[Narrator's POV]

It's after school hours, the only students that remain are in Ms Bustier's class. She had promised them a class excursion but the principle didn't want it to interrupt their studies.

"The students with the most impressive architecture project were Sabrina and Chloe. As their reward we will all be taking a class trip to their chosen monument, the Eifel tower." Ms Bustier announces.

She presents Chloe and Sabrina with a pin-on prize ribbon. Chloe disregards it in disgust but Sabrina pins it on her sweater proudly.

"Who has a class field trip outside school hours?" Ivan complains.

"It'll be fun visiting the Eifel tower all together." Rose says positively.

"But I don't know why Ms Bustier bothered congratulating Sabrina and Chloe when clearly Sabrina did all the work." Marinette says.

"Excuse you."

Marinette turns to see Chloe right behind her.

"I do more work than anyone!" She says. "Without me, Sabrina would be nothing."

Sabrina hangs her head.

"Harsh." Alya mutters.

"Alright class. I want everyone to go on a last minute bathroom break before we leave because the school bus will not be making any stops." Ms Bustier orders.

The class disperses and meets outside ten minutes later.

"Have we got everyone?" Asks Ms Bustier.

"Wait, where's Sabrina?" Chloe speaks up.

Sabrina emerges from the school wearing a black skin suit with white knee-high boots and elbow gloves. She has small bombs, switches and grenades strapped all around her body.

"Sabrina is gone." She declares. "I am Explosivo!"

"She's got bombs, everyone run!" Shouts Marinette.

Explosivo grins evilly and walks towards Chloe. "Without you I'm nothing? Well, with my fire power I'll reduce you to nothing!"

Chloe squeals and clings onto Adrien's arm. "Save me, Adrien!"

"Uh, sorry, I have to go." Adrien pushes Chloe's arms off of him and runs into the school.

"What kind of man are you to leave a damsel in distress?!" Chloe shrieks, shaking her fist at him.

The entire class had retreated, leaving Chloe alone with the villain. She stumbles backwards fearfully and falls onto the ground. Chloe crawls backwards as Explosivo approaches her.

"Someone save me!" Chloe begs.

"No one will come to help you, Chloe." Explosivo says coldly. "Maybe if you treated people better, they would actually care about you."

Explosivo grabs a small explosive and raises it into the air. Chloe screws her eyes shut, bracing herself.

"Chloe!" Shouts a voice.

Chloe's eyes shoot open when she gets shoved aside. Cat Noir had tackled her out of the way just in time. Explosivo pegs the small bomb at the ground where they once were. Cat Noir quickly shields Chloe with his body, the explosive fire rolling right over them.

Cat Noir only winces slightly. "Hot... Lucky this suit is indestructible."

Chloe stares at him with wide eyes. "Y-You sacrificed yourself...for me?"

"I care about your safety." Cat Noir replies, helping Chloe to her feet.

"Well...I guess you're not like totally incompetent." Chloe says.

Explosivo growls and takes out another explosive but Ladybug jumps down and kicks it from her hands.

Chloe watches the two heroes in amazement. They are such good people to care about everyone, even her. Chloe feels slightly ashamed. She idolises Ladybug and aspires to be just like her, and yet she doesn't possess even a sliver of Ladybug's compassion.

"I work harder than anyone but I don't get any recognition." Explosivo says angrily. "I hate that stupid monument! I'm going to blow it to bits! But first, I'm going to destroy this crummy school."

Explosivo presses a button and the school crumbles from the inside out.

"She must have planted a bomb in there earlier." Cat Noir says. "Thank goodness it's afterschool hours and no one was in there."

"No!" Chloe cuts in. "Adrien went running in there earlier to hide like a coward!"

"Hey!' Cat Noir snaps defensively. He realises his mistake and quickly recovers. "Hey, she's getting away!" He yells, pointing at Explosivo to change the subject.

Explosivo is in fact running away, heading towards the Eifel tower no doubt, but the diversion did not work on Ladybug. She is already searching the rumble that was once the school.

"Adrien? Adrien!" She yells, pushing her voice so loudly that it cracks.

