Marinette's heels made a tapping sound as she headed to the water cooler in the break room for a drink. She'd be shut up in her office all morning taking phone calls, so she was ready for some fresh air.
She found several of the interns gathered around the cooler, chattering like a flock of pigeons. "Marinette, did you hear?" Alyssa asked, her voice rising in excitement. "Cat and Ladybug are being interviewed on TV tonight!" "They haven't done a interview in years!" Callista chimed in.
"We should be happy about that," Marinette said, quietly. "That means the city is at peace." "Besides, Cat Noir is nothing without Ladybug," Natalia giggled. "He's just a sidekick."
Marinette felt her hackles rising, and she wanted to breathe fire. "Cat is not just a sidekick, Natalia. He's Ladybug's best friend and her constant companion. Now, if you excuse me, I have work to do."
Marinette quickly poured her coffee and cream and headed down to her office, trying not to let the door slam. This would happen when they were younger too, and even though there had been a time Ladybug and Cat had barely spoken, it didn't mean she hadn't stopped loving him. It had been a painful time for her.
"Your eyes are sparking like blue fire," Cat told her, as they held hands in the green room at the station. "What's going on, Princess?" "Oh, just some girls were talking about how your "Just my sidekick". It makes me mad! If you hadn't been there…." "Hey," Cat said, gently, smoothing out her clenched fist. "That's just rumors and gossip, and we know that's not true. Come on, love, we're on."
The interview seemed to be going well, though Marinette could feel her stomach grumbling. She had been caught up at work, and by the time she arrived home it was time to head to the studio.
"So, Ladybug," the interviwer asked, "Couldn't you saved Paris single-highhandedly?" Ladybug closed her eyes. "Sure, I could have," Ladybug said, sweetly at first, then turned serious as she looked into a camera. "But don't we all need someone to confide in when we feel lost or have the weight on our shoulders? Don't we need someone to put out a hand to help us up when we fall down?"
She took Cat's hand and squeezed it tightly. "I know I have made miskates in past, but Cat was always forgiving. And he helped me up when I fell. Cat isn't just my sidekick, he's my partner who stuck with me, even now to the very end."
She turned, finding Cat had tears in his eyes. "Thank you, Bugaboo."
The interviewer moved on to another topic, and though Ladybug knew not everyone would agree with her, she was proud she had stood up for her husband and best friend.