A/N: As promised chapter two of KIT has been delivered! I know, I know, it's been published REALLY late and (unfortunately) there isn't really a final update schedule in the near-future. Author's still swamped with tons of work (both fanfic and non-fanfic related) and there is a grand total of around 12 fanfictions all vying for attention on the update line. Nevertheless, I wanted to deliver something for KIT readers to enjoy - even if it's only one more chapter.

Anyway, Author's messy scheduling aside, I hope you're all doing ok beyond the screen.

Thanks so much for reading and showing support!

Till next time,

Drama :D

PS: I was thinking about cross-posting this onto AO3 cause the drafts of notes for future chapters looks pretty promising. KIT might just work as a stand alone with how I have it planned out. So... any thoughts on posting it to Ao3? Or should it remain a ffnet exclusive?

Chapter Two: Senses

Marinette

Returning to the bakery had never been such a quiet walk for them. No, really they walked there. Side by side, hand in hand, both Adrien and Marinette had made their way through the familiar streets of Paris with little more than a few words passing between them. Usually, they would be abuzz with some kind of conversation, matched with a light sprinkling of playful teasing dusted here or there. Sharing subtle nudges and secret smiles, a simple journey could turn into a never-ending moment for them. Today, though, the atmosphere was heavy, drooping.

Seeing what was in that room - no, shrine - definitely had not been easy for Adrien. Marinette herself had found it hard to digest what she had seen, face-to-face with the true fate of Emilie Agreste, and wondering just how the fuck Gabriel had managed to hide it for so long. How exactly did one keep a body so well hidden as well as so well-preserved? How did he even gain the idea of trying to bring her back to life?

Some kind of trigger must have been pulled when Emilie had died. That was the only logical explanation for Gabriel's borderline obsessive and somewhat insane idea to keep her alive until he obtained the means to revive her.

But, if he was so fixed on it remaining as secret as possible, why did Gabriel Agreste decide to show Adrien? Why did he decide to show Emilie to Marinette?

Hours after the lunch gone wrong and Marinette was still puzzling over that same question. Wrapped up in her favourite fleece blanket - snatched off Adrien a few weeks back - she had been busy trying to crack her mystery while simultaneously trying to cheer up her understandably depressed boyfriend. So far all methods had been used. Borrowed treats from the bakery? Check! An attempt at sharing funny puns? That ended with an A-plus for effort and an F for failure.

Now, in a final last-ditch attempt, Marinette had called for them to drown out all background noise with a comedy. Because who didn't like comedies? Even when she was feeling shitty, down in the dumps and all that sort of sloshy, self-depreciation stuff, Marinette could appreciate a good comedy. Normally, Adrien would too, replacing the gorgeous frown on his perfect face with an even more gorgeous smile on his always flawless face.

Even the great works of top comedians didn't seem to muster a smile from him, though. Sometimes there would be a short huff of a laugh, barely there as it faded into silence. Other times he would simply shrug at her, not bothered to even attempt at mustering up some kind of convincing joyful expression.

Never before had Marinette seen him like this - even after when she, as Ladybug, tired of his constant advances, had snapped some rather harsh and blunt words in his direction. Dejected was the word to describe Chat Noir - Adrien - after Ladybug had so coldly broken his heart. Destroyed, disjointed, was the perfect way to describe him now, almost seeming like he was present but feeling like he was elsewhere, mind filled with an array of thoughts that she just couldn't tune into.

By the halfway mark of the movie, Marinette had endured enough of the guessing and silence. Wearing a determined frown on her face, filled with the persistence to get to the bottom of this mystery, she decided to take the initiative. Ladybug, after all, did tend to lead most.

"Alright," Pausing the movie, right where the main character was going to vent about his dead wife, Marinette turned to Adrien, signalling that she wasn't going to drop it. Not while her mind was fixed where it was. "We're talking about it."

"Marinette," Letting out a sigh, Adrien shook his head as his lips pressed into a tight line, "We don't have to. I've got it handled."

