets into a relationship with him, she could see a glimpse of just what she would be doing to him in the future.

She was glad that she didn't give him the gift; she didn't want him to have something to remind him of today.

Luka didn't deserve to be treated like this and he didn't deserve to put up with it.

It was silent between them and Marinette was preparing her heart to be shattered.

"… Is this what you really want?" he quietly asked, hurt laced in his tone.

She could feel her heart cracking, hating how she was hurting him.

She never wanted to hurt him.

Marinette didn't answer, she couldn't.

Not with the lump in her throat. She didn't want him to hear how she would sound – he'll knows what's up by the choked sob she was trying to keep in, so she nodded her head.

"Then… if that's really what you want…" Luka stared softly, eyes trailing between them, "Then you should let go first." He whispered, his eyes patient, though there was fear in them.

Marinette looked up with watery eyes, realising where her hands were. One hand was still holding his on top of her shoulder which she had intended to remove, and the other was gripping onto his shirt, nearest to his heart.

She didn't even notice when she had been holding onto him.

Marinette looked frustrated with herself, willing herself to let him go.

Seeing the agonised look on her face, he lifted his other hand and finally brushed her loose hair behind her ear, "Why do you think this was a mistake?" he quietly asked, moving his hand to cup her cheek when the first tear fell.

"Because I realised, I won't have time for you and when I do, I eventually have to leave in the middle because something came up and I just can't ignore it. You'll always be my second priority, or sometimes not even and I can't do that to you, Luka. I love you too much to do that." She breathed, choking up, the crown of her head pressing against his chest as tears fell down, blurring her vision.

As long as she was Ladybug, she'll always have to be alone.

Luka froze on the spot, staring at her with wide eyes as Marinette continued, not realising what she had just confessed.

"I don't want to lie to you, but I also can't tell you the truth!" she sounded frustrated, "And I know that someday, you'll get tired – tired of all the lies and secrecy and I can't – I don't want to do that to you." Marinette waited for him to get angry, to demand why they couldn't be together, to throw a tantrum, anything and she'd lie to him and leave, breaking both their hearts.

"Marinette…" He breathed, he stared thoughtfully at her before closing his eyes. Many thoughts floating in his mind before coming to a decision. Opening his eyes, he sadly stared at her with understanding eyes. "I know."

She looked up, confused and Luka's heart broke at the tears trailing down her cheeks, "What?" she whispered, her throat dry.

Luka raised his hand, brushing her loose hair behind her ear once more, but this time, he traced his thumb on her earring, "I know." He carefully said.

Marinette felt her world freeze, her eyes widening at the implication, "W-What?" she stuttered out breathlessly, her hands tightening on the fabric of his shirt, "Know what? That I'd be a terrible g-girlfriend? ." she forced out, her smile strained, "Well, I just told you that." She choked out with a wet laugh, trying to back away.

She made a mistake in looking at him because the look in his eyes told her that he knew.

"How?" she sobbed, "It's supposed to confuse others." He could be in danger now! Everyone he loves could be in danger. She was risking his life and she needed to end it before Hawk Moth discovers-

Luka grabbed her shoulders and leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss on her forehead before wrapping his arms around her, bringing her close to him as possible as he embraced her, "When it comes to you, Marinette, I'm never confused."

Marinette's breath hitched, her eyes watery as she buried her face in his shoulder, wrapping her arms around him.

She needed to let go.

She needed to inform Master Fu.

But as she desperately clung to Luka, wetting his shoulder, she selfishly wondered if she could keep Luka as her own secret.

Notes:

Managed to avoid all the spoilers for "Truth", but then all these new fanfic pops up and lol, crying on the inside. I knew it.
Gonna read them all after this.

If there's anything that didn't make sense or flowed right, I welcome the criticism, thanks.

Chapter 21: Warden

Notes:

#
59 pages, didn't think it'll be enough for two chapters so happy reading.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Standing near the bridge of Pont Marie, Luka stood with Marinette in his arms, running his fingers through her loose hair while she desperately clung to him, refusing to let go as if scared that he would disappear.

He wouldn't.

Whatever she needs, he'll be right here for her when she's ready.

But with the way she clung to him, he gazed sadly for her, wondering just how much pressure she had on her shoulders that she thought that she wasn't allowed to be happy herself.

Whatever she was facing, it wasn't fair.

His fingers slowed to a stop to cradle the base of her head as he lowered his chin on top of her.

If she was unfairly given such a huge responsibility at such an age, then at the very least, she should… the universe should allow herself the things that she wanted in her life.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt Marinette pushed her face into his shoulder, prompting him to cradle her more securely against him as he resumed caressing his fingers through her hair. Lowering his lips against the side of her head, he gently whispered her name.

Marinette didn't answer, not ready to move on as her shoulders quivered while she continued to cry at the unfairness of the universe.

She'll do the right thing after this… after she was all cried out… after she no longer needed Luka's hugs.

She'll do what is expected of her soon.

Just… she needed this before she'll face the universe that she felt was out to get her for some reason.

She needed this.

Luka didn't say anything, simply held her like he was shielding her from the outside world until she no longer needed it.

They stood there with her in his arms, basking in the other's company, patiently waiting as the tears eventually came to a stop, calming down to sniffles.

When her shoulders had stopped quivering and she was breathing out shuddering breath instead, Luka paused his ministration on her hair, silky midnight tresses slipping through his fingers, "Marinette?" he gently called out again, shifting slightly to take a look at her.

She sniffled, slowly nodding her head to let him know she heard him.

Placing his hands on her shoulders, gently, he leaned back to properly look at her while her hands still clutched, though loosely, onto the back of his shirt.

Her cheeks were wet from her tears, nose red and her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy.

His heart ached at the sight.

Marinette turned her head away from him, she must look like a mess right now.

However, Luka tenderly cupped her cheek with one hand, while the other gingerly dabbed away at the remaining tears with his sleeve.

Her eyes involuntarily fluttered closed at this, letting out one last shudder as she relaxed.

She needed to calm down enough for them to talk. They had so much important things to discuss. Her identity, his safety… and them.

They needed to talk, but…

Marinette gave herself this moment, just one more moment together before I have to end it.

Just one more

She felt greedy for this, but if she was going to end it, then she was going to get as much as she could.

When Luka deemed that he had dried her cheeks cleaned of her tears, he slowly backed his hands away.

Only for Marinette to lean back into him, missing his warmth enveloping her, but as soon as she leaned back on the shoulder that she had been crying on, she flinched at the wetness of it and guiltily furrowed her brows.

It must feel uncomfortable for him.

However, it didn't seemed Luka minded as he embraced her, one arm around her shoulders and the other cradling the back of her head.

"We need to talk." Marinette mumbled with her cheek resting on his collarbone, her fingers fidgeting with the back of his shirt's hem. Her eyes scanned the occasional people walking above them, some giving curious glances at them before moving on and she hid her face from them, "But not here." While they were far enough from any eavesdroppers, she couldn't risk it. Her place was out of the question – if she came home early with Luka looking like she was, her parents will get curious and barge into her room.

She couldn't risk that.

"Do you want to go to my place?" he quietly offered, "No one is at home right now so we could talk in private." His mom was out, and his sister had gone over to Rose's place to help her write some new lyrics (or at least give support).

Marinette nodded, closing her eyes as she let out a daunting sigh.

The walk there would give her time to organize what she needed to discuss.

It had been quiet on the way to his place as Marinette took the time to gather her thoughts while Luka held her hand.

Marinette was supposed to have figured out what she needed to say, however, with the silence, all she did was get herself worked up again in her mind.

She shouldn't have been thinking of being with Luka when she was still Ladybug.

If she wanted to be with Luka, then she needed to be responsible.

She needed to find Hawk Moth and retrieve the missing Miraculous in his hands (hopefully Mayura and Hawk Moth resided in the same place, that would make retrieving the Miraculous 'easier'). That would solve a majority of her problem -

But she bitterly thought that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

So, she needed to let Luka go.

She needed to accept her reality, her future -

Her prison.

Marinette's brows twitched; face scrunched up in fright.

She didn't want that, nor did she want to prepare herself for that kind of future-

But it was too late, everything was laid out for her and she couldn't just abandon Tikki like that again or pass her earrings to someone else at this stage – it was too late-

"Marinette."

She snapped her head up with wide fearful eyes, not noticing that they were already at his place, sitting on his bed.

When her eyes landed on Luka who had his arms opened for her, the fear in her eyes melded with a sort of gratefulness, letting out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

Her heart ached.

She was going to miss his hugs.

He made room as she climbed into his arms, laying on top into him with her arms wrapped around his waist, breathing in his scent, trying to commit every moment to memory.

Marinette breathed out a sigh as she sunk into him, relaxing further when he wrapped his arms around her, giving her the comfort and courage that she needed.

She needed to be responsible.

They needed to talk.

And she needed to end it.

"You're not supposed to know." she defeatedly whispered, her eyes half-lidded.

Luka leaned back on his pillows, bringing her down with him, figuring they should get comfy for this long talk. He stroked the back of her head with closed eyes, "I could always be wrong you know." He shrugged, "There could be another unbelievably brave, sincere and amazing girl like you out there that I don't know about."

Marinette shuffled closer, moving her arms out from under him to grasp at the fabric by his sides, "There are." She insisted, a slight desperate undertone coating her voice. She needed him to be wrong about her and move on. The thought of him being in danger because of her frightened her.

He nodded, drawing soothing circles on her back, "So there's a chance that I'm wrong after all." He slowly opened his eyes, absentmindedly gazing at his ceiling, "As long as I don't see it myself, there's a chance that I could have been wrong all this time."

Marinette agreed. Right, as long as he thought that, she could prove that he was wrong this whole time. All she needed was to borrow Trixx and then he would be safe.

He would continue to think of her lie as the truth and then realize that she was an awful person to be with – those lame excuses, always hiding something, never telling him the truth.

He would think that she was hiding something from him – that she didn't trust him.

She would always be lying.

Marinette bit her lip, willing herself not to cry again as she pressed her face against his chest with her eyes squeezed shut.

Luka was giving her an out, but she didn't want that.

Even if she had the solution to deviate his judgement, she didn't want that - to see him look at her illusion with shocked eyes as he was actually wrong and that she was always making all these lame excuses to leave him - that she wasn't committed.

I don't want that

Marinette slowly opened her warm eyes, staring blankly at the flower curtain hung on his wall. Just why did he have to figure it out? Why was he of all people have to figure out her identity? All this time he knew and –

Wait…

Her eyes widened, terrified; her brows scrunched.

All this time…?

How long did he know?

"But you know." Marinette breathed, pushing herself up with a thudding heart to look at him, "When- Why didn't you say anything?" her voice was slightly hysterical. It was fortunate that nothing bad had happened to him, but he could still be in danger! How long? Did he figure out soon after they first met? At the ice-rink or… her breath hitched, did he know when he had been akumatized as Silencer, "When?" she whimpered, panicked.

Luka stared mournfully at the distress he was causing her. He carefully lifted a hand to cup her cheek, using his thumb to gently try and rub some colour in them, "A while ago." He quietly spoke, eyes steady as he breathed, "The more I got to know you, the more it came together like a song." His thumb stilled as he shot a soft smile at her, "It just made sense." He then lowered his hand, giving her space between them.

Well as much as he could with her hovering over him.

Marinette scrunched her brows, biting her lips, "Why… Why didn't you say anything?" she swallowed, her voice hoarse, "If I had known, I could have come up with a plan – I could have…" she choked, her mind blank. What plan? She didn't have one if someone else knew! Was it too late to come up with a safety plan? Does Hawk Moth have any suspicions of Luka knowing? Did she put him and his family in danger? She didn't have a contingency plan for this!

Arms gently wrapped around her waist, lightly tugging her back down to him. Luka rubbed her back in a soothing manner as he murmured against her ear, "I'm sorry." He apologized, his voice sincere, "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you when I found out." He paused in his ministrations, looking regretful at his decision, "It's a secret identity, it's supposed to be a secret for a reason, so I thought it was best if I kept my mouth shut." His hand that was on her back moved to her shoulder, squeezing her for comfort, "I didn't want to stress you out by telling you, I…" he frowned, disappointed at himself as he stared up at the ceiling. Clearly that had failed, "Sorry." Was all that he could think of at the moment.

Marinette bit her lip, clutching onto his shirt, "But you know, you could be in danger - everyone you love could be in danger if Hawk Moth finds out that you know."

Luka tilted his head at her, "I just have to be careful and not get akumatized." He said like it was that simple.

Marinette's breath hitched, snapping her head up at him, "But that's not fair to you!" she cried out. He shouldn't have to push aside his own feelings just because he knew her secret!

It wasn't healthy to keep everything bottled up!

"Marinette." He cupped her cheeks, "Let me do this," he smiled encouragingly, "please?"

Staring at his sincere eyes, she lowered her head to his shoulder, grasping at his shirt in defeat, "Just when did you figure it out?" she whined out, voice muffled but it was still clear enough for him to hear.

"A while ago." He repeated, leaning his head on hers, smiling fondly, "Same song but just in a different tune."

Marinette couldn't help but think Luka was dangerous in his own rights.

"When it comes to you, Marinette, I'm never confused."

Her cheeks warmed as she frowned, remembering his words. She pondered. If he figured her out, would them getting together be dangerous?

If Hawk Moth somehow figured out who she loves, then she just knew Luka would be in danger because of her.

There was no way she'll let that happen, which only solidify what she had to do.

She pressed her face to his shoulder with a sad frown. No matter what, all the signs kept pointing towards one answer.

They can't be together.

"Can I hear it?" she whispered, wanting to make as many memories as possible together before the inevitable.

"Of course." He smiled softly before glancing to his guitar plopped between his bed and amp, before back to the girl laying on top of him, "Should we get up?" he softly asked.

Marinette blinked, cheeks reddening, "Can… you play like this?" she shyly requested with her eyes closed, trying to make the most of it.

Luka chuckled, "If you like, Marinette." He accepted, reaching for his guitar, careful not to jostle her too much. As Marinette continued laying on him, he carefully placed his guitar on her lower back and began playing her song - the Ladybug version.

Marinette quietly sighed, not minding the weight of the guitar on her back as she listened to this version of her song. The tune was the same but was played slightly faster than the other one and she could understand why. She couldn't slow down for a single second as Ladybug, even when it got tough or when she felt the pressure, she had to keep going until they won.

No matter how many times she got knocked down, she always had to get back up, always fighting for victory.

Failure was not an option for someone in her position.

"It's nice," she nuzzled into him once the last note trailed into the air, "… but I like the first version more." She whispered.

Luka hummed in agreement before beginning to play her song, "I think this one is better, too." He quietly chuckled.

Marinette felt herself relax; her mind settling as she listened to the rest of her song in contentment.

As she felt the last note vibrate through her, they basked in the silence for a moment, simply letting everything sink in.

It was a few minutes later when Luka carefully removed his guitar, stretching his hand over the edge of his bed to put it back in its place before cradling her, one hand combing his fingers through her hair while the other laid across her waist, "What are you planning to do now, Marinette?" he gently asked.

Marinette frowned softly, "I guess, I'll have to inform the Guardian about this." She reluctantly whispered with her fingers squeezing onto the fabric of his shirt. The least she could do was tell him of her plans, even if she wasn't looking forward to it and... just what would happen? What would happen if she told Master Fu that Luka knows? There was that rule that if she figured out Chat's identity, then she'll have to give up her Miraculous and Ladybug and she wondered if that applied to someone else knowing.

…

She was disgusted at herself for hoping that her Miraculous would be taken away which would free her.

It was an awful thought and incredibly selfish of her to want or even think that.

She inwardly shook the terrible thought away and concentrated. If her Miraculous wasn't going to be taken away, then what would happen? Was there some magic that would wipe Luka's memories? Would she have to use one of the other Miraculous to go back in time and make sure she avoids Luka at all times to prevent him from finding out?

Just thinking about it brought tears to her eyes but she squeezed her them shut to prevent any from falling. She was just being paranoid, there was no way they it would go to that extreme.

But what if that was the only solution?

The universe seems to like making her life miserable.

Seeing the turmoil in on her face, Luka gave her a slight squeeze, "Have something like this ever happened before?"

Marinette shook her head, "No… at least… I don't think so." She frowned, "I don't think this has ever happened before…" her eyes then trailed to her purse, biting her lips. If there was someone who should know, then… "Tikki." She called out pleadingly, unsure if she would even show herself. She wanted to be prepared. Before she hears the answer from Master Fu, she wanted to know just what she'll be getting into. It could be losing her Miraculous and Tikki, or it could be saying goodbye to Luka.

She just wanted to prepare herself for the loss.

She waited with bated breath, wondering if the little god would come out and show herself. She didn't think she would, and just when she was about to give up the small hope that she was holding onto, her purse clicked opened with Tikki hesitantly peering out, looking torn.

Even though she had hoped that Tikki would show herself, her eyes widened in surprised as she watched the kwami fly out in the open, greeting Luka with a small smile.

"Hello, Luka." she greeted, "I am a kwami, and my name is Tikki." She introduced.

Luka nodded with a smile, taking this in calmly, "Nice to meet you, Tikki."

Marinette observed their reactions. She could tell that Tikki looked conflicted at the whole thing, while Luka didn't look surprise at all, in fact, he seemed fine facing a kwami… maybe he got used to abnormal beings in Paris that this might as well just happen.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Marinette called out to her, "Tikki… has… has any of the past holders ever had their identities get discovered?"

The little God regretfully shook her head, "Not to my recollection." she gave an apologetic frown. All her beloved bugs had all lived a simple, but enriching lives. Having served their cause well before retiring the Miraculous.

Marinette sagged in defeat. That means she had to face Master Fu, "I… I should tell Master Fu about this." she reluctantly said with a defeated frown before turning to Luka, giving him one last hug. This was it.

She needed to go now while she still had the energy.

Tikki nodded, agreeing, "Yes. The right thing to do is to tell the Guardian about this…" she stared, eyes serious, a certain determination gleamed in them as she stared at Marinette, "It's the most responsible action to take… But…" she then took a deep breath, "I think it's fine if you don't."

Marinette eyes shot wide in disbelief.

Did she just hear correctly?

She turned her head at her, "… What?" she breathed, speechless. Maybe she was just hearing what she wanted.

Tikki nodded, flying closer to them, "Luka is trustworthy." She said, staring at him. He was one of the few people, if not the only one, who could soothe Marinette's soul, make her happy, give her the supports she needs, never forcing himself on her. Something that she and the others had failed to do, "He knew all this time and we never suspected. Even now, he hasn't directly said he knows who you are." She pointed out, impressed by his self-control. She then turned to Marinette with a soft expression, "So I think it'll be fine to not tell Master Fu."

Marinette furrowed her brows, lost, "But isn't that too irresponsible? What if something goes wrong?" something always did, whether it was because she did something or didn't do.

It always came back as her fault.

Tikki flew towards her, floating in front of her nose, "If something goes wrong, or if Master Fu somehow finds out, I'll take responsibility for it." She declared, placing a flipper on her chest, eyes determined. It was irresponsible of her, unnatural of her to even suggest this. This was Plagg's domain, not hers. She was the responsible one, always going by the rules. She should tell Master Fu about this.

But she didn't know what would happen to Luka if they told the Guardian, and even if Master Fu accepts him, she didn't want to risk it. Marinette had been through so much, lost so much. She didn't want Marinette to lose Luka as well if they were wrong.

It was time she took a page out of Plagg's book and bend some rules.

She wanted Marinette to be happy.

Marinette stared, dumbfounded and overwhelmed. She would never have thought that Tikki would suggest something as irresponsible as this.

"Marinette?" Luka gently nudged her, getting her back to reality.

"I'll leave you two alone for some privacy." Tikki said with a nod and flew off with a smile.

She knew that she was making the wrong decision by keeping something like this a secret.

But she hoped it was the right choice.

"What are you thinking of?" Luka asked, peering down at her when there was no word from her.

Laying her cheek on his collarbone, Marinette was still trying to process what had happened, "I think Tikki ate a bad macaron." She whispered. She didn't understand what changed for Tikki to act this way, but… it felt nice.

But it still didn't erase the fact that Luka could be in danger because of her.

Luka stared slightly amused at her disbelief for her little friend, humming out nonsensical. Though it soon faded as he wondered. If Marinette couldn't believe that Tikki could say such a thing, then was the little kwami something that put pressure on Marinette's shoulders once upon a time?

"And…"

He looked back to her as she continued.

Marinette took a deep breath. If she wasn't going to inform Master Fu, then she needed to take some precautions, "I think it's better that we stay friends."

There was a moment of silence before Luka broke it, "Is that what you want?" he quietly asked, hand cupping her cheek, his thumb stroking softly against it.

Marinette pressed her hand on top of his, not wanting him to let go as she honestly shook her head.

She wanted to be with him, for once in her life, she wanted something to work out well and she wanted that to be Luka.

"Tell me what you want." Luka gently urged, pressing his lips to the top of her forehead.

Her heart thudded as she tenderly closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she slowly let it out, "I want us to be together," she confessed, "but being Ladybug won't be possible for a normal relationship." She whispered defeatedly, "I don't want you to feel alone whenever I go off in the middle of our dates. If we were to stay friends, it… it won't be as bad as when I leave you if I was your girlfriend… Dating me won't be easy or fun…" shifting her head to stare at him, Marinette swallowed as she found sincere eyes staring into hers, patiently listening to what she was saying, "What if we were in the middle of eating at a café and there's an akuma? I don't want to up and ditch you, leaving you all alone. And what if we we're hanging out with friends and an akuma appears? I don't want others to think I don't like hanging out with you – always finding an excuse to leave." She frowned with her uneasy heart, "Not only that, but there are also times where I won't have any time for you, and when I do, there might be an akuma to interrupt it like today. And even if you're fine with it, I don't want you to put up with it – you shouldn't have to put up with it." She stressed.

Luka took this all in, his hand absentmindedly stroking the back of her hair, "There are solutions to those. If there's an akuma when we're eating, then I'll just get our food to go and find a place for us to continue eating." He began, thinking about their options, "I don't care what others say about you, or us since I know you and what you're going through." He stated, staring intensely at her, making sure she couldn't refute that, "Our relationship can be similar to that of a long-distance relationship, we don't have to physically be together, we can settle for a text or video call where we don't even have to talk."

Marinette thought about it before shaking her head at the temptation, "But that's the point, I don't want you to do that. It's not fair to you." She frowned deeply. It was all so tempting but it was all so one-sided for him. She didn't want him to always be making the sacrifices.

Luka wanted to say that it wasn't fair that she had to be Ladybug, but he didn't think that would help, instead, he came to a decision, "It's not much of a problem when you have to disappear on me when there's an akuma." He began, giving her a small smile, "You don't need to worry about me being alone because there will be times when I sometimes get called away." His smile then turned mysterious – hintingly, as he continued, "We can meet up soon afterwards to resume our date when an akuma is dealt with."

Marinette blinked, looking confused, "What are…" memory of today's akuma flashed through her mind: how there was no calls from him until Master Shipper was taken care of; how he was able to reach Pont Marie so soon after he called even though the cinema had been so far away.

No way

Her eyes widened as she lifted herself up to take a proper look at him. While his eyes were a luminous vivid cyan colour right now, she could imagine mint green eyes, the understanding smiles; how they were always on the same page; how she never minded whenever he gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. When she connected the dots, it all seems so obvious,

"Vulpes." She breathed out.

Luka simply smiled, neither confirming nor denying it, "Who knows? We could be wrong about what we know." He shrugged, continuing their charade before settling into a somewhat serious look, though it was accompanied by a gentle smile, "But now that you know, do you still want to be friends? Whatever you decide, I'll still be here when you're ready."

Marinette lowered her gaze, hesitating, "… Can we…" if she let him go, she was sure Luka would be much more happier, but if she chose to be together, their relationship would have a lot of obstacles to overcome – it might even put a strain in their relationship.

Was she willing to risk it just so she could be happy?

Luka gave her an encouraging nudge, "Do you remember what I said about being selfish?" he asked, smiling softly at her.

She blinked.

"Why don't you be selfish?" Luka gently suggested, "What's something that you want?"

…

He strummed out a tune that sounded disappointed, reflecting her feelings, "Then let's try this. Right here. Right now. What do you want?" he tilted his head at her with a smile, "We'll do one selfish thing you want and if it happens to go wrong, I'll be here for you, sharing whatever consequence that comes with it."

She nodded; her eyes softly glazed at the memory.

Luka smiled supportingly.

Marinette swallowed, leaning her forehead against his shoulder as she absentmindedly fidgeted with his shirt's collar. Her eyes squeezed tight as she began, "Can we be friends…" she started.

Luka smiled a sad but accepting smile, respecting her decision. Before he could respond, Marinette continued, surprising him.

"… who sometimes go out together… just the two of us…" she anxiously continued, feeling that this was too much, "and exclusively hold hands… and exclusively k-kiss like couples do… call each other boyfriend and girlfriend… if you want?" she took deep shuddering breaths, knowing that she was just asking too much, "We're not officially dating, just… very exclusive special friends to one another…" She cringed at how complicated and selfish she was making this. She was pretty much asking them to date without making it official, but official, nonetheless.

Luka's smile slowly grew into a grin, letting out an amused huff that sounded slightly overwhelmed. He lowered his head to hers, causing a squeak out of her as he nuzzled the side of her head while he hugged her tight, "So we're friends-who-does-couple-stuff-but-is-not-a-couple couple?" he summarized, sounding amused. His heart beating fast at her request.

Marinette cheeks flushed, pressing her face against his neck, "Not a couple… but yeah…" she then squirmed, "Is that… too selfish?" she gulped. This was too selfish after all, she was tying him down to her instead of letting him move on from her. She knew it. She was the worse and shouldn't even be allowed-

"You're making it more complicated than it needs to be, Marinette." Luka hummed with a grin, placing a chaste kiss on her head.

Marinette blushed, "Sorry, habit." She huffed, her breath ghosting over his collarbone.

Luka inwardly shuddered, squeezing her to him a bit more, "But yeah, that's fine with me." he smiled, brimming with contentment. Some would say 'yes', that what Marinette was asking was selfish, but Luka understood her reasoning; understood the pressure she has on her shoulders; understood just how selfless she was that she would put others before her, just to get hurt in return. If this is what would make her happy, then so be it, he didn't mind fulfilling her wishes, especially when he loves her, "What else?" he encouraged.

She blinked, not use to this. Not use to her wishes being heard and carried out.

Peering up at him with furrowed brows, Marinette frowned, confused, "'What else?'" she slowly repeated, "What about you?" she questioned, tilting her head at him, "I feel like this is too one-sided. All I'm doing is taking from you." She pouted at the unfairness of his generosity, "You should also be selfish too, not just me." It felt like she was taking advantage of him!

Luka smiled fondly at her, letting out a hum as he gently pushed a stray hair behind her ear, "I just want you to trust me and know that you can depend on me, Marinette."

Marinette pouted, ducking her head to hide her reddening cheeks, "That's not – ask for something much more!" she let out a whine, huffing, "If that's all you want, I'm beginning to feel spoiled." She had already confessed her many outrageous requests, and now she was receiving more from him?

He chuckled, "That's fine." His eyes lowered to a content gaze, "It's about time someone spoiled you. I hope you don't mind if it's me."

"I don't." she mumbled, guiltily enjoying it.

Luka leaned his head back on his pillow, his eyes closed, looking relaxed, "So what else did you want to do?" he didn't mind if they were to stay here – with Marinette in his arms, and him listening to any wishes that she could think on top of her head that she thought of, 'selfish' or not.

Marinette frowned, she didn't want Luka to be making sacrifices or doing all the work, "Then… You have to promise me." She started, getting him to gazed back at her, "Promise me that when you had enough of… me. Had enough of this relationship that I selfishly wanted, please tell me. You can end it whenever you had enough and I'll completely understand." She clutched his shirt, "Also, since I'm making so much ridiculous demands, then you'll also ask for selfish things as well - do what you want, don't hold back. Promise?" she urged, making no room to bargain otherwise.

He stared at her with an understanding smile, "I think I should change my wording." He said, making her lift her head at him with a frown, "You're not being selfish, you're the exact opposite of that." He smiled warmly, "You're just someone who should learn to embrace what she wants."

Her mouth opened, and then closed, speechless before she let out a small whine, "Luka. That's not the answer I was looking for."

He chuckled, patting her shoulder, "I promise." He nodded and then tilted his head at her, "Is that all?"

Marinette huffed, getting an amused smile out of him.

He was too good for her.

"Haven't I asked more than enough?"

"Then one more, okay?" he prompted.

Peeking up at him, a thought rolling around in her head. Well, there was one other thing that she wouldn't mind… as long as he didn't mind.

"Kiss me?" she whispered shyly.

His eyes blinked wide, looking caught off guard as he shifted to look at her properly, "Is that what you want?" he asked, smiling, making sure.

"Yes." She breathed, looking amused at his reaction.

Smile widening, he slowly leaned closer as if giving her time to back out, only for Marinette to gently lean up, closing the gap between their lips.

Both relaxed into one another, their eyes closed as they kissed.

Her fingers reached blindly into his hair while his were wrapped around her waist, bringing her closer.

The need for air made its presence known, causing them to eventually part.

It took a moment for Luka to catch his breath before he spoke, "Was that okay?" he breathed out, eyes blinking open slowly.

Their lips were barely parted from each other when Marinette pressed her lips back against his with a smile, pulling him closer than they already were as her answer.

When Marinette pulled back with a giddy smile, she couldn't help but giggle when Luka let out a sigh, giving her a dopey-looking smile and red cheeks, though it probably wasn't as worse as hers, "Yeah, more than okay." She grinned, her cheeks happily flushed, her fingers playing with the ends of his hair.

Luka placed a kiss on the temple of her cheek before giving it a nuzzle, "I love you too, Marinette." He sighed out into her skin.

Marinette's eyes widened, "too? Did I say something before?!" her heart skipping beats. She couldn't remember if she confessed or not, but she scrambled to respond, "M-Me too – Not me as in I love myself too, but you!" she buried her face against his shoulder a groan before giving it another go, "I mean I love you too." She mumbled, squeezing him as her heart raced.

Luka nudged her with his nose enough that she turned her face up, pressing another kiss to her cheek with a dopey grin, "Do you want to continue our date? It still early." He pointed out. It was still early afternoon, plenty of time to go out.

She blinked, her mind processing what he said before breaking out into a wide grin, "Yeah!" She whispered excitedly, a happy flush staining her cheeks.

He let out a happy sigh, "My unofficial-official girlfriend." He giggled.

Marinette let out an amused huff, laying her cheek against his chest, "One day, we'll take out the 'unofficial' bit." She muttered determinedly, still grinning.

He beamed, "Looking forward to that." He mumbled before pushing them both up from his bed, an arm around her waist so that she wouldn't fall.

Remembering that she had been laying on top of him this whole time, she warmed, but didn't say anything.

She liked being in his arms.

From the corner of his eyes, he noticed a little pink box tumbled out of Marinette's opened purse, "You dropped something." He pointed out.

Blinking, she turned her head to see his gift, "Oh, that was for – for you." She cleared her throat and tried again, "That's for you." She grabbed the little pink box, staring at it for a thoughtful moment before presenting it to him, "I – uh, may have gotten a bit excited for our date and made you this." She smiled sheepishly. She hadn't planned on going through with gifting it to him after the akuma incident, but seeing how things had ended up, maybe it wasn't so bad to have something remind him of today.

He looked surprised, "You didn't have to." He said, though accepting it with an excited smile.

Marinette shook her head with a smile, "I wanted to." She said as she watched Luka open the box.

He stared in awe at the guitar pick necklace, admiring how it reminded him of them, her signature flower pattern with musical notes tastefully surrounding it, "I love it." He grinned, carefully taking it out of the box and putting it on.

