HAPPY HALLOWEEN GUYS AND GALES!!!!!! :)

Enjoy!

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Adrien's P.O.V

I leaped in through my open window and released my transformation.

As always, Plagg would have complained about cheese, but this time, he was laughing his head off at my misfortune. I sat down on my bed tiredly, unsure of how I made it home without falling or confessing anything. Well...almost anything.

I continued to bite down on my lip and kept my hand over my mouth.

"So, are you going to talk my ears off with your secrets or are we going to keep Ladybug waiting?" Plagg said after calming down to mere chuckles and snickering. He floated on his back in midair and waited for me to spill the truth. With a sigh, I removed my hand and discontinued biting my lower lip.

Like an old dam holding in gushing water, I broke loose and let everything flow out of my mouth.

"I have a giant crush on Marinette Dupain-Cheng-"

"We've established that," Plagg stated, making me roll my eyes.

"-I'm Chat Noir and Adrien Agreste. I feel like more of an employee than a son. I am stressed—tired with keeping up a perfect image and pretending that I'm okay with everything when I'm really not. I just want to be myself instead of the perfect role model everyone sees me as. I hate that my father doesn't do anything but keep me locked up or watched on 24/7. He's almost never there when I need him or even remotely talks with me unless it's about business or getting a scolding..." I rambled, rubbing away unshed tears.

"...I really miss my mom, and I wish my father would stop reminding me that she is gone by also not being here for me. I feel so alone and trapped." I sniffled, feeling a couple of tears running down my face. Plagg's ears drooped knowing this information but never really knew how bad it was affecting me.

I dropped my gaze to the floor, feeling pathetic for admitting how I really felt. The truth could be a cruel thing in the wrong hands. I was comfortable enough to tell him my life's burdens weighing down on my shoulders, yet I felt weak at the moment.

So utterly weak and pathetic.

"I-I never told you t-this, P-Plagg," I began, taking in a shaky breath, "b-but I'm so happy and l-lucky to have you a-around, n-no matter h-how much you c-complain about wanting cheese o-or to annoy me to p-pieces. You're like my b-best friend and f-family."

"Kid, I-I know it's h-hard to keep the truth in, b-but can you s-stop being so sentimental," Plagg replied. I could tell he was touched by my words and couldn't help but let out a genuine laugh.

"Plagg," I began, smiling brightly and scratching under his chin, "The truth curse thing wore off a couple of minutes ago." My cat Kwami floated up towards my face and nuzzled my cheek, purring. I sniffled then stood up from the bed, cupping Plagg in my hands.

"I think it's time to go help Buginette," I said and called for my transformation, "Plagg, claws out!"

I felt my suit materialized onto my body then dashed out the window. I felt refreshed after letting out the truth and like I could breathe again. It felt so nice like when I first became Chat Noir and was given an opportunity to have freedom with escaping my room and being myself.

Nothing could dampen my mood...until I arrived at the battlefield.

Ladybug and Truth Seeker were on top of the Notre Dame.

Ladybug was trapped in Truth Seeker's whip and was struggling to break free. Yellow lines covered Ladybug's body from head to toe. She looked absolutely exhausted and weak. I could see her knees trembling from where I was and blood was dripping down her chin from her mouth. I could hear the fate sound of Ladybug's earrings beeping.

I didn't waste a second to call my powers of destruction and sneak up behind Truth Seeker.

"If you do not give in, Ladybug, then the truth will only eat you away like it is right now. You're practically breaking apart! You must keep a lot of secrets and only tell lies to everyone even...yourself," Truth Seeker said. I could see Ladybug flinch and eyeing something behind me.

Tears fell down her beautiful face, and I felt my heartbreak when I saw what she was eyeing.

Oh no.

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Ladybug's P.O.V

After Chat Noir left, I was able to fight Truth Seeker easier. Yet, I couldn't stop hearing Chat's words repeat in my head over and over. I was speechless. My face flushed the same shade of red as my suit and heartbeat pounded out of my chest rapidly.

Did he...did he just say...

Did he just say he has a giant crush on me?!

Not just Ladybug or Marinette but all of me?!

