Marinette hadn't gone to school all week. She just...couldn't bring herself to go. A part of her heart had shattered the day Master Fu gave up being Guardian to her. As much as she appreciated his sacrifice and was determined to be an amazing Guardian, she was sad that her Master was gone. Plus, she had little faith in herself. No matter how much she wanted to do right by Master Fu, she was scared that she wouldn't be able to.

Her mind had been in a million places all week and, with some top-notch acting skills, Marinette had managed to convince her parents she was sick with the flu. She still went out as Ladybug, but even Chat Noir seemed to be able to notice that something was off with her. And all of her friends were trying to message her nonstop. After her first round of replies letting people know that she was okay, most of her classmates didn't bother her again, but Alya was adamant about checking in on her. On Wednesday she'd even stopped by the bakery and dropped off some of Marinette's schoolwork.

Now, Marinette was lounging in her room, sketching out yet another design inspired by Master Fu and the Miraculous'. She just couldn't get them out of her mind. She was so engorged in what she was doing that she hardly noticed when her tiny red kwami flew out of her bag and floated around her in the air.

"Are you okay, Marinette?" Tikki asked. She'd stayed by Marinette's side for the most part this past week, but she had also spent a good chunk of her time in the Miracle Box with the other kwamis, giving Marinette the space she clearly needed.

Marinette shrugged. "I don't know what to do, Tikki. What do you do when your heart breaks?"

Tikki flew closer, nuzzling against Marinette's arm. "I understand. I miss Master Fu too..."

Marinette sighed, looking up from her sketchbook. She'd hardly considered how this Guardian transference was affecting the kwamis too. She'd been so inconsiderate of everyone else's feelings lately, and she hated herself for it. "I'm sorry, Tikki. I completely forgot that you've known Master Fu for over a hundred years. How are you doing? Better yet-" She set down her sketchbook, turning to Tikki with a soft smile. "Why don't we get all of the kwamis out here and everyone can share their fondest memories of Master Fu?"

Tikki giggled into her little paw. "I don't know if that'd be such a good idea, Marinette. What if your parents come up?"

"Hmm, you're right. We'll have to try that sometime when they're not home then." She stood up with her sketchbook and brought it over to her desk. "How are all the kwamis doing, though?"

"They're okay." Tikki followed Marinette where she walked.

"What do they..." Marinette was scared to ask this question. She was scared for the answer. "What do they think of me being Guardian?"

"Master Fu trusted you," Tikki said like it should've been answer enough, but Marinette still looked unsure. "All of the kwamis that have met you, like you. You've proven you're a powerful Miraculous holder when you combined me with the Mouse and then the Dragon and the Fox and Plagg." Tikki giggled. "Everyone has faith in you."

This brought a smile to Marinette's face. "That's a relief to hear." Marinette looked around her desk area with a deep sigh. "I suppose I'll have to go back to school after this weekend."

"That would probably be smart."

"I'm just so nervous. I don't know how I'm supposed to face any of my classmates knowing that I failed to save the Guardian." Marinette sat down in her chair, her elbows on her desk and her head in her hands.

"You've been facing all of Paris as Ladybug. I don't see how this is any difference." Tikki hovered in front of Marinette's computer screen, distracting the teen from the picture of Adrien Agreste that served as her home screen.

"I have Chat when I'm Ladybug," Marinette admitted. "I'm never alone, and he's always willing to offer words of encouragement. At school...I'm all alone."

"You have me!" Tikki smiled brightly, making Marinette laugh. She tickled the kwami's stomach with her pointer finger.

"Haha, you're right, Tikki. How could I ever forget?" Just as the words escaped Marinette's mouth, there was a knock at the trap door leading up to her room. Startled, Marinette yelped.

"Marinette? There's a friend from school here to drop off your stuff," Sabine called from beneath the floor.

"Oh," Marinette said in a lowered voice to Tikki, "that must be Alya again. Go hide." She then raised her voice to talk to her mom as Tikki flew away. "Send her up!" Marinette spun in her chair, grabbing a nearby blanket and tossing it over her lap. Alya had a habit of not believing when Marinette claimed to be sick, so she had to milk this for all it was worth.

The trap door creaked open from behind Marinette. She started to spin around as she spoke. "Hey, Alya, you did-AH!" Marinette quite literally jumped from her chair when she was greeted by Adrien instead of Alya.

The boy scratched the back of his head with a smile. "Come on, we don't even have the same hair color."

Marinette chuckled nervously. "White-I mean, right. S-sorry. I was Alya-I mean, accepting Alya. Er-expecting Alya."

Adrien nodded. "She wanted to bring you your homework but had to take care of her little sisters at the last minute and couldn't make it. So, I offered to come instead." He raised the books in his hands as if to show proof.

