Adrien sat in the garden alone clutching his phone in hand just in case he got any message. He checked it again, seeing that there were no new messages. That dampened his spirit a little, but as he looked up towards the statue of his mother he smiled a little. Even if it was a portrait or a stone figure he felt some comfort looking at her face. Adrien smiled to himself as he hummed a familiar tune. She always sang it when he was younger and had trouble sleeping or when he was sick. Right now, however, all he felt was a lingering loneliness that never seemed to truly disappear.

"Little kitty on a roof, all alone without his-"

A beep interrupted his song as he looked down on his phone to see a new text notification. Excitement swelled his chest as he realized it was from his friends, but he didn't have time to respond as he heard someone approaching him.

"Adrien."

"Father?" Adrien asked as he looked up to see his dad. He was taken off guard as his father sat down next to him abruptly looking uncertain before he turned his head towards him with a serious expression.

"There is something important I have to talk to you about. I think about telling you every day, but I don't know how to find the right words." His father began to say. But as he was talking Adrien noticed that in the window behind them Nathalie was looking down at the two of them with a hopeful smile on her face. Adrien stared at her for a moment before a smile broke out on his face, waving towards her before he turned back to his father. "You know that I would do anything for this family-"

"I think I already know what you mean father," Adrien said as he noticed his father's shocked expression. "I've noticed how close you and Nathalie have become. If she can make you happy again, then... as far as I'm concerned, she's already part of our family."

But Adrien quickly regretted saying those words as he saw his father's expression warp into a silent fury. Almost immediately he stood up, towering over his son as he folded his hands behind his back, now staring at the statue of his late wife.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," Gabriel said coldly as Adrien winced at his tone. "Nathalie is an important member of this house but nobody could ever replace your mother, as long as she is still in our hearts she lives on." He said sternly as he then turned his back to his son. "We're expecting guests. Be ready." He said leaving Adrien alone in the garden with dampened spirits.

Marin stood next off to the side, holding Alya's tablet in hand near Alya as some of their friends were gathered at the Couffaine houseboat. Marc, Nathaniel, Myléne, Ivan, Lila, and Chloé were on video call while Kim, Rose, Juleka, Max, Kagami, Alix, Nino, and Luka were standing by. Alya was at the forefront of all this as she stood before everyone assertively.

"So we're all in agreement, we can't just leave Adrien all alone on a day like this."

"Of course we're all in agreement but there's no way his old man's gonna let us see him." Alix pointed out as she stood next to Max with his arms crossed.

Alya smirked as she adjusted his glasses. "Which is why our dear class rep thought of a way to send our support without even breaking daddy Agrete's silly rules."

"Basically we're just going to take turns sending Adrien video messages about how much we care about him. Marin explained briefly as he was a little embarrassed at all the eyes on him.

"Okay, Marin you first since this was your idea!" Nino said immediately as he held up his phone towards him, but Marin immediately recoiled as he covered his face with Alya's tablet.

"I already did mine earlier," He said looking away sheepishly."Plus I'm baking muffins downstairs in the kitchen, gotta go check on that!"

"I'll help you out with that." Alix said as she and Kim had greedy expressions written on their faces, but Marin was already backing away.

"No, no it's good, I got this. You all know the plan right? Great!" Marin said, scrambling away, quickly returning Alya's tablet as Nino snapped his fingers in frustration as one of his best friends escaped. But then quickly changed his mood as Alya pointed her phone towards him, a wave of excitement washing over them as Alya hit record.

Adrien rested his head on his desk feeling a familiar sore pain in his chest. He hadn't left the house all day but somehow he was exhausted, almost wanting to take a nap and sleep through the entire day. But there was no way his father would allow it.

He quickly snapped out of it, wiping away his tears as he was surprised by a knocking at his door, revealing Nathalie.

"Your father is waiting for you downstairs, Adrien." She said briefly.

"Ah... I'll be right there." He said wiping away his tears as Nathalie left the door open behind her. Adrien sighed heavily while he still could. He looked down at his phone for a moment seeing that there were a few unread messages on his phone. Part of him wanted to open them all now and soak up the excitement of his friends' attention, but he knew he'd need it for later.

Adrien placed his phone in his back pocket as he walked out of his room and down the stairs. He stood next to his father who was at attention, not even sparing him a glance as Adrien's eyes widened with realization.

He had no idea who was coming today.

The more he thought about it the more he realized that he was extremely strange for his father to allow anyone in the house today of all days. He held back asking as the front door opened and Adrien was stunned by the familiar face that walked through.

