For the last few patrols and akuma attacks, Beetlebug had seemed... off. It didn't affect their flow in battle, though; they managed to purify the akuma and retain their Miraculous from Hawk Moth, but something still seemed to affect him.

As Cat Noir, Adrien had senses that he wouldn't normally be able to bear. His sense of smell and hearing were greatly increased, by one. Cat Noir remembered one patrol day not long after Syren where they met up at the Arc de Triomphe. Beetlebug was already there, but before Cat Noir made himself known, he heard his partner and close friend crying.

When he asked if something was wrong, Beetlebug said that he might be coming down with a fever and had a runny nose. Cat Noir didn't buy it for a minute.

Late at night as they watched from the Eiffel Tower, Cat Noir finally managed to ask. "Hey, Beet, is there something wrong?"

Beetlebug frowned when he turned to face him. "What do you mean?"

"It's just, I feel like you've been upset about something recently. Cats are able to pick up a thing or two, you know."

"Like what, a ball of yarn?" Beetlebug joked. "You'll just get all tangled up, Noir. Hey, wanna have a race to see who can reach Notre Dame first? Winner buys the loser coffee for the next late-night patrol." He jumped onto the railing and pulled his yo-yo out, ready to swing, but Cat Noir grabbed his arm.

"Beet, you're deflecting. You're not even trying to be subtle. What's going on?"

Beetlebug sighed. "Okay. You got me. There is something going on." He jumped back onto secure flooring and took a few steps back so that he walked backwards against the wall. He crossed his arms and sighed, raising a foot to set against the steel. "I don't really want to talk about it, though."

Cat Noir frowned, jumping onto the railing himself and crouching so that he met his partner's eye level. "But something's obviously been bugging you, Beet. Remember Reverser? You didn't even try to avoid the paper airplane he threw at you."

Beetlebug cringed. "First off, terrible pun. They've never made me laugh before, I doubt they'll make me laugh when I'm having a crisis."

"I can dream, can't I?"

"And second, I actually saw what happened with Reverser and how he got akumatized."

"Yeah, he was a student at the collége down the street, right?" Cat Noir didn't actually know who it was, but every time someone was akumatized, Adrien made sure to check up on them in some way or form. As a fellow student, it was easy this time around,

"His name is Marc. He's a writer. And apparently, there had been some kind of misunderstanding over what he wrote when another student, Nathanaël, read his work."

"I remember Nathanaël. He was the Evillustrator." Not to mention he had a vendetta against Adrien's friend Marin that day, forcing him to attend a birthday party that Evillustrator threw for himself.

Beetlebug nodded. "Right. And I guess he gained a new admiration for me that day? I mean, all kinds of akuma victims show their grace for us saving them differently, and Nathanael did it by drawing art of us. Marc was a fan before he was akumatized, and he wrote what was basically fanfiction."

"Talk about a page turner."

"I think you've already used that one with the Collector. Anyways," he continued on, oblivious to Cat Noir's momentary worry at the mention of M. Agreste's akumatization, "long story short, I was distracted that day because Nathanaël thought Marc and Marin were making fun of him for drawing me, mostly blaming Marc for that. I think he might have thought they were accusing him of... having a crush on me?"

Cat Noir's mouth dropped. "Does he have a crush on you?"

"I definitely don't think so. But with what's been going on in my life and with that thought passing by even for a second, I got distracted against the fight with Reverser."

"But... that doesn't explain why you're still upset now. If it wasn't about a fan having a crush on you, than what is it?"

Beetlebug sighed. "I can't tell you. I want to, it's just... I'm not ready to tell anyone yet." The way he ran a hand through his black hair, so dark that in light it reflected as blue, made it look disheveled. He shut his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Is it... that bad of a secret?"

His eyes snapped open. "It's not a bad secret!" he quickly said. "It's just... I've been having a bit of a personal crisis, and I managed to solve it, but I still want to tell someone about it."

"Why don't you talk to your parents, or your friends? Wouldn't they know what's wrong?"

"No, I've only been talking to my kwami about it. She's the only one I've talked to about this, but it's still not enough. But I'm not ready." He sank to the floor and buried his head in his hands. "God, I'm such a mess right now. But I need to keep my head high or I'll get akumatized, too." Still sitting, he raised his head and began to take deep breaths.

Cat Noir tapped his chin with a claw and let his mind wander. Beetlebug said that he'd solve his little crisis, but the secrecy behind it still weighed on him. He hated seeing his partner so down in the litter, when he was normally so upbeat and taking command when he had to.

Almost like Marin, he remembered, when Adrien needed to escape his fans. Still in only his black and grey pajamas, they were able to get away through the subway and sneak into the movie theater before Gorizilla literally barged in.

After thinking for a little longer, Cat Noir jumped off the railing and sat cross-legged next to his friend. "I know we don't truly know each other because of secret identities and all, but I just want you know that what whatever it is you're dealing with, I'll be glad to help you get through it. We're friends and partners, and despite my probing to hang out outside of the masks, I'll always respect you as the hero you are."

Beetlebug grinned, which Cat considered a triumph. "Thanks, alley cat. You're not so bad for a stray." He reached over and flicked his bell, snorting at the fact that it actually functioned.

"Must have been a wise monk in one of my previous nine lives," Cat Noir couldn't help but boast.

"Keep telling yourself that. I still think you're a reincarnated Mr. Bigglesworth."

Cat opened his mouth to retort, but paused. "I don't know what that is."

"That's because you're not invested in American cinema like an entrepreneur like me is."

"It's from an American film? C'mon, Beet, that's just not fair."

Just like that, they fell into the usual easy banter that they always shared on nights of silence like this. In Cat Noir's opinion, it was easier when everything began compared to now. So much has happened since the day Stoneheart erupted from the collège, but in the beginning, it was simple to take care of their double lives. Sure, sometimes there would be a few mishaps, like the time Plagg managed to talk Adrien into staying for Bubbler's birthday bash instead of transforming right away. And he was sure Beetlebug had faced his own problems on his end.

Even more recently, it was getting difficult. The last week sent him on the run, and when Gorizilla holding him captive, he couldn't risk transforming without being seen by all of Paris. He almost put on the mask for Clara's music video, and Simon Says a few months ago had him switching back and forth between Adrien and Cat Noir. Hawk Moth was getting persistent, but as Beetlebug pointed out, rushing may lead to his downfall.

"Hey, Cat," Beetlebug said; they'd moved from the Eiffel Tower to Le Grand Paris, "Can you handle patrol on your own tonight? I think I should go home."

Cat Noir didn't miss the way his shoulders tensed, already preparing to jump whether or not he answer, or no matter what he answered. He placed his hand on Beetlebug's shoulder, calming him a little. "The Notre Dame is our next meet up point, remember?"

Beetlebug nodded. "Right. Thanks, Noir." He jumped onto the railing and cast his yo-yo, ready to swing before Cat spoke again.

"You can always count on me for anything you need to say," he said in a caring tone.

His partner didn't say anything, but the way he didn't move yet indicated that he heard and was thinking. "Thanks, Noir," he said again before jumping off the hotel roof and disappearing into the night.

Cat Noir stayed at the hotel for the rest of the assigned time, only another half hour, before he went home. He much preferred any city rooftop compared to the vast and empty house behind padded gates and high walls. Honestly, it felt so much like a prison that the only thing missing would be bars.

He detransformed after landing in his room and sat on his desk chair, head in his hands. "Beet looked real upset about something. What do you think it could have been?"

Plagg shrugged and grabbed himself some Camembert. "It's probably nothing. The Ladybugs chosen are always so astute, but they tend to overthink things. I'm sure he's fine."

