A/N: Super long chapter ahead!

Gwen landed on the ground with a thump. Her body heaved and trembled as she kneeled on the ground and leaned against the wall. Her eyes tightly closed shut while her lips quivered. Her fists were sore with clenched fists. 

 Raising her fists, she punched them together, causing her costume to recede to the bracelets, leaving her to her familiar black shirt and purple skirt with a green coat, black boots, and headband. 

Gwen panted, feeling her abdomen burn along with her racing heart punching her ribcage. What the hell did she do?!

Swinging around in her costume for half an hour made her realize how zoned out she was at the situation she got herself into.  She was only to look and not engage, what caused her to be this stupid? Not only that, some lunatic decides to be like, "Hey, you can't leave! These two kids have no experience in fighting crime and need your babysitting. If you don't help, we're all going to die!"

Yeah, because that would motivate her and not give her pressure whatsoever. Cue her rolling eyes internally because her body wouldn't permit her to do so. 

Slowly taking deep shaky breaths, she unclenched her fists while leaning her head against the wall. Her vision blurred while she slowly opened her eyes, finding herself looking at the dark wall in front of her. Thoughts flooded her mind, making her hunch over and hug her knees to her chest

"Gwen!"

Gwen gritted her teeth, banging her sticks on her drums. Mimicking the ache in her heart into the rhythm and taking all her frustrations on it. Again. Again. And Again. The loud drumming was hard and loud to block out voices trying to sneak into her ears. 

But the familiar cries kept ringing in her ears, so she hit harder and louder to block them out to no avail. She tried hitting the cymbals too but it was there. It was always there. The feeling in her hands, pooled with warm and sticky blood lingered, making her grip tighter on the sticks. 

Why won't it go away?

Why can't this feeling go away?

"Gwen!"

Gwen blinked, stopping her sticks before making contact with the drums. Her heart kept racing, but she looked up. She lightly frowned, noticing MJ, Glory, and Betty were looking at her unimpressed. 

Shit. She did it again. 

"...Is the song over?" Gwen asked, but their visible expression of annoyance answered her question. Looking down at her hands, she grimaced as the lines of the sticks bruised her palms and fingers. "Seems over..." she muttered. 

"Are you okay?" MJ instead asked, looking at her with concern. 

Glory looked at Gwen. "You don't hang out and you don't want to talk–"

This annoyed Gwen. She...lost her best friend and it was still difficult to comprehend that not everything was sun and rainbows everywhere. Yeah, she killed Peter and no one knows. Not even her dad or Harry. Hell, not even MJ. But...after the loss of Peter. 

She started to see things differently. 

Everyone is starting to treat her like a wine glass. Ready to fall and break apart. But Gwen is strong. She proved it at prom night, so she doesn't need their pity. Especially from her band. She doesn't need their help nor everyone's. She can handle it on her own. 

She just needs time. 

"I didn't join a band so I could talk about my feelings," Gwen sighed frustratingly. 

"Well, I did," Betty butted in but Gwen ignored her. 

"I joined," Gwen gave them a pointed look. "So I could hit my feelings with sticks!" With that, Gwen harshly hit on her drums and cymbal but Glory stopped it with her hand. 

Glory held on the cymbal, frowning at the girl behind the drums. "So, if you don't tell someone what's going on, you're gonna–"

"I'm fine," Gwen stated with finality, not wanting to continue with the conversation. 

"That's not how someone who's fine would say," MJ deadpanned. 

Glory sighed, "Say, 'I'm great! Thanks! How are you?' " she tried. 

"I'm great! Thanks!" Gwen stood up, kicking herself off her seat, pushed through her drum set, grabbed her bag off the floor, and stormed off. "How are you?"

"...Fine?" Betty frowned, watching her go. 

Betty sighed, "Gwen! Come on!"

MJ shook her head, "I don't get you, man."

"You're right!" Gwen snapped but kept walking, storming over to the doors and slamming them shut behind her. Looking up from the white floors, her eyes caught on the dents on the school walls. Her heart sank just by looking at them. 

Three weeks. 

It has been three weeks since prom night and she can still smell the blood in the air. Shaking her head out of frustration, she gripped her bag and ran out of the school in a hurry. Almost as if his ghost would run after her and hold onto her and pull her back. 

Her heart raced, running faster and making sharp turns, ignoring the large dents and broken ceilings taking place as she went. 

She doesn't know how long she's been running. She could feel the sun's warmth and the smell of grass under her feet but she kept running. Almost as if the school itself was haunted and is reaching out to her. 

I always wanted to be in a band...guess I just never found the right one. Being Ghost-Spider...being in this line of work...you always wind up with a solo act. 

Gwen stared forlornly inside the train, blocking out the voices around her and looking at her reflection through the window. 

-🕷-

"Is this the 'spider-menace?' Gwen's lip twitched, looking to the side. Peter grinned, sitting next to her as he showed her his camera. He was able to go around and find good pictures of Ghost-Spider. And he thought to show them to his best friend. 

They were currently having dinner at Gwen's place. Uncle Ben was working late so he and Aunt May were having dinner at Gwen's house. And it was good timing too as George came late and prepared salad while Gwen made pasta earlier. 

"Oh, no, no," Peter shook his head. "She seems like a good guy."

"Why wear a mask if you've got nothing to hide," George butted in, bringing the salad to the table. 

Aunt May rolled her eyes, looking gently at the teens at the table. "All right, no politics at the dinner table."

Gwen sighed, looking up at the woman. "Thank you, May."

May only winked at her. 

It has always been like this. School ends, Gwen goes on patrols, she comes back and makes dinner for her father, and on the weekends, the Parkers would come to have dinner with them. It has always been like this for every weekend, including holidays. It was normal. It was peaceful.

...But they didn't really know me. And...I didn't really know Peter either. 

Every time Peter would get bullied, she would always be there to try to protect him. Always beating Flash and Ned. The idiots who like to bother Peter often. But like always, Peter stops her before it goes too far, saying that it is okay or that he is used to it and not damaging her school record for him. 

She should have looked closer into his eyes. She should have tried harder to look deeply into the boy's mind. Instead, she looked away. Being caught up with school and being a hero. 

...until it was too late.

 -🕷-

"No, no, no," Ghost shook her head in disbelief and shock, running over by the debris. The large slimy green claw slowly started to take form, turning to a human hand. 

The broken and bloody pearl in his hand made Ghost stop altogether. Knowing exactly who was on the floor. Knowing exactly who was dying. Knowing exactly what she did. 