"I want to, though," Not buying his words at all, Marinette continued to insist as she folded her arms over her chest. Raising a brow, she asked, "What sort of person would I be if I didn't let you vent about what you've just seen? God, you've just found out that your mother - who's supposed to be dead, by the way - is actually alive! If I were you, Adrien, I wouldn't just be sitting here in silence. I would be freaking the fuck out!"

"I don't think seeing her is what's bothering me," Still quiet, still somewhat thoughtful and low, Adrien's voice was almost a pensive hum as he spoke. Even his gaze, usually so certain and passionate, seemed hesitant and wary as he glanced at her.

"Then what is?" Marinette blurted out, unable to mask her concern in the slightest as she spurted it out. Blushing at her question, she quickly corrected herself, clearing her throat with pink cheeks as she sat up a little straighter and wiggled a little on her spot. "And be honest, even if you think I'll get mad. But you also don't have to tell me if you don't want to. If that's what it is you can say that too, I won't force you to share..."

Cutting her word vomit short, Marinette bit into her bottom lip as she began to anxiously fiddle with her hands. Situations like these always made her uncomfortable, on edge. Adrien was always someone she failed to not fully freak out around; only recently, after finding out who he truly was, had Marinette began to loosen the tight reigns she'd always held whenever she was around him. But only recently. And it showed in this moment, in the awkwardness that heated the tips of her ears and gnawed into her bottom lip.

Maybe, in that moment, Adrien felt pity for her. Maybe, seeing how much her concern was eating her up inside, he had decided to try and open up more - when really all he had ever been with her was open and honest. As easy to read as a picture book.

"I guess what's bothering me most is knowing that I can bring her back. With the wish, I can help my father bring my mother back to life," Adrien eventually admitted, red tinting the tips of his ears as his eyes skirted away from hers. One soft spot they had never truly delved into, never truly discussed, was what he really thought about his mother ever since she had died. Sure, Marinette knew that Adrien missed her. Who wouldn't miss their mother? But she never knew that Adrien had considered bringing her back - at least not with the miraculous.

Now, though, laid out to her in a moment of vulnerability, she was hearing those small wishes he had once held. For the first time, she was hearing his real thoughts on his mother's disappearance, how he felt ever since she had been gone.

"But you know it comes with a cost," Soft, gentle, both Marinette's words and hand on his shoulder were cautious in their output. Sensing for anything that could lead to a bad sign - a negative emotion for Hawkmoth to feed upon and use to channel into an Akuma. "Making a wish with the miraculous is dangerous."

"I know," Adrien agreed, nodding. Resigned. Dejected. But not at all hurt. Ever since his mother had disappeared he was used to the disappointment, being unable to see her again. "I don't want to think about what that cost might be..."

Pursing his lips, chancing a glance at the one woman who could easily end him right there in that moment if she wanted to, Adrien was showing his conclusions from today. If there was one thing he had learned - had realised - from his father's bombshell, then it was that he didn't want Marinette wound up in whatever schemes Gabriel had planned. Just like his father, Adrien was someone who would crumble if the cost of his wishes was the person he loved.

In Marinette's eyes that only made him all the more wonderful. When everything should circle back to him, should revolve around comforting him, Adrien still put her first in his mind. Above all else, her own safety was put first today. Even when it meant turning down his father, walking away as if he didn't care about bringing his mother back from the dead, back into the cold family mansion with its phantom-like master.

"Today also made me realise that bringing my mother back won't bring my father back too," When Adrien said those words, held Marinette's hand within his own, she knew that he was telling the truth. One cold, hard truth that he had not wanted to swallow for years. Losing one parent was bad enough, but two at the same time? Terrible. Heart-breaking. No wonder why Adrien clung to the hope that Gabriel would change.

Maybe that was why Marinette had chosen to hug him. Skinny arms wrapped around his familiar torso, nowhere near as wonderful as his but good enough to do the job, she aimed to comfort him, to show that she was there and would not leave. Not now. Not tomorrow. Not ever. Not like his mother and most certainly not like his father. Forever and ever, until Adrien Agreste got sick of her, Marinette Dupain-Cheng would remain by his side.