A beautiful woman with light blonde hair similar to his own dressed in a black suit and whose radiance could only be matched by the smile on her face as her eyes laid on him.

"My, my! Look at how much you've grown!" The woman immediately said as she rushed towards him, immediately embracing him and giving him numerous kisses on his cheek. "Gabriel, how on earth is this adorable boy your son?" She joked as Gabriel's expression didn't waver, seemingly used to this kind of behavior.

"I'm sure Adrien is delighted to have such a timely visit from his aunt, today of all days." Gabriel said in a monotone as Adrien looked up to his aunt in realization.

"Aunt Amelie?" Adrien asked as his aunt gave him another tight hug.

"I'm soo happy to see you again! I thought it'd be better if we were all together on a day like this! Don't you agree, dear?" She said with a bright smile on her face.

Adrien was overwhelmed by all the attention from his aunt, he felt happy but at the same time it was laden with a little guilt. If Aunt Amelie was here than it would mean that he was here as well.

Right on cue, he heard footsteps as he spotted another familiar face walking through the door with a familiar stern expression on his face.

"Félix?" Adrien asked as his cousin walked towards him holding out his hand. But Adrien met his gesture with a hug, overwhelmed to see him after so long. "It's good to see you again!" He said with a smile but as he pulled back he noticed that Félix was glaring at him before Amelie stood between them, resting her arms on their shoulders happily.

"Aw, they look just like twins! Don't they, Gabriel? Do you remember when they used to have so much fun pretending to be each other? Once they had you and Emilie fooled for a whole weekend!" Amelie laughed fondly at the memory as Adrien smiled sheepishly. "We laughed so hard!"

Gabriel once again met her positive energy with mild disapproval. "I won't be fooled a second time."

"Hello, uncle." Félix greeted holding out his hand towards Adrien's father but was met with a cold response as Gabriel only glanced at him for a moment before Amelie cut between them.

"Félix, you know your uncle's never been the physical sort." Amelie said with a smile. "Why don't you two go on up and play in Adrien's room and I'll check on you two later okay?" She said with a smile.

"Sure, come on Félix," Adrien said with a smile leading the way towards his room as Félix walked behind him closely followed by Adrien's bodyguard who was carrying the luggage.

"Have fun boys!" Amelie called out, waving her arm happily as she saw her son and nephew walking off together. As soon as she heard the door close behind them her she dropped her arm. Her smile quickly faded as she turned to Gabriel, mirroring his expression as she folded her arms before her politely.

"I see you're still wearing your wedding band." She inquired, her tone turning colder with no trace of that friendly warmth from earlier. "And if you still have yours then I assume you're in possession of my sister's as well."

Gabriel narrowed his eyes as he clutched his hands tighter, growing more protective of the ring on his finger. "These rings are obviously very dear to me-"

"They're very dear to me too, Gabe." Amelie interrupted unapologetically taking a step towards him. "Those jewels have always been in the Graham de Vanily family, not the Agreste's." Amelie pointed out. "I realize that you may believe that I'm asking a lot, but you're a smart enough man to know that those rings aren't the only dear thing Emilie left behind in your care."

"...We will discuss it later. It's been a long journey from London, I'm sure you may want to rest a bit. Nathalie?" Gabriel said, narrowing his eyes as his secretary approached them.

"Follow me, please." Nathalie requested as she guided them towards the guest bedrooms, but Amelie lingered behind looking back at Gabriel over her shoulder for a moment as she retained her composed expression.

"Don't think you've tabled this discussion Gabe. I haven't brought it up out of respect you and to Adrien but it's been long enough."

"I would be daft to believe a Graham de Vanily would give up so easily." He responded with mild amusement, almost missing his verbal banters with his sister-in-law.

Adrien dribbled the basketball in his hands as he and Félix stood in his room. "Do you remember our shooting contests?" He asked playfully before he passed the ball to Félix who easily shot a basket with one arm skillfully but was unenthusiastic the entire time. Adrien's previous excitement was quickly extinguished as he knew that no amount of reminiscing would cover up the tension between them. "I'm really sorry I didn't come to your dad's funeral. My father thought it would be too hard on me, considering... everything that's happened this year. You've every right to be mad at me."

Félix narrowed his eyes towards him. "Do you always do everything your father tells you to do?"

Adrien averted his gaze as he didn't meet his cousin's eyes. "He's just...protective of me." he said sheepishly. But he felt reassured as he saw Félix smile, walking over to him and giving him a hug.

"Oh hey, do you have that chessboard we used to play all the time?" Félix asked pulling back.