Ghost grunts, removing a broken ceiling from the boy, and hugs him close to her. His clothes were ripped to shreds, showing the bruises and blood covering his chest. 

"What did you do?" she whimpered, looking down at the boy. 

Peter coughed, looking up at her with admiration but slowly dimmed by one of the broken headlights shining in the dark room. He wasn't going to make it.

"I just...wanted to be special," he muttered, making Ghost's eyes widen as he reached a hand out and leaned against her masked cheek. "...like you...Gwen."

Her heart sank, looking at the boy in shock. Did he–Did he know who she was? Ghost looked at him closely, seeing his eyes dimming closer and closer to the other side. Her heart sank, realizing that he was speaking to Gwen...not Ghost-Spider. Not the girl who was masked in her vigilante costume. 

He sees Gwen...not Ghost-Spider in front of him. 

"...Gwen?–Who's Gwen?" Ghost's voice broke.

"Don't worry," he painfully whispered, his hand dropping to the ground. The clink of the pearl bouncing off his hand rolled on the ground, bumping into her thighs. "Everything's going to be okay..."

"Don't," Ghost pleaded. "Don't go!"

But he was gone. The light in his eyes was gone, leaving her alone with his corpse. Leaving her alone in this cruel world. Warm tears welled up in her eyes as she picked up the boy's head and hugged him close to her chest. She was unaware of the figure hiding in the shadows until she heard the click of a gun. 

Snapping her head up, her eyes widened as she spotted her own father aiming his gun at her. The same gun she used to shoot cans with at the back of the house. 

Ghost didn't know why she ran. She could have explained the situation to her dad. But looking at the horror in the man's eyes, she knew that she couldn't. So, she ran away. 

Now forever being called a murderer.

-🕷-

Gwen jumped to the window, her eyes softening as she spotted her dad washing the dishes. Her heart painfully hit her ribcage. He was early. Closing her eyes briefly, she opened the window and entered inside, hoping to get to her room and lock it shut without having to talk to him. 

After all, he was now in charge of hunting down Ghost-Spider. Her. 

"Oh!" George noticed her shadow and turned off the faucet, turning to her. "Hey, hey, hey," he called, making her regrettably stop in her tracks. "How's the band?"

"Um," Gwen started, her eyes unwavering at her door. Just two steps and she would be inside. So why was it so far away? "Yeah, great. Yeah, I quit so you know–"

"Wait, are you okay–"

"So thumbs up!" Gwen gave him a thumbs up, not looking at him as she walked to her room, dropping her bag on her messy bed. 

"We caught a break in the Ghost-Spider case," her dad spoke up, walking near her door. 

Gwen's eyes widened in shock. What did he find? Not wanting it to be obvious that she was afraid, instead, she grabbed her bag and started to pull out her notebooks and phone. 

"That's good," Gwen spoke.

"We're close," George's eyes softened on her figure, noticing her just walking around her room and pulling out random stuff to get her mind off the topic. "I'm telling you, I can feel it."

Gwen cleared her throat, "...Me too."

George looked at her forlornly, "It'll be good for us."

"Don't be so sure," Gwen frowned, hanging her jackets in her closet.

"She killed your friend–!"

"You don't know that," Gwen tried. 

George frowned, looking at his daughter in disbelief. She's completely in denial. "What do you mean 'I don't know that'?  I do know that. I was there. She ran from the scene."

"Maybe she didn't have a choice," Gwen bitterly stated but George heard that. 

George looked at her for a moment, noticing the mood and the intensity taking in the four walls. Somehow, her room got darker and darker every day and he wasn't sure what he could do to change it to the way it was. 

"I got a job to do, Gwen" George stated. 

"It won't bring him back!" Gwen snapped. 

George sadly frowned, seeing as Gwen now hurriedly cleaned her room, refusing to look at him. How did everything go wrong so fast? No matter how many times he reassures his daughter that he will bring Ghost-Spider to justice, it only makes her block him out more. He knew how she and Peter bonded when they were kids. They especially bonded with the admiration for the vigilante. 

But Peter is gone. 

And somehow, Gwen is only saying that Ghost-Spider is still a good guy. If only she knew from his perspective that he was doing it for her. 

"I don't want to argue about this," he softly stated. "Okay?"

"...Yeah, I can tell," Gwen folded the discarded shirts from the ground. 

George stood quietly, unsure of what to do next to make his daughter feel better. He was completely unsure of what to do. He couldn't just order her to do something. Of course not. She is all he has and he loves her dearly. Truly. But he feels like he is talking to a wall, and it hurts him too. They're both grieving. 

"...Say, uh...do punk rock to give your old man a hug–?" George flinched, his eyes widening as he didn't anticipate Gwen's speed as she ran towards him and tackled him in a hug. 

His heart raced for a moment. He could feel how strong and desperate she was putting into this hug. He can feel the burden still lingering on her shoulders. He may not be able to take it away from her. But the least he can do is at least be there for her and share that burden with him. Even if it's just a drip from it. 

George hugged her back, tightly. Almost crushing her as he knew they were both together. And everything will be okay. 

 Gwen sighed, cupping her hands to cover her face. She could feel cold sweat slowly falling down her temple. It took her a moment to come back to the situation. Closing her eyes briefly, she slowly opened them once more. Only to blink owlishly as the familiar boy in cat hung upside down in front of her. 

His face was strangely close to hers. She didn't sense him...she didn't hear him either. How is that possible?

The boy's tilted head slowly beamed, looking at her with a soft grin. "Oh, good. You're back. Are you all right? I couldn't help but notice someone just sitting here in the alleyway by themself in the middle of the night," he joked. 

He dropped down, crouching in front of her. He looked at her closely, his eyes narrowing on a small bruise on the corner of her lips. He couldn't stop himself from reaching his claw out and softly ran his thumb over the bruise. 

Gwen frowned, watching as he touched her lip delicately. He looked caring for a moment. She wasn't sure who exactly she was talking to. The same cocky boy who thinks is better than everyone...or a concerned kitten. So she softly turned her head, covering the bruise from earlier and removing his hand from her face. 

When Ladybug tackled her away from the train, Gwen accidentally hit her face on the metal tracks but she'll heal. She always does. She doesn't need anyone's help. She never did. 

So why didn't she flinch away when Chatnoir softly grasped her chin and turned her head to face him? His cat-like green eyes seemed brighter under the moonlight. His head cutely tilted to the side as he softly smiled at her. 

