{+}{+}{+}

Marinette's P.O.V

   "Marinette, I think you should take these back."

   I watched with wide eyes as Sabrina began to take off the miraculous from her ears. My surprise quickly switched to confusion, wondering why she is giving me the earrings back. She is doing a good job at keeping the city safe and...I'm not sure if this is the best time to get them back.

   I can feel my mental stability starting to fall once again and the very cause of it is living under the same roof as I am. If Mallorie finds out my identity...

   Flashes of threats of Mallorie exposing my identity and harassing Tikki fly through my head. My anxiety skyrockets and shake my head, taking a step back.

   "I c-can't right now," I quietly replied, flinching away when Sabrina held out the jewelry like I am afraid of it. Sabrina tilted her head to the side in confusion at my movements.

   "Why not?" Sabrina asked, concern evident in her voice.

   "I just...it's complicated," I answered, crossing my arms and gripping my upper arms.

   "It doesn't have to be complicated if you just tell me what's going on-"

   "Sabrina," I cut her off, "Just...no, not now."

   Sabrina narrowed her eyes, seeming to suspect something but decided not to go that route. Instead, her face scrunched up in empathy and said, "I don't know what's going on with you at the moment but can you at least make an effort to go look for him? Chat Noir needs you right now, Marinette. Something is wrong and only his true partner will be able to fix it."

   Sabrina grabbed my hand and placed the miraculous in my palm. She wrapped my fingers around the magic jewelry before placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

   "I'll be right here when you get back if you really think you're not ready...or well, I'll be hiding in the closet," Sabrina said. I glanced between my hand holding the earrings and Sabrina. With a shakily unsure sigh, I nodded and reattached the jewelry to my earlobes.

Sabrina seemed relieved, taking a step back to give me some space. Once the earrings are attached, Tikki appeared in a flash of red. The Kwami blinked as if she had been sleeping before seeing my face. Instantly, an overly happy Tikki shot over to me and hugged my cheek. I smiled, giggling a bit and hugged the small bug back.

"I really missed you, Marinette!" Tikki spoke, sincerely, "I'm super happy you're Ladybug again!"

Tikki turned to Sabrina, adding, "You did a wonderful job! Thank you for your help!"

The room fell into silence, making Tikki's happy mood shift into one of confusion. I thinned my lips out, grimacing a little. Sabrina frowned, looking down at the floor. Noticing the tension increased, Tikki turned toward me for answers.

"Am I missing something?" She asked.

"Tikki..." I started, scratching the back of my neck and sighed, "...this will only be for a little bit until I find Chat Noir and see what's wrong with him. Then, I'll be temporarily returning the miraculous again."

Tikki's demeanor dropped, antennas sadly drooping. The edges of her mouth are drawn down, realizing she isn't fully returned quite yet.

"You see, my life became a bit more...complicated and I don't think I'm ready to take on the role as Ladybug again just yet. Not until I solved this problem," I explained, hoping Tikki will understand my point. She seemed reluctant and unliking of the idea. Yet, she gave me a small smile and floated over to me.

She placed a small kiss on my forehead before saying, "As long as you are getting better, then I'm okay with waiting longer. Your well-being will always come first."

   A swirl of relief and guilt twisted in my chest. I gently rub the top of her head before saying timidly transforming, "Tikki, spots on."

  I feel the familiarity of the suit slip over my body like a nice fit glove. My senses and agility heightened on a whole new level. It's like a second skin—a home away from home. A different me but entirely the same. I did miss Ladybug and having Tikki's company. Yet, I need to focus on my problems before I can truly return to my life as a superhero.

Sabrina smiled brightly before heading over to my closet, "Good luck, Ladybug. I know you'll do super!"

"It's only been a month and you've already hung around Chat Noir and his puns for too long," I joked, hopping up onto my loft, "I'll be back in about an hour or so unless something happens."

Sabrina nodded, shutting the door and concealing herself. I opened the skylight and slipped out. I shut the skylight before turning my gaze toward the city. I take in the view for a moment then looked down at the yoyo in my hand. I clenched it slightly before chucking it at a street lamp.

Once the string is sturdy, I leap off of my balcony and swing into the depths of Paris. I keep my eyes peeled for any signs of movement along the rooftops. Yet, it's going to be difficult spotting Chat Noir's black suit after the sunsets. Hopefully, I will be able to spot him and help him with whatever he's going through.

I spend half an hour searching high and low for Chat. Unfortunately, I'm coming up dry of finding him.

"How will I even know if he's transformed or not?" I thought, pausing on the building. I sat at the edge to take a quick break and try figuring out my next move.

"Maybe, I'll have to catch him after the next akuma fight," I thought out loud. I sighed, worriedly still scanning around from my spot and hoping to see him by chance. Out of the corner of my eye, a tuff of yellow is caught. I immediately shot my head around as to not lose sight of it.

I feel myself straightening my slouched form and a flutter of happiness fills my tummy. A hopeful warmth wrapped around me like a blanket. A shot of unwavering ecstasy ran through my veins.

All this wondrous joy soon vanished into thin air when realizing it's not the blonde boy I'm looking for. Instead, surprise has replaced it. I tilted my head in puzzlement when noticing Adrien walking down the sidewalk by himself. Many questions filled my head, mostly wondering why Adrien is out by himself.

