When May returned home, she wasn't very surprised to find the two teenagers passed out cold still on the couch. If there was one thing in common that the two had, it was being fashionably late due to sleeping in. Only she knew that yesterday had been a more emotionally stressful for the both of them. 

What these two had between them was rare, and May knew that. Especially for their age and to be this connected, it reminded her of Ben. She couldn't help the smile that made it's way onto her lips seeing how Peter curled against Marinette protectively. Chuckling to herself, she took her phone out and snapped a few photos of the two. 

It took about another hour  for Peter to eventually stir from his sleep, softly groaning as he went to stretch his body of the oncoming aches of sleeping so still. Then he felt a weight weighing him down and frozen, momentarily forgetting he had fallen asleep watching to movie soon after Marinette. He glanced down, a smile adoration pulling at his sleeps seeing Marinette snuggled up against him with drool coming from the side of mouth. She was cute, and that was all he could really process in the moment. 

He took note of how relaxed she looked here. How the wrinkle she usually had in her forehead from stress was no longer there. She looked peaceful, and he couldn't help but run his thumb along her cheek. As much as he knew about her, he also knew Marinette hadn't let him in fully. She still wouldn't talk about Paris, and sometimes the topic was enough to upset her. Peter just wished he could help, in anyway.

A flash disrupted his thoughts, brown eyes snapping up to find May standing there with her phone out and grinning an all knowing grin. Remembering the exact position he was in, he flushed but refused to actually move. That would cause pushing Marinette to the floor and waking her up. He knew she barely slept with how she got into her creative mode. 

"You better marry her." Was the exact thing May mouthed to him, pointing at Marinette and then giving him a look as if to say he better do as she said. 

"Can I ask her out first?" Peter mouthed back, eyebrows knitted together to say leave me be, I'm going at my own pace.

"No." May shook her head.

A soft whine drew both Peter's and May's attention down to the Parisan girl that was burying her head further into the crook of Peter's neck. May had to withhold a laugh seeing Peter flush again, because sure she knew he was clumsy but embarrassed was still new. He also looked awkward, and she was sure it was because she was in the room which made it all the better and amusing.

"Five more minutes." Marinette murmured, stretch her own body and not realizing she was still pressed up against Peter. 

This is what caused May to break and laugh out loud at Peter and how red he got. It was enough to make him consider jumping ship and pushing Marinette to the floor. He didn't of course, but the thought seemed tempting. 

Marinette's senses slowly came back to life after a deep sleep she hadn't had in a while. It felt nice sleeping so good since it was a rare type of sleep she hardly ever got anymore. Opening her eyes cued her more on what was going on. First she noticed skin that was not her own. Second, she felt another body pressed against her. Third, she heard laughing and looked over to see May. Horror settled in as Marinette looked back and up into the eyes of Peter Parker. 

Yelping, she stood quick. A little too quick since her knee hit Peter down south, causing him to groan in pain and curl up on himself. May was laughing harder at the scene that just got more and more chaotic. It was a great start to her morning coming home from work. 

"I'm sorry!" Marinette quickly apologized to Peter, over and over again realizing she kneed him in the groin. "Oh my god I am so sorry Peter!"

"It's fine." Peter coughed, "I'm fine."

"You sure over there?" May asked with amusement, "Peter tingle isn't broken?"

"May!" Peter groaned while Marinette said it with surprise and horror. 

"Oh my god." Peter muttered, wondering who the hell he pissed off for his aunt to be like this. 

"Will ice help?" Marinette squeaked, trying to offer some sort of help.

"No." Peter slowly sat up, shaking his head. "I'm fine."

"On that note kiddos, I'm gonna sleep a little bit." May says, still laughing on her way out of the living room. 

An awkward silence engulfed the two. Somewhere in the closet Marinette knew Tikki was laughing away and getting ready to tease her when the chance came about. Oh all the teasing Tikki could do with new events that happened. This was the second time in the past twenty four hours, but she didn't want to dwell on the why. She was too scared to think of it. 