"Astute? Big word, been taking a break from reading Gentleman's Camembert in exchange for a dictionary?" He sighed and picked up his discarded book and text. He still had to finish the homework that Mme. Bustier assigned.

Life as a superhero was tough.

He went back and forth from finishing his homework to thinking about what could possibly be upsetting his best friend. He cared for Nino and Chloe, as well as everyone else in class, but he could safely say that Beetlebug was the best friend Cat Noir could have. He always took leadership the way Adrien never could, probably because he was already used to taking orders from his father. But the way Beet did it was as a leader, not as a command.

His thoughts perused him as Plagg sat on his bed. He eventually heard the kwami say, "Ah, I am exhausted! I'm off to bed!"

Adrien didn't think twice about the declaration and fought off sleep as he said, "Uh-huh. Good night, Plagg."

He let his eyes gaze over the page for a few minutes, on the verge of falling asleep. He managed to secure himself for just a little bit longer when he suddenly felt a shift in the air. It was unnatural, just like when Vanisher or Troublemaker first had the advantage by being invisible or intangible. Something was wrong.

A sharp clang! shocked him out any dreariness. He stood up and saw that bars had fallen over his bedroom door and windows, effectively locking him in.

"What's going on?" Adrien swiveled out of his chair and stood as more bars filled every door and opening, including his bathroom doors. "Plagg, wake up! Huh?" He pulled back the blankets on his bed to reveal a sock in place of the kwami.

No Plagg, and worse, bars locking him in his room? This was his worst nightmare come to life!

"Plagg! No! Who turned you into a sock?"

After Frozer, it was Cat Noir's turn for a solo patrol. Beetlebug had taken the one after Sandboy, saying he needed to do it himself and think away from his house. Whatever his nightmare come to life was as a civilian, it looked like it haunted him.

Adrien didn't fare any better. He was in that small and cramped space for what felt like hours until Plagg finally came. He didn't hold it against Plagg that he snuck out, and a warning for next time would be preferable. He was scared and lonely, but it turned out alright in the end.

Beetlebug's nightmare was losing his powers. Cat Noir's nightmare was that Beetlebug would treat him like a lowlife and be better off without him. Adrien's nightmare was for his room to be his cage.

As he landed on the roof of the Palai Garnier, his baton started to ring. Was there another late-night akuma on the loose? Did something happen to Beetlebug? Was there any trouble going on?

"What's up, Beet?" Cat Noir asked, looking down at the screen. However, Beetlebug didn't show his face. He aimed the camera down so that his neck was barely visible in the frame, the red spots prominent against the black torso. "Beet? What's wrong?"

"Come to the Eiffel Tower." Beetlebug simply put, ending the video-call. An audio-call probably wouldn't have sounded any less worrying.

Concerned, Cat Noir wasted no time abandoning his post and catapulting his way to the landmark. When he arrived, he expected to find his partner at the top, but there was no one there. He looked through the lower levels, to the looking point where people on the tower can see vastly through Paris, but still no one. Had he heard right? Was this where he needed to go?

He finally found a figure perched on a steel beam in the intricate design of the tower. Beetlebug had one leg hanging off the beam, letting it swing idly as he sat back, his face buried in his hands. He was crying.

Cat Noir carefully landed in the beam next to him, using his baton as a tightrope to walk over. Beetlebug's sniffles were soft, and he seemed to sense him as Beet managed to curl into himself just a little bit more, lifting his leg back to him.

"What's wrong, Beet?"

"I, um..." Beetlebug sniffed. "I've been having some, some nightmares lately. Ever since Sandboy."

That's right. Beetlebug looked especially distraught that Hawk Moth was able to take advantage of the negative emotions of fear and sadness a nightmare brought on. If one person could be akumatized like that, anyone can.

"About losing your powers?"

"No. I-I was affected by Sandboy before I transformed. My friends, my-my family. They changed to look and sound like them, but the way they acted and spoke was like something out of a horror movie."

Cat Noir frowned, sitting cross-legged again across from him. "What did they say?" He immediately knew it was something bad based on the way Beet flinched and hugged himself. Even through the domino mask, his eyes were wet and reddened through tears. He didn't look at him.

Beetlebug sniffed. "They called me names. All... all kinds of offensive stuff. I cried more than once that night."

Cat Noir didn't know how to sympathize. No one had ever called him offensive terms before, and he feared isolation, not bigotry. "Why... why did they call you that?"

For the first time that night, Beetlebug met his eyes. "I'm gay, Cat Noir."

The words left Beet's lips, and it took Cat Noir about four seconds to process them. "Oh. Oh, my God. Oh, God, Beet, your worst nightmare is being discriminated against?"

Beetlebug nodded, ducking his head again. Cat Noir waddled over so that he could hug his friend, which Beet desperately leaned into. Being so close, Cat Noir's senses were able to pick up the scent of a bakery. He probably lived near or worked at one.

Paris's greatest hero continued to sob pathetically into the other hero's arms, clinging desperately as if he were afraid he'd let go.

"Is this why you've been off your game?" Cat Noir asked softly.

Beet nodded. "Do you remember Captain Hardrock? Just before then, I... I met a guy. He began to flirt with me and I was confused. Then I realized I didn't mind it and it scared me."

Cat nodded. "How did you know you were gay, then? What if you were... whatever it is they call someone who likes boys and girls."

"You're thinking of a bisexual." Beetlebug finally released his grip, easing himself in the spot with their shoulders touching. "I thought the same thing. But then I began to think about my classmates, picturing myself going out with them. Even the classmates I didn't like." He pulled a face, making Cat Noir laugh. Beet finally managed a smile before continuing. "In the end, there were only two boys that I wouldn't mind being with. When I realized I had a type, I tried to apply it to girls I'd see on the streets, but I didn't feel... anything. Only with the boys I saw. So, yeah. I'm gay." He eyed Cat Noir next to him warily. "Does that upset you?"

"I don't think so." Cat Noir hummed and pursed his lips. "I'm not offended or anything, if that's what you mean. I think everyone everyone deserves to be happy, no matter who it is they like or want to love, even someone who acts stuck-up." This time, he gave Beet a pointed look.

He only rolled his eyes. "If you're trying to talk to me about being nicer to Chloé Bourgeois, you can forget it. I'll be nice to Chloé the day she decides to actually apologize to someone she akumatized and means it."

Cat Noir shrugged. "You never know, Beet. She might surprise you."

"Yeah, right." Beet shook his head. "I'm surprised how easily you took it, Cat. Thanks."

"No problem. What are friends for, right?"

The two of them stayed like that for a little while longer, even past the time patrol should have ended.

"Why now?" Cat finally said, breaking the silence.

"Hm?"

"Why did you decide to tell me now?"

"Oh. Well, I actually went on a date today."

Cat Noir sat back up after slouching, startling Beet as he faced him. "What, seriously? With who? Was it that guy you said flirted with you?"

Beet turned as red as his suit and shook his head. "I don't know if I should say..."

"C'mon, Beet! You can't just stop there! Did you at least have fun?"

Beet let a smile come to his face. "I did. And we already set a date for next week at the movies."

"That's awesome! You're becoming a regular love bug, you know!"

"God, I wish I never told you."

"Aw, Beet. You're telling your heart's not beating over the guy?"

"I hope an akuma stops you."

"We're pretty high up. You might fall for him."

"Okay, I'm gonna go now." Beetlebug moved to stand up, but Cat Noir gripped his arm and stood as well. "What, Cat?"

"Are you going to tell your family?"

Beetlebug stiffened. "Cat, I don't see how that's any of your business."

The sharpness in his voice didn't deter Cat Noir. "You're my best friend, Beet. I want to help you."

