Counter piece to Caught in a Cycle.

These days, Marinette finds herself in a constant battle of doubt.

Was she truly the right choice?

Should she really be here, doing this?

The little god she received thought so. Kept stating that she was, but Marinette still can't quite off the doubt of this.

Marinette was so clumsy and so unsure.

She panics and freezes during a fight, she misses when she throws her trompo out. She just fumbles, and stumbles, and bumbles, and...

She sighed, shoulders drooping.

She spared a glance at her little purse, where a little bee god sleeps.

It made her all the more aware of the bee comb in her hair, the bee's body all black now that it was inactive.

What made her so deserving of this miraculous?

Surely, there was someone better out there.

Someone who could help Rena Rouge, really help her.

Rena was, Rena was amazing! She was so courageous and bold, she wasn't scared of anything they saw out there, she wasn't afraid to rush forward, dive into a fight and... and here was Marinette, hanging in the back, watching her go, tripping over herself, trying to help how she can.

The wild fact was that Rena just beamed at her help, any help Marinette provided her, despite her blunders.

"Yes! You got him trapped Abeille!"

Marinette sighed, reaching up, touching the miraculous in her hair. She paused when she touched the cool metal.

It was through this little jewel that she was able to meet that amazing girl, actually have the closest to a best friend in a long, long time. Because of this, she didn't really, truly want to give it up. Giving it up means Rena was gone from her lonely life.

But...

She blundered so much as Abeille.

She was always so hesitant, she tried to rush out there more, charge into the fight, to help Rena but... sometimes her feet just wouldn't move.

It's getting to a point Marinette thinks that maybe, maybe they should have the miraculouses switched.

Maybe their teamwork would work out better then.

As bold as Rena was, there was always so little she could do. Her powers were illusions. And her flute, long and strong enough to act as a staff, it always did so little. The most it did was make opponents stumble, but otherwise, no heavy damage, as Rena would desire.

Then there was Abeille, who was the actual fighter of the duo. Her trompo can hit hard. Marinette knows it can. But despite this, she always hung back, always hesitated.

Maybe their miraculouses should be switched.

Rena could charge in as the aggressive bee, and Marinette could hang back as the clever, cautious fox, watching her back.

Wouldn't that be better for them?

Marinette dropped her hand with a sigh.

She'll talk it out with Rena, see what the fox said and thought, if she would be up for it.

If there was going to be a switch, it was all going to depend on Rena and what she thought. If she would be up for the switch, if she thought it was a good idea.

For as with anything, Marinette wasn't a hundred percent sure. Maybe there was some mystical mojo going on that made her a better Bee than Fox, and maybe she just wasn't seeing it yet, maybe-

"A bit late to be out for a stroll."

Marinette jumped, whipping around and sucking in a sharp breath.

"Ch-Chat," she stuttered out, tensing.

Chat Errant.

It was Chat Errant before her. Their main villain, in Rena's book. The one they were truly meant to catch, according to their kwamis. He stole the two most powerful miraculosues, and they had to get them back. It was serious enough that Hawkmoth could be ignored. And with how Chat was... Rena easily backed the idea that he should be taken care of first.

In her purse, she felt her kwami shift, lightly bouncing her purse against her side, ready for the call and reassuring her that she was there.

She just had to say the words.

But for the moment, Marinette was frozen, just like each and every time she came face to face with the villain. A villain who had yet to sneer some sort of jab at her, or peer at them with tired annoyance. Oddly, it seemed like he was sitting before her with a little bit of nervousness, despite his easy smile. Like he was second guessing himself and this choice to appear before her.

It's enough to ease her out of her freeze, just looking at him oddly.

Shuffling from where he sat himself on the railing by the Seine, he bid out in a smooth tone, struggling to hide the unsteady edge in it, "Princess."

Marinette just stared.

Princess?

Where did this red and black cat get the idea of her being a princess?

"What are you doing out so late?" he repeated.

"It's a lovely night," she said easily, cautiously. She had to tread carefully with him.

He chuckled weakly at her answer, bidding, "You should be careful."

She just stares at him oddly.

Chat gives a start. "Not that I don't doubt that you can handle yourself!" he quickly proclaimed. "You should still watch out and make sure and..." Chat's whole being just seems to falter and shrink under her stare, looking away and rubbing the back of his neck.

Marinette stared at him, all the more baffled with this... she's not even sure if villain was the right word for him anymore. He looked so unnerved and unsteady, before her. Marinette had to blink at the thought. She was making him flustered?

How?

Why?

She wanted to ask him.

Never has she seen him so unsteady. In battle he never faltered. He moved and ran around like he's been using a miraculous his whole life, completely comfortable as Chat Errant. And yet, before her, he was flustered?

it was curious and... Marinette found herself joining the rest of Paris on their views of Chat Errant.