"You're not out here causing trouble are you, Bambi?" Chat teased, making Gwen's eyes widen in shock. 

Bambi?

Chat noticed the confused look in her expression and smirked, leaning close to her face. Gwen moved back slightly but Chat kept a firm grasp on her chin as his lips neared close to hers, releasing his soft warm breath on her skin. 

"I'm not making you nervous, am I?" Chat smirked, leaning back and releasing the girl. Gwen deadpanned....hard. 

Yup. She was talking to the cocky bastard from before. 

She huffed, standing up from the ground. Not bothering to look behind her to look at the boy following her, she walked off to find the familiar bakery. Marinette and her family must be worried and looking for her or something. 

"...So, are you not going to introduce yourself or will I have to refer to you as Bambi?" she heard Chat speak behind her, making her roll her eyes.

"Oh yeah?" Gwen shook her head. "It's common courtesy to introduce yourself before others."

Chat grinned, running forward and now standing in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. She watches as Chat reaches forward, grasps her hand, and raises it to his lips. The gleam in his eyes didn't waver as he bowed slowly and kissed her calloused knuckles. 

"My name is Chatnoir, the hero of Paris. And you are, pretty dame?" Chat looked up from bowing. 

Gwen's eye twitched, unsure if she should punch him, knock him out, and go back to the bakery. "Gwen. Just Gwen."

"Bambi it is," Chat teased, laughing as Gwen snatched her hand back. He watches her go and turn a corner. His eyes softened, seeing the hunched shoulders leaving her form, successfully distracting the girl from her thoughts. 

🕸🕷🕸

Ladybug yelped, tripping on the roof and running faster towards her house. Jumping high in the sky made her nervous but managed to land straight on the rooftop before running once more. She yelped, sighing in relief to find her familiar home, and jumped down on the balcony before entering the hatch. However, as soon as she entered her home and jumped down the ladder, she detransformed and flopped on her chair. 

Marinette's heart raced, hearing her father walking up the stairs to look for her. Just as she was about to open the door, her eyes met Gwen's.

Marinette paled, her jaw dropping as she realized her mistake. Gwen's eyes watched her boredly from her bed beside her mannequin which made Marinette more nervous. She saw her in her costume!

"I–I can explain!" Marinette tried as Tikki immediately hid behind her. 

But Gwen only looked at the door as Tom opened it. "Honey? I can't figure out what's missing from Grandma's soup. Thyme or parsley?"

"Um..." Marinette glanced at Gwen before turning to her father. "Rosemary?"

Tom blinked before grinning, slapping the ground. "Haha! Of course! What would I do without my choux-choux-chef?" he sent her a kiss before leaving the room. 

🕸🕷🕸

Adrien sighed, looking up at the moon from his room. His eyes filled with admiration...and love. He's not sure why. Seeing those blue eyes once more made his heart race. Even though the girl always walks away from him, he can still see how much effect he has on her every time. 

"She's just...incredible," he murmured, his smile softening as he can recall the girl vividly in his mind. "She..."

Adrien deadpanned, hearing a long fart sounding in his room. He tried to ignore it, thinking of the girl but the farting got louder and louder...and stinkier. 

"She...stinks?" he frowned at the smell. Turning around from his couch, he looked behind the furniture, deadpanning to see his cat kwami on the ground.

"Plagg!" Adrien sterned. "You're disgusting."

"Sorry, kid," Plagg opened his eyes, sitting up from the ground. "Love stories," he gulped. "Give me a tummy ache." His eyes widened as his stomach churned. He couldn't resist it as he released gas, flying rapidly over the couch and on Adrien's picture frame, knocking it over. 

Adrien's eyes widened, rushing over to the picture and picking it up. His heart soothed, seeing it not broken but it was a close call. "Careful! You'll wreck everything."

Plagg flew over to the couch and started eating the cheese Adrien left him. "Duh! I'm the Kwami of Destruction!" he burped. "By the way, I found this cheese in the trash. Do you have anything more rotten?" he burped once more. 

"Nice, Plagg," Adrien deadpanned. "I can't even talk to you like a real genie."

Adrien stiffened, hearing a knock on his door. "Adrien," Nathalie knocked. "Is everything all right in there?"

"Uh, yeah, all good, Nathalie!" Adrien calls out, hoping the nice woman would just walk away. But Adrien's eyes widened in disbelief as he turned to his kwami, almost glaring at him for farting once more and stinking up his room. 

"I'll be back later!" he heard Nathalie walk away but Adrien solely focused on the cat in front of him. 

🕸🕷🕸

"It's not a big deal," Gwen deadpanned. She was shocked at first. She never thought that Ladybug, the newbie hero would be her roommate. Not only that, as it turns out. When Gwen left her for a moment, Marinette stumbled into a magical alien that granted her powers. 

Gwen had met many heroes back in New York but this was something she would have to get used to. 

"I mean, I see a lot of heroes back in New York," Gwen rubbed her nape. She wasn't wrong. There are a lot of heroes staying in New York. It's almost like all the heroes just want to live there and can't have the budget to live in New Mexico or something.  

Marinette dampened, flopping on her bed beside Gwen. The poor girl was emotionally and physically exhausted after today. But just as she lay down, Tikki couldn't help but be pumped on the situation. 

It has been years since she had another owner to fight crime. 

"We gotta work on your control!" Tikki flew in the air. "And throw! And cat puns! We just need to be ready to...strike back?" Tikki stopped turning to Marinette who started heaving on the bed. 

Gwen noticed, her eyes narrowing worriedly on the girl. Gwen immediately smacked and threw the pillows on the ground, giving the girl some space. "Hey," Gwen spoke as she gently raised the girl to sit up. With that, Gwen crouched in front of her. "Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Are you kidding me?!" Marinette's eyes widened, snapping her head to the kwami. "We almost died! If it wasn't for Ghost-Spider taking most of the situation, it would have gone worse! People could have been hurt! All because of me!"

"But no one was hurt thanks to you," Tikki tried. 

🕸🕷🕸

"Between us," Adrien grinned, remembering Ghost-Spider's ability to be a hero. Although he likes Gwen, little by little, he can't help but admire the fully-clothed hero. "She really saved my butt out there. Risking her life for me, she was so brave."

🕸🕷🕸

Marinette flopped on her chair, slowly hyperventilating. But Gwen rushed in and grabbed one of Marinette's bags, placing it on the girl's lips. "Breathe, breathe. Hey, it wasn't easy," Gwen spoke, nodding to the window and outside. 