She beamed at his reaction before pushing herself up from his bed to stand before him, offering her hand, "Now that's everything sorted, let's continue our date!" she grinned brightly.

Luka stared warmly at her before placing his hand in hers, his heart softening at the sight of her smile.

Coming back home at night, after walking Marinette back home (and parting with a kiss – on the lips instead of his cheek - something he didn't think he would ever get tired of); Luka entered his room while humming a new song, a wide smitten smile on his face that never once dropped since.

He was thrumming with a new song in his head that he couldn't wait to start playing.

Finding his acoustic guitar, he was already strumming some notes before he even settled on his bed, too inspired to even let a second waste by as he played his and Marinette's song – their song.

He played their song, played about Marinette - her trust in him, their resumed date, her lips-

Luka accidentally plucked a string a bit too hard as his cheeks flushed at the memories.

Marinette's lips were so soft.

Staring wide eye with his flushed cheeks, Luka ducked over his guitar, trying to collect himself for a moment. He used a few of his breathing exercises to calm his heart which helped.

"Okay, let's try this again." He murmured to himself, straightening back up. Taking one more deep breath, he slowly let it out as closed his eyes, continuing the featherlight-like notes he was strumming, finding himself immersed in their song.

He played out a verse, too enraptured in it that he didn't even notice Juleka come in until she spoke.

"That's pretty." She mumbled, "A new song?"

Luka slowly opened his eyes, his fingers strumming to a stop, "Thanks." He smiled warmly, letting out a content sigh as he answered her question, "Yeah, I'm working on it."

Staring at her brother, Juleka fidgeted with a familiar blue notepad in her hands, "I'm guessing you had fun at the movies." she awkwardly said, eyes averted. She knew who he had gone out with. He told her when he left this morning while she had been preparing to leave for Rose's.

Luka looked up from his guitar to stare at his sister in front of him, "It got interrupted by an akuma."

Juleka looked up with a worried frown, "Were you guys, okay?" she asked, her hold on the notepad stilled.

"Yeah." he nodded, "We continued once it was safe." Luka hummed, smiling as he stared down at his guitar.

"O-Oh, that's…" Juleka looked down as she began to mumble, "-good. That's good." She nodded to herself, "I'm glad you guys had fun."

Luka tilted his head at her, he could feel that there was something that she wanted to say, "Did you have fun at Rose's?" he smiled gently at her, "You said you were writing new songs. Any progress?"

Juleka flinched, grasping onto the notepad in her hands, "Y-Yeah." she fidgeted before clumsily thrusting their lyric pad for him to take, "We – uh, just need to work out the melody and then we could hold rehearsal."

Luka reached out and took it, skimming the lyrics as he flipped through page after page. He could see they had worked hard from the many times some words were rubbed or crossed out, and that their notepad was almost filled out with songs.

Though he did notice that some pages had been ripped out occasionally.

While Luka went through their songs, Juleka rubbed her arm, "Rose came up with a lot… enough for an album…" she began hinting.

He looked up at that, patiently waiting for Juleka to gather her courage.

Juleak swallowed, "Do… Do you think if we held another band rehearsal, Marinette would come?" she began darting her eyes around the room, beginning to fidget more, "We uh, need her to design a cover for the album and it might take a while for her to get a feel for the design… so she might need to hang with the band for a couple of days…" she bit her lip at how obvious she was being, "We don't need a cover right away… just let her get a feel of it… and if she can't think of anything…" she turned her head away from him, "then that's fine. The- uh, cover isn't urgent." She then took a deep breath.

He gently smiled at their attempt as he looked back down to finish flipping through the pages, "Well, she's still part of Kitty Section." He softly reminded, almost nearing the end of the notepad. Rose was really on fire, getting out these lyrics about unicorns, cats, puppies, rainbows… "She's our designer… well costume designer." He fixed, "We never kicked her out and she never quit, just…"

"I know I haven't been attending Kitty Section's practice, but is it okay if I… not attend the next one? I'll still design your costumes and covers of course!" Marinette quickly assured him, "But I just need a little more time." She timidly smiled.

"-taking a break." He explained before blinking at the last page with lyrics. It was obvious incomplete, and the words were crossed out one too many times for him to make out what it had once said. He looked up with a questioning brow.

Peering at what page he was looking at, Juleka leaned back, looking awkward, "We… Rose and I, uh, we started on an apology song for Marinette, but…" she fidgeted with her hair, "we decided not to in the end." They had kept deciding between writing the apology or not, even ripping out their many attempts, wondering if they should, "Marinette had said that she wanted to move on… and to write a song, reminding all the things we did wrong, I don't think that would be a good idea." They had agonized over it before ultimately deciding against it.

They didn't want to bring up bad memories for Marinette anymore.

Luka gazed at the notepad once more with understanding, "I see."

Juleka took a deep breath, "If you have the time… can you help me with the melody? I- We want to get back to rehearsals… It's been a while." She mumbled.

He smiled softly, "Sure." He nodded.

She let out a relieved sigh, with Luka helping, they'll be able to finish faster. Though there was just one last obstacle they had yet to think about. Glancing at him, Juleka bit the inside of her cheek, "You and Marinette are on good terms, right?" as soon as she said it, she cringed at her question. Of course they were on good terms, they had hung out today.

Luka folded the arm with the notepad on his guitar and leaned his chin on it while the other cradled his head. He couldn't help but break out into a dopey smile with flustered cheeks. He was definitely sure he and Marinette were more than on good terms, but he squeezed his eyes shut, inwardly shaking his head. This wasn't the time to reminisce fond memories that just happened hours ago. He needed to focus for his sister. He cleared his throat, "I like to think we are." He mumbled.

Fortunately for him, Juleka didn't noticed his unusual behavior, too distracted with her thoughts, "Do you think… you could invite Marinette?" she timidly asked. Marinette had said they could still hang out when she had the time and they could talk and so far, she had kept up with her promise.

She didn't ignore them when they greeted her. Though when they wanted to invite her for lunch, she had been busy and when she came back, she had spent the rest of lunch with Aurore, something they couldn't help but notice.

It wasn't like Marinette was outright avoiding them or purposely ignoring them, it was just…

Marinette was civilized with them which they should be grateful for.

It was better than nothing though.

"I could." Luka lowered his hand to his other under his chin, giving her a tilt of his head, "But is that what you want?" he gently asked, "Wouldn't it be better coming from you guys?" although his sister had told him what had happened, he thought it might be best if they had tried first.

Juleka pursed her lips, "If… If you ask, I think Marinette would feel more comfortable to say… no if she wanted. She might feel uncomfortable rejecting the invitation from… us." She solemnly lowered her gaze to the floor. Though there are some conflictions into inviting her. If they were to invite her to band practice, would Marinette feel obligated to attend?

They didn't want that… Even though it was bit underhanded of them to write songs enough for an album just to have Marinette hang out with them by getting her to design a cover... It was also their best and safe excuse to hang out.

"And we don't want her to think that we're inviting her just so she could design something for us." While that was their excuse to hang out with her, maybe Luka could explain it better for them.

(She was also scared to get a direct rejection.)

Luka's eyes softened, eyes trailing off, "I understand." He knew they were making an effort and he didn't mind inviting Marinette to practice, but the choice was Marinette's and he wouldn't change her mind even if she were to say no, "And if Marinette says no, then it's okay," he glanced at Juleka, making sure that she understood, "right?"

Juleka nodded, "Yeah." She swallowed, hoping she didn't look dejected at the possible outcome.

It was Marinette's choice.

They wouldn't force her or make decisions for her.

They needed to listen instead of ignoring what she wanted.

Something they had failed to do many times in the past.

Humming happily for a Monday morning, Marinette sent a quick reply to Luka's morning text before placing her phone away to focus on the lights in front of her.

It was such a nice start to the day!

Luka's morning text

Clear skies

A nice breeze

Birds chirping

And around her neck was a copy of the guitar pick necklace that she had gifted to Luka. She thought it be nice if they could match… like a couple.

At the thought, Marinette's cheeks flushed.

They were a couple!

Well… They were an unofficial-official couple.

She was happy that they were mostly a 'couple', though she couldn't help but feel conflicted and guilty at her decision.

She knew that being Ladybug and having a boyfriend wasn't ideal and that she should have let Luka go – to let him move on without her holding him back, even if both their hearts would break in the process, she should have let him go for his sake.

But her heart wanted Luka, no matter how much she had thought it through, she wants to be with him.

She had been surprised that Luka had agreed with her wish (a very selfish wish), even encouraging her to ask for more. And she hoped he wasn't agreeing for her sake, but she knew that wasn't the case.

Luka has always been honest with his feelings for her, but never forcing them on her, even when she had been crushing on someone else.

In fact, he had even supported her.

Though, she hoped that now they were going out, he would be more selfish with his feelings just like she was like yesterday.

Yesterday…

It had simply been just… magical with their resumed date yesterday. Watching Crocodile Heart with their replaced popcorn and drinks, going for a stroll afterwards while holding hands, getting dinner, then ice-cream and then him walking her home.

It had been a wonderful date, especially at the end.

Marinette could feel her face warm at the memory.

It was a while before they had parted at her doorstep, her arms wrapped loosely around his shoulders while his around her waist, their lips exchanging slow kisses under the starry night sky.

Kissing

Kissing him on the lips was a thing now.

She slowed to a stop just at the bottom of the school's stairs, lifting her hands to cover her burning cheeks in hopes of cooling them down, though she couldn't contain the giddy giggle that left her lips.

She must look strange to the others walking by.

She didn't mind as much, though she might faint if she didn't calm down her speeding heart, but she couldn't help it.

As Marinette tried to contain the smitten smile on her face, she didn't hear a car door slammed shut behind her and someone walking towards her with an amused smile.

"You're radiating so brightly. Looks like 'going to the movies' went well, I presume."

Marinette let out a startled squeak, whipping around to the speaker with flushed cheeks, "Aurore!" she greeted, a wide smile then breaking out when she registered what she said, "Yeah!" she nodded, "There was an akuma that interrupted us." She pouted, "But the rest was…" she let out a lovestruck sigh with her hands clasped over her heart, her eyes glazed, smile smitten once more.

Aurore covered her giggle with her hand before linking her arms with her, softly tugging her towards the stairs and out of her reverie, "If you want, you could tell me all about it." She grinned, "Did you end up asking him out as a friend, or as a date?" she curiously asked.

Coming back to reality at that, Marinette lightly scratched the side of her cheek, "Well, both." She chuckled with furrowed brows.

Aurore raised a brow.

Settling on the bench near the locker room, after telling Aurore the supposedly double date with Kagami and Adrien, Marinette began retelling what had happened yesterday (aside from the superhero talk).

Smiling, Aurore clapped her hands together, "So does this mean Luka's your boyfriend?" she cheered happily.

Marinette shrunk a bit at that with a nervous grin, "Well, about that…" she let out a nervous laugh, "We're an unofficial-official couple."

Aurore blinked, before furrowing her brows, trying to make sense of it, "Uh…"

"Well…" Marinette looked down, drumming her fingers on her knees, "I've realized that with the… many things going on in my life and how much… responsibilities I have, I don't really have time for a relationship since I'm always running left and right." She softly frowned, "Yesterday when an akuma appeared, it really hit me that asking Luka to be in a relationship with me when I barely have the time wouldn't be fair to him, so I tried to let him go… I should have – I was so close..." Her eyes softened, "But I didn't want to and Luka…" she smiled warmly, leaning forward on her hands, "Luka told me to say the things that I want, that he'll be there for me when I'm ready." She breathed out slowly, "He listened to my selfish wishes." She bit her smiling lips, though she snapped out of it as she glanced at the girl beside her and then at the ground, preparing herself to hear the judgmental tone of such a selfish relationship.

"So, you're practically dating, but once you're ready, you'll guys be an official couple?" Aurore carefully asked.

Marinette soundlessly nodded as she pursed her lips. Any second now and the judgment will come.

However, Aurore surprised her with her answer.

"I think I understand." She hummed, leaning back on the bench, "It's hard maintaining relationships when you have a demanding job, I would imagine it even harder to maintain a boyfriend." Though she knew that Marinette didn't have a job like her, she wouldn't dismiss that Marinette's life wasn't busy. She knew she had her designs and commissions to keep her busy, and she knows she helps out with her family's bakery, and there were probably some other stuff that kept her busy that she didn't know about. She also heard that she was one of the class presidents.

Not only that, even before becoming friends, she would occasionally notice Marinette running around, always looking like she was late to something.

Aurore was sure she had other commitments than she let on.

Marinette looked at her in surprise, she would have thought there would be some disappointment and judgement at what she was doing to Luka.

But Aurore turned to look at her with a soft smile, "When you have such a busy life, it gets a bit hard to keep up all your relationships right?" she stated, getting a stunned nod from her friend, "I'm working most of the time and most of my spare time are filled with side projects that will boost my career for my future, so trying to find time to hang out with friends can be quite a storm at times." She smiled sympathetically, "Sometimes I can't handle such a storm and the others understand that I'm busy, but I can see that they also get tired of it." She felt Marinette placed a comforting hand on hers and she turned hers around to clasp their hands together, grateful. She looked up with a grin, "So I'm glad Luka understands this, and I hope you two will be able to work this out." She smiled supportingly.

Marinette smiled softly at her, "Thank you, Aurore." She leaned their heads together, giving her hand a comforting squeeze, "And I'm glad that we're friends." She grinned, grateful that she reached out her friendship to her, and she was glad that she accepted.

Aurore hummed with a smile, "Even if we can't hang out like normal?" she asked, though underneath her smile, she felt slightly uneasy, hoping Marinette didn't mind a friend who can't be there all the time.

The holder of the Ladybug Miraculous lowered her eyes with a chuckle, "I've come to accept that 'normal' isn't in my future, but yeah." She stared up at the bright sky with a hopeful smile, "We're still friends even if we can't hang out all the time."

The blonde relaxed when she heard that. She has friends from class, yes, but they weren't as close. She has work friends, but she rarely saw them, and they were usually older than her. The only one that she was really close to and can call as a friend was Mireille, but that's because they were in the same class and usually paired up for projects that it was better to just be friends (plus it made working more enjoyable). Marinette was probably one of the few friends that she reached out to where their relationship had been working out well.

Something she hope would last as long as possible.

Marinette let out a relaxed sigh before slowly straightening, turning to face her with a smile, "Enough about me, you said you were busy this whole week, how have you been? Are you taking care of yourself?"

Aurore chuckled, "It certainly was busy, but it's worth it." She then let out an excited smile, "There's a perfume commercial that I'm starring in." she beamed, "And if I continue with all these projects with my name out there, one day I'll have my own perfume – well, it's not set in stone, but that's just another goal I can work towards."

Marinette happily gasped, clapping her hands together, "That's amazing news!" she grinned, happy for her friend, "I'm sure if it's you, you can achieve it!"

Aurore smirked confidently with a nod before slipping into a daydream at her possible future. Clasping her hands under her chin, she began to fantasize about her very own perfume one day, "I wonder how it'll turn out? Should I go for a vintage looking bottle or a modern one? What shape should it be? Should it have a tag? The colour should definitely be blue- or maybe even yellow!"

As Aurore continued to picture her future perfume, Marinette wordlessly took out her sketchpad with a smile, sketching out ideas after ideas as she listened, as well as jolting down some notes that she'll come back to.

Both content with the one-sided conversation with Marinette pitching some ideas and Aurore cheerfully taking account of it.

Arriving to school, Adrien's mind was still distracted since Saturday afternoon and he was even more distracted by the news yesterday.

His Lady had been in the middle of a date… so her confession must have been successful.

Which of course it had to have been successful. It was Ladybug after all! Who would be a fool to ever turn down such an amazing person?

Adrien forlornly sighed.

It wasn't like he had been gunning for the confession to fail, he was just…

He wished it had been him that Ladybug fell for.

Well, she did fall for him at one point when they faced Oblivio, so maybe if he keeps holding onto hope, perhaps Ladybug will love him someday like the way he loves her?

It had happened once, it can happen again. She was the girl of his dream; they were meant for each other. His Lady was the only one who doesn't see it.

He solemnly smiled at his hopefulness.

He needed to accept that his Lady had confessed to the boy she likes.

But it hurts.

It hurts because he loves her too much to let her go.

Shaking the thoughts away, Adrien walked through the entrance of the school, trying to see if Nino was here yet. He could see his other friends amidst the students in the courtyard, though no sign of his best friend.

However, as he scanned the crowd more carefully, his eyes landed on Marinette sitting on the bench with Aurore.

He found himself hesitating.

The girls looked like they were having fun discussing whatever they were doing as they hovered over Marinette's sketchpad.

He didn't know how long he was standing there, staring, but he flinched when Marinette looked up, her head looking around before they landed on him.

He held his breath as she smiled, giving him a small wave.

Having been spotted, he headed over to them with an awkward smile, "Hey. Marinette!" he waved, inwardly cringing at his greeting, "Hey, hi!" he pulled back his hand at his second attempt, trying to quickly compose himself, "Hi Aurore." He said more easier than with Marinette.

"Hey there." She looked amused, though there was a pensive look in her eyes.

Marinette though, looked confused, though she simply smiled, "Hi Adrien, what's up?" she asked as he stood in front of them.

"Oh, uh, nothing." He rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish smile, "I – uh, just wanted to thank you for…" he hesitated. It felt wrong to thank Marinette, who had a crush on him this whole time, for cheering him up about his Lady's rejection.

It felt like he was taking her for granted.

But as he looked at Marinette's soft eyes and welcoming smile, he found himself relaxing, "… Just, uh… thanks for inviting the others and I to the amusement park, that was fun." He said, genuinely with a grin. It had been nice hanging out with friends, though he hoped that they all could've stayed together instead of separating halfway through.

Marinette's smile grew, glad that he wasn't looking sad like on Friday, "It's fine, I'm glad you enjoyed it. We should do that again the next time you're free." She then turned to Aurore with a grin, "And you're welcome to join when you have the time. I could arrange something else if you still want to hang out but only have a little time to spare."

Aurore smiled fondly at her consideration, "Thanks, Marinette. I'd like that. I'll keep you updated about my schedule." She said.

Getting swept up with the flow, Adrien offered his suggestion, "Maybe we could-" his smile froze, quickly snapping it shut and waving off what he was about to suggest, glad that he was able to stop himself from inviting Nino and the others to join them. That would've been awkward and he didn't want to put Marinette through that, "Never mind. I'll try to find time to hang out again." He chuckled nervously, "Well, I should go, I have something to grab from my locker."

Marinette nodded, her and Aurore waving at him as he entered the empty locker room.

"What was that?" Plagg questioned as he flew out in the open space.

"What was what?" Adrien mumbled as he opened his locker door and reaching for one of his textbooks for class.

Plagg narrowed his eyes at him before forcing on a Cheshire grin, "Well, well, Casanova. Got yourself a new contender?" he teased, though inwardly, he was sweating at this development.

Adrien tilted his head at him with furrowed brows, "No. No way. What are you talking about?"

"Marinette." Plagg stated with his flippers behind his head, floating in a relaxed position, "You never had this much trouble talking to her." He pointed out.

Adrien shook his head, "Me? Going after Marinette? No! She's just a friend-"

"I like you Adrien," Marinette whispered, but it was loud enough for him to hear, "as more than a friend." She smiled softly, her eyes gentle and patient.

He felt his cheeks burn at the memory, averting his gaze away from his kwami, though Plagg was staring at him with narrowed eyes.

"Marinette's just a friend…" he mumbled with a frown before shaking his head and firmly facing Plagg, "Besides, Ladybug's the only one I love. But..." he faltered as memories of Ladybug revealing that she was going to ask out the boy she loves and her having been on a date with said boy yesterday caused a sad frown to appear on his face.

Plagg straighten up, nonchalantly shrugging, "Ladybug doesn't love you," he bluntly reminded, "and Marinette has moved on," he added, "so isn't it about time you focus on Kagami?" he encouraged, "I don't know a thing about human girls, but you like her and she likes you, right?"

Adrien reluctantly nodded with a frown, "I guess." He does like Kagami, he really does, and Kagami likes him as well – being very upfront with her feelings about it.

Plagg nodded, "Great, and if things don't work out then why bother yourself with ladies when you could be enjoying Camembert?" he grinned, pulling said smelly cheese out of nowhere and swallowing it whole.

Adrien huffed out an amused sigh, shaking his head as he closed his locker door though in his head, he was agonizing over letting Ladybug go.

He knows that he said that'll he changes target since his technique wasn't working, but how can he even move on from his Lady when he's been in love with her for so long?

He didn't want to let his Lady go, he loves her too much to do so.

While Adrien wallowed in his reluctance to let his love go, he blinked at the rising whispers from outside.

"Looks like something exciting just happened." Plagg grinned, quickly flying into Adrien's bag, "Let's see what the cat dragged in."

Aurore marvelled at the bottle designs that Marinette showed her, excitedly discussing about the designs while getting Marinette's input on the matter.

"This sleek and slender one has such an elegant look, but it feels like it's missing something." Marinette murmured as she tapped her pen to her chin.

Aurore agreed and then pointed to another design on the page "I also like this one, but maybe not the crystal look." She made a thoughtful look, "Even though it looks pretty on paper, I don't think I'll like it as much in real life." she sheepishly smiled. It had been one of her many ideas that she threw out there as she imagined her perfume bottle.

Marinette chuckled making a note of it next to the design, "We can work with this. Which parts did you…" she trailed off when whispers around them suddenly began picking up. Both her and Aurore looked up, wondering what the sudden commotion was about.

"Hey, hey. Look who came-"

"I can't believe she's allowed back-"

"Who's that behind her?"

"Do you think it's a new student,"

"She looks kinda old… maybe it's-?"

Everyone was whispering to each other, glancing at the entrance as they watched the pair enter.

Lila Rossi was back and walking behind her was an older looking girl dressed neatly in a black suit with her hazel hair pulled back in a bun.

Though the liar had her head down, looking sad, Marinette tensed, subconsciously gripping onto her sketchpad as she subtly glanced around for any akumas.

It felt like it has been a while since she last seen Lila, though in truth, the girl had only been absent on Friday. However, with Lila looking like that, Marinette didn't know if during the time she's been away from school, the liar had truly had reflected on her actions or if this was just another act.

Though she highly doubted it was the former. (Lila would never regret what she had done, only angered that her lies had been exposed.)

Aurore carefully observed Lila and her… new friend. While Lila may look remorseful, she wouldn't put it past her to put on another act… especially how angry she had stormed off, and the violent glare she threw at them on Thursday, "I guess that's Lila's punishment." She noted in a whisper to her friend.

Marinette glanced away from the sky and back to the pair, watching as they headed up towards the classroom just as the bell rang, "I guess so." She mumbled, closing her sketchpad and putting it away.

All eyes were curiously following Lila and the older girl as they whispered some theories about her.

Sighing, Aurore leaned her head against Marinette's, "Prepare your umbrellas, folks, I have a feeling this is just another calm before the storm."

Marinette glanced at her, slightly amused but understanding, "Probably." She sighed out.

"Um… Are you…" Miss Bustier awkwardly inquired to the newcomer while the rest of the class settled in their seats, staring curiously at the older girl who seemed to be associated with Lila.

The older girl nodded, "Yes. My name is Alessia Raymond." She introduced with a strait-laced expression, standing even straighter if that was possible, "Though this is just a trial run, my job is to provide any verifications that Lila Rossi may claim. If Lila Rossi is to make an excuse or give you a note from her mother, I will testify whether the excuses are authentic or not." She explained, "I will also be monitoring Lila Rossi's actions and will be making sure she gives the proper apologies to those she has caused damages to in the past."

"O-Oh, yes. I heard." Miss Bustier awkwardly smiled. She had been shocked to hear that one of her students had been lying to them this entire time, but she had thought positive. If they were to show a good example for Lila and treat her with lots of love, then she believes she'll change for the better. However, getting called in for an impromptu teachers' meeting in the morning by Damocles, she was speechless by the news about Lila's new situation.

Alessia then turned to the class, "For those who wishes to contact Lila Rossi," she pulled out a phone with a cracked screen from her inner pocket and showed it to the class, "all messages and calls will be dealt with through me and monitored by me." She informed, ignoring someone's comment on why would they even want to contact her.

"So the liar got a Probation Officer?" someone made an offhand comment.

"Is this her mom's punishment?"

"Pfft, how utterly fitting for a criminal." Chloé sneered with her chin resting on her laced fingers.

"Settle down, students." Miss Bustier tried to cease the whispers in the class with a frown before turning to Alessia. She cleared her throat, "Miss Raymond, how long will you be…" she trailed off, not sure what to say exactly.

Knowing what the woman wanted to ask, Alessia supplied an answer for her, "It will be indefinite." She stated, "I will do my best not to interfere with your class."

"O-Oh, I see." Miss Busiter nodded, "Well, please take a seat at the empty desk at the back… and Lila, if you could be so kind as to move there as well." She awkwardly requested, thinking it'll be best for the two to be together.

Lila wordlessly got up while all eyes watched her; her head hung as she walked to the other side of the room with her bag clutched tightly in her hands. Soon, Alessia joined her, quietly settling down beside her.

Clearing her throat, Miss Bustier demanded the class's attention, "Okay, class. Let's get straight to our lesson for today."

When the bell signal for the start of lunch, Miss Bustier ended the lesson, awkwardly leaving the class with the situation.

If the situation were to get out of hand, she hoped her fellow adult will have it under control.

Marinette was slowly putting her things in her bag, taking her time. She wasn't sure if she should stay and see what Lila's next move was, or if she should go and transform, standing on standby in case things get out of control and an akuma appears.

However, her choice was soon decided as Lila and Alessia walked past her and stood at the front of the room.

Everyone grew curious, wondering what Lila was going to do.

"Hey… everyone." Lila put on a weak smile, looking demure as she clutched onto the strap of her bag with both her hands.

The class all looked.

Some stared with a bored look, some suspicious and others stared with a frown.

Getting everyone's attention, Lila let out a shuddering sigh, "I… I just want to apologize for what I did." She bowed her head with a mournful frown, "I know what I did was wrong and that I shouldn't have lied to you at all." She hunched her shoulders, "I'm sorry." She gave out a little sniff, lifting her head up and revealing a regretful expression, "I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me." She stared with a pleading look, "Start all over again this time without the lies."

The others glanced at each other, shifting uncomfortably.

However, it was Alix who broke the silence.

"Yeah right, how do we know this isn't another one of your acts?" she pointed out with a scowl, resting her cheek comfortably on her palm.

When Alix pointed that out, the others soon followed.

"Yeah!" Kim pushed himself up, pointing a finger at her, "We're not falling for that again!"

Alya curled her fists, shooting up, "You think we could just forgive you after what you did?" her eyes glanced at Marinette before squeezing her eyes shut in guilt as memories of Marinette rejecting them flash through her head, "No way!"

Adrien shifted uncomfortable in his seat as everyone was getting angry by the second. He wanted to calm them down, yet he didn't think his input would help, 'Guys let's calm down and listen to what Lila has to say. I'm sure she has reflected what she's done and regrets it.'? Yeah, that would probably make things worse and from what Lila has done, he doubts she truly reflected. He glanced over his shoulder to see how Marinette was handling it, only to see a blank stare on her face.

From her seat, Chloé looked entertained, "Once a liar, always a liar." She snickered, adding fuel to the fire.

Lila flinched, "I-I'm not! It's the truth this time!" she cried, taking a step back with a hurt look, "I…" she looked around to see the distrustful look aimed at her and she covered her face with her hands, letting out a sob as she ran out, "I'm sorry!"

Alessia following after her.

"Hmph, good riddance." Chloé stood up and flicked her hair behind her shoulder, "Come, Sabrina." She ordered, heading out for lunch as Sabrina followed after with their bags, unaffected by the apology.

However, the same could not be said for the others as they felt bad for what just happened. Of course, they were angry at what Lila had done, but seeing her like that made them feel ashamed for causing her to cry… it does look like that she reflected on her actions.

When someone stood up, they saw Marinette shouldering her bag before leaving.

"Marinette-!" Alya impulsively called out, a hand reached out to her as if it could stop her.

Reaching the door, Marinette paused and looked towards her, "Yes?" she asked.

Alya twitched, pulling her hand back, "Oh, uh…" she rubbed the back of her head, "Do you want to… Are you free for…" she bit the inside of her cheek before staring at Marinette and the patient look in her eyes. Seeing that, she reluctantly settled on a different question, "What do you think about Lila's…" she awkwardly trailed off with a question she didn't need.

She didn't know what else to say.

Marinette stared at her, glancing at the others before returning her sights on her, "I don't know. Whether you choose to forgive her or not, is up to you." She advised before leaving.

"R-right." Alya sighed out even though she was gone. That wasn't the question she wanted to ask. Was it too soon to ask her to out for lunch or would she reject the invite? She notices she's been spending lunch with Aurore and she wasn't sure if they could join them or not. It would just be awkward and uncomfortable if they joined but were unwanted.

She felt Nino placed a hand on her hers.

"Let's just give her some space. Things will get better." Nino comforted as Alya hesitantly nodded.

From besides Nino, Adrien was feeling somewhat guilty that while the others wanted to get closer to Marinette once more, he was still friends with her.

Lila pushed open the locker room, running to a corner and crouching down to the ground as she sobbed in her hands.

Alessia awkwardly stood behind with a few steps away. The way the class had responded was… ouch.

"They hate me." Lila sobbed, "This is the worse! Nobody would forgive after what I've done and why should they?!" she cried out, "I did so many awful things, of course they won't forgive me." She sniffled, "And this is all so humiliating." She whimpered, "I know you're just doing your job, but you following me everywhere… everyone will talk about this forever!" she whimpered, sobbing.

Alessia shifted uncomfortably as her ward cried in a corner, looking so… pitiful. She could understand why she was upset. She was pretty much treated like a criminal; her school life was pretty much ruined and with her job that she was appointed for…

Though she was only 21 years old, fresh out from training and quite young to be handling such a job, albeit a strange request, she had enthusiastically accepted it, especially since she was specifically chosen for the job. It was her chance to prove herself that she deserves this job despite how less experienced she was than her seniors!

But arriving at the Rossi's residence this morning and listening to Mrs Rossi listing of what Lila was to do and what her job entitle: to monitor and follow her daughter everywhere, bring her back straight home, if she had homework or assignments, then she was allowed to use her laptop for a set time but otherwise, no electronic devices. And then finally, reporting to Mrs Rossi when she came home and then leave for the day.

While all that was being explained to her, Lila had stood there so quiet, looking sad.

Alessia thought this would be a simple job, but looking at the girl now, she felt that maybe this was a bit… excessive.

The pitiful girl was facing so much humiliation and after this, she would have to go back in and face them, face all of them. With the apology having been rejected, she wasn't sure if the other three particular apologies that Lila needed to make would even be accepted if that was the class's response.

She couldn't help but feel that this was too much of a punishment for a kid… Lila was already suffering enough as it is and Alessia caved.

She slowly kneeled down beside the crying girl and carefully placed a hand on her shoulder, "I know that this won't help much, but maybe… the others don't need to know about me being your… Probation Officer?" she inwardly swallowed.

Lila looked up with a wobbly frown, looking miserable, "What do you mean?" she let out a weak voice.

Alessia felt uneasy, this was going against her client's wishes, but Lila was just a child. She had seen the video and been informed of her actions, but… Maybe she grabbed the akuma out of stress? And all the lies… there were all sorts of middle schoolers who wanted to set a certain image for their school life and Lila just went about it wrong?

"Your class knows but maybe…" she took a deep breath and continued, "I… won't correct you if the others ask why I'm here with you?" she gave her an awkward smile.

Lila's eyes widened, her mouth agape, "You… You would do that for me?" she whispered in awe.

