The Handkerchief

Marinette curled her arms around herself. It was one of those nights where she desperately needed to be alone, allowed to cry and vent without anyone else knowing what she was crying about. Even Tikki had understood and had disappeared. Her parents were out that night, so she was truly left to herself.

She rubbed her eyes. She'd cried all she could, and now she was just tired. She'd thought she was handling all of this well, but letting go of her feelings for Adrien had turned out to be more difficult than she thought. Plus, there was the added bonus of Chat feeling more distant than usual lately. She just got so tired of it all sometimes. Tired of being the Guardian, tired of everyone relying on her, tired of being Ladybug...

Marinette sighed. She was sitting on her balcony, trying to dry her red eyes as she looked up at the twinkling starry sky. It had been quiet lately, so besides the occasional patrol, she hadn't seen much of Chat. And she'd been purposely avoiding Adrien for some time.

A frustrated sigh startled her, and she shot up, looking around. Finally, her eyes landed on a familiar form lying on a roof nearby, also watching the stars. He looked defeated and tired, much like how she felt. It was Chat Noir.

A part of Marinette's heart warmed. She loved and cared deeply about Chat. He was her beloved partner, despite romantic complications, and they were each other's best friend. It had hurt way more than she'd thought when he grew a bit distant. He was still the same as ever, and yet also...not.

He must've felt her staring, because he jerked his head to the side and they made eye contact. Embarrassed, Marinette quickly looked away, hoping he would just leave. Her mind scrambled to remember the times she'd interacted with him as Marinette, and her blush grew. Right. She'd supposedly been in love with him.

Oh, the irony of it all. Wasn't it all so much fun?

She heard a soft thmp behind her and turned her head slightly. He was perched, somewhat uncertainly, on her railing. "Ah...hello, Chat Noir."

He wasn't as peppy as usual. He seemed to be hesitant, too. "Hello, Marinette. It's been a while, huh?"

Marinette gave him a strained smile. "Yeah, it sure has. Have you been doing well?"

"Oh, you know, the life of a superhero." He tried to smile back at her, but she saw his shoulders fall. "Always so much...fun."

She chewed on her lip, but her affection for Chat outweighed her own inner struggle. "You okay? You seem a little down."

Chat looked up at her, and there was a sudden understanding there. They were both bitterly sad. And they just wanted some time to be allowed to be sad.

Marinette felt she could only be truly sad and vulnerable when she wasn't Ladybug. Perhaps, she thought, Chat felt the same way during his civilian life.

He hopped down from the railing. "I suppose you could say...I'm just confused about a lot. And it hurts people I care about. Figuring out how you feel about others is hard."

A bitter laugh bubbled out before Marinette could help it. "Tell me about it."

Chat seemed surprised. "You're having relationship problems...?"

"You don't have to seem so shocked on my account." Marinette scooted over, an unspoken invitation for him to join her. After a moment's hesitation, he sat beside her.

"It's true. I'm trying to let go of someone. It's just a lot harder than I thought it would be." She tightened her arms reflexively. "But I need to, because he's in love with someone else."

"What--with someone else?" The genuine surprise in his voice made her heart warm in affection. "But I thought..." he trailed off. "So you aren't dating this boy, then?"