Ladybug falls to her knees and begins desperately pushing bits of building aside.

Cat Noir reaches out to touch Ladybug's shoulder. "Don't worry my lady, I'm sure he's—"

He pauses when Ladybug turns to face him. Her eyes are wide and shining with tears. Her once lively expression is now twisted with horror and sorrow. It is an expression Cat Noir has seen once before, in the recording on Alya's Ladyblog. It is the expression Ladybug wore when she thought that her closest comrade had perished. Why would she be wearing such an expression for a random stranger? This is not the expression of concern for an innocent citizen. This is the expression of anguish for a lost companion.

"Hey...Did this guy...mean something to you?" Cat Noir asks.

Tears overflow from Ladybug's eyes. "He meant the world to me."

Her answer was almost too soft to hear, her voice weak and trembling, but it was enough for Cat Noir to distinguish. His eyes slowly widen in shock.

But he would have to dwell on it later. Right now there is a villain threatening to blow up the Eifel tower and Ladybug is too distressed to fight. Cat Noir pulls himself together enough to formulate a plan to fix this situation.

"I'm sure he found a way out of the building." Cat Noir says strongly. "Search the surrounding area, I'll go after Explosivo."

Cat Noir wastes no time. He volts himself onto a nearby rooftop with his staff. Once out of sight, he slips down into the alleyway and transforms back into Adrien. If Ladybug were to have the strength to fight, she would have to see him alive and safe.

Adrien sprints out from behind the building and towards the school wreckage.

"Adrien!" Chloe exclaims, throwing her arms around him. No more than a second later, she pushes him off her. "I'm glad you're okay, but don't think that I've forgiven you for abandoning me!"

"About that, I wasn't hiding or anything. When I saw Explosivo, I wanted to check that the school was evacuated." Adrien excuses, not wanting Ladybug to think he is a coward.

Ladybug pulls herself up from the ground and wipes the tears from her eyes. "Good to see that you're okay. If you'll excuse me, I have an akuma to catch." She says in her usual confident voice.

Adrien watches as Ladybug swings away, a little depressed about how quickly she got over his supposed death.

"I've got to go, Chloe." Adrien says.

"Running away again. Honestly Adrien, even that loser Cat Noir has more guts than you." Chloe crosses her arms. "You know, I'm starting to think you don't deserve me. I'm sorry Adrien but I'm totally over you."

Adrien's spirits lift hopefully.

"Try not to get too upset but I need a real man." Chloe continues. "A man like...Cat Noir! Yes. He's far more suited for my level of awesomeness. We'd be a total power couple."

Adrien's spirits sink again. Just when he's finally freed from Chloe's affection, she falls for his altar ego.

"I know it hurts. Don't you just hate how cruel love can be?" Chloe pats Adrien's shoulder before strutting off.

As soon as she is out of sight, Plagg bursts out with laughter. Adrien opens his jacket and Plagg zooms out, clutching his stomach as he cackles.

"You find this funny, do you?" Adrien asks dully.

"Yes." Plagg answers, wiping a tear from his eye. "Yes I do."

Adrien frowns. "Claws out."

Plagg's laughter dies down as he gets dragged into Adrien's ring. A wave of green light consumes Adrien's body and he emerges as Cat Noir.

He pushes off the ground with his staff and leaps from building to building but by the time he reaches the Eifel tower, the fight is over. Ladybug is helping up a de-evilized Sabrina.

"You...You defeated her without me." Cat Noir says sadly.

Ladybug scratches the back of her neck and smiles modestly. "Yeah, well, it was easy to guess that the akuma was in her prize ribbon. Plus, I was a little riled up. We lucked out with the school and Adrien...I didn't want anyone else to get hurt."

Ladybug's arm drops back down to her side and she sways uneasily.

"Are you okay?" Cat Noir asks worriedly.

"Yeah..." Ladybug answers weakly. "I'm just a little shook. Today was one emotional rollercoaster."

"Everyone's safe. Adrien is safe." Cat Noir consoles her.

Ladybug's earrings beep as her third spot disappears.

