On a fine spring afternoon, the crap hit the fan.

Well, not right away. It started out okay, Marinette wasn't late for school and she didn't forget anything. At least, not anything major. Luckily Alya had been benevolent enough to loan her a pen for the day.

Between classes, Alya and Nino had been talking about going to the movies, about which ones were coming out that weekend and what they wanted to see. Marinette was standing with them but was hardly paying attention until she heard Alya call out,

"Hey, Adrien, you should totally come with us to the movies!"

Marinette's head snapped up from looking at her phone, and she felt her muscles stiffen all over as Adrien looked between her and Alya and smiled and nodded, accepting the invitation. He even joined their little group to talk plans.

"It'll have to be later this evening," he said. "I have a photoshoot that is supposed to run until six."

"That's fine," Alya said. She held her phone out, showing a picture of the movie poster in question. "This one doesn't show until half past seven anyway."

"We could probably snag a bite to eat before the movie," Nino suggested. He was sharing glances with Alya, both of them smiling a little... too slyly. It took all Marinette's willpower not to narrow her eyes at them.

Over the course of the rest of the school day, Alya kept checking her phone and the cinema webpage, but it was never for longer than a glance and a quick scroll and then the phone was put away again. Marinette couldn't possibly imagine why. If it was to check for seats they usually filled up faster than they came available. If it was to check movie times... well they'd already decided on 7h30 so there was no reason to find another time, right?

After school Alya walked to Marinette's house, where they sat in her room and did their homework and chatted about whatever to pass the time. They were going to meet Adrien after his photo shoot in the park near the tower and then go from there, but Marinette insisted they don't wait there for too long. She knew what would happen: they'd be sitting and waiting and with each passing minute her brain would have more time to be idle and daydream and then those daydreams would turn into anxiety-filled what-ifs that would send her into a paralyzed panic and then they'd have to cancel the movie and then Adrien would think she was a flake who couldn't handle social interaction and he'd never want to see her again and-

No, staying home and focusing on homework. That was better for now.

They had a test the next day, so they made a game of quizzing each other, hurling a balled up pair of socks at each other when the other got an answer wrong. It was Alya's idea, really, and it worked to keep Marinette distracted from not completely and utterly failing to be a basic human being that evening.

At 5h45 Alya's phone chimed, showing a text from Nino. He was waiting outside the bakery.

"Let's head out," Alya said, throwing the socks at Marinette one last time. "And no, you're not staying here."

"I wasn't gonna say that," Marinette mumbled. On their way down, Marinette snagged a couple cookies and put them in her purse. Maybe she'd eat them, maybe Tikki would. Either way, she had a feeling they would be wanted at some point while they were out.

A light breeze twisted around their ankles as they walked, blowing little bits of leaves and blossoms and making Marinette smile. She really loved spring, everything was so bright and happy and alive. Looking at the trees and flowers and anything growing one could just tell that the earth was rejoicing in the warmth and reveling in the act of bringing some natural color back into the world. Marinette thought back to a dress she'd sketched that morning during class and decided some little ribbon flowers along the hem and neckline would look extra charming.

They got to the park and sat on the steps facing the tower. Down below they could see a group of people, some holding equipment and others sorting through a rack of clothes, and in the middle of it all they could see Adrien sitting and holding a slightly ridiculous pose. He was standing with his foot propped up on something, it looked like a rock from their distance, and had one arm stretched up and resting on top of his head. His other hand was stuffed in a pocket, and the sight of such a position made all three friends laugh. They spent the next ten minutes having their own mock photo shoot, barely containing their mirth.

As Marinette watched Alya circling Nino ("Yes! Give me anger! The teacher just assigned extra homework!"), she checked her phone. And frowned.

"It's 6h10," she pointed out. "Shouldn't they be done by now?"

