who are we (if not who they've made us to be)?

Two

"Just as Paris is about to celebrate the arrival of two new heroes, a wave of panic has hit the capital as dozens of people are suddenly transformed into stone monsters!" Nadja Chamack reported. "It's simply unbelievable!"

The whole class flinched. They remembered that day well. Ivan hid his face in Mylene's hair as she gently rubbed his arm.

"It's okay," she reassured him.

Marinette sucked in a sharp gasp, her mother mirroring her. "Oh my!"

"These victims turned into Stonebeings are still-like statues. Police are perplexed. What will happen to them? Will they come to life or be frozen in time forever?" Nadja continued. Marinette spun on her heel, rushing up to her bedroom without a word. Slamming the hatch shut behind her, she whirled around to see Tikki floating by a plate of cookies.

"Woah, what's that? It's so cute!" Rose squealed, yanking on Juleka's arm. Marinette winced. She knew it was likely her identity would be found out, but so soon?

"Well, better to rip it off like a bandaid, right?" She whispered to herself. Nino gave her a questioning look but focused back on the screen at the appearance of a new voice.

"Did you capture the akuma?" Tikki asked, worried eyes bouncing between Marinette and the screen.

"It talks?" Juleka murmured, watching intently. "Is it some rare animal? I've never seen anything like it."

Marinette avoided looking anyone in the eye.

"What's that got to do with the other Stonebeings?" Marinette asked, frowning. With a sigh, Tikki flew up to point at the screen where sightings of the Stonebeings were flagged.

"An akuma can multiply, that's why it must be captured. If Ivan becomes negative again, the akuma will turn him back into Stoneheart. He'll be able to use the Stonebeings as his army." Tikki flitted about, chattering nervously. Marinette gasped.

"That's a kwami," Chloe said blankly. Marinette froze. With a carefully calm expression, Chloe stared at Marinette. "That's Ladybug's kwami."

Alya looked between the two. "What? No... that's just an animal. Marinette isn't... she would have told me if..."

"Ah, yes, a rare animal that can talk, fly, looks like ladybug, and pretended to be a stuffed animal when I gave it to Prince Ali." Chloe rolled her eyes. Alya glared.

"Stop it! Marinette would have told me, we're best friends!" Alya persisted, "We tell each other everything... Right, Marinette?"

And, oh, Alya's voice was so vulnerable, so hesitant. Marinette couldn't even look at her.

"I already told you, Alya, the night of the Sapotis. 'If I was Ladybug, I wouldn't even tell you, to protect you from the baddies.' You remember, don't you? 'You must never reveal your identity to anyone. Not your friends, not your family, and not the Ladyblog.'"

Alya was like a statue. She just stared. Marinette could feel Nino shifting beside her, but she didn't look at him. Couldn't look at him. He knew who she was too, now. After all, he was Carapace, he knew what a kwami looked like.

"So that means... this is all my fault?" Marinette realized. "I knew it, Tikki. I'm not cut out to be a superhero. I'm only going to keep messing up."

"Calm down," Tikki reassured her, "It was your first time. You're going to go back and capture Stoneheart's akuma and do it successfully!

"I can't!" Marinette cried. "I told you, I'm clumsy. I create disaster all the time! I'll only make things worse for everyone! Chat Noir's better off without me. I'm quitting, Tikki."

"No Marinette! Only Ladybug can capture akumas," Tikki pleaded with her. Marinette shook her head.

"If Chat Noir can't capture akumas, then just... find another Ladybug. I told you, I'm not cut out to be Ladybug. I'm sorry, Tikki." She reached for her earrings, carefully taking off the backings and sliding them off.

"No, don't--"

When Marinette opened her eyes, Tikki was gone. She looked around, but there was no hint of the kwami. She sniffled, putting the earrings in the miraculous box and closing it in her drawer. Sliding to the floor, Marinette hugged her knees and cried.

"I'm really sorry, Tikki."

The screen faded to black. All was silent.

"Wait, so... you're Ladybug?" Alix exclaimed, skating to Marinette's side. Marinette hid her face, nodding.

"Yes."

"And you quit being Ladybug?"

"Yes."

"But... you're still Ladybug...?"

"Yes," Marinette sighed, guilt festering in her chest like a fungus. "I... tried to give the Miraculous away, but the person I was giving it to got caught up in the attack and I had to transform to save them. Then I made that promise to Paris that we would protect them and... I couldn't give up being Ladybug after that."

"My bag," Alya said suddenly. Marinette was surprised when Alya's head shot up to stare at her harshly. "My bag. That day, you kept trying to get me to bring my bag everywhere. You even insisted I take it when I went to record footage for the Ladyblog. But I didn't and I got stuck between the wall and a car that was tossed at me. Ladybug saved me almost immediately after." Alya shook her head. "You saved me. Did you...?"

Marinette nodded. "I thought... you would be perfect. You're the opposite of me and always confident, with a strong sense of justice. I thought you would be better than I ever could be."

Alya blinked. Then, she laughed.

"No. No, no, no. You're Ladybug. You're one half of Paris' superhero duo. You're the only one who can cleanse akumas. You are Ladybug. I could never be."

Marinette didn't respond. Adrien, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly dropped to the floor and curled into a ball. He let out a low, keening noise.

"Dude..." Nino let her go to step closer to Adrien. "Are you okay?"

Adrien let out a pitiful groan. "Ladybug..."

Like a switch was flipped, Nino went from concerned to laughing. "Oh dude, I totally forgot about your huge crush on her."

"C-Crush...?" Marinette's face blazed red. Adrien groaned again.

"I literally called her our Everyday Ladybug... How did I not know? Am I stupid?" He bemoaned, "Why is this my life...?"

Marinette squeaked when a hand grabbed her own. Looking down, Douloureux tugged on her hand. She gave him a curious look.

"Is something wrong?" She asked. Douloureux gave her an uncertain look.

"Bad memory..." He mumbled. Marinette squeezed his hand.

"What about it?"

"Not... not bad anymore...?" He sounded so confused. It made Marinette want to wrap him up in a blanket and hug him. She smiled softly.

"Bad memories can be softened by good ones. Sometimes even replaced. Just because they're bad now, doesn't mean they always will be. This was a bad memory for me, because I felt weak. But... my friends have made it a better memory because I can see it as something to learn from now, not just something to be ashamed of."

Douloureux stared at her. He seemed conflicted. In a quick motion, he stepped back and turned back to the screen.

"Two."