Disclaimer: I don't own ML.

I mean, I loved the episode, but I hated the ending and I also secrete enough salt to mummify a whole person, especially when it comes to how Marinette is treated.

Maybe I should be called angelofthesalt instead.

And don't get me wrong, I love all these characters. I just feel like with the way S3 has been going, they need a good shake of salt to get their heads on straight.

"Can you believe it?" Alya squeals, bouncing in her seat at their table in the cafeteria. "Look how many views I've gotten on the Ladyblog since posting that picture!"

"That's awesome, dude!" Nino high-fives Alya. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Me too!" Adrien says. His wide grin would usually make Marinette's insides flutter and explode but at the moment, she's more concerned with trying not to throw up. "I still can't believe Ladybug and Chat Noir actually kissed!"

"I know, right?" Alya once again checks her phone and beams. "My OTP is finally a thing!"

Marinette bites the inside of her cheek to avoid snapping at Alya. She loves her best friend – really, she does – but Alya doesn't have any sense of boundaries when it comes to the Ladyblog and getting views. Marinette's still a little salty that Alya had believed Lila and not bothered to fact-check purely because Lila's lying interview was wildly popular, yet Alya's own best friend is expected to hand in a list of sources to prove that she's not reacting out of jealousy.

"Uh, but Ladybug said that she and Chat Noir weren't a thing," Nino says. Marinette could hug him right now because finally someone has some sense.

"With that kiss?" Alya scoffs. "They're totally a thing, Nino."

"Doesn't it seem a bit disrespectful to post a private moment like that all over the internet?" Marinette says. "Especially when Ladybug said that they weren't a couple?"

"Then why did they kiss?" Alya challenges.

"They lost their memories," Marinette says. "They might not even know why they kissed."

"They wouldn't have kissed if they weren't in love with each other!"

"How would they know if they are or aren't in love?" Marinette clenches her fists under the table. "Maybe they found out each other's identities while they had amnesia and decided that they were attracted to each other's identities. Maybe they did something different without their memories that made them fall in love – something they didn't do the first time around. I just don't think it's fair to act like they're a couple when they didn't even know who they were."

"And how would you know that they didn't know who they were?"

Marinette sighs. "You've seen the footage, haven't you? People didn't even know their own names. How would Ladybug and Chat Noir have known whether they were in love with each other?"

"If anything, the fact that they fell for each other so quickly just proves that they're meant to be," Adrien chimes in. Marinette struggles not to cry, because there's no way she can properly argue her point while maintaining the pretence that she wasn't there. No one can know that she's Ladybug, after all.

"Well, maybe she fell for him because she didn't know that he's always making her uncomfortable and treating her like she's his," Marinette snaps. It's kind of funny how Alya, Adrien, and Nino all recoil as though she'd said that someone should go and die.

"What the heck are you talking about, girl?" Alya says. "If you don't like Chat Noir then fine, but you shouldn't go around bad-mouthing him."

"How am I bad-mouthing him when I'm telling the truth?" Marinette says. "I've hung around enough battles that –" She freezes and makes sure that she remembers her cover story. Although she absolutely cannot stand liars, she's slowly coming to realise that sometimes, little lies like this that aren't out of malice are necessary, especially when she blurts out these lies out of panic rather than truly wanting to deceive people. "That I ended up with a small crush on Chat Noir."

"That's not exactly the best proof," Alya says. "I've got footage –"

"Where she tells him to stop saying that they're a couple!" Marinette sets her jaw. "You really don't believe me without proof? Then look at the footage! She's constantly shutting him down whenever he acts like they're a couple. He's always focusing on flirting with her rather than being serious about his job! You saw the footage, right? He was so busy trying to flirt with her that he got hit by Oblivio. Then she got hit as well because she was trying to protect herself and him."

"Marinette –" Adrien tries to interject. But the dam inside Marinette has finally burst, and every little thing she's ever wanted to say is pouring out of her.

"She clearly values Chat Noir a lot," she says. "It's so obvious to see that she loves him. But it's also obvious how uncomfortable he makes her when he doesn't respect her boundaries! Remember that interview with Nadja? How she kept asking invasive questions and made Ladybug storm out? Well, Chat Noir didn't do anything to help Ladybug! He just kept hyping up the idea that they'd be a couple soon because that's what he wants. And I just find it really disrespectful that everyone supports Chat Noir "chasing" Ladybug, but no one cares how Ladybug might feel."