The other two paused and looked down at the shoot. Nope, it looked like they were still going strong. The clothes sorting people were each holding things and looked like they were waiting. After a minute they rushed in and swapped some accessories out, and even, to Marinette's dismay, his shirt. Marinette felt she needed to look away, but once again she was frozen as she saw, albeit from a distance, a shirtless Adrien.

She heard snickering behind her and she saw that Alya had her phone pointed down at the group.

"That's harassment!" Marinette cried.

"I'm not taking pictures, I just wanted to see better," Alya waved a hand. "Like did you know Adrien has freckles on his shoulders?"

"What!" Marinette squeaked and fumbled her way to look over her friend's shoulder. The camera was jostled, so it took a second to focus, but when it did they could indeed see a splash of freckles across Adrien's shoulders. Marinette let out a happy sigh before she could stop herself, and as his new shirt got tugged on she got lost in a daydream of being close enough to count his freckles.

"Wake up, M," Alya poked Marinette's cheek.

"Should we go get the food?" Nino asked. "I bet my bud would be happy to find it waiting when he gets done."

"I guess so," Marinette said, looking at her phone again. Why was the shoot running over?

"Come on, I know a great sandwich place." Alya pointed and grabbed Nino's and Marinette's hands, leading them up the steps and across the street.

They figured they had to guess what kind of sandwich to get for Adrien, but then Alya suggested that if Marinette was the one to hand it to Adrien, and to suggest that she'd picked it for him, then he probably wouldn't care what kind he got. Marinette protested profusely at this, but Nino and Alya were having too great a time to listen to her countering ideas. They got their sandwiches wrapped to go and as they headed back down the street and the steps, Marinette hugged the two sandwiches close, keeping her head down to try and hide her bright cheeks and little smile.

At 6h35, things looked like they were wrapping up, and while the adults shuffled equipment and clothes around, Adrien hurried over to his friends with a tired smile.

"Sorry that took so long," he said right away. "At least we'll still make the movie."

"About that," Alya said quickly. "I couldn't get four seats together, just two pairs of two. Sorry."

Marinette shot a glance at her friend. She didn't look sorry. And Marinette knew for a fact that she'd been checking the seats all day. Traitor. How was she going to live through sitting right next to Adrien for a whole movie? The guys didn't look particularly bothered, though, and Adrien even offered Marinette an encouraging smile. In fact, if Marinette had been narrating, she probably would have said he looked... eager? at the idea of it just being the two of them.

Marinette felt an elbow in her side and when she didn't respond Alya sighed. "Marinette chose your sandwich for you, we hope that was okay?"

"Oh, that's great," Adrien's focus shifted down to the sandwiches in Marinette's arms, and she jumped when she realized she needed to hand him one. She looked down at them, wishing the brown paper had been marked or written on or something so she could remember which one was supposed to be Adrien's. But she couldn't remember.

"I-er-uh-this one? No-no, this one!" she pushed one of the sandwiches into his hands.

"Thanks," he said. "Photoshoots always make me hungry."

They sat down on a garden wall and began to open their sandwiches when someone from the shoot called for Adrien's attention. Apparently they needed to re-shoot some of the pictures. Adrien lowered his sandwich sadly, he didn't even get a chance to take a bite. He wrapped it back up and set it down. "Sorry, I'll be back soon... I hope..."

Marinette looked down at her own sandwich; chicken and sprouts and tomatoes on focaccia bread. It was the one they'd ordered for Adrien. Her mouth felt dry as she watched Adrien's retreating back, and realized just how much he'd been looking forward to the movie.

"We'll make it to the show, right?" she asked.

Nino checked his phone and Alya hummed noncommittally.

For the first few minutes, it seemed like they would. Adrien stood for a few pictures, and then was headed back over to them when the lighting equipment was brought out. And he was called back for more pictures. Marinette brushed her fingernails back and forth across her bottom lip, which helped to soothe her worries a little. Alya pulled up a post in progress for the Ladyblog. Nino kicked a rock back and forth between his feet.

