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Chapter Text

Marinette was exhilarated. It had only been a few hours since her and Chat Noir had caught Hawk Moth, and she kept reliving his final moments as a villain.

•oOo•

"Chat Noir! Follow Volpina! Follow us!" Ladybug hollered at her partner, as Volpina had her arm hooked around Ladybugs waist.

Volpina had been Akumatized once again. Only this time, Hawk Moth seemed to be taking a different approach.

Volpina had tackled the spotted hero from behind, hissing in her ear, "Hawk Moth would like to see you, Ladybug!"

Ladybug knew that this meant that Hawk Moth was going to try to take her miraculous away from her by himself. So she decided to go along with it, hoping that Chat would go along with her plan.

•oOo•

Marinette was exhausted, but adrenaline was still pumping through her veins. Tikki had been gushing non-stop about how proud she was of Marinette, even though she was part of the team as well.

"You did it, Mari!" Tikki giggled at her best friend, for what seemed like the hundredth time. Marinette grinned at Tikki.

"I couldn't have done it without you!" Marinette replied, and Tikki hugged her cheek.

Marinette's phone buzzed, and she saw that it was Alya texting her.

Hey girl! Will you meet me near the Eiffel Tower in five minutes? Everyone's celebrating their tonight! - Alya

When she read the text, she could only imagine that Alya really meant everyone. The media had been blowing up ever since Chat had been the one to take away Hawk Moths miraculous from him. Ever since they handed him to the authorities, the world had talked of little else. Even in China, Marinette's family had heard about it!

People had been running amok in the streets of Paris, their faces painted with either Ladybugs or Chats masks. Marinette was too nervous to join them, still not willing to risk someone recognizing her as Ladybug.

Marinette sent a quick reply to Alya, agreeing to meet her. She slung her purse over her shoulder, opening it so Tikki could hide in it. The kwami complied, flying into her purse to conceal herself.

Marinette bounded down the stairs, where both her parents were watching tv together, snuggled up, and both of them were wearing spotted capes.

"Mari! Out in such a rush?" Tom asked her when he saw her.

"Yes papa, I'm meeting Alya," Marinette explained.

"Wear a coat, and let me know if Alya wants to stay the night!" Sabine blew a kiss to her, both of her parents moods were joyous.

"Okay, mama," Marinette nodded, putting a coat on.

Walking to the front door, she allowed herself a tight grin, and went to her own celebration party.

•oOo•

"Mari! Over here!" Alya yelled, waving her arms in the crowd.

The city had agreed to host a celebration in honour of Ladybug of Chat Noir in front of the Tower, signifying where they first encountered Hawk Moth. The pace was over crowded with people, all yelling in joy.

Marinette jogged over to Alya, who was holding hands with Nino. Alya let go briefly of Nino to give Marinette a tight squeeze, then grabbed his hand again. "Isn't this exciting? My blog is the most popular website worldwide right now!" Alya gushed. "And word has been flying around that today will be marked as the official Miraculous Day!"

Marinette grinned in excitement, then faltered a little when she realized that Adrien wasn't there, standing beside Nino as usual.

"Where's Adrien?" Marinette asked him.

Nino rubbed the back of his neck, looking awkward. "He uh... couldn't make it tonight."

Marinette blushed, remembering how his father was unmasked as Hawk Moth. God, it must've been so humiliating. She hoped he was okay.

Then she had an idea. Telling Alya she was making a run for the bathroom, Marinette slipped out of the crowds, and out of sight.

•oOo•

"Tikki?" Marinette called, opening her purse. She was hiding behind a couple of cars in a nearby parking lot. "Spots -"

"Wait!" Tikki yelled, staring at Marinette.

"Tikki? What's wrong? I know you're tired from the fight, but I just wanted to see how Adrien is doing. As Ladybug," Marinette told her.

Tikki pressed her lips together, and with a start, Marinette realized that there were tears in her eyes.

"Tikki? You can tell me what's wrong," Marinette said soothingly.

"It's just that... I'm being reclaimed," Tikki said, tearfully.

"Reclaimed? I don't understand."

"Marinette," Tikki took a deep breath, trying to regain calmness. "When you were chosen, it was because Hawk Moth was terrorizing innocent people. You proved yourself to be a hero, so you were trusted with a Miraculous. But now, now you defeated him. You defeated Hawk Moth."

"We defeated Hawk Moth," Marinette corrected her, still unsure of where this was going.

"I know. And just a few minutes ago, I got a telepathic message from another Kwami. Since you defeated the villain, you don't need to be the hero anymore. But you'll always be a hero," Tikki mumbled, pushing away a stray tear. "It's time I return to the Keeper of the Miraculouses."

"The Keeper? I'm not following you," Marinette frowned, although she had a sinking suspicion she knew where this was headed.

"You met him once. But he had to erase your memory because it was too dangerous for you to know the whole truth. He didn't want to get in the way of you defeating Hawk Moth, and -"

"Are you leaving me?"

The question hung in the air, taunting them with a harsh new reality.

"Marinette, I'm so, so sorry, I don't want to go, and I -" the kwami couldn't even finish her sentence, she had burst into tears.

Marinette didn't know how to respond. A numb feeling was spreading over her, a ringing in her ears.

"What about Chat Noir?" Marinette asked, but the words sounded far away.

Tikki shook her head sadly, saying "Chat Noir is losing his Miraculous tonight, too."

"This isn't fair!" Marinette said hoarsely.

"I know, and I wish it was different, but I have to go," Tikki blinked more tears out of her eyes. She flew up to Marinette's cheek, hugging her. Marinette held her tightly, as if she could stop one of her best friends from leaving her if she held tightly enough. "Marinette, it's been an honour being your kwami."

And just like that, Tikki faded out of sight, as if she never was there, with cheers and happy screams echoing around Marinette.

Chapter Text

The last time Adrien threw a temper tantrum, he had been three years old. If you're wondering, it was over a dropped ice cream cone.

He hadn't expected to ever have one again. So it kinda shocked him afterwards when he had one again, at the age of sixteen.

After Plagg had mournfully told Adrien it was time for him to leave, with the kwami and the ring fading out of existence, Adrien had begun to yell. And scream. And throw everything in his room. And cry. Oh God, he felt like he was never gonna stop crying.

His father was in jail for terrorizing him. He had just lost Plagg. And by losing Plagg, he also lost Ladybug.

Adrien felt like he had nothing.

Child services had raided their house after Adrien detransformed, and placed Nathalie in custody of Adrien until further noticed.

Nathalie...

The usually calm and uptight Nathalie had become dishevelled after the last few hours. Most of the hired help had quit, and Adrien couldn't really blame them. The only people in the house now was Adrien, Nathalie, and surprisingly Gorilla.

