"Bye bye, little butterfly," Ladybug said as she watched the cleansed akuma flitter away to places unknown.

It was such a relief to watch it go.

Of all the fights that she had ever fought, this one had been one of the most exhausting. Normally, she would have had the support of her partner, but this week Chat was gone. It wasn't a fact that she had broadcasted, but, somehow, it seemed that Hawk Moth just knew that she was going it alone because it seemed as though there was a new akuma every day.

Who knew that summer vacation could create so much drama?

"Where... where am I?" The Parisian citizen asked from where they sat on the ground. Now that Ladybug had some time to breathe she got a good look at the person sitting on the ground. In the place of the 'Thyme Master', a supervillain who used herbs to control people, stood an ordinary gardener in dirtied clothes. Ladybug took a deep breath and pushed through her exhaustion to walk towards the victim. She stopped a short distance away.

"L-Ladybug?" The woman said in surprise before an understanding came across her face and she looked away in shame. "I became evil didn't I."

"Don't worry," the superheroine said gently before offering her hand to the other woman. "Everything is alright now. Do you have someone that you can call to get you home?" The woman took her hand gratefully before nodding.

"Yes, my husband should be available." She looked away as soon as she was standing on her own two feet. "I-I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

"It's no trouble at all," Ladybug said with a smile. From the way that the other woman looked at her, though, it was more than likely that the smile belied some of her own exhaustion. Her earrings gave a small chirp, signaling her need for a quick retreat." Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to be heading out.

The woman nodded as she pulled out her phone and walked away to call her husband. Ladybug took in her surroundings. It was obvious to herself that she would be unable to fling herself away as she normally would, due to her weariness. In fact, she could barely pick up her feet as she made her way towards a close-by alley. Thankfully, there weren't any paparazzi around due to how far that they had traveled. Now she just needed to check to make sure that-

"Ladybug are you alright?" The spandex-clad heroine whirled around in a panic to find a very familiar blogger staring straight at her. She had her phone in one hand, but it appeared as though she was not filming in that moment. When she had lost the journalists she had assumed that Alya had been lost in the mix as well, but it appeared as though she had underestimated her civilian best friend.

"Of course!" Ladybug called with a sheepish grin. "I was just about to head out was all. Bye!" She reached for her yo-yo and let it loose. Though, instead of it catching like it normally would, it fell with a great thud to the ground. She felt herself wobble on her feet for a moment as a wave of dizziness washed over her.

"You look like you're in bad shape," Alya said as she rushed forward to steady the superheroine. She gave her a once over before muttering, "And you're about to de-transform, too." Ladybug felt a wave for panic overwhelm her as she realized the situation that she was in. She couldn't let anyone know that she was secretly Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Who knew what would happen if someone found out that their beloved heroine was just a measly high schooler who-

"Look. I imagine that you don't want to go to the hospital because then your identity would be revealed, but I can tell that you need to rest before you try to go anywhere. My house is close by and I could take you there to hang out until you've recharged. Then you can head home, okay?" Alya reached forward to put her hand on the other's shoulder. "I know I've been trying to expose your identity for a while now, but I promise I won't do anything to jeopardize your identity."

Ladybug stared at the other girl looking for any signs that she might be lying. Sure, as Marinette, Alya was her best friend. A person that she could trust no matter what. But, as Ladybug, she really didn't know whether she should trust her or not.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

"Fine, but give me your phone." Alya complied immediately for which Ladybug was quite grateful. While Alya was an honest person, Ladybug knew that fame could corrupt even the best person. She inspected the phone for a moment. It did not appear as though it was recording, but she did not want to take any chances so she turned the phone off.

"C'mon you don't have much time." The blogger immediately began dragging the superheroine towards a very familiar part of Paris. Alya expertly maneuvered them through the alleyways in an attempt to stay as hidden as possible. Before long, they were standing in front of an apartment complex. Wordlessly, she led her through the front door to her apartment where she opened the door. As soon as the door was open, a waft of delicious-smelling food passed over them and the sound of someone cooking reached their ears.

"Alya? Is that you?"