"The day my mother died was the day my father buried the rest of his life away," Adrien's voice was one she hadn't heard for years - not since he had first started school, trying to apologise, umbrella held in the rain as thunder clapped in the dreary sky. Carefully, almost as if she were made of delicate paper, he returned her hug with the lightest of touches, "When she died, so did he. Bringing her back wouldn't change that at all. Instead it would just make him realise how horrible he's been and... I don't think my mother would ever agree with what he's doing to bring her back."

"She's like you," Marinette gently chimed in, her voice just as soft as his as her chin rested atop his shoulder. She would not break; she was not paper. "Live in the moment and regret none of the past."

"You won't become the past, right?" Something about her words made him cringe, become stiff against her like a coiled spring instead of a human being. Clear, resonate, Adrien's thoughts were obvious as he added, "Sometimes I feel like this is all some kind of dream and one day I'm going to wake up from it."

Feeling like reality was too good to be true certainly wasn't a new feeling for Marinette. No. Ever since she had woken up from her coma, survived the fall from the Eiffel Tower, she had experienced moments where she questioned how much of her life was really tangible. Obviously, she never vocalized those fears, never told Adrien how much it meant to her to see his face every new day. But physically, whenever she held him close, savoured the warm silence of his company under the midnight sky, Marinette did show her fears of him leaving.

But knowing that Adrien felt the same way, feared her disappearing, wasn't at all soothing. If anything, it made Marinette's gut churn, her heart deflate, as she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.

After all these years of pining after her, Adrien shouldn't have to worry about her leaving. Ever. This wasn't a dream. This wasn't all one horrid fantasy that would eventually end to reveal that they were living different, separate lives. This world, their world, was one that was real, one they could feel beneath their fingertips and return to every day. This world was real and lasting and filled with endless possibilities.

"Do you remember when you used to visit me as Chat Noir?" Unfolding herself from their hug and springing to her feet, Marinette broke the silence. Now she had to show him, had to prove that she would always be a permanent fixture - friend or not, girlfriend or not. Luckily, she remembered just how she could. "Before the reveal."

"Yeah," Adrien responded slowly, carefully, blinking in the same gradual motion as a cat gauging its surroundings. Curiously, cautiously, his eyes followed her movement across the room, "What about it?"

"Well," Marinette dragged out the word, now digging around in one of her boxes for the damned item that would help her get everything out smoothly. When her hand secured around it, meeting the smooth black fabric, she grinned, "I think part of why I liked your company so much was because I could talk about anything with you. Even if sometimes it was super embarrassing and I found myself wondering why I even told you the entire truth."

"You did almost confess your undying love to me," Adrien teased, a small twinge of his usual humour bleeding into his words. Tiny and yet prominent, a small grin tugged at his gorgeously wonderful face, lighting his eyes with a spark of mischief, "I'm pretty sure it was some kind of poem."

"And I paid you compensation through ice-cream," Marinette responded quickly - with a slight blush - trying her best to seem disappointed as she shook her head, "Which also came with a non-disclosure agreement! We're not supposed to talk about that."

For a brief moment, they both laughed. Light, airy, it was almost like this conversation wasn't happening, almost like they hadn't just found out about Gabriel's huge secret, the heavy weight of the brand new responsibility they now shouldered. But only for a moment. One, brief moment.

"Well, I have one more embarrassing secret to tell you in return for ice-cream," Once the laughter was over and all that remained were ghosts of smiles, Marinette rocked nervously on her heels as she hid her mystery item behind her back. Biting into her lip, she couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit more nervous now that she had the object in her hand, her heart thumping thunderously in her chest as she spoke.

"You have my un-cone-ditional attention, Buginette," Trying to soothe her growing anxiety, Adrien shot her a small grin. One that was almost back to how they usually were, crinkling his beautiful eyes and producing tiny dimples that most people wouldn't even notice when looking at him. But of course Marinette noticed; she noticed everything about him.