"I saw out there and on the news how you were able to fight that villain and save your comrades. You were brave. It isn't easy, I can tell. Take a moment and breathe with me, all right? Everything is going to be okay," Gwen lightly lied.

Gwen really didn't expect to actually be comforting her "partner in crime" like this. She's not a mentor!

"These are classic signs of PTFAFS!" Tikki flew and landed on Gwen's shoulder. "It'll pass."

Gwen frowned, looking at the kwami on her shoulder. "What the hell is that?"

"Post-Traumatic First Akuma Fight Shock," Tikki informed, making Gwen deadpan. "That's a thing?" Gwen shook her head and turned to Marinette. "Hey, it's not a big deal. It's the adrenaline. It will wear off and you'll be good."

🕸🕷🕸

"She's probably been doing this for a long time. You can tell she knows her stuff," Adrien grinned. "And Ladybug too. We made such an awesome team."

🕸🕷🕸

"Inhale," Gwen instructed, taking a deep breath with Marinette who only watched as she did it too. "And out," Gwen sighed as Marinette repeated with her. 

Marinette frowned, looking at the kwami frustratingly. "You left me all alone!" She stood up, walking to the middle of the room while Tikki shuddered and thanked Gwen silently for the spare macaron. 

"You were not alone!" Tikki exclaimed. "The other guardian and Ghost-Spider were there to help you!"

🕸🕷🕸

Adrien cockily grinned, stepping a foot on his table as he looked at Plagg. "I mean when I said 'The name's Chatnoir,' Gwen was like, 'Whoa, he's cool.' Her face told everything."

🕸🕷🕸

"Puss in Boots?" Marinette looked at Tikki in disbelief. "No way! That guy is ridiculous. I mean, maybe Ghost-Spider is decent and knows her stuff but Chatnoir? That crazy guy who almost got us killed! Yeah, no way."

Gwen silently agreed to the girl's words, taking a bite of her macaron and handing another to Tikki. 

🕸🕷🕸

Adrien adjusted his collar, looking at himself in the mirror as he snapped his finger and pointed at himself. "I think she digs my style."

🕸🕷🕸

"He's got a bell on his suit!" Marinette exclaimed in disbelief. 

🕸🕷🕸

"There must be something you can do to help things work out between us," Adrient turned to Plagg. Plagg only looked at the boy unimpressed. What was the point of love again? He still can't seem to understand it. 

Plagg sighed, turning to the boy. "Fine! I'll give you one rule. Two halves are stronger together. Learn from Ghosty and you can protect Gwen or whatever. I'm sure she will like that."

"You really think so?" Adrien blinked, looking down at his ring. "So. I have to work with Ladybug to defeat Hawkmoth. I don't think she likes me much...or Ghost-Spider. But I'll do whatever I can to protect everyone I love...including Gwen."

🕸🕷🕸

"Besides," Tikki grinned, flying over to Marinette. "Once you save the world, you'll never have to see him again."

Gwen stopped picking up the pillows from the ground, frowning at the kwami's words. If only things were that simple. There's crime in every single corner. If there's no crime after this Hawkmoth guy, she hopes that Marinette and Chanoir live their long lives. 

But Gwen? 

She's not sure how things will go. But one thing's for sure, she still has to do whatever she can for her dad. She will have to move back to New York and fight crime once more. Because that is her badge and she can't get rid of it. 

"I'm never doing that again!" Marinette frowned at the kwami. "One utter failure is enough. Mic drop. Marinette out!" She reached for her earrings but Tikki stopped her. 

"Pretty please!" Tikki tried, her eyes shining pleadingly. With any kind of person, people would relent to those starlight eyes and cute face. Hell, Gwen would have relented too. 

But Marinette was cruel. 

"Bye!" Marinette grinned, removing the earrings from her ears, making Tikki disappear but not before cursing Marinette out too. 

"You dic–!"

Marinette shoved the earrings back into the box before walking towards her window. Opening it, she threw the box out and turned away. Perhaps it was better this way. After all, Marinette is still young and inexperienced. She doesn't have to continue being a hero.

So why does this lingering feeling in her chest make Gwen stand up, and web the jewel back in her hands? Removing the webbing, Gwen tossed it to the back of Marinette's head, making the girl gasp. 

Marinette looked at it in shock, believing Tikki flew back to her but she grabbed the jewel, threw it out of the window once more, and closed it shut. Gwen sighed, knowing that she at least tried. But Gwen was immediately surprised to see the box flying back to the room through the other window, hitting Marinette's head this time. 

Marinette pettily chuckled at it, looking at it with disdain. "You wanna play this game? Hahaha! Fine! Two can play this game."

Gwen only watched as Marinette brought out her treasure chest and shoved the box inside before toppling books and other objects on top, locking the jewel inside. Marinette seemed proud, dragging Gwen to sit next to her to make sure the box was securely closed inside the chest. 

"Bye-bye, you strange little fairy!" Marinette chuckled. "Find someone else's life to ruin!"

Gwen hummed, "I'm starting to think that the kwami will find a way to drill through the box."

"Hey," Marinette snapped her head to Gwen. "Whose side are you on?"

Gwen raised her hands defensively. "Just stating a fact."

And she was right...in some things. Tikki poofed in the air, attaching the earrings back to Marinette's ears. Marinette yelped, reaching her hands instinctively to her ears and feeling the jewels there. 

"You are the chosen one," Tikki sighed. "Your challenges are adapted to your potential. Don't you understand?"

Marinette lightly groaned, tapping Tikki's small chest. "No, you don't understand! I'm afraid! I...I'm afraid." 

Gwen's eyes softened on the girl. Gwen didn't realize exactly what Marinette must have been thinking or feeling. Marinette is still a child. She shouldn't be doing something she didn't want. If Gwen has to be the one to step in to protect others, she would do it in a heartbeat. 

That's what heroes do after all. 

"Please..." Marinette stepped down off the chest, turning to Tikki. "Leave me alone. With that, she slowly removed the earrings and placed them gently on her table, making Tikki disappear. 

Gwen sat on Marinette's bed, watching as the girl lay down beside her and lay her head beside her lap. Marinette's breath quivered as tears pooled in her eyes. Gwen's eyes softened, reaching a hand out and awkwardly patting the girl's head. 

"...Does it make me weak?" Marinette whispered.

"What?" Gwen glanced down at the girl. 

"Giving up," Marinette looked up at her. 