"Just play along," the aforementioned girl muttered under her breath as she opened the closet door and threw a large blanket over her guest's head. "Yeah, It's me!" She called back much louder and pulled her forward quickly.

"How did the Ladybug hunting go?"

"It was okay, but I didn't get any good shots. Ladybug and the Thyme Master got away too quick. By the time I got there, the akuma victim and Ladybug were both gone!"

"I'm sorry to hear that dear." The voice started to sound much louder the further into the apartment that they went. "Who is that dear?"

"Oh just a friend of mine from school! You remember Marinette right?" Ladybug tensed at the mention of her real name. She was pretty sure that Alya had not actually made the connection between the two people, but it frightened her that her friend was very close to the truth.

"Of course I remember her You've claimed her as your best friend after all. But why is she covered in a blanket like that? The poor dear will suffocate."

"She was cold when I ran into her after the attack!" Alya quickly explained as she strategically pushed the two of them in the direction of her room. "She was kind of freaked out by everything so I brought her home so that she could calm down before I walked her home."

"Alya, that's kind of you dear, but won't her parents be concerned?"

"I-It's okay, Madam Césaire," Ladybug called through the blanket. "I texted them to let them know where I was headed." There was a long pause as the head chef contemplated the two girls before her.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

"Ah! That was them saying that it's okay for me to stay!" Ladybug didn't need to see through the blanket to know that Marlena Césaire was looking at the two of the incredulously. She could feel a cold sweat starting to break out across her body at the thought of her being discovered by Alya's mother.

"Alright, well how about you stay for dinner? I've made plenty."

"Sounds great, mom!" Alya said loudly as she all but pushed the superheroine into her room. "Just yell when it's ready!" She then proceeded to shut the door behind them. Her hero immediately sat on the ground, pulling the blanket all around her in an attempt to block out every part of herself.

It was just as she was fully situated, and Alya's phone carefully placed beside her, that the familiar bright red light washed over her and Tikki rushed out of her earrings and landed in her hand. She carefully cupped the kwami in her hands and took in just how exhausted the little creature was. It was blatantly obvious that this was the most worn-out that she had ever been after a transformation including the time that she became sick.

"Oh, Tikki," she murmured barely above a whisper. The kwami barely opened her eye. She opened her mouth to speak, but Marinette was quick to put a finger over the small mouth to tell her that it wasn't safe for her to say anything.

"Alya?" She called past the void that was the blanket. "This is a really weird request, but do you have any cookies? I promise that I'll replace them later, but right now I need some."

"Uh, sure!" There was the sound of rummaging somewhere farther away. "I think that I- Here we go!" She exclaimed as she suddenly encountered the item that she was searching for. "I'm sorry. They're a little stale since my friend Marinette gave them to me last week, but they should still be good. If you need fresher ones I could ask my best friend to bring some over or-"

"That's fine," Marinette said as she wiggled an arm out of the blanket and reached her hand out. She felt a few cookies being deposited into her hand before she retracted it into the little fort that she had created for herself. She brought her hand up and placed the small stack of cookies beside Tikki in her hands and watched as her tiny friend tried to reach for them. Her little hands reached for the closest one, but found that she did not have the energy to even do that much.

Thinking quickly, she set the stack down and broke off a small piece and brought it up to the kwami's mouth. The tiny creature bit into it and was able to get a few bites down before she collapsed without a word.

Marinette bit her lip hard as she considered the situation that she was in. She was currently stuck under the blanket as a civilian without any hope of transforming back before Tikki regained enough strength to eat. And, if she was to be completely honest, she was just as exhausted as the small creature resting in her hands. She could feel how weary all of her muscles were and she wanted nothing more than to lay down and sleep for a long long while.

She tried to strategize how she would get home to rest, but none of those ideas seemed possible. There was no way that she could leave Alya's apartment without being noticed by her mother at this point. She could try to escape from her window. But, that was assuming, once she was safely outside, she would be able to stand let alone walk all the way home.

That left just one option: staying at Alya's house.

Under normal conditions that option would seem to be the best possible, but staying would involve revealing herself and she was not supposed to tell anyone about who she really was. She glanced down at Tikki. She considered trying to wake her to find out what the best option would be, but at the same time she wanted to allow her to rest.