After what felt like an age, Marinette cracked open her purse to smile at a dozing Tikki, who had nibbled her way through half a cookie. She sighed and pulled out her phone to check the time.

7h20

Marinette groaned in frustration. It was a twenty minute walk to the cinema! She drooped forward and pressed her forehead against her knees.

She heard Alya and Nino gasp, probably they came to the same conclusion she did, and Marinette was about to suggest they maybe try for a different show time when she heard-

"This is Alya, live on the scene! Freak out, we're about to see someone akumatized!"

Marinette's head shot up. Alya and Nino were gaping toward the shoot, where they looked like they were finally wrapping up. Alya had her phone pointed toward the sky, where, set against the pale sunset sky, an ominous black shape could be seen descending. Marinette felt her heart sink as she watched it flutter down and land among the people in the shoot.

"Not-" please not Adrien, she thought frantically, standing up on the wall and craning her head to get a better view. Please, please, not him.

"Do you think-?" Nino started a question that he didn't need to finish. Soon enough they could see for themselves.

The people working the shoot all started backing away, some straight up dropping what they had and running. Akumas had been terrorizing the streets of Paris long enough for some people to know what to do.

Standing there, in the middle of the setup was Adrien, though he looked very different. His neatly tailored suit had been replaced with something that resembled a snug jumpsuit, all grey and white. He had some kind of headpiece on that came down to a transparent green visor in front of his eyes. And his eyes... it was as if someone had taken the image of him, taken away all traces of softness, and then stepped on his foot for good measure. He looked frighteningly angry.

Marinette couldn't tear her eyes away, and she urgently patted her purse to wake Tikki up. She could hear Alya talking through her livestream as she and Nino moved behind a bush, and Marinette took advantage of their distraction and ran off to find a place to transform.

When Ladybug came swinging back out, a few people had been targeted and shot with some kind of shimmery green light, and those covered in it were moving in slow motion. It seemed like Adrien was taking his frustration out on those who had made him late for his date.

"Adrien!" Ladybug called, chasing after him. He was running, almost flying after the photographer, who had jumped in his car and was peeling away as fast as he could.

Adrien faltered, glancing at Ladybug and something flashed through his eyes momentarily. Then his body tensed for a second and he resumed his chase. Ladybug tried to keep up, but suddenly she was hit in the stomach with a bolt of light and everything slowed down. From her point of view, things around her actually looked like they sped up, and she struggled to move but in no time at all Adrien, and the car he was chasing, were gone.

Ladybug's thoughts flew around faster than a hurricane, probably to make up for her limbs moving so slow. Every moment she'd spent with Adrien as Ladybug came to the forefront of her mind. In them he'd been nothing but shy and kind. She couldn't think of a single reason for him to have ill feelings towards her. Why had he shot her? Why had he shot her? Why had he shot her? Why had he shot-

The green light faded and Ladybug hit the ground with a hard smack. She ached all over, especially her stomach. As she worked herself up to kneeling she gingerly touched the point of impact and grimaced. Yup, that was going to be a bruise. A big, colorful one if she wasn't mistaken.

"Ladybug, are you okay?"

Alya and Nino had rushed over, Alya still holding her phone like she was streaming. Her eyes were wide, and Nino kept glancing around at the rooftops, probably wondering the same thing Ladybug was: Where is Chat Noir?

"I'll be fine, I think," Ladybug assured them. "You guys need to find a place to hide."

"That's my best bud, Adrien," Nino told her quickly. "Please, help him!"

"I will," Ladybug nodded. She swung her yo-yo up and took off. "Stay out of trouble!"

Ladybug followed the trail of people trapped in the shimmering green light, her worry growing with each turn. Where was Adrien? And where on earth was Chat, she needed his help!

The trail seemed to stop suddenly when she found the photographer's car near frozen in the middle of the road. Looking around, she couldn't see any more people except from the way she came, and she frowned. Then her eyes caught sight of a narrow alley just near the frozen car, and she carefully approached over the rooftops. She didn't know if Adrien would shoot her again or if he was feeling burned out. Could akumas feel burned out? Maybe she'd get the chance to ask Adrien when this was all over.