"Banks-Thanks!" Marinette withheld a groan. "T-that was really lice-nice!"

"It's no big deal." Adrien set down the books on her desk and shoved his hands in his pockets. "So, how are you doing? I know everyone's been really worried because you've missed a whole week. And while you have a tendency to be late, this is a little extreme." Adrien chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm fine," Marinette said, her mind going back to the things she'd been pondering over the course of the past week. Her heart fell again despite being in her crush's presence.

Adrien seemed disappointed by this answer. He furrowed his eyebrows in concern. "Are you sure? You look a little down, Marinette."

Marinette just shook her head though. "Yeah, I'm doing great." She didn't even bother to try and make herself sound happy. Her gaze fell momentarily to the old record player in the corner of her room before dropping to the floor.

Adrien was quiet for a moment before saying, "If there's anything you want to talk about, I'm here."

This snapped Marinette's gaze up. She swallowed hard, trying to piece together something to say. Instead of even acknowledging Adrien's kind offer, though, she just moved on. "R-right, well, thanks amend-I mean, again for the work I-I missed. I'll see you tomorrow-er, I'll see you day-Monday. I mean, I'll see you Monday."

Adrien nodded, offering a kind smile, as he opened up the trap door again. He waved goodbye to Marinette before disappearing down the steps and leaving her to her lonesome.

With a groan, Marinette collapsed on her chaise. Tikki zoomed back out of her hiding spot and hovered above Marinette's head.

"What's the matter now?" the little goddess asked.

Her hands covering her face, Marinette mumbled a reply. "Adrien was being so nice to me, and I just-I shut down."

"It's not your fault, Marinette. You've got a lot going on." Tikki rubbed Marinette's shoulder comfortingly.

"Thanks, Tikki, but that's no excuse. I need to pull myself together."

"How do you plan to do that?"

"I don't know, but I'll figure it out." She smiled weakly at Tikki. "After all, I've got luck on my side..."


"Did Marinette seem off to you?" Adrien asked aloud. To anyone that was watching, it would seem as though he were talking to the wind. In reality, he was speaking with the small black god that was currently raiding the minifridge he kept in his room.

"She always seems off. She's Marinette," Plagg called back as he zoomed through the fridge door, holding several pieces of cheese.

Adrien rolled her eyes. "I mean, she looked sad. It really seemed like something was bothering her." He sighed, sitting down on the edge of his bed. "I wish I could help, but half the time I don't even know how to talk to her. She's always so flustered around me."

"She's never flustered around Chat Noir," Plagg commented, but it was more to himself than to Adrien. He tossed some cheese up in the air and caught it with his mouth.

"Plagg, you're a genius." Adrien stood up from his bed as he got an idea.

"Of course I am," Plagg said, flattering himself. "But why are you realizing this just now?"

"I'll visit Marinette as Chair Noir," the teen model explained to his kwami. "Maybe talking to her in my alter ego will let her open up a bit more. She has always seemed to be more comfortable in the presence of Chat. Maybe it's because superheroes make her feel safe." He pondered this thought as Plagg flew in front of his face with a desperate look in his eyes.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no," Plagg was squealing. "That was not what I was saying at all, and that is a very bad idea."

"Why?" Adrien shrugged. "It's not like she's going to know it's me. And it's just one visit. I don't see the harm."

Plagg stuttered as he attempted to form together a coherent sentence and, with it, a sensible reason. "It's too risky. You could slip up, or someone could see you."

Adrien just waved away these concerns. "I'll be careful. I always am!" Ignoring the continuing protests from his kwami, Adrien held out his hand and called, "Plagg, claws out!" In the midst of his shouts of "no," Plagg was sucked into the white ring, turning it black and green with magic.


Marinette had gone about rearranging parts of her room. Mainly, she was changing out the pictures on her wall. She considered the ones she had of Adrien and knew she couldn't flat out get rid of them, but she also felt it was more important to showcase her care for Master Fu now. So, in remembrance, she put up the couple of photographs she had of the old Guardian. Surrounding them, Marinette kept up a few of her favorite pictures of Adrien and some of her other friends, making sure there was one of just her and Alya.

After this, Marinette set up the record player box on a nice stand against a wall. She admired it briefly and sadly before moving on. Now, Marinette was really just cleaning up a little. She picked up clothes and blankets that were scattered about and tossed out the balled up papers that were in nearly every corner of her room. When all this was done, she headed up to her balcony to water her plants and get a bit of fresh air.

Tikki following her, Marinette struck up a conversation. She chatted idly with her tiny friend as she took care of the plants that littered her rooftop. It wasn't long until she was done and settled with leaning against the railing, breathing in the Parisian air. Tikki sat in a potted plant, feeling the green leaves and all around enjoying the little bit of nature.