"How long will it take for you to recharge? I figure that whenever that happens I can sneak you out past mom and just say that my friend Marinette went home."

"It's going to be a while I think," she said glumly as she rested her back against Alya's bed.

"Well… I guess that I could hide you in my closet until you're able to leave? I mean that'll be kind of hard, but I can make it work somehow I suppose. If you need to stay over, I can let you sleep in my bed since I'm sure you're exhausted now."

Marinette leaned her head against the bed as well. Hearing her friend point out the obvious seemed to make her weariness heavier. She had always cared about her identity, but, in that moment all she could think about was taking her friend up on her offer. She closed her eyes as she braced herself for what she was about to do.

She hoped that Tikki and Chat Noir would forgive her for giving into her exhaustion.

"Hey… Alya?" She called tiredly as she tried her best to sit up.

"Yes, Ladybug?"

"I don't think that I'll be able to go home tonight... And I don't see any way for you to fool your mom into thinking that I left…"

"I'm sorry," the blogger said sincerely as the reality of the situation seemed to dawn on her. Marinette couldn't quite tell where she was in the room, but she could hear her coming closer until she felt a hand touch her covered shoe. "I didn't mean to put you into a situation like this. But, you looked like you were going to pass out and I didn't want you to get hurt."

"It's alright." She breathed in through her nose before letting out a long sigh. "I've actually been debating about telling you about who I really am for a while."

"Y-You have?!" Marinette smiled softly to herself as she heard the disbelief and hope in her friend's voice.

"Yes. I mean you were the first person to believe in me, and I wouldn't be fighting as hard as I am if it weren't for your encouragement. And, even though you really want to know who I am, you seem to still respect the fact that I want to keep my identity secret.

"You probably don't remember it too well now, but back at the beginning of all this I was really doubting myself," Marinette shifted nervously. "In fact, I almost gave up when I messed up by not cleansing the Akuma the first time. I really didn't think that I was good enough to do any of this superhero stuff... But, you were there cheering me on. It felt so good to have someone who believed in me. And, for that, I'd really like to thank you."

Marinette could feel part of the burden that she had been carrying alone fall away as she began admitting what she had never told anyone outside of Tikki. She appreciated the kwami's support, she really did, but there were things that she had wanted to talk to Alya about for some time now. She had especially wanted to convey just how thankful she was for her friend's unintentional help. How that first day meant the world to her, and how she always felt humbled whenever she would gush about her alter ego.

"You didn't betray my trust on the way over here, but I'm still wondering if I can tell you who I really am," the young heroine could feel a weight fall on her chest as she considered all of the potential danger that such knowledge would put her friend in.

"There's so much danger that you would be put in by knowing this. It's possible that Hawk Moth might target you if he suspects what you might know who I am. And, there's the possibility that Chat would start hounding you for clues as well. That cat is far too curious for his own good. And-"

"Can I be frank, Ladybug?" Alya cut in. When Marinette did nothing more than nod her covered head the blogger pressed on, "I'm flattered by how concerned you are, but, just like you and Chat, running towards danger is what I do. Sure I might be put in a little extra danger, but it's something that I'm willing to do to help you."

"I know that it can be hard to trust a virtual stranger," it took every bit of control that Marinette had to not laugh at the irony as Alya squeezed the foot that she was resting her hand on. "But, I can promise you that I will not tell a soul about who you truly are."

"Would you even keep it from your best friend?" This gave the other girl pause as she considered the question. The superheroine wasn't sure what made her ask the question, especially since it would be a moot point soon, but she needed Alya to understand that she wouldn't be able to talk about this with any one.

Alya sighed before she finally responded. "Yes. She may get a little suspicious when I have to keep things from her, but I'm sure that Marinette wouldn't mind once she understands that I promised to keep your secret. She hates lying, but if I'm upfront with her about keeping a secret I think she'll understand."