Press had been crowded around his house, asking for Adrien. He hid from them, and although the police had stopped them from physically passing the property line, there was only so much the police could do for him. His inbox was flooded with questions from what it seemed like every person in Paris, maybe in the world. His phone had been ringing non-stop. Adrien felt like a ticking time bomb, waiting for the right trigger that would make him explode from the commotion of it all.

•oOo•

Ladybug had been forced on her knees in front of Hawk Moth by Volpina, who had rested to a stop beside him, a condescending smirk on her face.

They were in a dark circular room that Chat had never been in, but he was sure that this was Hawk Moths lair. He hid behind a few cages that held some of the butterflies that Hawk Moth used for Akumas. It would've been absolutely terrifying, had it not been for the hundreds of white butterflies flying around them harmlessly.

"Ladybug!" Hawk Moth cackled cruelly. "Tell me, how does it feel to be on the losing side?"

Ladybug glared at him, and even though she had lots of cuts on her face, a puffy lip, and a black eye, she had never looked so beautiful. Of course, Chat wasn't too worried about her injuries at the moment. Her lucky charm always seemed to heal them up.

"This isn't over, Hawk Moth!" Ladybug yelled.

"But isn't it?" Hawk Moth smiled, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Your last lucky charm has failed you, meaning you've only got a few minutes left before you become a mere weakling. And your partner has deserted you, so it seems. Tell me, Ladybug, why don't you make it easy for me? Hand over the earrings, and I'll let you go free."

Ladybug's eyes flitted everywhere, until they found Chat. Locking eyes with him for a few short seconds, it seemed like she had a plan. And he would be damned if he didn't trust his lady. If there was one thing he could count on, it was that Ladybug always had a plan.

She glanced back at Hawk Moth, shrivelling up a little. She placed one hand behind her, and Chat knew that position.

"Please, don't hurt me!" Ladybug cried out, her voice ringing through the round room.

Hawk Moth looked pleased, seemingly satisfied that things were going his way. "I'm glad you'll go quietly, Ladybug."

"Me too," Ladybug agreed, her voice rising in pitch. "But things aren't always what they seem. I'd never go quietly! Guess the butterflies are out of the cage now, huh?"

Didn't she mean, 'the cat's out of the bag'? ... Oh.

Hoping that this was what Ladybug meant, he yelled out his Cataclysm, destroyed the butterfly cages, and set them free.

Chat never knew what chaos really meant until there were thousands of butterflies flitting around the room, making it hard to function.

•oOo•

The next day wasn't as quiet as Adrien had hoped it would be. If he wasn't used to people staring at him and whispering about him before, boy, he was used to it now. Except that now, people weren't staring because he was Gabriel Agreste's son. They stared because he was Hawk Moths's son.

After Adrien got out of the usual limousine, people began to point fingers at him. Some of them even looked scared. He wondered what would be their reaction if the knew he was Chat Noir.

Erm, used to be Chat Noir.

"What's your problem?" Nino yelled at the people who were pointing at Adrien. He stood by Adrien, looking ready to punch anyone who said anything rude about him.

Adrien stared at him, overcome with a wave of gratitude for his best friend. He hadn't talked to anyone since Gabriel's arrest, so he wasn't sure if he'd have any friends after last night.

Adrien clapped a hand on Nino's shoulder, not finding words to express his feelings. Nino shot him a grin, and for a minute, Adrien felt like everything was almost back to normal.

Almost.

Chapter Text

Marinette wasn't sure how she managed to get up for school.

First, she woke up to her blaring alarm clock, and then she laid there in her bed, too tired to get up. All curled up, she called out for Tikki sleepily, asking her to put the alarm on snooze.

The she remembered the events from last night, and the numb feeling washed over her, like someone dumping a bucket of ice water over her head.

So she got up, got dressed, ate breakfast, and walked to school, actually being on time for once. But she had gotten through her morning robotically, feeling uncaring for everything.

Now she sat beside Alya, who was thankfully going through her phone, still on her blog. Marinette was too out of it to even ask Adrien if he was okay, just like she had planned to the previous night.

Mme. Bustier waltzed into class, hardly concealing her grin. "Good morning, class! Or should I say, miraculous morning?" Some of the class rolled their eyes, but most of them laughed.

It was clear that Marinette's class was still on a high after what happened yesterday. If only they knew that they'd never see Ladybugor Chat Noir again, maybe they'd tone it down.

Marinette could've used one of Chat's silly puns right there to lift the mood. It had only been about a day, but she missed him a lot. She wished she could've said a proper goodbye, instead of a quick fist bump, followed by a parting of ways like any other.

She could only imagine what Chat might've said, had he been there right now. Maybe something along the lines of, 'stop feline so grumpy, my lady!'. Or her personal favourite, 'I've got nine lives, and I plan to spend them all on you!'. His mere flirting had been almost endearing to her lately, because it, well, it was just so Chat.

Pulling out her sketchbook, she jotted down those two lines, and drew a little kitten in the margins. She had completely stopped paying attention to Mme. Bustier now. She drew his face, with his trademark smirk. It felt good to see him smiling at her, even if it was just pretend.

She flipped the page, and began to sketch Tikki. Their goodbye was horrible, and Marinette still couldn't get over it. Every time she gingerly massaged her bare ears (her earrings had disappeared right along with Tikki) she was reminded that she wasn't Ladybug anymore. Marinette drew her earrings as well, feeling like she was attending her own private funeral.

She was so caught up in her work, that when Alya poked her arm, it startled her so much that she accidentally flung her pen at the back of Adrien's head. She blushed, and squeaked out an apology when Adrien turned around, staring at her quizzically. He shrugged, and gave her back her pen.

"Are you designing stuff for Ladybug and Chat Noir?" Alya asked her. Marinette nodded, figuring it was the easiest lie. "Nice. I wonder if they'll make any public appearances soon?"

Doubt it, thought Marinette glumly. Instead she nodded along, keeping up her usual charade. "That would be cool."

"I'd love to interview Ladybug," Alya continued on, an excited look crossing her face. "What it was like during her final battle, if she ever considered kissing Chat Noir again, if she -"

"Who says Ladybug will come back?" Marinette interrupted crankily, Alya's comments getting on her nerves. "They had their final fight with Hawk Moth. So their job is technically done."

Alya gaped at her, then frowned a little bit at her. "Where do you get off with this knowledge, Mari? Ladybug and Chat Noir have to make one more public appearance."

"Marinette's right," Adrien said, turning around. Marinette was still too sullen to be excited that her crush was agreeing with her on something.

"How so?" Alya demanded.

"Like she said, their final fight is over," Adrien replied, and then turned around. Alya looked around helplessly, then went on her phone when nobody came to her aid and agreed with her.

