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Chapter Text

Chapter Text

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

Yes. Marinette thought, Of course, it does!  It'll hurt people, even more, when they eventually find out the truth!  Yet no words came out of her mouth as she stared at her long-time crush. How could she say no to him?  Besides, Adrien was so kind-hearted, he was just trying to be nice and give Lila a second- or well- third, chance.  

"You're right.  It's not that big of a deal."  She offered a smile to him, albeit a half-hearted one though Adrien didn't seem to notice as he grinned back at her, running a hand through his hair.  

"Shall we head back then?" 

"I just don't get it! Why should I take the high road when- Ugh!"  Marinette flopped down onto her bed, Tikki floating beside her, looking worried.  The kwami didn't agree with Adrien either, but it wasn't her right to interfere with Marinette's choices.  She knew her holder loved Adrien, or thought she did, at least.  Kwami's couldn't love, so Tikki herself wasn't sure if Marinette really loved Adrien.  

"How 'bout we go for a run?" Offered Tikki, it was the only way she could think of that might help. "It'll help clear your head, won't it?" The kwami smiled at Marinette as the girl stood up and nodded, a determined look in her eyes.  

Marinette replied, "Alright. I won't let Lila affect me.  Tikki! Spots on!"  

Ladybug made her way onto the roof, swinging her yo-yo and letting it catch on to the nearest telephone pole, before swinging over.  The wind rushed past her as she swung, landing on another building before swinging again.  The night sky was beautiful today, she thought to herself as she propelled herself across to yet another building.  She didn't realize it then, but she was unconsciously leading herself to the Siene.  

She landed smoothly on the railing, settling down and letting her feet dangle over.  She glanced around, it was Chat Noir's turn to patrol, she had told him she would be busy, well she thought she would be, but either way, he was nowhere in sight.  Maybe he got distracted?

She caught sight of a large boat to her right.  The Liberty.  It had been a while since she had seen the Couffaine family, other than Juleka.  Maybe she could check in on them? No.  That wouldn't be right.  She was Ladybug, not Marinette.  

Soft music made it's way to Ladybug's ears as she prepared to go, the music drawing her closer to the boat.  It was beautiful.  The notes melted together and the melody formed was light and sweet, reminding her of her family's pastries.  She crept even closer to the boat, only to one of the windows open.  

Luka's Room.  

She thought to herself, the window was the one she had escaped out of when Luka's mother had been akumatized.  The tune changed, this one now fast, with a steady beat.  It reminded her of swinging through the air, the freedom and the wind.  The two tunes mixed well together, the musician, presumably Luka was talented.  The music drifted through the air, and Ladybug couldn't help but to hum along, closing her eyes and relaxing to the music.  

The music suddenly stopped.  A head poked out.  

"Ladybug?"  Luka questioned, startling the spotted heroine.  "What are you doing here? Is there an Akuma?"  The turquoise-haired boy tilted his head, a relaxed smile on his face.  He hadn't expected to hear faint humming when he started playing a song, and it had made him curious enough to check out the window.  

Ladybug smiled sheepishly back, as if she had been caught doing something, "No, no!  There's not Akuma, I was just ah- Passing by.  Yeah.  Passing by, and I heard your music, and it's very beautiful, and I just-"  She was cut off by a chuckling Luka, an amused look in his eyes.  

"You remind me of one of my friends.  She always rambles when she's nervous too." He said, his eyes not focusing on Ladybug, almost as if he was daydreaming.  "She's amazing though, absolutely beautiful, and kind, sweet, she's an amazing designer as well."  

Ladybug couldn't help but blush, was he talking about, her?  

"Her name's Marinette.   She's the baker's daughter.  Y'know the bakery?  The Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie?  It's amazing."  He stopped, flushing, "Sorry.  I didn't mean to-  I mean, you could come in if you like?"  

Ladybug smiled at him, her heart beating so loud she thought he could hear it.  "N-no, that's alright.  I should be going anyways.  It was nice seeing you, Luka."  

"Goodbye Ladybug."  

Ladybug transformed back in her room, a large grin on her face.  

"Tikki! Luka, he-  Do you think he really meant all that?"  Marinette asked her kwami as she sat down on her bed, a blush on her face.  He looked so genuine, but after Lila, she found it hard to trust compliments like that.  

"I'm sure he did, Marinette! Luka's always been super kind to you!" Tikki replied with a smile, "In fact, it seemed like he may have a crush on you!"  The kwami giggled to herself.  

Marinette stammered, "O-on me? I'm sure he doesn't. He's just a very good friend.  Yeah, friend!"  

"Isn't that what Adrien says about you?" Tikki asked, she didn't disapprove of Marinette's crush on Adrien, of course.  She just thought Adrien wasn't well, right for her.  Marinette didn't really know him after all,  Adrien is Chat Noir, and well, Ladybug didn't love Chat Noir either.  

"Yeah." Marinette looked downcast, though she managed to change into her pyjamas and fall asleep without focusing much on that.  Oh well, she hoped the next day would be a good one. 

Alas, it seemed Marinette just couldn't get a break.  

"She's scared of cats but powerless without this feline."

Marinette was playing the trailer for the new Ladybug and Chat Noir movie, with Tikki hovering beside her.  Frowning at the screen, Marinette grumbled, "Huh? That is so not true. I'm not scared of cats."  Moving herself to get more comfortable, Marinette moved the tablet higher as the trailer sounded once more.  

"Cat Noir and Ladybug: two heroes facing their destiny. Coming soon to theaters."  

Marinette and Tikki watched as the director of the film appeared on screen, looking excited as he spoke. 

"The real Cat Noir and Ladybug won't be able to make it to tonight's premiere, but I hope that they'll love my movie as much as we love them."

Shrugging, Marinette spoke to the screen, "Meh, I'll be the judge of that."  She had declined the invitation to the premiere a few days ago, judging it not important.  

As Tikki questioned her, she replied, "I'm a superhero, Tikki, not a star. It's my job to protect the city, not sit around at a movie premiere."  The two of them watched as Nadja appeared on the tablet screen announcing the guests that would be attending.  

"-his teen idol son who voiced Chat Noir, Adrien Agreste."  

Marinette gasped and sat up straight, staring straight at the images of Adrien pinned to her wall.  "Adrien?! Adrien's gonna be there? Oh no! Ladybug so should have said yes." She groaned as she spoke, sending a mock glare to Tikki as the kwami giggled.  Sighing once more, the bluenette made her way downstairs, where her parents were preparing the baked goods. 

Overhearing her parent's conversation, Marinette interrupted, "Do you mean the premiere for the Ladybug and Cat noir animated movie?"  Now that she knew Adrien was going, she just had to go.  She had something special just for an occasion like this!

She carefully balanced the plates in her arms as she exclaimed, "Me, me, me! I can totally help you out with that." Her excitement led to her practically throwing the plates in the air, causing her father to have to catch them.  

After a few minutes of convincing, Marinette threw her arms around her parents, almost bounding out of the kitchen and missing her mother's final remarks.  

"We'll just make twice the number of macarons. Just in case."

Chatting excitedly to Tikki, Marinette showed the macaron she had baked especially for Adrien.  Interrupted as Tikki asked if this was why she baked a macaron every week, she replied as if the answer was obvious, "Who knows when the perfect opportunity is going to come up? And Adrien cannot have a stale macaron."  

Ignoring Tikki's, 'Of course not.'  Marinette spun around in her chair, this would be her day.  She would confess, and Adrien would love her, and they would live happily ever after.

Of course, the day could never go as planned. 

After the absolutely chaotic mess of Chloé, Kagami and Adrien, and allergies. The movie director, Thomas Astruc, was now akumatized and Marinette, now Ladybug was struggling to find a way to defeat him.  Hawkmoth was getting smarter with these new akumas.  Or, considering there's had been another akumatization of 'Mister Pigeon' just yesterday, maybe not.

Either way, this akuma seemed to have no weaknesses.  

"Fear the power of cartoons!" Roared the akumatized man, now turned into 'Majestia'

"How about you fear the power of the lucky charm!" Shouted Ladybug as she threw her yo-yo into the air.  Chat Noir watched in confusion as a camera dropped down into her arms.  "A camera?" Ladybug questioned to no one as she strapped it onto her head.  

"Of course! Who better to make a movie about Cat Noir and Ladybug, than Ladybug and Cat Noir?" Said Chat Noir, only to be overheard by 'Animaestro' (seriously, what was with these names?).  Who proceeded to 'laser-eye' the ground beneath them, sending the two miraculous holders falling into the subway systems underground.

As smoke filled the air around them, the two heroes could do nothing but cough and hold their hands over their miraculous, closing their eyes to keep the smoke out. 

Chat Noir opened his eyes a sliver, just to see what was happening.  He immediately saw the akumatized man running straight towards them. 

After a brief pushing-over, and series of little skirmishes, a cartoon bird flew out of the hole.  

"He's gone! Why didn't he attack us while we were blinded?" Chat Noir asked quietly, glancing out the hole as the smoke cleared out.  Ladybug shrugged, grappling the camera from off her head. 

"I don't know. It doesn't make any sense. Something must have happened that we didn't see which explains why the Lucky Charm was a camera." Ladybug replied as she played the video.  

In the end, they defeated the villain, and everyone ended up happy.  Marinette even got to watch the movie!  Although, Adrien never did get to taste the macaron.  Marinette sighed as she thought about it, sprawled out on her bed.  Tikki sat down beside her, the little kwami relaxing with a cookie.

Why can I never go through with my plans? I wonder if everyone with a crush ends up a mess in front of the person they love. Is it worth all of this?  Marinette frowned at her own thoughts, causing Tikki to glance at her, confused. No. Of course, it's worth it! I love Adrien!

Chapter Text

"Marinette! Would you like to join us? We're having a band practise today!" Asked Rose, as the four band members left the building.  "We invited Alya as well, but she was busy babysitting for Lila because she injured her leg or something like that.  Oh, I feel so bad for Lila" The blond drifted off, expression downcast. 

Marinette had nodded at the first few words, already agreeing.  She loved going to their band practices, they were always so much fun! It would also be a good time to catch up with Luka.  

She couldn't help but wince at Rose's last few words.  Lila most definitely didn't have an 'injured' leg!  Ugh, and she was making other people do her work for her? Marinette groaned softly, making sure the others didn't hear her as she thought about it.  Following Juleka down the stairs, the five classmates made their way to the seine, where the Couffaine houseboat was 'parked.'

"Marinette?" It was Luka. 

"Luka! Hi! How are you?" Asked Marinette, immediately rushing over to him with a large smile on her face.  The blue-haired musician only smiled and strummed a tune on his guitar, a light and happy one.  Similar to the one he had played when she was Ladybug. 

"Good, now that you're here." He winked at her, before chuckling at her red face, "Sorry, I'm good in general, but I'm still happy you came!" He rushed to add the last part on when he saw she looked embarrassed. 

She smiled up at him, before sitting down on a wooden crate, watching the others set up and went through song lyrics.  Luka walked over to her, sitting down.  The rest of the band were still setting up.  He strummed a tune on his guitar, a soft, almost uncertain one.  It sounded, confused? Scared? Marinette couldn't tell.

"Your heart's playing this song." He told her gently, "What are you scared about?" Marinette stiffened, what was she scared about? Your friend's getting hurt by Lila's lies. Her mind told her. 

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.  Just know I'll always be here if you need me." Luka said, smiling softly at her before getting up and rejoining the band as they started playing one of their songs.  

"-Unicorns." Rose trailed off, holding the last 's' as she finished their fourth song.  Luka played the last note, a deep-sounding chord, though Marinette had no idea what it actually was.  Grinning, Marinette closed her sketchbook where she had been sketching a design for a shirt. 

"That was really good!" She praised, clapping lightly.  She glanced down at her phone, where a new text message had just arrived.  'Marinette? When are you coming home? It's nearly dinner time!' From her mom, of course. 

Sighing, Marinette stood up, "I think I have to go now." The others looked disappointed, and Luka walked over to her, still carrying his guitar.  He strummed a minor chord, one that seemed to convey 'sadness.'

"Well, we won't keep you then.  Do you need a ride home? I have to go deliver something anyways." Luka said as he gestured to his bike.  He didn't have any deliveries to do, of course, he just wanted to make sure Marinette got home safely.  Thankfully, Marinette didn't seem to notice there weren't any packages in the bike basket, though Juleka gave him a side look.  

"Oh, that would be great! If it's not any trouble." She replied shyly.  Luka smiled at her, leading her over to the bike, where he handed her his spare bike helmet, before putting his own on.  

"Of course not! Let's get going then. See you guys later." The two of them waved goodbye to the others, before leaving.  Luka pedalled steadily down the road, with Marinette holding onto his waist lightly.  He was glad she couldn't see the faint blush making its way onto his face.  

"-I'm just the cunning, ultra-charming Cat Noir." Chat Noir smirked at Ladybug, leaning on his staff.  

Ladybug retorted, "Right, you have it easy." She really wasn't in the mind for his jokes.  She had so many things to do!  School work, designs, and she needed to find a model for her website.  

"Easy? That's 'cause I make it look easy." 

She really didn't get what was so funny. "As cunning as you might be, that little prank you pulled earlier almost made my Lucky Charm fail!" Then, they would've been in trouble.  For goodness sake, couldn't he take this seriously? Just one wrong move, and Hawkmoth would've been able to take the miraculouses! 

As the two of them bickered, eventually Chat Noir's ring began to beep.  "Uh, Look, it's no big deal! You have so many other great qualities! I'm just in charge of the humor department." 

"You'd better get going before you lose your clown costume." Ladybug half-sneered, glad to be rid of him.  

"Miss you already, Bugaboo!" Chat Noir called, before jumping down the building they were on, using his staff to propel himself up.  His blond hair flew in the air as he leaped this way and that. 

Ladybug inwardly snarled, "Don't call me—!" 

" See? I was right!"  

Well, after a long day of fighting Reflekdoll with Chat Noir's powers, Marinette settled down to take photos.  "Juleka, move to the right a little?" As Juleka adjusted herself, Marinette clicked the camera, smiling at the results.  Juleka was a great model, too bad it had taken a akuma and a sentimonster for Marinette to realize that. 

Adrien made his way over to her, "You really are a good friend."  

He was of course, saying that because she let Juleka model, and gave her friend a chance.  Yet, Marinette couldn't help but wince at the comment, before smiling at him.  Why couldn't she be more than a friend?

"Hey guys, I've got to go now.  Father's calling." Adrien told them, before giving a wave as he left.  

The rest of them began to pack up, Marinette relieved that she finally got the photos and videos done.  "Hey, Marinette, if you ever need a male model, Luka could do it? I think I would feel more comfortable around him." Juleka mumbled under her breath.  Thankfully, Rose started translating 'mumble speech' relaying Juleka's words to Marinette.

Nodding, Marinette thought about it. It would make sense, and it was hard for her to stay focused on Juleka with Adrien there, anyways.  Luka, however, was always a calming presence. 

Behind her hair, Juleka smiled, she would get Luka and Marinette together if it was the last thing she does.  The shy girl thought back to the day's events, starting from when Luka came into her room.

Juleka pinned her hair back, earning a happy tune from Luka.  Then-  She unpinned it, as Luka strummed a sad tune.  He seemed almost displeased with what she was doing, though Juleka knew he just wanted the best for her. 

"Don't you wanna be a model anymore?" Luka asked, knowing that had been her dream job since she was a kid.  

Yet- "Yeah, but, no one's ever going to pick me." Juleka said in reply, a downcast look in her eyes.  She stared into the mirror, looking at herself.  Other than Luka and Rose, who really understood her?