Adrien nodded eagerly as he ran up to the second floor. "Of course! Let me go upstairs and get it for us!"

"Mind if I use your bathroom?!" Félix called out from below.

"No, go ahead! Make yourself at home!" Adrien said with a smile on his face as he eagerly pulled out all the games he and Félix used to play together.

We need to talk, Adrien!"

Adrien took a step back as his Kwami appeared before him, immediately sending him on alert as luckily for them- Félix was already in the bathroom. "What are you doing here? Hide!" Adrien ordered as he lowered his voice.

"What's up with that cousin of yours? First, he searches through your things, and then, the most unforgivable thing of all, he squashes my hunk of goat's cheese under your pillow! I'd been maturing that baby for two weeks! Do you realize? Two whole weeks!" Plagg complained as he was fuming at the whiskers.

"Listen, Plagg." Adrien said in a softer tone trying to calm down his friend. "Félix lost his dad not so long ago, he's probably not himself."

"But there's just no excuse to be cruel! You never touch my cheese, and yet, you just lost your mother not so long ago, right?!" Immedietlty Plagg knew he said the wrong thing as he saw his partner's expression fall. The Kwami reached out towards him now brimming with guilt."Please forgive me, Adrien, I didn't mean to..."

Adrien turned away from his Kwami as he held the chessboard in hand. "I know. And I'm sorry about your cheese." He said, still sad as Plagg's ears flattened, feeling even more guilty as he allowed his partner to walk away.

Tikki poked her head out of Marin's pocket as he crossed his arms, deep in thought. Moments before he had just sent his message to Adrien. He was gently grazing the medical patch covering his eye, trying to stop thinking about a quell of thoughts that had grown over the course of the past few weeks. All his other injuries had been headed over time yet he was reluctant to walk out of his room without covering this one aspect of his face.

"Are you worried about what to say?" Tikki asked as she looked up at her partner.

"Huh?" He muttered in surprise as he realized that it was Tikki who spoke out. "Yeah- no... I don't know. What if it's not the right time? What if I don't know how to say the right thing? What if-"

"Then don't think about it!" Tikki recommended as she hovered before his face with an encouraging smile. "Just let your heart do the talking, and as long as it is filled with love, you can't go wrong!" She said optimistically but looked at her partner in content as he looked disheartened noticing how he scratched the back of his head. "There is never just one way to confront a problem. Some need time and planning others just need you to just be honest. All you need to do is be sure of what you choose. It may not seem like the right answer to begin with, but so long as you can trust yourself you'll be alright. I'm sure whatever you say to Adrien will definitely lift his spirits!"

Marin avoided eye contact with his Kwami as he felt a pit in his stomach grow with anxiety.

"Right...Adrien.."

But before Tikki could inquire about his reaction they both heard footsteps walking down the stairs. Marin quickly grabbed his Kwami, placing her in his inner jacket pocket as he saw Kagami turn the corner.

"Is something wrong Marinus?" Kagami asked as she stood before him with her arms behind her back. "Something smells off in here…"

"Oh, hi Kagami I'm just-" Marin was looking for something to say, but then realized that his friend was right on the money and quickly opened the oven to reveal burnt muffins polluting the oven. Immediately every red alarm bell went off in his mind as he used the gloves to bat away the burnt fumes. He closed the oven back up and rested his head in his hands, overwhelmingly disturbed.

"...Are you okay?" She stared at him for a moment before trying to reach out towards him with some hesitation.

"Ah-Yeah, yeah yeah yeah." He stammered honestly as he rested his hands behind his head trying not to overreact to the situation at hand.

Kagami watched him for a few seconds, coming to the conclusion that her friend was acting off. "Are you upset about the muffins?"

"Ha-" Marin clapped his hands together, holding them near his face as he tried to keep his composure. "Nope, no no no. I'm just- It's just really stuffy in here!" He remarked placing aside his oven mitts and grabbing his bag. "I'm just gonna get some walk and air for a bit." He said with faux confidence, escaping from the situation before his embarrassment could creep on his face.

Félix leaned against the back wall well away from the spray of the showerhead holding Adrien's phone he had pickpocketed off his cousin. He rolled his eyes as he easily unlocked Adrien's phone having access to everything on it.

"Tch, what kind of idiot uses the same password for everything?" Félix chided as he snooped through his cousin's phone. He hummed to himself as he noticed all the unread messages Adrien had received one for almost every contact on his phone.

As he clicked the first message he saw a boy wearing glasses with a cap looking goofy. "Hey, my dude! I'm not quite sure what to tell you, except that, you're my man, dude! And bros are always there for their guys!"