Gwen stopped, humming in thought and recall every single fight she has gone through. After Peter, she desperately wanted to give up. But that's not how the world works for her. 

Gwen is Ghost-Spider. She has spider DNA in her veins. It would feel wrong to just give up. Peter wouldn't want that, she realizes now. 

She just...never knew when to give up. But there are moments when people can't go through so much. And it's all right. She wouldn't blame them. 

Gwen shook her head, looking down at the exhausted girl. "Sometimes, to do what's right, we have to give up things we want most," Gwen's eyes dimmed. "Even our dreams. So no one can win every battle, but no man should fall without a struggle." Gwen softly smiled at the girl. 

"After all, with great power comes great responsibility," Gwen ran her hands on the girl's hair, watching as the girl slowly slept from her hands. "If you can't handle it, it's best to let others take the punch for you. There's nothing wrong with that. After all...that's what heroes do."

Gwen slowly exited Marinette's bed, walked over to the ladder, and climbed to bed. She just hoped the next day wouldn't be so bad like today. 

🕸🕷🕸

A bright sunny day the next was. Also filled with newspapers and conspiracies going around every corner. Gwen was pissed. Not at the media–well, okay, she's a little pissed at the media for not minding their own business but she's also pissed at herself for getting herself in the newspaper. 

However, she started noticing that not everyone recognized her. She's not sure if it's because of her luck or because Europe already got tired of American shit. She wouldn't be surprised. 

"Paris Gazette!" a man exclaimed, waving a newspaper in the air. "Special edition! Gargoyle attack! Who are these three masked figures? Friends or Foes?"

Alya bounced in her step between Marinette and Gwen. The girl couldn't stop talking the moment they stepped out of school. Gwen only stayed quiet, hearing the girl while also taking in her surroundings. It's still odd that no one knows who Ghost-Spider is. 

...Even though she's technically a criminal, at least she was in the media for so long. 

"If only you'd been there to see it!" Alya grinned. 

Marinette grimaced, "I think I got the gist."

Alya stopped in her tracks, "Can you believe it? A butt-kicking girl superhero and there are two! I took their first picture!" Alya went through her pockets and pulled out her phone, heading straight to the photo section to show the girls. 

Gwen stopped with Marinette, curious as to what kind the girl got. Only to deadpan at the girl's words. "Couple goals, don't you think?" Alya turned to the girls, showing a picture of Chat and Ghost-Spider. 

Gwen's eye twitched, "Huh?"

Marinette couldn't help but feel the same. Ghost-Spider practically hates the guy. "You're nuts!" she chuckled. 

"Why?" Alya chuckled, "What's up?"

Marinette turned to Alya's phone and started swiping to show that they weren't technically a couple. "That's not her boyfriend."

"How do you know?" Alya turned to the girls. 

Gwen scooted herself closer to the phone and also started swiping on them, "It's obvious. Look at the pictures." She later sweatdropped, noticing how every single scene, Chatnoir and her were practically hugging each other. "Speaking of taking everything out of context," she muttered, frowning at each one. 

Alya moved her phone away and stuffed it back in her pocket, "I'll ask when I see them again."

Marinette frowned in concern. Alya is her first friend along with Gwen. She can't imagine seeing the girl running around to find the heroes and put herself in danger. She didn't like it. Not at all. 

"It could be dangerous, Alya," Marinette sadly looked at her. 

But Alya grinned, seeing her point of view. "If you want to be a reporter, you have to get close to the action. Now come on," she lightly slapped their shoulders and rushed off to the Fair.

🕸🕷🕸

Adrien, Nino, and Luka walked around at the Fair. Nino thought it would be a cool idea to head there and have fun after school. As it turns out, Luka and Nino were somewhat close friends before Adrien came to the school. But Luka usually closes himself off to the music room and plays with the instruments in his spare time. 

Adrien couldn't help but be upset today. He wasn't able to see Gwen around the school. It's almost like she was anywhere but him around. Nino even said that she was everywhere Marinette was. 

He hasn't met the girl but he's heard that she brings constant chaos around the school and he wouldn't miss seeing her in the halls. So how did he miss her in school?

"Have you ever..." Adrien started, glancing at the boys. "...fallen in love?"

Luka grimaced, glancing at Nino who proudly grinned and turned to the boy. "Are you kidding me?" Nino smirked raising his hands to make a heart shape. "They don't call me Dr. Love for nothing, huh, Luka?"

Luka only smiled, "They don't call you that."

Nino's jaw dropped in disbelief and turned to Adrien with the same grin. "Of course they do. I'm an expert. Step into my office. I know all the tricks in the books, my friend."

Luka only rolled his eyes briefly before following the guys. Nino turned to the boys, "Rule number one, you gotta be somebody else, mysterious...like you're wearing a mask."

"Helpful, not at all being yourself," Luka sarcastically stated but Nino only deadpanned at him. 

"Make her laugh!" Nino added. "They love that. Don't forget to bring roses. That shows confidence. And last but not least, the golden rule, always stay cool."

"Hey, Nino!" 

Nino stiffened, his eyes widening as he recognized that angelic voice anywhere. Luka couldn't help but chuckle, knowing what was going to happen, and turned around, seeing Alya, and two girls he recognized. One of them in particular bumped into him last night and the other, he wasn't able to talk to her much. 

Adrien turned around, his eyes widening to see Gwen behind the two girls. His face flushed as his heart raced to see her again. Her short blonde hair with blue tips almost seemed like blue flames. And her eyes, dimmed yet so bright...so captivating to look into. 

"Uh, hey! 'Sup, Alya? I..." Nino awkwardly stepped forward. 

Alya and the girls waited for him to finish talking, seeing the poor boy refusing to look into Alya's eyes. Gwen smirked, looking away from the boy but deadpan to see the blonde boy again. She blinked, noticing he was already staring at her with a smile. 

Her eye twitched, looking away and turning to the third boy. He was tall and cute. She also couldn't help but notice the boy staring at Marinette and smiled softly at them. Aww...love. Gross.

"You look, uh..." Nino tried but instead turned to the girls. "Marinette, right? And Gwen. We met!" he nervously grinned. 

Gwen nodded in greeting while Marinette shyly waved. 

"These are my friends, Adrien and Luka," Nino introduced.

Gwen hummed, "Nice to meet you," She turned to Luka as she shook his hand. Adrien pouted, noticing her ignoring him.

"Nice to meet you too," Luka smiled, turning to Marinette next. "We've already met."