Paris as a whole didn't know what to think of Chat Errant. He did fight against the akumas Hawkmoth made. He cleansed them, he reversed any damage done. She doesn't doubt that he would've been viewed as a hero, if it wasn't for the factor that he turned on Rena Rouge and Abeille Jaune, flashing his claws and reaching for their miraculouses. And Paris adored Rena Rouge and Abeille Jaune. The two were unafraid to meet the public, to answer questions. Rena especially got into it, enjoying humoring reporters with slight coyness, easily avoiding the most intrusive questions.

Chat Errant never talked to the public.

And he certainly wouldn't ever talked to Rena Rouge or Abeille Jaune.

"You don't need those."

Marinette doesn't doubt that if he knew she was Abeille Jaune, he would've plucked the jewel from her hair that instant.

How set he was on getting their miraculouses, how he refused to talk to them; he really infuriated Rena.

It made her so set on viewing him as a villain.

Marinette reaches to echo her partner, to keep this view.

It's a bit hard too with how awkward and shy he was before her.

She gives a start when he hopped off the railing, and he falters once more, ears drooping down at her flinch. "Sorry," he offered quietly, looking away and rubbing his neck again. Behind him, his belt tail was twisting up into a knot. He waved outwards, asking, "Shall I escort you home, Princess?"

She eyed him, his tight smile, his nervous posture.

He was scared other answer.

Unsure if this was a good idea or not, Marinette said, "Sure." Home was close anyway. They wouldn't be together long. Marinette felt a tap at her side but ignored it. It was going to be ok. It was going to be fine.

She really doubted he was going to do anything.

They were already alone here.

Chat's whole body seemed to slump in relief, and his smile for once was warm. With a little wave, they started off together, walking along the Seine, very conscious of the other being so close to them.

Clearing his throat, he asked, "So, any plans with Alya coming up?"

Marinette gives him an odd look, blinking at the question. "Alya?" she asked.

He blinked down at her. "Aren't you two the best of friends?"

She stared at him, wondering how he got that idea. "Um, no? I mean, I like Alya well enough, but we're not really friends..." She was more the girl that sat in front of her. The girl that was dating Nino. The two were practically tied to the hip.

They really, barely talked to each other.

In reality, if anyone was her best friend, it was Rena.

How Chat Errant got this idea that they were best friends was odd to her.

And Chat seemed to realize this too as he gaped down at her. Then his whole being seems to droop and sag, looking very apologetic. "Sorry," he uttered quickly. "I, I had saw you two together once and, and thought that... you were..."

"Um, it's ok?"

Chat didn't confirm or deny, just walking beside her with a heavy droop, a deep grimace on his face.

It was a bit odd to see.

Really any time he was seen, he had a smile on his lips. Mindful, it always felt false to her, but it was a smile. Almost like he was trying to say that he had it all down. That he knew what he was doing and she and Rena simply amused him. But right now, he just, he looked tired.

"Why are you doing it?"

He gave a start and Marinette tensed, wondering why did she blurt that out?! He wasn't going to answer her!

He-

"It's complicated."

She blinked, staring up at him.

Chat Errant wouldn't meet her stare, his gaze turned to the Seine.

"Complicated?" she repeated.

"Complicated," he confirmed with a sigh. Then he stopped, turning to her. Marinette blinked, looking up and was surprised to see that they were already at the bakery. She gave a start when he took her hand and brought it up to kiss her knuckle, letting his lips rest there longer than anyone should. And yet Marinette didn't feel like she should draw her hand away. It almost felt like doing that would break him. That he needed this gesture. This touch. Why, she didn't know. Why she was compelled to let him have this moment, she didn't know.

It was just what her instincts told her.

It was what he needed.

Against her skin, he mumbled, "Sleep well, Princess."

Then he let her go, took out his staff and slipped away, easily disappearing into the shadows of the darkness.

As he went, she swore she could have heard a sad, parting whisper.

"I'm so sorry."

Wanted to break away from the over use of Volpina as Alya's fox hero name, do something different just for fun. So Rena Rouge! Rena is fox in Haitian Creole and is a homage to Alya's family origin in the Caribbeans. Rena Rouge is also an intended homage to Alya's love of comicbooks, and how there are a good chunk of characters that have two of the same initials (Lex Luther, Peter Parker, Pepper Potts, Sue Storm, Stephen Strange, ect.)

This tidbit right here is a counter piece to Caught in a Cycle. It came from a thought I've had lingering around on the what if scenario of it being Adrien instead traveling back in time when HM won, Adrien who steals from Fu, desperate to stop HM all on his own and not endanger anyone else, especially Marinette; but is now being chased down by a Fox and Bee because he stole the two most powerful miraculouses.

Due to how differently this reverse idea shaped itself, it'll be it's own story. When, I'm sorry to say I don't know. For sure, it'll be sometime after one of my current stories are complete.