Luka strummed a soft tune on his guitar, one filled with hope.  "Have you tried talking to Marinette about your idea?"  The boy smiled to himself, thinking about the girl he loved.  Even the mention of her name made him happy.  She was just so special.  

Juleka sighed, glancing over to him before turning back to the mirror, "I don't want to bother her with that." She eventually replied, and that was the truth! Well, part of it.  In reality, she was mostly scared Marinette would say no.

Luka stood up, smiling.  "

Chapter Text

"Luka?" 

The boy in question smiled as he asked, "Hello, Marinette.  Can I come in?" He chuckled as he watched Marinette flush, immediately moving away from the door she had been blocking as she stumbled over her words. 

"O-oh, yeah! You can definitely come in!" She managed to say, as she led him into the bakery, cheeks bright red.  She had been surprised when he showed up, she couldn't remember the last time he had come to the bakery.  Had he ever been here before?  She shook her head, clearing her thoughts.  It had been a long few days, with her own father being akumatized.  

Honestly- that akumatization had been ridiculous from the start to finish.  She most certainly did not have a crush on Chat Noir.  

"Marinette? Who's this?" Sabine popped out from behind the counter, making her way over to Marinette and Luka.  Tom followed, his gaze suspicious as he stared at the boy.  He wasn't sure what to make of him.  Of course, he was no one to judge Marinette's friends, but after everything with Chat Noir, he couldn't help but be suspicious over anyone Marinette brought home.

"Hello, Mrs. Cheng, Mr. Dupain.  I'm Luka, Luka Couffaine, Juleka's brother."  Luka smiled warmly at the couple, "I'm just here to pick up some stuff for my mother.  She wanted some macarons, I believe, and Juleka mentioned yours are the best."

Sabine nodded, smiling at the boy, "Of course! It's nice to meet you, Luka."  She went behind the counter, grabbing a box of macarons before placing it in Luka's hands.   She waved his money away, saying, "It's on the house, sweetheart."  

Luka grinned, "Thank you!  Well, I'll be off now.  See you soon, Marinette! Goodbye, Mrs. Cheng, Mr. Dupain." He made his way out the door, hopping on his bike before riding off, leaving a smiling Sabine, a suspicious Tom, and a blushing Marinette. 

"So...  Luka, eh?" 

"No, papa!" Marinette waved him off, running up to her room to calm herself down.  What was up with her?  It was just Luka, sweet, amazing Luka-  No! Bad Marinette!

She groaned, ignoring Tikki's giggles as she exclaimed, "Tikki! Spots on!"  Maybe some fresh air would do her some good.

"Hey, Milady, fancy seeing you here?" Chat Noir grinned at Ladybug, his green eyes bright with excitement.  "What's up?" He asked, settling on the rooftop he had found her on.  There haven't been any Akumas today, something he was grateful for.  After all, it was a weekend.

Ladybug sighed, "Hi, kitty.  Nothing much, I just wanted to clear my head."  She sat down beside him, hugging her knees close to her chest as she stared at the horizon, watching as the clouds moved.  A breeze sent the stray strands of hair into her face, though she didn't seem to realize as she stared into the distance.  

"Well, I know the perfect thing to do-  We could go get ice cream together? Maybe see a movie?"  Chat Noir asked, he never let down a chance to ask her on a date, after all.  

Ladybug turned to stare at him, eyes narrowed. "No, Chat. You know I'm in love with somebody else." She watched as Chat Noir sighed, frowning slightly.  His 'ears' drooped, along with his 'tail' as he pouted.  

"Still pining over 'that' guy? What's so special about him? What does he have that I don't?" He grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at the concrete beneath him.  Ladybug leaned back, using her hands to support her as she replied.

"Well, he's-" She hesitated as she thought, Adrien... He's kind! But so's Chat Noir.  He's ah- Well.  Generous? Sweet? Trust-worthy? Yet, so was Chat Noir!   "He knows who I really am, inside." She finally said, her tone almost hesitant. 

Chat Noir didn't reply, knowing there was nothing else to say. 

"Maybe next time then, I'll stay 'paw'sitive!" He said as he jumped away, ignoring Ladybug's groans at his rather 'punny' pun.  

Ladybug left as well, making her way back to the bakery.  She detransformed in mid-air, landing smoothly on her balcony.  For some reason, she couldn't help but think about her last words.  

He knows who I really am, inside.  But did he really? 

If anyone seemed to truly know her, it was Luka.  Who seemed to be able to see right through her.   

Tikki followed as Marinette went inside her room, laying a comforting 'flipper' on her shoulder.  No words were exchanged between the two of them as Marinette sat there, deep in thought.  

"We're looking for new talent. Stunning musical and visual skills are a must. With a brand new style that everyone will die for. You have two weeks to send in your videos."  The video played from Marinette's phone, with five heads crowded over it.  

"It's a perfect opportunity to showcase Kitty Section!" Marinette exclaimed, smiling from excitement.  

Luka smiled, adding, "And the stage clothes you designed, Marinette." He watched as Marinette blushed, oblivious to the rest of the band watching them.  Sending a glare at Juleka and Rose as Juleka whispered in her ear, cause Rose to burst out in soft giggles.  

"If we all pitch in, two weeks is more than enough time to make an awesome video. Everyone in?" Marinette asked, causing everyone to place their hands together, shouting the band's name.

"Kitty Section!"

The next few weeks were a whole mess of costume designing, video taking, and so many rehearsals.  By the end of it, Marinette was exhausted.  Yet she still had energy for one more click.  "And, send!"  The whole group came together for a group hug, all of them grinning.  

"Thanks so much for helping us, Marinette. I really appreciate it." Luka said, as he grinned at her, placing a hand on her shoulder.  Juleka elbowed him, muttering something under her breath. 

"Juleka said, you mean we all appreciate it?" Rose translated for Juleka, watching as Marinette turned bright red, while Luka blushed pink, though he was still smiling.  Ivan watched them, confused on what was happening. Though he only shrugged it off as the made their way back to their respective homes, waving goodbye to Marinette.  

"Tikki!" Marinette waited until they all left before squealing, "If Bob Ross picks our video, my designs are gonna be famous!" She said, as she spun around in bliss.  She opened her eyes, only to come face to face with Adrien. Well- His photos.  

"Oh my gosh- Luka saw those! He probably thinks I'm a creepy stalker and then he'll tell Adrien and now I'll never get Adrien to like me." She said, suddenly downcast. 

"Are you sure it's Adrien you're worried about?" Tikki asked, watching as Marinette pulled out her phone, completely ignoring the kwami as she read the text from Alya.  'we're having a picnic for lila's accomplishments she just donated a thousand dollars to a charity come join us, girl!'  

"Ugh, they're still believing in Lila's lies! C'mon, it's even in her name!" Marinette groaned, before letting out a muffled scream into her pillow.  Sighing, she sent out her reply.  'sorry alya, i've got some stuff to do.' before hitting send.  "A quick google search would ruin all of Lila's lies! I don't get it.  Why do they believe her?"

"You could always just expose her." Tikki said, though she knew what the answer would be.

Marinette shook her head, though there was a hesitant look in her eyes, "No. Adrien said to take the high road."

But why should I? Isn't he wrong? Wouldn't he be hurting them more?  Is he worth all this? The pain and everything? Maybe Tikki's right.  It's time to start moveing on. 

She made the decision in her head, reaching up and removing a picture before she could change her mind.  Then, another one.  Until all the pictures were in her hand.  She ignored Tikki's squeaks of surprise as she threw the photos in a box, locking it shut before throwing the key out the window. 

I might still love Adrien.  That might take a while to get over.  But I can start by doing this.  

She lay down on her bed, suddenly feeling free.  

"Hey, Marinette. Still no news about the contest?" 

Marinette glanced up from her phone, shaking her head as she frowned.  "Maybe they didn't like our song?" She said softly, looking worried as the rest of the band took a break.  

"They must've received a ton of videos. They probably haven't made their pick yet." Luka reassured her, causing a smile to reappear on the designer's face.  Marinette nodded, agreeing with Luka.  Inside though, she was worried.  Were her designs bad? Was that why they didn't like it? Or maybe-

Ivan's voice cut through her thoughts as he spoke, "Uh, oh. You better take a look at this, guys." He gestured out the window, causing everyone to stand up, making their way to the different windows.  

The five of them could only watch as XY's 'new song' finished playing, and Alec came on screen, "Wow! Lovin' the new look, XY! You've really outdone yourself this time. How did you come up with a style that's so... original?" The five of them couldn't help themselves, they kept watching as XY replied, already knowing his answer in their heads. 

"It's all in here." They watched as XY pointed to his own head, confident.  

Ivan protested, "But that's our original style!" 

Luka added, "Your unicorn, and your mask!" He gestured to Marinette.

Marinette frowned as she said to Luka, "That's your melody." She turned to Rose, "It's your music. That's not fair! That should be you guys up there on TV. There better be a good explanation. We have to have it out with Bob Roth and XY." She finished, a determined look in her eyes.  Luka couldn't help but stare, admiring her confidence.  My inner Ladybug is definitely showing. Marinette thought as she blushed from Luka's stare, before quickly recovering and leading the band towards the studio.  

Chapter Text

"They're not here right now."

Marinette silently groaned, "Seriously? They're right there on live screen." She said, as she pointed up at the large screen above their head.  Sure, they might be kids, but they weren't stupid!

"You're not allowed in. You don't have an invitation and the show already started." The guard replied, not at all off put by the way Marinette had caught his lie. 

Marinette exclaimed, "But it's our show!" 

"Not our problem, miss."

Marinette let out a loose breath, glancing at Luka, and as the group of them 'walked away' she started speaking.  "Alright. Here's my idea." She quickly laid out the plan for all of them, before Ivan left to put on his 'costume' 

"Help! Our friend's been akumatized! Ladybug and Cat Noir aren't here to save us! Quick!" Rose squealed as Ivan chased both her and Juleka in front of the guards, while Luka and Marinette crept behind the guards quickly entering the building while the guards were distracted.  Once they made it in, the two of them made their way to the elevator.  

"Let's see.  This is the floor they're doing the show on, I believe." Marinette muttered to herself, unaware of Luka's admiring stare as she pressed the button.  

Ding! 

They reached the floor, as soon as the door opened, and the two of them stepped out, Alec's voice filled their ears. "Wow! Awesome, XY! Such a 180 from your last record! This might be your best yet! So tell me, where did you get the inspiration for all this new material?" Luka and Marinette glanced at each other, both their eyes filled with annoyance and they walked up to XY. 

"Oh, it's nothing really. I came up with the whole song in 5 minutes."

Luka spoke softly, a rarely heard anger in his voice, "In 5 minutes? He couldn't even sing it the way it's supposed to be sung."  Marinette nodded along, agreeing with him as they made their way to Bob Roth. 

"Mr. Roth! My name's Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I'm the one who sent you the Kitty Section video." Marinette said sternly, her voice confident and smooth.  Luka came up behind her, staying silent as he waited for the man to respond. 

Bob Roth glared at the two of them, but he replied, "Video? What video? I don't know what you're talking about, kid." He turned away from them as if to ignore them completely as he watched his son and Alec talk.  Inside, he was silently seething, how did they even get in here? This place had security for a reason!

"Maybe I can jog your memory? Look!" Marinette whipped out her phone, shoving it into his face as the video played.  "The costumes, the mask, the music, the dance moves. They're all the same!" 

Bob scoffed, "There's no comparison. This here is some amateur garage band. My son is a solo artist. You guys play instruments, his music is all digital. Our unicorn is much cooler, and our masks are nothing like yours." Marinette openly stared, this guy had the guts to tell them that? At this point, she could've punched him had Luka not started speaking. 

"That's not true! You copied Marinette's costumes!" 

Even when his song had been stolen too, he thought about Marinette first.  Marinette couldn't help but blush at the thought, though she quickly regained composure as she added on, "And it's the exact same song. You stole Luka's music!" 

"Oh, come on. Let's not exaggerate now. We may have just been a little bit... inspired, that's all." XY had come over at this point, the 'artist' cocky as he glanced at the two teenagers. 

Luka growled under his breath before speaking once more, "Inspired?! You flat out stole! You didn't design this mask, Marinette did!" He ripped the mask from XY's hand.  

"Listen, it's not too late to do the right thing. Just tell the truth and let Kitty Section appear on the show. That's all we're asking."

"Yeah. First they'll wanna be in the show. Then they'll be asking for a cut of the profits. No way! Never saw or heard of Kitten Division." 

"If you won't tell the truth, then I will! Right now, on the air, live!" 

"If you do that, I'll tell them you're the copycats, not me. I've got all the music biz eating out of my hand. So who do you think they're gonna believe? Me, or a group of nobodies? You'll never have a future in this business. You'll never make another costume. And there'll be no more music for your buddies because as far as everyone's concerned, you'll be the rip-off artists." Bob Roth grabbed Marinette's arm, causing Luka to growl under his break once more.  No one hurt Marinette. 

His anger caught Hawkmoth's attention.

"Ah. I'm detecting the echo of a very rare emotion. The anger of a creator whose work has been stolen. Who also cannot bear to see the one he loves suffer.  Fly away, my little akuma, and evilize this pure soul."

"Silencer, I am Hawk Moth. This man is the voice of evil. I'm giving you the power to silence him for good. All I ask of you in return are Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous. Do we have an agreement, Silencer?  I'll take your silence as a yes. " 

Luka slowly transformed into Silencer, his outfit replaced with a biker's outfit.  He stalked towards XY, gently placing his fingers over XY's lips in a shushing motion.  Even akumatized, he was gentle.

Marinette let out a shocked gasp as she took a step back, watching as a small ball of well- XY's voice come out of his mouth, before immediately getting sucked into Silencer's helmet.  Silencer than watched as Bob Roth ran out of the room, deciding to go after him later. He turned to Marinette, frowning as she took another step back. 

"Don't worry, Marinette. I would never hurt you. I will use the power Hawk Moth has given me to restore justice. I will force Bob Roth to admit what he has done to you and Kitty Section." Silencer said, using XY's voice.  

Marinette said firmly, "Don't do that, Luka. That's revenge, not justice. And if you team up with Hawk Moth, you'll have to face Cat Noir and Ladybug." She really didn't want to fight him.

"Cat Noir and Ladybug? Where were they when we needed them? As now, Silencer is laying down the law of silence.  You’re the most extraordinary girl, Marinette. Clear as a musical note and as sincere as a melody. You’re the music that’s been playing inside my head since the day we first met. I won’t let anything happen to you." Silencer declared before leaving the room to go after Bob Roth, leaving Marinette there, shocked.  

Marinette immediately ran to the bathroom, where she opened her bag, still in shock even as Tikki flew out.  "Did that sound like a declaration of love to you?" TIkki asked, watching as Marinette composed herself.

"I think so. Which is kind of weird coming from a villain." Marinette managed to reply, a small smile making it's way onto her face.

"Perhaps Luka feels the same way." Tikki suggested, a soft giggle escaping the kwami's mouth as she watched a blush make it's way onto Marinette's face.

Marinette asked, excited, "Do you think!?" Before settling herself down, " Uh, stay focused, Marinette!" You can think about Luka later. 

"Tikki, spots on!"

"I can't let you do this, Silencer. " Ladybug said, an almost sad look in her eyes as she moved in front of Bob Roth, swinging her yoyo at Silencer, Bob Roth sighed in relief as Ladybug appeared, jumping in front of him. 

"And about time, too! What are you waiting for?" He questioned as he pushed Ladybug towards Silenced,  "Get to work!" Ladybug and Silencer started fighting, with Ladybug using her yoyo as a shield. 