Marinette blinked, she did? Looking at the boy closely, she internally cursed as she bumped into him...literally last night. "Sorry about yesterday," she apologized but Luka only smiled softly at the girl. "It's all right."

Adrien then turned to Gwen, "Gwen, right?" he grinned, making Gwen's eye twitch. "Was the book interesting? I hope it wasn't much trouble the last time I saw you."

Gwen's gonna kill him. 

"I burned it," Gwen deadpanned, making Adrien blink. 

Nino blinked too, looking between his friends and the girls. "You know each other already?"

"Yes."

"No."

Nino looked between Gwen and Adrien and connected the dots, making him grin and realize what Adrien was talking about earlier. Gwen seems intimidating but if Adrien likes her, who's he to judge?

"Oh, I see!" Nino grinned, patting Adrien's shoulder. "You two have a little secret."

Adrien's and Gwen's eyes widen at his words. Gwen realized what he was talking about based on the look in his eyes. "It's not what you think."

"Yeah, no," Adrien played it off. 

Alya chuckled, "That got awkward fast. Hey! Who wants to go on the roller coaster? Nino, you in?" she lightly slapped his chest, making him stiffen once more from her attention. 

"Me?" he blinked. "With you? Uh...I, uh...Absolutely. Let's do it."

Luka turned to Marinette, smiling at her softly and giving her a hand. "Would you also like to go?"

Marinette's eyes widened, not expecting to get attention from a boy. Glancing at Gwen, the girl just smiled at her and lightly nodded for her to go. It wouldn't hurt to have some fun once in a while. After all, Marinette had been stressed since last night and Gwen wanted her to relax. 

Marinette looked back at Luka, blushing lightly at his complexion. She won't deny it. He is really cute. She shyly smiled and grasped his hand, leaving Gwen and Adrien to their own. 

Once the girl was gone, Gwen immediately started turning back to walk home. Adrien noticed and his eyes widened, rushing forward to stand in front of her. "Hey, wait. Wouldn't you also want to stay? It could be fun," he shrugged. 

But Gwen shook her head, "Staying in a place where it's rigged and courts filled with games for males to impress females is stupid. I'm broke anyway, so I'm going home."

Adrien sweatdropped at the girl's bluntness. He hummed, looking back at the Fair. Now that he thinks about it, it's too crowded for his taste. And Gwen seemed to be the kind of person to be anywhere else but here. He nervously smiled, rubbing his nape. 

"I was going to tell you the other day that I read that book you picked," he stated, making Gwen blink. Adrien continued. "I realized that that book actually came from a public library and not from the school. I must have left it there by accident. But I'm glad to see that there's someone out there who likes to read for fun."

Gwen couldn't help but chuckle, realizing her stupid mistake. Of course, the school wouldn't be stupid to leave an 18+ book in their library. Gwen must have been too distracted with it. She stopped, turning to Adrien with a smirk. 

"Oh~" she leaned forward, leaning close to his face. His face burned, stiffening up as Gwen smirked at him. "So you're into that kind of stuff. What else do you read, blondie?"

Adrien couldn't help but smirk back, leaning close to hers too. He hated himself at that moment, seeing that she wasn't affected by it. "Maybe I am. There's nothing wrong with that. Now is it, Bam–Gwendy."

Gwen did something that she hadn't done in a long time. She genuinely laughed, leaning back as she held her stomach. 

Adrien's eyes widened in awe, blushing lightly as he heard her god-awful cackles. They somehow sound angelic to his ears. 

Tears welled up in the corner of her eyes as she laughed and sighed, wiping the stray tear away. Shaking her head in pure disbelief, she looked at him closely. She never thought a "perfect" boy like him would have a hidden room in his brain for dirty books. 

"Yeah, I'm sorry for basically dragging you off your seat yesterday," Gwen smiled, making Adrien smile too. 

"You're really strong," he grinned. His smile slowly dropped, hearing his phone ring. He wanted to keep talking to her. He apologetically smiled, taking his phone out and pointing at it. "I need to take this call. Don't go anywhere."

He turned away while Gwen stood awkwardly, looking at the colorful balloons beside her. However, looking at it closely, she blinked as she noticed Tom was wearing a pink afro wig and was hiding behind the balloons. 

"...Should I be surprised?" Gwen muttered, sweatdropping at the man. Tom blinked, nervously smiling before running away to find Marinette. 

She shrugged, looking around to distract herself when Adrien came back with a sad smile. "I really have to get home," he hesitated, smiling apologetically at her. Not wanting to stay any longer, Adrien turned and walked away in a hurry. 

Gwen sighed, shaking her head. With that, she turned and walked away, heading towards the exit when she suddenly sees a woman in magician's clothing with sharp fushia hair standing in the middle of the fair. 

She goes to ignore the pretty lady but just as she passed the woman, her senses flared, making her jump away from the toy fishes coming at her from the water. Looking back, her eyes widened to see a man standing in her place and screaming as the toy fishes bit him. 

"What the hell?" she frowned, turning back to the magician and blinking as she used her wand to bring the Fair's toys back to life to torment the people. Gritting her teeth, she ran to change costumes. 

🕸🕷🕸

Marinette smiled, seeing Luka buying popcorn for them. They figured getting on a ride after getting something to eat first. Glancing to the side, she lightly frowned to see Adrien walking away from Gwen, leaving the girl to walk away. 

Did something happen?

"Is everything all right?" she heard Luka beside her, making her turn to him. 

She softly smiled, "Yeah, it's just...my friend. She's leaving early."

Luka hummed, turning to look for the familiar blonde with blue tips, seeing the girl getting near the exit and turned to the girl beside him. He can see the concern filling her blue-bell eyes. "Are you going to follow her?"

But Marinette shook her head, smiling up at him. "It's fine."

Luka smiled, holding the popcorn for her. "...Something seems to be in your mind," he spoke, making Marinette flinch and turn to him. But he only ate a popcorn. "You don't have to talk about it. It's all right. I just want to let you know that you have friends there for you...me included."

Marinette chuckled, nervously rubbing her nape. "Am I that obvious?"

But Luka shook his head, "I can hear it. The tune in your heart." Marinette frowned, unsure of what he means by those words. Luka noticed and softly hummed lowly, giving a slow and sad melody. Marinette's eyes widened, watching him in awe at the soft tune. She slowly reached a hand to her chest to feel her heart. 

She couldn't help but be amazed as his melody followed along with her heartbeat. She looked up at him, blushing lightly to see him already staring at her softly. 