Alessia straightened up, rubbing the back of her nape, "Well, I can't go against your mother's wishes, but maybe just this little bit since it won't really affect my job…"

Lila let out a wide grateful smile, "That's so generous of you, Alessia!" she beamed and then made a thoughtful look, "Can I call you Ally?" she shyly asked, averting her eyes with a sad look, "Everyone hates me, and I feel really alone now, I don't have anyone but you…" she then made her whole demeanor droop, "I wished I never lied in the first place." She meekly sighed.

Alessia felt sorry for her and closed her eyes, "Sure." She allowed, nodding at the pitiful girl's request.

She grinned brightly at her, her smile so innocent.

Lila let out a sniff, bringing her hands to cover her mouth out of awe, "I'm so glad to have you on my side." So very glad.

Hiding behind her hands, was a wicked smirk.

What a fool.

When they exited the locker room, Alessia can already see kids glancing and pointing at Lila, surely whispering about her and it really just shows to her that putting a Probation Officer with her was just too much of a punishment for a kid.

One nosy kid approached them and then some followed, too curious for their own good.

"So, Lila, who's this with you?" they fidgeted, glancing at her.

Alessia could see some trying to inch closer, trying to get the latest gossip. She then gazed at Lila, wondering what she would do.

Lila plastered on a shy and modest smile, "Well, everyone, I would like to introduce my bodyguard, Alessia Raymond." She gestured her hand towards her, "She's been assigned to protect me and my emotional well-being since… well you know?" she laughed quietly, "My rare disease made me say such things that I can't control, and Aurore spilled such a thing on live TV." She looked down, clasping her hands together, looking embarrassed, "So Alessia here is going to protect me, make sure my disease doesn't get worked up again."

"Whoa." One of the kids said before turning to Alessia, "Is that true?" they asked in awe.

Alessia crossed her hazel eyes shut, "That's part of the reason as to why I'm here." She said. It wasn't exactly a lie.

Lila quickly stepped in, "I would have to ask of you not to ask any further questions about Ally's job." She placed a finger in front of her lips, giving them a wink, "It's top secret." She whispered.

All the kids' eyes sparkled in awe, "Don't worry, we won't!"

"And don't mind Aurore. I think she means good when she wanted you to be on the show, but yeah, she should have asked if she could say those things on TV."

Lila's smile turned tight, "Yeah. But because of her, my disease is finally getting the help that it needs." She gritted out.

As the students sympathize with Lila, Alessia couldn't help but notice just how easy it was for the girl to charm the others.

She hopes, for the sake of her job, Alessia didn't make a mistake.

But a sinking feeling settled in her stomach.

"Rumor has it is that Lila has a bodyguard." Aurore filled in once she met Marinette waiting outside her class at the end of the day.

Marinette blinked, raising a brow at that.

Aurore shrugged, walking with Marinette towards the stairs, "My classmates were talking about it, said that Lila's mental well-being was being protected, but I'm guessing it's all a lie."

"Well…" Marinette hummed, "She's actually a Probation Officer, monitoring and verifying Lila's claims." She clarified. Hearing the new rumor, it seems Lila was still up to her old tricks if she were able to get away with calling Miss Raymond a bodyguard.

Guess she'll has to keep her guard up.

She inwardly sighed.

Aurore had the same thoughts as she shook her head, unimpressed with the liar, "Looks like Alessia Raymond fell for her lies as well." She frowned. Overhearing her classmate recount their lunch and even having some come up to her afterwards, giving her a light advice to maybe ask permission to talk about a person on TV first before doing so. Though, she had been quick to shut them up with a civilized smile, pointing out that the news was already made public, both on media and the school, prior before the interview.

She was also glad that Mireille had happen to been there and supported her, further shutting the light reprimanding down.

"Do you think we should warn Miss Raymond how she's being manipulated?" Marinette looked thoughtful, though she felt hesitant.

"I don't think so in this case." Aurore hummed, garnering Marinette's attention, "From what I heard, Lila introduced Miss Raymond, which means she was there when she said it and didn't correct her." She lifted a finger, making her point, "If she didn't say anything, then Miss Raymond is on Lila's side, and us telling her wouldn't dwell well since Lila is pulling out all the tricks." She then let out a sigh, "And as harsh as this sounds, Miss Raymond needs to experience it firsthand or get a reality check."

Marinette frowned, yet couldn't rebut anything her friend said. It was true, Miss Raymond needed to realize it herself, otherwise it'll be just like Principal Damocles and Miss Bustier again, "So we just need to wait for the storm." She sagged.

Aurore gave her a small smile, snapping her fingers and pointing at her with one, "Exactly."

Marinette smiled weakly at her inaction, but as long as Miss Raymond was keeping Lila in check then she'll guess things would be fine.

She just hopes things won't get too bad like hers.

Marinette sighed before shrugging the thoughts off, having accepted that moving on completely from her tormentors wasn't attainable, but hey, if she could last with Chloé for 4 years, then she guess she could survive the rest of the year with Lila.

As they walked out of school, Marinette's eyes sparkled when she saw who was at the bottom of the steps, her mood instantly brightening up.

"Luka!" Marinette beamed, happily running towards him.

Seeing her perk up at the sight of him squeezed Luka's heart as he caught Marinette when she leapt at him once she was near, "Hey there." He chuckled, giving her waist a small squeeze.

Marinette pulled back with a wide smile, "Hey." She giggled, her cheeks slightly flushed, trying to contain her enthusiasm. When her eyes trailed to his neck, she couldn't help the soft blissful smile that broke out on her lips. He was wearing the necklace, "You're still wearing it." She commented softly.

Luka chuckled, pulling her closer, "Of course, you made it after all." He smiled fondly at her, before noticing the chord around her neck. His eyes trailed along it before he could think, settling on the matching guitar pick resting between her collar bones.

Marinette flushed when she caught him staring, fidgeting with the hem of his hoodie jacket, "I thought it would be nice if we could match." She shyly mumbled, "Is… Is that okay?" she bit her lip, peering up at him through her lashes.

Her answer was in the form of a kiss on her temple, "More than okay." He whispered, leaning back up with a wide grin at her reddening cheeks.

"Sorry to ruin the lovely moment, but I believe an introduction is to be made?" an amused voice sounded from their left, causing them to straighten up with wide eyes, looking as if they had been caught, unaware they had an audience.

"O-oh, um, Aurore, this is Luka." Marinette introduced, her cheeks flushed, "My – uh…"

"Unofficial - official boyfriend." Aurore helped with a smile.

Marinette giggled, cupping her cheeks, "Yeah, boyfriend." She sighed out, looking dazed, not realizing there were a few words missing there.

Aurore giggled at her friend, glad that she was happier than before.

Shaking her head out of it, Marinette turned to Luka with a bashful smile, "Luka, this is Aurore, my friend." She grinned, though when she stared at him, she found a smitten smile directed at her, causing her cheeks to redden even more.

Luka then looked up, offering a handshake, "Hi Aurore." He greeted, "It's nice to meet you. I'm glad Marinette has a friend like you by her side." His smile was a grateful one.

Aurore returned the greeting, accepting his handshake, "Likewise." She smiled and then crossed her arms, "I heard good things about you. I'm glad that we finally got to meet."

Luka glanced at Marinette who looked sheepish at that with a fond smile, "Really?" he hummed then looked back, "Well I'm also glad to finally meet you, I only hear good things about you." He then let out a grin as he crossed his arms, "Amazing interview by the way, I hope that you were fine after all that. Marinette was really worried about you."

Aurore chuckled, "It was all fine, I didn't get into too much trouble for the 'mistake' I made, besides, when you have the perfect weather, you should make the best of it." She smirked, chuckling under her breath. Catching her car pulling up from behind them, Aurore knew it was time to go, "Well, I'll leave you two lovebirds alone now." She grinned, waving at them as she walked by.

Marinette blushed as she waved back.

"Do you have any plans for today?" Luka asked once Aurore's car drove off.

She shook her head.

"Well, what do you say we go get something to eat and then squeeze in some guitar lessons?" he suggested, offering his hand to her. He wanted to spend time with her before he'll be busy with the band.

Marinette smiled, placing her hand in his, "That sounds lovely."

Walking hand in hand, Marinette breathed deeply before slowly letting it out in a calming sigh.

This is what she needed.

While Lila had kept quiet for the rest of the school day, she could feel how the others were on guard and whenever Chloé opened her mouth to make a remark against her, she tensed, preparing herself to leave in case she needed to be Ladybug.

It was fortunate that none appeared.

"So where did you have in mind?" Marinette excitedly smiled, swishing their hands back and forth.

Luka chuckled at her adorableness, squeezing her hand, "Well, I was thinking we could go to-"

"Pigeons will reign supreme! Power to the pigeons!"

Both of them froze.

The two looked up to see a flock of pigeons flying over head of them, and standing on top of them was Mr. Pigeon, preaching to the Parisians of Pigeon Supremacy.

Luka looked back down, his heart sympathized at the irked and upset look on Marinette's face. Cupping her face in his hands, he leaned his forehead to hers, gathering her attention, "Hey." He softly called out.

Marinette pursed her lips, her eyes shifted to guilt, "I…" this was what she was afraid of.

"You need to go, I understand." He thumbed her cheeks, soothing her, "We can meet up after the akuma is dealt with, or I can wait for you at the café – I'll send you the directions. If it takes too long, I'll order take away and we can meet up at your place for practice if you still want to continue." He smiled comfortingly, "What do you think?" he asked, laying out their options.

Marinette's eyes softens before it shifted to a more determined gaze.

Before Luka could blink, Marinette swiftly, but softly, grabbed his face and pulled him down, pressing a deep kiss on his lips before pulling back just as quick, "I won't take too long so I'll meet you at the café!" she promised before running off to deal with Mr. Pigeon, hoping to get it over with as quick as possible.

From behind, Luka froze for a moment before straightening up. Lifting his hand, he ran it through his hair before beginning his trip to the café.

The tips of his ears burning.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug summoned. She watched the glowing little ladybugs do its job and Ladybug was glad that the akuma was dealt with swiftly, so swiftly that she finished before Chat Noir had arrived after she was done.

"I guess the little birdy was too late to tell me." Chat Noir pouted, "What did you do? Ambush him from behind?" he interrogated, leaning on his staff.

Ladybug nodded, "Pretty much." She said, walking over to Mr. Ramier who look slightly disoriented.

Mr Ramier pressed a hand on top of his hat covered head, looking confused, "Huh? Huh?" realizing why he was in a different location than the park, he let out a disappointed groan, "Please don't tell me it happened again." He sighed out.

Placing a hand on his back and the other held out to him, Ladybug helped him up once he grabbed it, "It's okay, Mr. Ramier, we'll always be here to bring you back to the good side."

Feeling bad, he wanted to make it up to the heroes, "Hmm. Can I buy you both ice cream to make up for it?"

Chat Noir grinned, strutting up to them, "Well, since I didn't even get the chance to use my powers, sure." He then turned to his Lady, "And since we keep getting better at this, My Lady should have a few minutes before we transform."

But Ladybug shook her head, already preparing to leave, "I have somewhere to be, thanks for the offer though. You guys enjoy." She rushed, taking off without any room to talk.

"M'Lady, wait-!" Chat Noir reached out but she was already gone. He stared after her, feeling a pang in his heart. Was she…?

"Uhh..." Mr. Ramier came up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder while the other gestured out, "Come on, I'll treat you to ice-cream, Chat Noir." He gave an uplifting smile, "And I'll listen to all your troubles if you want?"

Chat Noir drooped dejectedly, his cat ears and tails falling flat, "Okay."

"Sorry, did you wait long?" Marinette panted, reaching for his table.

Luka handed her a cup of water, smiling at her, "No, I just got here." He assured, handing her a menu. He may had taken his time walking to the café to help calm himself down, "Mr. Pigeon sure got taken care of by Ladybug fast, huh."

Marinette gulped down her water, gasping for air once she finished before sagging in relief that she didn't make him wait, "Yeah, I- She and Chat Noir has de-akumatized him more than 23 times, I'm beginning to lose count of how many times they dealt with him, but at least it's getting easier to deal with him." She sighed. Though she would prefer if he weren't akumatised at all… which means she needed to defeat Hawk Moth if she wanted…

She inwardly shook the thought away, focusing on the menu, "Anyways, I'm famish!" she smiled, beginning to feel excited for the rest of their time together, even humming her song while she decided what to pick.

She didn't see the affectionate look Luka shot her before he lifted his own menu.

Their meal weren't interrupted after that, lifting Marinette's spirits further as they walked back to her place, where she continued with her guitar lesson in her room.

"A… D… E… wait, which one was G again?" Marinette furrowed her brows, trying to remember the finger's position for the chord.

"Here." Luka gently placed her fingers to the right spot then leaned back and watched as Marinette's face light up in recognition.

"Right, this was G and now for the hard one…" she rearranged her fingers, sticking out her tongue in concentration, "F!" she strummed, getting a good sound from it. She wiggled in her spot at the success, facing Luka with a bright smile, "There! What do you think?"

Luka smiled fondly at her, "I think it's time to teach you a song using those chords. Are you ready?" he asked, leaning towards her with a playful smile.

"Ready as I'll ever be." She giggled, handing his guitar over to him so he could show her.

Getting comfortable, Luka slowly began strumming as he explained which chords he was using. It sounded slow and broken because of the breaks between each strum but as he repeated the pattern, picking up speed, it began to sound like a song, "You think you got it?"

She nodded, looking excited, "Yeah, I think that's simple enough." She said as Luka handed the guitar back. She slowly went through the chords that Luka played, repeating the pattern until she was comfortable enough to speed up.

"You got it down pat." He grinned.

Marinette hummed, "Well, I do have a good teacher."

"Well. I'm lucky to have an amazing student." He returned, earning a blush out of her. His smile widened at the stutter in her playing but kept going.

He leaned back on his hands; eyes closed as he listened Marinette repeat the song for the next few minutes.

The room was bathed in nothing, but Marinette's strumming and Luka felt regret that he'll be breaking the relaxing room, especially since Marinette was enjoying herself, eyes focused on her strumming.

"Tomorrow…" he started, getting a relaxed 'mmhmm?' from her, "I'll be writing some melodies for Kitty Section." He explained.

Her strumming trailed to a stop as she looked at him, "You guys have a new song coming up?" she asked, smiling.

He nodded, "Rose and Juleka came up with a bunch, enough for an album so now we just need to add the melodies to it."

"An album-? Wow," she gasped, "That's amazing! Kitty Section's first CD." She grinned, happy for them.

Luka inwardly sighed in relief and relaxed, his heartstring being tug by Marinette's genuine sweetness, "I'll be busy for a bit, but once we're done, do you think you're up for practice? Of course you don't need to if you don't want to." He reminded.

Marinette stared at his guitar, gently plucking at a string, "Well, I am the band's costume designer, and I think this break has gone on long enough. I'm ready to go back to practice, but…" she chuckled self-consciously, hunching her shoulders, "Would that be okay with the others? It's kind of… awkward between us because of what happened… there's a sort of distance between us." It was what she wanted, she didn't feel comfortable being friends again, but it wasn't like she'll outright ignore them, it was just… she wasn't going to prioritize them if she didn't want to.

If they wanted to ask her out, she wouldn't reject them unless she already had plans, or wanted a day to herself to relax, or if she simply didn't feel like doing anything, "I feel like my presence might make things uncomfortable since I ended our relationship after Lila's lies were finally exposed," she winced with a tight smile, "But if you like, they could send me the songs and I'll design the cover for so you guys can play your best without me there." She offered.

"Marinette" Luka placed his hand on hers with a gentle tone, "The others want you there. The songs are just an excuse to hang out with you." He softly revealed, "It's very sweet of you to do that for us, but you're not unwelcomed. We all want you there."

She turned her hand from under Luka's, lacing their fingers together.

Squeezing her hand in comfort, Luka placed a kiss to the side of her head, "I'll update you when we're done - a week at most for the melodies, but if you decide to change your mind, then that's fine as well, okay?"

Marinette leaned into him, letting out a relaxed breath, "Okay…" she acknowledged, "So I guess that means we won't see each other for a bit." She hummed.

"Well, you can join us if you want." Luka smiled, tilting his head at her carefully, trying not to jostle her position.

She thought about it before shaking her head, "I think it'll be better if it were a surprise. Get that full experience."

Luka hummed in agreement, "I'll text you and we can call each other like before."

Marinette gently placed his guitar beside her on the chaise before properly indulging in his hugs, "I'd like that." She smiled as Luka played with her pigtails.

Another day, another peaceful school day.

There was nothing out of the ordinary.

Her morning text with Luka certainly started her day with a smile and she had met Aurore in the morning, though the blonde had looked tired from working late. Marinette had suggested they go back to the bakery for refreshments, seeing how they had time. And through there, she found out Aurore would be receiving new projects to do and meetings to attend, so she would be leaving before last period started.

She didn't mind though; she was happy her friend was getting the jobs she wanted.

Things were quiet, apparently the only rowdy part was when Lila had bumped into Adrien in class after lunch, something that she wasn't there to witness, but overall, it had been a relatively peaceful day where nobody had bothered her and Marinette hope that this was the norm, yet she had an inkling feeling that it wasn't.

Lila still continued her lies – stories for the students who were still willing to listen and while Miss Raymond never corrected her even though she stood by her side, she does do her job in the classroom… Maybe it's because her lies didn't involve anything scandalous that Miss Raymond lets it slide?

Marinette hope it was just that.

Reaching the end of the school day, many of her classmates rushed out, some bid her 'bye' on the way out and some lingered.

Marinette herself didn't stay behind long, especially with Lila in the room.

She didn't want to give Lila a chance to turn another adult against her, she had enough of that with the others around her.

On her way out, she waved 'bye' to Adrien who still had his bag open, who returned the same gesture with a smile.

Making her way down the stairs to the courtyard, Marinette happened to look up and spotted Kagami on the bench, her red fencing uniform standing out from the emptying court.

However, there was a distracted frown on her face, and she wondered if something had happened. She hesitated walking over to her but decided to go with it. They had become friends on Saturday, so it was probably fine to talk to her… unless she had misunderstood something, "Kagami!" Marinette called out in greeting, going over to her.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Kagami lowered her saber on her lap and looked up to see her new friend waving at her from across the courtyard, "Oh, Marinette." She greeted with a smile when she was close enough. She moved her helmet to the other side of her to make room for her to sit.

Staring worriedly at her, Marinette tilted her head, "Did something happen? You looked a bit…"

"It's nothing." Kagami brushed her off, "I was just thinking about something." She frowned, thinking of the way Adrien had looked distracted on the drive home on Saturday…

"O-Oh, okay." She sheepish smiled before taking the offered seat. Marinette settled next to her, changing the subject, "Is there practice today?" she asked looking around the relatively empty courtyard. There were still some students around, but most was heading for the exit to go home or hang out with friends, however, she couldn't spot any of the other fencers or even Adrien.

"Mr D'Argencourt has been very… enthusiastic from our win on Saturday and wanted to commend us for the victory." Kagami began, though as she made her way to practice, she saw him occupied with polishing the trophy that she had won him, "Though he also wanted to squeeze in extra practice for some upcoming competitions he has in plan for us." She explained before crossing her arms, "However, Adrien is late." She frowned, displeased at that fact.

Marinette placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Well I'm sure he'll be here soon, there's no way he would miss spending time with you." She smiled comfortingly. She could remember the way Adrien stares at Kagami, the look where it was only the two of them and no one else matters kind of look. So, Marinette was sure Adrien would come soon, "He was still in the classroom when I left, so he probably won't be long."

Kagami smiled at her attempt at cheering her up. It was sweet of her, "Thanks."

Grinning, Marinette pushed herself to a stand, "Well, I guess I should get going so I won't get in the way." she says, but before she could bid Kagami a 'bye', the girl surprised her.

"Do you have any plans for the rest of the afternoon?" Kagami asked, staring at her.

Marinette shook her head. Luka had said he would be busy writing the melody for the band, Aurore was working at the TV station and she didn't need to help out at the bakery. She could design something, but she could do that later, "I'm free today, why?"

"Would you like to get orange juice with me?" Kagami bluntly asked, "It was fun hanging out at the amusement park, I thought we could try something else if that's okay with you."

Blinking, Marinette smiled, though she looked confused, "Sure, I don't mind but don't you have practice and then go straight home after?" Kagami and Adrien was very similar that she was sure their schedules were also strict.

Kagami smirked, "Well, seeing how Mr D'Argencourt is currently occupied with polishing the trophy, I highly doubt he'll realize if we leave, besides, Friday is our practice day, not today." She pointed out.

Marinette was surprised to hear Kagami suggest skipping, yet it shouldn't have surprise her since she and Adrien had once gotten 'lost' to fencing practice and ended up at the Liberty instead. She couldn't help but giggle at such a side, "Should we invite Adrien as well? I feel bad if he finally came and no one was here."

She nodded, "Yes, lets." She smiled, "Do you want to be my sparring partner while we wait for him? Since I'm already change, I might as well squeeze in some practice."

"Really? You want me to?" Marinette asked surprised.

Kagami nodded and stood up, "Come, I'll lend you my spare gear." She said, already heading for the locker room.

Marinette scrambled to follow her before settling into a walk beside her.

"You sure you want me to be your fencing partner? I don't really know the rules for it." Marinette asked, remembering how she messed up with it.

Kagami opened her locker and retrieve her bag, "Have you fenced before?" she questioned, opening her bag, and pulling out a spare helmet.

"Well, once for a try-out…"

"If you were trying out for a try-out, then that's enough for me." Kagami nodded and handed her the helmet.

Marinette took it in her hands while Kagami went to fetch her a fencing vest, glove and a spare saber. It didn't take her long before she reappeared with the things in her hand.

"Well, if you're sure." Marinette smiled. She grabbed the strap of her purse and lifted it off her shoulder, gently placing it and everything on the bench beside her to slip on the white padded vest.

"Of course I am."

Marinette shook her head with a smile before slipping the vest over her head.

"… How are you and Luka?" Kagami awkwardly strike up, making conversation.

Marinette melted in a smile, "Things are going great between us." She blushed as she adjusted the four straps to secure the two jacket pieces together.

"So you're now a couple?" she bluntly asked.

"Well… yeah." Marinette hummed fondly, leaving it at that. She liked being Luka's girlfriend.

Kagami gave her a thoughtful smile, "I'm glad that we're able to talk like this, I really wanted to try and make a friend." She admitted, leaning her back on her locker.

Marinette blinked out of her daze, lifting her head at her, "Aren't you and Adrien friends?"

Kagami looked to the side looking slightly somber, "It's not the same. While we do hang out, it was something that was scheduled for us. Though I do enjoy the time we spend together, it's…" she sighed, "It's just not the same." She looked down with a glum expression.

"Oh." Marinette slowly said, her eyes thoughtful as she grabbed her glove and slipped it over her right hand, "Well, I'm glad that we're finally friends." She smiled softly, "I wished we had been friends before, but my feelings got in the way of that, I guess." She cringed, giving out an awkward chuckle.

Kagami seemed to relax at that, lifting her head up with a small smile, "I'm relieved that you feel that way. You're the only person I don't want to hurt." She smiled softly though it slowly faded, "But Adrien and I are made for each other. We're so alike, I can't give him up, even for the sake of friendship." She said, honest. She didn't look at Marinette, unsure if she had offended her with her feelings - choosing love over friendship.

There was a moment of silence before Marinette spoke, "Sometimes choices can be hard."

Kagami squeezed her eyes for a moment before looking up, "Let's-"

"But I can understand." Marinette smiled, adjusting her glove. For her, it was love over duty, responsibilities- the right thing to do, "Sometimes you just have to let what the heart wants and besides…"

When she trailed off, Kagami turned to look at Marinette who had a playful smile on her face.

"You're right, you and Adrien are made for each other. You're brilliant, strong, cute and smart." She grinned, "A perfect match." she chirped with her arms held out to the side, happy for them.

Kagami blushed, unprepared by the onslaught on compliments. She averted her gaze with her flushed cheeks, "That's very kind of you to say."

Marinette grinned, reaching for her purse, helmet and saber, "Well, it's only the truth." She laughed, "Now, shall we go?" she playfully made a striking motion with the saber in the air, "I may not be as good as you or know how fencing works, but I'm sure I can give you a challenge." She smiled confidently.

Kagami chuckled behind her hand, "I look forward to it." Though her smile soon faded as she glanced at her. There was something on her mind, one that she couldn't figure out, "Can I ask what made you give up on someone like Adrien?" she was curious. She knew of Marinette's crush on Adrien and she was ready to fight for the boy's affection in a fair fight, but then all of a sudden, Marinette was no longer her opponent.

(And then she finds out there was another contestant for Adrien's heart all this time, one that had rejected him.)

When Kagami realized just what she had asked, she awkwardly looked away, holding a hand up, "Sorry." She apologized, "That was insensitive of me. It's fine if you don't want to answer."

Marinette stared at her before looking down with a slightly bittersweet smile, twirling the saber in her hand, "Loving Adrien was… rough."

Kagami blinked, looking at her with confusion.

She gestured with her hands as she gathered what she wanted to say, "There were all these obstacles with him, and I always ended up looking like a fool or things ended up in disaster." She laughed painfully, trying to force down the embarrassment from how some of her plans had ended for her, "No matter what I did, nothing changed between us. Not even getting closer as friends. It was always the same cycle: I try to confess, fail, confess, and fail again. And whenever I think about moving on, I fall back into that hopeless cycle." She bitterly smiled before letting out a sigh, shaking her head, "And then when I saw you and Adrien together, it just made me see what a perfect couple you guys were and it made me remember he wasn't interested in me like that at all, no matter what I did to try and get close to him." She smiled an accepting smile before grinning brightly at Kagami.

It took Kagami off guard by such a smile as Marinette continued with a serene expression.

"I've seen how you guys act around each other, both of you are happy, playful and sweet together, something I never really achieve, and I thought it was finally time to give up. For real." She chuckled nostalgically, "Yeah, it was a bit hard in the beginning, I couldn't just shut my feeling for Adrien off just like that, but then somehow," she lowered her eyes, "I got over him without even realizing it?" she tilted her head with her hands behind her back, "I don't know when I stopped feeling nervous around him or when my heart just stop beating like it used to around him but my feelings for him faded over time without me knowing. Maybe it was because of so many things happening that I didn't have time to think about him,"

(Maybe it was the disappointment he brought her)

"or because of the friends I have now that gave me the support I needed at the time, or both, but I ended getting over him, and I'm happy." She breathed in, her head held high, "Even getting rejected wasn't as bad as I thought, it was just… It felt so freeing – that that chapter of my life is finally finished. I got my answer and I have no regrets of confessing." She let out an amused huff, "Of course, there will always be a small part of my heart that would always care for him, but other than that, I finally moved on." She grinned triumphant.

Kagami looked on with awe, before closing her eyes for a moment. Marinette looked so bright, so confident at her decision, "That's very commendable of you." She praised.

"You think?" she chuckled at her strange way of complimenting a person.

Kagami nodded, "Yes." She said, pushing herself off her locker, "You made a choice that you didn't regret even though the results weren't to your favor, but in this case, it looks like it was." She straightened up, "You look happy and that is a victory in itself."

Marinette softens, "Yeah, I am. I hope my answer helped you clarified whatever you were thinking before." She beamed, surprising her, "Well let's get in some practice before Adrien arrives." She grinned, placing the helmet on her head."

Kagami smiled and followed after her.

Back in the classroom, Adrien furrowed his brows at his missing phone. It wasn't in his pocket or in his bag and he subtly glanced over at Lila.

He was sure that his phone had been in his pocket, and the only logical reason why it could be missing was if it had fell out when Lila had bumped into him, somehow tripping them both and spilling their things on the ground.

They had both caught themselves on the desk nearest to them, but unfortunately not their bags.

He didn't want to accuse Lila of stealing it, but he wouldn't put it pass her. Though he wondered why she would even take his locked phone.

"Oh Adrien, do you have a minute?" Lila called out, causing him to stiffen.

She walked towards him with her hands behind her back, standing shyly in front of his exit.

Adrien stared at her, warily.

She lifted her hand towards him, revealing his phone, "I must have taken your phone by mistake when everything fell." She let out an embarrassed laugh, "I'm so sorry about that, I should have looked where I was going." She was lucky that his phone fell out of his pocket and that nobody noticed her hiding it under her textbook when she grabbed it.

He took his phone back, "It's fine." He smiled skeptically, placing his phone back in his pocket and closing his bag, ready to leave through Nino's side.

"Wait!" Lila called out before looking over her shoulder. She gave out a bashful look, "Ally, can you give us some privacy?" she looked away shyly, embarrassed, "I uh, I want to talk to Adrien for a moment…" she fidgeted with a nervous smile.

Alessia stared at her and the way the girl held herself, she could guess what this was about. She had walked Lila home yesterday, staying until Mrs Rossi came home to give her a report, however during that time, Lila had confided in her crush to her about the famous boy in the class, sad that with everything that happened, her chances with the boy were shot down. She had wished that she could confess as a farewell for her closure, and Alessia felt sorry for her, thinking this was about that, "5 minutes." Was all she said as she stepped out of the room.

Alone now, Lila turned to Adrien with a small smile, "I just wanted to apologize. I know what I did was wrong, and I shouldn't have lied in the first place. It's just…" she averted her eyes, clasping her hands to her chest, "It's scary being the new girl, especially being transferred in the middle of the school year. I was scared to be alone and lying just seem like the fastest way to make friends." She ducked her head down till she was pressing her lips to her clasped fingers, "I hope you could forgive me." She sniffed.

Adrien stared at her before looking away with a frown. She had hurt and done so many awful things to his friends, Kagami, his Lady and Marinette. He was sure that this was just another one of her lies.

Instead of forgiving her like she expected, Lila's eyes widened at what he said next.

"I told you, Lila, that instead of making friends you were just going to turn everyone against you. And look where you are now." He reminded, shaking his head in disappointment, "You should've just been honest to begin with. Everyone would have accepted you." He frowned pitifully at her, "They would have been your friends whether you were famous or not. They aren't shallow people."

Anger boiled within her. Whether Adrien was rubbing salt in her wounds intentionally or not, he sure has the guts to talk like that to her. She snapped her head up at him, seething, "I don't need you preaching to me about morals when you don't do it yourself." She spat.

Adrien frowned, "What are you talking about?"

An amused malicious smirk appeared on her lips, "Does your dumb friends know that you knew about my lies all this time? I'm sure they would feel oh so betrayed at how you did nothing but let them be used like that." She crossed an arm over her torso and leaned her other elbow on it, pressing her finger on her cheek.

Adrien flinched, reeling back with a heavy frown.

Chuckling, Lila preened, "Seeing your reaction, I'm guessing they have no clue. I wonder what would happen if they knew, what do you think, Adrien? Wouldn't the others want to know? Like you said, I should be honest." She glared cruelly.

Adrien felt conflicted. Of course, he was scared to tell the others that he knew this whole time, but he had his reasons for not exposing Lila.

However, he should have at least warned them, and that's where he failed.

His silence caused her to chuckle, "But maybe I won't tell them, after all, we're friends, aren't we? Friends should stick together, don't you think, Adrien?" a laughable thought flashed through her mind and she couldn't help but laugh mockingly at it, "You know, you're more of a friend to me than you are to the others."

He paled, "What-?"

Lila took a step towards him, making him lean back, "You had plenty of chances to warn your friends, but you supported my lies instead of supporting those so-called friends that you cherish. That's more than you ever did for them." She smirked, "At least Marinette" she spat out like it was a curse, "tried to expose me, but you? Not once did you do anything." She chuckled as he took a step back from her.

Seeing him looking pale, Lila felt satisfied. Adrien shouldn't have gone all high and mighty like that especially if he couldn't handle it.

A knock on the door signaled her that her time was up.

"I hope from now on we'll be even better friends, Adrien." She smiled a sickening sweet smile, "Who knows? I might be the only friend you can count on." She smirked; her eyes sharp. She walked pass him, her shoulder purposely bumping into his, causing him to stumble back in his seat, "You are either with me or against me. I'll let you decide." She snickered over her shoulder before leaving.