"I kept the umbrella you gave me all those years ago," Rushing out the words in a tangent of embarrassment and adorable squeakiness, Marinette revealed the item hidden behind her back. Between her two shaking hands, almost pristine, was the very umbrella that Adrien had gifted her. Stored, treasured and cherished, the object was definitely Marinette's most valued gift from him - even if he didn't count it as a gift.

All those years ago, when she had chalked him up to be some awful guy, that magical umbrella had changed her mind. Softening her heart, making her all melty and gooey whenever he was around, that umbrella signalled the start of her love for Adrien - the desire to keep him close, keep him happy, keep him safe. Just one umbrella had done that; a normal umbrella, a meaningless, replaceable thing in most people's lives.

But Marinette would breakdown if she ever lost that specific one.

"The umbrella?" Blinking, Adrien slowly absorbed her rushed admission. Flicking his gaze from her reddened face to her trembling hands, he was almost filled with disbelief as he crunched the numbers in his head, "The one from four years ago?"

"Yes," Nodding, Marinette's voice remained timid as she responded. Mechanical. Stiff. Almost back to how she used to around him, awkward and bumbling and suffering from a terrible case of foot-in-mouth disease. "From four years ago. And I'm not giving it back."

"Why?" The answer was obvious. To both of them, subconsciously, they knew why she would go to such great lengths to keep that umbrella. In his deep dive into devotion, Adrien himself had been guilty of keeping way too many things that reminded him of her. At one point it got to the stage where Nathalie had to get involved, ordering that Adrien sort out his chronic hoarding problem or she'll do it herself.

"If I give it back, that means you can leave my life," Marinette confidently announced, holding the umbrella tightly in her grasp, "But as long as I have the umbrella, you'll always be tethered to me, Adrien," Now she was smiling, a bright beam that lit up her eyes as she assured him, "So, if you're worried about me becoming the past I can assure you that I won't. Not while I have your stupid umbrella."

"Hey, that umbrella got you to fall in love with me!" Mock-offense on his face, Adrien frowned as he watched Marinette put it away once more, "I'd say it's magical."

"Magical?" Snorting, Marinette almost laughed as she returned to his side, sliding back into her spot and snagging some more of warm fleece blanket they shared. Nudging him with her shoulder, she asked, "Is that why it took us so long to figure out who was beneath the mask?"

For a moment, Adrien was silent. Processing her words, the fact that it had actually taken them four years to piece together a simple truth, he could say that there had to be an element of the supernatural involved. Looking back at it all, the truth had been so painfully obvious. Every clue, every tiny breadcrumb, led them in the same direction; they had simply ignored them until they couldn't anymore, face-to-face with the truth itself.

"Nah," Grinning himself, Adrien returned Marinette's nudge, "We're just a pair of clueless idiots."

"I guess you're right," Sighing, Marinette agreed as she leaned her head on his shoulder. Carefully, she laced her hand with his, their fingers locked tightly between them, "No matter what happens next, I'll be here. I promise. No more running away."

And she meant it. From the look in her eyes, the complete determination sitting in them, Adrien knew she meant it.

"No more running away," His voice answered hers, matched with the squeeze he gave her hand, "I promise."

Alya

Quiet evenings like these were the easiest to sneak out from. With her parents both working late, the twins tucked into bed, and Nora out for a match, Alya was left with only herself for company. No-one would be back until well into the night, the silver moon sitting high in the sky as the streetlamps buzzed with neon yellow light. No nosy, overprotective older sisters. No disapproving parents. No annoying, little kids.

Stretching her arms above her head, Alya couldn't help but let out a yawn as she closed her sisters' bedroom door and walked towards her own room. Half an hour had been spent putting those little buggers to bed, lulling them with a tale about the mystical land of Rispa and her adventures as a unicorn. Even then, when Alya was certain that they'd fallen asleep, Ella had opened her eyes and asked her where she was going.

Naturally, Alya told a little white lie, "Nowhere. Just the bathroom."

In reality, Alya wasn't just 'going to the bathroom'. Much more important and pressing issues demanded her attention tonight. Unfortunately, those issues meant she had to wait until her gremlin little sisters were sound asleep.