Hand holding his yo-yo, he looked down and opened it up. "It's almost one on the morning, Noir. We still have school tomorrow."

Cat Noir sighed. "Okay. I think you should, though. Nightmares may be scary, but they're just that. Nightmares. They're not real."

Beetlebug only threw his yo-yo as it caught on to a building in the distance, swinging away. Cat Noir was left on his own with the hope that things could only get better.

Adrien sat with his homework in front of him, double-checking to make sure he had his point across. When Mme. Bustier assigned last week's homework, to pick a work by a famous writer and do an analysis of it, Adrien immediately went for Ray Bradbury's A Sound of Thunder. Every since his mother disappeared and again when he got his Miraculous, Adrien had thought about a lot of what ifs. It was an unhealthy amount of thinking, if he was honest with himself, but he tried not to delve too deep into the thought. The Butterfly Effect could apply to all sorts of manner of things, which was the whole point of it in the first place. Maybe having breakfast faster could trigger a chain of events somewhere in Canada. Or finishing the assignment a day earlier would benefit autism research.

Was it an absurd thought? Yes. He made sure to put that into his analysis, because that was, after all, the whole point of A Sound of Thunder, that the impossible is probable, not possible. He spent about five whole paragraphs delving into this issue before realizing how complicated he made it even to himself, scrapping it all for a simpler explanation.

"Okay, class, before you turn in your assignments, I thought that maybe a few of you would like to share your analyses for the class," Mme. Bustier said. "I'd like to see what you have to say about the stories you chose. Would anyone like to volunteer?"

At first, no one raised their hands. Adrien thought about it, but before he came to a conclusion, Mme. Bustier pointed to someone towards the back. "Yes, Mylène?"

Mylène's story was about Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. She made it clear that in the beginning of the book, Alice is confused as to why things are the way they are. At the end of it, while explaining the absurdity behind each encounter Alice had, Mylène says that logic and reason exists because without it, life would be as convoluted as Wonderland was.

Max went next, explaining that William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was not, in fact a very good analogy for romance, and not just because they both died at the end. When he put the character's personality into modern standards, though, it made much more sense.

"I believe we have time for one more volunteer," Mme. Bustier said. "Would anyone like to go? Adrien?"

"I'd love to, Mme. Bustier, but I had to reword my analysis twice before I got my point across," Adrien said. "I think it sounds better on paper than read out loud."

"I'd like to read my analysis," Marin said behind him. The paradoxical orderly and clumsy student stood in his seat behind Adrien, picking up his paper with him. "I did mine on the original tale of The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen."

"Please, that story's for babies," Chloè put in.

Marin huffed. "Not the original story, if you'll let me finish. In the original fairy-tale, the unnamed mermaid falls in love with a man, not necessarily a prince, who lived on land. The mermaid makes a deal with a sea witch, her voice in exchange for legs, but the deal is that if she fails to win his heart, she'll turn to foam and dissolve away into the sea."

"Why would anyone take that sort of deal?" Kim said.

Marin shrugged. "Heck if I know. But the story continues, the mermaid gaining legs and trying to win the man's heart. But the man falls in love with another woman and is set to marry her."

"The sea witch in disguise, right?" Alya said, sitting next to him.

"Actually, no." Marin looked down at his paper. "The man genuinely fell in love with another woman. The night before their wedding, the mermaid was visited by her sisters at the sea, who went to the sea witch and exchange their beautiful locks of hair for an enchanted knife."

"She was gonna kill the woman?" Rose said worriedly.

"Again, no. The deal is that if the mermaid kills the man she loves, then she'll get her fins back the moment she touches the sea. The mermaid sneaked into the man's room to kill him, but she couldn't do it. She loved him too much and let herself turn to foam when the sun rose the next morning."

"That's such a sad ending, though. Why do you think that is, Marin?" Mme. Bustier inquired.

"Doing some more research about how he came up with the story, I discovered at the same time Hans Andersen was writing it, a friend of his was getting married. He was in love with a man who wasn't able to love him back. The story as a whole is a metaphor for Andersen's feeling throughout the whole ordeal. He must have felt really sad."

"Dude, are you saying that one of the world's best storytellers was attracted to other dudes?" Nino asked in surprise.

Marin nodded. "Yeah. and delving into more research, I realized that a lot of famous historical figures were either attracted to the same or both sexes. William Shakespeare, Leonardo da Vinci, Mary Shelley, Frida Kahlo, Julius Caesar. It's… really inspiring, actually."

"Inspiring, how?" Mme. Bustier asked with a frown.

Adrien noticed how Marin had suddenly tensed, if the way he bit down hard was any indication. He set the paper down and took a deep breath. "Because I'm gay. Which was I did my analysis on this story in particular." He cleared his throat, very pointedly looking down at his desk. "Thank you." He sat back down.

In the back of his mind, Adrien knew that it couldn't be a coincidence. But at the same time, it had to be. Right?

"That was a very brave thing of you to do, Marin," Mme. Bustier said kindly. "Don't worry about a thing. Now, class, please have your papers ready, and pass them forward so that I may collect them."

Adrien kept his back turned, looking at Marin with a raised eyebrow. Marin caught his gaze and moved his head further down, his black fringe obscuring his face. However, the redness of his skin was still visible.

"I need to go to the bathroom!" was all the warning the class had before Marin darted out of his seat, knocking his backpack over and spilling its contents.

"Marin! Calm down, please!" Mme. Bustier followed him to the door, but didn't step out. She sighed, turning back to the class. "Oh, dear. I'm worried. Hawk Moth might take advantage of the fear of rejection Marin is feeling now."

"He didn't think we'd actually say or do anything against him, right?" Alya said worriedly. "I mean, it's Marin! He's our everyday Beetlebug!"

He's our everyday Beetlebug because he's Beetlebug!

"Um, Mme. Bustier?" Adrien raised his hand. "Can I go check to make sure Marin's feeling okay? He might need someone to talk to."

"That's a good idea, Adrien. Please go, and take as much time as Marin needs, okay?"

Adrien nodded, already out of his seat and darting through the door. He made his way down the stairs as Plagg poked out of his shirt. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Only if you're thinking that Marin is actually Beetlebug! This is way too coincidental. I mean, I encourage Beetlebug to come out to his family and three days later Marin comes out to everyone in class? Things just don't line up too closely like that."

"Actually, I was thinking about Camembert. But you should hurry before Hawk Moth sends an akuma to him."

Adrien hurried to the boy's locker room, barely stopping to open it before his footsteps echoed in. For a moment, he heard the sounds of familiar weeping before it stopped abruptly by a rush of breathing.

He stepped forward, lightly pressing against all the stall doors until he found the one that didn't nudge open. "We're not going to hurt you, Marin," he said, his voice soft.

On the other side, he heard a sharp and shuddered inhale.

"And if anyone decides to make fun of you for being who you are, you can bet Alya, Nino and I won't rest until we make their life a living hell." He heard a sniff instead or a chuckle or laugh.

Well, now or never.

"You're going to be fine, Marin. I promise. Nightmares may be scary, but they're just that. Nightmares. They're not real."

A shuddered gasp. He heard the sound of what may be someone stepping off of the toilet and feet touching the tiled ground. "Why did you say that?" he heard in trembling voice.

"C'mon, Beet. You can't stay in the bathroom stall forever. You can come out of it like you did with the closet." He waited for a reaction, suddenly worried that the joke was too much, or that his suspicions were wrong.

He listened intently before he heard weeping again.