"Adrien?" She called softly into the gloom of the alley. "I don't want to hurt you, can we talk?"

There was a shuffling sound and a couple little grunts, and then she heard his voice.

"It's Minute Man." He sounded disgruntled.

Ladybug squinted and could barely make out where he was sitting. As she carefully began to climb down she saw a soft purple glow and heard Adrien whisper, "No, no." and then he was rigid and grunting as if he were in pain. Ladybug paused, concerned. No, she was disturbed. Could Hawk Moth inflict pain?

"I want to help you," she said as she reached the ground. Adrien refused to look at her, scowling at his knees. His hands were balled into fists at his side. She was a few paces away from him, and she kept her eyes on his right hand. That was apparently his shooting hand. She saw his ring there, dark green with miniature white clock hands on the face of it. Those tiny hands spun in circles that would have made it a pretty cool ring if it wasn't akumatized. Ladybug glanced behind her at the street and then up at the rooftops. Where was Chat?

"You need to get out of here," Adrien said through clenched teeth. "He's gonna make me shoot you again."

Ladybug stopped. She had been taking slow and steady steps towards him, her hands out and away from her yo-yo so he wouldn't feel threatened. She sank to a crouch and tried to catch Adrien's eyes.

"We can help you," she said again. "Me, and Chat Noir, we can help get rid of the akuma."

Adrien's eyes flashed and he brought his fists together on his knees. His breathing hitched and he looked like he was in pain again. He still refused to look at her.

Then, almost deliberately, he tapped his ring. "You won't be getting any help tonight-" He yelped and his shoulders jerked back, his right fist now aiming at her. He cracked one eye opened and tried for a smile, but it came out a grimace. "My Lady."

Before Marinette could comprehend his choice of words, she was jumping out of the way of another slow-mo shot. She scrambled up onto a roof and swung away, checking behind her to see Adrien haphazardly running out of the alley and down the street. If Hawk Moth was going to make them fight, then she'd rather do it in a place she could easily dodge his shots.

Adrien kept up almost easily, mostly because Ladybug was starting to feel too distracted to travel at top speed. He'd called her My Lady? Since when does Adrien do that? The only person she knew ever to call her that was-

Oh.

Oh no.

Abruptly changing course, Ladybug flew to the tower. If Adrien's bag was still there... Honestly she didn't know what she would do if she found anything to confirm her suspicions. Cry? Maybe. Scream? More likely. And then... when she freed him from the akuma? No idea.

She landed on the grass in the middle of the abandoned photo shoot, and she quickly found the school bag she knew was Adrien's. She frowned and bit her lip, and after checking around to see that Adrien wasn't nearby, she pulled open the zipper.

Books, notebook, pencils, a water bottle... and then her heart dropped to her stomach. Curled up and looking very worried was a little black thing that looked too much like Tikki to be anything other than a kwami. It looked up at her with big green eyes, and her hands tightened on the bag. She swallowed past the painful lump that had formed in her throat. "I'll get him back," she promised the little kwami.

She heard a crash and she looked up to see Adrien coming straight towards her. She saw him look between her face and his bag, his outstretched hand falling a little. She could still see pain in his eyes but he smiled at her, knowing she'd pieced together what he'd said. Ladybug took in the sight of him, trying to find traces of her partner, but there was nothing. This was Adrien akumatized, and he was clearly doing all he could in his power to stop Hawk Moth from finding out the truth.

"I need the power in your Miraculous!" Adrien yelled. He raised his right fist and a streak of green light flew towards Ladybug, but she was already moving. She slung herself across the park and up into the crossbeams of the tower.

"Lucky Charm!" she cried. She desperately needed something to help, especially if she was going to fight without Chat Noir's Cataclysm. Her yo-yo transformed, and... and a 1kg sack of flour fell into her hands.