Luka chuckled, grabbing a piece of popcorn and tossing it at Marinette's face. She blinked, yelping at the small attack and laughed, grabbing one for herself and tossing it back at him. He took the hit gladly as he guided them towards a place to sit. 

However, as they sat. A sudden explosion took place at the popcorn stall, blowing them both back. Marinette yelped, flying back but Luka was quick to throw away the popcorn and grab Marinette before they fall to the hard ground. 

Luka groaned lightly, falling on his back as he shielded Marinette. Sharp ringing filled their ears as people around the fair couldn't be heard other than their stomping feet on the ground. 

Luka coughed, looking down at the girl in concern. He looked up, his eyes widening in horror to see a Mime aiming what seems to be a gun with his fingers at them. Luka immediately, pulled Marinette to him and shielded her for the incoming attack. 

Marinette's eyes widened in horror, her heart dropping to witness everything going wrong. But relief hit her the moment she saw as Ghost-Spider jumped in front of them and took the bullet. Marinette watches as the bullet bounced off of her suit, hitting the Mime's shoulder. 

The man grunts, falling to the ground. Ghost-Spider immediately turned to them, rushing over to pull them to their feet. "Go!" she shouted, making her voice deeper for them to not recognize her. 

Luka gladly obliged, turning to Marinette and grabbing her wrist before pulling her to the exit. Marinette couldn't help but look back, feeling the guilt take her chest as she watches Ghost-Spider turning back to the villains to fight back. 

Why can't Marinette be like that? Is she a coward? She did the right thing, right? Giving up and go for something that would give her a future. Looking back at Luka, she can see how tensed his shoulders were as they kept running. His eyes looking around desperately, almost as if he was expecting Ladybug and Chatnoir to also come too to save them. 

"Don't worry," he looked back. "They will come. I'll protect you."

Marinette's eyes watered, feeling immense guilt. If she didn't turn back, Luka and everyone around her would be in danger. She can't leave Ghost-Spider by herself. Would she really give up her future for fighting crime?

"Sometimes, to do what's right, we have to give up things we want most, even our dreams. So no one can win every battle, but no man should fall without a struggle." Gwen softly smiled at the girl.

"After all, with great power comes great responsibility,"

Marinette shut her eyes, clenching her fists. She can't let that happen. She won't fail everyone around her. She will fight back and protect the people she loves. 

Snatching her wrist from Luka's grip, she immediately ran away. Luka's eyes widened in worry, looking back to find her but frowned to see her nowhere to be found. 

🕸🕷🕸

Ladybug arrived at the scene, looking at the mess the Magician and the Mime did at the Fair. She frowned, gasping as she sees a few balloon animals crowding a crying baby on the ground. 

Gripping her yo-yo, she immediately threw it at them, defending the baby. "Keep your dirty paws off him!" she shouted, successfully popping the balloons and rush over to carry the baby off the ground. 

She held the baby to her chest, looking around to find the mother and grew worried to see no one around. "Don't worry, I got you! You're okay."

The baby wailed loudly, breaking her heart as she kept looking around. She grew later confused as she started to hear, not wailing, but loud cackles from the baby. Looking down at it, her eyes widened to see a balloon instead of a baby with a cackling drawn face. 

She yelped, throwing the fake baby on the ground. Her eyes widened in shock as a small bolt hit the balloon, rapidly inflating it to grow taller and larger than the buildings around. 

"What?" Ladybug gasped, taking a step back. The monster cackled, glaring down at her. The magician flew over beside the monster with a disk underneath her feet, cackling at Ladybug's misfortune. 

"Surrender your miraculous now!" Magician smirked down at the hero. 

Ladybug glared at her, gritting her teeth. "Oh, yeah? Or what?"

But The Magician only smirked, "I'll squish you like a bug." With that, the monster took a step, hovering its foot over Ladybug and stepping down. Ladybug's eyes widened, raising her hands to shield herself but yelped as she was tackled to the side. 

Rolling on the ground, she looked up to see Ghost-Spider hovering over her. 

"Miss me!" she turned to the side, her eyes widening to see Chatnoir extending his staff and smack the monster away to give them distance. 

Ladybug rolled her eyes, taking Ghost's hand and standing up from the ground. "Not you again," she turned to Chatnoir. 

Chatnoir grinned at the girls, "I'm a dream come true."

Ghost chuckled, turning to the situation. She frowned, seeing the Magician walking towards them with her arms extended on the sides, pulling out sharp cards in her hands. "Time to make you disappear!"

Ghost's senses flared, making her turn around to where Chat stood and spotted the Mime standing on the other side, miming a gun at them. They were surrounded. 

Chat smirked, "Let me guess. Silent...but deadly?"

Ghost started thinking up of a plan, however, her eyes widened as Ladybug and Chatnoir already had one. The Magician threw the sharp cards at them but Chatnoir grabbed Ladybug and threw her in the air to deflect them with her yo-yo. 

The Mime shot his gun at them but Chatnoir stepped up and caught the bullet in his hand, destroying it with his cataclysm. Ghost's eyes widened, feeling proud to see them working together. 

Ladybug gasped, turning to Chatnoir. "Did you just...?"

Chat looked back down at his hand, watching in awe as the bullet disintegrated in his palm. "Whoa! Our powers!" he turned to her. 

"Stronger," they spoke simultaneously as they fist bumped. 

They all stood in their poses, ready to fight but grew confused to see the villains gone. They frowned, looking around until they heard a cackle in the air, spotting the Magician smirking down at them on top of the roller coaster. 

"Your last ride's gonna be a blast!" Magician aimed her wand at the roller coaster, causing the cart hanging upside down to fly off the rails and ride in the sky. She turned to the monster, pointing at the Ferris Wheel. "Bounce these fools!"

The monster cackled, stepping closer to the Ferris Wheel and bounce the people off and towards the city. 

The three heroes' eyes widened, looking at the situation. A plan filled Ghost's mind, making her turn to the others. "Ladybug, you handle the roller coaster. Chat, you deal with the Ferris Wheel."

Ladybug frowned, "What about you?"

"I'm going to handle balloon guy," Ghost exclaimed as she started swinging towards the monster. Ladybug and Chat nodded at each other and started running to the chaos. 

Chat extended his staff, giving Ladybug a chance to stand on it and fly away when Chat released it. Ghost turned back to the fight, narrowing her eyes at the balloon man. 

Looking down at her wrists, she started loading her blasters, groaning as she knew it was going to take a while to get it ready. In the meantime, she started swinging through the city, and look for a place to trap it. 