Marinette let out a breath that she didn't know that she was holding. She felt relieved by Alya's response. Even though it wasn't a detail that they would necessarily have to worry about, it put her mind at ease that she would not have to worry too much about Alya spilling her secret to anyone. Because, if she was willing to keep it from her best friend, a person who she told nearly everything to, then she would be willing to keep it from others as well.

"Okay. I'll tell you," Alya sucked in a breath and was about to speak again, but the super heroine cut her off, "But first I want you to close your eyes."

"Okay." There was a short pause and Alya removed her hand from her guest's foot. "I've closed my eyes and covered them so that I won't accidentally peek."

Marinette removed the blanket and felt fresh air on her face for the first time in quite a few minutes. She also blinked a few times to adjust her eyes to the new amount of light that they were receiving. Once adjusted she shifted her gaze to more carefully inspect Tikki. It appeared as though the kwami was sound asleep so she took the opportunity to put her gently in her purse with the rest of the cookies.

It would be better to do one introduction at a time.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to her best friend. She was indeed sitting there with her eyes closed and her hands over her eyes. It was obvious that she wanted to open them, but she was restraining herself. Marinette smiled to herself as she retrieved Alya's phone from where it had been resting on the ground and placed it directly in front of her.

"Alright. You can open your eyes now."

Marinette watched as her friend let her hands drop and her eyes open. At first, she held her breath, too afraid of what her friend's reaction would be, but, she was soon laughing hysterically at the look of bafflement on her friend's face.

"Marinette?! You're Lady- mmphf?!" Her friend screeched quite loudly as she pointed an accusatory finger at Marinette. The young heroine immediately flung herself forward to silence her statement before Alya's whole neighborhood could learn of her secret. She kept holding her until it became apparent that she would be able to restrain herself from screaming again. As she pulled her hands away she nodded a confirmation.

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner," Marinette began as she brought a hand up to scratch the back of her neck. "I really wanted to tell you, but you know how secret identities are supposed to work..." Alya's shock and disbelief melted into fierce understanding.

"Right. If you told the wrong person about it then Hawk Moth might get your Miraculous through them. Or he might use that person against you. Don't worry, girl. I totally understand." The superheroine let out a breath of relief. She had been so frightened that she would be upset for having the truth being kept from her.

"Exactly," she said with a small smile. "I really didn't want to put you in any danger, but I didn't really have any choice besides telling you." The blue-haired girl leaned back heavily against her friend's bed and closed her eyes wearily. "There's no way for me to make it home right now, I'm way too exhausted..."

"Understandably. You've been going solo this whole week… Where on Earth did Chat go?"

"He said that his family was going on a trip for about a week..." Marinette mumbled as exhaustion began to weigh heavily on her. "He said that he didn't want to go, but that he had no choice because his father was forcing him. I told him not to worry too much because the attacks had been less sparse as of late. But, apparently, I spoke too soon."

"No kidding. You've fought, what, three akumas in the span of five days?"

"Four, actually," Marinette corrected as she closed her eyes for a moment. "There was one two nights ago. I just happened to catch it while I was out and about. If I hadn't found it then there's no telling what would have happened the next day when another akuma showed up…" She felt her head becoming heavy.

"Why don't you take a nap until dinner is ready?" Alya asked as she pocketed her phone and approached her best friend.

"That sounds like a really good idea."

"You may want to lay down so that you don't get a crick in your neck, okay?

Marinette nodded slowly as she stood just enough to flop unceremoniously onto Alya's bed. She could barely hear her friend's laughter. She then felt gentle hands pry her shoes from her feet as she said something about not wanting her bed to get dirty. She tried to mumble out an apology, but found that her energy had waned enough that she was unable to do so.

Only moments went by before sleep wrapped around her like a heavy blanket.

Hey everyone! I'm finally breaking into the Miraculous Ladybug fandom. I've been itching to post something for it since I started getting insane amounts of ideas so don't be surprised when I post more in the coming months. Also, there is more to this one... but I got so impatient that I decided to post it as two chapters instead of just dividing it. Let me know what you think so far and I'll get chapter two out within the next few weeks. From what I'm seeing so far it should just be two chapters long.

As always, thanks for reading, and if you have any thoughts or questions let me know in the reviews!