"You should go home and get some rest, but promise we'll meet up tomorrow evening for a night time patrol." Cat Noir says.

Ladybug nods. "Yeah. Yeah, sure."

She extends her yoyo and swings out of sight.

"Man, I just want to support my lady. Some use I was." Cat Noir sighs before returning home himself.

.

.

The next day at school, the miraculous happened. The students were just chatting away like any other day...

"This is the second time Sabrina has been akumatized." Kim says.

"That's what's coming to you when you're best friends with Chloe." Alya jests. "I swear she causes ninety percent of akumatized victims. Especially the ones in this class."

"Actually, everyone in this class has been akumatized now that I think about it." Max says. "Everyone except Adrien and Marinette."

Adrien and Marinette both shudder nervously.

"I bet it's because neither of them let Chloe's nastiness get to them." Alya replies.

Nino laughs. "Yeah, they don't put up with her crap so she can't get them akumatized."

Chloe walks into the classroom and the room falls silent. She looks over all the faces of her classmates, glaring at her in distaste. What good is being on top if nobody cares about you? She could turn her nose up in the air and act as self-absorbed as she always does, but when she tries to walk past them her body doesn't seem to let her. Chloe inhales deeply and turns to face her classmates.

"I...would like to apolo...apologise...for—for some of the mean things that I have said to you all." Chloe chokes out reluctantly, her eyes locked on the ground.

Her classmates stare at her in bewilderment. Chloe looks over at Sabrina, who is sitting at their desk by herself, but she turns away angrily.

Chloe forces herself to continue. "No...for all of the means things I have said to you." She straightens her posture and looks her classmates in the eye. "Alex, I broke your family heirloom and didn't apologise, I didn't even own up. Max and Juleka, I always make fun of you and call you losers but you're not. In fact, you probably have more friends than I do. Nathaniel, I trashed your drawings even though they were really good. Rose and Maylene, I call your fashion ugly but if you like it then that's all that matters. Ivan, I'm sorry for treating you like a freak. Kim and Adrien, I know I broke your hearts but you'll find a girl someday."

Adrien face palms himself. But, as delusional as she is, at least Chloe is trying to be nice.

"Alya and Nino, I shouldn't shame your love because what you have is real genuine." Chloe continues. "Marinette..." She crosses her arms and mutters, "I should stop making fun of your family's business and calling you fat...truth is, I might have been jealous because you looked so good in that beach photoshoot."

Marinette smiles at Chloe, who turns away stubbornly.

"And Sabrina, your existence doesn't depend on me. I'm lucky to call you my friend." Chloe finishes. "I'm...I'm lucky to call all of you my friends...if you would let me, that is. So...I'm sorry, everyone."

Sabrina forgives her grudge against Chloe and throws her arms around her best friend. The rest of the class, however, is hesitant. Chloe hangs her head in dejection.

"I would like to be your friend Chloe." Marinette speaks up.

Everyone turns to stare at her, including Chloe.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng?" She says in surprise. "Or, uh...I guess I could just call you Marinette."

"We've all said or done things that we regret, and everyone deserves a second chance." Marinette says kindly. "I forgive you without hesitation."

"That's right." Adrien joins in. "Chloe may have her flaws, but she's always been my friend. And a good one at that."

"Yeah, I could never hold a grudge against Chloe." Kim says.

"Indeed, there is no logical advantage of bitterness." Max replies.

"Well, she did apologise." Nathaniel reasons kindly.

"Why not." Alex shrugs.

"I'd love to make friends!" Rose exclaims joyfully.

Maylene nods happily.

"If Maylene forgives her, then I forgive her." Ivan says.

"Sure, whatever." Juleka agrees in her usual monotone voice.

"If my boy Adrien says he's cool then I'm cool too." Nino says.

Alya crosses her arms. "Fine...I guess I could forgive her."

Chloe smiles brightly at all her classmates but she quickly clears her throat and retains herself. "That's nice, but don't get your hopes up. The spot of my best friend still, and always will, go to Sabrina."

