Together, Chat Noir and Ladybug crossed through streets, hiding in the shadows, before they arrived at the clocksmith's shop. They passed new shops — or, at least, Ladybug thought they were new shops. She really couldn't tell, especially as the moon was starting to wane, and the street lights were even less than the night before, as if darkness was safer.

Chat Noir was eerily quiet, and there was no trace of a smile, where one usually sat with a confidence Ladybug didn't understand. Even when they met up in front of the bakery near the castle, Chat Noir greeted her with a serious, "This way." And she swiftly followed suit in the silence, feet occasionally sloshing in the leftover water from the short, heavy rain from earlier.

Something must be off about today. Maybe it had something to do with the waning moon, or maybe it was the wet skies. Probably, it had to do with the horrifying effect of the Akumas. But whatever it was, it was affecting everyone.

Tikki seemed upset. Plagg was always annoyed. Adrien was rude. And then Luka, good-hearted, sweet-natured Luka, wouldn't even look at her tonight. 

Ladybug thought back to right before she'd went into her room.

Luka had been weird all day. He barely looked at her, not even when he handed her the red fabric she'd requested, a secret between the two of them. Though, when she'd asked, he'd only said, "Anything for you, Your Highness." They'd been alone when she'd asked.

Marinette stood in the open doorframe, leaning against the frame and holding the door with her foot, gently holding the smooth fabric. She was itching to get out the mini sewing kit she'd swiped from the lesson room when Tikki wasn't watching, but Luka seemed off, and she wanted to make sure she was there for her friend.

"So," she said. "How has your first two days been?"

Luka, staring across the hall at the wall, facing away from Marinette, said quietly, "It has been an honor, Your Highness."

Marinette sighed. "Luka, there's no one around. You don't need to keep up the formalities."

Luka nodded, not saying anything.

"Are you upset?" Marinette pushed.

Luka responded, "I am not."

"Then why are you being weird?"

Luka raised an eyebrow, and slowly moved his head so she could see the tip of his nose. "I am doing my duty. There is nothing weird about that."

Marinette felt rejected, and she couldn't figure out why he was being like this, when they'd been giggling about Tikki earlier that morning. She hadn't said anything he could misconstrue. She stood straighter, and, struggling to fight back the tears that formed in her eyes, said, "Fine. But I'm glad you're here, and I hope you're not here just for the honor." Then she shut the door just as Luka turned away again.

Ladybug pushed back the sting, fresh as it had been hours before.

She'd started her red ladybug costume, but she didn't have as much time as she'd hoped. Hand sewing took way too long. Instead, she dressed in the same emerald pajamas and black mask, and put on her riding boots because they're were the safest against the rain, and the only pair of shoes she wasn't really afraid of getting muddy. Everything else would be too suspicious.

Chat Noir stopped in the corner of an alleyway, looking both ways across the well-lit street. Maybe the dark really was safer. The thought gave Marinette chills. But she prepared herself for anything, and she crouched lower as Chat didn't move from the corner, her hands at the ready. She tried catching his eye to see if he saw something dangerous, but before she could, he breathed a sigh of relief, his shoulders loosening immediately.

Then, he whispered, "I thought I heard some footsteps. But they were just a cat... We're here."

"Two cats in an alleyway. Who would win?" Ladybug lightly teased.

Chat smiled for the first time that night.

They crept quietly across the street, landing on half-dry cobblestones until they were on the side of an apartment building.

Chat turned to her and whispered in her ear, sending pleasant shivers down her spine. She almost forgot to feel scared.

"I need your climbing skills to let me in."

Ladybug's hair whipped around as she turned to look at him dead in the eye. "How can I help?"

He pointed to the second window, glove covered fingers pointy and long. "I need you to get into that window, and unlock the front door. I'll come through there."

"How do you know it's the right one?"

"It's best you don't ask," he promised.

"What if he's in the living room?"

Chat smiled kindly. "I trust you to come back out. Don't face anything alone. But I can tell you that you're safe."

Ladybug nodded firmly, trying to hide a blush even though she doubted he could see it anyway. She was warmed at his confidence in her.

With a swift leg boost on the side of the brick house, Ladybug climbed. It wasn't too high for her, but with the darkness overwhelming her, she slipped a few times. The scraping sound of her black boots was more stressful than the possibility of not making it up through the window. Every sound was a sound closer to being caught.

The window was unlocked, and Ladybug slid it up as quietly as she could, holding on to the edge of the windowsill with a grip that make her forearm ache.  When it squeaked loudly, her heart froze. She looked down at Chat, who, after a few seconds of not moving, gave her two thumbs up.  She sweat heavily as her arm aches, holding herself tight against the wall, and she pushed even slower, hoping to avoid any more sounds. Before long, it opened.

Ladybug looked through the open window. It was pitch black. She crawled through, breathing heavily through her mouth, and she plopped onto the floor, her arms giving out. She stood slowly, waiting for any sound, until she heard a groan from the bedroom down the hall, followed by a heavy thump of feet.

—
The queen is dead, the bitch is back, and Miraculous continues to consume my thoughts.