Marinette pulled out her own phone, glumly staring at the screen, and occasionally catching herself wishing that an Akuma would burst through the doors, calling for the need of Paris's two heroes once again.

•oOo•

Later that night, Marinette sat on her bed, still drawing Chat Noir. This time, she had taken it upon herself to draw him in his full form, tail and all. Of course, she knew she wasn't as good as Nathanaël at drawing people, but she still tried her best. The rest of the sketchbook was in the process of being filled up with all of Chat's puns.

After she finished drawing Chat, she sketched his hand when he called for his Cataclysm. A light smirk skittered across her face, as she remembered the last time she saw Chat use his special power.

•oOo•

Ladybug waved her hands, trying to keep the butterflies out of her face. It was hard to even move, in the mass storm of white butterflies. She briefly wondered where Hawk Moth had gotten so many, before reminding herself to focus on her plan.

The moment Chat broke the cages, Volpina had started screaming, and let go of Ladybug. Hawk Moth yelled at her for being so foolish, but Volpina didn't seem to care. She was too busy keeping butterflies away from her.

It was hard to see. Suddenly, someone grabbed Ladybug's hand, and she went into her fight or flight mode. Naturally, it was fight. She smacked the hand the was holding hers, but it only tightened. Finally, she saw Chat was standing beside her, and he was a little easier to see, his black leather suit standing out against the white butterflies.

"What's your plan?" Chat yelled, the round room filled up with noise.

"Find Hawk Moth and grab his Miraculous!" Ladybug hollered back, and he nodded.

Letting go of her hand, they both began to run where Hawk Moth was standing out. He wasn't there.

"Hey, Hawk Moth!" Chat called out. "Doesn't this situation really bug you? Come out and stop hiding!"

Ladybug smiled, even with all the commotion. It was just like the silly kitty to make a joke right then, despite their situation.

Speaking of the feline hero, Ladybug heard him shout out to her. She looked around for him, then she saw him, pinning Hawk Moth to the ground.

•oOo•

It had been his last pun too, when he made fun of the situation bugging Hawk Moth. Marinette added that pun to her sketchbook, now almost overflowing with memories from her days as a superhero with Chat Noir.

She never realized how much she'd miss him. She wondered if he missed her too. Was he doing okay without his kwami? Was he making the same pins to his friends and family that he used to make to her?

Marinette shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Worrying about him wasn't going to do her any good.

Still... Marinette couldn't shake him out of her head. Maybe if she had known who he was under the mask, she wouldn't be having such a hard time.

She wasn't going to lie. It wasn't just Chat who was curious about their identities. She too had occasionally wondered about revealing their civilian selves to each other, but had always shut down that thought, scared that Hawk Moth might use it to his advantage. Or, Gabriel Agreste would use it to his advantage.

God, she was still shocked over it. Who Hawk Moth turned out to be. The father of her long-time crush, Adrien. She felt a flash of guilt for not asking him if he was okay all day.

She was surprised that he even came to school at all. If it was her, she probably would have packed her bags and left the country. He was really brave for staying. At least, that's how Marinette saw it.

Sucking in her stomach, she reached for her phone. The last time she had attempted to call Adrien, she had been acting as a silly girl with a crush. This time, she only intended to call him as a friend.

Chapter Text

Adrien had been sitting in his room ever since he got home from school. Gorilla had picked him up from school, and they drove straight home, with Gorilla fighting off the herds of press gathered in front of the mansion.

When Adrien got inside, he went straight to his room. Usually, he had photoshoots right after school. Naturally, all his photoshoots had been cancelled. They had, after all, been all for his fathers magazine.

Adrien wasn't sure what to feel. During school, he could block out any annoying thoughts, and focus on his work. Now he had so much empty time, and he would have to face what he really thought about everything.

He hadn't talked to his father ever since  he, as Chat Noir, turned him over to the police. Adrien hadn't heard anything from his father as his regular, old self. He wasn't sure what he would say to him, if Gabriel did reach out to him.

Not like he could, of course. Gabriel Agreste was in maximum security at the moment, with several charges on his head. Rumours were that he could spend the rest of his life, locked up in prison. Adrien tried to picture that. Could he go visit his father in prison? Would they even allow it? Did he even want to?

Adrien couldn't make up his mind. On one side, he absolutely despised his father. Gabriel had almost killed him on several occasions, not to mention Ladybug, his friends, almost the whole city of Paris...

But he was still his dad. Gabriel was the only family Adrien had left. He wasn't sure if he could just cut him out of his life forever.

He ran his hands through his hair, wishing he could talk to someone about it. Plagg, Ladybug, someone who would understand. But if there was a time, now would be the absolute worst time to reveal his identity. Chat Noir, the son of Hawk Moth aka Hawk Moth? The world would eat it up.

Suddenly his phone buzzed. Last night, he had set his phone to private, meaning that only his contacts could call him. Glancing at his screen, he saw that Marinette was calling. Huh, weird. She never called him.

He slid his phone on to answer the call, saying, "Hello?" into the phone.

"H-h-hi!" Marinette stuttered a little on the other end.

"What's up?" Adrien asked her, figuring it was important. She never talked to him, unless she had to, it seemed.

"I, um, I just wanted to call to see how you're doing!" Marinette chirped, sounding nervous.

"I'm fine," Adrien replied robotically. He wasn't about to tell Marinette everything he was feeling, no offence to her. He just didn't really know her that well.

"Oh, okay," Marinette didn't sound convinced. "Well, if you want to talk about anything, you could stop by our bakery! We could, I don't know, have some cookies or something and talk! But only if you want to. We don't even have to talk! We could do like, homework!"

Adrien doubted he could leave the house without getting ambushed by the press. And well, he didn't want to either. Once again, with no offence to Marinette, he wasn't in the mood to hang out with her. Sure, from what he had seen, she was a nice girl, but they were barely friends. She hardly ever spoke to him.

"Thanks, but I'm not really up to hanging out right now," Adrien replied.

"Oh! Um, that's okay! Totally cool!" Marinette tittered. "R-r-right, okay. Well, call me if you change your mind!"

"Alright. Bye, Marinette," Adrien said, and hung up. Boy, that was weird. He never expected Marinette to check up on him, much less ask him to hang out.

He tossed his phone onto his pillow, and stared blankly out the window. He didn't know what to do. For once in his life, he wished that Mme. Bustier had given them homework. At the very least, it would have given him something to do.

Rubbing his bare finger that used to wear the Miraculous ring, he wondered what Plagg was doing. Adrien missed Plagg. Heck, he even missed smelling like Camembert all the time. The memory of that stinky cheese had never seemed quite as fond as it did now.

Adrien wished he had some sort of memory from his days as Chat Noir. Some sort of souvenir, perhaps. Something to assure him that those days really happened.