With that, Chloe strides over to her desk proudly followed by a very happy Sabrina. The rest of her new-found friends follow her example and head back to their seats.

"I can't believe you forgave Chloe so easily." Alya whispers to Marinette.

"It must have been rough for her, you know. She had no one by her side yesterday. Even her best friend turned on her." Marinette replies.

Alya rolls her eyes and smiles. "You're too nice for your own good."

.

Later that evening, Ladybug meets up with Cat Noir on top of the Eifel tower for a night time patrol like she promised.

"My Lady, how are you feeling?" Asks Cat Noir.

"Much better." Ladybug answers. "I had a pretty good day today. Which reminds me, what do you think would happen if one of us got akumatized?"

"Well, besides the threat of Hawk Moth getting his hands on my miraculous it wouldn't really matter if I got akumatized." Cat Noir says. "You, on the other hand. Without you I wouldn't be able to catch the akuma so I guess I would just have to find a way to contain you and then hunt down Hawk Moth himself."

Ladybug nods as she reviews his answer. "That makes sense, but let's hope it won't come to that."

"Have you ever had a moment so low you were at risk of being akumatized?" Cat Noir questions.

"I think I have a pretty good life. I mean, sure, everyone has one or two of those moments but I always pull through." Ladybug says. "I'm just a naturally positive person."

"I don't know what else I would expect from Ladybug the optimistic." Cat Noir replies.

"What about you?" Ladybug asks. "Have you ever felt as though you could be akumatized?"

Cat Noir stops to think over his life. The disappearance of his mother, the neglect he gets from his father, his lack of friends for majority of his years...

"I've had plenty of low points in my life...I suppose I'm just used to disappointment." He concludes.

"Wow...that's kinda sad." Ladybug says, trying not to laugh in this solemn moment.

To her surprise, Cat Noir is the one who laughs. "Yeah, now that I hear it out loud it is kind of depressing. But I have plenty of good things in life too ya know. I have you for instance."

Ladybug smiles softly.

"Ah, so...this Adrien guy," Cat Noir transitions not-so-subtly. "Do you...like him or something?"

"Hmm?" Ladybug smirks smugly. "Are you jealous, kitty?"

"What? No." Cat Noir denies. "That's not even possible."

What Ladybug mistook for arrogance was really just the truth. How could it be possible for Cat Noir to be jealous of Adrien when he is Adrien?

Ladybug laughs. "Forget it, you aren't getting anything out of me."

"What? Come on bugaboo, don't be cruel." Cat Noir whines. "Don't you know curiosity killed the cat?"

"I know something else that will kill the cat if he keeps making stupid puns." Ladybug threatens.

"Awe c'mon, you know you're smitten for this kitten." Cat Noir says cheekily.

"I told you I'm taking a break from boys." Ladybug replies stubbornly. "So stop trying to pry into my personal life."

Cat Noir pouts childishly, though he may be closer than he has ever been to Ladybug's personal life.

.

[Adrien's POV]

I jump in through my bedroom window after my night time patrol with Ladybug.

"Claws in." I command.

Plagg zooms out of my ring and I transform back into my normal self.

"So," Plagg says. "There's a chance Ladybug knows who Adrien Agreste is, isn't that exciting?"

"But what does Adrien have that Cat Noir doesn't? We're the same person!" I complain in frustration.

"Adrien, are you listening to what you're saying?" Plagg responds. "You can't be jealous of yourself."

I frown and flop onto my bed. "Why won't Ladybug just fall for me already?"

Plagg rolls his eyes and chomps down on his Camembert. "I think you're missing the bigger picture here. If you think Ladybug not only knows Adrien, but likes him...why haven't you shown her who you are?"

"It's easy to suspect that someone might like the teen model Adrien Agreste. But I want Ladybug to fall in love with the real me." I answer. "It wouldn't feel right if she only liked me after finding out my secret identity. The day she accepts both of my two sides is the day I confess to her."

"That's deep." Plagg says. "Far too poetic and complicated for me, that's for sure."

I bury my face into my pillow and think about Ladybug's expression when she thought I had been inside the school during its collapse. Could Ladybug be someone that I know?