Things could most certainly get worse.

When Ladybug thought she'd hit rock bottom by hitting her partner with a condom wrapper, she was surprised to see her day move progressively downhill. For example, Chat Noir had found it hilarious that she'd struck him with such an item, asking her to at least take him for dinner first, but the cringeworthy story didn't end there.

It seemed she might not have 'beef' with Adrien Agreste, but Chat Noir most certainly did. She knew at one point he had had a thing for Kagami but it seemed he was playing up for her benefit again, constantly smack talking Adrien as they swam in the pool outside their villa. She hadn't realised cannonballing could be so competitive. But there they were, splashing around as though they were in a newly-proclaimed Olympic event.

Only being able to take the slanging match between her new and old crush for so long, she snatched up her dress for the evening, taking it into the bathroom to change, along with her annoyance.

Grabbing her toothbrush aggressively, she squeezed some toothpaste onto the bristles and scrubbed the little bones like she was trying to get the black burn marks from a pan—hard and without consideration.

"Slow down, Ladybug," Tikki yelled, looping around and trying to take the toothbrush out of her holder's hand. Swatting the red bug away, Marinette continued her molar massacre with hard, uncoordinated strokes.

"No," she retorted in the most adolescent way.

"Marinette," Tikki hissed quietly, using unknown ninja skills on the toothbrush and sending it flying across the room. If she wasn't so pissed off, she would have been impressed. "What is wrong with you?"

Marinette walked to the toothbrush and grabbed it from its spot near the toilet. She'd have to bin it and get a new one now—another thing to add to the list. "What is wrong with me?" she replied in disbelief. She threw the toothbrush into the bin before walking back to the sink and cleaning her face. "Me? I'm not the problem."

Tikki placed her tiny flippers on her hips and stared Marinette down. She recoiled back from the ferocious gaze of her kwami.

"Okay, okay. Maybe I'm not handling this situation too well."

"You think?"

Never had Tikki seemed this disappointed by Marinette's behaviour. She was almost certain she was going to get sent home with a note or put her in kwami detention.

"What do you expect me to do? Adrien tells me he loves me and wants to be with me then runs back to his ex two days after I tell him no."

"You told him 'no', Marinette! That's the point! What do you expect him to do? Wait around forever?"

Marinette huffed. "He's meant to wait more than two days."

"Pot calling kettle."

"You can't compare me to him."

Tikki shook her head. "Yes I can. Two names; Luka and Chat Noir."

With a scoff, Marinette took her tee off, followed by her shorts and discarded it in a pile on the bathroom floor. "That was different."

"How?"

"I didn't love Luka," Marinette exclaimed, turning on the shower and removing her underwear.

"And Chat Noir?"

She stepped under the steaming hot water, closing her eyes as she considered how to respond to Tikki. "Chat Noir is a..." She didn't know how to finish that sentence. What was Chat Noir? Was he a growing love, or just a current infatuation?

"You need to decide what you want, Marinette. Maybe you could contact Kagami as Marinette and ask her where she was at the moment. She might open up to you and tell you the truth."

"Contact her how? By sending a carrier pigeon? I have no phone at the moment."

Tikki sighed. "I'll try and fix it, somehow."

"It doesn't matter," she sighed

She could just save the impending heartache for when she returned home. That way she could call in a healing date night with Alya, popcorn...and Ryan Reynolds. .

She washed her hair, trying not to think about what was happening in the villa next door. They were eighteen, they were on vacation together and...they were on vacation together. It was something she didn't want to think about, or hear.

She climbed out of the shower and paced back to the sink, grabbing her hairbrush and ripping it through the lengths once again. Keeping her eyes focused on the mirror, she went out of her way to make sure Tikki couldn't see the effort that went into ignoring the conversation. It was easier said than done when her tiny friend was burning holes into her.

Slamming the hairbrush down, Marinette turned to look at Tikki. "What?"

With a shake of head, she shrugged her shoulders. "I've said my piece."

A huff escaped Marinette's lips as she continued to prepare for the evening's festivities. She needed to focus now. With Adrien being the playboy she never thought he would be, her heart had made up its mind.

It was time to finally move on from Adrien asshole Agreste—or at least try.

Ladybug stood in the kitchen, swigging a glass of water as she waited for Chat Noir to finish getting ready for the evening. If she thought it took her a while to prune, it was nothing compared to her partner. After her shower, she'd swapped places with him in the bedroom, attempting a sexy saunter in nothing more than a towel as they crossed paths, only for it to unravel and reveal a little more flesh than she wanted to. In a means to save this truly miserable day. She'd pulled out her sexy halter neck dress and placed on her three-inch heels.

She was in the zone to catch herself a cat.

The sound of feet padded down the stairs, and Ladybug turned her attention to her partner, attempting to stand the best way she could—like a lady on a mission. But unfortunately, as she turned to look at her partner, she misplaced her hand. She fell to the side, ending in a very unattractive position sprawled across the floor.

"Are you okay?" The pounding feet sped up as Chat Noir moved in a hurry towards where she was laying on the ground—hair over her eyes and dress riding up around her waist, revealing her red lace panties.

Scrambling around, Ladybug pulled her skirt down, attempting to keep some of her coolness, and some of her modesty.

"Here." Her partner held out his hand to help her up.

Ladybug slipped hers into his, allowing him to pull her back onto her feet. "Thanks."

She felt his eyes take in her dress, moving from the top of her head to the tip of her toes. "You look gorgeous," he said, his voice deep and husky. Maybe she should flash her panties more often.

"Thanks," she whispered. "You look very handsome yourself."

Chat Noir's wide, glorious smile took over his lips. "Why, thank you. I thought I needed a good grooming before taking you out on the town." He held out his arms and spun around in a slow circle, pulling a giggle from her lips.

"You're so vain," she joked, smacking him on the arm.

"You call it vain; I call it appreciative."

"Of yourself?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Self-love is the first step towards a happy life."

Ladybug couldn't help but giggle again. "Sometimes I wonder if you're just as bad out of the suit."

"Technically, I'm not in the suit right now."

He most certainly wasn't. Instead he was in a pair of khaki shorts and a shirt that was both awful and wonderful at the same time. It was a cheesy Hawaiian style that would look ridiculous on anyone else, but with the frame and build of her partner it looked nothing more than a fashion statement.

"Yeah," she said, her words coming out with an embarrassing breathy tone.

He stretched up, rubbing behind his neck with one hand and reaching for the key to the villa with another. "So, are you ready to go?"

She coughed, pulling herself together and thinking more positive thoughts. He'd been kind and caring and called her beautiful. That was a good sign...a really good sign. So all she had to do now was keep it together and not act like a complete idiot.

Easier said than done.