Plagg popped his head out of Adrien's jacket collar, his eyes narrowed at the closed door the girl exited from, "Just say the word and she'll be cataclysmed before you know it. Not a single hair will be left behind on that lying thief." He offered with a Cheshire grin.

Adrien raised a brow before patting his head, giving him an uneasy smile, "Thanks for your sentiments, but don't do that." He chuckled warily before running a hand through his hair, letting out a shuddering sigh.

"Are you okay?" Plagg asked, sounding concerned.

He nodded, "Yeah, just…" he shook his head as if to dispel the situation, "I'm fine." He shouldered his bag, "Let's just forget about it, I'm already late to fencing practice." He headed towards the door. Distraction. He needed to focus on something else, forget what had occurred, "I'm sure Kagami is already waiting for me." At that thought, he quickens his pace causing Plagg to hide.

Quickly running for the stairs, Adrien slowed to a stop when he neared the bottom of the steps, his eyes following to the sound of blades clashing against one another, only to freeze when his red cladded partner was already engaged with another fencer in familiar pink jeans and flats.

He watched as the fencer parry and thrust their saber, aggressively forcing Kagami to the defensive.

From watching, Adrien could tell the person wasn't an experienced fencer, but they had quick reflexes and a creative mind when it came to attacking and defending.

The movements were vaguely familiar, yet he couldn't put a finger on it.

Though a few seconds later, he'll receive his answer as to why.

As the mysterious fencer finally landed a point when the tip of their saber was thrust right in the center of Kagami's chest, everything seemed to stop as they slowly retracted and straightened up, taking off their helmet to reveal a grinning Marinette, looking proud of herself.

"Marinette?!"

His surprised shout caused the two to look at him.

"Oh, Adrien." Marinette greeted, giving him a small wave.

Kagami lifted her helmet up to reveal a slight frown directed at him, "You're late." She stated. He sure took his time in the classroom.

He rubbed at the back of his head, "Sorry, I got held up. Just let me go get change real quick and then we'll start." He was lucky that Mr D'Argencourt wasn't here to reprimand him as well.

"No need." Kagami stated, causing him to pause and look back at them, "Marinette and I will be going to get orange juice if you like to join us? We were waiting for you before we left."

Adrien soften with a smile. This was just the distraction he needed. Letting out an exaggerated gasp, he placed his hands on his cheeks, "Really? Skipping out on practice? Why Kagami," he then placed a hand on his chest while the other was pressed against his forehead, "I didn't think you had it in you?"

An amused smile broke out on Kagami while Marinette giggled behind her hand at the sight. It felt so… surreal seeing him acting like this.

Adrien grinned, pleased he caused them to smile.

"We'll go after one more round." Kagami announced, turning to Marinette with a competitive glint in her eyes, "I won't be losing." She stated confidently, pushing her helmet down.

Marinette smirked, "I won't make it easy." She warned, also pushing back her helmet down.

As the two sparred again, Adrien watched from the side, entranced.

While Kagami had the perfect form, he couldn't help but watch Marinette. The way she confidently moved, so sure of herself; the way nobody could predict her moves, it was so…

Mesmerizing.

"- Point!" she smirked, making good on her promise.

Marinette let out a whine from the ground, having been overpowered by Kagami's aggressive attacks and tripping over her own feet at the end.

Pulling her saber away and ultimately becoming the victor in the end, Kagami offered an helping hand to her.

Even though Marinette had lightning reflexes and unpredictable moves, she couldn't beat someone with vast experience and practice in her speciality.

"I guess I lost." she laughed in good sportsmanship, accepting the hand that helped pull her up. She took off the helmet, her cheeks flushed from the intense fight.

Kagami lifted her own helmet to reveal an impressed smile, "It wasn't easy like you said, but it was to be expected."

Marinette pouted. Placing her hands on her hips, she tilted her head at her, "I won a couple of our matches." She reminded.

She chuckled, "Yes you did." She agreed, "You have potential, I'll give you that." She praised, getting a satisfied grin from her friend, "I'll go get change so we can go." She then lifted her hands towards Marinette who placed the borrowed saber and helmet in them.

"I'll put the vest away – the storage room, right?" Marinette asked.

Kagami nodded before the two went different ways.

Being the first to be back, Marinette jogged up to Adrien who was awkwardly waiting by the bench for them, "Hey." She greeted, though she looked unsure when she saw his stance, "Are you okay with skipping out on practice?" she asked with a hesitant smile.

Adrien stiffened, letting out an awkward laugh, "Yeah." He rubbed at the back of his head, avoiding her gaze, "Just… it's a bit unexpected." He then slowly trailed his gaze back at her, "You've got good reflexes, I think you gave Kagami quite a challenge." He praised.

Marinette chuckled, "Thanks, she didn't make it easy though." She sighed, smiling, "It's too bad, I just had to trip over my own two feet. Typical." She playfully huffed.

"Well, I'm sure with more practice and experience, you'll be on par with her, even win a proper match with her." he encouraged.

Marinette blinked at him, with giving him an amused smile at his attempt to cheer her up, "Well, I don't know about that." She chuckled, "With the amount of experience that Kagami has, there's no way I'll catch up. The rules of fencing is already so complicated as it is – everything is so fast, how can you even know who won the point?" she shook her head, "Thanks for the support though." She grinned at him.

"… No problem." Adrien blinked at her before averting his eyes towards the locker room. He cleared his throat to change subject, "Uh, is… Luka… or Aurore joining us?" he asked, wondering if Marinette was cashing in on their next hangout already.

She shook her head, "Luka is writing some new melodies for the band and Aurore is working." She smiled, "This was just something that Kagami decided…" her smile then turned slightly troubled when she realised where he was staring at, "Umm, I can make up an excuse so you guys can go on a date if you want?" she thoughtfully offered. Maybe Adrien wanted to spend time alone with Kagami, or maybe he was still troubled by her confession if he had troubled staring at her. She had thought they were fine now, but he had been a bit weird this morning.

Maybe it was just trying to hide the awkwardness for the sake of normalcy.

But Adrien turned to her with blinking eyes, "Why would you do that? I think it'll be more fun if we all hung out together."

She blinked back, giving an unsure smile, "Well, if you're fine with it, then I guess it's okay."

He smiled with a resolute nod, "Of course!"

The door opened to reveal Kagami having changed back in her school uniform, "Okay, let's go get orange juice." Kagami announced as her arrival, adjusting her fencing bag on her shoulder.

The three began walking towards exit, with Adrien walking in between.

"So where should we go for juice?" Marinette asked, staring at them with an enthusiastic smile, "Anywhere in mind?"

Kagami nodded, "The restaurant at Le Grand Paris. I thought we could all go there for juice."

"We could take my car." Adrien offered, pulling out his phone and began texting when there was no objections, "I'll go text my driver to come by."

"How was everyone's day?" Kagami started, starting off a conversation.

"It was fine." A far away look appeared on Adrien's face before it was gone in the blink of an eye. He shook his head, trying to forget his encounter with Lila, "I just hope I don't spend most of the time on my history homework." He let out a small laugh, "I don't want to spend my weekend on it."

"Wait." Marinette blinked, "Homework?"

Adrien turned to her, "Miss Bustier assigned us homework near the end of class. Don't you remember?"

Marinette let out a sheepish smile, "It must've slipped my mind." She confessed. She was on guard throughout first period, wondering if an akuma would appear or if Lila was planning something that she wasn't completely focused on class.

Walking to a stop, Marinette grabbed at her schoolbag, slipping it around to the front, she went to unzip it and rummage through her books and tablet, before remembering that she had stored her history textbook in her locker, "I'll be right back! I'm just going to grab my textbook from my locker." she rushed, zipping her bag up and turning, running towards the lockers.

"Okay, we'll wait for you out front!" Adrien called out, staring after her.

As Marinette headed inside the locker room, she didn't see the glare Lila was shooting from the second floor, outside of the art room while waiting for Alessia to finish talking with the art teacher.

"Look like you'll have to try tomorrow." Alessia announced as she stepped out of the room. After failing to find an opportunity to find an opportunity to apologise to a Juleka Couffaine and a Marinette Dupain-Cheng yesterday and the majority of today, Alessia thought they might be in the art room after class when she found out they both belong to the art club, only to no success when neither girls were present. Though she did take this opportunity to catch up with the Art Teacher about Lila during class while she took a bathroom break.

Lila didn't turn away from the railings, only glaring from the corner of her eyes at her, annoyed. Though she quickly masked it when she turned around with a smile, "I just saw Marinette, she went into the locker room." She then fidgeted, looking nervous, "Is it okay if I talk to her without… you there?" she timidly peered up at her, "I…" she averted her eyes, clutching her hands together, "I don't want you to hear what I did… I feel too ashamed of it."

Alessia bit the inside of her cheek, "I…" before she could say anything else, her phone started ringing. Taking it out, she saw who was calling. Glancing at the girl in front of for a moment, she slowly nodded, "Okay. You go and talk while I'll take this call."

Lila gave her a wide smile, "Thanks Ally! You're the best!" she grinned before taking off.

Zipping her bag up with her history textbook inside, Marinette closed her locker door.

As she shouldered her bag, she heard the door open from the other side of the room but paid no mind to it, however, as she turned, she nearly jumped out of her skin when Lila suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Marinette? I didn't know you were still here." She said, her hand clasped together on her chest, a surprised look, mixed with guilt on her face.

Marinette stared at her with a sceptical look, her eyes wondering around for Miss Raymond, but she was nowhere in sight, "I was just leaving." She said with a clipped tone, moving around her to leave.

"Wait!" Lila reached out for her wrist, but Marinette swiftly avoided her.

Lila let out a surprised gasp, bringing her hand back to her chest, cradling it as if she was hit, "Marinette, I want to make it up to you for what I did." she sounded hurt, "I can help you get your friends back and help you get close to Adrien if you want?" she sniffed, "I'll do anything if that's what it'll take for you to forgive me."

Marinette gave her a blank stare, "Drop it, no one is around to see your little act." she sighed, "What do you want? I don't have time for your little games." Although she said this, she was curious of what Lila's plans are. She couldn't let her guard down, not even for a moment when it involved the liar. But that didn't mean she wanted to stay another second with her.

She wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.

Lila's eyes twitched into narrowed eyes, looking annoyed at her attitude. She hated that just because her lies were exposed, the dummy thought she was no longer a threat, but she was a fool if she thought that, "Don't think I'll give up like this, Marinette." she smirked confidently, dropping her hands, "Alessia so easily fell for my charms and with a few tears, she was so easy to trick." She let out an amused huff, "Soon, everything will go back as it should be, and you'll be all alone again." She taunted, "And guess what? I'm already halfway there. Your so-called friends don't even hang out with you anymore and Adrien? Well, you'll never get close with him with what I have in store for him." She chuckled.

Marinette stared at Lila and felt…

Marinette felt…

She felt…

Well…

She found herself not caring, in fact she was even relieved that was Lila's plan.

She was kinda behind, in fact.

If that was what she was planning with the current situation then there wasn't really much point to it. She couldn't use her classmates against her anymore, or use her crush on Adrien either and most of all Luka and Aurore wasn't going to fall for her tricks.

The plan was pointless against her now.

"That's nice, Lila." She said, turning around and walking towards the exit.

Lila stared flabbergasted, "Did you not hear what I said?" she questioned indignantly, curling her fist tightly.

Marinette looked over her shoulder, "I heard." She simply said before continuing. She was meeting up the others for juice. She couldn't keep them waiting.

Lila gaped, before quickly composing herself, "I never knew how heartless you are. Don't you care what'll happen to them?" she questioned, trying to regain the upper hand.

With one hand on the door, ready to push, Marinette paused, and Lila smirked, thinking she got her, but she twitched when Marinette let out a sigh, as if she was a bother.

Marinette turned around to face her with a straight face, "Everyone now knows that you lie. If they somehow falls for your lies again then… that's not my problem."

"… What?"

"If they don't want to listen to the truth, no matter how many times I try to tell them, then what's the point?" Aurore was right, there wasn't any point in trying to talk to a brick wall. And besides. She didn't want to put herself through that again, "Plus, Adrien can handle himself."

Lila glared, "I'll make sure you'll regret this."

Marinette gave her a pointed stare before leaving, "Whatever you say, Lila. Whatever you say." And left.

Lila bristled.

How dare she look down on me?!

Just as she was about to follow after her, she was stopped by a sickening sweet voice that made her want to break out into a cold sweat.

"Lila~"

Whipping around, she turned to see who would call her out in such a repulsive tone.

Her eyes widened when she saw who rounded the corner from the other side of the lockers.

Quickly accepting the call, Alessia pressed the phone to her ear, "Yes, Mrs Rossi?"

"Alessia, I just got a text from Lila's science teacher…" Mrs Rossi sounded worried on the phone.

Alessia stiffened, inwardly swallowing, "Oh… is there something wrong?"

"Well… I know that you can't keep watch of Lila when you need a bathroom break, that's why we have the other teachers reporting to me when you're not available but… what's this I hear about you being Lila's bodyguard? The teacher said that she caught her class talking about you and Lila."

Alessia paled, "That, um, I thought it might…" she sucked in a breath, hanging her head, there was no excuse when she had deliberately went against her client's wishes, "I apologise." She said, genuinely regretful, "I, when she started crying, I just, I felt sorry for her."

It was quiet on the line before Mrs Rossi spoke, "My daughter… Lila has been lying to me and to the school all this time, so I need you to have an iron will and not fall for anything she says. Can I trust you to do your job?" there was an hesitant pause before she continued, "If you can't, I'm afraid I'll have to look for someone else."

Her heart stuttered, "I promise I won't disappoint you."

"Thank you." Miss Rossi sighed, sounding tired, "I'll let you get back to your work." She said and hung up.

Lowering her phone, Alessia rubbed the back of her neck, feeling sick. She needed to put her foot down. She shouldn't have caved just because a kid was crying in front of her and was feeling all alone…

No, she shouldn't. Her job needed her to have an iron-cladded heart.

Clutching her phone, Alessia quickly headed after Lila towards the locker room, apprehension churning in her stomach.

This was still her job.

She needed to be professional, otherwise how would she even survive this line of work?

She was sorry for what Lila have to go through, but she can't let her get away with what she wants, her professionalism and job was on the line.

But as she quietly slipped into the locker room, hoping Lila was done with her apology, she paused when she heard her ward speaking.

It didn't sound anything like an apology.

"Don't think I'll give up like this, Marinette." Lila seethed.

Her eyes widened, her skin paling.

"Alessia so easily fell for my charms and with a few tears, she was so easy to trick." Lila let out an amused huff, "Soon, everything will go back as it should be, and you'll be all alone again. You don't even hang out with your so-called friends anymore and Adrien? Well, you'll never get close with him with what I have in store for him."

Alessia subconsciously took a step back, breaking out into a cold sweat, "… What?" horror and anger began gripping at her heart from what she was hearing.

Was everything a lie?

Was everything they talked about – Lila confiding in me her fears and crush all a sham?

Was this a set up from the very beginning?

This… This girl was a psychopath, a dangerous psychopath! This was the job – to make sure others were safe from her, and yet she was so easily fooled! Fooled by a child!

She flushed at that, immensely embarrassed.

Within a dark observatory, light shown through the opening windows as Hawk Moth smirked.

"Ahh, the anger, the humiliation." Hawk Moth chuckled, holding his hand out for one of his butterflies, "Having been played for a fool by a mere child must have hurt one's adult pride." Converting the butterfly into his akuma, he released it, "Go my little akuma and evilize her wounded pride!" he commanded.

Clutching onto her hair in a trembling grasp, loosening its hold in the process, Alessia breathed out a harsh breath.

She felt so humiliated. She was playing right into the damn liar's hand right from the very beginning.

She'll even bet that their first impression of her was on purpose to drop her guard down!

Alessia didn't even notice an akuma merging itself into her phone in her tight grip.

An outline of a purple butterfly appeared in front of her face as she looked up.

"Hello, Warden. I'm Hawk Moth." His voice greeted in her mind, "Your job is in jeopardy because of a manipulative child and I'd like to help you, if you agree to help me, too." He offered, "In exchange of Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous, I'll give you the power where you'll be the one in control. Do we have a deal?"

Alessia huffed, her frown turning into a smirk, "Of course, Hawk Moth." She agreed as a dark purple miasma enveloped her.

Out appeared Warden in her black leathered prison guard uniform with gold trimming on each jacket sleeve that disappeared under plated gold shoulder pads.

She fixed the red armband on her left arm before grabbing onto her hat with gold trimmings, adjusting it slightly to her liking with a smirk on her black lips.

"Time for me to finally do my job." Warden heaved, silently walking in her thigh high boots towards the prisoner. She gazed at her tablet that was in the middle of complying a checklist of things to do, "And the first order of business is to locate and detain the criminal." She grinned.

"Lila~" she called out with a malicious smirk, her smile widening when the girl's eyes widened at her appearance.

"Ah?" she took a step back, "Is… is that you Ally?" she gasped.

Warden narrowed her eyes, "It's Warden and it's about time you fully embraced your consequences!" she seethed.

"What consequences? I'm the victim here!" she shrunk back, putting on a scared look, "I don't know what you heard, but I'm sure it's all a misunderstanding."

"Lies!" Warden growled out, holding out her tablet and swiping a glowing light off the screen and towards a wide eyed looking Lila, enveloping her in a white glow.

"Ah, Marinette, right on time." Adrien grinned, "My driver just pulled up."

Marinette smiled, "Sorry it took so long."

"Well, it's fine, now let us get some orange juice." Kagami smiled, leading them down the steps.

However, before they neared the bottom, they all startled when two arrivals suddenly appeared before them.

"Lila?" Adrien gasped out in surprise.

In front of them, Lila, in an orange jumpsuit, had her hands cuffed together and ankles chained.

Who was held by what was most likely an akuma dressed similar to a 1960s prison guard uniform.

From the side road, Adrien's driver quickly got out of the car, running towards them to stand in front of Adrien and the others protectively.

Eyeing the akuma deeply before gasping in shock, "Miss Raymond?!" Marinette cried out.

"It is Warden now, Miss Dupain-Cheng." Warden greeted in a civilized manner, "Now, I believe Lila Rossi owes you an apology."

Lila growled, "I don't have anything to apologize for! It's not my fault that everyone only wants to hear what they want." She thrashed, trying to break free of her restraints. Inside, she was seething. How dare Hawk Moth do this to her! How could he akumatise someone who was after her after all that she has done for him!

Warden simply stared at her, an unimpressed look on her face, "That's not an apology." She flatly stated, just as the cuffs on her wrist shrunk, beginning to cut off her circulation.

Lila let out a discomfort sound.

"Come on now, we have a list of things to do, there are other people who you need to apologize to." Warden pointed out.

Lila whipped towards her, lunging at her.

Only for the chains at her ankles merged together, tripping her to the ground while the cuffs at her hands turned sharp, cutting into her wrists,

Beginning to draw blood.

At the instance of blood, Adrien's driver immediately lifted Adrien, Kagami and Marinette in his arms, beginning to run back to the car to take them to safety.

But Warden lifted her arm up, blocking him, "I applaud you for your heroic actions, but I mean no harm, I am merely here to get Lila Rossi to apologize to Miss Dupain-Cheng, so if you would so kindly as to let her down." She requested while Lila whimpered on the ground.

The diver frowned, not letting go.

"Um… Thank you, but it's fine." Marinette gave a weak smile, "You can let me down, I think she's telling the truth…" she looked over to Warden who nodded.

The driver gave her a conflicted stare before letting her down gently while still keeping the other two in his arms.

"Thanks, umm… go and take the others to safety if you want."

"Marinette!" Adrien shouted in shock, beginning to struggle.

"Don't think we'll leave you behind!" Kagami frowned, her eyes looking worried.

Marinette gave them a reassuring smile, only to snap back towards the akuma when Lila let out a panged cry.

Warden gave her a sharp glare, "What a disobedient prisoner you are." She said, her voice hollow when she tried to run off when they weren't paying attention.

Lila let out a whimper, wanting the chains to come off.

"If you continue such defiance, you won't have hands before you know it." She warned.

Lila widened her eyes in horror, "What?"

"W-Wait…" Marinette startled, looking horrified, "Those cuffs…" she swallowed, "Will cut off her hands?"

Warden nodded, staring unsympathetic for the girl on the ground, "Only if she continues such behavior." She explained, "Now, are you going to apologize to Miss Dupain-Cheng for your past actions?"

The cuffs continued to cut deep into her wrists and Lila trembled when blood was seeping out, "… I'm sorry." She whimpered.

Warden looked up, staring at Marinette, "Is this an acceptable apology, Miss Dupain-Cheng?"

Marinette mutely nodded, her face paled, "Y-Yeah."

As soon as she accepted, the tightening of the cuffs stopped, Lila letting her a shaky breath.

"Very well." Warden nodded, satisfied, before pulling out her tablet, "Come now, our next stop is to a Juleka Couffaine." She announced, ticking at a box on the list before picking Lila up by the back of her neck and disappearing.

All of them speechlessly stared before Marinette snapped out of it, "I- I think orange juice needs to be postponed, I don't feel too well after- after what just happened." She rushed, already taking off.

Understandingly, Kagami wished her a 'get well soon' from such a traumatizing situation. She herself was slightly disturbed and it seemed only appropriate to postpone their outing to another time.

She then glanced at Adrien, who had stopped struggling and was looking pale.

"I, uh, I need a moment." He said as the Gorilla carefully let him down, "I'm going to freshen up." He began, running back into the school.

Kagami simply nodded as she was also placed back on the ground.

Landing on a roof, Ladybug continued running while she pulled out her yo-yo, dialing a number.

"Hello?"

"Luka!" Ladybug rushed.

Immediately sensing something was wrong, his tone shifted, "What's wrong?"

"Is Juleka with you?"

"Yeah, is something-" a commotion could be heard from the other side of the device and Ladybug could hear footsteps running on wooden floorboards.

Knowing what the commotion could be, Ladybug hurried, "An akuma – Warden is there to make Lila apologize. Can you try to keep her there as long as you can? I'm almost there."

"I'll do what I can." He carefully said before they hung up.

Putting her yo-yo away, Ladybug hope she'll make it in time to catch Warden.

"Looks like the Warden is abusing her power." Chat Noir greeted, though it looked strained.

Ladybug gave him a nod, "She's at the Couffaine's houseboat, let's hurry before we lose them." She said in haste, leaping ahead.

Chat Noir also hurried, "Let's round up the escapees."

Putting his phone away, Luka joined the rest of the band with his guitar held like a baseball bat, eyeing the outsiders with a cautious stare.

Rose was clutching onto Juleka while Ivan stood in front, shielding them.

The akuma threw Lila at their feet, looking expectantly at her.

"Your next victim." Warden announced, as Lila trembling push herself up, "I believe an apology for Miss Couffaine is in order."

Lila bit her lip. This was humiliating, dressed like a prisoner, chained like a criminal! And apologizing for something she didn't do! Could this get any worse-?

"Your silence tells me that you are choosing to refuse." Warden cut in, narrowing her eyes, "Am I right to assume?"

Gaze dropping to her wrist and how the cuts stung forced Lila to comply for her own sake, "… I'm sorry for what I did." She choked out.

Warden looked up, though she looked dissatisfied, "Look her in the eyes and apologize."

Inwardly seething, Lila looked up, glaring at Ivan who unsurely moved to the side to reveal Juleka who was frowning.

"I'm sorry." She bit out.

Frowning at her tone, Warden looked up at the younger Couffaine, "Do you accept this kind of apology?" she questioned.

Juleka frowned, "Yeah, sure." She mumbled reluctantly. An akuma was forcing her say it, not because Lila truly felt remorse, but at least now she knew that her whole façade was just an act.

"Very well then." Warden accepted, taking out her tablet to see what the next item of business was, "Our next stop is to Jagged Stone."

"Wait." Luka stepped forward, causing the akuma to look at him with a raised brow, "What about Ivan and Rose? They were also lied to by her." He reminded with a frown. Since his sister got an apology, he thought the others would too.

Juleka turned towards him, realization settling in her eyes. He doesn't know yet, "Luka…" she murmured, hoping the situation didn't escalate.

"This is a different matter, young man." Warden began, straightening up, "Miss Rossi has asked me to make sure her daughter is to apologize to 3 particular individuals: Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Juleka Couffaine and Jagged Stone."

While Warden was explaining, Lila took this chance to get away, however the chains on her ankles tighten itself together, tripping her once more, making escaping futile.

Warden continued, not caring that Lila tried to escape. As long as she was in control, Lila wouldn't be escaping so easily, "Lila Rossi isn't here to apologize for deceiving everyone with her lies, but she is here to apologize for threatening Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Juleka Couffaine, and for Jagged Stone, slander."

Luka's eyes widened, "… What…?" he breathed, his mind processing this information. When he finally registered what she said, his eyes narrowed angrily, the grip on his guitar tightening, "What do you mean she threatened them?" he growled, snapping his head towards the fallen girl, moving at her.

Before he could charge at her with his guitar, his wrist was grabbed by Juleka.

"Wait, I know what you're going to do and as much as I kind of want to see it, it wouldn't be right." Juleka frowned.

"But she threatened you and Marinette." He strained. This was the liar who had framed Marinette, got her expelled and now he finds out that she also threatened Marinette and his sister?!

Juleka bit her lip. Although she has imagined of it, she didn't want to see her brother go to jail because of the liar. (Might be worth it though)

"Is there a problem here?" Warden questioned, staring between the two with a critical eye.

It was Rose who piped up, "Luka is Juleka's brother." She filled in meekly, her hands clasped together in a prayer.

Understanding flashed through the akuma's hazel eyes, "Ah, I see." She glanced at Lila who glared at her restraints, "Though it's unfortunate, but Lila Rossi has to go apologize to Jagged Stone now." She frowned, lifting her tablet to tick off another itinerary on the list and moving towards Lila.

Seeing that they were about to leave, Luka quickly called out to them, "Wait! Would you be coming back to apologize to the rest of us?" he quickly came up, forcing his anger aside to stall for time for Marinette, "She lied, but not only that, she ruined their friendships." He pointed out.

Warden gave a thoughtful look before nodding, "I guess so. I'll add it to the list soon." She stated but continued to move towards Lila who wiggled away from the approaching hand.

Before she could be grabbed, a yo-yo zipped through the air, wrapping around Lila and yanking her back towards a pile of cluttered boxes as Lila yelped.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir." Warden frowned, "Wait your turn, you're next after Jagged Stone." She stated with an annoyed frown. She had to fulfill Mrs Rossi's list before she can move onto other things. She has already wasted a day and a half playing the fool, she wasn't going to waste another.

"You guys, go take cover!" Ladybug quickly ordered before addressing her partner, "Chat, go grab Lila and hide her!" she said while the others listened, "I'm going to find Jagged so just buy me enough time."

Chat Noir furrowed his brow, "Wait, why?"

"As soon as she grabs Lila, she'll teleport straight to Jagged, so we'll make it easy and bring her to us instead." She quickly explained, standing, her yo-yo spinning to the side, waiting to attack.

"Of course! Gotcha, M'Lady." Chat Noir nodded and quickly grabbed a yelping Lila, running away.

"Come back here!" Warden demanded, pursing after them, only to jump back from Ladybug's yo-yo. She glared, gripping onto her tablet, "What make's you think I can't control her from here?"

Ladybug stared with a frown before she smirked, "I'm taking a risk here."

Warden's brow twitched, but she didn't say anything. The hand holding her tablet hesitated as she thought in turmoil. She'll take Ladybug as her prisoner and released Lila or she'll try and pursue the escapees.

Coming to a decision, Warden made her decision. Ladybug wasn't worth it when she was so close to completing her goal.

"Wait!" Ladybug yelled out, giving chase as she leaped back onto solid ground.

She jumped back when Warden kicked a streetlamp off its hinges, making it fall towards her.

Seeing how Warden was already far away, Ladybug sighed before flipping her compact open.

Hopefully Chat Noir was able to get far enough.

Dialling Penny's number, she hoped that they were still in Paris and not in a whole different country.

"Yes?" Penny picked up, "Ladybug?!"

"Penny, is Jagged still in Paris?" she quickly questioned, leaping onto one of the buildings.

"What- I mean yes."

She inwardly sighed in relief at the news, "Where are you?"

"At Le Grand Paris, in the en-suite. Why? Is there an akuma after him?"

"Not quite, but don't worry, he's not in danger." She assured, quickly running in the direction of the hotel, "There is an akuma but she's not going to hurt him or you, so don't panic if she suddenly appears in front of you. I'm on my way."

"O-Okay."

Hanging up, Ladybug made another call.

While she only saw it once, Ladybug was going to make a gamble with her observations.

It seemed Warden needed to do 2 things in order to teleport. Ticking off a checklist and grabbing Lila. If they could separate the tablet where the akuma was most likely hiding in or Lila from her, they could keep her from teleporting.

But if they couldn't get the tablet, then how long could they keep Lila away from Warden? And factoring if Lila would cause trouble for her just like when she did when she was facing Oni-Chan.

They needed Warden to keep still if they couldn't separate Lila with her in time.

"Hello?"

"Master Fu, I need…"

Landing on the balcony outside of Jagged's en suite, Ladybug knocked on the window, gaining the two resident's attention.

"Ladybug!" Penny slide the window open, letting her in, "You said there was an akuma?"

"Hey there, Ladybug!" Jagged greeted as he riffs on his guitar in the middle of his room with Fang by his side, wearing his customized fedora, his tail wagging side to side.

Ladybug waved at him with a smile before looking back at Penny with a nod, "She's not dangerous, just making Lila apologize to her victims."

"Oh…" Penny blinked before frowning, "We're still waiting for that."

Ladybug gave her a sympathetic smile, "When she appears, I would like your co-operation."

"Of course, what should we do?"

Ladybug smiled, "Just let Jagged be Jagged."

Penny blinked.

A couple of minutes later, Warden appeared with a displeased Lila in her hand in front of them.

As soon as they appeared out of thin air, Ladybug immediately threw her yo-yo at her, only for Warden to duck, throwing Lila at Jagged's feet while she made it easily to avoid Ladybug but getting rid of the excess baggage.

"Don't get in my way, Ladybug." She glared, blocking her kick.

Ladybug smiled, throwing her a punch, "Well, why don't you focus on me while Lila over there apologizes to Jagged?"

"You-" she growled.

On the other side of the room, Jagged came forward with his arms on his hips, his guitar on his back, a deep frown on his face, "Out with it now. Where's my apology? It's been days!" he complained.

Lila's eye twitched, "I gave you an apology, it's properly got lost in the mail." She sneered.

"What a bunch of baloney!" he grabbed at his guitar, strumming angrily with each word, "Where's. My. Apology? You. Posey!"

Lila growled, "I'm sorry." She spat, mockingly.

"Liar!"

"I'm not!"

"Liar, liar, pants on fire!"

"How old are you?!"

From behind the two, Penny shared a glance with Fang with a sweat-drop.

As Warden ducked another of her attack, her back facing the windows, Ladybug grew annoyed when the tablet, which she was certain where the akuma was hiding, was out of her reach once more.

She just needed her to stay still.

"Stop interfering! My job is already in jeopardy because of that manipulative liar!" Warden cried, "I just need her to apologize to her victims, so I at least did my job!" she desperately believed. If she was going to get fired, she was going to fulfill what she didn't do!

Ladybug gave her an understanding frown, "But this would be revenge, not justice. And being coerced into apologizing is meaningless."

Warden swiped her free hand to the side, "Then what am I going to do?! I already know she won't mean it! The least I can do is make her suffer while she gives empty apologies!" she cried. Years of studying and training for this job, ruined because of a kid!

Ladybug's frown soften, "Then you'll try again."