Ladybug said as she fought, "Listen, Luka -- er, Silencer. You don't know what you're doing. Hawk Moth is evil. You think you're using your power for good but you're wrong." A kick sent her tumbling towards Bob Roth, where he groaned, annoyed at the spotted heroine.  

"Oh, come on! Stop mincing around and protect me!" He exclaimed, using Ladybug as a shield right as Silencer put a finger towards his lips, causing his finger to touch Ladybug's lips instead.  A red ball floated out of Ladybug's mouth, again getting sucked into Silencer's helmet, to Ladybug's horror. 

Bob Roth, the coward spoke, "Sorry, Ladybug. Occupational hazard, I guess. No hard feelings? Bye!" The man escaped using the elevator, to both Silencer and Ladybug's annoyance. 

"You shouldn't have stood in my way, Ladybug." Silencer spoke, using Ladybug's voice. Ladybug couldn't help but wince, it was a bit odd hearing her own voice from a hand.  She threw her yoyo into the air, silently mouthing 'Lucky Charm' and realizing her problem when nothing came down. 

Silencer spoke once more, "No Lucky Charm this time, Ladybug." He switched to Ladybug's voice, "You'd need your voice for that, and I'm the one who's got it." He started fighting Ladybug once more, only to have Ladybug run out the door. "You can run, Ladybug, but you can't get away from me for long." He called after her. 

"Don't let her escape you, Silencer. She's vulnerable." 

Silencer replied, "Don't worry, Hawk Moth. Now that I've got Ladybug's voice, I have a plan to get ahold of her and Cat Noir's Miraculous. But first: revenge!" He quickly left the room, presumably to find Bob.  

Meanwhile, Ladybug had managed to type a very brief 'come here' message to Chat Noir, before following Silencer. 

"Where are you hiding, Bob Roth? You're definitely good at hiding. But you won't get away from me. I've got plans for you, too." Silencer called out as he walked around, unaware that Ladybug was watching him.

Chat Noir landed beside her, immediately speaking, "I'm right here, M'lady. Uh, I'm here now, so go ahead and fill me in." Ladybug took out a yoyo, typing a message along the lines of, 'he took my voice' "Of course, I should've thought of that." Chat Noir said, before watching as Ladybug sent yet another message.  "Hey, that's not very nice!"

Ladybug pointed to City Hall, signaling that Silencer went in there. "You're right! Let's go! We'll get your voice back and talk ourselves out of this mess!" Chat Noir exclaimed, immediately leaping before he was pulled back by Ladybug. "I don't want to be catty but I really don't know what you mean. " He said sheepishly, causing Ladybug to once again pull out her yoyo. 

"We've got a major problem. I can't call out my Lucky Charm or say Miraculous Ladybug." He read the text out loud, before nodding, "Ah, you've definitely got a point there. The magic ladybugs won't be able to fix up all the damage caused by Silencer." Another message. "And you can't say the detransformation words? Which means you'll be a mute Ladybug for the rest of your life?" Chat Noir watched as Ladybug nodded. "But it has its advantages in a way. Now you'll never be able to pick on my jokes. "

Ladybug threw her yoyo up in the air, watching with satisfaction as it hit Chat Noir on the head.  Really, couldn't he be serious for once?

"I'm kidding, M'lady. Don't worry, you always get us out of the worst fixes." Chat Noir said, sensing she was annoyed. 

Ladybug sighed, before taking off towards the town hall, ignoring his last few words.

 "Meanwhile, I'll be able to babble to my heart's content." 

It took a while, but Ladybug and Chat Noir eventually managed to follow Silencer back to the TV studio.  After going through the plan one last time, they prepared to burst through the doors. 

"Dear viewers, we're back on the air for a exclusive interview with Bob Roth. He has something very important..." They could hear Alec's voice through the door, though they both knew it was only Silencer. 

Chat Noir stopped Ladybug, "Wait, M'lady! It might be too early to pull off your crazy plan. We could wait for Bob Roth to actually tell the truth. Then justice would be served for Kitty Section, wouldn't it?" Ladybug stopped to type another message, which Chat Noir read out loud, "It would be revenge, not justice. And being coerced into telling the truth is meaningless. You're right, M'lady. You're not much fun but you do have a point. We have to save him." 

The two of them burst through the doors together, and Chat Noir started to fight Silencer, matching him punch for punch.  "We got all the time in the world! We might as well have a bit of fun!" 

"Keep your nose out of other people's business, kitty, or I'll silence you." Silencer retorted, as he landed a well placed kick on Chat Noir.  Chat Noir only lept to his feet again, smirking. 

Chat Noir said, "That would be a shame considering how hilarious I am." He distracted Silencer long enough for Ladybug to drag Bob Roth out of the room.  Unfortunately, Silencer noticed, pushing back Chat Noir to run after Ladybug, unaware of their plan. 

While Chat Noir had distracted Silencer, Ladybug had dragged Bob Roth to one of the dressing rooms, where she was currently making a fake lucky charm, gluing black spots to a red lamp.  

"You're gonna have to do better than that, Ladybug, if you're gonna defeat this supervillain. Isn't that you and Cat Noir's job? This is all that band's fault -- those Kitty what-ya-ma-callits. None of this would've happened if they hadn't made a fuss about their so-called ideas." 

Ladybug groaned silently as Bob Roth spoke, before listening to Chat Noir and Silencer outside. 

"Oh, no! I can't find Ladybug anywhere! How will I ever get out of this mess without her?" Chat Noir called, before waiting for a reply. 

Using Ladybug's voice, Silencer replied from another part of the hallways, "Cat Noir! I'm over here!"

"M'lady! If you've gotten your voice back, then you've defeated Silencer! It's safe to come and find you!"

"Yes, yes, there's no danger now. Meet me outside the studio. I'll wait for you." Silencer said. 

Chat Noir smiled to himself, everything was going to plan. "Okay, I'm coming! I'll meet you outside the studio door!"

Ladybug smirked as Chat Noir replied the final time, while Bob Roth facepalmed. "You've got to be the dumbest superheroes ever! How could you let the bad guy in on your plan? And what's with this fake Lucky Charm? I thought it was supposed to be magic or something, but it's actually just some crafty special effects." Ladybug let out a deep breath, grabbing a roll of tape and advancing on Bob Roth. 

"No more evil doing for you, little akuma! Time to de-evilize!" Ladybug said as she captured the akuma.  "Gotcha! Bye, bye, little butterfly!"  She glanced at Chat Noir, who was trying to speak after his voice had been taken. "You're right, this does have its advantages." She giggled, though she wasn't that evil. "Miraculous Ladybug!" 

As the magical ladybugs fixed everything, Luka got de-akumatized, "What happened?" He asked, as he looked around, confused at the scene around him. 

"You were akumatized. But everything's fine now." Ladybug said gently, smiling softly at him.  She got interrupted by a angry Bob Roth, who was walking towards them while taped to a chair. 

Bob Roth said, "This is outrageous, Ladybug! You tied me up and imprisoned me in a dressing room!"

Ladybug chuckled, though she gave him an confused look, "Me? I did that? That doesn't sound like me at all."

Growling under his breath Bob glanced around the studio, spotting Luka, "The ladybug and cat got you. Serves you right! What did you think, kid? That I was going to tell everybody the truth? That I stole Kitty Section's song and your girlfriend's costumes, so I could give them to my talentless son, huh? You didn't think that superheroes would come to save me, huh? That's right! They work for me now!" He glanced at Ladybug, who exchanged a look with Luka, before they both smirked, "What's up with you guys? Why are you all smiling like that?!"

Ladybug said, smugly, "We're smiling because you're on the air, Mr. Roth." She gestured towards Chat Noir, who had been pointing the camera at Bob the entire time. "Everything you just said was broadcast live."

Bob Roth knew he had to say something, or he would be ruined! "Eh heh heh heh heh. Precisely! It was all just a big joke! I actually happen to love the band Kitten Division! In fact, I love them so much that I was about to sign them to their first record deal! And now, they're going to finish off this show with their very own song! I didn't mention it earlier, to keep it a surprise! But it was my idea from the start!"

"And now, please welcome the next big thing in town: Kitty Section!" Alec announced, as the four band members started making their way on stage, to the cheers of the audience. 

Marinette grabbed Luka's arm, stopping him. "Did you really mean those things you said when you were akumatized?"

Luka frowned, "I'm sorry, Marinette, but I don't remember. What did I say?"

"Uh, oh, nothing. It was nothing at all. You were possessed by Hawk Moth's akuma." Marinette glanced down, disappointed. 

Luka said, "I don't know what I possibly could've said. I just hope it wasn't anything mean. Because you're the most extraordinary girl, Marinette. As clear as a musical note and as sincere as a melody. You’re the music that’s been playing inside my head since the first day we met." He smiled at her one last time, before walking onstage. 

"That was a declaration of love. Right, Tikki?" Marinette asked, a blush on her cheeks. 

Tikki smiled, "One of the most beautiful ones I've ever heard." 

Chapter Text

"I think I should tell the others." Marinette suddenly said, sitting up from her bed.  She glanced at Tikki, who was looking her at a puzzled look.  She clarified, "That I want to try moving on from Adrien." She glanced at her 'picture wall' almost wistfully.  Alright.  So she wasn't totally over him, but small steps at a time, right?

Her phone suddenly rang, startling the two of them, Marinette fumbled with the phone, eventually managing to hold it to her ear.  "Hey Alya?" She spoke into the phone. 

"Hey girl! You busy today?" 

"Nope, why?" Marinette asked, glancing at Tikki, confused.  

"Well, Juleka invited all of us over to her houseboat today to listen to their band practice.  You wanna come?" 

Marinette started smiling unconsciously, "Alright! I'll be there, see you soon!" She ended the call, before explaining the situation to Tikki.  "What do you think I should wear?" She drifted off as she looked in her closet, her eyes catching on a skirt she had finished making yesterday.  

"Maman, papa! I'm heading out! I'll be back later, okay? Don't expect me for lunch!" Marinette called as she ran out the door, not hearing their replies.  She looked at Tikki with a pleading expression. 

Tikki said sternly, "Marinette! You know you're not supposed to-"

She was cut off by Marinette's, "I know, I know, but just this once?" Tikki sighed, before granting her permission, mumbling something about having fun and responsibility all at once. 

"Tikki! Spots on!" 

And with that, Ladybug swung through the rooftops, landing one street away from the Couffaine houseboat, before de-transforming, leaving Marinette running towards the boat, eventually stopping at the entrance when she saw Luka.  "Oh my god- I forgot he would be here, what if things are awkward between us, I don't know what to say to him, I-"

"Marinette?" A voice broke through her ramblings, a voice she very much hated. 

Marinette glanced around, finally spotting Lila behind her, "Lila? Why are you here?" She didn't know Luka knew Lila, oh how she hoped Luka didn't fall for Lila's lies. 

"Juleka invited me." Lila replied, giving Marinette a smirk as she made her way on board, greeting Alya and Juleka, along with the rest of the girls with a warm smile, though to Marinette it looked like a Chesire grin.  Marinette clenched her fist as she silently seethed. 

A voice interrupted her seething, "Who-  Who was that?" 

"L-luka! Hi! I didn't see you there." Marinette stammered out, as she whipped her head around to see Luka standing beside her, with a confused look on his face.  "That was, Lila? Julela's. Friend. Yeah." 

Luka smiled at her, "Hey Ma-Ma-Marinette, it's nice to see you too.  Is she now? I've never met her. Anyways, we should probably get on, we have strawberries? You seem like the type to like strawberries."  He said, as he led her onboard. 

"I love strawberries! I actually have-" 

Lila interrupted Marinette, sliding close to Luka as she said, "Marinette, who's this?" Luka's face twitched subtly, as if he was trying not to frown as he plastered a smile on his face, giving a side-eye to Juleka, who immediately came over, sensing an issue. 

"I'm Luka.  Juleka's-" He gestured to Juleka, "Brother.  I'm also one of the guitarist for Kitty Section." He could feel Marinette's grip getting tighter, as if she was uncomfortable.  So was he, actually, there was something off about this girl. 

Lila smiled sweetly, "Oh, you're a musician? I actually know a few musicians myself, like, Clara, Jagged? You seem the type to like Jagged Stone." She said as she placed a hand on his shirt.  

"Oh? Really? How do you know him?" Luka asked, curiously. 

Lila said, "Well, I actually saved his kitten from being run over on an airplane runway.  He even wrote a song about me." She said slyly, subtly eyeing him up and down.  

"Well, that's-" He hesitated, "Believable." It was obvious he was being sarcastic, which Lila inwardly frowned at.  She would have to be careful with him.  

She let out a gasp, hands flying to her mouth, "Do you not believe me?" She asked, making sure it was loud enough to bring some of the others over.  Namely, Alya, who had been listening on the side.  She marched over, standing beside Lila. 

"I'm sure that's not what he meant. Right Juleka?" Alya said, as she stared Juleka down, causing Luka to move in front of her protectively. 

"I'm the one who said it, not her.  I was just wondering, what's the song called?" Luka asked, as he gestured for Juleka to go, signaling that he could handle this.  He was still holding hands with Marinette, something he registered subconsciously as he tried to let go, only to find that she was gripping his hand hard.  

Lila froze, she hadn't thought that far, though she quickly regained composure, "Oh, I forgot the name of it, y'know, memory issues." She said, as she pointed to her head casually.  

"Ah, I see." Luka said coldly, as he led Marinette away, "Excuse us, we have some strawberries to try."

He led Marinette to his room, grabbing a bowl of strawberries along the way.  She seemed to be in shock as they sat on his bed.  

"Do your classmates actually believe that girl? Wow. I have got to talk to Juleka about her." Luka said, almost to himself as he popped a strawberry in his mouth, offering one to Marinette. 

She seemed to 'wake up' blushing as she grabbed a strawberry, before asking, "You- You didn't believe her?" 

"Of course not. That girl's heartsong says 'liar' all over it." He replied, as he smiled at her, watching as she started to chuckle, before adding on, "You would have to be stupid not to see through her lies." 

Marinette sighed, "Well it appears my classmates are stupid." She said, as she grabbed another strawberry from the bowl. 

"Well, I'm here for you if you ever want to vent," Luka said gently, as he placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly.  Luka frowned inwardly, "Did you ever try telling your friends she's a liar?" He asked. 

Marinette said, "At first, yes.  They didn't believe me." She didn't tell him the part where Adrien told her to 'take the high road'.  She took yet another strawberry, mentally making a note to herself to ask Luka where they were from. 

"They believed her over you?" Luka repeated, "Wow.  Just wow." He couldn't believe it himself, Marinette needed better friends, though this wasn't the time to tell her that.  "Do you like the strawberries?" He asked, offhandedly, trying to distract her as she nodded, a smile spreading across her face. "We got them at the farmer's market near the park." He told her, unknowingly answering her question. 

Marinette smiled, "You really can read my mind." 

"How could I ever have doubted him." Marinette smiled happily to herself, sprawled out on her bed.  Tikki hovered over her, happy for her holder.  She finally had a trustworthy friend (that could maybe become more).  

It was late afternoon, she had gone home after spending more time with Luka, and then chatting with her friends, all while ignoring Lila.  All in all, it had been a good day.  But the best part? It wasn't awkward at all between her and Luka! Sure, she still didn't know how to respond to his, confession.  But she had time, she trusted him to give her the time she needed.  

A beeping sound caused her to jump up, startled.  "Oh no." She knew that beep. 

Akuma alert. 

"Tikki, spots on!" 

Ladybug met up with Chat Noir on a nearby rooftop, the two of them staring at the akuma with bewildered eyes.  