"Okay, whoa, you need to chill," Alya says. Adrien's looking at Marinette as though this is the first time he's ever seen her, while Nino's wisely choosing to stay silent and focus on his lunch. "You're acting like we don't care about Ladybug when you know damn well that's not true."

"Of course." Marinette shoves her lunch away and stands up to make her escape before she says things she'll regret. "I forgot. I need to write an entire essay with citations just to prove that I'm not a silly jealous girl, but someone like Lila can give an entire interview claiming that she's Ladybug's best friend without one single bit of evidence just because it brings in views."

"Seriously?" Alya also stands up and crosses her arms. "I can't believe you, Marinette. You really hate Lila that much that you're having another go at her when the topic's not even about her?"

"You're right," Marinette hisses. "It's not about her. It's about how you'll do anything for the Ladyblog, no matter how uncomfortable it makes other people. Did you even once ask Ladybug if she's friends with Lila? Did you ask her if she's in love with Chat Noir? That's my point, Alya! No one sees Ladybug as a person! They just see her as the amazing hero who comes in and saves the day, and they act like her secret identity is a juicy secret that they need to race to find, but no one cares about her. No one stops and asks why she wants to keep her identity hidden, or whether she might have a crush or even a partner as her civilian self!"

If she wasn't so enraged, Marinette might feel ashamed of herself for enjoying the looks of shock and horror she gets after her rant. But this has all been building up for so long, and after nearly being akumatised when the entire class had decided that she was an awful person, she's not all that surprised that she's finally exploding.

"No one's ever talked to Ladybug and asked her what she thinks or feels," Marinette finishes. "All that matters is the Ladyblog, or Chat Noir "winning" her, or whatever else people want to use her for. That's why I'm so mad. I'm mad for her, because no one else seems to be."

Marinette takes a deep breath, then storms off before she says anything more and really hurts her friends. Just because she's angry and standing up for her alter ego, that doesn't mean that she's got the right to be nasty. Desperate for a place to be alone, so no one will find her and give her a grand speech that she really doesn't need right now, she ends up in the girls' toilets, just like when Lila had pulled that sob story about her wrist and the napkin.

"Marinette?" Tikki zooms out of Marinette's purse and hovers in front of her face, although she's little more than a red blur due to Marinette's eyes stinging with hot tears. "Are you okay?"

"Did I go too far?" Marinette sniffles and wipes her nose with her sleeve. Now that she's alone and not being forcibly reminded of how Ladybug seems to be little more than a stage show, her anger has quickly dissipated, and her stomach is curling at the things she'd just said. "I was just so – so angry. I felt so disrespected, Tikki, but I never wanted to hurt anyone."

"Were you saying those things because you were angry and wanted to hurt them like they hurt you?" Tikki says. "Or were you just so frustrated that you wanted to make them understand how you felt upset and unvalued?"

"I was frustrated!" Marinette says. "I told you, I felt so disrespected and I just…wanted to actually say something instead of smiling and pretending everything was okay."

"Then you were perfectly right to do that." Tikki nuzzles against Marinette's cheek. "You didn't do it to hurt them, and you walked away before you could take it too far. Standing up for yourself doesn't make you a bad person, Marinette."

"I know," Marinette sighs. "I just…I don't like causing conflict if it's with someone I like. I can stand up to Chloé and Lila, no problem, but Alya and Adrien and Nino are my friends. I don't want to make things cold between me and my friends."

"If they stop talking to you over one fight, they're not such good friends after all," Tikki says. "You shouldn't have to sacrifice your comfort and boundaries to maintain friendships. But I'm sure that one fight won't make them hate you."

"I hope you're right," Marinette says. "I'm not really that close to anyone else. So, if I lose these friends…I don't know who else I'll have."

"You'll have me!" Tikki says. Marinette grins weakly and pokes Tikki.

"No, I won't! You eat all the cookies."

The bell rings to signal the end of lunch just as Tikki giggles, "But they're so good!" She dives back into Marinette's purse, and Marinette takes a moment to make sure she's composed before unlocking the stall door and making her way to class.

Things aren't exactly frosty between her and Alya, Adrien, and Nino (though less Nino, since he'd mostly stayed out of the conflict). But neither party goes out of their way to talk to the other as they'd usually do before class starts, and when Miss Bustier decides that today's work is best completed in pairs, Marinette swallows her pride and turns a smile on Alya. She won't be mean, and she won't be petty. She'll be her usual nice self, but she also won't just pretend that nothing happened or go back to normal without an apology.