Félix scoffed. "Bros are always there- blah, blah, blah! Moron." He grumbled moving on to the next message, seeing a petite girl wearing all pink.

"Unicorns have a saying: even when there's nothing but gray skies and rain, all it takes is one little sunbeam for a rainbow to appear!"

Félix didn't even let her finish as everything about this girl wanted to make him barf. He skipped through the rest of them not seeing anything interesting and growing more annoyed by the number of people that seemed to take an interest in his cousin.

"When my mother left for New York, I felt so sad. It felt like she was…" Félix narrowed his eyes as he saw Chloe falter, averting his gaze as she took a deep breath, drawing a smile on her face as he faced back to the camera. "She came back, and I know how lucky I am. Auntie was like a mom to me when I was alone so, you can count on me to help you out too, my Adrikins."

Félix rolled his eyes. "Chloé. Just as annoying as usual," he said just as he deleted all the video messages that were sent. Just as he was about to pocket the device again he saw that another video had been sent. He sighed heavily again as he was just about to directly place it into the trash, but then stopped as he saw a familiar face and then pressed play.

"Adrien…" On the other end of the video Marin looked to be uncertain with his face growing red with embarrassment. "I know it's been a while since we've actually had a chance to hang out- maybe it's partially on me. But I just wanted to say- I hope you have a good day. That is- not to say that is a good I mean- objectively it's a nice day with the weather and the sun! But what I mean is… if you need anything just let us know. You're loved so much and I just want you to know that your friendship means so much to me- I mean us! We all love you! Okay bye!"

After the video ended Félix gripped the phone tighter as he felt some animosity towards his cousin. It was his father that had passed on recently and here were so many people that were sending their condolences towards someone whose mother probably wasn't even dead.

Félix hummed to himself as he clicked on the contact photo attached to the messages, seeing the full photo was one with his cousin and this boy. Snooping further into his cousin's photos were numerous photos of his friends but were overtaken by the number of photos there were of the superhero Ladybug; there was even one where Adrien took a photo with the hero himself along with a friend.

"Pft- what a dork." He remarked as an idea came to him, one that would make the trip worthwhile. He ruffled his hair a little as he opened a recording app.

"First of all, thanks so much for all your messages, guys..."

Marin walked through the street by himself, ducking behind the bridge so he wouldn't be seen as he paced back and forth in the shade. He looked down at his phone towards a text that was recently received. As he read through it over and over again he felt every part of his body urge him to not comply, to avoid talking about it again at all costs.

"Marin-" Tikki chirped as she watched her partner slowly unravel. "They're just muffins."

"It's not about the muffins! Well-" Marin stopped himself as he thought for a second to himself, quickly realizing that it was the wrong thing to say and rephrased. "It's partially about the muffins- mostly about the muffins- Really, it's all about the muffins!" He sighed heavily in exasperation as he spoke more calmly. "I never burn anything! Even when I was first learning to bake I never burned anything. This is bad, this is a bad omen if I've never seen one. Something bad is coming and it's going to be horrible and I can't do anything to stop it. It's out of my control, it's going to destroy everything-"

"Calm down!" Tikki intruded as she flew before his face. "Nothing is going to happen, just because you've burned one batch of muffins doesn't mean that it's a bad omen. If anything maybe it's a sign that you're not resting enough." She offered but it did nothing to quell the rampant thoughts running through his head.

"Except that just this morning alone my shoelaces tore while tying them causing me to accidentally step on my mom's hand mirror; At breakfast, I knocked the salt shaker off the tale; While I wasn't watching where I was going I walked under a ladder; I'm pretty sure I stepped on at least a dozen cracks; When I even baking earlier I made enough batter for 17 muffins; not to mention- this all really started when I received that dang pocket watch!" Marin pointed out, growing more anxious as he named off each event that he experienced earlier on before arriving.

If you keep looking for bad omens you're always going to find them everywhere you look." Tikki pointed out, though even she was slightly amazed by the number of experiences her partner had endured today alone. "Maybe talking to someone else will help, what about your friend Luka? He always seems to calm you down!" Tikki suggested.

Marin gave his Kwami an appreciative expression. "I appreciate your help Tikki, but I think it's something I'll have to overcome by myself. I can't keep finding reasons to put this off..." He was saying as he felt his body tense up. As he was overcome with a familiar feeling he spied an Akuma fluttering by that was heading towards the boat and his friends.

"Oh no. Tikki Spots on!"