Luckily, they were always quick to fall asleep - at least when Alya followed a specific routine. Bath before bed, a good bedtime story and fifteen minutes of pure silence: those three steps were certified to have Ella and Etta knocked out into a deep trance until the next day. For three years, the tried and tested method had never failed Alya; she doubted tonight would be the time her luck would run dry. Ella and Etta were only ten.

Hanging around for fifteen minutes, Alya watched the seconds tick by on her watch. Tap, tap, tapping, her foot just wouldn't rest as she sat in her desk chair and wondered how mad Ladybug would be if she arrived late to patrol yet again. These days, more and more, Rena Rouge was coming up short in her superhero duties; other commitments in Alya's life kept overriding her desire to be the best hero she could possibly be.

As soon as fifteen minutes were up, Alya sprung out of her chair. No sounds had been made. No hands had knocked on her bedroom door. That meant Ella and Etta were truly out for the count. Those little shits would have been giggling up a storm if they were still awake, struggling to muffle their voices to whispers as they planned a prank. Troublemaking was something they were good at - Alya was often the victim of said troublemaking.

Heading toward her balcony, Alya slid open the door and stepped out into the night. Cold, fresh air hit her face as she looked out over the city, took in the glimmering streetlamps and nightlights of France's bustling capital. So many people lived in this one city alone. Over ten million people - if her memory served correct - called this single city home; it was a megacity, a metropolitan hub for so many different lives.

And she was tasked with helping to protect it. So far, that night gig seemed to be slipping down on Alya's priority list. Maybe she should do something about that.

"Trixx, let's pounce!"

Bright vermillion light flashed in the air, swift and sharp like a camera flash. Jolting, a wave of fresh energy shot over Alya's nerves and skin as she closed her eyes and let the rush of magic flood over her, take over her veins. One second, Alya Cesaire was standing on her balcony, looking over the city. Another second later, Rena Rouge was launching herself off the metal railing, smooth metal as solid as the ground itself beneath her booted feet.

Whistling, the wind whipped in the heroine's ears as she flew through the air, going up and up and up until she started to arc downwards. Rapidly. But, unlike when she had first become a superhero, Rena Rouge was used to the feeling of her stomach plummeting towards the ground. Her heart racing in her chest. Instead of screaming her lungs out, scrunching up her eyes, she braced herself for impact, her knees barely buckling as she landed on top of a building and continued to sprint onward.

Tonight, they were meeting more towards the city's centre, the first arrondissement to be exact. Most of the time, they would split the arrondissements between each other, covering all twenty over a ten day span in pairs. Ladybug and Chat Noir would take the odd numbers; Rena Rouge and Carapace would take even. By the end of every fortnight, they would have a pretty accurate analysis of criminal activity across the city.

Meeting in the city's heart, though, was an unusual event. Typically, it was saved for the end of their weekly reconnaissance routes. Sometimes, even more rarely, it was used as a way to covertly celebrate.

As soon as she'd landed at the decided meeting spot, the empty rooftop of the buildings surrounding the Louvre's glass pyramid, Rena Rouge could sense that there was a reason for today's unexpected meetup. Already, Ladybug and Chat Noir were there. Huddled together, seeming to talk in hushed voices, they hadn't noticed her arrival.

Usually, they were the first to notice a new presence; they were skilled at knowing when they weren't alone. But not tonight. Too preoccupied, whispering away, they didn't even turn in her direction. Alarming. Worrying. Something must have happened today.

"So..." Gathering their attention, placing both hands on her hips, Rena Rouge raised a masked brow as she stared at the duo with her sharp, hazel eyes. All-seeing, almost all-knowing hazel eyes. "How did the meeting go with you-know-who?"

Ram-rod straight, Ladybug's spine immediately became tense. Thanks to her enhanced hearing, Rena Rouge could have sworn that she also heard a small squeak escape the heroine as she and Chat Noir turned to address her.

"It was alright," Tight, strained, a strange sort of smile sat on Ladybug's face. Such a smile, all teeth and no gums, was the sort Rena Rouge had come to associate with her friend hiding something. Nerves. Anxiety. Crippling, building dread. Even as she turned to her partner, the blonde dressed from head to toe in midnight leather, Ladybug appeared to be on edge, "Right, Kitty?"