No, not weeping. It sounded a lot like…

He's laughing, Adrien realized. Laughing so airily and so inaudibly that it sounded like he was crying again. There was a click and the stall door opened, revealing Marin with his cheeks stained with tears and a smile on his face. Adrien smiled back and chuckled. Marin finally made sounds with his laughs until the both of them were doubling over in laughter, the sound echoing in the otherwise empty bathroom. It got so bad that Marin actually had to use Adrien as a crutch so that he wouldn't fall over.

"See, Marin?" A chipper female voice popped up, alerting Adrien that they weren't alone. "I told you everything would be fine!"

Looking up, he saw what could only be Marin's kwami floating next him. Plagg slipped out of his shirt and hovered by his shoulder. "What's up, Sugar Cube?"

"Stop calling me that," the kwami said. "Adrien, it's good to know that Marin has such a good friend in you."

Adrien shrugged. "Thanks. I mean, I just try and be a nice person. I don't think that's worth praising, it's general human decency."

"I'll take it," Marin said. "I did a lot more research than what I was supposed to when I was looking up information on Andersen's life and sexuality. About current events and stuff. Some of it's not too good, to be honest."

"I can't imagine what it must be like, but I know you can count on me. The both of us, really. Plagg may be a nuisance to take care of sometime, but sometimes you can truly count on him."

"Nuisance?" Plagg hovered in front of Adrien's face. "Is that what you call my deeds? Shame on you!"

"You didn't have to come get me, Adrien," Marin said. "You're missing class."

"Compared to my partner and best friend, class is nothing," Adrien said. "Besides, Mme. Bustier was worried you'd be akumatized. It wouldn't do to have Paris's greatest hero under evil influence, would it?"

"I just hope no one else is akumatized because of me," Marin said worriedly. "Remember Zombizou? Mme. Bustier got akumatized because I got so angry at Chloè."

"At least she apologized because of that. You have been being nice to Chloè, right, Beet?"

Marin rolled his eyes. "God, you are such an alley cat. But I suppose any other stray would be as insistent. I'm glad you're with me, Adrien." He cleared his throat and wiped his eyes with the sleeves of his handmade blazer. "We should probably head back to class."

"If you need more time, we can stay here a little longer," Adrien reassured him. "Mme. Bustier said to take all the time you need. You can even go home early, if you want."

"She said that?"

"No. But under the circumstances, I think she'd understand."

Marin shook his head. "No, I don't want to take advantage of this. Let's just head back to class."

Tikki and Plagg hid back in the shirts of their owners, and Adrien and Marin walked back to the classroom on the first floor at a slower and even pace.

"Did you tell your parents?" Adrien asked as they walked up the stairs.

"I told them after school yesterday. They were encouraging and all that, making sure that I was still their son and they still loved me. It was a huge relief off my shoulder, actually."

Before Adrien could ask anything else, a scream in the distance cut him off. Students came running out one of the ground floor classrooms, screaming their heads off about an akuma.

"Great, it happened again," Marin said distastefully. "Someone got akumatized because of my own emotions."

"You can't let Hawk Moth get a rise out of you, Marin. That's what he wants." Adrien looked over the stairwell. "For now, though, what do you say about the cat and the ladybug playing with the butterflies?"

Marin smirked. "I say we leap into the fray."

Everything's going to be fine, everything's going to be fine, everything's going to be fine.

At the collége entrance the next day, Marin stopped and didn't take another step inside. From where he stood he could see his friends and classmates idling around until the first class of the day started. He wasn't late this morning, thank God, and it looked neither was Adrien. He was across the court speaking to Nino and Alya.

Everything's going to be fine, everything's going to be fine, everything's going to be fine.

He took several deep breaths before he stepped through the doors, Tikki's presence in his inside blazer pocket calming him down a little bit. No matter what happened, he still had his kwami with him, and his parents and Adrien, too. At least his partner wasn't freaked out like he thought he would.

"Hey, guys," Marin said as he approached his friends.

"Do my eyes deceive me?" Alya said in mock surprise. "Marin, you're actually on time? How is that possible?"

"It was funny the first time, now it's gotten kinda old, babe," Nino said, his arm swung over her shoulder.

"Besides, we've been on time more than once," Adrien said. "My father doesn't schedule me before school all the time, you know."

Marin chuckled nervously. "Yeah. I mean, my parents own a bakery. Forget early bird gets the worm, early bird rises with the bread first thing in the morning."

Alya shook her head, hands on her hips. "Nice try, Mars! You told me yourself, you're used to the smell of bread in the morning and it doesn't wake you up anymore. You need to settle on a good old-fashioned alarm clock like everyone else! That's the only way you'll get to school on time, and you live just down the street!"

Marina scoffed and crossed his arms. "Please, Alya. I love you and all, and I know you're one of my best friends, so you're one to talk about bad habits. What about every time an akuma shows up you decide to act like one of the kids from The Blair Witch Project and decide to follow the very obvious danger with your camera?"

"First, I don't know what that is. Second, what happened to being your official best friend instead of just 'one of'? I thought we had a good thing going here, Mars." She gestured to the two of them with her hands, her phone clutched in it.

"I mean, there's a reason I came out to Adrien before my parents, you know."

Crap! Why did I say that?!

"What?" Alya turned to Adrien in surprise. "You didn't tell us that!"

Marin looked back and forth between them. They had been talking about him?

"I didn't think I had to!" Adrien said. "I mean, I saw that Marin was upset about something a few weeks ago and asked about it, but he didn't tell me what it was that was bothering him. He didn't actually tell me until Monday."

"In his defense, I would've told anyone who asked what was going on with me that day," Marin said. "It was only a matter of time, in my opinion. It helps that he's exactly my type, I don't know."

WHY DID I SAY THAT?! OH, MY GOD, OH, MY GOD, OH, MY GOD!

"I'm what, now?" Adrien did a double take at this.

Alya snickered and covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh, my…"

The bell rang, signaling the beginning of the first class. Thank God it was Mme. Bustier today. Marin couldn't imagine not paying attention in Mme. Mendeleiev's class and not being reprimanded harshly for it.

He pointedly ignored everyone sitting around him as the rest of the class piled in. He raised a glance at Alya, only to completely regret it when she wriggled her eyebrows at him. He glared at his desk and cursed every single moment in time that placed him in his current situation. God, he would never be able to look Cat Noir in the eye again.

Oh, dear God. Cat Noir is Beetlebug's type! That's… so wrong!

"Let's start with our daily exercises," Mme. Bustier said, clapping her hands to silent the class. "Alya, Max, why don't you two go first?"

After that, Adrien and Rose went, followed by Juleka and Marin. Marin made a point about how much he liked the way Juleka styled her hair and how cool it was. "Bright-colored hair is pretty cool, in my book," were the words he said.

Juleka smiled and returned the compliment about his earrings, their simple and chic design. They sat back down and the lesson began.

After the bell rang, Marin expected Alya to start badgering him about what he let slip in the court. When she didn't, he thought it was too good to be true.

It was.

At lunch, he served himself and sat at a table in the corner, facing the wall. At least this way, he wouldn't have to worry about looking up and meeting someone's eyes. That is, until Adrien decided to sit next to him without food.

"I'm avoiding you right now!" Marin said loudly, not really shouting it, but enough to garner the attention of the students in the next table.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Adrien grabbed at Marin's arm as he stood, pulling him and setting him down on the opposite side of the seat. "We're talking now before you're too awkward to talk anymore."

"I'm always too awkward to talk." Marin buried his face in his hands. "God, I have no filter. I can't believe I said that, let alone to you."

"You told me yourself. You're starting to go out with a guy, right?" Adrien bumped his shoulder against Marin's. "If you hadn't told me before, I definitely would have thought to avoid you, too. But I don't hold it against you." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "I want to apologize, too."