Ladybug jumped into action as he used his yo-yo to reach the boat just in time to see it enter Alya's tablet effectively akumatizing 3 friends at once and bringing back Reflecta, Princess Fragrance, and Lady Wifi.

"Come on, Alya, you're not seriously gonna attack our buddy, are you?" Ladybug heard Nino say as he landed on the top of the railing.

"I'm not Alya, I'm Lady Wifi. Anyone who tries to stand in our way will be harshly punished!" Lady Wifi exclaimed as she threw icons at their friends, pausing them in place as she then turned her attention to Ladybug who evaded the attack.

"Of course, 4 villains today? Why not?" Ladybug remarked to himself as he was teleported along with them in a flash of light.

Lady Wifi narrowed her eyes but then nodded to Princess Fragrance who sprayed her pink perfume in the area, covering them as Ladybug's yo-yo wrapped around Reflexta's arm just as they were teleported.

Adrien sat at his desk humming to himself as he was waiting on his cousin. Having a small amount of time he dialed up Nino on his computer, wanting to talk to a friend. A smile drew on his face as Nino picked up almost immediately.

"Hey Nino what's going on?" Adrien asked, hoping that his friend could help distract him for a little while. There was a brief pause as Adrien heard some muffled voices from the other end.

"Listen dude, I'm sorry video but did you really have to be so nasty like that?" Nino responded with some hesitation in his voice.

"Huh?"

"We didn't realize today was going to be so hard for you, had we known beforehand I promise that none of us would have bothered you." Nino responded only causing Adrien to become more confused.

"What video? What are you talking about?" Adrien asked as his voice became more urgent.

"If you don't want to talk about it anymore it's alright, we'll catch you later dude." Nino said rather sadly as he hung up the call. This made Adrien panic a little as he looked through his messages and saw that something had been sent from his phone to the entire class. He was shocked to the core as he saw Félix personifying him, even right down to the outfit, hair and tone of voice.

"First of all, thanks so much for all your messages, guys, really. Sending me messages on today of all days to remind me how sad I'm supposed to be feeling? It's awesome to have classmates who haven't even known me that long to throw a pity party in my honor. Really! Thanks a lot, knowing that you guys are talking about me behind my back makes me feel loads better!"

As the video ended Adrien's jaw had already hit the floor. He couldn't even bring himself to move as he couldn't believe those words came from him- well, someone who looked exactly like him to be more specific. He was so shocked by the implications of what he just saw he ignored whatever Nathalie was saying as she walked in and immediately turned to Félix as he walked out of the bathroom- still retaining the same look he had in the video.

"Come along, Adrien. You have a last-minute photoshoot-"

"Félix how could you?!" Adrien demanded as he stood from his desk, showing a rare semblance of anger that his cousin didn't even flinch at.

"How could I not?" Félix responded as he folded his hands behind his back.

"What the-" Adrien stammered over his words for a moment as he quickly realized his cousin's motivation. "Is this about me not showing up to the funeral?" Adrien asked in disbelief. "You messed with my friends just because of that!?"

Félix retained his composure as he spoke, as though he had done nothing wrong. "If anything I did you a favor. What kind of friends are they really if they can't even differentiate two different people?"

"Don't try to pull that card, you just wanted to hurt me!" Adrien said directly to the point. "Félix I know I hurt you-"

"Hurt me?" Félix said mockingly as his calm exterior broke. "We're supposed to be family Adrien! Yet you let your father control you, ever since we were kids you've been like this!" Félix took a deep breath to regain his composure while Adrien was still seething with anger. "When your mother passed and your father shut himself away who was the first one to check up on you? Us. My parents always treated you like a son but ever since that day you've never once visited, you were always too busy to visit, or to check up once in a while. You not showing up to my father's funeral- fine, heck it's even understandable. But continuing to excuse your father from isolating you from the people that actually care about you? Practically unforgivable."

The two glared at each other with venom towards each other, right until a phone began to buzz, and in a flash of light 3 villains appeared before them. Adrien immediately gasped as he recognized Lady Wifi, Reflekta, and Princess Fragrance. He quickly put two and two together as all three akumatized villains pointed their weapons at him.

" It's time for your punishment, you naughty boy...s" Reflekta said, her words trailing off as she held out her bracelet towards him as the other two did the same with their weapons but then were immediately were confused as they saw double.

"It all makes sense now! There were two Adrien's!" Lady Wifi exclaimed.

"That explains why our super nice video was answered by the super mean one!" Princess Fragrance said angrily.

"Which one of you is a cruel and inferior copy of the original?" Reflekta asked as the cousins exchanged a glance.