Warden snapped her eyes at her in a glare.

"You now know what you're up against. You'll learn from your mistakes, so I believe, you won't be fooled again." Ladybug smiled melancholy, unlike her who held out for hope until she had enough, "Besides, it still early for you."

Warden grew quiet, gritting her teeth as she held her tablet to her chest.

A purple butterfly outline appeared on her face, announcing himself before disappearing in the next.

"You don't know what it feels to be an adult, you're still young, this is a time where you can make mistakes." Warden seethed, "It's not the same with us adults." She spat, carefully moving around, sizing her up.

Ladybug frowned deeply, clutching on her yo-yo as the window was now to the side of the akuma.

Glancing at the guarded tablet, two figures from outside the windows caught Ladybug's attention. She saw her partner and someone in a yellow and black bee themed suit jumping across buildings to them and Ladybug swallowed at how they were in Warden's peripheral.

If the akuma were to turn her head to the side, she would see their trump card.

Quickly throwing her yo-yo, trying to capture the akuma, Ladybug charged, hoping to push her back to position for the Bee Holder to sting her, making an opportunity for her.

Though her heart thudded when she realized the Bee holder had no intention of hiding as she burst through the open window, along with Chat Noir, landing with her back to her.

"Miss me, M'Lady?" Chat Noir grinned, gripping his staff, prepared for battle, "And looked who I bumped into."

"It's an honor to be chosen for a Miraculous. Nice to meet you, Ladybug." She greeted, holding her spinning top in her hand, "I am Hachinoko." she introduced, "Master Turtle sent me to help you."

Ladybug's brows shot up, "What are you doing? This wasn't the plan." Master Fu was supposed to relay her plan to her!

Hachinoko raised a brow, "What plan?"

Ladybug was beginning to feel panicked, "Hachinoko, that plan! Surely you must have been told about the plan before accepting the Miraculous?!"

"No, stay behind with Chat Noir. I can handle this myself." She stated, holding her spinning top steady in her hand, the point aimed at Warden. She stood for a moment before charging at her in the blink of an eye.

Being pushed back by such aggressive attacks, Warden was forced to be on the defensive, ducking and dodging to avoid one of her thrusts. Avoiding her stinger, Warden's face twisted into growing frustration as she dodges.

There was no opening for her to fight back and she was wasting time dealing with this outsider!

"Don't get in my way!" she roared, quickly leaping back, enough time for her to swipe her at her tablet for a new blank list that was quickly filled up. However, as she did it had unfortunately released Lila, returning her back to normal, aside from the cuts around her wrists.

Having been freed, Lila quickly escaped.

"Hey! You still haven't apologized!" Jagged yelled after her!

"I don't have anything to apologize for! I did nothing wrong!" she yelled back, running for the lifts.

Having heard what she said, Warden growled at the escapee at her lack of apology. But for now, she had to force herself to focus on the interference.

She'll have to deal with Lila later.

Hachinoko paid no mind as she leaped at Warden, "Ven-!"

As she aimed her tablet at Hachinoko, ready to swipe the page off the screen at her, Chat Noir quickly pushed the Bee Holder out of the way when she fired a glowing white light.

"Watch out!" he cried, getting hit instead in midair.

A white glow enveloped him for a moment.

Hachinoko pushed herself up from the ground, her eyes widened, "No!" she yelled out as Chat Noir landed on his feet, who was now the one in the orange jumpsuit and in chains instead.

"Cataclysm!" he summoned, about to touch the handcuffs, only for them to slip lower on his arms, the chains between the cuff reeling within in until it disappeared, pressing his arms stuck together, "What?" Chat Noir gasped, fruitlessly trying to reach the cuffs to no success.

From his lair, Hawk Moth gave out a wide grin, "What a masterful move, Warden. Now, in just a few minutes, Chat Noir will transform back and his Miraculous will be mine!"

"I'm the one in control, not you." Warden glared, annoyance boiling within her. She was so close! All she had to do was have Lila apologize to Jagged Stone! And then she'll have fulfilled her client's tasks, "Now first order of business is to capture the runaway." She ordered fussily, ticking off a box on her tablet before grabbing the back of his neck and disappearing.

"No!" Ladybug cried out, throwing her yo-yo, but it was too late as they disappeared, her yo-yo grabbing nothing and thunking to the ground.

Both girls ran out to the hallway, finding it empty.

Were they in the elevators? But it indicated that no one was using it.

Then the stairs!

Before Ladybug ran for the emergency stairs, she stopped when she saw Hachinoko face twisted into one of apprehension, realizing her mistake.

"I behaved hastily. I failed. I am not worthy to fight beside you." She mourned, reaching for the bee hair comb in her hair.

However, she was stopped as Ladybug grabbed her hand and pulled it away, placing her other hand on her shoulder.

"You made a mistake, as I do every day, but that's not a reason to give up fighting." She gave her an encouraging smile, speaking from experience, though on the inside, she was anxiously thinking of her next plan, "The person who chose you saw the potential within you, someone who could help us, that's probably why you were chosen." She trusts in Master Fu's judgement, so she'll trust in Hachinoko as well, "But we must work together as a team. We don't have much time left: here's the plan." She quickly said, not wasting another second.

As another beep sounded, Chat Noir was praying for his Lady to hurry up as he was down to 3 paws.

"Orange so don't go with my eyes, don't you think?" he uneasily smirked from the ground. Having tried to buy time for Lila and swipe at her tablet proved pointless as long as he had the cuffs on.

At least he managed to give Lila some time to run away, but not far.

Warden merely glanced at him before with annoyance in her eyes, "Lila Rossi is nearby. If you don't want to lose that hand of yours, I suggest you follow orders." She hissed as she looked around the empty lobby. She wanted to get back to her job. As she looked up, her eyes caught moment from behind the reception desk and she smirked, "Let's put your dangerous ability to work." She sneered.

Frowning, Chat Noir tried to push himself up by his elbows, only for Warden to kick his arms towards a certain direction, making him fall back down.

However, in the next moment, she pressed her thigh-high boots onto his right wrist, causing him to cry out as his Cataclysm touched the ground.

"Hey, wait-!"

A small Earthquake began to shake the entire building, tiny debris falling from the ceiling as large cracks formed on the ground and towards a startled girl behind the desk.

"Ah!" Lila cried out, loosing balance.

Warden lifted her tablet, aiming it at her, "Don't think you can escape from me." She scorned gleefully, swiping an empty page at Lila.

Lila's eyes widened in horror as she was once more captured, "No!" she cried out, before snapping at the hero available, "Chat Noir, do your job and help me!" she demanded hysterically.

Chat Noir grumbled but before he could get up, Warden sent him flying out the doors while she used this chance to get to Lila who was shuffling away, muttering 'useless cat, useless bug' under her breath.

"Now, on to business." Warden sneered, ticking an item off her list before reaching to grab Lila.

However, before she could, the lights were suddenly turned off, but she was suddenly blinded, "What?" she hissed, covering her eyes from the light source that was flicking across her eyes. She squinted, not even realizing someone fast approaching her.

"Venom!"

All of a sudden, she was suddenly frozen.

Lila stared at Warden with bated breath, waiting for her to move as the lights came back on. Though she soon relaxed when the someone stepped from behind the frozen akuma, revealing herself, "About time." She glared and the turned her sights onto Ladybug who jumped down from the somewhere with a red and black spotted hand mirror and flashlight in her hands, "I got hurt because of your incompetence!" she sneered.

"Be grateful that you were rescued." Hachinoko glared, her eyes sharp as she stared Lila down.

Lila glared back from her position on the ground, still restrained.

Ladybug didn't pay any mind as she went to grab the tablet from Warden's hand, "Nice job, Hachinoko." She smiled snapping the tablet in half, an akuma fluttering out.

"No more evil-doing for you, little Akuma. Time to de-evilise! She whipped her yo-yo after the akuma that was flying aways, capturing it, "Gotcha!" she grinned, before releasing it, "Bye bye, little butterfly."

"Me-ow." Chat Noir strutted up to them with his hand behind his head, "This kitty so didn't like his freedom being chained up. So glad I'm free." He sighed, before doing some stretches in front of them to prove his point.

"Were you okay, Chat Noir?" Ladybug asked.

"Of course, M'Lady." He then turned to the new bee, "I can't bee-live I missed on the action." He sighed, crossing his arms before grinning, "But you did good."

"Thank you." She smiled.

"Well glad to have you on board." His ring beeped, making him fidgety, having his fist ready, "M'Lady, if you'll do the honors."

Ladybug shook her head with a smile before throwing the hand mirror in the air, "Miraculous Ladybug!" she summoned, watching it disperse into glowing little ladybugs flying around and restoring any damages, returning Warden back to Alessia.

All three heroes stood in a circle with a smile on their faces, "Pound it!" they cheered, doing a 3-way fist bump.

"Well, gotta go. Don't miss me too much." Chat Noir winked before quickly leaving.

Ladybug then turned to Alessia who looked distraught.

However, Lila quickly went over to her, her act ready.

"Oh, Ally, are you okay? I was so worried for you." She cried out, placing her hands on her shoulder.

Alessia's gaze slowly trailed to her, her hazel eyes narrowing, "Don't call me that." She growled, causing Lila to leaned back in surprise.

"Ally?"

"Don't you think I've forgotten what you did." She glared, "I'll be sure that I'll be doing my job to perfection this time." She proclaimed, her eyes glinting.

All pretenses dropped as Lila could see her charms will no longer be working. Her eyes narrowed her, not caring about keeping up with her façade in front of the others that aren't important, "You really think you'll still have a job after this? Think again." She scoffed.

"Well, I believe Miss Raymond will do a great job now that she knows what she's dealing with." Ladybug cut in, her arms crossed and a smile on her face.

Lila snapped her eyes onto Ladybug with a growl, "You're still here?"

However she was ignored.

"Thank you, Ladybug." Alessia stood up with Ladybug's help, "I won't take my job lightly anymore from here on out." She then turned to Lila, grabbing her wrist and tugging her, "I have to take you home now, come on." She yanked, causing Lila to stumble.

"Let me go! I can walk by myself!" she barked out.

As another beep sounded from her earrings, Ladybug turned to Hachinoko, "It was nice working with you. I'll have to go before I de-transform." She smiled, taking off, however, as she ran out of the lobby and onto a nearby roof, she was surprised to see Hachinoko going after her.

"Ladybug, wait."

Slowly down, she turned to her, "Is something wrong?"

Hachinoko sighed, a frown deeply etched on her lips, "Back there, I messed up. I don't think I would get another chance, given the performance I did."

The Ladybug holder softened, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Everyone messes up. Me included." She chuckled awkwardly, "I don't think you could compare this to my first time as a hero and even now I still mess up along the way. So chin up, I'm sure you'll be given another chance when needed." She smiled.

Hachinoko stared at her in awe before finally smiling, "If you have that much faith in me, then I'm sure this won't be my only time as Hachinoko." She nodded, before staring at her as a beep sounded from her hairpin, "Well I should go return the Bee Miraculous back." She said, giving a small bow to Ladybug before heading off.

Ladybug smiled before quickly finding a place to de-transform.

Walking back home, Marinette hummed out her song.

However, as she walked past the park, she saw Luka on a bench, looking fidgety, his phone clutched in his hand, staring at it with a troubled look.

What's he doing here? Did he come to check up on her?

Before she could call him out, she saw him press down on the screen and before she knew it, her phone began ringing. Taking it out, she was surprised that it was her that Luka was calling.

"Luka?"

"Marinette, are you home right now?" he asked, voice sounded slightly distressed.

Frowning in concern, she pushed the gate open and walked towards him, "Look up." She tried to smile, though it disappeared when she noticed the look on his face, "Luka, what's wrong?" she asked in worry, both hung up their phones.

Luka got up, reaching towards her, "I…" words died on his tongue as he took in a shaky breath, "No its nothing." He shook his head, running his hand through his hair, looking slightly disturbed. It was in the past, one that Marinette wanted to move on from and forget.

Frowning, Marinette stepped closer to him, grabbing at the hem of his shirt and tugging slightly on it, "Did something happen?"

Shifting his eyes on her, Luka lowered his hands around her waist, his head landing on her shoulder, "The akuma - Warden's reason for making Lila apologize to Juleka, I found out the reason." He explained.

Marinette's eyes widened at the news, "I…" she had known that Juleka had also gotten threatened but now that she thought about it, she never told him, too wrapped up with asking him out. Her heart thudded, "I'm sorry." She apologized, guilt beginning to gnaw at her heart, "I should've told you when I found out immediately – I didn't mean to just brush off the news-" she began panicking, rambling.

Luka shook his head, pulling her closer, "That's not your responsibility to tell me and it's not something you can just being up so easily, besides, you didn't know until it was over." He squeezed her tight, "I've already talked to Juleka about it, and she said she was fine. A bit shaken up back then, but she had Rose and everyone else, and it was quickly resolved before something bad happened."

Marinette rested her cheek against his shoulder, relaxing, "That's good." She sighed closing her eyes.

But Luka shook his head, "But what about you?"

Marnette blinked her eyes opened, lifting her head up, "What about me?"

"Juleka was not the only one she threatened." Luka straightened up, showing a regretful look.

"I…" she blinked, realizing why he was here. Her heart becoming full of love for the one in front of her. She gave him a soft smile, wrapping her arms around him and leaning on him, "Shocked and almost hopeless back then." She summarized, "Halfway? Relieved and thankful." She hummed, feeling him wrapped his arms around her, "and now happy. I'm glad to have you and Aurore in my life." She sighed out, nuzzling her face in his chest, "Thanks for looking out for me, Luka." She looked up, giving him a tender smile.

Luka didn't say anything for a moment, only staring at her with stunned eyes before burying his face against her shoulder, "I'm glad that you're happy." He murmured.

Marinette giggled quietly, "Are you happy?" she returned the question, moving her arms to wrap them over his shoulders, playing with the ends of his hair.

Turning his head to face her, Luka gave her a warm smile, "With you? Of course." He whispered, pressing his lips against her cheek.

Marinette giggled, returning the gesture.

He smiled, continuing to embrace her for a moment longer.

He would be even happier if no one hurts his loved ones, but for now he'll do what he can to protect them.

From her room, having the perfect view of the park, Lila narrowed her eyes at the scene before she shut her blinds as she eavesdropped on her Probation Officer and her mother in the hallway.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think you're right for the job." Lila's mother sighed, having heard what had happened.

From behind her door, Lila smirked, "Good riddance", she snickered. This would give her another chance to start over, be more careful.

"Please give me another chance." Alessia pleaded, "Now that I know what I'm dealing with, I won't be fooled anymore. Please give me one more chance to prove myself, Mrs Rossi. If you hire someone else, they might also fall for her tricks. I already have so I know what to do now." She implored.

Mrs Rossi hesitated, biting on her lip. Well, it was only her second day – still getting familiar with her job. And even as her mother, she didn't even know her own daughter was such a person. And Alessia was right, there was also a chance that whoever she hired next would also get fooled, "Okay…" she relented, unaware of Lila's shocked eyes, "Please be careful… I heard that you got akumatized because of my daughter. I'm sorry." She apologized, rubbing at her tired face that was filled with shame.

Alessia sighed out in relief, "It's fine, I will make sure you won't regret this decision."

A promise that she won't break.

Notes:

Finally got back into writing, but I feel like some of the scenes were too forced in or didn't flow right. Tell me what you thought about it and I'll go back and fix any mistakes.

I had some scenes left over, but I think I'm going to save it for the next chapter since this one was getting too long and it already had a main akuma fight, plus I didn't want to start the next chapter with an akuma right at the beginning.

Not that big of a fan of Hachinoko. Wanted a 2 or 3 syllable name and was going to pick Hachiko but that just reminds me of that loyal dog, (unless you don't think so?). Originally, I had Joou Bachi (Queen Bee in Japanese), but that might be weird... Mitsubachi (Honey Bee) was another candidate for the name but I don't think it suits the character's personality. Also thought of Hachi (Wasp) as well, but it also means 8 if it's written in English as well as just saying it...

So Marinette's sufferings (issues) has finally come to an end! Yay, no more suffering unless I missed another issue?

So a couple of thoughts... Out of all the Miraculous Holders, wouldn't the Snake and Rabbit holders find out about the other heroes' identity since the snake can rewind time and the rabbit can travel through time/dimensions? Like Bunnix knows and if Luka were to continue being Viperion wouldn't he also find out eventually?

Hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Hachinoko is Japanese for Child of the Bee

Chapter 22: Royal Queen

Notes:

#

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Lila wasn't expecting her mother to allow Alessia to keep her job after the terrible performance she had shown, but she could still find a way to take advantage of the situation.

No news had been reported about yesterday's akuma which meant no one was aware one had even occurred apart from the very few who she had to unfortunately forced to apologize for her own safety.

She was lucky that the ones who witness it wouldn't have the guts to talk about it.

Adrien wouldn't dare if he didn't want his life to be ruined.

Marinette seemed to have turned a new leaf and didn't care about her so-called friends.

Rose, Juleka and Ivan wouldn't mention it and if they did, she could always make it seem like they were just being a bully to her.

She didn't think they would want to deal with that kind of attention.

And Alessia seemed like a prideful person who wouldn't want to admit her mistakes to a bunch of kids that she – a grown adult- had been manipulated and humiliated by a mere kid.

So Lila could adapt.

She still has the control.

But she noticed things were slightly different.

She had one rude awakening for one.

She had still been sleeping when her mother had let Alessia in while she went to work (which was early), leaving the two alone.

Alessia had crudely knock at her door, telling her to wake up instead of waiting for her in the living room like the previous times.

When she had refused, she had barged in, yanking her covers off while she screeched at her actions.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Lila furiously glared.

Alessia dropped the covers and crossed her arms, "It's time for you to go to school." She stated before giving her a polite mocking smile, "You have a big day ahead of you: Apologizing to Marinette. Juleka. The class and of course Jagged Stone." She listed, "Sincerely. If you're even capable of such a thing." She narrowed her eyes at her.

Lila seethed, a low growl rumbling at the back of her throat.

"Be ready in ten or else I'm coming in with a spray bottle." Alessia warned, turning around to leave and finish off her croissant and coffee she had bought from the T&S Boulangerie Patisserie, grateful for the big man who let her in even though they were an hour away from opening when he noticed her waiting outside the shop, yawning.

She might have over done it by arriving earlier than her last two times, but she wanted to show Mrs Rossi that she was serious about her job.

Lila continued to glare before closing her eyes and letting out a huff, "Just because you're finally taking your job seriously, doesn't mean something like yesterday, won't happen again, Warden." She peeked her eye open and smirked when she saw her take a pause at her door, "Soon, you'll just get turned into another monster and be let go since you're just too dangerous to roam free." It'll be child's play to get her akumatised again. A flash of annoyance glinted in her eyes at the betrayal that Hawk Moth would turn someone who wanted revenge on her. After all that she's done for him, this is how he repays her? The nerve of him.

Composing herself, she focused on her current target who had been standing there, silent. Annoyance replaced with a nasty glee in her eyes, "Tell me, how does it feel to be manipulated by a child that you're supposed to be looking after?" she spat, her grin vicious. She inwardly chuckled at the clenched fists, confirming her suspicions.

Yes, someone like Alessia wouldn't want her mistakes to be brought up.

It was a moment before Alessia lifted her arms and dug into her inner pocket, pulling something out and fiddling with it. She then looked over her shoulder at her, a certain glint in her hard hazel eyes, "4 minutes." She stated, showing Lila's cracked phone with a timer going down before leaving with the door left over.

Lila's annoyance came back.

All dressed to go to school, Lila dawdled out of her room with a deep frown and into the living room to find Alessia at the table, finishing up her coffee while the pastry bag sat on the table. Her eyes glared at the familiar logo and her frown twitched into a scowl, her morning only worsening by the second.

"3 seconds to spare." Alessia stood up with her rubbish, tucking her chair in, "How lucky of you." She said, going into the kitchen to dump the empty bag and cup in the bin.

Lila's eyes widened in shock when she noticed the spray bottle on the table.

She was really serious about spraying her.

"Come on, you're going to school." Alessia informed her.

Whipping her head at her, Lila huffed, "You're crazy." She muttered as she grabbed an apple for her breakfast and trudged after Alessia, taking a bite of her apple, "We'll see how high and mighty you'll be once we're at my territory." There were still people who was still dumb enough to believe her and she was betting Alessia wouldn't be able to say anything to fix the 'bodyguard' mistake.

Having been bought to school without delay, they were early that there were barely any students around.

Lila sat on the while Alessia stood next to the bench at attention in silence.

As time ticked by with more students trickling in, Lila inwardly smirked as she noticed some students headed towards her, "Showtime." Putting on a smile, Lila gave them a smile with a small wave, "Good morning everyone!" she greeted.

"Morning Lila."

"Morning."

"Hey there, you're early."

"Anything interesting today?"

They all greeted, bright smile and all.

Lila gave them all a smile. Even if everyone tries to ruin her life, she was gets what she wanted in the end.

"Well, the truth is," Lila looked around as if looking fir eavesdroppers before leaning forward with a hand hiding the side of her face, "I'll be meeting with Jagged Stone today." She whispered.

"Whoa!"

"Shhh! It's a secret." Lila placed a finger in front of her mouth, letting out a giggle.

The others turned to look at Alessia, waiting to see any objection, only to hear none.

"That's amazing!" one whispered, "Do you think you could get me his autograph?" they asked, looking star-struck.

Lila smiled, placing a hand to her cheek as she spoke demurely, "Of course." She chuckled, "He and I are really close-"

"Lie." Alessia stated bluntly, startling the group, "You still owe him an apology and a retraction from the lies you made about him." She reminded loudly, "And you guys are not close, with what I was informed, the first time you guys ever spoken to one another was when he stormed in here to give you a lawsuit."

Lila's brow twitched, shooting her a glare as the others began murmuring about the incident.

"Oh right, Jagged was really angry about that."

"So she's lying again?"

Putting up a smile, Lila continued as if nothing happened, "Right, Jagged and I have a little spat, that's why he gave me a lawsuit-"

"Another lie." Alessia said.

A strained laughed left Lila, "- Actually, that reminds me, I can't go see him today, I have a charity event with Prince Ali-"

"Another lie."

Lila laughed shyly with a wave of her hand, "Oh, how embarrassing this bodyguard of mine-"

"That's also a lie."

"Ally!" Lila finally turned to her with a forced smile, "It's great that you're helping me with my rare disease-"

"Is lying all you can do?" Alessia raised a brow at her increasingly furious face.

"Wait." A student furrowed their brows, noticing something, "So Miss Raymond isn't your bodyguard?"

Lila turned back to them, "Of course she is, she's just playing a joke because-"

"No, I am not." Alessia cut her off, her jaw clenched at the humiliating decision, but she quickly let it go in favor for this petty revenge that she was shamelessly enjoying, "I am Lila Rossi's Probation Officer." She stated clearly, inwardly smirking at Lila's gaping look and the wide eyes of the students staring between her and her ward, "I must apologize for before when I didn't correct her. I had been a fool to fall for her acting, but I won't make the same mistake twice." She sighed, a mistake on her part.

Lila couldn't believe it. She had thought the fool wouldn't want to admit her humiliating mistake and she had been counting on that!

"So Lila just lies all the time, huh."

Whipping her head towards the towering students, Lila grew defensive, "I'm not a liar!" she frowned, putting on a hurt look, "I just have a rare disease that makes me can't control what I say!"

The students turned to Alessia, who mouthed the word 'liar'.

Whispers began among the crowd in front of Lila.

"Who makes up a disease?"

"She's kinda living in her fantasy huh."

"That's a bit sad."

"She's delusional."

A muffled laugh could be heard within the crowd and Lila's mask cracked. She shot up with a harsh glare, her fists bawling at her sides, "Look here!" she yelled, startling them as they leaned back. She had enough from the traitors, "You're just jealous that-!"

"Akuma!" someone had screamed out, causing panic to erupt in the courtyard.

"Perfect" Lila thought with a smirk.

But before Lila could turn to see where the akuma was coming from, she was suddenly manhandled off the ground, "What are you doing-?!" she indignantly screeched, thrashing around, "Let go!"

Carrying Lila under her arm, Alessia immediately took off, running away from the akuma flying after them, "I am doing my job." She said with a hard stare that was focused straight ahead her, her grip tightening around her.

Lila continued to thrash around, kicking the air and trying to remove the iron grip around her waist, "Let me go!" she shrilled, horrified at the barbaric treatment.

Nightmare! This was a living nightmare!

As the akuma chased after the two around the court, the others stared flabbergasted as they watched the Probation Officer running from the akuma like a track star while Lila frantically screamed at her.

And that was the scene that Marinette arrived to, staring blinkingly at the two among the crowd who had been panicked, now looking amused.

Some even recording on their phones, snickering.

"Looks like Miss Raymond is doing better." Tikki whispered from her purse, carefully peeking at the scene.

"Yeah." Marinette agreed, quickly backing away and finding a hiding spot to transform.

They could still here Lila's screeching from outside.

Releasing the purified butterfly from her yo-yo, she looked up when she was approached by Alessia who was still holding Lila under her arm like a sack of flours.

"Ladybug." Alessia greeted with a smile with a slight huff, trying to regulate her breathing under control, "I'm glad you got here in time."

"It's no problem, Miss Raymond." Ladybug smiled, "It was lucky that I was nearby to hear the… commotion." She trailed her eyes to a dangling Lila who shot her a glare before focusing back to Alessia.

The whole thing looked comedic.

Shaking her thoughts away, Ladybug gave her a sincere smile, "Well, I'm glad to see you're well."

Alessia smiled, "Thank you, Ladybug. I promise myself that I won't make another mistake like last time, I've learnt my lesson." She huffed, glad that Miss Rossi gave her another chance. Though her smile faded when she glanced at Lila, "But I'm afraid I might need your assistance with this," she sighed, jostling her for a better grip, receiving a barking 'hey!' from the captive liar, "I feel that she'll attract another akuma with the schedule she has today."

Ladybug raised a brow before giving her a sympathetic smile, "Well, I'll be sure to be on a lookout." She promised, beginning to turn around, "Good luck, I'm sure it won't be easy dealing with her." She said over her shoulder, "Bug out." She bid, throwing her yo-yo towards the roof, and taking off into the distance.

"You can let go now!" Lila demanded, struggling in her grasp. She could see people pointing their phones at her, snickering at her situation and she trembled in anger. This was never supposed to happen! She was the one in charge! She was the one who was adored! She was who everyone wanted to be!

Alessia ignored her as she looked around the premises and the skies for any incoming akuma. She trusted Ladybug to purify them before one could enter the vicinity, but just in case one akuma had gotten in her blind spot…

Once she was satisfied that none would be coming even though the girl she was holding was angry and annoyed, she unceremoniously dropped Lila on the ground who stumbled, unprepared at the suddenness.

"Watch it!" she barked, whipping around towards Alessia with a glare, "That was uncalled for!" she cried, lowering her face in her hands, hiding her expression, "Haven't you done enough? Everyone knows now so you didn't have to go that far to humiliate me!" she let out a couple of sniffs, "I know you don't like me for what I did, but you're the adult here!" she sobbed out loud, "Isn't it immature for you to hold a grudge and do this petty revenge against a kid?" she whimpered.

When there was no response, she peered over her fingers only to find Alessia's face unchanging from her hard stare.

She gritted her teeth behind her hands at the lack of pity she failed to drag out.

Alessia stared indifferently, her eyes beginning to narrow at her, "Don't think you will be getting your way anymore." She proclaimed, "Even though it has it was 2 days, I now know what you're like and won't be falling for any of your lies." She took a step forward, towering over her, "And even if you happen to tell the truth, I will never believe you." She glared.

Lila's returned the same look with twice the intensity before she shifted her eyes around her, checking on the audience.

She was hoping to see them still recording,

Recording a scene of an adult bullying a child, but they had put their phones away and was simply watching them like they were some sort of entertainment.

Her jaw clenched as she turned back to look at Alessia.

She ruined everything!

Huffing at the look she was receiving, Alessia placed a hand on her hip, "Now go to class," she ordered, giving an uncaring glance at the onlookers around them before looking back down on Lila, "I doubt you'd want to continue staying here." Her voice was slightly mocking.

Shooting her a snarl, Lila didn't say anything as she swirled towards the staircase, stomping up the stairs and towards her classroom while Alessia followed her.

"Okay class, that it for today." Miss Bustier ended her lesson for the day once the bell signaled, "Don't forget to read chapters four and five." She reminded as the students focused on packing and leaving.

"Wait." Alessia stood up, getting everyone's attention, "Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Juleka Couffaine. Can you two stay behind?" she requested, "Lila owes you a formal apology." She informed before turning to Lila whose eye was twitching, "Also, if the class feel that another apology is to be in order, then so be it since she had put on an act last time." She revealed, not letting her off easy.

"Of course." Alix muttered, rolling her eyes as she leaned her cheek on her fist.

"Should we even bother if she's just going to lie again?" Kim grunted with a frown. He can't believe he had felt sorry for her last time.

"Well hurry up then." Chloé snickered, crossing her arms as she leaned back, "Don't waste my time, there's a lavish lunch waiting for me at home." She didn't care what it was for, but she wouldn't miss the attention seeker be taken down a peg.

Seeing how an apology was wanted, Alessia urged Lila to stand up, "Come on."

Gritting her teeth, Lila pushed herself up with her bag and trudge down the steps to stand in front of the whole class once more. Her bangs were shadowing her eyes as she bit her lips.

She glared through her bangs at the class who was all waiting for her, but her eyes hardened when she saw Marinette's bored stare, her bag on her desk with her arm laid on top while she leaned her cheek on her other fist.

It was as if she had somewhere better to be than to be in her presence.

While the dummy didn't deserve her apology, she should be grateful that she was even receiving one from her.

"You think you're all that? Do you?" she inwardly seethed.

Her eyes then trailed to Juleka and it was a look that Marinette should've been making – meek…

Lowering her gaze, she locked eyes on Adrien and inwardly smirked when he looked away, fidgeting,

… powerless.

If she was going to humiliate herself then she wasn't going to go down alone, "I'm sorry Marinette. Juleka - for what I did. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me? She asked, staring at the two.

Everyone waited to see the two girl's response while Chloé stared at her pedicure, huffingly waiting for her apology.

It was Marinette who reacted first as she stood up with her bag on her back.

"No." she simply said, surprising some at her response, while others understood.

There was something that Marinette realized through all this. She wasn't obligated to forgive the person who hurt her just to make the person feel better about themselves. She didn't need to forgive as long as she herself can move on and heal. Her feelings were valid whether she chose to forgive or not.

Plus, there was no need to take the apology seriously when the person herself didn't mean it.

"What?" Lila balled her fists as Marinette walked pass her without a passing glance. Feeling offended at being rejected so openly, "What do you mean 'No?'" she demanded, taking a step towards Marinette, while Alessia looked ready to restrain her if she tried to lay a hand on the girl, "You should be grateful that I showed you what kind of people your friends really are! Without me, you wouldn't have known just how little your friendship means to them!" she taunted maliciously.

Many of the students shot up from their seats, angered. Yet some couldn't find their voice to defend themselves. There was some slight truth in that, if Marinette was really their friend, they should've tried a bit more to defend her, yet they had blindly listened to Lila without question.

Lila then looked at her angry classmates, "Even your friendship with Adrien-"

Realizing what she was about to do, Adrien paled, his heart racing.

"-means so little to him when all this time he-!"

Marinette stopped in front of the exit and turned back a bit, cutting her off while unaware that she had saved Adrien for now, "You can say what you want. Another lie, another threat," she shrugged, "Your words doesn't affect me anymore." She then stared straight into her wide raging eyes with an unwavering calm stare, "I don't accept your apology and I don't need or want one from you." It was also too late for one anyway. She might have accepted it in the beginning, being hopeful that Lila had changed for the better.