I smiled softly and fondly at the thought, feeling delightful flips in my stomach.

The moment was ruined when Truth Seeker lashed his whip at me. I barely was managed to block the attack and slid a foot back.

He was a very powerful akuma to face and most certainly crafty. He was able to block some of my attacks or use my power against me. Yet, I was able to quickly recover from it and get some effective hits.

"You know, Ladybug," Truth Seeker began, "You are one of Paris's greatest mysteries that is yet to be solved. I bet you keep secrets from your own partner and family. You can't trust anyone but yourself. You're really just a lonely and scared little girl. You're probably just as vile as me."

I gritted my teeth and flung my yoyo at the villain who easily caught it and twirled it around teasingly. His smirk only grew with his cockiness while I tried to yank my weapon back.

"Why should I listen to someone who is under the influence of evil corruption?" I questioned, finally retrieving my yoyo back. Truth Seeker's sinister grin grew as he looked around for something.

"Well, you aren't denying it," he replied and continued, "It looks like Marinette Dupain-Cheng needs a little motivation to come out of hiding. Don't you think?" I growled in frustration and called upon my power, "Lucky Charm!"

The object fell down. I had caught the object in my hands and analyzed it.

"A hang glider?" I questioned, "What am I supposed to do with this?" I looked around the area but no ideas came to mind.

"What are you going to do with that little bug? Fly away? Ha!" Truth Seeker laughed. He jumped back onto the famous landmark, and I followed him up there, spinning my yoyo to prepare for an attack.

"If you don't come out Marinette, then I'll just have to convince you to come out. Let's give her a little motivation," Truth Seeker chortled, then whipped the tallest point of the structure to a tarp. I felt everything move in slow motion and breath get caught in my throat when the tarp was removed.

Tied to the tippy top of the tower were Alya and my dad.

They were both knocked out and blood oozed down their faces and clothes.

"No," I barely let out. No, I...I can't lose them. Not Alya. Not papa. Not them...no. I felt myself pale and a million things race through my mind, trying to process the situation that was before me. I felt sick to my stomach and desperately wanted to throw the hang glider aside and save them.

I didn't realize that Truth Seeker snatched the hang glider away and threw it off of the building. I was snapped back into the terrible reality I was placed in, wanting everything to be back to normal.

This was all because of that picture of that misleading picture and the person who took the picture. When I find out who that person is, they will not think twice but only once when messing with my friends and family. That was crossing a line that should be forbidden to even stick a hand over to the other side.

I growled again and ran at the akuma. Not my smartest idea but I wasn't in the mood or the right emotional state right now to think.

"Leave them out of this!" I shouted and tried to high kick the evil man on the side of the head. He dodged it and every sloppy hand to hand combat I tried to pull off. I let my anger out in every punch. I let out my fear in every kick. I tried to ignore the building up of sadness that tried to break into my veins and make me weak.

My earring beeped. Four minutes left.

"So, even the almighty and courageous Ladybug has a weakness," Truth Seeker said, flinging his whip at me. I was not able to dodge it in time before being trapped.

"When you are blinded by anger," he began to explain, "You are sloppy and childish." I felt myself shake and words about to come out. I did what Chat did, biting my lower lip. I felt cold and heavy. Dizzy and hurt. Everything weighing down and suffocating me.

"You're more pathetic than I thought," he continued. Tears began to slide down my face. I so felt sick and miserable.

My legs began to shake as yellow vein-like cracks began to branch out over my body. I had to bite down on my tongue as the pain increased, almost becoming unbearable. Yet, I was too stubborn to give in.

I could taste something metallic within my mouth that soon began to leak out of my lips.

Blood.

I bit down on my tongue too hard. Shoot!

Yet, I continued fighting for my friends, family and Chat Noir. I trusted Chat Noir with my life and waited for his arrival but didn't know how much longer I could hold off. Everything seemed to become dizzy and the world went blurry.

Another beep. Three minutes.

"If you do not give in, Ladybug, then the truth will only eat you away like it is right now. You're practically breaking apart! You must keep a lot of secrets and only tell lies to everyone even...yourself," Truth Seeker said. I winced at the truth of his words and looked over to the people I had lied to since I became a superhero.