Although patrol is always a welcome window of time to just get out and clear her head, Ladybug finds that she's throwing herself into that night's patrol with far more gusto than usual. When she's swinging around the city and keeping an eye on things, she's not Marinette Dupain-Cheng with all her mundane problems. She's not even the superhero Ladybug, a beacon of hope, with the stress of battling the forces of evil and protecting the whole of Paris from Hawkmoth's akumas. She's just…her. Maribug might be a good portmanteau for the person she becomes when she's allowed to be alone with herself like this. She's neither Marinette nor Ladybug, but she's also both.

When her patrol is over and she's leaping towards the Eiffel Tower to rendezvous with Chat Noir, she's expecting to be greeted with the usual lopsided smirk and cocky spark in his green cat eyes. However, what she finds instead is a black figure slumped on a thick metal beam, chin resting on his hands, swinging his legs as he stares out over the twinkling blanket of lights that makes up Paris at night.

"Chat?" She sits down next to him carefully, but he doesn't even give her a glance. "What's wrong?"

Chat Noir doesn't speak for a few moments. Finally, when Ladybug's about to ask a little more forcefully, he says, "My lady? Do I…make you uncomfortable?"

Ladybug's insides turn to ice. Has someone told Chat Noir about the argument from earlier? If one of her friends has – actually, there's no reason to suspect any of them of snitching. Even if no one else in the cafeteria heard the whole conversation, it's not unreasonable to think that they overheard at least snippets. And even if one of them did tell Chat Noir, he does have a right to know what people have said about him. If someone was saying serious stuff like that about Ladybug, she'd want to know about it so that she could fix the problem.

"What do you mean?" Ladybug says. "You're a good friend, kitty."

"That's not what I asked." Chat Noir finally looks around at her, and he looks so miserable that all she wants is to reach out and squeeze all the sadness out of him with a tight hug. "My friends and I were talking about the photo of our kiss today and…well, we got into an argument."

Huh. What a coincidence that Chat Noir and his friends had also been talking about it on the same day as Marinette and her friends. "What was the argument about?"

"Well, a friend was excited about it – and so was I, of course – but then another friend stood up and told us that, well…I'm not exactly the best partner for you. I flirt with you at bad times, I don't take our job seriously –"

If Ladybug didn't know any better, she'd think that Chat Noir was talking about the very argument that she'd been tangled up in earlier that day.

"– and I'm so focused on "winning" you that I don't think about whether you're uncomfortable with how I treat you." Chat Noir sighs. "I can't believe it took a civilian to make me realise how I've been treating you. She shouldn't have had to get mad for you."

For the second time, Ladybug's insides freeze. The way Chat Noir knows specific phrases that she had said throughout that conflict means that he needs to have been there for the entire thing to hear those words. Which means he was in that conflict. And since Ladybug knows that Alya or Nino can't possibly be Chat Noir…

"Have I really been making you uncomfortable?" Chat Noir – Adrien – says. Ladybug takes a few moments to clear her head, trying to push her freak-out over Adrien most likely being Chat Noir to the background at least until she's home. It helps a lot that he's Chat Noir right now, so it's easier for her to distance the two enough that she can act normally.

"Chat," she begins. "First off, I love that you're my partner."

"So, I do?" Chat Noir's ears droop. Ladybug holds up her hand.

"Just let me finish," she says. "I love having you as a partner. You're one of my dearest friends, and you know me in a way that no one else does. I can't think of anyone else I'd trust to have my back more than you. But…" She takes a deep breath. If she could say this as Marinette, she can say it as Ladybug, although she hadn't actually said it to Chat Noir's face back then. At least, she hadn't thought that Chat Noir could be sitting right next to her. "Yes, it does make me uncomfortable when you constantly try and flirt with me when we're in battle."

"Oh." Chat's whole body seems to droop with his ears. "I'm sorry, milady. I never meant to make you uncomfortable."

"It's not that I don't enjoy the puns and our chemistry," Ladybug continues. She chances resting her hand lightly on Chat Noir's forearm, and she's heartened when he doesn't pull away. "It just never comes at the right time. When we're in the middle of a battle, I'm trying to focus on how best to capture and purify the akuma. It's…well, it's a lot harder when you're trying to flirt with me or be funny."

"Focus on the mission. Got it." Chat Noir gives Ladybug a weak little smile. "Anything else, milady?"

Ladybug pauses. Does she really want to just spill everything now? It's one thing to rant about it as Marinette; it's another thing entirely to actually say it to Chat Noir and watch him process it in front of her.