"Yeah," Nodding, Chat Noir was better at selling the 'every is fine' act. Casual, sheepish, one of his clawed hands raised to scratch at the base of his neck, "He was actually nice for once."

Gabriel Agreste? Nice? Those words definitely didn't belong in the same sentence - not unless it was describing the lack of kindness left within the man. For years, they had been trying to get through to him. For what felt like a lifetime, Rena Rouge had watched as her friends struggled to approach the frosty, formidable man. And now he was suddenly nice? Now, after they had taken the risk to date, he supported them?

Something about that assessment just didn't sit right in Rena Rouge's gut. At all.

"Are you two sure it went well?" Taking a seat beside them, her own long legs dangling from the edge of the roof, Rena Rouge couldn't hide the scepticism in her voice, "Cause none of you answered any of my calls."

"Can we just talk about this later?" Deflecting, Ladybug was deflecting from the subject as she stared pleadingly into her best friend's eyes, "Away from watching eyes."

Watching eyes probably meant the blonde hottie sitting right next her. Even though they had been dating for a while - and she had nearly died right in front of him -, Ladybug was still pretty careful with what she said around her partner. Some things never changed and Ladybug's anxiety around her true love's thoughts was definitely one of them. Above all else, she cared almost religiously about what Chat Noir thought of her.

Clearly, this subject was no different. Any thoughts Ladybug had about her future father-in-law would be kept tightly locked and sealed until they had a chance to talk about it privately.

"Alright," Letting out a sigh, Rena Rouge gave a reluctant nod. Nothing would come from pushing her - she had learned that the hard way with Ladybug. "But don't forget about it later."

"I won't."

As if sensing the tension in the air, Carapace made his arrival at the end of the conversation. Greeting his fellow heroes, planting a kiss on Rena Rouge's cheek, he appeared to be in the best mood out of the four of them as he sighed and took his place at the end of the row, stretching his arms out behind him. As always, the tension flew right over his head; he had no clue that there was something simmering in the air.

"So... what's the occasion?" Breaking the silence, and unknowingly changing the subject, Carapace raised a brow, "We don't usually meet here until the end of the week."

"There's been a change," Surprisingly, Chat Noir was the one to break the silence. Usually, in these situations, Ladybug would be explaining everything at a rapid-fire rate, so used to being the leader and the main source of information for the team. But not today. Chat Noir had taken her place. "Ladybug and I discovered something. We just... don't know what to do with the information we've gathered."

"What information?" Instantly, Rena Rouge felt her reporter instincts enter high-alert mode. Pricking with her senses, her fox ears twitched with anticipation, excitement, "Have we finally got a lead as to who Hawkmoth could be?"

"Not exactly," Even though Ladybug spoke in a normal voice, Rena Rouge didn't miss the way her friend flinched at the question. Beside her, Chat Noir had a similar reaction, a strange pain filling his bright green eyes. "But we've discovered a possible motive for wanting the wish... as well as someone who wants it."

"And you know this for sure?" Carapace asked, raising a brow. Unlike Ladybug and Chat Noir, hope was filling his face, warming the golden brown of his eyes. "It's not a coincidence or some kind of false lead?"

"Unfortunately, we saw it with our own eyes," Shaking her head, Ladybug pursed her lips. One of her hands were being held by Chat Noir's, squeezed tight like they were both silently signalling something to each other. They were hiding something: Rena Rouge could tell from every little silent interaction between them. There was something Ladybug and Chat Noir weren't telling her - weren't telling anyone. "The lengths a person could go to..."

But she'd get to the bottom of it. She always did.

"So what do we do now?" Brushing past the exact details, Rena Rouge tried to keep a cool and casual tone as she addressed the pair of heroes, "What did you two learn?"

Another flinch. Two pairs of tense jaws and visibly pained eyes.