Marin frowned. "About what?"

"I told Alya and Nino that you were with someone. I know, I shouldn't have! Your love life doesn't have anything to do with us, but I just wanted to make clear that you weren't actually interested in me like that." He set his hand on Marin's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"It's… it's fine, I think." He shook his head. "I'm not happy, but at least rumors won't start to rise. You made sure they wouldn't tell anyone else?"

"On my ring, I promise I made sure they knew how you want this to be discrete until you're ready to tell people on your own accord." He held up his right hand and wriggled his ring finger, the silver jewelry glinting in the afternoon sun. "I should head to my house, I'm supposed to go back during lunch."

"Shoot, I'm not making you late, am I?"

"Don't worry about it, you're my friend. I'll see you next class." Adrien got up and left the room.

Marin slid his food over to him, finally able to eat. He turned his head back nervously and saw Alya and Nino talking to Rose and Juleka. He caught Alya's eye and her eyebrows knitted together in worry. Marin shook his head, offering a reassuring smile. Alya nodded and gave a discreet thumbs up. Marin nodded back.

He was almost done with his lunch when he heard footsteps behind him. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to, Marin Dupain-Cheng."

Marin sighed. "What do you want, Chloé? Don't think I won't talk to the press about giving you an ugly image if you insult my sexuality."

"I could care less about that. What I do care about is my Adrikins."

He turned to face the blonde menace fully, staring her down despite sitting down. Chloé may be making progress on respecting people, but she seemed to keep it to a person a day. And this day was definitely not him.

"What are you talking about, Chloé?"

"Like you don't know." She leaned down so that she was almost nose to nose with him. "Stay away from my Adrien or you'll pay."

Marin scoffed. "We literally just had this conversation. Adrien knows that I'm not romantically interested in him in any way. He's my friend, and that's all he is. You don't have to threaten me over spilled mascara."

He's not even interested in you, you clown.

Chloé obviously didn't believe him, glowering at him with heavily winged eyes. "We'll see about that." She turned around and left, waving her hand to beckon Sabrina over as they left the room.

Marin sighed. Things were going to get a lot worse before they got better, he knew.

"Sorry I'm late!" Marin gasped for breath as he skidded to a stop in front of the movie theater. "I had to work a little bit later today than usual since I have the night shift off. Almost lost track of time." He decided not to add that it was his father who reminded him he would be late for his date and how red he turned after it was mentioned.

"That's fine," Luka said, hands in his pockets. "The movie hasn't started yet. You're not late."

"Thank God for that." They walked to the ticket booth and looked up at the showtimes. "Are you sure you're okay with the movie I chose? It's an American film that wasn't translated to French, we only have subtitles to work with."

"It's fine," Luka reassured him again, way more nonchalant than Marin felt. "I asked you out to the skate rink, you suggested a movie. We can choose something familiar to us the next time."

The words "the next time" stirred something in Marin's stomach that made him blush. When it was their turn, Marin pulled out the money. "Two for Halloween, please."

"Isn't that the one horror movie that ignited the final girl status?" Luka asked.

"This is the sequel to the original one, erasing the events of the other movies." Marin thanked the ticket seller and walked into the building. "It's a confusing timeline of events for the series, but all you need to know for this one is that people died, and the survivor is traumatized for life."

"I'm surprised no one's been traumatized for life because of all these akuma attacks," Luka said. "Too badly, anyway. Here, let me at least pay for popcorn."

Marin nodded, pressing a smile to his face despite not really meaning it. Sandboy's attack was still fresh in the back of his mind.

After the movie, the two of them walked through the streets talking, getting to know each other a little bit more.

"Can I ask you a bit of a personal question?" Marin asked, taking a sip of his latte.

Luka nodded. "Shoot."

"When did you realize you were bisexual?"

To Marin's surprise, Luka snorted. The action was a little bit out of character for the whole "cool guy" persona he emitted, but calmed down. "It's a funny story, actually. I was a big fan of this really obscure anime when I was a kid. The lead female character was cute and I remember thinking, 'shoot, she looks nice to kiss.' Then I saw what her brother looked like and thought, 'oh, him, too.'"

Marin snorted, careful to not slurp on his drink too much and burn his tongue. "So you're first crush was a pair of siblings on TV?"

"Yeah. It's ridiculous, I know, but that was when I knew I was bi. Of course, I didn't know what it was called and told my my mom about it. I think she never entertained the possibility of her child liking more than one gender that wasn't his own, but she understood when I brought home a friend from school that I had a crush on. My first boyfriend was when I was ten. We lasted for about a week."

"I've never even been on a date before," Marin admitted. "I told you, right? I think, subconsciously speaking, I knew I was gay and never wanted to go out with a girl as I grew up. I know every boy goes through their 'ew, girls are icky' phase, but for me, it was more of a 'ew, girlfriends are weird' phase. Surprise, surprise, I wasn't wrong." They shared a laugh as Marin took another sip. "I can also safely say that I've never had a boyfriend before. Never entertained the thought until now."

"Boyfriend?" Luka repeated, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

Someone take my Miraculous away now.

Marin fought the urge to stutter and dig himself into a deeper hole. Instead, he looked at Luka. He was older, sixteen years old as opposed to Marin's fourteen. As such, he was taller by about four inches. He had to actually look up to meet his eyes because they were standing so close. "Y-yeah. Is that okay?"

Luka smiled. He moved his arm so that it hooked around Marin's, bringing them even closer than they already were. "It's fine with me if it's fine with you."

A weight off his shoulders rose. Marin sighed and leaned a little closer to the touch, a smile touching his lips. "I'm fine." Thank God it was nighttime and already making it hard to see his blush with the light the streets offered.

They continued to walk in a comfortable silence. Marin was pretty sure he was leaning his head on Luka's shoulder, but he didn't say anything against it, so Marin didn't move it. This seemed right.

They rounded the corner and stood in front of the entrance to the apartment. The doors leading into the bakery were a little bit further down the street, and Marin knew it was still open. He could see the light from the windows from where they stood.

"This is my stop," Marin said. He hated having to do so, but he removed his arm from around Luka's.

"Tonight was nice," Luka said. "What do you wanna do next week?"

"How about you just come up to my room?" Marin suggested. "We can just hang out, you can bring your guitar and maybe I can come up with a chic rock star design for you." He couldn't help but tug at Luka's jacket, thinking it over.

"You don't have to do that," Luka said.

"I'm in a deadlock. I need a new project to work on. Trust me, it'll help me tons to try something for you."

Luka nodded. He smiled and just looked at him for a few seconds.

"What is it?" Did he have something on his face?

He was about to scratch at it when Luka said. "You're very handsome."

Marin gulped nervously. He felt like something in his gut, something was about to happen and he didn't know what. "I'm really into the way your hair is dyed. I'm sorry, that was weird, I have no idea why I said that, I'm terrible at this." He paused to take a breath and was about to stutter on when Luka gently placed his hand on his cheek.

He moved slowly, giving Marin a chance to back out if he wanted to.

He didn't want to.

Luka's lips met his in a soft embrace. Marin let his eyes fall as he reached blindly for Luka's sleeve, or anything else to get a grasp on. Luka's thumb grazed over his thumb tenderly, making Marin melt even more.

After about eight seconds, Luka back away and winked. If it were every brought up, Marin would deny that he whined at the sight of that. "See you soon." He gave him one more kiss on his cheek, letting his his touch linger before he walked away.

"See ya." Marin stood dumbly for a second before remembering himself. He hurriedly opened the building doors and closed it rather rushed behind him. As soon as the doors were closed, Marin leaned his back heavily against them. "I am doomed."