His problems used to be so simple. Only a few days ago, he was stressing out over his fathers book...

His fathers book! God, he was an idiot! Adriens dad had a book on Miraculouses! All the signs were right there, right in front of Adrien. He wished he had taken a closer look inside the secret hiding place behind the portrait of his mom. Maybe he could have gained more clues. Something that would have connected Gabriel to Hawk Moth, and why he was doing what he was doing.

It wouldn't matter much now. After Gabriel's arrest, the police had searched their mansion, storing anything incriminating against Gabriel and storing it as evidence. Still, Adrien wondered if the police had found the hiding place behind the portrait. It never crossed his mind to tell them until now.

Curious, Adrien left his bedroom, and went downstairs, to face where the portrait was. He swung the portrait so it revealed the safe, with the lock still on. After a few tugs on the lock, Adrien came to the conclusion that the police never found it, otherwise the lock probably wouldn't be there.

He stared at the lock, wondering what the combination would be. Hesitantly, he tried Gabriel's birthday. Nothing. His own birthday. Nothing. The date of his biggest fashion show. Nothing. 1234? Nope, nothing.

This went one for several minutes before Adrien frowned in frustration. He had no idea what the combination could be. Reluctantly, he closed the portrait, glaring a little at his mother, who seemed to be staring down at him from the painting.

"What?" Adrien snapped at her, then immediately felt silly for talking to a painting.

He stared at the painting sullenly, before having an idea. He swung the painting open again, and tried the date his mother disappeared from their lives.

The safe opened.

It wasn't any different from before, just now the book was missing. Adrien hungrily took in all the contents, wondering why his father had kept this safe a secret. It wasn't like there were any valuables in there. No money, or jewels, literally nothing worth stealing. So why keep it locked up? Did it have something else that connected him to Hawk Moth? Something that Adrien missed?

First, he took out a picture of his mom that was in there. He inspected it closely, before setting it back. It was only just a picture. Then, he reached for a brochure of Tibet. He flipped through it, but nothing interesting. Adrien had never even been to Tibet, neither did he know anyone who was there. Finally, he took a delicate looking brooch, looking like a peacock. He tossed it back and forth between his hands. If there was anything special about that brooch, he didn't understand what it was. Still, it seemed like the most unusual object out of them all, so he slipped it into his pocket, locked the safe, and closed the portrait, and went back up to his room, to speculate on his newfound brooch.

Chapter Text

The next few days were a blur for Marinette. She threw herself into a routine. Wake up. Eat breakfast. Go to school. Go home. Do homework. Wait for nighttime so she could go to sleep.

Then relive all the next day.

Thursday morning rolled around, and Marinette was curled up in bed. She felt so useless. Obviously she had been better at being Ladybug than at being Marinette.

After she came home from school, all she wanted to do was lay in bed, and wait for the next day to happen. However, her day had other plans. A knock came at her door, interrupting her wallowing. Marinette didn't say anything, but someone came in anyways. It was her mom.

Sabine sat on the side of Marinette's bed, who was facing away from her. "Marinette, do you want to talk about anything?" Sabine asked softly, stroking Marinette's messy hair.

"No, mama, I'm fine," Marinette muttered. It wasn't like she could tell her the truth.

"I know when you're lying, sweetie. The past few days, you've seemed so... sad. It hurts me to see you like this," Sabine cooed, still petting Marinette.

Marinette flinched away. "I said I'm fine."

"No, you're not. My little girl has gone missing, and I'm going to get her back. I invited Alya over! Maybe she can help lift your spirits," Sabine said, and Marinette felt another weight sit on her bed. "Your father and I have to go out on a bakery delivery today. You girls keep each other company," Sabine said, and left the room.

Once Sabine left, Alya spoke up, "Hi, Mari."

"So my parents sent you here to babysit me?" Marinette blurted out miserably, turning to face Alya.

Alya rolled her eyes, and laid down beside Marinette. "Your parents didn't have to say anything. I was coming on my own. I can tell when my best friend needs me, silly."

Marinette felt slightly better, but still a little bitter. This only proved that she was better at being Ladybug. Ladybug didn't need to have people taking care of her like she was a baby.

"Well it's like I told my mom, I'm fine," Marinette insisted.

"Whatever you say," Alya replied, sounding unconvinced. "But if you're so fine, you'll love coming to the movies with me. I even got Nino to invite Adrien! It'll just be like old times. Y'know, Nino trying to be sly about holding my hand, and you staring at Adrien the whole time..."

"I don't know..."

"I'm not taking no for an answer! Now move your butt," Alya instructed. "And brush your hair. It looks like a bird nest."

"Gee, thanks," Marinette grumbled, but followed her orders anyways.

As Marinette slipped to the bathroom to change out of her jammies, she wondered if Alya was right, about dragging her to the movies. Maybe this was what she needed. A chance to hang around a few friends, and see her crush. True, she hadn't gotten the nerve to call him again after he declined her invite to come hang out with her, but that didn't mean anything, right?

After she tied her hair in its regular two ponytails, she rejoined Alya in her bedroom.

"Alright girl, are you ready to get back at the world?" Alya asked, grinning at her.

Marinette tried to muster up some excitement, "Definitely!" she replied, but it sounded disheartening even to her.

The two girls left the house, with Alya hooking Marinette's arm through hers. Alya chattered the whole way to the movies about her blog. Apparently, the Ladyblog had become the most visited blog on the Internet ever since the big showdown with Hawk Moth.

Not only that, but according to Alya, the whole world was on a hunt to find Ladybug and Chat Noir. Their sudden disappearance didn't go unnoticed in the media. Speculations about who the two heroes could be ran rampant in rumours. Conspiracy theories as to why the heroes had vanished.

All this and more Alya blathered on about. Marinette just numbly nodded, not really sure how to reply. She knew the truth about Ladybug. The only difference now was that she didn't have any proof to back it up.

Finally, they reached the movie theatre. Nino and Adrien were already standing in front of the doors. They waved at the girls, who walked over to join them.

"So, what movie are we seeing?" Marinette asked.

"Finding Dory," Alya replied with a goofy grin.

"Alya's idea," Nino added. "Just like this double date thing was her idea."

Marinette felt her face heat up. She was sure that she probably looked like a tomato. "D-d-double date?" she stuttered.

Alya elbowed Nino, and by the wounded look he gave her, it must've hurt. "Shut up, Nino!" Alya hissed, but it was too late.

Adrien glanced at Nino, a small frown playing on his face, "You never said this was a double date," he told Nino.

"Surprise?" Nino joked weakly.

Alya sidled up to Marinette, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "This was kind of a blind double date. Besides Adrien, who wouldn't want to date Marinette?" Alya asked, and pinched Marinette's cheek. As if it wasn't red enough already.