Moments later, Marinette was startled when her railing shook with the pressure of someone leaping onto it. She jumped back, and Tikki immediately buried herself in the dirt she'd been resting on top of. Marinette turned to Chat Noir, immensely surprised to find him there.

"Chat Noir?" Marinette asked. "What's wrong? Is there an akuma?"

The black cat merely shook his head. He stayed perched on the railing, looking out into the sky. "No, everything is still. I was just on my pawtrol and noticed a lonely princess up in her tower." He turned to look at her, his signature grin on his face.

Marinette had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. She wasn't particularly in the mood for company. "So, you decided to just drop in?"

He shrugged. "Like I said, you looked lonely. And I've found that my company is often the purrfect cure to loneliness."

"And if I wanted to be lonely?" Marinette turned away from him, settling on looking out at the lights before her. Still, from the corner of her eye, she could see Chat Noir watching her.

Chair frowned. He leaped down from the railing, standing beside Marinette. "Something bothering you, Princess?"

"What's it to you?"

"I didn't know the Princess to be so cold." Chat sounded genuinely surprised by Marinette's response.

"You hardly even know me," Marinette sighed. She turned around, her back now against the railing, and threw up her arms. "Nobody knows me! Not Alya or Nino or a single person from my school. They might think they've got an idea of what sweet little Marinette's life is like, but they had no clue!"

Chat cocked his head at Marinette. Clearly, she needed someone to talk to. "Well, you can use me as an outlet. As you said, I hardly know you, so what's the harm in letting out a little rant? Plus, I've been told I can be furry charismatic."

Marinette raised an eyebrow at Chat. This was so out of the blue. "Why?"

"What do you mean why?"

"Well, why would you care enough to listen to my problems? I'm sure you've got plenty of your own without having to listen to the complaints of some teenage girl."

This earned a solemn look from Chat. He nodded. "Yeah, I've got some stuff going on right now. Fur one, Ladybug has been acting all cold and distance. I guess that's why I decided to come say hi to you: loneliness recognizes loneliness."

Marinette considered this. She glanced at the pot that Tikki was hiding in. Then, she decided, why not?

"I lost someone pretty close to me last week," Marinette admitted, although hesitantly. "Since then, I've had a lot of responsibility put on my shoulders that I'm not sure I'm prepared to handle. I haven't really been feeling like myself. I mean, I lied to my parents about having the flu just so I could get out of school. How terrible is that?"

Adrien's, or rather Chat Noir's, eyebrows shot up. So, that was the reason she'd missed so much school? She was feeling depressed. He knew she had been off earlier. He was now very happy with his decision to seek Marinette out and make sure she was okay.

"I always feel like such a fraud, and no one can see past this persona I put up." The bluenette walked to the other side of the balcony and twisted back around to face Chat. "It's like I'm constantly struggling with these two sides of myself, and I'm not even sure which one is the real me anymore. I've been trying to piece myself back together this past week, but it's hard without any guidance. And on top of all this, I've been ignoring my friends lately. I don't have a good explanation for why; I just can't deal with putting up walls for them right now. I feel so bad, but I don't know how to make things better."

By the end of her short rant, Marinette's eyes had turned glossy. She quickly looked up to the skies, getting rid of any tears that had been threatening to spill over her eyelids.

Adrien felt for Marinette. He'd had no idea she was going through any of that at all. Sure, she tended to be a stuttering mess at school, but she was also always so peppy and ready to help anyone in need. She was Marinette, and Marinette didn't easily get upset. But he supposed that was just the walls she'd mentioned.

"Seems like you and I have a lot in common," Chat Noir commented, gaining Marinette's attention.

"Huh?"

"Well...I lost someone recently too. Actually, both Ladybug and I did. We lost our Guardian, and I'm not entirely sure how things are going to work without him now. He was the one who gave us our Miraculous' but now he's gone. Ladybug is the new Guardian, and while I have the utmost faith in her, I just wonder how it's going to change our dynamic. You know?" Chat cocked his head at Marinette, his messy blond locks getting in the way of his bright cat eyes.

"I'm sorry you lost your Guardian, even though I don't know what that is." Marinette bit her lip, trying to hide the knowing smile that wanted to creep onto her face. She sat down in her deck chair. "I guess we've both had a rough week."

Chat shrugged, strolling over and perching himself on the railing beside the chair Marinette sat in. "I've dealt with worse."

Oddly intrigued by her superhero partner, Marinette decided to push. "Like what?"