"What's wrong?" Tikki poked her head out of his pocket. "You were having a wonderful time, Marin! You just had your first kiss!"

"I… I think I'm in love," Marin admitted to himself. "Dear God… It's only the second date! We've only been together a week! What am I thinking!"

"This is the first time you've ever felt like this about someone, Marin," Tikki said, floating so that she hovered in sight in front of him. "It's only natural that you feel this way."

For some reason, this didn't seem to help his inner turmoil. "So I'm just being delusional?"

"Not at all. This relationship with Luka is still new. Give it time and you'll see what I mean. You're still going to feel like this even in twenty years if the two of you had a falling out. No one ever forgets their first love."

The thought of what he had with Luka possibly ending didn't set well with him. Instead, Marin pushed thought away and stood back up, careful to not rouse his parents' attention as he walked up the stairs. "Since when did you give such good love advice?"

"Practice," Tikki said proudly. "You're not the first Ladybug I've had that's fallen in love for the first time, you know."

Marin smiled. "But I guess I'm the first Ladybug that's gay, right?"

"Not at all!" Tikki said, surprising Marin. "Our wielders are much more diverse than you think. Not just in race, but also in sexuality! Cleopatra's first-born son secretly expressed interest in both men and woman. You said it yourself, Julius Caesar, his father, also liked to lay with men. History is more diverse than people want you to think."

"Considering people seem to forget Egypt is a part of Africa, I'm not surprised." Marin opened up the door leading to his apartment and sighed. "God, I'm so screwed."

Late. He was late. Again. He was doing so well this month, too!

It didn't help that with Anansi attacking on Saturday, and Carapace being recruited the same day, and his date with Luka the night before, he completely forgot to charge his phone. Now he had to leave it at home and dashed out of the house, not even stopping when his parents asked how the date went. It went well, they were hanging out in room next time, that was that.

It didn't occur to him until after school that day that it meant he was bringing his first boyfriend (first boyfriend!) home to meet his parents. It was not going to end well.

When he got to the school, classes had already started. When Mme. Bustier asked for the reason for his tardiness, he decided for the truth.

"I'm sorry, Madame. I was out late last night and I forgot to charge my phone when I got home. My alarm didn't go off."

Alya hummed suggestively next to him. Marin frowned, but didn't look away from the teacher.

"You're arriving fine this month, Marin," Mme. Bustier said. "See that is doesn't happen another dozen times before I'm forced to write you up for an after school detention.

Despite the teasing manner in her voice, Marin had the right to look a little but ashamed. "Of course, Madame."

The rest of the lesson progressed, but for some reason, Alya kept glancing over at him. When it came time for a quiz, Nino took two papers for himself and Adrien before handing them back to his girlfriend. Instead of turning back, he turned to Marin. "Dude, congrats!"

"I'm sorry," Adrien said sorrowfully, his eye twitching. "I tried to keep everything calm, but they were insistent."

Marin frowned. "What are you guys talking about?"

"You didn't get our messages?" Alya asked, taking two sheets and passing them on behind her.

"No. Didn't you guys listen? I forgot to charge my phone and I left it at home today."

Adrien's eyes widened. "Oh, God, you don't know."

"Know what?"

"Please, no talking during a quiz," Mme. Bustier said. "You have until the end of class to finish this assignment. When you're done, you are free to leave. Please place your quizzes facing down on my desk on your way out the door. You may begin."

Marin took much longer than necessary to finish the test. When he was done, though, the only people left in the room were Kim, Chloé, and Sabrina. Before Adrien had finished with his quiz about ten minutes earlier he mouthed the library, and that was exactly where he planned on going.

"Don't worry too much, Marin," Tikki said, poking her head out when the coast was clear. "You don't want Hawk Moth to akumatize you."

"I think Adrien's worried I'll be mad rather than scared or upset," Marin said. "Oh, man. I hope nothing bad's happened. That's just wishful thinking, though."

Approaching the library doors, he steeled himself before stepping inside. Everyone else who had finished the test was inside, chatting silently among themselves. Adrien caught his and blanched. He made his way over to him, catching the attention of everyone else in the room.

"I tried to stop them, I swear."

"What is going on, Adrien?" Marin crossed his arms in an effort to look cross, but he was pretty sure it didn't come through based on how he sounded. "Why's everyone acting so weird today?"

Adrien looked like he wanted to answer, but was interrupted by Alya. "Can I just say, Mars, how proud I am of you?"

"Dude," Nino said, staring at him dumbly.

"What?"

"Dude."

"What, what is it?"

"Dude!"

"So help me, Nino, if you don't explain what happened before calling me dude again, I am revoking music from the library."

Nino kept his mouth clenched shut, but the grin on his face reminded Marin vaguely of the Cheshire Cat. Not enough teeth, he thought in the back of his mind that wasn't occupied with the situation at hand.

"This photo was posted on the Beetleblog last night," Alya said, turning to the security feed that showed various positions of the school. One of the cameras blacked out and was replaced with a web search bar. "I thought it was photoshopped at first, but then it was also posted on Twitter and Juleka confirmed that her brother was out last night."

But Juleka's brother is… Oh, no.

The image propped up and was shown in full screen. It was taken from a short distance, but it was very clear that it was him and Luka kissing. For a moment, Marin felt red and embarrassed that they were caught, that someone had seen such a private affair and captured it, but then he felt red when he realized that someone had seen such a private affair and captured it.

"Congrats, Mars!" Alya said. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Dude," Nino said in a chuckle. "Luka? He's older than everyone in class! I didn't even know he was into dudes, too!"

"He had a girlfriend last year," Juleka said, meek as always. "They didn't really click, so they broke up. But don't worry, Marin, you're good."

Rose was almost swooning. "Oh, this is so romantic! The first kiss in a relationship, that's beautiful!"

Everyone else rattled on about how great this was, about how good it was for Marin, about how Luka was cool, about anything and everything that Marin didn't care about.

The only one that didn't join the excitement was Adrien. He took a careful step and placed it his hand on Marin's shoulder, but flinched when it was brushed off. "Marin? You okay?"

Suddenly, without preamble or warning, Marin let out a violent scream. It knocked everyone into the right state of mind and they watched in horror as Marin peeled the keyboard out of its place, wires snapping as it was forced away. Marin threw the board down and stomped on it, but the image on the screen remained.

"Marin, oh, my God!" Mylène cried out in shock. "What in the world is the matter with you?"

Marin raised his eyes, making Adrien, the closest person to him, gasp and cower by taking a measured step back. With a single wavering finger, Marin pointed to the screen that still showed his intimate kiss. "Who did this?"

He let his eyes wander over all of them, but they looked away when he met them. "Who did this?" he asked again, this time with more force.

Alya was brave enough to speak first. "It's not that big a deal, Marin," she said, not using his nickname.

"Not a big deal?" he repeated. "I'm sorry, does the fact that I don't meet societal norms mean that you can breach my privacy? Do I have to ask you people for permission to kiss someone? Do you have to worry that you can possibly be killed just because of someone you love?"

"Love?" Juleka said timidly.

"Shut up!" They all cowered at his tone. "Who the hell took this photo?"

"I-it was an anonymous post," Alya said, speaking but not meeting his eye. "Not from a confirmed account."

"And what about the Twitter post?" Marin pressured.

"I looked into that one, Marin," Max said. "It was from a bot. But the picture garnered enough attention from everyone that it was saved before the Twitter staff officially took it down."

Marin shook his head. "I am such an idiot." He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. "God, I am so stupid. To think I actually hoped that nothing would change. And I believed it, too."