"Are you hungry?" Marinette asks in a rush, "How about breakfast? Breakfast sounds good. I'm going to go make some."

She made her way to the kitchen, completely missing Peter trying to reach out to grab her hand. He watched her scurry away into the kitchen, heard her going through the cabinets for pans and sighed. Why was it so hard to admit his feelings? Maybe these were just signs to keep things the way they were for now, that it wasn't the time yet. Hell, she just ran away.

Grabbing the tv remote he flipped the channels after turning it on and let the news play. He couldn't be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man if he didn't know what was going on in the city. Running a hand through his hair he stood up and tossed the remote to the side, getting up to follow after Marinette in the kitchen to help her out.

"On today's breaking news and number one topic, Paris's Ladybug and Chat Noir.  The duo suddenly started trending in the middle of the night out of the blue. Just who are these mysterious heroes of Paris? How did they fly under the government's raider? Should we be concerned for more magic users? How did they manage to stay away from the Sokvia Accords?"

It caught his attention quick, mainly because Marinette mentioned none of this to him before. A loud crash came from inside the kitchen then, this time Peter rushed in. He found Marinette scrambling to pick up the broken pieces of the glass bowl she was whipping eggs in. Right then and there he could tell something was different with Marinette. No longer was she embarrassed, she was on edge.

"I'm so clumsy." She was muttering to herself, "So so clumsy, always making a mess of things somehow." He felt she wasn't just taking about the mess on the floor. He couldn't help but glance back towards the living room where the news woman was still talking. 

 "Aliens, gods, super soldiers and heroes all exist. Who's to say magic doesn't? It seems as if Paris has been under hostage of an emotional terrorist with teenaged heroes keeping him at bay. Is it safe to assume that the government will step in or even the Avengers? What exactly is Paris's government doing to help the situation? Who are these other heroes that come and go?"

Marinette's thoughts had gone straight to Chat Noir and Honey Bee. She exposed Chloe to this world. Not only Chloe, but Luka, Kagami, Nino, and Alya. The world would see them, they would ask about them. She painted a target on all their back, at least her own, Chat's and Chloe's. People would poke and prod for answers, try to find their identities. They would know the truth of the existence on miraculous jewelry, hell even the kwamis.

Suddenly Marinette could hear her heart pounding in her ears, her breath caught in her throat. She couldn't breathe, panic settled in that this was it. This was how she was going to go out. Her end was caused by herself.

"She's having a panic attack Peter." May heard the crash in the kitchen, and it had been loud enough to cause concern. Rushing to the source, she found Peter unsure what to do and Marinette frozen on the floor stuck in her own head. 

"What do I do to help her?" Peter asks, kneeling next to Marinette as carefully as he could with the glass. 

"Have her focus on you, or your words and calm her breathing." May says, trying to guide him on what to do.

"Mari." Peter gently touched her arm, slowly moving his fingers down and wrapping his hand around her wrist to get her to drop the glass she did manage to pick up. "Marinette, can you hear me? Focus on my voice, I need you to calm down. I need you to think of something happy, somewhere safe."

Tears pricked at her eyes, because where was safe? She could hear him, loud and clear over the thudding in her ears. She tried to take slower breaths, but her mind lead her to the one place she felt the safest in a while. It was was she slept in such a deep sleep with her guard down, and that was in Peter's arms. He calmed her down without even knowing it. He had grounded her without her realizing how much he truly became too mean to her. 

Slowly she focused on his voice, letting it lead her back to the reality she didn't want to face. She felt his touch on her wrist and the sting on her hand from where the glass nicked her skin. Her breathing turned normal slowly, and her eyes met his worried ones. 

"You're okay." Peter tells her, and how she wanted that to be true.

"I need to go." It was rushed words that spewed from her mouth, and before anyone could stop her she was out the door with her purse in hand with Tikki.

Peter made to go after her, but May stood in front of him. "It might be a form of PTSD, triggered by the news. You said she didn't tell you everything about Paris, clearly, but let her come to you. Check on her later so she knows you still care."