"A- Cardboard man?" Chat Noir questioned, as he stared at the cardboard villain below them.  "What can he even do?" Ladybug shrugged from beside him, just as confused. 

As if the Akuma heard him, the cardboard man suddenly moved his arms, shooting a beam of light at a nearby pedestrian, turning her to cardboard. "I am Cardboard Star! I will prove that cardboard is all-powerful!" He cried out, as he continued shooting his beams, all while making more cardboard people.  At first glance, they seemed stationary, but after a few seconds, they started to move behind Cardboard Star, forming a cardboard army. 

Ladybug and Chat Noir shared a look, before jumping down in unison.  "Hey, Cardboard Star! Your name is really just 'claw'ful, what was Hawkmoth thinking?" Chat Noir called out, effectively distracting the akuma as Ladybug came from behind him, using her yoyo to strike down the cardboard people, finding them surprisingly agile for well- cardboard. 

Cardboard Star shot a beam of light at Chat Noir, who jumped to avoid it.  The beam hit a dog who had been running around nearby, also turning it to cardboard.  "Looks like anything can be affected." Ladybug muttered to herself, ignoring Chat Noir's calls of 'Guess I'll just have to think 'out of the box' to defeat you!' as she dodged a blow from a cardboard women.  

"Chat Noir!" She called, "Do you see anything that could be the akumatized object?" 

Chat Noir shook his head, "Nope! But I can't get a closer look without getting closer!" He jumped towards the villain, barely dodging a beam of light.  He ran even closer, and then the cardboard army started to surround Chat Noir who glanced around, nervous. 

"Escape first!" Ladybug called, though it seemed Chat Noir ignored her.  

He didn't even bother fighting the cardboard army as he ran even closer to the akumatized man.  "There's something gold inside!" He called, "M'lady! I'll trust you to defeat him!" The cardboard people closed around him, until he couldn't move.  A beam of light, and Chat Noir popped out again, now cardboard along with all the others. 

"Oh, why didn't he listen." Ladybug groaned softly, now even more stressed.  "Lucky Charm!" She threw her yoyo into the air, and watched as it came down with a- hose?  "Well, this is pretty straightforward."  She used her yoyo to leap onto a rooftop, glancing around until she saw an alleyway with a hose connector in the wall, presumably connected to the building.  

She jumped off, leading all the cardboard people with her to alleyway, where she quickly connected the hose, switching it on.  Water instantly shot out of the hose, turning the cardboard people to sludge.  She eventually made it to the middle of the army, where Cardboard Star was.  

As the water turned him to sludge, revealing a trophy? Ladybug leaped past the remaining cardboard people, thinking about how much easier this would've been with two people.  She eventually managed to get to the trophy, sitting in a pile of sludge, just as her earrings began to beep. 

She smashed the trophy against the ground, letting the akuma fly free. "No more evil-doing for you little akuma, time to de-evilize!" She used her yoyo to snatch the akuma out of the air, "Gotcha!" She cried as she purified the akuma, "Bye-bye little butterfly!"  She went back to grab the hose, throwing it into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!" 

Ladybug watched as the magical ladybugs fixed everything, restoring everyone to normal.  "Wh-  What happened?" The akumatized villian, a middle-aged man with small round glasses glanced around, he spotted the two heroes.  "Oh no! I must have been akumatized.  I entered this contest, you see, and I had built something out of cardboard.  In the end, I didn't win, and I only got this participation trophy." He gestured to the trophy as he explained, disappointed in himself.  

"Don't worry. Everything's alright now." Ladybug said reassuringly, sending the man off with a wave as he left. 

Chat Noir popped up beside her, "Hey, Bugaboo!  I knew you would save the day." He smiled dreamily as he asked, "So, how about, you, me, date night?" He was never one to miss an opportunity.  

"No, Chat. How many times do I have to tell you? And for kwami's sake, can you listen to me if I tell you not to sacrifice yourself? What if I can't bring you back?" Ladybug questioned, arms crossed. 

Chat Noir smirked, "I know you'll always bring me back, M'lady.  And you'll come to your senses one day."  He held up his fist, "Pound it?" 

Ladybug only swung her yoyo, leaping away and ignoring his fist.  Chat Noir sighed, before hopping away using his pole.  

"I can't believe him! How could he even say that?" Marinette grumbled to Tikki, as she sketched a design on her sketchpad, it was for Alya, who had asked her to make her a dress for her anniversary with Nino.  

Tikki tried to reason, "He's always been like that, Marinette." 

"I wish I saw that sooner." 

Chapter Text

Lila gathered up her things, preparing for another day of school as she listened to the voicemail her mother had left her.

"Hi, darling. Your breakfast is on the table, your lunch is in a bag, and your dinner is in the fridge. I'll be home late tonight again, but I'll do my best to be there this weekend. Pinky promise. And just call me if you need anything. Love you to bits, my angel! "

Lila smirked to herself, this would be perfect for her next plan.  It was a good inspiration as well.  

She left the building, spotting Nino near Marinette's bakery.  Perfect.  

She let her head hang, walking quickly past Nino with a sad expression on her face.  She could hear Nino's footsteps as he hurried to catch up with her.  

"Is something wrong, Lila?" Nino asked, obviously concerned.  All of these people were so gullible, it mad her job so much easier.  She thought about what she would do, making sure it was all perfect, with no mistakes. 

Lila glanced up, pretending to be shocked as she said, "Uh, no, I'm doing great! It's just that, my mom wants me to go with her to this fancy embassy function tonight, but I got way too much homework and I'm so behind after being away for the first term. I'm just gonna have to tell her no. She'll be so upset." She trailed off, making sure to have a downcast expression. 

"Oh, yeah. Bummer." Nino said. 

That wasn't the answer she wanted. Either way, Lila would have to turn it up a notch. " Adrien said he'd help me, but I don't want to bother him with it. He's probably forgotten anyway. He might think I've got a crush on him, just like all those other girls who are constantly hanging all over him." Lila said, careful not to seem to straight-forward. 

"Adrien's a great dude. I'm sure he won't mind. I can put in a good word for you if you want." 

Bull's-eye. 

Lila hugged Nino's arm, "Oh, you'd do that for me? Oh thanks, Nino, you're the best!" She said, with a grateful smile on her face.  Everything was coming together. 

The two of them arrived at school together, and Lila watched as Nino ran up to Adrien as soon as the blond got out of the car.  "Hey, Adrien!" Nino exclaimed, as they started walking up the stairs together. 

"Hi, Nino. What's up?" 

Lila smirked to herself, already plotting her next step. 

Class ended.  

Marinette was packing up her stuff when she noticed Lila and Adrien.  

"Hey, Lila. Nino told me about your problem. I can still help you with your schoolwork if you want." Adrien went up to Lila, and Marinette couldn't help but get jealous.  No. You're trying to get over him. Remember?

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Marinette left the classroom, bumping into Juleka along the way.  "Oh! Hey Juleka! I never did tell you, did I? I finished my website! Your photos are on the homepage. I might need a few more though, could you ask your brother if he could model as well later this week?" 

Juleka smiled, saying, "Yeah, of course."  She was beyond excited that her photos would be on Marinette's website, but she managed not to show it as she thanked Marinette, hopping on her bike.  

Marinette smiled, glad she made someone happy.  She hummed softly to herself, as she walked home, cheerful.  

"Hello, Maman! Papa, do you need any help?" Marinette asked, as she watched her father drag a large bag of flour out, obviously preparing to bake some pastries.  Mother and father glanced at each other, sharing a look.  

Tom finally replied, "Alright then, but-" He watched as Marinette grabbed the bag, lifting it up and struggling to bring it over to the counter.  She held the bag from the top, and she had only taken a few steps before Tom exclaimed, "Be careful!" 

Too late. 

Marinette tripped, dropping the bag of flour and accidentally causing it to break open, sending flour everywhere.  "Oops." She said, sheepishly, "Sorry."  

"It's alright, sweetie.  Why don't you go up to your room first, we'll clean this up." Sabine said, as she practically pushed Marinette out of the room, with an exasperated smile. 

Marinette hurried up the stairs, brushing off the flour as she went.  A ding came from her phone, startling her.  

"Oh. It's a picture.  Of Lila and Adrien." Marinette tried to shrug it off, but couldn't help but get jealous again, eyes focusing on Lila when a notification popped up.  "It's from unknown!" She tapped it, watching as a new screen popped up. 

'Hey Marinette! It's Luka.  Juleka gave me your number, said you wanted to talk to me about something?'

Immediately distracted, Marinette started typing a response, a smile making its way onto her face again. 

A few miles away, another bluenette had also received the message.  Kagami. 

"Oni-Chan, I am Hawk Moth. I'm giving you the power to track down Lila Rossi and make sure she never gets close to your loved one ever again. Adrien Agreste is way too innocent to be wary of her. Of course she'll persuade Ladybug and Cat Noir to stop you from accomplishing your duty. You must therefore bring me their Miraculous, to punish them for their naivety." Hawkmoth spoke in her mind.  

Kagami nodded, transforming into Oni-Chan, "Yes, Hawkmoth."

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

Ladybug threw her lucky charm into the air, watching as it fixed everything.  

Oni-Chan turned back into Kagami, which reminded Ladybug.  I should really try to be better friends with Kagami. Ladybug watched as Chat Noir took Kagami back, turning a glare on Lila. 

"Your leg looks better." She remarked coldly to Lila.

Lila smiled sweetly, "Being around you superheroes has toughened me up."

Ladybug scoffed, taking off.  "You’ll be okay to go home by yourself, then. You don’t need me." She returned to the bakery, detransforming on her balcony. Marinette took out her phone, finding Kagami's contact and calling her.  Kagami picked up on the third ring. 

"Hey Kagami! I was ah- wondering if you wanted to hang out later this week? Some of my friends are having a band practice tommorow, and you could come listen with me?" 

"If it won't bother your friends, I would be okay with that.  However, as you know, my mother is strict, so I might have to leave early." 

Marinette grinned, "That's fine! We can go after your fencing practice!"

"Alright. Thank you, Marinette." 

Marinette hung up, quickly sending a message to Luka.  'hey, luka! i invited my friend, kagami, to the band practice tommorow, is that okay?'

She immediately got a reply back.  'Of course! I'll let the others know!'  Marinette read the message with a grin, pleased with herself.  A sudden ringing surprised her.  Marinette picked up her phone, answering the call after glancing at the contact. 

"Hey, Alya! What's up?" She asked, curious. 

"Hey Mari, I just got this great idea for you and Adrien! You don't have to worry about a thing, I'll take care of it, alright? Just make sure you're there are the Kitty Section practice." 

"I will be there." Marinette hesitated, "But I have to tell you something.  I want to try moving on from Adrien." She blurted the last part out, glancing nervously at her phone as she waited for Alya's reply.  She didn't expect to hear laughter from the other end. 

"Don't be silly! You love Adrien.  Anyways, see you tomorrow, girl! Bye!"  And with that, Alya hung up, leaving a shocked Marinette. 

"Maybe explain it to her tomorrow." Suggested Tikki, flying up with a cookie in her flippers.  Marinette sighed, sitting down at her desk before pulling out her sketchbook, taking inspiration from the sunset as she drew. 

"I guess I can try.  Alya's stubborn though." 

A couple miles away, Alya was talking to  Nino.  "Hey, can you invite Adrien to Kitty Section's practice for tommorow? Rose already said yes." Alya smiled at her boyfriend, "It's for Marinette." 

"Of course! Anything for you." Nino smiled back, and they began to talk some more.  

Alya suddenly remembered, "Oh yeah! I have a date planned for Saturday, if you're free?  I can ask Marinette to babysit my sisters." She watched as Nino nodded. 

"Oh, wait, I actually have to babysit Chris-" Nino brought up, but was interrupted by Alya, who told him Marinette could handle all three. "Alright then, whatever you say." Nino said, before asking, "How's the Ladyblog doing?" 

Alya grinned, "Oh, it's doing great! Especially after Lila's interview.  A few hate comments, but I guess some people just get so jealous sometimes." She laughed to herself, "Just like Marinette." Nino laughed along with her, the two of them watching the sunset together, Nino's arm wrapped around Alya.  

"Hey, Mari!" Alya called her over to the rest of the girls, "So, I've got it all set up." Marinette gave her a nervous smile, she wasn't sure how she was going to approach the topic.  

Rose squealed, "Oh, it's going to be so romantic!" She twirled around, "Your babies would be so cute!"  Juleka muttered something under her breath, which none of them noticed, though it was something along the lines of 'meh.' 

"Babies? Who said anything about babies? In fact, I uh- wanted to tell you all something.  I'm trying to get over Adrien, so you don't have to plan these anymore." Marinette managed to say in one breath, eyes flickering between all of them as if trying to guess what their reaction would be.  

Alya wasn't impressed, "This again? Girl. I know these haven't been going well, but you can't just give up! You and Adrien are meant to be! You guys are my OTP. Well, after Ladybug and Chat Noir, of course.  In fact, even Lila said she would put in a good word for you, I told her about the plan, and she said she'd love to help!"

Rose and Mylene nodded along with Alya, while Alix seemed to not care at all, deeming her skates more important as she rubbed at the wheels with a cloth.  Juleka, however, said out loud, "Maybe we should listen to Marinette?" The others ignored her, though Marinette shot her a grateful look, but as usual, backed down.  

"Let's just get to class." 

Marinette hurried to get out of class, rushing down the hallway before the girls could talk even more about 'the plan.'  It was actually quite simple.  The girls planned to go out for ice cream as a whole gang later that night, then have Marinette 'forget' something, then, Adrien being Adrien would offer to go with her, and then they would be alone.  Boom! 

Shaking her head, Marinette ran into someone just before she looked up.  

"Hello, Marinette.  It is nice to see you again." 

Marinette smiled, "Hey, Kagami! Is your fencing over so soon? I was planning to wait for you." She stood up straight, watching as Kagami adjusted her bag, looking away as if guilty of something. 

"I actually, snuck out? I told my fencing instructor I was feeling sick.  Adrien also said he was sick, but I am pretty sure he is faking.  Is he also coming?" Kagami asked, curious.

Marinette nodded, sighing as she replied, "Yeah. I actually, want to talk to you about something.  I'm sure you know that I have well- had a crush on Adrien.  I'm trying to move on.  But my friends don't seem to believe me, and I'm not sure what to do.  They keep trying to push us together." She had debated in her head whether she could tell Kagami, but in the end, she decided that Kagami was a good person to go to advice for. 

"They're not really good friends then." Kagami said, straightforward as always, "You should get better ones.  Anyways, shall we head off?" She asked. 

Marinette stumbled over her words, "Yeah, yeah, sure." She said, as she led Kagami out the school, thinking about what Kagami had said.  Sadly, she had little time to think over Kagami's words.  Only two steps out, the two of them bumped into Luka, who was outside, with his bike and guitar.  

"O-oh, hey Luka! What are you doing here?" Marinette asked, "Not that you're not welcome here, it's just because you don't go to this school and I-" 

Luka cut her off, smiling, "I was here to pick up Juleka, but I guess she already left? Either way, is this the Kagami you were talking about?" 

"I am Kagami." Kagami said, "And I assume, you're Luka.  Marinette talked about you." Marinette had to hide a squeak at Kagami's words, yes she had talked about Luka to Kagami, but only to tell her he had said it was okay to bring a guest.  

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Luka said, as he played a short tune on his guitar, a confident one, that had a steady beat. "Would you like to walk together?" He offered to the two of them, walking his bike beside them as he led them to his houseboat, placing his guitar around his neck.  

Luka and Kagami became fast friends, and Marinette was happy to chat with the two of them.  It was much more enjoyable than 'planning for Adrien' with her other friends, at least.  "Oh, we're here." Luka said, as they got onto the boat, "The trip is much faster withfriends." He smiled at the two of them, before going off to talk to Juleka. 