"It was him! He's Félix! My cousin!" Adrien immediately said as he drew attention to himself.

"Only a real meanies would tell on his cousin! You must be Félix." Lady Wifi said as they pointed their weapons towards him.

"He's right."

Adrien immediately turned his head in shock as his cousin smirked at the three villains. "I'm the real Félix, I'm the one who said all those cruel things. But let's face it, you three bimbos were the real meanies for thinking the worst at the drop of a hat."

The attention was then divided between the two as Nathalie stood as a buffer between the two parties.

"They're equally as horrible!" Reflecta remarked.

"Still, one is lying while the other is telling the truth, how do we know which one is the imposter?" Lady Wifi asked to her partners while Princess Fragrance stepped forward with a smile on her face.

"We can just ask them." She said pointing her perfume bottle towards them. But before she could unleash her brainwashing fumes her weapon was knocked right out of her hands by Nathalie. As the bottle flew up in the air the distraction was enough to cause both cousins to split up. However, Adrien was hindered as Lady Wifi blocked his way- appearing through his computer.

"Not so fast Félix!" The villain threatened but just as she was about to attack him, Adrien felt a wire wrap around his waist. As Adrien looked up his heart immediately began to race as he looked up towards Ladybug's face.

"Félix?" Ladybug couldn't help but question as he looked at the scene unfolding before him.

For a second Adrien felt a pang of concern that Félix would try to protect him again but then felt some ease as Ladybug appeared to pick up his worries. "Oh- right, I'll protect you from these...ner do wells!" The hero quickly said as he jumped out of the window.

"You'll be safe here Adrien" Ladybug said after he landed atop the roof of Grand Paris hotel, placing him down on a nearby chair. As he turned away but was then stopped as Adrien grasped his hand. Ladybug looked at him as Adrien's face turned red at the realization at what he'd just done.

"I-uh! Sorry!" Adrien said, ruffling the back of his head as he averted looking directly at the hero. "Wait- how did you know it was me? I look exactly like my cousin." He asked.

"You do?" Ladybug asked as he tilted his head slightly in confusion. "Well at least you two aren't doppelgangers." He said jokingly trying to break the tension but quickly realized he should leave the joking to his partner.

"Yeah...isn't that why you helped me out?" Adrien asked hesitantly.

"Honestly I just saw that you were in trouble and just played along." Ladybug said sincerely unintentionally causing Adrien's heart to soar- only to drop back down as the hero continued to speak. "How does your cousin have so many enemies?"

"He's..." Adrien hesitated for a moment as he tried to choose his words carefully. "He's been kind of a jerk to my friends but it's partially my fault too. I wasn't exactly there for him when he needed me. Looking back on it now- it's no wonder he did what he did." Adrien admitted as his shoulders drooped down. He hadn't even realized that he had been growing distant from his closest family member until now. "I should have known better- everything he's going through I've already experienced." He admitted as he then felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Even if your cousin was just acting out he knowingly hurt you and there is never an excuse to be cruel to people Adrien." Ladybug said sincerely but then his attention was stolen as he looked on in the distance seeing the three heroines that followed them. "Get out of here I'll handle them."

"All three on your own?!" Adrien asked in disbelief as Ladybug pushed him into the elevator. Just as the doors were about to close Ladybug smiled reassuringly at him.

"Don't worry, the playing field will be evened out soon enough." The hero promised as he turned his back towards him protectively just as the three villains arrived.

As the elevator lowered Adrien removed his ring, summoning Plagg before him as he greeted his Kwami with a smile. "So- did you enjoy your little field trip with Ladybug?" Plagg teased lamely as Adrien grinned at him sheepishly, unable to hold back a lovestruck grin.

"Details later. Plagg Claws out!"

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug said as he threw his yo-yo above his head, this time receiving a ladybug basket with a jar of honey- which fell into his hands.

Reflekta landed on the roof first. "You really think covering us with condiments will save you from being punished, Ladybug?" The villain asked as she pointed her mirror towards the hero.

"I'll be able to ensure you'll smell anything but sweet." Princess Fragrance threatened as she pointed her perfume bottle towards him. "Maybe you'll learn a lesson if you smell like stinky fish!" She laughed as Lady Wifi materialized behind the hero- effectively surrounding him.

"Try anything and I'll pause you for good!" Lady Wifi threatened as Ladybug held up his arms in surrender. "Now, throw the Lucky Charm towards us and maybe we'll let you off long enough for your kitty cat to show up!"