Looking around, her eyes narrowed on the Louvre. She smirked behind her mask, landing on top of a building as she waved her arms, luring the balloon towards her. 

Meanwhile, Chat ran through the streets, jumping high to catch up with the Ferris Wheel. "Wait! Wrong way!" he shouted but awed at the beeping of his ring. "Oooh, shiny!"

He felt a hand grasp his, making him look up. He grinned to see Ghost grabbing his hand and swinging him hard towards the Ferris Wheel. He screamed at her strength, slamming face onto one of the carts. He winced, hearing Chloé's and Sabrina's scream from the inside. 

"Talk about a helping hand," he groaned. "Don't be scared!" he shouted but the girls shrieked. He grunts, feeling something wrap around his foot and tugged. 

He frowned, glaring down to find the Mime riding one of the carousel horses and pulling what seems to be an invisible lasso. "You're pulling my leg, right?" he asked incredulously and yelped as he was tugged harder, making him hold onto the cart tighter. 

Chat's eyes widened, feeling his fingers suddenly pulled off the cart. Looking up, he looked at Chloé in disbelief as she started pulling his fingers off the Ferris Wheel. 

"Wait! No!" he tried. 

"Get away!" she shouted, pulling his hand off. 

"I'm the good guy!" he held tighter on the cart but felt a harder pull on his leg. He frustratingly turned back to the lasso and kicked it away. "Cut it out!"

The Mime grunts as his lasso smacked his face, causing him to fall off his horse. Chat held onto the cart and jumped high to get on top. Looking back, his eyes widened to see the monster following after Ghost, destroying everything in the process. 

Chat watches Ghost started webbing people in the street away from the balloon. He stopped, smirking as the Mime found himself standing in front of him.

"Oh, hey!" he grinned. "Long time no speak!"

🕸🕷🕸

Ghost's eyes widened, catapulting herself with her webbing as the monster smacked the side of the Ferris Wheel, causing it to twirl heavily. She grunts, managing to catch Chloé from falling and web Sabrina to the cart. 

Looking at the ground, Ghost grunts as she released a large web trampoline near the ground and tossed Chloé to it, causing her to land safely on it. Chloé huffed, seeing the web getting stuck on her sweater. "Do you know who I am?!" she shouted. 

Meanwhile, The Magician cackles as she made the roller coaster fly high in the air and rapidly throw down towards the monster. But Ladybug was quick to land in front of the roller coaster and wrap her yo-yo to a lamp post, pulling herself and the passengers away from the monster, landing on the ground. 

She could hear Alya and Nino cheer behind her but focused on the job. She has to help the others. 

🕸🕷🕸

Chat dodged one of the Mime's punches, throwing one of his own. His eyes widened as the Mime was faster, catching his fist and gripping it hard. Chat winced at the pain, making him kneel on top of the cart but his eyes glared at the man, gripping his staff and smacking heavily at the man. The Mime grunts, flying harshly away. 

Ladybug, swung herself from the Ferris Wheel and towards the Magician, clenching her fist tightly as she successfully punched the villain in the jaw. The woman yelped, screaming as she was flung away from her flying disk. 

Ghost smirked devilishly, successfully loaded her blasters and catapulted herself with her webs towards the monster's abdomen. Flinging a fist back, she screamed as her fist made contact at the balloon's large belly. The monster groaned as Ghost dug herself into the balloon, popping it with an explosion. 

Its remains flew around in the air, accidentally flying towards the Magician and the Mime, wrapping its rubbery body around them. They both screamed, trapped from the tight rubber and landing harshly in the ground in front of the Louvre.

Ladybug, Chat, and Ghost narrowed their eyes at the Ferris Wheel that was rolling towards the Louvre. The three didn't turn to each other. Instead, they ran forward and used their powers and strength to pull the machine back. Only one thing kept filling their minds. 

Stronger together. 

Ladybug stood on top of a building and wrapped her yo-yo around one side of the Wheel while Ghost landed on another building webbed the other side. Chat jumped high in the air and landed at the front center of the wheel, extending his staff between two distanced buildings to stop the Wheel before it makes contact at the museum. 

The three gritted their teeth, pulling harder on the wheel as sweat started drop down on their temples. With a final scream, they successfully managed to stop the wheel. Ladybug panted, releasing her yo-yo from the wheel and jumped down to meet the others. 

Ghost sighed, jumping down too and kneeling on the ground. She couldn't help but chuckle. Two villains...and it seemed that no one got hurt. Ladybug and Chatnoir did it. They really did it. 

Ghost stopped, looking up to see Ladybug and Chatnoir extending a hand out to her with proud grins on their faces. She chuckled, shaking her head as she accepted their help. "You guys did it," she grinned, turning to the struggling villains on the ground not far from them. 

The three frowned, seeing two dark butterflies flew out of their bodies and towards a mob of butterflies, shaped like a face. 

"Next time," the face glared down at them. "There will be no mercy! You will fear me. I swear it!"

Chat turned to Ladybug, "You know what you gotta do, right?"

Ladybug looked down at her yo-yo, some understanding expressed in her eyes. "I think so." Dragging her finger on the cover of her yo-yo, it split apart, revealing a bright pink light from within. 

Swinging her yo-yo around, she threw it at the two butterflies, capturing them. "Gotcha!" Looking back down at her closed yo-yo, she released the purified white butterflies in the air. "Bye bye, little butterflies."

Ghost smiled softly at them, realizing that they made it on their own. They could be great heroes. Looking around, she saw as the people and the media started rushing towards them. Seeing as she needed to leave, she turned away from Chat and Ladybug and swung away from the scene. 

Chat frowned, watching her go. Why did she leave? She is much of a hero as they are. He stopped as he hears the crowd running towards them. 

"La Bande aux Chapeaux! You've just caught the most wanted thieves in Paris," an officer pointed at them in disbelief. 

"And saved our lives," Alya grinned, recording the heroes with her phone. "You two are heroes! Ladybug, and..." she frowned, unsure of the boy was called. "You are?"

Chat chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm just the sidekick."

Ladybug shook her head, raising her fist. "We're partners."

Chat smiled back, looking back to where Ghost-Spider swung away and turned to Ladybug, rasing a fist and pumping it to hers. 

"Pound it."

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ Next Episode: Recognition L&C Pt.6 ♥

A/N: Merry Christmas! 🎄 Take care and save some tamales for everyone! Got it?? Bye!

Published: December 24, 2023

Word Count: 9856