"We can't tell you that yet," Quiet, gentle, Ladybug had never sounded so guilty when admitting the truth. For the four years that they had known each other, trusted each other, Rena Rouge had never heard her best friend sound so pained to conceal the truth from her. Even when she'd discovered who Ladybug was - the clumsy girl behind the mask - Rena Rouge had never seen so much guilt and remorse. Agonized pain.

What the hell was causing it? What the hell was Ladybug and Chat Noir hiding from her?

"Why not?" Sharp, a direct contrast from Ladybug's soft voice, Rena Rouge was on her feet. One look at Ladybug's downcast eyes, told her everything she needed to know. Whipping her head in Chat Noir's direction, sharpening her eyes into a cutting glare, Rena Rouge almost growled out, "Why not?"

Both heroes refused to meet her gaze. Squeezing tight, keeping the other close, Ladybug and Chat Noir were reduced to a pair of silent, stony statues. Locked out, Rena Rouge was locked out of whatever little club they had formed over the past few hours. So was Carapace. But why? Why? Weren't they all meant to be a team? Weren't they all trusted with taking down Hawkmoth, saving Paris from the crazed super-powered tyrant?

"We're supposed to trust each other!" Shouting now, her fists balled at her sides, Rena Rouge's true frustration was showing, growing. Burning, swelling, she could feel anger taking over her heart, "We're all a team. Taking down Hawkmoth is my responsibility, just as much as it is yours! Is this because of how much I've been late to patrol?" One burning stare at Ladybug, "Or because I almost got Ladybug killed a few weeks back?" Another shot at Chat Noir.

Only silence met her questions. Empty, choking silence.

"If it's a trust thing, just say," Quieter now, near tears, Rena Rouge continued to stare at the duo, "Let me know. Because I want to help you both. I want to be a good hero."

If those words had moved Ladybug and Chat Noir in any way, it didn't show. Well, it did. But it was such an unsatisfactory thing, downcast eyes and bitten lips and tense, choked hands. More than anything, it looked like the pair just wanted to utter out 'I'm sorry' on repeat. 'I'm sorry' wouldn't cut it, though. 'I'm sorry' would just be rubbing salt into the already exposed wound. Rena Rouge didn't need sorry; she needed the truth.

Or maybe that was her own guilt talking. Guilt about what had happened to her best friend, the kick that had resulted in Ladybug's near-death. None of them had ever really spoken about that day, when Rena Rouge had nearly killed her best friend. After Ladybug woke back up, it was like it had never happened - for them at least.

"Aly- Rena Rouge, babe," Instead of her best friend - the person she really wanted to come and comfort her -, Carapace was the one to soothe her hurt. Firm hands landed on her shoulders as he wrapped her into a tight hug, "Cut them some slack, ok? It looks like they've gone through a lot."

Like a light in darkness, a clearing in a forest, Carapace's words added clarity to Rena Rouge's mind. Sitting before her, torn apart with guilt, were her friends. Two of her closest friends. Holding onto each other, seeking support from one another, there was something that they had seen which had changed them. Subtly. All, so subtly. But there was a change. A shift. Ladybug and Chat Noir weren't the same Ladybug and Chat Noir. Today had changed them.

"You're... right," Releasing a sigh, Rena Rouge let her shoulders slump as she glanced at the duo, "But we can't keep secrets between each other. We're a team and if there's some information on Hawkmoth - on how to take him down - then we should all know about it," There was an unmistakable nod from Ladybug and Chat Noir, "So tomorrow, one of you is going to tell us the truth, or I'll find out myself."

Turning on her heel, Rena Rouge didn't bother to check if her words had gotten through. Instead, launching herself off the rooftop's edge, she let herself fly through the air, far, far away from the Louvre and her teammates. Hopefully, by tomorrow, they would have come to their senses.

Chat Noir

"I think we should tell them."

They were alone now, idly making their way back to Marinette's parents' bakery along the moonlit rooftops of Paris. Walking side by side, balancing a fine line between skill and stupidity, Ladybug and Chat Noir were currently taking a shortcut along a building with an incredibly narrow ledge. Normal people, by now, would have called it a day and quit. But not them. Like second nature, walking on even ground, they barely blinked as they took one effortless step after the other.