With one glance Ladybug knew they wouldn't honor their word, but as he heard a familiar clicking against rooftops his instincts took over and he threw the lucky charm above his head.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir called out as he destroyed the jar of honey- sending its scattered goop on the villains who recoiled as he landed next to his partner.

"You think some honey is enough to stop us-" Lady Wifi threatened as she tried to throw icons at them but realized that her hands didn't register on the tablet. Reflekta was unable to use her mirror due to it being covered up and Princess Fragrance had difficulty moving.

"You cut it a little close this time." Ladybug remarked.

"Sure, but it's within my nature to show up in the nick of time to always save the gentleman in distress. If I may correct my mistake and do the honors my Lady?" Chat Noir offered, smiling at his partner who gestured towards Lady Wifi's tablet just before the hero used his staff to break it; releasing the Akuma.

"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" He said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug said throwing up his lucky charm, returning everything back to normal.

"Pound it!" Both partners exclaimed together as they bumped fists, now surrounded by their friends who were looking around in confusion.

Chat Noir's ears twitched as he noticed Ladybug smiling at him, so he took the opportunity to step closer, holding his staff in hand as he rested his head near his partner's shoulder.

"Admiring my dashingly good looks bugaboo?" He asked flirtatiously. But it was met genuine affection as Ladybug chuckled a little.

"I was just thinking how black cats are usually meant to be bad luck when they cross your path." Ladybug said.

"Ah yes, a negativities stereotype which is for the record- false by all means." Chat Noir remarked.

"I know that better than anyone else. After all since I met you, I've had nothing but good fortune." Ladybug said kindly as Chat Noir felt his face start to burn. "Oh- it's like you're my own Lucky Charm!" Ladybug said as he clapped his hand together with a realization while Chat Noir felt his clear-minded head was now muddled with fluffy warmth.

He had to physically turn his body away in order to stop himself from screaming how much he loved his Ladybug.

Adrien stood in the foyer of the house, still upset about what happened earlier. But ultimately felt a little lonesome as his aunt Amelie decided that it would be better to cut their trip short by a few days.

"Everything you did today, how you treated my friends... Unforgivable, Félix." Adrien said in annoyance with his arms crossed while Félix couldn't look him in the eye.

Amelie looked between the two, upset that they were arguing. "Now that his father isn't here to stop him from getting into mischief -" She tried to explain but Félix stopped her.

"Adrien's right mother, I've been acting like a jerk all day. No apology can ever be enough. I just hope I can learn from this, and come back to see you as a better person someday." He said respectfully towards Adrien. "I really am sorry. I'll do my best to make it up to you."

Part of Adrien's anger wavered as Félix turned towards his father, holding out his hand towards him. "Uncle." He said formally.

"Goodbye, Félix." Gabriel said shaking his nephew's hand.

Meanwhile, Adrien tried not to fall over as his aunt covered his face in kisses as she squeezed him tightly in a hug.

"Mother, please." Félix prompted as he watched the scene unfold with an unamused expression. "You're going to choke him."

"I just want to get my fill of my adorable little baby nephew before I have to go again!" She retorted back playfully giving one final kiss to Adrien on his cheek as she placed both hands on his shoulders. "Now remember, if you're feeling overwhelmed or if you just want to get away we're one Startrain ride away. Come over anytime if you ever miss your auntie or cousin."

"Thank you Aunt Amelie I will." Adrien said politely but broke out into a smile as she hugged him again, only to be pried off by her son and pushed outside. He felt a pang of guilt as he remembered what Félix had mentioned earlier.

"Just one more hug, I promise-"

"No mother we need to go." Félix said sternly, he sighed heavily as he finally got her out of the house.

Adrien watched as his aunt and cousin walked out of the house as something nagged at him. He ran outside, ignoring his father who ordered him to remain. Félix looked at him in surprise as Amelie noticed him as well.

"Auntie...I'm sorry that I couldn't have been there for you more, today of all today's and especially back when your husband passed. I know how much he loved you." Adrien said apologetically as his aunt gave him a smile that reminded him so much of his mother. She gave him one more hug, this time far more gentle as Adrien shut his eyes, for a moment let himself believe that his mother had returned.

"You're so much like your mother." She said kindly as she stroked his hair as she pulled back, still grasping his shoulders. "Adrien, it's not your job to worry about adults, it's our job to take care of you not the other way around." She then kissed his forehead as she walked off to help load the luggage just as Félix walked up next to his cousin.

"If you're feeling upset or out of control, just call before you do anything you might regret."Adrien offered as he saw his cousin's expression soften, taking a second to hug him briefly. "You have some good friends."