I kept them in the dark, made up excuses and lies, and acted like nothing was wrong, that everything was okay. They trusted me blindly without a second thought. Yet, even they kept some pretty white lies themselves from me.

Then, there was me. Who was I anymore? Am I Ladybug? Am I Marinette? Am I just a broken and lost girl with a split personality? Am I confident or shy? Nimble or clumsy? The plain baker's daughter or Paris's beloved superhero? Who was I?

"Please..." I sobbed, barely able to rasp my words out, "...stop..." The akuma laughed and didn't notice the black cat sneaking up behind him.

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Chat Noir's P.O.V

I found Ladybug's Lucky Charm and devised a plan. It was pretty complex, but if I time everything right, everything should work out. I sneaked up on the villain then quickly used my Cataclysm to destroy the whip.

I quickly ran back to the glider, snatched it from the ground and jumped off the edge of the building. I guided the glider over the Alya and Mr. Dupain as the rope that held them disappeared. They began to scream and gravity brought them down. I heard Ladybug scream in fright.

They grew closer and closer to the ground. Every minute becoming a mere second and time slowed down. I didn't think I was going to make it in time. Even with my reputation of bad luck though, I was able to catch and bring them to the safety of the ground.

Ladybug released the purified akuma into the night as we landed next to her. I could tell she was trying to be strong but her trembling body was giving it away. It seemed like I was the only one that noticed though. Marinette must be very stressed and setting down from the traumatic experience.

"Thank you for saving us, Ladybug and Chat Noir," Tom said, shaking my hand in gratitude.

"No problem, sir," I replied then walked over to Ladybug with the hang glider.

"I'm going to come over later," I whispered to my partner. She simply nodded and took the Lucky Charm.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" she shouted, triumphantly and threw the hang glider into the air. The object burst into thousands of ladybugs, fixing all of the damages and returning Tom and Alya to where they were originally at. The victim looked around in confusion as Ladybug took off without a word and returned home.

I was a little worried about Ladybug but that was a later problem. For now, I had to help the civilian back to his home. I walked over to the man and helped him to his feet.

"What happened?" He asked, still trying to figure out where he was.

"You were akumatized but everything is okay now," I reassured the man then carried him as he directed me to his house. After dropping him off while thanking me for the tenth time, I was finally able to go to Marinette's house.

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Marinette's P.O.V

I barely made it to my balcony before transforming back.

I didn't stop, climbing down into my room then racing down the stairs into the living room. Dad was standing in the kitchen and taking the burnt food off of the stove. He looked over at me and smiled, instantly forgetting the food.

"Papa!" I said, relieved. I ran over and gave him a hug, burying my face into his chest. I felt his arms bring me in closer and nuzzled his face into my hair. I didn't want to leave his embrace or see him in that kind of situation again.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" I questioned, standing back and searching my dad for any injuries. He placed his hands on my shoulders and reassured, "I am okay thanks to Paris's heroes."

I still a bit worried but relaxed a little, sighing in relief. Yet, I continued to hold in my emotions stubbornly wanting to be strong for my papa. I need to be strong, no more fragile Marinette.

"Speaking of Paris's heroes," he continued, getting my attention, "when were you going to tell me that you and Chat Noir were a thing and that has been visiting?" I opened my mouth to answer or give an excuse yet no words formed on my tongue. Papa immediately got his answer and sighed.

"H-How did you figure it out? Wait! We aren't dating!" I quickly said, already knowing that it must have been the picture.

"I had to find out from a villain than my own daughter that she was secretly dating a superhero," he said his thoughts out loud, almost in disbelief. I almost winced and felt guilt rush over my heart. Then, realization flooded my thoughts.

What if...what if Hawkmoth thought that too? What if he thought that Chat and I were dating? Then, he tried to use me as leverage to getting the Miraculous. Yet, once the akuma couldn't find me, he decided to use papa and Alya instead.

I felt pale and stomach churn uncomfortably.

"Marinette," Papa called, worriedly and shaking me slightly out of thought.

"Y-Yeah?" I asked.