This question seemed to throw Chat a little. He furrowed his eyebrows as he thought in silence for a few moments. "Well...I guess that'd be kind of hard to explain without giving away a lot of my personal life." Chat watched Marinette's face for a while longer; she was still frowning. "I do constantly have to smell like cheese, though."

Marinette quirked an eyebrow and almost looked to be holding back a laugh. "What?"

Chat shrugged. "It's a long story, but that's something that I deal with: smelling like really stinky cheese. It's totally unfurrtunate."

Now, Marinette did laugh but only a little.

"Hey," Chat said softly, "there's the happy Princess."

"Don't you have something better to be doing?" Marinette shook her head at the cat, though her smile stayed. "Like patrols?"

Chat shook his head. "Not until seven. Until then, I am all yours."

"Does that mean I'm going to have to endure horrible cat puns for two hours?"

He smirked. "Purrhaps."

Marinette rolled her eyes, causing Chat's smile to widen.

"So, tell me, Princess, why is it that you don't ever seem affected by me?" Chat leaped off the railing once again and just leaned against it.

The teen shrugged. "I don't know. Should I be?"

"Well, most people are. I am a superhero, after all."

Marinette waved a dismissive hand. "Under that mask, you're human too."

This surprised Chat. Most people didn't want to acknowledge that fact. To the populace, he was just their protector. He was meant to be used as a shield against all the bad things Paris so constantly threw at them. It wasn't very often that he met someone who saw him for more than that. In truth, with or without the costume it was rare for him to find someone who treated him like a real human. So, Marinette was...refreshing.

"I appreciate that, Princess. I am human." Chat plucked a flower from the pot beside him much to Marinette's dismay. He twirled it around in his fingers absentmindedly. "Hey, that's something I struggle with: being treated like a real person."

"Don't you get that luxury in your civilian life?" Marinette asked.

Chat knit his eyebrows together as he stared at the red flower in his hand. "Not really. My civilian life is...complicated to say the least. I don't really get to do normal things; I have to follow a super strict schedule, so there isn't much room for fun."

Marinette sighed. "That must suck. I couldn't imagine not being able to play Ultimate Mecha Strike III or hang out with my friends." It was in that moment that Marinette thought about Adrien. He was constantly being forced to do whatever his schedule told him. Her thoughts were cut off, though, when Chat spoke with excitement in his voice.

"You play Ultimate Mecha Strike III?" His eyes lit up when Marinette nodded her head. "I love that game. I hardly ever get to play video games, but that's definitely my favorite."

Surprised that they had even one thing in common, Marinette started going on about everything she loved in Ultimate Mecha Strike III. Without even realizing it, her conversation with Chat wound up segueing from video games to movies to music. They talked so fluently with one another that the two hours of spare time Chat Noir had passed by in a blur, and Marinette found herself completely forgetting about the problems that had been haunting her for the past week. She never would've guessed that she and Chat Noir could've had a normal conversation like this, but here they were, talking about everything that came to mind.

Chat Noir looked out at the sun that was becoming lower and lower on the horizon. He furrowed his eyebrows before pulling out his staff and checking the time. Taking in a sharp intake of breath, he looked back up at Marinette. "It seems I have to leave meow, but I've had a purrty nice time talking to you, Princess."

This time, Marinette chuckled at the puns. In truth, she never disliked them when she was Ladybug; Chat Noir just had the worst timing.

"As strange as it is to admit it, it was nice talking to you too, Chat." Marinette stood up from her chair as Chat walked over to the far railing.

"Just remember, any time you want to talk, I'll be there." Chat prepared to launch himself, holding his staff by his side.

Marinette considered this. "As nice as that sentiment is, isn't it rather hard for me to talk to you whenever I need?"

Chat seemed to only now realize that he was an impossible-to-contact superhero. "Right... I guess I'll just be making regular drop-ins then."

Marinette tried to protest, but Chat was launching himself into the sky with a wink before she could say a word. She stood at the railing a few moments longer, watching the black dot of a cat disappear over the horizon. As she watched, Tikki flew up to be by her side.

"Well, that was weird," Tikki commented.

At the kwami's voice, Marinette decided she should probably go back inside. So, she did, and Tikki followed.

"Yeah, Chat's not one to just drop in randomly. At least...I don't think he is." She realized she didn't know if he did this sort of thing with anyone else. It would be pretty stupid and reckless of him if he did. In fact, it was pretty stupid and reckless of him to come and talk to her tonight. She just hoped that he didn't stand by his word and visit her in the future.

"At least he wasn't insistently flirting with you like he does with Ladybug," Tikki giggled.

Marinette rolled her eyes, smiling. "That's all just harmless flirting. It really means nothing."

"Yeah, I know. But at least he helped with one thing."

"What's what?"

"He got you to stop thinking about Master Fu."