"He's nice." Kagami remarked to Marinette, "And he likes you." 

Marinette asked, "How do you know?" She really was curious, although Luka had confessed to her, they hadn't really talked about it.  Maybe he forgot? Or he wanted to take it back?

"The way he looks at you." 

Marinette frowned, did he look at her in a special way? She blushed just thinking about it. "Is it the same way Adrien looks at you?" 

Kagami sighed, "No. But I've moved on.  Adrien is in love with someone else." She gestured to Adrien, who was chatting to Nino, "He's not worth it." She seemed to be talking to both of them, her eyes staring out into the distance.  

"I've brought drinks.  Strawberry for you, Marinette, and for you, Kagami, orange. Do you like orange? I hope so." Luka was back, with juice, it seemed.  He handed Kagami's drink to her first, before handing the other drink to Marinette, his fingers lingering there as she took the glass, their hands touching.  Luka flushed slightly as he realized what he was doing, letting go and smiling as the girls nodded their thanks. 

"Hey, do you all want to go for ice cream?  We could do the band practice afterwards!" Alya called out, causing most people to nod their agreement, Marinette groaned under her breath but still nodded.  Kagami glanced suspiciously at Marinette before nodding slightly. 

In the end, everyone, which included, Alya, Nino, Rose, Juleka, Ivan, Mylene, Kagami, Luka, Marinette and of course, Adrien.  Marinette decided halfway there that she wasn't to go through with the plan, though Alya had tried to nudge her several times, giving her not so subtly looks over Rose's head as they tried to find Andre.  Luckily, Luka and Kagami stuck close to Marinette, not giving Alya a chance to talk to her. 

"Oh! There he is!" Rose called, and the group made their way to Andre's ice cream stand, greeting Andre with smiles. 

Andre grinned, scooping up ice cream, "For you and this young lady, cranberry and raspberry sorbet, a little risky, ho perfect all the same." He handed the ice cream to Rose, who started sharing it with Juleka, both of them happy. 

Alya and Nino were next. "For you and your boyfriend, chocolate and cinnamon, a perfect match."  

Then, Ivan and Mylene. "For you two, I have gingerbread and honey vanilla, two that are meant to be." 

After them, came Adrien, "Ah, for you it's still the same mixture.  Strawberry, blackberry and blueberry for you, young man." 

Next, Kagami, "Young lady, for you, you will find love for yourself, orange and mint." 

Finally, Marinette was up, with Luka behind her, "Oh, Marinette! I see your heart has changed, strawberry for you, and blue raspberry too.  And share it with the young man behind you." He winked at her, before brushing them off, humming to himself happily. 

"You heard what he said." Marinete whirled around to find Luka behind her, she blushed, staring at the ice cream, then him, "Shall we join the others?" He asked, smiling gently. 

'O-oh, yeah. Yes, we should." 

Chapter Text

"-Why didn't you ask her for help?" The boy, Adrien asked.

Marinete frowned, "I have both good news and bad news. The good news is: there are superheroes in the tower that will stop that supervillain. The ree bad news is: we're the superheroes! And the thing that's chasing us is the supervillain! And we're supposed to be defeating it with superpowers we no longer have!" How did she even get into this mess? How were they going to get out of it? 

Adrien looked worried, his eyebrows furrowing together.  The two of them moved to a column, sitting down and leaning their backs against it.  Marinette spoke up, "If my own mother doesn't know that I'm Ladybug, then nobody must know." 

Adrien replied, "What about us? Do you think, we know?

Marinette pulled out her phone again, glancing at the lock screen of her and her friends.  "I think we're friends." She said, looking through the photos as well, there were a ton of photos of Adrien dated a few weeks ago, though the recent ones were mostly clothing designs and ones with a large group of people.  "Maybe we were more than that?" 

Adrien glanced at his phone as well, swiping through the pictures.  There were a lot of Ladybug, "Do you think we're-" 

"Looks like it." Marinette said, though she wasn't really sure as she pulled up a picture of her and another boy, one with blue-green hair, and a calming smile.  He had an arm wrapped around her shoulders, and she was smiling brightly, clearly happy.  "Hm." 

Adrien said, "Then we must have told each other everything. I couldn't hide my identity from the girl I love." He smiled at her, and he was cute, but there was a nagging feeling in her brain. 

"So, if we're the superheroes, then what are they?" She changed the subject, gesturing to the strange bug-like creatures. 

Adrien glanced towards them, "I have no idea."

Marinette leaned closer, managing to overhear their conversation, "You can't just leave, we have to help them!" Said the red one, her face stern. 

"We don't even know who we are, or who they are. I don't want to help out a couple of strangers." Retorted the black one, stubborn. 

The red one turned away from him, crossing her arms, "You may not remember who you are, but at least you know this about this about yourself: you're a selfish being and a total coward!" 

The black one flew over to her, "Me, a coward! I am not a coward! I—I'm a free spirit, so don't come if you don't want to, but I'm out of here!" He said as he phased out the window, flying towards who knew where. 

"Did he go to get help?" Asked Adrien, as the two of them made their way over to the red one. 

The red one grumbled, "I don't think we should hold our breath." 

They heard the sound of the elevator open, and Adrien pulled Marinette behind a desk, right as somebody spoke. "Ladybug, Cat Noir, we know you're in here. You won't get away this time. You remember your BFF Oblivio, don't you? Don't tell us you've forgotten us." They laughed, two voices blended together in harmony. 

"I'm not convinced that this monster is really our best friend." Adrien whispered, stating the obvious. 

Marinette whispered back, tone soft, "One thing's for sure, if we're superheroes, he can't find out about our secret identities." 

Adrien suggested, "How about some kind of diversion? We get out of here and take the emergency stairs." He glanced around, not finding anything of use to cause a diversion.  And they were running out of time.

Marinette turned, looking at the stickynote pad, pens and a spilled up of coffee on top of the desk they were hiding behind.  She glanced around once more, grabbing a tape dispenser from a bookshelf, and then Adrien's phone from his hand.  "Sorry, I need this." She said, when Adrien looked at her with a confused expression. 

"I'll call you, and when he comes, we make a run for it. I'll use the tape to pull your phone back. Ready?" She called his phone, watching as it rang and causing Oblivio to go that way, before pulling the phone back with the tape quickly, the two of them heading off towards the stairs.  

"Uh uh. Gotcha. You shouldn't have forgotten to switch off your phone." Oblivio made it there, only finding a sticky note with a donkey drawn on it, and even from where Marinette and Adrien were hiding, they could hear their scream of rage. 

The two of them ran up the stairs, after Marinette had handed Tikki the coffee cup, instructing her to go down the stairs.  "You're trying to fool Oblivio again! But it's not gonna work this time." Oblivio had come in, and noticed the trick, starting to make their way up the stairs as well. 

Tikki quickly opened the door, before letting it fall shut, drawing Oblivio's attention again, "Or perhaps we give you too much credit." Tikki flew back up, joining the two of them with a smile. 

"You saved our lives! Thank you." Marinette said, hugging Tikki close.  Adrien grabbed her hand, pulling her down the stairs and startling her.  

Carefully removing her hand, she listened as he spoke, "Let's head back to where we were. It's the last place he'll think of looking for us." 

Once they were settled, she pulled his phone out, "Sorry, your phone's out of juice." She apologized, as she removed the piece of tape stuck to it, he smiled, placing his phone into his sweater pocket carefully. 

"No worries. We’re doing pretty well, even without powers, don't you think?" He said, making them both smile. 

Tikki said, "It's true, you two make a very effective couple." 

Marinette winced slightly, changing the subject, "Yes, but if we want a real shot at defeating this villain, we're gonna have to become Ladybug and Cat Noir again." She took out her phone, opening it, "Maybe we can gather some hints by watching some news footage to see what happened before he erased our memories." 

She played the news clip, both of them watching as it showed the two superheroes fighting with someone's commentary, "Looks like Ladybug and Cat Noir are struggling today."  The two of them watched as the superheroes argued, with Adrien frowning. 

"We don't exactly look lovey-dovey in this footage." Adrien said.  Marinette only frowned, focused on the video. 

The news commentator spoke again, "The battle against Oblivio continues.  Oh, oh no! Cat Noir has been hit, but Ladybug pulls him out of danger. What's she doing now?" They watched as Ladybug drew something? "Ladybug is down, too!" 

"The drawing! There was a drawing on the elevator wall! I remember now. It was a turtle. I saw it earlier when I was looking for my mom's number," She turned on her phone, scrolling through the contacts, "There it is!" She hit the call button watching as it rang twice before someone answered. 

"Hello?"

"Mr. Turtle?" Marinette asked, leaning in closer unconsciously. 

"Marinette, is there a problem?"

Marinette replied, "Listen. I can’t remember who I am or who you are. Oblivio has erased my memory. But I think I'm supposed to call you."  She hoped this was the right thing to do, luckily, his next words confirmed it.

"You did the right thing. Is Cat Noir with you?" 

Marinette glanced at Adrien, "Yeah, well Adrien, actually."

"You two know your true identities, then."

He sounded concerned, and Adrien questioned, "We're not supposed to?"

"That's okay, the Miraculous ladybugs will repair everything anyway."

" We figured out we're superheroes, but we don't know how to make ourselves Ladybug and Cat Noir again." Her phone flashed red, a 'low battery' warning appearing on the screen, making both of them worried, "Mr. Turtle, you'll have to tell us quick, I'm almost out of battery." Marinette said, her tone urgent. 

"Are your kwamis with you?"

"Uh, if you mean the flying creatures, then, one of them. The red one is with us." Marinette said, as she shared a look with Tikki, they finally figured out what species she was. 

"Okay. Listen carefully, the red kwami's name is Tikki. She gives you your powers, say, "Tikki, spots on," and you'll transform into Ladybug. You'll find an emergency user's guide in your Bug Phone. Adrien, your kwami's the black one. His name is Plagg.  Tell him, "Plagg, claws out," and you'll become Cat Noir again. The rest is in your Cat Phone."

"But, my kwami took off." Said Adrien, looking worried. 

"You won't be able to transform without him—"

The phone turned black, out of battery.  A rumbling sound started then, startling the both of them. They turned towards the window, looking up to see the giant purple bubble floating above them. 

"Ladybug, Cat Noir, if you don't come out of hiding and give us your Miraculous, this giant bubble's gonna erase the memories of every single person in Paris!" They could hear Oblivio's voice from above them, and they quickly ran away from the window. 

Marinette was determined, "It's time to bring Ladybug back."  She said, before exchanging a glance with Tikki, "Tikki, spots on!" She transformed, a red light illuminating her before revealing Ladybug. "Wow, that actually worked!" She glanced towards Adrien, not sure what to do with him. 

"Okay, there seems to be a kind of button here." She took out her yoyo, pressing it and watched as it opened. "User's guide?" Several icons popped up. "Yo-yo's features, capturing the akuma, one-time power, Lucky Charm" She trailed off, her voice had activated her power, and she threw her yoyo to the ground, watching as it flashed. A teapot dropped from the air, and she just managed to catch it in her arms. "Uh! What am I supposed to do with this? Make tea?" 

Adrien suggested, "Maybe it's part of a puzzle, or a riddle?" 

Ladybug nodded, thinking, "You're right, it must just be one part of the solution, but, how am I gonna find the solution?" She frowned, glancing around her as if the solution would appear right under her nose. 

"Don't worry, you always have the right idea at the right time, you got this!" Reassured Adrien. 

Ladbug nodded, smiling in gratitude as she prepared to leave.  A hand grabbing her arm stopped her. 

"Marinette, I want to fight beside you." He picked up a white pipe, obviously intending to use it as a weapon. "If we're a couple, then we'll be stronger together." He added on.  

She internally winced.  Were they a couple?  Either way, it wasn't safe for him. "But you don't have your kwami or your superpowers. And without your costume, the villain would know your true identity." She reasoned, watching as he grew dejected.  

"Alright.  But stay safe." He leaned closer to her, as if wanting to kiss her.  She turned at the last minute so he only got her cheek, pretending she hadn't noticed before running out, finding a way to the roof. 

Ladybug read from her yoyo as she ran, "The Miraculous enhances all physical abilities. Well, that'll come in handy." She reached the roof, spinning her yoyo to provide her with a shield.  She watched as Oblivio noticed her. "Uh oh." They began shooting, using one of their hands to shoot beams from their other hand, which had some sort of shooter on it.  Trying to use her yoyo, she tripped over it, not used to it yet. 

"You've forgotten your reflexes, huh? Now we're gonna make sure you forget everything else, including your Miraculous!" Oblivio sneered as they walked over to her, aiming the beam at her.  She rolled to her feet right as roll of tape phased through their head, and she glanced up to see Adrien in a cardboard Chat Noir costume.  What was he thinking? This wasn't safe!

Oblivio began shooting at Adrien, while Ladybug got up, using her yoyo to pull Adrien behind a vent.  Suddenly, Plagg appeared again, and while the two of them caught up, and Adrien, now Chat Noir transformed, Ladybug tried to think of a way to use the teapot she was still holding on to. An idea suddenly came to mind as she observed Oblivio. 

"I know how to use this!"

"Bye, bye, little butterfly." Ladybug waved goodbye to the butterfly as Oblivio transformed, revealing two teenagers.  It had taken some work,  but they had eventually managed to get Oblivio's akuma. 

Chat Noir spoke up, "Wow, so this villain was both these guys?" The two superheroes looked up at the purple bubble still floating above them, and Chat Noir asked, "What do we do about that?" 

"I guess this is where my other power comes in." Ladybug spoke as she picked up the teapot. "It fixes everything back to how it was originally."  She was about to throw it up when Chat Noir grabbed onto her wrist, stopping her. 

"Wait. Do you think we'll remember all this… afterwards?" He asked.

Ladybug answered after a brief moment of hesitation. "Apparently, my Miraculous Ladybug reverts everything, so I'm guessing we won't." She eventually replied. 

"All right then. With your permission, m'Lady-" Chat Noir spoke, but before she could say anything, he had already leaned forward, kissing her full on the lips, she gently pushed him away, but not after Alya had taken a photo.  "Why-"

Ladybug threw up the teapot, watching as the miraculous ladybugs fixed everything, as well as restored their memory, erasing their memory of what happened as well. 

"Uh, Ladybug, Cat Noir?" Ladybug turned to see Alya and Nino.  How did they get here? 

Chat Noir asked, "Guys, you haven't seen a supervillain named Oblivio, have you?"

"You've defeated it already, dude." Nino said, as Alya added on.

"Actually, he was… us." 

"We do make a good couple, don't you think? Otherwise we wouldn't have won again like we always do." Chat Noir smirked, as he spoke, leaning close to her."

"Ugh, we're a team not a couple. Don't start that again! I've already told you that I'm in love with another boy.  Besides, this charming kitty act of yours was the reason we became distracted and got into all this trouble in the first place. That's right laugh all you want— Hey, what are you doing?" Ladybug stopped her rant to turn and look at Alya, who was holding up the photo she had already posted on the ladyblog. 

Without asking. 

Ladybug sighed as she heard her earings beep. "Take that photo down please. I've got to go now." She said to Alya, before using her yoyo to swing away, back to her home where her parents were probably worried. 

"Hey girl! Did you see my post? Amazing right? I'm the first reporter to get something like this!" 

Alya's squealing made Marinette uneasy, "Are you sure this is not fake? Ladybug's always saying they're not a couple." Marinette replied, even though she knew it was true. 