"Marin-"

"Please, Adrien, not now." As opposed to everyone else, Marin spoke in a softer voice to his friend. "When Sandboy attacked, my worst nightmare was that I would be discriminated against when I came out. Well, you know what? I actually wish that's what happened. Because at least then, people would want to do as little with me as possible. They'd leave me alone. They wouldn't want to be seen in the same building as me." He shook his head again. "Forget it. I'm going home."

He didn't know when, probably when he saw the photo prop up for the first time, but he had dropped his backpack. He bent down and angirly shoved everything back inside, not caring if the papers being wrinkled were his homework or notes.

"Marin–"

"Stop, please." He brushed away Adrien's hand again. "Leave me alone. For a while. Listen to me this time." He looked at everyone in the room. "At least for a while, I don't want anything to do with you guys. Don't come by my house. Don't call my phone. Just leave me alone." He left without turning back.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Luka. It's Marin. Listen, I know it's sudden, but can you come over to my house now? I just want to be with someone I trust."

"What about Adrien?" He didn't ask why Marin needed him to come over. He probably knew.

"I trust Adrien. But was mostly thinking of you." Let him take that however he wanted to.

"Okay. I'll head on over."

Hanging up, Marin felt completely drained. He saw the akuma hover in front of him when he left the library. He saw it right there. It could have taken control of him by anything. His Miraculous. His bracelet. His backpack. The hair tie he used that morning in a rush instead of brushing it for a few strokes like he normally did.

Instead, it flew away. Marin didn't care. He was so emotionally drained that the akuma probably didn't even pick up on his sadness, despair, anger, and betrayal. He was exhausted. He cried dry tears, sniveling but not wetting his eyes. He parents didn't know he was home, or they probably did after getting a call from the collège and decided not to speak to him about it.

Tikki was talking about something, but Marin wasn't paying attention. His thoughts could only go back to Luka, and feelings of safety and trust permeated off of him like a foul stench. He didn't understand what it meant, not really, but all he wanted to do was be with Luka. See him was good enough, hearing him speak, listening to his guitar. God, he should have asked if it was alright for him to bring his guitar.

A knock sounded from the trapdoor, making Tikki hide behind the red bed. "Marin?" His maman's voice sounded muffled through the door. "Your boyfriend is here to see you."

My boyfriend. The thought brought a smile to face.

He moved over to the door, giving a few seconds until he heard another knock. "Marin? It's me."

He opened it up. "I thought you were going to wait until after school."

Luka shook his head, climbing inside with his guitar case in hand. "I know about the post, too. Some of the other students were teasing me about it."

Marin lowered his head as the trapdoor shut. "I'm sorry being with me has caused so many problems for you. I can understand if you don't want to anymore."

Please don't go.

"Hey." Luka gently lifted his head with his hand in the same manner as last night. "I've dealt with a few bad words in the past. That never stopped me from being me. And it shouldn't stop you from being you, either." He kissed Marin again, and all he could was melt into him.

"Please stay."

Marin was more or less holding on to Luka like a scared child the rest of the day. Whether it was holding his hand, or leaning on him as he played melancholy on his guitar, or if it was to hug him and weep pathetically in his shoulders, he was there. Luka didn't ask for anything more, and Marin was scared to suggest something less. He didn't know if Luka would actually agree to it.

"Am I touching you too much?" he eventually asked. The sun was already setting.

"You can touch as much as you want," Luka said. With the both of them sitting down facing each other, he guided Marin's hand so that he could kiss into the palm of it.

Marin's breath shuddered at the sight. Luka kissed the hand delicately, his eyes closed. He opened them halfway and peered at Marin through half-lidded eyes. God, he was so attractive.

Marin let his hand gently press onto Luka's face. This was the first time he was holding him like this, and it seemed so much more intimate with the way the setting sun gleamed through his window in the loft where his bed lay. Luka's skin was soft.

Using his own hand to press against Marin's, Luka leaned further into the touch, sighing softly.

I love you.

He wasn't ready to say it yet. But there was no doubt in his mind.

I love you.

"Can I kiss you?" was what he instead said aloud.

Luka smiled. "If you want to."

He wanted to.

Marin knew that, traditionally speaking, he wasn't manly. He was strong, that was certain, but as anyone who knew him would say, he was much more rounded that just someone of a medium-height with a little bit of muscle. He took charge when he needed to, which was why he became class president. His creativity allowed him the imagination needed for sewing, and problem-solving of the akumas. Marin got his strength from his father, and from the baking he did growing up. As much as he loved helping his parents, he knew his true passion was in fashion. Everything extravagant, simple, or colorful he could definitely make.

At the same time, Marin knew that it wasn't these traditionally "feminine" things that made he gay. He wasn't forced or molded into who he was; he was born who he was, and only the world can try and persuade him otherwise, not the people in it. If anything, the World was trying to show him his true nature. He met Luka because of Juleka, and they got closer when they were captured by Captain Hardrock, only to go on their first date at the ice rink, only for Frozer to attack after their brief dismissals of regular visits. They had their second date the week after, and the next day, right here and now, with Marin delicately pressing his lips to his boyfriend's in an unsure fashion, Marin knew that he would do it all again just to relive this one moment.

Adrien knocked on the trapdoor later that night, concern etched on his eyebrows. Sabine and Tom had retired to their room early that night, but had yet to go to bed. It was a good thing Adrien insisted on personally telling Marin the news, of only as an excuse to check up on him. He knocked again when he didn't receive an answer.

"Marin? You okay in there? It's Adrien. Do you want to talk?"

There was a short scuffle of someone moving before a voice that wasn't Marin's said, "It's open."

Adrien frowned. He opened the trap door with ease and looked into the room. To his surprise, Luka was sitting at the foot of Marin's bed, Marin himself laid on his bed with Luka's jacket as a blanket. He looked so peaceful compared to earlier this morning.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt." He was all set to leave, but Luka shook his head.

"No, it's fine. Though I guess you did want to talk to him, huh?" Luka looked back towards the bad, strumming his guitar softly. "He cried himself to sleep. You know, being lean with muscle, he's surprisingly light."

Adrien snorted. "I wouldn't know. I've never had to carry him, I don't know, bridal style, to his bed?" He saw that Luka was nodding softly, but there was a soft patch of red on his cheeks. Heh, heh.

Taking the silent invitation, Adrien got up the rest of the way and closed the trapdoor behind him. "Juleka said you ditched the rest of the day. And that you never went back to the boat."

Luka shrugged. "Marin needed me. I saw the photo that was posted online. Our school's gotten popular because of the all the akuma coming out, near, or at it. It doesn't help that it was posted on the Beetleblog. That's one way to try and get the word out."

Despite sounding calm and reserved, there was a bite to his words that Adrien was able to pick up on. "Are you okay? You look tired yourself."

Luka shook his head. "I'm fine."

Adrien didn't by it. He stared a little more, going so far as squinting, until he found what he was looking for. Despite being on the other side of the room and a few feet lower, Adrien's could see a tear stain on his cheek.

"You were crying."

Luke sighed and rested heavily against the bed. "I guess Marin wasn't the only one scared of the outcome," he admitted. "But he doesn't need to know that." He gave a pointed look to Adrien. "Please don't tell him. I don't want him to worry."

"I won't, I promise." Adrien took a step forward and up the ladder, casually leaning his elbow on the floor when he was able to. "What's your type?"

Luka's eyebrows rose in surprise. "I'm sorry?"

"Marin let slip last week that I'm his type," Adrien admitted, "but wouldn't say what it was. I was just curious about yours."

"Mine? What about you, Model?"

Adrien shook his head. "Nah, I doubt my father would allow that sort of thing. I'm not really looking for anyone, anyway."