Peter could only nod, glancing back at the mess in the kitchen. "I got the mess."

.................

The phones had been going off all morning for the Le Grand Paris, which wasn't unusual. It was just that today the phones had been particularly persistent and never ending. Now that was unusual to Chloe, especially when the receptionists usually were pretty good at answering the calls. Today they just couldn't keep up.

The front office area was a mess, the workers themselves running around like chickens without their heads. Something was off, Chloe could feel it deep within her core. In fact something inside her was buzzing out of warning that everything was about to change. If there was one thing she learned by now it was to trust her instincts. 

She made her way into the elevator, needing to see her father. He would know why everyone was a mess, but she found him inside his office in a worse state. Andre Bourgeois had dark eye bags adorning his face with a frown on his lips. Stress was evident in his tired eyes as he frantically picked up phone calls to only hang up abruptly for the next. 

"What's going on?" Chloe questions, eyebrow raising up when he gave her an exasperated look. Now that was a look he hardly ever gave her, meaning this was something utterly big going on.

"Not now Chloe." Andre says, shooing her away with his hand dismissively, "I'm busy."

It was a tone that was final, telling her to get out and leave him alone. Now that made her bristle from a newfound annoyance she hadn't had in a while. She had been doing better on personal growth, which of course came with the help of a few people she considered friends. Realistically it was redemption she was finding through Marinette, who given her a chance with entrusting her with Pollen. 

Chloe always knew selfishly that Marinette was her own personal redemption. It was poetic really, how she once tormented the baker's daughter when they were younger and now that they were older it was the same girl who she once hurt that helped bring the best version of Chloe out. Marinette inspired her to be better, to be the good in the world that was limited on that.  Of course Chloe had Adrien, who was trying his best not to drown in self pity and guilt that threatened to consume him. 

Plagg had been the one the help her break through to the blonde teenager, telling him that every miraculous holder had an origin story. 

"Kid, you can't let this get you down so much. Marinette needs you to be strong for her here, because she can't be. I can promise she will forgive you, because you are her friend and partner." Plagg tells him in a rare case of seriousness. 

Adrien still had a doubtful look, "I don't know about that."

"Listen. It is very rare for these many holders to be the true holders of the miraculous." Plagg tells Adrien, floating right in front of his face, "I've been around a long time to know that something big is in store, that it was fate that everything is happening. It's because you are true holders, that being you, Chloe, Marinette and the others that you are true heroes. Every hero has their origin story, and that doesn't mean it's when Master Fu gave you us kwami."

"It's what you make of it." Pollen interjects with a smile, "It's when a hero has an awakening, like Chloe. Her origin story did not start with getting me and exposing herself as Queen Bee, it is when she found herself, her true self and decided to make a difference."

"When she helped Marinette." Adrien whispered with realization, 

"You and Marinette were given us out of duty to protect Paris, but this doesn't mean that it's your true origin story kid or true calling as a hero." Plagg says, explaining softly, "You are still finding who you are, and that's okay."

"We did so much for this city, how can it not be our origin story?" Adrien muttered. 

"Because you have not found who you are, nor your true calling. You think you're Chat Noir solely for the recovery of the lost miraculous jewelry?" Plagg shook his head, "I know that's not true because of how many true holders Marinette and Tikki found. You are meant for something greater than Paris, this was just a warm up. Once you find yourself, your purpose- then and only then you'll realize what I mean."

Chloe had been warm after that conversation, understanding what the two kawmi's were trying to tell Adrien. It was something she had already gone through personally, and figured out herself. She knew Adrien would too, he needed time to heal. Marinette wasn't the only person affected in Paris, but she was one of the more deeply traumatized ones. The other holders were going through their own shit too, and it made Plagg's and Pollen's words that much more haunting. 

Her mind was brought out of its speculative with the shrill of her cellphone ringer going off. Reaching into her pocket she wasn't too surprised seeing Adrien's name on her lock screen, and that was because the two of them were on better terms since the reveal and that they were actually becoming friends. Still a work in progress friendship, but a friendship nothing less. 