"Did he sneak out of his room?" I pondered. Sure, it isn't his first time sneaking out of his house but never this late, especially on a school night. Not that he has shown up to school the past few days, which is also very strange considering how much he loves school. If he's not sick or off somewhere in another country, then why is he avoiding school?

   More and more questions enter my brain without a single answer. It bothers me enough to scale down the building and land near him. I'm slightly surprised when he didn't notice my presence. I follow him, noticing his face is stoic and his posture is in some form of a fetal position. His look is far away, arms protectively crossed.

I've never seen Adrien so out of it—so withdrawn from his usual positive attitude. The look of utter defeat and loss. My heart drops, sympathy squeezing onto my beating organ.

"Adrien..." I quietly spoke up, startling the blonde from his thoughts. He shot around, complete terror drew onto his face. He stumbled over his feet and began to fall. My quick reflexes are able to grab his arm and help him regain his balance.

"Sorry," I apologized, "I shouldn't have snuck up on you like that."

I get a better view of him, now spotting two trails going down his cheeks from his tired, bloodshot eyes. More concern bubbles up within me. His wide eyes blinked, processing who I am.

"L...Ladybug," his scratchy voice produced until realization caught up to him. He flinched away from me, his arm slipping out from my grasp.

"Is everything okay?" I asked before correcting myself, "I mean—do you want to talk? You look a little out of it."

Adrien's mouth went dry, staring at me.

"I...uh," he stammered out, unsure of what to say. I don't blame him for being skeptical, considering he doesn't know who I am under this mask. He only knows that I'm Ladybug in which he's only met just a handful of times. It'd be understandable if he's uncomfortable with an acquaintance he's only known during akuma battles (which is still hardly anything).

   Maybe, it was a mistake for asking.

   I frowned as he continued to stare at me as if I came from another dimension.

   "Adrien?" I repeated his name again, snapping the blonde from his stupor.

   "Sorry...I just...I just have been having a tough few days, is all," he grimaced, "and want to get home to rest."

   I can tell he's trying to force a smile but it isn't working. A seed of worry begins to sprout, wishing there's something I can do to help him. He seemed really out of it and I can't have him walking all the way home without some sort of protection...

   "Do you mind if I escort you home? It's getting late and I don't want to leave you here without some sort of protection from the creeps of these streets," I said, putting a little humor into my explanation. Adrien gave a small, appreciative smile. Though, not a hint of joy lingered in his emerald gaze.

   He sighed, "I guess the company couldn't hurt."

   "It's none of my business but I'm here to listen if you ever need an ear," I reassured the model, who nodded. The two of us walked in peaceful silence for a few minutes. During those few minutes, I continued to look around for any signs of Chat Noir. Seeing my search is becoming futile, I decided to start some small talk with Adrien. Curiosity pinched at my brain.

   "So, what were you doing today?" I asked, seeing if I can get some sort of clue of what's going on with Adrien. He glanced over at me before replying, "Nothing much."

I noted how he's less talkative than usual. If someone gave him the attention and asked about his day, Adrien would jump at the opportunity to explain his day. It is very strange seeing him with a meek reply instead of his enthusiastic talking. I hummed in acknowledgment, deciding it would be a bad idea to urge him to go into specifics.

   The ground suddenly quaked. We steadied ourselves, regaining our balance from the abrupt shaking ground once it stopped. Without any hesitation, I turned to Adrien and told him to take cover somewhere safe. Then, I swung away to find the cause of the quaking.

   Another abrupt shake knocked me off my feet after landing on top of a building. I sat dazed for a moment until a gloved hand came into my sight. I looked up at the owner to the offered hand, seeing Chat Noir

   A wave of relief and joy washed over me for a second. Then, I noticed Chat's small smile instead of the usual grin. I took the offered hand, Chat pulling me up from the floor. I kept moving toward him and wrapped my arms around his upper body, hugging him tightly.

I pulled an arm's length away, keeping my grip on his shoulders. Chat looked at me with wide eyes, not expecting the embrace.

"Thank goodness you're okay! I was so worried," I said before asking, "Is everything okay? You just stopped visiting all of a sudden."

Chat's fake ears drooped for a moment, a look of guilt on his face.

"Sorry, Milady," he apologized, "I'll try to explain later but let's handle the problem first."

I'm a bit taken back by his wanting to go be a hero first than to chat a bit. I wasn't entirely complaining but it is off-putting and didn't sit right with me. Hopefully, I'll get more answers after with deal with the situation.

"Okay, let's go find the aku-" I am cut off by another shake, making me lose my balance. Chat managed to grab my wrist and pulled me into his arms. We helped each other keep steady until the shaking stopped. We didn't let go of each other immediately, lingering for a little while longer.

   "Alright, I think we're good now," I said, his scent entering my nose.

   A very familiar one.

   "Yeah, probably," he agreed. I giggled, angling my head enough to peck the underside of his jaw. It's somewhat hard to tell but I noticed a slight pink enter Chat's cheeks. His damper mood seemed to lighten up a little, still not fully himself.

   Finally, the two of us reluctantly untangled ourselves from each other before going to search for the villain.

{+}{+}{+}