"Marinette honey what happened?!" Sabine gasped as her daughter rushed down the stairs built for her.

"Oh um..." Marinette felt her mind go blank. "It was a... I um burned it in the oven?" She lied.

"You should have called us!" Tom blurted out. "It could be serious, you may need to see a doctor!"

"Oh, I-I-it's fine. Really!" Marinette lied again. "I hardly even feel- I mean felt it."

"Ok sweetheart. But really, let me take a look..." Sabine raised a hand to touch the white silken bandages. Marinette flinched an pulled away abruptly.

"N-n-no I-I'm fine, seriously. I took care of it, you can trust me to t-take care of myself!" Marinette puffed out her chest and raised herself to her tippy toes as if it showed how responsible she was. "The casserole's in the oven, but I'm going upstairs to do.. uh... homework." 

"Today of all days. After that Akuma attack? I think the school should be more careful about that, kids could have trouble learning if any more of these Akuma's keep appearing." Sabine sighed deeply, closing her delicate tired eyes, speckled with eyeshadow. 

"Yeah, but if we closed the school every time an Akuma appeared, we'd go into summer!" Marinette giggled nervously. "Call me when the timer beeps!" Marinette turned and ran up the stairs before her parents could reply. 

Marinette fell onto her bed like a rock in the water. She placed her face into a pillow but resisted screaming. Yes, yes, very strange behavior, but hey, she was a strange human.

"What's wrong Marinette?" Tikki hovered over her head as the teenage girl rolled over, her bluebell eyes seeming to glow with anger. Marinette bit her bottom lip and scrunched up her nose.

"UGH!" Marinette groaned leaving Tikki even yet with no answers. "I... I was just thinking about what you were talking about earlier... as in like a minute ago." 

"Yes, so what part of what I said is leaving you so worked up and frustrated?"

"I'm not worked up!" Marinette huffed.

"Don't play that game with me Marinette, I've been here since the dawn of time. I've seen a thing or two." Tikki lowered her nonexistent eyebrows.

"Fine!" Marinette sat up abruptly. "I guess I'm confused..." She let out an exaggerated sigh.

"About which part?" Tikki asked.

"Well, you said that for the suits to... break I guess? You said that either the holders would have to break the miraculous, something bad would happen... or they would fall in love..." She spoke heavily on the last part, yet silently.

"So what's the matter?"

"My earings aren't broken! This means something awful is gonna happen and I'm in love with Chat Noir! But I'm not!" Marinette resisted screaming, only raising her voice a couple of volumes.

"Are you sure you're not in love?" Tikki asked. Marinette opened her mouth to speak but Tikki interrupted her. "You don't want to be, that's the thing. You made a wall against your emotions, but I know what it is. You two are in love."

"Am not!" Marinette stood up and walked snappishly across the bedroom. "I can't be, he's my partner in crime-fighting!"

"And what point does that make?" Tikki provoked and Marinette made a strange sort of frustrated noise.

"I don't know! There's got to be the fourth one! How do you even know there's three when it's only happened once!" Marinette crossed her arms.

"Because when the Miraculous were created, they were given a weakness. All of the Kwami's know of these weaknesses and we try to avoid them. But me and Plagg let it slip one time! And now twice! I know it's hard to believe Marinette, but you must believe me! And trust your heart!" Tikki glowed a bit brighter wich matched her ill-temper. Marinette sighed.

"Maybe I do, but it won't be our downfall. I'll simply fall out of love, and the bad thing won't happen and the suits will be mended! Maybe my wing will heal!" Marinette gestured her hands out broadly.

"Ok, one, my magic is already healing the wing. And two, you can't make yourself fall out of love! It doesn't work like that. Look, Marinette? Maybe you should go outside."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?!"

"Kind of," Tikki admitted. Marinette pouted her lip.

"Fine." Marinette crawled over to her bed and clambered up her ladder to the balcony. "But this conversation isn't over!" she waved a finger pointed at the kwami as Tikki giggled. 

Scrunching up her face, Marinette stormed up to the roof and onto the balcony.  She didn't expect the night air to calm her down. She looked up at the stars, into space. It cleared her mind with its vast emptiness. A cool night breeze curled through her pigtails, and she wasn't so irritated anymore. 

But she also had a cold sadness brew inside her head. She felt lonely, and her heart swirled with many emotions which she had suppressed for too long. She raised her arm to look at the wing strapped to her back. It's blackened feathers only served as a reminder as to why she was here. 

No matter the cost,

or the lives on the line,

She was Ladybug.

And she would take all the hits to keep everyone safe.

"Why hello, Purrincess," A familiar voice said behind her. Marinette turned around to see Chat Noir perched on the overlook rested before her. "Lovely to see you again, isn't it?"

"Ch-ch-chat Noir?" She stammered. "Are you fricken stalking me!" She stormed over to him. His eyes went wide as she threatened to punch him. 