"Neither was Marin," Luka pointed out. "But then again, neither was I." He strummed his guitar in a soft and pliant tune. "Did you come to speak to Marin? I assume so, you were asking for him."

Adrien nodded, having almost forgot for his reason to visit. It was a good hint he told the Gorilla the truth about why he came and said to wait for a little while than expected outside.

"Yeah. My dad has this huge fashion event hosting Audrey Bourgeois's glitter line next month. I'm modeling a suit that day and my dad wanted Marin to recreate this bowler hat he won for a competition a few months ago." He gestured with his hands, but ultimately found it useless and continued on. "This is a big opportunity for Marin. Audrey Bourgeois is called the Style Queen in the fashion world. Can you imagine if she liked one of Marin's original works?"

"That'd be a great opportunity for him," Luka said with a smile, and then frowned. "Wait a minute. Bourgeois? As in, the same Bourgeois that's been the cause of almost every akuma in the school?" The bite in his voice was back.

And now for the other reason he came. Might as well let Luka in on the secret; he was a victim just as much as Marin was.

"Yes. Audrey is Chloé's mom."

"Alright." Like certainly didn't sound alright. "She wouldn't happen to have to do with Marin's depression today, would she?"

Adrien sighed. He fully pulled himself of the ladder to sit with his back against the short railing. His back would hurt, but he needed to tell the truth. "Sabrina stalked you guys on your date last night. Well, technically, she stalked Marin. She took the picture and showed it to Chloé. She immediately had Sabrina upload it anonymously on the Beetleblog, and had a tech guy at the hotel create a bogus account on Twitter to upload it there."

Luke's huffed, his playing suddenly becoming a lot more heavier. "Something better be done about that."

"It already has. Chloe confessed and took the blame for it all." It was a surprise to every, really. Chloé has gone to Principal Damoclès, and was suspended for a week for invading personal property about fellow students.

"If she had actually physically hurt Marin and Luka, she would've gotten expelled," Alya told him after school. "I looked it up after I became Lady WiFi. Sabrina wasn't wrong about the accusations guideline."

In the here and now, Adrien sighed and stood up. "I should go. I don't know if Marin will go to school tomorrow, so I was hoping to tell him today."

"What? Why wouldn't he got to school tomorrow?"

Adrien pressed his lips, unsure if he should say but sighed. "He yelled at our classmates today. He was pretty angry about how they handled it all. They didn't say anything mean, it's just that–"

"They thought it'd be better to show it off instead of hiding it," Luka said.

"Yeah, that's… that's right." He cleared his throat. "He said some pretty ugly things to them. I don't think he meant them at all, but he was upset and angry. It was amazing he wasn't akumatized when he left he school, or while he was still in it."

"Yeah. I guess you could consider him lucky. Lucky like a ladybug."

Luka did not really understand the implications of his words, but Adrien did. It dawned to him like any epiphany would, and he couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah. I guess so." He made his way down the ladder and stopped halfway down. "You aren't coming?"

Luka shook his head. "No. I'll stay a little longer. Just in case."

Sandboy's nightmares trailed his head and Adrien couldn't help but agree. That was a brilliant idea.

Marin woke up to the sun peeking through his window. Ordinarily, this would mean that his alarm would start ringing and that he would have to get to school soon. Instead, he ignored it and wriggled on his bed to find a more comfortable position to sleep in. "Tikki…"

A sigh next to him caught him off guard, making him realize that he wasn't alone in the bed. That's right. Sometime on the middle of the night, Marin has woken up in darkness and cried, thinking he was alone. Luka, who had fallen asleep on the floor, told him that he wasn't alone, and he never would be for as long he needed him. Marin put on Luka's jacket and pleaded for him to sleep in the bed with him. It took a bit of coaxing, but finally Marin was able to sleep with his head rested on Luka's arm.

It was a good thing no one else was present, because they would always tease him about how much he had acted like a baby in need of attention.

Opening his eyes, he was surprised to feel Luka's grip wrapped around him, his nose buried in the nape of his neck. Under other circumstances, Marin get like he would have been embarrassed. Giving yesterday's ordeal, however, he felt entitled to at least one morning snuggle with his boyfriend.

But good things could last for only so long. "Luka. You need to go to school."

Lula moaned in his sleep. "Screw school," he said in a slurred voice. He held Marin a little tighter, burying his face a little bit deeper in his neck. "Stay together."

Marin chuckled. Looking up, he caught Tikki's eye, who only winked and flew away. "At least let me turn around. I'm getting a cramp."

Luka wordlessly opened his arms, finally letting Marin turn over to a new position. This time he settled with pressing his face against Luka's chest. It wasn't until this happened that he remembered Luka regularly wore V-necks, exposing his skin for Marin to see. Unable to see, Marin leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss to the exposed skin.

He reveled in the way Luka shook slightly before relaxing against him. "You're okay."

I'm okay.

"You're still here."

I'm still here.

"We care about you."

They care about me.

Marin settled into the arms again, fully intent on staying in bed as long as he can today. He'll deal with the consequences later.

The trapdoor opened. "Marin?" his maman called. "Sweetie, I know you don't want to go to school, but it's an emergency. Mrs. Couffaine said that Luka never returned home last night. Did he say where he went or– Oh."

Marin didn't move as he heard footsteps near them. He knew that what her mother saw could possibly be misconstrued, but he couldn't find himself to care right now.

You turn fifteen next year. By then, you're able to give consent…

Shut up, brain.

"Tom!" Sabine whispered excitedly, voice carrying away before returning. "Tom, look! Come quickly, look!"

"Sabine? What is it?" He heard his father squeeze through the hatch before they both stood, most likely facing their direction. "They didn't–"

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, Tom, of course they didn't. Luka would never take advantage of Marin in a vulnerable state. He obviously cares about him."

"I guess so. I just want Marin to be happy."

"Me, too, partner. Now, come on. They're gonna want breakfast when they wake up. And I should call back Luka's mother, let her know he's safe."

Their voices withered away as they went back down the stairs, closing the trapdoor behind him.

"Your parents are cool," Marin heard Luka say.

Marin snorted, the air from exhaling hitting Luka's neck. "Guess so."

There would be bumps on the road, like yesterday was. But in the end, Marin didn't regret coming out. Not once. If he could he would implore everyone to open up about themselves, to let Beetlebug take a reigns in a rally.

But that would be too suspicious, not to mention scandalous. Paris's greatest hero coming out as queer? Yeah, that'll go over well.

It's better for Beetlebug to stay and for Marin to blossom. Things would get better. Things were better. He had someone he loved, someone to care more than anyone else, someone he wanted to spend as much time as possible with.

Take the leap.

He remembered that's what he told himself when he went to visit Luka that day. He was just supposed to hang out with him. He ended up being asked out to the ice rink. He ended up saying yes.

Take the leap.

The unknown was scary, there was no doubt about that. If someone was vile, or even violent against Marin, he would want to cut that person from his life. It was no use trying to get them to understand; they made their view of the world, and of Marin, clear as day. They found him revolting. Just as well. They wouldn't too pleasing to listen too, either.

Take the leap.

Coming out of the closet was the greatest decision Marin ever made. No, agreeing to Luka's date was the greatest. Coming out was a close second.

Everything was going to be just fine.

Go ahead. Take the leap.

Fight and prevail.

Author's Notes:

Please respect the privacy and patience of a person you know or suspect to be in the closet. Do not accuse them as they have done nothing wrong; do not force them as they are already scared; support them and their cause, as they are leveling their trust in you. Do nothing to betray that trust or hey will lose their faith in you and others.

Look up your local LGBTQ+ center and/or organization if you wish to aid the fight for equity and equality.

Word Count: 13,507

~CoronaCrown~