"I'm not interested in Marinette that way," Adrien blurted out. "And um, I think I'm just gonna head home. I'm actually not feeling that well right now. I'll see you later."

And with that, he started to walk away to the curb, where a long limousine waited for him. Marinette glumly watched him drive away, before a painful realization hit her.

Adrien would never like her back. He literally just told her. All that time she wasted having a hopeless crush on him, he never once liked her back. If that wasn't enough, the moment he heard this was a double date, he bailed completely. Humiliated tears stung her eyes. She blinked them back, willing herself not to become a complete mess in public.

Alya tightened her grip around Marinette's shoulders, giving her a sympathetic look. "Mari, I-"

"Why couldn't you just mind your own business!?" Marinette exploded angrily. This whole thing was Alya's fault. "You knew I liked him! How could you embarrass me this way?"

Alya let go of Marinette, giving her a sheepish look. "Mari, seriously, I thought he liked you back! And you've been so down lately, I thought this could cheer you up! I never knew he'd react like this. And Nino will talk to him, right Nino?"

"Uh, right!" Nino nodded his head.

"I've been fine!" Marinette snapped. "God Alya, why can't you just leave it alone?"

"Because I'm your best friend?" Alya snapped back. "And you need me? I've always had your back when it came to Adrien, that's why I set this up! It's not my fault this happened this way!"

"I don't need you!" Marinette said angrily. "I've been doing just fine on my own!" And she really had. Really. She knew that losing Ladybug was hard, but she was doing just fine. So why did Alya have to screw things up for her?

"Well, fine!" Alya threw her hands up in the air. "Nino and I will go see the movie without you!"

"Good! I don't want to see the stupid movie!" Marinette glared at Alya, and turned around to walk back home.

Chapter Text

Adrien sat in his room, mindlessly scrolling through the Ladyblog. Boy, had his day been weird.

A few hours ago, Nino had called him up, asking if he wanted to go see a movie with him, Alya, and Marinette. Adrien had been searching the web for information about a peacock brooch, but nothing significant popped up. So when Nino invited him, he was glad for an excuse to take his mind off things.

But then Alya dropped the bombshell. Unlike Adrien had previously thought, this was not a social gathering of friends. It was supposed to be a double date.

Not that Marinette was a bad person. In fact, Adrien quite liked her as a friend. It had been really nice of her to call him and check up on him. But that was it. She was just a friend.

So when he heard about the double date, his mind had wandered over to Ladybug. Dammit, he was still certain that he loved her. Miraculous or no Miraculous, he wasn't going to give up on her.

When he got home, Ladybug was still on his mind. The Ladyblog was easy to pull up on his laptop. It was, after all, his homepage. Not that he cared much to share that information with anyone else.

He swiped past pictures that were posted on the blog, which were mostly of Ladybug. Of her brilliant smile. The confident look in her eyes when she was battling an Akuma. The effortless way she used to toss her Lucky Charm.

He moved onto the photos of him as Chat Noir and Ladybug. He looked fondly at his laptop of pictures of them fist bumping after a hard battle. Some pictures were vague. Like a blurry shot of them fighting. Or a screenshot of when they were on the news. But there were better ones. For instance, the photo of Ladybug kissing Chat.

Of course, he had been under the influence of an Akuma at the time. Still, Ladybug wouldn't have kissed him unless she had feelings for him too, right? He refused to buy her story that that was the only way to save him from the Akuma.

He wished there was some way to figure out who she was as a civilian. He obsessively followed every lead about her secret identity ever since his Miraculoud was recalled for. But it always led to a dead end.

•oOo•

After an hour of checking through the Ladyblog, Adrien left his bedroom to go eat something. It was around dinner time. Or, what used to be his scheduled dinner time. Since most of the hired help had quit, Adrien had taken up all of the chores. Which included cooking.

Okay, so his cooking wasn't that great. It was no five-star quality food. But he finally mastered how to make Mac and Cheese, so good enough. Although his macaroni did have a tendency to catch fire every now and then.

As he poured the noodles into the boiling water, Nathalie came running into the kitchen. Her hair was dishevelled, and she had bags under her eyes. She had looked like this ever since Gabriel was arrested.

"Adrien? Are you alright?" Natalie wheezed. Adrien frowned in confusion.

"Yeah... why?"

Nathalie bit her lip, and sighed reluctantly. "I don't know if you've seen the news, or if your fathers lawyer has called you, but they set a date for his trial. I just found out."

Adrien's insides went cold. He had been dreading the trial ever since the arrest. "When is it?"

"This Saturday. In two days. But it won't be terrible," Nathalie tried to reassure him. "The judge is calling for Ladybug and Chat Noir to oppose Gabriel in court."

Adrien was glad for the change of subject, even if it was still a depressing subject to him. "They've been missing since the arrest. I don't think they'll be coming."

"Well, we can hope," Nathalie shrugged.

"Yeah, hope," Adrien agreed miserably, wishing that the trial would never happen. "How did everything get so screwed up?" He didn't mean to ask her, it just sorta came out.

Nathalie reached out hesitantly to put her hand on Adrien's shoulder. "It'll be over soon."

"The trial? Because sure, that can't last forever. But what about after? Will my father get jail time? Do I have to go and visit him in jail? Will I be allowed to? Will you visit him?" Adrien couldn't stop asking so many questions. He hadn't talked to Nathalie much since the arrest. But now that she was here, he found it hard to stop. There weren't that many people he could talk to the about.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to," Nathalie said firmly. "I'll take care of it."

"What do you think of this?" Adrien asked quietly. He trusted Nathalie to give him a honest answer.

Nathalie ran a hand through her messy hair. "I never thought in a million years that this would happen. It never even crossed my mind. It was a despicable thing to do. Hopefully the trial will bring some closure to this."

"How?"

"Answers as to why he did this. Adrien, nothing about this is easy. But whatever happens, none of this was your fault."

"Nathalie, why'd you stay here? Everything would be so much easier for you if you just quit like most of the staff," Adrien asked. It was a question he had wondered about for a while now. He tried asking Gorilla, but he just got a grunt in reply. Gorilla never really was one for talking, anyways.

Nathalie's face softened, and she said, "Even as your fathers assistant, I've always had a soft spot for you. I wasn't about to abandon you just because of what Gabriel did."

Adrien smiled a little. He had always suspected that Nathalie had taken his side over his fathers. Like the time that she had stood up for him when he wanted to go to a school like any normal teen his age.

"Thanks, Nathalie. For everything," Adrien said, and he was being a hundred percent honest. He really was grateful to Nathalie.

"Adrien, your pasta!" Nathalie suddenly yelled. With the unexpected chat that Adrien had just had with her, he had completely forgotten about his dinner. The pasta had boiled over the top, and it was spilling all over the counter.