But she would have been a fool to.

"Okay class, calm down." Miss Bustier tried to mediate them with an awkward smile and then turned to Lila to give her reassuring words, "I'm sure she didn't mean that." She gave her a comforting smile before turning to Marinette with a chastised frown, "Marinette." She called out. Her frown turning into a soft encouraging smile, "What Lila has done in the past may be hurtful, but why not let those feelings go and try to forgive Lila instead?" she gestured towards Lila, "You'll feel more at peace with yourself if you let those negative feelings go." She hoped Marinette would be the bigger person and set the example, she didn't want such hostility to linger in her classroom.

The class interrupted.

"That's not fair!" Rose shouted from the noise, sounding upset at the unfairness.

"She shouldn't have to!" Alix voiced with an annoyed frown.

"Yeah! Marinette was the victim here, not Lila!" Alya proclaimed, glaring at the liar who glared back.

The others agreed, adding their own objections.

Miss Bustier clapped her hands to settle down the class, "Come on, calm down, students." She frowned before turning to look at Marinette expectantly as if hoping for her to fix this.

Marinette frowned at Miss Bustier, "But-" she started but she was interrupted by a hard voice.

"With all due respect Miss Bustier, but this is Marinette's choice and if she chooses not to accept, then that is fine." Alessia stated, giving the teacher a pointed stare.

Miss Bustier frowned, as if unfamiliar with such a decision, "But Lila has made the first step by reaching out." She pointed out as if that made a difference, "If only Marinette can set a good example and-"

"But that is not her job." Alessia narrowed her eyes, beginning to feel annoyed with this teacher. What is up with her? "Lila Rossi has threatened Marinette Dupain-Cheng and has purposely framed her, leading to her suspension. That cannot be taken lightly." She listed what she had been told when she accepted the job, "Honestly, I don't expect Miss Dupain-Cheng to accept Lila's apology after what she's done."

"But-" Caline tried but Alessia wasn't done yet.

"And from what I know, why didn't you defend your student?" Alessia questioned with a raised brow.

Caline felt flustered, "Miss Raymond, that's-"

"Miss Dupain-Cheng has been in your class for years, surely you would have given her the benefit of the doubt if something strange had occurred." After clocking out yesterday, she had gone back to the school, asking Mr. Damocles if she could access the class' student records, especially Marinette and Juleka's. (Though he had been reluctant, a little mention about the government made him reconsider.)

Since she had been given another chance, she was going to do her job thoroughly.

Seeing her speechless, Alessia shook her head, unimpressed, "No offense, but please do not interfere, this is part of Lila Rossi's punishment, requested by her mother." She faced back to the front, still standing at attention, signaling that she would not hear anymore of her, but before that, "And…" she glanced at her from the corner of her eyes, "I don't think you have any right to tell what Miss Dupain-Cheng, or any of the others for that matter, of what they should do, seeing how you had handled things." She remarked.

Caline flushed, feeling flabbergasted.

The class grew silent along with the teacher that they adored... though some respects were now lost for her…

Marinette herself looked stunned as she stared at Miss Raymond before she blinked out of her daze, "Thank you, Miss Raymond." She smiled gratefully.

Alessia nodded, giving her a glance, "Have a good day Miss Dupain-Cheng." She bid with a small smile as the girl left. She then cleared her throat, returning to her strait-laced look, "Juleka Couffaine. Do you accept Lila Rossi's apology?" she resumed, getting back on task.

Juleka startled at the sudden attention, but the question was easy seeing Lila's outburst and since no one was akumatised… "No." she huffed.

"I see." Alessia accepted then looked to Lila expectantly but she remained quiet, seething. "Would the rest of you accept her apology if she were to give one?" she questioned the class. She didn't think they would, seeing how hostile the girl was looking.

"No." they all unanimously said.

Even Rose and Mylène, who couldn't look Lila in the eyes, feeling hurt by the deception that Lila still persisted with.

"Then, we'll be going. Thank you for your time." Alessia gave them a slight nod and left with Lila.

Outside of the school, standing near the curb, Alessia and Lila waited for a car to pick them up.

"- if you don't apologize to Jagged Stone today, your mother will hear of this." Alessia reminded.

Lila breathed out harshly, "Ugh!" she snapped her head at her, "You sound like a broken record-!"

"Hold up!"

The two turned around to see Chloé standing behind them with crossed arms, an expectant look on her face, while behind her was Sabrina, carrying their school bags.

"I'm still expecting an apology." Chloé preened, her fingers drumming on her arm.

"For what?" Lila spat; she didn't do anything to the spoiled brat.

Chloé raised a brow, "Well for lying to moi, of course." She reminded before placing the back of her hand on the back on her forehead, "You lied to me about Ladybug, my friend!" she peered at her with a smirk, "You've tainted our friendship with your lies so," She smirked, "out with my apology, Rossi."

Lila glared before she gave her a malicious smirk. If she wanted to play this game then she'll play, "Really? You and the bug, friends?" she let out an amused huff.

Chloé raised a brow, "Of course, good friends." She then chuckled, "Unlike you," She sneered, flicking her wrist at her, pointing her manicured finger at her, "Little Miss Liar."

Her jaw clenched, but she didn't lose her composure, "If you guys are friends, then why didn't Queen Bee show up yesterday, hmm?" she smirked.

"What?" Chloé breathed, her eyes narrowed, "You're lying, I'm the only one who Ladybug trust with the Bee Miraculous to." She then flicked her ponytail, her nose turned up, "She wouldn't dare try give away my Miraculous to some incompetent peasant."

Lila chuckled, "For once, I'm not lying." She scorned, raising a hand to cover her malicious grin, "Unless there's another black and yellow insect out there, you got replaced."

Chloé snapped her head at her, her hands thrown at her sides, "Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!" she glared, "Why should I believe you? You're nothing but a liar! A super lame loser and a nobody!" she spat.

Lila gave her a fierce glare before crossing her arms with a condescending smile, "Fine, you don't have to believe me, but the new bee was in your hotel fighting alongside your good friend Ladybug."

Chloé laughed, having caught her, "Ha! Look at you lie again, Liar Rossi!" there was no way she wouldn't notice if an akuma had been in her hotel, Ladybug would have asked for her help if there was. She then directed her frustrated glare to the help when she remained silent at such obvious lies. Did she have to do everything around here herself?! "Why aren't you doing your job?!" she demanded, "You should be fired for your incompetence!"

Alessia frowned while Lila chuckled at the insult and humiliation from a kid once again, "Unfortunately it's true that there was an akuma since I was the one who got akumatised yesterday." She vexingly informed, "When I came to, there was another hero besides Ladybug and Chat Noir."

Lila laughed mockingly at the stunned face on Chloé's face, "See? It's true but guess what." Her lips split into a wicked grin. "Looks like there's a new Queen and it's not you!" she jeered, smirking maliciously at her. She was sick of her royal brattiness.

"Rossi." Alessia warned.

Chloé bristled, glaring at her, "You!" she stomped towards her, her manicured nail pointed at her, "Obviously Ladybug couldn't find me and had to settle for a CHEAP KNOCKOFF, OKAY, so watch what you say, ROSSI!" she growled harshly, her nail digging into the ugly vermillion coloured jacket.

Lila smacks her hand away with a glare, "Or what?"

"Final warning." Alessia warned, glaring at her just as a silver car pulled up in front of them.

Lila's eye twitched, her hands curling into fists as she marched towards the car, annoyed.

Alessia following in after her.

"Hmph, that's what I thought." Chloé straightened up, crossing her arms in triumphant, though she was scowling in dissatisfaction as the car drove off.

How dare she?! It must be a lie and they both in on it!

…

She stomped towards her limo, ignoring Sabrina's call as she slammed the door shut, yelling at her driver to drive her home fast.

Left behind, Sabrina sighed as she began her trek after her friend while carrying both their bags.

As soon as she arrived, before the doorman could even open the door open, Chloé had slammed it open, not caring that she had slammed someone against it, and stomped towards the entrance of her hotel.

"Welcome back, Mademoiselle." Her butler greeted.

Chloé continued to march towards the elevators, muttering, 'Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous.' Though she gave a small pause as turned around, pointing a finger at the butler, "Was there an akuma here yesterday, Jean-Claude?!" she snapped.

"Not that I was aware of." He answered. He had been working in the restaurant yesterday and serving the young Miss.

Chloé frowned, her teeth gritted as she turned back towards the elevators, "Useless! Utterly useless! What does daddy even pay you to do?" she bristled. A new Queen Bee in her hotel? Ha! The liar was just trying to get under her skin!

But just to make sure…

"Hurry up Jean – Luc! I want to see yesterday's footage set up in my room before I arrive!" she irrationally demanded, pressing harshly on the elevator's button continuously as if would get it to arrive faster.

Jean only bowed his head at the command, "Yes, Mademoiselle." And quickly left for the emergency staircase while the young Miss was growing impatient by the second.

Storming into her room Chloé stomped towards her television on the wall where her butler already was, not a single bead of sweat on him, "Jean-Paul, was there an akuma or not?!" she huffingly questioned, her arms crossed and foot tapping at the ground impatiently.

"It appears so." Jean responded, gesturing to the screen that was split into four sections, having been paused on the hallway outside Jagged Stone's en suite, and various angles of the lobby, the corners timestamped to yesterday's date and time of the event.

Chloé glared at the screen, snatching the remote out of his hand, "Leave!" she ordered.

Jean nodded with a calm face, "I'll go fetch you your lunch." He said and left, closing the double doors behind him with a flourish.

Chloé didn't hear what her butler said as she focused on the screen, pressing play on the remote.

The Liar and the Alessie was just playing a cruel joke on her! There was no way Ladybug would betray her!

She was Queen Bee! The Bee Miraculous belong to her! Only she was the one worthy enough to be the Queen-!

The remote clattered on the ground as a bee themed hero appeared on screen, holding her spinning top, wearing her Miraculous and doing the fist-bump with Ladybug.

"Looks like there's a new Queen and it's not you!"

The liar's words echoed in her head.

A window of an observatory opened up, inviting light to scatter the many butterflies around.

Standing in the middle of the once dark room stood Hawk Moth with a smirk.

"I can always count on you when it comes to making an akuma, Chloé Bourgeois." He chuckled, reaching his hand out for a butterfly to land into the palm, "Whether you provide me a victim or you being filled with so much negative emotions, I will never run out of akumas." He covered his other hand on top, turning the butterfly into an akuma before releasing it into the world, "Fly away, my evil akuma, and evilize her!" his cane raised in the air as he ordered.

As he watched his akuma leave, the smirk began to fade as he lowered his cane back to the ground.

He felt a sense of loss as he released another akuma for someone other than Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Nothing had been going right for him so far.

Planning Lila Rossi's ultimate akuma had been foiled by Ladybug before he could even enact it.

And with the little lair being someone so spiteful, he knew she wouldn't listen to him if he were to akumatise her after he had akumatised her Probation Officer.

It would be a risk to try and akumatise Lila.

Though, Lila was no longer useful in his plans to akumatise Marinette Dupain-Cheng if her presence in her life no longer affected her.

Sighing, Hawk Moth stared out the window with regret in his eyes.

He couldn't sense any strong negative emotions from her anymore, and the time when he sensed immense sadness from her, it had disappeared with bouts of comfort and then happiness, rendering his attempts useless.

He had been patiently waiting for the pinnacle of her negative emotions, but there was nothing.

The opportunity had been lost.

His plans had been for naught.

While he believed Marinette Dupain-Cheng would become his ultimate creation, he would have to settle for Chloé Bourgeois.

Her hands balled up into fists at her sides as she stared at the looping footage with watery eyes, "How dare you?" she gritted, her voice slight choked up in a huff, "That's my Miraculous and you just gave it to someone else?" her voice rising.

As Ladybug gave the imposter (and Chat Noir) a fist-bump with a smile, Chloé squeezed her eyes shut at the mocking scene at what Ladybug had done to her.

"She replaced me! She utterly replaced me! How dare she?!" she screeched, feeling betrayed, "Why would she give it to someone else when you have me?! I'm the only one who can use it!" she cried out.

Fine! If Ladybug was too blind to see that she needed her then it was her lost!

Wiping at her eyes angrily, Chloé swirled around and stomped towards her bed on the left side of the room, "Well guess what?! If you can't see how great I am then we are totally NOT friends anymore! I don't need you!" she declared, her eyes locking onto the large stuffed ladybug doll on her bed, "You're NOTHING without me! And once you'll realize that, you'll totally regret it!" she was breathing harshly as she snatched the doll off her bed, she threw it at her open windows, towards the balcony, not caring if it fell over the veranda.

"Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!" she cried as she went around her room, get rid of her Ladybug mementos, "You'll regret losing me!" she ripped up photos of them together before moving towards her closet, harshly pulling the doors open, "Teaming up with those losers by your side!" pushing her clothes aside, she accessed the secret compartment behind the back wall, revealing her Ladybug and Queen Bee costume, "RIDICULOUS!" she ripped the Ladybug costume off its stand and threw it across the room.

Turning back around, she reached for the replica Bee comb that she had made and bought it closer to her, her lips wobbled.

"How could you do this to me?" she squeezed her eyes shut with gritted teeth, clutching the comb to her heart.

A knock at her door sounded before it opened to reveal Jean holding a sliver covered plater in one hand while standing beside him was Sabrina.

"Mademoiselle, I have brought your lunch, and Sabrina is here with your bag." He announced.

Not in the mood, Chloé turned her back on them, "Get out!" she yelled, "I don't want to see anyone!" she ordered, her grip on her comb tightened.

A hurt frowned appeared on Sabrina's lips before her gaze noticed Chloé's Ladybug costume on the floor. Remembering what Lila had said, she could guess that her friend was hurt, "Chloé, I'm sure Lila was just making things up." She tried to comfort her, unaware of the increasingly tensing shoulders from Chloé, "There's no way Ladybug would ever replace you. You're the only one who can be Queen Bee after all-"

"OUT!" Chloé spun around, directing her glare at her, "GET OUT!" she demanded.

Flinching, Sabrina quickly handed Chloé's bag to Jean and quickly fled.

Feeling bad for Sabrina, Jean stepped into the room, hoping to appease the young miss, "Mademoiselle, if I may-"

"You too, Jean-Yves! Get out, I want to be alone!" her shoulders hunched as she yelled out her order.

Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Jean let out a disheartened sigh, "I'll leave your lunch here." He placed the silver plater on her table and her bag on her chair before leaving, closing the door behind him.

Finally alone, Chloé uncurled her shoulders, straightening up as she unfurled her fingers to stare at her comb with a frustrated frown. The Bee was hers, not that fake!

Yet Ladybug had…

She gripped the comb once more, lifting her arm up to throw it away.

Only to freeze at a familiar dark.

An akuma had seeped between the gaps of her fingers merging into the comb.

"Chloé Bourgeois," Hawk Moth's voice sounded in her ears as she lowered her arm, a scowl on her face, "rejections hurt! Your talents deserve to be recognized! Yet Ladybug replaced you – abandoned you!" his voice rang through her head, "You've helped her, you've trusted her, and what has she done for you in return?"

Chloé shook in anger, all the things she's done for her! "Nothing! She couldn't care less about me! I'm done with her. She's irrelevant, utterly irrelevant!" she yelled, shoving the comb in her hair.

Hawk Moth chuckled, "Show Paris just who the actual Queen is. I'll give you the akuma to make your powers even stronger - better, my queen. All I ask for in return is-"

"Chat Noir and Ladybug's Miraculous, you shall have them." Chloé interrupted, "As soon as I take back my throne!" she proclaimed, her arms spread out as dark purple miasma enveloped her.

"I look forward to it, Royal Queen." Hawk Moth smirked.

Staring from the school's rooftop, Ladybug didn't have a good feeling when she watched Chloé approaching Lila.

She couldn't hear what they were saying from where she was, but knowing the two girls' personality, especially with Lila not hiding behind a façade anymore, nothing good would come from it.

She hoped Miss Raymond will stop them before things were to escalate.

Ladybug tensed when things got a bit physical, looking around for any incoming akumas. She looked around for a bit before looking back down when none were showing up.

Still, she wasn't going to let her guard down when they were involved.

As a silver car pulled in front of the group, Ladybug took her yo-yo off her hip, preparing to follow Lila and Miss Raymond from a safe distance.

Though as she followed the silver car, a white limo zoomed pass the car, crossing over to the other road for a moment before driving back on the correct lane, breaking the law.

It was fortunate the road was relatively empty, but Ladybug felt that this wasn't a good sign.

Landing to a stop on some roof, Ladybug flipped open her yo-yo, hoping that Chat Noir was transformed, but when it went straight to voice mail, she left him a message to meet her at the hotel.

She was about to close her yo-yo until she gave a pause.

Both Lila and Chloé had looked angry and seeing how they were both heading to the hotel, something might happen to incur an akuma.

Letting out a frustrated but tried sigh, Ladybug called Master Fu, requesting for backup.

It couldn't hurt to be prepared.

Landing on the roof of the hotel, Ladybug tied her yo-yo around the marble fence situated above Jagged's room and lowered herself upside down, enough to peer through the window.

Jagged and Penny was inside, the former giving belly scratches to Fang in the middle of the room while the latter was going through her tablet with a frown.

It didn't look like Lila and Alessia had arrived yet, though she didn't have to wait long no sooner than she locked her eyes on the door, there was a lock on the door.

Looking up from her tablet, Penny quickly headed over to the door, pulling it open to reveal Alessia and a displeased looking Lila.

"Welcome." Penny greeted.

"Thank you for having us," Alessia did a slight nod, "but let's get straight to the apology." She then pulled out a cracked phone from her inner pocket before looking at Lila, "We have wasted enough of your time as it is."

Lila scoffed and crossed her arms.

Both women narrowed their eyes at her.

"A formal apology is given to Jagged and then a retraction posted online." Alessia reminded.

Lila dismissed her with a wave of her hand, annoyed, "I know already!" she hissed, "You don't need to keep-"

"Well look who's here to finally apologize properly!" Jagged strutted forward with his hands in the air, finally noticing who was at the door, "Well, let's hope this little poser finally learnt some manners." He hummed, placing his hands on his hips, "Come on, out with it."

Lila shot him a glare and opened her mouth.

From outside, Ladybug could only shake her head with a sigh before pulling herself up as muffled yelling was heard.

Seeing how Lila was being stubborn, spurred by Jagged's childishness, she just knew an akuma would appear if things continued.

Climbing over the marble pillars of the fence surround the roof, Ladybug eyes trailed towards the direction of Chloé's room and she released a sigh.

It had looked like Lila and Chloé had been arguing about something and the sinking feeling wasn't leaving her stomach.

"Something tells me this is the storm you were talking about, Aurore." Ladybug murmured under her breath as she looked up at the clear skies, scanning for any incoming akuma.

She couldn't calm down, her shoulders tensing every second.

She didn't like this.

She was seriously at a disadvantage here – all by herself in the open, trying to keep an eye out for an akuma that could fly in from Jagged's side, or from Chloé's side – the opposite direction.

There were too many blind spots for her to cover by herself.

Biting on her lips, she tried to call Chat Noir one more time while continuing looking back and forth, pacing along the roof, her eyes focused on the sights of Paris, "Come on, Chat, pick up." She muttered, only for it to go to voicemail.

Letting out a sigh, she closed her yo-yo as she paced back towards Jagged's side.

Best case scenario, she was just overthinking and that maybe everything will go smoothly.

Unfortunately, she was forced to remind herself that the universe once again, had something against her.

She froze when she heard a gathering of buzzes thrumming through the air.

Swirling around, her breath hitched when thousands of glowing wasps was spewing towards the sky before scattering throughout the skies.

"Sting them! Sting them all!"

She heard just as the wasps began falling down, showering all of Paris with its presence.

A portion of the wasps was coming at her and Ladybug immediately ran for the swimming pool from experience, knowing they wouldn't follow after her if she was under water.

She drove into the swimming pool before she her foot could even be stung, the wasps backing off, avoiding the splash.

From under water, breathing through her yo-yo, Ladybug watched as the wasps lingered before flying off.

Her shoulders sagged as she was absorbed in thought.

These familiar wasps coming out from Chloé's room…

Lila must've told Chloé about the new bee.

Great

Kicking her legs, she swam towards the surface, slowly ducking her head out from the waters for any lingering wasps.

She sighed out of relief when it seems like the wasps had vacate the roof and climbed out, flicking her hands of the water before carefully peering over the edge of the roof, observing the situation.

She blinked, narrowing her eyes at the akuma, sitting mid-air on a throne made of wasps as well as being surrounded by them as if they were her guards. Before she could get a better look, she felt a sudden tap on her shoulder, making her immediately jump into action.

Twisting around, she swiftly grabbed the arm and pulled them down in an arm lock.

"Wait, M'Lady! Give, I give." Chat Noir tapped his free hand against the floor.

Blinking, Ladybug loosened her grip, "Chat, don't surprise me like that." She huffed, getting up and offering her hand to him.

He let out a sheepish laugh, accepting her hand as she pulled him up, "So," he stared around, eyeing the wasps flying below, "Is the Queen angry, or is this another Queen with similar powers?" he had seen them swarming by from his room, swarms of wasps lurking through the streets, stinging at people, their eyes glowing yellow as they froze in place.

Ladybug let out a sigh, running her fingers through her hair, "It looks like Chloé found out about Hachinoko from Lila."

"Me-owch." Chat Noir winced.

Shaking her head, Ladybug carefully peered over the edge, "We need a plan before we jump in." she muttered, eyeing a wasp stinging a citizen. It seems like her powers were just the same as when she was Queen Wasp.

Chat Noir came up next to her, "We can take her." he smiled, confidently, "Just like last time, a dip in the water and splash! Done." He nodded.

She didn't say anything, as she eyed Chloé. Her form wasn't exactly the same as Queen Wasp. Queen Wasp didn't have a bejewelled crown resting on her head, a golden septor, nor a golden cape. There had to be something else, "Let's watch for a bit, she looks a bit different."

Chat Noir squinted his eyes, "Just some fancy accessories tact on." He hummed.

Pursing her lips, Ladybug straightened up, eyeing the Seine river. Either they try to take her out or get her near a body of water… but with the amount of wasps out there, both options would be tricky. Should she wait for-

"My loyal subjects! This is your Royal Queen's first order! Find the Miraculous and bring them to me!"

Both heroes' eyes widened as the once stunned citizens began to move.

And with how many wasps Chloé had sent out, the situation could be compared to Zombizou's encounter.

Ladybug let out a small groan. Great, not only did Chloé have an army of wasps at her disposal, but she also had innocent lives in her control.

Chat Noir frowned, "What should we do M'lady? It'll be hard to fight if we have to be careful not to hurt the civilians."

Pressing a knuckle on her lips with a concentrated look on her face, Ladybug frowned, "I'm thinking." She muttered. If they could just decrease the amount of wasps and avoid the people, they could focus on Chloé without much distraction. But she can't do that by herself.

Was backup coming? Was Master Fu able to hand out the Miraculous in time? Are the others, okay? Did they get stung?

Should she use her 'Lucky Charm' now or-

"The Horse sends his regards." A soft familiar voice sounded from behind them.

Whipping around, a relieved smile appeared on Ladybug's face, "Vulpes!"

"Hey Ladybug." He smiled warmly, before turning to look at the other, "Chat Noir." He nodded before pulling out his flute from behind, "Sorry I was late, I was trying not to be seen."

No sooner than he said that, the others arrived as well from opposite ends.

"The Horse sends his regards." Both girls said before glancing at one another.

"Looks like the team is here." Chat Noir grinned.

Everyone turned to look at Ladybug who seemed to look relieved.

"Good." She nodded before taking a deep breath, "Okay, here's what I'm thinking."

They all huddled together, listening to the plan.

Leaning on the back of her gloved hand, her heeled toe kicking the air, Royal Queen stared annoyed the longer she was made to wait.

She slammed her septor on the platform of wasps beneath it, "Where is Ladybug?" she demanded with a scowl.

"Chloé!"

Royal Queen's face twisted in a scowl as she leaned forward on her throne, looking around for the voice, "Who dares call me that! I am Royal Queen, and you shall address me as that, peasant!" she spat.

"Down here, your Royal high-ness!" a cheeky voice called out.

Snapping her head down, she found Ladybug and Chat Noir standing on the street below, the latter waving his arms at her with a cheeky grin.

She snarled at them for a moment before trailing her eyes around, searching for someone. When she couldn't find who she was looking for, she shot Ladybug a glower, "Where's your little fake bee friend? The one you replaced me with?" she questioned, narrowing her eyes on the traitor.

Ladybug frowned, taking her yo-yo off her hip, "There's no need for Hachinoko to come when we're more than enough to take you on."

"Yeah!" Chat Noir smirked, getting in a stance with his staff, "We beat you before, we'll beat you again - just the two of us like always!"

A malicious smirk glided onto her lips as she leaned back on her throne, switching legs, crossing it over the other, "We'll see about that." She narrowed her eyes as she raised her septor, "Come, my loyal subjects! Retrieve the Miraculous for your one and only Queen!" she ordered, bringing her septor down.

Both of the heroes looked alerted, standing back-to-back as her loyal subjects appeared from both sides of the streets, closing in on them and from above, her wasps surrounded them, creating a dome around them.

There was no chance of escape.

Royal Queen placed the back of her hand in front of her mouth, releasing a shrill laugh, "You might as well give up your Miraculous, Ladybug!" Royal Queen gleefully smirked, "There's no point trying to escape, you're surrounded!" she growled. "You're just sitting ducks!" she mocked as she watched the dome of wasps closing in on them, limiting their space.

It wasn't enough.

She wanted to show Ladybug just what a huge mistake she made by giving away her Miraculous – replacing her.

Lifting her septor, she commanded the wasps to open a hole at the top of the dome, letting her other wasps fly threw like a Jetstream, suffocating their movements even further.

Victory was hers.

Royal Queen stared at the back of her hand in boredom, "Hmph, is that all? To think I used to be your biggest fan." She huffed, waiting for one of her minions to hand her the Miraculous, "Ridiculous. Utterly ridicu-"

"Shell-ter!"

Startled, Royal Queen snapped her head up just as a transparent green force field enveloped the dome of wasps and her subjects, trapping them in, "What?!" she shot up in shock, her wasps immediately creating a small platform for her to stand on, "What is going on?!" her subjects and the majority of her wasps were trapped! "Someone tell me!" she roared, looking around for the culprit. An outline of a butterfly appeared in front of her face.

"That forcefield, it must be Chelona's doing!" Hawk Moth's voice sounded in her ears, "There's a chance the others are-"

Suddenly, she snapped her head up when a shadow was cast over her, "You mangy alley cat- How?!" she screamed in fright, cutting off Hawk Moth's connection as she covered her head when she saw the Cat swung down his staff at her as he fell towards her.

Fortunately, her throne of wasps disbanded to fly in front of her, making a protective wall over her, blocking the swing.

"Mangy? Me?" Chat Noir he yelled as swung his staff down, "Let me tell you, cats clean themselves every day." He grinned, trying to push through the barrier.

However it was no use as soon after, the wasps began turning their stinger at Chat Noir, taking advantage of their flight.

But before they could sting him, a yellow and black stripe spinning top yanked him away from their line of fire.

When she felt no impact, Royal Queen opened her eyes, staring up to see a smiling she-turtle who wiggled her fingers at her, sitting on the edge of her hotel's roof with her opened parasol leaning on her shoulder.

Standing beside her was the fox with his flute near his lips, looking calm.

"So this whole time was an illusion." Hawk Moth's displeased voice rang in her mind.

Scowling at the two, she turned her head towards the ground to see mangy alley cat and the fake imposter. She hardened her glared specially at the fake bee as her wasps lowered her down, her golden cape fluttering behind her.

"Where's is Ladybug?" she demanded, gripping onto her septor.

"I bee-live she's bee-sy at the moment." Chat Noir grinned, twirling his staff before settling in a stance, "You'll just have to settle with us."

Royal Queen bristled before focusing on her replacement, "No, you're not worthy of my time." She stated as her remaining wasps spread out behind her. Even though the number of her wasps had dropped down significantly, she still had a substantial amount of wasps left to keep everyone detained until the force field disappeared. She then pointed her septor at the bee who was staring at her with sharp eyes, "I have a bone to pick with this wanna-bee." She smirked as half her wasps shot forward, separating the two.

She felt the other two heroes jump down, trying to attack her, only for her remaining half of her wasps deal with the other two, leaving her and the fake alone.

With a few of the wasps that had stayed behind to assist their Queen.

Royal Queen stood tall, hovering over the ground with her wasps under her feet as she stared arrogantly at her fake, "So you're who Ladybug chose to replace me." She sneered before slamming her septor on the ground, "I'll show you who the Queen is!"

Hachinoko narrowed her eyes at her, preparing her stance, "Someone like you isn't worthy of the Bee Miraculous." She stated, getting a snarl out of her, "And let me make this clear." She gripped her spinning top in her hand, "Ladybug didn't choose me, someone else did, but that does not matter." She smirked, "I'll prove that I am worthy of Ladybug's trust, unlike you."

"You-!" she hissed, clenching her septor, "You'll regret saying that, Hatchet Loco!"

There was a moment of silence as Hachinoko stared deadpanned at Royal Queen, "… What?"

"Looks like not only your naming sense is utterly lame, but you're deaf as well?" Royal Queen snickered, flopping her hand to the side, "Ladybug is obviously regretting not picking me."

Raising a brow at her, Hachinoko stared at her straight in her eyes, "It is pronounced Hachinoko." She articulated before giving her a smirk, "Clearly you are uncultured about other languages."

Eye twitching in anger, Royal Queen raised her septor, "Venom!" she shouted, a glow forming at the top of the septor as well as on the Wasp's stinger hovering behind her, "I'll show you who's worthy! Who's the better one is! Me! The one and only Queen!" she surged forward, swinging her septor at her.

Hachinoko's eyes narrowed as she dodged to the side before delivering a kick to her side, only for it to be blocked by her septor.

"Is that all you can do?" Royal Queen taunted, "Pathetic." She smirked, pushing her foot away before charging forward with her wasps.

Hachinoko quickly leaped back, her hand tightened around her spinning top.

If she was honest, she much prefers a different weapon to utilise.

Before Hachinoko can throw her spinning top at the wasps, she decided against it in order to focus on Royal Queen as a baton and flute was thrown at the wasps, taking them out before boomeranging back to their respective owners.

"Don't worry! We got your back!" Chat Noir shouted from a few ways away, quickly catching his baton and extending it into a staff to bat his own portion of the wasps away, keeping them at bay.

"You can focus on her Royal pain-in-the-neck!" Chelona called out, using her opened parasol to shield her and Vulpes who caught his flute, "We'll deal with these pests!" she grunted as she flicked the wasps off her parasol.

Both of their Miraculous beeped.

"It's Royal Queen, you peasant!" the akuma yelled, slamming her septor down at her opponent.

Hachinoko dodged with a grin, "Got it!" she addressed her teammates before surging forward, summoning "Venom!" she thrust her arm towards her.

However, the wasps under Royal Queen's feet lifted her several meters in the air, avoiding the strike, "HA! You think it'll be that easy?" she laughed, "What a noob!"

She was expecting a look of frustration from her cheap knockoff, but instead she got a smug look from her, "What?" she snarled, "What's so funny?! I order you to tell me!"

"It seems our decisive match is about to come to an end."

Royal Queen growled, "What nonsense are you talking about-?"

"Bombs away!"

Bursting into the hotel's kitchen, Ladybug quickly located where the spices were and grabbed a particular one, and a large bucket that was sitting by the supply closet.

Bringing it to the taps, she filled her Lucky Charms -red and black polka dotted balloons- with the brown powder before filling them with substantial amount of water, quickly tying them up once they were the size of her head and deposited in the bucket.

Seizing the final balloon from the packet, she filled it twice as much as the others before placing it with the others.