"Are you alright? You look a little sick, sweetheart," he said. I nodded, pulling off a fake smile. He gave me a look before saying, "If Chat ever comes over again, please notify me. He is always welcomed to our home."

"Okay, papa. I will," I promised, my words were true and kept. I wasn't about to lie or let him down again. My dad nodded then let me run off back to my room. Tikki was on my desk eating a cookie and watched as I made my way over to my balcony with a fake serene look.

"Marinette, are you okay?" my Kwami asked.

"I'm okay. I'm just going to get some fresh air," I explained, before crawling out to my balcony. I don't think she believed me but that was a later problem. Right now, I have a much bigger problem to deal with...and I'm not going to like doing the solution.

I walked over to the railing and looked out to Paris, feeling a cool breeze brush over my face. I'm waiting...just waiting...for-

"Hey, Purrr-incess," Chat greets, happily, "You know, it's probably not a good idea to be chatting on the balcony with those reporters still out." I merely glanced at him then back out at Paris, finding this harder to do.

"Hey, Chat," I replied, hugging myself. I felt Chat Noir join my side and trained his eyes on me.

"Are you alright? What happened earlier...was...a lot," he decided, carefully phrasing what he wanted to say. I clutched my arms remembering how traumatic and painful everything was. The memory of Alya and papa tied up then falling will haunt my dreams. The way Truth Seeker and his whip were making me feel awful about myself...but it was all so gosh dang true!

"Y...Y-Yeah," I spoke, quietly, "but, c-can I get a h-hug?" It was not a second later that I was pulled into Chat's embrace and resting my head against his chest.

"You never have to ask for a hug, Mari," he said, nuzzling the side of my face with his own. I couldn't help but laugh and tried to get away, but he kept his hold on me tight. Then, he started purring.

"Stop it, you big weirdo!" I laughed, pushing on his shoulders.

"You wound my ego, Buginette," Chat said, turning me to face him. I placed my hands on his chest and met his gaze. His green eyes sparkled as he blinked his eyes. Then blinked them again and again. I was still giggling a little and raised a confused eyebrow.

"What are you doing?" I asked, smiling at my silly partner. He stopped purring.

"Giving you kitty kisses," he replied, slyly smirking. I squeaked in surprise and felt my face heat up, not expecting that to be his answer.

"W-What?" I asked, mindlessly still frozen in shock.

"When a cat blinks at someone, it's called "kitty kisses," he explained.

"O-Oh," I stuttered, making the cat laugh which earned him a hit on his chest, "You're unbelievable."

"What? My princess doesn't like her knight's kisses?" he joked. I was about to laugh again until remembering what I needed to do. Chat seemed to notice my change in mood and frowned.

"Sorry, did I say something to upset you? Am I bothering?" he asked, ears drooping in guilt. He let go of me and stepped back a little, making me sad at the loss of his warmth.

"No! No! No! It's not that..." I said, trailing off and looking way, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear.

"Then...what is it?" he asked until his eyes widened, "D-Did you hear what I said earlier... a-after I go hit by Truth Seeker?"

I forgot all about that until he reminded me. My face went even hotter and heart palpitated like a drum being played rapidly. Incoherent words started to stumble out of my mouth, sounding more like weird noises.

If someone told me last week that I would become a bigger mess around Chat than Adrien, I would have laughed as if it were the funniest thing in the world and think they were insane. Now, I can't remember how to even say the simplest of words right. Let alone, any sort of word.

That's when Chat grabbed my frantic gesturing hands. I immediately stopped, my heart came to a halt, breath caught in my throat and eyes locked onto his. What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? How do I work again?

"Marinette..." he spoke, softly and rested his head against mine. I gulped. He was really close! Like, really really close! He continued with the most genuine face and voice I've ever seen, "I meant every word."

I just gaped at him in disbelief. Sure, I heard him say it after being hit by a truth weapon but actually admitting it on his own free will was completely different. My mouth went dry and everything ached to admit...to admit that I've fallen for this stupid cat.

Yet, I couldn't.

I pulled my hands away from his and stepped back. I had to look away, not brave enough to look him in the eyes as I painfully pushed out my words, "Chat, you can't ever come back here again."

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