Adrien switched the stove off, and put on some oven mitts. Hurriedly, he threw the pot into the sink, unsure of how to handle his newest cooking disaster. Behind him, he heard Nathalie laugh a little. He turned around, but she quickly regained her composure. Her lips tugged at a smile, and soon, the both of them were letting out loud boots of laughter. It wasn't like Nathalie to be silly like this, but then again, it wasn't too much like Adrien to be laughing this hard right now. The laughter felt good, and Adrien felt better than he had in a long time.

Chapter Text

After the past few crappy days that Marinette had, the last thing she need was more drama. But the universe just seemed against her.

Friday morning, when she walked into school, she had never felt as awkward as she did now. First, she had to sit down beside Alya. Alya didn't even acknowledge her. She just sat on her phone, probably scrolling through her blog.

Marinette considered apologizing. But then Adrien walked in the class, and she felt all the humiliation from yesterday bubble up inside her. So she sat beside Alya in stony silence, determined to not even look at her.

The class went by quickly, with nobody really paying attention. Last night, there was a news announcement. Gabriel Agreste would have his trial the next day. The judge had apparently also asked Ladybug and Chat Noir to attend. Sure, like that was going to happen.

When lunch came by, the trial was all anybody was talking about. Eventually, Alya and Nino started yelling at anyone who was talking about it. Well, mostly Alya. It seemed that they had taken it up to themselves to be Adrien's personal bodyguards.

Soon, people were once again talking about Ladybug and Chat Noir. God, Marinette was getting sick of it. She wished people would just shut up about it already. It had been over a week, couldn't people talk about something else?

Soon, Lila began to talk pretty loudly, drowning out everyone else. "We all know that I'm the real reason why Gabriel was caught. If anything, I should go to the trial. Not Ladybug and Chat Noir. They wouldn't have been able to do it without me."

With that statement, complete and utter chaos exploded in the courtyard.

"You were literally Akumatized! You had no control over what you did!" Alix snapped.

"It's not her fault. Almost everyone here was Akumatized," Nathan said quietly.

"I think we should just forget about it. It's all behind us now!" Rose protested.

"You weren't the hero, Lila!" Chloé scoffed. "Ladybug was!"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but Chloé is right!" Alya yelled over everyone's voices. "No offence Lila, but it was Ladybug and Chat Noir who did all the real work!"

Of course Alya was taking Chloé's side. Out of all the other things that could make Marinette's day more horrid than before, was that Alya was siding with Chloé. Chloé, who Marinette was pretty sure the worst human being on the planet.

"Ladybug sucks, and you guys know it!" Lila argued.

"You suck!" Chloé yelled at her.

"Ladybug doesn't suck!" Alya huffed.

"Yeah!" Chloé agreed angrily.

It seemed that her and Alya had come to a unanimous alliance against Lila. Their newfound alliance made Marinette angry. Not only did Alya embarrass Marinette yesterday, but siding with the girl who hated Marinette's guts? That was a low blow.

Feeling annoyed with the whole situation, Marinette decided to fight back. "Stop ganging up on Lila! All she did was share her opinion!" Marinette yelled.

"You're deranged!" Chloé accused Marinette. "She's literally a villain. I say we lock her up too. Besides, who would believe a word she says? She's such a phoney."

"Nobody's locking anyone up!" Marinette glared at Chloé.

"I could ask my dad!" Sabrina offered Chloé.

"Stop arguing!" Mylene pleaded, and several voices hummed in agreement.

"Lila deserves it! She's the only one who's been Akumatized twice!" Chloé sneered.

"The only thing Lila deserves is a second chance!" Marinette said indignantly.

"She already had a second chance though!" Alya countered.

"You've been Lady Wifi more than once!" Marinette pointed out.

She wasn't even sure if she was defending Lila, or attacking Alya. She was just so mad that Alya was agreeing with Chloé over something as stupid as this. But if Alya would rather be on Chloé's side than hers, well fine. Marinette didn't even care that her best friend was turning against her.

"That wasn't my fault!" Alya protested.

"Whatever. I'm done arguing," Marinette grimaced. She grabbed Lila's arm. "Come on, Lila. You don't need to argue anymore either."

Without waiting for an answer, Marinette dragged Lila behind her, leading her away from their classmates. She didn't stop walking until they reached the bathroom, which was thankfully empty.

"Marinette? Why'd you argue with Alya? Aren't you guys supposed to be friends?" Lila asked her. Marinette quickly let go of her arm.

"Friends don't embarrass friends," Marinette muttered, crossing her arms.

"I don't get it," Lila said.

"We... we got into a fight. It doesn't matter," Marinette replied.

"Well, for what it's worth, thanks for sticking up for me," Lila said quietly, picking at her nails. Marinette cleared her throat awkwardly.

"Yeah, sure, like I said, everyone deserves a second chance," Marinette mumbled.

When she said it before, she wasn't even defending Lila. She only said it to spite Alya. But apparently Lila had taken it to heart, because Lila beamed at her, and wrapped her in a tight hug. Marinette patted her on the back, feeling weird. She had never imagined her being friends with Lila.

Lila pulled away, "And you're way better than Alya and Chloé. Even better than Ladybug," Lila sniffed.

Marinette smiled wryly, "I think I needed to hear that. That I'm better than Ladybug, I mean."

Chapter Text

After lunch, Adrien walked back into class with Nino, Alya and Chloé. Lunch had been certainly unexpected, to say the least.

Marinette and Alya had gotten into a fight. From what Adrien usually saw, the two girls were as close as sisters. But he guessed something bad happened between them, because when lunch was over, and everyone went back to class, Marinette gave Alya a dirty look as she sat down beside her. Now that was weird to see. Marinette, who was normally a little quiet but friendly, was giving haughty looks (that strangely reminded him of Chloé) to Alya.

And Alya? Her and Chloé began talking after Marinette had stormed away, with Lila in tow. That was a sight he never though he'd see.

This day was just get odder and odder by the minute.

Mme. Bustier began to teach her history lesson, and instructed the class to work on questions from their history textbook. She told everyone to partner up together to complete them.

Without hesitation, Alya tapped Nino on his shoulder. Nino gave a shrug to Adrien, and went to sit beside Alya.

Adrien turned around, and saw that Marinette was working on her own. He guessed it was because Lila was in another class. Adrien was a little annoyed. So what if she was having a bad day? He knew that she was a really nice girl, and that didn't mean people had to isolate her.

"Marinette? Do you want to work with me?" Adrien asked her. She looked up from her books, blushing a little. But she quickly drooped down a little, and nodded, looking a little glum.

She went to sit down beside him, barely looking at him. They worked quietly side by side for a few minutes, before Adrien spoke up to ask her a question from their work. She pointed out the answer in the book, still not looking at him. Finally, he couldn't stand the awkward silence anymore.