Done with her preparations, she heaved the bucket into her arms with a slight 'oof' and ran towards the service elevator in the kitchen.

Fitting herself in with her bucket, she closed the door before she was taken up towards the closet room with a balcony.

She hoped everyone was still fine.

With her bucket in hand, Ladybug peered over the balcony, eyeing the battle below.

It seems everyone was still holding on their own.

Perfect!

Setting the largest water balloon aside, she then lifted the bucket, swinging it back and forth for momentum, "1… 2… 3! Bombs away!" she grinned, hefting the water balloons in the air.

Dropping the empty bucket aside, she quickly grabbed the large water balloon beside her while a shocked screamed sounded from below.

"My hair!"

Chucking her final water balloon high in the air, she quickly grabbed her yo-yo and whipped towards it, spearing through the material.

The water balloon exploded, making it rain for a spilt moment.

As the water balloons burst on impact, a sweet scent could be detected everywhere.

"My hair!" Royal Queen screeched before her nose twitched at the concentrated scent, "Ugh! What is that smell- Ahhh!" she screamed as she was suddenly falling to the ground.

She pushed her upper body up, glaring at her wasps, "What do you think you're do-" suddenly remembering who was waiting for her at the bottom, she quickly tried to get up, only for to freeze like a statue when something was thrust at the back of her shoulder.

"Venom." Hachinoko smirked, lifting her spinning top away as she straightened up, glancing around the street as Ladybug jumped down from the balcony, landing in a superhero pose.

"Is everyone okay?" she asked, straightening up.

"Yeah." Vulpes smiled, though he was covering his nose, "You weren't gone that long." he assured.

Ladybug grinned apologetically at him, "Thanks."

Chat Noir's nose twitched, feeling slightly sick at the strong sweet smell, "Cinnamon?" he sniffed in confusion before noticing the wasps distancing from them, avoid the area.

"To repel the wasps." Ladybug clarified as she walked over to the stunned Royal Queen, grabbing her septor and crown, snapping the former and then the latter when no akuma came out.

"Smart." Chelona chuckled, "Too bad we couldn't join in on the water balloon fight." Though there was some satisfaction in seeing Chloé get hit by one.

"Thanks." Ladybug chuckled, capturing the akuma in her yo-yo and releasing it, "Bye bye little butterfly." She smiled at the purified butterfly before throwing the empty balloon packet and throwing it up in the air, "Miraculous Ladybug!" she summoned, watching as the glowing ladybugs wash over everything, fixing everything and putting everyone back to where they had been before they had gotten mind controlled.

"Pound it!" They all fist bumped, grinning.

From his lair, Hawk Moth glared frustrated.

"This won't be the last, Ladybug." He declared in silent anger from the frustration, "The is not the end for the Queen. The Queen will reign once more in the future." He breathed, clutching as his cane.

He began to turn as the window of his observatory began closing, enveloping the room into darkness.

"And maybe, she won't be the only one you'll be facing." He promised, scheming up a plan, though a risky one.

One that could turn on him.

Ladybug was the first to break away from the group as she turned to Chloé who was sulking on the ground.

As a few beeps sounded from the other heroes and Ladybug felt a hand placed on her shoulder.

"I'm about to transform back." Vulpes informed, his head lowered to whisper in her ear.

Ladybug shifted her head towards him, an appreciative smile on her face, "Okay. Thanks for your help, I'll see you… next time?" she ended slightly awkward.

Vulpes smiled, straightening back up, "I'll see you the next time I'm called in." he nodded before taking off.

"The same goes for me." Chelona smiled, closing her parasol which dropped her force field, "It's been quite a day for me." She chuckled.

Ladybug smiled at her, "Thanks for your work."

She did a small curtsied before taking off in a different direction than Vulpes.

"Chloé-"

"Why?" she cut in with a sullen voice, "Why didn't you give me the Miraculous?" she demanded before looking up and glaring at Hachinoko who was still here, "Why did you have to give it to her?"

Ladybug frowned. Not this conversation again, "I'm not in charge of handing out the Miraculous anymore. And even if I still was, I told you before, Chloé. It's too dangerous since Hawk Moth knows your identity. He could go after your loved ones and-"

"That just your excuse!" Chloé shot up, directing her glare onto Ladybug, "The Bee Miraculous is mine! I was the first to be Queen Bee! Me! I was supposed to be given a Miraculous! Not to her – not to someone else!" she shouted, "No one is better being Queen Bee than me!" she stomped, pressing her fists at her sides, her eyes squeezed shut, "Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!" she said to no one in particular.

Ladybug levelled her with a hard stare, "The Bee Miraculous was never yours in the first place."

Chloé stomped her foot in annoyance, "But it's mine! I found it in the first place. Finders keepers, losers wheepers."

Ladybug frowned deeply, but it was Hachinoko who answered, taking over for her.

"It doesn't belong to you- it never belonged to you in the first place." She bluntly stated, stepping forward, "Especially if the owner of it wants it back. What you did was called stealing." She corrected, "Someone who steals and refuses to give it back wouldn't be given a Miraculous." Her eyes then narrowed as some memories flashed through her eyes, "And someone like you is not worthy to be a holder of a Miraculous."

Chloé gasped, appaled at her, "You, butt out! You're not a part of this so STAY OUT!" she growled before turning back to Ladybug, ignoring her presence completely, "You need me, obviously!" she proclaimed, rolling her eyes, "Why else would you keep giving me the Miraculous?" She reminded.

"The times that I gave you a Miraculous was because the situation had been dire and there was no other choice." Ladybug informed, inwardly sighing.

"Then all the more to give me the Miraculous!" she yelled at her, spreading an arm out while the other pressed on her chest, "I am a good superheroine!" she stated, "But you refuse to see that! How many times have I asked to fight alongside you? And how many times have you refused to give me back my Miraculous? How many, huh?" she spat.

This time, Ladybug let out an exasperated sigh, "You don't need a Miraculous to save people, Chloé."

"Yeah, there are other ways to help people, Chloé." Chat Noir gently told her.

She scoffed, that wasn't the point, "No! Everyone knows I'm Queen Bee. They adore me – the people want the Queen and that's me!"

Hearing that, Ladybug gave her a hard stare, "This isn't a game." she glared, "We're trying to defeat Hawk Moth who terrorizes the city, not to show off." She scolded, disappointed at her.

She was still the same.

Same old, same old.

Adrien was right: She'll never change.

As if she was insulted, Chloé pulled back, appaled, "Well, if that's the way it is, I'm no longer on your side! I'm no longer your fan, Ladybug! I don't love you, anymore! You're lame! You and your ridiculous, poorly chosen friends! Utterly poorly chosen! Are utterly Lame!" she stomped her feet, turning around and storming back into her hotel.

"Chloé…" Chat Noir tried to call out to her but was ignored.

Watching her storm away, Ladybug let out a sigh, rubbing at her face just as her earrings beeped.

"I apologise if I caused any unnecessary trouble for you, Ladybug. I hope I didn't overstep a line when I cut in." Hachinoko lowered her head when she saw the exasperated look on her face.

"No, you have nothing to apologize for." Ladybug gave her a reassuring smile, giving her shoulder a squeeze before slipping it off, "I've told her before that she would no longer be Queen Bee anymore." Her shoulders then sagged, "Hopefully with this, she'll finally understand." She huffed, a contemplative look in her eyes, however she shook her thoughts away, giving them a tired smile, "Anyway, good work you two." She took her yo-yo out ready to go home, "I'm going to go before I de-transform in front of you guys."

"Well, I wouldn't mind that, M'lady." Chat Noir gave her a play smile, hoping it'll cheer her up.

Huffing at him with a smile, Ladybug only shook her head before taking off.

Watching Ladybug swing off, Chat Noir's eyes lingered on her with longing before letting out a sigh. Maybe he'll go on a stroll since he never used his Cataclysm in the fight, "Well, I guess it's time for the cat to go now." He gave Hachinoko, who had been eyeing him, a grin.

A beep sounded from her comb, "It was great working with you once again." She gave him a parting nod before taking off, heading towards the drop-off.

Taking off himself, Chat Noir headed for the roofs, many thoughts in his head on this stressful day.

Coming out of an alleyway nearby her home, Marinette trekked the rest of her way, stretching her arms up, "I hope no more akumas appear today." She squeezed out before relaxing her arms down with a sigh. She then glanced down at her purse where Tikki had unlocked the clasp slightly apart, "Think you could spare some luck?" she jokingly asked.

Tikki simply giggled as her answer.

"Of course." She playfully sighed, before looking up to find a lovely surprise standing beside the side entrance to her home, "Luka!" Marinette blinked, jogging the rest of the way towards him, "What are you doing here? Aren't you busy?" she asked, slowing to a stop in front of him, eyeing his guitar strapped to his back before glancing back up at him with a smile, happy to see him. She didn't think she'll be able to see him until the end of the week unless Vulpes was needed.

Luka chuckled, "I'm almost done with the melodies for Kitty Section, but right now, I'm just taking a break." He grinned, "Getting some inspiration before I burn myself out." He said, staring softly at her.

Marinette bit her lips, trying to contain her smile from breaking out, though her cheeks pinked. She couldn't help but noticed that he had come to see her, "Oh, do you want to hang out for a bit? Grab some pastries?" she asked, smiling up at him.

He nodded, "But first…" he opened his arms out, invitingly, his smile soft.

Blinking at the gesture, Marinette flushed, but nonetheless stepped into his arms and wrapping her own arms around him with him vice versa. Rubbing her face against his shoulder, she let out a content sigh as she relaxed against him.

"Tough day?" he asked, rubbing his hand up and down her back.

Marinette let out a hum, "A bit." And it was only still the afternoon, "Had a talk with Chloé just then and…" she let out a huff as her answer until it turned into a happy hum when he stroked her hair.

Not as effective when she had her hair down, but still nice.

…

Maybe she could do that later if they had time.

"I see." Luka hummed, placing a chaste kiss to the side of her head while she smiled at the action, "If things get tough for you, you can… I want you to call me, okay?" he corrected, "We could hang out, do something relaxing, or even do nothing, what do you think?" he asked.

Marinette sighed lovingly at his suggestions, "That sounds nice," she lifted herself up on her toes, pressing more against him, "Do you think we could do that now?" she asked, eager, but then reigned it in, "Or do you need to go back soon?" she mumbled against him.

Luka gave her a small squeeze around her waist, "I have time." He peered down at her closed relaxed eyes as she leaned her body weight against him with a content smile on her lips, "Shall we take this up in your room? More relaxing than out here, don't you think?" he smiled fondly at her.

Marinette nodded in agreement. While he was relaxing, it would probably be even better laying down on somewhere soft, plus, she wanted Luka to relax as well, not just her.

But first,

"After we get some food."

Luka chuckled, pressing his cheek against her head.

"Okay." he hummed out.

Notes:

Chloé's akuma name was going to be called (Your) Royal Highness, but I wanted to keep the "Queen" consistent. Thought "Queen" had to be put in front first, so I was about to give up and go rouge, but then I remember there was Miracle Queen, yesss. (Not that it'll make a difference, but it did slow down the writing progress, lol)

If there was anything that didn't make sense or flowed right, feel free to tell me.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter

Chapter 23: Mended Melody

Notes:

#
Sorry for the long wait, hope you enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Receiving her morning text from Luka along with an update on Kitty Section's progress, Marinette headed to school with a smile.

Seems like they were making good progress since Luka said that he was going to finish the melodies by today as well as squeeze in some practice with the band.

However, she hoped they weren't pushing themselves to finish everything by a set time that they decided.

She didn't mind waiting until they were ready.

Though those thoughts had to be pushed to the back of her mind when she neared the school and heard a commotion from inside.

"Is it an akuma?" Tikki peeked her head out of her purse and try to locate the source of a fight.

Seeing just who the voices belonged to, Marinette sagged slightly with a sigh, "No, just Chloé and Lila." She tried to find Miss Raymond, but she wasn't found anywhere, though Mr Haprèle seemed to be trying to deal with the situation in her place instead.

"Do you think this is about what happened yesterday?" Tikki asked, sinking back into her purse as Marinette backed away from the entrance.

"Probably." Jogging around the school, Marinette searched for a place to transform, "And seeing how heated up they are, we should probably make sure no one get akumatised in the morning." It was better safe than sorry, and she didn't want to fight one and most likely be late to class.

And now, instead of starting her day by loitering around on the courtyard on a Thursday morning, waiting for the bell to ring, Ladybug was sitting on the roof of the school, making sure she wasn't seen by the distracted students from below as she releases a purified akuma from her yo-yo.

Watching it fly off with a lingering gaze, Ladybug then peered over the edge of the roof just as the commotion on the middle of the courtyard got louder.

Standing in between the girls was Fred Haprèle who was nervously trying to diffuse the situation between the Mayor's daughter and the girl with the… special circumstances.

His efforts were all in vain as he was ultimately ignored by the girls.

"-I'll have my daddy banish you from Paris!" Chloé shrieked.

Lila gave her a vicious smirk, one arm crossed under her elbow, "For speaking the truth?" she flicked her wrist with a huff of amusement, "That Ladybug-" she spat in disgust, "replaced you with a new and better Queen than you ever were?" she jeered, tilting her head at her with a touch of her finger, "Go right ahead." She didn't care if the spoiled brat went through with it since she'll be able to get out of this dumb school and rebuild her kingdom again. It might take some work since retractions has been posted on the internet, but if the new school were anything like this one, no one would even think to check up on the facts.

Chloé fumed, stomping towards her while Sabrina, who was standing behind her with their school bags looked on with worry.

"You think you're all that but you're not! You're just a pathetic loser!" she seethed with her own malicious smirk, pushing aside Mr Haprèle to the ground when he stood in her way, "Needing to lie?" she sneered with amusement, before flicking her wrist to the side as she let out a scoffing laugh, "That came back to bite you in the most humiliating way!" she laughed some more before shoving her face in Lila's twisting one with her hands on her hips, "A Probation Officer? And having to repeat a year?" she leaned back with her arms crossed like she was superior to her, which she was, of course! "I can't believe there's a criminal here in this school I'm in." She closed her eyes and shook her head in disappointment.

Fist trembling at her sides, Lila glared at her, "You spoiled brat." She spat, moving towards her, "You think-!" before she could even think to lay a hand on her, she was suddenly picked up, "What-?!" she squawked, thrashing around as Chloé openly laughed mockingly at her.

Looking over her shoulder, Lila glared at Alessia who had quickly returned from the toilets, "Put me down!" she demanded.

Ignoring her, Alessia held her under her arm and looked at Fred who was dusting his pants off, "What happened while I was gone?" she disappointingly asked, though not surprised.

Fred gave a small laugh, his eyes averted to the side, "Just an argument…" he rubbed the back of his head before letting out a sigh, "Sorry, I was no help." He apologized, having failed at her request she had asked of him while she went to the toilets.

But Alessia waved off his apologies, "It's fine." She said, glancing at the skies, "It's a good thing that an akuma didn't appear." She'll have to report this to Miss Rossi, and the reason… well she could probably guess what the fight was about, "I'll be taking my leave now." She nodded, moving towards the stairs to the second floor, evidently removing a scowling Lila from the situation.

All the while, Chloé mocked her from behind.

From the rooftops, Ladybug released another purified akuma while she leaned her cheek onto her palm, breathing out slowly and softly.

Watching it fly off, she wondered if this was the new norm now.

Many students went back to what they were doing before the whole commotion started.

One of those was Alya who went back to staring down at her phone on her lap, a disheartened frown on her face as she slumped down against the bench she was sitting on.

Seems like a new bee was introduced.

She had known that Chloé was to be replaced, but that's everyone now– a new turtle, a new fox and finally, a new bee.

And staring at her blog, Alya thought that even if she managed to post about the new bee on her blog, it wouldn't really matter, since one, she didn't have any footage of the new hero, and two, the onslaught of comments still persisted even till now.

Ever since she posted the retraction nearly a week ago, she's been receiving a lot of backlash from the comment section and she couldn't deny them after cleaning up her blog, deleting any of Lila's post that she could find which had been a lot.

There had been some understanding people out there about her mistake, seeing how she was only just a kid… which didn't make her feel better since she had always prided herself on her journalism to avoid such a mistake.

And then there were the others…

She had flinched at the comments that voiced their disappointments, and some were just… outright mocking, making a jab at her so-called journalism as well as pointing out that her blog was just a tabloid for the latest gossip instead of being a useful news platform about akumas.

She would had once been offended about her work being compared to that of a tabloid focusing on the latest gossip (Tabloids? Gossip? She wasn't like them! She was a real news reporter!), but she couldn't deny their claims after cleaning up her blog, realizing what kind of posts she had made and updated.

Posts that were unrelated to the blog's main purpose.

Theories about Ladybug and her identity.

Evidence about Ladybug's age.

The LadyNoir kiss.

Which people had brought up and commented on, criticizing her for trying to uncover Ladybug's identity and private moments instead of protecting it.

But everyone knew the identities of the heroes in New York, so why can't the heroes of Paris reveal their identities? Let the people know just who is protecting them and get the recognition they deserve?

And they only wanted to support the hero's love! Know that they have their undying support!

But they said she should be protecting the heroes' privacy, not try to expose them.

For a while, she had felt betrayed by such comments, since once upon a time, they too wanted to know and added their own theories - curious to know the identity of their protector and the hero's love life.

Hypocrites she had thought.

But they were right.

Maybe in truth, she just wanted to be the first one.

She was the first to post about them, so she should be the first to uncover the secret.

The first one to know.

Rubbing her face under her glasses, Alya let out a deep sigh.

She hadn't fought back, knowing that deep down she deserved all this backlash.

For someone who wanted to report facts, her blog was a mess.

And she did it all to herself and more.

She had brushed off Marinette's concerns, ruined their friendship and had lost Ladybug's trust.

She was now reaping the consequences of her actions.

Though… as her eyes glanced at the second floor where Alessia had just walked into their classroom while hauling Lila under her arm, she wasn't sure who had it worst: Her or Lila?

Lila's retraction and apology had been uploaded yesterday evening and was still trending. Not only that, but it was also shared on so many social media and the comments on her compared to her were…

She winced when she remembers what some of those comments had said.

Feeling someone take a seat next to her, she looked to the side to see Nino giving her a worried look.

"Hey, Nino." She greeted with a weak smile.

Nino tried to return the smile, "Hey." He quietly greeted, "So, uh…" his eyes trailed down to the phone on her lap, "You're still getting comments?"

Alya leaned her head back, waving her phone in the air as if it would shake the comments away, "Yeah," she sighed out, "still coming. There are some long rants in here." She chuckled weakly before trailing off into a heavy sigh.

Hearing that she's been getting angry rants, Nino bit the inside of his cheek, "Why don't you turn off the comment section?" he suggested earning a look from her, "It's been almost a week since you last posted the retraction and people are still commenting on it." He rubbed the back of his neck as he stared at his feet, "You don't need to keep punishing yourself." He mumbled.

Blinking at him, Alya let out fond smile, giving him a soft nudge with her fist, "It's sweet that you're worried about me, but it's fine." She huffed, straightening up. This was just the wake-up call she needed to do better after everything that had happened, "I just need to start again - make the Ladyblog what it's supposed to be, gain back the people's trust, fact-check everything I post." Her face twisted in a wince, but she nodded at her plan, holding up a determined fist.

Nino inwardly sighed in relief that his girlfriend wasn't down in the dumps anymore. Smiling brighter, he leaned slightly towards her, his fingers curling around the edge of his seat, "Hey, why don't we go somewhere after school?" he suggested, "It's been a while since we last had a date."

His brows furrowed when she didn't respond, "Alya?" he worriedly called out.

She looked distracted, the fist in the air loosened as she continued to stare in front of her.

Following her gaze, he didn't see anything major until his eyes caught onto the sight of a smiling Marinette entering the school with Aurore. He glanced between them and Alya, making sure that that was what had caught her attention.

And with every second, the energy seemed to disintegrate the longer she stared at the two.

Pursing his lips, Nino inwardly winced at their other situation. He knew it was hard with what's been happening. Inwardly shaking his head, he put on a smile, but just as he was about to place his hand on her shoulder, trying to give her some comfort, she shot up from her seat, a renewed glint in her eyes, "Alya-?"

"I'm just gonna invite Marinette to lunch." She blurted, "Aurore as well." She added as an afterthought, thinking if she invited both, they might agree. She then pointed a finger at him, "You try and convince Adrien to have lunch with us no matter what, okay?" she directed, "That'll up our chances-" before she could head towards the girls, Nino scrambled out of his seat with a stuttered 'W-wait' and grabbed her shoulders, pushing her towards a corner of the courtyard before the others could notice them.

Alya turned around with an impatient frown, dislodging his hands on her shoulders in the process, "What?"

"It's too soon, don't you think?" He panicked, glancing over his shoulders before facing her with his face pinched in awkwardness. Sure, Marinette was on speaking terms with them, greeting them back and making small talk with them when they went up to her, but they all felt it.

The lingering awkwardness.

The distance between her and the rest of them.

The difference when they see her talking to them and Aurore.

"Do you think we can ever be friends again?" Alix questioned.

Marinette bit her lip and averted her eyes, "… Maybe…" she said, igniting some hope into them, only for it to be extinguished in the next, "I don't know. I just want to put this behind me and move on."

Marinette has nothing to talk about with them, it was them that approached her first, not the other way around.

It wasn't out of malice or anything, just… she genuinely had nothing to talk to them about.

She was moving on from them.

But seeing the look on Alya's face, he had to try something, "It's gonna be difficult to get Adrien to have lunch with us all of a sudden." He smiled crookedly. He didn't want to face the awkwardness if Marinette were to reject their invitation to lunch and seeing how Marinette was always having lunch with Aurore off campus these days, they'll probably reject the offer politely.

Besides, he didn't have any action figures to bribe the Gorilla to let Adrien skip lunch at home, "Maybe try a different day and for now," he tried reasoning, "just give her some-"

"-Space," Alya huffed out, crossing her arms as she averted her eyes to the side, "I know, but how much do I need to give her?" she asked with a rueful smile before running a hand in her hair in distress, "I just want things to go back to the way it was." She impatiently mumbled.

They couldn't. deep down, she knew it won't be the same anymore.

She knew that things were awkward right now.

She wanted to make up with Marinette – be friends again, but Marinette didn't want that so where does she go from there?

Do they continue on with their life as if nothing had happened?

Or do they give her some space before trying to be friends again?

Or were they just supposed to forget being friends altogether and move on?

Alya didn't want that. She already lost so much.

Nino's shoulders sagged in defeat, "I know." He breathed out before stepping forward and wrapping his arms around her, "Just…" he sighed, patting her back. He was sounding like an old broken record at this point, "Let's give Marinette some time and not force it, okay?"

Alya leaned her head on his shoulder, "Maybe she's waiting for us to make the first move?" she weakly suggested.

He leaned his head against hers, "Maybe." He sighed out, "But just to be safe, let's invite her on a different day." He leaned back with a small encouraging grin, "With a plan."

Smiling languidly, Alya agreed with a nod, "Yeah, all we need is a plan." And as she began thinking, her smile reached her eyes, "and I know just what to do." She grinned.

Glad that she was back to herself, Nino's grin grew wider, "That's the Alya I know."

Alya chuckled, giving him a playful push, "Oh you."

Running from around the corner of the school building, a de-transformed Marinette just so happens to catch Aurore stepping out of her car.

Smile appearing, Marinette waved her hand over her head as she ran towards her, calling out her name, "Aurore!" she grinned.

Hearing her name, Aurore looked around for a moment before finding her friend waving at her as she jogged towards her, "Marinette." She greeted with a smile, speeding up her pace a bit to meet her halfway, "Taking a detour this morning?" she asked when she realized she had appeared on the right side of the school, the opposite of her home.

Marinette stumbled before quickly righting herself up with a nervous laugh, a hand behind her head, "Yeah, haha." She lowered her hand before giving a shrug, "Just had something to do."

"I see." The blonde didn't push and left it as that, "By the way…" her smile faded a bit as she rolled the handle of her parasol between her thumb and finger that was laying sideways on her schoolbag.

Marinette tilted her head at her with an encouraging smile, her hands holding onto the straps of her backpack, "Yeah?"

Aurore looked up and gave her an apologetic smile, "Well, I won't be here for lunch again." She inwardly winced. Yesterday had been a half day, and the day before, instead of leaving after lunch, her manager had called her up and told her that her driver was picking her up early, making her bail on Marinette, and the day before, well, she had a meeting. She pretty much only saw Marinette in the mornings so far, "I have a promotional ad to film." She informed with a weak smile.

But it didn't seem to bother Marinette, in fact, she gave her an awed smile, clapping her hands together, "Really? That's so awesome!" she cheered, happy for her friend.

Blinking in surprised, Aurore stared at the genuine smile on her face, "… You don't mind?"

Marinette stared at her in confusion for a moment before getting what she meant. She gently dismissed it with a wave of her hand, "I don't mind, and this is your job." She smiled softly, "Of course you'll be busy, besides, you being busy means good news for you, right?" she chuckled, leaning back on a foot with her arms spread out, "You're getting your name out there and when you make it even bigger…" she then gave her a playful wink, finger pointed at her, "don't forget about me, okay?"

Giggling behind her hand, Aurore smiled fondly at Marinette, grateful that she was so understanding about her career, "Of course I won't." she then cleared her throat with her eyes closed, flicking one of her pigtails over her shoulder and pointed her nose up, "I'll be sure to include you in my speech when I win an award." She playfully harrumphed before peeking an eye at her.

Marinette gasped, clasping her hands together, "A mention in your speech? I'm so honored!"

Both burst out in giggles.

Calming down, Aurore let out a breath as her shoulders relaxed, staring at Marinette with a soft smile, "Thanks."

Turning towards the school, Marinette tilted her head over her shoulder with a grin, "It's fine, don't worry about it."

Joining her side, Aurore and her began heading up the stairs of the school as they talked.

"I do want to hang out with you." Aurore let a whining noise from her throat. While it was great that she has projects to work on, she did want to make some time for her friend, "It feels like it's been a while." She leaned her head against Marinette's with a playful sigh, "I feel like you might forget about me. Like Aurore who?" she let out an exaggerated sigh.

Marinette giggled, "There's no way I will."

Straightening up as they walked through the entrance, Aurore nodded, "Of course, with my face plastered everywhere, who could forget about me easily?" she playfully smirked before it softened to a smile. She pulled out her phone, going through her schedule, "I have to go back to the studio after school and well," her thumb stopped at the empty space between reserved for her break for today, "I have this awkward 2-hour break between work and if you want to come…" she glanced at her, "My driver can take you back after the break…"

Smiling, Marinette let out a hum, "I want to. I'm not doing anything after school, and I don't mind waiting. I also wouldn't mind seeing you work again." She peered slightly towards her, her smile widening, "You're very inspiring when you're in front of the cameras."

Aurore looked surprised at that before she let out a small, flattered laugh, "Well how could I say no after that?" she grinned, putting her phone away.

Giggling, Marinette looked straight ahead with a smile.

As lunch came around, Miss Raymond quickly nudged Lila out of the room and before anyone could question why, they saw Chloé slam her hands on the table, standing up with narrowed eyes and charging after her with Sabrina running after her with their bags.

Having witness the confrontation this morning, they could guess that Chloé wasn't done with Lila just yet.

Especially since it seems Lila was the one who told her about the new bee, not to mention provoking her about it.

They didn't think this would let up anytime soon.

Hopefully Chloé wouldn't take out her anger on them.

As another movement caught their ears, their eyes sought to Marinette standing up with her bag on her back.

The stares on her back felt heavy.

Things were still awkward.

Even if she tried to pack her bag with ease and pretend everything was fine, Marinette could feel the pointed stares directed at her, from those who walked pass her desk or those that were lingering back.

She sweatdropped at the sensation as she tried to smile through the situation.

At least she was somewhat use to it after a week.

Of course, she didn't expect for things to be pleasant so easily but the feeling of being stared at every time she did something was a bit… hard.

Inwardly sighing, she held her head high and headed towards the exit.

Soon enough, she will also get use to the stares to the point that it won't bother her.

At least she hoped so, she thought with a heavy sigh, her head drooping.

Lifting her head back up, Marinette shook her head, deciding not to dwell on the thought anymore, instead, she was just going to focus on what she'll be doing this afternoon.

The thought immediately bought a smile to her face.

It was sweet that Aurore wanted to spend time together even in the short amount of free time she had to herself.

Although she hoped that she wasn't pushing herself.

She didn't mind if they couldn't hang out like normal friends, she was content with the way things are.

But if Aurore was worried about leaving her alone during lunch, then she'll just have to show her that she was fine.

And with her free time, she could finally work on her website!

That was a good idea. She's been putting it off for a while now.

Oh but, if Aurore was working through lunch…

Marinette curled a finger under her chin as she thought about it. Does Aurore skip lunch when she's working or did she have lunch already?

Mulling the thought over, Marinette thought to bake something to snack on.

It couldn't hurt anyways. Just something light to eat to get her through work before the 2 hour break.

Having decided on how to spend her lunch, Marinette made her way towards the stairs with a hum, the tune of her song on her lips.

From the bottom of the stairs, she saw Alix coming up.

"Oh hey, Marinette." Alix greeted with a smile as she walked up the stairs, "Going out for lunch?"

Marinette smiled back, "Hey there, Alix." She greeted back; her smile relaxed. It was easier to talk to Alix compared to the others, there wasn't this awkward tension between them, no ulterior motive in their averted eyes, Alix simply treated her like normal, "You heading to the cafeteria?"

She shrugged a shoulder, "Nah. Gonna head to the art room." She answered.

Marinette gave her a small frown, "You should eat something."

Seeing how Marinette wasn't heading towards the cafeteria, and most likely back home, Alix let out a smirk, "Well I wouldn't mind some croissants." She hummed, placing her hands behind her head.

Smiling with a raised brow, Marinette let out an amused chuckle before shaking her head at her hinting, "Come on then." She said, walking pass her on the stairs.

Grinning, Alix followed her, "Sweet." She cheered.

Sitting on a stool by the counter, munching on her croissant, Alix watched as Marinette carefully piped the batter onto the baking tray, "So what's the occasion?" she asked with a mouthful of buttery flakiness. After getting a bag of treats, she had followed Marinette up the stairs and seeing how she didn't say anything and even held the door open for her, it was probably okay for her to be here.

"No occasion." Marinette hummed, setting the tray aside before starting on the cream, "Just something to snack on after school when I hang out with Aurore." She absentmindedly added, her eyes focusing on mixing the ingredients.

Jaw slowing down, Alix swallowed the bite she had in her mouth as she stared idly at the cluttered counter, "Cool." She mumbled, her mind going elsewhere.

Hearing the distracted tone in her voice, Marinette stopped what she was doing and looked up, "Is something wrong?" she placed her bowl down.

Alix shook her head, "No, it's nothing, I'm glad that you're…" she gestured the counterspace with her half-eaten croissant, "having fun, instead of being down in the dumps, y'know?" she shrugged, before wincing. Maybe she could have worded it better.

Marinette stared at the growing cringe forming on her face before she looked away with an apprehensive smile, "Ah… yeah…" she awkwardly nodded.

Alix let out a frustrated sigh, palming her face with her free hand, inwardly scolding herself at her approach. Before she could begin to fix the little blunder, Marinette continued.

"Are the others doing okay?" she asked, picking her bowl up and resumed whisking, needing something to fidget with.

Spreading her fingers and peering through the gaps in between, Alix stared at her for a moment before lifting her head up as she began updating her about the others, "Physically, they're doing fine, but they still feel bad about how things are." She said, catching the small flinch in her shoulders.

"Oh…" Marinette quietly uttered, eyes fixated on the batted cream.