"Hello?" Chloe answered, looking at her nails as she debated which color to go with next. "Any reasons why people are going bonkers calling my father?"

"Have you not seen the news Chlo?" Adrien's voice was tight with worry and stress, "The world knows about Chat Noir and Ladybug. They know about us and want to know why they never did before. My guess is that they're going for your father's head since Tony Stark just went live to announce the signal jams his AI, F.R.I.D.A.Y , found."

"Tony Stark outed us to the world?" Chloe repeated slowly, processing the words. Out of all the ways to be outed for the world to see, Iron Man was the one?

"You should see the memes. People work fast, they're actually kind of great. The Chat Noir ones are purrfect."

"Adrien." Chloe hissed as she walked back to her room, "Focus."

"I am, I just thought I'd share the pawsome memes." 

Chloe almost groaned when she felt her phone buzz with a text, already knowing that it was Adrien sending her something. Pitching the bridge of her nose she dared to look at the screen, and there in all it's glory was a range of different Chat Noir memes. 

"Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous." Chloe muttered as she brought the phone back up to her ear, "You do realize what this means right? That Chat Noir and Ladybug are on display for the world to see. Which means that the miraculous are bound to get sought out after. We have to think of governments, outside forces like aliens or gods like Loki. Hell, even the Avengers."

"Chlo breath." Adrien says, "I know. I went through my initial freak out this morning with Plagg, but he pointed out a few things to think positively about. Hawkmoth is probably shitting his pants too, because now it's not just us. The world sees us, but they also see him. Governments can be dealt with, they can't take them from us. They don't know the secrets, just Master Fu and Marinette. Kwamis also can't be seen on camera-"

"Oh my god, Marinette." Chloe gasped with realization, "She's probably freaking the fuck out. She was stressed here over Hawkmoth akumatizing her,  I can just imagine her freaking out even more now."

"We can't do anything about it now. She can't cast a miracle cure and make everyone forget. The world knows, we just have to be even more careful with ourselves." Adrien was oddly calm about all of this, but then again he was the one who always had a leveled head. Well most times that is. 

Chloe took a deep breath, "So what do we do?"

"Not much we can do really. Even Plagg said that. Basically roll with the punches, keep a vigilant eye on our surroundings. If Tony Stark can unjam the signals here, I'm sure he has some sort of programming to identify people, even teenagers in a mask. I'm pretty sure he knows Spider-Man's, since he recruited him and all."

"Yeah, that's not very reassuring to me at all." Chloe huffed, "There's a high chance our identities are already compromised."

She could hear Adrien take a breath, and for a moment she wondered what was going through his head, "Marinette is the one that's alone, and that's why I worry. She has no one to really talk too over there. She hasn't come back to Paris, just once for Luka being an akuma but even then she was different."

"She will never be the same girl we knew before." Chloe softly tells him, "That girl never really existed if you think about it. It was a front she put on to fool everyone with over time, and sure it was once who she was a long time ago, but I'm sure that girl died the moment she got Tikki. She was never going to be the same then."

"I just worry that I'm not doing enough." 

"There's not much you can do or even I can do. She needs time to make these choices-"

"There's going to be a time soon where she won't have time to make these choices Chlo, and that's what worries me. Before you were here with me as HB, I was with her out there. She was aggressive, angry, and violent. What if she lost that kindness she once had?" 

"Then that's something we'll have to live with as a consequence to our actions. We can only grow ourselves, not her. She will grow in ways she needs in order to survive, and so will we. Met later?" 

"Same spot as every night Chlo." Adrien agreed with her, "Then we can look at the memes together.

Chloe closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose again, "I said it once and I'll say it again, ridiculous-"

"Utterly ridiculous." Adrien mocked, laughing when he was met with the dial tone as his only response.

.................

Stephen Strange would like to say he was surprised when it came to Tony Stark