"Don't hold back." Chat Noir must sense her hesitation, because he reaches over and covers her hand on his forearm with his free hand. "I haven't listened to you before, so I'm listening now. I want you to tell me everything you would've told me if you were in that argument."

How has Ladybug never realised that Adrien is behind this mask? When Chat Noir's not being overly flirty and pigheaded, he can be soft and sweet just like Adrien.

"I just feel like you don't respect me when you keep insisting that we are a couple," she says. "Like in our interview with Nadja. I'm in love with someone already, so to have you ignore that when I've told you feels like you…" Ladybug exhales. "Well, it makes it feel like you're entitled to me. And it makes me feel…not good. Like I'm just a prize you can win if you try hard enough."

"Oh," Chat Noir mumbles. "I never realised."

"Especially with how you acted when we were facing Glaciator and Frozer," Ladybug says, fully into her rhythm now that she's allowed to finally talk. "I'm sorry, kitty, but the way you treated me because your feelings were hurt was really not okay. Even if I was in love with you, I'd feel…cautious about being with you if you acted like that."

"Ladybug –"

"But," Ladybug says before Chat Noir can get too down on himself. "You're not a bad person. You're funny. You're sweet. You know how to cheer me up when I need it. I can always trust you to have my back when it comes down to it – just look at Heroes' Day!"

"Why didn't you tell me any of this before?" Chat Noir says. "Knowing I've been hurting you makes me so…gah."

"I was afraid," Ladybug says softly. "Afraid that I'd destroy our dynamic and I'd lose my partner. That I'd upset you when I hate upsetting my friends. I didn't want to risk ruining things."

"Milady." Chat Noir takes both of Ladybug's hands and looks her right in the eye. "I'm an idiot. I know it's no excuse, but I don't always see when I'm doing that kind of thing. And if I do see it, then…" He sighs. "I'm like you. I hate upsetting my friends too, so I tend to stay out of things. If I'm ever out of line again, just say the word. Don't be afraid to tell me." He gives Ladybug the crooked grin that she's grown so accustomed to and, against her will, her heart flutters at the reminder that it's almost certainly Adrien behind that mask and grin. "I don't ever want to upset you."

Ladybug can't help but smile widely as her shoulders sag. She's been so worried to speak her mind to Chat Noir but, as it turns out, he's more than willing to listen, although she can't be sure if that's due to her earlier outburst as Marinette.

"If you don't mind me asking," Chat Noir says, "who's the boy that you're in love with? You don't have to tell me if you don't want," he hastens to add. Ladybug bites her lip. On the one hand, the less personal information she reveals, the better. On the other hand, it's not as though he'll be able to guess who she is based solely on having a crush on Adrien Agreste. Lots of girls do, after all. And if it really is Adrien behind the mask, she can gauge his reaction to her words and make sure rather than letting herself get worked up if it isn't really him.

"Adrien Agreste," she says. The way Chat Noir makes a sharp, aborted sound and squeezes her hands confirms for her that behind the mask lies the very boy she's been crushing on for months. And wow, what a wild thought that is: that she's been rejecting the boy she likes for the boy she likes.

"That guy?" Chat Noir scoffs, though his voice is a tad higher than usual. "Not to be disrespectful, milady, but everyone's got a crush on him. And I don't think he'd hate the idea of you liking him – he'd be out of his mind to reject you – but…"

Ladybug decides to put the poor guy out of his misery. "I go to school with him," she says. "I know him. My heart flutters when he gives that goofy little smile that he saves for when he's not in front of the cameras. He was kind to me when he didn't have to be, because I…well, I didn't like him at first. I thought he was like Chloé Bourgeois. But he couldn't be more different. He's nice and sweet."

Chat Noir stares at her as though he's seeing her for the first time. Ladybug's yo-yo beeps with the reminder she's set herself.

"Do you mind if we wrap up patrol early tonight, kitty?" she says. "I've just got one more thing I need to do."

"Of course, milady." Chat Noir helps Ladybug to her feet, then turns to face her. "With your permission?"

Those words have the faintest echo of familiarity to them, like she's heard them before in some vague dream she once had. She nods, so Chat Noir takes her hand and bows to kiss it.

"Thank you for talking to me, bugaboo," he says when he straightens up. "And I'm really sorry for everything I've done. I'll try and do better."

Ladybug smiles and boops him on the nose. "Apology accepted, kitty cat. What matters is that you listened to me this time." She tosses her yo-yo and swings off, though she's not headed home just yet. Instead, she lands on Alya's balcony, and her best friend immediately falls off her computer chair and scrambles to open the window door for her.