"Uh, sorry I had to go home yesterday," Adrien said. He figured she wouldn't want to talk about what happened at lunch.

Marinette shrugged, gripping her pen tightly, "It's fine."

"How was the movie?"

"I didn't see it."

"Did you see something else?"

"No."

Well, she wasn't very talkative. Adrien felt a little bad, wondering if she was upset that he ditched them at the movies.

"Um, you know how a couple days ago you asked me if I wanted to hang out? Well, if you still want to, could we? Just as friends," he added, remembering the whole double date thing.

Marinette twirled her pen around with her fingers, looking like she was deep in thought, "Whatever. If you want to, you can come by my bakery after school," she made it sound like she couldn't care less if he came or not.

"Awesome! I'm glad I'm not the only one who never has plans on a Friday night. No offence," he grinned nervously.

"Whatever," Marinette muttered, going back to her textbook.

"So," Adrien said, trying to keep a conversation going. "What do you make of Ladybug and Chat Noir disappearing?"

Marinette glared at him, and for a minute, he was scared of the girl. If looks could kill, he'd be dead right now. "They're gone. What else is there to say?"

"Did you have a favourite of the two?"

Marinette's free hand that wasn't holding her pen clenched into a tight fist. She exhaled slowly, a calculating look on her face. "Chat Noir."

Adrien was surprised, and flattered. Really, he'd been expecting her to say Ladybug, like anyone else would. "Really?" he asked, trying not to appear too eager. When she didn't answer, he pressed on. "I loved Ladybug. Um, I mean, she was amazing. I mean -"

"I get it," Marinette hissed, and for a minute, she looked heartbroken. But she quickly regained her cool composure. "Ladybug is gone, okay? And she's never coming back."

Adrien had no idea that the subject was so touchy for her. He never thought she was a devoted fan of theirs, but clearly she was.

Adrien tried changing the subject, but she refused to say anything else. So they worked in awkward silence for the rest of the period, while their classmates chattered obliviously around them.

•oOo•

When the bell rang, Adrien hurried to catch up with Marinette before she could walk home. At first, she gave him an astonished look, looking a little excited too. But she deflated after, and her cold manner from earlier reappeared.

"What do you want?" Marinette asked him flatly.

"I thought you wanted to hang out!" Adrien said enthusiastically.

She bit her lip, and stared at the ground. "Look Adrien, you don't have to. It's fine that you didn't want to before. I don't care anymore."

"I do want to!" Adrien insisted.

"Fine," Marinette grumbled.

Adrien grinned at her, determined to make her smile back at least once. He sent a quick text to Nathalie, explaining where he was going. Usually, he wouldn't bother. But after last night, he felt more compelled to make her life at least a little easier. He didn't want Nathalie to worry about him anymore than she had to.

As they walked to Marinette's home, Adrien wondered what could've happened to her to put her in such a sour mood. Usually she was so bubbly and friendly. Today she reminded him of when they first met, of when she was hostile to him over the piece of gum she though he stuck to her seat.

"Can I ask you something?" Adrien asked her. She nodded her head slowly. "Are you okay? You seem kinda off today."

Marinette sucked in a deep breath. "It's complicated."

"I get complicated," Adrien told her. She gave him a long look, as if he didn't know the half of it.

"Don't worry about it," she mumbled sullenly.

Adrien felt too awkward to press her on it, so for the rest of the way to her house, they walked in silence. Marinette seemed really tense. Whenever Adrien would look at her, she would go a little rigid, and blush a little. He didn't know what to think of her.

Marinette had been one of the first friends he ever made on his own. He had met Chloé through his father, (being the mayors daughter Gabriel had thought it would be a bonus to Adrien's reputation), and after that, he befriended Nino, and then Marinette. So he genuinely cared about her, and if she was okay.

Once they reached Marinette's home and bakery, Adrien flashed her parents a polite smile. They looked a little taken aback to see him, but they didn't really seem to mind.

Marinette barely acknowledged her parents. She walked past them, saying over her shoulder that they were going up to her room.

Adrien followed her into her bedroom, and it was the same as last time he saw it. Her room felt kind of bare. Giant, blank spots with tape stuck on the walls surrounded them, as if she had recently torn down some posters. The two of them sat down in front of her desk, just like they had when they played video games together.

"So, what do you usually do after school?" Adrien asked her. Marinette shrugged.

"Homework."

"Well, it's cool that Mme. Bustier didn't give us any!" Adrien said cheerfully. Honestly, he didn't care whether he got homework or not. In fact, he secretly liked it. But he wanted to get a conversation flowing with Marinette.

"I guess."

"So, what do you want to do? Y'know, instead of homework?"

In response, he got another shrug. Wow, what a surprise.

"So, winter's coming up!" Adrien said lamely, at a complete stump for conversation. "Do you like winter?"

"It's cold."

"It sure is," Adrien agreed tiredly. In all honestly, there have been more stimulating conversations with Gorilla than with her right then. "Actually, I'm a little chilly, so I'm just gonna grab my sweater."

He went to his backpack at his feet, fumbling a little to get his sweater. The sweater must've been caught on a zipper, because it wouldn't come out of his bag. He yanked hard, annoyed, when suddenly it came out, along with all the other contents in his bag.

Marinette silently crouched beside him, handing him his books. He mumbled a thanks, hastily stuffing everything back in his bag.

"What's this?" Marinette suddenly asked, scaring him a little. She had been quiet up until this point.

She held up the brooch that Adrien had stolen from his fathers safe for him to see. Adrien had been carrying it around since he found it, not wanting to lose it.

"Um, it's nothing," Adrien said. He tried to take it from her, but she stood up, still inspecting it.

"I've seen this before," Marinette muttered, turning it around in her hands. "But I can't remember where. Why do you have it?"

"Where have you seen it?" Adrien asked eagerly, ignoring her question.

"Where did you get it?"

"I found it," he replied. It wasn't totally a lie.

"Where?"

"Somewhere."

"Where?" she sounded annoyed now.

"In my house," he finally said.

"Is it yours?"

"It is now."

"Who did this belong to?"

"Nobody."

She glared at him now, showing more emotion on her face now than she had the entire day. Her lips pursed together tightly, and her eyebrows creased inwards. She flipped the brooch over in her hands, gripping it tightly. Adrien watched her, partly intrigued by the way she seemed to familiarize herself with the brooch, partly scared from the slightly crazed look in her eyes.

The she snapped her gaze onto him, making him jump a little. "I think I know what this is," she said, although she sounded a little unsure.

"What?" Adrien asked eagerly, ignoring that he had no clue how she would know.

"I... I think it's a Miraculous."

Chapter Text

"I... I think it's a Miraculous."

