Note: Pretty much if I'm creating a new story, that most likely means that I a G. Marinette's the best girl in the world and I'm just here to mainly yell about it.

Check out my tumblr geekbaits if you wanna yell with me.

Marinette wakes up in a cold sweat, tears beading at the corners of her eyes, her heart pounding against her chest. For a moment, she forgets about where is, and only knows that she is alone.

Her bedroom is dimly lit, her walls now bare, and her heart gives a painful squeeze when she remembers that she'd taken down all of Adrien's photos. A cardboard box filled to the brim with the discarded posters sat in the corner of her bedroom, reminding her once again of Fu's letter.

She exhaled and pushed the thought to the back of her mind.

The clock on her wall read 3:56 AM.

Her parents should be already at work, and in a little while, Marinette would be expected to come downstairs like normal, eat her breakfast like normal, and go to school like a normal 14-year-old girl.

Only she wasn't normal.

The black and red, polka-dotted egg tucked away in her bedside table was a reminder of just how not normal Marinette Dupain-Cheng was.

It was a reminder that she had to better than how she currently is.

It was a reminder that Marinette was ultimately the only power that stood in the way of her home falling to ruin.

That Marinette couldn't afford any slip ups.

Anything else, and everyone that she loved would be in trouble.

She'd accepted these conditions long ago, but it didn't make her feel any better about the situation. Vaguely, she wondered what Chat Noir would have done in her position.

She was suddenly struck with longing for her partner's company.

She was so lonely.

Her breaths began to escape her in shallow puffs, her room beginning to close in on her. Her heart began to speed up even faster and she couldn't keep up. Dizziness overtook the teen, pinning her to her place in her loft. A yell built up in the back of her throat, but she couldn't will herself to make a sound.

A wave of nausea hit her, causing the girl to snap her mouth shut, squeezing tightly.

Marinette reached out to the empty space in front of her, greeted with only her fears of devastation, ruin, and the little dark butterflies that chased her in her nightmares every night.

They'd almost had her tonight had she not woken up.

Hot tears spilled over her eyes, dripping freely onto her duvet. Hastily, she tried to wipe the tears away, but the motion seemed like it wasn't doing anything. Her breaths began to get louder, too loud for her quiet bedroom.

"Marinette?"

Tikki zipped up into view, alarm apparent in the little kwami's eyes, "Oh no, Marinette!"

She pressed her little body against Marinette's cheek, the warmth of her magic seeping into the young girl. The action seemed to do the trick, as Marinette's dizziness and nausea quickly dissipated.

"Just breathe, Marinette," Tikki instructed gently, "C'mon, breathe in and count to four—" Marinette obeyed.

Tikki patted her cheek, "You're doing great! Now breathe out and count to four."

Marinette exhaled and counted.

"One."

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was Ladybug, one of Paris' saviors and the new guardian of the miraculouses.

"Two."

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was surrounded by friends and family who she loved dearly, and would do anything for.

"Three."

Ladybug had a partner who she trusted wholeheartedly. Her best friend, who understood her better than most people.

"Four."

She was still Marinette, she still had dreams and aspirations, and despite her newfound responsibilities, she still had the power to shape her own future.

"Good, Marinette!" Tikki smiled, "You did so good Marinette, I'm so proud of you!"

Marinette didn't say anything, instead choosing to cup Tikki in her hands and hug her closely to her face. Quietly, Marinette practiced breathing, quieting her racing thoughts and banishing her anxieties back to the dark recesses of her mind.

At exactly 4:02 AM, Tikki watched Marinette fall back asleep. The kwami floated forward to press a kiss to her charge's forehead, hoping to fight off any nightmares that could reappear within the next few hours.

In the early hours of the morning, Marinette drifted, dreaming of black kitty cats and the most beautiful melody she'd ever heard.