"Of course it's not fake, I was right there! And I'm sure she was just lying, they're obviously meant to be! Just like you and Adrien, speaking of which I've got this-" 

Marinette groaned interrupting her before she could finish, "Alya, I told you I'm moving on." She said firmly. 

"You two are meant to be.  Don't be discouraged, Mari.  Anyways, I'll tell you bout it at school tomorrow! Later!" 

Alya hung up, causing Marinette to sigh, flopping down on her bed next to Tikki.  "What can I say to persuade her?" Marinette asked, though she wasn't really sure there was an answer. 

"You've liked Adrien since you've met him, give Alya some time." Tikki advised, before taking a bite of the cookie she was holding, floating beside Marinette's head.  

"I guess."

Chapter Text

Marinette walked slowly to class the next day, unsure of what would greet her.  Alya saw her on the stairs, and ran down, "Hey, girl! Come on! Lila was just telling all of us about how Ladybug and Chat Noir became a couple! I'm about to interview her, trust me, you do not want to miss this." Alya dragged Marinette up the stairs, and down the hallway until they got to the classroom, where they were having a free period.  Lila was sitting at the front, telling the 'story' to everyone.  

Adrien sat aside from the rest of them, looking at her warily.  His gaze caught on Marinette, and Marinette gave him a wave.  He stared at her, as if hoping she would listen to him and not try to expose the lying girl.  She didn't give any indication she understood, instead staring blankly at him before turning to follow Alya.  

"-So then, Ladybug decided she would tell the world!" Lila finished, as Alya went up to her, "Oh, hi Alya, did you find Marinette?" She asked sweetly, smiling at the reporter.  

Alya nodded, before sitting next to Lila, taking out her phone.  The two of them began the interview, and Marinette winced at the sight, though she still went to sit behind them, trying to think of a way to disprove Lila.  She tapped her fingers against the desk anxiously, as Alya rambled on about how it was so cool that she knew Ladybug. 

"Lila, how do you know Ladybug?" Marinette asked, her tone skeptical as she stared down at the two of them.  Alya paused the recording, turning to Marinette and rolling her eyes. 

Alya said, "Not this again, Mari.  Lila and Ladybug are best friends!" Lila gave Marinette a smirk, while Alya started the recording again, asking questions once more to Marinette's displeasure. 

Just then, Rose and Juleka came into the classroom, with Rose gushing about Chat Noir and Ladybug.  "Can you believe it? They're actually official!" She exclaimed, twirling around in a circle before settling down, "Alya! You're the one who got the picture right?"  Alya nodded in response, smiling. 

"Was this before they got their memories back, or after?" Asked Juleka curiously, her voice slightly above a mumble so Alya could hear.  Alya glanced around, eyes darting from side to side as conversations stopped to listen for an answer. 

Marinette leaned closer, curious as well, would Alya reply yes? That would be lying wouldn't it? Or would she reply no? But then it wouldn't really be official. "I forgot, y'know, yesterday was just a blur. Either way, the picture is there." Alya said smoothly, before turning back to Lila, "You say they had been dating since they first met, and it was love at first sight?" 

Lila smiled, "Yes, it was.  Chat Noir just constantly flirted to keep up appearances.  A little prank, if you may." Alya nodded, grinning.  Marinette couldn't help but scoff at the answer, it was most certainly not love at first fight! She snuck a glance at Adrien, feeling slightly guilty about trying to expose Lila. 

"And you say you know Ladybug in real life?" Alya questioned, turning the camera slightly so it was on the both of them.  

Lila nodded, "Yes. I was akumatized once, into Volpina.  She took me home and we chatted.  Eventually we became best friends, and she revealed her identity to me.  Sadly, I cannot expose her." She giggled softly, before placing a finger to her lips as if this was all a big secret she was sharing with thousands of people. 

"Wow! If I'm correct, you know some other celebrities as well, don't you?" Asked Alya, smiling. 

Lila replied, grinning, "That's correct! I've saved Jagged Stone's cat once, and I've helped Prince Ali with charities.  Don't bother them about me though, they wanted me to keep it on the down-low so I didn't get rushed with reporters."  Marinette rolled her eyes as she heard Lila's answers, saying this on a well-known blog was most certainly not keeping it on the down-low!

"So, that's it folks. Lila here, knows Ladybug and Chat Noir personally, as well as some other celebrities.  And she just gave me the inside scoop, thank you so much, Lila! Make sure to check out all my other videos with Lila Rossi!" Alya stopped the video, tapping on her phone quickly to post it.  

Marinette sighed, Alya just wouldn't listen. 

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you must pick an ally you can trust to fight alongside you on this mission. Once the mission is over, you will get the Miraculous back from them and return it to me."

Marinette's hand hovered over the fox miraculous, with Master Fu staring at her with a concerned gaze.  "Is something the matter, Marinette?" He asked, when he saw her hesitate. 

"N-no.  Nothing's wrong." Marinette said, before grabbing the fox miraculous, "Bye Master!" She called, before leaving, Master Fu stared after her, hoping she would tell him if something were really wrong. 

Marinette quickly transformed, ignoring Tikki's questioning gaze.  She swung over to Alya's place, swinging in through the window to see Alya's computer open to her Instagram, showing her DMs with Lila.  Alya herself wasn't there, Ladybug couldn't help herself, moving slightly closer to the computer to see the screen. 

hey lila!

Hi, Alya, what's up?

well, ur video got so many likes, i was wondering if u would be willing to do another vid with me?

Well, of course, anything to help a friend!  Would Marinette be okay with it though? I don't think she likes me very much.

nah, it'll be fine, she's just jealous of u.

Jealous? Why would she be jealous? 

there's the adrien thing, but i already told her u have no romantic intentions towards him.  and then there's the fact that u know so many famous people! 

Ah, I wish we could be friends, she seems so nice! 

yeah, really, i hoped she would've gotten over her jealousy by now, but ig not. 

Well, she seemed like she could be a nice friend, if she gave me the chance!

she is.  well other tha

It seemed Alya wasn't finished typing her last message, as it was still sitting there, unsent.  The sound of footsteps quickly caused Ladybug to hurry back over to the window, pretending she just got there as she silently fumed. 

"Oh my gosh-  Ladybug? Hi! Is there an akuma? Do you need my help?" Alya asked, as Ladybug stood by the window, trying not to look guilty.

Ladybug shook her head, "Uh, no.  I came to say hi. " She said, hoping Alya would ask about Lila while hiding the miraculous box behind her back.  When Alya only smiled and nodded, she said, "Alright.  I should go now." 

Her foot shifted slightly, the only sign of her lying before she said, "Yeah. Bye, Alya." She stepped out, swinging her yoyo to catch herself before she could fall.  The hero let out a sigh, swinging through the air.  

She swung back to where Chat Noir was battling a cupcake-themed villain.  "M'lady? I thought you were going to get help?" He asked, as he twirled his staff, dodging the villain's blasts.  

"Yeah, I- changed my mind." Replied Ladybug as she swung into battle.  "Lucky Charm!" 

The battle was over quickly after that, with Ladybug being fueled by anger. "Bye Chat Noir." She said, before swinging away to return the miraculous to Master Fu.  She detransformed before going in, handing the miraculous to Master Fu quietly, her mood somber. 

"Alright Marinette. What is wrong?" Master Fu asked, as he gestured for her to take a seat.  Marinette hesitated, before sitting down. 

She sighed, "I didn't give Alya the miraculous.  I just-" She explained what had happened to Master Fu, afraid he would get mad for letting her personal issues affect her.  "And I just couldn't give it to her." She finished, glancing down guiltily.  "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Marinette.  The miraculous should be given to those you trust." Master Fu said, placing a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. 

Marinette protested, "I do trust her-" She stopped mid-sentence to think, coming to a conclusion. "Alright, Master Fu. Thank you." She eventually said, giving him a grateful smile before leaving. 

The old man smiled as he watched her leave, satisfied. 

"If I can't trust Alya, I can't give the miraculous to her.   I want to trust her, but first, she's got to realize Lila's a liar." Marinette said, determined.  She took out her phone, quickly typing a message to Alya, 'hey, alya! i know you think lila's not lying, but does she have any proof? ask her to bring photos of her trip tomorrow.' She pressed send, and then lay her phone on the table after plugging it in.  

A small beep signaled the arrival of a new text, and she picked up her phone again, while changing into her pyjamas.  'jeez, girl, you're really insistent.  but fine, if this'll make you stop making stuff up about lila.' Marinette read, before throwing her phone across the room, annoyed.  Thankfully, it landed on her bed.  

"At least she's doing it though." Marinette grumbled. 

"Who's doing what?" Marinette glanced up, startled, but relaxed slightly when she saw Chat Noir.  He hopped into her room through the balcony trapdoor.  Smiling at her in greeting. 

Marinette said, "Hey Chat, just one of my classmates is lying and I want to prove that she's a liar." She said, giving him a wave.  It was much easier talking to Chat Noir like this, when she didn't have her suit on.  Less, responsibility. 

"Oh.  Hmm.  Well, either way, I just wanted to pop in to say hi to my princess.  I've got to go though, see you around, Marinette." Char Noir said distractedly, before hopping away into the night.  Marinette frowned, confused, he wasn't usually that brazen. 

Tikki zoomed out from behind her bed, "That was weird.  He left pretty quickly" She said to Marinette. 

"Yeah." Replied Marinette before hopping onto her bed, adjusting herself to be comfortable.  It wasn't her job to worry about Chat Noir, he was probably fine. "He's probably fine though, he always is." 

"Hey, girl! Lila brought those pictures!" Called Alya, causing Marinette to frown in confusion.  She didn't expect Lila to be able to fake pictures that quickly.  She ran up the stairs to where Lila was waiting with a smug smile on her face, though she wiped it off as soon as Alya turned back to her, putting on an uncertain smile. 

Lila said, "Hi, Marinette! Alya told me you didn't believe me, so I brought proof! Hopefully, we can be friends now." She said, although to Marinette, her words sounded threatening. 

Marinette glanced at the photos.  They were obviously fake.  "I'll never be friends with liars.  Alya, can't you see? These photos are obviously photo-shopped!" Marinette exclaimed, glancing at Alya while pointing at the pictures. 

"Don't be silly Marinette, they're real.  Don't be like this just because you're jealous.  Lila just wants to be friends with you!" Her best friend retorted, unknowingly angering Marinette even more. 

Marinette exclaimed, "How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not jealous!" She stormed away, causing Alya to roll her eyes, turning to Lila with an apologetic look. 

"I'm sorry about her, she's just in a mood." 

Marinette walked quickly down the hall, while Tikki glanced at her worriedly from her purse.  "Are you okay Marinette?" Tikki asked, cautiously. "Alya was out of line back there." The kwami added, glaring down the hallway.  

"Yeah. I'm fine. It felt good to yell." Replied Marinette, as she turned into the class, quickly snapping her bag shut as she saw some of her classmates in class, though it was only Juleka and Nathanial.  She glanced around, trying to find a place to sit.  She really didn't want to sit beside Alya today.  

Juleka called, "Marinette! Can you come here?" She gestured for Marinette to sit with her.  Marinette smiled as she made her way to the back of the class, curious as to what Juleka wanted. "Hey, Marinette. My brother was wondering when you'd be free? I think he wants to talk to you about something."

"Oh! He can just text me, he does have my number after all, I'd love him- I mean, I'd love to talk to him." She smiled at the shy girl sheepishly.

Juleka replied, "He doesn't want to cross any boundaries, he said. Wanted to make sure you'd be okay with him texting you."

"O-oh, of course that's fine!"

Juleka smiled at her, before typing into her phone.  A few seconds later, Marinette's phone dinged.  Marinette couldn't help but smile as she saw the message.  'hey, marinette!  i guess juleka told you right?'  She quickly typed a message back, 'hey luka, yeah, she did.  what did you want to talk about?' 

Luka replied back, 'oh, well, we should probably talk about this in person.  when are you free?' 

'i'm free after school! we can meet at the bakery if you want?' Marinette typed in return.  

Luka texted back, 'that works for me! see ya then <3' 

Marinette couldn't help but blush as she saw the heart, though she was sure it didn't mean anything. 'cya!' 

Ms. Bustier came in a few minutes later, along with Alya and Lila. "Marinette, Lila told me you were bullying her before class, is that true?" The teacher questioned, glaring sternly at Marinette. 

Marinette gazed, eyes wide at the teacher, "Of course not! I got here early today!" She protested, shaking her head. 

"It's true.  We were talking to her." Juleka said, giving Marinette a small smile.

Lila glared at them, though nobody else seemed to notice, "Oh, Ms. Bustier, I feel so guilty, now Marinette is making people back her up!" She turned to Ms. Bustier with wide eyes, glimmering with tears.  "Please don't believe them, Ms. Bustier." 

Alya took a step forward, staring at Marinette, "Lila told me she chased after you, but you told her that you hated her, and she was a worthless and stupid person that would lose all their friends.  I can't believe you would do that, Marinette!" She exclaimed, as Marinette stared, wide-eyed at her 'best friend.' 

"Marinette, to the principal's office, now!  Juleka, Alya and Lila, go with her." Commanded Ms. Bustier, pointing at the door.  She couldn't believe her own eyes, Marinette was supposed to set a good example for everyone else!

Marinette stood up, with Juleka following her example, and the four of them made their way to the principal's office.  Lila walked at the back of the group, already thinking of a plan.  They were almost at the stairs, about to walk down when Lila quickly made her way to where Marinette was, shoving her down the stairs before shouting, "Oh my god! Marinette! Are you okay?" 

"I'm fine.  Why did you push me, Lila?" Marinette asked, as she picked herself up, wincing a bit at the pain.  Alya glanced at Lila, a little suspicious. 

Lila glanced at Alya, smirking to herself as Juleka made her way to stand beside Lila.  "I didn't push you, what are you talking about? You tripped!"  Alya believed her, as she always did.   Next, came the finale, to ruin Juleka.  Honestly, she never liked the goth girl anyways.  Although, she might get hurt from this, but she had to sacrifice somethings. 

"Ah!" She yelped, as she leaned back, falling down the stairs.  Juleka, being a kind person, reached out with both hands to try and save her, but alas, this only helped Lila.  Lila started crying as soon as she hit the bottom, "Why did you push me?" She sobbed, smirking at Juleka's shocked look, with both her arms still stretched out.  She could feel Marinette's glare on her, but didn't pay it any mind as she watched Alya glare at Juleka. 

Alya said, "How could you, Juleka? I thought you two were friends! I guess Marinette is rubbing off on you." She humphed, before rushing down the stairs to help Lila.  Juleka followed as Marinette stood up, crossing her arms just as the principal's door opened, revealing Mr. Damocles.  

"What is going on here?!" Exclaimed the principal as he stood, staring down at the four of them.  

Alya rushed to explain before anyone else could, "Marinette tripped and fell down the stairs and blamed Lila, then Juleka pushed Lila, probably to get revenge!" She said while glaring at Marinette and Juleka, who were standing at the side, with Marinette rubbing her leg in pain.  

"All of you! Into my office!"

Chapter Text

"I have to say, girls. I am very disappointed in your behaviour.  Ms. Dupain-Cheng and Ms. Couffaine, it's not right to blame things on your classmates, or push others." Mr. Damocles spoke, stern as he stared at the four girls.  He was sitting in his chair in his office, with the four girls standing across from him. 

Marinette protested, "That's not what happened though! Lila really did push me! Then she fell on her own!" She glared at Lila.  Even though she hated the Italian girl, she had to admit, Lila was smart. 

"That's enough. I'm sorry to say I will have to call your parents." The principal obviously did not believe Marinette, to both her and Juleka's annoyance. 