"Ladybug!" Alya says. "What's wrong? Is there an akuma? Do you need help? I can –"

"No, Alya, there's no akuma this time," Ladybug says, holding her hand up. "I actually just wanted to talk to you. Is it okay if I sit?"

"Yeah! Yeah!" Alya nods wildly. Ladybug sits on Alya's bed and crosses one leg over the other, while Alya sinks down into her computer chair. "What's up? I mean, not that I don't appreciate you visiting, but I don't think you'd just pop in for a chat. Busy superhero and all."

"You're right," Ladybug says. She takes a moment to inhale and make sure she's in her professional state of mind rather than her best friend one. "It's about today in the school cafeteria."

"You heard about that?" Alya's face falls. "Look, I'm sorry if I overstepped any boundaries."

"It's not just about the photo," Ladybug says. "Alya, do you know why I give you interviews? Why I try and stay so involved with the Ladyblog?"

Alya shakes her head, her brown curls flying.

"Because I've heard good things about you. You were there from the very first battle, and you recently proved that you can be trusted as Rena Rouge. I'm totally happy to work with the Ladyblog and give you all the support it needs, but I need respect in return. That photo was a serious breach of respect and privacy, especially when I've been saying that Chat Noir and I aren't a thing." Ladybug looks Alya right in the eye and says, "It feels like all you care about is getting the best scoop, and I don't like feeling like that when I know you're genuinely a good person."

"I'm so sorry, Ladybug," a stricken Alya says. "I swear I'll take the photo down right now." She turns and clicks into the Ladyblog, then deletes the photo of Ladybug and Chat Noir's kiss. Ladybug smiles when Alya turns back to her.

"Thank you, Alya," Ladybug says. "But that's not all. If I'm going to support your blog, I need to be able to trust that you'll be completely honest. I need to trust that you verify whatever you post instead of getting caught up over views and popularity."

"Sorry but what do you mean?"

"That interview with Lila Rossi." Ladybug leans forward, resting a forearm on her knee. Part of her wonders if she should go through with this, remembering Adrien's advice about not upsetting Lila, but she discards that thought after a moment. The truth is more important than preserving one girl's feelings, and after having been akumatised three times? If Lila's going to get akumatised then she will; Ladybug can't let Lila dangle that threat over her to keep her in check. "Nothing in that interview was correct. I only know Lila in passing, from when she was Volpina and then Chameleon, and I didn't see her on Heroes' Day, but I know that she has to be the one who made that illusion of me and Chat Noir. No other akuma we've faced creates illusions like that. We're not friends, and I'm honestly shocked that she would even claim that openly because what would stop Hawkmoth from targeting her to get to me if it was true?"

"She…lied?" Alya's eyes are bulging. "But – but she's said so many things –"

"I've heard," Ladybug says gently. "And I'm not judging you for believing her, Alya. The last thing I'm here to do is to pass judgement. I just didn't like the thought of you being tricked, especially when you're someone I trust enough to lend a Miraculous. But I do suggest you listen and research if you plan on being a serious journalist. If Lila's lied about this, what else has she lied about? I don't want you to lose credibility as a journalist. And I don't want you to lose my trust."

Ladybug gives Alya a few minutes to process everything. When Alya's finally finished running everything through her quick brain, she sits up straight in her chair.

"I'm sorry, Ladybug," she says. "I'm sorry for not respecting you and giving you privacy. And I'm sorry for not checking that Lila was telling the truth."

Ladybug smiles and stands up, heading for the balcony. "It's all good, Alya," she says. "You made a mistake and now you've learned from it. Next time we need Rena Rouge, I'll be straight back here with the Miraculous."

"Okay!" Alya bounces in her seat. "And I'll take down that interview right now!"

"Just please make sure that no one harasses Lila over this, okay?" Ladybug says. The last thing she needs is for Lila to become even more vindictive. "I don't care that she lied about being friends with me. I just think she's foolish for attracting Hawkmoth's attention like that, and I don't want to see your Ladyblog destroyed because of a lie." She leaps off the balcony and swings off to her last stop before she can finally go home and have a super good night's sleep.

When she reaches her destination, she finds the window already open. The room's inhabitant is totally unaware of her as she slips through the window and lands softly on the floor, too engrossed in his game, and he doesn't realise she's there until he's finished his match and she clears her throat.