"Yeah, I know." Adrien said with a smile as Félix entered the car.

"Here." Félix said as he then handed Adrien a familiar-looking necklace, one that he couldn't place. It was a simple one, with a bright red charm and a small silver key attached to it.

"What's this?" Adrien asked as he looked it over.

"Let's say it needs to be returned to that pirate Asian friend of yours."

It took a second for Adrien to pick up what his cousin was saying before looking at him in disbelief. "Félix did you pickpocket my friends?!"

"Only the one. Who knows, maybe you'd get into his good books again if you return that." Félix remarked as he noticed that his cousin looked like he was about to lecture him once again. "Yeah yeah- I know, stealing is wrong- but you should at least thank me for getting you some alone time with your superhero crush."

Immediately Adrien's face ran red he was on panic mode. "H-how did-"

"You should really try setting a new passcode that isn't a stupid name for a fictional future hamster pet. But at over 1,034 photos maybe you could give the Louvre a run for their money if you keep this up. Did you at least get a kiss?" Félix continued to say as he took some enjoyment out of teasing his cousin who was usually prim and proper under his father's watch.

"SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP!" Adrien immediately snapped as he pushed Félix towards the car.

Adrien watched for a little while as he watched his extended family leave. Despite everything that happened, it felt a little lonelier but it helped to think about how he could visit them anytime. As he turned back towards his house as held a new wheel of fresh cheese for his Kwami.

"Sorry for not listening to you earlier Plagg."

He smiled happily as he saw Plagg's eyes light up but just before his Kwami was about to consume the wheel Adrien noticed his ears flattening as he looked up towards his partner. His expression looked apologetic as Plagg nuzzled Adrien's chest, hugging him in his own way.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier. No amount of cheese in the world should ever stand between us."

"Aw Plagg-"

"That being said, COME HERE!" Plagg immediately consumed the wheel of cheese after apologizing, chewing his favorite meal happily as Adrien took out his phone and began recording a message. He had exclaimed the situation earlier with Félix's help, but still felt like he had to do more.

"Hey guys even though I never got your messages, I just wanted to let you know I'm really touched just knowing you were thinking of me today. You're the best friends anyone could ever dream of. I love you, all of you."

Marin took a moment to feel some joy as he watched Adrien's message as he looked down at his phone. He was sitting on a bench looking out towards the river just as a familiar old man sat down next to him. The tension he felt was palpable as he clutched his phone in hand, feeling the sting of old memories past.

"It's a beautiful evening isn't it?" Master Fu asked as he looked up at the setting sun. "It's always important to appreciate the beauty of fleeting spectacles, even ones that you see every day."

On any other occasion, Marin would have agreed, but today wasn't like any other day. There had been numerous signs, numerous events that spelled out that something bad was coming and there was only one person in the world who could understand. Chat Noir was his partner by all means, someone who he'd trust with his life time and time again, however- he only had one teacher; one adult he could trust with everything.

"Master...I... I'm worried about the future." Marin said aloud for the first time. "I'm afraid."

For a moment the only sound between the two was the gentle waves of the river hitting against the stone along with the traffic of the evening.

"What makes you say this Marinus?" Master Fu asked simply, without judgment to whatever he'd hear.

Marin in turn, placed a hand on his injured here, grazing it lightly as he recalled the memory that haunted his dreams. The memory of claws slashing down and it stinging against the salt of a sea that had overtaken the world. "It started a while ago, back on Saint Athanasius Day..."

Notes:

-Please note that most of these are crossed referenced off of Wikipedia and other sources on the internets; if I interpreted or got something wrong I apologize

- The number 4 is considered an unlucky number in Chinese culture due to the connotation of the word sounding similar to their word for "death"; Receiving a clock as a gift is considered unlucky as well as it connotates that you're quickly running out of time

-The number 17 is unlucky in Italian culture as it's viewed as the Roman numeral, XVII, and then changed anagrammatically to VIXI, Vixi (VIXI) in Latin means "I have lived / I lived", implying "My life is over."; Spilling Salt or oil is considered especially bad as in the past both were considered a luxury or precious commodities and to not handling them carefully would bring upon back luck

-Stepping on cracks, walking under ladders, and breaking mirrors, and black cats crossing paths are more general superstitions

- Marin is usually not so superstitious he is just a stressed child with trauma. You can fit so much trauma in him.

-Félix was originally intended to be wayyyyyyyyy more villainous and cruel, but Adrien deserves nice things so-

- I have taken notice how the LadyChat and Ladyrien had been lacking, hopefully, ya'll are fed now.