Marinette didn't even register what she had just said, but she was sure of it now. She remembered bits and pieces of a conversation she once had with Tikki, after she first got her Miraculous.

•oOo•

"Tikki, are me and Chat Noir the only Miraculous holders?" Marinette asked the small kwami, a few days after they battled Stoneheart.

Tikki sat beside Marinette on her bed. "That's a complicated question."

"Well, tell me about Hawk Moth. How did he get his power?"

"I don't really know. His Miraculous was never meant to be used for evil," Tikki replied.

"He has a Miraculous?" Marinette asked. "So that must mean that there are other Miraculouses, right? What other kinds are there?"

"Well, there is a necklace, a brooch, a hair comb, but don't worry. You'll learn everything when the time is right."

•oOo•

Adrien stared at her, a little slack jawed. Marinette felt a familiar blush trickle on her neck, before she remembered what was happening.

Still holding the brooch, she flicked on her laptop. Luckily, she had changed her background from Adrien's photoshoots to a plain red background. She opened up a new browser tab, and searched up: Miraculous brooch. Hundreds of results popped up, and Marinette groaned internally. She wasn't even sure what she was looking for, but it definitely wasn't discounted brooches, on sale at everybrooch.com.

"How are you sure?" Adrien asked her. She knew instantly that she couldn't tell him. She might not be Ladybug anymore, but that didn't mean she could start blabbing. Adrien wouldn't understand. Not now, not ever.

"I just am, okay?" she finally said. "Now, who did this belong to?"

"Well, it wasn't a hero, if that's what you're asking," Adrien grimaced.

Marinette caught herself wishing, not for the first time, that Chat Noir was here. He could be helping her right now. He would know what to do. God, Marinette really wished she never took him for granted. Maybe if she hadn't been so stupid, they could be talking right now. If she had just trusted him with her identity, maybe things would be better. If she just had some connection to him...

But she did. They shared one thing, something that tied them together. It wasn't pleasant, but it was all Marinette had.

"Can I borrow this?" Marinette asked Adrien. He bit his lip, but Marinette stubbornly held her stare, willing him to say yes.

His face softened, and he gave her a heart melting smile. "Okay. You seem like you know the answers, so yeah. Just let me know what you find out, okay?"

His green eyes pierced hers, and for a fleeting moment, her school-girl crush washed over her like a violent tsunami. Then she remembered how much his rejection stung her, and she gave him a weak smile in return.

•oOo•

After Adrien left an hour later, Marinette slipped the brooch into her pocket, her heart beating wildly in her chest. Her hands were sweaty, and her knees shook a little in anticipation in what she was about to do.

She bounded down the stairs, swinging her backpack over her shoulders. Her parents were sitting together, cuddled up in front of the television.

"Marinette? Are you going somewhere?" Sabine asked her, glancing up.

"Just to the library!" Marinette chirped, hoping her mom wouldn't see through her blatant lie.

"Alright, wear a coat!" Sabine advised, looking out at the window. "It's started to snow."

Marinette followed Sabine's advice to keep her happy and oblivious. She tugged on a coat, and wrapped a scarf around her neck. For extra measures, she grabbed a few of her textbooks that were laying on the kitchen table, making sure she wasn't too obvious with them, but also making sure her mom believed in her lie.

After Marinette was out of eyesight from her home, she hopped on a bus headed away from the library, and to her real location. She really wished nobody she knew would see her. What would she say? They would think she was crazy for doing this.

Marinette stared at the little frost patterns etched on the bus window. They swirled together, like the colours in Starry Night. They were mesmerizing, so mesmerizing that Marinette lost herself in them. Unlike herself, the intricate weaving of the frost seemed to take direction. Every spiral, every curve, they all seemed to have purpose. Marinette didn't even know if she had a purpose anymore, let alone what it was.

She didn't even have a solid reason for embarking on this crazy mission. She was looking for all the answers, but she didn't know what questions to ask. Reaching into her pocket, she grabbed the brooch, staring at it a little sullenly. How frustrating it was to actually hold a real Miraculous in her hands and not be able to do anything with it was beyond her.

After Adrien left, she tried everything. She pinned the brooch to her shirt, nothing happened. She tried to coax out a kwami by asking nicely, singing, even threatening the brooch. Nothing. She threw it at her bed a couple of times, still nothing. The brooch was as unresponsive as Chloé Bourgois in the middle of their math exams.

Marinette had already figured out that Adrien had stolen it from his dad. It was kinda obvious, the way he refused to tell her, how he seemed a little embarrassed about it. Adrien might have been a stellar model, but Marinette hoped he would never get into acting. It just didn't work out for him.

Closing the brooch tightly in her fist, she rested her head on the back of her seat, when suddenly someone in the seat behind her cleared their throats rather loudly. Marinette jumped a little, and turned around. An old man in a flowered shirt regarded her, an impish smile. She gave him a polite smile in return, then turned back around.

"I find that the hardest paths in life often lead to the happiest endings, don't you think?" the old man hummed loudly to Marinette. She turned in her seat again, out of polite interest.

"I guess so."

"That being said, nothing in life is ever really easy, is it?" he continued to speculate. "Especially when you feel alone."

"Yup," Marinette agreed tiredly.

"Loneliness is a fickle thing, Marinette. Blow out your own candle, you'll be left in the dark," the old man said. "Don't do this. If you do, you'll not only be sniffing out your own candle, but your partners as well."

Marinette narrowed her eyes in on him. "My partner? What do you -"

"Ah! My stop!" the old man exclaimed, getting up as the bus came to a rolling stop. He nodded his head in farewell, and Marinette watched him hobble away, until the bus turned a corner, and she saw him no more.

•oOo•

"Name?"

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

"Reasons for visit?"

"Uhm, family friend. I'm friends with Adrien Agreste."

"Please leave all your belongings in this bin here. Also, remove your coat, scarf, and anything else that might be a danger to you or anyone else in the nearest vicinity. Now, if you'll stand on this X, one of our female officers will perform a formal pat down to make sure you're not concealing any weapons."

"Anything else?"

"No. You're free to start your one hour of time. Step this way."

Marinette walked behind the police officer. She wasn't going to lie, she was a little intimidated by the lethal looking guns on his belt. Even as Ladybug, she knew she wasn't entirely invincible.

The officer led her to a small room, with two doors on either side, two chairs, and a wooden table in between the chairs. The walls were a muddy brown, paint worn from years of neglect. The whole thing made Marinette feel hollow inside.

The office gestured for Marinette to take a seat. She sat down, staring at the table. A little worried voice told her to get away from this place and keep running like hell until her legs burned. Trying her best to quiet it, the other door walked in, and Gabriel Agreste sat in front of her, a mess of chains and the the colour of orange.