Alix continued, "They're all trying to find way to make it up to you." She sighed, "Kim is coming up with dumb ideas and Max is running the numbers of success on them- pretty low numbers." She let out a small chuckle before sobering up, "Nath was thinking of making you a comic, but Mylène and I told him he probably shouldn't." she shook her head at the memory. A comic of what? A tragedy? A fix it happy ending? Both was a bad idea no matter how you look at it, "Everyone else is working on something." She summarized.

The fringe of her hair shadowed her eyes, "They don't need to do that." Marinette muttered under her breath.

Seeing her silent figure, the tensed shoulders, Alix leaned her chin on her palm, moving onto her thoughts, "Whatever you're thinking, I'm not here to convince you to be friends with us again." She said, eyes focus on the pause in her movement, before lowering her eyes, "Like, I can see why. If the others treated me like that, I would've been fed up with them – probably a lot sooner than you, and then when they come to their senses? I would think twice about being their friends again after trying for so long like you had."

Marinette slowly looked her way, with wide blinking eyes, unsure where she was going.

Taking a bite of her croissant, Alix took her time to form what she wanted to say next, "Look." She swallowed her bite, "what I'm trying to get is that, I'm glad you moved on." She looked straight into her eyes, "I'm glad that you're having fun even if it's not with us. You look happy- feels like it's been a while, actually." She shoved the rest of her croissant into her mouth and chewed, "Even if things are still awkward with you and the others, I'm sure it'll pass." They'll eventually get tired with the guilt and want to move on.

"Haha… hopefully." Marinette quietly mumbled.

Humming in agreement, Alix wiped her hands against one another, "Well, this was nice. We should do this again, just us if you want." She nodded to herself. It feels like it's been ages since she last talked to Marinette, "As much as I like hanging out with the girls, those days when we make plans to get you and Adrien together? Man, those were some crazy fun times, but I could live without." She chuckled.

Marinette couldn't help joining her, though her laugh sounded a bit mortified at what she had to do in the days, "Yeah."

"Well, I should get going." She pushed herself against the countertop and hopped off the stool. Grabbing her bag, she headed straight to the door.

Before she could close the door behind her, Marinette called out to her.

"Alix…"

Looking over her shoulder with a raised brow, she waited for what she wanted to say.

"Thanks for understanding." Marinette smiled gratefully.

Blinking, Alix smiled back before waving it off with her hand, "No problem."

"You ready?" Aurore asked with a grin, holding her car door open.

Marinette mirrored her smile, holding up an opened box of assorted macarons that was filled to the brim, "Ready and prepared." She stated proudly.

Eyes brightening up, Aurore took a pink macaron and took a bite out of it with a happy flush, "You made macarons?" she asked around the treat.

She shrugged her shoulders with a small laugh as she stepped into the car, "Thought we could snack on these in the car." She said, scooting over to make room for Aurore as she closed the door behind her.

Placing the box of macarons between them, both buckled their seatbelt in before the driver took off.

"How was the shoot?" Marinette asked, picking up a macaron and eating it.

Aurore smirked, leaning her cheek on her hand while her other hand was spread in front of her chest, "Perfect, of course." She playfully preened, "With my skills, I made sure to have it done in one take." She bragged. She had made sure nothing had gone wrong, not even when a sudden gust of wind had almost made them reshoot the scene.

She had improvised with nature's intervention like it was her own and fortunately, the director didn't mind.

Which was a relief. She was glad that the filming didn't go overtime, and that she was able to make it back to school on time.

Marinette giggled, "What a pro."

"Aren't I?" she winked, grabbing another macaron.

Having given the rest of the macarons to the driver, Marinette was now sitting in Aurore's make-up chair with her open sketchpad on her lap and her pen gripped loosely in her hand as she smiled at Aurore standing in front of the cameras, a confident smile on her face.

She was shining so brightly that it naturally drew the audience's attention.

And watching her perform reminded Marinette that this was someone who enjoys doing what they were so passionate about, even if they were busy with all these new projects, looking tired on some days, they just knew that it'll be worth it.

Leaning back on her chair with a relaxed smile, she looked down at her sketchpad, her pen gently gazing a line from a necklace she designed to match the dress for Aurore. While she had took a… break from designing, she hoped that one day she would have more days that she would be passionate about fashion in the past.

But, as she made a sketch of a bracelet, her smile grew.

She knew that she will.

Her love of designing will always be there, even if she took breaks from it.

A buzzing sound took her out of her musing, startling her.

Taking her phone out, a smile lit up her face to see who had texted her, though when she opened the message, she was a bit surprised to read the contents of it.

"Kitty Section is ready to perform a mini concert for you tomorrow!"

She blinked and quickly typed in a reply, "Already? Don't you want to practice a bit more? I don't mind waiting." It's not like she was going anywhere anytime soon, plus, Luka never mentioned anything about a competition that they signed up for, so there wasn't a need to rush themselves.

Another message from Luka made her focus.

"It's fine, we're all pumped up and can't wait."

Marinette couldn't help but shake her head with a giggle as she replied. Well… if they were sure.

"Okay then, I can't wait!"

"I'll pick you up after school."

Her cheeks flushed as she smiled fondly at his text.

"Looking forward to it 3" she sent.

"Love you two 3"

Flushing at her screen, Marinette managed to contain her squeal as she placed her phone away, forcing herself to focus on her designs.

It would be another hour before Aurore's break which was plenty of time to calm her beating heart, and still have enough time to sketch out the many brewing ideas still floating in her mind.

Time seemed to fly by when she was designing because before she knew it, Aurore was standing in front of her with an amused smirk.

"Having fun there?" she asked, taking a peek at her designs. Her eyes widened at the designs in awe, "That's pretty." She cooed.

Marinette chuckled, turning her sketchpad around and handing it to her, "I added some accessories that I thought would look good for your dress."

Aurore stared blinkingly at her before carefully taking the sketchpad in her hands with a soft smile, admiring the designs, "These are amazing, Marinette." She praised once more, eyes gliding over the lines of a necklace.

Marinette scratched her cheek in with a flattered flush, "I'm glad you like them." She smiled.

"Of course, I do!" she squealed quietly, "Aw, I wish there were some big event to attend, I really want to wear them." She whined, admiring the designs once more before letting out a wistful sigh as she gently closed the sketchpad and handing it back, "Well, let's go somewhere else." She declared with a grin, "A 2 hour break. What should we do?"

Zipping her bag with her sketchpad inside, Marinette stood up from the chair, stretching her hands up in the air, giving herself a good stretch, "What do you usually do on your breaks?" she asked, bringing her hands down and shouldering her bag.

Aurore let out a thoughtful hum. Well, usually, she would use whatever time to complete her homework or reports but today must be her lucky day since she didn't have anything assigned to her today. Just some light reading she could catch up on, but they could be done for later.

An idea then came to mind, and she perked up, clapping her hands together, "Let's go to a café." She suggested, "I'll go call my driver to come pick us up."

And as Aurore enthusiastically made the call, Marinette fondly smiled at her.

"Did you have fun?" Tikki asked with a smile, setting onto Marinette's shoulder with a macaron between her flippers.

Marinette hummed happily as she leaned on her balcony's railings in front of the setting sun, watching Aurore's car drive off, "I did. It's fun just simply hanging out…" She leaned her cheek on her palm with a relaxed smile, "talking about anything like our hobbies and…" and it wasn't like spending the whole day to make a plan to try confessing, making her nervous, or have a discussion on why she had failed and how to succeed next time, making her, at times, feel bad, "anything on our minds." Her shoulders relaxing, eyes closed in content.

Tikki leaned her head against her neck, nuzzling her, "I'm glad." She beamed before munching on her treat.

Opening her eyes, Marinette carefully shifted her head to stare at Tikki, "You know…" she softly started, garnering her attention.

"Yes?" she answered with crumbs on her mouth.

She gave her a small, amused smile before continuing, "After all this, I'm kind of surprised on how you're taking things."

Tikki tilted her head, "What do you mean?"

She lifted a finger up, "Allowing Luka to know-"

"He's very trustworthy."

Marinette smiled as she lifted another finger, "Yet, we decided not to say anything to Master Fu about him." she listed. It had been strange when the kwami had even suggested such an idea. Even if Luka was more than trustworthy, Marinette knew that Tikki wouldn't even have agreed to let him or anyone else for that matter to find out if she could help it, no matter how trustworthy they are.

It was the rule and Tikki always followed them.

The little god turned to her macaron, a thoughtful look on her face, "Well, keeping your identity has to be a secret, so the less people who knows, the better." She nodded.

Marinette giggled, lowering her hand down, "Even if they both know?" she mused.

Tikki shrugged, "Master Fu doesn't need to know that Luka knows, since we all know Luka won't spill your secrets." She stated like it was a fact. "He's very trustworthy."

Trustworthy with her secrets and her heart.

Marinette hummed in agreement, "I guess you're right." She said, "Though there's another thing I'm curious about…" she lazily gazed towards the direction of the school and lifted her hand, holding three fingers up.

Blinking at the third finger, Tikki looked up, wondering just what she missed.

Lowering her hand over her folded arm, Marinette gazed out in front of her, "You haven't pushed me to try and make up with my classmates – or at the very least, meet them halfway." She then shifted her head to stare at Tikki once more, "Why is that?"

It was a moment before she answered, having stuffed the rest of the macaron in her mouth.

Marinette patiently waited, enjoying the last ray of light in the meantime.

Swallowing, Tikki also stared as the sun disappeared over the horizon, "I've learnt something during this." She sounded defeated, yet accepting, "Sometimes, fixing things can cause more harm than good." She didn't like the memory of Marinette losing hope, breaking down, and crying. She didn't want her to go through that again, "The others are good kids, they aren't bad like Chloé or Lila, but their actions were hurtful to you." She lowered her head, "You tried so many times, yet they didn't give you a chance, didn't try to see the truth until the very end when you decided to finally move on."

Marinette stayed quiet as she continued.

Tikki gave a weak laugh, "I'm supposed to guide you, yet I haven't been doing a very good job." Pushing her to have more responsibilities by being class president, prioritizing others instead of Marinette's worries, always taking the high road, making it seem like Ladybug was more of a priority than Marinette (at times she did), encouraging her to never give up even though the situation had been a waste of her efforts and gradually caused harm to her holder.

She had been naïve.

So very naïve.

It was good to never give up, but she also had to know when it was time to stop.

Stop and just focus on her holder instead of putting expectation, after expectation on them.

Tikki blinked away the blurry sight when she felt Marinette's hand gently cup her to her like a hug, her head tilted towards her, "Marinette?"

"We have our mistakes that we learn from, I've learnt them - So have you, and I think you're doing a good job so far." She whispered. She had to admit, that the change in Tikki made her feel less restrained – less pressured than before. She didn't need to be the one to take the high road if it wasn't necessary, she could simply just focus on what she wanted.

Placing a kiss on top of her head, Marinette gave a soft, grateful smile, "Thank you for doing this for me." She breathed, "It means a lot."

The little God tightly hugged her hand, nuzzling her face against it.

Smiling, Marinette looked up at the twinkling stars, "Why don't we go on patrol? It's been a while."

Tikki sniffed before she answered enthusiastically, "Okay!"

The rushing wind against her as she swung throughout Paris, making her rounds, felt great.

Ladybug wondered when was the last time she felt this relaxed on a patrol without having anything hanging over her head.

No troubles festering her mind, just another quiet night perfect for relaxing.

And judging how there was no akumas wreaking havoc, it seems like she could be one of those people to relax tonight without a care in the world.

However, before she could reach her balcony, she quickly changes direction, swinging pass her home when she noticed a certain kitty sitting on a random open balcony not too far from home.

"You out on patrol, Chat Noir?" she said in greeting once she landed near him, his flattened cat ears startling right up.

Chat Noir did a little flinch at her arrival, but nonetheless turned his sights away from Marinette's balcony to give her a smile, "Of course, Bugaboo!" he grinned, "Got to do my hero duties and all." He chuckled, "No akumas tonight. Guess Hawk Moth is taking the night off."

Ladybug frowned at the nickname but let it go as she made her way next to him. For some reason, she had a feeling that the reason why Chat was out, wasn't because of patrol, "Something wrong?" she asked, tensing when she noticed the distracted look directed towards her balcony.

Did he perhaps…?

Chat Noir gave a weak chuckle, pulling one leg towards him and leaning on his knee. He was being blackmail by Lila – that's what was wrong. Yet he's been lucky so far if he was being honest. Marinette had unknowingly prevented Lila from revealing the truth about him, Alessia literally and physically removes Lila from the situation whenever something was wrong, and… conveniently, Chloé was keeping Lila occupied.

Lila's threat was pretty much made nulled.

His eyes then shifted back to Marinette's balcony, unaware of his Lady breaking out into a cold sweat. If somehow, his friends knew what he… didn't do, would they end their friendship with him? Marinette had ended her friendship with them because of Lila,

Would the class do the same to him?

He let out a sigh, he didn't want to face that scenario.

"It's nothing, M'Lady." He straightened up and gave her a toothy grin, "Thanks for worrying about me."

She was still tense, but Ladybug could feel that there was something bothering him, "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" she reached out her hand, placing it on his shoulder, "We're friends, if there's something bothering you, you can tell me."

"Oh?" he wiggled his brows, "M'Lady, are you interested about me?" he gave her a Cheshire grin, leaning towards her, "This is my civilian life we're talking about."

Ladybug huffed, "Chat." She scolded.

Chat Noir leaned back when she slightly pushed him and pulled her hand back, "It's fine. The problem actually has a lot of solutions fixing it without me having to lift a finger." He shrugged, "Neat, isn't it?"

"… Yeah…" was all Ladybug could say, before making a move to stand up.

"Wait!" Chat Noir called out, his hand shot out, grasping her hand before she could leave, "Why don't we talk for a bit?" he suggested with a smile, "It feels like it's been forever since we last hung out."

Ladybug stared at him before inwardly letting out a sigh in defeat, "Sure." She made herself comfortable, leaning back on her hands, "So how are you?" she started.

Chat Noir let out a chuckle, "'How are you?' Come on, M'Lady, you can do better than that." But when he saw the raised brow from her, he shook his head good naturedly, "Well, to answer your question, this kitty had been busy these past few days in his other life, such excitement." He exaggerated with a tilt of his head, "but nothing can compare to the moments where I get to see you, M'Lady." He gave her a wink.

Ladybug hunched forward, leaning her cheek on a fist, "Oh, really." She let out an amused huff at the usual response, "So meeting me is more fun?" she smiled sarcastically at him with a raised brow, the only time that they would ever meet were when akumas occurs, but she would prefer they be swiftly dealt with and not be prolong by cat pranksters. Going on patrol would occur occasionally, but not something they could do frequently with their schedule.

"Of course," he grinned, admiring the sassy look she was giving him. As his eyes roamed over her face, Chat Noir looked in front of him, his legs swishing over the edge, an idea growing in his mind from the attention she was giving him. Giving one last glance at her, he swallowed and looked up at the stars, pretending to act nonchalant, "… Oh by the way I didn't tell you did I?" he took a breath before continuing, "I have a girlfriend." He said, peering at her from the conner of his eyes to gauge her reaction.

Though the reaction wasn't what he wanted.

Her head lifted from her fist, her eyes widened, accompanied with a growing smile, happy for him, "Really?" she gasped, "That's so awesome." She was glad that he took her advice-

"No, it's not awesome at all." He sighed, dejectedly dropping his head. The way she was so happy for him, hurts, "I just said that to make you jealous." He admitted. To get some sort of reaction, something that told him that somewhere in her heart that she loved him.

The smile on her lips morphed into a disappointed frown, "Chat Noir." She softly scolded.

He tipped his head back, sulking, "Yeah yeah I get it…" he squeezed his eyes as he breathed out, "but it still hurts."

Ladybug looked away, pursing her lips from the guilt.

Awkward silence lingered in the air between them.

Head hanging, he turned to look at her, only to drop back down at the twisted guilt on her face. Inwardly sighing, he somberly asked, "So you have a boyfriend now, huh." Might as well drag out the cat while he was at it.

Ladybug slowly look at him before turning to look up at the bright stars, twinkling throughout the black canvas of the sky, "Yes." She breathed, unaware of the slow smile blooming on her lips. She couldn't help her cheeks flushing slightly at her acceptance. Oh, who was she kidding? Unofficial-Official couple? Her and Luka were practically dating that she might as well drop the 'unofficial' from the title – stop making things complicated.

"Are you happy with him?"

"Yeah." She nodded.

Seeing the fond look on her face, Chat Noir leaned back with his eyes closed tightly, "Okay." He sighed, "That's all that matters." He wanted to smile for her, be supportive, but it was hard.

Ladybug came back from her thoughts, her smile faded when she saw the sad smile on his face. Her hand reached out, only to think better of it, "Please move on, Chat Noir." She softly requested, "I don't want you to keep getting hurt."

Chat Noir quietly stood up, "But it's hard." He muttered, gripping onto his baton to his side. Move on? From someone who he was meant to be with? How would that be even possible? Ladybug was the love of his dreams, how could he just move on-

A smiling Marinette flashed through his mind made his eyes widened. Quickly extending his baton into a staff, he leapt off the roof.

Ladybug watched him leave as a breeze ruffled through her hair, "I know." She said into the quiet of the night before she too went home.

Throughout the school day, Marinette was grateful that nothing big had happened.

Though Chloé did attempt to rile Lila up and vice versa in the morning, Miss Raymond swiftly took care of the situation before it could escalate any further which was physically removing Lila from the situation and hiding from Chloé.

But other than that, it had been a pretty tamed day.

Unless she had missed something at lunch while she was at home, putting together her website.

Luckily, she had missed nothing.

And now, here she was, packing up her things at the end of the day, ready to go to -

"Hi, Marinette!" Rose's sweet, but nervous voice sounded from her right.

Looking up at the shy blonde with her hands clasped in front of her chest, Marinette responded back, "Hey, Rose." She greeted, "Juleka. Ivan." She smiled at each of them.

Seeing her smile, Rose turned to the others with a little bounce in her step, a wide smile on her lips as she latched onto Juleka beside her, as if happy to get a smile out of her.

"Hey." Juleka greeted quietly, fidgeting with her hair, "Um, did Luka talk to you about…"

"Band practice, right?" Marinette helped filled, "You guys needed me to design a cover for your songs."

Juleka nodded, "Yeah, uhh… you're still coming, right?" she awkwardly asked, her eyes shifting to her feet, "Nothing came up?" she shyly peered at her from under her fringe.

Seeing her look so nervous, Marinette felt uncomfortable at the situation, her smile becoming small, "Yeah, I can still join." She stood up with her bag, swinging it onto her back, "Is that okay? If it's uncomfortable, you can send-"

"Of course, it's okay!" Rose pumped her fists, leaning forward.

Ivan nodded determinedly, "We want you there, Marinette."

"Oh, uh. Okay then," she nodded, laughing awkward at their sudden enthusiasm, "shall we go?" she suggested, getting excited nods.

Though slightly awkward walking out together, it wasn't as bad as they thought with Rose taking the lead in talking.

As they walked through the courtyard, Marinette caught sight of Adrien and Kagami in their fencing gear, smiling at them, she waved at them before focusing on what Rose was saying.

"Luka!" Marinette beamed, when she saw who was waiting down the steps.

Pushing off the wall with a smile, Luka greeted her as she skipped down the steps, "Hey Marinette," his smile softens when she stopped in front of him, a fond look on her face, "you ready for Kitty Section to wow you?" he crossed his arms, tilting his head with a grin.

"Of course." Marinette leaned back, mirroring his pose, a grin on her face, "Been looking forward to it."

He chuckled, "That's the spirit." He said before his eyes trailed over to the others coming down the stairs, "Hey guys, you ready?" he asked, adjusting his bag on his shoulder.

Rose nodded with an excited smile, "Ready as ever be! Kitty Section is gonna knock some socks off!" she proclaimed with a hop.

"But Marinette's not wearing any socks." Ivan worriedly pointed out.

At the mention, they all looked down at Marinette's ballerina flats.

But Rose was undeterred, "Shoes!" she proclaimed, holding a fist to the air, "We'll knock your shoes off!" she said, walking off in the direction of the houseboat.

The others giggled before they also followed after her.

"Then I expect my shoes to be knocked off." Marinette joked, which only earned an enthusiastic response from Rose.

Seeing Marinette giggle, Juleka felt herself relaxing. With Rose leading the conversation and Ivan asking questions, there wasn't an uncomfortable moment among them, though she didn't know how long they could hold up with just talking about the band.

And that's why…

Glancing towards her brother and a happy looking Marinette, side by side, talking together. Juleka was glad that her brother came to walk with them instead of waiting at home. For the sake of Marinette, it seems like a good idea to have Luka, her friend and someone she was comfortable with among them.

If Rose run out of things to say, Luka can jump in.

With such a backup plan, she looked forward, replying when Rose included her in the conversation.

Though, if the others had looked down at Luka and Marinette's hands together, they would have had another topic to talk about.

As soon as the last note floated through the air the deck, Marinette jumped up from her crate with a gasped wow, "That was awesome!" she praised, applauding, "And you did this in less than a week? That's just – wow." She breathed, speechless.

"Well, we had the motivation to do it." Juleka mumbled with a timid smile.

Marinette's smile froze for a moment before she turned around to the couch to pick up her sketchpad, "Must've be some motivation." She commented. Right, it was an excuse to hang out with her because… She inwardly shook her head, nonetheless, what they had created was simply amazing, so she'll also need to do her part to not disappoint, "Well, I'm sure I'll be able to design a couple of covers for your CD." She said, flipping to a blank page, "Why don't you guys take a break while I'll start designing? You've been playing non-stop."

"Great idea, Marinette!" Rose croaked out, giving a thumbs up, "I'll go get a drink."

"I'll help." Juleka said, taking her bass guitar off and putting it on the stand.

Ivan also stood up, "Same!" and scrambled out of his seat to follow the girls.

As they headed down the check, Marinette could hear hushed whispers from them before they disappeared.

"She liked it!"

"Do you think she was having fun?"

"Looks like it."

Rubbing the back of her neck, Marinette looked down with a guilty frown.

A low sounding strum slowly echoed through the air, startling Marinette to look up, "Luka!"

"Forget about me?" he smiled playfully.

"What? Of course not." She giggled before taking a seat on her crate, placing her things to the crate beside her, "I was just lost in my thoughts. There's no way I would want to forget about you."

He chuckled before looking down at her feet with a hum, raising a brow.

"What?"

Glancing at her eyes, he smiled, "Your shoes are still on."

She looked down at her feet, blinkingly, "Huh?"

Pulling his guitar off him, he set it down beside him as he sat on the other crate next to her, "You were expecting your shoes to be knocked off." He leaned his shoulder against her, his foot sliding behind hers, "We shouldn't disappoint now, should we?" he said before gently nudging her flats off with her foot.

"Luka!" she laughed, now wiggling her toes in the air.

Placing his arm around her, he pulled her close to his chest as he tried to nudge off the other one, "Hold still." He grinned while she giggled and try to stretch her other foot away, however, his leg was longer than hers, "Shoes come in pairs, not just one." He stated before surprising her.

Marinette yelped when she was pulled onto his lap, her remaining shoe knocked off during the pull.

Luka peered at her blushing face with a warm smile, "We have now fulfilled your expectations."

"Pfft." She couldn't help but laugh, wiggling her toes, "Really?" she giggled, her smile bright, her cheeks flushed.

Cuddling against her, he placed a chaste kiss to the crown of her head, "Of course." He grinned.

Shaking her head with an amused smile, Marinette leaned back against him, her hands laying over his arms wrapped around her waist. Closing her eyes, she let out a relaxed sigh.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" he murmured against her head, as if afraid to break the peace they had settled into.

Marinette hummed, "It still a bit awkward, but yeah." She opened her eyes, turning her head to place a kiss to his chin, "You guys really did sound amazing." She praised.

He let out a chuckle, "We were practicing whenever we could." He said, "The band was really motivated to perform for you, but half-way through, we got into it and just wanted to play it already."

"That's good." Marinette let out a relieved sigh, "You should have fun with music." She chuckled quietly, "To think you guys created a bunch of songs just to get me here." She slightly shook her head, that was still on Luka's shoulders, at that.

Luka quietly let out an amused laugh, turning his head to press a kiss on the crown of her head, "Well, we had to write a new song, eventually."

Sighing with a defeated smile, Marinette relaxed her eyes, "I guess so." She breathed out, relaxing as Luka began humming a song against her ear, "Luka, that tickles." She giggled. Her ear tingled with warmth from the vibrations from his lips.

She could feel his smile as he said "Sorry." before pressing his face against her shoulder.

Puffing out her cheeks, Marinette stared at her toes, "I should put my shoes back on before the others come back." She turned her head towards him as Luka peered an eye at her, "Someone just had to knock my shoes off."

Chuckling, Luka slowly straightened up, "Must've be an awesome concert." He grinned before gently lifting Marinette back to her spot.

"It was." She huffed with a smile as Luka kneeled down, presenting her shoes back to her. Blushing, she slid her feet back into them with a bashful smile.

Pushing himself up, he grabbed his guitar, his eyes gazing the stairs that led to the galley below, the others sure were taking a while to come back. He wondered if they were coming up with another plan, but it they were going to take their time…

He then glanced between his guitar and Marinette, a languid smile on his face, "Do you want to play?"

"Only if you play with me." She grinned cheekily at him, "I don't think we have time to teach me a new song."

Luka raised a challenging brow, "You sure?" he smirked, "You're a pretty fast learner."

"Next time." She smiled.

Handing her the guitar, Luka moved his crate behind her, pressing it against her own, he then straddled his seat before pulling Marinette against him.

One hand placed around her waist while the other on the fretboard, he peered down at her with a grin, "Ready?" he asked, his fingers in position.

Leaning against his chest, Marinette laid her hand on the cords with a nod, "Yeah."

They played in harmony, glancing at each other once in a while with smiles.

Which was the scene that the others returned to with a tray of drinks and snacks.

"If you ever need to hear a song again, you can just come over and we'll play it for you." Juleka told her after staying an hour or 2 with them.

"Sure." Marinette nodded, "I'll see you guys on Monday with the designs."

"Take your time!" Rose grinned.

Ivan nodded, "We don't urgently need it. Thought it be nice to create a CD."

Smiling, Marinette bid them a farewell before crossing the gangplank.

"Hang on, Marinette, I'll walk you home." Luka said, placing his guitar in its case. He pulled it over his shoulder as he walked towards her.

"Bring back some sweets while you're at it." Juleka called out.

Luka waved his hand over his shoulder, "Got it." He responded as he and Marinette walked off.

The others decided to go back and watch a movie, missing Luka and Marinette hold hands.

Not wanting to part just yet, Marinette had invited Luka if he had wanted to hang out for a bit since it's been a while with the band and all, which of course, he happily agreed to…

That had been half an hour ago.

Now, leisurely stretched out on the carpet in her room, Marinette let out a hum as she bit the end of her pen, staring critically at her rough sketch of the cover, "Can you play the third song for me again?" she requested, swinging her feet behind her to the tune of the song.

Lounging against her chaise from the floor, Luka let the last note trail off before he began strumming a different song, "Of course." He smiled with his eyes closed.

Only the sound of pen on paper combined with Luka's stumming filled the peaceful air between them, continuing until Marinette put her pen down and rolling onto her back, letting out a good stretch.

"You done?" he smiled, amused.

She looked at him with a grin, "Just the drafts." She said before sitting up, "Need a break now." She declared, staring at him with a coy look.

Chuckling at the look she was giving him, one that could almost be like the puppy dog eyes, Luka placed his guitar to side and opened his arms out.

Face beaming, Marinette crawled the few distance between them before flopping against his chest with a happy hum, her legs laying in between his.

Arms wrapped around her waist, he nuzzled his nose against her head before placing a kiss on the top of her head, "Hey there." He breathed out with a smile.

She giggled quietly, "Hey." She breathed out, arms loosely wrapped around his neck before she decided she wanted to be higher and pulled herself up, nuzzling his neck, "This is nice." She sighed out.

He hummed in agreement, a slow lazing smile curling at his lips as he played with her pigtails by scrunching it before smoothing it out.

After a bit, she did feel him hesitate, though it didn't last long when he gently pulled her hair ties off, running his fingers through her air.

"Actually, this is nice." She corrected with a smile, relaxing more against him.

Luka quietly chuckled, "Really?" he asked quietly, only receiving a nodded 'hn' from her.

As she laid against him, she felt his other hand leave her waist to play with hair, making a braid? She thinks. She wiggled at the loss of warmth on her waist but didn't mind as much as she wrapped the ends of his hair around her finger, absentmindedly playing with it as well.

"Oh yeah, how was your day yesterday?" he suddenly remembered, with most of time spent on the band, he couldn't really see her, "You mentioned that you hung out with Aurore after school."

"Really great." She murmured, her lips accidentally brushing against his neck.

"That's… good." He hummed out, pressing his lips to the side of her head.

Fluttering her eyes open, Marinette stared absentmindedly at her wall, "… Can I tell you something that's self-centered?" she asked

He smiled softly at her, releasing the loose braid he was braiding to going back to running his fingers through her silky strands, "Is it really something self-centered, or is it you holding back from something that makes you happy?" he hummed.

Marinette let out a huff as she smiled, "I like focusing on myself." She confessed and boy did that sound self-centered right off the bat, but nonetheless, she continued, knowing Luka wouldn't judge her, "I like the me who likes spending time with the people I like. And it feels so…" she took a deep breath, "easy." and she breathed out. "There isn't this… pressure - That I might mess up. Most of the time, when I hang out with Alya and the others, it was usually revolved on how I could…" she paused, looking up at Luka who gave her an understanding smile, "… yeah," she omitted.

Just because he knew what she was going to say, doesn't mean that she had to, "and then discuss what went wrong and how I could improve next time." She then sighed at the memories, all those memories, "And when I fail, I feel bad that I wasted everyone's effort." She sighed out, but relaxed when Luka began stroking her head, "Hanging out with you and Aurore, I don't feel like I'll mess up. It's only just us in the moment, nobody else to take the focus away from the fun. I like it." She shifted her head to look at him, "What do you think, self-centered, huh." She mused.

He shook his head, "I say that's normal." A slow gentle smile formed as he tilted his head at her, "You found the melody that's just in tune with your own. Nothing wrong with wanting to listen to it more." His smile then turned playful, "And I like the you that focus on what she likes."

Raising a brow, Marinette leaned her face close to him, "Is it because you're one of the things I like?"

"Hmm, that's part of it." He grinned.

Giggling, she pressed her face against his shoulder to try and muffle the sound.

She stayed like that for a while, both laying in comfortable silence until a thought floated in her mind.

Pushing herself back with a smile, Marinette asked Luka, "Do you have to work tomorrow?"

"Nope," he smiled, his hands sliding down to her waist, "is there something you want to do?"

"How about a date?" she grinned, "It's been a while."

"Yeah." He breathed out, pressing his forehead against hers, "That sounds great. A whole day together." He hummed.

Marinette beamed, liking the idea.

Shifting on her knees to get a better view of him, she cradled the back of his head, tangling his hair between her fingers, her hair falling over her shoulders, curtaining them.

Seeing the playful glint in his eyes, Marinette giggled before she dipped her head towards him, pressing her lips against his while he tightened his grip around her waist, bringing her closer to him.

Her problems seemed so small compared to how happy she felt right now.

Even though she lost so many of her friends,

Even though her future was locked in,

She could find the appreciation of what she got out of it.

She found friends she could trust,

Found friends that would stand by her side – that would support her,

And…

Pulling back just slightly with flustered cheeks that mirrored his, she leaned back in with a content sigh, sealing her lips over his smiling ones.

She was going to fight for the future that she wanted, choose what she wanted to do,

Fight against fate itself if she had to.

And as she leaned back to stare at a blissfully smiling Luka who pulled her back in, Marinette closed her eyes as she kissed him again, her heart singing.

She wouldn't be alone in her journey.