"AH! No!" He fell off the ledge but managed to seize his fall. "I just uh... I was... well I was on patrol and happened to see your wing looked hurt. I just wanted to make sure you're ok." He clambered back onto the ledge and raised himself. "I can leave though if you're uncomfortable." Marinette lowered her fist. 

"N-no I'm fine. I just burned my wing in the oven." Marinette chuckled nervously. She relaxed her shoulders and leaned against the wall to hide the wing, in fear of him recognizing the blackened feathers to be the same as Ladybug's. 

"Oh, I'm sorry..." Chat turned to leave.

"You can stay!" Marinette reached an arm out as if to grab his arm. "I-I-I-I-I mean if that's ok." She pulled her hand back to her side and twirled her fingers nervously. 

"Well, I didn't mean to bother you. You seem uneasy at my presence." He slumped.

"U-uneasy? I-I'm not uneasy!" She laughed nervously again. He rustled his wings, folding them in and outwards with abashment.

"Oh well, I mean..." His eyes drifted upwards.

"If anything you're the one who looks uneasy," Marinette smirked. "what's the real reason you came here. You couldn't have seen my wing from wherever you were patrolling. Also, I just got out here." He shifted her hip cockily out to one side. 

"Well," Chat jumped from the ledge and landed next to Marinette, his wings limp on the ground. "I guess I was lonely. I had a pretty bad day you could say." He rubbed the back of his neck tensely. 

"You can talk to me if you'd like." Marinette tensed her arms, trying not to blush but it only made her blush even deeper. "So, spill the beans. What happened?" She lifted their spirits, smiling brightly, yet teasingly. 

"You probably heard about the Akuma right?" He asked.

"Oh um... yeah!" She bit her lip. 

"Well during the fight, I was... I guess struck by the Akuma's powers. He made me... He made me hate LadyBug. So much so that I would turn against her." He looked at his feet glumly. "I think I said some pretty awful things to her. I hurt her emotionally... and physically." He paused, waiting for Marinette to jump in with that, 'I'm sure she's fine' or 'oh I'm so sorry for you'. But Marinette said nothing. She just nodded along with what he was saying.

He took a deep breath and continued. "I used my catacly- well you know. My power" He caught himself from using his ability. "I hit her wing, the same one as the one you burned actually." He pointed out. "I'm sure she hates me. I probably just ruined her life for good, ya know?"

"Well..." Marinette scrunched up her face, recalling images of that day. "LadyBug is, erm, strong-minded you could say. I'm sure if you're there for her it will help a lot. And the mira- the um... the jewels are magic, right? Shouldn't it heal her?"

"Hopefully. But who knows, they miraculous have been acting weird lately. We've been getting hurt like their shield is gone." He sighed deeply. "I think she hates me."

"Well if she hates you then suck it up. But she is a forgiving person- I think. Chat Noir shouldn't worry his head about that, because hey, she can suck it up too!" Marinette puffed out her cheeks goofily. Chat laughed a little, but his face grew solemn again. 

"But this is serious. What if she can't suck it up?"

"Then she's bitter towards you her whole life. But you know, when I have to work with someone at school who I hate, I have to get over myself. And our partner project usually ends up pretty well." Marinette folded her hands together subconsciously.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Well if you two end up hating each other's guts, so be it. But you two are still superheroes, and both of you want to save Paris! And in the end, does it even matter?" Marinette lowered her tone.

"It does matter." Chat folded his wings briskly.

"Why?" Marinette asked.

"Because..." He looked away from her. Marinette watched him patiently, waiting for an answer. "Because I'm in love with LadyBug."

Wait.

What?

Marinette was taken aback. All this time she'd thought that something was wrong with her when in reality it was both of their decisions, their emotions, that had led the swarm of tragedy they were only wading in the shallows of. His words reminded her that whatever was happening, wasn't her fault. It wasn't his either. And when the tide should come, at least there were two who could defeat it. 

There was a long period of silence. Just the wind in their ears and hair. Marinette didn't know how to react. Technically he just declared his love for her. But the problem was he didn't know he had. She wanted to show him her identity, transform into LadyBug right then and there.

But she feared it would ruin the moment. 

"Do you want to fly again?" He asked abruptly after a couple of minutes had passed. Marinette almost jumped in surprise, it had been so quiet before. His words planted themselves in her head like dead seeds that would never grow, pulling her roots into a river of despair. But also he had broken the surface and grabbed her hand, and the seeds couldn't get her anymore.

"Of course." She said and took his hands.

"Hang on." He said and pulled her to his chest. Spreading his black hawk wings, he jumped into the air. Marinette let out a scream as he briskly carried them into the night sky, and heald to his torso tighter.

He carried her into the Parisian skies, just as he had a week or so ago. The same feeling filled her senses as they had before. And perhaps, she thought, but no.

Could she really be in love?