Ladybug growled in frustration. How was flour going to help? She hugged the bag close and looked around, keeping a careful eye on Adrien as he slowly circled the tower, looking for a way up. Apparently he couldn't actually fly.

Down on the grass, a few of the things from the shoot caught Ladybug's attention, and she jumped down to collect a pair of power cords, a bucket, and a scarf. Then she was dodging the green lights again and climbing back up the tower, where she made quick work of her things. Now she just had to wait for just the right moment.

Wrapping the scarf around her forearm, Ladybug dropped down to the center of the tower, hanging a short drop above the ground. She kept one hand on a power cord and waved the other around, calling attention to herself.

"Yohoo, over here!" she said. Of course, her plan relied on the fact that maybe Adrien didn't want to shoot her again. That he might be able to stay in control of his own arm. Her heart raced as she watched Adrien walk stiffly towards her. Just a few more feet...

The glowing purple outline of a butterfly appeared in front of Adrien's face, and his eyes narrowed. He slowed his steps, watching Ladybug carefully. Then, two more steps and he was in just the right spot.

He stopped.

"You'll never win."

Ladybug caught her breath, thinking he was talking to her, but then as she watched him glance up and take two steps forward, she realized he was talking to Hawk Moth.

With a mighty pull, Ladybug upended the bucket full of flour over Adrien's head, leaving him coughing and sputtering and, most importantly, temporarily blinded. She rushed forward and used the scarf to tie his arms behind his back, and quickly pulled the ring off his finger. She threw it to the ground and drove her heel on top of it, releasing the akuma. She purified it, set it free, and righted all the damage that had been done.

Ladybug bent down to pick up the now fixed silver ring, turning it over in her fingers for a moment before crouching in front of Adrien. He looked at the ring, his expression unreadable.

"Um," Ladybug bit her cheek. She felt like she needed to say something, but nothing seemed right.

"I guess I should be more careful," Adrien said quietly. He looked down at his hands. Ladybug could see his cheeks turn red. "I was so upset about... about missing this date I had... I need to be more careful."

Ladybug blinked a couple times. She could feel tears threatening. "Everyone gets emotional," she tried. "Getting upset is nothing to be ashamed of."

"Except I couldn't help you," Adrien almost whispered. "I wasn't just useless, I shot you. I don't deserve that." He nodded at the ring in Ladybug's hands.

Oh no. Nope. Ladybug reached out and firmly took his right hand. "This? This isn't something you can lose. It's not something you get taken away on bad behavior. This is a part of who you are. Who you always will be. I can't change that, you can't change that. And Hawk Moth definitely can't change that." She slid the ring onto his finger and closed his hand, holding his fist between her own hands. Her earrings chimed but she ignored them. "I will always need you, no matter what."

"You didn't need me to beat me," Adrien pointed out sullenly.

"Oh yes I did," Ladybug insisted. "I know I wouldn't have won if you really wanted to beat me. It took you fighting Hawk Moth in your own way for us to win."

He looked up at her, his green eyes still too sad for Ladybug's liking. Then he blinked. "You're almost out of time," he said.

Ladybug clenched her jaw. Here was her hard decision. Every instinct inside her screamed for her to run. To hide. To keep her real face a secret so they could keep each other safe. But...

But she knew Adrien's secret. The cat was out of the bag, so to speak. It wouldn't be fair for her to know and him to not. She looked around quickly and saw that they were well sheltered, under one of the legs of the tower, and nobody was around to see them. They'd all fled the park during or after the initial attack.

She took a breath to steady herself, to settle her now shaking hands. She was really going to do it. Then she sat down right next to him, gripping his shoulder and keeping eye contact.

"I'm not going anywhere," she told him.

Adrien's eyes widened, and his mouth fell open into a little 'oh'. Ladybug's last dot started beeping and tears sprang to her eyes as her transformation ended in a flash of red.

Silence.

Then-

"Marinette?"