Alya spoke, "But I didn't do anything! I'm sure you don't have to call my parents." The principal nodded, accepting her words, before picking up the phone sitting on his desk, flipping through the student files to find their parent's phone numbers.  

"Hello, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng." He called Marinette's mother first, exchanging pleasantries before saying, "I need you to come to school, your daughter had been caught up in some trouble." He listened for a second, before continuing, "Yes, that would be fine.  Okay.  Thank you." 

Marinette glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest. 

He ignored her, finding Juleka's folder next.  They watched as he held the phone up to his ear for a few minutes, before they finally heard a faint voice. "Yes-  This is Juleka's school.  Mrs. Couffaine, please calm down.  Yes.  Yes, I realize that.  But I need you to come to the school. No we're not- Yes. Thank you." He seemed a bit frazzled from the conversation, causing Juleka to snicker, knowing how her mother could be. 

He flicked through Lila's files, about to punch in the phone number before Lila spoke, in a sweet voice, "Oh, Mr. Damocles, my mother's very busy working at the embassy, and I'm sure she wouldn't want to be bothered about something so small." She smiled at him, the perfect show of a caring daughter. 

"O-oh.  Well, of course." 

Juleka finally spoke out, quiet at first, though it got louder, "That's not fair though.  You called our parents, and they're busy too!" 

Mr. Damocles glared at her, "This is an entirely different situation. Don't say anything if you don't know what you're doing." He sneered, before leaning back in his chair, placing Lila's files back.  "Ms. Cesaire, you may go back to class." He told Alya, who nodded, walking out of the room quickly. 

The door of the office burst open minutes after Alya left, revealing an annoyed-looking Anarka Couffaine, with a concerned Sabine and Tom behind her.  "Now, what is this business about." The 'captain' demanded, walking into the office and placing a hand on the principal's desk.  Marinette gasped as she saw Luka quietly slip in after the adults, giving her a reassuring smile before putting a hand on Juleka's shoulder. 

"Who is this?" Mr. Damocles seemed flustered as he pointed to Luka, "Only the kids and parents allowed!" He exclaimed, before making a shooing motion with his hand.

Anarka scoffed, "This here is ma boy Luka. He will stay." Sabine and Tom came up behind Marinette, who was sitting beside Juleka, with Lila on her other side. Lila gave a sickly sweet smile to Luka, who only gave her a blank look in return. 

"Alright.  Well, Mrs and Mr Dupain Cheng-"

Sabine interrupted him, "I'm just Mrs. Cheng.  My husband here is Mr. Dupain." She corrected, shooting Marinette a smile before turning her gaze onto the principal. 

"Right. Mrs. Cheng and Mr. Dupain, your daughter has been lying and accusing her fellow classmate of pushing her down the stairs." The principal said after a brief moment of regaining his composure, standing up as he spoke. 

Tom said, his voice low, "Our daughter is not a liar.  This is the second time you have accused her of lying.  I assume it is once again because of this-  Lila." He gave a glare to the italian girl, who only smiled in return, making sure to seem innocent. 

"Oh, I'm sure Marinette didn't mean to take it that far.  I mean, she's been bullying me but it hasn't ever-" Lila gasped in the middle of her sentence, her hands flying to her mouth as if she hadn't just lied.  "I didn't mean to say that." The girl continued. 

Mr. Damocles frowned, "You say she has also been bullying you?" Sabine stepped forward, angry.  She knew her daughter wasn't a bully. 

"My daughter would never do that. You, are the one lying." She told Lila, glaring sternly at the young girl. Luka stepped up, gazing at the principal. 

He spoke, his voice gently, "Mrs. Cheng is right, Marinette is not that type of girl.  I know her, and she's the sweetest person I've ever met.  She would never bully people for her own gain." Marinette flushed slightly as his words, smiling at him. 

Anarka spoke before Mr. Damocles could, "If my boy says she's a good lass, then I agree with him!" She spoke with conviction, certain in her son's ability to judge people. 

Juleka spoke as well, "Luka's right, Marinette's really nice.  I never pushed Lila either. She's the one lying." Though her voice was soft, everyone heard them, and Anarka gave her daughter a proud smile for speaking out for her friend and herself. 

"W-well-" The principal stammered, unsure what to say now that everyone was argueing against his most-prized student.  He was a weak man and wasn't used to having to defend himself, or anyone else.  "Ms. Rossi? Do you have anything to say about this?" 

The liar willed herself to tear up, a tear slowly dripping down her cheek as she spoke, "Juleka really did push me! I don't even know why Marinette would lie like that though? I just wanted to be friends but-  but- " She dropped the rest of her sentence, her words dissolving into sobs.  

Mr. Damocles straightened up, determined to protect his 'favourite' student. "Well, I'm sorry to say that because there has been no evidence, we cannot jump to conclusions and give them serious punishments, but Marinette and Juleka will have detention for two days to reflect on their actions.  Is that acceptable?" In other words, they didn't have evidence, so he couldn't expel them, but he'd still punish them.

Lila nodded, "Oh, thank you." She said, drying the tears from her eyes.  She knew not to push anymore. 

"I suppose." Sabine said, though she wasn't really happy within. Damocles was still the principal of the school, after all.  Tom followed her example, leading Marinette out of the room. 

Anarka harumphed, exiting the room with Juleka and Luka, whose hands tightened into a fist, grinding his teeth.  There were few things Luka Couffaine couldn't stand, and one of them was his loved ones being hurt. Especially when he knew Lila was lying. 

Lila stayed in the office, presumably to talk to Mr. Damocles some more. Marinette immediately went to Luka's side when he walked out, frowning when she noticed his clenched fists. She glanced around the hallway they stood in, eyes catching on a purple butterfly, slowly making it's way over to Luka. 

"Luka, calm down." Marinette spoke softly. 

Luka took a deep breath in, deep breath out.  

The two of them stood away from the others, while the adults chatted and Juleka made her way back to her classroom alone, after taking one glance at her brother and friend. 

Lila came out just when Luka started to breathe easier, and his whole body tensed, the akuma flying closer and closer to the guitarist. Marinette knew she couldn't transform in front of everyone, let alone Lila. 

"Breathe, Luka, breathe for me, okay? Everything's gonna be okay." She knew Luka was the one who usually comforted her, but it was her turn to help him. 

Luka let out another loose breath, slowly relaxing as Marinette held his hand, her touch centring him. "Okay.  I'm okay." He said, as he closed his eyes, slowly opening them after a minute and watching with satisfaction as the butterfly flapped away. "Thank you, Marinette." He said, smiling as he glanced down at their hands. 

Marinette flushed as soon as the akuma flew away, immediately jumping away as if burned. "I'm sorry- Did I cross any boundaries? Did I make you uncomfortable? I know I should've asked for permission but the akuma and-"

He cut her off, gazing gently at her, "I could never be uncomfortable with you." Marinette blushed, her cheeks slowly turning into the red of her Ladybug suit, and she glanced down at the floor, unsure what to say in response. 

"Marinette! Marinette, are you okay?" A voice interrupted the two of them, causing both of them to look up, only to spot a frazzled Adrien running towards them.  "Alya said something about Lila, and then Juleka came back and said you fell and then- Oh- Hi, Luka." He seemed to just realize Luka was standing there, and shot him a quick smile before turning back to Marinette. 

Marinette said, "Yeah- I mean, yes, I'm fine. Thanks."

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck a bit sheepishly, "I know I may not have been that good of a friend lately. It's my first time. But I just wanted to make sure you're okay? I know I told you to take the high road, and I'm glad you listened, but are you sure you're alright?" He asked, concerned. 

"Yes, Adrien, I'm fine, thank you." Marinette spoke with a bit of a wince at his words, feeling Luka tense beside her.  

Adrien nodded, his gaze flickering to Luka before focusing back on Marinette. "That's good. You're one of my best friends, Marinette." 

"Yeah. You're one of my best friends too." Marinette said, an almost pained expression on her face.  Yes, she was moving on. She knew that. She might even admit that she might be falling for someone else. But Adrien was still her first crush. It was a little hard to let go.

It was the end of class, and Ms. Bustier had let them know that Marinette had gone home early.  Nino leaned in close to her, pressing a kiss onto her cheek before asking her.  "Hey, babe? You alright?" 

"Yeah- Yeah, I'm okay, Nino. Just a bit, confused." Alya spoke, packing up her stuff.

Nino smiled, leading her out of the class, "What's wrong? Also, do you know why Marinette left early?" 

"Yeah." Alya glanced to the floor, a downcast expression on her face. "Marinette accused Lila of pushing her down the stairs, after Lila told me that Marinette had been bullying her.  Then, Juleka pushed Lila down the stairs.  I just-" 

Nino cut her off, "Woah- Slow down- Babe, are you sure? Marinette's not the type to do that." 

"I know, I know, she's my best friend for goodness sake! But you know how crazy she can get over Adrien, hell, she even has his schedule memorized!" Alya spoke, not mentioning the fact that she was the one who had pushed Marinette to Adrien multiple times. "I hate how she's turning into a different person though.  I wish I could do something." Alya continued, ignoring Nino's 'thinking' face. 

"Oh! I know, I'll just go over today, and then I'll talk some sense into her!" Alya decided, giving Nino a peck on the lips before jogging out of the school, leaving a concerned Nino behind. 

Nino sighed, "I need to talk to Marinette too." 

"Marinette!" Alya called, having caught up to Marinette just as she was about to head over to the Couffaine's houseboat, where Luka had asked to meet her. 

Marinette hesitated, "Alya?" She questioned, confused. 

"Mari, we need to talk. I know you might not like Lila, but you're taking it a bit too far." Marinette began to say something, but Alya only continued, not seeing Marinette's face, "I'm not asking for you two to be friends, but at least be civil." 

Marinette could only nod, not wanting any more disagreements between the two of them. 

"Good! Now, where are you heading?" Alya asked, looping her arm through Marinette's as Marinette started walking. 

Marinette sighed, answering, "To the houseboat, Luka asked to talk to me after the band practice." Alya grinned, nodding as she studied Marinette's face. 

"Awesome, that's where I'm headed too!" Alya said, dragging Marinette into a light jog as she led her to the houseboat, the two of them out of breath by the time they got there when a smiling Rose led them onto the boat. Most of the class was also there, excluding Adrien, of course. 

Luka was practicing his guitar downstairs, where the rest of the group was as well.  Marinette brought him a drink, smiling. She was glad for this distraction away from well-  all the drama.  Lila wasn't here either, so it was truly a break for the over-whelmed Marinette.

"You're so talented, Luka. How long have you been playing for?" Marinette asked, as Alya sat down, and started recording the rest of the band. Luka smiled at her, strumming another note. 

Luka replied, "Since I was in diapers." He winked at her, strumming a short tune as Marinette giggled, not noticing the other girls talking on the couch.

"I get a feeling Marinette likes Luka a lot." Alix spoke, as she looked at the two of them. 

Alya replied, "At least she can have a normal conversation with him without getting all blahblah blahblah blahblah blahblah!" She emphasized her words with hand motions, though she was joking, she knew Marinette and Adrien, or well, Adrienette as the girls had deemed it, were meant to be. 

"I guess you mean not like when she's with Adrien." Mylene let out a small chuckle. 

Alix nodded, staring thoughtfully at the two of them, "And at least Luka gets to go out whenever he wants."

The three of them didn't notice Kagami and Adrien making their way over to the two of them. Kagami may have moved on from Adrien, but Adrien was still her friend, and it was still fun to spend time with him. 

"They're so cute together." Mylene commented. 

Adrien followed the direction they were looking at, "You think?" He asked, as he stared at Luka and Marinette. The girls on the couch let out a surprised gasp, glancing back to find Adrien. 

"I agree. Luka and Marinette seem to get along very well." Kagami nodded, she approved of Marinette's and Luka's relationship, they seemed like a healthy match for each other. 

Alya exclaimed, "Adrien! Kagami!" She drew Luka and Marinette's attention, and Marinette walked over to greet her friends. 

"Hi Adrien, hey Kagami!" She gave them both a smile, handing the two of them a drink from the tray she held in her hand. Kagami smiled back, taking the drink and taking a sip, nodding appreciatively. 

Kagami spoke, "Nice to see you too, Marinette. Have you come to watch your boyfriend rehearse?" She watched with amusement as Marinette stammered something along the lines of, 'not my boyfriend.' Luka only smiled, giving Kagami and Adrien a nod and a wave. 

Shouting came from above deck, and they all made their way up, concerned.  They found a angry-looking Anarka, and a pleading Jagged Stone playing piano on top of a truck? 

"You know perfectly well you were my first choice. You're the only one, Nanarky." Jagged spoke, his classic Eiffel tower sunglasses, courtesy of Marinette perched on his head. 

Juleka and Luka glanced at each other, speaking in unison, "Nanarky?"

"You can't fool me, pirate. I bet you threw your guitarist overboard again!" Anarka replied, hands on her hip as she leaned forwards to berate him. 

Jagged protested, "No, I swear, I didn't. She sailed away from me, she left me in the lurch. Look how perfect we were together. Come back and play with me, Nanarky." 

"We're not co-captains anymore. I sail alone now, skipper." Anarka said, firm. 

Jagged glanced around the ship, his eyes catching on Marinette, and he grinned, "Marinette! You're here! The awesome designer of these rock 'n' roll shades of mine. I'm sure you can help me. I need a guitarist like yesterday. Do you play guitar?" 

Marinette shared a glance with Luka, confused, "Me? -Guitar? I-I can play a few notes on the flute, but I don't think-" An idea struck her, and she quickly continued, "No wait, Jagged. I know the perfect musician."

"Really? You rock, Marinette!" Jagged spoke happily. 

Marinette nodded, gesturing to Luka, "Yeah.  This is Luka! He's amazing-  I mean- He's amazing on the guitar-" She stammered out, and Luka smiled at her, thank you, his eyes seemed to say, before his gaze went back to Jagged. 

"Hmm, he does seem rather rock-n-roll." Jagged contemplated, "What's your last name, boy?"

Luka spoke, "Couffaine. Luka Couffaine.  I'm- Anarka's son." He spoke a bit uncertainly, as if he knew where this might go, but it seemed to real to be true. 

"You're-" Jagged seemed shocked, his eyebrows flying up, and his jaw dropping as he glanced to Anarka, who only nodded slightly, confirming his thoughts. 

A voice interrupted before he could continue, "Jagged Stone! So you fire me, and now you want to replace me with what? A school-kid?" A woman appeared, standing on a sign, obviously akumatized. 

"Vivica? Is that you?" Jagged asked. 

The akuma spoke, "There ain’t no more Vivica! There's only Desperada now. If I can't be your guitarist anymore, I'm gonna make sure nobody can!" Anarka looked smug, and she pointed a finger at Jagged. 

"Ah-hah! You ship rat! I knew you were lying. Vivica didn't leave you. You dropped her just like you would drop me before-" She trailed off, and Desperada looked even more furious. 

Desperada shouted, "What? You were thinking of replacing me with her?" 

Anarka turned furious, "Hey! -- I'm a much better guitarist than you, and I was his first choice." 

"In that case, you'll be my first choice too! " Desperada took out a trumpet, aiming it at Anarka before a golden beam shot out of it, and Anarka disappeared to everyone's horror, as her face appeared as a sticker on Desperada's case. "I never miss a musical note. Vivica always hits her targets!" 

Marinette had ran downstairs as soon as she saw the akuma, and she quickly transformed, leaping out of one of the windows downstairs before swinging her yo-yo to make her way back on the street, where she observed the akuma. 

Luka dragged Adrien onto the street and off the boat while Desperada 'disappeared' everyone else on the boat. Ladybug let out a sigh of relief as she saw that Luka was safe, and she quickly grabbed Desperada's attention before the akuma could shoot at Luka and Adrien. 