Just one misstep could lead to plummeting to the solid, harsh ground dozens of feet below. Even with the suits, the fall would hurt. A LOT. In the past, when they had first started out, they used to fall regularly. Tripping on raised roofing tiles, stumbling over exposed copper pipes, both heroes could be pretty clumsy. Naturally, Ladybug was more accident-prone - but with his streak of bad luck, Chat Noir could definitely give her a run for her money when it came to stupid rooftop shenanigans.

Yet, as the years passed, walking on roofs became second nature. Used to it, they didn't even need to put their arms out to balance anymore.

"We can't tell them yet," Glancing back over her shoulder, a frown stretched over her lips, Ladybug didn't look happy as she met her partner's gaze, "We need to make sure that they're safe. Even if it means lying to them both about the real reason why someone might want to make a wish."

"But that could make things worse," Speaking from his own experiences, the phantom sharp sting of her brutal icing out, Chat Noir wore his own little frown. Closing the small distance between them, a few swift steps along the roof's edge, he reasoned, "Rena Rouge and Carapace basically know everything besides that. Master Fu trusted them just like he trusted us. And we're meant to be a team- "

"Which is exactly why we can't tell them," Ladybug interjected, coming to a stop at the end of the ledge. Deftly, she made the jump between this rooftop and the next, barely breaking stride as her feet landed on the flat rooftop. "If something happened to them, because they know the full truth, I couldn't live with myself. I couldn't handle..." Resigned, her head shook as she sighed, "I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me or my decisions."

"I know that," Following her, Chat Noir effortlessly caught up, captured her idle hand in his. Softly, he squeezed her hand, "I feel the same way. But we should tell them the truth, they deserve to hear it."

Pausing in her steps, Ladybug didn't say anything at first. Frozen, silent, she could have been thinking anything. But then, she turned to face him, her voice a quiet whisper as she uttered, "As long as you're ok with it."

Searching his eyes, studying his face, Ladybug seemed to be checking for anything - any tiny thing - that could be his own upset, his own sadness, triggered by today's development. Urgent, desperate, her hands squeezed his, sending her silent wish for him to be honest with her. Truly honest. Clear-cut honesty was all they'd ever asked of each other - it was something they had managed to maintain ever since finding out who the other was beneath the mask.

Honesty was never a problem for Chat Noir. Saying his true feelings, following his heart, was almost as natural as breathing air or drinking water: he could just do it. Thoughtlessly. Seamlessly. Weighing the consequences of sharing his views never did factor into his actions; he always just said what he felt.

But Ladybug... she struggled with that. Being open and honest and vulnerable was different for her. Complete and utter transparency had always been her breaking point, the razor-sharp knife's edge that often cut through the taut ties of her friendships and relationships. In her mind, knowledge was dangerous. Knowing more, getting more people involved, would always lead to bad things; the more she kept hidden, the more people she kept safe. At least, in her mind it worked like that.

Oftentimes, Chat Noir found himself wishing that she'd just see how flawed that path of logic could be.

"I'm ok with them knowing," Nodding, Chat Noir let go of her hands and used his own to cup her cheeks, tilt her face towards his. Staring up at him, tears brimming in her eyes, Ladybug looked so distraught, so... torn. Seeing her like this pained him, made a dull throb settle within his heart. Vulnerability, fear, never usually gripped his Lady so tightly. Optimism, no matter how dreary the future seemed, always shone through. Except for tonight. "I promise that I'll be fine. They should know."

For a moment, they were silent. Staring at each other, foreheads touching, the air carried all the words they needed to communicate with each other. Every blink, every movement, every breath: they all carried some kind of meaning. The soft flush to Ladybug's cheeks; the way her thumbs stroked at the insides of his wrists; the small, sad smile that graced her lips as she peered up at him: they all said the same thing.

"We'll tell them tomorrow then," Gentle, hushed, Ladybug let her hands squeeze his wrists. Just barely, her lips brushed against Chat Noir's, "Together."

Nodding, he returned her sentiment, closed his eyes, "Together."