"Oh, hey, dude!" Nino drops his controller and jumps up, holding out his fist. Ladybug smiles and fist-bumps him. "What's up? Not that I'm bummed to see you or anything."

"I heard about today in the cafeteria. I just wanted to thank you for trying to stand up for me today."

"Oh." Nino's mouth downturns. "Sorry, dude, but I wasn't that good. I only said one thing and then tried to ignore it."

"But you still tried," Ladybug says. "And I appreciate that. I just wanted to say thanks before I finished tonight's patrol."

"I still don't think I did that much," Nino says. "But, uh…thanks, dude."

"No problem." Ladybug winks. "I chose well, Carapace." Beaming, she springs out of a stunned Nino's room through the window and starts to swing back home. After the absolutely wild ride that's been today, she's about ready to sleep for a week.

Naturally, the first thing she does when she's detransformed is to scream into her pillow.

"Marinette?" Tikki says rather cautiously from above her. Marinette removes her face from her pillow, gasping, before she can die of suffocation after the day she's had.

"Adrien is Chat Noir," she hisses, flopping onto her back. "And you knew! Because of when we were trapped by Dark Owl!"

"Didn't you agree to keep your identities a secret?" Tikki says, which is about as good as a confirmation considering her lack of denial that Adrien is Chat Noir.

"But Adrien!"

"Okay, Marinette, calm down," Tikki sighs. She darts down and hugs Marinette's forehead soothingly while Marinette finally lets herself freak out after a whole night of holding it in.

"I've been rejecting Adrien for himself!" she howls as quietly as possible so as not to wake up her parents. "How could I have been so blind?"

"I mean, you've got more reason for not realising than him," Tikki says. "His eyes and hair change at least. The only reason no one's realised that both you and Ladybug have black pigtails and blue eyes is because the magic of the Miraculous stops it from clicking in people's minds unless they're faced with undeniable proof. It's like a diversionary tactic to prevent people from getting too close to the truth, but of course it was always going to be less effective when it comes to you two as partners, since you spend so much time around each other as both heroes and civilians."

Marinette just moans and throws an arm over her face. "What do I do?" she says. "I can't keep my identity a secret from him if I know who he is. That's unfair to him and a breach of trust."

"You shouldn't reveal who you are if you're not comfortable with it, though," Tikki counters. "Don't feel pressured to tell him if you're not ready."

"It's not that." Marinette uncovers her face and sighs. "Part of the reason we didn't tell each other was for safety, but that doesn't really work if I know who he is. I'll always be worried about him now when we're in battle and he'll have no idea why. But the other part is…I was terrified that he would turn out to be someone I didn't like as Marinette. Or someone I just didn't get along with."

"Does it make it easier, knowing that it's Adrien?" Tikki says.

"A bit?" Marinette says. "Knowing that the guy I'm in love with is someone I've been comfortable around for months could be really helpful. You know, so I'm not stumbling over myself when I talk to him." She lets out a little laugh. "But now I'm torn between wanting to keep him safe from everyone and knowing that he can handle himself."

"At least you won't have to worry about him during akuma attacks," Tikki jokes. Marinette groans.

"Oh, no! How many times did I get annoyed at Chat Noir for being late when it was my own fault for trying to keep Adrien safe?" She groans again. "I need to give him a massive fruit basket to make up for that."

"He'll understand, silly," Tikki says. "But if you're really going through with this, I also suggest Camembert for that fruit basket. That stinkface Plagg loves the stuff."

Marinette laughs and hugs Tikki. "Thanks for calming me down, Tikki. I don't know what I would've done without you."

Tikki nuzzles back before growing solemn. "Marinette, are you sure you want to tell him? This isn't like Oblivio – you won't get a do-over. I just want to make sure this is completely what you want and that you don't feel like you have to do it."

"After earlier, I feel comfortable enough to tell him," Marinette says after a moment of gathering her thoughts. "He showed that he intends to at least try and be more respectful. And he still listened to me in the cafeteria, even though I was angry and ranting and making him uncomfortable. Plus, he didn't know that I'm Ladybug; all he saw was Marinette losing her temper. He could have just decided that I was being spiteful and mean and chosen not to listen to me."

"That's a good point," Tikki says. "So long as you're sure about it, I'll support you in whatever you do."

Marinette opens her mouth to thank Tikki, but what escapes instead is a loud yawn. Tikki giggles and pulls Marinette's covers over her, then kisses Marinette on the forehead and darts into her little handmade bed while Marinette's eyelids grow heavier with each passing second.