"I may not play a guitar, but I do play the yo-yo. Care for a duet?" She called. 

Desperada snarled, "Solo!" 

Chapter Text

𝐇𝐢, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞!

𝐈 𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭, 

𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧, 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞. 

𝐀𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐈 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐱𝐞𝐝, 𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧. 

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠, 

𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞!

~ 𝐄𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐚

Chapter Text

"Where's Cat Noir?" Luka asked to himself, as he glanced around the area, worried for Ladybug as she fought the villain, Adrien stiffened beside him, looking guiltily at the ground. 

Adrien spoke, "He might not make it here in time." 

"Then we must help Ladybug." Luka said, determined, as he played his guitar, effectively distracting Desperada enough for Ladybug to throw the akuma away, causing a part of the bridge Desperada landed on to collapse. 

Ladybug ran over to the two boys, "This way -- quick!" She led them to the sewers, ignoring Desperada's angry shouts slowly fading behind her. 

"You shouldn't have put yourself in danger like that. But- thank you." She said, smiling at Luka.  Adrien glanced between the two of them, feeling a little uncomfortable. He liked Luka, but the way Ladybug was looking at him, it almost seemed- fond?

Luka smiled back, " You can count on us whenever you need help."

"I appreciate it, but when you're dealing with a supervillain, it's better to have a partner with superpowers. Speaking of which-" Ladybug pulled out her yo-yo, calling Chat Noir and frowning when she only reached voicemail. 'Cat got your tongue? Leave a message.' "Okay." Ladybug closed her yo-yo, putting it back on her hip before shouting, "Lucky Charm!"

A gong fell into her arms, and she gazed at it for a second, before an idea seemed to hit her.  Luka and Adrien stared, confused at the large gong. "A gong? What're you gonna do with that?" Luka asked, puzzled. 

Chapter Text

"Marinette! It's time for school, you're going to be late!" Sabine's voice cut through Marinette's dream, sending her sitting up, suddenly awake. Glancing at the time, her eyes widened before she jumped off her bed, quickly changing out of her pyjamas. 

So much for starting off the day on a good note. 

Running down the stairs, she muttered under her breath, "I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" Grabbing the bagel her father had placed on the table for her, she ran out the door after a quick 'goodbye!' to her parents. 

Marinette ran all the way to school, with Tikki tucked into her purse. "Ms. Bustier! Sorry, I'm late, I overslept and-" The excuse was cut off by her teacher, who gave here a stern look but only said, "Try not to make it a habit." Before sending her off to her seat next to Alya. 

"Girl! You're late again, honestly, how are you supposed to confess to Adrien if you can't even make it to school on time." Alya whispered, gently elbowing Marinette. 

Ignoring the last part of her sentence, Marinette only gave Alya a apologetic smile, "You know me. Anyways, can you call a meeting with the girls after school, I have something I want to talk to you all about." She whispered back, giving a small smile to Adrien when he turned around, and gave her that smile she had fallen for. 

"Now, Marinette, since you are class president, would you like to tell the class about the trip you planned for us?" Ms. Bustier spoke, with a glance at Marinette. 

Right. The trip she couldn't go to because she was Ladybug. 

Stifling her sigh, Marinette stood up and began speaking. 

"Alright, the official meeting shall begin now!" Alya announced to the other girls gathered around her, sitting in the shade of a tree in the park.  Juleka sat next to Marinette, as far as she could be from Alya. Rose sat beside her, Mylene sat on one side of Alya and Alix sat between Alya and Marinette. 

Marinette shifted, uncomfortable. It had seemed so easy when she had said it last night. But she had already gone through this once! It hadn't really worked, but maybe it would this time. 

Sucking in a breath, Marinette spoke, "Well, I just wanted to tell everyone that I'm moving on from Adrien. In fact, I've moved on.  Thank you for helping me, but I've realized that this has been really toxic for me." 

Alya immediately protested, standing up, "Marinette! Will you stop being so ridiculous-" 

"No, Alya, I'm not being ridiculous. It's my decision, thank you very much. You would know if you bothered to listen to me. I also wanted to tell you, yet again, that Lila is lying! She's been lying ever since she's stepped foot in our school. She doesn't know Jagged Stone, he never had a kitten, or wrote a song about her, and there's no way she's best friends with Ladybug! Can you please just listen to me for once instead of immediately believing someone you barely know?"

The words flowed out without stopping, and Marinette found herself almost screaming in frustration in the end.  She really didn't mean to say the part about Lila, but couldn't help herself. 

Rose whimpered, shifting so she was behind Juleka. Mylene seemed to be in shock, while Alix's mouth had dropped open.  Alya, seemed to be a mixture of shock and anger. 

Marinette watched with wary eyes as Alya opened her mouth. 

"I don't understand you, Marinette! You and Adrien are perfect! You just need to work harder. Also, why is it that you're so jealous about Lila? She's given us proof. She's a really good friend, and she's always tried to be nice to you. Honestly, Marinette, can you stop behaving so childishly and-" 

Marinette couldn't stand it anymore, grabbing her bag, she left the rest of the girls, running back to the bakery while tears slowly formed in her eyes. 

She ran upstairs, ignoring her mother's concerned stare as she dropped her bag on her bag, letting Tikki fly out with a worried look in her eyes. "Marinette?" She asked quietly, as Marinette started to sob, curled up on the carpet. 

"I- I didn't mean to say all that. Alya's my best friend but-" The rest of her words dissolved into sobs, as Marinette curled her knees against her chest. 

A gently knock on her trapdoor had Marinette glancing up. 

"C-come in!" She called quietly, wiping the tears from her face in a effort to calm herself down.  Her eyes widened as Luka pulled himself into the room, walking over to her just as Tikki flew behind a cushion. 

He sat next to her, silently pulling her into a hug. "Juleka sent me over." He murmured, gently rubbing her back. "Are you alright?" He asked after a little bit, leaning back a little so he could see her face. Marinette shook her head, a tear running down her cheek. 

Stretching out a hand, Luka gently wiped her tear away. "I'm here for you." He told her, wrapping a arm around her shoulder in silent comfort. 

"Luka- I- My friends- I tried to tell them but they just wouldn't listen and Alya!" She didn't have it in herself to finish here sentence, only leaned into him. 

Luka smiled sadly, before speaking in a soft voice, "It's going to be okay, Marinette. Take some time for yourself, okay? You come first, alright?" Marinette took in a shuddering breath, letting herself breath for a moment before smiling up at him. 

"You always know what to say." 

Sabine glanced up as Luka led Marinette down the stairs, and into the kitchen. "Tom!" She called, after one glance at Marinette's face, "Let's go out to get some groceries!" She knew Marinette needed some time before she would be ready to tell them what happened, and she trusted Luka with Marinette. 

"We just bought-" Tom cut himself off as he came out of the backroom, sharing a glance with Sabine before he took off the apron around his waist. "-Right." He followed Sabine out the door, with one last concerned glance at his daughter. 

Luka smiled at Marinette, who had dried her tears, though her eyes remained puffy and red. "I remember you once told me you would teach me how to bake a cake, are you gonna keep that promise?" He gently teased, causing her to smile up at him. 

"Why, of course." She said, before grabbing two aprons from the cupboard and tossing one to Luka, who caught it easily. "Put that on." She ordered, already moving around to grab the ingredients. 

Luka chuckled, "Bossy." Then with a wink- "I like it." He pulled the apron over his head, tying it with nimble fingers around his waist before moving to stand beside the table. 

"We're making-" Marinette paused to grab a mixing bowl before continuing, "An easy chocolate cake. The first one I learned how to make, in fact." Luka's gaze swept over the ingredients she had laid out on the table-- flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, eggs, milk, salt, oil, vanilla extract, and there was water boiling in a pot. 

Marinette was a whirlwind of action as she moved around the kitchen, instructing Luka to do this- and not that as she checked to make sure the batter he had been mixing was smooth. "There's lumps, Luka, lumps!" She exclaimed, and Luka only laughed, before flicking the leftover flour on the table at her.  

"Luka!" She screeched, before grabbing a handful of flour and throwing it all at the laughing boy. Luka moved the mixing bowl out of the way before moving over to Marinette, shaking his flour filled hair onto her. 

Marinette glared up at him with faux anger, a pout forming on her lips. Luka's lips twitched upwards into a smirk, before he brushed a stray hair out of her face, letting his fingers linger longer than necessary. Marinette's cheeks flushed red, and she moved out of his way, grabbing the bowl and mixing it a little more ferociously than needed before pouring in the boiling water. 

She handed the bowl to Luka again, ignoring his low chuckle as she said, "Stir." Marinette grabbed the pan she had prepared a few minutes earlier, taking the bowl from Luka and carefully pouring the batter into the pan. Luka watched her with admiring eyes, and a soft smile on his lips. 

Moving quickly, Marinette placed the pan into the oven, before closing it gently. "Now-" She moved to stand next to Luka, "-We wait." 

Sabine and Tom came home to Marinette and Luka laughing, with Marinette tossing the bag of flour at him, and Luka rushing to catch it before it could fall onto the floor. "Sweetie, we're home!" Sabine called, amusement in her eyes as she watched Luka straighten up and quickly place the bag on the table. 

"Maman- Papa? You're home early." Marinette said, surprised. They usually took at least an hour when they shopped. She looked down at her apron, unsurprised to see it covered with flour and other ingredients. She suspected her face and hair were the same. 

Tom raised an eyebrow, moving past her to go bring the groceries into the backroom, "It's been two hours, already." He called back, chuckling. 

Marinette's eyes widened, "Oh- I'm sorry for keeping you for so long- The cake should be cooled down by now too, you can take some home-" She rambled to Luka, who only smiled at her, cutting three slices from the cake to take home to his family. 

"Thanks for having me." He said, to boh Marinette and her mother, "I'll see you next time, Melodie?" He chuckled as Marinette turned bright red, before leaving the bakery. 

"Melodie, hm?" Sabine asked, patting Marinette's shoulder. "Just don't let your father know yet. We don't want a repeat of last time do we?" She continued, referring back to the 'weredad' akumatization.

Marinette shook her head quickly, "No-no, maman, we're just friends!" 

"If you say so, sweetheart." Was the only thing her mother said in reply, before moving into the back room to help Tom unpack. 

Quickly running up to her room, Marinette sat down on her bed, giggling as Tikki flew around her. "That was- Really good." She said, shoulders loosening. Probably the most fun I've had in a while. Were the words that went through her head. 

Grabbing her sketchbook from her desk, she opened it up, flipping through the pages. The first few was from the summer before she was Ladybug, it was mostly filled with quick sketches of designs, and were nowhere as good as her designs were now. The next pages were from after Master Fu had given her the miraculous, and the designs were mostly for her friends. She had designed banners for Alix, clothes for Alya, as well as some other things her classmates had asked from her. 

Flipping to the most recent design, a dress for Alya, Marinette started to realize how little of her designs now were not for her classmates and other friends.  "Wow." She breathed out, closing the sketchbook. 

Maybe Luka was right. Maybe I should start being a little selfish. Alya won't listen to me, neither will my other friends, besides Luka, Juleka and Kagami and I haven't been doing the things I used to enjoy. 

Opening her sketchbook again, Marinette grabbed a pencil, and idea already coming to mind. She stayed in her bed, sketching, until the sun had already set. Setting her pencil down, she admired the design she had just drew out. 

A black hoodie, with a snake's body stretching from the back to the right arm. It was complete with a large pocket in the front, and the letter 'V' embroidered on the left arm. It wasn't hard to tell where she had gotten inspiration from. 

Satisfied with the sketch, she started looking through her materials, eventually finding a soft black material her grandmother had gotten for her. 

Cutting out the pieces from the fabric, Marinette quickly finished the pocket first, before moving onto the shoulder seams. Just as she was about to finish, a 'thump' sounding from beside her had her looking up, only to come face to face with Chat Noir. 

"Hey, princess." He greeted leaning on his staff with a grace she was sure was practiced. 

Pausing in her movements, Marinette returned the greeting, "Hi, Chat. What brings you here? Don't you have uh- Hero duties?" She asked, knowing he in fact, did. She had set up the patrol schedule herself. 

"Ah- Nope. Just wanted to check in. What are you doing?" He asked, standing up straight and letting his baton return back to it's normal size. A slight frown made it's way onto her face, though it quickly dissipated as she waved a hand. 

"Just working on a design." She said, blue eyes meeting green. 

Chat Noir nodded, "RIght. Y'know, I really wanted to talk to you, you always have the best advice. I feel like Ladybug has been avoiding me lately. I mean, sure, I've seen m'lady at battles and such, but we've stopped out nighttime chats. Do you think she's mad at me?" He asked. 

Taken aback by the sudden question, Marinette took a second to think of a good way to respond. It was true she had been avoiding Chat Noir of late, but it was only so he would stop pursuing, and trying to ask her out. 

"Maybe you should try giving her some space? I don't think she likes it much when you keep on asking her out and confessing your love to her." Marinette said, a bit absentmindedly. She didn't expect Chat Noir to stiffen, green eyes narrowing behind the mask. 

His voice was cold as he spoke, "You know nothing of our relationship. Ladybug loves me." He declared. 

"Then how come she's always rejecting you?" Marinette asked, a bit prickly now. What Chat Noir had just told her was a straight up lie. He knew it too. For a moment, she wanted to transform, just to punch the living daylights out of the 'hero.'

Chat Noir spoke again, "She's not. It's all a show. Didn't you see the image on the Ladyblog?" He asked, acting as if he was superior, as if he was above her. 

"You should go." Was all Marinette said in reply, "It wouldn't do for Ladybug to find out her partner had been talking to a civilian about their relationship status." 

Chat Noir rolled his eyes, obviously still angry, but he left quickly, not bothering with goodbyes and false good wishes. 

"He got angry quickly." Tikki remarked, flying out from behind her sewing materials. Marinette nodded, a frown gracing her lips before she shook her head, clearing her thoughts. She refused to let some stray ruin her newfound happiness. 

Returning to the sweater-in-progress, she quickly finished the shoulder seams, and begin sewing the sleeves. It took some time for her to finish the sleeves, and by the time she was finished, it was quite late. Yawning, Marinette set the half-finished hoodie down, before changing into her pyjamas. 

"G'night Tikki." She mumbled, before she fell asleep, feeling Tikki snuggle into the pillow beside her head. 

"Marinette! It's all your fault!" 

Alya's voice. 

"How could you be so selfish, Paris depends on you, y'know?"

Chat Noir. 

"I told you guys Marinette was a horrible person! I'm glad you all realized."

Lila. 

"I'm very disappointed in you Marinette."

Master Fu. 

You really let us down, Marinette. 

Her parents. 

I thought you were better than that.

Luka. 

Marinette jolted upright, breathing heavily. There were trail-tracks on face, from the tears that she didn't remember shedding. It's just a nightmare.  She reminded herself, yet her hands still shook as she reached for her phone, fingers tapping on the call button. 

"Marinette?"

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down before she replied. "Hi, Luka. I'm sorry- I know it's late but- Can- Can you play something to me?" She didn't want to explain what had happened, didn't want to relive the nightmare. She was glad when Luka didn't ask questions, and for a moment she only heard shuffling around before he replied. 

"Of course." 

Then the music started. Soft at first, and thought it didn't get any faster, it rose in volume before quieting down again, and she breathed along with the music, holding her phone close to her chest. Lying back down, she let the music slowly soothe her, and it was almost as if Luka was right there beside her. 

She eventually fell asleep, and Luka stopped a few minutes after. 

"Goodnight Marinette. You deserve sweet dreams."